The aim of this study was to investigate (a) the behavioral cues that are displayed by, and trait judgments formed about, anxious interviewees, and (b) why anxious interviewees receive lower interview performance ratings. The Behavioral Expression of Interview Anxiety Model was created as a conceptual framework to explore these relations. We videotaped and transcribed mock job interviews, obtained ratings of interview anxiety and interview performance, and trained raters to assess several verbal and nonverbal cues and trait judgments. The results indicated that few behavioral cues, but several traits were related to interviewee and interviewer ratings of interview anxiety. Two factors emerged from our factor analysis on the trait judgments-Assertiveness and Interpersonal Warmth. Mediation analyses were performed and indicated that Assertiveness and Interpersonal Warmth mediated the relation between interview anxiety and interview performance. Speech rate (words spoken per minute) and Assertiveness were found to mediate the relation between interviewee and interviewer ratings of interview anxiety. Overall, the results indicated that interviewees should focus less on their nervous tics and more on the broader impressions that they convey. Our findings indicate that anxious interviewees may want to focus on how assertive and interpersonally warm they appear to interviewers. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use a validated interview anxiety measure to examine behavioral cues and traits exhibited by anxious interviewees. We offer new insight into why anxious interviewees receive lower interview performance ratings.
The detection of negative emotions through daily activities such as writing and drawing is useful for promoting wellbeing. The spread of human-machine interfaces such as tablets makes the collection of handwriting and drawing samples easier. In this context, we present a first publicly available database which relates emotional states to handwriting and drawing, that we call EMOTHAW (EMOTion recognition from HAndWriting and draWing). This database includes samples of 129 participants whose emotional states, namely anxiety, depression, and stress, are assessed by the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scales (DASS) questionnaire. Seven tasks are recorded through a digitizing tablet: pentagons and house drawing, words copied in handprint, circles and clock drawing, and one sentence copied in cursive writing. Records consist in pen positions, on-paper and in-air, time stamp, pressure, pen azimuth, and altitude. We report our analysis on this database. From collected data, we first compute measurements related to timing and ductus. We compute separate measurements according to the position of the writing device: on paper or inair. We analyze and classify this set of measurements (referred to as features) using a random forest approach. This latter is a machine learning method [1], based on an ensemble of decision trees, which includes a feature ranking process. We use this ranking process to identify the features which best reveal a targeted emotional state. We then build random forest classifiers associated with each emotional state. We provide accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity evaluation measures obtained from cross-validation experiments. Our results showthat anxiety and stress recognition perform better than depression recognition.
DNA/RNA sequencing has recently become a primary way researchers generate biological data for further analysis. Assembling algorithms are an integral part of this process. However, some of them require pairwise alignment to be applied to a great deal of reads. Although several efficient alignment tools have been released over the past few years, including those taking advantage of GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), none of them directly targets high-throughput sequencing data. As a result, a need arose to create software that could handle such data as effectively as possible. G-DNA (GPU-based DNA aligner) is the first highly parallel solution that has been optimized to process nucleotide reads (DNA/RNA) from modern sequencing machines. Results show that the software reaches up to 89 GCUPS (Giga Cell Updates Per Second) on a single GPU and as a result it is the fastest tool in its class. Moreover, it scales up well on multiple GPUs systems, including MPI-based computational clusters, where its performance is counted in TCUPS (Tera CUPS).
Primary European car-makers agree on a 48 V embedded-supply to support the growing current-load requirements in modern vehicles. The functionalities required to the starter-generator are the engine start up, launch assistant torque, regenerative braking, battery charging and early fuel cut off. The dynamic load profile and the harsh environment working conditions make thermal issues the key challenge in the machine design. The paper presents the simulation and experimental test results of a belt driven starter-generator for 48 V mini hybrid powertrains. In particular, a double three-phase 10 kW induction machine has been selected as the suitable candidate for the application. In detail, the authors illustrate the experimental calibration and validation of the steady state thermal model, as well as the thermal characterization of a liquid cooled prototype. Finally, the paper deals with the temperatures prediction of the motor working in different load conditions.
Background: Chronic alcohol intake impacts skin directly, through organ dysfunction or by modifying preexisting dermatoses. However, dermatoses afflicting chronic alcoholics figure in a few studies only. Aim: This study aims to correlate the spectrum of dermatoses in chronic alcoholics with the quantum/duration of alcohol intake and raised liver transaminases. Materials and Methods: Adult males, totaling 196, ascertained to fulfill the Royal College of Psychiatry criteria for chronic alcoholism by the de -addiction center and referred for dermatological consult were enrolled as cases, and similar number of age -/sex -matched teetotallers, as controls. Data emanating from detailed history, clinical examination, and routine liver functions tests were summarized and subsequently analyzed, including statistically using the Chi-square, independent t and Spearman's rank correlation tests, and compared with data from previous studies. Results: Majority (104) drank 41-50 units of alcohol/week since 3-40 (mean: 20.01 +/- 9.322) years. Generalized pruritus (odds ratio [OR]: 31.15, P < 0.001), xerosis (OR: 3.62, P = 0.008), and seborrheic dermatitis (OR: 12.26, P < 0.001) were significantly more common in cases than controls. Infections (73; 37.2%), eczemas (45; 22.9%), and generalized hyperpigmentation (28; 14.2%) were- the major presenting complaints. Spider nevi, gynecomastia, and pellagroid dermatitis were present in 34 (17.3%), 19 (9.7%), and 8 (4.1%) respectively exclusively in cases only. Commonly seen systemic abnormalities were an alcoholic liver disease (45; 22.9%), diabetes mellitus (23; 11.7%), and peripheral neuropathy (19; 9.7%). Conclusion: Knowledge of cutaneous manifestations of chronic alcoholism could prompt in-depth history taking of alcohol intake, lead to specialist referral and thereby enable timely de -addiction, hopefully before serious adversities in the chronic alcoholics.
Service reputation is a key factor for service selection and service composition in Service-Oriented Ambient Intelligence systems. Hence, service reputation computing should fully reflect the feature of multi-rating fusion and the utility value dynamic attenuation characters of the rating. The paper combines D-S evidence theory with dynamic attenuation and puts forward a service reputation computing algorithm based on multi-rating fusion, which is adapted to the Ambient Intelligence systems. First, a layered computing model of the service reputation is given. Then, a mechanism of dynamic attenuation based on time windows, an objective rating and advertisement honesty rating of service, and a user credibility computing algorithm are presented. Afterward, the rating information is combined with the D-S evidence theory to raise an aggregation algorithm of the service general reputation for the Ambient Intelligence environments. Finally, a prototype test is carried out to verify the effectiveness and availability of the model together with the algorithms.
Cross-sectional ovalization of thin-walled circular steel tube because of large plastic bending, also known as the Brazier effect, usually occurs during the initial stage of tube's continuous rotary straightening process. The amount of ovalization, defined as maximal cross section flattening, is an important technical parameter in tube's straightening process to control tube's bending deformation and prevent buckling. However, for the lack of special analytical model, the maximal section flattening was determined in accordance with the specified charts developed by experienced operators on the basis of experimental data; thus, it was inevitable that the localized buckling might occur during some actual straightening operations. New normal strain component formulas were derived based on the thin shell theory. Then, strain energy of thin-walled tube (per unit length) was obtained using the elastic-plastic theory. A rational model for predicting the maximal section flattening of the thin-walled circular steel tube under its straightening process was presented by the principle of minimum potential energy. The new model was validated by experiments and numerical simulations. The results show that the new model agrees well with the experiments and the numerical simulations with error of less than 10%. This new model was expected to find its potential application in thin-walled steel tube straightening machine design.
Transient analysis of Switching Power Converter (SPC) circuits is a computationally expensive task. This high expense arises from the fact that these circuits are driven by a clock with a period that is very small compared to the time interval the designer is typically interested in. Envelope-Following (EF) technique has been recently proposed in the literature for efficient time-domain simulation of SPC circuits. In this paper, a parallel high-order EF method, which is based on Obreshkov-Formula, is presented for analysis of SPC circuits. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of the proposed method on parallel platforms.
The assessment and prevention of floods require appropriate forecasting and knowledge of the related hydrological processes. Due to the similar form of the governing equations, flood hydrograph shows a clear analytical and mathematical analogy with electrical circuits. In this paper, a spatially distributed hydrological model is developed which is analogue to a network of electrical resistance-capacitance with five circuits for describing the hydrological processes leading to floods. The spatially distributed hydrological model simulates rainfall, potential evapotranspiration, canopy interception, surface storage and soil storage. The parameters for analogical modelling were derived from translation of the physical catchment characteristics. A two-parameter Weibull equation aggregates the response functions of each pixel and calculates the hydrograph of the catchment. We applied the model to the 'Open-Book' or 'tilted V-catchment' theoretical benchmark problem, as well as to four hourly flood events and simulation of daily discharges. For the last two cases, data were used from the mountainous catchment of upper Tarqui in the Andes of Ecuador. Comparison of single versus multiple circuit designs for the benchmark problem indicates that the multiple circuit analogy provides a result similar to other hydrological models. The results further illustrate the usefulness of the methodology for flood modelling and how it can simplify the simulation for ungauged basins of temporal and spatial variations of influencing hydrological processes.
This paper deals with the motion analysis of skier gliding on the actual snow field using inertial sensors. It is difficult to measure the motion of skier gliding on the actual snow field since the gliding velocity is fast and the measurement area is large. Therefore, few studies have analyzed ski turns in gliding on the actual snow field. It is necessary to analyze the skier gliding on the actual snow field in resolving the mechanism of ski turns. In our previous study, we developed the motion measurement method of skier using inertial and magnetic field sensors. The 3D posture is estimated by applying the sensor fusion method, and the method can estimate the 3D posture compensating the drift error of gyro sensor and reducing the effect of dynamic acceleration of accelerometer. Furthermore, we developed the sensor fusion method estimating the 3D posture in local coordinate by the information of inertial sensors attaching the body segments. The joint angle of skier in gliding on the actual snow field can be estimated by this method and inverse kinematics. We conducted the measurement experiment by skier gliding on the actual snow field. The inertial sensors and the GPS receiver were attached to the body segments and the top of skier, respectively. Skier conducted carving and skidding turns in this experiment. We calculated the joint angles of skier by the information of inertial sensors, and the switchovers of turns are estimated by the GPS receiver output. The results of motion analysis indicated the major feature of skier's motion and the difference between carving and skidding turns. Therefore, the analysis results can be used to the skill rating, the clarification of the mechanism of ski turns and the suggestion of more ideal turning form. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
An analytical model for the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) tunnel field-effect transistor (FET) with linearly graded workfunction-modulated gate is proposed to improve device performance through subthreshold slope (SS) optimization. The surface potential of the suggested model is analyzed using the two-dimensional (2-D) Poisson equation with imposed channel boundary conditions. Other electrical parameters such as the electric field, drain current, transconductance, and SS are evaluated to examine the performance of the model. Moreover, the performance in terms of the SS and values for the proposed model with downscaling of gate oxide thickness and silicon body thickness are also investigated and the results compared with results for a conventional tunnel FET (TFET) model. The present model exhibits significant reduction in subthreshold slope () and improvement in performance. The accuracy of the model is verified against 2-D technology computer-aided design (TCAD) model simulations.
People can accurately assess various personality traits of others based on body odor (BO) alone. Previous studies have shown that correlations between odor ratings and self-assessed personality dimensions are evident for assessments of neuroticism and dominance. Here, we tested differences between assessments based on natural body odor alone, without the use of cosmetics and assessments based on the body odor of people who were allowed to use cosmetics following their daily routine. Sixty-seven observers assessed samples of odors from 113 odor donors (each odor donor provided two samples one with and one without cosmetic use); the donors provided their personality ratings, and the raters judged personality characteristics of the donors based on the provided odor samples. Correlations between observers' ratings and self-rated neuroticism were stronger when raters assessed body odor in the natural body odor condition (natural BO condition; r(s) = 0.20) than in the cosmetics use condition (BO+cosmetics condition; r(s) = 0.15). Ratings of dominance significantly predicted self-assessed dominance in both conditions (r(s) = 0.34 for natural BO and r(s) = 0.21 for BO+cosmetics), whereas ratings of extraversion did not predict self-assessed extraversion in either condition. In addition, ratings of body odor attractiveness and pleasantness were significantly lower in natural BO condition than in BO+cosmetics condition, although the intensity of donors' body odors was similar under both conditions. Our findings suggest that although olfaction seems to contribute to accurate first impression judgments of certain personality traits, cosmetic use can affect assessments of others based on body odor.
FH98 digital scheduling system can realize the functions of centralized monitoring, remote maintenance, fault diagnosis, and environmental monitoring, etc. so that the remote equipment can be attended. In this way, railway scheduling, station and station communication can adapt to the future development of railway communication. This paper describes the common faults and processing methods of application of FH98 digital dispatching system.
At a global level, with the increase in healthcare costs, there is a need to assess the economic impact of the incorporation of new technologies in different health disorders in different countries. There is scarce information regarding costs incurred with the use of current or new diagnostic tests for tuberculosis or from the vantage point of their incorporation within the healthcare systems of high-burden countries. The present study aimed to assess the mean cost and the activity based cost of the laboratory diagnosis for tuberculosis by means of conventional techniques and from the Detect TB (R) LabTest molecular test kit in a general high-complexity hospital of the public health system in Brazil. Cost analysis was performed by means of primary data, collected in the Mycobacteria and Molecular Biology Laboratory in 2013. The mean cost and activity based cost were, respectively, U$10.06/U$5.61 for centrifuged bacilloscopy by Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) and Auramine (AU); U$7.42/U$4.15 for direct bacilloscopy by ZN; U$27.38/U$16.50 for culture in a Loweinstein-Jensen solid medium; and U$115.74/U$73.46 for the Detect TB (R) LabTest Kit. The calculation of the ABC should be used in making decisions by administrators to be the best method of assessing the costs of conventional techniques and molecular method for providing the real value of the tests. So it is need to calculate the ABC, and not of the mean cost, in various scenarios before incorporating new technologies in health institutions.
Objective: Social skills play an important role in employment. This study provides a qualitative analysis of salient work related social skills and interventions for addressing social skills in public vocational rehabilitation (VR). Research Design: A modified consensual qualitative research (CQR) approach was taken to understand the elements and influence of work related social skills in public VR. Thirty-five counselors, supervisors, and administrators participated in semistructured interviews to provide their perspectives of work related social skills and the interventions they use for addressing these skills. Results: Multiple aspects of work-related social skills were described as being important for VR consumer success. The most common work related social skills across all participants were nonverbal communication and the ability to connect with others. Primary social interventions included informal social skills training (SST), systems collaboration, and creating an appropriate job match. Conclusions: Public rehabilitation agency staff, constantly faced with addressing work related social skills, possess many insights about salient skills and interventions that can benefit future research and practice. Agencies currently address social skills deficits by providing interventions to both person and environment. The research provides directions for future research related to identification of social skills and interventions to address related deficits.
Background: Buckwheat (BW) is a common cause of life-threatening allergy in Asia. Few have examined oral food challenges (OFCs) using BW. We here describe the OFC outcomes for the diagnosis or confirmation of tolerance acquisition and clarify risk factors for positive OFCs. Methods: Between July 2005 and March 2014, we retrospectively reviewed data from children who underwent OFCs using 3,072 mg of BW protein at Sagamihara National Hospital. Children were suspected of having BW allergy because of positive results for BW-specific IgE or because they had been previously diagnosed with BW allergy owing to immediate reactions to BW. Results: Of 476 such patients, we analyzed 419 aged 1-17 years (median age 6.7 years). Forty-four (10.5%) reacted to the BW OFC and 24 (54.5%) experienced anaphylaxis. Among patients with suspected BW allergies (n = 369), 30 (8.1%) reacted to OFC. However, among patients with definitive BW allergies (n = 50) who underwent OFCs a median of 7.0 years after their last immediate reaction, 14 (28.0%) reacted to OFC. Among 12 patients with past anaphylactic reactions to BW, 8 exhibited tolerance to BW. A history of immediate reaction to BW and high BW-specific IgE levels were significant risk factors for a positive OFC. Conclusions: BW allergies are rare among children suspected of having BW allergies due to positivity for BW-specific IgE. Most children with definitive BW allergies can tolerate BW, even after anaphylactic reactions. Nevertheless, careful observation is needed when performing BW OFCs, considering the high incidence of anaphylactic reactions. (C) 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel
The concept of energy is widely employed in introductory science courses. However, the term energy is defined and utilized in different ways depending on the context, even within a given discipline. Through the lens of metaphor theory, these various definitions of energy are seen as metaphors that highlight and obscure characteristics of energy. Working under this framework, undergraduate students in introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses were asked to write analogies that reflect their understanding of the role of energy in the context of ecosystems (n=49), chemical reactions (n=36), mechanical systems (n=65), and electrical circuits (n=44). These analogies were analyzed qualitatively using metaphor theory to gain understanding of how students conceptualize energy in these different contexts. The results of this study indicate that students use seven different conceptual metaphors to explain the role of energy in various scientific contexts: energy as a substance that can be accounted for, energy as a substance that can flow, can change forms, can be carried, can be lost, can be an ingredient or a product, and energy as a process or interaction. This result gives teachers a framework to use in evaluating student ideas about energy.
Soil steaming is a preventive non-chemical weed control method. We designed and studied a new prototype band-steaming machine. Tests were conducted during the growing cycle of organically cultivated carrot in real-field conditions, in order to study the effect of different steam doses on crops and a natural weed seedbank, throughout the whole growth cycle. The prototype has a 3265 MJ h(-1) steam generator, which applies steam in 12 soil bands, 180 mm wide. The steam was mixed with the soil by mean of an apposite rotary cultivator. Four biological steam doses (0, 1.11, 1.59, and 2.78 kg m(-2)) were applied in combination with 4000 kg ha(-1) of CaO prior to sowing the crop. Log-logistic models were used to describe the responses of temperatures, weed density, time required for hand weeding, weed dry biomass at harvest, and carrot yield to the band-steaming application. Based on the experimental data, an economic margin was evaluated to find the optimum application dose. Overall responses were influenced by steam dose. The results showed that a maximum temperature of 63 degrees C at a 25 mm depth was observed with a steam dose of 2.78 kg m(-2). With a 2.78 kg m(-2) dose, the operative time was approximately 14 h ha(-1) and total fuel consumption was 768 kg ha-1. An estimated mean steam dose of 2.3 kg m(-2) could be able to provide similar yield and hand weeding times responses to the highest steam dose applied, thus reducing both the operative time and fuel consumption of the machine. (C) 2016 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The analysis of travel mode choice is an important task in transportation planning and policy making in order to understand and predict travel demands. While advances in machine learning have led to numerous powerful classifiers, their usefulness for modeling travel mode choice remains largely unexplored. Using extensive Dutch travel diary data from the years 2010 to 2012, enriched with variables on the built and natural environment as well as on weather conditions, this study compares the predictive performance of seven selected machine learning classifiers for travel mode choice analysis and makes recommendations for model selection. In addition, it addresses the importance of different variables and how they relate to different travel modes. The results show that random forest performs significantly better than any other of the investigated classifiers, including the commonly used multinomial logit model. While trip distance is found to be the most important variable, the importance of the other variables varies with classifiers and travel modes. The importance of the meteorological variables is highest for support vector machine, while temperature is particularly important for predicting bicycle and public transport trips. The results suggest that the analysis of variable importance with respect to the different classifiers and travel modes is essential for a better understanding and effective modeling of people's travel behavior. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The potential of nanotechnology to make it possible to acquire and manipulate very large sets of data raises fundamental questions about privacy and human dignity. Medical privacy allows a person to withhold their medical records and other information from others, perhaps because of fears that it might affect their insurance coverage or employment, or to avoid the embarrassment caused by revealing medical conditions or treatments. The emerging 'nanoneuroimplants' have given rise to new policy issues. Such developments could be used to achieve greater safety, security and individualized healthcare, and could offer advantages to business (for example in tracking and other monitoring of materials and products). However, the same devices might be used in ways that limit individual or group privacy by covert surveillance, by collecting and distributing personal information (such as health or genetic profiles) without adequate consent, and by concentrating information in the hands of those with the resources to develop and control such networks. The discussions on ethical and societal aspects of nanoneuroimplants tend to focus on how ambient intelligence, also called ubiquitous computing, changes the organization of society and how people communicate and interact with each other. When it is possible to track every citizen, and to store information that would predict patterns of future behavior, it is important to set guidelines for the use of that information early. The development of large commercial databases using current technology is proceeding rapidly; nanoneuroimplants have the capability to accelerate this development in the future. Therefore, privacy is a key value which underpins human dignity. Thus, the objective of this study is primarily to raise awareness and questions concerning the privacy and human dignity dilemmas created by nanoneuroimplants in this rapidly expanding field. Breakthroughs from this research at nanoneuroimplants will therefore have a significant impact on the market for enabling new neural prosthetic-based technologies. Ethical awareness and analysis must take place now in order to ensure an appropriate and timely impact on the various technological applications. Nevertheless, where necessary this paper proposes clear ethical boundaries, legal principles and suggests several steps that should be taken by responsible regulators in international level.
Diversity in the macrophage models currently employed in immunology studies may lead to opposed results and interpretations. In this study, we aimed to analyze the suitability of J774 macrophage-like cells as a model for the interaction between the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum and macrophages. J774 cells were competent in fungal phagocytosis, but succumbed to hyphal growth. Nevertheless, they could also secrete IL-1 beta in response to the dermatophyte. On the opposite direction, inflammatory, thioglycollate-induced peritoneal macrophages did not succumb to fungal growth and showed no significant IL-1 beta production. The proteomic profiling of these cells uncovered vimentin and plastin-2 as proteins whose abundance was altered by the fungal interaction. Our study indicates that this cell line could be an interesting tool in the investigation of T. rubrum infection biology.
Aims: Recent evidence indicates that the defective ability to clear apoptotic cells by macrophages (efferocytosis) and the resultant apoptotic cells accumulation in atherosclerotic plaques play an important role during the progression of unstable plaques. The cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2), has recently been emerging as a new target to reduce vulnerability and promote stability of plaques, however, the underlying mechanisms have not been studied in detail. In the present study, we investigated whether selective activation of CB2 improves efferocytosis of macrophages. Main methods: RAW264.7 macrophage line and primary-isolated peritoneal lavage macrophages from C57bI/6J mice were cultured. The efferocytosis of macrophages was analyzed by using flow cytometry or confocal microscopy; and the possible mechanisms involved in regulation of efferocytosis were also explored by using molecular biology methods. Key findings: We found that JWH-133 and HU-308, selective agonists of CB2 receptor, concentration-dependently increased the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells in normal-cultured and oxidative low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) - loaded RAW264.7 and primary macrophages. JWH-133 and HU-308 also up-regulated expressions of tyrosine kinase family phagocytic receptors MerTK, Tyro3 and Axl, reduced levels of TNF-alpha and reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by OxLDL, and inhibited activation of RhoA GTPase. Significance: The selective activation of CB2 improves efferosytosis of normal-cultured and OxLDL-loaded macrophages, which might provide a novel mechanism on how CB2 activation reduces vulnerability and promotes stability of atherosclerotic plaques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
Background: Only a few biomarkers are available for assessing disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Mean platelet volume (MPV) has been recently studied as an inflammatory biomarker. It is currently unclear whether MPV may also play a role as a biomarker of disease activity in adult patients with SLE. Objective: We investigated the association between MPV and disease activity in adult patients with SLE. Methods: In this retrospective study, we compared two groups of adult patients divided according to disease activity (36 per group). Subjects were age- and gender-matched. Results: MPV was significantly decreased with respect to those of inactive patients (7.16 +/- 1.39 vs. 8.16 +/- 1.50, p = 0.005). At a cutoff level of 8.32 fL, MPV has a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 41% for the detection of disease activity. A modest positive correlation was found between MPV and albumin (r= 0.407, p = 0.001), which in turn is inversely associated with disease activity. Conclusions: In summary, MPV is decreased in adult patients with active lupus disease, and positively correlated with albumin, another biomarker of disease activity. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic value of this biomarker. (C) 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda.
Actuated by spatial universal rotating magnetic vector through digital control, the steering navigation of the spiral-type capsule robot in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract becomes possible. However, as a potential risk, the fluid resistance torsion moment generated by the rotating spiral-type capsule robot would distort the GI tract with insufficient fluid. It is difficult to investigate the fluid distorting effect on the GI tract, because online measurement of the fluid resistance torsion moment still remains unsolved. In this paper, an innovative method employing critical coupling magnetic moment for indirectly detecting the fluid resistance torsion moment is proposed. To reduce fluid distorting effect, a petal-shaped capsule robot, whose surface is composed of four petal-shaped tiles, is proposed, and fluid resistance torsion moment-weaken effect of the petal-shaped capsule robot is discovered and investigated, which happens to the fluid when it travels through a convergent wedge-like gap between the surface of each of the four petal-shaped tiles and the inner pipe wall. Simulations and experiments have demonstrated that the twist impact on the GI tract by the petal-shaped capsule robot is reduced, while the non-contact driving performance in the GI tract is improved greatly isolated by fluid membrane with high dynamic pressure.
There are three main magnet systems in Wendelstein 7-X, comprising in total 85 coils arranged in 22 independent circuits fed by steady state power supplies. The superconducting coil system creates the main magnetic field and consists of 70 coils, grouped in seven electrical circuits with ten coils each with an inductance of about one Henry. Each circuit is fed by one power supply with a maximum current of 20 kA and a maximum voltage of +/-30 V. The power supplies were tested so far using copper coils with one m Omega and one mH. The integral commissioning of the completed coil circuits has been running since the end of April 2015. The second coil system is the so-called trim coil system, intended for enhanced experimental flexibility and error field corrections. It consists of five independently powered copper coils which are placed on the outer side of the cryostat. They will be operated with currents of up to 1.95 kA. Each power supply is connected to the 400 V three phase grid and consists of an input transformer with dual secondaries connected to two three phase systems, followed by two diode six pulse diode bridges, configured as a 12 pulse rectifier. The power conversion is accomplished with paralleled H-bridges using IGBT. The full scale ratings of a power supply are +1 2200 A(dc) and +/-230 V(dc). Tests at full current were performed on the power supplies using dummy loads, and successful tests were performed on the actual trim coils up to 2/3 of rated current in November 2014. The third magnet system is the divertor control coil system. The ten normal conducting copper coils are situated inside the plasma vessel behind the divertor targets and are arranged in ten independent circuits. The 12 pulse system of these power supplies is generated in the same manner as the power supplies for the superconducting coils, followed by rectifier diodes. The inverter stage is made up of an H-bridge converter with 12 MOSFET transistors in parallel per branch. The current rating of the power supply is a DC value up to +/-2500 A, which can be modulated by an AC current of up to 625 A with frequencies up to 20 Hz. The final commissioning of the control coil system has been started in February 2015.
An intensification of agriculture in the Brazilian Cerrado during the last four decades has resulted in unintended consequences such as increased groundwater and surface water pollution due to excessive N fertilization. To address these problems within a coffee (Coffea arabica L.) orchard, the process-based ANIMO model was used to simulate nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) leaching and plant nitrogen (N) uptake for several rates of N (200-800 kg h(-1) y(-1)). Effects of splitting N applications from three times per year to every other day were also evaluated for a Typic Hapludox within the Cerrado. Statistical analysis of ANIMO outputs showed that simulated soil solution NO3-N concentrations were in agreement with experimental measurements collected for an entire year. Simulated annual N uptake was also in agreement with average measured N uptake by the coffee plants. An evaluation of the simulation scenarios showed that: i) the most efficient N recovery was associated with N rates between 200 and 400 kg N ha(-1) y(-1) that were split into at least seven applications per year; ii) N recovery at rates between 200 and 300 kg N ha(-1) y(-1) were efficient with or without split application; and iii) the most environmentally friendly N management strategy was the application of between 200 and 300 kg N ha(-1) y(-1) using at least seven splits. Reducing the N rate from 600 to 400 kg N ha (-1) y(-1) increased plant N recovery efficiency by 8-12% and reduced NO3-N leaching by 28 to 47%. Predicted NO3-N leaching and N plant uptake results confirm that better N management strategies can be developed for coffee plantations and other crops grown in the Cerrado. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Intelligent (or smart) environments are usually developed for various indoor applications, capable, e.g., of supporting independent living of seniors or handicapped people. Taking into account recent achievements in ambient intelligence, wearable technologies, and wireless sensor networks, especially focused on the area of environmental monitoring, a need for intelligent support of various human activities also in outdoor environment is evident. Such solutions, focused on intelligent support of human activities in natural outdoor environment, have been still very rarely developed and published. A way to useful outdoor applications may lead through exploitation of large-scale ambient intelligence approaches respecting the distributed character of outdoor applications. Here also cloud - based solutions seem to be naturally utilizable. The purpose of the paper is, after reviewing several existing solutions in related areas, to discuss possibilities for cloud-based solutions in intelligent environments oriented on human activities support in outdoor spaces. The approach is illustrated using scenario-based explanation.
Although shale gas has become an important source of natural gas, it has problems associated with water pollution by producing high salinity wastewater (i.e. TDS>100,000mg/L). Membrane distillation (MD) can be applied to treat such wastewater but may suffer from fouling due to scale formation. Accordingly, this study focused on the use of antiscalants to retard scale formation in MD process for the treatment of high salinity wastewater. Experiments were performed using a laboratory-scale direct contact MD (DCMD) system. Seven different antiscalants were applied to the simplified synthetic wastewater. The results were analyzed using a simple theoretical model. It was found that the abilities to retard scale formation were different for different antiscalants. The difference in chemical structures of the antiscalants was attributed to the changes in their effect on scale prevention. Moreover, the mechanisms of flux decline seem to be different in the presence of antiscalants. Not only surface blockage but also internal pore blocking occurred during the MD operation, and the dominant fouling mechanism changed by the addition of the antiscalants.
Whether children share in anticipation of future benefits returned by a partner is an interesting question. In this study, 5-year-old children and an adult partner played a sharing game, in which children donated first and the partner donated afterward. In Experiment 1, the partner's resources were more attractive than the child's. In the reciprocal condition, the child was told that s/he would be a recipient when the partner played as a donor. In the non-reciprocal condition, however, the child was told that an anonymous child would be the recipient when the partner donated. Results showed that children shared more with the partner when they knew that they would be a recipient later. In Experiment 2, the child was always the recipient when the partner donated, but the partner's resources were more desirable than the child's in the high-value condition, and less desirable in the low-value condition. We found that children were more generous when the partner's resources were valued higher. These findings demonstrate that 5-year-old preschoolers' sharing choices take into account the anticipated reciprocity of the recipient, suggesting either self-interested tactical sharing or direct reciprocity in advance of receiving. Specifically, they adjust their sharing behavior depending on whether a partner has the potential to reciprocate, and whether it is worth sharing relative to the value of the payback.
Experimental data from multiple studies show the coarsening of co-continuous, high interfacial tension fluid systems is driven by capillary instabilities. Coarsening of low interfacial tension systems follows viscosity ratio dependence consistent with the pinch-off of suspended short filaments although there is uncertainty of this interpretation. The attenuation of coarsening rates for both types follows a common dependence on phase volume fraction and viscosity ratio. Dimensional analysis provides an interpretation of the transition from linear coarsening to slower nonlinear coarsening as a balance of interfacial tension driven flow and a critical level of interconnectivity. The slowdown of coarsening is consistent with the formation of discrete domains which subsequently coexist with the remaining co-continuous structure. (c) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4140-4156, 2016
The ability to automatically recognize human faces based on dynamic facial images is important in security, surveillance and the health/independent living domains. Specific applications include access control to secure environments, identification of individuals at a particular place and intruder detection. This research proposes a real-time system for surveillance using cameras. The process is broken into two steps: (1) face detection and (2) face recognition to identify particular persons. For the first step, the system tracks and selects the faces of the detected persons. An efficient recognition algorithm is then used to recognize detected faces with a known database. The proposed approach exploits the Viola-Jones method for face detection, the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi algorithm as a feature tracker and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for face recognition. This system can be implemented at different restricted areas, such as at the office or house of a suspicious person or at the entrance of a sensitive installation. The system works almost perfectly under reasonable lighting conditions and image depths.
While the importance of faces in person recognition has been the subject of many studies, there are relatively few studies examining recognition of the whole person in motion even though this most closely resembles daily experience. Most studies examining the whole body in motion use point light displays, which have many advantages but are impoverished and unnatural compared to real life. To determine which factors are used when recognizing the whole person in motion we conducted two experiments using naturalistic videos. In Experiment 1 we used a matching task in which the first stimulus in each pair could either be a video or multiple still images from a video of the full body. The second stimulus, on which person recognition was performed, could be an image of either the full body or face alone. We found that the body contributed to person recognition beyond the face, but only after exposure to motion. Since person recognition was performed on still images, the contribution of motion to person recognition was mediated by form-from-motion processes. To assess whether dynamic identity signatures may also contribute to person recognition, in Experiment 2 we presented people in motion and examined person recognition from videos compared to still images. Results show that dynamic identity signatures did not contribute to person recognition beyond form-from-motion processes. We conclude that the face, body and form-from-motion processes all appear to play a role in unfamiliar person recognition, suggesting the importance of considering the whole body and motion when examining person perception. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prior work shows that children selectively learn from credible speakers. Yet little is known how they treat information from non-credible speakers. This research examined to what extent and under what conditions children may or may not learn from problematic sources. In three studies, we found that children displayed trust toward previously inaccurate speakers. Children were equally likely to extend labels from previously accurate and inaccurate speakers to novel objects. Moreover, they expected third parties to share labels provided by previously inaccurate speakers. Only when there was clear evidence that the speakers' information was wrong (as in the case when speakers' perceptual access to the information was blocked), did young children reject the label. Together, the findings provide evidence that young children do not completely ignore the labels supplied by non-credible speakers unless there is strong reason to do so.
The paper presents application of particle swarm optimization in designing electrical circuits on the basis of frequency characteristics. Particle swarm is a population-based global optimization algorithm, inspired by the behavior of flocks of birds or insect swarming. This algorithm is applied in optimization approach to the synthesis of the electric circuits on the basis of the required frequency characteristics. The usefulness of the algorithm was shown on the example of designing the electrical filter and humidity sensor model. The results prove the practical suitability of PSO to the optimization problems of many minima.
The development of printable biomaterial inks is critical to the application of 3D printing in biomedicine. To print high-resolution structures with fidelity to a computer aided design, materials used in 3D printing must be capable of being deposited on a surface and maintaining a printed structure. A dual-cross-linking hyaluronic acid system was studied here as a printable hydrogel ink, which encompassed both shear-thinning and self-healing behaviors via guest host bonding, as well as covalent cross-linking for stabilization using photopolymerization. When either guest host assembly or covalent cross-linking was used alone, long-term stable structures were not formed, because of network relaxation after printing or dispersion of the ink filaments prior to stabilization, respectively. The dual-cross-linking hydrogel filaments formed structures with greater than 16 layers that were stable over a month with no loss in mechanical properties and the printed filament size ranged from 100 to 500 mu m, depending on printing parameters (needle size, speed, and extrusion flux). Printed structures were further functionalized (i.e., RGD peptide) to support cell adhesion. This work highlights the importance of ink formulation and cross-linking on the printing of stable hydrogel structures.
Managing excess nutrients remains a major obstacle to improving ecosystem service benefits of urban waters. To inform more ecologically based landscape nutrient management, we compared watershed inputs, outputs, and retention for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in seven subwatersheds of the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lawn fertilizer and pet waste dominated N and P inputs, respectively, underscoring the importance of household actions in influencing urban watershed nutrient budgets. Watersheds retained only 22% of net P inputs versus 80% of net N inputs (watershed area-weighted averages, where net inputs equal inputs minus biomass removal) despite relatively low P inputs. In contrast to many nonurban watersheds that exhibit high P retention, these urban watersheds have high street density that enhanced transport of P-rich materials from landscapes to stormwater. High P exports in storm drainage networks and yard waste resulted in net P losses in some watersheds. Comparisons of the N/P stoichiometry of net inputs versus storm drain exports implicated denitrification or leaching to groundwater as a likely fate for retained N. Thus, these urban watersheds exported high quantities of N and P, but via contrasting pathways: P was exported primarily via stormwater runoff, contributing to surface water degradation, whereas N losses additionally contribute to groundwater pollution. Consequently, N management and P management require different strategies, with N management focusing on reducing watershed inputs and P management also focusing on reducing P movement from vegetated landscapes to streets and storm drains.
Research participants' sexual orientation is not consistently taken into account in experimental psychological research. We argue that it should be in any research related to participant or target gender. Corroborating this argument, an example study is presented on the gender bias in face recognition, the finding that women correctly recognize more female than male faces. In contrast, findings with male participants have been inconclusive. An online experiment (N = 1,147) was carried out, on purpose over-sampling lesbian and gay participants. Findings demonstrate that the pro-female gender bias in face recognition is modified by male participants' sexual orientation. Heterosexual women and lesbians as well as heterosexual men showed a pro-female gender bias in face recognition, whereas gay men showed a pro-male gender bias, consistent with the explanation that differences in face expertise develop congruent with interests. These results contribute to the growing evidence that participant sexual orientation can be used to distinguish between alternative theoretical explanations of given gender-correlated patterns of findings.
The aim of this paper, is to propose a solution for the model adequacy verification in indirect adaptive control beside the classical known validation tests. The dynamic system that was selected to verify the proposed solution, is represented by a flexible transmission described by a complex four order model. Using the selected model adequacy index, it is studied the influence of the SPAB signal and perturbation amplitude on the model adequacy and control solution, for two different tracking performances selections. The proposed solution, comes to overcome the model validation problems encountered in real-time applications, with the main advantage of improving the model identification and control solutions.
The transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 beta (HNF1 beta) is ubiquitously overexpressed in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) and is a potential therapeutic target. To explore potential approaches that block HNF1 beta transcription we have identified and characterised extensively the nuclear localisation signal (NLS) for HNF1 beta and its interactions with the nuclear protein import receptor, Importin-alpha. Pull-down assays demonstrated that the DNA binding domain of HNF1 beta interacted with a spectrum of Importin-alpha isoforms and deletion constructs tagged with eGFP confirmed that the HNF1 beta(KKMRRNR235)-K-229 sequence was essential for nuclear localisation. We further characterised the interaction between the NLS and Importin-alpha using complementary biophysical techniques and have determined the 2.4 angstrom resolution crystal structure of the HNF1 beta NLS peptide bound to Importin-alpha. The functional, biochemical, and structural characterisation of the nuclear localisation signal present on HNF1 beta and its interaction with the nuclear import protein Importin-alpha provide the basis for the development of compounds targeting transcription factor HNF1 beta via its nuclear import pathway. (C) 2016 MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc.
This meta-analysis examined the relationship between moral identity and moral behavior. It was based on 111 studies from a broad range of academic fields including business, developmental psychology and education, marketing, sociology, and sport sciences. Moral identity was found to be significantly associated with moral behavior (random effects model, r = .22, p < .01, 95% CI [.19, .25]). Effect sizes did not differ for behavioral outcomes (prosocial behavior, avoidance of antisocial behavior, ethical behavior). Studies that were entirely based on self-reports yielded larger effect sizes. In contrast, the smallest effect was found for studies that were based on implicit measures or used priming techniques to elicit moral identity. Moreover, a marginally significant effect of culture indicated that studies conducted in collectivistic cultures yielded lower effect sizes than studies from individualistic cultures. Overall, the meta-analysis provides support for the notion that moral identity strengthens individuals' readiness to engage in prosocial and ethical behavior as well as to abstain from antisocial behavior. However, moral identity fares no better as a predictor of moral action than other psychological constructs.
Under Ambient Intelligence auspice, many researchers have studied the area of context recognition such as location, users' identity and activities, and other parameters related to users' situation in the environment. One aspect of context that is pertained to the users' situation is body posture of a sitting person. The aim of this paper is the design and development of a novel Aware Chair system that recognizes sitting body postures. The Aware Chair is based on digital sensors mounted on the sitting and back area of the chair. The chair is tested using 50 people with different gender, body mass, and height. The design details of the system as well as test results are presented in this paper.
Batch adsorption experiments were carried out for the removal of methylene blue (MB) cationic dye from aqueous solution using organic/inorganic hydrogel nanocomposite of titania incorporated sodium alginate crosslinked polyacrylic acid (SA-cl-poly(AA)-TiO2). The hydrogel was prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto sodium alginate (SA) biopolymer in the presence of a crosslinking agent, a free radical initiator and TiO2 nanoparticles. The hydrogel exhibited a high swelling capacity of 412.98 g/g. The factors influencing adsorption capacity of the absorbents such as pH of the dye solutions, initial concentration of the dye, amount of absorbents, and temperature were investigated and used to propose a possible mechanism of adsorption. The adsorption process concurs with a pseudo-second-order kinetics and with Langmuir isotherm equation. A very high adsorption capacity (Q(max) = 2257.36 (mg/g)) and a correlation coefficient of 0.998 calculated from isotherm equations show the high efficiency of the absorbent and thus expected to be a good candidate as an absorbent for water treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder. Emerging evidence implicates b-amyloid (Ab) plays a critical role in the progression of AD. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of cerebrosides obtained from sea cucumber against senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice in vivo. We also studied the effect of cerebrosides on Ab-induced cytotoxicity on the rat pheochromocytoma cell (PC12) and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cerebrosides ameliorated learning and memory deficits and the Ab accumulation in demented mice, decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-20-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-hydroxy-20-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-G), and nitric oxide (NO), and enhanced the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity significantly. The neuroprotective effect of sea cucumber cerebrosides (SCC) was also verified in vitro: the cerebrosides increased the survival rate of PC12 cells, recovered the cellular morphology, downregulated the protein levels of Caspase-9, cleaved Caspase-3, total Caspase-3, and Bax, and upregulated the protein level of Bcl-2, revealing that cerebrosides could inhibit Ab-induced cell apoptosis. The results showed the protective effect of SCC was regulated by the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway. Our results provide a new approach to developing the marine organisms as functional foods for neuroprotection.
Aims and objectives. With a focus on sexual health and rights, this study describes how transgender people experience meetings with health care professionals. Background. Transgender people face prejudice and discrimination worldwide. Little is known of their experiences in sexual health-promoting settings. Method. Within a descriptive design, 20 persons aged 18-74 and identifying as transgender and nonbinary were interviewed. The results were analysed with constructivist grounded theory. Results. Disrespect among health care professionals is the core category connected to the experiences in the result; transgender people experience estrangement, expectations and eviction in different sexual health-promoting settings. Conclusion. Transgender knowledge needs to be increased in general, in both specialised transgender health care and many other health care settings, to prevent transgender peoples' experiences of estrangement. Moreover, an increased knowledge of, and respect for, sexual health and rights is needed to prevent transgender peoples' exposure to gender binary, cis- and heteronormative expectations. In addition, access to sexual health care is essential following gender-confirmatory care as well to avoid transgender peoples' experiences of eviction from the health care system. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses have an important role to play in striving for equity and justice within health care. This study describes how health care professionals appear to be disrespectful and suggestions of how this can be avoided are made.
Multiculturalism (i.e., acknowledgment and appreciation of diversity), despite its positive consequences, is often met with resistance among majority group members, particularly those whose race/ethnicity is central to their self-concept. Building upon findings that multiculturalism lowers White Americans' prejudice when presented as an abstract relative to concrete concept, we tested whether and when even concrete forms of multiculturalism can improve intergroup attitudes. Across two experiments, highly identified White Americans exhibited less racial prejudice when induced to view multiculturalism as a concrete learning opportunity than as a concrete set of policies (Study 1) or a concrete ideology more generally (Study 2). This effect was mediated by high identifiers' increased perceptions that diversity benefits themselves and society as a whole. Implications for prejudice reduction and fostering majority group members' active involvement in diversity-relevant issues, as well as the applicability of our studies to other cultural contexts, are discussed.
Study materials focused on specific theories are an essential element of education at universities. These types of study materials are generally available at all universities. An advantage and a disadvantage of these types of study materials is their high theoretical content. However, engineering companies require graduates who are able to apply their knowledge in practice. Therefore, a new concept of e-learning study materials has been developed. These new e-learning study materials are focused on projects from industrial practice. Students can better acquire theoretical knowledge and learn practical techniques using these new study materials. Another advantage is the high comprehensiveness of these study materials. There are several example projects and each of these projects is one machine. Every machine is accompanied with complete drawing documentation, calculation reports, welding technology, 3D PDF etc. One machine is chosen for descriptions of these study materials and their individual parts.
The development of public transit systems that are accessible and safe for everyone, including people with special needs, is an objective that is justified from the civic and economic points of view. Unfortunately, public transit services are conceived for people who do not have reduced physical or cognitive abilities. In this paper, we present an intelligent public transit system by highway with the goal of facilitating access and improving the safety of public transit for persons with special needs. The system is deployed using components that are commonly available in transport infrastructure, e.g., sensors, mobile communications systems, and positioning systems. In addition, the system can operate in non-urban transport contexts, e.g., isolated rural areas, where the availability of basic infrastructure, such as electricity and communications infrastructures, is not always guaranteed. To construct the system, the principles and techniques of Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence have been employed. To illustrate the utility of the system, two cases of services rendered by the system are described: the first case involves a surveillance system to guarantee accessibility at bus stops; the second case involves a route assistant for blind people.
The Langlands Programme, formulated by Robert Langlands in the 1960s and since much developed and refined, is a web of interrelated theory and conjectures concerning many objects in number theory, their interconnections, and connections to other fields. At the heart of the Langlands Programme is the concept of an L-function. The most famous L-function is the Riemann zeta function, and as well as being ubiquitous in number theory itself, L-functions have applications in mathematical physics and cryptography. Two of the seven Clay Mathematics Million Dollar Millennium Problems, the Riemann Hypothesis and the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture, deal with their properties. Many different mathematical objects are connected in various ways to L-functions, but the study of those objects is highly specialized, and most mathematicians have only a vague idea of the objects outside their specialty and how everything is related. Helping mathematicians to understand these connections was the motivation for the L-functions and Modular Forms Database (LMFDB) project. Its mission is to chart the landscape of L-functions and modular forms in a systematic, comprehensive, and concrete fashion. This involves developing their theory, creating and improving algorithms for computing and classifying them, and hence discovering new properties of these functions, and testing fundamental conjectures. In the lecture I gave a very brief introduction to L-functions for non-experts and explained and demonstrated how the large collection of data in the LMFDB is organized and displayed, showing the interrelations between linked objects, through our website www.lmfdb.org. I also showed how this has been created by a worldwide open-source collaboration, which we hope may become a model for others.
This paper presents aspects related to water pollution with heavy metals from the Tarnita mining area before and after the cessation of the mining activity. The impact of heavy metals on waters is important because these metals have a negative impact on both human health and aquatic ecosystems. All research data showed that, even the mining activities from this area were suspended, the sterile still pollutes the soil and water.
In this study, the author investigates the practical limitation of the recently proposed embedded cryptographic signature authentication scheme at the physical layer. By employing the log-likelihood ratio of a tag bit and its approximation, the author shows that the equivalent authentication channel observed by the secondary receiver can be viewed as a binary-input additive white Gaussian noise channel. Then, the sphere-packing lower bound can be employed to show the transmission capability for practical finite-length authentication tags. To achieve the same effective coverage area for both the primary and secondary receivers, it essentially requires efficient low-rate channel coding schemes with near sphere-packing-bound performance at the secondary receiver, which contrasts sharply with the pessimistic conclusion of Jiang et al.
The multicultural society in Germany also has an impact on the healthcare system. Regardless of country of origin and denomination, all migrants are entitled to high-quality emergency medical care and equal access to facilities and services of the German healthcare system. Literature review and evaluation of results. In the care of foreign patients, it is necessary that the emergency physician is aware of potential sources of miscommunication. The causes of misunderstandings are often due to verbal communication itself. However, misunderstandings start earlier and also relate to nonverbal communication. Misunderstandings in rescue personnel who interact with foreign patients are found on the verbal level in two forms: insufficient language skills and insufficient knowledge so-called organ metaphors that prevent understanding of the content of a message. When language barriers in communicating with foreign patients are present, there are three alternatives: communication via a universal language (e. g., English), communication through an interpreter, and the use of visual communication aids. If verbal communication is restricted or not possible, only nonverbal communication is usually of help. Culturally sensitive care can only be achieved if the subject of intercultural competence is increasingly implemented in education and training. To develop culturally sensitive patient care, change and development processes are required at several levels and must involve all parties concerned.
BACKGROUND: Dysfunction of the glutamatergic system has been implicated in alcohol addiction; however, the molecular underpinnings of this phenomenon are still poorly understood. In the current study we have investigated the possible function of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in alcohol addiction because this protein has recently emerged as an important regulator of excitatory synaptic plasticity. METHODS: For long-term studies of alcohol drinking in mice we used IntelliCages. Dendritic spines were analyzed using Diolistic staining with DiI. Whole-cell patch clamp was used to assess silent synapses. Motivation for alcohol in human subjects was assessed on the basis of a Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism interview. RESULTS: Mice devoid of MMP-9 (MMP-9 knockout) drank as much alcohol as wild-type animals; however, they were impaired in alcohol seeking during the motivation test and withdrawal. The deficit could be rescued by overexpression of exogenous MMP-9 in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Furthermore, the impaired alcohol seeking was associated with structural alterations of dendritic spines in the CeA and, moreover, whole-cell patch clamp analysis of the basal amygdala to CeA projections showed that alcohol consumption and withdrawal were associated with generation of silent synapses. These plastic changes were impaired in MMP-9 knockout mice. Finally, C/T polymorphism of MMP-9 gene at position -1562, which upregulates MMP-9 expression, correlated with increased motivation for alcohol in alcoholics. CONCLUSIONS: In aggregate, our results indicate a novel mechanism of alcohol craving that involves MMP-9-dependent synaptic plasticity in CeA.
In the present study, blast furnace slag in granulated form has been used as a granular fill overlay on soft subgrade soil. The effectiveness of geogrid-reinforced granular fill overlay on soft subgrade soil has been assessed by small scale model tests in the laboratory by evaluating two parameters bearing capacity ratio (BCR) and reduction factor. The effect on BCR of strip footing for various lengths of geogird layers in the best performing thickness has been observed. Best performing thickness of the granular fill layer has been found by the parametric study which is not included in this paper. Parametric study has been performed to observe the effect of length of geogrid layers in granular fill overlay on soft subgrade soil. The test results indicate substantial improvement in terms of increase in bearing capacity and reduction in the footing settlement due to provision of geogrid in the granular fill overlay on soft subgrade soil. It has been found that b/B ratio of 4 gives substantial improvement in BCR and beyond b/B ratio of 4, there is no significant improvement in BCR. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
To achieve influence of underwater windmill's flow parameters and structure parameters-related changes with the hydrodynamic characteristics, an underwater windmill's additional contraction device is devised. According to the orthogonal experimental design, flow velocity, shrinking angle, locating range and outlet diameter are selected as four factors to carry out an 4 L-9 (3(4)) orthogonal experiment in this paper. The results of numerical simulation show that the influences of output torque and axial force on hydrodynamic performance of underwater windmill are flow velocity, locating range, outlet diameter and shrinking angle by turns. And the influence of flow velocity and locating range on output torque and axial force of underwater windmill is more evident, while the shrinking angle has small influence on it. As the output torque increases, the inhomogeneity of hydrofoils' surface pressure distribution is much more in evidence. No obvious flow separation phenomenon is occurred on hydrofoils' surface. It indicates that hydrofoil design is reasonable to some extent. In the upper edge of hydrofoil's pressure value are much lower, namely, this position may exist cavitations region. With the increase of the radius, the cavitation region moves to the trailing edge gradually. Mechanics analysis results also show that the assumption of rigidity hydrofoil is reasonable in the process of numerical simulation. Above research conclusions will provide significative reference for more hydrodynamic performance research of underwater windmill.
A digitally controlled sonar power amplifier for underwater transmitter is explained in this paper. It proposes a method of generating unipolar Sine Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) signals for echo ranging sonar. This method can be effectively used in all kinds of inverters including high frequency inverters. A low cost digital signal controller was used to generate SPWM signals and used as gating pulses for a Controlled Full Bridge Circuit (CFBC). The power required, frequency, pulse-width and pulse repetition interval are given as the inputs to the digital controller and gating pulses for the CFBC are generated as output from the controller. A power transformer connected across CFBC boosts output voltage followed by power filter which removes unwanted harmonics present in the output. The output after the power filter is used to excite electro-acoustic transducer elements underwater. The voltage and current of the load were given as feedback to the same controller for voltage mode control loop implementation of the system. A prototype of 1kW Switch Mode Power Amplifier (SMPA) for echo ranging sonar has been designed and digital control has been implemented. Salient results are presented.
Previous observational research suggests that stretching is contagious in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). Here we report the first experimental evidence of this response through a reanalysis of a previous experiment testing for contagious yawning in this species. Using a repeated measures design, 16 birds were tested as pairs alongside familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics with and without visual barriers. Our results show that stretching behavior was temporally clustered only when the birds could see one another, corroborating previous observational findings supporting contagion. Additionally, for the first time, we show an ingroup bias in this response. That is, while the overall frequency of stretching did not significantly differ as a function of conspecific familiarity, contagious stretching was only present when cage mates were paired together. These findings are discussed in relation to recent research studying social cognition in this species.
BACKGROUND: Drug-induced QT interval prolongation, a risk factor for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, is a potential side effect of many marketed and withdrawn medications. The contribution of common genetic variants previously associated with baseline QT interval to drug-induced QT prolongation and arrhythmias is not known. METHODS: We tested the hypothesis that a weighted combination of common genetic variants contributing to QT interval at baseline, identified through genome-wide association studies, can predict individual response to multiple QT-prolonging drugs. Genetic analysis of 22 subjects was performed in a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of 3 QT-prolonging drugs with 15 time-matched QT and plasma drug concentration measurements. Subjects received single doses of dofetilide, quinidine, ranolazine, and placebo. The outcome was the correlation between a genetic QT score comprising 61 common genetic variants and the slope of an individual subject's drug-induced increase in heart rate-corrected QT (QTc) versus drug concentration. RESULTS: The genetic QT score was correlated with drug-induced QTc prolongation. Among white subjects, genetic QT score explained 30% of the variability in response to dofetilide (r=0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.81; P=0.02), 23% in response to quinidine (r=0.48; 95% confidence interval, -0.03 to 0.79; P=0.06), and 27% in response to ranolazine (r=0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.80; P=0.03). Furthermore, the genetic QT score was a significant predictor of drug-induced torsade de pointes in an independent sample of 216 cases compared with 771 controls (r(2)=12%, P=1x10(-7)). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that a genetic QT score comprising 61 common genetic variants explains a significant proportion of the variability in drug-induced QT prolongation and is a significant predictor of drug-induced torsade de pointes. These findings highlight an opportunity for recent genetic discoveries to improve individualized risk-benefit assessment for pharmacological therapies. Replication of these findings in larger samples is needed to more precisely estimate variance explained and to establish the individual variants that drive these effects.
Expectation of reward can be shaped by the observation of actions and expressions of other people in one's environment. A person's apparent confidence in the likely reward of an action, for instance, makes qualities of their evidence, not observed directly, socially accessible. This strategy is computationally distinguished from associative learning methods that rely on direct observation, by its use of inference from indirect evidence. In twenty-three healthy human subjects, we isolated effects of first-hand experience, other people's choices, and the mediating effect of their confidence, on decision-making and neural correlates of value within ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Value derived from first-hand experience and other people's choices (regardless of confidence) were indiscriminately represented across vmPFC. However, value computed from agent choices weighted by their associated confidence was represented with specificity for ventromedial area 10. This pattern corresponds to shifts of connectivity and overlapping cognitive processes along a posterior-anterior vmPFC axis. Task behavior and self-reported self-reliance for decision-making in other social contexts correlated. The tendency to conform in other social contexts corresponded to increased activation in cortical regions previously shown to respond to social conflict in proportion to subsequent conformity (Campbell-Meiklejohn et al., 2010). The tendency to self-monitor predicted a selectively enhanced response to accordance with others in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). The findings anatomically decompose vmPFC value representations according to computational requirements and provide biological insight into the social transmission of preference and reassurance gained from the confidence of others.
With the advent of new technologies and various services provided in the context of computer networks, a large volume of data is being generated. The main challenge in this area is providing network protection services against various threats and vulnerabilities. So far, many techniques have been proposed to deal with these threats. All of these techniques pursue the same goal, preventing attackers from reaching their objectives. A solution based on early warning system(s) (EWSs) is what exactly security teams need to manage the threats properly. EWS, as a complement to Intrusion Detection System, is a proactive approach against security threats. This is carried out through the early detection of potential behavior of a system, evaluating the scope of malicious behavior, and finally, using suitable response against any kind of detectable security event. This paper presents a comprehensive review on EWSs including definitions, applications, architectures, alert correlation aspects, and other technical requirements. Furthermore, previous studies and existing EWSs have been described and analyzed here. A classification of EWSs has been presented: commercial systems and systems under research and development. Finally, from the studies about EWSs, we conclude some challenges and research issues are still remain open. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a very powerful tool for the structural identification of xenobiotic metabolites ill complex biological matrices such as plasma, urine and bile. However, these fluids are dominated by thousands of signals resulting from endogenous metabolites and it is advantageous when investigating drug metabolites in such matrices to simplify the spectra by including a separation step in the experiment by directly-coupling HPLC and NMR. Naproxen (6-methoxy-alpha -methyl-2-naphthyl acetic acid) is administered as the S-enantiomer and is metabolised in vivo to form its demethylated metabolite which is subsequently conjugated with beta -D-glucuronic acid as well as with sulfate. Naproxen is also metabolised by phase II metabolism directly to form a glycine conjugate as well as a glucuronic acid conjugate at the carboxyl group. In the present investigation, the metabolism of naproxen was investigated in urine samples with a very simple sample preparation using a combination of directly-coupled HPLC-H-1 NMR spectroscopy and HPLC-mass spectrometry (MS). A buffer system was developed which allows the same chromatographic method to be used for the HPLC-NMR as well as the HPLC-MS analysis. The combination of these methods is complementary in information content since the NMR spectra provide evidence to distinguish isomers such as the type of glucuronides formed, and the HPLC-MS data allow identification of molecules containing NMR-silent fragments such as occur in the sulfate ester. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Gratitude promotes well-being and prompts prosocial behavior. Here, we examine a novel way to cultivate this beneficial emotion. We demonstrate that 2 different types of consumption-material consumption (buying for the sake of having) and experiential consumption (buying for the sake of doing)-differentially foster gratitude and giving. In 6 studies we show that reflecting on experiential purchases (e.g., travel, meals out, tickets to events) inspires more gratitude than reflecting on material purchases (e.g., clothing, jewelry, furniture), and that thinking about experiences leads to more subsequent altruistic behavior than thinking about possessions. In Studies 1-2b, we use within-subject and between-subjects designs to test our main hypothesis: that people are more grateful for what they've done than what they have. Study 3 finds evidence for this effect in the real-world setting of online customer reviews: Consumers are more likely to spontaneously mention feeling grateful for experiences they have bought than for material goods they have bought. In our final 2 studies, we show that experiential consumption also makes people more likely to be generous to others. Participants who contemplated a significant experiential purchase behaved more generously toward anonymous others in an economic game than those who contemplated a significant material purchase. It thus appears that shifting spending toward experiential consumption can improve people's everyday lives as well as the lives of those around them.
Coronary artery diseases are a leading cause of mortality and are increasingly prevalent with age. However, the large number of age-increasing co-morbidities make difficult to understand the impact of cardiovascular ageing alone on the coronary flow pattern. The present study aims to shed light on the effect of arterial and ventricular ageing on the coronary circulation, which is here studied by means of a validated mathematical model. Forward and backward pressure and flow waves are analysed, as well as their intensity. Results highlight a complex spatiotemporal coronary wave pattern, where intense waves originate from the aorta (particularly in systole) and from the deep myocardium, during both the isovolumic compression and the diastolic phase. The subendocardial viability ratio decreases with age, the total coronary flow is slightly reduced, and the left-ventricular work increases. Consequently, the left-ventricular work per unit of blood flow increases, thus limiting the cell oxygen availability abundance, and therefore increasing the risk of myocardial infarction. Our results highlight a physiological age-induced supply/demand unbalance, which can augment the risk of myocardial ischemia and can contribute to pave the way to other typical coronary pathological processes.
This is the second of a series of two papers presenting a reliability based methodology to quantify the financial risks involved in an engineering process systems operation which can be represented as a flow of discrete entities. Each component in the process chain is abstracted as a risk item and a logic based on finite automata is incorporated in the model to transition between the states of no-failure, maintenance, failure and lead time. The process operation is abstracted into a model composed of several servers and queues and employs discrete event simulation techniques. To illustrate the proposed method, the model is applied to the case of a copper ore production system and the risk profile is characterised. Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms are used to optimise these models and obtain a Pareto optimal set of solutions with different risk profiles. This kind of queuing theory based modelling can be used to represent many types of systems like those in production engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing engineering, logistics etc. Hence this risk model can easily be adapted to different disciplines with minor modifications.
The current increase in the deployment of new renewable electricity generation systems is creating new challenges in balancing electric grids. Solutions including energy storage at small and large scales are becoming of paramount importance to guarantee and secure a stable supply of electricity. This paper presents a study about a hybrid solution including a large scale energy storage system coupled with power generation and fast responding energy storage systems. The hybrid plant is able to deliver the energy previously stored by using an air liquefaction process either with or without the contribution of additional energy from combustion. The paper also highlights how such hybrid plants may offer the chance of providing the grid with fast control services. An ideal energy storage technology should have a high power rating, a large storage capacity, high efficiency, low costs and no geographic constraints. The use of air as energy carrier has been studied since the 20th century with the first compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems. This technology is still considered to have a potential but it is geographically constrained, where suitable geological reservoirs are available, unless compressed air is stored in pressurized tanks with significant costs. Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) represents an interesting solution due to its relatively large volumetric energy density and ease of storage. Different process schemes for hybrid plants were modeled in this study with Aspen HYSYS (R) simulation software and the results were compared in terms of equivalent round-trip and fuel efficiencies. Equivalent round-trip efficiencies, higher than 80%, have been calculated showing that the proposed configurations might play an important role for power systems balancing in the near future. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The issue of formulating an Ergun-like equation that applies to dynamic beds previously considered in Tupper et al. (2013) is revisited. Using new high quality positron emission particle tracking data, the volume and time averaged kinematic distributions of the granular (glass beads) and slurry (silica sand and water) mixture are computed. Incorporating these measured ingredients into the model then reveals that turbulence is not described by the usual effective viscosity, but nonetheless is negligible such that the new Inertial Cell Equation is first order in spatial derivatives. (c) 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 939-946, 2016
Complex information-processing systems, for example, quantum circuits, cryptographic protocols, or multi-player games, are naturally described as networks composed of more basic information-processing systems. A modular analysis of such systems requires a mathematical model of systems that is closed under composition, i. e., a network of these objects is again an object of the same type. We propose such a model and call the corresponding systems causal boxes. Causal boxes capture superpositions of causal structures, e. g., messages sent by a causal box A can be in a superposition of different orders or in a superposition of being sent to box B and box C. Furthermore, causal boxes can model systems whose behavior depends on time. By instantiating the abstract cryptography framework with causal boxes, we obtain the first composable security framework that can handle arbitrary quantum protocols and relativistic protocols.
Physician implicit racial bias has been found to predict racial minority patients' reports of satisfaction and trust immediately after engaging in racially discordant medical interactions. This suggests physician implicit racial bias is somehow manifested in physician communication behaviors and noticed by patients during the medical interactions. However, it is unclear exactly how physician implicit racial bias manifests behaviorally during racially discordant medical interactions. The authors argue that such lack of understanding might be due to several limitations with the existing patient-physician coding systems. In order to further advance research on patient-physician communication during racially discordant medical interactions, new coding systems tailored for racially discordant medical interactions are required. Specifically, it is suggested that these coding systems need to be capable of assessing physician nonverbal/paraverbal communication behaviors that were found to be positive or negative by racial minority patients themselves. This likely requires innovative research approaches, such as a mixed-methods approach.
Supervised classification methods have been widely used in the hyperspectral remote sensing image analysis. However, they require a large number of training samples to guarantee good performance, which costs a large amount of time and human labor, motivating researchers to reuse labeled samples from the mass of pre-existing related images. Transfer learning methods can adapt knowledge in the existing images to solve the classification problem in new yet related images, and have drawn increasing interest in the remote sensing field. However, the existing methods in the RS field require that all the images share the same dimensionality, which prevents their practical application. This paper focuses on the transfer learning problem for heterogeneous spaces where the dimensions are different. We propose a novel iterative reweighting heterogeneous transfer learning (IRHTL) framework that iteratively learns a common space for the source and target data and conducts a novel iterative reweighting strategy to reweight the source samples. In each iteration, the heterogeneous data are first mapped into a common space by two projection functions based on a weighted support vector machine. Second, based on the common subspace, the source data are reweighted by using the iterative reweighting strategy and reused for the transferring, according to their relative importance. Experiments undertaken on three data sets confirmed the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed IRHTL method.
Typically-developing (TD) children frequently refer to objects uniquely in gesture. Parents translate these gestures into words, facilitating children's acquisition of these words (Goldin-Meadow et al. in Dev Sci 10(6):778-785, 2007). We ask whether this pattern holds for children with autism (AU) and with Down syndrome (DS) who show delayed vocabulary development. We observed 23 children with AU, 23 with DS, and 23 TD children with their parents over a year. Children used gestures to indicate objects before labeling them and parents translated their gestures into words. Importantly, children benefited from this input, acquiring more words for the translated gestures than the not translated ones. Results highlight the role contingent parental input to child gesture plays in language development of children with developmental disorders.
We study the following questions related to wireless network security: Which jammer placement configuration during a jamming attack results in the largest degradation of network throughput? and Which network design strategies are most effective in mitigating a jamming attack? Although others have studied similar jammer placement problems, this article is the first to optimize network throughput subject to radio wave interference. We formulate this problem as a bi-level mixed-integer program, and solve it using a cutting plane approach that is able to solve networks with up to 81 transmitters, which is a typical size for studies in wireless network optimization. Experiments with the algorithm also yielded the following insights into wireless network jamming: (1) increasing the number of channels is the best strategy for designing a network that is robust against jamming attacks, and (2) increasing the range of the jammer is the best strategy for the attacker. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 67(2), 111-125 2016
Gestures are commonly used together with spoken language in human communication. One major limitation of gesture investigations in the existing literature lies in the fact that the coding of forms and functions of gestures has not been clearly differentiated. This paper first described a recently developed Database of Speech and GEsture based on independent annotation of gesture forms and functions among 119 neurologically unimpaired right-handed native speakers of Cantonese (divided into three age and two education levels), and presented findings of an investigation examining how gesture use was related to age and linguistic performance. Consideration of these two factors, for which normative data are currently very limited or lacking in the literature, is relevant and necessary when one evaluates gesture employment among individuals with and without language impairment. Three speech tasks, including monologue of a personally important event, sequential description, and story-telling, were used for elicitation. The EUDICO Linguistic ANnotator software was used to independently annotate each participant's linguistic information of the transcript, forms of gestures used, and the function for each gesture. About one-third of the subjects did not use any co-verbal gestures. While the majority of gestures were non-content-carrying, which functioned mainly for reinforcing speech intonation or controlling speech flow, the content-carrying ones were used to enhance speech content. Furthermore, individuals who are younger or linguistically more proficient tended to use fewer gestures, suggesting that normal speakers gesture differently as a function of age and linguistic performance.
In this paper, in order to assess the risk of network, network security assessment process being involved in the content in detail. The above-mentioned research-based support system platform security test and evaluate research of the safety situation assessment. Prediction subsystem detailed design and carry out the implementation. In this paper, network security issues, as a detailed study of neural networks knowledge. Focus on the evaluation methods and calculation rules of nerve network technology, it has been studied by specific examples. Calculation demonstrated the feasibility of neural network evaluation model through actual case, which pointed out the traditional methods. This paper focuses on the network security assessment based on neural network technology, extensive analysis of the proposed major modeling tool indicator system for network security analysis. The application of neural networks was a network security assessment and to optimize the network by genetic algorithm. The key parameter combination operated efficiency of neural networks to get better play.
Accessible summary What is known on the subject? Serious gaming can support learning and development. The use of serious games for skills development and the rehearsal of the management of events that cannot be replicated in real life is well established. Few serious games have been used in mental health services, and none in forensic mental health care. What this paper adds to existing knowledge? How a serious game may be coproduced by forensic mental health service users and game developers The acceptability of the therapeutic use of serious gaming by forensic mental health service users and providers. What are the implications for practice? Computer games may be used by practitioners in their therapeutic work with forensic mental health service users. Mental health nurses to use serious games to creatively and safely bridge the gap for service users between receiving care in controlled environments and living more independent in the community. Abstract Introduction Assessment of users' skills and confidence to safely respond to risky community-based situations underpins discharge planning. Serious games have been used for skills development, and this study trialled their use in forensic mental health services. Aim The aim was to develop and test the acceptability and usability of an innovative serious game to support forensic mental health service users' preparation for discharge. Method A prototype serious game was developed by service users and researchers. Acceptability and usability testing was undertaken and service providers interviewed about the acceptability of serious gaming for forensic mental health services. Result A prototype game was produced and successfully trialled by service users. However, both service users and providers identified that work needed to be done to develop and test a game with greater complexity. Discussion The acceptability and usability of using serious games to support service users to develop skills needed for successful discharge was demonstrated. Implications for practice Mental health practitioners may use gaming to support their practice and work innovatively with other professions such as game developers to create new ways of working in forensic mental health services.
Populist radical right (PRR) parties have attracted anti-migration voters by claiming to serve the interests of nationally defined in-groups. Recently, several European PRR parties have shifted focus from protecting traditional values to protecting so-called modern Western values, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. Here, we study whether PRR parties managed to attract voters who hold these modern values. In contrast with previous research, we do not position these voters with modern values' as necessary opponents of nativist voters. European Social Survey data linked to 29 elections demonstrate that the likelihood to vote for PRR parties is somewhat lower among lesbian and gay rights people, but not for those who have strong anti-migration attitudes. However, this effect differs across countries and in some cases, the sexually modern nativists' have the highest PRR voting likelihoods. This is not directly related to the parties' position on modern family values, but to the party system and alternative right-wing parties present.
Foldable displays represent one of the most attractive next-generation display applications. Therefore, it is critical to analyze the effects of mechanical stress on amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film-transistors (TFTs) in order to apply them to foldable displays. In foldable display applications, the dynamic mechanical stress tests are designed to be carried out using a bending radius of less than 3 mm. In this paper, dynamic mechanical bending stress tests are performed on a-IGZO TFTs using various bending radii and directions in order to examine the instability characteristics of the TFTs. In addition, the degradation mechanisms are investigated using a technology computer-aided design simulation. As a result, we have demonstrated that it is now possible to establish reliable circuit guidelines for using a-IGZO TFTs in foldable display applications.
The purpose of this review was to discuss the place of hypnotherapy in a modern medical world dominated by so-called evidence-based clinical practice. Hypnosis is an easily learned technique that is a valuable adjuvant to many medical, dental and psychological interventions.
Background: Pim-3 kinase is a highly homologous serine/threonine kinase that is overexpressed in hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Few studies have been conducted to define the role of Pim-3 in solid tumors, especially in prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to define the role of Pim-3 in development and prognosis of prostate cancer. Material/Methods: We collected specimens from 160 patients with prostate cancer, as well as 100 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Realtime polymerase chain reaction was used for the assessment of Pim-3 expression at the RNA level and Western blot was used to quantify the Pim-3 protein synthesis in 3 different cell lines. Results: We found that Pim-3 mRNA expression in prostate cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in benign prostatic hyperplasia tissue (p<0.05). Accordingly, the protein level expression of Pim-3 in prostate cancer cell lines was also significantly higher than that in control cells. In addition, the expression status of Pim-3 mRNA was significantly associated with pathological parameters such as pre-surgery prostate specific antigen, Gleason score, pathological stage, and lymphoid metastasis. High expression of Pim-3 also significantly decreased the survival rate of patients after surgery. Conclusions: Pim-3 expression is an important risk factor for prostate cancer; we are the first team to report Pim-3 as a valuable biomarker in Chinese.
Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems constitute a powerful tool for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but limitations on interpretability and performance exist. In this work, a fully automatic CAD system based on supervised learning methods is proposed to be applied on segmented brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) participants for automatic classification. The proposed CAD system possesses two relevant characteristics: optimal performance and visual support for decision making. The CAD is built in two stages: a first feature extraction based on independent component analysis (ICA) on class mean images and, secondly, a support vector machine (SVM) training and classification. The obtained features for classification offer a full graphical representation of the images, giving an understandable logic in the CAD output, that can increase confidence in the CAD support. The proposed method yields classification results up to 89% of accuracy (with 92% of sensitivity and 86% of specificity) for normal controls (NC) and AD patients, 79% of accuracy (with 82% of sensitivity and 76% of specificity) for NC and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 85% of accuracy (with 85% of sensitivity and 86% of specificity) for MCI and AD patients.
Certain studies have suggested that the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) -857 C/T polymorphism is associated with risk of ankylosing spondylitis. However, the conclusions remain controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to provide a more precise conclusion. Such databases as PubMed, Embase, CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were searched to identify relevant studies up to August 26, 2015. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the association between TNF-alpha -857 C/T polymorphism and ankylosing spondylitis susceptibility. A total of 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, an elevated risk between TNF-alpha -857 C/T polymorphism and ankylosing spondylitis was observed in three genetic model (T vs. C: OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.19-2.92; CT vs. CC: OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.49-4.23; TT + CT vs. CC: OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.40-4.30), except in homozygote model (TT vs. CC: OR 2.41, 95% CI 0.96-6.06) and recessive model (TT vs. CT + CC: OR 1.54, 95% CI 0.71-3.35). Sensitivity analysis showed the overall results were robust. Subgroup analyses according to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and ethnicity showed that the increased risk of ankylosing spondylitis were predominant in Asian population. This meta-analysis indicated that TNF-alpha -857 C/T polymorphism might increase the susceptibility of ankylosing spondylitis, especially in Asians. Further studies were needed to verify the conclusion.
People use at least two strategies to solve the challenge of understanding another person's mind: inferring that person's perspective by reading his or her behavior (theorization) and getting that person's perspective by experiencing his or her situation (simulation). The five experiments reported here demonstrate a strong tendency for people to underestimate the value of simulation. Predictors estimated a stranger's emotional reactions toward 50 pictures. They could either infer the stranger's perspective by reading his or her facial expressions or simulate the stranger's perspective by watching the pictures he or she viewed. Predictors were substantially more accurate when they got perspective through simulation, but overestimated the accuracy they had achieved by inferring perspective. Predictors' miscalibrated confidence stemmed from overestimating the information revealed through facial expressions and underestimating the similarity in people's reactions to a given situation. People seem to underappreciate a useful strategy for understanding the minds of others, even after they gain firsthand experience with both strategies.
Whenmaking decisions in everyday life, we often have to choose between uncertain outcomes. Economic studies have demonstrated that healthy people tend to prefer options with known probabilities (risk) than those with unknown probabilities (ambiguity), which is referred to as ambiguity aversion. However, it remains unclear how patients with schizophrenia behave under ambiguity, despite growing evidence of their altered decision-making under uncertainty. In this study, combining economic tools and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we assessed the attitudes toward risk/ambiguity and investigated the neural correlates during decision-making under risk/ambiguity in schizophrenia. Although no significant difference in attitudes under risk was observed, patients with schizophrenia chose ambiguity significantly more often than the healthy controls. Attitudes under risk and ambiguity did not correlate across patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, unlike in the healthy controls, activation of the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex was not increased during decision-making under ambiguity compared to under risk in schizophrenia. These results suggest that ambiguity aversion, a well-established subjective bias, is attenuated in patients with schizophrenia, highlighting the need to distinguish between risk and ambiguity when assessing decision-making under these situations. Our findings, comprising important clinical implications, contribute to improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying altered decision-making in patients with schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The use of conventional drip and alternative micro irrigation systems were evaluated for 3 years in six newly planted cultivars (Earliblue, Duke, Draper, Bluecrop, Elliott, and Aurora) of northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The drip system included two lines of tubing on each side of the row with in-line drip emitters at every 0.45 m. The alternative systems included geotextile tape and microsprinklers. The geotextile tape was placed alongside the plants and dispersed water and nutrients over the entire length. Microsprinklers were installed between every other plant at a height of 1.2 m. Nitrogen was applied by fertigation at annual rates of 100 and 200 kg.ha(-1) N by drip, 200 kg.ha(-1) N by geotextile tape, and 280 kg.ha(-1) N by micro-sprinklers. By the end of the first season, plant size, in terms of canopy cover, was greatest with geotextile tape, on average, and lowest with microsprinklers or drip at the lower N rate. The following year, canopy cover was similar with geotextile tape and drip at the higher N rate in each cultivar, and was lowest with microsprinklers in all but 'Draper'. In most of the cultivars, geotextile tape and drip at the higher N rate resulted in greater leaf N concentrations than microsprinklers or drip at the lower N rate, particularly during the first year after planting. By the third year, yield averaged 3.1-9.1 t.ha(-1) among the cultivars, but was similar with geotextile tape and drip at either N rate, and was only lower with microsprinklers. Overall, drip was more cost effective than geotextile tape, and fertigation with 100 kg.ha(-1) N by drip was sufficient to maximize early fruit production in each cultivar. Microsprinklers were less effective by comparison and resulted in white salt deposits on the fruit.
Within this work, the analysis of the selected arterial system segments were performed regarding to various hematocrit values. Properties of arteries were transformed to electrical quantities by using electromechanical analogy. There is theory of two port electrical circuits, which was used for analysis of the selected arterial segments. The characteristic voltage and current transfers were calculated in order determine the atrial properties as function of frequency for the various hematocrit values. The work deals with model of blood viscosity assuming non - Newtonian flow and then combines it with Newtonian blood flow, which is characteristic for the used arterial system model. The impact of different hematocrit values on the selected arterial segments is evaluated.
According to the rapid spread of the Internet, the new devices and web applications using the newest multimedia technologies are proposed one after another and they become commodity in an instant. In these new web communications, the natural and intelligible interaction corresponding to the user's various demands is required. In the communication in which persons do the direct dialogue in the interaction not only on the web but also in real world, it is widely known by the psychology field that the nonverbal information which is hard to express in words such as expression of face and gesture is playing the important role. In our research, the new analysis method of interaction using the dynamical model is proposed and paid our attention to the characteristic gestures especially. These gestures are the special motions such as lively or powerful actions which used effectively in Kabuki, anime, dance and the special gestures in the speech and presentation of attracting audiences. By analyzing the mechanisms of these characteristic gestures mathematically, we can design the new interactive interfaces easily which are natural and familiar for all users.
Background: Andersson lesion is a well-known complication in ankylosing spondylitis. Recently, owing to the worry about the healing of fracture, some scholars advocated additional anterior surgery or other procedures were necessary, which increase the risk of the nerve injury. The purpose of this study is to introduce our experience and to explore the efficacy and feasibility of posterior wedge osteotomy and debridement through Andersson Lesion for surgical treatment of severe kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis. Methods: From January 2012 to January 2014, a retrospective study of 14 Andersson lesion patients with severe kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis treated with surgery was completed with an at least 2-year follow-up. The debridement procedure, before posterior wedge osteotomy in posterior approach, must scrape all sclerosis bone until healthy cancellous bone appears. Radiographic and clinical results and complications were assessed with an average follow-up of 24 months. The CT scan was obtained preoperatively and at the final follow-up to assess the displacement of the fracture preoperatively, the safety of screw insertion, the healing of the fracture at the final follow-up. The Bridwell interbody fusion grading system was used to assess the healing of the fracture. Results: Local kyphosis was substantially corrected from 51.7 +/- 15.6 to 7.1 +/- 19.5, with a mean correction of 44 degrees. The global kyphosis (GK) changed from 60.6 +/- 28.3 to 20.3 +/- 10.3 (P = 0.000). The mean VAS back pain scores decreased from 6.7 +/- 0.8 preoperatively to 0.75 +/- 0.6 after a 2-year follow-up (P = 0.000). The ODI score improved from 60.56 +/- 15.1% preoperatively to 23.46 +/- 8.2% after a 2-year follow-up (P = 0.000). The CT scan showed solid fusion at the level of the AL, and no internal fixation loose. All patients achieved grade 1 fusion. No major complication occurred. Conclusions: The posterior wedge osteotomy and debridement through AL can be used to correct the severe kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis, achieving favorable clinical outcomes, good fusion, and satisfactory deformity correction.
Adipocytes (fat cells) are important endocrine and metabolic cells critical for systemic insulin sensitivity. Both adipose excess and insufficiency are associated with adverse metabolic function. Adipogenesis is the process whereby preadipocyte precursor cells differentiate into lipid-laden mature adipocytes. This process is driven by a network of transcriptional regulators (TRs). We hypothesized that protein PTMs, in particular phosphorylation, play a major role in activating and propagating signals within TR networks upon induction of adipogenesis by extracellular stimulus. We applied MS-based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics to monitor the alteration of nuclear proteins during the early stages (4 h) of preadipocyte differentiation. We identified a total of 4072 proteins including 2434 phosphorylated proteins, a majority of which were assigned as regulators of gene expression. Our results demonstrate that adipogenic stimuli increase the nuclear abundance and/or the phosphorylation levels of proteins involved in gene expression, cell organization, and oxidation-reduction pathways. Furthermore, proteins acting as negative modulators involved in negative regulation of gene expression, insulin stimulated glucose uptake, and cytoskeletal organization showed a decrease in their nuclear abundance and/or phosphorylation levels during the first 4 h of adipogenesis. Among 288 identified TRs, 49 were regulated within 4 h of adipogenic stimulation including several known and many novel potential adipogenic regulators. We created a kinase-substrate database for 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by investigating the relationship between protein kinases and protein phosphorylation sites identified in our dataset. A majority of the putative protein kinases belong to the cyclin-dependent kinase family and the mitogen-activated protein kinase family including P38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinases, suggesting that these kinases act as orchestrators of early adipogenesis.
The rapid development of the Internet, especially the emergence of the social networks, leads rumor propagation into a new media era. Rumor propagation in social networks has brought new challenges to network security and social stability. This paper, based on partial differential equations (PDEs), proposes a new SIS rumor propagation model by considering the effect of the communication between the different rumor infected users on rumor propagation. The stabilities of a nonrumor equilibrium point and a rumor-spreading equilibrium point are discussed by linearization technique and the upper and lower solutions method, and the existence of a traveling wave solution is established by the cross-iteration scheme accompanied by the technique of upper and lower solutions and Schauder's fixed point theorem. Furthermore, we add the time delay to rumor propagation and deduce the conditions of Hopf bifurcation and stability switches for the rumor-spreading equilibrium point by taking the time delay as the bifurcation parameter. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the theoretical results.
Objective. To evaluate in patients with AS (i) the fluctuation in self-reported disease activity (BASDAI), patient global well-being [visual analogue scale (VAS)-global] and spinal pain (VAS-pain) during 2 years of follow-up on a group level and (ii) the clinical relevance of these fluctuations on a patient level. Methods. Dutch patients from the Outcome in AS International Study cohort completed patient-reported outcome measures every 2 months over 2 years. On the group level, mixed linear models were used to analyse whether the outcome measures were constant over time. On a patient level, relevant changes in scores were assessed by the frequency in which changes would exceed predefined cut-off values (>1.0 or >2.0 on a 0-10 scale) during the 2 years of follow-up using 2-, 4-, 6-, 12- or 24-month assessments. Results. Ninety patients [median age 47.3 years (s.d. 11.4), 67.8% male, symptom duration 25.2 years (s.d. 11.3)] were included. On the group level, the outcome measures remained constant over time. However, large fluctuations were found on the patient level. For example, using 2 month intervals, 92% and 69% of the patients had at least one change of >1.0 or >2.0, respectively, in the BASDAI during the 2 year follow-up. When prolonging the interval, the proportion of changes exceeding the cut-off decreased, indicating that information is lost. Similar results were found for the VAS-global and VAS-pain. Conclusion. Substantial fluctuations in BASDAI, VAS-global and VAS-pain were found in individuals over time. With longer intervals, fewer fluctuations were observed, indicating that relevant changes might be missed.
The mirror neuron system (MNS) has been mooted as a crucial component underlying human social cognition. Initial evidence based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggests that the MNS plays a role in emotion classification, but further confirmation and convergent evidence is needed. This study employed electroencephalography (EEG) to examine modulations in the mu rhythm associated with the inference of emotions from facial expressions. It was hypothesised that mu suppression would be associated with classifying the emotion portrayed by facial expressions. Nineteen participants viewed pictures of facial expressions or emotion words and were asked to either match the stimulus to an emotion word or to passively observe. Mu activity following stimulus presentation was localised using a 3-D distributed inverse solution, and compared between conditions. Subtractive logic was used to isolate the specific processes of interest. Comparisons of source localisation images between conditions revealed that there was mu suppression associated with recognising emotion from faces, thereby supporting our hypothesis. Further analyses confirmed that those effects were not due to activity associated with the motor response or the observation of facial expressions, offering further support for the hypotheses. This study provides important convergent evidence for the involvement of the MNS in the inference of emotion from facial expressions.
A smart grid is delay sensitive and requires the techniques that can identify and react on the abnormal changes (i.e., system fault, attacker, shortcut, etc.) in a timely manner. In this paper, we propose a real-time detection scheme against false data injection attack in smart grid networks. Unlike the classical detection test, the proposed algorithm is able to tackle the unknown parameters with low complexity and process multiple measurements at once, leading to a shorter decision time and a better detection accuracy. The objective is to detect the adversary as quickly as possible while satisfying certain detection error constraints. A Markov-chain-based analytical model is constructed to systematically analyze the proposed scheme. With the analytical model, we are able to configure the system parameters for guaranteed performance in terms of false alarm rate, average detection delay, and missed detection ratio under a detection delay constraint. The simulations are conducted with MATPOWER 4.0 package for different IEEE test systems.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by progressive loss of cognition. Over 35 million individuals currently have AD worldwide. Unfortunately, current therapies are limited to very modest symptomatic relief. The brains of AD patients are characterized by the deposition of amyloid-beta and hyperphosphorylated forms of tau protein. AD brains also show neurodegeneration and high levels of oxidative stress and inflammation. The phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) possesses neuroprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and reduces amyloid-beta production and tau hyperphosphorylation in vitro. CBD has also been shown to be effective in vivo making the phytocannabinoid an interesting candidate for novel therapeutic interventions in AD, especially as it lacks psychoactive or cognition-impairing properties. CBD treatment would be in line with preventative, multimodal drug strategies targeting a combination of pathological symptoms, which might be ideal for AD therapy. Thus, this review will present a brief introduction to AD biology and current treatment options before outlining comprehensively CBD biology and pharmacology, followed by in-vitro and in-vivo evidence for the therapeutic potential of CBD. We will also discuss the role of the endocannabinioid system in AD before commenting on the potential future of CBD for AD therapy (including safety aspects). (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose - In recent times, progression of technology and growing demands of customers have substantially influenced the services sector to introduce fast real-time mechanisms for providing up-to-mark services. To meet these requirements, organizations are going to change their end-user operating systems but success rate of change is very low. The purpose of this paper is to address one of the practitioners' complaint no one tells us how to do it and uncovers the indirect effects of knowledge management (KM) strategies: personalization and codification, toward organizational change via organizational learning and change readiness. The current study also highlights how organizational learning and change readiness are helpful to reduce the detrimental effects of organizational change cynicism toward success of a change process. Design/methodology/approach - Temporal research design is used to get the appropriate responses from the targeted population in two stages such as pre-change (Time-1) and post-change (Time-2). In cumulative, 206 responses have been obtained from the banking sector of Pakistan. Findings - The results of the current study are very promising as it has been stated that KM strategies have an indirect effect on successful organizational change through organizational learning and change readiness. Moreover, change cynicism has a weakening effect on a change process and can be managed through effective learning orientation of employees and developing readiness for change in organizations. Research limitations/implications - Change agents have to use an optimal mix of personalization and codification strategies to develop learning environment and readiness for change in organizations that are beneficial for implementing a change successfully. Moreover, change readiness and organizational learning in the context of change are equally beneficial to reduce organizational change cynicism as well. Originality/value - This study is introducing a unique model to initiate a change with the help of KM strategies, organizational learning and readiness for change.
Urban stormwater runoff is both a significant pollution source and a potentially valuable resource. This study compares stormwater management in two cities: Singapore and Berlin, Germany. In comparing the strategies for stormwater management, we illustrate how differences in geography (e.g., land and water availability), urban infrastructure, regulatory regimes, legislation and intensives between the two cities have led to different solutions for stormwater management. Singapore, faced with a serious issue of water scarcity, has placed an increasing emphasis on stormwater management through developing a comprehensive network of drains and canals, mainly with the aim of controlling flooding and potable water supply. In contrast, in Berlin, concerns for the protection of surface water quality and non-potable water supply in the urban areas have resulted in a shift in management goals towards a low impact solution based on source control. The cost analysis indicated that the decentralized rainwater harvesting as practiced in Berlin leads to a higher economic efficiency where potable water can be substituted by stormwater, compared to the centralized drainage system in Singapore. Additionally, green roofs result in energy savings by serving as mitigation strategies against the effect of urban heat islands and global warming. In the near future, it is envisioned that a combination of both conventional and decentralized urban stormwater management will prove to be the most practical solution for most cities.
Internet of things is based on sensors, communication networks and intelligence that manages the entire process and the generated data. Sensors are the senses of systems, because of this, they can be used in large quantities. Sensors must have low power consumption and cost, small size and great flexibility for its use in all circumstances. Therefore, the security of these network devices, data sensors and other devices, is a major concern as it grows rapidly in terms of nodes interconnected via sensor data. This paper presents an analysis from a systematic review point of view of articles on Internet of Things (IoT), security aspects specifically at privacy level and control access in this type of environment. Finally, it presents an analysis of security issues that must be addressed, from different clusters and identified areas within the fields of application of this technology.
Recently, Liu and Xue proposed a secure two-party password-based authenticated key exchange protocol by utilizing the semi-group property of the Chebyshev chaotic maps. We exploit the vulnerability of the protocol in this paper by illustrating an off-line password guessing attack. In this attack, the password of a honest user will be recover by an attacker without being noticed by the server or the victim. To overcome such problem, we propose a simple and compatible fix.
This study adopted a social-ecological perspective to exploring perpetration of serious physical violence against others among Arab-Palestinian adolescents. A total of 3178 adolescents (aged 13-18) completed anonymous, structured, self-report questionnaire, which included selected items from several instruments that measured variables relating to the constructs examined in the study. We explored the association of individual characteristics (age, gender, normative beliefs about violence, and perceived ethnic discrimination), familial characteristics (parent-adolescent communication and socioeconomic status), and contextual characteristics (exposure to community violence in the neighborhood) with perpetration of serious physical violence against others. A moderation-mediation model was tested, and 28.4% of the adolescents reported that they had perpetrated serious physical violence against others at least once during the month preceding the study. The findings also show that exposure of youth to violence in their neighborhood correlated significantly and positively with their perpetration of serious physical violence against others. A similar trend was revealed with respect to personal perceptions of ethnic discrimination. These correlations were mediated by the adolescents' normative beliefs about violence. Furthermore, the correlation of direct exposure to violence in the neighborhood and normative beliefs about violence with perpetration of serious physical violence against others was stronger among adolescents who have poor communication with their parents than among those who have strong parental communication. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Telomere is a ribonucleoprotein structure that protects chromosomal ends from aberrant fusion and degradation. Telomere length is maintained by telomerase or an alternative pathway, known as alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT)(1). Recently, C. elegans has emerged as a multicellular model organism for the study of telomere and ALT(2). Visualization of repetitive sequences in the genome is critical in understanding the biology of telomeres. While telomere length can be measured by telomere restriction fragment assay or quantitative PCR, these methods only provide the averaged telomere length. On the contrary, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can provide the information of the individual telomeres in cells. Here, we provide protocols and representative results of the method to determine telomere length of C. elegans by fluorescent in situ hybridization. This method provides a simple, but powerful, in situ procedure that does not cause noticeable damage to morphology. By using fluorescently labeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and digoxigenin-dUTP-labeled probe, we were able to visualize two different repetitive sequences: telomere repeats and template of ALT (TALT) in C. elegans embryos and gonads.
Facial hair strongly influences people's judgments of men's sodo-sexual attributes. However, the nature of these judgments is often contradictory. The levels of intermediate facial hair growth presented to raters and the stage of female raters' menstrual cycles might have influenced past findings. We quantified men's and women's judgments of attractiveness, health, masculinity and parenting abilities for photographs of men who were clean-shaven, lightly or heavily stubbled and fully bearded. We also tested the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use on women's ratings. Women judged faces with heavy stubble as most attractive and heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces as similarly less attractive. In contrast, men rated full beards and heavy stubble as most attractive, followed closely by clean-shaven and light stubble as least attractive. Men and women rated full beards highest for parenting ability and healthiness. Masculinity ratings increased linearly as facial hair increased, and this effect was more pronounced in women in the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle, although attractiveness ratings did not differ according to fertility. Our findings confirm that beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest in offspring. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study was to evaluate the permeable pavement constructed topdown by porous asphalt, compacted natural grading base materials, in-situ soil blended with coarse sand, and geotextile with crushed gravel. The permeable pavement was paved on the field testing site where it was installed a rainfall simulation device to control the intensity of rainfall. The coefficient of permeability and water content for each layer were collected as well as the volumetric water of infiltration and surface run-off Test results show that the permeability of surface layer was degrading severely after nine years in service, while base and subbase remained functional. While rainfall simulation of 124 mm/hr performed, the permeable pavement can retain 0.2139 m(3) of water with infiltration and surface run-off measured by 0.4665 m(3) and 0.1413 m(3), respectively. The analysis of flood peak present that permeable pavement can delay the occurrence of flood peak generated by the surface run-off and ease it quickly by continuous infiltration.
The present study used eyetracking methodology to assess whether individuals high in external motivation ( EM) to appear nonprejudiced exhibit an early bias in visual attention toward Black faces indicative of social threat perception. Drawing on previous work examining visual attention to socially threatening stimuli, the authors predicted that high-EM participants, but not lower-EM participants, would initially look toward Black faces and then subsequently direct their attention away from these faces. Participants viewed pairs of images, some of which consisted of one White and one Black male face, while a desk-mounted eyetracking camera recorded their eye movements. Results showed that, as predicted, high-EM, but not lower-EM, individuals exhibited patterns of visual attention indicative of social threat perception.
Despite researchers considering time of day an important variable in studies on implicit food evaluations and food intake, time of day effects on implicit food evaluations have yet to be tested. Positive implicit evaluations of unhealthy food stimuli measured with an implicit association test (IAT) predict behaviour toward those stimuli, and are assumed to reflect automatic reactions outside of conscious awareness and control. However, recent research has revealed controlled processing to have an influence on IAT performance. The current study tested time of day effects on implicit evaluations of unhealthy food measured with an IAT, and specifically on automatic and controlled processes underlying IAT performance. A sample of 304 undergraduate women aged 17-25 years completed a single-category IAT at varying times of the day. Results revealed that participation later in the day was associated with a more positive implicit evaluation of unhealthy food. This was mediated by a decrease in the ability to inhibit positive food reactions (i.e., controlled processing), rather than an increase in automatic positive reactions. The findings draw attention to the importance of considering time of day in studies measuring aspects of implicit cognition using tasks such as the IAT. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Catheter ablation for the treatment of arrhythmia is associated with significant complications and often-repeated procedures. Consequently, a less invasive and more efficient technique is required. Because high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) enables the generation of precise thermal ablations in deep-seated tissues without harming the tissues in the propagation path, it has the potential to be used as a new ablation technique. A system capable of delivering HIFU into the heart by a transesophageal route using ultrasound (US) imaging guidance was developed and tested in vivo in six male pigs. HIFU exposures were performed on atria and ventricles. At the time of autopsy, visual inspection identified thermal lesions in the targeted areas in three of the animals. These lesions were confirmed by histologic analysis (mean size: 5.5 mm(2) x 11 mm(2)). No esophageal thermal injury was observed. One animal presented with bradycardia due to an atrio-ventricular block, which provides real-time confirmation of an interaction between HIFU and the electrical circuits of the heart. Thus, US-guided HIFU has the potential to minimally invasively create myocardial lesions without an intra-cardiac device. (E-mail: francis.bessiere@inserm.fr) (C) 2016 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.
Although loving-kindness meditation (LKM) has shown some promise as a psychological intervention, little is known about the effectiveness of LKM for reducing one of the most prevalent mental health problems: anxiety. To build knowledge in this area, we conducted a randomized controlled trial, assigning non-clinical undergraduates to either a four-session, group-based LKM intervention (n = 38) or a waitlist control (n = 33). Self-reported anxiety, compassionate love, and self-compassion were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 8-week follow-up. Relative to control participants, participants in the LKM intervention reported higher compassionate love and self-compassion at posttreatment and higher self-kindness (a component of self-compassion) at follow-up. Anxiety ratings did not significantly differ between conditions at posttreatment or follow-up. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
The objective of this study is to develop a conceptual model to analyze the role of rice paddy fields in water management and to use the model to suggest an appropriate countermeasure for land development. Rice paddy fields are traditionally seen in East and South-East Asia, particularly in areas that have a considerable seasonal variation in rainfall resulting in flooding and drought. One of the advantages of these fields in East Asia is that the period of rainfall is similar to the period of the water demand of the rice paddy. In this study, the water management functions of rice paddy are evaluated using rainfall-storage-discharge (RSD) modeling. The RSD system is a type of onsite structure used for rainwater management. In this study, the area of the rice paddy is assumed to be 10,000 m(2), and the rice paddy is considered to perform the storage and catchment functions of a rainwater harvesting system. The RSD system can be used for analyzing the outflow rate according to the rice paddy area and the peak outflow curves for a 100-year period; further, the effectiveness of the RSD system in reducing the final water discharge rate through a rice paddy is evaluated.
The Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) is a popular health-related quality of life (HrQoL) tool. However, few studies have assessed its psychometric properties in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). We therefore aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the SF-36 in patients with SpA in Singapore. Cross-sectional data from a registry of 196 SpA patients recruited from a dedicated tertiary referral clinic in Singapore from 2011 to 2014 was used. Analyses were guided by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments framework. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through 33 a priori hypotheses by correlations of the eight subscales and two summary scores of SF-36 with other health outcomes. Known-group construct validity was assessed by comparison of the means of the subscales and summary scores of the SF-36 of SpA patients and the general population of Singapore using student's t tests. Among 196 patients (155 males (79.0 %), median (range) age: 36 (17-70), 166 Chinese (84.6 %)), SF-36 scales showed high internal consistency ranging from 0.88 to 0.90. Convergent construct validity was supported as shown by fulfillment of all hypotheses. Divergent construct validity was supported, as SF-36 MCS was not associated with PGA, pain and HAQ. Known-group construct validity showed SpA patients had lower scores of 3.8-12.5 when compared to the general population at p < 0.001. This study supports the SF-36 as a valid and reliable measure of HrQoL for use in patients with SpA at a single time point.
Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithms (GA) are used to minimize the cost of a permanent magnet (PM) synchronous generator with concentrated windings for tidal power applications. With the use of MATLABs global optimization toolbox, it is possible to run several optimization algorithms on the same problem, and to combine the two stochastic solvers GA and PSO with the gradient based solver fmincon to produce two hybrid optimization solvers. It has been shown that a complex machine design problem with tight constraints and a narrow solution space is difficult to solve for both a GA and for PSO. Both GA and PSO were unable to find the optimal value on their own. Hybrid versions of GA and PSO gave better results. The average minimum costs found with hybrid PSO and hybrid GA were 1.07 and 1.11 times the global minimum. When the integer value was set to the optimal value, the hybrid GA found a mean cost only 1.01 times the global minimum. For both algorithms, it was necessary to increase the population size to improve the fitness functions and reduce the variance.
This work presents the application of the comprehensive predictive modeling methodology for single multiphysics time-dependent systems, developed by Cacuci and Ionescu-Bujor (2010), to a paradigm spent fuel dissolver model of interest to nonproliferation objectives, in order to quantify uncertainties due to dissolver model parameters and subsequently to combine all of the available experimental and computational information to obtain best-estimate values for model responses and parameters, along with reduced predicted uncertainties. This predictive modeling methodology uses the maximum entropy principle to construct an optimal approximation of the unknown a priori distribution for the a priori known mean values and uncertainties characterizing the model parameters and the computed and experimentally measured model responses. This approximate a priori distribution is subsequently combined using Bayes' theorem with the likelihood provided by the multiphysics computational models. Finally, the posterior distribution is evaluated using the saddle-point method to obtain analytical expressions for the optimally predicted values for the parameters and responses of both multiphysics models, along with corresponding reduced uncertainties. The weighting functions used within this predictive modeling methodology are provided by the first-order sensitivities (i.e., functional derivatives) of the model's response with respect to the model's parameters. The dissolver model comprises 619 model parameters related to the model's equation of state and inflow conditions. The sensitivities to all model parameters of the acid concentrations at each of these instances in time were computed exactly and efficiently in an accompanying work by Peltz and Cacuci (2015), using the adjoint sensitivity analysis method. These sensitivities are used in this work to quantify the uncertainties in the acid concentration (system responses) in various dissolver compartments, arising from uncertainties in the model parameters. Subsequently, the sensitivities are used within the predictive modeling methodology to combine the computational results with the available experiments, which were performed solely in the compartment farthest from the inlet. The results of applying the predictive modeling methodology yield optimally calibrated values for all 619 model parameters, with reduced predicted uncertainties, as well as optimal (best-estimate) predicted values for the acid concentrations, also with reduced predicted uncertainties. Notably, even though the experimental data pertain solely to the compartment farthest from the inlet (where the data were measured), the predictive modeling methodology actually improves the predictions and reduces the predicted uncertainties not only in the compartment in which the data were actually measured but also throughout the entire dissolver, including the compartment farthest from the measurements (i.e., at the inlet). This is because the predictive modeling methodology combines and transmits information simultaneously over the entire phase-space, comprising all time steps and spatial locations. The results obtained in this work establish confidence in the dissolver model's accuracy for simulating the acid concentrations required to dissolve used nuclear fuel. In turn, these results will be used to generate source terms for key reprocessing facility components downstream and to support material accountability for nuclear safeguards.
Crop simulation models are commonly used to forecast the performance of cropping systems under different hypotheses of change. Their use on a regional scale is generally constrained, however, by a lack of information on the spatial and temporal variability of environment-related input variables (e.g., soil) and agricultural practices (e.g., sowing dates) that influence crop yields. Satellite remote sensing data can shed light on such variability by providing timely information on crop dynamics and conditions over large areas. This paper proposes a method for analyzing time series of MODIS satellite data in order to estimate the inter-annual variability of winter wheat sowing dates. A rule-based method was developed to automatically identify a reliable sample of winter wheat field time series, and to infer the corresponding sowing dates. The method was designed for a case study in the Camargue region (France), where winter wheat is characterized by vernalization, as in other temperate regions. The detection criteria were chosen on the grounds of agronomic expertise and by analyzing high-confidence time-series vegetation index profiles for winter wheat. This automatic method identified the target crop on more than 56% (four-year average) of the cultivated areas, with low commission errors (11%). It also captured the seasonal variability in sowing dates with errors of 8 and 16 days in 46% and 66% of cases, respectively. Extending the analysis to the years 2002-2012 showed that sowing in the Camargue was usually done on or around November 1st ( +/- 4 days). Comparing inter-annual sowing date variability with the main local agro-climatic drivers showed that the type of preceding crop and the weather conditions during the summer season before the wheat sowing had a prominent role in influencing winter wheat sowing dates. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
There is evidence of health disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual populations. Although the focus of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health research has been human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and sexually transmitted infection among men who have sex with men, there are health disparities among sexual minority women. Using the minority stress framework, these disparities may in part be caused by individual prejudice, social stigma, and discrimination. To ensure equitable health for all, there is urgent need for targeted culturally sensitive health promotion, cultural sensitivity training for health care providers, and intervention-focused research.
Oxidative stress has been shown to play a contributory role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent studies have provided evidence for antioxidant properties of spa therapy. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether spa therapy with saline balneotherapy has any influence on the oxidant/antioxidant status in patients with RA and to assess clinical effects of spa therapy. In this investigator-blind randomized controlled trial, we randomly assigned 50 patients in a 1:1 ratio to spa therapy plus standard drug treatment (spa group) or standard drug treatment alone (control group). Spa group followed a 2-week course of spa therapy regimen consisting of a total of 12 balneotherapy sessions in a thermal mineral water pool at 36-37 A degrees C for 20 min every day except Sunday. All clinical and biochemical parameters were assessed at baseline and after spa therapy (2 weeks). The clinical parameters were pain intensity, patient global assessment, physician global assessment, Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index (HAQ-DI), Disease Activity Score for 28-joints based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-4[ESR]). Oxidative status parameters were malondialdehyde (MDA), nonenzymatic superoxide radical scavenger activity (NSSA), antioxidant potential (AOP), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The NSSA levels were increased significantly in the spa group (p = 0.003) but not in the control group (p = 0.509); and there was a trend in favor of spa therapy for improvements in NSSA levels compared to control (p = 0.091). Significant clinical improvement was found in the spa group compared to the control in terms of patient global assessment (p = 0.011), physician global assessment (p = 0.043), function (HAQ-DI) (p = 0.037), disease activity (DAS28-4[ESR]) (0.044) and swollen joint count (0.009), and a trend toward improvement in pain scores (0.057). Spa therapy with saline balneotherapy exerts antioxidant effect in patients with RA as reflected by the increase in NSSA levels after spa therapy; whether this antioxidant effect contributes to the clinical improvements observed remains to be verified.
Direct gaze is a salient nonverbal signal for social interest and the intention to communicate. In particular, the duration of another's direct gaze can modulate our perception of the social meaning of gaze cues. However, both poor eye contact and deficits in social cognitive processing of gaze are specific diagnostic features of autism. Therefore, investigating neuralmechanisms of gaze may provide key insights into the neural mechanisms related to autistic symptoms. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a parametric design, we investigated the neural correlates of the influence of gaze direction and gaze duration on person perception in individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and a matched control group. For this purpose, dynamically animated faces of virtual characters, displaying averted or direct gaze of different durations (1 s, 2.5 s and 4 s) were evaluated on a four-point likeability scale. Behavioral results revealed that HFA participants showed no significant difference in likeability ratings depending on gaze duration, while the control group rated the virtual characters as increasingly likeable with increasing gaze duration. On the neural level, direct gaze and increasing direct gaze duration recruit regions of the social neural network (SNN) in control participants, indicating the processing of social salience and a perceived communicative intent. In participants with HFA however, regions of the social neural network were more engaged by averted and decreasing amounts of gaze, while the neural response for processing direct gaze in HFA was not suggestive of any social information processing. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Experimental self-driving cars are being tested on public roads, and will at some point be commercially sold or made otherwise available to the public. A self-driving car and its digital control systems take over control tasks previously performed by the human driver. This places high demands on this control system which has to perform the highly complex task of driving the car through traffic. When this system does not perform its task adequately and damage ensues the failure of the control system may be used as a stepping stone to claim liability of the manufacturer of the car or the control system. Uncertainties about the application of (product) liability law may slow down the uptake of self-driving cars more than is warranted on the basis of technical progress. This article examines how the decision about the timing of a market introduction can be approached and how possible chilling effects of liability law can be redressed with an adequate system of obligatory insurance. (C) 2015 Maurice Schellekens. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In modern therapeutics, chemically synthesized drugs have been reported as causing adverse effects including allergies, rashes, itches, and swelling. For the past few decades, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have widely been applied in medical domains due to their antimicrobial and wound healing properties. In the present study, different concentrations of phytosynthesized AgNPs-saturated cotton dress fabrics - in comparison to cotton fabrics treated with commercial ointment - were tested for 18 days to assess their ability to speed the healing of rats' burn wounds. No significant difference in body weight was observed during the course of treatment as compared to the normal rat group. The cotton fabrics observed under Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed the distribution of AgNPs in the cotton fibers. Energy-Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) spectrum also authenticated the AgNPs' distribution. At the end of the experimental period, the wound healing efficacy of dressing containing commercial ointment (Burn Heal) was slightly lower than that of treatment containing 100 mu g/kg of body weight (kg b.w.) of AgNPs. Additionally, it was also observed that the wound contraction area was higher than that of the positive drug 100 mu g/kg b.w. treated group, which indicates comparatively better-quality activity of ointments with AgNPs with regards to their burn healing properties. The histological and SEM observations showed better fibril alignments in repaired skin when compared with the negative and positive control groups. Perhaps due to the tensile strength of the comparatively higher concentration of nanoparticles, Groups IV and V (which contained the most nanoparticles out of all the groups) showed much better healing properties than did the positive drug treated group VI. Altogether, increased-concentration AgNPs show increased recovery action in comparison to the positive drug treated group. This study provides additional insight into the incorporation of AgNPs in wound dressings for speedy recovery of burn wounds, for improved human welfare. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The review examines Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD in its Child and Adult form) and its various presentations (Hyperactive Impulsive, Inattentive, and Combined) with a particular focus on environmental (incl. social factors), lifestyles and comorbidities. It is argued that ADHD is best understood in a holistic and interactive context and a vast empirical literature is presented to illustrate the point: Environmental factors include stress in general as well as exposure to toxins (phthalates, bisphenol A). Social factors are illustrated by effects of social deprivation and seduction to unhealthy lifestyles. Maternal lifestyle during pregnancy is pointed out (particularly her exposure to nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and drugs, even seemingly benign medications like acetaminophen), which all tend to be related to ADHD. Family environment is discussed with respect to protective effect of (mainly authoritative and autocratic) parenting styles. Societal factors include mainly economic and political issues: income inequality and poverty (low SES is an ADHD risk factor) and a growing moral dilemma between a humanistic effort to globally spread the knowledge of ADHD and the medicalization and commercialization of the disorder. The second part of the review is devoted to ADHD related lifestyles and resulting comorbidities (e.g., food addiction and obesity, substance abuse, electronic media dependencies and conduct and personality disorders). Although ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, its assessment and treatment are also linked to environmental, behavioral and social factors and their interactions.
BACKGROUND: Opiate abuse and overdose reached epidemic levels in the United States. However, despite significant advances in animal and in vitro models, little knowledge has been directly accrued regarding the neurobiology of the opiate-addicted human brain. METHODS: We used postmortem human brain specimens from a homogeneous European Caucasian population of heroin users for transcriptional and epigenetic profiling, as well as direct assessment of chromatin accessibility in the striatum, a brain region central to reward and emotion. A rat heroin self-administration model was used to obtain translational molecular and behavioral insights. RESULTS: Our transcriptome approach revealed marked impairments related to glutamatergic neurotransmission and chromatin remodeling in the human striatum. A series of biochemical experiments tracked the specific location of the epigenetic disturbances to hyperacetylation of lysine 27 of histone H3, showing dynamic correlations with heroin use history and acute opiate toxicology. Targeted investigation of GRIA1, a glutamatergic gene implicated in drug-seeking behavior, verified the increased enrichment of lysine-27 acetylated histone H3 at discrete loci, accompanied by enhanced chromatin accessibility at hyperacetylated regions in the gene body. Analogous epigenetic impairments were detected in the striatum of heroin self-administering rats. Using this translational model, we showed that bromodomain inhibitor JQ1, which blocks the functional readout of acetylated lysines, reduced heroin self-administration and cue-induced drug-seeking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our data suggest that heroin-related histone H3 hyperacetylation contributes to glutamatergic transcriptional changes that underlie addiction behavior and identify JQ1 as a promising candidate for targeted clinical interventions in heroin use disorder.
Dietary phenolic compounds are often transformed before absorption. This transformation modulates their biological activity. Different studies have been carried out to understand gut microbiota transformations of particular polyphenol types and identify the responsible microorganisms. Although there are potentially thousands of different phenolic compounds in the diet, they are typically transformed to a much smaller number of metabolites. The aim of this review was to discuss the current information about the microbial degradation metabolites obtained from different phenolics and their formation pathways, identifying their differences and similarities. The modulation of gut microbial population by phenolics was also reviewed in order to understand the two-way phenolic-microbiota interaction. Clostridium and Eubacterium genera, which are phylogenetically associated, are other common elements involved in the metabolism of many phenolics. The health benefits from phenolic consumption should be attributed to their bioactive metabolites and also to the modulation of the intestinal bacterial population.
Wine, and particularly red wine, is a beverage with a great chemical complexity that is in continuous evolution. Chemically, wine is a hydroalcoholic solution (similar to 78% water) that comprises a wide variety of chemical components, including aldehydes, esters, ketones, lipids, minerals, organic acids, phenolics, soluble proteins, sugars and vitamins. Flavonoids constitute a major group of polyphenolic compounds which are directly associated with the organoleptic and health-promoting properties of red wine. However, due to the insufficient epidemiological and in vivo evidences on this subject, the presence of a high number of variables such as human age, metabolism, the presence of alcohol, the complex wine chemistry, and the wide array of in vivo biological effects of these compounds suggest that only cautious conclusions may be drawn from studies focusing on the direct effect of wine and any specific health issue. Nevertheless, there are several reports on the health protective properties of wine phenolics for several diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, allergies and osteoporosis. The different interactions that wine flavonoids may have with key biological targets are crucial for some of these health-promoting effects. The interaction between some wine flavonoids and some specific enzymes are one example. The way wine flavonoids may be absorbed and metabolized could interfere with their bioavailability and therefore in their health-promoting effect. Hence, some reports have focused on flavonoids absorption, metabolism, microbiota effect and overall on flavonoids bioavailability. This review summarizes some of these major issues which are directly related to the potential health-promoting effects of wine flavonoids. Reports related to flavonoids and health highlight some relevant scientific information. However, there is still a gap between the knowledge of wine flavonoids bioavailability and their health-promoting effects. More in vivo results as well as studies focused on flavonoid metabolites are still required. Moreover, it is also necessary to better understand how biological interactions (with microbiota and cells, enzymes or general biological systems) could interfere with flavonoid bioavailability.
A huge number of genes within the human genome code for proteins that mediate and/or control nutritional processes. Although a large body of information on the number of genes, on chromosomal localisation, gene structure and function has been gathered, we are far from understanding the orchestrated way of how they make metabolism. Nevertheless, based on the genetic information emerging on a daily basis, we are offered fantastic new tools that allow us new insights into the molecular basis of human metabolism under normal as well as pathophysiological conditions. Recent technological advancements have made it possible to analyse simultaneously large sets of mRNA and/or proteins expressed in a biological sample or to define genetic heterogeneity that may be important for the individual response of an organism to changes in its nutritional environment. Applications of the new techniques of genome and proteome analysis are central for the development of nutritional sciences in the next decade and its integration into the rapidly developing era of functional genomics.
This paper presents a retrospective study from 2004 to 2014 of FTIR prostate cancer spectroscopy related to tissues and cell biology. Since vibrational spectroscopy is delicately sensitive to the biochemical composition of the sample and variations therein, it is possible to monitor metabolic processes in tissue and cells, and to construct spectral maps based on thousands of collected IR spectra. These reveal information on tissue structure, distribution of cellular components, metabolic activity and the health condition of cells and tissues. In addition, rapid collection, reliable data, a powerful ability to structure elucidation about IR spectroscopy, and the need for a rapid diagnosis of traditional biopsy (subject to sampling and inter-observer) have potentiated infrared as a way for a new type of analysis based on optical examination and being more objective than conventional colour methods. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background. The experience of 'sensed presence' a feeling or sense that another entity, individual or being is present despite no clear sensory or perceptual evidence is known to occur in the general population, appears more frequently in religious or spiritual contexts, and seems to be prominent in certain psychiatric or neurological conditions and may reflect specific functions of social cognition or body-image representation systems in the brain. Previous research has relied on ad-hoc measures of the experience and no specific psychometric scale to measure the experience exists to date. Methods. Based on phenomenological description in the literature, we created the 16-item Sensed Presence Questionnaire (SenPQ). We recruited participants from (i) a general population sample, and; (ii) a sample including specific selection for religious affiliation to complete the SenPQ and additional measures of well-being, schizotypy, social anxiety, social imagery, and spiritual experience. We completed an analysis to test internal reliability, the ability of the SenPQ to distinguish between religious.and non-religious participants,. and.whether. the SenPQ was specifically related to positive schizotypical experiences and social imagery. A factor analysis was also conducted.. examine underlying latent variables. Results, The SenPQ was found to be reliable and valid, with religious participants significantly endorsing.more items than non-religious participants, and the scale showing a selective relationship with construct relevant measures. Principal components analysis indicates two potential underlying factors interpreted as reflecting 'benign' and 'malign' ensed presence experiences. Discussion. The SenPQ appears to be a reliable and valid measure of sensed presence experience although further validation in neurological and psychiatric conditions is warranted.
Biogenic amines are nitrogen compounds which are products of the decarboxylation of free amino acids. They are produced with the participation of bacterial microflora producing enzymes, and they may be introduced together with food into the human body. The highest amounts of biogenic amines are found in meat, fish and cheeses. Consumption of products containing biogenic amines can cause food poisoning and allergies in consumers. The most common amines in cheeses are tyramine, histamine, putrescine, cadaverine and 2-phenylethylamine. The formation of amines depends on the technology of food production, storage conditions (temperature, time, pH, moisture), the quality of the raw materials (the content of free amino acids, proteins, salts, sugars) and the presence of microorganisms producing decarboxylases. This article describes different types of biogenic amines, their formation, detection methods and health risks to consumers. Information on the harmfulness of biogenic amines and on factors conducive to their production may help prevent poisoning with these compounds.
The screening of a number of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) with different modifiers in supercritical fluid chromatography to find a chromatographic method for separation of enantiomers can be time-consuming. Computational methods for data analysis were utilized to establish a hierarchical screening strategy, using a dataset of 110 drug-like chiral compounds with diverse structures tested on 15 CSPs with two different modifiers. This dataset was analyzed using a combinatorial algorithm, principal component analysis (PCA), and a correlation matrix. The primary goal was to find a set of eight columns resolving a large number of compounds, but also having complementary enantioselective properties. In addition to the hereby defined hierarchical experimental strategy, quantitative structure enantioselective models (QSERs) were evaluated. The diverse chemical space and relatively limited size of the training set reduced the accuracy of the QSERs. However, including separation factors from other CSPs increased the accuracies of the QSERs substantially. Hence, such combined models can support the experimental strategy in prioritizing the CSPs of the second screening phase, when a compound is not separated by the primary set of columns.
This article from preparation befor the job, blind pipe with fixed and waterproof plate laying geotextile, analysis of waterproof board laid before the preparatory work, waterproof board laid process related indicators of control, and offer reference for the construction of the tunnel.
A remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA) is used in this study to collect high resolution data of the flow in complex terrain at a potential site for a wind energy test field in Southern Germany. It is described how such a system was used to retrieve information about the flow field, turbulence intensity, vertical wind components and shear at an escarpment site that is known for its high wind potential. Measurements were done with the aircraft on several days with varying wind and weather conditions, while the focus of the study is on the characterisation of the flow field in main wind direction and neutral stratification. It is shown that flow inclination of up to 30 is found over the escarpment, but attenuates within a few hundred metres downstream. The formation of a reattached boundary layer could be measured, as well as an increased turbulence intensity in the reattachment zone. The results are highly valuable information for the planning of a wind energy test site at the location of the experiment and can also be used for the validation of numerical simulations and remote sensing instruments. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the present investigation a series of model tests have been performed to study the effect of different governing parameters viz., relative density (D (r) ) of sand, the ratio of embedment depth (H) of anchor to diameter (D) of bell of anchor, number of ties (N), the ratio of length of tie (L (g) ) to diameter of bell of anchor, diameter of bell of anchor and friction ratio (f = psi/I center dot) on uplift capacity of anchor with ties embedded in river sand. From the experiment, it is observed that with increase in H/D ratio the ultimate uplift capacities of anchor with or without ties increase. With increase in number of tie layers up to 2, the ultimate uplift capacity of anchor with ties increases. A non linear power model has been developed to predict the ultimate uplift capacity (Q (Rult) ) of anchor with ties in terms of ultimate uplift capacity of anchor without tie (Q (UR) ), D (r) , H/D ratio, N, L (g) /D ratio, and f.
Introduction: Opioid dependence relapse is a complex and multidimensional problem, and lack of spiritual well-being is a major concern in opioid addicts. Aim: This study was conducted to determine spiritual well-being and factors associated with relapse Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2015 to September 2015. According to purposive sampling, 312 eligible addicted patients were enrolled in the study. The patients had at least an attempt of detoxification in the past six months and referred to an outpatient detoxification clinic in Shahrekord (Southwest, Iran). They completed Paloutzian and Ellison's Spiritual Well-being Scale. A researcher-developed questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics and 20 questions about associated factors with relapse was administered. Data were analysed by version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) using one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation test, chi-square, Friedman test, and student's t-test. Results: The most important factors associated with opioid dependence relapse consist of relation with an addict friend, unemployment, living expenses, family conflicts, and somatic pain. In the present study, 157 patients had never experienced relapse while the mean of relapse in the rest participants was (3.25 +/- 1.53) times. Furthermore, the addicted patients with relapse had significantly lower scores of spiritual well-being and its subscales compared with non-relapse patients (p<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate the necessity of paying attention to spiritual well-being, family and economical, personal, and occupational factors as crucial factors in opiate addiction relapse.
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules present antigenic peptides to cytotoxic T cells. During an adaptive immune response, MHC molecules are regulated by several mechanisms including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon gamma (IFN-g). However, it is unclear whether the serine protease cathepsin G (CatG), which is generally secreted by neutrophils at the site of inflammation, might regulate MHC I molecules. We identified CatG, and to a higher extend CatG and lactoferrin (LF), as an exogenous regulator of cell surface MHC I expression of immune cells and glioblastoma stem cells. In addition, levels of MHC I molecules are reduced on dendritic cells from CatG deficient mice compared to their wild type counterparts. Furthermore, cell surface CatG on immune cells, including T cells, B cells, and NK cells triggers MHC I on THP-1 monocytes suggesting a novel mechanism for CatG to facilitate intercellular communication between infiltrating cells and the respective target cell. Subsequently, our findings highlight the pivotal role of CatG as a checkpoint protease which might force target cells to display their intracellular MHC I: antigen repertoire.
System analysis of metabolic network reconstructions can be used to calculate functional states or phenotypes. This provides tools to study the metabolic effects of genetic and epigenetic properties, such as dosage sensitivity. We used the genome-scale reconstruction of human metabolism (Recon 1) to analyze the effect of nine known or predicted imprinted genes on metabolic phenotypes. Simulations of maternal deletion of ATP10A indicated an anabolic metabolism consistent with the known clinical phenotypes of obesity. The abnormal expression of the other genes affected fewer subsections of metabolism consistent with a lack of established clinical phenotypes. We found that four of nine genes had metabolic effect as predicted by the Haig's parental conflict theory.
Mindfulness is defined as moment-by-moment social awareness derived from a non-judgmental, friendly, and receptive attitude. Previous research suggested that mindfulness has a positive effect on parenting. The present study examined the association between mindfulness, parent-child relationship, and child social behavior in a Chinese sample. Two-hundred and sixteen mothers with children of preschool age completed a set of questionnaires on their mindfulness, parent-child relationships, and their children's social behavior. A path analysis of their responses indicated that mindfulness had a significant and positive effect on the mother-child relationship in terms of attachment, involvement, and parental confidence and a negative effect on discipline practice and relational frustration. Mindfulness also had a significantly negative indirect effect on children's emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems and a significant and positive indirect effect on children's prosocial behavior. These results supported previous findings that mindful parents were more involved in their children's lives and have a tendency to be more aware of their children's needs. Implications of these results are discussed.
Many computer vision problems involve exploring the synthesis and classification models that map images from the observed source space to a target space. Recently, one popular and effective method is to transform images from both source and target space into a shared single sparse domain, in which a synthesis model is established. Motivated by such a technique, this research attempts to explore an effective and robust linear function that maps the sparse representatio ns of images from the source space to the target space, and simultaneously develop a linear classifier on such a coupled space with both supervised and semi-supervised learning. In order to capture the sparse structure shared by each class, we represent this mapping using a linear transformation with the constraint of sparsity. The performance of our proposed method is evaluated on several benchmark image datasets for low-resolution faces/digits classification and super-resolution, and the experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and Ambient Intelligence (AmI) try to achieve a future where technology surrounds the users and helps them in their daily lives. In this sense, the urgent need of solutions to cover the rapid increase of the elderly population with chronic diseases led to the increase of projects related with AAL and AmI. During the latest years, several projects have been proposed to tackle different medical problems, some building devices and others services. This paper presents iGenda and its evolution, the UserAccess, with the main objective of developing an AAL platform. It features an analysis of the latest developments and points future directions for the work. These projects display the importance of the interoperability of the platforms, demonstrating a case study for AAL development.
Compared with the position fixed fish feeding machine, shrimp feeding requires bait spread evenly across the whole pond water surface since its domain characteristic and low activity ability. There is less feeding machine that can meet this goal. To solve this problem, in this paper, a throwing tray is designed based on the bait particles moving curve simulation and experiment, which can achieve even spreading of the bait. A new feeding machine is upgraded to meet the requirement of installation and operation on the boat. The driving system and power source is calculated and assembled. Experiment has been conducted in the practical shrimp cultivation and the performance result shows its validation.
We propose a framework for developing a comprehensive biophysical model that could predict and simulate realistic longitudinal MRIs of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The framework includes three major building blocks: i) atrophy generation, ii) brain deformation, and iii) realistic MRI generation. Within this framework, this paper focuses on a detailed implementation of the brain deformation block with a carefully designed biomechanics-based tissue loss model. For a given baseline brain MRI, the model yields a deformation field imposing the desired atrophy at each voxel of the brain parenchyma while allowing the CSF to expand as required to globally compensate for the locally prescribed volume loss. Our approach is inspired by biomechanical principles and involves a system of equations similar to Stokes equations in fluid mechanics but with the presence of a non-zero mass source term. We use this model to simulate longitudinal MRIs by prescribing complex patterns of atrophy. We present experiments that provide an insight into the role of different biomechanical parameters in the model. The model allows simulating images with exactly the same tissue atrophy but with different underlying deformation fields in the image. We explore the influence of different spatial distributions of atrophy on the image appearance and on the measurements of atrophy reported by various global and local atrophy estimation algorithms. We also present a pipeline that allows evaluating atrophy estimation algorithms by simulating longitudinal MRIs from large number of real subject MRIs with complex subject-specific atrophy patterns. The proposed framework could help understand the implications of different model assumptions, regularization choices, and spatial priors for the detection and measurement of brain atrophy from longitudinal brain MRIs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The home automation is one of the most customers of electrical energy after the industry. Lighting represents on average about 15% of the annual electricity bill excluding gas and hot water. Different studies have been made to reduce the electrical energy consumption like automatic switching and time programming. But all these techniques have not an important rate in reducing the electrical energy consumption. So we note that an intelligent lighting which varies with the users need remains important source of economy of the energy. The intelligent lighting is obtained by using ambient intelligence (AmI). Multi agent System (MAS) have become the important paradigm to develop an ambient system because they have important characteristics like autonomy, proactivity and mobility to respond better to the main characteristic of ambient intelligence like the adaptability to the context. In this area, we propose an adaptive and intelligent lighting system in which each light source is represented by a software agent and the set of agents compose and coordinate their competences in order to illuminate a region with minimum energy consumption.
This paper looks at the benefits of applying quaternions to the study and research of electrical circuits and motor/generator applications. A bottom up approach is taken. The paper shows when variables in electrical circuits are formulated as vector quantities, simple manipulation of the variables can give results which are easily interpreted, and especially so for the variables which are in quadrature with one another. The example of the force calculation in electrical motors, is also developed and extended for the case of non-ideal flux and rotor coil positioning. Other applications of quaternions are eluded to for the completeness.
In real quadratic number field Q (root d), integral basis element is denoted by w(d) = [a(0); a(1), a(2), ... , a(l)(d)(-1), a(l(d))] for the period length l(d). The fundamental unit epsilon(d) of real quadratic number field is also denoted by epsilon d = t(d)+u(d)root d/2 >1. The Unit Theorem for real quadratic fields says that every unit in the integer ring of a quadratic field is generated by the fundamental unit. Also, regulator in real quadratic cryptography is outstanding. We have seen that the regulator R = log epsilon(d) plays the role of a group order. The regulator problem is to find an integer R' satisfies vertical bar R' - R vertical bar < 1 where R' is an approximation of.. with any given precision can be computed in polynomial time for discriminant. However, some of the fundamental units can not be calculated by computer programme in short time because of the big numbers or long calculations of usual algorithm. This is also the main problem from the computing/informatics point of view. So, determining of the fundamental units is of great importance. In this paper, we construct a theorem to determine the some certain real quadratic fields Q(root d.) having specific form of continued fraction expansion of w(d) where d = 1(mod4) is a square-free integer. We also present the general context and obtain new certain parametric representation of fundamental unit epsilon(d) for such types of fields. By specialization, we get a fix on Yokoi's invariants and support all results with tables. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by IASE.
A digital low dropout regulator (D-LDO) manages to operate at low voltage and scale with process. But, the tradeoff between current efficiency and transient response speed limits its applications. In this work, a coarse-fine-tuning technique with burst-mode operation is employed to advance this trade-off. Once the output voltage under/overshoot is detected, the power MOS array changes with x16 unit size at 500 MHz sampling frequency for a fixed time, comparing with xi size and 50 MHz in steady state. The limit cycle oscillation (LCO) in steady state is reduced by a feed-forward compensation zero with negligible power and area overheads. The proposed D-LDO is simulated in a 65 nm CMOS process, achieving a 60 mV voltage undershoot and 0.36 ps FOM of speed with a 60 mu A quiescent current, and mode-1 LCO in steady state.
Th2 and Th17 cells are both associated with developing ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and asthma. Th2 cells are also associated with allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis (AD). The prevalence of such allergic diseases in AS patients is unknown. In this study, we intended to study the risk of allergic diseases in a 10-year follow-up population of newly diagnosed patients with AS. We used a nationwide 10-year population-based database retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID2005) in Taiwan. The study cohort comprised 857 patients with AS who had at least 1 claim of inpatient admission or at least 2 claims of ambulatory visit. The comparison cohort consisted of 4285 randomly selected subjects matched with AS group at a ratio of 5:1. We used Cox proportional-hazards regression to determine the 10-year disease-free survival rates after adjusting for potentially confounding factors. The AS patients had a 1.31 times greater risk of developing asthma within 10 years of diagnosis when compared with non-AS age-and sex-matched subjects, after adjusting for other risk factors (95% confidence interval=1.00-1.75). But the difference was not significantly different. The AS patients also had a 1.46 times and a 1.22 times greater risk of developing allergic rhinitis and AD significantly. AS patients also had a lower allergic disease-free survival rate compared to non-AS group. Our results showed that patients with AS had a higher risk of developing allergic diseases later in life.
Water scarcity is not a new issue, neither is water pollution. While 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water, only 3% of it is available as fresh water. Moreover the pollution of water resources has dramatically increased the problem of water scarcity over the last century. Bioremediation presents a cheap and effective solution of this problem. In particular, halophiles have been found to be effective in hypersaline wastewater treatment. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a nonlinear mathematical model to study the removal of a pollutant using halophiles in the hypersaline environment. The analysis of the model is being carried out using stability theory of differential equations. The results indicate that halophiles not only help in removing the organic pollutant, but also help in conversion of saline water into fresh water. The numerical simulations along with sensitivity analysis are performed to support the analytical results.
Here we present the technical and economical performances of a small scale trigeneration power plant based on solid oxide fuel cells and designed for a small residential cluster (i.e. 10 apartments). The energy system features a natural gas solid oxide fuel cell, a boiler, a refrigerator, and a thermal storage system. We compare different power plant configurations varying the size of the fuel cell and the refrigeration technology to satisfy the chilling demand (i.e. absorption or mechanical chiller). Given that the ability to meet the power demand is crucial in this kind of applications, the plant performances are assessed following an optimal control strategy, as a function of different energy demand profiles and electricity prices, and of rated and part load efficiencies of each energy converter. The optimization of the energy system operating strategy is performed through a graph theory-based methodology. Results are provided in terms of electrical and thermal efficiency, operating strategy, as well as economic saving, primary energy consumption reduction, and pay back period, considering different capital costs of the fuel cell. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cancer classification based on site of origin is very significant research issue for prediction and treatment of cancer. This paper is addressing the problem of cancer classification for Homo Sapiens genes composed of amino acid chain. Cancer gene network is realized by equivalent electrical circuits based on hydrophilic/hydrophobic property of amino acid and a classifier is modeled to determine the cancer origin. The phase value, peak gain value and shape of Nyquist curve of network model are investigated to characterize different types of cancer gene origins. The model achieves 81.09% of classification accuracy and proves to be more sensitive and simple, since it shows 69% better performance compare to the existing nucleotide based method. The proposed classifier successfully predicts the site of origin of 93 cancer gene samples.
Background: Inflammation is a key feature of aldosterone-induced vascular damage and dysfunction, but molecular mechanisms by which aldosterone triggers inflammation remain unclear. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a pivotal immune sensor that recognizes endogenous danger signals triggering sterile inflammation. Methods: We analyzed vascular function and inflammatory profile of wild-type (WT), NLRP3 knockout (NLRP3(-/-)), caspase-1 knockout (Casp-1(-/-)), and interleukin-1 receptor knockout (IL-1R(-/-)) mice treated with vehicle or aldosterone (600 mu gkg(-1)d(-1) for 14 days through osmotic mini-pump) while receiving 1% saline to drink. Results: Here, we show that NLRP3 inflammasome plays a central role in aldosterone-induced vascular dysfunction. Long-term infusion of aldosterone in mice resulted in elevation of plasma interleukin-1 levels and vascular abnormalities. Mice lacking the IL-1R or the inflammasome components NLRP3 and caspase-1 were protected from aldosterone-induced vascular damage. In vitro, aldosterone stimulated NLRP3-dependent interleukin-1 secretion by bone marrow-derived macrophages by activating nuclear factor-B signaling and reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover, chimeric mice reconstituted with NLRP3-deficient hematopoietic cells showed that NLRP3 in immune cells mediates aldosterone-induced vascular damage. In addition, aldosterone increased the expression of NLRP3, active caspase-1, and mature interleukin-1 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Hypertensive patients with hyperaldosteronism or normal levels of aldosterone exhibited increased activity of NLRP3 inflammasome, suggesting that the effect of hyperaldosteronism on the inflammasome may be mediated through high blood pressure. Conclusions: Together, these data demonstrate that NLRP3 inflammasome, through activation of IL-1R, is critically involved in the deleterious vascular effects of aldosterone, placing NLRP3 as a potential target for therapeutic interventions in conditions with high aldosterone levels.
The massive forests of central Amazonia are often considered relatively resilient against climatic variation, but this view is challenged by the wildfires invoked by recent droughts. The impact of such fires that spread from pervasive sources of ignition may reveal where forests are less likely to persist in a drier future. Here we combine field observations with remotely sensed information for the whole Amazon to show that the annually inundated lowland forests that run through the heart of the system may be trapped relatively easily into a fire-dominated savanna state. This lower forest resilience on floodplains is suggested by patterns of tree cover distribution across the basin, and supported by our field and remote sensing studies showing that floodplain fires have a stronger and longer-lasting impact on forest structure as well as soil fertility. Although floodplains cover only 14% of the Amazon basin, their fires can have substantial cascading effects because forests and peatlands may release large amounts of carbon, and wildfires can spread to adjacent uplands. Floodplains are thus an Achilles' heel of the Amazon system when it comes to the risk of large-scale climate-driven transitions.
Recent advances in the development of implicit constitutive relations to describe the response of both solids and fluids have greatly increased the repertoire of the modeler in his ability to describe natural phenomena more faithfully than hitherto possible. It would not be an exaggeration to claim that such constitutive relations have the potential to lead to breakthroughs in mechanics as they provide very promising novel means to study two of the most important and ill-understood problems in mechanics, that of fracturing of solids and of turbulence in fluids, in addition to providing a means to describe a plethora of phenomena that have eluded explanation in biomechanics, response of colloids, and mixtures, etc. In this article, we describe these recent developments within the context of both fluid and solid mechanics.
Because of the large increase in the number of hotels in Brazil, added to the current concern to reduce the use of natural resources and the preference of some consumers for companies that adopt environmental measures in their management plans, rainwater-harvesting system become increasingly common in various levels of infrastructure in the country. The following paper does a bibliographic review of the current legislation that deals with the regulation of the use of the rainwater harvesting system, bringing international examples, beyond some pioneers Brazilian legislation, specifically aimed at the subject. The paper also brings a legislation proposal that encourages the management of rainwater on part of hotel projects as a way to enhance competitiveness, reduce costs, and contribute to a more rational and efficient use of water resources, reducing the volume of water that is discharged into the municipal drainage system.
This paper introduces the adaptive slope compensation method into the digital clamping current control at various input voltages to improve the power factor (PF) and the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the universal input. The controller conducts a phase-management mechanism for various input voltages and load conditions to raise the circuit conversion efficiency. The optimal switching timing for one-and two-phase operations can be determined from the power loss distribution. A digital signal processor chip TMS320F28035 is used to implement the digital platform. A 300-W laboratory prototype with a universal line voltage 80-V dc output voltage is designed and tested to verify the feasibility. The values of efficiency from light load (10% of rated power) to full load at 115- and 230-V inputs are greater than 95%. PF values from medium to full load are greater than 0.94. Input current harmonics also meet the norm of IEC 61000-3-2 Class D.
Concentration of eight heavy metals in surface and groundwater around Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) industrial area were investigated, and the health risk posed to local children and adult residents via ingestion and dermal contact was evaluated using deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Metal concentrations (except Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) in Bangshi River water were above the drinking water quality guidelines, while in groundwater were less than the recommended limits. Concentration of metals in surface water decreased as a function of distance. Estimations of non-carcinogenic health risk for surface water revealed that mean hazard index (HI) values of As, Cr, Cu, and Pb for combined pathways (i.e., ingestion and dermal contact) were >1.0 for both age groups. The estimated risk mainly came from the ingestion pathway. However, the HI values for all the examined metals in groundwater were1 x 10(-4) for adult and children, respectively. Deterministic and probabilistic estimations of cancer risk through exposure to groundwater were well below the safety limit. Overall, the population exposed to Bangshi River water remained at carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health threat and the risk was higher for adults. Sensitivity analysis identified exposure duration (ED) and ingestion rate (IR) of water as the most relevant variables affecting the probabilistic risk estimation model outcome. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an experimental study in which laboratory tests were conducted to investigate how the different interlayers (between the pavement surface slabs and the bases) could improve the performances of vibration response and anti-erosion of the bases. In the tests for vibration response of the bases, geotextile and rubber sheet were used as the interlayers, and the micro-seismic testing system was employed to characterize the vibration response of bases of concrete pavements beneath different interlayers under impact loading. The vibration test results indicated that under the same impact loading, compared with the bases without an interlayer atop, vector sum of the maximum vibration velocity of the bases beneath a rubber sheet interlayer and two layers of geotextile interlayer decreased by 35 % and 80 %, respectively; and vector sum of their maximum vibration displacement decreased by 18 % and 26 %, respectively. In the laboratory tests for anti-erosion, the bases with geotextile or emulsified asphalt slurry seal as the interlayer atop were tested for performances of resisting water erosion via a self-made testing apparatus. The anti-erosion test results indicated that, under the same other conditions, compared with the bases without an interlayer atop, the erosion rate (after 12 min of testing) of the bases with geotextile or emulsified asphalt slurry seal as interlayers atop decreased by 99 % or 59 %, respectively. The interlayer has the effects of damping vibration and resisting water erosion on the pavement base.
As a population, middle-aged and older adults are not meeting national guidelines for exercise. The purpose of this study was to describe factors associated with exercise adherence in an 8-month program offered as part of a research study testing the effects of exercise on cognitive performance for persons with a family history of Alzheimer's disease (AD). After completion of the program, participants provided open-ended responses indicating their reasons for adhering to the exercise program, and they completed the Motives for Physical Activities Measure-Revised. Results indicated that adherence was tied to an interest in contributing to our understanding of AD, the opportunity to join an exercise program, perceived exercise benefits, and social support. In addition, participants reported high levels of extrinsic (fitness-related) and intrinsic (interest/enjoyment) motivation. Other possible motivating factors which emerged from day-to-day observations in the program were identified. Findings suggest directions for exercise professionals with respect to exercise adherence.
A piezoelectric unimorph anemovane is proposed and analyzed for measuring precisely variation of wind direction and speed. The proposed anemovane has various advantages, compared with general anemovane. It can detect the wind in all direction, and be fabricated as small one. This anemovane was designed as the shape similar to a sea urchin. We use cantilevers to imitate prickles projected on the sea urchin sphere. If the wind blows, it hit the cantilever and the pressure makes the voltage signal through the piezoelectric unimorph bender. The simulation of the proposed system was performed using the FEM software (COMSOL Multiphysics), and the multi-physics analysis (Fluid mechanics, Mechanics and Electrostatics) was executed by considering real boundary conditions. Based on FEM analysis of the new anemovane with the new structure and control method, the characteristics between the fluid and the piezoelectric unimorph bender was comprehended. The possibility of the proposed anemovane was verified through the fabrication and the experiment.
Increased incidence of neuronal nuclear indentations is a well-known feature of the striatum of Huntington's disease (HD) brains and, in Alzheimer's disease (AD), neuronal nuclear indentations have recently been reported to correlate with neurotoxicity caused by improper cytoskeletal/nucleoskeletal coupling. Initial detection of rod-shaped tau immunostaining in nuclei of cortical and striatal neurons of HD brains and in hippocampal neurons of early Braak stage AD led us to coin the term tau nuclear rods (TNRs). Although TNRs traverse nuclear space, they in fact occupy narrow cytoplasmic extensions that fill indentations of the nuclear envelope and we will here refer to this histological hallmark as Tau-immunopositive nuclear indentations (TNIs). We reasoned that TNI formation is likely secondary to tau alterations as TNI detection in HD correlates with an increase in total tau, particularly of the isoforms with four tubulin binding repeats (4R-tau). Here we analyze transgenic mice that overexpress human 4R-tau with a frontotemporal lobar degeneration-tau point mutation (P301S mice) to explore whether tau alteration is sufficient for TNI formation. Immunohistochemistry with various tau antibodies, immunoelectron microscopy and double tau-immunofluorescence/DAPI-nuclear counterstaining confirmed that excess 4R-tau in P301S mice is sufficient for the detection of abundant TNIs that fill nuclear indentations. Interestingly, this does not correlate with an increase in the number of nuclear indentations, thus suggesting that excess total tau or an isoform imbalance in favor of 4R-tau facilitates tau detection inside preexisting nuclear indentations but does not induce formation of the latter. In summary, here we demonstrate that tau alteration is sufficient for TNI detection and our results suggest that the neuropathological finding of TNIs becomes a possible indicator of increased total tau and/or increased 4R/3R-tau ratio in the affected neurons apart from being an efficient way to monitor pathology-associated nuclear indentations.
With an ever-increasing accessibility to different multimedia contents in real-time, it is difficult for users to identify the proper resources from such a vast number of choices. By utilizing the user's context while consuming diverse multimedia contents, we can identify different personal preferences and settings. However, there is a need to reinforce the recommendation process in a systematic way, with context-adaptive information. The contributions of this paper are twofold. First, we propose a framework, called RecAm, which enables the collection of contextual information and the delivery of resulted recommendation by adapting the user's environment using Ambient Intelligent (AmI) Interfaces. Second, we propose a recommendation model that establishes a bridge between the multimedia resources, user joint preferences, and the detected contextual information. Hence, we obtain a comprehensive view of the user's context, as well as provide a personalized environment to deliver the feedback. We demonstrate the feasibility of RecAm with two prototypes applications that use contextual information for recommendations. The offline experiment conducted shows the improvement of delivering personalized recommendations based on the user's context on two real-world datasets.
Purpose of review To demonstrate how dysbiosis of the human microbiome can drive autoimmune disease. Recent findings Humans are superorganisms. The human body harbors an extensive microbiome, which has been shown to differ in patients with autoimmune diagnoses. Intracellular microbes slow innate immune defenses by dysregulating the vitamin D nuclear receptor, allowing pathogens to accumulate in tissue and blood. Molecular mimicry between pathogen and host causes further dysfunction by interfering with human protein interactions. Autoantibodies may well be created in response to pathogens. Summary The catastrophic failure of human metabolism observed in autoimmune disease results from a common underlying pathogenesis - the successive accumulation of pathogens into the microbiome over time, and the ability of such pathogens to dysregulate gene transcription, translation, and human metabolic processes. Autoimmune diseases are more likely passed in families because of the inheritance of a familial microbiome, rather than Mendelian inheritance of genetic abnormalities. We can stimulate innate immune defenses and allow patients to target pathogens, but cell death results in immunopathology.
In this study, we attempted to explore the effect and possible mechanism of Andrographolide on OVA-induced asthma. OVA challenge induced significant airway inflammatory cell recruitment and lung histological alterations, which were ameliorated by Andrographolide. The protein levels of cytokines in bron-choalveolar fluid (BALF) and serum were reduced by Andrographolide administration as well as the mRNA levels in lung tissue. Mechanically, Andrographolide markedly hampered the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and NLRP3 inflammasome both in vivo and vitro thus decreased levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta. Finally, we confirmed that ROS scavenging was responsible for Andrographolide's inactivation of NF-kappa B and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling. Our study here revealed the effect and possible mechanism of Andrographolide on asthma, which may represent a new therapeutic approach for treating this disease.
For a spatial modulation of the control parameter which describes, for instance, major effects of a rough container boundary in Rayleigh-Benard convection, the threshold value of the bifurcation from a homogeneous basic state to a spatially periodic state is provided analytically and numerically, taking the one-dimensional cubic-quintic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation with real coefficients as an example. Above the threshold, using the Poincare-Lindstedt expansion, we show that the quintic term affects both the stationary nonlinear solution and the Nusselt number. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
High dimensionality and classification of imbalanced data sets are two of the most interesting machine learning challenges. Both issues have been independently studied in the literature. In order to simultaneously explore the both issues of feature selection and oversampling, we efficiently combine two different methodological approaches in an unified kernel framework. Specifically, we proposed a novel l(2,1) norm balanced multiple kernel feature selection (l(2,1) MKFS), and designed a proximal based optimization algorithm for efficiently learning the model. Moreover, multiple kernel oversampling (MKOS) was developed to generate synthetic instances in the optimal kernel space induced by l(2,1) MKFS, so as to compensate for the class imbalanced distribution. Our experimental results on multiple UCI data and two real medical application demonstrate that jointly operating nonlinear feature selection and oversampling with l(2,1) norm multi-kernel learning framework (l(2,1) MKFSOS) can lead to a promising classification performance.
Background and aims: The Internet addiction paradigm has been criticized for several shortcomings, including inattention to specific online behaviors, not distinguishing the Internet from other media, insufficient focus on comorbidities, and definitions that do not take into account the constant access now possible. The paradigm's biggest casualty, however, may be that it has diverted attention away from subtle personality changes that seem to occur online, including in users who cannot be considered addicted under any definition. Methods: A narrative assessment of the literature was conducted, focusing on the Internet's effects on personality traits as revealed in studies of Internet users. Results: Impulsivity, narcissism, and aggression are some of the personality traits that seem to be nurtured by the Internet, with possible negative offline consequences. Discussion: Ignoring the Internet's subtle effects on personality as we embrace an addiction model that implies severe pathology makes the majority of Internet users feel deceptively immune to the psychological effects of new technologies. It also limits our understanding of the big cultural shifts that are happening as a result. Conclusion: The Internet's potentially negative effect on personality, and by extension on society at large, is a fundamental part of online psychology, one well worthy of further investigation.
The antigenic reactivity of constituents of Schistosoma mansoni and peanut (Arachis hypogaea) was investigated to determine whether identical antigenic epitopes possessed by both organisms provided a possible explanation for the negative correlation between chronic schistosome infection and atopy to allergens. Aqueous extracts of peanuts were probed in Western immunoblots with rabbit IgG antibodies raised against the egg, cercarial and adult worm stages of S. mansoni. Several molecules in the peanut extract were antigenically reactive with antibodies from the various rabbit anti-schistosome sera. A pair of cross-reactive peanut molecules at similar to 30 000-33 000 molecular weight was purified and both proteins were identified by mass spectrometric analysis as the peanut allergen Ara h 1. Anti-S. mansoni soluble egg antigen antibodies that were eluted off the peanut molecules reacted with two S. mansoni egg antigens identified by mass spectrometry as IPSE/-1 and -5. Alignments of the amino acid sequences of Ara h 1 and either IPSE/-1 or -5 revealed a low level of peptide sequence identity. Incubation of nitrocellulose paper carrying electrophoresed peanut molecules, six constituents of other allergic plants and S. mansoni egg antigens in a mild solution of sodium metaperiodate before probing with antibodies, inhibited most of the cross-reactivities. The results are consistent with the antigenic cross-reactive epitopes of S. mansoni egg antigens, peanut and other allergic plants being cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCDs). These findings are novel and an explanation based on blocking antibodies' could provide an insight for the inverse relationship observed between schistosome infection and allergies.
In this paper, we present morphological and electrical characteristics of a junction formed of Si p-type films deposited on an n-type silicon wafer using a hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) tool. We describe the fabrication process and study the influence of diborane flow and postprocess annealing in improving junction characteristics. Our morphological studies undertaken using atomic force microscopy show that the initial deposition suffered from voids rather than being a uniform film; however, this improves significantly under our annealing treatment. The improvement in morphology was observed in the electrical characteristics, with estimated V-oc doubling and rectification of the junction improving by several orders of magnitude. Fitting of the current-voltage curves to a two-diode model showed that increasing the diborane flow in the process helps reduce the saturation current and ideality factors, while increasing the shunt resistance. Electrochemical capacitance-voltage (ECV) and quasi-steady-state photoconductance measurements are used to characterize the deposited films further. A solar cell device with a silicon epitaxy emitter is modeled using industry-standard 3-D modeling tools and input parameters from experimental data, and the impact of defects is studied. A potential efficiency approaching 25% is shown to be feasible for an optimized device.
Currently, museums provide their visitors with interactive tour guide applications that can be installed in mobile devices and provide timely tailor-made multimedia information about exhibits on display. In this paper, we argue that mobile devices not only could provide help to visitors, but also to museum staff. Our goal is to integrate, within the same system, multimedia tour guides with the management facilities required by museums. In this paper, we present iMuseumA (intelligent museum with agents), a mobile-based solution to customize visits and perform context-aware management tasks. iMuseumA follows an agent-based approach, which makes it possible to interact easily with the museum environment and make decisions based on its current status. This system is currently deployed in the Museum of Informatics at the Informatics School of the University of Malaga, and its main contributions are: (i) a mobile application that provides management facilities to museum staff by means of sensing and processing environmental data; (ii) providing an integrated solution for visitors, tour guides and museum staff that allows coordination and communication enrichment among different groups of users; (iii) using and benefiting from group communication for heterogeneous groups of users that can be created on demand.
Smart devices from smartphones to wearable computers today have been used in many purposes. These devices run various mobile operating systems like Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile, etc. Since the mobile devices are widely used and contain personal information, they are subject to security attacks by mobile malware applications. In this work we propose a new approach based on control flow graphs and machine learning algorithms for static Android malware analysis. Experimental results have shown that the proposed approach achieves a high classification accuracy of 96.26% in general and high detection rate of 99.15% for DroidKungfu malware families which are very harmful and difficult to detect because of encrypting the root exploits, by reducing data dimension significantly for real time analysis.
This study is guided by the research question, are personality traits, character traits, situational factors, and their interaction all necessary to explain helping behavior? 121 undergraduates' scores on the Agreeableness scale of the Big Five Inventory and the Kindness scale of the Values in Action Inventory were examined in conjunction with experimentally induced positive, neutral, or negative mood via false feedback on a bogus intelligence test. The number of spilled pencils participants helped retrieve in a mishap was the measure of helping. Kindness significantly predicted helping behavior, but neither feedback condition nor Agreeableness was significantly related to helping. Interactions between Kindness, Agreeableness, and feedback conditions were non-significant. These results highlight a stronger contribution to helping behavior from the trait of Kindness than from the trait of Agreeableness and situational factors. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This work describes the practical implementation of an interleaved multi-phase, multiswitch boost converter for fuel cell applications. The paper aims to validate the concept of digitally-controlled Multi-Interleaving Boost Converter pisq for fuel cell applications, from two-phase, four-legs per phase, synchronous boost converter, abbreviated as 2-4MIBC. Compared with the Interleaved Boost Converter (IBC), MIBC exhibits interesting performance in terms of magnetics, input and output current ripple, part count and distributed power losses. A potential field of application is indeed medium and higher power fuel cell front-end converters, where minimizing input current ripple is significant but also redundancy and reliability are crucial. Actually, this approach covers all these aspects since provide module and device redundancy with real-time and flexible digital control reconfiguration. Relevant aspects related to design, modeling, simulation and experimental verification of 1 kW, FPGA-controlled, 2-4-MIBC are treated in this paper. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS), where inflammation, demyelination together with the axonopathy are the cardinal features on pathologic ground, with a combined genetic and environmental background. The associations of PD-1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): PD-1.3 (in intron 4), PD-1.5 and PD-1.9 (both in exon 5) with clinical manifestation of MS in 479 south Polish individuals including 203 MS patients were analyzed. Presence of PD-1.5 T allele was linked with the first manifestations of disease: diplopia and pyramidal signs-favored pyramidal signs but protected against of diplopia development. Farther, PD-1.3G/PD-1.5C/PD-1.9C haplotype significantly favored whereas GTC protected against diplopia. Besides, GTT haplotype strongly favored non-severe RRMS outcome and ATC haplotype was specific only for these MS patients. Our population-based case-control study, investigating selected three PD-1 SNPs: PD-1.3, PD-1.5 and PD-1.9, revealed that polymorphic variation may be rather disease-modifying than MS risk factor. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Traditional digital controls mostly use digital-analog converters to convert input and output voltages into digital coding to achieve control. This paper proposes the use of two digital ramps with two different frequencies to replace a digital-analog converter. This approach can produce seven bit resolution for the DPMW signal. In addition, we use an all-digital DLL phase correction concept to further enhance the resolution of the DPWM signal by an additional three bits, resulting in 10-bit DPWM signal resolution. The proposed circuit uses 0.35 mu m CMOS processes, with a core area of 0.987 mm(2), a system switching frequency of 500 KHz, an input voltage range of 3.3-4.2 V, and an output voltage range of 5 V. Output voltage measurement accuracy reaches 99%, while the system reaches efficiency of 91% with output loads of up to 500 mA. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sphingolipid signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans is vital for sensing environmental change and effecting appropriate cellular response. Many molecular components in sphingolipid intermediary metabolism are conserved throughout evolution. Here we review use of C. elegans as a model system for conducting sphingolipid-based scientific investigation, which has helped us better understand vital roles these remarkable lipids play in human metabolism and disease.
We examined the influence of interdependence goals on the accessibility of implicit gender stereotypical associations. Participants were asked to cooperate with or compete against a woman on a mathematical abilities task and subsequently the relative activation of positive and negative warmth and competence traits was measured using a primed categorization task. Results showed that female primes (vs. male primes) facilitated the activation of low warmth and high competence in the competition condition, whereas high warmth was activated in the cooperation condition and no differences were found for competence traits. These results are discussed referring to the stereotype content model and the compensation effect in person perception. The goal dependent nature of implicit gender stereotypes is emphasized.
We posit that the modern airplane is a social microcosm of class-based society, and that the increasing incidence of air rage can be understood through the lens of inequality. Research on inequality typically examines the effects of relatively fixed, macrostructural forms of inequality, such as socioeconomic status; we examine how temporary exposure to both physical and situational inequality, induced by the design of environments, can foster antisocial behavior. We use a complete set of all onboard air rage incidents over several years from a large, international airline to test our predictions. Physical inequality on airplanes-that is, the presence of a first class cabin-is associated with more frequent air rage incidents in economy class. Situational inequality-boarding from the front (requiring walking through the first class cabin) versus the middle of the plane-also significantly increases the odds of air rage in both economy and first class. We show that physical design that highlights inequality can trigger antisocial behavior on airplanes. More broadly, these results point to the importance of considering the design of environments-from airplanes to office layouts to stadium seating-in understanding both the form and emergence of antisocial behavior.
Natural disasters are projected to increase in many regions of the world due to the growing exposure of human activities, combined with increased vulnerability and the projected increase in frequency and intensity, and the effects of climate change and global warming. To combat disasters, university network is gaining importance as it plays a proactive role in disaster risk reduction. University has the capacity to educate, research and bring stakeholders together to share experiences, increase the knowledge base and Facilitate improved decision-making for policy and practice since the university is the center of excellence with regard to research and in disseminating research outputs to end users. This desktop research identifies the role of networking in various risk reduction approaches carried out by university and other stakeholders. It illustrates the example of disaster resilient habitat and rainwater harvesting where the university provided key interventions to reduce disaster impacts. In conclusion, this paper formulates and provides a model for strengthening of networking of universities to build disaster resilient coastal communities. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Typical Internet of Things (IoT) applications involve collecting information automatically from diverse geographically-distributed smart sensors and concentrating the information into more powerful computers. The Raspberry Pi platform has become a very interesting choice for IoT applications for several reasons: (1) good computing power/cost ratio; (2) high availability; it has become a de facto hardware standard; and (3) ease of use; it is based on operating systems with a big community of users. In IoT applications, data are frequently carried by means of wireless sensor networks in which energy consumption is a key issue. Energy consumption is especially relevant for smart sensors that are scattered over wide geographical areas and may need to work unattended on batteries for long intervals of time. In this scenario, it is convenient to ease the construction of IoT applications while keeping energy consumption to a minimum at the sensors. This work proposes a possible gateway implementation with specific technologies. It solves the following research question: how to build gateways for IoT applications with Raspberry Pi and low power IQRF communication modules. The following contributions are presented: (1) one architecture for IoT gateways that integrates data from sensor nodes into a higher level application based on low-cost/low-energy technologies; (2) bindings in Java and C that ease the construction of IoT applications; (3) an empirical model that describes the consumption of the communications at the nodes (smart sensors) and allows scaling their batteries; and (4) validation of the proposed energy model at the battery-operated nodes.
Conducting polymers have been used for many years as coating materials against corrosion. However, the coated materials absorb water over time resulting in reduction of resistivity and anticorrosion properties. In this study, poly(N-ethylpyrrole) (P(N-MPy)) and P(N-MPy)/titanium dioxide ((TiO2) nanocomposite films were synthesized in 0.5 M oxalic acid solution on Al 1050 electrode by chronoamperometric method. The modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated transmission reflectance, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Tafel extrapolation techniques. The corrosion tests results were obtained in 3.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution by Tafel plots. In addition, the equivalent electrical circuit model of P(N-MPy) and P(N-MPy)/TiO2 nanocomposite films were investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution at different time periods. The EIS study of the polymer and nanocomposite were analyzed by Matlab program and for the first time Tina, the equivalent electrical circuits program, was used.
Due to their widespread use and limited human metabolism, beta-blockers were widely detected in sewage effluents and surface waters. beta-blockers are persistent in agricultural soils that have been irrigated with treated wastewater or fertilized with sewage sludge. It is important to study beta-blockers interaction with kaolinite and talc because kaolinite is a major component of soil that formed under warm and humid conditions, and talc is frequently used as an excipient for drug formulation. In this study, the interactions between metoprolol (MT), a beta-blocker, and kaolinite and talc, clay minerals of 1:1 and 2:1 structural types, were investigated under varying physical and chemical conditions. Uptake of MT on both minerals was instantaneous with capacities close to the cation exchange capacity of the substrates. MT sorption was exothermic and the free energy of sorption was small and negative. These parameters pointed out to physical sorption for the uptake of MT on these minerals. Both solution pH and ionic strength had significant effects on MT uptake on kaolinite, but minimal influence on talc, contrasting different mechanisms of MT uptake on these minerals. The FTIR results showed bands blue shifted for both in-plane and out-of-plane bending of NH2. Meanwhile, blue shift was also found for the 1246 and 1011 cm(-1) bands, attributed to aromatic ether, after MT sorption on kaolinite and talc. For talc, blue shift of the band at 965 cm(-1), attributed to aliphatic ether, was also observed. These results suggested that electrostatic interactions or hydrogen bonding played important roles in MT uptake on kaolinite. In contrast, the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction were likely the main mechanisms of MT uptake on talc. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The annual average rainfall in the coastal area of Bangladesh is more than 2,400mm and rainwater harvesting (RWH) has been practiced for a long time for drinking water supply. For household RWH, the capacity of the storage tanks varies from 1,000 to 5,000 litres, which are the model-type storage tanks provided under several RWH programs of government and NGOs. The optimum storage tank volume has not been investigated considering family size and demand, roof types and rainfall. As a result, most of the households can avail water from rainwater tanks for about six months and rest of the year, they have to depend on other unreliable and distance sources. With the aim of developing a comprehensive decision support tool for a reliable RWH system, design curves for the storage volume were developed for three climatic conditions (i.e. dry, average, and wet years), available roof catchment area (10-50m(2)), rainfall loss factor and household demand (2-12 lpcd) for a typical six members family using mass curve. Moreover, a spreadsheet-based daily water balance model was developed to assess the reliability of the currently used water tanks (1,000-5,000L). The analysis showed that the currently used tanks are insufficient to meet the year-long drinking and cooking water demand. Under average and dry climatic conditions, the achievable reliability does not significantly varies with increase of catchment area and tank size; and the maximum achievable reliability is about 70%. A large quantity of water is lost as spilled water even with a tank size of 5,000L. This water can be used for other purposes if larger tanks are used to capture the excessive spilled water.
Sperm cells provide essential, if usually diminutive, ingredients to successful sexual reproduction. Despite this conserved function, sperm competition and coevolution with female traits can drive spectacular morphological change in these cells. Here, we characterize four repeated instances of convergent evolution of sperm gigantism in Caenorhabditis nematodes using phylogenetic comparative methods on 26 species. Species at the extreme end of the 50-fold range of sperm-cell volumes across the genus have sperm capable of comprising up to 5% of egg-cell volume, representing severe attenuation of the magnitude of anisogamy. Furthermore, we uncover significant differences in mean and variance of sperm size among genotypes, between sexes, and within and between individuals of identical genotypes. We demonstrate that the developmental basis of sperm size variation, both within and between species, becomes established during an early stage of sperm development at the formation of primary spermatocytes, while subsequent meiotic divisions contribute little further sperm size variability. These findings provide first insights into the developmental determinants of inter- and intraspecific sperm size differences in Caenorhabditis. We hypothesize that life history and ecological differences among species favored the evolution of alternative sperm competition strategies toward either many smaller sperm or fewer larger sperm.
Background. Blunted facial affect is a common negative symptom of schizophrenia. Additionally, assessing the trustworthiness of faces is a social cognitive ability that is impaired in schizophrenia. Currently available pharmacological agents are ineffective at improving either of these symptoms, despite their clinical significance. The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin has multiple prosocial effects when administered intranasally to healthy individuals and shows promise in decreasing negative symptoms and enhancing social cognition in schizophrenia. Although two small studies have investigated oxytocin's effects on ratings of facial trustworthiness in schizophrenia, its effects on facial expressivity have not been investigated in any population. Method. We investigated the effects of oxytocin on facial emotional expressivity while participants performed a facial trustworthiness rating task in 33 individuals with schizophrenia and 35 age-matched healthy controls using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Participants rated the trustworthiness of presented faces interspersed with emotionally evocative photographs while being video-recorded. Participants' facial expressivity in these videos was quantified by blind raters using a well-validated manualized approach (i.e. the Facial Expression Coding System; FACES). Results. While oxytocin administration did not affect ratings of facial trustworthiness, it significantly increased facial expressivity in individuals with schizophrenia (Z=-2.33, p=0.02) and at trend level in healthy controls (Z=-1.87, p=0.06). Conclusions. These results demonstrate that oxytocin administration can increase facial expressivity in response to emotional stimuli and suggest that oxytocin may have the potential to serve as a treatment for blunted facial affect in schizophrenia.
This paper presents the results of an experimental model study of the transient loading of steam generator tubes during a postulated main steam line break (MSLB) accident in a nuclear power plant. The problem involves complex transient two-phase flow dynamics and fluid-structural loading processes. A better understanding of this phenomenon will permit the development of improved design tools to ensure steam generator tube integrity. The pressure and temperature were measured upstream and downstream of a sectional model of a tube bundle in cross-flow, and the transient tube loads were directly measured using dynamic piezoelectric load cells. High-speed videos were taken to observe and better understand the flow phenomena causing the tube loading. The working fluid was R-134a and the tube bundle was a normal triangular array with a pitch ratio of 1.36. The flow through the bundle was choked for the majority of the transient. The transient tube loading is explained in terms of the associated fluid mechanics. An empirical model is developed that enables the prediction of the maximum tube loads once the pressure drop is known.
Tourist-host social contact, as a unique type of social contact, is not getting sufficient attention in tourism academia considering its remarkable impacts on tourists' travel attitudes, behaviors and long-term perceptions. The objectives of the current study are to explore the dimensions of tourist-host social contact and to contribute to the theory of tourist typology according to their dynamic nature in tourist host social interaction. Forty-five in-depth interviews were conducted to generate insightful information. The software of NVivo 10 was applied to examine and code the transcripts. As a result, six dimensions were adopted to describe tourist-host social contact, which are purposes, determinants, activities, intensity, impacts and attitudes. Five types of tourists were pinpointed and theoretical and practical contributions of the study were discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study, a market framework is proposed for the practical implementation of lossy financial transmission rights (FTRs). The advantage of lossy FTRs over conventional FTRs is that the lossy FTRs can be settled directly according to locational marginal prices (LMPs) without requiring any LMP decomposition. Therefore, the price risk for a forward contract can be perfectly hedged if the power transaction involved perfectly matches the corresponding FTR. Although proposed long back, lossy FTRs still did not find an entry to the market because of the prejudice of market complexity and inefficiency. The principal aim of this study is, thus, to create the necessary environment so as to make those fine risk-hedging tools available in the market. First of all, a suitable format for forward contracts is prescribed to enable proper utilisation of lossy FTRs. The detailed lossy FTR auction model is prepared based upon a suitable optimal power flow (OPF) formulation. In addition, the implementation of lossy FTRs is shown for an AC-DC system by appropriately modelling the DC-line power flow behaviour according to the chosen OPF framework. The lossy FTR auction model prepared is thoroughly verified for the FTR issuance as per the market expectations.
Active speakers have traditionally been identified in video by detecting their moving lips. This paper demonstrates the same using spatio-temporal features that aim to capture other cues: movement of the head, upper body and hands of active speakers. Speaker directional information, obtained using sound source localization from a microphone array is used to supervise the training of these video features.
The present study focuses on the time-averaged turbulence characteristics over a highly spatially-heterogeneous gravel-bed. The time-averaged streamwise velocity, Reynolds shear and normal stresses, turbulent kinetic energy, higher-order moments of velocity fluctuations, length scales, and the turbulent bursting were measured over a gravel-bed with an array of larger gravels. It was observed that the turbulence characteristics do not vary significantly above the crest level of the array as compared to those below the array. The nondimensional streamwise velocity decreases considerably with a decrease in depth below the array. Below the array, the Reynolds shear stress (RSS) deviates from the gravity-law of RSS distributions. Turbulence intensities reduce below the crest level of the gravel-bed. The third-order moments of velocity fluctuations increase below the crest level of the gravel-bed and give a clear indication of sweeps as the predominating event which were further verified with the quadrant analysis plots. The turbulent length scales values change significantly below the crest level of the gravel-bed.
A number of significant studies in the field of cell biology have revealed another pattern of intracellular signal transduction in which cells transmit information through the dynamics of key signaling molecules. Dynamical properties of p53 have been demonstrated to be the key factor in dictating cell fate, including cell cycle arrest, permanent cell cycle arrest, and cell death. Previous studies showed a negative feedback regulation pathway between SGK1 and p53, but the dynamics of SGK1 have never been reported before. Therefore, we used different dosing strategies of Wogonin to affect SGK1 dynamics and investigate its impact on cell response. Key factors, such as APAF1, BAX, GADD45A, p21, PML, and YPEL3, which are related to cell cycle arrest, senescence, and apoptosis, were measured at different time points after incubation with Wogonin. Western blot and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis were used to examine protein and mRNA expression of these genes. In addition, we also used beta-galactosidase staining and flow cytometric analysis to further verify the results. It was found that Wogonin inhibited cell viability and downregulated SGK1 protein levels; 20 mu M Wogonin could induce non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells into cell cycle arrest/senescence/apoptosis after 0.5/2/4 h, respectively; and SGK1 dynamics showed significant differences under different cell responses. Together, our findings showed that SGK1 protein dynamics can be an important part of intracellular signaling, directly influencing cellular response decisions.
Water harvesting systems are traditional technologies that have met the needs of local populations for many centuries indicating the systems are clearly sustainable. It is simply defined as a method for inducing, collecting, storing and conserving local surface run-off for future productive use. It is one of the oldest and most commonly used sustainable water management systems in India. There are various types of systems to harvest rainwater in India ranging from very simple to the complex industrial systems. Examples of traditional rainwater systems in India include bamboo pipes and Apatani systems of eastern Himalayas, Ghul of western Himalayas, Zabo and Cheo-ozihi of north eastern India, Dongs, Garh and Dara of Brahmaputra valley, Kund, Khadin, Talabs, Beri, Johad, Baoli etc. of Thar desert and Gujrat, the Havelis of Jabalpur, bandh and bandhulia of Satna, virda of Gujarat, ahar-pynes of Bihar, Eri and Kulam of eastern coastal plains, Jackwells of islands, most of which showed immense structural simplicity and high efficiency. Almost all forts in India, built in different terrains and climatic conditions, had elaborate arrangements for drinking water. Most of the old temples in south India built centuries ago have large tanks in their premises. These tanks are either fed by harvested rain water or by tapping underground springs. The traditional water-wisdom at all levels of the society ensured adequate availability of water for all, which in turn, formed the basis for all round development and prosperity. We should again learn and comprehend the ancient knowledge and apply it in our modern society to get rid of the present water stressed condition.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are novel bio-electrochemical device for spontaneous or single step conversion of biomass into electricity, based on the use of metabolic activity of bacteria. The design and use of MFCs has attracted considerable interests because of the potential new opportunities they offer for sustainable production of energy from biodegradable and reused waste materials. However, the associated slow microbial kinetics and costly construction materials has limited a much wider commercial use of the technology. In the past ten years, there has been significant new developments in MFCs which has resulted in several-fold increase in achievable power density. Yet, there is still considerable possibility for further improvement in performance and development of new cost effective materials. This paper comprehensively reviews recent advances in the construction and utilization of novel anodes for MFCs. In particular, it highlights some of the critical roles and functions of anodes in MFCs, strategies available for improving surface areas of anodes, dominant performance of stainless-steel based anode materials, and the emerging benefits of inclusion of nanomaterials. The review also demonstrates that some of the materials are very promising for large scale MFC applications and are likely to replace conventional anodes for the development of next generation MFC systems. The hurdles to the development of commercial MFC technology are also discussed. Furthermore, the future directions in the design and selection of materials for construction and utilization of MFC anodes are highlighted.
Accumulating research indicates that the regular practice of physical exercise is beneficial to the human brain. From the improvement of academic achievement in children to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease in the elderly, exercise appears beneficial across the developmental spectrum. Recent work from animal studies also indicates that a pregnant mother can transfer the benefits of exercise during gestation to her offspring's brain. Exercising pregnant rats give birth to pups that have better memory and spatial learning as well as increased synaptic density. To investigate whether this transfer from the pregnant mother to her child also occurs in humans, we conducted a randomized controlled trial (n=18) and measured the impact of exercise during pregnancy on the neuroelectric response of the neonatal brain with electroencephalography (EEG). Here we show that, compared to the newborns of mothers who were inactive during their pregnancy, the children of exercising pregnant women are born with more mature brains. This was measured with the infant slow positive mismatch response (SPMMR), an electroencephalographic potential known to decrease in amplitude with age. The SPMMR reflects processes associated with brain maturation via its response to sound discrimination and auditory memory. In this study, the children of the mothers who exercised throughout their pregnancy have a smaller SPMMR than the children of mothers who remained sedentary (p=.019). Our results demonstrate the impact regular exercise during pregnancy can have on the development of the human fetal brain.
A multidisciplinary research project series has sought to identify and better understand multiple hygienic-microbiological and chemical contaminations from both point sources and diffuse pollution to contribute to the improvement in surface water quality. In the catchment area of the river Swist (Germany), municipal sewage treatment plants were investigated, followed by event-based investigation of combined sewer overflows, rainwater retention basins and diffuse pollution by surface and subsurface run-off as well as drain pipes. Recently, retention soil filters installed between stormwater storage basins and receiving surface waters in order to provide further treatment of combined sewer overflows were investigated. Geographical information system analysis helped to examine the data in their temporal and spatial dimensions. A model for calculating microbial and chemical loads within a catchment area was developed (Swistbox) which provides an efficient tool for risk assessment. Nearly two decades of investigation has demonstrated that several elements of the landscape's water balance account for surface water pollution from both diffuse and point sources. Depending on land cover characteristics, wastewater technology and the proportion of wastewater as compared to total river water flow, a source can vary in its importance for the catchment area. The findings can be applied for sustainable and health-sensitive catchment management in relation to recreational or agricultural water use as well as ecological aspects.
Structured triglycerides (STG) are introduced for clinical purpose by a recently registered lipid emulsion, in which long-chain fatty acids and medium-chain fatty acids are randomly attached to the same glycerol molecule. Studies in animals showed an improvement in nitrogen balance. Studies in patients demonstrate an improvement or at least equivalent effects on the nitrogen balance, compared with LCT or a physical mixture of MCT and LCT. In most of the studies serum triglycerides, and free fatty acid concentrations are lower indicating a faster clearance from the blood; beta-OH-butyrate concentrations are higher but do not reach toxic levels, or influence the serum pH value. No modulatory effects on the immune system by STG can be demonstrated. Hypotheses are discussed of the influence of lipids on protein metabolism. The recently introduced STG open the door for really new structured triglycerides in which on-demand specific fatty acids can be linked to a specific position at the glycerol molecule, with the objective of realising specific clinical effects. (C) 2002, Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Genomics is a disruptive technology, having revealed that cancers are tremendously complex and differ from patient to patient. Therefore, conventional treatment approaches fit poorly with genomic reality. Furthermore, it is likely that this type of complexity will also be observed in other illnesses. Precision medicine has been posited as a way to better target disease-related aberrations, but developing drugs and tailoring therapy to each patient's complicated problem is a major challenge. One solution would be to match patients to existing compounds based on in silico modeling. However, optimization of complex therapy will eventually require designing compounds for patients using computer modeling and just-in-time production, perhaps achievable in the future by three-dimensional (3D) printing. Indeed, 3D printing is potentially transformative by virtue of its ability to rapidly generate almost limitless numbers of objects that previously required manufacturing facilities. Companies are already endeavoring to develop affordable 3D printers for home use. An attractive, but as yet scantily explored, application is to place chemical design and production under digital control. This could be accomplished by utilizing a 3D printer to initiate chemical reactions, and print the reagents and/or the final compounds directly. Of interest, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a 3D printed drug-levetiracetam-indicated for seizures. Further, it is now increasingly clear that biologic materials-tissues, and eventually organs-can also be printed. In the near future, it is plausible that high-throughput computing may be deployed to design customized drugs, which will reshape medicine.
This study has two objectives. On the one hand, to analyze the relationships between empathy, prosocial behavior and prosocial moral reasoning, as well as the differences between them in terms of gender. On the other hand, to analyze the predictive value of these variables on empathy, taken as a criterion variable. The sample comprised 1,557 participants (M = 13.13; DT = .86) from 12 to 15 years (47.4 % girls and 52.6 % boys). Comparison of means shows significant differences based on gender. The girls expressed higher levels of empathy, prosocial behavior, prosocial moral reasoning, in the dimensions of internalized, facing the necessity and stereotyped. The boys, meanwhile, show higher rates in physical and verbal aggressiveness and hedonistic and approval-oriented prosocial moral reasoning. Regression analysis identified as predictors of empathy in boys and girls, prosocial behavior and hedonistic reasoning. Prosocial behavior maintains direct relationships with empathy, in the case of hedonism relationships are negative. In the group of boys there are other predictors of empathy. These variables are positively associated with internalized prosocial moral reasoning and moral reasoning led to the need, and negatively with aggressiveness. Perhaps more importantly, more efficient intervention programs designed to foster specific types of prosocial behaviors.
Sometimes our automatic evaluations do not correspond well with those we can reflect on and articulate. We present a novel approach to the assessment of automatic and reflective affective evaluations of exercising. Based on the assumptions of the associative-propositional processes in evaluation model, we measured participants' automatic evaluations of exercise and then shared this information with them, asked them to reflect on it and rate eventual discrepancy between their reflective evaluation and the assessment of their automatic evaluation. We found that mismatch between self-reported ideal exercise frequency and actual exercise frequency over the previous 14 weeks could be regressed on the discrepancy between a relatively negative automatic and a more positive reflective evaluation. This study illustrates the potential of a dual-process approach to the measurement of evaluative responses and suggests that mistrusting one's negative spontaneous reaction to exercise and asserting a very positive reflective evaluation instead leads to the adoption of inflated exercise goals.
The propensity to delay gratification, measured by the discount rate, is associated with a variety of positive outcomes including higher rates of education and savings, as well as lower rates of poverty or addiction. There is a significant literature which supports a linkage between religion and self-regulation. We use an online experimental approach to test the influence of religious salience on intertemporal discount rates. The experiment used both real and hypothetical rewards in its design. Using a large sample, we are able to test the impact of religious primes across a variety of religious traditions as well as the non-religious. Contrary to previous studies, we do not find evidence that increased religious salience increases observed discount rates. Furthermore, we find no significant difference in the impact of religious salience across religious groups. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study explores the conceptual history of systems biology and its impact on philosophical and scientific conceptions of reductionism, antireductionism and emergence. Development of systems biology at the beginning of 21st century transformed biological science. Systems biology is a new holistic approach or strategy how to research biological organisms, developed through three phases. The first phase was completed when molecular biology transformed into systems molecular biology. Prior to the second phase, convergence between applied general systems theory and nonlinear dynamics took place, hence allowing the formation of systems mathematical biology. The second phase happened when systems molecular biology and systems mathematical biology, together, were applied for analysis of biological data. Finally, after successful application in science, medicine and biotechnology, the process of the formation of modern systems biology was completed. Systems and molecular reductionist views on organisms were completely opposed to each other. Implications of systems and molecular biology on reductionist-antireductionist debate were quite different. The analysis of reductionism, antireductionism and emergence issues, in the era of systems biology, revealed the hierarchy between methodological, epistemological and ontological antireductionism. Primarily, methodological antireductionism followed from the systems biology. Only after, epistemological and ontological antireductionism could be supported. (C) 2015 The Author. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Introduction: To date, there are no descriptions in the literature on gynecologic and sexual function evaluation in female patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM). Objective: To assess sexual function in female patients with DM/PM. Patients and methods: This is a monocentric, cross-sectional study in which 23 patients (16 DM and 7 PM), with ages between 18 and 40 years, were compared to 23 healthy women of the same age group. Characteristics on sexual function were obtained by applying the questionnaires Female Sexual Quotient (FSQ) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) validated for the Brazilian Portuguese language. Results: The mean age of patients was comparable to controls (32.7 +/- 5.3 vs. 31.7 +/- 6.7 years), as well as the distribution of ethnicity and socioeconomic class. As for gynecological characteristics, patients and healthy controls did not differ with respect to age at menarche and percentages of dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, premenstrual syndrome, pain at mid-cycle, mucocervical secretion, and vaginal discharge. The FSQ score, as well as all domains of the FSFI questionnaire (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction), were significantly decreased in patients versus controls, with 60.9% of patients showing some degree of sexual dysfunction. Conclusions: This was the first study to identify sexual dysfunction in patients with DM/PM. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is essential for patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, in order to provide prevention and care for their sexual life, providing a better quality of life, both for patients and their partners. (C) 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda.
Four bench-scale solar photocatalytic reactors were fabricated viz. solar photocatalytic single-baffle reactor (SPSBR), solar photocatalytic multiple-baffles reactor (SPMBR), solar photocatalytic cascade reactor (SPCR) and solar photocatalytic pond reactor (SPPR) of 5-L capacity. Evaluation of the reactors performance was carried out by varying the volume of wastewaters in the range of 1-5 L and the recycle flow rates in the range of 250-750 mL/min for the degradation of phenolic wastewaters. The single-baffle reactor gives the maximum phenol removal efficiency irrespective of all volume of wastewater. The phenol removal efficiency increases when the recycle flow rate is increased from 250 to 500 mL/min and then decreased for the recycle flow rate of 750 mL/min. The single-baffle reactor showed the maximum phenol removal efficiency with recycle flow rate of 500 mL/min. For untreated pulp and paper mill wastewater of 200 mg/L phenol concentration, the BOD5/COD ratio is 0.02, while solar photocatalytic treatment of 4 h enhanced the biodegradability values to 0.80.
Accurate pain assessment is a joint function of both the judge perceiving correct (valid) cues of pain and targets displaying valid indicators of pain. The present research examined whether the judgeability of pain expressions could be altered by manipulating the nonverbal supportiveness of a videotaped physician who guided targets through an experimentally induced pain experience in the laboratory. Ten-s video clips of these targets during their pain experience were viewed by 95 na < ve judges who assessed each target's pain on an 11-point numeric rating scale. In addition, the video clips were rated by independent coders on 9-point scales (focused, calm, tense, distressed, composed, fidgety, determined, bored, and nervous). Judges' pain assessment accuracy was calculated by correlating their inferred pain rating for each target with targets' self-reported pain. Pain targets assigned to interact with the nonverbally supportive physician displayed more valid impressions of their pain and judges had higher pain assessment accuracy when viewing these targets compared to targets assigned to interact with the nonverbally unsupportive physician. Interventions for caregivers and healthcare providers that emphasize the importance of nonverbal behavior when interacting with pain sufferers are discussed.
Maintaining multivariate calibrations involves keeping models developed on an instrument applicable to predicting new samples over time. Sometimes, a primary instrument model is needed to predict samples measured on secondary instruments. This situation is referred to as calibration transfer. Sometimes, a primary instrument model is needed to predict samples that have acquired new spectral features (chemical, physical, and environmental influences) over time. This situation is referred to as calibration maintenance. Calibration transfer and maintenance problems have a long history and are well studied in chemometrics and spectroscopy. In disciplines outside of chemometrics, particularly computer vision, calibration transfer and maintenance problems are more recent phenomena, and these problems often go under the umbrella term domain adaptation. Over the past decade, domain adaptation has demonstrated significant successes in various applications such as visual object recognition. Since domain adaptation already constitutes a large area of research in computer vision and machine learning, we narrow our scope and report on penalty-based eigendecompositions, a class of domain adaptation methods that has its motivational roots in linear discriminant analysis. We compare these approaches against chemometrics-based approaches using several benchmark chemometrics data sets. In disciplines outside of chemometrics, particularly computer vision, problems involving calibration updating, e.g., calibration transfer or maintenance, are more recent phenomena, and these problems often go under the umbrella term domain adaptation (DA). We report on penalty-based eigendecompositions, a class of DA methods that has its motivational roots in linear discriminant analysis. These DA methods are coopted for chemometrics-based purposes and are then compared with known calibration updating methods.
Background and Aim: Pulmonary monocyte infiltration plays a significant role in the development of angiogenesis in experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) after common bile duct ligation (CBDL). Hepatic monocytes are also increased after CBDL, but the origins remain unclear. Splenic reservoir monocytes have been identified as a major source of monocytes that accumulate in injured tissues. Whether splenic monocytes contribute to monocyte alterations after CBDL is unknown. This study evaluates monocyte distributions and assesses effects of splenectomy on monocyte levels and pulmonary vascular and hepatic abnormalities in experimental HPS. Methods: Splenectomy was performed in CBDL animals. Monocyte levels in different tissues and circulation were assessed with CD68. Pulmonary alterations of HPS were evaluated with vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) levels, angiogenesis, and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (AaPO(2)). Liver abnormalities were evaluated with fibrosis (Sirius red), bile duct proliferation (CK-19), and enzymatic changes. Results: Monocyte levels increased in the lung and liver after CBDL and were accompanied by elevated circulating monocyte numbers. Splenectomy significantly decreased monocyte accumulation, VEGF-A levels, and angiogenesis in CBDL animal lung and improved AaPO(2) levels. In contrast, hepatic monocyte levels, fibrosis, and functional abnormalities were further exacerbated by spleen removal. Conclusions: Splenic reservoir monocytes are a major source for lung monocyte accumulation after CBDL, and spleen removal attenuates the development of experimental HPS. Liver monocytes may have different origins, and accumulation is exacerbated after depletion of splenic reservoir monocytes. Tissue specific monocyte alterations, influenced by the spleen reservoir, have a significant impact on pulmonary complications of liver disease.
This paper introduces the basic concept of fuzzy PID in manufacturing engineering, and the system of temperature control is analyzed, and the temperature is designed with correction factor and the optimized parameters with the application of the fuzzy general MATLAB in simulink toolbox, the temperature is designed by comparing fuzzy PID output with raditional output, the system has the characteristic of quick response, short setting time, small overshoots, and high control precision.
The cognitive load placed on users by both the proactive and spontaneous provisioning of service functionality and by the physical activities performed in ambient intelligence environments can lead to the depletion of their mental resources. This paper demonstrates how burdening the inappropriate selection of service functionality can be for users by conducting a semi-naturalistic and controlled user test to investigate the significance of the cognitive resource depletion problem in specific ambient intelligence environments. A dynamic service binding and scheduling mechanism is provided based on different types of interference and on mental resources and their demand requirements. A technical evaluation is conducted by simulating the mechanism over a set of various abstract service compositions, making use of real datasets of user interactions with diverse HCI services and daily physical activities. The results show that this mechanism ensures less cognitively taxing, unobtrusive service composition provisioning.
Communication may be verbal and nonverbal. Communication changes are commonly reported in older people. In the typical process of aging, communication skills change due to health issues such as depression and cognitive problems. In this review manuscript, communication problems in elderly people are presented. There are health problems found in individuals of older age groups that may affect communication. Examples of these are as follows: cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, hearing and visual loss, aphasia, and neurodegenerative diseases. To improve communication with older adults, some measures should be followed, such as Speak at a normal conversational pace. Avoid speaking very quickly or very slowly and Repeat and elaborate on important points. Communication disorders are experienced in older adults. Etiologic factors may be related to general health problems such as neurological problems, hearing and visual loss, and social problems (such as retirement or social isolation). In older adults with communication disorders, everyone throughout society, and especially health care specialists, should be aware of the problem and should use the simple measures to improve communication problems. In this paper, the issue of communication problems in elderly people will be evaluated.
This paper gives the detailed derivation of a parameterized cage induction machine dynamic model in the natural frame of reference. The model is suitable for the analysis of the impact of a different number of rotor bars on machine transients as well as steady state performances. After the initial induction machine design process, for a predetermined number of stator slots and rotor bars, the parameterized model means that any different number of rotor bars could be chosen, resulting in different machine parameters. During this process, the stator winding scheme as well as the rated power of the machine is invariant. The model of the machine is derived by means of winding functions. Thus, in the way described, a very powerful model is obtained that enables the analysis of a dozen of the different number of rotor bars in an hour. The advantage of this is self-evident compared with models based on the finite element method. The power of the model is illustrated by an analysis of a specific machine with three different numbers of rotor bars.
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB) is performing thermal hydraulics safety analysis to develop the technical basis for design and licensing of fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactors (FHRs). FHR designs investigated by UCB use natural circulation for emergency, passive decay heat removal when normal decay heat removal systems fail. The FHR advanced natural circulation analysis (FANCY) code has been developed for assessment of passive decay heat removal capability and safety analysis of these innovative system designs. The FANCY code uses a one-dimensional, semi-implicit scheme to solve for pressure-linked mass, momentum and energy conservation equations. Graph theory is used to automatically generate a staggered mesh for complicated pipe network systems. Heat structure models have been implemented for three types of boundary conditions (Dirichlet, Neumann and Robin boundary conditions). Heat structures can be composed of several layers of different materials, and are used for simulation of heat structure temperature distribution and heat transfer rate. Control models are used to simulate sequences of events or trips of safety systems. A proportional-integral controller is also used to automatically make thermal hydraulic systems reach desired steady state conditions. A point kinetics model is used to model reactor kinetics behavior with temperature reactivity feedback. The underlying large sparse linear systems in these models are efficiently solved by using direct and iterative solvers provided by the SuperLU code on high performance machines. Input interfaces are designed to increase the flexibility of simulation for complicated thermal hydraulic systems. This paper mainly focuses on the methodology used to develop the FANCY code, and safety analysis of the Mark 1 pebble-bed FHR under development at UCB is performed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper addresses the problem of finding credible sources among Twitter social network users to detect and prevent various malicious activities, such as spreading false information on a potentially inflammatory topic, forging accounts for false identities, etc. Existing research works related to source credibility are graph-based, considering the relationships among users to predict the spread information; human-based, using human perspectives to determine reliable sources; or machine learning-based, relying on training classifiers to predict users' credibility. Very few of these approaches consider a user's sentimentality when analyzing his/her credibility as a source. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that combines analysis of the user's reputation on a given topic within the social network, as well as a measure of the user's sentiment to identify topically relevant and credible sources of information. In particular, we propose a new reputation metric that introduces several new features into the existing models. We evaluated the performance of the proposed metric in comparison with two machine learning techniques, determining that the accuracy of the proposed approach satisfies the stated purpose of identifying credible Twitter users. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background and aimsBarriers linked to drug control systems are considered to contribute to inequitable access to controlled medicines, leaving millions of people in pain and suffering. Most studies focus on access to opioids for the treatment of severe (cancer) pain. This study aims to identify specific access barriers for patients with opioid dependence in legislation and regulations of 11 central and eastern European countries. MethodsThis study builds on a previous analysis of legislation and regulations as part of the EU 7th Framework Access To Opioid Medication in Europe (ATOME) project. An in-depth analysis was undertaken to determine specific barriers for patients with opioid dependence in need of opioid analgesics or opioid agonist therapy (OAT). For each country, the number and nature of specific potential barriers for these patients were assessed according to eight categories: prescribing; dispensing; manufacturing; usage; trade and distribution; affordability; penalties; and other. An additional keyword search was conducted to minimize the omission of barriers. Barriers in an additional category, language, were recorded qualitatively. Countries included Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. ResultsTen of the 11 countries (all except Estonia) showed specific potential barriers in their legislation and regulations. The total number of barriers varied from two (Slovenia) to 46 (Lithuania); the number of categories varied from one (Slovenia) to five (Lithuania). Most specific potential barriers were shown in the categories prescribing', usage' and other'. The total number in a single category varied from one to 18 (Lithuania, prescribing). Individual differences between countries in the same specific potential barrier were shown; for example, variation in minimum age criteria for admission to OAT ranging from 15 (Lithuania, in special cases) to 20years (Greece). All countries had stigmatizing language in their legislation. ConclusionsPatients with opioid dependence are likely to experience specific barriers to accessing opioids in addition to those experienced by other non-dependent patients.
Agricultural expansion and intensification are main drivers of land-use change in Brazil. Soybean is the major crop under expansion in the area. Soybean production involves large amounts of water and fertiliser that act as sources of contamination with potentially negative impacts on adjacent water bodies. These impacts might be intensified by projected climate change in tropical areas. A Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) serves as a tool to assess environmental impacts of water and fertiliser use. The aim of this study was to understand potential impacts on environmental sustainability of agricultural intensification close to a protected forest area of the Amazon under climate change. We carried out a WFA to calculate the water footprint (WF) related to soybean production, Glycine max, to understand the sustainability of the WF in the Tapajos river basin, a region in the Brazilian Amazon with large expansion and intensification of soybean. Based on global datasets, environmental hotspots potentially unsustainable WF areas were identified and spatially plotted in both baseline scenario (2010) and projection into 2050 through the use of a land-use change scenario that includes climate change effects. Results show green and grey WF values in 2050 increased by 304%, and 268%, respectively. More than one-third of the watersheds doubled their grey WF in 2050. Soybean production in 2010 lies within sustainability I imits. However, current soybean expansion and intensification trends lead to large impacts in relation to water pollution and water use, affecting protected areas. Areas not impacted in terms of water pollution dropped by 20.6% in 2050 for the whole catchment, while unsustainability increased 8.1%. Management practices such as water consumption regulations to stimulate efficient water use, reduction of crop water use and evapotranspiration, and optimal fertiliser application control could be key factors in achieving sustainability wiLhin a river basin. (C) 2016 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.
Objective: Recent studies have suggested that autoimmune diseases and immune activation play a part in the pathogenesis of different neurodevelopmental disorders. This study investigated the association between a personal history and a family history of autoimmune disease and the risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: A cohort was formed of all singletons born in Denmark from 1990 to 2007, resulting in a study population of 983,680 individuals followed from 1995 to 2012. Information on autoimmune diseases was obtained from the Danish National Hospital Register. Individuals with ADHD were identified through the Danish National Hospital Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. Results: In total, 23,645 children were diagnosed with ADHD during the study period. Autoimmune disease in the individual was associated with an increased risk of ADHD by an incidence rate ratio of 1.24 (95% CI 1.10-1.40). The primary analyses associated maternal autoimmune disease with ADHD in the offspring (incidence rate ratio 1.12, 95% CI 1.06-1.19), whereas a paternal history of autoimmune diseases was not significantly associated with ADHD in the offspring. In exploratory analyses, an increased risk of ADHD was observed for children with a family history of thyrotoxicosis, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune hepatitis, psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Conclusion: A personal history and a maternal history of autoimmune disease were associated with an increased risk of ADHD. The previously reported association between type 1 diabetes and ADHD was confirmed. In addition, specific parental autoimmune diseases were associated with ADHD in offspring.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression and PTSD-related symptoms reported by spouses and close relatives of adult burn survivors. Potential associations between these symptoms and variables such as the severity of the burn were also explored. Method: Participants were spouses (n=31) and close relatives (n=25) of hospitalized patients with acute bums. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed by the Hospital Distress Anxiety and Depression Scale and PTSD-related symptoms by the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale at both admission to and discharge from the burn unit. Results: At admission, 77% of spouses and 56% of close relatives of burn patients reported anxiety, depression or PTSD-related symptoms in the clinical range. While spouses had higher scores than close relatives on symptom measures, significant differences were only established for anxiety symptoms (p<.02). A significant effect was found for gender, with women reporting more anxiety (p=.01) and depression (p=.02) symptoms than men. Results also showed a main effect for time, with anxiety (p <.0001), depression (p <.0001) and PTSD-related (p <.0001) symptoms being higher at admission than at discharge. Variables associated with the index patient, such as total body surface area burned, length of stay, number of ventilated days, facial burns, or level of care at admission, were not associated with outcome measures. Conclusions: Spouses and close relatives of burn survivors showed high levels of psychological distress in the first few days following admission, and more than a quarter still reported symptoms in the clinical range at discharge. Our analysis points to the need to offer psychological support and guidance to family members so that they can in turn provide effective support to the burn survivor. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
The objective of this study was to reveal the molecular mechanism involved in carbapenem resistance and virulence of a K2 Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolate 24835. The virulence of the strain was determined by in vitro and in vivo methods. The de novo whole-genome sequencing technology and molecular biology methods were used to analyze the genomic features associated with the carbapenem resistance and virulence of K. pneumoniae 24835. Strain 24835 was highly resistant to carbapenems and belonged to ST14, exhibited hypermucoviscous and unique K2-aerobactin-kfu-rmpA positive phenotype. As the only carbapenemase gene in strain 24835, bla(NDM -5) was located on a 46-kb IncX3 self-transmissible plasmid, which is a very close relation of pNDM-MGR194 from India. Genetic context of blaNDM 5 in strain 24835 was closely related to those on IncX3 plasmids in various Enterobacteriaceae species in China. The combination of multiple virulence genes may work together to confer the relative higher virulence in K. pneumoniae 24835. Significantly increased resistance to serum killing and mice mortality were found in the virulent New Delhi metallo-beta -lactamase ( NDM)-producing K. pneumoniae strain compared to the other NDM-producing K. pneumoniae strain. Our study provides basic information of phenotypic and genomic features of K. pneumoniae 24835, a strain displaying carbapenem resistance and relatively high level of virulence. These findings are concerning for the potential of NDM-like genes to disseminate among virulent K. pneumoniae isolates.
Modern smart environments are equipped with a multitude of devices and sensors aimed at intelligent services. The presence of these diverse devices has raised a major problem of managing complex environments. A rising solution to the problem is the modeling of user goals and intentions, and then interacting with the respective smart environments using user defined goals. Generally, the solution advocates that the user goal(s) can be represented by combining devices (smart appliances and sensor/actuators) in particular states. 'Domotic Effects' is a high level modeling approach, which provides Ambient Intelligence (AmI) designers and integrators with a high level abstract layer that enables the definition of user goals in a smart environment, in a declarative way, which can be used to design and develop intelligent applications. This paper describes an approach for the automatic evaluation of domotic effects combined through Boolean expressions, that can provide efficient and intelligent monitoring of the domotic structure of the environment. Effects Evaluation addresses the problem of finding the new values of all the domotic effects defined for the environment when one or more devices change their state or one or more sensor value is recorded in the environment, hence determining a new overall state of the environment. The paper also presents an architecture to implement the evaluation of domotic effects. Results obtained from carried out experiments prove the feasibility of the approach and highlight responsiveness of the implemented effect evaluation.
Recent smartphone platforms based on new operating systems, such as iOS, Android, or Windows Phone, have been a huge success in recent years and open up many new opportunities. Unfortunately, 2011 also showed us that the new technologies and the privacy-related data on smartphones are also increasingly interesting for attackers. Especially, the Android platform has been the favorite target for malware, mainly because of the openness of the platform, the ability to install applications from other sources than the Android Market, and the significant gains in market share. Although the processes of detecting and analyzing malware are well known from the PC world, where the arms race between attackers and defenders has continued for the past 15years, they cannot be directly applied to smartphone platforms because of differences in the hardware and software architectures. In this paper, we first give an overview of the current malware situation on smartphone platforms with a special focus on Android and explain relevant malware detection and analysis methods. It turns out that most of the current malware relies on the installation by the user, who represents the last line of defense in malware detection. With these conclusions, we then present a new malware detection method that focuses on the information that the user is able to see prior to the installation of an applicationthe metadata within the platform's software market. Depending on the platform, this includes the application's description, its permissions, the ratings, or information about the developer. To analyze these data, we use sophisticated knowledge discovery processes and lean statistical methods. By presenting a wide range of examples based on real application metadata extracted from the Android Market, we show the possibilities of the new method. With the possibilities, we argue that it should be an essential part of a complete malware analysis/detection chain that includes other well-known methods such as network traffic analysis, or static, or dynamic code inspection. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are membranous conduits for direct cell-to-cell communication. Until the past decade, little had been known about their composite structure, function, and mechanisms of action in both normal physiologic conditions as well as in disease states. Now TNTs are attracting increasing interest for their key role(s) in the pathogenesis of disease, including neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory and infectious diseases, and cancer. The field of TNT biology is still in its infancy, but inroads have been made in determining potential mechanisms and function of these remarkable structures. For example, TNTs function as critical conduits for cellular exchange of information; thus, in cancer, they may play an important role in critical pathophysiologic features of the disease, including cellular invasion, metastasis, and emergence of chemotherapy drug resistance. Although the TNT field is still in a nascent stage, we propose that TNTs can be investigated as novel targets for drug-based treatment of cancer and other diseases.
This study compares the degree of creativity of forty-two conceptual designs proposed as solutions to two innovative design problems developed in face-to-face and virtual collaborative environments. The solutions obtained were evaluated by three experts applying the Moss metric, which considers the level of usefulness and the level of unusualness. The average values and the trends of the data were obtained, and an analysis of the variance was also performed to determine whether the environment influences the degree of creativity. The results show that it cannot be proved that the level of creativity is influenced by working face-to-face or virtually, that is, whether information and communication technologies are used or not has no effect on the final result.
We examined the effects of light intensity on the metabolism, antioxidant enzymes, and expression of related genes in Haliotis discus hannai Ino, to determine the optimal lighting conditions for aquaculture of these animals. Succinate dehydrogenase activity was significantly lower after 48 h in animals exposed to light intensities of 30 and 60 mu mol/m(2)/s, while lactate dehydrogenase activity and lactic acid content at 96 h were significantly higher compared with animals in the dark or exposed to 5 or 15 mu mol/m(2)/s (both P0.05) throughout the experiment. However, ROS contents under light intensities of 30 and 60 mu mol/m(2)/s peaked at 12 h, when expression levels of genes encoding catalase (CAT), thioredoxin peroxidase (TPX), sigma-glutathione-s-transferase (GST(S)), and mu-glutathione-s-transferase (GST(m)) also began to increase, and CAT and glutathione peroxidase (GP(X)) activities were significantly higher than in animals in the dark or exposed to 5 or 15 mu mol/m(2)/s (P < 0.05). After a further 12 h, the ROS content at 30 mu mol/m(2)/s began to decrease, and GPX activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content also gradually decreased, followed by increases in ROS and MDA 48 h later, to reach respective peaks at 96 h. Gene expression levels of TPX, GST(S), GST(m), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and CAT began to decrease 72 h later, suggesting that excessive accumulation of ROS may have caused oxidative damage to the tissues. At a light intensity of 60 mu mol/m(2)/s, expression levels of TPX, GST(S), GST(m), and HSP70 genes, total antioxidant capacity, and GP(X) activity peaked at 48 h, and the ROS content was significantly higher than in any other group 48 h later (P < 0.05). However, gene expression levels of TPX, GST(S), GST(m), HSP70, HSP90, and CAT, and reduced glutathione content began to decrease, indicating that the antioxidant system had been unable to perform its normal physiological functions to withstand the long-term stress of adverse environmental factors. These results suggest that the light intensity should be controlled at 5-15 mu mol/m(2)/s during H. discus hannai aquaculture, to maintain the organism's normal physiological metabolism. Statement of relevance: The disc abalone Haliotis discus hannai is an economically important shellfish in China, with demand growing for this high-protein and low-fat seafood. In 2014, 11,5397 tons of H. discus hannai were harvested from aquacultural sources, but supply cannot currently meet consumer demand. In recent years, the natural habitat of H. discus hannai has declined as a result of overfishing, marine reclamation, water pollution, among others, leading to a sharp decrease in the numbers of H. discus hannai in the wild. Thus, the development of an aquacultural system for farming H. discus hannai, as well as for its protection in the wild, are a focus of current research. Light, including photoperiod, quality and intensity, is one of the key environmental factors influencing the growth, culture and survival of aquatic organisms. Over evolutionary time, organisms have evolved both physiological and behavioral mechanisms that enable them to adapt to diurnal fluctuations in light. In Chinese traditional abalone aquaculture, a sunshade net is usually used because of the photophobic nature of abalone. In particular, the aquaculturist usually provides a darkened setting for adult abalones to increase their food intake rate, facilitate their growth and promote gonadal development. For abalones in their natural environment, the light intensity in the water area is relatively stable, suggesting that there is a key regulative effect of light intensity on their growth and development. Gao et al. (2016a, b) found that a dark environment not only adversely affected the daily aquaculture production, but was also associated with a lower growth rate compared with animals reared under higher light intensities, because of lower food conversion efficiency and greater energy losses through excretion and feces. Physiological metabolism and antioxidant defense systems may therefore be key indicators for measuring the suitability of light intensity for aquaculture production. We therefore examined the effects of light intensity on the metabolism and antioxidant defense system, and on the expression of related genes, in H. discus hannai using a light-emitting diode (LED) to replace the conventional fluorescent light source. The results of this study will improve our understanding of the physiological tolerance and antioxidant defense characteristics of abalone under different light intensities, and enable the optimization of environmental light conditions in abalone aquaculture. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The contribution of remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) techniques to estimate the surface level seismic hazard was investigated using topographic gradient maps in the states of Tripura and Mizoram. This paper addresses a vital issue on the estimation of the seismic hazards of Northeast (NE) India, where the hazards are high and the risk is also high. In developing site response maps or seismic hazard (surface acceleration) maps, it is difficult to obtain near-surface soil data (site-specific data) through geophysical/geotechnical field investigations at a smaller resolution scale (a state/region or country level). The topographic slope provides a reliable proxy because the rocky materials maintain a steep gradient/slope compared to soft soil deposits. In this paper, peak ground acceleration (PGA) at the bedrock for the states of Tripura and Mizoram in NE India has been estimated using probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), which considers linear sources and events (from 1731 to 2010) with appropriate ground motion prediction equations applicable for NE India. Further, the authors have adopted the square root impedance model to estimate the spectral amplification of the study area to bring the hazard from bedrock level to surface. Authors have classified the entire study area as site classes B, C, and D categories and thereafter estimated spectral amplifications for the site periods (0.40, 0.21, 0.11, and 0.01s). The surface level PGA (g) and amplification maps have been developed using a probabilistic approach considering PGA at the bedrock level. The results indicate that this area is highly sensitive to spectral responses, such as spectral acceleration or spectral amplification rather than PGA. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The anterolateral group of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTALG) is a critical modulator of a variety of rodent and primate behaviors spanning anxiety behavior and drug addiction. Three distinct neuronal cell types have been previously defined in the rat BNSTALG based on differences in the voltage-response to hyperpolarizing and depolarizing current injection. Differences in genetic expression profile between these three cell types suggest electrophysiological cell type may be an indicator for functional differences in the circuit of the rat BNSTALG. Although the behavioral role of the BNST is conserved across species, it is unknown if the same electrophysiological cell types exist in the BNSTALG of the mouse and nonhuman primate. Here, we used whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology and neuronal reconstructions of biocytin-filled neurons to compare and contrast the electrophysiological and morphological properties of neurons in the BNSTALG from the mouse, rat, and rhesus macaque. We provide evidence that the BNSTALG of all three species contains neurons that match the three defined cell types found in the rat; however, there are intriguing differences in the relative frequency of these cell types as well as electrophysiological and morphological properties of the BNSTALG neurons across species. This study suggests that the overall landscape of the BNSTALG in the primate and mouse may be similar to that of the rat in some aspects but perhaps significantly different in others.
Purpose - The resistance, capacitance and inductance of anisotropic conductive film (ACF) connections determine their high frequency electrical characteristics. The presence of capacitance and inductance in the ACF joint contributes to time delays and cross-talk noise as well as simultaneous switching noise within the circuit. The purpose of this paper is to establish an experimental method for estimating the capacitance and inductance of a typical ACF connection. This can help to provide a more detailed understanding of the high frequency performance of ACF assemblies. Design/methodology/approach - Experiments on the transient response of an ACF joint were performed using a digital oscilloscope capable of achieving the required ns resolution. An equivalent circuit model is proposed in order to quantify the capacitance (C) and inductance (L) of a typical ACF connection and this model is fitted to the experimental data. The full model consisted of two resistors, an inductor, and a capacitor. Findings - The capacitance and inductance of a typical ACF connection were estimated from the measured transient response using Kirchhoff's voltage law. The method for estimation of R, L, and C from the transient response is discussed, as are the RLC effects on the high frequency electrical characteristics of the ACF connection. Research limitations/implications - There was decay time deviation between the calculation and the experiment. It may have resulted from the skin effect in the high frequency response and the adhesive surrounding joint as well. The main reason may be the capacitance zctric lost. Further research work will be done to determine more accurately the dielectric losses in anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) joint. Originality/value - This paper presents a new method to characterise the high frequency properties of ACA interconnections and will be of use to engineers evaluating the performance of ACF materials in high frequency applications.
As a powerful nonparametric Bayesian model, the infinite mixture model has been successfully used in machine learning and computer vision. The success of the in fi nite mixture model owes to the capability clustering and density estimation. In this paper, we propose a nonparametric Bayesian model for single-image super-resolution. Specifically, we combine the Dirichlet process and Gaussian process regression for estimating the distribution of the training patches and modeling the relationship between the low-resolution and high-resolution patches: 1) the proposed method groups the training patches by utilizing the clustering property of Dirichlet process; 2) the proposed method relates the low-resolution and highresolution patches by predicting the property of Gaussian process; and 3) the mentioned two points are not independent but jointly learned. Hence, the proposed method can make full use of the nonparametric Bayesian model. First, the Dirichlet process mixture model is used to obtain more accurate clusters for training patches. Second, Gaussian process regression is established on each cluster, and this directly reduces the computational complexity. Finally, the two procedures are learned simultaneously to gain the suitable clusters with the ability of prediction. The parameters can be inferred simply via the Gibbs sampling technique. Thorough super-resolution experiments on various images demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to some state-of-the-art methods.
We propose that many giver-recipient discrepancies in the gift-giving literature can be explained, at least partially, by the notion that when evaluating the quality of a gift, givers primarily focus on the moment of exchange, whereas recipients primarily focus on how valuable a gift will be once owned. In this review, we summarize the variety of errors givers make and, more critically, position these errors within our newly developed framework. We hope this framework will provide a single point of reference for those interested in gift giving and spur novel predictions about the causes and consequences of miscalibrated gift choice.
Drawing on basic physics, Kummel [24] and Beaudreau [4,5] attributed the productivity slowdown to the OPEC price-hike-led decrease in the rate of growth of energy consumption in the mid-1970s. The high post-WWII energy use growth rates observed in most OECD countries fell drastically, decreasing productivity and GDP growth. However since, considerable doubt has been cast on this view. For example, why did the rate of growth of energy use in manufacturing, specifically electricity use, fall when and where the price of electricity was either unaffected or increased slightly afterwards? Second, why did it fall instantaneously that is, without the usual lag? Third, why did energy consumption growth rates not return to their pre-1973 level once real energy prices had returned to their pre-1973 levels. Drawing from kinetics, this paper presents an alternative hypothesis, namely that energy demand-related factors, notably the physical limits to energy-based speed-ups, not energy supply-related factors, may have been behind this sudden decrease in productivity growth and hence behind the productivity slowdown. Specifically, in many industries and sectors, maximum machine speed/velocity may have been or was near to being reached in the late 1960s/early 1970s, making further increases physically impossible or not economically viable. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study is part of a longer-term project to provide embodied conversational agents (ECAs) with behaviors that enable them to build and maintain rapport with their human partners. We focus on paralinguistic behaviors, and especially nonverbal behaviors, and their role in communicating rapport. Using an ECA that guides its players through a speech-controlled game, we attempt to measure the familiarity built between humans and ECAs across several interactions based on paralinguistic behaviors. In particular, we studied the effect of differences in the amplitude of nonverbal behaviors by an ECA interacting with a human across two conversational sessions. Our results suggest that increasing amplitude of nonverbal paralinguistic behaviors may lead to an increased perception of physical connectedness between humans and ECAs.
Resource consumption accounting (RCA) is a major innovation in manufacturing management accounting. It combines activity-based costing and marginal cost elasticity of Germany. RCA can be used to the analysis and management of E / I production, the basis for budget of project, and provide evidence for sub-projects and sub-contract.
Rainwater harvesting in small dams has good potential to provide supplementary agricultural irrigation during critical crop growth stages. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate cropping patterns: fallow-wheat (FW), mash-wheat (MaW), sorghum-wheat (SW), maize (grain)-wheat (MW), maize (grain)-gram (MG) and mung-canola (MuC); under two conditions: irrigated (Command area of Pira Fatehial small dam) and rainfed (Un-command area) on sandy loam soil during three years (2009 to 2011). Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design, three factor factorial (cropping patterns, irrigated/non-irrigated conditions and years) using four replications. The highest grain yield of wheat (5.6Mgha(-1)) was obtained from the MaW cropping pattern as compared to those from MW, FW and SW cropping patterns. Summer crops (sorghum fodder, maize grain and mash) performed excellent under irrigated conditions. Water use efficiency of wheat (14.3kgha(-1)mm(-1)) following mash under both the conditions exhibited higher values than when compared with those from SW, FW and MW cropping patterns. However, nutrient use efficiency in SW cropping pattern surpassed the others. Performance of all crops remained better under the irrigated condition during both all seasons and years, as rainfall deficiency was compensated by supplementary irrigations. Hence, this study concluded that farmers having water resources for supplemental irrigation should adopt the MW cropping pattern, based on grain yield, efficient utilization of available supplemental water and better utilization of nutrients. Similarly, based on improved nutrient utilization and monitory outputs, the MaW sequence should be followed in rain-fed areas for better resource management. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper compares the field response of two test embankments constructed on similar soft soil deposits. The un-strengthened foundation had vertical drains underneath the embankment and the strengthened foundation had geotextile-encased granular columns, both provided with basal geogrid reinforcement. The effectiveness of the encased granular columns was assessed by comparing the settlement below the embankments, the horizontal displacement of the soft foundation and the excess pore pressures in the middle of the soft clay layer. The results showed that the granular encased columns significantly reduced the maximum settlement occurring below the embankment as well as the maximum horizontal displacement in the clayey foundation. At the same settlement level, the load-carrying capacity of the strengthened foundation was found to increase by as much as around 2.5 times that of the un-strengthened one. It was also observed that the geotextile-encased granular columns caused a noticeable reduction in the maximum excess pore pressure following load application. Furthermore, the degree of consolidation achieved at the end of embankment construction was quite high when encased granular columns were used.
Climate change is expected to exacerbate drought for many plants, making drought tolerance a key driver of species and ecosystem responses. Plant drought tolerance is determined by multiple traits, but the relationships among traits, either within individual plants or across species, have not been evaluated for general patterns across plant diversity. We synthesized the published data for stomatal closure, wilting, declines in hydraulic conductivity in the leaves, stems, and roots, and plant mortality for 262 woody angiosperm and 48 gymnosperm species. We evaluated the correlations among the drought tolerance traits across species, and the general sequence of water potential thresholds for these traits within individual plants. The trait correlations across species provide a framework for predicting plant responses to a wide range of water stress from one or two sampled traits, increasing the ability to rapidly characterize drought tolerance across diverse species. Analyzing these correlations also identified correlations among the leaf and stem hydraulic traits and the wilting point, or turgor loss point, beyond those expected from shared ancestry or independent associations with water stress alone. Further, on average, the angiosperm species generally exhibited a sequence of drought tolerance traits that is expected to limit severe tissue damage during drought, such as wilting and substantial stem embolism. This synthesis of the relationships among the drought tolerance traits provides crucial, empirically supported insight into representing variation in multiple traits in models of plant and ecosystem responses to drought.
TreeWatch.net is an initiative that has been developed to watch trees grow and function in real-time. It is a water- and carbon-monitoring and modeling network, in which high quality measurements of sap flow and stem diameter variation are collected on individual trees. Automated data processing using a cloud service enables instant visualization of water movement and radial stem growth. This can be used to demonstrate the sensitivity of trees to changing weather conditions, such as drought, heat waves, or heavy rain showers. But TreeWatch.net's true innovation lies in its use of these high precision harmonized data to also parameterize process-based tree models in real-time, which makes displaying the much needed mechanisms underlying tree responses to climate change possible. Continuous simulation of turgor to describe growth processes and long-term time series of hydraulic resistance to assess drought-vulnerability in real-time are only a few of the opportunities our approach offers. TreeWatch.net has been developed with the view to be complementary to existing forest monitoring networks and with the aim to contribute to existing dynamic global vegetation models. It provides high-quality data and real-time simulations in order to advance research on the impact of climate change on the biological response of trees and forests. Besides its application in natural forests to answer climate-change related scientific and political questions, we also envision a broader societal application of TreeWatch.net by selecting trees in nature reserves, public areas, cities, university areas, schoolyards, and parks to teach youngsters and create public awareness on the effects of changing weather conditions on trees and forests in this era of climate change.
Pine pollen dispersal has been well-studied over a century due to its ubiquity, robust shape and unusual longevity; this knowledge can be brought to bear on forest population genetics applications and gene conservation programs for pines and other high-latitude wind-pollinated species. Dispersal models are shifting towards meso-scale transport processes so I assert here that this shift in transport scale is important to population genetics assumptions inherent to gene conservation decision-making. Support comes from the following: (1) aerodynamic properties for pollen is more akin to spores than seeds. (2) Gradient-free dispersal is typical of pollen transported at meso-scale distances. (3) Importance of vertically uplifted pollen on meso-scale transport has been overlooked and its interaction with atmospheric processes is not yet understood. (4) A fraction of pine pollen retains its capacity for germination and seed fertilization after meso-scale transport. These findings raise the question of whether forest fragmentation aligns with genetics theory of small populations; this question shapes ex situ and in situ collections. The shift to meso-scale transport of pine pollen can re-shape forest gene conservation decision-making about ex situ and in situ collection strategies.
This study examined whether approach-avoidance related behaviour elicited by facial affect is moderated by the presence of an observer-irrelevant trigger that may influence the observer's attributions of the actor's emotion. Participants were shown happy, disgusted, and neutral facial expressions. Half of these were presented with a plausible trigger of the expression (a drink). Approach-avoidance related behaviour was indexed explicitly through a questionnaire (measuring intentions) and implicitly through a manikin version of the affective Simon task (measuring automatic behavioural tendencies). In the absence of an observer-irrelevant trigger, participants expressed the intention to avoid disgusted and approach happy facial expressions. Participants also showed a stronger approach tendency towards happy than towards disgusted facial expressions. The presence of the observer-irrelevant trigger had a moderating effect, decreasing the intention to approach happy and to avoid disgusted expressions. The trigger had no moderating effect on the approach-avoidance tendencies. Thus the influence of an observer-irrelevant trigger appears to reflect more of a controlled than automatic process.
The current study measured adults' P350 and N170 ERPs while they interacted with a character in a virtual reality paradigm. Some participants believed the character was controlled by a human (avatar condition, n=19); others believed it was controlled by a computer program (agent condition, n=19). In each trial, participants initiated joint attention in order to direct the character's gaze toward a target. In 50% of trials, the character gazed toward the target (congruent responses), and in 50% of trials the character gazed to a different location (incongruent response). In the avatar condition, the character's incongruent gaze responses generated significantly larger P350 peaks at centro-parietal sites than congruent gaze responses. In the agent condition, the P350 effect was strikingly absent. Left occipitotemporal N170 responses were significantly smaller in the agent condition compared to the avatar condition for both congruent and incongruent gaze shifts. These data suggest that beliefs about human agency may recruit mechanisms that discriminate the social outcome of a gaze shift after approximately 350ms, and that these mechanisms may modulate the early perceptual processing of gaze. These findings also suggest that the ecologically valid measurement of social cognition may depend upon paradigms that simulate genuine social interactions.
Flow vectoring by a pair of synthetic jets is suitable for modification of the global flow characteristics with practical applications in active flow control and adaptive heat convection. The interaction of a pair of synthetic jets, with a separation distance s =3.3D, stroke length L-0 = 29D, and Reynolds number Re = 300, are investigated numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimentally using particle image velocimetry (PIV). To achieve the most realistic calculation- of the flow induced by synthetic jets, a full unsteady RANS simulation is performed of the internal flow in two cavities as well as the external jet flow using a dynamic mesh technique. The results for the intricate flow vectoring phenomenon show a reasonable quantitative agreement with PIV measurements, with a maximum deviation from PIV measurements of 14% for stream -wise centreline velocity in 10 < y/D < 20. The effect of phase difference between the pair of jets on the vectoring of the merged jet is investigated for delta phi = 0 degrees, 60 degrees and 130 degrees. The merged jet is vectored in the direction of the cavity that is leading in phase, with a similar trend shown by the experimental and numerical results of instantaneous and time -averaged vortical structures. This leads to a better physical understanding of the fluid mechanics of adjacent synthetic jets, and will enhance the theoretical basis needed to promote their practical application. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Commodity operating system kernels are vulnerable to a wide range of attacks due to the large code base and broad attack surface. Mitigation mechanisms such as code signing, W circle plus X, and code integrity protection have raised the bar for kernel security. In turn, attack mechanisms have also become increasingly advanced. They have evolved from simple injection of malicious code into more sophisticated code-reuse attacks [e.g. return-oriented programming (ROP)]. In this study, the authors describe exception-oriented programming (EOP), a novel code-reuse method to construct kernel malware. Unlike previous ROP that can only reuse a limited part of existing code (gadgets), EOP is able to reuse any instruction in existing code and chain the instructions in any order to generate malicious programmes. As a result, EOP can provide the attackers with more powerful capabilities and less complexity for building kernel malware.
A digital predictive peak current control (PPCC) employing the adaptive slope compensation is proposed in this paper. The PPCC precisely predicts the peak current reference with the adaptive slope compensation according to operation regions and load conditions. Thereby, the PPCC can control the peak inductor current, and it significantly reduces the total harmonic distortion compared to that of the conventional digital average current control with duty ratio feed-forward which is widely used. In addition, parts of the PPCC are implemented by utilizing the internal high-resolution ramp generator and comparator of a digital signal processor without external components. The principle and analysis of the PPCC are presented, and the performance and feasibility are verified by experimental results with universal input (90 V-rms similar to 260 V-rms) and 750 W - 400 V output laboratory prototype.
Recent demographic changes in the forest-owner structure are suspected to have led to the increasing number of owners with no specific objectives for their forests. In addition, the continuous fragmentation of the forest holdings has increased the threat of the passiveness related to forest management. To decrease the tendency towards passiveness, new policy tools and initiatives have been suggested. In the Finnish context, the idea of an investor-based jointly owned forest has been introduced as facilitating the effective utilization of the forest resource. However, collective ownership has faced prejudice and scepticism among private forest owners. In order to expand, the forest owners need to see the idea of jointly owned forests as a socially legitimate. Thus, by adopting Van Leeuwen's framework for analyzing the legitimation of new social practices, we examine how Finnish forest owners legitimate their participation in jointly owned forests. The qualitative data of the study consist of 20 in-depth interviews with private forest owners who have joined a jointly owned forest. Our study contributes to the recent discussion on jointly owned forests. We show how a change in the type of ownership results in moral, authoritative and rational justifications over the decision while simultaneously renewing the identity of the forest owner. Accordingly, we suggest that forest ownership is not only driven by rational prospects, but the moral and emotional nature of ownership should be better taken into account at the policy level and in structural designs when discussing the promotion of new types of forest ownership.
This paper presents an optimal bid submission in a day-ahead electricity market for the problem of joint operation of wind with photovoltaic power systems having an energy storage device. Uncertainty not only due to the electricity market price, but also due to wind and photovoltaic powers is one of the main characteristics of this submission. The problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic programming problem. The optimal bids and the energy flow in the batteries are the first-stage variables and the energy deviation is the second stage variable of the problem. Energy storage is a way to harness renewable energy conversion, allowing the store and discharge of energy at conveniently market prices. A case study with data from the Iberian day-ahead electricity market is presented and a comparison between joint and disjoint operations is discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The ability to recognize emotional expression is essential for social interactions, adapting to the environment, and quality of life. Emotion recognition is impaired in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), thus rehabilitation of these skills has the potential to elicit significant benefits. Objective: This study sought to establish whether emotion recognition capacity could be rehabilitated in people with AD. Methods: Thirty-six participants with AD were assigned to one of three conditions: an experimental group (EG) that received 20 sessions of rehabilitation of emotion recognition and 20 sessions of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST), a control group (CG) that received 40 sessions of CST, and a treatment as usual group (TAU). Results: A positive treatment effect favoring the EG was found; participants were better able to correctly identify emotions (p = 0.021), made fewer errors of commission (p = 0.002), had greater precision of processing (p = 0.021), and faster processing speed (p = 0.001). Specifically, the EG were better able to identify sadness (p = 0.016), disgust (p = 0.005), and the neutral expression (p = 0.014), with quicker processing speed for disgust (p = 0.002). These gains were maintained at one month follow-up with the exception of processing speed for surprise, which improved. Conclusion: Capacity to recognize facial expressions of emotions can be improved through specific rehabilitation in people with AD, and gains are still present at a one month follow up. These findings have implications for the design of rehabilitation techniques for people with AD that may lead to improved quality of life and social interactions for this population.
Past research has established clear support for the prosocial function of gratitude in improving the well-being of others. The present research provides evidence for another hypothesized function of gratitude: the social alignment function, which enhances the tendency of grateful individuals to follow social norms. We tested the social alignment hypothesis of gratitude in 2 studies with large samples. Using 2 different conformity paradigms, participants were subjected to a color judgment task (Experiment 1) and a material consumption task (Experiment 2). They were provided with information showing choices allegedly made by others, but were allowed to state their responses in private. Supporting the social alignment hypothesis, the results showed that induced gratitude increased private conformity. Specifically, participants induced to feel gratitude were more likely to conform to the purportedly popular choice, even if the option was factually incorrect (Experiment 1). This effect appears to be specific to gratitude; induction of joy produced significantly less conformity than gratitude (Experiment 2). We discuss whether the social alignment function provides a behavioral pathway in the role of gratitude in building social relationships.
In this paper we describe ENSEMBLE-ROLLER, a learning-based automated planner that uses a bagging approach to enhance existing techniques for learning planning policies. Previous policy-style planning and learning systems sort state successors based on action predictions from a relational classifier. However, these learning-based planners can produce several plans of bad quality, since it is very difficult to encode in a single classifier all possible situations occurring in a planning domain. We propose to use ensembles of relational classifiers to generate more robust policies. As in other applications of machine learning, the idea of the ensembles of classifiers consists of providing accuracy for particular scenarios and diversity to cover a wide range of situations. In particular, ENSEMBLE-ROLLER learns ensembles of relational decision trees for each planning domain. The control knowledge from different sets of trees is aggregated as a single prediction or applied separately in a multiple-queue search algorithm. Experimental results show that both ways of using new policies produce on average plans of better quality.
With the evolution of the research on network moving target defense (MTD), the selection of optimal strategy has become one of the key problems in current research. Directed to the problem of the improper defensive strategy selection caused by inaccurately characterizing the attack and defense game in MTD, optimal strategy selection for MTD based on Markov game (MG) is proposed to balance the hopping defensive revenue and network service quality. On the one hand, traditional matrix game structure often fails to describe MTD confrontation accurately. To deal with this inaccuracy, MTD based on MG is constructed. Markov decision process is used to characterize the transition among network multi-states. Dynamic game is used to characterize the multi-phases of attack and defense inMTDcircumstances. Besides, it converts all the attack and defense actions into the changes in attack surface or the ones in exploration surface, thus improving the universality of the proposed model. On the other hand, traditional models care little about defense cost in the process of optimal strategy selection. After comprehensively analyzing the impact of defense cost and defense benefit on the strategy selection, an optimal strategy selection algorithm is designed to prevent the deviation of the selected strategies from actual network conditions, thus ensuring the correctness of optimal strategy selection. Finally, the simulation and the deduction of the proposed approach are given in case study so as to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategy optimal selection approach.
The major factors that control the performance of reinforced soil structures is the interaction between the soil and the reinforcement. Thus it is necessary to obtain the accurate bond parameters to be used in the design of these structures. To evaluate the behavior of flyash + clay soil reinforced with a woven geotextile, 36 Unconsolidated-Undrained (UU) and 12 reinforced Consolidated-Undrainrained (CU) triaxial compression tests were conducted. The moisture content of soil during remolding, confining pressures and arrangement of geotextile layers were all varied so that the behavior of the sample could be examined. The stress strain patterns, drainage, modulus of deformation, effect of confinement pressures, effects of moisture content have been evaluated. The impact of moisture content in flyash + clay backfills on critical shear parameters was also studied to recommend placement moisture for compaction to MDD. The results indicate that geotextile reinforced flyash + clay backfill might be a viable alternative in reinforced soil structures if good-quality granular backfill material is not readily available.
The commonality of antibiotic usage in medicine means that understanding the resulting consequences to the host is vital. Antibiotics often decrease host microbiome community diversity and alter the microbial community composition. Many diseases such as antibiotic-associated enterocolitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic disorders have been linked to a disrupted microbiota. The complex interplay between host, microbiome, and antibiotics needs a tractable model for studying host-microbiome interactions. Our freshwater vertebrate fish serves as a useful model for investigating the universal aspects of mucosal microbiome structure and function as well as analyzing consequential host effects from altering the microbial community. Methods include host challenges such as infection by a known fish pathogen, exposure to fecal or soil microbes, osmotic stress, nitrate toxicity, growth analysis, and measurement of gut motility. These techniques demonstrate a flexible and useful model system for rapid determination of host phenotypes.
In this paper, a novel digital predistortion assisted supply modulator is presented. The proposed modulator is suitable for envelope tracking power amplifiers. In this topology, a digitally controlled linear power amplifier is used to compensate the switching noise ripples of the switching modulator. The proposed structure is evaluated with a 0.18 mu m CMOS process technology. The results show up to 9% static efficiency improvement in comparison with previous one-phase and two-phase architectures. It is shown that for a 5 MHz WiMAX signal with a 6.7 dB PAPR at 26.8 dBm output power, a maximum average efficiency of 73.5% is achieved in the proposed design. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We routinely observe others' choices and use them to guide our own. Whose choices influence us more, and why? Prior work has focused on the effect of perceived similarity between two individuals (self and others), such as the degree of overlap in past choices or explicitly recognizable group affiliations. In the real world, however, any dyadic relationship is part of a more complex social structure involving multiple social groups that are not directly observable. Here we suggest that human learners go beyond dyadic similarities in choice behaviors or explicit group memberships; they infer the structure of social influence by grouping individuals (including themselves) based on choices, and they use these groups to decide whose choices to follow. We propose a computational model that formalizes this idea, and we test the model predictions in a series of behavioral experiments. In Experiment 1, we reproduce a well-established finding that people's choices are more likely to be influenced by someone whose past choices are more similar to their own past choices, as predicted by our model as well as dyadic similarity models. In Experiments 2-5, we test a set of unique predictions of our model by looking at cases where the degree of choice overlap between individuals is equated, but their choices indicate a latent group structure. We then apply our model to prior empirical results on infants' understanding of others' preferences, presenting an alternative account of developmental changes. Finally, we discuss how our model relates to classical findings in the social influence literature and the theoretical implications of our model. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that structure learning is a powerful framework for explaining the influence of social information on decision making in a variety of contexts.
Purpose. To review the outcome of total hip arthroplasty (THA) using a short femoral stem in 33 hips. Methods. Records of 33 hips in 20 men and 10 women aged 25 to 40 (mean, 30) years who underwent cementless THA using a short femoral stem by a single senior surgeon were reviewed. The diagnosis included avascular necrosis (n=9), ankylosing spondylitis (n=12), rheumatoid arthritis (n=7), post traumatic arthritis (n=4), and Hurler syndrome (n=1). Clinical outcome was assessed using the Harris Hip Score. Radiological outcome was assessed according to a modified Gruen zoning system. Stem positioning (neutral, varus, valgus) and bone contact were evaluated, as were fixation and early host response as well as subsidence and changes in the calcar region (zone 5). Trabecular response (trabecular attachment), spot welds, cortical hypertrophy, and pedestal formation were determined. Heterotopic ossification was graded by the Brooker classification. Results. The mean follow-up period was 6.5 years. The mean Harris Hip Score improved from 40 to 90. All hips achieved immediate postoperative stability. No patient had thigh pain.. Four hips had varus placement (5-7) of the stem; all were asymptomatic and remained stable without any migration. Evidence of proximal load transfer (endosteal spot welds) between the endosteum and the stem in zones 2 and/or 4 was noted in 12 hips on both sides and in 8 hips on the lateral side only. At one year, all stems showed evidence of osseointegration. None had subsidence or progressive varus migration. There was no radiolucent line or osteolysis around the stem, pedestal formation or buttressing at the prosthesis tip, or cortical hypertrophy. One patient had grade I heterotopic ossification that was not clinically significant. One patient had a 1.5 cm leg lengthening. One patient had a discharging sinus, a loosened acetabular component, and intrapelvic migration at 2 years and underwent implant removal and debridement. One patient developed a crack in the proximal femur even with the smallest stem. The stem was fixed with cerclage wiring and remained stable with no migration. Conclusion. A short femoral stem design that transfers load proximally through a prominent lateral flare achieved good short-term outcome in younger patients. Nonetheless, the ease of removal and preservation of bone at the time of revision should guide the choice of the design of the short stem.
Objective. To compare baseline disease activity and treatment effectiveness in biologic-naive patients with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who initiate tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment and to study the role of potential confounders (e.g., HLA-B27 status). Methods. Observational cohort study based on prospectively registered data in the nationwide DANBIO registry. We used Kaplan-Meier plots, Cox, and logistic regression analyses to study the effect of diagnosis (nr-axSpA vs AS) and potential confounders (sex/age/start yr/HLA-B27/disease duration/TNFi-type/smoking/baseline disease activity) on TNFi adherence and response [e.g., Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity Index (BASDAI) 50%/20 mm]. Results. The study included 1250 TNFi-naive patients with axSpA (29% nr-axSpA, 50% AS, 21% lacked radiographs of sacroiliac joints). Patients with nr-axSpA were more frequently women (50%/27%) and HLA-B27-negative (85/338 = 25%), compared to AS (81/476 = 17%; p < 0.01). At TNFi start patients with nr-axSpA had higher visual analog scale scores [median (quartiles)] for pain: 72 mm (55-84)/65 mm (48-77); global: 76 mm (62-88)/68 mm (50-80); fatigue: 74 mm (55-85)/67 mm (50-80); and BASDAI: 64 (54-77)/59 (46-71); all p < 0.01. However, patients with nr-axSpA had lower C-reactive protein: 7 mg/l (3-17)/11 mg/l (5-22); and BAS Metrology Index: 20 (10-40)/40 (20-50); all p0.05). HLA-B27 negativity was associated with poorer treatment adherence [HLA-B27 negative/positive, nr-axSpA: HR 1.74 (1.29-2.36), AS: HR 2.04 (1.53-2.71), both p < 0.0001]; and lower response rates (nr-axSpA: 18/61 = 30% vs 93/168 = 55%; AS: 17/59 = 29% vs 157/291 = 54%, both p < 0.05). Conclusion. In this nationwide cohort, patients with nr-axSpA had higher subjective disease activity at start of first TNFi treatment, but similar outcomes to patients with AS after confounder adjustment. HLA-B27 positivity was associated with better outcomes irrespective of axSpA subdiagnosis.
This paper is a reflective exploration of the emotional encounter between social workers and Irish Travellers in child safeguarding cases in the UK, the unconscious defences that may be triggered for social workers, unfamiliar with Travellers, and how these can impact on the relationship and outcomes. It raises concern about how pervasive societal disapproval towards Travellers may be absorbed by social workers, at the expense of a curiosity about historic marginalisation, the contemporary cultural and social context and a recognition of the strengths of the community. Drawing on psychoanalytical insights into race', it comprises a literature review which highlights themes of marginalisation in research on Irish Travellers in the UK. It also includes a narrative interview with a Traveller woman who reflects on the fear that social workers invoke in Travellers, and sets up the key question: what might the emotional state of the social worker be in this scenario.
The number of elderly and chronically ill patients has grown significantly over the past few decades as life expectancy has increased worldwide, leading to increased demands on the health care system and significantly taxing traditional health care practices. Consequently, there is an urgent need to use technology to innovate and more constantly and intensely monitor, report and analyze critical patient physiological parameters beyond conventional clinical settings in a more efficient and cost effective manner. This paper presents a technological platform called PlaIMoS which consists of wearable sensors, a fixed measurement station, a network infrastructure that employs IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11 to transmit data with security mechanisms, a server to analyze all information collected and apps for iOS, Android and Windows 10 mobile operating systems to provide real-time measurements. The developed architecture, designed primarily to record and report electrocardiogram and heart rate data, also monitors parameters associated with chronic respiratory illnesses, including patient blood oxygen saturation and respiration rate, body temperature, fall detection and galvanic resistance.
The metabolism of haloperidol (HP) to the potentially neurotoxic pyridinium species, HPP+ and RHPP+, has been demonstrated in humans. In vitro studies in microsomes harvested from various animal species indicate that the tetrahydropyridines, HPTP and RHPTP, could be intermediates in this pathway. However, this has not yet been demonstrated in vivo in humans. In this study, plasma and urine collected from eight critically ill patients treated with high doses of intravenous HP were analyzed for HPTP and RHPTP using HPLC with electrochemical detection. However, neither HPTP nor RHPTP were detected despite plasma concentrations of HP and RHP higher than any previously reported. HPP+ and RHPP+ were both present in the urine in high concentrations and accounted for 1.1 +/- 0.5% and 5.3 +/- 3.6%, respectively, of the administered dose of HP. The apparent elimination half-lives of HPP+ and RHPP+ were 67.3 +/- 11.0 hr and 63.3 +/- 11.6 hr, respectively. The absence of HPTP and RHPTP in plasma and urine suggests that in humans these tetrahydropyridines either are insignificant intermediates in the metabolism of HP in vivo or are present only transiently at their site of formation and are not released into the circulation.
This paper presents an intelligent multi-agent system that is aimed at improving healthcare and assistance to elderly and dependent people in geriatric residences and at their homes. The system is based on the PANGEA multi-agent architecture, which provides a high-level framework for intelligent information fusion and management. The system makes use of wireless sensor networks and a real-time locating system to obtain heterogeneous data, and is able to provide autonomous responses according to the environment status. The high-level development of the system that extracts and stores information plays an essential role to deal with the avalanche of context data. In our case, the multi-agent system approach results satisfactorily because each agent that represents an autonomous entity with different capabilities and offers different services works collaboratively with each other. Several tests have been performed on this platform to evaluate/demonstrate its validity.
Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are potent bacterial mutagens and potential human carcinogens formed in heat processed proteins. The Ames test (strain TA98) is a useful mutagenicity test system to screen food products for these compounds. HAAs require activation to their genotoxic forms, and in the Ames test, a rat liver S-9 preparation is normally used. In order to better understand the mechanisms of mutagen activation with respect to human metabolism, new bacterial strains containing human cytochrome P450s and other metabolic enzymes have recently been developed. We have investigated the capacity of one of these strains, DJ4309 [Josephy et al., Chem. Res. Toxicol. 11 (1998) 70-74] as a screening tool for mutagens in food products. DJ4309 expresses the human P450 1A2, human NADPH cytochrome reductase and the bacterial acetyl CoA:arylamine N-acetyltransferase. This strain is as sensitive as the Ames system to the mutagenic effects of the heterocyclic aromatic amines 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5 f]quinoxaline, but less sensitive to 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine. However, the mutagenicity of the arylamine 2-aminofluorene is considerably higher in DJ4309 than in the Ames test system. Meat extracts with a total HAA content ranging from less than 2 ng/g to 20 ng/g are efficiently detected by the Ames TA98 strain with rat liver S-9 activation. DJ4309 is less sensitive, with fewer revertants induced over the same dose range. Unknown compounds present in the meat extracts appear to inhibit the activity of the P450 1A2 enzyme in the DJ4309 strain. We have therefore demonstrated that although DJ4309 is a useful tool for mechanistic studies in chemical carcinogenesis, the screening of complex food matrices for HAAs by this bacterial strain must be conducted with caution. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Aims Genetic polymorphisms may contribute to platelet reactivity in diabetic patients; however, the information on their influence on long-term antiplatelet therapy is lacking. Our aim was to evaluate the role of previously described genetic variants and platelet reactivity on risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Methods Blood samples were obtained from 303 Caucasian patients. Genome-wide genotyping was performed using Illumina Human Omni 2.5-Quad microarrays, and individual genotyping of selected SNPs was performed using a custom Sequenom iPLEX assay in conjunction with the Mass ARRAY platform. Platelet reactivity was measured with VerifyNow Aspirin Assay and PFA-100 Assay. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the impact of genetic variants and platelets reactivity on risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Results Among the 237 patients included in the follow-up, death from any cause occurred in 34 (14.3%) patients and cardiovascular events occurred in 51 (21.5%) patients within a median observation time of 71 months (5.9 years). In univariate analyses, significant association in the presence of minor alleles in TXBA2R (rs1131882) with primary (HR 2.54, 95% CI 1.15-5.60, p = 0.021) and secondary endpoint (HR 2.06, 95% CI 1.06-4.04, p = 0.034) was observed. In addition, multivariate analyses revealed the impact of this polymorphism on primary (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.09-5.00, p = 0.029) and secondary endpoint (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.00-3.57, p = 0.048). Conclusions Results of the study demonstrate for the first time an association between genetic polymorphism within TXBA2R gene encoding platelet's surface receptor and long-term survival of diabetic patients treated with ASA.
This paper describes early studies and results about the design of a system for supporting domain experts in managing data streams coming from a set of sensors and services at the base of ambient intelligence (AmI) environments. Domain experts can use the proposed system to creatively elaborate their needs and ideas about the type of data-flow to be generated for monitoring emergency situations and combining physical and social sensors. Moreover, they can conduct different analysis by considering their contextual information (space, time, thematic).
The rate of drainage of a viscous liquid from initially full cylindrical tubes inclined at various angles to the vertical (0 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 60 degrees) was studied in glass and polymethylmethacrylate (Perspex (TM)) tubes of various lengths and diameters using three food materials: honey (Newtonian) and two variants of Marmite (TM) spread (both exhibiting complex rheological behaviour, including shear-thinning and thixotropy). The behaviour was marked by an initially steady rate of drainage in which an air slug descended the tube, followed by slower drainage from an annular film remaining on the wall. Eventually the liquid stopped draining as a filament and entered a dripping regime. Drainage was insensitive to the tube material, whereas the stages of drainage were influenced by the geometry and angle of inclination. Quantitative models are presented for the rate and extent of the initial drainage stage, the rate in a second linear stage (where it existed), and the rate of drainage in the third, falling rate stage. The fourth and final stage, characterised by drop formation, was not modelled. The initial rate can be predicted with reasonable accuracy, allowing the time to remove approximately 50% of the material in a short waiting phase to be calculated, e.g. t=8vL/R(2)g for a Newtonian liquid with kinematic viscosity v in a vertical pipe of radius R and length L. The agreement with the other models is less exact but they capture the general trends reasonably. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are caused by the accumulation of the abnormal prion protein scrapie (PrPSc). Prion protein aggregation, misfolding, and cytotoxicity in the brain are the major causes of neuronal dysfunction and ultimate neurodegeneration in all TSEs. Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, has been studied extensively in all major protein misfolding aggregating diseases, especially Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, but the role of parkin in TSEs remains unknown. Here we investigated the role of parkin in a prion disease cell model in which neuroblastoma2a (N2a) cells were treated with prion peptide PrP106-126. We observed a gradual decrease in the soluble parkin level upon treatment with PrP106-126 in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, endogenous parkin colocalized with FITC-tagged prion fragment106-126. Overexpression of parkin in N2a cells via transfection repressed apoptosis by enhancing autophagy. Parkin-overexpressing cells also showed reductions in apoptotic BAX translocation to the mitochondria and cytochrome c release to the cytosol, which ultimately inhibited activation of proapoptotic caspases. Taken together, our findings reveal a parkin-mediated cytoprotective mechanism against PrP106-126 toxicity, which is a novel potential therapeutic target for treating prion diseases.
The use of the internet among adolescents is an opportunity for personal development, but also a potential source of problems and risks. Social and cultural aspects related to gender could, a priori, determine patterns of internet and social networks usage, as well as the resulting consequences. The aim of the present study was to explore the possible gender differences regarding internet usage habits, reasons for its use, online risky behaviors, problematic internet use (PIU) and parental role. To achieve this goal, a sample of 40,955 Spanish Compulsory Secondary School students aged 12-17 was analyzed. The results obtained confirmed relevant gender differences in the reasons for using it, in social networks, mobile phone and instant messaging use. Differences in prevalence of PIU, in risky practices such as cyberbullying and in parental role were also detected. These findings allow for discussing some interpretative keys from a gender perspective.
The diffusion equationof suspended sediment concentration in a wide sediment-laden stream flow is dependent on the vertical gradient of streamwise velocity and the sediment diffusivity. This study aims at investigating the influence of the streamwise velocity laws on the suspended sediment concentration distributions, resulting from the solution of the diffusion equation. Firstly, the sediment concentration distributions are obtained numerically from the solution of the diffusion equationusing different velocity laws and compared with the experimental data. It is found that the power-law approximation produces good computational results for the concentration distributions. The accuracy of using a power-law velocity model is comparable with the results obtained from other classical velocity laws, namely log-law, log wake-law and stratified log-law. Secondly, a novel analytical solution is proposed for the determination of sediment concentration distribution, where a power-law, wall-concentration profile is coupled with a concentration wake function. The power-law model (for velocity and concentration) is calibrated using the experimental data, and then a generalized wake function is obtained by choosing a suitable law. The developed power-law model involving the wake function adjusted by an exponent predicts the sediment concentration distributions quite satisfactorily. Finally, a new explicit formula for the suspended-load transport rate is derived from the proposed theory, where numerical computation of integrals, as needed in the Einstein theory, is avoided.
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, manufacturing industries have primarily been responsible for adverse effects on the environment caused by pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Therefore, there has been tremendous pressure for these industries to be globally competitive within the range of environmental regulations and laws, which has been greatly increased and reinforced these days. In addition, manufacturing industries have been confronted with new challenges owing to the depletion of energy and natural resources, economic stagnation, and increasing human needs that become very diverse. Thus, low-carbon green growth, cleaner production, and eco-friendly products are main issues, and sustainable manufacturing is the driving direction in the future manufacturing industry. PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) is one of the innovative manufacturing paradigms that leverage e-business technologies in order to allow a company's product content to be developed and integrated with all company business processes through an extended enterprise. In this paper, we designed a new information model and a PLM system for sustainable manufacturing using UML methodology. We performed thoughtful analyses of existing PLM and sustainable indicator, basic schema and information model for supporting sustainable manufacturing engineering are developed. This paper also presents apractical case study showing information model and sustainable engineering by using commercial PDM software.
ObjectivesHigh-level emergency medical care requires transfer of evidence-based knowledge into practice. Our study is the first to investigate the feasibility of checklists in improving prehospital emergency care.Materials and methodsThree checklists based on standard operating procedures were introduced: General principles of prehospital care, acute coronary syndrome and acute asthma/acutely exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Subsequent to prehospital care and immediately before transport, information on medical history, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures was obtained. Data of 740 emergency missions were recorded prospectively before (control group) and after implementation of checklists and compared using the (2)-test (significance level P<0.05).ResultsDocumentation on patients' history (pre-existing diseases: 69.1 vs. 74.3%; medication: 55.8 vs. 68.0%; allergies: 6.2 vs. 27.7%) and diagnostic measures (oxygen saturation: 93.2 vs. 98.1%; auscultation: 11.1 vs. 19.9%) as well as basic treatment procedures (application of oxygen: 73.2 vs. 85.3%; intravenous access: 84.6 vs. 92.2%) increased significantly. Subanalysis of acute coronary syndrome cases showed a significant increase of 12-lead ECG use (74.3 vs. 92.4%), administration of oxygen (84.2 vs. 98.6%), ASA (71.7 vs. 81.9%), heparin (71.1 vs. 84.0%), blockers (39.5 vs. 57.1%) and morphine (26.8 vs. 44.6%). In the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease subgroup, oxygen supply (78.8 vs. 98.5%) and application of inhalative and intravenous 2-mimetics (42.4 vs. 66.7% and 12.1 vs. 37.9%) increased significantly.ConclusionIntroduction of checklists for prehospital emergency care may help to improve adherence to treatment guidelines. Additional efforts (e.g. team trainings) have to be made to increase quality of care.
Water resources, previously considered as free and abundant, are now becoming scarce, which will potentially affect human welfare. Urban areas experience increased water demands directly proportional to the rate of urbanisation, causing a stress on water sources. Rooftop rainwater harvesting in cities and towns is an effective tool for recharging depleting aquifers and for meeting the demand for water. Indian national and state governments have framed rules and policies supporting installation of rainwater harvesting structures, but implementation of these requires the acceptance and willingness of people. The present study explores the awareness about rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, attitudes towards them and their acceptance among the people of Dehradun, India. The results indicate that rooftop rainwater harvesting is acceptable to the people but the government needs to provide supportive implementation plans.
Increased enterococcal infections in hospitals and multidrug-resistant and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolated from humans, animals, and food sources raised public health concern on the presence of VRE in multiple sources. We performed a comparative analysis of the antimicrobial resistance and genetics of VRE isolates derived from fresh produce and human fecal samples. Of 389 Enterococcus isolates, 8 fecal and 3 produce isolates were resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin; all harbored vanA gene. The VRE isolates showed multidrug-resistant properties. The isolates from fresh produce in this study showed to have the common shared characteristics with the isolates from humans by the results of antimicrobial resistance, multilocus sequence typing, and Tn 1546 transposon analysis. Therefore, VRE isolates from fresh produce are likely related to VRE derived from humans. The results suggested that VRE may contaminate vegetables through the environment, and the contaminated vegetables could then act as a vehicle for human infections. Ongoing nationwide surveillance of antibiotic resistance and the promotion of the proper use of antibiotics are necessary.
Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) is a new analysis method for unification of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE). With the use of NURBS basis functions for both modelling and analysis, the bottleneck of meshing is avoided and a seamless integration is achieved. The CAD and computational geometry concepts in IGA are new to the analysis community. Though, there is a steady growth of literature, details of calculations, explanations and examples are not reported. The content of the paper is complimentary to the existing literature and addresses the gaps. It includes summary of the literature, overview of the methodology, step-by-step calculations and Matlab codes for example problems in static structural and modal analysis in 1-D and 2-D. At appropriate places, comparison with the Finite Element Analysis (FEM) is also included, so that those familiar with FEM can appreciate IGA better.
One of the existing problems of information management is an information security. In this aspects one of possible solution is divide information between a group of persons authorized to manage this information. Information sharing processes allow to protect the information from disclosure. In this paper, the process of division of the information has been enhanced by biometric identification stage. Secure information processes with biometric identification are used to manage very important and strategic data. This paper presents the questions of personal cryptography understood as a combination of the tasks of classifying information and biometric techniques used for this kind of tasks. The techniques of biometric data marking are present on the examples of data division and sharing protocols, expanded by the stages of personal identification and verification. This kind of solutions is presented for the tasks of dividing appropriately the shared secret information. Moreover, we shall present the management process of shadow sets, i.e., of parts of the divided, secret information. The processes of secret data management are refer to tasks of cognitive management, understood as management executed on the basis of understanding the meaning of the processed data.
A subtropical watershed and wetland covering nearly 47,000 km(2) in the southeastern United States, the Florida Everglades is a degraded, human-dominated environment. As a unique and important ecosystem, the Everglades provide a variety of important environmental services for society and nature. Over the past century and a half, anthropogenic actions have severely impacted the Everglades by disrupting the natural water flow and causing water pollution. As a result, the native flora and fauna have been displaced, important habitats have been lost, invasive species have become prevalent, and water contaminant concentrations have increased. Accelerating efforts are being made towards preserving the Everglades ecosystem by restoring water flow and improving water quality. To explore this complex and important aquatic ecosystem, we critically review the relevant environmental history, major terrestrial and aquatic characteristics and dynamics, engineered changes to water flow, major sources and impacts of nutrient pollution, trends in system response to pollution and mitigation actions, and recent regulatory efforts driving restoration.
The objective of this study is to create computer vision algorithms for autonomous multiclass identification of amber nuggets by their colour. By applying the proposed methods an automated production sorting system has been developed. This system can be used, for example in combination with conveyor systems, and in any other case that requires distinguishing objects of many classes in a high-rate flow of objects. In order to achieve this, the proposed system operates with colour features selection, algorithm for classifier training, grouping, and voting with reject option have been developed. The developed system has been used in an automated amber sorting line to increase the quantities of sorted amber nuggets. The applied algorithms gave 88.21% as the highest accuracy for the amber nugget expert database consisting of 30 classes.
The aim of this study was to examine changes in sexist attitudes and beliefs in a group of Spanish adolescents over a period of three consecutive years, with specific attention being paid to gender differences. Participants were 279 students (mean age at first assessment of 12.10years) who, in each of the three years, completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory and the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Diversity and Violence. Longitudinal analysis showed that hostile sexism did not vary over time, whereas scores on benevolent sexism and on sexist beliefs and justification of violence all fell between the ages of 12 and 14, there being an equivalent decrease in boys and girls. Boys scored significantly higher than girls on hostile sexism, as well as on sexist beliefs. These results illustrate how sexist attitudes and beliefs change during adolescence and provide further confirmation that these variables show gender differences from an early age.
Although patients may raise new concerns during any time of the medical visit, the closing phase of the consultation is a critical locus for the negotiation of the topicalization of additional concerns. Using conversation analysis as the primary method of analysis, this study provides an analysis of the structure of consultation closings in Korean primary-care encounters and the way in which the organization of closings in this context discourages patients' presentation of additional concerns. Data are drawn from 60 videotaped primary-care encounters collected from Korea, between 2007 and 2008. The rare occasions in which last-minute concerns are raised are closely analyzed to reveal that the organization of gaze and body orientation play an important role in foreclosing the presentation of additional concerns. The results contribute to our understanding of closings in the primary-care interview by investigating a non-western setting that includes an investigation of an understudied subject - that of embodied resources - and shows how these closings serve the doctor's purpose of bringing closure in the face of last-minute concerns broached by the patient. The cultural meaning of gaze in the Korean medical care context is also discussed. The findings have implications for research on nonverbal communication, cultural differences, and interactions in medical care. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The article deals with the place of electronic kits of didactic system of science and technical subjects. Briefly summarizes measurements with the support of computer kit at laboratory measurement or demonstration wiring electrical circuits. Within general and didactics electro-technical kits among didactic material resources. The term didactic tool is a very range-wide and rich in content. The default term for this issue. Educational resources are an important didactic categories.
BACKGROUND: Many studies have investigated the impact of pediatric Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT) upon intellectual functioning after traumatic brain injury; however, relatively few have identified efficacious treatment in a school setting. OBJECTIVE: The purpose is to present a variety of CRT strategies that would be useful to a teacher or therapist working with students who are learning disabled or who have who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: This article investigates the particular challenges in learning which result from impaired cognition, and suggests techniques for improving memory and executive functioning. RESULTS: Students who are learning disabled or who have TBI face social and emotional issues that impact their learning. Special therapeutic interventions are necessary to assist with orienting to their setting, integrating with peers, and coping with distressing emotions. CONCLUSIONS: Students with TBI can adapt and flourish in a school based setting provided that therapies and learned strategies are targeted to their specific needs.
Permeable pavements are increasingly being used as urban stormwater management systems. Permeable pavement systems enable stormwater to infiltrate through the pavement surface and into the filter layer. Three common recycled construction and demolition (C&D) materials; crushed brick (CB), recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) were investigated in combination with nonwoven geotextile to assess their suitability as filter materials in permeable pavements. A series of laboratory tests was undertaken to assess the geotechnical and hydraulic characteristics of the C&D materials in permeable pavement applications. As a worst case scenario, stormwater mixtures were prepared in the laboratory with a slightly higher than the average pollutant concentrations in stormwater runoff events occurring in urban areas. Constant head permeability tests were carried out to investigate the stormwater filtration capacity and clogging behaviour of C&D materials. A series of hydraulic conductivity tests was also conducted to investigate the effect of variations in the properties of filter media, sediment particle sizes, density of the filter media and clogging effects over time. This research found that the geotextile layer increases pollutant removal efficiency of the C&D materials; however has potential to cause more clogging due to continuous accumulations of sediments in a long period. In terms of usage in permeable pavement filter layer, C&D materials were found to have geotechnical and hydraulic properties equivalent or superior to that of typical quarry granular materials. The Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation (MUSIC) was furthermore employed to predict the pollutant removal efficiency of the C&D materials and the predicted results were validated with the laboratory experiments. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years, large amounts of fire accidents happened in countryside due to the problems of electric circuits, which adversely affect rural people's daily lives. It becomes increasingly important to solve the problems of rural electrical fire. The southwest rural area of China, where fire situation is severe and fire accidents occur frequently, is chosen to be surveyed. The situation of rural electric circuits and the strength of fire rescue in southwest countryside of China are investigated, and the fire fatalness of wood houses and the potential perils of electrical fire in rural area are presented. Finally, some suggestions on electrical fire prevention in rural area are put forward. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this paper, a unified averaged modeling method is proposed to investigate the fast-scale period-doubling bifurcation of a full-bridge integrated buck-boost inverter with peak current control. In order to increase the resolution of the conventional classic averaged model to half the switching frequency, sample-and-hold effect of inductor current is absorbed into the averaged model, i.e. the proposed unified averaged model can capture the high-frequency dynamical characteristics of the buck-boost inverter, which is both an extension and a modification of conventional averaged model. Based on the unified mode, fast-scale bifurcation is identified, and the corresponding bifurcation point is predicted with the help of the locus movement of all the poles, and their underlying mechanisms are revealed. Detailed analysis shows that the occurrence of high-frequency oscillation means fast-scale bifurcation, while the occurrence of low-frequency oscillation leads to slow-scale bifurcation. Finally, it is demonstrated that the unified averaged model can provide not only a general method to investigate both the slow-and fast-scale bifurcations in a unified framework but also a quite straightforward design-oriented method which can be directly applicable.
The soil-structure interface between structures and frozen soil ground is an important element to the structure safety in permafrost regions. This interface is usually subjected to a constant normal stress and cyclic shear loadings such as seismic, wind, and wave loadings. Hence, the cyclic direct shear behaviors of this interface have critical impacts on the safety and durability of the structure. This paper investigated the cyclic direct shear behaviors of an artificial frozen soil-structure interface under four constant normal stresses and four sub-zero temperatures by using a large-scalemulti-functional direct shear apparatus. Cyclic shear stress and normal displacement were measured under normal stresses of 100, 300, 500, and 700 kPa and at sub-zero temperatures of -2, -6, -10, and -14 degrees C, respectively. These measurements revealed the following mechanical properties of this artificial interface: (1) The maximum shear stress is always observed in the initial stage of the first cycle. This maximum shear stress is linearly related to the normal stress. (2) Both the internal friction angle and the cohesion of this interface at the maximum shear stress decrease with the increase of sub-zero temperature. (3) The internal friction angle decreases with further cycles. This angle becomes significantly smaller in the stabilized cycles than that in the first cycle. (4) The maximum dilation measured by normal displacement is always observed in the first cycle. This dilation is decreasing with higher normal stress and at lower sub-zero temperature. However, the final normal displacement always contracts and its magnitude increases with the increase of normal stress or the decrease of sub-zero temperature. Finally, a simple damage model is proposed to describe these behaviors of this artificial interface and its performance is checked through its prediction for experimental data. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Determining optimal forest management to provide multiple goods and services, also referred to as Ecosystem Services (ESs), requires operational-scale information on the suitability of the forest for the provisioning of various ESs. Remote sensing allows wall-to-wall assessments and provides pixel data for a flexible composition of the management units. The purpose of this study was to incorporate models of ES provisioning potential in a spatial prioritization framework and to assess the pixel-level allocation of the land use. We tessellated the forested area in a landscape of altogether 7500 ha to 27,595 pixels of 48 x 48 m(2) and modeled the potential of each pixel to provide biodiversity, timber, carbon storage, and recreational amenities as indicators of supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural ESs, respectively. We analyzed spatial overlaps between the individual ESs, the potential to provide multiple ESs, and tradeoffs due to production constraints in a fraction of the landscape. The pixels considered most important for the individual ESs overlapped as much as 78% between carbon storage and timber production and up to 52.5% between the other ESs. The potential for multiple ESs could be largely explained in terms of forest structure as being emphasized to sparsely populated, spruce-dominated old forests with large average tree size. Constraining the production of the ESs in the landscape based on the priority maps, however, resulted in sub-optimal choices compared to an optimized production. Even though the land-use planning cannot be completed without involving the stakeholders' preferences, we conclude that the workflow described in this paper produced valuable information on the overlaps and tradeoffs of the ESs for the related decision support. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Due to the proliferation of Web 2.0 technology, e-commerce has evolved into social commerce. In this social commerce era, consumers are increasingly dependent on each other and look for social support (informational and emotional) online even before making purchases. This study examines the content of consumer reviews, a fundamental construct of social commerce. Topics expressed in consumer reviews (collected from Amazon.com) are explored using a machine learning technique (i.e. latent semantic analysis). This study documents the thematic differences between positive and negative reviews and finds that negative reviews report service-related failures while positive reviews relate more to the product, among other things. Next, the informational support aspect of social commerce is explored by identifying the topics expressed in reviews that are helpful in purchase decisions. The findings demonstrate that potential customers (i.e. those who would like to purchase a product in the near future and currently are reading reviews with the intention to decide whether or not to buy that product) find the negative reviews containing service failure information and the positive reviews containing information on core functionalities, technical aspects, and aesthetics to be more helpful. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT), a circulating glycoprotein that rises during acute phase responses and healthy pregnancies, exhibits immunomodulatory properties in several T-cell-dependent immune pathologies. However, AAT does not directly interfere with T-cell responses; instead, it facilitates polarization of macrophages and dendritic cells towards M2-like and tolerogenic cells, respectively. AAT also allows NK cell responses against tumor cells, while attenuating DC-dependent induction of autoimmune NK cell activities. Since AAT-treated macrophages bear resemblance to cancer-promoting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), it became imperative to examine the possible induction of tumor permissive conditions by AAT. Here, AAT treatment is examined for its effect on tumor development, metastatic spread, and tumor immunology. Systemic AAT treatment of mice inoculated with B16-F10 melanoma cells resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth and metastatic spread. Using NK cell-resistant RMA cells, we show that AAT interferes with tumor development in a CD8(+) T-cell-dependent manner. Unexpectedly, upon analysis of tumor cellular composition, we identified functional tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T-cells alongside M1-like TAMs in AAT-treated mice. Based on the ability of AAT to undergo chemical modifications, we emulated conditions of elevated reactive nitrogen and oxygen species. Indeed, macrophages were stimulated by treatment with nitrosylated AAT, and IFN gamma transcripts were significantly elevated in tumors extracted soon after ischemia-reperfusion challenge. These context-specific changes may explain the differential effects of AAT on immune responses towards tumor cells versus benign antigenic targets. These data suggest that systemically elevated levels of AAT may accommodate its physiological function in inflammatory resolution, without compromising tumor-targeting immune responses.
Researchers interested in psychological factors affecting writers in higher-education institutions, or academic writers, are concerned with internal variables affecting writing productivity; however few empirical studies explore these factors with samples of students who are in the process of earning master's or doctoral degrees (i.e., graduate students). In this study, we examined writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence (EI) in a sample of graduate students at a large, research-intensive university in the United States. Using a survey, we collected measures on these variables in addition to demographic information from the participants. We then used the measures to descriptively compare groups of students with similar characteristics and to run three regression models to identify which variables best predicted writing anxiety. Our findings indicate self-efficacy is a statistically significant and large predictor of writing anxiety while EI is not, though descriptive data showed moderate effects between EI and first language (i.e., whether or not a student reported English as a first language). In the presence of self-efficacy, gender remained a significant predictor of writing anxiety, while first language did not. We discuss implications for future research and practice focused on helping graduate student academic writers succeed.
Absorption and metabolism of [C-13]9-cis-beta-carotene ([C-13]9c beta C) was studied in three subjects after a single oral dose. Subjects given 1.0 mg [C-13]beta-carotene (mean: 99.4% 9-cis-beta-carotene, 0.6% all-trans-beta-carotene; dose A) had substantial concentrations of [C-13]all-trans-beta-carotene ([C-13]tr beta C) and [C-13]all-trans retinol ([C-13]retinol) but very low concentrations of [C-13]cis-beta-carotene ([C-13]cis beta C) in saponified plasma 5 h after dosing, as determined by HPLC and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. There was no evidence of appreciable absorption of [C-13]9-cis retinol. To determine the proportion of [C-13]tr beta C and [C-13]retinol derived from [C-13]9c beta C, a second set of studies in the same subjects was performed with the same isomeric composition except with C-13 labeling only in all-trans-beta-carotene (dose B). The results indicated that >95% of plasma [C-13]tr beta C and [C-13]retinol observed after dose A was derived from [C-13]9c beta C. The concentrations of [C-13]tr beta C observed, in excess of that derived from the trace amounts of [C-13]tr beta C in the dose, indicated that a significant proportion of the [C-13]9c beta C dose was isomerized to [C-13]tr beta C before entering the bloodstream. Although precise quantitative estimates of the extent of isomerization of 9-cis-beta-carotene could not be made, it is apparent that cis-trans isomerization of 9-cis-beta-carotene to all-trans-beta-carotene contributed to the near absence of postprandial plasma 9-cis-beta-carotene after its oral administration in humans. The observation of different ratios of beta-carotene to retinol between the two dosing protocols suggests that isomerization did not occur exclusively before uptake by the intestinal mucosa. These results indicate that isomerization of ingested 9-cis-beta-carotene before its secretion into the bloodstream limits the potential supply of 9-cis retinoids to tissues, and increases the vitamin A value of 9-cis-beta-carotene.
The apolipoprotein E4 (E4) allele is present worldwide, despite its associations with higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity, accelerated cognitive decline during aging, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The E4 allele is especially prevalent in some tropical regions with a high parasite burden. Equatorial populations also face a potential dual burden of high E4 prevalence combined with parasitic infections that can also reduce cognitive performance. We examined the interactions of E4, parasite burden, and cognitive performance in a traditional, nonindustrialized population of Amazonian forager-horticulturalists (N = 372) to test whether E4 protects against cognitive decline in environments with a heavy pathogen burden. Contrary to observations in industrial populations, older adult E4 carriers with high parasite burdens either maintained or showed slight improvements in cognitive performance, whereas non-E4 carriers with a high parasite burden showed reduced cognitive performance. Being an E4 carrier is the strongest risk factor to date of AD and cognitive decline in industrial populations; it is associated with greater cognitive performance in individuals facing a high parasite and pathogen load, suggesting advantages to the E4 allele under certain environmental conditions. The current mismatch between postindustrial hygienic lifestyles and active parasite-rich environs may be critical for understanding genetic risk for cognitive aging.-Trumble, B. C., Stieglitz, J., Blackwell, A. D., Allayee, H., Beheim, B., Finch, C. E., Gurven, M., Kaplan, H. Apolipoprotein E4 is associated with improved cognitive function in Amazonian forager-horticulturalists with a high parasite burden. FASEB J. 31, 1508-1515 (2017). www.fasebj.org
Prolonged Internet video game play may have multiple and complex effects on human cognition and brain development in both negative and positive ways. There is not currently a consensus on the principle effects of video game play neither on brain development nor on the relationship to psychiatric comorbidity. In this study, 78 adolescents with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and 73 comparison subjects without IGD, including subgroups with no other psychiatric comorbid disease, with major depressive disorder and with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), were included in a 3 T resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis. The severity of Internet gaming disorder, depression, anxiety and ADHD symptoms were assessed with the Young Internet Addiction Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Korean ADHD rating scales, respectively. Patients with IGD showed an increased functional correlation between seven pairs of regions, all satisfying q < 0.05 False discovery rates in light of multiple statistical tests: left frontal eye field to dorsal anterior cingulate, left frontal eye field to right anterior insula, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to left temporoparietal junction (TPJ), right DLPFC to right TPJ, right auditory cortex to right motor cortex, right auditory cortex to supplementary motor area and right auditory cortex to dorsal anterior cingulate. These findings may represent a training effect of extended game play and suggest a risk or predisposition in game players for over-connectivity of the default mode and executive control networks that may relate to psychiatric comorbidity.
This paper discusses the design process of permanent-magnet-free ac machine-based actuators working in elevated-temperature environments for high-dynamic applications. Both demands given by the application with respect to maximum volume, torque-over-speed performance, and the thermal limits of the insulation materials, which limit the maximal loss that may occur, have to be considered. Starting from the geometry, semianalytic modeling approaches are used within an optimization algorithm to obtain a machine design suitable for this application.
Onsite rainwater harvesting is an inexpensive water source for indoor use; it is also a sustainable water management practice, since it may contribute to the reduction of runoff volume and peaks, and to the control of non-point source pollution. The aim of this paper is to provide a method for sizing rainwater harvesting tanks based on the local daily rainfall record, the served family size, the roof collection area, the roof type, the in-house water uses, and other factors. Various methods used worldwide are presented and compared. The comparative application of these methods is made using a daily rainfall record from a meteorological station near Kimmeria Village in Xanthi, Northeast Greece. Based on the proposed method here, the optimum tank size is computed by allowing excess water to overflow and setting to zero the use of the public water supply; the method may result in reduced tank sizes compared to other methods tested.
Back pain and upper extremities injuries due to overexertion account for over twenty percent of leave days from work in the US. This explains why a vast amount of initiatives have been, to this date, carried out aiming at reducing the occurrence of such type of injuries. However, although such type of lesions are among the most studied in occupational medicine, no automatic detection and prevention technologies are pervasively available, to this date, at workplaces. Such deficiency is ascribable to the absence of any flexible and cost-effective tectaphnology that may play such role. This work aims at filling such gap: the contribution of this paper is the design and implementation of a movement-posture computervision based system that, performing as a sensor, can detect overexertion movements, helping avoid the most common injuries that these cause. Such tasks are carried out with the use of a simple webcam, thus not requiring any expensive or specialized (e.g., Microsoft Kinect) hardware device. The proposed technology is, hence, easily affordable by any type of company and production plant throughout the world and easy adaptable to recognize and detect a wide set of movements and postures. The validity of such approach is demonstrated in realistic settings through a wide set of experiments.
In this paper, an area competent field-programmable gate array (FPGA) execution scheme of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is depicted. There are numerous limitations in traditional encryption algorithms such us Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in respect of security, power, and resources at the real-time performance. The ECC is mounting as an imperative cryptography, and gives you an idea about a promise to be the substitute of RSA. In this paper, ECC processor architecture over Galois Fields (GFs) with the multitalented bit serial multiplier is depicted which accomplishes the greatest area and power performance over traditional digit-serial multiplier. In addition, the vigilant scheduling operation was employed to diminish the involvedness of logic unit operations in ECC processor. The anticipated architecture is executed on vertex4 FPGA expertise in Xilinx software. We demonstrate that results perk up the performance of the enhanced design by contrasting with the traditional design.
The use of drugs with intrinsic anticholinergic properties is widespread among old age persons. A growing body of evidences suggest that a high anticholinergic burden is associated with physical and cognitive impairment. However, the association between anticholinergic drug use and functional status is still poorly investigated, particularly among subjects with initial cognitive impairment. Cross-sectional study examining the association between drug-related anticholinergic burden and functional status in cognitively healthy (CH) (n=691), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n=541) or mild Alzheimer's diseases (AD) (n=1127) subjects. Data were gathered from the ReGAl project (Rete Geriatrica Alzheimer-Geriatric Network on Alzheimer's disease), a large longitudinal Italian multicentric clinical-based study, promoted by the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG). 2359 outpatients, older than 65 years, admitted to memory clinics. The total sample size, estimated according to a global effect size of 25% with type I error of 0.05 and a power of 95% is 2010 subjects. Functional status was evaluated by the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scales. The drug-related anticholinergic burden was estimated by the Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS). The 15.9 % (n=375) of total population used at least one drug with anticholinergic properties. Such a drug use was associated with partially dependence in ADL (OR:1.42, CI95%: 1.10-1.83; p=0.006), independently of gender, number of drugs, comorbidity index, presence of clinically relevant neuropsychiatric symptoms and adjusted MMSE. Anticholinergic drug use was associated with un-ability at each IADL task only in male MCI subjects, with significant impairment in shopping (p=0.011), and drug management (p=0.05). The use of medications with anticholinergic properties is common among older persons cognitively health as well as with cognitive impairment. Our results suggest that the use of anticholinergic drugs is associated with functional impairment, especially in old age subjects with initial cognitive impairment. Minimizing anticholinergic burden should result in maintaining daily functioning, especially in a vulnerable population, such as MCI and mild AD.
This study explores the factors that moderate first-person perception of socially desirable messages and the behavioral consequences of the perceived self-other perceptual disparity. A total of 255 participants watched An Inconvenient Truth and completed a survey thereafter. The participants acknowledged themselves to be more receptive to the film than others and acted on this perceived difference by supporting the distribution of the film. The message desirability, perceived message quality and sensation value, sensation-seeking tendency, and issue knowledge not only affected assessments of the perceived effect on the self and others differently but also increased the willingness to take action and stop global warming.
Despite high activity for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes from water, nanoscale Ag3PO4 photocatalyst particles are difficult to synthesize. As reported in literature, Ag3PO4 particle sizes for photocatalytic degradation of water pollutants are normally larger than 100 nm. This research reports a facile and reproducible method for the synthesis of the ultrafine and uniform Ag3PO4 nanoparticles loaded on the oxygen vacated TiO2 (TiO2-OV) with average particle size as small as 2.6nm. All obtained Ag3PO4 particles can be completely loaded onto TiO2-OV support to form Ag3PO4/TiO2-OV composite photo catalysts. The prepared Ag3PO4/TiO2-OV photocatalyst exhibits much higher visible light photocatalytic activity than those of pure Ag3PO4 or Ag3PO4/TiO2 photocatalysts for the degradation of rhodamine b (Rh B) and phenol in water. After depositing thin layers of Agl on Ag3PO4 ultrafine Ag3PO4 nanoparticles, the new AgI-Ag3PO4/TiO2-OV composite photocatalysts not only show much higher photocatalytic activity, but they are also more stable than pure Ag3PO4 catalyst. This new synthesis method will provide guidelines for the preparation of ultrafine nanoparticles and highly active photocatalysts for treatment of water pollution or production of hydrogen from water splitting/reducing. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this second part of results presentation of investigations of aerodynamics of the flow in the action space of needle valves in configurations characterised by rounding of the sensitive sharp details present in earlier investigations there are results of pressure measurements on the action space walls. There are two sections. In the first one the attention is focused on the flows approaching from outside the entrance into the exit channel, partly blocked in various degrees by the insertion of the needle tip. The second section presents data of the pressure measured at the tip of the needle at various lifts, various Reynolds numbers, and various configurations of the rounded and sharp part of the valve components. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
There is relatively little research considering motivations of passive Facebook use. However, research regarding motivations of general Facebook use indicates that people use Facebook to escape and that escapism may motivate passive Facebook use. Research also suggests that using Facebook to escape is associated with Facebook addiction. Using an experimental vignette design, the present research investigated whether passive Facebook use is motivated by escapism and whether this escape motivation is associated with passive Facebook addiction. A within-participant experimental design using vignettes was used to explore the effect of positivity and, in addition, socialness on passive Facebook use. Addiction to passive Facebook use and perceived effect of passive Facebook use on mood were also assessed. Participants (n = 69) responded to 16 vignettes describing daily life events, as well as responding to a question about passive Facebook use on mood and completing the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. Results suggested that individuals did not use Facebook to escape. There was no association between escapism in passive Facebook use and passive Facebook addiction. Social contact had a positive effect on passive Facebook use, and participants perceived passive Facebook use to have no effect on mood. Findings suggest that passive Facebook use is a less effective method of escape than general Facebook use, and reducing individuals' likelihood of experiencing Facebook addiction symptoms. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Magnesium (Mg) is naturally found in bone tissue and is essential to human metabolism. It is well known that Mg ion improved bone-like apatite nucleation and growth. In this study, Mg ions were ion exchanged onto poly acrylic acid (PAA) thin film containing the carboxyl groups deposited on the commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) surface using a plasma polymerization at discharge power 50 W for 5 min. Surface morphology and chemical composition of all samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Bioactivity of the Mg ion exchanged CP-Ti samples was evaluated by immersing in simulated body fluid (SBF) and MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation. The bone-like apatite forming ability was significantly influenced by Mg ion concentrations. Mg ion promotes bone-like apatite nucleation and growth on CP-Ti surface in SBF solution and improves MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation. It is therefore expected that CP-Ti and Ti alloys having a high biocompatibility can be obtained by ion exchanging the Mg ion after PAA plasma modified Ti surface. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Due to lack of ditch maintenance, many ditches in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River are strongly affected by nutrient over-enrichment. Accordingly, we conducted surveys of nutrient concentrations in ditchwater and sediment in the hilly area of the central Sichuan Basin to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of nutrient concentrations and to promote the restoration of ditches for ecological functions. The results showed that the mean total nitrogen, particulate nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and total phosphorus values in ditchwater were 4.80, 1.09, 0.94, 1.09, and 0.18 mg/L, respectively. The mean concentrations of total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and total phosphorus in ditch sediment were 1.58 g/kg, 2.62 mg/kg, 1.54 mg/kg, and 6.95 g/kg, respectively. Higher total nitrogen concentrations in ditchwater occurred in western areas, while higher total phosphorus concentrations occurred in central areas. Seasonally, we measured higher nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in ditchwater close to agricultural areas during the rainy season, while the opposite effect was true for residential areas. Although nutrient concentrations in ditchwater could be affected by both surrounding land uses and ditch water levels, land use was critical. Moreover, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were significantly higher in the ditchwater near residential areas when compared to paddy or sloping cropland ditches. However, we found no significant differences between the nutrient contents of sediments in ditches surrounded by different land uses. Our results indicate that water pollution control initiatives in residential areas would be the most critical factor in combating ditchwater and sediment pollution in this region. Therefore, efforts to restore the ecological functions of drainage ditches should take into account rural township sewage management, fertilizer reduction, and especially ditch vegetation restoration.
The consumption of fish and shellfish is a major route of human exposure to arsenic (As), because they contain relatively large concentrations of organoarsenicals, in particular arsenobetaine (AB). AB is considered non-toxic because of its rapid excretion from the human body. However, previous studies on human metabolism and excretion of AB have used the compound in solution rather than considering the effects that occur during the digestion of food in the gastrointestinal tract. In this preliminary study, we used microcosms inoculated with human faecal matter to investigate the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of AB by microorganisms associated with the large intestine. Samples were recovered over 30 days, centrifuged, filtered and the supernatant analysed for total As content and As speciation, using ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS respectively. After 7 days the total As in the supernatants from the aerobic experiment fell to a minimum of 65% of the total added, recovering to 15% less than added after 30 days. By using anion and cation exchange chromatography coupled to ICP-MS detection, arsenobetaine (AB), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), dimethylarsinoylacetic acid (DMAA) and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were identified as degradation products. Results from the aerobic system showed that after 7 days incubation the AB had been degraded to DMA, DMAA and TMAO and after 30 days the degraded AB reappeared in the samples. The results for the anaerobic system showed no degradation of AB over the 30 day course of the experiment. These findings demonstrate for the first time that biocatalytic capability for AB degradation exists within the human gastrointestinal tract.
TaqIA is a polymorphism associated with addictions and dopamine-related traits. It is located in the ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 gene (ANKK1) nearby the gene for the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R). Since ANKK1 function is unknown, TaqIA-associated traits have been explained only by differences in D2R. Here we report ANKK1 studies in mouse and human brain using quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry. ANKK1 mRNA and protein isoforms vary along neurodevelopment in the human and mouse brain. In mouse adult brain ANKK1 is located in astrocytes, nuclei of postmitotic neurons and neural precursors from neurogenic niches. In both embryos and adults, nuclei of neural precursors show significant variation of ANKK1 intensity. We demonstrate a correlation between ANKK1 and the cell cycle. Cell synchronization experiments showed a significant increment of ANKK1-kinase in mitotic cells while ANKK1-kinase overexpression affects G1 and M phase that were found to be modulated by ANKK1 alleles and apomorphine treatment. Furthermore, during embryonic neurogenesis ANKK1 was expressed in slow-dividing neuroblasts and rapidly dividing precursors which are mitotic cells. These results suggest a role of ANKK1 during the cell cycle in neural precursors thus providing biological support to brain structure involvement in the TaqIA-associated phenotypes.
The battery state of charge (SOC) is an important parameter of the battery capacity state. It can only be indirectly estimated through measurable variables such as voltage, current and temperature. Accurate estimation of SOC is one of the key problems in a battery management system. A battery model based on equivalent electrical circuits has been used to describe the battery dynamics. The model has been experimentally validated using a laboratory test. The battery SOC has been estimated in real time by means of two methods: Luenberger observer and Kalman Filter. This paper presents a comparison between the two model based SOC estimation algorithms.
The optimal use of biomass from a global warming mitigation perspective depends upon numerous factors, including competition for land and other constraints. The goal of this study is identifying optimal uses of domestic biomass resources for the case of Denmark, with the objectives of minimizing global warming contribution and fossil energy resource consumption. For this purpose, consequential life cycle assessment of the different options for biomass was performed. Optimal solutions were identified, given specific national environmental targets, using linear programming. Results highlighted that utilizing the energy potential of manure and straw represents the primary opportunity for further global warming mitigation. For this purpose, co-digestion (for manure) and combustion with heat-and-power production (for straw) appear as the most promising technologies. The utilization of biomass (or biogas) for electricity/heat is generally preferred, as long as coal/oil is still used within the energy system. Yet, to fulfill environmental targets for renewable energy in the transport sector, the diversion of a significant share of biogas (and/or other biofuels) from these more beneficial uses is necessary. To completely phase out coal/oil, additional biomass (to current domestic resources) must be included, either through domestic energy crops cultivation or biomass/biofuel import; alternatively, natural gas could be used. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper analyzes the electromechanics of the spherical metal particles in AC gas-insulated lines (GIL) with a pragmatic test rig comprising coaxial cylindrical electrodes. Analysis on fluid resistance during the particle moving process is presented based on fluid mechanics as well as the kinetic parameters of the SF6/N-2 mixture. The interactive impacts between the particle and the conductor or the shell are also proposed based on collision theory of elastic mechanics considering random effects caused by the metal surface roughness. With the above aspects being included, a dynamic motion model for the spherical metal particles within AC GIL is established accordingly, and experimental studies are carried out to validate effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed model. Meanwhile, simulations are done regarding a real 220 kV AC GIL for further governance and verifications. The research observations indicate that, the applied voltage exerts an incremental effect on the maximum height of the moving particle, but won't affect the spread angle of the particle motion. Both the height and the spread angle of the particle's motion show inflection points with increased particle radius. On the contrary, the maximum height of the moving particle decreases with the increase of SF6 ratio and the gas pressure.
Emotions and sensory perceptions are closely intertwined. Of the five senses, sight has been by far the most extensively studied sense in emotion research. Relatively less is known about how emotions influence the other four senses. Touch is essential for nonverbal communication in both humans and other animals. The current investigation tested competing hypotheses about the effect of fear on tactile perception. One hypothesis based on evolutionary considerations predicts that fear enhances sensory perception, including tactile sensitivity. A competing hypothesis based on research on peripheral psychophysiology predicts that fear should decrease tactile sensitivity. Two experiments that induced negative emotional states and measured two-point discrimination ability at the fingertip found that fear reduces tactile sensitivity relative to anger or a neutral control condition (Studies 1 and 2). These findings did not appear to be driven by participants' naive beliefs about the influence of emotions on touch (Study 3). The results represent the first evidence of the causal impact of emotional states on tactile sensitivity, are consistent with prior evidence for the peripheral physiological effects of fear, and offer novel empirical grounds for developing and advancing theories of emotional influences on sensory perception.
Thermal hydraulics in air cooled finned heat transfer tube banks are analyzed with the ANSYS FLUENT CFD code, by assuming a periodic boundary condition for the region of interest. The Re-normalization Group (RNG) theory based k-epsilon model is used as a reference turbulence model. Two other turbulence models are used to compare results. They are standard k-epsilon model and realizable k-epsilon model. The loss coefficients of the finned heat transfer tube as a function of the Reynolds number are calculated using the RNG k-epsilon model and the standard k-epsilon model. Both results are in the band of the measured data in the case of the one pass model. Six-pass finned heat transfer tube banks are calculated using a whole pass model as well as a one-pass model which transfers the calculated outlet conditions to the next pass calculation. Air temperature distribution along the six passes is compared with the result calculated by a one-dimensional system code. Both results agree each other. However, the evaluated Nu number for each pass is slightly higher than the measured data. The evaluated pressure loss coefficient is in the measured data scattering band. (C) 2016 Elseviet Ltd. All rights reserved.
Theories of neuroaesthetics assume, that looking at traces of actions used in creating artwork (e.g. brush marks) is associated with a simulation of these actions in the observer's sensorimotor-cortex. The aim of the current study is to dissociate the activation of the sensorimotor-cortex by the observation of action traces from associated visual processes. Twenty-eight participants observed handmade graphics (acrylic paint on paper) of different complexity (line, triangle, shape of a house) and computer-generated counterparts. Central mu-activity, as an index of sensorimotor-cortex activity, and occipital alpha-activity, as an index of visual cortex activity were recorded in the 8-13 Hz EEG-band. In line with the hyp5hesis, mu-activity at electrode C4 is sensitive for the complexity of handmade (p = 0.001), but not computer-generated graphics (p >0.500). In contrast, occipital alpha-activity is sensitive for the complexity of both handmade and computer-generated graphics (p <0.001). Furthermore, the more empathic the participants rated themselves, the stronger mu-suppression was induced by handmade graphics compared to computer-generated graphics (electrode C4; r=0.612, p = 0.001). These results support the involvement of the sensorimotor-cortex in the recognition of action traces and strengthen evidence that individuals scoring high in emotional empathy feature a particularly responsive mirror neuron system. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Spatial information of the dominant species of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is essential for restoration projects in eutrophic lakes, especially eutrophic Taihu Lake, China. Mapping the distribution of SAV species is very challenging and difficult using only multispectral satellite remote sensing. In this study, we proposed an approach to map the distribution of seven dominant species of SAV in Taihu Lake. Our approach involved information on the life histories of the seven SAV species and eight distribution maps of SAV from February to October. The life history information of the dominant SAV species was summarized from the literature and field surveys. Eight distribution maps of the SAV were extracted from eight 30 m HJ-CCD images from February to October in 2013 based on the classification tree models, and the overall classification accuracies for the SAV were greater than 80%. Finally, the spatial distribution of the SAV species in Taihu in 2013 was mapped using multilayer erasing approach. Based on validation, the overall classification accuracy for the seven species was 68.4%, and kappa was 0.6306, which suggests that larger differences in life histories between species can produce higher identification accuracies. The classification results show that Potamogeton malaianus was the most widely distributed species in Taihu Lake, followed by Myriophyllum spicatum, Potamogeton maackianus, Potamogeton crispus, Elodea nuttallii, Ceratophyllum demersum and Vallisneria spiralis. The information is useful for planning shallow-water habitat restoration projects. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective: Since reconstruction of composite defects in the head and neck region is a challenging and demanding problem for head and neck surgeons, surgical aids have been sought for decades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of prefabricated surgical resection templates used in mandibular segmental resections in comparison to the virtual surgical plan. Materials and methods: A prospective study was performed in 11 consecutive patients, with a primary T4 oral squamous cell carcinoma or osteoradionecrosis of the mandible. Preoperatively, a CBCT scan was acquired to delineate the size and extension of tumor invasion; a virtual patient-specific resection template was designed based on this information. Intraoperatively, the resection template was positioned on the mandible and secured using four fixation screws. Postoperatively, a CBCT scan was acquired. This scan was superimposed on the preoperative scan. Positioning of the resection template and inclination of the resection planes were evaluated on the virtual head model. In order to test the interobserver reliability of these new measurement methods, two different observers executed all measurements. Results: The mean shift of the proximal resection templates was 3.76 mm (standard deviation [SD] 3.10 mm). For the distal resection templates, the mean shift was 3.06 mm (SD 1.57 mm) with no significant interobserver difference (ICC = 0.99). An absolute mean deviation of 8.5 degrees (SD 5.3 degrees) was found for the proximal resection angle and 10.4 degrees (SD 5.0 degrees) for the distal resection angle. Again, no significant interobserver differences were found (ICC = 0.98). Conclusion: The resection templates used in this study proved reasonably accurate. Although the concept of virtual surgical planning aids significantly in mandibular reconstruction with microvascular free flaps, further improvement of resection accuracy is necessary for further improvement of reconstruction accuracy. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.
Mexico has entered in an important dynamic of structural changes in the energy area, proof of this, it is the Energy Reform 2013 and the Energy Transition Law published the last December 24th, 2015, thus it is important to carry out studies of the impacts of future politics in the consumption of the population, so this study estimate an energy demand system using microdata collected from 97,817 households in a National Households Income and Expenditure Survey (ENIGH acronyms in Spanish, Encuesta Nacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares) in the 20-years period from 1994 to 2014. The magnitudes of all the fuels are smaller than one indicating that electricity, LPG, gasoline and public transport are normal goods, while LPG is the most inelastic energy source. The geographic factor shows that households in the north of Mexico tend to consume more gasoline, whereas in the south of the country, the lowest share of LPG expenditure is reported. The rigorous evaluation of energy demanded in households will help policy makers to put forward more efficient reforms.
Objective:Perceived injustice has been defined as an appraisal regarding the severity and irreparability of loss associated with pain, blame, and a sense of unfairness. Recent findings suggest that perceived injustice is an important risk factor for elevated disability associated with chronic pain. However, the mechanisms by which this perception leads to disability are not well understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of pain acceptance on the relation between perceived injustice and chronic pain outcomes (pain intensity, pain-related disability, and psychological distress).Method:This cross-sectional study used a sample of 475 individuals from the community who report chronic pain. Participants completed the Injustice Experience Questionnaire, the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, a pain rating intensity scale, the Modified Brief Pain Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.Results:Results revealed significant direct links from perceived injustice to pain intensity (c=0.416, P<0.001), disability (c=0.891, P<0.001), and distress (c=0.261, P<0.001), as well as indirect links from perceived injustice through acceptance of pain to pain disability (ab=0.512, P<0.001, confidence interval, 0.390-0.635) and psychological distress (ab=0.106, P<0.001, confidence interval, 0.077-0.136).Discussion:Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed along with future research directions.
The purpose of this study was to determine the environmental impacts associated with a deep energy efficiency refurbishment using life cycle assessment. A prototypical refurbished model of an office building located in Auckland, New Zealand was used as a case study. The refurbishment included major changes to the building envelope with additional insulation, modified wall-window ratio, solar shading as well as technical replacement of the lighting and HVAC system. The study included identification of environmental hot spots of a deep energy refurbishment, and consideration of the effect of different electricity mixes in New Zealand on the total environmental impact of the refurbished building when compared to the un-refurbished existing building over different operation periods. An environmental payback period was calculated for each impact category. The results of this study indicate that deep energy refurbishment is associated with significant environmental impacts mainly due to the use of energy-intensive construction materials. However, the refurbishment yields net reductions in most impact categories if the building has a longer operational period. The environmental impacts of a building's operation are mainly associated New Zealand's electricity generated from coal. As future scenarios of New Zealand's electricity mix have a reduced share of electricity generated from coal, the environmental benefits of avoided electricity consumption are also reduced. The study concludes that measures to promote energy efficiency refurbishment in office buildings where a significant proportion of the operational energy is provided from renewable energy sources, should be carefully considered because they may not reduce overall environmental impacts. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Because of the open wireless channel, the dynamic change of network topology and the large energy consumptions, Ad Hoc networks are more vulnerable to security attacks and energy is easy to run out. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes a kind of Secure and Energy Conservation Routing Algorithm based on Trust Recommendation (TREC-AODV). This algorithm can decrease energy consumption by adjusting the transmission radius dynamically, and can detect and isolate malicious nodes via a new trust recommendation mechanism. The simulation shows that the proposed algorithm not only can improve the capacity of energy conservation and robustness of the networks, but can enhance the security of the networks.
The galloping of a tensioned orthotropic saddle closed membrane structure is theoretically investigated in this paper. The aerodynamic force acting on the membrane surface is determined by the potential flow theory of fluid mechanics and the thin airfoil theory of aerodynamics. Based on the von Karman's large amplitude theory and the D'Alembert's principle, the interaction governing equations of wind-structure coupling are established. Then, by applying the Bubnov-Galerkin method, the complicated interaction equations are transformed into second order nonlinear differential equation with constant coefficients. Through judging the stability of the second order nonlinear differential equation, the critical wind velocity is obtained. By parametric analysis of analytical examples, we can conclude that it's of great significance to consider the orthotropy and geometrical nonlinearity to prevent the aerodynamic instability of saddle membrane structures; the arch-to-span ratio epsilon and span ratio A are the main control parameters of the critical wind velocity. The formula for critical wind velocity obtained in this paper provides a more accurate theoretical solution for the aerodynamic stability of the saddle membrane structures than the previous studies.
This contribution investigates the social distance of immigrants from Poland in four Western European cities - London, Birmingham, Berlin and Munich - particularly Polish immigrants' distance towards members of ethnic, religious and sexual minorities in their various social roles. Presenting unique data from the first wave of a longitudinal qualitative study, we first discuss the differential levels of social distance that Polish immigrants place between themselves and members of minority groups in each city. We find that respondents' socio-demographic characteristics impact their social distance, but their education and occupation may have less of an effect than their place of origin in Poland or current place of residence and work. Moreover, these factors work differentially across the four cities. After analysing social distance with respect to three dimensions of difference - ethnicity, religion and sexuality - we find several different social-distancing mechanisms. Ultimately, we argue that social science needs to consider regional and local contexts in which social attitudes towards minorities are acquired and exercised. Similarly, we need to reflect on the group's presumed homogeneity and on the unifying visions of the host society' as a site of migrants' incorporation.
The design of a flywheel system for energy storage is herein performed through the Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) as an example of mechatronic product development and innovation. Some relevant advantages of the MBSE applied to a material mechatronic system, in some activities, as the requirement analysis, the identification of system capabilities, the definition of architecture and the system validation are identified. Moreover, the paper is aimed at investigating some critical issues arising when the MBSE tools are applied to machine design, being still a domain poorly inclined to exploit this holistic approach. That trend might be related to technical difficulties in assessing an interoperable framework of simulators aimed at dealing simultaneously with functional and physical models. In addition the technology scouting looks poorly connected within the standard SysML diagrams, without introducing some additional charts. A demonstration of the fruitful impact of the MBSE on the machine design is herein proposed, to show some advantages provided as a mechatronic integrated system is conceived and how a complete trade-off analysis could be supported by the MBSE modeling activity.
Time lost due to injury or illness requiring rehabilitation is a major problem. Activity is an important part of rehabilitation, however compliance and adherence can be challenging. This paper addresses this issue by presenting an automatic system for monitoring activity allowing objective assessment of the activity. The system consisted of a smartphone based activity capture platform connected wirelessly to back-end server for analysis and storage and a web server to provide a user-friendly interface for feedback and education purposes. The system was validated by comparison with 3 accepted standard measuring devices and found to match their results well. The system also monitored the data of the participants over a continuous period of a number of days. It is evident that human factors play a part in both of the data collection strategies. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
In this paper a design approach for a sensorless controlled, brushless, interior permanent magnet machine is attained. An initial study based on established electrical machine formulas provides the machine's basic geometrical sizing. The next design stage combines a particle swarm optimisation (PSO) search routine with a magneto-static finite element (FE) solver to provide a more in depth optimisation. The optimisation system has been formulated to derive alternative machine design variants, subject to the design constraints, in a computationally efficient manner using as few FE simulations as required. Moreover a parallel computing approach has been used for the most computationally intensive processes. The optimisation system objective function aims to find a solution satisfying all the machine's design requirements including the torque-speed envelope and compatibility with the high-frequency injection based sensorless operation, whilst minimising the machine weight. A holistic approach is presented where a complete machine, including the stator and rotor sub-assemblies are designed accounting for all the required performance measures under the high-frequency injection based sensorless operation. The efficacy of the new approach has been demonstrated on a design case study with consecutive design stages discussed in detail. Also, the paper provides conceptual information regarding practical implementation of the proposed optimisation system together with an insight into the definition of the objective function and its influence on the design solutions. Furthermore, the calculated results from the optimisation system have been compared with direct FE predictions for the design exemplar showing good correlation.
As bacterial resistance becomes increasingly common, a new hybrid peptide, cecropinA-magainin (KWALSKEGPGKFLGKKKKF), has been developed that can kill a broad spectrum of bacteria without damaging human cells. The mechanism of antibacterial toxicity for the hybrid peptides is unknown. Herein, we investigate the localization of the hybrid peptide in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The minimum inhibitory concentration was 64 mu g/mL. The hybrid peptides could enhance the hydrophobicity of MRSA. Dye leakage experiments showed that the hybrid peptides caused dye leakage from liposomes. The hybrid peptides influenced the permeability of the outer membrane and plasma membrane of MRSA. After cecropinA-magainin treatment of MRSA, the membrane ultrastructure was damaged and the concentration of K+ increased. Ultimately, the peptide destroyed the integrity of the bacterial cell membrane, allowing the dye propidium iodide to enter the cytoplasm. Therefore, the hybrid antibacterial peptide can kill MRSA. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 805-811, 2016
Purpose: To assess the risk factors and outcomes associated with fungemia caused by the six most commonly occurring Candida species in patients with and without malignancies. Methods: Analysis of the episodes of fungemia due to common Candida species in adults, based on an active hospital-based surveillance program (Paris area, France, 2002 to 2014). Results: Of the 3417 patients (3666 isolates), 1164 (34.1%) had a solid tumor (45.7% digestive tract) and 586 (17.1%) a hematological malignancy (41.8% lymphoma, 33.5% acute leukemia). The hematology patients were significantly younger, more often pre-exposed to antifungals, more often infected by C. tropicalis, C. krusei, or C. kefyr, and more often treated in the first instance with an echinocandin. Compared with inpatients who were not in ICU at the time of fungemia, those in ICU were less frequently infected by C. parapsilosis (p < 0.02), had more recent surgery (p < 0.03), and died more frequently before day 8 and day 30 (p < 0.0001). An increase in crude mortality over time in ICU was observed only in oncology patients (p < 0.04). For all patients, lack of prescription of antifungals despite knowledge of positive blood culture increased the risk of death. The odds of being infected by a given Candida species compared with C. albicans were uneven regarding age, gender, type of malignancy, hospitalization in ICU, central venous catheter, HIV status, intravenous drug addiction, and previous exposure to antifungal drugs. Compared with C. albicans, C. glabrata (OR = 0.69 [0.54-0.89]) and C. parapsilosis (OR = 0.49 [0.35-0.67]) were associated with a decreased risk of death by day 8 and day 30. Conclusion: The clinical context of underlying malignancy and hospitalization in ICU may be relevant to the initial management of candidemia.
Background: Some COPD patients are more susceptible to exacerbations than others. Mechanisms underlying these differences in susceptibility are not well understood. We hypothesized that altered cell mediated immune responses may underlie a propensity to suffer from frequent exacerbations in COPD. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from 24 stable COPD patients, eight frequent exacerbators (>= 3 diary-card exacerbations/year) and 16 infrequent exacerbators (< 3 diary-card exacerbations/year). Detailed multi-parameter flow cytometry was used to study differences in innate and adaptive systemic immune function between frequent and infrequently exacerbating COPD patients. Results: The 24 COPD patients had a mean (SD) age of 76.3 (9.4) years and FEV1 1.43 (0.60) L, 53.3 (18.3)% predicted. PBMCs of frequent exacerbators (FE) contained lower frequencies of CD4+ T central memory cells (CD4+ Tcm) compared to infrequent exacerbators (IE) (FE = 18.7 %; IE = 23.9 %; p = 0.035). This observation was also apparent in absolute numbers of CD4+ Tcm cells (FE = 0.17 x 10(Lambda)6/mL; IE = 0.25 x 10(Lambda)6/mL; p = 0.035). PBMCs of FE contained a lower frequency of CD8+ T effector memory cells expressing HLA-DR (Human Leukocyte Antigen - D Related) compared to IE COPD patients (FE = 22.7 %; IE = 31.5 %; p = 0.007). Conclusion: Differences in the adaptive systemic immune system might associate with exacerbation susceptibility in the `frequent exacerbator' COPD phenotype. These differences include fewer CD4+ T central memory cells and CD8+ T effector memory cells.
This paper presents a novel real-world application for energy savings in a Smart Building environment. The proposed system unifies heterogeneous wireless sensor networks under a Semantic Web Service middleware. Two complementary and mutually exclusive rule-based approaches for enforcing energy-saving policies are proposed: a reactive agent based on production rules and a deliberative agent based on defeasible logic. The system was deployed at a Greek University, showing promising experimental results (at least 4% daily savings). Although the percentage of energy savings may seem low, the greatest merit of the method is ensuring that no energy is wasted by constantly enforcing the policies. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a highly malignant tumor, and the overall survival rate remains very low. Traditional treatment is not sufficiently effective, and thus, there is an urgent need for new and effective treatments. The advances in cancer immunotherapy have changed this situation because this type of therapy has a significant potential to eliminate tumors with little damage to normal tissue. This treatment primarily aims to enhance the ability of the immune system to eliminate tumors and prevent tumor immune escape, which is associated with immune surveillance. This review summarizes current cancer therapeutic strategies and immunotherapy studies to demonstrate the potential of immunotherapy for the treatment of EC.
We present a non-invasive ambient intelligence framework for the semi-automatic analysis of non-verbal communication applied to the restorative justice field. We propose the use of computer vision and social signal processing technologies in real scenarios of Victim-Offender Mediations, applying feature extraction techniques to multi-modal audio-RGB-depth data. We compute a set of behavioral indicators that define communicative cues from the fields of psychology and observational methodology. We test our methodology on data captured in real Victim-Offender Mediation sessions in Catalonia. We define the ground truth based on expert opinions when annotating the observed social responses. Using different state of the art binary classification approaches, our system achieves recognition accuracies of 86% when predicting satisfaction, and 79 % when predicting both agreement and receptivity. Applying a regression strategy, we obtain a mean deviation for the predictions between 0.5 and 0.7 in the range [1-5] for the computed social signals. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
An open-source musculoskeletal model for predictions of lumbar muscle forces is presented in this paper. The model is based on a previously published anatomically detailed lumbar spine model, with upper extremity, lower extremity and head-neck models incorporated. It is implemented in OpenSim, an open-source musculoskeletal modeling platform. The features of this model include the ability to predict joint reactions, lumbar muscle forces and lumbar muscle activation patterns. To validate the ability of the model to predict lumbar loading, the loads acting on the vertebral bodies under several conditions were determined and compared with loads measured in vivo using instrumented vertebral body replacements and pressure transducers in the intervertebral discs. Model-predicted loads were strongly correlated with measured loads (r = 0.934); thus, the model successfully predicts variations in loading between different conditions. The model introduced here should ultimately aid in the ergonomics of machine design, since current machines are still mainly designed without knowing reasonable lumbar loads.
Background Peanut-allergic reactions are heterogeneous ranging from mild symptoms to anaphylaxis. Objective Identify peanut-allergic/sensitized phenotypes to personalize patient management. Methods A combined factor and cluster analysis was used to study the phenotypes of 696 patients diagnosed with peanut sensitization and enrolled in the MIRABEL survey. The method was first applied to the 247 patients with an oral food challenge (OFC). It was then applied to the 449 patients without OFC to confirm the findings in an independent population. Results Three independent clusters emerged from the OFC subgroup. Cluster 1, ` Severe peanut allergy with little allergic multi-morbidity' (123 subjects), had the highest proportion of patients with positive OFC (92%), a medium level of peanut protein inducing a positive OFC (235 mg), lower percentage of allergic multi-morbidity (2% asthma plus atopic dermatitis (A + AD), no cases of A + AD + multiple food allergies (MFA)). Cluster 2, ` Severe peanut allergy with frequent allergic multi-morbidity' (62 subjects), had a high proportion of patients with positive OFC (85%) with the lowest level of peanut protein inducing a positive OFC (112 mg), 89% allergic subjects, 100% with allergic multi-morbidity (A + AD) and 84% with A + AD + MFA. Cluster 3, ` Mild peanut-allergic/sensitized phenotype' (62 subjects), had the lowest mean age, the lowest proportion of patients with positive OFC (53%) with a high level of peanut protein inducing a positive OFC (770 mg), a low percentage of allergic multi-morbidity (48% A + AD + MFA). The two severe peanutallergic phenotypes were more frequent in girls. The same clusters were found in the subgroup of patients without OFC. Conclusion & Clinical Relevance Besides the classic markers associated with lower threshold doses of OFC (such as SPT and rAra h 2), allergic multi-morbidity and female gender should also be taken into account to better adapt the progressive dosage of provocation tests.
Metabolism by aldehyde oxidase (AO) has been responsible for a number of drug failures in clinical trials. The main reason is the clearance values for drugs metabolized by AO are underestimated by allometric scaling from preclinical species. Furthermore, in vitro human data also underestimates clearance. We have developed the first in silico models to predict both in vitro and in vivo human intrinsic clearance for 8 drugs with just two chemical descriptors. These models explain a large amount of the variance in the data using two computational estimates of the electronic and steric features of the reaction. The in vivo computational models for human metabolism are better than in vitro preclinical animal testing at predicting human intrinsic clearance. Thus, it appears that AO is amenable to computational prediction of rates, which may be used to guide drug discovery, and predict pharmacokinetics for clinical trials.
Recently, bit-level permutation strategy in chaotic image cryptosystem has been studied extensively due to its pixel value mixing effect. However, the efficiency of such a cryptosystem suffers from its high computational complexity, since more chaotic state variables are required to shuffle the bits rather than pixels. Besides, there exists computational redundancy when ciphering some special images using conventional approaches. To promote the efficiency, a novel bit-level chaotic image cipher based on lookup table is proposed in this paper. Accordingly, a sequential addition operation is introduced before the bit-level permutation for the purpose of reducing the permutation redundancy. Moreover, the diffusion in a cross-reverse manner is also contributed to the speed acceleration. On the other hand, a plaintext-related permutation mechanism is implemented in the lookup table construction to enhance the security of the proposed cryptosystem. Simulation results and analyses show that the proposed scheme is efficient while maintaining high security performance.
Objectives: Exposure to violence is associated with chronic physical conditions in adults. Although violence exposure is common among youths, it is unknown whether violence is associated with chronic physical conditions in childhood and adolescence. We examined the associations of violence exposure with chronic physical conditions in a population-representative sample of US adolescents and determined whether associations were explained by co-occurring mental disorders. Methods: Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), a national cross-sectional survey of 6,483 adolescents (ages 13-17). Lifetime exposure to violence; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition mood, anxiety, and substance disorders; and self-reported arthritis, frequent headaches, back or neck problems, other chronic pain, asthma, and allergies were assessed. Results: One in 4 (24.99%) adolescents reported exposure to violence. Violence exposure was associated with elevated odds of back/neck pain, headaches, chronic pain, allergies, and asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.5-2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.5) after adjustment for sociodemographics, socioeconomic status, and lifetime mental disorders. Regarding new on-sets, violence exposure was associated with greater hazard for subsequent first-onset only of back/neck pain (hazard ratio, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.0) and headaches (hazard ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8), and these associations were explained by earlyonset mental disorders. Conclusions: Childhood violence exposure is associated with chronic physical conditions that emerge early in the life course, although associations are stronger for prevalent than incident conditions. Violence exposure predicts incident pain conditions only, and these associations are explained by mental disorders that begin after violence exposure. Interventions and policies aimed at preventing violence and detecting and treating early-onset mental disorders have the potential to reduce morbidity, mortality, and health disparities beginning early in development.
This paper presents a capacitive obstacle for rectangular waveguide filters capable of realizing multiple transmission zeros (TZs). By combining a capacitive window with multiple thin stubs, a filter designer has the ability to control the total coupling implemented by the obstacle, and the frequency location of the TZs generated. The resulting structure is compact, and can be employed at the input/output and intermediate stages of direct-coupled-resonator filters. This letter includes a parametric analysis of the obstacle and practical design guidelines. To validate its practical application, an in-line five-pole filter realizing three TZs has been successfully realized.
Objective: To examine the intertester reliability and validity of 5 nonradiologic measures of forward flexed posture in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: University outpatient facility and community centers. Participants: Individuals (N=28) with PD with Hoehn and Yahr scores of 1 through 4. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Occiput to wall status, tragus to wall distance, C7 to wall distance, photographically derived trunk flexion angle, and inclinometric kyphosis measure. Results: Participants were older adults (mean, 69.7 +/- 10.6y) with a 14-month to 15-year (mean, 5.9 +/- 3.5y) history of PD. Intertester reliability was excellent for all measures (K=.89 [cued condition] and 1.0 [relaxed condition] for occiput to wall status; intraclass correlation coefficients,.779-.897 for tragus to wall distance, C7 to wall distance, flexion angle, and inclinometric kyphosis measure). Convergent validity was supported for all measures by significant correlations between the same measures obtained during relaxed and cued conditions (eg, occiput to wall relaxed and cued) and for most measures by significant correlations between measures obtained under the same condition (eg, occiput to wall cued and tragus to wall cued). Significant correlations between tragus to wall distance, C7 to wall distance, flexion angle, and inclinometric kyphosis measure and the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale item 28 (posture) also supported convergent validity. Significant differences between tragus to wall distance, C7 to wall distance, and inclinometric kyphosis measure values under relaxed and cued conditions supported known condition validity. Known group validity was demonstrated by significant differences in tragus to wall distance, C7 to wall distance, and inclinometric kyphosis measure obtained from individuals able and individuals unable to touch their occiput to wall when cued to stand tall. Conclusions: Tragus to wall distance, C7 to wall distance, and inclinometric kyphosis measure are reliable and valid nonradiologic measures of forward flexed posture in PD. (C) 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
Random processes in biology, in particular random genetic drift, often make it difficult to predict the fate of a particular mutation in a population. Using principles of theoretical population genetics, we present a form of biological control that ensures a focal allele's frequency, at a given locus, achieves a prescribed probability distribution at a given time. This control is in the form of an additional evolutionary force that acts on a population. We provide the mathematical framework that determines the additional force. Our analysis indicates that generally the additional force depends on the frequency of the focal allele, and it may also depend on the time. We argue that translating this additional force into an externally controlled process, which has the possibility of being implemented in a number of different ways corresponding to selection, migration, mutation, or a combination of these, may provide a flexible instrument for targeted change of traits of interest in natural populations. This framework may be applied, or used as an informed form of guidance, in a variety of different biological scenarios including: yield and pesticide optimisation in crop production, biofermentation, the local regulation of human-associated natural populations, such as parasitic animals, or bacterial communities in hospitals.
Field observations of downslope bentonite erosion from a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) covered by only a black geomembrane are reported for a composite liner left exposed without a protective soil cover for much longer than recommended by the GCL manufacturer. A new nondestructive, light-transmission technique developed to investigate bentonite erosion features in the field is presented. A classification system is developed to describe the type of erosion features observed. Results from five field investigations at the Queen's University Environmental Liner Test Site (QUELTS II) are reported to quantify the onset, progression, and severity of downslope erosion for one particular geotextile-encased, needle-punched GCL for exposure periods of between 7 weeks and 1.3 years. The first significant erosion feature (type E with bentonite loss narrower than 2.5 cm) was observed after 6 months of exposure. Irrecoverable erosion features (type EE with bentonite loss wider than 2.5 cm) were observed after 12 months of exposure. These findings highlight the need to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for timely covering of a composite liner with soil following liner installation.
This paper presents a surrogate-model-based optimization of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) machine winding design for maximizing power yield. Based on site-specific wind profile data and the machine's previous operational performance, the DFIG's stator and rotor windings are optimized to match the maximum efficiency with operating conditions for rewinding purposes. The particle swarm optimization-based surrogate optimization techniques are used in conjunction with the finite element method to optimize the machine design utilizing the limited available information for the site-specific wind profile and generator operating conditions. A response surface method in the surrogate model is developed to formulate the design objectives and constraints. Besides, the machine tests and efficiency calculations follow IEEE standard 112-B. Numerical and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed technologies.
The profile-based features of a mechanical Computer aided design (CAD) system commonly have complicated shapes because of the guide curve, which is of free-form type. However, while considering interoperability between heterogeneous CAD systems, this kind of free-form guide curve makes it difficult to represent the corresponding feature shape in other CAD systems; for example, ship CAD systems usually use relatively simple shape primitives to represent objects. Thus, we propose a straightforward algorithm to represent profile-based features that is based on guide curve approximation using line and arcs segments. In addition, the solid alignment and filling operations are also provided to complete the entire process of solid model reconstruction. Furthermore, we apply this technique to a data exchange from a mechanical CAD system to a ship CAD system. Lastly, we use several test cases to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Although it is well established that rhythmically coordinating with a social partner can increase cooperation, it is as yet unclear when and why intentional coordination has such effects. We distinguish three dimensions along which explanations might vary. First, pro-social effects might require in-phase synchrony or simply coordination. Second, the effects of rhythmic movements on cooperation might be direct or mediated by an intervening variable. Third, the pro-social effects might occur in proportion to the quality of the coordination, or occur once some threshold amount of coordination has occurred. We report an experiment and two follow-ups which sought to identify which classes of models are required to account for the positive effects of coordinated rhythmic movement on cooperation. Across the studies, we found evidence (1) that coordination, and not just synchrony, can have pro-social consequences (so long as the social nature of the task is perceived), (2) that the effects of intentional coordination are direct, not mediated, and (3) that the degree of the coordination did not predict the degree of cooperation. The fact of inter-personal coordination (moving together in time and in a social context) is all that's required for pro-social effects. We suggest that future research should use the kind of carefully controllable experimental task used here to continue to develop explanations for when and why coordination affects pro-social behaviors.
Background: SLI is a dysfunction defined by difficulties in acquiring one's native language, ones which appear to be primary. Apart from the language code, there are two more codes which play a significant part in the process of communication: the paralinguistic and nonlinguistic code, often described together as nonverbal communication. The goal of our research was to find answers to the question: does the ability to recognize the facial and vocal expression of emotion follow the same course in children with SLI as in their contemporaries with typical development of speech (TDS)? Material/Methods: The study was conducted on 131 children with typical development of speech and 76 children with SLI aged 4.0 to 6.11 years. Employed was an experimental method called Emotional Recognition (Czaplewska, 2012). Results: The ability to recognize the signs of facial expressions of emotion increases with age and children with SLI achieve similar optimal results as their peers with TDS. Those with SLI recognized better than did children with TDS the vocal signs of emotion. In the case of so-called contradictory messages, for children with TDS the most important in receiving the message is its content while for children with SLI its nonverbal signs of emotion. Conclusions: The results of these studies cast doubt on the suggestion that the source of problems for children with SLI is not only the symbol-meaning relation, but also the social dimensions of the context of speaking. It rather appears that problems of language acquisition contribute to difficulties in social learning.
Through generating the d-dimensional GHZ state in the Z-basis and measuring it in the X-basis, a dynamic quantum secret sharing scheme is proposed. In the proposed scheme, multiple participants can be added or deleted in one update period, and the shared secret does not need to be changed. The participants can be added or deleted by themselves, and the dealer does not need to be online. Compared to the existing schemes, the proposed scheme is more efficient and more practical.
Communication between parents and their children represents an important factor of family socialization. Nevertheless, little is known about why parents communicate in different ways and how these qualitative differences in parent-child communication may affect the child. Building on self-determination theory, the present study focuses on motivational antecedents of need-supportive communication as a function of parental child-related beliefs (i.e.,long-term goals that parents have set for their children's future, and parental child-related behavior expectations in terms of parental dissatisfaction or satisfaction with child behavior). Moreover, the effect of perceived need-supportive communication on children's prosocial behavior and (externalizing and internalizing) behavioral difficulties will be addressed. Three waves of data from 1125 mothers and adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years were analyzed using growth-curve modeling. We found linearly increasing trajectories in extrinsic parental goals for children and dissatisfaction with child behavior, and decreasing trajectories of need-supportive communication. Individual differences do not vary significantly over time. In addition, holding extrinsic parental goals for children positively predicts parents' dissatisfaction with their child's behavior and negatively predicts need-supportive communication. Parents' dissatisfaction with their child's behavior also contributes to decreasing need-supportive communication. As expected, need-supportive communication predicts prosocial behavior and externalizing behavioral difficulties. When need-supportive communication decreases over time, both externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties increase. Furthermore, the effect of mothers beliefs on adolescents socioemotional development was mediated through perceived mother's communication quality. These results suggest that parental child-related beliefs are important motivational antecedents of parent-child communication that may prevent behavioral difficulties.
Notwithstanding tremendous research efforts, the cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains elusive and there is no curative treatment. The cholinergic hypothesis presented 35 years ago was the first major evidence-based hypothesis on the etiology of AD. It proposed that the depletion of brain acetylcholine was a primary cause of cognitive decline in advanced age and AD. It relied on a series of observations obtained in aged animals, elderly, and AD patients that pointed to dysfunctions of cholinergic basal forebrain, similarities between cognitive impairments induced by anticholinergic drugs and those found in advanced age and AD, and beneficial effects of drugs stimulating cholinergic activity. This review revisits these major results to show how this hypothesis provided the drive for the development of anticholinesterase inhibitor-based therapies of AD, the almost exclusively approved treatment in use despite transient and modest efficacy. New ideas for improving cholinergic therapies are also compared and discussed in light of the current revival of the cholinergic hypothesis on the basis of two sets of evidence from new animal models and refined imagery techniques in humans. First, human and animal studies agree in detecting signs of cholinergic dysfunctions much earlier than initially believed. Second, alterations of the cholinergic system are deeply intertwined with its reactive responses, providing the brain with efficient compensatory mechanisms to delay the conversion into AD. Active research in this field should provide new insight into development of multitherapies incorporating cholinergic manipulation, as well as early biomarkers of AD enabling earlier diagnostics. This is of prime importance to counteract a disease that is now recognized to start early in adult life. (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a novel control circuit that eliminates signal overshoot inherent to digital step attenuators (DSA) during state transitions. With the addition of digital delay elements, transitions from attenuation state to insertion loss state is delayed with respect to the transition from the insertion loss state to the attenuation state. This prevents unintended signal leakage to the output, eliminating possible signal overshoot. Since this novel technique achieves signal overshoot suppression with a simple addition to the digital control circuit, it is area efficient, and can be applied to any digital attenuator without degrading its RF performance. To present its effectiveness, the proposed technique is employed in a 6-bit DSA. The resulting reduced-overshoot DSA is manufactured in a commercial 0.18 mu m Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) process. Measurement results show that this technique successfully suppresses the signal overshoot to less than 0.2 dB.
Despite the clear need, progress toward a vaccine for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been slow. However, recent events have provided new interest, and several vaccine candidates are either in clinical trials or the trials are close to starting. In this issue of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Schleiss and colleagues show that a nonreplicating lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (rLCMV)-vectored vaccine expressing CMV glycoprotein B (gB) and/or pp65 induces B and T cells and improves pup survival in a guinea pig model of congenital CMV infection (Clin Vaccine Immunol 24: e00300-16, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00300-16). The combination vaccine appeared to be the most effective.
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) is characterized by greater nonmemory dysfunctions, more rapid progression, and greater hypometabolism and atrophy than late-onset AD (LOAD). We sought to investigate the differences in tau accumulation patterns between early-and late-onset patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In 90 patients who completed F-18-AV-1451 and F-18-florbetaben positron emission tomography scans, only 59 amyloid-positive patients (11 EOAD, 10 EOMCI, 21 LOAD, and 17 LOMCI) were included in this study. We compared cortical F-18-AV-1451 binding between each patient group and corresponding amyloid-negative age-matched controls. In contrast to no difference in cortical binding between the EOMCI and LOMCI groups, EOAD showed greater binding in the parieto-occipital cortex than LOAD. The parieto-occipital binding correlated with visuospatial dysfunction in the EOAD spectrum, whereas binding in the temporal cortex correlated with verbal memory dysfunction in the LOAD spectrum. Our findings suggest that distinct topographic distribution of tau may influence the nature of cognitive impairment in EOAD patients. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper describes and analyses a secure and efficient authentication protocol (SEAP) designed for mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). The SEAP protocol is a server coordination-based pairwise symmetric key management protocol which works on a hierarchical network architecture and supports dynamic membership. Besides, the protocol uses a passive external membership granting server (MGS) to provide stronger security. To ensure efficiency, the protocol uses only symmetric key cryptography, and to achieve storage scalability, it makes use of a pseudo random function (PRF). The protocol is also robust against authentication server (AS) compromise. We have formally proved the correctness of the security guarantees provided by the SEAP protocol using the strand space verification model. We have evaluated the proposed protocol using simulations on the QualNet simulator, and experimentations on a MANET testbed. Both simulation and experimental study demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocol as compared to the other existing approaches.
In the field of manufacturing engineering, process designers conduct numerical simulation experiments to observe the impact of varying input parameters on certain outputs of a production process. The disadvantage of these simulations is that they are very time consuming and their results do not help to fully understand the underlying process. For instance, a common problem in planning processes is the choice of an appropriate machine parameter set that results in desirable process outputs. One way to overcome this problem is to use data mining techniques that extract previously unknown but valuable knowledge from simulation results. Our research examines the use of such techniques within the field of Virtual Production Intelligence (VPI). This paper proposes a novel approach for applying machine learning models, namely classification and regression trees, to design a laser cutting process. The evaluation shows that the models accurately identify regions in the multidimensional parameter space that increase the quality of the process (i.e. high cut quality). We implemented the models in the web-based VPI-platform, where the user is able to gain valuable insights into the laser cutting process with the aim of optimizing it. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems recycle and reuse runoff to meet demand. RWH may also provide an additional benefit, runoff reduction or capture. Most studies of RWH have focused upon water supply exclusively. We evaluate decentralized RWH systems across a wide range of land uses and locations in Virginia for water supply and runoff capture, using the Rainwater Analysis and Simulation Program (RASP) model. RASP simulates an RWH system using storage volume, roof area, irrigated area, and indoor nonpotable demand as inputs. A lifecycle cost-benefit model of RWH was developed. Water supply and runoff capture reliability were assessed in each simulation. Near-optimal solutions were identified for each case and location using a nonlinear metaheuristic algorithm. While positive net benefits were not achieved in any of the land-use cases or locations, distinct differences were observed. A 20% reliability target was achieved, or nearly so, for commercial, office, and high density residential cases, which also had the lowest runoff capture unit costs. In all cases, water supply reliability was binding. Statistical analysis indicated that costs variability can be characterized by two locations in Virginia; for water supply or runoff capture, three locations are necessary, and within specific locations, some land-uses could be combined. Cost effectiveness analysis of each land use provided a means of identifying least cost solutions for water supply and runoff capture. Net benefits were found to be very sensitive to water and wastewater charges. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Spot blotch, caused by Cochliobolus sativus, is an economically important disease of barley. To identify genetic loci conferring resistance to three different pathotypes of C. sativus, a worldwide barley core collection (BCC) consisting of 1480 accessions from the USDA National Small Grains Collection were genotyped with the barley 9k Illumina Infinium iSELECT assay and phenotyped at the seedling stage with three C. sativus isolates ND85F (pathotype 1), ND90Pr (pathotype 2), and ND4008 (pathotype 7). Association mapping analysis was performed with the Whole_Panel containing 1480 barley accessions, as well as Two-rowed_Panel and Six-rowed_Panel consisting of 621 two-rowed and 857 six-rowed barley accessions, respectively. For resistance to isolate ND4008, one quantitative trait locus (QTL, QRcs-6H-P7) was detected in all three panels. Three other QTL (QRcs-1H-P7, QRcs-2H-P7, and QRcs-3H-P7) were detected in Whole_Panel, Six-rowed_Panel, and Two-rowed_Panel, respectively. For resistance to isolate ND90Pr, one QTL (QRcs-1H-P2) was identified in the Whole_Panel and the Two-rowed_Panel, and the other QTL (QRcs-6H-P2) was only identified in the Six-rowed_Panel. For resistance to isolate ND85F, three QTL (QRcs-1H-P1, QRcs-3H-P1, QRcs-7H-2-P1) were detected in all three panels, and one QTL (QRcs-7H-1-P1) was only detected in the Two-rowed_Panel. Among the ten QTL detected, four (QRcs-1H-P1, QRcs-3H-P1, QRcs-7H-2-P1, and QRcs-1H-P2) were mapped to chromosome regions containing previously identified QTL for spot blotch resistance, while six (QRcs-1H-P7, QRcs-2H-P7, QRcs-3H-P7, QRcs-6H-P7, QRcs-6H-P2, and QRcs-7H-1-P1) were novel. The SNP markers associated with the QTL identified in this study will be useful for breeding barley cultivars with resistance to multiple pathotypes of C. sativus.
A physiological toxicokinetic (PT) model was developed for inhaled propylene gas (PE) in mouse, rat, and human. Metabolism was simulated to occur in the liver (90%) and in the richly perfused tissue group (10%). The partition coefficients tissue:air were determined in vitro using tissues of mice, rats, and humans. Most of the tissues have partition coefficients of around 0.5. Only adipose tissue displays a 10 times higher value. The partition coefficient blood:air in human is 0.44, about half of that in rodents. PE can accumulate in the organism only barely. For male B6C3F1 mice and male Fischer 344/N rats, parameters of PE metabolism were obtained from gas uptake experiments. Maximum rates of metabolism (V-maxmo) were 110 mu mol/h/kg in mice and 50.4 mu mol/h/kg in rats. V-maxmo/2 was reached in mice at 270 ppm and in rats at 400 ppm of atmospheric PE. Pretreatment of the animals with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate resulted in an almost complete inhibition of PE metabolism in both species. Preliminary toxicokinetic data on PE metabolism in humans were obtained in one volunteer who was exposed up to 4.5 h to constant concentrations of 5 and 25 ppm PE. The PT model was used to calculate PE blood concentrations at steady state. At 25 ppm, the blood values were comparable across species, with 0.19, 0.32, and 0.34 mu mol/L for mouse, rat, and human, respectively. However, the corresponding rates of PE metabolism differed dramatically, being 8.3, 2.1, and 0.29 mu mo/h/kg in mouse, rat, and human. For a repeated human exposure to 25 ppm PE in air (8 h/day, 5 days/week), PE concentrations in venous blood were simulated. The prediction demonstrates that PE is eliminated so rapidly that it cannot accumulate in the organism. For low exposure concentrations, it became obvious that the rate of uptake into blood by inhalation is limited by the blood flow through the lung and the rate of metabolism is limited by the blood flow through the metabolizing organs. (C) 2000 Academic Press.
The potential power of augmented reality (AR) makes it possible to change the semiotic meaning of the real space, and strongly influence human attitude and behavior for achieving a better lifestyle. Typical AR approaches can simply integrate computer-generated (CG) virtual images on the real space from a spatial aspect. This approach limits the potential power because only some objects in the real space can be enhanced. In contrast, virtual reality (VR) technologies make it possible to create a new fictional, but realistic virtual space by using 3D models of real persons and landscapes. In this paper, we propose a new concept named Alternative Reality that is used for building a new type of ambient intelligence experiences. Alternative Reality makes it possible to connect the real space with the virtual space temporally and to integrate the two spaces seamlessly, where its virtual space consists of real landscapes and persons not fictional ones to change the semiotic meaning of the real space and strongly influence human attitude and behavior. However, the virtual space does not reflect the events that actually happened in the real space; this means that it may be possible to enhance the real space by showing fictional events among real events. For demonstrating the Alternative Reality concept, we have developed a case study named Fictional Future, where the virtual space is constructed with fictional events performed by real persons in real landscapes. We conducted a user study of the case study to show the feasibility of the Alternative Reality concept. The user study shows that Alternative Reality augments the real space effectively and a user still experiences the virtual space as in the real space.
Finding pharmaceutically relevant target conformations from an arbitrary set of protein conformations remains a challenge in structure-based virtual screening (SBVS). The growth in the number of available conformations, either experimentally determined or computationally derived, obscures the situation further. While the inflated conformation space potentially contains viable druggable targets, the increase of conformational complexity, as a consequence, poses a selection problem. To address this challenge, we took advantage of machine learning methods, namely an over-sampling and a binary classification procedure, and present a novel method to select druggable receptor conformations. Specifically, we trained a binary classifier on a set of nuclear receptor conformations, wherein each conformation was labeled with an enrichment measure for a corresponding SBVS. The classifier enabled us to formulate suggestions and identify enriching SBVS targets for six of seven nuclear receptors. Further, the classifier can be extended to other proteins of interest simply by feeding new training data sets to the classifier. Our work, thus, provides a methodology to identify pharmaceutically interesting receptor conformations for nuclear receptors and other drug targets.
This paper focuses on parameter uncertainty quantification (UQ) in specific absorption rate (SAR) calculation using a computer-aided design mobile phone model. The uncertainty in SAR calculation is quantified by three nonintrusive UQ methods: unscented transformation, stochastic collocation, and nonintrusive polynomial chaos. Their performances for the cases of one and two random variables are analyzed. To simplify the UQ procedure for the case of multiple uncertain inputs, it is demonstrated that uncertainties can be combined to evaluate the parameter uncertainty of the output. To quantify the relative importance of each uncertain input parameter with respect to the uncertainty of the output, the polynomial chaos based Sobol' indices method is used in SAR calculation for sensitivity analysis. The results of the investigations are presented and discussed.
Background: Speech and language impairments are well-established in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, knowledge about particular aspects of social communication and everyday conversational abilities is limited. Aims: To investigate self- and informant-report ratings of social communicative abilities in ALS participants and matched healthy controls. Methods & Procedures: Thirty-two participants with ALS and 24 controls completed the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ). Participants nominated a close other to provide an informant report on the LCQ. Demographic and clinical information was also collected. Outcomes & Results: Informant ratings indicated greater difficulties in conversational initiation, effectiveness and partner sensitivity for ALS participants compared with controls. ALS participants did not rate their social communicative abilities as poorer than controls and self- reports only differed from informant ratings in the control group. LCQ scores were not significantly correlated with clinical/functional variables. Conclusions & Implications: Social communication can be reduced in ALS and individuals may lack insight into these difficulties. In order to understand and provide targeted interventions for such difficulties, clinical speech and language assessment should incorporate social communication assessment, including both a self- and informant report format.
In the Hausdorff Voronoi diagram of a family of clusters of points in the plane, the distance between a point t and a cluster P is measured as the maximum distance between t and any point in P, and the diagram is defined in a nearest-neighbor sense for the input clusters. In this paper we consider non-crossing clusters in the plane, for which the combinatorial complexity of the Hausdorff Voronoi diagram is linear in the total number of points, n, on the convex hulls of all clusters. We present a randomized incremental construction, based on point location, that computes this diagram in expected time and expected O(n) space. Our techniques efficiently handle non-standard characteristics of generalized Voronoi diagrams, such as sites of non-constant complexity, sites that are not enclosed in their Voronoi regions, and empty Voronoi regions. The diagram finds direct applications in VLSI computer-aided design.
Typical variable air volume (VAV) terminals spend the majority of time at their minimum airflow set points. These are often higher than the minimum ventilation requirements defined by code, resulting in excess energy use and a risk of over-cooling the spaces. We developed and tested a time-averaged ventilation (TAV) control strategy in an institutional building on the UC Berkeley campus to address this issue. Whenever a zone does not require cooling, TAV alternates the VAV damper between partially open and fully closed so that the average airflow matches a predefined ventilation setpoint. Compared to the existing, base case scenario using single-max VAV logic, this strategy reduced the mean zone airflow fraction from 0.44 to 0.27 during the intervention period. The corresponding reductions in average heating, cooling, and fan power were 41%, 23%, and 15% respectively. In addition to being programmed directly in a native control system, TAV may be applied via sMAP as a low-cost retrofit strategy in any building that has a BACnet network and direct digital control (DDC) to each VAV terminal. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Prosocial media effects, short-and long-term intrapersonal changes in prosocial personality traits, values, emotions, and behavior caused by media use, have attracted much less attention than media violence research. Empirical examinations of current theories of prosocial media effects have focused on the indirect effects of prosocial media that explain why exposure to it results in prosocial behavior. However, they have neglected other types of media effects. Further, because of philosophical biases in the field of communication, only the social-cultural perspective has been used to explain the psychological antecedents and consequences of prosocial media effects. The origins and ultimate functions of prosociality in the processes of media effects are unknown. The intersection of evolutionary theories and media effects theories provides a more comprehensive explanation of prosocial media effects. Using various evolutionary perspectives on altruism, reciprocity, and cooperation, this article synthesizes 4 types of prosocial media effects: selective, indirect, conditional, and transactional, suggesting that the dramatic prosocial media learning process should be considered from a comprehensive nature-nurture interactive view. The research agenda, implications, and recent methodological advances are highlighted.
A central feature of meaning in life is a consideration of more than oneself. We extend this logic to suggest that altruistically motivated prosociality - acting in ways that benefit others - is a self-transcending action that may provide meaning in life. Study 1 provided evidence of a relationship between self-reported prosocial behavior and meaning in life, even after statistically controlling for personality traits and self-esteem. Study 2 provided evidence that engaging in a prosocial action, via writing notes of gratitude, increased meaning in life. Study 3 provided evidence that individuals bolster perceptions of prosociality following threats to meaning. Study 4 suggested relationship satisfaction partially mediates the link between prosocial actions and meaning in life. These studies provide initial evidence that prosociality enhances meaning in life.
Military dependent children remain a largely unexplored subject, particularly in early childhood education. In an effort to fill the gap in the current literature, this research study focuses on how early childhood teachers perceive the educational needs of military dependent children. Previous research in the areas of geographic mobility, parental separation, and socioemotional needs are reviewed and used as a platform for this study. The study includes a survey developed by the researcher used in conjunction with Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Checklist to further examine the needs of these children from the perceptions of their teachers. The results of the study demonstrate that while early childhood teachers do not perceive a significant difference between military and nonmilitary dependent children in the socioemotional domains of prosocial behavior, concentration, and disruptive behavior, they do believe there is a difference related to stability. Additionally, early childhood teachers noted a negative socioemotional and academic impact related to parental separation and a negative academic impact related to geographic mobility. Teachers' responses indicated mixed beliefs about the social impact of frequent relocations.
This paper introduces a panel threshold model to empirically estimate the main drivers of electricity performance. The empirical analysis is based on a panel data set including 30 OECD countries over the period 1975-2013. We argue that effective regulatory reforms have positive interaction with the electricity generated leading to a higher capacity utilization and an increase in the level of labor productivity of the sector. The threshold analysis suggests that for already economically liberalised countries the level of economic freedom does not affect electricity generation and subsequently the level of electricity performance. Finally, the results do not drastically change when the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are taken into account.
Despite the frequency with which individuals compare themselves to a benchmark, little research has examined the implications of such comparisons on willingness to help others. Such comparisons can vary in direction by suggesting that one is doing better than a benchmark (a downward comparison) or worse than a benchmark (an upward comparison). We argue and find that by being relatively better off, people making downward comparisons are more likely to view giving as a means of expressing altruistic values (e.g., to give back and be a better person) compared to those making upward comparisons. Consequently, when the context highlights the instrumentality of giving for more altruistic reasons (to benefit others), they are more willing to give than are those making upward comparisons. Furthermore, this difference is mitigated when the context highlights the instrumentality of giving to benefit the self, and is reversed when the instrumentality of giving for benefitting others is challenged. We obtain support for this account across four studies, through both moderation and mediation, and across both monetary and nonmonetary comparison domains. (C) 2016 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The imaging spectrometers of the second orbiting carbon observatory were radiometrically calibrated before launch during instrumentlevel ground testing. The gain and dark responses were characterized for each focal plane array detector element. An integrating sphere source with an integrated monitoring spectroradiometer illuminated the OCO-2 spectrometers at many light levels. Instrument output was compared with the calibrated output of the source to derive gain coefficients. This source was calibrated in situ with respect to the National Institute of Standards and Technology reference standards, and the instrument met its absolute performance requirement of 5%. Matching fields of view for the internal monitor detectors and the external instrument under test was found to be particularly important, as observed in the results and supported by modeling. Temperature-dependent dark offsets were corrected in a separate process. Solar spectra with varying neutral density filters were used to validate the linearity of the spectrometers.
In this work, we study the solution sensibility of a recently introduced measurement based approach to design. In this approach, the coefficients of a function of design parameters are obtained from measurements. The solution and coefficients sensibility is analyzed for experimental DC electrical circuits made up of a voltage source and resistors.
The subtle relationship between feeling and thinking, affect and cognition has fascinated philosophers and writers since time immemorial, yet, empirical research on this topic was relatively neglected by psychologists until recently. There have been many claims emphasising the beneficial cognitive and behavioural consequences of positive affect. Many recent works suggest that negative affect may also facilitate optimal performance in many situations, consistent with evolutionary theories suggesting the adaptive signalling function of various affective states. This paper reviews traditional and current psychological theories linking affect to social thinking and behaviour. A variety of empirical studies from our laboratory will also be presented, demonstrating that in many situations, negative affect promotes optimal performance in cognitive and social tasks, including tasks such as memory, social judgements, motivation, and strategic interpersonal behaviours. These results will be interpreted in terms of a dual-process theory that predicts that negative affect promotes a more accommodative, vigilant, and externally focused thinking strategy. The relevance of these findings for recent affect-cognition theories will be discussed, and the practical implications of negative affect promoting improved social thinking and performance in a number of applied fields will be considered.
Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) improves the survival and quality of life of HIV-positive individuals, but the effects of long-term ART use do eventually manifest. The Complications of Long-Term Antiretroviral Therapy cohort study in Uganda (CoLTART) was established to investigate the metabolic and renal complications of long-term ART use among Ugandan adults. We describe the CoLTART study set-up, aims, objectives, study methods, and also report some preliminary cross-sectional study enrolment metabolic and renal complications data analysis results. Methods: HIV-positive ART naive and experienced adults (18 years and above) in Uganda were enrolled. Data on demographic, dietary, medical, social economic and behaviour was obtained; and biophysical measurements and a clinical examination were undertaken. We measured: fasting glucose and lipid profiles, renal and liver function tests, full blood counts, immunology, virology and HIV drug resistance testing. Plasma samples were stored for future studies. Results: Between July 2013 and October 2014, we enrolled 1095 individuals, of whom 964 (88.0%) were ART experienced (6 months or more), with a median of 9.4 years (IQR 7.0-9.9) on ART. Overall, 968 (88.4%) were aged 35 years and above, 711 (64.9%) were females, 608 (59.6%) were or had ever been on a Tenofovir ART regimen and 236 (23.1%) on a Protease Inhibitor (PI) regimen. There were no differences in renal dysfunction between patients on Tenofovir and Non-Tenofovir containing ART regimens. Patients on PI regimens had higher total cholesterol, lower high density lipoprotein, higher low density lipoprotein, higher triglycerides, and a high atherogenic index for plasma than the non-PI regimen, p = 0.001 or < 0.001. Patients on Non-PI regimens had higher mean diastolic hypertension than patients on PI regimens, p < 0.001. Conclusions: Our finding of no differences in renal dysfunction between patients on Tenofovir and those on Non-Tenofovir containing ART regimens means that Tenofovir based first line ART can safely be initiated even in settings without routine renal function monitoring. However, integration of cardiovascular risk assessment, preventive and curative measures against cardiovascular disease are required. The CoLTART cohort is a good platform to investigate the complications of long-term ART use in Uganda.
We study suspensions of oblate rigid particles in a viscous fluid for different values of the particle volume fractions. Direct numerical simulations have been performed using a direct-forcing immersed boundary method to account for the dispersed phase, combined with a soft-sphere collision model and lubrication corrections for short-range particle-particle and particle-wall interactions. With respect to the single-phase flow, we show that in flows laden with oblate spheroids the drag is reduced and the turbulent fluctuations attenuated. In particular, the turbulence activity decreases to lower values than those obtained by accounting only for the effective suspension viscosity. To explain the observed drag reduction, we consider the particle dynamics and the interactions of the particles with the turbulent velocity field and show that the particle-wall layer, previously observed and found to be responsible for the increased dissipation in suspensions of spheres, disappears in the case of oblate particles. These rotate significantly slower than spheres near the wall and tend to stay with their major axes parallel to the wall, which leads to a decrease of the Reynolds stresses and turbulence production and so to the overall drag reduction.
Agreement between client and therapist is an essential part of the therapeutic alliance. While there are general challenges to the creation of agreement and shared meaning in all psychotherapies, there are specific challenges while working with persons with psychosis. These challenges include the different narratives of the client and the therapist with regard to their roles and the description of the condition or problem, as well as possible stigmatic views and theoretical bias. Here we present a metacognitive intersubjective model as a framework for the understanding and resolutions of these challenges. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra is a 292-acre campus, having more than 7000 residents on the campus. Due to lack of an efficient drainage system, the campus turns into a system of pools at important locations. This accumulation of water for long durations creates an unhealthy environment for the inhabitants besides damaging the roads, pavement and foundation of buildings. Hence, keeping in view all the above problems and status of the campus, rainwater harvesting can be considered as one of the solutions for addressing the problem of accumulated rainwater in the NIT Kurukshetra. The total area of the campus is 11,79,607 sqm, out of which 1,15,941 sqm is built up area and rest of the plain area can be utilized for artificial recharge. In this paper, an efficient design of rainwater harvesting system for the campus is proposed. The detailed design of the components of rainwater harvesting through artificial recharge i.e. filter gallery, recharge well, recharge pit, inspection pit etc are provided. It is expected that the result of the study if implemented will certainly fulfill the dual objective of addressing the menace of water logging in the campus besides enriching the groundwater aquifer. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Surprisingly, until now there has never been an empirical study of creepiness. An international sample of 1341 individuals responded to an online survey. Males were perceived as being more likely to be creepy than females, and females were more likely to associate sexual threat with creepiness. Unusual nonverbal behavior and characteristics associated with unpredictability were also predictors of creepiness, as were some occupations and hobbies. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that being creeped out is an evolved adaptive emotional response to ambiguity about the presence of threat that enables us to maintain vigilance during times of uncertainty. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Near-field thermophotovoltaic (NFTPV) devices have received much attention lately as an alternative energy harvesting system, whereby a heated emitter exchanges super-Planckian thermal radiation with a photovoltaic (PV) cell to generate electricity. This work describes the use of a grating structure to enhance the power throughput of NFTPV devices, while increasing the energy conversion efficiency by ensuring that a large portion of the radiation entering the PV cell is above the band gap. The device contains a high-temperature tungsten grating that radiates photons to a room-temperature In0.18Ga0.82Sb PV cell through a vacuum gap of several tens of nanometers. Scattering theory is used along with the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) to calculate the radiation energy exchange between the grating emitter and the TPV cell. A parametric study is performed by varying the grating depth, period, and ridge width in the range that can be fabricated using available fabrication technologies. It is found that the power output can be increased by 40% while improving the efficiency from 29.9% to 32.0% with a selected grating emitter as compared to the case of a flat tungsten emitter. Reasons for the enhancement are found to be due to the enhanced energy transmission coefficient close to the band gap. This work shows a possible way of improving NFTPV and sheds light on how grating structures interact with thermal radiation at the nanoscale.
The influence of wind and hydrodynamic processes on the spreading of turbid waters from the Vistula Lagoon into the Baltic Sea was studied. Our research is based on joint analyses of remote sensing data and those from concurrent in situ measurements of the three-dimensional structure of the outflow. A strong difference in the water optical properties of the Baltic Sea and the Vistula Lagoon caused by an intense summer bloom of cyanobacteria allowed studies of the evolution and transformation of the outflow in mid-July-early August 2014 using Ocean Color satellite data. Our in situ measurements revealed that waters from the Vistula Lagoon were exclusively present in the upper water layer. The study was conducted under various wind and, therefore, under different upwelling/downwelling conditions, thereby determining different patterns of wind-driven currents, which enabled us to assess their impact on the propagation of the lagoon outflow. One of these patterns was reaching to the south, along the Vistula Spit, and another one reaching to the north, along the Sambia Peninsula. We show that the main spreading direction of the plume strongly coincides with that of wind-driven currents. However, if vortical structures are present in the Bay of Gdansk, they also affect the plume transformation, and that should be taken into account when the propagation of water pollution is forecasted.
In proactive computing, systems can act to eliminate, mitigate or take advantage of previous knowledge to manipulate situations of interest in advance. Such behavior is critical for Ambient Assisted Living Systems. In this paper, we present semantic models to design and implement proactive systems to Home Care environments implemented with devices and sensors. These models support semantic interoperability between the physical environments and different software levels allowing the identification of the user context. Proactivity is then obtained by the construction of the most suitable action's plan that results from the consumption of services provided by these devices and services. One challenge is to model a high-level situation and select the particular device that best meets users' needs, considering their context, location, and disabilities. The paper describes the steps required to create a generic, flexible and modularized model that can be extended to incorporate new domain knowledge regarding the specific requirements of different Ambient Assisted Living Systems.
Nurses are knowledgeable regarding the importance of health-promoting activities such as healthy eating, physical activity, stress management, sleep hygiene, and maintaining healthy relationships. However, this knowledge may not translate into nurses' own self-care. Nurses may not follow recommended guidelines for physical activity and proper nutrition. Long hours, work overload, and shift work associated with nursing practice can be stressful and contribute to job dissatisfaction, burnout, and health consequences such as obesity and sleep disturbances. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of research examining nurses' participation in health-promoting behaviors, including intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may influence nurses' participation in these activities. This article also provides recommendations for perioperative nurse leaders regarding strategies to incorporate into the nursing workplace to improve the health of the staff nurses by increasing health-promoting behaviors. (C) AORN, Inc, 2017.
This study evaluated the effect of an aluminosilicate mineral additive-Biotite V (BV) on growth performance, the immunological and adrenal responses in weaned pigs after Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Thirty-two crossbred weaned pigs were used in this 2x2 factorial experiment, with dietary treatment (basal diet with or without 0.45% BV supplementation) and LPS challenge (challenged or not challenged) as two main factors. On day 14 and 21, pigs were injected intraperitoneally with either 100 mu g/kg body weight of LPS or an equivalent amount of sterile saline. Blood samples were collected 3 h after the first challenge followed by total and differential leukocyte counts and analysis of plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)), cortisol, insulin, and biochemical parameters. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly throughout the 4-week experiment. The results showed that both LPS challenges reduced average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05) and increased feed/gain (P < 0.001), and BV decreased feed/gain (P < 0.05) of immunology challenged pigs. The LPS challengexdiet interactions were observed for ADG (P < 0.05) and feed/gain (P < 0.05) during both challenge. LPS challenge reduced the number of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils (P < 0.05). LPS challengexdiet interaction was observed for plasma TNF-alpha (P < 0.05) concentration, showing decreased plasma TNF-alpha response to LPS challenged in pigs receiving BV. But no LPS challenge x diet interaction was observed for plasma cortisol or PGE(2). There was a diet effect for plasma insulin (P < 0.05) and glucose (P < 0.05), showing increased plasma insulin and decreased glucose with BV supplementation, but no LPS challengexdiet interaction was observed. We conclude that BV improved the weight gain and feed efficiency of weaned pigs during an immunological challenge by suppressing the proinflammatory cytokine release.
Immunotherapy is an entirely advanced class of cancer treatment which has been highly active and exciting field in clinical therapeutics. In numerous procedures, cancer immunotherapy demands a laborious practice to recognise and count Dendritic Cells (DCs) in the vaccine preparation. Conventionally, the laser-based technology that provides a rapid analysis such as Flow Cytometry can affect the DCs viability as the staining procedure is involved. Another highly promising method which is Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) involves experienced pathologists to visually examine the respective microscopy images. In facts, PCM confronts complex issues regarding to imaging artifacts which can deteriorate the recognition process. As the DCs counting is crucial in cancer treatment procedures, this paper proposes a pioneering system called CasDC which implement an image processing algorithm to recognise and count DCs with a label-free method. The aim of developing this system is to establish a reliable and time saving-tool as a second reader in the clinical practice. In the meantime, the treatment procedure can be administered and therefore, improve the patient's survival rate. Our proposed system has an enormous potential towards helping Cancer Research Institute in which the system offers rapid and high throughput cancer immunotherapy vaccine preparation and automated live cell investigation. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Social projection and self-stereotyping are rival explanations for self-other correspondence, in which people tend to perceive a high degree of similarity between themselves and others. The present research shows that both accounts are correct-that is, that knowledge of the self and knowledge of others are mutually constraining. In Study 1, participants whose self-views were experimentally manipulated revised their judgments of an immediate ingroup. In Study 2, an analogous manipulation of ingroup traits altered participants' self-views. In Study 3, participants who were ascribed a trait readily projected to and stereotyped from their relevant ingroup, but not to or from an outgroup. Finally, Study 4 provides reaction-latency evidence for social projection and self-stereotyping as judgmental processes leading to self-other correspondence. In this task, participants referenced self-knowledge when reaching ingroup-descriptiveness judgments (evidence for social projection) and ingroup knowledge when judging the self (evidence for self-stereotyping). Implications for the debate between protocentric and egocentric accounts of person perception are discussed.
Age is a critical factor in the prevalence of tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. To observe how an aging phenotype interacts with and affects the pathological intracellular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau, the tauopathy mouse model pR5 (expressing P301L mutant human tau) was back-crossed more than ten times onto a senescence-accelerated SAMP8 background to establish the new strain, SApT. Unlike SAMP8 mice, pR5 mice are characterized by a robust tau pathology particularly in the amygdala and hippocampus. Analysis of age-matched SApT mice revealed that pathological tau phosphorylation was increased in these brain regions compared to those in the parental pR5 strain. Moreover, as revealed by immunohistochemistry, phosphorylation of critical tau phospho-epitopes (P-Ser202/P-Ser205 and P-Ser235) was significantly increased in the amygdala of SApT mice in an age-dependent manner, suggesting an age-associated effect of tau phosphorylation. Anxiety tests revealed that the older cohort of SApT mice (10months vs. 8months) exhibited a behavioural pattern similar to that observed for age-matched tau transgenic pR5 mice and not the SAMP8 parental mice. Learning and memory, however, appeared to be governed by the accelerated aging background of the SAMP8 strain, as at both ages investigated, SAMP8 and SApT mice showed a decreased learning capacity compared to pR5 mice. We therefore conclude that accelerated aging exacerbates pathological tau phosphorylation, leading to changes in normal behaviour. These findings further suggest that SApT mice may be a useful novel model in which to study the role of a complex geriatric phenotype in tauopathy.
Coal-fired power plants produce nearly 40% of the electricity in the United States, contributing more than three-quarters of all carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity sector. While many European coal-fired power plants have been transitioning to wood pellets to abate carbon dioxide emissions, such a changeover has not occurred in the United States electricity sector. This analysis examines the environmental implications of co-firing coal and wood pellets in the Southeastern United States, where the vast majority of wood pellet exports to Europe originate. Utilizing primary data from existing wood pellet manufacturers, a life cycle inventory is presented that characterizes the full cradle-to-grave environmental performance of co-firing coal and wood pellets for electricity generation. Furthermore, the avoided life cycle emissions related to shipping wood pellets to Europe are calculated. Life cycle assessment modeling scenarios for co-firing wood pellets in existing coal-fired power plants within the Southeastern United States result in reductions in eight of nine impact categories. The results presented here indicate that co-firing with wood pellets could be a viable interim solution for the aging fleet of coal-fired power plants within the Southeastern United States, particularly if stricter emission regulations and renewable portfolio standards are implemented. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The Statistical Learning Theory (SLT) defines five assumptions to ensure learning for supervised algorithms. Data independency is one of those assumptions, once the SLT relies on the Law of Large Numbers to ensure learning bounds. As a consequence, this assumption imposes a strong limitation to guarantee learning on time-dependent scenarios. In order to tackle this issue, some researchers relax this assumption with the detriment of invalidating all theoretical results provided by the SLT. In this paper we apply a kernel function, more precisely the Takens' immersion theorem, to reconstruct time-dependent openended sequences of observations, also referred to as data streams in the context of Machine Learning, into multidimensional spaces (a.k.a. phase spaces) in attempt to hold the data independency assumption. At first, we study the best immersion parameterization for our kernel function using the Distance-Weighted Nearest Neighbors (DWNN). Next, we use this best immersion to recursively forecast next observations based on the prediction horizon, estimated using the Lyapunov exponent. Afterwards, predicted observations are compared against the expected ones using the Mean Distance from the Diagonal Line (MDDL). Theoretical and experimental results based on a cross-validation strategy provide stronger evidences of generalization, what allows us to conclude that one can learn from time-dependent data after using our approach. This opens up a very important possibility for ensuring supervised learning when it comes to time-dependent data, being useful to tackle applications such as in the climate, animal tracking, biology and other domains. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Compelling evidences point out a crucial role for extracellular nucleotides such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during inflammatory conditions. Once released into the extracellular space, ATP modulates migration, maturation and function of various inflammatory cells via activating of purinergic receptors of the P2Y- and P2X- family. P2RX4 is an ATP-guided ion channel expressed on structural cells such as alveolar epithelial and smooth muscle cells as well as inflammatory cells including macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells. P2RX4 has been shown to interact with P2RX7 and promote NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Although P2RX7 has already been implicated in allergic asthma, the role of P2RX4 in airway inflammation has not been elucidated yet. Therefore, we used a selective pharmacological antagonist and genetic ablation to investigate the role of P2RX4 in an ovalbumin (OVA) driven model of allergen-induced airway inflammation (AAI). Both, P2RX4 antagonist 5-BDBD treatment and P2rx4 deficiency resulted in an alleviated broncho alveolar lavage fluid eosinophilia, peribronchial inflammation, Th2 cytokine production and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Furthermore, P2rx4-deficient bone marrow derived DCs (BMDCs) showed a reduced IL-1 beta production in response to ATP accompanied by a decreased P2rx7 expression and attenuated Th2 priming capacity compared to wild type (WT) BMDCs in vitro. Moreover, mice adoptively transferred with P2rx4-deficient BMDCs exhibit a diminished AAI in vivo. In conclusion our data suggests that P2RX4-signaling contributes to AAI pathogenesis by regulating DC mediated Th2 cell priming via modulating IL-1 beta secretion and selective P2RX4-antagonists might be a new therapeutic option for allergic asthma.
The current study examines the effect of status information on the neural substrates of person perception. In an event-related fMRI experiment, participants were presented with photographs of faces preceded with information denoting either: low or high financial status (e.g., earns $25,000 or earns $350,000), or low or high moral status (e.g., is a tobacco executive or does cancer research). Participants were asked to form an impression of the targets, but were not instructed to explicitly evaluate their social status. Building on previous brain-imaging investigations, regions of interest analyses were performed for brain regions expected to support either cognitive (i.e., intraparietal sulcus) or emotional (i.e., ventromedial prefrontal cortex) components of social status perception. Activation of the intraparietal sulcus was found to be sensitive to the financial status of individuals while activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex was sensitive to the moral status of individuals. The implications of these results towards uncovering the neural substrates of status perception and, more broadly, the extended network of brain regions involved in person perception are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Autophagy is a bulk degradation pathway for long-lived proteins, protein aggregates, and damaged organelles. ULK1 protein kinase and Vps34 lipid kinase are two key autophagy regulators that are critical for autophagosome biogenesis. However, it isn't fully understood how ULK1 regulates Vps34, especially in the context of disease. Polyglutamine expansion in huntingtin (Htt) causes aberrant accumulation of the aggregated protein and disrupts various cellular pathways including autophagy, a lysosomal degradation pathway, underlying the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD). Although autophagic clearance of Htt aggregates is under investigation as therapeutic strategy for HD, the precise mechanism of autophagy impairment remains poorly understood. Moreover, in-vivo assays of autophagy have been particularly challenging due to lack of reliable and robust molecular biomarkers. Method: We generated anti-phosphorylated ATG14 antibody to determine ATG14-mediated autophagy regulation; we employed Huntington's disease (HD) genetic cell models and animal models as well as autophagy reporter animal model to understand autophagy signaling and regulation in vivo. We applied biochemical analysis and molecular biology approaches to dissect the alteration of autophagy kinase activity and regulation. Results: Here, we demonstrate that ULK1 phosphorylates ATG14 at serine 29 in an mTOR-dependent manner. This phosphorylation critically regulates ATG14-Vps34 lipid kinase activity to control autophagy level. We also show that ATG14-associated Vps34 activity and ULK1-mediated phosphorylation of ATG14 and Beclin 1 are compromised in the Q175 mouse model of Huntington's disease. Finally, we show that ATG14 phosphorylation is decreased during general proteotoxic stress caused by proteasomal inhibition. This reduction of the specific phosphorylation of ATG14 and Beclin 1 is mediated, in part, by p62-induced sequestration of ULK1 to an insoluble cellular fraction. We show that increased ULK1 levels and phosphor-mimetic mutant ATG14 facilitate the clearance of polyQ mutant in cells. Conclusion: Our study identifies a new regulatory mechanism for ATG14-Vps34 kinase activity by ULK1, which can be used as valuable molecular markers for in-vivo autophagic activity as well as potential therapeutic target for the clearance of polyglutamine disease protein.
It is well known that optimizing network topology by switching on and off transmission lines improves the efficiency of power delivery in electrical networks. In fact, the USA Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Section 1223) states that the United States should encourage, as appropriate, the deployment of advanced transmission technologies including optimized transmission line configurations. As such, many authors have studied the problem of determining an optimal set of transmission lines to switch off to minimize the cost of meeting a given power demand under the direct current (DC) model of power flow. This problem is known in the literature as the Direct-Current Optimal Transmission Switching Problem (DC-OTS). Most research on DC-OTS has focused on heuristic algorithms for generating quality solutions or on the application of DC-OTS to crucial operational and strategic problems such as contingency correction, real-time dispatch, and transmission expansion. The mathematical theory of the DC-OTS problem is less well developed. In this work, we formally establish that DC-OTS is NP-Hard, even if the power network is a series-parallel graph with at most one load/demand pair. Inspired by Kirchoff's Voltage Law, we provide a cycle-based formulation for DC-OTS, and we use the new formulation to build a cycle-induced relaxation. We characterize the convex hull of the cycle-induced relaxation; this characterization provides strong valid inequalities that can be used in a cutting-plane approach to solve the DC-OTS. We give details of a practical implementation, and we show promising computational results on standard benchmark instances.
Genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses implicated that increased risk of developing Alzheimer's diseases (AD) has been associated with the ABCA7, APOE, BIN1, CASS4, CD2AP, CD33, CELF1, CLU, CR1, DSG2, EPHA1, FERMT2, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB4, INPP5D, MEF2C, MS4A4A, MS4A4E, MS4A6E, NME8, PICALM, PLD3, PTK2B, RIN3, SLC24A4, SORL1, and ZCWPW1 genes. In this study, we assessed whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these 27 AD-associated genes are linked with cognitive aging independently and/or through complex interactions in an older Taiwanese population. We also analyzed the interactions between lifestyle and these genes in influencing cognitive aging. A total of 634 Taiwanese subjects aged over 60 years from the Taiwan Biobank were analyzed. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were performed for all subjects to evaluate cognitive functions. Out of the 588 SNPs tested in this study, only the association between CASS4-rs911159 and cognitive aging persisted significantly (P = 2.2 x 10(-5)) after Bonferroni correction. Our data also showed a nominal association of cognitive aging with the SNPs in six more key AD-associated genes, including EPHA1-rs10952552, FERMT2-rs4901317, MEF2C-rs9293506, PLD3-rs11672825, RIN3-rs1885747, and SLC24A4-rs67063100 (P = 0.0018 similar to 0.0097). Additionally, we found the interactions among CASS4-rs911159, EPHA-rs10952552, FERMT2-rs4901317, MEF2C-rs9293506, or SLC24A4-rs67063100 on cognitive aging (P = 0.004 similar to 0.035). Moreover, our analysis suggested the interactions of SLC24A4-rs67063100 or MEF2C-rs9293506 with lifestyle such as alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, or social support on cognitive aging (P = 0.008 similar to 0.041). Our study indicates that the AD-associated genes may contribute to the risk of cognitive aging independently as well as through genegene and gene-lifestyle interactions.
Cognitive decline is a major biomedical challenge as the global population ages. Elevated levels of the longevity factor klotho suppress aging, enhance cognition, and promote synaptic plasticity and neural resilience against aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related pathogenic proteins. Here, we examined the relationship between human genetic variants of KLOTHO and systemic klotho levels - and assessed neuroanatomic correlates of serum klotho in a cohort of healthy older adults. Serum klotho levels were increased with KL-VS heterozygosity, as anticipated. We report, for the first time, that serum klotho levels were paradoxically decreased with KL-VS homozygosity. Further, we found that higher serum klotho levels were associated with measures of greater intrinsic connectivity in key functional networks of the brain vulnerable to aging and AD such as the fronto-parietal and default mode networks. Our findings suggest that elevated klotho promotes a resilient brain, possibly through increased network connectivity of critical brain regions.
This paper is based on a prospective scenario of development of rainwater harvesting (RWH) on a given large urban area (such as metropolitan area or region). In such a perspective, a new method is proposed to quantify the related potential of potable water savings (PPWS) indicator on this type of area by adapting the reference model usually used on the building level. The method is based on four setting-up principles: gathering (definition of buildings-types and municipalities-types), progressing (use of an intermediate level), increasing (choice of an upper estimation) and prioritizing (ranking the stakes of RWH). Its application to the Paris agglomeration shows that is possible to save up to 11% of the total current potable water through the use of RWH. It also shows that the residential sector offers the most important part because it holds two-thirds of the agglomeration PPWS.
CD4(+)CD25(high)FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) are involved in graft-specific tolerance after solid organ transplantation. However, adoptive transfer of polyspecific Tregs alone is insufficient to prevent graft rejection even in rodent models, indicating that graft-specific Tregs are required. We developed a highly specific chimeric antigen receptor that recognizes the HLA molecule A*02 (referred to as A2-CAR). Transduction into natural regulatory T cells (nTregs) changes the specificity of the nTregs without alteration of their regulatory phenotype and epigenetic stability. Activation of nTregs via the A2-CAR induced proliferation and enhanced the suppressor function of modified nTregs. Compared with nTregs, A2-CAR Tregs exhibited superior control of strong allospecific immune responses in vitro and in humanized mouse models. A2-CAR Tregs completely prevented rejection of allogeneic target cells and tissues in immune reconstituted humanized mice in the absence of any immunosuppression. Therefore, these modified cells have great potential for incorporation into clinical trials of Treg-supported weaning after allogeneic transplantation.
By employing state-of-the-art automated design and optimization techniques from the field of evolutionary computation, engineers are able to discover electrical machine designs that are highly competitive with respect to several objectives like efficiency, material costs, torque ripple and others. Apart from being Pareto-optimal, a good electrical machine design must also be quite robust, i.e., it must not be sensitive with regard to its design parameters as this would severely increase manufacturing costs or make the physical machine exhibit characteristics that are very different from those of its computer simulation model. Even when using a modern parallel/distributed computing environment, carrying out a (global) tolerance analysis of an electrical machine design is extremely challenging because of the number of evaluations that must be performed and because each evaluation requires very time-intensive non-linear finite element (FE) simulations. In the present research, we describe how global surrogate models (ensembles of fast-to-train artificial neural networks) that are created in order to speed-up the multi-objective evolutionary search can be easily reused to perform a fast tolerance analysis of the optimized designs. Using two industrial optimization scenarios, we show that the surrogate-based approach can offer very valuable insights regarding the local and global sensitivities of the considered objectives at a fraction of the computational cost required by a FE-based strategy. Encouraged by the good performance on individual designs, we also used the surrogate approach to track the average sensitivity of the Pareto front during the entire optimization procedure. Our results indicate that there is no generalized increase of sensitivity during the runs, i.e., the used evolutionary algorithms do not enter a stage where they discover electrical drive designs that trade robustness for quality.
This paper aims to develop and evaluate information assurance and security learning materials on hardware/firmware attacks for undergraduate education. Topics include firmware worms, application programming interface, and operating systems. Computing devices are equipped with firmware that performs basic hardware testing and loads operating systems. According to hardware rooted security guidelines, the following fundamental security primitives are required: roots of trust, an application programming interface (API) to the platform, and a policy enforcement engine. We believe it is important to verify these primitives' integrity with hands-on experiments to educate next generation computer experts. The learning material has been implemented and evaluated in an undergraduate Computer Architecture course using Intel's Chipsec to validate PC BIOS in terms of known vulnerabilities.
Fused Deposition Modeling is a filament extrusion-base Additive Manufacturing process that integrates Computer Aided Design system, material science, Computer Numerical Control and the extrusion process to fabricate physical parts without geometrical limitations. Notwithstanding the wide industrial diffusion, one of the most limiting aspects of this technology is the obtainable surface roughness. This limitation implies that secondary finishing operations are necessary in order to comply with the design requirements. Several efforts have been done in this field but a lack exists about Computer Numerical Control machining: the Fused Deposition Modeling mesostructure and the anisotropic surface morphology, which strongly depends upon the deposition angle, make very difficult the determination of the cutting process parameters. The aim of this work is to develop a methodology able to unlock the possibility to finish Fused Deposition Modeling parts by Computer Numerical Control machining. A variable cutting depth has been considered to avoid inner defects arising and to eliminate initial surface morphology. An experimental campaign allowed to determine how cutting depth should be set as a function of deposition angle. A particular virtual model offset permitted to generate in Computer Aided Manufacturing the machine code. A case study characterized by functional surfaces confirmed the applicability of the method to complex geometry: a great reduction of average roughness and a reliable uniformity of finished surfaces have been obtained. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Intensive economic and shipping activities in Singapore Strait have caused Singapore coastal waters to be under high risk of water pollution. A nested three-dimensional unstructured-grid SUNTANS model is applied to Singapore coastal waters to simulate flow and pollutant transport. The small domain (similar to 50 m resolution) Singapore coastal model is nested within a large domain (similar to 200 m resolution) regional model. The nested model is able to predict water surface elevations and velocities with high R-2 values of 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. Model results delineate the characteristics of circulation pattern in Singapore coastal waters during the Northeast and Southwest monsoons. The pollutants are modeled as passive tracers, and are released at six key sailing locations Points 1-6 in Singapore coastal waters and are named as Passive Tracers 1-6, respectively. Our results show that the rate of dispersionis twice as large for the Northeast monsoon compared to the Southwest monsoon due to differences in large-scale monsoons and small-scale local winds. The volume averaged concentration (VAC) diminishes faster and the local flushing time is shorter during the Northeast monsoon than the Southwest monsoon. Dispersion coefficients K and the VAC decreasing rate are maximum for Tracers 2 and 3 with shortest local flushing time due to the strong surrounding currents and abrupt bathymetry changes near Senang and St. John Islands. Dispersion coefficients K and the VAC decreasing rate are minimum for Tracer 1 due to weak currents induced by the semi-enclosed coastline near Tuas. It is found that both the lateral dispersion coefficient K-y and the compound dispersion coefficient K obey a 4/3-law, which defines a linear correlation between dispersion coefficients and 4/3-power of selected length scale. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vocalizations of anuran amphibians have received much attention in studies of behavioral ecology and physiology, but also provide informative characters for identifying and delimiting species. We here review the terminology and variation of frog calls from a perspective of integrative taxonomy, and provide hands-on protocols for recording, analyzing, comparing, interpreting and describing these sounds. Our focus is on advertisement calls, which serve as premating isolation mechanisms and, therefore, convey important taxonomic information. We provide recommendations for terminology of frog vocalizations, with call, note and pulse being the fundamental subunits to be used in descriptions and comparisons. However, due to the complexity and diversity of these signals, an unequivocal application of the terms call and note can be challenging. We therefore provide two coherent concepts that either follow a note-centered approach (defining uninterrupted units of sound as notes, and their entirety as call) or a call-centered approach (defining uninterrupted units as call whenever they are separated by long silent intervals) in terminology. Based on surveys of literature, we show that numerous call traits can be highly variable within and between individuals of one species. Despite idiosyncrasies of species and higher taxa, the duration of calls or notes, pulse rate within notes, and number of pulses per note appear to be more static within individuals and somewhat less affected by temperature. Therefore, these variables might often be preferable as taxonomic characters over call rate or note rate, which are heavily influenced by various factors. Dominant frequency is also comparatively static and only weakly affected by temperature, but depends strongly on body size. As with other taxonomic characters, strong call divergence is typically indicative of species-level differences, whereas call similarities of two populations are no evidence for them being conspecific. Taxonomic conclusions can especially be drawn when the general advertisement call structure of two candidate species is radically different and qualitative call differences are thus observed. On the other hand, quantitative differences in call traits might substantially vary within and among conspecific populations, and require careful evaluation and analysis. We provide guidelines for the taxonomic interpretation of advertisement call differences in sympatric and allopatric situations, and emphasize the need for an integrative use of multiple datasets (bio-acoustics, morphology, genetics), particularly for allopatric scenarios. We show that small-sized frogs often emit calls with frequency components in the ultrasound spectrum, although it is unlikely that these high frequencies are of biological relevance for the majority of them, and we illustrate that detection of upper harmonics depends also on recording distance because higher frequencies are attenuated more strongly. Bioacoustics remains a prime approach in integrative taxonomy of anurans if uncertainty due to possible intraspecific variation and technical artifacts is adequately considered and acknowledged.
Heroes are ubiquitous in literature and popular discourse, yet little is known about cognitive representations of heroes. We examined lay conceptions of heroes using a prototype approach, compared heroes with other persons of influence, and studied how individuals use hero features to identify heroes. In Study 1, participants (N = 189) generated open-ended descriptions of heroes, which were sorted by independent coders into 26 meaningful categories. In Study 2, participants (N = 365) rated the centrality of these features, and subsequently classified each feature as either central (e.g., brave, moral integrity) or peripheral (e.g., humble, proactive). In a reaction time (RT) paradigm, participants in Study 3 (N = 33) identified central features of heroes faster than peripheral features. In Study 4, participants (N = 25) remembered more central hero features than peripheral features in a surprise recall task. In Study 5 (N = 89), participants most strongly identified a hero when the target was described with central features (vs. peripheral or neutral features). In Studies 6 (N = 212) and 7 (N = 307), participants' ratings evidenced that the prototypical features of heroes did not fit conceptually as well for role models and leaders. In all, these studies contribute new ideas to existing knowledge about heroes, and contribute to a shared understanding of what a hero means to people. Our research is thus an important step in refining heroism into a scientific concept. The notion of the prototypical features of heroes provides a basis for future hero research and intervention.
International organizations, ranging from large MNCs to small born global firms, are increasingly recognizing that multicultural employees can help them operate across countries and across cultures. However, multiculturals individuals who identify with and internalize more than one culture - are a diverse group, and organizations seeking to leverage their potential can benefit from a deeper understanding of the resources they possess and the challenges they face. We conducted three studies with a total of 1196 participants to test relationships between multicultural identity patterns and personal, social and task outcomes. Consistent results across studies indicated that individuals with more cultural identities (higher identity plurality) had more social capital and higher levels of intercultural skills than those with fewer cultural identities, while individuals who integrated their cultural identities (higher identity integration) experienced higher levels of personal well-being than those who separated them. Based on these results we advocate for two directions in future research on multicultural employees: moving beyond cognitive mechanisms alone, and examining monocultural and multicultural individuals simultaneously along the spectrum of identity plurality.
In this paper, we propose the use of energy load profiles to learn human activities. An energy load profile determines the energy consumption of an appliance during a specific interval of time. We propose the use of clustering techniques to group the different profiles according to their temporal consumption. Both Hard and Soft clustering techniques are evaluated. We have tested the method with data from REMODECE (Residential Monitoring to Decrease Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in Europe) 1 database.
Background: Babesiosis is a socioeconomically important tick- borne disease of animals (including humans) caused by haemoprotozoan parasites. The severity of babesiosis relates to host and parasite factors, particularly virulence/pathogenicity. Although Babesia bovis is a particularly pathogenic species of cattle, there are species of Babesia of ruminants that have limited pathogenicity. For instance, the operational taxonomic unit Babesia sp. Xinjiang (abbreviated here as Bx) of sheep from China is substantially less virulent/pathogenic than B. bovis is in cattle. Although the reason for this distinctiveness is presently unknown, it is possible that Bx has a reduced ability to adhere to cells or evade/suppress immune responses, which might relate to particular proteins, such as the variant erythrocyte surface antigens (VESAs). Results: We sequenced and annotated the 8.4 Mb nuclear draft genome of Bx and compared it with those of B. bovis and B. bigemina by synteny analysis; we also investigated the genetic relationship of Bx with selected Babesia species and related apicomplexans for which genomic datasets are available, and explored the VESA complement in Bx. Conclusions: The availability of the Bx genome now provides unique opportunities to elucidate aspects of the molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology of Bx, and to explore the reason(s) for its limited virulence and/or apparent ability to evade immune attack by the host animal. Moreover, the present genomic resource and an in vitro culture system for Bx raises the prospect of establishing a functional genomic platform to explore essential genes as new intervention targets against babesiosis.
This paper describes the necessity of integrated computerization of manufacturing engineering process, the aims and requirements of modem integrated systems; also presents the integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing Engineering system SAT, its structure, main functions, data base and area of application.
Over several years, the trend of e-learning study has spread to all levels of education. The benefits of this trend are undeniable. When studying using e-learning materials students are connected to the internet and therefore they are able to trace quickly and easily additional information that are not given in the text or are is not explained adequately. It has a positive impact on students and their development of independence, creativity and in some cases is possible that the student does not even notice she/he is educating herself/him. Of course, this method has disadvantages such as e.g. health problems from frequent sitting at the computer, problems with social skills and communication, etc. Despite this, the method of teaching is certainly indispensable to the future and certainly it will replace the existing system partly or even completely. Unfortunately, the implementation of this trend is not so simple and faces many obstacles at all levels of education. In theoretical fields such as philosophy and human sciences, the creation of e-learning materials is easier. Lecture notes that are taught in the form of very long texts written on the blackboard or in the form of dictation during lectures are redesigned into electronic form and are supplemented by simple interactive elements that are used to test the students during studies. In technical fields such as machine design, the automotive industry, metallurgy, machining, etc. we face problems when in the course of teaching we must combine theoretical information, practical principles and industrial practices. But merging theory and practice creates a big problem when developing electronic interactive study materials which should be identical to the feelings that students will gain on a real example. Therefore our Department of Machine Design at the University of West Bohemia focused on this problem and conducted research of software tools that can be used to create educational materials. We sought inspiration not only online, but also from colleagues at other universities and in industry. The paper describes some of these tools and processes, including their advantages and disadvantages and it should be used as inspiration for other colleagues that are also focusing on this problem.
The current study examines the Barack Obama presidency through the lens of racialized news framing and symbolic racism. Racial prejudice often manifests as subtle symbolic racism in so-called postracial America by supporting beliefs that racial minorities have gained undeserved advantage and are no longer discriminated against. Even when counter-stereotypic leaders such as President Obama from racial/ethnic minority groups are elected to positions of authority, they are subject to tokenism, heightened visibility, and racialized scrutiny in the media in ways that reinforce cultural stereotypes. The current study uses a between-participants experiment (N = 168) to examine how exposure to positive versus negative news frames of Obama have differential effects on White participants' symbolic racist beliefs. From a priming perspective, exposure to negative frames of President Obama is likely to activate underlying prejudicial feelings that lead to biased evaluations of African Americans as a whole. Using path analysis, the present study builds a causal chain of relationships that reveals that exposure to negative news frames of Obama as compared to positive ones activates readers' anti-Black affect, which in turn increases their symbolic racist beliefs. Implications of the findings for race/ethnic studies, political communication and journalism are discussed.
The control system of moving mirror scanning is an important part of the Fourier transform spectrometer, and its dynamic and static performance determines the interference effect and the spectral resolution of the spectrometer. To meet the requirement of the uniform velocity of moving mirror scanning, a completely digital control scheme is proposed with FPGA as the key hardware, and this scheme is applied to the moving mirror movement in the spectrometer. According to the need of the current detection and the velocity detection, a dual closed loop control composed of current loop and velocity loop is realized, with current loop and velocity loop using PI control and fuzzy PID control respectively. The experiment results show that the current curve is smooth in the uniform scan phase of moving mirror, and that the peak current is 0.5 A in acceleration and deceleration period. Additionally, when the angular velocity of moving mirror is 30/s in the uniform section, the maximum relative error is less than 4%. From research results, it can be drawn that the digital control strategy can significantly improve the velocity stability of moving mirror, and meet the performance requirements of the control system. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
High-throughput screening techniques that analyze the metabolic endpoints of biological processes can identify the contributions of genetic predisposition and environmental factors to the development of common diseases. Studies applying controlled physiological challenges can reveal dysregulation in metabolic responses that may be predictive for or associated with these diseases. However, large-scale epidemiological studies with well controlled physiological challenge conditions, such as extended fasting periods and defined food intake, pose logistic challenges. Culturally and religiously motivated behavioral patterns of life style changes provide a natural setting that can be used to enroll a large number of study volunteers. Here we report a proof of principle study conducted within a Muslim community, showing that a metabolomics study during the Holy Month of Ramadan can provide a unique opportunity to explore the pre-prandial and postprandial response of human metabolism to nutritional challenges. Up to five blood samples were obtained from eleven healthy male volunteers, taken directly before and two hours after consumption of a controlled meal in the evening on days 7 and 26 of Ramadan, and after an over-night fast several weeks after Ramadan. The observed increases in glucose, insulin and lactate levels at the postprandial time point confirm the expected physiological response to food intake. Targeted metabolomics further revealed significant and physiologically plausible responses to food intake by an increase in bile acid and amino acid levels and a decrease in long-chain acyl-carnitine and polyamine levels. A decrease in the concentrations of a number of phospholipids between samples taken on days 7 and 26 of Ramadan shows that the long-term response to extended fasting may differ from the response to short-term fasting. The present study design is scalable to larger populations and may be extended to the study of the metabolic response in defined patient groups such as individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Introduction: Use of computers is generally encouraged; this is to keep up with the fast-moving world of technology, research and science. Extensive use of computers will result in computer vision syndrome (CVS), and the prevalence is increased dramatically. The main objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of CVS among bank workers in Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional institution-based study was conducted among computer-using bank workers in Gondar city from April to June, 2015. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and observations with checklists, entered with Epi Info (TM) 7 and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were carried out to compute the different rates, proportion and relevant associations. Results: Among the total 304 computer-using bank workers, the prevalence of CVS was 73% (95% confidence interval [CI]= 68.04, 78.02). Blurred vision (42.4%), headache (23.0%) and redness (23.0%) were the most experienced symptoms. Inappropriate sitting position was 2.3 times (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]= 2.33; 95% CI= 1.27, 4.28) more likely to be associated with CVS when compared with appropriate sitting position. Those working on the computer for more than 20 minutes without break were nearly 2 times (AOR= 1.93; 95% CI= 1.11, 3.35) more likely to have suffered from CVS when compared with those taking break within 20 minutes, and those wearing eye glasses were 3 times (AOR= 3.19; 95% CI= 1.07, 9.51) more likely to suffer from CVS when compared with those not wearing glasses. Conclusion: About three-fourths of computer-using bank workers suffered from CVS with the most experienced symptoms being blurred vision, headache and redness of eyes. In appropriate sitting position, working on the computer without a break for more than 20 minutes and wearing eye glasses were independently associated with CVS.
Individuals are not merely passive vessels of whatever beliefs and opinions they have been exposed to; rather, they are attracted to belief systems that resonate with their own psychological needs and interests, including epistemic, existential, and relational needs to attain certainty, security, and social belongingness. Jost, Glaser, Kruglanski, and Sulloway (2003) demonstrated that needs to manage uncertainty and threat were associated with core values of political conservatism, namely respect for tradition and acceptance of inequality. Since 2003 there have been far more studies on the psychology of left-right ideology than in the preceding half century, and their empirical yield helps to address lingering questions and criticisms. We have identified 181 studies of epistemic motivation (involving 130,000 individual participants) and nearly 100 studies of existential motivation (involving 360,000 participants). These databases, which are much larger and more heterogeneous than those used in previous meta-analyses, confirm that significant ideological asymmetries exist with respect to dogmatism, cognitive/perceptual rigidity, personal needs for order/structure/closure, integrative complexity, tolerance of ambiguity/uncertainty, need for cognition, cognitive reflection, self-deception, and subjective perceptions of threat. Exposure to objectively threatening circumstances-such as terrorist attacks, governmental warnings, and shifts in racial demography-contribute to modest conservative shifts in public opinion. There are also ideological asymmetries in relational motivation, including the desire to share reality, perceptions of within-group consensus, collective self-efficacy, homogeneity of social networks, and the tendency to trust the government more when one's own political party is in power. Although some object to the very notion that there are meaningful psychological differences between leftists and rightists, the identification of elective affinities between cognitive-motivational processes and contents of specific belief systems is essential to the study of political psychology. Political psychologists may contribute to the development of a good society not by downplaying ideological differences or advocating Swiss-style neutrality when it comes to human values, but by investigating such phenomena critically, even-or perhaps especially-when there is pressure in society to view them uncritically.
Although theory and research evidence indicate that less securely attached persons are more likely than their secure peers to experience emotion regulation difficulties, this is not necessarily a pre-ordained outcome. Emotion regulation difficulties may be more proximally predicted by individuals' maladaptive psychological defenses such as humor styles. This study explored the interrelationships between adult attachment orientations (attachment anxiety and avoidance) and perceived bonds with parents (perceived levels of parental care and control), emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and maladaptive humor styles (aggressive and self-defeating humor). Attachment anxiety, avoidance, and maternal care and overprotection were associated in expected directions with aggressive and self-defeating humor, but paternal care and overprotection were not. Additionally, aggressive and self-defeating humor were positively associated with expressive suppression and negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal. Self-defeating humor partially mediated the relationship between a number of attachment predictors (attachment anxiety, avoidance, maternal care, and maternal control) and expressive suppression. For example, attachment anxiety predicted higher use of self-defeating humor, which in turn predicted higher levels of expressive suppression. Finally, aggressive humor partially mediated the relationship between avoidance and cognitive reappraisal. Avoidance predicted higher use of aggressive humor, which in turn predicted lower levels of reappraisal. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Using non-woven polypropylene geotextile, a filtration unit was designed for portable prototype filter capable of defluoridation and desalination. The filtration unit contains geotextile bag filled with mica and graphite sand. Emphasis was given to make the filter design as simple as possible that is suitable for rural areas. The designed filter was continuously tested for three months along with ceramic (Candle) filter and Pureit filter for comparative studies. The performance of the filters was evaluated on the basis of the percentage of residue removed by the individual filters and cleaning period of the filters. The results of the improvement in the water quality made by prototypes filter without cleaning show reduction in concentration of fluoride and electrical conductivity (EC) by 83.06 and 45.75%, respectively. While the other two filters despite weekly cleaning shows reduction in concentration of fluoride and EC by 74.20 and 30.04%, (ceramic filter) and 93.68 and 86.37% (Pureit filter), respectively. The prototype filter with very simple in design has performed better than other filters with complex designs. The test shows that uses of non-woven geotextiles (polypropylene) along with sand can provide an alternate solution to the expensive defluoridation and desalination processes.
The present study shows the process followed in making the three-dimensional model and geometric documentation of a historical invention of the renowned Spanish engineer Agustin de Betancourt y Molina, which forms part of his rich legacy. Specifically, this was a wind machine for draining marshy ground, designed in 1789. The present research relies on the computer-aided design (CAD) techniques using Autodesk Inventor Professional software, based on the scant information provided by the only two drawings of the machine, making it necessary to propose a number of dimensional and geometric hypotheses as well as a series of movement restrictions (degrees of freedom), to arrive at a consistent design. The results offer a functional design for this historic invention.
Computer aided diagnosis systems based on brain imaging are a powerful tool to assist in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The goal is the automatic recognizing of neurodegenerative patterns that characterize the disease. In this regard, determining regions related to the disease results crucial to select the most discriminative voxels and to optimize the number of features to be used in the learning algorithm. In this paper, we propose a method based on the robust principal component analysis (Robust PCA) algorithm that allows to automatically compute Regions Of Interest (ROIs) over a training set of images and rank them according to their diagnostic relevance. Robust PCA is used to compute the sparse ' error matrix, which is, in turn, employed to determine the brain areas related to the Alzheimer's disease. These areas are further used as a mask to select and weight the most discriminative voxels to construct a classification model. We then describe a method to fuse the features computed from different image modalities based on the weights assigned by the individual Support Vector Classifiers during the training process. The method presented' here has been applied to multimodal image containing both functional (18F-FDG PET) and structural (Magnetic Resonance) data. Experiments, conducted using 68 control subjects and 70 CE patients, show the effectiveness of the proposed approach for the exploratory analysis. At the same time, classification experiments using the features computed by the proposed method and assessed by cross-validation showed accuracy values up to 92% and AUC (Area Under the Curve) of 0.95. Thus, the proposal seems as an effective technique to reveal ROIs in differential diagnosis applications and to combine multimodal image data, outperforming other classification methods, including the voxelas-features (VAF) baseline. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study examined at-risk boys' social self-efficacy and physical activity self-efficacy within Bandura's self-efficacy framework. A total of 97 boys, aged between 10 and 13 years, attending a summer sports camp completed questionnaires assessing their social self-efficacy, physical activity self-efficacy, prosocial behaviors, and effort. Results indicated that social self-efficacy and physical activity self-efficacy were clearly distinguishable. However, the two constructs had a strong positive correlation. Both social self-efficacy and physical activity self-efficacy predicted prosocial behaviors significantly, with social self-efficacy having a stronger predictive power. Physical activity self-efficacy was a better predictor of effort than social self-efficacy. This study provides initial empirical evidence supporting Bandura's conceptualization of the domain-specific features and predictive power of self-efficacy in a summer sports camp setting, and thus enables a better understanding of the nature and effects of self-efficacy.
The future of nanoplasmonic interconnects for next-generation computing platforms is dependent on the development of active devices for compensating the high losses from the metallic waveguides. We present and investigate the gain characteristics of an electrically pumped nanoplasmonic In0.485Ga0.515As amplifier design for the telecommunications wavelength of 1.55 mu m through 3D finite difference time domain simulations. The device is shown to be capable, when coupled to a nanoplasmonic interconnect network, of restoring signal amplitude after more than a hundred micrometers of propagation. Up to 500 GHz pulse repetition rates are maintained without significant pulse distortion, offering the possibility of incorporating ultrahigh bandwidth nanoplasmonic interconnects into hybrid optical-electrical circuits.
This paper presents three new contributions to power flow analysis of unbalanced three-phase distribution systems. First, a complex vector based model in alpha beta 0 stationary reference frame is developed to state the power flow equations using a compact matrix formulation. The proposed model is based on Kirchhoff's current law (KCL) and Kirchhoff's voltage law (KVL). Then, a general and exact power transformer model in the alpha beta 0 reference frame is proposed. Finally, this transformer model is incorporated into the power flow problem. It will be shown that the use of an orthogonal reference frame simplifies the modeling of the distribution network components. In this work, both the network and the power transformer, as well as PQ type loads, PQ and PV type generators and a slack bus are modeled. By using the node incidence matrix instead of the admittance matrix, the information about the grid topology and the grid parameters (including power transformers) is separately organized. As it will be demonstrated, the proposed formulation is ready to incorporate other complex models of loads, generators or storage devices. The model is tested by using the IEEE 4-Node and the IEEE 123-Node Test Feeders with different transformer connections and balanced and unbalanced lines and loads.
Expectations that others will reciprocate to the benefits they received from us play a crucial role for the establishment of stable reciprocal exchange within social relationships. In the current study, 3- to 5-year-old preschool children allocated in a first phase more resources to one recipient than to another recipient. Subsequently, they had the possibility to ask one of them for valuable resources. The results of Experiment 1 show that preschool children expect others to reciprocate and strategically ask the ones they benefitted more to share with them. Experiment 2 demonstrates that there was no selective resource request when the recipients were absent during children's resource allocations. Experiment 3 showed that children focused on the absolute amount of resources given to the recipients, but did not monitor their own relative generosity in judging to whom of the recipients they had been nicer. This study provides first evidence that preschool children possess reciprocity expectations and point thus to the strategic nature of early social behavior.
Liquid manure applied in agricultural lands improves soil quality. However, incorrect management of manure may cause environmental problems due to sediments and nutrients losses associated to runoff. The aims of this work were to: (i) evaluate the time effect of post-liquid dairy manure (LDM) application on runoff, sediment and nutrient losses; (ii) compare the effect of conventional tillage and no-till systems on runoff, sediment and nutrients losses after LDM application. A rainfall simulation experiment was conducted on intact soil blocks collected from fields that had been under conventional tillage and no-till systems. Rainfall was applied 24 h or 7 days after LDM application. Conventional tillage without manure application resulted on higher runoff, sediment and nutrient losses (mainly the particulate fraction) than no-till without manure. The greatest runoff, sediment and nutrients losses occurred in the treatments where simulated rainfall was performed 24 h after LDM application independent of the tillage system. An interval of 7 days between manure application and the rainfall event reduced sediment, particulate P, and particulate N losses in both conventional and no-till systems. In practical terms, we would recommend a minimum of 7 days between LDM application and rainfall-runoff event to provide agronomic benefits minimizing the potential risk of water pollution. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study presents the importance of disconnectivity in dryland area runoff demonstrated by manmade water harvesting structures dated to Greco-Roman times. Located on the coastal strip of some 20 km width along the Mediterranean coast of modern northwestern Egypt covering the north-eastern part of the region known in antiquity as Marmarica, the area receives winterly rainfalls of up to 140 mm. Further south, precipitation decreases quickly and desert conditions become more pronounced. Bedrocks are predominantly calcareous, soils are loamy, stony, calcareous, and shallow, except in relief sinks with sedimentary deposits. The land rises from the coast up to 230 ma.s.l. on the Marmarica Plateau in a sequence of zonal northsloping plains and scarps the northern parts of which are dissected and drained by wadis. Agriculturally suitable areas comprise some 9% of the coastal zone and adjacent tablelands. Overland flow controls the discharge dynamics and is the main source of wadi runoff and hence agricultural water supply. The land use pattern is scattered because cropping areas depend mainly on suitability of soils and the generation of runoff harvest, which are closely interrelated because of the arid water and sediment regime. The patchiness of runoff generation increases further south where aridity is higher and topography inhibits greater drainage patterns. The abundance of cisterns, many of them originally Greco-Roman, is strong evidence that tableland overland flows occur and are frequently disconnected from larger drainage systems. Abandoned ancient rainwater harvesting and watershed management systems are abundant all over the region and incorporate the hydrological experience of the former inhabitants, having been dated with OSL and pottery mainly from Greco-Roman times. While the region prospered some two millenia ago, the ancient water management schemes are generally abandoned today. One of the most outstanding features of the ancient systems was the systematic harvesting of tableland and valley slope overland flow above the wadi beds. Part of this strategy was to separate the remote parts of large natural watersheds from the local parts by shallow stone bunds on the tableland. The collected tableland overland flow irrigated terraced fields on the tableland (lairum). The remaining water harvesting areas, mainly valley slopes, were obviously sufficient to supply water for small tributary wadis, large side terraces and the floodplains of large wadis. The artificial disconnection of local runoff areas from remote parts of the northern watersheds is hydrologically well adapted to the runoff dynamics in the flat landscape of the northern Marmarica because it protected valleys from low frequency high magnitude runoff events which are generated mainly on the remote parts of large catchments but which are inefficient in terms of water harvesting. Terracing and water harvesting structures are frequently buried in well-sorted, fine-grained sediment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A blanking method which can punch the sheet metal without burr is presented, this method is divided into two stages: preloading deformation and blanking. And the FEM software DEFORM-2D is used to simulate the blanking process of burr-free of stainless steel AISI304. By changing the size of relative clearance, analyzing the quality of cross-section and blanking process. The result shows that the clearance has an effect on blanking force and the length of shear zone. which provides the certain fundamental for predicting the defects of blanking pieces and designing the molds. And this method has an important application value in manufacturing engineering.
Infrastructure services are essential to human development. Yet, the drivers of service access at a global scale remain largely unexplored. This paper presents trends and global patterns in access to water, sanitation, electricity, and telephony services. Using a panel data set from 1990 to 2010, we empirically explore plausible determinants of access rates to key infrastructure services. Although per-capita GDP is correlated with access rates, access still varies significantly at comparable income levels. Much of this variation is explained by differences in population density. Access levels are higher for urban areas and highest for water, followed by sanitation, electricity, and telephony. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Whether specific T-cell clones are present in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in BCC is unknown. We employed deep sequencing of mRNA coding for the T-cell receptor (TCR) chains - and to characterize the repertoire of TILs in BCC. V and J gene-usage and CDR3 length were computed to determine the clonality of TCR and degree of overlap in TCR repertoires between skin resident T-cells and TILs. We found high diversity of the TCR repertoire in BCC and control skin with random V-J gene usage and similar CDR3-length distribution. Lack of TCR repertoire restriction indicates absence of tumor-specific TIL clones in BCC.
The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling protocol widely applied in the world of multimedia communication. Numerous SIP authenticated key agreement schemes have been proposed with the purpose of ensuring security communication. Farash recently put forward an enhancement employing smart cards counted on Zhang et al.'s scheme. In this study, we observe that the enhanced scheme presented by Farash has also some security pitfalls, such as disclosure of user identity, lack of a pre-authentication in the smart card and vulnerability to key-compromise masquerading attack which results in an off-line guessing attack. We then propose an anonymous modified scheme with elliptic curve cryptography to eliminate the security leakages of the scheme proposed by Farash. We demonstrate that our scheme is immune to different kinds of attacks including attacks involved in Farash's scheme. We mention Burrows-Abadi-Needham logic for completeness of the proposed scheme. Also, we compare the performance of our scheme with its predecessor schemes and the comparative results shows that it perfectly satisfies the needs of SIP.
The mathematics of filling and draining a permeable geotextile bag were developed in a previous investigation of how large geotextile containers can be used to dewater dredged material and mine tailings. The resulting outflow from the draining bag looks remarkably like an overland flow hydrograph. An analog model for overland flow is developed from the draining bag and compared with experimental runoff data obtained in the laboratory for a number of rolled erosion control blankets. The analog model is defined by a dimensionless parameter that includes a permittivity term that characterizes the rate of runoff. A comparison of the analog model with measured runoff is excellent across the entire range of natural and geosynthetic erosion control products investigated.
The main source of electricity in Brazil is from hydro, which has about 65.2% share of the country's electric energy matrix. However, over the last decade the wind energy increased from 19 MW to 2.2 GW. Since wind is an intermittent energy source, heavily determined by the weather and climatic conditions, and important effects on wind power generation can be expected in the mid and long term, in particular related to the impacts of extreme winds. The IPCC AR5 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) indicates changes in wind speed at the surface in some regions of the world, and increased wind strength in mid-latitude regions. This study scrutinizes future scenarios of extreme winds in Brazil by applying trend analysis techniques on a 50-year historical series of observational wind speed and meteorological parameters at 10 m height in Brazil. Embracing techniques of cluster analysis it was possible to characterize six main regions with macro climatic similarities. To assess the goodness fit distribution, we designate two stations per homogenous region, taking as criteria the stations with better performance in the qualification process to determine the wind distribution pattern in each region applying the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (KS) and the lowest standard error (SE). After evaluating the frequency distribution of wind speed, the best fit result for the frequency distribution of maximum wind speed is the Gumbel model. The analysis of climatic trends performed by Mann-Kendall test revealed that in minimum wind speed series is not conclusive because it shows disparate results between homogeneous regions. On the other hand, the analysis of climatic trends of maximum wind speed presents 100% positive trends in Group#1, an equal number of stations with not significant trends and positive trends for Group#2, 36.8% more stations with positive trends than negative trends for Group#3 and 20% of stations with more negative trends than stations with positive trends for Group#4. This way, based in these results, is possible assert that there are an increase in the maximum extreme wind in Brazil, mainly in mid-latitudes. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Although democracies should ideally elect leaders based on their abilities, voters are often biased by seemingly unrelated factors, such as a candidate's appearance. Prior work examining the relations between election outcomes and appearance has primarily focused on a restricted range of the top candidates, examined in pairwise comparisons. In the present study, we tested whether the predictive ability of ratings based on facial appearance would extend to a wider range of candidates. Specifically, we examined whether individuals in the US could predict outcomes in the 2011 Bulgarian presidential elections by evaluating the facial appearance of 18 candidates. The large number of candidates naturally running for the high level office allowed us to accurately test the strength of the relationship between judgments of facial appearance and election outcomes across a broad range of faces. We found that a strong correlation between ratings of facial competence and election outcomes persisted across the full range of candidates, and that US participants' hypothetical choices paralleled actual Bulgarian election outcomes. We demonstrated that competence ratings were more effective at predicting election outcomes than judgments on a variety of other characteristics deemed important by Bulgarian voters as well as ratings of attractiveness. Furthermore, judgments of competence largely drove the correlation between hypothetical and actual votes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Typical spinel ferrites of CoFe2O4 and MnFe2O4 were studied as heterogeneous catalysts of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of paracetamol (APAP) in water. The APAP degradation followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics pattern (R-2 >0.95) under conditions tested. In the presence of 0.2 catalyst, APAP with initial concentration of 10 mg/L would be 90.5% and 100% removed in CoFe2O4/PMS and MnFe2O4/PMS system, respectively. Higher catalyst dosage, higher PMS dosage, neutral pH and lower concentration of HA favored APAP degradation in each system. After being recycled for three times, MnFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 could still effectively catalyze PMS to react with APAP, with the removal efficiencies of 100% and 76.1%, respectively. The production of sulfate radical and hydroxyl radical was validated from the scavenging tests, results showed that sulfate radical was the main reactive species responsible for APAP degradation. Plausible mechanisms on the activation processes were proposed based on the radical identification tests and XPS analysis, showing that Mn2+-Mn3+/Fe3+-Fe2+ recycle and Co2+-Co3+/Fe3+-Fe2+ recycle on catalyst were responsible for the radical generation. The results demonstrated that both CoFe2O4 and MnFe2O4 MNPs activated PMS were promising technologies for water pollution caused by pharmaceuticals. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the future, most of the population will settle in large cities and metropolitan areas, in basins where pressure over water resources is already very large. In this situation, the operators of water and sanitation services must make a continuous effort of planning, to reach effective application of the reduced natural and economic resources. However, the urban water systems are composed of many different elements that interact with each other, exhibiting feedback loops and emerging behaviors, so that no simple models could be used. In short, there are complex systems. Under these conditions, decision makers require appropriate methods and tools, such that allow them to examine several alternatives and their impacts in time. The systems approach and adaptive dynamic modeling is one of the most active and promising research fields in water resources management. In this paper the use of dynamic modeling applied to supply water to cities is proposed, a general model is shown and applied to the city of Puebla and its metropolitan area. A trend and a balance scenarios are analyzed, the second composed by a group of conservation, rainwater harvesting and reuse actions over a 15 years horizon, demonstrating the possibility of leading the system from a deficit into a surplus of water, and exemplifying the benefits of dynamic modeling in urban water systems.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is among the most stress-tolerant crops; however, not much is known about the genetic and environmental control of metabolic adaptation of barley to abiotic stresses. We have subjected a genetically diverse set of 81 barley accessions, consisting of Mediterranean landrace genotypes and German elite breeding lines, to drought and combined heat and drought stress at anthesis. Our aim was to (i) investigate potential differences in morphological, physiological, and metabolic adaptation to the two stress scenarios between the Mediterranean and German barley genotypes and (ii) identify metabolic quantitative trait loci (mQTLs). To this end, we have genotyped the investigated barley lines with an Illumina iSelect 9K array and analyzed a set of 57 metabolites from the primary C and N as well as antioxidant metabolism in flag leaves under control and stress conditions. We found that drought-adapted genotypes attenuate leaf carbon metabolism much more strongly than elite lines during drought stress adaptation. Furthermore, we identified mQTLs for flag leaf gamma-tocopherol, glutathione, and succinate content by association genetics that co-localize with genes encoding enzymes of the pathways producing these antioxidant metabolites. Our results provide the molecular basis for breeding barley cultivars with improved abiotic stress tolerance.
Image enhancements lead to improved performance and increased accuracy of feature extraction, recognition, identification, classification and hence change detection. This increases the utility of remote sensing to suit environmental applications and aid disaster monitoring of geohazards involving large areas. The main aim of this study was to compare the effect of image enhancement applied to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and Landsat 8 imagery in landslide identification and mapping. The methodology involved pre-processing Landsat 8 imagery, image co-registration, despeckling of the SAR data, after which Landsat 8 imagery was enhanced by Principal and Independent Component Analysis (PCA and ICA), a spectral index involving bands 7 and 4, and using a False Colour Composite (FCC) with the components bearing the most geologic information. The SAR data were processed using textural and edge filters, and computation of SAR incoherence. The enhanced spatial, textural and edge information from the SAR data was incorporated to the spectral information from Landsat 8 imagery during the knowledge based classification. The methodology was tested in the central highlands of Kenya, characterized by rugged terrain and frequent rainfall induced landslides. The results showed that the SAR data complemented Landsat 8 data which had enriched spectral information afforded by the FCC with enhanced geologic information. The SAR classification depicted landslides along the ridges and lineaments, important information lacking in the Landsat 8 image classification. The success of landslide identification and classification was attributed to the enhanced geologic features by spectral, textural and roughness properties. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Missense variants of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes pose a problem in clinical genetics as long as they cannot unambiguously be assigned as the cause of Lynch syndrome (LS). To study such variants of uncertain clinical significance, we have developed a functional assay based on direct measurement of MMR activity in mouse embryonic stem cells expressing mutant protein from the endogenous alleles. We have applied this protocol to a specific truncation mutant of MSH2 that removes 60 C-terminal amino acids and has been found in suspected LS families. We show that the stability of the MSH2/MSH6 heterodimer is severely perturbed, causing attenuated MMR in in vitro assays and cancer predisposition in mice. This mutation can therefore unambiguously be considered as deleterious and causative for LS.
The protection of the volatile memory data is an issue of crucial importance, since authentication credentials and cryptographic keys remain in the volatile memory. For this reason, the volatile memory has become a prime target for memory scrapers, which specifically target the volatile memory, in order to steal sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. This paper investigates security measures, to protect sensitive information in the volatile memory from disclosure attacks. Experimental analysis is performed to investigate whether the operating systems (Windows or Linux) perform data zeroization in the volatile memory. Results show that Windows kernel zeroize data after a process termination, while the Linux kernel does not. Next, we examine functions and software techniques in C/C++ programming language that can be used by developers to modify at process runtime the contents of the allocated blocks in the volatile memory. We have identified that only the Windows operating system provide a specific function named SecureZeroMemory that can reliably zeroize data. Finally, driven by the fact that malware scrapers primarily target web browsers, we examine whether it is feasible to extract authentication credentials from the volatile memory allocated by web browsers. The presented results show that in most cases we can successfully recover user authentication credentials from all the web browsers except when the user has closed the tab that used to access the website.
The current study integrated constructs from the fields of relationship science (i.e., similarity and familiarity) and intergroup research (i.e., racial ideologies, particularly color-blind racial ideology and multiculturalism) to explore interracial romantic attraction. Using a person-perception design, 124 Black (n = 62) and White (n =62) heterosexual college men indicated their romantic attraction to the dating profiles of three Black and three White women. Results from analyses consistent with a linear mixed-model approach supported most of the hypotheses, including participants in general were more attracted to women of the same race and that greater endorsement of multicultural ideological beliefs was associated with increased interracial attraction. For White men, greater endorsement of color-blind racial ideology was predictive of a decrease in interracial romantic attraction as hypothesized. Contrary to the hypotheses, increased interracial contact for Black men was associated with an increase in same race attraction. Results are discussed in the context of existing literature, and important next steps are also discussed.
Although homosexuality can evoke disgust, the extent to which disgust influences judgments about transgressions committed by homosexuals remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, participants high (HHD) and low (LHD) in homosexual disgust provided disgust and immorality ratings of offenses committed by homosexuals or heterosexuals. The present study also examined the extent to which judgments about violations of social mores by homosexuals or heterosexuals differed as a function of the purity of the violation. Consistent with predictions, HHD participants had significantly higher disgust and immorality ratings than LHD participants for violations committed by homosexuals. However, the two groups did not differ in ratings of violations committed by heterosexuals. The findings also revealed that the difference between violations committed by homosexuals and heterosexuals in disgust was greater when the violation did not contain impurity versus when impurity was present. However, this pattern of findings was not observed for differences in ratings of immorality. Lastly, pathogen, but not sexual or moral disgust mediated the association between moral purity and ratings of violations committed by homosexuals. This mediated effect was not observed for ratings of violations committed by heterosexuals. The implications of these findings for better understating moral perceptions of homosexuality are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The importance of neuro-immune interactions in both physiological and pathophysiological states cannot be overstated. As our appreciation for the neuroimmune nature of the brain and spinal cord grows, so does our need to extend the spatial and temporal resolution of our molecular analysis techniques. Current imaging technologies applied to investigate the actions of the neuroimmune system in both health and disease states have been adapted from the fields of immunology and neuroscience. While these classical techniques have provided immense insight into the function of the CNS, they are however, inherently limited. Thus, the development of innovative methods which overcome these limitations are crucial for imaging and quantifying acute and chronic neuroimmune responses. Therefore, this review aims to convey emerging novel and complementary imaging technologies in a form accessible to medical scientists engaging in neuroimmune research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recent literature has explored automated pornographic detection a bold move to replace humans in the tedious task of moderating online content. Unfortunately, on scenes with high skin exposure, such as people sunbathing and wrestling, the state of the art can have many false alarms. This paper is based on the premise that incorporating motion information in the models can alleviate the problem of mapping skin exposure to pornographic content, and advances the bar on automated pornography detection with the use of motion information and deep learning architectures. Deep Learning, especially in the form of Convolutional Neural Networks, have striking results on computer vision, but their potential for pornography detection is yet to be fully explored through the use of motion information. We propose novel ways for combining static (picture) and dynamic (motion) information using optical flow and MPEG motion vectors. We show that both methods provide equivalent accuracies, but that MPEG motion vectors allow a more efficient implementation. The best proposed method yields a classification accuracy of 97.9% an error reduction of 64.4% when compared to the state of the art on a dataset of 800 challenging test cases. Finally, we present and discuss results on a larger, and more challenging, dataset.
This multi-study analysis (6 fMRI studies; 142 participants) explores the functional activation and connectivity of the cerebellum with the cerebrum during repeated behavioral information uptake informing about personality traits of different persons. The results suggest that trait repetition recruits activity in areas belonging to the mentalizing and executive control networks in the cerebrum, and the executive control areas in the cerebellum. Cerebral activation was observed in the executive control network including the posterior medial frontal cortex (pmFC), the bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and bilateral inferior parietal cortex (IPC), in the mentalizing network including the bilateral middle temporal cortex (MTC) extending to the right superior temporal cortex (STC), as well as in the visual network including the left cuneus (Cun) and the left inferior occipital cortex. Moreover, cerebellar activation was found bilaterally in lobules VI and VII belonging to the executive control network. Importantly, significant patterns of functional connectivity were found linking these cerebellar executive areas with cerebral executive areas in the medial pmFC, the left PFC and the left IPC, and mentalizing areas in the left MTC. In addition, connectivity was found between the cerebral areas in the left hemisphere involved in the executive and mentalizing networks, as well as with their homolog areas in the right hemisphere. The discussion centers on the role of these cerebello-cerebral connections in matching internal predictions generated by the cerebellum with external information from the cerebrum, presumably involving the sequencing of behaviors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A high-efficiency, high-power-density buffer architecture is proposed for power pulsation decoupling in power conversion between dc and single-phase ac. We present an active decoupling solution that yields improved efficiency and reduced circuit complexity compared to existing solutions. In the proposed architecture, the main energy storage capacitor is connected in series with an active buffer converter across the dc bus. The series-stacked capacitor blocks the majority of the dc bus voltage to reduce the voltage stress on the buffer converter, such that fast, low-voltage transistors can be employed for the buffer converter. Moreover, the series capacitor provides the majority of the power pulsation decoupling through a wide voltage swing, and the buffer converter only needs to process a small fraction of the total power of the entire architecture, allowing a very small active circuit volume and very high system efficiency. The circuit operation and design constraints are analyzed in detail. In the proposed buffer architecture, the series stacking of a nearly lossless capacitor and a lossy converter presents a challenge of capacitor voltage balancing and power loss compensation. We propose a control scheme exploiting the small ripple in the bus voltage and dc input current to compensate for the power loss in the buffer converter while maintaining the voltage balance. Light-load techniques are also introduced to ensure that the buffer architecture meets strict ripple requirements while providing sufficient loss compensation. A 2-kW hardware prototype based on low-voltage GaN switches has been built to demonstrate the performance of the proposed solution. A power density of 25W/cm(3) (410 W/in(3)) by rectangular box volume and an efficiency above 98.9% across a wide load range has been experimentally verified.
The importance of brain inflammation to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis has been accepted of late, with it currently being held that brain inflammation aggravates AD pathology. One important aspect of brain inflammation is the recruitment and activation of microglia, a process termed microgliosis. Kinins and bradykinin (BK), in particular, are major pro-inflammatory mediators in the periphery, although all of the factors comprising the kinin system have also been described in the brain. Moreover, it was shown that the amyloid beta (A beta) peptide (a component of AD plaques) enhances kinin secretion and activates BK receptors that can, in turn, stimulate A beta production. Still, the role of bradykinin in modulating brain inflammation and AD is not completely understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of the bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R) and bradykinin B-2 receptor (B2R) in regulating microglial secretion of pro-inflammatory factors in vitro. Furthermore, the effects of intranasal administration of specific B1R and B2R antagonists on A beta burden and microglial accumulation in the brains of transgenic AD mice were studied. The data obtained show that neither R-715 (a B1R antagonist) nor HOE 140 (a B2R antagonist) altered microglial cell viability. However, R-715, but not HOE 140, markedly increased lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release, as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in BV2 microglial cells. Neither antagonist altered NO nor TNF-alpha production in non-stimulated cells. We also showed that intranasal administration of R-715 but not HOE 140 to 8-week-old 5X familial AD mice enhanced amyloid burden and microglia/macrophage accumulation in the cortex. To conclude, we provide evidence supporting a role of B1R in brain inflammation and in the regulation of amyloid deposition in AD mice, possibly with microglial/macrophage involvement. Further studies are required to test whether modulation of this receptor can serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for AD.
The human body plays a central role in nonverbal communication, conveying attitudes, personality, and values during social interactions. Three experiments in a large, open classroom setting investigated whether the visibility of torso-located cues affects nonverbal communication of similarity. In Experiments 1 and 2, half the participants wore a black plastic bag over their torso. Participants interacted with an unacquainted same-sex individual selected from a large class who was also wearing (or also not wearing) a bag. Experiment 3 added a clear bag condition, in which visual torso cues were not obscured. Across experiments, black bag-wearing participants selected partners who were less similar to them on attitudes, behaviors, and personality compared to the bag-less-and clear bag-participants. Nonverbal cues in the torso communicate information about similarity of attitudes, behavior, and personality; the center of the body plays a surprisingly central role in early-stage person perception and attraction.
Objectives: Growth hormone (GH) and its main mediator, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), play a fundamental role in human metabolism. Previous epidemiological studies investigating the association of IGF-I and bone turnover markers (BTMs) yielded conflicting results and were limited by study design or sample size. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the associations between serum levels of IGF-I or the IGF-I/IGF binging protein 3 (IGFBP-3) ratio and levels of BTMs including procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (PINP), C-terminal telopeptides of type 1 collagen (CTX), and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP). Methods: Data from 1463 men and 1481 women who participated in the first follow-up of the Study of Health in Pomerania were used. IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were measured using chemiluminescent immunometric assays on an Immulite 2500 analyzer. BTM levels were measured on the IDS-iSYS Multi-Discipline Automated Analyser. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) and quantile regression models were calculated. Results: In men <55 years and premenopausal women ANOVA and quantile regression analyses revealed positive associations between IGF-I or even stronger the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio and PINP [per unit increase in IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio in men: beta (95%-CI) 2.33 ng/ml (0.91; 3.75), p<0.01; women: 3.63 ng/ml (2.31; 4.95), p<0.01] or CTX [men: 20.8 ng/l (3.5; 38.0), p = 0.02; women: 12.0 ng/l (-1.2; 25.2), p = 0.07]. Furthermore in postmenopausal women, IGF-I and the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio were inversely related with CTX levels, whereas an inverse U-shaped relation between IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio and PINP was found. Regarding BAP, we observed borderline significant associations with IGF-I or the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio in older subjects only. Conclusion: IGF-I levels and particularly free IGF-I, estimated by the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio, are positively related with PINP as a bone formation marker and CTX as a bone resorption marker in healthy adult men younger than 55 years and premenopausal women. In older subjects the found positive as well as negative relations with BTMs have to be further investigated. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Vibration energy harvesting converts mechanical energy from ambient sources to electricity to power remote sensors. Compared to linear resonators that have poor performance away from their natural frequency, nonlinear vibration energy harvesters perform better because they use vibration energy over a broader spectrum. We present a hybrid nonlinear energy harvester that combines bi-stability with internal resonance to increase the frequency bandwidth. A two-fold increase in the frequency bandwidth can be obtained compared to a bi-stable system with fixed magnets. The harvester consists of a piezoelectric cantilever beam carrying a movable magnet facing a fixed magnet. A spring allows the magnet to move along the beam and it provides an extra stored energy to further increase the amplitude of vibration acting as a mechanical amplifier. An electromechanically coupled mathematical model of the system is presented to obtain the dynamic response of the cantilever beam, the movable magnet and the output voltage. The perturbation method of multiple scales is applied to solve these equations and obtain approximate analytical solutions. The effects of various system parameters on the frequency responses are investigated. The numerical approaches of the long time integration (Runge-Kutta method) and the shooting technique are used to verify the analytical results. The results of this study can be used to improve efficiency in converting wasted mechanical vibration to useful electrical energy by broadening the frequency bandwidth. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prostaglandins are small pro-inflammatory molecules derived from arachidonic acid that play roles in a multitude of biological processes including, but not limited to, inflammation, pain modulation, allergies, and bone formation. Prostaglandin analogues are the front-line medications for the treatment of glaucoma, a condition resulting in blindness due to the death of retinal ganglion cells. These drugs act by lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), a major risk factor for glaucoma. The currently used prostaglandin analogues (latanoprost, bimatoprost, tafluprost, and travoprost) mimic PGF2 and target one of the prostaglandin receptors (FP), though research into harnessing the other receptors using compounds like Sulprostone (EP3 receptor), or Iloprost (IP receptor) are currently ongoing. In this review, we summarize the research into each of the prostaglandin molecules (PGD2, PGE2, PGF2, PGI2, TXA2) and their respective receptors (DP, EP1, 2, 3, 4, FP, IP). We examine the modes of action of each of these receptors, their expression, their role in aqueous humour production and outflow within the eye, as well as their roles as medications for the treatment of glaucoma.
This article integrates knowledge from health psychology, life course development, and social psychology to outline a theoretical framework for identifying, investigating, promoting, and evaluating beneficial action. Beneficial action is defined as a subset of prosocial (motivated to benefit others that may include self-interest) and altruistic (prosocial motivation without self-interest) behavior that uses consequential (scientific) knowledge to increase freedom within the global population. Beneficial action theory seeks to increase political and social actions that are planned and evaluated to ensure key tasks in human development. Central among these is the broadening of social identity to ensure that the human potential to use science to modify the natural environment achieves benefits for the global population. This article presents a theoretical framework for conceptualizing the psychological processes that underlie the development, application and evaluation of beneficial action for individuals and populations. The need to conceptualize beneficial action arises from 3 related observations. First, the certainty of knowledge of the beneficial outcome of a specific human action increases the moral motivation to engage in that action. For example, there is consensus among psychologists and other professions that it is unethical to engage in therapeutic practices that have evidence for neutral or harmful consequences. Second, due to the rapid increase in scientific knowledge, the range of human action that has scientifically ascertainable consequences is rapidly expanding. Third, advancing scientific knowledge means that human actions have increasingly powerful consequences for humanity and the natural world, warranting careful consideration of how to ensure global population benefits.
The current study investigated ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) activity during impression formation of individuals varying on distinct dimensions of social status. In a block-design functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment, participants were presented with photographs of faces paired with a colored background indicating their lower, same, or higher financial status, or lower, same, or higher moral status. Participants were asked to form an impression of the targets, but were not instructed to explicitly evaluate them based on social status. Building on previous findings (Cloutier, Ambady, Meagher, & Gabrieli, 2012), a region of interest analysis revealed the interaction of status dimension and level in VMPFC, finding not only preferential response to targets with higher compared to lower moral status as previously demonstrated, but also greater response to targets with lower compared to higher financial status. The implications of these results are discussed with an emphasis towards better understanding the impact of social status on social cognition and uncovering the neural substrates of person evaluation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In cities with problems of aridity and a shortage of drinking water supply, there is an urgent need to establish alternatives for an adequate water management program. This study proposes an estimation through which users can select a rainwater harvesting system for non-drinking water consumption. For the cities of Pachuca and Mineral de la Reforma, State of Hidalgo, Central Mexico, the historical record of rainfall analyzed covers a period of 33 years (1980-2013). We calculated the monthly volume of rainwater harvestable from roof areas (VR, m(3)) with household roof areas (Hra) of 45 m(2), 50 m(2), 100 m(2) and 200 m(2). It is proposed to replace in each single house the flush toilets and washing machine with ecological devices with consumptions of 4.8 L/flush and 70 L/load, respectively. Furthermore, a maximum and a minimum consumption of eight and six flushes/day/person (flush toilets) and five and four loads/week (washing machine), respectively, are proposed. From these considerations, our estimations of the harvestable rainwater showed that households with Hra of 45 m(2) and 50 m(2) would depend on the water supply system of the public network during part of the year. On the other hand, households with Hra of 100 m(2) and 200 m(2) might be able to store enough water to meet other needs besides toilet flushing and laundry.
Introduction: The PEI Programme in the WHO African region invested in recruitment of qualified staff in data management, developing data management system and standards operating systems since the revamp of the Polio Eradication Initiative in 1997 to cater for data management support needs in the Region. This support went beyond polio and was expanded to routine immunization and integrated surveillance of priority diseases. But the impact of the polio data management support to other programmes such as routine immunization and disease surveillance has not yet been fully documented. This is what this article seeks to demonstrate. Methods: We reviewed how Polio data management area of work evolved progressively along with the expansion of the data management team capacity and the evolution of the data management systems from initiation of the AFP case-based to routine immunization, other case based disease surveillance and Supplementary immunization activities. Results: IDSR has improved the data availability with support from IST Polio funded data managers who were collecting them from countries. The data management system developed by the polio team was used by countries to record information related to not only polio SIAs but also for other interventions. From the time when routine immunization data started to be part of polio data management team responsibility, the number of reports received went from around 4000 the first year (2005) to >30,000 the second year and to >47,000 in 2014. Conclusion: Polio data management has helped to improve the overall VPD, IDSR and routine data management as well as emergency response in the Region. As we approach the polio end game, the African Region would benefit in using the already set infrastructure for other public health initiative in the Region. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this paper, we analyse the local stability of a gene-regulatory network and immunotherapy for cancer modelled as nonlinear time-delay systems. A numerically generated kernel, using the sum-of-squares decomposition of multivariate polynomials, is used in the construction of an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional for stability analysis of the networks around an equilibrium point. This analysis translates to verifying equivalent LMI conditions. A delay-independent asymptotic stability of a second-order model of a gene regulatory network, taking into consideration multiple commensurate delays, is established. In the case of cancer immunotherapy, a predator-prey type model is adopted to describe the dynamics with cancer cells and immune cells contributing to the predator-prey population, respectively. A delay-dependent asymptotic stability of the cancer-free equilibrium point is proved. Apart from the system and control point of view, in the case of gene-regulatory networks such stability analysis of dynamics aids mimicking gene networks synthetically using integrated circuits like neurochips learnt from biological neural networks, and in the case of cancer immunotherapy it helps determine the long-term outcome of therapy and thus aids oncologists in deciding upon the right approach.
This study proposes a simple control scheme for using single-stage flyback (SSF) converters in lighting source applications for LEDs. Among the advantages of the average current mode is an I/O current ripple that is only one-half of the critical conduction mode (CRM). This condition helps extend the output capacitor lifetime while lowering the input EMI capacitance input EMI capacitance. The SSF converter proposed in this study operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM). In addition, two sample-and-hold (S/H) circuits are placed at the output voltage loop and feed-forward path, respectively. Since these S/H circuits access the average output current and average feed-forward voltage, the LED driver is unaffected by the 120-Hz ripple noise, the total harmonic distortion (THD) is reduced, and the transient response of the output current is improved. Finally, the operation principles and design considerations of the studied LED driver are analyzed and discussed. A laboratory prototype is also designed and tested to verify the feasibility. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Soil-reinforcement interaction mechanism is an important issue in the design of geosynthetic reinforced soil structures. This mechanism depends on the soil properties, reinforcement characteristics and interaction between these two elements (soil and reinforcement). In this work the shear strength of sand/geotextile interfaces were characterized through direct and simple shear tests. The direct shear tests were performed on a conventional direct shear device and on a large scale direct shear apparatus. Unreinforced sand and one layer reinforced sand specimens were characterized trough simple shear tests. The interfaces shear strength achieved with the large scale direct shear device were slightly larger than those obtained with the conventional direct shear apparatus. Notwithstanding the differences between the shear strength characterization through simple shear and direct shear tests, it was concluded that the shear strength of one layer reinforced sand is similar to the sand/geotextile interface direct shear strength.
In a petroleum cyber-physical system (CPS), interwell connectivity estimation is critical for improving petroleum production. An accurately estimated connectivity topology facilitates reduction in the production cost and improvement in the waterflood management. This paper presents the first study focused on computer-aided design for a petroleum CPS. A new CPS framework is developed to estimate the petroleum well connectivities. Such a framework explores an innovative water/oil index integrated with the advanced cross-entropy optimization. It is applied to a real industrial petroleum field with massive petroleum CPS data. The experimental results demonstrate that our automated estimations well match the expensive tracerbased true observations. This demonstrates that our framework is highly promising.
The authors show that two well-known and widely employed public-key encryption schemes - RSA optimal asymmetric encryption padding (RSA-OAEP) and Diffie-Hellman integrated encryption scheme (DHIES), instantiated with a one-time pad, - are secure under (the strong, simulation-based security notion of) selective opening security against chosen-ciphertext attacks in the random oracle model. Both schemes are obtained via known generic transformations that transform relatively weak primitives (with security in the sense of one-wayness) to indistinguishability (IND)-CCA secure encryption schemes. The authors also show a similar result for the well-known Fujisaki-Okamoto transformation that can generically turn a one-way secure public key encryption system and a one-time pad into a IND-CCA-secure public-key encryption system. The authors prove that selective opening security comes for free in these transformations. Both DHIES and RSA-OAEP are important building blocks in several standards for public key encryption and key exchange protocols. The Fujisaki-Okamoto transformation is very versatile and has successfully been utilised to build efficient lattice-based cryptosystems. The considered schemes are the first practical cryptosystems that meet the strong notion of simulation-based selective opening (SIM-SO-CCA) security.
Aeromonas media is an opportunistic pathogen for human and animals mainly found in aquatic habitats and which has been noted for significant genomic and phenotypic heterogeneities. We aimed to better understand the population structure and diversity of strains currently affiliated to A. media and the related species A. rivipollensis. Forty-one strains were included in a population study integrating, multilocus genetics, phylogenetics, comparative genomics, as well as phenotypics, lifestyle, and evolutionary features. Sixteen gene-based multilocus phylogeny delineated three clades. Clades corresponded to different genomic groups or genomospecies defined by phylogenomic metrics ANI (average nucleotide identity) and isDDH (in silico DNA-DNA hybridization) on 14 whole genome sequences. DL-lactate utilization, cefoxitin susceptibility, nucleotide signatures, ribosomal multi-operon diversity, and differences in relative effect of recombination and mutation (i.e., in evolution mode) distinguished the two species Aeromonas media and Aeromonas rivipollensis. The description of these two species was emended accordingly. The genome metrics and comparative genomics suggested that a third clade is a distinct genomospecies. Beside the species delineation, genetic and genomic data analysis provided a more comprehensive knowledge of the cladogenesis determinants at the root and inside A. media species complex among aeromonads. Particular lifestyles and phenotypes as well as major differences in evolution modes may represent putative factors associated with lineage emergence and speciation within the A. media complex. Finally, the integrative and populational approach presented in this study is considered broadly in order to conciliate the delineation of taxonomic species and the population structure in bacterial genera organized in species complexes.
Nitrogen excretion from sheep production systems is an important source of nitrate, ammonia, and nitrous oxide responsible for ground-water pollution and global warming. The present study aimed to identify key parameters influencing N utilization efficiency and develop prediction equations for manure N, feces N, and urine N outputs in sheep. Data used were collected from 82 sheep offered fresh perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) as the sole diet in 6 metabolism experiments (data from non-grassonly diets were not used). Sheep were from breeds of Highlander, Texel, Scottish Blackface, and Swaledale at the age of 5 to 18 mo and weighing from 24.5 to 62.7 kg. Herbage was harvested daily from 6 swards of contrasting harvest dates (May to December), offering wide variation in feed value to cover the range that would be offered in most practical farm situations. Before the commencement of each study, the experimental sward was harvested at a residual height of 4 cm and allowed to grow for 2 to 4 wk to target an average pregrazing sward height in a range of 8 to 15 cm depending on the time of year. Sheep were housed in individual pens for 14 d and then transferred to individual metabolism crates for 4 d with feed intake and feces and urine outputs measured. Data were analyzed using the linear mixed model procedure to develop prediction equations for feces N, urine N, and manure N outputs using N intake, herbage chemical composition, and digestibility with effects of sex, breed, and experimental periods removed. Nitrogen intake was the best single predictor for N output in feces, urine, and manure, and the r(2) value for prediction of manure N output was greater than those for feces N and urine N (0.86 vs. 0.70 and 0.77, respectively; P < 0.001). Animal BW and herbage DM, ether extract, NDF, ADF, water soluble carbohydrate, and DE concentrations and N digestibility were also used to predict N outputs because N intake may not be available in commercial practice. The prediction equations for N utilization efficiency indicated that increasing feeding level and ME concentration and reducing N concentration could improve N utilization efficiency and shift N excretion into feces rather than urine (P < 0.001). The equations developed in the current study provide an approach for sheep producers to quantify N excretion against production and, consequently, to develop their own mitigation strategies to reduce the environmental impact of sheep production systems.
The Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus) is an endangered species currently restricted to a single desert spring and a separate captive habitat in southwestern North America. Following establishment of the captive population from wild stock in 1976, the wild population has undergone natural population size fluctuations, intentional culling to purge genetic contamination from an invasive congener (Cyprinodon variegatus) and augmentation/replacement of wild fish from the captive stock. A severe population decline following the most recent introduction of captive fish prompted us to examine whether the captive and wild populations have differentiated during the short time they have been isolated from one another. If so, the development of divergent genetic and/or morphologic traits between populations could contribute to a diminished ability of fish from one location to thrive in the other. Examination of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms and morphologic variation revealed no evidence of residual C. variegatus characteristics in contemporary C. bovinus samples. However, significant genetic and morphologic differentiation was detected between the wild and captive populations, some of which might reflect local adaptation. Our results indicate that genetic and physical characteristics can diverge rapidly between isolated subdivisions of managed populations, potentially compromising the value of captive stock for future supplementation efforts. In the case of C. bovinus, our findings underscore the need to periodically inoculate the captive population with wild genetic material to help mitigate genetic, and potentially morphologic, divergence between them and also highlight the utility of parallel morphologic and genomic evaluation to inform conservation management planning.
This study discusses about the biosorption of Cr(VI) ion from aqueous solution using ultrasonic assisted Spirulina platensis (UASP). The prepared UASP biosorbent was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller, scanning electron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray and thermogravimetric analyses. The optimum condition for the maximum removal of Cr(VI) ions for an initial concentration of 50mg/l by UASP was measured as: adsorbent dose of 1g/l, pH of 3.0, contact time of 30min and temperature of 303K. Adsorption isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamic parameters were calculated. Freundlich model provided the best results for the removal of Cr(VI) ions by UASP. The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) ions onto UASP showed that the pseudo-first-order model was well in line with the experimental data. In the thermodynamic study, the parameters like Gibb's free energy, enthalpy and entropy changes were evaluated. This result explains that the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions onto the UASP was exothermic and spontaneous in nature. Desorption of the biosorbent was done using different desorbing agents in which NaOH gave the best result. The prepared material showed higher affinity for the removal of Cr(VI) ions and this may be an alternative material to the existing commercial adsorbents.
Experimental or operational modal analysis traditionally requires physically-attached wired or wireless sensors for vibration measurement of structures. This instrumentation can result in mass-loading on lightweight structures, and is costly and time-consuming to install and maintain on large civil structures, especially for long-term applications (e.g., structural health monitoring) that require significant maintenance for cabling (wired sensors) or periodic replacement of the energy supply (wireless sensors). Moreover, these sensors are typically placed at a limited number of discrete locations, providing low spatial sensing resolution that is hardly sufficient for modal-based damage localization, or model correlation and updating for larger-scale structures. Non-contact measurement methods such as scanning laser vibrometers provide high-resolution sensing capacity without the mass-loading effect; however, they make sequential measurements that require considerable acquisition time. As an alternative non-contact method, digital video cameras are relatively low-cost, agile, and provide high spatial resolution, simultaneous, measurements. Combined with vision based algorithms (e.g., image correlation, optical flow), video camera based measurements have been successfully used for vibration measurements and subsequent modal analysis, based on techniques such as the digital image correlation (DIC) and the point-tracking. However, they typically require speckle pattern or high-contrast markers to be placed on the surface of structures, which poses challenges when the measurement area is large or inaccessible. This work explores advanced computer vision and video processing algorithms to develop a novel video measurement and vision-based operational (output-only) modal analysis method that alleviate the need of structural surface preparation associated with existing vision-based methods and can be implemented in a relatively efficient and autonomous manner with little user supervision and calibration. First a multi-scale image processing method is applied on the frames of the video of a vibrating structure to extract the local pixel phases that encode local structural vibration, establishing a full-field spatioteMporal motion matrix. Then a high-spatial dimensional, yet low-modal-dimensional, over-complete model is used to represent the extracted full-field motion matrix using modal superposition, which is physically connected and manipulated by a family of unsupervised learning models and techniques, respectively. Thus, the proposed method is able to blindly extract modal frequencies, damping ratios, and full-field (as many points as the pixel number of the video frame) mode shapes from line of sight video measurements of the structure. The method is validated by laboratory experiments on a bench-scale building structure and a cantilever beam. Its ability for output (video measurements)-only identification and visualization of the weakly-excited mode is demonstrated and several issues with its implementation are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Purpose of reviewNorovirus infection is an emerging chronic infection in immunocompromised hosts. The aim of this review is to discuss the pathophysiology of Norovirus infection and explore mechanistic models for chronic infection/shedder state, especially in patients with immune deficiency diseases.Recent findingsChronic Norovirus infection is increasingly associated with enteropathy associated with both primary and secondary immune deficiency diseases. There is an ongoing debate in the immune deficiency community whether it is truly a causative agent for the enteropathy or it is an innocent bystander.We describe the historic aspects of Norovirus infection, its immunology and viral structure and the basis for preventive and vaccination strategies.We also postulate in this review a disease model in immune deficiency subjects which creates a milieu for it to become a chronic and explore newer frontiers for disease modification and prevention.SummaryNorovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in general population but the factors that lead to its persistence in patients with immune deficiency need further holistic studies. This should include host assessment, microbiome signatures, and viral pathogenic factors assessment.
Revocation and key evolving paradigms are central issues in cryptography, and in PKI in particular. A novel concern related to these areas was raised in the recent work of Sahai, Seyalioglu, and Waters (CRYPTO 2012) who noticed that revoking past keys should at times (e.g., the scenario of cloud storage) be accompanied by revocation of past ciphertexts (to prevent unread ciphertexts from being read by revoked users). They introduced revocable-storage attribute-based encryption (RS-ABE) as a good access control mechanism for cloud storage. RS-ABE protects against the revoked users not only the future data by supporting key-revocation but also the past data by supporting ciphertext-update, through which a ciphertext at time T can be updated to a new ciphertext at time T 1 using only the public key. Motivated by this pioneering work, we ask whether it is possible to have a modular approach, which includes a primitive for time managed ciphertext update as a primitive. We call encryption which supports this primitive a self-updatable encryption (SUE). We then suggest a modular cryptosystems design methodology based on three sub-components: a primary encryption scheme, a key-revocation mechanism, and a time-evolution mechanism which controls the ciphertext self-updating via an SUE method, coordinated with the revocation (when needed). Our goal in this is to allow the self-updating ciphertext component to take part in the design of new and improved cryptosystems and protocols in a flexible fashion. Specifically, we achieve the following results: We first introduce a new cryptographic primitive called self-updatable encryption (SUE), realizing a time-evolution mechanism. In SUE, a ciphertext and a private key are associated with time. A user can decrypt a ciphertext if its time is earlier than that of his private key. Additionally, anyone (e.g., a cloud server) can update the ciphertext to a ciphertext with a newer time. We also construct an SUE scheme and prove its full security under static assumptions. Following our modular approach, we present a new RS-ABE scheme with shorter ciphertexts than that of Sahai et al. and prove its security. The length efficiency is mainly due to our SUE scheme and the underlying modularity. We apply our approach to predicate encryption (PE) supporting attribute-hiding property, and obtain a revocable storage PE (RS-PE) scheme that is selectively-secure. We further demonstrate that SUE is of independent interest, by showing it can be used for timed-release encryption (and its applications), and for augmenting key-insulated encryption with forward-secure storage. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper describes a series of reduced scale tests, at unit gravity, performed on circular footings supported by reinforced sand. Reinforcement by multiple layers of geocell was investigated and the performance of the footing was compared to one on the same sandy soil containing multi-layered planar geotextile reinforcement. The comparison used geocell and geotextile layers formed from the same parent geosynthetic material having the same characteristics but with a lower geocell mass. Results show that the efficiency of the reinforcement (described in terms of the load carrying and subgrade modulus enhancement) decreased as the number of layers increased. In tests at moderate and low footing settlements, significant improvements in bearing capacity and subgrade modulus were obtained with the application of three layers of geocell. On the whole, multi-layered geocell-reinforced soil provides a more effective and much stiffer system capable of delivering greater foundation loads and subgrade modulus than multi-layered planar reinforced soil, even when less parent geosynthetic material is used in the multi-layered geocell arrangement. Furthermore, reinforcement benefit is achievable at settlements as small as 0.2-0.4% of the footing diameter for the geocell installations, whereas settlements 4 to 5 times larger are needed before benefit is gained from a comparable planar geotextile system. To achieve comparable performances, the multi-layered geocell requires 1/4 to 1/2 the mass of geosynthetic material as that needed for multi-layered planar geotextile reinforcement (depending on the settlement allowable). The multi layered geocell reinforcement requires considerably less parent geosynthetic material (reducing transport and, perhaps supply costs), and because the size of reinforcement zone required is considerably smaller, the amount of excavation and backfill required is also significantly reduced. (C) 2017 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
A simple method to aid in the design of digital compensators for DC-DC power switching converter is presented. From simple equations, feasible designs are determined, depending on the characteristics of the converter, sampling frequency and time delay restrictions. It allows to carry out sensitivity analysis of different parameters, obtaining an insightful assessment of their influence on the system performance
Overuse of groundwater in coastal areas, due to high population and agricultural activity results in seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifer. This paper presents the control measures taken to manage aquifer recharge (MAR) and also to overcome the problem of seawater intrusion into the coastal aquifer along the Kalangi river, Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India having connectivity with Pulicat (saltwater) lake estuary. Due to overexploitation of groundwater and less rainfall in past years, adjacent seawater has started intruding in the Kalangi river sub-surface and deteriorating groundwater quality up to 11.6 km from the confluence of the river with Pulicat lake. To prevent this situtation, subsurface dams were constructed in traditional manner using local earth material in three different places across the Kalangi river near Sullurpet town. The water storage capacities calculated after the sub-surface dams' construction are 1.28 mcft at GK Engineering College, 6.23 mcft at Challamagudi and 3.143 mcft at Holy Cross School sites. The Holy Cross School sub-surface dam is the first full scale dam-cum-check dam constructed to prevent salt water intrusion in the Kalangi river at Sullurpet, Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. At the Kalangi river estuary portion (at the mouth of sea) a groyne was reconstructed over old groyne site with the introduction of clay bed and wooden sheet piles at down stream. Apart from prevention of sea water entry into Kalangi river sub-surface (during seasons) the groyne top level was raised to prevent mixing of high sea water tides with fresh water and ensuring additional storage of fresh water at upstream side. The reconstructed groyne was serving the purpose of obstructing the surface seawater entry in the Kalangi river and water quality has improved in the river as well as in the wells. After construction of sub-surface dam, as per the Simpson ratio classification, there is substantial improvement of water quality in the SHAR infiltration well situated near the Holy Cross School sub-surface dam.
Recent studies showed that a large amount of graphene oxide accumulated in kidney and liver when it injected intravenously. Evaluation of lethal and apoptosis gene expression in these tissues, which are under stress is very important. In this paper the in vivo dose-dependent effects of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide nanoplatelets on kidney and liver of mice were studied. Balb/C mice were treated by 20 mg/kg body weight of nanoplatelets. Molecular biology analysis showed that graphene nanoplatelets injected intravenously lead to overexpression of BAX gene in both kidney and liver tissues (P >= 0.01). In addition these nanoparticles significantly increase BCL2 gene expression in both kidney and liver tissues (P >= 0.05). Graphene significantly increase level of SGPT in groups 1 (220.64 +/- 13), 2 (164.44 +/- 9.3) in comparison to control group (P <= 0.05). Also in comparison with control group (148.11 +/- 10.4), (P <= 0.05), the level of SGOT in groups 1(182,01 +/- 12.6) and 2 (1782 +/- 22) significantly increased. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Integrins are a family of heterodimeric proteins expressed by cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes that provide critical adhesive and signaling functions through their interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the actin cytoskeleton. These adhesive processes are important for paracrine signaling, ECM homeostasis and for the intercellular interactions that impact cardiac cell biology and pathophysiological adaptation in disease. Despite considerable progress, our understanding of the interplay between cardiac cells, the ECM and integrins remains largely elusive. In this review, we examine the role of integrins in adhesive and signaling functions, and how these functions enable communication between cardiac fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes and the ECM. These processes strongly influence cardiac development and, later, the progression into cardiac disease. An improved understanding of this multi-dimensional system in cardiac tissues is needed to decipher the biological, spatiotemporal and mechanical cues that regulate cardiac health and the manifestation of cardiac disease. Greater insight into integrin function in cardiac tissues may also suggest new treatments for the prevention of heart failure.
Three spectral collocation methods, namely Laguerre collocation (LC), Laguerre Gauss Radau collocation (LGRC) and mapped Chebyshev collocation (ChC) are used in order to solve some challenging systems of boundary layer problems of third and second orders. The last two methods enable a Fourier type analysis, mainly (fast) polynomial transformations, which can be used in order to improve the process of optimization of the scaling parameters. Generally, the second method mentioned above produces the best results. Unfortunately they remain sub geometric with respect to the accuracy. However, all methods avoid domain truncation and rather arbitrary shooting techniques. Some challenging problems from fluid mechanics, including non-newtonian fluids are accurately solved.
Climate change is increasing mean temperatures and in the eastern Mediterranean is expected to decrease annual precipitation. The resulting increase in aridity may be too rapid for adaptation of tree species unless their gene pool already possesses variation in drought resistance. Vulnerability to embolism, estimated by the pressure inducing 50% loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity (P-50), is strongly associated with drought stress resistance in trees. Yet, previous studies on various tree species reported low intraspecific genetic variation for this trait, and therefore limited adaptive capacities to increasing aridity. Here we quantified differences in hydraulic efficiency (xylem hydraulic conductance) and safety (resistance to embolism) in four contrasting provenances of Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) in a provenance trial, which is indirect evidence for genetic differences. Results obtained with three techniques (bench dehydration, centrifugation and X-ray micro-CT) evidenced significant differentiation with similar ranking between provenances. Inter-provenance variation in P50 correlated with pit anatomical properties (torus overlap and pit aperture size). These results suggest that adaptation of P. halepensis to xeric habitats has been accompanied by modifications of bordered pit function driven by variation in pit aperture. This study thus provides evidence that appropriate exploitation of provenance differences will allow continued forestry with P. halepensis in future climates of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The primary use of imaging focuses on diagnostic evaluation, and pelvic radiography is still the primary modality for evaluation of disease in the sacroiliac joints. Its unreliability and inability to directly assess inflammation has led to increasing use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which directly assesses inflammatory changes as well as the structural changes associated with inflammation. Both radiography and MRI have therefore been incorporated into new classification criteria designed to capture both early and established spondyloarthritis. Fat metaplasia on T1-weighted MRI is an important intermediary tissue on the pathway from inflammation to ankylosis in both the sacroiliac joints and spine.
The River Ganga is the largest, perennial and one of the sacred rivers in India. It supports the lifeline of major population in urban and rural areas existing in the river basin. The river is a chief source of water supply, power generation, river-borne transport and expansion of the urban industrial belt. However, the river receives huge amount of untreated wastewater which imbalances the nutrient concentration at many points along the stretch. Therefore, the present study is focused to estimate the water pollution using water quality indices, such as OPI, national sanitation foundation index (NSFWQI), comprehensive pollution index (CPI) and heavy metal pollution index (HPI), and identify the imbalance nutrients (i. e. NO3, PO4, heavy metals, etc.) in the river. Also, the probability of health risk that might occur by drinking the river water has been classified using risk assessment index (RAI). The water samples were collected in post-and pre-monsoon months in year 2014-2015, from nine sampling locations between Haridwar and Garhmukteshwar. The results indicate that the water quality of River Ganga is unsuitable for drinking during sampling months, because the average NSFWQI was found to be 53.44 and 43.56, while CPI was 2.71 and 2.82 in post-and pre-monsoon, respectively. The river water has been found to be severely contaminated due to heavy metals (i. e. HPI >3) and indicates the human health risk (i. e. RAI >1). Therefore, it has been suggested that the river water must be treated to balance the nutrient concentration before used for drinking. Further, by a comparative analysis of indices, NSFWQI and CPI have been found as the better suitable indices to classify the status of water quality.
Background In developed Western settings, asthma is more prevalent among second-generation compared to first-generation migrants. However, these studies are difficult to interpret as they include migrants of various ethnicities and countries of origin. Objective We assessed the association of parental migrant status with wheezing disorders among children born in Hong Kong, a developed non-Western setting, where many children have migrant parents from mainland China of the same ethnicity. Methods We used Cox regression to examine the adjusted associations of parental migrant status with time to first public hospital admission for asthma, bronchitis and bronchiolitis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Version Clinical Modification 466, 490 and 493) from 9 days to 12 years in a population-representative birth cohort of 8327 Chinese children in Hong Kong. Results Having both parents as migrants was associated with higher risk of hospitalization for asthma and other wheezing disorders, compared to both parents being Hong Kong born (hazard ratio 1.30, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.60 from 9 days to 6 years), adjusted for type of hospital at birth, parental history of allergies, mother's age at birth, father's age at birth and highest parental education. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance In the unique, non-Western context of Hong Kong, second-generation migrants had higher risk of hospitalization for childhood wheezing disorders compared to the native population, particularly before 6 years of age. Further study is required to clarify the underlying mechanisms involved.
Amino acids are key components of human and animal nutrition, both as part of a protein-containing diet, and as supplemented individual products. In the last 10 years there has been a marked move away from the extraction of amino acids from natural products, which has been replaced by efficient fermentation processes using nonanimal carbon sources. Today several amino acids are produced in fermentation plants with capacities of more than 100,000 tonnes to serve the requirements of animal feed and human nutrition. The main fermentative amino acids for animal nutrition are L-lysine, L-threonine, and L-tryptophan. DL-Methionine continues to be manufactured for animal feed use principally by chemical synthesis, and a pharmaceutical grade is manufactured by enzymatic resolution. Amino acids play an important role in medical nutrition, particularly in parenteral nutrition, where there are high purity requirements for infusion grade products. Amino acids are also appearing more often in dietary supplements, initially for performance athletes, but increasingly for the general population. As the understanding of the effects of the individual amino acids on the human metabolism is deepened, more specialized product mixtures are being offered to improve athletic performance and for body-building.
We present EasyHouse, a system developed to allow people with disabilities and their family members to control their home environment (e.g., turn on/off a light, turn on/off the TV) using a smartphone. The user interface was designed to be adjustable to the needs of each user. The development of EasyHouse followed an iterative user-centered design approach. A paper-based low-fidelity prototype was built based on user requirements and from the first author's own experience as a researcher with cerebral palsy. After several design and evaluation iterations, a functional prototype has been evaluated in a real context with real users. Preliminary results indicate that the proposed system is suitable for both people with and without motor disabilities, and provides an adequate method for controlling home appliances when there is a family member with motor disabilities.
The clinical progression of new chemical entities to pharmaceuticals remains hindered by the relatively slow pace of technology development in toxicology and clinical safety evaluation, particularly in vitro approaches, that can be used in the preclinical and early clinical phases of drug development. To alleviate this bottleneck, we have developed a metabolizing enzyme toxicology assay chip (MetaChip) that combines high-throughput P450 catalysis with cell-based screening on a microscale platform. The MetaChip concept is demonstrated by using sol-gel encapsulated P450s to activate the prodrug cyclophosphamide, which is the major constituent of the anticancer drug Cytoxan, as well as other compounds that are activated, by P450 metabolism. The MetaChip provides a high-throughput microscale alternative to currently used in vitro methods for human metabolism and toxicology screening based on liver slices, cultured human hepatocytes, purified microsomal preparations, or isolated and purified P450s. This technology creates opportunities for rapid and inexpensive assessment of ADME/Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion/toxicology) at very early phases of drug development, thereby enabling unsuitable candidates to be eliminated from consideration much earlier in the drug discovery process.
Peyronie's disease (PD) is a localized disorder of the connective tissue of the tunica albuginea (TA) whose etiology has not been elucidated. Although several studies have implicated genetic susceptibility and/or mechanical trauma as triggering events for PD, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) is a water channel protein potentially implicated in connective tissue resistance to mechanical stress, acting primarily by increasing tension within the collagen network. Although it represents a potentially attractive molecular target in PD, to date no studies had ever addressed whether AQP1 is detectable and/or differentially expressed in the TA of these patients. Herein the present study, through immunohistochemical and biochemical approaches, we were able to detect AQP1 expression in the TA of control and PD affected patients. We demonstrated that AQP1-like immunoreactivity and expression are significantly increased in plaques of PD patients Vs controls, implying that AQP1 overexpression might be the consequence of a localized maladaptive response of the connective tissue to repeated mechanical trauma. In summary, these data support the idea that AQP1 might represent a potentially useful biomarker of mechanical injury in the TA and a promising target for the treatment of PD.
We used additive manufacturing (3D printing) to create ordered porous beds from a range of geometric shapes, including truncated icosahedra (approximating spheres), tetrahedral, octahedral, triangular bipyramid, and stellar octangular particles. We show that the printed porous media were highly reproducible and had excellent fidelity in physically reproducing computer-aided design models, with differences between designed and experimentally measured particle locations within +/- 0.5%, and within 13% in terms of bed porosity. Experimental residence time distributions were measured and the reduced plate height, h, was determined under different reduced velocities (Peclet number, Pe = 4-400). The results (using equivalent particle diameter to non-dimensionalize) show that, for the simple cubic (SC) arrangement, tetrahedral particles had a lower plate height (h(min) = 1.56) than all other particle shapes tested, including spherical particles. We also, for the first time, experimentally validated computational predictions of the performance of SC, body centered cubic (BCC) and face centered cubic (FCC) arrangements of spheres, confirming that FCC is indeed superior (h(min), = 1.12) to SC (h(min) = 1.62). We conclude that the capability offered by additive manufacturing in controlling not only packing configuration but also shape, position and orientation of the geometric elements within the porous bed may, in the future, play a fundamental role in the design of highly efficient 3D-printed columns. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Several sources of information suggest that man evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids of approximately 1 whereas today this ratio is approximately 10:1 to 20-25:1, indicating that Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids compared with the diet on which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Omega-3 fatty acids increase bleeding time; decrease platelet aggregation, blood viscosity, and fibrinogen; and increase erythrocyte deformability, thus decreasing the tendency to thrombus formation. In no clinical trial, including coronary artery graft surgery, has there been any evidence of increased blood loss due to ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids. Many studies show that the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on serum lipids depend on the type of patient and whether the amount of saturated fatty acids in the diet is held constant. In patients with hyperlipidemia, omega-3 fatty acids decrease low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol if the saturated fatty acid content is decreased, otherwise there is a slight increase, but at high doses (32 g) they lower LDL cholesterol; furthermore, they consistently lower serum triglycerides in normal subjects and in patients with hypertriglyceridemia whereas the effect on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) varies from no effect to slight increases. The discrepancies between animal and human studies most likely are due to differences between animal and human metabolism. In clinical trials eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the form of fish oils along with antirheumatic drugs improve joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; have a beneficial effect in patients with ulcerative colitis; and in combination with drugs, improve the skin lesions, lower the hyperlipidemia from etretinates, and decrease the toxicity of cyclosporin in patients with psoriasis. In various animal models omega-3 fatty acids decrease the number and size of tumors and increase the time elapsed before appearance of tumors. Studies with nonhuman primates and human newborns indicate that DHA is essential for the normal functional development of the retina and brain, particularly in premature infants. Because omega-3 fatty acids are essential in growth and development throughout the life cycle, they should be included in the diets of all humans. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are not interconvertible in the human body and are important components of practically all cell membranes. Whereas cellular proteins are genetically determined, the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of cell membranes is to a great extent dependent on the dietary intake. Therefore appropriate amounts of dietary omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids need to be considered in making dietary recommendations, and these two classes of PUFAs should be distinguished because they are metabolically and functionally distinct and have opposing physiological functions. Their balance is important for homeostasis and normal development. Canada is the first country to provide separate dietary recommendations for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
BackgroundPain acceptance involves willingness to experience pain and engaging in valued activities while pain is present. Though pain acceptance could limit both headache-related disability and pain interference in individuals with migraine, few studies have addressed this issue. This study evaluated whether higher levels of total pain acceptance and its two subcomponents, pain willingness and activity engagement, were associated with lower levels of headache-related impairment in women who had both migraine and overweight/obesity. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, participants seeking weight loss and headache relief in the Women's Health and Migraine trial completed baseline measures of pain acceptance (Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire [CPAQ]), headache-related disability (Headache Impact Test-6), and pain interference (Brief Pain Inventory). Migraine headache frequency and pain intensity were assessed daily via smartphone diary. Using CPAQ total and subcomponent (pain willingness and activity engagement) scores, headache frequency, pain intensity, and body mass index (BMI) as predictors in linear regression, headache-related disability, and pain interference were modeled as outcomes. ResultsOn average, participants (n=126; age=38.58.2 years; BMI=35.3 +/- 6.6 kg/m(2)) reported 8.4 +/- 4.7 migraine days/month and pain intensity of 6.0 +/- 1.5 on a 0-10 scale on headache days. After correcting for multiple comparisons (adjusted =.008), pain willingness was independently associated with both lower headache-related disability (P<.001; =-0.233) and pain interference (P<.001; =-0.261). Activity engagement was not associated with headache-related disability (P=.128; =-0.138) and pain interference (P=.042; =-0.154). CPAQ total score was not associated with headache-related disability (P=.439; =0.066) and pain interference (P=.305; =0.074). Pain intensity was significantly associated with outcomes in all analyses (Ps<.001; s 0.343-0.615). ConclusionsHigher pain willingness, independent of degree of both migraine severity and overweight, is associated with lower headache-related disability and general pain interference in treatment-seeking women with migraine and overweight/obesity. Future studies are needed to clarify direction of causality and test whether strategies designed to help women increase pain willingness, or relinquish ineffective efforts to control pain, can improve functional outcomes in women who have migraine and overweight/obesity.
Background: Biologics seem to offer a promising nonsurgical approach in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), especially in disease with highly pronounced inflammation. Recent studies revealed increased expression of a broad range of cytokines in lesional HS skin, including interleukin (IL)-17. Objective: This study was undertaken to determine IL-17 serum levels in this group of patients. Methods: Our study was conducted on a group of 86 patients between 16 and 72 years of age with HS. A total of 86 matched healthy volunteers constituted the control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to quantify IL-17 serum concentration. Results: The mean IL-17 serum level of patients with HS was 3.68 +/- 2.08 pg/mL, which was significantly elevated (P <.0001) compared with that found in healthy volunteers (2.5 +/- 1.11 pg/mL). Moreover, there was a tendency toward higher serum concentrations of IL-17 in patients with more advanced disease (P = .005). Disease duration; patient sex, age, and body mass index; and smoking habits were not determining factors for IL-17 serum concentration. Limitations: Hospital-based study population was a limitation, as was a lack of posttreatment assessment. Conclusion: In light of our findings and literature on increased expression of IL-17 in HS lesions, evaluating the clinical effectiveness of using anti-IL-17 agents in the treatment of patients with HS is justified.
Heating of groundwater by thermal energy storage (TES) poses a potential for the formation of a separate gas phase. Necessary boundary conditions, potential effects and monitoring feasibility of this process were not focused within previous studies. Since the formation of a gas phase could change groundwater flow conditions, hydrochemistry, porous media properties and thus efficiency of TES applications, improved understanding of the process is needed. The temperature of percolated sediment column tests was adjusted to 10, 25, 40 and 70 degrees C to quantify temperature-induced physical gas-phase formation and its effect on electrical resistance. Gas-phase formation, its accumulation and effects on hydraulic conductivity, heat conductivity and heat capacity were investigated using scenario calculations based on a closed-loop borehole TES system at 60 degrees C for different geochemical conditions. Experimentally quantified degassing ratios were within the expected range of thermodynamic calculations. The laboratory time-lapse electrical resistivity measurements proofed as a suitable tool to identify the onset and location of the gas-phase formation. Depending on the geochemical conditions, hydraulic conductivity in the area of the simulated heat storage site decreased between 60% and up to one order of magnitude in consequence of degassing within the scenario calculations. Heat conductivity and heat capacity decreased by maximally 3 and 16%, respectively. The results indicate that gas-phase formation as a result of aquifer heating can have pronounced effects especially on groundwater flow conditions and therefore should be considered particularly for nearly or fully gas-saturated groundwater and aquifers containing gas sources.
The use of smartphone technology is increasingly considered a state-of-the-art practice in travel data collection. Researchers have investigated various methods to automatically predict trip characteristics based upon locational and other smartphone sensing data. Of the trip characteristics being studied, trip purpose prediction has received relatively less attention. This research develops trip purpose prediction models based upon online location based search and discovery services (specifically, Google Places API) and a limited set of trip data that are usually available upon the completion of the trip. The models have the potential to be integrated with smartphone technology to produce real-time trip purpose prediction. We use a recent, large-scale travel behavior survey that is augmented by downloaded Google Places information on each trip destination to develop and validate the models. Two statistical and machine learning prediction approaches are used, including nested logit and random forest methods. Both sets of models show that Google Places information is a useful predictor of trip purpose-in situations where activity- and person-related information is uncollectable, missing, or unreliable. Even when activity and person-related information is available, incorporating Google Places information provides incremental improvements in trip purpose prediction. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
IEEE 802.15.4 is a wireless standard that specifies physical layer and media access control while focusing on low-cost and low-power transmissions between devices, making it a framework of choice for upper layers developed to address the Internet of Things (IoT). However, this standard offers numerous possibilities regarding network topology, data transfer model and security suite. It has also rapidly evolved since its initial release in 2003. This combination of factors is creating room for security issues that are left in the hands of IoT architects, like unknown deviations from the standard as we highlight in this paper. Ensuring all aspect of security is essential to broad public and industrial acceptance and thus to the growth of IoT technologies. In this paper, we provide the necessary inputs to fully grasp the security issues behind this standard before examining all the elements that need to be investigated by auditors when assessing the level of security of a specific IEEE 802.15.4 infrastructure.
A new slicing algorithm that uses multiple sets of cutting planes to automatically determine parting curves for three-dimensional parts is proposed. In this algorithm, one set of cutting planes is used to generate the slicing profiles, and two others are used to determine the intersection points with the inner and outer loops of the parting curves. The algorithm provides a highly effective solution for handling complicated models that contain free-form surfaces. The features of the algorithm are highlighted in three case studies using tessellated geometry in STL file format as the input. The resultant parting curves overcome many problems inherent in the current methods and can be used by various downstream computer-aided design systems for three-dimensional mold design.
There has been an increasing interest in Lean thinking both in traditional manufacturing/engineering organizations and, more recently, in non-traditional/white-collar settings. Despite the potential benefits, organizations that have implemented lean are facing problems of sustainability. In this study, we examine the nexus between lean thinking and the role of HRM in helping with the sustainability of lean. This paper reports on how recent initiatives may be leading to changes in the ownership of the 'intellectual capital' surrounding lean thinking, new core expertise and the issue of where this expertise should lie. The study is based on 18 interviews with the senior managers responsible for the lean management activity and HR strategy within a dozen large organizations, both in traditional and non-traditional/white-collar organizations. It analyses expert opinions to identify the implicit strategies around lean implementation and generate insights into the spectrum of people-related issues needed for the success of lean and adjustments needed to HR architecture in terms of three core elements: skills and competencies that HR needs; implications for HR practices; and the essential role behaviours that these are intended to create amongst employees. It also examines where expertise and intellectual capital should lie, and identifies the structural solutions being pursued.
Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods allow high-order flow solutions on unstructured or locally refined meshes by increasing the polynomial degree and using curved instead of straight-sided elements. However, one of the currently largest obstacles to applying these methods to aerodynamic configurations of medium to high complexity is the availability of appropriate higher-order curved meshes. In this article, we describe a complete chain of higher-order unstructured grid generation and higherorder DG flow solution applied to a turbulent flow around a three-dimensional high-lift configuration. This includes (i) the generation of an appropriately coarse straight-sided mesh; (ii) the evaluation of additional points on the computer-aided design geometry of the curved-wall boundary for defining a piecewise polynomial boundary representation; (iii) a higher order mesh deformation to translate the curvature from the wall boundary into the interior of the computational domain; and (iv) the description of a DG discretization, which is sufficiently stable to allow a flow computation on the resulting curved mesh. Finally, a fourth-order flow solution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes and k-! turbulence model equations is computed on a fourth-order unstructured hybrid mesh around the three-dimensional high-lift simulation of wing-flow noise generation configuration. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using a music therapy approach to assess emotional communication and parent-child interaction is new to the field of child protection. However, musical improvisations in music therapy has long been known as an analogue to affect attunement and early non-verbal communication between parent and infant, which called for an investigation of the value of music therapy within the field of family assessment and family therapy. More specifically, we wanted to investigate and further strengthen assessment of parenting competencies (APC). We developed scores and examined the psychometric properties of the APC-R (revised version) in a quantitative study including a small, embedded qualitative component. A total of 52 dyads of children and their parents participated of whom 18 were in residential center to address emotional neglect and 33 functioned as a non-clinical comparison (children aged 5-12). All dyads underwent two video recorded music therapy assessment sessions. Video analyses focused on autonomy relationship, turns, and parental response types producing scores on Mutual Attunement, Nonverbal Communication Skills and Emotional Parental Response. Psychometric analyses of the APC-R included interrater reliability, test re-test reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity. We concluded that APC-R is reliable and valid and adds to the existing observational instruments of parent-child interaction.
Xanthine oxidase (XO) catalyses hypoxanthine and xanthine to uric acid in human metabolism. Overproduction of uric acid will lead to hyperuricemia and finally cause gout and other diseases. Luteolin is one of the major components of celery and green peppers, its inhibitory activity on XO and their interaction mechanism were evaluated by multispectroscopic methods, coupled with molecular simulation. It was found that luteolin reversibly inhibited XO in a competitive manner with inhibition constant (K-i) value of (2.38 +/- 0.05) x 10(-6) mol l(-1). Luteolin could bind to XO at a single binding site and the binding was driven mainly by hydrophobic interactions. Analysis of synchronous fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra demonstrated that the microenvironment and secondary structure of XO were altered upon interaction with luteolin. The molecular docking results revealed luteolin actually interacted with the primary amino acid residues located within the active site pocket of XO. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Due to the increasing incidence of hymenoptera venom allergies and the potentially life-threatening reactions, it is important for otolaryngologists working in allergology to have an understanding of modern diagnostic and treatment standards for this allergic disease. Molecular diagnosis with recombinant single allergens from bee and wasp venom components improves the diagnostics of insect venom allergies, particularly in patients with double-positive extract-based test results. Detection of specific sensitizations to bee or wasp venom enables double sensitizations to be better distinguished from cross-reactivity. Based on patient history and test results, the patient is initially advised on avoidance strategies and prescribed an emergency medication kit. Then, the indication for allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is evaluated. The dose-increase phase can be performed using conventional, cluster, rush, or ultra-rush schedules, whereby rapid desensitization (rush AIT) performed in the clinic seems to be particularly effective as initial treatment.
Objective: to describe parenting self-efficacy and family empowerment among expectant mothers with substance use disorders. Design: the study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design. Participants: participants were 71 pregnant women with substance use disorders entering a gender-specific, substance use disorder, residential treatment facility. Measurements: measurement tools included: the demographic data form, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Addiction Severity Index, and the Family Empowerment Scale. Findings: women in their third trimester reported statistically significant higher levels of both parenting self-efficacy and family empowerment than women in their first trimester. Key conclusions: interventions that promote parenting self-efficacy and family empowerment need to target women in their first trimester. Implications for practice: midwives with specialized training in substance abuse disorders are in a unique position to bolster expectant mothers' parenting capabilities during the addiction recovery process.
The positivity and asymptotic stability of time-varying discrete-time and continuous-time linear systems and electrical circuits are addressed. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the positivity of the time-varying linear systems and electrical circuits are established. Using the extension to positive fractional systems of the Lyapunov method the asymptotic stability of positive systems and electrical circuits is shown. Conditions for the positivity of descriptor time-varying discrete-time linear systems are established. Examples of positive and asymptotically stable systems and electrical circuits are presented.
A BWR-based SMR called the Novel Modular Reactor (NMR-50) is being developed at Purdue University. NMR takes the advantages of the two-phase flow driving head, which allows a much smaller and simpler reactor pressure vessel (RPV) compared to the integral PWRs. In this study, through a systematic stepwise optimization approach including a simulated annealing based optimization method, an optimum core design that meets a 10-year cycle length with a minimum fuel cost while satisfying safety related criteria was derived and analyzed. The lattice code CASMO-4, the whole core analysis code PARCS and the thermal-hydraulics code RELAP5 were used to perform calculations from pin cell up to whole core depletion calculations. The NMR-50 optimized core design is able to achieve a 10.2 year cycle length with an average fuel enrichment of 4.61 wt% of U-235 in a 10 x 10 lattice fuel assembly. The minimum critical power ratio (MCPR) and the maximum fuel linear power density (MFLPD) during the cycle are 1.99 and 18.25 kW/m, respectively, providing large margins to thermal design constraints. The NMR-50 control system design is able to provide a sufficient cold shutdown margin of 1.7%. With its small reactor core size, large negative void coefficient, and low operating thermal neutron flux, an enhanced xenon stability characteristic is possible. Peak fast neutron fluence of 8.8 x 10(21) n/cm(2) was below the industry standard limit, which from extensive plant data records, should not be a major concern to channel distortions from a radiation damage point of view. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electrolytic cells for electrochemical oxygen demand (ECOD) measurements based on total electrolytic decomposition at a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode were developed for rapid measurement of organic pollutants at low concentrations. Using improved electrolytic cells designed for efficient mass transfer, the ECOD for 10 mu M potassium hydrogen phthalate (theoretical ECOD: 2.3 mg-O-2 L-1) was determined in a relatively short electrolysis time. Thus, ECOD measurements using these cells would be useful for estimating organic water pollution in industrial waste and lake water.
The present study defined a simplified physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for 1,4-dioxane in humans based on in vitro metabolic parameters determined using relevant liver microsomes, coefficients derived in silico, physiological parameters derived from the literature, and a developed PBPK model in rats. The model consists of a chemical absorption compartment, a metabolizing compartment, and a central compartment for 1,4-dioxane. Evaluation of the rat model was performed by comparisons with experimental pharmacokinetic values from blood and urine obtained from rats in vivo after daily oral treatment with 1,4-dioxane (500 mg/kg, a no-observed-adverse-effect level) for 14 days. Elimination rates of 1,4-dioxane in vitro were established using data from rat liver microsomes and from pooled human liver microsomes. 1,4-Dioxane was expected to be absorbed and cleared rapidly from the body in silico, as was the case for rats confirmed experimentally in vivo with repeated low-dose treatments. These results indicate that the simplified PBPK model for 1,4-dioxane is useful for a forward dosimetry approach in humans. This model may also be useful for simulating blood concentrations of other related compounds resulting from exposure to low chemical doses.
Electric machines and their corresponding power electronic drives are key components of electric/hybrid electric vehicle (EV/HEV) powertrains. Thus, computationally-efficient models for electric machines and drives are essential for powertrain-level design, simulation, and optimization. In this paper, a finite-element-based method for quickly generating torque-speed curves and efficiency maps for electric machines and drives is presented. First, magneto-static finite element analysis (FEA) is conducted on a base machine design. This analysis produces normalized torque, flux linkage, current, and losses for the operating points of interest. These values are then adjusted based upon changing the size of the machine and the effective number of turns of the machine windings to quickly generate a variety of new machine designs and their corresponding efficiency maps. Results suggest that the proposed techniques can be useful for EV/HEV powertrain design and optimization.
Understanding key health concepts is crucial to participation in Precision Medicine initiatives. In order to assess methods to develop and disseminate a curriculum to educate community members in Northern Manhattan about Precision Medicine, clients from a local community-based organization were interviewed during 2014-2015. Health literacy, acculturation, use of Internet, email, and text messaging, and health information sources were assessed. Associations between age and outcomes were evaluated; multivariable analysis used to examine the relationship between participant characteristics and sources of health information. Of 497 interviewed, 29.4 % had inadequate health literacy and 53.6 % had access to the Internet, 43.9 % to email, and 45.3 % to text messaging. Having adequate health literacy was associated with seeking information from a healthcare professional (OR 2.59, 95 % CI 1.54-4.35) and from the Internet (OR 3.15, 95 % CI 1.97-5.04); having aegrade school education (OR 2.61, 95 % CI 1.32-5.17) also preferred information from their provider; persons >45 years (OR 0.29, 95 % CI 0.18-0.47) were less likely to use the Internet for health information and preferred printed media (OR 1.64, 95 % CI 1.07-2.50). Overall, electronic communication channel use was low and varied significantly by age with those ae45 years more likely to utilize electronic channels. Preferred sources of health information also varied by age as well as by health literacy and educational level. This study demonstrates that to effectively communicate key Precision Medicine concepts, curriculum development for Latino community members of Northern Manhattan will require attention to health literacy, language preference and acculturation and incorporate more traditional communication channels for older community members.
Quantification of the anthropogenic contribution for the pollution is important for the management of the environment. In this study, water samples from the Bian River in Suzhou, northern Anhui Province, China have been collected and analyzed for eight kinds of trace metal concentrations, and then analyzed by statistical methods for quantifying the natural and anthropogenic contributions. The results indicate that the water samples have mean concentrations of Cr >Cu >Ni >V >Zn >Ti >Co >Mn, and the medium coefficients of variations indicate that the water in the Bian River has not been dramatically affected by human activities. Factor analysis has identified three sources responsible for the trace metal concentrations, including two natural/geological sources and one anthropogenic source. Three sources have also been determined by Unmix model, and the anthropogenic contributions for the total Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn are 25.3%, 26.7%, 31.3%, 58.9%, 28.1%, 32.1%, 42.4% and 32.5%, respectively.
A visible light-active, hematite-based photoelectrode platform for suppressing -amyloid (A) self-assembly in vitro is reported. Upon illumination of a light-emitting diode with an anodic bias, the hematite photoanode generates reactive radical species, such as superoxide ions and hydroxyl radicals, via photoelectrocatalytic process. According to our analyses, the hematite photoanode exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on A aggregation under visible light illumination and anodic bias. We found that hole-derived radicals played a significant role of oxidizing A peptides, which effectively blocked further aggregation. The efficacy of photoelectrocatalytic inhibition on A aggregation was enhanced by introducing cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) as a co-catalyst on the hematite photoanode, which facilitated the separation of electron-hole pairs. We verified that both bare and Co-Pi@hematite photoanodes are biocompatible and effective in reducing A aggregation-induced cytotoxicity.
This article examines the coordination of speech and gesture in teachers' definition talk, that is, vocabulary explanations addressed to language learners. By analyzing one ESL teacher's spoken definitions, the study demonstrates in the details of the unfolding talk how a teacher crafts and choreographs his definitions moment by moment, while attending to the student's linguistic needs. The study draws upon McNeill's (1999/1992) notion of gesture-speech co-expressiveness, McNeill and Levy's (1993) idea of gestural cohesion, and Kendon's (2000) notion of turn contextualization through gesture. The study identifies three major functional roles of gesture: reinforcing the meaning of verbal utterances; disambiguating the meaning of lexical items; and establishing gestural cohesion across turns at talk. Through the fine-grained analysis of five excerpts, this study contributes to our understanding of the interactional and informational aspects of gesture in second language teaching. The article discusses implications for the study of gesture in general, and the role of gesticulations in providing comprehensible input to second language learners in particular.
For decades, person perception research has grappled with the distinction between the targets' actual characteristics (substance) and how positively or negatively those characteristics are viewed by perceivers (evaluation); however, lack of an overarching theoretical framework makes it difficult to establish connections between related lines of research. We review the relevant literature, and present and test an algebraic model that incorporates the major insights from that literature. The model posits that all person judgments reflect substance and evaluation to different extents. The evaluation component reflects an interaction between the item's evaluative tone and the perceiver's evaluative attitude regarding the target person. The model may function as an integrative framework that helps improve conceptual clarity and cumulative progress in person perception research. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
A recent study by Hassabis et al. suggests that the brain constructs 'personality models' of other people. When imagining another individual, multi-voxel patterns of fMRI activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) contained information about the individual's unique combination of personality traits. The authors propose that, in concert with other regions, the mPFC assembles a model of another's personality that is ultimately used to predict behavior.
The switched reluctance motor (SRM) is a promising drive solution for electric vehicle propulsion thanks to its simple, rugged structure, satisfying performance and low price. Among other SRMs, the axial flux SRM (AFSRM) is a strong candidate for in-wheel drive applications because of its high torque/power density and compact disc shape. In this paper, a four-phase 8-stator-pole 6-rotor-pole double-rotor AFSRM is investigated for an e-bike application. A series of analyses are conducted to reduce the torque ripple by shaping the rotor poles, and a multi-level air gap geometry is designed with specific air gap dimensions at different positions. Both static and dynamic analyses show significant torque ripple reduction while maintaining the average electromagnetic output torque at the demanded level.
This paper introduces a highly flexible multichannel output stage for battery-powered portable electric stimulators (ESs), based on novel power converter architecture. Compared with other solutions, the presented output stage for transcutaneous (surface) stimulations increases the number of applicable therapies, improves the battery operating time through reduced power consumption, and potentially results in more comfortable and shorter healing therapies. The new hybrid switch-mode power converter is a combination of flyback and switched-capacitor (SC) topologies. The flyback steps up the battery voltage and provides galvanic isolation. The following power-efficient SC stage replaces lossy linear current sources (CSs) of conventional solutions and produces pulses with a much higher slew rate, reducing the pulse energy needed to cause the stimulus. The SC also inherently produces pulses with zero-net charge, eliminating bulky blocking capacitors and/or dedicated discharging circuits. The regulation of the amplitudes of the pulses is performed with a new digital voltage-programmed current mode controller, forcing the output of the SC stage to behave as a CS. The flexible digital controller allows for creation of various types of pulses and also features several levels of patient protection. An experimental prototype of the output stage has undergone proof of principle tests with able-bodied individuals. The results show that the new output stage produces pulses with a 1-mA/ns slew rate, about two orders of magnitude higher than the other known solutions. The trials show that the faster slew rate pulses generate the same muscle contraction with 34% lower amplitudes, reducing energy consumption by 55%, allowing longer battery life of portable ES applications.
The susceptibility of a 1.5 mm thick high-density polyethylene geomembrane to brittle rupture from long-term stress cracking in a simulated municipal solid waste landfill liner is examined. The geomembrane was pre-aged in a leachate at 85 degrees C to lower the notched constant tensile load stress crack resistance of the geomembrane to about 75 h. The aged geomembrane was then used as part of a composite liner system in geosynthetic liner longevity simulators (GLLSs) with a geosynthetic clay liner and sand foundation layer below the geomembrane and a 560 g/m(2) geotextile protection layer and 50 mm drainage gravel above the geomembrane. The GLLSs allow the simulation of field conditions including elevated temperatures, overburden pressure, leachate circulation, and composite liner exposure conditions. The geomembrane experienced brittle rupture on the side slopes of the local gravel indentations for temperatures between 55 and 85 degrees C. The higher the liner temperature, the shorter the time to rupture and the higher the tensile strain at rupture. Arrhenius modelling of the test data gave an activation energy of E-a = 112 kJ/mol.
A new disturbance automated reference toolset (DART) was developed to monitor human land surface impacts using soil-type and ecological context. DART identifies reference areas with similar soils, topography, and geology; and compares the disturbance condition to the reference area condition using a quantile-based approach based on a satellite vegetation index. DART was able to represent 26-55% of variation of relative differences in bare ground and 26-41% of variation in total foliar cover when comparing sites with nearby ecological reference areas using the Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index (SATVI). Assessment of ecological recovery at oil and gas pads on the Colorado Plateau with DART revealed that more than half of well-pads were below the 25th percentile of reference areas. Machine learning trend analysis of poorly recovering well-pads (quantile < 0.23) had out of-bag error rates between 37 and 40% indicating moderate association with environmental and management variables hypothesized to influence recovery. Well-pads in grasslands (median quantile (MQ] = 13%), blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) shrublands (MQ = 18%), arid canyon complexes (MQ = 18%), warmer areas with more summer-dominated precipitation, and state administered areas (MQ = 12%) had low recovery rates. Results showcase the usefulness of DART for assessing discrete surface land disturbances, and highlight the need for more targeted rehabilitation efforts at oil and gas well-pads in the arid southwest US. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This study hypothesises that an educational leaflet about psoriatic arthritis (PsA) will improve psoriasis patients' attendance for screening for PsA. A random sample of patients 18 years old with a coded diagnosis of psoriasis and no diagnosis of PsA, rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis were identified from five GP surgeries in Yorkshire, UK. Patients were randomised 1:1 to receive study information alone or with the educational leaflet, with an invitation to attend for a screening examination by a dermatologist and rheumatologist. Nine hundred thirty-two invitation packs were sent to recruit 191 (20.5%) participants. One hundred sixty-nine (88.5%) had current or previous psoriasis and 17 (10.1%) had previously undiagnosed PsA. The estimated prevalence of PsA was 18.1% (95% CI: 16.2, 20.1%). The response rate was lower than expected and was not significantly higher when patients received the educational leaflet (22.8 vs 18.3%, p = 0.08). Response rates varied by practice (14.7 to 30.6%). However, deprivation scores for each practice revealed a significant increase in response with the leaflet for deprivation decile of 3 (p < 0.001) but no significant differences in the other practices. An educational leaflet about PsA improves attendance for screening in primary care, but only in those practices with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation.
Drastic urbanization has taken place in China during the last two decades. Recently, a considerable number of ghost cities have emerged due to the extensive and unreasonable urban expansion which far exceeds the practical demand. In order to investigate ghost cities, we proposed a feasible framework by utilizing multi-source remote sensing datasets, including nighttime light imagery, land cover type products and population grid. After eliminating blooming effect of nighttime imagery by a proposed modified optimal threshold method (MOTM) and extracting built-up area from land cover type products, we developed a ghost city index (GCI) to quantify and evaluate the intensity of ghost city phenomenon in Yangtze River Delta at county/district level. The GCI was established according to the intrinsic features of ghost cities, comprising three criteria: consistency of lit area and built-up area, illumination intensity and population density. Then, we explored the spatial pattern of ghost cities of different GCI categories and the ternary contour was applied to demonstrate the key factor among three criteria. Our finding implies that ghost cities are prominently spatial clustered. Meanwhile, counties and new development zones have higher risk of suffering from the phenomenon, while capital cities and municipal cities have an alleviative effect for ambient regions. Besides, regions with higher intensity of the phenomenon tend to have less balanced composition among three criteria. Our results show good consistency with previous reports and studies, providing a more objective and spatial explicit insight into the ghost city phenomenon. Our findings do not only prove the capability of monitoring ghost cities using remote sensing data, but would also be beneficial to urban planning and regional sustainable development.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Computer systems are designed to help solve problems presented to our society. New terms such as computational sustainability and internet of things present new fields where traditional information systems are being applied and implemented on the environment to maximize data output and our ability to understand how to improve them. The advancement of richer and interconnected devices has created opportunities to gather new data sources from the environment and use it together with other pre-existent information in new reasoning processes. This work describes a sensorial platform designed to help raise awareness towards sustainability and energy efficient systems by exploring the concepts of ambient intelligence and fusion of data to create monitoring and assessment systems. The presented platform embodies the effort to raise awareness of user actions on their impact towards their sustainability objectives.
We present a visual assistive system that features mobile face detection and recognition in an unconstrained environment from a mobile source using convolutional neural networks. The goal of the system is to effectively detect individuals that approach facing towards the person equipped with the system. We find that face detection and recognition becomes a very difficult task due to the movement of the user which causes camera shakes resulting in motion blur and noise in the input for the visual assistive system. Due to the shortage of related datasets, we create a dataset of videos captured from a mobile source that features motion blur and noise from camera shakes. This makes the application a very challenging aspect of face detection and recognition in unconstrained environments. The performance of the convolutional neural network is further compared with a cascade classifier. The results show promising performance in daylight and artificial lighting conditions while the challenges lie for moonlight conditions with the need for reduction of false positives in order to develop a robust system. We also provide a framework for implementation of the system with smartphones and wearable devices for video input and auditory notification from the system to guide the visually impaired. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Similarities and differences in the cell cycle components, apoptosis and cytoskeleton-related molecules among mouse skin fibroblast cells (MSFs), mouse squamous cell lung carcinomas (SqCLCs) and mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) are important determinants of the behaviour and differentiation capacity of these cells. To reveal apoptotic pathways and to examine the distribution and the role of cell cycle-cell skeleton comparatively would necessitate tumour biology and stem cell biology to be assessed together in terms of oncogenesis and embryogenesis. The primary objectives of this study are to investigate the effects of flavopiridol, a cell cycle inhibitor, and geldanamycin, a heat shock protein inhibitor on mouse somatic, tumour and embryonic stem cells, by specifically focusing on alterations in cytoskeletal proteins, cell polarity and motility as well as cell cycle regulators. To meet these objectives, expression of several genes, cell cycle analysis and immunofluorescence staining of intracellular cytoskeletal molecules were performed in untreated and flavopiridol- or geldanamycin-treated cell lines. Cytotoxicity assays showed that SqCLCs are more sensitive to flavopiridol than MSFs and mESCs. Keratin-9 and keratin-2 expressions increased dramatically whereas cell cycle regulatory genes decreased significantly in the flavopiridol-treated MSFs. Flavopiridol-treated SqCLCs displayed a slight increase in several cell cytoskeleton regulatory genes as well as cell cycle regulatory genes. However, gene expression profiles of mESCs were not affected after flavopiridol treatment except the Cdc2a. Cytotoxic concentrations of geldanamycin were close to each other for all cell lines. Cdkn1a was the most increased gene in the geldanamycin-treated MSFs. However, expression levels of cell cytoskeleton-associated genes were increased dramatically in the geldanamycin-treated SqCLCs. Our results revealing differences in molecular mechanisms between embryogenesis and carcinogenesis may prove crucial in developing novel therapeutics that specifically target cancer cells.
Introduction: Five anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents have received regulatory approval for use in rheumatology: adalimumab, golimumab, infliximab, certolizumab, and etanercept. Apart from their well-documented therapeutic value, it is still uncertain to what extent they are associated with an increased risk of infectious adverse events. Areas covered: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized studies to determine the effect of anti-TNF drugs on the occurrence of infectious adverse events (serious infections; tuberculosis; opportunistic infections; any infection). We searched Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to May 2014 to identify eligible studies in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis that evaluated anti-TNF drugs compared with placebo or no treatment. Expert opinion: Our study encompassed data from 71 randomized controlled trials involving 22,760 participants (range of follow-up: 1-36 months) and seven open label extension studies with 2,236 participants (range of follow-up: 6-48 months). Quantitative synthesis of the available data found statistically significant increases in the occurrence of any infections (20%), serious infections (40%), and tuberculosis (250%) associated with anti-TNF drug use, while the data for opportunistic infections were scarce. The quality of synthesized evidence was judged as moderate. Further evidence from registries and long-term epidemiological studies are needed to better define the relationship between anti-TNF agents and infection complications.
Standard neutral population genetics theory with a strictly fixed population size has important limitations. An alternative model that allows independently fluctuating population sizes and reproduces the standard neutral evolution is reviewed. We then study a situation such that the competing species are neutral at the equilibrium population size but population size fluctuations nevertheless favor fixation of one species over the other. In this case, a separation of timescales emerges naturally and allows adiabatic elimination of a fast population size variable to deduce the fluctuation-induced selection dynamics near the equilibrium population size. The results highlight the incompleteness of the standard population genetics with a strictly fixed population size.
Return-oriented programming (ROP) has been crucial for attackers to evade the security mechanisms of operating systems. It is currently used in malicious documents that exploit viewer applications and cause malware infection. For inspecting a large number of commonly handled documents, high-performance and flexible-detection methods are required. However, current solutions are either time-consuming or less precise. In this paper, we propose a novel method for statically detecting ROP chains in malicious documents. Our method generates a hidden Markov model (HMM) of ROP chains as well as one of benign documents by learning known malicious and benign documents and libraries used for ROP gadgets. Detection is performed by calculating the likelihood ratio between malicious and benign HMMs. In addition, we reduce the number of false positives by ROP chain integrity checking, which confirms whether ROP gadgets link properly if they are executed. Experimental results showed that our method can detect ROP-based malicious documents with no false negatives and few false positives at high throughput.
Social identity theory suggests that people use social categories such as race and gender as the basis of interpersonal judgments and demonstrate biases favoring their ingroups, and that this discrimination against out-groups includes hiring and other personnel decisions. This research examines whether, in the context of other information, participants will use a person's religion and show typical intergroup biases often seen between racial groups. One hundred and seventy-five Black Christian participants viewed fictional job applicants of different religions (Christian/Muslim/atheist) and races (Black/White). Thirty-two percent of participants explicitly reported using the applicant's religion (but seldom reported using their race) as a source of evaluation and showed a consistent preference for Christian (ingroup) over Muslim and atheist (outgroup) applicants. In contrast, those who did not acknowledge using religion showed some racial ingroup bias but none for religion. This research has implications for workplace discrimination, hiring practices, and racial and religious group relations. (C) 2016 Western Social Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Nutrition plays an important role in human metabolism and health. Metabolomics is a promising tool for clinical, genetic and nutritional studies. A key question is to what extent metabolomic profiles reflect nutritional patterns in an epidemiological setting. We assessed the relationship between metabolomic profiles and nutritional intake in women from a large cross-sectional community study. Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) were applied to 1,003 women from the TwinsUK cohort with targeted metabolomic analyses of serum samples using the Biocrates Absolute-IDQ (TM) Kit p150 (163 metabolites). We analyzed seven nutritional parameters: coffee intake, garlic intake and nutritional scores derived from the FFQs summarizing fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol intake, meat intake, hypo-caloric dieting and a traditional English diet. We studied the correlation between metabolite levels and dietary intake patterns in the larger population and identified for each trait between 14 and 20 independent monozygotic twins pairs discordant for nutritional intake and replicated results in this set. Results from both analyses were then meta-analyzed. For the metabolites associated with nutritional patterns, we calculated heritability using structural equation modelling. 42 metabolite nutrient intake associations were statistically significant in the discovery samples (Bonferroni P < 4 x 10(-5)) and 11 metabolite nutrient intake associations remained significant after validation. We found the strongest associations for fruit and vegetables intake and a glycerophospholipid (Phosphatidylcholine diacyl C38:6, P = 1.39 x 10(-9)) and a sphingolipid (Sphingomyeline C26:1, P = 6.95 x 10(-13)). We also found significant associations for coffee (confirming a previous association with C10 reported in an independent study), garlic intake and hypo-caloric dieting. Using the twin study design we find that two thirds the metabolites associated with nutritional patterns have a significant genetic contribution, and the remaining third are solely environmentally determined. Our data confirm the value of metabolomic studies for nutritional epidemiologic research.
This study designed an ambient intelligence (AmI)-based decision support system that combined an electromagnetism-like mechanism (EM) and sensory data to aid human operators in making decisions regarding the management of cascade hydropower systems. Currently, cascade hydropower systems are the primary source of hydropower in Taiwan, and the Dajia Hydropower System is the largest one in Taiwan. The operational considerations of the various plants in this system include water levels constraints, minimal water release constraints, and maximal water release constraints. These considerations must be emphasized to plan the hourly water release rate and to maximize the power generation profitability of the overall system. Although extant operations are viable, an accurate calculation method for maximizing the economic efficiency of hydropower generation is yet to be developed. The AmI-based system proposed in this study can be used to determine the periodic water release at each plant in the system, thereby maximizing the company's power-generation profit. In addition, the proposed system was compared with the scheduling system currently employed by the Dajia Hydropower System. The scheduling operations of the Dajia Hydropower System for 23 nonsummer days and a whole year were examined, respectively, and the hydropower plant's original scheduling method was compared with that of the proposed system. Test results indicated that the scheduling plan obtained from the proposed system increased the profit of the Taiwan Power Company.
Dopamine plays a crucial and essential role in the function of human metabolism. It is important to develop selective and sensitive materials for the detection of dopamine (DA) without the interference by coexisting compounds. In this study, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated graphene oxide (GO) microsheets were developed and this system was used as a novel supporting matrix for adsorption based selective and sensitive detection of dopamine. Fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated graphene oxide microsheets (FITC-GOs) showed high affinity to DA. Selectivity of FITC-GOs to DA is 31 and 28 times higher than that of coexisting molecules, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), respectively. Compared with DA, affinity of FITC-GOs to AA and UA is non-specific and can be negligible. Low detection limit of 2 x 10(-7) M (0.2 mu M) for DA was obtained. All experiments were carried out in the neutral solutions at around physiological pH. This study provides a simple and easy method for selective and sensitive detection of dopamine in the mixture of other most abundant coexisting molecules that generally cause interference. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Sitting spinal alignment is increasingly recognized as a factor influencing strategy for deformity correction. Considering that most individuals sit for longer hours in a slumped rather than in an erect posture, greater understanding of the natural sitting posture is warranted. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the differences in sagittal spinal alignment between two common sitting postures: a natural, patient-preferred posture; and an erect, investigator-controlled posture that is commonly used in alignment studies. DESIGN/SETTING: This is a randomized, prospective study of 28 young, healthy patients seen in a tertiary hospital over a 6-month period. PATIENT SAMPLE: Twenty-eight patients (24 men, 4 women), with a mean age of 24 years (range 19-38), were recruited for this study. All patients with first episode of lower back pain of less than 3 months' duration were included. The exclusion criteria consisted of previous spinal surgery, radicular symptoms, red flag symptoms, previous spinal trauma, obvious spinal deformity on forward bending test, significant personal or family history of malignancy, and current pregnancy. OUTCOME MEASURES: Radiographic measurements included sagittal vertical axis (SVA), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracolumbar angle (TL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), and cervical lordosis (CL). Standard spinopelvic parameters (pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt [PT], and sacral slope) and sagittal apex and end vertebrae were also measured. METHODS: Basic patient demographics (age, gender, ethnicity) were recorded. Lateral sitting whole spine radiographs were obtained using a slot scanner in the imposed erect and the natural sitting posture. Statistical analyses of the radiographical parameters were performed comparing the two sitting postures using chi-squared tests for categorical variables and paired t tests for continuous variables. RESULTS: There was forward SVA shift between the two sitting postures by a mean of 2.9 cm (p<.001). There was a significant increase in CL by a mean of 11.62 degrees (p<.001), and TL kyphosis by a mean of 11.48 degrees (p<.001), as well as a loss of LL by a mean of 21.26 degrees (p<.001). The mean PT increased by 17.68 degrees (p<.001). The entire thoracic and lumbar spine has the tendency to form a single C-shaped curve with the apex moving to L1 (p=.002) vertebra in the majority of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In a natural sitting posture, the lumbar spine becomes kyphotic and contributes to a single C-shaped sagittal profile comprising the thoracic and the lumbar spine. This is associated with an increase in CL and PT, as well as a constant SVA. These findings lend insight into the body's natural way of energy conservation using the posterior ligamentous tension band while achieving sitting spinal sagittal balance. It also provides information on one of the possible causes of proximal junctional kyphosis or proximal junctional failure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Pooling designs are fundamental tools in many applications such as biotechnology and network security. Many famous pooling designs have been constructed from mathematical structures by containing relations. Recently, pooling designs constructed by intersecting relation have been proposed by Guo and Wang (2011). Constructing by intersecting relation provides much better error-tolerance capabilities. We study the error-tolerance capabilities of pooling designs constructed by intersecting relation from combinatorial structures proposed by D'yachkov et al. (2007) and Lv et al. (2014). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Empirical studies in software reliability have predominantly focused on end-user applications. Given the intrinsic dependency of user programs on the operating system (OS) software, OS failures can severely impact even the most reliable applications. Therefore, it is a major requirement to understand how OS failures occur in order to improve software reliability as a whole. In this paper, we present an exploratory study on OS failure causes, based on 7,007 real failure records collected from different computers running a mass-market operating system. We performed quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate different properties of the OS failures analyzed. The findings indicate that OS services failed more than any other OS failure category. Empirical evidences confirmed the presence of failure correlation in the sample, where both cross-correlation and autocorrelation were found; in particular, causal relationship between different operating system failures was observed.
Despite renewed efforts to better understand glacier change and recognize glacier change trends in the Andes, relatively large areas in the Andes of Argentina and Chile are still not investigated. In this study, we report on glacier elevation and mass changes in the outer region of the Northern and Southern Patagonian Icefields in the Southern Patagonian Andes. A newly-compiled Landsat ETM+ derived glacier inventory (consisting of 2253 glaciers and similar to 1314 +/- 66 km(2) of ice area) and differencing of the SRTM and SPOT5 DEMs were used to derive glacier-specific elevation changes over the 2000-12 period. The investigated glaciers showed a volume change of -0.71 +/- 0.55 km(3) a(-1), yielding a surface lowering of 0.52 +/- 0.35 m a(-1) on average and an overall mass loss of 0.46 +/- 0.37 m w.e. a(-1). Highly variable individual glacier responses were observed and interestingly, they were less negative than previously reported for the neighboring Patagonian Icefields.
This paper explores the extent to which people of different origins, natives and migrants, come together in everyday life in Europe. Instead of looking at overall perceptions' and stances', which are context-dependent and mediated through political-ideological currents and discourses as well as broader patterns of prejudice, we focus on sustained close contacts that suggest meaningful and organic relationships. Since it is most often people of migrant background who are blamed for leading parallel lives' and not integrating', we chose to focus on them and their interethnic friendships. Moreover, we seek to understand the relevance and role of the neighbourhood context in the development of those relationships. Despite the expressive fears in public discourses about the supposed negative impact of the presence of immigrants and ethnic minorities on social cohesion, our findings indicate that close interethnic relationships are not uncommon in diverse European cities. They further highlight that the neighbourhood context plays an important role in the first years of migrants' settlement. Relationships in the neighbourhood develop in less formal social settings and are also less demanding in terms of host-country cultural skills on the part of the migrants, thus giving the opportunity to newcomers to develop close interethnic relationships with natives. Finally, the analysis supports the positive role of diversity at the neighbourhood level in the development of interethnic friendships and stresses the importance of the neighbourhood's socio-spatial characteristics and its location in the wider urban net.
Aims and Objectives:Recent studies show that lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) share similar genetic molecular biology. There are increasing concerns regarding the biological significance of LCIS. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the presence of coexisting LCIS in ILC affects tumor biology and behavior and to correlate it with other clinicopathologic parameters.Materials and Methods:In this study, 254 cases of ILC were included. Clinicopathologic parameters and immunohistochemical stains for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), E-cadherin, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2), and MIB-1 of 254 ILC cases were retrieved. The patient with ILC and coexisting LCIS were compared with pure ILC cases with respect to different clinicopathologic parameters.Results:Of the 254 cases, 107 cases were pure ILC and 147 cases were ILC with coexisting LCIS. Seventy-six (76/184, 41.32%) cases showed axillary lymph node metastases. Lymph node metastasis was absent in 108 cases, micrometastasis was present in 5 cases, and stage N1, N2, N3 in 51, 5, and 15 cases, respectively. Nodal involvement, locoregional and distant recurrence of ILC with LCIS were less frequent compared with ILC without LCIS with P-value of 0.034 and 0.007, respectively. The presence of coexisting LCIS in ILC predicted higher disease-free survival (DFS) compared with pure ILC (P=0.034, log-rank test). When divided into different strata, ER-positive ILC cases with associated LCIS cases showed better DFS than ER-positive pure ILC cases (P=0.021, log-rank test). Similarly, ILC cases with LCIS in patient less than 50 years showed better DFS than the patient less than 50 years with pure ILC (P=0.045, log-rank test).Conclusions:In conclusion, ILC coexisting with lobular carcinoma in situ (ILC+LCIS) is characterized by less nodal involvement, lower locoregional, and distant recurrence and better DFS than pure ILC. When divided into different strata, ER-positive and less than 50-year groups with ILC+LCIS show even significant better DFS than pure ILC. These findings suggest that there is biological significance of coexisting LCIS in ILC and that this may have more effect on tumor aggressiveness in certain strata of ILC.
We consider linear-quadratic optimal sampled-data control problems, where the state evolves continuously in time according to a linear control system and the control is sampled, i.e., is piecewise constant over a subdivision of the time interval, and the cost is quadratic. As a first result, we prove that, as the sampling periods tend to zero, the optimal sampled-data controls converge pointwise to the optimal permanent control. Then, we extend the classical Riccati theory to the sampled-data control framework, by developing two different approaches: the first one uses a recently established version of the Pontryagin maximum principle for optimal sampled-data control problems, and the second one uses an adequate version of the dynamic programming principle. In turn, we obtain a closed-loop expression for optimal sampled-data controls of linear-quadratic problems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We have developed a process-oriented method for intrusion detection for use on Industrial Control System (ICS) networks. Network traffic from an ICS has a much lower volume than that from a typical IT enterprise network, and the traffic is much more regular (periodic) and predictable. Most intrusion detection systems for ICSs require additional capabilities. ICS network traffic is relatively predictable and regular and anomaly-based intrusion detection methods have been shown in the literature to work reasonably well. We use anomaly-based methods as one line of defense. We propose to strengthen ICS intrusion detection methods by adding two process-oriented alerting methods. Unlike most anomaly detection methods, these two methods are not configured solely by a network engineer based on inspection of network traffic. We utilize Critical Process Variables, which are defined by the plant operators themselves. The advantage is that the plant operators have the best knowledge of the critical assets of their system. Limiting values of the Critical Process Variables are defined collaboratively by the plant operator and the network security engineer. A network sensor then alerts a Human Analyst when Critical Process Variables values exceed the defined ranges. We also introduce a third method, which employs Process Network Parameter Metrics, which are also defined collaboratively with the plant operator. Process Network Parameter Metrics are pre-defined measurements from network traffic that may indicate that either process components are missing or there is additional traffic present that the process should not normally produce. After initial discussions with the plant operator, the network security engineer designs network models and metrics with appropriate alerting functions in the network sensor. Alerts from Process Network Parameter Metrics may not indicate a critical security incident as Critical Process Variables would, but they may provide an important warning that suspicious behavior is present.
Acrylamide (AA), a widely used industrial monomer which is categorised to be carcinogenic, was found to be generated in starch-containing foods during the heating process. This discovery has caused reasonable concern about possible health risks to humans due to dietary acrylamide uptake. In order to gain more information on human metabolism of acrylamide and to contribute to the assessment of the human carcinogenic risk due to AA uptake we measured the mercapturic acid of AA and its epoxide glycidamide (GA) i.e. N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) and N-(RS)-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (GAMA) in human urine. The relation between AAMA and GAMA is important in this context because GA is thought to be the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of AA. The median levels in smokers (n = 13) were found to be about four times higher than in non-smokers (n = 16) with median levels of 127 mug/l versus 29 mug/l for AAMA and 19 mug/l versus 5 mug/l for GAMA. Therefore cigarette smoke proved to be an important source of acrylamide exposure. The level of AAMA in the occupationally non-exposed collective (n = 29) ranged from 3 to 338 mug/l, the level of GAMA from <LOD to 45 mug/l. The ratio of GAMA:AAMA varied from 0.03 to 0.53, median was 0.16 which is in reasonable agreement with results of different studies on rats. Thus the metabolic conversion of acrylamide to its genotoxic epoxide glycidarnide seems to occur to a comparable extent in rats and humans. Consequently, risk estimations by various authorities based on experimental data obtained in rats are supported by our findings. Besides we also measured the haemoglobin adducts of AA and GA in the blood of 26 participants. From these results compared to the mercapturic acids, we deduce a steady state for AA uptake, and we demonstrate a higher reactivity of GA in comparison to AA towards haemoglobin compared to glutathione in humans. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction The human genome-scale metabolic reconstruction details all known metabolic reactions occurring in humans, and thereby holds substantial promise for studying complex diseases and phenotypes. Capturing the whole human metabolic reconstruction is an on-going task and since the last community effort generated a consensus reconstruction, several updates have been developed. Objectives We report a new consensus version, Recon 2.2, which integrates various alternative versions with significant additional updates. In addition to re-establishing a consensus reconstruction, further key objectives included providing more comprehensive annotation of metabolites and genes, ensuring full mass and charge balance in all reactions, and developing a model that correctly predicts ATP production on a range of carbon sources. Methods Recon 2.2 has been developed through a combination of manual curation and automated error checking. Specific and significant manual updates include a respecification of fatty acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and a coupling of the electron transport chain to ATP synthase activity. All metabolites have definitive chemical formulae and charges specified, and these are used to ensure full mass and charge reaction balancing through an automated linear programming approach. Additionally, improved integration with transcriptomics and proteomics data has been facilitated with the updated curation of relationships between genes, proteins and reactions. Results Recon 2.2 now represents the most predictive model of human metabolism to date as demonstrated here. Extensive manual curation has increased the reconstruction size to 5324 metabolites, 7785 reactions and 1675 associated genes, which now are mapped to a single standard. The focus upon mass and charge balancing of all reactions, along with better representation of energy generation, has produced a flux model that correctly predicts ATP yield on different carbon sources. Conclusion Through these updates we have achieved the most complete and best annotated consensus human metabolic reconstruction available, thereby increasing the ability of this resource to provide novel insights into normal and disease states in human. The model is freely available from the Biomodels database (http://identifiers.org/biomodels.db/MODEL1603150001).
A mutant strain of Clostridium beijerinckii, with high tolerance to ferulic acid, was generated using atmospheric pressure glow discharge and high-throughput screening of C. beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. The mutant strain M11 produced 7.24g/L of butanol when grown in P2 medium containing 30g/L of glucose and 0.5g/L of ferulic acid, which is comparable to the production from non-ferulic acid cultures (8.11g/L of butanol). When 0.8g/L of ferulic acid was introduced into the P2 medium, C. beijerinckii M11 grew well and produced 4.91g/L of butanol. Both cell growth and butanol production of C. beijerinckii M11 were seriously inhibited when 0.9g/L of ferulic acid was added into the P2 medium. Furthermore, C. beijerinckii M11 could produce 6.13g/L of butanol using non-detoxified hemicellulosic hydrolysate from diluted sulfuric acid-treated corn fiber (SAHHC) as the carbon source. These results demonstrate that C. beijerinckii M11 has a high ferulic acid tolerance and is able to use non-detoxified SAHHC for butanol production. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Drug delivery systems (DDS) are based on the concept of providing the optimal amount of a drug to a specific area requiring treatment. Liposomes are lipid-based nanoparticles capable of encapsulating any drug into both their membrane and aqueous phases. They have the potential to be targeted when their surfaces are modified with functional molecules such as antibodies and peptides. Thus, liposomes have strong potential as drug carriers if designed for active targeting. Our research group has recently developed a new concept for liposome targeting called reverse targeting DDS (RT-DDS). RT-DDS differs from conventional active targeting in that the surface of the liposomes is modified with an antigenic molecule that is specifically recognized by antigen-specific immune cells. This review describes in detail the differences between these two DDS targeting concepts and proposes the application of RT-DDS to the treatment of allergies based on research using ovalbumin as a model allergy antigen.
Enormous increase in the application of various heavy metals including lead for commercial and non-commercial purposes has also led to their enhanced occurrence in the effluents from industries and domestic discharge creating substantial environmental concerns. The existing techniques for removal of these contaminants such as reverse osmosis and ion exchange suffer a few disadvantages and hence, thrust to develop efficient techniques for the removal have been ever increasing. Adsorption based on the use of nanoadsorbents is promising being cost effective and based on the ease of operation. The present work furnishes a detailed overview on nanoadsorbents for removal of lead from water. The various nanoadsorbents covered in the analysis include alumina, anatase, carbon nanotubes, chitosan, copper, iron and zinc oxide, magnetite, nanoclay and zirconium nanoparticles. The review also gives an insight into the synthesis and characterization of nanoadsorbents followed by guidelines on optimum operating parameters to be used in the removal process for maximizing the extent of removal. The typical optimum conditions established based on the critical analysis of literature are pH 6, contact time 60 min and optimum adsorbent dose dependent on the nanomaterials. Comparison of different nanoparticles revealed that titanium oxide and hematite nanoparticles are the best, giving 100% removal efficiency for lead ions. The sequestration was mainly dependent on adsorbent dose that has to be kept optimum to yield adequate surface area and number of adsorption sites. Overall, nanoadsorbents have been established to yield efficient removal of lead from water.
The SLS (Selective Laser Sintering, SLS) technology can directly manufacturing any complex structure, however, due to the limitation of the manufacturing engineering factor, the surface quality and the dimension accuracy of the green part are still an outstanding problem. So, the experimental methods were adopted to study the effect of part orientation on the machining accuracy, the part orientation will significantly affects the outline of the part due to the stair-stepping phenomenon, and then affects the surface quality and the dimension accuracy. The experimental samples of different part orientations including 0, 20, 45, 60, 90 degree were fabricated, and the results indicated that the stair-stepping phenomenon significantly affected by the part orientation, when the part orientation is 0, 45 and 90 degree, the dimension accuracy is best than other part orientation, it mean the stair-stepping phenomenon is smallest. So, when the part structure is complicated, the important structure dimension should be chosen the orientation 0, 45, or 90 degree.
In this paper we consider the binary transfer learning problem, focusing on how to select and combine sources from a large pool to yield a good performance on a target task. Constraining our scenario to real world, we do not assume the direct access to the source data, but rather we employ the source hypotheses trained from them. We propose an efficient algorithm that selects relevant source hypotheses and feature dimensions simultaneously, building on the literature on the best subset selection problem. Our algorithm achieves state-of-the-art results on three computer vision datasets, substantially outperforming both transfer learning and popular feature selection baselines in a small-sample setting. We also present a randomized variant that achieves the same results with the computational cost independent from the number of source hypotheses and feature dimensions. Also, we theoretically prove that, under reasonable assumptions on the source hypotheses, our algorithm can learn effectively from few examples. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The ability to assess oxygenation within living cells is much sought after to more deeply understand normal and pathological cell biology. Hypoxia Red manufactured by Enzo Life Sciences is advertised as a novel hypoxia detector dependent on nitroreducatase activity. We sought to use Hypoxia Red in primary neuronal cultures to test cell-to-cell metabolic variability in response to hypoxic stress. Neurons treated with 90 min of hypoxia were labeled with Hypoxia Red. We observed that, even under normoxic conditions neurons expressed fluorescence robustly. Analysis of the chemical reactions and biological underpinnings of this method revealed that the high uptake and reduction of the dye is due to active nitroreductases in normoxic cells that are independent of oxygen availability.
Uranus, together with Neptune in our Solar System, belongs to a class of planets called ice giants, which have never been explored using a dedicated mission. A mission to explore the ice giants is one of the highest priority missions of NASA. In this paper, we present a new and unique multi-probe, multi-planet spacecraft to explore two of the outer planets, Saturn and Uranus. The mission concept addresses the high-priority science goals of Saturn and Uranus as set forth by the National Research Council's Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey: Visions and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022. The growing importance of understanding the evolution and role of ice giants in extra-solar planetary systems makes Uranus a pertinent scientific target. The mission concept employs the Space Launch System to deliver a 1700 kg orbiter to Uranus using a ballistic Saturn-Uranus trajectory with a time-of-flight of 11.5 years. The baseline mission concept includes two atmospheric entry probes: one deployed at Saturn and another at Uranus prior to an impulsive orbit capture. A payload of nine remote sensing and in situ plasma instruments onboard the orbiter support a broad array of investigations during the nominal 2-year science mission. In addition to the baseline concept, system trade studies were conducted to explore the advantages of aerocapture and use of the Space Launch System. Based on the results of these trade studies, a preferred point design within constraints of NASA's Flagship program can be launched in the late 2020s. A neural network model using analogy-based data was developed to estimate the mission cost, which was found to be $1.9 billion in FY15$. (C) 2017 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
BackgroundFish is one of the most allergenic foods. While clinical cross-reactivity among different fishes is a widely accepted feature of fish allergy, associations with other food allergies are not well understood. This study aims at analyzing the relevance of clinical cross-reactivity between fish and chicken meat in patients with allergy to chicken meat without sensitization to hen's eggs. MethodsPatients with food allergy to fish and chicken meat (n = 29) or chicken meat only (n = 7) were recruited. IgE-reactive chicken proteins were identified (Edman, MS analysis) and quantified (ELISA). Allergens were used in IgE ELISA and skin testing. ResultsChicken parvalbumin and two new allergens, aldolase and enolase, were identified at 12, 40, and 50 kDa, respectively. They were recognized by sIgE of 61%, 75%, and 83% of all patient sera which were in the majority of the cases positive for the fish homologues as well. Fish and chicken meat allergens were highly cross-reactive while high inhibition rates with fish or chicken allergens correlated with the patients' primary sensitization to fish or chicken. In cooked or roasted foods, enolase and aldolase were detectable in chicken breast while parvalbumin was detectable in chicken legs and wings. ConclusionsFish and chicken meat are cross-reactive foods; both fish-allergic and chicken meat-allergic patients might be at risk of developing a food allergy to chicken meat or to fish, respectively. This clinical phenomenon is proposed to be termed fish-chicken syndrome' with cross-reactive allergens involved being parvalbumins, enolases, and aldolases.
Cross-sectional ovalization of thin-walled circular steel tube because of large plastic bending, also known as Brazier effect, usually occurs during the initial stage of tube's continuous rotary straightening process. The maximal cross-section flattening (ovalization) is an important technical parameter in tube's straightening process to control tube's bending deformation and prevent buckling. However, for the lack of special analytical model, it is determined in accordance with the specified charts developed by experienced operators on the basis of experimental data, thus it is inevitable that the local buckling will occur during some actual straightening operation. In the present paper, simplified normal strain component formulas are derived based on the thin shell theory. Then strain energy of thin-walled tube (per unit length) is obtained subsequently using the elastic-plastic theory. Finally a rational model for predicting the maximal section flattening of the thin-walled circular steel tube under its straightening process is presented by the principle of minimum potential energy. The simplified model is validated by experiments and numerical simulations. The results show that this model agrees well with the experiments and the numerical simulations with less than 10% error. This new model is expected to find its potential application in thin-walled steel tube straightening machine design. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This article intends to describe the influences of the different parenting styles in the development of prosocial behaviors in primary school children and to identify the parenting style that contributes the most to develop them. For this purpose. Spanish and English articles that have been published in the last ten years have been selected. It was found that parents are models that children tend to imitate and the parental style they use exerts great influence, both facilitative and inhibitory, on the development of prosocial behaviors. Within the different parenting styles, the democratic style is the one that would help the most to develop this kind of behaviors.
The present study provides an insight into the heterogeneous response of 45 glaciers in the Lidder and Sindh river basins, western Himalaya, and explores the linkages between glacier facies variability and changing glacier parameters. Results show that the region has undergone an overall deglaciation of similar to 12 +/- 1.5% (11.9 +/- 1.4 km(2)) from 1996 to 2014. Fluctuations in the temperature and precipitation patterns seem to be the primary factor controlling the changes in glacier dimensions (R-2 >0.82 in all cases). Glacier facies changes suggest depletion in snow-ice cover (similar to 18 +/- 23%) and an increase in ice-mixed debris (similar to 4 +/- 1.4%), supraglacial debris (similar to 6 +/- 1.5%), and periglacial debris (similar to 17 +/- 1.2%). These glacier facies transitions are possibly the result of ice-melting; however, its relative rate and elevation decides the nature of facies conversion. An increase in the proportion of supraglacial debris has led to the conversion of 11 clean glaciers to sparsely debris-covered glaciers and 5 sparsely debris-covered glaciers to debris-covered glaciers. The size of the glaciers greatly influenced the rate of conversion of glaciers, and glaciers <2 km(2) dominated the others in this regard. The small glaciers also experienced maximum shrinkage. Further, the glaciers with varying supraglacial debris cover respond differently, as sparsely debris-covered glaciers exhibit the highest rates of retreat (25 +/- 7.3 m/y), followed by clean (23.7 +/- 7.3 m/y) and debris-covered glaciers (13.1 +/- 73 m/y). Thus, the findings of this work clearly show that the climate change driven dimensional changes of glaciers and variations in the spatial distribution of glacier facies have strong mutual control on each other. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Commonly used for analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most frequently used medications in the world. In spite of their prevalence, reports of NSAID misuse and NSAID use disorder are uncommon. This case report describes a research participant who met criteria for DSM-5 moderate substance use disorder based on her use of prescribed ibuprofen as assessed by the validated Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). This case demonstrates that the DSM-5 criteria within the MINI can be applied to diagnose an NSAID use disorder. Addiction researchers and clinicians should consider medications generally not thought to be addictive, like NSAIDs, when evaluating patients for substance use disorder. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The traditional and still dominant approach to authoritarianism measures it as a unidimensional construct. However, in the past few years some studies have assessed the three hypothesized authoritarianism components (i.e., authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and conventionalism) separately. The aims of this study are to verify that the three-correlated-factor structure fits the data better than the one-factor model and to analyze the distinct effects of the three dimensions of authoritarianism on values and prejudice. A total of 169 Italian citizens responded to a questionnaire. As hypothesized, a structural equation model shows that the dimension of authoritarian submission is mainly related to the openness to change vs. conservation values opposition; the dimension of authoritarian aggression is more characterized on the self-transcendence vs. self-enhancement values opposition; conventionalism is mainly linked to traditional values. As concerns prejudice, this variable is predicted just by authoritarian aggression. Theoretical implications as concerns the conceptualization of authoritarianism are discussed.
Sustainable Manufacturing Engineering is becoming a growing body of knowledge upholded by the interest in the sustainability of the life cycle of products and processes. However, it has not been found a unified framework where research lines on sustainable manufacturing can be driven. This paper reviews and analyses the research works focused on that topic showing the trends emerging in it in the last fifteen years; in particular, it has been deeper focused on the sustainability of machining processes. This study has been achieved from the sustainability point of view of the triple bottom-line, which is defined on the basis of three general dimensions: economic, ecological and equity. On the other hand, it takes into account the tasks associated to the development and improvement of the manufacturing technologies to be developed in the life cycle phases: (1) design, (2) modelling simulation, (3) optimisation and (4) assessment. Finally, as a consequence of this, a framework has been provided to allow the integration of the sustainability in the context of research and professional practices in machining processes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Little is known about the mechanisms of smartphone features that are used in sealing relationships between psychopathology and problematic smartphone use. Our purpose was to investigate two specific smartphone usage types process use and social use for associations with depression and anxiety; and in accounting for relationships between anxiety/depression and problematic smartphone use. Social smartphone usage involves social feature engagement (e.g., social networking, messaging), while process usage involves non-social feature engagement (e.g., news consumption, entertainment, relaxation). 308 participants from Amazon's Mechanical Turk intemet labor market answered questionnaires about their depression and anxiety symptoms, and problematic smartphone use along with process and social smartphone use dimensions. Statistically adjusting for age and sex, we discovered the association between anxiety symptoms was stronger with process versus social smartphone use. Depression symptom severity was negatively associated with greater social smartphone use. Process smartphone use was more strongly associated with problematic smartphone use. Finally, process smartphone use accounted for relationships between anxiety severity and problematic smartphone use. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study investigated the application of geotextiles as sustainable urban drainage systems for degradation of organic pollutant load present in stormwater. Three experimental granular filter rigs were used, packed with alternating layers made up of gravel, pea gravel, sand and either an upper layer, an upper and lower layer or no layer of geotextile. The hydraulic loading capacity matched that commonly used on conventional sand filters. Standard water quality parameters were measured and collated data was evaluated using an ANOVA and Levine's test of homogeneity of variance procedure. It was found that the rig with both upper and lower geotextiles had a statistically significant difference in data from the rig with only a single geotextile layer. High chemical oxygen demand (58-80%) and suspended solids (88-99.99%) removal rates occurred for all rigs. However, the control rig showed increased outflow concentration of nutrients indicating the potential of geotextiles for stormwater treatment.
This paper presents the results of a brushless permanent magnet (PM) starter-generator design, which caters for low-cost manufacture and a highly constrained mechanical space envelope. The starter-generator design addresses the low-cost requirement through the use of aluminium winding conductors and ferrite PM. This presents several challenges which include, but are not limited to, the selection of an appropriate machine topology to realise a high specific output with the lower performance materials, minimizing the power losses associated with the higher resistivity of aluminium, and the enhancement of thermal performance. The problem is further exacerbated by the demanding space envelope, operating requirements, and the necessity of design for manufacture. The selection of an appropriate machine topology is paramount in the present application as the limited mechanical space-envelope results in a pancake like geometry in which the aspect ratio of the stator outer diameter to the machine active length is high. To provide a solution satisfying all these challenging design requirements, an approach combining the theoretical electromagnetic and thermal analyses together with tests on machine subassemblies has been employed here. Such a method allows for a more informed design process, where the manufacture and assembly nuances affecting the starter-generator's performance are identified and accounted for prior to prototyping of the complete machine assembly. This paper discusses the employed design methodology in detail. A number of machine designs with alternative winding constructions have been considered providing an insight into challenges and limitations for the cost- effective winding construction utilizing aluminium conductors. The results from analysis of the starter generator suggest that the proposed machine design is capable of achieving the design requirements for both continuous and transient operating modes.
The positivity of time-varying continuous-time linear systems and electrical circuits are addressed. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the positivity of the systems and electrical circuits are established. It is shown that there exists a large class of positive electrical circuits with time-varying parameters. Examples of positive electrical circuits are presented.
A geotextile tube is a type of geocontainer typically filled with sandy slurries and fine-grained dredged sediments. Its performance in strength, dewatering, fine-particle retention, and stacked stability has been studied extensively. However, very little is understood about the shape-deformation behavior of geotextile tubes. In this paper, slurry-settlement, constant head permeability, and seepage-force tests were conducted to determine the geocontainers' geotechnical design parameters. The characteristics of the dredged fill material determined from the slurry-settlement, constant head permeability, and seepage-force tests are presented. Large-scale tests on model geotextile tubes were also conducted. A large-scale apparatus for geotextile tube-filling test simulation is introduced. The apparatus consists of a slurry mixing station, a pumping and delivery station, a geotextile tube-filling station, and a data station. The results of the model tests conducted on a transparent geobag (undrained condition) and a geotextile tube (drained condition) are presented in this paper.
While maps of solar irradiance are readily available, they do not represent the economic viability of a solar project in any particular location. This paper provides a financial analysis with different electricity tariffs and then maps the internal rate of return (IRR) of solar load displacement projects. We examine 25 locations in the southwestern USA and show that IRR maps differ substantially from irradiance maps. Our analysis includes 27 scenarios derived from the following combinations: three types of solar installations (concentrated photovoltaic (CPV), south-facing PV and PV oriented so as to optimize IRR); three project start dates (2016, 2018, 2020); and three price projections for grid-connected systems (optimistic, central, pessimistic). The variation of irradiance across these 25 locatibns is much lower than the variation of IRR. Direct normal irradiance is almost uncorrelated with the IRR from CPV projects, indicating that irradiance alone is a poor predictor of IRR. Tariff differences among the 25 locations, including time of use aspects, play a major role in determining economic viability and IRR varies considerably even within a single city. Orienting PV modules so as to optimize the IRR brings little benefit unless the optimized azimuth is greater than 20 west of south. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Single-component nonrelativistic dissipative fluids are treated independently of reference frames and flow-frames. First the basic fields and their balances are derived, then the related thermodynamic relations and the entropy production are calculated and the linear constitutive relations are given. The usual basic fields of mass, momentum, energy and their current densities, the heat flux, pressure tensor and diffusion flux are the time- and spacelike components of the third-order mass-momentum-energy density-flux four-tensor. The corresponding Galilean transformation rules of the physical quantities are derived. It is proved that the non-equilibrium thermodynamic frame theory, including the thermostatic Gibbs relation and extensivity condition and also the entropy production, is independent of the reference frame and also the flow-frame of the fluid. The continuity-Fourier-Navier-Stokes equations are obtained almost in the traditional form if the flow of the fluid is fixed to the temperature. This choice of the flow-frame is the thermo-flow. A simple consequence of the theory is that the relation between the total, kinetic and internal energies is a Galilean transformation rule.
Temporary anaesthesia or analgosedation used for awake craniotomies carry substantial risks like hemodynamic instabilities, airway obstruction, hypoventilation, nausea and vomiting, agitation, and interference with test performances. We tested the actual need for sedatives and opioids in 50 patients undergoing awake craniotomy for brain tumour resection in eloquent or motoric brain areas when cranial nerve blocks, permanent presence of a contact person, and therapeutic communication are provided. Therapeutic communication was based on the assumption that patients in such an extreme medical situation enter a natural trance-like state with elevated suggestibility. The anaesthesiologist acted as a continuous guide, using a strong rapport, nonverbal communication, hypnotic suggestions, such as dissociation to a safe place, and the reframing of disturbing noises, while simultaneously avoiding negative suggestions. Analgesics or sedatives were at hand according to the principle as much as necessary, but not more than needed. No sedation was necessary for any of the patients besides for the treatment of seizures. Only two-thirds of the patients requested remifentanil, with a mean dosage of 96 mu g before the end of tumour resection and a total of 156 mu g. Hemodynamic reactions indicative of stress were mainly seen during nerve blockades and neurological testing. Postoperative vigilance tests showed equal or higher scores than preoperative tests. The main challenges for patients undergoing awake craniotomies include anxiety and fears, terrifying noises and surroundings, immobility, loss of control, and the feeling of helplessness and being left alone. In such situations, psychological support might be more helpful than the pharmacological approach. With adequate therapeutic communication, patients do not require any sedation and no or only low-dose opioid treatment during awake craniotomies, leaving patients fully awake and competent during the entire surgical procedure without stress. This approach can be termed awake-awake-awake-technique.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Interferometric SAR (InSAR) provide both structural and electromagnetic information for the ground surface and therefore have been widely used for land cover classification. However, relatively few studies have developed analyses that investigate SAR datasets over richly textured areas where heterogeneous land covers exist and intermingle over short distances. One of main difficulties is that the shapes of the structures in a SAR image cannot be represented in detail as mixed pixels are likely to occur when conventional InSAR parameter estimation methods are used. To solve this problem and further extend previous research into remote monitoring of urban environments, we address the use of accurate InSAR covariance matrix estimation to improve the accuracy of land cover mapping. The standard and updated methods were tested using the HH-polarization TerraSAR-X dataset and compared with each other using the random forest classifier. A detailed accuracy assessment complied for six types of surfaces shows that the updated method outperforms the standard approach by around 9%, with an overall accuracy of 82.46% over areas with rich texture in Zhuhai, China. This paper demonstrates that the accuracy of land cover mapping can benefit from the 3 enhancement of the quality of the observations in addition to classifiers selection and multi-source data ingratiation reported in previous studies. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
N-Phenyl-2-naphthylamine ( PBNA) represents an example of a suspected carcinogen that is found negative in mutagenicity and clastogenicity testing as well as in long-term animal carcinogenicity bioassays in several species, but for which a carcinogenic risk cannot be excluded because of its metabolic conversion to the known human carcinogen 2-naphthylamine. Also, epidemiologic studies failed to indicate an elevated bladder cancer risk in humans occupationally exposed to PBNA. The amounts of 2-naphthylamine found in the urine of different species including humans after exposure to PBNA indicate unequivocally that PBNA is dephenylated to some extent. These are not explained by the 2-naphthylamine impurities in technical-grade PBNA. To explain the metabolic dephenylation process, it has been suggested that PBNA is metabolized by cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymes to the phenolic derivative 4'-hydroxy-N-phenyl-2-naphthylamine, followed by its further oxidation to the quinone imine, which subsequently hydrolyses to form the dephenylation product 2-naphthylamine. Phenolic metabolites from the initial CYP-mediated activation step are rapidly conjugated. Quantitatively, dephenylation of PBNA to 2-naphthylamine is a minor pathway. The dog represents an animal model that appears to approximate the human metabolism and biological activation of PBNA. Based on published data, a worst-case scenario indicates that about 1% of total PBNA taken up is transferred into 2-naphthylamine. However, in vitro as well as in vivo findings with PBNA may point to a significantly smaller conversion rate, as metabolites anticipated from the metabolism of 2-naphthylamine were not detected so far. The assumption, which may well be an overestimation, is compatible with findings in animal experiments, and explains the lack of direct evidence of carcinogenicity of PBNA in both experimental and epidemiological studies.
A review is provided on efforts in our laboratory over the last decade to discover anti-HIV agents. The work has focused on computer-aided design and synthesis of non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (NNRTIs) with collaborative efforts on biological assaying and protein crystallography. Numerous design issues were successfully addressed including the need for potency against a wide range of viral variants, good aqueous solubility, and avoidance of electrophilic substructures. Computational methods including docking, de novo design, and free-energy perturbation (FEP) calculations made essential contributions. The result is novel NNRTIs with picomolar and low-nanomolar activities against wild type HIV-1 and key variants that also show much improved solubility and lower cytotoxicity than recently approved drugs in the class. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Social interactions play an important role in the overall well-being. Current practice of monitoring social interactions through questionnaires and surveys is inadequate due to recall bias, memory dependence and high end-user effort. However, sensing capabilities of smart-phones can play a significant role in automatic detection of social interactions. In this paper, we describe our method of detecting interactions between people, specifically focusing on interactions that occur in synchrony, such as walking. Walking together between subjects is an important aspect of social activity and thus can be used to provide a better insight into social interaction patterns. For this work, we rely on sampling smartphone accelerometer and Wi-Fi sensors only. We analyse Wi-Fi and accelerometer data separately and combine them to detect walking in synchrony. The results show that from seven days of monitoring using seven subjects in real-life setting, we achieve 99% accuracy, 77.2% precision and 90.2% recall detection rates when combining both modalities.
Industrial waste heat may be one of the answers to future energy demands. Depending on the temperature, industrial waste heat may be used to produce electricity or meet cooling or heating demands at different temperature levels. However, in order to estimate the influence the waste heat may have in future energy systems, the magnitude of the industrial waste heat in the different countries need to be estimated. For Germany, so far, only top-down analyses of the waste heat potential exist, using key figures derived from other studies in other countries. In this paper, the first bottom-up approach for estimating the industrial waste heat potential in Germany is presented. For this approach, an algorithm to evaluate and test the mandatory emission report data from German production companies was developed. In a second step, round about 81,000 data sets have been evaluated to calculate a conservative and lower boundary value for the industrial waste heat. As this conservative, lower boundary based on the collected data from the German industry, the waste heat volume was evaluated as 127 PJ/a or 13 % of the industrial fuel consumption. Results were used to derive key figures with which the missing share of the data was approximated.
In the field of cell biology, particle counting in intracellular images is important for investigating the cause of diseases. However, particles are manually counted by human observers now. Such manually counting takes a lot of time, and counting result becomes subjective. If an automatic counting method by computer is realized, we can treat a large number of images and it can obtain many objective data. The development of an automatic counting method much contributes to understand the case of disease. However, particle counting in intracellular images by a computer is new research field, and conventional methods are little. Thus, we propose counting method based on regression analysis. We use partial least squares regression and auto-correlation between two different types of features using mask patterns for higher-order local autocorrelation feature. The proposed method gives higher accuracy than counting by principal component regression, support vector regression and ImageJ. In experiment, the proposed method can count with small error in comparison with human counting. The effectiveness of our method is shown by experiments. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
There are clear and compelling racial disparities in access to renal transplant, which is the therapy of choice for many patients with end stage renal disease. This paper conceptualizes the role of racism (i.e., internalized, personally-mediated, and institutionalized) in creating and perpetuating these disparities at multiple levels of the social ecology by integrating two often-cited theories in the literature. Internalized racism is Manifested at the intrapersonal level when, for example, African American patients devalue their self-worth, thereby not pursuing the most aggressive treatment available. Personally-mediated racism is manifested at the interpersonal level when, for example, physicians exhibit unconscious race bias that impacts their treatment decisions. One example of institutionalized racism being manifested at the institutional, community, and public policy levels is the long-standing existence of racial residential segregation and empirically established links between neighborhood racial composition and dialysis facility-level transplantation rates. This paper concludes with clinical, research, and policy recommendations.
Information about the quality of rural drinking water sources can be used to manage their safety and mitigate risks to health. Sanitary surveys, which are observational checklists to assess hazards present at water sources, are simpler to conduct than microbial tests. We assessed whether sanitary survey results were associated with measured indicator bacteria levels in rural drinking water sources in Kisii Central, Kenya. Overall, thermotolerant coliform (TTC) levels were high: all of the samples from the 20 tested dug wells, almost all (95%) of the samples from the 25 tested springs, and 61% of the samples from the 16 tested rainwater harvesting systems were contaminated with TTC. There were no significant associations between TTC levels and overall sanitary survey scores or their individual components. Contamination by TTC was associated with source type (dug wells and springs were more contaminated than rainwater systems). While sanitary surveys cannot be substituted for microbial water quality results in this context, they could be used to identify potential hazards and contribute to a comprehensive risk management approach.
The wireless local area network (WLAN) communication is a rapidly growing approach for data sharing. A wireless network provides network access to mobile devices. Benefits of WLAN are like flexibility, mobility, portability, imposes performance, and security requirements. Such communication brings new network security threats. Physical security of wireless networks is impossible because wireless network signals are unidirectional and can proceed out of intended coverage area. Intruder with an apt wireless receiver can snoop into the network still remaining virtually undetected. In a WLAN, the most important security apprehension is the presence of rogue access point (RAP). These RAPs can be definitely used by persons with inadequate security knowledge. Most of the security threats require an advanced technical knowledge or expensive intrusion devices. A RAP is a wireless AP, which is installed in a secure wireless network without network administrator permission. Such RAP allows intruder to do a man in the middle (MITM) attack. Existence of such RAP causes security threats in WLAN. The access point is very popular because of features like mobility, scalability, cost effectiveness, and ease of installation. Airtight report shows that lack of knowledge about secure wireless network causes number of security threats.
Objective: The relation between food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is well established. Aeroallergens may also contribute to the development of EoE; however, there are limited data to support or refute this hypothesis. The objectives of this pilot study were to determine whether there is a seasonal variation in the onset of symptoms and/or diagnosis of EoE and whether these variations correlate with a specific pollen concentration within New York City. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review to identify all pediatric patients at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center diagnosed with EoE between 2002 and 2012. Sixty-six patients were identified and 28 were excluded. Cases were classified by both date of initial symptoms and date of histologic diagnosis. Pollen counts from a certified New York City counting station and the percentage of EoE cases were collated monthly and seasonally and compared. Results: There was a seasonal variation in onset of symptoms and diagnosis of EoE, with the highest number of patients reporting onset of symptoms of EoE in July to September, and those being diagnosed with EoE in October to December. There was a seasonal correlation between peak levels of grass pollen and peak onset of EoE symptoms, which were both highest in July to September. The diagnosis of EoE peaked one season later. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that there is a correlation between specific aeroallergens and both the onset of symptoms and time of diagnosis of patients with EoE.
Background: Measuring the agreement between a gene expression profile and a known transcriptional regulatory network is an important step in the functional interpretation of bacterial physiological state. In this way, general design principles can be explored. One such interpretive framework is the relationship of digital control, that is, the impact of sequence-specific interactions, and analog control, i.e., the extent of the influence of chromosomal structure. Methods and Results: Here, we present time-resolved gene expression profiles of Escherichia coli's growth cycle as measured by RNA-seq. We extend methods which have been developed for discrete sets of differentially expressed genes and apply them to the wild type and two mutant time-series for which the global transcriptional regulators fis and hns were inactivated. We test our continuous methods using simulated 'expression profiles' generated from random Boolean network dynamics where we observe a clear trade-off between maximum response and level of detail included. In the real time-course expression data, we find strong interdependent changes of digital and analog control during the exponential growth phase and a dominance of analog control during the stationary phase. Conclusions: Our investigation puts forward a simple and reliable method for quantifying the match between time-resolved gene expression profiles and a transcriptional regulatory network. The method reveals a systematic compensatory interplay of digital and analog control in the genetic regulation of E. coli's growth cycle.
In recent years, the pollution of receiving water induced by urban stormwater runoff has gained considerable attention. Meanwhile, rainwater is also a potential and valuable water resource, which may effectively mitigate the increasing water shortage. In the present study, the distributions and transport of nutrients and heavy metals in different stormwater runoff of two residential communities (site A and B) under the effect of drainage systems were discussed in detail. Site A with combined drainage system was located in old district featured with a lot of big manufacturing and chemical factories in suburb. Differently, site B with separate system was situated in new district occupied by small shops and residential quarters. The results indicated that air quality was a significant influence factor and reference index in the decision-making of rainwater harvesting and reuse. For nutrients, the anthropic activities contributed adequately ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus to the road runoff (RD) and sewer overflows, especially in site A with combined drainage system. However, the roof runoff (RF) presented the highest event mean concentrations (EMC) of nitrate and nitrite nitrogen, probably due to the high runoff coefficient of roof and low interference from human activities on dry deposition. Zn(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) concentrations showed a similar variation pattern, although there were some small differences owing to the erosion of metal materials from rooftops and street lamps. Compared with the Standards for Drinking Water Quality in China, the direct rainfall and RF in site B could be harvested and utilized for potential drinking water supply from the perspective of the studied parameters. For site A, at least 33.8% of NH4+-N and 50.8% of NO3--N in RF must be removed before reuse. The results obtained in this research would provide an important assistance and support in urban rainwater reuse as well as runoff pollution control.
A magnetizer design methodology that takes into account systematic errors such as the variation in flux density (B), and the z-component of the magnetic field (H-z), is proposed. The effect of the sample diameter and the effective length of the yoke, i.e. yoke depth on H-z are analysed. Experimental results at 1.5 T and 60 H-z showed a reduction of 81 %, 72 % and 30 % by a large magnetizer, shielding and reducing the yoke depth from 80 mm to 10 mm, respectively. This was in comparison to an unshielded compact magnetizer. H-z is also dependent on magnetic loading. Furthermore, at 2 T and 60 Hz, magnetic contributions dominated H-z such that the effectiveness of shielding and reducing the yoke depth decreased to 27 % and 4 %, respectively. To achieve these very high flux densities, the magnetizers were designed to be compact (sample diameter of <= 100 mm and narrow airgaps of <= 2 mm). This reduction in size increases the leakage field above and below the sample to the same level of magnitude as the applied field, which affects the measurement of the magnetic field (H). Two H-coil sizes with a sensitivity difference of 60 % are used to show that the measured H is independent of the coil size, but depends on the leakage field. Their measured core loss difference under pulsating and rotating fields was about 6 %.
Microbial electrochemical systems (MESs) are an attracting technology for the disposal of wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy production. In MESs, at the anode microorganisms through the catalytic activity generates electrons that can be converted into electricity or other valuable chemical compounds. Microorganisms those having ability to donate and accept electrons to and from anode and cathode electrodes, respectively are recognized as 'exoelectrogens'. In the MESs, it renders an important function for its performance. In the present mini-review, we have discussed the role of microbiome including pure culture, enriched culture and mixed culture in different BESs application. The effects of operational and biological factors on microbiome development have been discussed. Further discussion about the molecular techniques for the evaluation of microbial community analysis is addressed. In addition different electrochemical techniques for extracellular electron transfer (EET) mechanism of electroactive biofilms have been discussed. This review highlights the importance of microbiome in the development of MESs, effective operational factors for exo-electrogens activities as well their key challenges and future technological aspects are also briefly discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Percutaneous image-guided tumor ablation is a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of malignant tumors using a needle-shaped ablation probe. Automating the insertion of a needle by using a robot could increase the accuracy and decrease the execution time of the procedure. Extracting the needle tip position from the ultrasound (US) images is of paramount importance for verifying that the needle is not approaching any forbidden regions (e.g., major vessels and ribs), and could also be used as a direct feedback signal to the robot inserting the needle. A method for estimating the needle tip has previously been developed combining a modified Hough transform, image filters, and machine learning. This paper improves that method by introducing a dynamic selection of the region of interest in the US images and filtering the tracking results using either a Kalman filter or a particle filter. Experiments where a biopsy needle has been inserted into a phantom by a robot have been conducted, guided by an infrared tracking system. The proposed method has been accurately evaluated by comparing its estimations with the needle tip's positions manually detected by a physician in the US images. The results show a significant improvement in precision and more than 85% reduction of 95th percentile of the error compared with the previous automatic approaches. The method runs in real time with a frame rate of 35.4 frames/s. The increased robustness and accuracy can make our algorithm usable in autonomous surgical systems for needle insertion.
Objective: This study aimed to explore whether functional CYP2D6 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted on associations between autoimmune diseases and functional CYP2D6*4 1934 A/G and *3 polymorphisms and CYP2D6 phenotypes.Results: Twelve studies with 1,472 patients and 3,328 controls were included. Autoimmune disease and the CYP2D6 1934 A allele were significantly associated in the overall group, consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (OR = 1.227, 95% CI = 1.071-1.406, p = 0.003); stratification by ethnicity indicated that the CYP2D6 1934 A allele and autoimmune diseases were associated in Caucasians (OR = 1.225, 95% CI = 1.010-1.485, p = 0.039). The CYP2D6*3 allele was also associated with autoimmune diseases in Caucasians (OR = 1.977, 95% CI = 1.125-3.472, p = 0.018). Stratified by autoimmune disease type revealed that the CYP2D6 1934 AA genotype was associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; OR = 2.007, 95% CI = 1.170-3.442, p = 0.011) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS; OR = 2.317, 95% CI = 1.422-3.774, p = 0.001). The CYP2D6 PM+IM phenotype was significantly associated with autoimmune diseases in Caucasians (OR = 1.526, 95% CI = 1.038-2.246, p = 0.032) and with SLE (OR = 1.778, 95% CI = 1.249-2.532, p = 0.001).Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicates that CYP2D6*4 and *3 polymorphisms and the CYP2D6 phenotype are associated with susceptibility to autoimmune diseases in Caucasians; particularly, the CYP2D6*4 polymorphism and CYP2D6 PM+IM phenotype are risk factors for SLE development.
With the increasing proportion of natural gas in power generation, natural gas network and electricity network are closely coupled. Therefore, planning of any individual system regardless of such interdependence will increase the total cost of the whole combined systems. Therefore, a multi-objective optimization model for the combined gas and electricity network planning is presented in this work. To be specific, the objectives of the proposed model are to minimize both investment cost and production cost of the combined system while taking into account the N-1 network security criterion. Moreover, the stochastic nature of wind power generation is addressed in the proposed model. Consequently, it leads to a mixed integer non-linear, multi-objective, stochastic programming problem. To solve this complex model, the Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is employed to capture the optimal Pareto front, wherein the Primal-Dual Interior-Point (PDIP) method combined with the point estimate method is adopted to evaluate the objective functions. In addition, decision makers can use a fuzzy decision making approach based on their preference to select the final optimal solution from the optimal Pareto front. The effectiveness of the proposed model and method are validated on a modified IEEE 24-bus electricity network integrated with a 15-node natural gas system as well as a real-world system of Hainan province. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious complication associated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is widely used prior to allo-HCT for GVHD prevention, though evidence of its efficacy remains unclear. We therefore identified nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling 1089 patients (554 in the ATG group and 535 in the non-ATG group) to conduct a meta-analysis of the actions of ATG in allo-HCT. A relative risk or risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each outcome. Rabbit ATG reduced overall acute (a) GVHD (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67-0.89, P = 0.0004), grade III-IV aGVHD (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.88, P = 0.01), overall chronic (c) GVHD (RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.42-0.64, P < 0.00001) and extensive cGVHD (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.180.43, P < 0.00001), without increased risk of relapse (RR 1.17, 95% CI 0.91-1.49, P = 0.23). By contrast, horse ATG did not reduce overall aGVHD (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.88-1.79, P = 0.22) or cGVHD (RR 1.67, 95% CI 0.96-2.91, P = 0.07). ATG marginally reduced 100-day transplant related mortality (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56-1.00, P = 0.05) without compromising overall survival or increased risk of infections. Further studies are required to evaluate the optimal dosage and formulation of ATG in different conditioning regimens of transplantation with varied sources of graft and donor.
Humans typically exhibit a tendency to follow the gaze of conspecifics, a social attention behaviour known as gaze cueing. Here, we addressed whether episodically learned social knowledge about the behaviours performed by the individual bearing the gaze can influence this phenomenon. In a learning phase, different faces were systematically associated with either positive or negative behaviours. The same faces were then used as stimuli in a gaze-cueing task. The results showed that faces associated with antisocial norm-violating behaviours triggered stronger gaze-cueing effects as compared to faces associated with sociable behaviours. Importantly, this was especially evident for participants who perceived the presented normviolating behaviours as far more negative as compared to positive behaviours. These findings suggest that reflexive attentional responses can be affected by our appraisal of the valence of the behaviours of individuals around us.
The process of urbanization transforms natural landscape into impervious land cover, affecting the ecosystem health of receiving water bodies and downstream communities by changing the timing and volumes of the natural flow regime. Best management practices (BMP) and low impact development (LID) are a set of mitigating measures that can be considered for watershed management to mitigate the hydrologic consequences of urbanization. This research develops a methodology to select sites for placing LID technologies, namely rainwater harvesting and permeable pavements, to reduce hydrologic impacts, measured as alterations to the peak flow while meeting a prespecified budget. A simulation-optimization methodology couples a genetic algorithm with a hydrologic model, a hydraulic model, and curve number-based models of LID technologies. The trade-off between costs and peak flow alteration is explored by optimizing LID placement under varying budget constraints. Strategies that combine a detention pond and LID are explored and optimized for a spectrum of design storms, including 2-, 10-, and 100-year events. Trade-offs among management strategies that are designed to control storms of different sizes are analyzed. The simulation-optimization framework and methodology is applied for a small watershed on the Texas A&M University campus. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000251. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The solar photovoltaic (PV) system is known as one of the most outstanding new renewable energy systems for achieving the nearly zero energy building (nZEB). For the continuous deployment of the solar PV system in urban environments, it is crucial to estimate the rooftop solar PV potential. Urban areas, however, where high-rise buildings abound, are not always suitable for solar PV installation. Therefore, it is important to accurately estimate the available rooftop area considering the shadows from the surrounding buildings for reliable rooftop solar PV potential estimation. Therefore, this study proposed a method for estimating the rooftop solar PV potential by analyzing the available rooftop area through Hillshade analysis. Toward this end, the rooftop solar PV potential was estimated through the following hierarchical process: (i) calculation of the physical potential; (ii), calculation of the geographic potential; and (iii) calculation of the technical potential. For accurate estimation of the rooftop solar PV potential, the geographic potential (i.e., the available rooftop area) was explored in detail by analyzing the shadow based on the location of the sun through Hillshade analysis. By applying the proposed method to the Gangnam district in Seoul, South Korea, this study estimated the physical, geographic, and technical potentials on hourly, monthly, and annual bases. Overall, the physical, geographic, and technical potentials in the Gangnam district were found to be 9,287,982 MW h, 4,964,118 m(2), and 1,130,371 MW h, respectively. These rooftop solar PV potential results can be used in establishing solar policies by analyzing the different levels of the rooftop solar PV potential on hourly, monthly, and annual bases. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recently, an identity-based quadratic exponentiation randomized cryptosystem scheme using the discrete logarithm problem and the integer factorization problem has been developed. Their contribution lies in that they initiated an idea to create the identity-based cryptographic scheme without bilinear pair. This scheme can achieve the security goal of protecting data and prevent the adversary from snooping the encrypted data, and finding the secrete keys. In this paper, we have proposed some modification in setup phase using floor function and super-increasing sequence, and modified the encryption and decryption process in the identity-based quadratic exponentiation randomized cryptographic scheme. We also discuss how to enhance the security of proposed scheme and processing cost of the proposed scheme.
Background The mechanisms involved in the amplification of the mast cell response during anaphylaxis are unclear. Mouse models of anaphylaxis demonstrate the critical involvement of neutrophils. These innate immune cells are highly abundant in peripheral blood and can be rapidly activated to trigger both local and systemic inflammation. Objective To investigate neutrophil activation in peripheral blood during acute human anaphylaxis. Methods Patients presenting to the emergency department with anaphylaxis underwent blood sampling upon enrolment and at up to three subsequent time-points. Traditional anaphylaxis biomarkers, histamine and mast cell tryptase, were measured by ELISA and ImmunoCAP, respectively. Plasma myeloperoxidase concentrations were measured by ELISA, serum soluble CD62L concentrations by cytometric bead array, and both compared to healthy controls. Results In 72 patients, 37 (51%) had severe anaphylaxis, 33 (60%) were histamine positive, and 47 (70%) were mast cell tryptase positive. At enrolment, myeloperoxidase concentrations were 2.9- (95% CI: 1.3, 6.5) and 5.0- (95% CI: 2.4, 10.5) fold higher in moderate and severe patients, respectively, compared with healthy controls, and remained stable over the first 5 h following symptom onset. At enrolment, soluble CD62L was 29% (95% CI: 19, 38) and 31% (95% CI: 22, 40) lower in moderate and severe patients, respectively, than healthy controls, and was stable over the first 5 h. There were no associations between myeloperoxidase or soluble CD62L concentrations and either histamine or mast cell tryptase concentrations. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance These results provide compelling evidence for the involvement of neutrophils during acute human anaphylaxis, suggesting they are activated early in the reaction, regardless of mast cell activation. This important finding increases our understanding of the basic mechanisms of anaphylaxis, a necessary precursor to improving treatment and prevention.
Suicide is a pervasive problem worldwide. In this investigation, we show that individuals can perceive suicidality from facial appearance with accuracy that is significantly greater than chance guessing. Inferences of expected or obvious cues, such as how depressed a person seems, did not lead to accurate judgments. Rather, perceptions of how impulsive an individual appears differentiated suicide victims from living controls. Teasing apart various forms of impulsivity revealed that perceptions of impulsive aggression, distinct from other forms of impulsive behavior (e.g., impulsive buying), distinguished suicide victims from controls. Finally, experienced mental health clinicians did not perform significantly better than laypersons at judging suicidality. Facial appearance may therefore hold cues to suicidality, expanding what is known about the expression and perception of social cues from the face and providing new insights into the relationship between mental health and nonverbal cues.
Neurons are the largest cells in the body and form subcellular compartments such as axons and dendrites. During both development and adulthood building blocks must be continually trafficked long distances to maintain the different regions of the neuron. Beyond building blocks, signaling complexes are also transported, allowing for example, axons to communicate with the soma. The critical roles of signaling via ligand-receptor complexes is perhaps best illustrated in the context of development, where they are known to regulate polarization, survival, axon outgrowth, dendrite development, and synapse formation. However, knowing 'when' and 'how much' signaling is occurring does not provide the complete story. The location of signaling has a significant impact on the functional outcomes. There are therefore complex and functionally important trafficking mechanisms in place to control the precise spatial and temporal aspects of many signal transduction events. In turn, many of these signaling events affect trafficking mechanisms, setting up an intricate connection between trafficking and signaling. In this review we will use neurotrophin receptors, specifically TrkA and TrkB, to illustrate the cell biology underlying the links between trafficking and signaling. Briefly, we will discuss the concepts of how trafficking and signaling are intimately linked for functional and diverse signaling outputs, and how the same protein can play different roles for the same receptor depending on its localization. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 405-418, 2017.
Smart environments are spaces that interact with users taking into account their needs and preferences. Systems that manage these environments need to manipulate the context for interacting in a suitable way with users. One big challenge for creating a smart environment is to deal with context dynamicity. Ideally, these computer-supported environments must detect relevant events to forecast future situations and to act proactively to mitigate or eliminate situations related to specific user's needs. This paper proposes a framework for providing extensible, reactive and proactive behavior in Smart Environment systems. The focus of the present work is related to a specific class of Smart Environments: an Ambient Assisted Living. In this sense we define a framework and illustrate practical aspects of the use of framework by describing a home-care scenario in which the system observes the behavior of the user, as the time goes by, and detects relevant situations and acts reactively and proactively for preserving user health condition.
Many arylamine and hydrazine drugs and xenobiotics are acetylated by N-acetyltransferase (NAT), a cytosolic enzymic activity which has a wide tissue distribution. Humans can be classified as either fast or slow acetylators on the basis of their ability to metabolise isoniazid or sulphamethazine. These are termed polymorphic substrates. The acetylation of other compounds does not vary amongst individuals, e.g., p-aminobenzoic acid, and are termed monomorphic substrates. NAT from human hepatic and non-hepatic tissues, viz., (i) liver, (ii) the hepatoma cell line HepG2, (iii) tonsil lymphocytes and (iv) the monocytic cell line U937 have been compared with respect to substrate specificity towards polymorphic and monomorphic substrates. The chromatographic and centrifugation behaviour of NAT from these sources has also been investigated. NAT from liver shows 2-fold greater activity towards sulphamethazine than towards p-aminobenzoic acid as substrate. All other cell types tested show at least 70-fold greater activity with p-aminobenzoic as substrate compared to sulphamethazine. NAT from HepG2 cells, U937 cells and tonsil lymphocytes migrates as a single peak during ion-exchange chromatography, whereas the liver NAT activity is separated into two peaks. NAT in HepG2 cells resembles extra-hepatic tissue NAT rather than NAT in liver. HepG2 cells do not therefore represent a good in vitro model for investigation of human metabolism of arylamines or hydrazines. The molecular weight of NAT from U937 cells has been determined by a combination of sucrose density gradient centrifugation and gel filtration to be 31600 +/- 1200 daltons.
Positive intergroup contact with socially and economically advantaged national majorities has been shown to reduce ethnic identification among minorities, thereby undermining ethnic minority activism. This finding implies that ethnic identity is the relevant social identity driving ethnic minorities' struggle for equality. We argue that the study of the sedating effect of positive intergroup contact for minorities should be more nuanced. The existence of multiple and sometimes interplaying social identities can foster a reinterpretation of the meaning of ethnic activism. This study therefore examines how the interplay of ethnic and national identities shapes the sedating effect of contact on minority activism. We expect national identification to buffer the sedated activism resulting from reduced ethnic identification. That is, the mediation from intergroup contact to reduced ethnic activism through weakened ethnic identification is expected to be moderated by national identification. With survey data from Bulgaria, we investigated support for ethnic activism among Bulgarian Roma (N = 320) as a function of their contact with the national majority as well as their degree of ethnic and national identification. The predicted moderated mediation was revealed: a negative indirect relationship between contact and activism through decreased ethnic identification occurred among Roma with low national identification, whereas no sedating effect occurred among Roma identifying strongly as members of the Bulgarian nation. We discuss the meaning of national identification for the Roma minority, who experience harsh discrimination in countries where they have been historically settled, as well as convergence of these findings with work on dual identification. We highlight the role of interacting social identities in mobilizing resources for activism and the importance of adopting a critical view on ethnic discourse when studying activism in both traditional and immigrant minorities.
The widespread overuse of antibiotics in aquaculture has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistance shrimp pathogens, the negative impact on shrimp gut microbiota, and the presence of antimicrobial residues in aquaculture products, with negative consequences on human health. Alternatively, probiotics have positive effects on immunological responses and productive performance of aquatic animals. In this study, three probiotic bacteria, (Bacillus licheniformis MAt32, B. subtilis MAt43 and B. subtilis subsp. subtilis GAtB1), isolated from the Anadara tuberculosa were included in diets for juvenile shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, to evaluate their effects on growth, survival, disease prevalence, and immune-related gene expression. Shrimp naturally infected with WSSV and IHHNV were fed with the basal diet (control, T1) and diets supplemented with four levels of bacilli probiotic mix (1:1:1) at final concentration of (T2) 1 x 10(6), (T3) 2 x 10(6), (T4) 4 x 10(6), and (T5) 6 x 10(6) CFU g(-1) of feed. The specific growth rate of shrimp was significantly higher in T2 than in Tl (control) treatment, and the final growth as well as the survival were similar among treated groups. The prevalence of WSSV and IHHNV infected shrimp was reduced in T2 and T4 treatments, respectively, compared with control. The mRNA expression of proPO gene was higher in treatment T4 than control. The LvTo111 gene was significantly up-regulated in treatments T4 and T5 compared to control. The SOD gene was up-regulated in treatment T5 compared to control. In contrast, the mRNA expression of the Hsp70 gene was down -regulated in treatments T4 and T5 respect to control, and the TGase gene remained unaffected by the level of bacillus probiotic mix. As conclusion, the bacilli probiotic mix (Bacillus spp.) enhanced immune-related gene expression in WSSV and IHHNV naturally infected shrimp. This is the first report of probiotic potential of bacteria isolated from A. tuberculosa on the immune response and viral prevalence in shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this panel, 6 of 13 contributors to a recent book on ethics and pervasive information and communication technologies, or PICT [1], will make short presentations on their areas of expertise. About half of the panel's time will be reserved for open discussion. Pervasive ICT is similar to ubiquitous computing (or ubicomp), pervasive computing, everyware, and ambient intelligence (AmI); it includes many different concrete artifacts, including tabs, pads, and boards [2]; dust, skin, and clay[3]; and, of course, smartphones. Three characteristics distinguish PICT: It is, or could be, anywhere and everywhere - buildings, billboards, floors, restrooms, purses, pockets, coffee makers, pacemakers, eyeglasses, and the kitchen sink. It detects, collects, organizes, acts upon, and transmits information, often wirelessly on the Internet. Its presence and operation is often undetected by casual users, whether hidden physically (e.g., computer chips embedded in automobiles) or functionally. Functional invisibility occurs when a function of use of the technology is not announced (e.g., tracking online behavior), announced in a cryptic fashion (as in most terms of use), or becomes ambient through a process of familiarization, such as when smartphones become as ordinary as wallets and Facebook becomes a way of life. Ethical challenges posed by PICT are new and emerging, as are the technologies themselves. The book and this panel are exercises in anticipatory ethics - ethical analysis aimed at influencing the development of new technologies [4]. The panel will be organized as follows: 1. Introduction to the panel-Pimple 2. Gaps and Lags: Ethics and Regulation of eHealth-Seelman 3. Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations and PICT-Jones 4. The Sum is Greater Than Its Parts: Emergent Failure Modes in Interconnected Automated Systems-Searing 5. Values Levers: Practices That Encourage Ethics in Design-Shilton 6. PICT and Responsibility: Theory and Practice-Miller 7. Principled Pervasive ICT-Pimple 8. Open discussion
Life is so remarkable, and so unlike any other physical system, that it is tempting to attribute special factors to it. Physics is founded on the assumption that universal laws and principles underlie all natural phenomena, but is it far from clear that there are 'laws of life' with serious descriptive or predictive power analogous to the laws of physics. Nor is there (yet) a 'theoretical biology' in the same sense as theoretical physics. Part of the obstacle in developing a universal theory of biological organization concerns the daunting complexity of living organisms. However, many attempts have been made to glimpse simplicity lurking within this complexity, and to capture this simplicity mathematically. In this paper we review a promising new line of inquiry to bring coherence and order to the realm of biology by focusing on 'information' as a unifying concept.
Discharges from the widely distributed small point sources of pollutants such as septic tanks contribute to microbial and nutrient loading of streams and can pose risks to human health and stream ecology, espedally during periods of ecological sensitivity. Here we present the first comprehensive data on the compositional variability of septic tank effluents (STE) as a potential source of water pollution during different seasons and the associated links to their influence on stream waters. To determine STE parameters and nutrient variations, the biological and physicochemical properties of effluents sampled quarterly from 12 septic tank systems were investigated with concurrent analyses of upstream and downstream receiving waters. The study revealed that during the warmer dryer months of spring and summer, effluents were similar in composition, as were the colder wetter months of autumn and winter. However, spring/summer effluents differed significantly (P < 0.05) from autumn/winter for concentrations of biological oxygen demand (BOD), arsenic, barium (Ba), cobalt, chromium, manganese, strontium (Sr), titanium, tungsten (W) and zinc (Zn). With the exception of BOD, Ba and Sr which were greater in summer and spring, the concentrations of these parameters were greater in winter. Receiving stream waters also showed significant seasonal variation (P 0.05) in alkalinity, BOD, dissolved organic carbon, sulphate, sulphur, lithium, W, Zn and Escherichia coli abundance. There was a clear significant influence of STE on downstream waters relative to upstream from the source (P < 0.05) for total suspended solids, total particulate P and N, ammonium-N, coliforms and E. coli. The findings of this study found seasonal variation in STE and place effluent discharges as a factor affecting adjacent stream quality and call for appropriate measures to reduce or redirect STE discharges away from water courses. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In modern biomedical technology, development of high performance sensing methods for dopamine (DA) is a critical issue because of its vital role in human metabolism. We report here, a new kind of bioaffinity sensor for DA based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using a D-3 dopamine receptor (DA-RC) as a recognition element. A conjugate of DA was synthesized using bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein and was characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The biosensor surface was constructed by the immobilization of the DA-BSA conjugate onto an SPR gold surface by physical adsorption. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations revealed that the DA-BSA conjugate was homogeneously distributed over the sensor surface. Specific interaction of the DA-RC with the immobilized DA-BSA conjugate was studied by SPR. Based on the principle of indirect competitive inhibition, the biosensor could detect DA in a linear dynamic range from 85 pg/ml (ppt) to 700 ng/ml (ppb). The biosensor was highly specific for DA and showed no significant interference from potent interferences such as ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) and other DA analogues viz., 3,4 dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) and 3-(3,4 dihydroxyphenyl)-alanine (DOPA). The sensor surface displayed a high level of stability during repeated regeneration and affinity reaction cycles. Since this biosensor is simple, effective and is based on utilization of natural receptor, our study presents an encouraging scope for development of portable detection systems for in-vitro and in-vivo measurement of DA in clinical and medical diagnostics. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this review is to introduce Metschnikowia to the yeast researcher community and to convince readers that the genus is a worthwhile object of study in developmental biology, genetics, ecology and biotechnology. Metschnikowia sits at the foundation of modern immunology, having been instrumental in the discovery of animal phagocytosis. Some 81 species form a monophyletic group within the Metschnikowiaceae, which also include the smaller genus Clavispora and a few clades of Candida species. The family stands out by the habit of forming, by meiosis, only two ascospores, which in Metschnikowia are needle shaped. In some cases, the spores can reach enormous proportions, exceeding 200 mu m in length; in others, ascus formation is preceded by the development of chlamydospores. The adaptive value of such features remains to be elucidated. Extensive genetic studies are lacking, but attempts to apply methods developed for model species have been successful. Some species are found at the plant-insect interface whereas others are pathogens of aquatic animals and have served as model organisms in the exploration of host-parasite theory. Some species are globally distributed and others exhibit extreme endemism. Many species are remarkably easy to recover by sampling their known habitats. M. pulcherrima and close relatives may play an important role in wine quality and produce pulcherrimin, an iron-dipeptide complex that can interfere with the growth of other microorganisms. Some symbiotic species incapable of growth in culture media have been assigned to the genus, but their kinship with the group remains to be demonstrated. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Although previous research has demonstrated that generosity can lead to status gains, the converse effect of status on generosity has received less attention. This is a significant gap because groups and society at large rely on the beneficence of all members, especially those holding high-status positions. More broadly, research on the psychology of status remains largely unexplored, which is striking in light of the attention given to other forms of social hierarchy, such as power. The current work focuses on the psychology of status and explores the interactive effects of status and legitimacy on generosity. In particular, we hypothesize that status will decrease generosity when the status hierarchy is perceived as legitimate because status can inflate views of one's value to the group and sense of deservingness. In contrast, we hypothesize that status increases generosity when the status hierarchy is perceived as illegitimate, due to efforts to restore equity through one's generosity. Our results support these hypotheses across 6 studies (a field study and 5 experiments) and empirically demonstrate that the effects of status and legitimacy on generosity can be attributed to concerns about equity in status allocation.
Ambient intelligence (Aml) worlds consist of heterogeneous collections of interconnected devices that integrate smoothly in the environment to offer services to their users. These devices can be added, change or fail, modifying the system topology. Also, other circumstances may change, affecting users' activities, e.g., time, location, or the presence of other users. These changes modify the information the system has available to satisfy users' needs, i.e., the context. Aml systems need to adapt to these evolving conditions in order to be able to provide their services, but being as unobtrusive as possible for their users. There are also performance requirements that the system must fulfill to provide responses to environment stimuli in real time. Opportunistic control mechanisms address these issues by monitoring the context, and suspending or resolving goals when the appropriate conditions are met. This paper presents FAERIE, a software framework that supports the development of Aml applications with facilities for context management that rely on opportunistic control. The development of FAERIE systems uses a 3D simulator tool for testing and validation called UbikSim. A case study on an artistic installation illustrates the use of this infrastructure. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Common diseases often show sex differences in prevalence, onset, symptomology, treatment, or prognosis. Although studies have been performed to evaluate sex differences at specific SNP associations, this work aims to comprehensively survey a number of complex heritable diseases and anthropometric traits. Potential genetically encoded sex differences we investigated include differential genetic liability thresholds or distributions, gene-sex interaction at autosomal loci, major contribution of the X-chromosome, or gene-environment interactions reflected in genes responsive to androgens or estrogens. Finally, we tested the overlap between sex-differential association with anthropometric traits and disease risk. We utilized complementary approaches of assessing GWAS association enrichment and SNP-based heritability estimation to explore explicit sex differences, as well as enrichment in sex-implicated functional categories. We do not find consistent increased genetic load in the lower-prevalence sex, or a disproportionate role for the X-chromosome in disease risk, despite sex-heterogeneity on the X for several traits. We find that all anthropometric traits show less than complete correlation between the genetic contribution to males and females, and find a convincing example of autosome-wide genome-sex interaction in multiple sclerosis (P = 1 X 10(-9)). We also find some evidence for hormone-responsive gene enrichment, and striking evidence of the contribution of sex-differential anthropometric associations to common disease risk, implying that general mechanisms of sexual dimorphism determining secondary sex characteristics have shared effects on disease risk.
The tragic West African Ebola epidemic claimed many lives, but would have been worse still if scientific insights from many disciplines had not been integrated to create a strong technical response. Epidemiology and modelling triggered the international response and guided where response efforts were directed; virology, engineering and clinical science helped reduce deaths and transmission in and from hospitals and treatment centres; social sciences were key to reducing deaths from funerals and in the community; diagnostic and operational research made the response more efficient; immunology and vaccine research contributed to the final stages of the epidemic and will help prevent future epidemics. These varied scientific contributions had to be integrated into a combined narrative, communicated to policymakers to inform decisions, and used by courageous local and international responders in the field in real time. Not every area of science was optimal, and in particular, clinical trials of simple interventions such as fluid management were slow to be adopted and sharing of data was initially poor. This Ebola epidemic demonstrated how science can respond to a major emergency, but also has lessons for better responses in future infectious emergencies. This article is part of the themed issue 'The 2013-2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control'.
Recent technological developments in high-dimensional flow cytometry and mass cytometry (CyTOF) have made it possible to detect expression levels of dozens of protein markers in thousands of cells per second, allowing cell populations to be characterized in unprecedented detail. Traditional data analysis by manual gating can be inefficient and unreliable in these high-dimensional settings, which has led to the development of a large number of automated analysis methods. Methods designed for unsupervised analysis use specialized clustering algorithms to detect and define cell populations for further downstream analysis. Here, we have performed an up-to-date, extensible performance comparison of clustering methods for high-dimensional flow and mass cytometry data. We evaluated methods using several publicly available data sets from experiments in immunology, containing both major and rare cell populations, with cell population identities from expert manual gating as the reference standard. Several methods performed well, including FlowSOM, X-shift, PhenoGraph, Rclusterpp, and flowMeans. Among these, FlowSOM had extremely fast runtimes, making this method well-suited for interactive, exploratory analysis of large, high-dimensional data sets on a standard laptop or desktop computer. These results extend previously published comparisons by focusing on high-dimensional data and including new methods developed for CyTOF data. R scripts to reproduce all analyses are available from GitHub (https://github.com/lmweber/cytometry-clustering-comparison), and pre-processed data files are available from Flow Repository (FR-FCM-ZZPH), allowing our comparisons to be extended to include new clustering methods and reference data sets. (C) 2016 The Authors. Cytometry Part A published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of ISAC.
This paper presents a method for the detection of series arc faults in electrical circuits, which has been developed starting from an experimental characterization of the arc fault phenomenon and an arcing current study in several test conditions. Starting from this, the authors have found that is it possible to suitably detect arc faults by means of a high-resolution low-frequency harmonic analysis of current signal, based on chirp zeta transform, and a proper set of indicators. The proposed method effectiveness is shown by means of experimental tests, which were carried in both arcing and nonarcing conditions and in the presence of different loads, chosen according to the UL 1699 standard requirements.
Growing water scarcity and global climate change call for more efficient alternatives of water conservation; rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the most promising alternative among others. However, the assessment of RWH potential and the selection of suitable sites for RWH structures are very challenging for the water managers, especially on larger scales. This study addresses this challenge by presenting a fairly robust methodology for evaluating RWH potential and identifying sites/zones for different RWH structures using geospatial and multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques. The proposed methodology is demonstrated using a case study. The remote sensing data and conventional field data were used to prepare desired thematic layers using ArcGIS(C) software. Distributed Curve Number method was used to calculate event-based runoffs, based on which annual runoff potential and runoff coefficient maps were generated in the GIS (geographic information system) environment. Thematic layers such as slope, drainage density, and runoff coefficient and their features were assigned suitable weights and then they were integrated in a GIS to generate a RWH potential map of the study area. Zones suitable for different RWH structures were also identified, together with suitable sites for constructing recharge structures (check dams and percolation tanks along the streams). It was found that the study area can be classified into three RWH potential zones: (a) 'good' (241 km(2)), (b) 'moderate' (476 km(2)), and (c) 'poor' (287 km(2)). About 3% of the study area (30 km(2)) is suitable for constructing farm ponds, while percolation tanks (on the ground) can be constructed in about 2.7% of the area (27 km(2)). Of the 83 sites identified for the recharge structures, 32 recharge sites are specially suited to the inhabitants because of their proximity. It is concluded that the integrated geospatial and MCDA techniques offer a useful and powerful tool for the planning of rainwater harvesting at a basin or sub-basin scale. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the last years, several mathematical models coupling differential algebraic equations and partial differential equations for describing the behavior of electrical circuits have been proposed in the literature. Most of them investigate the properties of coupled systems that include one-dimensional drift-diffusion equations for describing the highly sensitive semi-conducting elements in the circuit. Here, we extend the results to coupled systems with higher dimensional drift-diffusion models that allow a proper modeling of semiconductor devices constituted of regions with different material properties. For stability reasons, we investigate a monolithic simulation approach and consider two common variants of PDE discretizations for semiconductors in the system: besides a finite element method that may be combined with the Scharfetter-Gummel approach, a mixed finite element discretization. The resulting differential algebraic equations share important properties that allow us to show that their index is always less or equal to two and depends only on the circuit's topology. The information about the index enables us to conclude unique solvability of the associated initial value problems as well as to choose appropriate time-stepping methods for them.
Displacement ventilation (DV) systems were initially developed as an efficient buoyant pollutant removal strategy for Scandinavian industrial halls in the 1970's. In the following decades these systems started to be used in mechanical cooling of office buildings and auditoriums. Designing displacement ventilation systems is more challenging than conventional overhead mixing systems. Most DV system designs require simplified modeling tools. Existing simplified models of DV were validated using air temperature measurements performed in test cells that cannot reproduce the conditions that exist in large rooms with thermally active boundary conditions. There is a lack of measurements that investigate the performance of DV systems in occupied large rooms. With the goal of reducing this knowledge gap, this paper presents a set of detailed temperature and CO2 measurements in two occupied large rooms with recently designed DV systems. The measurements were performed.in two recently refurbished rooms located in Lisbon: a large Concert hall and an adjacent Orchestra rehearsal room. The measurements and subsequent analysis were used to assess the actual performance of large room, state of the art, DV systems. In addition, these measurements were used to determine the modeling error of the three-node DV model implemented in EnergyPlus when simulating large rooms. Comparison between simulations and measurements revealed a good agreement: the average simulation error obtained by averaging the error of all measurements in all temperature nodes is 5.9%, with the largest deviation occurring in the floor level node (7.1% approximate to 0.4 degrees C) average simulation error of 5.9% (the average of error of all measurements in all nodes). (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Polyacrylamide-based conditioners have become an essential component of the geotextile tube dewatering processes. These conditioners act as flocculants, binding fine sediments through charge neutralisation and particle bridging, resulting in faster dewatering rates and greater retention of fine sediments. Recently, however, momentum has begun to shift towards the use of sustainable materials. Natural flocculants, such as starch and chitosan, are increasingly being tested as an attractive alternative to synthetic polymers. Researchers have identified a number of natural flocculants, polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives in particular, as candidates for dewatering applications. In this study, the dewatering performance of four soils (sand, silt, kaolin, and natural organic soil) was evaluated with synthetic and starch-based flocculants. Dewatering performance of five cationic starch-based polymers with charge densities ranging from 0.38 to 0.94 meq/g and molecular weights ranging from 5 x 10(4) g/mol to 5 x 10(5) g/mol were compared with five cationic acrylamide-based polymers with charge densities that ranged from 1 to 3.05 meq/g and molecular weights that ranged from 10 x 10(6) to 20 x 10(6) /mol. The cationic polyacrylamides and cationic starches were selected with a wide range of charge densities and molecular weights in order to study the effect of flocculant properties on the flocculation and dewatering performance of the used soils. The optimum dose of each flocculant was determined using the jar test. Additionally, pressure filtration tests were performed to determine the dewatering rates and filter cake properties. Test results showed that the flocculants' properties, especially charge density, have a significant effect on the optimum dose. The optimum doses of the cationic starch flocculants were two to four times higher than the cationic polyacrylamide polymers. Additionally, it was found that the cationic starches were more effective in minimising the turbidity of the natural organic soils than the cationic polyacrylamides. Finally, the cationic starches allowed for a 900% increase in dewatering rate in comparison with the soil samples that were tested without flocculants.
The automotive industry is facing a tremendous growth in the engineering of software-intensive systems, giving rise to various challenges. To prevent problems related to the fit of new software technologies in vehicles and the manufacturing processes, a well functioning interaction between the functions for product development and manufacturing is crucial. This is complicated by the fact that the changeable nature of software development causes unprecedented needs for collaboration and coordination between these two functions. This paper reports on a process assessment that focuses on the interface between the functions for product development and manufacturing in the development and design of software-intensive automotive systems. The main purpose of the study was to identify the key issues for improvement in the area assessed. The assessment was performed at two Swedish automotive companies where data were collected from documents and in interviews with practitioners. Nine key improvement issues were established ranging from challenges in requirements engineering to the need for knowledge transfer between manufacturing and product development. In addition, to increase the understandability of the results and map possible avenues for solution and future research, the paper provides an extensive analysis of each improvement issue in relation to the state-of-the-art.
Objective: Investigating the strategies that nurses use to watch the hospitalized elderly. Method: this is an exploratory study of qualitative nature. The research was conducted at a University Hospital with fifteen clinical nurses. To facilitate the data collection was used the interview technique. The empirical material was analyzed qualitatively, using the Technique of Content Analysis. Results: From the qualitative analysis emerged three themes: reception and individualized nursing care and respect for the autonomy of elderly patients; respect to beliefs, values, the privacy and identity of the elderly patient, recovery of verbal and nonverbal communication to the patient and his family. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the commitment of nurses participating in the research regarding the humanized nursing care directed to hospitalized elderly.
Background: Many infants and children receive acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen during febrile illness. Previously, some studies have linked acetaminophen and ibuprofen use to wheezing and exacerbation of asthma symptoms in infants and children. Objective: To assess whether acetaminophen or ibuprofen use are associated with wheezing in children presenting to the emergency department (ED) with febrile illness. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of children who presented with fever to the pediatric ED between 2009 and 2013. The data were collected from questionnaires and from the children's medical files. Patients with wheezing in the ED were compared with nonwheezing patients. Associations between medication use and wheezing were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The multivariate analysis adjusted for potential confounding variables (ie, age, atopic dermatitis, allergies, smoking, antibiotics use, etc) via propensity scores. Results: During the study period, 534 children admitted to the ED met our inclusion criteria, of whom 347 (65%) were included in the study. The use of acetaminophen was similar in children diagnosed with wheezing compared with those without wheezing (n = 39, 81.3%, vs n = 229, 82.7%, respectively). Ibuprofen use was significantly lower in children diagnosed with wheezing (n = 22, 52.4%, vs n = 168, 69.4%, respectively). In multivariate analysis, acetaminophen was not associated with a higher rate of wheezing during acute febrile illness (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.24- 2.39), whereas ibuprofen was associated with a lower risk of wheezing (adjusted OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.13-0.96). Conclusions: Our study suggests that acetaminophen and ibuprofen are not associated with increased risk for wheezing during acute febrile illness.
This paper presents the well-documented concept of synchronization of low frequency oscillation occurring in power systems and describes the characteristics of sync occurring in basic electrical circuits. The theory of sync, observed in basic circuits, is extended to analyze the dynamic characteristics of low-frequency oscillation in power systems.
Purpose of Review The purpose of the study is to briefly review the molecular mechanisms that leads to structural damage in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), defined as new bone formation resulting in complete or incomplete ankylosis of the spine, and the impact of treatment with biologics to retard this process. Recent Findings The understanding of molecular mechanisms leading to new bone formation in AS has significantly improved but is still incomplete. Availability of biologics has greatly enhanced the treatment of patients with AS, but its impact on slowing the structural damage is still a matter of debate, although a few observational studies have shown that long term use of TNF-a blockers may slow radiographic progression. The availability of newer biologics targeting IL-17/ 1L23 has shown some promising results in slowing radiographic progression in AS. Summary Although the availability of TNF-inhibitors has greatly enhanced the treatment options for patients with AS, their impact on slowing the structural damage is still not clearly established. However, preliminary results using newer biologics targeting IL-17/1L23 axis are more encouraging but longer follow-up is needed.
Oxidative stress has been confirmed as a contribution to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of many neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) are considered to have anti-oxidative stress ability in a previous study, but the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of CQAs in neuroprotective effects are still unclear. In the present study, we primarily expound the SARs of CQAs in counteracting H2O2-induced injury in SH-SY5Y cells. We found that CQAs (1-10) represented the protection of SH-SY5Y cells against H2O2-induced injury in varying degrees and malonyl groups could obviously increase the anti-oxidative stress ability of CQAs. Intensive studies of 4,5-O-dicaffeoyl-1-O-(malic acid methyl ester)-quinic acid (MDCQA) indicated that the mechanisms could potentially involve activation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and the regulation of the phosphorylation of MAPKs and AKT. In conclusion, MDCQA could serve as a neuroprotective agent with a potential to attenuate oxidative stress.
To harness a heterogeneous memory hierarchy, it is advantageous to integrate application knowledge in guiding frequent memory move, i.e., replicating or migrating virtual memory regions. To this end, we present memif, a protected OS service for asynchronous, hardware-accelerated memory move. Compared to the state of the art-page migration in Linux, memif incurs low overhead and low latency; in order to do so, it not only redefines the semantics of kernel interface but also overhauls the underlying mechanisms, including request/completion management, race handling, and DMA engine configuration. We implement memif in Linux for a server-class system-on-chip that features heterogeneous memories. Compared to the current Linux page migration, memif reduces CPU usage by up to 15% for small pages and by up to 38 x for large pages; in continuously serving requests, memif has no need for request batching and reduces latency by up to 63%. By crafting a small runtime atop memif, we improve the throughputs for a set of streaming workloads by up to 33%. Overall, memif has opened the door to software management of heterogeneous memory.
Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) introduced in 2005 by Hughes et al. (2005) [1] exploits one mathematical basis representation for computer aided design (CAD), geometry and analysis during the entire engineering process. In this paper we extend this concept also for visualization. The presented post-processing and visualization techniques thereby strengthen the relation between geometry, analysis and visualization. This is achieved by facilitating the same mathematical function space used for geometry and analysis also for post-processing and visualization purposes. During non-linear analysis derivatives are incrementally computed and stored with different basis function representations. We introduce and investigate projection methods to be able to use the same function space for both displacements and stresses without loss of accuracy. To obtain a common representation for structured and unstructured meshes like hierarchical spline, locally refined B-spline (LR B-spline) and T-spline techniques we exploit Bezier decomposition in a post-processing step resulting in a Bezier element representation and constitute it as generalized representation. The typically used unrelated (fictitious) finite element mesh representation for visualization purposes are easily replaced without changing the underlying geometry as well as the algorithmic data structure. One further benefit of the used Bezier decomposition lies in the fact that it facilitates a natural parallel implementation on Graphics Processor Units (GPUs) exploiting shader programming. In this paper we have developed and investigated an accurate, efficient and practical post-processing pipeline for visualization of isogeometric analysis results. The proposed IGA visualization pipeline consists of three steps: (1) Projection, (2) Bezier decomposition and (3) Pixel-accurate rendering. We have tested four different projection methods. A description on how to perform Bezier decomposition of LR B-splines are given (whereas for hierarchical and T-splines this has been done before). Furthermore, the use of GPU shader programming to enable efficient and pixel-accurate visualization is detailed. The performance of the four different projection techniques has been tested on manufactured problems as well as on realistic benchmark problems. Furthermore, the IGA visualization pipeline has been demonstrated on a number of real-world applications. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This paper presents a moderated target assembly design study for minor actinide (MA) transmutation in the first-stage sodium-cooled fast reactor (FR) to reduce the amount of MA to be sent to the second-stage accelerator driven system (ADS) in a two-stage FR/ADS fuel cycle option. In order to minimize the local power peaking problem induced by moderated target assemblies, the target assemblies were loaded in the reflector region. Using MA-40Zr target composition and ZrH1.6 moderator, an optimum MA target assembly design was developed to maximize the MA destruction within the practical thermal design limits on the cladding inner wall temperature. Long-lived fission product pins were used as thermal neutron filters to reduce the local power peaking in the adjacent fuel assemblies due to the thermal neutron leakage from the moderated target assembly. The performance characteristics of the FR with moderated target assemblies were evaluated by performing detailed neutronics and thermal-hydraulics analyses. Analysis results showed that the use of MA target assemblies reduces the amount of MA to be sent to ADS by a factor of six without deteriorating safety characteristics. As a result, the electricity sharing of ADS in a nuclear park composed of FRs and ADSs was reduced to 0.3% from 1.9%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We propose a model of volunteering and test its validity across four cultural groups. We hypothesize that individuals' explicit prosocial motivation relates positively to sustained volunteering, which is conceptualized as a latent factor comprising activity as a volunteer, service length, service frequency, and hours of volunteering. Moreover, we introduced implicit prosocial motivation and hypothesized that the relationship between explicit prosocial motivation and sustained volunteering would be amplified by implicit prosocial motivation. Data were collected from samples in China, Germany, Turkey, and the United States. Results confirmed our expectation that, across cultures, sustained volunteering was associated with explicit prosocial motivation and that the relationship between explicit prosocial motivation and sustained volunteering was strongest when implicit prosocial motivation was also high. By including implicit prosocial motivation, our study offers a novel approach to identifying sustained volunteer involvement, which can be of particular relevance for recruitment activities of voluntary organizations across various cultural contexts.
This paper investigates feasibility of developing a predictive rating method to optimize line rating of underground transmission lines based on weather forecast information. Transmission lines, overhead or underground, are essential and indispensable parts of the electric grid which basically transfer energy from the production point to where it is needed. Line rating defined as line's maximum capacity to transfer electric current and power safely and reliably under certain constraints and criteria. To ensure safe operation, rating has been classically calculated according to the worst case scenario, where conductor's temperature rise would remain within specified limit under most unfavorable conditions. Obviously, such an approach leads to very conservative results, leaving line mostly underutilized throughout its life span. In order to optimize line utilization, ambient adjusted rating and more recently dynamic line rating methods are developed. For instance, in dynamic line rating, real-time data are used to determine instantaneous line rating. We have investigated necessity and possibility of developing a predictive model for underground transmission lines by employing weather forecast information, which would enable line operators or owners to anticipate optimized line ampacity and maximum rating over the next few days. The proposed basic model builds upon the already developed and well-documented analogy between thermal and electrical circuits, yet incorporates a time varying source to account for constantly changing ambient temperature. Deterministic weather forecast information can be collected from Environment Canada.
Burns caused by hot drinks and soups can be both debilitating and costly, especially to pediatric and geriatric patients. This research is aimed at better understanding the fluid properties that can influence the severity of skin burns. We use a standard model which combines heat transfer and biomedical equations to predict burn severity. In particular, experimental data from a physical model serves as the input to our numerical model to determine the severity of scald burns as a consequence of actual fluid flows. This technique enables us to numerically predict the heat transfer from the hot soup into the skin, without the need to numerically estimate the complex fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of the potentially highly viscous and heterogeneous soup. While the temperature of the soup is obviously is the most important fact in determining the degree of burn, we also find that more viscous fluids result in more severe burns, as the slower flowing thicker fluids remain in contact with the skin for longer. Furthermore, other factors can also increase the severity of burn such as a higher initial fluid temperature, a greater fluid thermal conductivity, or a higher thermal capacity of the fluid. Our combined experimental and numerical investigation finds that for average skin properties a very viscous fluid at 100 degrees C, the fluid must be in contact with the skin for around 15-20 s to cause second degree burns, and more than 80 s to cause a third degree burn. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
Studies are described on the metabolism and the toxico-logic analysis of the nonopioid Cough suppressant dropropizine [R,S-3-(4-phenyl-1-piperazinyl) 1,2-propandiol, DRO] in human urine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The metabolisin studies showed that DRO was metabolized in humans mainly by hydroxylation of the aromatic ring, by N-dealkytation of the parent drug and of the hydroxyl-metabolite to the corresponding N-phenylpiperazines, and by degradation of the piperazine moiety. The authors' systematic toxicologic analysis (STA) procedure using full-scan GC-MS after acid hydrolysis, liquid-liquid extraction, and microwave-assisted acetylation allowed the unambiguous detection of DRO and its above-mentioned metabolites in human urine up to about 32 hours after intake of a single common therapeutic dose. The target analytes were found to be the parent compound DRO (earlier phase of excretion) and the hydroxylated metabolite para-hydroxy-DRO (later phase of excretion). Both allowed unambiguous detection of an intake of DRO and also differentiation from other phenylpiperazine derivatives.
A thermotolerant bacterium Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus with an ability to produce extracellular -mannanase was isolated from a soil sample. Bacterium produced 45U/mL -mannanase at 50 degrees C. The culture conditions for high-level production of -mannanase were optimized. Optimized MS medium [wheat bran 2% (w/v), ammonium sulfate 0.3% (w/v), yeast extract, and peptone (0.025% each) pH 6.5] was inoculated with 2% of 16H old culture. The culture was incubated at 50 degrees C for 48H resulting in 24-folds higher -mannanase production (1,100 +/- 50U/mL). Optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity of the crude enzyme was 6.0 and 60 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme demonstrated 65% relative enzyme activity at 37 degrees C. The hydrolytic activity of the crude enzymatic preparation was assessed on various agro residues. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis showed that the enzyme activity to saccharify heteromannans resulted in production of a mixture of manno-oligosaccharides (MOS) and enzyme exhibited classic endo-activity. To evaluate the possible prebiotic potential of the MOS thus obtained, initial screening for their ability to support the growth of probiotics was carried out by the pure culture method. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus sp. responded positively to the addition of enzymatically derived oligosaccharides and their numbers increased significantly. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Introduction. Proposed concept for training Internet of Things technology within the framework of the speciality Telecommunications and Radio Engineering. It is given a practice of organization and sequencing courses for students, which allows to teach them to design an entire system using Internet of Things. Main part. Internet of Things technologies require a wide range of knowledge and skills, it's building a unified data collection, their processing and forming control signals to the feedback circuit. Only single-step study with practical application allows you to learn to build such a system. Programming languages for IoT technology is a tool that lets you collaborate sensors with basic microcomputers, perform data processing for cloud services, work control signals. At each stage of construction IoT systems can be used in various programming languages, but preference should be given to those who support open operating systems. Conclusions. The feature of such course sequence is its practical-value content and its final result orientation.
The purpose of this paper is to determine physical electrical circuits, in both impedance and admittance forms, that match fractional-order integrators and differentiators, namely 1/s(q) and s(q). Then, using these idealized infinite-dimensional circuits, the energy storage and loss expressions for them are determined, carefully relating the associated infinite dimensional state variables to physically meaningful quantities. The resulting realizations and energy expressions allow a variety of implementations for understanding the transient behavior of fractional-order systems.
Use of geotextile as reinforcement material to improve the weak soil is a popular method these days. Tensile strength of geotextile and the soil-geotextile interaction are the major factors which influence the improvement of the soil. Change in fine content within the sand can change the interface behavior between soil and geotextile. In the present paper, the bearing capacity of unreinforced and geotextile-reinforced sand with different percentages of fines has been studied. A series of model tests have been carried out and the load settlement curves are obtained. The ultimate load carrying capacity of unreinforced and reinforced sand with different percentages of fines is compared. The interface behavior of sand and geotextile with various percentages of fines is also studied. It is observed that sand having around 5% of fine is suitable or permissible for bearing capacity improvement due to the application of geosynthetic reinforcement. The effectiveness of the reinforcement in load carrying capacity improvement decreases due to the addition of excessive amount of fines.
Past research investigated the surpassing of mean velocity at riffle cross sections by that at pool cross sections for flows up to bankfull, termed velocity reversals', to understand one mechanism by which riffle-pool relief is maintained. This study reenvisioned the classic velocity reversal by documenting stage-dependent changes to the locations of peak velocity without cross sections. Instead, the dynamics of peak velocity patches were considered for flows spanning 0.2 to 22 times bankfull discharge through the use of a high-resolution DEM and two-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling. A remarkable diversity in peak velocity patch behaviour was found across discharges, including gradual expansion and shifting as well as abrupt disappearance and emergence relative to the low-flow patch locations. These behaviours blended together to varying degrees to produce many reversals in peak velocity across morphological units, but it took substantially higher than bankfull discharge for peak velocities to move from riffles and chutes to fast glides and pools. The discharges at which reversals occurred among morphological units were significantly higher for the valley-confined reach than for the anastomosing reach. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Major developments in cryo-electron microscopy in the past three or four years have led to the solution of a number of spliceosome structures at high resolution, e.g., the fully assembled but not yet active spliceosome (Bact), the spliceosome just after the first step of splicing (C), and the spliceosome activated for the second step (C*). Therefore 30 years of genetics and biochemistry of the spliceosome can now be interpreted at the structural level. I have closely examined the RNase H domain of Prp8 in each of the structures. Interestingly, the RNase H domain has different and unexpected roles in each of the catalytic steps of splicing.
The objective of this paper is to perform a sensitivity analysis of design variables and an uncertainty analysis of daily potable water demand to evaluate the performance of rainwater harvesting systems in residential buildings. Eight cities in Brazil with different rainfall patterns were analysed. A numeric experiment was performed by means of computer simulation of rainwater harvesting. A sensitivity analysis was performed using variance-based indices for identifying the most important design parameters for rainwater harvesting systems when assessing the potential for potable water savings and underground tank capacity sizing. The uncertainty analysis was, performed for different scenarios of potable water demand with stochastic variations in a normal distribution with different coefficients of variation throughout the simulated period. The results have shown that different design variables, such as potable water demand, number of occupants, rainwater demand, and roof area are important for obtaining the ideal underground tank capacity and estimating the potential for potable water savings. The stochastic variations on the potable water demand caused amplitudes of up to 4.8% on the potential for potable water savings and 9.4% on the ideal underground tank capacity. Average amplitudes were quite low for all cities. However, some combinations of parameters resulted in large amplitude of uncertainty and difference from uniform distribution for tank capacities and potential for potable water savings. Stochastic potable water demand generated low uncertainties in the performance evaluation of rainwater harvesting systems; therefore, uniform distribution could be used in computer simulation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: Studies of facial affect recognition by people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have shown this to be a significant problem. Vocal affect recognition also appears to be challenging for this population, but little is known about the degree to which one modality is impaired compared to the other. This study compared facial and vocal affect recognition of high and low intensity emotion expressions in people with moderate-to-severe TBI. Methods: The Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy-2 (Adult Faces; Voices) was administered to 203 participants with TBI. Results: Adults with TBI identified vocal emotion expressions with greater accuracy than facial emotion expressions. Facial affect recognition impairment was identified in 34% of participants, 22% were classified as having vocal affect recognition impairment and 15% showed impairment in both modalities. Participants were significantly less accurate at identifying low vs high intensity emotion expressions in both modalities. Happy facial expressions were significantly better identified than all other emotions. Errors were distributed across the emotion categories for vocal expressions. Conclusions: The degree of facial affect impairment was significantly greater than vocal affect impairment in this sample of people with moderate-to-severe TBI. Low intensity emotion expressions were particularly problematic and an advantage for positively valenced facial emotion expressions was indicated.
Few studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have profiled disease-specific features of the condition in conjunction with assessment of caregivers' burden, distress, quality of life, and investigated patient survival. Eighty-four ALS patients and their primary caregivers were enrolled. Patients completed ALS-specific measures of physical and cognitive function, while caregivers completed measures of anxiety, depression, caregiver burden, and quality of life. Patient-caregiver dyads were interviewed about their health-service utilisation. Survival data were obtained through the Irish register for ALS. Participants were dichotomised into low/high groups according to the severity of self-reported caregiver burden, based on statistically derived cut-off scores. High-burdened caregivers (n = 43) did not significantly differ from low-burdened caregivers (n = 41) with respect to disease-specific characteristics, i.e., ALSFRS-R, bulbar- or spinal-onset ALS, disease duration, or survival data. However, significant differences were reported on subjective measures of anxiety (p < 0.000), depression (p < 0.001), distress (p < 0.000), and quality of life (p < 0.000). These data demonstrate the limited impact of ALS patient-related variables, i.e., ALSFRS-R and onset, on caregiver burden in ALS, and identify the importance of the psychological composition of caregivers. This study suggests that the subjective experience of individual caregivers is an important factor influencing the severity of experienced caregiver burden.
Background: During microtia reconstruction, the intraoperative design of the cartilage framework is important for the appearance and symmetry of the bilateral auricles. Templates (traditionally, the X-ray film template) are usually utilized to complete the task, which can provide cues regarding size, cranioauricular angle and positioning to the surgeons. With a combination of three-dimensional (3D) scanning and additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, we utilized two different ear-shaped templates (sheet moulding and 3D templates) during the fabrication of 3D-customized autologous cartilage frameworks for auricle reconstruction. Methods: Forty unilateral microtia patients were included in the study. All the patients underwent auricle reconstruction using the tissue-expanding technique assisted by the new AM templates. Images were processed using computer-aided design software and exported to print two different AM ear-shaped templates: sheet moulding and 3D. Both templates were assisted by the 3D framework fabrication. The 3D images of each patient's head were captured preoperatively using a 3D scanner. X-ray film templates were also made for the patients. The lengths and widths of the contralateral auricles, X-ray film and sheet moulding templates were measured in triplicate. The error of the template and the contralateral auricle were used to compare the accuracy between the two templates. Results: Between January and May 2014, 40 unilateral microtia patients aged 6-29 years were included in this study. All patients underwent auricle reconstruction using autogenous costal cartilage. The sterilized AM templates were used to assist in the framework fabrication. The operative time was decreased by an average of 15 min compared with the method assisted by the X-ray film template. Postoperative appearance evaluation (based on five indexes: symmetry, length, width, cranioauricular angle and the substructure of the reconstructed ear) was performed by both the doctors and the patients (or their parents). Follow-up (ranging from 9 to 18 months) showed that all of the patients obtained satisfactory results with life-like 3D configuration and symmetric cranioauricular angle. The follow-up showed that no surgery-related complications occurred. Comparing the accuracy of the X-ray film and sheet moulding templates, the average errors of length were 1.8 mm +/- 1.44 mm and 0.39 mm +/- 0.35 mm, respectively, and the average width errors were 1.32 mm +/- 0.88 mm and 0.3 mm +/- 0.47 mm, respectively. The new sheet moulding template was more accurate than the X-ray template. Conclusions: The new sheet-moulding template is much more accurate than the traditional Xray film template. Framework fabrication assisted by accurate 3D and informative AM templates contributed to individualized cartilage framework fabrication and satisfactory results. (C) 2016 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pipeline transportation plays an important role in the resources deployment and economic development of our country. Its dimensional repair technique is an important guarantee to ensure the safety and reduce the loss. Tapping machine draws a lot of attention as the key equipment. According to project practice, key problems of the largest-diameter pipe tapping machine's design and manufacture in our country was discussed. Firstly, the development Status, opportunities and challenges was analyzed. Then, the requirements and theory of tapping machine design were analyzed; the design of features, accessories and control components was finished. The problems of tapping with pressure, pressure balance, body seal and remote control was solved. Finally, the problems in the manufacturing process of tapping machine like welding, deep hole and keyway in long axis were researched and the solutions were put forward. The successful use of the machine shows its usefulness and reliability.
Fly ash, waste by-product from coal industries, is being used extensively in construction of highway and railway embankments. This paper describes the effectiveness of steel grid reinforcement in the form of planar mattress along with jute geotextile at facia throughout the slope and with fly ash as backfill material. The models were subjected to loading in the form of uniform and strip loading by means of rigid steel plates as footings. Series of laboratory model tests were carried out on homogeneous unreinforced and reinforced fly ash slopes with slope angle 60 degrees on rigid base to check the efficacy of reinforcement in improving the load carrying capacity and stability of slope. For fly ash slope on rigid base, length of the reinforcement was varied from 0.7H to 0.2H (H = Height of the slope). The steel reinforcement having grid thickness of 1.2 mm with square openings of 15 mm was laid along the width of the slope in continuous form as well as with coverage ratios (C-r) of 0.5 and 0.6. All the tests were conducted by applying both uniformly distributed load (UDL) and strip loading until failure. Based on the experimental results, for all types of reinforcement cases, slope with continuous grid of length 0.7H supports maximum for strip loading before failure as compared to UDL. The variation in length of the reinforcement showed significant effect on the settlement of the backfill.
This study investigated developmental differences in aversive conditioning, extinction, and reinstatement (i.e., the recovery of conditioned aversive associations following reexposure to the unconditioned stimulus [US] post-extinction). This study examined these mechanisms in children (M-age = 8.8 years), adolescents (M-age = 16.1 years), and adults (M-age = 32.3 years) using differential aversive conditioning with a geometric shape conditional stimulus (CS+) paired with an aversive sound US and another shape (CS-) presented alone. Following an extinction phase in which both CSs were presented alone, half of the participants in each age group received three US exposures (reinstatement condition) and the other half did not (control condition), followed by all participants completing an extinction retest phase on the same day. Findings indicated (a) significant differences in generalizing aversive expectancies to safe stimuli during conditioning and extinction that persisted during retest in children relative to adults and adolescents, (b) significantly less positive CS reevaluations during extinction that persisted during retest in adolescents relative to adults and children, and (c) reinstatement of US expectancies to the CS+ relative to the CS- in all age groups. Results suggest important differences in stimulus safety learning in children and stimulus valence reevaluation in adolescents relative to adults. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
With continuous development of science and technology, actual data integration and operating path also change greatly. To better improve transmission accuracy of overall data information, and guarantee optimal establishment of computer network security system, accuracy of overall system can improve fundamentally and more efficient computer security treatment measures can be established only when efficient network model operates. This paper simply analyzes the connotation of computer network security risk assessment model, intensively interprets the principle of fuzzy theory and composition of neural network model and finally discusses neural network model of fuzzy theory and fusion system of computer network security. This paper aims to verify system security performance through effective data analysis.
Background Antibiotic use in early life has been linked to disruptions in the microbiome. Such changes can disturb immune system development. Differences have been observed in the microbiota of children with and without allergies, but there have been few studies on antibiotic use and allergic disease. Objective We evaluated associations of early-life antibiotic use with subsequent occurrence of food allergy and other allergies in childhood using electronic health record data. Methods We used longitudinal data on 30 060 children up to age 7 years from Geisinger Clinic's electronic health record to conduct a sex- and age-matched case-control study to evaluate the association between antibiotic use and milk allergy, non-milk food allergies, and other allergies. For each outcome, we estimated conditional logistic regression models adjusting for race/ethnicity, history of Medical Assistance, and mode of birth delivery. Models were repeated separately for penicillins, cephalosporins and macrolides. Results There were 484 milk allergy cases, 598 non-milk food allergy cases and 3652 other allergy cases. Children with three or more antibiotic orders had a greater odds of milk allergy (Odds Ratio; 95% Confidence interval) (1.78; 1.28-2.48), non-milk food allergy (1.65; 1.27-2.14), and other allergies (3.07; 2.72-3.46) compared with children with no antibiotic orders. Associations were strongest at younger ages and differed by antibiotic class. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance We observed associations between antibiotic orders and allergic diseases, providing evidence of a potentially modifiable clinical practice associated with paediatric allergic disease. Differences by antibiotic class should be further explored, as this knowledge could inform paediatric treatment decisions.
The use of electronic communications and open networks bring along serious risks for the fundamental rights of citizens. Cloud computing, RFIDs, ambient intelligence, software agents bring with them the danger of the homo conectus. As an example of the possibilities of control brought along by technologies, it must be analyzed the employment relationship. It must be enquired the existence of a right to disconnect.
There is a rapid growing interest in using biomass as an alternative source for clean and sustainable energy production. In this work, a hybrid system was developed to combine anaerobic digestion (AD) and gasification for energy recovery from yard waste and woody biomass. The feasibility of the proposed hybrid system was validated experimentally and numerically and the energy efficiency was maximized by varying energy input in the drying process. The experiments were performed in two stages. At the first stage, AD of yard waste was conducted by mixing with anaerobic sludge. At the second stage, co-gasification was added as post-treatment for the AD residue for syngas production. The co-gasification experiments of AD residue and woody biomass were conducted at varying mixing ratios and varying moisture contents of AD residue. Optimal energy efficiency was found to be 70.8% at mixing ratio of 20 wt% AD residue with 30 wt% moisture content. Two kinetic models were then adapted for prediction of biogas produced in AD process and syngas produced in gasification process, respectively. Both experimental and numerical results showed that full utilization of biomass could be realized to produce energy through the combination of these two technologies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The default mode network (DMN) has been identified reliably during rest, as well as during the performance of tasks such as episodic retrieval and future imagining. It remains unclear why this network is engaged across these seemingly distinct conditions, though many hypotheses have been proposed to account for these effects. Prior to generating hypotheses explaining common DMN involvement, the degree of commonality in the DMN across these conditions, within individuals, must be statistically determined to test whether or not the DMN is truly a unitary network, equally engaged across rest, retrieval and future imagining. To provide such a test, we used comparable paradigms (self-directed, uninterrupted thought of equal duration) across the three conditions (rest, retrieval, and future imagining) in a within-participant design. We found lower than expected pattern similarity in DMN functional connectivity across the three conditions. Similarity in connectivity accounted for only 40-50% of the total variance. Partial Least Squares (PLS) analyses revealed the medial temporal regions of the DMN were preferentially coupled with one another during episodic retrieval and future imagining, whereas the non-medial temporal regions of the DMN (e.g., medial prefrontal cortex, lateral temporal cortex, and temporal pole) were preferentially coupled during rest. These results suggest that DMN connectivity may be more flexible than previously considered. Our findings are in line with emerging evidence that the DMN is not a static network engaged commonly across distinct cognitive processes, but is instead a dynamic system, topographically changing in relation to ongoing cognitive demands. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1155-1171, 2017. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This study utilizes geospatial tools of remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), and global positioning system (GPS) to examine the land loss, land cover (LC) change, landuse of Kutubdia Island, Bangladesh. Multi-spectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Landsat8 OLI imageries were used for land cover change. For assessing the landuse patterns of 2012, spatial video data were collected by using contour GPS camera. Using remote sensing analysis three different land cover classes (water, trees and forest, and agriculture) were identified and land cover changes were detected from 1972 to 2013. The results show from 1972 to 2013, an estimated 9 km(2) of land has been lost and significant changes have taken place from 1972 to 2013. Only an estimated. 35 km(2) area of accretion has taken place during the study period. Using GIS eight different landuse patterns were identified based on spatial video data.
The global growth of Geosynthetics for the last few decades or so has been substantially enhancing at an average of 10% per annum. Within the domain of geotextile, jute geotextile (JGT), a class of natural technical textile has carved out a niche in this emerging technology. Though far behind its man-made counterpart in growth, its effectiveness in addressing a host of different geotechnical problems and more importantly its eco-congruity is gaining increasing acceptability worldwide. The major uses of JGT are in road construction - low- and medium-volume roads in particular, soil erosion control, etc. Traditional sacking quality jute-woven fabrics (both plain and twill weaves) are being used in the above-mentioned applications. But use of conventional jute sacking fabrics being not application-specific and function-oriented deserves rethinking on adoption of the conventional jute fabrics used for flexible packaging in road construction, soil erosion control as well as other geotechnical construction. It is in this context that development of potentially important JGT for strengthening rural roads as well as in river bank protection assumes significance. It was realized that such JGT should be woven whose property parameters should be functionally apt for serving the purpose. The paper outlines a structured approach to fabric engineering related to JGT in tune with different prime parameters of design concerning rural road construction and river bank protection along with optimization and standardization of the fabric by comparative analysis of the different tests results of property parameters of the developed JGT samples.
Selective inhibitors of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) are an emerging class of pharmaceuticals due to the involvement of HDAC6 in different pathways related to neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and immunology. Herein, the synthesis of ten new benzohydroxamic acids, constructed by employing the tetrahydrobenzothiazepine core as a privileged pharmacophoric unit, is described. This is the first report on the synthesis and isolation of octahydrodibenzothiazepines and octahydro-6H-benzocycloheptathiazepines, which were then used to develop a new class of HDAC6 inhibitors. Evaluations of their HDAC-inhibiting activity resulted in the identification of cis-N-(4-hydroxycarbamoyl-benzyl)-1,2,3,4,4a, 5,11,11a-octahydrodibenzo[b, e] [1,4]thiazepine-10,10-dioxide and cis-N-(4-hydroxycarbamoyl-benzyl)-7-trifluoromethyl-1,2,3,4,4a, 5,11,11a-octahydrodibenzo[b,e][1,4]thiazepine-10,10-dioxide as highly potent and selective HDAC6 inhibitors with activity in the low nanomolar range, which also show excellent selectivity on the enzymatic and cellular levels. Furthermore, four promising inhibitors were subjected to an Ames fluctuation assay, which revealed no mutagenic effects associated with these structures.
In this paper an analytical expression for the solvation force, based on the nonlocal surface stress due to the nonlocal density variation, is constructed by making a surface functional approximation to the general stress constitutive equation of nonlocal viscous fluids. It is then applied to derive a well-known semi-empirical expression for solvation forces. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years, more and more research has been conducted in close collaboration with manufacturers to design robust and profitable dismantling systems. Thus, engineers and designers of new products have to consider constraints and disassembly specifications during the design phase of products not only in the context of the end of life but more precisely in the product life cycle. Consequently, optimization of disassembly process of complex products is essential in the case of preventive maintenance. In Fact, Disassembly Sequence Plan (DSP), which is among the combinatorial problems with hard constraints in practical engineering, becomes an NP-hard problem. In this research work, an automated DSP process based on a metaheuristic method named Ant Colony Optimization is developed. Beginning with a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model, a collision analysis is performed to identify all possible interferences during the components' motion and then an interference matrix is generated to identify dynamically the disassembly parts and to ensure the feasibility of disassembly operations. The novelty of the developed approach is presented in the introduction of new criteria such as the maintainability of the usury component with several other criteria as volume, tools change and disassembly directions change. Finally, to highlight the performance of the developed approach, an implemented tool is developed and an industrial case is studied. The obtained results prove the satisfactory side of these criteria to identify a feasible DSP in a record time.
The ability of capturing unknown attacks is an attractive feature of anomaly-based intrusion detection and it is not surprising that research on such a topic represents one of the most promising directions in the field of network security. In this work we consider two different traffic descriptors and evaluate their ability in capturing different kinds of anomalies, taking into account three different measures of similarity in order to discriminate between the normal network behaviour and the presence of anomalies. An extensive performance analysis, carried out over the publicly available MAWILab dataset, has highlighted that a proper choice of the relevant traffic descriptor and the similarity measure can be particularly efficient in the case of unknown attacks, i.e. those attacks that cannot be detected by standard misuse-based systems.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has traditionally been implemented in areas with (semi) arid climates or limited access to potable water supplies; however, recent droughts in the humid southeastern United States have led to increased implementation of RWH systems. The objectives of this study were twofold: (1) present usage characteristics and performance results for four RWH systems installed in humid North Carolina (NC) as compared with systems located in arid/semiarid regions and (2) identify system benefits and modifications that could help improve the performance of RWH systems installed in humid regions of the world. For this study four RWH systems were installed in NC. Their usage was monitored for at least one year and compared with similar studies. Results revealed that dedicated water uses and usage characteristics for RWH systems in NC differed from those previously reported in the literature. Two of the systems studied met 100 and 61% of the potable water demand with designated uses of animal kennel flushing and greenhouse irrigation, respectively. The designated uses yielding the greatest potable water replacement were often seasonal or periodic, thus necessitating the need for identifying and implementing secondary objectives for these systems, namely, stormwater management. Otherwise, the expense and effort required to implement RWH systems in humid areas will most likely preclude their use.
Dual assignment clustering (DAC) has been recently proposed in computer vision, shown to yield improved accuracy for action clustering tasks. The key idea of DAC is to consider another view (different from the original features) for the same set of samples, and to exploit the statistical correlation between cluster assignments in two views. However, the existing optimization is heuristic, mainly due to the difficulty in combinatorial optimization for hard cluster assignment. In this paper, we introduce a novel DAC optimization algorithm based on a probabilistic (soft) treatment, where the proposed objective function incorporates both the goodness of clustering in each view and the correlation between two views in a more principled and theoretically sound fashion. We also propose a lower-bound maximization technique that not only admits fast per-iteration solutions but also guarantees convergence to a local optimum. The superiority of the proposed approach to the existing methods is demonstrated for several activity video datasets. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In recent years, sparse representation theory has attracted the attention of many researchers in the signal processing, pattern recognition and computer vision communities. The choice of dictionary matrix plays a key role in the sparse representation based methods. It can be a pre-defined dictionary or can be learned via an optimization procedure. Furthermore, the dictionary learning process can be extended to a non-linear setting using an appropriate kernel function in order to handle non-linear structured data. In this framework, the choice of kernel function is also a key step. Multiple kernel learning is an appealing strategy for dealing with this problem. In this paper, within the framework of kernel sparse representation based classification, we propose an iterative algorithm for coincident learning of the dictionary matrix and multiple kernel function. The weighted sum of a set of basis functions is considered as the multiple kernel function where the weights are optimized such that the reconstruction error of the sparse coded data is minimized. In our proposed algorithm, the sparse coding, dictionary learning and multiple kernel learning processes are performed in three steps. The optimization process is performed considering two different structures namely distributive and collective for the sparse representation based classifier. Our experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other existing sparse coding based approaches. These results also confirm that the collective setting leads to better results when the number of training examples is limited. On the other hand, the distributive setting is more appropriate when there are enough training samples.
Much is known about when children acquire an understanding of mental states, but few, if any, experiments identify social contexts in which children tend to use this capacity and dispositions that influence its usage. Social exclusion is a common situation that compels us to reconnect with new parties, which may crucially involve attending to those parties' mental states. Across two studies, this line of inquiry was extended to typically developing preschoolers (Study 1) and young children with and without anxiety disorder (AD) (Study 2). Children played the virtual game of toss Cyberball ostensibly over the Internet with two peers who first played fair (inclusion), but eventually threw very few balls to the child (exclusion). Before and after Cyberball, children in both studies completed stories about peer-scenarios. For Study 1, 36 typically developing 5-year-olds were randomly assigned to regular exclusion (for no apparent reason) or accidental exclusion (due to an alleged computer malfunction). Compared to accidental exclusion, regular exclusion led children to portray story-characters more strongly as intentional agents (intentionality), with use of more mental state language (MSL), and more between-character affiliation in post-Cyberball stories. For Study 2, 20 clinically referred 4 to 8-year-olds with AD and 15 age- and gender-matched non-anxious controls completed stories before and after regular exclusion. While we replicated the post regular-exclusion increase of intentional and MSL portrayals of story-characters among non-anxious controls, anxious children exhibited a decline on both dimensions after regular exclusion. We conclude that exclusion typically induces young children to mentalize, enabling more effective reconnection with others. However, excessive anxiety may impair controlled mentalizing, which may, in turn, hamper effective reconnection with others after exclusion.
The study for the establishment of a complete flight information system that Provide airport management authorities as passengers aboard the aircraft before departure and after the arrival of the various kinds of information, In order to after the arrival of the aircraft to help passengers get instant information, Flight management system has been capture by the Aeronautical Information Services system and real-time rendering, to filter out the relevant flight information, And then import the system database, providing immediate treatment after working platform to operate. With Aeronautical Information Services system and self-development of the clearing subsystem to do, therefore in order to obtain information process posted on terminal display device. System user interface is designed for easy-of-use and grab efficient flight management system database, The flight management system also allows users to obtain authorized, For the purpose of Setting automatic reception or modification of aircraft taking off and landing before the return flight by a human way of information, Finally all kinds of publish messages in the terminal display on billboards. In this study, coupled with the servo system Linux Sever platform My SQL database of library materials through the exchange of operational mechanism, and by filtering the required data stored on the database, and the use of advanced backstage management and front display, Hence construction of a complete flight management system.
Two vignette studies were conducted in which preadolescent children (Study 1: N = 542; Study 2: N = 137; aged 8-13 years) evaluated the exclusion, for unknown reasons, of an immigrant minority child by a native majority peer (majority interethnic exclusion). Study 1 compared children's evaluations of majority interethnic exclusion with their evaluations of (majority and minority) intraethnic exclusion and minority interethnic exclusion, and Study 2 examined children's underlying explanations. Each study compared ethnic majority and ethnic minority respondents and examined the role of in-group bias for the former. Overall, both ethnic majority and ethnic minority respondents regarded majority interethnic exclusion more negatively than the other exclusion types (majority intraethnic, minority interethnic, and minority intraethnic). All children, but especially older minority respondents, were more likely to reject majority interethnic exclusion if they perceived it to be discriminatory (ethnicity based). Among the majority children, a strong in-group bias was associated with a weaker condemnation of majority interethnic exclusion, but this was not due to a larger tolerance of ethnicity-based discrimination. Biased majority children were also less likely to reject minority intraethnic exclusion, indicating an overall weaker concern for out-group victims. Taken together, the studies show that children are relatively negative about majority (prototypical) interethnic exclusion because it implies the possibility of ethnic discrimination, and they concur with previous evidence for a developmental increase in the awareness of discrimination in ethnic minority youths. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
According to consciousness involvement, human's learning can be roughly classified into explicit learning and implicit learning. Contrasting strongly to explicit learning with clear targets and rules, such as our school study of mathematics, learning is implicit when we acquire new information without intending to do so. Research from psychology indicates that implicit learning is ubiquitous in our daily life. Moreover, implicit learning plays an important role in human visual perception. But in the past 60 years, most of the well-known machine-learning models aimed to simulate explicit learning while the work of modeling implicit learning was relatively limited, especially for computer vision applications. This article proposes a novel unsupervised computational model for implicit visual learning by exploring dissipative system, which provides a unifying macroscopic theory to connect biology with physics. We test the proposed Dissipative Implicit Learning Model (DILM) on various datasets. The experiments show that DILM not only provides a good match to human behavior but also improves the explicit machine-learning performance obviously on image classification tasks.
Information leakage and memory disclosures are significant threats to the security of modern operating systems. If an attacker is able to obtain the binary-code of a program, it is then possible to reverse engineer its source code, uncover vulnerabilities, craft exploits, and subsequently patch together code-segments to form code-reuse attacks. These activities are particularly concerning when the program is a device driver or the operating system kernel, since these facilitate privilege-escalation and the ability to persist and hide. While execute-only code is a way to inhibit memory disclosures, the current x86-64 bit virtual memory implementation does not provide the capability to enforce execute only access permissions. The authors present their implementation of ExOShim: a novel, 325-line, lightweight shim hypervisor layer employing Intel's commodity virtualization features that can be dynamically inserted beneath a running kernel to prevent memory disclosures by marking its code execute-only. Unlike alternative approaches that operate only on user level applications, ExOShim utilizes self-protection and hiding techniques that guarantee its integrity even in the event that the attacker is able to gain root-level access. The technology can be combined with fine grained compile- and load-time diversity to mitigate the additional threat of indirect memory disclosures. These concepts have been integrated within an experimental MINIX-like 64-bit microkernel. While the concepts are general and could be applied to other operating systems, their implementation is subtle and requires a detailed understanding of the kernels interaction with its virtual memory layer and consideration at boot -time to load kernel code and kernel data on distinct pages of memory. Early evaluations quantify ExOShim's code size and complexity, run time performance cost, and effectiveness in thwarting information leakage. ExOShim provides complete MULTIC-like execute only protection for kernel code at a runtime- performance overhead of only 0.86% due to the advanced modern caching techniques in the x86 architecture. Overall, this paper contributes the presentation, implementation, and evaluation of a lightweight tool for enforcing execute only access control permissions on kernel code using the virtualization features of the modern x86-64 architecture.
Digital manufacturing is essential to meeting the manufacturing requirements of agility and responsiveness. This paper reviews work carried out at the authors' Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC) on advanced uses of manufacturing information pertinent to digital manufacturing. The work covers developments in intelligent conceptual design, advanced manufacturing information provision for detailed design, intelligent product manual generation, rapid manufacturing, and business process modelling. The work presented in this paper is within the scope of I*PROMS, a major project coordinated by the MEC. Key features and the achievements to date of the project are described.
Shyness has been linked to several distinct behavioral antecedents and biological correlates across development, including early behavioral inhibition and neuroendocrine dysregulation. In the present study, we examined whether self-reported history of childhood behavioral inhibition, concurrent cortisol output, and sex affected shyness levels in adults. Results revealed that a history of childhood social behavioral inhibition predicted higher shyness among female adults with high levels of cortisol output. Among women with low cortisol levels, there was no relation between childhood social behavioral inhibition and shyness levels. These associations were not consistent when examining a history of nonsocial behavioral inhibition, or among adult males. These findings highlight the importance of differentiating social versus nonsocial behavioral inhibition when examining relations between childhood temperament and adult shyness. Further, these findings raise the possibility that neuroendocrine dysregulation may have a unique role in predicting and maintaining social behaviors such as shyness depending on sex and individual differences in temperament. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose: To share our experience in the open reduction and single screw internal fixation of delayed bilateral condylar head fractures with fragmentation and evaluate its feasibility and outcomes. Patients and methods: The study involved 6 males and 1 female. All patients had multiple injuries at different body sites and failed non-surgical treatment of bilateral condylar head fractures. The mean period between the injury and the operation was 5.7 (4-8) weeks. According to the preoperative computer-aided design, and the clinical manifestations, the fracture fragments were reduced and fixed with a single screw. A helical CT scan was requested postoperatively to check the reduction of the fragments and the location of the screws. Mean follow-up duration was 9.7 (8-14) months. Result: The malocclusion was corrected after operation. The intraoperative passive mouth opening was 3.93 +/- 0.19 cm. The mouth opening was 3.43 +/- 0.35 cm in 3 months follow-up, and more than 3 transverse fingers at the last follow up. No one had a progressive limitation of the mouth opening in 8-14 months of follow up. Conclusions: The strategy of open reduction and single screw internal fixation of bilateral condylar head fracture with fragmentation of mandible is feasible and effective. It is a treatment option in the rare delayed cases of failed non-surgical treatment. (C) 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The African continent continues to explore more avenues to increasing its share of the global FDI inflows. In the midst of all these, very little has been said about how FDI among others contribute to the environmental degradation of the continent. Literature is sparse when it comes to how eco-unfriendly FDI flows could be, albeit it's economic growth prowess. In this very study, we employ the use of a 24 year panel data (1990-2013) across Africa to investigate the impact of FDI inflows on the eco-system in order to situate Africa's FDI flows within the sustainability development agenda popularized in the 80s. For the first time, we investigate how governance and institutions may regulate the impact of FDI on environmental sustainability. We do this conscious of the fact that other factors could also impact negatively on Africa's eco-system which we control for in the empirical model. The empirical results compositely reveal an increase in FDI inflows significantly increases environmental degradation; hence causing a negative impact on sustainability of the environment. Year dummies indicate that environmental degradation in the post 2010 era is greater than degradation in 1990 which was used as the reference point. The study affirmed that, for FDI to have a positive impact on environmental sustainability, there need to be strong governance and quality institutions in place to check the conduct of businesses financed through the FDI flows. The study provides empirical evidence to anchor governance and institutional policy prescriptions towards reducing the negative impact of FDI flows on environmental sustainability within the sustainable development preposition. (C) 2016 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
Caryophyllata Flos or clove is widely used as a condiment and in Chinese medicine. It reportedly helps relieve asthma and allergies; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In particular, the mechanism affecting dendritic cells (DCs), which play a critical role in the immune response, remains unknown. In this study, we examine the effects of Caryophyllata Flos methanolic extract (CFME) and its major compound, eugenol, on DC functions. Our results showed that CFME and eugenol significantly inhibited DC activation and maturation. The IC50s of CFME and eugenol were approximately 25 mu g/mL and 50 mu M, respectively. CFME and eugenol halted T-cell proliferation. Contact hypersensitivity responses were inhibited in mice cosensitized with either CFME or eugenol. We demonstrated for the first time that clove and its major active ingredient, eugenol, exhibited a significant immunosuppressive effect on DC functions, revealing that clove is a functional food that can ameliorate chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Chemoheterotrophic denitrification technologies using woodchips as a solid carbon source (i.e., wood chip bioreactors) have been widely trialed for treatment of diffuse-source agricultural nitrogen pollution. There is growing interest in the use of this simple, relatively low-cost biological wastewater treatment option in waters with relatively higher total suspended solids (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) such as aquaculture wastewater. This work: (1) evaluated hydraulic retention time (HRT) impacts on COD/TSS removal, and (2) assessed the potential for woodchip clogging under this wastewater chemistry. Four pilot-scale woodchip denitrification bioreactors operated for 267 d showed excellent TSS removal (>90%) which occurred primarily near the inlet, and that COD removal was maximized at lower HRTs (e.g., 56% removal efficiency and 25 g of COD removed per m(3) of bioreactor per data 24 h HRT). However, influent wastewater took progressively longer to move into the woodchips likely due to a combination of (1) woodchip settling, (2) clogging due to removed wastewater solids and/or accumulated bacterial growth, and (3) the pulsed flow system pushing the chips away from the inlet. The bioreactor that received the highest loading rate experienced the most altered hydraulics. Statistically significant increases in woodchip P content over time in woodchip bags placed near the bioreactor outlets (0.03 vs 0.10%P2O5) and along the bioreactor floor (0.04 vs. 0.12%P2O5) confirmed wastewater solids were being removed and may pose a concern for subsequent nutrient mineralization and release. Nevertheless, the excellent nitrate-nitrogen and TSS removal along with notable COD removal indicated woodchip bioreactors are a viable water treatment technology for these types of wastewaters given they are used downstream of a filtration device. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is the site of the main circadian clock, synchronized by the light-dark cycle, which generates behavioral rhythms like feeding, drinking and activity. Notwithstanding, the main role of the SCN clock on the control of all circadian rhythms has been questioned due to the presence of clock activity in many brain areas, including those implicated in the regulation of feeding and reward. Moreover, whether circadian rhythms of particular motivated behaviors exist is unknown. Here, we evaluated the spontaneous daily and circadian behavior of consumption of a sweet caloric solution (5-10% sucrose), and the effects of sucrose intake on the expression of clock genes in the mouse brain. Mice showed a daily (in a light-dark cycle) and a circadian (in constant darkness conditions) rhythm in the intake and sucrose preference with a rise for both parameters at night (or subjective night). In addition, we observed changes in the circadian day-night expression of the clock gene Per2 in the SCN, cortex and striatum of animals ingesting sucrose compared to control mice on pure water. Finally, daily rhythms of sucrose intake and preference were abolished in Per2(Brdm1)- and double Per1(-/-) Per2(Brdm1) -mutant animals. These data indicate that the expression of circadian rhythms of hedonic feeding behaviors may be controlled by brain circadian clocks and Per gene expression. (C) 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Controversies in stem cell therapy for cardiovascular regeneration/repair highlight the need to go back to the root of the problem and analyze the reasons for the current ideological stagnation. Technological advancements are often advocated to overcome a scientific stalemate. However, technology does not suffice without a clear physiological understanding of stem cell biology as a component of the general feedback response to injury. This viewpoint opines that endogenous mechanisms of repair are incompletely understood, and more research is needed in humans and experimental models to dissect the role of stem cells in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases.
The development of selective and sensitive analytical methods for ammonium detection is important for the evaluation of the environmental effects of water pollution and the understanding of nitrogen cycling in ecosystems. In the current study, a new Pt nanoparticle microelectrode with high selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy and anti-interference capacity was successfully prepared for the quantitative measurement of ammonia concentration in artificial and real wastewater samples. The prepared Pt nanoparticle microelectrode had a selectively electrochemical catalytic oxidation activity for ammonium. Ammonium oxidation peak current presented a linear correlation with ammonium concentrations in artificial and real wastewater samples. Ammonium response was 92% of the initial value after 120 measurements, indicating that the prepared microelectrode is reliable and stable as an ammonium sensor. The lifetime of the modified microelectrode was of at least 150 days at room temperature and of at least 500 repetitive measurements. The present method is a simple way of preparing an ammonium sensor with very good reproducibility. Moreover, the proposed electrochemical method has been validated by comparing the obtained results of the analysis of ammonium in artificial and real wastewater samples with those obtained from spectrophotometry.
The human beings who manage global virtual teams regularly face challenges caused by factors such as the lack of a shared language and culture among team members and coordination delay resulting from spatial and temporal divisions between members of the team. As part of the ongoing advances in artificial agent (AA) technology, artificial agents have been developed whose purpose is to assist the human managers of virtual teams. In this paper, we move a step further by suggesting that new capabilities being developed for artificial agents will eventually give them the ability to successfully manage virtual teams whose other members are human beings. In particular, artificial agents will be uniquely positioned to take on roles as managers of cross-cultural, multilingual, global virtual teams, by overcoming some of the fundamental cognitive limitations that create obstacles for human beings serving in these managerial roles. In order to effectively interact with human team members, AAs must be able to decode and encode the full spectrum of verbal and nonverbal communication used by human beings. Because culture is so deeply embedded in all human forms of communication, AAs cannot communicate in a way that is non-cultural; an AA that is capable of communicating effectively with human team members will necessarily display a particular culture (or mix of cultures), just as human beings do. Already researchers have designed AAs that can display diverse cultural behaviors through their use of language, intonation, gaze, posture, emotion, and personality. The need for AA team leaders to display cultural behavior raises the key question of which culture or cultures the AA leader of a particular human virtual team should display. We argue that the answer to this question depends on both the cultural makeup of a team's human members and the methods used to share information among team members. To facilitate the analysis of how an AA team leader's cultural behaviors can best be structured to fit the circumstances of a particular virtual team, we propose a two-dimensional model for designing suites of cultural behaviors for AAs that will manage human virtual teams. The first dimension describes whether an AA deploys the same cultural behaviors for its dealings with all team members (objectivity) or customizes its cultural display for each team member (personalization). The second dimension describes whether the AA always displays the same culture to a given team member (invariance), or possesses a repertoire of cultural guises for a particular team member, from which it chooses one to fit the current situation (situationality). The two dimensions of objective-personalized and invariant-situational cultural behaviors yield four archetypes for AAs leading virtual human teams. We consider examples of each type of AA, identify potential strengths and weaknesses of each type, suggest particular kinds of virtual teams that are likely to benefit from being managed by AAs of the different types, and discuss empirical study that can test the validity and usefulness of this framework.
Petroleum products which are used in a wide variety of industries as energy sources and raw materials have become a major concern in pollution of terrestrial and marine environments. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of indigenous microbial isolates for degradation of diesel fuel. Two most proficient bacterial strains among five isolated strains from polluted soil of an industrial refinery were studied. The isolates then were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis using biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. P. aeruginosa showed higher biodegradation efficiency than B. subtilis in shaking flask containing diesel-contaminated water. P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis degraded about 87 and 75% of total hydrocarbons, respectively, in flasks containing 2% diesel and 98% water. The biodegradation efficiency of the isolates decreased as diesel contamination increased from 2 to 5%. The isolates showed significantly higher efficiency on degradation of short-chain hydrocarbons in 20 days, i.e., by using P. aeruginosa, removal efficiency of C-10 hydrocarbons was near 90%, while about 69% of C20+ hydrocarbons and 47% of aromatic hydrocarbons were removed. Therefore, the isolates showed high capability in biodegradation of diesel contamination of the refinery.
This study addressed the moderating role of classroom descriptive norms for overt and relational aggression, social withdrawal, prosocial behavior, and academic reputation in the association of behavior with social preference and popularity in early adolescence. Participants were 1,492 fifth-grade students ((X) over bar (age) = 10.6 years, 52.7% boys) from 59 classrooms who completed unlimited peer nominations for status and behavior. Classroom descriptive norms were computed as the average proportion of classroom nominations received for the different social behaviors. Multilevel analyses revealed that the negative association between overt aggression and social preference was attenuated in classrooms with high norms for overt aggression. The negative association between academic reputation and social preference was enhanced in classrooms with high norms for academic reputation. Classroom norms did not moderate the associations between behavior and popularity. The type of behavior and the type of status should be considered when examining classroom descriptive norms and behavior-status associations.
PURPOSE. Our goal was to describe the clinical and molecular genetic findings in Thai patients with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). METHODS. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed in eight unrelated patients. All genes responsible for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) based on RetNet were selected for analysis. Potentially causative variants were filtered through a bioinformatics pipeline and validated using Sanger sequencing. Segregation analysis of the causative genes was performed in family members when available. RESULTS. Eleven deleterious variants, six nonsense and five missense, were identified in seven genes: four LCA-associated genes (CEP290, IQCB1, NMNAT1, and RPGRIP1), one gene responsible for syndromic LCA (ALMS1), and two IRDs-related genes (CTNNA1 and CYP4V2). Clinical reassessment supported the diagnosis of syndromic LCA in those patients harboring potentially pathogenic variants in the ALMS1. Interestingly, two causative genes, CTNNA1 and CYP4V2, previously reported to cause butterfly-shaped pigment dystrophy (BSPD) and Bietti's crystalline dystrophy (BCD), respectively, were detected in two other patients. These two patients developed rapid and severe visual loss in contrast to BSPD and BCD patients in previous studies. The results of this study demonstrate that causative variants identified in the CTNNA1 and CYP4V2 genes are also associated with LCA. CONCLUSIONS. This is the first report describing the molecular genetics and clinical manifestations of Thai patients with LCA. The present study expands the spectrum of LCA-associated genes, which is a benefit for molecular diagnosis. The identification of mutations in the CTNNA1 and CYP4V2 genes requires further elucidation in larger cohorts with LCA.
Objective To assess symptomatic outcomes associated with flare after discontinuation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Methods Patients with NSAID-refractory axSpA discontinued NSAIDs, restarted if symptoms recurred, and self-recorded Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). 75th percentiles were calculated for changes in BASDAI total and components from NSAID discontinuation to resumption. Results 75th percentiles for absolute/relative changes: BASDAI total (0-10)=1.5/28%; fatigue=2.0/25%; spinal pain=2.0/33%; joint pain/swelling=2.0/50%; enthesitis=2.0/43%; morning stiffness=1.5/27%. Conclusion No single score threshold applied but absolute change >= 2 or relative change >= 30% indicated symptomatic deterioration for most BASDAI components.
To improve the constant output voltage accuracy of primary-side controlled flyback converter, this study described a digital control scheme based on accurate sampling and cable voltage drop compensation. The voltage drops of output diode and the cable were analysed first, they were two most important factors that influence the accuracy of output voltage. Then, an accurate sampling method that can eliminate the voltage drop of the output diode was proposed. With output current estimating and digital resistance capacitance (RC) filter, the compensation of cable voltage drop was also designed. Finally, the software simulation and prototype test results verified the proposed scheme, and the constant voltage accuracy of the prototype achieved -0.6 approximate to +0.6%.
Protea-associated fungi are dispersed between flower heads by mites, beetles and possibly birds. For the ophiostomatoid fungus, Knoxdaviesia proteae, these vectors offer regular dispersal between distant floral hosts. Unlike K. proteae, Knoxdaviesia capensis occupies multiple Protea host species. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the generalist K. capensis shares the long-distance dispersal pattern with specialist K. proteae and whether it moves freely between different host species. We evaluated the genetic structure of K. capensis from five populations of a wide-spread host and between sympatric hosts. Twelve K. capensis-specific microsatellite markers were developed and applied to 90 individuals. K. capensis showed high genetic diversity and almost maximal genotypic diversity. All populations were poorly differentiated, indicating the presence of long-distance dispersal. No differentiation could be detected between sympatric host populations, suggesting free dispersal between different hosts. This implies that the beetle and bird vectors that pollinate Protea species show the same non-specific movement. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
Third-party punishment (TPP) for norm violations is an essential deterrent in large-scale human societies, and builds on two essential cognitive functions: evaluating legal responsibility and determining appropriate punishment. Despite converging evidence that TPP is mediated by a specific set of brain regions, little is known about their effective connectivity (direction and strength of connections). Applying parametric event-related functional MRI in conjunction with multivariate Granger causality analysis, we asked healthy participants to estimate how much punishment a hypothetical perpetrator deserves for intentionally committing criminal offenses varying in levels of harm. Our results confirmed that TPP legal decisions are based on two domain-general networks: the mentalizing network for evaluating legal responsibility and the central-executive network for determining appropriate punishment. Further, temporal pole (TP) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC) emerged as hubs of the mentalizing network, uniquely generating converging output connections to ventromedial PFC, temporo-parietal junction, and posterior cingulate. In particular, dorsomedial PFC received inputs only from TP and both its activation and its connectivity to dorsolateral PFC correlated with degree of punishment. This supports the hypothesis that dorsomedial PFC acts as the driver of the TPP activation pattern, leading to the decision on the appropriate punishment. In conclusion, these results advance our understanding of the organizational elements of the TPP brain networks and provide better insights into the mental states of judges and jurors tasked with blaming and punishing legal wrongs.
High online engagement is common among adolescents. Besides concerns, not all highly involved adolescents online develop maladaptive patterns of use. The focus of the present qualitative study was to explore the experiences of highly engaged adolescents with signs of internet addictive behaviors. We aimed to uncover the processes differentiating high online engagement, and formulate a typology of users. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 72 adolescents (M-age = 15.7 years; SD = 0.6) living in Greece, Spain, Iceland and Poland. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. A typology of highly engaged adolescents emerged based on three processes: satisfying needs across contexts (online-offline), experiencing personal gains and losses and self-regulating use. Four distinct user profiles emerged, ranging from adaptive (juggling it All, Coming Full Cycle) to maladaptive (Stuck Online, Killing Boredom). The developed typology can help parents, teachers and professionals better understand the ways high engagement is experienced within a developmental context. Such knowledge can inform the development of prevention and supportive services. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed for each profile. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this research we present a Preoperative Robotic Surgery Simulator platform as a means of training for Raven-II Surgical system. The simulator employs PHANTOM Omni (now Geomagic (R) Touch(TM)) as a master device to control the arms of the 3D simulated model of Raven-II in virtual environment. The earlier simulators for Raven-II were built primarily to work over Debian-based Linux Operating Systems. This is the first attempt towards development of a simulator in MATLAB which, being a cross platform application, allows the accessibility of the simulator to a broader community of surgeons and researchers. The simulator is designed to provide the haptic feedback to the user which results ina realistic emulation of surgery environment. Other key features include opening and closing of the surgical tool using pen buttons ofPHANTOMOmni and a 'freeflow' feature with which a surgeon can willingly pause the motion of surgical robot to adjust the position of input device as per the requirement. The simulator was successfully built and tested in MATLAB and the results from the simulation satisfactorily verified the efficacy of the proposed system.
The psychological health of children is a global health concern. The international Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study has surveyed the psychological health of youths in over 40 countries. The HBSC questionnaire includes a brief symptom checklist of psychological complaints, but it has not yet been validated. This study evaluated the construct validity of the psychological health self-report tool used in the HBSC study. We used data from 26,078 participants in the 2010 Canadian HBSC survey. The core HBSC questionnaire measured common psychosomatic complaints using the HBSC symptom checklist (HBSC-SCL). The Canadian survey included an additional series of questions that measure four dimensions of mental health (emotional problems, emotional well-being, behavioral problems, prosocial behavior). We used these items to evaluate the construct validity of psychological symptoms in the HBSC-SCL. We assessed internal construct validity using Cronbach's alpha and external construct validity using factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Factor analysis showed that the HBSC-SCL measures two factors, psychological and somatic complaints. Psychological complaints included feeling low/depressed, irritable/bad tempered, nervous, and difficulties sleeping. Internal validity of the psychological subscale was good (alpha=0.78). This 4-item subscale demonstrated convergent validity with indicators for emotional problems (correlation (r)=-0.79, p<0.001) and emotional well-being (r=0.48, p<0.001), and discriminant validity with indicators for behavioral problems (r=-0.17, p<0.001) and prosocial behavior (r=0.02, p<0.001). Results support the HBSC-SCL psychological subscale as a valid measure of psychological health in school-aged children. Future research is recommended to replicate findings in other youth populations.
Sustainable water management may strongly benefit from an integrated approach. Additionally, an integrated urban water management policy considering the various urban water flows and the possible interactions between the water sector and the remaining urban activities can benefit if based on an urban metabolism based analysis. This article assesses water flows of Lisbon Metropolitan Area considering the conventional water supply system and wastewater treatment system flows and also the hydrological cycle flows, and proposes a global set of indicators to perform a benchmarking analysis of the 18 municipalities of the region. Results highlighted the heterogeneous nature of the Metropolitan area in terms of water management - either in terms of management entities (predominantly public or municipalized), water consumption (varying from 227.4l/hab.day in Palmela to 402.7l/hab.day in Seixal), wastewater treatment (10 out of 18 municipalities already undergo secondary or tertiary wastewater treatments), runoff indices (depending on the municipality's level of urbanization), among other. Through the output volumes it was also assessed the potential of the municipalities to reuse wastewater for potable or non-potable urban uses, as well as the potential to harvest and harness rainwater. The main constraints to an integrated water management were identified and some potential solutions were measured and proposed even though they need further assessment, particularly in a cost-benefit perspective. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Social learning requires inferring social information about another person, as well as evaluating outcomes. Previous research shows that prior social information biases decision making and reduces reliance on striatal activity during learning (Delgado, Frank, & Phelps, Nature Neuroscience 8 (11): 1611-1618, 2005). A rich literature in social psychology on person perception demonstrates that people spontaneously infer social information when viewing another person (Fiske & Taylor, 2013) and engage a network of brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction, superior temporal sulcus, and precuneus (Amodio & Frith, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7(4), 268-277, 2006; Haxby, Gobbini, & Montgomery, 2004; van Overwalle Human Brain Mapping, 30, 829-858, 2009). We investigate the role of these brain regions during social learning about well-established dimensions of person perception-trait warmth and trait competence. We test the hypothesis that activity in person perception brain regions interacts with learning structures during social learning. Participants play an investment game where they must choose an agent to invest on their behalf. This choice is guided by cues signaling trait warmth or trait competence based on framing of monetary returns. Trait warmth information impairs learning about human but not computer agents, while trait competence information produces similar learning rates for human and computer agents. We see increased activation to warmth information about human agents in person perception brain regions. Interestingly, activity in person perception brain regions during the decision phase negatively predicts activity in the striatum during feedback for trait competence inferences about humans. These results suggest that social learning may engage additional processing within person perception brain regions that hampers learning in economic contexts.
Improvements in biomedical technologies, combined with changing social attitudes to sexual minorities, provide new opportunities for HIV prevention among gay and other men who have sex with men (GMSM). The potential of these new biomedical technologies (biotechnologies) to reduce HIV transmission and the impact of HIV among GMSM will depend, in part, on the degree to which they challenge prejudicial attitudes, practices and stigma directed against gay men and people living with HIV (PLHIV). At the structural level, stigma regarding gay men and HIV can influence the scale-up of new biotechnologies and negatively affect GMSM's access to and use of these technologies. At the personal level, stigma can affect individual gay men's sense of value and confidence as they negotiate serodiscordant relationships or access services. This paper argues that maximising the benefits of new biomedical technologies depends on reducing stigma directed at sexual minorities and people living with HIV and promoting positive social changes towards and within GMSM communities. HIV research, policy and programs will need to invest in: (1) responding to structural and institutional stigma; (2) health promotion and health services that recognise and work to address the impact of stigma on GMSM's incorporation of new HIV prevention biotechnologies; (3) enhanced mobilisation and participation of GMSM and PLHIV in new approaches to HIV prevention; and (4) expanded approaches to research and evaluation in stigma reduction and its relationship with HIV prevention. The HIV response must become bolder in resourcing, designing and evaluating programs that interact with and influence stigma at multiple levels, including structural-level stigma.
Authors propose a method of normalizing and analyzing structures, which enables automated cross-comparison of features observed in tested structures with: predefined structures and anti-patterns. Additionally, a language, enabling symbolic representation of structural knowledge is presented, and used in the demonstration of the proposed method applied to mechanical shafts, and used for qualitative purposes with more complex calculation models.
The rapid and timely evaluation of urban environmental change is highly important for understanding urban sustainability in China. However, the comprehensive understanding of urban environmental change in China based on multi-source remote sensing data remains inadequate because current studies have mainly focused on a single aspect of the urban environment using a specific source of remote sensing data. In this study, we developed a comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) combining the remote sensing data of the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration, land surface temperature (1ST) and vegetation cover (VC) to assess the urban environmental change in China at the national scale, among urban agglomerations and across the rapidly urbanized regions. We found a trend of environmental degradation in the urban areas of China between 2000 and 2012. Environmentally degraded and moderately degraded urban areas accounted for 48.14% of the total urban area in China. In particular, the expanded urban areas exhibited the most extensive environmental degradation, with 52.33% of the total expanded urban areas from 1992 to 2012 exhibiting environmental degradation or moderately environmental degradation. The increase in the PM2.5 concentration was one of the main manifestations of the environmental degradation in the expanded urban areas. We suggest that more attention should be paid to urban environmental issues during future urban development in China. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Psychological perspective-taking is a powerful social cognition that helps us to understand other people. It creates feelings of closeness and sympathy, motivates us to help others, and is important for positive social relationships. In contrast to the impressive knowledge about its consequences, relatively little is known about how exactly people achieve them. The present paper addresses this question from a grounded cognition perspective, drawing on recent findings on the embodiment of visuospatial perspective-taking. Visuospatial perspective-taking involves a mental transformation of one's body schema into the physical location of another person. We argue that when people psychologically put themselves in another person's shoes,this simulation of physical proximity happens, too, and is one source of perceived closeness. In five experiments (total N = 1067), participants completed a visuospatial perspective-taking task. During half of the trials, angular disparity between the target person and the participant was high and participants had to adopt the target's visual perspective (which involves an embodied simulation). During the remaining trials, angular disparity was low and participants could solve the task egocentrically. Taking another's perspective led participants to adopt the thoughts of the target person more strongly (Experiments 1-3) and increased the perceived similarity of that person to the self (Experiment 4) and participants' liking of that person (Experiment 5). These effects were independent of task difficulty (Experiment 2), and only present during trials where an embodied transformation happened (i.e., at high angular disparities; Experiment 3). Implications for psychological and visuospatial perspective-taking research and related phenomena are discussed.
Switching cost is an important factor for policy makers to consider because it sets a higher price for locked-in consumers by making the market less competitive. Though there has been some empirical research analyzing switching costs in the mobile telecommunications market, studies considering the characteristics of smartphones, which have their own operating systems and applications, are still rare. In this study, we conduct a hypothetical conjoint survey to analyze switching cost in the smartphone handset market and derive the cost by using the hierarchical Bayesian multinomial logit model to consider respondents' heterogeneity. Switching costs of handsets and OS are empirically estimated, and the magnitudes depend on the levels of searching cost, learning cost, and uncertainty when purchasing new smartphones. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water footprint (WF) accounting as proposed by the Water Footprint Network (WFN) can potentially provide important information for water resource management, especially in water scarce countries relying on irrigation to help meet their food requirements. However, calculating accurate WFs of short-season vegetable crops such as carrots, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli and lettuce presented some challenges. Planting dates and inter-annual weather conditions impact WF results. Joining weather datasets of just rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature with ones that include solar radiation and wind-speed affected crop model estimates and WF results. The functional unit selected can also have a major impact on results. For example, WFs according to the WFN approach do not account for crop residues used for other purposes, like composting and animal feed. Using yields in dry matter rather than fresh mass also impacts WF metrics, making comparisons difficult. To overcome this, using the nutritional value of crops as a functional unit can connect water use more directly to potential benefits derived from different crops and allow more straightforward comparisons. Grey WFs based on nitrogen only disregards water pollution caused by phosphates, pesticides and salinization. Poor understanding of the fate of nitrogen complicates estimation of nitrogen loads into the aquifer.
Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common cause of dementia. It occurs when the cerebral blood supply is reduced by disarrangement of the circulatory system. Environmental enrichment (EE) has been associated with cognitive improvement, motor function recovery, and anxiety relief with respect to various neurodegenerative diseases and emotional stress models. The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term EE influenced cognitive impairment in a rat model of chronic hypoperfusion induced by permanent occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (BCCAo). The Y-maze and Morris water maze tests were performed to evaluate the rats' cognitive functions. Also, the protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphorylated cAMP-calcium response element binding protein (pCREB), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were confirmed by Western blot. The microvessels and angiogenesis-associated proteins in the hippocampal region were investigated using immunohistochemistry. The VaD + EE group showed significantly better cognitive functions than the VaD group in both the Y-maze and MWM tests. In addition, the VaD + EE group showed significantly increased expression of BDNF, pCREB, and VEGF in the hippocampus compared to the VaD group. Rats in the VaD + EE group also had increased length of microvessels and VEGF expression in the hippocampus. These results suggest that long-term EE exerts neuroprotective effects against cognitive impairment induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion through the enhancement of BDNF, pCREB, and VEGF expression and indicate that EE may be a good nursing intervention in vascular dementia patients.
Human activity recognition (HAR) is an important research area in computer vision due to its vast range of applications. Specifically, the past decade has witnessed enormous growth in its applications, such as Human Computer Interaction, intelligent video surveillance, ambient assisted living, entertainment, human-robot interaction, and intelligent transportation systems. This review paper provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art survey of different phases of HAR. Techniques related to segmentation of the image into physical objects, feature extraction, and activity classification are thoroughly reviewed and compared. Finally, the paper is concluded with research challenges and future directions.
Using online comments posted on news stories as the context, this study aimed to examine the interplay between the third-person perception (TPP) - that people believe media message have a greater effect on changing the attitudes of others compared with themselves - and online incivility. It also examined whether people's agreement with the content of the comments would influence the TPP. Results of an experiment (N = 301) showed incivility muted the persuasive effect of online comments, so only civil comments produced a TPP, whereby people felt comments had greater persuasive power over others compared with themselves. However, counter to predictions, whether people agreed with the comments did not influence the TPP. Findings also supported the TPP social distance corollary such that subjects perceived comments as having the largest third-person perceptual gap between the self and those who disagreed with them. Results are discussed in relation to TPP and face and politeness theories. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
alpha-Linolenic acid and unusual fatty acids of the omega 3 and omega 6 series play an important role in the modulation of human metabolism. The presence of these acids in the leaves of several edible wild plants has recently been reported. In this study, six edible wild species were selected in order to establish the fatty acid compositions in their leaf lipids. Thus, young leaves from Amaranthus viridis L.(blet), Chenopodium album L. (goosefoot), Crithmum maritimum L. (rock samphire), Plantago major L. (plantain), Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) and Verbena officinalis L. (vervain) yielded 1.50, 2.20, 3.02, 1.46, 3.81, and 2.28 g of lipids per 100 g dry plant material. Silica gel chromatography yielded 0.64 g (Plantago major) to 2.19 g (Crithmum maritimum) neutral lipids, 0.37 g (Plantago major) to 1.60 g (Portulaca oleracea) glycolipids, and 0.26 g (Crithmum maritimum) to 0.57 g (Verbena officinalis) phospholipids per 100 g (dry weight). Gas chromatography (GC) showed the major fatty acids to be 18:3 omega 3, 18:2 omega 6 and 16:0 in all fractions, with high concentrations of 18:3 omega 3 in the glycolipid fraction. GC-mass spectrometric analyses did not reveal the presence of unusual fatty acids. Carotenes were found in high concentrations, ranging from 30.5 mg/100 g (Chenopodium album) to 89.2 mg/100 g (Portulaca oleracea). The analyzed plants are rich sources of essential fatty acids (18:2 omega 6 and 18:3 omega 3) and also of carotenes.
Previous research has documented sex differences in nonverbal communication. What has remained unknown is whether similar sex differences would exist with regard to olfactory communication via chemosignals, a relatively neglected nonverbal communication medium. Because women generally have a better sense of smell and greater sensitivity to emotional signals, we hypothesized that compared with male participants and relative to a neutral control condition, female participants would emulate the fearful state of the sender producing the chemosignals. Facial electromyography was used in a double-blind experiment to measure in the receiver a partial reproduction of the state of the sender, controlling for the moderating influence of the sex of the sender and receiver. The results indicated that only female participants emulated the fearful state of the sender. The present study revealed a boundary condition for effective chemosignaling by reporting behavioral evidence of sexual asymmetry in olfactory communication via chemosignals.
The loop-handover (LHO) technique is proposed to overcome the problem of close-loop performance in digitally controlled single-inductor multiple-output dc-dc boost converters during start-up. The presented technique utilises an existing clock source and requires only a small number of blocks. It also occupies a smaller silicon area, thus consuming low power and increasing efficiency. The presented technique is validated with proposed on-chip digital controller with multiple-output boost converter architecture using segmented delay line digital pulse width modulation. Experimental results show a successful close loop with reduced transients by using the simpler LHO technique.
In our current situation, intelligent energy management is essential, it is necessary not only change the way how it is delivered, but also how users use it. Small changes in our life daily, such as turning off lights or air conditioning when there are not people who use it, can result in substantial energy savings. In this document, we provide information about of a support system for energy conservation using sensors, actuators and agents. The wireless network system is an embedded interconnected. Agents, sensors for monitoring a room and actuators for gradually manipulate elements like windows, blinds, led lamps and air conditioning, besides the application of optimization techniques and fuzzy logic. The energy required to give comfort, comes from two main sources possible, artificial (by the company supply electricity) and natural (natural air flows, solar lighting, etc.). Our main goal is through bio-inspired optimization algorithms and fuzzy logic control provides an adequate lighting and temperature settings according to an activity that takes place in the room.
Despite decades of research with humans, the biological mechanisms that motivate an individual to help others remain poorly understood. In order to investigate the roots of pro-sociality in mammals, we established the helping behavior test, a paradigm in which rats are faced with a conspecific trapped in a restrainer that can only be opened from the outside. Over the course of repeated test sessions, rats exposed to a trapped cagemate learn to open the door to the restrainer, thereby helping the trapped rat to escape (Ben-Ami Bartal et al., 2011). The discovery of this natural behavior provides a unique opportunity to probe the motivation of rodent helping behavior, leading to a deeper understanding of biological influences on human pro-sociality. To determine if an affective response motivates door-opening, rats receiving midazolam, a benzodiazepine anxiolytic, were tested in the helping behavior test. Midazolam-treated rats showed less helping behavior than saline-treated rats or rats receiving no injection. Yet, midazolam-treated rats opened a restrainer containing chocolate, highlighting the socially specific effects of the anxiolytic. To determine if midazolam interferes with helping through a sympatholytic effect, the peripherally restricted beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist nadolol was administered; nadolol did not interfere with helping. The corticosterone response of rats exposed to a trapped cagemate was measured and compared to the rats' subsequent helping behavior. Rats with the greatest corticosterone responses showed the least helping behavior and those with the smallest responses showed the most consistent helping at the shortest latency. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the interaction between stress and pro-social behavior. Finally, we observed that door-opening appeared to be reinforcing. A novel analytical tool was designed to interrogate the pattern of door-opening for signs that a rat's behavior on one session influenced his behavior on the next session. Results suggest that helping a trapped rat has a greater motivational value than does chocolate. In sum, this series of experiments clearly demonstrates the fundamental role of affect in motivating pro-social behavior in rodents and the need for a helper to resonate with the affect of a victim.
A new type of woven geotextile, referred to as wicking geotextile, was developed and introduced to the market. Since this wicking geotextile consists of wicking fibers, they can wick water out from unsaturated soils in a pavement structure thus resulting in an increase of soil resilient modulus and enhance performance of roadways. In this study, a physical model test was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the wicking geotextile in soil moisture reduction for roadway applications. A test box with a dimension of 1041 mm in length, 686 mm in width, and 584 mm in heighr was used in this study. Two HDPE plastic panels were used to separate the box into two sections, one containing a dehumidifier and the other backfilled with soil. The dehumidifier was adopted to collect the water, which was wicked out from the soil by the wicking geotextile and evaporated into air. Test results show that (1) the wicking geotextile wicked water out from the soil even at the moisture content close to the optimum moisture content and (2) the comparison of soil moisture contents before and after rainfall demonstrated that the wicking geotextile maintained the soil moisture contents after rainfall close to those before rainfall and had an effective distance for the soil moisture reduction. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this work, we designed a Visitor Counting Machine (VCM) in terms of power efficient circuit using family of three different IO Standards which are LVTTL, Mobile DDR, HSUL_12. These three different IO Standards are compared with each other on the basis of Clock power, Logic power, Signal power, IOs, Leakage power and Total power consumption to search the most power efficient one. In order to find the most efficient circuitry, we collected the data of power consumption of these three IO standards and then compare them. We have analysed our circuitry at different frequencies of 0.1GHz, 1GHz, 10GHz & 100GHz. In our experiment, there is 99.27% power saving when 0.1GHz is used in place of 100GHz using Mobile DDR and we also concluded that when we replace LVTTL by HSUL at 10GHz Frequency, power saving of 96.10% is achieved. To design this energy efficient Visitor Counting Machine, we are using Verilog as HDL, Xilinx ISE 14.2 simulator with Artix-7 FPGA.
Oxytocin- and vasopressin-related systems are present in invertebrate and vertebrate bilaterian animals, including humans, and exhibit conserved neuroanatomical and functional properties. In vertebrates, these systems innervate conserved neural networks that regulate social learning and behavior, including conspecific recognition, social attachment, and parental behavior. Individual and species-level variation in central organization of oxytocin and vasopressin systems has been linked to individual and species variation in social learning and behavior. In humans, genetic polymorphisms in the genes encoding oxytocin and vasopressin peptides and/or their respective target receptors have been associated with individual variation in social recognition, social attachment phenotypes, parental behavior, and psychiatric phenotypes such as autism. Here we describe both conserved and variable features of central oxytocin and vasopressin systems in the context of social behavioral diversity, with a particular focus on neural networks that modulate social learning, behavior, and salience of sociosensory stimuli during species-typical social contexts. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Many-year variations of water pollution and the state of more than two hundred of rivers (or their segments) in different latitudinal zones in European Russia are estimated. In accordance with latitudinal zonality, space and time trends in variations of water quality and the state of rivers are identified. By the level of water pollution, most river ecosystems (or their segments) were classified as polluted and very polluted, very polluted and dirty, dirty and very dirty. A tendency toward water quality improvement could be seen in the recent decade. More than 50% of the examined river ecosystems are at the transitional state of passing from natural (and/or equilibrium) to crisis state.
This paper presents a novel model for fitting of spatial straight line based on Chebyshev norm. The problem is firstly formulated as a minimax problem, and then reformulated as a semidefinite programming (SDP) problem, which could be solved by many interior-point algorithms. The application of the proposed approach to two problems arising from manufacturing engineering, i.e. planning of the initial location of cylindrical cutter for flank milling and evaluation of the spatial straightness error, is discussed. Examples and numerical simulations illustrate the efficiency of the novel model. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Relationships with parents and friends are important contexts for developing romantic relationship skills. Parents and friends may influence both the timing of involvement and the quality of romantic relationships. Three models of the joint influence of parents and friends (direct effects model, mediation model, and moderator model) have been proposed. The present study uses data from a longitudinal study (n = 1012; 49.8% female; 81.1% Caucasian) to examine how attachment and friendship quality at age 10 years predict romantic relationship involvement and quality at ages 12 and 15 years. The results supported the direct effects model, with attachment and friendship quality uniquely predicting different romantic relationship outcomes. The findings provide further support for the important influence of family and friends on early romantic relationships.
Geotextiles made of nonwoven fabrics can be used in different fields, such as groynes, dams, seawalls, revetments, dunes, and hillsides, and the structures of nonwoven fabrics can be changed accordingly. This study explores the influence of different content of Kevlar fibers on the mechanical and physical properties of Kevlar/Polyester (PET) complex nonwoven fabrics. As specified in a nonwoven fabric manufacturing process Kevlar fibers and PET fibers are blended with various ratios to form Kevlar/PET complex nonwoven fabrics, which are then tested for tear strength, air permeability, and water permeability The experiment results show that increasing Kevlar fibers reduces the tear strength, air permeability, and water permeability.
An abnormal regulation of immune responses leads to autoimmune and inflammatory manifestations in patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs). The objective of our study was to evaluate the frequency of non-infectious and non-malignant manifestations in a large cohort of patients included in the Slovenian national PID registry and to assess the time of manifestation onset with respect to the time of PID diagnosis. Medical records of registered patients were reviewed. Data on autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation, autoinflammation, allergies, PID diagnosis, and underlying genetic defects were collected and analyzed. The time of each manifestation onset was determined and compared with the time of PID diagnosis. As of May 2015, 247 patients with 50 different PIDs were registered in the Slovenian national PID registry (147 males, 100 females; mean age 20 years). Mean disease duration was 14 years; 78 % of patients were younger than 18 years; and 22 % of patients were adults. Diagnosis of PID was genetically confirmed in 51 % of patients. Non-infectious and non-malignant manifestations were present in 69/235 (29 %) patients, including autoimmune manifestations in 52/235 (22 %), lymphoproliferative/granulomatous in 28/235 (12 %), autoinflammatory in 12/247 (5 %), and allergic manifestations in 10/235 (4 %) of all registered patients. Autoimmune manifestations were present in all patients whose PIDs were classified as diseases of immune dysregulation, 47 % of patients with chronic granulomatous disease, and 38 % of patients with predominantly antibody immune deficiencies. A high prevalence of non-infectious and non-malignant manifestations among patients in the Slovenian national PID registry suggests common genetic factors of autoimmunity, inflammation, and immunodeficiency. Patients with PID should be routinely screened for autoimmune and inflammatory manifestations at the time of PID diagnosis and during the long-term follow up.
Social anxiety disorder is associated with interpersonal dysfunction, but it is not clear why people with the disorder feel unsatisfied with their relationships. One possibility is that higher social anxiety could lead to changes in sensitivity to interpersonal traits. We examined whether social anxiety moderates the types of interpersonal evaluations people make regarding warmth and dominance. We developed vignettes in which central characters systematically varied in dominance and warmth and asked two samples of participants (undergraduate students, n = 176, and online workers, n = 403) to rate their willingness to interact with, and the social desirability of, these characters. Participants in general reported stronger desire to interact with warmer and less dominant characters, and rated warmer and more dominant characters as being more socially desirable. People with higher social anxiety exhibited greater tolerance for colder and more submissive characters on both rated dimensions. The perceived similarity of the characters accounted for the bulk of these effects. Participants indicated a higher desire to interact with characters more similar to themselves, and people with higher social anxiety were more likely to rate submissive and cold characters as being like themselves. The results have implications for clinical interventions for social anxiety disorder. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
What we pay attention to is influenced by reward learning. Previously reward-associated stimuli are difficult to ignore, automatically drawing our attention even when we know they are no longer beneficial to us. Recent research has suggested that these value-dependent attentional biases affect more than just perception, biasing an individual to act in such a way as to pursue the attended stimulus. Here, I review this evidence and argue for a direct link between attentional biases and shifts in action-related priorities. Given this link, abnormal or otherwise inappropriate rewardrelated attentional biases are hypothesized to contribute to undesired habits and poor economic choices.
High speed self-excited oscillation pulsed waterjet (SEOPW) offers many advantages over continuous jets or external-excited pulsed jets and has a large number of practical and industrial applications, In order to take better advantage of SEOPWs, effects of area discontinuity at nozzle inlet were analyzed based on the previous related research and then experimentally investigated with respect to the axial pressure oscillations. A jet-driven Helmholtz oscillator, which is capable of producing effective SEOPWs, was employed in the experiment. It was found that area discontinuity has a capacity of enhancing the peak, which largely depends on the inlet pressure and standoff distance. The enhancement decreases with increasing inlet pressure and only happens within small standoff distances. Compared with the continuous case, area enlargement enhances the peak by 25%, 21%, and 16%, corresponding to inlet pressures of 10, 15, and 20 MPa, respectively; while area contraction turns to be a better one by improving the peak by 8% at inlet pressure of 25 MPa. However, at inlet pressure of 30 MPa, both enlargement and contraction decrease the peak. Moreover, area discontinuity cannot influence the optimum standoff distance where the maximum peak appears. For the pressure oscillation amplitude, even both area discontinuities have the ability of increasing the amplitude regardless of inlet pressure and standoff distance, contraction enhances the amplitude much more than enlargement does at all the testing inlet pressures. In addition, area discontinuity has nearly no influence on the oscillating frequency and causes perturbations that may only affect the intensity of self-excitation by amplitude. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the auxiliary effects that the application of three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D-CAD) had on students' creative design, and the differences in the effects of 3D-CAD on students with different representational abilities (RAs). An unequal-group pretest-posttest quasi-experiment design was developed to analyze 215 students studying in an anonymous senior high school in Taipei City, Taiwan. The findings of the present study were as follows: 1. The students' RAs achieved a moderate and positive correlation with their creative performance (CP), with increased correlation between RAs and the functionality and expressiveness constructs of CP and CP with the iconic representation (IR) construct of RAs. 2. 3D-CAD evidently improved the students' CP, particularly their expressiveness and functionality. 3. During 3D-CAD intervention, the students with low RAs performed similarly to those with high RAs in terms of novelty and expressiveness. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years, electricity crisis still becomes noticeable in some countries due to a widening gap between demand and supply. Consequently, the future demand plays a significant role in efficient management and utilization of electricity. Pertaining to efficient supply handling to increase the power system reliability, an electricity demand forecasting is one of the most crucial tools. The forecasting technique is used by decision makers all over the world to predict the future demand as key information for a proper policy. In this research, the hybrid model consists of maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT), support vector machine (SVM), and differential evolution (DE) optimization emphasizing on simplifying the complex structure in data pre-processing is proposed to forecast the thirty-two annual electricity consumptions and is compared with traditional forecasting models, hybrid model of MODWT and SVM, and combined model of SVM and DE optimization based on mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and symmetric mean absolute percentage error (sMAPE) measures as well as Friedman test and post hoc test. The empirical results indicate that the proposed model outperforms other forecasting models and provides more accurate forecasts than other candidate models at 0.05 significance levels and the nearly highest precision. Consequently, the proposed model is able to reduce the limitations of individual models regarding annual electricity consumptions and can be used as a promising tool in order to forecast annual electricity consumptions as well. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we focus on attacks based on sniffing like MitM, and how to counter them from the network layer perspective. We've already developed an algorithm called pathfinder that allows us to forward segments from same packets via different paths. Doing so, we'll ensure that an attacker will not be able to get hands on the entire message being transmitted. So, in this paper, we'll start by recalling the first version of pathfinder algorithm, followed by an introduction to the newest release that allows us to handle hundreds of nodes in the same network, finally we'll put this algorithm under test by simulating a sniffing attack with Wireshark. The simulation proves, in addition to its efficiency to handle a great number of nodes, that this new way of routing will help facing a lot of attacks based on sniffing, and other type of attacks like DoS.
Get-out-the-vote mailers using explicit social pressure consistently increase electoral turnout; however, they often generate a negative reaction or backlash. One approach to increase turnout, yet alleviate backlash, may be to use implicit social pressure. An implicit social pressure technique that has shown promise is to display a set of eyes. Researchers contend eyes generate a feeling of being watched, which cues subjects to act in more prosocial ways to demonstrate compliance with social norms. Several studies support this argument, including two voter mobilization studies. The technique has not been widely tested, however, in the political context. In five randomized field experiments, we test the impact on turnout of mobilization mailers using eye displays. We extend previous research by testing for differences in effects between male and female eyes and across political cultures. The effects are substantively and statistically weak at best and inconsistent with previous findings.
Hazard assessment of chemical contaminants often relies on short term or partial life-cycle ecotoxicological tests, while the impact of low dose throughout the entire life cycle of species across multiple generations has been neglected. This study aimed at identifying the individual and population-level consequences of chronic water contamination by environmental concentrations of three organic micropollutants, ibuprofen, bisphenol A and benzo[a]pyrene, on Aedes aegypti mosquito populations in experimental conditions. Life-history assays spanning the full life-cycle of exposed individuals and their progeny associated with population dynamics modelling evidenced life-history traits alterations in unexposed progenies of individuals chronically exposed to 1 a ibuprofen or 0.6 a benzo[a]pyrene. The progeny of individuals exposed to ibuprofen showed an accelerated development while the progeny of individuals exposed to benzo[a]pyrene showed a developmental acceleration associated with an increase in mortality rate during development. These life-history changes due to pollutants exposure resulted in relatively shallow increase of Ae. aegypti asymptotic population growth rate. Multigenerational exposure for six generations revealed an evolution of population response to ibuprofen and benzo[a]pyrene across generations, leading to a loss of previously identified transgenerational effects and to the emergence of a tolerance to the bioinsecticide Bacillus turingiensis israelensis (Bti). This study shed light on the short and long term impact of environmentally relevant doses of ibuprofen and benzo[a]pyrene on Ae. aegypti life history traits and insecticide tolerance, raising unprecedented perspectives about the influence of surface water pollution on vector-control strategies. Overall, our approach highlights the importance of considering the entire life cycle of organisms, and the necessity to assess the transgenerational effects of pollutants in ecotoxicological studies for ecological risk assessment. Finally, this multi-generational study gives new insight about the influence of surface water pollution on microevolutionary processes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We explored the cross-sectional relationships between beta-amyloid (A beta) and inferior temporal tau deposition (IFT Tau) on cognitive performance and whether cognitive reserve (CR) modifies these associations. We studied 156 participants classified into groups of clinically normal (CN = 133), mild cognitive impairment (MCI = 17) and Alzheimer disease (AD = 6) dementia. AMNART IQ served as a proxy of CR and cognitive performance was assessed using the MMSE. In separate linear regression models predicting MMSE, we examined the interactions of CR x global A beta and CR x IFT tau across all participants and within the CN group alone. In the whole sample, the interaction between CR and IFT tau was significant (p < 0.003), such that higher CR participants with elevated IFT tau had better MMSE scores compared with low CR participants with similar levels of IFT tau. The interaction between CR and A beta status did not reach significance (p = 0.093). In CN only, no cross-sectional interactions among CR, A beta, and IFT tau were observed on MMSE. These findings imply that CR may be protective against early AD processes and enable some individuals to remain cognitively stable despite elevated tau and A beta burden.
In this paper we prove that it is possible to use techniques specific to electromagnetic field synthesis in the study of some electrical circuits. The definition of a circulant network will be presented. The system matrix of such a network is a circular matrix, which allows an analytical evaluation of all the eigenvalues and all the singular values. Resonance frequencies can then be calculated exactly as will be demonstrated on passive and active circulant networks.
Atopic diseases like asthma and allergies to various foodborne proteins are among the widespread chronic diseases in newborns because of their allergy-prone Th2-skewed immune response. Increasing scientific reports indicate that the mother's immune system plays a crucial role in mediating the development of fetal-infant immune responses. Lactating mammary glands are part of an integrated mucosal immune system with confined production of antibodies particularly targeted against pathogenic agents in the mother's environment and later encountered by newborns. Passive immunity through mother's milk is critical for a newborn's immune maturation. Thus, understanding the maternal influence of childhood atopic risk on newborn immune maturation could suggest novel treatment and prevention strategies. Probiotics have been proposed to harmonize Th1/Th2 imbalance in allergic diseases; however, the mechanism remains largely unknown. Feeding probiotics to mothers and offspring during the prenatal and postnatal periods to inhibit allergies in newborns may be a possible preventive approach in atopic diseases. Hence, the present review focuses on the role of feeding probiotics to mothers during pregnancy and lactation as well to newborns during suckling and post weaning periods as possible modulators for the activation of maternal infant immune response to downregulate the allergy-prone Th2-biased newborn system.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for individual social behavior, B, that incorporates the contributions of both the personality of the actor, P, and the relevant features of the situation, S, in which he or she is performing. In analyzing the original formula by Lewin, viz., B=f(P.S), the paper first considers the importance accorded the situation in previous theorizing about Asianness'. It then analyzes the contributions of the actor's personality, noting in particular that actors come to develop broad expectancies for situational outcomes, P(S), associated with situations they encounter. Those situations are glossed for social psychological purposes in terms of their affordances for potential yields relative to the actor's motivations for sociality and status. These situational affordances are defined by the normative prescriptions believed to be operative in that situation for acceptable enactments of behaviors aimed at attaining the actor's goals for sociality and status. That normative pressure is objective, though it may be judged by the actor, and is termed the O(S) component of the situation. It is held with some degree of consensus, CO(S), by others in, or observers of, the situation. These two components specify the strength' of the situation for social psychological purposes, yielding an elaborated Lewinian formula B=f(P.P[S].O[S].CO[S]). The culture of the participants, national, organizational, familial or dyadic, will determine the beta weights linking the components of the formula.
Rainwater harvesting is an ancient practice that involves collecting, storing, and using precipitation to meet on-site water needs. This paper develops and demonstrates guidelines for sizing the capacity of storage tanks to provide a reliable continuous supply of harvested rainwater for residential households. Operation of the rainwater harvesting system is simulated with a stochastic mass balance performed on an Excel spreadsheet. The daily volume of rainwater in an unbounded tank is tracked to determine the maximum accumulated deficit on a monthly basis. Results are summarized in dimensionless charts showing the minimum size of a rainwater storage tank needed to meet water demands at specified levels of reliability. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This paper proposes a new topology of a variable-flux pole-changing permanent magnet (PM) memory machine. The fractional-slot concentrated windings are employed in the stator side, which can increase the utilization ratio of winding under different pole modes. The neodymium-iron-boron PM poles and aluminum-nickel-cobalt (AlNiCo) PM poles are hybridized in the rotor side. The proposed machine features the capability of its pole number to switch back and forth between six poles and two poles through changing the magnetization directions of AlNiCo PMs via the stator winding. Besides, the air gap flux can be flexibly adjusted by varying the amplitudes of magnetization current pulses. The topology and design principle of the machine are described in detail, and the electromagnetic characteristics, including magnetic field distributions, air-gap flux density, as well as back electromotive force (EMF), in different operation modes are computed using a finite-element method. Due to the existence of the fifth harmonic component of back EMF, the torque quality is improved through injecting the fifth harmonic current under different magnetized levels of AlNiCo PMs. Besides, the field regulation capabilities in both the pole modes are analyzed.
Automatic detection of brain tumors in single-spectral magnetic resonance images is a challenging task. Existing techniques suffer from inadequate performance, dependence on initial assumptions, and, sometimes, the need for manual interference. The research reported in this paper seeks to reduce some of these shortcomings, and to remove others, achieving satisfactory performance at reasonable computational costs. The success of the system described here is explained by the synergy of the following aspects: (1) a broad choice of high-level features to characterize the image's texture, (2) an efficient mechanism to eliminate less useful features (3) a machine-learning technique to induce a classifier that signals the presence of a tumor-affected tissue, and (4) an improved version of the skippy greedy snake algorithm to outline the tumor's contours. The paper describes the system and reports experiments with synthetic as well as real data. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE: Can stimulation of nerve growth factors by focused transcranial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (TESWT) be made effective for persons within unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (apallic syndrome)? DESIGN: Between eight and 18 years after the brain lesion, five patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome of differing severity received TESWT with the device Duolith (Storz Medical) during four-week physicomedical complex therapies. In the previous years they had been treated with the same complex therapies without TESWT. The vigilance did not change. RESULTS: After two-four years and an average of 5.2 treatment series, the patients' abilities improved by 135.9% on the German Coma Remission Scale (KRS) and by 43.6% on the Glasgow Coma Scale. In the motor area of the KRS, the patients improved by 64.3%. Three PEG feeding tubes could be removed, nonverbal communication initiated four times. CONCLUSION: In this longitudinal observation study, focused TESWT stimulated vigilance in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome. The precise neurophysiological effects remain to be verified by a study of the clinical results.
The 3D solid modeling technology is the basic of the virtual model in the virtual reality, as well as is the core element of the CAD system. It has quickly become the mainstream of theCAD technology. Computational geometry is to use the computer to transform, synthesize and analyze the physical geometry information. The 3D modeling technology can be divided into the following three types: (1) point-line modeling technology (2) plane modeling technology (3) 3D solid modeling technology.
In the present work, hydrodynamics and mass-transfer performance of vapor-liquid flow of orthogonal wave tray (OWT) column was studied. Dry pressure drop, operating range (capacity graph) and overall column efficiency of OWT column were investigated using pilot columns. A three-dimensional CFD model was developed within the two-phase Eulerian framework to have an insight into the two-phase flow and mass-transfer behavior of OWT. The simulated results were compared with experimental data and showed a good agreement. Hydrodynamic and mass-transfer behaviors were revealed with the aid of velocity profiles, streamlines, interfacial area density distribution and so on. The effects of vapor/liquid load (F-s factor) on the Murphree tray efficiency were also studied. The simulations of OWT with different waves showed that the pressure drop, clear liquid height, froth height and Murphree tray efficiency increase with the increase of slope, and OWT with middle slope tended to have more uniform foam layer. Comparison of the liquid-phase component velocity between OWT and ripple shows that OWT has better performance in froth layer distribution and stability. The mass-transfer data showed that OWT not only had almost the same peak efficiency as sieve tray, but also had higher capacity and stability, it was suitable for capacity expansion. (c) 2016 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The enrichment of specific pollutant-reducing consortium is usually required prior to the startup of bio-cathode bioelectrochemical system (BES) and the whole process is time consuming. To rapidly establish a non-specific functional biocathode, direct polar inversion from bioanode to biocathode is proposed in this study. Based on the diverse reductases and electron transfer related proteins of anode-respiring bacteria (ARB), the acclimated electrochemically active biofilm (EAB) may catalyze reduction of different aromatic pollutants. Within approximately 12 d, the acclimated bioanodes were directly employed as biocathodes for nitroaromatic nitrobenzene (NB) and azo dye acid orange 7 (AO7) reduction. Our results indicated that the established biocathode significantly accelerated the reduction of NB to aniline (AN) and AO7 to discolored products compared with the abiotic cathode and open circuit controls. Several microbes possessing capabilities of nitroaromatic/azo dye reduction and bidirectional electron transfer were maintained or enriched in the biocathode communities. Cyclic voltammetry highlighted the decreased over-potentials and enhanced electron transfer of biocathode as well as demonstrated the ARB Geobacter containing cytochrome c involved in the backward electron transfer from electrode to NB. This study offers new insights into the rapid establishment and modularization of functional biocathodes for the potential treatment of complicated electron acceptors-coexisting wastewaters. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) has always been significantly considered one of the most important initiating events. However, most probabilistic safety assessment models, up to now, have undoubtedly adopted the three groups of LOCA, and even an exact break size boundary that used in WASH-1400 reports was published in 1975. With an awareness of the importance of a realistic PSA for a risk informed application, several studies have tried to find the realistic thermal-hydraulic behavior of a LOCA, and improve the PSA model. The purpose of this research is to obtain realistic results of the LOCA core damage frequency based on a success criteria analysis using the best-estimate thermal hydraulics code. To do so, the Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP) was selected for this study. The MARS code was used for a thermal hydraulics analysis and the AIMS code was used for the core damage quantification. One of the major findings in the thermal hydraulics analysis was that the decay power is well removed by only a normal secondary cooling in LOCAs of below 1.4 in and by only a high pressure safety injection in LOCAs of 0.8-9.4 in. Based on the thermal hydraulics results regarding new break size boundaries and new success criteria, five new event trees (ETs) were developed. The core damage frequency of new LOCA ETs is 5.80E-07 (/y), which is 12% less than the conventional PSA ETs. In this research, we obtained not only thermal-hydraulics characteristics for the entire break size of a LOCA in view of the deterministic safety assessment, but also a more realistic core damage frequency of the LOCAs using updated information. The difference between the results of the present study and the conventional knowledge can be used to modify the current emergency operator procedures and to design another nuclear power plant type. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
IgE-mediated allergies, in particular allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma, have reached epidemic proportions, affecting about one-third of the population in developed countries. The most effective treatment for allergies is specific immunotherapy (SIT), which involves the injection of increasing doses of an allergen extract to allergic individuals. The current form of SIT was first introduced in 1911 and recently celebrated its 100th birthday for the treatment of hay fever. The concept of this therapy at the time was straightforward, as it was believed that pollen contained toxins against which the patient could be vaccinated. However, the understanding became blurred with the discovery that IgE antibodies were the effector molecules of the allergic response. Subsequent research focused on the idea that SIT should induce tolerance keeping the IgE antibodies at bay. In this review, we will discuss the various hypotheses for the mechanism of SIT and we will put forward the concept that allergens may be viewed as protoxins' which need to be activated by IgE antibodies. Within this framework, protoxin-neutralizing antibodies are the key effector molecules while a shift to Th1 or Treg cells mainly contributes to the efficacy of SIT by helping B cells to produce neutralizing IgG antibodies.
Speed binning of system-on-chips (SoCs) using conventional F-max test requires application of complex functional test patterns. Functional workload-based speed binning techniques incur high test-cost in terms of long test-time and complexity in functional test generation, and require high-end automatic test equipment. In this paper, we propose a novel speed binning flow that uses path timing slacks, extracted with robust digital embedded sensor IPs, of selected critical/nearcritical paths. We apply machine learning techniques to model a predictor considering the extracted slacks and the Fmax values from a set of randomly tested die during wafer sort. The trained predictor is used to obtain the Fmax for the remaining chips. The proposed flow has been demonstrated in an SoC benchmark circuit at 28 nm technology. For sufficient number of training samples, F-max is correctly predicted for 99% of the prediction samples.
This paper describes the analysis of manufacturing engineering data for integrated process and manufacturing resources planning. The requirements and recommendations of data structures integration for effective computerization of manufacturing engineering are presented. Examples of data structure and data base of integrated computer aided manufacturing engineering system are provided.
Background: Approximate string matching is the problem of finding all factors of a given text that are at a distance at most k from a given pattern. Fixed-length approximate string matching is the problem of finding all factors of a text of length n that are at a distance at most k from any factor of length l of a pattern of length m. There exist bit-vector techniques to solve the fixed-length approximate string matching problem in time O(m [l/w]n) and space O(m [l/w] under the edit and Hamming distance models, where w is the size of the computer word; as such these techniques are independent of the distance threshold k or the alphabet size. Fixed-length approximate string matching is a generalisation of approximate string matching and, hence, has numerous direct applications in computational molecular biology and elsewhere. Results: We present and make available libFLASM, a free open-source C++ software library for solving fixed-length approximate string matching under both the edit and the Hamming distance models. Moreover we describe how fixed-length approximate string matching is applied to solve real problems by incorporating libFLASM into established applications for multiple circular sequence alignment as well as single and structured motif extraction. Specifically, we describe how it can be used to improve the accuracy of multiple circular sequence alignment in terms of the inferred likelihood-based phylogenies; and we also describe how it is used to efficiently find motifs in molecular sequences representing regulatory or functional regions. The comparison of the performance of the library to other algorithms show how it is competitive, especially with increasing distance thresholds. Conclusions: Fixed-length approximate string matching is a generalisation of the classic approximate string matching problem. We present libFLASM, a free open-source C++ software library for solving fixed-length approximate string matching. The extensive experimental results presented here suggest that other applications could benefit from using libFLASM, and thus further maintenance and development of libFLASM is desirable.
Fitting geometric or algebraic surfaces to 3D data is a pervasive problem in many fields of science and engineering. In particular, ellipsoids are some of the most employed features in computer graphics and sensor calibrations. They are also useful in pattern recognition, computer vision, body detection and electronic device design. Standard ellipsoid fitting techniques to solve this problem involve the minimization of squared errors. However, most of these procedures are sensitive to noise. Here, we propose a method based on the minimization of absolute errors. Although our algorithm is iterative, an adaptive step size is used to achieve a faster convergence. This leads to a substantial improvement in robustness against outlier data. The proposal is demonstrated with several computational examples which comprise synthetic data and real data from a 3D scanner and a stereo camera.
An anomalously slight glacier mass gain during 2000 to the 2010s has recently been reported in the Karakoram region. However, to date, no investigations of the region-wide glacier mass balance in the Karakoram prior to 2000 have been reported, leaving a knowledge gap for assessing glacier responses to climate change. We calculated elevation and mass change using DEMs generated from KH-9 images acquired during 1973-1980 and the 1 arc-second SRTM DEM. We find a slight mass loss of -0.09 +/- 0.03 m w.e. a(-1) (12 366 km(2)) for 1973-2000, which is less negative than the global average rate for 19712009 (-0.31 +/- 0.19 m w.e. a(-1)). Within the Karakoram, the glacier change patterns are spatially and temporally heterogeneous. In particular, a nearly stable state in the central Karakoram (-0.04 +/- 0.05 m w.e. a(-1) during the period 1974-2000) implies that the Karakoram anomaly dates back to the 1970s. Combined with the previous studies, we conclude that the Karakoram glaciers as a whole were in a nearly balanced state during the 1970s to the 2010s.
Synergistic effects of multiple plant secondary metabolites on upper trophic levels constitute an underexplored but potentially widespread component of coevolution and ecological interactions. Examples of plant secondary metabolites acting synergistically as insect deterrents are not common, and many studies focus on the pharmaceutical applications of natural products, where activity is serendipitous and not an evolved response. This review summarizes some systems that are ideal for testing synergistic plant defenses and utilizes a focused meta-analysis to examine studies that have tested effects of multiple compounds on insects. Due to a dearth of ecological synergy studies, one of the few patterns for synergy that we are able to report from the meta-analysis is that phytochemical mixtures have a larger overall effect on generalist herbivores than specialist herbivores. We recommend a focus on synergy in chemical ecology programs and suggest future hypothesis tests and methods. These approaches are not focused on techniques in molecular biology to examine mechanisms at the cellular level, rather we recommend uncovering the existence of synergy first, by combining the best methods in organic synthesis, isolation, chemical ecology, bioassays, and quantitative analyses. Data generated by our recommended methods should provide rigorous tests of important hypotheses on how intraclass and interclass compounds act synergistically to deter insects, disrupt the immune response, and ultimately contribute to diversification. Further synergy research should also contribute to determining if antiherbivore synergy is widespread among plant secondary metabolites, which would be consistent with the hypothesis that synergistic defenses are a key attribute of the evolved diverse chemical mixtures found in plants.
Background: Exposure to multiple types of air pollution may contribute to and exacerbate allergic diseases including asthma and wheezing. However, few studies have examined chronic air pollution exposure and allergic disease outcomes among an adult population. Associations between potential estimates of annual average fine particulate matter (PM2.5), traffic related air pollution, and industrial source air emissions and three allergic disease outcomes (asthma, allergies and wheezing) were examined in a state-wide general population of adults. Methods: The study includes a representative sample of 3381 adult Wisconsin residents who participated in the 2008-2013 Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) program. Participant data were geographically linked to The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Baysian space-time downscaler air pollution model for PM2.5, the United States Census roadway, and USEPA's Toxic Release Inventory data. Self-report and lung function (FEV1) estimates were used to define prevalence of asthma, allergies and wheezing symptoms. Results: Annual mean exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was between 6.59 and 15.14 mu g/m(3). An increase of 5 mu g/m(3) in the annual mean PM2.5 resulted in a 3.58 (2.36, 5.43) increase in the adjusted odds (95% CI) of having asthma. Exposure to vehicle traffic increased the odds of both current allergies [OR (95% CI)=1.35 (1.07, 1.35)] and current asthma [OR (95% CI)=1.51 (1.14, 2.00)]. Living within 300 m of an Interstate roadway was associated with a 3-fold increase in the odds of asthma. Those living within 800 m of an industrial site were 47% more likely to have asthma. No significant associations were seen with wheezing. Conclusions: Within this population exposed to overall annual average levels of estimated low level chronic exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at or near 12 mu g/m(3), the USEPA standard for air quality, significant association between both modeled PM2.5 exposure and proximity to roadways with asthma and allergies but not wheezing were found. Industrial source emissions were not associated with any allergic disease outcomes.
Conclusion: Patients with BPPV experienced short but intense anxiety and/or panic disorder, especially at the initial visit, but most patients recovered without medication with successful treatment. Objective: Recent studies have shown that people with dizziness report some psychological problems such as panic and agoraphobia and anxiety. The aim of this study was to evaluate anxiety and panic agorophobia levels in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo on initial presentation and at the follow-up visit and compare the scores with the control group. Methods: All the 32 patients in the study had a diagnosis of BPPV confirmed by their history, typical subjective symptom reports, and characteristic positional nystagmus during the Dix-Hallpike test and/or Roll test. The patients were instructed to complete the standard forms of Beck anxiety inventory and panic agoraphobia scale questionnaire before and at 7 and 14 days after the canalith repositioning treatment. Results: The validity scores of panic agoraphobia were statistically significantly higher in patients with BPPV than in the control group in each period (p < .001) and the validity scores of the Beck anxiety inventory were statistically significantly higher in patients with BPPV than in the control group at the first and second evaluation (p < .001).
Comparison is common in water management research: every table, map, and graph invites comparisons of different places and variables. Detailed international comparisons, however, seem infrequent in water resources research. To assess this perceived gap, this paper searched for examples of comparative research between two water sub-sectors in two countries using systematic bibliographic mapping procedures. It focused on rural and urban water conservation research in India and the United States. Search methods built upon procedures initially developed for the FAO Investment Centre and more advanced systematic review methods. The search generally confirmed that there have been few detailed comparative international studies on the subject of this review. Not surprisingly, there are a greater number of comparative studies between rural and urban water conservation within each country. The search also identified different conservation emphases in the two countries, e.g., rainwater harvesting in India compared with stormwater quality management in the United States. It identified unanticipated publications and lines of comparative water conservation (e.g. comparative physiology). Some transnational research goes beyond comparison to address the diffusion of innovations, i.e. research linkages as well as comparisons, although these studies are also few. The more prevalent pattern involves parallel literatures, which indicate substantial opportunities for future comparative and transnational research. This review also identified diffusion of international knowledge paths that are not the product of formal comparative research. The final section focuses on the prospects and priorities for future international and inter-sectoral research, e.g. paired multi-objective river basin research, linkages between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, diffusion of water conservation innovations, and synthesis of research on urban and rural rainwater harvesting in different countries.
The security of cryptographic systems is a major concern for cryptosystem designers, even though cryptography algorithms have been improved. Side-channel attacks, by taking advantage of physical vulnerabilities of cryptosystems, aim to gain secret information. Several approaches have been proposed to analyze side-channel information, among which machine learning is known as a promising method. Machine learning in terms of neural networks learns the signature (power consumption and electromagnetic emission) of an instruction, and then recognizes it automatically. In this paper, a novel experimental investigation was conducted on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), to explore the efficiency of side-channel information characterization based on a learning vector quantization (LVQ) neural network. The main characteristics of LVQ as a multi-class classifier are that it has the ability to learn complex non-linear input-output relationships, use sequential training procedures, and adapt to the data. Experimental results show the performance of multi-class classification based on LVQ as a powerful and promising approach of side-channel data characterization.
The oxidative C-C bond cleavage of o-aminophenols by non-heme Fe dioxygenases is a critical step in both human metabolism (the kynurenine pathway) and the microbial degradation of nitroaromatic pollutants. The catalytic cycle of o-aminophenoldioxygenases (APDOs) has been proposed to involve formation of an Fe-II/O-2/iminobenzosemiquinone complex, although the presence of a substrate radical has been called into question by studies of related ring-cleaving dioxygenases. Recently, we reported the first synthesis of an iron(II) complex coordinated to an iminobenzosemiquinone ISQ) ligand, namely, [Fe((Ph2)Tp)-((tBu)ISQ)] (2a; where (Ph2)Tp=hydro-tris(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-yl)borate and (tBu)ISQ is the radical anion derived from 2-amino-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol). In the current manuscript, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and a wide variety of spectroscopic methods (electronic absorption, Mossbauer, magnetic circular dichroism, and resonance Raman) were employed to obtain detailed electronic-structure descriptions of 2a and its one-electron oxidized derivative [3a](+). In addition, we describe the synthesis and characterization of a parallel series of complexes featuring the neutral supporting ligand tris(4,5-diphenyl-1-methylimidazol-2-yl)phosphine ((TIP)-T-Ph2). The isomer shifts of about 0.97 mm s(-1) obtained through Mossbauer experiments confirm that 2a (and its (TIP)-T-Ph2-based analogue [2b](+)) contain Fe-II centers, and the presence of an ISQ radical was verified by analysis of the absorption spectra in light of time-dependent DFT calculations. The collective spectroscopic data indicate that one-electron oxidation of the Fe-II-ISQ complexes yields complexes ([3a](+) and [3b](2+)) with electronic configurations between the Fe-III-ISQ and Fe-II-IBQ limits (IBQ=iminobenzoquinone), highlighting the ability of o-amidophenolates to access multiple oxidation states. The implications of these results for the mechanism of APDOs and other ring-cleaving dioxygenases are discussed.
Human body odor is a source of important social information. In this study, we explore whether the sex of an individual can be established based on smelling axillary odor and whether exposure to male and female odors biases chemosensory and social perception. In a double-blind, pseudo-randomized application, 31 healthy normosmic heterosexual male and female raters were exposed to male and female chemosignals (odor samples of 27 heterosexual donors collected during a cardio workout) and a no odor sample. Recipients rated chemosensory samples on a masculinity-femininity scale and provided intensity, familiarity and pleasantness ratings. Additionally, the modulation of social perception (gender neutral faces and personality attributes) and affective introspection (mood) by male and female chemosignals was assessed. Male and female axillary odors were rated as rather masculine, regardless of the sex of the donor. As opposed to the masculinity bias in the odor perception, a femininity bias modulating social perception appeared. A facilitated femininity detection in gender neutral faces and personality attributes in male and female chemosignals appeared. No chemosensory effect on mood of the rater was observed. The results are discussed with regards to the use of male and female chemosignals in affective and social communication.
The disposal of olive mill wastewaters (OMW) in shallow and unprotected evaporation ponds is a common, low-cost management practice, followed in Mediterranean countries. So far, the fate of potential soil pollutants in areas located near evaporation ponds is not adequately documented. This study investigates the extent in which the long-term disposal of OMW in evaporation ponds can affect the soil properties of the area located outside the evaporation pond and assesses the fate of the pollution loads of OMW. Four soil profiles situated outside and around the down slope side of the disposal area were excavated. The results showed considerable changes in concentration of soil phenols at the down-site soil profiles, due to the subsurface transport of the OMW. In addition, excessive concentrations of NH4 (+), PO4 (3-) and phenols were recorded in liquid samples taken from inside at the bottom of the soil profiles. It is concluded that unprotected evaporation ponds located in light texture soils pose a serious threat to favour soil and water pollution.
In fluid mechanics, a lot of authors have been executing their researches to obtain the analytical solutions of NavierStokes equations, even for 3D case of compressible gas flow. But there is an essential deficiency of non-stationary solutions indeed. In our derivation, we explore the case of non-stationary helical flow of the NavierStokes equations for incompressible fluids at any given initial conditions for velocity fields (it means an open choice for the space part of a solution). Such a non-stationary helical flow is proved to be decreasing exponentially in regard to the time-parameter, the extent of time-dependent exponential component is given by the coefficient of kinematic viscosity, multiplied by the square of the coefficient of proportionality between the vorticity and velocity field. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In some cases, the flow head loss is not the main concern of design engineers, who instead prefer to exclude the hydraulic jump from super-to subcritical flow due to unfavourable flow conditions. The present study investigates the flow field and hydrodynamic aspects of the transitional region from super-to subcritical flow without a hydraulic jump. It is found that inside the transitional region the velocity and pressure profiles deviate slightly from uniform flow velocity and hydrostatic pressure. According to evaluation of the velocity measurements in conjunction with the continuity equation, the characteristics of the transitional region are determined. Furthermore, Reynolds stresses are analysed and the mechanisms of transition from super-to subcritical flow without a jump are demonstrated qualitatively. Results relating to the profiles of shear stresses, vorticity and the total angular momentum along the transition are developed. Results indicate that the first short part of the flow field downstream of the transition structure floats on the incoming high-speed fluid where the shear stress is maximal. It is observed that, downstream of the structure, both the shear stresses and the vorticity are maximal along the streamlines. Inside the shear layer, the vorticity spreads upward by diffusive mechanisms.
This paper presents the first multi vector energy analysis for the interconnected energy systems of Great Britain (GB) and Ireland. Both systems share a common high penetratioh of wind power, but significantly different security of supply outlooks. Ireland is heavily dependent on gas imports from GB, giving significance to the interconnected aspect of the methodology in addition to the gas and power interactions analysed. A fully realistic unit commitment and economic dispatch Model coupled to an energy flow model of the gas supply network is developed. Extreme weather events driving increased domestic gas demand and low wind power output were utilised to increase gas supply network stress. Decreased wind profiles had a larger impact on system security than high domestic gas demand. However, the GB energy system was resilient during high demand periods but gas network stress limited the ramping capability of localised generating units. Additionally, gas system entry node congestion in the Irish system was shown to deliver a 40% increase in short run costs for generators. Gds storage was shown to reduce the impact of high demand driven congestion delivering a reduction in total generation costs of 14% in the period studied and reducing electricity imports from GB, significantly contributing to security of supply. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Objectives: Research is limited on psychiatrists' opinions on the concepts of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and Problematic Internet Use (PIU). We aimed to assess health literacy among psychiatrists on IGD/PIU. Methods: A self-report survey was administered online to members of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) (n=289). Results: The majority (93.7%) were familiar with the concepts of IGD/PIU. The majority (78.86%) thought it is possible to be 'addicted' to non-gaming internet content, and 76.12% thought non-gaming addictions could possibly be included in classificatory systems. Forty-eight (35.6%) felt that IGD maybe common in their practice. Only 22 (16.3%) felt they were confident in managing IGD. Child psychiatrists were more likely to screen routinely for IGD (11/45 vs. 7/95; Fishers Exact test chi(2)=7.95, df=1, p<0.01) and were more likely to elicit specific symptoms of addiction (16/45 vs. 9/95; Fishers Exact test chi(2)=14.16, df=1, p<0.001). Conclusions: We recommend adoption of terms alternate to PIU/IGD which are more in line with the content of material irrespective of medium of access. Screening instruments/protocols are needed to assist in early diagnosis and service planning. Barriers to screening would need to be addressed both in research and service settings.
The extensive application of rainwater harvesting (RWH) projects is inhibited by the challenge posed by the dry seasons. In a case study of Mnyundo Primary School, Tanzania, the performance of the RWH system was evaluated using a daily water balance model. The methodology is based on defined dry season parameters -no water days (NWDs), rainwater usage ratio (RUR), and water level in local water storages; while the system operational methods involve users adopting either fixed (constant) demand or variable demand (demand varying with respect to available water in the storage tank), throughout the system utilization. Additionally, the cost of installing an RWH system to achieve a substantial reduction of NWDs to zero was calculated. It was established that the existing system cannot achieve zero NWDs under consideration of both operational methods. However, the greater the number of tanks, the lower the NWD, and in the variable demand operational method, better RUR was achieved. For mitigating water shortages in the dry season, the school should adopt RWH in two buildings under the demand scenario (300 <= demand <= 900 L/d, for the respective water levels in the storage tanks), yielding 58% RUR. The performance of the system can be improved by monitoring water levels and adhering to demand guidelines. These are useful strategies for practitioners in water supply.
This article examines, in detail, the quality of doctor-patient interaction. Doctor-patient communication is such a powerful indicator of health care quality that it can determine patients' self-management behavior and health outcomes. The medical visit (i.e., the medical encounter) plays a pivotal role in the health care process. In fact, doctor-patient communication is one of the most essential dynamics in health care, affecting the course of patient care and patient compliance with recommendations for care. Unlike many other analyses (that often look at only one or two specific aspects of doctor-patient relationships), this analysis is more encompassing; it looks at doctor-patient communication from multiple perspectives.
Background: Cow's milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies affecting young children. A subset of milk-allergic individuals can eat baked milk without allergic symptoms which is beneficial in terms of prognostication and liberalization of the diet. A retrospective study suggested that skin prick testing (SPT) with a baked milk (muffin) slurry may provide a sensitive means of predicting the outcome of a medically supervised baked milk oral food challenge. We evaluated the predictive value of SPT with baked milk to identify unheated milk-allergic children who are able to safely eat baked milk. Methods: Children aged 2-16 years with a prior history of reaction to milk and a milk extract SPT of 8-14 mm were recruited. Investigator-blinded SPT to muffin slurry and powdered milk in triplicate and specific IgE (sIgE) to casein and milk were performed. Graded oral challenge to egg-free baked milk muffins (total 2.6 gm milk protein) was performed in the hospital. Reliability of tests was analyzed for intraclass correlation. Statistical significance for clinical characteristics of population and muffin testing versus baked milk reactivity was calculated with Fisher exact test for dichotomous and t-test for continuous variables. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare immunological characteristics between individuals who tolerated or reacted to baked milk. Fitted predicted probability curves and ROC curves were generated. Results: Thirty-eight children were consented and 30 met study criteria. The muffin SPT and casein sIgE were significantly different in those who passed versus failed baked milk challenge. Negative (< 3 mm) baked milk tests were found in 8/30 children (27 %) and were associated with non-reactivity to baked milk (p = 0.01) with a sensitivity of 1 (0.70-1.00). All children with negative SPT for baked milk passed the oral challenge. Specificity was 0.41 (0.19-0.67). The optimal decision point for the muffin SPT was 4 mm and the casein sIgE was 6 kU/L. The powdered milk test was not helpful. Conclusions: Skin prick testing with a baked milk (muffin) slurry may have a role in clinical practice to identify baked milk tolerance in milk-allergic patients.
Pumping sediment-laden water from excavations is often necessary on construction sites. This water is often treated by pumping it through geotextile dewatering bags. The bags are not designed to filter the fine sediments that create high turbidity, but dosing with a flocculant prior to the bag could result in greater turbidity control. This study compared two systems for introducing flocculant: passive dosing of commercial solid biopolymer (chitosan) and injection of dissolved polyacrylamide (PAM) in a length of corrugated pipe connected to the bag. The biopolymer system consisted of sequential porous socks containing a charging agent followed by chitosan in the corrugated pipe with two levels of dosing. The dissolved PAM was injected into turbid water at a flow-weighted concentration at 1 mg L-1. For each treatment, sediment-laden turbid water in the range of 2000 to 3500 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) was pumped into the upstream of corrugated pipe and samples were taken from pipe entrance, pipe exit, and dewatering bag exit. Without flocculant treatment, the dewatering bag reduced turbidity by 70% but the addition of flocculant increased the turbidity reduction up to 97% relative to influent. At the pipe exit, the low-dose biopolymer was less effective in reducing turbidity (37%) but it was equally effective as the high-dose biopolymer or PAM injection after the bag. Our results suggest that a relatively simple treatment with flocculants, either passively or actively, can be very effective in reducing turbidity for pumped water on construction sites. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cognitive deficits are pervasive among people with schizophrenia and treatment options are limited. There has been an increased interest in the neurocognitive benefits of exercise, but a comprehensive evaluation of studies to date is lacking. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis of all controlled trials investigating the cognitive outcomes of exercise interventions in schizophrenia. Studies were identified from a systematic search across major electronic databases from inception to April 2016. Meta-analyses were used to calculate pooled effect sizes (Hedges g) and 95% CIs. We identified 10 eligible trials with cognitive outcome data for 385 patients with schizophrenia. Exercise significantly improved global cognition (g = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.13-0.53, P = .001) with no statistical heterogeneity (I-2 = 0%). The effect size in the 7 studies which were randomized controlled trials was g = 0.43 (P < .001). Meta-regression analyses indicated that greater amounts of exercise are associated with larger improvements in global cognition (beta = .005, P = .065). Interventions which were supervised by physical activity professionals were also more effective (g = 0.47, P < .001). Exercise significantly improved the cognitive domains of working memory (g = 0.39, P = .024, N = 7, n = 282), social cognition (g = 0.71, P = .002, N = 3, n = 81), and attention/vigilance (g = 0.66, P = .005, N = 3, n = 104). Effects on processing speed, verbal memory, visual memory and reasoning and problem solving were not significant. This meta-analysis provides evidence that exercise can improve cognitive functioning among people with schizophrenia, particularly from interventions using higher dosages of exercise. Given the challenges in improving cognition, and the wider health benefits of exercise, a greater focus on providing supervised exercise to people with schizophrenia is needed.
The prevalence of allergies is increasing since mid twentieth century; however the underlying causes of this increase are not fully clear. Understanding the mechanism by which a harmless protein becomes an allergen provides us with the basis to prevent and treat these diseases. Although most studies on allergen immunogenicity have traditionally focused on structural properties of the proteins, it is increasingly clear that allergenicity cannot be determined only based on structural features of the allergenic proteins. In fact, allergens do not encounter human facings as isolated molecules but contained in complex mixtures of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, such as pollen grains or foods. As a result, attention has lately been directed to examine whether allergen-associated molecules exhibit immune-regulatory properties. The present review aims to illustrate some examples of how non-protein molecules accompanying the allergen can modulate allergic responses.
Filamentous plant pathogens deliver effector proteins to host cells to promote infection. The Phytophthora infestans RXLR-type effector PexRD54 binds potato ATG8 via its ATG8 family-interacting motif (AIM) and perturbs host-selective autophagy. However, the structural basis of this interaction remains unknown. Here, we define the crystal structure of PexRD54, which includes a modular architecture, including five tandem repeat domains, with the AIM sequence presented at the disordered C terminus. To determine the interface between PexRD54 and ATG8, we solved the crystal structure of potato ATG8CL in complex with a peptide comprising the effector's AIM sequence, and we established a model of the full-length PexRD54-ATG8CL complex using small angle x-ray scattering. Structure-informed deletion of the PexRD54 tandem domains reveals retention of ATG8CL binding in vitro and in planta. This study offers new insights into structure/function relationships of oomycete RXLR effectors and how these proteins engage with host cell targets to promote disease.
Behavioral dysexecutive disorders are highly prevalent in patients with neurological diseases but cannot be explained by cognitive dysexecutive impairments. In fact, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Given that socioemotional functioning underlies appropriate behavior, socioemotional impairments may contribute to the appearance of behavioral disorders. To investigate this issue, we performed a transnosological study.Seventy-five patients suffering from various neurological diseases (Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and stroke) were included in the study. The patients were comprehensively assessed in terms of cognitive and behavioral dysexecutive disorders and socioemotional processes (facial emotion recognition and theory of mind). As was seen for cognitive and behavioral dysexecutive impairments, the prevalence of socioemotional impairments varied according to the diagnosis. Stepwise logistic regressions showed that (i) only cognitive executive indices predicted hypoactivity with apathy/abulia, (ii) theory of mind impairments predicted hyperactivity-distractibility-impulsivity and stereotyped/perseverative behaviors, and (iii) impaired facial emotion recognition predicted social behavior disorders. Several dysexecutive behavioral disorders are associated with an underlying impairment in socioemotional processes but not with cognitive indices of executive functioning (except for apathy). These results strongly suggest that some dysexecutive behavioral disorders are the outward signs of an underlying impairment in socioemotional processes.
Optimization of power system restoration path is a key issue to the system restoration following a significant disruption, such as the Northeast Blackout of 2003 in the United States and Canada. The restoration path optimization problem (RPOP) is to calculate the shortest restoration path between specified nodes, while subject to network security constraints. The RPOP is normally modeled as a large-scale mixed integer nonlinear programming, including both routing components and the nonlinear steady-state power flow equations. Intelligent algorithm is widely used to solve this complicated problem due to its excellent optimization capability, but existing research concern about the generate method of initial population. In this paper, an orthogonal genetic algorithm is adopted to achieve the optimal solutions. The orthogonal array method is used to generate an initial population of genetic algorithm. This method has been proven to be optimal to select representative samples from all the possible combinations, due to the selected samples scatter uniformly over the feasible solution space. Finally, the IEEE standard test systems are used to examine the applicability of proposed method. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method is more efficient than traditional method.
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a reproductive toxicant in male rodents. The aim of the current study was to extrapolate the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (MEHP, a primary metabolite of DEHP) in humans by using data from oral administration of DEHP to chimeric mice transplanted with human hepatocytes. MEHP and its glucuronide were detected in plasma from control mice and chimeric mice after single oral doses of 250 mg DEHP/kg body weight. Biphasic plasma concentration time curves of MEHP and its glucuronide were seen only in control mice. MEHP and its glucuronide were extensively excreted in urine within 24h in mice with humanized liver. In contrast, fecal excretion levels of MEHP glucuronide were high in control mice compared with those with humanized liver. Adjusted animal biomonitoring equivalents from chimeric mice studies were scaled to human biomonitoring equivalents using known species allometric scaling factors and in vitro metabolic clearance data with a simple physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. Estimated urine MEHP concentrations in humans were consistent with reported concentrations. This research illustrates how chimeric mice transplanted with human hepatocytes in combination with a simple PBPK model can assist evaluations of pharmacokinetics or toxicokinetics of the primary or secondary metabolites of DEHP. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To improve access to information on patient history in case of emergency, it should be possible in the future for data for use in an emergency to be stored on the German Electronic Health Card, according to the wishes of the insured person. As a basis, the German Medical Association developed an emergency dataset that offers the possibility of storing information on existing diagnoses, medications, allergies, medical implants and other information relevant in an emergency. In the present study, the emergency dataset was tested with regard to the usability and the potential benefits from the perspective of clinicians, emergency physicians and paramedics. To test the emergency dataset a two-phase exploratory study was conducted. In phase I of the study 13 primary care physicians completed a total of 64 emergency datasets. In phase II of the study these datasets were then evaluated from an emergency medicine perspective by 14 clinicians, 14 emergency physicians and 9 paramedics on the basis of fictitious emergency scenarios. The whole validation process was performed purely on paper. Clinicians, emergency physicians and paramedics rated the emergency dataset in more than 70 % of the cases reviewed as being of very great or of great benefit. The data fields medication and diagnosis received the highest benefit ratings. The study results indicate the high potential benefits of the emergency dataset in real patient care situations and a further contribution to the optimisation of patient safety can be expected if there is extensive distribution.
Human faces, and more specifically the eyes, play a crucial role in social and nonverbal communication because they signal valuable information about others. It is therefore surprising that few studies have investigated the impact of intergroup contexts and motivations on attention to the eyes of ingroup and outgroup members. Four experiments investigated differences in eye gaze to racial and novel ingroups using eye tracker technology. Whereas Studies 1 and 3 demonstrated that White participants attended more to the eyes of White compared to Black targets, Study 2 showed a similar pattern of attention to the eyes of novel ingroup and outgroup faces. Studies 3 and 4 also provided new evidence that eye gaze is flexible and can be meaningfully influenced by current motivations. Specifically, instructions to individuate specific social categories increased attention to the eyes of target group members. Furthermore, the latter experiments demonstrated that preferential attention to the eyes of ingroup members predicted important intergroup biases such as recognition of ingroup over outgroup faces (i.e., the own-race bias; Study 3) and willingness to interact with outgroup members (Study 4). The implication of these findings for general theorizing on face perception, individuation processes, and intergroup relations are discussed.
It is expected that the rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems can realize net-zero energy solar buildings (nZESBs), but it is not enough by itself. To realize 100% of nZESBs, the smart photovoltaic system blind (SPSB) was proposed to generate electricity in the PV system and to reduce indoor cooling demands through the shading effect in the blind system. Before its implementation, this study aims to investigate the impact of the proposed SPSB on nZESBs, which is conducted in three ways (i.e., technical, economic, and political analyses). The detailed results can be summarized as follows: (i) technical analysis: when applying the SPSBCIGS&2-axis (which represents the SPSB with the copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) PV panel and the two-axis tracking system), its energy self-sufficiency rate was determined to be 1.25-2.31 times superior to other alternatives; (ii) economic analysis: in terms of the NPV25 (net present value at year 25), SPSBCIGS&2-axis was determined to be 1.41-2.97 times superior to others; in terms of the SIR25 (savings-to-investment ratio at year 25), 1.14-1.26 times; and in terms of the break-even point, 1.4-3.0 years; and (iii) political analysis: the grid-connected utilization plan including solar renewable energy certificates (GC(incl.SREC) plan) was determined to improve the economic profitability of the proposed SPSB. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Scalable Liquid Metal cooled small Modular (SLIMM) reactor design concept has recently been developed at the University of New Mexico's Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies. It generates 10100 MWth for 66 and 5.9 full power years, respectively, without refueling. Natural circulation of in vessel liquid sodium cools the reactor core during nominal steady-state operation and after shutdown, with the aid of an in-vessel chimney (2-8 m tall) and an annular Na/Na heat exchanger (HEX) of concentric helically coiled tubes. A natural circulation thermal-hydraulics model of the SLIMM reactor is developed to investigate the effects of thermal power, in-vessel chimney height, and HEX design on the circulation rate and core exit temperature of in-vessel liquid sodium and the pressure losses during steady-state operation. The HEX design parameters investigated are the number, pitch and tube diameter of the helical coils, and the temperature pinch between the in-vessel sodium flow in the downcomer and the secondary sodium flow through the HEX coils. Increasing the reactor thermal power or the in-vessel chimney height increases the flow rate of the in-vessel liquid sodium by natural circulation, but decreases its exit temperature from the reactor core. Conversely, increasing the number or the tube diameter of the HEX helical coils decreases the flow rate of in-vessel liquid and increases its exit temperature from the reactor core, and decreases the HEX total height. Depending on the steady-state reactor thermal power and HEX design, the in-vessel sodium flow through the reactor core contributes similar to 64-69% of the total pressure losses, while the sodium flow in the HEX contributes similar to 32-29%, respectively (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rationale: In Senegal, the prevalence of childhood asthma and utilization of appropriate asthma therapies is unknown. Methodology: We used the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) survey instrument to assess childhood respiratory health in rural Senegal. We interviewed the caregivers of children aged 5 through 8 years of age in the four largest Niakhar villages in August 2012. Results: We interviewed 1,103 primary caregivers for 1,513 children, representing 91% of all age-eligible children in the study area. Overall, 206 (14%) children had wheeze at any time in the past, 130 (9%) had wheeze within the past year, and only 41 (3%) reported a clinical diagnosis of asthma. Among children with wheeze within the past year, 81 (62%) had symptoms of severe asthma. Nocturnal cough was reported in 186 (14%) children who denied any history of wheezing illness. Only four (3%) children with wheeze in the past year had ever received bronchodilator therapy. Children with wheeze in the past year were significantly more likely to seek medical care for respiratory symptoms and to be perceived as less healthy than their peers. Children of lower socioeconomic status were significantly more likely to have wheeze. Conclusions: Nearly one in ten children in Niakhar, Senegal had symptoms suggestive of asthma; however, few children have a diagnosis of asthma or use appropriate therapies. This study highlights an opportunity to raise community awareness of asthma in rural Senegal and to increase access to appropriate medical therapies.. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High therapeutic dosage requirements and the desire for ease of administration drive the trend to subcutaneous administration using delivery systems such as subcutaneous pumps and prefilled syringes. Because of dosage volume limits, prefilled syringe administration requires higher concentration liquid formulations, limited to about 30 cP or roughly 100-300 g L-1 for mAb's. Ultrafiltration (UF) processes are routinely used to formulate biological therapeutics. This article considers pressure constraints on the UF process that may limit its ability to achieve high final product concentrations. A system hardware analysis shows that the ultrafiltration cassette pressure drop is the major factor limiting UF systems. Additional system design recommendations are also provided. The design and performance of a new cassette with a lower feed channel flow resistance is described along with 3D modeling of feed channel pressure drop. The implications of variations in cassette flow channel resistance for scaling up and setting specifications are considered. A recommendation for a maximum pressure specification is provided. A review of viscosity data and theory shows that molecular engineering, temperature, and the use of viscosity modifying excipients including pH adjustment can be used to achieve higher concentrations. The combined use of a low pressure drop cassette with excipients further increased final concentrations by 35%. Guidance is provided on system operation to control hydraulics during final concentration. These recommendations should allow one to design and operate systems to routinely achieve the 30 cP target final viscosity capable of delivery using a pre-filled syringe. (c) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:113-124, 2017
Over past two decades there has been significant improvement in medical field in elucidating the underlying pathophysiology and genetics of Addison's disease. Adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) is a rare disease with an incidence of 0.8/100,000 cases. The diagnosis may be delayed if the clinical presentation mimics a gastrointestinal disorder or psychiatric illness. We report a case of Addison's disease presenting as acute pain in abdomen mimicking clinical presentation of acute pancreatitis.
This paper deals with semantic composition of ubiquitous computing (Ubicomp) services in multi-domain heterogeneous environments. A new semantic framework enabling the specification of multidomain composite services and proving their correctness is proposed. The proposed framework reduces the gap between safety critical systems including ubiquitous services and best effort engineering practices. It consists of an extensible Semantic Conceptual Model (SCM) for Ambient Intelligence systems and a composition formal system based on the Basic Constructive Description Logics BCDL0. The soundness property proof of the proposed formal system, as well as, the services composition correctness proofs are demonstrated along with the interactive theorem prover Isabelle/HOL.
Many researches emphasized the importance of quality control in manufacturing engineering. But there are little researches in the civil engineering field. This paper pointed out that it is possible to apply process control method in construction quality monitoring based on information theory. It is possible to build a supervision model to restrain the opportunism of agents. This paper shed light on the possible application framework of process quality control in civil engineering.
The present article is focused on a 2D computational fluid mechanics study of local viscous flow dynamics and the formation character of rotary modes of deformation during Equal Channel Multiple Angular Extrusion (ECMAE) of a polymer workpiece fluid model through a U-shaped die with parallel slants in channel intersection zones. The present local flow problem was experimentally analyzed using physical simulation methods and theoretically studied with numerical fluid mechanics techniques. The computational approach has been grounded on the numerical finite difference solution of the boundary value problem for the Navier-Stokes equations in the curl transfer form for the local viscous flow of incompressible Newtonian fluid through a U-shaped rectangular die with parallel slants. The derived research results allow us to draw a conclusion that the implementation of a geometric design of parallel slants within a 2-turn U-shaped die results in localization of the maximum tangential stresses within the workpiece volume to the vicinity of these parallel slants during ECMAE.
Modern operating systems use hardware support to protect against control-flow hijacking attacks such as code-injection attacks. Typically, write access to executable pages is prevented and kernel mode execution is restricted to kernel code pages only. However, current CPUs provide no protection against code-reuse attacks like ROP. ASLR is used to prevent these attacks by making all addresses unpredictable for an attacker. Hence, the kernel security relies fundamentally on preventing access to address information. We introduce Prefetch Side-Channel Attacks, a new class of generic attacks exploiting major weaknesses in prefetch instructions. This allows unprivileged attackers to obtain address information and thus compromise the entire system by defeating SMAP, SMEP, and kernel ASLR. Prefetch can fetch inaccessible privileged memory into various caches on Intel x86. It also leaks the translation-level for virtual addresses on both Intel x86 and ARMv8-A. We build three attacks exploiting these properties. Our first attack retrieves an exact image of the full paging hierarchy of a process, defeating both user space and kernel space ASLR. Our second attack resolves virtual to physical addresses to bypass SMAP on 64-bit Linux systems, enabling ret2dir attacks. We demonstrate this from unprivileged user programs on Linux and inside Amazon EC2 virtual machines. Finally, we demonstrate how to defeat kernel ASLR on Windows 10, enabling ROP attacks on kernel and driver binary code. We propose a new form of strong kernel isolation to protect commodity systems incuring an overhead of only 0. 06-5.09%.
Hydraulic retarders are auxiliary braking devices that reduce the velocity of a vehicle, particularly when a vehicle is driven downhill. Such velocity reduction could reduce the potential risk caused by brake failure caused by the service brake working for a long time and the temperature of the brake shoe becomes extremely high. This paper introduces the construction of the hydraulic retarder and proposes two mathematical models for the hydraulic retarder. The first mathematical model is deduced by using fluid mechanics, which is used to analyze the mechanism of how braking torque is produced and the key factors that can influence the value of the braking torque. The second mathematical model is deduced by using thermodynamics, which is used to quantify the heat produced by the hydraulic retarder. This research emphasizes that the flow rate and the average velocity of the working fluid in the working chamber mainly determine the braking torque of the hydraulic retarder. The flow rate into and out of the working chamber determines the temperature rise of the working fluid. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are conducted with the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulent models. Experiments are carried out to justify the two mathematical models and the CFD simulations. The results show that the mathematical models are capable of describing the force analysis and energy conversion of the hydraulic retarder and SST is more accurate for CFD simulation and the error is within 6 %.
Wetlands are important ecosystems as they are known as the kidney of the earth. Particularly, urban wetlands play an important role in providing both natural and social beneficial services. However, urban wetlands are suffering from various human impacts, such as excessive land use conversion, air and water pollution, especially those in developing countries undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization. Therefore, it is of great necessity to derive timely biomass information for optimal design, management and protection of urban wetlands. In this paper, we develop a set of models for estimating above ground biomass (AGB) in Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou, China by using optical images and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. A series of vegetation indices (VIs) derived from optical data is introduced along with spectral data. The modeling methods consist of (1) curve estimation; (2) linear regression for multivariable model; (3) Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) modeling. Curve estimation is a combination of linear and nonlinear regressions. It is applied to generate AGB models from a single variable including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and radar backscatter coefficient. The models are then compared via three accuracy metrics. According to the results, SAR models generally show better accuracy than optical models and BPNN models show the greatest accuracy among all the models. The BPNN model from the combination of Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and European Remote-Sensing Satellite-2 (ERS-2) SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) image has the least root mean square (RMSE, 0.396 kg/m(2)), least mean absolute error (MAE, 0.256 kg/m(2)) and the greatest correlation coefficient (0.974). The results indicate that AGB can be estimated by integrating optical and SAR imagery. Four maps of AGB are derived to illustrate the distribution of AGB in the study area. The total AGB in the study area is estimated to be between 165,000 and 210,000 kg/m(2).
Interpersonal space is a nonverbal indicator of affiliation and closeness. In this study we investigated the effects of oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide known for its social role in humans, on interpersonal space. In a double blind placebo controlled study we measured the effect of intranasal OT on the personal distance preferences of different familiar (friend) and unfamiliar (stranger) protagonists. Behavioral results showed that participants preferred to be closer to,a friend than to a stranger. Intranasal OT was associated with an overall distancing effect, but this effect was significant for the stranger and not for the friend. The imaging results showed interactions between treatment (OT, placebo) and protagonist (friend, stranger) in regions that mediate social behavior including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), a region associated with the mentalizing system. Specifically, OT increased activity in the dmPFC when a friend approached the participants but not when a stranger approached. The results indicate that the effect of OT on interpersonal space greatly depends on the participant's relationship with the protagonist. This supports the social salience theory, according to which OT increases the salience of social cues depending on the context. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The quantification of drug metabolites produced during drug metabolism is a growing concern for the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and others. As 70% of drugs are known reactive metabolites and have black box warnings, they are a major cause of drug-induced injury and lead to drug attrition in early or late clinical stages. According to a 2006 survey report of pharmaceutical companies, drug-induced liver injury was ranked first in terms of adverse events, and it remains the most common reason for restriction or withdrawal of a drug from the market by the Food and Drug Administration. Although there are many reasons underlying drug-induced liver injury, one of the most important is liver failure induced by drug metabolites. Generally, a drug produces metabolites that may bind to cellular molecules and trigger a toxicological effect, cause serious adverse drug reactions, or alter cellular functions. Experimental cellular models that attempt to qualify drug metabolites from cell cultures rely on human plasma and urine obtained from clinical trials and supernatant during early in vitro experiments. However, there is a lack of information about the quantification of drug metabolites inside human hepatocytes, where the drug is extensively metabolized. To overcome this limitation, we used the highly accepted, gold standard organotypic cellular model of primary human hepatocytes to investigate and quantify the parent drug, as well as drug metabolites inside human hepatocytes and outside human hepatocytes to evaluate the quantity of drug metabolites, which are assumed to have remained inside the primary human hepatocytes. We refer to this as a two-compartment model, where one compartment is supernatant compared with in vivo hepatic blood circulation, and the other is inside the hepatocyte cell compared with the inside of in vivo human liver. We detected the nanoconcentrations of all major metabolites (desmethyldiazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam) of the diazepam drug, both inside the cells (matrix) and outside the hepatocyte cells (supernatant) at different time points (primary human hepatocytes: 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours; primary porcine hepatocytes: 0, 1, 2, 5, and 24 hours) during biotransformation in an organotypic sandwich cellular model. Although it is difficult to detect tissue distribution of metabolites in humans, we strongly recommend testing in a two-compartment model of primary human hepatocytes, as nonhuman models may not reflect human metabolism. Preclinical drug screening assessment tests that use this two-compartment strategy may facilitate safer registration of new drug candidates.
Nanoscale biosensors, owing to their high-sensitivity and extremely low limits-of-detection, have enabled the realization of highly complex and sophisticated miniaturized platforms for several important healthcare applications, the most predominant one being disease diagnosis. In particular, nanomaterial facilitated electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization has had an exceptional impact on fields such as genetics and cancerous mutation detection Here we report an ultrasensitive electrochemical platform using electrospun semi-conducting Manganese (III) Oxide (Mn2O3) nanofibers for DNA Hybridization detection. The proposed platform coalesces the inherent advantages of metal-oxide nanofibers and electrochemical transduction techniques, resulting in label-free zeptomolar detection of DNA hybridization. As proof of concept, we demonstrate zeptomolar detection of Dengue consensus primer (limit of detection: 120x10(-21) M) both in control as well as spiked serum samples. Our reported detection limit is superior in comparison with previously reported electrochemical DNA hybridization sensors for Dengue virus detection, spanning both labeled and label-free transductions. This ultra-sensitivity, we believe, is a result of synthesizing a low bandgap electrospun metal-oxide nanomaterial corresponding to a specific oxidation state of Manganese. This methodology can be extended for detection of any hybridization of interest by simply adapting an appropriate functionalization protocol and thus is very generic in nature.
Nowadays, water and energy consumption is intensifying every year in most of the countries. This perpetual increase will not be supportable in the long run, making urgently to manage these resources on a sustainable way. Domestic consumptions of water and electric energy usually are related and it's important to study that relation, identifying opportunities for use efficient improvement. In fact, without an understanding of water-energy relations, there are water efficiency measures that may lead to unintentional costs in the energy efficiency field. In order to take full advantage of combined effect between water and energy water management methodologies, it is necessary to collect data to ensure that the efforts are directed through the most effective paths. This paper presents a study based in the characterization, measurement and analysis of water and electricity consumption in a single family house (2 months period) in order to find an interdependent relationship between consumptions at the end user level. The study was carried out on about 200 baths, divided in four different scenarios where the influence of two variables was tested: the flow reducer valve and the bath temperature. Data showed that the presence of flow reducer valve decreased electric energy consumption and water consumption, but increased the bath duration. Setting a lower temperature in water-heater, decreased electric consumption, water consumption and bath duration. Analysing the influence of the flow reducer valve and 60 degrees C temperature simultaneously, it was concluded that it had a significant influence on electric energy consumption and on the baths duration but had no influence on water consumption. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
Schizophrenia patients have impaired performance and abnormal brain activation during facial emotion recognition, which may represent a marker of genetic liability to schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear whether the impairment is specific to recognizing emotion from faces or is instead attributable to more generalized dysfunction. The current study aimed to distinguish between specific and generalized neural dysfunction underlying impaired facial emotion recognition in schizophrenia and examine associations with genetic liability. Twenty-eight schizophrenia patients, 27 nonpsychotic first-degree relatives, and 27 community controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while making judgments about either the emotion or age of emotional faces. Patients had performance deficits during the emotion and age discrimination conditions compared to relatives and controls, while relatives had intact performance. Patients had hypoactivation compared to controls across conditions, mainly in medial prefrontal cortex. Unlike controls, patients demonstrated a failure to recruit the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, a region involved in social cognition and decision-making, and relatives had a pattern of recruitment intermediate between patients and controls. Compared to controls, relatives had greater deactivation of regions associated with the default mode network, and patients had similar findings during age discrimination. The common patterns of performance deficits and activation abnormalities during emotion and age discrimination in schizophrenia suggest that generalized cognitive impairment, notably in social cognition and decision-making, contributes to impaired facial emotion recognition. Similar functional activation patterns in relatives, despite intact performance, suggest that brain activation may represent a more sensitive marker of genetic liability than behaviour. Hyperdeactivation of default mode network regions in relatives may represent cognitive inefficiency, or compensatory mechanisms that help maintain intact performance.
Tumor ablation by thermal, chemical and radiological sources has received substantial attention for the treatment of many localized malignancies. The primary goal of most ablation procedures is to eradicate all viable malignant cells within a designated target volume through the application of energy or chemicals. Methods such as radiotherapy, chemical and biological ablation, photodynamic therapy, cryoablation, high-temperature ablation (radiofrequency, microwave, laser, and ultrasound), and electric-based ablation have been developed for focal malignancies. In recent years a large volume of data emerged on the effect of in situ tumor destruction (ablation) on inflammatory and immune components resulting in systemic anti-tumor reactions. It is evident that in situ tumor ablation can involve tumor antigen release, cross presentation and the release of DAMPS and make the tumor its own cellular vaccine. Tumor tissue destruction by in situ ablation may stimulate antigen-specific cellular immunity engendered by an inflammatory milieu. Dendritic cells (DCs) attracted to this microenvironment, will undergo maturation after internalizing cellular debris containing tumor antigens and will be exposed to damage associated molecular pattern (DAMP). Mature DCs can mediate antigen-specific cellular immunity via presentation of processed antigens to T cells. The immunomodulatory properties, exhibited by in situ ablation could portend a future collaboration with immunotherapeutic measures. In this review are summarized and discuss the preclinical and clinical studies pertinent to the phenomena of stimulation of specific anti-tumor immunity by various ablation modalities and the immunology related measures used to boost this response.
The so called three-step test, that the limitations and exceptions of copyright shall be allowed in certain special cases, provided that they do not conflict with a normal exploitation of the work and do not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the author, grants copyright flexibilities to balance the interests of all stakeholders, especially within the European system of circumscribed limitations and exceptions. This is essential for the domain of computer law, confronted by rapid and unpredictable global technological developments, and is, thus, enshrined in the most important international intellectual property(IP) treaties. Through the proposed third amendment to the Copyright Law of the PRC, the legislature intends to adopt this test while also introducing an open-ended list of limitations and exceptions that constitutes a China-specific two-step test. This contravenes prima facie the thesis endorsed by the WTO Panel in the case concerning Section 110(5) of the US Copyright Act in 2000. In contrast, court decisions in China frequently apply the fair use doctrine of US copyright law, neglecting to consider its peculiar context of the US common law tradition and, thus, unduly expanding the Chinese courts' discretionary power. This paper summarizes the case law in China and.takes a comparative approach to address the divergence between the judicial application of cyber copyright law and the existing legislation. It suggests revising the proposed Article 43 of the Copyright Law of the PRC to capture the due interpretation of the three-step test, thereby finessing the delineation between rights protection and free use with the compensation of remuneration under the principle of proportionality. It argues that transplanting the US fair use doctrine into Chinese copyright law is feasible, but with the preconditions of endeavouring to strengthen judicial reform to integrate the IP adjudication systems, enhancing the coherence and efficiency of copyright enforcement, and facilitating consistent dialogues between scholars, practitioners, and lawmakers. (C) 2016 Chenguo Zhang.
Electrode performances of IrO2-Ta2O5/Ti and PbO2/Ti anodes were investigated by electrochemical measurements and phenol oxidation. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) conducted in phenol solution indicate the oxidation ability of PbO2/Ti anode is higher than that of IrO2-Ta2O5/Ti electrode because it can reduce oxygen evolution and thus increase effective current. A novel parameter, gamma, associated with anode materials was proposed to quantitatively describe the effective current applied to main reactions and its value could be achieved through EIS fitted data of the components in equivalent electrical circuits (EEC). The suitability of the used EEC was checked by consistency of the exchange current density between Tafel plots and EIS data. With involvement of the novel parameter (gamma) into organics oxidation, a universal kinetics was thereafter presented to predict variations of chemical oxygen demand, average current efficiency and power consumption. The results of regression analysis and F-test show higher agreement between the experimental and model estimation during phenol oxidation, verifying necessity of the parameter gamma in characterizing effective current for anodic reactions and rationality of the kinetics in describing organics oxidation by different electrodes. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cortical functioning within the default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) is altered in chronic pain patients. The mechanisms underlying these alterations are unknown, but a novel unexamined source is cross-network communication. Aberrant functional connectivity (FC) between the DMN and SN, whose activity is normally anticorrelated, reflects disease severity in many brain disorders. Further, stronger FC between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and anterior insula has been reported in chronic pain, pointing to abnormal DMN-SN interactions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that cross-network FC between the DMN and SN is abnormal in chronic pain, and is related to pain and associated symptoms. We used resting state fMRI to examine FC within and between the DMN and SN in 20 patients with chronic pain due to ankylosing spondylitis and 20 healthy controls. A whole-network analysis revealed that compared to healthy controls, patients exhibited less anticorrelated FC between the SN and DMN, and the degree of cross-network abnormality tracked pain and disease-related symptoms. This suggests that cross-network FC is a metric of functional brain abnormality in chronic pain. In a complementary seed-based analysis, the PCC was strongly connected with the SN and weakly connected with the DMN in chronic pain compared to healthy controls, suggesting that the PCC acts as a hub for altered network interaction. Sensorimotor cortex cross-network FC correlated with measures of physical function, suggesting that physical functioning also impacts brain network interaction in chronic pain. Our study implicates altered communication between brain networks as a key factor underlying chronic pain.
The area around Ragusa in Sicily is well known for the exploration of petroleum deposits hosted in Mesozoic carbonate rocks. These reservoirs are overlain by less permeable rocks, whereas the surface geology is characterized by outcrops of Oligo-Miocene carbonate units hosting important aquifers. Some of the karst springs of the area are used as drinking water supplies, and therefore these vulnerable aquifers should be monitored and protected adequately. In the early afternoon (14:00) of 27 May until the late evening (19:30) of 28 May 2011, during the construction of an exploitation borehole (Tresauro 2), more than 1000 m(3) of drilling fluids were lost in an unknown karst void. Two days later, from 06:30 on 30 May, water flowing from Paradiso Spring, lying some 13.7 km SW of the borehole and 378 m lower, normally used as a domestic water supply, was so intensely coloured that it was unfit for drinking. Bulk chemical analyses carried out on the water have shown a composition that is very similar to that of the drilling fluids lost at the Tresauro borehole, confirming a hydrological connection. Estimations indicate that the first signs of the drilling fluids took about 59 h to flow from their injection point to the spring, corresponding to a mean velocity of similar to 230 m/h. That Paradiso Spring is recharged by a well developed underground drainage system is also confirmed by the marked flow rate changes measured at the spring, ranging from a base flow of around 10-15 1/s to flood peaks of 2-3 m(3)/s. Reflecting the source and nature of the initial contamination, the pollution lasted for just a few days, and the water returned to acceptable drinking-water standards relatively quickly. However, pollution related to heavy-mineral fines continues to be registered during flooding of the spring, when the aqueducts are normally shut down because of the high turbidity values. This pollution event offers an instructive example of how hydrocarbon exploitation in intensely karstified areas, where natural springs provide domestic water supplies, should be controlled effectively to prevent such disasters occurring. This pollution incident is also a useful example of how such accidental tracer tests can identify rapid karstic flow paths over long distances. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Groundwater plays an important role for socioeconomic development of Comoro watershed in Timor Leste. Despite the significance of groundwater for sustainable development, it has not always been properly managed in the watershed. Therefore, this study seeks to identify groundwater potential zones in the Comoro watershed, using geographical information systems and remote sensing and analytic hierarchy process technique. The groundwater potential zones thus obtained were divided into five classes and validated with the recorded bore well yield data. It was found that the alluvial plain in the northwest along the Comoro River has very high groundwater potential zone which covers about 5.4 % (13.5 km(2)) area of the watershed. The high groundwater potential zone was found in the eastern part and along the foothills and covers about 4.8 % (12 km(2)) of the area; moderate zone covers about 2.0 % (5 km(2)) of the area and found in the higher elevation of the alluvial plain. The poor and very poor groundwater potential zone covers about 87.8 % (219.5 km(2)) of the watershed. The hilly terrain located in the southern and central parts of the study area has a poor groundwater potential zone due to higher degree of slope and low permeability of conglomerate soil type. The demarcation of groundwater potential zones in the Comoro watershed will be helpful for future planning, development and management of the groundwater resources.
This article analyses perceived in-group discrimination of 29,189 first and second generation immigrant respondents from 201 different countries of origin currently living in one of 27 EU countries. In addition to testing effects of individual factors, the article estimates the effects of macro-characteristics of both origin and destination countries and community variables. The migration history of these groups is relevant for perceived discrimination: immigrants with citizenship, who speak the majority language at home and have at least one native parent perceive less in-group discrimination, whereas religious respondents, especially from religions that differ more in comparison to the majority, perceive more in-group discrimination. Furthermore, macrocharacteristics of the country of origin are most important in explaining differences between European countries. Immigrants from socio-economically more developed countries with higher living standards-and for that reason more comparable to the native population-are less likely to perceive in-group discrimination.
Background: Computed tomography (CT) examinations of the lumbar spine are commonly performed in patients aged <= 40 years due to low back pain (LBP). Purpose: To investigate the prevalence and awareness of radiologists for the presence of structural post-inflammatory/other sacroiliac joint (SIJ) alterations on lumbar spine CTs of young patients with LBP. Material and Methods: A total of 484 lumbar spine CTexaminations (272 men, 212 women; average age, 31 years; age range, 18-40 years) of patients with LBP in which the entire SIJs were visualized were retrospectively reviewed. SIJs were scored (consensus) by two senior radiologists (study reading) for the presence of post-inflammatory structural SIJ findings or other SIJs alterations. The original reports were compared to the study reading. Fifty CT examinations were re-evaluated for reliability assessment (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC]). Results: A total of 150 (31%) abnormal SIJ examinations were registered (ICC: r = 0.7-0.8; P < 0.0001): suspected sacroiliitis = 50 (10.2%); definite sacroiliitis = 16 (3.3%); osteitis-condensans-ilii = 38 (7.8%); diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis = 24 (5%); degenerative changes = 22 (4.5%); accessory SIJ = 22 (4.5%); and tumor = 1. The SIJs were referenced 39 times (8.0%) in the original readings: pathological findings (n = 15); and normal SIJ (n = 24). Total diagnostic accuracy for these reports only and for the entire readings were 49% and 69%, respectively, and 13% and 1.3%, respectively, for the pathological findings. Conclusion: Sacroiliitis and other SIJ alterations are prevalent in young individuals with LBP, albeit, the majority of these alterations are not recognized nor reported by senior radiologists thus may delay efficacious treatment.
Sea surface temperature (SST) plays a fundamental role in the exchange of heat, momentum, and water vapor between atmosphere and ocean. Therefore, measurement of SST has been done from ships, buoys, offshore platforms, and satellites. During past decades satellites are being increasingly used, because datasets over wide areas can be obtained. In this paper, moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board Terra and Aqua SST products were examined and validated for coastal waters in the Yellow Sea by using the in situ buoy data. A strict match-up method was adopted in view of the complexity and variability of coastal area, resulting in 154 and 164 match-ups for Terra and Aqua, respectively. The MODIS SST agreed well with in situ buoy SST, with squared correlation coefficients R-2 of 0.989 for Terra, and 0.987 for Aqua. Relative to in situ SSTs, the satellite-derived SSTs had a bias of 0.23 degrees C and 0.06 degrees C, a standard deviation of 0.79 degrees C and 0.85 degrees C, and a root mean square error of 0.83 degrees C and 0.85 degrees C, for Terra and Aqua. The differences between MODIS and in situ SST exhibited apparent seasonal variations. The accuracy of MODIS SST products for spring and summer were lower than those for autumn andwinter, which could be caused by frequent sea fog along the southern coast of Shandong Peninsula. The SST bias approximately depended on wind velocity; low wind velocity could enhance the diurnal SST amplitude and the bulk-skin temperature difference. However, there is no significant dependence of the bias on air-sea temperature difference or surface flow velocity.
In this research, an infiltration trench equipped with an extensive pretreatment and filter bed consisting of woodchip, sand and gravel was utilized as a low impact development technique to manage stormwater runoff from a highly impervious road with particular emphasis on heavy metal removal. Findings revealed that the major factors influencing the removal of heavy metals were the concentration of the particulate matters and heavy metals in runoff, runoff volume and flow rates. The reduction of heavy metals was enhanced by sedimentation of particulates through pretreatment. Fine particles (<2 mm) had the most significant amount of heavy metals, thus, enhanced adsorption and filtration using various filter media were important design considerations. Sediment was most highly attached on the surface area of woodchip than to other filter media like sand, gravel and geotextile. It is suggested that maintenance must be performed after the end of the winter season wherein high sediment rate was observed to maintain the efficiency of the treatment system.
There are many types of dependencies between software requirements, such as the contributions dependencies (Make, Some+, Help, Break, Some-, Hurt) and business dependencies modeled in the i* framework. However, current approaches for prioritizing requirements seldom take these dependencies into consideration, because it is difficult for stakeholders to prioritize requirements considering their preferences as well as the dependencies between requirements. To make requirement prioritization more practical, a method called DRank is proposed. DRank has the following advantages: 1) a prioritization evaluation attributes tree is constructed to make the ranking criteria selection easier and more operable; 2) RankBoost is employed to calculate the subjective requirements prioritization according to stakeholder preferences, which reduces the difficulty of evaluating the prioritization; 3) an algorithm based on the weighted PageRank is proposed to analyze the dependencies between requirements, allowing the objective dependencies to be automatically transformed into partial order relations; and 4) an integrated requirements prioritization method is developed to amend the stakeholders' subjective preferences with the objective requirements dependencies and make the process of prioritization more reasonable and applicable. A controlled experiment performed to validate the effectiveness of DRank based on comparisons with Case Based Ranking, Analytical Hierarchy Process, and EVOLVE. The results demonstrate that DRank is less time-consuming and more effective than alternative approaches. A simulation experiment demonstrates that taking requirement dependencies into consideration can improve the accuracy of the final prioritization sequence. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Agricultural water scarcity is a major limiting factor for crop production in dry land regions of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite notable efforts of developing macro-catchment rainwater harvesting (RWH) techniques, few studies have evaluated the performance of RWH for deficit supplemental irrigation of crops. We examine the agro-meteorological risks such as late onset, early cessation, overall low rainfall amounts and long dry spells during the growing season and evaluate the potential of macro-catchment RWH for supplemental irrigation of onion in the southern dry lands of Ethiopia. Field experiments were undertaken during 2012 and 2013 to evaluate the effects of 50% ETc, 75% ETc and 100% ETc irrigation levels on yield and water productivity of onion during dry and wet seasons. The harvestable yield and water productivity of onion under 75% ETc irrigation were not significantly lower than that under 100% ETc irrigation during both the dry and wet seasons. Thus, deficit supplemental irrigation of onion at 75% ETc can be implemented with macro-catchment RWH to reduce the risks of crop failure and significant yield declines in dryland areas. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this work, a novel four-terminal perovskite/SiC-based rear contact silicon tandem solar cell device has been proposed and simulated to achieve 27.6% power conversion efficiency (PCE) under single AM1.5 illumination. 20.9% efficient semitransparent perovskite top subcell has been used for perovskite/silicon tandem architecture. The tandem structure of perovskite-silicon solar cells is a promising method to achieve efficient solar energy conversion at low cost. In the four-terminal tandem configuration, the cells are connected independently and hence avoids the need for current matching between top and bottom subcell, thus giving greater design flexibility. The simulation analysis shows, PCE of 27.6% and 22.4% with 300 mu m and 10 pm thick rear contact Si bottom subcell, respectively. This is a substantial improvement comparing to transparent perovskite solar cell and c-Si solar cell operated individually. The impact of perovskite layer thickness, monomolecular, bimolecular, and trimolecular recombination have also been obtained on the performance of perovskite top subcell. Reported PCEs of 27.6% and 22.4% are 1.25 times and 1.42 times higher as compared to experimentally available efficiencies of 22.1% and 15.7% in 300 gm and 10 mu m thick stand-alone silicon solar cell devices, respectively. The presence of SiC significantly suppressed the interface recombination in bottom silicon subcell. Detailed realistic technology computer aided design (TCAD) analysis has been performed to predict the behaviour of the device. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) with a substance use disorder (SUD) tend to receive inadequate medical care in part because of a siloed healthcare system in which HIV and substance use services are delivered separately. Ideal treatment requires an interdisciplinary, team-based coordinated care approach, but many structural and systemic barriers impede the integration of HIV and SUD services. The current protocol describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a care coordination intervention (CCI), consisting of a tablet-based mobile platform for HIV and SUD treatment providers, an interagency communication protocol, and a training protocol. We hypothesize that HIV and SUD treatment providers will find the CCI to be acceptable, and that after receipt of the CCI, providers will: exhibit higher retention in dual care among patients, report increased frequency and quality of communication, and report increased rates of relational coordination. Methods/design: A three phase approach is used to refine and evaluate the CCI. Phase 1 consists of in-depth qualitative interviews with 8 key stakeholders as well as clinical audits of participating HIV and SUD treatment agencies. Phase 2 contains functionality testing of the mobile platform with frontline HIV and SUD treatment providers, followed by refinement of the CCI. Phase 3 consists of a pre-, post-test trial with 30 SUD and 30 HIV treatment providers. Data will be collected at the provider, organization, and patient levels. Providers will complete assessments at baseline, immediately post-training, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-months post-training. Organizational data will be collected at baseline, 1-, 3-, and 6-months post training, while patient data will be collected at baseline and 6-months post training. Discussion: This study will develop and evaluate a CCI consisting of a tablet-based mobile platform for treatment providers, an interagency communication protocol, and a training protocol as a means of improving the integration of care for PLWH who have a SUD. Results have the potential to advance the field by bridging gaps in a fragmented healthcare system, and improving treatment efficiency, work flow, and communication among interdisciplinary providers from different treatment settings.
Geosynthetics reinforced soil (GRS) walls constructed on weak grounds may change in both the horizontal earth pressure and deformation on wall facing. However, only few studies were done in the literature to measure and analyze the horizontal external deformation behavior of GRS walls constructed on soft grounds for a long period of time. The present study describes the external deformation behavior of GRS walls observed for 12-year long-term performance. The horizontal deformation of the geosynthetics-wrapped-facing GRS walls shows a passive behavior along one third of the wall height, from top going downwards, and active behavior for the rest of the wall height. Even if the geogrid and nonwoven geotextiles are exposed directly to sunlight and rainfalls in a span of 12 years, they have functioned well as wall facing. Therefore, the geosynthetic reinforcement material is strong enough to resist ultraviolet rays.
Although things in the Internet of Things contain considerable amounts of software, developers of such software have no standardized means of maintaining, improving and sharing this software as they can do, e.g., with applications on a smart phone. This limitation can hamper user-driven innovation. In this paper we evaluate the usefulness of the app store metaphor as a means of sharing and deploying Internet of Things software among makers. We did a set of interviews and a questionnaire-based survey with a sample of makers in various maker communities. We used this data to extract requirements for an application store, using the common app store metaphor as a starting point. The app store concept was developed as a proof of concept implementation, and evaluated through feasibility evaluation and focus group evaluation methods. Our findings show that although the app store metaphor is familiar and easy to grasp, there are some fundamental challenges when adapting the metaphor: (1) The difficulty of supporting the diversity in the software and hardware vendor market, (2) The tension between context awareness and the need for pre-configuration and pre-packaging, and (3) usability challenges related to the number of devices and apps.
To empower safe, economical and eco-friendly sustainable solution for enhancing oil and gas productivity from deep water reservoirs, new downhole technologies are recommended. Since electric machine plays leading role in the downhole application, it is a squeezing requirement for researchers to design and develop advanced electric machine. The Recent improvement in technology and uses of high-temperature magnets, permanent magnet flux switching machine (PMFSM) has become one of the appropriate contenders for offshore drilling but fewer designed for downhole due to ambient temperature. Therefore this comprehensive study deals with the design optimization and performance analysis of outer rotor PMFSM for the downhole application. Preliminary, the basic design parameters needed for machine design are calculated mathematically. Then the design refinement technique is implemented through deterministic method. Finally, initial and optimized performance of the machine is compared and as a result the output torque is increase from 16.39 Nm to 33.57 Nm while diminishing the cogging torque and PM weight up to 1.77 Nm and 0.79 kg, respectively. Therefore, it is concluded that purposed optimized design is suitable for the downhole application.
A fuzzy just-in-time (JIT) ubiquitous service networked system is established in this study. This system is an innovative application of mobile commerce, ubiquitous computing, and ambient intelligence. The intended user is a traveler who must decide on the best service location along the planned route; the system arranges the service when the user demands it, so that when the user arrives at the service location the required service is ready. This system applies the just-in-time concept to mobile commerce, ubiquitous computing, and ambient intelligence. This innovation has great potential for providing better services in these fields. The issue of how to determine the JIT service location and path in a ubiquitous service network is critical; however, because data about the user's position is inaccurate, the task is difficult. To tackle this difficulty, a FINLP model is formulated, and a fuzzy version of Dijkstra's algorithm is proposed. A test system has been established to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed methodology. Based on the experimental results, the proposed JIT ubiquitous service networked system was able to reduce the user's average waiting time by 74%.
The toxicity of inorganic trivalent arsenic for living organisms is reduced by in vivo methylation of the element. In man, this biotransformation leads to the synthesis of monomethylarsonic (MMA) and dimethylarsinic (DMA) acids, which are efficiently eliminated in urine along with the unchanged form (As(i)). In order to document the methylation process in humans, the kinetics of As(i), MMA and DMA elimination were studied in volunteers given a single dose of one of these three arsenicals or repeated doses of As(i). The arsenic methylation efficiency was also assessed in subjects acutely intoxicated with arsenic trioxide (AS2O3) and in patients with liver diseases. Several observations in humans can be explained by the properties of the enzymic systems involved in the methylation process which we have characterized in vitro and in vivo in rats as follows: (1) production of As(i) metabolites is catalyzed by an enzymic system whose activity is highest in liver cytosol; (2) different enzymic activities, using the same methyl group donor (S-adenosylmethionine), lead to the production of mono- and di-methylated derivatives which are excreted in urine as MMA and DMA; (3) dimethylating activity is highly sensitive to inhibition by excess of inorganic arsenic; (4) reduced glutathione concentration in liver moderates the arsenic methylation process through several mechanisms, e.g. stimulation of the first methylation reaction leading to MMA, facilitation of As(i) uptake by hepatocytes, stimulation of the biliary excretion of the element, reduction of pentavalent forms before methylation, and protection of a reducing environment in the cells necessary to maintain the activity of the enzymic systems.
Asch's seminal research on Forming Impressions of Personality'' (1946) has widely been cited as providing evidence for a primacy-of-warmth effect, suggesting that warmth-related judgments have a stronger influence on impressions of personality than competence-related judgments (e. g., Fiske, Cuddy, & Glick, 2007; Wojciszke, 2005). Because this effect does not fit with Asch's Gestalt-view on impression formation and does not readily follow from the data presented in his original paper, the goal of the present study was to critically examine and replicate the studies of Asch's paper that are most relevant to the primacy-of-warmth effect. We found no evidence for a primacyof- warmth effect. Instead, the role of warmth was highly context-dependent, and competence was at least as important in shaping impressions as warmth.
BackgroundTo consolidate the new classification model addressed to the allergic and hypersensitivity conditions according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 revision timeline, we here propose real-life application of quality assurance methodology to evaluate sensitivity and accuracy of the Anaphylaxis' subsection. MethodsWe applied field-testing methodology by analysing all the consecutive inpatients' files documented as allergies from the University Hospital of Montpellier electronic database for the period of 1 year. The files clinically validated as being anaphylaxis were manually blind-coded under ICD-10 and current ICD-11 beta draft. The correspondence of coding and the impressions regarding sensibility were evaluated. ResultsFrom all 2318 files related to allergic or hypersensitivity conditions, 673 had some of the anaphylaxis ICD-10 codes; 309 files (46%) from 209 patients had anaphylaxis and allergic or hypersensitivity comorbidities description. The correspondence between the two coders was perfect for 162 codes from all 309 entities (52.4%) (Cohen-kappa value 0.63) with the ICD-10 and for 221 codes (71.5%) (Cohen-kappa value 0.77) with the ICD-11. There was a high agreement regarding sensibility of the ICD-11 usability (Cohen-kappa value 0.75). ConclusionWe here propose the first attempt of real-life application to validate the new ICD-11 Anaphylaxis' subsection. Clearer was the improvement in accuracy reaching 71.5% of agreement when ICD-11 was used. By allowing all the relevant diagnostic terms for anaphylaxis to be included into the ICD-11 framework, WHO has recognized their importance not only to clinicians but also to epidemiologists, statisticians, healthcare planners and other stakeholders.
A closed loop geometry based optimization method is developed in this work by integrating subdivision, reanalysis and metaheuristic searching techniques. For that purpose, subdivision surfaces using triangle meshes are simultaneously applied to CAD (computer aided design) modeling and CAE (computer aided engineering) analysis. In this framework, feature objects are defined by the subdivision model, so that the subdivision models can be controlled by geometric parameters. Global optimization with metaheuristic algorithms is then performed, and an independent coefficients (IC) reanalysis method is introduced to enhance the efficiency of optimization. In order to improve the accuracy of triangular meshes, the ES-FEM (edge-based smoothed finite element method) technique is employed for analysis work. The proposed approach is successfully tested in three real engineering geometry optimization problems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this investigation was to examine discrepancies among three informants' (adolescents, mothers, and observers) reports of maternal consulting in regard to peer relationships and the relation of the discrepancies to four social adjustment variables (prosocial behavior, loneliness, positive friendship quality, and physical victimization). An ethnically diverse sample of 70 early adolescents (51 % female) and their mothers participated in this multimethod investigation. Adolescent reports of parental consulting, but not mother or observer reports, were significantly associated with adolescent reports of four psychosocial outcomes. Recognizing that comparison of equivalent regression models can inform interpretations of the data such as the monomethod associations found in this study, this article describes and discusses a strategy for analyzing data from multiple informants. The associations of adolescent reports of parental consulting with loneliness and physical victimization could be fully explained in terms of adolescent bias or other systematic variance uniquely associated with adolescent reports, but those with prosocial behavior and positive friendship quality could not. The view that discrepancies between mother and adolescent reports of parental consulting reflect poor relationship quality appeared most applicable in models of positive friendship quality, somewhat applicable in models of prosocial behavior and physical victimization, and not applicable in models of loneliness. The view that discrepancies might reflect normative and adaptive autonomy was not supported. In addition to adding to our understanding of maternal consulting in regard to peer relationships, it is also hoped that the analytic approach developed for this study will stimulate developments in research that uses multiple informants.
Introduction: Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic immune-mediated disease affecting the sacroiliac joints and the spine manifesting with new bone formation and osteopenia. Over the past decade, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) inhibitors (TNFi) have become the cornerstone for therapy in improving functional outcomes, and decreasing disease activity in patients with a marginal benefit from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) therapy. At this time, it remains to be determined whether these agents decrease new bone formation, although some studies have recently suggested that.Areas covered: In this review we discuss the factors that favour a good response to these agents both initially and during maintenance, and some of the more recent studies outlining strategies for dose reduction.Expert commentary: Finally, we discuss the importance of using more objective tools for disease activity, such as magnetic resonance imaging, as a complementary tool for clinical assessments in both predicting responses to treatment but also in selecting patients most suited for targeted therapy.
Crop water status is an important parameter for plant growth and yield performance in greenhouses. Thus, early detection of water stress is essential for efficient crop management. The dynamic response of plants to changes of their environment is called 'speaking plant' and multisensory platforms for remote sensing measurements offer the possibility to monitor in real-time the crop health status without affecting the crop and environmental conditions. Therefore, aim of this work was to use crop reflectance and temperature measurements acquired remotely for crop water status assessment. Two different irrigation treatments were imposed in tomato plants grown in slabs filed with perlite, namely tomato plants under no irrigation for a certain period; and well-watered plants. The plants were grown in a controlled growth chamber and measurements were carried out during August and September of 2014. Crop reflectance measurements were carried out by two types of sensors: (i) a multispectral camera measuring the radiation reflected in three spectral bands centred between 590-680, 690-830 and 830-1000 nm regions, and (ii) a spectroradiometer measuring the leaf reflected radiation from 350 to 2500 nm. Based on the above measurements several crop indices were calculated. The results showed that crop reflectance increased due to water deficit with the detected reflectance increase being significant about 8 h following irrigation withholding. The results of a first derivative analysis on the reflectance data showed that the spectral regions centred at 490-510, 530-560, 660-670 and 730-760 nm could be used for crop status monitoring. In addition, the results of the present study point out that sphotochemical reflectance index, modified red simple ratio index and modified ratio normalized difference vegetation index could be used as an indicator of plant water stress, since their values were correlated well with the substrate water content and the crop water stress index; the last being extensively used for crop water status assessment in greenhouses and open field. Thus, it could be concluded that reflectance and crop temperature measurements might be combined to provide alarm signals when crop water status reaches critical levels for optimal plant growth.
Better memory for positive information compared to negative and neutral information has been repeatedly associated with successful aging. The main psychological explanations for this so-called positivity effect in memory principally rely on emotional, motivational, and cognitive mechanisms that make older adults' cognition highly sensitive to positive information according to ultimate goals of well-being. However, emerging evidence also delineates a genetic profile for positivity effects in memory, which may render some older adults more prone than others to encoding and remembering positive memories. First, we present a brief overview of behavioral and neuroimaging studies about the positivity effect in aging. Subsequently, we report studies on candidate genes associated with positive memories. In particular, we review work to date on several candidate genes that are sensitive to stimulus valence such as ADRA2B, COMT, and 5HTTLPR. Finally, we propose that the future approach to the study of genetic correlates of positivity effects in memory should also include mitochondrial functioning (TOMM40). Altogether, the study of genetics and cell biology of positivity effects in memory can help us to reveal the underlying bottom-up pathways to positive affect in healthy aging. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper introduces the main topics related to the Simulation Based Learning. The paper outlines the advantages of this education technology, then explains its operation through some case studies achieved by the authors
RGB-D sensors have been widely used in various areas of computer vision and graphics. A good descriptor will effectively improve the performance of operation. This article further analyzes the recognition performance of shape features extracted from multi-modality source data using RGB-D sensors. A hybrid shape descriptor is proposed as a representation of objects for recognition. We first extracted five 2D shape features from contour-based images and five 3D shape features over point cloud data to capture the global and local shape characteristics of an object. The recognition performance was tested for category recognition and instance recognition. Experimental results show that the proposed shape descriptor outperforms several common global-to-global shape descriptors and is comparable to some partial-to-global shape descriptors that achieved the best accuracies in category and instance recognition. Contribution of partial features and computational complexity were also analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed shape features are strong cues for object recognition and can be combined with other features to boost accuracy.
The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the role of youth anger regulation and reactivity in the link between parenting and social adjustment among a sample of 84 youth residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods in a mid-southwestern city. Using path analysis, findings indicate that parents' responsive and discipline-related behaviors were associated with antisocial and prosocial behaviors in different ways. Parental support was positively associated with prosocial behavior (directly and indirectly through anger regulation), while permissive discipline was positively associated with antisocial behavior directly and indirectly through anger reactivity. The patterns of associations in the model remained significant even after youth age and sex were entered as covariates. Implications of the study for intervention programs targeting anger regulation and parenting in youth and families in high-risk settings are discussed.
Indoor localization is a key topic for the Ambient Intelligence (Aml) research community. In this scenarios, recent advancements in wearable technologies, particularly smartwatches with built-in sensors, and personal devices, such as smartphones, are being seen as the breakthrough for making concrete the envisioned Smart Environment (SE) paradigm. In particular, scenarios devoted to indoor localization represent a key challenge to be addressed. Many works try to solve the indoor localization issue, but the lack of a common dataset or frameworks to compare and evaluate solutions represent a big barrier to be overcome in the field. The unavailability and uncertainty of public datasets hinders the possibility to compare different indoor localization algorithms. This constitutes the main motivation of the proposed dataset described herein. We collected Wi-Fi and geo-magnetic field fingerprints, together with inertial sensor data during two campaigns performed in the same environment. Retrieving sincronized data from a smartwatch and a smartphone worn by users at the purpose of create and present a public available dataset is the goal of this work.
Recent developments in domains of ambient intelligence (AmI), Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems (CPS), ubiquitous/pervasive computing, etc., have led to numerous attempts to apply ICT solutions in the occupational safety and health (OSH) area. A literature review reveals a wide range of examples of smart materials, smart personal protective equipment and other AmI applications that have been developed to improve workers' safety and health. Because the use of these solutions modifies work methods, increases complexity of production processes and introduces high dynamism into thus created smart working environments (SWE), a new conceptual framework for dynamic OSH management in SWE is called for. A proposed framework is based on a new paradigm of OSH risk management consisting of real-time risk assessment and the capacity to monitor the risk level of each worker individually. A rationale for context-based reasoning in SWE and a respective model of the SWE-dedicated CPS are also proposed.
BackgroundTemporal discounting refers to the tendency for rewards to lose value as the expected delay to receipt increases. Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been found to show reduced temporal discounting rates, indicating a greater preference for delayed rewards compared to healthy peers. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) commonly co-occur with AN, and anxiety has been related to development and prognosis of AN. We examined whether reduced temporal discounting is present across these potentially related disorders, and explored the relationship between temporal discounting and anxiety transdiagnostically. MethodsOne hundred ninety six individuals (75 healthy controls (HC); 50 OCD; 27 AN; 44 SAD) completed two temporal discounting tasks in which they chose between smaller-sooner and larger-later monetary rewards. Two measures of discountingdiscount rate and discount factorwere compared between diagnostic groups, and associations with anxious traits were examined. ResultsIndividuals with AN showed decreased temporal discounting compared to HC. OCD and SAD groups did not differ significantly from HC. Across the sample, anxiety was associated with decreased discounting; more anxious individuals showed a greater preference for delayed reward. ConclusionsWe replicated the findings that individuals with AN show an increased preference for delayed reward relative to HC and that individuals with OCD do not differ from HC. We also showed that individuals with SAD do not differ from HC in discounting. Across this large sample, two measures of anxious temperament were associated with temporal discounting. These data raise new questions about the relationship between this dimensional trait and psychopathology.
Now a day with incredible change in social media network like mobile communication and computer, all type of a data, such as audio, video, images are used for the communication. Privacy for that data is an important issue. Cryptography is one of the techniques used for stopping unauthorized access and increasing integrity of that data. In research area encryption and decryption scheme is used based on image pixel shuffling and transposition. For security purpose, we can use cipher algorithm for generating key using RGB values of the pixel instead of using only pixel values. For that purpose in our proposed system we are using m*n size image on which different operations can be performed. Our proposed system is more secure as compare to existing system.
Background: The diagnosis of cardiac involvement in rheumatic disorders is challenging due to its varying clinical presentation. Since clinical consequences range from immediate treatment changes to adverse long-term outcome, individual risk stratification is of great clinical interest. Primary aim was to evaluate the prevalence of cardiac involvement in patients with different rheumatic disorders using late gadolinium enhancement-cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-CMR). In addition, we sought to investigate if different rheumatic disorders would demonstrate different LGE patterns. Methods: Two-hundred-ninety-seven patients with rheumatic disorders were included and underwent LGE-CMR for work-up of cardiac involvement, which was defined by the presence of LGE in the myocardium. Patients were divided into five subgroups: 1) ANCA-associated vasculitis, 2) non-ANCA-associated vasculitis, 3) connective tissue disorders, 4) arthritis, and 5) sarcoidosis. Results: Mean ejection fraction in the overall population was 65%, with a mean age of 55 yrs. Prevalence of cardiac involvement in the five subgroups were as follows: 54% in the ANCA-associated vasculitis group, 22% in the non-ANCA-associated vasculitis group, 14% in the group with connective tissue disorders, 21% in the arthritis group, and 24% in sarcoid patients. Each of the five subgroups demonstrated a distinct pattern of LGE. Conclusion: There is a wide range in the prevalence of cardiac involvement in different rheumatic disorders (54%-14%). Different groups of rheumatic disorders demonstrate different patterns of LGE. Condensed abstract: Primary aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of cardiac involvement in patients with different rheumatic disorders using LGE-CMR. In addition, we sought to investigate if different rheumatic disorders would reveal different LGE patterns. In our 297 patients, the highest prevalence of cardiac involvement was found in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (54%), whereas the lowest prevalence was demonstrated in patients with connective tissue disorders (14%). Furthermore, different groups of rheumatic disorders demonstrate distinct patterns of LGE. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
India being the largest democracy in the world, elections forms the cornerstone of our country. Amongst the prominent leaders, a representative is being chosen to run the country and to seek and search for the public affairs, pieces of legislation and constitutional amendments. The onerous task is to maintain transparency in the electoral process and shield the integrity of elections to make it equitable and withstand any fraudulence. Rampage free elections is one of the critical issues in today's state of affairs which is like finding needle in a haystack, that needs an eye and lots of money is being spent to ensure that the elections are fair and unprejudiced. Privacy is also important to make elections equitable to prevent voter coercion, intimidation and ballot selling. But nowadays it is seen that, many unwanted forces are indulged in bogus voting and recently also been criticized for election irregularities, that leads to ambiguity between the polling results and the actual verdict given by the people. Classical poll-site voting methods along with many other computer based voting system poise several administrative and logistic challenges in terms of cost, voter misinterpretation and tally of votes. This paper proposes a new state-of-the-art Electronic Voting Machine design in quest for election legitimacy, to provide an inexpensive solution which is based on pragmatic biometric system using fingerprint detection along with inclusion of Near-Far Communication technology.
This Letter reports a lead (II) ion sensor composed of a tapered multimode fibre (MMF) coated with chitosan. The diameter and length of the tapered fibre region is 20 mu m and 1 cm, respectively. Tapered MMF is used because it is more flexible and compact compared with plastic clad silica. Chitosan is chosen as the sensing layer because it can absorb heavy metal ions due to its unique properties as polyelectrolyte and chelating agent. The refractive index of the chitosan layer changes as it absorbs lead (II) ion and this leads to an increase in the absorbance measured by the spectrophotometer. This is tested by immersing the sensor in a solution that contains lead (II) ion with different concentrations, from 0.2 to 1 ppm. The results show that the absorbance measured by the spectrophotometer increased as the concentration of the lead (II) ion increased. The sensor's average sensitivity is measured as 40.554 abs/ppm. This sensor is simpler compared with surface plasmon resonance-based lead (II) ion sensor because it does not require metal coating prior to the sensing layer coating.
Research indicates that authoritarians tend to avoid intergroup contact. This study tested the hypothesis that living in a neighbourhood with a higher proportion of Asian peoples increases the likelihood of contact with them for the majority (New Zealand Europeans), and that this effect should increase intergroup contact for authoritarians. Multi-level Random Coefficient Modelling of data from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (N = 3903) indicated that New Zealand Europeans high in authoritarianism in neighbourhoods with a high proportion of Asian peoples have more contact with Asian friends, relative to authoritarians in less ethnically diverse areas. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Introduction. There is a debate about the ability of patients with Alzheimer's disease to build an up-to-date representation of their memory function, which has been termed mnemonic anosognosia. This form of anosognosia is typified by accurate online evaluations of performance, but dysfunctional or outmoded representations of function more generally. Method. We tested whether people with Alzheimer's disease could adapt or change their representations of memory performance across three different six-week memory training programs using global judgements of learning. Results. We showed that whereas online assessments of performance were accurate, patients continued to make inaccurate overestimations of their memory performance. This was despite the fact that the magnitude of predictions shifted according to the memory training. That is, on some level patients showed an ability to change and retain a representation of performance over time, but it was a dysfunctional one. For the first time in the literature we were able to use an analysis using correlations to support this claim, based on a large heterogeneous sample of 51 patients with Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion. The results point not to a failure to retain online metamemory information, but rather that this information is never used or incorporated into longer term representations, supporting but refining the mnemonic anosognosia hypothesis.
Monitoring the human hydration level (BHL) is a key factor in preventing urinary system disorders. The paper proposes a smart holistic system that comprises two components: (1) a urine colour measurement system that can be installed in restrooms, and (2) a mobile app that can be used to interact with the measurement unit, track the user's BHL, view statistical data and advice. The main prototype was built based on low-cost embedded Internet devices coupled with RGB sensors and light sources. Based on the RGB theory, the system was tested in a laboratory, using liquid mixed with food colour of different shades. Results were presented on the mobile app. The system was successfully implemented, as a ubiquitous on-the-go self-test solution for raising awareness in a greener and user friendly way.
Due to the higher attenuation of switching frequency current harmonics, the LCL filter has been widely used in grid-connected inverters. To deal with the resonance of the LCL filter, the capacitor current is usually fed back to damp the resonance actively. However, the computation and pulsewidth modulation (PWM) delays in the digital control system have a significant influence on the active damping method, resulting in poor system robustness. Meanwhile, these delays also reduce the control bandwidth greatly and thus impose a severe limitation on the low-frequency gains. In this paper, a real-time computation method with dual sampling mode is proposed to remove the computation delay from the inner active damping loop and the outer grid-current control loop simultaneously; thus, the system robustness and the control performance can be greatly improved. Moreover, the time duration between the sampling instant and the switching transition of the inverter bridge is extended by the proposed method, which effectively prevents the switching noise distorting the sampled signals. Therefore, the noise immunity of the inverter is also improved greatly. Experimental results from a 6-kW LCL-type single-phase grid-connected inverter confirm the theoretical expectations and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
While quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models have been employed successfully for the prediction of small model protein chromatographic behavior, there have been few reports to date on the use of this methodology for larger, more complex proteins. Recently our group generated focused libraries of antibody Fab fragment variants with different combinations of surface hydrophobicities and electrostatic potentials, and demonstrated that the unique selectivities of multimodal resins can be exploited to separate these Fab variants. In this work, results from linear salt gradient experiments with these Fabs were employed to develop QSAR models for six chromatographic systems, including multimodal (Capto MMC, Nuvia cPrime, and two novel ligand prototypes), hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC; Capto Phenyl), and cation exchange (CEX; CM Sepharose FF) resins. The models utilized newly developed local descriptors to quantify changes around point mutations in the Fab libraries as well as novel cluster descriptors recently introduced by our group. Subsequent rounds of feature selection and linearized machine learning algorithms were used to generate robust, well-validated models with high training set correlations (R-2>0.70) that were well suited for predicting elution salt concentrations in the various systems. The developed models then were used to predict the retention of a deamidated Fab and isotype variants, with varying success. The results represent the first successful utilization of QSAR for the prediction of chromatographic behavior of complex proteins such as Fab fragments in multimodal chromatographic systems. The framework presented here can be employed to facilitate process development for the purification of biological products from product-related impurities by in silico screening of resin alternatives. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1231-1240. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A prominent software security violation-buffer overflow attack has taken various forms and poses serious threats until today. One such vulnerability is return-oriented programming attack. An return-oriented programming attack circumvents the dynamic execution prevention, which is employed in modern operating systems to prevent execution of data segments, and attempts to execute unintended instructions by overwriting the stack exploiting the buffer overflow vulnerability. Numerous defense mechanisms have been proposed in the past few years to mitigate/prevent the attack - compile time methods that add checking logic to the program code before compilation, dynamic methods that monitor the control-flow integrity during execution and randomization methods that aim at randomizing instruction locations. This paper discusses (i) these different static, dynamic, and randomization techniques proposed recently and (ii) compares the techniques based on their effectiveness and performances. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Background: Type 1 narcolepsy (NT1) is characterized by symptoms believed to represent Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep stage dissociations, occurrences where features of wake and REM sleep are intermingled, resulting in a mixed state. We hypothesized that sleep stage dissociations can be objectively detected through the analysis of nocturnal Polysomnography (PSG) data, and that those affecting REM sleep can be used as a diagnostic feature for narcolepsy. New method: A Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) model using 38 features extracted from EOG, EMG and EEG was used in control subjects to select features differentiating wake, stage N1, N2, N3 and REM sleep. Sleep stage differentiation was next represented in a 2D projection. Features characteristic of sleep stage differences were estimated from the residual sleep stage probability in the 2D space. Using this model we evaluated PSG data from NT1 and non-narcoleptic subjects. An LDA classifier was used to determine the best separation plane. Comparison with existing methods: This method replicates the specificity/sensitivity from the training set to the validation set better than many other methods. Results: Eight prominent features could differentiate narcolepsy and controls in the validation dataset. Using a composite measure and a specificity cut off 95% in the training dataset, sensitivity was 43%. Specificity/sensitivity was 94%/38% in the validation set. Using hypersomnia subjects, specificity/sensitivity was 84%/15%. Analyzing treated narcoleptics the specificity/sensitivity was 94%/10%. Conclusion: Sleep stage dissociation can be used for the diagnosis of narcolepsy. However the use of some medications and presence of undiagnosed hypersomnolence patients impacts the result. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Some biomolecules are well known for the complexation of heavy metals from wastewater: cellulose, alginate, pectins, and starches for example. However, less used natural molecules could also be efficient to chelate heavy metals. Indeed, some cells contain polypeptides that can help detoxifying living organisms containing heavy metals. This natural detoxification process is of great interest, and particularly the molecules taking part in it. The amino acids composing these polypeptides, especially cysteine, tyrosine, and histidine, can be used for water purification. The efficiency of biomolecules containing aromatic rings on heavy metals complexation is also investigated. All these biomolecules are able to chelate heavy metals thanks to some chemical groups and atoms: the most well-known and efficient chemical groups are listed in the article. Finally, some potential environmental applications of biomolecules are suggested at the end of the article.
Biomass is the most widely used renewable energy source in the world today. It is used mostly in solid form and, to a lesser extent, in the form of liquid fuels and gas. The utilization of biomass for energy production has increased at only a modest rate in modern times. Biomass is the major source of energy in rural Turkey. Biomass is used to meet a variety of energy needs, including generating electricity, heating homes, fueling vehicles and providing process heat for industrial facilities. Biomass potential includes wood, animal and plant wastes. Among the biomass energy sources, fuel wood seems to be the most interesting because its share of the total energy production of Turkey is high at 14%. The total biomass energy potential of Turkey is about 33 million tons of oil equivalents (Mtoe). The amount of usable biomass potential of Turkey is approximately 17 Mtoe. The electrical production potential from usable bioenergy sources are 73 MW in 2010 and corporate income and represent more than 280,000 jobs. This study shows that there is important biomass energy potential for climate change mitigation and energy sustainability in Turkey. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a generalized KdV-Caudrey-Dodd-Gibbon (KdV-CDG) equation is investigated, which describes certain situations in the fluid mechanics, ocean dynamics and plasma physics. By using Bell polynomials, a lucid and systematic approach is proposed to systematically study its Hirota's bilinear form and N-soliton solution, respectively. Furthermore, based on the Riemann theta function, the onequasi- and two-quasi-periodic wave solutions are also constructed. Finally, an asymptotic relation of the quasi-periodic wave solutions are strictly analyzed to reveal the relations between quasi-periodic wave solutions and soliton solutions.
This paper assesses the discovery of the dose-rate effect in radiation genetics and how it challenged fundamental tenets of the linear non-threshold (LNT) dose response model, including the assumptions that all mutational damage is cumulative and irreversible and that the dose-response is linear at low doses. Newly uncovered historical information also describes how a key 1964 report by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) addressed the effects of dose rate in the assessment of genetic risk. This unique story involves assessments by two leading radiation geneticists, Hermann J. Muller and William L. Russell, who independently argued that the report's Genetic Summary Section on dose rate was incorrect while simultaneously offering vastly different views as to what the report's summary should have contained. This paper reveals occurrences of scientific disagreements, how conflicts were resolved, which view(s) prevailed and why. During this process the Nobel Laureate, Muller, provided incorrect information to the ICRP in what appears to have been an attempt to manipulate the decision-making process and to prevent the dose-rate concept from being adopted into risk assessment practices.
This paper focuses on dynamic modeling, simulation and control of Advanced Automatic Pumping Station with Canal Level Remote Control System using ABB PLC (Programmable Logical Controller) based Fuzzy Logic Controller. The system is designed for the agricultural land where the water level (i.e. canals or rivers) is low and traditional system of irrigation is not working well. System is automated through two different controllers, first controller automate the water reservoir gate according to the upper and lower limits of reservoir level and second controller dealt with speed of two pumps with respect to the set point of water level in canal. For controlling, monitoring and real time visualization of a system, HMI (Humane Interface Machine -CP 405) is connected. The applied control method is based on Fuzzy Logic System, designed in MATLAB Simulink, which can communicate with PLC through OPC server by using gateway. Through GPRS based system communication is done between PLC and canal water level meter. A digital control unit PLC (AC500 PM556-ETH) gets data from the system, take the require actions and make decision to operate the pumping station. Simulation results show that system can effectively operate in both, automatic as well as manual conditions depending on selection switch.
The present study focuses on measuring the effects of industrial wastewater disposed from thermal electricity power plant as by-product on the geotechnical properties of sandy soil and applying washing process to remediate the contaminated soil samples and measure the efficiency of washing technique. The disturbed sandy soil samples were obtained from Al-Kufa City located to the southwest of Iraq and the industrial wastewater obtained from Al-Musayib thermal electricity power plant. The intact sandy soil was contaminated in the laboratory with four percentages of industrial wastewater (10, 20, 40 and 100%) calculated according to the weight of dry soil. The industrial wastewater is mixed with distilled water to constitute the solution used in the contamination process of soil through soaking the soil by this solution for 30 days. The study results showed that with increasing the percentages of the contaminant, there was a slight increase in both the liquid limit and particle size, while there was a significant increase in the optimum water content. Nevertheless, a slight decrease was observed in the specific gravity, maximum dry unit weight, and void ratio, while, a considerable decrease was noticed in the angle of the internal friction and coefficient of permeability of soil. The proposed remediation technique soil washing is efficient, economical, and time saving when used to remediate sandy soils. After remediation, the results showed an increase in the cohesion, angle of internal friction and maximum dry unit weight. Also, a slight increase was observed in the specific gravity, void ratio and permeability coefficient of remediated soil samples when compared with that of contaminated samples. The removal efficiencies of contaminant from soil were (97.63, 96.79, 96.58, and 93.87%) for the soil samples contaminated with industrial wastewater by (10, 20, 40 and 100%), respectively.
Ambient intelligence (AmI) deals with a new world of ubiquitous computing devices, where physical environments interact intelligently and unobtrusively with people. AmI environments can be diverse, such as homes, offices, meeting rooms, schools, hospitals, control centers, vehicles, tourist attractions, stores, sports facilities, and music devices. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a testbed for AmI using Raspberry Pi mounted on Raspbian OS. We analyze the performance of Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol in an indoor scenario. For evaluation we considered throughput, delay and jitter metrics. The experimental results show that the nodes in the testbed were communicating smoothly.
The games that adolescents and young people used to play in the play grounds and on the streets have been replaced in recent years with cyber games played in front of the computer on the internet or in game arcades. This changing culture has particularly brought up the concept of digital game addiction, a condition that stems from the steadily growing passion for digital games and their excessived and uncontrolled usage among adolescents and young people. Game addiction in the psychiatry literature has been described as an impulse control disorder characterized by the symptoms such as the inability to control the time spent on game-playing, a loss of interest in other activities, continuing to play despite the adverse effects and feeling psychologically deprived when not being able to play.Although digital game addiction has not been accepted by psychiatric authorities as a psychiatric disorder yet, the increasing psychiatry referrals due to the problems accompanying this disorder, the efforts of families to seek support and solutions, the evidence that similarities with other types of addiction have been revealed by researchers, as well as the current prevalence rates are all factors that suggest the existence of important of the examination of issue. Despite the discussions about the digital game addiction, the literature on the subject is increasing. This article offers an overview of digital game-playing behavior in the light of current literature, seeking to share its findings with health care professionals.
Microelectronic product consumers may already be expecting another paradigm shift with smarter phones over smart phones, but the current status of microelectronic manufacturing engineering education (MMEE) in universities hardly makes up the pace for such a fast moving technology paradigm shift. The purpose of MMEE is to educate four-year university graduates to work in the microelectronics industry with up-to-date knowledge and self-motivation. In this paper, we present a comprehensive curriculum for a four-year university degree program in the area of microelectronics manufacturing. Three hands-on experienced-based courses are proposed, along with a methodology for undergraduate students to acquire hands-on experience, towards integrated circuits (ICs) design, fabrication and packaging, are presented in consideration of manufacturing engineering education. Semiconductor device and circuit design course for junior level is designed to cover how designed circuits progress to micro-fabrication by practicing full customization of the layout of digital circuits. Hands-on experienced-based semiconductor fabrication courses are composed to enhance students' motivation to participate in self-motivated semiconductor fab activities by performing a series of collaborations. Finally, the Microelectronics Packaging course provides greater possibilities of mastered skillsets in the area of microelectronics manufacturing with the fabrication of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and board level assembly for microprocessor applications. The evaluation of the presented comprehensive curriculum was performed with a students' survey. All the students responded with Strongly Agree or Agree for the manufacturing related courses. Through the development and application of the presented curriculum for the past six years, we are convinced that students' confidence in obtaining their desired jobs or choosing higher degrees in the area of microelectronics manufacturing was increased. We confirmed that the hypothesis on the inclusion of hands-on experience-based courses for MMEE is beneficial to enhancing the motivation for learning.
The control of tilt/twist angles during ion implantation process is becoming one the most challenging issue for future CMOS technologies. The continuous shrink of CMOS device dimensions imposes an accurate dopant placement within the transistor architecture. Moreover, improvement in the packing density increases the shadowing impact of resist patterns, leading to the use of quasi-vertical implants. In this paper, we propose to experimentally determine the sensitivity of standard electrical parameters of advanced technologies, sub-0.13-mum, to tilt angle variations that may occur within a wafer, within a lot, or lot to lot. Critical implants such as the high tilt implants (pockets) are studied for pMOS and nMOS transistors. Nominal results, obtained with the nominal tilt angle, are compared to the electrical results (threshold voltage, LAW, Short Channel Effects...) obtained for a modified tilt angle (+/-3degrees). Curves of sensitivity are then extracted. As a conclusion, specifications for the angle accuracy are proposed in order to insure a perfect matching of the device performance whatever the tilt angle discrepancies are.
Stigma and human rights violations contribute to physical, mental, and sexual health inequities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in Jamaica-a country where homosexuality is criminalized. There is an emergence of local community-based LGBT and HIV agencies and organizations focused on promoting LGBT people's health and human rights. Scant research, however, has focused on social work education and practice with LGBT people in the Jamaican context. This Ideas in Action article proposes that multilevel approaches to empowerment-oriented social work practice that include psychological, relational, community and structural dimensions hold the potential to address these inequities. This article describes social and structural contexts for LGBT youth in Jamaica, and articulates dimensions of empowerment. Jamaica AIDS Support for Life is then utilized as a case example of an organization promoting multi-level empowerment practice in health care. This case example advances understanding of the role for social workers in advocating for, and promoting, health and social justice with LGBT people. Social work approaches to empowerment at different levels of practice and intervention are discussed. Finally, contributions to social work education are made through presenting a sample syllabus of an empowerment-oriented social work course tailored for working with LGBT youth in Jamaica.
Ambient intelligence (AmI) deals with a new world of ubiquitous computing devices, where physical environments interact intelligently and unobtrusively with people. AmI environments can be diverse, such as homes, offices, meeting rooms, schools, hospitals, control centers, vehicles, tourist attractions, stores, sports facilities, and music devices. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a testbed for AmI using Raspberry Pi mounted on Raspbian OS. We analyze the performance of mean shift clustering algorithm considering sensing data. For evaluation we considered respiratory rate and heart rate metrics. The simulation results show that the mean shift clustering algorithm has a good performance.
Model animals are crucial to biomedical research. Among the commonly used model animals, the amphibian, Xenopus, has had tremendous impact because of its unique experimental advantages, cost effectiveness, and close evolutionary relationship with mammals as a tetrapod. Over the past 50years, the use of Xenopus has made possible many fundamental contributions to biomedicine, and it is a cornerstone of research in cell biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, immunology, molecular biology, neurobiology, and physiology. The prospects for Xenopus as an experimental system are excellent: Xenopus is uniquely well-suited for many contemporary approaches used to study fundamental biological and disease mechanisms. Moreover, recent advances in high throughput DNA sequencing, genome editing, proteomics, and pharmacological screening are easily applicable in Xenopus, enabling rapid functional genomics and human disease modeling at a systems level.
Two test sections along a newly constructed road embankment on peat foundations were instrumented to investigate their performance and to develop more economical means of construction method. The peat deposit in the study area has an average thickness of 4m. One test section is an embankment with geotextile only at its base, and the other is with geotextile and timber logs (corduroy). Settlements were measured using monitoring plates and pins. Ground temperatures were measured using thermistor strings. Pore water pressures were measured using vibrating wire piezometers. This paper presents the monitoring results of the two fully-instrumented sections. Results show that adding timber logs near the toe of the slope reduced the settlement of the peat foundation and therefore reducing the requirement for fill material to maintain road elevation.
The national partner countries through international trade on manufacturing engineering and engineering technology advances have different degrees of impact, the paper analyzes the development of China's manufacturing variations and export trade, and then from theory to explain the import, export trade on TFP the impact mechanism. Finally, this industry grouping, according to manufacturing industry technical standards, industry size compared regression results are grouped reasons for the differences. Empirical analysis based on the Main conclusions drawn papers and put forward relevant policy recommendations.
Background: In spite of its great promise, metabolomics has proven difficult to execute in an untargeted and generalizable manner. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has made it possible to gather data on thousands of cellular metabolites. However, matching metabolites to their spectral features continues to be a bottleneck, meaning that much of the collected information remains uninterpreted and that new metabolites are seldom discovered in untargeted studies. These challenges require new approaches that consider compounds beyond those available in curated biochemistry databases. Description: Here we present Metabolic In silico Network Expansions (MINEs), an extension of known metabolite databases to include molecules that have not been observed, but are likely to occur based on known metabolites and common biochemical reactions. We utilize an algorithm called the Biochemical Network Integrated Computational Explorer (BNICE) and expert-curated reaction rules based on the Enzyme Commission classification system to propose the novel chemical structures and reactions that comprise MINE databases. Starting from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) COMPOUND database, the MINE contains over 571,000 compounds, of which 93% are not present in the PubChem database. However, these MINE compounds have on average higher structural similarity to natural products than compounds from KEGG or PubChem. MINE databases were able to propose annotations for 98.6% of a set of 667 MassBank spectra, 14% more than KEGG alone and equivalent to PubChem while returning far fewer candidates per spectra than PubChem (46 vs. 1715 median candidates). Application of MINEs to LC-MS accurate mass data enabled the identity of an unknown peak to be confidently predicted. Conclusions: MINE databases are freely accessible for non-commercial use via user-friendly web-tools at http://minedatabase.mcs.anl.gov and developer-friendly APIs. MINEs improve metabolomics peak identification as compared to general chemical databases whose results include irrelevant synthetic compounds. Furthermore, MINEs complement and expand on previous in silico generated compound databases that focus on human metabolism. We are actively developing the database; future versions of this resource will incorporate transformation rules for spontaneous chemical reactions and more advanced filtering and prioritization of candidate structures.
Today's Smartphone operating systems frequently fail to provide users with adequate control and visibility into how the third-party applications use their private data. With TaintDroid realized on Android system, we can detect user's implicit taint and privacy leakage. But TaintDroid has some inherent defects. To better detect user's implicit taint and privacy leakage in the Android platform, this paper analyzes implicit taint detection and then proposes an automated detection system based on dynamic taint tracking, called TaintChaser. Monitoring sensitive data with TaintChaser provides informed use of third-party applications for phone users and valuable input for smart-phone security service firms seeking to identify misbehaving applications. TaintChaser can detect behaviors of user's data leakage in Android applications at a fine granularity level and the system can also analyze and test massive Android software in an automatic way. It uses TaintChaser to automatically analyze 38,268 popular Android applications and finds that 34.41 % of them may leak user's privacy.
Instructional strategies such as prompts, requests for clarification, and explicit feedback counter social desires of autonomy and appreciation, i.e., they threaten the face of their receiver. We report an online experiment on how readers perceive instructional face threats and what they accept as appropriate. One hundred and twenty-three participants read an online tutor-tutee discourse that systematically varied the tutor's politeness while containing different types of face threats. Face threats were either mitigated politely or expressed without redress. Participants rated their perception of the tutor and the tutor's contribution, and provided alternative formulations of the presented face threats. Results showed that it is beneficial for tutors to mitigate instructional face threats. This finding deserves attention as the tutor's role does, to some extent, legitimate face threats. The discussion examines how formulations influence person perception. Practical conclusions are drawn for instructional online settings.
Restoration of channelized streams by returning coarse sediment from stream edges to the wetted channel has become a common practice in Sweden. Yet, restoration activities do not always result in the return of desired biota. This study evaluated a restoration project in the Vindel River in northern Sweden in which practitioners further increased channel complexity of previously restored stream reaches by placing very large boulders (>1 m), trees (>8 m), and salmonid spawning gravel from adjacent upland areas into the channels. One reach restored with basic methods and another with enhanced methods were selected in each of ten different tributaries to the main channel. Geomorphic and hydraulic complexity was enhanced but the chemical composition of riparian soils and the communities of riparian plants and fish did not exhibit any clear responses to the enhanced restoration measures during the first 5 years compared to reaches restored with basic restoration methods. The variation in the collected data was among streams instead of between types of restored reaches. We conclude that restoration is a disturbance in itself, that immigration potential varies across landscapes, and that biotic recovery processes in boreal river systems are slow. We suggest that enhanced restoration has to apply a catchment-scale approach accounting for connectivity and availability of source populations, and that low-intensity monitoring has to be performed over several decades to evaluate restoration outcomes.
Reward-predictive stimuli augment instrumental reward-seeking in humans, an effect denoted Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT), but the role of differential reward value of these stimuli and of emotional conditioned responses in PIT remains unknown. Fifty one participants experienced a Pavlovian phase that associated two stimuli with either 10p (CS10) or 50p (CS50). Next, participants underwent instrumental training for two responses reinforced with either 10p or 50p. Finally, the transfer phase continued as had instrumental training, now in the presence of the Pavlovian stimuli. Participants were dichotomised as aware/unaware according to their expectancy awareness of the CS ->outcome associations. Only aware participants demonstrated PIT (increased choice and number of responses on the 10p and 50p response key in the presence of CS10 and CS50 respectively), yet both aware and unaware groups rated the 50p stimulus as more pleasant than the 10p stimulus. These findings suggest that expectancy of reward is necessary for PIT; however, emotional conditioned responses appear not sufficient to influence PIT. Future research should attempt to manipulate emotional conditioned responses in a PIT context, to test the sufficiency of reward expectancy in PIT. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Existing studies have found that restaurant servers sometimes deliver service that is informed by their customers' race. However, we know considerably less about the causes underlying such discriminatory behaviors within the restaurant context. In this study, we advance this literature by analyzing data derived from a survey of restaurant servers (N = 195) to assess the effects of working in a racialized workplace environment, characterized by racist and stereotypical discourse, on servers' reports of providing race-based service. Our findings reveal a strong statistically significant positive relationship between observing racialized workplace discourse and servers' self-professed discriminatory behaviors. Furthermore, we find that these effects are not mediated or moderated by servers' willingness to participate in the discursive spreading of racial stereotypes by discussing their customers' race with peers. We conclude by identifying suggestions that restaurant leaders might consider to reduce racial discrimination within the restaurant industry.
We determined the levels of various heavy metals in water stream and sediments receiving leachate/runoff from open-air windrows of MSW compost plant of Sanandaj, (Kurdistan, Iran) and assessed the related contamination rate and ecological risk by determining the geo-accumulation index (I-geo), contamination factor (CF), ecological risk factor (ER), contamination degree (CD), pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk (RI) of water and sediments. Our results showed that several heavy metals, except Cd, had concentrations higher than the maximum limits for sediments to protect aquatic life, using the Consensus-Based Sediment Quality Guidelines (CBSQG) as reference. Heavy metal concentrations in the stream water were higher than the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) limits for drinking, irrigation and for protection of an aquatic life, except for Cu and Zn. The evaluation results of the CD and PLI indices showed that the stream water and sediment pollution caused by uncontrolled emission from the open-air windrows composting of MSW, as the elements causing pollution were the same as those enriched in the compost. Values of the ER and RI indices indicated moderate to considerable ecological risk. We concluded that source separation of the MSW and effective control of runoff entering the composting plant are needed to protect the surrounding environment from the negative impact of the composting plant releases. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study tested the effect of voter's political orientation on the importance they placed on agency, competence, morality, and sociability as qualities required for being President of the French Republic. It furthermore assessed the participants' judgments of the five main candidates of the French Presidential Election of 2012 on those dimensions. The results showed that, compared to left-wing voters, right-wing voters placed greater importance on agency and less importance on morality and sociability as qualities required for being president. Right-wing voters differentiated between candidates with respect to agency more than competence, whereas the reverse pattern was observed for left-wing voters. Voters differentiated between candidates with respect to morality as much as sociability. Finally, the participants' ratings of candidates showed a partisan effect: Left-wing voters rated left-wing candidates as being more competent, moral, and sociable, the same being true of right-wing candidates by right-wing voters. Ratings of candidates' agentic qualities were less dependent on the voter's political orientation. These data provide support for how people perceived qualities necessary for being President in France.
Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) windows provide the benefits of generating electricity, reducing building cooling and heating energy consumption, and efficiently utilizing daylight simultaneously. In this paper, the overall energy performance of a PV double skin facade (PV-DSF) and a PV insulating glass unit (PV-IGU) is studied through comparative experiments on a test rig in Hong Kong. The PV-DSF means ventilated PV-DSF by default, if not special mentioned. It is found that the average solar heat gain coefficients (SHGCs) of the PV-DSF and the PV-IGU are 0.152 and 0.238, while the U-values are 2.535 W/m(2) K and 2.281 W/m(2) K. The results indicate that the PV-DSF has better performance than PV-IGU in reducing solar heat gains, while it has worse performance regarding thermal insulation. With a lower PV module temperature, the energy conversion efficiency of PV-DSF is 1.8% better than PV-IGU. Simulation models for the PV-DSF and the PV-IGU are developed and validated against experimental data. Using the validated models, the overall energy performances of PV-DSF and PV-IGU in five different climates of China are investigated. The results show that the average energy saving potential of the PV-DSF and the PV-IGU are 28.4% and 30%, respectively, compared to the commonly used insulating glass window in five different climates. On average, the performance of PV-IGU was 2% better performance than the ventilated PV-DSF in the five representative cities. However, if an appropriate ventilation control scheme was adopted, PV-DSF can have a much better performance than the PV-IGU. The models developed in this study can be used for selecting suitable PV windows in the design process, and the results achieved can be used as a guideline for utilizing PV windows in different climates. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Linear Friction Welding (LFW) is a relatively new process adopted by aircraft engine manufacturers operationalizing new technologies to produce better value components. With increasing fuel prices and economical drives to reduce CO2 emissions, LFW has been a key technology in recent years for aircraft engine manufacture in both commercial and military market sectors. For joining Blades to Discus ('Blisks'), LFW is the ideal process as it is a solid state process which gives reproducibility and high quality bonds therefore improving performance. A fault detection and isolation (FDI) model of the LFW machine has been developed in [ 1] in order to detect and predict common machine faults. The purpose of this research investigation is to develop a bespoke value improvement model (VIM) for the LFW repetitive process identifying the critical influencing factors - whether human, machine system or both-to achieving the customer requirements, successful FDI model implementation and user uptake. Action research and case study intervention will be implemented at the Rolls-Royce site enabling the combination of hard systems (the FDI model) and soft systems (VIM model) to be effectively utilized to develop a holistic model (lfw-VIM). Outcomes of the research show the VIM approach can be used to aid successful change management and the implementation of a complex system. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Georgia Institute of Technology. of Georgia Institute of Technology
Aims: A normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) model of severe acute mucositis would be highly useful to guide clinical decision making and inform radiotherapy planning. We aimed to improve upon our previous model by using a novel oral mucosal surface organ at risk (OAR) in place of an oral cavity OAR. Materials and methods: Predictive models of severe acute mucositis were generated using radiotherapy dose to the oral cavity OAR or mucosal surface OAR and clinical data. Penalised logistic regression and random forest classification (RFC) models were generated for both OARs and compared. Internal validation was carried out with 100-iteration stratified shuffle split cross-validation, using multiple metrics to assess different aspects of model performance. Associations between treatment covariates and severe mucositis were explored using RFC feature importance. Results: Penalised logistic regression and RFC models using the oral cavity OAR performed at least as well as the models using mucosal surface OAR. Associations between dose metrics and severe mucositis were similar between the mucosal surface and oral cavity models. The volumes of oral cavity or mucosal surface receiving intermediate and high doses were most strongly associated with severe mucositis. Conclusions: The simpler oral cavity OAR should be preferred over the mucosal surface OAR for NTCP modelling of severe mucositis. We recommend minimising the volume of mucosa receiving intermediate and high doses, where possible. (C) 2016 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Modern medicine pays a great attention to environmental security, i.e. to elimination of adverse health effects due to environmental factors. From the end of twentieth century, the environment became a source of urban and industry induced threats, such as: air and water microbe and chemical pollution, increased levels of ionizing radiation, and high risk of traumas. Essentially, the food, as very important environmental factor, has also changed in the modern era due to new agriculture technologies, refining, synthetic food additives, the influences of ultra-high and ultra-low temperatures, gene engineering, etc. On the other hand, one of the important achievements of the modern medicine is an introduction of functional foods for maintenance of homeostasis of human metabolism under the current environmental conditions. Imbalance between free radicals in organism induced by a variety of stresses and dietary antioxidants is one of the factors damaging human health. Bioantioxidants, i.e. antioxidants naturally engaged in metabolism, are of special value for medical purposes of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The adverse effects related to the bioantioxidant deficiency are generated by the accumulation of products arising from oxidation induced by free radicals. An increased need for bioantioxidants may emerge under specific conditions: (1) stress, (2) exposure to ionizing radiation, xenobiotics and another harmful man-made factors of the environment, (3) too much or too little physical activity due to traumas and rescue efforts, (4) administration of pharmaceuticals activating processes of oxidation induced by free radicals, such as antibiotics, narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics, and non-steroid anti-inflammatory preparations. The alcohol-free dietary concentrate Enoant developed by the National Institute for Vine and Wine Magarach represents a practical approach to use the Cabernet Sauvignon grape for prevention and treatment of various maladies. Experimental and clinical studies have shown curative and preventive benefits of Enoant as a part of methodology used in catastrophe medicine. These may contribute to the achievement, with better effectiveness, of clinical goals in complex treatment and rehabilitation of humans, possessing impaired functions of the cardio-respiratory system, red blood cells, the antioxidant system and lipid metabolism by improving the immunity and lessening of toxic side effects of radiation and pharmacotherapy. Data from experiments and clinical studies on effects exerted by Enoant indicate that the criteria for optimization of medical technologies should include both a sufficient daily dose of the concentrate and the absence of individual negative reactions or grape-induced allergy.
The physico-chemical changes may have the tendency to accumulate in the various organs of estuarine organisms, especially fish which may in turn enter into the human metabolism through consumption causing serious hazards. Hence, the present study was carried out to determine the physico-chemical characteristics of water and Ichthyofauna in Arasalar estuary in southeast coast of India for the period of 1 year during September 2012-August 2013. The environmental parameters such as, temperature, pH, salinity, DO, silicate, nitrate and phosphate were observed from Department of Zoology, Rajah Serfoji Goverment College, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. During the period of study, air temperature varied from 28.8 to 35 degrees C. The surface water temperature also varied from 25 to 31.5 degrees C. The monthly mean values of hydrogen ion concentration of water varied from 7.1 to 8.2. The salinity of water varied from 5.5 parts per thousand to 34. Dissolved oxygen in Arasalar estuary was varied from 3.5 to 7.2 mg/l. The total phosphorus varied from 0.29 to 2.15 mu g/l. The nitrate varied from 0.47 to 3.75 mu g/l. The silicate content varied from 28.25 to 98.74 mu g/l. Totally 866 fishes were collected belonging to 4 orders and 5 families. Mystus gulio was found to be the dominant species (25.40 %) in the study area.
The psychological treatment of choice for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is exposure and response prevention (ERP). However, the training required for practitioners to be proficient in delivering ERP is not readily available, thereby rendering the treatment inaccessible to most patients. Self-directed ERP (sERP) programs designed to increase the accessibility of ERP have not proven effective, perhaps because patients find it difficult to comply with exposure exercises without the guidance of a clinician. Research on cognitive bias modification (CBM) suggests that CBM may help individuals approach feared situations. In this case study, a patient with OCD completed a 7-week treatment program that combines sERP with CBM. Treatment led to a significant decrease in OCD symptoms and functional impairment. Results suggest that this novel treatment, which requires only an initial couple of sessions with a clinician trained in ERP, has the potential to increase the accessibility of ERP for patients with OCD. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
According to the fluid mechanics and rolling theory, the rolling interface friction dynamic characteristics and their influence on rolling speed, rolling load, roller material, rolling temperature and oil properties were studied respectively with lubrication or without lubrication in hot rolling. The two-dimensional Reynolds equation was established for steady and unsteady rolling friction interface. Through the research of rolling interface friction characteristics influence on the mill vibration, we found that when the lubrication film thickness in the roll gap was thicker, the friction coefficient was lower, its damping effect and system stability was worse. And if the rolling speed is greater than a certain value, the rolling interface friction coefficient will fall sharply with the increase of rolling speed and produces the self-excited vibration caused by negative damping. So the contrast test with different rolling interface has been carried out, such as the emulsion is open or close, high chromium cast iron/high speed steel roller is put to use, high chromium cast iron roller is grinded finely or coarsely, rolling speed is normal/reduced. And the results showed that it had an obvious effect on the mill vibration suppression by the adoption of the emulsion close and high speed steel roller.
The current pharmacological approach to Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment, mostly based on acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), is being revisited, especially in terms of the temporal frames and the potential benefits of their noncanonic actions, raising the question of whether inhibitors of AChE might also act in a disease-modifying manner. Besides, in the last decades, the pharmacophoric moieties of known AChEIs have been covalently linked to other pharmacophores in the pursuit of multitarget hybrid molecules that are expected to induce long-lasting amelioration of impaired neurotransmission and clinical symptoms but also to exert disease-modifying effects. Our research consortium has synthesized and defined the pharmacological profile of new AChEIs derivatives of potential interest for the treatment of AD. Among these, huprines and derivatives have been characterized successfully. Huprine X, a reversible AChE inhibitor, designed by molecular hybridization of tacrine and huperzine A, has been shown to affect the amyloidogenic process in vitro, and the AD-related neuropathology in vivo in mice models of the disease. More recently, we have shown that a group of donepezil-huprine heterodimers exerts a highly potent and selective inhibitory action on AChE both in vitro and ex vivo, simultaneously interacting with both peripheral and catalytic binding sites, and inhibiting the beta-amyloid aggregation, whereas some levetiracetam-huprine hybrids have been shown to reduce epileptiform activity, neuroinflammation and amyloid burden in an animal model of AD. Here, we summarize the behavioural correlates of these noncanonic actions as assessed in three distinct biological scenarios: middle-age, cognitive deficits associated with ageing and AD-like phenotype in mice. Besides the improvement in the hallmark cognitive symptomatology without inducing side effects, these drugs have shown to be able to modulate emotional and anxiety-like behaviours or to reduce spontaneous seizures, all of them related to the so-called 'behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia'. Overall, the studies show that these novel multitarget anticholinesterasics exert noncanonic actions providing symptomatic and disease-modifying benefits of potential interest for the management of AD. (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
New hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapies are expected to have breakthrough benefit for patients. HBV functional cure is sustained hepatitis B surface antigen loss and anti-HBs gain, with normalization of serum aminotransferases off therapy. Virologic or complete cure additionally includes loss of HBV covalently closed circular DNA. Currently available endpoints of therapy are inadequate to evaluate the efficacy of many of the new therapeutics. Therefore, either new ways of using the existing virologic endpoints and laboratory values or entirely new biomarkers are needed. In this review, we discuss the currently used endpoints, potential new endpoints, as well as what new markers are needed to assess the ability of HBV therapeutics to achieve functional and virologic cure in various phases of HBV infection. In addition, we discuss how patient selection from differing phases of HBV impacts the choice of HBV drug(s) needed to achieve cure.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is an important preservative for wine, but its presence in foods can cause allergies and this has given impetus to the research for alternatives. The aim of this study was to reduce levels of sulfite in wine production using mixtures with lysozyme and dimethyl dicarbonate and examine the influence on levels of volatile and biogenic amines. To do so, vinifications were carried out using lysozyme, dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) and mixtures of these with SO2 in different concentrations (25 and 50mg l(-1)). Results were compared with a control vinification with only SO2 (50mg l(-1)). Mixing low concentrations of SO2 with lysozyme and DMDC reduced the concentration of biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, phenylethylamine + spermidine and spermine). In general, the total concentration of volatile amines (dimethylamine, isopropylamine, isobutylamine, pyrrolidine, ethylamine, diethylamine, amylamine and hexylamine) was higher in the sample fermented only with SO2. The concentrations of amines with secondary amino groups (dimethylamine, diethylamine, pyrrolidine) were higher in the sample only fermented with SO2 than those fermented with DMDC and lysozyme or with a mixture of preservatives. When SO2 was the only preservative in wine, total amine concentration (biogenic and volatile amines) was higher than for the rest of the treatments. Lysozyme by itself, and lysozyme mixed with SO2, both reduced the formation of biogenic amines but given the antioxidant activity of SO2 the use of the preservative mixture seems more advisable.
The availability of Very High Resolution (VHR) optical sensors and a growing image archive that is frequently updated, allows the use of change detection in post-disaster recovery and monitoring for robust and rapid results. The proposed semi-automated GIS object-based method uses readily available pre-disaster GIS data and adds existing knowledge into the processing to enhance change detection. It also allows targeting specific types of changes pertaining to similar man-made objects. This change detection method is based on pre/post normalized index, gradient of intensity, texture and edge similarity filters within the object and a set of training data. Once the change is quantified, based on training data, the method can be used automatically to detect change in order to observe recovery over time in large areas. Analysis over time can also contribute to obtaining a full picture of the recovery and development after disaster, thereby giving managers a better understanding of productive management practices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
AimIt has been reported that many people with dementia require hospitalizations. The objective of the present study was to determine predictive factors for hospitalizations in people with dementia. MethodsA total of 70 individuals with dementia living in a veterans' home in southern Taiwan were consecutively enrolled. During prospective follow up, all hospitalization events were recorded. ResultsThe mean age of residents with dementia was 86.14.0years, and the mean follow-up time for this population was 2.2 +/- 1.1years. Among individuals, 62.9% suffered from malnutrition or were at risk of malnutrition (minimal nutritional assessment-short form score 11), and 8.6% of individuals had a body mass index of <18.5Kg/m(2). There were 52 (74.3%) individuals who had previously fallen. Overall, 51 of 70 residents were hospitalized during the follow-up period. In those individuals with previous falls, there was a significantly increased risk of hospitalization (odds ratio 5.61, 95% CI 1.18-26.7). Furthermore, three factors were significantly associated with the risk of fall, including handgrip strength, malnutrition and Mini-Mental State Examination score. ConclusionsThe results of the present study showed that hospitalization was a frequent event in residents with dementia living in a long-term care facility. The major predictor for hospital admission was history of a previous fall. Screening those with dementia for history of injurious falls and associated risk factors for falling could help identify those at risk of hospitalization, thus necessitating a comprehensive intervention to reduce hospitalization. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17 (Suppl. 1): 50-56.
Municipal infrastructure for water supply and delivery often does not reach populations in rural and peri-urban areas. This article examines rainwater harvesting as a means of increasing water security in such areas, through the case of Guachtuq, a peri-urban community outside San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. The project team designed a rainwater harvesting system to improve three dimensions of water security: quantity, quality and access. The design was implemented for 12 households and evaluated for its contribution to water security and for the potential of expanding project coverage to the region and beyond. The system has improved water security. Several concerns remain, however, regarding the potential of expanding the project to other households in the region and beyond, including system cost, water quality and the individualization of public responsibility for water security.
This paper describes a computational model based on lumped elements for the mutual coupling between phases in transmission lines without the explicit use of modal transformation matrices. The self and mutual parameters and the coupling between phases are modeled using modal transformation techniques. The modal representation is developed from the intrinsic consideration of the modal transformation matrix and the resulting system of time-domain differential equations is described as state equations. Thus, a detailed profile of the currents and the voltages through the line can be easily calculated using numerical or analytical integration methods. However, the original contribution of the article is the proposal of a time-domain model without the successive phase/mode transformations and a practical implementation based on conventional electrical circuits, without the use of electromagnetic theory to model the coupling between phases.
Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have recently emerged as a dominant paradigm for machine learning in a variety of domains. However, acquiring a suitably large data set for training DCNN is often a significant challenge. This is a major issue in the remote sensing domain, where we have extremely large collections of satellite and aerial imagery, but lack the rich label information that is often readily available for other image modalities. In this letter, we investigate the use of DCNN for land-cover classification in high-resolution remote sensing imagery. To overcome the lack of massive labeled remote-sensing image data sets, we employ two techniques in conjunction with DCNN: transfer learning (TL) with fine-tuning and data augmentation tailored specifically for remote sensing imagery. TL allows one to bootstrap a DCNN while preserving the deep visual feature extraction learned over an image corpus from a different image domain. Data augmentation exploits various aspects of remote sensing imagery to dramatically expand small training image data sets and improve DCNN robustness for remote sensing image data. Here, we apply these techniques to the well-known UC Merced data set to achieve the land-cover classification accuracies of 97.8 +/- 2.3%, 97.6 +/- 2.6%, and 98.5 +/- 1.4% with CaffeNet, GoogLeNet, and ResNet, respectively.
Glass systems of composition (90-x) P2O5 + xB(2)O(3) + 10Fe(2)O(3) (x = 0 mol.%, 10 mol.%, 20 mol.%, 30 mol.%, 40 mol.%) were prepared using normal melt-quench technique. The Mossbauer Effect has been used intensively to help investigate the structure and bonding of oxide glasses. The Mossbauer spectra indicate the presence of iron (II) and iron (III) in tetrahedral or octahedral coordination. The dependence of electrical data was analyzed in the frame work of the impedance Cole-Cole plot in a frequency range from 5 Hz to 19.5 MHz at room temperature. Constant-phase elements (CPE) are used in equivalent electrical circuits for the fitting of experimental impedance data. The frequency dependence of the electric conductivity was found to follow a simple power law behavior, in accordance with the relation sigma(f) = sigma(0) + Af (s), where s is smaller than 1. The thermal activation energies for the electronic conduction were estimated on the basis of the Arrhenius plots. (c) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Observers frequently form impressions of other people based on complex or conflicting information. Rather than being objective, these impressions are often biased by observers' motives. For instance, observers often downplay negative information they learn about ingroup members. Here, we characterize the neural systems associated with biased impression formation. Participants learned positive and negative information about ingroup and outgroup social targets. Following this information, participants worsened their impressions of outgroup, but not ingroup, targets. This tendency was associated with a failure to engage neural structures including lateral prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, temporoparietal junction, Insula and Precuneus when processing negative information about ingroup (but not outgroup) targets. To the extent that participants engaged these regions while learning negative information about ingroup members, they exhibited less ingroup bias in their impressions. These data are consistent with a model of 'effortless bias', under which perceivers fail to process goal-inconsistent information in order to maintain desired conclusions.
This paper presents a three-dimensional (3-D) space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) technique via a 4 x 4 orthonormal transformation matrix that has been used as a new approach in controlling a three-phase four-leg voltage source inverter (VSI). A fully optimal digital control scheme for the closed-loop regulation of the three-phase four-leg VSI has been used to synthesize a sinusoidal waveform with the help of the proposed method. Discrete-time modelling of each phase has been obtained independently in abc reference frame, and its optimal controller has been designed using a predefined performance index. A DSP-based controlled three-phase four-leg prototype VSI has been designed to verify the proposed discrete time modelling and the control scheme. The simulations and the real-time experiments show that satisfactory results have been obtained for the modelling of the three-phase four-leg VSI in abc reference frame and the 3-D SVPWM technique via 4 x 4 orthonormal transformation matrix at 20 kHz switching frequency.
It has been argued that children who possess an advanced theory of mind (ToM) are more likely to act prosocially, yet the empirical findings are mixed. To address this issue definitively, a meta-analytic integration of all prior literature that met appropriate inclusion criteria was conducted. In total, 76 studies including 6,432 children between 2 and 12 years of age contributed to these analyses. Collapsed across all studies, a significant association emerged (r = .19), indicating that children with higher ToM scores also received higher scores on concurrent measures of prosocial behavior. The magnitude of this effect was similar across ToM assessments requiring identification of others' cognitions versus emotions, and it existed irrespective of whether the ToM measure imposed demands on false belief reasoning or not. The association with ToM was also evident for different subtypes of prosocial behavior (helping, cooperating, comforting). ToM had a similar effect for boys and girls, but was slightly stronger in children aged 6 years or older, relative to their younger peers. Taken together, these findings provide the strongest evidence to date that being able to explicitly consider what other people are thinking and feeling is related to children's tendencies to act prosocially, although the magnitude of the association is relatively weak.
Mechanical models for tumor growth have been used extensively in recent years for the analysis of medical observations and for the prediction of cancer evolution based on image analysis. This work deals with the numerical approximation of a mechanical model for tumor growth and the analysis of its dynamics. The system under investigation is given by a multi-phase flow model: The densities of the different cells are governed by a transport equation for the evolution of tumor cells, whereas the velocity field is given by a Brinkman regularization of the classical Darcy's law. An efficient finite difference scheme is proposed and shown to converge to a weak solution of the system. Our approach relies on convergence and compactness arguments in the spirit of Lions [P.-L. Lions, Mathematical topics in fluid mechanics. Vol. 2. Vol. 10 of Oxford Lecture Series Math. Appl. The Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, New York (1998)].
INTRODUCTION: Advanced air-flow limitation in patients with COPD leads to a reduction in vital capacity, respiratory muscle strength, and exercise capacity. However, its impact on chest and abdominal wall mobility is unknown. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of patients with COPD with reduced chest and abdominal wall mobility and to investigate the effect of reduced chest and abdominal wall mobility on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, and exercise capacity. METHODS: In 51 elderly male subjects with COPD, chest and abdominal wall mobility, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, maximal inspiratory pressure (P-Imax), maximal expiratory pressure (P-Emax), and the 6-min walk distance (6MWD) were assessed. Chest and abdominal wall mobility were measured using the breathing movement scale (0-8) at the 3 regions (upper chest, lower chest, and abdomen). Reduced mobility was defined as a value lower than the lower limit of the normal scale. The unpaired t test, Mann-Whitney test, and multiple regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: The percentages of subjects with reduced mobility were 78% for the upper chest, 76% for the lower chest, and 53% for the abdomen. The subjects with reduced mobility had significantly low FVC, FEV1, and 6MWD in each region and significantly low FEV1/FVC, PImax, and PEmax in the abdominal region compared with those with nonreduced mobility. FVC and 6MWD were independently associated with the scale values in each region and with the abdominal scale value, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of subjects with COPD had reduced chest and abdominal wall mobility, which was independently associated with FVC. Even though abdominal wall mobility was relatively preserved compared with chest wall mobility, it was also independently associated with 6MWD.
Children's prosociality emerges early in life, which suggests that helping others is rooted deeply in human nature. At the same time, the motivation underlying young children's instrumental helping poses a puzzle. Children do not express a specific emotion such as sympathy when removing physical obstacles for others. Instead of being motivated by a concern for others' well-being, toddlers may act to tie up loose ends or engage in social interactions, or they may be motivated because their goals align with those of others. Recent research has addressed the underlying motivation of children's helping by directly measuring children's internal arousal via changes in the dilation of their pupils. In several studies, children's arousal in response to others' unfulfilled needs is genuinely prosocial and linked to the well-being of others. This prosocial arousal may lie at the heart of not only children's instrumental helping but also their prosociality in general.
Social groups aid human beings in several ways, ranging from the fulfillment of complex social and personal needs to the promotion of survival. Despite the importance of group affiliation to humans, there remains considerable variation in group preferences across development. In the current study, children and adolescents completed an explicit evaluation task of ingroup and out-group members during functional neuroimaging. We found that participants displayed age-related increases in bilateral amygdala, fusiformgyrus and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activation when viewing in-group relative to out-group faces. Moreover, we found an indirect effect of age on in-group favoritism via brain activation in the amygdala, fusiform and OFC. Finally, with age, youth showed greater functional coupling between the amygdala and several neural regions when viewing in-group relative to out-group peers, suggesting a role of the amygdala in directing attention to motivationally relevant cues. Our findings suggest that the motivational significance and processing of group membership undergoes important changes across development.
Recent research has begun to examine the impact of cultural mixing on human psychology. We conducted four experiments to examine the influence of intrusive cultural mixing on implicit intergroup attitudes. Our results indicated that (a) intrusive cultural mixing augmented implicit prejudice toward the intruding foreign cultural group (Study 1), (b) heightened implicit prejudice partially mediated boycotting behavior provoked by intrusive cultural mixing (Study 2), and (c) both cultural identification (Study 3) and multicultural orientation (Study 4) moderated the influence of intrusive cultural mixing on implicit prejudice so that only individuals who highly identified with their heritage culture or those who exhibited a weak multicultural orientation manifested enhanced implicit prejudice. These findings extend our understanding of the influence of cultural mixing.
There have been significant advancements in the field of additive manufacturing in the past decades. Current technologies in this field allow fabrications of not only complex physical prototypes but also functional electronic components and circuitries. It is now possible to fabricate simple circuits embedded with several kinds of passive components, for example, resistors, capacitors, and inductors, which are the most fundamental building blocks of any electrical circuits. In order to aid future developments and integrations of printing electronics into a wider range of applications, this review attempts to provide an overview and the most recent developments of 'fully additive' printing techniques used for fabricating circuits and electronic components, including comparisons between their advantages and disadvantages. Each individual 'fully additive' printing technique is presented and discussed in detail. Potentials and challenges of additive manufacturing of electronics are also discussed.
This paper addresses an investigation on the hydrodynamic behavior of a new type of cap trays called conical cap tray (ConCap tray). A 3-D computational fluid dynamics model was developed to predict the hydrodynamics of the ConCap tray which is operated in the spray regime. The model considers two phase flow of gas and liquid in a VOF-like code framework. The homogeneous multiple size group model (MUSIG model) and shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model were implemented. Detailed insights into the hydrodynamic behavior of the inside of the cones were obtained. The relation between velocity, pressure and cross section area of the flow inside the cone also was formulated. The computational fluid dynamic (CFD) results show that the pressure variation in the cones forces the liquid on the tray to be highly turbulent, which leads to deform the interface to break up. Effect of different riser heights was also studied by CFD simulations. The results show that the riser height has a significant role in the hydrodynamics of the tray, especially in uniform gas distribution in the tray and reducing weeping rates.
Among head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the incidence of oropharyngeal SCC (OPSCC) is increasing in contrast to carcinoma with origin in other subsites. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is now recognized as a significant risk factor of the carcinogenesis of OPSCC. The HPV-related OPSCC patients tend to be relatively young, less exposed to tobacco and alcohol, and have a relatively high socioeconomic status and education level, which is distinct from HPV-unrelated classical OPSCC. The neck metastases tend to be aggressive and cystic. The better response to treatment resulting in improved prognosis of HPV-related OPSCC led to reconsidering the clinical staging and treatment approaches. Clinical trials of treatment deintensification to reduce the acute and late toxicity without compromising efficacy have been conducted. This review of HPV-related OPSCC focuses on current and generally accepted facts regarding the biology, epidemiology, and therapeutic strategy of this new disease entity.
A key aspect of realizing the future smart grid communication solution is a balanced approach between the network performance and the network security during the network deployment. A high security communication flow path is not useful when the network path cannot support capacity and reachability requirements. The deployment phase in communication network can facilitate an optimal network path by focusing on both the network performance and the network security at the same time. In this paper, we describe a use case of smart grid application where security, network capacity and reachability needs to be optimal for successful network operation. We explain our proposed balancing approach of the network performance and the network security which can be useful for the optimal smart grid secure system design.
Although vibratory finishing machines have been widely employed in industry for over 50 years, modeling the vibratory excitation system of the machine has not been previously published. This paper proposes a novel mathematical model of the bowl type vibratory finishing machine. This model is used to analyze the dynamic behavior of the mechanical excitation system considering both free and forced vibrations. The influence of key parameters identified by the proposed model and their impact on machine performance is discussed. Furthermore, implications for machine design and process optimization are presented. Finally, validation of the developed model is presented through correlation of results obtained from the theoretical analysis with data from experimental tests. (C) 2015 CIRP.
Vessel segmentation is a critical task for various medical applications, such as diagnosis assistance of diabetic retinopathy, quantification of cerebral aneurysm's growth, and guiding surgery in neurosurgical procedures. Despite technology advances in image segmentation, existing methods still suffer from low accuracy for vessel segmentation in the two challenging while common scenarios in clinical usage: (1) regions with a low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), and (2) at vessel boundaries disturbed by adjacent non-vessel pixels. In this paper, we present an automated system which can achieve highly accurate vessel segmentation for both 2D and 3D images even under these challenging scenarios. Three key contributions achieved by our system are: (1) a progressive contrast enhancement method to adaptively enhance contrast of challenging pixels that were otherwise indistinguishable, (2) a boundary refinement method to effectively improve segmentation accuracy at vessel borders based on Canny edge detection, and (3) a content-aware region-of-interests (ROI) adjustment method to automatically determine the locations and sizes of ROIs which contain ambiguous pixels and demand further verification. Extensive evaluation of our method is conducted on both 2D and 3D datasets. On a public 2D retinal dataset (named DRIVE (Staal 2004 IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging 23 501- 9)) and our 2D clinical cerebral dataset, our approach achieves superior performance to the state-of-the-art methods including a vesselness based method (Frangi 1998 Int. Conf. on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention) and an optimally oriented flux (OOF) based method (Law and Chung 2008 European Conf. on Computer Vision). An evaluation on 11 clinical 3D CTA cerebral datasets shows that our method can achieve 94% average accuracy with respect to the manual segmentation reference, which is 23% to 33% better than the five baseline methods (Yushkevich 2006 Neuroimage 31 1116-28; Law and Chung 2008 European Conf. on Computer Vision; Law and Chung 2009 IEEE Trans. Image Process. 18 596-612; Wang 2015 J. Neurosci. Methods 241 30-6) with manually optimized parameters. Our system has also been applied clinically for cerebral aneurysm development analysis. Experimental results on 10 patients' data, with two 3D CT scans per patient, show that our system's automatic diagnosis outcomes are consistent with clinicians' manual measurements.
This paper examines university student's perceptions of gender differences with regards to the visual and tactile interaction involved in corporal expression activities. The study is based on a content analysis of the work experience diaries of 34 students (22.26 +/- 2.87 years) from the University of Zaragoza (Spain). Data was processed using the NVIVO 8 software. Results showed: i) activities that require a higher level of emotional involvement engender a higher perception of gender differences; ii) women are perceived as more expressive than men; iii) there is a visual preference for the opposite sex; and iv) men are fearful of touching women. Results lead to the conclusion that didactic intervention that involves tactile and visual interaction should be sequenced in tasks of lesser to greater emotional commitment and incorporate actions and instructions that facilitate the rupture of gender attributions that impede expression.
Over time eukaryotic genomes have evolved to host genes carrying multiple exons separated by increasingly larger intronic, mostly non-protein-coding, sequences. Initially, little attention was paid to these intronic sequences, as they were considered not to contain regulatory information. However, advances in molecular biology, sequencing, and computational tools uncovered that numerous segments within these genomic elements do contribute to the regulation of gene expression. Introns are differentially removed in a cell type-specific manner to produce a range of alternatively-spliced transcripts, and many span tens to hundreds of kilobases. Recent work in human and fruitfly tissues revealed that long introns are extensively processed cotranscriptionally and in a stepwise manner, before their two flanking exons are spliced together. This process, called recursive splicing, often involves non-canonical splicing elements positioned deep within introns, and different mechanisms for its deployment have been proposed. Still, the very existence and widespread nature of recursive splicing offers a new regulatory layer in the transcript maturation pathway, which may also have implications in human disease.
The simulation of hydratlic behaviour of water distribution networks (WDN) needs to develop and implement a mathematical model that is able to consider a wide range of control devices of complex systems. A literature overview is primarily provided for the solution procedures of steady state simulation of nonlinear pipe network hydraulics. Typical elements of pressure regulating valves are conceptually described and differentiated into their functional characteristics to incorporate their hydraulics in the simulation model. They are explored by considering their possible topological positions and operating states. A novel efficient methodology using an unknown head-loss function is initially presented for the hydraulic simulation of network flow problems containing static and/or dynamic closed pipes. Closed pipes can be mainly obtained in the distribution networks either by turning off the isolation valves at a pipe segment or as a result of the operating state of unidirectional control devices depending on the pressure distribution in the pipe network. Thereupon, this approach is extended to integrate the control elements of pipe networks such as check valves, pressure reducing (PRV) and safety valves as well as booster/pumping stations. An iterative numerical algorithm is applied to solve the loop equations using the Newton-Raphson method for the linearised energy equation, where Hardy-Cross technique is locally used to correct flow rates of loops containing closed pipes in the iteration procedure. The developed hybrid approach demonstrated robust and very fast converging behaviour for real-world pipe network applications. Moreover, it can consider a variety of Combinations of control devices in different network configurations. Several empirical head loss formulas can be additionally used in combination with the commonly known equations such as Hazen-Williams and Colebrook-White head loss formulas. The application of the algorithm will be briefly demonstrated by discussing some simulation results from example and real world large scale WDN.
Biogas could provide a more sustainable energy source than wood fuels for rural households in sub-Saharan African. However, functioning of biogas digesters can be limited in areas of low water availability. The water required is approximately 50dm(3)day(-1) for each cow and 10dm(3)day(-1) for each pig providing manure to the digester, or 25 (+/- 6)dm(3)day(-1) for each person in the household, using a digester volume of 1.3 (+/- 0.3)m(3) capita(-1). Here, we consider the potential of domestic water recycling, rainwater harvesting, and aquaculture to supply the water needed for digestion in different countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Domestic water recycling was found to be important in every country but was usually insufficient to meet the requirements of the digester, with households in 72% of countries need to collect additional water. Rooftop rainwater harvesting also has an important role, iron roofs being more effective than thatched roofs at collecting water. However, even with an iron roof, the size of roof commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa (15 to 40m(2)) is too small to collect sufficient water, requiring an extra area (in m(2)) for each person of (R/100) (where R is the rainfall in mm). If there is a local market for fish, stocking a pond with tilapia, fed on plankton growing on bioslurry from the digester, could provide an important source of additional income and hold the water required by the digester. In areas where rainfall is low and seasonal, the fishpond might be stocked only in the rainy season, allowing the pond to be covered during the dry period to reduce evaporation. If evaporative losses (E in mm) exceed rainfall, an extra catchment area is needed to maintain the water level in the pond, equivalent to approximately (1.5x((E-R)/R))m(2) for each person in the household.
In two-pole Induction Machines the shaft leads to a fictitious increase of the inner yoke in the rotor. This effect is influenced by axial cooling vents in the rotor. Pre-existing analytical calculation methods estimate the magnetic voltage drop in the rotor for only one path of the magnetic flux. This is done by simplified boundary conditions and leads to inaccurate results. In this paper a semi-analytical method is introduced. Therefore the branch current method is used and the solution of the nonlinear equation system is disclosed. The results of the analytical calculations are validated by Finite Element Analysis. The involvement of the semi-analytical calculation in the magnetic circuit is illustrated. Further refinement steps are described. Applications for the semi-analytical calculation method are introduced for machine design considerations.
The design of computer-assisted decision (CAD) systems for different biomedical imaging scenarios is a challenging task in computer vision. Sometimes, this challenge can be attributed to the image acquisition mechanisms since the lack of control on the cameras can create different visualizations of the same imaging site under different rotation, scaling, and illumination parameters, with a requirement to get a consistent diagnosis by the CAD systems. Moreover, the images acquired from different sites have specific colors, making the use of standard color spaces highly redundant. In this paper, we propose to tackle these issues by introducing novel region-based texture, and color descriptors. The proposed texture features are based on the usage of analytic Gabor filters (for compensation of illumination variations) followed by the calculation of first-and second-order statistics of the filter responses and making them invariant using some trivial mathematical operators. The proposed color features are obtained by compensating for the illumination variations in the images using homomorphic filtering followed by a bag-of-words approach to obtain the most typical colors in the images. The proposed features are used for the identification of cancer in images from two distinct imaging modalities, i.e., gastroenterology and dermoscopy. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed descriptors compares favorably to several other state-of-the-art methods, elucidating on the effectiveness of adapted features for image characterization.
Humans seem to place a positive reward value on prosocial behavior. Evidence suggests that this prosocial inclination is driven by our reflexive tendency to share in the observed sensations, emotions and behavior of others, or self-other resonance. In this study, we examine how neural correlates of self-other resonance relate to prosocial decision-making. Subjects performed two tasks while undergoing fMRI: observation of a human hand pierced by a needle, and observation and imitation of emotional facial expressions. Outside the scanner, subjects played the Dictator Game with players of low or high income (represented by neutral-expression headshots). Subjects' offers in the Dictator Game were correlated with activity in neural systems associated with self-other resonance and anticorrelated with activity in systems implicated in the control of pain, affect, and imitation. Functional connectivity between areas involved in self-other resonance and top-down control was negatively correlated with subjects' offers. This study suggests that the interaction between self-other resonance and top-down control processes are an important component of prosocial inclinations towards others, even when biological stimuli associated with self-other resonance are limited. These findings support a view of prosocial decision-making grounded in embodied cognition. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1544-1558, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing in prevalence and has a significant impact on caregivers and the healthcare system. One of the many physiologic process affected by AD is the circadian system, with disruption reflected in abnormalities of the sleep-wake cycle. This interaction is bidirectional, with circadian and sleep disruption influencing disease progression. Understanding the bidirectional relationship between AD and circadian disruption may allow for earlier recognition of the potential to develop dementia as well as improved targeted approaches for therapy. Therapies including melatonin and bright light therapy may be advantageous in improving sleep and circadian rhythms and preventing the progression of disease. However, unfortunately, these modalities are not curative, and additional research is needed to improve treatment options for these individuals.
A regional-level and dimensionless analysis for designing a domestic rainwater harvesting system (DRWHS) was developed. To consider various combinations of water demand, storage capacity, effective roof area, and rainfall in DRWHS design, two dimensionless ratios were used, namely, demand fraction and storage fraction, along with a relationship between the two ratios. Firstly, Northern Taiwan was divided into four sub-regions through cluster analysis based on the average annual 10-day rainfall distribution at rainfall stations and administrative districts. Easy-to-use dimensionless curves between demand fraction and storage fraction were obtained for five rainwater supply reliabilities of the DRWHS for the four sub-regions. Based on the dimensionless curves, a nomogram was constructed for designing DRWHSs at a rainwater supply reliability of 95% in the sub-region I. Storage capacities determined from the dimensionless curves showed a close fit with those determined from simulated values, but were larger than the values estimated from the method presented in the Green Building Evaluation Manual in most situations. The methodology developed herein can be used effectively for the preliminary design of a DRWHS and for overcoming the difficulties faced in designing a DRWHS without rainfall data and with incomplete rainfall data.
In permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM), depending on the machine application, different types of permanent magnets (PM) can be used. The most common PMs are ferrite magnets, neodymium iron boron magnets (NdFeB), and samarium cobalt magnets (SmCo). The selection of a suitable magnet for a particular machine design depends on the magnet properties: remanence, conductivity, mechanical rigidity, losses, and demagnetization characteristics. Usually, the possibility of hysteresis losses in PM materials is neglected. In this paper, however, it is demonstrated that possible hysteresis losses have to be evaluated in the machine design. It is shown by measurements and simulations that in some machine designs, hysteresis losses in NdFeB, SmCo, and ferrite magnets can be a source of significant additional ac losses that may lead to too high PM operating temperatures and a reduction in the machine efficiency.
Modeling individual fish habitat selection in highly variable environments such as hydropeaking rivers is required for guiding efficient management decisions. We analyzed fish microhabitat selection in the heterogeneous hydraulic and thermal conditions (modeled in two-dimensions) of a reach of the large hydropeaking Rhone River locally warmed by the cooling system of a nuclear power plant. We used modern fixed acoustic telemetry techniques to survey 18 fish individuals (five barbels, six catfishes, seven chubs) signaling their position every 3 s over a three-month period. Fish habitat selection depended on combinations of current microhabitat hydraulics (e.g. velocity, depth), past microhabitat hydraulics (e.g. dewatering risk or maximum velocities during the past 15 days) and to a lesser extent substrate and temperature. Mixed-effects habitat selection models indicated that individual effects were often stronger than specific effects. In the Rhone, fish individuals appear to memorize spatial and temporal environmental changes and to adopt a least constraining habitat selection. Avoiding fast flowing midstream habitats, fish generally live along the banks in areas where the dewatering risk is high. When discharge decreases, however, they select higher velocities but avoid both dewatering areas and very fast-flowing midstream habitats. Although consistent with the available knowledge on static fish habitat selection, our quantitative results demonstrate temporal variations in habitat selection, depending on individual behavior and environmental history. Their generality could be further tested using comparative experiments in different environmental configurations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper proposed ambient light (ambilight) as a new type of signal sources for positioning. The possibility and methods of ambilight positioning were presented in this paper. It has been shown that two kinds of observables of ambient light can be used for positioning through different principles. Ambilight intensity spectrum measurements have highly location dependency, and they can be used for positioning with the traditional fingerprinting approach. Total ambilight irradiance intensity is used to detect the proximity of a lighting source, and a location solution can be further resolved with the support of knowledge of lighting infrastructure. Ambilight positioning can work in areas where other traditional techniques are not able to function. An ambilight sensor is cost-efficient and miniature in size, and it can be easily integrated with other sensors to form a hybrid positioning system. This paper was concluded with discussions on the possibility, applicability, challenges and outlook of the new ambient light positioning techniques.
The roller is one of the main parts of a high-pressure grinding roller, which is a type of highly efficient ore crushing equipment. Its working life is strongly affected by the materials used. In this paper, a new kind of roller material, the high-vanadium alloy steel (HVAS), was investigated. The results showed that the as-cast microstructures of the HVAS roller contained martensite, residual austenite, and alloy carbides. The HVAS sample quenched at 1,080 degrees C had a high hardness, and it had much higher compressive strength and abrasive wear resistance after tempering at 560 degrees C for 30 min. The mechanical properties of the HVAS are more sufficient than the existing roller materials, which are feasible for larger machine design.
This paper describes the development of a pedestrian microsimulation model that was developed based on the agent based modeling approach, which effectively accounts for the pedestrian intelligence and heterogeneity. The model focuses on producing accurate trajectories for pedestrian interactions. Behavior rules that control pedestrian interactions were extracted from a detailed pedestrian behavior study conducted in Vancouver, BC. The calibration of model parameters was performed using a Genetic algorithm, which aimed at minimizing the error between simulated trajectories and real trajectories obtained by means of computer vision. The validation of the results was conducted using two different data sets. The average errors between simulated and actual trajectories for the two data sets were 35 cm and 27 cm, respectively, while the average speed errors were 13.3% and 5.1%. Results also showed that the model was capable of predicting the correct collision avoidance strategy in 95% of the validation cases investigated.
The use of in vitro data to support the development of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models and to reduce the requirement for in vivo testing is demonstrated by three examples. In the first example, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, in vitro studies comparing metabolism and tissue response in rodents and primates made it possible to obtain definitive data for a human risk assessment without resorting to additional in vivo studies with primates. In the second example, a PBPK model for organophosphate esters was developed in which the parameters defining metabolism, tissue partitioning, and enzyme inhibition were all characterized by in vitro studies, and the rest of the model parameters were established from the literature. The resulting model was able to provide a coherent description of enzyme inhibition following both acute and chronic exposures in mice, rats, and humans. In the final example, the carcinogenic risk assessment for methylene chloride was refined by the incorporation of in vitro data on human metabolism into a PBPK model.
This work was undertaken to determine the genesis and role of creativity (Cr) in the formation of mental qualities that gave Homo sapiens (HS) the evolutionary advantages in intra- and interspecific competition during the period of the intraspecific bifurcation of hominids on the border of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. Creativity allowed HS to design the adaptive forms of purposeful behavior corresponding to the conditions and the degree of uncertainty, and create stable mental constructs, in the absence of perceptual sources, that do not require reactive behavior. Visualization of a target image, which originally had an applied and instructional value in the process of semantic filling, was transformed into a symbol, which, getting the qualities of the perceptual source, loses its connection to the primary value and initiates the creation of qualitatively new needs for hominids: bilateral (direct and inverse) relations in the system subject-symbol. The ability to produce the prognostic hypothesis with expansion of the operating range of the HS mind allowed the ability to search and change the tactics of an adaptive behavior, which gave the results: improvements in quality of life and an increase in life expectancy (genetically fixed); domination in intra- and interspecific competition; the emergence of new operating systems of the psyche, including the emergence and development of symbolic thought. As a criterion of creativity, with the potential ability for quantitative measurement, we propose the value of deviation of creative oscillations (proposal of a creative individual) from the boundaries between stereotypes: for the cognition sphere, a deviation from the border between recognizable and unrecognizable; for the social sphere, between acceptable and unacceptable.
Most intranasal oxytocin research to date has been carried out in men, but recent studies indicate that females' responses can differ substantially from males'. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved an all-female sample of 28 women not using hormonal contraception. Participants viewed animations of geometric shapes depicting either random movement or social interactions such as playing, chasing, or fighting. Probe questions asked whether any shapes were friends or not friends. Social videos were preceded by cues to attend to either social relationships or physical size changes. All subjects received intranasal placebo spray at scan 1. While the experimenter was not blinded to nasal spray contents at Scan 1, the participants were. Scan 2 followed a randomized, double-blind design. At scan 2, half received a second placebo dose while the other half received 24 III of intranasal oxytocin. We measured neural responses to these animations at baseline, as well as the change in neural activity induced by oxytocin. Oxytocin reduced activation in early visual cortex and dorsal-stream motion processing regions for the social >size contrast, indicating reduced activity related to social attention. Oxytocin also reduced endorsements that shapes were friends or not friends, and this significantly correlated with reduction in neural activation. Furthermore, participants who perceived fewer social relationships at baseline were more likely to show oxytocin-induced increases in a broad network of regions involved in social perception and social cognition, suggesting that lower social processing at baseline may predict more positive neural responses to oxytocin.
Global existence theorems for large data to hyperbolic fluid models very often have restrictions on the size of the relaxation parameter depending on the size of the initial data, and therefore leave the general question of well-posedness for large data open. In this note we show blow-up results to some corresponding model problems that underline the complexity of this question and hence also show the strength of global existence theorems for small parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Neurons are highly differentiated cells responsible for the conduction and transmission of information in the nervous system. The proper function of a neuron relies on the compartmentalization of their intracellular domains. Differentiated neuroblastoma cells have been extensively used to study and understand the physiology and cell biology of neuronal cells. Here, we show that differentiation of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells is more pronounced upon exposure of a chemical analog of cyclic AMP (cAMP), db-cAMP. We next analysed the expression of key microtubule-regulating proteins in differentiated cells and the expression and activation of key cAMP players such as EPAC, PKA and AKAP79/150. Most of the microtubule-promoting factors were up regulated during differentiation of N1E-115 cells, while microtubule-destabilizing proteins were down regulated. We observed an increase in tubulin post-translational modifications related to microtubule stability. As expected, db-cAMP increased PKA- and EPAC-dependent signalling. Consistently, pharmacological modulation of EPAC activity instructed cell differentiation, number of neurites, and neurite length in N1E-115 cells. Moreover, disruption of the PKA-AKAP interaction reduced these morphometric parameters. Interestingly, PKA and EPAC act synergistically to induce neuronal differentiation in N1E-115. Altogether these results show that the changes observed in the differentiation of N1E-115 cells proceed by regulating several microtubule-stabilizing factors, and the acquisition of a neuronal phenotype is a process involving concerted although independent functions of EPAC and PKA.
It has been suggested that people attend to others' actions in the service of forming impressions of their underlying dispositions. If so, it follows that in considering others' morally relevant actions, social perceivers should be responsive to accompanying cues that help illuminate actors' underlying moral character. This article examines one relevant cue that can characterize any decision process: the speed with which the decision is made. Two experiments show that actors who make an immoral decision quickly (vs. slowly) are evaluated more negatively. In contrast, actors who arrive at a moral decision quickly (vs. slowly) receive particularly positive moral character evaluations. Quick decisions carry this signal value because they are assumed to reflect certainty in the decision (Experiments 1 and 2), which in turn signals that more unambiguous motives drove the behavior (Experiment 2), which in turn explains the more polarized moral character evaluations. Implications for moral psychology and the law are discussed.
After its recent improvements described here, open source finite element software Elmer is shown to be a highly efficient option for electrical machine modeling. The parallelization of computational burden is shown to be a necessity. The methods implemented enable applying fully parallel computation to electrical machine models, including rotation and electrical circuits. Computational experiments performed demonstrate that Elmer can effectively utilize several hundreds of computational cores in parallel, making it an attractive alternative when computational speed is of high importance.
Human activity recognition has been widely studied since the last decade in ambient intelligence scenarios. Remarkable progresses have been made in this domain, especially in research lines such as ambient assisted living, gesture recognition, behaviour detection and classification, etc. Most of the works in the literature focus on activity classification or recognition, prediction of future events, or anomaly detection and prevention. However, it is hard to find approaches that do not only recognize an activity, but also provide an evaluation of its performance according to an optimality criterion. This problem is of special interest in applications such as sports performance evaluation, physical therapy, etc. In this work, we address the problem of the evaluation of such human activities in monitored environments using depth sensors. In particular, we propose a system able to provide an automatic evaluation of the correctness in the performance of activities involving motion, and more specifically, diagnosis exercises in physical therapy.
In the current research, we posited the stigma-by-prejudice-transfer effect, which proposes that stigmatized group members (e.g., White women) are threatened by prejudice that is directed at other stigmatized group members (e.g., African Americans) because they believe that prejudice has monolithic qualities. While most stigma researchers assume that there is a direct correspondence between the attitude of prejudiced individuals and the targets (i.e., sexism affects women, racism affects racial minorities), the five studies reported here demonstrate that White women can be threatened by racism (Study 1, 3, 4, and 5) and men of color by sexism (Study 2). Robust to perceptions of liking and the order in which measures were administered, results showed that prejudice transfers between racism and sexism were driven by the presumed social dominance orientation of the prejudiced individual. In addition, important downstream consequences, such as the increased likelihood of anticipated stigma, expectations of unfair treatment, and the attribution of negative feedback to sexism, appeared for stigmatized individuals.
This article examines perceptions of low-income consumers receiving government assistance and the choices they make, showing that this group is viewed differently than those with more resources, even when making identical choices. A series of five experiments reveal that ethical purchases polarize moral judgments: whereas individuals receiving government assistance are perceived as less moral when choosing ethical (vs. conventional) products, income earners, particularly high-income individuals, are perceived as more moral for making the identical choice. Price is a central component of this effect because equating the cost of ethical and conventional goods provides those receiving government assistance some protection against harsh moral judgments when choosing ethically. Moreover, earning one's income drives perceptions of deservingness, or the right to spend as one desires. Those who receive assistance via taxpayer dollars are under greater scrutiny (frequently resulting in harsher moral judgments) by others. In addition to influencing perceptions of individual consumers, the results demonstrate that such attributions extend to groups who make ethical choices on others' behalf, and that these attributions have real monetary consequences for nonprofit organizations.
Monte Carlo method can provide high fidelity neutronic analysis of different types of nuclear reactors, owing to its advantages of the flexible geometry modeling and the use of continuous-energy nuclear cross sections. It can also be coupled with thermal-hydraulics codes to consider feedbacks. Due to the effect of thermal motion of target nucleus known as Doppler effect, special treatments have to be used for cross sections at different temperature points. The traditional approach of pre-generated cross sections has difficulty of memory footprint when the number of temperature points is large. The target motion sampling (TMS) method was proposed and developed in Serpent code for temperature treatment based on the Woodcock tracking. In this paper, the TMS method was developed in RMC code based on the ray tracking. Moreover, Doppler-broadening rejection correction (DBRC) technique was also implemented in RMC to consider the effect of thermal motion on scattering kinematics. The pre-generated technique was proposed and applied to accelerate the calculation of TMS method. The results show that TMS method is equivalent to the exact cross-sections with DBRC, while TMS in RMC has higher efficiency in the cases of PWR and HTGR, no matter that the number of nuclides is small or large. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the possibility of improving the ride quality of a two-axle railway vehicle with a single-stage suspension by means of passive suspensions employing an inerter device. The inerter is a mechanical one-port element that is analogous to a capacitor in electrical circuits. The goal is to improve the ride quality in both the vertical and lateral motions in response to track irregularities. Performance benefits for several simple passive suspension layouts are demonstrated and compared with the conventional scheme. The elastic effects of the damper and inerter device are then taken into consideration for practical purposes. The optimum parameter values of the damper, inerter and the parameters representing the elastic effects provide guidance for mechanical design purposes.
Sleep impairment significantly alters human brain structure and cognitive function, but available evidence suggests that adults in developed nations are sleeping less. A growing body of research has sought to use sleep to forecast cognitive performance by modeling the relationship between the two, but has generally focused on vigilance rather than other cognitive constructs affected by sleep, such as reaction time, executive function, and working memory. Previous modeling efforts have also utilized subjective, self-reported sleep durations and were restricted to laboratory environments. In the current effort, we addressed these limitations by employing wearable systems and mobile applications to gather objective sleep information, assess multi-construct cognitive performance, and model/predict changes to mental acuity. Thirty participants were recruited for participation in the study, which lasted 1 week. Using the Fitbit Charge HR and a mobile version of the automated neuropsychological assessment metric called CogGauge, we gathered a series of features and utilized the unified model of performance to predict mental acuity based on sleep records. Our results suggest that individuals poorly rate their sleep duration, supporting the need for objective sleep metrics to model circadian changes to mental acuity. Participant compliance in using the wearable throughout the week and responding to the CogGauge assessments was 80%. Specific biases were identified in temporal metrics across mobile devices and operating systems and were excluded from the mental acuity metric development. Individualized prediction of mental acuity consistently outperformed group modeling. This effort indicates the feasibility of creating an individualized, mobile assessment and prediction of mental acuity, compatible with the majority of current mobile devices.
Background: Grasses (Poaceae) are one of the largest plant families and are distributed worldwide. Grass pollen allergy is one of the most important pollen allergies affecting large parts of the population worldwide. The grass pollen season itself is special since it is caused by the flowering of various grass species that present unique profiles of allergenicity, which assumingly plays a significant role and impact on grass pollen sensitization profiles for the allergy sufferer. The aim of this study, conducted in Vienna, 2014, was to analyze the possible contribution of prevalent grass species to the grass pollen season and to the symptom load of grass allergy sufferers. Methods: This was the first study that combines phenological observations (i.e. grass species and their flowering periods) with aerobiological measurements (i.e. daily grass pollen concentrations) in concert with allergic symptoms from local users of the Patient's Hayfever Diary (symptom load index calculation). Results: Both the pollen concentrations and the symptom levels were higher in the first half of the main grass pollen season and therefore show the highest impact on pollen allergy sufferers. Of important note were the following species that are widely distributed in Vienna: Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata), false oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius), fescue grass (Festuca sp.) and perennial rye-grass (Lolium perenne). Conclusion: Monitoring different grass species provided evidence for varying contribution in pollination across the main grass pollen season and highlighted the significance this impact may have on pollen allergy sufferers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective We aimed to 1) identify clinical and genetic associations of sacroiliitis (SI) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 2) describe the different radiographic patterns of SI in PsA and their clinical and genetic associations. Methods 283 PsA patients, fulfilling CASPAR criteria, underwent detailed skin and rheumatologic assessments. In addition, HLA-B* 27 and B* 080101 status was recorded, which have been shown as the key genetic markers of radiographic SI in PsA. Grade 2 Unilateral or bilateral radiographic changes of SI were required for inclusion and involvement was further defined as asymmetrical or symmetrical. Results 70 patients (25%) had radiographic SI; all either with a present or past history of backache. Regression analysis demonstrated a significant association of SI with peripheral joint erosions (p=0.043), PASI maximum (p=0.041), younger age of PsA onset (p=< 0.001), presence of HLA-B* 0801 (p=0.002) and only marginal significance with HLA-B* 2705 (p=0.059). Asymmetrical SI was noted in 51 patients (73%). In striking contrast to those patients with symmetrical SI, patients with asymmetrical SI were more likely to be female (p=0.04), have a trend towards more severe nail disease (p=0.08) and peripheral joint erosions (p=0.08), more osteolysis (p=0.01), more HLA-B* 0801 positivity (p=0.001) and much less HLA-B* 270502 positivity (p=< 0.001). Conclusion PsA developing at a younger age, severe skin disease, peripheral joint erosions, and HLA-B* 0801 are significantly associated with SI, and there was only a marginal trend towards significance for HLA-B* 2705. HLA-B* 27 positive Axial-PsA patients resemble AS, while HLA-B* 0801 positive Axial-PsA patients have asymmetrical and/or unilateral SI, which are typical of PsA.
Pyrethroid chemicals are attractive alternatives to the organophosphates (OPs) because of their selective toxicity against pests rather than mammals. The carboxylesterases (CEs) are hepatic enzymes that metabolize ester-containing xenobiotics such as pyrethroids. The primary aim of this study was to gain insight into the catalytic properties of the CE enzymes in humans that metabolize pyrethroids, while a secondary aim was to investigate pyrethroid metabolism using CEs from other mammalian species. Pure human CEs (hCE-1 and hCE-2), a rabbit CE (rCE), and two rat CEs (Hydrolases A and B) were used to study the hydrolytic metabolism of the following pyrethroids: 1R trans-resmethrin (bioresmethrin), 1RS trans-permethrin, and 1RS cis-permethrin. hCE-1 and hCE-2 hydrolyzed trans-permethrin 8- and 28-fold more efficiently than cis-permethrin (when k(cat)/K-m values were compared), respectively. In contrast, hydrolysis of bioresmethrin was catalyzed efficiently by hCE-1, but not by hCE-2. The kinetic parameters for the pure rat and rabbit CEs were qualitatively similar to the human CEs when hydrolysis rates of the investigated pyrethroids were evaluated. Further, a comparison of pyrethroid hydrolysis by hepatic microsomes from rats, mice, and humans indicated that the rates for each compound were similar between species, which further supports the use of rodent models for pyrethroid metabolism studies. An eight-fold range in hydrolytic rates for 11 individual human liver samples toward transpermethrin was also found, although this variability was not related to the levels of hCE-1 protein in each sample. We also determined that the CE inhibitor 2-chloro-3,4-dimethoxybenzil blocked hCE-2-catalyzed trans-permethrin hydrolysis 36 times more potently than hCE-1. Thus, this inhibitor will be useful in future studies that examine CE-mediated metabolism of pyrethroids. While there are likely other esterases in human liver that hydrolyze pyrethroids, the results of this study clearly demonstrate that hCE-1 and hCE2 are human pyrethroid-hydrolyzing CEs. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Dimensionality reduction is a challenging task for high-dimensional data processing in machine learning and data mining. It can help to reduce computation time, save storage space and improve the performance of learning algorithms. As an effective dimension reduction technique, unsupervised feature selection aims at finding a subset of features to retain the most relevant information. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised feature selection method, called Robust Unsupervised Feature Selection via Matrix Factorization (RUFSM), in which robust discriminative feature selection and robust clustering are performed simultaneously under l(2),(1)-norm while the local manifold structures of data are preserved. The advantages of this work are three-fold. Firstly, both the latent orthogonal cluster centers and the sparse representation of the projected data points based on matrix factorization are predicted for selecting robust discriminative features. Secondly, the feature selection and the clustering are performed simultaneously to guarantee an overall optimum. Thirdly, an efficient iterative update algorithm, which is based on Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM), is used for RUFSM optimization. Compared with several state-of-the-art unsupervised feature selection methods, the proposed algorithm comes with better clustering performance for almost all datasets we have experimented with here. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nutritional intervention is effective in reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). To determine the effects of nutritional supplementation on human metabolism, a metabonomic study was carried out on 96 women of reproductive age. Subjects with nutritional intervention were given fortified wheat flour (containing folic acid, vitamin B(1), vitamin B(2), ferric sodium edetate and zinc oxide) for 8 months. Serum metabolic fingerprinting was detected via ultraperformance liquid chromatography in tandem with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF MS), and data acquired was processed by multivariate statistical analysis. The result revealed a significant difference between the control and intervention group. Twenty potential biomarkers, including fructose 6-phosphate, sphingosine 1-phosphate, docosahexaenoic acid and hexadecanoic acid, were located and identified by the accurate mass measurement of TOF MS. These compounds are believed to be functionally related to anti-oxidative competence in vivo. In conclusion, metabonomics study is a valuable approach in exploring the effect mechanism of nutritional intervention on NTD prevention. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The rapid urbanization and the constant expansion of urban areas during the last decades have locally led to increasing water shortage. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems have the potential to be an important contributor to urban water self-sufficiency. The goal of this study was to select an environmentally optimal RWH strategy in newly constructed residential buildings linked to rainwater demand for laundry under Mediterranean climatic conditions, without accounting for water from the mains. Different strategies were environmentally assessed for the design and use of RWH infrastructures in residential apartment blocks in Mediterranean climates. The harvested rainwater was used for laundry in all strategies. These strategies accounted for (i) tank location (i.e., tank distributed over the roof and underground tank), (ii) building height considering the number of stories (i.e., 6, 9, 12, and 15), and (iii) distribution strategy (i.e., shared laundry, supply to the nearest apartments, and distribution throughout the building). The RWH systems consisted of the catchment, storage, and distribution stages, and the structural and hydraulic calculations were based on Mediterranean conditions. The quantification of the environmental performance of each strategy (e.g., CO(2)eq. emissions) was performed in accordance with the life cycle assessment methodology. According to the environmental assessment, the tank location and distribution strategy chosen were the most important variables in the optimization of RWH systems. Roof tank strategies present fewer impacts than their underground tank equivalents because they enhance energy and material savings, and their reinforcement requirements can be accounted for within the safety factors of the building structure without the tank. Among roof tanks and depending on the height, a distribution strategy that concentrates demand in a laundry room was the preferable option, resulting in reductions from 25 to 54 % in most of the selected impact categories compared to distribution throughout the building. These results may set new urban planning standards for the design and construction of buildings from the perspective of sustainable water management. In this sense, a behavioral change regarding demand should be promoted in compact, dense urban settlements.
Phantom cell phone experiences are instances when mobile cell phone users perceive ringing, vibrations, and/or visual stimuli indicating an incoming call or message, yet no call or message actually registers on the phone. As a human signal-detection issue, these experiences may be influenced by psychological factors. We hypothesize that phantom cell phone experiences are a symptom of psychological dependency on cell phone communications and the resulting hypersensitivity to stimuli in the same class as cell phone notification methods. We find support for this hypothesis with path model analyzing responses from a large undergraduate sample. Self-reported symptoms of cell phone dependency strongly predicted the frequency of phantom cell phone experiences and mediated the relationships between personality factors, age, and participant sex with the frequency of phantom cell phone experiences. Women, younger individuals, and those with lower conscientiousness and emotional stability (i.e. higher neuroticism) had higher symptoms of cell phone dependency. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The morning glory spillways is a type of spillways used to pass the flood from upper to lower height. These types of spillways are used in dam reservoir of narrow valleys and locations where the slope of reservoir walls is high. In morning glory spillways, the existence of whirlpool could reduce flow rate, flow rate index and spillway function. The zigzag spillway is introduced as a proper option for compensating the problem which spillways face in passing maximum possible flow rate. These spillways have non-linear crown and in a definite width, compared with spillways with straight crown of similar height, the flow rate passing through the spillway is direct. In the present study, a physical model of morning glory spillway is developed and an entrance to the spillway and zigzag spillways is installed. In different parts of spillway and for different flow rate, the flow rate index is examined in free flow state and the results are offered in diagrams. The analysis of experimental data shows that in a fixed submergence depth, the increase in length of spillway and number of zigzag will increase the flow rate.
This paper investigates the capability and behaviors of two different tooth-concentrated winding topologies for traction electric machine applications. The well-known conventional 12-teeth/10-poles winding and also the new 18-teeth/10-poles winding with low-magnetomotive force (MMF) harmonic contents are investigated. Using these winding types, two permanent-magnet (PM) machines are designed and analyzed, and their performances have been compared. Considering the main machine parameters, such as the electromagnetic torque, losses, field-weakening capability, thermal behavior, and also the noise and vibrations characteristics, the obtained results show significant advantages for the new machine over the conventional design. For the new 18-teeth/10-poles PM machine design, a prototype machine is built and several measurements results for the electromagnetic torque and machine efficiency are given.
The proposed AgLOTOS formal specification language is dedicated to express BDI agent plans, according to the features and requirements of Ambient Intelligence (AmI). It offers a rich modular approach to express and compose elementary plans in order to execute them concurrently. We show how a plan is built automatically as a system of concurrent processes from the mental attitudes of the agent. In contrast to existing approaches, the plan is viewed as the realization of a whole set of partially ordered intentions. The AgLOTOS semantics accords with the possibility of updating some sub-plans on the fly, as the intention set of the BDI agent is revised. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Human communication covers two forms: verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication is an indispensable and inseparable part of human interaction and communication. As a main part of nonverbal communication, body language includes posture, gesture, eye contact, facial expression and so on. Body language plays an important role in utterance meaning such as supplement, accenting, repetition or substitute. Body language belongs to a part of culture. It is unavoidable to have body language misunderstanding since it has different meanings in different culture background, so it is necessary for us to master body language of different cultures. This thesis focuses on the communicative functions of body language from the perceptive of cultural differences. In this way, people can understand body language better and improve our communicationl.
The performance of a reluctance synchronous machine (RSM) strongly depends on the well-designed geometry of the stator and rotor. Within the intention of a high torque and a high power factor both, the difference and the ratio of the direct- and quadrature inductance must be set to a maximum. In this paper an easy (semi-)analytic design method is used to determine these inductances for a reluctance machine with a standard induction machine stator and a multiple flux-barrier rotor. By varying the rotor and stator dimensions, such as the bore diameter and slot geometry, the effect on the difference and the ratio of the inductances and therefore on the output performance parameters is studied. For the analysis a simplified analytical model, such as a magnetic circuit model of the reluctance synchronous machine is created and solved iteratively. The RSM leakage inductances are determined by using the same analytical equations as used for induction motors. An optimum design for various objective functions like maximum torque, maximum torque per kVA and maximum torque per volume is found, by the means of the analytic model. As a result important conclusions are achieved, regarding the stator and rotor design, respectively.
Purpose - Large numbers of older workers are remaining in the global workforce, raising questions concerning age-related differences in perception and behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay between employee age, gender and ethnicity on benevolence perceptions of new co-workers. Design/methodology/approach - Data were obtained through scenario methods from a sample of 215 full-time, team-based employees across nine North American business organizations. Participants evaluated three provocative scenarios depicting initial meetings with new colleagues. Findings - Workers of greater age perceived significantly less benevolence in all three scenarios. In evaluating a new boss, women perceived lower benevolence than men, and gender moderated the relationship between age and perceived benevolence, where aging was associated with significantly lower levels of perceived benevolence only among men. Research limitations/implications - Deeper understandings are needed concerning the behavioral and cognitive mechanisms related to age and workplace perceptions. Practical implications - Older employees, guided by experience, are skeptical of the intentions of a wide variety of newly acquainted colleagues, signaling organizational leaders to customize behaviors and develop programs to encourage awareness and positive relationships across age- and gender-diverse employee groups. Originality/value - This research uniquely explores age influences, and interactions with gender and ethnicity, on benevolence perceptions of diverse new coworkers. The results are robust, considering that age was related to lower benevolence perception across three disparate scenario interpretations.
Background: Hands-on training in point-of-care ultrasound (POC-US) should ideally comprise bedside teaching, as well as simulated clinical scenarios. High-fidelity phantoms and portable ultrasound simulation systems are commercially available, however, at considerable costs. This limits their suitability for medical schools. A Linux-based software for Emergency Department Ultrasound Simulation (edus2TM) was developed by Kulyk and Olszynski in 2011. Its feasibility for POC-US education has been well-documented, and shows good acceptance. An important limitation to an even more widespread use of edus2, however, may be due to the need for a virtual machine for WINDOWS (R) systems. Our aim was to adapt the original software toward an HTML-based solution, thus making it affordable and applicable in any simulation setting. Methods: We created an HTML browser-based ultrasound simulation application, which reads the input of different sensors, triggering an ultrasound video to be displayed on a respective device. RFID tags, NFC tags, and QR Codes T have been integrated into training phantoms or were attached to standardized patients. The RFID antenna was hidden in a mock ultrasound probe. The application is independent from the respective device. Results: Our application was used successfully with different trigger/scanner combinations and mounted readily into simulated training scenarios. The application runs independently from operating systems or electronic devices. Conclusion: This low-cost, browser-based ultrasound simulator is easy-to-build, very adaptive, and independent from operating systems. It has the potential to facilitate POC-US training throughout the world, especially in resource-limited areas.
Computer networks consist of several assets such as hardware, software, and data sources. These assets have often some vulnerabilities which can be exploited by attackers that violate security policies in the network. Considering the limited budget, the network administrator should analyze and prioritize these vulnerabilities to be able to efficiently protect a network by mitigating the most risky ones. So far, several security parameters are offered to analyze security risks from the network security administrator's perspective. The major drawback of these methods is that they do not consider attacker's motivation. Depending on the motivation of potential attackers, different attack path may be selected for network security compromise. So, attacker's motivation is a key factor in predicting the attacker's behavior. In this paper, the attacker's motivation is considered in the process of security risk analysis, so network administrators are able to analyze security risks more accurately. The proposed method is applied on a network and the results are compared with novel works in this area. The experimental results show that network administrator will be able to precisely predict the behavior of attackers and apply countermeasures more efficiently.
The argument we make here is a straightforward one: constant news-media coverage of the excessive lifestyles and consumption patterns of the so called super-rich normalize their extreme privilege, while obfuscating the privilege of many others. We examine a series of typical news stories (print and broadcast) together with examples of popular books to show how the mediatization of the super-rich is ambivalently organized through a mixture of celebratory and derisive stances. In tandem with the logics of capital and the tenets of consumer culture, these lurid spectacles fuel a complex mix of anxiety and desire among target readers-viewers, while absolving us from responsibility for our own relatively and seemingly modest excesses. We are invited also to defend ourselves on the grounds of superior judgement and taste.
The dielectric behavior of polyacrylonitrile derived carbon nanofibers formed at different carbonization temperatures was investigated using impedance spectroscopy. The impedance data are presented in the form of Cole-Cole plots and four equivalent electrical circuits are derived. It is found that by increasing carbonization temperature from 500 to 800 degrees C, a strong capacitive element in the parallel equivalent circuit is transformed into an inductive element, while the contact resistance and parallel resistance are significantly decreased. Along with the morphological and chemical structural evolution, respectively witnessed by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, the dielectric transition deduced from the transformation of electrical circuits can be correlated to the proposed microstructural changes of polyacrylonitrile derived carbon nanofibers and the interaction/interference among them.
The concept of social exclusion has recently gained more attention in the context of online social interactions. However, there is only little data regarding the impact of virtual social exclusion on subsequent real-life social behaviors. Thus, this study set out to examine a virtual version of the common social exclusion scenario, the Cyberball-Paradigm (Williams & Jarvis, 2006), and test for behavioral consequences in a sample of 45 students. Both the virtual characters' agency and the experience of social presence were controlled for. Findings indicate that ostracized individuals show less prosocial behavior in a helping task and keep more seating distance to a confederate than included participants. Also, virtual social exclusion constitutes a significant threat to fundamental human needs like social control, selfesteem and belonging and causes an increase in uncertainty, sadness and anger as well as a decrease in happiness. Avatars and agents seemed to equally endanger human needs and lead to the same seating distance. However, avatar excluded persons also had higher levels of sadness and were less helpful than avatar included persons, who in turn were more confident. Thus, while the Media Equation Concept (Nass & Moon, 2000) holds true for the immediate reaction to social exclusion (i.e., avatars and agents equally threaten fundamental needs), the delayed emotional and behavioral reactions differ for avatars and agents, possibly because they are preceded by cognitive evaluation (c.f.,Temporal Need-Threat Model; Williams, 2009). Implications of these findings for everyday online social interactions (i.e., in MMORPG5) are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent functions, such as executive function, explicit learning, and memory, are negatively affected in cocaine abusers and experimental animal models of cocaine treatment. However, its molecular mechanisms are less understood. In the present study, we performed transcriptome profiling of the dynamic changes in the PFC after repeated cocaine administration in mice. We found 463, 14, and 535 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 2 h, 24 h, and 7 days, respectively, after the withdrawal of chronic cocaine treatment. Time-series correlation analysis identified 5 clusters of statistically significant expression patterns. The expression levels of DEGs in Clusters 1 and 5 exhibited a gradual or fluctuant decrease, Cluster 2 exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease or return to the baseline level, and Clusters 3 and 4 exhibited a fluctuant increase in the expression of DEGs. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that genes related to oxidative phosphorylation, ribosomes, and neurodegenerative disorder were enriched in Cluster 1; genes related to the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, insulin signaling, and circadian pathways were enriched in Cluster 2; genes related to plasticity-related pathways were enriched in Clusters 3 and 4; and genes related to the proteasome were enriched in Cluster 5. Our results suggest that maladaptive neural plasticity associated with psychostimulant dependence may be an ongoing degenerative process with dynamic changes in the gene network at different stages of withdrawal. Furthermore, it could be helpful to develop new therapeutic approaches according to different periods of abstinence.
The paper presents the research on the use of methods of computer image analysis and artificial neural modeling in the process of assessing the quality of greenhouse tomatoes variety Cappricia. The subject of the study was tomatoes of the sizes from 40mm to 67mm and the colours: 1-6, include intermediate colours. The process of image acquisition and obtaining empirical data was conducted throughout the entire growing season in the period from the first harvest in the middle of May to the last harvest at the beginning of November. Satisfactory quality characteristics were obtained in the case of the RBF 37:37-39-1:1 and RBF 22:22-20-2:2 models. RBF 37:37-39-1:1 network, whose output variable was the colour of the tomato, the training quality was 0.930827, the validation quality was 0.911982, and the test quality was 0.979390. The RMSE rate of network training for the training set was 0.075986, for the validation set it was 0.072194, and for the test set 0.061714. For the RBF 22:22-20-2:2 network, the variables were colour and hardness. This network is characterised by a training quality of 0.985038, a validation quality of 0.990694 and a test quality of 0.985130. The RMSE rate of the network training is 0.065667, of the network validation it is 0.066187 and of the network test 0.073868. The research showed that performing a correct classification requires taking two digital images of the examined tomatoes, one of the stem and one of the front of the tomato, and generating training sets that contain average values for the extracted characteristics. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
IPv6 provides more address space, improved address design, and greater security than IPv4. Different transition mechanisms can be used to migrate from IPv4 to IPv6 which includes dual stack networks, tunnels and translation technologies. Within all of this, network security is an essential element and therefore requires special attention. This paper analyses two transition technologies which are dual stack and tunnel. Both technologies are implemented using Cisco Packet Tracer and GNS3. This work will also analyse the security issues of IPv6 to outline the most common vulnerabilities and security issues during the transition. Finally, the authors will design and implement the dual stack, automatic and manual tunnelling transition mechanisms using Riverbed Modeler simulation tool to analyse the performance and compare with the native IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
Porous pavements are easily retrofitted, and effective in improving water quality and hydrology, but prone to clogging. Despite being a major determinant in the lifespan of porous pavements, there is limited information on the physical clogging processes through these systems. The aim of this study was to understand the main physical processes that govern physical clogging and develop a simple black-box model that predicts physical clogging. The key variables that were hypothesised to influence clogging were pavement design and climate characteristics. Two compressed time scale laboratory experiments were conducted over 3 years on three common porous pavement types; monolithic porous asphalt, modular Hydrapave and monolithic Permapave. Pavement design was found to be an important role in clogging. Permapave did not clog even after 26 years of operation in simulated sub-tropical Brisbane (Australia) climate while porous asphalt and Hydrapave clogged after just 12 years, from surface clogging and geotextile clogging, respectively. Each system was tested using two different dosing patterns: (1) continual wetting with no dry periods and (2) variable inflow rates with drying periods (i.e. representing more natural conditions). The latter dosing method approximately doubled the lifespan of all systems suggesting the influence of climate conditions on clogging. Clogging was found to be highly correlated with cumulative volume and flow rate. A simple black-box regression model that predicts physical clogging was developed as a function of cumulative volume and Brisbane climatic conditions. However it is very likely that the shape of this regression is general, and that it could be calibrated for different climates in the future. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Off-grid electricity generation using renewable energy technologies has become a more reliable source to fulfill the needs of rural areas at limited level without considering conventional resources. The main purpose of this study was to propose an economical and optimized design for electricity generation using hybrid energy source PV/Biomass for an agricultural farm and a residential community centered in a small village of district Layyah in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The electric load data was collected for the irrigation and residential needs. Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) was used to design and perform techno-economic analysis to meet the load requirements using PV/biomass hybrid configuration. The solar irradiance data and the available biomass potential on the farm was used in the HOMER software to perform the analysis. Total net present cost (NPC) and cost of electricity (COE) were obtained as a solution by the HOMER analysis and then these results were refined further by performing sensitivity analysis. Sensitivity parameter such as biomass potential, biomass price, solar irradiance and variations in loads were used in the sensitivity analysis. This analysis compares the performance of the system and shows that system is techno-economically viable based on the net present cost and cost of energy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study, various coping strategies used by forest-based rural communities in Vhembe District of South Africa in response to climate variability and change challenges were investigated. The effect of community socio-demographic characteristics on the adaptive capacity and choice/effectiveness of coping strategies was examined. Household level data were collected from 366 respondents selected from 21 rural communities using the proportionate random sampling procedure. The Pearson Chi-square test was used to analyse the coping strategies. The effects of household and community socio-demographic characteristics on choice and effectiveness of coping strategies were determined using the binary logit model. It was observed that the respondents used diverse coping strategies, depending on the nature of climate variability and extreme weather events they were confronted with. Rainwater harvesting was the most popular strategy that the respondents in Makhado (90%), Mutale (96.3%), and Thulamela (50%) used to cope with erratic rainfall. Tree planting around houses and on farmland were the most popular strategies (90-100%) to counter the effects of extreme temperature. Furthermore, household and community demographic characteristics in particular education and skills levels, and forest products, institutional services and infrastructure available in the communities such as markets, and water supply facilities significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the choice of households' coping strategies. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that efforts that enhance the household's capacity and community infrastructural development might be viable and sustainable ways of improving rural communities' resilience to climate change and variability challenges. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a small population of stem cells that continuously generates organs and tissues. We will discuss here flower formation at the SAM, which involves a complex network of regulatory genes and signalling molecules. A major downstream target of this network is the extracellular matrix or cell wall, which is a local determinant for both growth rates and growth directions. We will discuss here a number of recent studies aimed at analysing the link between cell wall structure and molecular regulation. This has involved multidisciplinary approaches including quantitative imaging, molecular genetics, computational biology and biophysics. A scenario emerges where molecular networks impact on both cell wall anisotropy and synthesis, thus causing the rapid outgrowth of organs at specific locations. More specifically, this involves two interdependent processes: the activation of wall remodelling enzymes and changes in microtubule dynamics. This article is part of the themed issue 'Systems morphodynamics: understanding the development of tissue hardware'.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) is an essential coenzyme for various physiological processes including energy metabolism, DNA repair, cell growth, and cell death. Many of these pathways are typically dysregulated in cancer cells, making NAD(+) an intriguing target for cancer therapeutics. NAD(+) is mainly synthesized by the NAD(+) salvage pathway in cancer cells, and not surprisingly, the pharmacological targeting of the NAD(+) salvage pathway causes cancer cell cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Several studies have described the precise consequences of NAD(+) depletion on cancer biology, and have demonstrated that NAD(+) depletion results in depletion of energy levels through lowered rates of glycolysis, reduced citric acid cycle activity, and decreased oxidative phosphorylation. Additionally, depletion of NAD(+) causes sensitization of cancer cells to oxidative damage by disruption of the anti-oxidant defense system, decreased cell proliferation, and initiation of cell death through manipulation of cell signaling pathways (e.g., SIRT1 and p53). Recently, studies have explored the effect of well-known cancer therapeutics in combination with pharmacological depletion of NAD(+) levels, and found in many cases a synergistic effect on cancer cell cytotoxicity. In this context, we will discuss the effects of NAD(+) salvage pathway inhibition on cancer cell biology and provide insight on this pathway as a novel anti-cancer therapeutic target. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The advent and increasing availability of super-resolution microscopies has prompted re-searchers to re-investigate questions of co-localization and co-clustering in the hope of providing more precise and relevant data. Here, we focus on the problem of studying inter-organelle interfaces, a topic of growing interest in cell biology. We sought to identify mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM) candidate sites from dual-colour large-field super-resolution images. MAMs are specialized lipid microdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in close apposition with mitochondria. Using total internal reflection fluorescence structured-illumination microscopy (TIRF-SIM, Brunstein et al., Optics Express, 2013), we achieved a three-dimensional spatial resolution down to approximate to 100 nm. Based on experimental and simulated data, we studied how the spatio-temporal resolution affects common descriptors of co-localization. The apparent overlap scaled inversely with spatial resolution (as expected for objects that are in close apposition and do not merge), independently of the precise metrics used. Important for live-cell imaging, organelle motility made measurements more uncertain, rendering statements of how physiological stimulations or pharmacologic manipulations affect co-localization less robust. Organelle density, or equivalent, the choice of different subcellular regions of interest (ROIs) had a marked effect on the amount of co-localization, as had the size of the ROI chosen. Our study calls for prudence when interpreting co-localization data and suggests that cell and organelle motility, the choice of the ROI analysed, the effective spatiotemporal resolution all impact on the result and hence should systematically be stated, particularly when co-localization arguments are used to assess the effect of drug application on cellular signalling pathways.
It was demonstrated that the entanglement evolution of a specially designed quantum state in the bistochastic channel is asymmetric. In this work, we generalize the study of the quantum correlations, including entanglement and quantum discord, evolution asymmetry to various quantum channels. We found that the asymmetry of entanglement and quantum discord only occurs in some special quantum channels, and the behavior of the entanglement evolution may be quite different from the behavior of the quantum discord evolution. To quantum entanglement, in some channels it decreases monotonously with the increase of the quantum channel intensity. In some other channels, when we increase the intensity of the quantum channel, it decreases at first, then keeps zero for some time, and then rises up. To quantum discord, the evolution becomes more complex and you may find that it evolutes unsmoothly at some points. These results illustrate the strong dependence of the quantum correlations evolution on the property of the quantum channels.
In order to achieve rapid development process and reduce the time to market, new approaches have been investigated for automotive body assembly design. This research presents a prospective study about using plant digital mock up to support industrialization process and design reviews. The concept of Digital Lot (DLot) is introduced as a design object to validate a layout and assembly processes alternative in a collaborative way. The result is a better synchronization between manufacturing engineers and quick identification of key issues related to the future assembly process configuration.
Research suggests that members of advantaged groups who feel dehumanized by other groups respond aggressively. But little is known about how meta-dehumanization affects disadvantaged minority group members, historically the primary targets of dehumanization. We examine this important question in the context of the 2016 U.S. Republican Primaries, which have witnessed the widespread derogation and dehumanization of Mexican immigrants and Muslims. Two initial studies document that Americans blatantly dehumanize Mexican immigrants and Muslims; this dehumanization uniquely predicts support for aggressive policies proposed by Republican nominees, and dehumanization is highly associated with supporting Republican candidates (especially Donald Trump). Two further studies show that, in this climate, Latinos and Muslims in the United States feel heavily dehumanized, which predicts hostile responses including support for violent versus non-violent collective action and unwillingness to assist counterterrorism efforts. Our results extend theorizing on dehumanization, and suggest that it may have cyclical and self-fulfilling consequences.
This paper reports on high-resolution measurements of the velocity field within the front of free-surface viscoplastic surges in' an inclined channel. Free-surface shape and position of the unyielded plug layer inside the surges are also monitored. The experimental results are compared to the predictions of a thinlayer model based on lubrication approximation. Despite its simplicity, the model appears to provide an accurate description of the flow in most of the surge. As predicted, a 2-layer flow structure is clearly observed, with an upper plug layer progressively thinning towards the front. It is only in the tip of the flow, close to the contact line, that discrepancies with the model are observed. The plug layer completely disappears, and velocity profiles become sheared across the whole flow depth. The experimental free-surface shape also deviates from its theoretical counterpart. The distance from the contact line at which lubrication model fails, has been quantified for each experiment, and varies between 1 and 2 times the maximum height of the flow. In the future, this experimental dataset shall provide a unique benchmark to assess the predictive capabilities of more sophisticated flow models. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Multi-view facial expression recognition is a challenging and active research area in computer vision. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective method, called the locality-constrained linear coding based bi-layer (LLCBL) model, to learn discriminative representation for multi-view facial expression recognition. To address the issue of large pose variations, locality-constrained linear coding is adopted to construct an overall bag-of-features model, which is then used to extract overall features as Well as estimate poses in the first layer. In the second layer, we establish one specific view-dependent model for each view, respectively. After the pose information of the facial image is known, we use the corresponding view-dependent model in the second layer to further extract features. By combining all the features in these two layers, we obtain a unified representation of the image. To evaluate the proposed approach, we conduct extensive experiments on both BU-3DFE and Multi-PIE databases. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In light of the growing role of social media in conflict management, the current study analyzes the interrelationship of online political participation of Israeli Jews, the frequency of their online contacts with Arabs, and Jews' perceived social distances from Arabs. The research was conducted through an online survey of a representative sample of 458 Israeli Jews who use the social media at least 3 times a week. Overall, although causation cannot be inferred because of the correlational design of our study, results suggest that frequency of online contacts may positively affect closeness to Arabs in line with contact theory. In keeping with the socialization perspective of political engagement, the findings indicate that the impact of online political participation on social distances from Arabs was mediated by interactions between Jews and Arabs in the social media.
Models of reciprocity imply that cheater detection is an important prerequisite for successful social exchange. Considering the fundamental role of memory in reciprocal exchange, these theories lead to the prediction that memory for cheaters should be preferentially enhanced. Here, we examine whether information of a partner's previous behaviour in an interaction is automatically retrieved when encountering the face of a partner who previously cheated or cooperated. In two studies, participants played a sequential prisoner's dilemma game with cheaters and cooperative partners. Alternating with the game blocks, participants were asked to classify the smiling or angry facial expressions of cooperators and cheaters. Both experiments revealed congruence effects, reflecting faster identification of the smiles of cooperators (Experiments 1 and 2) and faster identification of the angry facial expressions of cheaters (Experiment 2). Our study provides evidence for the automatic retrieval of the partner's behaviour in the game, regardless of whether partners cheated or cooperated, and thus provides further evidence against the cheater detection hypothesis.
The relativistic ethical position rejects the possibility of relying on universal moral norms to draw conclusions from moral judgments. It can influence moral behavior, particulary in prosociality and penalization of faults and crimes; empathy has an important mediating role. The objective of the present paper was to test an interaction of variables model (using SEM), being relativism and moral absolutism predictor variables, empathy variable mediator and prosocial behavior and penalization of faults and crimes dependent variables. The variables were measured in a sample of 515 adolescents between 17 and 20 years of age, with a mean age of 17.49 (SD = 72); 166 males and 349 females, belonging to the province of Entre Rios and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The results indicated a good fit between the proposed model and the empirical data. It was obtained an X-2(1) = 2.55, p = .11, X-2(2), gl = 2.55. The following adjustment indexes were also obtained: GFI = .99, AGFI = .97, CFI = .99. Absolutism as a predictor variable had a positive effect on the penalization of crimes and faults. This positive effect was increased by empathy as a mediating variable between both variables. Relativism had a negative effect on the penalization of faults and crimes. The results of the proposed theoretical model confirm the importance of relativism and moral absolutism on the penalization of faults and crimes, and prosocial behavior; with an important mediating role of empathy for the concretion of the moral.
Background: Cannabis will soon become legalized in Canada, and it is currently unclear how this will impact public health. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is the most common pharmacological treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), and despite its documented effectiveness, a large number of patients respond poorly and experience relapse to illicit opioids. Some studies implicate cannabis use as a risk factor for poor MMT response. Although it is well established that substance-use behaviors differ by sex, few of these studies have considered sex as a potential moderator. The current study aims to investigate sex differences in the association between cannabis use and illicit opioid use in a cohort of MMT patients. Methods: This multicentre study recruited participants on MMT for OUD from Canadian Addiction Treatment Centre sites in Ontario, Canada. Sex differences in the association between any cannabis use and illicit opioid use were investigated using multivariable logistic regression. A secondary analysis was conducted to investigate the association with heaviness of cannabis use. Results: The study included 414 men and 363 women with OUD receiving MMT. Cannabis use was significantly associated with illicit opioid use in women only (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.18, 2.82, p = 0.007). Heaviness of cannabis use was not associated with illicit opioid use in men or women. Conclusions: This is the largest study to date examining the association between cannabis use and illicit opioid use. Cannabis use may be a sex-specific predictor of poor response to MMT, such that women are more likely to use illicit opioids if they also use cannabis during treatment. Women may show improved treatment outcomes if cannabis use is addressed during MMT.
This study concentrates on finding all truncated impossible differentials in substitution-permutation networks (SPNs) ciphers. Instead of using the miss-in-the-middle approach, the authors propose a mathematical description of the truncated impossible differentials. First, they prove that all truncated impossible differentials in an r+1 rounds SPN cipher could be obtained by searching entry 0' in D(P)(r), where D(P) denotes the differential pattern matrix (DPM) of P-layer, thus the length of impossible differentials of an SPN cipher is upper bounded by the minimum integer r such that there is no entry 0' in D(P)(r). Second, they provide two efficient algorithms to compute the DPMs for both bit-shuffles and matrices over GF(2(n)). Using these tools they prove that the longest truncated impossible differentials in SPN structure is 2-round, if the P-layer is designed as an maximum distance separable (MDS) matrix. Finally, all truncated impossible differentials of advanced encryption standard (AES), ARIA, AES-MDS, PRESENT, MAYA and Puffin are obtained.
Objective: In order to guide curricular innovation, we looked at the feasibility and utility of performing a targeted needs assessment of the communication skills of PGY2 internal medicine (IM) residents in their continuity clinic, utilizing faculty direct observation with a validated instrument for communication skills evaluation. Methods: A convenience sample of PGY2 residents in the Emory University School of Medicine IM Residency Program was invited to participate. Using the SEGUE Framework, a checklist of medical communication tasks, faculty assessed residents during a clinic encounter. Results: Thirty out of 53 (57%) PGY2 residents were assessed. SEGUE results indicate residents were most likely to maintain patient's privacy (100%), greet patient appropriately (97%) and check/clarify information (100%). Residents were least likely to acknowledge waiting time (7%), explore psychosocial/emotional factors (27%) and outline agenda for visit (33%). Conclusion: The SEGUE Framework is a feasible tool to evaluate the communication skills of IM residents in a clinic setting. Many PGY2 IM residents in a large, urban practice do not elicit important psychosocial information during outpatient clinic visits. Practice implications: More observation and evaluation of residents' communication skills are needed, with emphasis on building skills to Understand the Patient's Perspective. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background & Objective: Rehabilitation focuses brain-behavior relationship which highlights interaction between psychological and neurobiological factors for better patient care. There is a missing link in the literature about socio-cognitive aspects of frontal lobe epilepsy. Our objective was to examine prefrontal cortical functioning (PCF) and empathic abilities in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE). Further, we analyzed whether any relationship between components of dispositional empathy and PCF exists in patients with FLE. Methods: The study was designed in an experimental paradigm. Sixty patients with FLE were recruited from Sheikh Zayed and Jinnah hospital, Pakistan. Sixty healthy individuals in response to an advertisement took part in the study as control subjects. Participants completed interpersonal reactivity index. Following they performed clock drawing test and word-color identification task switching experiment. Result: Patients with FLE demonstrated weaker PCF (i.e., cognitive flexibility and executive function) as compared to healthy control subjects. Patients with FLE scored lesser on cognitive empathy as compared to healthy control subjects. On contrary, there was no significant difference between patient and control group on affective empathy. Cognitive not affective empathy was potential predictor of PCF. Conclusion: Cognitive empathy is a significant marker of prefrontal cortical functioning (PCF) in FLE. Higher cognitive empathy would lead to efficient PCF.
The growing global concern for environment on one hand and the alarming danger of carbon footprint generation along with non-biodegradability and higher toxicity generation from the use of synthetic fibres on the other have created a dire need to come back to natural fibres. During the application of fabrics at the sites for geotextile application and even in designing garments in the apparel sector, it has been observed that the ability of the fabric to assume a graceful appearance of the contour is very crucial in conveying the significance of drapeability of the natural fibre-made fabric. An attempt has been made in this work to evaluate the effect of different weave constructions on the drapeability of jute-woven fabrics to justify their application on the sites.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating and progressive neurodegenerative disease and is characterized pathologically by the accumulation of amyloid beta (A beta) and the hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins in the brain. The deposition of A beta aggregates triggers synaptic dysfunction, hyperphosphorylation of tau, and neurodegeneration, which lead to cognitive disorders. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of fisetin in the A beta(1-42) mouse model of AD. Single intracerebroventricular injections of A beta(1-42) (3 mu l/5 min/mouse) markedly induced memory/synaptic deficits, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. Intraperitoneal injections of fisetin at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks starting 24 h after A beta(1-42) injection significantly decreased the A beta(1-42)-induced accumulation of A beta, BACE-1 expression, and hyperphosphorylation of tau protein at serine 413. Fisetin treatment also markedly reversed A beta(1-42)-induced synaptic dysfunction by increasing the levels of both presynaptic (SYN and SNAP-25) and postsynaptic proteins (PSD-95, SNAP-23, p-GluR1 (Ser 845), p-CREB (Ser 133) and p-CAMKII (Thr 286) and ultimately improved mouse memory, as observed in the Morris water maze test. Fisetin significantly activated p-PI3K, p-Akt (Ser 473), and p-GSK3 beta (Ser 9) expression in A beta(1-42)-treated mice. Moreover, fisetin prevented neuroinflammation by suppressing various activated neuroinflammatory mediators and gliosis; it also suppressed the apoptotic neurodegeneration triggered by A beta(1-42) injections in the mouse hippocampus. Fluorojade-B and immunohistochemical staining for caspase-3 revealed that fisetin prevented neurodegeneration in A beta(1-42)-treated mice. Our results suggest that fisetin has a potent neuroprotective effect against A beta(1-42)-induced neurotoxicity. These results demonstrate that polyphenolic flavonoids such as fisetin could be a beneficial, effective and safe neuroprotective agent for preventing neurological disorders such as AD.
A method to deal with the design of automatic parting in calibrator computer-aided design (CAD) for plastic profile extrusion dies via feature recognitions is presented. An integral design method to design all the calibrator plates simultaneously is presented. The approach to automatic parting in calibrators is proposed. For a given calibrator integral plate, the positions of calibrators' parting faces are identified automatically based on recognitions of the visibility, attribute adjacent graphs of calibrator cavity surfaces. To meet the machining process requirements of calibrators, a parting process to achieve the final position of the calibrator parting faces is presented. A case study is presented to validate the proposed methodology.
Alternative materials, like recycling materials, industrial by-products and soils already influenced by human activities (e.g. urban soils) are commonly accepted as building material in earthwork constructions. The risk of contaminant leaching from these materials can be limited by reducing the amount of percolating water. Technical safeguards are means to achieve this, but they must be adapted to the requirements of road construction. The research project aims to better knowledge of the percolation and leaching processes in road embankments constructed from alternative materials with different technical safeguards. The input and behavior of water and contaminants from re-used soils and road runoff is measured in eight field lysimeters at an urban road in an enterprise zone in Augsburg, southern Germany with about 9,700 vehicles per day. Each lysimeter contains the cut out of an embankment. The technical safeguards aim to decrease percolation and include a capillary barrier/drainage layer from geotextile and a second one from gravel, a bituminous film of 1 kg/m(2) and a modified mineral sealing of 10 cm. A sandy gravel and a loamy soil were each used for construction of the embankment cut out in four lysimeters. The soils were spiked with a low contamination of Cd, Cu and CN- to test the efficiency of the technical safeguards. In the percolate water of the lysimeters as well as in the road runoff the pH value, electrical conductivity and the concentrations of sulphate, chloride, As, Pb, CN-, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Mo, Sb, Tl, V and Zn have been analyzed in two-week composite samples since July of 2010. The amount of road runoff, lysimeter runoff and percolating water with its electrical conductivity are measured continuously. It has to be noted that measures were taken during a testing period in order to solve imperfections in the test set-up. These measures will have affected the observations presented. Results show that the unfiltered road runoff shows considerable concentrations of Zn and also elevated concentrations of Pb, as expected from former experience and literature. Up to now, all embankment types lead to a strong retention of these two substances. However, elevated Zn and Pb concentrations can be found in the percolating water during times of high chloride concentrations originating from deicing salt. Furthermore it was shown that the average contaminant leaching of each lysimeter was relatively small during the measurement period. Changes in concentrations of other parameters seem to be induced mainly by high chloride content of the infiltrating road runoff, but the time of occurrence of the changes in the effluent as well as the temporal variations depend also on the soil type, soil pH and the technical safeguards. Additionally, it seems that the soil type has a stronger influence on the percolation process compared to the different technical safeguards. Possible reasons will be discussed. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
This study examines an out-of-school time program targeting elementary-aged youth from populations that are typically underrepresented in science fields (primarily African-American, Hispanic, and/or English Language Learner participants). The program aimed to foster positive attitudes toward science among youth by engaging them in growing plants hydroponically (in water without soil). Participants' attitudes toward science, including anxiety, desire, and self-concept, were examined through pre-post survey data (n = 234) over the course of an afterschool program at three separate sites. Data showed that participants' anxiety decreased and desire increased for both male and female participants over the program. Self-concept increased for female participants at all three sites but did not change significantly for male participants. Participants' first language (English or Spanish) was not a factor in attitude outcomes. The primarily positive outcomes suggest that hydroponics can be a useful educational platform for engaging participants in garden-based programming year round, particularly for settings that do not have the physical space or climate to conduct outdoor gardening. Similarities in positive attitude outcomes at the three sites despite differences in format, implementation, and instructor background experience suggest that the program is resilient to variation in context. Understanding which aspects of the program facilitated positive outcomes in the varied contexts could be useful for the design of future programs.
A comprehensive view of protein phosphorylation remains an unmet challenge in the field of cell biology. Mass spectrometry based proteomics is one of the most promising approaches for identifying thousands of phosphorylation events in a single experiment, yet the full breadth of the phosphoproteome has yet to be elucidated. In this article, we examined the complementarity of two methods for phosphopeptide enrichment based on either titanium dioxide (TiO2) enrichment or phosphorylation motif-specific immunoaffinity precipitation (IAP) with four different antibodies. Each method identified nearly 2000 phosphoproteins. However, distinct populations of phosphopeptides were observed. Despite quantifying over 10 000 unique phosphorylation events using TiO2 and over 3900 with IAP, less than 5% of the sites were in common. Agreeing with published literature, the ratio of pS:pT:pY phosphorylation for the TiO2-enriched data set approximated 90:10:< 1. In contrast, that ratio for the combined IAP data, sets was 51:29:20. These differences not only suggest the complementarity between multiple enrichment methods but also emphasize their collective importance in obtaining a comprehensive view of the phosphoproteome.
This paper presents the design, implementation and testing of the automation component for a prototype machinery destined for cutting, sorting and bundling of harvested SRC crops for planting purposes. The device has been developed under the name Rod Picker and is the result of collaboration between six partners from four different countries. The Rod Picker project includes mechanical, automation, hydraulics and sensor measurement concepts. It operates according to conditions imposed by the beneficiaries Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) farm owners, agricultural machinery and energy crops species producers. Freshly harvested material is cut (obeying diameter and length restrictions), sorted and bundled into packages ready for distribution. The process is automated, requiring little intervention on behalf of the operator. The cutting accuracy and speed of execution are two features which underline the efficiency of this device when compared against manual rod processing methods. Measurement errors of under 2% are obtained between what the machine indicates and the manually calculated length. Functionality tests performed over several weeks, in both laboratory and industrial conditions, confirm that this system was properly designed and implemented. Regarding the economical evaluation the conclusion is that working with this machinery can decrease overall processing costs approximately five times when compared to manual labor. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Outdoor industrial-scale microalgae cultivation is limited by several factors, among which a low efficiency of overall light energy conversion plays a key role, mainly due to photosaturation and photo inhibition under high irradiations. This work aims at improving the overall photoconversion efficiency in a microalgal production photobioreactor (PBRs), by exploiting an advanced photovoltaic (PV) technology. A semi-transparent dye sensitized solar cells module (DSC) is placed on the irradiated surface, thus absorbing part of the incident light to produce electricity, while transmitted photons are used by algal cells for photosynthesis. Experiments are carried out in a continuous laboratory scale flat-panel PBR, at different constant light intensities and under a day-night irradiation regime, to ascertain the performances of this combined PV-PBR system in terms of biomass productivity and overall photoconversion efficiency, compared to traditional transparent PBRs. The results obtained show that the configuration proposed, combining biomass production with innovative photovoltaics technology, could be a valuable way to improve light energy utilization and efficiency in microalgal production. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Group ownership is ubiquitous-property is owned by countries, corporations, families, and clubs. However, people cannot understand group ownership by simply relying on their conceptions of ownership by individuals, as group ownership is subject to complexities that do not arise when property is individually owned. We report 6 experiments investigating whether children ages 3 to 6 (N = 540) understand group ownership. In Experiments 1 and 2 children were asked who different objects belong to, and they appropriately judged that certain objects are more likely to belong to a group than to individual people. Experiments 3 and 4 investigated whether children understand the limits of group ownership. Children saw vignettes where agents modified or depleted property. Children ages 3 and older understood that individual members of a group should not deplete group-owned property, and children ages 5 and 6 understood that individual members should not modify group-owned property. Finally, Experiments 5 and 6 investigated whether children understand the benefits of group ownership. Children ages 5 and 6 judged that it is more acceptable for a group member to take group property than for a nonmember to do this, and children ages 4 to 6 judged that group members can take more group resources than can nonmembers. Together, these results are informative about how children conceive of group ownership rights, and about children's conceptions of groups.
Introduction: Methylene blue is more widely available and less expensive than patent blue, with an apparently lower risk of anaphylaxis. Objective: The two dyes were compared regarding detection of the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Method: A prospective, randomized trial involved 142 patients with invasive breast carcinoma. Sixty-nine (49.3%) assigned to patent blue (group A) and 71 (50.70%) to methylene blue (group B). Thirty-five patients (25.0%) were clinical stage III or IV; 55 (38.7%) had axillary lymph nodes affected; and 69 (49.3%) underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Two patients were excluded because the dye type was not recorded. Results: Patients and tumor characteristics were similar in both groups. SLNs were identified in 47 women (68.1%) in group A and 43 (60.6%) in group B (p= 0.35). SLNs were affected in 22 cases (51.2%) in group A and 21 (48.8%) in group B (p= 0.62). The SLN was the only node affected in 12 cases (54.5%) in group A and six (33.3%) in group B (p= 0.18). The time and degree of difficulty involved in identifying the SLN were similar in both groups. There were no complications or allergies. Conclusion: Methylene blue performed as well as patent blue in identifying the SLN in breast cancer patients.
Thermal imaging can become a readily usable tool for crop agricultural water management, since it allows a quick determination of canopy surface temperature that, as linked to transpiration, can give an idea of crop water status. In the last years, the resolution of thermal imaging systems has increased and its weight decreased, fostering their implementation on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for civil and agricultural engineering purposes. This approach would overcome most of the limitations of on site thermal imaging, allowing mapping plant water status at either field or farm scale, taking thus into account the naturally existing or artificially induced variability at those scales. The aim of this work was to evaluate to which extent high-resolution thermal imaging allows evaluating the instantaneous and seasonal variability of water status within a vineyard. The novelty and significance of our approach is that the specifically designed and build unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provided very high-resolution imaging (pixel <9 cm), and that it was used at a commercially relevant acreage (7.5 ha). This set-up was used to obtain Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) from thermal images in a clear-sky day. CWSI values were and compared to stem water potential (psi s) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) measured at 14 sampling sites across the vineyard at the moment when images where acquired. In Order to evaluate the potential of CWSI acquired in a single day to estimate within-vineyard patterns of variation in water status, a spatial modeling approach was used. CWSI correlated well with Ws and gs at the moment of image acquisition, showing to have a great potential to monitor instantaneous variations in water status within a vineyard. The information provided by thermal images proved to be relevant at a seasonal scale as well, although it did not match seasonal trends in water status but mimicked other physiological processes occurring during ripening. Therefore, if a picture of variations in water status is required, it would be necessary to acquire thermal images at several dates along the summer.(C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of cardiovascular (CVD)-related comorbidities in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or psoriasis (Ps) in UK primary care against matched cohorts. Matched retrospective cohort study used a primary care consultation database. Three cohorts were constructed using all patients with a Read code diagnosis of AS, PsA or Ps between 1999 and 2009; each cohort was then compared in a 1:4 ratio to a matched cohort. The prevalence of CVD-related comorbidities (hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes mellitus) were identified by the first consultation of a comorbid Read code, in those with an inflammatory condition of interest. The prevalence of CVD-related comorbidities was compared between each inflammatory cohort and their matched cohort using Fisher's exact test. Ninety-four AS, 106 PsA and 290 Ps patients were identified. Compared with matched cohorts, the most prevalent CVD-related comorbidity in patients with AS was hypertension (35 (37.2 %) vs. 96 matched (25.5 %), p = 0.03); this was also the case for PsA (41 (38.7 %) vs. 114 matched (26.9 %), p = 0.02). No differences were seen in the prevalence of other CVD-related comorbidities in those with AS, PsA or Ps compared to their matched cohorts. Our findings provide UK comparisons of CVD-related comorbidities in patients with AS, PsA and Ps alone; specifically, demonstrating increased prevalence of hypertension in AS and PsA cohorts compared to their matched cohorts. This further supports the argument for more evidence in the need for screening and intervention around CVD comorbidities in inflammatory conditions.
Due to lack of the Source-network-Ioad global perception and multiple time-scale situation awareness, the current distribution network cannot meet the requirements of the active distribution network (ADN) such as active control and active management. An ADN situation awareness system based on distributed monitoring and multi-source information fusion is proposed in this paper. By constructing a multi-level distributed monitoring system based on Internet of Things (lOT) technology, monitoring objects of distribution network are expanded to achieve global awareness in spatial scale. In the light of the randomness and volatility risk of distribution network operation, it is necessary to enhance observability of situation awareness in time scale. Thus, the situation awareness technology of distribution network based on multi-source information fusion is provided, which is constituted of the multi-source information fusion, source-load forecasting, fast simulation analysis, risk assessment and warning and visualization modules. Finally, the operation cockpit visualization technology enables operators to efficiently capture accurate distribution network security situation trend. The ADN Situation Awareness System Demonstration Project is currently being carried out by State Grid Jiangsu Power Company, the actual operation indicates that it can effectively enhance the operation situation awareness and risk early-warning capability.
Self-evaluative emotions depend on internalized social standards and motivate social action. However, there is a lack of empirical research documenting the impact of self-evaluative emotion on 3- and 4-year-olds' prosociality. Extant research relates children's experiences of guilt to empathetic concern and making amends. However, the relationship between guilt and both concern and making amends is potentially reductive. Empathetic concern involves similar bodily expressions to guilt, and amend making is used to distinguish guilt from shame in children. This is the first study to relate the development of both positive and negative self-evaluative emotions to empathetic concern and prosocial choice (making amends and spontaneous help). Results confirm that the broad capacity for self-evaluative emotion is established during the preschool years and relates to empathetic concern. Moreover, these social emotions can be used to predict prosocial choice. Making amends was best predicted by empathetic concern and by children's responses to achievement (pride following success and lack of shame following failure). Alongside moral pride, pride in response to achievement and resilience to shame was also the best predictor of spontaneous help. The data support the idea that young children's prosocial choices may be partially driven by the affective drive to maintain an ideal self. Psychologists have emphasized that in order to be adaptive, self-evaluative emotion should be guilt oriented rather than shame oriented. However, the adaptive role of pride has been neglected. We call on future research to redress the focus on negative self-evaluation in moral development and further explore the prosocial potential of pride. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We examined the urinary excretion of S-benzyl-N-acetylcysteine (SBAC) of toluene sniffers using capillary gas chromatography. SBAC was extracted from 10 ml urine with chloroform and backextracted into 1 M sodium bicarbonate solution. After acidification, the aqueous solution was reextracted with ethyl acetate, and then derivatized to its methyl ester (ME). The peak appearing in the gas chromatogram was identified as SBAC-ME by mass spectrometry. The calibration curve was constructed by plotting the peak height ratio of SBAC-ME and internal standard (S-phenethyl-N-acetylcysteine)-ME against analyte concentration using 10 ml toluene unexposed urine. It showed good linearity over the range of 0.05 - 3.0 mg/l (r = 0.99). We have applied this technique to urine samples from toluene sniffers. SBAC was detected in all urinary samples of sniffers (n = 30, 0.11 -47.13 mg/1), but not at all in the urine of toluene unexposed subjects (n = 60). These results prove that SBAC is also formed from toluene by human metabolism, and detection of SBAC is considered a useful marker for inhalation of toluene.
Introduction: Given the physiological role of placental growth hormone (PGH) during intrauterine development and growth, genetic variation in the coding Growth hormone 2 (GH2) gene may modulate developmental programming of adult stature. Two major GH2 variants were described worldwide, determined by single polymorphism (rs2006123; c.171 + 50C >A). We sought to study whether GH2 variants may contribute to adult anthropometric measurements. Methods: Genotyping of GH2 SNP rs2006123 by RFLP, testing its genetic association with adult height and Body Mass Index (BMI) by linear regression analysis, and combining the results of three individual study samples in meta-analysis. Study samples: HYPEST (Estonia), n = 1464 (506 men/958 women), CADCZ (Czech), n = 871 (518/353); UFA (Bashkortostan), n = 954 (655/299); meta-analysis, n = 3289 (1679/1610). Results: Meta-analysis across HYPEST, CADCZ and UFA samples (n = 3289) resulted in significant association of GH2 rs2006123 with height (recessive model: AA-homozygote effect: beta (SE) = 1.26 (0.46), P = 5.90 x 10(-3); additive model: A-allele effect: beta (SE) = 0.45 (0.18), P = 1.40 x 10(-2)). Among men (n = 1679), the association of the A-allele with taller stature remained significant after multiple-testing correction (additive effect: beta = 0.86 (0.28), P = 1.83 x 10(-3)). No association was detected with BMI. Notably, rs2006123 was in strong LD (r(2) >= 0.87) with SNPs significantly associated with height (rs2665838, rs7209435, rs11658329) and mapped near GH2 in three independent meta-analyses of GWA studies. Conclusions: This is the first study demonstrating a link between a placental gene variant and programming of growth potential in adulthood. The detected association between PGH encoding GH2 and adult height promotes further research on the role of placental genes in prenatal programming of human metabolism. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The progressive integration of driver assistance systems (DAS) into vehicles in recent decades has contributed to improving the quality of the driving experience. Currently, there is a need for individualization of advanced DAS with the aim of improving safety, security and comfort of the driver. In particular, the need to adapt the vehicle to individual preferences and requirements of the driver is an important research focus. In this work, an individualized and non-intrusive monitoring system for real-time driver support is proposed. The kernel of the system is a driver identification module based on driving behavior signals and a high-performance machine learning technique. The scheme is suitable for the development of single-chip embedded systems. Moreover, most of the measurement units used in this research are nowadays available in commercial vehicles, so the deployment of the system can be performed with minimal additional cost. Experimental results using a reduced set of features are very encouraging. Identification rates greater than 75% are obtained for a working set of 11 drivers, 86% for five-driver groups, 88% for four-driver groups, and 90% for three-driver groups.
this paper deals with rare-earth-free permanent magnet traction machine design for C-segment electric vehicle (EV). Four different ferrite permanent magnet synchronous machine topologies having different magnets arrangement and pole-pair number, selected for their high potential, are presented and compared thanks to a computationally efficient finite-element based analysis tool that was developed purposely. It was found that flux focusing machine having 12 poles and 72 slots outperforms in terms of torque-speed requirement fulfillment, efficiency and power to weight ratio. Influence of the magnet grade on the resilience against demagnetization under symmetrical short-circuit condition of the selected machine was then investigated. It is shown that the machine is subject to complete demagnetization if low grade hard ferrite (Ceramic 8) is adopted, thereby fostering research of new and abundantly available magnet grades is key for penetration of new and cost effective electrical machines into EV powertrain market.
Operating system is essential to operate computers. Normally, computers come with preloaded operating systems. However, often the preloaded operating systems are not able to fulfill all requirements of users. The users sometimes need to change the operating system based on their needs. Although some comparative studies and tools are available on operating systems, there is still a lack of tools that provide independent and objective review and recommendation to help the users understand and select from all major operating systems. This paper propose a tool called FSOS, which analyses well-known operating systems used at domestic, commercial and industrial level and suggest suitable operating systems to the users as per their requirements.
This study examined the level of crude glycerin in total replacement of soybean oil and partial replacement of corn in diets for tambaqui without ingredient interfering on the growth performance of these animals. The study was conducted at the Federal University of Tocantins, evaluating five levels of crude glycerin inclusion (0%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5%, and 15%) in 3 replicates with 10 animals each (n = 150 tambaqui.) These animals were fed the experimental diets for a period of 75 days (15 days of adaptation and 60 days of trial), at the end of this period the animals were restrained to measure the values of the growth performance of animals (Specific growth rate, apparent food conversion, feed efficiency, hepatosomatic index, weight gain, and condition factor). During the study period, there were no deaths and in all indices evaluated, only the animal's condition factor presented statistical difference when comparing the initial and final periods of the experiment. The inclusion of up to 15% crude glycerin in tambaqui diets in total replacement of soybean oil and partial replacement of corn can be used without prejudice to the growth performance of the species studied.
DNA nanotechnology enables the synthesis of nanometer-sized objects that can be site-specifically functionalized with a large variety of materials. For these reasons, DNA-based devices such as DNA origami are being considered for applications in molecular biology and nanomedicine. However, many DNA structures need a higher ionic strength than that of common cell culture buffers or bodily fluids to maintain their integrity and can be degraded quickly by nucleases. To overcome these deficiencies, we coated several different DNA origami structures with a cationic poly(ethylene glycol)-polylysine block copolymer, which electrostatically covered the DNA nanostructures to form DNA origami polyplex micelles (DOPMs). This straightforward, cost-effective, and robust route to protect DNA-based structures could therefore enable applications in biology and nanomedicine where unprotected DNA origami would be degraded.
The wide use of geosynthetic in the geotechnical engineering brings a great demand for characterization studies of this material. The main tests for this are known: wide-width strip method, static puncture test (CBR test), tensile creep and creep rupture behavior. Projects with use of geosynthetic in engineering works have to ensure simple techniques standardized tests at national and international level. With this procedure, the characterization and quality control of the material becomes simplified. Knowing the inherent difficulties in the Wide-Width tensile test, this article proposes the use of a non-standardized test for geosynthetic to determine the indirect tensile these materials. As [1, 2 and 3] the static puncture test generates good results for the indirect correlation result voltage. This article shows a way in which the test uses the support from the static puncture test apparatus to analyze the indirect tensile itself, but the test is made with a narrow strip attached at the ends of the support. The application of pressure in the center of the strip is by means of a bar. The main idea of this paper is to obtain these results without intrinsic effects to the material when the sample is punctured by a circular piston CBR and thus get closer to conventional test for tensile and deformation, which is not obtained by the first author quoted. The results show that it is possible to determine values for stress and strain through the test results, thus making it possible another way of characterizing the material.
Nuclear power uprates are investments in generation capacity that enable reactors to operate beyond their original power limit. We find that owners of deregulated reactors are more likely to make investment in power uprates. Moreover, after deregulation owners of boiling water reactors are more likely to choose Extended Power Uprates (EPUs) that could add up to 20 percent of the original power, but owners of pressurized water reactors, another type of reactors for which EPUs are more technically challenging, tend to select other types of uprates that add less of reactor power. Deregulation incentivizes reactor owners to pursue profitable investments and propels them to make careful investment decisions more consistent with the technological nature of their plants.
The blow fly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann, 1830) is a parasitic insect of major global economic importance. Maggots of this fly parasitize the skin of animal hosts, feed on excretions and tissues, and cause severe disease (flystrike or myiasis). Although there has been considerable research on L. cuprina over the years, little is understood about the molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics of this parasitic fly, as well as its relationship with its hosts and the disease that it causes. This Situation might change with the recent report of the draft genome and transcriptome of this blow fly, which has given new and global insights into its biology, interactions with the host animal and aspects of insecticide resistance at the molecular level. This genomic resource will likely enable many fundamental and applied research areas in the future. The present article gives a background on L. cuprina and myiasis, a brief account of past and current treatment, prevention and control approaches, and provides a perspective on the impact that the L cuprina genome should have on future research of this and related parasitic flies, and the design of new and improved interventions for myiasis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper design aspects of high-speed electrical machines are discussed. Analytical calculations dealing with issues of volume and weight are presented. Furthermore, machine design parameters are analyzed. The main target is the design of a turbo generator for usage in aircraft. To improve reliability, a six-phase electrical machine is introduced.
Recently, He et al. proposed an anonymous two-factor authentication scheme following the concept of temporal-credential for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which is claimed to be secure and capable of withstanding various attacks. However, we reveal that the authentication phase of their scheme has several pitfalls. Firstly, their scheme is susceptible to malicious user impersonation attack, in which a legal but malicious user can impersonate as other registered users. In addition, their scheme is also vulnerable to stolen smart card attack. Furthermore, the scheme cannot provide untraceability and is prone to tracking attack. Then we put forward an untraceable two-factor authentication scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for WSNs. Our new scheme makes up for the missing security features necessary for real-life applications while maintaining the desired features of the original scheme. We prove that the scheme fulfills mutual authentication in the Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic. Moreover, by way of informal security analysis, we show that the proposed scheme can resist a variety of attacks and provide more security features than He et al.'s scheme.
In this study, we present a high-order numerical method based on a combined compact integrated RBF (IRBF) approximation for viscous flow and fluid structure interaction (FSI) problems. In the method, the fluid variables are locally approximated by using the combined compact IRBF, and the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved by using the velocity-pressure formulation in a direct fully coupled approach. The fluid solver is verified through various problems including heat, Burgers, convection-diffusion equations, Taylor-Green vortex and lid driven cavity flows. It is then applied to simulate some FSI problems in which an elastic structure is immersed in a viscous incompressible fluid. For FSI simulations, we employ the immersed boundary framework using a regular Eulerian computational grid for the fluid mechanics together with a Lagrangian representation of the immersed boundary. For the immersed fibre/membrane FSI problems, although the order of accuracy of the present scheme is generally similar to FDM approaches reported in the literature, the present approach is nonetheless more accurate than FDM approaches at comparable grid spacings. The numerical results obtained by the present scheme are highly accurate or in good agreement with those reported in earlier studies of the same problems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The rapid urbanization process has brought problems to China, such as traffic congestion, air pollution, water pollution and resources scarcity. Sustainable urbanization is commonly appreciated as an effective way to promote the sustainable development. The proper understanding of the sustainable urbanization performance is critical to provide governments with support in making urban development strategies and policies for guiding the sustainable development. This paper utilizes the method of Structural equation modeling (SEM) to establish an assessment model for measuring sustainable urbanization performance. Four unobserved endogenous variables, economic variable, social variable, environment variable and resource variable, and 21 observed endogenous variables comprise the SEM model. A case study of the 31 provinces in China demonstrates the validity of the SEM model and the analysis results indicated that the assessment model could help make more effective policies and strategies for improving urban sustainability by recognizing the statue of sustainable urbanization.
Reinforcement learning theory powerfully characterizes how we learn to benefit ourselves. In this theory, prediction errors-the difference between a predicted and actual outcome of a choice-drive learning. However, we do not operate in a social vacuum. To behave prosocially we must learn the consequences of our actions for other people. Empathy, the ability to vicariously experience and understand the affect of others, is hypothesized to be a critical facilitator of prosocial behaviors, but the link between empathy and prosocial behavior is still unclear. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) participants chose between different stimuli that were probabilistically associated with rewards for themselves (self), another person (prosocial), or no one (control). Using computational modeling, we show that people can learn to obtain rewards for others but do so more slowly than when learning to obtain rewards for themselves. fMRI revealed that activity in a posterior portion of the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex/basal forebrain (sgACC) drives learning only when we are acting in a prosocial context and signals a prosocial prediction error conforming to classical principles of reinforcement learning theory. However, there is also substantial variability in the neural and behavioral efficiency of prosocial learning, which is predicted by trait empathy. More empathic people learn more quickly when benefitting others, and their sgACC response is the most selective for prosocial learning. We thus reveal a computational mechanism driving prosocial learning in humans. This framework could provide insights into atypical prosocial behavior in those with disorders of social cognition.
Three genes, gnd, pgl, and fbp, relevant to the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) were overexpressed in Corynebacterium glutamicum IWJ001, leading to increase of L-isoleucine production. The transcriptional levels of gnd, pgl, and fbp significantly increased in IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd-fbp-pgl. Compared with the control strain IWJ001/pDXW-8, intracellular NADPH/NADP(+) ratios in IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd and IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd-fbp cells grown for 36 H increased threefold and fourfold, respectively, indicating that overexpression of gnd and fbp redirected the carbon flux to PPP. Intracellular NADPH/NADP(+) ratio in IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd-fbp-pgl grown for 36 H was similar to IWJ001/pDXW-8, suggesting that the NADPH produced by PPP could be quickly consumed for L-isoleucine production. 10.9 and 28.96 g/L of L-isoleucine was produced in IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd-fbp-pgl in shake flask cultivation and fed-batch fermentation, respectively. In addition, IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd-fbp-pgl grew fast, its dry cell weight reached 49 g/L after 48 H, whereas the start strain IWJ001/pDXW-8 reached only 40 g/L. After 96 H fermentation, L-isoleucine yield on glucose in IWJ001/pDXW-8-gnd-fbp-pgl reached 0.138 g/g. The results demonstrate that carbon flux redirection to PPP is an efficient approach to enhance L-isoleucine production in C. glutamicum. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 877-885, 2016
Emerging evidence revealed that honesty and trustworthiness are important drivers of the impression-formation process. Questions remain, however, regarding the role of these moral attributes in guiding real and concrete behaviors. Filling this gap, the present study investigated the influence of honesty on a nonverbal behavior that regulates social interactions: behavioral synchrony. Movements were recorded while participants interacted with a partner who was depicted as honest (versus dishonest) or as friendly (versus unfriendly). Results showed that synchrony was affected only by the honesty of the partner. Specifically, the more the interaction partner lacked honesty, the lower the perceived similarity between the self and the interaction partner, which in turn diminished the promptness to engage in behavioral synchrony. Our findings connected the literature on behavioral synchrony with that on the implication of morality for social perception, revealing the key role of the honesty facet of moral character in shaping nonverbal behaviors.
Boredom is typically regarded a nuisance. Past research on boredom depicts this common emotion as a correlate of many detrimental psychological and social factors, including addiction, depression, discrimination, and aggression. We present a more nuanced perspective on boredom. Specifically, we propose and test that state boredom serves an important self-regulatory function with the potential to foster positive interpersonal consequences: It signals a lack of purpose in activity and fosters a search for meaningful engagement. We examined whether boredom can subsequently cause prosocial intentions if the corresponding prosocial behavior is seen as purposeful. As predicted, boredom, which is characterized by a search for meaning (pilot study), promoted prosocial intentions (Experiment 1), in particular when the corresponding behavior was seen as highly meaningful (Experiment 2). Our novel findings suggest that boredom can have desirable consequences and recasts this emotion as not merely good or bad but rather as personally and socially functional.
This study develops an integrated, multi-scale model of the pilot concentrated high intensity electric field (CHIEF) system using the finite element method (FEM). The CHIEF system is a novel non-thermal pasteurization technology that uses medium to low voltage (<= 10 kV) frequency AC (60 Hz) power supply, and offers satisfactory pasteurization results for liquid food such as juice and milk. The model in this study provides accurate predictions for the fluid behavior, electric field distribution and temperature profile and is validated using experimental results. Results from the model shows that the CHIEF system can provide electric field up to 4000 kV/m with a power supply of 10 kV, enabling a 6-log reduction of bacteria kill. Furthermore, recommendations and optimizations are made based on the modeling results, which would benefit for the process scale-up and design. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Background There is limited understanding of how maternal diet affects breastmilk food allergen concentrations, and whether exposure to allergens through this route influences the development of infant oral tolerance or sensitization. Objective To investigate how maternal dietary egg ingestion during early lactation influences egg protein (ovalbumin) levels detected in human breastmilk. Methods In a randomized controlled trial, women were allocated to a dietary group for the first six weeks of lactation: high-egg diet (>4 eggs per week), low-egg diet (one-three eggs per week) or an egg-free diet. Breastmilk samples were collected at 2, 4 and 6 weeks of lactation for the measurement of ovalbumin. The permeability of the mammary epithelium was assessed by measuring the breastmilk sodium : potassium ratio. Egg-specific IgE and IgG4 were measured in infant plasma at 6 weeks, and prior to the introduction of egg in solids at 16 weeks. Results Average maternal egg ingestion was associated with breastmilk ovalbumin concentration. Specifically, for each additional egg ingested per week, there was an average 25% increase in ovalbumin concentration (95% CI: 5-48%, P = 0.01). Breastmilk ovalbumin concentrations were significantly higher in the ` high-egg' group (>4 eggs per week) compared with the ` egg-free' group (P = 0.04). However, one-third of women had no breastmilk ovalbumin detected. No detectable associations were found between mammary epithelium permeability and breastmilk ovalbumin concentrations. Infant plasma egg-specific IgG4 levels were also positively associated with maternal egg ingestion, with an average 22% (95% CI: 3-45%) increase in infant egg-specific IgG4 levels per additional egg consumed per week (P = 0.02). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Increased maternal egg ingestion is associated with increased breastmilk ovalbumin, and markers of immune tolerance in infants. These results highlight the potential for maternal diet to benefit infant oral tolerance development during lactation.
In recent years, water pollution or contamination incidents happened frequently, causing serious disasters and negative social impact. To reduce the water contamination risk, water quality monitoring sensors should be deployed in water distribution system (WDS) to enable real-time pollution detection. It is desirable to deploy sensors everywhere so that any contamination event can be detected and reported in a timely manner. Unfortunately, this is a luxury and unrealistic vision because of high deployment cost. It is significant to lower the deployment cost provided that the quality-of-sensing, e.g., coverage and contamination detection time, can be guaranteed for effective depollution action. In this paper, we consider a water quality monitoring sensor network consisting of two kinds of sensors with different prices. The expensive one is of cellular communication capability and therefore is able to send sensing information to control center directly, while the cheaper one is of only sensor-to-sensor communication capability. We investigate a cost-efficient sensor deployment problem on how to deploy these two kinds of sensors in a given WDS to minimize the deployment cost, without violating the quality-of-sensing requirement. We first formulate the problem into a mixed integer quadratically constrained programming problem, which is then linearized into an equivalent mixed integer linear programming. We further propose a polynomial two-stage heuristic algorithm and evaluate its efficiency via extensive simulation-based studies.
People who are highly visible may be perceived as also more important and influential. Can good or bad moods influence the extent to which people rely on such irrelevant visual fluency cues when forming impressions? Based on recent work on affect and cognition, two experiments predicted and found that positive affect increased, and negative affect eliminated the effects of visual fluency on impressions. In Experiment 1, after an autobiographical mood induction participants read about two people whose visual fluency was factorially manipulated by changing the size and color of their photos. Both mood and visual fluency influenced impressions, and there was a significant mood by visibility interaction such that positive affect increased, and negative affect eliminated the effects of visual fluency. Experiment 2 replicated these results with a different mood induction, and also found that mood-induced differences in information processing style mediated these effects. The relevance of these findings for impression formation in everyday situations is considered, and their implications for recent affect-cognition theories are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Betweenness is a measure of the centrality of a node in a network, and is normally calculated as the fraction of shortest paths, random walk paths or flow units between node pairs that pass through the node of interest. Betweenness is, in some sense, a measure of the influence a node possesses over the spread of information in the network. However, the traditional betweenness is based on the information dissemination from one node to another. This is conceptually not suitable for the epidemics in which information is disseminated from one node to multiple neighboring nodes and destinations. To address this problem, we propose a novel betweenness measure based on epidemics. The epidemic betweenness counts the average number of the following nodes influenced by the node of interest after it becomes the epidemic source or an intermediary. This measure reflects the potential influence of a node to any epidemic in complex networks. To justify this measure, we introduce real complex networks and estimate the average influential scale of each node in epidemics through a large number of simulations. We compare the simulation results to those of the epidemic betweenness and another seven classic measures, such as Eigenvector and Katz. We further provide correlation studies to expose the differences of the epidemic betweenness in capturing influential nodes. We find that the epidemic betweenness is exclusively the measure that accurately present the potential influence of each node in epidemics. Finally, as an example of application, the epidemic betweenness measure explains the finding in recent research that unpopular users (nodes with small degree) could also lead to large cascades of epidemics.
With an insightful policy, rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be promoted as a core adaptation strategy for achieving global water security, reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustaining water resources. The microbial and chemical quality of RWH samples collected from tanks in a sustainable housing development in Kleinmond, South Africa, were monitored. Results indicated that the tank water quality was within all the chemical standards (cations and anions) analysed for potable water. However, the counts of the indicator organisms, for example, total coliforms and Escherichia coli, exceeded the guidelines stipulated by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (1996). The microbial analysis results thus indicate that the tank water was not fit for potable use without treatment. A social research project was then conducted to describe, amongst others, the condition of the tank and the users' knowledge of the RWH system. In addition, demographic data, viz., gender, household size and employment status, etc., were gathered in order to provide a socioeconomic background description of the study population. Data were gathered by means of face-to-face interviews with 68 respondents. Generally, RWH was used for washing clothes and for cleaning inside and outside the houses. This study noted that without acceptance and necessary training to maintain and use the tank optimally, it is possible that social development projects, such as the one in Kleinmond, will not be sustainable.
Glutamate is an essential excitatory neurotransmitter that regulates brain functions, and its activity is tightly regulated by glutamate transporters. Excess glutamate in the synaptic cleft and dysfunction of excitatory amino acid transporters have been shown to be involved in development of Alzheimer's disease, but the precise regulatory mechanism is poorly understood. Using a D-[H-3]-aspartic acid uptake assay, we found that A beta(1-42) oligomers impaired glutamate uptake in astrocytes and neurons. In astrocytes, this process was accompanied by reduced expression of GLT-1 and GLAST as detected by Western blot and immunocytofluorescence. However, mRNA levels of EAATs detected by qPCR in astrocytes and neurons were not altered, which suggests that this process is post-translational. Co-localization analysis using immunocytofluorescence showed that ubiquitylation of GLT-1 significantly increased. Therefore, we hypothesized that A beta(1-42) oligomers-induced endocytosis of astrocytic GLT-1 may be involved in ubiquitylation. In addition, A beta(1-42) oligomers enhanced secretion of IL-beta,TNF-alpha, and IL-6 into culture supernatant, which may be correlated with an inflammatory response and altered EAATs expression or function in Alzheimer's disease. These findings support the idea that dysregulation of the glutamatergic system may play a significant role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, enhancing expression or function of EAATs in astrocytes and neurons might be a new therapeutic approach in treatment of Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Schottky diode-based doublers are the crucial elements for room temperature high spectral resolution terahertz heterodyne receiver in planetary science and remote sensing. Here, a discrete Schottky diode-based terahertz doubler which acts as the LO for the receiver working up to 400 GHz range was presented. Measured performance is essentially in agreement with predictions from linear/nonlinear co-simulations and this methodology is practicability for the discrete planar GaAs Schottky diodes-based frequency doubler design. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:966-970, 2017
Noise and vibration of electrical machines is a major concern. Changes in the machine design to improve its efficiency can lead to unacceptable vibrations. Tools to predict its vibratory and acoustic performance at the design stage need to be developed. An improved finite element model has been developed to analyse the vibration behaviour of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine of a lift installation using the finite element software ABAQUS. All components and subsets of the machine have been modelled and validated by experimental modal analysis (EMA) performed on them. Some modelling issues have been overcome so that an accurate enough model has been reached. The laminated stator, as it is formed by a pack of several steel sheets, has been treated as an orthotropic material. Windings have been considered as a solid orthotropic part as well. The rotor and the stator and end-shields assemblies have also been validated comparing the calculated natural frequencies and modes shapes and those obtained by EMA. The bearings that join the rotor to the assembly of the stator have been represented by radial springs. The electromagnetic forces are applied in order to obtain the vibration response of the mechanical model. These forces are obtained from the magnetic air-gap flux density which has been obtained with a 2D finite element model developed by FLUX. Then, the vibration response has been used to calculate the radiated noise with an acoustic model in Virtual. Lab. The results given by the acoustic numerical model are compared with sound power measurements made in an anechoic chamber.
This research examined perceptions of public mobile phone conversations and conversationalists. Participants viewed a staged video of a public conversation and later rated their perceptions of the conversation and target speaker. Two variables were manipulated: whether the conversation took place over a mobile phone or was face-to-face, and whether participants could hear both sides or only one side of the conversation. In general, participants rated the one side mobile phone conversation as more noticeable, intrusive, and annoying than the other conditions. Additionally, the target speaker in this condition was less well-liked than the speaker in the other conditions. Perceptions of the target's extraversion varied as a function of whether the conversation occurred on a mobile phone or not. Overall, the results suggest the existence of negative views toward mobile phones and exposure to one side of a conversation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
All-Spin Logic (ASL) devices provide a promising spintronics-based alternative for Boolean logic implementations in the post-Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) era. In principle, any logic functionality can be implemented in ASL. In practice, the performance of an ASL gate is significantly affected by layout choices, but such implications have not been adequately explored in the past. This article proposes a systematic approach for building standard cells in ASL, which are a basic building block in an overall design methodology for implementing large ASL-based circuits. We first propose a new technique to reduce the magnet count for an ASL majority gate but still ensure correct functioning through layout optimization methods. Building on physics-based analysis, we then build a standard cell library with diverse functionality and characterize the library for delay, energy, and area. We perform delay-optimized technology mapping on ISCAS85 benchmark circuits using our library. Our approach results in circuits that are 12.90% faster, consume 26.16% less energy, and are 33.56% more area efficient compared to a standard cell library that does not incorporate layout-based optimization techniques of our work.
The paper aims at explaining why large-scale energy-intensive industries-here the German iron and steel industry-had a period of slow uptake of major energy-efficient technologies from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s (Arens and Worrell, 2014) and why from the mid 2000s onwards these technologies are increasingly implemented again. We analyze the underlying factors and investment/innovation behavior of individual firms in the German iron and steel industry to better understand barriers and drivers for technological change. The paper gives insights on the decision-making process on energy efficiency in firms and helps to understand how policy affects decision-making. We use a mixed method approach. First, we analyze the diffusion of three energy-efficient technologies (EET) for primary steelmaking from their introduction until today (top-pressure recovery turbine (TRT), basic oxygen furnace gas recovery (BOFGR), and pulverized coal injection (PCI)). We derive the uptake of these technologies both at the national level and at the level of the individual firm. Second, we analyze the impact of drivers and barriers on the decision-making process of individual firms whether or not they want to implement these technologies. Economics and access to capital are the foremost barriers to the uptake of an EET. If the expected payback period exceeds a certain value or if the company lacks capital, investments in EET seem not to happen. But even if an EET is economically viable and the company has access to capital, investments in EET might not be realized. Policy-induced prices might have strengthened the recent diffusion of TRT. We found indications that in a limited number of cases, policy intervention was a driving factor. Technical risks and imperfect information are only marginal factors in our cases. Site-specific factors seem to be important, as site-specific factors shape the economics of the selected EET.
Females are two times as likely as males to develop generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; Steiner et al., 2005; Vesga-Lopez et al., 2008). Moreover, the clinical presentation of GAD is different across genders. One explanation for these differences may be the role of cognitive biases involved in GAD between genders. In the present study, we used an exogenous spatial cueing task to examine gender differences in attentional bias for negative and positive information in 118 individuals with a primary diagnosis of GAD. Males and females did not differ in their attentional bias for idiographically selected negative or neutral words. However, women showed a significantly larger attentional bias for positive words than did men. Results suggest that developing gender-specific treatments for GAD could improve treatment response rates.
A growing number of studies have examined the immigrant paradox with respect to health behaviors in the United States. However, little research attention has been afforded to the study of adverse childhood experiences (ACE; neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and witnessing violence) among immigrants in the United States. The present study, using Waves I and II data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), aims to address these gaps by comparing forms of ACE of first- and second-generation immigrants with native-born American adults in the United States. We also examined the latent structure of ACE among immigrants and conducted analyses to assess the psychiatric correlates of identified latent classes. With the exception of neglect, the prevalence of ACE was markedly higher among native-born Americans and second-generation immigrants compared with first-generation immigrants. Four latent classes were identifiedlimited adverse experience (n = 3,497), emotional and physical abuse (n = 1,262), family violence (n = 358), and global adversity (n = 246). The latter three classes evinced greater likelihood of being diagnosed with a mood, anxiety, personality, and substance use disorder, and to report violent and non-violent antisocial behavior. Consistent with prior research examining the associations between the immigrant paradox and health outcomes, results suggest that first-generation immigrants to the United States are less likely to have experienced physical and sexual abuse and witness domestic violence. However, likely due to cultural circumstances, first-generation immigrants were more likely to report experiences that are deemed neglectful by Western standards.
We address the issue of large scale network security. It is known that traditional game theory becomes intractable when considering a large number of players, which is a realistic situation in today's networks where a centralized administration is not available. We propose a new model, based on mean field theory, that allows us to obtain optimal decentralised defence policy for any node in the network and optimal attack policy for an attacker. In this way we settle a promising framework for the development of a mean field game theory of large scale network security. We also present a case study with experimental results.
During tabletop gameplay, players monitor each other's gaze throughout, providing a form of implicit nonverbal communication. A player can infer the intention and potential strategies by estimating the gaze of another, especially in co-located gameplay. This early work-in-progress paper details an exploratory study design that explores the effects of gaze awareness on gameplay, in particular when the gaze of one or more players is augmented over the game and revealed to others. We believe that players may very well change their strategies when gaze becomes 'common knowledge', but can also be used as a form of deception. We will explore these effects with the same game in two settings: a screen-based digital version with players in separate rooms and a co-located tabletop board game version augmented with a projector. This work evaluates the effects of gaze awareness in both settings, providing new insights towards the emerging research of EyePlay.
Independently adjustable multielectrode arrays are routinely used to interrogate neuronal circuit function, enabling chronic in vivo monitoring of neuronal ensembles in freely behaving animals at a single-cell, single spike resolution. Despite the importance of this approach, its widespread use is limited by highly specialized design and fabrication methods. To address this, we have developed a Scalable, Lightweight, Integrated and Quick-to-assemble multielectrode array platform. This platform additionally integrates optical fibers with independently adjustable electrodes to allow simultaneous single unit recordings and circuit-specific optogenetic targeting and/or manipulation. In current designs, the fully assembled platforms are scalable from 2 to 32 microdrives, and yet range 1-3 g, light enough for small animals. Here, we describe the design process starting from intent in computer-aided design, parameter testing through finite element analysis and experimental means, and implementation of various applications across mice and rats. Combined, our methods may expand the utility of multielectrode recordings and their continued integration with other tools enabling functional dissection of intact neural circuits.
Eye gaze is an important social cue in human communication that serves as a predictor of changes in attention, indicates social interest, and even affects the evaluation of objects that have been looked at. However, it needs to be shown how this strong nonverbal signal affects social and aesthetic evaluations in social settings. In this study, we presented natural scenes with two faces in three gaze conditions showing different directions of gaze. Participants evaluated faces that were looked at or not, that showed direct or averted gaze, for attractiveness (aesthetic) as well as trustworthiness (social). In Experiment 1, faces looking directly at the perceiver were rated as more attractive and as more trustworthy. In Experiment 2, when the direct gaze condition was omitted, faces that were looked at by another face were judged as more trustworthy. In Experiment 3a, participants did not remember the directions of gaze of two faces, demonstrating the dependence of the judgement on the actual situation and excluding a memory explanation. In Experiment 3b, we confirmed that these gaze effects depend on the direction of gaze and not the mere presence of another person. Our findings show how gazing in real world settings affects social and aesthetic evaluations.
To meet ever increasing load demand in a sustainable way, reinforcement of photovoltaic (PV) array, wind turbine (WT) and capacitor bank in distribution network is proposed in this paper. A comprehensive planning model is presented to determine location and required installation capacity of multiple PV array, WT and capacitor units in an electric power distribution network under heavy load growth situation. Intermittent power generation of renewable energy sources (RESs) are quantified with suitable probability distribution functions and incorporated in the planning model. The planning approach considers several welfare areas in the distribution systems, viz., increment of profit margin, reduction of carbon-di-oxide emission, minimization of distribution power losses, enhancement of voltage stability level and improvement of the network security considering power flow, voltage limit, line capacity, RES penetration, capacitor penetration and utility economy constraint. Non-dominated sorting based multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm along with fuzzy decision making criteria is used to find the best allocation alternative for mix RES and capacitor planning problem. The effectiveness of the proposed model has been tested on a typical 28-bus Indian rural distribution network. The results show that more efficient techno-eco-environmental optimization can be obtained from combined RES and capacitor planning model. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Information sharing is an integral part of human interaction that serves to build social relationships and affects attitudes and behaviors in individuals and large groups. We present a unifying neurocognitive framework of mechanisms underlying information sharing at scale (virality). We argue that expectations regarding self-related and social consequences of sharing (e.g., in the form of potential for self-enhancement or social approval) are integrated into a domain-general value signal that encodes the value of sharing a piece of information. This value signal translates into population-level virality. In two studies (n = 41 and 39 participants), we tested these hypotheses using functional neuroimaging. Neural activity in response to 80 New York Times articles was observed in theory-driven regions of interest associated with value, self, and social cognitions. This activity then was linked to objectively logged population-level data encompassing n = 117,611 internet shares of the articles. In both studies, activity in neural regions associated with self-related and social cognition was indirectly related to population-level sharing through increased neural activation in the brain's value system. Neural activity further predicted population-level outcomes over and above the variance explained by article characteristics and commonly used self-report measures of sharing intentions. This parsimonious framework may help advance theory, improve predictive models, and inform new approaches to effective intervention. More broadly, these data shed light on the core functions of sharing-to express ourselves in positive ways and to strengthen our social bonds.
Nonverbal behavior plays an important role in any human-human interaction. Teaching-an inherently social activity-is not an exception. So far, the effect of nonverbal behavioral cues accompanying lecture delivery was investigated in the case of traditional ex-cathedra lectures, where students and teachers are co-located. However, it is becoming increasingly more frequent to watch lectures online and, in this new type of setting, it is still unclear what the effect of nonverbal communication is. This article tries to address the problem and proposes experiments performed over the lectures of a popular web repository (Videolectures). The results show that automatically extracted nonverbal behavioral cues (prosody, voice quality and gesturing activity) predict the ratings that Videolectures users assign to the presentations.
Touch between people is associated with several outcomes, including reduced stress, more positive mood, enhanced feelings of closeness, and positive behavioral change. However, the potential utility of touch rarely has been examined in a college sample, with teachers touching their students. In the present study, we used instrumental touch operationalized as teaching students to take their pulse on the wrist; a control group was not touched. We assessed motivation, attitudes toward the instructor and the lecture, and quiz grades based on the lecture. Results indicated that touch increased motivation and attitudes toward the teacher and lecture. We suggest that instructors can use touch as a way to develop rapport, increase student motivation, and improve attitudes toward the instructor and course. Future research should evaluate appropriate forms of touch, possible moderation by student or instructor gender, and potential long-term benefits of using touch in the classroom.
The objective of this project was to determine the factors associated with differences in butadiene (BD) inhalation uptake and the rate of metabolism for BID to epoxy butene by monitoring exhaled breath during and after a brief exposure to BID in human volunteers. A total of 133 subjects (equal males and females; four racial groups) provided final data. Volunteers gave informed consent and completed a questionnaire including diet and alcohol use. A venous blood sample was collected for genotyping CYP2E1. Subjects received a 20 min exposure to 2.0 ppm of BID, followed by a 40 min washout period. The total administered dose was 0.6 ppm*h. which is in the range of everyday exposures. Ten, 1 or 2 min exhaled breath samples (five during and five after exposure) were collected using an optimized strategy. BD was determined by GC-FID analysis. Breathing activity (minute ventilation, breath frequency and tidal volume) was measured to estimate alveolar ventilation. After the washout period, 250 mg of chlorzoxazone were administered and urine samples collected for 6 h to measure 2E1 phenotype. The total BID uptake during exposure (inhaled BID minus exhaled) was estimated. A three-compartment PBPK model was fitted to each subject's breath measurements to estimate personal and population model parameters. including in-vivo BD metabolic rate. A hierarchical Bayesian PBPK model was fit by Monte Carlo simulations to estimate model parameters. Regression and ANOVA analyses were performed. Earlier data analysis showed wide ranges for both total uptake BD and metabolic rate. Both varied significantly by sex and age, and showed suggestive differences by race, with Asians having the highest rates. The analyses reported here found no correlation between total BID uptake and metabolic rate. No significant differences were found for oxidation rates by 2E1 genotype or phenotype, but the rates showed trends consistent with reported differences by genotype and phenotype for chlorzoxazone metabolism. No effects on metabolic rate were observed for long-term alcohol consumption, or consumption in the past 24 h. Overall, neither dietary factors nor genetic differences explained much of the wide variability in metabolic rates. Population characteristics, age, sex, and race, were the most important explanatory variables, but a large fraction of the total variability in metabolism remains to be explained. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Several previous studies outlined the importance of the histone H2A deubiquitinase MYSM1 in the regulation of stem cell quiescence and haematopoiesis. In this study we investigated the role of MYSM1 in T-cell development. Using mouse models that allow conditional Mysm1 ablation at late stages of thymic development, we found that MYSM1 is intricately involved in the maintenance, activation and survival of CD8(+) T cells. Mysm1 ablation resulted in a twofold reduction in CD8(+) T-cell numbers, and also led to a hyperactivated CD8(+) T-cell state accompanied by impaired proliferation and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production after ex vivo stimulation. These phenotypes coincided with an increased apoptosis and preferential up-regulation of p53 tumour suppressor protein in CD8(+) T cells. Lastly, we examined a model of experimental cerebral malaria, in which pathology is critically dependent on CD8(+) T cells. In the mice conditionally deleted for Mysm1 in the T-cell compartment, CD8(+) T-cell numbers remained reduced following infection, both in the periphery and in the brain, and the mice displayed improved survival after parasite challenge. Collectively, our data identify MYSM1 as a novel factor for CD8(+) T cells in the immune system, increasing our understanding of the role of histone H2A deubiquitinases in cytotoxic T-cell biology.
Forming limit curves are very important for the prediction of failure during sheet metal forming both in practical forming operations and particularly in numerical simulations. The reliability of numerical simulations in sheet metal forming processes is strongly influenced by the reliability of forming limit curves. Therefore, both the theoretical aspects and the experimental determination of the forming limit curves are challenging problems for scientific researchers and industrial practitioners as well. There are various experimental techniques and mathematical models used to determine the forming limit curves. In spite of the standardization efforts made recently by several institutions world wide, there are still significant differences in determining the forming limit curves. Recently, a new, complex measuring system capable for the automatic determination of FLCs was installed at the Department of Manufacturing Engineering. In this paper, first a short overview will be given on the theoretical background of FLCs, then the application of the complex measuring system will be shown.
Varicocele has been associated with reduced male reproductive potential. With the advances in biomolecular techniques, it has been possible to better understand the mechanisms involved in testicular damage provoked by varicocele. Current evidence suggests the central role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the resultant oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of varicocele-associated male subfertility although the mechanisms have not yet been fully described and it is likely to be multifactorial. Excessive ROS is associated with sperm DNA fragmentation, which may mediate the clinical manifestation of poor sperm function and fertilization outcome related to varicocele. Testing of ROS/OS and DNA fragmentation has the potential to provide additional diagnostic and prognostic information compared to conventional semen analysis and may guide therapeutic management strategies in individual patient.
Flood events cause substantial damage to urban and rural areas. Monitoring water extent during large-scale flooding is crucial in order to identify the area affected and to evaluate damage. During such events, spatial assessments of floodwater may be derived from satellite or airborne sensing platforms. Meanwhile, an increasing availability of smartphones is leading to documentation of flood events directly by individuals, with information shared in real-time using social media. Topographic data, which can be used to determine where floodwater can accumulate, are now often available from national mapping or governmental repositories. In this work, we present and evaluate a method for rapidly estimating flood inundation extent based on a model that fuses remote sensing, social media and topographic data sources. Using geotagged photographs sourced from social media, optical remote sensing and high-resolution terrain mapping, we develop a Bayesian statistical model to estimate the probability of flood inundation through weights-of-evidence analysis. Our experiments were conducted using data collected during the 2014 UK flood event and focus on the Oxford city and surrounding areas. Using the proposed technique, predictions of inundation were evaluated against ground-truth flood extent. The results report on the quantitative accuracy of the multisource mapping process, which obtained area under receiver operating curve values of 0.95 and 0.93 for model fitting and testing, respectively.
Agricultural practices in Jiangnan water towns have historically been identified as maintaining a balance between human activity and the local environment, but are now a significant local source of water pollution. Using a multi-methods approach, this study deduces the environmental impact of traditional practices, and the socially desired conditions for successfully reintroducing critical ones. Oral histories from 31 farmers in Tianshanzhuang village, South Yangtze River were in order to chart changes in farming practices over four historic periods, and used to estimate the nitrogen and phosphorus burdens per acre. Findings show that the use of Lan River Muddredged mud for fertilizerwas key in producing a positive impact, but abandoned after the 1980s. Four criteria hindering reintroduction of traditional practices were identified, and potentially useful but fragmented emerging local candidate practices are considered against these, as are recent practices in Japan. We propose that the cooperation of several stakeholders with various related government departments in China could lead to a portfolio of effective policy changes and should be studied further: to include new methods and uses of Lan River Mud; the integration of aquaculture, leisure and tourism industries with agriculture; and the production of organic produce with well-planned internet-linked sales, delivery and coordination mechanisms.
The responses of waterbodies to agricultural programmes of measures are frequently delayed by hydrological time lags through the unsaturated zone and groundwater. Time lag may therefore, impede the achievement of remediation deadlines such as those described in the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Omitting time lag from catchment characterisation renders evaluation of management practices impossible. Time lag aside, regulators at national scale can only manage the expectations of policy makers at larger scales (e.g. European Union) by demonstrating positive nutrient trajectories in catchments failing to achieve at least 'good' status. Presently, a flexible tool for developing spatial and temporal estimates of trends in water quality/nutrient transport and time lags is not available. The objectives of the present study were first to develop such a flexible, parsimonious framework incorporating existing soil maps, meteorological data and a structured modelling approach, and to secondly, to demonstrate its use in a grassland and an arable catchment (similar to 10 km(2)) in Ireland, assuming full implementation of measures in 2012. Data pertaining to solute transport (meteorology, soil hydraulics, depth of profile and boundary conditions) were collected for both catchments. Low complexity textural data alone gave comparable estimates of nutrient trajectories and time lags but with no spatial or soil series information. Taking a high complexity approach, coupling high resolution soil mapping (1:10,000) with national scale (1:25,000) representative profile datasets to <5 m depth, indicated trends in nutrient transport of 10-12 months and 13-17 months throughout the grassland and arable catchments, respectively. For the same conditions, regulators relying on data from groundwater sampling to test the efficacy of the present measures would be delayed by 61-76 months and 46-79 months, respectively. Variation in meteorological datasets enabled temporal analysis of the trends in nutrient transport and time lag estimates. Such a tool could help catchment scientists to better characterise and manage catchments, determine locations for monitoring or mitigation, assess the efficacy of current measures, and ultimately, advise policy makers and regulators. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A direct structural identification, and quantitative assessment below the 50 nmol/ml level, of the full pattern of renally excreted metabolites is made possible by C-13 NMR measurements of untreated urine samples when stable isotope-labelled (C-13) drug analogues are administered to humans. The full potential of the new ex vivo NMR approach is exemplified by a study, for a group of volunteers, of S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine metabolism. The metabolic sulphoxidation pathway fo S-caroxymethyl-L-cysteine in man, accepted so far, needs to be profoundly revised on the basis of the C-13 NMR results.
Ownership of a smartphone has never been easier nowadays, and it is supported by the fact that most of the people around us have a smartphone or an equivalent smart device. What is smartphone and why is it a smart? A smartphone by definition is as the name suggests, it is a phone is smart enough to not only be limited to the features and capabilities of a traditional cellular phone but also perform what a smart device can. And in recent years, the device that is deemed as the most intelligent device is the computer as it is the most advance piece of technology that is commercially available to the general public. Why this is so, is because in our opinion it has revolutionized how most if not all of the societies of today work. Hence what makes a smartphone is the mobile operating system that it is built upon, which is similar to a computer. It is becoming more and more of a common sight nowadays and this is because they are being offered at a price where more people are able to afford, hence they are reaching the hands of ceiling of the lower income families, all the way up to the higher income families. Back then, pure play devices were mostly simple in terms of how it function and works, hence if possible, we could suggest that the security aspect was never or rather has never been an issue other than the alteration of data after operation such as the tape of video recorders or images captured but never in the process, in the sense that there were no interruptions during operation, most likely is because it was clear and visible, but nowadays when you combine all of those devices into a complex entity, we tend to leave a hole in the cloth somewhere that we did not or rather can't see due to the overwhelming amount of other things that we have. In this paper we discuss the current state of the commercially available operating systems of the two biggest names in smart devices, namely iOS and Android; and measure how secure and/or vulnerable (susceptible) are they to malwares and the nature of the mobile ad hoc network. We first analyze the integrity of the core of a smart device, the operating system and then use it to evaluate the effectiveness of their techniques and defenses of preventing and identifying malwares.
Fasting is one of the simplest metabolic challenges that can be performed in humans. We here report for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the human fasting metabolome obtained from analysis of plasma and urine samples in a small cohort of healthy volunteers, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography- and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS). Intra- and inter-individual variation of metabolites was on measurement of four overnight fasting samples collected from each volunteer over a four week period. One additional sample per volunteer was collected following a prolonged fasting period of 36 h. Amongst a total of 377 quantified entities in plasma around 44% were shown to change significantly in concentration when volunteers extended fasting from 12 to 36 h. In addition to known markers (plasma free fatty acids, glycerol, ketone bodies) that reflect changes in the body's fuel management under fasting conditions a wide range of new entities such as alpha-aminobutyrate as well as other amino and keto acids were identified as fasting markers. Based on multiple correlations amongst the metabolites and selected hormones in plasma such as leptin or insulin-like-growth-factor-1 (IGF-1), a robust metabolic network with coherent regulation of a wide range of metabolites could be identified. The metabolomics approach described here demonstrates the plasticity of human metabolism and identifies new and robust markers of the fasting state.
The mental health impact of parental detention and deportation on citizen children is a topic of increasing concern. Forced parent-child separation and parental loss are potentially traumatic events (PTEs) with adverse effects on children's mental health. Objective: This study examines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and psychological distress among 91 Latino U.S.-born children (ages 6 to 12), living in mixed-status families with a least 1 undocumented parent at risk for detention or deportation. Method: Multiagent (child, parent, teacher, clinician) and standardized assessments were conducted at baseline to assess for child trauma and psychological distress. Results: Analyses indicate that PTSD symptoms as reported by parent were significantly higher for children of detained and deported parents compared to citizen children whose parents were either legal permanent residents or undocumented without prior contact with immigration enforcement. Similarly, findings revealed differences in child internalizing problems associated with parental detention and deportation as reported by parent as well as differences in overall child functioning as reported by clinician. In addition, teachers reported higher externalizing for children with more exposure to PTEs. Conclusions: These findings lend support to a reconsideration and revision of immigration enforcement practices to take into consideration the best interest of Latino citizen children. Trauma-informed assessments and interventions are recommended for this special population.
Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) Trombe wall system can provide heating/cooling and generate electricity simultaneously. Precedent studies on the BIPV Trombe wall system were focused on two major types, one with PV cells attached to glass (BIPVGTW) and the other with that attached to mass wall (BIPVMTW), characterized by low thermal (BIPVGTW) and electric efficiency (BIPVMTW). This study presents a PV blind-integrated Trombe wall system (BIPVBTW). Adopting developed models on the BIPVBTW, the optimum PV blind slat angles over three seasons (summer, winter and mid-term seasons) and time of day (9:00-17:00) are investigated. Comparative assessment of the three BIPV Trombe wall systems are conducted all year round under Hefei weather conditions, in terms of thermal and electrical performance. The results have illustrated that annual electricity output of BIPVBTW system is similar to that of BIPVGTW system, which is 1.2 times that of the BIPVMTW system. The BIPVGTW system is superior to the BIPVBTW/BIPVMTW systems in cooling load reduction, while using PVBTW/PVMTW heating load is decreased significantly compared to using the PVGTW. Combining electricity generation and cooling/heating load reduction, the total electricity saving of BIPVBTW system is over 45% higher compared to BIPVGTW/BIPVMTW systems. CO2 emissions reduction of the BIPVBTW system are about 1.5 times that of BIPVGTW/BIPVMTW systems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Social cognition is impaired in schizophrenia, is relatively independent of purely neurocognitive domains such as attention and executive functioning, and may be the strongest predictor of functional outcome in this disease. Within a motivated reasoning framework, we tested the hypothesis that the anti-inflammatory Th2-associated cytokines, IL-10 and MDC, would be correlated with behavioral measures of social cognitive threat-detection bias (self-referential gaze detection bias and theory of mind (ToM) bias) in delusional versus non-delusional patients. We administered to schizophrenia patients with delusions (n=21), non-delusional patients (n=39) and controls (n=20) a social cognitive task designed to be sensitive to psychosocial stress response (the Waiting Room Task) and collected plasma levels of inflammatory markers using a bead-based flow immunoassay. Results partially supported our hypothesis. The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was associated with self referential ToM bias in the delusional cohort as predicted, and not with non-delusional patients or healthy controls. This bias reflects a documented tendency of schizophrenia patients with delusions to excessively attribute hostile intentions to people in their environment. Since this cytokine correlated only with ToM bias and only in delusional patients, elevated levels of this cytokine in the blood may eventually serve as a useful biomarker distinguishing delusional patients from both non-delusional patients and healthy controls.
Earlier association rule data mining was mainly used for analysis of market basket data but now the scope has widened. It is experimented in various areas where extraction of interesting correlations can help like healthcare, education systems, manufacturing engineering, network management, intelligence etc. As android is a new technology which came into use from 2008 only, very few researchers have touched the area of applying association rule mining on android applications. Here an implementation of association rule FP-growth algorithm on similar android applications (clones) is done, which is a novel area itself. Paper describes a framework which mines association rules from android application clones. The analysis of the rules and dependencies proved fruitful and gave useful results. Interesting relations are extracted between codes, which can help the developers in performing future operations like modification of the code easily.
Quality function deployment (QFD) is a wellknown method of developing customer-oriented products for satisfying customer needs (CNs). One important process of QFD is to determine importance weights of CNs. However, it is also important to estimate the future importance of CNs because of the existence of the time interval between determining importance weights of CNs and the launch of new products. In this paper, an approach based on fuzzy Markov chain and fuzzy weighted average methods is proposed to determine both present and future importance weights of CNs. A case study of a packing machine design is used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach.
This study examines the energy use economic growth nexus by disaggregating energy use into two types of energy, renewable and non-renewable energy use. Our sample consists of eleven MENA Net Oil Importing Countries (NOICs) during the period 1980-2012. A multivariate panel framework was used to estimate the long run relationship and the panel Granger causality tests was employed to assess the causality direction among variables. The empirical results provide evidence for long-term equilibrium relationship between real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), renewable energy use, non-renewable energy use, real gross fixed capital formation and labor force. The results provide evidence also for positive and statistically significant elasticities. Moreover, the empirical findings from panel Error Correction Model confirm the existence of bidirectional causality between renewable energy use and economic growth, and between non-renewable energy use and economic growth, results that support the feedback hypothesis. Moreover, our empirical findings provide evidence for two way (bidirectional) causal association in both the short and long-run between renewable and non-renewable energy use which proves the substitutability and interdependence between these two types of energy sources. The policies implications of these results are also proposed and discussed.
Release and transport of leachate from municipal solid waste landfills pose a potential hazard to both surrounding ecosystems and human populations. In the present study, soil, groundwater, and surface water samples were collected from the periphery of a municipal solid waste landfill (located at Ranital of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India) for laboratory analysis to understand the release of contaminants. The landfill does not receive any solid wastes for dumping now as the same is under a landfill closure plan. Groundwater and soil samples were collected from the bore holes of 15 m deep drilled along the periphery of the landfill and the surface water samples were collected from the existing surface water courses near the landfill. The landfill had neither any bottom liner nor any leachate collection and treatment system. Thus the leachate generated from the landfills finds paths into the groundwater and surrounding surface water courses. Concentrations of various physico-chemical parameters including some toxic metals (in collected groundwater, soil, and surface water samples) and microbiological parameters (in surface water samples) were determined. The analyzed data were integrated into ArcGIS environment and the spatial distribution of the metals and other physic-chemical parameter across the landfill was extrapolated to observe the distribution. The statistical analysis and spatial variations indicated the leaching of metals from the landfill to the groundwater aquifer system. The study will help the readers and the municipal engineers to understand the release of contaminants from landfills for better management of municipal solid wastes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we propose an innovative quantum private comparison(QPC) protocol based on partial Bell-state measurement from the view of linear optics, which enabling two parties to compare the equality of their private information with the help of a semi-honest third party. Partial Bell-state measurement has been realized by using only linear optical elements in experimental measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution(MDI-QKD) schemes, which makes us believe that our protocol can be realized in the near future. The security analysis shows that the participants will not leak their private information.
Laboratory tests on geosynthetic-reinforced soil-aggregate systems were carried out by many researchers to understand the improvement in bearing resistance of soil-aggregate systems because of geosynthetic reinforcement. California bearing ratio (CBR) test is one among the common laboratory tests adopted for this purpose. This paper presents the influence of sample size and anchorage of reinforcement in CBR test through tests carried out using conventional and modified CBR moulds with and without anchorage of reinforcement. Clay subgrade and aggregate subbase were simulated in these tests with a geosynthetic layer placed at the interface. Modified set-up was double the size of the conventional set-up and has the provision to anchor the reinforcement. Three different types of geosynthetics namely, geotextile (GT), biaxial geogrid (BG), and geonet (GN) were used in the tests. While the size of the mould significantly affected the test results, effect of anchorage of reinforcement on the bearing resistance of reinforced soil-aggregate systems was not significant. Increase in sample size reduced the boundary interference, which otherwise resulted in over prediction of secant modulus of the reinforced systems, the effect being more pronounced for weaker reinforcement materials.
Introduction: Research has reported that smiles facilitate social relationships. However, the effect of a smile on driving behavior has received less interest. Method: This study attempts to evaluate how a pedestrian's smile influences an oncoming driver's behavior. In the first part of our study, male and female research assistants waiting at several pedestrian crossings were asked to smile or not at oncoming drivers. Results: It was found that a smile increases the number of drivers who stop. The same effect was observed when the pedestrian tries to cross outside the pedestrian crossing. Finally, this study shows that motorists drive slower after they see a pedestrian smile, suggesting that a smile can induce a positive mood. Practical Applications: This leads to motorists stopping more readily and driving more carefully. These results also suggest that pedestrians may increase their own safety by using appropriate nonverbal signals toward drivers. (C) 2015 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The concept of soil line can be to describe the temporal distribution of spectral characteristics of the bare soil surface. In this case, the soil line can be referred to as the multi-temporal soil line, or simply temporal soil line (TSL). In order to create TSL for 8000 regular lattice points for the territory of three regions of Tula oblast, we used 34 Landsat images obtained in the period from 1985 to 2014 after their certain transformation. As Landsat images are the matrices of the values of spectral brightness, this transformation is the normalization of matrices. There are several methods of normalization that move, rotate, and scale the spectral plane. In our study, we applied the method of piecewise linear approximation to the spectral neighborhood of soil line in order to assess the quality of normalization mathematically. This approach allowed us to range normalization methods according to their quality as follows: classic normalization >successive application of the turn and shift >successive application of the atmospheric correction and shift >atmospheric correction >shift >turn >raw data. The normalized data allowed us to create the maps of the distribution of a and b coefficients of the TSL. The map of b coefficient is characterized by the high correlation with the ground-truth data obtained from 1899 soil pits described during the soil surveys performed by the local institute for land management (GIPROZEM).
Human action recognition has been well explored in applications of computer vision. Many successful action recognition methods have shown that action knowledge can be effectively learned from motion videos or still images. For the same action, the appropriate action knowledge learned from different types of media, e.g., videos or images, may be related. However, less effort has been made to improve the performance of action recognition in videos by adapting the action knowledge conveyed from images to videos. Most of the existing video action recognition methods suffer from the problem of lacking sufficient labeled training videos. In such cases, over-fitting would be a potential problem and the performance of action recognition is restrained. In this paper, we propose an adaptation method to enhance action recognition in videos by adapting knowledge from images. The adapted knowledge is utilized to learn the correlated action semantics by exploring the common components of both labeled videos and images. Meanwhile, we extend the adaptation method to a semi-supervised framework which can leverage both labeled and unlabeled videos. Thus, the over-fitting can be alleviated and the performance of action recognition is improved. Experiments on public benchmark datasets and realworld datasets show that our method outperforms several other state-of-the-art action recognition methods.
As mobile social networks (MSNs) are booming and gaining tremendous popularity, there have been an increasing number of communications and interactions among users. Taking this advantage, users in MSNs make decisions via collecting and combining trust information from different users. Hence, trust evaluation technology has become a key requirement for network security in MSNs. In such MSNs, however, the community/group structures are dynamically changing, and users may belong to multiple communities/groups. Therefore, trust evaluation plays a critical role in inferring trustworthy contacts among users. In this paper, an innovative trust inference model is proposed for MSNs, in which multiple dimensional trust metrics are incorporated to reflect the complexity of trust. To infer trust relations between users in MSNs with complex communities, we first construct dynamic implicit social behavioral graphs (DynISBG) based on dynamic complex community/group structures and propose an efficient detection algorithm for DynISBG under fuzzy degree kappa. We then present a multi-dimensional fuzzy trust inferring approach that involves four metrics, that is, static attribute trust factor, dynamic behavioral trust factor, long-term trust evolution factor, and recommendation-based trust opinion. Moreover, to obtain the recommendation-based trust opinion about indirect connected users, we discuss the trust aggregation and propagation along trust path. Finally, we evaluate the performance of our novel approach with simulations. The results show that, compared with the existing approaches, the proposed model provides a more detailed analysis in trust evaluation with higher accuracy. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Runoff water management is among the inherent challenges which face the sustainability of the development of arid urban centers. These areas are particularly at risk from flooding due to rainfall concentration in few heavy showers. On the other hand, they are susceptible to drought. The capital of Sudan (Khartoum) stands as exemplary for these issues. Hence, this research study aims at investigating the potential of applying rainwater harvesting (RWH) in Khartoum City Center as a potential urban runoff management tool. Rapid urbanization coupled with the extension of impervious surfaces has intensified the heat island in Khartoum. Consequently, increased frequency of heat waves and dust storms during the dry summer and streets flooding during the rainy season have led to environmental, economical, and health problems. The study starts with exposing the rainfall behavior in Khartoum by investigating rainfall variability, number of raindays, distribution of rain over the season, probability of daily rainfall, maximum daily rainfall and deficit/surplus of rain through time. The daily rainfall data show that very strong falls of >30 mm occur almost once every wet season. Decreased intra- and inter-annual rainfall surpluses as well as increased rainfall concentration in the month of August have been taking place. The 30-year rainfall variability is calculated at decade interval since 1941. Increasing variability is revealed with 1981-2010 having coefficients of variation of 66.6% for the annual values and 108.8-118.0% for the wettest months (July-September). Under the aforementioned rainfall conditions, this paper then explores the potential of RWH in Khartoum City Center as an option for storm water management since the drainage system covers only 40% of the study area. The potential runoff from the 6.5 km(2) center area is computed using the United States Natural Resources Conservation Services method (US-NRCS), where a weighted Curve Number (CN) of 94% is found, confirming dominant imperviousness. Rainfall threshold for runoff generation is found to be 3.3 mm. A 24,000 m(3) runoff generated from a 13.1 mm rainfall (with 80% probability and one year return period) equals the drainage system capacity. An extreme rainfall of 30 mm produces a runoff equivalent to fourfold the drainage capacity. It is suggested that the former and latter volumes mentioned above could be harvested by applying the rational method from 18% and 80% rooftops of the commercial and business district area, respectively. Based on the above results, six potential sites can be chosen for RWH with a total roof catchment area of 39,558 m(2) and potential rooftop RWH per unit area of 0.033 m(3). These results reflect the RWH potential for effective urban runoff management and better water resources utilization. RWH would provide an alternative source of water to tackle the drought phenomenon. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Paleokarst is most commonly expressed as subtle stratigraphic surfaces rather than large void systems penetrating deeply into the paleo-subsurface. In contrast, a regional Precambrian-Cambrian unconformity on Victoria Island (NWT, Canada), is associated with exceptional exposure of large, intact Cambrian paleocavems (100 m diameter; tens of m high). The paleocaves are distributed along a paleo-horizontal plane, and an associated gryke network is present in the 30-60 m of Neoproterozoic dolostone between cave rooves and the base of overlying Cambrian sandstone; both are filled by Cambrian sandstone. The formation and preservation of such karst features require aggressive dissolution along a stable paleo-water-table shortly before transgression and deposition of shallow-marine sand over the dolostone. During the transgression, the karst network acted as a conduit for flowing groundwater that was discharged through overlying, unconsolidated Cambrian shallow-marine sand, producing water-escape structures (sand volcanoes and their conduits). The conduits are preserved as cylindrical remnants of the sand volcanoes' feeder pipes. Sediment fluidisation was probably caused by variations in the hydraulic-head gradient in a meteoric lens near the Cambrian coastline under a tropical climate with abundant, probably seasonally variable rainfall that caused pulses in subsurface fluid flow. Spatial distribution of the paleocaves and sand volcanoes suggests their formation on the southeast side of a recently faulted horst of Proterozoic carbonate bedrock that formed a nearshore island during early Cambrian sea-level rise. Fluidisation structures such as those reported here have generally been difficult to interpret owing to a lack of data on the fluid hydraulics of the underlying aquifer. This is the first report linking the hydraulics of a well-characterised paleokarst to development of fluid-escape structures. Such structures are widely known from sandstones overlying the sub-Cambrian unconformity around the circumference of Laurentia. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In recent years, along with the rapid development of industrial technology, the development of spark erosion technique becomes very important and plays a key role in the molding processing technology, especially under the situation when this technology is urgently needed. Based on the first-hand data from the production site, it is introduced here regarding the structure and the working principle of hcd500k spark erosion machine tool; at the same time, the common faults and problems of the pulse power and servo feed system are analyzed in details and proposed the solution on them. The detailed analysis is also given for the problems like the frequent poor discharge. The reasons and diagnosis methods are deeply studied as well. It is very helpful and supportive on providing evidence for minimizing the machine design defects and making continuous improvement in design. This paper is meaningful in helping machine tooling design to step into a higher level and having spark erosion machine tooling been improving continuously.
Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the association between timing of introduction of potentially allergenic foods to infants and development of food allergies. Methods: CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science were searched using the terms solid food, complementary food, or infant feeding combined with allergy or hypersensitivity for articles published in English in 2000 or later. Inclusion criteria were 1) primary research articles with 2) a focus on association between introduction of complementary foods including potentially allergenic foods into diets of infants less than 12 months of age and development of food allergies. Articles were excluded if they were 1) not primary research, 2) about complementary foods only (without specificity of allergenic foods), or 3) on allergic conditions other than food allergy (such as asthma or. eczema). Results: The initial literature search yielded 533 articles; 14 articles met inclusion criteria. Level of evidence of each study was determined with the SORT criteria. Results found that delayed introduction of solid foods in general and allergenic foods in particular was not associated with decreased risk for allergic diseases among high and low-risk infants. Later introduction was associated with increased risk for allergy development. Clinical Implications: For infants at low risk for development of food allergies, providers should advise caregivers to introduce potentially allergenic foods with other solid foods between 4 and 6 months of age when children show an interest in eating solids. Infants at high risk for peanut allergy, should be evaluated by an allergy specialist prior to introduction of peanuts and work with providers to create an individualized plan for introduction of peanuts and other allergenic foods as needed.
Over the last 6 years, much work on arsenic species in urine samples has been directed toward the determination of the reduced dimethylated arsenic species, DMA(III), because of its high toxicity and perceived key role in the metabolism of inorganic arsenic. Recent work, however, has suggested that DMA(III) may at times have been misidentified because its chromatographic properties can be similar to those of thio-dimethylarsinate (thio-DMA). We analyzed by HPLC-ICPMS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) urine samples from 75 arsenic-exposed women from Bangladesh with total arsenic concentrations ranging from 8 to 1034 mu g As/L and found that thio-DMA was present in 44% of the samples at concentrations ranging mostly from trace amounts to 24 mu g As/L (one sample contained 123 mu g As/L). Cytotoxicity testing with HepG2 cells derived from human hepatocarcinoma indicated that thio-DMA was about 10-fold more cytotoxic than dimethylarsinate (DMA). The widespread occurrence of thio-DMA in urine from these arsenic-exposed women suggests that this arsenical may also be present in other urine samples and has so far escaped detection. The work highlights the need for analytical methods providing specific determinations of arsenic compounds in future studies on arsenic metabolism and toxicology. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The concept of empathy has received much attention from philosophers and also from both cognitive and social psychologists. It has, however, been given widely conflicting definitions, with some taking it primarily as an epistemological notion and others as a social one. Recently, empathy has been closely associated with the simulationist approach to social cognition and, as such, it might be thought that the concept's utility stands or falls with that of simulation itself. I suggest that this is a mistake. Approaching the question of what empathy is via the question of what it is for, I claim that empathy plays a distinctive epistemological role: it alone allows us to know how others feel. This is independent of the plausibility of simulationism more generally. With this in view I propose an inclusive definition of empathy, one likely consequence of which is that empathy is not a natural kind. It follows that, pace a number of empathy researchers, certain experimental paradigms tell us not about the nature of empathy but about certain ways in which empathy can be achieved. I end by briefly speculating that empathy, so conceived, may also play a distinctive social role, enabling what I term 'transparent fellow-feeling'.
Statin-induced skeletal muscle damage in rats is associated to the reduction of the resting sarcolemmal chloride conductance (gCl) and ClC-1 chloride channel expression. These drugs also affect the ClC-1 regulation by increasing protein kinase C (PKC) activity, which phosphorylate and close the channel. Also the intracellular resting calcium (restCa) level is increased. Similar alterations are observed in skeletal muscles of aged rats, suggesting a higher risk of statin myotoxicity. To verify this hypothesis, we performed a 4-5-weeks atorvastatin treatment of 24-months-old rats to evaluate the ClC-1 channel function by the two-intracellular microelectrodes technique as well as transcript and protein expression of different genes sensitive to statins by quantitative real-time-PCR and western blot analysis. The restCa was measured using FURA-2 imaging, and histological analysis of muscle sections was performed. The results show a marked reduction of resting gCl, in agreement with the reduced ClC-1 mRNA and protein expression in atorvastatin-treated aged rats, with respect to treated adult animals. The observed changes in myocyte-enhancer factor-2 (MEF2) expression may be involved in ClC-1 expression changes. The activity of PKC was also increased and further modulate the gCl in treated aged rats. In parallel, a marked reduction of the expression of glycolytic and mitochondrial enzymes demonstrates an impairment of muscle metabolism. No worsening of restCa or histological features was found in statin-treated aged animals. These findings suggest that a strong reduction of gCl and alteration of muscle metabolism coupled to muscle atrophy may contribute to the increased risk of statin-induced myopathy in the elderly. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
For over a century, genetic arguments for the existence of racial inequality have been used to oppose policies that promote social equality. And, over that same time period, American biology textbooks have repeatedly discussed genetic differences between races. This experiment tests whether racial terminology in the biology curriculum causes adolescents to develop genetic beliefs about racial difference, thereby affecting prejudice. Individual students (N=135, grades 7-9) were randomly assigned within their classrooms to learn either from: (i) four text-based lessons discussing racial differences in skeletal structure and the prevalence of genetic disease (racial condition); or (ii) an identical curriculum lacking racial terminology (nonracial condition). Over 3-months that coincided with this learning, students in the racial condition grew significantly more in their perception of the amount of genetic variation between races relative to students in the nonracial condition. Furthermore, those in the racial condition grew in their belief that races differ in intelligence for genetic reasons significantly more than those in the nonracial condition. And, compared to the nonracial condition, students in the racial condition became significantly less interested in socializing across racial lines and less supportive of policies that reduce racial inequality in education. These findings show how biology education sustains racial inequality, and conversely, how human genetic variation education could be designed to reduce genetically based racism. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper presents the simulation results of a linear, fully integrated, two-stage digitally programmable 130 nm CMOS power amplifier (PA) operating at 2.4 GHz. Its power stage is composed of a set of amplifying cells which can be enabled or disabled independently by a digital control circuit. All seven operational modes are univocal in terms of 1 dB output compression point (OCP1dB), saturated output power (P-SAT) and power gain at 2.4 GHz. The lowest power mode achieves an 8.1 dBm P-SAT, a 13.5 dB power gain and consumes 171 mW DC power (P-DC) at an OCP1dB of 6 dBm, whereas the highest power mode reaches an 18.9 dBm P-SAT and a 21.1 dB power gain and consumes 415 mW P-DC at an OCP1dB of 18.2 dBm.
Recent advances in genomic sequencing have opened new horizons in the study of population genetics and evolution in non-model organisms. However, very few population genomic studies have been performed on wild mammals to understand how the landscape affects the genetic structure of populations, useful information for the conservation of biodiversity. Here, we applied a genomic approach to evaluate the relationship between habitat features and genetic patterns at spatial and temporal scales in an endangered ecosystem, the Tropical Dry Forest (TDF). We studied populations of the Plateau deer mouse Peromyscus melanophrys to analyse its genomic diversity and structure in a TDF protected area in the Huautla Mountain Range (HMR), Mexico based on 8209 SNPs obtained through Genotyping-by-Sequencing. At a spatial scale, we found a significant signature of isolation-by-distance, few significant differences in genetic diversity indices among study sites, and no significant differences between habitats with different levels of human perturbation. At a temporal scale, while genetic diversity levels fluctuated significantly over time, neither seasonality nor disturbance levels had a significant effect. Also, outlier analysis revealed loci potentially under selection. Our results suggest that the population genetics of P. melanophrys may be little impacted by anthropogenic disturbances, or by natural spatial and temporal habitat heterogeneity in our study area. The genome-wide approach adopted here provides data of value for conservation planning, and a baseline to be used as a reference for future studies on the effects of habitat fragmentation and seasonality in the HMR and in TDF.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are known to be characterized by restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests and by impairments in social communication and interactions mainly including theory of mind (ToM) processes. The cerebellum has emerged as one of the brain regions affected by ASDs. As the cerebellum is known to influence cerebral cortex activity via cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuits, it has been proposed that cerebello-cortical disconnection could in part underlie autistic symptoms. We used resting-state (RS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the potential RS connectivity changes between the cerebellar dentate nucleus (DN) and the CTC circuit targets, that may contribute to ASD pathophysiology. When comparing ASD patients to controls, we found decreased connectivity between the left DN and cerebral regions known to be components of the ToM network and the default mode network, implicated in specific aspects of mentalizing, social cognition processing, and higher order emotional processes. Further, a pattern of overconnectivity was also detected between the left DN and the supramodal cerebellar lobules associated with the default mode network. The presented RS-fMRI data provide evidence that functional connectivity (FC) between the dentate nucleus and the cerebral cortex is altered in ASD patients. This suggests that the dysfunction reported within the cerebral cortical network, typically related to social features of ASDs, may be at least partially related to an impaired interaction between cerebellum and key cortical social brain regions.
Colloidal behavior of a widely used non-ionic emulsifier, sorbitan monooleate (Span80), was investigated in non-polar solvents (cyclohexane and xylene) using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrical characteristics of the colloidal mixtures were measured with frequency scans ranging from 1 Hz to 200 kHz. The conductances at low frequencies were found to increase with an increase in Span80 concentration. The source of conductivity for non-polar solvents using non-ionic emulsifiers is usually attributed to ionic impurities either in the Span80 or in the non-polar solvents. The measured electrical characteristics for pure Span80 and pure non-polar solvents revealed that the source of ionic conduction is impurities in Span80. It was confirmed that the ionic impurities in the non-polar solvents are in form of aggregate of ions, ion-pairs, and triple ions which is unaffected with the emulsifier concentration. Analyses using equivalent electrical circuits confirmed that the critical Maxwell-Wagner frequency is 0.6-1.8 Hz for the mixtures. The conductance-concentration profiles for the mixtures at 1 Hz showed transitions from a square root to a linear concentration dependence at the CMC. This indicated that the dissociation model holds below the CMC, while the fluctuation model applies above the CMC. The conductance profiles enabled estimates of the relative hydrophilic core radius and the fraction of charged micelles in both non-polar solvents.
Tinnitus (ringing in the ear) is characterized by the perception of a sound in the absence of a corresponding acoustic stimulus. While many affected people habituate to the phantom sound, others are severely bothered and impaired in their quality of life. It is assumed that the latter group is characterized by a deficient noise cancelling mechanism in the brain. To train tinnitus patients to focus on target sounds and hence to suppress irrelevant background sounds, we developed a mobile serious game application, which is presented in this paper. The application runs on three mobile operating systems. We describe its goals and architecture as well as results from an evaluation study. Study results indicate that the gaming approach is feasible for training affected patients in focusing on directional hearing and, thereby, to suppress their tinnitus. Compared to traditional hearing training, advances of this approach are anytime availability, higher enjoyment, immediate feedback, and the option to stepwise increase game difficulty. From this, we expected an increased patient motivation and adherence as well as improved training and learning effects.
The third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis states that people typically perceive the media messages to have greater influence on others than on themselves. Though this self-other perceptual bias has been shown to be robust across a variety of message contexts, past research has typically utilized Caucasian college student samples. The current study addresses this shortcoming in the literature by examining whether the TPE hypothesis holds for low-income, low-education, Spanish-speaking female adults with regard to the perceived effects of health news coverage. Our findings showed that most participants chose equal to others when estimating health news effects on themselves instead of less than others or more than others. Results from ordinal logistic regression showed that the propensity toward TPE was related to optimistic bias and certain indicators of acculturation. Our findings suggest the need for future TPE research in Hispanic populations and further efforts to investigate TPE from an intercultural perspective.
The possibility of manufacturing textured materials and devices, with surface properties controlled from the design stage, instead of being the result of machining processes or chemical attacks, is a key factor for the incorporation of advanced functionalities to a wide set of micro- and nano-systems. High-precision additive manufacturing (AM) technologies based on photopolymerization, together with the use of fractal models linked to computer-aided design tools, allow for a precise definition of final surface properties. However, the polymeric master parts obtained with most commercial systems are usually inadequate for biomedical purposes and their limited strength and size prevents many potential applications. On the other hand, additive manufacturing technologies aimed at the production of final parts, normally based on layer-by-layer melting or sintering ceramic or metallic powders, do not always provide the required precision for obtaining controlled micro-structured surfaces with high-aspect-ratio details. Towards the desired degree of precision and performance, lithography-based ceramic manufacture is a remarkable option, as we discuss in the present study, which presents the development of two different micro-textured biodevices for cell culture. Results show a remarkable control of the surface topography of ceramic parts and the possibility of obtaining design-controlled micro-structured surfaces with high-aspect-ratio micro-metric details.
This paper focuses on the relationship between remotely-sensed urban site characteristics (USCs) and land surface temperature (LST). Particular emphasis is put on an extensive comparison of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) USCs as potential indicators of the surface urban heat island (UHI) effect and as potential predictors for thermal sharpening applications. Both widely-used as well as more recently proposed metrics of the urban remote sensing literature are investigated within a single experiment. While some of these USCs have already been used earlier, others have never been analyzed before in the context of urban temperature studies. In addition to the comparison of 2D and 3D USC5, the spatio-temporal dependencies of their relation to LST are examined. To this end, the experimental setup of this work includes two study areas, 26 USC5, and 16 LST scenes covering four seasons. Use is made of a comprehensive database compiled for the cities of Berlin and Cologne, Germany. After data preparation, very high resolution (VHR) multi-spectral and height data are employed to map fine-scale urban land cover (LC). The resulting LC maps are then used in conjunction with the height information to compute 2D and 3D USCs. Subsequently, multi-temporal LST images are retrieved from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) scenes. The spatio-temporal investigation of the USC-LST connection constitutes the final stage of the workflow and is achieved in the framework of a dedicated correlation analysis. The results of this study highlight that the linkage between USCs and LST sensed at small scan angles is not stronger when 3D parameters are considered. Even though they may offer more holistic representations of the urban landscape, 3D USCs are consistently outperformed by some of the most widely-used 2D metrics. The analysis of spatial dependencies reveals that the USC-LST interplay does not only differ between, but also within the two test sites. This is due to their distinct geographies, with urban form and compactness, green spaces and street trees, and the structural composition of LC elements being some of the determining factors. The examination of temporal dependencies yielded that the association between USCs and LST is fairly stable over time but can be subject to larger inter- and intra-season variations for different reasons, including the season of acquisition, vegetation phonology, and meteorological conditions. Since previous research was based on the analysis of a single study area, a limited number of (mainly 2D) USCs, and/or only a few LST scenes acquired in specific seasons, it is concluded that the findings of this study provide researchers and practitioners with a more complete picture of the USC-LST relationship. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ObjectiveImpairment of visual perception frequently occurs in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and can cause severe constraints in daily activities. The nonverbal Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) test consists of sets A, AB, and B and is easily performed in a short time to evaluate both visual perception and reasoning ability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the neural basis of visual perception and reasoning ability in patients with AD using RCPM and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). MethodsFifty patients who fulfilled the National Institute on Aging/Alzheimer's Association criteria for probable AD dementia were examined with RCPM and SPECT. All SPECTs were performed using N-isopropyl-p-[I-123]-iodoamphetamine. A multiple regression model was used to perform multivariate analyses of the relationships between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and RCPM scores. ResultsThere was a significant positive correlation between RCPM total score and rCBF in the inferior parietal lobes bilaterally, the right inferior temporal gyrus, and the right middle frontal gyrus. Set A was positively correlated with rCBF in the right temporal and right parietal lobes. Set AB was positively correlated with rCBF in the right temporal, right parietal, and right frontal lobes. Set B was positively correlated with rCBF in the right parietal and right frontal lobes. ConclusionOur findings suggest that deteriorations of specific brain regions are associated with dysfunction of visual perception and reasoning ability in AD. RCPM is another informative assessment scale of cognition for use in patients with AD. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The 3D distribution of plant material is a key parameter to describe vegetation structure, which influences several processes such as radiation interception and ecosystem functioning. Vegetation covers are often described using Leaf Area Index (LAI) or Plant Area Index (PAI) for monitoring or modeling purposes. Characterizing vegetation 3D structure at fine scale is increasingly required, notably in order to be able to apply radiative transfer simulations at scales consistent with the spatial resolution of recent remote sensing sensors. To assess 3D PAI of a vegetation plot, this paper evaluates the potential of a voxelization method using Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data, based on the Beer-Lambert transmittance computation law. The theoretical validation was performed using a simulation framework based on a radiative transfer model (DART). The framework allowed simulating TLS acquisition on a theoretical distribution of leaves and a realistic representation (single tree), for which all characteristics are well known. Hence, a sensitivity analysis was performed to study the influence of instrument parameters (i.e. single- or multi-echo, beam divergence), scanning configuration (scan angle step), vegetation characteristics (leaf size and density, leaf angle distribution), and voxel parameters (cubic versus spherical geometry, at different resolutions, with and without occlusion) on the estimation of PAI. For a theoretical distribution of leaves, results showed good accuracy of the voxelization method (R-2 = 0.91 and RMSE = 20% for a mean case, at voxel level) with a high resolution multi-echo TLS scan, cubic voxels over 0.5-m resolution, low inter-voxel occlusion, small leaves, and up to a surface density of 2 m(2).m(-3). Error increased with a larger scan angle resolution, single echo TLS systems, and vegetation density. Also, without clumping, error increased with smaller voxels or larger leaves. Best results were obtained with multi-echo TLS scans (angular resolution of 0.05), cubic voxels at 1-m resolution when occlusion is low (voxel sampling higher than 50% of maximum sampling at 15 m) and small leaves (e.g. 10 cm(2)), which provided very good agreement (RMSD = 7.6%, R-2 = 0.98, p = 0.99). On a realistic isolated tree, PAI was correctly assessed with cubic voxels at 0.25 m resolution. A method to merge voxelized scans was proposed to deal with inter-voxel occlusion effects. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
An integrated photo-bioelectrochemical (IPB) system is innovative through integrating microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with algal bioreactors for simultaneous organics degradation, nutrient removal, and bio-energy production. A mathematical model has been developed for simulating and understanding the performance of the IPB system. The model inputs include influent COD (chemical oxygen demand), NH-N, total phosphorus, external resistance and flow rate, while the outputs include the biomass growth, COD degradation, nutrient removal, and electricity generation. The determination of unknown model parameters was assisted with sensitivity analysis. Satisfactory model fitting and validation was achieved, with low root-mean-square error of 5.6% and 0.2%, respectively, for biomass concentration and current generation under varied COD input. The simulated results suggested that the organic input and flow rate had more significant impacts on the growth of algal biomass than other input factors, while COD, flow rate and external resistance were of importance for current generation. The optimal condition for improving this particular IPB system was predicted to have a COD concentration above 150 mg L-1 and the flow rate at 0.1 mL min(-1). This IPB model is the first attempt of the kind for the optimization of an integrated bioprocess of electrochemical reactions and algal growth. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The complexity of the hydrogeological setup in coastal areas calls for the adoption of scientific groundwater management techniques. Excessive withdrawal of groundwater in coastal zones will lead to depression of the water table, with associated hazards such as putting the well out of use, rendering abstraction uneconomic with increased lift. A sustained regional groundwater drawdown below sea level runs the risk of saline water intrusion, even for confined coastal aquifers. Uncontrolled groundwater development may lead to reversal of the freshwater gradient, thereby resulting in saline water ingress into coastal aquifers. There are, however, several established methodologies to control and minimise the problems associated with groundwater extraction followed by saline water intrusion. This study developed a convenient and easily implementable analytical model for coastal groundwater management aimed at the control of saltwater intrusion. The technique includes withdrawal of coastal freshwater by means of qanat-well structures associated with artificial recharge through rainwater harvesting aided by percolation ponds and recharge wells. The proposed methodology is suitable specifically for not highly urbanised coastal areas with significant annual precipitation, good hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer and a low depth of fresh groundwater. As a case study, the model is applied to a coastal zone of the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Adequate quantifications of the efficiency of the methodology are incorporated and relevant conclusions are drawn.
In the Internet of things, trust establishment plays an important role of improving cooperation and enhancing security. To evaluate the trust relationships among sensor nodes accurately, an appropriate trust estimation model should be designed so as to against attack and misbehavior effectively. In this paper, a novel quantitative model of trust value is proposed. A variety of trust factors related to the behaviors of sensor nodes is measured, including the packet forwarding capacity, the repetition rate, the consistency of the packet content, the delay, the integrity, etc. To void the impact of subjective setting, each trust factor is determined by means of the information entropy theory. In addition, the D-S theory is adopted to deduce and synthesize the trust, and the statistic factor of nodes' behavior is introduced to modify the synthesis result. Evaluation results show that our scheme performs better in defeating attacks.
This study aims to analyze the possible relationships between emotional intelligence and nonverbal communication. A sample of 177 Psychology students completed the TEIQue-SF Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. The resulting scores were used to divide the sample into three groups based on the mean plus or minus one standard deviation to analyze differences between the extreme groups. The two extreme groups (N= 30) were individually recorded performing the same activity. Three minute clips of each recording were used by expert judges to rate the nonverbal communication of each participant. Both the correlation and Student t test of differences between means confirm that the higher the emotional intelligence, the better the nonverbal communication. Other interesting results are also presented.
In this paper, the global operating point dependent losses of induction machines are studied utilizing a local transient loss formulation. After calculating the local loss distribution, the losses are integrated in space and averaged in time to get the average global losses. The main loss components Ohmic losses, iron losses and friction losses are considered. The Ohmic losses in stator and rotor are dependent on current values and the time-and local-waveform due to current displacement. The iron losses are highly dependent on flux density, base frequency, and harmonic distortion of the flux density. The level of flux, the machine is operated at, depends on the operation mode of the inverter. Hence for precise loss modeling of inverter driven induction machines at the machine design stage, time and spatial distribution of flux density and the influence of choosing the best operating point is included.
Automated approaches for detecting dependencies in structures created with Computer Aided Design software are critical for developing robust solvers and providing informative user feedback. We model a set of geometric constraints with a bi-colored multigraph and give a graph-based pebble game algorithm that allows us to determine combinatorially if there are generic dependencies. We further use the pebble game to yield a decomposition of the graph into factor graphs which may be used to give a user detailed feedback about dependent substructures in a specific realization of a system of CAD constraints with non generic properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Jute geotextile (JGT) is gradually finding increasing acceptability among geotechnical engineers primarily because of its response to the growing global emphasis. The ecoconcordance of JGT concomitant with its other benefits like facility of production of tailor-made fabrics and price competitiveness have made it the best natural choice for different civil engineering constructions. Natural geotextile such as JGT has been experimented across the world as a bioengineering measure for river bank erosion control and the results are encouraging. Conventional methods of river bank protection in the erosion-prone stretches of the Indian rivers have proved to be a highly expensive proposition with respect to both capital investment and recurring maintenance costs. It is for this reason, Department of Jute and Fibre Technology, University of Calcutta, India in collaboration with National Jute Board, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India alongwith Irrigation and Waterways Department, Government of West Bengal, India has embarked upon designing and engineering JGT as per the site-specific requirement in a river in West Bengal portraying it as the main theme of this article.
Hydrological processes play important roles in soil erosion processes of the hillslopes. This study was conducted to investigate the hydrological processes and the associated erosional responses on the purple soil slope. Based on a comprehensive survey of the Wangjiaqiao watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir, four typical slope gradients (5 degrees, 10 degrees, 15 degrees and 20 degrees) were applied to five rainfall intensities (0.6, 1.1, 1.61, 2.12 and 2.54 mm . min(-1)). The results showed that both surface and subsurface runoff varied greatly depending on the rainfall intensity and slope gradient. Surface runoff volume was 48.1 to 280.1 times of that for subsurface runoff. The critical slope gradient was about 10 degrees. The sediment yield rate increased with increases in both rainfall intensity and slope gradient, while the effect of rainfall intensity on the sediment yield rate was greater than slope gradient. There was a good linear relationship between sediment yield rate and Reynolds numbers, flow velocity and stream power, while Froude numbers, Darcy-Weisbach and Manning friction coefficients were not good hydraulic indicators of the sediment yield rate of purple soil erosion. Among the three good indicators (Re, v and w), stream power was the best predictor of sediment yield rate (R-2 = 0.884). Finally, based on the power regression relationship between sediment yield rate, runoff rate, slope gradient and rainfall intensity, an erosion model was proposed to predict the purple soil erosion (R-2 = 0.897). The results can help us to understand the relationship between flow hydraulics and sediment generation of slope erosion and offer useful data for the building of erosion model in purple soil.
Bio-electrochemical systems (BESs) are the microbial systems which are employed to produce electricity directly from organic wastes along with some valuable chemicals production such as medium chain fatty acids; acetate, butyrate and alcohols. In this review, recent updates about value-added chemicals production concomitantly with the production of gaseous fuels like hydrogen and methane which are considered as cleaner for the environment have been addressed. Additionally, the bottlenecks associated with the conversion rates, lower yields and other aspects have been mentioned. In spite of its infant stage development, this would be the future trend of energy, biochemicals and electricity production in greener and cleaner pathway with the win-win situation of organic waste remediation. Henceforth, this review intends to summarise and foster the progress made in the BESs and discusses its challenges and outlook on future research advances. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
All the somatic cells composing a mammalian organism are genetically identical and contain the same DNA sequence. Nevertheless, they are able to adopt a distinct commitment, differentiate in a tissue specific way and respond to developmental cues, acquiring a terminal phenotype. At the end of the differentiation process, each cell is highly specialized and committed to a distinct determined fate. This is possible thanks to tissue-specific gene expression, timely regulated by epigenetic modifications, that gradually limit cell potency to a more restricted phenotype-related expression pattern. Complex chemical modifications of DNA, RNA and associated proteins, that determine activation or silencing of certain genes are responsible for the 'epigenetic control' that triggers the restriction of cell pluripotency, with the acquisition of the phenotypic definition and the preservation of its stability during subsequent cell divisions. The process is however reversible and may be modified by biochemical and biological manipulation, leading to the reactivation of hypermethylated pluripotency genes and inducing cells to transit from a terminally committed state to a higher plasticity one. These epigenetic regulatory mechanisms play a key role in embryonic development since they drive phenotype definition and tissue differentiation. At the same time, they are crucial for a better understanding of pluripotency regulation and restriction, stem cell biology and tissue repair process.
A company produces prefabricated stirrup cages for the reinforcement of concrete. The process consists of straightening, cutting and twin bending of coiled steel re-bars, in a custom produced machine. The punch of the cutting system failed repeatedly. Its cutting edges lose their functionality much earlier than expected. Two representative pieces were analyzed. The study included visual inspection, chemical analysis, hardness and micro-hardness measurements. Optical metallographic examination on representative samples was carried out. The fracture areas were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the crack initiation and propagation were discussed. The punches failed by chipping wear mechanism due to low-cycle fatigue. Their repeating failures provoked by faulty machine design. Problem solving suggestions are proposed. In addition, alternatives related to material selection are provided in order to reduce crack susceptibility, in an economical way. Moreover, conclusions and recommendations can be useful, resulting in higher productivity of prefabricated stirrup cages. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a Manufacturing Execution System (e-Factory) developed to integrate manufacturing engineering, procurement, production planning, manufacturing and quality functions. e-Factory System supports the production preparation process. The main input of this process is data related with the three dimensions of Production. Product Data, Project Parameters and Plant Data. The outputs of the production preparation (c) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Professor D. Mourtzis and Professor G. Chryssolouris.
In this paper, we conduct research on differences of Uighur Han Chinese communication etiquette customs and the psychological characteristics under cross-cultural environment. Empathy is the process of cross-cultural communication subject and adapts to each other and good a better means of communication. In cross-cultural communication, we must improve on the sensitivity of the taboo, taboo customs of different peoples and nations. In this way can eliminate communication barriers and conflict, to achieve smooth with the harmonious language communication. This article will use the theory of intercultural communication with the understanding of the Uygur traditional culture as can dissolve the contradictions and obstacles of the communication. This article from two aspects of the language communication, nonverbal communication in the process of cross-cultural communication problems enumerated and analyzed which will be meaningful.
The island city-state of Singapore is a futuristic, industrialized, densely populated port city. Water independence is central to security. The national government devotes considerable resources to mobilizing urban surface waters. All major rivers have been integrated into a technologically sophisticated aquatic enclave called the hydrohub. Recreational and educational spaces, aesthetically designed into the system, contribute to public acceptance of this radically altered ecosystem. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, I show how flash floods can undermine dominant cultural, political, and technical registers that systematically emphasize hydrohub benefits. The hydrohub frames sustainability as a set of interior problems to be solved (assuring clean water and preventing flooding) while disregarding possible unintended consequences of excluding the exterior (probable decline of biodiversity and fishery resources). Yet, enclave ecologies such as the hydrohub may become an increasingly popular model given worldwide water pollution and sea level rise accompanying climate change. By bringing technical aspects of engineering into cultural analyses, applied anthropologists can more effectively reveal the trade-offs associated with ecological enclaves and contribute to models of sustainability that better integrate the maritime surround into the urban fabric of islands and coasts.
Conventional hinge designs in planar compliant mechanisms have a limited deformation range because of the high stresses induced during deflection. To improve the range of motion of these mechanisms, hinges that allow for large displacement are highly desirable. This paper explores the use of curved beams as large displacement hinges in planar compliant mechanisms. To facilitate design, analytic expressions that predict deflections under different types of loads are introduced. These expressions are used in pseudo rigid link models of compliant mechanism designs. Predictions made by the analytic expressions are compared with the results of FEA simulations. To validate the proposed models, two planar compliant mechanism designs were prepared and experimental measurements of deflections under loads were made. Overall, results showed that analytic models and FEA predictions lie within 10% of experimental data for the planar mechanism geometry in which pseudo rigid motion models apply. FEA models of the second case, a more complex mechanism, make predictions that lie within 15% of experimental measurements. Results and ways to improve accuracy of models and designs are discussed at the end of the article. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Trust in reciprocity (TR) is defined as the risky decision to invest valued resources in another party with the hope of mutual benefit. Several fMRI studies have investigated the neural correlates of TR in one-shot and multiround versions of the investment game (IG). However, an overall characterization of the underlying neural networks remains elusive. Here, a coordinate-based meta- analysis was employed (activation likelihood estimation method, 30 articles) to investigate consistent brain activations in each of the IG stages (i.e., the trust, reciprocity and feedback stage). Results showed consistent activations in the anterior insula (AI) during trust decisions in the one-shot IG and decisions to reciprocate in the multiround IG, likely related to representations of aversive feelings. Moreover, decisions to reciprocate also consistently engaged the intraparietal sulcus, probably involved in evaluations of the reciprocity options. On the contrary, trust decisions in the multiround IG consistently activated the ventral striatum, likely associated with reward prediction error signals. Finally, the dorsal striatum was found consistently recruited during the feedback stage of the multiround IG, likely related to reinforcement learning. In conclusion, our results indicate different neural networks underlying trust, reciprocity, and feedback learning. These findings suggest that although decisions to trust and reciprocate may elicit aversive feelings likely evoked by the uncertainty about the decision outcomes and the pressing requirements of social standards, multiple interactions allow people to build interpersonal trust for cooperation via a learning mechanism by which they arguably learn to distinguish trustworthy from untrustworthy partners. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We hypothesized that distinct acute right hemisphere lesions disrupt separate components of valuation and emotional response to winning and losing money and of emotional empathy in observing a partner win or lose money. We measured skin conductance response (SCR) and ratings of emotions when acute right hemisphere stroke patients or healthy controls won or lost money in roulette, or when they watched a partner win or lose. Our results showed that percentage of damage after stroke to right anterior insula and frontal operculum negatively correlated with both SCR to winning and losing and difference between rating wins versus losses.
The facial first impressions literature has focused on trait dimensions, with less research on how social categories (like gender) may influence first impressions of faces. Yet, social psychological studies have shown the importance of categories like gender in the evaluation of behaviour. We investigated whether face gender affects the positive or negative evaluation of faces in terms of first impressions. In , we manipulated facial gender stereotypicality, and in , facial trustworthiness or dominance, and examined the valence of resulting spontaneous descriptions of male and female faces. For both male and female participants, counter-stereotypical (masculine or dominant looking), female faces were perceived more negatively than facially stereotypical male or female faces. In , we examined how facial dominance and trustworthiness affected rated valence across 1,000 male and female ambient face images, and replicated the finding that dominance is more negatively evaluated for female faces. In , the same effect was found with short stimulus presentations. These findings integrate the facial first impressions literature with evaluative differences based on social categories.
Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of dementia worldwide. Edaravone, a potent free radical scavenger, is reported to be neuroprotective. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of chronic edaravone administration on intracerebroventricular-streptozotocin (ICV-STZ) induced cognitive impairment in male Wistar rats. Cognitive impairment was developed by single ICV-STZ (3 mg/kg) injection bilaterally on day 1. Edaravone (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg, orally, once daily) was administered for 28 days. Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests were used to assess cognitive functions at baseline and on days 14 and 28. ICV-STZ caused cognitive impairment as evidenced by increased escape latency and decreased time spent in target quadrant in the Morris water maze test and reduced retention latency in the passive avoidance test. STZ caused increase in oxidative stress, cholinesterases, inflammatory cytokines and protein expression of ROCK-II and decrease in protein expression of ChAT. Edaravone ameliorated the STZ-induced cognitive impairment. STZ-induced increase in oxidative stress and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta) were mitigated by edaravone. Edaravone also prevented STZ-induced increased protein expression of ROCK-II. Moreover, edaravone significantly prevented STZ-induced increased activity of cholinesterases in the cortex and hippocampus. The decreased expression of ChAT caused by STZ was brought towards normal by edaravone in the hippocampus. The results thus show that edaravone is protective against STZ-induced cognitive impairment, oxidative stress, cholinergic dysfunction and altered protein expressions. This study thus suggests the potential of edaravone as an adjuvant in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
In recent years, significant attention has been given to renewable energy integration within the context of global climate change. In the meantime, the energy-water nexus literature has recognized that the electricity & water infrastructure that enables the production, distribution, and consumption of these two precious commodities is intertwined. While these two issues may seem unrelated, their resolution is potentially synergistic in that renewable energy technologies not only present low CO2 emissions but also low water-intensities as well. Therefore, renewable energy integration has the potential to address both sustainability concerns. And yet, renewable energy integration studies have yet to methodologically consider an integrated energy-water infrastructure. Many of these works rely on a coupled unit commitment-economic dispatch simulation. Recently, a simultaneous co-optimization method has been contributed for the economic dispatch of networks that include water, power, and co-production facilities. This paper builds upon this foundation with the development of the corresponding unit commitment problem. It demonstrates the optimization on several case studies inspired by Singapore & the Middle East. It concludes that renewable energy simultaneously reduces CO2 emissions and water withdrawals. Furthermore, it shows how water storage can help alleviate binding co-production constraints, flatten production profiles and reduce production cost levels. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
People smile in social interactions to convey different types of nonverbal communication. However, smiling can potentially change the way a person is perceived along different facial dimensions, including perceived age. It is commonly assumed that smiling faces are perceived as younger than faces carrying a neutral expression. In the series of experiments reported here, I describe an unintuitive and robust effect in the opposite direction. Across different experimental conditions and stimulus sets, smiling faces were consistently perceived as older compared to neutral face photos of the same persons. I suggest that this effect is due to observer failure to ignore smile-associated wrinkles, mainly along the region of the eyes. These findings point to a misconception regarding the relationship between facial smile and perceived age and shed new light on the processes underlying human age perception.
The development of a new material designed to trap heavy metals from sediments or wastewater, based on a polypropylene non-woven covalently grafted with cysteine, has been reported in a previous paper (Part A). The non-woven was first functionalized with acrylic acid (AA) which is used as spacer, and then cysteine was immobilized on the substrate through covalent coupling in order to obtain the so-called PP-g-AA-cysteine. Some preliminary heavy metals adsorption tests gave interesting results: at 20 degrees C for 24 h and in a 1000 mg/L heavy metals solution, PP-g-AA-cysteine adsorbs 95 mg Cu/g PP (CuSO4 solution), 104 mg Cu/g PP (Cu(NO3)(2) solution), 135 mg Pb/g PP (Pb(NO3)(2) solution) and 21 mg Cr/g PP (Cr(NO3)(3) solution). In this second part of the work, heavy metals sorption tests were carried out with Cu (II), Pb (II), and Cr (III) separately, in order to determine the sorption capacity of this new sorbent as a function of (i) the heavy metals concentration in the solution, (ii) the contact time with the solution, (iii) the pH and (iv) the ionic strength of the solution containing heavy metals. Moreover, the sorption capacity of PP-g-AA-Cysteine was studied using a polluted solution consisting of a mixture of these different heavy metals. An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance study was finally carried out in order to determine the coordination geometry in the environment of the copper trapped by the PP-g-AA-cysteine. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper discusses the findings from a measurement campaign on a rotating wind turbine blade operating in the free atmosphere under realistic conditions. A total of 40 pressure sensors together with an array of 23 usable hot-film sensors (based on constant temperature anemometry) were used to study the behavior of the boundary layer within a specific zone on the suction side of a 30m diameter wind turbine at different operational states. A set of several hundreds of data sequences were recorded. Some of them show that under certain circumstances, the flow may be regarded as not fully turbulent. Accompanying Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) simulations suggest the view that a classical transition scenario according to the growth of so-called Tollmien-Schlichting did not apply. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid integration of global agricultural markets and subsequent cropland displacement in recent decades increased large-scale tropical deforestation in South America and Southeast Asia. Growing land scarcity and more stringent land use regulations in these regions could incentivize the offshoring of export-oriented commodity crops to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We assess the effects of domestic-and export-oriented agricultural expansion on deforestation in SSA in recent decades. Analyses were conducted at the global, regional and local scales. We found that commodity crops are expanding in SSA, increasing pressure on tropical forests. Four Congo Basin countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cte d ' Ivoire were most at risk in terms of exposure, vulnerability and pressures from agricultural expansion. These countries averaged the highest percent forest cover (58% +/- 17.93) and lowest proportions of potentially available cropland outside forest areas (1% +/- 0.89). Foreign investment in these countries was concentrated in oil palm production (81%), with a median investment area of 41 582 thousand ha. Cocoa, the fastest expanding export-oriented crop across SSA, accounted for 57% of global expansion in 2000-2013 at a rate of 132 thousand ha yr(-1). However, cocoa only amounted to 0.89% of foreign land investment. Commodity crop expansion in SSA appears largely driven by small-and mediumscale farmers rather than industrial plantations. Land-use changes associated with large-scale investments remain to be observed in many countries. Although domestic demand for commodity crops was associated with most agricultural expansion, we provide evidence of a growing influence of distant markets on land-use change in SSA.
This work presents an application of the forward and inverse predictive modeling methodology of Cacuci and Ionescu-Bujor (2010) in the inverse mode to determine, within a tight a priori specified convergence criterion and overall accuracy, an unknown time-dependent boundary condition (specifically, the time-dependent inlet acid concentration) for a dissolver model case study by using measurements of the state function (specifically, the time-dependent acid concentration) at a specified location (specifically, in the dissolver's compartment farthest from the inlet). The unknown time-dependent boundary condition is described by 635 unknown discrete scalar parameters. This forward and inverse predictive modeling methodology uses the maximum entropy principle to construct an optimal approximation of the unknown a priori distribution by using the a priori known mean values and uncertainties characterizing the model parameters, along with the computed and experimentally measured model responses and their covariances. This a priori distribution is subsequently combined using Bayes' theorem with the likelihood provided by the computational model. The first-order response sensitivities serve as weighting functions in this objective combination of computational and experimental information. The use of the maximum entropy principle enables the forward and inverse predictive modeling of Cacuci and Ionescu-Bujor (2010) to construct an intrinsic regularizing metric for solving any inverse problem. In the present dissolver case study, the unknown time-dependent boundary condition is predicted by the methodology within an a priori selected convergence criterion, without user intervention and/or introduction of arbitrary regularization parameters, as the currently popular procedures need to do. This predictive modeling methodology yields optimally calibrated values for all model parameters, with reduced predicted uncertainties, as well as optimal (best-estimate) predicted values for the model responses (in this case study, the time-dependent acid concentrations in the dissolver's compartments), also with reduced predicted uncertainties. Notably, even though the experimental data pertain solely to the compartment farthest from the inlet (where the data were measured), the application of this predictive modeling methodology actually improves the predicted values and reduces their predicted uncertainties not only in the compartment in which the data were actually measured but also throughout the entire dissolver, including the compartment farthest from the measurements (i.e., at the inlet). This is because this forward and inverse predictive modeling methodology combines and transmits information simultaneously over the entire phase-space, comprising all time steps and spatial locations. These results underscore the importance of this work in presenting the objective resolution (i.e., resolution in the absence of user-defined subjective adjustment of arbitrary regularization parameters) of a time-dependent inverse case study of potential importance to diversion activities associated with proliferation and international safeguards. The results obtained in this work establish confidence in the dissolver model's accuracy for simulating the acid concentrations required to dissolve used nuclear fuel. In turn, these results will be used to generate source terms for key reprocessing facility components downstream and to support material accountability for nuclear safeguards.
There is a consensus in the cardiac stem cell biology field that human embryonic stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) are immature and do not resemble human adult cardiomyocytes, either phenotypically or transcriptionally. One striking difference between hESC-CMs and mature adult cardiomyocytes is their morphology. hESC-CMs grown in vitro are pleomorphic in shape and have no clear sarcomere organization; conversely, adult cardiomyocytes are rod-shaped with an average length-to-width (aspect) ratio of 7:1 and display a highly organized internal cytoskeletal structure. By combining multiple cues, i.e. substrate stiffness and topographical features, it may be possible to create a more physiologically-relevant model that better recapitulates the architecture of the native human heart which will aid in regenerative medicine therapies, disease modeling, drug testing, developmental and cardiotoxicity studies. Prior work in our lab used microcontact printing on glass slides to control the cell shape to improve the maturation of hESC-CMs. Since then, new work has focused on patterning methods on more compliant substrates using both microcontact printing, as well as a sacrificial polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film. In this proceeding, the advantages and disadvantages of the above methods will be discussed in relationship to hESC-CM maturation.
Shoot apical meristems produce stem tissues, produce leaves, and produce flowers. Cell proliferation characteristics of meristems are dependent upon cell maturation processes and the functions of newly formed cells. Cells of stem terminals depend upon water availability from other plant portions. Inadequate moisture availability to stem terminals reduces shoot growth rates and leaf production rates. Xylem conductivity measurements of terminal shoot meristems and small leaves were approximated using the Hagen-Poiseuille equation to determine relationships between xylem contributions to leaves versus xylem conductivity within stems. Analyses of petiole and stem xylem conductivities for the 23 herbaceous plant species were confined to stem terminals that only had primary xylem cells in stems and only five leaves or leaf pairs. Among stem segments (10 mm to 64 mm in length) among species, the largest leaf areas ranged from 2.34 cm(2) to 54 cm(2), stem diameters ranged from 0.82 mm to 3.83 mm, and maximum leaf petiole and stem xylem conductivities were 0.12 g cm MPa-1 s(-1) and 0.35 g cm MPa-1 s(-1), respectively. For pooled samples, petiole xylem conductivity was well scaled with leaf area of largest leaves (r(2) = 0.76). For pooled samples, stem conductivity was well scaled with cumulative petiole conductivities (r(2) = 0.94). When the largest diameter stem sections from each species were considered, stem xylem conductivity was well scaled with mean radius of conduits (r(2) = 0.82). Overall, stem xylem conductivities were strongly linked to petiole conductivities as leaves developed. Petiole xylem conductivity was well scaled with stem conductivities for all 23 species with markedly different leaf areas.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting, among other options, play a central role in addressing water security and reducing impacts on the environment. The storm or annual storm runoff coefficient (RC/ASRC) play a significant role in quantification of potential of rooftop catchments for rainwater harvesting, however, these are usually selected from generic lists available in literature. This study explores methodology/procedures based on one of the most popular and versatile hydrological model, Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) (SCS 1986) and its variants, i.e., Hawkins SCS-CN (HSCS-CN) model (Hawkins et al. 2001), Michel SCS-CN (MSCS-CN) model (Michel et al. Water Resour Res 41:W02011, 2005), and Storm Water Management Model-Annual Storm Runoff Coefficient (SWMM-ASRC) (Heaney et al. 1976) and compares their performance with Central Ground Board (CGWB) (CGWB 2000) approach. It has been found that for the same amount of rainfall and same rooftop catchment area, the MSCS-CN model yields highest rooftop runoff followed by SWMM-ASRC >HSCS-CN >SCS-CN >CGWB. However, the SCS-CN model has close resemblance with CGWB approach followed by HSCS-CN model, SWMM-ASRC, and MSCS-CN model. ASRCs were developed using these models and it was found that MSCS-CN model has the highest value of ASRC (= 0.944) followed by SWMM-ASRC approach (=0.900), HSCS-CN model (=0.830), SCS-CN model (=0.801), and CGWB approach (=0.800). The versatility of these models lies to the fact that CN values (according to rooftop catchment characteristics) would yield rooftop runoff and therefore ASRC values based on sound hydrological perception and not just on the empiricism. The models have inherent capability to incorporate the major factors responsible for runoff production from rooftop/urban, i.e., surface characteristics, initial abstraction, and antecedent dry weather period (ADWP) for the catchments and would be better a tool for quantification rather than just using empirical runoff coefficients for the purpose.
Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate results of surgical stabilisation of hyperextension injuries of the thoracolumbar spine in patients with ankylosing spinal disorders using two different treatment strategies: the conventional open rigid posterior instrumentation and percutaneous less rigid posterior instrumentation. Surgical and non-surgical complications, the postoperative radiological course, and clinical outcome at final follow-up were comparatively assessed. Moreover, we sought to discuss important biomechanical and surgical aspects specific to posterior instrumentation of the ankylosed thoracolumbar spine as well as to elaborate on the advantages and limitations of the proposed new treatment strategy involving percutaneous less rigid stabilisation and fracture reduction by postoperative mobilisation. Materials and methods Between January 2006 and June 2012, a consecutive series of 20 patients were included in the study. Posterior instrumentation was performed either using an open approach with rigid 6.0 mm bars (open rigid (OR) group) or via a percutaneous approach using softer 5.5 mm bars (percutaneous less rigid (PLR) group). Complications as well as the radiological course were retrospectively assessed, and patient outcome was evaluated at final follow-up using validated outcome scores (VAS Spine Score, ODI, RMDQ, Parker Mobility Score, Barthel Score and WHOQOL-BREF). Results Surgical complications occurred more frequently in the OR group requiring revision surgery in two patients,while there was no revision surgery in the PLR group. The rate of postoperative complications was lower in the PLR group as well (0.7 vs. 1.3 complications per patient, respectively). Fracture reduction and restoration of pre-injury sagittal alignment by postoperative mobilisation occurred within the first 3 weeks in the PLR group, and within 6 months in the OR group. The clinical outcome at final follow-up was very good in both groups with no relevant loss in VAS Spine Score (pain and function), Parker Mobility Score (mobility), and Barthel Index (social independency) compared to pre-operative values. Conclusions This study indicates that the proposed treatment concept involving percutaneous less rigid posterior instrumentation and fracture reduction by postoperative mobilisation is feasible, seems to facilitate adequate reduction and restoration of pre-injury sagittal alignment, and might have the potential to reduce the rate of complications in the management of hyperextension injuries of the ankylosed thoracolumbar spine.
this paper presents triple mode to optimize settling, current consumption and noise of a crystal oscillator (XTAL). The proposed XTAL driver has three mode. Fast settling mode is used to reduce settling time. To reduce the start-up time of a XTAL driver, internal noise booster (INB) and negative resistance booster (NRB) are proposed. The simulated start-up time of a 4.19403MHz XTAL Driver in 0.18um CMOS is reduced by 80% from 4ms to 800us. Retention mode is only operated in stand-by to reduce total power consumption. A Peak and Low detection (PLD) is proposed. The stand-by of the XTAL driver does not effect to load. Therefore, the PLD blocks input supply voltage until HVT signal goes to down. It reduces power consumption up to 60%. EMI reduction mode is proposed to reduce output spur noise. To reduce output spur noise, pseudorandom-number generator (PRNG) is used makes 4bits random signal to spread frequency up to -10dB. All mode is controlled by Digital Control block. An inverter amplifier driver is optimized to reduce power consumption to 30uA and gets +/- 100 ppm operation in changing temperature from -40 degrees C to 60 degrees C.
In this article, we present estimates of diurnal and semidiurnal harmonics of variations in integrated water vapor content (IWV) according to data from 16 GPS stations in the Volga-Ural region of Russia during 2013-2015. Amplitudes of diurnal harmonics are maximal in summer and reach values from 0.37 to 1.01 mm. Time at the maximum of diurnal harmonic is typically in the period from 14: 00 to 17:00. Semidiurnal harmonics have the largest amplitudes in spring and autumn, but they do not exceed 0.19mm. A comparison of the diurnal cycle from GPS data and ERA-Interim reanalysis has revealed significant differences in the phase. It is established that, as a result of evaporation from the underlying surface and convective lifting of moist air, the summer diurnal variations in IWV and surface density of water vapor are in antiphase. The diurnal cycle of IWV is determined by surface air temperature to be 88% in summer and less than at 35% in other seasons. It is noted that maximal amplitudes of diurnal harmonic of IWV are observed at stations located on the windward side of mountains.
Blackcurrant (BC) fruits are a rich source of biologically active anthocyanins but little is known of the anthocyanin content of commonly consumed BC products or how processing affects the absorption. We report that whereas fresh and frozen whole BC were a rich source of anthocyanins, containing 897 and 642 mg (100 g FW)(-1) of total anthocyanins the levels in all other products were substantially lower (0.05-10.3% of the levels in fresh fruit). Further, when the absorption and excretion of BC was assessed in volunteers consuming a portion (100 g) of frozen whole BC (642 mg total anthocyanins) and, 300 g of a BC drink made by diluting concentrated syrup (33.6 mg total anthocyanins), only small quantities of BC anthocyanins were excreted in urine (fruit, 0.053 +/- 0.022%; drink, 0.036 +/- 0.043%; mean percent urinary yield +/- SD) and they were not detected in plasma. These data indicate that fresh and frozen BC, but not processed products, are rich sources of anthocyanins but, regardless of the food source, these anthocyanins are poorly bioavailable. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The current study sought to address gender differences in prosocial behavior by creating and validating a multidimensional measure of prosocial behavior that more fully captures the ways that men help others. The new measure is directed toward family, friend, and strangers, and has five factors: defending, emotional support, inclusion, physical helping, and sharing. In Study 1, CFA analyses performed on a sample of 463 emerging adults online (mean age 23.42) revealed good model fit and divergent validity for each of the five factors. Study 2 replicated the analyses on a sample of 453 urban adolescents in the Northwest (mean age 18.37). Results established that all factors had good model fit, construct validity, and convergent validity. The discussion focuses on implications of this measure for future prosocial research including an increased diversity in how people (particularly men) help others and developmental differences toward different targets of prosocial behavior. (C) 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The discriminant analysis (DA) method was used to differentiate and classify the water quality of three major rivers in South Florida. In this study, DA was used to assess the water quality and evaluate the spatial and temporal variations in surface water quality in South Florida. DA, as an important data reduction method, was used to assess the water pollution status and analysis of its spatiotemporal variation. It was found by the stepwise DA that five variables (chl-a, dissolved oxygen (DO), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorus (TP) and water temperature) are the most important discriminating water quality parameters responsible for temporal variations. Spatial variation in water quality was also evaluated and identified five variables (TKN, TP, ammonia-N, magnesium, and sodium) and seven variables (chl-a, DO, TKN, TP, ammonia-N, magnesium, and chloride) as the most significant discriminating variables in the wet and dry season, respectively of three selected rivers in South Florida. It is believed that the results of apportionment could be very useful to the local authorities for the control and management of pollution and better protection of important riverine water quality.
Due to the fact biological processes occur in an aqueous environment, the interactions between biomolecules and water are of fundamental importance. Among these interactions proton transfer is an intriguing and essential process, which is carried out through a coordinated and cooperative motion of water molecules. Here, we use dielectric spectroscopy to measure the relative permittivity and dielectric loss for different amino acid solutions in the region of low frequencies (100 Hz-1 MHz). We found that in the case of L-glutamic acid there is a fast transfer of charge possibly facilitated through proton wires. A similar behaviour is obtained for ovalbumin where L-glutamic acid is an important constituent. Our findings could shed light to improve our understanding of water-biomolecules interactions, which drive the main functions of a cell. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
During very low carbohydrate intake, the regulated and controlled production of ketone bodies causes a harmless physiological state known as dietary ketosis. Ketone bodies flow from the liver to extra-hepatic tissues (e. g., brain) for use as a fuel; this spares glucose metabolism via a mechanism similar to the sparing of glucose by oxidation of fatty acids as an alternative fuel. In comparison with glucose, the ketone bodies are actually a very good respiratory fuel. Indeed, there is no clear requirement for dietary carbohydrates for human adults. Interestingly, the effects of ketone body metabolism suggest that mild ketosis may offer therapeutic potential in a variety of different common and rare disease states. Also, the recent landmark study showed that a very-low-carbohydrate diet resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and a concomitant increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men. Contrary to popular belief, insulin is not needed for glucose uptake and utilization in man. Finally, both muscle fat and carbohydrate burn in an amino acid flame. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 1(2): 7-11, 2004.
Although research has shown that interventions within educational contexts based on direct, face-to-face contact are effective in reducing prejudice, they may be difficult to implement. Recent research has demonstrated that also indirect contact is a useful strategy to improve intergroup relations. In the present work, we focus on three forms of indirect contact which have received consistent attention by social psychologists in recent years: vicarious contact, extended contact, imagined contact. The interventions reviewed support indirect contact strategies as effective and flexible means of reducing prejudice within schools. In the final part of the article, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our literature review and provide some suggestions for future research.
Objective. The aim was to evaluate diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) as a tool for measuring treatment response in adolescents with enthesitis-related arthropathy (ERA). Methods. Twenty-two adolescents with ERA underwent routine MRI and DWI before and after TNF inhibitor therapy. Each patient's images were visually scored by two radiologists using the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada system, and sacroiliac joint apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and normalized ADC (nADC) were measured for each patient. Therapeutic clinical response was defined as an improvement of 530% physician global assessment and radiological response defined as 52.5-point reduction in Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada score. We compared ADC and nADC changes in responders and non-responders using the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. Results. For both radiological and clinical definitions of response, reductions in ADC and nADC after treatment were greater in responders than in non-responders (for radiological response: ADC: P<0.01; nADC: P = 0.055; for clinical response: ADC: P = 0.33; nADC: P = 0.089). ADC and nADC could predict radiological response with a high level of sensitivity and specificity and were moderately sensitive and specific predictors of clinical response (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were as follows: ADC: 0.97, nADC: 0.82 for radiological response; and ADC: 0.67, nADC: 0.78 for clinical response). Conclusion. DWI measurements reflect the response to TNF inhibitor treatment in ERA patients with sacroiliitis as defined using radiological criteria and may also reflect clinical response. DWI is more objective than visual scoring and has the potential to be automated. ADC/nADC could be used as biomarkers of sacroiliitis in the clinic and in clinical trials.
S6Ks are major effectors of the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway, signaling for increased protein synthesis and cell growth in response to insulin, AMP/ATP levels, and amino acids. Deregulation of this pathway has been related to disorders and diseases associated with metabolism, such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer. S6K family is composed of two main members, S6K1 and S6K2, which comprise different isoforms resulted from alternative splicing or alternative start codon use. Although important molecular functions have been associated with p70-S6K1, the most extensively studied isoform, the S6K2 counterpart lacks information. In the present study, we performed immunoprecipitation assays followed by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of FLAG-tagged p70-S6K1 and p54-S6K2 interactomes, after expression in HEK293 cells. Protein lists were submitted to CRAPome (Contaminant Repository for Affinity Purification) and SAINT (Significance Analysis of INTeractome) analysis, which allowed the identification of high-scoring interactions. By a comparative approach, p70-S6K1 interacting proteins were predominantly related to cytoskeleton and stress response, whereas p54-S6K2 interactome was more associated to transcription, splicing, and ribosome biogenesis. Moreover, we have found evidences for new targets or regulators of the S6K protein family, such as proteins NCL, NPM1, eIF2 alpha, XRCC6, PARP1, and ILF2/ILF3 complex. This study provides new information about the interacting networks of S6Ks, which may contribute for future approaches to a better understanding of the mTOR/S6K pathway.
Economic relations of modern enterprises are the most important factor for the modern enterprise management in Manufacturing Engineering, which is mainly carried out by contract and the effectiveness of contract. As foreign construction enterprises entering China market, with their advantages of powerful funds technology and management, China's construction enterprises will exert enormous pressure and impact. Meanwhile, our construction enterprises couldn't be in order to enter the international market and international competition, without high level of contract management. For this reason, China's construction enterprises should be attention to contract management, and improve awareness of all employees of the contract. The contract management is into business management, it should be allowed to operate freely according to the law, to accelerate the development of construction enterprises in China.
Water scarcity is an increasingly severe problem worldwide due to factors such excessive consumption of raw water, climate change, water pollution and unsustainable water resource consumption. The potential benefits that accrue from rainwater harvesting are a decrease in demand for potable water from centralized water sources, reduction in runoff into to urban rainwater system and a reduced risk of overflow storm events. Infiltration practices belong to one of the best management practises that are able to effectively reduce the overloading sewage systems in case of rainwater drainage. Rainwater should be regarded as alternative, sustainable strategies and as rehabilitation of rural and urban settlements in aspect of environmental, economic and social criteria and it is the topic of presented paper. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this paper we present our study concerning a new approach of automatic detection and analysis of body language in which we propose a method for extracting information related to nonverbal communication between persons. Our approach is based on the kinect sensor that processes the image and provides us many image features that we study. The final goal is to provide blind users access to information that is completely hidden.
Surface water is at risk from Marcellus Shale operations because of chemical storage on drill pads during hydraulic fracturing operations, and the return of water high in total dissolved solids (up to 345 g/L) from shale gas production. This research evaluated how two commercial, off-the-shelf water quality sensors responded to simulated surface water pollution events associated with Marcellus Shale development. First, peak concentrations of contaminants from typical spill events in monitored watersheds were estimated using regression techniques. Laboratory measurements were then conducted to determine how standard in-stream instrumentation that monitor conductivity, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen responded to three potential spill materials: ethylene glycol (corrosion inhibitor), drilling mud, and produced water. Solutions ranging from 0 to 50 ppm of each spill material were assessed. Over this range, the specific conductivity increased on average by 19.9, 27.9, and 70 mu S/cm for drilling mud, ethylene glycol, and produced water, respectively. On average, minor changes in pH (0.5-0.8) and dissolved oxygen (0.13-0.23 ppm) were observed. While continuous monitoring may be part of the strategy for detecting spills to surface water, these minor impacts to water quality highlight the difficulty in detecting spill events. When practical, sensors should be placed at the mouths of small watersheds where drilling activities or spill risks are present, as contaminant travel distance strongly affects concentrations in surface water systems.
The mechanisms by which exposure to arsenic induces its myriad pathological effects are undoubtedly complex, while individual susceptibility to their type and severity is likely to be strongly influenced by genetic factors. Human metabolism of arsenic into methylated derivatives, once presumed to result in detoxification, may actually produce species with significantly greater pathological potential. We introduce a transgenic Drosophila model of arsenic methylation, allowing its consequences to be studied in a higher eukaryote exhibiting conservation of many genes and pathways with those of human cells while providing an important opportunity to uncover mechanistic details via the sophisticated genetic analysis for which the system is particularly well suited. The gene for the human enzyme, arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase, was introduced into nonmethylating Drosophila under inducible control. Transgenic flies were characterized for enzyme inducibility, production of methylated arsenic species, and the dose-dependent consequences for chromosomal integrity and organismal longevity. Upon enzyme induction, transgenic flies processed arsenite into mono and dimethylated derivatives identical to those found in human urine. When induced flies were exposed to 9 ppm arsenite, chromosomal stability was clearly reduced, whereas at much higher doses, adult life span was significantly increased, a seemingly paradoxical pair of outcomes. Measurement of arsenic body burden in the presence or absence of methylation suggested that enhanced clearance of methylated species might explain this greater longevity under acutely toxic conditions. Our study clearly demonstrates both the hazards and the benefits of arsenic methylation in vivo and suggests a resolution based on evolutionary grounds.
Chronic food restriction potentiates behavioral and cellular responses to drugs of abuse and D-1 dopamine receptor agonists administered systemically or locally in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, the alterations in NAc synaptic transmission underlying these effects are incompletely understood. AMPA receptor trafficking is a major mechanism for regulating synaptic strength, and previous studies have shown that both sucrose and d-amphetamine rapidly alter the abundance of AMPA receptor subunits in the NAc postsynaptic density (PSD) in a manner that differs between food-restricted and adlibitum fed rats. In this study we examined whether food restriction, in the absence of reward stimulus challenge, alters AMPAR subunit abundance in the NAc PSD. Food restriction was found to increase surface expression and, specifically, PSD abundance, of GluA1 but not GluA2, suggesting synaptic incorporation of GluA2-lacking Ca2+-permeable AMPARs (CP-AMPARs). Naspm, an antagonist of CP-AMPARs, decreased the amplitude of evoked EPSCs in NAc shell, and blocked the enhanced locomotor response to local microinjection of the D-1 receptor agonist, SKF-82958, in food-restricted, but not adlibitum fed, subjects. Although microinjection of the D-2 receptor agonist, quinpirole, also induced greater locomotor activation in food-restricted than adlibitum fed rats, this effect was not decreased by Naspm. Taken together, the present findings are consistent with the synaptic incorporation of CP-AMPARs in D-1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons in NAc as a mechanistic underpinning of the enhanced responsiveness of food-restricted rats to natural rewards and drugs of abuse.
The ability to perceive and infer the meaning of facial expressions has been considered a critical component of emotional intelligence being essential for successful social functioning: Longitudinal findings suggest that the ability to recognize emotion cues is related to positive social interactions. Moreover, pronounced recognition abilities for at least some emotions facilitate prosocial behavior in everyday situations. Integrating paradigms from behavioral economics and psychometrics, we used an interdisciplinary approach to study the relationship between prosociality as trait cooperativeness and the ability to recognize emotions in others. We measured emotion recognition accuracy (ERA) using a multivariate test battery. We captured prosocial behavior in standard socio-economic games, along with spontaneous emotion expressions. Structural equation modeling revealed no significant relationship between overall ERA and prosocial behavior. However, modeling emotion-specific factors suggested that more prosocial individuals are better in recognizing fear and tend to express more spontaneous emotions during the prisoner's dilemma. In all, cooperative individuals seem to be more sensitive to the distress of others and more expressive, possibly fostering reciprocal interactions with like-minded others. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an error budget methodology for designing and characterizing machines used to manufacture or inspect parts with spatial frequency-based specifications. In this methodology, the static and dynamic error are considered in the error budget; the static error affects the figure accuracy, while the dynamic error introduces the spatial frequency domain error. The error caused by the components of the machine tool, the cutting process and the external interference, are considered in this paper. Using the error budget, it is able to minimize risk during initial stages by ensuring that the machine will produce components that meet specifications before the machine is actually built or purchased. This methodology is used to predict and improve the performance of an ultraprecision flycutting machine tool.
This paper presents a case history on the performance of a coastal embankment reinforced by a layer of geotextile at the bottom of the embankment on soft marine deposits. The coastal embankment is the sea wall of the Qinshan nuclear power station on the northern side of Hangzhou bay near Shanghai, China. Monitoring of settlement and excess pore water pressure were carried out during and after embankment construction. The finite element method (FEM) was used to analyse the performance of the geotextile reinforcement and its effect on soil behaviour under the embankment loading, based on the field monitored results. Stability analyses were conducted using two approaches: c-phi reduction in FEM, and limit equilibrium analysis. Both field and simulation results indicate that the geotextile has an effect on reducing the vertical displacements of subsoil. However, the results show basal reinforcement cannot increase the overall factor of safety, but the factor of safety at the local position, under reinforcement, can be increased during the construction procedure, and this is due to the confinement of the soil element by the reinforcing fabric. Thus, in these circumstances, one layer of basal geotextile reinforcement can prevent sudden failure of subsoil during embankment construction. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A dearth of scientific knowledge currently exists regarding human nonverbal predictors of violence. Using a sample of 178 adults, this study sought to identify a series of nonverbal behaviors the research participants perceived to be associated with the communication of imminent violence. Assuming a boxer's stance, invading personal space, clenched hands, and threatening remarks were almost uniformly associated with impending violence. Several other gestures and behaviors were also perceived to be associated with violence to a lesser degree. Behaviors least perceived to be associated with violence were crying, rapid eye blinking, placing hands on hips, and avoiding eye contact. Analyses by sex and race found only minor, and substantively insignificant, differences, suggesting these perceptions may be innate rather than cultural.
It is now possible to detect the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) many years before symptoms and signs otherwise become manifest. Biomarkers of disease include evidence of amyloid and tau in the cerebrospinal fluid and neuroimaging which (for instance) allows amyloid in the brain to be visualized. There is, thus, a preclinical state in which it is possible to identify Alzheimer's pathology long before there is clinical evidence of disease. Much research focuses on this preclinical state because it seems likely that treatments will be more effective before the disease is established. This means that researchers can discover Alzheimer's pathology some years before the person is at risk of developing the condition. In memory clinics, too, people may present with early (prodromal) symptoms which do not yet amount to a dementia syndrome (e.g. mild cognitive impairment), yet biomarker evidence that dementia is highly likely to develop. This is problematic because people will be required to consent to the disclosure of findings that indicate an uncertain risk of an alarming disease. We carried out a scoping review of the issues that arise in connection with a diagnosis of preclinical dementia. We identified four themes in the literature: stigma; ethical issues; psychological burden; and language. We shall discuss these themes and related issues that emerge to do with meaning, medicalization, virtues and values. More research is now required to understand these issues in detail, where the emphasis should be on the breadth of research, which must be biopsychosocial and ethical. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
With increasing rates of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, the treatment itself can cause patients significant amounts of anxiety and distress. This can be attributed to the diagnosis of the disease, lack of knowledge of what radiation therapy is, expectations and management of side effects, and the lack of knowledge of supportive care for patients and their families. Providing patients with effective educational tools to meet the informational needs of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy can empower patients and allow them to participate in treatment decision-making and their own healthcare. This discussion paper will evaluate several studies on the psychological impact of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy and how video material can effectively meet the informational and educational needs of this patient population group.
This article presents a novel mixed-thermoelastohydrodynamic (TEHD) model for the lateral lubricating interfaces which exist between floating lateral bushings and gears in external gear machines (EGMs). The proposed model integrates the influence of surface asperities along with the fluid structure and thermal interaction in the interface, especially in the regions of very low film thicknesses by following a stochastic approach in modelling the mixed lubrication regime. Furthermore, the current work includes validation of the predictions of the mixed-TEHD model against experimentally measured leakages from the lateral gap and compares the performance of this model with a previously developed full film TEHD model for the lateral gaps in EGMs.
In the last few decades, rectangle earth pressure balance shield machine have been introduced as primary tunneling tools in soft soil excavation around the world. This paper presents research on the performance of the rectangle shield machine. Analytical studies have been carried out to establish the relation between rectangle shield machine design key parameters, such as segments support, tail thickness and soil layer harness, and the strength, stiffness and buckling analysis of the shell structure. The results of these are presented. And the results show that good stiffness, displacement and stability capacities have been achieved.
Soymeal, which contains natural plasticizer and tackifier, has been used to fabricate biodegradable and low-cost warp sizes, with potential for replacing non-biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sizes for large-quantity industrial applications. Warp sizes from soyprotein isolates (SPI) have been reported as a potential substitute for PVA sizes, which contribute to high chemical oxygen demand in textile effluents and cause serious water pollution. However, sizes from SPI are high in cost and need additional plasticizers to overcome brittleness of films. In this research, the developed low-cost soymeal sizes contain soyprotein as majority and saccharides/saponified-oil from soymeal as minorities. Comparing to films from triethanolamine-plasticized SPI sizes, the soymeal size had about 30.1, 25.2 and 8.3% higher film flexibility, adhesion to yarns and abrasion resistance, respectively. Saccharides in soymeal and saponified oil formed during size extraction functioned as plant-based additives with capability of improving adhesion of protein sizing pastes to cotton and/or polyester yarns and increasing elongation of protein-based size films. Successful utilization of soymeal in textile sizing will lead to its large-quantity application, resulting in high value addition to agricultural byproducts and profound impact on soybean industry and textile industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a network security laboratory to teach data analysis for detecting TCP/IP covert channels. The laboratory is mainly designed for students of electrical engineering, but is open to students of other technical disciplines with similar background. Covert channels provide a method for leaking data from protected systems, which is a major concern for big enterprises and governments. The inclusion of covert channels in the curricula of network security students and network data analysts is therefore considered a valuable extension. In the lab exercises presented, students learn how covert channels in TCP/IP network traffic can be hidden and detected. Since the detection of covert channels requires an in-depth understanding of protocol standards and typical behavior of TCP/IP flows, the lab also provides a playground in which students can deepen their communication networks knowledge. Students learn how to use and interpret statistical analysis to discover abnormal patterns and footprints in network data. They are also trained to deal with noisy scenarios that increase ambiguity and uncertainty. The laboratory was first implemented during the winter semester 2014 with a class of 18 students at TU Wien, Austria. This experience showed that students consolidated the targeted skills as well as increased their interest in the topics explored. All exercises and datasets for the introduced Network Security Advanced lab are made publicly available.
Present work shows the teaching-learning experience developed in the Department of Manufacturing Engineering of the University of Malaga. This experience is based on the need to generate a specific glossary of manufacturing engineering terms to be used as a study guide by the students. Eventually, it was decided to make a Thesaurus that would be aimed at a teaching activity. In addition, it would take part in the educational innovation project PIE 13-025 of the University of Malaga, within the biennium 2013/2015. The first step consisted of the design of Thesaurus pattern, taking into account the kind of information that it was necessary include in it. Afterward, this pattern would be place on the Virtual Campus and the student would have to complete the information required. Finally, the results obtained in the different applications of this activity would be analyzed and evaluated. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Healthcare disparities, which represent differential treatment by patient race and the experience of bias within the medical system in ways that cannot be accounted for by medical factors, systematically contribute to the relatively poor health of members of stigmatized groups internationally. We focus on bias in healthcare experienced by Blacks relative to Whites in the USA because, practically, these disparities are significant and socially consequential, and, empirically, these disparities are the most comprehensively documented and studied. Specifically, we describe the nature and extent of racial bias among healthcare providers; examine the effects of these biases on treatment, behavior toward Black patients, and the responses and perceptions of Black patients; and suggest ways of reducing the negative effects of racial bias in healthcare. Although physicians generally inhibit the direct effects of conscious (explicit) bias in the healthcare they provide, implicit bias, both independently and in combination with explicit attitudes, plays an influential role in the dynamics of physicians' healthcare interactions with Black patients, producing lower quality care. We further identify several theory-based interventions to limit, and potentially eliminate, the negative consequences of provider biases within the medical context, recognizing the active roles that both providers and patients have in these exchanges.
This paper proposes a new solution for an e-health system architecture related to personal assistance at home for aged people. This architecture takes into account the results of two ongoing projects on which the authors are involved: Sweet-Home and AmiHomeCare and the possibility of combining different parts of these projects in order to obtain a more versatile system. Each project has a distinctive way of gathering the required information: Sweet-Home uses sound processing, AmiHomeCare video processing. The paper analyzes the advantages and drawbacks of both approaches in order to propose an integrative new architecture.
The use of surrogate models is a standard method for dealing with complex real-world optimization problems. The first surrogate models were applied to continuous optimization problems. In recent years, surrogate models gained importance for discrete optimization problems. This article takes this development into consideration. The first part presents a survey of model-based methods, focusing on continuous optimization. It introduces a taxonomy, which is useful as a guideline for selecting adequate model-based optimization tools. The second part examines discrete optimization problems. Here, six strategies for dealing with discrete data structures are introduced. A new approach for combining surrogate information via stacking is proposed in the third part. The implementation of this approach will be available in the open source R package SPOT2. The article concludes with a discussion of recent developments and challenges in continuous and discrete application domains. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Although total hip replacement (THR) has been proven to be effective, the effect of THR on employment in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Chinese population is still unknown. We aimed to demonstrate whether or not patients with AS returned to work following THR and factors associated with the work ability after THR. We performed a retrospective study including a total number of 128 AS patients undergoing THR between 2009 and 2013. Presurgery and postsurgery data including disease state, work status, type of job, and time of resuming work were collected. Factors associated with early return to work were assessed through ordinal regression. Eighty-seven of 128 patients (68 %) were employed within 1 year before THR and 98 returned to work after surgery. Among them, 21, 46, and 31 resumed work by 3, 6, and 12 months postoperation, respectively. Multivariate ordinal regression showed that patients with unilateral THR, younger age, lower BASFI score, employed presurgery, and low or moderate physical demand were more likely to resume work earlier. Most individuals working presurgery returned to work after THR. For young AS patients with hip involvement, THR is an effective treatment for improving and maintaining work ability.
This study comprehensively examined the effects of treatment interventions for Internet addiction among adolescents in South Korea through a meta-analysis. We analyzed 70 domestic master's theses and journal articles that reported on controlled studies and involved pre- and post-test analyses in the design. The dates of these publications fall between 2000 and 2015. The total effect size, calculated by random-effect analysis (g), revealed that interventions for the treatment of Internet addiction were effective (ES=1.838). Meta-ANOVAs revealed differences between groups based on a theoretical model, intervention group size, and intervention duration. Integrative therapy produced larger effect sizes (ES=2.794) compared to other treatment models such as cognitive behavioral therapy and reality therapy. Effect sizes for interventions, including nine to 12 people (ES=2.178), were larger than those of interventions including more or fewer participants. Finally, treatment interventions that lasted 8 or more weeks revealed larger effect sizes (ES=2.294) compared to shorter interventions. The study findings suggest directions for the development and effective operation of future Internet addiction interventions among Korean adolescents. Increasing the effectiveness of these interventions requires an integrative theoretical model, an intervention group size of nine to 12 participants, and a long-term intervention.
Limited information is available on the optimal cement thickness of monolithic zirconia crowns. This study was designed to evaluate the stress distribution in the posterior monolithic zirconia crowns with different cement thicknesses under masticatory force and maximum bite force using three-dimensional finite element analysis. The prepared and unprepared mandibular right first molar models were scanned and exported to the computer-aided design system. Solid models of monolithic zirconia crowns, which were cemented on prepared teeth were generated. Four models were fabricated applying different cement thicknesses (100 mu m, 200 mu m, 400 mu m, and 600 mu m). The solid models were imported into the finite element analysis software and meshed into tetrahedral elements. Four three-dimensional finite element models were simulated under masticatory force and maximum bite force: vertical (axial), angular (45 degrees) and horizontal loads of 280 N at 5 points; vertical load of 700 N at 8 points were loaded, respectively. The stress distribution varied with the different cement thicknesses and directions of applied loads. The monolithic zirconia crowns with cement thicknesses exceeding 200 mu m had wider distributions of peak maximum principal stress under the same loading conditions. Monolithic zirconia crowns have more stress concentrations on the occlusal surfaces, while the cement layers have more stress concentrations on the cervical areas. Thicker cement layers were associated with more concentrated stresses on the buccal and lingual cervical areas. The test results show that the cement thickness plays an essential role in the success of monolithic zirconia restorations in terms of reducing cement wash-out. Cement thickness of 100 mu m is recommended for monolithic zirconia crowns. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The article presents a new technological solution to improve the safety of embankment bases on taliks during construction periods. The use of geotextile-sleeved sand columns and geogrids on low-temperature permafrost is investigated. The correlations between mechanical and temperature processes under this in-depth base improvement method are calculated.
Network security risk forecast is a new research focus in the network security field. Though some research has been done on the forecast. Research of single intrusion attack incidents, of which some methods could predict impending single intrusion incidents or partial composite intrusion and attach behavior to some extent has been conducted. The security risk of networks has the memorylessness property of the Markov model. That indicates the network risk level of future times which is only related to the current state. Past states have no impact on future risk predictions. The traditional Markov model assumes that the transmission matrix does not vary along with time. In this work, we present a time-varying Markov model through updating the transmission matrix in real-time. In addition, we give the formulation of risk probability calculation. Based on this model, we are able to predict the incurring probability of network risks at a specific future time.
The ability of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to process context has long been debated: According to the Weak Central Coherence theory, ASD is characterized by poor global processing, and consequentlypoor context processing. In contrast, the Social Cognition theory argues individuals with ASD will present difficulties only in social context processing. The complexity theory of autism suggests context processing in ASD will depend on task complexity. The current study examined this controversy through two priming tasks, one presenting human stimuli (facial expressions) and the other presenting non-human stimuli (animal faces). Both tasks presented visual targets, preceded by congruent, incongruent, or neutral auditory primes. Local and global processing were examined by presenting the visual targets in three spatial frequency conditions: High frequency, low frequency, and broadband. Tasks were administered to 16 adolescents with high functioning ASD and 16 matched typically developing adolescents. Reaction time and accuracy were measured for each task in each condition. Results indicated that individuals with ASD processed context for both human and non-human stimuli, except in one condition, in which human stimuli had to be processed globally (i.e., target presented in low frequency). The task demands presented in this condition, and the performance deficit shown in the ASD group as a result, could be understood in terms of cognitive overload. These findings provide support for the complexity theory of autism and extend it. Our results also demonstrate how associative priming could support intact context processing of human and non-human stimuli in individuals with ASD. Autism Res2017, 10: 520-530. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We previously demonstrated 2 statistically distinct factors of degeneration in Alzheimer's disease: one strongly related to white matter damage and age interpreted asage-and vascular-related, and the other related to cortical atrophy thought to representneurodegenerative changes associated with Alzheimer's disease. Those factors are now replicated in a distinct cross-sectional data set of 364 participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and their interpretation is improved using correlations with CSF biomarkers. Furthermore, we now show that changes in both factors over 2 years are independently associated with decline in MinieMental State Examination score in a longitudinal subset of 116 individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Progression in theage-and vascularrelated factor was greater for individuals with 2 APOE epsilon 4 alleles and linked to a greater attributable change in MinieMental State Examination than theneurodegenerative factor. These results suggest benefits of targeting white matter and vascular health to complement interventions focused on the neurodegenerative aspect of the disease, even in individuals with little discernable vascular comorbidity. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
C1q is the target recognition sequence of the classical complement pathway and a major link that connects innate and acquired immunity. In this study, a C1qDC homolog, HcC1qDC5, from the triangle-shell pearl mussel (Hyriopsis cumingii) was identified. The complete nucleotide sequence of HcC1qDC5 cDNA consists of a 5'-untranslated terminal region (UTR) of 123 bp, a 3'-UTR of 105 bp with a poly(A) tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 1344 bp, which encodes a polypeptide of 447 amino acids. HcC1qDC5 contains a signal peptide and three typical C1q domains. The HcC1qDC5 gene was expressed in all tested tissues, with the highest expression in the. mantle. Staphylococcus aureus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection increased the mRNA transcript levels of HcC1qDC5 in the hepatopancreas and mantle. The recombinant HcC1qDC5 protein could bind to Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as to different PAMPs (LPS and PGN). RNAi results showed that HcC1qDC5 was involved in V. parahaemolyticus-induced HcTNF and HcWAP expression. The combined results demonstrated that HcC1qDC5 participates in the innate immunity of H. cumingii. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
For given positive integers tinfinity)R(2)(s) exists or not. If it does exist, then their results indicate that the limit is between 0.494 and 0.625. In this paper we completely solve the problem by showing that lim(s ->infinity)R(2)(s) = 0.5. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
In viticulture, there are several applications where bud detection in vineyard images is a necessary task, susceptible of being automated through the use of computer vision methods. A common and effective family of visual detection algorithms are the scanning-window type, that slide a (usually) fixed size window along the original image, classifying each resulting windowed-patch as containing or not containing the target object. The simplicity of these algorithms finds its most challenging aspect in the classification stage. Interested in grapevine buds detection in natural field conditions, this paper presents a classification method for images of grapevine buds ranging 100-1600 pixels in diameter, captured in outdoor, under natural field conditions, in winter (i.e., no grape bunches, very few leaves, and dormant buds), without artificial background, and with minimum equipment requirements. The proposed method uses well-known computer vision technologies: Scale-Invariant Feature Transform for calculating low-level features, Bag of Features for building an image descriptor, and Support Vector Machines for training a classifier. When evaluated over images containing buds of at least 100 pixels in diameter, the approach achieves a recall higher than 0.9 and a precision of 0.86 over all windowed-patches covering the whole bud and down to 60% of it, and scaled up to window patches containing a proportion of 20-80% of bud versus background pixels. This robustness on the position and size of the window demonstrates its viability for use as the classification stage in a scanning-window detection algorithms. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background Traditionally, engineering curricula about electrical circuits use textbook instruction and hands-on lessons, which are effective approaches for teaching terms and definitions, the procedural use of formulas, and how to build circuits. Nonetheless, students often lack conceptual understanding. Purpose (Hypothesis) The aim of this study was to discover how to facilitate the acquisition of conceptual understanding. We hypothesized that adding an instructional approach in the form of inquiry learning in a virtual lab would be more effective than relying on traditional instruction alone. Design/Method Students in secondary vocational engineering education were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in a quasi-experimental study. In the traditional condition, the curriculum was supplemented with computer-based practice. In the virtual lab condition, the traditional curriculum was supplemented with inquiry learning in a virtual lab. Results Results showed that students in the virtual lab condition scored significantly higher on conceptual understanding (Cohen's d = 0.65) and on procedural skills (d = 0.76). In particular, students in this condition scored higher (d = 1.19) on solving complex problems. This result occurred for both complex conceptual and procedural problems. Conclusion Since students in the virtual lab condition acquired better conceptual understanding and also developed better procedural skills than students in the traditional condition, it appears that conceptual understanding and procedural skills develop in an iterative fashion.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in the progression of AD, but the genetic association between BDNF and AD remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential association between genetic variants in BDNF and AD in Han Chinese and to investigate whether the association is affected by gender. A 3-stage study was conducted to evaluate the genetic association between BDNF and AD. Data mining of the reported expression data, brainimaging data, and biomarker data in AD patients was also performed to further validate the results. We found a female-specific genetic association of rs6265 with AD and a gender-related messenger RNA expression of BDNF in brain tissues of AD patients. In addition, we observed a clear female-specific risk trend for the effect of rs6265 on AD endophenotypes. Our results clarified the available controversies regarding the role of rs6265 in AD and indicated that BDNF may be a female-specific risk gene for AD. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Low Impact Development (LID) practices provide more sustainable solutions than traditional piping and storm ponds in stormwater management. However, architects are not equipped with the knowledge to perform runoff calculations at early design stage. In response to this dilemma, we have developed an open-source stormwater runoff evaluation and management tool, Rainwater+. It is seamlessly integrated into computer-aided design (CAD) software to receive instant estimate on the stormwater runoff volume of architecture and landscape designs. Designers can thereby develop appropriate rainwater management strategies based on local precipitation data, specific standards, site conditions and economic considerations. We employed Rainwater+ to conduct two case studies illustrating the importance of considering stormwater runoff in the early design stage. The first case study showed that integrating rainwater management into design modeling is critical for determining LID practice at any specific site. The second case study demonstrated the need of visualizing runoff flow direction in assisting the placement of LID practices at proper locations when the terrain is of great complexity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gauging one's impression on a potential mate is challenging. There is a need to make reasonably accurate inferences from subtle, dynamic facial expressions and to maintain motivation to connect despite the risk of rejection. The interpersonal optimism of people low in rejection sensitivity (RS), people who confidently expect acceptance rather than anxiously expect rejection, as do their high RS counterparts, suggests that they may strategically underestimate social threat cues when inferring the impression they have made on others. To test this hypothesis, participants viewed the videotaped reactions of individuals said to have read the participant's own or someone else's biographical sketch in an online dating context, and then estimated the emotions of the targets. Estimates of negativity were unrelated to RS when participants believed the videos captured the reactions to someone else's biographical sketch. However, to the extent that participants were low in RS, they made lower estimates of negativity when they believed the videos showed reactions to their biographical sketch compared to when they believed the videos captured the reactions to someone else's biographical sketch. The tracking accuracy of participants estimating negativity was unrelated to RS under either condition, but increased with trait empathy. RS was unrelated to estimates of positivity. Supporting functional perspectives on interpersonal perception, results show that interpersonal optimism shapes impressions of others' reactions to the self in ways that can foster relationship initiation.
This study considers a 1D fluid dynamics arterial network model with 14 vessels developed to assimilate ex vivo 0D temporal data for pressure-area dynamics in individual vessel segments from 11 male Merino sheep. A 0D model was used to estimate vessel wall parameters in a two-parameter elastic model and a four-parameter Kelvin viscoelastic model. This was done using nonlinear optimization minimizing the least squares error between model predictions and measured cross-sectional areas. Subsequently, estimated values for elastic stiffness and unstressed area were related to construct a nonlinear relationship. This relation was used in the network model. A 1D single vessel model of the aorta was then developed and used to estimate the inflow profile and parameters for total resistance and compliance for the downstream network and to demonstrate effects of incorporating viscoelasticity in the arterial wall. Lastly, the extent to which vessel wall parameters estimated from ex vivo data can be used to realistically simulate pressure and area in a vessel network was evaluated. Elastic wall parameters in the network simulations were found to yield pressure-area relationships across all vessel locations and sheep that were in ranges comparable to those in the ex vivo data.
This paper describes the implementation of a load voltage observer into the control algorithms of a Rapid Capacitor Charger controlled by a digital signal controller (DSC) with a fast DSP core. A hybrid peak current mode control algorithm with digital control of the PWM signal and high speed analog current sensing is used to control the inverter of the charger. The DSC controller keeps the current loop stable using adaptive slope compensation. In addition to providing fast adaptive digital control of the current loop, the DSC can perform additional functions such as estimation of the voltage level of the load capacitor. This avoids the cost, bandwidth limitations and insulation challenges of a conventional HV-sensor. To evaluate the performance of the load voltage observer, we measured the output voltage with a laboratory grade HV probe to establish a reference to test the results of the digital algorithm.
Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation overlay achievement and trophy systems onto their video games. Though these meta-game reward systems are growing in popularity, little research has examined whether players notice, use, or seek out these systems. In this study, game players participated in focus groups to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of meta-game reward systems. Participants described the value of meta-game reward systems in promoting different ways to play games, giving positive feedback about game play, and boosting self-esteem and online and offline social status. Participants discussed completionists, or garners that want to earn all of the badges associated with the meta-game. Though self-determination theory and its subtheory cognitive evaluation theory suggest that extrinsic rewards might harm players' intrinsic motivation, our findings suggest players may see these systems as intrinsically motivating in this context. The implications of rewards systems for motivation, video game habits, and internet gaming disorder are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Discrete multiple signal classification (MUSIC) with its low computational cost and mild condition requirement becomes a significant noniterative algorithm for joint sparse recovery (JSR). However, it fails in rank defective problem caused by coherent or limited amount of multiple measurement vectors (MMVs). In this letter, we provide a novel sight to address this problem by interpreting JSR as a binary classification problem with respect to atoms. Meanwhile, MUSIC essentially constructs a supervised classifier based on the labeled MMVs so that its performance will heavily depend on the quality and quantity of these training samples. From this viewpoint, we develop a semisupervised MUSIC (SS-MUSIC) in the spirit of machine learning, which declares that the insufficient supervised information in the training samples can be compensated from those unlabeled atoms. Instead of constructing a classifier in a fully supervised manner, we iteratively refine a semisupervised classifier by exploiting the labeled MMVs and some reliable unlabeled atoms simultaneously. Through this way, the required conditions and iterations can be greatly relaxed and reduced. Numerical experimental results demonstrate that SS-MUSIC can achieve much better recovery performances than other MUSIC extended algorithms as well as some typical greedy algorithms for JSR in terms of iterations and recovery probability.
This paper presents a method for the reconnection of contour lines from scanned color images of topographical maps based on graphics processing unit (GPU) implementation. The extraction of contour lines, which are shown with brown color on USGS maps, is a difficult process due to aliasing and false colors induced by the scanning process and due to closely spaced and intersecting/overlapping features inherent to the map. First, an effective method is presented for contour line reconnection from scanned topographical maps based on CPU. This method considers both the distance and direction between the two broken points of the contour lines. It gets better performance and has high connection rate, but the time complexity of the algorithm is nonlinear with the increasing size of topographical map. Second, the advantage of the massively parallel computing capability of GPU with the compute unified device architecture is taken to improve the algorithm. Finally, a better performance has been achieved based on the open source computer vision library. The experimental results show that the GPU implementation with loop-based patterns achieves a speedup of 1360x and the identical result compared with the implementation on CPU.
Decision Support Systems can enhance e-Health monitoring and IoT scenarios on the early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Thus, Ambient Intelligence could support innovative application domains like motor or cognitive impairments' detection at the home environment. The paper describes the design of an innovative cooperative system (Galatea) that supports the refinement process of a Knowledge Base expressed as an OWL ontology. The ontology supports decision-making process and is the core of: (1) a Web-Based Smart System aimed to enhance the screening of language disorders at medical centers and schools by fostering the identification of a developmental disorders before 4 years old of age; (2) a set of child smart care services that use Ambient Intelligent paradigm for early attention of motor impairments in children who are often not diagnosed or treated by health care entities.
This cross-cultural and cross-sectional study investigated Italian and US children's perceptions of interethnic and interracial friendships, also known as intergroup friendships. A total sample of 226 children attending two urban, elementary schools in a middle-sized Northeastern US city and a middle-sized northern Italian city, were interviewed employing the questionnaire. Results indicate that Italian and US children's perceptions of intra-racial and interracial friendships differed with students of color in the US rating intragroup friendships more positively than intergroup ones. In addition, students of color in Italy and white students in the US rated intergroup and intragroup friendships similarly. Subjects: Education; Multicultural Education; Childhood
In neurosciences or psychiatry, the emergence of large multi-center population imaging studies raises numerous technological challenges. From distributed data collection, across different institutions and countries, to final data publication service, one must handle the massive, heterogeneous, and complex data from genetics, imaging, demographics, or clinical scores. These data must be both efficiently obtained and downloadable. We present a Python solution, based on the CubicWeb open-source semantic framework, aimed at building population imaging study repositories. In addition, we focus on the tools developed around this framework to overcome the challenges associated with data sharing and collaborative requirements. We describe a set of three highly adaptive web services that transform the CubicWeb framework into a (1) multi-center upload platform, (2) collaborative quality assessment platform, and (3) publication platform endowed with massive-download capabilities. Two major European projects, IMAGEN and EU-AIMS, are currently supported by the described framework. We also present a Python package that enables end users to remotely query neuroimaging, genetics, and clinical data from scripts.
The paper presents the results of the investigation of the electrical circuits manufactured by screen printing technology on textile materials. The aim was to compare the print quality (line width, thickness, edge blurriness) and electrical resistance of the circuits printed by using silver paste (5064 Du Pont) on woven polyester non-coated and coated with thin polyurethane polymeric layers. The morphology and percentage of silver of electrical circuits were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) spectrometer. Structure of the material and precision printing direction strongly influence the printed lines. Thin polymer layers close pores and existing interspaces between threads, form surfaces with a low roughness and minimize the paste penetration into the substrate. The results demonstrate a relatively uniform coverage of the conductive paste on the polyester coated with polyurethane
The radar imaging satellite mission TerraSAR-X requires precisely determined satellite orbits for validating geodetic remote sensing techniques. Since the achieved quality of the operationally derived, reduced-dynamic (RD) orbit solutions limits the capabilities of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) validation, an effort is made to improve the estimated orbit solutions. This paper discusses the benefits of refined dynamical models on orbit accuracy as well as estimated empirical accelerations and compares different dynamic models in a RD orbit determination. Modeling aspects discussed in the paper include the use of a macro-model for drag and radiation pressure computation, the use of high-quality atmospheric density and wind models as well as the benefit of high-fidelity gravity and ocean tide models. The Sun-synchronous dusk-dawn orbit geometry of TerraSAR-X results in a particular high correlation of solar radiation pressure modeling and estimated normal-direction positions. Furthermore, this mission offers a unique suite of independent sensors for orbit validation. Several parameters serve as quality indicators for the estimated satellite orbit solutions. These include the magnitude of the estimated empirical accelerations, satellite laser ranging (SLR) residuals, and SLR-based orbit corrections. Moreover, the radargrammetric distance measurements of the SAR instrument are selected for assessing the quality of the orbit solutions and compared to the SLR analysis. The use of high-fidelity satellite dynamics models in the RD approach is shown to clearly improve the orbit quality compared to simplified models and loosely constrained empirical accelerations. The estimated empirical accelerations are substantially reduced by 30% in tangential direction when working with the refined dynamical models. Likewise the SLR residuals are reduced from to mm, and the SLR-derived normal-direction position corrections are reduced from 15 to 6 mm, obtained from the 2012-2014 period. The radar range bias is reduced from to mm with the updated orbit solutions, which coincides with the reduced standard deviation of the SLR residuals. The improvements are mainly driven by the satellite macro-model for the purpose of solar radiation pressure modeling, improved atmospheric density models, and the use of state-of-the-art gravity field models.
Objective: To examine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] level and disease activity in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Materials and Methods: The study enrolled 51 male AS patients being followed at our hospital. Patient demographics as well as serum levels of 25(OH) D vitamin, C-reactive protein (CRP), calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and parathormone, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at 1 hour were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups based on their serum 25(OH) D vitamin levels; one group consisted of 21 patients with 25(OH) D vitamin levels less than 20 ng/mL and the other group comprised 30 patients with 25(OH) D levels greater than 20 ng/mL. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) scores were evaluated in order to determine the disease activity. Results: BASDAI scores were statistically significantly higher in the group with serum 25(OH) D vitamin levels less than 20 ng/mL compared to the group with 25(OH) D levels above 20 ng/mL (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of ESR, serum levels of CRP, parathormone, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion: In the present study, an inverse relationship has been found between serum vitamin D levels and disease activity in male AS patients and it was concluded that serum vitamin D levels should also be taken into account while developing a treatment plan.
Background. Sensory-processing deficits appear crucial to the clinical expression of symptoms of schizophrenia. The visual cortex displays both dysconnectivity and aberrant spontaneous activity in patients with persistent symptoms and cognitive deficits. In this paper, we examine visual cortex in the context of the remerging notion of thalamic dysfunction in schizophrenia. We examined specific regional and longer-range abnormalities in sensory and thalamic circuits in schizophrenia, and whether these patterns are strong enough to discriminate symptomatic patients from controls. Method. Using publicly available resting fMRI data of 71 controls and 62 schizophrenia patients, we derived conjunction maps of regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) to inform further seed-based Granger causality analysis (GCA) to study effective connectivity patterns. ReHo, fALFF and GCA maps were entered into a multiple kernel learning classifier, to determine whether patterns of local and effective connectivity can differentiate controls from patients. Results. Visual cortex shows both ReHo and fALFF reductions in patients. Visuothalamic effective connectivity in patients was significantly reduced. Local connectivity (ReHo) patterns discriminated patients from controls with the highest level of accuracy of 80.32%. Conclusions. Both the inflow and outflow of Granger causal information between visual cortex and thalamus is affected in schizophrenia; this occurs in conjunction with highly discriminatory but localized dysconnectivity and reduced neural activity within the visual cortex. This may explain the visual-processing deficits that are present despite symptomatic remission in schizophrenia.
Active appearance models (AAMs) are one of the most popular and well-established techniques for modeling deformable objects in computer vision. In this paper, we study the problem of fitting AAMs using compositional gradient descent (CGD) algorithms. We present a unified and complete view of these algorithms and classify them with respect to three main characteristics: (i) cost function; (ii) type of composition; and (iii) optimization method. Furthermore, we extend the previous view by: (a) proposing a novel Bayesian cost function that can be interpreted as a general probabilistic formulation of the well-known project-out loss; (b) introducing two new types of composition, asymmetric and bidirectional, that combine the gradients of both image and appearance model to derive better convergent and more robust CGD algorithms; and (c) providing new valuable insights into existent CGD algorithms by reinterpreting them as direct applications of the Schur complement and the Wiberg method. Finally, in order to encourage open research and facilitate future comparisons with our work, we make the implementation of the algorithms studied in this paper publicly available as part of the Menpo Project (http://www.menpo.org).
When travelling through a new environment people can and do make very quick judgements about the local conditions. This paper explores the idea that such judgements are affected by the travel mode they use. We hypothesise that drivers generate a more superficial impression of the things they observe than those who walk because they are exposed to less information. This prediction is based on social psychological research that demonstrates that information that becomes available in thin slices affects superficial judgements. A survey study (n = 644) demonstrated that perceptions of a less affluent area are indeed negatively related to more driving and positively related to more walking, but only for those who do not live there. Perceptions of a neighbouring affluent area are positively related to more driving. Two experimental studies (n = 245 and n = 91) demonstrated that explicit (but not implicit) attitudes towards a group of young people in an ambiguous social situation are more negative when they are viewed from the perspective of a car user in particular in relation to a pedestrian perspective. These findings suggest that mode use may affect communities by influencing social judgements. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electric machines designs for traction applications are concerned with high power density, high efficiency and low manufacturing cost. In order to achieve better combination of parameters that satisfy the machine electromagnetics, mechanical, and thermal designs limitations; an optimization algorithm is very necessary. Therefore; this work focuses on comparing two optimization algorithms that are utilized to search for optimal solution to design Brushless Permanent Magnet (BLPM) Motor. The target machine design has to meet with FReedomCAR specifications as detailed by UQM Technologies Inc. In this paper, a relatively new modern evolutionary optimization technique known as the Bees Algorithm (BA) employed to search for the optimum design parameters according to a pre-defined multiobjective function. The results from BA have been compared with the other results obtained from Genetic Algorithm (GA). Therefore, both optimization methods have been compared in terms of computational efficiency and ability to find optimal solution for BLPM. However, the comparison results show that BA has better computational ability to search for optimal parameters and achieves lower average value for the objective function than the GA.
The widespread distribution of smart mobile devices offers promising perspectives for the timely collection of huge amounts of data. When realizing sophisticated mobile data collection applications, numerous technical issues arise. For example, as many real-world projects require the support of different mobile operating systems, platform-specific peculiarities must be properly handled. Existing approaches often rely on specifically tailored mobile applications. As a drawback, changes to the data collection procedure result in costly code adaptations. To remedy this drawback, a model-driven approach is proposed, enabling end-users (i.e.,domain experts) to create mobile data collection applications themselves. This model relies on complex questionnaires called instruments. An instrument not only contains all information about the data to be collected, but additionally comprises information on how it shall be processed on different mobile operating systems. For this purpose, we developed an advanced mobile (kernel) service being capable of processing sophisticated instruments on various platforms. This paper discusses fundamental kernel requirements and introduces the developed architecture. Altogether, the mobile service allows for the effective use of smart mobile devices in data collection application scenarios (e.g., clinical trials).
This study examined associations among family-level risks, emotional climate, and child adjustment in families experiencing homelessness. Emotional climate, an indirect aspect of emotion socialization, was indexed by parents' expressed emotion while describing their children. Sociodemographic risk and parent internalizing distress were hypothesized to predict more negativity and less warmth in the emotional climate. Emotional climate was expected to predict observer-rated child affect and teacher-reported socioemotional adjustment, mediating effects of risk. Participants were 138 homeless parents (64 percent African-American) and their four- to six-year-old children (43.5 percent male). During semi-structured interviews, parents reported demographic risks and internalizing distress and completed a Five Minute Speech Sample about their child, later rated for warmth and negativity. Children's positive and negative affect were coded from videotapes of structured parent-child interaction tasks. Socioemotional adjustment (externalizing behavior, peer acceptance, and prosocial behavior) was reported by teachers a few months later. Hypotheses were partially supported. Parent internalizing distress was associated with higher parent negativity, which was linked to more negative affect in children, and parent warmth was associated with children's positive affect. Neither emotional climate nor child affect predicted teacher-reported externalizing behavior or peer acceptance, but parental negativity and male sex predicted lower prosocial behavior in the classroom. Future research directions and clinical implications are discussed.
Interest on Tau protein is fast increasing in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis. There is the urgent need of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic platforms for its quantification, also in combination with the other AD hallmarks. Up to now, SPR has been poorly exploited for tau detection by immunosensing, due to sensitivity limits at nanomolar level, whereas the clinical requirement is in the picomolar range. Molecular architectures built in a layer-by-layer fashion, biomolecules and nanostructures (metallic or not) may amplify the SPR signal and improve the limit of detection to the desired sensitivity. Mostly gold nanostructures are widely employed to this aim, but great interest is also emerging in Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs). Here MWCNTs are modified and then decorated with the secondary antibody for tau protein. Eventually we took advantage from MWCNTs-antibody conjugate to obtain a sandwich-based bioassay with the capability to increase the SPR signal of about 102 folds compared to direct detection and conventional unconjugated sandwich. With respect to these results, we hope to give a strong impulse for further investigation on studying possible roles of carbon nanotubes in optical-based biosensing.
The Perceived Ability to Cope With Trauma (PACT) scale measures perceived forward-focused and trauma-focused coping. This measure may also have significant utility measuring positive adaption to life-threatening trauma, such as combat. Our objective was to examine perceived ability to cope with trauma, as measured by the PACT, and the relationships between this perceived ability and clinically pertinent information (anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) among U.S. military veterans. Data were provided from 71 combat veterans, consisting of 47 veterans with PTSD and 24 veterans without PTSD who had subthreshold symptoms of the disorder. All veterans completed standardized clinical interviews as well as a battery of well-validated self-report symptom measures. We found that veterans with PTSD had significantly lower PACT scores than veterans without PTSD; those without PTSD self-reported more ability to engage in forward-focused and trauma-focused coping than those with PTSD. Importantly, we also showed relationships between the PACT scores and indices of psychological difficulties as both Forward Focus and Trauma Focus coping scores negatively correlated with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and alexithymia. Finally, the Forward Focus PACT scale improved prediction of PTSD severity over combat exposure alone. The PACT, especially the Forward Focus scale, appears to be a useful measure of perceived positive coping ability with trauma in combat-exposed veterans who report symptoms of traumatic stress, extending the utility of the measure from normative to clinical populations. The importance of adopting forward-focused coping is discussed.
Symmetric-key cryptography can resist the potential post-quantum attacks expected with the not-so-faraway advent of quantum computing power. Hash-based, code-based, lattice-based, and multivariate-quadratic equations are all other potential candidates, the merit of which is that they are believed to resist both classical and quantum computers, and applying Shor's algorithm-the quantum-computer discrete-logarithm algorithm that breaks classical schemes-to them is infeasible. In this article, we propose, assess, and benchmark reliable constructions for stateless hash-based signatures. Such architectures are believed to be one of the prominent post-quantum schemes, offering security proofs relative to plausible properties of the hash function; however, it is well known that their confidentiality does not guarantee reliable architectures in the presence natural and malicious faults. We propose and benchmark fault diagnosis methods for this post-quantum cryptography variant through case studies for hash functions and present the simulations and implementations results (through application-specific integrated circuit evaluations) to show the applicability of the presented schemes. The proposed approaches make such hash-based constructions more reliable against natural faults and help protecting them against malicious faults and can be tailored based on the resources available and for different reliability objectives.
This study evaluates the long-term performance of two types of geotextiles that were used for 18 years in drainage trenches to stabilize slopes in the French Alps. The flow rate analysis of each trench enabled estimating an average permittivity at trench scale of between 10(-5) and 10(-6) s(-1). After exhuming the geotextiles, their hydraulic and mechanical properties were assessed. The hydraulic tests performed on geotextiles alone gave permittivities greater than 10(-3) s(-1). Gradient ratio tests were performed on undisturbed soil/geotextile/drainage specimens and gave results in the order of 10(-8) s(-1). The aged specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Quantifying the overall performance of the geotextile filter is complicated because of the brittleness of the calcite crust and the subsequent difficulty of characterizing undisturbed interfaces. Various possible explanatory mechanisms involved in the deterioration of trench performance were reviewed: filter cake blinding, internal clogging and downstream chemical clogging. Existing analytical models were used in order to predict the loss of hydraulic performance due to each of these clogging mechanisms. By comparing the measured permittivities to the calculated permittivities, we demonstrated that chemical clogging due to calcite precipitation on the downstream face of the geotextiles was probably the preponderant mechanism responsible for the poorer performance of geotextile filters at trench scale. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effects of impeller configurations on docosahexaenoic acid production and flow characteristics were investigated by Schizochytrium sp. in a 15 L bioreactor. 6-straight blade disc turbine (6-SBDT), 6-arrowy-blade disc turbine (6-ABDT) and down-pumping propeller (DPP) were combined to form different impeller configurations. Simulated results showed that configuration SSA consisting of upper two 6-SBDT and one bottom 6-ABDT possessed the worst oxygen supply capacity. But it obtained the highest DHA percentage of 48.17 % and DHA yield of 21.42 g/L, indicating that it was beneficial for DHA synthesis and converting glucose to biomass and lipids. Configuration SAS consisting of one middle 6-ABDT and two 6-SBDT provided better mixing capacity, which resulted in the maximum glucose consumption rate of 2.86 g/L h and the highest biomass of 108.09 g/L. This study would improve insight into understanding the relationship between flow field and the physiology of Schizochytrium sp. for the scale-up of industrial DHA production.
Containing high salinity and biotoxic organic compounds, reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate from municipal wastewater treatment plants has high environmental risks. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of RO concentrate treatment using the microbial electrolysis desalination and chemical production cell (MEDCC). RO concentrate Was put into the desalination chamber. Both acid production and cathode chambers contained with 1 g/L NaCl. Within 18 h operation, the maximum desalination rate of 86 +/- 7% and no significant COD removal in the RO concentrate were achieved in the MEDCC, although the humic-like and fulvic acid-like organic compoundscould transfer from the desalination chamber into the acid-production chamber. The minimum and maximum pH in the acid-production and cathode chambers reached 1.08 +/- 0.06 and 12.2 +/- 0.10, respectively. The average total energy consumption was 6.51 +/- 0.17-9.81 +/- 0.23 kWh/m(3), among which 37%-61% was provided by the bioenergy from substrate utilization. The acid and alkali recovery, COD rejection in the treated RO concentrate and low electricity consumption in the MEDCC indicate that MEDCC may be a novel method for RO concentrate treatment in practical applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Deficiencies of the retrograde transport mediated by the retromer complex have been described in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Genetic manipulation of retromer modulates brain amyloidosis in Tg2576 mice. However, whether the complex is altered during the development of the AD-like phenotype remains unknown. In this study we assayed the expression levels of the vacuolar sorting protein 35 (VPS35), VPS26, VPS29, and its cargo proteins, cation independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor, sortilin-related receptor in brains of Tg2576 and controls at the ages of 3, 8, and 14 months. While cortex showed an age-dependent decrease in all but VPS29, levels of the same proteins in the cerebellum were unchanged at any age. Neuronal cells expressing human amyloid beta precursor protein Swedish mutant had also reduced retromer complex levels. However, incubation with a pharmacological chaperone dose-dependently restored these levels together with a reduction in amyloid beta. Our study is the first to show that in a transgenic mouse model of AD the changes in the expression levels of the retromer complex are age and region dependent, and that the complex is a viable therapeutic target since its deficiency can be restored pharmacologically by a retromer chaperone. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
It is known that given a directed graph E and a Subset X of vertices, the sum Sigma(v epsilon X) P-v, of vertex projections in the C*-algebra of E converges (strictly, in the multiplier algebra) to a projection P-X. Here we give a construction which, in certain cases, produces a directed graph F such that C*(F) is isomorphic to the corner PXC*(E) P-X. Corners of this type arise nawrally as the fixed-point algebras of discrete coactions on graph algebras related to labellings. We prove this fact, and show that our construction is applicable to such a case whenever the labelling satisfies an analogue of Kirchhoff's voltage law.
Kaizen refers to the philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering and business management. The improvements are usually accomplished at little or no expense and without sophisticated techniques. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of implementing the Kaizen principles at Port Installed Options Center in Toyota Saudi Arabia. Using relevant Kaizen tools including Toyota Production System (TPS), 5S and the seven Muda enabled us to understand the system and identify the most critical problem areas. The Kaizen target was set after analyzing the problems and identifying the gap between the existing system and the TPS. The main results of the study can be summarized as: using the same facilities it was possible to be more efficient by reducing the manpower needed by 26.9% (from 349 to 275 installers) and more effective by increasing the annual output by 13% (from 188000 to 212400 vehicles); improve the Associates Engagement Index (Q12) by 6.4% (from 2.91 to 3.11); potential for inventory reduction due to the use of Kanban system with just-in-time production; avoid investing in new facilities needed to meet the increase in the demand in the market. All these resulted in improving the production line productivity which were appreciated and acknowledged by Toyota Motor Corporation.
Many studies have shown that metal ions may lead to oxidative stress in biological systems. Accordingly, DNA damage, protein modification, enzyme inhibition and activation, lipid peroxidation and many other effects may occur in living organisms. Many different formations of metal ions may enter human cells along with water, air, and various foods, and humans are negatively affected by these conditions, either directly or indirectly. These effects may cause irreversible damage to human metabolism. In this study, the toxicological effects of heavy metals on carbonic anhydrase enzyme activity from the gilthead sea bream liver were investigated. The carbonic anhydrase enzyme was purified via affinity chromatography and had a specific activity of 6775.5 EU mg(-1). The kinetics and characteristic properties, such as optimum pH, stable pH, optimum temperature, activation energy (E-a), activation enthalpy (Delta H), Q(10), K-m, and V-max, were determined for the purified enzyme SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a single band and molecular weight of the subunit was approximately 25 kDa. Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Ag(I) inhibited the enzyme activity in vitro. The type of inhibition and K-i values for these metals were calculated from Lineweaver-Burk plots as 17.74 mM, 36.20 mM, 12.85 mM and 0.025 mM for Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Ag(I), respectively. All the metals were noncompetitive inhibitors. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is an emerging nanomaterial with a morphologic structure of a 3-D network and unique properties produced by several species of bacteria. The objective of the present work was to evaluate whether the addition of BNC improved the baking quality of wheat flours, making a change in the viscoelastic behavior of the mass. A study of the rheological behavior of wheat bread dough containing BNC was performed by thermo-rheological and isothermal dynamic oscillatory experiments. The baking response and bread quality parameters were also analyzed. BNC increased specific volume, and moisture retention, decreasing browning index. Although BNC produced both raw and heat-treated doughs with more elastic characteristics, textural studies revealed that the addition of BNC reduced firmness of bread crumb. Confocal laser scanning microscopy observations showed differences in gluten filaments between control and BNC crumb samples that could explain the larger average porous size of BNC crumb. BNC could be used as improver in the bread-making performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A steam gasification processes is an energy conversion pathway through which organic materials are converted to useful energy. In spite of the high energy content in organic waste materials, they have been mostly disposed of in landfills, which causes harmful environmental issues such as methane emissions and ground water pollution and contaminations. In this sense, organic solid waste materials are regarded as alternative resources for conversion to useful energy in the steam gasification process. In this study, three types of waste materials - municipal solid waste (MSW), used tires and sewage sludge - were used to generate syngas through the gasification process in a 1000 degrees C steam atmosphere. The syngas generation rates and its chemical compositions were measured and evaluated over time to determine the characteristics and dynamics of the gasification process. Also, carbon conversion, and mass and energy balances are presented which demonstrates the feasibility of steam gasification as a waste conversion pathway. The results show that the syngas contains high concentrations of H-2, around 41-55% by volume. The syngas generation rate was found to depend on the carbon content in the feedstock regardless of the types of input materials. Comparing to the hydrogen production from water splitting that requires extremely high temperatures at around 1500 degrees C, hydrogen production by steam gasification of organic materials can be regarded as equally effective but requires lower system temperatures. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Utilising a qualitative case study approach, this research study set out to understand discrimination experienced by immigrant students in their interactions with South African students and the prejudice immigrant students expressed against Black South African students. Findings reveal that the discrimination experienced by immigrant students could be clustered into four broad themes, namely categorisations and prototypes; practised stereotypes; academic and social exclusion; and work ethic. Furthermore, statements immigrant students make about South African students seem to fall into two broad categories, namely lack of value for moral integrity and lack of value for education. Educating students to value human dignity and to view each other as cosmopolitan citizens of the world could be a way to ensure social cohesion and harmony of future generations to come.
The studies presented in this article explored the relevance of death fears to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In Study 1, the relationships between death anxiety and a variety of markers of psychopathology were examined in 171 treatment-seeking participants with OCD. Moderate to large correlations between Collett-Lester Fear of Death scale scores, taken at initial assessment, and clinical ratings of OCD severity, number of hospitalizations, number of medications, and total number of lifetime anxiety-related diagnoses identified in structured diagnostic interviews were obtained. Study 2 used the mortality salience (MS) paradigm to examine whether experimentally manipulated death cognitions exacerbate compulsive cleaning behaviors among OCD washers. Treatment-seeking participants with OCD (66 washers and 66 nonwashers) were randomly allocated to either a MS or dental pain priming condition. Following priming, participants completed a series of distraction tasks involving skin conductance recording, before being offered an opportunity to wash conductive gel off their hands. As hypothesized, washers went to greater efforts in cleaning (as measured by washing duration and soap and paper towel use) than nonwashers. Similarly, participants in the MS condition showed greater cleaning than those in the dental pain salience condition. However, these main effects were qualified by significant interactions for both washing duration and soap use. As expected, simple effect contrasts revealed that the effect of MS on cleaning behaviors was significant for washers but not for nonwashers. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Egocentric vs. allocentric perspective during observation of hand movements has been related to self-other differentiation such that movements observed from an egocentric viewpoint have been considered as self-related while movements observed from an allocentric viewpoint have been considered as belonging to someone else. Correlational studies have generally found that egocentric perspective induces greater neurophysiological responses and larger behavioral effects compared to an allocentric perspective. However, recent studies question previous findings by reporting greater (mu) suppression and greater transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS)-induced motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) during observation of allocentric compared to egocentric movements. Furthermore, self-other differentiation has been generally related to activity within the inferior parietal lobe (IPL), but direct evidence for a causal and functional role of IPL in self-other differentiation is lacking. The current study was therefore designed to investigate the influence that IPL exerts on self-other differentiation. To this aim, we measured the impact of individually adjusted alpha-tuned transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied over IPL on it-suppression during hands movement observation from an egocentric and allocentric perspective. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during movement observation before and immediately after tACS. Results demonstrated that tACS decreased it-reactivity over sensorimotor (but not visual) regions for egocentric (but not allocentric) movement observation providing direct evidence for a causal involvement of IPL in the observation of self- but not other-related hand movement. (C) 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Axial SpA (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory condition predominantly involving the spine and sacroiliac joints (SIJ), with or without extra-spinal manifestations including peripheral arthritis, enthesitis, iritis, psoriasis and IBD. Individuals with axSpA experience significant pain, stiffness and lack of function that translates into important health care costs and increased mortality. AxSpA can be classified into two subgroups: radiographic axSpA, commonly referred to as AS, and nonradiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA). The primary difference between these two subgroups is the presence or absence of defined structural changes in the SIJ as detected on plain radiography. Although patients with nr-axSpA do not fulfil the modified New York criteria for AS [1], their burden of disease is similar [2] and they may derive as much benefit from treatment as patients with established AS. This revision of the 2005 BSR guidelines [3] provides evidence-based guidance for UK clinicians prescribing biologic drugs for adult patients across the spectrum of axSpA. This includes the criteria for starting treatment, the choice of drug and assessing response to treatment. Peripheral spondyloarthritis and juvenile SpA are outside the scope of these guidelines, and readers are referred to the BSR 2012 guidelines for the management of PsA [4].
Fusion technology has been demonstrated to be a good method for generating a large-scale entangled coherent W or GHZ state from two small ones in QED system. It is of importance to study how to fuse small-scale entangled coherent W or GHZ states via optical system. In this paper, we present a scheme for generating larger entangled coherent W or GHZ state in an optical system by virtue of fusion technology. The key fusion mechanism is realized by photon detectors and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with its two arms immersed in Kerr media, by which an n-mode entangled coherent W state and an m-mode entangled coherent W state can be probabilistically fused into an (n + m - 2)-mode entangled coherent W state. This fusion scheme applies to entangled coherent GHZ state too but with a unit probability of success. Feasibility analysis indicates that our fusion scheme may be realized with current experimental technology. Large-scale entangled coherent W and GHZ states may find new applications in quantum communication.
The gap between yield potential and average farmers' yield measures the capacity for yield improvement with current technology. The North China Plain (NCP) is a major maize producing region of China, and improving maize yield of NCP is essential to food security of the country. Some previous studies have found a substantial maize yield gap in this region (similar to 100% of average yields), whereas others have reported much smaller gaps. This study used remote sensing estimated yield at 30-m resolution to quantify county level yield distributions, and then used these distributions to calculate yield gaps and the persistence level of yield for 76 counties in NCP. The average yield was 8.66 t/ha across county years, and the averaged county-level yield gap, as measured by the difference between the top 10 percentile of yields and the average yield of each county, was 0.76 t/ha, or 8.7% of the average yield. When measured as the difference between maximum and average yields in each county, the estimated gap increased to an average of 31%. We also evaluated the persistence level of farmers' yield performance, as an indicator of how much gap might be reduced by propagating agronomic practices of the highest yielding farmers. The average of yield gap persistence was 25.9% of the average yield gap, or 2.3% of average yield with a range from 0.4% to 5.3% across counties. The distance to major rivers was identified as one factor with a significant effect on yield. Nevertheless, there was tremendous spatial heterogeneity in yield persistence level across NCP, and further analysis within individual counties is required to better prioritize means to shrink the yield gap. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Smart homes have gained attraction for several years in people's daily lives and are still increasing. They provide a fruitful foundation for the creation of social network services as they escort habits and regular activities of people at home, along their way or even at work. Smart homes and their current development stage are not only able to support people by intelligent functionality but also to predict the behavior or even the interaction with the social network of a person. For that, smart home technology makes strong use of big data techniques that help to master the vast amount of data generated continuously. In this paper we conduct a literature research that investigates the current state-of-the-art of smart homes and the related generation of social network services in a big data driven environment. We reveal future research opportunities that emerge from the combination of mastering big data in smart homes and, hence, provide design recommendations for social network services.
A common assumption about implicit measures is that they reflect early experiences, whereas explicit measures are assumed to reflect recent experiences. This assumption subsumes two distinct hypotheses: (a) Implicit measures are more resistant to situationally induced changes than explicit measures; (b) individual differences on implicit measures are more stable over time than individual differences on explicit measures. Although the first hypothesis has been the subject of numerous studies, the second hypothesis has received relatively little attention. The current research addressed the second hypothesis in two longitudinal studies that compared the temporal stability of individual differences on implicit and explicit measures in three content domains (self-concept, racial attitudes, political attitudes). In both studies, implicit measures showed significantly lower stability over time (weighted average r = .54) than conceptually corresponding explicit measures (weighted average r = .75), despite comparable estimates of internal consistency. Implications for theories of implicit social cognition and interpretations of implicit and explicit measures are discussed.
Hydrodynamic performance of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, is studied with time-resolved particle image velocimetry. We evaluated inhalant flow, exhalant jet flow, suction performance and flow control capabilities of the mussels quantitatively. Inhalant flow structures of mussels are measured at the coronal plane for the first time in literature. Nutrient fluid is convected into the mussel by three-dimensional sink flow. Inhalant velocity reaches its highest magnitude inside the mussel mantle while it is accelerating outward from the mussels. We calculated pressure gradient at the coronal plane. As inhalant flow approaches the mussel shell tip, suction force generated by the inhalant flow increases and becomes significant at the shell tip. Likewise, exhalant jet flow regimes were studied for 17 mussels. Mussels can control their exhalant jet flow structure from a single potential core region to double potential core region or vice versa. Peak exhalant jet velocity generated by the mussels changes between 2.77 cm s(-1) and 11.1 cm s(-1) as a function of mussel cavity volume. Measurements of hydrodynamic dissipation at the sagittal plane revealed no interaction between the inhalant and exhalant jet flow, indicating energy-efficient synchronized pumping mechanism. This efficient pumping mechanismis associated with the flow-turning angle between inhalant and exhalant jet flows, similar to 90 degrees (s.d. 12 degrees).
Introduction: The therapeutic use of animals has been debated for decades, and its use explored in a variety of settings and populations. However, there is no uniformity on naming these interventions. Evidence based knowledge is essential to implement effective strategies in hospital. This review focused on the use of animal programs for hospitalized patients, and considered the potential risks. Methods: The following databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, PsychInfo, Ebsco Animals, PROQUEST, Web of Science, CINAHL, and MEDLINE, and PRISMA guidelines were adhered to. Results: Out of 432 articles were identified 36 articles suitable for inclusion into the review. Data was heterogeneous in terms of age of patient, health issue, animals used and the length of interactions, which made comparison problematic. Studies on children, psychiatric and elderly patients were the most common. The animal-intervention programs suggested various benefits such as reducing stress, pain and anxiety. Other outcomes considered were changes in vital signs, and nutritional intake. Most studies used dogs, but other animals were effectively employed. The major risks outlined were allergies, infections and animal-related accidents. Zoonosis was a possible risk, as well as common infections as Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus Aureus. The implementation of simple hygiene protocols was effective at minimizing risk. The literature suggested that the benefits outweighed by far the risks. Conclusion: The human relationship with animals can be useful and relatively safe for inpatients with various problems. Moreover, the implementation of security precautions and the careful selection of patients should minimize the risks, particularly those infection-related. Many aspects remain unclear, further studies are required. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
This paper addresses the need to enhance transparency in ambient intelligent environments by developing more natural ways of interaction, which allow the users to communicate easily with the hidden networked devices rather than embedding obtrusive tablets and computing equipment throughout their surroundings. Ambient intelligence vision aims to realize digital environments that adapt to users in a responsive, transparent, and context-aware manner in order to enhance users' comfort. It is, therefore, appropriate to employ the paradigm of computing with words (CWWs), which aims to mimic the ability of humans to communicate transparently and manipulate perceptions via words. One of the daily activities that would increase the comfort levels of the users (especially people with disabilities) is cooking and performing tasks in the kitchen. Existing approaches on food preparation, cooking, and recipe recommendation stress on healthy eating and balanced meal choices while providing limited personalization features through the use of intrusive user interfaces. Herein, we present an application, which transparently interacts with users based on a novel CWWs approach in order to predict the recipe's difficulty level and to recommend an appropriate recipe depending on the user's mood, appetite, and spare time. The proposed CWWs framework is based on linear general type-2 (LGT2) fuzzy sets, which linearly quantify the linguistic modifiers in the third dimension in order to better represent the user perceptions while avoiding the drawbacks of type-1 and interval type-2 fuzzy sets. The LGT2-based CWWs framework can learn from user experiences and adapt to them in order to establish more natural human-machine interaction. We have carried numerous real-world experiments with various users in the University of Essex intelligent flat. The comparison analysis between interval type-2 fuzzy sets and LGT2 fuzzy sets demonstrates up to 55.43% improvement when general type-2 fuzzy sets are used than when interval type-2 fuzzy sets are used instead. The quantitative and qualitative analysis both show the success of the system in providing a natural interaction with the users for recommending food recipes where the quantitative analysis shows the high statistical correlation between the system output and the users' feedback; the qualitative analysis presents social science evaluation confirming the strong user acceptance of the system.
Background: Computer-aided design and draft, along with computer-aided engineering software, are used widely in different fields to create, modify, analyze, and optimize designs. Methods: We used computer-aided design and draft software to create a 3-dimensional model of an aerobiology chamber built in accordance with the specifications of the 2012 guideline from the Environmental Protection Agency for studies on survival and inactivation of microbial pathogens in indoor air. The model was used to optimize the chamber's airflow design and the distribution of aerosolized bacteria inside it. Results: The findings led to the identification of an appropriate fan and its location inside the chamber for uniform distribution of microbes introduced into the air, suitability of air sample collection from the center of the chamber alone as representative of its bacterial content, and determination of the influence of room furnishings on airflow patterns inside the chamber. Conclusions: The incorporation of this modeling study's findings could further improve the design of the chamber and the predictive value of the experimental data using it. Further, it could make data generation faster and more economical by eliminating the need for collecting air samples from multiple sites in the chamber. (C) 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This work evaluates the potential for rainwater harvesting at the household level in the dry climate of Saudi Arabia. The amounts of rainwater that can be harvested in several cities in Saudi Arabia were estimated and it was found that a significant volume, exceeding 7.5 m(3)/100 m(2) per year, can be harvested. The per cubic meter cost of harvesting rainwater was compared to that of producing desalinated water. It was found that harvested rainwater is cheaper to capture than desalinated water produced from renewable energy-driven desalination plants, but that is not the case for fossil fuel-powered desalination. The study also considered the effects of rainwater harvesting on mitigating floods and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A cost-benefit analysis of installing rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in Saudi Arabia was performed. It revealed that it is economically feasible to harvest rain in cities including Hail, Jeddah, Taif, and Riyadh, while it is not recommended in the holy cities of Makkah, Medina, and Buraidah.
Verification of an ECDSA signature requires a double scalar multiplication on an elliptic curve. In this work, we study the computation of this operation on a twisted Edwards curve with an efficiently computable endomorphism, which allows reducing the number of point doublings by approximately 50 percent compared to a conventional implementation. In particular, we focus on a curve defined over the 207-bit prime field F-p with p = 2(207) - 5,131. We develop several optimizations to the operation and we describe two hardware architectures for computing the operation. The first architecture is a small processor implemented in 0.13 mu m CMOS ASIC and is useful in resource-constrained devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The second architecture is designed for fast signature verifications by using FPGA acceleration and can be used in the server-side of these applications. Our designs offer various trade-offs and optimizations between performance and resource requirements and they are valuable for IoT applications.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the robustness of the emerging body of knowledge about collaborative supply chains in the context of Engineered-to-Order (ETO) manufacturing engineering project systems. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses an evolutionary classification technique to build an evolutionary history for an industry case study: the French ETO machine design industry. Findings - The evolutionary history shows that collaborative forms of governance have been used in this industry after an era of failed transactional market-based governance. The industry, however, has abandoned collaborative forms of governance to return to its historical roots towards more vertical integration. Research limitations/implications - Findings are only relevant in the context of the investigated industry. Practical implications - In certain industrial settings managers should consider the promise of collaboration and trust with cautious. Originality/value - The data set supports Williamson's (1993) rejection of trust as a mode of governance and calls for a more careful delineation of the conditions of recourse to trust in managerial situations.
Introduction: Although social cognition skills and biases are well-studied in paranoia, mind perception - perceiving the extent to which someone even possesses a thinking, feeling mind - is not. We sought to better characterise the profile of mind perception for individuals with paranoia. Methods: We examined links between mind perception and paranoia in a large (n = 890) subclinical sample. Participants completed measures of paranoia, schizotypy, mind perception, and dispositional empathy. These assessments were examined for their relationships to one another, as well as the possibility that mind perception partially mediates the relationship between paranoia and empathy. Results: Analyses revealed that increased paranoia was linked to less mind perception towards people. This distorted mind perception partially explained the link between paranoia and both perspective taking and empathic concern. Conclusions: In paranoia - and psychopathology more broadly understanding and addressing distorted mind perception may be one component of restoring social functioning.
Significance: Recently, chronic degenerative diseases have become one of the main health problems worldwide. That is the case of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), whose expression can be influenced by different risk factors. Recent Advances: In recent decades, it has been widely described that MetS increases the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. MetS pathogenesis involves several vascular risk factors such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance (I/R). Critical Issues: Reported evidence shows that vascular risk factors are associated with AD, particularly in the development of protein aggregation, inflammation, oxidative stress, neuronal dysfunction, and disturbances in signaling pathways, with insulin receptor signaling being a common alteration between MetS and AD. Future Directions: Insulin signaling has been involved in tau phosphorylation and amyloid beta (A beta) metabolism. However, it has also been demonstrated that A beta oligomers can bind to insulin receptors, triggering their internalization, decreasing neuron responsiveness to insulin, and promoting insulin I/R. Thus, it could be argued that A beta could be a convergent factor in the development of both pathologies.
Noise and vibration of electrical machines is a major concern. Changes in the machine design to improve its efficiency can lead to unacceptable vibrations. Tools to predict its vibratory and acoustic performance at the design stage need to be developed. An improved finite element model has been developed to analyse the vibration behaviour of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) using the finite element software ABAQUS. All components and subsets of the machine have been modelled and validated by experimental modal analysis (EMA) performed on them. Some modelling issues have been overcome so that an accurate enough model has been reached. The laminated stator, as it is formed by a pack of several steel sheets, has been treated as an orthotropic material and windings have been considered a solid orthotropic part as well. The rotor-shaft assembly has also been verified by EMA. The bearings that join the rotor to the assembly of the stator have been represented by radial springs. The electromagnetic forces are applied to the whole machine model in order to obtain the vibration response. These forces are obtained from the magnetic air-gap flux density which has been obtained with a 2D finite element model developed by FLUX. Finally, the vibration response has been used to calculate the radiated noise with an acoustic model developed in LMS Virtual Lab. The results given by the acoustic numerical model are compared with sound power measurements.
RainyDay is a Python-based platform that couples rainfall remote sensing data with Stochastic Storm Transposition (SST) for modeling rainfall-driven hazards such as floods and landslides. SST effectively lengthens the extreme rainfall record through temporal resampling and spatial transposition of observed storms from the surrounding region to create many extreme rainfall scenarios. Intensity-Duration Frequency (IDF) curves are often used for hazard modeling but require long records to describe the distribution of rainfall depth and duration and do not provide information regarding rainfall space-time structure, limiting their usefulness to small scales. In contrast, RainyDay can be used for many hazard applications with 1-2 decades of data, and output rainfall scenarios incorporate detailed space-time structure from remote sensing. Thanks to global satellite coverage, RainyDay can be used in inaccessible areas and developing countries lacking ground measurements, though results are impacted by remote sensing errors. RainyDay can be useful for hazard modeling under nonstationary conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data classification provides useful thematic maps for numerous geospatial applications. Several methods and algorithms have been proposed recently for LiDAR data classification. Most studies focused on object-based analysis because of its advantages over per-pixel-based methods. However, several issues, such as parameter optimization, attribute selection, and development of transferable rulesets, remain challenging in this topic. This study contributes to LiDAR data classification by developing an approach that integrates ant colony optimization (ACO) and rule-based classification. First, LiDAR-derived digital elevation and digital surface models were integrated with high-resolution orthophotos. Second, the processed raster was segmented with the multiresolution segmentation method. Subsequently, the parameters were optimized with a supervised technique based on fuzzy analysis. A total of 20 attributes were selected based on general knowledge on the study area and LiDAR data; the best subset containing 12 attributes was then selected via ACO. These attributes were utilized to develop rulesets through the use of a decision tree algorithm, and a thematic map was generated for the study area. Results revealed the robustness of the proposed method, which has an overall accuracy of similar to 95% and a kappa coefficient of 0.94. The rule-based approach with all attributes and the k nearest neighbor (KNN) classification method were applied to validate the results of the proposed method. The overall accuracy of the rule-based method with all attributes was similar to 88% (kappa = 0.82), whereas the KNN method had an overall accuracy of <70% and produced a poor thematic map. The selection of the ACO algorithm was justified through a comparison with three well-known feature selection methods. On the other hand, the transferability of the developed rules was evaluated by using a second LiDAR dataset at another study area. The overall accuracy and the kappa index for the second study area were 92% and 0.90, respectively. Overall, the findings indicate that the selection of a subset with significant attributes is important for accurate LiDAR data classification with object-based methods.
Objectives: To (1) investigate the immediate effects of myofascial induction (MI), with placebo electrotherapy as a control, on perceived pain, cervical/shoulder range of motion (ROM), and mood state in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) with shoulder/arm morbidity; and (2) examine the relationships between pain modifications and cervical/shoulder ROM on the side affected by breast cancer. Design: Randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Setting: Physical therapy laboratory. Participants: BCSs (N=21) who had a diagnosis of stage I-IIIA breast cancer and had completed adjuvant therapy (except hormonal treatment). Intervention: During each session, the BCSs received either an MI (fascial unwinding) intervention focused on the upper limb area following the Pilat approach or placebo pulsed shortwave therapy (control group). Each session lasted 30 minutes, and an adequate washout period of 4 weeks between sessions was established. Main Outcome Measures: The visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and anxiety, shoulder-cervical goniometry for ROM, the Profile of Mood States for psychological distress, and the Attitudes Towards Massage Scale were used. Results: An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed significant time x group interactions for VAS affected arm (P=.031) but not for VAS cervical (P=.332), VAS nonaffected arm (P=.698), or VAS anxiety (P=.266). The ANCOVA also revealed significant interactions for affected shoulder flexion (P<.001), abduction (P<.001), external rotation (P=.004), and internal rotation (P=.001). Significant interactions for affected cervical rotation (P=.022) and affected cervical lateral flexion (P=.038) were also found. A significant negative correlation was found between changes in VAS affected arm and shoulder/arm internal rotation ROM (r=.46; P=.03). Conclusions: A single MI session decreases pain intensity and improves neck-shoulder ROM to a greater degree than placebo electrotherapy for BCSs experiencing pain. (C) 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
With the application of network technology, the risk of network security is gradually increasing. In order to predict the likelihood of network risks in real-time, a Time-Varying Markov Model (TVMM) for real-time risk probability prediction was proposed. The real-time risk probability prediction method is able to predict the probability of network risk in future exactly with a real-time-updating-state probability transition matrix of TVMM. The model is used to calculate the risk probability of the network at different risk levels in network attack environment. The result shows that TVMM has higher real-time objectivity and accuracy than the traditional Markov model.
In recent years, it has become easy for people who are far apart to communicate by telephone or e-mail. However, neither the telephone nor e-mail can create the feeling that two people are sharing the same space. If it were possible to feel physically close to someone far away, our ability to communicate would be significantly enriched. The purpose of this study is to propose a system of communication that would enable two people to feel as if they were in the same place, despite being far apart. The first experiment was conducted using 12 types of visual information to ascertain which types of visual information most effectively created the illusion that two separated people were sharing the same space. This experiment showed that simple visual information was more effective than more complex visual information at creating the illusion of shared space. Based on these results, our research team was able to propose a new system of communication using a table and various projected visual objects. In this system, if a participant put a hot drink (for example, a cup of coffee) on the table, a red circle would appear and blink slowly in the same position on the other person's table before fading away. Conversely, if the participant put a cold drink on the table, a blue circle would be projected onto the other person's table in the same position. If the first person moved the cup or glass on his or her own table, the red or blue circle would repeat the move, blink slowly, and then fade away on the other person's table. The second experiment used 14 participants to ascertain the effectiveness of the proposed communication system. We found that 71 % of participants who used the proposed communication system felt that the person they were communicating with shared the same space. Moreover, participants felt that the proposed communication system enhanced communication, making it feel more proactive. It was clear that participants experienced this sense of a shared space more strongly when the circle moved than when it blinked or faded away. These results suggest that the proposed communication system (using a table and various projected visual objects) did succeed in creating the impression that two people in different locations were sharing the same space.
Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental conditions characterized by deficits in social interaction, impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Previous studies have implicated environmental factors in the development of ASD. Although no reliable neurophysiological network is associated with ASD, low levels of plasma oxytocin (OXY) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) have been reported. The twin nonapeptides OXY and AVP are mainly produced in the brain of mammals, and dysregulation of these neuropeptides has been associated with changes in behavior, especially social interactions. Methods: Previously, we analyzed 91 commonly used fragrances and reported significant mutagenic, neurocytotoxic, and stimulatory effects on fetal neuroblastoma cell lines (NBC). In this study, we analyzed the neuromodifications of three selected fragrances on male and female human fetal brain neurons, utilizing immunohistochemistry. Results: We show that exposure to femtomolar concentrations of fragrances results in morphological changes by light microscopy in the NBC. Importantly, these fragrances significantly reduced the OXY- and AVP-receptor positive (OXYR+ and AVPR+) neurons in male NBC but not in female NBC, possibly contributing to the development of male bias in ASD. Conclusion: This study is the first to show a potential link between fragrance exposure, depletion of OXYR+ and AVPR+ neurons, and a male bias in autism. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Manycore processors are a way to face the always growing demand in digital data processing. However, by putting closer distinct and possibly private data, they open up new security breaches. Splitting the architecture into several partitions managed by a hypervisor is a way to enforce isolation between the running virtual machines. Thanks to their high number of cores, these architectures can mitigate the impact of dedicating cores both to the virtual machines and the hypervisor, while allowing an efficient execution of the virtualized operating systems. We present such an architecture allowing the execution of fully virtualized multicore operating systems benefiting of hardware cache coherence. The physical isolation is made by the means of address space via the introduction of a light hardware module similar to a memory-management unit at the network-on-chip entrance, but Without the drawback of relying on a page table. We designed a cycle-accurate virtual prototype of the architecture, controlled by a light blind hypervisor with minimum rights, only able to start and stop virtual machines. Experiments made on our virtual prototype shows that our solution has a low time overhead - typically 3% on average. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water pollution is a well-known major problem in the Tai Lake Basin, China. Compared to industries and domestic sewage, non-point pollution from agriculture is more difficult to detect, measure, and control. Therefore, a range of policies has been formulated, among which is that of 'adjustment of the planting structure.' However, this policy during implementation has been used to simply convert paddy fields to dry land and food crops to cash crops. More surprisingly, to date, no research has provided evidence that such an agricultural land-use change contributes to the reduction of agricultural nutrient pollution. Based on an extensive farm survey, this research finds that conversion of rice paddy to dry land farming has not generated a positive effect on nutrient pollution control. It is estimated that nitrogen runoff from agricultural land has increased by 11 %, while phosphorus runoff has increased more than two times since land-use patterns changed, as farmers are inclined to apply more fertilizer on dry land than in paddy fields. However, this agricultural land-use change is economically effective as land-use conversion increases the net profits of farming in a significant way. It is demonstrated that, compared to environmental concerns, economic considerations are seen to have greater benefits after such an adjustment in the planting structure. These findings have important implications for policy making by local authorities in their efforts to improve environmental management and pollution control in their territories.
Extensive abnormal interactions among microglia, astrocytes, and neurons of the CNS have been observed in proteinopathic neurodegenerative dementias of the elderly. Thesemulticellular interactions are initiated by insoluble tangles of phosphorylated tau protein and plaques of amyloid peptides. Most research has focused on these neurotoxic proteins, but much less is known about the pathogenic roles of the responding resident and recruited neural cells. Principal interactions among the major 3 sets of CNS cells are herein considered at several levels in relation to cellular phenotypic alterations, mechanisms of cellular communication, and extent of involvement in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and related proteinopathic dementias. It remains to be determined which of these abnormal neurocellular phenomena are primary events and sufficiently contributory to neurodegeneration to be useful targets for therapy of senile dementias.-Goetzl, E. J., Miller, B. L. Multicellular hypothesis for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
A nonlinear dynamic model for a passively cooled small modular reactor (SMR) is developed. The nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) model includes representations for reactor core, steam generator, pressurizer, hot leg riser and downcomers. The reactor core is modeled with the combination of: (1) neutronics, and (2) thermal-hydraulics. For the helical-coil once-through steam generator, a single tube depiction with time-varying boundaries and three regions, i.e., subcooled, boiling, and superheated, is adopted. The pressurizer model is developed based upon the conservation of fluid mass, volume, and energy. Hot leg riser and downcomers are treated as first-order lags. Finally, the NSSS model is incorporated with a turbine model which permits observing the mechanical power. The overall nonlinear system is simulated for typical perturbations, e.g., control rod withdrawal and increase in steam demand. A detailed analysis of the results show that the steady-state values for full power are in good agreement with design data and the model is capable of predicting the dynamics of the SMR. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), white matter lesions (WMLs) are associated with an increased risk of progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia, while memory deficits have, at least in part, been linked to a cholinergic deficit. We investigated the relationship betweenWMLload assessed with the Scheltens scale, cerebral acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity measured with [C-11] N-methyl-4-piperidyl acetate PET, and neuropsychological performance in 17 patients with MCI due to AD and 18 cognitively normal older participants. Only periventricular, not nonperiventricular, WML load negatively correlated with AChE activity in both groups. Memory performance depended on periventricular and total WML load across groups. Crucially, AChE activity predicted memory function better than WML load, gray matter atrophy, or age. The effects ofWMLload on memory were fully mediated byAChE activity. Data suggest that the contribution of WML to the dysfunction of the cholinergic system in MCI due to AD depends on WML distribution. Pharmacologic studies are warranted to explore whether this influences the response to cholinergic treatment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Coordinated intrusion, like DDoS, Worm outbreak and Botnet, is a major threat to network security nowadays and will continue to be a threat in the future. To ensure the Internet security, effective detection and mitigation for such attacks are indispensable. In this paper, we propose a novel collaborative intrusion prevention architecture, i.e. CIPA, aiming at confronting such coordinated intrusion behavior. CIPA is deployed as a virtual network of an artificial neural net over the substrate of networks. Taking advantage of the parallel and simple mathematical manipulation of neurons in a neural net, CIPA can disperse its lightweight computation power to the programmable switches of the substrate. Each programmable switch virtualizes one to several neurons. The whole neural net functions like an integrated IDS/IPS. This allows CIPA to detect distributed attacks on a global view. Meanwhile, it does not require high communication and computation overhead. It is scalable and robust. To validate CIPA, we have realized a prototype on Software-Defined Networks. We also conducted simulations and experiments. The results demonstrate that CIPA is effective. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study examined the characteristics associated with popularity and social preference in 769 14-year-old adolescents (54 percent boys) from mainland China. Consistent with findings from other countries, popularity and social preference were moderately correlated and overt aggression was positively correlated with popularity but negatively correlated with social preference. Prosocial behavior, athletic skill, dating, academic achievement, and mutual friends were positively associated with both popularity and social preference, with the effects for prosocial behavior, athletic skill, and dating greater for popularity than for social preference. The strong correlations between popularity and prosocial behavior are consistent with Confucian ideas of moral leadership and the obligations of high status individuals toward others. Cultural values are also reflected in the association of popularity with academic achievement. The inconsistent findings from China regarding the relation between aggression and popularity may stem from multiple factors including the absence of a suitable Chinese translation for popularity.
Mott cells are atypical plasmacytes recognized microscopically by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) distensions (Russell bodies) a result of retained secretory product (antibody). Originally associated with parasitism, they are observed in a broad spectrum of immunopathology, sometimes involving hypergammaglobulinemia. Few descriptions of Mott cells appear in avian literature. The purpose of the manuscript is to provide examples identified by light microscopy in three poultry species. Transmission electron micrographs (TEM) of plasmacytes from the turkey oviduct mucosa are included for comparison with Mott cell light microscopic images. Wright's stained blood and bone marrow from commercial and specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens, ducks, and turkeys are the sources. Mott cell positive samples commonly occurred with leukocytosis or leukemoid reactions, polymicrobial bacteremia, and fungemia. Atypical granulocytes and leukocytes regularly accompanied Mott cells. It is proposed that circulating Mott cells are sentinels indicative of stress, dyscrasia, and pathology. Moreover, Mott cells, like other atypia, complicate the interpretation of simple heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios. As Mott cells are defective plasmacytes these observations address hematology, immunology, pathology, and welfare issues.
Herein we present a retrospective study concerning the provision of school meals for children with food allergies to avoid specially selected menus where these did not seem essential and to improve the day-to-day quality of life of these children and their families. Eighty-two children aged between 3 and 15 years presenting food allergies, primarily to peanuts and/or cashew nuts, partook of school meals without any specially prepared menus as part of the Individualised Meal Project (projet d'accueil individualise [PAID following a study concerning the reading of menus, conducted with the help of school doctors within the region as well as the various bodies responsible for school meals. Based on advances in knowledge about and treatment of food allergies (FA) in recent years, we felt it was essential to be able to provide a personalised school meal service taking into account the serious nature of FA, French dietary habits and available data concerning allergic accidents associated with school meals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
An upgraded version of ATHAS sub-channel code ATHAS/OE is developed for the investigation of the thermal hydraulic behavior of nuclear reactor core in ocean environment with consideration of heaving and rolling motion effect. The code-is verified by another modified sub-channel code based on COBRA-IV and used to analyze the thermal hydraulic characteristics of a typical SMR under heaving and rolling motion condition. The calculation results show that the heaving and rolling motion affect the thermal hydraulic behavior of a reactor significantly. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Most research on threat documents its negative consequences. Similarly, most research on intergroup contexts has emphasized their negative behavioral effects. Drawing on the Meaning Maintenance Model and recent perspectives on the potential for positivity in intergroup conflict, we predicted that meaning threat can produce both antisocial and prosocial responses to intergroup conflict, depending on people's preexisting meaning frameworks. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that under meaning threat, low ingroup glorifiers strengthened their support for peaceful conflict resolution, whereas high ingroup glorifiers strengthened their support for military-based conflict resolution. In the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Study 3 found that low glorification was associated with greater support for peace during hot (but not cold) conflict, because hot conflict reduced their meaning in life. These findings are consistent with the notion that when meaning is threatened, people affirm their preexisting values-whether prosocial or antisocial-even in the context of intergroup conflict.
Fly ash has been recognized as hazardous material causing air, soil and water pollution. Fly ash a 'waste by-product' of electricity generation from power plants (coal-based thermal) has an estimated annual production of approximately two hundred million tons. In-spite of many problems associated (like land requirement for disposal, toxicity to groundwater, handling issues etc.); we have started treating fly ash as a resource material. Present research addresses usage of fly ash in roads & bridges and embankments. In the present study, an attempt has been made to recognize and analyze comprehensively key elements and sub-elements of program implementation of fly ash usage and further to segregate Critical factors (CFs) of usage of fly ash in roads & bridges and embankments. Eight relevant CFs have been recognized for usage of fly ash in roads & bridges; and ten CFs for the usage of fly ash in embankments. Thereafter, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach has been applied on these CFs and two models of driver CFs, linkage CFs and driven CFs have been obtained. Appropriate discussions along-with MICMAC analysis in the light of important elements and sub-elements have helped to present managerial implications useful for stakeholders. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Moving object tracking is one of the challenging problems in computer vision and it has numerous applications in surveillance system, traffic monitoring etc. The goal of object tracking algorithm is to locate a moving object in consecutive video frames. Tracking of moving object in a video becomes difficult due to random motion of objects. This paper introduces a new algorithm for moving object tracking by exploiting the properties of Daubechies complex wavelet transform and Zernike moment. The proposed method uses combination of Daubechies complex wavelet transform and Zernike moment as a feature of object. The motivation behind using combination of these two as a feature of object, because shift invariance and better edge representation property make Daubechies complex wavelet transform suitable for locating object in consecutive frames whereas rotation invariance properties of Zernike moment is also helpful for correct object identification in consecutive frames. Therefore combination of these two as feature of object gives better results. The proposed method matches Zernike moments of Daubechies complex wavelet coefficients of object in the first frame to next consecutive frames. The experimental results and performance evaluation parameters validate that the proposed method gives better performance against other state-of-the-art methods.
The procedure of sharing the diagnostic medical reports and the scanned images of patients among doctors in a secured fashion with corresponding suggestions for joint treatment creates greatest care for the patients through quicker and crucial decisions. Intrusion Detection is the essential part of Information and Network Security domain in opposition against illegal access or malicious attacks. In this context, a new mechanism has been projected to detect offline Intrusion Detection System over the medical images. The proposed scheme deals with Image Blocks matching for the intrusive and normal pattern detection. From the experimental results, the proposed scheme detects the attacks namely: R2L, U2R and DoS. The observation shows that the proposed model offers high efficient detection and accuracy. This model gives realistic results over the Biomedical Images (Ex. DICOM).
The TV-centric gaming concept creates an environment where people can play games with each other in the living room gathered around the TV screen. Games are controlled through mobile devices, using them not only as controllers, but also as personal screens for each player. The TV-centric gaming concept was hard to commercially deploy due to a lack of a common programming platform on the customer premise equipment. However, recent developments in TV operating systems may allow for rebooting the TV-centric gaming approach. This paper presents a proposal of integrating the TV-centric concept with a modern Internet TV based ecosystem, and a potential business case which regards Over-The-Top services as a means of deploying the concept in practice.
Despite extensive genetics and breeding research, effective control of leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks. and an important foliar disease of wheat, has not been achieved. This is mainly due to the widespread use of race-specific seedling resistance genes, which are rapidly overcome by new virulent races. There is increased emphasis now on the use of race-nonspecific adult plant resistance (APR) genes for durable control of leaf rust. The objective of this study was the evaluation of Aegilops tauschii Coss. (the D-genome donor of bread wheat) for APR, previously known to be a rich source of seedling resistance genes to leaf rust. A geographically diverse collection of A. tauschii maintained by the Wheat Genetics Resource Center was evaluated for APR in the field with a leaf rust composite culture of predominant races. Out of a total of 371 A. tauschii accessions, 50 with low to moderate levels of disease severity were subsequently tested at the seedling stage in the greenhouse with four races and one composite culture of leaf rust. Nine accessions displayed moderate resistance to one or more races of leaf rust at the seedling stage. The remaining 41 seedling-susceptible accessions are potential sources of new APR genes. Accessions from Afghanistan only displayed APR whereas both seedling resistance and APR were common in the Caspian Sea region (Iran and Azerbaijan). The APR in these newly identified A. tauschii accessions will be further characterized for novelty, effectiveness, and race-specificity.
IL-27, a member of the IL-12-family of cytokines, has shown anti-tumor activity in several pre-clinical models due to anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic and immune-enhancing effects. On the other hand, IL-27 demonstrated immune regulatory activities and inhibition of auto-immunity in mouse models. Also, we reported that IL-27, similar to IFN-gamma, induces the expression of IL-18BP, IDO and PD-L1 immune regulatory molecules in human cancer cells. Here, a proteomic analysis reveals that IL-27 and IFN-gamma display a broad overlap of functions on human ovarian cancer cells. Indeed, among 990 proteins modulated by either cytokine treatment in SKOV3 cells, 814 showed a concordant modulation by both cytokines, while a smaller number (176) were differentially modulated. The most up-regulated proteins were common to both IFN-gamma and IL-27. In addition, functional analysis of IL-27-regulated protein networks highlighted pathways of interferon signaling and regulation, antigen presentation, protection from natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, regulation of protein polyubiquitination and proteasome, aminoacid catabolism and regulation of viral protein levels. Importantly, we found that IL-27 induced HLA class I molecule expression in human cancer cells of different histotypes, including tumor cells showing very low expression. IL-27 failed only in a cancer cell line bearing a homozygous deletion in the B2M gene. Altogether, these data point out to a broad set of activities shared by IL-27 and IFN-gamma, which are dependent on the common activation of the STAT1 pathway. These data add further explanation to the anti-tumor activity of IL-27 and also to its dual role in immune regulation.
Objective: To review the literature on training clinicians' person perception accuracy, or the ability to correctly judge patients' states and traits. To present the importance of training this skill, share evidence it is a trainable skill, and suggest evidence-based recommendations for implementing training. Methods: We conducted a literature review on person perception training studies developed for or implemented with clinicians. We also summarized measures to evaluate training efficacy, barriers to implementation, and future research directions. Results: Training studies exist to improve clinicians' ability to perceive patients' emotions, pain, distress, and depression. These varied in training approach, length of training, and study design. Ten of 13 studies showed training benefited person perception accuracy. Conclusions: The medical literature and previous meta-analysis on person perception training across contexts demonstrate that training person perception accuracy can be effective. Examples of effective trainings provide suggestions of best-practices for future efforts in this area. Practice implications: More evidence is needed to create and implement trainings which produce not only differences in accuracy but also in patient care and outcomes. Medical curriculum developers and researchers should collaborate to create effective person perception trainings for clinicians. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Study Design. Case report and review of relevant literature. Objective. To report a rare complication of esophageal perforation in cervical fracture patient with progressive ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and review of relevant literature. Summary of Background Data. Esophageal perforation in cervical fracture is extremely rare. This complication has never been reported in AS patients. Key points in the early diagnosis and management of this severe complication along with the cervical fracture were presented in detail in this case report. Methods. A 61-year-old male with AS, who sustained C6 fracture and dislocation after a vehicle accident. Initial treatment strategy was combined anterior-posterior fixation and fusion. Although esophageal perforation in the dorsal wall of esophagus was detected in anterior surgery. After thorough debridement, the esophageal lesion was closed by resorbable interrupted sutures. Surgical incision was washed by saline and hydrogen peroxide without primary closure. Cervical fracture was treated by long level posterior fixation alone. After surgery, the anterior surgical incision was irrigated with normal saline twice a day and closed 3 weeks later. Results. Esophageal perforation was healed completely and neurologic results were improved significantly after surgery. Union of the fracture and segmental stability of cervical spine was confirmed radiologically at 1-year follow up. Conclusion. Esophageal perforation in cervical fracture patient with progressed AS is an extremely rare and potentially life-threatening complication. Surgical debridement and drainage with intensive care are essential for good outcome.
Labeling children's social play behavior is an important process in children's peer-play analysis which is traditionally done by experienced coders. With the growing volume of data, automatic methods for labeling are increasingly required. This paper presents a novel method to classify children's social play behavior in peer-play scenarios into three categories (solitary play, parallel play and group play). Based on the two key cues attentiveness and proximity proposed in The Play Observation Scale, unary features and pairwise features are calculated to describe the relationships between a child and the whole context, and the interactions between two children. Inspired by the recent studies in social behavior analysis and interaction recognition, children's activities are classified by support vector machine (SVM) and hidden conditional random field (HCRF). This method is evaluated by a dataset of children's peer-play scenarios collected by psychology researchers and the results show this method has a good performance in the dataset.
Vulnerability segmentation, the condition under which plant leaves are more vulnerable to drought-induced cavitation than stems, may act as a safety valve to protect stems from hydraulic failure. Evergreen, winter-deciduous, and drought-deciduous tree species co-occur in tropical savannas, but there have been no direct studies on the role of vulnerability segmentation and stomatal regulation in maintaining hydraulic safety in trees with these three leaf phenologies. To this end, we selected three Anacardiaceae tree species co-occurring in a Chinese savanna, evergreen Pistacia weintnanniifolia, drought-deciduous Terminthia paniculata, and winter-deciduous Lannea coromandelica, to study inter-species differentiation in leaf and stem hydraulic safety. We found that the two deciduous species had significantly higher sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity and leaf-specific hydraulic conductance than the evergreen species. Moreover, two deciduous species were more vulnerable to stem cavitation than the evergreen species, although both drought-deciduous species and evergreen species had drought-resistance leaves. The evergreen species maintained a wide hydraulic safety margin (HSM) in stems and leaves; which was achieved by embolism resistance of both stems and leaves and isohydric stomatal control. Both deciduous species had limited HSMs in stems and leaves, being isohydric in the winter-deciduous species and anisohydric in drought-deciduous species. The difference in water potential at 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity between the leaves and the terminal stems (P5Oleaf-stem) was positive in P weinmanniifolia and L. coromandelica, whereas. T paniculata exhibited a lack of vulnerability segmentation. In addition, differences in hydraulic architecture were found to be closely related to other structural traits, i.e., leaf mass per area, wood density, and sapwood anatomy. Overall, the winter-deciduous species exhibits a drought-avoidance strategy that maintains the hydraulic safety of the more carbon-costly stems by sacrificing cheaper and more vulnerable leaves, while the evergreen species exhibits a hydraulic strategy of drought tolerance with strong stomatal regulation. In contrast, the drought-deciduous species lacks vulnerability segmentation and sheds leaves at the expense of top shoots during peak drought. This study demonstrates that even sympatric tree species that differ in leaf phenology can exhibit divergent adaptive hydraulic safety strategies.
Heterozygous triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM2) mutations are an Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factor. Nonmutated TREM2 dysregulation occurs in AD brain. Whether TREM2 is altered in prodromal AD remains unknown. Western blotting was used to determine levels of TREM2 (similar to 25 kDa) and Iba1 in the frontal cortex and TREM2 in the hippocampus from people who died with an antemortem clinical diagnosis of non- and mild-cognitive impairment, mild/moderate AD, and severe AD (sAD). Immunohistochemistry defined the relationship between amyloid and Iba1 profiles. Polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that all subjects did not carry the most common R47H TREM2 variant. TREM2 was significantly upregulated in sAD frontal cortex but stable in hippocampus. Frontal TREM2 mRNA and protein level patterns were similar but not significantly different. Iba1 immunopositive microglia counts increased significantly in frontal cortex containing plaques in sAD. TREM2 and Iba1 levels were not associated with plaques, tangles, neuropathological criteria, or cognitive performance. Frontal cortex TREM2 upregulation is a late event and may not play a major role early in the pathogenesis of the disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are expressed in postmitotic neurons and act as important regulators in intracellular signaling. In addition to their nuclear distribution and roles in regulating gene expression, MAPKs, especially the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) subclass, reside in peripheral dendritic spines and synapses, including the postsynaptic density (PSD) microdomain. This peripheral pool of MAPKs/ERKs is either constitutively active or sensitive to changing synaptic input. Active MAPKs directly interact with and phosphorylate local substrates to alter their trafficking and subcellular/subsynaptic distributions, through which MAPKs regulate function of substrates and contribute to long-lasting synaptic plasticity. A number of physiologically relevant substrates of MAPKs have been identified at synaptic sites. Central among them are key synaptic scaffold proteins (PSD-95 and PSD-93), cadherin-associated proteins (delta-catenin), Kv4.2 K+ channels, and metabotropic glutamate receptors. Through a reversible phosphorylation event, MAPKs rapidly and efficiently modulate the function of these substrates and thus determine the strength of synaptic transmission. This review summarizes the recent progress in cell biology of synaptic MAPKs and analyzes roles of this specific pool of MAPKs in regulating local substrates and synaptic plasticity.
Aerial gamma ray surveys are an important tool for national security, scientific, arid industrial interests in determining locations of both anthropogenic and natural sources of radioactivity. There is a relationship between radioactivity and geology and in the past this relationship has been used to predict geology from an aerial survey. The purpose of this project is to develop a method to predict the radiologic exposure rate of the geologic materials by creating a high resolution background model. The intention is for this method to be used in an emergency response scenario where the background radiation environment is unknown. Two study areas in Southern Nevada have been modeled using geologic data, images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), geochemical data, and pre-existing low resolution aerial surveys from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Survey. Using these data, geospatial areas that are homogenous in terms of K, U, and Th, referred to as background radiation units, are defined and the gamma ray exposure rate is predicted. The prediction is compared to data collected via detailed aerial survey by the Department of Energy's Remote Sensing Lab - Nellis, allowing for the refinement of the technique. By using geologic units to define radiation background units of exposed bedrock and ASTER visualizations to subdivide and define radiation background units within alluvium, successful models have been produced for Government Wash, north of Lake Mead, and for the western shore of Lake Mohave, east of Searchlight, NV. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamic characteristics of proposed digital peak current mode dc-dc converter. The waveforms of the output voltage and the reactor current are derived by the small signal analysis. They are compared with simulation results assuming an actual large amplitude operation. It is confirmed that the tendency of the transient response is indicated based on the analysis results. The experimental result of the proposed method shows the validity of the proposed method and a gradual response is obtained by an improvement of the stability of dc-dc converter. Consequently, the proposed method can be a solution of implementing the peak current mode control in digital.
Deep Neural Networks for image/video classification have obtained much success in various computer vision applications. Existing deep learning algorithms are widely used on RGB images or video data. Meanwhile, with the development of low-cost RGB-D sensors (such as Microsoft Kinect and Xtion Pro-Live), high-quality RGB-D data can be easily acquired and used to enhance computer vision algorithms [14]. It would be interesting to investigate how deep learning can be employed for extracting and fusing features from RGB-D data. In this paper, after briefly reviewing the basic concepts of RGB-D information and four prevalent deep learning models (i.e., Deep Belief Networks (DBNs), Stacked Denoising Auto-Encoders (SDAE), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Networks), we conduct extensive experiments on five popular RGB-D datasets including three image datasets and two video datasets. We then present a detailed analysis about the comparison between the learned feature representations from the four deep learning models. In addition, a few suggestions on how to adjust hyper parameters for learning deep neural networks are made in this paper. According to the extensive experimental results, we believe that this evaluation will provide insights and a deeper understanding of different deep learning algorithms for RGB-D feature extraction and fusion. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In the field of weapon system of systems (WSOS) simulation, various indicators are widely used to describe the capability of WSOS, but it is always difficult to describe the comprehensive capability of WSOS quickly and intuitively by visualization of multi-dimensional indicators. A method of machine learning and visualization is proposed, which can display and analyze the capabilities of different WSOS in a two-dimensional plane. The analysis and comparison of the comprehensive capability of different components of WSOS is realized by the method, which consists of six parts: multiple simulations, key indicators mining, three spatial distance calculation, fusion project calculation, calculation of individual capability density, and calculation of multiple capability ranges overlay. Binding a simulation experiment, the collaborative analysis of six indicators and 100 possible kinds of red WSOS are achieved. The experimental results show that this method can effectively improve the quality and speed of capabilities analysis, reveal a large number of potential information, and provide a visual support for the qualitative and quantitative analysis model.
Understanding the hydraulic behaviour of subsurface flow bioremediation systems is a pre-requisite for characterising their biogeochemical functioning, yet it is often overlooked. Using multiple tracers in parallel, considerable hydraulic insight can be gained. A quantitative multi-tracer test was conducted at a passive coal mine water bioremediation system in the UK (Bowden Close Colliery, County Durham) to assess its hydraulic behaviour. Four tracers were used: bromide (Br-), uranine (Na-fluorescein), lithium (Li+) and NaCl. The system comprises two parallel treatment streams: one receiving 30-50 L min(-1) of moderately acidic adit drainage and the other one 90-110 L min(-1) of strongly acidic spoil leachate. Each of these treatment streams has a separate 'RAPS unit' (Reducing and Alkalinity Producing System) and their effluents are eventually mixed in a single aerobic wetland. The RAPS units are downward-flow porous media with mixed substrates of limestone gravels and compost; RAPS I has a surface area of 1511 m(2) and RAPS II 1124 m(2). The aerobic wetland (990 m2) is a basin of mineral soil planted with Typha latifolia and a shallow (15-50 cm) water level. For the two RAPS units, residence times of 4-5 d and effective velocities of 0.7-0.9 m h(-1) were deduced. In terms of tracer performance, in contrast to earlier findings, bromide and Na-fluorescein tracers were applied successfully, while NaCl and lithium were found to be least useful, particularly during dilution events caused by intense rainfall. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Theoretically, specific pragmatic functions of intentional communication are differentially associated with language use in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare the relation of declarative and imperative intentional communication acts (ICAs), respectively, with language skills. We also examined five possible moderators of the separate associations and the difference in associations: metric used to quantify ICAs, expressive versus receptive language, longitudinal or concurrent correlations, within-study interobserver reliability of rating pragmatic function of ICAs, and risk for correlated measurement error. Method: Included studies provided at least 1 zero-order correlation (concurrent or longitudinal) of language measures with declarative or imperative ICA5. Participants were children with ASD (n = 727), aged 8 years and younger. Results: Twenty-three studies were included. Declarative ICAs were significantly associated with language (weighted mean r = 0.42; 95% CI [0.34, 0.50]). Imperative ICAs were not significantly associated with language. Moderator effects were not detected. Conclusions: The association of declarative ICAs and language has implications for early treatment of ASD-related language deficits. Failure to find a significant association of imperative ICAs and language could have been due to low statistical power and/or publication bias; more research on imperative ICAs is needed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The ambient intelligence concept provides a vision of society of the future, where people will find themselves in an environment of intelligent and intuitively usable interfaces. The manuscript applies this definition to the specific environment of higher education in the context of the Czech Republic. The existence of the so-called Generation Y and characteristics of included individuals represent the main rationale of this paper. In particular sections of this paper, three visions that focus on intelligent assistance for graduation thesis preparation, smart lecture halls, and smart university campuses are described, and related architectures are depicted. Furthermore, results from a survey evaluating three main aspects - feasibility, willingness to use, and accessibility of technologies - of these visions are presented.
The shortage of water in ancient Greek civilizations necessitated various collection methods and storage cisterns. In fact, rainwater harvesting dates back to Minoan times, ca. 3200-1100 BC. Since then, several types of cisterns have evolved, while a significant development appears to have occurred throughout Hellas during the Hellenistic period. In addition to the Hellenistic period, the succeeding Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman periods are discussed. Within this context, a few examples relating to characteristics of Hellenistic cisterns, conveying illustrations of the development of technology during those historical periods, are included.
Sinus augmentation procedure has been demonstrated to be a highly predictable treatment in posterior maxilla atrophy. All the surgical interventions in the maxillary region require deep knowledge of anatomy and possible anatomical variations. In this article, pre-operative and post-operative assessments of sinus cavity as well as novel approaches to deepen our knowledge of the behavior of bone substitute materials are described. The awareness of the patient's morphologic conditions enables exact planning of invasive surgery and aids to avoid complications. Pre-operative radiologic evaluation of the region before sinus lift is advisable both for a planning of the sinus augmentation and for selection and alignment of the optimum placement of implants. On the orthopantomography it is possible to measure the vertical dimension of graft, but not the volume and 3D changes. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has become the gold standard to plan a comprehensive implant treatment and to achieve a post-operative assessment. A computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technique is proposed to produce custom-made block grafts for sinus lift procedure, and a customized cutting guide to accurately place the lateral wall and ease membrane elevation. This procedure allows to reduce intervention time, to precisely adapt the scaffold, to reduce risk of complications and to improve operation quality. Recently, a novel approach has been used to deepen our knowledge of the behavior of BSBs: by means of synchrotron micro-tomography (SCT). It is a 3-D analyzing method, suitable to examine the dynamic and spatial arrangement of regenerative phenomena in complex anatomical structures such as bone, where tissues with several morphologies (alveolar process, unmineralized extracellular matrix, regenerated vessels, etc.) compete to achieve the final goal of bone regeneration.
The conservation of water in agriculture requires an understanding of the mechanisms of plant-water relations. This study aimed to reveal hydraulic regulation strategies of maize (Zea mays L.) for maintaining the plant water balance during drought. The water relations of two maize inbred lines (Tian4 and 478) that differ in their resistance to drought in the field were investigated under well-watered conditions and osmotic stress induced with 10 % PEG 6000. The leaf transpiration rate and leaf water potential of 478 varied diurnally, but remained constant in Tian4, which is more drought resistant. Tian4 plants showed morphological, anatomical and physiological advantages that protected them from foliar water loss. The strategies of leaf hydraulics to regulate leaf water balance during the day and during short-term osmotic stress also differed between Tian4 and 478. The leaf hydraulic conductivity of Tian4 and 478 increased temporarily, but their root hydraulic conductivities were reduced under osmotic stress. However, the root hydraulic conductivity of Tian4 subsequently recovered. Lower and rapidly reduced leaf transpiration and the ability of root hydraulics to recover from short-term osmotic stress can help explain the strategies for plant water balance of drought-tolerant maize.
T cells must respond differently to antigens of varying affinity presented at different doses. Previous attempts to map peptide MHC (pMHC) affinity onto T-cell responses have produced inconsistent patterns of responses, preventing formulations of canonical models of T-cell signaling. Here, a systematic analysis of T-cell responses to 1 million-fold variations in both pMHC affinity and dose produced bell-shaped dose-response curves and different optimal pMHC affinities at different pMHC doses. Using sequential model rejection/identification algorithms, we identified a unique, minimal model of cellular signaling incorporating kinetic proofreading with limited signaling coupled to an incoherent feed-forward loop (KPL-IFF) that reproduces these observations. We show that the KPL-IFF model correctly predicts the T-cell response to antigen copresentation. Our work offers a general approach for studying cellular signaling that does not require full details of biochemical pathways.
This study calculates the rheological disease factor from stain patterns of blood microfluidic drop samples of patients. The work explores programmed recognition of infection from the specimen of dried miniaturized scale drop blood stains from a patient's pathological examination. In this novel pathological examination proposed in this study less than 10 micro liters of blood is required. This strategy has the benefit of being significantly affordable and low cost, effortless and less intrusive, entirely robust for disease screening in infants and the old. Infection affects the physical and mechanical properties of biological fluid (blood), as reported by many medical and fluid mechanics fraternity previously, which thus influences the specimen of dehydrated blood miniaturized scale beads. For instance, low platelet index causes a drop in viscosity (one of the mechanical properties of the biological fluid-blood) due to blood thinning. Thus, the blood miniaturized scale drop stain specimen can be utilized for screening infections. This study proposes a programmed investigation of the dehydrated small-scale droplet blood stain specimen utilizing machine vision and pattern and feature extraction and recognition. The specimens of small-scale drop blood stains of ordinary healthy people are discernible from the specimen of miniaturized scale drop blood stains of unhealthy people. As a contextual investigation, the miniaturized scale drop blood stains of TB infected have been contrasted with the small-scale drop blood stains of healthy noninfected people. This study dives into the fundamental fluid mechanics behind how the specimen of the dehydrated small-scale drop blood stain is shaped. A thick circular boundary in the dehydrated small-scale drop blood stains of healthy people and thin crack or ridge lines in the dehydrated small-scale drop blood stains of those infected with tuberculosis have been observed. The circular boundary is because of microfluidic channel stream, an outward current conveying blood cells suspended in plasma to the periphery. Concentric formed circles (brought about by internal Marangoni stream) and inner depositions are a few of the other stain patterns that were seen in the dehydrated small-scale drop blood stain specimen of typical noninfected people.
Apoptosis is required to maintain tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms. Platelets, the anucleate cells that are essential for blood clotting, are a prime example. Their brief life span in the circulation is regulated by the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Pro-survival BCL-XL (also termed BCL2L1) is essential for platelet viability. It functions to restrain the proapoptotic BCL-2 family members BAK (also termed BAK1) and BAX, the essential mediators of intrinsic apoptosis. Genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of BCL-XL results in thrombocytopenia. Conversely, deletion of BAK in platelets doubles their circulating life span. However, what triggers platelet apoptosis in vivo remains unclear. The pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins are essential for initiating apoptosis in nucleated cells, and there is some evidence to suggest they also play a role in platelet biology. We investigated whether PUMA (also termed BBC3), a potent BH3-only protein that can inhibit all pro-survival BCL-2 family members as well as directly activate BAX, regulates the death of platelets. Surprisingly, loss of PUMA had no impact on the loss of platelets caused by loss of BCL-XL. It therefore remains to be established whether other BH3-only proteins play a critical role in induction of apoptosis in platelets or whether their death is controlled solely by the interactions between BCL-XL with BAK and BAX.
Background and objectives: Socially anxious individuals elicit less positive reactions from interlocutors than non-anxious individuals, but evidence for a distinctive social anxiety linked behaviour deficit to explain this finding has been sparse. We investigated whether socially anxious individuals engage less in joint action - a process which promotes rapport and usually arises spontaneously between conversation partners when they actively attend to the conversation. Methods: In Study 1, participants with high fear of negative evaluation, and low fear of negative evaluation conversed with a peer. Study 2 simulated the cognitive impact of anxiety-linked threat focus in non-anxious participants via a partial distraction task and measured the social consequences. Results: In Study 1, listeners with high fear of negative evaluation made fewer collaborative contributions to a partner's anecdote (an index of joint action). In Study 2, non-anxious distracted listeners showed the same behavioural pattern (fewer collaborative responses) and were less well-liked by their conversation partners, compared to non-distracted listeners. Limitations: We coded for only one marker of joint action. Future research should identify further indices of connectedness between partners. In addition, both studies were conducted with small groups of university students, and future research should be conducted on larger samples selected on the basis of social anxiety, not fear of negative evaluation alone. Conclusions: Together, these findings indicate that socially anxious individuals engage less in the shared task of conversation, and this behaviour attracts less positive responses from conversation partners. (c) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Nutrition research is in the process of addressing a series of questions related to the future of diet and health. Are all humans the same with respect to their response to diet? If not, humans must be fed differently according to the differences in their genetics and metabolic needs. Are those differences self-evident to the individual or their care-givers? If not, methods must be developed to measure the basis of differences between humans. Are the current sets of diagnostic biomarkers for disease appropriate and sufficient to distinguish the appropriate diets of humans for optimal metabolic health? If not, metabolites must be measured such that the differences in human metabolism are resolvable before they become diseased. Will a small subset of metabolic markers provide an indication of intended and unintended effects of diets that relate to overall metabolism? If not, comprehensive metabolic analyses (metabolomics) must be put in place to ensure that all aspects of health are accurately assessed. Inappropriate dietary choices are accelerating the development of chronic metabolic disease and threatening to overwhelm public health's ability to manage them. Nutrition and food sciences will need to collaborate with other scientific disciplines to develop and implement metabolic assessment technologies and to assemble annotated databases of metabolite profiles in humans, thus building the knowledge needed to link metabolism to diet and health. Biochemical and physiological research must be guided to define the mechanisms by which diet interacts with metabolism in different individuals. Integrating metabolism with the genetic and dietary variables that affect health is the role of nutrition sciences. Integrating personal nutritional value with food's other key values of safety, quality, comfort, delight, convenience and affordability is the role of food science. It is time for these two fields to address a common problem, metabolic health, with coordinated solutions.
One of the major challenges of developing and growing of parabolic trough solar thermal power plants (PTSTPPs) is enhancing the techno-economic performance. The goal of this study is to develop a unique artificial neural network (ANN) model that gives the best approach to predict the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of two different PTSTPPs integrated with thermal energy storage and fuel backup system; the first one is using thermic oil as primary heat transfer fluid in the solar field, while the other one is based on molten salt. By this way, the optimum designs of the two plants were determined in the LCOE analysis by using the obtained weights and biases of the best ANN topology. The techno-economic potentials of using Molten salt in comparison to thermic oil of the two optimized plants were investigated considering both hourly and annual performances. The results show that it is possible to get minimum values of LCOE of 8.3 and 7.0 cent$/kWh for oil and salt configurations, respectively. Moreover, because of the difference in dispatch of thermal energy system and solar field aperture area of the plants, the annual power generation and capacity factor of salt plant are much higher than those of oil plant with a difference of around 26%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Blinking behavior is an important part of human nonverbal communication. It signals the psychological state of the social partner. In this study, we implemented different blinking behaviors for a humanoid robot with pronounced physical eyes. The blinking patterns implemented were either statistical or based on human physiological data. We investigated in an online study the influence of the different behaviors on the perception of the robot by human users with the help of the Godspeed questionnaire. Our results showed that, in the condition with human-like blinking behavior, the robot was perceived as being more intelligent compared to not blinking or statistical blinking. As we will argue, this finding represents the starting point for the design of a 'holistic' social robotic behavior.
Aim: Most studies on the determinants of psychosocial functioning in first-episode psychosis used few predictors. This study examines the effects of multiple cognitive domains and multiple symptoms on psychosocial functioning. Methods: A total of 162 patients with a first-episode psychosis were assessed within 3 months after referral to an early psychosis treatment department. Four psychopathological subdomains (positive and negative symptoms, depression and anxiety) and five subdomains of psychosocial functioning (work/study, relationships, self-care, disturbing behaviour and general psychosocial functioning) were measured. Neurocognitive and social cognitive factors were identified through principal component analyses (PCA) of a 15-measure cognitive battery. Stepwise backward regression models were computed to identify the determinants of psychosocial functioning. Results: The three neurocognitive and four social cognitive factors identified through PCA were largely independent of psychopathology. The strongest associations were between cognitive factors and anxiety. Higher levels of negative symptoms, poor general neurocognition and poor general social cognition showed strongest associations with impaired psychosocial functioning, followed by low verbal processing speed and low emotion processing speed. Together, these factors accounted for 39.4% of the variance in psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: The results suggest that negative symptoms, impaired neurocognition and poor social cognition are related to psychosocial problems in patients with first-episode psychosis. None of the affective or positive symptoms had a marked impact on psychosocial functioning.
As a neurotropic substance, ethanol can damage nerve cells through an increase in the production of free radicals, interference of neurotrophic factor signaling pathways, activation of endogenous apoptotic signals and other molecular mechanisms. Previous studies have revealed that a number of natural drugs extracted from plants offer protection of nerve cells from damage. Among these, arctigenin (ATG) is a lignine extracted from Arctium lappa (L.), which has been found to exert a neuroprotective effect on scopolamine-induced memory deficits in mice with Alzheimer's disease and glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary neurons. As a result, it may offer beneficial effects on ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. However, the effects of ATG on ethanol-induced nerve damage remain to be elucidated. To address this issue, the present study used rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells to investigate the neuroprotective effects of ATG on ethanol-induced cell damage by performing an MTT reduction assay, cell cycle analysis, Hoechst33342/propidium iodide fluorescence staining and flow cytometry to examine apoptosis. The results showed that 10 mu M ATG effectively promoted the proliferation of damaged cells, and increased the distribution ratio of the cells at the G2/M and S phases (P<0.05). In addition, the apoptosis and necrosis of the PC12 cells were significantly decreased following treatment with ATG. Therefore, it was concluded that 10 mu M ATG had a protective effect on ethanol-induced injury in PC12 cells.
In this paper, a novel structure of a compact UWB slot antenna and its design optimization procedure has been presented. In order to achieve a sufficient number of degrees of freedom necessary to obtain a considerable size reduction rate, the slot is parameterized using spline curves. All antenna dimensions are simultaneously adjusted using numerical optimization procedures. The fundamental bottleneck here is a high cost of the electromagnetic (EM) simulation model of the structure that includes (for reliability) an SMA connector. Another problem is a large number of geometry parameters (nineteen). For the sake of computational efficiency, the optimization process is therefore performed using variable-fidelity EM simulations and surrogate-assisted algorithms. The optimization process is oriented towards explicit reduction of the antenna size and leads to a compact footprint of 199 mm(2) as well as acceptable matching within the entire UWB band. The simulation results are validated using physical measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an illness that frequently begins during adolescence and involves weight loss. Two groups of adolescent girls (AN-A, weight-recovered following AN) and (HC-A, healthy comparison) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging task involving social evaluations, allowing comparison of neural activations during self-evaluations, friend-evaluations, and perspective-taking self evaluations. Although the two groups were not different in their whole-brain activations, anxiety and body shape concerns were correlated with neural activity in a priori regions of interest. A cluster in medial prefrontal cortex and the dorsal anterior cingulate correlated with the body shape questionnaire; subjects with more body shape concerns used this area less during self than friend evaluations. A cluster in medial prefrontal cortex and the cingulate also correlated with anxiety such that more anxiety was associated with engagement when disagreeing rather than agreeing with social terms during self evaluations. This data suggests that differences in the utilization of frontal brain regions during social evaluations may contribute to both anxiety and body shape concerns in adolescents with AN. Clinical follow-up was obtained, allowing exploration of whether brain function early in course of disease relates to illness trajectory. The adolescents successful in recovery used the posterior cingulate and precuneus more for friend than self evaluations than the adolescents that remained ill, suggesting that neural differences related to social evaluations may provide clinical predictive value. Utilization of both MPFC and the precuneus during social and self evaluations may be a key biological component for achieving sustained weight-recovery in adolescents with AN. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Individuals often hold ambivalent attitudes (i.e., positive and negative attitudes at the same time) toward groups and social categories. The aim of the present research was to examine the differential effects of affective and cognitive dimensions of ambivalence on the (amplification of) responses towards a minority group. We asked 188 students from the University of Perugia to read a short description of a fictitious group of immigrants. After expressing their affective and cognitive attitudes toward the target group, participants received positive, negative, or no supplementary information about this group. Discrimination was assessed by asking participants to allocate to the target group a percentage of a financial support fund for poor people (both Italian and immigrant) living in their regional area. As expected, we found that only affective ambivalence amplified either negative or positive responses toward the group.
Tandem repeats are often associated with important chromosomal landmarks, such as centromeres, telomeres, subtelomeric, and other heterochromatic regions, and can be good candidates for molecular cytogenetic markers. Tandem repeats present in many plant species demonstrate dramatic differences in unit length, proportion in the genome, and chromosomal organization. Members of genus Allium with their large genomes represent a challenging task for current genetics. Using the next generation sequencing data, molecular, and cytogenetic methods, we discovered two tandemly organized repeats in the Allium fistulosum genome (2n = 2C = 16), HAT58 and CAT36. Together, these repeats comprise 0.25% of the bunching onion genome with 160,000 copies/1 C of HAT58 and 93,000 copies/1 C of CAT36. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and C-banding showed that HAT58 and CAT36 associated with the interstitial and pericentromeric heterochromatin of the A. fistulosum chromosomes 5, 6, 7, and 8. FISH with HAT58 and CAT36 performed on A. cepa (2n = 2C = 16) and A. wakegi (2n = 2C = 16), a natural allodiploid hybrid between A. fistulosum and A. cepa, revealed that these repeats are species specific and produced specific hybridization patterns only on A. fistulosum chromosomes. Thus, the markers can be used in interspecific breeding programs for monitoring of alien genetic material. We applied Non-denaturing FISH that allowed detection of the repeat bearing chromosomes within 3 h. A polymorphism of the HAT58 chromosome location was observed. This finding suggests that the rapid evolution of the HAT58 repeat is still ongoing.
Non-point source water pollution mainly comes from farmland chemical fertilizers which has become an obstacle of agricultural sustainability and ecological health. As a public policy tool for assessing global ecological crisis and environmental pollution, ecological compensation is important for regional agricultural sustainability. Ecological compensation that farmers receive from governments is based on their reduction of fertilizer application at optimal ecological and economic levels. In this study we estimated the ecological compensation standards for nitrogen non-point pollution in Yixng city with contingent valuation method and cost-benefit method. Results showed that the range of theoretical values of ecological compensation of nitrogen in Yixing City depended upon its optimal ecological and economic nitrogen application levels. The willingness of farmers to accept the compensation was positively correlated with their farming experience and education. There were about half of farmers willing to accept the compensation. Based on the present study, we found Yixing's ecological compensation standard for controlling nitrogen non-point pollution was 620.0 yuan/hm(2) at the current economic development level.
Addressing climate change impacts on agriculture is special challenge. There are number of factors that influence the extent to which farmers in a particular location adopt CSA technologies. This study applied a participatory assessment method to assess farmers' preferences and willingness-to-pay for selected CSA practices and technologies in diverse rainfall zones. The study found that farmers' preferences for CSA technologies are marked by some commonalities as well as differences according to their socio-economic characteristics and rainfall zones. The most preferred technologies by local farmers were crop insurance, weather-based crop agro-advisories, rainwater harvesting, site-specific integrated nutrient management, contingent crop planning and laser land levelling. The results also indicate that furriers' preferences and willingness-to-pay are influenced by technologies and their cost of implementation. This study shows the potential for using a participatory CSA prioritization approach to provide information on climate change adaptation planning at local level. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The modern environmental awareness leads to the realisation that the human metabolism is stressed by a huge number of chemical substances. Generally, these background exposures, consisting predominantly from natural and partly from industrial as well as life style sources, are tolerated without any adverse effects. Pesticides are chemicals intentionally introduced to the environment and have become necessities in modern agriculture as well as in indoor pest control. Their residues, therefore, is attracting more and more concern. For the majority of pesticides neither occupational nor environmental medical risk evaluations are so far available. Therefore, at the moment the occupational as well as the environmental supported preventive concept may only be achieved, if binding instructions upon experience and guide values are developed for the assessment of the individual risk of handling pesticides. In the occupational and environmental pesticide prophylaxis the ubiquitous background exposure levels in consideration with individual susceptibility factors should be recommended as provisional biological tolerance guide values. The suitability of this guide values concept for pesticides is demonstrated by determining the background exposure and the biomarkers of susceptibility of 250 unexposed persons as well as of more than 1200 occupationally exposed persons. As a result, a significant dependence of their health fidelity from the background exposure profile impressed on the individual polymorphism of the key enzymes was observed. Especially, the cumulative adducts of electrophilic substances and their metabolites with macromolecules like HSA and Hb turned our to be sensitive markers for the capacity of the individual metabolic rate. For alkylating and arylating pesticides the observed interindividual susceptibility to their adverse effects depends on the variability of the individual 'toxifying' and 'detoxifying' metabolic rates. Until scientific evaluation of official biological tolerance values for pesticides is carried out, it is advisable for risk prophylaxis to orientate the assessment of any individual tolerable stress and strain from pesticides to the synergism between background exposure, life style factors and biomarkers of specific susceptibility. They may be examined by a monitoring of conjugates and polymorphism marked by the individual metabolic rate. The monitoring and surveillance of pesticide exposures is mainly introduced by the recommendation of tolerable biological values from the reference value concept. This concept is an essential contribution to an objective risk discussion with regard to individual stress and strain profiles in environmental exposure scenarios. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Deep models have recently shown improved performance on numerous benchmark tasks in computer vision and machine learning. The availability of huge amount of digital data, possibility of massively parallel computations on graphics processing units and the development of advance optimisation techniques have pushed the limits of the deep learning framework by superseding the performance of state-of-the-art research, in specific the kernel methods. This research proposes a novel connection between the two paradigms of research and shows empirical evidence to emphasise that the knowledge learnt from one domain could be supplemented with the significant properties of the other domain to achieve the best of both the worlds. The proposed hybrid methodology illustrates the advantages of deep architectures for kernel methods by showing significant improvement in the classification performance on benchmark tasks with kernel methods. It is shown empirically that the results achieved are either better or competitive to the leading benchmarks from support vector machines and deep models.
In this study the authors proposed the introduction of chemical sensors directly on textile surfaces in the form of conductive transmission parts using the screen-printing technique. A liquid vapour-sensitive, printing surface made with the use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes was also evaluated. Carbon nanotubes show effective chemo-sensory properties because the chemical agent leads to changes in electrical conductivity. The research concerned the assessment of sensor efficiency for chemical incentives in the form of selected fluids and their vapours. The best sensory properties were observed for polar vapour at a level of relative resistance over 40%. In the case of vapours of non-polar fluids the sensory reaction of the printed fabrics is much weaker - at a level of relative resistance of about 25%. The printed textile backings subjected to the influence of a fluid show an immediate reaction, while in the case of fluid vapour the reaction occurs after a few seconds. Detection of the presence of dangerous chemical agents such as organic liquids and their vapour is possible by means of a structure composed of sensors.
There is an increasing demand for personalization of disease screening based on assessment of patient risk and other characteristics. For example, in breast cancer screening, advanced imaging technologies have made it possible to move away from one-size-fits-all' screening guidelines to targeted risk-based screening for those who are in need. Because diagnostic performance of various imaging modalities may vary across subjects, applying the most accurate modality to the patients who would benefit the most requires personalized strategy. To address these needs, we propose novel machine learning methods to estimate personalized diagnostic rules for medical screening or diagnosis by maximizing a weighted combination of sensitivity and specificity across subgroups of subjects. We first develop methods that can be applied when competing modalities or screening strategies that are observed on the same subject (paired design). Next, we present methods for studies where not all subjects receive both modalities (unpaired design). We study theoretical properties including consistency and risk bound of the personalized diagnostic rules and conduct simulation studies to examine performance of the proposed methods. Lastly, we analyze data collected from a brain imaging study of Parkinson's disease using positron emission tomography and diffusion tensor imaging with paired and unpaired designs. Our results show that in some cases, a personalized modality assignment is estimated to improve empirical area under the receiver operating curve compared with a one-size-fits-all' assignment strategy. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The fully polarizable, multipolar, and atomistic force field protein FFLUX is being built from machine learning (i.e., kriging) models, each of which predicts an atomic property. Each atom of a given protein geometry needs to be assigned such a kriging model. Such a knowledgeable atom needs to be informed about a sufficiently large environment around it. The resulting complexity can be tackled by collecting the 20 natural amino acids into a few groups. Using substituted deca-alanines, we present the proof-of-concept that a given atom's charge can be modeled by a few kriging models only. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Global water demand is expected to outstrip supply dramatically by 2030, making water recycling an important tool for future water security. A large combined grey water and rainwater recycling system has been monitored in response to an identified knowledge gap of the in-use performance of such systems. The water saving efficiency of the system was calculated at -8.5% in 2011 and -10% in 2012 compared to the predicted 36%. This was due to a lower quantity of grey water and rainwater being collected than the system filter required to backwash alone. Top-up potable water was therefore required to complete the backwash process and flush WCs and urinals. The efficiency of the filter itself was calculated at 0.68, much lower than current figures used in grey water saving predictions. Using direct mains water with no recycling system would be more efficient in this case, highlighting the importance of realistic system analysis before future installations.
The accurate and reliable identification of damage in modern engineered structures is essential for timely corrective measures. Vibration-based damage prediction has been studied extensively by virtue of its global damage detection ability and simplicity in practical implementation. However, due to noise and damping influences, the accuracy of this method is inhibited when direct peak detection (DPD) is utilized to determine resonant frequency shifts. This research investigates an alternative method to detect frequency shifts caused by structural damage based on the utilization of strongly nonlinear bifurcation phenomena in bistable electrical circuits coupled with piezoelectric transducers integrated with the structure. It is shown that frequency shift predictions by the proposed approach are significantly less susceptible to error than DPD when realistic noise and damping levels distort the shifting resonance peaks. As implemented alongside adaptive piezoelectric circuitry with tunable inductance, the new method yields damage location and severity identification that is significantly more robust and accurate than results obtained following the DPD approach.
The reinforcement used in soil for construction of roads on the soft clay is very important as it will determine the level of service of the road after it was built. Damage or defects on the road surface to be an indicator of the level of the road has dropped and shows the deformation of the road. For this research, an analysis has carried out on the long-term effect of trial test road constructed on Batu Pahat Soft Clay (BPSC) at RECESS UTHM. Through this research, the reinforcement using Rawell Geosynthetic Clay Liner (RGCL) was the best with the stability is 14964 N, a low flow is 2.69mm, stiffness modulus is 1766 MPa, the peak load is 739.4 N and a lower horizontal deformation which is 1.71 mu m compared Woven Geotextile section and section without geotextile [1][9]. In terms of deformation can be seen clearly from physical observations that section without geotextile suffered significant damage than others. Settlement of road can also be analyzed by a longitudinal section that plotted based on the result of leveling work. After that, settlements are more visible way on the right side of the road trial. Through lab tests conducted, it indicate that the coring samples obtained from sites of each section meets the specifications set by the Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) in terms of stability, flow and stiffness [1]. Through this study, a trial road built on soft soil can be used as a test site because of the uniqueness of these roads which has three different types of reinforcements.
The detection of degradations and resulting failures in electronic components/systems is of paramount importance for complex industrial applications including nuclear power reactors, aerospace, automotive, and space applications. There is an increasing acceptance of the importance of detection of failures and degradations in electronic components and of the prospect of system-level health monitoring to make a key contribution to detecting and predicting any impending failures. This paper describes a parametric system identification-based health-monitoring method for detecting aging degradations of passive components in switch-mode power converters (SMPCs). A nonparametric system response is identified by perturbing the system with an optimized multitone sinusoidal signal of the order of mVs. The parametric system model is estimated from nonparametric system response using recursive weighted least-square (WLS) algorithm. Finally, the power-stage component values, including their parasitics, are extracted from numerator and denominator coefficients based on the assumed Laplace system model. These extracted component values provide direct diagnostic information of any degradation or anomalies in the components and the system. A proof of concept is initially verified on a simple point-of-load (POL) converter but the same methodology can be applied to other topologies of SMPC.
The article provides a theoretical basis of multi-agent recursive cognitive architectures as a distributed intelligent system of decision-making and control of an ambient intelligence system. It is dealt with the formalization of such cognitive architectures based on recursive deterministic abstract automata. The work introduces a method of automatic contexts formation in systems of ambient security based on the formal representation of semantics. Attempts are made to model and visualize semantic primitives and contexts. Successful experiments on the multi-agent representation of the subset of natural language limited by the domain of ambient assisted living systems for elderly people were conducted.
In this study, we explore how blood-material interactions and hemodynamics are impacted by rendering a clinical quality 25 mm St. Jude Medical Bileaflet mechanical heart valve (BMHV) superhydrophobic (SH) with the aim of reducing thrombo-embolic complications associated with BMHVs. Basic cell adhesion is evaluated to assess blood-material interactions, while hemodynamic performance is analyzed with and without the SH coating. Results show that a SH coating with a receding contact angle (CA) of 160A degrees strikingly eliminates platelet and leukocyte adhesion to the surface. Alternatively, many platelets attach to and activate on pyrolytic carbon (receding CA = 47), the base material for BMHVs. We further show that the performance index increases by 2.5% for coated valve relative to an uncoated valve, with a maximum possible improved performance of 5%. Both valves exhibit instantaneous shear stress below 10 N/m(2) and Reynolds Shear Stress below 100 N/m(2). Therefore, a SH BMHV has the potential to relax the requirement for antiplatelet and anticoagulant drug regimens typically required for patients receiving MHVs by minimizing blood-material interactions, while having a minimal impact on hemodynamics. We show for the first time that SH-coated surfaces may be a promising direction to minimize thrombotic complications in complex devices such as heart valves.
We investigated the proposal that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with unusual ERAP1 genotypes. ERAP1 haplotypes were constructed for 213 AS cases and 46 rheumatoid arthritis controls using family data. Haplotypes were generated from five common ERAP1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)-rs2287987 (M349V), rs30187 (K528R), rs10050860 (D575N), rs17482078 (R725Q), and rs27044 (Q730E). Haplotype frequencies were compared using Fisher's exact test. ERAP1 haplotypes imputed from the International Genetics of AS Consortium (IGAS) Immunochip study were also studied. In the family study, we identified only four common ERAP1 haplotypes (VRNQE,  MKDRQ,MRDRE, and MKDRE) in both AS cases and controls apart from two rare (<0.5%) previously unreported haplotypes. There were no examples of the unusual ERAP1 haplotype combination (*001/*005) previously reported by others in 53% of AS cases. As expected, K528-bearing haplotypes were increased in the AS family study (AS 43% vs. control 35%), due particularly to an increase in the MKDRQ haplotype (AS 35% vs. control 25%, P = 0.01). This trend was replicated in the imputed Immunochip data for the two K528-bearing haplotypes MKDRQ (AS 33% vs. controls 27%, P = 1.2 x 10(-24)) and MKDRE (AS 8% vs. controls 7%, P = 0.004). The ERAP1 association with AS is therefore predominantly attributable to common ERAP1 haplotypes and haplotype combinations.
Research has shown a robust tendency for people to underestimate their ability to get others to comply with their requests. In five studies, we demonstrate that this underestimation-of-compliance effect is reduced when requesters offer money in exchange for compliance. In Studies 1 and 2, participants assigned to a no-incentive or monetary-incentive condition made actual requests of others. In both studies, requesters who offered no incentives underestimated the likelihood that those they approached would grant their requests; however, when requesters offered monetary incentives, this prediction error was mitigated. In Studies 3-5, we present evidence in support of a model to explain the underlying mechanism for this attenuation effect. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrate that offering monetary incentives activates a money-market frame. In Study 5, we find that this activation reduces the discomfort associated with asking, allowing requesters to more accurately assess the size of their request and, consequently, the likelihood of compliance. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The generalized Hamming weights of a linear code have been extensively studied since Wei first use them to characterize the cryptography performance of a linear code over the wire-tap channel of type II. In this paper, we investigate the generalized Hamming weights of three classes of linear codes constructed through defining sets and determine them partly for some cases. Particularly, in the semiprimitive case we solve a problem left in Yang et al. (2015) [30]. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Methadone and buprenorphine are maintenance replacement therapies for opioid dependence; they are also used for pain management. Methadone and buprenorphine (to a lesser extent) have seen sharp increases in mortality associated with their use. They have distinct routes of metabolism (mostly cytochrome P450 dependent), and distinct pharmacologic activity of metabolites. As such, metabolism may play a role in differences in their toxicity. Areas covered: This article reviews peer-reviewed literature obtained from PubMed searches and literature referenced within. The review considers first an overview of drug use and mortality over the past decade. It then provides extensive detail on the in vitro and in vivo human metabolism of methadone and buprenorphine. Using both human and experimental animal studies it then presents the pharmacodynamic activity of parent drug and metabolites at the mu-opioid receptor, as P-glycoprotein substrates and plasma/brain concentration ratios, and activity at the hERG K+ channel. Lessons learned from drug interaction studies in humans are then examined in an attempt to bring together the combined information. Expert opinion: The use and misuse of these drugs contributes to the epidemic in opioid-associated mortalities. A better understanding of metabolism-, transport-and co-medication-induced changes will contribute to their safer use.
In this work a photovoltaic energy station system is proposed. Power converters are designed to transfer energy between source, storage and underwater autonomous vehicle (AUV) load plus variable load station. Efficient regulation of the energy is achieved by linear control PI to track DC bus voltage. Energy management has a power configuration composed of DC-DC converters with digital-control using a Matlab software in order to do calculations. The mathematical formulation of system is analyzed to local stability and controlability. Gains of PI controllers are choice through two methods: Siso-tool of Matlab and stability gain analysis based on the transfer function. Stability proof analysis of converters is demonstrated by Routh Hurwitz even variation load station. Simulation evidence results of the performance improvement are shown.
Advancements in information, communication, and sensor technologies have led to new opportunities in medical care and education. Patients in general prefer visiting the nearest clinic, attempt to avoid waiting for treatment, and have unequal preferences for different clinics and doctors. Therefore, to enable patients to compare multiple clinics, this study proposes a ubiquitous multicriteria clinic recommendation system. In this system, patients can send requests through their cell phones to the system server to obtain a clinic recommendation. Once the patient sends this information to the system, the system server first estimates the patient's speed according to the detection results of a global positioning system. It then applies a fuzzy integer nonlinear programming-ordered weighted average approach to assess four criteria and finally recommends a clinic with maximal utility to the patient. The proposed methodology was tested in a field experiment, and the experimental results showed that it is advantageous over two existing methods in elevating the utilities of recommendations. In addition, such an advantage was shown to be statistically significant.
For the past decade, lean manufacturing has reshaped manufacturing processes at numerous corporations. Even organizations that were already conscious of quality, cost, and delivery have benefited tremendously from these principles. The foundation of lean manufacturing is the elimination of non-value added elements, waste. There are three important value streams in the realization of any product - the engineering value stream, the manufacturing value stream, and the information management value stream. This paper focuses on the engineering value stream. The methods of lean manufacturing can be applied for waste elimination in engineering. The dissemination of lean manufacturing principles into engineering would multiply the significant benefits already derived by embracing lean in the manufacturing part of the enterprise. Little attention has been given to a systematic method of lean engineering that aims not only at reducing engineering lead-time, but also at identifying, measuring, and eliminating waste in engineering processes. Engineering organizations lack a basic methodology for waste elimination. This paper proposes a systematic, ten-step method for engineering waste elimination. Such a systematic method will help engineering organizations systematically identify, measure, and eliminate engineering wastes from all engineering processes. The systematic method is then used to demonstrate the elimination of waste in engineering through its application to the manufacturing equipment installation - a manufacturing engineering process. In today's competitive world, the ability to bring better products to market faster has become the focal point of competition. The use of this systematic method for engineering waste elimination holds significant promise for organizations wanting to outperform their competitors on quality, cost, and delivery.
Activity recognition is fundamental to many of the services envisaged in pervasive computing and ambient intelligence scenarios. However, delivering sufficiently robust activity recognition systems that could be deployed with confidence in an arbitrary real-world setting remains an outstanding challenge. Developments in wireless, inexpensive and unobtrusive sensing devices have enabled the capture of large data volumes, upon which a variety of machine learning techniques have been applied in order to facilitate interpretation of and inference upon such data. Much of the documented research in this area has in the main focused on recognition across pre-segmented sensor data. Such approaches are insufficient for near real-time analysis as is required for many services, such as those envisaged by ambient assisted living. This paper presents a novel near real-time sensor segmentation approach that incorporates the notions of both sensor and time correlation.
Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) is an architecture developed by the HSA foundation aiming at reducing programmability barriers as well as improving communication efficiency for heterogeneous computing. For example, HSA allows heterogeneous computing devices to share the same virtual address space. This feature allows programmers to bypass explicit data copying between devices, as was required in the past. HSA features such as job dispatching through user level queues and memory based signaling help to reduce communication latency between the host and other computing devices. While the new features in HSA enable more efficient heterogeneous computing, they also introduce new challenges to system virtualization, especially in memory virtualization and I/O virtualization. This work investigates the issues involved in HSA virtualization and implements a KVM-based hypervisor that supports the main features of HSA inside guest operating systems. Furthermore, this work shows that with the newly introduced hypervisor for HSA, system resources in HSA-compliant AMD Kaveri can be effectively shared between multiple guest operating systems.
The patchy distribution of atherosclerosis within arteries is widely attributed to local variation in haemodynamic wall shear stress (WSS). A recently-introduced metric, the transverse wall shear stress (transWSS), which is the average over the cardiac cycle of WSS components perpendicular to the temporal mean WSS vector, correlates particularly well with the pattern of lesions around aortic branch ostia. Here we use numerical methods to investigate the nature of the arterial flows captured by transWSS and the sensitivity of transWSS to inflow waveform and aortic geometry. TransWSS developed chiefly in the acceleration, peak systolic and deceleration phases of the cardiac cycle; the reverse flow phase was too short, and WSS in diastole was too low, for these periods to have a significant influence. Most of the spatial variation in transWSS arose from variation in the angle by which instantaneous WSS vectors deviated from the mean WSS vector rather than from variation in the magnitude of the vectors. The pattern of transWSS was insensitive to inflow waveform; only unphysiologically high Womersley numbers produced substantial changes. However, transWSS was sensitive to changes in geometry. The curvature of the arch and proximal descending aorta were responsible for the principal features, the non planar nature of the aorta produced asymmetries in the location and position of streaks of high transWSS, and taper determined the persistence of the streaks down the aorta. These results reflect the importance of the fluctuating strength of Dean vortices in generating transWSS. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Intranasal infection with vaccine strain of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (TC83) caused persistent viral infection in the brains of mice without functional a beta T-cells (a beta-TCR -/-). Remarkably, viral kinetics, host response gene transcripts and symptomatic disease are similar between a beta-TCR -/- and wild-type C57BL/6 (WT) mice during acute phase of infection [0-13 days post-infection (dpi)]. While WT mice clear infectious virus in the brain by 13 dpi, a beta-TCR -/- maintain infectious virus in the brain to 92 dpi. Persistent brain infection in a beta-TCR -/- correlated with inflammatory infiltrates and elevated cytokine protein levels in the brain at later time points. Persistent brain infection of a beta-TCR -/- mice provides a novel model to study prolonged alphaviral infection as well as the effects and biomarkers of long-term viral inflammation in the brain.
Previous studies predicted European Union attitudes using anti-immigrant attitudes, but without explicitly accounting for attitudes toward different out-groups. We propose that group-specific attitudes independently predict attitudes toward the European Union, but only when the out-group is linked to the European Union issue in question. We additionally argue that realistic or symbolic threat associated with specific out-groups determines whether utilitarian or identity considerations are more important in predicting European Union attitudes. Using a nationally representative Dutch sample (N=2347), we focus on attitudes toward Polish and Muslim immigrants to predict strengthening of European Union integration and Turkey's potential accession and find support for our hypotheses. The findings indicate the need to rethink the relationship between out-group perceptions and European Union attitudes.
A discretization method is proposed for a rather general class of nonlinear continuous-time systems, which can have a piecewise-constant input, such as one under digital control via a zero-order-hold device. The resulting discrete-time model is expressed as a product of the integration-gain and the system function that governs the dynamics of the original continuous-time system. This is made possible with the use of the delta or Euler operator and makes comparisons of discrete and continuous time systems quite simple, since the difference between the two forms is concentrated into the integration-gain. This gain is determined in the paper by using the Riccati approximation of a certain gain condition that is imposed on the discretized system to be an exact model. The method is shown to produce a smaller error norm than one uses the linear approximation. Simulations are carried out for a Lotka-Volterra and an averaged van der Pol nonlinear systems to show the superior performance of the proposed model to ones known to be online computable, such as the forward-difference, Kahan's, and Mickens' methods. Insights obtained should be useful for developing digital control laws for nonlinear continuous-time systems, which is currently limited to the simplest forward-difference model.
Background: Nonverbal communication deficits are characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and have been reported in some later-born siblings of children with ASD (heightened-risk (HR) children). However, little work has investigated gesture as a function of language ability, which varies greatly in this population. Aims: This longitudinal study characterizes gesture in HR children and examines differences related to diagnostic outcome (ASD, language delay, no diagnosis) and age. Methods & Procedures: We coded communicative gesture use for 29 HR children at ages 2 and 3 years during interactions with a caregiver at home. Outcomes & Results: Children in the ASD group produced fewer gestures than their HR peers at 2 years, though large individual differences were observed within each subgroup at both ages. In addition, reliance on particular types of gestures varied with age and outcome. Both ASD and language delay children exhibited a pattern of reduced pointing relative to their no diagnosis peers. Conclusions & Implications: Similarities and differences exist between communication in HR infants with language delay and their HR peers, reinforcing our understanding of links between verbal and nonverbal communication in populations at risk for language delay.
Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice and its subsequent transfer to food chain is a major environmental issue worldwide. Understanding of Cd transport processes and its management aiming to reduce Cd uptake and accumulation in rice may help to improve rice growth and grain quality. Moreover, a thorough understanding of the factors influencing Cd accumulation will be helpful to derive efficient strategies to minimize Cd in rice. In this article, we reviewed Cd transport mechanisms in rice, the factors affecting Cd uptake (including physicochemical characters of soil and ecophysiological features of rice) and discussed efficient measures to immobilize Cd in soil and reduce Cd uptake by rice (including agronomic practices, bioremediation and molecular biology techniques). These findings will contribute to ensuring food safety, and reducing Cd risk on human beings. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this work a fractional differential equation for the electrical RLC circuit is studied. The order of the derivative being considered is 0 < gamma a parts per thousand currency sign 1. To keep the dimensionality of the physical quantities R, L and C an auxiliary parameter gamma is introduced. This parameter characterizes the existence of fractional components in the system. It is shown that there is a relation between and sigma through the physical parameters RLC of the circuit. Due to this relation, the analytical solution is given in terms of the Mittag-Leffler function depending on the order of the fractional differential equation.
The Low-level Radio Frequency (LLRF) control system for linear accelerator at Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL) of INFN is being upgraded by a new digital Radio Frequency (RF) controller. This controller is critical to keep phase, amplitude and frequency stability of the RF field in QuarterWave Resonator (QWR) cavities of the linear accelerator. These cavities work in superconducting condition. The resonance frequency of low beta cavities is 80 MHz, while medium and high beta cavities resonate at 160 MHz. Each RF controller can control at the same time eight different cavities. The RF signals picked-up from the cavities are sampled by RF ADCs. The digitized signals are fed into a field programmable gate array (FPGA) which implements the control loop. The signals processed by the FPGA are in-phase/quadrature modulated and sent to power amplifiers and hence to the cavities. The main feature of the new control system is an all-digital control loop that originates from direct sampling of the antenna RF signal. In-phase and quadrature components are obtained by a suitable choice of the undersampling frequency, while control of the field and phase in the cavity is based on a digital Complex Phase Modulator (CPM). This paper presents the FPGA firmware, the acquisition techniques and the performances of the new RF controller.
Background: Data on psychological harm in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) are scarce. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess anxiety, depression, quality of life, and coping in long-standing MEN2 patients. Patients and Methods: Patients were 43 adults (age >= 18 years) with clinical and genetic diagnosis of MEN2 and long-term follow-up (10.6 +/- 8.2 years; range 1-33 years). This was a cross-sectional study with qualitative and quantitative psychological assessment using semi-directed interviews and HADS, EORTC QLQ C30, and MINI-MAC scales. Adopting clinical criteria from 2015 ATA Guidelines on MEN2, biochemical cure (39%; 16/41), persistence/recurrence (61%; 25/41), and stable chronic disease (22/41) of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) were scored. Pheochromocytoma affected 19 (44%) patients, with previous adrenalectomy in 17 of them. Results: Overall, anxiety (42%; mean score 11 +/- 2.9; range 8-18; anxiety is defined as a score >= 8) and depression (26%; mean score 11 +/- 3.8; range 8-20; depression is defined as a score >= 8) symptoms were frequent. Patients who transmitted RET mutations to a child had higher scores for weakness-discouragement/anxious preoccupation and lower scores for cognitive, emotional, and physical functioning (p < 0.05). Feelings of guilt were present in 35% of patients with mutation-positive children. Lower mean score values for depression and anxiety and higher scores for role, cognitive, and emotional functioning were noticed in 33 patients who were well-informed about their disease (p < 0.05). Fighting spirit was more frequently found in patients with multiple surgical procedures (p = 0.019) and controlled chronic adrenal insufficiency (p = 0.024). Patients with MEN2-elated stress-inducing factors had lower scores for fighting spirit and cognitive functioning and higher scores for insomnia and dyspnea (p < 0.05). Eleven patients required sustained psychotherapeutic treatment. Mean global health status was relatively good in MEN2 cases (68.1 +/- 22.3), and the cured group had higher physical functioning (p = 0.021). Conclusions: Psychological distress is likely chronic in MEN2 patients. This study identified diverse MEN2-related factors (degree of information on disease, mutation-positive children, number of surgeries, comorbidities, stress-inducing factors, and cure) interfering positively or negatively with the results of the psychometrics scales. The active investigation of these factors and the applied psychological assessment protocol are useful to identify MEN2 patients requiring psychological assistance.
In the present study, we investigated the much debated happiness gap between conservatives and liberals, approaching the issue from a multilevel person x context perspective. More specifically, we investigated whether this relationship depends on country-level threat. We used individual-level data for right-wing attitudes and psychological well-being from 94 large, representative samples collected worldwide (total N = 137,890) and objective indicators of country-level threat as the contextual variable. Our results suggest that, especially in countries characterized by high levels of threat, individuals with right-wing attitudes experienced greater well-being than individuals with left-wing attitudes. In countries with a low level of threat, this relationship was considerably weaker or even absent. Our findings corroborate the view that right-wing attitudes may serve a self-protective function, helping individuals to manage and cope with threat.
Although open-mindedness is generally valued, people are not equally open-minded in all situations. Open-mindedness is viewed as socially desirable when individuals encounter viewpoints that are compatible with conventional social norms. However, open-mindedness is viewed in less desirable terms when individuals encounter viewpoints that undermine these norms. The perceived desirability of open-mindedness is also influenced by the individual's personal attitudinal convictions. Individuals inflate' the normative appropriateness of open-mindedness when it serves to reinforce their convictions, but devalue the normative appropriateness of open-mindedness when it serves to contradict these convictions. Conversely, normative prohibition of closed-mindedness is exaggerated when a closed-minded orientation threatens the individual's personal attitudinal convictions, but is minimized (or reversed) when a closed-minded orientation reinforces these convictions. Paradoxically, the perceived appropriateness of open-mindedness is engendered (at least in part) by the motivation to confirm one's prior attitudinal convictions. Evidence of this attitude justification effect is obtained in two experiments.
Predicting the location where a protein resides within a cell is important in cell biology. Computational approaches to this issue have attracted more and more attentions from the community of biomedicine. Among the protein features used to predict the subcellular localization of proteins, the feature derived from Gene Ontology (GO) has been shown to be superior to others. However, most of the sights in this field are set on the presence or absence of some predefined GO terms. We proposed a method to derive information from the intrinsic structure of the GO graph. The feature vector was constructed with each element in it representing the information content of the GO term annotating to a protein investigated, and the support vector machines was used as classifier to test our extracted features. Evaluation experiments were conducted on three protein datasets and the results show that our method can enhance eukaryotic and human subcellular location prediction accuracy by up to 1.1% better than previous studies that also used GO-based features. Especially in the scenario where the cellular component annotation is absent, our method can achieved satisfied results with an overall accuracy of more than 87%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The globalization trend has affected the tertiary education sector, resulting in an increased flow of both students and academics across borders. Economic pressures on universities and the emergence of new technologies have spurred the creation of new systems in engineering education. The recent advances in computer graphics have exposed great potential in education at all levels. The Virtual Reality (VR) is a promising technology which aims to assist the students in the visualization of concepts and to provide immediate graphical feedback during the learning process. This article presents a modular interactive teaching package, called Virtual Learning System (VLS), which can be used by people with little prior computer experience. VLS provides a comprehensive and conductive yet dynamic and interactive environment that can be incorporated into various courses in the field of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. The evaluation of the learning process with the developed system has been done through laboratory reports, lab quizzes and questionnaires implemented with a tutorial monitoring application. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 305-314, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20312
Alcohol dependence (AD) is characterized by corticostriatal impairments in individual brain areas such as the striatum. As yet however, complex brain network topology in AD and its association with disease progression are unknown. We applied graph theory to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) to examine weighted global efficiency and local (clustering coefficient, degree and eigenvector centrality) network topology and the functional role of the striatumin 24 AD patients compared with 20 matched healthy controls (HCs), and their association with dependence characteristics. Graph analyses were performed based on Pearson's correlations between RS-fMRI time series, while correcting for age, gender and head motion. We found no significant group differences between AD patients and HCs in network topology. Notably, within the patient group, but not in HCs, the whole-brain network showed reduced average cluster coefficient with more severe alcohol use, whereas longer AD duration within the patient group was associated with a global decrease in efficiency, degree and clustering coefficient. Additionally, within four a-priori chosen bilateral striatal nodes, alcohol use severity was associated with lower clustering coefficient in the left caudate. Longer AD duration was associated with reduced clustering coefficient in caudate and putamen, and reduced degree in bilateral caudate, but with increased eigenvector centrality in left posterior putamen. Especially changes in global network topology and clustering coefficient in anterior striatum remained strikingly robust after exploratory variations in network weight. Our results show adverse effects of AD on overall network integration and possibly on striatal efficiency, putatively contributing to the increasing behavioral impairments seen in chronically addicted patients.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the western world. With the current development of clinical diagnostics to more accurately measure the extent and specifics of CVDs, a laudable goal is a better understanding of the structure-function relation in the cardiovascular system. Much of this fundamental understanding comes from the development and study of models that integrate biology, medicine, imaging, and biomechanics. Information from these models provides guidance for developing diagnostics, and implementation of these diagnostics to the clinical setting, in turn, provides data for refining the models. In this review, we introduce multi-scale and multi-physical models for understanding disease development, progression, and designing clinical interventions. We begin with multi-scale models of cardiac electrophysiology and mechanics for diagnosis, clinical decision support, personalized and precision medicine in cardiology with examples in arrhythmia and heart failure. We then introduce computational models of vasculature mechanics and associated mechanical forces for understanding vascular disease progression, designing clinical interventions, and elucidating mechanisms that underlie diverse vascular conditions. We conclude with a discussion of barriers that must be overcome to provide enhanced insights, predictions, and decisions in pre-clinical and clinical applications.
In this study, Graphene patterns using laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) with a visible CW laser (lambda = 532 nm) irradiation at room temperature was investigated. Optically-pumped solid-state laser with a wavelength of 532 nm irradiates a thin nickel foil to induce a local temperature rise, thereby allowing the direct writing of graphene patterns about similar to 10 mu m in width with high growth rate on precisely controlled positions. It is demonstrate that the fabrication of graphene patterns can be achieved with a single scan for each graphene pattern using LCVD with no annealing or preprocessing of the substrate. The scan speed reaches to about similar to 200 mu m/s, which indicates that the graphene pattern with an unite area (10 x 10 mu m) can be grown in 0.05 sec. The number of graphene layers was controlled by laser scan speed on a substrate. The fabricated graphene patterns on nickel foils were directly transferred to desired positions on patterned electrodes. The position-controlled transfer with rapid single-step fabrication of graphene patterns provides an innovative pathway for application of electrical circuits and devices.
This article proposes a novel architecture to perform modular multiplication in the Residue Number System (RNS) by using sum of residues. The highly parallel architecture is implemented using VHDL and verified by extensive simulations in ModelSim SE. The pipelined and non-pipelined versions of the design are implemented on ASIC and FPGA platforms to allow a broad comparison. The proposed architecture requires only one iteration to complete modular multiplication and achieves 12-90 % less delay as compared to the existing RNS and binary modular multipliers. The complexity of the proposed design is also less than the existing state-of-the-art RNS-based modular multipliers. The high scalability and flexibility of the proposed architecture allows it to be used for a wide range of high-speed applications.
As healthcare reimbursement is increasingly tied to value-of-service, it is critical for the genetic counselor (GC) profession to demonstrate the value added by GCs through outcomes research. We conducted a rapid systematic literature review to identify outcomes of genetic counseling. Web of Science (including PubMed) and CINAHL databases were systematically searched to identify articles meeting the following criteria: 1) measures were assessed before and after genetic counseling (pre-post design) or comparisons were made between a GC group vs. a non-GC group (comparative cohort design); 2) genetic counseling outcomes could be assessed independently of genetic testing outcomes, and 3) genetic counseling was conducted by masters-level genetic counselors, or non-physician providers. Twenty-three papers met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were in the cancer genetic setting and the most commonly measured outcomes included knowledge, anxiety or distress, satisfaction, perceived risk, genetic testing (intentions or receipt), health behaviors, and decisional conflict. Results suggest that genetic counseling can lead to increased knowledge, perceived personal control, positive health behaviors, and improved risk perception accuracy as well as decreases in anxiety, cancer-related worry, and decisional conflict. However, further studies are needed to evaluate a wider array of outcomes in more diverse genetic counseling settings.
Spectral methods are an efficient way to solve partial differential equations on domains possessing certain symmetries. The utility of a method depends strongly on the choice of spectral basis. In this paper we describe a set of bases built out of Jacobi polynomials, and associated operators for solving scalar, vector, and tensor partial differential equations in polar coordinates on a unit disk. By construction, the bases satisfy regularity conditions at r = 0 for any tensorial field. The coordinate singularity in a disk is a prototypical case for many coordinate singularities. The work presented here extends to other geometries. The operators represent covariant derivatives, multiplication by azimuthally symmetric functions, and the tensorial relationship between fields. These arise naturally from relations between classical orthogonal polynomials, and form a Heisenberg algebra. Other past work uses more specific polynomial bases for solving equations in polar coordinates. The main innovation in this paper is to use a larger set of possible bases to achieve maximum bandedness of linear operations. We provide a series of applications of the methods, illustrating their ease-of-use and accuracy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The paper cryptanalyses the symmetric key image encryption scheme proposed by Mrinal et al. [1]. The encryption scheme proposed by Mrinal et al. uses Rossler chaotic system for generating three chaotic sequences which are used for creating the cipher image. A secret key of 128 bits is used to generate the initial conditions for the Rossler chaotic system. The equations used for generating the initial conditions in Mrinal et al. encryption scheme have got a loophole. The loophole is utilized to carry out the cryptanalysis on the cipher image generated using Mrinal et al. encryption scheme. Simulation results show that the encryption scheme can be easily cryptanalysed to revealed the exact plain image. An improved version is proposed with statistical and security analyses to ascertain the practicability of the encryption scheme. (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Aims. To compare the efficacy and the safety of low-dose (3.5 mg/kg) or standard-dose (5 mg/kg) of infliximab (IFX) for induction and maintenance treatment in Chinese patients with intestinal Behcet's disease (BD), and to identify potential predictors to corticosteroid-free clinical remission at week 30. Methods. A prospective trial was conducted in 20 patients with moderate-to-severe active intestinal BD, followed up for 30 weeks. Ileocolonoscopic examinations were done at baseline and week 14. A logistic regression model was used to assess the predictors of corticosteroid-free remission at week 30. Results. As the primary end point, steroid-free remission at week 30 was observed in 40% and 60% of patients who received low and standard doses of IFX, respectively (P >0.371). As the secondary end point, the mucosal healing (MH) rates at week 14 were found to be 60% for both low and standard doses of IFX. The clinical response rates at week 14 and 30 were also similar in both groups. Only MH at week 14 predicted steroid-free clinical remission at week 30. Conclusions. Low-dose of IFX is effective and safe for induction and maintenance therapy in patients with active intestinal BD. MH at week 14 predicted clinical remission at week 30.
Lameness is one of the most important causes of poor welfare in poultry. Previous studies have documented approximately 30% of the chickens were seriously lame. In this research, a novel technique was developed for early detection of lameness in broilers. For this purpose, broiler chickens with five different predefined gait scores were continuously monitored by a digital camera as they walked throughout a test corridor. Then, image analysis algorithm was applied to detect some feature variables (speed, step frequency, step length and the lateral body oscillation) of broilers. Afterwards, a correlation test was performed to define the coefficient of correlation between the feature variables (step frequency, step length, speed and LBO) obtained by the proposed algorithm and the gait score levels of the birds, which respectively resulted in r = 0.831, 0.882 (p < 0.05), 0.844, 0.861. Furthermore, each feature variable was investigated to find statistical differences between gait scores (as a measure of lameness) of broilers. It was performed to assess the effects of gait score on speed, step length, step frequency and lateral body oscillations of the broilers. The results showed that all investigated feature variables were efficacious to detect lameness in broilers starting from GS3. Since correlations were found between the feature variables (step frequency, step length, speed and LBO) obtained by the proposed algorithm and the gait score levels of the birds on the one hand and the statistical differences between gait score levels of broilers on the other hand; the results recommend that this fully-automated detection system has potential to be used as a real-time monitoring tool for early detection of lameness in broilers starting from GS3. However, to define lower gait scores than GS3, either new feature variables like foot curls and wing use should be inserted into the proposed system or this system should be combined with other automatic behaviour analysis tools for early detection of lameness in future research. It is very important to detect lameness at an early stage because it allows farmers and veterinarians to take immediate management actions in time. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The thermal performance of a heat exchanger is important for the potential application in an integrated solar cell/module and thermoelectric generator (TEG) system. Usually, the thermal performance of a heat exchanger for TEGs is analysed by using 1D heat conduction theory which ignores the detailed phenomena associated with thermo-hydraulics. In this paper, thermal and momentum transports in two different heat exchangers are simulated by means of a steady-state, 3D turbulent flow kk-ee model with a heat conduction module under various flow rates. In order to simulate the actual working conditions of the heat exchangers, a hot block with an electric heater is included in the model. The TEG module is simplified by using a 1D heat conduction theory, so its thermal performance is equivalent to a real TEG. Natural convection effects on the outside surfaces of the computational domains are considered. Computational models and methods used are validated under transient thermal and electrical experimental conditions of a TEG. The two heat exchangers designed in this paper have better thermal performance than an existing heat exchanger for TEGs. More importantly, the fin heat exchanger is more compact and efficient than the tube heat exchanger. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The objective of this study was a preliminary identification of basic groups of micro-organisms in the cross-sectional profile of geotextile filters for septic tank effluent (STE) treatment and their relations to technological conditions. Reactors with textile filters treating wastewater were investigated on a semi-technical scale. Filters were vertically situated and STE was filtered through them under hydrostatic pressure at a wastewater surface height of 7-20 cm. Filters were made of four layers of non-woven TS 20 geotextile of 0.9 mm thickness. Various groups of organisms were observed; the most abundant group comprised free-swimming and crawling ciliates, less abundant were stalked ciliates and the least numerous were nematodes. The individual counts of all groups of micro-organisms investigated during the study were variable according to time and space. The high abundance of Opercularia, a commonly observed genus of stalked ciliates, was related to the high efficiency of wastewater treatment and dissolved oxygen concentration of about 1.0 g/m(3). Numbers of free-swimming and crawling ciliates had a tendency to decrease in relation to the depth of filter cross-sectional profile. The variability in counts of particular groups of organisms could be related to the local stress conditions. No correlation between identified organism count and total mass concentration in the cross-sectional filter profile was found.
Heterogeneous photocatalysis can be a suitable add-on process to conventional wastewater treatment methods aiming to the full degradation of emerging contaminants contributing to water pollution. This work examines the photo-degradation of two frequently detected emerging contaminants (caffeine and salicylic acid) using titanium dioxide nanotubular films (TNTs) so as commercial TiO2 nanoparticulate films (Evonik P25) for comparison. The TNT films were prepared by electrochemical anodization of titanium metal and reached lengths of 20 pm, with a high growth rate (10 mu m/h). They present an open porous structure with large specific surface area suitable for efficient adsorption of the contaminants and formation of a large number of photocatalytic active sites. After calcination at 450 degrees C, TNT films obtain the anatase crystal structure, absorb well in the UV range and present significant photocatalytic activity with high degradation rates for both examined emerging pollutants. Furthermore, they present small variability of their photocatalytic efficiency in a big range of the solutions pH values and under consecutive photocatalytic cycles, rendering them suitable at various wastewater treatment conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Systems in Ambient Intelligence (AmI) need to manage workflows that represent users' activities. These workflows can be quite complex, as they may involve multiple participants, both physical and computational, playing different roles. Their execution implies monitoring the development of the activities in the environment, and taking the necessary actions for them and the workflow to reach a certain end. The context-aware approach supports the development of these applications to cope with event processing and regarding information issues. Modeling the actors in these context-aware workflows, where complex decisions and interactions must be considered, can be achieved with multi-agent systems. Agents are autonomous entities with sophisticated and flexible behaviors, which are able to adapt to complex and evolving environments, and to collaborate to reach common goals. This work presents architectural patterns to integrate agents on top of an existing context-aware architecture. This allows an additional abstraction layer on top of context-aware systems, where knowledge management is performed by agents. This approach improves the flexibility of AmI systems and facilitates their design. A case study on guiding users in buildings to their meetings illustrates this approach. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electromagnetic harvesters need to be designed with a mechanism to amplify the coil relative velocity to ensure compact size and lower weight. This paper discusses a novel technique to use fluid link for velocity amplification in an electromagnetic shock absorber. Incorporation of the fluid amplification significantly improves harvested power, without affecting the system dynamics. Numerical modelling and experimentation of a prototype shock absorber comprising of high energy rare earth magnets have been presented. Peak coil voltage of 0.60-24.2 V was recorded during experimentation on the prototype. Experimental and simulation results validate that incorporation of the fluid amplification link improves the harvested electric power by 9702%. Comprehensive design procedure for better harvesting efficiency and vibration isolation has been discussed. Lastly incorporation of the shock absorber in McPherson strut suspension is illustrated. The real size version will be able to harvest peak power of 18-227 W for the suspension velocities of 0.15-0.4m/s.
Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized how research is carried out in many areas of biology and medicine. However, the analysis of NGS data remains a major obstacle to the efficient utilization of the technology, as it requires complex multi-step processing of big data demanding considerable computational expertise from users. While substantial effort has been invested on the development of software dedicated to the individual analysis steps of NGS experiments, insufficient resources are currently available for integrating the individual software components within the widely used R/Bioconductor environment into automated workflows capable of running the analysis of most types of NGS applications from start-to-finish in a time-efficient and reproducible manner. Results: To address this need, we have developed the R/Bioconductor package systemPipeR. It is an extensible environment for both building and running end-to-end analysis workflows with automated report generation for a wide range of NGS applications. Its unique features include a uniform workflow interface across different NGS applications, automated report generation, and support for running both R and command-line software on local computers and computer clusters. A flexible sample annotation infrastructure efficiently handles complex sample sets and experimental designs. To simplify the analysis of widely used NGS applications, the package provides pre-configured workflows and reporting templates for RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, VAR-Seq and Ribo-Seq. Additional workflow templates will be provided in the future. Conclusions: systemPipeR accelerates the extraction of reproducible analysis results from NGS experiments. By combining the capabilities of many R/Bioconductor and command- line tools, it makes efficient use of existing software resources without limiting the user to a set of predefined methods or environments. systemPipeR is freely available for all common operating systems from Bioconductor (http://bioconductor.org/packages/devel/systemPipeR).
ASP is located in a server-side scripting running environment, through this kind of environment, the user will be able to create and run dynamic interactive Web server application, such as interactive dynamic Web page, Web information processing, Web database access and so on. Analysis of the ASP technology and access the characteristics of WEB database, this paper introduces the working principle of ASP and ASP built-in objects and components, and emphasizes to discuss the ASP database access components ADO, based on this, gives the realization with ASP WEB database access to the application example in manufacturing engineering.
This paper introduces two voltage-controlled memristor-based reactance-less oscillators with analytical and circuit simulations. Two different topologies which are R-M and M-R are discussed as a function of the reference voltage where the generalized formulas of the oscillation frequency and conditions for oscillation for each topology are derived. The effect of the reference voltage on the circuit performance is studied and validated through different examples using PSpice simulations. A memristor-based voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is introduced as an application for the proposed circuits which is nano-size and more efficient compared to the conventional VCOs. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A recursive smoothing filter employing a bank of fading-memory polynomial sub-filters is presented. Variance estimates are used to mix the outputs of the sub-filters, imparting variable gain and phase characteristics that permit it to automatically adapt to signal parameter changes. The proposed adaptive technique does not involve the estimation of plant parameters; therefore, it may be used in both open-loop and closed-loop configurations. In open-loop estimation problems, variable gain/bandwidth allows it to reduce the impact of random errors caused by sensor noise and the impact of bias errors caused by model mismatch during ` maneuvers'. In feedback control problems, variable phase/delay allows it to act as a lag filter for an improved steady-state response (i.e. greater noise attenuation) and act as a lead filter, or a proportionalderivative controller, for an improved transient response (i.e. increased closed-loop damping) for input discontinuities. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel series of feruloyl-donepezil hybrid compounds were designed, synthesized and evaluated as multitarget drug candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). In vitro results revealed potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity for some of these compounds and all of them showed moderate antioxidant properties. Compounds 12a, 12b and 12c were the most potent AChE inhibitors, highlighting 12a with IC50 = 0.46 mu M. In addition, these three most promising compounds exhibited significant in vivo anti-inflammatory activity in the mice paw edema, pleurisy and formalin-induced hyperalgesy models, in vitro metal chelator activity for Cu2+ and Fe2+, and neuroprotection of human neuronal cells against oxidative damage. Molecular docking studies corroborated the in vitro inhibitory mode of interaction of these active compounds on AChE. Based on these data, compound 12a was identified as a novel promising drug prototype candidate for the treatment of AD with innovative structural feature and multitarget effects. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
In this paper, two two-party quantum key agreement protocols are proposed with logical chi-states and logical Bell states. These two protocols can be immune to the collective-dephasing noise and the collective-rotation noise, respectively. They make full use of the measurement correlation property of multi-particle entangled states and the delayed measurement technique. This ensures that two participants can exchange the secret keys of each other and fairly establishes a shared key. There is no information leakage problem when establishing a shared key. The use of the delayed measurement technique and the decoy state technology makes the two protocols resist against both participant and outsider attacks. Furthermore, the two protocols are congenitally free from the Trojan horse attacks and have high qubit efficiency.
Starting from the classical differential cryptography, we describe how to construct particular parameters for elliptic curves with application to the domain of information security. These results conclude to a key used on symmetrical encryption. The article will review a solution in which the parties are authenticated based on a secret knowledge and a random parameter.
Group-focused moral foundations (GMFs) - moral values that help protect the group's welfare sharply divide conservatives from liberals and religiously devout from non-believers. However, there is little evidence about what drives this divide. Moral foundations theory and the model of motivated social cognition both associate group-focused moral foundations with differences in conflict detection and resolution capacity, but in opposing directions. Individual differences in conflict detection and resolution implicate specific neuroanatomical differences. Examining neuroanatomy thus affords an objective and non-biased opportunity to contrast these influential theories. Here, we report that increased adherence to group-focused moral foundations was strongly associated (whole-brain corrected) with reduced gray matter volume in key regions of the conflict detection and resolution system (anterior cingulate cortex and lateral prefrontal cortex). Because reduced gray matter is reliably associated with reduced neural and cognitive capacity, these findings support the idea outlined in the model of motivated social cognition that belief in group-focused moral values is associated with reduced conflict detection and resolution capacity. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Manufacturing engineering education is science & technology based subjects that are traditionally the hardest to teach online because of the need for providing practice & hands-on experiences at a distance. Therefore, this research aims to develop an e-leaming system to teach manufacturing technology and to enhance the quality, scale, and breadth of technological education. The major results of this research are; (1).Establish interactive on-line teaching material for the computer-aided manufacturing courses including CNC coding method, CNC simulation. (2).Propose the interactive teaching strategies for the students to learn machining process planning through web-based learning system. (3).Integrate multi-media and virtual laboratory in the developed interactive e-leaming system to enhance the effectiveness of machining education through web-based system. (4). Enhance students the ability to extract the manufacturing features from a mechanical drawing in either 2D or 3D. (5). Cultivate the principle of manufacturing process planning through the developed interactive web-based learning system. (6). Discipline CNC programming and CNC machining techniques through Internet.
Cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a buzz in the information technology domain. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) do not have the financial budget to invest in on-premise ERP solution. The use of cloud-based services for SMEs has led to widespread diffusion of technology. The two big stakeholders in the cloud ERP are cloud user and cloud vendor. This paper brings out the factors that are under the influence of these two stakeholders. Critical success factors that are influenced by the people in the organization are considered for the study. Compliance, network, and security are the concerns that are under the control of cloud vendor. This study shows the factors that have an impact on the successful implementation of cloud ERP. An online questionnaire was designed and data from 208 respondents belonging to SMEs were collected. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. It was found that people-related factors and compliance had an impact toward the successful implementation of cloud-based services. Network and security factors did not show any significant impact on the implementation of cloud ERP. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The inhibition of beta-secretase (BACE1) is currently the main pharmacological strategy available for Alzheimer's disease (AD). 2D QSAR and 3D QSAR analysis on some cyclic sulfone hydroxyethylamines inhibitors against S-secretase (IC50: 0.002-2.75 mu,M)were carried out using hologram QSAR (HQSAR), comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) methods. The best model based on the training set was generated with a HQSAR q(2) value of 0.693 and r(2) value of 0.981; a CoMFA q(2) value of 0.534 and r(2) value of 0.913; and a CoMSIA q(2) value of 0.512 and r(2) value of 0.973. In order to gain further understand of the vital interactions between cyclic sulfone hydroxyethylamines and the protease, the analysis was performed by combining the CoMFA and CoMSIA field distributions with the active sites of the BACE1. The final QSAR models could be helpful in the design and development of novel active BACE1 inhibitors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study, we would like to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of distance form of education and ways to improve it because now e-learning has been expanding at a very rapid rate in quantitative terms, and qualitative parameters of DE in Kazakhstan require a detailed analysis. Weighing the objective merits and problem areas of DE, we will try to justify the existing requirements, opportunities and tools of DE and propose ways to improve it in order to higher education institutions of Kazakhstan, including Almaty Management University, could compete in the educational market in the world educational space. The aim of the study is to improve the instruments in the creation of educational products for distance education. It includes evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning format at the university, the model of existing distance education: naugramma, determination of weak points in DE implementation, one-way contact problems: causes of a blank shot, transfer of knowledge through the computer monitors, face-to-face contact: verbal and nonverbal communication of a teacher with a student. The conditions for development of DE were recent achievements in technologies of teaching, media and communications, the rapid development and widespread use of a variety of technical means. Primarily, they refer to the computer and information technology, satellite communication systems, educational television, mass connection to information systems and distribution of learning software and videos. To implement the model ''Only Distance Education at the three stages we have analyzed the methods used in DE in secondary education. As an example, we analyzed teaching chemistry at a secondary school for disabled children in Moscow. The research of the first stage (secondary school) and analysis of applying distance form of education at the second stage (university) together with assessment of problematic areas have resulted in creating an effective model. When implemented, this model will work with great efficiency and help to eliminate many difficulties that slow down the realization of the whole package of instruments of Distance Education.
Background: There is evidence that adipocytokines play an important role in metabolism and in inflammation. Because human metabolism dramatically changes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic inflammation is the hallmark of the disease, we studied serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and ghrelin in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) in comparison with healthy controls (HC). Methods: Leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and active ghrelin serum levels were measured in 100 IBD patients (46 UC and 54 CD) and in 60 matched HC using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and ghrelin levels were correlated with disease activity, type, localization, and treatment. Results: Mean serum leptin levels were 10.6 +/- 2.0 ng/mL in UC patients, 12.5 +/- 2.6 ng/mL in CD patients, and 15.0 +/- 1.8 ng/rnL in HC (P = .01). Mean serum adiponectin levels were 9514.8 +/- 787.8 ng/mL in UC patients, 7651.1 +/- 613 ng/mL in CD patients, and 7270.6 +/- 559.4 ng/mL in HC (P = .05). Mean serum resistin levels were 21.2 +/- 2.2 ng/mL in UC patients, 18.7 +/- 1.6 ng/mL in CD patients and 11.8 +/- 0.6 ng/mL in HC (P = .0002). Mean serum ghrelin levels were 48.2 +/- 4.2 pg/mL in UC patients, 49.4 +/- 4.6 pg/mL in CD patients and 14.8 +/- 3.0 pg/mL in HC (P < .0001). Serum levels of these adipocytokines were not correlated with either C-reactive protein levels or the clinical indices of activity. No association between serum adipocytokines levels and disease localization in both UC and CD patients was found. Only serum ghrelin was significantly higher in ileal compared with colonic CD (P = .04). Conclusions: Serum levels of adiponectin, resistin, and active ghrelin are increased whereas serum levels of leptin are decreased in patients with IBD. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of adipocytokines in IBD.
Treatment of diseases with gene therapy is advancing rapidly. The use of gene therapy has expanded from the original concept of replacing the mutated gene causing the disease to the use of genes to control nonphysiological levels of expression or to modify pathways known to affect the disease. Genes offer numerous advantages over conventional drugs. They have longer duration of action and are more specific. Genes can be delivered to the target site by naked DNA, cells, nonviral, and viral vectors. The enormous progress of the past decade in molecular biology and delivery systems has provided ways for targeting genes to the intended cell/ tissue and safe, long-term vectors. The eye is an ideal organ for gene therapy. It is easily accessible and it is an immune-privileged site. Currently, there are clinical trials for diseases affecting practically every tissue of the eye, including those to restore vision in patients with Leber congenital amaurosis. However, the number of eye trials compared with those for systemic diseases is quite low (1.8%). Nevertheless, judging by the vast amount of ongoing preclinical studies, it is expected that such number will increase considerably in the near future. One area of great need for eye gene therapy is glaucoma, where a long-term gene drug would eliminate daily applications and compliance issues. Here, we review the current state of gene therapy for glaucoma and the possibilities for treating the trabecular meshwork to lower intraocular pressure and the retinal ganglion cells to protect them from neurodegeneration.
Tuberculosis is a public health problem. In recent years, there is a change in the epidemiological profile of tuberculosis. The diagnosis of tuberculosis is based on clinical and radiological arguments but confirmation is bacteriological and/or histological. Culture remains the gold standard. Technological progress especially in molecular biology provides the clinician now new means of tuberculosis diagnostics. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Though bubble column reactors are widely used in industry, the present design practice is still closer to an art than a desired state of science because of the complexity of its fluid mechanics. The empiricism can be reduced by understanding detailed flow pattern, turbulence characteristics and turbulent structures and their effects on the performance such as mixing and axial mixing in both the phases and rate of heat and mass transfer. For this purpose, in the present work, CFD simulations have been undertaken by using standard k-epsilon, RSM and LES turbulence models. The cylindrical column having a computational height of H-D = 900 mm with inside diameter of D = 150 mm was employed as a bubble column operated at three superficial gas velocities (20, 40 and 100 mm/s). The instantaneous three dimensional velocity field is obtained by means of two phase Eulerian-Eulerian Large Eddy Simulations (LES). The conservation equations for turbulent kinetic energy (k) and the turbulent energy dissipation rate (epsilon) have been derived from the two fluid governing equations using the Reynolds averaging procedure. This enabled accurate estimation of convective transport, diffusive transport, turbulent transport, production and dissipation of k and epsilon. These estimations have been compared with the modelled terms of the standard k-epsilon and Reynolds stress models. The difference in values gives an idea about the severity of assumptions made in these models. An attempt has been made to bring out the implications of simplifying assumptions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of two extraoral computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems, in comparison with conventional techniques, on the marginal fit of monolithic CAD/CAM lithium disilicate ceramic crowns. Study design: This is an in vitro interventional study. Place and duration of study: The study was carried out at the Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Prince Sattam Bin Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia, from December 2015 to April 2016. Methodology: A marginal gap of 60 lithium disilicate crowns was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. In total, 20 pressable lithium disilicate (IPS e.max Press [Ivoclar Vivadent]) ceramic crowns were fabricated using the conventional lost-wax technique as a control group. The experimental all-ceramic crowns were produced based on a scan stone model and milled using two extraoral CAD/CAM systems: the Cerec group was fabricated using the Cerec CAD/CAM system, and the Trios group was fabricated using Trios CAD and milled using Wieland Zenotec CAM. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Scheffe post hoc test were used for statistical comparison of the groups (alpha=0.05). Results: The mean (+/-standard deviation) of the marginal gap of each group was as follows: the Control group was 91.15 (+/-15.35) mu m, the Cerec group was 111.07 (+/-6.33) mu m, and the Trios group was 60.17 (+/-11.09) mu m. One-way ANOVA and the Scheffe post hoc test showed a statistically significant difference in the marginal gap between all groups. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the current study that all-ceramic crowns, fabricated using the CAD/CAM system, show a marginal accuracy that is acceptable in clinical environments. The Trios CAD group displayed the smallest marginal gap.
Estimating the nature and extent of human cancer risks due to arsenic (As) in drinking water is currently of great concern, since millions of persons worldwide are exposed to arsenic, primarily through natural enrichment of drinking water drawn from deep wells. Humans metabolize and eliminate As through oxidative methylation and subsequent urinary excretion. While there is debate as to the role of methylation in activation/detoxification, variations in arsenic metabolism may affect individual risks of toxicity and carcinogenesis. Using data from three populations, from Mexico, China, and Chile, we have analyzed the distribution in urine of total arsenic and arsenic species (inorganic arsenic (InAs), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA)). Data were analyzed in terms of the concentration of each species and by evaluating MMA:DMA and (MMA + DMA):InAs ratios. In all persons most urinary As was present as DMA. Male:female differences were discernible in both high- and low-exposure groups from all three populations, but the gender differences varied by populations. The data also indicated bimodal distributions in the ratios of DMA to InAs and to MMA. While the gene or genes responsible for arsenic methylation are still unknown, the results of our studies among the ethnic groups in this study are consistent with the presence of functional genetic polymorphisms in arsenic methylation leading to measurable differences in toxicity. This analysis highlights the need for continuing research on the health effects of As in humans using molecular epidemiologic methods. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
In order to improve the possibility of successful bonding and performance of structures, the new method for multi-depth silicon etching is required. This paper aims to design and create a new method for one-time multi-depth silicon etching in manufacturing complex structures based on SiO2 masking layer. The core idea of this method is that: Firstly, all patterns are transferred into photo resist through photo etching; Then etch pattern will be transferred in the SiO2 masking layer by multi-time shallow etching with different time etching control; Finally, patterns will be transferred to the silicon wafer with uniform ratio based on the measured etching selectivity of SiO2-Si with one time. In the experiments, the process is completed in the silicon wafer with SiO2 masking layer whose thickness is elaborately designed. Firstly, the etching rate of SiO2 and the etching selectivity of SiO2-Si were measured accurately. Secondly, the shallow structure based on the designed structure, the etching rate of SiO2 and the etching selectivity of SiO2-Si is etched on the SiO2 masking layer. The second step forms different thickness version of SiO2 masking layer. At last, the SiO2 masking layer is etched until final structure and consequently different depth of groove accomplish due to various thickness of SiO2 etched by previous step. The experimental results indicated that the new methods has at least three advantages compared to traditional method: That is faster efficiency, higher cleanness and more complex structure. Fast work efficiency owes to only SF6 etching rather than two gases of SF6 and C4F8 to reduce half of time. Also high cleanness comes from being not exposed to air and researchers directly. The largest benefit of new method may be that can create more complex structure for higher required machine design and for higher mechanical function. It is because that normal etching method could only build few different depth of grooves due to multi-process limitation and contrary to normal one, new method can create more different depth of groove. And more different depth of groove means that more complex structure can be designed.
The creation of smart environments that are adaptive and responsive to the context in which they are being used has been one of the strongest ideas in ambient intelligence, but also one of the areas in which there seems to be a persistent gap between the initial promises and its real achievements. A possible reason why this is so challenging is that context-driven interaction and systems support are highly interdependent, but are rarely designed together. In this paper, we analyse the implications of context-driven interaction to the type of systems support provided by smart environments. The analysis is based on the study of previous work in this area and structured around three main dimensions of interaction with smart environments: physical integration; spontaneous interoperation and application programming abstractions. The contributions of this paper are 2-fold: a characterization of the system design space according to the requirements raised by context-driven interaction and the identification of new alternative paths for the integration of context-driven interaction into smart environments.
Burying beetles (genus Nicrophorus) are relatively rare among insects in providing sophisticated parental care. Consequently, they have become model species in research analysing social evolution, the evolution of parental care and mating systems. We used the recently published N. vespilloides genome and transcriptome to develop microsatellite markers. Specifically, we developed 14 polymorphic markers with five to 13 alleles per locus and used them to investigate levels of genetic differentiation in four south Cambridgeshire (UK) populations of N. vespilloides, separated by 21 km at most. The markers revealed significant genetic structuring among populations (global F-ST = 0.023) with all but one of the pairwise comparisons among populations being significant. The single exception was the comparison between the two closest populations, which are approximately 2.5 km apart. In general, the microsatellite markers showed lower observed heterozygosity than expected. We infer that there is limited dispersal between populations and potentially also some inbreeding within them and suggest that this may be due to habitat fragmentation. We discuss these results in the context of recent laboratory experiments on inbreeding and beetle flight.
This research has focused on project management associated with new product development of the aeronautic industry, highlighting in particular the importance and efficiency of manufacturing processes. The analysis was based on a questionnaire with 47 cases spread throughout the PMBOK, which was answered by 20 professionals with extensive experience in the aeronautic industry. The data were treated statistically using the techniques of multidimensional scaling and principal component analysis, taking advantage of Exploratory Factor Analysis to a single factor. The results showed that the ten most important processes are associated with the following themes: 1. To develop the project team, 2nd control the quality, 3. Determine the budget, 4th Conduct acquisitions, 5th control risk, 6 Identify risks, 7th Plan cost management, 8 Manage the project team, 9th Plan the management of acquisitions and 10th Plan risk management. Despite good overall results for the efficiency levels to the previous cases, also note it is performance improvement possibilities for the studied company
This study explores a method of generating electricity while recovering waste heat through the integration of heat pipes and thermoelectric generators (i.e. HPTEG system). The simultaneous waste heat recovery and power generation processes are achieved without the use of any moving parts. The HPTEG system consists of bismuth telluride thermoelectric generators (TEG), which are sandwiched between two finned pipes to achieve a temperature gradient across the TEG for electricity generation. A counter-flow heat exchanger was built using two separate air ducts. The air ducts were thermally coupled using the HPTEG modules. The evaporator section of the heat pipe absorbed the waste heat in a hot air duct. The heat was then transferred across the TEG surfaces. The condenser section of the HPTEG collected the excess heat from the TEG cold side before releasing it to the cold air duct. A 2-kW electrical heater was installed in the hot air duct to simulate the exhaust gas. An air blower was installed at the inlet of each duct to direct the flow of air into the ducts. A theoretical model was developed for predicting the performance of the HPTEG system using the effectiveness-number of transfer units method. The developed model was able to predict the thermal and electrical output of the HPTEG, along with the rate of heat transfer. The results showed that by increasing the cold air velocity, the effectiveness of the heat exchanger was able to be increased from approximately 52% to 58%. As a consequence of the improved heat transfer, maximum power output of 4.3 W was obtained.
It is imperative that any soil improvement technique can considerably affect the soil media mechanical behavior. However, considering the recent researches, it can be concluded that a combined study on the effect of cement treatment on soil-geotextile interfacial shear strength parameters has almost been neglected. Thus, the main objective of this study is to fill this research gap with the main focus on a selected site in Shiraz city, Iran. In this regard, shear strength parameters of untreated and cement treated soil samples have been acquired by traditional and modified direct shear tests apparatuses. The results indicate that at high cement contents, the soil-geotextile interfacial shear strength increases with an observed behavior similar to over consolidated soils. While up to 1% of cement treatment did not improve the properties, adding 5% and 10% of cement increased both friction angle and cohesion of the soil considerably. Complementary microscopic evaluation of the interface indicated that the interfacial soil-geotextile shear strength is highly dependent upon the soil particles size distribution and specially its fines content. Finally, the numerical modeling of an illustrative reinforced soil structure revealed that knowing the state of stress is a prerequisite to any selection of the soil improvement zone. (C) 2015 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved.
In arsenic-affected regions of Cambodia, rural water committees and planners can choose to promote various arsenic-avoidance and/or arsenic-removal water supply systems. Each of these has different costs of providing water, subsequently born by the consumer in order to be sustainable. On a volumetric basis ($/m3-yr) and of the arsenic-avoidance options considered, small-scale public water supply - e.g., treated water provided to a central tap stand - is the most expensive option on a life-cycle cost basis. Rainwater harvesting, protected hand dug wells, and vendor-supplied water are the cheapest with a normalized present worth value, ranging from $2 to $10 per cubic meter per year of water delivered. Subsidization of capital costs is needed to make even these options affordable to the lowest (Q5) quintile. The range of arsenic-removal systems considered here, using adsorptive media, is competitive with large-scale public water supply and deep tube well systems. Both community level and household-scale systems are in a range that is affordable to the Q4 quintile, though more research and field trials are needed. At a target cost of $5.00/m3, arsenic removal systems will compete with the OpEx costs for most of the arsenic-safe water systems that are currently available. The life-cycle cost approach is a valuable method for comparing alternatives and for assessing current water supply practices as these relate to equity and the ability to pay. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
DNA origami enables the precise fabrication of nanoscale geometries. We demonstrate an approach to engineer complex and reversible motion of nanoscale DNA origami machine elements. We first design, fabricate, and characterize the mechanical behavior of flexible DNA origami rotational and linear joints that integrate stiff double-stranded DNA components and flexible single-stranded DNA components to constrain motion along a single degree of freedom and demonstrate the ability to tune the flexibility and range of motion. Multiple joints with simple 1D motion were then integrated into higher order mechanisms. One mechanism is a crank-slider that couples rotational and linear motion, and the other is a Bennett linkage that moves between a compacted bundle and an expanded frame configuration with a constrained 3D motion path. Finally, we demonstrate distributed actuation of the linkage using DNA input strands to achieve reversible conformational changes of the entire structure on similar to minute timescales. Our results demonstrate programmable motion of 2D and 3D DNA origami mechanisms constructed following a macroscopic machine design approach.
Employment interviews are relevant scenarios for the study of social interaction. In this setting, social skills play an important role, even though the interactions between potential employers and candidates are often limited. One fundamental aspect of social interaction is the use of nonverbal communication, which affects how we are socially perceived. We present a method to automatically extract body communicative cues from one-on-one conversations recorded with Kinect devices. First, we find the three-dimensional position of hands and head of the subject, and, aided by training data, we infer the upper body pose. Then, we use the inferred poses to perform action recognition and build person-specific activity descriptors. We evaluate our system with both domain-specific and public, generic datasets, and show competitive performance.
We discuss a human metabolism system using the theory of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) with reflecting boundary conditions. We investigate the distribution of the process determined by the SDEs. The relation between the deterministic model introduced by Nordberg and Kjellstrom and our stochastic model is considered. Numerical computations are also given.
We created a simulation model to investigate potential links between the actions of violent extremist organizations (VEOs), people in the VEO's home country, and diaspora communities from that country living in the West. We created this model using the DYMATICA framework, which uses a hybrid cognitive-system dynamics modeling strategy to simulate behaviors based on psycho-social theory. Initial results of the model are given, focusing on increases to VEO funding and recruiting resulting from an invasion of the VEO's home country. Western intervention, prejudice, and economic drivers are also considered.
Reinforcement learning is an appealing approach for allowing robots to learn new tasks. Relevant literature reveals a plethora of methods, but at the same time makes clear the lack of implementations for dealing with real life challenges. Current expectations raise the demand for adaptable robots. We argue that, by employing model-based reinforcement learning, the-now limited-adaptability characteristics of robotic systems can be expanded. Also, model-based reinforcement learning exhibits advantages that makes it more applicable to real life use-cases compared to model-free methods. Thus, in this survey, model-based methods that have been applied in robotics are covered. We categorize them based on the derivation of an optimal policy, the definition of the returns function, the type of the transition model and the learned task. Finally, we discuss the applicability of model-based reinforcement learning approaches in new applications, taking into consideration the state of the art in both algorithms and hardware.
Interface shear strength between soil and structural materials is dependent on the confining pressure. To increase the confining pressure, different methods of reinforcement and materials, such as carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) can be used. The shear strength of CFRP-improved soil is dependent on the interface properties of the soil and CFRP. The objective of this study is to investigate the interface properties (friction angle and adhesion) of sand and FRP experimentally using the direct shear test apparatus. To increase the surface roughness to improve the interface properties, a layer of sand was placed on saturated carbon fiber during the curing period [spark plasma sintering CFRP (SPSCFRP)] and normal stress was applied on the sand. More than 60 interface shear tests were conducted with different curing times, shear rates, and normal stresses on SPSCFRP during curing time. Tests showed that as normal stress on SPSCFRP during curing time increased, the friction angle increased; however, increasing the curing times and the rate of shearing had a small influence on interface properties.
The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers extracted from vascular prostheses was used to illustrate the mechanisms of structure degradation. A quantitative model for fitting infrared spectra of PET samples over the region from 3200 to 3600 cm(-1) has been evaluated. Examination of a series spectrum of PET vascular prostheses collected after aging showed significant chemical differences in comparison with the virgin prosthesis. Analysis of these spectrums showed an increase of the end group concentrations for the explants. We used a complementary technique, the chemical titration method, in order to validate (FTIR) results. A considerable loss of macromolecular weight was observed, which is related to the formation of the smaller molecules that may proceed by random scission. Even if the time clearly influences the level of degradation, the results highlight other mechanisms of degradation that are probably related to human metabolism.
Search Engines are based on bivalent logic and probability theory with lack of real world conceptual knowledge, higher precision and reasoning ability. Ranked links or snippets are less effective with big data Analysis and web of information. State of art Search Engine Google endeavor to retrieve good quality document, Msn Engine i.e. Bing endeavor decision boosting. Advanced algorithms account in user intents semantics and societal patterns on Web with recommendation system as product (recommendation Engines). Search engines have advanced from Text based to voice based (Dialogue based) to Image based (multimedia as input Question to search). Major advancement analysis of search Engine Enhancement, search Engines have advanced from traditional data base retrieval machine to web based machines from horizontal engines to Vertical Engines (Naukari.com, Quickr.com) with dedicated crawler Technology at heart. Information of web is structured instructed and posses a huge challenge to big data analytics. All though Retrieval results are optimistic yet they Lack in ability to interpret user Question. Precise answering from relevant Informatics is Search Engine Enhancement. Time complexity and memory are Algorithmic and Machine design parameters that support optimized search result. Question Answering Search Engine (QA Engine) is machine with deductive reasoning capability ability to amalgamate information from various knowledge datasets. QA Engine is front linear area in advanced information retrieval techniques, state of art technology to future of search engines, expert systems. QA search engines have advanced from Shallow Technique (keyword technique) to template based Structured Knowledge processing Engines, profile based engines, and context based machines to cross language machines to Multimedia QA Engines. Community based QA Yahoo answer, stack overflow to specialized search engines like ask.com, qura.com, true knowledge. Question Answering system have been embedded in Google Search Engine(Google Question Answering). IBM's Watson, a cognitive machine Thinking machine like Humans is decision support Engine developed under Deep QA project with advanced Natural language processing Information Retrieval with deep mining, a machine learning model that learns over time with reasoning model at base. With advent of android platform web based services like Apple Siri, Android Assistant questioner technology is art that assists. Enhancement future search engines with analysis (thinking), cognitive ability. This manuscript I present in Architecture on Question answering Search Engine that is search Engine Enhancement with Finite State Machine which facilitate answering question to time complexity The abstract, methodology, algorithmic analysis, of 20 research paper facilitate a future research and integration of proposed Architecture of Question Answering Search Engine.
Objective-UVB irradiation is an established treatment for immunoinflammatory cutaneous disorders and has been shown to suppress cutaneous and systemic inflammatory diseases through modulation of the adaptive immune response. However, it remains unknown whether UVB irradiation prevents an immunoinflammatory disease of arteries such as atherosclerosis. Approach and Results-Here, we show that UVB exposure inhibits the development and progression of atherosclerosis in atherosclerosis-prone mice by expanding and enhancing the functional capacity of CD4(+) forkhead box P3(+) regulatory T cells and regulating proatherogenic T-cell responses. Experimental studies in Langerhans cell-depleted mice revealed that epidermal Langerhans cells play a critical role in UVB-dependent induction of CD4(+) forkhead box P3(+) regulatory T cells, suppression of proatherogenic T-cell responses, and prevention of atherosclerotic plaque development. Conclusions-Our findings suggest the skin immune system as a novel therapeutic target for atherosclerosis and provide a novel strategy for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis.
Power to gas (P2G) may be used to store curtailed electricity whilst converting the energy vector to gas. To be economically viable these systems require cheap electricity and a cheap concentrated source of CO2. Biogas produced from anaerobic digestion typically comprises of 60% methane and 40% CO2. The P2G system substitutes for the conventional upgrading system by using hydrogen (derived from surplus wind electricity) to react with CO2 and increases the methane output. The potential CO2 production from biogas in Ireland associated with typical wet substrates is assessed as more than 4 times greater than that required by the potential level of H-2 from curtailed electricity. Wind energy curtailment in 2020 in Ireland is assessed conservatively at 2175GW(e)h/a. Thus P2G is limited by levels of curtailment of electricity rather than biogas systems. It is shown that 1 GW(e)h of electricity used to produce H-2 for upgrading biogas in a P2G system can affect a savings of 97 tonnes CO2. The cost of hydrogen is assessed at (sic)0.96/m(3) renewable methane when the price of electricity is (sic)c5/kW(e)h. This leads to a cost of compressed renewable gas from grass of (sic)1.8/m(3). This drops to (sic)1.1/m(3) when electricity is purchased at (sic)c0.2/1cW(e)h. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Emotion regulation (ER)one of the most important developmental tasks in early adolescencehas been proposed to mediate the relation between parenting and adolescents' psychosocial adjustment. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of parental psychological control and autonomy support on adolescents' problem and prosocial behavior (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), as well as to examine the mediating role of adolescents' anger regulation and the moderating effect of gender. We collected three-year longitudinal questionnaire data from N=923 parents and their (at first assessment) 9- to 13-year-old children. Path-analysis results mainly support the mediating role of adolescents' adaptive and maladaptive anger regulation and suggest parental autonomy support to be beneficial for regulatory abilities and psychosocial adjustment, whereas the opposite was found for psychological control. Gender differences were found for parent report data, but not for adolescent report data. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
A low-cost mini tubular microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed for treating groundwater that contained benzene in monitoring wells. Experimental results indicate that increasing the length and density, and reducing the size of the char particles in the anode effectively reduced the internal resistance. Additionally, a thinner polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel separator and PVA with a higher molecular weight improved electricity generation. The optimal parameters for the MFC were an anode density of 1.22 g cm(-3), a coke of 150 mu m: an anode length of 6 cm, a PVA of 105,600 g mol(-1), and a separator thickness of 1 cm. Results of continuous-flow experiments reveal that the increasing the sets of MFCs and connecting them in parallel markedly improved the degradation of benzene. More than 95% of benzene was removed and electricity of 38 mW m(-2) was generated. The MFC ran continuously up to 120 days without maintenance. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Computer aided process planning (CAPP) is an important bridge between computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) in computer integrated manufacturing environment. Operation sequence generation is one of the most difficult tasks in CAPP. The aim of operation sequencing in CAPP is to determine the best order of machining operations with minimal manufacturing cost while satisfying all the precedence constraints. This paper presents a proposed method for optimizing operation sequence using modified clustering algorithm. The key concept of method is that the precedence constraints are firstly checked for selecting all possible next operations of the last operation in the sequence and their traveling costs are compared to choose the optimal feasible operation which has the minimum traveling cost in the sequence. Then, all operation sequences are calculated the total traveling cost for obtaining the optimal sequence result. Because of removing all unfeasible sequences at the beginning of procedure and selecting the optimal operation into sequence in each step, the time can be significantly reduced. The capability and performance of the proposed method are demonstrated in three specific case studies. The comparisons show that the proposed method can solve the problem in much lesser computational time while generating more alternate optimal feasible sequences than previous algorithms.
We characterize different types of conflicts that often occur in complex distributed multi-agent scenarios, such as in Ambient Intelligence (AmI) environments, and we argue that these conflicts should be resolved in a suitable order and using the most appropriate conflict resolution strategies for each individual conflict type. Our analysis shows that conflict resolution in AmI environments and similar multi-agent domains is a complex process, spanning through different levels of abstraction. The agents deployed in such environments need to handle conflicts with coordination and with certain level of agreement. We consecutively point out how this problem is currently handled in the relevant AmI literature.
The dynamic response of a sphere in soft clay is considered through field tests in which a 0.25 m dia. steel sphere was allowed to free-fall in water and dynamically penetrate the underlying soft soil. The test data, collected in a lake and a sea environment, relate to sphere velocities of up to 8 m/s, reaching sphere invert embedments close to ten diameters. An inertial measurement unit located within the sphere measured the motion response of the sphere during free-fall and penetration in soil. The resulting acceleration data were used within a simple framework that accounts for both geotechnical shearing resistance and fluid mechanics drag resistance, but cast in terms of a single capacity factor that can be expressed in terms of the non-Newtonian Reynolds number. The merit of the framework is demonstrated by using it as a forward model in a series of inverse analyses that calculate the undrained shear strength profile from acceleration data measured in free-fall sphere tests. The good match between these profiles and those obtained from 'push-in' piezoball penetrometer tests points to the potential for an instrumented free-fall sphere to be used as a tool for characterising the near-surface strength of soft seabeds.
Human metabolic diseases are typically network diseases. This holds not only for multifactorial diseases, such as metabolic syndrome or Type 2 diabetes, but even when a single gene defect is the primary cause, where the adaptive response of the entire network determines the severity of disease. The latter may differ between individuals carrying the same mutation. Understanding the adaptive responses of human metabolism naturally requires a systems biology approach. Modelling of metabolic pathways in microorganisms and some mammalian tissues has yielded many insights, qualitative as well as quantitative, into their control and regulation. Yet, even for a well-known pathway such as glycolysis, precise predictions of metabolite dynamics from experimentally determined enzyme kinetics have been only moderately successful. In the present review, we compare kinetic models of glycolysis in three cell types (African trypanosomes, yeast and skeletal muscle), evaluate their predictive power and identify limitations in our understanding. Although each of these models has its own merits and shortcomings, they also share common features. For example, in each case independently measured enzyme kinetic parameters were used as input. Based on these 'lessons from glycolysis', we will discuss how to make best use of kinetic computer models to advance our understanding of human metabolic diseases.
There are more than a hundred textile industries in Turkey that discharge large quantities of dye-rich wastewater, resulting in water pollution. Such effluents must be treated to meet discharge limits imposed by the Water Framework Directive in Turkey. Industrial treatment facilities must be required to monitor operations, keep them cost-effective, prevent operational faults, discharge-limit infringements, and water pollution. This paper proposes the treatment of actual textile wastewater by vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) systems operation and monitoring effluent wastewater quality using fuzzy logic with a graphical user interface. The treatment performance of VFCW is investigated in terms of chemical oxygen demand and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) content, color, and pH parameters during a 75-day period of operation. A computer program was developed with a fuzzy logic system (a decision- making tool) to graphically present (via a status analysis chart) the quality of treated textile effluent in relation to the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation. Fuzzy logic is used in the evaluation of data obtained from the VFCW systems and for notification of critical states exceeding the discharge limits. This creates a warning chart that reports any errors encountered in a reactor during the collection of any sample to the concerned party.
Glutamatergic projections to nucleus accumbens (NAc) drive drug-seeking behaviors during opioids withdrawal. Modulating glutamatergic neurotransmission provides a novel pharmacotherapeutic avenue for treatment of opioids dependence. Great deals of researches have verified that transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels alters synaptic transmitter release and regulate neural plasticity. In the present study, whole-cell patch clamp recordings were adopted to examine the activity of TRPV1 Channels in regulating glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in NAc of rat during morphine withdrawal for 3 days and 3 weeks. The data showed that the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and the amplitudes of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) were increased during morphine withdrawal after applied with capsaicin (TRPV1 agonist). Capsaicin decreased the paired pulse ratio (PPR) and increased sEPSCs frequency but not their amplitudes suggesting a presynaptic locus of action during morphine withdrawal. All these effects were fully blocked by the TRPV1 antagonist Capsazepine. Additionally, In the presence of AM251 (CB1 receptor antagonist), depolarization-induced release of endogenous cannabinoids activated TRPV1 channels to enhance glutamatergic neurotransmission during morphine withdrawal. The functional enhancement of TRPV1 Channels in facilitating glutamatergic transmission was not recorded in dorsal striatum. Our findings demonstrate the ability of TRPV1 in regulating excitatory glutamatergic transmission is enhanced during morphine withdrawal in NAc, which would deepen our understanding of glutamatergic modulation during opioids withdrawal. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Driven by a range of sustainability challenges, e.g. climate change, resource depletion and expanding populations, a circular bioeconomy is emerging and expected to evolve progressively in the coming decades. South Africa along with other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) represents the emerging bioeconomy and contributes significantly to global sugar market. In our research, South Africa is used as a case study to demonstrate the sustainable design for the future biorefineries annexed to existing sugar industry. Detailed techno-economic evaluation and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were applied to model alternative routes for converting sugarcane residues (bagasse and trash) to selected biofuel and/or biochemicals (ethanol, ethanol and lactic acid, ethanol and furfural, butanol, methanol and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, with co-production of surplus electricity) in an energy self-sufficient biorefinery system. Results: Economic assessment indicated that methanol synthesis with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 16.7% and ethanol-lactic acid co-production (20.5%) met the minimum investment criteria of 15%, while the latter had the lowest sensitivity to market price amongst all the scenarios. LCA results demonstrated that sugarcane cultivation was the most significant contributor to environmental impacts in all of the scenarios, other than the furfural production scenario in which a key step, a biphasic process with tetrahydrofuran solvent, had the most significant contribution. Conclusion: Overall, the thermochemical routes presented environmental advantages over biochemical pathways on most of the impact categories, except for acidification and eutrophication. Of the investigated scenarios, furfural production delivered the inferior environmental performance, while methanol production performed best due to its low reagent consumption. The combined techno-economic and environmental assessments identified the performance- limiting steps in the 2G biorefinery design for sugarcane industry and highlighted the technology development opportunities under circular bioeconomy context.
RhoA, a member of Rho GTPases family, is known to play an important role in remodeling actin cytoskeleton. During the development of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cells undergo proliferation, migration, and radial sorting and finally wrap the related axons compactly to form myelin sheath. All these processes involve actin cytoskeletal remodeling. However, the role of RhoA on Schwann cell during development is still unclear. To address this question, we first used a lentiviral vector-mediated short hairpin (sh) RNA targeting RhoA to knock down the expression of RhoA in the cultured Schwann cells in vitro. Effects of RhoA on Schwann cell proliferation and migration were examined by BrdU assay and transwell assay, respectively. Results of the present study indicated that downregulated RhoA expression in cultured Schwann cells significantly slacked the cells' capabilities of migration and proliferation. Then, we investigated the role of RhoA in the developing rat sciatic nerves. Immunohistology and Western blotting showed that RhoA was mainly expressed in Schwann cells in the sciatic nerves and was peaked at 2 weeks postnatal then kept in low level up to 8 weeks. In the subjected rats whose sciatic nerves were microinjected with lentiviral vectors at postnatal 3 days, we found that the lentiviruses mainly transfected Schwann cells, and the RhoA expression in the transfected Schwann cells was significantly knocked down. Four weeks after lentivirus microinjection, immunohistology and transmission electron microscopy illustrated that RhoA knockdown resulted in hypomyelination and significant decrease of the thickness of myelin in the transfected area. Overall data of current study suggested that RhoA plays a critical role in Schwann cell biology and is essential for myelination in developing peripheral nerve.
Purpose of reviewDespite the large investment of resources from screening, the fact that colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans underscores the need for alternative strategies. Thus, a major clinical and research imperative is personalize clinical care, while focusing on risk stratification for screening, surveillance, chemoprevention, and therapeutic intervention.Recent findingsA complicating factor that colorectal cancer is biologically heterogeneous for at least four consensus molecular subtypes presents clear challenges for developing robust molecular biomarkers.SummaryThe purpose of the review is to discuss the genetics and molecular biology of colonic neoplasia, high and low penetrance, and racial disparities in colonic neoplasia. Finally, we put forth the emerging concept of greater genomic landscape and the idea of chromatin protection therapy as a novel adjuvant to chemotherapy.
An effective method based on measuring the fiber orientation of yarn floats with two-dimensional Fourier transform (2-D FFT) is proposed to recognize the weave pattern of yarn-dyed fabric in the high-resolution image. The recognition process consists of four main steps: 1. High-resolution image reduction, 2.Fabric image skew correction, 3.Yarn floats localization, 4. Yarn floats classification. Firstly, the high-resolution image is reduced by the nearest interpolation algorithm. Secondly, the skew of the fabric image is corrected based on Hough transform. Thirdly, the yarn floats in the fabric image is localized by the yarns segmentation method based on the mathematical statistics of sub-images. Fourthly, the high-resolution image is corrected and its yarns are segmented successively according to the inspection information of the reduced image. The fiber orientations are detected by 2-D FFT, and the yarn floats are classified by k-means clustering algorithm. Experimental results and discussions demonstrate that, by measuring the fiber orientation of yarn floats, the proposed method is effective to recognize the yarn floats and the weave pattern for yarn-dyed, solid color, and gray fabrics.
Magnaporthe oryzae chrysovirus 1 strain A (MoCV1-A) is the causal agent of growth repression and attenuated virulence (hypovirulence) of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae. We previously revealed that heterologous expression of the MoCV1-A ORF4 protein resulted in cytological damage to the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Cryptococcus neoformans. Since the ORF4 protein is one of the components of viral particles, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of the purified virus particle against the conidial germination of M. oryzae, and confirmed its suppressive effects. Recombinant MoCV1-A ORF4 protein produced in Pichia pastoris was also effective for suppression of conidial germination of M. oryzae. MoCV1-A ORF4 protein sequence showed significant similarity to 6 related mycoviral proteins; Botrysphaeria dothidea chrysovirus 1, two Fusarium graminearum viruses, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi mycovirus 1, Penicillium janczewski chrysovirus and Agaricus bisporus virus 1 in the Chrysoviridae family. Multiple alignments of the ORF4-related protein sequences showed that their central regions (210-591 aa in MoCV1-A ORF4) are relatively conserved. Indeed, yeast transformants expressing the conserved central region of MoCV1-A ORF4 protein (325-575 aa) showed similar impaired growth phenotypes as those observed in yeasts expressing the full-length MoCV1-A ORF4 protein. These data suggest that the mycovirus itself and its encoded viral protein can be useful as anti-fungal proteins to control rice blast disease caused by M. oryzae and other pathogenic fungi. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a numerical simulation using PLAXIS code of geosynthetic reinforced embankment over locally weak zones. The case study concerns the reinforcement of the road embankment which crosses a section of about 11 km on sabkha soil of Chott El Hodna in Algeria. This salt flat is dry in summer but gets flooded in winter. The site observations and the geotechnical investigations indicated that the soil of this sabkha is characterised by high compressibility, low bearing capacity and contains locally weak zones of limited extent. The main objective of this paper is to assess the effect of geosynthetic reinforcement on the settlement of the embankment over locally weak zone. The influence of some parameters, namely the compressibility parameter of locally weak zone, the stiffness of geosynthetic, the locally weak zone geometry and the friction angle of embankment fill is also analysed. The results show that the computation with large displacement is more suitable than small displacement for this problem and the differential settlement improvement is due to the combination of the membrane strength effect of the geosynthetic and the arching effect within the embankment fill. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Ketamine increases blood pressure and heart rate. Propofol is an anesthetic drug with rapid recovery, but it causes respiratory depression, low heart rate and low blood pressure. Combination of ketamine and propofol provides sedation, analgesia, and rapid recovery with hemodynamic stability and minimal respiratory depression. There have been a few studies about the effect of different concentrations of ketofol on amnesia in the children with leukemia undergoing intrathecal injection of chemotherapy drugs, so this study investigated the effect of two concentrations of ketofol (1/5 with midazolam and 1/10) on amnesia in these patients. Materials and Methods: This randomized, double blinded study was conducted on 64 ALL children aged between 5 to 12 years old and referred to Shahid Sadoughi hospital for intrathecal chemotherapy from July 2016 up to September 2016. The patients received titrated injection of a solution containing combination of one part of ketamine and ten parts of propofol (1: 10) (group I) or one part of ketamine and five parts of propofol (1: 5) with midazolam(0.5mg) (group II) to sedate at the fifth level of Ramsay Sedation Scale. Amnesia was evaluated using visual recognition of posters and recall of specific events. Drug side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hallucination, allergies, dizziness, cough, and apnea were also evaluated in the patients. Results: No significant difference between two groups was found regarding age and weight (p-value= 0.625, p-value= 0.830). Running Chi-square revealed no statistically different between groups in terms of posters recognition and recall of specific events. In terms of drug side effects, two groups were similar but for hallucination that was higher in group (p-value = 0.043). Conclusion: The results showed that ketofol 1/10 is superior in comparison to ketofol 1/5 with midazolam (0.5 mg) according to less side effects and similarity in amnesia induction.
A preclinical testing model for cancer therapeutics that replicates in vivo physiology is needed to accurately describe drug delivery and efficacy prior to clinical trials. To develop an in vitro model of breast cancer that mimics in vivo drug/nutrient delivery as well as physiological size and bio-composition, it is essential to describe the mass transport quantitatively. The objective of the present study was to develop in vitro and computational models to measure mass transport from a perfusion system into a 3D extracellular matrix (ECM). A perfusion-flow bioreactor system was used to control and quantify the mass transport of a macromolecule within an ECM hydrogel with embedded through-channels. The material properties, fluid mechanics, and structure of the construct quantified in the in vitro model were input into, and served as validation of, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Results showed that advection and diffusion played a complementary role in mass transport. As the CFD simulation becomes more complex with embedded blood vessels and cancer cells, it will become more recapitulative of in vivo breast cancers. This study is a step toward development of a preclinical testing platform that will be more predictive of patient response to therapeutics than two-dimensional cell culture.
This review summarizes the major metabolic pathways of the drugs of abuse, tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, heroin, morphine, and codeine, in humans including the involvement of isoenzymes. This knowledge may be important for predicting their possible interactions with other xenobiotics, understanding pharmaco-/toxicokinetic and pharmacogenetic variations, toxicological risk assessment, developing suitable toxicological analysis procedures, and finally for understanding certain pitfalls in drug testing. The detection times of these drugs and/or their metabolites in biological samples are summarized and the implications of the presented data on the possible interactions of drugs of abuse with other xenobiotics, ie, inhibition or induction of individual polymorphic and nonpolymorphic isoenzymes, discussed.
This article explains, demonstrates, and evaluates Chaum's protocol for detecting a man-in-the-middle (MitM) of text-messaging network communications. MitM attacks pose serious risks to many network communications. Networks often mitigate these risks with robust protocols, such as TLS, which assume some type of public-key infrastructure that provides a mechanism for the authenticated exchange of public keys. By contrast, Chaum's protocol aims to detect a MitM with minimal assumptions and technology, and in particular without assuming the authenticated exchange of public keys. Chaum assumes that the eavesdropper can sound like the communicants but that the eavesdropper cannot fabricate sensible conversations.Using an encryption function and one-way function, Chaum's protocol works in three phases. In Phase I, the communicants exchange their public keys. In Phase II, each communicant generates a random string. The first communicant cryptographically commits to that string, and sends the string to the other communicant after receiving the other's string. In Phase III, using any of four different scenarios the communicants verify that each possesses the same two strings. The protocol forces any MitM to cause the communicants to possess different pairs of strings. The text-messaging scenario is similar to a forced-latency protocol proposed by Wilcox-O'Hearn in 2003.This article implements and experimentally demonstrates the effectiveness of the third scenario, which uses timing to detect a MitM in text-messaging. Even assuming a MitM can send messages without any network latency, the protocol forces the MitM to cause delays noticeable by the communicants. This article is the first to explain, demonstrate, and evaluate Chaum's protocol, which Chaum described only in an abandoned and nearly inscrutable patent application.
5G mobile networks are promising to offer mobile users unrivaled experiences with infinite networking capability at any period and from anywhere. However, it appears unnecessary and impractical for the customers and servers to be connected permanently in wireless networks because battery life is a bottleneck in such kind of networks. Therefore, the authorized entity needs to delegate its right to others in order to ensure the services available. This paper aims to address the issue of delegating authentication in 5G networks by proposing a new proxy signature scheme with efficient proxy signing operations. Concretely, we present a new and efficient proxy signature algorithm whose unforgeability can be reduced to the well-known discrete logarithm assumption. In the proposal, the original signer delegates his signing right by signing an exposure-free chameleon hash value on the warrant, and the proxy signer can generate a proxy signature on a message only by calculating a chameleon hash collision between the warrant and the message. This approach is computationally cost-effective for the proxy signer. Further analysis of the new scheme demonstrates that it offers the desirable properties of delegation of signing sights. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is developing a continuously working and non-cryogenic pumping solution for torus exhaust pumping of a demonstration power plant (DEMO) including Direct Internal Recycling (DIR). This full pumping system consists of three pumps, namely a metal foil pump for gas separation, a linear diffusion pump as primary pump and a liquid ring pump as backing pump. The latter two pumps apply mercury as working fluid due to its perfect tritium compatibility. This asks for a baffle system on both sides of the pumping train to control working fluid vapour and to avoid any mercury propagation in the machine. In this paper, the arrangement of all torus pumps required for a power plant reactor as well as the corresponding infrastructure and its effect on the DEMO machine design is presented and discussed. The full pumping process is called 'Karlsruhe liquid metal based pumping process for fusion reactor exhaust gases' (KALPUREX process, patent pending). (C) 2014 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The question of specific properties of life compared to nonliving things accompanied biology throughout its history. At times this question generated major controversies with largely diverging opinions. Basically, mechanistic thinkers, who tried to understand organismic functions in terms of nonliving machines, were opposed by those who tried to describe specific properties or even special forces being active within living entities. As this question included the human body, these controversies always have been of special relevance to our self-image and also touched practical issues of medicine. During the second half of the twentieth century, it seemed to be resolved that organisms are explainable basically as physicochemical machines. Especially from the perspective of molecular biology, it seemed to be clear that organisms need to be explained solely by the chemical functions of their component parts, although some resistance to this view never ceased. This research program has been working quite successfully, so that science today knows a lot about the physiological and chemical processes within organisms. However, again new doubts arise questioning whether the mere continuation of this analytical approach will finally generate a fundamental understanding of living entities. At the beginning of the twenty-first century the quest for a new synthesis actually comes from analytical empiricists themselves. The hypothesis of the present paper is that empirical research has been developed far enough today, that it reveals by itself the materials and the prerequisites to understand more of the specific properties of life. Without recourse to mysterious forces, it is possible to generate answers to this age-old question, just using recent, empirically generated knowledge. This view does not contradict the results of reductionistic research, but rather grants them meaning within the context of organismic systems and also may increase their practical usefulness. Although several of these properties have been discussed before, different authors usually concentrated on a single one or some of them. The paper describes ten specific properties of living entities as they can be deduced from contemporary science. The aim is to demonstrate that the results of empirical research show both the necessity as well as the possibility of the development of a new conception of life to build a coherent understanding of organismic functions.
Bioflavonoids are being utilised as neuroprotectants in the treatment of various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Astilbin, a bioflavanoid, has been reported to have potent neuroprotective effects, but its preventive effects on amyloid-beta (A beta)-induced, Alzheimer's disease-related, cognitive impairment, and the underlying mechanisms of these effects have not been well characterised. Five-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were randomly assigned to a vehicle group and two astilbin (either 20 or 40 mg/kg per day, intraperitoneally) groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, we observed beneficial effects of astilbin (40 mg/kg per day), including lessening learning and memory deficits and reducing plaque burden and A beta levels. Furthermore, the expressions of both the cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were significantly increased and the disturbance of AKT/GSK-3 beta signalling pathway was markedly ameliorated in the hippocampus of astilbin-treated (40 mg/kg per day) group. Our data suggest that astilbin might be a potential therapeutic agent against AD.
Background: One of the essential aspects of the provision of care is cultural issues. Cultural sensitivity is the key for cultural care. The aim of this study was to explore culturally sensitive care in pediatric nursing care in Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was a conventional content analysis. Participants were consisted of 25 nurses and 9 parents selected through purposive sampling from three pediatric referral centers in Tabriz and Tehran, Iran. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and field notes and were concurrently analyzed by using Graneheim and Lundman (2004) method. Data was transcribed verbatim, words, sentences, and phrases were considered meaning units, abstracted, labeled and compared for developing categories. Results: Culturally sensitive care of a sick child was consisted of three themes: 'cultural exposure', 'intercultural communication' and 'the reconciliation of cultural conflict in families/care'. During the 'cultural exposure' nurses were informed of the cultural manifestations, strived to identify and understand patients/families with cultural diversities and respect their cultural beliefs. The nurse used the native language in 'intercultural communication' or a combination of verbal and nonverbal communication methods to reach a common understanding. Finally, a nurse in the conflict between the culture of child/family and care took actions for making decisions to develop a compliance between care and the family culture and amended parents' harmful desires through negotiation and appropriate care. Conclusion: Understanding the concept of culturally sensitive care, can help with resolving the problems of cultural exchanges in Pediatric wards. Providing cultural facilities and interpreters to communicate with patients/family increase their satisfaction.
The pairing of computer-aided design and geographical information system data creates an opportunity to connect an architectural design process with a robust analysis of its environmental constraints. Yet, the geographical information system data may be too overwhelmingly complex to be fully used in computer-aided design without computer-assisted methods of filtering relevant information. This article reports on the implementation of an integrated environment for three-dimensional computer-aided design and environmental impact. The project focused on a two-way data exchange between geographical information system and computer-aided design in building design. While the two different technologies may rely on separate representational models, in combination they can provide a more complete view of the natural and built environment. The challenge in integration is that of bridging the differences in analytical methods and database formats. Our approach is rooted in part in constraint-based design methods, well established in computer-aided design (e.g. Sketchpad, Generative Components, and computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application). Within such computer-aided design systems, geometrical transformations may be intentionally constrained to help enforce a set of design determinants. Although this current implementation modestly relates to geometrical constraints, the use of probabilistic risk values is more central to its methodology.
With reference to a distributed architecture consisting of sensor nodes connected by wireless links in an arbitrary network topology, we consider a segment-oriented implementation of the single address space paradigm of memory reference. In our approach, applications consist of active entities called components, which are distributed in the network nodes. A component accesses a given segment by presenting a handle for this segment. A handle is a form of pointer protected cryptographically. Handles allow an effective implementation of communications between components, and key replacement. The number of messages generated by the execution of the communication primitives is independent of the network size. The key replacement mechanism is well suited to reliable application rekeying over an unreliable network.
Human metabolism of the insecticide propoxur yields 2-isopropoxyphenol (IPP) which is excreted conjugated in urine. In this publication a sensitive and selective analytical method is described which permits the determination of IPP as a suitable parameter for biomonitoring. The clean-up of the hydrolysed urine samples consisted of steam distillation and solid-phase extraction using a reversed-phase column. IPP and the internal standard 2-ethoxyphenol were converted to their pentafluorobenzyl ethers. Excess of the derivatisation reagent was removed using deactivated silica gel. Separation and quantitative analysis was carried out by capillary gas chromatography and mass selective detection. Coefficients of variation were below 5% for concentrations from 6 to 300 mu g/l. The detection limit was 0.5 mu g/l The method was checked by analysing six urine samples from pest controllers after indoor application of propoxur. The IPP concentrations ranged from 45 to 306 mu g/g creatinine. IPP was not detected in urine specimens from 10 non-exposed persons. The sensitivity of the developed method permits the detection of latent exposure to propoxur. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose of Review The prevalence and severity of IgE-mediated food allergy has increased dramatically over the last 15 years and is becoming a global health problem. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that epigenetic modifications of the genome resulting from gene-environment interactions have a key role in the increased prevalence of atopic disease. In this review, we describe the recent evidence suggesting how epigenetic changes mediate susceptibility to food allergies, and discuss how immunotherapy (IT) may reverse these effects. We discuss the areas of the epigenome as yet unexplored in terms of food allergy and IT such as histone modification and chromatin accessibility, and new techniques that may be utilized in future studies. Recent Findings Recent findings provide strong evidence that DNA methylation of certain promoter regions such as Forkhead box protein 3 is associated with clinical reactivity, and further, can be changed during IT treatment. Reports on other epigenetic changes are limited but also show evidence of significant change based on both disease status and treatment. Summary In comparison to epigenetic studies focusing on asthma and allergic rhinitis, food allergy remains understudied. However, within the next decade, it is likely that epigenetic modifications may be used as biomarkers to aid in diagnosis and treatment of food-allergic patients. DNA methylation at specific loci has shown associations between food challenge outcomes, successful desensitization treatment, and overall phenotype compared to healthy controls.
Human-agent societies refer to applications where virtual agents and humans coexist and interact transparently into a fully integrated environment. One of the most important aspects in this kind of applications is including emotional states of the agents (humans or not) in the decision-making process. In this sense, this paper presents the applicability of the JaCalIVE (Jason Cartago implemented intelligent virtual environment) framework for developing this kind of society. Specifically, the paper presents an ambient intelligence application where humans are immersed into a system that extracts and analyzes the emotional state of a human group. A social emotional model is employed to try to maximize the welfare of those humans by playing the most appropriate music in every moment.
The optimal function of a water distribution network is reached when the consumer demands are satisfied using the lowest quantity of energy, maintaining the minimal pressure required at the same time. One way to achieve this is through optimization of flow rate injection based on the use of the setpoint curve concept. In order to obtain that, a methodology is proposed. It allows for the assessment of the flow rate and pressure head that each pumping station has to provide for the proper functioning of the network while the minimum power consumption is kept. The methodology can be addressed in two ways: the discrete method and the continuous method. In the first method, a finite set of combinations is evaluated between pumping stations. In the continuous method, the search for the optimal solution is performed using optimization algorithms. In this paper, Hooke-Jeeves and Nelder-Mead algorithms are used. Both the hydraulics and the objective function used by the optimization are solved through EPANET and its Toolkit. Two case studies are evaluated, and the results of the application of the different methods are discussed.
A computer vision-based autonomous fire suppression system with real-time feedback of fire size and spray direction is presented in this paper. The system has been developed for use in a firefighting robot for close-range, localized fire suppression tasks in enclosed environments. A probabilistic water classification method was developed for segmenting water spray in a pair of IR cameras. Stereo processing was performed to localize points along the spray path for use in yaw and pitch angle estimation. A Golden Section Search with linear least squares optimization was used to determine the optimal pitch angle of the spray position at each sampling time. Kalman filtering was used to remove noise from the angle measurements and obtain a better estimate of the current nozzle orientation. A decision tree was used to determine the correct nozzle positioning mode using image feedback to suppress the fire and accounts for errors in direction, fire size during suppression, and when to adjust the nozzle based on IR feedback. Through implementation of a PI controller, the system is able to correct for unknown disturbances causing erroneous targeting of a localized fire. Experiments are presented with the initial nozzle angled correctly and with forced offsets in the system to set the initial spray position incorrectly in order for the system to correct. Suppression times ranged from 7.2 s to 16.3 s with a standard deviation of 3.9 s and average time of 11.2 s. A total of 12 tests demonstrated performance of the system given a forced offset to the initial nozzle orientation resulting in an error between the spray location and the fire target. Suppression times ranged from 8.1 s to 27.9 s with a mean of 16.9 s and standard deviation of 6.2 s. The proposed system can be implemented on a robotic firefighting platform to autonomously detect a fire, choose a proper manipulation goal and suppress full scale fires given disturbances causing erroneous targeting.
The effects of tissue type, harvest maturity, and genetic factors on the expression of genes that related to citrus fruit allergies remain poorly understood. In the present study, a multiplex real-time PCR assay was developed to monitor the expression of citrus allergen genes individually with the advantages of much fewer sample requirements and simultaneously multiple target genes detection. Gene specific primer pairs and Taqman probes of three citrus allergen genes Cit s 1.01, Cit s 2.01, and Cit s 3.01 and the house-keeping gene beta-actin were designed based on gene sequence differences. The PCR results showed that differential expression patterns were found during the ripening process. The expression levels of Cit s 3.01 were much higher than those of Cit s 1.01 and Cit s 2.01 in both peel and pulp tissues among 10 citrus cultivars. Data suggested that Kao Phuang Pummelo could be safely consumed with a potential low risk in allergenicity. Considering that assessing allergenicity is one of the tests in food safety, this assay might also facilitate the breeding and production of allergy-friendly citrus fruits.
In polar seas, the seasonal melting of ice triggers the development of an open-water ecosystem characterized by short-lived algal blooms, the grazing and development of zooplankton, and the influx of avian and mammalian predators. Spatial heterogeneity in the timing of ice melt generates temporal variability in the development of these events across the habitat, offering a natural framework to assess how foraging marine predators respond to the spring phenology. We combined 4 yr of tracking data of Antarctic petrels Thalassoica antarctica with synoptic remote-sensing data on sea ice and chlorophyll a to test how the development of melting ice and primary production drive Antarctic petrel foraging. Cross-correlation analyses of first-passage time revealed that Antarctic petrels utilized foraging areas with a spatial scale of 300 km. These areas changed position or disappeared within 10 to 30 d and showed no spatial consistency among years. Generalized additive model (GAM) analyses suggested that the presence of foraging areas was related to the time since ice melt. Antarctic petrels concentrated their search effort in melting areas and in areas that had reached an age of 50 to 60 d from the date of ice melt. We found no significant relationship between search effort and chlorophyll a concentration. We suggest that these foraging patterns were related to the vertical distribution and profitability of the main prey, the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Our study demonstrates that the annual ice melt in the Southern Ocean shapes the development of a highly patchy and elusive food web, underscoring the importance of flexible foraging strategies among top predators.
Home environments are one of the subjects of study regarding ambient intelligent systems for various purposes, including development of assistance systems for the elderly and energy consumption optimization. Sensing the environmental state via different sensors is the first and crucial component of every ambient intelligent system. In this work we investigate the use of environmental sounds for touch-free audio-based device recognition in a home environment. For this purpose, we analyzed sound characteristics of typical home appliances using different processing techniques. We are using the acquired knowledge to develop a flexible set of features, which can be set manually or determined automatically. To classify the device-specific acoustic fingerprints consisting of a significant subset of our features - we use established supervised learning techniques, whereby we optimized the straightforward ones. After building a recognition basis for the recognition of fixed length sound buffers on demand, we implemented a live recognition mode for real-time environment monitoring, providing runtime setup adjustments. We then extended our work with the recognition of untrained, simultaneously working, known devices by mixing their records, utilizing semi-supervised learning. We then anticipated promising results in our evaluation in various aspects, including recognition rate, performance for the different combinations of features, as well as to study the reliability of an automatic mixing of trained data.
The main objective of this study was to analyse the outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) of a group of patients with at least one self-reported allergy and a group of patients without reported allergies. We hypothesized there is a significant negative influence on clinical outcome scores after TKA in patients with self-reported allergies. Four-hundred and seventy-five patients who had undergone TKA were analysed preoperatively and 1 year after surgery. The WOMAC, KSS and SF-36 scores were obtained. The patients' Yesavage depression questionnaire score was also recorded. The scores of the 330 (69.5 %) patients without self-reported allergies were compared to the scores of the 145 (30.5 %) patients with at least one self-reported allergy in the medical record. Preoperative scores were similar in both groups. The WOMAC post-operative scores (23.6 vs 20.4; p = 0.037) and the KSS-Knee score (91.1 vs 87.6; p = 0.027) were worse in the group of patients with self-reported allergies than in the group without allergies. The scores from the Yesavage depression questionnaire and in the SF-36 were similar in both groups. Patients with at least one self-reported allergy have worse post-operative outcomes in terms of the WOMAC and KSS-Knee scores after TKA than patients without allergies. These poor outcomes do not seem to be related to depression. Therefore, more research is needed to explain them. Reported allergies could be considered a prognostic factor and used when counselling TKA patients. I.
Glutathione (GSH) is an important thiol, which has multiple functions in human metabolism, including the detoxification of xenobiotics, radioprotection and antioxidant defense. Here we provide a sensitive and specific method to quantify intracellular GSH and other thiols using an electrochemical detector coupled to a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC-ECD). This HPLC-ECD system includes a specially devised gold electrode with a large surface area and a thin gasket to provide an extremely high sensitivity to thiols. The standard curve for GSH showed a good linear relationship at low femtomole levels (r = 0.970). We could simultaneously detect GSH, cysteine, N-acetylcysteine, gamma-glutamyl-cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine by this method. We compared the specificity and sensitivity of this method with those of the conventional spectroscopic method by measuring the amounts of GSH in HL-60 cell extracts. Although the values obtained from these methods were closely correlated (r=0.984), the electrochemical method was much more specific for GSH. This method could detect 2 fmol of GSH and was 6 orders and 2-3 orders of magnitude more sensitive than the spectroscopic method and previous methods using HPLC, respectively. As an example of the application of this method, we demonstrated that the time-dependent alteration in intracellular GSH and cysteine levels could be easily measured using buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of GSH synthesis. On the basis of these results, the advantage of this electrochemical method is extremely sensitive and specific to detect femtomole levels of GSH and other various thiols. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Three experiments show that describing a person in mixed rather than consistently positive (or negative) terms on warmth and competence-the two fundamental dimensions of social perception-results in more extreme impressions. Given sparse information on one dimension, amplified (i.e., more extreme) judgments arise when the other dimension is clearly opposite in valence. In Experiment 1, a competent-and-cold target was perceived as more competent than a competent-and-warm target. Experiment 2 extends this amplification effect by manipulating either warmth or competence and adding consistently negative descriptions. Experiment 3 replicates amplification using more naturalistic behavioral descriptions. These findings extend the compensation effect a negative functional relation between perceived warmth and competence, previously observed only in explicitly comparative contexts-to single-target impression formation. Implications for traditional person-perception models and distributed social cognition are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We prove weak-strong uniqueness results for the compressible Navier-Stokes system with degenerate viscosity coefficients and with vacuum in one dimension. In other words, we give conditions on the weak solution constructed in [Q.S. Jiu and Z.P. Xin, Kinet. Relat. Models, 1(2): 313330, 2008] so that it is unique. The novelty consists of dealing with initial density rho(0) which contains vacuum. To do this we use the notion of relative entropy developed recently by Germain, Feireisl et al., and Mellet and Vasseur (see [P. Germain, J. Math. Fluid Mech., 13(1): 137-146, 2011], [E. Feireisl, A. Novotny, and S. Yongzhong, Indiana University Mathematical Journal, 60(2): 611-632, 2011], [A. Mellet and A. Vasseur, SIAM J. Math. Anal., 39(4): 1344-1365, 2007/08]) combined with a new formulation of the compressible system ([B. Haspot, Journal of Mathematical Fluid Mechanics, HAL Id: hal-00770248, arXiv:1304.4502, 1, 2013], [B. Haspot, Eprint Arxiv, hal-01081580, 2014]); more precisely we introduce a new effective velocity nu which makes the system parabolic on the density and hyperbolic on the velocity nu.
The flow inside of turbomachines rotating channels, when operating away from the design point, is intrinsically unsteady; two-phase flow and part-load operation further complicate the analysis, introducing additional challenges. Transient phenomena, linked to the typical unsteadiness of multiphase flows (bubble formation, coalescence or breakdown, segregation and gas locking) and to variable inlet flow compositions, as in case of slug flow, require advanced analysis tools which can reveal the local flow mechanisms responsible for performance degradation and instabilities. General trends can be outlined, but the air accumulation zones and two-phase flow patterns are highly dependent on the machine design. The flow regimes vary from a homogeneous distribution of. fine bubbles, evenly dispersed and carried away by the main flow, to more complex flow patterns, especially when the phases separate or the bubbles coalesce forming a gas pocket which adheres to a wide portion of the channel wall. Tests are performed on a multiphase pump laboratory, recently installed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, which allows a complete optical access to the pump channels and fine adjustments in the inlet configuration and the tip clearance gap; the air can be injected from different locations producing transient regimes too. A high speed camera provides an interesting insight into the transient flow phenomena. This paper focuses on these specific ones: Irregular backflow and swirl at the inlet section Gas accumulation zones and contribution of the tip leakage to mixing Flow pattern shift to phase segregation, as the relative flow is reduced Origin of pump blockage, when increasing gas contents cannot be carried away by the water phase Flow and machine parameters response to a variation in the inlet flow Tests are performed at various operating conditions rotational speed, mixture composition and impeller tip clearance. The study is completed with the time and frequency domain analysis of the pressure pulsations at surging and during specific transient events.
Fertilizers have undoubtedly contributed to the significant increase in yields worldwide and therefore to the considerable improvement of quality of life of man and animals. Today, attention is focussed on the risks imposed by agricultural fertilizers. These effects include the dissolution and transport of excess quantities of fertilizer major- and trace-elements to the groundwater that deteriorate the quality of drinking and irrigation water. In this study, a map for the Fertilizer Water Pollution Index (FWPI) was generated for assessing the impact of agricultural fertilizers on drinking and irrigation water quality. The proposed methodology was applied to one of the most intensively cultivated with tree crops area in Crete (Greece) where potential pollutant loads are derived exclusively from agricultural activities and groundwater is the main water source. In this region of 215 km(2), groundwater sampling data from 235 wells were collected over a 15-year time period and analyzed for the presence of anionic (NO (-3), P0(-3)4) and cationic (K+1, Fe+2, mn(+2,) zn(+2), Cu+3, B+3) fertilizer trace elements. These chemicals are the components of the primary fertilizers used in local tree crop production. Eight factors/maps were considered in order to estimate the spatial distribution of groundwater contamination for each fertilizer element. The eight factors combined were used to generate the Fertilizer Water Pollution Index (FWPI) map indicating the areas with drinking/irrigation water pollution due to the high groundwater contamination caused by excessive fertilizer use. Moreover; by taking into consideration the groundwater flow direction and seepage velocity, the pathway through which groundwater supply become polluted can be predicted. The groundwater quality results show that a small part of the study area, about 8 km(2) (3.72%), is polluted or moderately polluted by the excessive use of fertilizers. Considering that in this area drinking water sources (wells) are located, this study highlights an analytic method for delineation wellhead protection zones. All these approaches were incorporated in a useful GIS decision support system that aids decision makers in the difficult task of protection groundwater resources. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Central Aortic Pressure (CAP) can be used to predict cardiovascular structural damage and cardiovascular events, and the development of simple, well-validated and non-invasive methods for CAP waveforms estimation is critical to facilitate the routine clinical applications of CAP. Existing widely applied methods, such as generalized transfer function (GTF-CAP) method and N-Point Moving Average (NPMA-CAP) method, are based on clinical practices, and lack a mathematical foundation. Those methods also have inherent drawback that there is no personalisation, and missing individual aortic characteristics. To overcome this pitfall, we present a personalized-model-based central aortic pressure estimation method (PM-CAP)in this paper. This PM-CAP has a mathematical foundation: a human aortic network model is proposed which is developed based on viscous fluid mechanics theory and could be personalized conveniently. Via measuring the pulse wave at the proximal and distal ends of the radial artery, the least square method is then proposed to estimate patient-specific circuit parameters. Thus the central aortic pulse wave can be obtained via calculating the transfer function between the radial artery and central aorta. An invasive validation study with 18 subjects comparing PM-CAP with direct aortic root pressure measurements during percutaneous transluminal coronary intervention was carried out at the Beijing Hospital. The experimental results show better performance of the PM-CAP method compared to the GTF-CAP method and NPMA-CAP method, which illustrates the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Frontotemporal dementia is a neurodegenerative disease affecting cognition and behavior in multiple devastating ways. This article highlights diagnostic features helpful in differentiating frontotemporal dementia from other dementias, most commonly Alzheimer disease.
We consider the problem of automatically re-identifying a person of interest seen in a probe camera view among several candidate people in a gallery camera view. This problem, called person re-identification, is of fundamental importance in several video analytics applications. While extracting knowledge from high dimensional visual representations based on the notions of sparsity and regularization has been successful for several computer vision problems, such techniques have not been fully exploited in the context of the re-identification problem. Here, we develop a principled algorithm for the re-identification problem in the general framework of learning sparse visual representations. Given a set of feature vectors for a person in one camera view (corresponding to multiple images as they are tracked), we show that a feature vector representing the same person in another view approximately lies in the linear span of this feature set. Furthermore, under certain conditions, the associated coefficient vector can be characterized as being block sparse. This key insight allows us to design an algorithm based on block sparse recovery that achieves stateof-the-art results in multi-shot person re-identification. We also revisit an older feature transformation technique, Fisher discriminant analysis, and show that, when combined with our proposed formulation, it outperforms many sophisticated methods. Additionally, we show that the proposed algorithm is flexible and can be used in conjunction with existing metric learning algorithms, resulting in improved ranking performance. We perform extensive experiments on several publicly available datasets to evaluate the proposed algorithm. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In zooplankton communities, morphological changes in Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) may be resulting from water pollution by anthropogenic activities and/or natural events. The removal of vegetation cover, urbanization, agriculture and sewage release accelerate the eutrophication process in the aquatic environment. The present study seeks to demonstrate the occurrence of morphological abnormalities in cladocerans and relate the changes in the morphology and species composition to the physical and chemical parameters of the water. Samplings were made monthly in five stations on the Sapucai River compartment of Furnas Reservoir, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, from July 2013 to February 2014. The Furnas Reservoir has intense occupation of the surrounding areas by agriculture, urban and industrial activities and the installation of net cage fish cultures, which contribute to the water quality deterioration. Cladocerans samples were collected using a suction pump and plankton net (68 mu m mesh size) and concentrated from a volume of 400 L. The measures of physical and chemical parameters of the water were obtained by a Horiba U-50 multi-sensor on the surface of water column and the density and morphology of Cladocera were made by microscopy. Twenty-three species of Cladocera were recorded with high organism densities of Chydoridae family species. Morphological abnormalities were observed in Daphnia gessneri, Ceriodaphnia silvestrii, Bosmina longirostris, Bosmina tubicen and Chydorus pubescens. The highest densities of C. pubescens with abnormalities were observed at sampling stations which had littoral characteristics and influences of sewage release. For C. pubescens, abnormalities were observed and classified into two types. The type 1 abnormality was considered an increase of length of intestine and size of its intestinal loop, whereas for type 2 was considered the occurrence of an intestine prolapse. The morphological abnormalities in cladocerans were described and compared to the ones described in the literature. From the results, it may observe that the abnormalities were probably resulting from continuous eutrophication process which has been occurring in the reservoir due to anthropogenic activities around the reservoir and a decrease in the water volume of the reservoir, caused by an unusual dry weather period in this region in the last years.
Water plays a central role in plant biology and the efficiency of water transport throughout the plant affects both photosynthetic rate and growth, an influence that scales up deterministically to the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, hydraulic traits mediate the ways in which plants interact with their abiotic and biotic environment. At landscape to global scale, plant hydraulic traits are important in describing the function of ecological communities and ecosystems. Plant hydraulics is increasingly recognized as a central hub within a network by which plant biology is connected to palaeobiology, agronomy, climatology, forestry, community and ecosystem ecology and earth-system science. Such grand challenges as anticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate change, and improving the security and sustainability of our food supply rely on our fundamental knowledge of how water behaves in the cells, tissues, organs, bodies and diverse communities of plants. A workshop, Emerging Frontiers in Plant Hydraulics' supported by the National Science Foundation, was held in Washington DC, 2015 to promote open discussion of new ideas, controversies regarding measurements and analyses, and especially, the potential for expansion of up-scaled and down-scaled inter-disciplinary research, and the strengthening of connections between plant hydraulic research, allied fields and global modelling efforts. Plant hydraulics is increasingly recognized as a central hub relating fields within plant biology, ecology, evolution, palaeobiology and agriculture, essential to grand challenges such as anticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate change, and improving the security and sustainability of our food supply. A workshop entitled Emerging Frontiers in Plant Hydraulics' supported by the National Science Foundation, was held in Washington DC, 2015. We summarize the discussions, including controversies regarding measurements and analyses, the emerging frontiers of up-scaled and down-scaled inter-disciplinary research, and the strengthening of connections between research in plant hydraulics, that in allied fields and global modelling efforts.
Objective: The goal of this study was to determine core competencies by means of a systematic literature review and to design and test an interpreter training program. Methods: Core competencies in medical interpreting were searched using a systematic literature review. An intervention program was developed to improve core competencies. Pretests and posttests were conducted to pilot-test knowledge and interpreting skills in participants aged 22-62 years (n = 43). Results of the tests were compared. Results: Results of the systematic review indicated five core competencies: (a) maintaining accuracy and completeness; (b) medical terminology and understanding the human body; (c) behaving ethically and making ethical decisions; (d) nonverbal communication skills; and (e) cross-cultural communication skills. Statistical analysis showed a significant improvement in knowledge and interpreting skills in the intervention program compared with the control program. Conclusion: Posttest assessment showed that the developed training system can be useful in improving knowledge and quality in medical interpreting. Practice implications: A 3-day training program for medical interpreters could bridge the gap between medical professionals and patients with limited English proficiency while being amenable to integration into clinical flow. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes an adaptive controller with an improved high-frequency injection method for sensorless synchronous reluctance drive systems. A mathematical model is presented to show that the use of a high-frequency injection method that takes into account the effects of unequal mutual-inductances and the influence of speed reduces the rotor position estimation error. The adaptive speed control algorithm offers improved transient performance in comparison to typical proportional-integral (PI) controllers that are employed in sensorless drive systems. To demonstrate the viability, the proposed adaptive controller and the modified high-frequency injection method are implemented using a TMS-320F-28335A digital signal processor to control a 500 W prototype synchronous reluctance motor drive. Experimental results are presented to show that the transient, load disturbance, and tracking responses of the proposed drive system are superior in comparison to a drive that uses a PI controller. Both experimental and theoretical analyses clearly indicate that the proposed high-frequency injection method with an adaptive speed-loop controller offers improved performance in adjustable speed synchronous reluctance drive systems.
Fluctuations in water surface elevation (WSE) along rivers have important implications for water resources, flood hazards, and biogeochemical cycling. However, current in situ and remote sensing methods exhibit key limitations in characterizing spatiotemporal hydraulics of many of the world's river systems. Here we analyze new measurements of river WSE and slope from AirSWOT, an airborne analogue to the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission aimed at addressing limitations in current remotely sensed observations of surface water. To evaluate its capabilities, we compare AirSWOT WSEs and slopes to in situ measurements along the Tanana River, Alaska. Root-mean-square error is 9.0cm for WSEs averaged over 1km(2) areas and 1.0cm/km for slopes along 10km reaches. Results indicate that AirSWOT can accurately reproduce the spatial variations in slope critical for characterizing reach-scale hydraulics. AirSWOT's high-precision measurements are valuable for hydrologic analysis, flood modeling studies, and for validating future SWOT measurements.
Beta-amyloid peptide (A beta) induced neurotoxicity is considered as a hallmark of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present study demonstrated the neuroprotective role of 5-HT6 receptors against A beta-induced neurotoxicity in PC-12 cells. The 5-HT6 receptor agonist EMD-386088 and antagonist SB-399885 were used as pharmacological tools. The NMDA receptor antagonist, memantine, was used as reference standard. The A beta(25-35) (50 A mu M) induced apoptosis, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and impaired neurite outgrowth in PC-12 cells. Pre-treatment with 10 A mu M EMD-386088 and SB-399885 had significantly protected neuronal cell death by maintaining higher cell viability through attenuation of intracellular ROS. Further, both compounds significantly prevented A beta(25-35)-induced impairment in neurite outgrowth in PC-12 cells. Similarly, memantine prevented A beta(25-35)-induced neurotoxicity in PC-12 cells. These findings suggest that 5-HT6 receptor ligands have protected neurons from A beta(25-35) induced toxicity by reducing ROS and through prevention of impairment in neurite outgrowth. Therefore, 5-HT6 receptor could be an important disease-modifying therapeutic target for AD.
Australia is a multicultural society. However, its history of British colonisation has contributed to enduring overt and covert discrimination, racism and black/white racial divisions. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the recipients of ongoing racial discrimination, they are the most disadvantage groups in Australia and they are significantly overrepresented as social work clients. An anti-racist stance is core to social work practice, and some literature has suggested that cultivating empathy can help reduce racism and provoke activism for social justice. In 2014, a classroom-based inquiry exploring barriers to activism extended previous student-centred research exploring empathy and racism. The findings suggest that some students hesitant to commit to action for social justice for reasons including a lack of confidence, and a lack of time and information. Facilitating social work students' confidence, increased understanding of everyday acts of activism and skill development including critical empathy may bolster their confidence and their action for social justice.
In this paper the design and build-up of a high performance PM-machine is presented. The machine comprises a special six-phase winding which exhibits a very low harmonic content. The winding properties are discussed in detail. The design process of the machine is shown. 3D-FEM is used to accurately compute eddy current effects in the permanent magnets. The building process is shown with respect to special challenges. Finally computed results are provided.
In our research, the simulation model driven engineering for manufacturing cell (SMDE-MC) is proposed. The purposes of SMDE-MC are to support the manufacturing engineering processes based on the simulation model and to extend the range of control applications and simulation applications using the PC based control. SMDE-MC provides the simulation model which controls and monitors the manufacturing cell directly using PC based control in the manufacturing system execution phase. Then when the simulation model acts in response to its behaviors, the manufacturing system is controlled by synchronizing the simulation model behaviors. In the manufacturing system implementation phase, the simulation model is mixed and synchronized with real equipment, real controllers, and management applications under a condition where parts of equipment, control programs, and manufacturing management applications are not provided in a manufacturing system.
Recent interest in improving pedagogical approaches in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has stimulated research at many universities. Several educational methodologies are reviewed in the context of manufacturing and through the lens of sustainability. It is found that there is a need to identify and understand the STEM educational challenges, and to assess the usefulness of existing methodologies using case-based analyses. In particular, this research aims to support student learning in manufacturing engineering through real-time process evaluations. A pedagogical framework is presented that can assist engineering educators in developing learning modules in support of this goal. The framework encompasses four steps: define the learning outcomes, create instructional resources, create active learning resources, and create a summative assessment mechanism. The framework emphasizes engagement of manufacturing engineering students in psychomotor learning, which remains a challenge due to the high cost of instructional laboratories. The framework is applied to develop a participatory pedagogy for manufacturing courses through the use of computer numerical control of manufacturing operations, and real-time monitoring, visualization, and data analysis of machine energy use. The framework is demonstrated for upper-level undergraduate and graduate manufacturing engineering courses at two universities (i.e., Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing at Oregon State University and Precision Manufacturing at University of California, Berkeley). It is found that the framework can effectively support learning module development in manufacturing engineering education.
All examples of lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) diversity occur within the largest, deepest lakes of North America (i.e. >2000 km(2)). We report here Rush Lake (1.3 km(2)) as the first example of a small lake with two lake charr morphs (lean and huronicus). Morphology, diet, life history, and genetics were examined to demonstrate the existence of morphs and determine the potential influence of evolutionary processes that led to their formation or maintenance. Results showed that the huronicus morph, caught in deep-water, had a deeper body, smaller head and jaws, higher eye position, greater buoyancy, and deeper peduncle than the shallow-water lean morph. Huronicus grew slower to a smaller adult size, and had an older mean age than the lean morph. Genetic comparisons showed low genetic divergence between morphs, indicating incomplete reproductive isolation. Phenotypic plasticity and differences in habitat use between deep and shallow waters associated with variation in foraging opportunities seems to have been sufficient to maintain the two morphs, demonstrating their important roles in resource polymorphism. Rush Lake expands previous explanations for lake charr intraspecific diversity, from large to small lakes and from reproductive isolation to the presence of gene flow associated with strong ecological drivers. Published 2016. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Visual Cryptography (VC) has been developed as a significant research arena in media security. Despite of its obvious strengths, recent investigations have debated this scheme from adverse aspects, its problem is lack of authentication of VC shares, VC authentication related to digital image processing and cryptography has not been fully integrated together in the past years. In this paper, we analyze both visual features and cryptographic features of VC shares and take use of them for VC authentication. Compared to those existing methods, our contribution is the first one to integrate visual features and cryptographic features of VC shares into Hash code for the purpose of VC authentication.
Affective Theory of Mind (ToM) is the specific ability to represent own and others' emotional states and feelings. Previous studies examined affective ToM ability in patients with Huntingtons disease (HD), using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET). Results were consistent in showing difficulties in inferring complex mental states from photographs of people even in the early stage of HD. However, there has been no agreement as to whether or not cognitive impairments in HD population might have contributed to poor performance on the RMET test. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the affective ToM ability was impaired in the mild to moderate stages of HD, and whether there was an association between compromised ToM ability and the presence of cognitive impairment. We evaluated ToM by means of RMET and global cognitive functioning by means of the MoCA questionnaire in 15 HD patients and 15 healthy subjects (HS). Both groups were matched for age and level of education. Our study showed that the ability to judge a persons mental states from a picture of their eyes was impaired in HD patients compared to normal population. Indeed, HD subjects gave the 34% of correct responses on RMET, whereas healthy control subjects percentage of correct responses was 71%. Furthermore, this impairment was not correlated with global cognitive functioning except for the visuospatial task. These results show that RMET might represent a valid instrument to assess affective ToM ability in HD patients in the mild to moderate stages of the disease, independently from their cognitive status. Since it is known that HD patients, in addition to motor symptoms, suffer from cognitive deficits, including memory and executive impairments, it is important to have an instrument, which is not influenced by cognitive abilities. It is possible therefore to use RMET to assess important aspects of HD patients such as their ability to recognize others emotions and feelings even when patients suffer from cognitive decline.
Geotextiles have been commonly used globally, making the control of material selection to influence geotextiles' properties an important research topic. This study aims to explore the effects of the ratio of high-strength polyethylene terephthalate (HPET) fiber to Kevlar fiber on hybrid geotextiles. At the first stage, HPET and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber are combined to make HPET/PET hybrid geotextile and then tested for porosity and water permeability, determining the optimum HPET/PET ratio. At the second stage, with a content of 60 % PET fibers, HPET fibers and Kevlar fibers are mixed with various ratios to form Kevlar/HPET/PET hybrid geotextiles. The experimental results show that with an increase in the content of HPET fibers, the porosity and water permeability of the Kevlar/HPET/PET hybrid geotextile decrease.
When we conserve energy resources from any systems, our environment can enjoy cleaner air and a healthier, and we can help protect the climate by reducing heating due to more energy consumption. Energy Efficient medical equipment design is the latest research in medical science. Now, scientists are focus and shifting toward energy efficient medical system design. ECG machine is the most commonly used in medical equipments. If any equipment consuming less power than the environment, climate and whole medical regions will be move to greener, pollution-less and energy efficient. Finally, it reduces the cost of medical treatment and save energy consumptions. In this work, we are going to design and implement energy efficient ECG machine using LVDCI (Low Voltage Digitally Control Impedance), SSTL (Stub Series Terminated Logic) and HSTL (High Speed Transistor Logic) I/O standard.
This chapter focuses on how to analyze the paraverbal communicative fluency of teaching style. Essential paraverbal criteria related to kinesics and proxemics were studied in lecturers offering courses. Some lessons were analyzed using the Observational Systems of Paraverbal Communication SOCIN and SOPROX, both observational instruments that enables a broad analysis of kinesics and proxemics. The recording instrument used to codify SOCIN and SOPROX was LINCE software and the Theme software was used to detect temporal patterns (T-patterns) in the observational data. The results reveal the power of the teachers' illustrative and regulatory kinesics. The regulatory function makes use of clearly defined kinesic gestures such as emblems and kinetographs, whereas the illustrative function is accompanied by largely undefined kinesic gestures.
Surface soil moisture (SSM) is an important parameter at the land-atmosphere interface. In past decades, passive microwave remote sensing offers a good opportunity for obtaining SSM on a global scale, and many downscaling methods have been proposed using the triangle-based empirical soil moisture relationship models to overcome the limitation of coarse spatial resolution of its SSM products for regional applications. This paper aimed to examine and compare the effectiveness of five typical triangle-based empirical soil moisture relationship models for estimating SSM with Landsat-5 data and in situ measurements from the Maqu network on the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau for nine cloud-free days. The results showed that the model that treats the SSM as a second-order polynomial with land surface temperature, vegetation indices (VIs), and surface albedo as inputs exhibited the best performance compared with the results of other models. The VI comparison indicated that the use of the normalized difference VI or the fractional vegetation cover in this model outperformed other VIs, with the root-mean-square deviation of approximately 0.055 m(3)/m(3) and the coefficient of determination (R-2) above 0.78 at the nine-day average level. In addition, a significant spatial scale effect of the model was also found through analyzing the model fitting results at different window sizes. The study provides important insight into the best empirical relationship models for capturing soil moisture dynamics. These models can support the passive microwave soil moisture data spatial downscaling and validation applications in future studies.
Recognition of texts in scenes is one of the most important tasks in many computer vision applications. Though different scene text recognition techniques have been developed, scene text recognition under a generic condition is still a very open and challenging research problem. One major factor that defers the advance in this research area is character touching, where many characters in scene images are heavily touched with each other and cannot be segmented for recognition. In this paper, we proposed a novel scene text recognition technique that performs word level recognition without character segmentation. Our proposed technique has three advantages. First it converts each word image into a sequential signal for the scene text recognition. Second, it adapts the recurrent neural network (RNN) with Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), the technique that has been widely used for handwriting recognition in recent years. Third, by integrating multiple RNNs, an accurate recognition system is developed which is capable of recognizing scene texts including those heavily touched ones without character segmentation. Extensive experiments have been conducted over a number of datasets including several ICDAR Robust Reading datasets and Google Street View dataset. Experiments show that the proposed technique is capable of recognizing texts in scenes accurately.
During the last years, multi-story buildings (MSBs) have been introduced in Arba Minch and other Ethiopian cities as condominium houses. Constructed at the edge of the city boundaries, they have a standardized design including flush toilets. The water supply scheme in place can hardly cope with the water demand inside the new buildings. Shortage of water causes many problems in bathing, washing and flushing toilets. These unhygienic conditions are inducing toilet blockage, smells in the houses, infection which can lead to a negative effect on health. The more people are moving into these condominium houses, the more these problems arise. The objective of this paper is to study the feasibility of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as additional water supply for MSBs. Two MSBs were selected as a pilot plot in Bekele Mola site. In this case, flashing toilet by rainwater could save 33 m(3)/month of potable water. That means we can reduce the use of potable water for non-potable-water needs by 42 L/household/d. This RWH system is recovering only 19.5% of water demand and 84% of flushing water demand with maximum 130 habitants at the pilot buildings. The supply is limited by the amount of rainfall and the size of the catchment area. In addition, the installation price is relatively high.
Nowadays, a significant part of all network accesses comes from embedded and battery-powered devices, which must be energy efficient. This paper demonstrates that a hardware (HW) implementation of network security algorithms can significantly reduce their energy consumption compared to an equivalent software (SW) version. The paper has four main contributions: (i) a new feature extraction algorithm, with low processing demands and suitable for hardware implementation; (ii) a feature selection method with two objectives-accuracy and energy consumption; (iii) detailed energy measurements of the feature extraction engine and three machine learning (ML) classifiers implemented in SW and HW-Decision Tree (DT), Naive-Bayes (NB), and k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN); and (iv) a detailed analysis of the tradeoffs in implementing the feature extractor and ML classifiers in SW and HW. The new feature extractor demands significantly less computational power, memory, and energy. Its SW implementation consumes only 22 percent of the energy used by a commercial product and its HW implementation only 12 percent. The dual-objective feature selection enabled an energy saving of up to 93 percent. Comparing the most energy-efficient SW implementation (new extractor and DT classifier) with an equivalent HW implementation, the HW version consumes only 5.7 percent of the energy used by the SW version.
Allergies to various antibiotics are reported by a substantial proportion of patients. As a result, clinical decision support programming generates frequent warnings when prescribing within electronic medical records. For a variety of reasons, the majority of these warnings may be inappropriate. Our improved understanding of the underlying physiology of allergic processes reveals that the majority of cross-reacting antibiotic allergies are implausible. Appropriate history taking and workup can invalidate many more warnings. Electronic medical records ideally should permit documentation that would facilitate more accurate entry and eliminate similar future warnings.
Some Australians have become convinced of the existence of locally acquired Lyme disease (LD). The history of LD, since its recognition in the early 1970s, is reviewed as a model for investigative approaches to unknown syndromes. Australian Management Guidelines for LD include the requirement for diagnostic testing by National Association of Testing Authorities-accredited laboratories using Therapeutic Goods Administration-licensed tests, which result in the efficient diagnosis of LD in overseas travellers. Despite this, patients who have not left Australia pay many thousands of dollars for non-specialist consultations and testing at overseas laboratories. Unproven long-term therapy with multiple antibiotics has resulted in serious complications, including allergies, line sepsis, pancreatitis and pseudomembranous colitis. Studies have shown that LD vectors are not found in Australia, and Lyme Borrelia has not been found in Australian vectors, animals or patients with autochthonous illnesses. I propose that (i) A noncontroversial name for the chronic syndrome should be adopted, 'Australian Multisystem Disorder'. (ii) Research funding should enable the development of a consensus case definition and studies of the epidemiology of this syndrome with laboratory investigations to identify an aetiology and surrogate markers of disease. Prospective, randomised treatment studies could then be undertaken using ethical protocols.
FBG (fiber Bragg grating) sensors are appropriate for embedding in composites manufacturing engineering. Influence of embedding FBG sensors on the composites tension, compression, CAI properties was studied in this paper. Results identified that the mechanical properties decreased obviously when a certain volume content of optical fibers embedded. FBG sensor permits the continuous monitoring of the host material when embedded in the middle 0 degree layer, consistent with strain gauges. Sensitivity coefficient of FBG sensor embedded is almost the same as that not embedded. It offers important reference value on the application of FBG sensors in aerospace composites.
Wearable devices have emerged in the last years with new applications that provide user convenience. Healthcare, sports, safety are some examples of applications embedded in thousands of devices released in the last years. Wearable operating systems with different focus emerged together with wearable applications in order to make adjustments and optimizations of software and hardware. This paper presents a wearable operating systems discussion and shows the current challenges and wearable operating system influence. We developed a wearable appliance for geology. The wearable contains a Head Mounted Display (HMD) assembled with Google Cardboard API and sensors connected to developments boards. For each system component was used different operating systems according to hardware and software available. The results indicate some trends for wearable operating systems.
In this paper it is shown a new way to proceed in what concerns to the simulation of high speed railway systems, based on the 1x25 and 2x25 configurations. This approach, relies on highly efficient open source software such as OpenDSS to solve the electrical circuits resulting from the model of the above configurations. Moreover, Python is the open source programming language used as interface with OpenDSS, the processing of the input data and the presentation of results. The effectiveness of the tool is demonstrated with several test cases and a practical system using real traffic data.
The objective of the paper is to evaluate the potential of tank-based rainwater harvesting systems in free standing houses as the source control method to mitigate peak roof runoff due to rainfall in urban areas. To this aim, the water balance simulation of the rainwater tank was carried out using both high resolution rainfall series and toilet water demand data extracted from the database of results built in a previous field campaign involving six experimental households in southern Italy. Simulations show that significant potential for runoff peak reduction exists, basically depending on the rainwater tank size and on the characteristics of the water demand in the house.
The design of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blades involves several geometric complexities. As a result, the modeling of these blades by commercial computer-aided design (CAD) software is not easily accomplished. In the present paper, the HAWT blade is divided into structural and aerodynamic surfaces with a G1 continuity imposed on their connecting region. The widely used method of skinning is employed throughout the current work for surface approximation. In addition, to ensure the compatibility of section curves, a novel approach is developed based on the redistribution of input airfoil points. In order to evaluate deviation errors, the Hausdorff metric is used. The fairness of surfaces is quantitatively assessed using the standard strain energy method. The above-mentioned algorithms are successfully integrated into a MATLAB program so as to enhance further optimization applications. The final surfaces created by the procedure developed during the present study can be exported using the IGES standard file format and directly interpreted by commercial CAD and FE, software. (C) 2016 Society for Computational Design and Engineering. Publishing Servies by Elsevier.
This paper discusses factors that affect the longevity and durability of an induction motor. Various topics include overall construction of an induction machine and its major components, field and operating conditions, motor vibration, operating temperatures, installation practice and proper motor selection for special environment and application conditions. Sound machine design, proper selection of the motor to suit the application, proper field installation, and good maintenance are key factors essential for long term motor reliability and its performance.
BackgroundPatients frequently report antibiotic allergies; however, only 10% of labelled patients have a true allergy. AimWe investigated the documentation of antibiotic allergy' labels (AAL) and the effect of labelling on clinical outcomes, in a West Australian adult tertiary hospital. MethodsRetrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients captured in the 2013 and 2014 National Antimicrobial Prescribing Surveys was carried out. Data were collected on documented antibiotic adverse drug reactions, antibiotic cost, prescribing appropriateness, prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms, length of stay, intensive care admission and readmissions. ResultsOf the 687 patients surveyed, 278 (40%) were aged 70 or above, 365 (53%) were male and 279 (41%) were prescribed antibiotics. AAL were recorded in 122 (18%) patients and the majority were penicillin labels (n=87; 71%). Details of AAL were documented for 80 of 141 (57%) individual allergy labels, with 61 describing allergic symptoms. Patients with beta-lactam allergy labels received fewer penicillins (P=0.0002) and more aminoglycosides (P=0.043) and metronidazole (P=0.021) than patients without beta-lactam labels. Five patients received an antibiotic that was contraindicated according to their allergy status. Patients with AAL had significantly more hospital readmissions within 4 weeks (P=0.001) and 6 months (P=0.025) of discharge, compared with unlabelled patients. The majority (81%) of readmitted labelled patients had major infections. Conclusions AAL are common, but poorly documented in hospital records. Patients with AAL are significantly more likely to require alternative antibiotics and hospital readmissions. There may be a role for antibiotic allergy delabelling to mitigate the clinical and economic burdens for patients with invalid allergy labels.
Breast cancer is a common cancer among women. With the development of modern medical science and information technology, medical imaging techniques have an increasingly important role in the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. In this paper, we propose an automated computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) framework for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The scheme consists of an ensemble of several machine learning-based techniques, including ensemble under-sampling (EUS) for imbalanced data processing, the Relief algorithm for feature selection, the subspace method for providing data diversity, and Adaboost for improving the performance of base classifiers. We extracted morphological, various texture, and Gabor features. To clarify the feature subsets' physical meaning, subspaces are built by combining morphological features with each kind of texture or Gabor feature. We tested our proposal using a manually segmented Region of Interest (ROI) data set, which contains 438 images of malignant tumors and 1898 images of normal tissues or benign tumors. Our proposal achieves an area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of 0.9617, which outperforms most other state-of-the-art breast MRI CADx systems. Compared with other methods, our proposal significantly reduces the false-positive classification rate.
Smart environments (SmE) are richly integrated with multiple heterogeneous devices; they perform the operations in intelligent manner by considering the context and actions/behaviors of the users. Their major objective is to enable the environment to provide ease and comfort to the users. The reliance on these systems demands consistent behavior. The versatility of devices, user behavior and intricacy of communication complicate the modeling and verification of SmE's reliable behavior. Of the many available modeling and verification techniques, formal methods appear to be the most promising. Due to a large variety of implementation scenarios and support for conditional behavior/processing, the concept of SmE is applicable to diverse areas which calls for focused research. As a result, a number of modeling and verification techniques have been made available for designers. This paper explores and puts into perspective the modeling and verification techniques based on an extended literature survey. These techniques mainly focus on some specific aspects, with a few overlapping scenarios (such as user interaction, devices interaction and control, context awareness, etc.), which were of the interest to the researchers based on their specialized competencies. The techniques are categorized on the basis of various factors and formalisms considered for the modeling and verification and later analyzed. The results show that no surveyed technique maintains a holistic perspective; each technique is used for the modeling and verification of specific SmE aspects. The results further help the designers select appropriate modeling and verification techniques under given requirements and stress for more R&D effort into SmE modeling and verification research.
Stem cells have emerged as an important approach to repair and regenerate damaged tissues or organs and show great therapeutic potential in a variety of diseases. However, the low survival of engrafted stem cells still remains a major challenge for stem cell therapy. As a major hormone from the pineal gland, melatonin has been shown to play an important role in regulating the physiological and pathological functions of stem cells, such as promoting proliferation, migration and differentiation. Thus, melatonin combined with stem cell transplantation displayed promising application potential in neurodegenerative diseases, liver cirrhosis, wound healing, myocardial infarction, kidney ischemia injury, osteoporosis, etc. It exerts its physiological and pathological functions through its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptosis and anti-ageing properties. Here, we summarize recent advances on exploring the biological role of melatonin in stem cells, and discuss its potential applications in stem cell-based therapy. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As a next generation networking protocol, OpenFlow enhances network performance by separating the control plane from data plane. It can be implemented for quality of service: users desiring network resources or with higher priorities defined by the system are allocated with adequate resources. Besides the communication protocol, another two elements are required to complete the OpenFlowsystem: the switch, either physical or virtual, which supports OpenFlow, and the controller, which sends setting packets to control the switch flow table. With OpenFlow, users are not restricted to functions provided by the specific switch, since by a standard application programming interface (API) users can define wanted functions instead of predefined ones bundled in operating systems. This paper aims to create an OpenFlow switch monitoring system, which oversees traffic pass through switches under the controller, and provides a convenient webpage for network administrators to modify flow priorities and effectively manage the network.
We compared the hydrodynamics of replicate experimental mixed cell and replicate standard Burrows pond rearing systems at the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, ID, in an effort to identify methods for improved solids removal. We measured and compared the hydraulic residence time, particle removal efficiency, and measures of velocity using several tools. Computational fluid dynamics was used first to characterize hydraulics in the proposed retrofit that included removal of the traditional Burrows pond dividing wall and establishment of four counter rotating cells with appropriate drains and inlet water jets. Hydraulic residence time was subsequently established in the four full scale test tanks using measures of conductivity of a salt tracer introduced into the systems both with and without fish present. Vertical and horizontal velocities were also measured with acoustic Doppler velocimetry in transects across each of the rearing systems. Finally, we introduced ABS sinking beads that simulated fish solids then followed the kinetics of their removal via the drains to establish relative purge rates. The mixed cell raceway provided higher mean velocities and a more uniform velocity distribution than did the Burrows pond. Vectors revealed well-defined, counter-rotating cells in the mixed cell raceway, and were likely contributing factors in achieving a relatively high particle removal efficiency-88.6% versus 8.0% during the test period. We speculate retrofits of rearing ponds to mixed cell systems will improve both the rearing environments for the fish and solids removal, improving the efficiency and bio-security of fish culture. We recommend further testing in hatchery production trials to evaluate fish physiology and growth. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
Hyperphosphorylation of Tau forming neurofibrillary tangles has been considered as a crucial event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). MiR-124-3p belongs to microRNA (miRNA) family and was markedly decreased in AD, however, the functions of miR-124-3p in the pathogenesis of AD remain unknown. We observed that the expression of miR-124-3p was significantly decreased in N2a/APP695swe cells; and transfection of miR-124-3p mimics not only attenuated cell apoptosis and abnormal hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein without any changes of total Tau protein, but also increased expression levels of Caveolin-1, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phospho-Akt (Akt-Ser473)/Akt, phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3 beta-Ser9)/GSK-3 beta in N2a/APP695swe cells. We further found that miR-12-3p directly targeted Caveolin-1; miR-124-3p inhibited abnormal hyperphosphorylation of Tau by regulating Caveolin-1-PI3K/Akt/GSK3 beta pathway in AD. This study reveals that miR-124-3p may play a neuroprotective role in AD, which may provide new ideas and therapeutic targets for AD.
Access control model-based security plays very crucial role in security. Cloud computing is one of the emerging and challenging fields. In the implementation explained in this paper, issues related with cloud security are tried to resolve to some extent using access control model security. Encryption, also being part of access control-based model, also incorporated for better security. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model along with AES-RSA encryption algorithm is implemented to achieve efficient security. The main aim of this work is to design a framework which uses the cryptography concepts to store data in cloud storage and allowing access to that data using role perspective with the smallest amount of time and cost for encryption and decryption processes.
Purpose: People with high-functioning autism (HFA) have qualitative differences in facial expression and prosody production, which are rarely systematically quantified. The authors' goals were to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze prosody and facial expression productions in children and adolescents with HFA. Method: Participants were 22 male children and adolescents with HFA and 18 typically developing (TD) controls (17 males, 1 female). The authors used a story retelling task to elicit emotionally laden narratives, which were analyzed through the use of acoustic measures and perceptual codes. Naive listeners coded all productions for emotion type, degree of expressiveness, and awkwardness. Results: The group with HFA was not significantly different in accuracy or expressiveness of facial productions, but was significantly more awkward than the TD group. Participants with HFA were significantly more expressive in their vocal productions, with a trend for greater awkwardness. Severity of social communication impairment, as captured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS; Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 1999), was correlated with greater vocal and facial awkwardness. Conclusions: Facial and vocal expressions of participants with HFA were as recognizable as those of their TD peers but were qualitatively different, particularly when listeners coded samples with intact dynamic properties. These preliminary data show qualitative differences in nonverbal communication that may have significant negative impact on the social communication success of children and adolescents with HFA.
Management of unresectable urothelial cancer (UC) has been a clinical challenge for decades. While drug resistance is a key issue, precise understanding of biology of UC metastasis is another challenge for the improvement of treatment outcome of UC patients. Introduction of the cell biology concepts including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness seems to explain UC metastasis. Molecular genetics based on gene expression profiling, next generation sequencing, and explosion of non-coding RNA world has opened the door to intrinsic molecular subtyping of UC. Next steps include, based on the recently accumulated understanding, the establishment of novel disease models representing UC metastasis in various experimental platforms, particularly in vivo animal systems. Indeed, novel knowledge molecular genetics has not been fully linked to the modeling of UC metastasis. Further understanding of bladder carcinogenesis is needed particularly with regard to cell of origin related to tumor characteristics including driver gene alterations, pathological differentiations, and metastatic ability. Then we will be able to establish better disease models, which will consequently lead us to further understanding of biology and eventually the development of novel therapeutic strategies for UC metastasis. (C) 2016 Editorial Office of Asian Journal of Urology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
This paper provides a systematic study of the location choice of new polluting firms driven by the 11th Five-Year Plan's water pollution reduction mandates in China. We explore a unique dataset of environmental statistics, which contains 31380 polluting manufacturing firms newly established in the period 2006-2010. Our conditional logit model provides strong evidence for the changes of new polluting firms' location choice from the coastal provinces, which have strict environmental mandates, to the western provinces, which have lax environmental mandates, and demonstrates the distinct location patterns of heterogeneous polluting firms. While foreign polluting firms were generally driven by the mandates, domestic polluting firms were more resistant and were driven to the western provinces only after 2007. As a result, the potential pollution transfer would threaten the more fragile water environments and public health in western provinces. We thus posit a perverse incentive of current environmental policy and recommend integrated water management as well as close coordination of local governments to improve the efficacy of environmental regulation in China. Journal of Comparative Economics 45 (2017) 119-138. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P R China; School of Government, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China; School of Business, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P R China; Hopkins Nanjing Center, Nanjing 210023, P R China. (C) 2016 Association for Comparative Economic Studies. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The X chromosome has played a critical role in the development of sexually selected characteristics for over 300 million years, and during that time it has accumulated a disproportionate number of genes concerned with mental functions. There are relatively specific effects of X-linked genes on social cognition, language, emotional regulation, visuospatial, and numerical skills. Many human X-linked genes outside the X-Y pairing pseudoautosomal regions escape X-inactivation. Dosage differences in the expression of such genes (which constitute at least 15% of the total) are likely to play an important role in male-female neural differentiation, and in cognitive deficits and behavioral characteristics, particularly in the realm of social communication, that are associated with sex chromosome aneuploidies. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Working all-day and all-weather, the passive millimeter wave radiometer is widely used in remote sensing, guidance and other fields. In order to solve the increasingly serious problem of water pollution, especially the pollution caused by the rapidly breed of the aquatic plants, a simple and effective method to monitor the water environment is proposed. Aquatic plants can be distinguished through millimeter wave system, as they have high bright temperature compared to Water. The 8mm radiometer is used to measure the radiation characteristics of aquatic plants and image. The simulation results and radiation imaging experiments prove the feasibility and effectively of monitoring aquatic plants by millimeter wave radiometer. This study will contribute to monitoring the aquatic plants growth and decreasing the pollution.
Although geotextile mats have considerable potential for soil conservation, field studies on their impacts on soil particle size distribution and nutrient conservation are scant. Hence, field experiments were conducted at Hilton, east Shropshire, U.K. (52 degrees 33'5.7 '' N, 2 degrees 19'18.3 '' W) during 2007-2009, to study the impacts of palm-mat geotextiles on topsoil (0-5 cm) particle size distribution and changes in selected nutrients (total P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Cl). Geotextile-mats constructed from Borassus aethiopum (Borassus palm of West Africa) and Mauritia flexuosa (Buriti palm of South America) leaves are termed Borassus mats and Buriti mats, respectively. Ten runoff plots (10 x 1 m on a 15 degrees slope) were established, with duplicate treatments. The treatments were: (i) bare soil; (ii) permanent grass; (iii) bare soil with 1 m Borassus-mat buffer zones (area coverage similar to 10%) at the lower end of the plots; (iv) bare soil with 1 m Buriti-mat buffer zones (area coverage similar to 10%) at the lower end of the plots; and (v) completely-covered with Borassus mats. Initial and final topsoil samples were collected and analysed for sand (fine, medium and coarse), silt (fine, medium and coarse), clay and selected nutrients. Results revealed that soil silt and clay contents significantly (P<0.05) decreased in the Borassus completely-covered plots with a concomitant increase in proportion of sand content after similar to 2 years. Both Borassus and Buriti buffer strip plots also had lower soil clay contents, indicating that palm-mat geotextile cover significantly affected particle size distribution, even after only 2 years. Buriti mat-cover within the buffer strip plots resulted in notably higher decrease in mean (n = 2) clay content, with a concomitant increase in mean (n = 2) sand contents compared with mean (n = 18) clay and sand contents of bare soils within the same plots. Data indicate that total P and total K contents with Borassus completely-covered plots significantly (P<0.01) increased and total Ca content decreased after similar to 2 years. However, except grassed plots, all plots had significant (P<0.05) increases in total P concentrations. Borassus buffer strip plots also had significant (P<0.05) decreases in total Ca contents over the initial contents. The increases in total P and K contents within Borassus complete-cover plots were significantly (P<0.05) higher than both grassed and Buriti buffer strip plots. Borassus buffer strip plots significantly (P0.05) effects on changes in other selected nutrients (total Mg, S, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Cl) concentrations. In summary, it is evident that despite significant (P<0.05) decreases in soil clay and total Ca contents, use of Borassus mats as buffer strips was very successful in conserving or improving other selected soil properties. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
With rapid socioeconomic development, water pollution emergency has become increasingly common and could potentially harm the environment and human health, especially heavy metal pollution. In this paper, we investigate the Cd pollution emergency that occurred in the Pearl River network, China, in 2005, and we build a migration and transformation model for heavy metals to simulate the spatiotemporal distribution of Cd concentrations under various scenarios of Cd pollution emergency in Foshan City. Moreover, human health hazard and carcinogenic risk for local residents of Foshan City were evaluated. The primary conclusions were as follows: (1) the number of carcinogen-affected people per year under scenario 1 reached 254.41 when the frequency was 0.1 year/time; specifically, the number of people with cancer per year in the area of the Datang, Lubao, and Nanbian waterworks was 189.36 accounting for 74% of the total number per year; (2) at the frequency of 5 years/time, the Lubao waterwork is the only one in extremely high- or high-risk grade, while besides it, the risk grade in the Datang, Nanbian, Xinan, Shitang, and Jianlibao waterworks is in the extremely high or high grade when the frequency is 0.1 year/time; (3) when Cd pollution accidents with the same level occurs again, Cd concentration decreases to a low level in the water only if the migration distance of Cd is at least 40-50 km. Based on the health risk assessment of Cd pollution, this study gives the recommendation that the distance should keep above 50 km in tidal river network of the Pearl River Delta between those factories existing the possibility of heavy metal pollution and the drinking water source. Only then can the public protect themselves from hazardous effects of higher levels of heavy metal.
The goal of ubiquitous computing is to create ambience in which one's experiences and quality of life are improved by monitoring and assisting people using ubiquitous technologies and computation in coherence. The continuous advancements of involved technologies, such as wireless communications, mobile devices, and sensors, imply fast evolution of ubiquitous computing environments too. The complexity of these environments is reaching a point where traditional solutions simply no longer work. The environments are in need of computational techniques that can deal with the evolution and uncertainty of ubiquitous computing environments dynamically and automatically. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can contribute towards satisfying this future scenario in many ways, while numerous approaches inspired by work in the AI planning community have already been designed for ubiquitous computing. We devote this study to investigate the current progress of AI planning for ubiquitous computing by analysing those approaches. We rigorously search for and select relevant literature out of which we extract qualitative information. Using the extracted qualities, we derive a generic framework that consists of aspects important to planning for ubiquitous computing. The framework's main purpose is to facilitate the understanding of those aspects, and classify the literature according to them. We then analyse the literature in a consolidated way, and identify future challenges of planning for ubiquitous computing.
In the last decade, the number of available cores increased and heterogeneity grew. In this work, we ask the question whether the design of the current operating systems (OSes) is still appropriate if these trends continue and lead to abundantly available but heterogeneous cores, or whether it forces a fundamental rethinking of how systems are designed. We argue that: 1. hiding heterogeneity behind a common hardware interface unifies, to a large extent, the control and coordination of cores and accelerators in the OS, 2. isolating at the network-on-chip rather than with processor features (like privileged mode, memory management unit, ...), allows running untrusted code on arbitrary cores, and 3. providing OS services via protocols over the network-on-chip, instead of via system calls, makes them accessible to arbitrary types of cores as well. In summary, this turns accelerators into first-class citizens and enables a single and convenient programming environment for all cores without the need to trust any application. In this paper, we introduce network-on-chip-level isolation, present the design of our microkernel-based OS, M-3, and the common hardware interface, and evaluate the performance of our prototype in comparison to Linux. A bit surprising, without using accelerators, M-3 outperforms Linux in some application-level benchmarks by more than a factor of five.
The growing demand for electric vehicles entails an increased consumption of critical energetic and non-energetic abiotic resources, necessary for an optimal performance of the vehicle. The depletion of these resources and the future availability to meet their demand appears to be a potential limitation for the expansion of the electrified vehicle industry. The goal of this study is to perform a detailed life cycle analysis, including manufacturing, use and disposal, of key components of EV powertrains, identifying materials and processes responsible for abiotic depletion impact. This study also investigates the sensitivity of the results to the choice of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) impact methods. For this, a LCA is performed on an integrated electric drive, by considering seven impact methods. Results show that energetic resources consumption generate the largest impact, followed by metals and lastly by mineral resources. The consumption of electricity in each life cycle is a crucial factor in the generation of total impact. There are agreements among methods on the materials and processes contributing the most to depletion, given the differences in approach used by each impact method. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Elderly people constitute a major portion of world's population. Many of them are physically and mentally vulnerable and need continuous support for their health and well-being. There is a growing trend that these elderly people are placed in an ambient assisted living environment (AAL) with an aim to receive better care and support. In such settings, a lot of attention has been given to continuous health monitoring for maintaining physical health status. However, much less attention has been given toward understanding the entertainment needs of the elderly people, which is an important factor relevant to their mental health and joyful living. This paper thus addresses the entertainment needs of the elderly and proposes a framework of an elderly entertainment support system. The proposed framework enables different categories of residents (e.g., elderly people and caregivers) to access various media services in both implicit and explicit manner in order to enhance the quality of their living experience in different contexts. Our experimental results demonstrate the viability of the proposed framework. We believe that the proposed approach will establish the need to develop entertainment systems and services for the elderly people and allow us to sensibly address the problems associated with their independent, happy and active living.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to improve the manufacturing of a prosthetic acetabular shell by analyzing the main factors leading to failure during the selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM) process. Design/methodology/approach - Different computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing processes have been applied to fabricate acetabular parts. Then, various investigations into surface quality, mechanical properties and microstructure have been carried out to scrutinize the possible limitations in fabrication. Findings - Geometrical measurements showed 1.59 and 0.27 per cent differences between the designed and manufactured prototypes for inside and outside diameter, respectively. However, resulting studies showed that unstable surfaces, cracks, an interruption in powder delivery and low surface quality were the main problems that occurred during this process. These results indicate that SLM is an accurate and promising method for production of intricate shapes, provided that the appropriate settings of production conditions are considered to minimize possible limitations. Originality/value - The contributions of this paper are discussions covering different issues in the AM fabrication of acetabular shells to improve the mechanical properties, quality and durability of the produced parts.
As the most fascinating, complex, and dynamic part of our organism, the human brain is shaped by many interacting factors that not only are of neurobiological (including sex hormones) and environmental origin but are also sociocultural in their very nature (such as social roles). Gender is one of these factors. Most neurological, neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and psychosomatic disorders are characterized by impairments in visual social cognition (primarily body language reading and face perception) and a skewed sex ratio: females and males are affected differently in terms of clinical picture, prevalence, and severity. Is the social brain sex specific? This is still an open question. For a long time and for many reasons, sex differences have been overlooked or entirely ignored in neuroscience and biomedical research: there is a paucity of neuroimaging work examining sex differences in the social brain. However, the pattern of experimental behavioral data in both healthy, typically developing individuals and patients with deficient social cognition is beyond simple interpretation: contrary to popular wisdom, females are not always more proficient in understanding social signals, and their social abilities may be particularly affected by disease. Clarification of how neurobiological sex and sociocultural gender affect the social brain would provide novel insights into understanding gender-specific vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders. This interaction is far beyond simplicity. Although sex differences represent a rather delicate topic, underestimation or exaggeration of possible effects retards progress in the field. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Introducing this special issue of Safundi Sequins, Self & Struggle, Catherine M. Cole situates this project, which is focused on two Cape Town beauty pageants, by illuminating how catwalks can become platforms for the doing of rights in contemporary South Africa. Both pageants serve as sanctuaries where participants claim their fabulousness, despite the circumstances of constraint, prejudice, inequality, and even danger in which they perform.
Autofocusing and feature detection are two essential processes for performing automated biological cell manipulation tasks. In this paper, we have introduced a technique capable of focusing on a holding pipette and a mammalian cell under a bright-field microscope automatically, and a technique that can detect and track the presence and orientation of the polar body of an oocyte that is rotated at the tip of a micropipette. Both algorithms were evaluated by using mouse oocytes. Experimental results show that both algorithms achieve very high success rates: 100% and 96%. As robust and accurate image processing methods, they can be widely applied to perform various automated biological cell manipulations.
Dysregulated proteostasis is a key feature of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), progression of symptoms closely correlates with spatiotemporal progression of Tau aggregation, with early oligomeric Tau forms rather than mature neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) considered to be pathogenetic culprits. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) controls degradation of soluble normal and abnormally folded cytosolic proteins. The UPS is affected in AD and is identified by genomewide association study (GWAS) as a risk pathway for AD. The UPS is determined by balanced regulation of ubiquitination and deubiquitination. In this work, we performed isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based Tau interactome mapping to gain unbiased insight into Tau pathophysiology and to identify novel Tau-directed therapeutic targets. Focusing on Tau deubiquitination, we here identify Otub1 as a Tau-deubiquitinating enzyme. Otub1 directly affected Lys48-linked Tau deubiquitination, impairing Tau degradation, dependent on its catalytically active cysteine, but independent of its noncanonical pathway modulated by its N-terminal domain in primary neurons. Otub1 strongly increased AT8-positive Tau and oligomeric Tau forms and increased Tau-seeded Tau aggregation in primary neurons. Finally, we demonstrated that expression of Otub1 but not its catalytically inactive form induced pathological Tau forms after 2 months in Tau transgenic mice in vivo, including AT8-positive Tau and oligomeric Tau forms. Taken together, we here identified Otub1 as a Tau deubiquitinase in vitro and in vivo, involved in formation of pathological Tau forms, including small soluble oligomeric forms. Otub1 and particularly Otub1 inhibitors, currently under development for cancer therapies, may therefore yield interesting novel therapeutic avenues for Tauopathies and AD.
A new secure key distribution scheme based on the dynamic chaos synchronization of two cascaded semiconductor laser systems (CSLSs) subject to common chaotic injection and random phase-modulated optical feedback is demonstrated. In this scheme, Alice and Bob adopt two independent random sequences to control the phase modulators of CSLSs, which induces a dynamic perturbation to the chaos synchronization. We thoroughly investigate the chaos synchronization performance under different phase-shift conditions with cross-correlation function, and systematically discuss the feasibility and security of the system. The results show that, with proper injection and feedback strength, the correlation coefficient gap between phase shift match and mismatch is clear and robust to the parameter mismatches in the CSLSs and those between the two CSLSs. Based on this, high-quality key distribution can be performed by picking out the identical random bits from the two independent random sequences according to the computational correlation. Moreover, the investigations on the information theoretic security and rate of the key distribution show that the security of the key distribution scheme can be further enhanced by properly increasing the number of layers in the CSLSs or employing highorder modulation format.
The inherent broadcast characteristics of wireless medium make wireless data transmission difficult to be shielded from unintended recipients. As such, secure communication over wireless channels becomes a critical issue in the design of wireless networks. In this study, the authors study cooperative jamming and power optimisation in untrusted relay networks to improve physical layer security. By exploiting the direct link, a source-based jamming (SBJ) scheme is proposed to hinder the untrusted relay from intercepting the confidential message. Considering the total power budget, a power allocation strategy is also proposed to optimally determine the power of source and untrusted relay as well as the power of information and jamming signals. Furthermore, to evaluate the secrecy performance of the proposed SBJ scheme with the power allocation strategy, tight lower bound of ergodic secrecy capacity and asymptotic secrecy outage probability are derived in closed form. Simulation verifies the advantages of the proposed SBJ scheme and the power allocation strategy.
Purpose: Increased Body-Mass-Index (BMI) has been associated with brain atrophy in both gray and white matter structures. However, little is known concerning the integrity of white matter tracts in obesity. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the pattern of changes in white matter microstructure in human adiposity. Material and methods: The study included 268 participants (52 obese, 96 overweight and 120 normal-weight) that were retrospectively evaluated by Diffusion Tensor Imaging. The fractional anisotropy, axial, radial and mean diffusivity values were compared between the above groups using Tract Based Spatial Statistics. Results: The analysis revealed that the increased BMI was related with decreased fractional anisotropy in several white matter regions including the anterior and posterior thalamic radiation, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculus, the corpus callosum (callosal body and forceps minor), the uncinate fasciculus, the internal capsule, the corticospinal tract and the cingulum (cingulate gyrus and hippocampus). Conclusions: Anisotropic diffusion of anatomic regions governing important brain circuits such as reward seeking inhibition, motivation/drive and learning/conditioning decreases with increasing BMI. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Icam (Institut Catholique d'Arts et Metiers) [1] was founded in 1898 in Lille. Today eight campuses offer engineering training in France and abroad: Lille, Nantes, Toulouse, La Roche-sur-Yon, Vannes, Pointe Noire / Douala (Central Africa) and Loyola Icam College of Engineering and Technology, in Chennai city, (capital of Tamil Nadu state, South India). Icam remains true to its Jesuit legacy, and strives to educate each student to become a person able to take responsibilities in the real world. With over 3000 students, Icam is a well-known engineering grande-ecole in France. Icam's pedagogy consists of a blend of theory and practice, and is based on an important collaboration with industry. After three years of basic courses in every engineering fields (Mechanical Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Materials Engineering, Design and Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Sciences), the fourth year allows students to choose courses in the following areas : agrifood, construction and public works, transportation, energy, information and communication technologies. All these courses are taught by industry professionals, giving the students an accurate vision of their future jobs. The fifth year of training focuses on a one-semester internship (as an engineer), and a one-semester project, based on Research and Development activities, realised in collaboration with industry (over 1000 projects during the past five years); R&D projects are carried out by teams of 2 students working full time for one semester, and supervised by an Icam research fellow/lecturer (30 ECTS credits). All R&D projects are performed subcontracted by companies (from small and medium businesses to large companies), helping students to have a better understanding of industrial organisation and applications. This also helps each department to develop strong links with local industry. These collaborations school -industry offer several advantages from an educational point of view: student motivation, project management suited to customer expectations (deadlines, methodology), financial issues taken into account, hands-on approach (development of new materials, product and process design, process improvements, quality procedures.), etc. Projects examples: - LE RELAIS: development, characterisation, optimisation, and industrialisation of a new insulation material based on recycled textiles. -STAUB: support for environmental compliance of a foundry. -TOLES PERFOREES DE LA SAMBRE: development of an evanescent oil cleaning system based on luminous flux for perforated steel sheets. -RAILTECH: process modeling of rails aluminothermic welding.
Objective: The aims of this study are to clarify the state of information regarding opioids for families and what kinds of experiences they had with opioids while the patient was followed as an outpatient and inpatient. Participants: This study was part of a cross-sectional nationwide survey of bereaved families of patients with cancer, namely, the Japan Hospice and Palliative Care Evaluation 2 study. The participants in this study comprised 572 bereaved families who had experienced the death of a family member during the period from January 2008 to December 2009 at 1 of 103 certificated palliative care units. Main Outcome Measures: In response to the question of how much improvement was needed for information regarding opioids, 41% answered improvement is not necessary at all, 43% answered improvement is slightly necessary, 14% answered improvement is necessary, and 2% answered improvement is extremely necessary. Regarding anxiety about the use of opioid, it was found that 14% of respondents indicated opioids are very safe, 65% of respondents indicated opioids are relatively safe, 19% of respondents indicated opioids are not so safe, and 2% of respondents indicated opioids are not so safe at all. from the information obtained for opioids. It was found that 90% of families agreed with the item, I would like to be clearly explained that drugs for medical purposes are safe and that the patient will not develop a drug addiction and their life expectancy will not be reduced. Conclusion: From this study, it is important for families of patients with cancer to be explained profound and careful information of opioid.
Brassicaceae are widely consumed in many parts of the world and their dietary intake has been associated with cancer risk reduction. Extracts and metabolites derived from cruciferous vegetables have thus gained popularity as potential cancer chemopreventive agents. We have previously found, unexpectly, that glucoraphanin, the most extensively present glucosinolate in these vegetables, is a potent mutagen bioactivating Phase-I enzyme inducer. In the present study, the influence of black cabbage seed extract, rich in glucoraphanin, was investigated on Phase-I enzymes in different organs of male or female rats. Oral seed extract injection at 120 or 240 mg/kg b.w. for one or four consecutive days, significantly affected various cytochrome P450 (CYP) -linked monooxygenases in a complex way being the lung the most responsive organ (in males, up to similar to 2600% increase for CYP2B1/2 isoform and similar to 96% loss for CYP1A1, CYP3A1/2). These findings indicate that the extract may strongly enhance and/or suppress rat xenobiotic biotransformation pathways and that caution should be paid to the possible influence on human metabolism. These data suggest an overall evaluation of the balance between beneficial vs. possible adverse effects for each agent, even if of natural origin, prior to routinely, preventive mass use. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has the potential to reduce water-related costs by providing an alternate source of water, in addition to relieving pressure on public water sources and reducing stormwater runoff. Existing methods for determining the optimal size of the cistern component of a RWH system have various drawbacks, such as specificity to a particular region, dependence on numerical optimization, and/or failure to consider the costs of the system. In this paper a formulation is developed for the optimal cistern volume which incorporates the fixed and distributed costs of a RWH system while also taking into account the random nature of the depth and timing of rainfall, with a focus on RWH to supply domestic, nonpotable uses. With rainfall inputs modeled as a marked Poisson process, and by comparing the costs associated with building a cistern with the costs of externally supplied water, an expression for the optimal cistern volume is found which minimizes the water-related costs. The volume is a function of the roof area, water use rate, climate parameters, and costs of the cistern and of the external water source. This analytically tractable expression makes clear the dependence of the optimal volume on the input parameters. An analysis of the rainfall partitioning also characterizes the efficiency of a particular RWH system configuration and its potential for runoff reduction. The results are compared to the RWH system at the Duke Smart Home in Durham, NC, USA to show how the method could be used in practice. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Discrepancies among independent sources of information about presumably identical constructs argue against reliance on a single perspective. To fill the need for temperament questionnaires for teacher and parent informants, we adapted the popular parent/caregiver Child Behavior Questionnaire-Short Form for preschool and kindergarten teachers. Informant correspondences were low as expected, but patterns were consistent with hypotheses drawn from person perception models. Internal consistencies of the teacher scales were adequate, comparing favorably with those of parent-rated scales. Anticipated relations of temperament scales emerged with social competence and tasks of executive attention for both parent and teacher informants. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted separately for parent and teacher scales supported the familiar three-factor model when allowances were made for cross-loadings and correlated errors. A multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with parent and teacher data indicated that the factor structures of the two questionnaires are similar but not equivalent.
Empathy involves being able to understand and respond to others' emotional experiences. Whilst deficits in empathy have been observed in frontotemporal dementia, the extent to which empathy is disrupted in dementia syndromes with predominant language impairment remains unclear. The current study investigated cognitive and affective empathy in the two non-fluent primary progressive aphasia syndromes: progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) and logopenic progressive aphasia (LPA). Informants of 23 PNFA and 16 LPA patients completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), regarding patients' capacity for empathy preand post-disease onset. Twenty-four healthy control participants completed the self-rated IRI for comparison of post-disease empathy capabilities. Within-group analyses revealed reduced cognitive empathy and increased personal distress in both patient groups. In addition, lowered affective empathy was reported in PNFA, with a similar trend observed in LPA. Interestingly, reduced affective empathy was associated with greater carer burden in LPA. Between-group analyses revealed reduced cognitive empathy in both patient groups relative to controls. The current study is the first to document empathy changes in PNFA and LPA, offering insight into the social cognitive deficits experienced in these syndromes. Future neuroimaging studies are needed to identify the underlying neural correlates and mechanisms driving empathy deficits in PNFA and LPA.
With the increasing installed capacity of wind power and the interdependencies among multiple energy sectors, optimal operation of integrated energy systems (IES) with combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) is becoming more important. This paper proposes an optimal dispatch strategy for IES with CCHP and wind power. Natural gas system is modeled and its security constraints are integrated into the optimal dispatch model. The gas shift factor (GSF(gas)) matrix for natural gas system is derived to quantify the impact of gas supply and load at each node on the gas flow through the pipelines so that the pipeline flow equation is linearized. The objective function of the optimization model is to minimize the total operation cost of IES. Then the model is transformed into mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation to improve the computation efficiency. Numerical case studies conducted demonstrate the lower operation cost of the proposed model facilitating wind power integration. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the analysis, design, and hardware implementation of a digital polynomial Regulation, Steady-State Error and Tracking (RST) current controller-based third-harmonic modulated boost-type power factor correction (PFC) rectifier. The proposed rectifier is used at the front end of a vector controlled induction motor drive (VCIMD) to eliminate harmonics at the input AC supply. The proposed PFC rectifier modifies the input current to a sinusoid with unity power factor apart from offering DC bus voltage regulation. In this paper, a digital proportional-integral (PI) and RST current controllers are compared in terms of total harmonic distortion (THD) and power factor (PF) at the point of common coupling for different loading conditions. The RST current controller tracks the set-point accurately with zero steady-state error and offers good disturbance rejection that enables further reduction of supply current THD as compared to a conventional PI current controller. The control algorithm for the PFC front end rectifier along with vector control technique is implemented using a digital signal processor, and the dynamic performance is analyzed for step changes in reference speed and load torques, demonstrating significant improvement in the performance indices.
Social cognitive skills are indispensable for successful communication with others. Substantial research has determined deficits in these abilities in patients with mental disorders. In neurobiological development and continuing into adulthood, cross-cultural differences in social cognition have been demonstrated. Moreover, symptomatic patterns in mental disorders may vary according to the cultural background of an individual. Cross-cultural studies can thus help in understanding underlying (biological) mechanisms and factors that influence behavior in health and disease. In addition, studies that apply novel paradigms assessing the impact of culture on cognition may benefit and advance neuroscience research. In this review, the authors give an overview of cross-cultural research in the field of social cognition in health and in mental disorders and provide an outlook on future research directions, taking a neuroscience perspective.
Herein a techno-economic assessment was performed on an energy-crop-based biogas plant coupled with a greenhouse for utilizing thermal energy produced by cogeneration. Seven energy crops were evaluated: triticale, maize, alfalfa, sunflower, clover, barley and wheat. According to the evaluation, triticale was the most competitive energy crop under selected climate conditions for northern Greece. Although maize displays higher biomass yield and biogas potential than the drought-resistant crop triticale, it has high irrigation demand that contributes significantly to total production costs. For a triticale-based biogas production to become economically feasible, agricultural arable area larger than 500 ha, or biogas plant size larger than 1000 kW(el), is required. However, with public funding, biogas production becomes feasible at smaller area (>250 ha) or biogas plant size (>500 kW(el)). The inclusion of a greenhouse into the design of the biogas plant contributes positively to the economic viability of the entire system. Under this scenario, greenhouse financial income accounts for about 17-18% of total income. Results of a sensitivity analysis suggest that the selection of an appropriate energy crop for biogas production should be based principally on both digestibility (specific methane yield) and biomass yield per hectare, these factors being more critical than biomass production costs.
Although the introduction of commercial RGB-D sensors has enabled significant progress in the visual navigation methods for mobile robots, the structured-light-based sensors, like Microsoft Kinect and Asus Xtion Pro Live, have some important limitations with respect to their range, field of view, and depth measurements accuracy. The recent introduction of the second- generation Kinect, which is based on the time-of-flight measurement principle, brought to the robotics and computer vision researchers a sensor that overcomes some of these limitations. However, as the new Kinect is, just like the older one, intended for computer games and human motion capture rather than for navigation, it is unclear how much the navigation methods, such as visual odometry and SLAM, can benefit from the improved parameters. While there are many publicly available RGB-D data sets, only few of them provide ground truth information necessary for evaluating navigation methods, and to the best of our knowledge, none of them contains sequences registered with the new version of Kinect. Therefore, this paper describes a new RGB-D data set, which is a first attempt to systematically evaluate the indoor navigation algorithms on data from two different sensors in the same environment and along the same trajectories. This data set contains synchronized RGB-D frames from both sensors and the appropriate ground truth from an external motion capture system based on distributed cameras. We describe in details the data registration procedure and then evaluate our RGB-D visual odometry algorithm on the obtained sequences, investigating how the specific properties and limitations of both sensors influence the performance of this navigation method.
Irrigation is a service provided to agricultural crops in order to improve their yields. This is also a rare situation where the location of the costumers (roots) is not known and the heterogeneity in the water delivery system (soil) effects the water distribution. This non-uniformity of soil-plant conditions in the agricultural field complicates decision-making parameters regarding irrigation management (where to place sensors, how many sensors are needed, when and how much to irrigate). Many aspects of this non-uniformity have been studied in the past decades, including soil hydraulic properties, tillage history, irrigation method, sensor location, measured volume, and more. One aspect that has been relatively neglected is how plant roots affect variability. In this work, we focus on the effect that growing roots have on the variability of tensiometer measurements. Corn seeds were sown in a pre-designed experimental plot that consisted of three very distinct soils (sand, sandy loam, clay) to create high variation in investigated conditions. Subsurface drip irrigation was installed in the plot, and the drippers of the center line were wrapped with geotextile to create a geotextile-drip interface (GDI), i.e., a volume which has preferred conditions for root growth. Tensiometers were installed in the GDI (GDI treatment) and 10 cm away from the drip lines (S10 treatment); the matric head was monitored throughout the season. The weekly averaged coefficient of variation (CV) of the GDI treatment decreased as the corn plants grew, for each soil type and the entire plot. As time passed and the corn plants grew, CV peaks, due to irrigation, and the duration of high CV decreased because of the increasing influence of root water uptake on fluxes in the measured volume. After harvest, the CV returned to initial values. S10 tensiometers showed higher CV values than the GDI tensiometers during the last week of growth. After harvest, the CV of the S10 tensiometer measurements decreased, contrary to the trend in the GDI tensiometers. The results point to the major influence of roots on matric head variability, first, by decreasing variability with time and second, through the effect of tensiometer location since the GDI tensiometers were located in volumes with high root density. This influence has major consequences regarding the methodology of tensiometer measurements to represent an agricultural field, and might provide means for global guidelines for tensiometer placement and irrigation management. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In view of the current shortage of electric forklift hydraulic elevating mechanism, a new type of hybrid forklift elevating mechanism was proposed. The design calculation was executed according to the maximum load, elevating height, elevating speed and other related design parameters. At the same time, the solid model of elevating mechanism was modeled by CATIA software, which can provide theoretical basis for complete machine design of hybrid forklift.
Yeasts from water sources have been associated with diseases ranging from superficial mucosal infections to life threatening diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the water quality as well as diversity and antifungal susceptibility of yeasts from two rivers. Yeast levels and physicochemical parameter data were analyzed by principal component analysis to determine correlations between physico-chemical data and yeast levels. Yeast morphotypes were identified by biochemical tests and 26S rRNA gene sequencing. Disk diffusion antifungal susceptibility tests were conducted. Physico-chemical parameters of the water were within target water quality range (TWQR) for livestock farming. For irrigational use, total dissolved solids and nitrates were not within the TWQR. Yeast levels ranged between 27 +/- 10 and 2,573 +/- 306 cfu/L. Only non-pigmented, ascomycetous yeasts were isolated. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida glabrata were most frequently isolated. Several other opportunistic pathogens were also isolated. A large number of isolates were resistant to azoles, especially fluconazole, but also to other antifungal classes. Candida species were resistant to almost all the antifungal classes. These water sources are used for recreation and religious as well as for watering livestock and irrigation. Of particular concern is the direct contact of individuals with opportunistic yeast, especially the immune-compromised. Resistance of these yeast species to antifungal agents is a further health concern.
Uncertainty in forest information typically results in economic and ecological losses as a consequence of suboptimal management decisions. Several techniques have been proposed to handle such uncertainties. However, these techniques are often complex and costly. Data assimilation (DA) has recently been advocated as a tool that may reduce the uncertainty, thereby improving the quality of forest planning results. It offers an opportunity to make use of all new sources of information in a systematic way and thus provides more accurate and up-to-date information to forest planning. In this study, we refer to literature on handling uncertainties in forest planning, as well as related literature from other scientific fields, to assess the potential benefits of using DA in forest planning. We identify five major potential benefits: (i) the accuracy of the information will be improved; (ii) the information will be kept up to date; (iii) the DA process will provide information with estimated accuracy; (iv) stochastic decision making can be applied whereby the accuracy of the information can be utilized in the decision making process; and (v) DA data allows for the analysis of optimal data acquisition decisions.
Roof tanks are common in low and middle income countries, due to the intermittent water supply. Their hydraulic and water mixing behaviour has not been studied. This paper presents the results of a study on mixing and water demand in roof tanks, based on physical and numerical models. Tracer tests were carried out on a real scale transparent wall laboratory model of a roof tank, and a three-parameter residence time distribution model was applied, showing that the model that best describes mixing in roof water tanks is the one with a completely stirred flow reactor with a small portion of bypassing. This result was confirmed by computational fluid dynamic simulations and visual observation. The instantaneous water flow derived from activating typical home water-using fixtures was measured at the pipe feeding the tank, the pipe exiting the tank, and without a roof tank. Stochastic water demand patterns were generated with the measured data and used in the numerical model of a small distribution network. Based on this model it was found that water demand and pipe flow behave differently in continuous and intermittent water supply networks. The instantaneous flow rate withdrawn from the water distribution network pipes is lower in systems with roof tanks.
We quantitatively image the doping concentration and the capacitance of a high-voltage lateral metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor device with a channel length of 0.5 mu m at 20-GHz frequency using scanning microwave microscopy (SMM). The transistor is embedded in a deep n-well forming a flat pn-junction with the p-substrate, with the shape of the pn-junction resolved in the SMM images. Calibrated dC/dV imaging of the device revealed doping concentration values in the range of 10(15)-10(19) atoms/cm(3), including the p-body, n-drift region, n-source-diffusion, as well as all the pn-junctions and the silicon/oxide interfaces at a minimum feature size of 350 nm and SMM electrical resolution of 60 nm. SMM doping concentrations have been compared with technology computer-aided design simulations, resulting in a quantitative agreement between model and experiment. dC/dV images have been acquired at different tip dc bias voltages, allowing to determine the p and n dopant polarity. From the reflection scattering S-11 signal calibrated capacitance measurements have been obtained from the various transistor regions in the range of 300 aF to 1 fF. The results suggest that both dC/dV dopant profiling and capacitance measurements can be used for quantitative nanoscale semiconductor device imaging.
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in identifying another person by face and voice. This might contribute considerably to the development of social cognition and interaction difficulties. The characteristics of the voice recognition deficit in ASD are unknown. Here, we used a comprehensive behavioral test battery to systematically investigate voice processing in high-functioning ASD (n=16) and typically developed pair-wise matched controls (n=16). The ASD group had particular difficulties with discriminating, learning, and recognizing unfamiliar voices, while recognizing famous voices was relatively intact. Tests on acoustic processing abilities showed that the ASD group had a specific deficit in vocal pitch perception that was dissociable from otherwise intact acoustic processing (i.e., musical pitch, musical, and vocal timbre perception). Our results allow a characterization of the voice recognition deficit in ASD: The findings indicate that in high-functioning ASD, the difficulty to recognize voices is particularly pronounced for learning novel voices and the recognition of unfamiliar peoples' voices. This pattern might be indicative of difficulties with integrating the acoustic characteristics of the voice into a coherent percepta function that has been previously associated with voice-selective regions in the posterior superior temporal sulcus/gyrus of the human brain. Autism Res2017, 10: 155-168. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The basal lamina or basement membrane (BM) is a key physiological system that participates in physicochemical signaling between tissue types.. Its formation and function are essential in tissue maintenance, growth, angiogenesis, disease progression, and; immunology. In vitro models Of the BM (e.g., Boyden and transwell chambers) are common in cell biology and lab-on-a-chip devices where cells require apical and basolateral polarization. Extravasation, intravasation, membrane transport of chemokines, cytokines, chemotaxis of cells, and other key functions are routinely studied in these models. The goal of the present study was to integrate a semipermeable ultrathin polymer membrane with precisely positioned pores of 2 mu m diameter in a microfluidic device with apical and basolateral chambers. We selected poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), a, transparent biocompatible polymer, to prepare the semipermeable ultrathin membranes. The pores were generated by pattern transfer using a three-step method coupling femtosecond laser machining, polymer replication, and spin:coating. Each step of the fabrication process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy to investigate reliability of the process and fidelity of pattern transfer. In order to evaluate the compatibility of the fabrication method with organs-on-a-chip technology, porous PLLA membranes were embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices and used to grow human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECS) on top of the membrane with perfusion through the basolateral chamber. Viability of cells, optical transparency of membranes and strong adhesion of PLLA to PDMS were observed, thus confirming the suitability of the prepared membranes for use, in organs-on-a-chip devices.
Comparison processes are ubiquitous in person perception. Comparative thinking can follow two routes: People either search for similarities or for dissimilarities while comparing. Which of these two routes is more efficient? Previous research indicates that people could compare two geometrical figures faster if they focused on similarities rather than dissimilarities. I examine comparisons of people and measure the consumption of cognitive resources as indicator for efficiency. The results confirm an efficiency-advantage of similarity-focused comparisons for social stimuli.
As a fundamental concern of human beings, mortality salience impacts various human social behaviors including intergroup interactions; however, the underlying neural signature remains obscure. Here, we examined the neural signatures underlying the impact of mortality reminders on in-group bias in costly punishment combining a second-party punishment task with multivariate pattern analysis of fMRI data. After mortality salience (MS) priming or general negative affect priming, participants received offers from racial in-group and out-group proposers and decided how to punish proposers by reducing their payoffs. We revealed that MS priming attenuated in-group bias and dampened the discriminated activation patterns pertaining to group identities in regions previously implicated in costly punishment, including dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, temporo-parietal junction, anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The group identity represented in multivariate patterns of activity of these regions predicted in-group bias for the control condition, i.e., the stronger discriminative representations of group identities in these regions; the larger was the in-group bias. Furthermore, the in-group bias was reliably decoded by distributed activation patterns in the punishment-related networks but only in the control condition and not in the MS condition. These findings elucidate the neural underpinnings of the effects of mortality reminders on intergroup interaction. Hum Brain Mapp 38: 1281-1298, 2017. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Yuyang Coal mine drainage can potentially have a negative impact on the surrounding drinking water, including the Hongshixia water source, causing detrimental effects to the environment and on human health. Here, contamination from the coal mine was analyzed by physicochemical interpretation and numerical simulation. We constructed two sampling profiles along the groundwater flow and transverse directions, and collected twenty-six groundwater samples near the drainage ponds from the Yuyang coal mine for physicochemical analysis and interpretation. And in terms of the numerical simulations, we chose the MODFLOW software to describe river, drainage ponds and reservoir and establish the flow model. We chose the MT3DMS modular software to build a solute transport model, and established a three-dimensional transient numerical model to predict the migration of total Fe and SO4 (2-). The physicochemical analytical results indicate the groundwater quality degrades as we approach the drainage ponds. The variations of ion concentrations in the eastward and northward directions show the migration distance of the contaminants in the eastward direction (e.g., the direction of groundwater flow) is much greater to that in the northward direction (e.g., perpendicular to the groundwater flow direction). Numerical simulation results suggest within the predicted days, the concentrations of Fe and SO4 (2-) in the mine drainage ponds will be higher to that of the acceptable levels recommended by the national groundwater quality guidelines, imposing serious risks to the surrounding groundwater and human health. The pollution plumes of the contaminants migrate closer to the groundwater source governed by groundwater flow, suggesting the mine drainage may pose a risk to the groundwater quality of the Hongshixia water source.
Computer-aided inspection (CAI) of non-rigid parts significantly contributes to improving performance of products, reducing assembly time and decreasing production costs. CAI methods use scanners to measure point clouds on parts and compare them with the nominal computer-aided design (CAD) model. Due to the compliance of non-rigid parts and for inspection in supplier and client facilities, two sets of sophisticated and expensive dedicated fixtures are usually required to compensate for the deformation of these parts during inspection. CAI methods for fixtureless inspection of non-rigid parts aim at scanning these parts in a free-state for which one of the main challenges is to distinguish between possible geometric deviation (defects) and flexible deformation associated with free-state. In this work, the generalized inspection fixture (GNIF) method is applied to generate a prior set of corresponding sample points between CAD and scanned models. These points are used to deform the CAD model to the scanned model via finite element non-rigid registration. Then, defects are identified by comparing the deformed CAD model with the scanned model. The fact that some sample points can be located close to defects results in an inaccurate estimation of these defects. In this paper, a method is introduced to automatically filter out sample points that are close to defects. This method is based on curvature and von Mises stress. Once filtered, the remaining sample points are used in a new registration, which allows identifying and quantifying defects more accurately. The proposed method is validated on aerospace parts.
The Bay of Bengal is one of the most productive ecosystems in the northern Indian Ocean and it harbours a rich community of cetaceans, including Indo-Pacific bottlenose (Tursiops aduncus) and humpback (Sousa spp.) dolphins. The taxonomy of these genera has been controversial, but within the Indian Ocean both seem to be divided into phylogenetically discrete units that range from the east to the west. Within the Sousa genus, S. plumbea is distributed in the western Indian Ocean while S. chinensis is distributed in the eastern Indian and western Pacific Ocean. T. aduncus has a discontinuous distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific Ocean and two different phylogenetic units are known to exist, one along the eastern African coast and another one in the eastern Indian and west Pacific Ocean. In this study we investigate the phylogeography of Indo-Pacific humpback and bottlenose dolphins in the northern Bay of Bengal. We sequenced the mitochondrial DNA control region for 17 bottlenose and 15 humpback dolphins and compared the results with previously published sequences within each genus. In both cases, we found that Bangladesh dolphins are genetically different from neighbouring populations. While the Bangladesh T. aduncus seem to be more closely related to the African T. aduncus form than the Pacific form, Sousa spp. seem to be more closely related to individuals from Australia. The genetic uniqueness of these populations has important evolutionary implications, due to their isolation, coastal distribution in a geographic cul-de-sac characterized by an extreme infusion, redistribution and recycling of biological productivity, and conservation implications since their survival is threatened in particular by fatal interactions with fisheries. We suggest that the particular and extreme oceanographic conditions found in the Bay of Bengal may be driving speciation in these dolphins and other marine megafauna.
The article presents the results of examining a wind turbine on the vertical axis of rotation. The study was conducted in an open circuit wind tunnel Gunt HM 170 in the laboratory of the Department of Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Aviation Propulsion Systems at Lublin University of Technology. The subject of research was a rotor based on the patent PL 219985, with blades capable of altering the surface of the active area (receiving kinetic energy of the wind). The study was performed on appropriately scaled and geometrically similar models maintaining, relevant to the type of research, the criterion numbers. The studied rotors with different blade inclination angles were produced using a 3D powder printer ZPrinter r (R) 450. The results of the conducted research were obtained for the flow velocity of 6.5 m/s and three inclination angles, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees, at variable rotational speed. The test equipment used in the study allows maintaining the required speed, recording velocity and torque, which in turn allows an engineer to measure such characteristics of torque and power as a function of rotor speed.
Background & Aims. Considering the ability of anti-TNF alpha drugs to lower the burden intestinal inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the similarity between IBD and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) regarding inflammatory intestinal involvement, we aimed to investigate the impact of anti- TNF alpha biologic therapy on subclinical intestinal inflammation in AS patients. Methods. Between January 2008 and December 2013, 38 AS patients and 23 controls were enrolled in the study and investigated with small bowel videocapsule endoscopy examination and ileocolonoscopy. Each tertile of the small bowel (proximal, mid and distal) was assessed by calculating the Lewis score based on the image stream. Results. The Lewis scores were significantly higher in the AS group compared to controls (580.9 +/- 818 vs. 81 +/- 121, p<0.001). 16 patients (42.1%) were on anti- TNF alpha therapy (Adalimumab (n = 5), Infliximab (n = 5) or Etanercept (n = 6)). 31.3% of them used NSAIDs simultaneously, compared with 77.3% of the other patients (p< 0.01). Their Lewis scores were lower compared to the other patients for the entire small bowel (306 +/- 164 vs. 790 +/- 1038, p = 0.015), its proximal and distal tertiles (238 +/- 154 vs. 560 +/- 543, p = 0.021, and 140 +/- 189 vs. 300 +/- 220, p = 0.027, respectively). The Lewis score was also lower in patients receiving Adalimumab/ Infliximab compared to those on Etanercept for the entire bowel and its distal tertile (262 +/- 165 vs. 380 +/- 148, p = 0.069 and 62 +/- 101 vs. 273 +/- 236, p = 0.060, respectively). Conclusion. Anti-TNF alpha therapy in patients with AS reduces the subclinical intestinal inflammation, but the magnitude seems to depend upon the class anti-TNF alpha agent used (Clinical Trials. gov NCT00768950).
The liver and pancreas are critical organs maintaining whole body metabolism. Historically, the expansion of adult-derived cells from these organs in vitro has proven challenging and this in turn has hampered studies of liver and pancreas stem cell biology, as well as being a roadblock to disease modelling and cell replacement therapies for pathologies in these organs. Recently, defined culture conditions have been described which allow the in vitro culture and manipulation of adult-derived liver and pancreatic material. Here we review these systems and assess their physiological relevance, as well as their potential utility in biomedicine. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Due to the requirement of two operational modes, washing and spinning modes of the washing machine, design of the motor to meet the required torque and efficiency in each mode is not an easy task. To achieve the requirements, a 24/16-pole outer rotor type switched reluctance motors (ORSRM) are proposed. To choose the most suitable design parameters for the washing machine, the static toque of the SRM is compared based on the FEM analysis. The selected motor is obtained for high and wide toque than other types of the motor. Further, the pole shape and arc is optimized to get higher torque and lower torque ripple. To verify the proposed structure, the prototype is manufactured. Finally, the simulation and experiment results verify the validity of the proposed structure.
Anger in the context of psychosis has a significant impact on treatment outcomes and serious implications for risk management. Understanding mechanisms underlying anger will improve interventions and inform strategies for prevention. This study is the first to examine the relationships between anger and key theoretical drivers across different phases of the psychosis continuum. A battery including measures of theory of mind, attachment, hostile attribution bias, paranoia and anger was administered to 174 participants (14 ultra-high risk, 20 first-episode, 20 established psychosis, 120 non-clinical participants). We tested the model that insecure attachment, paranoia, impaired theory of mind and hostile attribution bias would predict trait anger using multiple regression. Attachment avoidance, paranoia and hostile attribution bias were significantly associated with anger but attachment anxiety and theory of mind were not. Mediation analysis showed that paranoia partially mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment and anger but hostile attribution bias did not. Findings emphasise the importance of interventions targeting paranoia to reduce anger and the potential of preventive strategies focused on attachment relationships in early life or adulthood to reduce adult paranoia and anger.
Worldwide natural gas consumption has increased significantly, especially for power generation in electricity systems with the gas-to-power (G2P) process of natural gas fired units. Supply for both natural gas and electricity systems should be dispatched economically and simultaneously due to their firm interconnection. This paper proposes a security-constrained bi-level economic dispatch (ED) model for integrated natural gas and electricity systems considering wind power and power-to-gas (P2G) process. The upper level is formulated as an ED optimization model for electricity system, while the lower level is an optimal allocation problem for natural gas system. Natural gas system is modeled in detail. In addition, the security constraints and coupling constraints for the integrated energy systems are considered. The objective function is to minimize the total production cost of electricity and natural gas. The lower model is converted and added into the upper model as Karush-Kuhn-Tucher (KKT) optimality conditions, thus the bi-level optimization model is transformed into a mix-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation. Numerical case studies on the PJM-5bus system integrated with a seven-node gas system and IEEE 118-bus system integrated with a modified Belgian high-calorific gas system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed bi-level ED model. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Visualising interactions across urban water systems to explore transition and change processes requires the development of methods and models at different scales. This paper contributes a model representing the network interactions of rainwater harvesting (RWH) infrastructure innovators and other organisations in the UK RWH niche to identify how resilience and sustainability feature within niche governance in practice. The RWH network interaction model was constructed using a modified participatory social network analysis (SNA). The SNA was further analysed through the application of a two-part analytical framework based on niche management and the safe, resilient and sustainable (`Safe and SuRe') framework. Weak interactions between some RWH infrastructure innovators and other organisations highlighted reliance on a limited number of persuaders to influence the regime and landscape, which were underrepresented. Features from niche creation and management were exhibited by the RWH network interaction model, though some observed characteristics were not represented. Additional Safe and SuRe features were identified covering diverse innovation, responsivity, no protection, unconverged expectations, primary influencers, polycentric or adaptive governance and multiple learning-types. These features enable RWH infrastructure innovators and other organisations to reflect on improving resilience and sustainability, though further research in other sectors would be useful to verify and validate observation of the seven features.
Within the nematode genus Caenorhabditis, Caenorhabditis briggsae and C. nigoni are among the most closely related species known. They differ in sexual mode, with C. nigoni retaining the ancestral XO male-XX female outcrossing system, while C. briggsae recently evolved self-fertility and an XX-biased sex ratio. Wild-type C. briggsae and C. nigoni can produce fertile hybrid XX female progeny, but XO progeny are either 100% inviable (when C. briggsae is the mother) or viable but sterile (when C. nigoni is the mother). A recent study provided evidence suggesting that loss of the Cbr-him-8 meiotic regulator in C. briggsae hermaphrodites allowed them to produce viable and fertile hybrid XO male progeny when mated to C. nigoni. Because such males would be useful for a variety of genetic experiments, we sought to verify this result. Preliminary crosses with wild-type C. briggsae hermaphrodites occasionally produced fertile males, but they could not be confirmed to be interspecies hybrids. Using an RNA interference (RNAi) protocol that eliminates any possibility of self-progeny in Cbr-him-8 hermaphrodites, we found sterile males bearing the C. nigoni X chromosome, but no fertile males bearing the C. briggsae X, as in wild-type crosses. Our results suggest that the apparent rescue of XO hybrid viability and fertility is due to incomplete purging of self-sperm prior to mating.
Since the birth of European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the higher education institutions of European countries have been involved in the complex process of re-designing of their curricula according to the new educational criteria oriented to the convergence of contents and methodologies in teaching university curricula. According to the principles pursued by the so named Bologna process, the present work is focused on the description of experiences accumulated by these authors in adaptation of their courses of manufacturing engineering, as a previous stage to complete re-formulation of study plans for engineering programmes that are taught in Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria Industrial (ETSII) of Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena. The strategies followed for the enhancement of the interest of students towards the theoretical and practical teachings, and the promotion of traverse and specific competences specially associated to these courses are explained in this work, as well as the academic results provided by the new educational methodologies assumed for the teaching-learning process.
This article presents the use of a transdiagnostic, emotion-focused treatment with a young woman with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. The patient also presented with subclinical depressive, posttraumatic stress, and eating disorder symptoms. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Barlow et al., 2011), a cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to be applicable across anxiety, depressive, and related disorders with strong emotional components, was used to address the range of Laura's presenting concerns. After 16 individual treatment sessions, Laura experienced significant reductions in NSSI (and urges to engage in NSSI) as well as observable improvements in her self-reported ability to respond more adaptively to intense emotion. She also reported moderate reductions in her anxiety disorder symptoms. This case illustration demonstrates how a short-term, transdiagnostic treatment approach can be flexibly applied to a variety of problems maintained by aversive and avoidant reactions to intense emotion. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
There has been recent interest on the impact of emotional expressions of computers on people's decision making. However, despite a growing body of empirical work, the mechanism underlying such effects is still not clearly understood. To address this issue the paper explores two kinds of processes studied by emotion theorists in human-human interaction: inferential processes, whereby people retrieve information from emotion expressions about other's beliefs, desires, and intentions; affective processes, whereby emotion expressions evoke emotions in others, which then influence their decisions. To tease apart these two processes as they occur in human-computer interaction, we looked at physiological measures (electrodermal activity and heart rate deceleration). We present two experiments where participants engaged in social dilemmas with embodied agents that expressed emotion. Our results show, first, that people's decisions were influenced by affective and cognitive processes and, according to the prevailing process, people behaved differently and formed contrasting subjective ratings of the agents; second we show that an individual trait known as electrodermal lability, which measures people's physiological sensitivity, predicted the extent to which affective or inferential processes dominated the interaction. We discuss implications for the design of embodied agents and decision making systems that use emotion expression to enhance interaction between humans and computers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Iron plays many roles in human physiology. In this article, we summarize the basic and current knowledge of this essential micronutrient on human metabolism.
Purine derivatives play key role in human metabolism. Adenine, as a part of DNA, is constantly being attacked by many species which can form many different products, such as oxidized forms. Metyl group have been commonly observed in the case of DNA damage. Adenine can be methylated at different purine ring positions. There are so far few electrochemical studies describing oxidation processes in N-methylated adenines. We found out the possibility of measuring 3N-methyladenine (3N-mAde) on PeGE using electrode surface prereatment, due to unique surface morphology, followed by adsorption. we did not obtain signals at glassy acrbon electrode at same experimental conditions.
Rainwater harvesting is an alternative sources of water supply and can be used for potable and non-potable uses. It could helps to store treated rainwater for more beneficial use and also for flood mitigation. Sustainable approach for flooding problem reduction in urban areas is by slowing down the rate of surface runoff flows at source by providing more storage area/tank. In order to understand the performance of a rainwater harvesting system (RWH), a preliminary monitoring on a 'do it yourself' (DIY) RWH model with additional first-flush strategy for water quality treatment was done. The main concept behind first flush diversion is to prevent initial polluted rainwater from entering the storage tank. Based on seven rainfall events observed in Parit Raja, both quality and quantity of the rainfalls were analysed. For rainwater quality, the samples from first flush diverter and storage tank were taken to understand their performance based on pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, total dissolved solid (TDS), total suspended solid (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) parameters. While for rainwater quantity, hydrograph analysis were done based on the performance of total rainfall and runoff, peak flow of rainfall and runoff; and delayed time parameters. Based on Interim National Water Quality Standard (INWQS) and National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS), first flush diverter apparently helps on water quality improvement in storage tanks when pH, DO, TDS, TSS and turbidity were classified as Class I (INWQS) and is allowable for drinking; but BOD and COD parameters were classified as Class III (INWQS). Hence, it has potential to be used as potable usage but will need extensive treatment to reduce its poor microbial quality. Based on the maximum observed rainfall event which had total volume of 3195.5 liter, had peakflow reduction from 0.00071 m(3)/s to 0.00034 m(3)/s and delayed runoff between 5 and 10 minutes after rainfall started. It concludes that the performance of water retention could be due to total rainfall and the tank capacity. Therefore, RWH has a potential to be used as potable use and at the same time it also has a potential to reduce local urban flooding.
Water consumption in residential parts of urban areas is just one part of the water management problems. Contemporary potable water management is not sustainable whereas we use potable water for flushing toilets, irrigation or washing vehicles. The appropriate solution is to substitute potable water with rainwater for some purposes and this water source is considered sustainable. Submitted paper presents risk assessment using risk analysis of the rainwater harvesting (RWH) system. This paper does not deal with the system in details but informs about the selected approach of the evaluation methodology verified by analytical hierarchy process. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In present paper we would like to share some experiences of building new education in Sports Technology at Mid Sweden University and the results of 10 years of successfully running it in Ostersund. The Sports Technology education at Mid Sweden University started at Campus Ostersund in 2003 as a part of the curriculum of the Engineering Department. This specialization was initially at the three-year Bachelor level, and later it was extended to an additional two-year Master level. Aiming at the quality of Sports Technology education, three keystones are underlying its process, representing the solid knowledge base, capacity to be flexible in problem solving and the use an innovative approaches. The Department unites researches with a background in both natural sciences and engineering disciplines, having a wide experience of working with and within the industry, equally active in research and teaching. The unique constellation of the profiles forming the Department include not only the SportsTech (R) group, being the backbone, but also the Ecology and Eco-technology, and Quality Technology groups bringing the excellence and extra competence needed to assure the quality of the Sports Technology education. We were the first higher education institution in Sweden to give this kind of education program and now some other Swedish Universities have followed us. Our success can be measured by a number of graduates taking good jobs in the industry. We also enjoy a steady flow of new students coming from all parts of Sweden, and Sports Technology education stays among the most desirable ones in the country. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Integration of the Python script language into computer-aided design and simulation applications is considered. By the example of the physically correct optical simulation application, an approach based on the unified entity interface for domain objects is proposed. In particular, a scheme is proposed to extend the application with new types of parametric objects by writing extension classes that are simple in structure. Special attention is paid to making API user-friendly and ensuring compliance with the object-oriented programming principles.
Integration of research experience into classroom is an important and vital experience for all undergraduates. These course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have grown from independent instructor lead projects to large consortium driven experiences. The impact and importance of CUREs on students at all levels in biochemistry was the focus of a National Science Foundation funded think tank. The state of biochemistry CUREs and suggestions for moving biochemistry forward as well as a practical guide (supplementary material) are reported here. (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):7-12, 2017.
The swarm cognitive behavior of bees readily translates to swarm intelligence with social cognition, thus giving rise to the rapid promotion of survival skills and resource allocation. This paper presents a novel cognitively inspired artificial bee colony clustering (ABCC) algorithm with a clustering evaluation model to manage the energy consumption in cognitive wireless sensor networks (CWSNs). The ABCC algorithm can optimally align with the dynamics of the sensor nodes and cluster heads in CWSNs. These sensor nodes and cluster heads adapt to topological changes in the network graph over time. One of the major challenges with employing CWSNs is to maximize the lifetime of the networks. The ABCC algorithm is able to reduce and balance the energy consumption of nodes across the networks. Artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization is attractive for this application as the cognitive behaviors of artificial bees match perfectly with the intrinsic dynamics in cognitive wireless sensor networks. Additionally, it employs fewer control parameters compared to other heuristic algorithms, making identification of optimal parameter settings easier. Simulation results illustrate that the ABCC algorithm outperforms particle swarm optimisation (PSO), group search optimization (GSO), low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), LEACH-centralized (LEACH-C), and hybrid energy-efficient distributed clustering (HEED) for energy management in CWSNs. Our proposed algorithm is increasingly superior to these other approaches as the number of nodes in the network grows.
Visual data classification, which is aimed at determining a unique label for each class, is an increasingly important issue in the machine learning community. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the application of metric learning for classification, which has been proven to be a good way to obtain a promising performance. However, as a result of the limited training samples and data with complex distributions, the vast majority of these algorithms usually fail to perform well. This has motivated us to develop a novel locally adaptive maximum margin metric learning (LAM(3)L) algorithm in order to maximally separate similar and dissimilar classes, based on the changes between the distances before and after the maximum margin metric learning. The experimental results on two widely used UCI datasets and a real hyperspectral dataset demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art metric learning methods.
The adrenal cortex is critical for physiological function as the central site of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid synthesis. It possesses a great degree of specialized compartmentalization at multiple hierarchical levels, ranging from the tissue down to the molecular levels. In this paper, we discuss this functionalization, beginning with the tissue zonation of the adrenal cortex and how this impacts steroidogenic output. We then discuss the cellular biology of steroidogenesis, placing special emphasis on the mitochondria. Mitochondria are classically known as the powerhouses of the cell for their central role in respiratory adenosine triphosphate synthesis, and attention is given to mitochondrial electron transport, in both the context of mitochondrial respiration and mitochondrial steroid metabolism. Building on work demonstrating functional assembly of large protein complexes in respiration, we further review research demonstrating a role for multimeric protein complexes in mitochondrial cholesterol transport, steroidogenesis, and mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact. We aim to highlight with this review the shift in steroidogenic cell biology from a focus on the actions of individual proteins in isolation to the actions of protein assemblies working together to execute cellular functions.
The Coordinated Access to Care for Homeless People (CATCH) program is a brief multidisciplinary case management intervention for homeless adults discharged from hospital in Toronto, Canada. Here we describe the rationale for CATCH program development, details of the mixed methods evaluation underway, and the characteristics of 225 CATCH service users. Funded in 2010 by the local health authority, CATCH aimed to improve access, continuity of care, health and service use outcomes for homeless adults discharged from hospital. To assess the feasibility, acceptability and impact of the program, a mixed methods case study was undertaken in 2013. In total, 225 CATCH program users were enrolled in the study and completed quantitative survey measures at program entry to assess key health and social outcomes using a pre-post cohort study design. Follow-up assessments took place at 3- and 6-months. At study entry, most participants were male (79%), white (65%), Canadian-born (74%), single or never married (60%), and their average age was 39.9 +/- 12.0 years. Nearly all participants (88%) had at least one emergency department visit in the past 6 months, more than half (53%) indicated at least three chronic health conditions, and 44% indicated at least three mental health diagnoses. In addition, qualitative data was collected to evaluate the experiences of continuity of care and challenges during care transitions for this population using in-depth interviews with a sample of CATCH service users (n = 22) and managers of partnered organizations (n = 7), as well as focus groups with CATCH staff (n = 8), other service providers (n = 7) and people with lived experience of homelessness (n = 8). Improving health and health service use outcomes among homeless adults with chronic health conditions are key priorities in many jurisdictions. Future findings can inform service delivery to homeless adults discharged from hospital, by exposing factors associated with positive program outcomes, as well as barriers and facilitators to continuity of care for this disadvantaged population.
Widespread utilization of mobile ad hoc networks, which communicate via broadcast wireless channels without any sort of infrastructure, raises security concerns. Introduction of identity-based cryptography shed some light to security problems of mobile ad hoc networks. Key management (KM) plays significant role in network security. Although many proposals are suggested for identity-based KM, they usually assume a trusted set of nodes during network initialization, which is not the case in many real-world applications. In this paper, a novel identity-based KM method is proposed, which utilizes Pedersen's verifiable secret sharing method. By distributing shared secret and key generation role among network nodes, the proposed method provides high levels of availability and scalability, while eliminating single point of failure. The proposed method provides a mechanism to check the validity of secret shares, which are generated by network nodes. To illustrate the effectiveness and capabilities of the proposed methods, they are simulated and compared with the performance of the existing methods. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper presents an experimental investigation on specimens manufactured by Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), with the purposes of giving designers advice when designing 3D printed parts, and laying the basis for a step forward in the field of fracture mechanics of 3D complex parts. The aim is to investigate the effect of building direction in Polyamide (PA) 3D printed samples and to assess whether a crack can be initiated directly from the sintering process for fracture mechanics study purposes. Six different configurations of Mode I Compact Tension (CT) specimens were manufactured and tested; the experiments were monitored by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and fractured surfaces were analyzed using microscopy. Results showed that samples with better mechanical performance are those in which all the layers contain a portion of the crack. On the other hand, those with layers parallel to the crack plan offer a preferential pathway for the crack to propagate. DIC and fractography investigations showed that, under certain conditions, small-radius geometries, or too-close surfaces may bond together depending on printer resolution. Experiments also showed that SLS is capable of printing specimens with internal cracks that can be used to study fracture mechanics of complex parts or parts with internal cracks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water footprint assessment is a developing method that is being increasingly applied to quantify water use, prioritise reductions, assess sustainability and provide information to achieve sustainable, efficient, and equitable water use. The objectives of this paper were to conduct a water footprint assessment of primary citrus production within the Lower Sundays River Valley in South Africa using local, high resolution data and to examine indicators (water scarcity, pollution, efficiency, productivity and access) to determine the sustainability of blue, green and grey water footprints of a wet, dry and average year. Lemons were found to have the lowest blue and combined green-blue water footprint per ton of production across all climatic years, followed by soft citrus, valencias and navels. Valencias had the lowest, and navels the highest grey WF (relating to inorganic nitrogen). Lemons, despite their high crop water and fertiliser requirements, were regarded more economically efficient in comparison to valencias, soft citrus and navels, in that they provided higher net income and more employment hours per m(3) of water in comparison to other citrus crops. In an average season, lemons generated approximately 39% more income per m(3) of water than navels, despite navels being the dominant cultivar. Blue water consumption for citrus in the catchment was calculated to be 58.7 Mm(3) for an average season and 89.2 Mm(3) for a dry season. Due to an inter-basin transfer scheme, no physical water scarcity occurred, and both environmental and basic human needs are met. Water pollution levels related to nitrogen however, exceeded the assimilative capacity of the run-off in dry years. The area also experiences institutional and infrastructural scarcity and 14% of the population do not have access to piped water. Stakeholders and governments may use the results of water footprint assessments to determine the status of river basins, make evaluations for future water usage and the potential impacts of expanding agriculture and different management strategies. Including environmental and socio-economic indicators will also improve the integrity of water footprint assessments. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Affine equivalence classification of Boolean functions has significant applications in logic synthesis and cryptography. Previous studies for classification have been limited by the large set of Boolean functions and the complex operations on the affine group. Although there are many research on affine equivalence classification for parts of Boolean functions in recent years, there are very few results for the entire set of Boolean functions. The best existing result has been achieved by Harrison with 15768919 affine equivalence classes for 6-variable Boolean functions. This paper presents a concise formula for affine equivalence classification of the entire set of Boolean functions as well as a formula for affine classification of Boolean functions with distinct ON-set size respectively. The method outlined in this paper greatly simplifies the affine group's action by constructing an isomorphism mapping from the affine group to a permutation group. By this method, we can compute the affine equivalence classes for up to 10 variables. Experiment results indicate that our scheme for calculating the affine equivalence classes for more than 6 variables is a significant advancement over previous published methods.
Sphingolipids are essential components of eukaryotic cells with important functions in membrane biology and cellular signaling. Their levels are tightly controlled and coordinated with the abundance of other membrane lipids. How sphingolipid homeostasis is achieved is not yet well understood. Studies performed primarily in yeast showed that the phosphorylation states of several enzymes and regulators of sphingolipid synthesis are important, although a global understanding for such regulation is lacking. Here, we used high-resolution MS-based proteomics and phosphoproteomics to analyze the cellular response to sphingolipid synthesis inhibition. Our dataset reveals that changes in protein phosphorylation, rather than protein abundance, dominate the response to blocking sphingolipid synthesis. We identified Ypk signaling as a pathway likely to be activated under these conditions, and we identified potential Ypk1 target proteins. Our data provide a rich resource for on-going mechanistic studies of key elements of the cellular response to the depletion of sphingolipid levels and the maintenance of sphingolipid homeostasis. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD003854 ().
In this paper we describe a second order multi-dimensional scheme, belonging to the class of direct Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) methods, for the solution of nonlinear hyperbolic systems of conservation law. The scheme is constructed upon a cell-centered explicit Lagrangian solver completed with an edge-based upwinded formulation of the numerical fluxes, computed from the MUSCL-Hancock method, to obtain a full ALE formulation. Numerical fluxes depend on nodal grid velocities which are either set or computed to avoid most of the mesh problems typically encountered in purely Lagrangian simulations. In order to assess the robustness of the scheme, most results proposed in this paper have been obtained by computing the grid velocities as a fraction of the Lagrangian nodal velocities, the ratio being set before running the test case. The last part of the paper describes preliminary results about the triple point test case run in the ALE framework by computing the grid velocities with the fully adaptive Large Eddy Limitation (L.E.L.) method proposed in [1]. Such a method automatically computes the grid velocities at each node defining the mesh from the local characteristics of the flow. We eventually discuss the advantages and the drawback of the coupling. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This research work deals with the landslide susceptibility assessment using Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and information value (IV) methods along a highway road section in Constantine region, NE Algeria. The landslide inventory map which has a total of 29 single landslide locations was created based on historical information, aerial photo interpretation, remote sensing images, and extensive field surveys. The different landslide influencing geoenvironmental factors considered for this study are lithology, slope gradient, slope aspect, distance from faults, land use, distance from streams, and geotechnical parameters. A thematic layer map is generated for every geoenvironmental factor using Geographic Information System (GIS); the lithological units and the distance from faults maps were extracted from the geological database of the region. The slope gradient, slope aspect, and distance from streams were calculated from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Contemporary land use map was derived from satellite images and field study. Concerning the geotechnical parameters maps, they were determined making use of the geotechnical data from laboratory tests. The analysis of the relationships between the landslide-related factors and the landslide events was then carried out in GIS environment. The AUC plot showed that the susceptibility maps had a success rate of 77 and 66% for IV and AHP models, respectively. For that purpose, the IV model is better in predicting the occurrence of landslides than AHP one. Therefore, the information value method could be used as a landslide susceptibility mapping zonation method along other sections of the A1 highway.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This prospective, cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009. Patients answered questions with regard to demographics and disease characteristics and also completed generic (SF-36) and preference-based utility (SF-6D and EQ-5D) instruments. Multivariate analysis assessed the relationship of RA and SLE to AS with respect to the outcomes of the different health-related quality of life instruments. In general, baseline and disease characteristics differed across the three disease groups. Compared to SLE patients, RA patients scored worse on the higher-order summary scores of physical (PCS) and mental components (MCS) of SF-36 (P <0.002) and total SF-36 (P <0.005). RA also had worse PCS than AS (P <0.001). SLE patients scored higher on the utility score of SF-6D compared with RA patients and higher than both AS and RA patients for the utility score of EQ-5D. Multivariate analysis found that compared with AS patients, RA had significantly lower SF-36 total score and PCS, and SLE patients had greater PCS and a greater EQ-5D utility score. Multivariate analysis found no difference across the patient groups with respect to MCS or SF-6D utility score. These findings suggest that among the three rheumatic diseases studied, RA patients have the worse health-related quality of life, and AS patients have similar or poorer health-related quality of life as SLE patient.
Pervasive and sensor-driven systems are by nature open and extensible, both in terms of input and tasks they are required to perform. Data streams coming from sensors are inherently noisy, imprecise and inaccurate, with differing sampling rates and complex correlations with each other. These characteristics pose a significant challenge for traditional approaches to storing, representing, exchanging, manipulating and programming with sensor data. Semantic Web technologies provide a uniform framework for capturing these properties. Offering powerful representation facilities and reasoning techniques, these technologies are rapidly gaining attention towards facing a range of issues such as data and knowledge modelling, querying, reasoning, service discovery, privacy and provenance. This article reviews the application of the Semantic Web to pervasive and sensor-driven systems with a focus on information modelling and reasoning along with streaming data and uncertainty handling. The strengths and weaknesses of current and projected approaches are analysed and a roadmap is derived for using the Semantic Web as a platform, on which open, standard-based, pervasive, adaptive and sensor-driven systems can be deployed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Spontaneous helping behavior during an emergency is influenced by the personality of the onlooker and by social situational factors such as the presence of bystanders. Here, we sought to determine the influences of sympathy, an other-oriented response, and personal distress, a self-oriented response, on the effect of bystanders during an emergency. In four experiments, we investigated whether trait levels of sympathy and personal distress predicted responses to an emergency in the presence of bystanders by using behavioral measures and single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation. Sympathy and personal distress were expected to be associated with faster responses to an emergency without bystanders present, but only personal distress would predict slower responses to an emergency with bystanders present. The results of a cued reaction time task showed that people who reported higher levels of personal distress and sympathy responded faster to an emergency without bystanders (Exp. 1). In contrast to our predictions, perspective taking but not personal distress was associated with slower reaction times as the number of bystanders increased during an emergency (Exp. 2). However, the decrease in motor corticospinal excitability, a direct physiological measure of action preparation, with the increase in the number of bystanders was solely predicted by personal distress (Exp. 3). Incorporating cognitive load manipulations during the observation of an emergency suggested that personal distress is linked to an effect of bystanders on reflexive responding to an emergency (Exp. 4). Taken together, these results indicate that the presence of bystanders during an emergency reduces action preparation in people with a disposition to experience personal distress.
International business (IB) research has predominantly relied on value constructs to account for the influence of societal culture, notably Hofstede's cultural dimensions. While parsimonious, the value approach's assumptions about the consensus of values within nations, and the generality and stability of cultural patterns of behavior are increasingly challenged. We review two promising alternatives the constructivist approach centering on schemas and the intersubjectivist approach centering on norms and the evidence that demonstrates their usefulness in accounting for international differences in the behavior of managers, employees, and consumers. We propose a situated dynamics framework, specifying the role of values, schemas, and norms in accounting for cultural differences, and delineating conditions under which each causal mechanism is operative. Values play a more important role in accounting for cultural differences in weak situations where fewer constraints are perceived; schemas play a more important role when situational cues increase their accessibility and relevance; and norms play a more important role when social evaluation is salient. Directions for future research based on this integrative framework and its implications for the measurement of culture and application in IB are discussed.
The equivalent electrical circuits - including the parasitic elements and their variations with the injected bias current - for three semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) were obtained. Frequency domain measurements with further tuning of numerical modeling parameters were used to extract circuit parameters. Characterization of chip-on-carrier and encapsulated devices agree with numerical data up to 20 GHz. The results are relevant for designing fast speed, SOA-gated switches in optical routers. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.
We have proposed an effective machine learning method to analyze multimedia content addressing gesture event detection and recognition. Our machine learning method is based on well-studied techniques such that Procrustes Analysis, Combination of Local and Global Representations, Linear Shape Model, and application to SMART TV Virtual Keyboard. In this paper, we address gesture event detection specially fingertip gesture detection to get smart and advanced usage of technology. Our modern vision keyboard could be a good next generation replacement of SMART TV remote control. It can be more economical as we don't need physical object like traditional keyboard, remote control and their energy resources like batteries. More information and demonstrations of the proposed keyboard can be accessed at http://video.minelab.tw/MCAoGED/.
Aging associated brain decline often result in some kind of dementia. Even when this is a complex brain disorder a physical model can be used in order to describe its general behavior. A probabilistic model for the development of dementia is obtained and fitted to some experimental data obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. It is explained how dementia appears as a consequence of aging and why it is irreversible. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction: We examined the association between decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Methods: We included 161 AD, 95 MCI, and 143 SCD patients from the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort. We used 3-T pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling to estimate whole-brain and regional partial volume-corrected CBF. Neuropsychological tests covered global cognition and five cognitive domains. Associations were investigated using linear regression analyses. Results: In the whole sample, reduced overall and regional CBF was associated with impairment in all cognitive domains. We found significant interactions between diagnosis and CBF for language and between diagnosis and parietal CBF for global cognition and executive functioning. Stratification showed that decreased CBF was associated with worse performance in AD patients but not in MCI or SCD. Discussion: Our results suggest that CBF may have potential as a functional marker of disease severity. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Breast cancer represents a major health burden in Europe and North America, as recently published data report breast cancer as the second leading cause of cancer related death in women worldwide. Breast cancer is regarded as a highly heterogeneous disease in terms of clinical course and biological behavior and can be divided into several molecular subtypes, with different prognosis and treatment responses. The discovery of numerous non-coding RNAs has dramatically changed our understanding of cell biology, especially the pathophysiology of cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts >200 nucleotides in length. Several studies have demonstrated their role as key regulators of gene expression, cell biology and carcinogenesis. Deregulated expression levels of lncRNAs have been observed in various types of cancers including breast cancer. lncRNAs are involved in cancer initiation, progression, and metastases. In this review, we summarize the recent literature to highlight the current status of this class of long non-coding lncRNAs in breast cancer.
Objective:The monitoring of septic shock induced immunosuppression has been proposed to identify patients who could benefit from specific immunoadjuvant therapies. Among potential biomarkers to monitor immunological status, functional testing remains the gold standard because it directly measures the capacity of a cell population to respond to an immune challenge. We investigated a new approach in intracellular staining for flow cytometry to measure tumor necrosis factor (iTNF) produced in vitro by monocytes in response to lipopolysaccharide.Design, Setting, Subjects, and Interventions:Observational study in intensive care unit and immunology laboratory of a university medical center. Sixteen septic shock patients and eight control subjects were included.Main Results:Monocyte iTNF was determined by flow cytometry in whole blood and completed in 2.5h according to a no-wash, no centrifuge procedure. Lipopolysaccharide challenge induced a tremendous expression of iTNF that was statistically more pronounced in controls than in patients. This was observed when results were expressed as medians of fluorescence intensity (median: 16.1 [IQR: 14.5-19.1] vs. 5 [4.0-8.0], P=0.0001) or as percentages of positive cells (99.7 [99.6-99.8] vs. 85 [74-97], P=0.0001). iTNF expression was correlated to monocyte HLA-DR expression in patients and controls.Conclusions:These preliminary results illustrate the feasibility of immune functional testing on a routine manner in septic shock patients. They now deserve to be widely assessed and validated in various intensive care unit conditions. This could be a major step to characterize the rapidly changing immune response overtime and thus permit personalized medicine.
A combined two-staged analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was proposed with respect to its compatibility in selection of e-textile architecture. Specifically, it was examined in its ability to support decision in determination of appropriate e-textile structures prior to sensor integration. The e-textile structure selection methodology for sensor integration was implemented by interviewing with the experts from the fields of textiles and electronics; hence, it was constructed as two-staged methodology including both experimental study and AHP. In this respect, different e-textile structures including transmission lines containing 15 different conductive yarn types with three different weave types were manufactured via weaving technology in the first stage as experimental part of the methodology, and then, in the second stage, the alternatives based on experimental study were evaluated using AHP. The comparisons were made using priority scales assigned by expert team and synthesized to get aggregated global ratings. In conclusion, appropriate e-textile structures based on weaving manufacturing technology for sensor integration were chosen using AHP technique by ranking alternatives.
Early diagnosis of social isolation in older adults can prevent physical and cognitive impairment or further impoverishment of their social network. This diagnosis is usually performed by personal and periodic application of psychological assessment instruments. This situation encourages the development of novel approaches able to monitor risk situations in social interactions to obtain early diagnosis and implement appropriate measures. This paper presents the development of a prediction model of social isolation in older adults through Ambient Intelligence (AmI) and Social Networking Sites (SNSs). The predictive model has been evaluated in terms of its accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values. This paper also presents the results of an experimental test applying the proposed approach with real users, obtaining a prediction accuracy of 87% and a type II error rate of 15%. The proposed model will benefit institutions interested in developing technological solutions to detect early stages of social isolation, resulting in improving the quality of life of older adults.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a method of capturing rainfall from a catchment surface and storing it for later use. Though it has been around for thousands of years, its popularity and use has been increasing in recent years and water quality within RWH systems has become a concern. Water temperature is a parameter that affects water quality, and storage container color and shading affect this temperature. Rainwater storage containers with four different colors kept at three different shadings were used to study the effects of shading and container color on water temperature. Temperatures of water stored in these containers were monitored over 20 weeks during a Texas summer Statistical analyses showed that the color and shade variables had an interaction and thus both together had an effect on the water temperature. Because of this, individual treatment variables could not be analyzed and compared statistically. However, the trends showed that light colors and higher shading caused lower water temperatures in the storage containers. Also, the color had more pronounced effect than shading on water temperature inside the containers.
During the last decades, the perception of selenium has undergone substantial changes. While its toxic effects were recognized causing hair and hoof loss in animals during the 1930s, its essential role in microbial, animal and human metabolism has been recognized later, i.e. with the discovery of selenium deficiency causing white muscle disease in feedstock in the 1950s. Nowadays, the positive effect of systematic selenium supplementation is discussed in manifold topics such as cancer or diabetes prevention and avian influenza susceptibility. Treatment of selenium containing waste streams poses a notable challenge to environmental engineers, and to date no ultimate solution has been found for e.g. the selenium contamination in agricultural areas of the western USA. For the future, selenium contamination carries an imminent danger, if the increasing energy demand is covered by fossil fuel combustion, which will lead to major selenium emission and toxicity. This review presents current knowledge of selenium's role in environmental sciences and outlines potentially feasible treatment options targeting a variety of selenium contaminated waste streams. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The growing prevalence of antibiotic resistance calls for new approaches in the development of antimicrobial therapeutics. Likewise, improved diagnostic measures are essential in guiding the application of targeted therapies and preventing the evolution of therapeutic resistance. Discovery platforms are also needed to form new treatment strategies and identify novel antimicrobial agents. By applying engineering principles to molecular biology, synthetic biologists have developed platforms that improve upon, supplement, and will perhaps supplant traditional broad-spectrum antibiotics. Efforts in engineering bacteriophages and synthetic probiotics demonstrate targeted antimicrobial approaches that can be fine-tuned using synthetic biology-derived principles. Further, the development of paper-based, cell-free expression systems holds promise in promoting the clinical translation of molecular biology tools for diagnostic purposes. In this review, we highlight emerging synthetic biology platform technologies that are geared toward the generation of new antimicrobial therapies, diagnostics, and discovery channels. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Magnetic separation technology is a quick and easy method for sensitive and reliable detection, separation, and purification of biomolecules from any medium. Dopamine plays a crucial role for human metabolism; hence the development of selective and robust interference free methods for dopamine (DA) detection is of great importance. In the present study, we have reported an alternative method for the detection of DA which overcomes interference by coexisting compounds. We have designed a magnetically stabilized fluidized bed system (MSFB) by using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated magnetic graphene oxide sheets (magGOs) as preconcentrator and diagnostic tool. In the presence of coexisting molecules, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), FITC-magGOs showed selectivity to DA as 39- and 34-folds, respectively. Compared with DA, a negligible amount of AA and UA were captured by FITC- magGOs non-specifically. Maximum DA adsorption capacity of FITC-magGOs was found to be 46.21mg/g. The characteristics of the DA adsorption behavior were described by the application of the Langmuir isotherm model with monolayer adsorption more accurately. All experiments were carried out in the neutral solutions at around physiological pH.
The present work proposes a novel method of detection and estimation of outliers in particle image velocimetry measurements by the modification of the temporal coefficients associated with a proper orthogonal decomposition of an experimental time series. Using synthetic outliers applied to two sequences of vector fields, the method is benchmarked against state-of-the-art approaches recently proposed to remove the influence of outliers. Compared with these methods, the proposed approach offers an increase in accuracy and robustness for the detection of outliers and comparable accuracy for their estimation.
Water use control methods and water resources planning are of high priority. In irrigated agriculture, the right way to save water is to increase water use efficiency through better management. The present work validates procedures and methodologies using remote sensing to determine the water availability in the soil at each moment, giving the opportunity for the application of the water depth strictly necessary to optimise crop growth (optimum irrigation timing and irrigation amount). The analysis is applied to the Irrigation District of Divor, Evora, using 7 experimental plots, which are areas irrigated by centre pivot systems, cultivated to maize. Data were determined from images of the cultivated surface obtained by satellite and integrated with atmosphere and crop parameters to calculate biophysical indicators and indices of water stress in the vegetation Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Kc, and Kcb. Therefore, evapotranspiration (ETc) was estimated and used to calculate crop water requirement, together with the opportunity and the amount of irrigation water to allocate. Although remote sensing data available from satellite imagery presented some practical constraints, the study could contribute to the validation of a new methodology that can be used for irrigation management of a large irrigated area, easier and at lower costs than the traditional FAO recommended crop coefficients method. The remote sensing based methodology can also contribute to significant saves of irrigation water. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
It is widely believed that warm and supportive parenting fosters all kinds of prosocial behaviors in the offspring, including civic engagement. However, accumulating international evidence suggests that the effects of family support on civic engagement may sometimes be negative. To address this apparent controversy, we identified several scenarios for the negative effects of supportive parenting on youth civic engagement and tested them using four waves of data from the Finnish Educational Transitions Studies. They followed 1549 students (55 % female) from late adolescence into young adulthood, included both maternal (n = 231) and offspring reports of parental support, and assessed civic engagement in young adulthood. Control variables included socioeconomic status, other sociodemographic indicators, church belonging, personality traits, and earlier civic engagement. Higher maternal warmth and support and a stronger identification with the parental family in adolescence predicted offspring's lower political activism up to 10 years later. Perceived parental support in young adulthood predicted lower volunteering 2 years later. There were no significant effects on general organizational involvement (e.g., in student and hobby associations). None of the a priori scenarios that we identified from the literature appeared to explain the pattern of results satisfactorily. We put forth cultural and life stage explanations of our findings.
The emerging use of multi-homed wireless devices along with simultaneous multi-path data transfer offers tremendous potentials to improve the capacity of multi-hop wireless networks. The use of simultaneous data transfer over separate disjoint paths in multi-hop wireless networks to increase network capacity is a less explored subject, mainly because of the challenges it triggers for the reliable transport layer protocols. Reliable transport layer protocols generally use packet sequence number as a mean to ensure delivery. As such, the out-of-order packet arrival in reliable transport layer protocols triggers receiver buffer blocking that causes throughput degradation and prevents the reliable multi-path transport layer protocol to realize its vast potential. This paper focuses on integrating network coding with a reliable multi-path transport layer protocol to resolve the receiver buffer blocking problem. We propose an adaptive network coding mechanism to desensitize the receiver against packet reordering and consequently eliminate the receiver buffer blocking problem. Our state-of-the-art network coding scheme uses a combination of Q-learning and logistic regression for rare data events to control the number of redundant packets based on the network dynamics. We confirmed the veracity of our proposed scheme by a queuing theory based mathematical model. Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through simulations and testbed experiments.
The problem of classifying traffic flows in networks has become more and more important in recent times, and much research has been dedicated to it. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in classifying traffic flows by application, based on the statistical features of each flow. Information about the applications that are being used on a network is very useful in network design, accounting, management, and security. In our previous work we proposed a classification algorithm for Internet traffic flow classification based on Artificial Immune Systems (AIS). We also applied the algorithm on an available data set, and found that the algorithm performed as well as other algorithms, and was insensitive to input parameters, which makes it valuable for embedded systems. It is also very simple to implement, and generalizes well from small training data sets. In this research, we expanded on the previous research by introducing several optimizations in the training and classification phases of the algorithm. We improved the design of the original algorithm in order to make it more predictable. We also give the asymptotic complexity of the optimized algorithm as well as draw a bound on the generalization error of the algorithm. Lastly, we also experimented with several different distance formulas to improve the classification performance. In this paper we have shown how the changes and optimizations applied to the original algorithm do not functionally change the original algorithm, while making its execution 50-60% faster. We also show that the classification accuracy of the Euclidian distance is superseded by the Manhattan distance for this application, giving 1-2% higher accuracy, making the accuracy of the algorithm comparable to that of a Naive Bayes classifier in previous research that uses the same data set. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The use of computer vision techniques in post-harvest processing of agricultural products has increased considerably in recent years due to their non-destructive and rapid monitoring abilities. Image processing, combined with pattern recognition, has been applied in fruit sorting and classification. In this study, a Bag-of-Feature (BoF) model is used for the classification of 20 sweet and bitter almond varieties. Harris, Harris Laplace, Hessian, Hessian Laplace and Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER) keypoint detectors along with a Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) descriptor are used in the BoF model. The k-means clustering method is applied for building a codebook from keypoint descriptors. The performance of 3 classifiers, which were k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN), linear and chi-square Support Vector Machine (L-SVM and Chi-SVM, respectively) were compared using classification results in the model. It was observed that the Chi-SVM classifier outperformed the k-NN and L-SVM classifiers. Using the BoF model, it was possible to detect and classify sweet and bitter varieties with high overall accuracy. (C) 2017 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose: Carbon-13 (C-13) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has an intrinsically low NMR sensitivity that often leads to large acquisition volumes or long scan times. While the use of higher magnetic fields can overcome the sensitivity limitations, high radiofrequency (RF) power deposition associated with proton-decoupling limits the achievable gain. Two-dimensional (2D) heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) MRS is a method that uses the high chemical specificity of C-13 MRS while retaining the high sensitivity of H-1 detection. Due to the 2D nature of the method, proton-decoupled C-13 MR spectra can be obtained without the use of high-powered decoupling pulses. Methods: A novel three-dimensional (3D) localized 2D HSQC method based on 3D STEAM localization is presented and implemented at 7T. The low RF power deposition of the method allows TR variation along the indirect dimension which, in combination with controlled aliasing, leads to an acceleration of 11.8 relative to a standard 2D NMR acquisition. Results: Artifact-free, high-quality and high-sensitivity 2D HSQC spectra were obtained for all subjects in 19 min from a small (9 mL) volume placed in the leg adipose tissue. Complete proton decoupling was achieved along the indirect C-13 dimension despite the absence of broadband proton-decoupling pulses. The high chemical specificity along the indirect C-13 dimension allowed the detection of 19 unique resonances from which the lipids could be characterized in terms of saturation and omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio. Conclusion: It has been demonstrated that high-quality 2D HSQC NMR spectra can be acquired from human adipose tissue at 7T. The HSQC method is methodologically simple and robust and is flexible regarding trade-offs between temporal and spectral resolution. 2D HSQC has a strong potential to become a default method in natural-abundance or C-13-enriched studies of human metabolism in vivo. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding human behaviour and activities is a challenging problem in computer vision. In application areas like health care and ambient intelligence, the use of a camera feed might be seen as too invasive and may be resented. Human behaviour understanding can combine images, signals, feature extraction and other machine learning techniques. This paper presents an overview of our technique that aims to investigate low cost and acceptable visual camera monitoring systems for the elderly. The main idea is to limit the amount of information that needs to be transmitted from the visual sensor unit. The proposed technique will use only filtered images, without saving or transmitting any visual information and thus maintaining privacy.
The deterioration of a shot sleeve in squeeze casting due to thermo-mechanical fatigue often results in lowering the reliability and availability of the squeeze casting machine, thus reducing its productivity, meanwhile increasing the life-cycle maintenance cost. This paper presents an efficient Bayesian kriging meta-modeling method for spatiotemporal prediction under data uncertainty and non-normality, with the target applications for controlling the deformation, optimizing machine design, and predicting component fatigue cracking thus improving the reliability and availability of mechanical system. Spatiotemporal kriging model is established to substitute the complicated computer model by using numerically simulated data. Bayesian probabilistic approach is then developed to quantitatively evaluate the validity and predictive capacity of kriging meta-model, considering data uncertainty. The Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit test is employed to perform the normality hypothesis test of difference values of validation data. Box-Cox transformation method is utilized to convert the non-normality data with the purpose of facilitating the overall validation assessment of meta-models with higher accuracy. Bayesian confidence measure is presented to quantify the confidence on the predictive capacity of the kriging meta-models, given the transformed data. A procedure is proposed to implement the proposed probabilistic methodology for meta-modeling and model validation with non-normality response series. The impact of data normality assumption and decision threshold parameter in quantitative model assessment is also investigated by using Bayesian inference approach. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology and procedure is demonstrated with the spatiotemporal temperature prediction in squeeze casting.
One hundred and eighty eight volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified from dust emission, dust headspace, and in air sampling in a residence by sampling on Tenax TA followed by thermal desorption and HRGC/MS. Of these, 83 compounds were found in dust headspace. Aliphatic aldehydes (C4-8) and octane were major contributors to headspace gas chromatograms while the total ion current response for desorbed VOCs (120-degrees-C) was dominated by n-alkanes (C7-16), n- and branched alkanals (C4-10) and alkanoic acids (C2-C14). Many of the identified VOCs could be products of microbial or human metabolism. Dust volatiles resulting from desorption were compared to dust headspace VOC analyses and found to be comparable considering the temperature difference. A method for determination of total VOC (TVOC-dust) emission at 120-degrees-C, was developed. Variation in desorption TVOC analyses was mainly due to sample heterogeneity.
We present Palirria, a self-adapting work-stealing scheduling method for nested fork/join parallelism that can be used to estimate the number of utilizable workers and self-adapt accordingly. The estimation mechanism is optimized for accuracy, minimizing the requested resources without degrading performance. We implemented Palirria for both the Linux and Barrelfish operating systems and evaluated it on two platforms: a 48-core Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) multiprocessor and a simulated 32-core system. Compared with state-of-the-art, we observed higher accuracy in estimating resource requirements. This leads to improved resource utilization and performance on par or better to executing with fixed resource allotments. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biosimilar infliximab (INX) was recently approved by the European Medicine Agency for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and psoriasis on the grounds that its pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy were comparable to those of innovator INX. The aim of this study was to investigate the real-life efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of switching from innovator to biosimilar INX in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Forty-one patients attending three Italian rheumatology centres with a previous diagnosis of SpA and clinically inactive or moderate disease activity (ASDAS-CRP < 2.1; 22 with AS, five with enteropathic arthritis, 10 with PsA, and four with undifferentiated SpA), who had been treated for more than 6 months with innovator INX in accordance with the ASAS/EULAR guidelines, were switched to biosimilar INX for pharmaco-economic reasons (Tuscany Law No. 450 of 7 April 2015) and followed up for 6 months. A record was kept of their BASDAI, BASFI, ASDAS-CRP, DAS28-CRP (in the presence of peripheral disease), MASES, VAS pain scores, the duration of morning stiffness, and adverse events (AEs). At the time of the switch, the patients had a median age of 50.9 years (range 23-80), a median disease duration of 124.5 months (range 14-372), and a median duration of treatment with innovator INX of 73.7 months (range 6-144). After 6 months of biosimilar INX therapy, there were no statistical differences in their median BASDAI (2.73 +/- 1.5 vs. 2.6 +/- 1.3, p = .27), BASFI (2.34 +/- 1.3 vs. 2.17 +/- 1.2, p = 0.051), ASDAS-CRP (1.35 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.28 +/- 0.2, p = 0.24), DAS28-CRP (2.66 +/- 0.67 vs. 2.67 +/- 0.35, p = 0.92), MASES (0.35 +/- 0.7 vs. 0.17 +/- 0.4, p = 0.08), or VAS pain scores (18 +/- 14.7 vs. 16.7 +/- 11.3, p = 0.55), whereas the median duration of morning stiffness had significantly decreased (7.2 +/- 6.9 vs. 5.8 +/- 6, p = 0.02). Furthermore, there was no change in circulating INX (4.22 +/- 2.89 vs 4.84 +/- 2.86 mu g/mL, p = 0.80) or anti-INX antibody levels (27.76 +/- 17.13 vs 27.27 +/- 17.28 ng/mL, p = 0.98). The switch from innovator to biosimilar INX in this Italian multicentre SpA cohort was not associated with any statistically significance differences in efficacy, adverse events or anti-drug antibody level.
To shrink electrical circuits beyond the looming practical limits of Moore's Law, it has been a common goal to create carbon-based components. Here is the first example of a new class of donor-sigma-acceptor rectifiers: hemibiquinones (HBQs). HBQs possess donor and acceptor moieties that are electronically isolated by inter-ring torsion. A HBQ-dinitrile self-assembles on a template-stripped gold surface through directed chemisorption, forming a 1.1nm-thick monolayer. Rectification is measured through the monolayer or single molecules by using three different top electrode arrangements. Even though the HBQs are composed of relatively weak electrophores, rectification ratios ranging from 5 to 160 were observed at 2.5V.
Study Design: Retrospective study of a posterior approach for surgical treatment of thoracolumbar pseudarthrosis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Objective: The aim of the current study was to report the surgical results of symptomatic thoracolumbar pseudarthrosis in AS through a posterior approach. Summary of Background Data: Spinal pseudarthrosis is a well-known complication in AS. The condition may complicate with mechanical back pain, spinal deformity, and sometimes neurological deficits. Conservative treatment often fails in this situation and surgical treatment is required. However, the optimal surgical procedure for this condition is still controversial. Methods: From January 2006 to December 2011, 12 AS patients with spinal pseudarthrosis at the thoracolumbar segment were treated surgically after failure of >3 months conservative treatment. The indications for surgery were persisting back pain in all patients, combined with neurological deficits in 4 patients and spinal deformities in 3 patients. Transforaminal or transpedicular debridement of the pseudarthrosis at the anterior column was performed from a posterior approach. After complete debridement, bone graft at the anterior open wedge defect of the pseudarthrosis was performed from a posterior approach. Posterior pedicle screws were placed for fixation. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were assessed with an average follow-up of 28 months (range, 24-36 mo). Results: The persistent back pain obtained significant relief in all cases after surgery. Four patients with neurological deficits showed complete recovery of neurological function at follow-up. The spinal deformities in 3 cases obtained correction. Solid bony fusion was achieved in all cases, and there was no correction loss at follow-up. Conclusions: In AS with symptomatic thoracolumbar pseudarthrosis, a posterior transforaminal or transpedicular approach can provide circumferential stability, anterior bone graft, and neurological decompression simultaneously. A supplemental anterior approach may be avoided by this method.
Abcc4 gene codes for a protein (ABCC4) involved in the transportation of different classes of drugs outside the cells. Various important drugs transported by ABCC4 include antiviral and anticancer drugs as well as endogenous molecules such as bile acids, cyclic nucleotides, folates, prostaglandins and steroids. Alternative splicing generates multiple mRNAs that encode protein isoforms having diverse functions. In this study, we have identified a novel transcript of mouse Abcc4 gene using a combination of bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques. This transcript was found to be different from the reported transcript in having a different first exon that was found to be located on previously identified first intron. Newly identified transcript was found to be expressed across different tissues we studied and in different developmental stages. Expression level of novel and reported transcripts was studied using quantitative real-time PCR. After conceptually translating the novel transcript, various post-translational modifications were studied. Translation efficiency and predicted half life of encoded protein isoforms were analysed in silico. Molecular modelling was performed to compare the structural differences in both isoforms. The diversity at N-termini in these protein isoforms explains the diverse function of ABCC4 in mouse. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Today, failure modes characterization and early detection is a key issue in complex assets. This is due to the negative impact of corrective operations and the conservative strategies usually put in practice, focused on preventive maintenance. In this paper anomaly detection issue is addressed in new monitoring sensor data by characterizing and modeling operational behaviors. The learning framework is performed on the basis of a machine learning approach that combines constrained K-means clustering for outlier detection and fuzzy modeling of distances to normality. A final score is also calculated over time, considering the membership degree to resulting fuzzy sets and a local outlier factor. Proposed solution is deployed in a CBM+ platform for online monitoring of the assets. In order to show the validity of the approach, experiments have been conducted on real operational faults in an auxiliary marine diesel engine. Experimental results show a fully comprehensive yet accurate prognostics approach, improving detection capabilities and knowledge management. The performance achieved is quite high (precision, sensitivity and specificity above 93% and K = 0.93), even more so given that a very small percentage of real faults are present in data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The use of biomarkers (BMs) for accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been proposed by recent diagnostic criteria; however, their maturity is not sufficient to grant implementation in the clinical routine. A proper diagnostic process requires not only confirmation of the disease but also the exclusion of similar disorders entering differential diagnosis, like dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This review is aimed at evaluating the clinical validity of I-123-ioflupane brain single photon emission tomography and I-123-MIBG cardiac scintigraphy as imaging BMs for DLB. For this purpose, we used an adapted version of the 5-phase oncology framework for BMs development. A review of the literature was conducted using homogenous search criteria with other BMs addressed in parallel reviews. Results of our literature search showed that the rationale for the use of both BMs in the differential diagnosis of DLB and AD is strong (phase 1) and that they allow a good discrimination ability (phase 2), but studies investigating BMs distribution antemortem and postmortem on pathology are lacking. Moreover, thresholds for test positivity have not been defined for I-123-MIBG. The 2 BMs have not been yet assessed in early phases of DLB and AD (phase 3). No phase 4 and phase 5 studies have so far been carried out. This review highlights the priorities to address in future investigations to enable the proper use of I-123- ioflupane and I-123-MIBG for the differential diagnosis of dementia. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Developing an automatic weeding system requires robust detection of the exact location of the crop to be protected from damage. Computer vision techniques can be an effective means of determining plant location. In this paper, a novel algorithm based on colour features and morphological erosion and dilation is proposed. This process segments cauliflower crop regions in the image from weeds and soil under natural illumination (cloudy, partially cloudy, and sunny). The proposed algorithm uses the HSV colour space for discriminating crop, weeds and soil. The region of interest (ROI) is defined by filtering each of the HSV channels between certain values (minimum and maximum threshold values). The region is then further refined by using a morphological erosion and dilation process. The moment method is applied to determine the position and mass distribution of objects in video sequences, as well as to track crops. The performance of the algorithm was assessed by comparing the obtained results with those of ground truth methods (manual annotation). A sensitivity of 98.91% and precision of 99.04% was achieved. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
BackgroundTwo important influences on students' evaluations of teaching are relationship and professor effects. Relationship effects reflect unique matches between students and professors such that some professors are unusually effective for some students, but not for others. Professor effects reflect inter-rater agreement that some professors are more effective than others, on average across students. AimsWe attempted to forecast students' evaluations of live lectures from brief, video-recorded teaching trailers. SampleParticipants were 145 college students (74% female) enrolled in introductory psychology courses at a public university in the Great Lakes region of the United States. MethodsStudents viewed trailers early in the semester and attended live lectures months later. Because subgroups of students viewed the same professors, statistical analyses could isolate professor and relationship effects. ResultsEvaluations were influenced strongly by relationship and professor effects, and students' evaluations of live lectures could be forecasted from students' evaluations of teaching trailers. That is, we could forecast the individual students who would respond unusually well to a specific professor (relationship effects). We could also forecast which professors elicited better evaluations in live lectures, on average across students (professor effects). Professors who elicited unusually good evaluations in some students also elicited better memory for lectures in those students. ConclusionsIt appears possible to forecast relationship and professor effects on teaching evaluations by presenting brief teaching trailers to students. Thus, it might be possible to develop online recommender systems to help match students and professors so that unusually effective teaching emerges.
Recently, Bernard et al. (2012) reported that a mirror task produced no differences for recognition rates of sexualized female stimuli that had been presented in upright vs. upside down orientations (based on acceptance of the null-hypothesis) whereas recognition rates for sexualized males were better in upright vs. upside down presentations. According to their sexualized-body-inversion hypothesis (SBIH) the authors concluded that male stimuli were processed configurally (i.e., person perception, amenable to stimulus presentation orientation) as opposed to female stimuli being perceived analytically (i.e., object perception, unimpaired by presentation mode). This research has been critized (Tarr, 2013; Schmidt and Kistemaker, 2015). Empirically, we have shown greater asymmetry in female vs. male stimuli to explain the original pattern of results. Utilizing the same design and stimuli subsets from :Bernard et al. (2012) we replicated their results but replication failed with stricter experimental control (counterbalancing of the original stimulus subsets) and with a newly developed symmetry-matched stimuli set (Schmidt and Kistemaker, 2015). We concluded that the original effect was dependent on two important boundary conditions in a task vulnerable to symmetry confounds between a) male and female stimuli and b) different stimulus subsets. This interpretation has been challenged (Bernard et al, 2015a).
The automatic design of synchronous reluctance (SyR) machines is considered in this paper by means of finite-element analysis and multiobjective optimization algorithms (MOOAs). The research focuses on the design of the rotor geometry, which is the key aspect of the SyR machine design. In particular, the performance of three popular MOOAs is analyzed and compared in terms of quality of the final design and computational time. A procedure to minimize the computational burden of the optimized design process is introduced and applied to a three-layer and a five layer rotor. Two prototypes experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of the design procedure.
Water transport from soils to the atmosphere is critical for plant growth and survival. However, we have a limited understanding about many portions of the whole-tree hydraulic pathway, because the vast majority of published information is on terminal branches. Our understanding of mature tree trunk hydraulic physiology, in particular, is limited. The hydraulic vulnerability segmentation hypothesis (HVSH) stipulates that distal portions of the plant (leaves, branches and roots) should be more vulnerable to embolism than trunks, which are nonredundant organs that require a massive carbon investment. In the current study, we compared vulnerability to loss of hydraulic function, leaf and xylem water potentials and the resulting hydraulic safety margins (in relation to the water potential causing 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity) in leaves, branches, trunks and roots of four angiosperms and four conifer tree species. Across all species, our results supported strongly the HVSH as leaves and roots were less resistant to embolism than branches or trunks. However, branches were consistently more resistant to embolism than any other portion of the plant, including trunks. Also, calculated whole-tree vulnerability to hydraulic dysfunction was much greater than vulnerability in branches. This was due to hydraulic dysfunction in roots and leaves at less negative water potentials than those causing branch or trunk dysfunction. Leaves and roots had narrow or negative hydraulic safety margins, but trunks and branches maintained positive safety margins. By using branch-based hydraulic information as a proxy for entire plants, much research has potentially overestimated embolism resistance, and possibly drought tolerance, for many species. This study highlights the necessity to reconsider past conclusions made about plant resistance to drought based on branch xylem only. This study also highlights the necessity for more research of whole-plant hydraulic physiology to better understand strategies of plant drought tolerance and the critical control points within the hydraulic pathway.
This work is the extended version of Alam,lou et al. (in: Tillich et al. (eds.) The 9th International workshop on coding and cryptography 2015 (WCC2015), 2015) which proposed the first code-based group signature. The new group signature scheme we present here has numerous advantages over all existing post-quantum constructions and even competes (in terms of properties) with pairing based constructions: it allows to add new members during the lifetime of the group (dynamic). Plus, it appears that our scheme might be extended into a traceable signature according to the definition of Kiayias et al. (in: Cachin and Camenisch (eds.) Advances in cryptology-EUROCRYPT 2004, 2004) (KTY model) while handling membership revocation. Our security is based on a relaxation of the model of Bellare et al. (in: Topics in cryptology-CT-RSA 2005, 2005) (BSZ model) verifying the properties of anonymity, traceability and non-frameability. The main idea of our scheme consists in building an offset collision of two syndromes associated to two different matrices: a random one which enables to build a random syndrome from a chosen small weight vector; and a trapdoor matrix for the syndrome decoding problem, which permits to find a small weight preimage of the previous random syndrome to which a fixed syndrome is added. These two small weight vectors will constitute the group member's secret signing key whose knowledge will be proved thanks to a variation of Stern's authentication protocol. For applications, we consider the case of the code-based CFS signature scheme (Nicolas in Advances in cryptology-ASIACRYPT 2001, 2001) of Courtois, Finiasz and Sendrier. If one denotes by N the number of group members, CFS leads to signatures and public keys sizes in . Along with this work, we also introduce a new kind of proof of knowledge, Testable weak Zero Knowledge (TwZK), implicitly covered in the short version of this paper (Alam,lou et al. in: Tillich et al. (eds.) The 9th international workshop on coding and cryptography 2015 (WCC2015), 2015). TwZK proofs appear particularly well fitted in the context of group signature schemes: it allows a verifier to test whether a specific witness is used without learning anything more from the proof. Under the random oracle model (ROM), we ensure the security of our scheme by defining the One More Syndrome Decoding problem, a new code-based problem related to the syndrome decoding problem (Berlekamp et al. in IEEE Trans Inf Theory 24(3):384-386, 1978).
Background. Fatty acids are substantial components of lipids and cell membranes in the form of phospholipids. This review consists of two parts. The present part aims at describing fatty acid classification, dietary sources and biological functions. The second part will focus on fatty acid physiological roles and applications in human health and disease. Results. In humans, not all fatty acids can be produced endogenously due to the absence of certain desaturases. Thus, specific fatty acids termed essential (linoleic, alpha-linolenic) need to be taken from the diet. Other fatty acids whose synthesis depends on essential fatty acid intake include eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, found in oily fish. Dietary sources of saturated fatty acids are animal products (butter, lard) and tropical plant oils (coconut, palm), whereas sources of unsaturated fatty acids are vegetable oils (such as olive, sunflower, and soybean oils) and marine products (algae and fish oils). Saturated fatty acids have been related to adverse health effects, whereas unsaturated fatty acids, especially monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated, are thought to be protective. In addition, trans fatty acids have been shown to have negative effects on health, whereas conjugated fatty acids might be beneficial. Lastly, fatty acids are the main components of lipid classes (triacylglycerols, phospholipids, cholesteryl esters, non-esterified fatty acids). Conclusion. Fatty acids are important biocompounds which take part in complex metabolic pathways, thus having major biological roles. They are obtained from various dietary sources which determine the type of fat consumed and consequently health outcome.
Stone columns have proved to be a useful technique for supporting flexible structures resting on soft soils. However, in the case of very soft soils, stone columns have encountered excessive settlements due to insufficient lateral resistance offered by the soft soil against bulging of the columns upon loading. The bulging may be reduced to a great extent by reinforcing the columns either by encasing them with geosynthetics or by placing horizontal circular discs of geosynthetics within the columns at a regular interval. In the present study, model tests have been carried out on long floating and end-bearing single and groups of columns with and without reinforcement to evaluate the relative improvement in the failure stress of the composite ground due to different types of reinforcement. The exhumed deformed column shapes were used to understand the failure mechanism for different types and configurations of reinforcement. The geogrid was the best geosynthetic type for encasement for end-bearing columns; for floating columns, geotextile and geogrid were equally good for horizontal circular discs and encasement configurations.
In the present work, the effect of nonlinear void reactivity on the dynamics of a simplified lumped parameter model for a boiling water reactor (BWR) is investigated. A mathematical model of five differential equations comprising of neutronics and thermal-hydraulics encompassing the nonlinearities associated with both the reactivity feedbacks and the heat transfer process has been used. To this end, we have considered parameters relevant to RBMK for which the void reactivity is known to be nonlinear. A nonlinear analysis of the model exploiting the method of multiple time scales (MMTS) predicts the occurrence of the two types of Hopf bifurcation, namely subcritical and supercritical, leading to the evolution of limit cycles for a range of parameters. Numerical simulations have been performed to verify the analytical results obtained by MMTS. The study shows that the nonlinear reactivity has a significant influence on the system dynamics. A parametric study with varying nominal reactor power and operating conditions in coolant channel has also been performed which shows the effect of change in concerned parameter on the boundary between regions of sub- and super-critical Hopf bifurcations in the space constituted by the two coefficients of reactivities viz. the void and the Doppler coefficient of reactivities. In particular, we find that introduction of a negative quadratic term in the void reactivity feedback significantly increases the supercritical region and dominates in determining the system dynamics. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The geotextile tubes are widely used as reef structures, with their crest below the Mean Sea Level. The requirement of the beach width is the main criterion to decide crest level of the nearshore reef structure. For greater depth placement, stacked tubes may be one of the alternative solutions. In certain circumstances, the geotextile tubes are also used right at the eroding coastline. It is well known that tubes placed abutting to the eroding coastline get damaged at an early age. This has been experienced at Devbag in Maharashtra, Candolim in Goa and Shankarpur Coast in West Bengal. However, geotextile tubes placed at the eroding coast & covered with sand or rubble protection; enhance the life of the structure. In case of Beach Nourishment project, the unsegmented row of tubes placed below MSL is useful for many purposes. It acts as an offshore reef & helps in attenuating the wave energy directly attacking the coastline, it traps the sediments during the downrush and also acts as a barrier to hold the nourished sand. Recurring periodic expenditure of the beach nourishment also decreases after the beach stabilization within 2-3 years. Experiences with geotextile tubes for coastal protection works in India are described in the paper. Pros and cons of the geotextile tubes placement, crest level decision, significance of the protection of fabric from UV rays etc. are discussed in details with a few case studies.
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are ancient organisms that cannot biosynthesize functional cytochromes, and cannot get ATP from respiration. Besides sugar fermentation, they evolved electrogenic decarboxylations and ATP-forming deiminations. The right balance between sugar fermentation and decarboxylation/deimination ensures buffered environments thus enabling LAB to survive in human gastric trait and colonize gut. A complex molecular cross-talk between LAB and host exists. LAB moonlight proteins are made in response to gut stimuli and promote bacterial adhesion to mucosa and stimulate immune cells. Similarly, when LAB are present, human enterocytes activate specific gene expression of specific genes only. Furthermore, LAB antagonistic relationships with other microorganisms constitute the basis for their anti-infective role. Histamine and tyramine are LAB bioactive catabolites that act on the CNS, causing hypertension and allergies. Nevertheless, some LAB biosynthesize both gamma-amino-butyrate (GABA), that has relaxing effect on gut smooth muscles, and beta-phenylethylamine, that controls satiety and mood. Since LAB have reduced amino acid biosynthetic abilities, they developed a sophisticated proteolytic system, that is also involved in antihypertensive and opiod peptide generation from milk proteins. Short-chain fatty acids are glycolytic and phosphoketolase end-products, regulating epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. Nevertheless, they constitute a supplementary energy source for the host, causing weight gain. Human metabolism can also be affected by anabolic LAB products such as conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Some CLA isomers reduce cancer cell viability and ameliorate insulin resistance, while others lower the HDL/LDL ratio and modify eicosanoid production, with detrimental health effects. A further appreciated LAB feature is the ability to fix selenium into seleno-cysteine. Thus, opening interesting perspectives for their utilization as antioxidant nutraceutical vectors.
In recent years, some research used classical and heavyweight encryption technology to realise data privacy and integrity protection in data aggregation of wireless sensor networks. The challenge is the balance between resource constraints and the complexity of the deployment. In this study, the authors proposed a lightweight and integrity-protecting oriented data aggregation scheme for wireless sensor networks (LIPDA) which has lightweight, secure and easy operability to preserve data privacy and integrity during data aggregation in wireless sensor network. First, a distance-based formation scheme of network topology is presented to balance the energy consumption of cluster heads. Then, a structure of complex number, which composes from the private factor of the nodes and the original data, is composed. The complex number is encrypted by additive homomorphic encryption method, which can realise the data aggregation without any decryption. Also, the reliability of data is ensured by using integrity verification method based on the complex operation. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme LIPDA can meet the requirement of privacy protection. Moreover, compared with related work, LIPDA has lower calculation, less traffic, higher accuracy and verifiable completeness.
Salix psammophila and Caragana korshinskii are two common shrubs in the southern Mu Us Desert, China. Their hydraulic strategies for adapting to this harsh, dry desert environment are not yet clear. This study examined the hydraulic transport efficiency, vulnerability to cavitation, and daily embolism refilling in the leaves and stems of these two shrubs during the dry season. In order to gain insight into water use strategies of whole plants, other related traits were also considered, including daily changes in stomatal conductance, leaf mass per area, leaf pressure-volume parameters, wood density and the Huber value. The leaves and stems of S. psammophila had greater hydraulic efficiency, but were more vulnerable to drought-induced hydraulic dysfunction than C. korshinskii. The difference between leaf and stem water potential at 50 % loss of conductivity was 0.12 MPa for S. psammophila and 0.81 MPa for C. korshinskii. Midday stomatal conductance decreased by 74 % compared to that at 8:30 in S. psammophila, whereas no change occurred in C. korshinskii. Daily embolism and refilling occurred in the stems of S. psammophila and leaves of C. korshinskii. These results suggest that a stricter stomatal regulation, daily embolism repair in stems, and a higher stem water capacitance could be partially compensating for the greater susceptibility to xylem embolism in S. psammophila, whereas higher leaf elastic modulus, greater embolism resistance in stems, larger difference between leaf and stem hydraulic safety, and drought-induced leaf shedding in C. korshinskii were largely responsible for its more extensive distribution in arid and desert steppes.
The effects of land use and land-use changes on river nutrient concentrations are not well understood, especially in the watersheds of developing countries that have a mixed land use of rice paddy fields and developing urban surfaces. Here, we present a three-year study of a paddy agricultural-urban area gradient watershed in southeast China. The annual anthropogenic nitrogen (N) input from the agricultural region to the urban region was high, yet the results showed that the monthly nutrient concentrations in the river were low in the rainy seasons. The nutrient concentrations decreased continuously as the river water passed through the traditional agriculture region (TAR; paddy rice and wheat rotation) and increased substantially in the city region (CR). The traditional agricultural reference region exported most of the nutrient loads at high flows (>1 mm d(-1)), the intensified agricultural region (IAR, aquaculture and poultry farming) exported most of the nutrient loads at moderate flows (between 0.5 and 1 mm d(-1)), and the CR reference area exported most of the nutrient loads under low to moderate flows. We developed a statistical model to link variations in the nutrient concentrations to the proportion of land-use types and rainfall. The statistical results showed that impervious surfaces, which we interpret as a proxy for urban activities including sewage disposal, were the most important drivers of nutrient concentrations, whereas water surfaces accounted for a substantial proportion of the nutrient sinks. Therefore, to efficiently reduce water pollution, sewage from urban areas must be addressed as a priority, although wet land restoration could also achieve substantial pollutant removal. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Efficiency improvement is of great significance for simulation-driven antenna design optimization methods based on evolutionary algorithms (EAs). The two main efficiency enhancement methods exploit data-driven surrogate models and/or multi-fidelity simulation models to assist EAs. However, optimization methods based on the latter either need ad hoc low-fidelity model setup or have difficulties in handling problems with more than a few design variables, which is a main barrier for industrial applications. To address this issue, a generalized three stage multi-fidelity simulation -model assisted antenna design optimization framework is proposed in this paper. The main ideas include introduction of a novel data mining stage handling the discrepancy between simulation models of different fidelities, and a surrogate-model-assisted combined global and local search stage for efficient high-fidelity simulation model-based optimization. This framework is then applied to SADEA, which is a state-ofthe-art surrogate-model-assisted antenna design optimization method, constructing SADEA-II. Experimental results indicate that SADEA-II successfully handles various discrepancy between simulation models and considerably outperforms SADEA in terms of computational efficiency while ensuring improved design quality. (C) 2016 Society for Computational Design and Engineering. Publishing Servies by Elsevier.
The demagnetization characteristics of the permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) are investigated using the finite elements method. This is done to resolve the partial demagnetisation of the PMSM rotor, resulting from the short-circuited magnetic field of the first turn of the phase belt (FTPB). This paper first introduces the electrical machine design parameters and winding construction, after which it establishes the PMSM model using Ansoft Maxwell software. The harmonic contents of the waveform are studied by investigating the magnetic flux density distributions before and after the short circuit fault, the varied trajectories of the flux densities of the reference points on the rotor permanent magnet (PM) located in different points, the no-load air-gap magnetic flux density, the electromagnetic torque of the PMSM, the three-phase currents, and the harmonic content of waveform. In addition, the reason why the FTPB is short-circuit is determined, which can provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis of the PMSM.
Reduced bone density and secondary osteoporosis, resulting in increased risk of fracture, is a significant complicating factor in the inflammatory arthritides. While the exact etiology of systemic bone loss is not fully elucidated, recent insights into the tumor necrosis factor super family (TNFSF) revealed a potential role for death receptor 3 (DR3/TNFRSF25) and one of its ligands, TNF-like protein 1A (TL1A/TNFSF15). The mechanisms by which DR3/TL1A signalling modulates bone loss are unclear. We investigated the effect of DR3/111A signalling upon osteoclast-dependent chemokine and MMP production to unravel novel mechanisms whereby this pathway regulates OC formation and OC-dependent bone resorption. Collagen induced arthritis (CIA) was established in DR3(wt) and DR3(ko) mice, joints were sectioned and analysed histologically for bone damage while systemic trabecular bone loss distal to the affected joints was compared by micro-CT. Ablation of DR3 protected DBA/1 mice against the development and progression of CIA. In DR3(ko), joints of the ankle and mid-foot were almost free of bone erosions and long bones of mice with CIA were protected against systemic trabecular bone loss. In vitro, expression of DR3 was confirmed on primary human CD14(+) osteoclast precursors by flow cytometry. These cells were treated with TL1A in osteoclast differentiation medium and TRAP(+) osteoclasts, bone resorption, levels of osteoclast-associated chemokines (CCL3, CCL2 and CXCL8) and MMP-9 measured. TL1A intensified human osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption and increased osteoclast-associated production of CCL3 and MMP-9. Our data reveals the DR3 pathway as an attractive therapeutic target to combat adverse bone pathology associated with inflammatory arthritis. We demonstrate that DR3 is critical in the pathogenesis of murine CIA and associated secondary osteoporosis. Furthermore, we identify a novel mechanism by which the DR3/111A pathway directly enhances human OC formation and resorptive activity, controlling expression and activation of CCL3 and MMP-9. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Transactional sex refers to the commodification of the body in exchange for shelter, food, and other goods and needs. Transactional sex has been associated with negative health outcomes including HIV infection, psychological distress, and substance use and abuse. Compared with the body of research examining transactional sex among women, less is known about the prevalence and correlates of transactional sex among men. Using data from a cross-sectional survey of young men who have sex with men (ages 18-29) living in the Detroit Metro Area (N = 357; 9% HIV infected; 49% Black, 26% White, 16% Latino, 9% Other race), multivariate logistic regression analyses examined the association between transactional sex with regular and casual partners and key psychosocial factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, education, poverty, relationship status, HIV status, prior sexually transmitted infections [STIs], mental health, substance use, and residential instability) previously identified in the transactional sex literature. Forty-four percent of the current sample reported engaging in transactional sex. Transactional sex was associated with age, employment status, relationship status, and anxiety symptoms. When stratified, transactional sex with a regular partner was associated with age, educational attainment, employment status, relationship status, anxiety, and alcohol use. Transactional sex with a casual partner was associated with homelessness, race/ethnicity, employment status, and hard drug use. The implications of these findings for HIV/STI prevention are discussed, including the notion that efforts to address HIV/STIs among young men who have sex with men may require interventions to consider experiences of transactional sex and the psychosocial contexts that may increase its likelihood.
Purpose: The vestibular system is the part of the inner ear responsible for balance. Vertigo and dizziness are generally caused by vestibular disorders and are very common symptoms in people over 60 years old. One of the most efficient treatments at the moment is vestibular rehabilitation, permitting to improve the symptoms. However, this rehabilitation therapy is a highly empirical process, which needs to be enhanced and better understood. Methods: This work studies the vestibular system using an alternative computational approach. Thus, part of the vestibular system is simulated with a three dimensional numerical model. Then, for the first time using a combination of two discretization techniques (the finite element method and the smoothed particle hydrodynamics method), it is possible to simulate the transient behavior of the fluid inside one of the canals of the vestibular system. Results: The obtained numerical results are presented and compared with the available literature. The fluid/solid interaction in the model occurs as expected with the methods applied. The results obtained with the semicircular canal model, with the same boundary conditions, are similar to the solutions obtained by other authors. Conclusions: The numerical technique presented here represents a step forward in the biomechanical study of the vestibular system, which in the future will allow the existing rehabilitation techniques to be improved.
This paper provides an overview of the development and implementation of a three-year industrially supported Sports Technology Bachelor Degree Programme (with an optional placement year in industry) from within the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University, UK. The paper describes how engagement between course providers, industry and students has been encouraged and integrated into the curriculum. It is highlighted that the degree programme has flourished as a direct result of the already strong research activities in this area. Attention is given to the structure and content of the programme, links and discussions held with the sporting goods industry and the aspirations and career destinations of students and graduates. We have initiated many industry activities and believe that this is a key factor in attracting increasing student numbers. Examples include, one-year student placements in industry, industry sponsorship of undergraduate projects, extensive donations of equipment for teaching purposes, ongoing input from a departmental industry advisory board and a programme steering group that includes senior industry, academic and sports governing body representatives. In addition, industry are involved directly in teaching which includes visiting lectures, site visits and factory tours. Emphasis is given to how the needs of industry have been accommodated and how industrial support was sought and subsequently integrated into the programme. Insights gained from student feedback forms are discussed It is hoped that the paper will be of interest to others operating similar programmes and perhaps more importantly to those currently considering how to work co-operatively with industry to enhance engineering education for undergraduate students.
Cercospora leaf spot caused by Cercospora beticola is a significant threat to the production of sugar and table beet worldwide. A de novo genome assembly of C beticola was used to develop eight polymorphic and reproducible microsatellite markers for population genetic analyses. These markers were used, along with five previously described microsatellite loci to genotype two C beticola populations from table beet fields in New York, USA. High allelic and genotypic diversity and low population differentiation were found between fields, Linkage disequilibrium of loci after clone-correction of datasets was attributed to the presence of two distinct clonal lineages within the populations. Linkage equilibrium of loci in one of the clusters supported the presence of sexual reproduction. The draft de novo genome assembly will help elucidate the reproductive system of C. beticola through investigating evidence of recombination in the C beticola genome. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
The smart home field has witnessed rapid developments in recent years. Internet of Things applications for the smart home are very heterogeneous and continuously increasing in number, making user management from a security perspective very challenging. Moreover, the resource-constrained nature of most of the devices implies that any security mechanisms deployed should be lightweight and highly efficient. In this article, we propose an authentication scheme based on symmetric key cryptography, combined with a capability-based access control system, to provide the different stakeholders (residents, recurring guests, or temporary guests) end-to-end secure access to the Internet of Things devices in a smart home, managed by the home owner in an anonymous way. The operations in our scheme only include a small number of communication phases and protect the identities of the entities involved (i.e. stakeholders and end-nodes) from any outside entity. The proposed scheme ensures that even if the stakeholder's device or the Internet of Things device is attacked, the system remains secure.
Predicting building damage due to subsidence phenomena is a great challenge in the field of risk management, and moreover in the process of disaster risk reduction. The proposed damage assessment integrates measurements obtained from satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations with a semiempirical model, which schematizes buildings as equivalent laminated beams. The importance of each of the parameters involved in the semiempirical method has been evaluated to understand the applicability of the model in different urban contexts. SAR monitoring and structural modeling have been connected to investigate a densely urban area, the southern part of the city of Rome. Information obtained from the two fields allowed for the generation of risk maps.
Humans diagnosed with alcohol use disorder are more sensitive to painful stimuli during withdrawal, which suggests that excessive alcohol drinking worsens pain outcomes. Alcohol-dependent rats exhibit increases in nociceptive sensitivity during withdrawal. Data from animal models suggest that brain melanocortin-4 receptors (MC4Rs) mediate alcohol drinking and nociception. Here we tested: (1) the effect of alcohol dependence on thermal nociception in rats, and (2) the ability of acute alcohol and (3) MC4R antagonists to reverse hyperalgesia during withdrawal in alcohol-dependent rats. Rats were trained to self-administer operant alcohol and were tested for baseline thermal nociception. Half of the rats were made dependent on alcohol, then all rats were cannulated in the lateral ventricle. We tested the effects of acute alcohol drinking, acute fixed-dose alcohol, intra-ventricular agouti-related protein (endogenous MC4R antagonist), intra-ventricular HS014 (synthetic MC4R antagonist) and intra-nasal HS014 on hyperalgesia during withdrawal in alcohol-dependent rats, relative to non-dependent drinkers and alcohol-naive controls. Alcohol-dependent rats exhibit thermal hyperalgesia that is abolished by alcohol drinking, bolus alcohol and intra-ventricular and intra-nasal MC4R antagonists. These manipulations did not affect thermal nociception in non-dependent drinkers and alcohol-naive controls, suggesting that alcohol dependence produces neuroadaptations in brain MC4R systems. These results suggest that brain MC4R systems may be an effective therapeutic target for reducing nociception in the alcohol-dependent organism.
Social network analysis has become a prominent tool to study animal social life, and there is an increasing need to develop new systems to collect social information automatically, systematically, and reliably. Here we explore the use of a freely accessible Automated Learning Device for Monkeys (ALDM) to collect such social information on a group of 22 captive baboons (Papio papio). We compared the social network obtained from the co-presence of the baboons in ten ALDM testing booths to the social network obtained through standard behavioral observation techniques. The results show that the co-presence network accurately reflects the social organization of the group, and also indicate under which conditions the co-presence network is most informative. In particular, the best correlation between the two networks was obtained with a minimum of 40 days of computer records and for individuals with at least 500 records per day. We also show through random permutation tests that the observed correlations go beyond what would be observed by simple synchronous activity, to reflect a preferential choice of closely located testing booths. The use of automatized cognitive testing therefore presents a new way of obtaining a large and regular amount of social information that is necessary to develop social network analysis. It also opens the possibility of studying dynamic changes in network structure with time and in relation to the cognitive performance of individuals.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is characterized by severely elevated low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Herein, we identified an FH patient presenting novel compound heterozygote mutations R410S and G592E of the LDL receptor (LDLR). The patient responded modestly to maximum rosuvastatin plus ezetimibe therapy, even in combination with a PCSK9 monoclonal antibody injection. Using cell biology and molecular dynamics simulations, we aimed to define the underlying mechanism(s) by which these LDLR mutations affect LDL metabolism and lead to hypercholesterolemia. Our data showed that the LDLR-G592E is a class 2b mutant, because it mostly failed to exit the endoplasmic reticulum and was degraded. Even though LDLR-R410S and LDLR-WT were similar in levels of cell surface and total receptor and bound equally well to LDL or extracellular PCSK9, the LDLR-R410S was resistant to exogenous PCSK9-mediated degradation in endosomes/lysosomes and showed reduced LDL internalization and degradation relative to LDLR-WT. Evidence is provided for a tighter association of LDL with LDLR-R410S at acidic pH, a reduced LDL delivery to late endosomes/lysosomes, and an increased release in the medium of the bound/internalized LDL, as compared with LDLR-WT. These data suggested that LDLR-R410S recycles loaded with its LDL-cargo. Our findings demonstrate that LDLR-R410S represents an LDLR loss-of-function through a novel class 8 FH-causing mechanism, thereby rationalizing the observed phenotype.
Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common chronic disease among children. To characterize the disease, a modified classification of severity (m-ARIA) has recently been validated in AR children. When medical treatment fails, surgery for nasal obstructive disorders (NOD) may be a therapeutic option. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of NOD and their influence in medical treatment response among children with persistent AR (PER). Methods: In a prospective, real-life study, 130 paediatric PER patients (13.1 +/- 2.8years, females 31.5%, severe rhinitis 49%) referred from Allergy to ENT department were assessed for their response (R, responders; NR, non-responders) to medical treatment (intranasal steroids and antihistamines or antileukotrienes) by direct questioning and nasal symptom visual analogue scale, the presence of NOD (septal deformity, turbinate enlargement and adenoidal hyperplasia), comorbidities, nasal symptoms, rhinitis severity (modified ARIA criterion) and asthma control (International Consensus On Pediatric Asthma criterion). Results: After 2months of treatment, the NR group presented a higher prevalence of obstructive septal deformity and severe inferior turbinate enlargement when compared with the R group. Higher septal deformity and turbinate enlargement scores were strongly associated with treatment refractoriness. The prevalence of severe PER was also higher for the NR group. Higher asthma control scores were associated with the probability of treatment-induced improvement. Conclusions: In paediatric PER patients, medical therapy refractoriness was associated with NOD, mainly septal deformity and turbinate enlargement. In those patients, ENT examination will facilitate an early NOD diagnosis in order to indicate potential corrective surgery.
An analytical method for the determination of beta-hydroxyethoxyacetic acid (HEAA), the main urinary metabolite of 1,4-dioxane was developed and validated. The presented method involves liquid-liquid extraction of HEM from the urine samples, followed by silylation and subsequent analytical separation and detection using GC-MS. The method is characterized by its simple and fast sample preparation in combination with a robust chromatography. The use of isotope dilution analysis enables an efficient compensation of matrix related effects and analyte losses due to sample workup. The excellent reliability and reproducibility of the method is demonstrated by the good accuracy and precision data. Within-day precision and day-to-day precision ranged from 0.6 to 1.2% and 1.5 to 2.6%, respectively. The mean relative recovery of the method was found to be 98-101%. The LOD and LOQ of HEM were determined to be 0.2 mg/L and 0.6 mg/L, respectively. In summary, the presented analytical method is well suited to be used for routine biomonitoring of occupational exposure to 1,4-dioxane. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We propose an approach for designing, formalizing and implementing, on top of existing MultiAgent Systems and without interfering with them, sentinels that detect errors in fail-uncontrolled multiagent systems, and controllers that identify particular situations in ambient intelligence (AmI) systems. The formalism we use for representing the expected patterns of actions is that of trace expressions extended with features for dealing with exceptions, timeouts, and their handlers. In this paper we provide the syntax and semantics of the extended trace expressions formalism and examples of their use, in the different contexts of fail-uncontrolled and AmI systems.
Due to increased regulations concerning urban stormwater runoff, stormwater control measures (SCMs) such as bioretention, ponds, and constructed stormwater wetlands, are becoming a more common feature of urban and periurban landscapes. The water quality and hydrologic benefits of SCMs are generally well-documented, and planning tools are available to optimize water quality benefits with economic costs of SCM construction and maintenance. Given rising interest in and potential for regulation of carbon emissions, a planning tool that allows for estimation of carbon emissions associated with SCM construction and maintenance is also a relevant pursuit. The objective of this work was to present a framework by which carbon emissions attributable to SCMs and conveyances could be predicted. This method was then applied to present a comparison of the carbon footprint of eight common SCMs and three stormwater conveyance types. The carbon embodied in construction materials represented a prominent part of the carbon footprint for green roofs, permeable pavement, sand filters, rainwater harvesting systems, and reinforced concrete pipes while material transport and construction dominated that of bioretention systems, ponds, wetlands, level spreader-grassed filter strips and concrete-lined swales. Despite accounting for sequestration by vegetation in these systems, only stormwater wetlands and grassed swales were predicted to store more carbon than what was released through construction and maintenance. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This work addresses the creation of a development framework where application developers can create, in a natural way, immersive physical activities where users experience a 3D first-person perception of full body control. The proposed framework is based on commercial motion sensors and a Head-Mounted Display (HMD), and a uses Unity 3D as a unifying environment where user pose, virtual scene and immersive visualization functions are coordinated. Our proposal is exemplified by the development of a toy application showing its practical use.
Simulation of crowds demands coping with scalability and performance issues that are not usually well supported by general purpose agent based simulation toolkits. On the other side, the use of agent models provides a great degree of flexibility in the specification of the behaviour of the entities and their interactions. The agent architecture that is presented in this work addresses both types of requirements, by taking advantage of the characteristics of its specific problem domain: the simulation of crowds in indoor environments. Several algorithms are implemented to improve the efficiency of the management of a high number of agents in order to cope with the performance in the processing of their movements and their representation. At the same time, different models are supported to specify decision making of the agents in order to allow rich behaviours. Agents can represent different types of entities such as people, sensors and actuators. This is illustrated with a realistic case study of the evacuation of the building of our Faculty of Computer Science, where different types of human behaviours are modelled in this kind of situations.
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is traditionally sown in field without ridge and furrow, in rain-fed semi-arid areas of Northwest China, and forage yields are normally low because of drought, water loss and soil erosion. A field study was conducted to determine (I) Monthly runoff efficiency and threshold rainfall for different ridge widths (30,45 and 60 cm), and mulched with different materials (common plastic film, bio-degradable mulching film and manually compacted soil); and (2) the effects of different ridge-furrow ratios (30:60,45:60 and 60:60) and ridge-mulching materials on soil water storage, topsoil temperature, forage yields, and water use efficiency (WUE) of Alfalfa in ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting (RFRWH) system, during 2 consecutive years: 2012 and 2013. Average monthly runoff efficiency over these 2 years, was 16%, 18%, 19%, 65%, 71%, 77%, 70%, 72% and 79% for SR30, SR45, SR60, BMR30, BMR45, BMR50, CMR30, CMR45 and CMR60 (SR, BMR and CMR were ridges with manually compacted soil, mulched with bio-degradable mulch film and common plastic film, respectively, and subscripts 30,45 and 60 refer to ridge widths (cm) all with 60 6-11 furrow width), respectively. For the same treatments, threshold rainfall was 4.3, 4.3, 4.2, 3.0, 2.9, 2.8, 2.9, 2.9 and 2.8 mm. The field experiment showed that ridge mulching materials and ridge widths had distinct effects on topsoil temperature at ridge tops, but not at furrow bottoms. Soil water storage in 140 cm soil depth at furrow bottoms increased with increasing ridge width and in the order of CMR approximate to BMR>SR>FP. Average annual total forage yields for FP, SR, BMR and CMR were 6276, 5642, 7563 and 7817 kg ha(-1), respectively, over 2 years. The total precipitation in both years was higher than average of rainfall, leading to significant decreases of forage yields for SR, and significant increases of forage yields for BMR and CMR. Compared with FP, average forage yields decreased by 3%, 10% and 17% for SR30, SR45 and SR60, and increased by 27%, 21%, 13%, 32%, 26% and 16% for BMR30, BMR45, BMR50, CMR30, CMR45 and CMR60, respectively, over 2 years. WUE for SR, BMR and CMR was 1.69, 1.74 and 1.74 times greater than that for FP over 2 years, and increased with decreasing ridge width. Optimum furrow width was 35-36 cm for CMR and BMR in the RFRWH system with 60 cm width furrows for Alfalfa production in this region. Future study is needed to investigate optimum ridge-furrow ratio and suitable ridge-mulching material for achieving the best environmental and economic benefit under different climatic conditions, soil types and plant species, and using bio-degradable mulching materials. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The changing land use due to rapid urbanization has profound impact on the runoff in urban watersheds. The spatial analysis in urban watersheds is felt necessary for management of surface and subsurface water regimes. Significant increase in impervious zones was observed in Nagpur urban watersheds between 2000 and 2012 having impacts on runoff, and even flash floods were observed. This study presents spatial and temporal impacts of change in urban built-up area on curve number (CN) and runoff during the years 2000 and 2012. The study also analyzes effect of slope on CN values and shows that CN increases with slope. High-resolution satellite images were used to map impervious surface areas (ISAs) which show an increase of 0.9 to 34 % during 2000-2012. Spearman's and Pearson's coefficients have been generated to establish relationship between runoff, impervious surface areas, vegetation index, slope, and runoff coefficient. It has been hypothetically assumed that if 100, 50, and 25 % rooftop rainwater harvesting is considered, the estimated runoff reduces in 2012 as compared to the year 2000. The study suggests that increase in impervious areas within urban watersheds can be utilized for groundwater augmentation adopting rooftop rainwater-harvesting techniques and to prevent flash floods.
Objective: In recent decades, alexithymia has been considered a risk factor for multiple somatic and psychiatric conditions. Yet, whereas alexithymia has been extensively studied in adults with a substance misuse, only one study has reported data on cannabis abusers from the general population. Hence, our main objective was to explore alexithymia in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking young outpatients with a DSM-IV cannabis dependence or abuse diagnosis compared to controls. Methods: 120 young patients (95 males - mean age 17.9 years (SD = 2.8; 14 to 25)) with a cannabis dependence or abuse (DSM-IV-TR criteria evaluated with the MINI), seeking treatment in an addiction unit, and 110 healthy control subjects (77 males - mean age 18.2 years (SD = 3.4; 14 to 25)) participated in the study. They completed a battery of self-reports measuring alexithymia (TAS-20; BVAQ-B), depression (BDI-13) and state and trait anxiety (STAI). Results: 35.3% of cannabis users were alexithymic, and logistic regression analysis showed that the alexithymic components of difficulties identifying and describing feelings combined with trait anxiety predicted group membership. Conclusion: This first study on young cannabis abusers and dependent subjects further emphasizes the importance of considering the affective style, and particularly the anxious temperament and alexithymia features, as factors associated with substance misuse during late adolescence. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Reliable and scalable Ambient Intelligence means a distributed system of agents that are capable of working together or autonomously, depending on the requirements of the situation. In previous research we have argued in favor of the use of a representation for context information that can be distributed among agents, so that each agent knows only the information that is relevant to its activity. Recognizing interesting information or relevant situations is done by using context patterns - graph patterns with potentially unknown nodes and edges labeled with regular expressions. In this context, a major challenge is for agents to use a graph matching algorithm that is adequate to the possibilities of the devices on which the agents are running. Moreover, it is necessary that the algorithm is able to provide partial matches. This paper presents an algorithm specifically designed for this problem, that uses growing partial matches to obtain the maximum sub-graph of the context graph that matches (part of) the context pattern. Experiments were performed with the algorithm and its performance has been compared with that of other algorithms adapted to our problem.
This study is linked to research into narrative persuasion and the techniques used to reduce rejection of stigmatized groups. Upper-secondary school students were assigned to one of two conditions: viewing a film that arouses empathy toward immigrants or seeing a film that underscores positive intergroup contact. One month before viewing the films the participants completed the Modern Racism Scale. After they viewed the films, researchers measured their identification with ingroup and outgroup characters and their attitudes toward immigration. Results showed that viewing the empathyarousing film caused greater identification with the outgroup characters, which in turn induced more positive attitudes toward immigration, but only when previous prejudice was low or moderate. We discuss findings in the context of narrative persuasion research.
Capturing visual human-centered information is a fundamental input source for effective and successful human-robot interaction (HRI) in dynamic multi-party social settings. Torso and head pose, as forms of nonverbal communication, support the derivation people's focus of attention, a key variable in the analysis of human behaviour in HRI paradigms encompassing social aspects. Towards this goal, we have developed a model-based approach for torso and head pose estimation to overcome key limitations in free-form interaction scenarios and issues of partial intra-and inter-person occlusions. The proposed approach builds up on the concept of Top View Re-projection (TVR) to uniformly treat the respective body parts, modelled as cylinders. For each body part a number of pose hypotheses is sampled from its configuration space. Each pose hypothesis is evaluated against the a scoring function and the hypothesis with the best score yields for the assumed pose and the location of the joints. A refinement step on head pose is applied based on tracking facial patch deformations to compute for the horizontal off-plane rotation. The overall approach forms one of the core component of a vision system integrated in a robotic platform that supports socially appropriate, multi-party, multimodal interaction in a bartending scenario. Results in the robot's environment during real HRI experiments with varying number of users attest for the effectiveness of our approach.
A new procedure to extract the parameters of mathematical models that describe charge flow phenomena through thin dielectrics is proposed for characterizing undesirable leakage current mechanisms in modern MOSFETs' gates. The procedure's basis is the small signal conductance-to-current ratio of the I-V characteristics. It is an alternative to, and has advantages over, the other presently used methods that extract those models' parameters from the slope and intercept of phenomenon-specific linear plots. In contrast, this is a generic method that may be directly applied to the I-V characteristics, regardless of the specific leakage mechanism involved. The procedure inherently reduces by one the number of unknowns that needs to be determined during numerical optimization. In addition, it does not require, as other traditional methods do, a prior knowledge of the exact relationship between the applied voltage and the effective internal electric field strength, which in this case is determined together with the other parameters. The procedure is illustrated by three examples with different kinds of data: mathematically synthesized, Computer Aided Design simulated, and experimentally measured leakage I-V characteristics of MOS capacitors.
BackgroundZirconia abutments were introduced to restore esthetic regions and showed sufficient stability to support implant restorations. Nonetheless, to date the observation periods are shorter than those of titanium abutments. PurposeTo assess the survival of implant crowns supported by computer aided design-computer aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) abutments after 3 years. Materials and MethodsFifty-six patients were selected for this prospective clinical study. Each patient received at least 1 titanium implant for a total of 89 fixtures. A two-stage surgical technique and no additional soft or hard tissue graft were used. The implants were randomly divided into 3 groups receiving different CAD-CAM abutments: titanium, titanium nitride, and zirconia. Zirconia or metal-ceramic crowns were used as final restorations. Cementation was the baseline and the restorations were checked after 6 months, 1, 2, and 3 years, assessing any mechanical complication. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the 3-year success rates. ResultsFive failures were reported in the zirconia group; all the failed restorations showed fractures of the abutment connection. Four failures occurred in posterior regions and one more occurred while screwing the abutment. Titanium and titanium nitride abutments had significantly higher 3-year success rates than zirconia abutments (p<.05). ConclusionsAtlantis titanium and titanium nitride abutments showed optimal clinical performances after 3 years. Conversely, Atlantis zirconia abutments should be avoided to restore posterior regions.
A unique feature of adolescent social re-orientation is heightened sensitivity to peer influence when taking risks. However, positive peer influence effects are not yet well understood. The present fMRI study tested a novel hypothesis, by examining neural correlates of prosocial peer influence on donation decisions in adolescence. Participants ( age 12-16 years; N - 61) made decisions in anonymous groups about the allocation of tokens between themselves and the group in a public goods game. Two spectator groups of same-age peers-in fact youth actors-were allegedly online during some of the decisions. The task had a within-subjects design with three conditions: ( 1) Evaluation: spectators evaluated decisions with likes for large donations to the group, ( 2) Spectator: spectators were present but no evaluative feedback was displayed and ( 3) Alone: no spectators nor feedback. Results showed that prosocial behavior increased in the presence of peers, and even more when participants received evaluative feedback from peers. Peer presence resulted in enhanced activity in several social brain regions including medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction ( TPJ), precuneus and superior temporal sulcus. TPJ activity correlated with donations, which suggests similar networks for prosocial behavior and sensitivity to peers. These findings highlight the importance of peers in fostering prosocial development throughout adolescence.
BackgroundEmotional lability (EL) is frequent in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is associated with more frequent comorbidities and more severe impairment. However, little research has investigated the association between EL, ADHD and comorbid symptoms in preschoolers. This study assessed dimensional EL in preschoolers and its link with ADHD symptoms (e.g. hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention) and behavioural and emotional problems (e.g. aggression and anxiety). MethodOne hundred and fifty-four preschoolers aged 3-6years old were rated on questionnaires by parents. EL was assessed with the index from the Conners Rating Scale-Revised and behavioural and emotional problems with an adapted version of the Social Behavior Questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions analyses were conducted. ResultsHigher EL was associated with higher hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, anxiety and aggression problems. After controlling for other behavioural and emotional problems and sociodemographic variables, EL remained associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity and anxiety. ConclusionsEmotional lability seems to be a potential marker for ADHD symptoms with internalizing problems in preschoolers and could be a target for diagnosis and early interventions. This finding should be treated with caution as the study was limited by the low response rate of the participants and consequently the small sample size.
Laboratory experiments were conducted in order to investigate the effectiveness of a new scour countermeasure consisting of a horizontal extension plate (EP) downstream of a gated spillway-stilling basin structure. These experiments were performed on a 1:30 scale model of one of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) gated spillway structures, the S65E gated spillway, because it has experienced worrisome downstream scour. Currently, riprap is the only scour countermeasure documented for these structures. EPs of various lengths were installed downstream of the stilling basin, and the equilibrium scour was measured. It was found that a plate length of approximately 1.88 times the exiting flow depth was the shortest length that resulted in significant scour reduction and downstream scour translation. Measured flow patterns reveal that the EP altered the flow patterns by transferring the plunging flow downstream and eliminating the near-bed reattachment and surface recirculation, possibly due to a decreased interaction between the plunging flow and the stilling basin face.
The G protein coupled receptor 119 is an exciting and promising target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, three dimensional quantitative structure activity relationships i.e. a comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular field analysis region focusing have been carried out on a novel series of G protein coupled receptor 119 agonists. A quality pharmacophore model was built by Hip-Hop algorithm. The best pharmacophore model indicated which feature of hydrogen-bond acceptor and hydrophobic existed around active compounds. As the quality of the pharmacophore model is satisfactory, it was utilized to search the ZINC database for a virtual screening task. The obtained compounds subjected to Lipinski filter at first, were docked with Gold algorithm to discover potent hits. The energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (gap) implies high reactivity of the most active molecule in the active site of protein. In addition, the molecular electrostatic potential energy at density functional theory level confirms the results from molecular docking. In silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion and toxicity risk assessment analysis were carried out on the seven hits with the highest Gold score fitness. Six of the new hits from virtual screening had diverse structures and are reported as new scaffold candidates for G protein coupled receptor 119 agonists.
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated peripheral neuropathy of unknown cause. However, about a quarter of GBS patients have suffered a recent bacterial or viral infection, and axonal forms of the disease are especially common in these patients. Proteomics is a good methodological approach for the discovery of disease biomarkers. Until recently, most proteomics studies of GBS and other neurodegenerative diseases have focused on the analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, serum represents an attractive alternative to CSF because it is easier to sample and has potential for biomarker discovery. The goal of this research was the identification of serum biomarkers associated with recovery from GBS. To address this objective, a quantitative proteomics approach was used to characterize differences in the serum proteome between a GBS patient and her healthy identical twin in order to lessen variations due to differences in genetic background, and with additional serum samples collected from unrelated GBS (N = 3) and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) (N = 3) patients with similar medications. Proteomics results were then validated by ELISA using sera from additional GBS patients (N = 5) and healthy individuals (N = 3). All GBS and SCI patients were recovering from the acute phase of the disease. The results showed that Piccolo, a protein that is essential in the maintenance of active zone structure, constitutes a potential serological correlate of recovery from GBS. These results provided the first evidence for the Piccolo's putative role in GBS, suggesting a candidate target for developing a serological marker of disease recovery.
Single-cell biology is considered a new approach to identify and validate disease-specific biomarkers. However, the concern raised by clinicians is how to apply single-cell measurements for clinical practice, translate the message of single-cell systems biology into clinical phenotype or explain alterations of single-cell gene sequencing and function in patient response to therapies. This study is to address the importance and necessity of single-cell gene sequencing in the identification and development of disease-specific biomarkers, the definition and significance of single-cell biology and single-cell systems biology in the understanding of single-cell full picture, the development and establishment of whole-cell models in the validation of targeted biological function and the figure and meaning of single-molecule imaging in single cell to trace intra-single-cell molecule expression, signal, interaction and location. We headline the important role of single-cell biology in the discovery and development of disease-specific biomarkers with a special emphasis on understanding single-cell biological functions, e.g. mechanical phenotypes, single-cell biology, heterogeneity and organization of genome function. We have reason to believe that such multi-dimensional, multi-layer, multi-crossing and stereoscopic single-cell biology definitely benefits the discovery and development of disease-specific biomarkers.
This paper proposes a novel design for variable-flux machines with Alnico magnets. The proposed design uses tangentially magnetized magnets to achieve high air-gap flux density and to avoid demagnetization by the armature field. Barriers are also inserted in the rotor to limit the armature flux and to allow the machine to utilize both reluctance and magnet torque components. An analytical procedure is first applied to obtain the initial machine design parameters. Then, several modifications are applied to the stator and rotor designs through finite-element analysis (FEA) simulations to improve machine efficiency and torque density. A prototype of the proposed design is built, and the experimental results are in good correlation with the FEA simulations, confirming the validity of the proposed machine design concept.
A new gear set consisting of a planar noncircular gear and a specific face gear called undulating face gear is presented, which are able to transmit varying angular velocity. Based on the kinematics of planar noncircular pinion and rack, the formation mechanism of pitch curves of the undulating face gear is given, with the continuous transmission condition of the gear set discussed. Tooth surfaces of the undulating face gear are enveloped by the teeth of a shaper cutter when its pitch circle rolls on the pitch curve of the undulating face gear without sliding. According to the spatial meshing theory, the mathematical model of the face gear tooth surface is built. The phenomenon of tooth undercutting and tip-cutting of the face gear is investigated through three-dimensional machine design software to obtain its minimum inner radius and maximum outer radius. Furthermore, a computer program is developed to calculate the data of the face gear tooth surface and a motion simulation of the gear set without undercutting and tip-cutting is made, which is able to illustrate validity and correctness of the design theory. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Development of renewable power generation systems (RPGSs) is continually increasing worldwide with Germany, China, Japan, Italy and the USA are the leaders contributing to the largest, development in each region. Due to the increasing number of RPGSs connected to the utility grid, power quality, safe operation, and islanding protection of RPGSs are becoming important issues, among others. One of the most important elements is the current control technique that must meet the requirements for grid interconnection according to international standards and practices. The RPGS itself must be safe and highly efficient for reliable and secure grid interconnection operations. This paper presents a review of the state-of-the-art of the current control techniques for three-phase grid-interconnection of RPGSs. Several current control architectures, their operations including advantages and disadvantages were discussed. Performance comparison and evaluation of several controllers were also reviewed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
It has been shown in vitro that only specific dietary fibers contribute to immunity, but studies in vivo are not conclusive. Here, we investigated degree of polymerization (DP) dependent effects of beta 2 ->1-fructans on immunity via microbiota-dependent and-independent effects. To this end, conventional or germ-free mice received short-or long-chain beta 2 ->1-fructan for 5 days. Immune cell populations in the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), and Peyer's patches (PPs) were analyzed with flow cytometry, genome-wide gene expression in the ileum was measured with microarray, and gut microbiota composition was analyzed with 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples. We found that beta 2 ->1-fructans modulated immunity by both microbiota and microbiota-independent effects. Moreover, effects were dependent on the chain-length of the beta 2 ->1-fructans type polymer. Both short-and long-chain beta 2 ->1-fructans enhanced T-helper 1 cells in PPs, whereas only short-chain beta 2 ->1-fructans increased regulatory T cells and CD11b(-)CD103(-)dendritic cells (DCs) in the MLN. A common feature after short-and long-chain beta 2 ->1-fructan treatment was enhanced 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase 2 expression and other IL-22-dependent genes in the ileum of conventional mice. These effects were not associated with shifts in gut microbiota composition, or altered production of short-chain fatty acids. Both short-and long-chain beta 2 ->1-fructans also induced immune effects in germ-free animals, demonstrating direct effect independent from the gut microbiota. Also, these effects were dependent on the chain-length of the beta 2 ->1-fructans. Short-chain beta 2 ->1-fructan induced lower CD80 expression by CD11b(-)CD103(-) DCs in PPs, whereas long-chain beta 2 ->1-fructan specifically modulated B cell responses in germ-free mice. In conclusion, support of immunity is determined by the chemical structure of beta 2 ->1-fructans and is partially microbiota independent.
This paper presents a study of the influence of the geotextile encasement on the behaviour of soft soils improved with fully penetrating encased columns. This influence is analysed by means of measuring soil column stress distribution, pore pressures and soil deformation during the consolidation process. For this purpose, a horizontal slice of a representative unit cell has been analysed by means of small-scale laboratory tests. The tests were carried out in a large instrumented Rowe-Barden oedometric cell. Results showed that the vertical stress supported by encased columns is about 1.7 times that sustained by the non-encased ones. The stress concentration factor for encased columns is between 11 and 25, which is clearly higher than that obtained in tests with non-encased columns, which are between 3 and 6. Finally, the improvement in relation to settlements is presented by the ratio of settlement in soils reinforced with ordinary or encased columns and the settlement of non-treated soft soil. This settlement reduction factor is around 0.6 when the soil is treated with encased columns and 0.8 for soil with non encased columns. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
New environmental laws have restricted the use of hardwood trees in overhead power lines structures, such as, poles and cross-arms, leading companies to seek alternative materials. Reforested wood coated with polymeric resin has been proposed as an environmental friendly solution, with improved electrical properties and protection against external agents, e. g. moisture, ultra-violet radiation and fungi. However, the single thin layer of resin, normally applied on such structures reveal to be inefficient, due to be easily damage during handling. In this paper, we present a composite coating, based on geotextile fibers and polyurethane resin that is suitable for wooden structures. Results obtained from two different tree species (from managed and reforested areas) coated with the composite reveal that the additional layer not only provided a stronger adhesion between wood and ccoating layer but also a further improvement in the electrical properties and better protection against abrasion and moisture.
Sequential importance sampling algorithms have been defined to estimate likelihoods in models of ancestral population processes. However, these algorithms are based on features of the models with constant population size, and become inefficient when the population size varies in time, making likelihood-based inferences difficult in many demographic situations. In this work, we modify a previous sequential importance sampling algorithm to improve the efficiency of the likelihood estimation. Our procedure is still based on features of the model with constant size, but uses a resampling technique with a new resampling probability distribution depending on the pairwise composite likelihood. We tested our algorithm, called sequential importance sampling with resampling (SISR) on simulated data sets under different demographic cases. In most cases, we divided the computational cost by two for the same accuracy of inference, in some cases even by one hundred. This study provides the first assessment of the impact of such resampling techniques on parameter inference using sequential importance sampling, and extends the range of situations where likelihood inferences can be easily performed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), the outermost layer of the retina, has a key role in maintaining retinal cells' functions. Severity of the culture of RPE cells has exerted many limitations to both in vitro and in vivo studies and its therapeutic applications. Therefore, establishment of RPE cell lines with high proliferative potential can considerably improve study of RPE cell biology. Here we report generation of a spontaneously immortalized murine RPE cell line in primary mouse RPE cell culture. Founded colonized cells were picked up and expression of RPE and retinal progenitor cells' (RPC) markers were studied using immunocytochemistry (ICC). Emerged cells cultured over 35 passages and population doubling times in different serum concentrations were calculated. We also investigated the ability of cells for becoming transfected by calcium-phosphate method and for becoming infected by adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) using flow cytometry. Data showed that the cobblestone constituent cells expressed RPE65, cytokeratin and 201 and moreover several progenitor markers such as Pax6, Sox2, Nestin and Chx10. It revealed that, despite primary RPE cells, the newly emerged cells were easily transfectable and were highly infectable when compared with HEK293T cells. Our data indicated that the emerged mouse RPE cell line pretended RPC-like phenotype and also simultaneously expressed RPE markers. It would be a promising model for leading studies on RPE and RPC cells and substantially confirmed the great RPE plasticity and its invaluable potential in research studies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Many resource-constrained embedded devices, such as wireless sensor nodes, require public key encryption or a digital signature, which has induced plenty of research on efficient and secure implementation of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) on 8-bit processors. In this work, we study the suitability of a special class of finite fields, called optimal prime fields (OPFs), for a lightweight ECC implementation with a view toward high performance and security. First, we introduce a highly optimized arithmetic library for OPFs that includes two implementations for each finite field arithmetic operation, namely a performance-optimized version and a security-optimized variant. The latter is resistant against simple power analysis attacks in the sense that it always executes the same sequence of instructions, independent of the operands. Based on this OPF library, we then describe a performance-optimized and a security-optimized implementation of scalar multiplication on the elliptic curve over OPFs at several security levels. The former uses the Gallant-Lambert-Vanstone method on twisted Edwards curves and reaches an execution time of 3.14M cycles (over a 160-bit OPF) on an 8-bit ATmega128 processor, whereas the latter is based on a Montgomery curve and executes in 5.53M cycles.
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune lymphocytes that play critical roles in host defense against viral infection and surveillance against malignant transformation. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important immune system regulators. Here, we analyzed human primary lymphocyte lncRNA expression profiles to identify NK-lncRNA signatures. We detected numerous novel NK-specific lncRNAs with potential roles in regulating human NK cell differentiation and function. Expression of lnc-CD56, an NK-specific lncRNA, was positively correlated with that of CD56, a classical human NK cell surface marker. We showed that lnc-CD56 may function as a positive regulator of CD56 in primary human NK cells and differentiated NK cells from human CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells. Our data provide an annotated human NK cell lncRNA expression catalog and demonstrate a key role for lncRNAs in NK cell biology.
Urban rainwater reuse preserves water resources and promotes sustainable development in rapidly growing urban areas. The efficiency of a large number of urban water reuse systems, operating under different climate and demand conditions, is evaluated here on the base of a new risk analysis approach. Results obtained by probability analysis (PA) indicate that maximum efficiency in low demanding scenarios is above 0.5 and a threshold, distinguishing low from high demanding scenarios, indicates that in low demanding scenarios no significant improvement in performance may be attained by increasing the storage capacity of rainwater harvesting tanks. Threshold behaviour is displayed when tank storage capacity is designed to match both the average collected volume and the average reuse volume. The low demand limit cannot be achieved under climate and operating conditions characterized by a disproportion between harvesting and demand volume.
The aim of regenerative engineering is to restore complex tissues and biological systems through convergence in the fields of advanced biomaterials, stem cell science, and developmental biology. Hydrogels are one of the most attractive biomaterials for regenerative engineering, since they can be engineered into tissue mimetic 3D scaffolds to support cell growth due to their similarity to native extracellular matrix. Advanced nano- and micro-technologies have dramatically increased the ability to control properties and functionalities of hydrogel materials by facilitating biomimetic fabrication of more sophisticated compositions and architectures, thus extending our understanding of cell-matrix interactions at the nanoscale. With this perspective, this review discusses the most commonly used hydrogel materials and their fabrication strategies for regenerative engineering. We highlight the physical, chemical, and functional modulation of hydrogels to design and engineer biomimetic tissues based on recent achievements in nano- and micro-technologies. In addition, current hydrogel-based regenerative engineering strategies for treating multiple tissues, such as musculoskeletal, nervous and cardiac tissue, are also covered in this review. The interaction of multiple disciplines including materials science, cell biology, and chemistry, will further play an important role in the design of functional hydrogels for the regeneration of complex tissues.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been applied to attenuate drug relapses in animal studies and clinical treatments. However, the mechanisms by which DBS produces its therapeutic effects remain largely unknown. This study is the first to combine manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with DBS to explore the effects of accumbal DBS on the relapse pathway of rats. The images suggested that DBS produced an antidromic activation of the cortico-accumbal afferents. To verify the activating effects of DBS, the expression levels of the protein encoded by the immediate early gene c-Fos following DBS were measured using immunochemical methods. Intra-shell DBS increased c-Fos expression at the site of stimulation as well as in the infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL), and increased c-Fos-expressing GABAergic interneurons in the IL This activity is consistent with a previous study demonstrating that DBS of the NAc shell attenuated cocaine reinstatement via local activation and/or the activation of GABAergic interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). For further examination, lidocaine was microinjected into the NAc shell to block the fibers during DBS before the reinstatement test. Inactivation of the target fibers attenuated the effects of DBS on the reinstatement of morphine seeking. Moreover, GABA receptor antagonists administered into the IL weakened the effect of DBS, while GABA receptor agonists microinjected into the IL attenuated the reinstatement of morphine seeking. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Syrian conflict and oppression caused extreme suffering for Syrians. They threatened the existence of Syrian identity and Syria's territorial integrity. They caused more than half of Syria's population to be internally displaced or become refugees. The goal of the current study was to assess the physical and mental health toll of Syrian experience, an intergroup trauma, on Syrians as individuals. A sample of 195 internally displaced and 111 Syrian refugees in the Nederland was administered measures of oppressive Syrian experience (SOE), cumulative stress and trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD), postcumulative stress and trauma disorders (complex PTSD), and existential annihilation anxiety (EAA). Descriptive statistics showed high rates of PTSD, comorbidities, and suicidality. Internally displaced had significantly higher morbidity rates than refugees. Using path analysis, we tested a model where SOE, mediated by other interpersonal traumas, triggered EAA and affected severely their mental and physical health. The model fitted well. We tested the model's structural invariance across genders and the 2 groups. While the model was configurally and metrically (conceptually) invariant across groups, it was not strongly or strictly invariant. We examined the dynamics behind their similarities and differences. We discussed the need to resolve the conflict and develop evidence-based interventions to help relieve their suffering.
This paper proposes a new type of curve, an elliptical roulette, which it initially applies to rotary lobe pumps. Once the new rotor profile has been mathematically modeled using the principle of gearing, equations can be derived to assess the presence or absence of undercutting in the tooth profile. The effect of the new profile properties on pumping performance is evaluated using a specially developed three-dimensional fluid analysis model. The proposed curve is tested using six novel rotor profiles based on the elliptical axial ratio parameter lambda (a shorter axis divided by a larger axis). These six new cases and a traditional case are analyzed under the same volume and clearance conditions and their differences compared. The results show that a smaller elliptical axial ratio design produces better flow characteristics. In particular, an elliptical axial ratio smaller than 0.6 not only achieves high discharge efficiency but allows vibration and noise to be controlled by the flow rate fluctuation coefficient, which approximates the traditional indicator. The proposed curve can thus serve as a useful reference for pump or rotary fluid machine design. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the implementation of the Taguchi method for a retrofit design of a line-start permanent magnet motor. To evaluate the viability of the method, the optimum designs obtained from both the Taguchi and a traditional optimization methods are compared. This outlines the respective advantages and disadvantages of both methods. It shows that the Taguchi method is an efficient and robust design approach and possesses some unique advantages compared to conventional design methods. A design sensitivity investigation regarding the variances of certain parameters, due to manufacturing tolerances and material properties discrepancies, is also presented using the Taguchi method. From this investigation insight into the contribution of each parameter towards machine performance is gained for the steady-state performance of an embedded radial flux line-start permanent magnet motor.
This paper presents an efficient numerical methodology to obtain the frequency response of switched-capacitor filters based on the circuits' differential equations. This methodology uses a non-hierarchical approach in which the non-ideal effects of the transistors (in the switches and in the amplifier) are taken into consideration, allowing the accurate computation of the frequency response, even in the case of incomplete settling in the SC branches. The accuracy is demonstrated by comparing the results obtained using the proposed methodology with those obtained using transient electrical simulation results for three different SC circuits: a first order SC passive filter, a second order SC lowpass filter, and a second order SC bandpass filter, showing that the results are in good agreement with the more time consuming electrical simulation of the circuits.
The increasing demand for electricity caused by a growing number of electric vehicles (EV) might challenge future energy systems. For a smooth integration of the electricity demand from EV, a comprehensive knowledge of its characteristics is essential. The analysis of charging behavior patterns of EV and resulting load profiles become important premises for this crucial task. Three electric mobility studies in Germany's southwestern region (Get eReady, iZEUS, and CROME) deliver comprehensive data of EV use for this purpose. In this paper we analyze and discuss the mobility and charging characteristics of this data in detail. We derive empirical EV load profiles and show how they are affected by charging management. We present a model to simulate EV loads based on statistical characteristics of the conducted studies. The resulting charging load profiles show similar patterns as other EV studies. The developed simulation model and its results (see supplementary data available online) allow a realistic representation of EV demand in analyses of future energy systems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Many aerosol retrieval algorithms based on the remote sensing technology have been developed and applied to produce aerosol optical depth ( AOD) products for different satellite sensors. The dark target (DT) and deep blue (DB) algorithms are two main MODIS aerosol retrieval algorithms that are suitable for dark or bright areas. The estimation of land surface reflectance (LSR) is necessary to improve the accuracy of AOD retrievals. Therefore, in this paper, a new procedure to improve LSR estimation using MODIS surface reflectance products is developed. A new high-resolutionaerosol retrieval algorithm with a priori LSR database support (HARLS) is proposed. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the spatial adaptability of different MODIS AOD products produced by the above three algorithms. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) region, which features complex surface structures and serious air pollution, was chosen as the study area, and the different AOD products are validated using aerosol robotic network (AERONET) AOD ground measurements from four stations located in dark and bright areas. Comparedwith the DT retrievals (R approximate to 0.88 -0.95), the C6 DB AOD retrievals yield a stronger correlation (R approximate to 0.94 - 0.97) with AERONET AOD and lower RMSE, MRE and MAE values, resulting in approximately 20%-30% less average overestimation. The C6 DT& DBAODresults showa retrieval quality (R approximate to 0.93 - 0.97) similar to that of DB, with approximately 50%-70% of the collections falling within the expected error (EE). Moreover, DT& DB is much better than DT, with more than approximately 10%-20% of the collections falling within the EE. However, HARLS achieves a high correlation (R approximate to 0.93 - 0.96) with the AERONET AODs, with low RMSE (approximate to 0.118 - 0.128) andMAE (approximate to 0.09 - 0.12) and small offsets (intercept approximate to 0.00 -0.04). HARLS retrievals exhibited 7%-8% less uncertainty than the C6 DB retrievals, 37%-38% less uncertainty than the C6 DT& DB retrievals, and 39%-44% less uncertainty than the C5 and C6 DT retrievals. HARLS achieves greater accuracy and reliability in AODretrieval, and it is less biased(RMB approximate to 0.90 -1.10) and better overall than the routine MODIS aerosol products over the Jing-Jin-Ji region.
This work is part of a methodological renovation project from Ingenieria de Fabricacion Innovative Education Group, from University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It has developed learning materials for courses in Manufacturing Engineering that can be used in several degrees. In this first learning material, it was decided to take a plastic injection mould as a teaching resource, and can be summarized into design and manufacture a plastic injection product whilst developing a teaching material aimed to explain the necessary stages to make an injection mould, as well as the manufacturing processes related to it. All this work has generated a lot of educational material for both laboratory practices and multimedia. Abundant information generated has been used to develop an interactive electronic publication. Finally this learning material has been chosen by the Publishing and Scientific Diffusion Service from this University, as a new line of work in publications of educational innovation. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Infrahumanisation studies have shown that people use the ability to experience secondary emotions, compared to primary emotions, as a characteristic that discriminates outgroups. This result has been widely supported in an extensive range of research work. However, we still do not know if under certain conditions this tendency is mitigated. The aim of this study is twofold. On the one hand, to determine whether a solidarity intergroup context results in a more human representation of outgroups, and on the other hand to verify if infrahumanisation bias is mitigated. For this purpose, three vignettes were elaborated. The first included a description of an outgroup, the German people, emphasising their laboriousness and charm. The second described them taking in refugees from the Balkan War. Finally, a text dealing with solidarity in general, without specific reference to the German people, was presented. In a two-step experimental design, first participants had to attribute secondary and primary emotions to the outgroup, and then answer a lexical decision task that registered the strength of association of secondary emotions with the ingroup and outgroup. The results show that the vignettes of intergroup solidarity contribute to humanising the representation of the outgroup and to reduce infrahumanisation bias.
With the emergence of the Microsoft Kinect sensor, many developer communities and research groups have found countless uses and have already published a wide variety of papers that utilize the raw depth images for their specific goals. New methods and applications that use the device generally require an appropriately large ensemble of data sets with accompanying ground truth for testing purposes, as well as accurate models that account for the various systematic and stochastic contributors to Kinect errors. Current error models, however, overlook the intermediate infrared (IR) images that directly contribute to noisy depth estimates. We, therefore, propose a high fidelity Kinect IR and depth image predictor and simulator that models the physics of the transmitter/receiver system, unique IR dot pattern, disparity/depth processing technology, and random intensity speckle and IR noise in the detectors. The model accounts for important characteristics of Kinect's stereo triangulation system, including depth shadowing, IR dot splitting, spreading, and occlusions, correlation-based disparity estimation between windows of measured and reference IR images, and subpixel refinement. Results show that the simulator accurately produces axial depth error from imaged flat surfaces with various tilt angles, as well as the bias and standard lateral error of an object's horizontal and vertical edge.
Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in riverine systems can be affected by environmental conditions and land-use, and thus could provide important information regarding human activities in surrounding landscapes. The optical properties of water samples collected at 42 locations across the Liaohe River (LHR, China) watershed were examined using UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy to determine CDOM characteristics, composition and sources. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations at all sampling sites exceeded the GB3838-2002 (national quality standards for surface waters, China) standard for Class V waters of 2.0 mg N/L and 0.4 mg P/L respectively, while trophic state index (TSIM) indicated that all the sites investigated were mesotrophic, 64% of which were eutrophic at the same time. Redundancy analysis showed that total suspended matter (TSM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and turbidity had a strong correlation with CDOM, while the other parameters (Chl a, TN, TP and TSIM) exhibited weak correlations with CDOM absorption. High spectral slope values and low SUVA254 (the specific UV absorption) values indicated that CDOM in the LHR was primarily comprised of low molecular weight organic substances. Analysis of excitation-emission matrices contour plots showed that CDOM in water samples collected from upstream locations exhibited fulvic-acid-like characteristics whereas protein-like substances were most likely predominant in samples collected in estuarine areas and downstream from large cities. These patterns were interpreted as indicative of water pollution from urban and industrial activities in several downstream sections of the LHR watershed.
In this review paper, the milestones and challenges that have been achieved and experienced by African Environmental Scientists regarding the assessment of water pollution caused by the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in water bodies are highlighted. The identification and quantification of pharmaceuticals in the African water bodies is important to the general public at large due to the lack of information. The consumption of pharmaceuticals to promote human health is usually followed by excretion of these drugs via urine or fecal matter due to their slight transformation in the human metabolism. Therefore, large amounts of pharmaceuticals are being discharged continuously from wastewater treatment plants into African rivers due to inefficiency of employed sewage treatment processes. Large portions of African communities do not even have proper sanitation systems which results in direct contamination of water resources with human waste that contains pharmaceutical constituents among other pollutants. Therefore, this article provides the overview of the recent studies published, mostly from 2012 to 2016, that have focused on the occurrence of different classes of pharmaceuticals in African aqueous systems. Also, the current analytical methods that are being used in Africa for pharmaceutical quantification in environmental waters are highlighted. African Scientists have started to investigate the material's and remediation processes for the elimination of pharmaceuticals from water.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the development of science and technology, the demand for high quality power supply electrical equipment increasing application of analog circuit Control Research and Application Development of power for many years already, but it still has many shortcomings. FPGA as a highly integrated, economical, high speed, low power consumption, it is easy to develop and maintain a significant advantage (upgrades) and the like. And faster, more integrated, more versatile, and other advantages, stand out from the MCU and DSP integrated circuits, etc., become the research and application in the field of power electronics control hot spots. Briefly introduces the basic theory of digital systems, we analyze the structure model of digital systems. There is an overview of the design method of digital control system, the completion of the selected device selection and related development environment and tools. This paper proposes all-digital power control scheme of special surface treatment, and the completion of the controller hardware and software design and implementation.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate Halbach array effects in surface mounted permanent magnet machine (SMPM) in terms of both self-sensing and torque capabilities. A comparison between a conventional SMPM, which has radially magnetized rotor, and a Halbach machine has been carried out. Design/methodology/approach - The geometric parameters of the two machines have been optimized using genetic algorithm (GA) with looking Pareto. The performance of the machines' geometry has been calculated by finite element analysis (FEA) software, and two parametric machine models have been realized in Matlab coupled with the FEA and GA toolboxes. Outer volume of the machine, thus copper loss per volume has been kept constant. The Pareto front approach, which simultaneously considers looks two aims, has been used to provide the trade-off between the torque and sensorless performances. Findings - The two machines' results have been compared separately for each loading condition. According to the results, the superiority of the Halbach machine has been shown in terms of sensorless capability compromising torque performance. Additionally, this paper shows that the self-sensing properties of a SMPM machine should be considered at the design stage of the machine. Originality/value - A Halbach machine design optimization has been presented using Pareto optimal set which provides a trade-off comparison between two aims without using weightings. These are sensorless performance and torque capability. There is no such a work about sensorless capability of the Halbach type SMPM in the literature.
During the last two decades, a third wave of computing has emerged: a move from a model of accessing the Internet and other internetworks almost exclusively via a desktop computer to alternative forms of distributed information technologies, such as smartphones, wearable computers, and sensors and microprocessors embedded in everyday objects. This paper undertakes a critical review of the literature that offers and discusses definitions of this third wave. Not surprisingly in an area of innovation, definitions are evolving, overlapping and inconsistent. This paper analyses and consolidates the literature in order to identify the key aspects of this new phenomenon. We have coined the term eObjects(1) for the central element of the third wave. The paper presents a framework for research into the technologies and their implications, distinguishing core from common attributes, and identifying categories of inter-device interaction. A subsequent paper will apply the research framework to legal research, with the intention of understanding areas in which litigation can be anticipated, and uncovering areas where the law may not adequately deal with emergent social and business practices. (c) 2015 Kayleen Manwaring. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We present a supervised machine learning approach for markerless estimation of human full-body kinematics for a cyclist from an unconstrained colour image. This approach is motivated by the limitations of existing marker-based approaches restricted by infrastructure, environmental conditions, and obtrusive markers. By using a discriminatively learned mixture-of-parts model, we construct a probabilistic tree representation to model the configuration and appearance of human body joints. During the learning stage, a Structured Support Vector Machine (SSVM) learns body parts appearance and spatial relations. In the testing stage, the learned models are employed to recover body pose via searching in a test image over a pyramid structure. We focus on the movement modality of cycling to demonstrate the efficacy of our approach. In natura estimation of cycling kinematics using images is challenging because of human interaction with a bicycle causing frequent occlusions. We make no assumptions in relation to the kinematic constraints of the model, nor the appearance of the scene. Our technique finds multiple quality hypotheses for the pose. We evaluate the precision of our method on two new datasets using loss functions. Our method achieves a score of 91.1 and 69.3 on mean Probability of Correct Keypoint (PCK) measure and 88.7 and 66.1 on the Average Precision of Keypoints (APK) measure for the frontal and sagittal datasets respectively. We conclude that our method opens new vistas to robust user-interaction free estimation of full body kinematics, a prerequisite to motion analysis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Implicit moral evaluations i.e., immediate, unintentional assessments of the wrongness of actions or persons play a central role in supporting moral behavior in everyday life. Yet little research has employed methods that rigorously measure individual differences in implicit moral evaluations. In five experiments, we develop a new sequential priming measure the Moral Categorization Task and a multinomial model that decomposes judgment on this task into multiple component processes. These include implicit moral evaluations of moral transgression primes (Unintentional Judgment), accurate moral judgments about target actions (Intentional judgment), and a directional tendency to judge actions as morally wrong (Response Bias). Speeded response deadlines reduced Intentional Judgment but not Unintentional Judgment (Experiment 1). Unintentional Judgment was stronger toward moral transgression primes than non-moral negative primes (Experiments 2-4). Intentional Judgment was associated with increased error-related negativity, a neurophysiological indicator of behavioral control (Experiment 4). Finally, people who voted for an anti-gay marriage amendment had stronger Unintentional Judgment toward gay marriage primes (Experiment 5). Across Experiments 1-4, implicit moral evaluations converged with moral personality: Unintentional Judgment about wrong primes, but not negative primes, was negatively associated with psychopathic tendencies and positively associated with moral identity and guilt proneness. Theoretical and practical applications of formal modeling for moral psychology are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hexamoll(A (R)) DINCHA (R) (diisononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate) is a new high molecular weight plasticizer and a non-aromatic phthalate substitute. In this follow-up study, we further investigated the extensive oxidative metabolism of Hexamoll(A (R)) DINCHA (R) after oral dosage of 50 mg to three male volunteers (0.552-0.606 mg/kg body weight). Urine samples were consecutively collected over 48 h post-dose. Chemical analysis was carried out by HPLC-MS/MS with labeled internal standards. New metabolites were tentatively identified and quantified via fragmentation analogies and new standard substances. In addition to the five urinary DINCH metabolites previously reported by us, we identified two groups of extensively oxidized metabolites characterized (a) by multiple side chain oxidation and breakdown and (b) by hydroxylation at the cyclohexane ring. The five newly identified carboxylated breakdown metabolites represented in sum 5.12 +/- 0.49 % of the applied dose. MCHxCH (cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid mono carboxyhexyl ester) was identified as a major metabolite (2.71 +/- 0.34 %) and thus represents the second most important specific metabolite of DINCH after OH-MINCH (10.7 +/- 2.1 %). Less than 1 % was excreted as ring-hydroxylated metabolites (four metabolites identified). Based upon a new reference standard, we can also update oxo-MINCH to 2.6 % of the applied dose. This follow-up study increases the total amount of the recovered dose from 39.2 to 45.7 % and describes a new major metabolite (MCHxCH) of DINCH that can be used as an additional valuable and specific biomarker to assess DINCHA (R) exposure in future human biomonitoring studies.
Silent data corruptions (SDCs) are errors that corrupt the system or falsify results while remaining unnoticed by firmware or operating systems. In numerical integration solvers, SDCs that impact the accuracy of the solver are considered significant. Detecting SDCs in high-performance computing is necessary because results need to be trustworthy and the increase of the number and complexity of components in emerging large-scale architectures makes SDCs more likely to occur. Until recently, SDC detection methods consisted in replicating the processes of the execution or in using checksums (for example algorithm-based fault tolerance). Recently, new detection methods have been proposed relying on mathematical properties of numerical kernels or performing data analysis of the results modified by the application. None of those methods, however, provide a lightweight solution guaranteeing that all significant SDCs are detected. We propose a new method called Hot Rod as a solution to this problem. It checks and potentially corrects the data produced by numerical integration solvers. Our theoretical model shows that all significant SDCs can be detected. We present two detectors and conduct experiments on streamline integration from the WRF meteorology application. Compared with the algorithmic detection methods, the accuracy of our first detector is increased by 52% with a similar false detection rate. The second detector has a false detection rate one order of magnitude lower than these detection methods while improving the detection accuracy by 23 %. The computational overhead is lower than 5% in both cases. The model has been developed for an explicit Runge-Kutta method, although it can be generalized to other solvers.
Background: There is limited evidence to support the use of facemasks in preventing infection for primary care professionals. Negative effects on communication has been suggested when the physician wears a facemask. As communication skills and doctor patient relationship are essential to primary care consultations, the effects of doctor's facemask wearing were explored. Method: A randomised controlled study was conducted in primary care to explore the effects of doctors wearing facemasks on patients' perception of doctors' empathy, patient enablement and patient satisfaction. Primary care doctors were randomized to mask wearing and non mask wearing clinical consultations in public primary care clinics in Hong Kong. Patients' views were gathered using the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure, Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) and an overall satisfaction rating scale. The effects of face mask wearing were investigated using multilevel (hierarchical) modelling. Results: 1,030 patients were randomised to doctor-mask wearing consultations (n = 514) and non mask wearing consultations (n = 516). A significant and negative effect was found in the patients' perception of the doctors' empathy (CARE score reduction -0.98, p-value = 0.04). In the more established doctor-patient relationship, the effect of doctors' mask wearing was more pronounced (CARE score reduction -5.67, p-value = 0.03). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that when doctors wearing a facemask during consultations, this has a significant negative impact on the patient's perceived empathy and diminish the positive effects of relational continuity. Consideration should be taken in planning appropriate use of facemasks in infectious disease policy for primary care and other healthcare professionals at a national, local or practice level.
Gaussian noise is an important problem in computer vision. The novel methods that become popular in recent years for Gaussian noise reduction are Bayesian techniques in wavelet domain. In wavelet domain, the Bayesian techniques require a prior distribution of wavelet coefficients. In general case, the wavelet coefficients might be better modeled by non-Gaussian density such as Laplacian, two-sided gamma, and Pearson type VII densities. However, statistical analysis of textural image is Gaussian model. So, we require flexible model between non-Gaussian and Gaussian models. Indeed, Gumbel density is a suitable model. So, we present new Bayesian estimator for Gumbel random vectors in AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise). The proposed method is applied to dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) as well as orthogonal discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The simulation results show that our proposed methods outperform the state-of-the-art methods qualitatively and quantitatively.
Introduction. Bone repair frequently requires time-consuming implant construction, particularly when using un-formed implants with poor handling properties. Wetherefore developed osteoinductive, micro-fibrous surface patterned demineralized bone matrix (DBM) fibers for engineering both defect-matched and general three-dimensional implants. Methods and results. Implant molds were filled with demineralized human cortical bone fibers there were compressed and lyophilized, forming mechanically strong shaped DBM scaffolds. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays and mass spectrometry confirmed that DBM fibers contained abundant osteogenic growth factors (bone morphogenetic proteins, insulin-like growth factor-I) and extracellular matrix proteins. Mercury porosimetry and mechanical testing showed interconnected pores within the mechanically stable, custom DBM fiber scaffolds. Mesenchymal stem cells readily attached to the DBM and showed increasing metabolic activity over time. DBM fibers further increased alkaline phosphatase activity in C2C12 cells. In vivo, DBM implants elicited osteoinductive potential in a mouse muscle pouch, and also promoted spine fusion in a rat arthrodesis model. Significance. DBM fibers can be engineered into custom-shaped, osteoinductive and osteoconductive implants with potential for repairing osseous defects with precise fitment, potentially reducing operating time. By providing pre-formed and custom implants, this regenerative allograft may improve patient outcomes following surgical bone repair, while further advancing personalized orthopedic and craniomaxillofacial medicine using three-dimensional-printed tissue molds.
Economics of information security has recently become a rapidly growing field of research that is vitally important for managing the decisions and behaviors in cyberspace security. This field provides valuable insights not only for security experts, but also for policy makers, business managers, economists and psychologists. In this paper, we are going to discuss the emergence and evolution of economics of information security; where it came from, where it is today and its future directions. Research conducted for this survey explores the literature on economic issues in information security and review the advantages, drawbacks, and future research directions to set the scene that the assessment and analysis of the economics of information security publications followed it. Furthermore, we provide a structured discussion and overview of selected sets of works and highlight the models and theories in this field by organizing the presented works into six main categories namely information security investment, trust and privacy, network security, malicious program and malware economics, penetration testing and digital forensics and software security. Additionally, this survey aims to familiarize readers with major areas of this field already in hand to indicate the gaps and overlooked issues in the economics of security.
Agave americana L. fibers, the most abundant variety in Tunisia, have a quite important textile potential. This potential is demonstrated by studying the extraction of these fibers from leaves, their physical properties such us fineness or density and their mechanical behavior in tensile tests. In this work, results of a mechanical behavior study of fibers extracted from the Agave americana L. plant are presented. These results deal with the principal and mechanical characteristics of these fibers which are the strain at break, the elasticity modulus and the rupture facture. These results permitted to situate these fibers, compared to the other textile fibers, as materials that can be used in technical applications such as reinforcing composites or geotextile. In order to understand the mechanical properties of these fibers, a correlation study between the properties already cited and the fine structure was done. The obtained results showed that the mechanical properties of Agave americana L. fibers are closely related to the individual fibers deformations and to the natural matrix (lignin and gums) that are linked to these elementary fibers.
Remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor using global positioning system (GPS) data has become an effective tool in meteorology, weather forecasting and climate research. This paper presents the estimation of precipitable water (PW) from GPS observations and meteorological data in Algeria, over three stations located at Algiers, Bechar and Tamanrasset. The objective of this study is to analyze the sensitivity of the GPS PW estimates for the three sites to the weighted mean temperature (T-m), obtained separately from two types of T-m-T-s regression [one general, and one developed specifically for Algeria (T-s stands for surface temperature)], and calculated directly from ERA-Interim data. The results show that the differences in T-m are of the order of 18 K, producing differences of 2.01 mm in the final evaluation of PW. A good agreement is found between GPS-PW and PW calculated from radiosondes, with a small mean difference with Vaisala radiosondes. A comparison between GPS and ERA-Interim shows a large difference (4 mm) in the highlands region. This difference is possibly due to the topography. These first results are encouraging, in particular for meteorological applications in this region, with good hope to extend our dataset analysis to a more complete, nationwide coverage over Algeria.
While previous work has focused on the positive impact of smiles on interpersonal perceptions, this research proposes and finds that smile intensity differentially affects two fundamental dimensions of social judgments-warmth and competence. A marketer displaying a broad smile, compared to a slight smile, is more likely to be perceived by consumers as warmer but less competent. Furthermore, the facilitative effect of smile intensity on warmth perceptions is more prominent among promotion-focused consumers and in low-risk consumption contexts, while the detrimental effect of smile intensity on competence perceptions is more likely to occur among prevention-focused consumers and in high-risk consumption situations. Field observations in a crowdfunding context further indicate that the effects of smile intensity on warmth and competence perceptions have downstream consequences on actual consumer behaviors.
Optimization can be defined as the operation of finding the best solution for a problem. This operation is performed by changing the initial parameters using existing data. There are various optimization algorithms to solve these kinds of problems; however, it cannot be expected that all optimization algorithms offer a proper and effective solution to all optimization problems. Therefore, it is necessary to select the proper algorithm by using similar benchmark functions to the problem, and to determine the best parameter values for the selected algorithm. In this study, a test tool that can run on the devices using the Windows, OS X, Android, and IOS operating systems was developed for eight different optimization algorithms: genetic, artificial immune, differential evolution, particle swarm optimization, simulated annealing, tabu search, artificial bee colony, and ant colony optimization algorithms. Six Hump Camel Back, Rastrigin, Shubert, Schwefel, and Drop Wave were the preferred benchmark functions. Special user defined special functions were also permitted. The developed test tool was tested for all the optimization algorithms in different platforms. In spite of the small differences in the running times, the results show that the tool can easily be used in Windows, OS X, Android, and IOS devices. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The use of virtual surgery, patient-specific saw and drill guides, and custom-made osteosynthesis plates is rapidly spreading from deformity surgery to orthognathic surgery. Most of the commercially available systems are using computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) wafers to produce patient-specific saw guides. However, most plate systems provided are still the conventional in stock mini plates that can be individually designed by pre-bending according to the stereolithographic model of the patient. Custom made three-dimensional (3D) printed implants have earlier been demonstrated to be an ideal solution in deformity surgery and in reconstruction of complex posttraumatic cases. In this study, we report the novel use of patient-specific saw and drill guides combined with patient-specific 3D titanium alloy implants as a fixation system in maxillary movement after Le Fort I and bimaxillary osteotomies (n = 32). The implants were individually designed for each patient to follow anatomical structures and to provide exact positioning and stability of the repositioned maxilla. (C) 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Anemarrhena asphodeloides is known to suppress inflammation and lower various fevers. To determine the active component of A. asphodeloides, ethanol (EtOH) extract of A. asphodeloides rhizomes was fractionized. The compounds isolated from the dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) soluble fraction were identified as 4 '-O-methylnyasol (1), nyasol (2), 3 ''-methoxynyasol (3), 3 ''-hydroxy-4 ''-methoxy-4 ''-dehydroxynyasol (4), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5), and 4-hydroxyacetophenone (6). The four norlignans (1-4) potently inhibited the release of beta-hexosaminidase from immunoglobulin E (IgE)/dinitrophenol-conjugated bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA)-treated rat basophilic leukemia (RBL)-2H3 and A23187 plus phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate co-treated isolated rat primary mast cells, as markers of degranulation and histamine release. The intraperitoneal treatment with the EtOH extract significantly suppressed the fetal reaction, and serum histamine release induced by compound 48/80 in mice. These results suggest that the four active norlignan compounds and the EtOH extract of A. asphodeloides may have potential to be developed as medicines for the treatment of allergies by inhibiting the activation of mast cells. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Incentivizing development and deployment of renewable energy sources (RES), but also other low carbon technologies (LCT), has been a successful way of promoting new technologies by creating a feasible investment case and making them competitive with traditional energy sources. Although different incentive mechanisms exist, feed-in tariffs have shown to be the best model for accelerating LCT development guaranteeing producers preferential prices for the produced electricity over a period of time and enabling them access to the power network to sell/inject produced electricity. Due to these benefits, feed-in tariff models are the most common model for stimulating RES integration in southeast Europe. The paper reviews the current state of preferential tariffs for RES in countries of southeast Europe. While some countries already have significant installed RES capacity, others are still in the planning stage. The review shows that the amount of installed capacity of a specific technology has a strong impact on the support for the future projects for same technology. This comprehensive review of legislative development supporting RES, as well as technologies preferred in different countries of the region, is supported with feasibility assessment of investing in RES using the example of two different technology projects, wind and photovoltaic, analysing the impact of the current tariffs on the return on investment for each country of the region.
The investigation on antimicrobial mechanisms is a challenging and crucial issue in the fields of food or clinical microbiology, as it constitutes a prerequisite to the development of new antimicrobial processes or compounds, as well as to anticipate phenomenon of microbial resistance. Nowadays it is accepted that a cells population exposed to a stress can cause the appearance of different cell populations and in particular sub-lethally compromised cells which could be defined as viable but non-culturable (VBNC). Recent advances on flow cytometry (FCM) and especially on multi-parameter flow cytometry (MP-FCM) provide the opportunity to obtain high-speed information at real time on damage at single-cell level. This review gathers MP-FCM methodologies based on individual and simultaneous staining of microbial cells employed to investigate their physiological state following different physical and chemical antimicrobial treatments. Special attention will be paid to recent studies exploiting the possibility to corroborate MP-FCM results with additional techniques (plate counting, microscopy, spectroscopy, molecular biology techniques, membrane modeling) in order to elucidate the antimicrobial mechanism of action of a given antimicrobial treatment or compound. The combination of MP-FCM methodologies with these additional methods is namely a promising and increasingly used approach to give further insight in differences in microbial sub-population evolutions in response to antimicrobial treatments.
There is a family of proteins from parasitic worms which combine N-terminal EF-hand domains with C-terminal dynein light chain-like domains. Data are accumulating on the biochemistry and cell biology of these proteins. However, little is known about their functions in vivo. Schistosoma mansoni expresses 13 family members (SmTAL1-SmTAL13). Three of these (SmTAL1, SmTAL2 and SmTAL3) have been subjected to biochemical analysis which demonstrated that they have different molecular properties. Although their overall folds are predicted to be similar, small changes in the EF-hand domains result in differences in their ion binding properties. Whereas SmTAL1 and SmTAL2 are able to bind calcium (and some other) ions, SmTAL3 appears to be unable to bind any divalent cations. Similar biochemical diversity has been seen in the CaBP proteins from Fasciola hepatica. Four family members are known (FhCaBP1-4). All of these bind to calcium ions. However, FhCaBP4 dimerizes in the presence of calcium ions, FhCaBP3 dimerizes in the absence of calcium ions and FhCaBP2 dimerizes regardless of the prevailing calcium ion concentration. In both the SmTAL and FhCaBP families, the proteins also differ in their ability to bind calmodulin antagonists and related drugs. Interestingly, SmTAL1 interacts with praziquantel (the drug of choice for treating schistosomiasis). The pharmacological significance (if any) of this finding is unknown.
Purpose: This study explored the utility of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to compare health-related outcomes among gay men, lesbians, and heterosexuals who reported being in a legally recognized partnership. Methods: We regressed sexual identity and marriage/legally recognized partnership status on seven different outcomes related to health insurance coverage, medical services access and use, and general health and wellbeing using CHIS data collected between 2009 and 2013. Results: There were 1432 respondents who identified as gay, lesbian, or homosexual, and 67,746 who identified as heterosexual. The percentage of participants who reported being married/ legally partnered was 54.06% for heterosexual women, 52.93% for heterosexual men, 38.83% for lesbians, and 23.56% for gay men. Legally partnered/married gay and lesbian respondents were more likely to have health insurance and use healthcare than their counterparts not in such partnerships; few trends were statistically significant. Gay men in legally recognized partnerships were more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to report continuous health insurance coverage, a usual medical care source, and at least one provider visit within the past 12 months. We found statistically significant poorer health status outcomes among lesbians in legally recognized partnerships compared to married heterosexual women. Conclusions: Lesbians in legally recognized partnerships did not fare as well as married heterosexual women. Gay men in legally recognized partnerships fared better than married heterosexual men on some measures. CHIS questionnaire structures limited our sample and analyses. We recommend that CHIS and other researchers ask partnered status-, marriage-, and sexual identity-related questions en bloc to ensure more robust representation, analyses, recommendations, and policy resolutions.
Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) form a key link between innate and adaptive immune responses. The aim of this study is to analyze presence and distribution of immature (im) and mature (m) DCs in gingival tissue samples obtained from patients diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis (AgP), chronic periodontitis (CP), and clinically healthy periodontium (control group). Methods: Gingival tissue samples obtained from patients with: 1) AgP (aged= 35 years); and 3) control group (aged >18 years) (n = 10 per group) were collected. Two-way analysis of variance and posterior Fisher least significant difference test were used to observe differences between the means of cells positively marked for imDC (S100, CD1a, and CD207) and mDC (CD208) immunomarkers. Results: imDCs were more numerous in AgP than CP and control groups, being statistically significant only for S100+ cells. Conversely, mDCs were visualized in higher numbers in CP than AgP and control groups (both P <0.05). Considering frequency of immunostained cells, the number of S100+ cells was greater than CD207+ and CD1a+ cells, followed by a lesser number of CD208+ cells, in all groups. Conclusions: Considering that the ability of DCs to regulate immunity is dependent on DC maturation, results suggest that predominance of imDCs appears to be involved in AgP pathogenesis, probably due to lack of ability to induce immune cell activation. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the role of DC maturation in regulating immune responses in periodontal disease.
Objectives: Research on the role of sport as a context for the acculturation of young migrants has mainly focused on migrant populations. Considering that acculturation is a two-way process involving both the migrant and the host populations, research investigating the perspective of the hosts will enhance our understanding of the acculturation process. The purpose of the present study was to explore acculturation attitudes and perceptions of adolescents from the host population as a function of sport participation. Furthermore, for those adolescents participating in sport, the role of the sport motivational climate and its relation to acculturation attitudes was investigated. Design and Method: A cross-sectional quantitative design was adopted. Participants were 626 (316 girls) Greek, high school students (13.88 +/- 1.01 years of age). Among them, 271 (92 girls) were athletes competing in individual and team sports. While all participants completed measures of acculturation attitudes, the athletes additionally completed measures of motivational climate, basic need satisfaction, and controlling coaching behavior. Results: Athletes scored higher than non-athletes on attitudes towards multicultural contact. Analysis of structural models revealed that a motivational climate characterized by a mastery climate, supportive of the needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, was positively linked to attitudes favoring migrants' maintenance of their culture and development of interaction with the host culture, whereas a motivational climate characterized by a performance climate and controlling coaching behavior was negatively linked to such attitudes. Conclusion: These findings provide useful insights concerning the perspectives of the host population regarding migrants' acculturation and the role motivational climate play in promoting integration. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Computer assisted technologies offer new opportunities in medical imaging and rapid prototyping in biomechanical engineering. Three dimensional (3D) modelling of soft tissues and bones are becoming more important. The accuracy of the analysis in modelling processes depends on the outline of the tissues derived from medical images. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the accuracy of 3D models of a dog femur derived from computed tomography data by using point cloud method and boundary line method on several modelling software. Solidworks, Rapidform and 3DSMax software were used to create 3D models and outcomes were evaluated statistically. The most accurate 3D prototype of the dog femur was created with stereolithography method using rapid prototype device. Furthermore, the linearity of the volumes of models was investigated between software and the constructed models. The difference between the software and real models manifests the sensitivity of the software and the devices used in this manner.
Addictions, including alcohol use disorders, are characterized by the loss of control over drug seeking and consumption, but the neural circuits and signaling mechanisms responsible for the transition from controlled use to uncontrolled abuse remain incompletely understood. Prior studies have shown that compulsive-like' behaviors in rodents, for example, persistent responding for ethanol (EtOH) despite punishment, are increased after chronic exposure to EtOH. The main goal of the current study was to assess the effects of chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) exposure on multiple, putative measures of compulsive-like EtOH seeking in C57BL/6J mice. Mice were exposed to two or four weekly cycles of CIE and then, post-withdrawal, tested for progressive ratio responding for EtOH, sustained responding during signaled EtOH unavailability and (footshock) punished suppression of responding for EtOH. Results showed that mice exposed to CIE exhibited attenuated suppression of EtOH seeking during punishment, as compared with air-exposed controls. By contrast, CIE exposure affected neither punished food reward-seeking behavior, nor other putative measures of compulsive-like EtOH seeking. Ex vivo reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of brain tissue found reduced sensitivity to punished EtOH seeking after CIE exposure was accompanied by a significant increase in gene expression of the GluN1 and GluN2A subunits of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, specifically in the medial orbitofrontal cortex. Moreover, slice electrophysiological analysis revealed increased N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated currents in the orbitofrontal cortex after CIE exposure in test-naive mice. Collectively, the current findings add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that chronic exposure to EtOH fosters resistance to punished EtOH seeking in association with adaptations in cortical glutamatergic transmission.
Logo as a graphical symbol of nonverbal communication, In essence, it represents a visual symbol of a company or a product. Compared with the written language, it has a greater amount of information, faster and easier to spread. It can cross national boundaries and achieve barrier free communication. Logo has the promotion function, can bring huge profits to the enterprise, can be very good propaganda enterprise. Logo can fit well into the brand image, brand philosophy, brand value, brand spirit and other elements without language. which makes us see things behind the design - the desire of people exchange. Graphics as an effective means of logo, not only can convey emotion of logo, but also through the color to achieve artistic conception of the logo.
Purpose This study draws from social comparison theory to explore why and under which circumstances individuals receiving idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) are likely to help their co-workers. Design Data were collected with an alumni association of engineers. Participants completed two questionnaires (N = 182 at Time 2). Findings We find that the relationship between i-deals and helping behavior is not direct, but is mediated by organizational-based self-esteem. This relationship is stronger when i-deal recipients believe that their co-workers do not have the opportunity to get i-deals for themselves. Implications I-deal recipients are expected to help their colleagues because helping colleagues is consistent with the positive self developed thanks to i-deals. When co-workers have the opportunity to get i-deals for themselves, social comparison between the i-deal recipient and colleagues is likely to be more salient, which strengthen the indirect relationship between i-deal and helping behavior. Originality This study tests i-deals from the vantage point of social comparison theory rather than from the perspective of social exchange. We thereby provide a richer account of the complexities involved in helping behavior. By exploring contextual variables that are likely to trigger social comparisons, we also expect to better understand the circumstances under which i-deals are likely to be associated with helping behavior.
Heavy metal concentrations were investigated in liver and kidney tissues of Carassius carassius. Liver and kidney tissues of these fish was exposed to routine histological process. The concentrations of metals which included Fe, Zn were determined liver and kidney tissue samples using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Fe and Zn levels in liver and kidney were measured as 1296.10 +/- 57.91, 507 +/- 24.92, 997.81 +/- 41.53 and 408.23 +/- 10.38. Toxic effects of heavy metals in liver and kidney tissues histopathological evaluation was performed with a light microscope.
A number of epidemiological studies have established a link between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). So, nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) plays an important role in the treatment of AD. However, current PPAR gamma-targeting drugs such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are associated with undesirable side effects. We identified herbal extract with a small molecular, astragaloside IV (AS-IV), as a selective PPAR gamma natural agonist in nervous cells by developing a PPAR-PPRE pathway regulatory system. Cultured SH-SY5Y cells transfected with pEGFP-N1-BACE1 were treated with AS-IV for 24 h or AS-IV plus the PPAR-gamma antagonist GW9662 in vitro. APP/PS1 mice were intragastrically treated with AS-IV or AS-IV plus the GW9662 every 48 h for 3 months. Immunofluorescence, western blotting, and real-time PCR were used to examine the expression of PPAR gamma and BACE1. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to analyze the distribution of A beta plaques in the APP/PS1 mouse brain. The levels of A beta were determined using ELISA kits. AS-IV was shown to be a PPAR gamma agonist by establishing a high-throughput screening model for PPAR gamma agonists. The results showed that AS-IV treatment increased activity of PPAR gamma and inhibited BACE1 in vitro. As a result, A beta levels decreased significantly. GW9662, which is a PPAR gamma antagonist, significantly blocked the beneficial role of AS-IV. In vivo, AS-IV treatment increased PPAR gamma and BACE1 expression and reduced neuritic plaque formation and A beta levels in the brains of APP/PS1 mice. These effects of AS-IV could be effectively inhibited by GW9662. These results indicate that AS-IV may be a natural PPAR gamma agonist that suppressed activity of BACE1 and ultimately attenuates generation of A beta. Therefore, AS-IV may be a promising agent for modulating A beta-related pathology in AD.
Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are two very potent greenhouse gases, with highly heterogeneous distributions in both space and time. Mapping hot-spots and source areas, and measuring fluxes in different environments has so far not been possible on a local scale using direct measurements. We have developed a method for simultaneous mapping of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), also including water vapor (H2O), using ground-based remote sensing on a landscape-sized scale by utilizing Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometers (IFTS) with high spectral resolution and imaging rates. The approach uses calculated libraries of transmission spectra at the spectroscopic resolutions of the IFTS, based on the HITRAN database of spectroscopic lines and our own line-by-line radiative transfer model (LBLRTM). For each species, 1024 spectra have been made, resulting in 10243 combinations of column densities. Using an adaptive grid, solutions are found for each line of sight at a spectral resolution of up to 0.25 cm(-1) using the full spectral region of the detector. The modeling is multi-layered, calculating temperatures of the background, air, and any additional gas layers, also accounting for reflected cold sky. Background distances can be mapped from the amount of water vapor in each line of sight. The described approach can be used to identify sources, quantify gas distributions, and to calculate fluxes. Visualizations can produce gas distribution images, as well as air motion videos, which are used to map fluxes using the same data set, without the need for additional instruments for wind measurements. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Studies on crowding out document that incentives sometimes backfiredecreasing motivation in prosocial tasks. In the present research, we demonstrated an additional channel through which incentives can be harmful. Incentivized advocates for a cause are perceived as less sincere than nonincentivized advocates and are ultimately less effective in persuading other people to donate. Further, the negative effects of incentives hold only when the incentives imply a selfish motive; advocates who are offered a matching incentive (i.e., who are told that the donations they successfully solicit will be matched), which is not incompatible with altruism, perform just as well as those who are not incentivized. Thus, incentives may affect prosocial outcomes in ways not previously investigated: by crowding out individuals' sincerity of expression and thus their ability to gain support for a cause.
BACKGROUND: Differentiating pulmonary venoocclusive disease (PVOD) and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) from idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (HPAH) is important clinically. Mutations in eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 4 (EIF2AK4) cause heritable PVOD and PCH, whereas mutations in other genes cause HPAH. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency of pathogenic EIF2AK4 mutations in patients diagnosed clinically with IPAH or HPAH. METHODS: Sanger sequencing and deletion/duplication analysis were performed to detect mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type II (BMPR2) gene in 81 patients diagnosed at 30 North American medical centers with IPAH (n = 72) or HPAH (n = 9). BMPR2 mutation-negative patients (n = 67) were sequenced for mutations in four other genes (ACVRL1, ENG, CAV1, and KCNK3) known to cause HPAH. Patients negative for mutations in all known PAH genes (n = 66) were then sequenced for mutations in EIF2AK4. We assessed the pathogenicity of EIF2AK4 mutations and reviewed clinical characteristics of patients with pathogenic EIF2AK4 mutations. RESULTS: Pathogenic BMPR2 mutations were identified in 8 of 72 (11.1%) patients with IPAH and 6 of 9 (66.7%) patients with HPAH. A novel homozygous EIF2AK4 mutation (c.257+A>C) was identified in 1 of 9 (11.1%) patients diagnosed with HPAH. The novel EIF2AK4 mutation (c.257+A>C) was homozygous in two sisters with severe pulmonary hypertension. None of the 72 patients with IPAH had biallelic EIF2AK4 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Pathogenic biallelic EIF2AK4 mutations are rarely identified in patients diagnosed with HPAH. Identification of pathogenic biallelic EIF2AK4 mutations can aid clinicians in differentiating HPAH from heritable PVOD or PCH.
This abstract presentation shall address issues arising from scarcity of water supply due to climate change, increasing demand of the urban population, limited water resource, and the inaccessibility to deliver water supply to rural communities of Papua New Guinea. The rainwater harvesting system is being considered. This paper shows the application of Axiomatic Design (AD) in designing of a prototype rainwater harvester for visual presentation of the infrastructure. The use of AD helps build the model without compromising its feature of the geographical set up of the place. It is gravity driven considering the rainfall scenario, the location, the demand, and health considerations. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published
The fact that the quality of water in the river is getting worse, especially for Ciliwung River which is contaminated with non-point source pollutant from household wastes, particularly on the downstream of Ciliwung River cannot be lied. But, by using technology of remote sensing, integrated with information from the data of digital image and modeling technology for the simulation of water quality will provide easiness during the observation on the quality of water changes on the river surface. One example of it is that the use of land for settlements and housing ranges between 62.84% - 81.26% on the downstream of Ciliwung River, give a significant picture in seeing factors that affected the water quality of Ciliwung River.
Although 3-D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) holds great promise as a direct manufacturing technology, the geometric accuracy of AM built products remains a critical issue, especially for freeform products with complex geometric shapes. Efforts have long been attempted to improve the accuracy of AM built freeform products. But there is a lack of generic and prescriptive methodology transparent to specific designs and AM processes. This paper fills the gap by establishing the methodology to predict and compensate the in-plane (x - y plane) geometric deformation of AM built freeform products based on a limited number of simple trial shapes. Built upon our previous predictive model and optimal compensation study for the cylinder and polyhedron shapes, this paper makes a breakthrough by directly controlling arbitrary freeform shape deformation from computer-aided design. Experimental investigation using stereolithography process successfully validates the proposed prescriptive modeling and compensation methodology. This paper provides the prospect of proactively improving printing accuracy of arbitrary products built by a variety of AM processes. Note to Practitioners-Additive manufacturing (AM) has the characteristics of extremely high product varieties and low product volumes. Achieving high and consistent geometric accuracy in AM is therefore a daunting task because new products may not have been tried before, especially for the fabrication products with complex arbitrary shapes. This paper presents a novel prescriptive methodology to predict and control product in-plane geometric errors based on a limited number of trial cases. Successful experimental validation indicates the prospect of direct digital manufacturing of arbitrary freeform products with improved precision.
Urban environments are increasingly pervaded by embedded networks and mobile digital components capable of sensing, computing, and acting in real-time. These augmented environments have the capability to dynamically respond to and adapt to their context and to behavioral patterns of their human occupants. In doing so their forms of interaction can be fluid and ad-hoc and this paper proposes a framework based on improvisation for the analysis and the design of such environments. Following a study of the nature of the improvisation process, a systems view of improvisation is adopted. The structural elements of the Viewpoints improvisation technique are then mapped to design stages of second-order systems to develop a framework for the design of interactive urban environments.
As the world's fastest growing major economy and home to nearly one-fifth of the worlds population, India a vibrant democracy is in the midst of a profound transformation and rapid urbanization. Urbanization improves the quality of life of people while promoting economic growth; however it also increases energy consumption and is capable of generating an energy crisis. Urbanization has a significant impact on Carbon Dioxide (CO,) emissions as well. This paper empirically investigates the temporal, dynamic and causal relationships between urbanization, energy consumption and emissions. The study also aims to understand the urbanization process in India, in terms of the level and tempo of urbanization and the urban growth morphology, by utilizing the census data of 1901-2011. The rise in energy consumption and resulting emissions in the context of rapid urbanization is also reviewed. To address these problems the study recommends a series of measures and a set of strategies that include energy intensity and emission intensity reduction measures through continuous monitoring, information feedback systems, introduction of industrial energy quota management, incentives for energy efficient facilities, shutting down of inefficient facilities, and setting up of smart residential buildings. Reduction of distribution and transmission losses by investing in smart grids is also highly recommended.
Melt processing is routinely used to fabricate medical polymeric devices/ implants for clinical reconstruction and can be incorporated into quality systems procedures for medical device manufacture. As additive manufacturing (AM) becomes increasingly used for biomaterials and biofabrication, the translation of new, customizable, medical devices to the clinic becomes paramount. Melt processing is therefore a distinguishable group withinAMthat provides an avenue to manufacture scaffolds/implants with a clinical end-point. Three key melt processingAM technologies are highlighted in this review: melt micro-extrusion, selective laser sintering and melt electrospinning writing. The in vivo (including clinical) outcomes of medical devices and scaffolds made with these processes are reviewed. Together, they encompass the meltAMof scaffold architectures with feature sizes and resolutions ranging from 800 nmup to 700 mu m.
The processing of cassava has relied mainly on equipment used for other crops in most developing countries. Also there is a dearth of information regarding the engineering properties of cassava root and its products. Some selected engineering properties of ` Oko Iyawo' (TME-7), a popular cassava cultivar in south-western Nigeria, were studied. The study focused on some physical properties of cassava root which include mass, dimensions, peel thickness, and peel proportion by weight (PPW). Also studied were the frictional properties of stainless steel, galvanized sheets, and wooden surfaces at a moisture content range of 0.40-0.60 g H2O/g of wet mass which is necessary information required in machine design for processing equipment. Fifty freshly harvested cassava roots selected at random were used. The mass, length, diameters and peel thicknesses at the head, middle and tail, ranged respectively from 64-1480 g, 110-500 mm, 15-70, 17.5-76.0 and 12.5-67.0 mm, and 1.5-5.0, 1.3-5.9 and 1.1-5.9 mm while the PPW ranged from 12.80-38.13%, respectively. The coefficient of internal friction (CIF) ranged from 0.56-0.61 over the range of moisture content studied. The coefficient of rolling resistance (CRR) obtained using the periderm, cortex and flesh against the three surfaces were 0.15, 0.23 and 0.29; 0.12, 0.20 and 0.24; and 0.07, 0.13 and 0.18, respectively, while the coefficient of friction (COF) ranged from 0.18-0.25, 0.37-0.48 and 0.57-0.70 on stainless steel, galvanized sheets and wood surfaces respectively over the range of moisture contents studied. The influence of moisture content on the coefficients of friction and internal friction as well as on the periderm, cortex and flesh on the three surfaces were significant (p< 0.05). An oval root shape was established. All this is useful information for the development of more efficient cassava processing, handling and harvesting machines.
Decomposed granite roadcuts are difficult to revegetate after losing the topsoil and vegetation cover. We developed a new drilling machine, Digger, to efficiently drill six holes simultaneously on decomposed granite roadcuts to facilitate revegetation. The Digger consists of a base machine (0.7m(3)-level excavator) and a mounting body with six hydraulic motors instead of a bucket. We tested its performance on two roadcuts in southwest Korea using time-motion studies, which showed that the Digger can drill 240m(2) of decomposed granite roadcuts daily. The unit cost of the Digger was less than a half of other roadcut stabilization and revegetation techniques in Korea, making the Digger a cost-effective revegetation technology. Field germination and growth tests were also conducted to identify appropriate diameter and depth of drilling holes, suitable revegetation species, and mulching treatment. We drilled holes with three different diameters and depths, filled the holes with a mixture of plant seeds and cultivated soil, applied mulching treatments (coir geotextile, shade net, and no mulching), and measured the germination and growth results at two field plots after 1month and 1year. The results showed that drilling diameter 10cm and depth 10cm were large enough to result in better plant germination and growth. Erosion control species, Poa pratensis L. and Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees, survived and grew better than native woody species. Coir geotextile improved the plant germination and growth. The time-motion and revegetation results show that the Digger can be a promising technology to restore decomposed granite roadcuts. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human metabolism of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ( DEHP) is complex and yields mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ( MEHP) and numerous oxidative metabolites. The oxidative metabolites, mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP) and mono(2-carboxymethylhexyl) phthalate (MCMHP), have been considered to be better biomarkers for DEHP exposure assessment than MEHP because urinary levels of these metabolites are generally higher than MEHP, and their measurements are not subject to contamination. The urinary levels of the above metabolites, and of three other recently identified DEHP oxidative metabolites, mono(2-ethyl-3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MECPrP), mono-2-(1-oxoethylhexyl) phthalate (MOEHP), and mono(2-ethyl-4-carboxybutyl) phthalate (MECBP), were measured in 129 adults. MECPP, MCMHP and MEHHP were present in all the samples analysed. MEHP and the other oxidative metabolites were detected less frequently: MEOHP (99%), MECBP (88%), MECPrP (84%), MEHP (83%) and MOEHP (77%). The levels of all DEHP metabolites were highly correlated (pB/0.0001) with each other, confirming a common parent. The v and omega-1 oxidative metabolites ( MECPP, MCMHP, MEHHP and MEOHP) comprised 87.1% of all metabolites measured, and thus are most likely the best biomarkers for DEHP exposure assessment. The percentage of the unglucuronidated free form excreted in urine was higher for the ester linkage carboxylated DEHP metabolites compared with alcoholic and ketonic DEHP metabolites. The percentage of the unglucuronidated free form excreted in urine was higher for the DEHP metabolites with a carboxylated ester side-chain compared with alcoholic and ketonic metabolites. Further, differences were found between the DEHP metabolite profile between this adult population and that of six neonates exposed to high doses of DEHP through extensive medical treatment. In the neonates, MEHP represented 0.6% and MECPP 65.5% of the eight DEHP metabolites measured compared to 6.6% ( MEHP) and 31.8% ( MECPP) in the adults. Whether the observed differences reflect differences in route/duration of the exposure, age and/or health status of the individuals is presently unknown.
Digital Pulse Width Modulation (DPWM) is one of the most elementary parts in Digital Control Systems for the control of the power switch. Hence it has become an integral part of all System on Chips. It has also been broadly acknowledged as the control method in power converters. The principal focus of this paper is the design of FPGA based Digital controller for a DC-DC Buck convertor for SoC. The output voltage of a DC-DC convertor relies on the switching control circuit which is fundamentally an FPGA Digital controller-PWM. VHDL is employed for the coding of the Digital Controller, synthesis has been done using Xilinx XST 14.2, and Behavioral and Timing simulation has been handled by ModelSim. Also a power analysis using the XPower Analyzer is being carried out. After verification of the code, it will be downloaded onto a Spartan 3AN FPGA board.
N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are major targets of both acute and chronic alcohol, as well as regulators of plasticity in a number of brain regions. Aberrant plasticity may contribute to the treatment resistance and high relapse rates observed in alcoholics. Recent work suggests that chronic alcohol treatment preferentially modulates both the expression and subcellular localization of NMDARs containing the GluN2B subunit. Signaling through synaptic and extrasynaptic GluN2B-NMDARs has already been implicated in the pathophysiology of various other neurological disorders. NMDARs interact with a large number of proteins at the glutamate synapse, and a better understanding of how alcohol modulates this proteome is needed. We employed a discovery-based proteomic approach in subcellular fractions of hippocampal tissue from chronic intermittent alcohol (CIE)-exposed C57Bl/6J mice to gain insight into alcohol-induced changes in GluN2B signaling complexes. Protein enrichment analyses revealed changes in the association of post-synaptic proteins, including scaffolding, glutamate receptor and PDZ-domain binding proteins with GluN2B. In particular, GluN2B interaction with metabotropic glutamate (mGlu)(1/5) receptor-dependent long-term depression (LTD)-associated proteins such as Arc and Homer 1 was increased, while GluA2 was decreased. Accordingly, we found a lack of mGlu(1/5)-induced LTD while (1)-adrenergic receptor-induced LTD remained intact in hippocampal CA1 following CIE. These data suggest that CIE specifically disrupts mGlu(1/5)-LTD, representing a possible connection between NMDAR and mGlu receptor signaling. These studies not only demonstrate a new way in which alcohol can modulate plasticity in the hippocampus but also emphasize the utility of this discovery-based proteomic approach to generate new hypotheses regarding alcohol-related mechanisms.
Two-dimensional analytical and numerical solutions for determining the geometric dimensions and stresses of geotextile tubes are reviewed. Conventional one-dimensional (1D) approximation of the average drop in height (consolidated height) of geotextile tubes was also reviewed in this study. Densification modeling of the fill material based on areal-strain analysis is introduced. Leshchinky et al.'s approximation method considers only the vertical movement of the densifying material in the analysis. The areal-strain method offers an alternative analysis approach wherein both the vertical and lateral movements of the densifying fill material are considered. The geotextile tube is assumed to be resting on a rigid horizontal foundation and analyses for both filling and densified stages treats the internal material as liquid in order to apply normal pressure to the tube. Parametric cases for the densification of geotextile tube fill are presented. Results show that the degree of tube height reduction decreases as the density of the slurry fill is increased. Large-scale tests have been conducted on composite geotextile tubes made of outer woven and inner non-woven polyester (PET) material. The tubes were 10 m and 25 m long having theoretical diameters of 3.0 m and 5.0 m, respectively. The validity of the solution for densification analysis was demonstrated by comparing the numerical results to those of the field test. The agreement between the numerical results and field measurement data is fairly acceptable. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Breast fibromatosis is a rare disease characterized by monoclonal fibroblast proliferation. It has no ability to metastasize but has a high local recurrence rate and often infiltrates surrounding tissues. Surgical treatment is the reference, but recently, new targeted therapies have emerged. We report an original case of a patient with breast fibromatosis who received exclusive medical treatment. Our aim was to analyze these treatments based on the clinical and radiological outcome, iatrogenic effects, and pharmacological action. Case presentation: We report the case of a 19-year-old woman who developed a desmoid-type fibromatosis of the lower inner quadrant of the right breast, measuring 50 x 25 mm (i.e., a volume of 27.4 cm(3)). Initial surgery was not possible because of potential esthetic and functional prejudice. Thus, she had an exclusive medical treatment including several lines: NSAIDs with tamoxifen and triptorelin, followed by sorafenib, then interferon a2b, and finally sunitinib. With tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (sunitinib), a significant partial response was observed (57% reduction of the maximal tumoral volume). For each treatment, we provided the clinical and radiological outcome in association with known pharmacological action. Conclusions: TKI had been an interesting alternative option to initial surgery, providing at least a partial response and potentially allowing less mutilating surgery. However, no pharmacological mechanism can unequivocally explain TKI efficacy. In general, breast fibromatosis should be treated along with oncologist and interventional radiologists in a trans-disciplinary modality, thus offering an adapted treatment for this particular desmoid-type fibromatosis localization.
In this work an ultrasound-based measurement method is used for monitoring suspension velocity and build-up of magnetic material inside a wet low-intensity magnetic separator, a process used e.g. in beneficiation of magnetite ores. Today the only available option is to monitor material transport between unit operations; i.e. flow rate, solids concentration, and particle size distribution of suspension flow in pipes are measured online using standard equipment. An acoustic backscatter system is fitted to the tank of a separator, and used to monitor the internal flow. A method called ultrasonic velocity profiling is used to capture internal velocity profiles. Simultaneously, the backscatter signal intensity is used to get indications about local solids concentration of the flow, and build-up of magnetic material. The methods are evaluated in realistic conditions, where the effect of varying factors relevant to machine performance is investigated. The included factors are; the slurry feed rate, the slurry solids concentration, the magnet assembly angle, and the drum rotational speed. The presented method gives useful information about the internal material flow inside the separator. The velocity measurements capture the, sometimes complex, internal flow patterns, for example the presence and velocity of a recirculating flow in the dewatering zone. Additionally, keeping a balanced material loading in the concentrate dewatering zone is important to separator performance. Using the signal backscatter intensity it is possible to qualitatively monitor this material loading. Generally these direct measurements can aid in improvements to machine design, process optimization, and process control. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs diclofenac and naproxen are widely used for the treatment of arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and acute muscle pain. However, most of them are usually not metabolized and simply pass through human body. These drugs are difficult to be decomposed by general waste treatment strategies and have caused serious environmental concerns. We report a rapid and efficient conversion of diclofenac and naproxen by chloroperoxidase-catalyzed H2O2-oxidation, a heme protein isolated from Caldarimyces fumago. Complete conversion of diclofenac and naproxen was achieved in only 9 and 7 min respectively with 0.1 mmol L-1 H2O2 and nanomolar enzyme concentration at pH 3.0. The converted products were identified by HPLC-MS and NMR, suggesting involvement of multiple steps in CPO catalyzed conversion. Our work demonstrated that CPO treatment (with COD removal of 4.9%, 9.1% for diclofenac and naproxen, respectively) followed by existing bioremediation technologies (activated sludge) greatly improved the decontaminating these two drugs from waste water (COD removal was enhanced to 85% and 86%, respectively). The eco-toxicity evaluation according to the 72-h EC50 value using the green algae Chlorella Pyrenoidos as ecological indicators showed that the converted products of diclofenac and naproxen had lower toxicity than the original drugs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objectives. - Semantic-pragmatic disorder affects the use of language in a social context. However, therapists do not agree upon whether semantic-pragmatic disorder belongs to the autism spectrum or if it is an entirely separate condition. Rapin and Allen first defined semantic-pragmatic disorder (SPD) in 1983 as a language disorder. Confusion surrounds the use of diagnostic terminology in the area of SPD, where neurology, psychology, psychiatry and speech and language therapy converge. Nowadays, the most common definitions of SPD are: language impairment; manifestation of an autistic spectrum disorder; disorder between language impairments and autistic spectrum disorders; multiple complex developmental disorders. Recently DSM-5 has identified a new diagnosis called social communication disorder. This category is characterized by a persistent difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication that cannot be explained by low cognitive ability. Symptoms. include difficulty in the acquisition and use of spoken and written language as well as problems with inappropriate responses in conversation. The disorder limits effective communication, social relationships, academic achievement, or occupational performance. This paper discusses the characteristics of semantic pragmatic disorder as well as social communication disorder and how to manage them. Its goal is to sensitize children psychiatrists and children psychologists about this problem, to arrive at a more precise diagnosis and to prescribe more accurate treatments. Patient. - In this article we present a single clinical case based on the story of a young boy called Mark. This case is interesting because at the age of six, Mark was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Later on, at the age of eight a new examination pointed to language impairment. As an early teenager, at the age of 13, Mark was reevaluated and diagnosed with a multiple complex developmental disorder. Results. - Up until today the literature does not provide clinical studies that allow us to differentiate semantic-pragmatic language disorders, disorders of the autistic spectrum and multiple complex developmental disorders. However, after having interrogated speech therapist and clinicians, we have observed clinical individual differences throughout the course of the treatment. Compared to children suffering from an autistic spectrum syndrome, children that exhibit a semantic-pragmatic language disorder seem to have the following characteristics: initially a fascination for details that is less significant but that decreases with time until it finally might disappear; a continuity of ritual behaviors that is initially less significant but that decreases with time until it finally might disappear; a better eye contact in their relationship with others; a better variability of facial expressions; a better capacity to generalize from what they have learned from a new situation; a weaker requirement of invariance even if the interests might be restraint; no or few stereotypes that diminish strongly with time until they eventually disappear; persevering difficulties in the use of personal pronouns above the age of seven; late, but spontaneous acquisitions of symbolic play and in pretend play. These clinical elements can guide us in our reflections concerning the differential diagnosis. They deserve a deeper understanding about their validity during diagnosis. Conclusions. - The symptomatology of the semantic-pragmatic syndrome is complex and gives rise to several different diagnostic hypotheses. This points to the importance and necessity of a multidisciplinary evaluation. The complete and detailed medical history of the child's development, the persisting symptoms and the IQ profile are elements for which we have to remain attentive. This is important to guide us in our differential diagnosis and in our treatment. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
A complexity of business dynamics often forces decision-makers to make decisions based on subjective mental models, reflecting their experience. However, research has shown that companies perform better when they apply data-driven decision-making. This creates an incentive to introduce intelligent, data based decision models, which are comprehensive and support the interactive evaluation of decision options necessary for the business environment. Recently, a new general explanation methodology has been proposed, which supports the explanation of state-of-the-art black-box prediction models. Uniform explanations are generated on the level of model/individual instance and support what-if analysis. We present a novel use of this methodology inside an intelligent system in a real-world case of business-to-business (B2B) sales forecasting, a complex task frequently done judgmentally. Users can validate their assumptions with the presented explanations and test their hypotheses using the presented what-if parallel graph representation. The results demonstrate effectiveness and usability of the methodology. A significant advantage of the presented method is the possibility to evaluate seller's actions and to outline general recommendations in sales strategy. This flexibility of the approach and easy-to-follow explanations are suitable for many different applications. Our well-documented real-world case shows how to solve a decision support problem, namely that the best performing black-box models are inaccessible to human interaction and analysis. This could extend the use of the intelligent systems to areas where they were so far neglected due to their insistence on comprehensible models. A separation of the machine learning model selection from model explanation is another significant benefit for expert and intelligent systems. Explanations unconnected to a particular prediction model positively influence acceptance of new and complex models in the business environment through their easy assessment and switching. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background and objective: The preoperative planning of bone fractures using information from CT scans increases the probability of obtaining satisfactory results, since specialists are provided with additional information before surgery. The reduction of complex bone fractures requires solving a 3D puzzle in order to place each fragment into its correct position. Computer-assisted solutions may aid in this process by identifying the number of fragments and their location, by calculating the fracture zones or even by computing the correct position of each fragment. The main goal of this paper is the development of an automatic method to calculate contact zones between fragments and thus to ease the computation of bone fracture reduction. Methods: In this paper, an automatic method to calculate the contact zone between two bone fragments is presented. In a previous step, bone fragments are segmented and labelled from CT images and a point cloud is generated for each bone fragment. The calculated contact zones enable the automatic reduction of complex fractures. To that end, an automatic method to match bone fragments in complex fractures is also presented. Results: The proposed method has been successfully applied in the calculation of the contact zone of 4 different bones from the ankle area. The calculated fracture zones enabled the reduction of all the tested cases using the presented matching algorithm. The performed tests show that the reduction of these fractures using the proposed methods leaded to a small overlapping between fragments. Conclusions: The presented method makes the application of puzzle-solving strategies easier, since it does not obtain the entire fracture zone but the contact area between each pair of fragments. Therefore, it is not necessary to find correspondences between fracture zones and fragments may be aligned two by two. The developed algorithms have been successfully applied in different fracture cases in the ankle area. The small overlapping error obtained in the performed tests demonstrates the absence of visual overlapping in the figures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
In computer vision, many problems can be formulated as binary quadratic programs (BQPs), which are in general NP hard. Finding a solution when the problem is of large size to be of practical interest typically requires relaxation. Semidefinite relaxation usually yields tight bounds, but its computational complexity is high. In this work, we present a semidefinite programming (SDP) formulation for BQPs, with two desirable properties. First, it produces similar bounds to the standard SDP formulation. Second, compared with the conventional SDP formulation, the proposed SDP formulation leads to a considerably more efficient and scalable dual optimization approach. We then propose two solvers, namely, quasi-Newton and smoothing Newton methods, for the simplified dual problem. Both of them are significantly more efficient than standard interior-point methods. Empirically the smoothing Newton solver is faster than the quasi-Newton solver for dense or medium-sized problems, while the quasi-Newton solver is preferable for large sparse/structured problems.
A critical aspect of applying modern computational solution methods to complex multi-physics systems of relevance to nuclear reactor modeling, is the assessment of the predictive capability of specific proposed mathematical models. In this respect the understanding of numerical error, the sensitivity of the solution to parameters associated with input data, boundary condition uncertainty, and mathematical models is critical. Additionally, the ability to evaluate and or approximate the model efficiently, to allow development of a reasonable level of statistical diagnostics of the mathematical model and the physical system, is of central importance. In this study we report on initial efforts to apply integrated adjoint-based computational analysis and automatic differentiation tools to begin to address these issues. The study is carried out in the context of a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes approximation to turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer using a particular spatial discretization based on implicit fully-coupled stabilized FE methods. Initial results are presented that show the promise of these computational techniques in the context of nuclear reactor relevant prototype thermal-hydraulics problems. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Water hydraulic variable ballast system (WHVBS) is a competitive mechanism to realize the hovering system which is one of the most popular ways to expand the maneuvering capability of AUVs. However, the WHVBSs equipped in AUVs almost were on-off type without controlling the flow rate of the in/out ballast water, which limits the hovering performance of the AUVs operated in complex underwater environment. In this paper, three novel types of WHVBS, which supports one or two low cost means to control the flow rate of ballast water, have been proposed to improve the performance of an AUV hovering system. A torpedo-like AUV equipped with WHVBS was used as a simulation platform to verify the effectiveness of the proposed WHVBSs. Numerical simulation results support the idea that compared with the commonly used on-off type WHVBS, the WHVBSs introduced flow rate control can significantly improve the hovering performance of the AUV, especially in the situations with unfavorable sea wave disturbances. Additionally, the statistics on water usage of different WHVBSs in numerical simulation indicated that the novel WHVBSs have the potential to extend the mission duration of AUV. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A robust and efficient object tracking algorithm is required in a variety of computer vision applications. Although various modern trackers have impressive performance, some challenges such as occlusion and target scale variation are still intractable, especially in the complex scenarios. This paper proposes a robust scale adaptive tracking algorithm to predict target scale by a sequential Monte Carlo method and determine the target location by the correlation filter simultaneously. By analyzing the response map of the target region, the completeness of the target can be measured by the peak-to-sidelobe rate (PSR), i.e., the lower the PSR, the more likely the target is being occluded. A strict template update strategy is designed to accommodate the appearance change and avoid template corruption. If the occlusion occurs, a retained scheme is allowed and the tracker refrains from drifting away. Additionally, the feature integration is incorporated to guarantee the robustness of the proposed approach. The experimental results show that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art trackers in terms of both the distance precision and overlap precision on the publicly available TB-50 dataset.
In this study, we used satellite imagery to conduct a statistical study of the ocean vortex train induced by the Kuroshio Current on the leeward side of Green Island, Taiwan. The spatial scale and characteristics of the ocean vortex train were analyzed using image datasets from five different high-resolution satellites, including optical imagery from the Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre and the Formosat-2 satellites and synthetic aperture radar imagery from the European Remote Sensing Satellite, Advanced Land Observing Satellite, and Sentinel -1. Satellite altimetry data and a moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) were used to calculate the velocity of the Kuroshio Current. The ADCP data suggest that the velocity increases on the western side of the vortex train when it is formed on the leeward side of Green Island. Data from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) showed that the sea surface temperature of the recirculation water was over 2 degrees C colder and the chlorophyll-a concentration was two times higher than that of the surrounding waters. These phenomena suggested upwelling, mixing processes, and an island-mass effect. Wind forcing had a pronounced effect on the characteristics of the vortex train. High-resolution satellite images indicate that the averaged aspect ratio of the vortex train is 2.09 and the dimensionless width is 2.02 under southerly winds, compared to 1.91 and 2.76, respectively, under northerly winds. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
As major part of the phytoplankton, microalgae are pivotal for the global food chain. Their exceptional capacity for CO2-fixation illustrates their indispensable significance to sustain earth's ecosystems. Further, they play a still underestimated role in eliminating contaminants from various environments. In addition to ecological benefit, many microalgal species exhibit high nutritional value and, at the same time, generate valued bio-products: Pigments, lipids, bioactive compounds, certain polysaccharides, bio-hydrogen and even biopolyesters with plastic-like properties have the potential for successful market penetration. Three substantial pigment groups, namely chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycobilins, are essential for light harvesting and CO2 fixation. Those pigments will most likely undergo quick commercial success in functional food, cosmetics, aquaculture, pharmaceuticals, or food technology. Due to often high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids essential for human metabolism, microalgal oils can be commercialized as health food and in the pharmaceutical and therapeutic field, creating much higher value than by converting them to biofuel. Finally, algal biomass remaining as residue after product recovery can be used as forage, biogas feedstock or biofertilizer. This utilization is needed for balancing the material-and energy cycles of the entire process. Thus, technology platforms following the principles of bio-refineries shall be established to enable the design of sustainable and economically feasible production of marketable microalgal products. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
One of the most profound questions in the scientific study of religion is whether or not religion evolved because of its ability to stimulate cooperation, in the sense of in-group mutual help. Historical evidence bearing on this fundamental question is scarce and inconclusive. Relevant empirical and experimental studies have often shown an association between religious variables and the promotion of collaborative attitudes, and sometimes a causal link from religion to cooperation. This study evaluates the quality of the evidence gathered to date. After reviewing previously published theoretical, empirical non-experimental, experimental, experimental-priming, meta-analytic, and hybrid studies, I identify difficulties with current research methodologies, including the lack of standard procedures. I conclude by drawing such conclusions as the existing literature permits regarding the link between religion and prosociality, arguing that religion needs to be understood not as needing to produce prosociality to appear, survive, and develop; but as emerging, surviving, and developing in a complex partnership with moral attitudes and behaviors.
Computational complexity of public key cryptography over sensor nodes is not anymore a blocking concern in modern devices which natively (and efficiently) support elliptic curve cryptography. The problem has rather shifted toward the significant airtime consumption required to exchange multiple messages and certificates so as to perform authentication and key agreement. This letter addresses such problem by exploiting implicit certificates (elliptic curve Qu-Vanstone). We specifically propose a novel key management protocol (KMP) which suitably integrates implicit certificates with a standard elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman exchange, and performs authentication and key derivation. As confirmed by a proof-of-concept implementation and relevant experimental results, the proposed KMP guarantees maximal airtime savings (up to 86.7%) with respect to conventional approaches, robust key negotiation, fast rekeying, and efficient protection against replay attacks.
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase I (ERAP1) is involved in the final processing of peptide precursors to generate the N-termini of MHC class I-restricted epitopes. ERAP1 thus influences immunodominance and cytotoxic immune responses by controlling the peptide repertoire available for cell surface presentation by MHC molecules. To enable this critical role in antigen processing, ERAP1 trims peptides by a unique molecular ruler mechanism that turns on/off hydrolysis activity in a peptide-length and sequence dependent manner. Thus unlike other aminopeptidases, ERAP1 could recognize both the Nand C-termini of peptides in order to read the substrate's length. To exemplify and validate this molecular ruler mechanism, we have carried out crystallographic studies on molecular recognition of antigenic peptide's C-terminus by ERAP1. In this report, we have determined a 2.8 angstrom-resolution crystal structure of an intermolecular complex between the ERAPI regulatory domain and a natural epitope's C-terminus displayed in a fusion protein. It reveals the structural details of peptide's C-termini recognition by ERAP1. ERAP1 uses specificity pockets on the regulatory domain to bind the peptide's carboxyl end and side chain of the C-terminal anchoring residue. At the same time, flexibility in length and sequence at the middle of peptides is accommodated by a kink with minimal interactions with ERAP1. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we constructed an exploration target model for volcanogenic massive sulfide and hydro thermal deposits in Honghai district (China) using moderate resolution ETM+, ASTER, and hyperspectral Hyperion images and high resolution ZY-3 images, and weights-of-evidence (WofE) analysis and concentration-area (C-A) fractal modeling. The methodology and mapping steps were: (1) ETM + images were used to extract hydroxyl and iron-oxide alterations for identification of linear and ring fault structures and prospective zones in regional scale; (2) ASTER images were used to extract SiO2 index, kaolinite, chlorite, propylite, potassium, carbonate, and limonite alterations for identification of mineralization zones in district scale; (3) hyperspectral Hyperion images were analyzed to identify mineral components for identification of Cu-Au deposit zones in district scale; (4) high resolution ZY-3 images were used to extract geological objects (e.g., volcanic rocks, integration, and linear and ring fault structures) and cross-validate multiple type alterations and their associations with lithological strata based on interpretation of ETM+ and ASTER images; (5) alteration/structural factors and geological objects were integrated for mineral prospectivity mapping by WofE analysis, and mineral prospectivity was classified by (C-A) fractal modeling. Ring faults, iron-oxide alteration, chlorite alteration and silicification are important exploration factors, whereas carbonate alteration, potassic alteration, and linear faults are secondary exploration factors. Ten exploration targets were recognized in the Honghai district. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Peanut allergies are common and can be life-threating for sensitised individuals. Peanut allergens share significant amino acid homology with those of other legumes and tree nuts, but their cross-reactivity still remains unclear. Objective: We sought to determine the clinical significance of the cross-reactivity of peanut allergens with those of walnut and soybean. Methods: Pooled sera from eight subjects with both peanut and walnut specific IgE were investigated in an inhibition test. After the sera were incubated with either peanut or walnut protein extracts, the quantity of IgE antibodies against the peanut and walnut was measured using an immunoCAP test. Likewise, pooled sera from 18 subjects with both peanut and soybean specific IgE antibodies were incubated with either peanut or soybean protein extracts and evaluated with a peanut and soybean immunoCAP test. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting were also performed with peanut, walnut and soybean protein extracts and relevant sera. Results: Peanut specific IgE was inhibited up to 20% and 26% by walnut and soybean protein extracts, respectively. In reverse, walnut and soybean specific IgE were inhibited up to 21% and 23% by peanut protein extracts, respectively. In the immunoblot analysis, pooled serum from the subjects with peanut specific IgE antibodies reacted with walnut protein extracts significantly. Conclusion: Although the clinical significance of the cross-reactivity of peanut specific IgE with walnut and soybean protein extracts has not been established, we believe that individuals who are allergic to peanuts need to be cautious about consuming walnuts and soybeans. (C) 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Geosynthetic reinforced soil walls are now an accepted technology for the solution of earth-retaining problems due to cost savings, easy and quick construction, and associated environmental benefits. Additional savings and reduction in environmental impact can be realised by using recycled construction and demolition waste (RCDW) as the backfill material. This paper describes two such structures that were built to full scale and instrumented. One of the walls was reinforced with a woven polyester geogrid (wall 1) and the other (wall 2) with a relatively more extensible nonwoven polypropylene geotextile. Both walls were constructed using RCDW as backfill material and were built on a foundation soil prone to fabric collapse due to increased stress and/or increase in moisture content. During the monitoring period the walls were subjected to a rainy season followed by induced inundation of the foundation to trigger soil fabric collapse. The results showed that foundation soil collapse influenced wall behaviour more than geosynthetic type. The exception to similar performance was local face bulging which was greater for wall 2 (geotextile) with the more extensible reinforcement under unconfined conditions than for wall 1 (geogrid) which was expected in the moving formwork construction method. However, directly behind the wall face where both reinforcement material types were confined the horizontal displacements were similar. In addition, at locations beyond half of the wall base length the strain distributions were low (1% or less) for both walls. A practical conclusion from this study is that if the wrap-face appearance at end of construction is not a concern (i.e. large bulging) then wall performance is unaffected by the choice of reinforcement types used in this investigation.
During interpersonal communication, listeners must rapidly evaluate verbal and vocal cues to arrive at an integrated meaning about the utterance and about the speaker, including a representation of the speaker's 'feeling of knowing' (i.e., how confident they are in relation to the utterance). In this study, we investigated the time course and neural responses underlying a listener's ability to evaluate speaker confidence from combined verbal and vocal cues. We recorded real-time brain responses as listeners judged statements conveying three levels of confidence with the speaker's voice (confident, close-to-confident, unconfident), which were preceded by meaning-congruent lexical phrases (e.g. I am positive, Most likely, Perhaps). Event-related potentials to utterances with combined lexical and vocal cues about speaker confidence were compared to responses elicited by utterances without the verbal phrase in a previous study (Jiang and Pell, 2015). Utterances with combined cues about speaker confidence elicited reduced, N1, P2 and N400 responses when compared to corresponding utterances without the phrase. When compared to confident statements, close-to-confident and unconfident expressions elicited reduced N1 and P2 responses and a late positivity from 900 to 1250 ms; unconfident and close-to-confident expressions were differentiated later in the 1250-1600 ms time window. The effect of lexical phrases on confidence processing differed for male and female participants, with evidence that female listeners incorporated information from the verbal and vocal channels in a distinct manner. Individual differences in trait empathy and trait anxiety also moderated neural responses during confidence processing. Our findings showcase the cognitive processing mechanisms and individual factors governing how we infer a speaker's mental (knowledge) state from the speech signal. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this article, the author presents a case in which she chose to accept a patient's Facebook friend request. She describes an early model scene (Lichtenberg, 1989) that shaped the patient's sense of self and his relationships, and how a similar interpersonal dynamic was recreated in the analytic dyad. As the treatment progressed, the analyst found it necessary to revisit and reconceptualize the idea of the traditional psychoanalytic frame to better meet her patient's developmental, selfobject, and relational needs. The author elaborates on how the frame changed (and why), how the expansion of the frame deepened the analyst-patient bond, and the ways in which the use of social media opened new therapeutic opportunities and relational possibilities in this treatment. The author discusses how this case illustrates Bacal's (1998, 2011; Bacal & Herzog, 2003) theories of optimal responsiveness and specificity, and addresses related topics that include the implicit mode of relatedness, nonverbal communication, and analyst self-disclosure and self-consciousness.
Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is a calcifuge (acid-loving) plant that responds favorably to mulching with organic matter (OM). Until recently, most blueberry plantings in northwestern United States were grown with a mulch of douglas fir sawdust, with additional nitrogen (N) fertilizer applied to compensate for N immobilized by sawdust decomposition. A field trial was established in Oct. 2006 in Aurora, Oregon, USA to evaluate alternative mulches (as partial or full replacement for sawdust) within a certified Organic system. Mulch treatments were: sawdust alone (9 cm depth); yard debris compost (4 cm) covered with sawdust (5 cm); and geotextile weed mat. The treatments were applied at planting and comprised one component of a factorial trial that included two cultivars ('Duke' and 'Liberty'), two bed configurations (raised and flat), two fertilizer sources (fish emulsion and feather meal), and two fertilizer rates (low and high). The organic mulches were reapplied, and the weed mat was replaced, after four growing seasons. Average cumulative yields over the first 5 years of fruit production (2008-12) were 9.0 kg/plant with sawdust, 9.3 kg/plant with 'compost + sawdust', and 9.6 kg/plant with weed mat; and the treatment with the highest cumulative yield, regardless of mulch, was 'Liberty' fertilized with either a low or high rate of feather meal. By 5-6 years after planting, soil OM was 37 g.kg(-1) with 'compost + sawdust', 32 g.kg(-1) with sawdust, and 30 g.kg(-1) with weed mat. Soil pH remained in the optimum range for blueberry in each treatment (pH 4.5-5.5), but soil K at a depth of 0-20 cm was higher with 'compost + sawdust' (400 mg.kg(-1)) than with sawdust or weed mat (250 mg.kg(-1) each). Leaf nutrient concentrations, including K, Ca, and Mg, were nonresponsive to the mulch treatments. Overall, this study demonstrated that application of yard debris compost provided a large benefit to soil OM maintenance and increased soil test K, but had no effect in 6 years on tissue nutrient concentrations in the blueberry leaves.
The question what specific functions the production of emotional tears fulfills has received only limited attention of behavioral scientists. We report the results of two studies on the social impact of emotional tears. In Study 1 (96 Dutch females), perceived helplessness and felt connectedness predicted the willingness to help a person depicted as crying tearfully, while perceived friendliness did not. In Study 2 (US sample, 128 males, 68 females) all three of these variables mediated the effect the display of tears had on the willingness to help. Our results replicate and extend previous work and add to current knowledge by showing that tearful crying facilitates helping behavior and by identifying reasons why people are more willing to help criers. These findings help to put forth novel predictions on the impact of tearful crying on others.
TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated using electrochemical anodization of titanium foils, where different types of electrolytes were tested to determine conceptual choice for nanotubes fabrication. These electrolytes are 1M (NH4)(2)SO4 containing 0.5% wt NH4F, 1M Na2SO4 containing 0.5% wt NH4F, 1M NaF containing 0.5% wt (NH4)(2)SO4 and a mixture of water: ethylene glycol 1:9 containing 0.5% wt NH4F. The foils were marked as EG type (Ethylene Glycol), AS type (Ammonium sulfate), SS type (sodium sulfate) and SF type (sodium fluoride). The photocatalytic capabilities and characterization of the fabricated NTAs were analyzed using SEM, XRD, and DRS. The degradation ratio of designated organic pollutants (Rhodamine B) was analyzed. The obtained results have proven that foils fabricated using Ethylene glycol have significant photocatalytic abilities, with a degradation ratio of EG-SS-SF-AS types being 80% to 85%, 70% to 80%, 70% to 75% and 52% to 55%, respectively.
Real-time video processing is a challenge in many embedded system applications. They can be general-purpose processor based (software) or Custom single purpose processor based (hardware). Software processor based rely mostly on real-time operating system layer to allow multiple software threads to run concurrently. Hardware processor based don't need these layers because they are not executing any programs, but rather operate in finite state machines. Video Capturing, Color space conversion, and Privacy protection are considered in this article as three fundamental components for effective and secure real-time video streaming system. The proposed model is based on concurrent finite state machines which is inherently concurrent. After careful verification, the proposed system is compared with a base point system. The base point system is built using a soft-core Nios II processor on a reconfigurable hardware, i.e., FPGA chip, for performance evaluations. Then a Custom Sequential Machine is designed and modeled in Verilog HDL, which utilizes integer calculations and has concurrent interfaces to input and output memory devices for synchronization purposes. The Custom Sequential Machine design uses integer approximation rather than floating point for color space conversion. A speed-up factor of 4 orders of magnitude higher than the base point system for color space conversion only. The base point system was not powerful enough to be serve real-time video capturing, processing and privacy protection, but was useful for illustration of the need of proposed system model.
Grandparenting has been proposed as an ultimate evolutionary mechanism that has contributed to the increase in human life expectancy (see the grandmother hypothesis). The neural and hormonal system originally rooted in parenting and thus grandparenting - that is activated in the process of caregiving has been suggested as a potential proximate mechanism that promotes engagement in prosocial behavior towards kin and non-kin alike. Evidence and theory suggest that activating this caregiving system positively impacts health and may reduce the mortality of the helper. Although some studies have found grandparental care to have beneficial effects on grandparents' health outcomes, most studies have focused on the detrimental health consequences of providing custodial care for grandchildren. Little is known about how non-custodial grandparental and other forms of care giving relate to mortality hazards for the care provider. Using an evolutionary framework, we examined whether caregiving within and beyond the family is related to mortality in older adults. Survival analyses based on data from the Berlin Aging Study revealed that mortality hazards for grandparents who provided non-custodial childcare were 37% lower than for grandparents who did not provide childcare and for non-grandparents. These associations held after controlling for physical health, age, socioeconomic status and various characteristics of the children and grandchildren. Furthermore, the effect of caregiving extended to non-grandparents and to childless older adults who helped beyond their families. Potential ultimate and proximate mechanisms underlying these effects are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Spousal revenge killers murder their child apparently out of a desire to cause harm to their ex-partner, the child's other parent. Standard explanations of these killings fail to provide an adequate solution to what I call the problem of spousal revenge filicide. This is the problem of how a killer comes to take their rage at their former partner out on their own child and how that child can be dehumanized to the point of murder. Although the dehumanization of the victim is acknowledged to occur, why it occurs is not well understood. Here, I offer an hypothesis that the killer fails to represent their child as a moral subject with a mind of their own. This is due to a deficit in the killer's capacity for person perception which is, by hypothesis, pathological. As such, the killer experiences the child as an object, rather than a person, which is of significant emotional value to the other parent. The specificity of this disorder explains why the ex-partner themselves is not targeted, and it explains how the killer is able to understand that killing the child will harm the other parent. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study examined the effects of display curvature (400, 600, 1200 mm, and flat), display zone (5 zones), and task duration (15 and 30 min) on legibility and visual fatigue. Each participant completed two 15-min visual search task sets at each curvature setting. The 600-mm and 1200-mm settings yielded better results than the flat setting in terms of legibility and perceived visual fatigue. Relative to the corresponding centre zone, the outermost zones of the 1200-mm and flat settings showed a decrease of 8%-37% in legibility, whereas those of the flat setting showed an increase of 26%-45% in perceived visual fatigue. Across curvatures, legibility decreased by 2%-8%, whereas perceived visual fatigue increased by 22% during the second task set. The two task sets induced an increase of 102% in the eye complaint score and a decrease of 0.3 Hz in the critical fusion frequency, both of which indicated an increase in visual fatigue. In summary, a curvature of around 600 mm, central display zones, and frequent breaks are recommended to improve legibility and reduce visual fatigue. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Urban stormwater runoff management systems are usually designed to meet performance standards based on historical climate data, which are assumed to be stationary. Based on the evidence from climate change impact studies, in the near future, stormwater management systems, within the built environment, may need to meet performance expectations under climatic conditions different from historical climate. Considering the impacts of climate change on rainfall intensities and stormwater runoff peak flow and volumes, and in turn the effectiveness of mitigation, practices for urban stormwater management are desirable. This paper presents the results of a climate change impact study on urban stormwater runoff in the Bronx River watershed, New York City. Considering the impacts of climate change on watershed runoff, the potential for low-impact development (LID) controls to mitigate the impacts was investigated. Stormwater runoff and LID controls were modeled using the U.S. EPA Storm Water Management Model version 5 (EPA SWMM5). The simulations were driven by historical precipitation modified to represent future projections using a change factor methodology based on precipitation from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). Using the change factor method, historical precipitation was perturbed to obtain future data, based on three climate scenarios projecting maximum, mean, and minimum values for rainfall. Results of frequency analysis performed on the simulated peak flow rates, with different recurrence intervals, showed a noticeable increase in the frequency of occurrence of extreme storm events and their peak values, under future extreme climate conditions. An LID control scenario consisting of rainwater harvesting, porous pavement, and bioretention was designed and evaluated using the SWMM model. The results showed that, while average increase in historical annual runoff volume under climate change impacts was approximately 48%, the LID controls could provide an average reduction of 41% in annual runoff volume. Application of the LID controls also reduced peak flow rates by an average of 8 to 13%. LID implementation decreased watershed runoff corresponding to 2-year and 50-year return periods, by 28 and 14%, respectively. In conclusion, retrofits with LID controls may provide not only their inherent benefits (e.g., runoff volume and water quality), but also additional climate impact mitigation benefits for stormwater runoff. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
From the very inception of the Indian Jute Industry, jute fiber has proved its superiority over other fibers particularly in the area of packaging for food grains, in terms of its functionality and reusability due to its considerable tensile strength, low extensibility, and good dimensional stability, which is obviously the natural choice for packaging. One of the growing alternatives in today's context is the emergence of technical textiles made out of natural fibers which includes geotextile products for geotechnical applications, agrotextile products as well as other such relevant areas. Jute geotextile can certainly be considered as a potential aspirant replacing majority of today's popular synthetic products which are posing severe threats to our environment thereby adversely affecting the eco-congruity. During the application of jute fabrics of different types at the sites and even in designing garments in the Apparel Sector, it has been observed that the ability of the fabric to assume a graceful appearance of the contour is very crucial conveying the significance of drapeability of the jute fabric. An attempt has been made in this paper to study the effect of relevant property parameters and their comparative analysis on the drapeability of jute fabric as well as synthetic woven and nonwoven fabrics with respect to their end-use requirements.
This study aimed to examine the associations of individual trajectories of three types of negative affect (NA: anxiety, depression, and anger) and craving during a 44-day period of incentivized smoking abstinence period with cessation outcome at 3 months and at 1 year. Adult smokers (N = 140) completed questionnaire assessments of NA and craving during pre-quit baseline sessions and 15 postquit sessions over the 45 days of biochemically verified abstinence while on nicotine or placebo patch treatment. Growth curve and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of trajectory parameters of the individual NA states and craving with the abstinence outcomes at 3 months and 1 year postquit. Greater declines in anxiety, depression, and anger symptoms over the first 44 days of smoking cessation were predictive of higher odds of abstinence at both 3 months and 1 year. Moreover, the greater declines in anxiety and anger remained as significant predictors of abstinence at both time points, independent of the predictive ability of the trajectory profiles of craving. The findings suggest that slower dissipation of NA, especially anxiety and anger, represents a greater risk for relapse to smoking beyond that predicted by craving during early abstinence. Thus, temporal profiles of the affective symptoms convey unique motivational significance in relapse. Reduction in NA during early abstinence may be a valid target for interventions to increase long-term cessation success rates particularly among individuals with refractory affective symptoms.
The wind power generation techniques are continuing to develop and increasing numbers of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind power systems are connecting to the on-shore and off-shore grids, local standalone weak networks, and microgrid applications. The impedances of the weak networks are too large to be neglected and require careful attention. Due to the impedance interaction between the weak network and the DFIG system, both subsynchronous resonance (SSR) and high-frequency resonance (HFR) may occur when the DFIG system is connected to the series or parallel compensated weak network. This paper will discuss the SSR and the HFR phenomena based on the impedance modeling of the DFIG system and the weak networks, and the cause of these two resonances will be explained in details. The following factors will be discussed in this paper: 1) transformer configuration; 2) different power scale of DFIG system with different parameters; 3) L or LCL filter adopted in the grid side converter (GSC); 4) rotor speed; 5) current closed-loop controller parameters; and 6) digital control delay. On the basis of the analysis, active damping strategies for HFR using virtual impedance concept will be proposed.
This paper discusses the potential of bamboo as a building material for Western countries. In the study presented, bamboo culms were environmentally and financially assessed and compared to building materials more common in Western Europe, e.g., steel, concrete and timber. Furthermore, a case study was done of temporary European bamboo buildings, structures and bridges, in order to determine factors of success and failure of building with bamboo. This paper presents the results of these studies, which indicate that within certain boundary conditions and with consideration of the recommendations following the case study, bamboo is a very sustainable building material for Western countries and can be competitive to materials more commonly used. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The targeted mass information of compounds accelerated their discovery in a large volume of untargeted MS data. An MS/MS similarity networking is advanced in clustering the structural analogues, which benefits the collection of mass information of similar compounds. The triterpene saponins extracted from Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves (ESL), a kind of functional tea, have shown promise in the relief of Alzheimer's disease. In this work, a target-precursor list (TPL) generated using MS/MS similarity networking was employed to rapidly trace 106 triterpene saponins from the aqueous extracts of ESL, of which 49 were tentatively identified as potentially new triterpene saponins. Moreover, a compound database of triterpene saponins was established and successfully applied to uncover their distribution features in ESL samples collected from different areas. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The state space model of the railway part in track circuits is built based on the Kirchhoff's voltage law and Kirchhoff's current law. 17 observers are designed corresponding to 16 kinds of component capacitor open fault and 1 normal state without fault in the track circuit. The residual is generated by computing the difference between the output of original system and that of observers. The fault diagnosis is achieved finally by using the coding set. Simulink results show that the proposed scheme is not only able to diagnosis the faulty capacitor in real time and but also robust to the noises and disturbances.
This psychophysiological study is the first to examine the relationship between emotional tears and emotional piloerection (i.e., goosebumps). Although both phenomena have been related to peak states of being moved, details about their temporal occurrence and the associated levels of physiological arousal have remained unknown. In our study, we used emotionally powerful film scenes that were self-selected by participants. Our findings show that even within peak moments of emotional arousal, a gradation of intensity is possible. The overlap of tears and goosebumps signifies a maximal climax within peak moments. On the side of the stimulus, we found that displays of prosocial behavior play a crucial role in the elicitation of tears and goosebumps. Finally, based on the results of a formal film analysis of the tears-eliciting clips provided by our participants, as compared to randomly extracted, equally long control clips from the same films, we show how the technical and artistic making of the clips was optimized for the display of social interaction and emotional expressions.
Connectivity between populations influences both their dynamics and the genetic structuring of species. In this study, we explored connectivity patterns of a marine species with long-distance dispersal, the edible common sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, focusing mainly on the Adriatic-Ionian basins (Central Mediterranean). We applied a multidisciplinary approach integrating population genomics, based on 1,122 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained from 2b-RAD in 275 samples, with Lagrangian simulations performed with a biophysical model of larval dispersal. We detected genetic homogeneity among eight population samples collected in the focal Adriatic-Ionian area, whereas weak but significant differentiation was found with respect to two samples from the Western Mediterranean (France and Tunisia). This result was not affected by the few putative outlier loci identified in our dataset. Lagrangian simulations found a significant potential for larval exchange among the eight Adriatic-Ionian locations, supporting the hypothesis of connectivity of P.lividus populations in this area. A peculiar pattern emerged from the comparison of our results with those obtained from published P.lividus cytochrome b (cytb) sequences, the latter revealing genetic differentiation in the same geographic area despite a smaller sample size and a lower power to detect differences. The comparison with studies conducted using nuclear markers on other species with similar pelagic larval durations in the same Adriatic-Ionian locations indicates species-specific differences in genetic connectivity patterns and warns against generalizing single-species results to the entire community of rocky shore habitats.
All people share knowledge of cultural stereotypes of social groups-but what are the origins of these stereotypes? We examined whether stereotypes form spontaneously as information is repeatedly passed from person to person. As information about novel social targets was passed down a chain of individuals, what initially began as a set of random associations evolved into a system that was simplified and categorically structured. Over time, novel stereotypes emerged that not only were increasingly learnable but also allowed generalizations to be made about previously unseen social targets. By illuminating how cognitive and social factors influence how stereotypes form and change, these findings show how stereotypes might naturally evolve or be manipulated.
This research examines how women's sexual orientation guides the accuracy of judgements of other women. One hundred ten judges (67 straight and 43 lesbian women) watched videotapes of 9 targets (4 straight and 5 lesbian) and made judgements about the targets' thoughts, emotions, personality, and sexual orientation. Accuracy scores were created for each judge by comparing judgements to criterion data gathered about targets. Straight judges were significantly more accurate at judging thoughts and marginally more accurate at judging emotions compared to lesbian judges. There were no significant differences in judging personality. Straight targets' thoughts and personality were more easily assessed than lesbian targets' while lesbians' emotions were more easily judged than straight targets'. Lesbian judges were more accurate at judging sexual orientation regardless of their tendency to categorize women as lesbian compared to straight judges. Findings support past research on the accurate perception of sexual orientation and contribute to understanding how sexual orientation guides person perception.
This paper describes a distributed maximum power point tracking control scheme for photovoltaic (PV) systems at the submodule level. The system employs isolated differential power processing (DPP) converters that require no perturb and observe synchronization and little communication among power converters themselves. Design and benefits of this architecture with respect to control, communication, and converter efficiency are analyzed. Isolated dc-dc converter prototypes are constructed and employed within a string of series-connected PV submodules to experimentally validate the proposed control method. An experimental extraction efficiency of 99.12% is achieved for a three submodule connection with similar to 30% mismatch-a 10.19% improvement from the conventional, non-DPP architecture.
The Sao Joao Drainage Basin is a very important and strategic waterbody located in the Lagos Region, Rio de Janeiro State, one of the most popular tourist regions of Brazil. However, the fast economic and subsequent population growth in that region has created untreated wastes from several anthropogenic activities, which include the trace metals disposal into the surface waterbody. This study aims to relate the major ions and trace metals behavior during a 1-year sampling campaign and to provide information about the sources of chemical constituents and the factors that control their concentrations in the three main fluvial compartments of the drainage basin, including the Juturnaiba Reservoir which has a crucial role for water supply in the Lagos Region. The chemical data reveal that rainfall is the main factor responsible for the physicochemical parameters and the water dissolved constituent's variations. The geological and anthropogenic factors which are the main sources of water constituents were assessed by the Inorganic Chemical Index. Those data corroborate the great influence of rainfall and reveal the importance of anthropogenic sources of chemical constituents in some parts of the Juturnaiba Reservoir. The geochemical modeling suggests that hydrolysis reactions are primarily responsible for the trace metals availability in the three fluvial compartments in both dry and wet seasons, followed by carbonate and sulfate complexation.
Monitoring of water quality is important to control water pollution. Contamination of the aquatic system has a large effect on human health and the environment. Under the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC and the related directive on environmental quality standards (EQS) in the field of water policy 2008/105/EC, the need for sensitive reference methods was highlighted. Since tributyltin (TBT) is one of the WFD listed priority substances a method was developed which is capable to qualify and quantify the pollutant at the required low WFD EQS of 0.2 ng L-1 in whole water bodies, i.e. in non-filtered water samples with dissolved organic carbon and suspended particulate matter. Therefore special attention was paid on the interaction of TBT with the suspended particulate matter and humic substances to obtain a complete representation of the pollution in surface waters. Different water samples were investigated varying the content of organic dissolved and suspended matter. Quantification was performed using species-specific isotope dilution (SSID) and gas chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC-ICP-MS). Different sample treatment strategies were evaluated and compared. The process of internal standard addition was investigated and optimized, hence the equilibrium between internal standards and matrix is of primary importance to perform accurate SSID. Samples spiked at EQS level were analyzed with a recovery between 95 and 105 %. Additionally real surface water samples were investigated and the TBT concentration for the whole water body was determined and compared with conventional routine analysis method. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The origin and evolution of molecular mechanisms underlying the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are fundamental questions in stem cell biology as well as reproduction medicine. In mammals, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is crucial for SSC self-renewal and maintenance. However, in nonmammals, the role of Gdnf in SSCs still remains unknown. In this study, we report that the two GDNF homologs from medaka fish (Oryzias latipes), namely OlGdnfa and OlGdnfb, can promote proliferation activity and retain the spermatogonial property of SG3, a spermatogonial cell line derived from adult medaka showing the intrinsic property of SSCs by self-renewal and differentiation potential during 2 years of culture. Cloning and sequencing led to the identification of two cDNA sequences as Olgdnfa and Olgdnfb, which are 780-nt and 744-nt in length for 253 and 245 amino acid residues, respectively. Both are homologs of mammalian GDNF and share over 45% identity with the other known vertebrate homologs. Importantly, in a well-defined condition, the recombinant proteins, OlGdnfa and OlGdnfb, can significantly promote the proliferative activity of SG3 cells and retain the spermatogonial gene expression pattern and alkaline phosphatase activity. Meanwhile, both of the two recombinant proteins can upregulate the mRNA expression level of bcl6b, one of the prominent GDNF-regulated genes involved in SSC self-renewal and maintenance in mammals. Taken together, our findings suggest that just like the mammalian counterpart, the nonmammalian Gdnfs might mediate the self-renewal and maintenance of SSCs; moreover, Bcl6b might be a conserved regulator in SSC self-renewal across vertebrate taxa. This study extends our knowledge of GDNF functions in SSC biology during evolution.
To alleviate increasingly serious water pollution and shortages in developing countries, various kinds of policies have been implemented by local governments. It is vital to quantify and evaluate the performance and potential economic impacts of these policies. This study develops a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to simulate the regional economic and environmental effects of discharge fees. Firstly, water resources and water environment factors are separated from the input and output sources of the National Economic Production Department. Secondly, an extended Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) of Jiangsu province is developed to simulate various scenarios. By changing values of the discharge fees (increased by 50%, 100% and 150%), three scenarios are simulated to examine their influence on the overall economy and each industry. The simulation results show that an increased fee will have a negative impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, waste water may be effectively controlled. Also, this study demonstrates that along with the economic costs, the increase of the discharge fee will lead to the upgrading of industrial structures from a situation of heavy pollution to one of light pollution which is beneficial to the sustainable development of the economy and the protection of the environment.
Many Cryptosporidium species/genotypes are not considered infectious to humans, and more realistic estimations of seasonal infection risks could be made using human infectious species/genotype information to inform quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA). Cryptosporidium oocyst concentration and species/genotype data were collected from three surface water surveillance programs in two river basins [South Nation River, SN (2004-09) and Grand River, GR (2005-13)] in Ontario, Canada to evaluate seasonal infection risks. Main river stems, tributaries, agricultural drainage streams, water treatment plant intakes, and waste water treatment plant effluent impacted sites were sampled. The QMRA employed two sets of exposure data to compute risk: one assuming all observed oocysts were infectious to humans, and the other based on the fraction of oocysts that were C hominis and/or C. parvum (dominant human infectious forms of the parasite). Viability was not considered and relative infection risk was evaluated using a single hypothetical recreational exposure. Many sample site groupings for both river systems, had significant seasonality in Cryptosporidium occurrence and concentrations (p < 0.05); occurrence and concentrations were generally highest in autumn for SN, and autumn and summer for GR. Mean risk values (probability of infection per exposure) for all sites combined, for each river system, were roughly an order of magnitude lower (avg. of SN and GR 5.3 x 10(-5)) when considering just C parvum and C hominis oocysts, in relation to mean infection risk (per exposure) assuming all oocysts were infectious to humans (5.5 x 10(-4)). Seasonality in mean risk (targeted human infectious oocysts only) was most strongly evident in SN (e.g., 7.9 x 10(-6) in spring and 8.1 x 10(-5) in summer). Such differences are important if QMRA is used to quantify effects of water safety/quality management practices where inputs from a vast array of fecal pollution sources can readily occur. Cryptosporidium seasonality in water appears to match the seasonality of human infections from Cryptosporidium in the study regions. This study highlights the importance of Cryptosporidium species/genotype data to help determine surface water pollution sources and seasonality, as well as to help more accurately quantify human infection risks by the parasite. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A correlational study investigated extended contact as a strategy to improve outgroup attitudes and stereotyping and to prepare children for future contact. Additional aims were to investigate when and why the effects of extended contact occur. In particular, intergroup empathy was tested as a mediator and direct contact (i.e. cross-group friendship) as a moderator of extended contact. Participants were Italian and immigrant elementary school children. Results showed that extended contact was associated with improved intergroup empathy, which, in turn, was associated with more positive outgroup attitudes, stereotypes and behavioural intentions. These effects were significant only among participants with a low or moderate level of direct contact. The theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is known as the most successful microbial insecticide against different orders of insect pests in agriculture and medicine. Moreover, Bt toxin genes also have been efficiently used to enhance resistance to insect pests in genetically modified crops. In light of the scientific advantages of new molecular biology technologies, recently, some other new potentials of Bt have been explored. These new environmental features include the toxicity against nematodes, mites, and ticks, antagonistic effects against plant and animal pathogenic bacteria and fungi, plant growth-promoting activities (PGPR), bioremediation of different heavy metals and other pollutants, biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles, production of polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymer, and anticancer activities (due to parasporins). This review comprehensively describes recent advances in the Bt whole-genome studies, the last updated known Bt toxins and their functions, and application of cry genes in plant genetic engineering. Moreover, the review thoroughly describes the new features of Bt which make it a suitable cell factory that might be used for production of different novel valuable bioproducts.
In this paper, a system of coupled and interacting models for dynamic electric and thermal behavior of an electrical machine is presented. The models are specifically designed for maximum execution speed and are suitable for simulating the machine behavior over long time periods and even the entire lifetime of the machine. Nevertheless, the results proved to be remarkably accurate. Arbitrary electrical faults and thermal asymmetries can be simulated. The influence of the winding resistance and magnet temperature on the machine behavior is implemented. The machine models are connected to lifetime models for the winding insulation at different locations and for the bearings. The aging of those machine components over a driving cycle (CADC) was investigated for healthy case and a given machine design. The temperature distribution inside the machine was analyzed for that specific driving cycle.
A power distribution grid exhibits the characteristics of a weak grid owing to the existence of scattered high-power distributed power-generation devices. The grid impedance affects the robust stability of grid-connected inverters, leading to harmonic resonance, or even instability in the system. Therefore, a study of the stability of grid-connected inverters with high grid impedance based on impedance analysis is presented in this paper. The output impedance modeling of an LCL-type single-phase grid-connected inverter is derived, where the effects of the PLL loop and the digital control delays on the output impedance characteristics have been taken into account. To enhance the stability of grid-connected inverters with different grid impedance, a novel impedance-phased compensation control strategy is proposed by increasing the phase margin of the grid-connected inverters. Specifically, a detailed implementation and parameter design of the impedance-phased compensation control method is depicted. Finally, an impedance-phased dynamic control scheme combined with online grid impedance measurement is introduced and also verified by the experiment results.
Investigation on surface roughness of thin films is an important issue in manufacturing engineering because the performance of a coated film is significantly affected by the surface roughness of thin films. A fast and flexible optical measurement system to measure surface roughness of hard coatings deposited by cathodic arc evaporation is developed in this work. The objective of this work is to examine the repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) of an optical measurement system. Percentage of equipment variation, appraiser variation and R&R is 7.25%, 1.42% and 7.39%. Thin film optical measurement system developed is acceptable according to the measurement systems analysis and the R&R technique. (C) 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
In 2008, the first commercial wave farm came online in Portugal. As with other types of renewable energy, the electricity obtained from waves has the drawback of intermittency. Knowing a few hours ahead how much energy waves will hold can contribute to a better management of the electricity grid. In this work, three types of statistical models have been used to create up to 24-h forecasts of the zonal and meridional components of wave energy flux (WEF) levels at three directional buoys located off the coast in the Bay of Biscay. Each model's performance has been compared at a 95% confidence level with the simplest prediction (persistence of levels), along with the forecasts provided by the physics-based WAve Modeling (WAM) wave model at the nearest grid point. The results indicate that for forecasting horizons between 3 and roughly 16 h ahead, the statistical models built on random forests (RFs) outperform the rest, including WAM and persistence.
Accurate sizing functions are crucial for efficient generation of high-quality meshes, but to define the sizing function is often the bottleneck in complicated mesh generation tasks because of the tedious user interaction involved. We present a novel algorithm to automatically create high-quality sizing functions for surface mesh generation. First, the tessellation of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model is taken as the background mesh, in which an initial sizing function is defined by considering geometrical factors and user-specified parameters. Then, a convex nonlinear programming problem is formulated and solved efficiently to obtain a smoothed sizing function that corresponds to a mesh satisfying necessary gradient constraint conditions and containing a significantly reduced element number. Finally, this sizing function is applied in an advancing front mesher. With the aid of a walk-through algorithm, an efficient sizing-value query scheme is developed. Meshing experiments of some very complicated geometry models are presented to demonstrate that the proposed sizing-function approach enables accurate and fully automatic surface mesh generation. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Water pipes are considered to be one of responsible sources for the water pollution. Among these sources of water supply, the water pipes are the only source of carrying out fresh or processed water into lakes, ponds and streams etc. In Pakistan, knowledge on the condition of water pipes is scarce as deterioration of water pipes are hardly inspected due to high cost. The aim of the current research was to examine the quality of water pipelines of eight districts of South-Punjab, namely, Mianwali, Khushab, Layyah, Bhakkar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan. Selected sampling stations were analyzed for physio-chemical parameters such as pH, Total Dissolve Solids (TDS), Sulfate (SO4), Chlorine (Cl), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Hardness, Nitrate (NO3), Fluoride (F) and Iron (Fe). The data pertaining water monitoring contain different parameters and seem difficult work for the interpretation of water quality by managing different parameters separately. For this purpose, National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI) was determined to communicate the quality of water in a simple form. Besides this, groups comprising of similar sampling sites based on water quality characteristics were identified using unsupervised technique. Factor Analysis (FA) has been performed for extracting the latent pollution sources that may cause the more variance in large and complex data. The calculated values of WQI from 1600 sampling stations ranging from 20.73 to 223.74 are divided into five groups; Excellent to Unsuitable class of waters with the average value 62.09 described as good limit for drinking water. Further sampling stations are divided into five optimal clusters selected with suitable k value obtained from Silhouette coefficient. Results of k-means clustering are also verified with natural groups made by WQI. Analysis of multivariate techniques showed several factors to be responsible for the water quality deterioration. It is found out from the FA that three latent factors such as organic pollution, agriculture run-off and urban land use caused 83.30 % of the total variation. Hence, water quality management and control of these latent factors are strongly recommended.
Usually, fish canning industrial wastewaters have a highly variable composition over time. For a good performance of treatment processes it is necessary to limit that variation. However, extended wastewater monitoring, including all relevant analytical parameters, is expensive. This work proposes an efficient approach to minimize the analytical determinations number without compromising the global characterization goal. This way, fish canning industry wastewaters variability was assessed and interpreted through multivariate statistical tools application to analytical data obtained from a monitoring program carried out in a fish canning industry of northern Portugal. 23 physicochemical parameters were determined in 20 samples collected on an 8 months period. The results achieved by correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) led to the main water pollution sources identification and to the minimization of physical and chemical parameters number to be analyzed in order to achieve a correct wastewater characterization, at minimum cost. The main pollution sources proved to be the brine and eviscerating step waters. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total suspended solids (TSS), conductivity, pH, Ca2+, F- and one of the parameters SO42, NO3- and PO43- were identified as important parameters that must be monitored in order to obtain an accurate characterization allowing to define the most appropriate wastewater treatment. (C) 2016 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The objective of this paper is to formulate and validate an accurate MPM approach for the numerical simulation of the large displacement of membranes containing soil. In the proposed approach, the membrane is discretised by a surface mesh that allows accurate simulation of membrane stresses. The membrane is free to move through a three-dimensional grid for a continuum consisting of tetrahedral elements. The approach is applied to model a geocontainer being released from a split barge, taking into account the frictional contact between the geotextile and the barge. No-slip contact is assumed between the geotextile and the soil inside. The effect of geocontainer interaction is investigated by dropping a second container. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In manufacturing engineering, locating error analysis for workpieces is a common issue in predicting the quality of machined features, computer-aided fixture design and tolerance allocation. This article presents a locating error analysis approach for workpiece with general fixture layouts and parameterized tolerances. Initially, a fixture is transformed into six locating points in the space. A linearized model is then derived to convey the relationship between the errors of locating points and the locating errors, by using the implicit differentiation and the first-order Taylor expansion. Then, the tolerances for the features of plane, cylinder and free-form surface are parameterized using 4x4 homogeneous transformation matrices. Finally, two formulas are derived to calculate the errors in the locating points in surface-to-surface mating and hole-to-pin mating. Two workpieces are presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed method. The relative errors between the results calculated by the proposed method and the results calculated by 3DCS are less than 3%.
Trichloris crinita is a perennial forage grass species native to arid regions of the American continent. Due to its extensive area of distribution, good forage quality and resistance to drought and grazing, this species is widely utilised as forage and for revegetation purposes in environments with low water availability. Despite its importance, genetic improvement of T.crinita has been very limited, partly as consequence of the lack of knowledge on its mode of reproduction. In the present work, we studied the reproductive biology of T.crinita by means of embryological analyses, flow cytometric seed screen (FCSS), self-compatibility tests and progeny testing with morphological and molecular markers. Cytological analyses revealed embryo sacs with eight nuclei and of Polygonum type for all T.crinita accessions analysed. FCSS histograms exhibited two clear peaks corresponding to 2C and 3C DNA content, indicating embryo sacs of sexual origin. Controlled pollination experiments designed to evaluate seed set (%) demonstrated that T.crinita is self-compatible, whereas results from morphological and simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker analysis of progeny revealed lack of outcrossing. Together, these results indicate that T.crinita reproduces sexually. It is a self-compatible and autogamous species. It is expected that these data will have a positive impact in the genetics and breeding of this species, and therefore contribute to its proper utilisation in arid regions.
Water plays an important role in human civilisation. Since ancient times people started to settle in regions with ensured water availability. Trade was an important factor for the development of civilisation. Silk Road is an important route used for the trading between China and other countries across Eurasia. Not only silk, many goods including leather were exchanged during trading. Leather was processing lead to release of large amount of wastewater. This study was carried out to understand how the leather processing would have affected the groundwater quality in Silk Road sites by studying the current scenarios of groundwater quality near tanning industries. Chennai and nearby cities such as Ranipet and Vaniyambadi are chosen for case studies. Groundwater quality around the tanneries was poor due to high electrical conductivity and concentration of chromium. This is due to the effluents released by the tanneries into the ground or open drains without proper treatment. Similarly, the leather processing in Silk Road sites would have also affected the groundwater quality.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer people of color (LGBTQ-POC) are regularly exposed to unique and contextual forms of prejudice and stigma, which have been linked to stress and increased likelihood of mental and physical health problems. In order to better understand the experiences of this multiply marginalized population, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 LGBTQ-POC to examine how they describe their experiences with identities, communities, discrimination, and health. Data consisted of verbatim interviews, which were guided by intersectionality theory and minority stress theory and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Using intersectionality theory, this study addresses the simultaneity of oppressions and the ways in which having different combinations of marginalized identities may impact LGBTQ-POC well-being. Common issues discussed by respondents include disconnect from communities, relationships between identities, coming out, and stress and anxiety. The primary concepts introduced in this study include positive intersectionality and come out stress.
Since April 2014 the Artemis/ECSEL project EMC2 is running and provides significant results. EMC2 stands for Embedded Multi-Core Systems for Mixed Criticality Applications in Dynamic and Changeable Real-Time Environments. In this paper we report recent progress on technical work in the different workpackages and use cases. We highlight progress in the research on system architecture, design methodology, platform and operating systems, and in qualification and certification. Application cases in the fields of automotive, avionics, health care, and industry are presented exploiting the technical results achieved.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts with low protein-coding potential but occupy a large part of transcriptional output. Their roles include regulating gene expression at the epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional level in cellular homeostasis. However, lncRNA studies are still in their infancy and the functions of the vast majority of lncRNA transcripts remain unknown. It is generally known that the function of the human nervous system largely relies on the precise regulation of gene expression. Various studies have shown that lncRNAs have a significant impact on normal neural development and on the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we focused on recent studies associated with lncRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple system atrophy (MSA), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and glaucoma. Glaucoma, caused by unexplained ganglion cell lesion and apoptosis, is now labeled as a chronic neurodegenerative disorder [1], and therefore, we discussed the association of lncRNAs with glaucoma as well. We illustrate the role of some specific lncRNAs, which may provide new insights into our understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of the neurodegenerative diseases mentioned above.
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies have the potential to target the challenges of our aging population. However, little is known about what motivates older adults to adopt these new technologies. Most research in this area relies on single cases with a specific AAL application and a limited number of users. To fill this gap, a content analyses of 35 AAL reports was conducted. The aim was to provide a comprehensive overview of potential incentives for using AAL technologies. The data was coded using the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). In total 13 incentives could be identified, which were grouped into six categories: (1) social incentives, (2) health and safety incentives, (3) activity incentives, (4) novel sensory incentives, (5) status incentives and (6) self-reactive incentives. Within these categories 'social connectedness' and 'health and safety' were the most important incentives. These results provide a comprehensive and theoretically grounded understanding of what motivates older adults to adopt AAL technologies.
Though people in positions of power have many advantages that sustain their power, stories abound of individuals who fall from their lofty perch. How does this happen? The current research examined the role of illusions of alliance, which we define as overestimating the strength of one's alliances with others. We tested whether powerholders lose power when they possess overly positive perceptions of their relationships with others, which in turn leads to the weakening of those relationships. Studies 1 and 2 found that powerful individuals were more likely to hold illusions of alliance. Using laboratory as well as field contexts, Studies 3, 4, and 5 found that individual with power who held illusions of alliance obtained fewer resources, were excluded more frequently from alliances, and lost their power. These findings suggest that power sometimes leads to its own demise because powerful individuals erroneously assume that others feel allied to them. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Stable isotope breath tests can rapidly and quantitatively report metabolic phenotypes and disease in both humans and microbes in situ. The labelled compound is administered and acted upon by human or microbial metabolism, producing a labelled gas that is detected in exhaled breath. Areas covered: This review details the unique advantages (and disadvantages) of phenotypic stable isotope based breath tests. A review of recent US patent applications and prosecutions since 2010 is conducted. Finally, current clinical trials, product pipelines and approved products are discussed. Expert opinion: Stable isotope breath tests offer new approaches for rapid and minimally invasive detection and study of metabolic phenotypes, both human and microbial. The patent literature has developed considerably in the last 6years, with over 30 patent applications made. Rates of issuance remain high, although rejections citing 35 U.S.C. 101(subject matter eligibility), 102 (novelty), 103 (obviousness) and 112 (description, enablement and best mode) have occurred. The prior art is significantly greater for human metabolism than microbial, and may drive differing rates of future issuance. These biomarker and diagnostic tools can enable optimization of drug doses, diagnosis of metabolic disease and its progression, and detection of infectious disease and optimize its treatment.
Manufacturing industry is facing important challenges in terms of sustainability, flexibility, ramp-up and time-to-market shortening. This is pushing RTD towards digital tools and methods to simulate and test production processes before-hand and thus bridging the gaps between manufacturing engineering and production. For example, virtual training offers a huge potential to reduce the time and effort of traditional hardware training and thus leading to shorter production ramp-up time. However, before being deployed in an industrial environment, virtual training systems need to prove their reliability and user acceptance. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of gaming experience on the learning process of a manufacturing operation using the VIrtual Simulation and TRAining (VISTRA) system, a serious game that simulates manufacturing environments in order to train operators to perform manual tasks. The simulated operations take place at a welding workstation for truck chassis parts, where automation and manual tasks are combined. The case study aims then to evaluate the impact of gaming-experience and the general usability of the VISTRA system. Ten operators participated in the study; each operator completed five different training scenes on three difficulty levels each. Completion time and mistake count were computed by the VISTRA system after completing each training scene. This information was analyzed and compared. Results showed that: (1) users without gaming experience took considerably more time to complete the sequences than users with gaming experience, (2) the same amount of mistakes were made by gamers and by no-gamers, and (3) 50% of the mistakes were made during a particular scene. The study thus found that gaming experience influences positively on training completion time using the VISTRA system. The particularities on the mistake count demonstrated that gaming experience does not influence the understanding of the manufacturing operation. Usability issues found on users' feedback are further discussed in terms of visualization, tools and parts, assisted-learning and ergonomics. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Partial label learning aims to learn from training examples each associated with a set of candidate labels, among which only one label is valid for the training example. The basic strategy to learn from partial label examples is disambiguation, i.e. by trying to recover the ground-truth labeling information from the candidate label set. As one of the popular machine learning paradigms, maximum margin techniques have been employed to solve the partial label learning problem. Existing attempts perform disambiguation by optimizing the margin between the maximum modeling output from candidate labels and that from non-candidate ones. Nonetheless, this formulation ignores considering the margin between the ground-truth label and other candidate labels. In this paper, a new maximum margin formulation for partial label learning is proposed which directly optimizes the margin between the ground-truth label and all other labels. Specifically, the predictive model is learned via an alternating optimization procedure which coordinates the task of ground-truth label identification and margin maximization iteratively. Extensive experiments on artificial as well as real-world datasets show that the proposed approach is highly competitive to other well-established partial label learning approaches.
Low Impact Development (LID) and Water Sensitive Urban Design have as one of their tenets the use of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to provide water for use on site. Historically implemented in arid or semi-arid regions, RWH has recently surged in popularity in more humid regions, such as the southeastern USA, due to increased interest in water conservation during severe drought conditions. An LID commercial site in Raleigh, NC, incorporated RWH with other stormwater control measures to mitigate runoff quantity and improve runoff quality. A 57,900-liter RWH tank used for landscape irrigation was monitored to determine influent and effluent water quality. Samples were analyzed for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN), nitrite-nitrate (NOX), orthophosphate (Ortho-P) and total suspended solids (TSS). Low concentrations were observed for all pollutants monitored; for example, influent and effluent TP concentrations were 0.02 and 0.03 mg/L, respectively. Statistical testing showed significant increases in TAN and organic nitrogen (ON) concentrations by 33 and 38%, respectively, from inflow to outflow. NOX and TSS concentrations decreased significantly by 23 and 55%, respectively. Concentrations of all other pollutants were not significantly different between the inflow and outflow. Influent concentrations to the RWH tank were less than previously published rainfall pollutant concentrations, indicating potentially irreducible concentrations onsite. While a single case study, this RWH system appears to offer some pollutant mitigation, especially for TSS.
Recent research suggests that when viewing a face two social categories (e.g., sex and race) can be activated simultaneously. However, multiple social categories - including age, race and sex - can be extracted from faces. In the present study we present a new method, motivated by previous research exploring the costs and benefits associated with language-switching, to examine whether performance on an attended social categorization task (e.g., sex classification) was impacted by changes - switches - in two unattended social category dimensions (e.g., race and age). We predicted an interaction between the effects of transition (switch versus repeat) on an attended social categorization task and transition on both of the two unattended social category dimensions. Specifically, we hypothesized that when, across two trials, the attended categorization repeated (e.g., male-male) people would be quicker and more accurate when the unattended social categories also repeated (e.g., younger face-younger face) relative to when they switched (e.g., younger face-older face). Conversely, when, across two trials, the attended categorization switched we expected that people would be quicker and more accurate when the unattended social categories also switched relative to when they repeated. These predictions were supported across three experiments, in which it was found that when unfamiliar face stimuli were categorized according to age (Expt. la), race (Expt lb) or sex (Expt. lc) performance was impacted by the switch/repeat status of the unattended categories. These results suggest that, even when cognitively occupied, we automatically and simultaneously extract information from faces that pertain to two unattended, task-irrelevant social categories. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Maternal allergic disease history and impaired regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are critical risk factors for allergy development in children. However, the mechanisms that underlie these risk factors remain poorly defined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether maternal allergies affect the Tregs of offspring and lead to allergy development in childhood. Methods: A total of 332 mothers of healthy newborns (234 from no allergic mothers, 98 from allergic mothers) were recruited to this study. Detailed questionnaires were administered yearly to determine the allergy status of the mothers and the newborns from birth to 3 years of age. Cord blood samples obtained at the time of birth were analysed for Treg counts, as well Treg activity, based on their response to Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimuli such as lipid A (LPA) and peptidoglycans (PPG). Surface markers, associated genes, suppressive capacity, and cytokine levels of Tregs were also measured. Possible correlations between Treg activity and maternal or neonate allergies were assessed. In addition, environmental microbial content and other known risk factors for allergies were measured. Results: Cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) from offspring with allergic mothers showed fewer CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+)T cells, lower expression levels of associated genes, and reduced cytokine production of interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon-gamma (P < 0.05), especially via the PPG-TLR2 pathway. Suppression of effector T cells by Tregs from children of mothers with allergies was impaired, especially IL-13 production by Type 2 T helper (Th2) cells (P = 0.026). Children who developed allergies in the first 3 years of life had lower numbers of CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) T cells and reduced FOXP3 expression and IL-10 production as newborns (P < 0.05). Maternal allergic background was identified as a risk factor for allergy development in the children (Odds ratio (OR) = 2.46, 95 % CI = 1.05-5.79); while declining Treg numbers, IL-10 production, and FOXP3 expression in neonates (PPG and LPA stimulated) were identified as independent risk factors for allergic diseases in offspring at 3 years of age after adjusting for maternal allergic history and environmental factors (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Maternal allergy correlated with impaired Tregs in neonates, and this could enhance the susceptibility of offspring to allergic diseases in early childhood due to an imbalance of Th1 and Th2 cells.
Seawater viscosity is influenced by temperature as well as through excretion of exopolymers by some plankton. We examined the role of viscosity on the movement patterns and sensory abilities of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra, manipulating the viscosity of seawater to simulate a 10 +/- 1.5 degrees C temperature change. In a second treatment, we seeded the water with microbeads to examine swimming behaviours in the presence of a mechanical stimulus. Increased viscosity reduced distances between conspecifics 4.7-fold and increased distances between protists and microbeads by 3.4-fold. Increased viscosity also affected other aspects of motility, with an overall reduction in swimming speed of 2.0-and 7.0-fold for treatments with and without mechanical stimuli. Higher viscosities were associated with upward vertical migration, in both the presence and absence of microbeads. Cells were highly sensitive to disturbances to the velocity field, by as little as 1.5%, and different approach distances of H. triquetra to conspecifics over mechanical stimuli suggest sensory capacity to distinguish types of particles. Mediation of motility and migratory behaviours through viscosity implies ramifications for the distribution of protists and their encounters with resources, predators and conspecifics triggered by events such as temperature changes and phytoplankton bloom events.
Recent studies have established resident memory T cells (T-RM) as the dominant memory lymphocyte population surveying most nonlymphoid tissues. Unlike other memory T cell lineages, T-RM do not recirculate through blood and are permanently confined to their tissue of residence. T-RM orchestrate local immune responses and have been shown to accelerate local pathogen control in many experimental infection models. Here we briefly summarize recent advances in T-RM differentiation, maintenance, and their protective function. While little is known, we have speculated on the potential implications of T-RM for transplantation biology. Areas of emphasis include the role of passenger T-RM in controlling latent viral recrudescence in donor organs, donor T-RM as a source of graft-versus-host disease, the ability of T-RM to potently induce inflammation through sensing and alarm functions, and differentiation of host T cells into T-RM in response to local cues inside the allograft. Further investigation of T-RM in the context of transplantation might identify therapeutic targets to prolong graft survival. This review discusses the phenotype, function, and potential relevance for transplantation of resident memory T cells.
The paper deals with the nonlinear inverse source problem of identifying an unknown time-dependent point source occurring in a two-dimensional evolution advection-dispersion-reaction equation with spatially varying velocity field and dispersion tensor. The originality of this study consists in establishing a constructive identifiability theorem that leads to develop an identification method using only significant boundary observations and operating other than the classic optimization approach. To this end, we derive two dispersion-current functions that have the main property to be of orthogonal gradients which yield identifiability of the elements defining the involved unknown source from some boundary observations related to the associated state. Provided the velocity field fulfills the so-called no-slipping condition, the required boundary observations are reduced to only recording the state on the outflow boundary and its flux on the inflow boundary of the monitored domain. We establish an identification method that uses those boundary records (1) to localize the sought source position as the unique solution of a nonlinear system defined by the two dispersion-current functions, (2) to give lower and upper bounds of the total amount loaded by the unknown time-dependent source intensity function, (3) to transform the identification of this latest into solving a deconvolution problem. Some numerical experiments on a variant of the surface water BOD pollution model are presented.
The emergence of addictive problems associated with the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is a challenge for mental health in modern societies. For this reason, the Spanish Mental Health Strategy, currently in project, includes the problem of emerging addictions in young people, in the 14 mental health topics to be analysed. The main objective of this research was to develop three screening tools that can be used by health staff (e.g., psychologists, physicians) to better link early detection with early intervention in the field of technological addictions. In this paper, three kind of technological addictions were selected: Internet/social networks, mobile and video games. Two groups of participants were selected for each technology: a) users of Internet/social network, mobile or video games without psychological problems due to the use of these technologies, and b) people who sought counselling or advice for their addictive problems with some of these technologies. Three screening tools for each technological addiction (Internet/social network, mobile and video games) were developed. These tools consist on the two items of each of the tests which have the highest Positive Predictive Values (PPV) to differentiate between the non-problematic users of technologies and those who have an addictive problem with Internet, mobile or video games. This article shows three screening tools that can be used by health or clinical staff, in the case that the professional supposes that the patient has an addictive problem with any of the three technologies. Then, the screening procedure should be implemented. If the diagnostic of addiction is confirmed, the patient should be treated with psychological treatment based in evidence. Some advices are also proposed for those who do not need any specialized intervention for addiction.
Our understanding of B cells as merely antibody producers is slowly changing. Alone or in concert with antibody, they control outcomes of seemingly different diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. While their role in activation of effector immune cells is beneficial in cancer but bad in autoimmune diseases, their immunosuppressive and regulatory subsets (Bregs) inhibit autoimmune and anticancer responses. These pathogenic and suppressive functions are not static and appear to be regulated by the nature and strength of inflammation. Although aging increases inflammation and changes the composition and function of B cells, surprisingly, little is known whether the change affects aging-associated neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, by analyzing B cells in cancer and autoimmune and neuroinflammatory diseases, we elucidate their potential importance in AD and other aging-associated neuroinflammatory diseases.
Problem Statement: Study of gender peculiarities. Discursive description of gender linguistics and some aspects of nonverbal communication norms. Differences and similarities in the behavior of men and women in different countries. Research Questions: The emotional peculiarities of genders. Study and identification of emotional state according to gender linguistics by nonverbal means. Purpose of the Study: The study of emotional state of women and men, facial expressions degree of control over the nonverbal behavior as cultural indicator. Emotional state expressed by nonverbal means contributes to disclosure of inner world, aesthetic appreciation of personality in gender linguistics. Research Methods: There were used discursive, comparative and descriptive analyses for classifying the features of behavioral state of men and women. Universal types of emotion, external indicators of nonverbal communication, their similarities and differences in different countries are explained. Diversity of mental states, actions, reactions to the disclosure of individual state in gender linguistics. Findings: The positive achievements in cross cultural communication. Emotional state of gender, discursive description of intonation, variety of mental states and characteristics contribute to a better understanding of gender psychology in linguistics. Human ability to identify the basic emotions and nonverbal displays are universal. These data show the women have the same rights as men. Conclusions: The study focuses on the problems of discursive description of gender linguistics which is the new and actual theme in the philological science nowadays. The concept of gender is a scientific trend to define a social place of the women and men in a society. (c) 2014 The Authors. Published by Cognitive - crcs under responsibility of the Author(s).
Temperature is one of many important environmental variables that can impact the long-term performance, strength, and deformation characteristics of many man-made construction materials, including geosynthetics. The functional engineering properties of these materials must remain within acceptable limits during their service life to ensure that the overall design and performance are acceptable. In the case of geosynthetics used in landfills and other applications, laboratory interface shear tests are performed under standard test conditions, including temperature. Information emerging today shows that geosynthetic interfaces (i.e., in landfill liner applications) experience elevated temperatures resulting from exothermic reactions occurring in the waste body, amongst other factors. To this end, the field conditions at elevated temperatures should also be simulated in the laboratory during physical/mechanical laboratory tests in order for researchers to better understand in situ functional engineering properties and operational performance of manmade geo-construction materials. For this purpose, a temperature-controlled chamber was designed and developed to allow the shear behavior of geosynthetic geosynthetic and soil geosynthetic interfaces to be evaluated at different temperatures. This paper describes both the development and the validation of the test system. The results of experimental investigations are presented to illustrate how the shear behavior of interfaces between nonwoven polypropylene geotextile and smooth and/or textured high density polyethylene geomembrane, as well as those between rounded and/or angular sand and geomembranes, change with temperature. The results provide insight into the importance of being able to independently control this variable during mechanical testing in the laboratory.
Objective To compare fathers' and mothers' perceptions of the impact and severity of their child's food allergy and their levels of involvement in allergy-related care. Methods One hundred parents of children with food allergy (50 mother-father pairs) rated the severity of their child's food allergies and completed the Food Allergy Impact Scale. A subset of 52 parents reported how often they engaged in food allergy-related care. Results Mothers reported more impact than fathers for meal preparation, family social activities, and stress and free time, and significantly greater involvement in allergy-related care. Fathers who reported more frequent medical appointment attendance perceived meal preparation as being significantly more impacted by food allergy than fathers who were less involved. Conclusions Fathers who are less involved may be buffered from experiencing the impact of their child's health condition. Differences in involvement rather than other gender differences may explain discrepancies in mothers' and fathers' illness perceptions.
solution is proposed to make use of the rainwater thermal energy in highly urbanised areas. It is demonstrated that the stormwater heat represents an additional on-site renewable energy available for hot water production. The proposed solution increases multi-functionality in the urban infrastructure that is essentially used to mitigate impacts from extreme climate events. The integrated system model applications correspond to local area conditions in the north-eastern Baltic region. This study considers the optimal collection of stormwater through maximizing the water absorbed heat usage in relation to hot water consumption in different building types (residential, public and commercial). Two key parameters, `stormwater volume in storage tank' and `rainwater catchment area', are determined. A genetic algorithm finds a number of storage tank fillings corresponding to rainfall statistics and the hot water consumption of buildings. System cumulative expenses are related to the stormwater storage and the rainwater harvesting expenses.
This paper compares smart control models for heating supply air among five different climate conditions to discuss the effectiveness of machine learning tools in terms of control and energy efficiency. A thermostat on/off control is typically used to maintain room temperature at a desired level. Advanced computing technologies have recently been introduced to complement the conventional on/off controls to improve control efficiency in heating systems. However, these methods, which were mostly utilized to control fuel amount or fan motor speed, lacked the capability to promptly respond to various outdoor temperature conditions as climate zones requiring refined control strategies to reduce environmental impacts. This paper proposes intelligent controls of mass and temperature simultaneously for heating air supply. The Fuzzy inference System (FIS) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithms are utilized to develop six control models, and the models are tested to evaluate both control and energy efficiency during the winter season in five climate zones (from climate zone 2 through 6; i.e., Houston, Dallas, Raleigh, Chicago, and Detroit, respectively). Results include the energy consumption, control errors, and control signals in comparison to the baseline on/off control, which confirms the fact that the ANN simultaneous controls of mass and temperature is more effective than the other controllers for control accuracy and energy savings by 71.3% and 03%, respectively. The effectiveness of the ANN controller can contribute to maintaining room temperature accompanying the reduction of energy consumption, which is directly related to improve human comfort and reduce environmental impacts in various climate zones. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction. Neurological complications are quite frequent in patients after solid organ transplantation presenting with focal or generalized neurologic symptoms as well as altered mental status. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is a rare cliniconeuroradiological entity characterized by headache, altered mental status, cortical blindness, seizures, and other focal neurological signs and a diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging. Case report. We present a case of a 57-year-old woman with one episode of seizures and sudden onset of altered mental status (time and person perception) accompanied with headache at the thirtieth postoperative day after renal transplantation. Conclusion. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, although an uncommon post-renal transplantation complication, should be considered in these patients, as several factors surrounding the setting of transplantation have been implicated in its development. Thus, physicians should be aware of this condition in order to establish the diagnosis and offer appropriate treatment.
Water pollution resulting from toxic organic pollutants has become a global issue and identification of a suitable low cost and non-toxic material possessing catalytic behavior is indispensable in order to circumvent this enigma. For solving this problem, we herein report a quick, cost effective, surfactant-free microwave assisted route for the preparation of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO nanostructures and its photocatalytic performances. Structural, morphological and compositional aspects of the nanostructures were determined by various characterization techniques. The photocatalytic efficacies of the samples monitored for the UV induced degradation of aqueous rhodamine B (RhB) solution indicated that all the nanostructures have high photocatalytic capability with superior performance (C/Co) than many existing reports. The highest photocataytic efficiency was obtained for the sample prepared at 0.5 min with 92% efficiency after three cycles experiment and rate constant of 0.042. The possible mechanism for the growth of ZnO nanostructures and photo degradation is also reported. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The paper postulates the feasibility and optimization of HVAC systems using programmable controllers. HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems are used for controlled maintenance of indoor ambient characteristics in optimal manner; with regards to outdoor ambient characteristics. The paper includes a simplified sequence of diagrams to represent the architecture of the system. Further, it also comprises of the systems and software's used for the same. Also, the paper gives an insight of the advantages of using programmable controllers, and the challenges which are overcome by it. For the ease of understanding a case study of a pharmaceutical company is given who is currently using the system. The main purpose of this project was to create a regulated monitoring system, integration of the utilities like electricity and water, creating a general report of the system for the given or needed time span, also to create a graphical visualization of the real time data and system.
Genomic DNA of good quality is a prerequisite in molecular biology studies involved in deciphering the information contained in the molecules that are chosen for studying the evolutionary interrelationships among taxa. Genomic DNA should be free of contaminants which may otherwise interfere while performing PCR. This is particularly essential while isolating genomic DNA from gastropods due to the presence of large amounts of mucopolysaccharides in their tissues. In the present study, we have developed a new method for obtaining high quality genomic DNA from a pulmonate snail Achatina fulica, which secretes a large amount of mucus. In this method, we have obtained good quality genomic DNA, compatible for downstream molecular biology applications like PCR and sequencing of 16S rDNA. The yield of the genomic DNA was 2790 mu g/ml. This method may be extended for isolating high quality genomic DNA from different gastropods native to Indian sub-continent, which serves as a starting point for studying their phylogenetic affinities.
Several countries have promulgated control measures and design guidelines to limit the proliferation of Legionella within hot water distribution systems (HWDS). However, there is little information on how to assess and improve existing HWDS unable to maintain water temperatures >= 55 degrees C throughout the system. A 50-year old hot water system of a 10 story hospital was investigated in terms of temperature distribution and Legionella pneumophila prevalence. Concentrations of L. pneumophila were correlated with the maximum temperature reached at the tap, with a significant decrease observed at T >= 55 degrees C. Continuous temperature and flow monitoring was performed on the overall HWDS, characterizing the principal and secondary horizontal return loops for all 9 wings, and detailed investigations of the secondary vertical return loops was completed in Wing 3. Results indicated the system inability to systematically maintain desired operating temperatures of 55 degrees C. The deficient hydraulic distribution was the root cause of the poor temperature maintenance throughout the secondary loops, but defective devices were also identified as playing an important role in sectorial temperature failure. A simple stepwise investigative approach was developed to identify hydraulic deficiencies. The implementation of flow restrictions on identified recirculation loops and increased pumping efficiency was conducted within a short period of 2 months, with no major system upgrade. These corrective measures resulted in a balanced system with increased flow velocities (>0.2 m/s). As a result, the proportion of taps achieving 55 degrees C within 2 min increased from 11% to 74% and L. pneumophila prevalence decreased from 93.1% to 46.1% after 4 weeks. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Background: Variable ventilation has been shown to improve pulmonary function and reduce lung damage in different models of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Nevertheless, variable ventilation has not been tested during pneumonia. Theoretically, periodic increases in tidal volume (VT) and airway pressures might worsen the impairment of alveolar barrier function usually seen in pneumonia and could increase bacterial translocation into the bloodstream. We investigated the impact of variable ventilation on lung function and histologic damage, as well as markers of lung inflammation, epithelial and endothelial cell damage, and alveolar stress, and bacterial translocation in experimental pneumonia. Methods: Thirty-two Wistar rats were randomly assigned to receive intratracheal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) or saline (SAL) (n = 16/group). After 24-h, animals were anesthetized and ventilated for 2 h with either conventional volume-controlled (VCV) or variable volume-controlled ventilation (VV), with mean VT = 6 mL/kg, PEEP = 5cmH(2)O, and FiO(2) = 0.4. During VV, tidal volume varied randomly with a coefficient of variation of 30% and a Gaussian distribution. Additional animals assigned to receive either PA or SAL (n = 8/group) were not ventilated (NV) to serve as controls. Results: In both SAL and PA, VV improved oxygenation and lung elastance compared to VCV. In SAL, VV decreased interleukin (IL)-6 expression compared to VCV (median [interquartile range]: 1.3 [0.3-2.3] vs. 5.3 [3.6-7.0]; p = 0.02) and increased surfactant protein-D expression compared to NV (2.5 [1.9-3.5] vs. 1.2 [0.8-1.2]; p = 0.0005). In PA, compared to VCV, VV reduced perivascular edema (2.5 [2.0-3.75] vs. 6.0 [4.5-6.0]; p < 0.0001), septum neutrophils (2. 0 [1.0-4.0] vs. 5.0 [3.3-6.0]; p = 0.0008), necrotizing vasculitis (3.0 [2.0-5.5] vs. 6.0 [6.0-6.0]; p = 0.0003), and ultrastructural lung damage scores (16 [14-17] vs. 24 [14-27], p < 0.0001). Blood colony-forming-unit (CFU) counts were comparable (7 [0-28] vs. 6 [0-26], p = 0.77). Compared to NV, VCV, but not VV, increased expression amphiregulin, IL-6, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)-1 (2.1 [1.6-2.5] vs. 0.9 [0.7-1.2], p = 0. 025; 12.3 [7.9-22.0] vs. 0.8 [0.6-1.9], p = 0.006; and 4.4 [2.9-5.6] vs. 0.9 [0.8-1.4], p = 0.003, respectively). Angiopoietin-2 expression was lower in VV compared to NV animals (0.5 [0.3-0.8] vs. 1.3 [1.0-1.5], p = 0.01). Conclusion: In this rat model of pneumonia, VV improved pulmonary function and reduced lung damage as compared to VCV, without increasing bacterial translocation.
This paper presents an application of a small hydropower plant (SHP) embedded in a hydraulic system with a surge tank of a relatively low water volume. To maintain a stable surge tank water level the author used a precisely designed PI-type controller. The analytical design method, the so-called root locus, was used in this work. A new identification method that uses the step response to identify the parameters of a real system is described. The proposed method, analytical models of hydraulic system and turbine as well as water level controller were implemented and tested in a real 55kW grid connected SHP utilizing treated water from a wastewater treatment plant. The results of the tests conducted under substantial variations of the water flow confirmed the stable operation of the controller at the maximum water level fluctuations of +/- 5cm during a normal operation.
A common engineering problem in manufacturing is identifying which of many possible factors influences a response of interest, or in other words What is causing a performance, reliability, quality or cost issue? Evolutionary Operations (commonly called EVOP) harnesses the muscle of manufacturing operations to generate large data sets with minimal disruption in the factory, and that capture the natural variance of the materials and processes and materials used in the manufacture of a product. Supersaturated Experiments methods guide experimental plans and supports statistical analysis of the data upon which sound conclusions and interpretations can be drawn. This paper presents these methods as they can be applied together to the problem of screening of many factors to find those that influence a particular response of interest. A case study from the Virtual Cell Factory is presented.
Hexamoll(A (R)) DINCHA (R) (diisononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate) is a new high-molecular-weight plasticizer and a phthalate substitute. In this study, the metabolism of DINCHA (R) was investigated by oral dosage of three male volunteers with approximately 50 mg Hexamoll(A (R)) DINCHA (R) (resulting in individual doses between 0.552 and 0.606 mg/kg body weight). Their urine samples were consecutively collected over 48 h. In analogy to di-iso-nonylphthalate (DINP) metabolism, we quantified the simple monoester mono-isononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (MINCH) and its secondary oxidized metabolites with HPLC-MS/MS via isotope dilution analysis. Additionally, we quantified the unspecific full breakdown product, cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid (CHDA), via standard addition. All postulated metabolites were present in all samples analyzed. The unspecific CHDA was identified as the major urinary metabolite representing 23.7 % of the dose as the mean of the three volunteers (range 20.0-26.5 %). 14.8 % (11.3-16.7 %) of the dose was excreted as monoesters with oxidative modifications, in particular OH-MINCH 10.7 % (7.7-12.9 %), oxo-MINCH 2.0 % (1.5-2.6 %) and carboxy-MINCH 2.0 % (1.8-2.3 %). Less than 1 % was excreted as the simple monoester MINCH. In sum, 39.2 % (35.9-42.4 %) of the DINCHA (R) dose was excreted as these metabolites in urine within 48 h. Over 90 % of the metabolites investigated were excreted within 24 h after application. The secondary oxidized metabolites, with elimination half-times between 10 and 18 h, proved to be apt and specific biomarkers to determine DINCHA (R) exposure. With this study, we provide reliable urinary excretion factors to calculate DINCHA (R) intakes based on these metabolites in environmental and occupational studies.
Although many researchers have explored the relations among gender identification, discriminatory attributions, and intentions to challenge discrimination, few have examined the causal impact of gender identity salience on women's actual responses to a sexist encounter. In the current study, we addressed this question by experimentally manipulating the salience of gender identity and assessing its impact on women's decision to confront a sexist comment in a simulated online interaction. Female participants (N = 114) were randomly assigned to complete a short measure of either personal or collective self-esteem, which was designed to increase the salience of personal versus gender identity. They were then given the opportunity to confront a male interaction partner who expressed sexist views. Compared to those who were primed to focus on their personal identity, participants who were primed to focus on their gender identity perceived the interaction partner's remarks as more sexist and were more likely to engage in confrontation. By highlighting the powerful role of subtle contextual cues in shaping women's perceptions of, and responses to, sexism, our findings have important implications for the understanding of gender identity salience as an antecedent of prejudice confrontation. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index .
NanoMagnet logic (NML) is among the emerging technologies that might replace CMOS in the next decades. According to its physical characteristics, to better exploit the potential of this technology-and of other similar ones-the use of parallel architectures with regular layout that avoid long interconnection signals is advised. Systolic arrays (SAs) are among these architectures, being composed of a grid of equal processing elements that are locally interconnected. However, they are usually implemented to execute only a small set of algorithms, and for this reason, throughout the years, they have not been an appealing solution for CMOS. To seriously analyze the potentials of NML, complex architectures must be conceived, and their physical implementation explored considering realistic technological constraints. With the increasing complexity of NML circuits, two issues, then, are noticed: 1) the need for a regular structure arises, that at the same time helps to reduce the intrinsic pipelining nature of NML and can be configured to be used for several applications without developing a dedicated design for each algorithm and 2) the capability to synthesize, place and route NML circuits is fundamental to demonstrate the feasibility of the architecture in two important conditions: efficiently managing the complexity of the design and sticking to the characteristics that are technologically feasible at the time of writing. In this paper, we address these issues presenting a new reconfigurable SA that can be programmed to execute different algorithms, and we provide two examples to show its working principle. Moreover, the array is synthesized and simulated with the aid of the first real tool for nanotechnology circuits that we have conceived, Torino Politecnico Nanotechnology tool. The joint contribution at both the architectural and physical design levels gives a relevant step forward to the state of the art in the demonstration of this emerging technology potential.
A quickest change detection (QCD) algorithm is proposed to address the problem of detecting and identifying line outages in a power system. The statistics of electricity demand are assumed to be known and propagated through a linearized model of the equations describing the power flow balance at each node of the network. The proposed algorithm incorporates the transient dynamics of the power system following a line outage and is applied to the measurements of voltage phase angles, which are collected using phasor measurement units. This adaptive algorithm is developed by treating the QCD problem as a dynamic composite hypothesis testing problem. It is shown to have superior performance compared with other line outage detection algorithms previously proposed in the literature. Case studies demonstrating this gain in performance are illustrated through the IEEE 118-bus test system.
The present study examined the role of target and judge interaction demands on first impression accuracy (n = 195). Specifically, the role of targets' self-presentation concerns and judges' information processing demands on accuracy for interpersonal traits (i.e., traits likely to be accentuated within an interpersonal context) and less interpersonal traits (i.e., traits less likely to be accentuated within an interpersonal context) was examined. Pairs of unacquainted participants (n = 88; females = 52, males = 36) interacted for ten-minutes in one of three interaction conditions that sought to vary interaction demands by manipulating the degree to which participants were aware of judging and/or being judged. Accuracy was assessed by correlating judgements formed with a measure of target's personality that comprised an average of self-ratings and informant-ratings (n = 107). Findings revealed that in interaction conditions where there was a mismatch in evaluation expectations when a participant knows he or she will judge but not that he or she will be judged accuracy for less interpersonal traits is diminished. Findings are discussed in relation to Patterson's (1995) parallel process model of interpersonal communication and Funder's realistic accuracy model (1995). Limitations in terms of the generalisability of the findings are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In rural areas of Northwest China, rainwater harvesting appears to be the most promising alternative for supplying drinking water in the face of increasing water scarcity and escalating demand. The quality of collected cistern rainwater in rural Northwest China was assessed. The results show that most of the collected cistern rainwater quality parameters in rural Northwest China conformed to drinking water quality standard in China, except turbidity, CODMn, and total coliforms. A UV disinfection system was proposed to polish the collected cistern rainwater. After UV treatment, the removal efficiencies of turbidity, CODMn and total coliforms were 73.7-82.2%, 60.0-76.4% and 93.9-100%, respectively. The treatment of collected cistern rainwater could provide water adequate to safe drinking water guidelines.
Elevated levels of homocysteinemia (Hcy), a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), have been associated with changes in cell methylation. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by an upregulation of the 5-lipoxygenase (5LO), whose promoter is regulated by methylation. However, whether Hcy activates 5LO enzymatic pathway by influencing the methylation status of its promoter remains unknown. Brains from mice with high Hcy were assessed for the 5LO pathway and neuronal cells exposed to Hcy implemented to study the mechanism(s) regulating 5LO expression levels and the effect on amyloid formation. Diet- and genetically induced high Hcy resulted in 5LO protein and mRNA upregulation, which was associated with a significant increase of the S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH)/S-adenosylmethionine ratio, and reduced DNA methyltrasferases and hypomethylation of 5-lipoxygenase DNA. In vitro studies confirmed these results and demonstrated that the mechanism involved in the Hcy-dependent 5LO activation and amyloid formation is DNA hypomethylation secondary to the elevated levels of SAH. Taken together these findings represent the first demonstration that Hcy directly influences 5LO expression levels and establish a previously unknown cross talk between these two pathways, which is highly relevant for AD pathogenesis. The discovery of such a novel link not only provides new mechanistic insights in the neurobiology of Hcy, but most importantly new therapeutic opportunities for the individuals bearing this risk factor for the disease.
Positive youth development is thought to be essential to the prevention of adolescent risk behavior and the promotion of thriving. This meta-analysis examined the effects of positive youth development interventions in promoting positive outcomes and reducing risk behavior. Ten databases and grey literature were scanned using a predefined search strategy. We included studies that focused on young people aged 10-19 years, implemented a positive youth development intervention, were outside school hours, and utilized a randomized controlled design. Twenty-four studies, involving 23,258 participants, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The impact of the interventions on outcomes including behavioral problems, sexual risk behavior, academic achievement, prosocial behavior and psychological adjustment were assessed. Positive youth development interventions had a small but significant effect on academic achievement and psychological adjustment. No significant effects were found for sexual risk behaviors, problem behavior or positive social behaviors. Intervention effects were independent of program characteristics and participant age. Low-risk young people derived more benefit from positive youth development interventions than high-risk youth. The studies examined had several methodological flaws, which weakened the ability to draw conclusions. Substantial progress has been made in the theoretical understanding of youth development in the past two decades. This progress needs to be matched in the intervention literature, through the use of high-quality evaluation research of positive youth development programs.
Ambient intelligence (AmI) systems are now considered a promising approach to assist people in their daily life. AmI proposes the development of context aware systems equipped with devices that can recognize your context and act accordingly. Agents provide an effective way to develop such systems since agents are reactive, proactive and exhibit an intelligent and autonomous behavior. However, current agent approaches do not adequately fulfill the requirements posed by AmI systems. From a modeling point of view, the aim should be to help in the design by providing adequate tools that assist in the development of important properties of AmI systems, such as context-awareness; and from an implementation point of view, agent technologies must be adapted to the diversity of AmI devices and communication technologies. As a solution to these issues we propose a Model driven engineering process, which supports the automatic generation of agent-based AmI systems. The source metamodel is PIM4Agents, a general purpose agent metamodel that we have adapted to support the explicit modeling of context aware systems, and the target metamodel is Malaca, an aspect-oriented agent architecture. Aspect-orientation makes Malaca platform-neutral for FIPA compliant agent platforms, simplifying the model driven process. The solution generates MalacaTiny agents, an implementation of Malaca that is able to run in AmI devices. We have evaluated the convenience of applying a model driven approach by measuring the degree of automation of our process and we have evaluated MalacaTiny for mobile phones by assessing different parameters, related to the scarcity of resources in AmI systems. All the results obtained are satisfactory.
Many attempts have been made to manufacture multi-contact nerve cuff electrodes that are safe, robust and reliable for long term neuroprosthetic applications. This protocol describes a fabrication technique of a modified cylindrical nerve cuff electrode to meet these criteria. Minimum computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD and CAM) skills are necessary to consistently produce cuffs with high precision (contact placement 0.51 +/- 0.04 mm) and various cuff sizes. The precision in spatially distributing the contacts and the ability to retain a predefined geometry accomplished with this design are two criteria essential to optimize the cuff's interface for selective recording and stimulation. The presented design also maximizes the flexibility in the longitudinal direction while maintaining sufficient rigidity in the transverse direction to reshape the nerve by using materials with different elasticities. The expansion of the cuff's cross sectional area as a result of increasing the pressure inside the cuff was observed to be 25% at 67 mm Hg. This test demonstrates the flexibility of the cuff and its response to nerve swelling post-implant. The stability of the contacts' interface and recording quality were also examined with contacts' impedance and signal-to-noise ratio metrics from a chronically implanted cuff (7.5 months), and observed to be 2.55 +/- 0.25 k Omega and 5.10 +/- 0.81 dB respectively.
Hypervisors and Operating Systems support vertical elasticity techniques such as memory ballooning to dynamically assign the memory of Virtual Machines (VMs). However, current Cloud Management Platforms (CMPs), such as OpenNebula or OpenStack, do not currently support dynamic vertical elasticity. This paper describes a system that integrates with the CMP to provide automatic vertical elasticity to adapt the memory size of the VMs to their current memory consumption, featuring live migration to prevent overload scenarios, without downtime for the VMs. This enables an enhanced VM-per-host consolidation ratio while maintaining the Quality of Service for VMs, since their memory is dynamically increased as necessary. The feasibility of the development is assessed via two case studies based on OpenNebula featuring (i) horizontal and vertical elastic virtual clusters on a production Grid infrastructure and (ii) elastic multi-tenant VMs that run Docker containers coupled with live migration techniques. The results show that memory oversubscription can be integrated on CMPs to deliver automatic memory management without severely impacting the performance of the VMs. This results in a memory management framework for on-premises Clouds that features live migration to safely enable transient oversubscription of physical resources in a CMP. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Down syndrome is a common human genetic disorder caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. Individuals with Down syndrome can present with a range of health issues during their lives that may require imaging for diagnosis. Radiographers, therefore, play a significant role in the management and communication of Down syndrome patients' health. Purpose: This review identified patient-centered strategies that radiographers should use to provide quality imaging services for Down syndrome patients, who may have limited verbal ability and behavioral issues. Method: A systematic review using the established PRISMA guidelines was undertaken of current literature obtained through the Ovid and Scopus databases. A total of 189 articles were found, of which 41 were categorized and analyzed in detail. Findings: A high level of care for Down syndrome patients will require longer than usual procedures, and the patients will not respond well to being rushed or ignored. Down syndrome patients have difficulty verbalizing, yet they understand more than is often thought. Individuals may require increased imaging time to give them time to respond, especially to pain. Patients are at risk of injury with AAI or other pathologies, and caution should be taken with flexion and extension spine x-rays. Radiographs may reveal undisclosed physical abuse. Conclusion: Specific strategies with verbal and nonverbal communication help to facilitate communication, reduce anxiety and fear, and improve compliance with Down syndrome patients. Patients may require an increased level of care; increased imaging time; and allowing support people to be present during the examination process.
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to characterize sacroiliac joints (SIJs) findings at CT of patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), a condition characterized (using the Resnick classification criteria) by ossification of at least four contiguous vertebrae in the thoracic spine and preserved disk space, but without radiographic evidence of intraarticular SIJ abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Pelvic CT examinations of 104 patients with DISH (fulfilling the Resnick criteria on spinal CT) and 106 age-and sex-matched control subjects whose entire spine lacked CT evidence of DISH (total, 149 men and 61 women; mean [+/- SD] age, 72.3 +/- 8.7 years) were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of intra-and extraarticular bridging osteophytes, spurs, subchondral cystlike changes, erosions, and sclerosis of SIJs. Excluded were patients with known ankylosing spondylitis or inflammatory-related diseases. Data were analyzed using multivariate ANOVA to examine the degree of difference between patients with DISH and control subjects. Logistic regression analysis was used to generate odds ratios to examine their discriminatory ability. ROC analysis was then applied to examine the sensitivity and specificity of the results. RESULTS. The frequency of anterior bridging, posterior bridging, entheseal bridging, and joint ankylosis was significantly higher among patients with DISH compared with control subjects (48% vs 9%, 20% vs 1%, 34% vs 4%, and 23% vs 0%, respectively; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION. Intraarticular ankylosis seen at CT, an entity not included in the Resnick classification criteria, is common among patients with DISH, which implies that the radiologic classification criteria for DISH need to be revised.
This paper presents a novel hybrid ant colony optimization approach (ACO&VNS) to solve the permutation flow-shop scheduling problem (PFS) in manufacturing systems and industrial process. The main feature of this hybrid algorithm is to hybridize the solution construction mechanism of the ant colony optimization (ACO) with variable neighborhood search (VNS) which can also be embedded into the ACO algorithm as neighborhood search to improve solutions. Moreover, the hybrid algorithm considers both solution diversification and solution quality. Finally, the experimental results for benchmark PFS instances have shown that the hybrid algorithm is very efficient to solve the permutation flow-shop scheduling in manufacturing engineering compared with the best existing methods in terms of solution quality.
The Susquehanna River basin (SRB) is the largest U.S. watershed (71,250km2) draining to the Atlantic Coast. It encompasses portions of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Given that annual maximum flood events commonly result from either rain-on-snow or hurricanes/tropical storms, determining the potential impacts of climate change on flooding behavior is especially challenging. This paper presents a modeling system that captures these dominant flooding processes, which is well-suited for future research investigating the impacts of regional climate change. For this study, a coupled hydrologic-hydraulic model is developed and used to estimate hourly streamflow for the period from 2000 to 2008, capturing a range annual maximum discharge phenomenon (e.g.,rain-on-snow, localized convective events, and hurricanes/tropical storms). The three-layer variable infiltration capacity (VIC-3L) model is used to generate surface runoff and the vertical flux of water through the root zone at a scale of 0.025 degrees (about 2.8km), which are used as inputs to the Hillslope River Routing (HRR) model that operates on an irregular grid with a mean length scale of 4.7km to simulate lateral surface and subsurface transport and channel hydraulics. The coupled model is validated using USGS daily streamflow, snow water equivalent (SWE) derived from the advanced microwave scanning radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) satellite and snow depth from in situ measurements. The coupled model (VIC-HRR) shows good performance for both seasonal baseflow patterns and large flood events (e.g.,rain-on-snow and hurricane/tropical storms). Given the SRB is commonly subjected to two types of flood events, the role of snow processes is investigated. Comparing synthetic model scenarios with and without snow processes suggests that if future climate conditions reduce winter snowfall due to warmer temperatures, but maintain total precipitation levels, annual runoff will increase and mean annual peak discharge will decrease.
Spatial statistics provides useful methods for incorporating spatial dependence into land cover classification. However, the geometric features of land cover classes are difficult to be captured by geostatistical models due to smoothing effect. The objective of this study is to incorporate spectral similarity into the Markov chain random field (MCRF) cosimulation (coMCRF) model, that is, to propose a spectral similarity-enhanced MCRF cosimulation (SS-coMCRF) model, for land cover postclassification so that postclassification will cause less geometric loss. Two mutually complementary spectral similarity measures, Jaccard index and the spectral correlation measure, were employed as a constraining factor in SS-coMCRF. One medium spatial resolution scene with a complex landscape and one very high spatial resolution scene with an urban landscape were selected for case studies. Neural network classifier and support vector machine classifier were used to conduct land cover preclassifications. Both coMCRF and SS-coMCRF were used to postprocess preclassified images based on expert-interpreted sample datasets from multiple data sources. Compared with preclassified results that depend on only spectral information of pixels, postclassifications by both models achieved similar significant improvements in overall accuracy. However, compared with coMCRF, the SS-coMCRF model apparently improved postclassified land cover patterns by effectively capturing some geometric features (e. g., boundaries and linear stripes) and more details of land cover classes. In general, incorporating spectral similarity into land cover postclassification through SScoMCRF may contribute significantly to the shape or geometric accuracy of classified land cover classes.
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are currently the most widely prescribed drugs for Alzheimer's disease. The high potential of indole compounds in medicinal chemistry led us to discover a novel series of fluoroindole compounds. The synthesis and pharmacological analysis of the difluoropyrido[4,3-b]indoles 11-34 are described. Compounds 11-34 were tested for AChE inhibition activity using a rat brain homogenate. Compounds 25-29 display a promising in vitro profile with an IC50 value range of 46-51.6nM and show significant protective effect on scopolamine-induced amnesia. The present data indicate that compounds 25-29 may represent attractive potent molecules for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Inferences about moral character may often drive outrage over symbolic acts of racial bigotry. Study 1 demonstrates a theoretically predicted dissociation between moral evaluations of an act and the person who carries out the act. Although Americans regarded the private use of a racial slur as a less blameworthy act than physical assault, use of a slur was perceived as a clearer indicator of poor moral character. Study 2 highlights the dynamic interplay between moral judgments of acts and persons, demonstrating that first making person judgments can bias subsequent act judgments. Privately defacing a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. led to greater moral condemnation of the agent than of the act itself only when the behavior was evaluated first. When Americans first made character judgments, symbolically defacing a picture of the civil rights leader was significantly more likely to be perceived as an immoral act. These studies support a person-centered account of outrage over bigotry and demonstrate that moral evaluations of acts and persons converge and diverge under theoretically meaningful circumstances. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper presents an approach to modular contract-based verification of discrete-time multi-rate Simulink models. The verification approach uses a translation of Simulink models to sequential programs that can then be verified using traditional software verification techniques. Automatic generation of the proof obligations needed for verification of correctness with respect to contracts, and automatic proofs are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper provides detailed discussions about the correctness of each step in the verification process. The verification approach is demonstrated on a case study involving control software for prevention of pressure peaks in hydraulics systems.
In this paper, we conduct research on the wireless sensor network management methods based on the runtime model. With the deepening of the research, scalability and maintainability of wireless sensor network has become an important target of its application promotion. Consider that the nodes randomly distributed monitoring area, looking for a complete coverage of this area several disjoint nodes which uses genetic algorithm to optimize the network survival time nodes and corresponding coverage. From the point of view of software engineering, most of the specific software system knowledge hidden in the program and document, the model as the main content of the document and procedures of high-level abstractions. The management of the network is urgently needed. As the additional research, we also conduct theoretical analysis on the wireless sensor network security enhancement methodology with the tradition game theory and mathematical optimization approaches which will be meaningful. Game theory is on the interaction between much of decision-making behavior has, according to the different subjects in the control information and the cognition of their own capabilities which will be a novel method for the analysis. The numerical simulation shows that our method performed better compared with other related approaches. In the future, more research will be conducted to polish the current method.
The voltage source converters (VSC) are the key power interfaces between the individual ac grids and dc grids in the hybrid power system. When the ac grid is unbalanced, the grid currents are distorted and the harmonic is induced. Meanwhile, the oscillations in the active and reactive power are also increased, which may damage these interfaces. In order to ensure the safety of the converters and the grid facility, a flexible control strategy is proposed for the ac/dc hybrid grid in this paper. At first, the current harmonic for the VSC is theoretically analyzed under unbalanced conditions. Furthermore, the methods to separate the positive- and negative-sequence components of the ac grid voltages are summed up and analyzed. Based on the theoretical analysis, different protected control methods are compared. A new control method, which can flexibly control oscillations of the active and reactive power by introducing a parameter k, has been proposed. The estimation of maximum current in each phase is discussed; meanwhile, the relationship between the voltage ripple on dc link and the parameter k is given. Finally, the validity and advantages of the proposed method are verified by the simulating and experimental results.
Background Age-related maculopathy (ARM) or degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries. Despite several studies on the morphology of ARMD, the aetiology is unknown and factor(s) contributing to the pathogenesis remain to be characterised. More recent studies have demonstrated that cholesterol esters and lipids are present within Bruch's membrane deposits and drusen, and dietary fat intake is associated with ARMD. The product of Ob gene, leptin, is a recently discovered peptide participating in human metabolism. There is a direct relationship between serum leptin and diet, and lipoprotein metabolism, but the role of leptin in the course of ARMD has not previously been investigated. Purpose This cross-sectional case-control study investigated whether serum leptin level was associated with ARMD as a new possible risk factor and to assess its relationship with disease severity. Methods A total of 32 patients with ARM or ARMD (17 men, 15 women) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects without ARMD (11 men, nine women) from a similar ethnic background were enrolled in this multicentre study. Body mass index (BMI) (weight (kg)/height (m(2))) was calculated for each group. The presence of maculopathy was assessed on the basis of colour fundus photographs using an international classification system. Patients were classified as early-ARM (n = 16) or late-ARMD (n = 16) using clinical examination and grading of photographs. Serum leptin levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The Mann-Whitney U test or chi(2) test was used for statistics as indicated, and P<0.05 was considered to be significant. Results The age, sex ratio, and BMI between groups were comparable. Patients with maculopathy had significantly (P<0.001) lower leptin levels (mean +/- SD, 6.01 +/- 2.55 ng/ ml) than control subjects (13.21+/- 2.27 ng/ml). In addition, late-ARMD patients had significantly lower leptin levels (3.81 +/- 0.58 ng/ ml) than early-ARM patients (8.21 +/- 1.68 ng/ml, P<0.001) or control subjects (P<0.001). Conclusion Leptin seems to be a possible newly associated factor in the course of ARM and may be involved in the lipid composition of the macular lesions, especially in late-ARMD.
Recently, Hou et al. introduced a novel (2, n) privilege-based visual cryptography scheme (PVCS) with various privilege levels of shadow images. In this scheme, a shadow with a higher privilege contributes more recovered information, while a lower privileged shadow has the less recovery capability. Moreover, the visual quality of stacked result depends on the total sum of privilege levels for all involved shadows in reconstruction. Unfortunately, the PVC scheme has the inconsistency of the contrast of recovered image and the sum of privilege levels. Accordingly, an enhanced Hou et al.'s (2,n)-PVC scheme (EPVCS) is proposed to solve this inconsistency problem. However, the EPVCS is not a general solution to implement all PVCSs with arbitrary privilege levels, and it also has the unequal whiteness of shadows. In this paper, we first extend Hou et al.'s (2, n)-EPVCS with a correct privilege levels achieving the consistency of the contrast and the sum of privilege levels. Then we construct a (2,n)-PVCS to allow arbitrary privilege levels and provide the equal whiteness for each shadow. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Although perceived inconsistencies play a central role in how people understand the world, research on impression formation has largely neglected lay perceptions of inconsistency. The current research seeks to address this gap by investigating perceived inconsistencies between positive and negative information along the dimensions of warmth and competence. Using a memory-based measure of surprise, three studies found an expectancy-violation effect for behaviors that were incongruent with the valence of prior information. This effect generalized across warmth and competence, indicating that prior information along one dimension led to valence-congruent expectations along the other dimension. There was no evidence for valence asymmetries in expectancy-violations regardless of whether the impression dimension involved warmth or competence. A fourth study replicated these findings using a self-report measure of perceived inconsistency. Implications for research on person perception, attitudes, and cognitive consistency are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: The complexity of RNA regulation is one of the current frontiers in animal and plant molecular biology research. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are characteristically involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation through interaction with RNA. Recently, the mRNA-bound proteome of mammalian cell lines has been successfully cataloged using a new method called interactome capture. This method relies on UV crosslinking of proteins to RNA, purifying the mRNA using complementary oligo-dT beads and identifying the crosslinked proteins using mass spectrometry. We describe here an optimized system of mRNA interactome capture for Arabidopsis thaliana leaf mesophyll protoplasts, a cell type often used in functional cellular assays. Results: We established the conditions for optimal protein yield, namely the amount of starting tissue, the duration of UV irradiation and the effect of UV intensity. We demonstrated high efficiency mRNA-protein pull-down by oligo-d(T)(25) bead capture. Proteins annotated to have RNA-binding capacity were overrepresented in the obtained medium scale mRNA-bound proteome, indicating the specificity of the method and providing in vivo UV crosslinking experimental evidence for several candidate RBPs from leaf mesophyll protoplasts. Conclusions: The described method, applied to plant cells, allows identifying proteins as having the capacity to bind mRNA directly. The method can now be scaled and applied to other plant cell types and species to contribute to the comprehensive description of the RBP proteome of plants.
The Monte Carlo method was used for quantitative structure-activity relationships modeling of 36 quinoline/isoquinoline derivatives acting as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. Quantitative structure-activity relationships models were calculated with the representation of the molecular structure by the simplified molecular input-line entry system with one random split into the training and the test set. The statistical quality of the developed model was good. The best calculated quantitative structure-activity relationships model had the following statistical parameters: r(2) = 0.9573 for the training set and r(2) = 0.9079 for the test set. Structural indicators defined as molecular fragments responsible for increases and decreases in the inhibition activity were calculated. The computer-aided design of new compounds as potential dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors with the application of defined structural alerts was presented.
To assess the thermal-hydraulics of a condenser of a typical automotive air conditioning system with maldistribution of intake air, a comprehensive investigation has been taken up. The investigation comprises both experiments and numerical simulations. A special purpose software, CoilDesigner is used to simulate the heat transfer and fluid dynamics of the multiple channel micro-tube air to refrigerant crossflow condenser. While experimentally the overall performance of the condenser is studied by creating blockages of different types and extents in the inlet air path, simulation results provide the spatial variation of pressure, temperature, heat transfer coefficient, and quality on the tube side, in addition to the overall performance for each of the cases. The simulation results clearly bring out the spatial change in the transport parameters due to a typical blockage. One can compare the effective use of the exchanger area of the heat exchanger for an unblocked and a typically blocked case. The simulation also gives a very reliable prediction of the overall performance as recorded by the experiment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Capstone design is an opportunity for students to apply their newly obtained knowledge in a real-world setting. Oregon State University's School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering provides students with choices of internally (originating from within the department offering the capstone course) and externally sponsored projects and uses an assessment system based on written reports and the quality of the deliverable (e. g. prototype). Providing different projects for each group of students has made tracking and managing the progress of each project difficult. The large amount of work required to provide the necessary support for students has historically fallen to faculty. However, recently, much of this work has been shifted to graduate student assistants. The graduate students serve as technical advisers, project managers, centralized communication hubs, and report graders. When compared to faculty, graduate students tend to be more accessible to students, project sponsors, and instructors; they seem more motivated to provide high quality results, they provide comparable levels of student assessments, and they are easier to hold accountable. For many graduate students, the capstone projects are extensions of their research. Concerns over graduate student inexperience are resolved by having a faculty member available for support as necessary. Several tiers of graduate advisers are used and are illustrated through case studies. The first tier uses graduate students simply as report graders. The second tier adds project advising. The third tier adds responsibility for creating a device, such as testing equipment, for the capstone students' use in validating that their design meets requirements. The fourth tier includes grading, advising and responsibility to extend, as necessary, the output of the capstone students' work to create a fully functioning deliverable for the sponsor. The fifth tier is similar to the fourth, but the project topic is a key component of the graduate students' degree research. Through case studies, faculty and graduate adviser grade comparisons, and content analysis from student reports, Graduate Assistants have been observed to be valuable contributors to an enhanced capstone course at all levels of involvement.
An echo state network (ESN)-based Q-learning method is developed for optimal energy management of an office, where the solar energy is introduced as the renewable source, and a battery is installed with a control unit. The energy consumption in the office, also considered as the energy demand, is separated into those from sockets, lights and air-conditioners. First, ESNs, well known for their excellent modelling performance for time series, are employed to model the time series of the real-time electricity rate, renewable energy and energy demand as periodic functions. Second, given the periodic models of the electricity rate, renewable energy and energy demand, an ESN-based Q-learning method with the Q-function approximated by an ESN is developed and implemented to determine the optimal charging/discharging/idle strategies for the battery in the office, so that the total cost of electricity from the grid can be reduced. Finally, numerical analysis is conducted to illustrate the performance of the developed method.
People who are socially integrated and have strong social ties live happier, longer lives. The link between social connection and well-being is commonly explained in terms of the benefits of receiving care and support from others. However, the benefits of giving care and support to others for the support provider are often overlooked. We review emerging findings that suggest when, why, and how giving support to others provides benefits to the self. We identify possible mechanisms by which these benefits arise and outline boundary conditions that influence such benefits. To gain a richer understanding of the association between social ties and well-being, an important future research direction is to not only consider the support receiver but also emphasize the support provider.
At a singular point of a DAE, the IVP fails to have a unique solution. Hence, numerical integration methods cannot provide reasonable results. Unfortunately, common error control strategies do not always detect these circumstances and arbitrary solutions may be given to the user without warnings of any kind. Automatic (or Algorithmic) Differentiation (AD) opens new possibilities to realize an analysis of DAEs and to monitor assumptions required for the existence and uniqueness of IVPs. We show how the diagnosis of singular points can be performed for structured quasi-linear DAEs up to index 2. Our approach uses the projector based analysis for DAEs employing AD. The resulting method is illustrated by several examples, with particular emphasis on simple electrical circuits containing controlled sources.
The parameters of non-linear Muskingum model (NLMM) are usually assumed to be constant during the flood routing period. Recently, the need to consider a variable exponent parameter for the NLMM has been emphasised. A suitable continuous variable exponent parameter can substantially improve the model. In this study, an appropriate continuous inflow-based exponent is proposed for the NLMM. The discharges of inflow hydrographs of future events may be different and larger than the discharges of inflow hydrographs used in the calibration stage, and thus the proposed inflow-based function for the exponent parameter is considered such that it varies only in a small range regardless of the size of the future inflow hydrographs and their durations (safe extrapolation). When volumes of the inflow and outflow hydrographs are different, the lateral flows are expected to play a relevant role in the flood routing procedure. These effects are also considered in this research. The proposed model was implemented and tested on three different sets of benchmark hydrographs from the literature and the improvement in performance of the proposed model was considerable.
Background: Addicts to specific internet applications involving communication features showed increased social anxiety, emotional competence deficits and impaired prefrontal-related inhibitory control. The dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) likely plays an important role in cognitive control and negative affect (such as social exclusion, pain or anxiety). Aim: To assess (social) anxiety-related inhibitory control in specific Internet addiction (addicted use of games and social networks) and its relation to altered dACC activation. Methods: N=44 controls and n=51 specific internet addicts completed an anxious words-based Affective Go/No-Go task (AGN). A subsample of n=23 healthy controls and n=25 specific internet addicts underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while completing an Emotional Stroop Task (EST) with socially anxious, positive, negative and neutral words. Subgroups of internet gaming and social network addicts were exploratively assessed. Psychometric measures of social anxiety, emotional competence and impulsivity were additionally explored. Results: Specific internet addicts showed higher impulsivity, social anxiety and reduced emotional competence. Between-group differences in AGN and EST behavioral measures were not detected. No group differences were found in the dACC, but explorative analyses revealed decreased left middle and superior temporal gyrus activation during interference of socially anxious words in internet gaming and relative to social network addicts.
Objective: The programmed death-1 receptor, PD-1, is a negative regulator of T-cell activation. The PD-1.3 polymorphism of the PD-1 gene (PDCD1) has been previously shown to be associated with several autoimmune and inflammatory disorders including systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis. We examined for the first time PD-1.3 association with another inflammatory disease with strong immune component, IgE-mediated bronchial asthma, its severity and its biochemical markers (total serum IgE and IL-4). Methods: PD-1.3 G/A was genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis using two different populations: Caucasian (492 Russian individuals) and Asian (276 Buryat individuals). Results: We found a significant association of the PD-1.3 polymorphism with IgE-mediated bronchial asthma and total serum IgE level in the Russian population. Combined genotype AA+AG was correlated with risk of developing allergic bronchial asthma (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.13-2.78, p = 0.011) and lower concentrations of total serum IgE (p = 0.001) compared with the wild-type genotype GG. However, PD-1.3 was not polymorphic in the Buryat population. Conclusions: PD-1.3 polymorphism of the PD-1 gene (PDCD1) may contribute to the development of allergic asthma in the Russians but not in the Buryats. Our results could be helpful for a better understanding of the effect of this polymorphism on the development of diseases with strong immune components.
In order to realize the interactive teaching of the course of Machine Design Foundation, we use the campus network and computer aided design software to construct the network teaching platform, this platform consists of three modules, which are interactive teaching module, teacher management module and system management module, the advantage of this platform is that it can realize remote assistance function in mechanical drawing design according to the characteristics of this course. It can improve the communication ability between teachers and students in the premise of ensuring the sharing of resources.
The thermal hydraulics of supercritical water under forced-, mixed convection and natural circulation conditions is not fully understood. In order to study the thermal hydraulic behaviour of this fluid under natural circulation conditions a small size, closed experimental loop has been designed and built. The thermal hydraulic phenomenon occurring in the loop can be measured by thermocouples mounted onto the outer surface of the heated tube wall, absolute and differential pressure transducers and a flow meter; moreover, simultaneously can be visualized by neutron radiography techniques. This paper describes the loop itself, the process of the experiment with the measurement techniques, the data acquisition system applied and the results got during the first measurement series. Based on the results of the first measurement series, it was found that the measured part of the steady state characteristic is independent from the system pressure. A slight dependence of steady state characteristic on the inlet temperature can be identified: the higher the inlet temperature the higher the mass flow rate. The total pressure drop and its components seem to be independent from the system pressure but strongly dependent on the inlet temperature due to the influence of bulk-fluid temperature on the relevant thermophysical properties (density and dynamic viscosity). The pressure drop due to acceleration of flow found to be negligible next to the two dominant components, the pressure drop due to frictional resistance and due to gravity, The coupled evaluation of the radiographic images and the thermophysical properties of wafer have shown that the main driving force behind the decrease of the neutron attenuation is the decreasing water density as the bulk-fluid temperature increases. The reverse of this relationship could be exploited during the validation of future Monte Carlo simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
FAT file system is one of the most common file systems on various targets and operating systems. However, it has a performance issue on sequential writing to low-bandwidth storage due to reading FAT area and directory entries. In this paper, we design and implement an efficient FAT caching mechanism for sequential writing to low-bandwidth. The mechanism consists two parts: metadata cache and whole FAT read-ahead cache. As a result, we show 20x improvement for sequential writing to low bandwidth storage with our caching mechanism.
Due to their capacity to self-renew, proliferate and generate multi-lineage cells, adult-derived stem cells offer great potential for use in regenerative therapies to stop and/or reverse degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, Alzheimer's disease and others. However, these subsets of cells can be isolated from different niches, each with differing potential for therapeutic applications. The stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a stem cell enriched and adipose-derived cell population, has garnered interest as a therapeutic in regenerative medicine due to its ability to secrete paracrine factors that accelerate endogenous repair, ease of accessibility and lack of identified major adverse effects. Thus, one can easily understand the rush to employ adipose-derived SVF to treat human disease. Perhaps faster than any other cell preparation, SVF is making its way to clinics worldwide, while critical preclinical research needed to establish SVF safety, efficacy and optimal, standardized clinical procedures are underway. Here, we will provide an overview of the current knowledge driving this phenomenon, its regulatory issues and existing studies, and propose potential unmapped applications.
High-speed permanent magnet machines, supplied by pulsewidth modulation (PWM) voltage source inverters, operate with distorted stator currents. Harmonics present in these stator currents deteriorate the machine performance by generating losses. Mostly, these losses are following the machine design using a transient finite-element model. The precise measurement of these rotor eddy-current losses is extremely difficult, hence, only a few papers provide convincing comparisons between predictions and measurements. This paper presents a fast and precise analytical approach, verified with measurements, to consider rotor losses of machines, supplied by PWM voltages, already during the design procedure.
It was recently proposed that the neural substrate mediating smile production might play a key role also in the recognition of others' smile. This hypothesis, however, has been challenged by difficulties in eliciting ecological smiling in standard laboratory settings. Here we report of a case where these difficulties were overcome by combining electrical stimulation and intracranial electroencephalogram recording in a patient with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. The stimulation of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC) elicited a smiling facial expression. The same leads exploring pACC showed an increase of gamma band activity (50-100 Hz) during the observation of video-clips depicting actors laughing, relative to video-clips depicting actors crying or producing a neutral expression. These findings indicate that both smile production and recognition are encoded in pACC and further support the role of this region in social cognition.
2D cell culture and preclinical animal models have traditionally been implemented for investigating the underlying cellular mechanisms of human disease progression. However, the increasing significance of 3D vs. 2D cell culture has initiated a new era in cell culture research in which 3D in vitro models are emerging as a bridge between traditional 2D cell culture and in vivo animal models. Additive manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing), defined as the layer-by-layer fabrication of parts directed by digital information from a 3D computer-aided design file, offers the advantages of simultaneous rapid prototyping and biofunctionalization as well as the precise placement of cells and extracellular matrix with high resolution. In this review, we highlight recent advances in 3D printing of tissue engineered constructs that recapitulate the physical and cellular properties of the tissue microenvironment for investigating mechanisms of disease progression and for screening drugs.
We present a collaborative teaching model used in the practical classes of Manufacturing Engineering. This model has been developed by teachers from one of the Innovative Educational Groups Nuevas Metodologias Docentes en Ingenieria Mecanica y de Fabricacion (New Learning Methodologies in Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing) at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM). It is implemented in the five degrees presently taught at the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria y Diseno Industrial (ETSIDI) (Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Design) at UPM. In this model, traditional practical lessons are combined with a Web platform, developed on our own, named Plataforma Educativa de Practicas Academicas (PEPA) (Academic Learning Platform for Practical Classes), that allows both the automatic registration of the results from laboratory classes and the evaluations by teachers, automatically or manually. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Expressions are derived in three cases for the expectation and uncertainty of body burdens and doses calculated from a linear model of environmental transport and human metabolism in terms of expectation and uncertainty in inputs of discrete, stochastic random variables. Three cases are compared to determine the relationship of the expectations and uncertainties under varying assumptions. In the constant input case, the input is selected randomly at the outset of the simulation period [0,T] from the distribution to which the population is exposed and then is held constant throughout [0,T]. In the two time-varying cases, random and autoregressive, it was assumed that N discrete stochastic exposures to the input were made uncorrelated and partially correlated, respectively. Each exposure was constant during each time interval of length T/N. ne expectation values of the body burdens and doses in the constant input case were identical to those in the random case and the autoregressive cases for stationary inputs. The uncertainties of the body burdens and the doses in the constant input case were identical in the limit of rapid metabolism to those of the random case and the autoregressive cases for stationary inputs. In the limit of slow metabolism, the uncertainties of the body burdens and the doses in the constant input case were N1/2 and (3N/4)1/2, respectively, greater than those in the random case and were {(1 + alpha)/[(1 - alpha)N]}1/2 and {4(1 + alpha)/[3(1 - alpha)N]}1/2, respectively, greater than those in the autoregressive case for stationary inputs and autocorrelation coefficient alpha. That is, increasing the number of sampling periods decreases the uncertainty and increasing the autocorrelation increases the uncertainty. In an example application for ingestion of Cs-137 at Bikini Island, a weak form of both slow and rapid metabolism limits apply and give the result that the uncertainty of the body burden in the constant input case is 18 times greater than the random case. For alpha = 0.5, the uncertainty of the body burden in the autoregressive case is 1.7 times greater than the random case. The smooth transition of the autoregressive case from the random case to the constant input case is shown as alpha increases from 0 (random) to 1 (constant).
The asymptomatic nature of most Chlamydia trachomatis infections and the lack of appropriate effects by current prevention and management call for vaccine development. We evaluated a recombinant subunit vaccine candidate based on the major outer membrane protein variable segments 2 and 4 (MOMP VS2/4). To achieve maximal immunogenicity and ease of production and purification, MOMP VS2/4 was constructed by using highly immunogenic sequences of MOMP only, thereby minimizing the presence of hydrophobic regions, and spacing the immunogenic epitopes with a flexible amino acid sequence. A purification tag was also added. The MOMP VS2/4 was given intranasally, with or without intravaginal boost, with cholera toxin (CT) adjuvant to C57BL/6 mice, which were screened for immunogenicity and protection against a live challenge infection with C. trachomatis serovar D. Bacterial shedding, cell-mediated responses, and antibody responses were monitored. Immunized mice exhibited significantly less bacterial shedding and were better protected against infertility as compared to unimmunized control mice. Immunizations stimulated both systemic and local specific antibody (IgG1, IgG2c, and IgA) responses, and primed T cells that produced interferon-c and interleukins 13 and 17 upon challenge with recall antigen. Thus, MOMP VS2/4, in combination with CT adjuvant, stimulated Th1, Th2, and Th17 effector cells, and generated protective immunity associated with less pathology. We regard MOMP VS2/4 as a promising candidate for further development into a mucosal chlamydial vaccine.
The efficient use of water worldwide is of overriding importance due to its vital role in life. Recently, several countries have suffered water scarcity mainly due to population increase and problems associated to climate change such as the change in the precipitation patterns in the world. In this project, a mathematical programming model for the efficient and sustainable use of water under parametric uncertainty is proposed. The model considers rainwater harvesting (which includes catchment, storage and distribution) as alternative water source; it also considers sustainability aspects from the economic and environmental points of view, maximizing the revenue from the sales of water minus the cost of production and treatment, while maintaining desirable levels of water in the natural reservoirs. The uncertainty is a result of the change in the precipitation patterns. The proposed model is applied to a case study for the city of Morelia, Michoacan in Mexico, considering a time horizon of 5 years. Results show the optimal schedule for water storage and distribution to different sectors of the society (public, agricultural and industrial users). It was found that the use of alternative water sources such as harvested rainwater, along with an appropriate planning schedule of storage and distribution might help reduce the pressure over natural reservoirs even under conditions of uncertainty in the precipitation, while satisfying the water demands in a city. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study was designed to investigate the effects of two instructional approaches (4C-ID versus conventional) on learners' knowledge-acquisition and learning transfer of the electrical circuits content in Physics. Participants were 129 9th graders from a secondary school in Lisbon, M = 14.3 years, SD = 0.54. The participants were divided in two groups: an experimental group constituted three intact classes (n = 78); and a control group constituted two intact classes (n = 51). The experimental group was taught using a digital learning environment designed with the 4C-ID model principles while the control group learned the same contents through a conventional method. We assessed the students' performance (knowledge-acquisition and transfer), the perceived cognitive load, and the instructional efficiency. Results indicated that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group on a knowledge-acquisition test and in a learning transfer test. They also perceived a less cognitive load in the transfer test and the learning environment developed with the 4C-ID model proved to be more instructional efficient than the conventional method.
This paper responds to the increasing need for Earth observation missions and deals with the design of Repeating Sun-Synchronous Constellations (RSSCs) which takes into consideration of constellations composed of one or more orbital planes. Based on the mature design approach of Repeating Sun-synchronous orbits, a novel technique to design RSSCs is presented, which takes the second gravitational zonal harmonic into consideration. In order to obtain regular cycles of observation of the Earth by a single satellite, the orbital relationships have to be satisfied firstly are illustrated. Then, by making full analyses of the characteristics of the satellite ground track, orbital parameters are properly calculated to make other satellites pass on the same or different ground track of the single satellite. Last, single-plane or multi-plane constellations are used to improve the repetitions of the observation and the ground resolution. RSSCs allow observing the same region once at the same local time in a solar day and several times at the different local time in a solar day. Therefore, this kind of constellations meets all requirements for the remote sensing applications, which need to observe the same region under the same or different visible conditions. Through various case studies, the calculation technique is successfully demonstrated. (C) 2017 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tobacco use is the leading cause df preventable death in the United States, and exposure to tobacco smoke harms children from conception forward. There is no safe level of tobacco exposure. Although overall smoking rates have declined, the advent of new products, such as electronic cigarettes, threatens to perpetuate nicotine addiction without clear health benefits. In addition to reviewing traditional and new tobacco products, we discuss the unique role that pediatricians should play in tobacco treatment and control efforts. New policies and technologies can empower pediatric clinicians and pediatric health care sys-tems to help parent smokers quit, and new policies outside of the health care setting might help prevent smoking initiation as well as improve cessation treatments. Future research is needed to continue to study the consequences of tobacco use exposure as well as the best ways to help patients and parents stop tobacco use.
Humans exhibit extensive large-scale cooperation, of a form unprecedented in the natural world. Here I suggest that this cooperation arises in our species alone because of our uniquely potent capacities for social learning, imitation and teaching, combined with the co-evolutionary feedbacks that these capabilities have generated on the human mind. Culture took human populations down evolutionary pathways not available to non-cultural species, either by creating conditions that promoted established cooperative mechanisms, such as indirect reciprocity and mutualism, or by generating novel cooperative mechanisms not seen in other taxa, such as cultural group selection. In the process, gene-culture co-evolution seemingly generated an evolved psychology, comprising an enhanced ability and motivation to learn, teach, communicate through language, imitate and emulate, as well as predispositions to docility, social tolerance, and the sharing of goals, intentions and attention. This evolved psychology is entirely different from that observed in any other animal, or that could have evolved through conventional selection on genes alone.
While attributional style is regarded as a core domain of social cognition, questions persist about the psychometric characteristics of measures used to assess it. One widely used assessment of attributional style is the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ). Two limitations of the AIHQ include (1) a possible restricted range resulting from too few and too homogenous item scenarios, and (2) use of rater scores that are cumbersome and time-consuming to score and have unknown incremental validity. The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the AIHQ while concurrently testing changes aiming to improve the scale, in particular expansion of the number of self-report items and removal of the rater-scored items. One hundred sixty individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 58 healthy controls completed the full AIHQ along with measures of symptoms, functioning, and verbal intelligence. The AIHQ particularly the self-reported blame score demonstrated adequate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and distinguished patients from controls. It also was significantly related to clinically-rated hostility and suspiciousness symptoms, and correlated with functional capacity even after controlling for verbal intelligence. Incremental validity analyses suggested that a higher number of self-report items strengthens relationships to outcomes in a manner that justifies this expansion, while rater-scored items had mixed results in providing additional information beyond self-report in the AIHQ. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Critical onsets for draw resonance instability occurring in two-dimensional (2-D) film casting processes with Newtonian and viscoelastic (Upper-Convected Maxwell and Phan-Thien and Tanner) fluids have been newly determined using a transient frequency response method. Under a constant tension condition, which guarantees always stable operation, the trajectory of a transfer function between the output takeup velocity and input tension in a Nyquist plot has been used as an indicator for finding draw resonance onsets. Various stability windows for Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids have been constructed, confirming that the onsets were well-predicted when compared with transient responses in actual velocity controlled operating systems around the onsets. Interestingly, up-and-down stability patterns along the aspect ratio in the Newtonian cases were found to be closely related to the flow deformation features of the fluid elements within the film width. Dichotomous stability behaviors for extensional-thickening and extensional-thinning fluids were well addressed in the 2-D processes. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose: Besides ventricular parameters, the design and angular orientation of a prosthetic heart valve induce a specific flow field. The aim of this study was to know the inflow characteristics of a left ventricular model (LVM), investigating the behavior of tricuspid bioprosthetic mitral valves in terms of velocity profiles and related valve aperture areas at the beginning of diastole, under different conditions. Methods: 3 heart rates (HRs) were established in the LVM and each mitral bioprosthesis (27 and 31 mm diameter) was installed in 2 orientations, rotated by 180 degrees. For each experimental setup, 2-dimensional particle image velocimetry (2D PIV) measurements and simultaneous mitral valve (MV) area detection were obtained from 50 samples. Results: The results from the velocity profiles immediately downstream of mitral bioprostheses showed the influence of valve orientation for moderate HRs, although for a similar magnitude of mean velocity vectors. The geometries of MV open areas for each HR were similar regardless of valve orientation, except for the 27-mm valve at 90 beats per minute (bpm), and for the 31-mm valve at 60 bpm. Moreover, for each HR, similar percentages of valve open area were obtained regardless of MV nominal diameters. Conclusions: In conclusion, the experimental setup for the 2D PIV measurements synchronized with the MV area detection was a useful tool for knowing the inflow characteristics of the LVM.
Murine models suggest that the microRNAs miR-103 and miR-143 may play central roles in the regulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The microRNA miR-483-3p may reduce adipose tissue expandability and cause ectopic lipid accumulation, insulin resistance and T2D. We aimed to explore the genetic and non-genetic factors that regulate these microRNAs in human SAT, and to investigate their impact on metabolism in humans. Levels of miR-103, miR-143 and miR-483-3p were measured in SAT biopsies from 244 elderly monozygotic and dizygotic twins using real-time PCR. Heritability estimates were calculated and multiple regression analyses were performed to study associations between these microRNAs and measures of metabolism, as well as between these microRNAs and possible regulating factors. We found that increased BMI was associated with increased miR-103 expression levels. In addition, the miR-103 levels were positively associated with 2 h plasma glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c independently of BMI. Heritability estimates for all three microRNAs were low. In conclusion, the expression levels of miR-103, miR-143 and miR-483-3p in adipose tissue are primarily influenced by non-genetic factors, and miR-103 may be involved in the development of adiposity and control of glucose metabolism in humans.
Do social cognition and epistemological understanding promote elementary school children's experimentation skills? To investigate this question, 402 children (ages 8, 9, and 10) in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades were assessed for their experimentation skills, social cognition (advanced theory of mind [AToM]), epistemological understanding (understanding the nature of science), and general information- processing skills (inhibition, intelligence, and language abilities) in a whole- class testing procedure. A multiple indicators multiple causes model revealed a significant influence of social cognition (AToM) on epistemological understanding, and a McNemar test suggested that children's development of AToM is an important precursor for the emergence of an advanced, mature epistemological understanding. Children's epistemological understanding, in turn, predicted their experimentation skills. Importantly, this relation was independent of the common influences of general information processing. Significant relations between experimentation skills and inhibition, and between epistemological understanding, intelligence, and language abilities emerged, suggesting that general information processing contributes to the conceptual development that is involved in scientific thinking. The model of scientific thinking that was tested in this study (social cognition and epistemological understanding promote experimentation skills) fitted the data significantly better than 2 alternative models, which assumed nonspecific, equally strong relations between all constructs under investigation. Our results support the conclusion that social cognition plays a foundational role in the emergence of children's epistemological understanding, which in turn is closely related to the development of experimentation skills. Our findings have significant implications for the teaching of scientific thinking in elementary school and they stress the importance of children's epistemological understanding in scientific- thinking processes.
Identification of potential sites for rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an important step toward maximizing water availability and land productivity in arid semi-arid regions. Characterised as a water scarce country, Egypt has limited fresh water supplies, and is expected to suffer from water stress by the year 2030. Therefore, it is important to develop any means available to supply water and maintain human habitability in a sustainable manner. Practiced or simply indispensable in many countries around the world, rainwater harvesting (RWH) promotes a sustainable and efficient manner of exploiting water resources. In the present study, suitable areas for sustainable stormwater harvesting and storage in Egypt were identified using remote sensing for land cover data - location assessment linked to a decision support system (DSS). The DSS took into consideration a combination of thematic layers such as rainfall surplus, slope, potential runoff coefficient (PRC), land cover/use, and soil texture. Taking into account five thematic layers, the spatial extents of RWH suitability areas were identified by an analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The model generated a RWH map with five categories of suitability: excellent, good, moderate, poor and unsuitable. The spatial distribution of these categories in the area investigated was such that 4.8% (47910 km(2)) and 14% (139739 km(2)) of the study area was classified as excellent or good in terms of RWH, respectively, while 30.1% (300439 km(2)), 47.6% (474116 km(2)) and 3.5% (34935 km(2)) of the area were classified as moderate, unsuitable and poor, respectively. Most of the areas with excellent to good suitability had slopes of between 2% and 8% and were intensively cultivated areas. The major soil type in the excellent suitability areas was loam, while rainfall ranged from 100 to 200 mm yr(-1). The use of a number of RWH sites in the excellent areas is recommended to ensure successful implementation of RWH systems.
This paper presents a proposed new approach for complex control combining several simpler individual fuzzy controllers. This method is particularly useful when the case of study is a multivariable control system. The proposed method has a hierarchical architecture with 2 levels (individual fuzzy systems and a superior control to adjust the global result). The behavior of the proposed method is illustrated with a problem of flight control that requires several individual controllers. In addition a statistical comparison is performed using the t student test, where the proposed control strategy is compared against a simple fuzzy control approach. Finally, an optimization method is also applied to achieve an optimal design of the fuzzy systems. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Reactions to rituximab occur frequently, with up to 77% of patients developing a reaction during initial exposure. The safety of rechallenging patients after a reaction is not clear and standard guidelines are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To better understand clinical decision making surrounding rituximab reactions and subsequent rechallenge. METHODS: We performed a 5-year retrospective review of all rituximab reactions at a large academic outpatient infusion center. Patients' demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, and management of reactions were reviewed. Reaction severity was classified using standard criteria. RESULTS: Between June 2006 and January 2011, 67 patients (mean age, 58 +/- 13 years, 54% men) with at least 1 rituximab reaction were identified. Most reactions occurred during the first exposure to rituximab (63%). Most reactions (n = 59 [88%]) were grade 1 or 2. Fifty-one patients (n = 51 [88%]) were rechallenged with rituximab on the same day as the initial reaction. Most patients with a grade 1 reaction tolerated rechallenge. Conversely, all 4 patients with a grade 3 reaction had a reaction during rechallenge. The outcome of same-day rechallenge after an initial grade 2 reaction was varied; most patients (26 of 31 [84%]) tolerated same-day challenge, but 5 patients had a reaction (all grade 1-2 severity). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with previous data, our observations suggest that patients who experience grade 1 reactions to rituximab can be safely rechallenged the same day. A grade 3 or 4 reaction should prompt referral to an allergy specialist for risk assessment before additional rituximab administration. Further research is needed to understand the optimal management of patients with grade 2 reactions. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
This paper is the result of a research that aim new didactical elements through a guiding module using TIC (Technologies of Information and Communication) for the electrical circuit laboratories of the faculty of Electrical Engineering in the Universidad de la Costa. The research begins identifying the current laboratories strategies in the local, national and international context using a descriptive-quantitative research methodology. This work showed the need to propose a guiding module that help students to develop the own knowledge, even helps to be autonomous to investigate, meditate and criticize the practice, and the role of the teacher is give a support with the proposals module guides in this research. According to the results, it is required a promotion and diffusion of the electrical circuits course using TIC to get the goal of a significant learning, that transform the traditional teaching methodology with this it is noted that using this tools ensure an improvement in the academicals performance.
The hormone oxytocin plays an important role in attachment formation and bonding between humans and domestic dogs. Recent research has led to increased interest in potential applications for intranasal oxytocin to aid with the treatment of psychological disorders in humans. While a few studies have explored the effects of intranasally administered oxytocin on social cognition and social bonding in dogs, alternative applications have not yet been explored for the treatment of behavioural problems in this species. One potentially important application for intranasal oxytocin in dogs could be the treatment of separation anxiety, a common attachment disorder in dogs. Here we provide an overview of what is known about the role of oxytocin in the human-dog bond and canine separation anxiety, and discuss considerations for future research looking to integrate oxytocin into behavioural treatment based on recent findings from both the human and dog literature.
The recent mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks had unprecedented effects on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) in western North America. We used data from 165 forest inventory plots to analyze stand conditions that regulate lodgepole pine mortality across a wide range of stand structure and species composition at the Fraser Experimental Forest in Colorado, USA. Forest inventory data were then combined with Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) imagery and boosted regression trees modeling to map outbreak severity (proportion of basal area killed). The outbreak severity map was evaluated with training (pseudo-R-2 = 0.63, RMSE = 0.13) and independent test plots (pseudo-R-2 = 0.42, RMSE = 0.27). This map was used to compare pine mortality in regenerating clearcuts and mature stands, which would have been problematic otherwise since regenerating clearcuts were underrepresented in the forest inventory data. Mortality spanned from 0 to 99% of stand basal area, proportional to the abundance of pine in surveyed stands. During the outbreak, mortality was highest for larger-diameter trees; however, contrary to earlier outbreaks, beetles also attacked younger stands. Pine mortality was lower in stands regenerating from clearcut harvests conducted between 1954 and 1985 than in mature stands and was more closely related to topographic factors than stand age or clearcut size; mortality was highest on southerly aspects and lower elevation sites, favorable to lodgepole pine. The best predictors for mapping outbreak severity were the change in the Normalized Difference Moisture Index between pre- and end-of-outbreak imagery and the end-of-outbreak ETM+ band 5. A better understanding of mortality patterns relative to forest management can inform management planning and assessment of the influence of bark beetle outbreaks on ecosystem processes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The dihydrochalcone phlorizin is a natural product and dietary constituent found in a number of fruit trees. It has been used as a pharmaceutical and tool for physiology research for over 150 years. Phlorizin's principal pharmacological action is to produce renal glycosuria and block intestinal glucose absorption through inhibition of the sodium-glucose syrnponers located in the proximal renal tubule and mucosa of the small intestine. This review covers the role phlorizin has played in the history of diabetes mellitus and its use as an agent to understand fundamental concepts in renal physiology as well as summarizes the physioiogy of cellular glucose transport and the pathophysiology of renal glycosuria. It reviews the biology and pathobiology of glucose transporters and discusses the medical botany of phlorizin and the potential effects of plant flavonoids. such as phlorizin, on human metabolism. Lastly. it describes the clinical pharmacology and toxicology of phlorizin. including investigational uses of phlorizin and phlorizin analogs in the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and stress hyperglycemia. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.
Background. False positive test results in children who are tested for food allergies may lead to inappropriate dietary restrictions. Objective. The aim of this study was to report our experience with a 3 year-old boy, who presented with multiple food allergies and, however, passed the food challenges, and to review our experience regarding management of children with high specific food IgEs with high total IgE. Methods. Medical records of 16 children with food challenges were reviewed. Median age of subjects was 39 months, with a history of adverse clinical reaction to a food, a specific IgE greater than the decision point, and an elevated total serum IgE level of 500 IU, underwent challenges to the offending food. Results. 13 out of 16 subjects were successfully re-exposed to the suspected foods and continued to tolerate these foods well. Conclusion. Our finding suggests a much lower clinical risk with previously defined specific IgE decision points in children with very high levels of total IgE (>6000 IU/ml).
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a major public health problem affecting more than a billion people worldwide with complications, including stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. The regulation of blood pressure is multifactorial reflecting genetic susceptibility, in utero environment and external factors such as obesity and salt intake. In keeping with Arthur Guyton's hypothesis, the kidney plays a key role in blood pressure control and data from clinical studies; physiology and genetics have shown that hypertension is driven a failure of the kidney to excrete excess salt at normal levels of blood pressure. There is a number of rare Mendelian blood pressure syndromes, which have shed light on the molecular mechanisms involved in dysregulated ion transport in the distal kidney. One in particular is Familial hyperkalemic hypertension (FHHt), an autosomal dominant monogenic form of hypertension characterised by high blood pressure, hyperkalemia, hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, and hypercalciuria. The clinical signs of FHHt are treated by low doses of thiazide diuretic, and it mirrors Gitelman syndrome which features the inverse phenotype of hypotension, hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, and hypocalciuria. Gitelman syndrome is caused by loss of function mutations in the thiazide-sensitive Na/Cl cotransporter (NCC); however, FHHt patients do not have mutations in the SCL12A3 locus encoding NCC. Instead, mutations have been identified in genes that have revealed a key signalling pathway that regulates NCC and several other key transporters and ion channels in the kidney that are critical for BP regulation. This is the WNK kinase signalling pathway that is the subject of this review.
Solutions are presented for both laminar developing flow in a curved pipe with a parabolic inlet velocity and laminar transitional flow downstream of a curved pipe into a straight outlet. Scalings and linearized analyses about appropriate base states are used to show that both cases obey the same governing equations and boundary conditions. In particular, the governing equations in the two cases are linearized about fully developed Poiseuille flow in cylindrical coordinates and about Dean's velocity profile for curved pipe flow in toroidal coordinates respectively. Subsequently, we identify appropriate scalings of the axial coordinate and disturbance velocities that eliminate dependence on the Reynolds number Re and dimensionless pipe curvature alpha from the governing equations and boundary conditions in the limit of small alpha and large Re. Direct numerical simulations confirm the scaling arguments and theoretical solutions for a range of Re and alpha. Maximum values of the axial velocity, secondary velocity and pressure perturbations are determined along the curved pipe section. Results collapse when the scalings are applied, and the theoretical solutions are shown to be valid up to Dean numbers of D = Re-2 alpha = O(100). The developing flows are shown numerically and analytically to contain spatial oscillations. The numerically determined decay of the velocity perturbations is also used to determine entrance/development lengths for both flows, which are shown to scale linearly with the Reynolds number, but with a prefactor similar to 60% larger than the textbook case of developing flow in a straight pipe.
We present a case of sarcoma occurring at a site of resected oligodendroglioma without preceding radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Oligosarcoma occurring at sites of resected oligodendroglioma or anaplastic oligodendroglioma with sarcomatous components are rare. Although meningioma or sarcoma-like lesions are sometimes reported after glioma-targeted radiotherapy, those without preceding radiotherapy are quite rare. Moreover, cases of sarcoma without oligodendroglial components occurring at a site of resected oligodendroglioma have never been reported. In this case, fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis revealed 1p/19q co-deletion in both the first tumor and second tumors. Additionally, immunohistochemistry revealed mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 in both tumors. Taken together, these findings suggest a monoclonal tumor origin. Consequently, this case may indicate a new mechanism of development of sarcomatous lesions occurring at the site of a resected glioma.
The areas of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and Intelligent Systems (IS) are in full development, but there are still some issues to be resolved. One issue is the myriad of user oriented solutions that are rarely built to interact or integrate with other systems available in the market. In this paper we present the AAL4ALL project and the UserAccess implementation, showing a novel approach towards virtual organizations, interoperability and certification. The aim of this project is to provide a collaborative network of services and devices that connect every user and product from other developers, building a heterogeneous ecosystem. Thus establishing an environment for collaborative care systems, which may be available to the users in from of safety services, comfort services and healthcare services.
MANET (Mobile ad hoc network) is wireless network, it has a group of nodes which are communicating without any infrastructure. The security of MANET has been a desirable researching point. One of the well known threats in MANET is the black hole threat. Many approaches have been featured to bypass this kind of threats. However, these solutions do not prevent or avoid the threat totally, and in different degrees they affect the performance of MANET negatively. This paper will implement a new approach named the Local Intrusion Detection by Bluff Probe Packet (LIDBPP) which was proposed in order to solve the black hole problem. The bluff Packet which contains virtual destination address has been created to trick the black hole. This new approach adopts a novel strategy for the detection of multiple black hole attacks with a minimum negative effect on the performance of the network. The algorithm has been simulated using NS2 simulator to examine the ability of the proposed LIDBPP approach to block the black hole attack, the simulation is also used to measure how much this approach may influence the network performance. The simulation results show that LIDBPP prevents the collaborative black hole attacks with less negative impact on the performance of MANET, so that it was very close to the performance of MANET without assumed black holes, and the simulation also is done to compare the performance of MANET in case of LIDBPP and in case of MAODV (Detection using negotiation with neighbors), the simulation proves that the performance of the network is slightly better with existence of LIDBPP.
The phenotype of cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) syndrome includes Rett syndrome variant with early onset seizures, early onset epileptic encephalopathy; and severe developmental delay. Autistic features have often been reported in literature, but detailed reports of the behavior of these individuals are lacking. We describe the clinical picture of a girl aged 15 years 9 months affected by CDKL5 syndrome, with special attention to the neurobehavioral phenotype. The evaluation showed, apart from a profound intellectual disability, the presence of atypical features of behavior, mainly in relating to people, in imitation, and in verbal and nonverbal communication, thus justifying the diagnosis of comorbid autism spectrum disorder. A formal assessment of the behavior, through appropriate tools, is necessary to choose the most appropriate rehabilitative intervention and to characterize in more detail the CDKL5 syndrome phenotype. We propose a testing protocol for the neurobehavioral assessment of these patients.
Plants may change their ecophysiological traits to adapt to new environments, but the responses strongly depend on species and environmental conditions. Magnoliaceae species are of great scientific importance but are extremely endangered, therefore, it is crucial to study their ecophysiological adaptations for ex situ conservation. Here, we chose four common Magnoliaceae species growing in two botanical gardens located in south and north subtropical monsoon regions, and measured hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in both wet and dry seasons. We found that plants growing in north region showed significant lower leaf water potential at predawn and midday than those in south region, indicating that species suffered more severe drought stress in north region. As a result, species in north region had lower stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rates, as well as smaller stomatal pore index. In addition, significantly lower stem hydraulic conductivity of the two deciduous species in north region were observed compared with species in south region, while the two evergreen species at both regions showed similar values of stem hydraulic conductivity. Non-significant differences in leaf turgor loss points, leaf conductance, specific leaf area, and wood density were found when comparing species from the north and south regions. Our results suggested that the adjustment of plant hydraulics to local climatic conditions of Magnoliaceae species occurs primarily through changes in stomatal morphology and function, whereas the contribution of intraspecific variation in leaf hydraulic traits appears to be limited.
By exchanging information directly between non-adjacent protocol layers, cross-layer (CL) interaction can significantly improve and optimize network performances such as energy efficiency and delay. This is particularly important for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) where sensor devices are energy-constrained and deployed for real-time monitoring applications. Existing CL schemes mainly exploit information exchange between physical, medium access control (MAC), and routing layers, with only a handful involving application layer. For the first time, we proposed a framework for CL optimization based on user context of ambient intelligence (AmI) application and an ontology-based context modeling and reasoning mechanism. We applied the proposed framework to jointly optimize MAC and network (NET) layer protocols for WSNs. Extensive evaluations show that the resulting optimization through context awareness and CL interaction for both MAC and NET layer protocols can yield substantial improvements in terms of throughput, packet delivery, delay, and energy performances.
The MHD homogeneous-heterogeneous reaction in a nanofluid flow due to a permeable shrinking surface is studied. The bvp4c program in MATLAB is used to obtain the numerical solutions for several values of parameters such as suction parameter, magnetic parameter, nanoparticle volume fraction, heterogeneous reaction and homogeneous reaction rates. The results show that dual solutions exist and the magnetic parameter and the nanoparticle volume fraction widen the range of the solution domain. Suction parameter, magnetic parameter and nanoparticle volume fraction cause the skin friction coefficient to increase and the velocity to decrease. The concentration increases as the nanoparticle volume fraction increases but decrease as the homogeneous reaction rate and heterogeneous reaction rate increase.
Enhanced pond systems (EPS) are an effective and economic upgrade option for conventional wastewater treatment ponds providing improved natural disinfection and nutrient removal. Moreover, wastewater nutrients are recovered as harvested algal biomass for beneficial use as fertiliser, feed or biofuel feedstock. Low-cost construction and operation are crucial factors for the adoption of EPS. This paper presents novel and economic design, construction and operation methods for an earthen hectare-scale EPS treating domestic wastewater at the Cambridge Wastewater Treatment Plant, New Zealand. The system consisted of: the existing Anaerobic Pond to settle and anaerobically digest wastewater solids that was retrofitted with a cover to capture the biogas, two 1-hectare HRAPs to aerobically treat and remove nutrients from the anaerobic pond effluent through the production of algal biomass, algal harvest ponds to settle and concentrate the algal biomass which was then pumped into a covered digester pond to recover energy as biogas and nutrients as a concentrated digestate. Further effluent polishing was provided by maturation ponds and rock filters to achieve higher quality effluent. All of the ponds were of earthen construction and were made within existing or disused conventional wastewater treatment ponds. Cost-effective earthen pond construction combined with the use of protective geotextile and geomembrane liners, geomembrane covers, painted steel paddlewheels and precast concrete carbonation sumps enable economic implementation of EPS for energy-efficient and effective wastewater treatment as well as nutrient recovery and energy production for the local community.
The impact of presidential debates on candidate evaluations remains an open topic. Research has long sought to identify the factors that matter most in citizens' responses to debate content, including what candidates say, how they say it, and the manner in which they appear. This study uses detailed codings of the first and third 2012 presidential debates to evaluate the impact of candidates' verbal and nonverbal behaviors on viewers' second screen responsetheir use of computers, tablets, and mobile devices to express their reactions to the viewing experience. To examine the relationship between candidates' on-screen behaviors and the social media response, we conduct generalized least squares regression (Prais-Winstein estimation) relating two data sources: (a) a shot-by-shot content analysis coded for rhetorical/functional, tonal, and visual elements of both candidates' behavior during the debates, and (b) corresponding real-time measures of the volume and valence of online expression about the candidates on Twitter. We find that the nonverbal communication behaviors of candidatestheir facial expressions, physical gestures, and blink rateare consistent, robust, and significant predictors of the volume and valence of public expression during debates, rivaling the power of memes generated by candidates and contributing more than rhetorical strategies and speech tone.
Objective: The best material choice for cranioplasty following craniectomy remains a subject to discussion. Complication rates after cranioplasty tend to be high. Computer-assisted 3-dimensional modelling of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) was recently introduced for cranial reconstruction. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient- and surgery-related characteristics and risk factors that predispose patients to cranioplasty complications. Material and methods: This retrospective study included a total of 40 cranial PEEK implants in 38 patients, performed at two reference centers in the Netherlands from 2011 to 2014. Complications were registered and patient- and surgery-related data were carefully analysed. Results: The overall complication rate of PEEK cranioplasty was 28%. Complications included infection (13 %), postoperative haematoma (10 %), cerebrospinal fluid leak (2.5 %) and wound-related problems (2.5 %). All postoperative infections required removal of the implant. Nonetheless removed implants could be successfully re-used after re-sterilization. Conclusion: Although overall complication rates after PEEK cranioplasty remain high, outcomes are satisfactory, as our results compare favourably to recent literature reports on cranial vault reconstruction. (C) 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The positive fractional linear systems and electrical circuits are addressed. New classes of fractional asymptotically stable and unstable electrical circuits are introduced. The Caputo and Riemann-Liouville definitions of fractional derivatives are used to analysis of the positive electrical circuits composed of resistors, capacitors, coils and voltage ( current) sources. The positive fractional electrical and specially unstable different types electrical circuits are analyzed. Some open problems are formulated.
Forecasting the output power of solar systems is required for the good operation of the power grid or for the optimal management of the energy fluxes occurring into the solar system. Before forecasting the solar systems output, it is essential to focus the prediction on the solar irradiance. The global solar radiation forecasting can be performed by several methods; the two big categories are the cloud imagery combined with physical models, and the machine learning models. In this context, the objective of this paper is to give an overview of forecasting methods of solar irradiation using machine learning approaches. Although, a lot of papers describes methodologies like neural networks or support vector regression, it will be shown that other methods (regression tree, random forest, gradient boosting and many others) begin to be used in this context of prediction. The performance ranking of such methods is complicated due to the diversity of the data set, time step, forecasting horizon, set up and performance indicators. Overall, the error of prediction is quite equivalent. To improve the prediction performance some authors proposed the use of hybrid models or to use an ensemble forecast approach. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, second-order sliding-mode (SOSM) control approach is applied to synchronous buck dc-dc converters. The proposed SOSM controller can stabilize synchronous buck dc-dc converters using a simple digital state-machine structure, without requiring current sensing or an integral term in the control loop. The SOSM controller results in fast step-load and start-up transient responses, and is robust against parameter uncertainties. Fast transients and current limitation during start up can be accomplished by adjusting one controller parameter. Furthermore, a hysteresis method is introduced to control the switching frequency. The proposed approach is verified by experimental results on a 1.25-V 10-A prototype.
Introduction: Both reactive arthritis (ReA) and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) belong to the group of autoinflammatory diseases called spondyloarthritis (SpA). Hypotheses have been proposed about a relationship between the intestinal mucosa and inflammation of joint tissues. The role of immunoglobulin IgA or secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in the inflammatory and/or clinical activity of patients with SpA remains poorly understood. Objective: To evaluate the status of total IgA and SIgA, and the association among the levels of SIgA, IgA, IgA anti-Chlamydia trachornatis, and anti-Shigella spp. with the disease activity measures, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, was compared in a cohort of patients with ReA and uSpA and healthy subjects. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The serum concentrations of SIgA, IgA anti-C. trachornatis, anti-Shigella spp., and total IgA were measured. Disease activity was measured in each patient by means of Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS). Statistical analysis did include as bivariate evaluation, comparisons by Student's t-test, KruskalWallis test, and U Mann-Whitney test, with a multivariate evaluation by principal components analysis (PCA). A correlation analysis was carried out using the Pearson correlation coefficient and a linear regression models. All analysis were made using Stata version 11.2 (R) for Windows, R V3.3.21. Statistical significance was defined a p-value <0.05. Results: In all, 46 patients (78.2% men; mean age, 34.8 +/- 12.3 years) and 53 controls (41% men; mean age, 32 +/- 11.4 years) were included in the study. The mean serum levels of SIgA were higher in SpA patients than in healthy subjects (p < 0.001). Only SIgA levels correlated with disease activity: BASDAI (r = -0.42, p = 0.0046), ASDAS-CRP (r = -0.37, p = 0.014), and ASDAS-ESR (r = -0.45, p = 0.0021). The negative correlation between SIgA and all activity indices was higher in HLA-B27-positive patients (BASDAI r = -0.70, p = 0.0009, ASDAS-CRP r = -0.58, p = 0.0093, and ASDAS-ESR r =-0.57, p = 0.0083). The PCA showed three factors: the first component was constituted by variables referred as clinical activity measures, the second did include the serological activity markers, and the last component was compounded by age and symptoms time. Conclusion: Elevated serum levels of SIgA were found to be related with low disease activity in patients with ReA and uSpA.
In recent years smart mobile devices have bolstered new interaction scenarios that require more sophisticated human-machine interfaces. The leading developers of operating systems for these devices now provide APIs (Application Programming Interface) for developers to implement their own applications, including different solutions for developing graphical interfaces, control sensors and providing oral interaction. Despite the usefulness of these resources, defined strategies are still needed for developing multimodal interfaces to take greater advantage of these devices for identifying and meeting the needs of users. Currently, these applications are typically ad-hoc and facilitate oral communication only through simple commands. In this paper we propose the practical application of context-sensitive multimodal conversational agents to provide advanced library services that dynamically consider specific user needs and preferences, as well as the specific characteristics of the environment in which the interaction occurs. Such agents would improve and customize the service provided by a mobile device with Internet access. Our proposal integrates features of Android APIs on a modular architecture emphasizing the management of interactions and context awareness in order to create robust applications that can be easily updated and adapted to the user.
In this paper, training mode of professional master of aeronautics and astronautics manufacturing engineering in our relatively advanced domestic colleges (HIT) was researched. The position and objective, curriculum system, practical ability and education methods of aeronautics and astronautics manufacturing engineering degree oriented to aerospace was further clarified. Better basis for the master degree training of aeronautics and astronautics manufacturing engineering was provided for our county's aerospace industry.
Introduction: Communication improves well-being and quality of life for both people with dementia and their professional and family caregivers. Individualized communication, as required in informed consent procedures and psychosocial interventions, can improve quality of life, especially in ambulatory settings. However, few valid and reliable instruments exist that enable communication to be assessed and communication and behavioral resources to be identified. We, therefore, extended and adapted the newly developed observational instrument CODEM for use in ambulatory settings (CODEMamb).Methods and results: Reliability and validity of the new instrument were studied in a total of 171 patients, whereby principal component analysis revealed three important factors: relationship aspects, verbal communication behavior and nonverbal communication behavior. CODEM(amb)s internal consistency, interrater and retest reliability were satisfactory to excellent. Convergent validity indices, as shown by examining correlations with similar but not identical constructs (CERAD-NP verbal subscales), were medium-high, while the divergent validity index (constructional praxis) was relatively low. The relationship to peer-rating remained nonsignificant. Criterion validity was investigated in groups of patients in accordance with their cognitive status. As expected, verbal communication abilities deteriorate faster than the relationship aspects of communication as the disease progresses.Conclusions: In summary, CODEMamb is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to collect important information with the ultimate aim of supporting communication with people with dementia.
The sudden emergence and worldwide adoption of CRISPR gene-editing technology confronts humanity with unprecedented opportunities and choices. CRISPR's transformative impact on our future understanding of biology, along with its potential to unleash control over the most fundamental of biological processes, is predictable by already achieved applications. Although its origin, composition, and function were revealed only recently, close to 3000 CRISPR-based publications have appeared including insightful and diversely focused reviews referenced here. Adding further to scientific and public awareness, a recent symposium addressed the ethical implications of interfacing CRISPR technology and human biology. However, the magnitude of CRISPR's rapidly emerging power mandates its broadest assessment. Only with the participation of a diverse and informed community can the most effective and humanity-positive CRISPR applications be defined. This brief review is aimed at those with little previous exposure to theCRISPR revolution. The molecules that constitute CRISPR's core components and their functional organization are described along with howthe mechanism has been harnessedto edit genome structure and modulate gene function. Additionally, a glimpse into CRISPR's potential to unleash genetic changes with far-reaching consequences is presented.
This work suggests a method for systematically constructing a software-level environment model for safety checking automotive operating systems by introducing a constraint specification language, OSEK_CSL. OSEK_CSL is designed to specify the usage constraints of automotive operating systems using a pre-defined set of constraint types identified from the international standard OSEK/VDX. Each constraint specified in OSEK_CSL is interpreted as either a regular language or a context-free language that can be checked by a finite automaton or a pushdown automaton. The set of usage constraints is used to systematically classify the universal usage model of OSEK-/VDX-based operating systems and to generate test sequences with varying degrees of constraint satisfaction using LTL model checking. With pre-defined constraint patterns and the full support of automation, test engineers can choose the degree of constraint satisfaction and generate test cases using combinatorial intersections of selected constraints that cover all corner cases classified by constraints. A series of experiments on an open-source automotive operating system show that our approach finds safety issues more effectively than conventional specification-based testing, scenario-based testing, and conformance testing.
In safety-critical applications, five-phase fault-tolerant permanent machines are attracting more and more attentions. In this paper, the synthesis of magnetomotive force (MMF) produced by the windings in five-phase machine is analyzed firstly. A method to eliminate the mutual-inductance in fault-tolerant machines is proposed and an approach of the pole-slot combination selection of the five-phase fault-tolerant machine with low-mutual inductance is given. Then a five-phase fault-tolerant in-wheel permanent machine is designed according to the requirements of the electric vehicle application. The basic dimensions of the machine are derived from the analytic machine design method. Finally, the finite-element model of the designed machine is built, and a method of machine parameter optimization is proposed with the help of the finite-element model. The waveform of the no-load back EMF, output torque and the fault-tolerant capacity have been taken into account in the optimization, which improves the performance of the machine.
The lack of hands-on experiences in specific manufacturing processes has been identified as one of the major competency gaps in manufacturing engineering education. Partly in response to this, funding agencies like SME Education Foundation (SMEEF) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have supported efforts to address this issue. This paper describes the Manufacturing Integrated Learning Lab (MILL), which is an outcome of these efforts. MILL is an NSF funded multi-institutional project, whose focus is the development of a hands-on approach to manufacturing education. This offers students skills that directly prepare them for careers in manufacturing, design and product realization. Four knowledge areas with corresponding detailed learning outcomes were identified for study namely: (1) drafting/design, (2) manufacturing process, (3) process engineering, and (4) CAD/CAM. Based on these, a core curriculum shared between the partner institutions was developed. This encapsulates the MILL manufacturing competency model. Assessment instruments to measure student learning were also developed. Sample test items were developed for all competencies in a series of internal meetings held among MILL Project staff. The preliminary results from a field test indicate high levels of student achievement under the MILL paradigm, and excellent structure of the assessment instruments.
The current article deals with the preparation and characterisation of new organoruthenium(II) complexes, namely [RuCp(Dea-Sal-tsc)(PPh3)] (1), [RuCp(Dea-Sal-mtsc)(PPh3)] (2),[RuCp(Dea-Sal-tsc)(PPh3)] (3) and [RuCp(Dea-Sal-ptsc)(PPh3)] (4). The new ruthenium(II) complexes were characterized by various analytical, spectral techniques. The structure of the ligand [H-2-Dea-Sal-tsc] and the complex [RuCp(Dea-Sal-tsc)(PPh3)] (1) were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The complexes (1e4) were used to study the toxicity, stress resistance, aging and neuro-protective effects by taking Caenorhabditis elegans as model. In vitro free radical scavenging activity was performed by DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the complexes (1e4) exhibited highest scavenging activity than standard Vitamin C (IC50 = 5.28 +/- 0.10). The lifespan has increased over 22.4% in mev-1 mutant worms treated with complex 4. The complex 4 triggered the DAF-16 nuclear localization, increases sod-3 expression and reduced amyloid (A beta) protein induced paralysis were observed. In the present study we confirmed that oxidative stress resistance of N2 and lifespan extension of mev-1 mutant which showed the potential ROS scavenging activity of complex 4. The results also confirmed the effective anti-aging potential of ruthenium complex 4 which may be developed as a therapeutic drug for the prevention of aging and age related neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies are required to find out the exact action of complex 4 on higher model. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objectives: To determine (1) alexithymia, affect recognition, and empathy differences in participants with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI); (2) the amount of affect recognition variance explained by alexithymia; and (3) the amount of empathy variance explained by alexithymia and affect recognition. Participants: Sixty adults with moderate-to-severe TBI; 60 age and gender-matched controls. Procedures: Participants were evaluated for alexithymia (difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally-oriented thinking); facial and vocal affect recognition; and affective and cognitive empathy (empathic concern and perspective-taking, respectively). Results: Participants with TBI had significantly higher alexithymia; poorer facial and vocal affect recognition; and lower empathy scores. For TBI participants, facial and vocal affect recognition variances were significantly explained by alexithymia (12% and 8%, respectively); however, the majority of the variances were accounted for by externally-oriented thinking alone. Affect recognition and alexithymia significantly accounted for 16.5% of cognitive empathy. Again, the majority of the variance was primarily explained by externally-oriented thinking. Affect recognition and alexithymia did not explain affective empathy. Conclusions: Results suggest that people who have a tendency to avoid thinking about emotions (externally-oriented thinking) are more likely to have problems recognizing others' emotions and assuming others' points of view. Clinical implications are discussed.
The topic of this article is the development of an open-source automated design framework for synthetic biology, specifically for the design of artificial gene regulatory networks based on a digital approach. In opposition to other tools, GeNeDA is an open-source online software based on existing tools used in microelectronics that have proven their efficiency over the last 30 years. The complete framework is composed of a computation core directly adapted from an Electronic Design Automation tool, input and output interfaces, a library of elementary parts that can be achieved with gene regulatory networks, and an interface with an electrical circuit simulator. Each of these modules is an extension of microelectronics tools and concepts: ODIN II, ABC, the Verilog language, SPICE simulator, and SystemC-AMS. GeNeDA is first validated on a benchmark of several combinatorial circuits. The results highlight the importance of the part library. Then, this framework is used for the design of a sequential circuit including a biological state machine.
An advanced system analysis tool is being developed for advanced reactor safety analysis. This paper describes the underlying physics and numerical models used in the code, including the governing equations, the stabilization schemes, the high-order spatial and temporal discretization schemes, and the Jacobian Free Newton Krylov solution method. The effects of the spatial and temporal discretization schemes are investigated. Additionally, a series of verification test problems are presented to confirm the high-order schemes. It is demonstrated that the developed system thermal-hydraulics model can be strictly verified with the theoretical convergence rates, and that it performs very well for a wide range of flow problems with high accuracy, efficiency, and minimal numerical diffusions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Field inversion in dominates the cost of modern software implementations of certain elliptic curve cryptographic operations, such as point encoding/hashing into elliptic curves (Brown et al. in: Submission to NIST, 2008; Brown in: IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive 2008:12, 2008; Aranha et al. in: Cryptology ePrint Archive, Report 2014/486, 2014) Itoh-Tsujii inversion using a polynomial basis and precomputed table-based multi-squaring has been demonstrated to be highly effective for software implementations (Taverne et al. in: CHES 2011, 2011; Oliveira et al. in: J Cryptogr Eng 4(1):3-17, 2014; Aranha et al. in: Cryptology ePrint Archive, Report 2014/486, 2014), but the performance and memory use depend critically on the choice of addition chain and multi-squaring tables, which in prior work have been determined only by suboptimal ad-hoc methods and manual selection. We thoroughly investigated the performance/memory tradeoff for table-based linear transforms used for efficient multi-squaring. Based upon the results of that investigation, we devised a comprehensive cost model for Itoh-Tsujii inversion and a corresponding optimization procedure that is empirically fast and provably finds globally-optimal solutions. We tested this method on eight binary fields commonly used for elliptic curve cryptography; our method found lower-cost solutions than the ad-hoc methods used previously, and for the first time enables a principled exploration of the time/memory tradeoff of inversion implementations.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has been essential for the establishment of human settlements in many dry regions of the world that lacked suitable surface or groundwater resources. A vast fraction of the South American Dry Chaco ecoregion still relies on RWH to support, not only livestock production, but domestic and industrial uses as well. As a result, water capture and storage infrastructure is widely disseminated throughout the region. In this paper we characterized the most typical RWH systems in two contrastingly developed sub-regions of Dry Chaco, ranging from extensive ranching to intensive beef and dairy production (central Argentina and western Paraguay, respectively). In each sub-region, we quantified RWH systems density, spatial distribution and associations with landscape features; furthermore, we illustrated how the daily dynamic of water stock in a typical RWH system contributes to assess their capture and storage efficiency. We found that randomly distributed low sophisticated RWH systems prevailed in central Argentina, while clustered distributed high sophisticated ones were more common in western Paraguay. RWH systems density was ten times higher in western Paraguay (0.94 vs. 0.098 units/km(2)), showing an exponential association with land cleared fraction and proximity to villages. The daily dynamic of water stock of the RWH impoundment showed that water harvest events were exponentially associated with precipitation magnitude events (R-2 = 0.86), while annual water losses were explained by infiltration and evaporation fluxes (59 vs. 41%, respectively). Across both sub-regions, RWH accounts for less than 1% of the annual precipitation, playing a minor role on the regional water balance; however at a local level, they can affect several hydrological fluxes including the onset of groundwater recharge and the mitigation of extreme runoff events. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Previous studies have suggested that real-time person perception relies on continuous competition, in which partially active categories smoothly compete over time. Here, two studies demonstrated the involvement of a different kind of competition. In Study 1, before participants selected the correct sex category for morphed faces, their mouse trajectories often exhibited a continuous attraction toward the incorrect category that increased with sex-category ambiguity, indicating continuous competition. On other trials, however, trajectories initially pursued the incorrect category and then abruptly redirected toward the correct category, suggesting early incorrect category activation that was rapidly reversed later in processing. These abrupt category reversals also increased with ambiguity. In Study 2, participants were presented with faces containing a sex-typical or sex-atypical hair cue, in a context in which the norm was either sex-typical targets (normative context) or sex-atypical targets (counternormative context). Sex-atypical targets induced greater competition in the normative context, but sex-typical targets induced greater competition in the counternormative context. Together, these results demonstrate that categorizing others involves both smooth competition and abrupt category shifts, and that these flexibly adapt to the social context.
Genetic heterogeneity is recognized as a major contributing factor of glioblastoma resistance to clinical treatment modalities and consequently low overall survival rates. This genetic diversity results in variations in protein expression, both intratumorally and between individual glioblastoma patients. In this regard, the spectraplakin protein, microtubule actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1), was examined in glioblastoma. An expression analysis of MACF1 in various types of brain tumor tissue revealed that MACF1 was predominately present in grade III-IV astroctyomas and grade IV glioblastoma, but not in normal brain tissue, normal human astrocytes and lower grade brain tumors. Subsequent genetic inhibition experiments showed that suppression of MACF1 selectively inhibited glioblastoma cell proliferation and migration in cell lines established from patient derived xenograft mouse models and immortalized glioblastoma cell lines that were associated with downregulation of the Wnt-signaling mediators, Axinl and beta-catenin. Additionally, concomitant MACF1 silencing with the chemotherapeutic agent temozolomide (TMZ) used for the clinical treatment of glioblastomas cooperatively reduced the proliferative capacity of glioblastoma cells. In conclusion, the present study represents the first investigation on the functional role of MACF1 in tumor cell biology, as well as demonstrates its potential as a unique biomarker that can be targeted synergistically with TMZ as part of a combinatorial therapeutic approach for the treatment of genetically multifarious glioblastomas.
This paper proposes a novel unsupervised damage detection approach based on a memetic algorithm that establishes the normal or undamaged condition of a structural system as data clusters through a global expectation-maximization technique, using only damage-sensitive features extracted from output-only vibration measurements. The health state is then discriminated by considering the Mahalanobis squared distance between the learned clusters and a new observation. The proposed approach is compared with state-of-the-art ones by taking into account real-world data sets from the Z-24 Bridge (Switzerland), where several damage scenarios were performed. The results indicated that the proposed approach can be applied in structural health monitoring applications where life safety, economic, and reliability issues are the most important motivations to consider.
A load estimation algorithm based on k-means cluster analysis was developed. The algorithm applies cluster centres - of previously clustered load profiles - and distance functions to estimate missing and future measurements. Canberra, Manhattan, Euclidean, and Pearson correlation distances were investigated. Several case studies were implemented using daily and segmented load profiles of aggregated smart meters. Segmented profiles cover a time window that is less than or equal to 24 h. Simulation results show that Canberra distance outperforms the other distance functions. Results also show that the segmented cluster centres produce more accurate load estimates than daily cluster centres. Higher accuracy estimates were obtained with cluster centres in the range of 16-24 h. The developed load 'estimation algorithm can be integrated with state estimation or other network operational tools to enable better monitoring and control of distribution networks. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this contribution we develop and describe a new, adaptive, pulsed-laser welding method for thin electrical laminations. By using a reflective laser sensor and a custom-made control unit with the appropriate software the system triggers the laser pulse only at the contacts between the laminations. In this way the total laser pulse energy and, consequently, the specific power losses of the electromotor, where the stack is used, are significantly reduced. This new method has great potential in the serial production of electromotors.
Areas within an agricultural field in the same season often differ in crop productivity despite having the same cropping history, crop genotype, and management practices. One hypothesis is that abiotic or biotic factors in the soils differ between areas resulting in these productivity differences. In this study, bulk soil samples collected from a high and a low productivity area from within six agronomic fields in Illinois were quantified for abiotic and biotic characteristics. Extracted DNA from these bulk soil samples were shotgun sequenced. While logistic regression analyses resulted in no significant association between crop productivity and the 26 soil characteristics, principal coordinate analysis and constrained correspondence analysis showed crop productivity explained a major proportion of the taxa variance in the bulk soil microbiome. Metagenome-wide association studies (MWAS) identified more Bradyrhizodium and Gammaproteobacteria in higher productivity areas and more actinobacteria, ascomycota, planctomycetales, and Streptophyta in lower productivity areas. Machine learning using a random forest method successfully predicted productivity based on the microbiome composition with the best accuracy of 0.79 at the order level. Our study showed that crop productivity differences were associated with bulk soil microbiome composition and highlighted several nitrogen utility-related taxa. We demonstrated the merit of MWAS and machine learning for the first time in a plant-microbiome study.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate transfer learning with deep convolutional neural networks for the classification of abdominal ultrasound images. Grayscale images from 185 consecutive clinical abdominal ultrasound studies were categorized into 11 categories based on the text annotation specified by the technologist for the image. Cropped images were rescaled to 256 x 256 resolution and randomized, with 4094 images from 136 studies constituting the training set, and 1423 images from 49 studies constituting the test set. The fully connected layers of two convolutional neural networks based on CaffeNet and VGGNet, previously trained on the 2012 Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge data set, were retrained on the training set. Weights in the convolutional layers of each network were frozen to serve as fixed feature extractors. Accuracy on the test set was evaluated for each network. A radiologist experienced in abdominal ultrasound also independently classified the images in the test set into the same 11 categories. The CaffeNet network classified 77.3% of the test set images accurately (1100/1423 images), with a top-2 accuracy of 90.4% (1287/1423 images). The larger VGGNet network classified 77.9% of the test set accurately (1109/1423 images), with a top-2 accuracy of VGGNet was 89.7% (1276/1423 images). The radiologist classified 71.7% of the test set images correctly (1020/1423 images). The differences in classification accuracies between both neural networks and the radiologist were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The results demonstrate that transfer learning with convolutional neural networks may be used to construct effective classifiers for abdominal ultrasound images.
Hydrological investigation and behavior of watershed depend upon geo-morphometric characteristics of catchment. Morphometric analysis is commonly used for development of regional hydrological model of ungauged watershed. A critical valuation and assessment of geomorphometric constraints has been carried out. Prioritization of watersheds based on water plot capacity of Piperiya watershed has been evaluated by linear, aerial and relief aspects. Morphometric analysis has been attempted for prioritization for nine sub-watersheds of Piperiya watershed in Hasdeo river basin, which is a tributary of the Mahanadi. Sub-watersheds are delineated by ArcMap 9.3 software as per digital elevation model (DEM). Assessment of drainages and their relative parameters such as stream order, stream length, stream frequency, drainage density, texture ratio, form factor, circulatory ratio, elongation ratio, bifurcation ratio and compactness ratio has been calculated separately for each sub-watershed using the Remote Sensing (RS) and Geospatial techniques. Finally, the prioritized score on the basis of morphometric behavior of each sub-watershed is assigned and thereafter consolidated scores have been estimated to identify the most sensitive parameters. The analysis reveals that stream order varies from 1 to 5; however, the first-order stream covers maximum area of about 87.7 %. Total number of stream segment of all order is 1,264 in the watershed. The study emphasizes the prioritization of the sub-watersheds on the basis of morphometric analysis. The final score of entire nine sub-watersheds is assigned as per erosion threat. The sub-watershed with the least compound parameter value was assigned as highest priority. However, the sub-watersheds has been categorized into three classes as high (4.1-4.7), medium (4.8-5.3) and low (>5.4) priority on the basis of their maximum (6.0) and minimum (4.1) prioritized score.
One of the important aspects to be considered in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases is the patient's activity capacity (or performance), defined as the ability to perform a task. Currently, it is assessed by physicians or health professionals mainly by means of a patient-reported questionnaire, sometimes combined with the therapist's judgment on performance-based tasks. This work introduces an approach to assess the activity capacity at home in a more objective, yet interpretable way. It offers a pilot study on 28 patients suffering from axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) to demonstrate its efficacy. Firstly, a protocol is introduced to recognize a limited set of six transition activities in the home environment using a single accelerometer. To this end, a hierarchical classifier with the rejection of non-informative activity segments has been developed drawing on both direct pattern recognition and statistical signal features. Secondly, the recognized activities should be assessed, similarly to the scoring performed by patients themselves. This is achieved through the interval coded scoring (ICS) system, a novel method to extract an interpretable scoring system from data. The activity recognition reaches an average accuracy of 93.5%; assessment is currently 64.3% accurate. These results indicate the potential of the approach; a next step should be its validation in a larger patient study.
Research on the contact hypothesis has highlighted the role of contact in improving intergroup relations. Most of this research has addressed the problem of transforming the prejudices of historically advantaged communities, thereby eroding wider patterns of discrimination and inequality. In the present research, drawing on evidence from a cross-sectional survey conducted in New Delhi, we explored an alternative process through which contact may promote social change, namely by fostering political solidarity and empowerment amongst the disadvantaged. The results indicated that Muslim students' experiences of contact with other disadvantaged communities were associated with their willingness to participate in joint collective action to reduce shared inequalities. This relationship was mediated by perceptions of collective efficacy and shared historical grievances and moderated by positive experiences of contact with the Hindu majority. Implications for recent debates about the relationship between contact and social change are discussed. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tensile-force transmitted by the tibialis anterior (TA) tendon of 11 anesthetized adult male Wistar rats (body-mass: 360.6 +/- 66.3g) was measured in-situ within the intact biomechanical system of the hind-limb using a novel miniature in-line load-cell. The aim was to demonstrate the dependence of the loading-profile experienced by the muscle, on stimulation-frequency and the resistance to shortening in a group of control-animals. Data from these acute-experiments shows the type of loading achievable by means of implantable electrical stimulators activating agonists or agonist/antagonist groups of muscles during programmed resistance-training in freely moving healthy subjects. Force-responses to electrical stimulation of the common peroneal nerve for single pulses and short bursts were measured in unloaded and isometric contractions. A less time-consuming approach to measure the force-frequency relationship was investigated by applying single bursts containing a series of escalating stimulus-frequencies. We also measured the range of loading attainable by programmed co-contraction of the TA-muscle with the plantar-flexor muscles for various combinations of stimulation-frequencies. The maximal average peak-force of single twitches was 179% higher for isometric than for unloaded twitches. Average maximal isometric tetanic-force per gramme muscle-mass was 16.5 +/- 3.0Ng(-1), which agrees well with other studies. The standard and time-saving approaches to measure the force-frequency relationship gave similar results. Plantar-flexor co-activation produced greatly increased tension in the TA-tendon, similar to isometric contractions. Our results suggest that unloaded contractions may not be adequate for studies of resistance-training. Plantar-flexor co-contractions produced considerably higher force-levels that may be better suited to investigate the physiology and cell-biology of resistance-training in rodents.
A growing number of evidence suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important part in modulating the activities on the basis of hippocampus neural plasticity, such as learning and memory. Heroin addiction has a series of cognitive impairments that may be associated with BDNF. In this study, we explored the association of BDNF with cognitive function in hero-independent patients. We enrolled 86 heroin-dependent patients and 238 normal control subjects and examined their cognition by the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) and serum BDNF levels in 2 groups. BDNF levels were significantly higher in patients than controls (P < .001). Cognitive scores of the RBANS showed that attention and language index (P < .05) were significantly lower in heroin-dependent patients than control groups. Unfortunately, we found no positive association between BDNF and cognitive function in patients, except that BDNF was positively associated with visuospatial/ constructional index in control groups. Our findings suggest that BDNF may not be involved in the pathophysiology of heroin dependence, but more studies about cognitive impairment in heroin addiction are needed.
Introduction: Cervical cancer (CC) is a serious public health concern in Serbia, due to opportunistic screening still being in force, which led to twice higher than the average incidence rate of cervical cancer in Europe. Despite the fact that early detection and treatment services of CC are available at no additional cost, majority of women use inadequate screening services in Serbia. Objective: This study aimed to examine the link between the knowledge about CC and Papanicolaou (Pap) test and perception of barriers to women's participation in CC screening. Materials and Methods: The study included 300 women aged 21 to 69, with a place of residence in the city of Belgrade (Serbia), who were attending for their medical examination to the University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics -Narodni front, from June through December 2014. A survey instrument to collect data was an adapted questionnaire for the assessment of knowledge about and barriers to CC and Pap test. Patients were divided into three groups: a study group consisted of women attending irregularly (over three years), women who never participated in screening, and a control group that included women regularly participating in screening. Results: Women regularly participating in screening (52.7%) had adequate knowledge about CC and Pap test, while women who irregularly (79.4%) or never participated (71.9%) did not have any adequate knowledge. There was a significant statistical difference between the CC and Pap test awareness in a group of respondents who regularly participated in comparison to respondents who irregularly or never participated in screening (x(2) = 27.772, p = 0.000). Regarding knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV), 80% of women did not know that Pap test cannot be used for detection of HPV, as well as that abnormal Pap test result may be due to HPV (61.7%). Majority of women (93.7%) had poor knowledge about Pap test role in CC early detection and considered Pap test to be used to diagnose CC. The authors found a significant statistical correlation between participation of women in screening and barriers. Women who were irregular or never participated, had barriers such as: lack of time (F = 9.51; p = 0,000), difficult access to Healthcare facilities (F = 11.29; p = 0.000), lack of knowledge about the Pap test procedure (F = 21.27, p = 0.000), discomfort (F = 9.36; p = 0.000), and anxiety of Pap test results (F = 3.35; p = 0.036). Women who regularly participated did not have prejudice when choosing a gynecologist, unlike the other two groups that preferred a female gynecologist (F = 3.61; p = 0.028). Conclusion: This study showed that the level of knowledge about CC and Pap test in women is an important factor associated with regular participation in screening. It is necessary to take educational measures in order to raise awareness of women regarding risk factors, as well as to overcome fear and shame, with the ultimate aim to reduce frequency and mortality rate caused by CC in Serbia.
We discuss the modeling of dielectric responses of electromagnetically excited networks which are composed of a mixture of capacitors and resistors. Such networks can be employed as lumped-parameter circuits to model the response of composite materials containing conductive and insulating grains. The dynamics of the excited network systems are studied using a state space model derived from a randomized incidence matrix. Time and frequency domain responses from synthetic data sets generated from state space models are analyzed for the purpose of estimating the fraction of capacitors in the network. Good results were obtained by using either the time-domain response to a pulse excitation or impedance data at selected frequencies. A chemometric framework based on a Successive Projections Algorithm (SPA) enables the construction of multiple linear regression (MLR) models which can efficiently determine the ratio of conductive to insulating components in composite material samples. The proposed method avoids restrictions commonly associated with Archie's law, the application of percolation theory or Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts models and is applicable to experimental results generated by either time domain transient spectrometers or continuous-wave instruments. Furthermore, it is quite generic and applicable to tomography, acoustics as well as other spectroscopies such as nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance and, therefore, should be of general interest across the dielectrics community.
General, spontaneous evaluations of strangers based on their faces have been shown to reflect judgments of these persons' intention and ability to harm. These evaluations can be mapped onto a 2D space defined by the dimensions trustworthiness (intention) and dominance (ability). Here we go beyond general evaluations and focus on more specific personality judgments derived from the Big Two and Big Five personality concepts. In particular, we investigate whether Big Two/Big Five personality judgments can be mapped onto the 2D space defined by the dimensions trustworthiness and dominance. Results indicate that judgments of the Big Two personality dimensions almost perfectly map onto the 2D space. In contrast, at least 3 of the Big Five dimensions (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness) go beyond the 2D space, indicating that additional dimensions are necessary to describe more specific face-based personality judgments accurately. Building on this evidence, we model the Big Two/Big Five personality dimensions in real facial photographs. Results from 2 validation studies show that the Big Two/Big Five are perceived reliably across different samples of faces and participants. Moreover, results reveal that participants differentiate reliably between the different Big Two/Big Five dimensions. Importantly, this high level of agreement and differentiation in personality judgments from faces likely creates a subjective reality which may have serious consequences for those being perceived-notably, these consequences ensue because the subjective reality is socially shared, irrespective of the judgments' validity. The methodological approach introduced here might prove useful in various psychological disciplines.
Designing efficient and effective keypoint descriptors for an image plays a vital role in many computer vision tasks. The traditional binary descriptors such as local binary pattern and its variants directly perform a binarization operation on the intensity differences of the local affine covariant regions, thus their performance usually drops a lot because of the limited distinctiveness. In this paper, we propose a novel image keypoint descriptor, namely local derivative quantized binary pattern for object recognition. To incorporate the spatial information, we first divide the local affine covariant region into several subregions according to the intensity orders. For each sub region, we quantize the intensity differences between the central pixels and their neighbors in an adaptive way, and then we order the differences and use a hash function to map the differences into binary codes. The binary codes are histogramed to form the feature of each subregion. Furthermore, we utilize multi-scale support regions and pool the histograms together to represent the features of the image. Our approach does not need prior codebook training and hence it is more flexible and easy to be implemented. Moreover, our descriptor can preserve more local brightness and edge information than the traditional binary descriptors. Also, our descriptor is robust to rotation, illumination variations and other geometric transformations. Finally we conduct extensive experiments on three challenging datasets (i.e., 53 Objects, ZuBuD, and Kentucky) for object recognition and the experimental results show that our descriptor outperforms the existing state-of-the-art descriptors.
Taiwan is not only inhabited by ethnic Chinese, as many who are not so familiar with this island might think; it also has a substantial number of aboriginal peoples who have lived on the island for millennia, long before the Chinese, Europeans and finally the Japanese colonisers arrived. The aboriginal peoples of Taiwan are Austronesian, with linguistic and genetic ties to ethnic groups found in the Pacific nations of the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of Oceania, and also on Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. This article looks at some of the challenges faced by this indigenous population, due in large part to the ethnic or racial prejudice of the Taiwanese which was reinforced by the national government. It also examines recent curriculum reforms and the educational discourses that reject racism and affirm the ideals of ethnic and cultural freedom and equality, thereby exemplifying moral education in the truest sense.
Machine design is one of the most important tasks in the present scenario. Presently, machine design is done taking into account all the variables and operating conditions. The process is time consuming, error prone, and inefficient design methodology. Due to lack of optimization of the performance of individual components, the performance of the machine as a whole deteriorates. This paper aims at demonstrating the versatility of contract-based design methodology to design machines and overcome some of the drawbacks of the traditional designing process. The process variables involved in such a complex process are best modeled as fuzzy variables as they take non-discrete values. These fuzzy variables are analyzed using contract-based design. An illustration of lathe machine is used to enhance the machining capability by suppressing vibrations using a fuzzy controller and contract-based design. This leads to accurate machining with better tolerances and surface finish.
Background: Individuals with dementia may appear before the court in different roles: as victims, as witnesses, and as those standing up for their rights. While there is growing interest in the rights of older persons with dementia, relatively little empirical data exists regarding their actual interactions in courts. Therefore, the goal of this study was to empirically map this legal terrain. Methods: This study used a descriptive quantitative method. A computerized search of a national legal database limited to the period 2004-2014 and a screening process for the results were used to establish a sample of 280 court rulings that directly addressed dementia. All cases were analyzed and categorized into the following four criteria groups: characteristics of the person with dementia; characteristics of the legal procedure; the legal substance of the case; and the legal outcome. Results: The majority of cases involved a single, very-elderly (i.e. over 80 years) woman, living in the community, with unspecified dementia. The majority of cases were heard and decided in lower level courts, addressing a broad range of primarily non-criminal legal issues. Finally, in the majority of non-criminal cases, the person with dementia was found to be legally capable, whereas in the majority of criminal cases, the person with dementia was found incapable. Conclusions: The legal needs and rights of persons with dementia are much broader than issues of legal capacity or social protection. Deeper knowledge and more research is needed in order to fully understand the contexts in which dementia is constructed under the law.
A hybrid 3D-1D-3D approach is proposed for the conceptual design of a blanket. Firstly, the neutron wall loading (NWL) of each blanket module is obtained through a neutronics calculation employing a 3D model, which contains the geometry outline of in-vacuum vessel components and the exact neutron source distribution. Secondly, a 1D cylindrical model with the blanket module containing a detailed radial building is adopted for the neutronics analysis, with the aim of calculating the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and nuclear heating. Being normalized to the NWL, the nuclear heating is transferred to a 2D model for thermal-hydraulics analysis using the FLUENT code. Through a series analysis of nuclear-thermal iterations that considers the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and thermal performance as optimization objectives, the optimized radial building of each module surrounding plasma can be obtained. Thirdly, the 3D structural design of each module is established by adding side walls, cover plates, stiffening plates, and other components based on the radial building. The 3D neutronics and thermal-hydraulics using the detailed blanket modules are re-analyzed. This approach has been successfully applied to the design of a water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket for the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The radial building of each blanket module surrounding plasma is optimized. The global tritium breeding ratio (TBR) calculated by the 3D neutronics analysis is 1.21, and the temperature of all materials in the 3D blanket structure is below the upper limits. As indicated by the comparison of the 1D and 3D neutronics and thermal hydraulics analyses, the front zones adjacent to plasma present larger deviatiOns of nuclear heat, namely 45% and 36.5%, in tungsten and FW, respectively. The breeder zones, which influence the overall temperature, achieve significantly smaller deviations of less than 10%. The temperature of the 2D model in the front breeder zones is consistent with the results of the 3D model, and the deviation is only 9.2%. The largest deviation 35% occurs in the back breeder zone, because the manifolds are arranged there in the 3D blanket model, and this makes the temperature of the breeder much lower. These results provide a useful reference for further optimization design. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Leaf mass per area (LMA) is a primary plant functional trait that represents the cost of constructing a leaf. Ultimately, plants modify LMA by altering leaf thickness (LT), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), or both. While LMA can be modified through both of these constituents, studies of LMA have found that there is variation in whether LT or LDMC changes are responsible for LMA-and the relationships change depending on the species or functional groups being compared. In this study, we used a phylogenetic framework to determine that evolutionary shifts in LMA are driven by LT, and not LDMC, among 45 Serengeti grass species. We considered two alternative hypotheses that could result in evolutionary correlation of LMA on LT but not LDMC: either (1) LT is more labile than LDMC-and is therefore a less costly means to change LMA or (2) LDMC is tightly coupled to a different dimension of leaf variation (e.g., leaf hydraulics), leaving LT as the source of variation in LMA. LT was not more labile than LDMC, leading us to conclude that the evolution of LMA has been shaped by LT because LDMC is responding to other demands on leaf physiology. We speculate that leaf hydraulics provide this constraint on LDMC. The decoupling of LDMC from LT may allow plants to better optimize resource allocation in ecosystems where gradients in light competition, herbivory, and aridity place competing demands on leaf economics.
A novel animal model involving chimeric mice with humanized livers established via human hepatocyte transplantation has been developed. These mice, in which the liver has been repopulated with functional human hepatocytes, could serve as a useful tool for investigating human hepatic cell biology, drug metabolism, and other preclinical applications. One of the key factors required for successful transplantation of human hepatocytes into mice is the elimination of the endogenous hepatocytes to prevent competition with the human cells and provide a suitable space and microenvironment for promoting human donor cell expansion and differentiation. To date, two major liver injury mouse models utilizing fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (Fah) and uroplasminogen activator (uPA) mice have been established. However, Fah mice are used mainly with mature hepatocytes and the application of the uPA model is limited by decreased breeding. To overcome these limitations, Albtoxin receptor mediated cell knockout (TRECK)/SCID mice were used for in vivo differentiation of immature human hepatocytes and humanized liver generation. Human hepatic stem cells (HpSCs) successfully repopulated the livers of Alb-TRECK/SCID mice that had developed lethal fulminant hepatic failure following diphtheria toxin (DT) treatment. This model of a humanized liver in Alb-TRECK/SCID mice will have functional applications in studies involving drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions and will promote other in vivo and in vitro studies.
Introduction: Retinoid signaling has been argued to have favorable effects on Alzheimer's disease (AD). We studied the role of chronic intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the amyloid-beta (A beta) model of AD. Methods: Adult male rats weighing 260-330 g were divided into 12 groups of 8 each. Six groups of rats received ATRA (3nM, 30nM, 3 mu M, 0.3mM, 30mM/rat; ICV) or DMSO 1% (2 mu l/rat; ICV), bilaterally and in a chronic manner (6 times, twice a week). Forty eight hours following the last injection, memory performance was assessed using a passive avoidance paradigm. One group received A beta (10 mu g/rat; ICV), bilaterally. The control group received DMSO 1% (2 mu l/rat; ICV). Twenty days later memory performance was assessed. Three groups of rats received A beta (10 mu g/rat; ICV) and then ATRA (3nM or 30nM/rat; ICV) or DMSO 1%, chronically (6 times, twice a week). Another group received DMSO 1% (2 mu l/rat; ICV) and then, DMSO 1%, chronically (6 times, twice a week). Results: ATRA at doses 0.3mM and 30mM/rat impaired memory retrieval by decreasing step-through latency (STL) and increasing time spent in the dark compartment (TDC), significantly. However, moderate doses (3nM and 30nM/rat) did not change memory performance. ATRA (30nM/rat) increased STL and decreased TDC and NST in the A beta-treated rats, significantly compared to the group received A beta-DMSO 1%. Conclusion: The results propose a potential prophylactic effect of ATRA in the ICV A beta model of AD and indicate the prominence of retinoic acid signaling as a target for AD prevention.
We review selected aspects of the interactions between protein and energy in human metabolism and nutrition. Following a short account of the underlying metabolic basis for the effects of energy on protein metabolism, the contribution made by whole body protein turnover to the metabolic rate is discussed, including the relationship between protein turnover and energy metabolism at different phases of life. The effects of changes in energy metabolism and intake on the nitrogen economy of the host are also reviewed briefly and we explore the relationship between amino acid oxidation and requirements for indispensable amino acids. Interactions between energy and protein metabolism need to be investigated in greater detail and also they must be considered in relation to further attempts to establish more precisely energy and amino acid requirements of people under various circumstances.
This paper deals with the design and implementation of a new Curriculum for Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management for Bachelor and Master Degrees at Tlemcen University, Algeria. This Curriculum aims to give to the student a multidisciplinary knowledge in the domain of Engineering, technology as well as management. The implementation of this curriculum at Tlemcen University has showed a large improvement of student skill that permits it to become a national curriculum. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
As support materials of integrated circuits, lead frame is the key structural components to the formation of the electrical circuits, played a role in the internal and external wire connections. As one of the commonly used lead frames at present, 5-8 mu m copper plating layer above of FeNi42 alloy often been found deep red color after chip welding. Aiming at this phenomenon, this paper collected large color change point for a long time, adopted the method of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersal spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, classified the discoloration point on the basis of before work, and conducted laboratory simulation aimed at a kind of discoloration caused by a special petal-shaped clusters morphology. Result shows that the alkali and (CN) - in electroplating solution can absorb carbon dioxide to produce carbonate crystals coating on the surface of the crystal, which shows the deep red color point on the macro after the process of high temperature welding chip.
A 6/8 flux-switching machine with large air-gap and toroidal winding design is presented. The fractional-slot winding of C-core flux-switching machine is wound around the stator yoke instead of the stator pole in this machine design. On the basis of the C-core flux-switching machine several modifications of the stator core shape and of PM arrangement are evaluated by means of 2D Finite Element Analysis. A significant enhancement of the torque capability of the toroidal winding design can be achieved by some minor changes of the stator core shape. Additionally, the application of Halbach shaped magnets leads to even more torque and a reduction of the leakage flux at the stator outer diameter.
DNA methylation is a fundamental means of epigenetic gene regulation that occurs in virtually all cell types. In many higher organisms, including humans, it plays vital roles in cell differentiation and homeostatic maintenance of cell phenotype. The control of DNA methylation has traditionally been attributed to a highly coordinated, linear process, whose dysregulation has been associated with numerous pathologies including cancer, where it occurs early in, and even prior to, the development of neoplastic tissues. Recent experimental evidence has demonstrated that, contrary to prevailing paradigms, methylation patterns are actually maintained through inexact, dynamic processes. These processes normally result in minor stochastic differences between cells that accumulate with age. However, various factors, including cancer itself, can lead to substantial differences in intercellular methylation patterns, viz. methylation heterogeneity. Advancements in molecular biology techniques are just now beginning to allow insight into how this heterogeneity contributes to clonal evolution and overall cancer heterogeneity. In the current review, we begin by presenting a didactic overview of how the basal bimodal methylome is established and maintained. We then provide a synopsis of some of the factors that lead to the accrual of heterogeneous methylation and how this heterogeneity may lead to gene silencing and impact the development of cancerous phenotypes. Lastly, we highlight currently available methylation assessment techniques and discuss their suitability to the study of heterogeneous methylation. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
To explore further, Modern telescopes are equipped with larger diameter mirror. Owing to deadweight and external force, it is difficult to maintain the position and attitude between primary mirror and mirror cell. Hydraulic supporting system is a optional choice to solve this problem, which requires high quality hydraulic oil and efficient oil filling. In this paper, the influence of gas content ( GC) on oil bulk modulus was discussed. Then an oil preconditioning and filling machine was designed. GC was detected using an oil particle size detecting instrument before and after preconditioning, and the result shows that GC decreases obviously from 0.1% to 0.002%. Oiling filling operation was also carried out on primary mirror test rig.
The Nkx2.5 gene encodes a transcription factor that plays a critical role in heart development. In humans, heterozygous mutations in NKX2.5 result in congenital heart defects (CHDs). However, the molecular mechanisms by which these mutations cause the disease remain unknown. NKX2.5-R142C is a mutation that was reported to be associated with atrial septal defect (ASD) and atrioventricular (AV) block in 13-patients from one family. The R142C mutation is located within both the DNA-binding domain and the nuclear localization sequence of NKX2.5 protein. The pathogenesis of CHDs in humans with R142C point mutation is not well understood. To examine the functional deficit associated with this mutation in vivo, we generated and characterized a knock-in mouse that harbours the human mutation R142C. Systematic structural and functional examination of the embryonic, newborn, and adult mice revealed that the homozygous embryos Nkx2.5(R141C/R14IC) are developmentally arrested around E10.5 with delayed heart morphogenesis and downregulation of Nkx2.5 target genes, Anf, Mlc2v, Actc1 and Cx40. Histological examination of Nkx(2.5R141c/+) newborn hearts showed that 36% displayed ASD, with at least 80% Of adult heterozygotes displaying a septal defect. Moreover, heterozygous Nkx2.5(R141C/+) newborn mice have downregulation of ion channel genes with 11/12 adult mice manifesting a prolonged PR interval that is indicative of 1st degree AV block. Collectively, the present study demonstrates that mice with the R141C point mutation in the Nkx2.5 allele phenocopies humans with the NKX2.5 R142C point mutation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Social life hinges on the ability to infer others' mental states. By default, people often recruit self-knowledge during social inference, particularly for others who are similar to oneself. How do people's active perspective-taking efforts-deliberately imagining another's perspective-affect self-knowledge use? In 2 experiments, we test the flexible self-application hypothesis: that the application of self-knowledge to a perspective-taking target differs based on that person's similarity to oneself. We found consistent evidence that, when making inferences about dissimilar others, perspective taking increased the projection of one's own traits and preferences to those targets, relative to a control condition. When making inferences about similar others, however, perspective taking decreased projection. These findings suggest that self-target similarity critically shapes the inferential processes triggered by active perspective-taking efforts.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the shock attenuation properties of long pile synthetic turf. To investigate these properties using a modeling and simulation method, an appropriate model based on reliable data and a precise identification method is required. In previous studies, unstable data were often observed because uneven top yarns had sprouted from the infill material. Therefore, the properties of the infill part, buried yarns and infill materials should be considered first, because sprouted yarn causes unstable shock attenuation. For this reason, special construction specimens with different hardness levels and which had almost no sprouted yarn were prepared, and multi-intensity multi-area impact tests and parameter identification were performed for each specimen. The results show that stable data could be acquired for parameter identification, and the findings indicate the applicability of the modeling and simulation method for evaluating the shock attenuation properties of long pile synthetic turf. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Thermal and hydrodynamic concepts are of a vital importance; therefore their assessments are unavoidable for the purpose of hydraulic systems. The present study implements the practical updated knowledge of the expertise for both of the hydraulic and thermal fields in an expert system model. This is implemented in order to improve the performance of hydraulic system by considering the thermal effect on the hydraulic system operation. Accordingly, a computer program (Hydraulic System Calculations), designated as (HSC) implements a Visual Basic language in the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 software has been built. Regardless of the design requirements, the code is capable to deal with (18) possible connection types of the actuators, in series or parallel, arrangements. The suggested code provides the designer with a number of choices, different kind of connections, to resolve the problem of hydraulic oil overheating which may arise during the continuous operation of the hydraulic unit. As a result, the (HSC) is able to minimize the human errors, effort, time and cost of hydraulic machine design.
While early and intermediate results of Fontan palliation have greatly improved the survival and quality of life of patients with single ventricle physiology, late complications remain concerning, and leave room for further improvement. In addition to recent advances in surgical techniques and post-operative care, advances in Medical Imaging and related technologies can further improve pre-surgical planning and post-operative management of these complex patients. Novel technologies including advanced MRI, computer aided design, three-dimensional printing, Virtual Surgery and Computational Fluid Dynamics may provide better patient-specific surgical plans, and continue to improve long-term outcomes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cationic copolymer emulsions of St, BA, AA, and GMA were successfully synthesized via semi-continuous emulsion polymerization. The properties of synthesized cationic emulsions were characterized by monomer conversion and solid content, differential scanning calorimeter, particle size and distribution, zeta potential, and centrifugal stability. The film performance of the cationic emulsions formed on cotton fiber surface was observed by scanning electricity microscopy. The influence of cationic emulsions on the color data, K/S values and rubbing fastness of dyed cotton fabrics was also investigated. The results show that P (St-BA-AAGMA) emulsion had larger particle size and higher zeta potential than P (St-BA-AA) emulsion. When the films were formed at room temperature, P (St-BA-AA-GMA) emulsion film had better performance than P (St-BA-AA) emulsion film. The addition of GMA monomers improved the film performance. P (St-BA-AA-GMA) emulsion films formed at 120 degrees C after acetic acid solution treatment had the best water resistance. Dyed cotton fabrics pretreated with P (St-BA-AA-GMA) emulsion had better pigment dyeing performance than those pretreated with P (St-BA-AA) emulsion. It demonstrates that the addition of GMA monomers further improved the effect of pigment dyeing for cotton fabrics with cationic emulsions as binders. With the increase of P (St-BA-AA-GMA) concentration, the color performance of dye fabrics improved while the rubbing fastness decreased a little. But, the handle and fastness still meets the use standards for consumers. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In fluid mechanics, a lot of authors have been executing their researches to obtain the analytical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations, even for 3D case of compressible gas flow or 3D case of non-stationary flow of incompressible fluid. But there is an essential deficiency of non-stationary solutions indeed. We explore the ansatz of derivation of non-stationary solution for the Navier-Stokes equations in the case of incompressible flow, which was suggested earlier. In general case, such a solution should be obtained from the mixed system of 2 Riccati ordinary differential equations (in regard to the time-parameter t). But we find an elegant way to simplify it to the proper analytical presentation of exact solution (such a solution is exponentially decreasing to zero for t going to infinity infinity). Also it has to be specified that the solutions that are constructed can be considered as a class of perturbation absorbed exponentially as t going to infinity infinity by the null solution.
Because water is a key at-risk resource, improved water management is essential. In terms of quantity, the two major alternatives in water management can be grouped into: (i) improving efficiency in water use; and (ii) exploring alternative water sources. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is one of the most promising alternative water sources, since rainwater can easily be collected and used without significant treatment for non-potable purposes. However, the economical viability of these systems is not always assured. This paper examines the most relevant technical and economical issues in designing domestic RWH systems, evaluating the technical feasibility and economical viability of this technology in the particular weather and water use in Portugal. The evaluation is performed for a single-family residence, where the water use pattern was monitored. The precipitation pattern is characterized for two locations in Portugal, Porto and Almada, since they represent two different scenarios for RWH. The RWH and water savings efficiency were assessed and payback period estimated for both cities. It was found that, for an optimum rainwater tank, the water savings potential are similar for both locations, despite the differences in the average annual precipitation. A simple rule for estimating the optimum tank capacity for single-family households in Portugal is proposed. A sensitivity analysis shows an important influence of water fees on the economical viability of RWH systems in single-family houses in Portugal, namely when compared to changes in the consumption pattern. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Antibodies against citrullinated proteins (ACPA) are common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ACPA can appear before disease onset and target many self-antigens. Citrullinated fibrin/fibrinogen represents a classical ACPA target antigen, and mass spectrometry of RA synovial fluid reveals elevated citrullinated (cit) fibrinogen (Fib) peptides compared to non-RA controls. We investigated the extent to which these less-studied peptides represent autoantibody targets and sought to visualize the corresponding cit-Fib-reactive B cells in RA patients. Methods: An in-house ELISA was established against four cit-Fib alpha-subunit peptides (cit-Fib alpha-35; cit-Fib alpha-216,218; cit-Fib alpha-263,271 and cit-Fib alpha-425,426) and serum from patients with established RA (n = 347) and disease controls with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (n = 236) were analyzed. RA patients were genotyped for HLA-DR alleles, PTPN22 R620W and screened for anti-CCP2 and cit-Fib protein antibodies. The cit-Fib peptides were also used to assemble antigen tetramers to identify cit-Fib-reactive B cells in peripheral blood by flow cytometry. Results: The frequencies of autoantibodies against different cit-Fib epitopes in RA patients compared to PsA/AS patients were: cit-Fib alpha-35 (RA 20%, vs PsA/AS 1%); cit-Fib alpha-216,218 (13% vs 0.5%); cit-Fib alpha-263,271 (21% vs 0.5%) and cit-Fib alpha-425,426 (17% vs 1%). The presence of autoantibodies against these peptides was associated with presence of anti-CCP2 and anti-cit-Fib protein antibodies. No association was found between HLA-DR shared epitope and antibodies to the different cit-Fib peptides. However, association was observed between the PTPN22 risk allele and positivity to cit-Fib alpha-35 and cit-Fib alpha-263,271. B cells carrying surface Ig reactive to these cit-Fib peptides were found in RA peripheral blood and these tend to be more common in PTPN22 risk allele carriers. Conclusions: Our data show that several cit-Fib peptides are targeted by autoantibodies in RA, but not in PsA/AS, implicating that these are not due to arthritis but more specific for RA etiology. The RA-associated anti-cit protein response is broad with many parallel immune responses. The association between cit-Fib autoantibodies and the PTPN22 R620W risk allele supports the hypothesis of altered B cell regulation, such as autoreactive B cells evading tolerance checkpoints.
In recent years, reduction of energy consumption in buildings has increasingly gained interest among researchers mainly due to practical reasons, such as economic advantages and long-term environmental sustainability. Many solutions have been proposed in the literature to address this important issue from complementary perspectives, which are often hard to capture in a comprehensive manner. This survey article aims at providing a structured and unifying treatment of the existing literature on intelligent energy management systems in buildings, with a distinct focus on available architectures and methodology supporting a vision transcending the well-established smart home vision, in favor of the novel Ambient Intelligence paradigm. Our exposition will cover the main architectural components of such systems, beginning with the basic sensory infrastructure, moving on to the data processing engine where energy-saving strategies may be enacted, to the user interaction interface subsystem, and finally to the actuation infrastructure necessary to transfer the planned modifications to the environment. For each component, we will analyze different solutions, and we will provide qualitative comparisons, also highlighting the impact that a single design choice can have on the rest of the system.
Honeypots, i.e. networked computer systems specially designed and crafted to mimic the normal operations of other systems while capturing and storing information about the interactions with the world outside, are a crucial technology into the study of cyber threats and attacks that propagate and occur through networks. Among them, high-interaction honeypots are considered the most efficient because the attacker (whether automated or not) perceives realistic interactions with the target machine. In the case of automated attacks, propagated by malware, currently available honeypots alone are not specialized enough to allow the analysis of their behaviors and effects on the target system. The research presented in this paper shows how high-interaction honeypots can be enhanced by powering them with specific features that improve the reverse engineering activities needed to effectively analyze captured malicious entities.
Background: Previously, we described ROVER, a DNA variant caller which identifies genetic variants from PCR-targeted massively parallel sequencing (MPS) datasets generated by the Hi-Plex protocol. ROVER permits stringent filtering of sequencing chemistry-induced errors by requiring reported variants to appear in both reads of overlapping pairs above certain thresholds of occurrence. ROVER was developed in tandem with Hi-Plex and has been used successfully to screen for genetic mutations in the breast cancer predisposition gene PALB2. ROVER is applied to MPS data in BAM format and, therefore, relies on sequence reads being mapped to a reference genome. In this paper, we describe an improvement to ROVER, called UNDR ROVER (Unmapped primer-Directed ROVER), which accepts MPS data in FASTQ format, avoiding the need for a computationally expensive mapping stage. It does so by taking advantage of the location-specific nature of PCR-targeted MPS data. Results: The UNDR ROVER algorithm achieves the same stringent variant calling as its predecessor with a significant runtime performance improvement. In one indicative sequencing experiment, UNDR ROVER (in its fastest mode) required 8-fold less sequential computation time than the ROVER pipeline and 13-fold less sequential computation time than a variant calling pipeline based on the popular GATK tool. UNDR ROVER is implemented in Python and runs on all popular POSIX-like operating systems (Linux, OS X). It requires as input a tab-delimited format file containing primer sequence information, a FASTA format file containing the reference genome sequence, and paired FASTQ files containing sequence reads. Primer sequences at the 5' end of reads associate read-pairs with their targeted amplicon and, thus, their expected corresponding coordinates in the reference genome. The primer-intervening sequence of each read is compared against the reference sequence from the same location and variants are identified using the same algorithm as ROVER. Specifically, for a variant to be 'called' it must appear at the same location in both of the overlapping reads above user-defined thresholds of minimum number of reads and proportion of reads. Conclusions: UNDR ROVER provides the same rapid and accurate genetic variant calling as its predecessor with greatly reduced computational costs.
Background: Shrimp and house dust mite (HDM) allergies are common in Canadians. Often, both of these allergies occur in the same patient. This may be due to homology of tropomyosin or other potentially shared proteins. The aim of our study was to assess the frequency of house dust mite sensitization in a shrimp allergic Canadian population. Methods: We undertook a retrospective chart review of shrimp allergic patients at an outpatient allergy clinic in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Our primary endpoint was to assess for presence of HDM sensitization in this population. Patients were categorized into approximate quartiles. We assessed the severity of the shrimp reactions, correlated shrimp skin test size to HDM skin test size, and measured the proportion of patients with atopic symptoms. Results: We identified 95 shrimp allergic patients who were tested for house dust mite. 86 (90.5%) of these patients had a positive skin test to HDM. Patients with a shrimp skin test >= 5 mm were 5.31 times (95% CI, 1.55-18.14; p = 0.008) more likely to exhibit a dust mite skin test >= 5 mm than patients with a shrimp skin test < 5 mm. The odds of a patient with a shrimp skin test between 10 and 18 mm having a larger HDM skin test were 3.93 times (95% CI 1.03-14.98, p = 0.045) the odds for a patient with a shrimp skin test size between 3 and 4 mm. We did not find a correlation between shrimp skin test size and shrimp reaction symptom grade (p = 0.301). Conclusion: In our Canadian patients, we found a large majority of shrimp allergic patients to be sensitized to HDM. We found that patients with a large skin test to shrimp were more likely to have a large skin test to HDM compared to those patients with a small skin test to shrimp. We did not find a correlation between shrimp skin test size and shrimp reaction symptom severity. Most of these patients had symptoms of rhinitis and/or asthma that may have been caused by house dust mite allergy.
Many studies have seemingly demonstrated that anonymous individuals who are shown artificial cues of being watched behave as if they are being watched by real people. However, several studies have failed to replicate this surveillance cue effect. In light of these mixed results, we conducted two meta-analyses investigating the effect of artificial observation cues on generosity. Overall, our meta-analyses found no evidence to support the claim that artificial surveillance cues increase generosity, either by increasing how generous individuals are, or by increasing the probability that individuals will show any generosity at all. Therefore, surveillance cue effects should be interpreted cautiously. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Earlier results indicated that, for an average household, self-sufficiency in water supply can be achieved by following the Urban harvest Approach (UHA), in a combination of demand minimization, cascading and multi-sourcing. To achieve these results, it was assumed that all available local resources can be harvested. In reality, however, temporal, spatial and location-bound factors pose limitations to this harvest and, thus, to self-sufficiency. This article investigates potential spatial and temporal limitations to harvest local water resources at building level for the Netherlands, with a focus on indoor demand. Two building types were studied, a free standing house (one four-people household) and a mid-rise apartment flat (28 two-person households). To be able to model yearly water balances, daily patterns considering household occupancy and presence of water using appliances were defined per building type. Three strategies were defined. The strategies include demand minimization, light grey water (LGW) recycling, and rainwater harvesting (multi-sourcing). Recycling and multi-sourcing cater for toilet flushing and laundry machine. Results showed that water saving devices may reduce 30% of the conventional demand. Recycling of LGW can supply 100% of second quality water (D-Q2) which represents 36% of the conventional demand or up to 20% of the minimized demand. Rainwater harvesting may supply approximately 80% of the minimized demand in case of the apartment flat and 60% in case of the free standing house. To harvest these potentials, different system specifications, related to the household type, are required. Two constraints to recycle and multi-source were identified, namely i) limitations in the grey water production and available rainfall; and ii) the potential to harvest water as determined by the temporal pattern in water availability, water use, and storage and treatment capacities. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Urban streams could concurrently bring about both positive amenities accruing to the view of waterscape and negative disamenities associated with water pollution. In this paper, we focus on a specific question that has not yet been explicitly answered in the extant literature: how-to estimate the cumulative impacts of urban streams (which refer to the combined impacts of amenities and disamenities of multiple sources) in high density and high-rise urban contexts. A typical residential apartment complex (comprised of a number of apartment units located in dozens of mid- to high-rise commercial apartment buildings on a contiguous land parcel) in Guangzhou, south China, is used as a case study. A detailed palette of natural amenities and environmental disamenities of two bifurcated streams are quantified via the generalized spatial two-stage least squares (GS2SLS) model. In this model, an originally constructed 3-D spatial connectivity matrix, cube contiguity, is applied to address, in a sophisticated manner, an array of endogenous, exogenous, and error interactions along both horizontal and vertical dimensions that inherently exist in the spatial context of high-rise housing markets. Our results from spatial hedonic models at the micro-neighborhood level demonstrate that homebuyers tend to evaluate urban streams' chemical, physical, and ecological features holistically. A cumulative impact is also found, as homebuyers would like to pay an extra premium for an apartment located farther away from both polluted streams. This study advances the extant literature by contributing to a novel and effective extension of the conventional two-dimensional spatial matrix which can capture the long-ignored spatial correlation existing amongst apartment units located on contiguous floors, as well as a robust estimation of the demand of urban natural and environmental amenities in the gradually rising mid- and high-rise housing market in both developing and developed countries.
The multicultural society in Germany also has an impact on the healthcare system. Regardless of country of origin and denomination, all migrants are entitled to high-quality emergency medical care and equal access to facilities and services of the German healthcare system. Literature review and evaluation of results. In the care of foreign patients, it is necessary that the emergency physician is aware of potential sources of miscommunication. The causes of misunderstandings are often due to verbal communication itself. However, misunderstandings start earlier and also relate to nonverbal communication. Misunderstandings in rescue personnel who interact with foreign patients are found on the verbal level in two forms: insufficient language skills and so-called organ metaphors that prevent understanding of the content of a message. When language barriers in communicating with foreign patients are present, there are three alternatives: communication via a universal language (e.g., English), communication through an interpreter, and the use of visual communication aids. If verbal communication is restricted or not possible, only nonverbal communication is usually of help. Culturally sensitive care can only be achieved if the subject of intercultural competence is increasingly implemented in education and training. To develop culturally sensitive patient care, change and development processes are required at several levels and must involve all parties concerned.
Purpose of Review This paper presents a review of the current state of the art in remote sensing-based monitoring of forest disturbances and forest degradation from optical Earth Observation data. Part one comprises an overview and tabular description of currently available optical remote sensing sensors, which can be used for forest disturbance and degradation mapping. Part two reviews the two main categories of existing mapping approaches: first, classical image-to-image change detection and second, time series analysis. Recent Findings With the launch of the Sentinel-2a satellite and available Landsat imagery, time series analysis has become the most promising but also most demanding category of degradation mapping approaches. Four time series classification methods are distinguished. The methods are explained and their benefits and drawbacks are discussed. A separate chapter presents a number of recent forest degradation mapping studies for two different ecosystems: temperate forests with a geographical focus on Europe and tropical forests with a geographical focus on Africa. Summary The review revealed that a wide variety of methods for the detection of forest degradation is already available. Today, the main challenge is to transfer these approaches to high-resolution time series data from multiple sensors. Future research should also focus on the classification of disturbance types and the development of robust up-scalable methods to enable near real-time disturbance mapping in support of operational reactive measures.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore a non-technical overview for leaders and researchers about how to use a communications perspective to better assess, design and use digital health technologies (DHTs) to improve healthcare performance and to encourage more research into implementation and use of these technologies. Design/methodology/approach - Narrative overview, showing through examples the issues and benefits of introducing DHTs for healthcare performance and the insights that communications science brings to their design and use. Findings - Communications research has revealed the many ways in which people communicate in non-verbal ways, and how this can be lost or degraded in digitally mediated forms. These losses are often not recognized, can increase risks to patients and reduce staff satisfaction. Yet digital technologies also contribute to improving healthcare performance and staff morale if skillfully designed and implemented. Research limitations/implications - Researchers are provided with an introduction to the limitations of the research and to how communications science can contribute to a multidisciplinary research approach to evaluating and assisting the implementation of these technologies to improve healthcare performance. Practical implications - Using this overview, managers are more able to ask questions about how the new DHTs will affect healthcare and take a stronger role in implementing these technologies to improve performance. Originality/value - New insights into the use and understanding of DHTs from applying the new multidiscipline of communications science. A situated communications perspective helps to assess how a new technology can complement rather than degrade professional relationships and how safer implementation and use of these technologies can be devised.
The present study explored presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, and their correlation with health anxiety. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory were completed by 753 individuals. Results indicated higher presence of meaning in life was associated with lower health anxiety, while the opposite was observed for search for meaning in life. Results also revealed an interaction between presence of meaning in life and search for meaning in life, where individuals with high search for meaning in life and high presence of meaning in life had lower health anxiety than those with high search for meaning in life and low presence of meaning in life. These findings suggest that presence of meaning in life and search for meaning in life are correlates of health anxiety.
The conventional 2-dimensional (2D) cell culture is an invaluable tool in, amongst others, cell biology and experimental pharmacology. However, cells cultured in 2D, on the top of stiff plastic plates lose their phenotypical characteristics and fail in recreating the physiological environment found in vivo. This is a fundamental requirement when the goal of the study is to get a rigorous predictive response of human drug action and safety. Recent approaches in the field of renal cell biology are focused on the generation of 3D cell culture models due to the more bona fide features that they exhibit and the fact that they are more closely related to the observed physiological conditions, and better predict in vivo drug handling. In this review, we describe the currently available 3D in vitro models of the kidney, and some future directions for studying renal drug handling, disease modeling and kidney regeneration. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water and fertilizer are major factors that influence crop productivity in dryland farming. The ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting (RFRH) system is known to be an effective planting method for improving rainwater utilization, but suitable fertilizer application rates for foxtail millet under RFRH planting have not yet been determined. In 2014 and 2015, we examined the effects of four fertilizer application rates (F0, F1, F2, and F3) under RFRH planting (RFRHP) and traditional flat planting (TFP) on the soil water content (SWC), evapotranspiration (ET), plant growth, grain yield, and resource use efficiency for foxtail millet. We found that RFRHP improved the SWC, where the SWC exhibited a decreasing trend as the fertilizer rate increased, but generally there was no significant difference among F1, F2 and F3 under both planting patterns. Compared with TFP, RFRHP produced a slightly higher maximum leaf area and dry matter accumulation, although the differences were not significant, while total ET was reduced and there were general improvements in the harvest index, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), agronomic efficiency, and net economic benefit. Foxtail millet responded positively to fertilizer, and F2 was the economical fertilizer input rate, where the leaf area, dry matter accumulation, and grain yield were increased slightly with no significant difference when the fertilizer rate was increased beyond F2, while agronomic efficiency was significantly decreased. The highest economic net benefit was achieved by RFRHP combined with F2, which also obtained significantly higher grain yield, WUE and agronomic efficiency compared with TFP. Thus, we recommend the RFRH system with F2 (186:96 kg N:P ha(-1)) for high productivity and efficient foxtail millet production in semi-arid areas. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Analyzing retrieval accuracy and precision is an important element of space-based CO2 retrievals. However, this error analysis is sometimes challenging to perform rigorously because of the subtlety of Multivariate Statistics. To help address this issue, we revisit some fundamentals of Multivariate Statistics that help reveal the statistical essence of the associated error analysis. We show that the related statistical methodology is useful for revealing the intrinsic discrepancy and relation between the retrieval error for a nonzero-variate CO2 state and that for a zero-variate one. Our study suggests that the two scenarios essentially yield the same-magnitude accuracy, while the latter scenario yields a better precision than the former. We also use this methodology to obtain a rigorous framework systematically and explore a broadly used approximate framework for analyzing CO2 retrieval errors. The approximate framework introduces errors due to an essential, but often forgotten, fact that a priori climatology in reality is never equal to the true state. Due to the nature of the problem considered, realistic numerical simulations that produce synthetic spectra may be more appropriate than remote sensing data for our specific exploration. As highlighted in our retrieval simulations, utilizing the approximate framework may not be universally satisfactory in assessing the accuracy and precision of Xco(2) retrievals (with errors up to 0.17-0.28ppm and 1.4-1.7ppm, respectively, at SNR=400). In situ measurements of CO2 are needed to further our understanding of this issue and related implications.
Background and aimsSubstance use disorders are associated commonly with comorbid physical illness. There are fewer data on dental disease in these conditions, in spite of high rates of dry mouth (xerostomia), as well as the associated indirect or life-style effects such as poverty and lack of access to care. We compared the oral health of people with substance use disorders (SUDs) with non-using controls. MethodThis was a systematic search for studies from the last 35years of the oral health of people reporting SUDs. We used MEDLINE, PsycInfo, OVID, Google Scholar, EMBASE and article bibliographies. Results were compared with the general population. Oral health was assessed in terms of dental caries and periodontal disease using the following standardized measures: the mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) or surfaces (DMFS) and probing pocket depth. Non-carious tooth loss was assessed clinically. ResultsWe identified 28 studies that had sufficient data for a meta-analysis, comprising 4086 SU patients and 28031 controls. People with SUD had significantly higher mean scores for DMFT [mean difference=5.15, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.61-7.69 and DMFS (mean difference=17.83, 95% CI=6.85-28.8]. They had more decayed teeth but fewer restorations, indicating reduced access to dental care. Patients with SUD also exhibited greater tooth loss, non-carious tooth loss and destructive periodontal disease compared to controls. ConclusionPatients with substance use disorders have greater and more severe dental caries and periodontal disease than the general population, but are less likely to have received dental care.
The fair exchange of resources provides a basis for developing morality, yet research has rarely examined the role of group processes that are central to children's world. In this article, we describe a new perspective as well as research demonstrating that group processes play a key role in the fair allocation of resources among children and adolescents. We contend that when children allocate resources, group processes and moral judgments are relevant, a developmental shift occurs in children's ability to coordinate moral and group concerns, and group processes contribute to intergroup bias regarding allocations but also to efforts to consider the status of disadvantaged groups. Our perspective informs efforts to reduce prejudice as well as increase fairness and equality in situations in which group processes are relevant for allocating resources fairly.
Hierarchical structures, also known as fractal structures, exhibit advantageous material properties, such as water- and oil-repellency as well as other useful optical characteristics, owing to its self similarity. Various methods have been developed for producing hierarchical geometrical structures. Recently, fractal structures have been manufactured using a 3D printing technique that involves computer aided design data. In this study, we confirmed the accuracy of geometrical structures when Koch curve-like fractal structures with zero to three generations were printed using a 3D printer. The fractal dimension was analyzed using a box-counting method. This analysis indicated that the fractal dimension of the third generation hierarchical structure was approximately the same as that of the ideal Koch curve. These findings demonstrate that the design and production of fractal structures can be controlled using a 3D printer. Although the interior angle deviated from the ideal value, the side length could be precisely controlled.
This paper presents DemaWare2, an Ambient Assisted Living framework to support the care of people with dementia. The framework integrates various sensor modalities, such as ambient, wearable, offline and cloud-based, together with sophisticated, interdisciplinary methods including image, audio and semantic analysis. Fine-grained, atomic events, such as object manipulation, are aggregated into complex activities through semantic fusion. Applications tailored to monitoring dementia symptoms support clinicians to drive effective, timely interventions and evaluate their outcomes. The framework was evaluated for its robustness, reliability and clinical value in real-world lab trials and home installations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
During the domestication of canids, humans have selected for particular traits and selected against others. Wild canids and phylogenetically primitive breeds might then be expected to show less 'desirable' traits than more recently derived European breeds of dog. In order to examine this, we divided domestic dog breeds according to their apparent genetic relatedness to the wolf, and compared them to a wild canid, the dingo, using a validated behavioural assessment tool (C-BARQ). Our sample included 49 dingoes, 6935 modern dogs, and 673 ancient dogs. Overall, a number of differences were discovered between the breed groups, after accounting for demographic effects and variability between breeds. Dingoes were significantly less trainable than both ancient and modern dogs, and displayed greater stranger-directed fear and non-social fear than modern dogs. Dingoes were also more prone to escaping/roaming and urinating against objects than modern dogs, and tended to exhibit compulsive 'staring' and rolling in animal droppings more than both ancient and modern dogs. Using a multivariate test, we found that dingoes represented a significant outlier from the range of typical between-breed variation of domesticated dogs. Taken together, these results provide some evidence that (1) selective processes during domestication are reflected in the behaviour of dog breeds, and (2) primitive breed behaviour tends to reflect earlier and different selection pressures (natural rather that artificial selection). (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper a new approach for the optimization of the multi-objective injection molding process based on the Taguchi robust design combined with the grey relational analysis has been studied. A grey relational grade obtained from the multi-objective grey relational analysis is used to solve the injection molding process with the multiple performance characteristics including volume shrinkage (R1) and axial deformation (R2), the injecting parameters, namely mold temperature, melt temperature, holding pressure and holding time are optimized. By orthogonal polar difference analysis and statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) of grey relational grade, main factors influencing and the best process parameters were determined: A=50 degrees C, B=250 degrees C, C=30MPa, D=9s.Under the case of continuity factor, Fitting the response surface further the optimal combination of in continuous space r is identified:A=50.3 degrees C, B=250 degrees C, C=29MPa, D=8.3s. Experimental results have shown that the Taguchi combined with the grey relational analysis can avoid human evaluation of the multi-objective optimization, and Injection molding multi-objective optimization is implemented more objectively, and product performance in the process can be improved effectively through this approach.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly and is characterized by progressive cognitive and memory deficits. The pathological hallmarks of AD include extracellular senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Although several mechanisms have been used to explain the underlying pathogenesis of AD, current treatment regimens remain inadequate. The neuroprotective effects of the polyphenolic stilbene resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) have been investigated in several in vitro and in vivo models of AD. The current review discusses the multiple potential mechanisms of action of resveratrol on the pathobiology of AD. Moreover, due to the limited pharmacokinetic parameters of resveratrol, multiple strategies aimed at increasing the bioavailability of resveratrol have also been addressed.
Vulnerability of water environmental is defined as a measure of the degree of water pollution and its susceptibility and resilience under the influence of both human activities and natural causes. Analysis in this study indicates that water environment in a humid and intensive human activity area such as Southern China is more vulnerable to water quality than to water quantity. The vulnerability of water environment is the key element of water security in these regions. This study provided a new approach to quantify the vulnerability of surface water environment in humid areas through a case study in Southern China. Taking the pollution of water environment as an input-output process, the classic Data Envelopment Analysis method (DEA) which has often been used in the management science, was introduced to establish an evaluation model to access the vulnerability of surface water environment. The analysis results for the 7 water resources districts in the Pearl River Basin of China using the SEA method showed that majority of these water resources districts have abundant water resources, greater carrying capacity, and less vulnerable to shortage of water resources and contamination of water environment.
The present work reports Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of an impinging round jet onto a rotating heated disk in a confined rotor-stator cavity. The geometrical characteristics of the system correspond to the experimental set-up developed by u. Pelle and S. Harmand. Heat transfer study in a rotor-stator system air-gap with an axial inflow. Applied Thermal Engineering, 29:1532-1543, 2009.]. The aspect ratio of the cavity G = h/R-d between the interdisk spacing h and the rotor radius R-d is fixed to 0.02 corresponding to a narrow-gap cavity. The axial Reynolds number Red based on the jet characteristics is also fixed to Re-j = 5300, while the rotational Reynolds number Re-Omega may vary to preserve the swirl parameter N proportional to Re(Omega)dRe(j) (0 <= N= 1.237, centrifugal effects at the rotor periphery are balanced by a centripetal flow along the stator. Some spiral patterns develop then in the stator boundary layer corresponding to the SRIII instability of [L. Schouveiler, P. Le Gal, and M. P. Chauve. Instabilities of the flow between a rotating and a stationary disk. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 443:329-350, 2001.] in an enclosed cavity. The numerical results are found to agree particularly well with the experimental data in terms of the distribution of the local Nusselt number along the rotor. Finally, a correlation for its averaged value is proposed according to the swirl parameter. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The l(1)-optimal digital autopilot needed to control of the roll for an aircraft under an arbitrary unmeasured disturbances is addressed in this paper. This autopilot has to achieve a desired lateral motion control via minimizing the upper bound on the absolute value of the difference between the given and true roll angles. It is ensured by means of the two digital l(1)-optimal controllers of PI type The main result consists in establishing the fact that this controller can be robust in the presence of parametric and nonparametric uncertainties.
The design of a 6-pole inner-rotor permanent magnet synchronous machine with buried V-shaped NdFeB-magnets for a power of 24 kW (contin.), 48 kW (short-term overload) at , with a maximum speed , is described for the use in a medium-sized hybrid-electric car with double-E-drive and range extender. Based on the specifications of this vehicle with a two-stage transmission and two identical electrical machines, one of these synchronous machines is designed electromagnetically, mechanically and thermally for a high power-to-weight ratio via an intensified liquid jacket cooling. This led to the construction of a prototype machine, which was thoroughly tested. The test results at no-load and load conditions are discussed. The effectiveness of the chosen cooling system is verified by temperature measurements; the tests show that the prototype machine has a certain reserve, so that the final machine design can be done cheaper and more compact.
Tropical herbivorous insects are astonishingly diverse, and many are highly host-specific. Much evidence suggests that herbivorous insect diversity is a function of host plant diversity; yet, the diversity of some lineages exceeds the diversity of plants. Although most species of herbivorous fruit flies in the Neotropical genus Blepharoneura are strongly host-specific (they deposit their eggs in a single host plant species and flower sex), some species are collected from multiple hosts or flowers and these may represent examples of lineages that are diversifying via changes in host use. Here, we investigate patterns of diversification within six geographically widespread Blepharoneura species that have been collected and reared from at least two host plant species or host plant parts. We use microsatellites to (1) test for evidence of local genetic differentiation associated with different sympatric hosts (different plant species or flower sexes) and (2) examine geographic patterns of genetic differentiation across multiple South American collection sites. In four of the six fly species, we find evidence of local genetic differences between flies collected from different hosts. All six species show evidence of geographic structure, with consistent differences between flies collected in the Guiana Shield and flies collected in Amazonia. Continent-wide analyses reveal - in all but one instance - that genetically differentiated flies collected in sympatry from different host species or different sex flowers are not one another's closest relatives, indicating that genetic differences often arise in allopatry before, or at least coincident with, the evolution of novel host use.
This chapter integrates literature on both expectations toward and perceptions of media. The author argues that those expectations and perceptions are important explanatory variables for the selection and effects of media. The chapter brings together ideas from the uses-and-gratifications tradition, from research on hostile media and third person perceptions, and from media credibility research in a model of the uses and perceptions of media. In the model audience perceptions are introduced as important antecedents of media use as well as of future expectations toward media. The chapter emphasizes the importance of media perceptions as their effects are not limited to an attitudinal level, but also regard political participation, voting and other behavioral responses. The chapter concludes with a call for more scholarly efforts linking uses and perceptions of media in political communication research.
Conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to electricity using fuel cell technologies is a promising but challenging research topic for sustainable electricity production. This is because that lignocellulosic biomass generally cannot be directly used as a fuel for electricity generation in a conventional fuel cell with high efficiency. Typical fuel cells that can convert lignocellulosic biomass to electricity under mild conditions (< 100 degrees C) include microbial fuel cells (MFC) and novel direct biomass fuel cells (DBFC) such as that mediated by polyoxo-metalates (POMs) developed recently. However, the efficiency and power output for these low-temperature fuel cells still need to be improved for practical applications. In this review, we focus on the research advances of electricity generation in fuel cells that can be operated at low temperatures. More specifically, we discussed the progress, challenge and perspectives of biomass-fueled MFCs. Recent interesting researches on DBFC were also highlighted in terms of the efficiency, principles, and technological obstacles. As concluded in this work, lignocellulosic biomass is a promising feedstock for fuel cells because it is renewable, carbon neutral, and sustainable. However, the power density of lignocelluose-fueled MFC are usually far below that required for commercial applications. Improving fermentable sugar release from lignocellulosic biomass and increasing the cell output power are the main research points. DBFC can obtain a high theoretical exergy recovery; however, it is still in its early stage of development with low efficiency. More research should be focused on the electrode development, cell design, parameter optimization, process integration, as well as understanding fundamental process mechanisms.
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a reproductive and developmental toxicant in animals and a suspected endocrine modulator in humans. There is widespread exposure to DEHP in the general population. Patients can be additionally exposed through DEHP-containing medical devices. Toxicokinetic and metabolic knowledge on DEHP in humans is vital not only for the toxicological evaluation of DEHP but also for exposure assessments based on human biomonitoring data. Secondary oxidized DEHP metabolites like mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (5OH-MEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)phthalate (5oxo-MEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl)phthalate (5cx-MEPP) and mono-[2-(carboxymethyl)hexyl]phthalate (2cx-MMHP) are most valuable biomarkers of DEHP exposure. They represent the major share of DEHP metabolites excreted in urine (about 70% for these four oxidized metabolites vs. about 6% for MEHP); they are immune to external contamination and possibly the ultimate developmental toxicants. Long half-times of elimination make 5cx-MEPP and 2cx-MMHP excellent parameters to measure the time-weighted body burden to DEHP. 5OH-MEHP and 5oxo-MEHP more reflect the short-term exposure. We calculated the daily DEHP intake for the general population (n = 85) and for children (n = 254). Children were significantly higher exposed to DEHP than adults. Exposures at the 95th percentile (21 and 25 mu g/kg/day, respectively) scooped out limit values like the Reference Dose (RfD, 20 mu g/kg/day) and the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI, 20-48 mu g/kg/day) to a considerable degree. Up to 20-fold oversteppings for some children give cause for concern. We also detected significant DEHP exposures for voluntary platelet donors (n = 12, 38 mu g/kg/apheresis, dual-needle technique). Premature neonates (n = 45) were exposed to DEHP up to 100 times above the limit values depending on the intensity of medical care (median: 42 mu g/kg/day; 95th percentile: 1780 mu g/kg/day).
Rosacea is a chronic cutaneous inflammatory disease that affects the facial skin. Clinically, rosacea can be categorized into papulopustular, erythematotelangiectatic, ocular, and phymatous rosacea. However, the phenotypic presentations of rosacea are more heterogeneous. Although the pathophysiology of rosacea remains to be elucidated, immunologic alterations and neurovascular dysregulation are thought to have important roles in initiating and strengthening the clinical manifestations of rosacea. In this article, we present the possible molecular mechanisms of rosacea based on recent laboratory and clinical studies. We describe the genetic predisposition for rosacea along with its associated diseases, triggering factors, and suggested management options in detail based on the underlying molecular biology. Understanding the molecular pathomechanisms of rosacea will likely aid toward better comprehending its complex pathogenesis.
The objective of this study was to examine whether mother, father, and closest grandparent involvement are associated with South African adolescents' mental health (internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial behavior) and substance use. A sample of 512 Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners in Cape Town (M age = 14 years) completed a structured survey. Of the participants, 57% were female, and 85% identified themselves as colored (mixed race). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, indicated that mother and father involvement were negatively associated with adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas mother and closest grandparent involvement were positively associated with prosocial behavior. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that parent involvement was negatively associated with past-month cigarette use, but not with past-month alcohol or past-year marijuana use. The findings suggest the importance of considering parents and grandparents in interventions to promote adolescent mental health.
ObjectivesTo understand the range of symptoms that present to family caregivers of community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). DesignSix-month longitudinal prospective study to identify the incidence of new or worsening symptoms and their association with acute care medical service use. SettingCommunity-based sample of volunteers from multiple states. ParticipantsA total of 136 patient-caregiver dyads with a range of dementia severity. MeasurementsForty four symptoms and signs common in older persons and/or persons with dementia; frequency of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and death; and associations between reported symptoms and acute medical care. ResultsDuring a mean of 5.7 months' follow-up, new or worsening organ-specific (90% of participants), nonspecific (89%), and behavioral (88%) symptoms were common, with the average caregiver reporting seven new or worsening symptoms. Most common were worsening confusion (74%), decreased activity (64%), agitation (57%), hallucinations/delusions (45%), voice and speaking problems (45%), not eating or drinking (44%), and stress/anxiety (41%). Hospitalization and emergency department use occurred respectively in 19% and 20% of participants, and were associated with organ-specific symptoms (OR 3.15, P = .02), less so with nonspecific symptoms (OR 2.27, P = .07), and very little with behavioral symptoms (OR 1.44, P = .38). Within each symptom category, certain symptoms were significantly associated with acute medical service use. ConclusionFamily caregivers of persons with ADRD must respond to a variety of medical, nonspecific, and behavioral symptoms. The high incidence of new or worsening symptoms and of acute medical care use suggests a need to better target symptom evaluation and management in caregiver education.
With the development of power electronic technology, the control technology of power electronic device is becoming more and more complicated. The switching power supply is a indispensable component in modern power electronic equipment. Its quality and size have a direct impact on the whole performance of electronic equipment. Digital control technology and the applications of FPGA have become a new research hotspot in the field of power electronics. Digital control can reduce the aging of the device and the impact of temperature drift on the accuracy of the convenient. This paper studies the digital switching power supply based on FPGA and points out the system structure of the system.
As the prevalence of social media on the Internet, opinion mining has become an essential approach to analyzing so many data. Various applications appear in a wide range of industrial domains. Meanwhile, opinions have diverse expressions which bring along research challenges. Both of the practical demands and research challenges make opinion mining an active research area in recent years. In this paper, we present a review of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques for opinion mining. First, we introduce general NLP techniques which are required for text preprocessing. Second, we investigate the approaches of opinion mining for different levels and situations. Then we introduce comparative opinion mining and deep learning approaches for opinion mining. Opinion summarization and advanced topics are introduced later. Finally, we discuss some challenges and open problems related to opinion mining. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent years have seen a growing interest in more distributed approaches towards stormwater management, often integrated with other forms of distributed management of urban water such as water demand management technologies. This paper focuses on the role of green roofs (GR), rainwater harvesting (RWH) and greywater reuse and their integration at the building level. A number of models were developed to simulate these systems, and provide design curves able to simultaneously minimise both total runoff volumes and the amount of potable water used in the building (for irrigation and toilet flushing). The models developed were applied to the design of stormwater infrastructure for the building of the National Gallery, in Athens, Greece. A sensitivity analysis of various model parameters was conducted, with results suggesting, inter alia: (i) a significant decrease of total runoff volumes for rainfalls of medium-to-small return periods; (ii) a significant influence of the plant factor on water requirements (with implications for selecting vegetation for GR in a Mediterranean climate); and (iii) a significant impact of latent heat peaking during the months of June and July. The trade-off, on runoff volumes, between percentage of green roof area and the dimensions of the water storage tank was also investigated. The results suggest that the most preferable solution for conserving potable water was RWH combined with greywater recycling, while for runoff minimisation the best option was the combination of green roof and greywater recycling.
Purpose of review ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) has re-emerged as a drug target for LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering. We review ACLY as a therapeutic strategy, its genetics, its molecular and cellular biology, and also its inhibition. Recent findings ACLY is a critical enzyme linking glucose catabolism to lipogenesis by providing acetyl-CoA from mitochondrial citrate for fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. Human genetic variants have been associated with enhanced growth and survival of several cancers, and with attenuated plasma triglyceride responses to dietary fish oil. In mice, liver-specific Acly deficiency protects from hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia, whereas adipose tissue-specific Acly deletion has no phenotype, supporting therapeutic inhibition of ACLY. A lipid-regulating compound, bempedoic acid, was discovered to potently inhibit ACLY, and in animal models, it prevents dyslipidemia and attenuates atherosclerosis. Phase 2 clinical trials revealed that bempedoic acid effectively lowers LDL-C as monotherapy, combined with ezetimibe, added to statin therapy and in statin-intolerant hypercholesterolemic patients. Summary The efficacy of bempedoic acid as an LDL-C-lowering agent has validated ACLY inhibition as a therapeutic strategy. Positive results of phase 3 patient studies, together with long-term cardiovascular disease outcome trials, are required to establish ACLY as a major new target in cardiovascular medicine.
This paper examines the impact of nonverbal expressions of power by organizational spokespersons during different crisis stages. Study 1 investigates how vocal nonverbal cues express power during crises and how this affects perceptions of spokespersons. The results illustrate that a spokesperson who speaks with a lowered voice pitch, which expresses power, appears more competent than one with a raised voice pitch. Study 2 examines the moderating influence of crisis stage on the impact of visual nonverbal cues. During a crisis, powerful nonverbal behaviors minimize reputational damage through an increase in perceived competence of the spokesperson. In the aftermath of a crisis, powerless nonverbal behaviors positively affect the organizational reputation through an intermediate effect on perceived sincerity of the spokesperson.
This paper highlights a magnetic equivalent circuit model for wound rotor synchronous machine design. The model includes provisions to calculate the performance of machines with an arbitrary number of damper windings in either the q- or d- axis. The computational cost of the model is considered on several modern computing platforms. Its use within design allows for a comprehensive, accurate exploration of a design space on a timeline that is consistent with most commercial product development.
We propose a framework for understanding the multimodal joint work of turn construction in face-to-face interaction. Using concepts from conversation analysis, nonverbal communication, and gesture studies, in a qualitative analysis of face-to-face interaction, we observe that, collaboratively and in a joint work, participants produce moves, within the current-speaker's turn, that allow them to deal with possible moves that could compromise the projectable trajectory of the interaction in progress. Working at the micro level of interaction, we propose a framework that will allows a better understanding of how a turn can be collaboratively produced and how other levels of sequence organization can be produced in order to achieve the desired social-agreement outcome. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Due to the increasing adoption of immediate implantation strategies and the rapid development of the computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing technology, a therapeutic concept based on patient-specific implant dentistry has recently been reintroduced by many researchers. However, little information is available on the designs of custom-made dental implant systems, especially their biomechanical behavior. The influence of the custom-made implant designs on the biomechanical performance for both an immediate and a delayed loading protocol in the maxillary esthetic zone was evaluated by means of the finite element (FE) method. FE models of three dental implants were considered: a state of the art cylindrical implant and two custom-made implants designed by reverse engineering technology, namely a root-analogue implant and a root-analogue threaded implant. The von Mises stress distributions and micro-motions around the bone-implant interfaces were calculated using ANSYS software. In a comparison of the three implant designs for both loading protocols, a favorable biomechanical performance was observed for the use of root-analogue threaded implant which approximated the geometry of natural anterior tooth and maintained the original long-axis. The results indicated that bone-implant interfacial micro-motion was reduced and a favorable stress distribution after osseointegration was achieved.
Inspired by sociolinguistic scholarship, this study examines the influence of linguistic vitality, the social health of a language, on perceived in-group threat and out-group attitudes. Using an experimental design that manipulated perceptions of the linguistic vitality of French in Quebec, this study sought to ascertain the causal role of linguistic vitality on intergroup attitudes. The results demonstrate that the type of information, positive or negative, about linguistic vitality influences perceptions of threat towards a language. However, results about linguistic vitality information's impact on out-group attitudes, support for independence and subjective identity revealed inter-individual heterogeneity.
Does ongoing exposure to political violence prompt subject groups to support or oppose compromise in situations of intractable conflict? If so, what is the mechanism underlying these processes? Political scholarship neither offers conclusive arguments nor sufficiently addresses individual-level forms of exposure to violence in the context of political conflict, particularly the factors mediating political outcomes. We address this by looking at the impact of exposure to political violence, psychological distress, perceived threat, and ethos of conflict on support for political compromise. A mediated model is hypothesized whereby exposure to political violence provokes support for the ethos of conflict and hinders support for compromise through perceived psychological distress and perceived national threat. We examined representative samples of two parties to the same conflict: Israelis (N = 781) and Palestinians from Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank (N = 1,196). The study's main conclusion is that ethos of conflict serves as a mediating variable in the relationship between exposure to violence and attitudes toward peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The mesochronic velocity is the average of the velocity field along trajectories generated by the same velocity field over a time interval of finite duration. In this paper we classify initial conditions of trajectories evolving in incompressible vector fields according to the character of motion of material around the trajectory. In particular, we provide calculations that can be used to determine the number of expanding directions and the presence of rotation from the characteristic polynomial of the Jacobian matrix of mesochronic velocity. In doing so, we show that (a) the mesochronic velocity can be used to characterize dynamical deformation of three-dimensional volumes, (b) the resulting mesochronic analysis is a finite-time extension of the Okubo-Weiss-Chong analysis of incompressible velocity fields, (c) the two-dimensional mesochronic analysis from Mezic et al. A New Mixing Diagnostic and Gulf Oil Spill Movement, Science 330, (2010), 486-489, extends to three-dimensional state spaces. Theoretical considerations are further supported by numerical computations performed for a dynamical system arising in fluid mechanics, the unsteady Arnold{Beltrami{Childress (ABC) flow.
The innovation of present drug design focuses on new targets. However, compound efficacy and safety in human metabolism, including toxicity and pharmacokinetic profiles, but not target selection, are the criteria that determine which drug candidates enter the clinic. Systems biology approaches to disease are developed from the idea that disease-perturbed regulatory networks differ from their normal counterparts. Microarray data analyses reveal global changes in gene or protein expression in response to genetic and environmental changes and, accordingly, are well suited to construct the normal, disease-perturbed and drug-affected networks, which are useful for drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. The integration of modelling, microarray data and systems biology approaches will allow for a true breakthrough in in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity assessment in drug design. Therefore, drug discovery through systems biology by means of microarray analyses could significantly reduce the time and cost of new drug development.
Synadenium grantii is frequently used for the treatment of various diseases such as allergies, gastric disorders, and especially cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible antiproliferative potential of the methanol extract, fractions, and pure compounds from the stems of S grantii. Phytochemical analysis was carried out by conventional chromatographic techniques, and the antiproliferative activity was analyzed using the sulforhodamine B assay and an MTT-based assay. Nonpolar fraction and its subfractions from the stems of S grantii exhibited promising cytostatic effect against several human tumor cell lines (glioma, breast, kidney, and lung), with total grown inhibition values ranging from 0.37 to 2.9 g/mL. One of the active principles of this plant was identified as a rare phorbol diterpene ester, denoted as 3,4,12,13-tetraacetylphorbol-20-phenylacetate. This compound demonstrated antiproliferative activity against glioma, kidney, lung, and triple-negative breast cancer cell lines. These results demonstrate that S grantii stems produce active principles with relevant antiproliferative potential.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection of humans represents a complex biological system and a great challenge to public health. Novel approaches for the analysis and prediction of the infection dynamics based on a multi-scale integration of virus ontogeny and immune reactions are needed to deal with the systems' complexity. The aim of our study is: (1) to formulate a multi-scale mathematical model of HIV infection; (2) to implement the model computationally following a hybrid approach; and (3) to calibrate the model by estimating the parameter values enabling one to reproduce the standard observed dynamics of HIV infection in blood during the acute phase of primary infection. The modeling approach integrates the processes of infection spread and immune responses in Lymph Nodes (LN) to that observed in blood. The spatio-temporal population dynamics of T lymphocytes in LN in response to HIV infection is governed by equations linking an intracellular regulation of the lymphocyte fate by intercellular cytokine fields. We describe the balance of proliferation, differentiation and death at a single cell level as a consequence of gene activation via multiple signaling pathways activated by IL-2, IFNa and FasL. Distinct activation thresholds are used in the model to relate different modes of cellular responses to the hierarchy of the relative levels of the cytokines. We specify a reference set of model parameter values for the fundamental processes in lymph nodes that ensures a reasonable agreement with viral load and CD4(+) T cell dynamics in blood.
Aim: To map health-related quality of life (Qol) with clinical parameters BASFI and ASDAS-CRP measure, and other covariates.Methods: Our prospective multicenter non-interventional observation study of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) collected data about QoL and clinical outcomes on the initial and four subsequent visits. We employed simple linear regression analysis of a cross-sectional dataset, and fixed effect, random effect and pooled linear regression of a longitudinal dataset.Results: We showed that BASFI and ASDAS-CRP are very strong, robust predictors of EQ-5D utilities in all regression specifications together with sex (female), invalidity, and activity impairment. Additionally, the longitudinal regression analysis showed that a fixed effect model may be a viable alternative to the most commonly used random effect model or pooled linear regression due to the nature of our dataset.Conclusion: This is one of the first studies using a fixed effect model in longitudinal patient-level data, although, this method has been widely used in economics.
Wear resistance is an important rubber compound property related to useful product life. The rubber compound properties that affect wear behavior are very complicated. Wear is related to a rubber compound's cut resistance, tear resistance, fatigue resistance hardness, etc. The most commonly used test method to determine the wear resistance of rubber materials is abrasion test. Tested compounds are usually compared on a volume loss basis which is calculated from the weight loss and density of the compound. This method is known to be variable and doesn't give additional information for the wear behavior. For this reason we propose alternative approaches for examination of the wear behavior of rubber composites, giving information not only for the wear resistance but also for elastic the modulus, stiffness of the material, damage mechanism, etc. Continuous multi-cycle indentation is used to determine the indentation hardness, elastic modulus and the stiffness with two indenter types - Vickers and sphero-conical. Comparison of both results is made in order to investigate the effect of the indenter type.
The involvement of mitochondrial content, structure and function as well as of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) in cell biology, by participating in the main processes occurring in the cells, has been a topic of intense interest for many years. More specifically, the progressive accumulation of variations in mtDNA of post-mitotic tissues represents a major contributing factor to both physiological and pathological phenotypes. Recently, an epigenetic overlay on mtDNA genetics is emerging, as demonstrated by the implication of the mitochondrial genome in the regulation of the intracellular epigenetic landscape being itself object of epigenetic modifications. Indeed, in vitro and population studies strongly suggest that, similarly to nuclear DNA, also mtDNA is subject to methylation and hydroxymethylation. It follows that the mitochondrial-nucleus cross talk and mitochondrial retrograde signaling in cellular properties require a concerted functional cooperation between genetic and epigenetic changes. The present paper aims to review the current advances in mitochondrial epigenetics studies and the increasing indication of mtDNA methylation status as an attractive biomarker for peculiar pathological phenotypes and environmental exposure.
Generally, roofs are the best candidates for rainwater harvesting. In this context, the correct evaluation of the quantity and quality of runoff from roofs is essential to effectively design rainwater harvesting systems. This study aims to evaluate the performance of a kinematic wave based numerical model in simulating runoff on sloping roofs, by comparing the numerical results with the ones obtained from laboratory rainfall simulations on a real-scale Lusa ceramic tile roof. For all studied slopes, simulated discharge hydrographs had a good adjust to observed ones. Coefficient of determination and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values were close to 1.0. Particularly, peak discharges, times to peak, peak durations and runoff volumes were very well simulated.
The extraction of molten iron and slag in the liquid phase from the lower part of a blast furnace (hearth) is usually accomplished according to operational experience and involves a high degree of uncertainty, mainly because the liquid level cannot be directly measured. This study presents a methodology for obtaining multistep models to forecast the hearth liquid level by measuring a voltage generated on the blast furnace shell, which is strongly correlated with the hearth liquid level. The results show that this electrical signal is a nonstationary and nonlinear time-series that, after appropriate treatment, can be represented by a time-delay neural network (TDNN) model. Some comparisons are made with linear time-series models represented by an autoregressive moving average model and a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model, and the results indicate that the TDNN model provides better forecasting performance up to one hour ahead. Note to Practitioners-This work was motivated by the need for better knowledge regarding the liquid level in a blast furnace hearth because this information affects the strategy of the opening and closing of tapholes in the blast furnace and, consequently, the production control and operational quality. Due to the difficulties of measuring the liquid level in the hearth directly, a system was installed that uses a voltage generated in the hearth shell as a liquid-level sensor in the hearth. In this study, the analysis and treatment of this signal is performed by achieving a stationary, nonlinear signal strongly correlated with the level of molten iron and slag inside the blast furnace hearth. A mathematical model that represents this signal was developed and implemented online in the blast furnace digital control system to enable forecasting of the liquid level up to one hour ahead. This computational tool aids operators and engineers in deciding in advance the instants to open or close the tapholes, thereby increasing safety and financial gains.
Absolutely secure communication should be implemented only through the 'one-time pad' proposed by Shannon, requires that physical random numbers with rates matched with the associated communication systems be used as secret keys. With the wide application of the WDM technology in optical communication, the single channel rate of the current digital communication system has exceeded 10 Gb/s and developed towards 100 Gb/s. To ensure the absolute security of such a large capacity communication, a large number of real-time, and secure random numbers are needed. Secure random numbers are commonly produced through utilizing physical random phenomena, called physical random number generators. However, conventional physical random number generators are limited by the low bandwidth of the applied entropy sources such as thermal noise, photon-counting and chaotic electrical circuits, and thus have typical low bit rates of the order of Mb/s. In recent years, chaotic lasers attracted wide attention due to their generation of secure, reliable and high-speed random number sequences, and so due to their coherent merits such as high bandwidth, large amplitude fluctuation and ease of integration. There have been lots of schemes based on laser chaos for high-speed random number generation, but most of them execute the random number extractions from the associated laser chaos in the electrical domain and thus their generation rates are faced with the well-known 'electrical bottleneck'. On the other hand, all-optical random number generation (AO-RNG) methods are all signal processes in the optical domain, so they can efficiently overcome this rate limitation and have a great potential in generating ultrafast random numbers of several dozens or hundreds of Gb/s. However, there is no experimental report on its realization of AO-RNG. One of the obstacles in the way for the AO-RNG achievement is to implement the fast and real-time all-optical sampling of the entropy signals (i.e., laser chaos). In this paper, we present a principal experimental demonstration of the feasibility in the all-optical sampling of the chaotic light signal through constructing a TOAD-based all-optical sampler with a polarization-independent semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). Specifically, we experimentally generate chaotic laser signals using an optical feedback semiconductor laser and finally complete a 5 GSa/s real-time and high-fidelity all-optical sampling of the chaotic laser with a bandwidth of 6.4 GHz. Further experimental results show that whether the optical sampling period is proportional to the external cavity feedback time or not has a great effect on the weak periodic suppression of the chaotic signal: only when both of them are out of proportion, can the weak periodicity of the original chaotic signal be effectively eliminated; and this is favorable for the generation of high-quality physical random numbers. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to realize all-optical sampling of chaotic signal in experiments.
Does considering one's past prosociality affect future behavior? Prior research has revealed instances in which adults engage in additional prosocial behavior moral reinforcement-as well as instances in which adults, engage in worse behavior-moral licensing. The current study examined the developmental origins of these effects by testing whether 6- to 8-year-old children (N = 225) are more or less generous after recalling their own good deeds. Children were asked to recount a time when they were nice, were mean, or watched a movie. Children behaved more generously after recalling a time when they were nice. We show that this boost in generosity was not simply the result of instructing children to consider nice behavior; children's giving did not increase after recalling others' good deeds. We also show that, even after recounting multiple instances of their past goodness, children continue to behave more generously. These findings suggest that doing good leads to more good in children. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study aimed to provide a reliable instrument for evaluating the physicians' communication behaviors and to find out what communication behaviors could elicit patient trust. Questionnaires were distributed to patients and they were asked to evaluate the physician's communication behaviors he/she just visited and his/her level of trust in the physician. Through factor analysis, a three-factor physician communication behavior scale with good internal consistency was provided. The three factors were respect and caring, competence and thoroughness, patience and honesty. Through correlation analysis, all the behaviors identified in the scale were significantly associated with patient trust. Physicians' behaviors related to competence and thoroughness were regarded as most important to patient trust. Privacy, eye contact and necessary tests and procedures were not considered very important. Moreover, within different gender groups and age groups, patients' opinions about what behaviors had the strongest (least) association with patient trust were a little bit different.
Socio-motor improvisation is defined as the creative action of two or more people without a script or anticipated preparation. It is evaluated through two main parameters: movement synchronization and movement richness. Experts in art (e.g., dance, theater or music) are known to exhibit higher synchronization and to perform richer movements during interpersonal improvisation, but how these competences evolve over time is largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether performing more synchronized and richer movements over time can promote the acquisition of improvisation. Pairs of novice participants were instructed to play an improvisation mirror game in three different sessions. Between sessions, they performed an unintended interpersonal coordination task in which synchronization and richness were manipulated, resulting in four different groups of dyads. Our results demonstrate that synchronization during improvisation improved for all groups whereas movement richness only enhanced for dyads that performed synchronized movements during unintended coordination tasks. Our findings suggest that movement synchrony contributes more than movement richness to the acquisition of socio-motor improvisation in the mirror game. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Japan's rapidly aging populace and its accompanying demographic, social, and economic problems are forcing a gradual opening to increased immigration. This paper consequently considers what factors influence public opinion toward immigration in Japan, using multilevel statistical modeling to test hypotheses regarding economic threat, cultural threat, contact, and salience of change.
Incremental sheet forming (ISF) is a recently developed manufacturing technique. In ISF, forming is done by applying deformation force through the motion of Numerically controlled (NC) single point forming tool on the clamped sheet metal blank. Single Point Incremental sheet forming (SPISF) is also known as a die-less forming process because no die is required to fabricate any component by using this process. Now a day it is widely accepted for rapid manufacturing of sheet metal components. The formability of SPISF process improves by adding some intermediate stages into it, which is known as Multi-stage SPISF (MSPISF) process. However during forming in MSPISF process because of intermediate stages stepped features are generated. This paper investigates the generation of stepped features with simulation and experimental results. An effective MSPISF strategy is proposed to remove or eliminate this generated undesirable stepped features.
This paper presents a proof of concept from which the metaphor of fair trade is validated as an alternative to manage the private information of users. Our privacy solution deals with user's privacy as a tradable good for obtaining environmental services. Thus, users gain access to more valuable services as they share more personal information. This strategy, combined with optimistic access control and transaction registry mechanisms, enhances users' confidence in the system while encouraging them to share their information, with the consequent benefit for the community. The study results are promising considering the user responses regarding the usefulness, ease of use, information classification and perception of control with the mechanisms proposed by the metaphor.
The Mertz Glacier Tongue (MGT) in East Antarctica has been studied since 1911. Early expeditions produced maps using ground or ship-based observations followed later by vertical and/or oblique aerial photography from aircraft. In the modern era, extensive digital satellite imagery is available which has also been supplemented by the resurrection and scanning of some historic U.S., now 'declassified', film-based satellite images. Much of the MGT became detached and drifted away following the collision by the B-9B iceberg in February 2010 and a similar sequence, or extension-detachment cycle, must have occurred some-time after Mawson's 1911-1914 observations. All the available information on the position, shape or appearance of the MGT has been re-examined in an attempt to comprehensively study its past, present and possible future motion. Feature tracking cross correlation methods have been applied for suitably detailed image pairs to accurately measure the MGT advance velocity. The derived mean rate for 1947-2010 is 1180 +/- 14 m y(-1) with an accompanying ice-front loss rate of similar to 190 m y(-1). A simple model for the MGT exhibits a similar to 73 year quasi-periodic cycle of rebirth, growth and demise which will affect the volume of bottom water produced in the nearby polynya. Some evidence for this cyclic oceanographic change has recently been reported from regional sediment data. Somewhat speculatively, the model suggests a date of similar to 1937 for the previous MGT break-off and around or before similar to 2083 for the next. With the MGT being primed to brealc-off every similar to 73 years, the precise date being governed by unpredictable external events such as collisions by large icebergs, such cycles have probably occurred for many thousands of years. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The thermal-hydraulic response of large dry pressurized water reactor containments under loss-of-coolant-accident conditions-particularly with respect to containment pressure and sump pool temperature-is crucial for risk-informed decision making about Generic Safety Issue 191. Texas A& M University has developed models with several computer codes including MELCOR and GOTHIC to model such scenarios. MELCOR is a best-estimate thermal-hydraulic and severe accident code created and actively maintained by Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. GOTHIC is a thermal-hydraulic software package meant for design, licensing, and safety calculations for, among other systems, nuclear power plant containments. It was developed and is maintained by Numerical Applications Inc. for the Electronic Power Research Institute. The overarching goal of the analyses presented here is twofold: (1) produce best-estimate time profiles of sump pool temperature under double-ended guillotine-break conditions with MELCOR and GOTHIC and (2) investigate differences between the MELCOR and GOTHIC code results via a sensitivity study. The sump pool temperature was selected as a key parameter to compare because it has direct implications for sump pool chemistry, residual heat removal during recirculation, and pressure drop across sump screens. Aspects of the MELCOR and GOTHIC modeling strategies are discussed, and best estimates of the containment thermal-hydraulic response are presented. There are significant disagreements between code predictions. Hypotheses to explain the differences are tested through a comparative code sensitivity study. In this context, sensitivity refers to how containment thermal hydraulics respond to differences in code inputs or code phenomenological models. Sensitivity calculations are performed to exclude, individually, the model effects on comparative thermal-hydraulic responses of containment fan coolers, containment sprays, thermal surface condensation/films, and break source definition. Calculations are also performed with multiple models excluded. Using containment sump pool temperature as an indicator, the most impactful physics in terms of code agreement are those of thermal surfaces (condensation, film phenomena) whereas fan cooler models have a minimal effect. Containment spray exclusion results in disagreement in parts of the event sequence, while break source definition and/or break effluent flashing models lead to disagreement.
Central to the basis of ecological immunology are the ideas of costs and trade-offs between immunity and life history traits. As a physical barrier, the insect cuticle provides a key resistance trait, and Tenebrio molitor shows phenotypic variation in cuticular colour that correlates with resistance to the ento-mopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. Here we first examined whether there is a relationship between cuticular colour variation and two aspects of cuticular architecture that we hypothesised may influence resistance to fungal invasion through the cuticle: its thickness and its porosity. Second, we tested the hypothesis that tyrosine, a semi-essential amino acid required for immune defence and cuticular melanisation and sclerotisation, can act as a limiting resource by supplementing the larval diet and subsequently examining adult cuticular colouration and thickness. We found that stock beetles and beetles artificially selected for extremes of cuticular colour had thicker less porous cuticles when they were darker, and thinner more porous cuticles when they were lighter, showing that colour co-varies with two architectural cuticular features. Experimental supplementation of the larval diet with tyrosine led to the development of darker adult cuticle and affected thickness in a sex-specific manner. However, it did not affect two immune traits. The results of this study provide a mechanism for maintenance of cuticular colour variation in this species of beetle; darker cuticles are thicker, but their production is potentially limited by resource constraints and differential investments in resistance mechanisms between the sexes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) has been commonly recognized as a downstream site in neural networks for the expression of a variety of behaviors and is thought to provide stereotyped responses. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that the PAG may exert more complex modulation of a number of behavioral responses and work as a unique hub supplying primal emotional tone to influence prosencephalic sites mediating complex aversive and appetitive responses. Of particular relevance, we review how the PAG is involved in influencing complex forms of defensive responses, such as circa-strike and risk assessment responses in animals. In addition, we discuss putative dorsal PAG ascending paths that are likely to convey information related to threatening events to cortico-hippocampal-amygdalar circuits involved in the processing of fear learning. Finally, we discuss the evidence supporting the role of the PAG in reward seeking and note that the lateral PAG is part of the circuitry related to goal-oriented responses mediating the motivation to hunt and perhaps drug seeking behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Iraq is experiencing water-resource shortages which are expected to become more severe in the future. It is believed that rainwater harvesting will be one of the solutions to overcome this problem. In this paper, rainwater harvest modeling techniques were applied to the Sinjar area of northwest Iraq for agricultural purposes. A watershed modeling system (WMS) and linear programming (LP) optimization techniques were applied to maximize the irrigated area, which could be supplied by each selected reservoir for the period 1990-2009. This technique proved to be efficient for solving large-scale water supply problems with multiple parameters and constraints, including the required input data for the model. Two scenarios of operation were considered for each main basin. In the first, each reservoir was operated as a separate unit while, in the second, all reservoirs within the basin were operated as one system. Both scenarios gave encouraging results but Scenario 2 provided better results.
Bycatch mortality is a significant driver of marine mammal population declines. However, there is little information available on patterns or magnitude of bycatch mortality in many heavily fished Asian marine systems such as the South China Sea (SCS). To address this limited knowledge base, we conducted interviews with fishers to gather local ecological knowledge on marine mammal bycatch around Hainan Island, China. Gillnets were the primary fishing gear used in local fisheries, and were also responsible for the majority of reported marine mammal bycatch events in recent decades. Bycatch events were reported from all seasons but were most frequent in spring (38.4%), which might relate to seasonal variation in fishing activities. The spatial pattern of relative bycatch densities for Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Indo-Pacific finless porpoises and unidentified small dolphins varied around Hainan and neighbouring waters. A substantial proportion of informants (36.1 and 9.2% respectively) reported that they have eaten or sold marine mammal meat, demonstrating the continued existence of cultural practices of consuming marine mammals on Hainan. Responses of fishers to bycatch events were dependent both on their existing attitudes and perceptions towards marine mammals and on other sociocultural factors. Almost half of informants agreed that marine mammal populations in the SCS have decreased. Declines were thought by informants to have been caused by overfishing, water pollution and vessel collisions, with bycatch responsible for further declines in dolphins.
Joint industry-academia projects with regional industry have influenced creation of Florida's First Coast Manufacturing Innovation Partnership. The development of the collaboration has the primary goals of project-centered innovations for technology transfer, training the regional workforce with relevance to industry, and sustainability of technology transfer through creation of high-technology jobs. By providing an experiential education in manufacturing systems automation and design in the undergraduate engineering curriculum, engineering students are better prepared upon entering the workforce. Initial projects leading to the development of the Manufacturing Innovation Partnerships are outlined, followed by the description of the structure to further expand the scope of experiential project-centered engineering education in design and manufacturing systems engineering.
A National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored project was initiated in 2011 at the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (MME), Miami University, with the aim of creating online learning modules to increase the efficacy of the coursework. The modules were designed to instil proficiency in computational and experimental analysis, and were grouped along five thematic lines in the form of subject studios. The modules contain multimedia content and are designed for use as supplementary course material, or independently by students in preparation for research tasks or review of specific concepts from prior courses. When used to augment existing courses, a salient feature of the modules is the ability to introduce lab/experiment derived content to lecture-only course formats. This has been found to be particularly effective in engaging students and enabling the introduction of new topics with minimal disruption to the existing daily syllabus of a course. The project's development and implementation phase will end mid-year. Since assessment and continuous improvement were integral parts of the project, this paper presents data from the two year assessment process and describes the changes to the project. The paper also includes a discussion of plans for expansion of modules and practices for keeping content current.
The social environment modulates gene expression, physiology, behaviour and patterns of inheritance. For more than 50 years, this concept has been investigated using approaches that include partitioning the social component out of behavioural heritability estimates, studying maternal effects on offspring, and analysing dominance hierarchies. Recent advances have formalized this 'social environment effect' by providing a more nuanced approach to the study of social influences on behaviour while recognizing evolutionary implications. Yet, in most of these formulations, the dynamics of social interactions are not accounted for. Also, the reciprocity between individual behaviour and group-level interactions has been largely ignored. Consistent with evolutionary theory, the principles of social interaction are conserved across a broad range of taxa. While noting parallels in diverse organisms, this review uses Drosophila melanogaster as a case study to revisit what is known about social interaction paradigms. We highlight the benefits of integrating the history and pattern of interactions among individuals for dissecting molecular mechanisms that underlie social modulation of behaviour.
Fatigue cracking is considered to be one of the main pathologies in asphalt pavements, contributing to the reduction of its service life and generating high costs as a consequence of more maintenance works. Because of the importance of road quality in society's economic development, techniques to avoid and reduce the adverse effects derived from cracking phenomena are necessary. For this purpose, this research focuses on the development of a sustainable and economic solution that uses reinforced polyethylene pond wastes as an antireflective cracking system placed between asphalt pavements layers. Three different pavement sections were studied in the laboratory: A reference one with no anticracking system; a pavement section with geotextile as the common anticracking system; and a similar one with reinforced polyethylene pond waste. The results obtained from the mechanical performance testing showed that this technique could provide an optimal solution to reduce the effect of this pathology, and to offer a new way to valorize these wastes. In addition, in comparison with the other solutions, reinforced polyethylene pond liners are more effective in reducing the propagation of cracks through the asphalt pavement.
Synthetic biology (or chemical biology) is a growing field to which the chemical synthesis of proteins, particularly enzymes, makes a fundamental contribution. However, the chemical synthesis of catalytically active proteins (enzymes) remains poorly documented because it is difficult to obtain enough material for biochemical experiments. We chose calstabin, a 107-amino-acid proline isomerase, as a model. We synthesized the enzyme using the native chemical ligation approach and obtained several tens of milligrams. The polypeptide was refolded properly, and we characterized its biophysical properties, measured its catalytic activity, and then crystallized it in order to obtain its tridimensional structure after X-ray diffraction. The refolded enzyme was compared to the recombinant, wild-type enzyme. In addition, as a first step of validating the whole process, we incorporated exotic amino acids into the N-terminus. Surprisingly, none of the changes altered the catalytic activities of the corresponding mutants. Using this body of techniques, avenues are now open to further obtain enzymes modified with exotic amino acids in a way that is only barely accessible by molecular biology, obtaining detailed information on the structure-function relationship of enzymes reachable by complete chemical synthesis.
The paper investigates the fundamental limits of communication over electrical multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) networks in which information transmission is associated to energy exchanges. We first develop the computation of the Shannon capacity of a MIMO, wideband, frequency-dependent, time-invariant channel. This gives us the fundamental equations linking the achievable bit-rate, the needed power and its distribution over the necessary bandwidth. Such equations are then specialized to a general cascade of electrical stages and further detailed to tackle the case of a specific lumped elements circuit. With reference to such a circuit the effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by addressing simple cases which highlight the role of different kinds of coupling between electrical paths. Finally, the case of transmission over intra-chip buses realized with a real-world silicon technology is addressed, for which the effect of massive parallelism is discussed.
The new stage of the development of space-borne information systems is the creation of the Global Earth Observation System. For the full functioning of such a system, it is necessary to provide the uniformity of measurements of all national systems as members of the global system, with high-quality measurement data. This requires the implementation of a high level of ground (prelaunch) calibration of Earth remote sensing instruments. To solve these problems, there were created calibration facilities on the basis of large vacuum chambers with vacuum reference radiation sources, including sources on the basis of black bodies with a wide aperture of 500 mm in the spectral range from 3 mu m to 14 mu m. Such a facility was created by FGUP VNIIOFI in cooperationwith FGUP TsNIIMash. The ground calibration of Earth remote sensing instruments is being carried out by using blackbody models as radiation sources with known spectral radiance. Facility for ground calibration of remote sensing devices on spectral radiance is based on the usage of a large-aperture blackbody (LABB) with 500 mm diameter and working temperature range from 213 K to 423 K, as a radiation source. This calibration setup comprises a set of reference blackbodies, such as a blackbody on the phase transition of Gallium, a variable-temperature blackbody with temperature range from 213 K to 423 K, a reference blackbody cooled with liquid nitrogen, and IR Fourier spectrometer utilized as a comparator to perform LABB calibration on spectral radiance. The second important characteristic of LABB is the uniformity of spectral radiance across the radiating aperture of this blackbody. The paper describes the device for measuring the spatial homogeneity of the radiation power of the LABB's radiating surface. This device is based on the use of two-color InSb-CdHgTe detector equipped with modulator and IR lens, which are mounted on a two-axis translation stage suitable for operation in vacuum and installed in the vacuum chamber against LABB. During the measurement of the radiation uniformity, the modulator sequentially sends probing radiation spot either from the LABB's surface or from the thermostatic radiation source to the detector input. The principle of operation of the device is described. The results of measurements of the radiation power homogeneity across the LABB's radiating aperture are presented in wide-temperature range.
With the popular use of high-resolution satellite images, more and more research efforts have been focused on land-use scene classification. In scene classification, effective visual features can significantly boost the final performance. As a typical texture descriptor, the census transform histogram (CENTRIST) has emerged as a very powerful tool due to its effective representation ability. However, the most prominent limitation of CENTRIST is its small spatial support area, which may not necessarily be adept at capturing the key texture characteristics. We propose an extended CENTRIST (eCENTRIST), which is made up of three subschemes in a greater neighborhood scale. The proposed eCENTRIST not only inherits the advantages of CENTRIST but also encodes the more useful information of local structures. Meanwhile, multichannel eCENTRIST, which can capture the interactions from multichannel images, is developed to obtain higher categorization accuracy rates. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve competitive performance when compared to state-of-the-art methods. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The objective of this study was to determine global gene expression in relation to Vestibular schwannomas (VS) growth rate and to identify signal transduction pathways and functional molecular networks associated with growth. Repeated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to surgery determined tumor growth rate. Following tissue sampling during surgery, mRNA was extracted from 16 sporadic VS. Double stranded cDNA was synthesized from the mRNA and used as template for in vitro transcription reaction to synthesize biotin-labeled antisense cRNA, which was hybridized to Affymetrix HG-U133A arrays and analyzed by dChip software. Differential gene expression was defined as a 1.5-fold difference between fast and slow growing tumors (>< 0.5 ccm/year), employing a p-value < 0.01. Deregulated transcripts were matched against established gene ontology. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used for identification of signal transduction pathways and functional molecular networks associated with tumor growth. In total 109 genes were deregulated in relation to tumor growth rate. Genes associated with apoptosis, growth and cell proliferation were deregulated. Gene ontology included regulation of the cell cycle, cell differentiation and proliferation, among other functions. Fourteen pathways were associated with tumor growth. Five functional molecular networks were generated. This first study on global gene expression in relation to vestibular schwannoma growth rate identified several genes, signal transduction pathways and functional networks associated with tumor progression. Specific genes involved in apoptosis, cell growth and proliferation were deregulated in fast growing tumors. Fourteen pathways were associated with tumor growth. Generated functional networks underlined the importance of the PI3K family, among others.
In recent years, much research has focused its attention on Ambient Intelligence (AmI). Its potential applications to smart homes, hospitals, health monitoring or daily life assistance make this paradigm a very promising field of research that can have a great and positive impact in our lives. The combination of AmI environments and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) has emerged as a perfect solution for the development of this kind of applications. However, there are many challenges to be addressed before such applications can be put into practice. In this paper, we propose an architecture based on MAS aimed to build rehabilitation systems for people with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and explain how this architecture has been applied for the development of Vi-SMARt: a system for defining and planning therapies for people with ABI, and to control and evaluate their rehabilitation process.
Despite improved quality of care for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, many still experience treatment failure with a biologic agent and eventually switch to another biologic agent. We investigated patterns of biologic treatment and reasons for switching biologics in patients with RA. Patients with RA who had started on a biologic agent or had switched to another biologic agent were identified from the prospective observational Korean nationwide Biologics (KOBIO) registry. The KOBIO registry contained 1184 patients with RA at the time of initiation or switching of biologic agents. Patients were categorized according to the chronological order of the introduction of biologic agents, and reasons for switching biologics were also evaluated. Of the 1184 patients with RA, 801 started with their first biologic agent, 228 were first-time switchers, and 89 were second-time or more switchers. Second-time or more switchers had lower rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP positivity, and higher disease activity scores at the time of enrollment than the other groups. Among these patients, tocilizumab was the most commonly prescribed biologic agent, followed by adalimumab and etanercept. The most common reason for switching biologics was inefficacy, followed by adverse events, including infusion reactions, infections, and skin eruptions. Furthermore, the proportion of inefficacy, as a reason for switching, was significantly higher with respect to switching between biologics with different mechanisms of action than between biologics with similar mechanisms. In this registry, we showed diverse prescribing patterns and differing baseline profiles based on the chronological order of biologic agents.
Grinding mill performance is typically controlled by making operating adjustments and taking external measurements to infer what is happening inside the mill. So optimising existing machines or designing new ones is difficult and expensive. DEM now offers a broad range of capabilities to look inside these mills to gain improved understanding of charge dynamics, prediction of the power draw and knowledge of the energy utilisation. In this paper, we demonstrate these capabilities of DEM for machine design by exploring the performance variations in a HICOM mill with changing operating conditions (such as fill level and mill speed) and different material properties (such as particle size, density and friction). These predictions compare well with existing experimental observations and provide new insights into the flow dynamics inside the HICOM mill. Together they demonstrate how the DEM method can be used in a mill optimisation or design process. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The emergence of altruistic behavior in infants fosters their social development and supports their involvement in our society. Altruistic tendencies, intended to benefit others with no apparent rewards, are also very useful for social robots that are designed to be used in our households. Yet, to make robots capable of learning how to help others as infants do, it is important to understand the mechanisms and motives responsible for the development of altruistic behavior. Further, understanding the mechanisms behind the early development of pro-social behavior would be a great contribution to the field of developmental psychology. To these ends, we hypothesize that infants from 14 months of age help others to minimize the differences between predicted actions and observations, that is, to minimize prediction errors. To evaluate our hypothesis, we created a computational model based on psychological studies and implemented it in real and simulated robots. Our system first acquires its own sensory-motor representation by interacting with its environment. Then, using its experience, the system recognizes and predicts others' actions and uses this prediction to estimate a prediction error. Our experiments demonstrated that our robots could spontaneously generate helping behaviors by being motivated by the minimization of prediction errors.
The purpose of the work is innovative rhombus briquetting mechanism model development. Mechanism model simulation is a tool for the transition from the prototype to the real machine design. For simulation Working Model 2D software was used. The Working Model 2D software is capable of modelling the motion of rigid bodies that may be connected by a variety of joints and constraints. For simulation result evaluation energy consumption for pressing cycles was determined as 2.6 kJ for laboratory experiment and 2.5 kJ for simulation. Difference in the energy consumption results is 4 % for 6.5 grams briquette pressing.
Many changes in nature do not directly threaten humans, but do negatively influence nature itself, thereby posing an impersonal risk. We examine the optimistic bias (OB) for an impersonal risk, the first-person perception (FPP) of an impersonal risk, and the influence of media reporting and proximity of an impersonal risk on FPP and OB. Finally, we investigate the relationship between OB and FPP. We conducted a field experiment (N = 479) in 12 German cities where an invasive moth species had infested culturally important horse chestnut trees. We found OB for this nature change that decreased for people living in an area subject to this impersonal nature risk. After the treatments, neither the proximity of impersonal risk nor the journalistic style of media reporting had a significant effect on OB. An FPP was found that was not influenced significantly by either different journalistic styles or the proximity of impersonal risk. A nonsignificant swap-in-signs relation between OB and FPP was found depending on journalistic style.
Permeable pavements allow stormwater to pass through the pavement surface, filtering out sediment and debris; over time, regular preventative maintenance will be needed to maintain the pavement surface infiltration rate (IR). IR testing is commonly used to determine maintenance needs and frequencies. ASTM standard methods may be used to measure permeable pavement IR; however, these tests can take hours to complete and require infiltrometers not readily available to maintenance contractors. A simple infiltration test (SIT) has been devised which (1)is conducted using easily acquired materials, (2)has a larger surface area (i.e.,more representative of average pavement conditions), and (3)requires, on average, 72% less time to conduct than the ASTM test. ASTM and SIT methods were compared by conducting a total of 873 IR tests at the same locations on 12 permeable pavements in North Carolina, Ohio, and Sweden. Results showed that (1)a segmented linear relationship related SIT and ASTM-measured IRs; (2)the SIT and ASTM tests predicted approximately the same IR up to 250mm/min; (3)the larger surface area of the SIT reduced the variability in measurements (average 40% less) compared to the ASTM method. The SIT took one-quarter the time to run, on average, making this newly-devised tool more efficient when assessing IR than ASTM methods, potentially saving maintenance personnel time and money. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Introduction: Distress intolerance has been implicated in various aspects of smoking maintenance and quit behavior, although past work has been conducted almost exclusively among European American samples. Method: The present study sought to extend past work by exploring distinct subdimensions of distress tolerance (Tolerance, Appraisal, Regulation, and Absorption) among a sample of 113 (53.1% female; Mag., = 22.81, SD = 2.13) adult daily smokers from Mexico City, Mexico in regard to multiple indices of problematic smoking. Results: Results indicated that the Appraisal dimension of distress intolerance was associated with smoking more cigarettes per day, a greater number of (lifetime) failed quit attempts, and an increased likelihood of early smoking relapse. These findings remained significant after controlling for negative affectivity, gender, alcohol usage as well as the variance accounted for by other distress tolerance dimensions. Conclusions: Such results provide novel preliminary empirical evidence that lesser perceived ability to tolerate distress because it is appraised as 'unacceptable' may be a particularly important element of the construct in terms of better understanding multiple public health relevant indicators of smoking for Mexican smokers. Overall, the present findings uniquely contribute to a growing body of research related to distress intolerance and its implications for explicating the nature of the maintenance of smoking behavior among a highly understudied segment of the smoking population (Mexican smokers). (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Three basic diffusion properties of argon - shear viscosity, bulk viscosity and thermal conductivity - were studied in the neighborhood of the critical point using molecular dynamics (MD) and the Lennard-Jones potential energy function. MD simulations were performed along the 1.0P(c), and 1.2P(c) isobars. Green-Kubo relations and a Lennard-Jones pair potential were used. Four different sets of Lennard-Jones parameters were used. A comparison of computed shear viscosity and thermal conductivity values with data available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) displayed a good agreement. Results for bulk viscosity indicated that values of this property cannot be neglected in this thermodynamic region, a result that violates the traditional and much-assumed Stokes hypothesis in classical fluid mechanics. Furthermore, it was shown that in the neighborhood of the critical region the bulk viscosity can have larger values than the shear viscosity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Current smart devices (phones, tablets, etc.) have integrated light sensors that are used to adjust the screen brightness automatically according with the ambient light variations. The light sensors have become more sensitive and are able to read even the RGB light components. This information however can be accessed without requesting the user special access rights for an application and is also available for the background running services as it can be used in fitness applications. An application can therefore exploit this lack of security and track the user environment luminance information, originating for example from a TV screen, without the user's knowledge. This paper investigates the process of obtaining the sensor data in multiple operating systems, the usability of this data related to the type of light sensor and distance to the light source and outlines a possible data flow for an remote processing application that gathers the information originating from a light sensor and uses it to detect if a reference video source is shown on the user's TV screen.
Most complex tasks on the Internet-both malicious and benign-are collectively carried out by clusters of IP addresses. We demonstrate that it is often possible to discover such clusters by processing data sets and logs collected at various vantage points in the network. Obviously, not all clusters discovered in this way are malicious. Nevertheless, we show that malicious clusters can accurately be distinguished from benign ones by simply using an IP blacklist and without requiring any complex analysis to verify malicious behavior. In this paper, we first propose a novel clustering framework which can be applied on data sets of network interactions to identify IP clusters carrying out a specific task collectively. Then, given such a list of identified clusters of IP addresses, we present a simple procedure to spot the malicious ones using an IP blacklist. We show that by choosing the parameter of the proposed clustering process optimally using a blacklist, hence making it blacklist-aware, we significantly improve our overall ability to detect malicious clusters. Furthermore, we mathematically show that even a blacklist with poor accuracy can be used to detect malicious clusters with high precision and recall. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed scheme using real-world login events captured at the login servers of a large webmail provider with hundreds of millions of active users.
The studies on management and use of water resources has been one focus of several research, they are looking for alternatives to the use of natural resources and sustainability. The study aimed to planning, execution and estimate the economic return of the use of rainwater for washing vehicles, agricultural machinery and implements. The study was conducted for the sector of mechanization of the Polytechnic School of the Federal University of Santa Maria, from March 2011 to February 2013. The roof of agricultural mechanization sector has a catchment area of 215.45 m(2). Five tanks of 7000 liters each were installed. The underground water consumption was reduced by 100%. It was used 458,120.25 liters of water from rainy and intended for the proposed activities. The reservoirs were the largest investment, accounting for 63%, followed by washing 27% and 10% of total costs. A total savings of R $ 2009.66 was obtained and monthly R $ 83.74 depending on the costs of water. The system of rainwater harvesting is an alternative to reduce the consumption of water from other sources.
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of global postural re-education (GPR) on the treatment of spinal disorders by performing a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Design: MEDLINE, Scopus, and PEDro databases were searched without language or publication date restrictions. Data on pain and function were used to evaluate the effectiveness of GPR. Randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials analyzing the effectiveness of GPR on spinal disorders were selected. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. The meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-analysis 3.3 software. Results: Seven randomized controlled trials and 4 controlled clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed a medium improvement on pain (SMD = -0.63; 95% CI, -0.43 to -0.83) and function (SMD = -0.48; 95% CI, -0.25 to -0.72) after GPR treatment. The positive effect, which was greater in patients with ankylosing spondylitis followed by low back pain and neck pain, was more significant during the intermediate follow-up than immediately after treatment. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides reliable evidence that GPR may be an effective method for treating spinal disorders by decreasing pain and improving function.
UV filters are the main ingredients in many cosmetics and personal care products. A significant amount of lipophilic UV filters annually enters the surface water due to large numbers of swimmers and sunbathers. The nature of these compounds cause bioaccumulation in commercial fish, particularly in estuarine areas. Consequently, biomagnification in the food chain will occur. This study estimated the amount of four common UV filters (ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, EHMC; octocrylene, OC; butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, BM-DBM; and benzophenone-3, BP3), which may enter surface water in the Gulf of Mexico. Our data analysis was based on the available research data and EPA standards (age classification/human body parts). The results indicated that among the 14 counties in Texas coastal zones, Nueces, with 43 beaches, has a high potential of water contamination through UV filters; EHMC: 477 kg year(-1); OC: 318 kg year(-1); BM-DBM: 258 kg year(-1); and BP by 159 kg year(-1). Refugio County, with a minimum number of beaches, indicated the lowest potential of UV filter contamination. The sensitive estuarine areas of Galveston receive a significant amount of UV filters. This article suggests action for protecting Texas estuarine areas and controlling the number of tourists and ecotourism that occurs in sensitive areas of the Gulf of Mexico. (C) 2016 Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Sp. z o.o.
Rice stripe tenuivirus (RSV) is a filamentous, negative-strand RNA virus causing severe diseases on rice in Asian countries. The viral particle is composed predominantly of a nucleocapsid protein (NP) and genomic RNA. However, the molecular details of how the RSV NP interacts with genomic RNA during particle assembly remain largely unknown. Here, we modeled the NP-RNA complex and show that polar amino acids within a predicted groove of NP are critical for RNA binding and protecting the RNA from RNase digestion. RSV NP formed pentamers, hexamers, heptamers, and octamers. By modeling the higher-order structures, we found that oligomer formation was driven by the N-terminal amino arm of the NP. Deletion of this arm abolished oligomerization; the N-terminally truncated NP was less able to interact with RNA and protect RNA than was the wild type. These findings afford valuable new insights into molecular mechanism of RSV NPs interacting with genomic RNA.
Purpose of review Organ donation in the United States registered 9079 deceased organ donors in 2015. This high percentage of donations allowed organ transplantation in 29 851 recipients. Despite increasing numbers of transplants performed in comparison with previous years, the numbers of patients that are in need for a transplant increase every year at a higher rate. This reveals that the discrepancy between the demand and availability of organs remains fundamental problem in organ transplantation. Recent findings Development of bioengineered organs represents a promising approach to increase the pool of organs for transplantation. The technology involves obtaining complex three-dimensional scaffolds that support cellular activity and functional remodeling though tissue recellularization protocols using progenitor cells. This innovative approach integrates cross-thematic approaches from specific areas of transplant immunology, tissue engineering and stem cell biology, to potentially manufacture an unlimited source of donor organs for transplantation. Summary Although bioengineered organs are thought to escape immune recognition, the potential immune reactivity toward each of its components has not been studied in detail. Here, we summarize the host immune response toward different progenitor cells and discuss the potential implications of using nonself biological scaffolds to develop bioengineered organs.
Following recent progress in super-resolution microscopy in the past decade, massive amounts of redundant single stochastic trajectories are now available for statistical analysis. Flows of trajectories of molecules or proteins sample the cell membrane or its interior at very high time and space resolution. Several statistical analyses were developed to extract information contained in these data, such as the biophysical parameters of the underlying stochastic motion to reveal the cellular organization. These trajectories can further reveal hidden subcellular organization. We review here the statistical analysis of these trajectories based on the classical Langevin equation, which serves as a model of trajectories. Parametric and nonparametric estimators are constructed by discretizing the stochastic equations, and they allow the recovery of tethering forces, diffusion tensors, or membrane organization from measured trajectories that differ from physical ones by a localization noise. Modeling, data analysis, and automatic detection algorithms serve to extract novel biophysical features such as potential wells and other substructures, such as rings, at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. It is also possible to reconstruct the surface membrane of a biological cell from the statistics of projected random trajectories.
A simple and novel predictive duty cycle control strategy for boost PFC converter is proposed. The duty cycle is calculated based on input current, input voltage and output voltage for every cycle. The operating principles and control scheme are analyzed and discussed in detail. Experimental results of a 120 W boost power PFC prototype point out that high power factor and low input current THD are achieved over the entire output power range using proposed control strategy. The results prove to be satisfactory.
Social communication impairments are a core deficit in autism spectrum disorder. Social communication deficit is also an early indicator of autism spectrum disorder and a factor in long-term outcomes. Thus, this symptom domain represents a critical treatment target. Identifying reliable and valid outcome measures for social communication across a range of treatment approaches is essential. Autism Speaks engaged a panel of experts to evaluate the readiness of available measures of social communication for use as outcome measures in clinical trials. The panel held monthly conference calls and two face-to-face meetings over 14months. Key criteria used to evaluate measures included the relevance to the clinical target, coverage of the symptom domain, and psychometric properties (validity and reliability, as well as evidence of sensitivity to change). In all, 38 measures were evaluated and 6 measures were considered appropriate for use, with some limitations. This report discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of existing social communication measures for use in clinical trials and identifies specific areas in need of further development.
The need for a novel automated mosquito perception and classification method is becoming increasingly essential in recent years, with steeply increasing number of mosquito-borne diseases and associated casualties. There exist remote sensing and GIS-based methods for mapping potential mosquito inhabitants and locations that are prone to mosquito-borne diseases, but these methods generally do not account for species-wise identification of mosquitoes in closed-perimeter regions. Traditional methods for mosquito classification involve highly manual processes requiring tedious sample collection and supervised laboratory analysis. In this research work, we present the design and experimental validation of an automated vision-based mosquito classification module that can deploy in closed-perimeter mosquito inhabitants. The module is capable of identifying mosquitoes from other bugs such as bees and flies by extracting the morphological features, followed by support vector machine-based classification. In addition, this paper presents the results of three variants of support vector machine classifier in the context of mosquito classification problem. This vision-based approach to the mosquito classification problem presents an efficient alternative to the conventional methods for mosquito surveillance, mapping and sample image collection. Experimental results involving classification between mosquitoes and a predefined set of other bugs using multiple classification strategies demonstrate the efficacy and validity of the proposed approach with a maximum recall of 98%.
Mood disorders impact social functioning, but might contribute to experiences-like affective distress-that might result in increased cooperative behavior under certain circumstances. We recruited participants with a history of bipolar I disorder (n = 28), major depressive disorder (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 27)-to play a well-validated behavioral economic Trust Game, a task that provides a well-controlled experimental scenario, to measure cooperative behavior for the first time across both groups. Both remitted mood-disordered groups cooperated significantly more than the control group, but did not differ from one another. These results suggest that, in some contexts, a history of mood disturbance can produce enhanced cooperation, even in the absence of current mood symptoms. We discuss the clinical significance of enhanced cooperation in mood disorders and point to key directions for future research. General Scientific Summary Individuals with mood disorders suffer disruptions in social functioning, but under the right circumstances, might also display more prosocial behaviors. We find that individuals in remission from bipolar I disorder and major depressive disorder cooperated more in an economic game than individuals with no such history. The results suggest that in some contexts, a history of clinical mood disturbance generates increases in some forms of prosocial behavior, even in the absence of current mood symptoms.
Ambient Intelligence is a new paradigm in information technology that creates environments able to detect and respond to users' needs, actions, behaviors and feelings. User trust plays an important role in accepting Ambient Intelligence environments. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a virtual reality based test-bed for studying trust in Ambient Intelligence Environments.
Predicting the behavior of geotextiles made of polyesters and polypropylene fibers is described by differential equations derived from mechanical models. Thereby, we describe the behavior of geotextiles up to the elastic limit. The elastic limit represents the permissible load which the geotextile material may be subjected to during exploitation, and without distorting its structure. The elastic limit is defined by analyzing the stress-strain curve of analyzed geotextiles. Nonwoven geotextile materials of polyester and polypropylene fibers with surface mass of 150, 200, 250, 300 and 500g/m(2) were used as experimental material.
The life cycle assessment of several zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures, fabricated by a facile microwave technique, is presented. Key synthesis parameters such as annealing temperature, varied from 90 degrees C to 220 degrees C, and microwave power, varied from 110 W to 710 W, are assessed. The effect of these parameters on both the structural characteristics and the environmental sustainability of the nanostructures is examined. The nanostructures were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Photoluminescence (PL) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Crystalline site was found to be 22.40 nm at 110 W microwave power, 24.83 nm at 310 W, and 24.01 nm at 710 W. Microwave power and synthesis temperature were both directly proportional to the surface area At 110 W the surface area was 10.44 m(2)/g, at 310 W 12.88 m(2)/g, and at 710 W 14.60 m(2)/g; while it was found to be 11.64 m(2)/g at 150 degrees C and 18.09 m(2)/g at 220 degrees C. Based on these, a life cycle analysis (LCA) of the produced ZnO nanoparticles was carried out, using the ZnO surface area (1 m(2)/g) as the functional unit It was found that the main environmental weaknesses identified during the production process were; (a) the use of ethanol for purifying the produced nanomaterials and (b) the electricity consumption for the ZnO calcination, provided by South Africa's fossil-fuel dependent electricity source. When the effect of the key synthesis parameters on environmental sustainability was examined it was found that an increase of either microwave power (from 110 to 710 W) or synthesis temperatures (from 90 to 220 degrees C), results in higher sustainability, with the environmental footprint reduced by 27% and 41%, respectively. Through a sensitivity analysis, it was observed that an electricity mix based on renewable energy could improve the environmental sustainability of the nanoparticles by 25%. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The teleoperation of mobile social robots requires operators to understand facial gestures and other nonverbal communication from a person interacting with the robot. It is also critical for the operator to comprehend the surrounding environment in order to facilitate both navigation and human-robot interaction. Allowing the operator to control the robot's gaze direction can help the operator observe a person's nonverbal communication; however, manually actuating a gaze increases the operator's workload and conflicts with the use of the robot's camera for navigation. To address these problems, the authors developed a teleoperation system that combines automatic control of the robot's gaze and a 3-D graphical representation of the surrounding environment, such as location of items and configuration of a shop. A study where a robot plays the role of a shopkeeper was conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed gaze-control technique and control interface. It was demonstrated that the combination of automatic gaze control and representations of spatial relationships improved the quality of the robot's interaction with the customer.
BACKGROUND: Therapeutic options for pain management are restricted in patients with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced or NSAID-exacerbated urticaria because strong cyclooxygenase (COX)-I inhibiting NSAID cannot be used. Alternative NSAID such as weak COX-I inhibitors or selective COX-II inhibitors are sometimes not sufficiently effective or have potentially troublesome adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: To date, prophylactic premedication with H-1-antihistamines is rarely practiced in patients concurrently suffering from recurrent pain and NSAID-associated urticaria. Our data analysis aims to clarify whether prophylactic premedication before the intake of NSAID is effective, safe, and practicable. METHODS: Data of 21 patients with NSAID-induced or NSAID-exacerbated urticaria who underwent single dose NSAID provocation 30 minutes after premedication with 5 mg desloratadine were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: After H-1-antihistamine premedication, 17 patients tolerated 16 single dose provocation tests with strong COX-I inhibitors and 2 tests with weak COX-I inhibitors. Despite H1-antihistamine premedication, 2 patients developed acute urticaria after intake of 400 mg ibuprofen. Another 2 patients with acute urticaria after intake of 800 mg ibuprofen tolerated 400 mg ibuprofen and 1000 mg paracetamol, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In the majority of patients with NSAID-induced or NSAID-exacerbated urticaria concurrently suffering from intermittent pain, a premedication regimen with 5 mg desloratadine 30 minutes before intake of a strong COX-I inhibitor seems to be effective, safe, and practicable. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
With smart grid, the power supply will shift from the 1: N tree structure with centralized power plants to the M:N structure with various kinds of distributed energy resources based on renewable energy, batteries, and so on. Deregulation of the electricity market will yield a truly competitive market, where anyone can become a power seller or buyer, which will necessitate a real-time multiseller-multibuyer power trading system. However, it is difficult to realize such a system without centralized control, because of the additional trade complexity created by a large number of sellers, including ordinary homes. In this paper, the authors propose a novel distributed power cooperation algorithm that maximizes each home's welfare based on local information. The proposed algorithm enables each home to calculate the same electricity market price from only local household information, to trade, and to maximize all members' satisfaction in smart grid by balancing consumption against supply. The authors formulate a distributed optimization problem and logically prove that the authors' algorithm can obtain the same optimal user welfare as the global optimal approach but within a much shorter time. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The knowledge of the internal stability of granular soils is a key factor in the design of granular or geotextile filters. To evaluate the internal stability of granular soils, different semi-empirical methods are generally used. Nevertheless, the results of these methods, on the same soil, can lead to different internal stability evaluations. In this paper, to evaluate the reliability of the semi-empirical methods available in literature, the internal stability of different granular soils, reconstituted by the authors and by other researchers, has been studied by means of theoretical and experimental approaches. In particular, the theoretical analysis of the internal stability was performed using the Simulfiltr method, developed recently by the authors, while the experimental evaluation of the internal stability was carried out by means of long-term filtration tests. The comparison of the internal stability analysis performed by means of semi-empirical, theoretical, and experimental methods showed that the semi-empirical methods are not always reliable. Therefore, on the base of these results, a new chart, in terms of minimum slope S-min (%) of the grain-size distribution and of average value of finer percentage F, has been proposed to evaluate the internal stability of granular soils.
Recent advances in manufacturing based on sacrificial fiber or template techniques have allowed complex networks of microchannels to be embedded in microvascular composites. In the thermal application of interest, a novel battery packaging scheme for electric vehicles is considered where each battery is surrounded by microvascular composite panels for temperature regulation and structural protection. We use simplified thermal and hydraulics models validated against more complex 3D FLUENT simulations and experiments to obtain the surface temperature distribution of the panel and the pressure drops across the microchannels. We further eliminate the cost and complexity associated with mesh generation by applying the interface-enriched generalized finite element method (IGFEM), which allows a non-conforming mesh to capture the discontinuous temperature gradient across the microchannels. The IGFEM thermal solver is then combined with a gradient-based shape optimization scheme to obtain optimal designs of a set of branched microchannel networks. The design parameters are the channel control points, which define the shape of the network. We use the p-mean as a differentiable objective function in place of the maximum temperature. To obtain accurate gradients with respect to the design parameters efficiently, we perform a sensitivity analysis based on a recently developed adjoint method for IGFEM. Starting from many distinct configurations, we obtain the optimal designs for a wide range of network topologies. We also investigate the effect of the coolant flow rate on the optimal design. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the last quarter of the twentieth century, a new class of materials, Geosynthetics, emerged prospectively leading significant innovation in the design of geotechnical and geoenvironmental systems. Geotextiles have proven to be among the most versatile and techno-economically viable ground modification materials playing a significant role in modern pavement design and maintenance techniques. With the growing environmental concern across the globe, technologists, researchers have inclined towards the natural geotextile where Jute Geotextile (JGT) is one of the potential candidates. But, JGT has been restricted mainly as underlay in road construction. Hence, there is an urgent need to design and develop a precise innovative fabric as overlay on existing pavements and other emerging civil works to stay technically and economically competitive in the global market. Such a fabric will not only prove techno-economically viable but will also reduce the carbon foot-print generation to a large extent. This paper delineates the development of Grey Jute Paving Fabric (GJPF) followed by its bituminization with suitable type and grade of bitumen to develop Bituminized Jute Paving Fabric (BJPF). The BJPF will enhance the life of the overlay thereby reducing the cost of maintenance as well as serving as a partial substitute of bitumen mastic.
A bioengineering course is offered to senior students in the Mechanical Engineering major as an elective at Penn State Behrend in the first semester of their senior year. On average around 20 students enroll in this project-based course and 72% of their grade depends on three comprehensive group projects, one of which is to design a bone plate for a fractured femur. 6% of the grade comes from an individual application presentation, discussing different circumstances in which the concepts in mechanical engineering can be applied to solve/analyze biomedical problems. Background of physiology is introduced in the class while the majority of applicable engineering knowledge was learned in prerequisite courses, such as statics, dynamics, strength of materials, system dynamics, etc. Finite Element Analysis (FEA), an elective offered in both semesters of senior year, is not a prerequisite for this bioengineering course. Most of students enrolled in our bioengineering course either do not have FEA course or are taking FEA concurrently. Therefore in spite of its popularity in the areas related to biomechanics, thus far FEA has not been incorporated in this bioengineering course. Previously, the fractured femur project utilized the applicable theoretical analyses including those from statics, strength of materials, materials, and machine design. In Fall 2015, the instructor of bioengineering course made an effort to have an FEA study on femur and ensuing presentation be completed by a willing student. This student was taking FEA simultaneously with bioengineering, and was scheduled to present during the last week of semester. The instructor of FEA wrote an introductory manual of FEA procedures to analyze a healthy femur using a CAD model of the femur. Then the student used the manual to initiate the FEA study of the fractured femur. A major challenge to the student was the complicated loading and assembly feature of the bone plus the addition of bone plate. After a several week struggle and independent learning, while guided by the faculty members of bioengineering and FEA, the student was able to accomplish the FEA analysis and presented the results to the class. The discrepancy between FEA results and theoretical analysis was shown to be less than 5% in most results. The presentation also included FEA results for a diverse realistic loading and boundary conditions. Since all students had finished the fractured femur project, they actively participated in a meaningful discussion after the presentation. The completion of this project demonstrated the feasibility and importance of incorporating FEA in our bioengineering course. In addition, the presenting student was able to complete a working manual for the FEA analysis of the fractured femur, which can be passed to the future students of this course. A plan is to include FEA in the project as a bonus activity, and regarding the formation of project teams, the instructor would appoint a member who is enrolled in the FEA course. An assignment or project, based on the present FEA study of the femur, can also be incorporated in the FEA course offered at our campus.
There is an unmet need for herbal medicine identification using a fast, sensitive, and easy-to-use method that does not require complex infrastructure and well-trained technicians. For instance, the detection of adulterants in Lobelia chinensis herbal product has been challenging, since current detection technologies are not effective due to their own limits. High Resolution Melting (HRM) has emerged as a powerful new technology for clinical diagnosis, research in the food industry and in plant molecular biology, and this method has already highlighted the complexity of species identification. In this study, we developed a method of species specific detection of L. chinensis using HRM analysis combined with internal transcribed spacer 2. We then applied this method to commercial products purporting to contain L. chinensis. Our results demonstrated that HRM can differentiate L. chinensis from six common adulterants. HRM was proven to be a fast and accurate technique for testing the authenticity of L. chinensis in herbal products. Based on these results, a HRM approach for herbal authentication is provided .
Groundwater management practices need to take hydrogeology, the agro-climate and demand for groundwater into account. Since agroclimatic zones have already been demarcated by the Government of India, it would aid policy makers to understand the status of groundwater recharge and discharge in each agroclimatic zone. However, developing effective policies to manage groundwater at agroclimatic zone and state levels is constrained due to a paucity of temporal data and information. With the launch of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission in 2002, it is now possible to obtain frequent data at broad spatial scales and use it to examine past trends in rain induced recharge and groundwater use. In this study, the GRACE data were used to estimate changes to monthly total water storage (TWS) and groundwater storage in different agroclimatic zones of Rajasthan, India. Furthermore, the long-term annual and seasonal groundwater storage trends in the state were estimated using the GRACE data and the trends were compared with those in rainfall data. The methodology based on GRACE data was found to be useful in detecting large scale trends in groundwater storage changes covering different agroclimatic zones. The analysis of data shows that groundwater storage trends depend on rainfall in previous years and, therefore, on the antecedent moisture conditions. Overall, the study indicates that if suitable groundwater recharge methods and sites are identified for the state, there is potential to achieve more groundwater recharge than what is currently occurring and, thus, enhancing the availability of water for irrigated agriculture.
This paper discusses the effective contribution of a Learning Object (LO) to teach circuit theory based on research conducted with students of higher education, and their interaction with a teacher of Electronics. From the results of such research, it is pointed out which features one wants in the LO so that it successfully promotes learning. It is in this perspective that this work was conceived having as goal the development of LO, admitting that this may be a possible alternative to represent models of interactions, which occur within the area, thereby improving understanding of physical concepts, in particular those involved with the subject of electrical circuits. It has also as objective to characterize the learning process through a series of situations that are replicated leading to a set of behaviors from the students. It is assumed that the use of this tool can lead to acquiring a specific set of skills, a better practice and meaningful learning.
Introduction In the almost six decades of bariatric surgery, a variety of surgical approaches to treating morbid obesity have been developed. History and evolution Rather than prior techniques being continually superseded by new ones, a broad choice of surgical solutions based on restrictive, malabsorptive, humoral effects, or combinations thereof, is now available. In fact, in recent years, the advent of surgically modifying human metabolism promises new approaches to ameliorate traditionally medically treated metabolic entities, i.e., diabetes, even in the non-obese. The understanding of the various metabolic effects have led to a paradigm shift from bariatric surgery as a solely weight-reducing procedure to metabolic surgery affecting whole body metabolism. Conclusion The bariatric surgeon now faces the challenge and opportunity of selecting the most suitable technique for each individual case. To assist in such decision-making, this review, Metabolic surgery-principles and current concepts, is presented, tracing the historical development; describing the various surgical techniques; elucidating the mechanisms by which glycemic control can be achieved that involve favorable changes in insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity, gut hormones, adipokines, energy expenditure, appetite, and preference for low glycemic index foods; as well as exploring the fascinating future potential of this new interdisciplinary field.
This paper presents a low power, compact, and low-complexity pulse-width modulation-based interface circuit for capacitive MEMS sensors. The circuit is designed using a ring oscillator, an RC controlled pulse generator with high-pass filter, and a self-tuning inverter comparator to produce pulse width, which is proportional to differential capacitance and independent of parasitic capacitance. The high-pass filter is utilized to reduce the bandwidth of noise sources. The circuit provides control over sensitivity, dynamic range, and nominal point for the capacitance measurement by selecting controlling parameters, such as resistance of the RC pulse generator, biasing voltage of the self-tuning inverter comparator, and a reference capacitor using digital control signals. The circuit provides high linearity with higher sensitivity and lower power consumption. The sensitivity of the circuit is 0.56 to 3.62 mu s/pF depending on the controlling parameters. The maximum dynamic sensing range is 22 to 270 pF depending on the controlling parameters. The interface circuit is designed and fabricated using the United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) 0.18-mu m CMOS technology. It occupies an active area of 0.17 mm(2) and consumes 98 mu W. A capacitive MEMS-based pressure sensor is also connected with the interface circuit to measure pressure throughout the digestive tract. The sensitivity for pressure from 101 to 200 kPa is 60 ns/kPa and from 50 to 101 kPa is 23 ns/kPa.
For the design and performance analyses of geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures under repeated loading, such as those induced by compaction, traffic and earthquakes, the understanding of cyclic soil-geosynthetic interface behaviour is of great interest. Nevertheless, experimental data concerning this type of behaviour are very scarce. A laboratory study was carried out and is described in this paper. This paper presents the behaviour of an interface between a silica sand and a high-strength geotextile under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. A large-scale direct shear test device able to perform load-or displacement-controlled cyclic tests was used. The results obtained are presented and discussed, especially in terms of interface shear stiffness and damping ratio. Monotonic direct shear tests indicated that the coefficients of interaction for the sand-geotextile interface depend on the confining pressure. Cyclic direct shear tests indicated that the interface stiffness tends to increase during the first loading cycles, exhibiting slight variation after 10 cycles. Slightly higher values of shear stiffness and damping ratio were reached with displacement-controlled cyclic direct shear tests. The cyclic loading of the interface did not lead to the degradation of the post-cyclic peak shear strength; however, the post-cyclic shear strength for large displacements exhibited an important decrease.
Whathydraulic information can be gained from remotely sensed observations of a river's surface? In this study, weanalyze the relationship between river bed undulations and water surfaces for an ungauged reach of the Xingu River, a first-order tributary of the Amazon river. This braided reach is crosscut more than 10 times by a ENVISAT (ENVironmental SATellite) track that extends over 100 km. Rating curves based on a modeled discharge series and altimetric measurements are used, including the zero-flow depth Z(0) parameter, which describes river's bathymetry. River widths are determined from JERS (Japanese Earth Ressources Satellite) images. Hydrodynamic laws predict that irregularities in the geometry of a river bed produce spatial and temporal variations in the water level, as well as in its slope. Observation of these changes is a goal of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission, which has a final objective of determining river discharge. First, the concept of hydraulic visibility is introduced, and the seasonality of water surface slope is highlighted along with different flow regimes and reach behaviors. Then, we propose a new single-thread effective hydraulic approach for modeling braided rivers flows, based on the observation scales of current satellite altimetry. The effective hydraulic model is able to reproduce water surface elevations derived by satellite altimetry, and it shows that hydrodynamical signatures are more visible in areas where the river bed morphology varies significantly and for reaches with strong downstream control. The results of this study suggest that longitudinal variations of the slope might be an interesting criteria for the analysis of river segmentation into elementary reaches for the Surface Water Ocean Topography mission that will provide continuous measurements of the water surface elevations, the slopes, and the reach widths.
Language is an important part of our culture and allows the exchange of thoughts and feelings as well as the acquisition of knowledge. Deficits in language abilities can appear at different linguistic levels (phonetics/phonology, lexicon/semantics, syntax/morphology, and pragmatics). This can concern both language comprehension and speech production in different ways. The different linguistic levels should be considered in the diagnosis of developmental language disorders. In particular, the German guidelines Interdisziplinare S2k-Leitlinie support this approach. This paper gives an overview of the symptoms of specific language disorder as well as its classification in the DSM-5 and the ICD-10. Moreover, there is an outlook toward the ICD-11, with explanations based on the Beta-Draft. The similarities and differences of the three diagnostic systems are pointed out and discussed. Furthermore, reference is made to the Interdisziplinare S2k-Leitlinie. While there is a distinction between expressive and receptive language disorders in the ICD-10, in the DSM-5 the two disorders are summarized in one clinical picture. In the current ICD-11 Beta-Draft, the disorders are still divided; however, they are subordinate to a common category. This represents a compromise between the two approaches. Additionally, the DSM-5 is supplemented by the diagnosis of social (pragmatic) communication disorder, and it is likely that the disorder will be included in the ICD-11 (developmental language disorder with impairment of mainly pragmatic language), too. The disorder is characterized by deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication. Future research should consider pragmatic aspects of language. The overview shows that there are no uniform diagnostic criteria. Furthermore, none of the illustrated systems considered the individual linguistic level of language, as is suggested in the Interdisziplinare S2k-Leitlinie. Although the ICF-CY also cannot capture all the linguistic levels, it enables a comprehensive description of impairments and abilities. In the differential diagnosis, a mental retardation must be excluded by nonverbal intelligence diagnosis. This is controversial because it is difficult to implement in logopedics practice and speech therapy. Moreover, in the diagnosis of specific language disorders the double discrepancy criterion must be scrutinized. In the current Interdisziplinare S2k-Leitlinie, this criterion was waived because of the controversy. In practice, the different definitions and classifications of specific language disorders lead to significant variations in the data on prevalence. Additionally, the causal research and effectiveness tests of therapeutic interventions are complicated. Moreover, for a long period there was no uniform standard in the design of assessments for diagnosis. The reliable diagnosis of language developmental disorders requires a comprehensive interdisciplinary classification.
Due to the large magnetic relevant air gap the leakage inductance is the main inductance in a surface mounted permanent magnet machine. The major components of the leakage inductance are known as the harmonic leakage and the slot leakage inductance. This paper proposes an analytical method to determine those two leakage components for a fractional slot concentrated winding machine (FSCW) with an arbitrary phase number. Further, a comparison to a machine design with distributed winding (DTBW), having the same number of poles and fundamental flux linkage, is done. The comparison is done for FSCW machines with a double layer and single layer winding layout.
Kin altruism has been widely observed across species, including humans. However, few studies have discussed the development of kin altruism or its relationship with theory of mind. In this study, 3- to 6-year-old children allocated resources between themselves and kin, a friend, or a stranger in three allocation tasks where the allocation either incurred a cost, incurred no cost, or conferred a disadvantage. The results showed that, compared with 3- and 4-year-olds, 5- and 6-year-olds acted more altruistically toward kin and that kin altruism was uncorrelated with theory of mind. These findings suggest that, within the context of resource allocation, kin altruism emerges toward the end of early childhood and probably differs from other prosocial behavior that relies solely on the understanding of others' perspectives. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Painting with Light is a user-guided interactive evolutionary system for daylighting design. It allows architects to use color to specify desired light levels in spaces, and searches for solutions that bring building geometry and materials close to performance targets. The proposed interface addresses a main limitation of generative design systems based on building performance metrics, by allowing the user to specify daylight spatial patterns with a high degree of granularity. This development poses new challenges for both objective function and penalty function definitions. Painting with Light automatically computes and displays statistical indexes that inform the user on the deviation error between the performance of the solution found by the system and the desired targets. The system was implemented in Python on top of a popular Computer-Aided Design software, Rhinoceros, as an add-on to its Visual Programming Language, Grasshopper. This choice of implementation allows access to Grasshopper's built-in functions and methods for 3D parametric modeling, to tools that provide direct access to Radiance, a lighting simulation software, and to different types of genetic algorithms. Five experiments were conducted on a freeform parametric model for progressive system calibration, which encompassed four steps: 1) adjustment of painted targets to fit the problem feasible solution space; 2) devise appropriate weights and penalty factors for the fitness function; 3) test two different evolutionary solvers; 4) test the system's capability to find a predefined solution where the optimal values were known. After calibration, the system was able to produce solutions that closely approximate the painted goals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In animal behavior research, the main task of observing the behavior of an animal is usually done manually. The measurement of the trajectory of an animal and its real-time posture description is often omitted due to the lack of automatic computer vision tools. Even though there are many publications for pose estimation, few are efficient enough to apply in real-time or can be used without the machine learning algorithm to train a classifier from mass samples. In this paper, we propose a novel strategy for the real-time lobster posture estimation to overcome those difficulties. In our proposed algorithm, we use the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) for lobster segmentation. Then the posture estimation is based on the distance transform and skeleton calculated from the segmentation. We tested the algorithm on a serials lobster videos in different size and lighting conditions. The results show that our proposed algorithm is efficient and robust under various conditions.
Increasing public attention has been brought to bear on the solid waste management in Macau, due to the continually increasing generation of amount and the limited space. In this study, we discussed residents' attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) for solid waste management through a questionnaire survey. The results showed that Macau residents owned a relatively high environmental awareness. In regard to Macau environmental quality, most respondents (92.4 %) expressed their satisfactions on the current situation. About 50.2 % respondents thought that the solid waste pollution in Macau should be paid more attention than the other three environmental pollution ways (air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution). The survey data revealed the positive attitudes toward source separation in Macau. About 95.7 % respondents were willing to sort the solid waste at home, if the government required them to do it. In addition, for the question on how to improve the solid waste issues in Macau, Enhancing residents' environmental awareness was considered as the most effective method, accounting for about 38.5 % respondents. In our study, most respondents (85.4 %) also provided positive answers to the questions about WTP. Using the logistic regression method, these survey results support the hypothesis that the probability of the respondents' saying yes to the WTP question increases with education level. The monthly mean WTP was 38.5 MOP per household, and the annual WTP was approximately 79.7 million MOP for all of Macau. The results of our study can help managers develop more effective environmental management policies for solid waste disposal.
Background: In France, negative views on schizophrenia are pervasive, even among health professionals. Prior research suggests that the level of prejudice is lower when the illness is described with the example of a specific individual. This finding highlights the importance of designing local, targeted destigmatization campaigns. The present study aims to evaluate the benefits of a short intervention offering contact with psychiatric services users on reducing the stigma about mentally ill people, among a sample of Health Administrators and Students. Methods: Data were collected before (Time 0) and after (Time 1) a short training intervention program proposed to a sample of 121 Health Services Administrators and Students. This four-day workshop explained the multiple causes of mental illness, the clinical implications of psychosis and various mental disorders, the subjective experience of mental illness and the legal evolutions of users' rights. The intervention was strongly based on live testimonies from users. Using a French version of the Attitudes to Mental Illness scale, we compared attitudes before and after the training intervention among 58 trainees having answered our questionnaire at Time 0 and Time 1. Results: After the training, a significantly lower endorsement of stigmatizing statements compared to baseline was found in one third (9 out of 27) of the items. These results plead for further research about the potential benefits of initiatives like this short intervention program on significantly reducing stigmatizing attitudes towards mentally ill people among Health Administrators and Students. Conclusions: The present study highlights the importance of further studying the effect of targeted interventions that offer first hand contact with persons with mental illness.
With the increase of intelligent systems based on Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and the use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in context-aware scenarios, information fusion has become an essential part of this kind of systems where the information is distributed among nodes or agents. This paper presents a new MAS specially designed to manage data from WSNs, which was tested in a residential home for the elderly. The proposed MAS architecture is based on virtual organizations, and incorporates social behaviors to improve the information fusion processes. The data that the system manages and analyzes correspond to the actual data of the activities of a resident. Data is collected as the information event counts detected by the sensors in a specific time interval, typically one day. We have designed a system that improves the quality of life of dependant people, especially elderly, by fusioning data obtained by multiple sensors and information of their daily activities. The high development of systems that extract and store information make essential to improve the mechanisms to deal with the avalanche of context data. In our case, the MAS approach results appropriated because each agent can represent an autonomous entity with different capabilities and offering different services but collaborating among them. Several tests have been performed to evaluate this platform and preliminary results and the conclusions are presented in this paper. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Flexural resonators operated within a fluid are most of the time limited by viscous damping. Nonetheless, depending on the resonator geometry, significant acoustic damping has also to be considered. After reviewing the main theoretical approaches proposed in the literature to evaluate acoustic losses, we provide useful and simplified expressions to quantify their corresponding quality factor. Original results are obtained by extending well-known methods to different shapes. We also present numerical simulations and experiments to compare and assess the validity of our predictions, and show that analytical models combining both viscous and acoustic damping can give reliable values for the observed quality factors. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent development in network technology can realize the control of a remote plant by a digital controller. However, there is a delay caused by data transmission of control inputs and outputs. The delay degrades the control performance without taking it into consideration. In general, it is a difficult problem to identify the delay beforehand. We also assume that the plant's parameters have uncertainty. To solve the problem, we use reinforcement learning to achieve optimal digital control. First, we consider state feedback control. Next, we consider the case where the plant's outputs are observed, and apply reinforcement learning to output feedback control. Finally, we demonstrate by simulation that the proposed control method can search for the optimal gain and that it can adapt to the change of the delay.
The purpose of this retrospective study is to report the clinical and radiological outcome of total hip arthroplasty in patients with previous hip arthrodesis. We retrospectively reviewed 28 (40 hips) prospectively followed patients in whom ankylosed hips were converted to total hip arthroplasty (THA) between 2010 and 2014 in our institution. The average age at the time of the conversion operation was 40.8 +/- 9.8 years (range 24-62). The ankylosis had lasted 20.4 +/- 13.0 years (range 3-56) before conversion surgery. The etiology of the ankylosis was septic arthritis in 10 (25%), post-traumatic hip osteoarthritis in 8 (20%), developmental hip dysplasia in 6 (15%), rheumatoid arthritis in 6 (15%), primary osteoarthritis in 5 (12.5%) and ankylosing spondylitis in 5 (12.5%) hips. The indications for arthroplasty were intractable low back pain in 14 (50%), hip pain in 24 (85.7%), and ipsilateral knee pain in 19 (67.8%) patients. Harris Hip Score (HHS) was used to rate the clinical results before and after the surgery. Radiographic evaluations included component malposition and loosening. All complications during the study period were recorded. The mean follow-up period was 39.9 +/- 10.6 months (range 24-60). The mean preoperative HHS was 33.3 +/- 8.6 (range 18-50) and the mean HHS at the final follow-up was 74.9 +/- 8.6 (range 52-97). There was a statistically significant increase in HHS (p = 0.0001). HHS was excellent in 1, good in 6, fair in 14 and poor in 7 patients. Increase in HHS was lower than 20 points in one patient (18 points), and one patient required two-staged exchange procedure due to deep infection. Thus, according to our success criteria (increase in HHS more than 20 points, radiographically stable implant, and no further surgical reconstruction), 92.8% (26/28) of patients had benefit from the surgery. Trendelenburg sign was positive in 12 hips. There was limb length inequality in 11 patients (mean 0.5 cm, range 1-3 cm). No patients had heterotopic ossification, sciatic nerve palsy or dislocation. There were five intra-operative fractures of the greater trochanter that were treated with cable wiring. One patient had trochanteric avulsion injury and was treated with trochanteric grip and cables. One patient (2.5%) had deep infection one year after the conversion THA and was treated with two-staged exchange procedure. Conversion hip arthroplasty is an effective treatment method which provides functional recovery and patient satisfaction. However, a proper surgical technique and planning is necessary to minimize the complications.
Recent experiments have shown that certain fluid-mechanical systems, namely oil droplets bouncing on oil films, can mimic a wide range of quantum phenomena, including double-slit interference, quantization of angular momentum and Zeeman splitting. Here I investigate what can be learned from these systems concerning no-go theorems as those of Bell and Kochen-Specker. In particular, a model for the Bell experiment is proposed that includes variables describing a 'background' field or medium. This field mimics the surface wave that accompanies the droplets in the fluid-mechanical experiments. It appears that quite generally such a model can violate the Bell inequality and reproduce the quantum statistics, even if it is based on local dynamics only. The reason is that measurement independence is not valid in such models. This opens the door for local 'background-based' theories, describing the interaction of particles and analyzers with a background field, to complete quantum mechanics. Experiments to test these ideas are also proposed.
The composition of exhaled breath contains important information regarding the health of our body. Measurements of the level of exhaled carbon dioxide can help both diagnose respiratory diseases and determine metabolic rate. A low-cost NDIR sensor has been developed that offers the detection of CO2 from the ppm range up to 5% level in human breath. An innovative lock-in amplifier system allows a 10Hz drive signal to be recovered from the high frequency noise associated with a silicon thermopile infra-red detector. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated excellent stability (+/- 0.10% in 25% RH) and repeatability between dry and humid conditions (+/- 1.2% for 25% humidity increase). The response time is typically 2.4s, limited by the low drive frequency necessary for the MEMS-based wideband infra-red source. The current system has a resolution of ca. 10ppm of CO2. Further refinement in signal processing and a higher drive frequency should permit even lower concentrations of CO2 to be detected with an ultimate target of 1 ppm. Existing performance has been shown to be suitable for breath analysis using a side-stream analyser. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In recent years data mining has become a popular technique for extracting information from the databases of many types in different areas of commerce and industry. The strength of data mining comes from its flexibility of working on any kind of database and its ability to discover previously unknown and sometimes surprising results. Competitiveness increasingly depends on improving the quality of decision making from past information. Improved knowledge of engineering capabilities and products enables engineers to better target future production strategies. To move from quality control to quality assurance and reduced error occurrence, companies need to exploit their existing knowledge and previous experiences more effectively. Data mining analysis offers many potential benefits in this context. This paper briefly highlights the benefits that can be gained through the application of data mining technology in different sectors of Pakistan in general and in engineering sector in particular
Discusses the design of machine-building production, certain steps of which are formalized problems of the forecast of the number of parts and calculate their estimated time. Simulation of application tasks is performed by the approximation of the fractional - power series. The possibility is shown for the numerical solution of models using combined genetic algorithms.
Introduction: Being able to understand other people's emotions and intentions is crucial for social interactions and well-being. Deficits in theory of mind (ToM) functioning hamper this ability and have been observed in depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. However, results of previous research in depression have been inconclusive, possibly due to the presence of comorbid disorders and the disregarding of other modulating factors. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with a major depressive disorder (MDD) and forty healthy matched controls were assessed with a ToM task using animated triangles. Results were correlated with attachment styles, empathy abilities and neurocognitive performance. Results: Our findings show that 1) healthy female controls performed significantly stronger on the ToM task than female MDD patients, 2) these performance differences were driven by attachment styles and 3) depression severity did not impact task performance. Limitations: The pharmacological treatment of the majority of patients might limit the generalizability of this study. Discussion: Results indicate a gender-specific impact of attachment styles on ToM performance. Future studies should investigate whether impairments in social cognitive tasks pose a risk factor for depression and/or interactional styles or vice versa. Moreover, with regard to remediation programs gender-specific needs should be taken into account.
In this paper reported are some of the activities of the Laboratory of Manufacturing Technology of the NTUA in manufacturing engineering, focusing onto some recent trends and developments in advanced manufacturing of advanced materials, mainly emphasizing my long-standing Greek-Ukrainian-Russian-Hungarian scientific cooperation, also with international involvement worldwide, in the principal research and very important engineering topics nowadays, from industrial, research and academic point of view: ultraprecision engineering and nanotechnology and net-shape manufacturing of high-temperature ceramic superconductors. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Hydrotechnical Society of France was founded in 1912. Its purpose was to adequately represent the interests of the French hydropower industry. The SHF history from its creation to World War II is described, including the Beauvert Hydraulic Laboratory at Grenoble with its main projects and its actors, the journal La Houille Blanche, and its difficult years in the 1930s. It is thus intended to look back into the era of the glorious French advances in hydraulic engineering, but also to the re-creation after WWII.
Hydromechanical systems are prone to significant oscillations, due to the ability of hydraulic oil to store potential energy. This is extremely important when considering mobile hydraulic machinery, especially those machines which handle large loads. Oscillations can negatively affect the stability of the payload, the comfort of the operator, and the overall safety of the system. For the particular case of earthmoving machines, several systems have been designed in order to alleviate these oscillations and increase machine operability. These systems include both passive and active designs which attempt to utilize the motion of the payload in such a way as to cancel out the effect of machine vibrations. This paper seeks to assess the potential advantages of active oscillation control strategies with respect to current state of art passive strategies. A reference case vehicle (wheel loader) is presented and analyzed in order to determine its typical vibrational behavior. A simulation model for the reference machine is developed and used in assessing machine performance. The effectiveness of the current passive vibration damping approach with respect to reducing the vibrations perceived by the operator in the cabin, as well as those affecting the payload, is presented. Then, an active (electrohydraulic) control structure is presented using both acceleration and pressure feedback, including an adaptive controller constructed using an extremum-seeking algorithm. To quantitatively compare the relative performances of these various systems, an appropriate objective function is defined. Simulation results are presented for each of the considered control strategies, and their performances are compared. The simulation indicates a performance of active vibration control systems roughly equivalent to that of currently implemented passive control strategies. In some cases, the active control performance is actually two to three times as effective as the passive control. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A theoretical model is proposed that specifies lay causal theories of behavior; and supporting experimental evidence is presented. The model's basic assumption is that different types of behavior trigger different hypotheses concerning the types of causes that may have brought about the behavior. Seven categories are distinguished that are assumed to serve as both behavior types and explanation types: goals, dispositions, temporary states such as emotions, intentional actions, outcomes, events, and stimulus attributes. The model specifies inference rules that lay people use when explaining behavior (actions are caused by goals; goals are caused by higher order goals or temporary states; temporary states are caused by dispositions, stimulus attributes, or events; outcomes are caused by actions, temporary states, dispositions, stimulus attributes, or events; events are caused by dispositions or preceding events). Two experiments are reported. Experiment 1 showed that free-response explanations followed the assumed inference rules. Experiment 2 demonstrated that explanations which match the inference rules are generated faster and more frequently than non matching explanations. Together, the findings support models that incorporate knowledge based aspects into the process of causal explanation. The results are discussed with respect to their implications for different stages of this process, such as the activation of causal hypotheses and their subsequent selection, as well as with respect to social influences on this process.
Seasonal variations in groundwater reveal lesser concentrations of major ions except NO3- during post-monsoon seasons in shallow aquifers as compared to deeper aquifers. The F- concentration from deeper aquifers is high in both seasons and shows a moderate positive relationship with weathering depth and is >5mg/L in compound lava flow. Groundwater is mainly a Ca-HCO3 type in shallow aquifers and mixed type in deeper aquifers. Fluoride shows a positive correlation with pH, Na+, HCO3- in shallow aquifers and an inverse correlation with Ca2+ and HCO3- from deeper aquifers in both seasons. Approximately 45% of the samples are not suitable for drinking from both aquifers but suitable for irrigation purposes. Rock-water interaction, moderate alkalinity, sluggish movement, and higher residence time are the main causes for high F-in deeper aquifers as compared to shallow aquifers. As recommendations, drinking water requirement may be met from shallow aquifers/surface water and fluoride rich groundwater for other purposes. Most effective defluoridation techniques like ion exchange and reverse osmosis may be adopted along with integrated fluorosis mitigation measures and rooftop rainwater harvesting. Supplementary calcium and phosphorous rich food should be provided to children and creating awareness about safe drinking water habits, side effects of high F-, and NO3- rich groundwater, improving oral hygiene conditions are other measures.
Environmental epigenetics is the study of how environmental signals affect gene expression. Within this growing field of molecular biology, experiments on the epigenetic effects of 'maternal care' on offspring health have received much scientific and public attention and are often called upon to showcase how environmental epigenetics will create a new understanding of life as inherently 'biosocial.' While, on the one hand, this research is exciting and offers possible opportunities for collaboration between molecular biology and the social sciences, it is also necessary to consider its political dimensions. In this paper, we show how commonsense assumptions about sex, gender, sexuality, and class are present in the design, interpretation, and dissemination of experiments on the epigenetic effects of maternal care. As these experiments come to support claims about human motherhood through a dense speculative cross-traffic between epigenetic studies in rodents and psychological and epidemiological studies in humans, current research trends work to illustrate rather than interrogate existing stereotypes about maternal agency and responsibility. With this analysis, we offer a cautionary perspective regarding the potentials and challenges for new forms of collaborative biosocial knowledge practices emerging out of environmental epigenetics.
The central dogma of molecular biology describes how information contained in DNA is transformed into RNA and finally into proteins. In order for proteins to maintain their functionality in both the parent cell and subsequent generations, it is essential that the information encoded in DNA and RNA remains unaltered. DNA and RNA are constantly exposed to damaging agents, which can modify nucleic acids and change the information they encode. While much is known about how cells respond to damaged DNA, the importance of protecting RNA has only become appreciated over the past decade. Modification of the nucleobase through oxidation and alkylation has long been known to affect its base-pairing properties during DNA replication. Similarly, recent studies have begun to highlight some of the unwanted consequences of chemical damage on mRNA decoding during translation. Oxidation and alkylation of mRNA appear to have drastic effects on the speed and fidelity of protein synthesis. As some mRNAs can persist for days in certain tissues, it is not surprising that it has recently emerged that mRNA-surveillance and RNA-repair pathways have evolved to clear or correct damaged mRNA.
Importance: Scurvy remains prevalent in certain populations, including addicts, people of low socioeconomic status, and the severely malnourished. It classically presents as follicular hyperkeratosis and perifollicular hemorrhage of the lower extremities, as well as bleeding in other areas such as the gingiva and joints. This case presentation and literature review highlights the common pathophysiological findings associated with scurvy and current methods of diagnosis and treatment. Observation: The patient described in this case presented with sudden oligoarthritis and purpura of the lower extremities. Following progression of the patient's symptoms and a low vitamin C serum concentration, the patient was treated with vitamin C supplementation and dramatically improved. This was considered to be the result of an underlying vitamin C deficiency secondary to insufficient fruit and vegetable intake due to allergies. Conclusions and Relevance: This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for scurvy in atypical presentations of purpura not better explained by another disease or in additional populations at high risk of vitamin C deficiency. Early diagnosis by either a primary care physician or dermatologist can expedite the treatment process and improve patient prognosis.
Engineering common sense in this study refers to the students' level of knowledge of elementary engineering and their application. This characteristic is considered essential for facilitating students to be able to move on to the more involved topics in engineering. An assessment of common sense has been carried out among newly enrolled students in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Programs by using the marks obtained from several questions in a test. The results showed that the students who should have already mastered simple mathematical operations and hence having common sense, a significant proportion of them failed to apply it. Based on answers to three simple questions the assessment showed two extremes of common sense levels with an almost 50: 50 distribution, one at the lowest and the other at the highest. Although the admission grade points for this cohort of students are considered high, it appears that there is a problem with common sense for half of them. Do these students think that once they enter tertiary level engineering studies, learning becomes so formal that there is no room for using common sense? (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The large number of diseases occurring when desmosome constituents are impaired provides striking evidence for the key role of desmosomes in maintaining tissue integrity. A detailed understanding of the molecular alterations causing desmosomal dysfunction has, in turn, underpinned the development of novel diagnostic tools. This has salient clinical implications for dentists and oral medicine practitioners because the majority of desmosomal diseases affect the oral cavity. In the present article, we review the autoimmune, infectious, genetic, and neoplastic diseases that target the desmosome, with particular emphasis on clinical manifestations, diagnostic pathways, and relevant laboratory investigations.
The European winter moth, Operophtera brumata, is a non-native pest in the Northeastern USA causing defoliation of forest trees and crops such as apples and blueberries. This species is known to hybridize with O. bruceata, the Bruce spanworm, a native species across North America, although it is not known if there are hybrid generations beyond F1. To study winter moth population genetics and hybridization with Bruce spanworm, we developed two sets of genetic markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites, using genomic approaches. Both types of markers were validated using samples from the two species and their hybrids. We identified 1216 SNPs and 24 variable microsatellite loci. From them we developed a subset of 95 species-diagnostic SNPs and ten microsatellite loci that could be used for hybrid identification. We further validated the ten microsatellite loci by screening field collected samples of both species and putative hybrids. In addition to confirming the presence of F1 hybrids reported in previous studies, we found evidence for multi-generation asymmetric hybridization, as suggested by the occurrence of hybrid backcrosses with the winter month, but not with the Bruce spanworm. Laboratory crosses between winter moth females and Bruce spanworm males resulted in a higher proportion of viable eggs than the reciprocal cross, supporting this pattern. We discuss the possible roles of population demographics, sex chromosome genetic incompatibility, and bacterial symbionts as causes of this asymmetrical hybridization and the utility of the developed markers for future studies.
This research examined how people's ability to detect behavior change in simulated child targets is affected by their clinical experience and the assessment method they use. When using summary assessment methods that are widely employed in research and clinical practice, both inexperienced and experienced clinical staff detected changes in the overall frequency of targets' aggressive behavior, but were not uniquely influenced by changes in targets' reactions to social events. When using contextualized assessment methods that focused on conditional reactions, experienced staff showed greater sensitivity than novices to context-specific changes in targets' aggressive and prosocial reactions to aversive events. Experienced staff also showed greater sensitivity to context-specific changes in their overall impressions of change, but only for aggression. The findings show how clinically experienced judges become more attuned to ifaEuro broken vertical bar thenaEuro broken vertical bar contingencies in children's social behavior, and how summary assessment methods may hamper the detection of change processes.
In semi-arid and sub-humid sub-Saharan Africa highly variable rainfall, frequent droughts and low water productivity are consistently undermining food security. Rainwater harvesting technologies (RWHTs) help utilise water more productively whilst raising yield levels. In this article it is argued that realising the potential of RWHTs for resilience building and climate adaptation requires a better understanding of global and regional processes influencing RWHTs adoption combined with pre-existing analysis at the household scale. On the basis of a systematic literature review, processes of influence in the diffusion and uptake of RWHTs are identified. These relate to shifting ideology associated with food production systems; the scope of investments in agriculture science and technology; emergent actors shaping development assistance; and patterns of farmer mobility. Drawing insights from theory on transformations for sustainability and development, this article adds to the understanding of connectedness between farm-level adoption of RWHTs, and regional to global level actors, institutions and processes. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A new hysteresis window method is proposed as a solution for avoiding the operational dead zone that exists at the transition between buck and boost operating modes in all noninverting buck-boost converters. In addition, this method also eliminates the discontinuities in the converter's steady-state output voltage transfer characteristic, which is a function of the duty cycle. The converter's output voltage function is surjective and, therefore, smooth mode transitions are achieved. The negative effects of operating within the dead zone are shown by the presence of subharmonics in the output voltage, increased output voltage ripple, poor regulation, and the instability of the converter during the transition between buck and boost operating modes. The dead-zone avoidance technique proposed in this paper eliminates all these issues while at the same time ensures highly efficient operation of the converter. An additional advantage of the technique is its simplicity, which allows for implementation into low-cost digital signal controllers, as well as into analog control circuits. The advantageous features of the proposed approach were evaluated on the basis of comparisons with three other dead-zone avoidance approaches and the initial case, which does not utilize any dead-zone avoidance technique. All the experiments were carried out on a purpose-built prototype of a noninverting buck-boost converter with magnetically coupled inductors.
The present research compared the validity of popular direct and indirect measures of self-esteem in predicting self-confident behaviour in different social situations. In line with behavioural dual-process models, both implicit and explicit self-esteem were hypothesized to be related to appearing self-confident to unacquainted others. A total of 127 participants responded to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Scale, and an adjective scale for measuring explicit self-esteem (ESE). Participants' implicit self-esteem (ISE) was assessed with four indirect measures: the Implicit Association Test (IAT), the name-letter task (NLT), and two variants of an affective priming task, the reaction-time affective priming task (RT-APT) and the error-based affective priming task (EB-APT). Self-confident behaviour was observed in four different social situations: (i) self-introduction to a group; (ii) an ostracism experience; (iii) an interview about the ostracism experience; and (iv) an interview about one's personal life. In general, appearing self-confident to unknown others was independently predicted by ESE and ISE. The indirect measures of self-esteem were, as expected, not correlated, and only the self-esteem APTs-but not the self-esteem IAT or the NLT-predicted self-confident behaviours. It is important to note that in particular the predictive power of the self-esteem EB-APT pertained to all four criteria and was incremental to the ESE measures. Copyright (C) 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology
Providing solutions to current issues associated with an aging population has become a major challenge for the scientific community. In late adulthood, social isolation issues are the most frequent and the most threatening for the independent living and cognitive health of elderly adults. In this context, ambient intelligence (AmI) and social networking sites (SNSs) can promote independent living and social integration, improve their health, reduce the chances for developing cognitive decline, and ultimately prevent earlier death. The aim of this paper was to review the literature about how AmI and SNS technologies have been applied in the social integration of elderly adults. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted, which analyzed and classified computational approaches to address the issues of social isolation and social integration of elderly adults. This study revealed a wide variety of research works that are based on AmI and SNS technologies to keep older adults socially active. The paper also identifies the main technological resources and strategies to encourage social integration in this segment of the population. We concluded that this research field is still emerging and there is room for significant contributions.
A majority of RFID authentication scenarios involve a single tag that is identified independent of other tags in the field of the reader. However, there are situations that necessitate simultaneous authentication of multiple tags as well as the verification of their simultaneous physical proximity to the reader. Duels (2004) introduced yoking proof for simultaneous authentication of multiple RFID tags. Several researchers have since then developed variants of yoking proof using both symmetric and asymmetric cryptography. Given that the ambient conditions are bound to be very similar for all objects that are in close physical proximity to one another, we critically evaluate the use of various relevant ambient conditions for this purpose. Based on our evaluation, we choose to use tag temperature and develop a variant of yoking proof protocol for simultaneous authentication of multiple tags.(C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background Westernized lifestyle has been blamed for allergy epidemics. One of its characteristics is increased distances and frequency of travelling from early life onwards. Early life travelling to places which substantially differ from home environment in terms of climate, vegetation and food could increase the exposure to further unknown allergens and hence promote the development of allergies, but no epidemiological study has investigated this speculation. Methods Detailed data on travelling during the first 2 years of life as well as a range of atopic outcomes along with potential confounders up to age 15 years were collected prospectively within two large population-based multicentre German birth cohorts - GINIplus and LISAplus. Farthest travelling destination (within Germany; middle/northern/eastern Europe; southern Europe; outside Europe), total number of trips and their combination were considered as exposures. Six atopic outcomes were used: (1) doctordiagnosed asthma, (2) doctor-diagnosed allergic rhinitis, (3) nose and eye symptoms, (4) sensitization to food allergens, (5) sensitization to indoor and (6) outdoor inhalant allergens. Longitudinal associations between each exposure and health outcome pair were analysed using generalized estimation equations (GEEs). Results The results of our longitudinal analyses of 5674 subjects do not support the research hypothesis that travelling abroad to different regions in Europe or beyond Europe and frequency of travelling increase prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma and allergic rhinitis, nose and eye symptoms and allergic sensitization up to 15 years of age. Furthermore, there was no indication of age-varying effects. Conclusions Early life travelling does not seem to increase risk of atopic outcomes. Nevertheless, as we could not account for the type of visited environment or length of stay, these first findings should be interpreted with caution.
Owing to their mechanical properties, metallic materials present a promising solution in the field of resorbable implants. The magnesium metabolism in humans differs depending on its introduction. The natural, oral administration of magnesium via, for example, food, essentially leads to an intracellular enrichment of Mg2+. In contrast, introducing magnesium-rich substances or implants into the tissue results in a different decomposition behavior. Here, exposing magnesium to artificial body electrolytes resulted in the formation of the following products: magnesium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, and magnesium chloride, as well as calcium and magnesium apatites. Moreover, it can be assumed that Mg2+, OH- ions, and gaseous hydrogen are also present and result from the reaction for magnesium in an aqueous environment. With the aid of physiological metabolic processes, the organism succeeds in either excreting the above mentioned products or integrating them into the natural metabolic process. Only a burst release of these products is to be considered a problem. A multitude of general tissue effects and responses from the Mg's degradation products is considered within this review, which is not targeting specific implant classes. Furthermore, common alloying elements of magnesium and their hazardous potential in vivo are taken into account. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Advances in vehicular technology have resulted in more controls being incorporated into cabin designs. We present a system to determine which vehicle occupant is interacting with a control on the center console when it is activated, enabling the full use of dual-view touchscreens and the removal of duplicate controls. The proposed method relies on a background subtraction algorithm incorporating information from a superpixel segmentation stage. A manifold generated via the diffusion maps process handles the large variation in hand shapes, along with determining which part of the hand interacts with controls for a given gesture. We demonstrate superior results compared with other approaches on a challenging dataset.
In paravirtualization, the page table management components of guest operating systems are properly patched for the security guarantees of the hypervisor. However, none of them pay enough attention to the performance improvements, which results in two noticeable performance issues. First, such security patches exacerbate the problem that the execution paths of the guest page table (de) allocations become extremely long, which would consequently increase the latencies of process creations and exits. Second, the patches introduce many additional IOTLB flushes, leading to extra IOTLB misses, and the misses would have negative impacts on I/O performance of all peripheral devices. In this paper, we propose PiBooster, a novel lightweight approach for improving the performance in the page table management. First, PiBooster shortens the execution paths of the page table (de) allocations by PiBooster cache, which maintains dedicated buffers for serving page table (de) allocations. Second, PiBooster eliminates the additional IOTLB misses with a fine-grained validation scheme, which performs guest and DMA validations separately, instead of doing both together. We implement a prototype on Xen with Linux as the guest kernel. We also evaluate the performance effects of PiBooster. Firstly, PiBooster is able to completely eliminate the additional IOTLB flushes in the workload-stable environments, and effectively reduces (de) allocation time of the page table by 47% on average. Expectedly, the latencies of the process creations and exits are reduced by 16% on average. Besides, the SPECINT, netperf and lmbench results indicate that PiBooster has no negative performance impacts on CPU computation, network I/O, and disk I/O.
Objective: The objective of this study was to construct a recombinant vector expressing siRNA targetedly inhibiting aquaporin 3 (AQP3), and to evaluate the effects of AQP3 inhibition on the proliferation and invasion of XWLC-05 human lung cancer cells. Methods: We obtained human AQP3 sequence from the Genbank and established the recombinant vector expressing siRNA targeting AQP3. After the transfection of the recombinant vectors, the expression of AQP3 was determined by RT-PCR and western blot. The MTS assay, flow cytometry and Transwell assay were conducted to detect the proliferation, cell cycle process, apoptosis and invasion of XVVLC-05 cells. Then the activity of metal matrix proteinase (MMP) 2 was determined by gelatin zymography. Tumor formation in vivo experiments were also conducted in nude mice. Results: RNA interference (RNAi) of AQP3 substantially suppressed the XWLC-05 cell proliferation and invasion, blocked the cell cycle progressing and promoted cell apoptosis. In addition, the activity of MMP2 was remarkably attenuated in RNAi group. AQP3 RNAi did not affect the tumor formation rate in nude mice but reduced the tumor growth. Conclusion: The inhibition of AQP3 retarded the growth and invasiveness of XWLC-05 lung cancer cells and decreased the activity of MMP2. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm represents the vision of the next wave of computing. By relying on various computing and networking techniques, AmI systems have the potential to enhance our everyday lives in many different aspects. One area in which widespread application of this innovative paradigm promises particularly significant benefits is health care. The work presented here contributes to realizing such promise by proposing a functioning software application able to learn the behaviors and habits, and thereby anticipate the needs, of inhabitants living in a technological environment, such as a smart house or city. The result is a health care system that can actively contribute to anticipating, and thereby preventing, emergency situations to provide greater autonomy and safety to disabled or elderly occupants, especially in cases of critical illness.
The cloud can be used to outsource data storage or data computation. Data computation outsourcing enables to move computationally expensive operations outside a mobile device. Many pairing-based cryptographic schemes are designed to enable documents' encryption while fulfilling some defined security requirements. In practice, client applications should be implemented for mobile devices. Their computational capabilities are significantly lower than standard computers. Thus, advanced cryptographic calculations, like bilinear pairing calculation, might take too much time for a good user experience. In this paper, we analyse the possibilities to securely outsource bilinear pairings computation from a mobile device to possibly dishonest servers. Several test scenarios were implemented. Also, we have modified one of the pairing-based schemes that allows to encrypt and decrypt documents and we have created its secure outsourced version. Next, we have tested execution times of encryption and decryption algorithms of the original scheme and its outsourced version. The tests were conducted using different outsourcing models. The execution times showing time spent on the mobile device and the server are presented and discussed. The tests have shown that in certain conditions outsourcing bilinear pairing calculation can speed up overall computation time. Also, it simplifies implementation on different mobile operating systems.
It is widely accepted that amyloid precursor protein (APP) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, APP has been proposed to have functions in numerous biological processes including neuronal proliferation, differentiation, migration, axon guidance, and neurite outgrowth, as well as in synapse formation and function. However, germline knockout of APP yields relatively subtle phenotypes, and brain development appears grossly normal. This is thought to be due in part to functional compensation by APP family members and other type I transmembrane proteins. Here, we have generated a conditional mouse knockout for APP that is controlled temporally using CreER and tamoxifen administration. We show that total cortical expression of APP is reduced following tamoxifen administration during embryonic time points critical for cortical lamination, and that this results in displacement of Reelin-positive cells below the cortical plate with a concurrent elevation in Reelin protein levels. These results support a role for APP in cortical lamination and demonstrate the utility of a conditional knockout approach in which APP can be deleted with temporal control in vivo. This new tool should be useful for many different applications in the study of APP function across the mammalian life span.
Objectives: To investigate possible relationships among oral mucosal epithelial MUC1 expression, salivary female gonadal hormones and stress markers, and clinical characteristics in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Design: Thirty post-menopausal female patients with BMS (60.0 +/- 5.0 years) were included. Clinical and psychological evaluations were performed and the expression level of oral mucosal epithelial MUC1 was analyzed. The levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), 17 beta-estradiol, progesterone, chromogranin A, and blood contamination were determined from unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) and stimulated whole saliva (SWS) samples. Results: Salivary progesterone level had significant positive correlations with oral mucosal epithelial MUC1 expression level and with salivary cortisol and DHEA levels. The salivary level of 17 beta-estradiol showed significant positive correlations with period of symptom duration, severity of effects of oral complaints on daily life, and results from psychological evaluations. Cortisol level in UWS and cortisol/DHEA ratio in UWS and SWS had negative correlations with severity of oral burning sensation significantly. The severity of taste disturbance had positive correlations with results from psychometry significantly. Conclusion: Dysregulated psychoendocrinological interactions might affect oral mucosal MUC1 expression and severity of oral burning sensation in post-menopausal BMS patients. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Measuring cell proliferation can be performed by a number of different methods, each with varying levels of sensitivity, reproducibility and compatibility with high-throughput formatting. This protocol describes the use of three different methods for measuring cell proliferation in vitro including conventional hemocytometer counting chamber, a luminescence-based assay that utilizes the change in the metabolic activity of viable cells as a measure of the relative number of cells, and a multi-mode cell imager that measures cell number using a counting algorithm. Each method presents its own advantages and disadvantages for the measurement of cell proliferation, including time, cost and high-throughput compatibility. This protocol demonstrates that each method could accurately measure cell proliferation over time, and was sensitive to detect growth at differing cellular densities. Additionally, measurement of cell proliferation using a cell imager was able to provide further information such as morphology, confluence and allowed for a continual monitoring of cell proliferation over time. In conclusion, each method is capable of measuring cell proliferation, but the chosen method is user-dependent.
Accelerator driven system (ADS) is a promising technique for reducing the amount of long-lived fission products in a safe manner. It consists of a subcritical core coupled with an accelerator by means of a spallation target arrangement. Thermal hydraulics of a spallation target is of great complexity due to the multiphase flow, the cavitation, and the coupling with the spallation reaction. In this paper, we firstly obtain the steady-state flow pattern of lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) in the target, and then based on the flow pattern, the heat deposition with different proton beam energy is calculated via nuclear physics simulation. After that, the heat deposition is imported into CFD calculation to study the process of heat transfer. The transient temperature distributions with different proton beam energy are calculated. It is observed that the shape of temperature distribution varies with proton beam energy although the beam intensity is kept the same. The results also show that the temperature of recirculation zone is very effectively limited by adopting the annulus shaped proton beam. Above all, the temperature distribution depends on the heat deposition, the velocity and the flow pattern. The results are of great value and can be applied to the future design and optimization of the ADS windowless spallation target in China. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ambient Intelligence is the vision of future in which environments support the people living in them. This environment is self-effacing, interconnected, adaptable, dynamic, embedded, and intelligent. The vision is to disappear the technology instead processors and sensors are integrated in everyday objects. To develop such an environment wherein technology is invisible to the user and environment directly communicates with the user. A completely interactive environment that could assists the users in every possible manner. In order to design and develop such an environment, there is a need to shift technology from machine to human communication to machine to machine communication (M2M). For such communication there is the requirement of real time data, energy and the decision making concepts which are considered as the main objectives that needs to be fulfilled. In this paper we present the major contribution of various researchers in this field. Further we have also discussed the major challenges and risks associated with such intelligent environment and a methodology to overcome with the challenges in AmI environment.
The problem of inter-regional interchange scheduling in the presence of stochastic generation and load is considered. An interchange scheduling technique based on a two-stage stochastic minimization of expected operating cost is proposed. Because directly solving the stochastic optimization is intractable, an equivalent problem that maximizes the expected social welfare is formulated. The proposed technique leverages the operator's capability of forecasting locational marginal prices and obtains the optimal interchange schedule without iterations among operators. Several extensions of the proposed technique are also discussed.
Psychological models of forming impressions about other people assume that this process is strictly connected with social categorization. Therefore, it is clear that the results of many studies show that the evaluations of other people are based on two crucial and separable criteria: morality and competence. Obviously morality and competence are two fundamental and distinct dimensions of the perception of politicians. These dimensions substantially influence voters' behavior toward politicians and are clearly visible both in the preelection polls as well as in the scientific analyses concerning forming the images of politicians. The evaluations of politicians on the morality and competence dimensions are central in forming the interpersonal attitudes in which the dominant elements are affect and respect toward the evaluated person. Consequently, affect and respect are crucial factors in establishing the support of candidates for political offices. The morality and competence dimensions trigger the causal structures in the voter's mind in which formed attitude creates affect and respect, which determine voting behavior.
Rhododendron anthopogon D. Don., a small compact Himalayan shrub growing in Nepal, is a known medicinal plant used to treat sore throat, colds, blood disorders, bone disease, potato allergies, and vomiting, and to relieve liver disorders, headaches and back pain. The present study investigated the chemical composition and bioactivities of the leaf essential oil from R. anthopogon from Dhankuta, Nepal. The essential oil from leaves was obtained by hydrodistillation and a detailed chemical analysis was conducted by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The enantiomeric distribution of monoterpenoid components was determined using chiral gas chromatography and represents the first chiral examination of R. anthopogon essential oil. The essential oil was screened for antimicrobial activity using the microbroth dilution test, and for cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and 5637 using the MTT assay. A total of 70 volatile components were identified from the essential oil. The major components were alpha-pinene (21.5%), delta-cadinene (13.8%), beta-pinene (9.5%), limonene (5.9%), delta-amorphene (4.6%), alpha-muurolene (4.5%), and (E)-caryophyllene (3.2%) with other minor constituents (< 3%). The essential oil showed marginal antibacterial and cytotoxic activities, but no antifungal effects.
Background: Prior research has repeatedly shown that alcohol dependence is associated with a large range of impairments in psychological processes, which could lead to interpersonal deficits. Specifically, it has been suggested that these interpersonal difficulties are underpinned by reduced recognition and sharing of others' emotional states. However, this pattern of deficits remains to be clarified. This study thus aimed to investigate whether alcohol dependence is associated with impaired abilities in decoding contextual complex emotions and with altered sharing of others' emotions. Methods: Forty-one alcohol-dependent individuals (ADI) and 37 matched healthy individuals completed the Multifaceted Empathy Test, in which they were instructed to identify complex emotional states expressed by individuals in contextual scenes and to state to what extent they shared them. Results: Compared to healthy individuals, ADI were impaired in identifying negative (Cohen's d=0.75) and positive (Cohen's d=0.46) emotional states but, conversely, presented preserved abilities in sharing others' emotional states. Conclusions: This study shows that alcohol dependence is characterized by an impaired ability to decode complex emotional states (both positive and negative), despite the presence of complementary contextual cues, but by preserved emotion-sharing. Therefore, these results extend earlier data describing an impaired ability to decode noncontextualized emotions toward contextualized and ecologically valid emotional states. They also indicate that some essential emotional competences such as emotion-sharing are preserved in alcohol dependence, thereby offering potential therapeutic levers.
This paper analyses the contribution of biological geotextiles to gully stabilization in the urban area of So Luis City (Sacav,m District). Biological geotextile mats were constructed from palm leaves. At Sacav,m, gully rehabilitation included the following techniques: (1) installation of Buriti geotextiles, in association with barriers of wooden stakes and the construction of contoured terraces; (2) analysis of sediment particle size and (3) photograph comparison of the development of vegetal cover. Rehabilitation used similar to 30 kg of grass seeds (Brachiaria decumbens) on slopes, in combination with geotextiles. Besides recuperating a degraded area, income has been generated to poor people, who live around Sacav,m gully, either by producing the geotextiles or by applying them on the soil, together with grass seeds, lime and NPK to improve soil properties.
The primary goal of the current study was to examine cultural differences in Chinese and U.S. adolescents' and parents' perceptions and evaluations of adolescent misconduct behaviors. A total of 395 U.S. and Chinese adolescents (ages 11-19 years) and 255 parents participated in this study. Each participant generated adolescent misconduct behaviors and rated each misconduct behavior as to the degree of wrongness. The misconduct behaviors were coded into 10 categories across three themes (moral offenses, drugs, and conventions). Results revealed significant cultural differences in a number of adolescent misconduct behaviors. For example, the United States generated more misconduct behaviors in weapon offenses and drug use than did China. These cultural differences were further complicated by an interaction between culture and generation. Chinese adolescents were more likely than U.S. adolescents to use categories of school, home, and social conventional violations, and considered these adolescent misconduct behaviors to be more wrong. However, it was the U.S. parents who considered adolescent misconduct behaviors in these categories to be more wrong than did Chinese parents.
Pyruvate is a keystone molecule critical for numerous aspects of eukaryotic and human metabolism. Pyruvate is the end-product of glycolysis, is derived from additional sources in the cellular cytoplasm, and is ultimately destined for transport into mitochondria as a master fuel input undergirding citric acid cycle carbon flux. In mitochondria, pyruvate drives ATP production by oxidative phosphorylation and multiple biosynthetic pathways intersecting the citric acid cycle. Mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism is regulated by many enzymes, including the recently discovered mitochondria pyruvate carrier, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and pyruvate carboxylase, to modulate overall pyruvate carbon flux. Mutations in any of the genes encoding for proteins regulating pyruvate metabolism may lead to disease. Numerous cases have been described. Aberrant pyruvate metabolism plays an especially prominent role in cancer, heart failure, and neurodegeneration. Because most major diseases involve aberrant metabolism, understanding and exploiting pyruvate carbon flux may yield novel treatments that enhance human health.
Biologics (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, bDMARD) have been in use in Germany for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since 2001, usually after failure of at least one conventional synthetic (cs)DMARD. We analyzed temporal changes in factors that influence the decision for either a first bDMARD or a further csDMARD. We analyzed data from 9513 bDMARD-naive RA patients in the German biologics register RABBIT who switched to a new therapy. For three recruitment periods (2001-2003, 2004-2006 and 2009-2015) factors influencing the therapeutic decision were analyzed by means of machine learning methods and logistic regression analysis. In all recruitment periods the number of previous csDMARDs, high dosages of glucocorticoids (>7.5 mg/day) and a higher DAS28 (>5.1) were significantly associated with the decision for a first bDMARD. Over time, the chance of receiving a bDMARD increased in patients with moderate disease activity, moderate glucocorticoid dosages (5-7.5 mg/day) and those with comorbidities, such as congestive heart failure or prior malignancy. Men had a higher chance of receiving a bDMARD than women only in the first recruitment period. Private health insurance, high education and gainful employment were significantly associated with more frequent prescription of bDMARDs in all recruitment periods. The time-dependent changes in the impact of disease activity, concomitant drugs, gender and comorbidity on the prescription of bDMARDs mirror the increasing therapeutic options and the growing experience in the application of the new substances in patients at higher risk. The influence of demographic and social factors may reflect safety concerns in patients at increased risk of adverse events but also the need to economize drug costs..
According to the Huaxi Group 2# blind inclined shaft hoisting machine adopts TKD-A control system in speed control performance is poor, the control circuit is complex, high noise, stability and low reliability, this paper proposes a SCR-D system to replace the original scheme of reforming the electric control system. The paper introduces the structure and working principle of SCR-D system, shows the main equipment selection of the main circuit, and gives the system installation and adjustment. The result shows, the reformed electric control system has characteristics of perfect protection, control with high precision, good energy saving effect. It achieved the expected goal.
In many low-to-mid power applications, critical mode boost power factor corrector converters are widely used because of its low switching loss and simple control. However, near the zero crossing of the input line voltage, an input current distortion and a low power factor are caused by delayed switching period and negative input currents. Generally, an additional on-time method according to the input voltage is used to compensate the input current distortion. However, a detailed quantitative analysis for the exact additional on time has not been studied till now. In this paper, the explicit form of the optimized additional on time has been obtained using a quantitative analysis and the advantage of the digital control. From a state trajectory and net input charge analysis, it is shown that the optimized on time should be related to not only the input voltage, but also the output power. Also, in order to improve the efficiency in a high input and light load condition, circulating currents are reduced in the inevitable dead angle with a gate turning-off technique. By using digital control, the optimized additional on time and the gate turn-off technique have been implemented with the 90-230 V-rms input and 380 V/200 W output prototype.
The behavior of soil-geosynthetics interfaces depends on the different properties of soil, including particle size, particle shape, density, gravimetric water content, degree of saturation, and properties of geosynthetics that include structure, texture, and other elements. This paper pertains to the study of the influence of the particle shape of sand on the behavior of the sand-geotextile interface. Experiments were conducted using a conventional-sized direct shear box modified for interface testing. In the present study, two different natural sands (one with angular particles and the other with rounded particles) and two different geotextiles were used. The results showed that particle shape significantly influences the interface behavior, especially the postpeak behavior. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
A dyke construction was dealed with geotextile-encased sand columns. The dyke was used to enclose a polder in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany. With the help of geotextile, the columns can be used in very soft soils, even undrained shear strength c(u) < 15 kN/m(2), without excessive bulging. After the system is installed, the dike can be filled immediately. To analysis observed data of the long-term settlements in the dyke, three stages can be gotten i.e. Primary settlements - Secondary settlements - Creep settlements. Most settlements occurred during the primary filling, while, only little settlements appeared after that construction was accomplished. The settlement rate decreases from the first settlement stage to the last one. No jump takes place when unloading soft soil. Furthermore, the method shorten time and saved a lot of money.
Risk assessment of infrastructure systems plays an increasingly important role in their plan, design, maintenance, retrofit and life-cycle cost evaluation taking into consideration their vulnerability to natural, technological and terrorist hazard. This paper develops a mechanistic model for seismic damageability of concrete bridges in the form of fragility curve in such a way that the model can be calibrated with the empirical fragility curves constructed on the basis of the damage data from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. As often observed from this and other destructive earthquakes, bridges are one of the most vulnerable components of a highway network system subjected to earthquake ground motion. For this reason, bridge damageability information in a succinct from as fragility curve is needed to pursue the seismic risk assessment of a highway networks consisting of as large as thousands of bridges that can be affected by a high magnitude earthquake with in and near the service area of the network. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) induces various forms of cerebral infarcts and hemorrhages from vascular amyloid-beta accumulation, resulting in acceleration of cognitive impairment, which is currently untreatable. Soluble amyloid-beta protein likely impairs cerebrovascular integrity as well as cognitive function in early stage Alzheimer's disease. Taxifolin, a flavonol with strong anti-oxidative and anti-glycation activities, has been reported to disassemble amyloid-beta in vitro but the in vivo relevance remains unknown. Here, we investigated whether taxifolin has therapeutic potential in attenuating CAA, hypothesizing that inhibiting amyloid-beta assembly may facilitate its clearance through several elimination pathways. Vehicle- or taxifolin-treated Tg-SwDI mice (commonly used to model CAA) were used in this investigation. Cognitive and cerebrovascular function, as well as the solubility and oligomerization of brain amyloid-beta proteins, were investigated. Spatial reference memory was assessed by water maze test. Cerebral blood flow was measured with laser speckle flowmetry and cerebrovascular reactivity evaluated by monitoring cerebral blood flow changes in response to hypercapnia. Significantly reduced cerebrovascular pan-amyloid-beta and amyloid-beta(1-40) accumulation was found in taxifolin-treated Tg-SwDI mice compared to vehicle-treated counterparts (n = 5). Spatial reference memory was severely impaired in vehicle-treated Tg-SwDI mice but normalized after taxifolin treatment, with scoring similar to wild type mice (n = 10-17). Furthermore, taxifolin completely restored decreased cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity in Tg-SwDI mice (n = 4-6). An in vitro thioflavin-T assay showed taxifolin treatment resulted in efficient inhibition of amyloid-beta(1-40) assembly. In addition, a filter trap assay and ELISA showed Tg-SwDI mouse brain homogenates exhibited significantly reduced levels of amyloid-beta oligomers in vivo after taxifolin treatment (n = 4-5), suggesting the effects of taxifolin on CAA are attributable to the inhibition of amyloid-beta oligomer formation. In conclusion, taxifolin prevents amyloid-beta oligomer assembly and fully sustains cognitive and cerebrovascular function in a CAA model mice. Taxifolin thus appears a promising therapeutic approach for CAA.
DNA vaccines had been widely used in animal models against various viral infections, while it was not so convincing for many infectious diseases especially bacterial disease in aquaculture. Interleukin-8(IL-8) as one of the CXC chemokines, its immunological role and adjuvant potential which had been proved in mammals were rarely reported in fish species. In this study, recombination plasmid pcDNA3.1/IL-8(pcIL-8) was conducted and the capacity of IL-8 as molecular adjuvant was explored from several aspects by co-injecting with a DNA vaccine encoding a-enolase(pcENO) against Streptococcus iniae infection in channel catfish. The results suggested that co-injection of pcIL-8 with DNA vaccine increased the innate immunity and specific antibody levels, as well as increased the immune-related genes involving in pro-inflammatory response, humoral and cellular immunity. Moreover, pcIL-8 enhanced the immunoprotection of pcENO with the relative percent survival(RPS) of 60% to 80% against S. iniae infection at 4 week post vaccination(p.v.), with the significantly higher RPS of 73.33% in pcENO+pcIL-8 group compared with that of pcENO alone(53.33%) at challenge test of 8 weeks p.v. Taken together, these results indicate pcIL-8 as a molecular adjuvant co-injected with DNA vaccine not only improves the immunoprotection but also maintains long period of immunity for channel catfish against S. iniae infection. Our study signifies that IL-8 holds promise to serve as a potential adjuvant in DNA vaccines against bacterial infections for long time.
Positive-strand RNA genomes function as mRNA for viral protein synthesis which is fully reliant on host cell translation machinery. Competing with cellular protein translation apparatus needs to ensure the production of viral proteins, but this also stifles host innate defense. In the present study, we showed that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), whose replication takes place in the cytoplasm, imprisoned host cell mRNA in the nucleus, which suggests a novel mechanism to enhance translation of PRRSV genome. PRRSV nonstructural protein (nsp) 1 beta was identified as the nuclear protein playing the role for host mRNA nuclear retention and subversion of host protein synthesis. A SAP (SAF-A/B, Acinus, and PIAS) motif was identified in nsp1 beta with the consensus sequence of (126)-LQxxLxxxGL-(135). In situ hybridization unveiled that SAP mutants were unable to cause nuclear retention of host cell mRNAS and did not suppress host protein synthesis. In addition, these SAP mutants reverted PRRSV-nsp1 beta-mediated suppression of interferon (IFN) production, IFN signaling, and TNF-alpha production pathway. Using reverse genetics, a series of SAP mutant PRRS viruses, vK124A, vL126A, vG134A, and vL135A were generated. No mRNA nuclear retention was observed during vL126A and vL135A infections. Importantly, vL126A and vL135A did not suppress IFN production. For other arteriviruses, mRNA nuclear accumulation was also observed for LDV-nsp1 beta and SHFV-nsp1 beta. EAV-nspl was exceptional and did not block the host mRNA nuclear export.
Human prosociality is often assumed to emerge from exerting reflective control over initial, selfish impulses. However, recent findings suggest that prosocial actions can also stem from processes that are fast, automatic and intuitive. Here, we attempt to clarify when prosocial behavior may be intuitive by examining prosociality as a form of reward seeking. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we explored whether a neural signature that rapidly encodes the motivational salience of an event-the P300-can predict intuitive prosocial motivation. Participants allocated varying amounts of money between themselves and charities they initially labelled as high- or low-empathy targets under conditions that promoted intuitive or reflective decision making. Consistent with our predictions, P300 amplitude over centroparietal regions was greater when giving involved high-empathy targets than low-empathy targets, but only when deciding under intuitive conditions. Reflective conditions, alternatively, elicited an earlier frontocentral positivity related to response inhibition, regardless of target. Our findings suggest that during prosocial decision making, larger P300 amplitude could (i) signal intuitive prosocial motivation and (ii) predict subsequent engagement in prosocial behavior. This work offers novel insight into when prosociality may be driven by intuitive processes and the roots of such behaviors.
A 6/8 E-core flux-switching permanent magnet machine with large air-gap (delta=3 mm) for a medium speed application (n=6000 rpm) is presented. General aspects of machine design arising from the large air-gap length of the machine are discussed using 2D-Finite Element Analysis. It is found that the design rules for conventional or even alternate FSPM machines can no longer be applied when a large air-gap is present. Particularly the choice of rotor poles is investigated to improve the torque capability of the FSPM machine in detail. Within the machine design it is necessary to reduce the number of rotor poles which is also beneficial for the reduction of losses at increased rotor speeds. Moreover, the height of the permanent magnets in the stator also need to be enlarged due to the large air-gap machines to prevent a direct short circuit of the permanent magnet flux in the air-gap. Additionally, the influence of rotor skewing on the torque variation is briefly discussed.
The power supply rejection (PSR) based on closed-loop low-dropout regulator (LDO) is analyzed to achieve high PSR in LDO, and help the designer meet the PSR requirement when considering the other performances of LDO. Using small signal model of MOS transistor, Kirchhoff's current/voltage law, and the tool of Mathematica, the PSR with DC gain, poles, and zeros of power stage and six kinds of basic amplifiers in LDO is analyzed theoretically, and proved by the simulation of Cadence Spectre. By tabling the PSR of eight Error Amplifier (EA) composite structures of two stages, the best combination of NMOS differential input amplifier (N-DA) + PMOS input common source amplifier (P-CS) is proposed on account of DC PSR property. An LDO containing an EA of the best structure has been designed with TSMC standard 0.35 mu m CMOS process. The measurement result of PSR is -75 dB @ 1 kHz. A novel guideline to improve PSR of LDO is proposed and it provides afresh design idea. Measurement results are in agreement with the analysis also.
Because scour has contributed to the collapse of a large number of bridges, many researchers have tried to find a general method of predicting scour to prevent the failure of bridge foundations. However, existing scour depth equations recommended by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the United States generally give excessively conservative estimates of the scour depth. One reason is that these equations are based primarily on idealized and simplified laboratory experiments in rectangular flumes. In addition to idealized and simplified laboratory experiments, another possible reason for scour depth overprediction is the current practice of adding separate estimates of contraction scour and local scour when in fact these processes occur simultaneously and interact. This study focuses specifically on the hydraulic modeling of local pier scour and contraction scour. Scaled field site was constructed in the Hydraulics Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology based on their Froude number similarity. We used several flow rates, including the 50- and 100-year peak flood discharge and the 1998 historical flood discharge from field measurements provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and used them to compare scour measurements (contraction scour and local scour) in the laboratory and in the field. Based on the findings, a procedure for hydraulic modeling with scaled field geometry is suggested.
Measurements via different techniques of the crystal of benzoic acid have led to conflicting conceptions of tautomerism: statistical disorder for diffraction; semiclassical jumps for relaxometry; quantum states for vibrational spectroscopy. We argue that these conflicts follow from the prejudice that nuclear positions and eigenstates are pre-existing to measurements, what is at variance with the principle of complementarity. We propose a self-contained quantum theory. First of all, new single-crystal neutron diffraction data accord with long-range correlation for proton-site occupancies. Then we introduce a macroscopic-scale quantum-state emerging from phonon condensation, for which nuclear positions and eigenstates are indefinite. As to quantum-measurements, an incoming wave (neutron or photon) entangled with the condensate realizes a transitory state, either in the space of static nuclear-coordinates (diffraction), or in that of the symmetry coordinates (spectroscopy and relaxometry). We derive temperature-laws for proton-site occupancies and for the relaxation rate, which compare favorably with measurements. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose Renewable energies are promoted in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of fossil fuels. However, plants for renewable electricity production incorporate specifically higher amounts of materials being rated as potentially scarce. Therefore, it is in question which (mineral) resources contribute to the overall resource consumption and which of the manifold impact assessment methods can be recommended to cover an accurate and complete investigation of resource use for renewable energy technologies. Methods Life cycle assessment is conducted for different renewable electricity production technologies (wind, photovoltaics, and biomass) under German conditions and compared to fossil electricity generation from a coal-fired power plant. Focus is given on mineral resource depletion for these technologies. As no consensus has been reached so far as to which impact assessment method is recommended, different established as well as recently developed impact assessment methods (CML, ReCiPe, Swiss Ecoscarcity, and economic scarcity potential (ESP)) are compared. The contribution of mineral resources to the overall resource depletion as well as potential scarcity are identified. Results and discussion Overall resource depletion of electricity generation technologies tends to be dominated by fossil fuel depletion; therefore, most renewable technologies reduce the overall resource depletion compared to a coal-fired power plant. But, in comparison to fossil electricity generation from coal, mineral resource depletion is increased by wind and solar power. The investigated methods rate different materials as major contributors to mineral resource depletion, such as gallium used in photovoltaic plants (Swiss Ecoscarcity), gold and copper incorporated in electrical circuits and in cables (CML and ReCiPe), and nickel (Swiss Ecoscarcity and ReCiPe) and chromium (ESP) for stainless steel production. However, some methods lack characterization factors for potentially important materials. Conclusions If mineral resource use is investigated for technologies using a wider spectrum of potentially scarce minerals, practitioners need to choose the impact assessment method carefully according to their scope and check if all important materials are covered. Further research is needed for an overall assessment of different resource compartments.
Polyphosphate is a polymer of phosphate residues linked by high energy phosphoanhydride bonds. Despite being highly conserved throughout nature, its function is poorly understood. Here we show that Dictyostelium cells accumulate extracellular polyphosphate, and this acts to inhibit proliferation at high cell densities. In shaking culture, extracellular polyphosphate concentrations increase as cell density increases, and if the concentration of polyphosphate observed at the stationary phase is added to cells at mid-log, proliferation is halted. Adding an exopolyphosphatase to cell cultures or stationary phase conditioned medium decreases polyphosphate levels and abrogates the anti-proliferative effect. The cells show saturable binding of polyphosphate, suggesting the presence of a cell surface polyphosphate receptor. Extracellular polyphosphate accumulation is potentiated by decreased nutrient levels, potentially as a means to anticipate starvation. Loss of the Dictyostelium polyphosphate kinase DdPpk1 causes intracellular polyphosphate levels to become undetectable and negatively affects fitness, cytokinesis, and germination. However, cells lacking DdPpk1 accumulate approximate to 50% normal levels of extracellular polyphosphate, suggesting an additional means of synthesis. We found that cells lacking inositol hexakisphosphate kinase, which is responsible for the synthesis of the inositol pyrophosphates IP7 and IP8, reach abnormally high cell densities and show decreased extracellular polyphosphate levels. Two different enzymes thus appear to mediate the synthesis of Dictyostelium extracellular polyphosphate, which is used as a signal in an autocrine negative feedback loop to regulate cell proliferation.
Kron reduction is used to simplify the analysis of multi-machine power systems under certain steady state assumptions that underly the usage of phasors. Using ideas from behavioral system theory, in this paper we show how to perform Kron reduction for a class of electrical networks, called homogeneous electrical networks, without steady state assumptions. The reduced models can thus be used to analyze the transient as well as the steady state behavior of these electrical networks. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic moderate exercise on regulation of intracellular calcium signaling as an important link to proliferation capacity in murine splenic T lymphocytes. Methods: Male CD1 Swiss mice were randomly assigned either to a control group (CG) or an exercise training group (EG). EG mice performed voluntary exercise for 3 months. Lymphocytes were isolated from murine spleens and intracellular calcium was determined by using Fura-2(AM) and fluorescence spectrometry. The combination of flow cytometry and carboxy-fluorescein succinimidyl ester labeling technique was used for determination of cell proliferation. The expression levels of Ca2+-regulating genes were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. Results: Basal [Ca2+](i) was significantly higher in mice from the EG compared with mice of the CG (P < 0.001, n = 6). Similarly, [Ca2+](i) transients after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, and the anti-CD3 antibody induced were significantly increased in mice from the EG (P < 0.05, n = 5). However, no differences were found after stimulation with thapsigargin (P < 0.05, n = 5). CD3+ T cells from EG showed higher mitogen-induced proliferation levels than from CG (P < 0.05/0.01, n = 5). The mRNA expression of cellular Ca2+-regulating genes, such as STIM1, Cav2.3, TRPV4, IP3R2, ORAI1, MCU, TRPM5, and TRPC1, were significantly downregulated (P < 0.05/0.01, n = 5). Conclusion: This study suggests that chronic moderate exercise improves intracellular Ca2+ signaling in murine splenic lymphocytes. The enhanced availability of the second messenger Ca2+ is followed by an improved cellular function such as cell proliferation. The downregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis-related factor expression might be considered as a self-protective mechanism against elevated intracellular Ca2+ signals.
For thermal mixed-convection flows, the Nusselt number is a function of Reynolds number, Grashof number and the angle between the forced-and natural-convection directions. We consider flow over a heated cylinder for which there is no universal correlation that accurately predicts Nusselt number as a function of these parameters, especially in opposing-convection flows, where the natural convection is against the forced convection. Here, we revisit this classical problem by employing modern tools from machine learning to develop a general multi-fidelity framework for constructing a stochastic response surface for the Nusselt number. In particular, we combine previously developed experimental correlations (low-fidelity model) with direct numerical simulations (high-fidelity model) using Gaussian process regression and autoregressive stochastic schemes. In this framework the high-fidelity model is sampled only a few times, while the inexpensive empirical correlation is sampled at a very high rate. We obtain the mean Nusselt number directly from the stochastic multi-fidelity response surface, and we also propose an improved correlation. This new correlation seems to be consistent with the physics of this problem as we correct the vectorial addition of forced and natural convection with a pre-factor that weighs differently the forced convection. This, in turn, results in a new definition of the effective Reynolds number, hence accounting for the 'incomplete similarity' between mixed convection and forced convection. In addition, due to the probabilistic construction, we can quantify the uncertainty associated with the predictions. This information-fusion framework is useful for elucidating the physics of the flow, especially in cases where anomalous transport or interesting dynamics may be revealed by contrasting the variable fidelity across the models. While in this paper we focus on the thermal mixed convection, the multi-fidelity framework provides a new paradigm that could he used in many different contexts in fluid mechanics including heat and mass transport, but also in combining various levels of fidelity of models of turbulent flows.
Although previous research has investigated relationships between media consumption, sexism, and rape myth acceptance (RMA), limited research has investigated video games despite their emergence as one of the most popular forms of media entertainment globally. Given that video games typically feature even less diverse and more objectified representations of women than traditional mainstream media, we predicted that there would be relationships between video game consumption and negative beliefs and attitudes about women. In this study, we conducted a survey (N = 351) of male and female adults and used structural equation modeling to analyze relationships among video game consumption, trait interpersonal aggression, ambivalent sexism, and first-order (percentage of false rape accusations) and second-order cultivation effects (RMA). We found support for the hypothesized cultivation model, indicating a relationship between video game consumption and RMA via interpersonal aggression and hostile sexism. Although these findings cannot be interpreted causally, we discuss the implications of these associations and future directions for research.
The goal of the present research was to test the convergent and divergent validity of the Strategies for Coping with Career Indecision (SCCI) model and questionnaire, which comprises three main coping stylesProductive coping, Support-seeking, and Nonproductive copingusing three samples of young adults deliberating about their career choice. Study 1 tested the association between the SCCI and career decision-making profiles, using a sample of 390 young adults. Study 2 tested the relations between the SCCI and emotional and personality-related career decision-making difficulties, using a sample of 454 young adults. Finally, Study 3 tested the associations between the SCCI and career decision self-efficacy as well as the five dimensions of the Big Five Inventory, using a sample of 451 young adults. All three studies also tested the SCCI's incremental validity by assessing its ability to predict individuals' stages in the career decision-making process over and above the other measures. The results supported the convergent and divergent validity and partially supported the incremental validity of the SCCI. The theoretical and counseling implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.
In this paper, the requirements for models, methods and tools to support servitisation through collaboration of manufacturing enterprises and service providers are addressed. The Manufacturing SErvice Ecosystem (MSEE) European project has applied a novel approach to elicit these requirements and aims to fulfil them by establishing a manufacturing service ecosystems (MSE) concept. After identifying and specifying the requirements for support, MSEE has developed models, methods and tools to realise products and services in virtual enterprises, established from the MSE and validated them in four European test cases.
Activity recognition of an elderly person can be used to provide information and intelligent services to health care professionals, carers, elderly people, and their families so that the elderly people can remain at homes independently. This study investigates the use and contribution of wrist-worn multisensors for activity recognition. We found that accelerometers are the most important sensors and heart rate data can be used to boost classification of activities with diverse heart rates. We propose a genetic algorithm-based fusion weight selection (GAFW) approach which utilizes GA to find fusion weights. For all possible classifier combinations and fusion methods, the study shows that 98% of times GAFW can achieve equal or higher accuracy than the best classifier within the group.
High piezo-photo catalytic efficiency of degrading organic pollutants has been realized from CuS/ZnO nanowires using both solar and mechanical energy. CuS/ZnO heterostructured nanowire arrays are compactly/vertically aligned on stainless steel mesh by a simple two-step wet-chemical method. The mesh supported nanocomposites can facilitate an efficient light harvesting due to the large surface area and can also be easily removed from the treated solution. Under both solar and ultrasonic irradiation, CuS/ZnO nanowires can rapidly degrade methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution, and the recyclability is investigated. In this process, the ultrasonic assistance can greatly enhance the photocatalytic activity. Such a performance can be attributed to the coupling of the built-in electric field of heterostructures and the piezoelectric field of ZnO nanowires. The built-in electric field of the heterostructure can effectively separate the photogenerated electrons/holes and facilitate the carrier transportation. The CuS component can improve the visible light utilization. The piezoelectric field created by ZnO nanowires can further separate the photogenerated electrons/holes through driving them to migrate along opposite directions. The present results demonstrate a new water-pollution solution in green technologies for the environmental remediation at the industrial level.
Cathinone-derived designer drugs have recently grown to be popular as drugs of abuse. 3,4-Dimethylmethcathinone (DMMC) has recently been abused as one of the alternatives to controlled cathinones. In the present study, DMMC and its major metabolites, 3,4-dimethylcathinone (DMC), 1-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-2-methylaminopropan-1-ol (beta-OH-DMMC, diastereomers), and 2-amino-1-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)propan-1-ol (beta-OH-DMC, diastereomers), have been identified and quantified in a DMMC user's urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using newly synthesized authentic standards. Other putative metabolites including oxidative metabolites of the xylyl group and conjugated metabolites have also been detected in urine. The identified and putative phase I metabolites indicated that the metabolic pathways of DMMC include its reduction of the ketone group to the corresponding alcohols, N-demethylation to the primary amine, oxidation of the xylyl group to the corresponding alcohol and carboxylate forms, and combination of these steps. Concentrations of the identified metabolites were found to increase slightly after enzymatic hydrolysis, suggesting that these compounds are partially metabolized to the respective conjugates.
Ditch cleaning in drained peatland forests increases sediment loads and degrades water quality in headwater streams and lakes. A better understanding of the processes controlling ditch erosion and sediment transport in such systems is a prerequisite for proper peatland management. In order to relate hydrological observations to key erosion processes in headwater peatlands drained for forestry, a two-year study was conducted in a nested sub-catchment system (treated with ditch cleaning) and at two reference sites. The treated catchment was instrumented for continuous discharge and turbidity monitoring, erosion pin measurements of changes in ditch bed and banks and time-integrated sampling of suspended sediment (SS) composition. The results showed that ditch cleaning clearly increased transient suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) and suspended sediment yields (SSYs), and resulted in temporary storage of loosely deposited organic sediment in the ditch network. After exhaustion of this sediment storage, subaerial processes and erosion from ditch banks became dominant in producing sediment for transport. Recorded SSCs were higher on the rising limbs of event hydrographs throughout the study period, indicating that SS transport was limited by availability of erosion-prone sediment. A strong positive correlation (R-2=0.84, p<0.001) between rainfall intensity (above a threshold of 1mmh(-1)) and average SSC obtained on the rising limb of hydrographs for the sub-catchment showed that soil detachment from ditch banks by raindrop impact can directly increase SSC in runoff. At the main catchment outlet, variation in SSC was best explained (R-2=0.67, p<0.05) by the linear combination of initial discharge (-), peak discharge (+) and the lag time from initial to peak discharge (-). Based on these factors, ditch cleaning slightly increased peak discharges and decreased transit times in the study catchment. The implications of the results for water pollution management in peatland forests are discussed. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The challenge raised by the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) concept will permanently shape the networking and communications landscape and will therefore have a significant social impact. The ongoing IoT research activities are directed towards the definition and design of open architectures and standards, but there are still many issues requiring a global consensus before the final deployment. The paper presents and discusses the IoT architectural frameworks proposed under the ongoing standardization efforts, design issues in terms of IoT hardware and software components, as well as the IoT application domain representatives, such as smart cities, healthcare, agriculture, and nano-scale applications (addressed within the concept of Internet of Nano-Things). In order to obtain the performances related to recently proposed protocols for emerging Industrial Internet of Things applications, the preliminary results for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport and Time-Slotted Channel Hopping protocols are provided. The testing was performed on OpenMote hardware platform and two IoT operating systems: Contiki and OpenWSN.
This paper explores the effect of video game content, context and experience on cooperative behavior over three research studies. Study 1 is a cross-sectional correlation study exploring the relationship between the video game team-play frequency and pro-social behavior, Study 2 is a 2 (game content: violent video game and neutral video game) x 2 (game context: single-play and team-play) design with the dependent variable being cooperative behavior and Study 3 is a single factor design experiment which examines the effect of the gaming experience on cooperative behavior under a collaborative context. The main findings were that the team-play frequency had a positive correlation with pro-social behavior, and pro-social video game exposure significantly predicted pro-social behavior. Collaborative play was found to significantly increase cooperation in both violent and neutral video games. However, the level of gaming experience tended to moderate the relationship between collaborative play and the level of cooperation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper we deal with RLC or RLCG circuits, where some of the coefficients are influenced by a colored noise. Our approach to the mathematical description of this situation is via stochastic differential equations. We present numerical solutions of the corresponding equations. We compare the deterministic solution with the stochastic ones. We also compute and illustrate the corresponding confidence intervals for the stochastic solutions. Numerical simulations in the examples are carried out using Matlab.
We exploited the potential of cucurbits for ectopic gene expression. Agroinfiltration is a simple and commonly used method to obtain transient expression of foreign genes in plants. In contrast to in vitro transformation techniques, agroinfiltration can be used for genetic modification of mature plant tissues. Although the cucurbits are commonly used as model plants for molecular biology and biotechnology studies, to date there are no literature sources on the possibility of transient gene expression in mature cucurbit tissues. Our research has shown that mature leaves of Luffa cylindrica L. (luffa), in contrast to other cucurbit species, can be successfully transiently transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We efficiently transformed luffa leaves with a reporter gene encoding beta-glucuronidase (GUS). The GUS activity in transiently transformed leaf tissues was detected within 24 h after the infiltration with bacteria. Additionally, we have shown that the activity of a transiently expressed the GUS gene can be monitored directly in the EDTA-exudates collected from the cut petioles of the agroinfiltrated leaves. The results suggest that luffa leaves can be useful as a plant expression system for studies of physiological and biochemical processes in cucurbits.
Explicit instructions regarding stimulus-threat associations increase acquisition and extinction of fear in healthy participants. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of contingency instructions on fear acquisition and extinction in patients with anxiety disorders. Patients with various anxiety disorders (N = 104) and healthy comparison participants (N = 93) participated in a differential fear conditioning task (within-subjects design). Approximately halfway through the acquisition phase, participants were instructed about the stimulus-threat association, and approximately halfway through the extinction phase, participants were informed that the unconditioned stimulus (US) would no longer be administered. Outcome measures were: fear-potentiated startle, skin conductance, fearfulness ratings, and US expectancy ratings. Patients demonstrated overall increased physiological and subjective fear responses during acquisition and extinction phases, relative to the comparison group. There were no major differences in fear acquisition and extinction between patients with different anxiety disorders. During acquisition, instructions led to increased discrimination of fear responses between a danger cue (conditioned stimulus [CS]+) and safety cue (CS-) in both patients and comparison participants. Moreover, instructions strengthened extinction of fear responses in the patient and comparison group. Patients and healthy comparison participants are better able to discriminate between danger and safety cues when they have been explicitly informed about cues that announce a threat situation. Considering the analogies between fear extinction procedures and exposure therapy, this suggests that specific instructions on stimulus-threat associations during exposure therapy might improve short-term treatment efficacy. The question remains for future studies whether instructions have a positive effect on extinction learning in the longer term.
The paper develops a general regression framework for the analysis of manifold-valued response in a Riemannian symmetric space (RSS) and its association with multiple covariates of interest, such as age or gender, in Euclidean space. Such RSS-valued data arise frequently in medical imaging, surface modelling and computer vision, among many other fields. We develop an intrinsic regression model solely based on an intrinsic conditional moment assumption, avoiding specifying any parametric distribution in RSS. We propose various link functions to map from the Euclidean space of multiple covariates to the RSS of responses. We develop a two-stage procedure to calculate the parameter estimates and determine their asymptotic distributions. We construct the Wald and geodesic test statistics to test hypotheses of unknown parameters. We systematically investigate the geometric invariant property of these estimates and test statistics. Simulation studies and a real data analysis are used to evaluate the finite sample properties of our methods.
The formula for calculating the ultimate bearing capacity of horizontal-vertical reinforced soil is investigated based on the failure mode and the mechanism of sand beds reinforced with horizontal-vertical reinforcement Two components of soils and reinforcement are calculated separately. The ultimate bearing capacity of a shallow, concentrically loaded strip footing on homogeneous soil is commonly determined using the Terzaghi superposition method. The contribution of horizontal-vertical reinforcement is calculated based on the bearing resistance of the soil against the transverse members. A vertical inclusion is treated as a retaining wall, the confinement being calculated using Rankine's earth pressure theory. An analytical solution is presented including the traditional factors of soil, unit soil weight, footing width, number of horizontal-vertical reinforcement layers, and reinforcement geometry. The results were validated against experimental results and the mean error of the theoretical model was about 10%, with a maximum error of about 20%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Few authors have investigated patients' expectations from foot and ankle surgery. In this study, we aimed to examine relationships between patients' preoperative expectations and their demographic and clinical characteristics. We hypothesized that patients with more disability and those with anxiety or depressive symptoms would have greater expectations. Methods: All adult patients scheduled for elective foot or ankle surgery by 1 of 6 orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons were screened for inclusion over 8 months. Preoperatively, all patients completed the Hospital for Special Surgery Foot & Ankle Surgery Expectations Survey in addition to the Foot & Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), Short Form (SF)-12, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-8, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), and pain visual analog scale (VAS). The expectations survey contained 23 expectations categories, each with 5 answer choices ranging from I do not have this expectation to complete improvement expected. It was scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more expectations. Differences in expectations relating to numerous patient demographic and clinical variables were assessed. In total, 352 patients with an average age of 55 15 (range, 18-86) years were enrolled. Results: Expectations scores were not related to age (P = .36). On average, women expected to achieve complete improvement more often than men (P = .011). Variables that were significantly associated with higher expectations scores (P < .05) included nonwhite race, use of a cane or other assistive device, and greater medical comorbidity. Worse function and quality of life (as assessed by all FAOS subscales and the SF-12 physical and mental components), more depressive and anxiety symptoms, and higher pain VAS scores were associated with higher expectations scores and more expectations (P < .01 for all). Conclusions: The results of this study may help inform surgeons' preoperative discussions with their patients regarding realistic expectations from surgery. Generally, patients with worse function and more disability had higher expectations from surgery. Addressing these patients' expectations preoperatively may help improve their ultimate satisfaction with surgery. Level of Evidence: Level II, cross sectional study.
An exit survey is a powerful tools that allow the University to obtain information about students' satisfaction with a range of academic and supervision experiences during their study at UKM and to inquire about their plans for the future. This study used a set of questioimaires which comprise of five main sections; Section A-general background, Section B-PO achievement, Section C- educational achievement throughout 4 years at UKM, Section D-career preparation and Section E-Relationship between lecturer-student. This study was conducted on two consecutive sessions (semester 2010/2011 and 2011/2012). Based on the findings, PO achievement for both sessions' shows a satisfactory result where all students achieved more than 33 out of 5 scales except for PO3 and PO6 in session 2011/2012. Next, curriculum and teaching and learning process during four years study in UK.M showed that all students achieved more than 3.5 scales. The same trend also occurs for career aspect where in 2011 the lowest is 3.68 and in a year later is 3.54. Finally, relationship between student and staff has revealed the lowest score of 3.08 for mentor-mentee system in 2012 (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
As a continuation of the previous work [48], in this paper we focus on the Cauchy problem of the two-dimensional (2D) incompressible Boussinesq equations with fractional Laplacian dissipation. We give an elementary proof of the global regularity of the smooth solutions of the 2D Boussinesq equations with a new range of fractional powers of the Laplacian. The argument is based on the nonlinear lower bounds for the fractional Laplacian established in [13]. Consequently, this result significantly improves the recent works [13,45,48]. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Volunteerism and community involvement have been demonstrated to offer benefits both to communities and to volunteers themselves. However, not every method to encourage these behaviors is equally effective in producing committed volunteers. Drawing on relevant theoretical and empirical literatures, we identify features of efforts that are likely to produce intrinsically motivated other-oriented volunteers and those that may produce extrinsically motivated self-oriented volunteers. In particular, we explore ways to socialize young people to help and ways to build a sense of community focused on particular issues. We also examine requirements for community service and other approaches that highlight self-oriented benefits that volunteers may obtain. Finally, we return to a focus on the importance of intrinsic motivation for promoting sustained involvement in volunteers, even as we acknowledge that volunteers who come with extrinsic or self-oriented reasons can still offer much to communities and can be satisfied when their activities match their motivations.
In October 2015, Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH). In response, the Brazilian Society of Medical Genetics established a task force (SBGM-ZETF) to study the phenotype of infants born with microcephaly due to ZIKV congenital infection and delineate the phenotypic spectrum of this newly recognized teratogen. This study was based on the clinical evaluation and neuroimaging of 83 infants born during the period from July, 2015 to March, 2016 and registered by the SBGM-ZETF. All 83 infants had significant findings on neuroimaging consistent with ZIKV congenital infection and 12 had confirmed ZIKV IgM in CSF. A recognizable phenotype of microcephaly, anomalies of the shape of skull and redundancy of the scalp consistent with the Fetal Brain Disruption Sequence (FBDS) was present in 70% of infants, but was most often subtle. In addition, features consistent with fetal immobility, ranging from dimples (30.1%), distal hand/finger contractures (20.5%), and feet malpositions (15.7%), to generalized arthrogryposis (9.6%), were present in these infants. Some cases had milder microcephaly or even a normal head circumference (HC), and other less distinctive findings. The detailed observation of the dysmorphic and neurologic features in these infants provides insight into the mechanisms and timings of the brain disruption and the sequence of developmental anomalies that may occur after prenatal infection by the ZIKV.
Wind energy has seen a tremendous growth for electricity generation worldwide and reached 456 GW by the end of June 2016. According to the World Wind Energy Association, global wind power will reach 500 GW by the end of 2016. Africa is a continent that possesses huge under-utilized wind potentials. Some African countries, e.g., Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and South Africa, have already adopted wind as an alternative power generation source in their energy mix. Among these countries, South Africa has invested heavily in wind energy with operational wind farms supplying up to 26,000 GWh annually to the national grid. However, two African countries, i.e., Cameroon and Nigeria, have vast potentials, but currently are lagging behind in wind energy development. For Nigeria, there is slow implementation of renewable energy policy, with no visible operational wind farms; while Cameroon does not have any policy plan for wind power. These issues are severely hindering both direct foreign and local investments into the electricity sector. Cameroon and Nigeria have huge wind energy potentials with similar climatic conditions and can benefit greatly from the huge success recorded in South Africa in terms of policy implementation, research, development and technical considerations. Therefore, this paper reviews the wind energy potentials, policies and future renewable energy road-maps in Cameroon and Nigeria and identifies their strength and weakness, as well as providing necessary actions for future improvement that South Africa has already adopted.
Indoor space 3D visual reconstruction has many applications and, once done accurately, it enables people to conduct different indoor activities in an efficient manner. For example, an effective and efficient emergency rescue response can be accomplished in a fire disaster situation by using 3D visual information of a destroyed building. Therefore, an accurate Indoor Space 3D visual reconstruction system which can be operated in any given environment without GPS has been developed using a Human-Operated mobile cart equipped with a laser scanner, CCD camera, omnidirectional camera and a computer. By using the system, accurate indoor 3D Visual Data is reconstructed automatically. The obtained 3D data can be used for rescue operations, guiding blind or partially sighted persons and so forth.
Storing and retrieving data in cloud are important in today's environment. It also adds insecurity as data sharing in cloud would be affected by hacking or modifying the original content of the data. For secure data transmission, encryption and decryption are the most followed methods. This existing method demands the authentication, security keys from a third party cannot be considered safe because the entire network becomes questionable when such party is not trustworthy. This paper proposes a method, where encrypting the public keys and decrypting the private keys would be generated from cloud node itself, not by a separate trusted authority. This paper also uses the attribute real-time parameters taken for building security keys for each requesting nodes in time dependent manner. Since attributes are real-time parameters and changes on random deployment add to security to the contributing nodes. Furthermore, some parameters like busy state help to route data and ensure good packet delivery and client data storage.
Objective: Boredom has been defined as the aversive experience of wanting, but being unable to engage in satisfying activity. It is associated with a number of psychosocial and psychopathological problems. The aim of this paper is to test the validity of the Italian version of the Multidimendional State Boredom Scale (MSBS). The results of this investigation indicate that the Italian MSBS has factor structure that is similar to the original MSBS. Furthermore, there is evidence that the Italian MSBS has strong reliability. Method: In total, 690 undergraduate students participated in this research. Participants were 51.3% male, and 48.7% female, with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 4.92, range: 18-50 years). Two studies were conducted. In the first study, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine whether data from the Italian MSBS fit the original MSBS factor structure. In the second study, the association between the Italian version of the MSBS and several related measures was examined. These related measures are: The Boredom Proneness Scale; The Dissociative Experiences Scale-II; Beck Depression Inventory-II; Beck Anxiety Inventory; The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Short Version; The Behavioural Inhibition System and Behavioural Activation System. Results: Study 1 found that the Italian translation of the MSBS, administered in an Italian-speaking sample, yielded the same factor structure as the original MSBS. Study 2 found that the Italian MSBS demonstrated construct validity in an Italian sample. Conclusions: The results of the present paper demonstrate that the Italian version of the MSBS is both valid and reliable. Study 1 found that the Italian MSBS has a similar factor structure to the original English MSBS, that the Italian MSBS's factors are significantly associated with one another, and that the Italian MSBS has good reliability. Study 2 demonstrated that the MSBS is valid, as it was related to a number of theoretically important constructs.
This is a survey of certain geometric aspects of inviscid and incompressible fluid flows, which are described by the solutions to the Euler equations. We will review Arnold's theorem on the topological structure of stationary fluids in compact manifolds, and Moffatt's theorem on the topological interpretation of helicity in terms of knot invariants. The recent realization theorem by Enciso and Peralta-Salas of vortex lines of arbitrarily complicated topology for stationary solutions to the Euler equations will also be introduced. The aim of this paper is not to provide detailed proofs of all the stated results but to introduce the main ideas and methods behind certain selected topics of the subject known as Topological Fluid Mechanics. This is the set of lecture notes, the author gave at the XXIV International Fall Workshop on Geometry and Physics held in Zaragoza (Spain) during September 2015.
The aim of the current study is to map landslide susceptibility over the Ziarat watershed in the Golestan Province, Iran, using Maximum Entropy (ME), as a machine learning model, with two sampling strategies: Mahalanobis distance (MEMD) and random sampling (MERS). To this aim, a total of 92 landslides in the watershed were recorded as point features using a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, along with several field surveys and available local data. By reviewing landslide-related studies and using principal component analysis, 12 landslide-controlling factors were chosen namely altitude, slope percent, slope aspect, lithological formations, proximity (to faults, streams, and roads), land use/cover, precipitation, plan and profile curvature and the state-ofthe-art topo-hydrological factor known as height above the nearest drainage (HAND). Two sampling methods were used to divide landslides into two sets of training (70%) and test (30%). The Area under the success rate curve (AUSRC) and the area under the prediction rate curve (AUPRC) were used to evaluate the results of the MEMD and MERS. The results showed that both MEMD and MERS strategies with the respective AUSRC values of 0.884 and 0.878, have good performance in modelling the landslide susceptibility in the study area. However, AUPRC test showed slightly different results in which MEMD with the value of 0.906 showed excellent predictive power in comparison with the MERS with the AUPRC value of 0.846. The higher AUPRC value in relation to AUSRC indicated the MEMD as the premier model in the current study. According to the MEMD, three landslide controlling factors including lithological formations, proximity to roads and precipitation with the respective contribution percentages of 25.1%, 23.3%, and 19.1%, contained more information in relation to the rest. Moreover, according to one-by-one factor removal test, lithological formations and proximity to faults were identified to have a unique information compared to the rest. According to the MEMD, about 13.8% of the study area is located within high to very high susceptibility classes which can be matter of great interest to decision makers and the local authorities for formulating land use planning strategies and implementing pragmatic measures. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In mechanized forestry, much of the work is conducted by use of cranes, and recovering potential energy is a possible method to reduce energy consumption when using cranes for lift work. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of a new Energy-efficient hydraulic lift cylinder (EHLC), which has a secondary cylinder built into its piston rod, to store potential energy from lowering the boom in the form of pressurized hydraulic oil in an accumulator and using the stored energy in the next boom lift. The EHLC was mounted on a forwarder, and manipulated to enable its use also as a standard cylinder. We then compared the EHLC and a standard cylinder in terms of function and energy consumption during repetitive boom lifts and lowerings. With the tested settings the EHLC saved up to approximately 9.4% of the energy consumed during the first part of boom lifts and up to 3.2% of the total lift energy. With possible further adjustments, such as optimization of the accumulator size, enlargement of the assisting cylinder diameter, and enhancement of the accumulator pressurization, but most importantly reduction in internal leakage, the current EHLC could have commercial potential.
This paper is a part of a multi-disciplinary research Application of Decentralized On-Site Water Treatment System in Egypt for Use in Agriculture and Producing Safe Fish and Animal Proteins. The project aimed to investigate the environmental impact of implementing sewage water before and after treatment using the effluent of the on-site decentralized Japanese' Johkasou system, in agriculture and producing fish protein. The aim is to establish such system in Egypt to strengthen the sanitary conditions of water resources. In the present study, the impact of the sewage pollution in some fish farms at El-Fayyum, Port Said and El-Dakahlia governorates in Egypt was carried out. Water and fish (Oreochromis niloticus and Mugil cephalus) samples were collected from private fish farms of such localities. Bacteriological and chemical examination of water samples revealed the existence of coliforms and many other bacterial species of significant human health hazards. The chemical parameters of water showed a marked deviation from normal levels while examination of fish flesh specimens indicated contamination with Streptococcus Sp., Staphylococcus Sp., and Salmonella in all examined localities. Other bacterial isolates of human health importance (Morganella morganii, Pseudomonas cepacia and Enterococcos durans) were identified. The parasitological examination revealed the presence of encysted metacercariae (EMC); Diplostomatidae, Prohemistomatidae and Heterphyidae. Moreover, two protozoan parasites (Mxyoboulus tilapiae and Ichthyophthirius multifilis) were also recorded. The histopathological examination revealed mild tissue reaction in case of bacterial infection and severe pathological lesions in different organs in case of EMC infection. Lamellar hyperplasia and mononuclear cell infiltration in branchial tissue was common findings. In skeletal muscles, atrophy of muscle fibres, myolysis and myophagia were detected. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The aim of this paper is to show the results of various experimental tests carried out on synchronous reluctance (REL) motors with different rotor geometries, as proposed in technical literature. The impact of the assistance of ferrite permanent-magnet (PM) inset in the flux barriers is considered: PM-assisted REL motors are compared with synchronous REL motors, highlighting the main benefits of the former solution. The effect of the rotor skewing and of adopting asymmetric geometries of the flux barriers to reduce the torque ripple is investigated by means of several tests. The impact of the lamination is also considered, as far as the overload capability is concerned. In addition to the experimental tests, a finite-element model is adopted to predict the performance of the motors. The predicted results are compared with the experimental ones in a wide operating range, showing a good agreement.
This study examined the effect of teaching english with gestures on the efl iranian school students' achievement in speaking. Forty iranian efl learners participated in this study. On an opt, they were divided into two groups: one control group and one experimental group. For two months, teaching with gestures was done on the experimental group as a treatment. Gestures were regarded as a treatment and as on of the common tools of the nonverbal communication. In the treatment, gestures were used to determine if they had an effect on the students' achievement in speaking. A speaking placement test was given to the experimental group and the control group as the pretest and the posttest, too. According to the resultsobtained by the statistical calculations, the effectiveness of the treatment was not very noticeable. This study suggests that teaching english with gestures cannot be a very effective technique in teaching english. However, they can help students develop some ways to overcome their communication problems to some extenr; moreover, they can be regarded as their natural responses to the situations.
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is currently a perspective area of development intelligent systems that react on human presence, their behavior and AmI adapts to requirements based on contextual knowledge. The important issue in the study of AmI is thinking about context-aware preference. In the context of ubiquitous computing technologies there is not any access for users to the system at one point, but in different contexts. This creates need for context-sensitive preferences. The aim of context reasoning is getting new knowledge, so that systems or services were more intelligent. This process is not a trivial problem, so that we propose multidimensional view on context-aware knowledge for support of contextual reasoning. In this paper we introduce a new TCAP procedure for transformation context-aware preference through OLAP in the AmI. The OLAP technology enables us better analyzing contextual dependence on preferences and choosing relevant content for users in the AmI environment.
Can voters infer candidates' political orientations from their faces? We report evidence that observers make systematic judgment errors, ascribing their own political views to attractive or competent-looking candidates. Subjects judged headshot images of student candidates running in university elections (Experiment 1), as well as professional politicians from state election races in Germany (Experiment 2), according to whether the person(s) displayed held ideologically leftist or rightist views. While prediction accuracy was above chance level in both experiments, candidate attractiveness (Experiment 1) and perceived competence (Experiment 2) increased a subject's likelihood of attributing her political views to a candidate. These findings suggest that the value of face-based inferences in choosing the candidate who best represents one's views is more limited than previously assumed. They also suggest that good looks may help extremist candidates in presenting themselves as more moderate.
The study of neurological disorders often presents with significant challenges due to the inaccessibility of human neuronal cells for further investigation. Advances in cellular reprogramming techniques, have however provided a new source of human cells for laboratory-based research. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can now be robustly differentiated into specific neural subtypes, including dopaminergic, inhibitory GABAergic, motorneurons and cortical neurons. These neurons can then be utilized for in vitro studies to elucidate molecular causes underpinning neurological disease. Although human iPSC-derived neuronal models are increasingly regarded as a useful tool in cell biology, there are a number of limitations, including the relatively early, fetal stage of differentiated cells and the mainly two dimensional, simple nature of the in vitro system. Furthermore, clonal variation is a well-described phenomenon in iPSC lines. In order to account for this, robust baseline data from multiple control lines is necessary to determine whether a particular gene defect leads to a specific cellular phenotype. Over the last few years patient-derived neural cells have proven very useful in addressing several mechanistic questions related to central nervous system diseases, including early-onset neurological disorders of childhood. Many studies report the clinical utility of human-derived neural cells for testing known drugs with repurposing potential, novel compounds and gene therapies, which then can be translated to clinical reality. iPSCs derived neural cells, therefore provide great promise and potential to gain insight into, and treat early-onset neurological disorders.
The macrophyte biological index for rivers (IBMR) is the only method which describes eutrophication as well as organic pollution in a single index value. Presence of Hippuris vulgaris in water or lack thereof may affect the IBMR value. Potential effects of water pollution with Decis 2.5 EC containing deltamethrin in a water/sediment/plant system were the objectives of this research because this insecticide often occurs in soil and water as a contamination. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to answer the question of how Decis 2.5 EC as stress factor affects the growth of H. vulgaris, and determine the persistence of deltamethrin in the water/sediment/plant system. This study was conducted under different trophic levels during 18 wk in each of 3 consecutive years. The half-life of deltamethrin in water was estimated in the test system. It was found that H. vulgaris demonstrated its ability to survive in the water/sediment environment contaminated with Decis 2.5 EC despite the inhibition of the plant's development. In the presence of insecticidal formulation, the plant's growth was much slower compared to control. The tolerance index ranged from 0.19 to 0.37 with the lower values obtained for the higher concentration of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. Long-term studies of H. vulgaris grown under different trophic conditions indicate that despite the plant's ability to survive the contamination with Decis 2.5 EC, the timing of the macrophytes assessment is crucial to assess the occurrence and development of this plant and the ecological status of water.
This paper presents the results of an investigation into the effect of decrease in drainage capacity by hydraulic deterioration of tunnel geosynthetic drainage systems on the structural performance of tunnel linings. The use of geosynthetics in tunnel construction is first introduced together with a summary of geotextile filter design principles and practices. A series of stress-pore-pressure-coupled finite-element (FE) analyses were then carried out on a number of tunnel cases in order to investigate the effect of hydraulic deterioration of the tunnel drainage layer on the structural performance of tunnel linings. It is shown that the decrease in drainage capacity of the drainage layer significantly increases the axial thrust and bending moment of the tunnel lining, with more pronounced increases in the bending moment. It is also revealed that hydraulic deterioration-induced lining forces tend to increase with the hydraulic head and slightly decrease with the cover depth. It is also shown that the progressive development of hydraulic deterioration-induced lining forces can be best fit with an exponential function which can be used to predict the lining force increase for a given tunnel condition. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Attachment theory promoted an impressive body of research on the psychic developmental processes, resulting in studies on both typical and atypical development. Much of the diffusion of the attachment theory in the clinical field was related to the design of reliable instruments to evaluate the organization of attachment in infancy as well as in adulthood. Until recently, the lack of a suitable instrument to assess attachment in middle childhood as well as in adolescence hindered the expansion of research in these developmental phases during which the parent-child relationship takes on a different, albeit still crucial, role. The Child Attachment Interview (CAI), a measure that was recently designed to assess attachment at a representational level in middle childhood and adolescence, filled the measurement gap. The aim of the current review was to summarize previous empirical investigations concerning CAI in order to (a) provide an overview of the state of current research, (b) identify unanswered questions, and (c) propose future research directions. A narrative review was conducted to map the current research findings by searching for the term Child Attachment Interview in the Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychINFO databases, followed by a search in Mendeley. Limits were set to exclude dissertations, chapters in books, and qualitative or theoretical papers, while empirical studies were included if they used the CAI and were published in English language, peer-reviewed journals by July, 2016. The review, which ultimately included 39 studies meeting the criteria, showed that the CAI is a reliable instrument to assess attachment organization in clinical and non-clinical samples, thus providing a worthwhile contribution to the investigation of the influence of the parent-child relationship beyond infancy and early childhood. Nevertheless, the review pointed out a number of relevant open issues, the most critical of which concerned the CAI coding and classification system. In particular, some relevant questions arose about (a) how opportune it would be to maintain a distinct classification for mother and father, (b) coding challenges regarding both the father and the Preoccupied and Disorganized classification, and finally (c) the advantage of a dimensional vs. a categorical approach.
Forest management, agroforestry and tree planting are some of the key approaches to sustainable rural development, and climate change adaptation and mitigation in West African savannas. However, the planning of land management interventions is hindered by the lack of information at relevant spatial resolution. We examined predictive models for mapping various tree, soil and species diversity attributes with a comparison of RapidEye and Landsat imagery. The field data was collected in the vicinity of the community-managed forest in southern Burkina Faso, where the main environmental threats are agricultural expansion and fuelwood extraction. The modelling was done using Random Forest algorithm. According to our results, tree crown cover and correlated attributes, such as basal area and tree species richness, were predicted most accurately. High spatial resolution RapidEye imagery provided the best accuracy but difference to medium resolution Landsat imagery was negligible for most attributes. Burn scar masked Landsat time series performed similar to dry season single date Landsat imagery, but the former avoids image selection and mosaicking, and could be less sensitive to artifacts due to the burn scars. The presented approach provides valuable information on important tree, soil and species diversity attributes for spatial planning of land management interventions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Generic health status quality of life (QoL) instruments have been used in patients with common variable immune deficiency (CVID). However, by their nature, these tools may over-or underestimate the impact of diseases on an individual's QoL. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to measure specific-health-related QoL for adults with CVID (CVID_QoL). METHODS: The 32-item content of the CVID_QoL questionnaire was developed using focus groups and individual patient interviews. Validation studies included 118 adults with CVID who completed Short Form-36, Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire-12, and EuroQol-5D questionnaire in a single session. Principal component and factor analysis solutions identified 3 scores to be similar in number and content for each solution. Validation of 3 factor scores was performed by construct validity. Reproducibility, reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity were evaluated. Matrices consisting of correlations between the 32 items in the CVID_QOL were calculated. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified 3 dimensions: emotional functioning (EF), relational functioning (RF), and gastrointestinal and skin symptoms (GSS). The instrument had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, min. 0.74 for GSS, max. 0.84 for RF, n = 118) and high reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient, min. 0.79 for RF, max 0.90 for EF, n = 27). EF and RF scores showed good convergent validity correlating with conceptually similar dimensions of other study scales. Acute and relapsing infections had a significant impact on EF and RF. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of the reliability and construct validity of the CVID_QoL to identify QoL issues in patients with CVID that may not be addressed by generic instruments. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC- ND license.
We present a mini-review of cognition in Prader-Willi syndrome. Studies cited include findings on general ability (IQ), IQ correlates with family members, strengths and weaknesses in cognitive profiles in genetic subtypes, attainment in literacy and numeracy, language, comprehension, modality preferences, executive functions, and social cognition. The latter includes investigations of theory of mind, emotion recognition, face processing and knowledge of social norms. Results from research on mouse models and brain imaging studies relevant to cognition are briefly discussed. The importance of these studies to understanding and managing education and behaviour in PWS and the limitations of the studies in terms of small numbers, non-representativeness, and lack of replication is also touched upon. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Results from interface shear tests on sand-geosynthetic interfaces are examined in light of surface roughness of the interacting geosynthetic material. Three different types of interface shear tests carried out in the frame of direct shear-test setup are compared to understand the effect of parameters like box fixity and symmetry on the interface shear characteristics. Formation of shear bands close to the interface is visualized in the tests and the bands are analyzed using image-segmentation techniques in MATLAB. A woven geotextile with moderate roughness and a geomembrane with minimal roughness are used in the tests. The effect of surface roughness of the geosynthetic material on the formation of shear bands, movement of sand particles, and interface shear parameters are studied and compared through visual observations, image analyses, and image-segmentation techniques.
Image segmentation is a fundamental problem in computer vision, and the color and texture information are usually both employed to obtain more satisfactory segmentation results. However, the traditional color-texture segmentation methods usually assume that the color-based and texture-based segmentation results are globally consistent, which is not always the case. Sometimes, the color-texture based segmentation results may be worse than some single feature (color or texture) based ones if the consistency constraints are taken into account inappropriately. To address the problem, a graph cuts based color-texture cosegmentation method is proposed in this paper, where just the similarity constrains are considered rather than the global consistencies, and a penalty term is included to adaptively balance the possible local inconsistencies. Additionally, in order to extract the texture features effectively, a comprehensive texture descriptor is designed by integrating the nonlinear compact multi-scale structure tensor (NCMSST) and total variation flow (TV-flow). A large number of segmentation comparison experiments using the synthesis color-texture images and real natural scene images verify the superiorities of our proposed texture descriptor and color-texture cosegmentation method. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The role of fruit and vegetables in human nutrition and public health are taken into account in most nutritional recommendations. Fruit and vegetables contain an abundance of phenolic substances, terpenoids and other natural antioxidants that have been associated with protection from and treatment of chronic diseases such as heart disease or cancer. Terpenoids are a group of substances which occur in nearly every natural food. Their main subclasses discussed as beneficial to maintain and improve health are monoterpenes (like limonene, carvone or carveol), diterpenes (including the retinoids), and tetraterpenes (which include all different carotenoids like alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthine and cryptoxanthine). To be discussed as health promoting or biofunctional, the significant impact of a substance either on human metabolism or on well-defined and appropriate biomarkers must be shown. Based on the latter point, this paper reviews the literature on mono-, di- and tetraterpenes, with special focus on their impact on human health to answer the question of their biofunctionality. Special emphasis will be placed on their different mode of action, e.g. to affect oxidative stress, carcinogenesis and cardiovascular diseases. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.
In recent years, users of ambient intelligence environments have been overwhelmed by the huge numbers of social media available. Consequentially, users have trouble finding social media suited to their needs. To help users in ambient environment get relevant media tailored to their interests, we propose a new method which adapts the Katz measure, a path-ensemble based proximity measure, for the use in social tagging services. We model the ternary relations among user, resource and tag as a weighted, undirected tripartite graph. We then apply the Katz measure to this graph, and exploit it to provide personalized recommendation for individual users within ambient intelligence environments. The experimental evaluations show that the proposed method improves the recommendation performance compared to existing algorithms.
In large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs), in order to enhance network security, it is crucial for a trustor node to perform social milieu oriented routing to a target a trustee node to carry out trust evaluation. This challenging social milieu oriented routing with more than one end-to-end Quality of Trust (QoT) constraint has proved to be NP-complete. Heuristic algorithms with polynomial and pseudo-polynomial-time complexities are often used to deal with this challenging problem. However, existing solutions cannot guarantee the efficiency of searching; that is, they can hardly avoid obtaining partial optimal solutions during a searching process. Quantum annealing (QA) uses delocalization and tunneling to avoid falling into local minima without sacrificing execution time. This has been proven a promising way to many optimization problems in recently published literatures. In this paper, for the first time, with the help of a novel approach, that is, configuration path-integral Monte Carlo (CPIMC) simulations, a QA-based optimal social trust path (QA_OSTP) selection algorithm is applied to the extraction of the optimal social trust path in large-scale WSNs. Extensive experiments have been conducted, and the experiment results demonstrate that QA_OSTP outperforms its heuristic opponents.
This work describes the co-fermentation to the simultaneous production of rhamnolipids and ethanol from exploded sugarcane bagasse (ESB) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and crude enzyme complexes (CECs). The CECs were produced by Aspergillus niger in solid-state fermentation (SSF), using different levels of ESB, rice bran (RB) and corn cob (CC) as substrates. The best results for rhamnolipids (9.1 g/L, emulsification index of 84%, surface tension of 35 mN/m) and ethanol (8.4 g/L) were obtained after 86 h of fermentation of ESB (250 g/L, 30 degrees C), using CEC from SSF of ESB (20% wt/wt), RB (30% wt/wt) and water (50% wt/wt). It was also observed that the fermented bagasse had approximately the same calorific value of a bagasse in nature and could be used as a potential source of energy. These findings suggest that co-fermentation using P. aeruginosa, S. cerevisiae and ESB can be used in the successful co-production of rhamnolipids and ethanol, with the recovery of energy present in the fermented bagasse. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In 1988, Jock Collins boldly suggested that Australia's earlier migrant arrivals, the subject of prejudice themselves, often become the perpetrators of prejudice. Indeed, as we collect oral histories from post-war migrants, we are regularly confronted with angry statements such as asylum seekers are just let in and given everything. What lies at the heart of this phenomenon? Clearly, prejudice and stereotyping exists in all societies but seems to be particularly evident in societies where an ongoing flow of migrants continues to change and alter the ethnic and racial mix. This article reflects upon research conducted in the Hostel Stories project, where we frequently were confronted with stereotyped, prejudicial, and even racist comments about other migrants and refugees during interviews with migrants. These statements made us ask whether Collins was correct in his observations. Drawing on the literature from various disciplines, we consider various influences on migrant attitudes towards other migrants. We propose that it is critical to continue to progress beyond the conventional topics explored in migration studies and ask difficult questions in order to contribute to a growing global discussion on ethnicity and intergroup relations, especially in relation to prejudice and racism.
This paper proposes a streamlined method to model, analyze and assess the overall performance of small mobile machines that can move along large parts to perform the required machining operations, conventionally called portable machines. The method is based on virtualization techniques and combines a process-force mechanistic model and a reduced machine stiffness model synthesized from virtual and experimental reduced models of subsystems. The model is used to assess and improve the performance of portable machines by examining the time-domain response of the tool center point in representative operations, rather than limiting the study to the frequency domain. A practical application to a particular portable machine is presented and used to conduct the presentation of the work. With the results of the analysis, the accuracy of the use of the portable machines is studied. The procedure also proves to be a useful tool to optimize the machine design to fit particular applications. The method has been experimentally evaluated in a conventional three axis milling machine to ensure the accuracy of the simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mitochondrial complex II or succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is at the crossroads of oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. It has been shown that Sdh5 (SDHAF2/SDH5 in mammals) is required for flavination of the subunit Sdh1 (SDHA in human cells) in yeast. Here we demonstrate that in human breast cancer cells, SDHAF2/SDH5 is dispensable for SDHA flavination. In contrast to yeast, CRISPR-Cas9 nickase-mediated SDHAF2 KO breast cancer cells feature flavinated SDHA and retain fully assembled and functional complex II, as well as normal mitochondrial respiration. Our data show that SDHA flavination is independent of SDHAF2 in breast cancer cells, employing an alternative mechanism.
Introduction: We have comprehensively described the expression profiles of mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA genes that encode subunits of the respiratory oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes (I-V) in the hippocampus from young controls, age matched, mild cognitively impaired (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects. Methods: Hippocampal tissues from 44 non-AD controls (NC), 10 amnestic MCI, and 18 AD cases were analyzed on Affymetrix Hg-U133 plus 2.0 arrays. Results: The microarray data revealed significant down regulation in OXPHOS genes in AD, particularly those encoded in the nucleus. In contrast, there was up regulation of the same gene(s) in MCI subjects compared to AD and ND cases. No significant differences were observed in mtDNA genes identified in the array between AD, ND, and MCI subjects except one mt-ND6. Discussion: Our findings suggest that restoration of the expression of nuclear-encoded OXPHOS genes in aging could be a viable strategy for blunting AD progression. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.
The process of constructing a scale of Prosocial Behavior for adults is presented. Reliability and dimensionality tests were conducted from the Classical Test Theory perspective. 90 items were assessed by means of the expect judge method; the items shortlisted were administered to reduced groups. 576 students of Psychology of the University of Buenos Aires, took part in the test. The internal consistency analysis shows a satisfactory ratio (alpha=.85; glb=.93), while the dimensionality analysis presents a four-factor structure. These factors were Empathic Behavior, Altruism, Help and Share. Numerous behaviors connected with emotional reinforcement and support posted a high average, while the items typically associated with philanthropist behavior, such as volunteer work, clothes/food/money donations, and with highly ultraistic practices yielded low scores.
Second-order generalised integrator or resonant integrator (RI) has wide range of applications. Forward and backward Euler's approximation based two integrator realisation of RI is an easily implementable frequency adaptive method. However, it suffers from resonant frequency deviation due to discretisation. The discretisation methods that lead to accurate realisation of RI require online calculation or lookup table of trigonometric functions to accommodate frequency variation. In this study, multi-rate computation-based implementation of two integrator-based RI has been proposed to minimise resonant frequency deviation. In this method, no additional logic elements are consumed to achieve accurate resonant frequency location. This along with down-sampling leads to lesser phase lag of RI. The effect of quantisation on resonant frequency deviation has been analysed for proper choice of calculation time. It is also shown that appropriate choice of down-sampling instants give a range of phase response characteristics around the nominal continuous time RI phase response. The accuracy of resonant frequency emulation has been experimentally verified by implementing a proportional-resonant controller as current controller.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate, in a case control study, the esthetic and functional clinical performance of ceramic inlays used for covering the screw access hole in single monolithic lithium disilicate full-contour crowns bonded on computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) prefabricated titanium abutments in order to eliminate the drawbacks of alternative restorative methods. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with missing teeth in the lateral areas (premolars and molars) received screw-retained implant restorations. In half of the restorations (n = 14), composite fillings were used to seal the access hole (control group), while the other half was sealed with ceramic inlays (test group). To determine the restoration occlusal wear, impressions were obtained after the restorations were finalized, at 1 year, and at 2 years follow-up. The casts were scanned with a 3D Scanner Design System recording the anatomical surfaces of the white model replicates. Wear amounts (mu m) were calculated as the maximum loss in height of the occlusal surface. The clinical evaluation was carried out using a kit specifically designed for assessing the FDI criteria. Statistics were performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: A total of 58 restorations were delivered, and after 2 years of follow-up, the wear values were 228.20 +/- 54.68 mu m for the control group and 65.20 +/- 7.24 mu m for the ceramic inlay group. One-way ANOVA showed significant differences among the vertical loss between these two groups (P<.001). Clinical outcomes according to the FDI score for assessing dental restorations revealed substantial deterioration within 2 years of follow-up. Conclusion: The use of ceramic inlays appears to be a predictable, esthetic, and successful method of sealing the screw holes of the screw-retained implant restorations.
BACKGROUND Leprosy or hansen's disease is a spectral disease whose clinical forms mostly depends on host's immune and genetic factors. Different Toll-like receptors (TLR) variants have been described associated with leprosy, but with some lack of replication across different populations. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the role of polymorphisms in genes TLR1, TLR2 and TLR4 and susceptibility to leprosy in a genetic case control study; to verify the association between genotypes of these markers and the immunological profile in the serum of patients with leprosy. METHODS Pre-designed TaqMan (R) assays were used to genotype markers at TLR1 (rs4833095, rs5743551), TLR2 (rs7656411, rs3804099) and TLR4 (rs1927914, rs1927911). A panel of cytokines and chemokines was accessed by enzime-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test in the serum of a subgroup of patients with and without leprosy reactions. FINDINGS Our results show an association between the T allele of rs3804099 at the TLR2 gene and increased risk for leprosy per se [ Odds ratio (OR) = 1.296, p = 0,022]. In addition, evaluating the association between different genotypes of the TLR1, 2 and 4 markers and cytokine/ chemokine serological levels, IL-17 appears as an immunological marker regulated by the polymorphism of the three TLR genes evaluated, whereas different TLR1 genotypes were associated with differential production of IL-12p40 and MCP-1(CCL2). Furthermore, other relevant serum markers such as CXCL-10 and IL-6 seemed to be regulated by TLR2 variants and IL-1 beta was related to TLR4 genotypes. MAIN CONCLUSIONS All together our data points that the tested TLR markers may have a regulatory role in the immunity against Mycobacterium leprae, by driving the host's production of key cytokines and chemokines involved in the pathogenesis of this disease.
This review focuses on the fundamental fluid mechanics which governs the generation of micro/nanospheres. The micro/nanosphere generation process has gathered significant attention in the past two decades, since micro/nanospheres are widely used in drug delivery, food science, cosmetics, and other application areas. Many methods have been developed based on different operating principles, such as microfluidic methods, electrospray methods, chemical methods, and so forth. This paper focuses on microfluidic methods. Although the structure of the microfluidic devices may be different, the operating principles behind them are often very similar. Following an initial discussion of the fluid mechanics related to the generation of microspheres, various design approaches are discussed, including T-junction, flow focusing, membrane emulsification, modified T-junction, and double emulsification methods. The advantages and problems associated with each method are also discussed. Next, the most commonly used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods are reviewed at three different levels: microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic. Finally, the issues identified in the current literature are discussed, and some suggestions are offered regarding the future direction of technology development related to micro/nanosphere generation. Few relevant patents to the topic have been reviewed and cited.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health disorders amongst school-aged children with an estimated prevalence of 5% in the global population (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Stimulants, particularly methylphenidate (MPH), are the first-line option in the treatment of ADHD (Reeves and Schweitzer, 2004; Dopheide and Pliszka, 2009) and are prescribed to an increasing number of children and adolescents in the US and the UK every year (Safer et al., 1996; McCarthy et al., 2009), though recent studies suggest that this is tailing off, e.g., Holden et al. (2013). Around 70% of children demonstrate a clinically significant treatment response to stimulant medication (Spencer et al., 1996; Schachter et al., 2001; Swanson et al., 2001; Barbaresi et al., 2006). However, it is unclear which patient characteristics may moderate treatment effectiveness. As such, most existing research has focused on investigating univariate or multivariate correlations between a set of patient characteristics and the treatment outcome, with respect to dosage of one or several types of medication. The results of such studies are often contradictory and inconclusive due to a combination of small sample sizes, low-quality data, or a lack of available information on covariates. In this paper, feature extraction techniques such as latent trait analysis were applied to reduce the dimension of on a large dataset of patient characteristics, including the responses to symptom-based questionnaires, developmental health factors, demographic variables such as age and gender, and socioeconomic factors such as parental income. We introduce a Bayesian modeling approach in a learning in the model space framework that combines existing knowledge in the literature on factors that may potentially affect treatment response, with constraints imposed by a treatment response model. The model is personalized such that the variability among subjects is accounted for by a set of subject-specific parameters. For remission classification, this approach compares favorably with conventional methods such as support vector machines and mixed effect models on a range of performance measures. For instance, the proposed approach achieved an area under receiver operator characteristic curve of 82-84%, compared to 75-77% obtained from conventional regression or machine learning (learning in the data space) methods.
2-Hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) is an important epigenetic regulator, with potential roles in cancer and stem cell biology. The d-(R)-enantiomer (d-2-HG) is an oncometabolite generated from -ketoglutarate (-KG) by mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase, whereas l-(S)-2-HG is generated by lactate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase in response to hypoxia. Because acidic pH is a common feature of hypoxia, as well as tumor and stem cell microenvironments, we hypothesized that pH may regulate cellular 2-HG levels. Herein we report that cytosolic acidification under normoxia moderately elevated 2-HG in cells, and boosting endogenous substrate -KG levels further stimulated this elevation. Studies with isolated lactate dehydrogenase-1 and malate dehydrogenase-2 revealed that generation of 2-HG by both enzymes was stimulated severalfold at acidic pH, relative to normal physiologic pH. In addition, acidic pH was found to inhibit the activity of the mitochondrial l-2-HG removal enzyme l-2-HG dehydrogenase and to stimulate the reverse reaction of isocitrate dehydrogenase (carboxylation of -KG to isocitrate). Furthermore, because acidic pH is known to stabilize hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and 2-HG is a known inhibitor of HIF prolyl hydroxylases, we hypothesized that 2-HG may be required for acid-induced HIF stabilization. Accordingly, cells stably overexpressing l-2-HG dehydrogenase exhibited a blunted HIF response to acid. Together, these results suggest that acidosis is an important and previously overlooked regulator of 2-HG accumulation and other oncometabolic events, with implications for HIF signaling.
It is now well known that T lymphocytes play a critical role in the development of several cardiovascular diseases(1,2,3,4,5). For example, studies from our group have shown that hypertension is associated with an excessive accumulation of T cells in the vessels and kidney during the development of experimental hypertension(6). Once in these tissues, T cells produce several cytokines that affect both vascular and renal function leading to vasoconstriction and sodium and water retention(1,2). To fully understand how T cells cause cardiovascular and renal diseases, it is important to be able to identify and quantify the specific T cell subsets present in these tissues. T cell subsets are defined by a combination of surface markers, the cytokines they secrete, and the transcription factors they express. The complexity of the T cell population makes flow cytometry and intracellular staining an invaluable technique to dissect the phenotypes of the lymphocytes present in tissues. Here, we provide a detailed protocol to identify the surface and intracellular markers (cytokines and transcription factors) in T cells isolated from murine kidney, aorta and aortic draining lymph nodes in a model of angiotensin II induced hypertension. The following steps are described in detail: isolation of the tissues, generation of the single cell suspensions, ex vivo stimulation, fixation, permeabilization and staining. In addition, several fundamental principles of flow cytometric analyses including choosing the proper controls and appropriate gating strategies are discussed.
This paper presents a digital Active Gate Drive (AGD) methodology for power semiconductor devices. The inherent latency limitation of digital signal processing systems is addressed by a sequential optimization procedure that uses voltage and current signals recorded at the previous switching edge to develop an optimized gate drive waveform for the next switching edge. Experimental results using a half-bridge circuit operating at 180 V/100 A show that the proposed scheme is capable of minimizing switching losses whilst constraining the overvoltage peaks occurring at turn-on and turn-off to as low as 200 V and 300 V respectively.
Participatory rainwater harvesting for promoting integrated development of agri-horti-livestock-cum-pisciculture was implemented during 2004-2008 at high altitude (>1500m MSL) areas of Mawlangkhar village, West Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya in a watershed approach to assess and refine improved package of practices integrating crops, fruits, vegetables, fish and animal production for higher productivity and income. Soil and water conservation measures like construction and renovation of ponds, jalkund-a micro rainwater harvesting structure on hilltops, bench and half moon terraces were developed with the active participation of the local peoples. The quantum of water harvested at one point of time during monsoon season through two ponds in community lands (2.69 million litre water), two ponds in individual farmer's land (1.2 million litre water) and 15 jalkunds (0.45 million litre) on hill tops estimated to be about 4.3 million litre, was utilized for multiple purposes including irrigation, pisciculture, livestocks and domestic purpose. The cost of water harvesting in community pond was computed at [sic]12/1000 litre (L) and for jalkund [sic] 82/1000 litre considering the lives of pond and jalkund for at least 20 and 3 years, respectively. Impact analysis revealed that the productivity has gone up by 30-40% in potato and 45-50 % in rice with the introduction of improved package of practices for various crops, availability of irrigation water and integration of different components. Farmers are now able to get about [sic]2 440/month from community dairy unit and the individual farmer's income from piggery unit increased substantially which ranged from [sic] 8 465 to 16 654/year. Besides, farmers are earning a substantial income ([sic] 10 000/annum from community pond) from composite pisciculuture. Therefore, integrated watershed programme could be considered as a successful model for high altitude areas of North East India and similar other ecosystems for livelihood improvement of resource poor tribal farmers.
A web-based learning framework of electrical discharge machining (EDM) is presented in this research. The architecture supports 'hands-on' exercise in precision manufacturing field for distance education and allows learners to practice and access an EDM-based virtual environment by means of the internet. Meanwhile, a learning website has been planned and constructed in order to facilitate interactivity and support EDM. In this research, open-source software tools and virtual interactive technology available are integrated to develop an emulated, effective, learning environment for distance education. The learning architecture is built independently on specific hardware and software of EDM configuration. The paper concludes with an example and the implementation phase for learning the prototype environment.
A darknet monitoring system is developed to grasp malicious activities on the Internet in an early stage and to cope with them. The darknet monitoring system consists of network sensors deployed widely on the Internet. The sensors capture incoming unsolicited packets. A goal of this system analyzes captured malicious packets and provides effective information for protecting good Internet users from malicious activities. To provide effective and reliable information, sensors must be deployed in secret and hidden from outside. On the other hand, attackers intend to detect sensors for evading them. This attempt is known as localization attacks to darknet monitoring systems. If actual location of sensors is revealed to attackers, it is almost impossible to grasp the latest tactics used by attackers. Thus in our previous work, we proposed a packet sampling method, which samples incoming packets based on an attribute of packets sender, to increase a tolerance to a localization attack and to keep a high quality of information publicized by the system. As a result, we almost succeeded to counter from a localization attack, which generates spike on the publicized graph to detect a sensor. However in some cases, proposed sampling method works to attacker's advantage and spikes appear clearly on the graph. Therefore, we propose advanced sampling methods, which sample incoming packets based on multiple attributes of packets sender. In this paper, we present our improved methods and show a promising evaluation result obtained from the simulation.
100 years after Smoluchowski introduced his approach to stochastic processes, they are now at the basis of mathematical and physical modeling in cellular biology: they are used for example to analyse and to extract features from a large number (tens of thousands) of single molecular trajectories or to study the diffusive motion of molecules, proteins or receptors. Stochastic modeling is a new step in large data analysis that serves extracting cell biology concepts. We review here Smoluchowski's approach to stochastic processes and provide several applications for coarse-graining diffusion, studying polymer models for understanding nuclear organization and finally, we discuss the stochastic jump dynamics of telomeres across cell division and stochastic gene regulation.
Task-based language learning (TBLL) has heavily influenced syllabus design, classroom teaching, and learner assessment in a foreign or second language teaching context. In this English as foreign language (EFL) learning environment, the paper discussed an innovative language learning pedagogy based on design education and technical writing. In this TBLL course, the language learning based assignments centered on designing and analyzing objects using various computer-aided design software and physical LEGO toolkit. The design software was used collaboratively and the design analysis was done mostly as group activities. The language production activities centered on technical document authoring, using collaborative online authoring tools for website hosting and note-taking for design projects, besides oral in-class presentations, and online posting in English. Language reception activities such as readings related to the course lectures, videos, assignment, and assessment instructions were hosted and linked from Moodlethe learning management system. This paper critically analyzed student performance with physical LEGO design and CAD software, including how student groups authored websites detailing the structural and functional specifications related to the product assembly procedure. This paper outlined how design pedagogy could be included in the curriculum while teaching English as a foreign language. In the process, students not only learnt about design fundamentals, but how to author complex technical documents in English. Findings based on course data and class interactions have adequately demonstrated that students were capable of handling the task-based language projects with reasonable efficiency and confidence.
Amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) is now considered as a key predictor for preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), whose diagnosis is still hampered by the lack of early, sensitive, and convenient tools. Herein, we propose a colorimetric sandwich immunosensor for A beta((1-42)) based on dual antibody-modified gold nanoparticles. Bare AuNPs are successfully coated with N-terminal antibody of A beta((1-42))) (N-Ab((1-42))AuNP) and C-terminal antibody of A beta((1-42)) (C-Ab((1-42)))-AuNP), respectively. Subsequently, A beta(142) can be simultaneously captured by the prepared AuNPs@C/N-Ab((1-42))) (C-Ab((1-42)))-AuNP:N-Ab((1)-(42))-AuNP =1:1) owing to the specific binding of N- and C-terminal antibody with A beta((1-42)), and thus the AuNPs@C/NAb((1-42)) are aggregated, accompanying with obvious color change from red to blue. By means of this colorimetric sandwich immunosensor system, a good linearity within a range from 7.5 nM to 350 nM is found, with a detection limit of 2.3 nM, which is equal to or better than other reported detection methods for A beta((1-42)). The newly colorimetric sandwich immunosensor system strikingly achieves specific, visual and simply detection of Ail and can be exploited toward the determination of other similar biomarkers related to diseases in biological or biomedical diagnosis. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Ibogaine is a plant alkaloid used as anti-addiction drug in dozens of alternative medicine clinics worldwide. Recently, alarming reports of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and cases of sudden death associated with the ingestion of ibogaine have accumulated. Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings, we assessed the effects of ibogaine and its main metabolite noribogaine on action potentials in human ventricular-like cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Therapeutic concentrations of ibogaine and its long-lived active metabolite noribogaine significantly retarded action potential repolarization in human cardiomyocytes. These findings represent the first experimental proof that ibogaine application entails a cardiac arrhythmia risk for humans. In addition, they explain the clinically observed delayed incidence of cardiac adverse events several days after ibogaine intake. We conclude that therapeutic concentrations of ibogaine retard action potential repolarization in the human heart. This may give rise to a prolongation of the QT interval in the electrocardiogram and cardiac arrhythmias.
During a long time, immunofluorescence has been neglected to benefit of molecular biology especially genetics, transcriptomics, and proteomics analyses. These techniques give good results on cell culture but for organs that are made of numerous cells with several compartments, various states of differentiation as in epidermis, immunohistochemistry is always relevant. Double (triple) staining by immunofluorescence allows positive cells identification in complex cell structure (for example, pericytes and endothelial cells in vessels) and subcellular localizations. In order to, due to improvement of antibodies avoiding especially species cross-reactions, microscopy and specific softwares, quality of staining, and acquired images have been upgraded. Consequently, this technique permits, as molecular biology analyses, quantification of the level of expression as intensity of fluorescence can be measured in each cells and each compartments (nuclear, cytoplasmic). In order to immunofluorescence on cells and tissue needs few materials and gives at the same times qualitative and quantitative results and must be used more widely especially when a mutation was associated to a disease.
Scouring is a significant problem on river bank and coastal protection systems. Severe scouring can cause damaging consequences to geotextile tube embankment structures. In this study, five case scenarios of an embankment system supported by stacked geotextile tubes were analyzed using a commercially available finite-element analysis software. These case scenarios include (1) conventional geotextile tube stacking on ground base foundation; (2) geotextile tube stacking on gravel bedding foundation; (3) geotextile tube stacking on excavated foundation; (4) geotextile tube stacking on excavated foundation with gravel bedding; and (5) fortification of stacked geotextile tubes by riprap protection. Each case scenario is simulated under normal loading and critical loading conditions with and without scouring at the base toe of the embankment system. Results suggest that the potential problems that occur during scouring and critical states of the embankment system instigate failures that could destabilize the geotextile tube retaining structure. Among all the case scenarios considered, additional fortification by riprap increases the performance and global stability of the geotextile tube embankment system. (c) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
DNA methylation is traditionally thought to be established during early development and to remain mostly unchanged thereafter in healthy tissues, although recent studies have shown that this epigenetic mark can be more dynamic. Epigenetic changes occur in the liver after birth, but the timing and underlying biological processes leading to DNA methylation changes are not well understood. We hypothesized that this epigenetic reprogramming was the result of terminal differentiation of hepatocyte precursors. Using genomic approaches, we characterized the DNA methylation patterns in mouse liver from E18.5 until adulthood to determine if the timing of the DNA methylation change overlaps with hepatocyte terminal differentiation, and to examine the genomic context of these changes and identify the regulatory elements involved. Out of 271,325 CpGs analyzed throughout the genome, 214,709 CpGs changed DNA methylation by more than 5% (e.g., from 5 to 10% methylation) between E18.5 and 9 wk of age, and 18,863 CpGs changed DNA methylation by more than 30%. Genome-scale data from six time points between E18.5 and P20 show that DNA methylation changes coincided with the terminal differentiation of hepatoblasts into hepatocytes. We also showed that epigenetic reprogramming occurred primarily in intergenic enhancer regions while gene promoters were less affected. Our data suggest that normal postnatal hepatic development and maturation involves extensive epigenetic remodeling of the genome, and that enhancers play a key role in controlling the transition from hepatoblasts to fully differentiated hepatocytes. Our study provides a solid foundation to support future research aimed at further revealing the role of epigenetics in stem cell biology.
Background: Addictions to psychoactive substances such as tobacco and others have been widely investigated, and recently interest has been developing in potential nonsubstance- addictive behaviors (eg, gambling, buying, or playing video games). Methodology: In the current study, we sought to develop a questionnaire obtained from the Yale addictive food questionnaire Arabic version, and compare it with a Gold standard tool, which is the semi- structured ICD10 diagnostic- based interview. We also sought to determine the prevalence of some addictive behaviors in a sample of 100 participants displaying any addictive behaviors drawn from 2 governorates in Egypt (Cairo and Aswan). A Null Hypothesis was postulated that there is no difference within the sociodemographic variables with regard to the type of the nonchemical addictive behaviors. Results: The questionnaire sensitivity was 86% with a plausible specificity of 50%, making it a very good screening tool. About 81% of the participants (n= 81) showed addiction- like attitude toward the concerning behaviors. Conclusions: Besides the usual psychoactive substance dependence, there are wide ranges of behaviors that cause a lot of psychological burden and unfortunately are not under the spotlight of medical services.
Despite intensive research in spondyloarthritis pathogenesis, some important questions still remain unanswered, particularly concerning enthesis new bone formation. Several evidences suggest that it prevalently occurs by endochondral ossification, however it remains to identify factors that can induce and influence its initiation and progression. Recent progress, achieved in animal models and in vitro and genetic association studies, has led us to hypothesize that several systemic factors (adipokines and gut hormones) and local factors (BMP and Wnt signaling) as well as angiogenesis and mechanical stress are involved. We critically review and summarize the available data and delineate the possible mechanisms involved in enthesis ossification, particularly at spinal ligament level. KEY MESSAGES Complete understanding of spondyloarthritis pathophysiology requires insights into inflammation, bone destruction and bone formation, which are all located in entheses and lead all together to ankylosis and functional disability. Several factors probably play a role in the pathogenesis of bone formation in entheses including not only cytokines but also several systemic factors such as adipokines and gut hormones, and local factors, such as BMP and Wnt signaling, as well as angiogenesis and mechanical stress. Data available about pathophysiology of new bone formation in spondyloarthritis are limited and often conflicting and future studies are needed to better delineate it and to develop new therapeutic approaches.
The imminent depletion of fossil fuels and the surging global demand for renewable energy have led to the search for nonconventional energy sources. After a few decades of trial and error, the world is now testing the sources of the third generation of fossil fuels, which contain for most parts microalgae. With more than 80% oil content, being adaptable in growth parameters and highly versatile, microalgae are highly promising sources of biofuels in the present time. The present article makes a sweeping attempt to highlight the various methods employed for cultivation of microalgae, techniques to harvest and extract biomass from huge algal cultures, as well as their downstream production and processing procedures. The advantages, limitations, and challenges faced by each of them have been described to some extent. Major concerns pertaining to biofuels are supposed to be their environmental sustainability and economic viability along with their cost effectiveness. This would require a great deal of empirical data on existing systems and a great deal of optimization to generate a more robust one. We have concluded our article with a SWOT analysis of using algae for biodiesel production in a tabulated form. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
We studied the human in vivo metabolism of Delta(3)-carene (CRN), a natural monoterpene which commonly occurs in the human environment. Four healthy human volunteers were orally exposed to a single dose of 10 mg CRN. Each volunteer gave one urine sample before administration and subsequently collected each urine sample within 24 h after administration. The concentration of the proposed CRN metabolites Delta(3)-caren-10-ol (CRN-10-OH), Delta(3)-caren-10-carboxylic acid (chaminic acid, CRN-10-COOH), and Delta(3)-caren-3,4-diol (CRN-3,4-OH) were determined using a very specific and sensitive GC-MS/MS procedure. Other CRN metabolites were investigated using GC-PCI-MS Q1 scan analyses. CRN-10-COOH was detected in each urine sample with maximum concentration (113.0-1,172.9 A mu g L-1) 2-3 h after administration, whereas CRN-10-OH and CRN-3,4-OH were not detected in any of the samples. The renal excretion kinetics of CRN-10-COOH showed an elimination half-life of about 3 h. The cumulative excretion of CRN-10-COOH within 24 h after exposure correlated with about 2 % of the applied dose. The GC-PCI-MS Q1 scan analysis indicated several additional human CRN metabolites; thereof, six spectra enabled the prediction of the corresponding chemical structure. The results of the study indicate that CRN-10-COOH is a relevant product of the human in vivo metabolism of CRN. The oxidation of its allylic methyl group proceeds until the acidic structure without interruption. Thus, the generation of the alcoholic intermediate appeared to be the rate-determining step of this metabolic route. Nevertheless, the proportion of CRN-10-COOH in the CRN metabolism is low, and other oxidative metabolites are likely. This hypothesis was confirmed by the discovery of additional human CRN metabolites, whose predicted chemical structures fit in with further oxidative products of CRN metabolism.
Mosquito-borne diseases, as a threat to public health, are primarily caused by the lack of clean water access and poor sanitation. On the way to overcome these problems, the sixth goal of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-6) is imperative to improve sanitation practices and access to clean water supplies in a safe and sustainable way. By considering weak points of current centralized water and sanitation systems on the way to achieve SDG-6, finding sustainable approaches as alternative to unrealistic, unreliable and uneconomical water supplies (e.g. dams, groundwater and bottled water) and dangerous sanitation practices such as open defecation is essential to protect the public's health against the recently spreading diseases such as Zika, Ebola, Malaria, etc. In this case, we developed novel integrated systems in which rainwater harvesting systems and waterless toilets, along with self-cleaning ponds. In this paper, suitable key elements and their roles in new water and sanitation management are introduced together with assessments of each key system identified for both public and residential zones. Comparisons with the current treatment plants by using economic analysis are discussed with reasonable parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A thorough understanding of the molecular biosciences requires the ability to visualize and manipulate molecules in order to interpret results or to generate hypotheses. While many instructors in biochemistry and molecular biology use visual representations, few indicate that they explicitly teach visual literacy. One reason is the need for a list of core content and competencies to guide a more deliberate instruction in visual literacy. We offer here the second stage in the development of one such resource for biomolecular three-dimensional visual literacy. We present this work with the goal of building a community for online resource development and use. In the first stage, overarching themes were identified and submitted to the biosciences community for comment: atomic geometry; alternate renderings; construction/annotation; het group recognition; molecular dynamics; molecular interactions; monomer recognition; symmetry/asymmetry recognition; structure-function relationships; structural model skepticism; and topology and connectivity. Herein, the overarching themes have been expanded to include a 12th theme (macromolecular assemblies), 27 learning goals, and more than 200 corresponding objectives, many of which cut across multiple overarching themes. The learning goals and objectives offered here provide educators with a framework on which to map the use of molecular visualization in their classrooms. In addition, the framework may also be used by biochemistry and molecular biology educators to identify gaps in coverage and drive the creation of new activities to improve visual literacy. This work represents the first attempt, to our knowledge, to catalog a comprehensive list of explicit learning goals and objectives in visual literacy. (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):69-75, 2017.
Background The impact of changing non-verbal consultation behaviours is unknown. Aim To assess brief physician training on improving predominantly non-verbal communication. Design and setting Cluster randomised parallel group trial among adults aged >= 16 years attending general practices close to the study coordinating centres in Southampton. Method Sixteen GPs were randomised to no training, or training consisting of a brief presentation of behaviours identified from a prior study (acronym KEPe Warm: demonstrating Knowledge of the patient; Encouraging [back-channelling by saying 'hmm', for example]; Physically engaging [touch, gestures, slight lean]; Warm-up: cool/professional initially, warming up, avoiding distancing or non-verbal cut-offs at the end of the consultation); and encouragement to reflect on videos of their consultation. Outcomes were the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (MISS) mean item score (1-7) and patients' perceptions of other domains of communication. Results Intervention participants scored higher MISS overall (0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06 to 0.41), with the largest changes in the distress-relief and perceived relationship subscales. Significant improvement occurred in perceived communication/partnership (0.29, 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.49) and health promotion (0.26, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.46). Non-significant improvements occurred in perceptions of a personal relationship, a positive approach, and understanding the effects of the illness on life. Conclusion Brief training of GPs in predominantly nonverbal communication in the consultation and reflection on consultation videotapes improves patients' perceptions of satisfaction, distress, a partnership approach, and health promotion.
Low oxygen pressure or hypoxia is often an obstacle in pathological conditions, including during cancer development and metastatic dissemination. The main family of transcription factors involved in the adaptation to inappropriate oxygen levels are the 'Hypoxia-Inducible Factors' (HIFs) that together with HIF prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) regulate many different processes, during physiological as well pathological conditions. Additionally, the entire HIF transcription cascade is involved in the 'seventh' hallmark of cancer; tumor promoting inflammation. Previous work revealed that HIF-pathway proteins influence tumor associated immune cells in their action toward proliferation, differentiation, vessel normalization and tumor dissemination. These changes are not necessarily analogous to the role of these proteins in non-tumor related immune responses, where hypoxia often encourages a strong inflammatory response. Recently, Clever et al. demonstrated that T-cell intrinsic inhibition of all three PHDs (PHD1-3) is necessary but sufficient to limit CD4(+)-regulatory T (T-reg) cell induction and stimulates CD8(+) T cell effector function. Interestingly, this resulted in the inhibition of local tolerance in the lung but reduced tumor colonization. In this perspective, we discuss the effect of targeting HIF-pathway proteins in tumor-associated cell lineages, their therapeutic prospective and possible pitfalls.
Aim: Water pollution in unarguably one of the most fundamental environmental issue at global and local level. The industrial wastewaters are emerging as challenging threat to ecological balance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pollution load of composite industrial effluents discharged from the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL) Integrated Industrial Estate (1E) at Haridwar (Uttarakhand), India with reference to ecological risks. Methodology: Due to large outstretch of industrial area, the industrial complex was divided into four clusters (Cluster A to Cluster D). The effluent samples were collected from the drainage channels marked from the sampling sites at industrial area. Standard methods of APHA (2012) were followed for the analysis of effluents samples. Results: The results revealed that there was a remarkably high pollution load at industrial estate. The effluents discharged from the industrial units at Cluster C were slightly acidic (pH 5.33) and the parameters like TDS (2107.67 mg l(-1)), BOD (453.33 mg l(-1)), COD (1003.3 mg l(-1)) and some heavy metals like Fe (37.38 mg l(-1)), Cr (11.254 mg l(-1)), Cu (4.9 mg l(-1)) and Pb (2.11 mg l(-1)) exceeded the permissible limits as prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS, 2012), thereby indicating a considerably higher load of pollutants. The load of metals concentration in the effluents of different clusters was found in the following order: Fe>Cd>Zn>Ni>Cr>Cu>Pb>Mn. The higher content of metals in industrial wastewater may be due to the discharge of untreated effluents from metal processing industries. Interpretation: Disposal of effluents can be a source of severe ecological risks in the form of contamination of groundwater, soil, vegetation. Consumption of crops and vegetables irrigated with these effluents may have serious threats to human health, thereby causing a risk of various ailments like encephalopathy, cardiovascular and kidney diseases; muscular pain and intestinal hemorrhage. It is recommended that pollution control and regulatory authorities should periodically monitor the quality of effluents so as to ensure the compliance of prescribed standards.
In recent decades studies based on questionnaires and interviews have concluded that when doctors become ill they face significant barriers to seeking help. Several reasons have been proposed, primarily the notion that doctors' work environment predisposes them to an inappropriate help-seeking behaviour. In this article, the idea of the ill physician as a paradox in a medical drama is examined. Through a text-interpretive and comparative approach to historical illness narratives written by doctors suffering from one specific diagnosis, namely opioid addiction, the complex set of considerations guiding their behaviour as patients are to some extent revealed. The article concludes that, in the identity transition necessary to become a patient, doctors are held back by their professional status and that every step to assist them needs to take shape based on an awareness of the underlying principles of the medical drama. Written illness narratives by doctors, such as those highlighted in this article, might serve as a tool to increase such awareness.
4P-X (beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 ->4)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 ->6)-[beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1 ->4)]-beta-D-glucopyranose) is included in galacto-oligosaccharides (GOSs) produced by beta-galactosidase derived from Bacillus circulans. 4P-X has been known to induce particularly strong allergies. High purity 4P-X is essential for use as a standard to quantify the amount of 4P-X in GOSs; however, the isolation of high purity 4P-X has never been reported. In this study, we achieved the synthesis of 4P-X by a combination of organic and enzymatic chemical syntheses in a short time. This is the first report of isolated, high purity 4P-X. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A great part of our knowledge on mammalian immunology has been established in laboratory settings. The use of inbred mouse strains enabled controlled studies of immune cell and molecule functions in defined settings. These studies were usually performed in specific-pathogen free (SPF) environments providing standardized conditions. In contrast, mammalians including humans living in their natural habitat are continuously facing pathogen encounters throughout their life. The influences of environmental conditions on the signatures of the immune system and on experimental outcomes are yet not well defined. Thus, the transferability of results obtained in current experimental systems to the physiological human situation has always been a matter of debate. Studies elucidating the diversity of wild immunology imprintings in detail and comparing it with those of clean lab mice are sparse. Here, we applied multidimensional mass cytometry to dissect phenotypic and functional differences between distinct groups of laboratory and pet shop mice as a source for wild mice. For this purpose, we developed a 31-antibody panel for murine leukocyte subsets identification and a 35-antibody panel assessing various cytokines. Established murine leukocyte populations were easily identified and diverse immune signatures indicative of numerous pathogen encounters were classified particularly in pet shop mice and to a lesser extent in quarantine and non-SPF mice as compared to SPF mice. In addition, unsupervised analysis identified distinct clusters that associated strongly with the degree of pathogenic priming, including increased frequencies of activated NK cells and antigen-experienced B- and T-cell subsets. Our study unravels the complexity of immune signatures altered under physiological pathogen challenges and highlights the importance of carefully adapting laboratory settings for immunological studies in mice, including drug and therapy testing. (c) 2016 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Two experiments examined responses to bystanders who claimed that another person experienced discrimination. Participants read about a woman or man who experienced sexism and whose co-worker (male or female) either expressed sympathy or claimed that the target experienced sexism. Participants then evaluated the co-worker (bystander). Overall, participants evaluated bystanders who claimed that someone else experienced discrimination more negatively than they evaluated bystanders who did not claim discrimination. Furthermore, female bystanders who claimed discrimination on behalf of someone else were derogated more than male bystanders who did the same. Additional analyses indicated that female bystanders who claimed that another person experienced discrimination were derogated more than male bystanders who did so because the former threatened participants' beliefs about the fairness of status differences to a greater extent than the later.
Allorecognition is the capability of an organism to recognize its own or related tissues. The colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri, which comprises five genetically distinct and divergent species (Clades A-E), contains two adjacent genes that control allorecognition: fuhc(sec) and fuhc(tm). These genes have been characterized extensively in Clade A and are highly polymorphic. Using alleles from 10 populations across the range of Clade A, we investigated the type and strength of selection maintaining this variation. Both fuhc genes exhibit higher within-population variation and lower population differentiation measures (F-sT) than neutral loci. The fuhc genes contain a substantial number of codons with >95% posterior probability of d(N)/d(s) >1. fuhc(sec) and fuhc(tm) also have polymorphisms shared between Clade A and Clade E that were present prior to speciation (trans-species polymorphisms). These results provide robust evidence that the fuhc genes are evolving under balancing selection. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lithium diphosphate glasses doped MgO was prepared via a melt quenching technique. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and impedance spectroscopy. XRD spectra reflected the amorphous nature of the glasses Raman spectra show structural network modifications with the composition variations of the studied glasses. Raman spectra of the studied glasses contain also typical phosphate glasses bands. Thus the band at similar to 698 cm(-1) assigned to symmetric stretching vibrations of P-O-P groups and that from similar to 1168 cm(-1) is attributed to symmetric stretching motions of the non-bridging oxygen (NBO) atoms bonded to phosphorous atoms (PO2) in phosphate tetrahedron. Electric properties were investigated using complex impedance spectroscopy in a frequency range from 40 Hz to 6 MHz at room temperature. The impedance spectra were analyzed in terms of equivalent circuits involving resistors, capacitors and constant phase elements (CPE). Constant-phase elements (CPE) are used in equivalent electrical circuits for the fitting of experimental impedance data. The AC conductivity exhibited a Jonscher's universal power law according with the relation sigma(omega)) = sigma(0) + A omega(s) and it is observed that as the MgO content increases, frequency exponent (s) decreases. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To improve winter wheat yield estimates in the Guanzhong Plain, China, the daily leaf area index (LAI) and soil moisture at depths of 0-20 cm (theta) simulated by CERES-Wheat model were assimilated from field-measured LAI and theta and from Landsat-derived LAI and theta using a particle filter algorithm. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationships between assimilated LAI or theta and field-measured yields to identify highly yield-related variables for each growth stage of winter wheat, which were used to establish an optimal-assimilation yield estimation model. At the green-up and milk stages, assimilated. was highly correlated with the measured yields, and at the jointing and heading-filling stages, both assimilated LAI and theta were highly correlated with the yields. The optimal-assimilation yield estimation model was then established by combining the regression equations relating assimilated theta to the yields during the green-up and milk stages with the equations relating assimilated LAI and theta to the yields at the jointing and heading-filling stages, which resulted in better estimation accuracy than the yield estimation model established based on dualistic regression equations relating the assimilated LAI and theta to measured yields for each growth stage. Moreover, establishing different yield estimation models for irrigated and rain-fed farmlands improved the yield estimates compared with the established estimation model that did not take into account whether the farmlands were irrigated or rain-fed. Therefore, the assimilation of highly yield-related state variables at each wheat growth stage provides a reliable and promising method for improving crop yield estimates.
When the subject rotation between workstations (job rotation) is inside the organizations it's seemed that technically there are lots of restrictions to the development of an adequate system of rotation. We went from the need for an advanced ergonomic study and even possible restrictions of versatility and training of employees. The implementation of the ideal system of rotation passes through stages of development and research ergonomic study of the level of employee versatility, awareness and discussion with employees, implementation of the proposed system, feedback and audits for maintenance of the ideal sequence and time of rotation. For the success of the project there is a need for multidisciplinary involvement in the areas of manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, human resources, medical services and manufacturing. Rotation between the tasks may mean that a worker should conduct two or more different activities in different parts of the day (ie. change between activity A and activity B between 1 hours and 2 hours interval). An important consideration is to ensure that different activities do not present the same ergonomic risk for the same body part. The tracing of the execution of the activity is an important factor for production processes. Thus it is possible to conduct appropriate levels of training for employees and ensure safe and sustainable processes in terms of workers' health, productivity and quality.
The smart home, ambient intelligence and ambient assisted living have been intensively researched for decades. Although rural areas are an important potential market, because they represent about 80% of the territory of the EU countries and around 125 million inhabitants, there is currently a lack of applicable AAL solutions. This paper discusses the theoretical foundations of AAL in rural areas. This discussion is underlined by the achievements of the empirical field study, Casa Vecchia, which has been carried out over a four-year period in a rural area in Austria. The major goal of Casa Vecchia was to evaluate the feasibility of a specific form of AAL for rural areas: bringing AAL technology to the homes of the elderly, rather than moving seniors to special-equipped care facilities. The Casa Vecchia project thoroughly investigated the possibilities, challenges and drawbacks of AAL related to this specific approach. The findings are promising and somewhat surprising and indicate that further technical, interactional and socio-psychological research is required to make AAL in rural areas reasonable in the future.
In boost converters and other indirect energy transfer topologies, transient-oriented controllers are designed to facilitate a dynamic response that may range from minimum time up to minimum output voltage deviation. Since analytical definitions for these control laws can become quite complex, a large-signal stability verification is not immediate. This paper explores the existence of stability of indirect energy transfer converters that are controlled by either boundary or hybrid controllers and introduces a new simplified procedure for examination of large-signal stability of a given converter and load type using a graphical-analytical approach. The stability analysis and examination method are demonstrated on a boost converter loaded by resistive load and constant current load. The stability conditions are verified using a 30 W 3.3-to-12 V boost converter prototype, controlled by a programmable-deviation controller and time-optimal controller, verifying their large-signal stability.
Inflammation in joint: The liberation of phospholipids from cell membranes represents the first step of inflammation cascade. By action of phospholipase A2 is split of the arachidonic acid. Free arachidonic acid is than metabolised by two enzymes: 5-lipooxygenase and 2-cyclooxygenase to generate the group of prostanoids and leukotrienes which are the first active proinflammation compounds, starting the whole proces of inflammation. We verified, that 27 flavonoids and flavans, contained in American patent Univestin are really able to interrupt this pathway by inhibition both of those enzymes. All these flavonoids are naturally occurring chemicals, which give color to plants and are found in plants, fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables. Theirs antioxidant capacity eliminates the action of Cyt P450 also and prevents to origine of epoxides. Cancerogenesis: Inositolhexaphosphate (06) is found in substantial amounts in whole grains, cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds. As well as inositol, IP6 is contained in most mammalian cells, wherein they are important in regulating vital cellular function such as signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentation. Inositol and IP6 are contend in product Inocell and there is additional evidence that inositol alone may further enhance the anti-cancer effect of IP6. Beside decreasing cellular proliferation IP6 also causes differentation of malignant cells ofen resulting in a conversion to normal phenotype, what leads to starting of apoptose in those cells. Inocell greatly enhances NK cell activity, regulates cell growth and has very strong antioxidant capacity. The suggestion we can demonstrate on succesfful efects of Inocell in concrete causes of patients with various types of cancerogenesis. Peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer: The ability of Vaccinium macrocarpon, the North American cranberry, to prevent bacterial adhesion has been used to advantage in the prevention of urinary tract infections and has recently been described for the prevention of adhesion of bacteria responsible for oral infections and stomach ulcers as well in Helicobacter pylori.
In recent years, the number of people around the world who suffer from fruit allergies has increased. Mango can induce anaphylaxis, and two major mango allergens have been identified-Man i 1 and Man i 2. Apart from their molecular weights and pl values, no other information about them is known. This work identifies the DNA and amino acid sequences of Man i 1 and constructs an expression system for recombinant Man i 1 (rMan i 1). Firstly, 3' and 5' RACE assays were used to identify the cDNA fragment of Man i 1. Subsequently, the full length of Man i 1 cDNA was inserted into a pET-21a(+) vector, and the inserted plasmid was transformed to Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) to express rMan i 1. The conditions for the expression of rMan i 1, including IPTG concentration, induction temperature, and induction time, were optimized. The highest amount of soluble rMan i 1 was obtained after induction with 0.1 mM IPTG at 16 degrees C for 20 h. The His-tagged rMan i 1 was purified using Ni-NTA agarose and its identity was verified using an anti-histidine antibody and the serum of a mango-allergic person. Additionally, rMan i 1 was identified as glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and shared 86.2% identity in amino acid sequence of GAPDH from wheat. Finally, an E. coli expression system of rMan i 1 was established, with the potential to be used in immunotherapy against mango allergy or the development of assays for detecting the residues of mango allergens. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Laboratory ethnography extended the social scientist's gaze into the day-to-day accomplishment of scientific practice. Here we reflect upon our own ethnographies of biomedical scientific workspaces to provoke methodological discussion on the doing of laboratory ethnography. What we provide is less a how to' guide and more a commentary on what to look for and what to look at. We draw upon our empirical research with stem cell laboratories and animal houses, teams producing robotic surgical tools, musicians sonifying data science, a psychiatric genetics laboratory, and scientists developing laboratory grown meat. We use these cases to example a set of potential ethnographic themes worthy of pursuit: science epistemics and the extended laboratory, the interaction order of scientific work, sensory realms and the rending of science as sensible, conferences as performative sites, and the spaces, places and temporalities of scientific work.
The knowledge and application of certain skills related to nonverbal communication have become very important for the military environment nowadays, especially due to the increasing number of troops deployed in unfamiliar cultural environments such as the Afghan theater of operations. Therefore, knowing how to interact with the local, prideful and conservative population can be an indisputable advantage. The paper approaches certain aspects of nonverbal behavior as a way of transmitting messages or attitudes within the Afghan culture. After defining specific subdivisions and concepts of the nonverbal communication (such as proxemics, kinesics, oculesics, haptics, vocalics, olfactics, chronemics etc) the paper also includes a case study, relevant for any combatant or civilian that may further be deployed to the untamed Afghanistan.
Usually an induction machine with closed slots on the rotor has lower harmonics in stator line currents than that with open slots. However, some induction machines with closed-rotor slots may suffer from local saturation in the rotor slot bridges, and thus, exhibit significant low-order time harmonics in the stator currents. Such phenomenon is revealed with theoretical analysis, and validated with both finite element analysis and experiments. This study is of reference value for the induction machine design so as to avoid the low-order current harmonics.
There is extensive evidence that perceived and internally planned actions have a common representational basis: action observation can induce an automatic tendency to imitate others. If perceived and executed action, however, are based on shared representations, the question arises how we can distinguish self-related and other-related representations. It has been suggested that the control of shared representations involves a neural network centered on the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). However, the specific role of the TPJ in controlling shared representations is still not clear. In a conflict situation where participants have to execute action A while observing action B, the TPJ might either facilitate the relevant action A or inhibit the irrelevant action B (mirror response). In the present study, we used transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to condition neural activity in the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). We then analyzed the corticospinal output as indexed by motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by single-pulse TMS (spTMS) of the left primary motor cortex (M1) during action observation in the context of a conflict task. Results showed that tDCS-mediated increased control did not entail the attenuation of the task-irrelevant response activation: the effect of motor mirroring was not suppressed or reduced. Rather, facilitating TPJ activity via anodal tDCS selectively enhanced the instructed motor plan (self-related representation). This outcome supports the idea that TPJ plays a critical role in detecting the mismatch between self-related and other-related representations and is at work to enhance task relevant representations.
This study explores using Passive Microwave (PMW) rainfall estimation for spatial and temporal adjustment of Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Cloud Classification System (PERSIANN-CCS). The PERSIANN-CCS algorithm collects information from infrared images to estimate rainfall. PERSIANN-CCS is one of the algorithms used in the Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for GPM (Global Precipitation Mission) estimation for the time period PMW rainfall estimations are limited or not available. Continued improvement of PERSIANN-CCS will support Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for GPM for current as well as retrospective estimations of global precipitation. This study takes advantage of the high spatial and temporal resolution of GEO-based PERSIANN-CCS estimation and the more effective, but lower sample frequency, PMW estimation. The Probability Matching Method (PMM) was used to adjust the rainfall distribution of GEO-based PERSIANN-CCS toward that of PMW rainfall estimation. The results show that a significant improvement of global PERSIANN-CCS rainfall estimation is obtained.
Polyurethane dish-washing (PU-DW) sponges are functionalized sequentially with polyethylenimine (PEI) and graphene oxide (GO) to form PEI/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) PU-DW sponges. The PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge consists of PEI/RGO sheets having numerous pores, with diameters ranging from 236 to 254 nm. To further enhance hydrophobicity and absorption capacity of oil, PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge is further coated with 20% phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMOS). The PTMOS/PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge absorbs various oils within 20 s, with maximum absorption capacity values of 880% and 840% for bicycle chain oil and motorcycle engine oil, respectively. The absorbed oils were released completely by squeezing or immersed in hexane. The PTMOS/PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge efficiently separates oil/water mixtures through a flowing system. Having the advantages of faster absorption rate, reusability, and low cost, the PTMOS/PEI/RGO PU-DW sponge holds great potential as a superabsorbent for efficient removal and recovery of oil spills as well as for the separation of oil/water mixtures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study, prototype site cyclic loading experiments were carried out on the reinforced cushions constructed by geoocell and geotextile to confirm the stability of reinforced ground. The experiment reinforced grounds by some methods are constructed continuously in the site. The cycle loading is given by the load vehicle on the ground. As the results, the reinforcing effect of combination geocell with geotextile cushion was similar to that of combination geocell with geogrid cushion.
In this paper, we study the 2D Boussinesq equations with fractional Laplacian dissipation. In particular, we prove the global regularity of the smooth solutions of the 2D Boussinesq equations with a new range of fractional powers of the Laplacian. The main ingredient of the proof is the utilization of the Holder estimates for advection fractional-diffusion equations as well as Littlewood-Paley technique.
Background: Obesity remains a major public health concern. Mobile apps for weight loss/management are found to be effective for improving health outcomes in adults and adolescents, and are pursued as a cost-effective and scalable intervention for combating overweight and obesity. In recent years, the commercial market for 'weight loss apps' has expanded at rapid pace, yet little is known regarding the evidence-based quality of these tools for weight control. Objective: To characterize the inclusion of evidence-based strategies, health care expert involvement, and scientific evaluation of commercial mobile apps for weight loss/management. Methods: An electronic search was conducted between July 2014 and July 2015 of the official app stores for four major mobile operating systems. Three raters independently identified apps with a stated goal of weight loss/management, as well as weight loss/management apps targeted to pediatric users. All discrepancies regarding selection were resolved through discussion with a fourth rater. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form and the evidence-based strategies, health care expert involvement, and scientific evaluation of included apps was assessed. Evidence-based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal-setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, and social support. Results: A total of 393 apps were included in this review. Self-monitoring was most common (139/393, 35.3%), followed by physical activity support (108/393, 27.5%), weight assessment (100/393, 25.4%), healthy eating support (91/393, 23.2%), goal-setting (84/393, 21.4%), motivational strategies (28/393, 7.1%), social support (21/393, 5.3%), and personalized feedback (7/393, 1.8%). Of apps, 0.8% (3/393) underwent scientific evaluation and 0.3% (1/393) reported health care expert involvement. No apps were comprehensive in the assessment criteria, with the majority of apps meeting less than two criteria. Conclusions: Commercial mobile apps for weight loss/management lack important evidence-based features, do not involve health care experts in their development process, and have not undergone rigorous scientific testing. This calls into question the validity of apps' claims regarding their effectiveness and safety, at a time when the availability and growth in adoption of these tools is rapidly increasing. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, clinicians, and patients are needed to develop and test high-quality, evidence-based mobile apps for weight loss/management before they are widely disseminated in commercial markets.
Evolution of manufacturing technology has been a definitive indicator of human society's development. From the wheels that started the spree to the world of machines that have revolutionized the manufacturing processes, manufacturing tools have been indicative of eras of development. In this paper, we have focused on the branch of engineering that deals with manufacturing - specifically its structure in India. In this study we investigate some premier government institutes with respect to Manufacturing Engineering Education. We have also included the technical education model at different education level.
Introduction: Regulatory T cells (Treg) play an important role in suppressing anti- immunity and their depletion has been linked to improved outcomes. To better understand the role of Treg in limiting the efficacy of anti-cancer immunity, we used a Diphtheria toxin (DTX) transgenic mouse model to specifically target and deplete Treg. Methods: Tumor bearing BALB/c FoxP3.dtr transgenic mice were subjected to different treatment protocols, with or without Treg depletion and tumor growth and survival monitored. Results: DTX specifically depleted Treg in a transient, dose-dependent manner. Treg depletion correlated with delayed tumor growth, increased effector T cell (Teff) activation, and enhanced survival in a range of solid tumors. Tumor regression was dependent on Teffs as depletion of both CD4 and CD8 T cells completely abrogated any survival benefit. Severe morbidity following Treg depletion was only observed, when consecutive doses of DTX were given during peak CD8 T cell activation, demonstrating that Treg can be depleted on multiple occasions, but only when CD8 T cell activation has returned to base line levels. Finally, we show that even minimal Treg depletion is sufficient to significantly improve the efficacy of tumor-peptide vaccination. Conclusions: BALB/c.FoxP3.dtr mice are an ideal model to investigate the full therapeutic potential of Treg depletion to boost anti-tumor immunity. DTX-mediated Treg depletion is transient, dose-dependent, and leads to strong anti-tumor immunity and complete tumor regression at high doses, while enhancing the efficacy of tumor-specific vaccination at low doses. Together this data highlight the importance of Treg manipulation as a useful strategy for enhancing current and future cancer immunotherapies.
Based on fluid mechanics theories, this research focuses on numerical simulation and analysis of capillary flow under microgravity in fan-shaped asymmetric interior corner. We analyze the effect the contact angle has on rising height in a fan-shaped asymmetric interior corner, and get the Concus-Finn condition the calculation of capillary flow needs to satisfy in fan-shaped asymmetric interior corner. Then we study the effect that different parameters of experimental medium and container configuration has on capillary flow in fan-shaped asymmetric interior corner when Concus-Finn condition is fulfilled. The conclusions of this paper has an important role in guiding the analytic solution of flow in a fan-shaped asymmetric interior corner under microgravity. We can also chose the appropriate experimental medium and design a container based on this paper.
In order to satisfy the requirements of productivity and quality, in recent years, LASER welding processes of certain grades of steels mainly thin sheets assemblies or tailored welded blanks (TWBs) have given many successful advantages in manufacturing engineering. This welding process of in particular makes it possible very easily to joint the steel parts in thickness and grade identical or different in many industrial applications (car industry, pipe lines, tubes, etc.). Additionally, interstitial free (IF) steels with very low C and N contents have been successfully developed in order to perform specific or complex deep drawing operations in the automotive industry. Major developments of TWB by means of LASER welding in this area have also occurred. Certain grades of IF steel are particularly suitable for deep drawing operations of TWB due to high r values (Lankford ratio) [Grumbach, M., Sanz, G., 1972. Ductile-brittle tests by impact tensile test (ITT). J. Metall. 2, 145-164; Bayraktar, E., Kaplan, D., Buirette, C., Grumbach, M., 2004. Application of impact tensile testing to the welded thin sheets. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 145 (1), 27-39; Bayraktar, E., Kaplan, D., Hugele, D., Jansen, J.P., 2004. Evaluation of pipe line LASER girth weld properties by Charpy and impact tensile tests. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 147 (11), 155-162; Bayraktar, E., Kaplan, D., Grumbach, M., 2004. Application of impact tensile testing to the spot welded sheets. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 153, 80-86]. However, because of the narrowness of the weld bead and important hardness gradient, determination of toughness (definition of a criterion of the ductile/brittle transition during the impact test) of the welded connection (weld bead and heat affected zone) confirm very delicate in LASER welding. The main objective of this paper was to make a comparative study for microstructural and mechanical-toughness characterisation of the steel assemblies, base metal or welded by LASER. For that a procedure of test specifically adapted was used for welded joints (t < 4mm). The first part of this study consider different steel grades such as a grade of the FE360BFN steel (t = 4 mm) and a grade of the interstitial free steel (IF-Ti, t = 0.8 mm) and HR60 (t = 2.5 mm) welded by LASER that largely used in the automotive industry. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Life cycle assessment methodology along with water footprint analysis was used to assess the environmental impacts of a domestic rainwater harvesting system (RWH) in France. Firstly, the relevance of substituting drinking water (DW) with rainwater in a private individual household was studied. Secondly, the effect of several parameters namely construction of infrastructures, building scale and disinfection were evaluated. The quantification of environmental impacts was performed using Ecoinvent inventory data and Impact 2002+ evaluation method. The water footprint was assessed through the water stress indicator (WSI). From an environmental standpoint, the RWH system has only slightly higher impact than the DW system. The consumption of electricity for pumping generates the strongest impact. The analysis of the WSI showed that the RWH system can relieve a stress on water resources where it exists. Consideration of infrastructures and disinfection turns environmental impacts significantly higher in all impact categories. Setting up the RWH system at bigger scale, i.e., building scale, is a bit less favoured than the RWH system at household scale. This study aims at pointing out areas of improvement which need to be further studied to make RWH systems more sustainable. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Low-cost, high-performance vision sensors in conjunction with aerial sensing platforms are providing new possibilities for achieving autonomous visual inspection in civil engineering structures. A large volume of images of a given structure can readily be collected for use in visual inspection, overcoming spatial and temporal limitations associated with human-based inspection. Although researchers have explored several algorithms and techniques for visionbased inspection in recent decades, a major challenge in past implementations lies in dealing with a high volume of images while only a small fraction of them are important for actual inspection. Because processing irrelevant images can generate a significant number of falsepositives, automated visual inspection techniques should be used in coordination with methods to localize relevant regions on the images. When combined, automated visual inspection will be able to meet the objectives and quality of human visual inspection. To enable this technology, we develop and validate a novel automated image localization technique to extract regions of interest (ROIs) on each of the images before utilizing vision-based damage detection techniques. ROIs are the portions of an image that contain the physical region of the structure that is targeted for visual interrogation, denoted as the targeted region of interest (TRI). ROIs are computed based on the geometric relationship between the collected images and the TRIs. Analysis of such highly relevant and localized images would enable efficient and reliable visual inspection. We successfully demonstrate the capability of the technique to extract the ROIs using a full-scale highway sign structure in the case where weld connections serve as the TRIs.
This paper describes UML-based foundations for model driven architecture and forward engineering of UML static models. In this paper, we propose an integrated environment for designing object-oriented enterprise models. In this projected process for Fast Prototyping, we design object models like use case diagram, sequence diagram, class diagram, etc. We use object-oriented conceptual modeling techniques to design and develop various applications like E-commerce, Banking, Comparison shopping, Ticketing, Online insurance policy management, product purchase system, etc. This paper suggests forward engineering to generate source code from object models through IBM Rational Rose software. This object oriented source code help software development team from analysis to maintenance phase as well as for round trip engineering. Due to high security concern, we have to use highly secure operating systems as a platform to run these web applications. In this regard, a number of trusted operating systems like Argus, Trusted Solaris, and Virtual Vault have been developed by various companies to handle the increasing need of security. The novel integration of security engineering with model-driven software expansion approach has various advantages. As we observe that all security checks in a Trusted Operating System is not necessary. Some non-essential security checks can be skipped by administrator to increase system performance. These non essential security checks can be easily identified at the time of requirement analysis. For example, the majority of web servers deal with pure public information. The majority of data on a web server is publicly readable and available to all users, but these users should not be capable to change the data on the web server. In this application, the need for security checks during reads from disk seems like a waste of CPU cycles. The real security need for web servers seems to be the security of write accesses, not read accesses. In this paper, we propose code generation, Class identification and Modeling for web applications through UML 2.0. Further we propose Security Performance flexibility model for the same to maintain the balance between security and performance for web applications.
Although relationship restoration is an important outcome of forgiveness, little is known about how forgiveness facilitates such an outcome. In addition, in forgiveness research, little attention is paid to the perspective of the offender. We address these two shortcomings simultaneously, testing the idea that forgiveness promotes offender gratitude, which in turn encourages offender pro-relational intentions. Across three experimental studies, participants were induced to believe they had transgressed; recalled a time when they had transgressed; and imagined transgressing. In studies 1 and 2, forgiveness was manipulated; in Study 3, victim motivation for forgiving was manipulated. State gratitude - in comparison with guilt, indebtedness, and positive affect - was consistently found to play the primary mediating role between forgiveness and pro-relational intentions.
In the last decade, bioinformatic analyses of high-throughput proteomics and transcriptomics data have enabled researchers to gain insight into the molecular networks that may underlie lasting changes in synaptic efficacy. Development and utilization of these techniques have advanced the field of learning and memory significantly. It is now possible to move from the study of activity-dependent changes of a single protein to modeling entire network changes that require local protein synthesis. This data revolution has necessitated the development of alternative computational and statistical techniques to analyze and understand the patterns contained within. Thus, the focus of this review is to provide a synopsis of the journey and evolution toward big data techniques to address still unanswered questions regarding how synapses are modified to strengthen neuronal circuits. We first review the seminal studies that demonstrated the pivotal role played by local mRNA translation as the mechanism underlying the enhancement of enduring synaptic activity. In the interest of those who are new to the field, we provide a brief overview of molecular biology and biochemical techniques utilized for sample preparation to identify locally translated proteins using RNA sequencing and proteomics, as well as the computational approaches used to analyze these data. While many mRNAs have been identified, few have been shown to be locally synthesized. To this end, we review techniques currently being utilized to visualize new protein synthesis, a task that has proven to be the most difficult aspect of the field. Finally, we provide examples of future applications to test the physiological relevance of locally synthesized proteins identified by big data approaches.
In water-supply pipe networks, inherent uncertainties in the analysis parameters, including nodal demands, pipe friction factors, reservoir heads, etc., lead to imprecise hydraulic responses. This study introduces a methodology based on fuzzy set theory to analyze network hydraulics under uncertainty. The fuzzy approach results in a complex optimization problem that is neither single nor common multiobjective. To solve the problem efficiently to find extreme values of nodal pressures and pipe velocities, a novel many-objective particle swarm optimization (MO-PSO) model is developed and coupled to a network hydraulic simulation model from the literature. The coupled model is applied against a benchmark example and a real pipe network from the literature and the results are compared with those from the previous methods. The examples manifest that the proposed fuzzy MO-PSO is computationally efficient and reliable. Analyzing the real pipe network shows that, for instance, +/- 15% uncertainty in the pipes' roughness and nodal demands could averagely result in -11.2 to +6.4% uncertainty in the nodal pressures and -41.7 to +50.1% in the pipe velocities.
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer an unlimited resource of cells to be used for the study of underlying molecular biology of disease, therapeutic drug screening, and transplant-based regenerative medicine. However, methods for the directed differentiation of skeletal muscle for these purposes remain scarce and incomplete. Here, we present a novel, small molecule-based protocol for the generation of multinucleated skeletal myotubes using eight independent iPSC lines. Through combinatorial inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3 beta) with addition of bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), we report up to 64% conversion of iPSCs into the myogenic program by day 36 as indicated by MYOG(+) cell populations. These cells began to exhibit spontaneous contractions as early as 34 days in vitro in the presence of a serum-free medium formulation. We used this protocol to obtain iPSC-derived muscle cells from frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients harboring C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions (rGGGGCC), sporadic FTD, and unaffected controls. iPSCs derived from rGGGGCC carriers contained RNA foci but did not vary in differentiation efficiency when compared to unaffected controls nor display mislocalized TDP-43 after as many as 120 days in vitro. This study presents a rapid, efficient, and transgene-free method for generating multinucleated skeletal myotubes from iPSCs and a resource for further modeling the role of skeletal muscle in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor neuron diseases.
The dry forests of Latin America are among the most dynamic deforestation frontiers in the world and are important carbon and biodiversity reservoirs. Our knowledge on the spatial patterns of deforestation and its proximate drivers remains partial though. We used the full Landsat image archive to reconstruct deforestation and post-deforestation dynamics between 1987 and 2012 for the entire Paraguayan Chaco, where deforestation has been rampant recently. Our classification resulted in reliable land-use change maps (86.16%), highlighting drastic forest losses of almost 44,000 km(2) between 1987 and 2012, equaling a deforestation rate of 27% and about 1% yearly, predominantly for grasslands. These likely represented new pastures, making pasture expansion the dominant proximate cause of deforestation. Cropland expansion, in contrast, only played a minor role as a proximate deforestation cause in the Paraguayan Chaco. Deforestation more than doubled between 2001 and 2012 (similar to 29,000 km(2)) compared to 1987-2000 (similar to 14,000 km(2)), due to leakage effects from the deforestation ban in the Paraguayan Atlantic Forests in 2004. Interestingly, while grasslands expanded in the Paraguayan Chaco between 1987 and 2000, cattle numbers decreased during the same time period, though strongly increased since. This apparent decoupling of area change and land-use intensity may indicate that the Paraguayan Chaco experienced an amplification period during the 1990s followed by an intensification period since 2001. Thus, our results highlight the need for both, a more detailed monitoring of post-deforestation dynamics and a land systems perspective in order to understand deforestation frontiers and thus ultimately to identify strategies to better balance production and conservation goals.
Analytical solutions for modeling geotextile tubes during the filling process and approximation method to determine the densified tube shape are reviewed. The geotextile tube filling analysis is based on Plaut & Suherman's two-dimensional solution for geotextile tubes having a weightless and frictionless inextensible membrane resting on a rigid horizontal foundation subjected to internal and external hydrostatic pressures. The approximation for the densified tube shape developed by Leshchinsky et al. was adopted. A modified method for approximating the densified tube shape based on an areal-strain deformation analysis is introduced. Design diagrams useful for approximating geotextile tube measurements in the design process are provided.
The planning and adjusting of one's actions in relation to an action partner is fundamental to smooth joint action. During their first years of life, children gradually become more engaged in joint actions. Here, we investigated whether and at what age children take their partner into account in their action plans to accommodate the other's actions. We focused on children's proactive planning (without prior experience) and flexible adjustment of action plans over time. In a behavioural study, we tested 96 children from four age groups (4, 3, 32 and 5 years) in a joint cup-stacking task. Children passed cups to their partner who had only one hand available (alternating over time) to build a tower. Children's response choices were assessed (i.e. passing the cup on the free or occupied side to their partner). The study yielded two major findings. At all ages, children proactively planned their actions in a way that accommodated their partner's actions. However, only by 31, years did children start to flexibly integrate their partner into their action plans. Even at age 5, children only showed minimal adjustments to their action partner. Candidate processes underlying these developmental changes (e.g. inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, perspective taking) are discussed.
Objective: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of infliximab (IFX) in Japanese patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: In this multicenter open-label study, IFX was infused at 5 mg/kg to 33 Japanese patients with active AS using or intolerable to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) at Weeks 0, 2, and 6, and then every six weeks for approximately three years (mean: 149.5 weeks). Results: Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) 20 response at Week 24 (primary endpoint) was 97.0% (32/33) and was thereafter maintained at approximately 90% over the three-year study period. Improvements in range of motion, physical function, inflammatory parameters, and quality of life (QOL) were all maintained throughout the three-year study period. A serum IFX level of 5 g/mL was maintained with six-week infusion intervals, and only two patients (6.1%) developed antibodies to IFX. Specific adverse events in AS patients were not observed. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a 5 mg/kg administration of IFX at six-week intervals to Japanese patients with active AS is safe, effective and provides long-term therapeutic benefits.
Ethylene refrigeration system of a light olefins production plant was investigated using the conventional and advanced exergoeconomic analyses. In advanced analysis, investment and exergy destruction costs of system components are divided into endogenous/exogenous and avoidable/unavoidable parts to improve our knowledge about the refrigeration system. Results of the exergoeconomic analysis represent that the total cost of column T-1 (1217.67 $/h), compressor C-3 (864.88 $/h), compressor C-2 (250.43 $/h) and multi stream heat exchanger MSHE-1 (154.19 $/h) are larger than other components. Results of the advanced exergoeconomic analysis reveal that most of the total costs of components are endogenous and can be reduced only for column T-1 and compressor C-3. With increasing the efficiency of these two components, investment and exergy destruction costs has been decreased (1381.74 $/h). Large amounts of endogenous exergy destruction cost of components represent that the interactions between the components are not a main reason for exergy destruction. Therefore, an appropriate strategy for the enhancement of the system efficiency and profitability is to improve their performance. Based on the above results, column T-1 and compressor C-3 have the highest priority to improve the performance. Sensitivity of the analysis parameters to some important operating variables have also been investigated. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Understanding the activities of human from videos is demanding task in Computer Vision. Identifying the actions being accomplished by the human in the video sequence automatically and tagging their actions is the prime functionality of intelligent video systems. The goal of activity recognition is to identify the actions and objectives of one or more objects from a series of examination on the action of object and their environmental condition. The major applications of Human Activity Recognition varies from Content-based Video Analytics, Robotics, Human-Computer Interaction, Human fall detection, Ambient Intelligence, Visual Surveillance, Video Indexing etc... This paper collectively summarizes and deciphers the various methodologies, challenges and issues of Human Activity Recognition systems. Variants of Human Activity Recognition systems such as Human Object Interactions and Human-Human Interactions are also explored. Various benchmarking datasets and their properties are being explored. The Experimental Evaluation of various papers are analyzed efficiently with the various performance metrics like Precision, Recall, and Accuracy.
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is usually characterized by early inflammatory involvement of the sacroiliac joints (SI), which constitutes one of the most important classification criteria according to the SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS). These criteria do not include inflammatory spine lesions which can be detected on MRI, although spine involvement is very common in axial SpA. This is because spine MRI lesion often retrieved in SpA are not very specific, and can be found in many other diseases such as malignancy and osteoarthritis. Here we present the case of a 33-year old woman who presented a worsening low back pain, with a thoracic spine MRI showing bone marrow edema (BME) of the whole T8 vertebral body. Owing to this peculiar presentation, together with the unresponsiveness of the pain to nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and a slight increase of the biomarker CA19-9, a malignancy was suspected. Therefore, the patient underwent bone scintigraphy, Single positron emission computed tomography (SPET/TC), positron emission tomography and repeated MRI without reaching a diagnosis. Finally, when SI joints MRI was performed, BME of the SI joints emerged: this was fundamental to formulate the diagnosis of axSpA.
While much research on video games has focused on aggressive outcomes, the extant research has not come to consensus on the role of other factors, notably enjoyment, frustration and individual differences amongst players, in mediating the link between violent game play and aggression. This experimental design uses a mental models approach to examine game features (e.g., controller naturalness), player characteristics (e.g., first person shooter experience, sex, degree of competitiveness) and the game play experience (e.g., perceived game realism, immersion, game failure, frustration and enjoyment) to explain aggressive outcomes. Results from a revised path model suggest perceived realism, immersion, and experience with other first person shooters all positively predicted enjoyment while frustration negatively predicted game enjoyment. Frustration and enjoyment both predicted state aggression. The findings of this study support the application of mental models as a theoretical approach to unify thinking about violent games, contextual features of violent games, individual difference variables and differences in player perceptions and game experiences with regards to outcome aggression. Results are discussed in terms of the model matching hypothesis and implications for the comprehensive study of violent game play, including the importance of enjoyment and frustration, are also discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, an automated twistlock handling robot system is proposed with the aim to perform tedious and danger works with safe efficient operations. The proposed robot system is composed of an unmanned ground vehicle, a human friendly lightweight robot manipulator, a robot gripper with three fingers, and a 3D Kinect sensor for object recognition. A segmentation algorithm has been developed and 3D models have been elaborated for different twistlocks. Then, a library has been built for automatic object recognition and registration purposes. An architecture design of the software module is introduced and a full cycle of twistlock handling operation is illustrated. Simulations are reported in order to evaluate feasibility and operation performances of the system.
Microtia is a congenital defect affecting external ears, which appear smaller and sometimes malformed. Here we describe a five-generation family with isolated bilateral microtia segregating as an autosomal dominant trait. Similar features have been previously observed in an autosomal dominant family with non-syndromic microtia and hearing loss segregating with a HOXA2 nonsense variant. HOXA2 biallelic mutations were also described in an inbreed family with autosomal recessive microtia, hearing impairment and incomplete cleft palate. In our family, sequence analysis detected a heterozygous protein truncating nonsense variant [c.670G >T, p.(Glu224*)] segregating in all affected individuals and absent in public databases. This study confirms the role of HOXA2 gene in dominant isolated microtia and contribute to further define the dysmorphogenetic effect of this gene on ear development.
This study investigates whether the augmentation of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with fluoxetine improves outcomes in anxious school refusing adolescents (11-16.5 years). Sixty-two participants were randomly allocated to CBT alone, CBT + fluoxetine or CBT + placebo. All treatments were well tolerated; with one suicide-attempt in the CBT + placebo group. All groups improved significantly on primary (school attendance) and secondary outcome measures (anxiety, depression, self-efficacy and clinician-rated global functioning); with gains largely maintained at 6-months and 1-year. Few participants were anxiety disorder free after acute treatment. During the follow-up period anxiety and depressive disorders continued to decline whilst school attendance remained stable, at around 54 %. The only significant between-group difference was greater adolescent-reported treatment satisfaction in the CBT + fluoxetine group than the CBT alone group. These results indicate the chronicity of school refusal, and the need for future research into how to best improve school attendance rates.
Laboratory automation and robotics have industrialized the execution and completion of large-scale, enabling high-capacity and high-throughput (100 K-1 MM/day) screening (HTS) campaigns of large libraries of compounds (>200 K-2 MM) to complete in a few days or weeks. Critical to the success these HTS campaigns is the ability of a competent assay development team to convert a validated research-grade laboratory benchtop assay suitable for manual or semi-automated operations on a few hundreds of compounds into a robust miniaturized (384- or 1,536-well format), well-engineered, scalable, industrialized assay that can be seamlessly implemented on a fully automated, fully integrated robotic screening platform for cost-effective screening of hundreds of thousands of compounds. Here, we provide a review of the theoretical guiding principles and practical considerations necessary to reduce often complex research biology into a lean manufacturing engineering endeavor comprising adaption, automation, and implementation of HTS. Furthermore we provide a detailed example specifically for a cell-free in vitro biochemical, enzymatic phosphatase assay for tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase that illustrates these principles and considerations.
The goal of the current study was to examine whether differential neural attentional capture and evaluative responses for out-group homosexual relative to in-group heterosexual targets occur during social categorization. To this end, 36 heterosexual participants were presented with pictures of heterosexual and homosexual couples in a picture-viewing task that was designed to assess implicit levels of discomfort toward homosexuality and explicit evaluations of pleasantness toward the images. Neural activity in the form of electroencephalogram was recorded during the presentation of the pictures, and event-related potentials resulting from these stimuli were examined. Participants also completed questionnaires that assessed the degree to which they socialized with gays and lesbians. Results demonstrated that relative to straight couples, larger P2 amplitude was observed in response to gay but not to lesbian couples. However, both gay and lesbian couples yielded a larger late positive potential than straight couples. Moreover, the degree to which participants differentially directed early neural attention to out-group lesbian versus in-group straight couples was related to their familiarity with homosexual individuals. This work, which provides an initial understanding of the neural underpinnings of attention toward homosexual couples, suggests that differences in the processing of sexual orientation can occur as early as 200ms and may be moderated by familiarity.
Customisation is increasingly becoming a necessity in all areas of life. One special field of interest is the area of medical products, as, for example, textile orthotics to enable customer-specific, individualised optimum curing. Current personalisation processes within the development and production processes of textile orthotics barely address the full range of customer diversity. The efficient development and production of customer-specific textile orthotics is not established. Many process steps are currently characterised by manual labour increasing public or private expense. The need for the efficient development and production of customer-specific, diversity-aware orthotics can be realised through virtualised processes. This paper describes the basic characteristics of a virtual development and production framework for the individualisation of textile orthotics with respect to the diversity of customers' characteristics. The computer-aided design (CAD) approaches to adapt dimensions of individualised orthotics and virtually asses fit will be discussed in detail. Digital functionalisation is a flexible module for the production of individualised orthotics and will be introduced in this paper. The reduction of time consumption, the improvement of process flexibility and process performance for the CAD approaches, and the digital funtionalisation will be qualitatively specified.
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of coaction on saccadic and manual responses. Participants performed the experiments either in a solitary condition or in a group of coactors who performed the same tasks at the same time. In Experiment 1, participants completed a pro-and antisaccade task where they were required to make saccades towards (prosaccades) or away (antisaccades) from a peripheral visual stimulus. In Experiment 2, participants performed a visual discrimination task that required both making a saccade towards a peripheral stimulus and making a manual response in reaction to the stimulus's orientation. The results showed that performance of stimulus-driven responses was independent of the social context, while volitionally controlled responses were delayed by the presence of coactors. These findings are in line with studies assessing the effect of attentional load on saccadic control during dual-task paradigms. In particular, antisaccades - but not prosaccades - were influenced by the type of social context. Additionally, the number of coactors present in the group had a moderating effect on both saccadic and manual responses. The results support an attentional view of social influences.
Kirchhoff's voltage law (KVL) and band-pass filter theory (BPFT) have been utilised for estimating the power transfer efficiency (PTE) and power delivered to the load (PDL) of magnetically-coupled resonant wireless power transfer (WPT). By using the two approaches, three aspects for in-depth understanding of power transfer characteristics and designing a high-efficiency WPT system are illuminated in this research. First, by introducing generalised mistuning factor and using diagram discriminance method in KVL, the effect conditions of source- and load-loaded quality factors on PTE and PDL are analysed. Then, by applying frequency and element transformations in BPFT, the restraints of Butterworth and Chebyshev type filter for WPT application are revealed. Third, it is verified that BPFT is a special case of KVL, and the former simplifies the design and analysis under the derived restraints than the latter. The maximal PDL at original frequency and the transfer characteristics in frequency splitting region can be easily achieved by Butterworth and Chebyshev type, respectively. The PTE and PDL versus frequency and coupling coefficient can be analysed in detail by KVL. Finally, the calculated results of the design examples are verified through experimental measurements.
Introduction: In clinical settings, acute anterior uveitis (AAU) could be the first presentation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Based on this hypothesis, we investigate whether AAU is a risk factor in developing AS later by using National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This cohort comparison study used longitudinal Taiwanese NHIRD to probe the relative risk odds of AAU for AS development, and consisted of all patients diagnosed with AAU (n = 5621) (ICD-9-CM codes 364.00). The relative risks of AS between AAU patients and controls were compared by estimating the crude hazard ratio with logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rates of developing AS, and a log-rank test was used to analyze the differences between the survival curves. Separate Cox proportional hazard regressions were performed to compute the AS-free rate after adjusting for possible confounding factors such as age and sex. Results: The crude hazard ratio was 2.667 for the AAU group, and the adjusted hazard ratio was 2.705 for the AAU group. The observation time of the AS-free group was shorter for AAU patients compared with the control group (1507 versus 1578 days). Moreover, in the AAU patients, the younger age onset of AAU (less than 30 years old here) would lead to an earlier diagnosis of AS later with a median of 1445.5 (742-2241) versus 1544 (819-2289) days of survival for the group of age onset of AAU greater than 30 years old. The difference is statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: AAU was a risk factor for AS. To identify AAU as an extra-articular manifestation is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of AS and containing functional loss accordingly.
Liquid marbles are drops coated with a hydrophobic powder. Different liquid marbles can be easily distinguished by the diverse color appearance. Here, we first demonstrate colorful liquid marbles, which were encapsulated with colored superhydrophobic stearate powders. A simple method was used to generate colorful superhydrophobic stearate powders via chemical reactions between sodium stearate and inorganic salts. In addition, the contact angle meter was used to monitor the horizontal profiles of liquid marbles to investigate the lifetime of liquid marbles on the stainless steel surface at room conditions. More important, we have described a proof of qualitative detection of oil pollution and measured the minimum detection limit of some water-soluble pollutants by liquid marbles.
The paper presents a new method for manufacturing hollow shafts, where tubes are used as billet. First, the design of a specially designed forging machine for rotary compression is described. The machine is then numerically tested with regard to its strength, and the effect of elastic strains of the roll system on the quality of produced parts is determined. The machine's strength is calculated by the finite element method using the NX Nastran program. Technological capabilities of the machine are determined, too. Next, the results of the modeling of the rotary compression process for a hollow stepped shafts by the finite element method are given. The process for manufacturing hollow shafts was modeled using the Simufact. Forming simulation program. The FEM results are then verified experimentally in the designed forging machine for rotary compression. The experimental results confirm that axisymmetric hollow shafts can be produced by the rotary compression method. It is also confirmed that numerical methods are suitable for investigating both machine design and metal forming processes.
With the great success of the second-generation wireless telephone technology and the third-generation mobile telecommunications technology, and the fast development of the fourth-generation mobile telecommunications technology, the phase of fifth-generation mobile networks or fifth-generation wireless systems (5G) is coming. In this article, we indicate the open research issues of 5G security and trust in the context of virtualized networking and software-defined networking. We further propose a framework of security and trust focusing on solving 5G network security issues. The proposed framework applies adaptive trust evaluation and management technologies and sustainable trusted computing technologies to ensure computing platform trust and achieve software-defined network security. It adopts cloud computing to securely deploy various trustworthy security services over the virtualized networks. We analyze that the framework can support and satisfy all security requirements specified in standardization. We also suggest future research work according to the proposed framework and discuss the advantages of our framework in terms of practical deployment. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The collapse of drinking water management systems is one of the most serious consequences of natural disasters. This article aims to analyze the vulnerability of drinking water management during and after a natural disaster in the rural and coastal areas of Bangladesh. We have considered the extreme event of cyclone 'Aila', which devastated the coastal district of Satkhira in 2009. In the study area, the collection of drinking water in normal situations is difficult mainly because of the spatially varied availability of drinking water sources (tube wells, ponds and rainwater harvesting units). In addition, the decreasing trend in pre-monsoon rainfall intensity as well as the increased salinity play a significant role in this regard. Due to the destruction of the coastal embankment during cyclone 'Aila', saltwater intruded into the locality and heavily damaged the drinking water sources. To analyze the associated vulnerability factors in the drinking water sector, we conducted a household-based structured questionnaire survey in three 'mouza' (revenue collection unit) of the Satkhira district. Using principal component analysis, we have identified six factors influencing drinking water vulnerability. The factors are related to warning dissemination, damage to water sources, damage to household's water reserves, collection time, family composition, and frequency of water collection. We have used the factors to prepare an index for the comparative analysis of vulnerability among the three 'mouza'. Considering the vulnerability issues, the article concludes by presenting the scope for a robust drinking water management plan for the coastal areas of Bangladesh. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study reports for the first time the full charging of a state-of-the-art mobile smartphone, using Microbial Fuel Cells fed with urine. This was possible by employing a new design of MFC that allowed scaling-up without power density losses. Although it was demonstrated in the past that a basic mobile phone could be charged by MFCs, the present study goes beyond this to show how, simply using urine, an MFC system successfully charges a modern-day smartphone. Several energy-harvesting systems have been tested and results have demonstrated that the charging circuitry of commercially available phones may consume up to 38% of energy on top of the battery capacity. The study concludes by developing a mobile phone charger based on urine, which results in 3 h of phone operation (outgoing call) for every 6 h of charge time, with as little as 600 mL (per charge) of real neat urine. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
Induced earthquakes often accompany fluid injection, and the seismic hazard they pose threatens various underground engineering projects. Models to monitor and control induced seismic hazard with traffic light systems should be probabilistic, forward-looking, and updated as new data arrive. In this study, we propose an Induced Seismicity Test Bench to test and rank such models; this test bench can be used for model development, model selection, and ensemble model building. We apply the test bench to data from the Basel 2006 and Soultz-sous-Forets 2004 geothermal stimulation projects, and we assess forecasts from two models: Shapiro and Smoothed Seismicity (SaSS) and Hydraulics and Seismics (HySei). These models incorporate a different mix of physics-based elements and stochastic representation of the induced sequences. Our results show that neither model is fully superior to the other. Generally, HySei forecasts the seismicity rate better after shut-in but is only mediocre at forecasting the spatial distribution. On the other hand, SaSS forecasts the spatial distribution better and gives better seismicity rate estimates before shut-in. The shut-in phase is a difficult moment for both models in both reservoirs: the models tend to underpredict the seismicity rate around, and shortly after, shut-in.
Nitrate water pollution, which is mainly causedby agricultural activities, remains an international problem. It can cause serious long-term environmental and human health issues due to nitrate time-lag in the groundwater system. However, the nitrate subsurface legacy issue has rarely been considered in environmental water management. We have developed a simple catchment-scale approach to investigate the impact of historical nitrate loading from agricultural land on the nitrate-concentrationtrends in sandstones, which represent major aquifers in the Eden Valley, UK The model developed considers the spatio-temporal nitrate loading, low permeability superficial deposits, dual-porosity unsaturated zones, and nitrate dilution in aquifers. Monte Carlo simulations were undertaken to analyse parameter sensitivity and calibrate the model using observed datasets. Time series of annual average nitrate concentrations from 1925 to 2150 were generated for four aquifer zones in the study area. The results show that the nitrate concentrations in 'St Bees Sandstones', 'silicified Penrith Sandstones', and 'non-silicified Penrith Sandstones' keep rising or stay high before declining to stable levels, whilst that in 'inter-bedded Brockram Penrith Sandstones' will level off after a slight decrease. This study can help policymakers better understand local nitrate-legacy issues. It also provides a framework for informing the long-term impact and timescale of different scenarios introduced to deliver water-quality compliance. This model requires relatively modest parameterisation and is readily transferable to other areas. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Fundamental ethical issues regarding ambient intelligence concern the conditions of an ethical discourse, the identity of the acting individual, the awareness of the sphere in which the individual should act, and finally the individual's choice, which is necessary for his or her responsibility. Augmented reality exacerbates the problem of the loss of resistance and horizon which characterize what the German term Wirklichkeit means. Only the hyletic, social, or ideal resistance against our will to shape the world and the horizon of connected systems guarantees Wirklichkeit, but not the real, concrete given thing, because there is always a possibility of misjudging it in perception. We are confronted with a loss of the horizon, in which we have to act. The old paradigm of an embedded technology is coming to a critical point now, if smart systems shape the world for us without a possibility to control and guide this shaping. Autonomous systems have a capacity to incapacitate the user.
Rainwater harvesting technology is considered an innovative and effective mechanism for reducing drinking water risks due to arsenic contamination and water salinity in coastal Bangladesh. However, adoption of such tanks remains elusive. Most studies on disaster risk communication are predominantly based on individual-level cognitive modeling approaches, which fail to address the role of social groups, human relations, and other collective social factors in the dissemination process of disaster preventive measures. From the viewpoint of social implementation, community adoption of unfamiliar technology for disaster risk mitigation and preparedness requires another approach. Given the challenge to promote rainwater harvesting technology in the study area of coastal Bangladesh, this study examines the role of various social networks including cohesive groups (friends), structural equivalent groups (individuals who have the same position in society), and spatial groups (neighbors) in three information sharing and processing activities-hearing, observation, and discussion. Results show that those individuals who have similar cohesive affiliations tend to become hearing and discussion partners. Cohesive groups share a learning opportunity and are bounded by normative constraints in terms of direct and intimate social relations. Spatial groups facilitate observation, which provides visual learning. Structurally equivalent groups are not relevant in adoption dissemination; therefore competition or similar social environment did not influence the rainwater tank dissemination activities.
Network structures and human behaviors are considered as two important factors in virus defense currently. However, due to ignorance of network security, normal users usually take simple activities, such as reinstalling computer system, or using the computer recovery system to clear virus. How system recovery influences virus spreading is not taken into consideration currently. In this paper, a new virus propagation model considering the system recovery is proposed first, and then in its steady-state analysis, the virus propagation steady time and steady states are deduced. Experiment results show that models considering system recovery can effectively restrain virus propagation. Furthermore, algorithm with system recovery in BA scale-free network is proposed. Simulation result turns out that target immunization strategy with system recovery works better than traditional ones in BA network.
Aiming to an automatic sound recognizer for radio broadcasting events, a methodology of clustering the audio feature space using the discrimination ability of the audio descriptors as a criterion, is investigated in this work. From a given and close set of audio events, commonly found in broadcast news transmissions, a large set of audio descriptors is extracted and their data-driven ranking of relevance is clustered, providing a more robust feature selection. The clusters of the feature space are feeding machine learning algorithms implemented as classification models during the experimental evaluation. This methodology showed that support vector machines provide significantly good results, considering the achieved accuracy due to their ability of coping well in high dimensionality experimental conditions.
We developed a fast, selective and sensitive on-line LC/LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of nine parabens and seven environmental phenols in urine. Parabens are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives. Bisphenol A, triclosan, triclocarban, 2-phenylphenol, and benzophenones are used inter alia in disinfectants, sunscreens and in polymers. Some of these substances are suspected endocrine disruptors. Limits of quantification and analytical quality criteria fully met the needs for determining exposure levels occurring in the general population. We analyzed 157 spot urine samples from the general German population (59 females, 39 males and 59 children). For the parabens, we found methyl, ethyl and n-propyl paraben with high detection rates (77-98%), followed by n-butyl (36%), iso-butyl (17%), iso-propyl (3%) and benzyl paraben (3%). We detected no pentyl and heptyl paraben. Urinary concentrations were highest for methyl paraben (median 24.5 mu g/L; 95th percentile 379 mu g/L) followed by ethyl (1.4 mu g/L; 35.2 mu g/L) and n-propyl paraben (1.2 mu g/L; 68.1 mu g/L). Other environmental phenols with high detection rates were BPA (95%), triclosan (45%) and benzophenone 1 and 3 (26%). For most of the parabens/environmental phenols we found higher urinary levels in females than in males or children, probably due to differences in (personal care) product use. However, high levels (in the mg/L range) were also observed in children. Exposure to the above substances is occurring worldwide. Differences between countries do seem to exist and might be caused by different product compositions or different use habits. Human metabolism data is urgently needed to extrapolate from urinary biomarker levels to doses actually taken up. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Decomposing a divisor over a suitable factor basis in the Jacobian of a hyperelliptic curve is a crucial step in an index calculus algorithm for the discrete log problem in the Jacobian. For small genus curves, in the year 2000, Gaudry had proposed a suitable factor basis and a decomposition method. In this work, we provide a new method for decomposition over the same factor basis. The advantage of the new method is that it admits a sieving technique which removes smoothness checking of polynomials required in Gaudry's method. Also, the total number of additions in the Jacobian required by the new method is less than that required by Gaudry's method. The new method itself is quite simple and we present some example decompositions and timing results of our implementation of the method using Magma.
Compatibilism is the view that determinism is compatible with acting freely and being morally responsible. Incompatibilism is the opposite view. It is often claimed that compatibilism or incompatibilism is a natural part of ordinary social cognition. That is, it is often claimed that patterns in our everyday social judgments reveal an implicit commitment to either compatibilism or incompatibilism. This paper reports five experiments designed to identify such patterns. The results support a nuanced hybrid account: The central tendencies in ordinary social cognition are compatibilism about moral responsibility, compatibilism about positive moral accountability (i.e., about deserving credit for good outcomes), neither compatibilism nor incompatibilism about negative moral accountability (i.e., about deserving blame for bad outcomes), compatibilism about choice for actions with positive outcomes, and incompatibilism about choice for actions with negative or neutral outcomes.
Input- and output-based economic policies designed to reduce water pollution from fertilizer runoff by adjusting management practices are theoretically justified and well-understood. Yet, in practice, adjustment in fertilizer application or land allocation may be sluggish. We provide practical guidance for policymakers regarding the relative magnitude and speed of adjustment of input- and output-based policies. Through a dynamic dual model of corn production that takes fertilizer as one of several production inputs, we measure the short- and long-term effects of policies that affect the relative prices of inputs and outputs through the short- and long-term price elasticities of fertilizer application, and also the total time required for different policies to affect fertilizer application through the adjustment rates of capital and land. These estimates allow us to compare input- and output-based policies based on their relative cost-effectiveness. Using data from Indiana and Illinois, we find that input-based policies are more cost-effective than their output-based counterparts in achieving a target reduction in fertilizer application. We show that input- and output-based policies yield adjustment in fertilizer application at the same speed, and that most of the adjustment takes place in the short-term. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Image segmentation is an important processing in many applications such as image retrieval and computer vision. One of the most successful models for image segmentation is the level set methods which are based on local context. The methods, though comparatively effective in segmenting images with inhomogeneous intensity, are considerably computation-intensive and at the risk of falling into local minima in the convergence of the active contour energy function. To address the issues, we propose a region-based level set method, called KL-MLBF, which is based on the multi-scale local binary fitting (MLBF) and the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence. We first apply the multi-scale theory to the local binary fitting model to build MLBF. Then the energy term measured by KL divergence between regions to be segmented is incorporated into the energy function of MLBF. KL-MLBF utilizes the between-cluster distance and the adaptive kernel function selection strategy to formulate the energy function. Being more robust to the initial location of the contour than the classical segmentation models, KL-MLBF can deal with blurry boundaries and noise problems. The results of experiments on synthetic and real images have shown that KL-MLBF can improve the effectiveness of segmentation while ensuring the accuracy by accelerating the minimization of the energy function.
Objective. Research concerning spinal mobility in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) has focused on ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and data on the clinical diagnosis of undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (USpA) are limited. The objective was to study differences in spinal mobility between axSpA subgroups AS and USpA, including gender differences. Methods. A total of 183 patients with axSpA from a rheumatology clinic were included in the study. The earliest recorded spinal mobility measures (cervical rotation/flexion/extension/lateral flexion, tragus-to-wall distance, vital capacity, chest expansion, thoracic flexion, thoracolumbar flexion, lateral spinal flexion, lumbar flexion and intermalleolar distance) were obtained by specialized physiotherapists. Differences between subgroups were analysed using analysis of covariance, controlled for gender and disease duration. Results. In the USpA group (n = 57), the mean [standard deviation (SD)] age was 41.6 (11.4) years, and disease duration was 13 (10.6) years, with 54% men. In the AS group (n = 126), the mean (SD) age was 48.4 (13.5) years, and disease duration 24.6 (13.3) years, with 77% men. Spinal mobility was less restricted in USpA versus AS patients (p = 0.05), with a median (interquartile range) tragus-to-wall distance of 11 (10-12) cm versus 13 (11.3-18.5) cm; thoracolumbar flexion 9 (7-10) cm versus 6.5 (4-9) cm; lateral spinal flexion 29 (25-36) cm versus 21.3 (12-31) cm; lumbar flexion 4.5 (3.5-5.0) cm versus 3.5 (2.0-4.5) cm and intermalleolar distance 113 (102-121) cm versus 101 (86-114) cm. There were no differences between the subgroups in cervical mobility, vital capacity, chest expansion or thoracic flexion, and there were few gender differences, besides anthropometric measures. Conclusion. Patients with USpA and AS had similar cervical and chest mobility, while thoracic and lumbar mobility were more severely restricted in AS. There were few gender differences in either subgroup. Further studies, to understand the full impact of USpA on spinal mobility, are needed. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Through past decades of research, water has been acknowledged as one of the main parameters influencing the long-term performance of flexible pavements. The effect of water is a factor considered when designing structural and geometrical pavements. However, it unavoidably infiltrates pavement layered structures through various mechanisms. As a result, additional drainage layers, such as geocomposites, are considered among the solutions available to manage excess water in flexible pavement structures. This paper presents the analysis of drainage and structural behaviour of full scale experimental pavements built with various geocomposite drainage configurations. The tests were conducted at an outdoor research facility, the Laval University Experimental Pavement Site. Following an increase of the water table in controlled drainage conditions, the drainage and structural response of the experimental pavement sections were measured using volumetric water content transducers and a falling weight deflectometer during ten days. The overall results suggest that a lateral vertical drain is the best performing drainage configuration. Nevertheless, several observations on the effect of various drainage configurations according to their transversal and vertical position in the pavement were made using the collected experimental data.
the work focuses on the development of a software solution for observation and management of an industrial unit for automation. The actual software solution is designed for tablets and mobile phones running the Android operating system. All presented paradigms can also be applied to other mobile platforms and operating systems. Custom software allows the operator to control and manage devices remotely, but the major focus is on observation, because an operator's actions are expected only in critical situations. SW solutions in the case study are solved as intuitively as possible. So parameter adjustments may be performed by laymen with a simple user interface - which places fewer demands on the operator of the automatization units. The paper is focused on the definition of the issue, it also introduces the reader to the 1P-LOG device (and its variants); but mainly reflects extensively on the creation of the low-level network protocol bridge to the application. The issues of one way link and connections, and issues in broader network connectivity (internet, tunnelling, addressing) are resolved.
Predicting the evolution of phenotypic traits requires an understanding of natural selection on them. Despite its indispensability in the fight against parasites, selection on host immune defense has remained understudied. Theory predicts immune traits to be under stabilizing selection due to associated trade-offs with other fitness-related traits. Empirical studies, however, report mainly positive directional selection. This discrepancy could be caused by low phenotypic variation in the examined individuals and/or variation in host resource level that confounds trade-offs in empirical studies. In a field experiment where we maintained Lymnaea stagnalis snails individually in cages in a lake, we investigated phenotypic selection on two immune defense traits, phenoloxidase (PO)-like activity and antibacterial activity, in hemolymph. We used a diverse laboratory population and manipulated snail resource level by limiting their food supply. For six weeks, we followed immune activity, growth, and two fitness components, survival and fecundity of snails. We found that PO-like activity and growth were under stabilizing selection, while antibacterial activity was under positive directional selection. Selection on immune traits was mainly driven by variation in survival. The form of selection on immune defense apparently depends on the particular trait, possibly due to its importance for countering the present parasite community.
Allergy reactions are the most common immunological diseases and represent one of the most widespread and fast growing chronic human health problems among people over 15 years of age in developed countries. As populations get older worldwide, allergy manifestations in aged persons will occur more often in the future. To date, there has been much more studies on allergies in children than in adults. As the population ages, clinicians must be prepared to meet all the elderly's health care needs, including these new and emerging health issue. Allergic diseases represent an old/new emerging health issue. Because many common illnesses masquerade as atopic disease, the differential diagnosis of suspected allergic diseases becomes more expanded in an aging population. Research in the field needs to focus on both human and animal model systems to investigate
Background: Recent studies have associated positive emotions with several variables such as learning, coping strategies or assertive behaviour. The concept of gratitude has been specifically defined as a tendency to recognise and respond to people or situations with grateful emotion. Unfortunately in Latin America, no validated measures of gratitude on different populations are available. The aim of this study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) in two Chilean samples. Methods: Two studies were conducted: the first with 668 high school adolescents (390 women and 278 men, with ages ranging between 12 and 20, and a mean age 15.54 +/- 1.22) and the second with 331 adults (231 women and 100 men, with an average age of 37.59 +/- 12.6). An analysis of the psychometric properties of the GQ-6 scale to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument in Chilean adolescents and adults was performed. Bivariate correlations, multiple regression analyses, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Monte Carlo simulations were carried out. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed. Results: A single-factor solution was found in both studies, a 5 item version for the adolescents and 6 items for adults. This factorial solution was invariant across genders. Reliability of the GQ was adequate in both samples (using Cronbach's alpha coefficient). In addition convergent and discriminate validity were assessed. Additionally, a negative correlation between the GQ-5 and depression in adolescents and a positive correlation between the GQ-6 and happiness in adults was found. Conclusions: The GQ is a suitable measure for evaluating a person's disposition toward gratitude in Chilean adolescents and adults. This instrument may contribute to the advancement of the study of positive emotions in Latin America.
InGaAs (and its variant) appears to be a promising channel material for high-performance, low-power scaled CMOS applications due to its excellent carrier transport properties. However, MOS transistors made of this suffer from poor electrostatic integrity. In this work, we consider an underlap ultra thin body (UTB) InAs-on-Insulator n-channel MOS transistor, and study the effect of varying the gate-source/drain (G-S/D) underlap length on the analog performance of the device with the help of technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation, calibrated with Schrodinger-Poisson solver and experimental results. The underlap technique improves the gate electrostatic integrity which in turn improves the analog performance. We develop a non-quasi-static (NQS) small signal equivalent circuit model of the device which is used for study of the RF performance. With increase of the underlap length, the unity gain cut-off frequency degrades and the maximum oscillation frequency improves beyond a certain value of the underlap length. We further study the gain-frequency response of a common source amplifier using the NQS model, through SPICE simulation and observe that the voltage gain and the gain bandwidth improves. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In cases of pulp exposure due to deep dental caries or severe traumatic injuries, existing pulp-capping materials have a limited ability to reconstruct dentin-pulp complexes and can result in pulpectomy because of their low potentials to accelerate dental pulp cell activities, such as migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Therefore, the development of more effective therapeutic agents has been anticipated for direct pulp capping. Dental pulp tissues are enriched with dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Here, the authors investigated the effects of semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) on various functions of human DPSCs in vitro and reparative dentin formation in vivo in a rat dental pulp exposure model. Immunofluorescence staining revealed expression of Sema3A and its receptor Nrp1 (neuropilin 1) in rat dental pulp tissue and human DPSC clones. Sema3A induced cell migration, chemotaxis, proliferation, and odontoblastic differentiation of DPSC clones. In addition, Sema3A treatment of DPSC clones increased -catenin nuclear accumulation, upregulated expression of the FARP2 gene (FERM, RhoGEF, and pleckstrin domain protein 2), and activated Rac1 in DPSC clones. Furthermore, in the rat dental pulp exposure model, Sema3A promoted reparative dentin formation with dentin tubules and a well-aligned odontoblast-like cell layer at the dental pulp exposure site and with novel reparative dentin almost completely covering pulp tissue at 4 wk after direct pulp capping. These findings suggest that Sema3A could play an important role in dentin regeneration via canonical Wnt/-catenin signaling. Sema3A might be an alternative agent for direct pulp capping, which requires further study.
This paper presents the conversion of an electric cargo vehicle into a portable platform for interacting with information applications. The cargo vehicle hosts 2 seats for the driver and 1 extra passenger, and 3 interactive systems installed at the cargo's right, left and back exterior side. The vehicle is intended to follow predefined routes from central ports to the nearest city center, making long term stops. During stops, embedded interactive systems entertain and provide visitors and other passersby with information of local interest. This papers focuses on the vehicle's conversion process, from the installation of the necessary hardware components needed by the interactive systems to the development of a portable control panel designed to address the driver's needs.
Green roof systems have been suggested to ease the growing urban environmental problems resulting from rapid urbanization. However, the irrigation of green roofs heavily depends on using precious potable water and consequently generates negative environmental effects. Rainwater has been recommended to address this dilemma, but the design method has not been well developed. In this study, the major design factors of a rainwater harvesting system for green roof irrigation systems are examined, and a simulation-based mathematical model is established to elucidate the correlation between tank volume and system performance. The optimal system design and probability distribution of the potable water replacement rate are also discussed on the basis of a case study of a university building in Keelung, Northern Taiwan. The results show that the optimal tank volume, potable water replacement rate, and probability of exceedance are 9.41 m(3), 92.72%, and 88.76% (+/- 1SD), respectively. In addition, the economic performance is identified to be feasible. Hence, the design method has been verified to be a useful tool to ease the urban environmental issues.
The target of villages rainwater harvesting is to trap impermeable pavement and prevent rainwater runoff, and rainwater accumulated is mainly used for domestic miscellaneous water, environmental and ecological water. Low Impact Development (LID) is an analog of natural stormwater management. The rainwater collection system, which is based on the concept of LID stormwater control, is easy to operate and inexpensive. According to the characteristics of village rainwater harvesting, towns rainwater collection system will be divided into five parts: roof rainwater harvesting, courtyard rainwater harvesting, street rainwater harvesting, green rainwater harvesting and landscape rainwater storage pond. We summarize the principles of rainwater collection systems in towns and villages landscape applications: low-impact, low-maintenance, low-cost; design with nature, design to life; the overall planning, collaborative implementation. Provide reference for the ecological and circular village rainwater resource utilization.
This paper presents the design and multivariable feedback control of a compact precision positioner. The moving stage that has a total mass of 1.52 kg can generate all 6-axis motions with a single frame. Aerostatic bearings levitate the positioner and three 3-phase synchronous permanent-magnet planar motors (SPMPMs) generate electromagnetic forces over the concentrated-field permanent-magnet matrix. Three Hall-effect sensors measure the magnetic flux to calculate the planar position and three laser-distance sensors detect the vertical displacement. Real Time Application Interface (RTAI) with Comedi on a Linux personal computer is used for real-time control. Single-input single-output (SISO) digital lead-lag controllers for each axis are designed, and a multi-input multi output (MIMO) model is developed for the positioner. Reduced-order linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) controllers are applied in horizontal positioning. Several experimental results demonstrate the dynamic performance of the positioner.
The rising number of newly insured young adults brought on by health care reform will soon increase demands on primary care physicians. Physicians will face more young adult patients, which presents an opportunity for more prevention-oriented care. In the present study, we evaluated whether brief observer reports of young adults' personality traits could predict which individuals would be at greater risk for poor health as they entered midlife. Following the cohort of 1,000 individuals from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (Moffitt, Caspi, Rutter, & Silva, 2001), we show that very brief measures of young adults' personalities predicted their midlife physical health across multiple domains (metabolic abnormalities, cardiorespiratory fitness, pulmonary function, periodontal disease, and systemic inflammation). Individuals scoring low on the traits of Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience went on to develop poorer health even after accounting for preexisting differences in education, socioeconomic status, smoking, obesity, self-reported health, medical conditions, and family medical history. Moreover, personality ratings from peer informants who knew participants well, and from a nurse and receptionist who had just met participants for the first time, predicted health decline from young adulthood to midlife despite striking differences in level of acquaintance. Personality effect sizes were on par with other well-established health risk factors such as socioeconomic status, smoking, and self-reported health. We discuss the potential utility of personality measurement to function as an inexpensive and accessible tool for health care professionals to personalize preventive medicine. Adding personality information to existing health care electronic infrastructures could also advance personality theory by generating opportunities to examine how personality processes influence doctor-patient communication, health service use, and patient outcomes.
In this paper a method for the detection of megalithic barrows from LiDAR height data is presented. The methodology is grounded on the joint application of morphometric and morphological classification of digital terrain models, segmentation and detection of circular patterns (Hough Transform). Since the segmentation of the data is proposed it can be considered as a GEOBIA (Geo-Object-based Image Analysis) approach to remote sensing in Archaeology. There are three major strengths in the proposed methodology: 1) the use of supercomputing (High Performance Computing) for the analysis of topographical information, 2) the development of own specific code, and 3) the use of accurate topographic descriptors for terrain analysis. The method is able to provide concrete locations that can eventually match the theoretical morphometric features of this kind of sepulchres. The application has leaded to discover new barrows in a region from Western Spain. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
Between 1992 and 1998, 55 km of riverbank on the Ottawa River was protected from erosion using rounded granular material of glaciofluvial origin from local gravel pits. The method did not require slope reprofiling or the installation of a key or geotextile. It allows for the slopes of the structure and the banks to reach an equilibrium state and relies on natural vegetation regrowth on the banks and embankments rather than bioengineering revegetation techniques. A follow-up was done in 2011 to assess its effectiveness. After fifteen years, the structures have halted erosion, blended into the local landscape and created a riparian ecotone. They quickly acquired a natural, gently sloping profile and recreated a sinuous shoreline dotted with sandy beaches. The follow-up also shows that the banks and structures are 80-90% covered by indigenous vegetation. Furthermore, this vegetation is as diverse as the natural vegetation seen on the unstabilized sections of riverbank. The work minimized damage to the riverbanks as it was done in winter so that shore ice could be used for access. This approach helped avoid interventions on the banks themselves and protected the existing vegetation. The availability of granular sources near the work site was a key criterion. Riverbank protection work of this scale is uncommon. This article discusses the effectiveness of the protection method and its environmental advantages and limitations. This method could prove to be an alternative to traditional rock-fill methods or bioengineering techniques, which are often quite complex and costly. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Long-term monitoring of shoreline changes is of significant importance for coastal erosion prediction and coastal planning. This paper presents the use of the Landsat archival dataset over 29 years to monitor shoreline changes at Narrabeen-Collaroy Beach, Australia. For each scene of Landsat data, a vector-based shoreline at subpixel level was automatically extracted by employing the super-resolution border segmentation method. Monthly cross-shore beach profile surveys at five locations along the beach are used as ground truth data to assess the results. The experimental results show that after the correction of tidal effects the RMSEs of the time-series shorelines at the five locations are all less than 10 m; RMSEs of annual mean shorelines are within 5.7 m. These results were achieved within the context that the Narrabeen-Collaroy Beach has been observed to vary in width by up to 80 m during this same period. In addition, the observed variabilities in shoreline change at different locations along the 3.6-km long embayment are also clearly observed from Landsat-derived results. The results indicate the feasibility of Landsat data for long-term shoreline change monitoring. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
In traditional microbiology laboratory activities, different strains of bacteria are exposed to UV radiation for varying lengths of time. This article provides information that expands on these activities (or uses them alone) with Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism with which to study the effects of UV radiation. These activities might be used in an introductory class to teach students the basics of working with C. elegans. In cell biology and microbiology classes, students might learn about how UV radiation can damage cells and cause cancer. These activities can also be used to teach the students about how genetic background can affect the sensitivity to UV radiation. In the laboratory, the students design their own activities by altering the parameters of the basic UV radiation experiment. By performing these laboratory activities, students will learn about UV radiation and about all parts of the scientific process.
Many pathological processes including neurogenic bladder and malignancy necessitate bladder reconstruction, which is currently performed using intestinal tissue. The use of intestinal tissue, however, subjects patients to metabolic abnormalities, bladder stones, and other long-term sequelae, raising the need for a source of safe and reliable bladder tissue. Advancements in stem cell biology have catapulted stem cells to the center of many current tissue regeneration and bioengineering strategies. This review presents the recent advancements in the use of stem cells in bladder tissue bioengineering.
The emergence of economically viable and efficient sensor technology provided impetus to the development of smart devices (or appliances). Modern smart environments are equipped with a multitude of smart devices and sensors, aimed at delivering intelligent services to the users of smart environments. The presence of these diverse smart devices has raised a major problem of managing environments. A rising solution to the problem is the modeling of user goals and intentions, and then interacting with the environments using user defined goals. 'domotic effects' is a user goal modeling framework, which provides ambient intelligence (AmI) designers and integrators with an abstract layer that enables the definition of generic goals in a smart environment, in a declarative way, which can be used to design and develop intelligent applications. The high-level nature of domotic effects also allows the residents to program their personal space as they see fit: they can define different achievement criteria for a particular generic goal, e.g., by defining a combination of devices having some particular states, by using domain-specific custom operators. This paper describes an approach for the automatic enforcement of domotic effects in case of the Boolean application domain, suitable for intelligent monitoring and control in domotic environments. Effect enforcement is the ability to determine device configurations that can achieve a set of generic goals (domotic effects). The paper also presents an architecture to implement the enforcement of Boolean domotic effects, and results obtained from carried out experiments prove the feasibility of the proposed approach and highlight the responsiveness of the implemented effect enforcement architecture.
Introduction: The surgical template is a guide aimed at directing the implant placement, tumor resection, osteotomy and bone repositioning. Using it, preoperative planning can be transferred to the actual surgical site, and the precision, safety and reliability of the surgery can be improved. However, the actual workflow of the surgical template design and manufacturing is quite complicated before the final clinical application.Areas covered: The major goal of the paper is to provide a comprehensive reference source of the current and future development of the template design and manufacturing for relevant researchers.Expert commentary: This paper aims to present a review of the necessary procedures in the template-guided surgery including the image processing, 3D visualization, preoperative planning, surgical guide design and manufacturing. In addition, the template-guided clinical applications for various kinds of surgeries are reviewed, and it demonstrated that the precision of the surgery has been improved compared with the non-guided operations.
Automation of the processes from design to final component manufacturing poses numerous challenges. The problems that need to be addressed are tolerances for geometry, dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the component. The first two can be addressed by integrating the Computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing and machining systems. The real time monitoring and performance estimation systems for surface quality need to be developed. As such approach in this work, front end software is developed where the input to software will be the surface image of the machined workpiece taken by a camera. The image is further processed in image processing module in mat lab for the texture feature extraction namely the curvelet transforms data. The software in turn classifies the machining processes undergone according to the trend in the curvelet transform data and then sends it to the corresponding process model for the estimation of the machining performance. In this work, the software is tested with sample test data and it displayed the machining process accurately and estimated the machining performance. The results are encouraging and this method can be used in real time estimation of machining process and machining performance. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
The aim of this paper was to generate nanotopological structure on the power set of vertices of simple digraphs using new definition neighbourhood of vertices on out linked of digraphs. Based on the neighbourhood we define the approximations of the subgraphs of a graph. A new nanotopological graph reduction to symbolic circuit analysis is developed in this paper. By means of structural equivalence on nanotopology induced by graph we have framed an algorithm for detecting patent infringement suit.
Wetlands are commonly assessed for ecological condition and biological integrity using a three-tiered framework of landscape-scale assessment, rapid assessment protocols, and intensive biological and physiochemical measurements. However, increased inundation resulting from accelerated sea level rise (SLR) is negatively impacting tidal marsh ecosystem functions for US Northeast coastal wetlands, yet relative vulnerability to this stressor is not incorporated in condition assessments. This article assesses tools available to measure coastal wetland vulnerability to SLR, including measurements made as part of traditional rapid condition assessments (e.g., vegetation communities, soil strength), field and remote sensing-based measurements of elevation, VDatum, and Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) model outputs. A vulnerability metric that incorporates these tools was calibrated and validated using recent rates of marsh vegetation losses (1972-2011) as a surrogate for future vulnerability. The metric includes complementary measures of elevation capital, including the percentage of high vs. low marsh vegetation, Spartina alterniflora height, elevation measurements, and SLAMM outputs that collectively explained 62% of the variability in recent rates of marsh vegetation loss. Stepwise regression revealed that all three elements (elevation, vegetation measures, and SLAMM outputs) explained significant and largely unique components of vulnerability to SLR, with the greatest level of overlap found between SLAMM outputs and elevation metrics. While soil strength varied predictably with habitat zone, it did not contribute significantly to the vulnerability metric. Despite the importance of determining wetland elevation above key tidal datums of mean sea level and mean high water, we caution that VDatum was found to perform poorly in back-barrier estuaries. This factor makes it difficult to compare elevation capital among marshes that differ in tidal range and poses accuracy problems for broad-scale modeling efforts that require accurate tidal datums. Given the pervasive pattern of coastal wetland drowning occurring in the Northeastern USA and elsewhere, we advocate that compilation of regional data on marsh habitats and vulnerability to SLR is crucial as it permits agencies to target adaptation to sites based on their vulnerability or mixture of habitats, it helps match sites to appropriate interventions, and it provides a broader regional context to site-specific management actions. Without such data, adaptation actions may be implemented where action is not necessary and to the disadvantage of vulnerable sites where opportunities for successful adaptation will be missed.
In this paper, 3D printing as a novel printing process was considered for deposition of polymers on synthetic fabrics to introduce more flexible, resource-efficient and cost effective textile functionalization processes than conventional printing process like screen and inkjet printing. The aim is to develop an integrated or tailored production process for smart and functional textiles which avoid unnecessary use of water, energy, chemicals and minimize the waste to improve ecological footprint and productivity. Adhesion of polymer and nanocomposite layers which were 3D printed directly onto the textile fabrics using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique was investigated. Different variables which may affect the adhesion properties including 3D printing process parameters, fabric type and filler type incorporated in polymer were considered. A rectangular shape according to the peeling standard was designed as 3D computer-aided design (CAD) to find out the effect of the different variables. The polymers were printed in different series of experimental design: nylon on polyamide 66 (PA66) fabrics, polylactic acid (PLA) on PA66 fabric, PLA on PLA fabric, and finally nanosize carbon black/PLA (CB/PLA) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes/PLA (CNT/PLA) nanocomposites on PLA fabrics. The adhesion forces were quantified using the innovative sample preparing method combining with the peeling standard method. Results showed that different variables of 3D printing process like extruder temperature, platform temperature and printing speed can have significant effect on adhesion force of polymers to fabrics while direct 3D printing. A model was proposed specifically for deposition of a commercial 3D printer Nylon filament on PA66 fabrics. In the following, among the printed polymers, PLA and its composites had high adhesion force to PLA fabrics. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This study investigates the retention load (RL) between ZrO2 primary crowns and secondary polyetheretherketone (PEEK) crowns made by different fabrication methods with three different tapers. Standardized primary ZrO2 crowns were fabricated with three different tapers: 0 degrees, 1 degrees, and 2 degrees (n = 10/group). Ten secondary crowns were fabricated (i) milled from breCam BioHPP blanks (PM); (ii) pressed from industrially fabricated PEEK pellets (PP) (BioHPP Pellet); or (iii) pressed from granular PEEK (PG) (BioHPP Granulat). One calibrated operator adjusted all crowns. In total, the RL of 90 secondary crowns were measured in pull-off tests at 50 mm/min, and each specimen was tested 20 times. Two- and one-way ANOVAs followed by a Scheff's post-hoc test were used for data analysis (p < 0.05). Within crowns with a 0 degrees taper, the PP group showed significantly higher retention load values compared with the other groups. Among the 1 degrees taper, the PM group presented significantly lower retention loads than the PP group. However, the pressing type had no impact on the results. Within the 2 degrees taper, the fabrication method had no influence on the RL. Within the PM group, the 2 degrees taper showed significantly higher retention load compared with the 1 ffi taper. The taper with 0 degrees was in the same range value as the 1 degrees and 2 degrees tapers. No impact of the taper on the retention value was observed between the PP groups. Within the PG groups, the 0 ffi taper presented significantly lower RL than the 1 degrees taper, whereas the 2 degrees taper showed no differences. The fabrication method of the secondary PEEK crowns and taper angles showed no consistent effect within all tested groups.
Recognition of emotional expressions plays an essential role in children's healthy development. Anomalies in these skills may result in empathy deficits, social interaction difficulties and premorbid emotional problems in children and adolescents with schizophrenia. Twenty-six subjects with early onset schizophrenia spectrum (EOSS) disorders and twenty-eight matched healthy controls (HC) were instructed to identify five basic emotions and a neutral expression. The assessment entailed presenting visual, auditory and congruent cross-modal stimuli. Using a generalized linear mixed model, we found no significant association for handedness, age or gender. However, significant associations emerged for emotion type, perception modality, and group. EOSS patients performed worse than HC in uniand cross-modal emotional tasks with a specific negative emotion processing impairment pattern. There was no relationship between emotion identification scores and positive or negative symptoms, self-reported empathy traits or a positive history of developmental disorders. However, we found a significant association between emotional identification scores and nonverbal communication impairments. We conclude that cumulative dysfunctions in both nonverbal communication and emotion processing contribute to the social vulnerability and morbidity found in youths who display EOSS disorder. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Few data exist on adverse drug reactions (ADR) in elderly people. In this group, pharmacotherapy represents a challenge with regard to comorbidities, drug interactions and compliance. The aim of this article is to highlight the characteristics of ADR in elderly patients. In addition to a literature review we present the first data from the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases (LIFE). Between 2011 and 2015 a total of 9537 subjects aged 40-79 years were randomly included in this population-based, age and sex standardized investigation in the inhabitants of Leipzig, Germany and special emphasis was placed on allergies including questions with regard to ADR. Of the 9537 subjects, data on allergies were available from 8979 subjects. Female gender, comorbidities and the use of multiple drugs were significantly associated with an increased risk of ADR. Women also reported ADR significantly more frequently than men. Of the subjects 22% reported suffering from some form of ADR as a result of medications, while in 2.3% this reaction had occurred within the previous 12 months. Less than 15% of LIFE patients with ADR were in possession of a document giving details of the ADR. The occurrence of ADR significantly contributes to morbidity in elderly patients. For prevention of ADR knowledge of patient-related factors, underlying diseases, drug characteristics and drug interactions are necessary.
Human intervention studies have provided clear evidence that dietary polyphenols (eg, flavonoids-eg, flavonols-and isoflavones) are at least partly absorbed and that they have the potential to exert biological effects. Biological activity of polyphenols is often assessed by using cultured cells as tissue models; in almost all such studies, cells are treated with aglycones or polyphenol-rich extracts (derived from plants and foods), and data are reported at concentrations that elicited a response. There are 2 inherent flaws in such an approach. First, plasma and tissues are not exposed in vivo to polyphenols in these forms. Several human studies have identified the nature of polyphenol conjugates in vivo and have shown that dietary polyphenols undergo extensive modification during first-pass metabolism so that the forms reaching the blood and tissues are, in general, neither aglycones (except for green tea catechins) nor the same as the dietary source. Polyphenols are present as conjugates of glucuronate or sulfate, with or without methylation of the catechol functional group. As a consequence, the polyphenol conjugates are likely to possess different biological properties and distribution patterns within tissues and cells than do polyphenol aglycones. Although deconjugation can potentially occur in vivo to produce aglycone, it occurs only at certain sites. Second, the polyphenol concentrations tested should be of the same order as the maximum plasma concentrations attained after a polyphenol-rich meal, which are in the range of 0.1-10 mumol/L. For correct interpretation of results, future efforts to define biological activities of polyphenols must make use of the available data concerning bioavailability and metabolism in humans.
Objective: The present study is based on a previously reported successful randomized controlled trial (RCT) on Acceptance and Commitment Group therapy (ACT-G) for severe health anxiety (HA) and investigates intervening variables of ACT for HA. The process primarily targeted by ACT is psychological flexibility (PF). No randomized study has yet examined the possible intervening variables of ACT for HA. Methods: 126 patients diagnosed with severe HA were enrolled in the RCT of which 107 were included in the analyses. The outcome measure was illness worry (Whiteley Index) and included process variables were PF and facets of mindfulness. Results: Statistically significant indirect effects (IE) of ACT-G on the outcome of illness worry 6 months after treatment were found for PF (IE = -5.5, BCa 99% CI -123;-1.2) and one mindfulness subscale, namely ton-react' (IE = -6.5 BCa 99% CI -15.3: 1.0). Conclusion: In line with the ACT model of change, PF may have a small to moderate IE on decrease in illness worry. Of the mindfulness scales, only 'non-react' showed a significant IE. Although tentative, due to no active comparison control condition, these results support that PF is a intervening variable in ACT treatment aimed at reducing illness worry in patients with severe HA. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Self-powered triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) has attracted increasing attention in recent years due to its independent and sustainable operations without external power source. In this paper, we demonstrate a newly designed fully packaged liquid-solid TENS based on the friction between polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filtration membranes and water. The dependencies of output performance of water-based TENS on the water to-cylinder volume ratio, vibration frequency and amplitude using fluid mechanics analysis are demonstrated. By modifying PTFE filtration membrane with dopamine, this TENS can be used as dopamine sensor with high selectivity and sensitivity (detection limit of 0.1 mu M, a linear range from 10 mu M to 1 mM). Besides, by mixing with organics (such as ethanol) to decrease the water polarity, this TENS can be used as a sensor for the detection of ethanol concentration in water with fast response at room temperature. Compared with the existing solid-solid triboelectrication based TENS, this fully packaged liquid-solid triboelectrication based TENS is portable, easily fabricated, and has potential application for detecting toxic pollutants in water with higher sensitivity.
Craving has been considered one of the core features of addiction. It can be defined as the urge or conscious desire to use a drug elicited by the drug itself, drug-associated cues or stressors. Craving plays a major role in relapse, even after prolonged periods of abstinence, as well as in the maintenance of drug seeking in non-abstinent addicts. The circuitry of craving includes medial parts of the prefrontal cortex, ventral striatal zones, ventral tegmental area, ventral pallidum, and limbic regions. Interestingly, the cerebellum shows reciprocal loops with many of these areas. The cerebellum has been linked traditionally to motor functions but increasing evidence indicates that this part of the brain is also involved in functions related to cognition, prediction, learning, and memory. Moreover, the functional neuroimaging studies that have addressed the study of craving in humans repeatedly demonstrate cerebellar activation when craving is elicited by the presentation of drug-related cues. However, the role of cerebellar activity in these craving episodes remains unknown. Therefore, the main goal of this review is to provide a brief update on craving studies and the traditional neural basis of this phenomenon, and then discuss and propose a hypothesis for the function of the cerebellum in craving episodes. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Codesign and integration of optical modulators and CMOS drivers is crucial for high-speed silicon photonic (SiP) transmitters to reach their full potential for low-cost, low-power electronic-photonic integrated systems. We present a CMOS-driven SiP multi-level optical transmitter implemented using a commercially available lateral p-n junction process. It uses a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) segmented to increase speed and to lower the required power on a per segment basis to a level achievable with CMOS. A multi-channel driver is designed and implemented in 130 nm RF CMOS, providing a swing of 4 V in a push-pull configuration at 20 Gbaud. Binary data at the CMOS input is manipulated via digital logic to produce the proper persegment drive signals to generate a four-level pulse-amplitude modulation optical signal. Multi-level modulation is achieved using only binary signals as input (DAC-less). Cosimulation of the optical and electrical circuits shows good agreement with experiment. Reliable transmission is achieved without post-compensation at 28 Gb/s, and at 38 Gb/s when using postcompensation.
Trust is the common factor of any network security. In cloud, trust is the major factor as this trust develops a relation between the user and resource of the service provider. To develop a strong trust there has to be a strong trust path between two entities. The model proposed builds a strong trust path between two important entities in cloud namely user and resources of the service provider. The trust path thus built strengthens the security of the resources as well as the authentication of the user. The implementation proved that trust model developed is more efficient in terms of computation time.
One of the main features of nodes in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is their cooperation with neighbors to propagate data. Misusing this feature, malicious nodes cooperate with normal nodes to disrupt network operation and reduce its efficiency. These nodes attack other network nodes and prevent being detected by other nodes through using the mobility characteristic of nodes in MANETs. One of the effective ways to detect malicious nodes is using game theory. Focusing on this issue, in this paper, an approach is presented for malicious node detection using Games Theory. Data exchange between two nodes forms a game, and the history of the successful and unsuccessful sending/receiving of data, is stored to be used for future decisions. Malicious nodes are detected by the game components, sent and received data as well as information that have been stored in different stages. The experimental results indicate that if the density of malicious nodes approximately reaches 20%, and the game is repeated more than four times between neighboring nodes, the proposed approach raises the malicious node detection rate to 91%. However, if the density of malicious nodes is more than 30%, the algorithm can detect more than 87% of them after being repeated six times.
Comorbidities associated with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. This study evaluated the association between PsA and common gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. A retrospective study was performed in Israel's largest health care provider database between 2002 and 2013. 3161 PsA patients were matched for age and sex with 31610 randomly selected patients. We searched these patients' records for the presence of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), reflux esophagitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and celiac disease. T-test was used to compare continuous variables and a Chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association between PsA and GI comorbidities. PsA was associated with Crohn's disease (OR 2.4, 95 %CI: 1.75-3.32, p < 0.0001), ulcerative colitis (OR 2.1, 95 %CI: 1.33-3.26, p = 0.001), reflux esophagitis (OR 1.6, 95 %CI: 1.44-1.78, p < 0.0001), PUD (OR 1.5, 95 %CI: 1.31-1.63, p < 0.0001) and IBS (OR 1.4, 95 %CI: 1.01-1.86, p = 0.045). After controlling for known risk factors, the association remained significant between PsA and Crohn's disease (OR 2.2, 95 %CI: 1.59-3.03, p < 0.0001), ulcerative colitis (OR 1.9, 95 %CI: 1.21-3.00, p = 0.005), reflux esophagitis (OR 1.5, 95 %CI: 1.31-1.63, p < 0.0001), and PUD (OR 1.3, 95 %CI: 1.12-1.47, p < 0.0001). No significant association was found between PsA and celiac disease. In the current study PsA was associated with gastrointestinal morbidities including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, PUD and IBS. Physicians treating patients with PsA should be aware of these associations.
Project Based Learning techniques have given rise to other learning techniques as Research Works Based Learning (RWBL). This technique is especially interested in the teching-learning process of Materials Processing Technologies related disciplines. This work reports on the results of the application of RWBL techniques in a subject of the Cadiz University's Master in Manufacturing Engineering: Engineering of Non-Conventional Materials Removing Processes. Proposed research works have been designed on the basis of a classic research paper structure: Introduction, State of the Art, Experimental Procedure, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. These proposed works were focused on a comparative analysis of different machining processes, mainly, electro-discharge machining, abrasive waterjet machining and high speed machining. This experience can be considered highly successful because the 100% of the students reached the learning objectives of the subject.
OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of the angulation between the left pulmonary artery (LPA) and the main pulmonary artery on pulmonary haemodynamics. METHODS: A 3D model of patient-specific pulmonary artery (PA) was reconstructed as an original model. Four models with descendent LPA angulation equalled to 120 degrees, 110 degrees, 100 degrees and 90 degrees, were reconstructed by computer-aided design for the virtual simulation of the pulmonary flow under different surgical strategies. Computational fluid dynamics was introduced to calculate the pulmonary blood flow in five models. Streamlines, wall shear stress, energy loss and flow distribution ratio were calculated and compared to determine the better haemodynamics in the pulmonary artery. RESULTS: Vortices were formed at the lower wall of the opening of right PA and LPA in models with LPA angles equal to or less than 100 degrees (Models 3 and 4). Relative high wall shear stress areas at the lateral and lower wall of LPA opening had an ascendant tendency as the angle declined. Decreased flow distribution ratio to left lung (original model: 0.58, Model 1: 0.63, Model 2: 0.586, Model 3: 0.564, Model 4: 0.55) and increased energy loss (original model: 385.2 mV, Model 1: 239.4 mV, Model 2: 384.3 mV, Model 3: 430.9 mV, Model 4: 439.8 mV) in a cardiac cycle were noted as the angle reduced. CONCLUSIONS: Acute LPA angulation is associated with adverse haemodynamic performance. This should be particularly addressed during the reconstruction of pulmonary artery in the repair of tetralogy of Fallot.
We present in this paper a new generic approach to variable branching in branch and bound for mixed integer linear problems. Our approach consists in imitating the decisions taken by a good branching strategy, namely strong branching, with a fast approximation. This approximated function is created by a machine learning technique from a set of observed branching decisions taken by strong branching. The philosophy of the approach is similar to reliability branching. However, our approach can catch more complex aspects of observed previous branchings to take a branching decision. The experiments performed on randomly generated and MIPLIB problems show promising results.
With the turn of this century, novel food processing techniques have become commercially very important because of their profound advantages over the traditional methods. These novel processing methods tend to preserve the characteristic properties of food including their organoleptic and nutritional qualities better when compared with the conventional food processing methods. During the same period of time, there is a clear rise in the populations suffering from food allergies, especially infants and children. Though, this fact is widely attributed to the changing livelihood of population in both developed and developing nations and to the introduction of new food habits with advent of novel foods and new processing techniques, their complete role is still uncertain. Under the circumstance, it is very important to understand the structural changes in the protein as food is processed to comprehend whether the specific processing technique (conventional and novel) is increasing or mitigating the allergenicity. Various modern means are now being employed to understand the conformational changes in the protein which can affect the allergenicity. In this review, the processing effects on protein structure and allergenicity are discussed along with the insinuations of recent studies and techniques for establishing a platform to investigate future pathway to reduce or eliminate allergenicity in the population.
Smart grid is an electrical grid that uses digital information and communication technology to gather information. Like other digital systems, security and privacy are crucial for smart grid. However, security and privacy protection will inevitably introduce computational complexity and overhead. As smart grid systems are usually operated in a large scale, computational efficiency is a challenging issue. In this paper, we propose an efficient and secure billing system for smart grid, featuring privacy-preserving and data aggregation. We show that our system offers better privacy protection and computational efficiency, in comparison with an existing protocol. Our security analysis indicates that our protocol achieves privacy-preserving on electricity reading aggregation and billing, perfect forward secrecy of system session keys, identity authentication, data integrity, and confidentiality. It also shows that even if we allow the collusion of server and gateways, user privacy can still be achieved. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper describes an accurate fault location algorithm based on sequence current distribution factors for a double-circuit transmission system. The proposed method uses the voltage and current collected at only the local end of a single-circuit. This method is virtually independent of the fault resistance and the mutual coupling effect caused by the zero-sequence current of the adjacent parallel circuit and insensitive to the variation of source impedance. The fault distance is determined by solving the forth-order KVL(Kirchhoffs Voltage Law) based distance equation. The zero-sequence current of adjacent circuit is estimated by using a zero-sequence current distribution factor and the zero-sequence current of the self-circuit. Thousands of fault simulation by EMTP have proved the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
An attempt has been made to study drainage morphometry and its influence on hydrology of Peddavanka watershed, South India. Drainage networks for the sub-basins were derived from topographical map (1:50,000) and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data used for preparing elevation, slope and aspects maps. Geographical information system (GIS) was used in evaluation of linear, areal and relief aspects of morphometric parameters. The study reveals that SRTM DEM and GIS-based approach in evaluation of drainage morphometric parameters and their influence on hydrological characteristics at watershed level is more appropriate than the conventional methods. The mean Bifurcation ratio (R (b)) of the entire basin is 3.88 which indicate that the drainage pattern is not much influenced by geological structures. VIII sub-basin have high elongation ratio (R (e)), basin relief (B (h)), Ruggedness number (Rn) and time of concentration (T (c)). It indicates that the erosion and peak discharges are high in these basins. Therefore, the construction of the check dams and earth dams will help in reducing peak discharge on the main channel. These studies are very useful for implementing rainwater harvesting and watershed management.
The paper focuses on the application of new e-learning materials at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Machine Design. These study materials are based on projects which were previously applied in practice and thus help students to master and become familiar with engineering issues from a practical viewpoint. E-learning materials are written in a structured and unified form in this sequence: introduction, active two-colour 3D models coloured according to function and machining technology, and overall drawing documentation. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Theis becoming recurrent concern, but the real terms of the impending facts are not yet fully acknowledged. In the note, the analysis focuses on the supporting technologies, even if the backdrop situation is necessarily mentioned to define the scenario. The exploration outlines the ecology related results recently discussed in a series of studies, by the authors. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The application of best-estimate codes [coupled neutron kinetics (NK)/thermal hydraulics (TH)] for safety analyses of research reactors (RRs) has gained considerable momentum during the past decade. Application of these codes is largely facilitated by the high level of technological maturity and expertise that these codes allow as a safety technology in nuclear power plants, and it is largely driven by International Atomic Energy Agency activities. The present study belongs in this framework and presents the development and application of the coupled NK and TH code THERMO-T to the analysis of protected reactivity insertion accidents and loss-of-flow accidents in a typical RR with standard Materials Testing Reactor plate-type fuel elements. The coupling is realized by considering the neutronic reactivity feedbacks of the fuel and coolant temperatures and a heat generation model for the reactor power. The neutron flux in the reactor core is solved by applying point reactor kinetic equations and employing radial and axial power distributions calculated from a three-dimensional full-core model by the continuous-energy Monte Carlo reactor physics code Serpent. The evolution of temporal and spatial distributions of the fuel, cladding, and coolant temperatures is calculated for all fuel channels by using a finite volume time implicit numerical scheme for solving a three-conservation equation model. In this study, additional features, such as critical heat flux ratio prediction and decay heat model, are implemented for both highly enriched uranium and low-enriched uranium cores, and a comprehensive comparison of THERMO-T results is performed against other codes.
Robot recognition tasks usually require multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous sensors which intrinsically generate sequential, redundant, and storage demanding data with various noise pollution. Thus, online machine learning algorithms performing efficient sensory feature fusion have become a hot topic in robot recognition domain. This paper proposes an online multi-kernel extreme learning machine (OM-ELM) which assembles multiple ELM classifiers and optimizes the kernel weights with a p-norm formulation of multi-kernel learning (MKL) problem. It can be applied in feature fusion applications that require incremental learning over multiple sequential sensory readings. The performance of OM-ELM is tested towards four different robot recognition tasks. By comparing to several state-of-the-art online models for multi-kernel learning, we claim that our method achieves a superior or equivalent training accuracy and generalization ability with less training time. Practical suggestions are also given to aid effective online fusion of robot sensory features.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Treatments for Crohn's disease (CD) have been linked to serious infections, malignancies, and dermatologic complications. We pooled and analyzed clinical trials of certolizumab pegol, a pegylated humanized Fab' fragment against tumor necrosis factor, to quantify safety events in patients with CD. METHODS: We collected data from 5 placebo-controlled trials, 9 open-label studies, and 1 dose-regimen study, conducted globally through April 2014. A total of 2570 patients with moderate to severe CD were treated with certolizumab pegol, with 4378.1 patient-years of exposure. Data were analyzed in 2 groups: patients from placebo-controlled (PC) trials treated with placebo (n = 875) or certolizumab pegol (n = 919) for 6 to 38 weeks (the PC group) or all patients exposed to certolizumab pegol (n = 2570), for durations of 6 to 362 weeks (the all-studies group). Incidence rates (IRs; incidence/100 patient-years) of adverse events (AEs) were calculated from first dose through 70 days (approximately 5 half-lives) after the last dose. RESULTS: In the PC group, IRs for serious AEs were similar among patients given certolizumab pegol (31.35/100 patient-years) vs placebo (24.33/100 patient-years). IRs of serious infections or malignancies were low among patients receiving short-term treatment with certolizumab pegol (8.49/100 patient-years and 1.01/100 patient-years, respectively, in the PC group) and did not increase with long-term treatment (6.47/100 patient-years and 0.80/100 patient-years, respectively, in the all-studies group). IRs of psoriasis or psoriasiform dermatitis were low in the PC group (1.01/100 patient-years and 0/100 patient-years, respectively); in the placebo group, these IRs were 0.38 per 100 patient-years and 0 per 100 patient-years, respectively. IRs of psoriasis or psoriasiform dermatitis did not increase with long-term treatment (0.93/100 patient-years and 0.09/100 patient-years, respectively, in the all-studies group). CONCLUSIONS: Based on an analysis of data pooled from 15 trials of patients with CD, the safety profile for long-term therapy with certolizumab pegol therapy is similar to that reported from short-term studies. Overall rates of AEs, serious infections, malignancies, and psoriasis did not increase with long-term treatment, suggesting a favorable risk-benefit ratio with long-term certolizumab pegol therapy in CD.
Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common malignancy of bone. Intratumoral hypoxia occurs in many solid tumors, where it is associated with the development of aggressive phenotype. ANRIL has been shown to be a long noncoding RNA that facilitates the progression of a number of malignancies. Yet, few studies have explored the expression pattern of ANRIL in osteosarcoma and the effect of hypoxia on ANRIL. Methods: We evaluated the expression levels of ANRIL in osteosarcoma tissues, adjacent normal tissues and cells with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Multiple approaches including luciferase reporter assay with nucleotide substitutions, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay were used to confirm the direct binding of HIF-1 alpha to the ANRIL promoter region. SiRNA-based knockdown and other molecular biology techniques were employed to measure the effect of HIF-1 alpha on the expression of ANRIL. Results: We found that the expression of ANRIL was upregulated in 15 pairs of osteosarcoma compared with adjacent normal tissues. We found that hypoxia is sufficient to upregulate ANRIL expression in osteosarcoma cells (MNNG and U2OS). HIF-1 alpha directly binds to the putative hypoxia response element in the upstream region of ANRIL. What's more, siRNA and small molecular inhibitors-mediated HIF-1 alpha suppression attenuated ANRIL upregulation under hypoxic conditions. Upon hypoxia, ANRIL promoted cancer cell invasion and suppressed cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Taken together, these data suggest that HIF-1 alpha may contribute to the upregulation of ANRIL in osteosarcoma under hypoxic conditions. ANRIL is involved in hypoxia-induced aggressive phenotype in osteosarcoma.
Background: Alcohol consumption among youths and its related problems are increasing in Nigeria. Whilst one of the reasons for this is due to the marketing activities of the transnational alcohol corporations, there are no written national alcohol control policies that regulate alcohol marketing in Nigeria. Methods: This article draws on in-depth interviews with 31 Nigerian university students (aged 19-23 years) to explore the extent to which the Gulder Ultimate Search (GUS) reality television show influences alcohol consumption amongst GUS contestants, television audiences and those who participate in GUS promotional activities. Results: The results show that GUS was very popular amongst students and their knowledge of the reality show was high, to the extent that they were able to identify the particular alcohol company that sponsors the reality television program, the number of contestants that compete for the prizes in each season, and what can be won by the contestants or television viewers. GUS influences the drinking behaviors of contestants because one of the criteria for participation is to present 10 or more recently used cans of Gulder beer during the screening exercise. GUS also appears to influence the drinking behaviors of television viewers and those who participate in promotions due to product placement, direct advertisements and promotional activities that accompany the Fan-Based Edition aspect of GUS. Conclusion: Overall, GUS is a disguised marketing strategy to promote brand awareness, and to increase sales and consumption. Alcohol control policies that regulate event sponsorship and promote public health should be implemented in Nigeria.
Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy of a targeted social skills training group in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention, Seaver-NETT (Nonverbal communication, Emotion recognition, and Theory of mind Training), is a 12-session cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI) for verbal, school-aged children targeting ASD-specific social behavioral impairments. Method: Sixty-nine children with ASD, 8 to 11 years of age, with verbal IQs greater than 70, participated in a randomized comparative trial to examine the efficacy of NETT relative to a facilitated play group. Treatment outcomes included caregiver reports of social behavior and neuropsychological assessments of social cognition conducted by blinded raters. Outcomes were collected at baseline, endpoint, and 3 months posttreatment. Results: Significant improvements were found on social behavior outcomes such as nonverbal communication, empathic responding, and social relations in the NETT condition relative to the active control at endpoint. Verbal IQ moderated the interaction effect on social behavior, with higher verbal IQ associated with improvements in the CBI condition. No significant improvements were found on social cognitive outcomes. No significant group differences were found at 3-month follow-up conducted with approximately half the sample (n = 34). Conclusion: These data indicate that targeted CBI social skills groups such as NETT improve social communication deficits in verbal, school-aged children with ASD. The moderating effects of high verbal IQ suggest a need to consider participant and treatment characteristics associated with outcomes in future studies.
The goal of this study was to explore associations among maternal agreeableness, child temperament (i.e., emotion dysregulation), and children's social adjustment at school. Participants were 146 children in kindergarten and Grade 1 (76 girls; M-age = 67.78 months, SD = 10.81 months). Mothers provided ratings of their own agreeableness and their child's temperament, and teachers assessed indices of children's socioemotional functioning at school. Among the results, maternal agreeableness moderated associations between child dysregulation and aspects of adjustment at school. Specifically, at higher levels of maternal agreeableness, the relations between child dysregulation and both anxiety with peers and their prosocial behavior were attenuated. Overall, the results suggest that maternal agreeableness may serve as a protective factor for dysregulated children. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Introduction: Malignancies have been reported in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents. Areas covered: We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the effect of anti-TNF agents on the occurrence of cancer (any type). Literature databases were searched up to May 2014 to identify relevant studies that evaluated adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, or infliximab, compared with placebo or no treatment. Data on cancer occurrence were extracted at the maximum follow-up time reported. Expert opinion: Fifty-five RCTs with 20,631 patients met the eligibility criteria. Of these, 32 trials with 15,539 patients reported at least one case of cancer, for a total of 112 malignancies. The degree of variability between studies was consistent with what would be expected to occur by chance alone. There was no evidence of an association between anti-TNF agents and cancer risk (fixed-effects model (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.95); a random-effects model (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.75, 1.81)). We found evidence of selective outcome reporting or publication bias suggesting that the pooled effect estimate for cancer may have been overestimated. The evidence is imprecise, and the risk of bias was high or unclear across primary studies.
In repeated games, it is hard to distinguish true prosocial behavior from strategic behavior. In particular, a player does not know whether a reciprocal action is intrinsically or strategically motivated. In this paper, we experimentally investigate the relationship between intrinsic and strategic reciprocity by running a two-period repeated trust game. In the strategic treatment the subjects know that they will meet twice, while in the non-strategic treatment they do not know and hence the second period comes as a surprise. We find that subjects anticipate strategic reciprocity, and that intrinsic reciprocity is rewarded. In fact, the total level of cooperation, in which trust is reciprocated, is higher in the non-strategic treatment. This indicates that strategic reciprocity crowds out intrinsic reciprocity: If one takes the repeated game incentives out of the repeated game, one sees more cooperation and higher social surplus. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Knowledge about spatial and temporal patterns of beta-amyloid (A beta) accumulation is essential for understanding Alzheimer disease (AD) and for design of antiamyloid drug trials. Here, we tested whether the regional pattern of longitudinal A beta accumulation can be predicted by baseline amyloid PET. Methods: Baseline and 2-y followup F-18-florbetapir PET data from 58 patients with incipient and manifest dementia due to AD were analyzed. With the determination of how fast amyloid deposits in a given region relative to the whole brain gray matter, a pseudotemporal accumulation rate for each region was calculated. The actual accumulation rate of 18F-florbetapir was calculated from follow-up data. Results: Pseudotemporal measurements from baseline PET data explained 87% (P < 0.001) of the variance in longitudinal accumulation rate across 62 regions. The method accurately predicted the top 10 fast and slow accumulating regions. Conclusion: Pseudotemporal analysis of baseline PET images is capable of predicting the regional pattern of longitudinal A beta accumulation in AD at a group level. This approach may be useful in exploring spatial patterns of A beta accumulation in other amyloidassociated disorders such as Lewy body disease and atypical forms of AD. In addition, the method allows identification of brain regions with a high accumulation rate of A beta, which are of particular interest for antiamyloid clinical trials.
Nowadays, an increasing number of cloud users including both individuals and enterprises store their Internet of things data in cloud for benefits like cost saving. However, the cloud storage service is often regarded to be untrusted due to their loss of direct control over the data. Hence, it is necessary to verify the integrity of their data on cloud storage servers via a third party. In real cloud systems, it is very important to improve the performance of the auditing protocol. Hence, the well-designed and cost-effective auditing protocol is expected to meet with the performance requirement while the data size is very large in real cloud systems. In this article, we also propose an auditing protocol based on pairing-based cryptography, which can reduce the computation cost compared to the state-of-the-art third-party auditing protocol. Moreover, we also study how to determine the number of sectors to achieve the optimal performance of our auditing protocol in a case of the same challenged data. And an equation for computing the optimal number of sectors is proposed to further improve the performance of our auditing protocol. Both the mathematical analysis method and experiment results show that our solution is more efficient.
Big Data visualization relies on an interdisciplinary research area that includes mass data storage and retrieval, operations, analytics, security, ethics as well as visualization and interaction with end users. This paper reports on the characteristics of Big Data systems, mainly focusing on information visualization and discusses a number of methods towards this direction, analyzing research issues and challenges that emerge. Additionally, this paper discusses new approaches for Big Data visualization in the context of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) environments, highlighting new aspects in the field in respect to information presentation and natural user interaction. Furthermore, a scenario of Big Data visualization in AmI environments is presented, aiming at bringing to surface the new potential of such approaches in terms of interaction simplification, and adaptation to the context of use.
Address-resolution protocol (ARP) is an important protocol of data link layers that aims to obtain the corresponding relationship between Internet Protocol (IP) and Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. Traditional ARPs (address-resolution and neighbor-discovery protocols) do not consider the existence of malicious nodes, which reveals destination addresses in the resolution process. Thus, these traditional protocols allow malicious nodes to easily carry out attacks, such as man-in-the-middle attack and denial-of-service attack. To overcome these weaknesses, we propose an anonymous-address-resolution (AS-AR) protocol. AS-AR does not publicize the destination address in the address-resolution process and hides the IP and MAC addresses of the source node. The malicious node cannot obtain the addresses of the destination and the node which initiates the address resolution; thus, it cannot attack. Analyses and experiments show that AS-AR has a higher security level than existing security methods, such as secure-neighbor discovery.
Background/Aims: To evaluate the clinical course of hip arthritis and the risk factors for hip joint replacement in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated 488 AS patients at a single tertiary hospital. At baseline and the most recent visit to the outpatient clinic from the patients with hip arthritis in AS, radiographic hip arthritis was evaluated using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Hip Index (BASRI-h). Also the average of the hip joint space width (interbone distance) at three distinct sites between the acetabulum and femoral head was recorded. Results: Among 488 patients with AS, 60 patients (12.3%) had hip arthritis. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate were associated with hip involvement (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.02; p = 0.004). Long disease duration and advanced axial disease were associated with severe hip arthritis (3 >= BASRI-h) at baseline. BASRI-h and interbone distance did not significantly change in patients with hip involvement during the follow-up period of 81.4 +/- 35.7 months. Five patients had hip joint replacement surgery during follow-up period. The body mass index (BMI) and BASRI-h at baseline were associated with joint replacement surgery (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.67; p = 0.049 and HR, 20.64; 95% CI, 2.39 to 178.11; p = 0.006, respectively). Conclusions: Most of the patients with hip arthritis in AS showed no significant radiographic progression during the follow-up period. High BMI and advanced hip arthritis at baseline were associated with hip joint replacement surgery in patients with AS.
Water resource shortage and pollution has seriously threatened the survival and development of developing countries. Because of India's specific economical and social circumstances, complete adoption of developed countries experience is unrealistic. At present, India needs to develop strategies and technologies in source water pollution control and industrial and municipal environmental remediation that embrace the country's specific need to battle the water resource problem. This study was aimed to comparative variation in physico-chemical properties and heavy metals estimation of drinking water samples collected from different districts of Jharkhand, India and their water quality index. A total number of 28 water samples were collected from different sources like hand pumps, wells and taps. The gross appearance, pH, total hardness, Ca, Mg, total alkalinity, Na, K, Cl-, SO4-, NO3-, F-, TDS and heavy metals like Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn and Fe were analyzed. The results of physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals estimation of most of the water samples were found to be within acceptable limit as per IS-10500 and some of the samples from district Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ramgarh, Hazaribag area and Giridih showed slight variation from IS -10500. WQI value indicates that quality of water from all five districts is poor. The ground water for use of drinking purpose requires some treatment including removal of iron and softening.
Hyperspectral image (HSI) classification has become an active research area in the remote sensing field. In order to construct a simple and reliable classifier, learning an adequate distance metric from a given HSI dataset is still a critical and challenging task in many HSI applications. In this paper, a novel distance metric learning (DML) framework based on 1-D manifold embedding (1DME), named DL1DME, is proposed for HSI classification. The 1DME framework was developed by using the recently developed smooth ordering technique. This framework enables us to elaborately exploit the benefits of DML in the development of the 1DME algorithm. The core of the state-of-the-art DML is to learn aMahalanobis matrix from the given dataset that better describes the similarity between pixels. Largest margin nearest neighbors (LMNN) and information theoretic metric learning (ITML) are employed for the Mahalanobis matrix learning. Then, based on the affinity defined by the Mahalanobis matrix, the preclassifiers are constructed using the simple 1-D regularization on 1DME; and they predict the labels of the test data. By a voting rule, the pixels labeled in the same class by most of the preclassifiers are voted into the confidently predicted set, which are then merged with the current labeled set. The labeled set enlargement process is repeated if the original one has a very small size. The final classifier is then constructed in the 1DME framework again, but based on the enlarged labeled set. According to the aforementioned strategy, two novel DML-based 1DME classification algorithms, DL1DME-LMNN and DL1DME-ITML, are developed in this paper.
The major apple allergen Mal d 1 is the predominant cause of apple (Malus domestica) allergies in large parts of Europe and Northern America. Allergic reactions against this 17.5 kDa protein are the consequence of initial sensitization to the structurally homologous major allergen from birch pollen, Bet v 1. Consumption of apples can subsequently provoke immunologic cross-reactivity of Bet v 1-specific antibodies with Mal d 1 and trigger severe oral allergic syndroms, affecting more than 70 % of all individuals that are sensitized to birch pollen. While the accumulated immunological data suggest that Mal d 1 has a three-dimensional fold that is similar to Bet v 1, experimental structural data for this protein are not available to date. In a first step towards structural characterization of Mal d 1, backbone and side chain H-1, C-13 and N-15 chemical shifts of the isoform Mal d 1.0101 were assigned. The NMR-chemical shift data show that this protein is composed of seven beta-strands and three alpha-helices, which is in accordance with the reported secondary structure of the major birch pollen allergen, indicating that Mal d 1 and Bet v 1 indeed have similar three-dimensional folds. The next stage in the characterization of Mal d 1 will be to utilize these resonance assignments in solving the solution structure of this protein.
Stakeholder engagement is a vital sustainable remediation practice for obtaining useful feedback and identifying societal needs. Evaluating and integrating risk perception of stakeholders into remediation and outreach efforts allows for greater insight, increases the likelihood of success and ultimately, benefits the community by protecting its members from environmental hazards. In this study, we identified risk perception factors that influenced residents' level of concern for mitigating their exposure to elevated concentrations of lead in household paint and historic fill material. Risk perception factors were assessed by an in-person survey conducted in public green spaces. The analysis of survey participants' responses indicated that their perception of risk to exposed lead was mostly influenced by the presence of hazardous materials in close proximity to their residence, the ability to address pollution, and awareness, interest, and individual accountability in mitigating environmental risks. Responses also revealed that residents considered risk of lead and soil pollution as less menacing than the presence of more immediate and perceptible risks posed by factors such as air and water pollution. In addition, the community seemed to exhibit optimism bias and did not identify itself at high risk to susceptible and immediate hazards, including lead exposure. This lack of concern over lead exposure created a significant obstacle to community participation in state-led education and outreach programs. By integrating risk perception analysis and increasing stakeholder engagement, we can bring more attention to this issue, educate the public about the threat of lead pollution, and efficiently use financial resources to implement a more sustainable solution. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Due to their harmful effects on human's life and aquatic environments, designing easy and swift yet efficient methodologies to remove pollutants from water stream is one of the important tasks of the scientific community. Among the pollutants, dyes have a significant role on water pollution, because their presence, even in low concentration, impacts the aquatic life by preventing the photosynthesis process and it can be considered as toxic chemicals endangering the human's health. In this study three newly synthesized Task Specific Ionic Liquids (TSILs) incorporating different types of aromatic group on imidazolium ring namely, 1-Butyl-3-Benzoimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BzBIm][NTf2]; 1-Butyl-2-Phenyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BPhIrn][NTf2]; and 1-Benzyl-3-butyl. imidazolum bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BnBlm][NTf2] have been employed to remove swiftly heavy loads (up to 1,500 ppm) of cationic Methylene Blue dye (MB) from aqueous solution without pH adjustment The results showed that the presence of additional aromatic groups has a significant effect on the extraction efficiency of MB removal through enhancement of the pi-pi interactions between ILs and the aromatic structure of MB. Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvent (COSMO-RS) was used to analyse the IL-MB interaction in the studied systems. Finally, an original microbiological method has been designed not only to assess the toxicity of aqueous solution before and after the extraction process to reveal the industrial potential of this methodology but also to highlight the high hydrophobicity of these new TSILs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The EU dependence on imported gas is increasing, rising to 67% in the year 2014 with 30% of total gas consumption used for electricity generation that year. With such a dependence on imported gas, gas supply interruptions can have significant impacts on the EU energy system and economy. This points to the need for integrated electricity and gas modelling tools to fully explore the potential impacts of gas supply interruptions. This paper builds and applies a detailed publically available integrated electricity and gas model for the EU-28. We use this model to examine a number of hypothetical scenarios where gas supply routes are interrupted for yearly periods and the impacts on power system operation and gas flow in Europe observed. Model results show that interruption of Russian gas supply to the EU could lead to a rise in average gas prices of 28% and 12% in electricity prices. When supply from North Africa was removed all Southern European states were affected heavily, Spain in particular saw large increases of 30% in gas prices with a corresponding rise of 18% in electricity prices as a result. In addition to supply interruptions, all gas storages were removed from the model to examine the importance of gas storage infrastructure. This resulted in an average increase in power prices of 6% across Europe. These additional insights offer an increased understanding of the interplay between the gas and power systems and identify challenges which may arise when seeking to understand energy systems as a whole. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a novel high-speed elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) processor implementation for point multiplication (PM) on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is proposed. A new segmented pipelined full-precision multiplier is used to reduce the latency, and the Lopez-Dahab Montgomery PM algorithm is modified for careful scheduling to avoid data dependency resulting in a drastic reduction in the number of clock cycles (CCs) required. The proposed ECC architecture has been implemented on Xilinx FPGAs' Virtex4, Virtex5, and Virtex7 families. To the best of our knowledge, our single-and three-multiplier-based designs show the fastest performance to date when compared with reported works individually. Our one-multiplier-based ECC processor also achieves the highest reported speed together with the best reported area-time performance on Virtex4 (5.32 mu s at 210 MHz), on Virtex5 (4.91 mu s at 228 MHz), and on the more advanced Virtex7 (3.18 mu s at 352 MHz). Finally, the proposed three-multiplier-based ECC implementation is the first work reporting the lowest number of CCs and the fastest ECC processor design on FPGA (450 CCs to get 2.83 mu s on Virtex7).
Substitution boxes (S-boxes) are the fundamental mechanisms in symmetric key cryptosystems. These S-boxes guarantee that the cryptosystem is cryptographically secure and make them nonlinear. The S-boxes used in conventional and modern cryptography are mostly constructed over finite Galois field extensions of binary Field F-2 . We have presented a novel construction scheme of S-boxes which is based on the elements of subgroups of multiplicative groups of units of the commutative finite chain rings of type F-2[u]/, where 2 <= k <= 8 . Majority logic criterion (MLC) is applied on the apprehended S-boxes owing to, checked their strength.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a practice of growing importance in the United Kingdom, particularly in the southeast of England where the water availability per person is even less than in many Mediterranean countries. Although there is a huge amount of rainfall in the north and west of England and Wales, water resources in the southeast and east of England are under pressure due to the growing population and the changing climate. Therefore, RWH becomes particularly important to reduce the dependence on the mains water supply. In the present study, suitable areas for RWH in the UK have been identified using a geographic information system-based decision support system (DSS) and remote sensing. The DSS undertakes a combination of thematic layers such as rainfall surplus, slope, curve number, land cover/use, and soil texture. The spatial extents of suitability areas for RWH were identified using multi-criteria evaluation. The spatial distribution of the suitability map shows that the excellent suitable areas for RWH are in the northwest of UK but less suitable areas in the northern and eastern parts. On average, the suitability for RWH in the UK was found that 18.95 and 27.25 % of the area are excellent and good, about 23.53 % is moderate, whilst 30.26 and 0.02 % are unsuitable and poor, respectively. The use of a number of RWH sites in the excellent areas is recommended to ensure successful implementation of RWH systems.
Stabilizing smallholder crop yields under changing climatic conditions in sub-Saharan Africa will require adaptation strategies focused on soil and water management. Impact studies of climate change on crop yields often ignore the potential of adaptation strategies such as rainwater harvesting (RWH). While RWH is bringing benefits to agricultural systems today, it is still unclear which regions could increasingly benefit from RWH under changing climatic conditions. Here we employ a continental scale modelling strategy using the latest CMIP5 data and explicitly take into account design factors of RWH to show that it is a valuable adaptation strategy to climate change in Africa for maize (Zea mays L.). We find that RWH can bridge up to 40 % of the yield gaps attributable to water deficits under current conditions and 31 % under future (2050s) climatic conditions during the main growing season for maize, hence providing an alternative to irrigation from scarce or inaccessible groundwater resources. RWH could increase maize yields by 14-50 % on average for the 2050s across Africa, by bridging water deficits. While in situ RWH strategies show great biophysical potential as an adaptation strategy to climate change, there remain locally specific barriers to their adoption, which will need to be addressed to ensure their successful implementation at a larger scale.
Biologics, both monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and fusion proteins, have revolutionized the practice of medicine. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration approval of the first mAb for human use. In this review, we examine the biotechnological breakthroughs that spurred the explosive development of the biopharmaceutical mAb industry, as well as how critical lessons learned about human immunology informed the development of improved biologics. We also discuss the most common mechanisms of action of currently approved biologics and the indications for which they have been approved to date. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background. Multi-Scale Ranked Organizing Map coupled with Implicit Function as Squashing Time algorithm(MS-ROM/I-FAST) is a new, complex system based on Artificial Neural networks (ANNs) able to extract features of interest in computerized EEG through the analysis of few minutes of their EEC without any preliminary pre-processing. A proof of concept study previously published showed accuracy values ranging from 94%-98% in discerning subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment and/or Alzheimer's Disease from healthy elderly people. The presence of deviant patterns in simple resting state EEG recordings in autism, consistent with the atypical organization of the cerebral cortex present, prompted us in applying this potent analytical systems in search of a EEG signature of the disease. Aim of the study. The aim of the study is to assess how effectively this methodology distinguishes subjects with autism from typically developing ones. Methods. Fifteen definite ASD subjects (13 males; 2 females; age range 7-14; mean value = 10.4) and ten typically developing subjects (4 males; 6 females; age range 7-12; mean value 9.2) were included in the study. Patients received Autism diagnoses according to DSM-V criteria, subsequently confirmed by the ADOS scale. A segment of artefact-free EEG lasting 60 seconds was used to compute input values for subsequent analyses. MS-ROM/I-FAST coupled with a well-documented evolutionary system able to select predictive features (TWIST) created an invariant features vector input of EEC on which supervised machine learning systems acted as blind classifiers. Results. The overall predictive capability of machine learning system in sorting out autistic cases from normal control amounted consistently to 100% with all kind of systems employed using training-testing protocol and to 84% - 92.8% using Leave One Out protocol. The similarities among the ANN weight matrixes measured with apposite algorithms were not affected by the age of the subjects. This suggests that the ANNs do not read age-related EEG patterns, but rather invariant features related to the brain's underlying disconnection signature. Conclusion. This pilot study seems to open up new avenues for the development of non-invasive diagnostic testing for the early detection of ASD. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The vigorous increase of the frequency of water pollution has become serious bottlenecks constraining national economy and modern industry development. Therefore, the research on the control and treatment of water contaminants is of great significance and urgency. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), as a product of chemical and material science that have been rapidly developing in recent years, have received extensive attention around the world and have been applied to waste water treatment owing to their stable structure, high surface area and excellent performance. Taking the ZIF-8 as the representative, this paper reviews the research and development on the application of ZIFs to remove water contaminants. The performance of the ZIFs in removal of water contaminants as the adsorbent and photocatalyst is introduced systematically, the factors influencing water contaminants removal by ZIFs are summed up. Moreover, it has carried on the forecast to later period' s research. The objective of this paper is to provide theoretical reference for the practical application of ZIFs to the treatment of real waste water.
As recent heterogeneous system designs integrate general purpose processors, GPUs, and other specialized accelerator devices into a single platform to provide both power and performance benefits, it is important to support efficient dispatching mechanisms in terms of performance and programmability. This work proposes models for integrating hardware accelerators with applications executing under standard operating systems on an embedded processor. Instead of using direct mapping of accelerator units to user applications, or using legacy drivers that incur communication overheads and large programming effort, we develop an abstraction layer in kernel driver which driver communicates with a custom dispatcher to interface a number of hardware accelerators. At the same time we remove the need to include IOMMUs for virtual-to-physical translation from the device side, and the need to perform copies from user to kernel space when offtoading computational instensive tasks to the accelerators. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our solutions running real applications on a prototype hybrid heterogeneous System-on-Chip platform.
Zinc is a vital nutrient for human health. Over 300 biological functions in the human body rely on zinc. Even though zinc is incredibly important for our physiology and pathology, our current understanding of zinc, as it relates to tumor cell biology, leaves much to be desired. As with other natural, nonpatentable, and inexpensive agents, zinc remains a subject of explorative research for scientific interest rather than being promoted for practical use. To date, more than 5000 studies with the keywords 'zinc' and 'cancer' have been indexed in the Web of Knowledge portal. Although the numbers of papers have increased 2.5-fold during the last decade, these vast research data have not generated a single recommendation for the incorporation of zinc use in cancer prevention and treatment. In this review, we intend to analyze the current available research data and epidemiological and clinical evidence on the role of zinc in human cancer prevention and treatment. We focus on the cancers - prostate, breast, and pancreatic - for which the most basic and epidemiological studies with zinc have been carried out. The pancreas, and prostate and mammary glands are secretory tissues that have unusual zinc requirements; they tightly regulate zinc metabolism through integration of zinc import, sequestration, and export mechanisms. This suggests to us that zinc could play an important role in the physiology and pathology of these organs. The objective of this review was to stimulate more interest in the research field, focusing on the role of zinc as a possible preventive and therapeutic agent and the accelerated application of this inexpensive and easily accessible nutrient in clinical oncology. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Bipolar disorder is fundamentally a disorder of emotion regulation, and associated with explicit processing biases for socially relevant emotional information in human faces. Less is known, however, about whether implicit processing of this type of emotional information directly influences social perception. We thus investigated group-related differences in the influence of unconscious emotional processing on conscious person perception judgments using a continuous flash suppression task among 22 individuals with remitted bipolar I disorder (BD; Age(M)=30.82, Age(SD)= 7.04; 68.2% female) compared with 22 healthy adults (CTL; Age(M)=20.86, Age(SD)=9.91; 72.2% female). Across both groups, participants rated neutral faces as more trustworthy, warm, and competent when paired with unseen happy faces as compared to unseen angry and neutral faces; participants rated neutral faces as less trustworthy, warm, and competent when paired with unseen angry as compared to neutral faces. These findings suggest that emotion-related disturbances are not explained by early automatic processing stages, and that activity in the dorsal visual stream underlying implicit emotion processing is intact in bipolar disorder. Implications for understanding the etiology of emotion disturbance in BD are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The flow of power law fluids, which include shear thinning and shear thickening as well as Newtonian as a special case, in networks of interconnected elastic tubes is investigated using a residual-based pore scale network modeling method with the employment of newly derived formulae. Two relations describing the mechanical interaction between the local pressure and local cross-sectional area in distensible tubes of elastic nature are considered in the derivation of these formulae. The model can be used to describe shear dependent flows of mainly viscous nature. The behavior of the proposed model is vindicated by several tests in a number of special and limiting cases where the results can be verified quantitatively or qualitatively. The model, which is the first of its kind, incorporates more than one major nonlinearity corresponding to the fluid rheology and conduit mechanical properties, that is non-Newtonian effects and tube distensibility. The formulation, implementation, and performance indicate that the model enjoys certain advantages over the existing models such as being exact within the restricting assumptions on which the model is based, easy implementation, low computational costs, reliability, and smooth convergence. The proposed model can, therefore, be used as an alternative to the existing Newtonian distensible models; moreover, it stretches the capabilities of the existing modeling approaches to reach non-Newtonian rheologies.
Background: Variations in the genes that regulate innate immunity responses may be associated with susceptibility to asthma or atopy after early-life bronchiolitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between four different polymorphisms of the IL-10 gene at rs1800871, rs1800872, rs1800890, and rs1800896, either alone or in combination, and post-bronchiolitis asthma or allergies at 5-7 years of age. Methods: Data on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of IL-10 rs1800896 (-1082G/A), rs1800871 (-819C/T), rs1800872 (-592C/A), and IL-10 rs1800890 (-3575T/A) were available for 135 children. Polymorphisms and their associations with asthma and allergies were studied in 135 preschool-aged children who had been hospitalized for bronchiolitis at age 0-6 months. Their parents were interviewed to record the children's history with asthma and allergies from infancy to the present. Results: At 6.4 years (mean), asthma was present in 17 children (12.6%), while recurrent wheezing during the first 7 years of life was present in 39 (28.9%) children. Fifty-three (39.3%) study participants had current atopy (atopic eczema or allergic rhinitis). Eight (72%) of 11 children with the IL-10 rs1800896, IL-10 rs1800871, and IL-10 rs1800872 combination AA_CT_CA had current atopy (P = 0.02 vs. 38% in other genotype combinations). Twenty-three (56%) children with the IL-10 rs1800871C/T or IL-10 rs1800872C/A genotype had present atopy versus 34 (38%) with other IL-10 genotypes (P = 0.03). Between 2 years and 3 years of age, 27% of ATA haplotype carriers had asthma versus 13.7% of other haplotype carriers (P = 0.02). Conclusions: IL-10 polymorphisms at rs1800871, rs1800872, rs1800890, and rs1800896 seem to be associated with elevated allergies and/or recurrent wheezing risk in later childhood, after early-life bronchiolitis. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and nonmotor symptoms. Nonmotor symptoms include cognitive deficits and impairment in emotions recognition ability associated with loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and with alteration in frontostriatal circuits. In this review, we analyzed the studies on social cognition ability in patients with PD. We searched on PubMed and Web of Science databases and screening references of included studied and review articles for additional citations. From initial 260 articles, only 18 met search criteria. A total of 496 patients were compared with 514 health controls, through 16 different tests that assessed some subcomponents of social cognition, such as theory of mind, decision-making, and emotional face recognition. Studies on cognitive function in patients with PD have focused on executive function. Patients with PD showed impairment in social cognition from the earliest stages of disease. This ability seems to not be significantly associated with other cognitive functions.
The results of environmental monitoring of surface-water quality in the Lower Volga Basin are given. The results of regular observations are differentiated. Water pollution is assessed based on the criterion of seasonal occurrence of chemicals in water at gage sections classified by zonal principle. An integrated estimate demonstrates considerable variations within a year and an increase in the normal annual concentrations of some pollutants of both natural and anthropogenic origin.
This paper presents a high accuracy and high bandwidth current sense circuit for digitally controlled DC-DC buck converters. The circuit uses lossless inductor DCR current sensing and a sigma delta modulator ADC to sense the average current in the inductor to high accuracy. These accurate but low bandwidth measurements are unsuitable for use in feedback control loops as their acquisition delay would limit the achievable loop bandwidth. To solve this issue a Kalman Filter estimates the inductor current at the switching frequency of the converter. The output of the estimator is shown through experimental results to achieve 0.3A static current accuracy when used in a buck converter switching at 1MHz and using a power efficient inductor with a DCR of only 165 mu Ohms.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that has links with other conditions that can often be modified by dietary and life-style interventions. In particular, coconut oil has received attention as having potentially having benefits in lessening the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease. In a recent report, we showed that neuron survival in cultures co-treated with coconut oil and All was rescued compared to cultures exposed only to All. Here we investigated treatment with A beta for 1, 6 or 24 h followed by addition of coconut oil for a further 24 h, or treatment with coconut oil for 24 h followed by A beta exposure for various periods. Neuronal survival and several cellular parameters (cleaved caspase 3, synaptophysin labeling and ROS) were assessed. In addition, the influence of these treatments on relevant signaling pathways was investigated with Western blotting. In terms of the treatment timing, our data indicated that coconut oil rescues cells pre-exposed to A beta for 1 or 6 h, but is less effective when the pre-exposure has been 24 h. However, pretreatment with coconut oil prior to A beta exposure showed the best outcomes. Treatment with octanoic or lauric acid also provided protection against A beta, but was not as effective as the complete oil. The coconut oil treatment reduced the number of cells with cleaved caspase and ROS labeling, as well as rescuing the loss of synaptophysin labeling observed with A beta treatment. Treatment with coconut oil, as well as octanoic, decanoic and lauric acids, resulted in a modest increase in ketone bodies compared to controls. The biochemical data suggest that Akt and ERK activation may contribute to the survival promoting influence of coconut oil. This was supported by observations that a PI3-Kinase inhibitor blocked the rescue effect of CoOil on A beta amyloid toxicity. Further studies into the mechanisms of action of coconut oil and its constituent medium chain fatty acids are warranted. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Research among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in the USA and Mexico has identified a range of adverse health impacts associated with policing of PWIDs. We employed a mixed methods design to investigate how PWIDs from San Diego and Mexico experienced policing in Tijuana, and how these interactions affect PWIDs behavior, stratifying by country of origin. Methods: In 2012-2014,575 PWIDs in San Diego, 102 of whom had used drugs in Mexico in the past six months, were enrolled in the STAHR-II study, with qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of 20 who had recently injected drugs in Mexico. During this period, 735 PWIDs in Tijuana were also enrolled in the El Cuete-IV study, with qualitative interviews conducted with a subsample of 20 recently stopped by police. We calculated descriptive statistics for quantitative variables and conducted thematic analysis of qualitative transcripts. Integration of these data involved comparing frequencies across cohorts and using qualitative themes to explain and explore findings. Results: Sixty-one percent of San Diego-based participants had been recently stopped by law enforcement officers (LEOs) in Mexico; 53% reported it was somewhat or very likely that they would be arrested while in Mexico because they look like a drug user. Ninety percent of Tijuana-based participants had been recently stopped by LEOs; 84% reported it was somewhat or very likely they could get arrested because they look like a drug user. Participants in both cohorts described bribery and targeting by LEOs in Mexico. However, most San Diego-based participants described compliance with bribery as a safeguard against arrest and detention, with mistreatment being rare. Tijuana-based participants described being routinely targeted by LEOs, were frequently detained, and reported instances of sexual and physical violence. Tijuana-based participants described modifying how, where, and with whom they injected drugs in response; and experienced feelings of stress, anxiety, and powerlessness. This was less common among San Diego based participants, who mostly attempted to avoid contact with LEOs in Mexico while engaging in risky injection behavior. Conclusion: Experiences of discrimination and stigma were reported by a larger proportion of PWIDs living in Mexico, suggesting that they may be subject to greater health harms related to policing practices compared with those residing in the USA. Our findings reinforce the importance of efforts to curb abuse and align policing practices with public health goals in both the US and Mexico. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater-harvesting tanks (reservoirs) in Tamil Nadu, India support agricultural livelihoods, mitigate water insecurity, and enable ecosystem services. However, many tanks have fallen into disrepair, as private wells have supplanted collectively managed tanks as the dominant irrigation source. Meanwhile, encroachment by peri-urban development, landless farmers, and Prosopis juliflora has reduced inflow and tank capacity. This exploratory study presents a conceptual framework and proposed indicator set for measuring water security in the context of rainwater harvesting tanks. The primary benefits of tanks and threats to their functionality are profiled as a precursor to construction of a causal network of water security. The causal network identifies the key components, causal linkages, and outcomes of water security processes, and is used to derive a suite of indicators that reflect the multiple economic and socio-ecological uses of tanks. Recommendations are provided for future research and data collection to operationalize the indicators to support planning and assessing the effectiveness of tank rehabilitation. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
We examined the effects of belief in pure evil (BPE) and belief in pure good (BPG) on perceptions and evaluations of a stereotypically altruistic (vs. egoistic) hero who apprehended a criminal perpetrator. Overall, participants appreciably supported formal, public accolades for the altruistic hero because they more greatly deified (i.e., venerated) the altruistic hero. Greater levels of BPG were associated with greater deification only of the altruistic hero, and levels of BPG did not predict support for awards or rewards for either hero. Levels of BPE were not associated with deification of either the altruistic or egoistic hero, although greater levels of BPE were associated with greater support for rewarding the hero because such individuals more strongly believe that rewards foster prosocial behavior. Ultimately, characterizing others as altruistic meaningfully impacts perceptions of their heroic behavior, but preexisting beliefs about good and evil importantly appear to impact such perceptions as well. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
One of the most used cephalosporins in clinical practice is cefuroxime axetil. Anaphylaxis due to the administration of cefuroxime is considered a rare event. We report a case of anaphylactic reaction after the administration of cefuroxime in a child who had tolerated the drug in past exposures. Diagnostic workup is recommended for all patients with at least a moderate anaphylactic reaction (hypotension, tachycardia, bronchial hyperreactivity). This should include a detailed history of the event, previous allergies, and underlying conditions. Unfortunately, all currently available diagnostic approaches (IgE, skin-prick-test, tryptase) leave a significant percentage of non-diagnostic results and false positive or negative outcomes.
The north-eastern region of India, although rich in land and water resources, often suffers from a water-scarce situation particularly during the non-rainy season. The steep terrain conditions do not support conventional irrigation systems and therefore micro-irrigation system needs to be promoted. In micro-irrigation systems, maintaining uniformity of application is necessary to achieve a satisfactory crop yield. Maintaining the system hydraulics is a challenge due to the terrain conditions and equipment available. A study was conducted to observe various uniformity parameters of selected emitters at five different operating pressures, viz. 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5 kg cm(-2). In the study it was observed that the discharge variation of the selected emitters was between 8.7 and 39.7%. The uniformity coefficient varied from 0.9 to 16.6, where the distribution uniformity and statistical uniformity varied from 81.1 to 99.1% and 83.4-99.1% respectively. The emitter flow variation ranged from 0.03 to 0.49 in the range of 0.51.5 kg cm(-2). The emitter exponent indicated that the values ranged from 0.20 to 0.55. All these values were far from the manufacturer's value. From the study we can interpret that the emitting system needs to be tested before adoption in the field to ensure uniformity of water application. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mining activities are among the major culprits of the wide occurrences of soil and water pollution by PAHs in coal district, which have resulted in ecological fragilities and health risk for local residents. Sixteen PAHs in multimedia environment from the Heshan coal district of Guangxi, South China, were measured, aiming to investigate the contamination level, distribution and possible sources and to estimate the potential health risks of PAHs. The average concentrations of 16 PAHs in the coal, coal gangue, soil, surface water and groundwater were 5114.56, 4551.10, 1280.12 ng g(-1), 426.98 and 381.20 ng L-1, respectively. Additionally, higher soil and water PAH concentrations were detected in the vicinities of coal or coal gangue dump. Composition analysis, isomeric ratio, Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis were performed to diagnose the potential sources of PAHs in different environmental matrices, suggesting the dominant inputs of PAHs from coal/coal combustion and coal gangue in the soil and water. Soil and water guidelines and the incremental lifetime risk (ICLR) were used to assess the health risk, showing that soil and water were heavily contaminated by PAHs, and mean ICLRcoal/coal-gangue and mean ICLRsoil were both significantly higher than the acceptable levels (1 x 10(-4)), posing high potential carcinogenic risk to residents, especially coal workers. This study highlights the environmental pollution problems and public health concerns of coal mining, particularly the potential occupational health hazards of coal miners exposed in Heshan.
Human activity recognition is a key task in ambient intelligence applications to achieve proper ambient assisted living. There has been remarkable progress in this domain, but some challenges still remain to obtain robust methods. Our goal in this work is to provide a system that allows the modeling and recognition of a set of complex activities in real life scenarios involving interaction with the environment. The proposed framework is a hybrid model that comprises two main modules: a low level sub-activity recognizer, based on data-driven methods, and a high-level activity recognizer, implemented with a fuzzy ontology to include the semantic interpretation of actions performed by users. The fuzzy ontology is fed by the sub-activities recognized by the low level data-driven component and provides fuzzy ontological reasoning to recognize both the activities and their influence in the environment with semantics. An additional benefit of the approach is the ability to handle vagueness and uncertainty in the knowledge-based module, which substantially outperforms the treatment of incomplete and/or imprecise data with respect to classic crisp ontologies. We validate these advantages with the public CAD-120 dataset (Cornell Activity Dataset), achieving an accuracy of 90.1% and 91.07% for low-level and high-level activities, respectively. This entails an improvement over fully data-driven or ontology-based approaches.
The aim of the study was to assess the water pollution in terms of total content of heavy metals by parameter called Heavy metal pollution index (HPI). The water samples were collected from four different locations along the course of the river during spring and the autumn seasons. The concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The data were used to evaluate HPI of the river water. The mean value of HPI was 67.487 for the spring season, and 80.676 for the autumn season. The average for both seasons and all sampling sites is 74.082. The maximum value of 112.722 found at one sampling site is above the critical index limit of 100. Also, from the values of mean HPI for each sampling site could be concluded that the pollution load at sampling site-4 is the most significant (HPI 89.575).
Interpersonal dysfunction is central to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recent research has focused on the role of oxytocin (OT) in BPD, with mixed results regarding the processing of social information. Fifteen BPD patients and 15 controls participated in two clinical interviews, one under OT and one under placebo, which were randomly conducted 1 week apart in a double-blind fashion. Nonverbal behavior was evaluated using the Ethological Coding System for Interviews. Childhood trauma was examined using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The patients with BPD showed less affiliative behavior than the controls. Notably, the controls, but not the patients, displayed more affiliation when OT was given at T1 compared with OT given at T2. OT was also associated with less flight behavior in both groups when given at T1 compared with placebo. OT responses were unrelated to the patients' history of childhood trauma. The present findings are informative with respect to patients' nonverbal prosocial behavior in clinical settings.
Recently, manufacturing industries face various problems such as shorter product life cycle, more diversified customer needs. In this situation, it is very important to reduce lead-time of manufacturing system constructions. At the manufacturing system implementation stage, it is important to make and evaluate facility control programs for a manufacturing cell, such as ladder programs for programmable logical controllers (PLCs) rapidly. However, before the manufacturing systems are implemented, methods to evaluate the facility control programs for the equipment while mixing and synchronizing real equipment and virtual factory models on the computers have not been developed. This difficulty is caused by the complexity of the manufacturing system composed of a great variety of equipment, and stopped precise and rapid support of a manufacturing engineering process. In this paper, a manufacturing engineering environment (MEE) to support manufacturing engineering processes using simulation technologies is proposed. MEE consists of a manufacturing cell simulation environment (MCSE) and a distributed simulation environment (DSE). MCSE, which consists of a manufacturing cell simulator and a soft-wiring system, is emphatically proposed in detail. MCSE realizes making and evaluating facility control programs by using virtual factory models on computers before manufacturing systems are implemented.
Sport and sporting competitions play an important role in our society, with high-level athletes frequently being held up as role models. Physical exercise is a classic triggering factor for asthma and regular physical activity is essential to maintain a good quality of life during the course of chronic diseases such as asthma and allergies. Several epidemiological surveys have revealed an abnormally high prevalence of asthma and allergies in individuals involved in competitive sports compared with the general population. The risk of asthma varies in accordance with the type of sport practised. High-level athletes, particularly Olympic athletes, practising endurance sports such as swimming, running and winter sports, are at high risk for asthma and allergies. However, sportsmen regularly practising physical activities at a less intense level are also subject to risk. Allergic rhinitis occurs around twice as frequently in elite sportsmen. The author reviews the physiopathological mechanisms of asthnia and rhinitis in athletes and the treatment thereof, particularly in competitive athletes. In this population, a certain number of medicines ordinarily used by normal subjects with asthma and allergic rhinitis are in fact on the list of banned substances. On 29 September 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued a list of these substances for 2017. Since their creation in 2007, therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) have enabled athletes to follow treatments containing such banned substances. However, certain observers, including some athletes, consider this practice to be a form of disguised doping. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
The goal of this paper is to identify individuals by analyzing their gait. Instead of using binary silhouettes as input data (as done in many previous works) we propose and evaluate the use of motion descriptors based on densely sampled short-term trajectories. We take advantage of state-of-the-art people detectors to define custom spatial configurations of the descriptors around the target person, obtaining a rich representation of the gait motion. The local motion features (described by the Divergence-Curl-Shear descriptor [M. Jain, H. Jegou and P. Bouthemy, Better exploiting motion for better action recognition, in Proc. IEEE Conf. Computer Vision Pattern Recognition (CVPR) (2013), pp. 2555-2562.]) extracted on the difierent spatial areas of the person are combined into a single high-level gait descriptor by using the Fisher Vector encoding [F. Perronnin, J. Sanchez and T. Mensink, Improving the Fisher kernel for large-scale image classification, in Proc. European Conf. Computer Vision (ECCV) (2010), pp. 143-156]. The proposed approach, coined Pyramidal Fisher Motion, is experimentally validated on `CASIA' dataset [S. Yu, D. Tan and T. Tan, A framework for evaluating the effect of view angle, clothing and carrying condition on gait recognition, in Proc. Int. Conf. Pattern Recognition, Vol. 4 (2006), pp. 441-444]. (parts B and C), `TUM GAID' dataset, [M. Hofmann, J. Geiger, S. Bachmann, B. Schuller and G. Rigoll, The TUM Gait from Audio, Image and Depth (GAID) database: Multimodal recognition of subjects and traits, J. Vis. Commun. Image Represent. 25(1) (2014) 195-206]. `CMU MoBo' dataset [R. Gross and J. Shi, The CMU Motion of Body (MoBo) database, Technical Report CMU-RI-TR-01- 18, Robotics Institute (2001)]. and the recent `AVA Multiview Gait' dataset [D. Lopez-Fernandez, F. Madrid-Cuevas, A. Carmona-Poyato, M. Marin-Jimenez and R. Munoz-Salinas, The AVA multi-view dataset for gait recognition, in Activity Monitoring by Multiple Distributed Sensing, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Springer, 2014), pp. 26- 39]. The results show that this new approach achieves state-of-the-art results in the problem of gait recognition, allowing to recognize walking people from diverse viewpoints on single and multiple camera setups, wearing different clothes, carrying bags, walking at diverse speeds and not limited to straight walking paths.
Background: The immunoprecipitation (IP) assay is a valuable molecular biology tool applied across a breadth of fields. The standard assay couples IP to immunoblotting (IP/IB), a procedure severely limited as it is not easily scaled for high-throughput analysis. Results: Here we describe and characterize a new methodology for fast and reliable evaluation of an immunoprecipitation reaction. FLIP (FLuorescence IP) relies on the expression of the target protein as a chromophore-tagged protein and couples IP with the measurement of fluorescent signal coating agarose beads. We show here that FLIP displays similar sensitivity to the standard IP/IB procedure but is amenable to high-throughput analysis. We applied FLIP to the screening of mouse monoclonal antibodies of unknown behavior in IP procedures. The parallel analysis of the considered antibodies using FLIP and IP/western shows good correlation between the two procedures. We also show application of FLIP using unpurified antibodies (hybridoma supernatant) and we developed a publicly available tool for the easy analysis and quantification of FLIP signals. Conclusions: Altogether, our characterizations of this new methodology show that FLIP is an appealing and reliable tool for any application of high-throughput IP.
Building oscillator-based computing systems with emerging nano-device technologies has become a promising solution for unconventional computing tasks like computer vision and pattern recognition. However, simulation and analysis of these computing systems is both time and compute intensive due to the nonlin-earity of new devices and the complex behavior of coupled oscillators. In order to speed up the simulation of coupled oscillator systems, we propose a simplified phasemodel to perform phase and frequency synchroniza-tion prediction based on a synthesis of earlier models. Our model can predict the frequency-locking behavior with several orders of magnitude speedup compared to direct evaluation, enabling the effective and efficient simulation of the large numbers of oscillators required for practical computing systems. We demonstrate the oscillator-based computing paradigm with three applications, pattern matching, convolution, and image segmentation. The simulation with these models are respectively sped up by factors of 780, 300, and 1120 in our tests.
This work describes the development of an environmental friendly functionalized polypropylene nonwoven geotextile (PP) in order to trap heavy metals in sediments and sludges. Chitosan was chosen as the sorbent because of its ability to trap heavy metals, of its natural origin (from shells), and of its low cost. PP was first functionalized with acrylic acid using a cold plasma process, in order to bring some reactive carboxylic functions onto the surface. Chitosan was then covalently grafted on the acrylic acid modified polypropylene. The functionalized surfaces were characterized by FTIR (Fourier Transform InfraRed) and chitosan was thus proven to be grafted. The ability of the functionalized textile to trap heavy metals was then investigated. Copper was chosen as the model heavy metal, and artificial solutions of CuSO4 were prepared for the experiments. Sorption studies among the concentration of copper in polluted solutions at 20 degrees C were carried out with PP-g-AA-chitosan (Polypropylene-grafted-Acrylic acid-chitosan) in order to evaluate the maximum of absorption of this surface: the textile can chelate copper increasingly with the initial copper concentration until 800 ppm where it reaches a plateau at about 30 mg/L. The effects of pH and of the ionic strength (absorption in a NaCl containing solution) were finally investigated. The trapping of Cu2+ decreases slowly when the ionic strength increases. For a seawater-like NaCl concentration of 30g/L, the textile still chelates about 20 mg/L of Cu2+. Finally, the optimum pH to trap the maximum amount of copper was determined to be 4.75, which corresponds to the optimum pH for the solubility of the chitosan.
X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) has been associated with a broad range of infections, but enteroviral disease represents one of the most damaging infections. The risk of enteroviral infection in XLA is lower now than in the setting of intramuscular immunoglobulin or in patients without immunoglobulin replacement, but the rate of infection has not declined significantly in the era of intravenous immunoglobulin replacement. Enteroviruses can cause inflammation of nearly every organ, but in XLA, infections often manifest as dermatomyositis or chronic meningoencephalitis. Difficulty and delay in recognizing symptoms and lack of specific therapy contribute to the poor outcomes. Furthermore, cerebrospinal fluid detection of enteroviruses is not very sensitive. Reluctance to perform brain biopsies can lead to significant delays. The other feature compromising outcomes is the lack of specific therapy. High-dose peripheral and intraventricular immunoglobulin have been used, but failure is still common. New antienteroviral drugs are in development and show promise for immunodeficient patients with life-threatening infections with enterovirus. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The word Open Source is everywhere with Linux Technology and GNU foundation. In addition to open source software's and operating systems, Open Source Hardware is also progressing and becoming center point of attraction for researchers across the nook and corner of the world. The most widely adopted Open Source hardware available right now is Arduino. Arduino has various products like hoards, Lilypad's and shields. The aim of this research paper is to explore the world of Arduino technology in terms of Boards, Lilypad's and Shields covering in depth regarding-Technical Specifications, features and real-world applications. Arduino technology has enabled various manufactures and research enthusiasts to come out with their own customized boards and shields as per their research requirements and area of implementations. Arduino Open Source community is also providing platform for researchers to come up with innovative research applications and market ready products in terms of Home Automation, Robotics, Wireless Connectivity, Drones and many others.
There has been significant recent interest in sensing systems and 'smart environments', with a number of longitudinal studies in this area. Typically the goal of these studies is to develop methods to predict, at any one moment of time, the activity or activities that the resident(s) of the home are engaged in, which may in turn be used for determining normal or abnormal patterns of behaviour (e.g. in a health-care setting). Classification algorithms, such as Conditional Random Field (CRFs), typically consider sensor activations as features but these are often treated as if they were independent, which in general they are not. Our hypothesis is that learning patterns based on combinations of sensors will be more powerful than single sensors alone. The exhaustive approach to take all possible combinations of sensors and learn classifier Weights for each combination is clearly computationally prohibitive. We show that through the application of signal processing and information theoretic techniques we can learn about the sensor topology in the home (i.e. learn an adjacency matrix) which enables us to determine the combinations of sensors that will be useful for classification ahead of time. As a result we can achieve classification performance better than that of the exhaustive approach, whilst only incurring a small cost in terms of computational resources. We demonstrate our results on several datasets, showing that our method is robust in terms of variations in the layout and the number of residents in the house. Furthermore, we have incorporated the adjacency matrix into the CRF learning framework and have shown that it can improve performance over multiple baselines.
Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) is the first angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor approved to reduce cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. As neprilysin (NEP) is one of several enzymes known to degrade amyloid-beta (A beta), there is a theoretical risk of A beta accumulation following long-term NEP inhibition. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of sacubitril/valsartan on central nervous system clearance of AS isoforms in cynomolgus monkeys using the sensitive Stable Isotope Labeling Kinetics (SILK (TM))-A beta methodology. The in vitro selectivity of valsartan, sacubitril, and its active metabolite sacubitrilat was established; sacubitrilat did not inhibit other human A beta-degrading metalloproteases. In a 2-week study, sacubitril/valsartan (50 mg/kg/day) or vehicle was orally administered to female cynomolgus monkeys in conjunction with SILK (TM)-A beta. Despite low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain penetration, CSF exposure to sacubitril was sufficient to inhibit NEP and resulted in an increase in the elimination half-life of A beta 1-42 (653%; p = 0.026), A beta 1-40 (35.2%; p = 0.04) and A beta total (29.8%; p = 0.04) acutely; this returned to normal as expected with repeated dosing for 15 days. CSF concentrations of newly generated A beta (AUC((0-24 h))) indicated elevations in the more aggregable form A beta 1-42 on day 1 (20.4%; p = 0.039) and day 15 (34.7%; p = 0.0003) and in shorter forms A beta 1-40 (23.4%; p = 0.009), A beta 1-38 (64.1%; p = 0.0001) and A beta total (50.45%; p = 0.00002) on day 15. However, there were no elevations in any A beta isoforms in the brains of these monkeys on day 16. In a second study cynomolgus monkeys were administered sacubitril/valsartan (300 mg/1<g) or vehicle control for 39 weeks; no microscopic brain changes or A beta deposition, as assessed by immunohistochemical staining, were present. Further clinical studies are planned to address the relevance of these findings. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Background: Probiotic supplementation to women during pregnancy and lactation can modulate breast milk composition, with immune benefits being transferred to their infants. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of high-dose probiotic supplementation to women during late pregnancy and lactation on cytokine profile and secretory IgA (sIgA) in breast milk and thus to study if differences in breast milk composition can affect lactoferrin and sIgA levels in stool samples of newborns. The safety of maternal probiotic administration on neonatal growth pattern and gastrointestinal symptoms were also evaluated. Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 66 women took either the probiotic (n = 33) or a placebo (n = 33) daily. Levels of interleukins (IL-6, IL-10 and IL-1 beta), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), and sIgA in breast milk; and the level of sIgA and lactoferrin in newborn stool samples were analyzed at birth and then again at one month of life. Antropometrical evaluation and analysis of gastrointestinal events in newborns was also performed. Results: Probiotic maternal consumption had a significant impact on IL6 mean values in colostrum and on IL10 and TGF-beta 1 mean values in mature breast milk. Fecal sIgA mean values were higher in newborns whose mothers took the probiotic product than in the control group. Probiotic maternal supplementation seems to decrease incidence of infantile colic and regurgitation in infants. Conclusion: High-dose multi-strain probiotic administration to women during pregnancy influences breast milk cytokines pattern and sIgA production in newborns, and seems to improve gastrointestinal functional symptoms in infants.
This paper addresses the nonlinear inverse source problem of identifying multiple unknown time-dependent point sources occurring in a 1D evolution advection-diffusion-reaction equation. We prove that time records of the associated state taken only upstream and downstream all involved source positions do not uniquely identify the unknown elements defining the sought time-dependent point sources if their number is bigger or equal to 2. Then, based on some impulse response techniques we establish an identifiability theorem that under some reasonable assumptions on the time state recording positions yields uniqueness of those unknown elements. This theorem together with a data assimilation result led to develop a source detection-identification method that goes throughout the monitored domain to detect the presence of each unknown active source occurring between two state recording points. Once a source is detected, the established identification procedure localizes its position, determines the total amount loaded by this source and identifies the historic of its time-dependent source intensity function. Some numerical experiments on a variant of the surface water biological oxygen demand pollution model are presented.
The software-driven assistance of elderly and impaired people in their every day life requires the integration of heterogeneous devices and assistive services. The lack of interoperability hampers the integration and usage of these devices and services. Furthermore, one objective in the field of Ambient Intelligence and Human Machine Interaction is the adaption of assistive services to the user(5). This is deeply rooted in the idea that the usage of ambient technologies still means a barrier for elderly and impaired people and prevents them to trust and use these technologies. But as these technologies aim at supporting and not restricting elderly and impaired people, a methodology is needed to overcome the barrier of using ambient assistive technologies. In this paper, we present an approach to a) enable a simplified integration of heterogeneous devices and services by the Web of Things recommendation and b) a lightweight AAL ontology together with a rule-based engine called Sherlock in order to demonstrate the advantages in representing and linking user intentions to device capabilities using Semantic Web technologies. Moreover, we show how this semantic representation in the context-aware Sherlock engine is used to derive user intentions by recognising device events. The practical applicability of the presented approach is demonstrated in a real-world use case from the AICASys project(1). (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Background and objectives The majority of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are diagnosed and treated in primary care. The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of the Rome criteria in daily primary care clinical practice and adherence of general practitioners (GPs) to recommended diagnostic approaches for IBS. Patients and methods A survey consisting of 18 questions was distributed across 11 European countries and was used to assess GPs' diagnostic approach of IBS, the use of Rome criteria in daily practice and GPs' perspective on the aetiology of the disorder. Results Overall, 185 GPs completed the survey. In daily clinical practice, 32% of GPs reported that they usually make a positive diagnosis on the basis of symptoms only, whereas 36% of GPs reported regular use of the Rome criteria to diagnose IBS. Furthermore, 62% of the responders reported that they applied additional diagnostics, such as blood tests, 31% found it necessary to perform endoscopy to make a positive diagnosis of IBS and 29% referred patients with IBS to a specialist. Psychological factors were the most frequently selected potential aetiological factor of IBS (88% of GPs). Overall, 52% of GPs reported systematically including questions on psychological symptoms in the assessment of history of IBS. Conclusion Only about one-third of GPs regularly used the Rome criteria to diagnose IBS. In daily primary care practice, IBS largely remains a diagnosis of exclusion. This has implications in terms of GPs' specialty training and questions the applicability of IBS guidelines in daily care, which advocate an early, positive, symptom-based diagnosis. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mesalazine undergoes extensive metabolism by N-acetylation. While there is some evidence for an involvement of N-acetyltransferase (NAT) type 1, a potential role of NAT type 2 (NAT2) in vivo has not been tested. In two studies in healthy young Caucasians, NAT2 phenotyping was carried out using a caffeine metabolic ratio in urine 4-6 h postdose. In study A, 1,000 mg mesalazine doses were given thrice daily for 5 days, and urine and blood samples were drawn during the last dosing interval. In study B, a 1,000 mg single dose was given, and samples were taken for 48 h postdose. Pharmacokinetics of mesalazine and N-acetylmesalazine (LC-MS/MS) were calculated by noncompartmental methods. NAT2 phenotype could be allocated unequivocally in 21 slow and 5 rapid acetylators in study A, and in 9 slow and 8 rapid acetylators in study B. Geometric mean (CV%) values in study A for slow [rapid] acetylators were as follows: mesalazine AUC 11.1 A mu g/mL center dot h (51%) [12.0 A mu g/mL center dot h (52%)], N-acetylmesalazine AUC 27.7 A mu g/mL center dot h (32%) [30.5 A mu g/mL center dot h (27%)], mesalazine Ae 8.53% (89%) [9.03% (52%)], N-acetylmesalazine Ae 31.4% (46%) [32.2 (41%)]. Values in study B were as follows: mesalazine AUC 3.45 A mu g/mL center dot h (113%) [2.36 A mu g/mL center dot h (87%)], N-acetylmesalazine AUC 21.3 A mu g/mL center dot h (29%) [18.0 A mu g/mL center dot h (39%)], mesalazine Ae 0.2% (256%) [0.1% (359%)], N-acetylmesalazine Ae 30.9% (44%) [18.1% (84%)]. Higher AUC and Ae values for mesalazine in steady state study indicate saturation of mesalazine metabolism. Statistics provided no evidence for a true difference in mesalazine pharmacokinetics between slow and rapid acetylators, and no significant correlation between NAT2 activity and any mesalazine pharmacokinetic parameter was found. NAT2 has no major role in human metabolism of mesalazine in vivo.
The new edge-directed interpolation (NEDI) algorithm is non-iterative and orientation adaptive. It achieves better edge performance in enhancing remote sensing images and natural images than conventional bi-linear and bi-cubic methods. It is also the theoretical foundation of many other complex regression and auto-regression interpolation methods. Although NEDI has impressive performance, its computation complexity is an obstacle to large-scale expansion. Parallel acceleration of NEDI provides strong versatility and extensibility. In this paper, we propose a fine-grained implementation for NEDI using GPU. In the fine-grained approach, we assign calculations of one unknown pixel to 2 x 2, 2 x 4, and 4 x 4 threads. Using NVIDIA TESLA K40C GPU for a case of asynchronous I/O transfer, our GPU optimization efforts using fine-grained NEDI can achieve a speedup of 99.09-fold when considering the I/O transfer time, compared with the original single-threaded C CPU code with the -O2 compiling optimization on Intel core (TM) i7-920. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our fine-grained scheme, we also compare the fine- and coarse-grained schemes by interpolating a 720p video to 1440p. Adopting the fine-grained scheme, we can achieve real-time display. The fine-grained parallel mode can be expanded to other algorithms based on regression and auto-regression schemes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Given the continuous evolution of hardware capabilities for embedded systems, the idea of virtualization becomes. practical. Virtualization on embedded systems provides the running of multiple types of applications on the same platform and reduction in hardware and power consumption costs through consolidation of existing functionality. We present a versatile virtualization framework, VMXHAL, that we designed, implemented and deployed on embedded systems, ranging from development boards to fully fledged hand-held devices. VMXHAL uses a reduced Trusted Computing Base of only 25,000 lines of code (compared to Xen's 150,000 lines of code), comprising a thin layer L4 microkernel and a minimal set of management applications. The thin layer design provides versatility allowing both baremetal (or native) applications and paravirtualized operating systems. As proof of concept, we built a virtualized dual-Android setup: two Android operating systems running simultaneously on a Galaxy Nexus phone, on top of our virtualization framework.
The immune system plays a crucial role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, immune-dependent cascade induced by systemic immune activation has been verified to play a beneficial role in AD mouse models. Here, we tested whether Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunization alters AD pathology and cognitive dysfunction in APP/PS1 AD mouse model, and with 4A beta 1-15 vaccination as positive control. It was found that BCG treatment reversed the cognitive decline to the extent observed in 4A beta 1-15group, but did not reduce the pamyloid (A beta) burden in the brain. Then, we demonstrated the enhanced recruitment of inflammation-resolving monocytes across the choroid plexus and perivascular spaces to cerebral sites of plaque pathology in APP/PS1 mice immunized with BCG. Furthermore, elevated splenocyte Foxp3+ regulatory T cell levels in the control APP/PS1 mice were down-regulated back to the wild-type (WT) levels by BCG treatment but not 4A beta 1-15 vaccination. In addition, BCG treatment induced the production of more circulating interferon (IFN)-gamma than the controls and 4A beta 1-15 vaccination. Though the similar reductions in brain levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were observed in the BCG and 4A beta 1-15groups compared to the controls, only BCG had the great effect in upregulating cerebral anti-inflammatory cytokine levels as well as elevating the expression of neurotrophic factors in the brain of APP/PSI mice. Thus, it is suggested that BCG exerts a beneficial immunomodulatory effect in APP/PS1 mice through mitigation of systemic immune suppression, induction of IFN-'y response and alleviation of the neuroinflammatory response. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Energy transparency is a concept that makes a program's energy consumption visible, from hardware up to software, through the different system layers. Such transparency can enable energy optimizations at each layer and between layers, as well as help both programmers and operating systems make energy-aware decisions. In this article, we focus on deeply embedded devices, typically used for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, and demonstrate how to enable energy transparency through existing static resource analysis (SRA) techniques and a new target-agnostic profiling technique, without hardware energy measurements. Our novel mapping technique enables software energy consumption estimations at a higher level than the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), namely the LLVM intermediate representation (IR) level, and therefore introduces energy transparency directly to the LLVM optimizer. We apply our energy estimation techniques to a comprehensive set of benchmarks, including single-and multithreaded embedded programs from two commonly used concurrency patterns: task farms and pipelines. Using SRA, our LLVM IR results demonstrate a high accuracy with a deviation in the range of 1% from the ISA SRA. Our profiling technique captures the actual energy consumption at the LLVM IR level with an average error of 3%.
Our previous experiments demonstrated that social isolation (SI) caused AD-like tau hyperphosphorylation and spatial memory deficits in middle-aged rats. However, the underlying mechanisms of SI-induced spatial memory deficits remain elusive. Middle-aged rats (10 months) were group or isolation reared for 8 weeks. Following the initial 4-week period of rearing, citalopram (10 mg/kg i.p.) was administered for 28 days. Then, pathophysiological changes were assessed by performing behavioral, biochemical, and pathological analyses. We found that SI could cause cognitive dysfunction and decrease synaptic protein (synaptophysin or PSD93) expression in different brain regions associated with cognition, such as the prefrontal cortex, dorsal hippocampus, ventral hippocampus, amygdala, and caudal putamen, but not in the entorhinal cortex or posterior cingulate. Citalopram could significantly improve learning and memory and partially restore synaptophysin or PSD93 expression in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala in SI rats. Moreover, SI decreased the number of dendritic spines in the prefrontal cortex, dorsal hippocampus, and ventral hippocampus, which could be reversed by citalopram. Furthermore, SI reduced the levels of BDNF, serine-473-phosphorylated Akt (active form), and serine-9-phosphorylated GSK-3 beta (inactive form) with no significant changes in the levels of total GSK-3 beta and Akt in the dorsal hippocampus, but not in the posterior cingulate. Our results suggest that decreased synaptic plasticity in cognition-associated regions might contribute to SI-induced cognitive deficits, and citalopram could ameliorate these deficits by promoting synaptic plasticity mainly in the prefrontal cortex, dorsal hippocampus, and ventral hippocampus. The BDNF/Akt/GSK-3 beta pathway plays an important role in regulating synaptic plasticity in SI rats.
Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are components of two fundamental biological systems essential for human health and survival. First, they contribute to host immune responses, both innate and adaptive, through their expression by natural killer cells and T cells. Second, KIR play a key role in regulating placentation, and hence reproductive success. Analogous to the diversity of their human leucocyte antigen class I ligands, KIR are extremely polymorphic. In this review, we describe recent developments, fuelled by methodological advances, that are helping to decipher the KIR system in terms of haplotypes, polymorphisms, expression patterns and their ligand interactions. These developments are delivering deeper insight into the relevance of KIR in immune system function, evolution and disease.
This study aims to investigate the influence of different neck structures on implant stress distribution. A computer-aided design (CAD) mandibular model based on adult mandibular computed tomography (CT) information was first established, and then used to create a mandibular model and a related mandibular implant model by using Solidworks. The implant was then fitted to the mandibular first molar. Four neck-type implants, i.e., uniform-threaded implant (UT), wide-neck implant (WN), implant with single-microthreaded neck (SMN), and implant with double-microthreaded neck (DMN), received axial 100-N, horizontal 50-N, and oblique 100-N loads, by using the Ansys Workbench software; the Von Mises equivalent stress (ES) and maximum principal stress (MPS) in different implant groups were then compared. Axial 100-N load: the maximum ES in the cortical bone area (CB-MES, MPa) was 46.58, 35.25, 20.98, and 58.01 in UT, WN, SMN, and DMN respectively; the MPS at the superior edge of cortical bone (CB-MPS, MPa) was 0.97, 0.89, 0.79, and 1.22 in the same four groups respectively. Horizontal 50-N load: CB-MES was 53.21, 41.93, 36.95, and 64.18 in UT, WN, SMN, and DMN respectively; CB-MPS was 41.77, 39.61, 29.67, and 46.99 in the same four groups respectively. Oblique 100-N load: CB-MES was 49.37, 47.78, 34.02, and 78.52 in UT, WN, SMN, and DMN respectively; CB-MPS was 29.35, 21.28, 15.34, and 34.69 in the same four groups respectively. CB-MES and CB-MPS of SMN were the smallest.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) has been recognized as an effective technology to manufacture 3D dimensional parts directly from a digital computer aided design (CAD) model in a layer-by-layer style. Although it has become a significantly important manufacturing process, but it is still not well accepted additive manufacturing technology for load-carrying parts under dynamic and cyclic conditions due to many processing parameters affecting the part properties. The purpose of this study is to characterize the FDM manufactured parts by detecting how the individual and interactive FDM process parameters will influence the performance of manufactured products under dynamic and cyclic conditions. Experiments were conducted through fractional factorial design and artificial neural network (ANN). Effect of each parameter on the dynamic modulus of elasticity was investigated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Furthermore, optimal processing parameters were determined and validated by conducting verification experiment. The results showed that both ANN and fractional factorial models provided good quality predictions, yet the ANN showed the superiority of a properly trained ANN in capturing the nonlinear relationship of the system over fractional factorial for both data fitting and estimation capabilities. (C) 2016 PEI, University of Maribor. All rights reserved.
This study examined mostly lower-middle-income Latino (37%) and African American (33%) adolescents'(N = 90, M-age = 15.90) conceptions of how U. S. wealth is and ought to be distributed, and whether these judgments are related to adolescents'views about societal and legal fairness and their immediate academic plans. Individually administered multipart interviews assessed conceptions regarding (a) actual and ideal U. S. wealth distribution and related Rawlsianjudgments, (b) social system and legal fairness, and (c) adolescents'near-term life goals. Overall, adolescents underestimated actual levels of U. S. wealth inequality while also preferring a more egalitarian distribution than was believed to exist. Adolescents'wealth-related reasoning was mostly unrelated to other societal or personal judgments, whereas societal and legal fairness judgments were related to personal academic plans. Although adolescents had generally negative views of societal and legal fairness, having more positive fairness conceptions was related to a greater emphasis on academic plans. Compared with their younger peers, older adolescents preferred somewhat more wealth inequality for motivational and economic reasons and preferred living in a society with some inequality.
With an increasing amount of volatile renewable electrical energy, the balancing of demand and supply becomes more and more demanding. Demand response is one of the emerging tools in this new landscape. Targeting service sector buildings, we investigated a tariff driven demand response model as a means to shave electrical peak loads and thus reducing grid balancing energy. In this paper is presented a software framework for load shifting which uses a tariff signal for the electric energy as minimization target. The framework can be used both on top of an existing building management system to shift heat generation towards low-tariff times, as well as to simulate load shifting for different buildings, heat pumps and storage configurations. Its modular architecture allows us to easily replace optimizers, weather data providers or building management system adapters. Our results show that even with the current TOU tariff system, up to 34% of cost savings and up to 20% reduction in energy consumption can be achieved. With Sub-MPC, a modifiedMPCoptimizer, we could reduce computing times by a factor 50, while only slightly affecting the quality of the optimization. With an increasing amount of volatile renewable electrical energy, the balancing of demand and supply becomes more and more demanding. Demand response is one of the emerging tools in this new landscape. Targeting service sector buildings, we investigated a tariff driven demand response model as a means to shave electrical peak loads and thus reducing grid balancing energy. In this paper is presented a software framework for load shifting which uses a tariff signal for the electric energy as minimization target. The framework can be used both on top of an existing building management system to shift heat generation towards low-tariff times, as well as to simulate load shifting for different buildings, heat pumps and storage configurations. Its modular architecture allows us to easily replace optimizers, weather data providers or building management system adapters. Our results show that even with the current TOU tariff system, up to 34 % of cost savings and up to 20 % reduction in energy consumption can be achieved. With Sub-MPC, a modified MPC optimizer, we could reduce computing times by a factor 50, while only slightly affecting the quality of the optimization.
Canada's Generation-IV National Program was established in 2005 to coordinate research and development (R&D) in support of the development of a supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) concept to provide safe, economical, and clean power to Canadians in the future. It has undergone 2 phases involving federal laboratories, federal agencies, and academia. The majority of work in Phase I focused on establishing the infrastructure with collaborating partners and performing fundamental R&D, whereas those in Phase II focused more on applied R&D to support completing the Canadian SCWR concept. Given the fundamental and long-term nature of Generation IV research, Canadian universities had to be actively engaged in addressing the challenges of the nuclear reactor system. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, formerly Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, has played an integral role in achieving the goals of the Generation IV National Program by leading the SCWR concept design and by effectively partnering with other national laboratories such as Natural Resources Canada and the National Research Council of Canada, fostering an innovative network for the development of highly qualified people. Overall, many test facilities were constructed enhancing the R&D capabilities of partners. Many technical papers have been published in international conferences and journals. A large number of highly qualified personnel were trained for both nuclear and non-nuclear industries. This paper highlights the unique collaborative structure and the key contributions of the Canadian Program to the Generation IV International Forum community.
Religious service attendance predicts increased well-being across a number of studies. It is not clear, however, whether this relationship is due to religious factors such as intrinsic religiosity or due to nonreligious factors such as social support or socially desirable responding. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between religious service attendance and well-being while simultaneously examining intrinsic religiosity, social support, and socially desirable responding as potential mediators of the relationship. A sample of 855 participants (71 % female, average age 19.5) completed questionnaires assessing religiosity, social support, socially desirable responding, and well-being. Path models were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation to analyze the data. Intrinsic religiosity was the strongest mediator of the relationship between religious service attendance and depressive and anxiety symptoms. This suggests that the mental health benefits of religious service attendance are not simply the result of increased social support or a certain response style on questionnaires; rather, it appears that the relationship is at least partly the result of people trying to live their religion in their daily lives.
Even if the variation of Nusselt number with Reynolds number has been observed before, little to no studies are concerning nanofluids. The present numerical data in the laminar regime were also found to correlate well with the Brinkman number for the individual sets and much better globally, by combining all the data sets for nanofluids and water. Thus, this work proposes a new correlation between heat transfer rate and Brinkman number which is a nondimensional number of viscosity, flow velocity and temperature. The results showed a good empirical equation that Nul(Re-0.62 Pr-0.33) is dependent on a power law function to the Brinkman number in laminar flow regime. The proposed correlation can be applied both to water and nanofluid flow, with respect to the nanoparticle loading. It is expected that the equation suggested by this work can be useful to design heating/cooling devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Understanding microaggressions can aid learners in exploring the complexity of contemporary racism. The concept of microaggressions refers to subtle acts of discrimination stemming from various individual and societal factors that combine to perpetuate often unintentional and unconscious acts of racism. Although much is known about microaggressions, there are few educational tools on the subject described in the literature, particularly within the field of social work. We have developed a workshop to be used with both social work students and professionals on how to recognize and interrupt microaggressions. The workshop content includes a biopsychosocial framework for understanding subtle racism.
Beach nourishment is more and more accepted by people for coast protection and damage reduction in China. But the information of status, benefits and prospects documented is fragmented and incomplete. This study creates a database that includes beach nourishment episodes which have occurred along the Chinese coast. In total, 53 beach nourishment episodes have occurred, at 49 locations in China over the past two decades from 1994 to 2014, over 40 km shoreline was replenished at 30 locations. In order to reduce or avoid additional dry beach decrease at A(F)A(N) place, semi-submerged breakwater with some geotextile underlayment to trap sediment and prevent filled material sinking. Sandy coast nourishment is the most popular type in China, with the rise of coastal tourism and real estate, muddy beach nourishment are developing. Furthermore, the conception coastal sediment cell is understood and accepted for sediment management in China. Larger volume sand will be placed over the entire littoral environment to maintain the favorable sediment status. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors and their corresponding cytokine ligands have been implicated in many aspects of the biology of immune functions. TNF receptors have key roles during various stages of T cell homeostasis. Many of them can co-stimulate lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production. Additionally, several TNF cytokines can regulate T cell differentiation, including promoting Th1, Th2, Th17, and more recently the newly described Th9 subset. Four TNF family cytokines have been identified as regulators for IL-9 production by T cells. OX40L, TL1A, and GITRL can promote Th9 formation but can also divert iTreg into Th9, while 4-1BBL seems to inhibit IL-9 production from iTreg and has not been studied for its ability to promote Th9 generation. Regulation of IL-9 production by TNF family cytokines has repercussions in vivo, including enhancement of anti-tumor immunity and immunopathology in allergic lung and ocular inflammation. Regulating T cell production of IL-9 through blockade or agonism of TNF family cytokine receptors may be a therapeutic strategy for autoimmune and allergic diseases and in tumor.
Due to limited resources of actors, third-party auditing has vital significance for ambient intelligence systems, which ensures the integrity of data stored in the information manager. However, Current public key based third-party auditing schemes are costly, while simple MAC based third-party auditing schemes can't fulfill two security requirements, namely the privacy-preserving and the integrity-against-TPA requirements. Taking both security and efficiency into account, this paper proposes a novel simple MAC based third-party auditing scheme, which is much more efficient than current public key based schemes, while still fulfills the above two security requirements. Therefore, it is feasible to be deployed in ambient intelligence systems.
Owing to their low scalability, weak support on big data, insufficient data collaborative analysis and inadequate situational awareness, the traditional methods fail to meet the needs of the security data analysis. This paper proposes visualization methods to fuse the multi-source security data and grasp the network situation. Firstly, data sources are classified at their collection positions, with the objects of security data taken from three different layers. Secondly, the Heatmap is adopted to show host status; the Treemap is used to visualize Netflow logs; and the radial Node-link diagram is employed to express IPS logs. Finally, the Labeled Treemap is invented to make a fusion at data-level and the Time-series features are extracted to fuse data at feature-level. The comparative analyses with the prize-winning works prove this method enjoying substantial advantages for network analysts to facilitate data feature fusion, better understand network security situation with a unified, convenient and accurate mode.
Considering transmission capabilities and renewable integration, zonal regulation and spinning reserve requirements are discussed to handle uncertainty of load and renewable energy as well as any N-1 outage. A new zonal reserve model is proposed in the paper including reserve dispatched time constraints, zonal reserve requirements and network security constraints using the method of chance constrained programming. Analysis on the IEEE 39 system demonstrates the model can schedule zonal energy, regulation and spinning reserve in an economic way for a renewable power integrated system. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Water shortage in karst mountainous areas is a difficult problem faced worldwide. Serious surface water leakage, which is a karst characteristic, has puzzled global scientists for a long time. Local climate and hydrology play important roles in water resources occurrence and behaviour, which in turn affects surface and groundwater management. The objectives of this study were as follows: to conduct in-depth analysis of the major problems in the current utilisation on the surface water resources in karst areas; to reveal the differences in surface hydrogeological structures that grew and formed under the control of different lithological characters, surface water occurrence conditions and its cyclical rules; to propose strategies for development and effective utilisation of water resources. A series of technologies for karst surface water resource use on the basis of karst hydrogeological features and development law is proposed. These technologies include gully section runoff confluence water harvesting technology, surface karst spring directional diversion technology, sunken geomorphology ecotype cistern design technology, road rainwater-harvesting and effective utilisation technology, effective comprehensive and utilisation of rooftop rainwater harvesting technology and other surface water resource optimal allocation technologies. Thus, this study offers research-driven technological solutions to ease water shortage, facilitate modern agriculture and regional economic development in karst mountainous areas. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose: MicroRNA miR-21 has emerged as a therapeutic target in the treatment of breast cancer. This study was designed to compare the responses of breast cancer cells and non-transformed breast epithelial cells to a combined regimen of miR-21 inhibition and radiation. Materials and methods: The MDA-MB-361 (breast cancer) and MCF-10A (non-transformed mammary epithelial) cell lines were used for the comparison in this in vitro study. The stable knockdown of miR-21 was performed by using lentiviral approach. The response of the cells was monitored 4, 24 and 48 h after the irradiation with 0.25 and 2.5 Gy, using sham-irradiated cells as controls. The response of the cells was established by performing various functional assays cell viability and cell attachment, clonogenic survival, cell cycle analysis and 3D microtissue formation. Results: The knockdown of miR-21 induced significant increase in apoptosis and growth delay in MDA-MB-361 cancer cells compared to non-transformed MCF-10A cells. After combined radiation and anti-miR-21 treatment, MDA-MB-361 cells show reduced cell growth and viability what is presented in their inability to form colonies. MCF-10A cells were not as sensitive to the combined treatment and that has also been confirmed with colony forming assay. Conclusions: Cellular response to a combined treatment of anti-miR-21 and radiation is different between cancer and non-cancer cells which highly support the idea of linking miR-21 inhibitor and radiation treatment in the future therapeutic approaches for breast cancer.
We have realized a multifunctional aerial display. An aerial image of a polarization-processing display is formed through aerial imaging by retro-reflection. By changing the polarization modulation patterns, we can switch between a three-layered display and a secure display.
Experiencing past adversity traditionally has been linked to negative life outcomes. However, emerging evidence suggests that heterogeneity exists with respect to links between adversity and resilience, with adversity often enhancing cooperation in the face of joint suffering. Here, the authors present 2 studies designed to examine if the severity of past adversity is associated with an enduring propensity for empathy-mediated compassion, and, if so, whether the resulting compassion directly is, in turn, linked to behavior meant to relieve the suffering of others. Using both MTurk and laboratory-based paradigms, the authors find that increasing severity of past adversity predicts increased empathy, which in turn, is linked to a stable tendency to feel compassion for others in need. In addition, they demonstrate that the resulting individual differences in compassion appear to engender behavioral responses meant to assist others (i.e., charitable giving, helping a stranger).
Based on time-domain quality factor ( Q-factor) measurement principle, we have proposed an architecture which has the potential to be integrated on-chip. Thanks to the proposed original reconfigurable structure, the main measurement error from the offset of the operational trans conductance amplifier (OTA) used can be cancelled automatically during the measurement operation, leading to a high accuracy Q-factor measurement. The digital control circuit plays an important role in the automatic passage between the two configurations designed, i.e., peak detector and comparator. The main advantages of the proposed time-domain Q-factor measurement lay on the possibility of being integrated next to the Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) resonator to be measured, the miniaturization of the whole measuring system as well as the enhancement of the measurement performance, and to guide the design of such architecture, a theoretical analysis linking the required accuracy and the given Q-factor to the circuit parameters have been given in this paper. The proposed circuit is designed and simulated in a 0.35 pm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors (CMOS) technology. The post-layout simulation results show that the operating frequency can reach up to 200 kHz with an accuracy of 0.4%.
The current study describes the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for estimating the optimal tank size of rainwater harvesting systems (RHS). Site-specific conditions are incorporated into the analysis, including those of the local rainfall regime and domestic demand for water, in addition to the desired level of confidence. The developed DSS is accessible via the interface of a web application, in which the annual efficiency of potential water savings by RHSs is analyzed by a simulation based on historical rainfall data and rainfall distribution. The developed DSS was applied and validated for nine case studies in the State of Mexico, considering three distinct rainfall regimes and catchments area. According to estimates, an annual potential water savings of up to 46,500 L per household may be achieved under average conditions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The inversion of the Laplace-Beltrami operator and the computation of the Hodge decomposition of a tangential vector field on smooth surfaces arise as computational tasks in many areas of science, from computer graphics to machine learning to computational physics. Here, we present a high-order accurate pseudo-spectral approach, applicable to closed surfaces of genus one in three-dimensional space, with a view toward applications in plasma physics and fluid dynamics. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 33: 941-955, 2017
Objectives. Pyrethroids are applied as insecticides throughout the world. Human metabolism of pyrethroids results in urinary metabolites that are suitable for biological monitoring. The aim of the study was to evaluate individual exposure due to occupational application of pyrethroids as a precondition for the assessment of health risks. Methods. Thirty-six workers who applied insecticides and other pesticides in Germany collected samples of their urine (24 h) after having used various pyrethroids (alpha-cypermethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, tau-fluvalinate, permethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin) in agriculture, greenhouses or indoor pest control. Biological monitoring was carried out and metabolites were analysed in 61 urine samples by GC-MS: cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (cis-Cl(2)CA and trans-Cl(2)CA), cis-3-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (cis-Br(2)CA), 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) and 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (FPBA). Forty-five urine specimens collected (24 h) from persons with no occupational exposure to pyrethroids served as controls. Concentrations were related to creatinine content and expressed as microgrammes per gramme creatinine. Results. Control urine samples revealed a considerable background excretion of pyrethroid metabolites by the general population. The 95th percentile of the concentrations of Cl(2)CA and cis-Br(2)CA were 2.1 and 0.1 mug/g creatinine, respectively. FPBA was not detected in any control urine and was found in only one sample within the complete study. After occupational application of pyrethroids the highest concentrations of metabolites in urine samples were detected within the group of indoor pest-control operators. The maximum concentrations (median values) of Cl(2)CA, 3-PBA, and cis-Br(2)CA were 92.4 mug/g (1.8 mug/g), 57.5 mug/g (1.4 mug/g) and 1.1 mug/g (median below detection limit), respectively. Workers in greenhouses excreted metabolites with median concentrations as follows: 2.9 mug/g Cl(2)CA, 0.5 mug/g cis-Br(2)CA and 2.9 mug/g 3-PBA. Medians of the metabolite concentrations in specimens from agricultural workers were below the detection limit with regard to Cl(2)CA and cis-Br(2)CA, but the value was 0.6 mug/g for 3-PBA. Pest-control operators excreted significantly higher concentrations of Cl(2)CA and 3-PBA than workers in agriculture on a collective basis. Comparison of the excreted concentrations of metabolites with values of acceptable daily intake (ADI) of pyrethroids set by WHO revealed that the amount of pyrethroids that had been taken up during occupational application was not considerably higher than the ADI. Conclusions. As a consequence, we conclude that adverse health effects are not to be expected after workers' occupational exposure to pyrethroids in Germany, provided that the application is carried out properly. Good working practices need to be supported by adequate supervision with regard to occupational hygiene and medicine.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require substantial support to address the core symptoms of ASD and co-occurring behavioral/developmental conditions. This study explores the early diagnostic experiences of school-aged children with ASD using survey data from a large probability-based national sample. Multivariate linear regressions were used to examine age when parent reported developmental concern to doctor, received ASD diagnosis, and first obtained services. Children whose parents had concerns about their child's verbal communication reported earlier ages for all outcomes when compared to children of parents who did not have verbal communication concerns. Children whose parents had concerns about their child's nonverbal communication or unusual gestures/ movements received an earlier diagnosis than children whose parents did not have these specific concerns.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine eye gaze patterns between patients and physicians while electronic health records were used to support patient care. Background: Eye gaze provides an indication of physician attention to patient, patient/physician interaction, and physician behaviors such as searching for information and documenting information. Methods: A field study was conducted where 100 patient visits were observed and video recorded in a primary care clinic. Videos were then coded for gaze behaviors where patients' and physicians' gaze at each other and artifacts such as electronic health records were coded using a pre-established objective coding scheme. Gaze data were then analyzed using lag sequential methods. Results: Results showed that there are several eye gaze patterns significantly dependent to each other. All doctor-initiated gaze patterns were followed by patient gaze patterns. Some patient-initiated gaze patterns were also followed by doctor gaze patterns significantly unlike the findings in previous studies. Health information technology appears to contribute to some of the new significant patterns that have emerged. Differences were also found in gaze patterns related to technology that differ from patterns identified in studies with paper charts. Several sequences related to patient-doctor-technology were also significant. Electronic health records affect the patient-physician eye contact dynamic differently than paper charts. Conclusion: This study identified several patterns of patient-physician interaction with electronic health record systems. Consistent with previous studies, physician initiated gaze is an important driver of the interactions between patient and physician and patient and technology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Switched systems theory is used to analyze the stability of image-based observers for three-dimensional localization of objects in a scene in the presence of intermittent measurements due to occlusions, feature tracking losses, or a limited camera field of view, for example. Generally, observers or filters that are exponentially stable under persistent measurement availability may have unbounded error growth under intermittent measurement loss, even while providing seemingly accurate state estimates. By constructing a framework that utilizes a state predictor during periods when measurements are not available, a class of image-based observers is shown to be exponentially convergent in the presence of intermittent measurements if an average dwell time, and a total unmeasurability time, condition is satisfied. The conditions are developed in a general form, applicable to any observer that is exponentially convergent assuming persistent visibility, and utilizes object motion knowledge to reduce the amount of time measurements must be available to maintain convergence guarantees. Based on the stability results, simulations are provided to show improved performance compared to a zero-order hold approach, where state estimates are held constant when measurements are not available. Experimental results are also included to verify the theoretical results, to demonstrate applicability of the developed observer and predictor design, and to compare against a typical approach using an extended Kalman filter.
The World Engineering Congress (WEC2002) was a multidisciplinary engineering congress organized jointly by Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Federation of Engineering Institutions of Islamic Countries and Institution of Engineers. Malaysia from 22(nd) to 25(th) July 2002, in the city of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was the first major multidisciplinary engineering event ever held in the country. Under a theme of 'Engineering innovation and sustainability', the congress attracted over 800 technical papers, and was attended by over 1,200 delegates, representing 40 countries worldwide. The congress was run in 8 parallel technical sessions in the field of Biological and Food Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Civil and Structural Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Education, Training and Policy, Information & Communication Technology, Manufacturing Engineering, Automation and Robotics, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, with a common first day of keynote papers presentations. This paper presents an overview of the management and organizational structure of the WEC2002, discusses on the advantages and disadvantages of a multidisciplinary engineering congress, and appraises the effectiveness of such event as a means of communicating and sharing of knowledge.
Moral appeals to altruism as a means to influence people's prosocial behavior are common, especially in organ donation, but communicators might not consider that conceptions of altruism differ among people, cultures, and scholars. In organ donation employing altruism as the main appeal is contested and some propose using solidarity or reciprocity as alternative prosocial appeals. This qualitative study explored views of people from diverse Israeli groups (29 focus groups) and medical professionals (140) regarding the appropriateness of employing these 3 moral appeals in organ donation. The analysis presents frameworks of contrasting conceptions of altruism that point to potential unintended effects when applying a restrictive conception. It also identifies communication challenges associated with introducing solidarity or reciprocity as prosocial and value-laden persuasive appeals.
Land-use change is very important for determining and assessing the influence of human activity on aquatic environment of rivers and lakes. The present work with Bosten River basin as the subject, analyzes features of dynamic land-use change of the basin from 1993 to 2013, in order to study the influence ofland-use pattern change on the basin water quality, according to the land-use / land-cover(LUCC) chart from 2000 to 2013 made by ArcGIS and FN VI. It shows cultivated land, wetland and forestland constitute most of Bosten River basin, taking up over 41.79/0 of the total; from 1993-2000, LUCC of the basin is relatively small, with an increase of cultivated land, residential-industry land, water wetlands by 15.09%-18.33%,most of which are transformed from forestland, grassland and unused land; from 2000-2013, LUCC of the basin is relatively significant, with a continuing and bigger increase of cultivated land and Residential-industry area, most of which are transformed from water wetlands and unused land. Based on analysis of land use pattern and water quality index, it can be told that water pollution is positively correlated to cultivated land and residential-industry area and negatively con-elated to water and grassland. Also, the influence of land-use pattern change on water quality has been discussed, whose finding can serve as the scientific evidence for land-use optimization and water pollution control.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a life-saving medical practice with particular characteristics. On time initiation of CPR can increase survival in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. The main component of CPR is the application of external chest compressions. Unfortunately, bystander CPR rates have remained low over the past decade. The unwillingness has been attributed to various causes among which complications are discussed in this paper. Complications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation often occur even if the doctor is skilled and acts according to the guidelines. The iatrogenic manipulations of CPR contain a significant violation risk for both the patient and the physician. The scope of this paper is to review the main complications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the discussion of the points that characterize the ethico-legal approach of these complications. The ultimate objective is the prejudice of negative defensive medicine so that all doctors will not avoid the application of CPR, fearing malpractice litigation.
Floods are become frequent occurrence in every part of the world. The field of flood hydraulics has been keenly studied to enhance the understanding on its processes and impacts to the environment. The main impacts of frequent floods incidents are soil erosion phenomenon which leads to sedimentation problems in the drainage and river systems. It is extremely important to understand the sedimentation process and the flow behaviour patterns in the water course for post-flood events. Experimental investigations on the overbank flow in mobile bed straight channels have been undertaken. Significant changes on the bed morphology due to the changes in flow behaviour are studied. The findings on roughness coefficient, lateral distribution of stream-wise velocity, secondary currents, bed shear stress and bed formation are presented in this paper. Results show that the resistance coefficient increased with flow depth in the channel and the increments are about 32% and 42% for floodplain and main channel sections respectively.
Vertical integration has been extensively implemented across medical school curricula but has not been widely attempted in the field of biochemistry. We describe a novel curricular innovation in which a near-peer learning model was used to implement vertical integration in our medical school biochemistry course. Senior medical students developed and facilitated a case-based small group session for first year biochemistry students. Students were surveyed before and after the session on their attitudes about biochemistry, as well as the effectiveness of the session. Prior to the session, the students believed biochemistry was more important to understanding the basic science of medicine than it was to understanding clinical medicine or becoming a good physician. The session improved students' attitudes about the importance of biochemistry in clinical medicine, and after the session they now believe that understanding biochemistry is equally important to the basic sciences as clinical medicine. Students would like more sessions and believe the senior student facilitators were knowledgeable and effective teachers. The facilitators believe they improved their teaching skills. This novel combination of near-peer learning and vertical integration in biochemistry provided great benefit to both first year and senior medical students, and can serve as a model for other institutions. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The placement of the geotextile tubes plays a functional role in the performance of the overall protection scheme. The placement path of geotextile tubes is the crucial decision for the designers. The geotextile tubes are widely used as a reef structure, well below the Mean Sea Level. The requirement of the beach width is the main criterion to decide crest level of the nearshore reef structure. In case of beach nourishment project the un-segmented row of tubes placed below MSL can be used as a dual purpose. Firstly, it acts as an offshore reef & helps the trapping of sediments during the downrush and secondly, as a barrier for the offshore movement of the existing nourished sand. The recurring periodic expenditure of the beach nourishment would also decreases after the beach stabilization within 2-3 years. Based on onshore-offshore movement or alongshore littoral drift, the solutions in the form of parallel offshore reef or perpendicular groyne field with sand-filled geotextile tubes are decided. The importance of site specific design with geotextile tubes in accordance with the needs & site conditions etc. are discussed in details with few case studies. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Surface characteristics play a special role for the biological performance of implants and several strategies are available to this end. The OGI (Osteo Growth Induction) titanium surface is a surface, obtained by applying a strong acid onto the blasted surface. The aim of this in-vitro study is to evaluate in vitro the osteoproperties of OGI surfaces on Mesenchymal Stem cells derived from dental pulp. Our results confirm that this treatment exert a positive effect on mitochondrial homeostasis, as shown by a decrease in ROS production related to environmental stress on the mitochondria. Morphological and molecular biology analyses confirmed more over that the DPSC cultured on the OGI surfaces appeared more spread in comparison to those grown on control titanium surface and real time PCR and biochemical data clearly demonstrated the increase of osteoconductive properties of the OGI treatment. In conclusion, our results suggest that mesenchymal stem cells sensitively respond to surface properties related to OGI treatment enhancing their osteogenic activities. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Natural killer (NK) cells are effector lymphocytes of the innate immune system that are known for their ability to kill transformed and virus-infected cells. NK cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, and studies on mouse models have revealed that NK cell development is a complex, yet tightly regulated process, which is dependent on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The development of NK cells can be broadly categorized into two phases: lineage commitment and maturation. Efforts to better define the developmental framework of NK cells have led to the identification of several murine NK progenitor populations and mature NK cell subsets, each defined by a varied set of cell surface markers. Nevertheless, the relationship between some of these NK cell subsets remains to be determined. The classical approach to studying both NK cell development and function is to identify the transcription factors involved and elucidate the mechanistic action of each transcription factor. In this regard, recent studies have provided further insight into the mechanisms by which transcription factors, such as ID2, FOXO1, Kruppel-like factor 2, and GATA-binding protein 3 regulate various aspects of NK cell biology. It is also becoming evident that the biology of NK cells is not only transcriptionally regulated but also determined by epigenetic alterations and posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression by microRNAs. This review summarizes recent progress made in NK development, focusing primarily on transcriptional regulators and their mechanistic actions.
The most important environmental processes in riparian zones are the release of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from various organic compounds. The extracellular enzymes of soil microorganisms are involved in the bio-geochemical cycling of organic matter nutrients and may be important for regulating water quality. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether the activities of soil enzymes were affected by different inundation periods in the riparian zone and to identify major factors that influence soil enzyme activity. We subjected three study plots to different inundation conditions (long inundation, moderate inundation, and rare inundation) within the transects perpendicular to the river flow at three sites (Weijiadu, Lijiaocun, and Daxu) in Lijiang, Guilin City, China. Soil physicochemical properties, dissolved nutrient composition, and soil enzyme activities were analyzed. The activity of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and arylsulfatase significantly increased as the inundation frequency decreased, whereas the activity of glucosidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, glycine aminopeptidase, L-leucine aminopeptidase, and dehydrogenase were significantly higher in study plots that received long inundation than in those subjected to moderate or rare inundation. Linear regression indicated that most hydrolase and dehydrogenase activities were affected by soil clay content, soil organic matter, and soil water content, among other factors. NO3--N limited the activity of acid phosphatase, L-leucine aminopeptidase, and glycine aminopeptidase. Polyphenol oxidase activity was constrained by soil water content and available potassium but promoted by NO3--N. Our study demonstrated that imposing longer inundation periods can increase soil enzyme activities. To maintain microbial activity and to minimize water pollution, it is important to reduce high NO3--N loads. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
It is not currently well-understood how much xylem conductance is lost in maize plants during the day, if conductance is recovered during the night, or what soil water conditions are required for recovery to take place. To answer these questions we designed a greenhouse experiment whereby two genetically dissimilar maize genotypes were subjected to a level of water stress commonly experienced in the field (Psi(xylem) similar to -2 MPa). We then measured the loss of stem-specific conductivity associated with this level of stress, as well as the overnight recovery following three re-watering treatments: Psi(soil) similar to 0 MPa, Psi(soil) similar to -0.40 MPa, and Psi(soil) similar to -1.70 MPa. Mid-day leaf water potentials of -1.98 MPa resulted in stem-specific conductivity (K-S) values that were 31.5% of maximal (i.e., 68% loss). Returning soils to field capacity (Psi(soil) similar to 0 MPa) overnight allowed for the significant recovery of K-S (76% of maximal), whereas partial watering (Psi(soil) similar to -0.40 MPa) resulted K-S values that were 51.7% of maximal values, whereas not watering resulted in no recovery (35.4% of maximal; Psi(soil) similar to -1.7 MPa). Recovery of K-S was facilitated by the generation of root pressure and low rates of nighttime transpiration.
As one of the most successfully commercialized distributed energy resources, the long-term effects of microturbines (MTs) on the distribution network has not been fully investigated due to the complex thermo-fluid-mechanical energy conversion processes. This is further complicated by the fact that the parameter and internal data of MTs are not always available to the electric utility, due to different ownerships and confidentiality concerns. To address this issue, a general modeling approach for MTs is proposed in this paper, which allows for the long-term simulation of the distribution network with multiple MTs. First, the feasibility of deriving a simplified MT model for long-term dynamic analysis of the distribution network is discussed, based on the physical underStanding of dynamic processes that occurred within MTs. Then a three-stage identification method is developed in order to obtain a piecewise MT model and predict electro-mechanical system behaviors with saturation. Next, assisted with the electric power flow calculation tool, a fast simulation methodology is proposed to evaluate the long-term impact of multiple MTs on the distribution network. Finally, the model is verified by using Capstone 00 micro turbine experiments, and further applied to the dynamic simulation of a modified IEEE 37-node test feeder with promising results. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A high-altitude (>1,500 m asl) integrated participatory watershed development programme was implemented between 2004 and 2008 in the West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, North-Eastern Indian Himalaya. The aim was to assess and refine practices for integrating crop, fish and livestock production systems. Soil and water conservation measures, with the active participation of local inhabitants, included the construction and renovation of ponds, jalkunds (micro rainwater-harvesting structures) and bench and half-moon terraces. Impact analysis revealed that 4.3 million litres of water were harvested and enhanced potato and rice crop productivity by 30% to 40% and 45% to 50% respectively. Farmers are now able to earn net incomes of around $56.8 and $8.9 per month from community dairy units and fish ponds respectively.
Recent years have seen a growing interest in PBC within the scientific community, healthcare providers and industries, coupled with great advances in the understanding of the molecular and genetic basis and the natural history of the disease. Several disease-modifying agents targeting the immune-mediated response and bile-acid therapies are at different stages of development, some with promising results. A new drug, obeticholic acid, has been recently registered in the US and Europe as a second-line treatment in refractory PBC. International cohort studies have highlighted a disease heterogeneity, and so the need to provide patients with a more personalised management based on their risk of disease progression. Major challenges remain the development of surrogate endpoints in clinical trials acceptable to regulatory authorities, in a disease with a relatively low rate of events; and the development of clinical tools for patient's risk stratification and selection of those with greatest potential benefit from second-line therapies.
Due to network security situation affected by the threat degree of network attacks, the significance of network services and the frangibility of network system, its situation evaluation values possess fuzzification. For the uncertainty of situation evaluation values and the real-timely demand of network security situation, an improved prediction model based on clonal selection and system cloud SCGM(1,1)c model, namely CS-SCGM(1,1)c model, is proposed to be used for predicting time series of network security situation. In CS-SCGM(1,1)c model, SCGM(1,1)c model is viewed as the basic prediction model, and clonal selection principle is used for optimizing the parameters a(cs) and b(cs) of CS-SCGM(1,1)c model in order to improving the prediction precision of the proposed model. The experimental results show that CS-SCGM(1,1)c model is more accurate than SCGM(1,1)c model, and provide an effective prediction approach for network security situation.
This paper presents a new linear velocity estimator based on the unscented Kalman filter and making use of image information aided with inertial measurements. The proposed technique is independent of the scale factor in case of planar observed scene and does not require a priori knowledge of the scene. Image moments of virtual objects, i.e. sets of classical image features such as corners collected online, are employed as the sole correcting information to be fed back to the estimator. Experimental results performed with a quadrotor equipped with a fisheye camera highlight the potential of the proposed approach.
Topological techniques are powerful tools for characterizing the complexity of many dynamical systems, including the commonly studied area-preserving maps of the plane. However, the extension of many topological techniques to higher dimensions is filled with roadblocks preventing their application. This article shows how to extend the homotopic lobe dynamics (HLD) technique, previously developed for two-dimensional (2D) maps, to volume-preserving maps of a 3D phase space. Such maps are physically relevant to particle transport by incompressible fluid flows or by magnetic field lines. Specifically, this manuscript shows how to utilize 2D stable and unstable invariant manifolds, intersecting in a heteroclinic tangle, to construct a symbolic representation of the topological dynamics of the map. This symbolic representation can be used to classify system trajectories and to compute topological entropy. We illustrate the salient ideas through a series of examples with increasing complexity. These examples highlight new features of the HLD technique in three dimensions. Ultimately, in the final example, our technique detects a difference between the 2D stretching rate of surfaces and the 1D stretching rate of curves, illustrating the truly 3D nature of our approach.
Background: Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) replacement has been used clinically for years. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes achieved in patients with two different categories of TMJ prostheses. Material and Methods: All patients who had a TMJ replacement (TMJR) implanted during the study period from 2006 through 2012 were included in this 3-year prospective study. All procedures were performed using the Biomet Microfixation TMJ Replacement System, and all involved replacing both the skull base component (glenoid fossa) and the mandibular condyle. Results: Fifty-seven patients (38 females and 19 males), involving 75 TMJs with severe disease requiring reconstruction (39 unilateral, 18 bilateral) were operated on consecutively, and 68 stock prostheses and 7 custom-made prostheses were implanted. The mean age at surgery was 52.6 +/- 11.5 years in the stock group and 51.8 +/- 11.7 years in the custom-made group. In the stock group, after three years of TMJR, results showed a reduction in pain intensity from 6.4 +/- 1.4 to 1.6 +/- 1.2 (p<0.001), and an improvement in jaw opening from 2.7 +/- 0.9 cm to 4.2 +/- 0.7 cm (p<0.001). In the custom-made group, after three years of TMJR, results showed a reduction in pain intensity from 6.0 +/- 1.6 to 2.2 +/- 0.4 (p<0.001), and an improvement in jaw opening from 1.5 +/- 0.5 cm to 4.3 +/- 0.6 cm (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences between two groups were detected. Conclusions: The results of this three-year prospective study support the surgical placement of TMJ prostheses (stock prosthetic, and custom-made systems), and show that the approach is efficacious and safe, reduces pain, and improves maximum mouth opening movement, with few complications. As such, TMJR represents a viable technique and a stable long-term solution for cranio-mandibular reconstruction in patients with irreversible end-stage TMJ disease. Comparing stock and custom-made groups, no statistically significant differences were detected with respect to pain intensity reduction and maximum mouth opening improvement.
Biogas has been earmarked as an efficient way to promote economic development and mitigate environmental emissions, and it requires a better accounting framework to evaluate its performance. In this study, we aim to develop an emergy-based accounting framework to assess and report the sustainability performance of biogas projects. First, the existing financial accounting and environmental accounting methodologies are combined to measure and report the economic events and environmental characteristics of a biogas project. Then, using the new metric of Emdollar value, the cost and revenue flows within the system boundary are unified and quantified by multiplying specific emergy transformity to reflect their embodiment and hierarchical characteristics. An integrated accounting framework covering economic aspects (economic profitability, economic efficiency, operation risk), environmental aspects (environmental resource utilization, load, emissions) and environmental-economic composited characteristics (emissions reduction efficiency, Emdollar intensity of emission reduction, emission intensity of profit) is set up accordingly. Results show that the biogas project has a positive net present value of 1.64E+04 Emdollars. The total cost can be returned after 5 years. The renewability ratio, environmental load ratio (ELR), and composite sustainability indicator (CSI) reflecting environmental load are 9%, 10.1, and 0.76, respectively. The proposed sustainability accounting framework may unveil the real environmental support and assess the ecological economic performance of a biogas project. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Botnet has become a popular technique for deploying Internet crimes. The command of botnet has evolved into a major way for attackers to launch Distributed Denial of Service attacks on network servers. Modelized analysis methods need to be studied for botnet attacks implements, defense, and prediction. In this paper, we propose a novel game theory-based model to describe the scenario, in which the botmaster launching Distributed Denial of Service attacks using a botnet while the defender equipped a firewall defending. In our model, we consider the following: firstly, the botmaster and the defender can be rational or irrational; secondly, the interaction between the botmaster and the defender is modeled as a dynamic game; thirdly, their supporting or not self-learning databases. We detail the analysis of eight sub-scenarios for the assumptions and give an easy-to-use algorithm for adjustment of offensive and defensive strategy. We use the OPNET to validate our model and its effectiveness. The experiment result shows that our strategy can improve the firewall abilities to lower false alarm rate (FR) and improve the botmaster lower exposure rate of botnet to avoid detection. Furthermore, the model is helpful to evaluate defense ability of the defender towards current botmaster attacks by analyzing attack log in sandbox. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ad hoc networks are subject to multiple challenges, particularly the problem of limited resources such as energy and vulnerability in terms of security. Indeed, the nodes are subject to various attacks and malicious actions. Thus, each mobile is confronted with a dilemma: cooperate to ensure security, in this case the node spend a part of its energy, or not cooperate which allows it to save energy but making the security of the network more vulnerable. In this work, we develop an approach which takes into account two conflicting objectives: contribute to network security while reducing energy consumption. The approach is based on alternating two steps: Clustering-Evolutionary game. The clustering step is performed by an algorithm that takes into account the energy constraint in election of cluster-heads. The interactions between each pair of cluster-heads, when exchanging data, in their contribution to the security of the network, are modeled as an evolutionary game which is the second step of the proposed approach.
Plant cell culture is a useful technology for the production of secondary metabolites with commercial and pharmaceutical value. The rheology, morphology or aggregation of cell suspension have different applications in flow systems, bioreactor design and unit operations. This suggests solutions to mixing, mass transfer, hydrodynamic stress and cell growth problems. In this study, some morphological aspects associated with elliptical form factor and the tendency to form cell aggregates of Azadirachta indica, Borojoa patinoi and Thevetia peruviana cell cultures were evaluated in shake flasks. The rheological behavior through rheograms for cell concentrations of 0, 4, 8 and 12 g DWl(-1) was also evaluated. From this data, properties and parameters like apparent viscosity, Reynolds number, phase state and volumetric power were calculated for shake flasks of 250 and 500 ml. The results showed a dilatant behavior of the culture medium and pseudo-plastic behavior of cell cultures. This last behavior increases with cell concentration and size of the cell aggregates. Rheograms for all cell concentrations of A. indica, were significantly different from the other two species. Culture conditions like shaker orbit diameters and flask volumes were recommended in order to favor an adequate cell growth and mass transfer in plant cell cultures. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Economic dispatch is the optimal output for a number of electricity generating units, to meet the system load, at the lowest possible cost, subject to transmission and operational constraints. The different Economic Dispatch (ED) methods have been developed in order to deal with the challenge of continuous and sustainable power at an improved cost. The increase in cost depletion of non-renewable sources has forced us to use the renewable energy resource as an alternative energy source. For optimizing the Economic Dispatch problem, a new algorithm is proposed based on Combined Emission Economic Dispatch (CEED) for Photo Voltaic (PV) plants and thermal power generation units. In CEED approach for improvising the Economic Dispatch Euclidean Affine Flower Pollination Algorithm (eFPA) and Binary Flower Pollination Algorithm (BFPA) has been used for solving the optimization problem for twenty PV and five thermal generators are done with full solar radiations and with reduced solar radiation. Power demand data has been taken from India in the district of Tuticorin Thermal Power Station (TIPS). Simulation results are tested with IEEE 30 bus and IEEE 57 bus systems and the comparison has been made with existing algorithm to provide better results. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether polymorphisms in toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) confer susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in a central south Chinese Han population. Methods: Genotyping for six well studied polymorphisms (rs4986790, rs4986791, rs10759932, rs41426344, rs11536889 and rs7873784) in TLR4 gene were conducted in 1074 unrelated patients with RA and 1692 healthy control subjects, as well as in 217 unrelated patients with JIA and 378 healthy control subjects using direct sequencing technique. Comparisons between cases and controls in alleles, genotypes and haplotypes were carried out using Fisher's exact test. Results: Significant genetic associations were detected between the 3'UTR rs41426344C and RA (p < 0.001, p(adj) < 0.001, OR = 2.24) and JIA (p < 0.001, padj < 0.001, OR = 2.05). In addition, rs4986790G was found to be significantly associated with the susceptibility for RA(p = 0.005, p(adj) = 0.03, OR = 3.43), but not for JIA(p = 0.06, p(adj) = 0.36, OR = 2.65). Furthermore, significant increasing in the distributions of haplotypes H4 and H10 in RA (H4: p = 0.001, OR = 1.13; H10: p = 0.001, OR = 1.15) and JIA(H4: p = 0.04, OR =2.06; H10: p = 0.02, OR = 2.47) were also found. Moreover, the frequency of rs41426344C significantly increased in RF-positive and anti-CCP positive subjects both in RA (RF1: p < 0.0001, OR = 2. 33; anti-CCP+: p = 0.008, OR = 2.79) and JIA (RF+: p = 0.02, OR = 2.91; anti-CCP+: p = 0.02, OR = 2.78). Conclusions: Our study suggested that rs41426344 and rs4986790 of TLR4 might contribute to RA, and rs41426344 might contribute to JIA pathogenesis in central south Chinese Han population.
Background: Eye pigmentation abnormalities in cattle are often related to albinism, Chediak-Higashi or Tietz like syndrome. However, mutations only affecting pigmentation of coat color and eye have also been described. Herein 18 Holstein Friesian cattle affected by bicolored and hypopigmented irises have been investigated. Results: Affected animals did not reveal any ophthalmological or neurological abnormalities besides the specific iris color differences. Coat color of affected cattle did not differ from controls. Histological examination revealed a reduction of melanin pigment in the iridal anterior border layer and stroma in cases as cause of iris hypopigmentation. To analyze the genetics of the iris pigmentation differences, a genome-wide association study was performed using Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip genotypes of the 18 cases and 172 randomly chosen control animals. A significant association on bovine chromosome 8 (BTA8) was identified at position 60,990,733 with a -log(10)(p) = 9.17. Analysis of genotypic and allelic dependences between cases of iridal hypopigmentation and an additional set of 316 randomly selected Holstein Friesian cattle controls showed that allele A at position 60,990,733 on BTA8 (P = 4.0e-08, odds ratio = 6.3, 95% confidence interval 3.02-13.17) significantly increased the chance of iridal hypopigmentation. Conclusions: The clinical appearance of the iridal hypopigmentation differed from previously reported cases of pigmentation abnormalities in syndromes like Chediak-Higashi or Tietz and seems to be mainly of cosmetic character. Iridal hypopigmentation is caused by a reduced content of melanin pigment in the anterior border layer and iridal stroma. A single genomic position on BTA8 was detected to be significantly associated with iridal hypopigmentation in examined cattle. To our knowledge this is the first report about this phenotype in Holstein Friesian cattle.
The effect of rapid thermal annealing on the oxide charge distribution of Al/HfO/SiO/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor structures are studied using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations and experiments. The simulated electrical characteristics are compared with experimentally obtained data. The interface traps are found to be nonuniform in nature and laterally distributed following a Gaussian profile. The distribution of interface trap charges arises because of spatial electric field variation in the oxide film upon gate bias application. The interface trap density is found to decrease with increase in annealing temperature. It is further observed that, at higher annealing temperature, the fixed oxide charge density increases due to interfacial Hf silicate formation.
People with Down's syndrome (DS) are at high risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) at a relatively young age. This increased risk is not observed in people with intellectual disabilities for reasons other than DS and for this reason it is unlikely to be due to non-specific effects of having a neurodevelopmental disorder but, instead, a direct consequence of the genetics of DS (trisomy 21). Given the location of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene on chromosome 21, the amyloid cascade hypothesis is the dominant theory accounting for this risk, with other genetic and environmental factors modifying the age of onset and the course of the disease. Several potential therapies targeting the amyloid pathway and aiming to modify the course of AD are currently being investigated, which may also be useful for treating AD in DS. However, given that the neuropathology associated with AD starts many years before dementia manifests, any preventative treatment must start well before the onset of symptoms. To enable trials of such interventions, plasma, CSF, brain, and retinal biomarkers are being studied as proxy early diagnostic and outcome measures for AD. In this systematic review, we consider the prospects for the development of potential preventative treatments of AD in the DS population and their evaluation.
This study examined whether cognitive reserve (CR) alters the relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of cortical thickness and risk of progression from normal cognition to the onset of clinical symptoms associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The analyses included 232 participants from the BIOCARD study. Participants were cognitively normal and largely middle aged (M age = 56.5) at their baseline MRI scan. After an average of 11.8 years of longitudinal follow-up, 48 have developed clinical symptoms of MCI or dementia (M time from baseline to clinical symptom onset = 7.0 years). Mean thickness was measured over eight 'AD vulnerable' cortical regions, and cognitive reserve was indexed by a composite score consisting of years of education, reading, and vocabulary measures. Using Cox regression models, CR and cortical thickness were each independently associated with risk of clinical symptom onset within 7 years of baseline, suggesting that the neuronal injury occurring proximal to symptom onset has a direct association with clinical outcomes, regardless of CR. In contrast, there was a significant interaction between CR and mean cortical thickness for risk of progression more than 7 years from baseline, suggesting that individuals with high CR are better able to compensate for cortical thinning that is beginning to occur at the very earliest phase of AD.
A recreational scuba diver wore a second scuba regulator against his face during a scuba dive, attached by an elastic rubber cord necklace. After surfacing, the diver's left face became swollen. Through a process of elimination all other items of scuba equipment were excluded as potential causes. A dive with the same equipment minus the necklace confirmed the involvement of the necklace in the pathogenesis of the hypersensitive reaction. In vitro ImmunoCap IgE assay was positive to latex (1.30 kUa/L), subsequent patch testing for contact dermatitis provoked a reaction for benzophenone-4, (a UV stabalizer) and Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy identified the elastic as ethylene propylene rubber, containing additional unidentified compounds. Allergy to natural rubber latex occurs in as many as 6% of Americans and Australians. Around three million American residents are thought to scuba dive each year. Recreational divers are, therefore, advised to check such necklaces, which are typically worn around the throat, for frayed ends and exposed rubber filaments.
The rheological properties of molding suspensions of alumina nanopowder in paraffin have been studied. Powders with specific surface areas of 32 and 55 m(2)/g and the surface-active substances oleic acid and Hypermer LP1 were used. The Hamaker constant for alumina particles in paraffin wax was estimated. A rough calculation showed that a gel should arise in the suspensions studied. The linearly viscoelastic characteristics determined by the method of small-amplitude periodic shear (on the frequency range from 0.063 to 157 s(-1)) confirmed this conclusion. The flow curves of the molding feedstock, determined over a broad range of shear rates (from 0.018 to 1070 s(-1)), point to a pseudoplastic character of the flow. From the rheological studies it follows that, in manufacturing engineering ceramics by injection molding from tire suspensions investigated and in designing or selecting the forming equipment, the realization of maximum high shear strains must be ensured, which will promote a qualitative filling of intricately shaped and small-size molds.
This paper explains the reason for the difference in maximum torque-speed characteristics and power factor of IM between the motor and generator operation modes and investigates the influence of machine design parameters on the difference, such as stator resistance, rotor resistance and iron loss etc. An analytical mathematical model based on the dq reference frame is employed for investigation. It is shown that the difference in torque-speed characteristics between the motor and generator operation modes is mainly caused by the opposite direction of q-axis current and affected by stator and rotor resistance values. Finally, analytically calculated torque-speed characteristics of a 12 kW IM in the motor and generator operation modes are verified by finite element analyses. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Urban storm water runoff carries particulate matter and other pollutants to water bodies, causing environmental problems. Removing suspended solids from runoff through geotextile filtration is a storm water control measure currently under investigation, which could help lessen the negative impacts of storm water on aquatic ecosystems. In this study, three geotextiles were tested in a laboratory setup with influent suspensions having hydraulic loading rates, total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, and particle-size distributions similar to those reported for urban highway storm water runoff. The results indicated that after a short priming period, all three geotextiles can effectively remove suspended solids to below a target concentration of 30mg/L. The results also showed that influent hydraulic loading rate and TSS concentration have minimal effects on the total mass of solids captured by the filter, whereas particle-size distribution does affect the total mass of solids captured by the filters. The retention criteria for choosing the appropriate geotextile for storm water treatment established in recent literature were evaluated by using the laboratory results. The geotextiles and sand filters were directly compared by using the results of the laboratory column testing of sand filters performed for this study. The results indicate that a geotextile will outlast a sand filter in terms of total solids loading under similar conditions.
Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is one of the main components of current anthropogenic global change. Unravelling the ecological response of biodiversity to the combined effect of land use change and other stressors is essential for effective conservation. For this purpose, we used co-inertia analysis to combine LULCC analysis of earth observation satellite data-derived maps and raptor data obtained from road censuses conducted in 2001 and 2014 at sampling unit level (10 km(2) spatial resolution), in northwestern Spain (province of Ourense, c. 7281 km(2)). In addition, habitat suitability models were also computed using ten widely used single-modelling techniques providing an ensemble of predictions at landscape level (four spatial resolutions: 500-m, 1-km, 2-km and 5-km radius around each sighting) for each year and raptor species to analyse the habitat suitability changes in the whole study area through three niche overlap indices. The models revealed an increase in occurrence and habitat suitability of forest raptor species coupled with a strong decrease in species associated with open habitats, mainly heaths and shrub formations. Open-habitat specialist species were negatively affected by the concomitant effects of intensive forest management and a long-lasting trend of rural abandonment coupled with an unusually high frequency of wildfires. Sustainable forest management and agricultural practices should be encouraged by both public and private sectors, through, e.g. policies related to European funds for rural and regional development (FEDER and FEADER programs) to effectively protect threatened habitats and species, and to comply with current environmental legislation. The combined use of satellite imagery and ground-level biodiversity data proved to be a cost-effective and systematic method for monitoring priority habitats and their species in highly dynamic landscapes.
Due to the wide range of water levels in reservoir operation, the hydraulic functionality of free surface tunnels in supercritical flow conditions, while discharging beyond design conditions, deserve further studies. To investigate the safe discharging of low drop tunnels, a scale model of a spillway system was built and tested under different flow conditions and structural configurations. Water depth, velocity and flow regime in tunnel and flip bucket reach were measured in experiments. In emptying reservoir operations, a surprising phenomenon was observed; specifically, at low discharges, supercritical flow occurred inside the tunnel while subcritical flow characterized the exit section, with a hydraulic jump forming and moving back into tunnel, forcing it to work under pressure. Critical discharge conditions below which hydraulic jump occurs in the tunnel is theoretically derived by 1D hydraulic analytical computation and experimentally confirmed as q(c) =0.485q(d). To eliminate risk of choked tunnel, a modification is envisioned by setting a torsion angle and a side-weir along the flip bucket section. Experiment results indicate that the combination of a skewed flip bucket and side weir can effectively decrease the outlet water depth, and mitigate the hydraulic jump, avoiding tunnel choking thanks to redirecting the flow into the side weir and to centrifugal force effects. Ski jump flow through the skewed flip bucket and the downstream river regime were also improved.
In this paper, we focus on tackling the problem of automatic accurate localization of detected objects in high-resolution remote sensing images. The two major problems for object localization in remote sensing images caused by the complex context information such images contain are achieving generalizability of the features used to describe objects and achieving accurate object locations. To address these challenges, we propose a new object localization framework, which can be divided into three processes: region proposal, classification, and accurate object localization process. First, a region proposal method is used to generate candidate regions with the aim of detecting all objects of interest within these images. Then, generic image features from a local image corresponding to each region proposal are extracted by a combination model of 2-D reduction convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Finally, to improve the location accuracy, we propose an unsupervised score-based bounding box regression (USB-BBR) algorithm, combined with a nonmaximum suppression algorithm to optimize the bounding boxes of regions that detected as objects. Experiments show that the dimension-reduction model performs better than the retrained and fine-tuned models and the detection precision of the combined CNN model is much higher than that of any single model. Also our proposed USB-BBR algorithm can more accurately locate objects within an image. Compared with traditional features extraction methods, such as elliptic Fourier transform-based histogram of oriented gradients and local binary pattern histogram Fourier, our proposed localization framework shows robustness when dealing with different complex backgrounds.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a new concept of a multi-module electromagnetic launcher with pneumatic assist. The authors focus on the problem of modelling a two-module electromagnetic launcher consisting of a coil-gun (module C) and a rail-gun (module R), as well as on the key problem of determining their position-dependent parameters, i.e. the resistances and inductances of discharging electrical circuits connected with the both modules. Special attention is paid to the possibility of influencing the missile's flight via basic controller variation of the initial voltage values across the terminals of the capacitor batteries supplying current to both modules C and R. Design/methodology/approach - Analysis of the electromagnetic launcher has been based on the circuit-field approach. Differential equations describing movement of the missile have been drawn from circuit theory. The Finite Element Method and the Comsol Multiphysic program were used to determine position-dependent parameters in module C. It is worth emphasising that the effect of saturation (resulting from B-H curve for ferromagnetic part of the considered magnetic circuit) was taken into account. The influence of the initial missile speed adjusted in a pneumatic assist unit on the missile's velocity was also considered and illustrated by appropriate simulations (the Matlab program). Findings - In analysing the flight of a missile along coil-gun and rail-gun modules, it is necessary to distinguish between three specific stages of the moveable element: the fall in stage, the drive through stage and the fall out stage. One of the most important findings is that during modelling, it is necessary to take into account of all the three above-mentioned stages of missile movement and, in particular, the fall in stage. It was shown both by computer simulations and laboratory investigations that this stage plays an important role in determining the time curves of decaying currents in discharging electrical circuits of both module C and module R. Research limitations/implications - The main difficulties are related to determining the influence of air drag force upon missile movement (especially in module C), as well as identifying an accurate value for contact resistances and friction force between the rails and the missile in module R. Practical implications - Hybrid construction employing propelling units of different characters should be treated as a promising and challenging trend in developing launcher structure. One of the most significant advantages of such a solution is the possibility of influencing missile velocity during its flight. Social implications - Since the first device was successfully completed in 1920 the continuous rise in the interest on electromagnetic launchers has been observed. As far as their social and technical impact is concerned, one of the most promising fields of interest seem to be launchers of satellites, high-pressure compressors, simulators modelling collisions between meteoroids and the surface of the earth and electromagnetic guns on board war ships. Originality/value - The novel concept in developing the construction of launchers presented in this paper has been to integrate propelling modules of different characteristics and to create a new multi-module constructional-compact whole. The designed and constructed prototype consists of three modules: a pneumatic drive unit and two electromagnetic drive units that have different principles of operation. The original methodology leading to the creation of its effective mathematical model (focusing on determination of position-depended parameters) was presented and verified in an experimental way.
In this paper, electrical analogous models of fractional hereditary materials are introduced. Based on recent works by the authors, mechanical models of materials viscoelasticity behavior are firstly approached by using fractional mathematical operators. Viscoelastic models have elastic and viscous components which are obtained by combining springs and dashpots. Various arrangements of these elements can be used, and all of these viscoelastic models can be equivalently modeled as electrical circuits, where the spring and dashpot are analogous to the capacitance and resistance, respectively. The proposed models are validated by using modal analysis. Moreover, a comparison with numerical experiments based on finite difference time domain method shows that, for long time simulations, the correct time behavior can be obtained only with modal analysis. The use of electrical analogous in viscoelasticity can better reveal the real behavior of fractional hereditary materials. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To address the issue of internal network security, Software-Defined Network (SDN) technology has been introduced to large-scale cloud centers because it not only improves network performance but also deals with network attacks. To prevent man-in-the-middle and denial of service attacks caused by an address resolution protocol bug in an SDN-based cloud center, this study proposed a Bayes-based algorithm to calculate the probability of a host being an attacker and further presented a detection model based on the algorithm. Experiments were conducted to validate this method.
Background: Past scholarly efforts to describe and measure the stigma surrounding suicide have largely viewed suicide stigma from the perspective of the general public. Aims: In the spirit of community-based participatory research (CBPR), the current study brought together a diverse stakeholder team to qualitatively investigate the suicide stigma as experienced by those most intimately affected by suicide. Method: Seven focus groups (n = 62) were conducted with suicide attempt survivors, family members of those who died by suicide, and suicide loss therapists. Results: Themes were derived for stereotypes (n = 30), prejudice (n = 3), and discrimination (n = 4). People who attempted suicide were seen as attention-seeking, selfish, incompetent, emotionally weak, and immoral. Participants described personal experiences of prejudice and discrimination, including those with health professionals. Conclusion: Participants experienced public stigma, self-stigma, and label avoidance. Analyses reveal that the stigma of suicide shares similarities with stereotypes of mental illness, but also includes some important differences. Attempt survivors may be subject to double stigma, which impedes recovery and access to care.
This study adopted a two (author: algorithm or journalist) by two (notification of author: real or inverse) between subject design to investigate how the public and journalists perceive the quality of algorithms written articles compared with human journalist's work. Findings showed that both the public and journalists' evaluations were varied by the manipulation of author notification. That is, the public gave higher scores to the algorithm's work when it was notified as the real author, but they gave lower scores to the algorithm's work when the author was notified as a journalist. It confirmed the public's negative attitude toward journalists' credibility and craving for new information and communication technology (ICT) products/services in Korea. Based on journalists' resistance to change and innovation and the theory of prejudice, it was expected that journalists would be favorable to another journalist's work and unfavorable to an algorithm's work. However, contrary to the hypothetical expectation, journalists also gave higher scores to an algorithm's work and lower scores to a journalist's work. Implications relating to the intrusion of algorithm-written articles into journalism were discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water footprinting and the assessment of water use in life cycle assessment have become of major interest in sustainability assessments. Various initiatives for combining water resource issues with consumption of products and services have been initiated in the last decade. However, comprehensive databases fulfilling the requirements for addressing these issues have been lacking and are necessary to facilitate efficient and consistent assessments of products and services. To this purpose, ecoinvent focused on integrating appropriate water use data into version 3, since previously water use data has been inconsistently reported and some essential flows were missing. This paper describes the structure of the water use data in ecoinvent, how the data has been compiled and the way it can be used for water footprinting. The main changes required for proper assessment of water use are the addition of environmental and product flows in order to allow a water balance over each process. This is in accordance with the strict paradigm in ecoinvent 3 to focus on mass balances, which requires the inclusion of water contents of all products (also for e.g. waste water flows), as well as emissions of water to soil, air and various water bodies. Water inputs from air (e.g. rainwater harvesting) is introduced but is not yet used by any activity. Ecoinvent version 3.1 consistently includes the relevant flows to address water use in life cycle assessment (LCA) and calculate water footprints on the product level for most processes including uncertainty information. Although some problems regarding data quality and spatial resolution remain, this is an important step forward and can limit efforts for detailed data collection to the most sensitive processes in the product system. With the combination of data on water use and emissions to water for each process, concentration and corresponding water classes can also be calculated and assessed with existing impact assessment methods. This comprehensive collection of water use data on the process level facilitates the proper assessment of water use within an LCA and water footprints beyond agricultural production. Especially in LCA, but also in tools for eco-design and specific water footprint, this data is essential and leads to a cost-efficient way of assessing consumption choices and product design decisions with full transparency. It enhances the effectiveness of investing in data collection by performing sensitivity analyses using ecoinvent data to identify the most relevant flows and processes.
Objective: The relationship between urbanisation and the symptom prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema is not clear, and varying definitions of urban extent have been used. Furthermore, a global analysis has not been undertaken. This study aimed to determine whether the symptom prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in centres involved in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) were higher in urban than rural centres, using a definition of urban extent as land cover from satellite data. Methods: A global map of urban extent from satellite images (MOD500 map) was used to define the urban extent criterion. Maps from the ISAAC centres were digitised and merged with the MOD500 map to describe the urban percentage of each centre. We investigated the association between the symptom prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema and the percentage of urban extent by centre. Results: A weak negative relationship was found between the percentage of urban extent of each ISAAC centre and current wheeze in the 13-14-year age group. This association was not statistically significant after adjusting for region of the world and gross national income. No other relationship was found between urban extent and symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema. Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in children were not associated with urbanisation, according to the land cover definition of urban extent from satellite data. Comparable standardised definitions of urbanisation need to be developed so that global comparisons can be made.
Very-high-frequency (VHF) converters with the conventional driving scheme suffer from serious efficiency drop over entire input voltage range due to gate drive timing mismatch of the eGaN control and synchronous rectification (SR) HEMTs. A digital adaptive driving scheme is proposed to adjust the control and SR gate drive signals efficiently over input voltage range. A state-space model is derived to predict drive timing precisely according to different input voltage and adjust the gate drive signals correspondingly. A high time resolution circuit to improve time resolution by selecting cascaded high-speed buffers is proposed. With the proposed driving scheme, high-frequency switching loss and reverse conduction time of eGaN HEMTs are reduced significantly to maintain high efficiency over entire input voltage range. A 30-MHz VHF SR flyback with the printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication air-core transformer was built. With 18-V input and 5V/10-W output, the measured efficiency realizes 80.0%. With 24-V input and 5-V/10-W output, the proposed solution improves the efficiency from 72.9% using the conventional driver to 75.1% (an improvement of 2.2%).
Sclerostin, the product of the SOSTgene, is a secreted inhibitor of Wnt signaling that is produced by osteocytes to regulate bone formation. While it is often considered an osteocyte-specific protein, SOST expression has been reported in numerous other cell types, including hypertrophic chondrocytes and cementocytes. Of interest, SOST/sclerostin expression is altered in certain pathogenic conditions, including osteoarthritis and rheumatic joint disease, and it is unclear whether sclerostin plays a protective role or whether sclerostin may mediate disease pathogenesis. Therefore, as anti-sclerostin antibodies are being developed for the treatment of osteoporosis, it is important to understand the functions of sclerostin beyond the regulation of bone formation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a new phase current reconstruction technique for interleaved three-phase bidirectional dc-dc converters using a single current sensor. In the proposed current reconstruction algorithm, a single current sensor is employed at the dc-link, and the dc-link current information is sampled at either the peak or valley point of the pulse-width modulation (PWM) carriers regularly. From the obtained current information, all phase currents are reconstructed in a single PWM cycle. After that, the digital current controller is applied to achieve current balancing in each phase. Compare to the previous multiple current sensor method, the proposed strategy reduces the number of the current sensors in the interleaved three-phase bidirectional converter as well as reducing potential current sensing error caused by non-ideal characteristics of the multiple current sensors. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified from the experiments based on a 3kW three-phase bidirectional converter prototype for the automotive battery charging application.
Changes in global climate drivers have multiple impacts on lake ecosystems, as rain and wind conditions control catchment surface runoff and lake mixing regimes. However, human activities in lakes and their watersheds may have direct and indirect impacts on aquatic optical properties. Therefore, identifying key drivers that can be controlled (human) from those that cannot (climate) represents an important objective. In the present study, we develop an algorithm to estimate the concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Lake Hongze (the fourth largest freshwater lake in China) using MODIS/Aqua images with concurrent data collected from six cruise surveys. The algorithm resulted in root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 7.64-7.86 mg/L for SPM ranging from 10 to 80 mg/L. The algorithm was applied to 1602 cloud-free MODIS/Aqua images from 2002 to 2015. Our results show: (1) inter-annual and seasonal variations of SPM concentrations in lake Hongze are divided into two distinct periods between 2002 and 2011 and 2012-2015, with the transition associated to intensive dredging activities that were initiated in 2012. (2) SPM concentrations exhibit four typical patterns of spatial distribution which depend on local meteorological (wind speed and wind direction) and hydrological conditions (catchment rainfall and Huai River flowrate). Based on these results, a new spatial zoning of the lake is derived to support government and agency monitoring. The study shows additive and synergistic effects of climate change and human activities on SPM concentrations over short and long timescales and the possibility to monitor these changes by remote sensing in shallow optically complex lakes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mining important persons is significant to network security, especially researches on email network centralization nowadays. To solve the problem that traditional PageRank algorithm is sensitive to the network disturbance, this paper proposes a method which decomposes email network into different layers based on the core number and eliminates the interferential nodes from outer layers. Besides, it improves PageRank algorithm which ranks the nodes quantitatively to find the important nodes. The experiments indicate that it improves the accuracy and reduces the computational complexity in mining important nodes from email network.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease of wide clinical heterogenity. Overproduction of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and accumulation of beta-amyloid (A beta) and tau proteins are important hallmarks of AD. The identification of early pathomechanisms of AD is critically important for discovery of early diagnosis markers. Decreased brain metabolism is one of the earliest clinical symptoms of AD that indicate mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain. We performed the first comprehensive study integrating synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondrial proteome analysis (two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and mass spectrometry) in correlation with A beta progression in APP/PS1 mice (3, 6, and 9 months of age). We identified changes of 60 mitochondrial proteins that reflect the progressive effect of APP overproduction and A beta accumulation on mitochondrial processes. Most of the significantly affected proteins play role in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, citric acid cycle, oxidative stress, or apoptosis. Altered expression levels of Htra2 and Ethe1, which showed parallel changes in different age groups, were confirmed also by Western blot. The common regulator bioinformatical analysis suggests the regulatory role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in A beta-mediated mitochondrial protein changes. Our results are in accordance with the previous postmortem human brain proteomic studies in AD in the case of many proteins. Our results could open a new path of research aiming early mitochondrial molecular mechanisms of A beta accumulation as a prodromal stage of human AD.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) plays an extremely important role in storing genetic messages that are used for cellular functions in living organisms. However, the process of replicating these messages is not free from errors as internal and external factors can contribute to the damages of DNA strands. These damages known as lesions are problematic since they can lead to mutagenesis and carcinogenesis after accumulation for a certain period of time. Thankfully, cells are able to synthesize various DNA glycosylases to target different lesions, repairing and restoring damaged DNA to its original state. This review article aims to explore the variety of assays used to evaluate the efficiency of these glycosylases, mainly focusing on uracil DNA glycosylase, thymine DNA glycosylase, and 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase since they are deployed to the sites of damages much more often than other repair enzymes. The progress in the development of DNA glycosylase assays is reviewed with an emphasis on the configuration and operating mechanism of the assays and with some discussion on challenges and prospects. It is hoped that this article will provide an introductory overview and the current standing of DNA glycosylase assays, opening up new perspectives towards the development DNA glycosylase assays for uses in molecular biology and at point-of-care. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This work evaluates for the first time the cyto-compatibility of silicone (polysiloxane)/bioactive glass composite films produced by dip coating on stainless steel substrates using osteoblast-like (MG-63) cells. With the aim of creating corrosion resistant coatings for biomedical applications, bioactive glass (BG) of 45S5 composition was used as a filler in conjunction with commercial silicones (MK and H62C). Bioactive glass has the property of forming a direct bond to living bone, and polysiloxane is an attractive candidate for protective coatings due to its resistance to oxidation and corrosion. Suspensions based on polysiloxanes (MK/H62C) and micro-sized BG fillers were used for dip coating stainless steel substrates at room temperature, followed by curing in oxidative atmosphere at 260 degrees C and 500 degrees C. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed the presence of Si-O-Si, Si-OR, Si-CH3 and Si-OH groups on the substrate. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that the coatings were homogeneous with no obvious cracks or pinholes at relatively high concentrations of both polysiloxane and BG. The cell biology experiments confirmed that the expressed cell-morphology, analyzed on chosen surfaces, was pheno-typical for MG-63 cells after 48 h of incubation. On the film containing the lower amount of polysiloxane/BG the most dense cell layer was formed. Our results indicated that polysiloxane/BG composite films exhibited good cyto-compatibility at 260 degrees C and 500 degrees C and showed no toxicity toward MG-63 cells suggesting the potential of this composite for applications in medical implants. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.
This paper reviews state-of-the-art empirical, hydrodynamic and simple conceptual models for determining flood inundation. It explores their advantages and limitations, highlights the most recent advances and discusses future directions. It addresses how uncertainty is analysed in this field with the various approaches and identifies opportunities for handling it better. The aim is to inform scientists new to the field, and help emergency response agencies, water resources managers, insurance companies and other decision makers keep up-to-date with the latest developments. Guidance is provided for selecting the most suitable method/model for solving practical flood related problems, taking into account the specific outputs required for the modelling purpose, the data available and computational demands. Multi-model, multi-discipline approaches are recommended in order to further advance this research field. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research into regenerative dentistry has contributed momentum to the field of molecular biology. Periapical surgery aims at removing periapical pathology to achieve complete wound healing and regeneration of bone and periodontal tissue. Regenerative endodontic procedures are widely being added to the current armamentarium of pulp therapy procedures. The regenerative potential of platelets has been deliberated. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a wonderful tissue-engineering product and has recently gained much popularity due its promising results in wound healing bone induction. The features of this product are an attribute of platelets which, after cellular interactions, release growth factors and have shown application in diverse disciplines of dentistry. This paper is intended to shed light onto the various prospects of PRF and to provide clinical insight into regenerative endodontic therapy.
The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 500 million malaria tests are performed annually. While microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are the main diagnostic approaches, no single method is inexpensive, rapid, and highly accurate. Two recent studies from our group have demonstrated a prototype computer vision platform that meets those needs. Here we present the results from two clinical studies on the commercially available version of this technology, the Sight Diagnostics Parasight platform, which provides malaria diagnosis, species identification, and parasite quantification. We conducted a multisite trial in Chennai, India (Apollo Hospital [n = 205]), and Nairobi, Kenya (Aga Khan University Hospital [n = 263]), in which we compared the device to microscopy, RDTs, and PCR. For identification of malaria, the device performed similarly well in both contexts (sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 100% at the Indian site and sensitivity of 99.3% and specificity of 98.9% at the Kenyan site, compared to PCR). For species identification, the device correctly identified 100% of samples with Plasmodium vivax and 100% of samples with Plasmodium falciparum in India and 100% of samples with P. vivax and 96.1% of samples with P. falciparum in Kenya, compared to PCR. Lastly, comparisons of the device parasite counts with those of trained microscopists produced average Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.84 at the Indian site and 0.85 at the Kenyan site.
This research studies the Emptying-box problem with a porous baffle just behind the entrance opening. A theoretical model is extended to include the effect of a porous baffle, and the theoretical model taking account of porosity establishes the connections between two typical unidirectional displacement flow types. The salt-bath technique is employed to conduct the experiments using an acrylic reduced-scale model. Dye attenuation technique is used to analyze the light intensity data derived from the recorded images of experiments. According to the baffle porosity percentage (phi), the experiments are categorized into two series, EM(79%) and EM(60%). Each series respectively includes three different opening area ratios, which are 1, 0.5 and 0.33. Experimental results show that emptying processes for the cases with a baffle of the larger porosity percentage consist of emptying the dense layer and emptying the mixed layer, but there is only one process of emptying the dense layer for the cases with a baffle of the smaller porosity percentage. Experimental results are in reasonable agreement with the extended theoretical model developed in this research. Two extreme cases, those with and without an impenetrable baffle, are included in this paper to represent two typical flow types of the horizontal inflow denoted as EM(H), as that with phi = 0%, and the vertical inflow denoted as EM(V), as that with phi = 100%, i.e. the unidirectional classical displacement flow and the displacement flow with interfacial mixing. As the porosity percentage increases, the emptying time for the dense layer decreases, but the emptying time for the whole box tends to increase. The emptying time for the dense layer decreases, when the total effective opening area or the reduced gravity increases for the cases having the same porosity percentage. The initial interfacial height of the mixed layer increases, as the baffle porosity percentage increases for the cases having the fixed total effective opening area, or the total effective opening area increases for the cases with the same baffle porosity percentage. The initial buoyancy of the mixed layer is dependent on the penetrative entrainment flow rate from the dense layer to the mixed layer and the emptying time for the dense layer. As the total effective opening area or the porosity percentage increases, experimental results show that the initial buoyancy of the mixed layer tends to increase, and the penetrative entrainment flow rate increases as well, but the emptying time for the dense layer decreases. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This patient report describes simultaneous bimaxillary orthognathic surgery and mandibular reconstruction by means of three-dimensional (3D) planning, 3D printed biocompatible surgical wafers, and 3D selective-laser sintered titanium implant. A 26-year-old male patient presented with a left mandibular defect secondary to trauma. The whole body of the mandible on the left hand side was deficient with a narrow connection with the remaining left condyle. He had undergone orthodontic treatment for 18 months and was ready to undergo bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. Advanced cranio-maxillofacial software was used in processing his cone beam computer tomography scan data, and e-casts of his upper and lower dental arches. Bimaxillary surgery was planned with Le Fort 1 maxillary impaction and mandibular advancement to achieve a class 1 incisor relationship. Intermediate and final surgical wafers were designed following the planned movements and printed using biocompatible resin. The deficient left side of the mandible was reconstructed by means of mirror imaging the contra-lateral right side into the deficient left side with the aim of restoring normal facial symmetry. Biomedical software was then used in designing a reconstruction plate that connected the condylar head and the mandible following the planned bimaxillary surgery and mandibular continuity symmetry reconstruction. The plate was printed in titanium following state-of the-art selective laser sintering technology. The bimaxillary surgery and mandibular reconstruction were done simultaneously as planned along with an iliac-crest bone graft. This patient confirms the advantages of 3D computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture technologies in optimizing clinical outcomes for cranio-maxillofacial reconstruction, especially when conducting two simultaneous clinical procedures.
This paper describes a methodology to perform chemical analyses in landfill areas by integrating multisource geomatic data. We used a top-down approach to identify Environmental Point of Interest (EPI) based on very high-resolution satellite data (Pleiades and WorldView 2) and on in situ thermal and photogrammetric surveys. Change detection techniques and geostatistical analysis supported the chemical survey, undertaken using an accumulation chamber and an RIIA, an unmanned ground vehicle developed by CNR IIA, equipped with a multiparameter sensor platform for environmental monitoring. Such an approach improves site characterization, identifying the key environmental points of interest where it is necessary to perform detailed chemical analyses. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, homomorphic visual cryptographic scheme (HVCS) is proposed. The proposed HVCS inherits the good features of traditional VCS, such as, loss-tolerant (e.g., (k, n) threshold) and simply reconstructed method, where simply reconstructed method means that the decryption of the secret image is based on human visual system (HVS) without any cryptographic computation. In addition, the proposed HVCS can support signal processing in the encrypted domain (SPED), e.g., homomorphic operations and authentication, which can protect the user's privacy as well as improve the security in some applications, such as, cloud computing and so on. Both the theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and security of the proposed HVCS.
Since Galileo used his pulse to measure the time period of a swinging chandelier in the 17th century, pendulums have fascinated scientists. It was not until Stokes' (1851 Camb. Phil. Soc. 9 8-106). (whose interest was spurred by the pendulur time pieces of the mid 19th century) treatise on viscous flow that a theoretical framework for the drag on a sphere at low Reynolds number was laid down. Stokes' famous drag law has been used to determine two fundamental physical constants-the charge on an electron and Avogadro's constant-and has been used in theories which have won three Nobel prizes. Considering its illustrious history it is then not surprising that the flow past a sphere and its two-dimensional analog, the flow past a cylinder, form the starting point of teaching flow past a rigid body in undergraduate level fluid mechanics courses. Usually starting with the two-dimensional potential flow past a cylinder, students progress to the three-dimensional potential flow past a sphere. However, when the viscous flow past rigid bodies is taught, the three-dimensional example of a sphere is first introduced, and followed by (but not often), the two-dimensional viscous flow past a cylinder. The reason why viscous flow past a cylinder is generally not taught is because it is usually explained from an asymptotic analysis perspective. In fact, this added mathematical complexity is why the drag on a cylinder was only solved in 1911, 60 years after the drag on a sphere. In this note, we show that the viscous flow past a cylinder can be explained without the need to introduce any asymptotic analysis while still capturing all the physical insight of this classic fluid mechanics problem.
Every performance, in an officially sanctioned meet, by a registered USA swimmer is recorded into an online database with times dating back to 1980. For the first time, statistical analysis and machine learning methods are systematically applied to 4,022,631 swim records. In this study, we investigate performance features for all strokes as a function of age and gender. The variances in performance of males and females for different ages and strokes were studied, and the correlations of performances for different ages were estimated using the Pearson correlation. Regression analysis show the performance trends for both males and females at different ages and suggest critical ages for peak training. Moreover, we assess twelve popular machine learning methods to predict or classify swimmer performance. Each method exhibited different strengths or weaknesses in different cases, indicating no one method could predict well for all strokes. To address this problem, we propose a new method by combining multiple inference methods to derive Wisdom of Crowd Classifier (WoCC). Our simulation experiments demonstrate that the WoCC is a consistent method with better overall prediction accuracy. Our study reveals several new age-dependent trends in swimming and provides an accurate method for classifying and predicting swimming times.
In the context of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) connected to the utility grid under unbalanced voltage conditions, the controller design needs to ensure additional challenges such as restricting the total harmonic distortion (THD) in grid current, minimizing the pulsations in generated power, torque, dc-link voltage, etc., apart from facilitating the generator power control. In this study, a negative-sequence compensation scheme for the magnetizing current in a DFIG is investigated. The reference currents are modified to include the negative-sequence compensating component for the magnetizing current. A rotor-side converter is employed to compensate the pulsations in magnetizing current thereby minimizing the ripple in power and torque. A grid-side converter is used to maintain unity power factor and a constant dc-link voltage. It is revealed that controlling the magnetizing current as a single control target enables simultaneous reduction of pulsations in torque, power, and dc-link voltage and also minimizes unbalance in currents. The effectiveness of the scheme is validated through detailed analysis and numerical simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC for a practical 250 kW DFIG wind generation system and further, through experimental results for a 2.3 kW DFIG test setup. Typical experimental results for the laboratory test setup show an improved performance.
The study aimed to assess whether showing emotion in an organizational inquiry into failure affects perceptions of truthfulness as a function of the match between the explanation of what caused the failure and the emotion expressed. Two web-based studies were conducted. Participants with work experience saw videos of an inquiry and rated the protagonist's truthfulness. In both studies protagonists who expressed an emotion (anger or shame) were rated as less truthful than protagonists who expressed no emotion, regardless of what the failure was attributed to. In order to not confound effects of emotions with occupational stereotype effects only male protagonists were shown. Showing emotions when questioned is normal. Managers have to be aware of a tendency to count this against the employee. This is the only research focusing on the effects of showing emotions on perceptions of truthfulness in an organizational context.
The unique biology of RNA binding proteins is altering our view of the genesis of protein misfolding diseases. These proteins use aggregation of low complexity domains (LCDs) as a means to regulate the localization and utilization of RNA by forming RNA granules, such as stress granules, transport granules and P-bodies. The reliance on reversible aggregation as a mechanism for biological regulation renders this family of proteins highly vulnerable to promoting diseases of protein misfolding. Mutations in RNA binding proteins are associated with many neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD). The biology of RNA binding proteins also extends to microtubule associated protein tau. Tau is normally an axonal protein, but in stress it translocates to the somatodendritic arbor where it takes on a new function promoting formation of stress granules. The interaction of tau with stress granules also promotes tau aggregation, accelerating formation of the tau pathology that we associate with diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Whitewater parks (WWPs) are increasingly popular recreational amenities, but the effects of WWPs on fish habitat and passage are poorly understood. This study investigated the use of a two-dimensional (2-D) model as compared with a three-dimensional (3-D) hydrodynamic model (flow-3D((R))) for assessing effects of WWPs on fish habitat. The primary aims of this study were to (1) examine the utility of 3-D modelling versus 2-D modelling in a hydraulically complex WWP and (2) compare modelled habitat quality for resident fishes with actual fish abundance and biomass generated from field sampling surveys. Two reaches of a wadeable river in Colorado were modelled: a natural reach and a reach containing a WWP. A 2-D habitat suitability analysis for juvenile and adult brown trout, juvenile and adult rainbow trout, longnose dace and longnose sucker predicted the same or higher habitat quality in the WWPs than the natural pools for all four species and for all modelled flow rates; however, results from fish sampling found significantly higher fish biomass for all four species in natural pools compared with WWP pools. All hydraulic metrics (depth, depth-averaged velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, 2-D and 3-D vorticity) had higher magnitudes in WWP pools than in natural pools. In the WWP pools, 3-D model results described the spatial distribution of flow characteristics or the magnitude of variables better than 2-D results. This supports the use of 3-D modelling for complex flows found in WWPs, but improved understanding of linkages between fish habitat quality and 3-D hydraulic descriptors is needed. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In recent years, research on magnesium (Mg) alloys had increased significantly for hard tissue replacement and stent application due to their outstanding advantages. Firstly, Mg alloys have mechanical properties similar to bone which avoid stress shielding. Secondly, they are biocompatible essential to the human metabolism as a factor for many enzymes. In addition, main degradation product Mg is an essential trace element for human enzymes. The most important reason is they are perfectly biodegradable in the body fluid. However, extremely high degradation rate, resulting in too rapid loss of mechanical strength in chloride containing environments limits their applications. Engineered artificial biomaterials with appropriate mechanical properties, surface chemistry, and surface topography are in a great demand. As the interaction between the cells and tissues with biomaterials at the tissue-implant interface is a surface phenomenon; surface properties play a major role in determining both the biological response to implants and the material response to the physiological condition. Therefore, the ability to modify the surface properties while preserve the bulk properties is important, and surface modification to form a hard, biocompatible and corrosion resistant modified layer have always been an interesting topic in biomaterials field. In this article, attempts are made to give an overview of the current research and development status of surface modification technologies of Mg alloys for biomedical materials research. Further, the advantages/disadvantages of the different methods and with regard to the most promising method for Mg alloys are discussed. Finally, the scientific challenges are proposed based on own research and the work of other scientists.
While the practice of rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be traced back millennia, the degree of its modern implementation varies greatly across the world, often with systems that do not maximize potential benefits. With a global focus, the pertinent practical, theoretical and social aspects of RWH are reviewed in order to ascertain the state of the art. Avenues for future research are also identified. A major finding is that the degree of RWH systems implementation and the technology selection are strongly influenced by economic constraints and local regulations. Moreover, despite design protocols having been set up in many countries, recommendations are still often organized only with the objective of conserving water without considering other potential benefits associated with the multiple-purpose nature of RWH. It is suggested that future work on RWH addresses three priority challenges. Firstly, more empirical data on system operation is needed to allow improved modelling by taking into account multiple objectives of RWH systems. Secondly, maintenance aspects and how they may impact the quality of collected rainwater should be explored in the future as a way to increase confidence on rainwater use. Finally, research should be devoted to the understanding of how institutional and socio-political support can be best targeted to improve system efficacy and community acceptance. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
On 24 October 2015, following a period of heavy rainfall, a landslide occurred in the Calatabiano Municipality (Sicily Island, Southern Italy), causing the rupture of a water pipeline supplying water to the city of Messina. Following this event, approximately 250,000 inhabitants of the city suffered critical water shortages for several days. Consequently, on 6 November 2015, a state of emergency was declared (O.C.D.P. 295/2015) by the National Italian Department of Civil Protection (DPC). During the emergency management phase, a provisional by-pass, consisting of three 350-m long pipes passing through the landslide area, was constructed to restore water to the city. Furthermore, on 11 November 2015, a landslide remote-sensing monitoring system was installed with the following purposes: (i) analyse the landslide geomorphological and kinematic features in order to assess the residual landslide risk and (ii) support the early warning procedures needed to ensure the safety of the personnel involved in the by-pass construction and the landslide stabilization works. The monitoring system was based on the combined use of Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (GB-InSAR) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). In this work, the preliminary results of the monitoring activities and a remote 3D map of the landslide area are presented.
Priority wise channelization of resources is the key to successful environmental management, especially when funds are limited. The study in hand has successfully developed an algorithmic criterion to compare hazardous effects of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) dumping sites quantitatively. It is a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) that has made use of the scaling function to normalize the data values, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for assigning weights to input parameters showing their relevant importance, and Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) for aggregating the normalized scores. Input parameters have been divided into three classes namely Resident's Concerns, Groundwater Vulnerability and Surface Facilities. Remote Sensing data and GIS analysis were used to prepare most of the input data. To elaborate the idea, four dumpsites have been chosen as case study, namely Old-FSD, New-FSD, Saggian and Mahmood Booti. The comparison has been made first at class levels and then class scores have been aggregated into environmental normalized index for environmental impact ranking. The hierarchy of goodness found for the selected sites is New-FSD >Old-FSD >Mahmood Booti >Saggian with comparative scores of goodness to environment as 36.67, 28.43, 21.26 and 13.63 respectively. Flexibility of proposed model to adjust any number of classes and parameters in one class will be very helpful for developing world where availability of data is the biggest hurdle in research based environmental sustainability planning. The model can be run even without purchasing satellite data and GIS software, with little inaccuracy, using imagery and measurement tools provided by Google Earth.
In the present study, we tested whether children's play with feminine toys is related to social abilities in which girls typically excel. We measured gender-typed toy play, empathy, and comforting skill in 80 Grade 1 children (about 6 years-old) in Hong Kong, China. Toy play was assessed with a standard observational paradigm; empathy, with the Empathy Quotient-Child Questionnaire; and comforting skill, with an infant-cry paradigm requiring the generation of comforting strategies. As predicted, boys and girls differed in their preferences for play with masculine and feminine toys, but not for gender-neutral toys. Importantly, toy play was related to comforting skill. Girls scored higher on the comforting task, and girls who played more with feminine toys and boys who played more with gender-neutral toys generated more comforting strategies. Regression and mediational analyses also suggested a stronger role of gender-typed play on comforting than the other way round. Contrary to hypothesis, there was no gender difference in empathy, and no relationship between empathy and toy play. These results extend previous understandings of the link between play and development and suggest that early gender-typed experiences may have long-term consequences for the development of some social skills.
This paper discusses the concepts and current trends in the structure of wholesale electricity markets and additionally reviews the structure of some electricity markets in the world. It also reviews the experience around the system operation and market operation, as well as how the main processes are handled in European and American markets. This review shows that there are various designs to which these markets are converging depending on your needs and structures. Some trends turn around the presence of TSO, ISO and market operator (OM); as well as the operation of derivatives markets.
The kNN algorithm remains a popular choice for pattern classification till date due to its non-parametric nature, easy implementation and the fact that its classification error is bounded by twice the Bayes error. In this paper, we show that the performance of the kNN classifier improves significantly from the use of (training) class-wise group-statistics based two criteria during pairwise comparison of features in a given dataset. Granger causality is employed to assign preferences to each criteria. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is applied to obtain weights for different features from the two criteria and their preferences. Finally, these weights are used to build a weighted distance function for the kNN classification. Comprehensive experimentation on fifteen benchmark datasets of the UCI Machine Learning Repository clearly reveals the supremacy of the proposed Granger causality driven AHP induced kNN algorithm over the IcNN method with many different distance metrics, and, with various feature selection strategies. In addition, the proposed method is also shown to perform well on high-dimensional face and hand-writing recognition datasets.
lschaemic Heart Disease, Stroke and Diabetes Mellitus are accounting for more than 15 Mio deaths/year and are thus amongst the globally leading death causes. All three diseases are co-morbidities of obesity. They are impacted by genetics, epigenetics and diet and were linked in numerous studies with the excessive intake of sodium, low-molecular weight sugar, trans-fats, saturated fats and total energy consumed. Accordingly these food components are considered to be health sensitive ingredients and WHO and EFSA issued recommended maximal intake levels. The current contribution highlights the most promising strategies to reduce these health sensitive nutrients without decreasing consumer preference. This is achieved a priori by replacing them with alternative ingredients and dispersed structures providing similar sensory experiences. Amplifying the sensory impact of these nutrients by controlling transport phenomena or using bioactives interacting with the oral sensory cells allows reducing concentration of these ingredients. Last but not least the impact of excessive consumption of these nutrients can be partially mitigated through counteracting bioactives or by modulating the gastro-intestinal microbiome which impacts e.g. nutrient release during digestion. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The human metabolism is regulated by our internal clock; the circadian rhythm (24h-25h). There are several factors included in the regulatory pathway such as; genes (PER1-3), (CRY1-2), TIM hormones (cortisol, catecholamines, melatonin and insulin) drugs, enzymes, sleep disorders and diseases. Each one contributes in a different degree and in order to enhance the therapeutic result; we should include these factors into clusters instead of targeting each factor one by one. Malignances deregulate gene-protein expression/production, enzyme production, and in addition they induce fatigue, insomnia, stress and sleep disorders. All these factors finally contribute in minimizing the efficiency of chemotherapy treatment and quality of life. In addition, the circadian rhythm disruption induces tumor genesis, stress, and down-regulates the defense and repair mechanisms of the human body. In the current mini review the underlying mechanism of the circadian rhythm is provided, along with the influence of sleep disturbances in cancer patient therapy. A proposal is presented to divide circadian rhythm and sleep disturbances into two major clusters with different management, however; with a common target to improve treatment efficiency and quality of life. Finally, a chrono-chemotherapy administration model is proposed in order to have less chemotherapy side effects.
Longitudinal links between early childhood temperament, maternal sensitivity, and adolescents' adjustment have been proposed and found in several longitudinal studies, but the mechanisms of influence have not been explored. The authors examined the paths from maternal sensitivity and temperament in early childhood to adolescents' prosocial, aggressive, and delinquent behaviors via childhood social behaviors and peer group affiliation. Data at 54 months, Grade 3 (M age = 9.03, SD =.31), Grade 6 (M age = 11.95, SD =.34), and Grade 9 (M age = 15.57, SD =.78) from the NICHD SECCYD longitudinal investigation of 1,364 participants (52% boys) was analyzed. Overall, results yielded evidence that maternal sensitivity and child temperament at 54 months of age predicted prosocial, aggressive, and delinquent outcomes at age 15. Affiliation with peer groups (especially with prosocial peers) and social behaviors in childhood mediated the aforementioned paths for effortful control, but not for maternal sensitivity. Discussion focuses on the implications for understanding the long-term effects of early childhood predictors on behavioral outcomes in adolescence.
Objective: Replicating the training program in non-verbal communication based on the theoretical framework of interpersonal communication; non-verbal coding, valuing the aging aspects in the perspective of active aging, checking its current relevance through the content assimilation index after 90 days (mediate) of its application. Method: A descriptive and exploratory field study was conducted in three hospitals under direct administration of the state of Sao Paulo that caters exclusively to Unified Health System (SUS) patients. The training lasted 12 hours divided in three meetings, applied to 102 health professionals. Results: Revealed very satisfactory and satisfactory mediate content assimilation index in 82.9%. Conclusion: The program replication proved to be relevant and updated the setting of hospital services, while remaining efficient for healthcare professionals.
The distribution of potential, electric field, and gradient of square of electric field was simulated via a finite element method for dielectrophoresis (DEP) assembly. Then reduced graphene oxide sheets (RGOS)- and graphene oxide sheets (GOS)-based electrical circuits were fabricated via DEP assembly. The mechanically exfoliated graphene sheets (MEGS)-based electrical circuit was also fabricated for comparison. The electrical transport properties of three types of graphene-based electrical circuits were measured. The MEGS-based electrical circuit possesses the best electrical conductivity, and the GOS-based electrical circuit has the poorest electrical conductivity among all three circuits. The three types of electrical circuits were applied for the detection of copper ions (Cu2+). The RGOS-based electrical circuit can detect the Cu2+ when the concentration of Cu2+ was as low as 10 nM in solution. The GOS-based electrical circuit can only detect Cu2+ after chemical reduction. The possible mechanism of electron transfer was proposed for the detection. The facile fabrication method and excellent performance imply the RGOS- based electrical circuit has great potential to be applied to metal ion sensors.
Adolescents are particularly prone to peer influence. Since group membership modulates the person's tendency to take someone else's viewpoint, here we decided to investigate whether adolescents are influenced by the presence of a peer when taking another person's perspective. A group of adolescents from upper secondary schools in Naples (Italy) had to observe scenes of an actor (an adolescent or an adult) gazing, grasping, gazing/grasping an object or staying still. When required to judge the spatial location of the object, the adolescent participants adopted the actor's viewpoint (third-person perspective) more frequently when the actor was an adolescent rather than when he was an adult and when the adolescent actor grasped the object. Thus, adolescents seem particularly prone to mentally simulate someone else's actions when the other person is a peer. These findings suggest that modulating motor simulation processes via social environmental factors could influence adolescents' perspective taking. (C) 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Goat production is an important agricultural activity in Jordan. The country is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water scarcity. Provision of sufficient quantity of good quality drinking water is important for goats to maintain feed intake and production. This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal availability and quality of goats' drinking water sources, accessibility, and utilization in different zones in the Karak Governorate in southern Jordan. Data collection methods comprised interviews with purposively selected farmers and quality assessment of water sources. The provision of drinking water was considered as one of the major constraints for goat production, particularly during the dry season (DS). Long travel distances to the water sources, waiting time at watering points, and high fuel and labor costs were the key reasons associated with the problem. All the values of water quality (WQ) parameters were within acceptable limits of the guidelines for livestock drinking WQ with exception of iron, which showed slightly elevated concentration in one borehole source in the DS. These findings show that water shortage is an important problem leading to consequences for goat keepers. To alleviate the water shortage constraint and in view of the depleted groundwater sources, alternative water sources at reasonable distance have to be tapped and monitored for water quality and more efficient use of rainwater harvesting systems in the study area is recommended.
Smoking cessation has become a real social challenge in healthcare domain and persuasive technologies combined with ambient intelligence figure as a possible approaches against this addiction. Choosing an effective persuasive design relies on different models and principles coming from several scientific contexts. We evaluate the triggers defined by the B.J. Fogg's model in different design strategies implementing three experiments: the first using smoking tools, the second with an Android application and a third one using the same application coupled with an Arduino-based ambient device. The CRegrette system's proof of concept suggests that statistics combined with an ambient device are more effective than notifications, mirroring and self-monitoring approaches. This article furthermore proposes some design strategies and research perspectives to support further research in the field of persuasion and ambient device design.
This paper studies simultaneous feature selection and extraction in supervised and unsupervised learning. We propose and investigate selective reduced rank regression for constructing optimal explanatory factors from a parsimonious subset of input features. The proposed estimators enjoy sharp oracle inequalities, and with a predictive information criterion for model selection, they adapt to unknown sparsity by controlling both rank and row support of the coefficient matrix. A class of algorithms is developed that can accommodate various convex and nonconvex sparsity-inducing penalties, and can be used for rank-constrained variable screening in high-dimensional multivariate data. The paper also showcases applications in macroeconomics and computer vision to demonstrate how low-dimensional data structures can be effectively captured by joint variable selection and projection.
Inspired by the biological immune system against outside invasion in nature, this paper propose a network security strategy using Agent technology. The Agents with independent behavior capacity are set for resisting network intrusion using their spontaneous coordinate organization. Based on the comparisons of existing immunization strategies, such as target immune, acquaintance immune and random immunity, it is found that the importance of nodes in network are influenced by interaction between nodes, degree of nodes, information flow, and other factors. If the nodes are more important, they have a greater influence over the whole network. When important nodes are infected by virus, there will be a higher probability of spreading of hazard information. Therefore, this paper proposes a network security model using Agent technology, where important nodes are implanted with relationship immunization strategy. Experimental results show when the network suffered from random or malicious attacks, relationship immunization strategy is more effective than others existing methods.
Aquatic habitat assessment and river restoration design require geospatially explicit maps of hydraulic conditions. Diverse mechanistic ecohydraulic models compute spatially explicit depth and velocity results to evaluate habitat suitability spatially as a function of these abiotic conditions. This study compared depth and velocity results from two-dimensional (2D) and one-dimensional (1D) hydraulic models with algorithms that laterally discretize 1D velocity and interpolate depth and velocity spatially based on the Laplacian heat mapping approach. These 'conveyance distributed' methods constitute 'best 1D modelling practice' and were compared with 2D results for the first time. The 1D and 2D models were applied to three morphologically distinct reaches (leveed, meandering, and anastomosing) for three flows (base, bankfull, and flood flows) of the partially regulated, gravel/cobble lower Yuba River in north-central California. The test metrics were the coefficient of determination (R-2) and the median absolute residual (vertical bar(epsilon) over tilde vertical bar). These metrics quantified the incremental uncertainty 1D approximation incurs, results which make explicit cost-benefit processes of model selection possible. Finally, velocity residual maps were analysed to identify regions and processes where residuals were high, indicating divergence from the 1D assumptions. Paired data (1D-2D) fell between 0.94 = R-2 = 1.00 (R-mean(2) = 0.98 and R-median(2)= 0.99) for depth and median absolute residuals were all 3.8 <= vertical bar(epsilon) over tilde vertical bar <= 7.2% (i. e. 50% of residuals are approximately within +/- 1.7 to 3.6%). Higher flows and lower gradient reaches had lower residuals and higher R-2. Velocity diverged more, particularly for base flow in anastomosing reaches (0.42< R-2 < 0.58). One-dimensional, conveyance distributed, assumptions performed better for other channel types, where 0.6922.4% (i. e. similar to +/- 4.6 to +/- 11.2%), where vertical bar(epsilon) over tilde vertical bar(mean) = 14.2% and vertical bar(epsilon) over tilde vertical bar(median) = 13% (similar to +/- 7.1 and 6.5%). The conveyance distributed 1D velocity model performed best, where the orthogonal flow assumptions obtained and where side channels did not transition from backwater to conveying area between flows. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In this article we investigate if the Swedish consumer prices for electricity are adjusted equally fast regardless of whether the NordPool power market prices are decreased or increased. Due to relatively moderate variations in the variables, we have applied quantile regression, since it is mainly the large changes (above the median) that essentially tend to have a considerable effect on the consumer prices. Moreover, in order to adjust for stochastic- and deterministic trends, autocorrelation, structural breaks as well as to measure APT effects in the short- and in the medium-run, we apply a wavelet decomposition approach. Our results show evidence that significantly positive asymmetric price transmission (APT) effects exist in this market. More specifically, in the short-run (based on the wavelet decomposition D1 for 1-2 months cycles), we find that that there is a higher propensity to rapidly and systematically increase the consumer prices subsequently to an increase in the NordPool market price, compared with the propensity to decrease their customers prices subsequently to a corresponding drop in the NordPool market prices. However, no significant APT effects were detected in the medium- or in the long-run (i.e. the asymmetric price transmission effects are observed only in the short-run). In summary, we could isolate significant APT effects in the short-run (1-2 months decomposition cycles), and for large changes in the dependent variable (percentiles = 0.9). Therefore, only large changes in the NordPool prices lead to feedback effects in the form of asymmetric price transmission effects. Our evidence supports the notion of firms' downward stickiness of retail prices for maximizing profit, which are not expected to be found on a fully efficient market. Although our finding shows that the price inefficiency is short-lived, these large temporal inefficiencies are still costly for the consumers. It should be noted that blunt traditional powerless methods do not detect these APT effects, while our wavelet quantile methods are powerful and make a significant contribution in the literature by providing new empirical evidence.
Purpose - This study aims to provide a methodology for constructing farm household-level adaptation metrics for agriculture and water sectors. The livelihood of farm households is at risk now and in the foreseeable future, as both agriculture and water sectors are vulnerable to climate variability, particularly in developing nations. Adaptation is critical to protect their livelihood. Vulnerable farmers have adopted various adaptation mechanisms to counteract negative impacts of climate variability, though the extent varies temporally and spatially. Design/methodology/approach - It is, therefore, imperative to understand current adaptation practices for successfully implementing them. A few studies have emerged so far in this context, investigating different issues associated with micro-level adaptation strategies related to agriculture and water sectors, e.g. output and cost-effectiveness, and constraints related to farm, household and institutional levels. Findings - While such analysis is critical to enhance micro-level adaptation measures, there is a felt need to formulate adaptation metrics that can investigate the underlying factors in an integrated manner. For empirical assessment, 146 farmers were interviewed from different agro-ecological zones of Tamil Nadu, India, regarding seven adaptation measures, such as micro-irrigation, rainwater harvesting, resistant crops, use of bio-fertilisers, crop insurance, income diversification and community-based efforts. Practical implications - These adaptation measures were evaluated through an Analytical Hierarchy Process using four criteria: effective awareness, economic viability, individual and institutional compatibility and flexibility and independent benefits. Originality/value - The present study provides a methodology to identify barriers that limit implementation of adaptation measures, and enable target-oriented policy measures to promote appropriate adaptation strategies at the local level.
Smartphones have become ubiquitous in our society. With a large number of users spending more time and sharing more personal data with these devices, it would be beneficial to gain some understanding of data security. This paper presents different security issues regarding applications of Android systems which are one of the most popular mobile operating systems. The research also sheds a light on how the public feels about a number of privacy and security issues related to permissions and whether any additional factors play into an individual's understanding of the application permission framework.
The purpose of this paper is to study the design opportunities in high-speed toothless toroidal winding surface permanent magnet machine enabled by the implementation of silicon carbide-based power electronic inverters. High-speed machines designed with toothless toroidal winding configuration are beneficial to eliminating the cogging torque due to the absence of stator teeth, but the airgap flux density is reduced and inductance is small due to a large equivalent airgap. On the other hand, high-pole-count toroidal winding electric machines have the advantages of less total weight and volume than the low-pole-count machines. However, the high fundamental frequency required by the high-pole-count machine is challenging to meet with silicon-based power electronic drives because of the limited switching frequency. Silicon carbide-based devices have fast switching capability due to their MOSFET characteristics and can replace Silicon-IGBTs for high voltage applications, i.e. greater than 600 V. By using silicon carbide-based power electronic drives, the above two challenges of low inductance and high fundamental frequency requirement in high-pole-count toothless toroidal winding machines can be overcome. Research studies presented in this paper show that the implementation of silicon carbide-based drives reduces the current harmonic distortion of the high-pole-count toothless toroidal winding machine and makes it feasible for high-speed operation because low inductance and high current ripple issues can be mitigated.
This paper concerns the effect that a stochastic resonance can have on a vibration isolation system. Rather than reducing the transmitted force, it is shown that it is possible to significantly mask the component of the force transmitted though the isolator, when the system is excited harmonically. This can be achieved by adding a very low intensity of random noise to the harmonic excitation force. The nonlinear mechanical vibration isolation system used in the study consists of a vertical linear spring in parallel with two horizontal springs, which are configured so that the potential energy of the system has a double-well. Prior to the analytical and numerical study, an experiment to demonstrate stochastic resonance in a mechanical system is described. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The new styles and ways of life lead to greater use of wireless networks, the mobile device being a tool for data transmission, which are susceptible to threats in the transmission channels in the network. IT security plays a very important role in guaranteeing the availability, privacy and integrity of information, one of the techniques that helps in this task is cryptography, whose foundation is to transform a message so that it is unintelligible except for those who have the Key to decipher it. The research focuses on the use of the RSA algorithm between mobile devices, the encrypted data is sent through communication channels called threads that through formulas and processes executed on the server, will help to execute the encryption and decryption of the data. To carry it out, a prototype for the exchange of data between mobile devices wirelessly was designed and implemented, conducting performance tests with three nodes to improve the security. The results show the efficiency of the algorithm and additionally its functionality, the times of encryption and decryption are fast against the sending of information without any method or algorithm used.
While teaching network analysis to undergraduate students, the frequency response of electrical circuits consisting of passive elements such as resistors, capacitors and inductors are commonly analysed. Students are familiar with the sharp amplitude peak or trough normally occurring at resonance. This observation is not only intuitively pleasing, but also consistent with the concept of resonance in many physical systems. In the well-known series and parallel RLC circuits, the maximum and minimum currents, respectively, occur at resonance. Because of this, many students and even instructors (sometimes) may erroneously assume that the resonance in general RLC circuits implies maximum or minimum current. In this paper, it will be shown that this is generally untrue. The theoretical analyses and experimental validation of series, parallel and series-parallel RLC circuits are presented to address this common misconception.
In this paper, the authors argue that video games offer unique and pervasive opportunities for children to develop social dispositions that are necessary to succeed in the 21st century. To this end, they discuss the design of TavCats-a virtual role-playing game that aimed to engage children (ages 9 to 13) in understanding, acting upon, and coming to value being caring and compassionate. The authors' discussion takes the form of a design narrative through which they explain the connections between their theoretical commitments and design decisions. Specifically, they review four design elements they utilized in their design work: identity claims, boundary objects, profession trajectories, and cyclic gameplay. The authors briefly share their observations from a pilot study with children in an afterschool setting to illustrate how their design work might be realized in the world. They conclude their paper with a discussion of the implications of their work for designing educational video games for supporting social dispositions as well as academic learning, and future directions.
Automata synchronization has many important applications, mostly in conformance testing of electrical circuits, self-correcting codes and protocol testing. Finding a shortest synchronizing word cannot be done in polynomial time, assuming P not equal NP. In some situations, especially for very large automata, finding such a word is almost impossible. Therefore, we accept any synchronizing word that is reasonably short and can be calculated in short time. The existing algorithms are either polynomial (quick, but not optimal) or exponential (exact, but useless in case of large automata). In this paper we present a flexible algorithmic framework for synchronization. It allows the user to parameterize the algorithm to obtain a desired balance in terms of a trade-off between memory usage, runtime and optimality. We also discuss many practical issues that affect efficiency of an implementation. In particular, we design a new polynomial backward algorithm, which works significantly better than previously used heuristic algorithms. Finally, we present detailed results of experiments involving automata up to 2000 states, which compare our algorithms in various settings and the other known algorithms, and check the impact of different parameters on the results. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE There is increasing interest in neuromodulation for addiction. Methamphetamine abuse is a global health epidemic with no proven treatment. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of intermittent nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) deep brain stimulation (DBS) on operant methamphetamine intake and on methamphetamine seeking when stimulation is delivered in an environment different from that of drug use. METHODS Eighteen rats were implanted with intravenous (IV) catheters and bilateral AcbSh electrodes and subsequently underwent daily sessions in 2-lever (active/methamphetamine and inactive/no reward) operant chambers to establish IV methamphetamine self-administration. After stable responding was achieved, 3 hours of DBS or sham treatment was administered (sham: 0 mu A, n = 8; active: 200 mu A, n = 10) in a separate nondrug environment prior to the daily operant sessions for 5 consecutive days. Immediately following each DBS/sham treatment, rats were placed in the operant chambers to examine the effects of remote stimulation on methamphetamine intake. After the 5 days of therapy were finished, rats reestablished a posttreatment baseline, followed by extinction training, abstinence, and 1 day of relapse testing to assess methamphetamine-seeking behavior. RESULTS There was a decrease in total methamphetamine intake in rats receiving active DBS versus sham on Days 1 (42%) and 2 (44%). Methamphetamine administration returned to baseline levels following the cessation of DBS therapy. Compared with baseline drug responding, methamphetamine seeking was reduced (57%) in the DBS group but not in the sham group. CONCLUSIONS It is feasible to deliver noncontinuous DBS outside of the drug use environment with a resultant decrease in IV methamphetamine intake and seeking. The AcbSh is a neuroanatomical substrate for psychostimulant reinforcement and may be a target for intermittent neuromodulatory therapies that could be administered during brief periods of sobriety.
Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (FPE) was studied for possible ecotoxicity on two representative toxigenic cyanobacteria including Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis viridis. Growth curves, chlorophyll a content, protein content, microcystin levels, oxidative stress, and apoptosis rates were measured for the two cyanobacteria after exposure to different concentrations of FPE. Results showed that the changes in chlorophyll a content and protein content were consistent with cell density, and M. viridis was more sensitive than M. aeruginosa to FPE. The results of oxidative stress indicated that FPE induced the generation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in these two cyanobacteria. To further explore the toxicity of FPE, apoptosis rates and toxin levels were measured for the two cyanobacteria. Different degrees of apoptosis rates were observed in the two cyanobacteria, and the apoptosis rates increased with the increase concentration of FPE. The intracellular and extracellular MC-LR were both affect by FPE. The presence of FPE in aquatic ecosystem may stimulate the synthesis and release of MC-LR, which may cause serious water pollution and pose threats to human health. These results may be useful for the ecotoxicity assessment of FPE and guiding the rational use of pesticides in agriculture.
Microbiological deterioration was observed on a historic collection of retouched glass plate negatives. The collection came from a burnt manor house that belonged to the Brandys family before World War Ilnd. The photographs were taken at the end of 19th century. The collection consists of 35 glass plate negatives, 4 of which were examined for possible presence of microorganisms. The current state of the negatives indicated that the collection may have been flooded. Initially, the viability of the microorganisms on the plates was examined using luminescence adenosine phosphate assay. The fungi were isolated and identified with molecular biology methods as Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Hypocrea Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium sp. As the historic negatives were covered with a protective varnish layer, the impact of the isolated fungi on test negative plates covered with dammar and sandarac varnishes, and on a gelatine image layer were examined. The most effective in degradation of gelatine emulsion was T. longibrachiatum. All of the investigated microorganisms quickly decomposed silver image in gelatine layer not covered with varnish in opposite to slower decomposition of silver image in gelatine layer covered with sandarac and dammar varnishes. UV-induced luminescence observation confirmed that the microorganisms quickly decomposed gelatin layer not covered with varnish. The cracking of varnish was the result of fungal activity within gelatin, however, some fungi also attacked the varnish itself. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper analyzes the possibility to substitute the gray iron, traditionally used for the production of relevant parts in woodworking machines, with ductile iron or vermicular iron. A large experimental campaign to determine the mechanical beavior of ductile and vermicular irons respect to tensile, fatigue, and fracture loads was conducted and the microstructures were also analyzed. Results show that ductile or vermicular cast iron in parts and components of machine tools could provide additional stiffness and resistance for the high precision woodworking respect to Gray Iron. A balanced utilization of these alternative irons would permit to take a full advantage by each specific property (as strength, hardness, weight, etc.).
Synthetic azo dyes with aromatic rings have become an important source of water pollution worldwide due to its high color, high toxicity and non biodegradability. In this study, Microbial fuel cell coupled constructed wetlands (CW-MFCs) were constructed for azo dye degradation. The performance of X-3B degradation, COD removal and electricity generation in the CW-MFCs were investigated. Experimental results showed that COD removal rate with co-substrate was consistently higher than that of without co-substrate, with the removal rates of 76.2% and 51.7%, respectively. X-3B removal efficiencies with different hydraulic retention time (HRT) (24, 48 and 72 h) were 19.7%, 39.1% and 84.7% without co substrate. The highest detected power density was 0.043 W m(-3) at the external resistance of 600 Omega. UVvis absorption spectra analyze indicated that the degradation of reactive brilliant red X-3B first occurred at the conjugation system, and later at the naphthalene rings and the benzene rings. The best X 3B degradation effect was achieved with additional co-substrate and longer HRT. However, the extension of HRT may affect the internal resistance on the contrary.
Identification of allergen epitopes is a key component in proper understanding of the pathogenesis of type I allergies, for understanding cross-reactivity and for the development of mimotope immunotherapeutics. Phage particles have garnered recognition in the field of molecular allergology due to their value not only in competitive immunoscreening of peptide libraries but also as immunogenic carriers of allergen mimotopes. They integrate epitope discovery technology and immunization functions into a single platform. This article provides an overview of allergen mimotopes identified through the phage display technique. We discuss the contribution of phage display peptide libraries in determining dominant B-cell epitopes of allergens, in developing mimotope immunotherapy, in understanding cross-reactivity, and in determining IgE epitope profiles of individual patients to improve diagnostics and individualize immunotherapy. We also discuss the advantages and pitfalls of the methodology used to identify and validate the mimotopes.
Using the Navier-Stokes equation and assuming a viscosity radially modulated for a quasi-Newtonian fluid, we obtain the impedance of a fluid through microchannels and their corresponding electrical analogs. To solve the Navier-Stokes equation will use the Laplace transform, the Bromwich integral, the residue theorem and Bessel functions. This will give a formula for the impedance in terms of Bessel functions and from these equations to be constructed equivalent electrical circuits. These solutions correspond to the case of quasi-Newtonian fluid it is to say a fluid that does not stagnate in the channel wall as is the case if the fluid is Newtonian. The formulas obtained may have applications in the general theory of microfluidics and microscopic systems design for drug delivery.
Nitrogen (N) deposition is expected to have great impact on forest ecosystems by affecting many aspects of plant environmental interactions, one of which involves its influences on plant water relations through modifications of plant hydraulic architecture. However, there is a surprising lack of integrative study on tree hydraulic architecture responses to N deposition, especially at the whole-plant level. In the present study, we used a 5-year N addition experiment to simulate the effects of six different levels of N deposition (20-120 kg ha(-1) year(-1)) on growth and whole-plant hydraulic conductance of a dominant tree species (Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr.) from the typical temperate forest of NE China. The results showed that alleviation of N limitation by moderate concentrations of fertilization (20-80 kg ha(-1) year(-1)) promoted plant growth, but further N additions on top of the threshold level showed negative effects on plant growth. Growth responses of F mandshurica seedlings to N addition of different concentrations were accompanied by corresponding changes in whole-plant hydraulic conductance: higher growth rate was accompanied by reduced whole-plant hydraulic conductance (K-plant) and higher leaf water-use efficiency. A detailed analysis on hydraulic conductance of different components of the whole-plant water transport pathway revealed that changes in root and leaf hydraulic conductance, rather than that of the stem, were responsible for K-plant responses to N fertilization. Both plant growth and hydraulic architecture responses to increasing levels of N addition were not linear, i.e., the correlation between measured parameters and N availability exhibited bell-shaped curves with peak values observed at medium levels of N fertilization. Changes in hydraulic architecture in response to fertilization found in the present study may represent an important underlying mechanism for the commonly observed changes in water-related tree performances in response to N deposition.
Similarly to inorganic memristors, the organic memristive devices reveal a variation of the hysteresis loop upon the frequency of the applied bias voltage. The on/off ratio of the conductivity increases from 4 to 1000 Limes for the variation of time delay (equilibration after the application of the voltage increment) from 5 to 60 s. Being implemented in multi-element electrical circuits memristive devices provide a cross-talk, leading to an equilibration trend of the conductivity values. This effect is mainly related to the formation of stable signal pathways. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Virtual screening, the search for bioactive compounds via computational methods, provides a wide range of opportunities to speed up drug development and reduce the associated risks and costs. While virtual screening is already a standard practice in pharmaceutical companies, its applications in preclinical academic research still remain under-exploited, in spite of an increasing availability of dedicated free databases and software tools. In this survey, an overview of recent developments in this field is presented, focusing on free software and data repositories for screening as alternatives to their commercial counterparts, and outlining how available resources can be interlinked into a comprehensive virtual screening pipeline using typical academic computing facilities. Finally, to facilitate the set-up of corresponding pipelines, a downloadable software system is provided, using platform virtualization to integrate pre-installed screening tools and scripts for reproducible application across different operating systems.
The use of cyanobacteria for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater is gaining interest due to its lower cost of operation and being environmentally benign. As chromium (Cr(VI)) is potentially toxic and carcinogenic for humans, its removal from water and wastewater is obligatory in order to avoid water pollution. In the present study, the capacity of a living cyanobacterial consortium consisting of Limnococcus limneticus and Leptolyngbya subtilis, collected from East Kolkata Wetland, a wetland of international importance, for removal of Cr(VI) is investigated at different operating conditions. Input variables such as initial concentration of Cr(VI), pH and inoculum size are varied using one factor at a time (OFAT) analysis in the range of 5-30 mg/L, 7-11 and 2-10%, respectively. An optimum removal of 50% is achieved after 12 days of inoculation with initial concentration of 15 mg/L Cr(VI) at pH 9 and with inoculum size 10%. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) studies have ascertained the uptake of Cr(VI) by the living consortium. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study has revealed that the amine, phosphate and carbonyl groups are involved for binding vis-a-vis biosorption of Cr(VI). The increase in inoculum size improves the percentage removal of Cr(VI). To assess the possibility of biofuel production, the cells are harvested for their dry biomass and lipid content. An increase in both dry biomass and lipid content is observed when living consortium is grown in Cr(VI) contaminated simulated wastewater instead of BC-11 medium. A regression model is developed to predict the interactive effect of four input variables namely initial concentration of Cr(VI), initial solution pH, inoculum size and time with three output variables namely dry biomass, lipid content and percentage removal of Cr(VI). Finally, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is employed to optimize the process conditions for removal of Cr(VI). The optimum condition obtained from RSM study is initial Cr(VI) concentration:10 mg/L, pH: 9, inoculum size: 4%, time: 9 days and the predicted percentage removal (51%) matches quite well with experimental one (52.7%). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
While most commercially available functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) systems employ optical fibers for both the measurement optode and the transmission cable for optical signals, their material inflexibility presents some problems in stable optode fixation to the head surface and adequate cable lining to the main system. In practice, mechanical fluctuations of optical fibers in fNIRS measurement often lead to motion artifacts in the signals. A few fiber-less fNIRS systems are available and equipped with light sources and detectors that directly adhere to the scalp surface. However, their shapes and detection sensitivities are not suitable for usage on a hair-covered head. Based on the commercial fiber-less fNIRS system OEG-16 (Spectratech Inc., Japan), we developed a new source-detector unit that was designed with LEDs for enhanced illumination, avalanche photodiodes instead of photodiodes, and a new holder system. The electrical circuits of the system were modified after the design. By simultaneous implementation of multi-distance fNIRS measurement and hemodynamic modality separation on conventional fNIRS data at the bilateral parietal area during single-sided motor tasks, significant functional signals were observed only at the position contralateral to the side of movement. This is the first report describing a fiber-less fNIRS system that can detect functional signals on a hair-covered head. We believe this fiber-less system will improve the utility of fNIRS, particularly in less restraining conditions.
Purpose of reviewCurrently, dramatic changes in allergy treatment can be observed in many countries: The availability of monocomponent products with pharmaceutical quality for sublingual immunotherapy is likely to have a strong impact on all immunotherapy practices and the specialty in general. The market for patient-named products with allergenic mixtures can be expected to shrink. Allergists are concerned about the possibility that single-source products for immunotherapy might be insufficient to serve the needs of all polyallergic' patients.Recent findingsThe availability of molecular IgE-testing as a novel diagnostic tool will clarify that much of the previously perceived polyallergy' has to be interpreted as pseudo-polyallergy.' It can be predicted that the needs of the vast majority of polysensitizations will be met by the novel allergen components, which are marketing for subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy.In countries where compounding of patient-tailored allergen extracts' has been traditionally practiced, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are currently being challenged. A recent survey (Allermix) in Europe suggests that allergists believe that the vast majority of polyallergic patients can be adequately treated with registered products without compounding. Compounding by allergists or allergen manufacturers will still be necessary for a limited number of patients with several independent allergies.SummaryIt appears that a limited portfolio aligned to health authority recommendations will be sufficient to answer treatment habits of allergists even in polysensitized patients.
The paper aims at defining a methodology to evaluate the lightning performance of a system of overhead distribution lines. As is well known, the evaluation of the lightning performance relies generally on a Monte Carlo approach that generates many different lightning events and calculates the corresponding over-voltages. To perform such calculation, the power system computer aided design (PSCAD) module developed in the companion paper is adopted. However, as any call to PSCAD implies a non-negligible computational effort, here an efficient approach is presented in order to limit the number of simulations as much as possible. The obtained results are compared with the ones provided by other available techniques both on simple structures in order to highlight the main features of the method and on a typical Italian distribution network segment. The comparative analysis shows good agreement between the methods and the effectiveness of the proposed technique in terms of computational effort reduction.
This paper presents a nonlinear power system stabilizer based on a pointwise min-norm control law and a third order state space mathematical model of the synchronous generator connected through transmission lines to the power system. Commonly, the mathematical model includes transient electromotive force as a state variable that cannot be measured. Therefore, the mathematical model is transformed in a form containing all measurable variables. Furthermore, the control law for the proposed stabilizer also considers voltage regulation. The proposed algorithm has been implemented in a digital control system and its performance experimentally verified on a 83 kVA synchronous generator connected to the power system. Experimental results referring to the change in voltage and mechanical power reference, for disconnection of the transmission line, three phase and two phase short circuit, and forced oscillations are presented and compared to a PSS2A stabilizer. The experimental results show better performance of the excitation system with the proposed stabilizer compared to the system with a conventional PI voltage controller and PSS2A stabilizer. Furthermore, the results show that the proposed stabilizer is robust to system changes in the case of small and large disturbances, as well as near the generator stability limit. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper is concerned with the design of a self-scheduled current controller for doubly fed induction machines. The design is based on the framework of linear parameter-varying systems where the mechanical angular speed is considered to be a measurable time-varying parameter. The objective is to obtain robust dynamic performance for all variations of the mechanical rotor speed in a specified operating range. Employing the benefits of digital control, a continuous-to-discrete time transformation is utilized to replace the continuous-time current controller by an approximating discrete-time controller. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the performance and robustness of the controlled system with respect to changes of the mechanical rotor speed and against stator voltage dips.
Personality profiles describe individual persons' locations on multiple trait dimensions and enable calculation of profile similarity indices for individual persons and dyads. They are easily misinterpreted, however, unless two components are distinguished: a normative component comprising the sample means of the variables and a distinctive component reflecting the given individual's deviations from those means. These two profile components provide different kinds of information. Focusing on person-perception research, we review predictors of the similarity of individual profiles to the normative profile (i.e., profile normativeness) and of the agreement between distinctive profiles. We also provide some suggestions for future research.
This paper proposes a simple approach to measure the elbow joint angle (EJA) using galvanic coupling system (GCS), directly; whereas, the traditional methods involved in either complex machine-learning task or arm movement models in which the consideration of model parameters are not accurate very often. First, a correlation between the EJA and GCS data has been established by defining a polynomial function based on a simple six-impedance model of human upper arm, where the EJA (theta) has been achieved by moving the forearm along the sagittal and transverse planes with different loads (empty hand, 1 and 2 kg). The coefficients of the polynomial are estimated based on the polynomial fit technique in which the actual angles (reference frame) are calculated by using motion data. In total, eleven subjects (seven males and four females) with the age of 30 +/- 6 years have been considered during the experiment. However, the GCS data of eight subjects are used to derive the correlation, exclusively. Furthermore, the influence of muscle fatigue and different loads on the derived correlation has been studied. Next, based on the derived correlation, the EJA has been measured in two parts-inside and outside tests by considering six subjects. The results show that the proposed idea can measure the EJA very effectively with error up to +/- 0.11 rad (6 degrees). Moreover, in a performance comparison, the proposed approach shows its compatibility by indicating low complexity, higher accuracy, and easy to measure.
Background: Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) is a soluble inhibitor of the canonical Wnt pathway, which plays critical roles in embryonic development. Evidence suggests that this molecule regulates several aspects of both bone biology and fibrosis. Objectives: To provide an overview of our current knowledge of the role of Dkk-1 in joint remodeling and fibrosis. Methods: We performed an electronic search (Medline) using the following key words: Dickkopf-1 (or Dkk-1), new bone formation, joint remodeling, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic sclerosis (or scleroderma), and fibrosis, supplemented by a manual search of references from retrieved articles. Results: Dkk-1 is a master regulator of joint remodeling in animal models of arthritis shifting the balance toward new bone formation when its expression is decreased and toward erosion/joint destruction when its expression is increased. In humans, evidence suggests that Dkk-1 may be dysfunctional in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a prototype bone forming disease. Moreover, data from animal models indicate that Dkk-1 has a protective role against fibrosis in several organs. Recent data suggest that inhibiting the canonical Wnt pathway by overexpression of Dkk-1 could be a way to target TGF-beta signaling in fibrotic diseases. Finally, B-cell depletion therapy in systemic sclerosis may exert its effects through TGF-beta dependent upregulation of Dkk-1. Conclusions: Dkk-1 appears to play a crucial role in both joint remodeling/ectopic ossification and fibrosis, and may be a prospective therapeutic modality for fibrotic diseases or diseases characterized by pathologic joint remodeling. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Electrical machines are, especially in combination with modern power electronics, the driving horse in industry, traction and automotive applications. So there is a lot of research ongoing in the fields of new or improved topologies, better performance and increased efficiency. Latter one requires a better knowledge of the loss mechanisms in the machine in order to find solutions to reduce them. The iron losses, resulting from a varying magnetization in the ferromagnetic lamination sheets, are the most complex loss component in an electrical machine. One factor influencing the iron losses significantly is the manufacturing process. Among the different production steps, punching of the machines lamination can be considered to have a very high impact on the magnetic properties. If there is knowledge on how these properties depend on the mechanical and the process parameters there is considerable potential to optimize the process or the machine design to increase the machines efficiency. This paper will present simulation models trying to forecast the losses of punched lamination sheets. Therefore, the punching process was simulated with Finite-Element software. The resulting distribution of mechanical stress and plastic strain was incorporated in the Jiles-Atherton model to calculate the magnetic hysteresis of the lamination sheet. A comparison with measurements will show the applicability of the methodology.
This study presents an innovative field experiment exploring ethnic discrimination in contacts between local public officials and members of Swedish society. Using a correspondence study design, fictitious individuals with Arabic-and Swedish-sounding names contacted Swedish municipalities via email, asking questions about access to preschools. The findings indicate disadvantageous treatment of individuals with Arabic-sounding names in terms of the informal tone of the replies, as Swedish-sounding names were replied to in a friendlier, more welcoming way. Regarding the more formal aspects of the emails - i.e., whether they were replied to at all and the questions posed were directly answered - no statistically significant signs of discrimination emerge (although differences were of some substantial size, to the disadvantage of Arabic-sounding names). Still, informal disadvantageous treatment is sufficient cause for concern and noteworthy in the case of Sweden, considering its reputation as being egalitarian, immigration friendly and democratically well functioning.
Dance movement is intrinsically connected to the rhythm of music and is a fundamental form of nonverbal communication present in daily human interactions. In order to enable robots to interact with humans in natural real-world environments through dance, these robots must be able to listen to music while robustly tracking the beat of continuous musical stimuli and simultaneously responding to human speech. In this paper, we propose the integration of a real-time beat tracking system with state recovery with different preprocessing solutions used in robot audition for its application to interactive dancing robots. The proposed system is assessed under different real-world acoustic conditions of increasing complexity, which consider multiple audio sources of different kinds, multiple noise sources of different natures, continuous musical and speech stimuli, and the effects of beat-synchronous ego-motion noise and of jittering in ego noise (EN). The overall results suggest improved beat tracking accuracy with lower reaction times to music transitions, while still enhancing automatic speech recognition (ASR) run in parallel in the most challenging conditions. These results corroborate the application of the proposed system for interactive dancing robots.
As the culminating experience in ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering programs, capstone design courses might seem an ideal setting for fine-tuning graduating seniors' professional communication skills prior to entering the workplace. Most capstone courses, however, involve team deliverables, including the written project report. As such, ensuring an equal opportunity for writing skills advancement and assessment for all course participants is difficult. But in the mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering (MIME) capstone design course at Oregon State University, incorporating an individual writing experience is necessitated by its status as the designated writing-intensive (WI) course for MIME majors. As such, and despite its large size (typically 100-140 students), the course must satisfy the associated university-wide WI requirements-including the specification that individual writing accounts for at least 25% of students' final course grade. Meeting this requirement involves three interwoven course components: (1) An iteratively developed project report in which team members are assigned specific authorial and editorial roles and that involves formative assessment and revision cycles, (2) a metacognitive element involving reflective self-assessment and individual goal setting, and (3) a variety of infrastructural support resources and tools that facilitate production and assessment of student writing. This article describes the MIME approach as a case study for incorporating individual writing in capstone design. The authors recognize that as a solution devised in response to local opportunities and constraints, its off-the-shelf'' adoption at other engineering institutions may be neither appropriate nor viable; the information is being offered solely in the spirit of showing that such an effort is possible and to invite wider cross-institutional conversation on this topic.
SAFER is a family of block ciphers, which is comprised of SAFER K, SAFER SK, SAFER+ and SAFER++. SAFER SK was proposed to strengthen the key schedule of SAFER K. SAFER+ was designed as an AES candidate and SAFER++ was among the cryptographic primitives selected for the second phase of the NESSIE project. This paper presented the first zero-correlation linear cryptanalytic attack against the SAFER block cipher family. We investigated the linear properties of PHT employed as the linear layer of the SAFER block ciphers, and identified zero-correlation linear approximations for SAFER SK, SAFER+ and SAFER++. Moreover, we displayed several characterizations of the undisturbed bits, and found that there exists an undisturbed bit in the exponential S-box, which can be applied to reduce the computational complexity in the key recovery attacks on 5 rounds of SAFER SK/128 and 4(5) rounds of SAFER+/128(256), 5(6) rounds of SAFER++/128(256). More rounds of the SAFER block ciphers can be attacked with the linear relations of correlation zero.
The generator of relaxation oscillations on the unijunction transistor is investigated. On its basis the generator of rectangular impulses is designed and manufactured, which is used in this work for fast charging of the capacitor when studying free oscillations in RLC-circuit. Measurements of all parameters of a contour are carried out. By means of an additional high-frequency detector and of devices of the generator AHP1003 and the oscilloscope TDS2012B quality amplitude-frequency characteristics are measured. Technical results of the conducted researches are the new laboratory installation for study of oscillatory processes in electrical circuits and the generator of rectangular impulses on the unijunction transistor.
Forward quantification of simulation (code) response uncertainties requires knowledge of physical model parameter uncertainties. Nuclear thermal-hydraulics codes, such as RELAP5 and TRACE, do not provide any information on uncertainties of physical model parameters. A framework is developed to quantify uncertainties of physical model parameters using Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), Bayesian Maximum A Priori (MAP), and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms. The objective of the present work is to perform the sensitivity analysis of the physical model parameters in code TRACE and calculate their uncertainties using MLE, MAP, and MCMC algorithms. The OECD/NEA BWR Full-size fine-mesh Bundle Test (BFBT) data is used to quantify uncertainty of selected physical models of TRACE code. The BFBT is based on a multi-rod assembly with measured data available for single or two-phase pressure drop, axial and radial void fraction distributions, and critical power for a wide range of system conditions. In this work, the steady-state cross-sectional averaged void fraction distribution is used as the input data for inverse uncertainty quantification (IUQ) algorithms, and the selected physical model's probability distribution function (PDF) is the desired output quantity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper deals with an issue from the field of proxernics, that refers to the perception and the usage of space, as a way of transmitting messages, attitudes and behaviors in the military in certain situations. By defining the concepts of proxemics and establishing the four types of distances between humans: intimate, personal, social and public, we aim to identify elements of this area that are characteristic for drill in the Romanian Armed Forces. Consequently, the work proposes, particularly in the army, to reveal the significations of norms established in the military general regulations and their impact on the military personnel. We aim to answer to the following research question: Does the Romanian Armed Forces' drill regulations take into account the aspects of human topology or the role of personal distances in everyday transactions? In addition, we intend to analyze in a comparative manner the Romanian and foreign (American and European) military drill regulations and to identify if certain specific elements of proxernics possess cultural connotations. The research methodology is based on a mixed method, consisting in document study: the study of distances in the military drill regulations.
Introduction. The Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) by Bishop is a useful scale for evaluation of pragmatic verbal abilities in school children. The aim of the study is to ascertain the validity and reliability of the CCC in Spanish. Subjects and methods. Answers to the CCC items by parents of 360 children with normal intelligence were analyzed. There were five groups: 160 control children; 68 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 77 with procedural non-verbal disorder, 25 children with social communication disorder and 30 with autism spectrum disorder. Investigations included: factorial analysis in order to cluster checklist items, reliability analyses of the proposed scales and discriminant analysis to check whether the scale correctly classifies children with pragmatic verbal abilities. Results. Seven factors were obtained (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin: 0.852) with moderate similarity with those of the original scale: social relationships, interests, and five more that can be grouped into pragmatic verbal ability (conversational abilities, coherence-comprehension, empathy nonverbal communication and appropriateness). All factors are significantly correlated with each other in the control group, and the five that compose pragmatic verbal ability correlate with each other in the clinical groups (Pearson r). The scales have good reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.914). The questionnaire correctly classifies 98.9% of grouped cases with and without pragmatic disorder and 78% of subjects in their appropriate clinical group. Besides, the questionnaire allows to differentiate the pathologies according to the presence and intensity of the symptoms. Conclusions. This Spanish version of the CCC is highly valid and reliable. The proposed statistics can be used as normative-reference values.
Introduction: Gingival overgrowth, a known side effect of calcium channel blockers, particularly nifedipine, usually presents as a diffuse overgrowth. An unusual presentation of amlodipine-induced gingival overgrowth is presented here, with a large, erythematous gingival mass as the most prominent feature, and rapid, almost complete resolution of the mass after reduction of amlodipine dosage. Case Presentation: A boy, aged 7 years, presented with a gingival mass first noticed a week previously, with no associated discomfort or bleeding. His medical history was significant for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, bone marrow transplant 5 years previously, and subsequent development of severe chronic graft-versus-host-disease. Hismedication included: 1) amlodipine; 2) enalapril; 3) tacrolimus; 4) sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim; 5) voriconazole; 6) hydrocortisone cream; and 7) intravenous immunoglobulin infusions. Allergies included: 1) vancomycin; 2) metoclopramide; 3) clonidine; and 4) latex. Examination revealed mild generalized gingival overgrowth and the presence of a large, erythematous, sessile, soft, non-tender mass on the mandibular right gingiva between the primary lateral incisor and canine, resembling a pyogenic granuloma. No suppuration, bleeding on probing, or radiographic abnormalities were noted. A recommendation was made to the physician of the patient to replace amlodipine with a different class of antihypertensive. In response, amlodipine dosage was decreased by 50% to 2.5 mg daily. At a 2-week follow-up visit, considerable reduction in size of the gingival mass had occurred, and shortly after complete resolution was reported by his parents. No other intervention, such as scaling or excision, had been performed. Conclusion: Discontinuation or reduction of the amlodipine dose to < 5 mg daily prior to any surgical intervention should be considered in patients taking amlodipine presenting with a gingival mass.
An open question in cell biology is how the general intracellular transport machinery is adapted to perform specialized functions in polarized cells such as neurons. Here we illustrate this adaptation by elucidating a role for the ubiquitous small GTPase Ras-related protein in brain 5 (Rab5) in neuronal polarity. We show that inactivation or depletion of Rab5 in rat hippocampal neurons abrogates the somatodendritic polarity of the transferrin receptor and several glutamate receptor types, resulting in their appearance in the axon. This loss of polarity is not caused primarily by increased transport from the soma to the axon but rather by decreased retrieval from the axon to the soma. Retrieval is also dependent on the Rab5 effector Fused Toes (FTS)-Hook-FTS and Hook-interacting protein (FHIP) (FHF) complex, which interacts with the minus-end-directed microtubule motor dynein and its activator dynactin to drive a population of axonal retrograde carriers containing somatodendritic proteins toward the soma. These findings emphasize the importance of both biosynthetic sorting and axonal retrieval for the polarized distribution of somatodendritic receptors at steady state.
Objective: Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that predominantly affects the axial skeleton. The ability of anti-TNF-alpha agents to reduce disease activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), including AS, has been demonstrated in multiple randomized trials and several meta-analyses. Reports on the efficacy of rituximab in treatment of AS have described good results. We report on a patient with AS who failed anti-TNF-a therapy but showed good clinical improvement with rituximab therapy. Case Report: A 38-year-old male patient was diagnosed with AS and showed poor response to sulfasalazine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Infliximab was initiated with marked improvement as per the Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI). Due to disease flare, the patient was switched to etanercept. He subsequently acquired papillary thyroid cancer and etanercept was discontinued. He underwent a total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine therapy. For his ongoing active disease, NSAIDs and sulfasalazine were resumed with a lack of response (BASDAI= 7.1). Rituximab was started and resulted in significant improvement (BASDAI=2.3). Conclusions: Rituximab can be a potential target therapy for patients who start to lose response to TNF-inhibitors or for those who develop solid malignancies. Further placebo-controlled studies are required.
The scientific, technological, and application challenges that arise from the mutual interaction of developmental robotics and computational human behavior understanding give rise to two different perspectives. Robots need to be capable to learn dynamically and incrementally how to interpret, and thus understand multimodal human behavior, which means behavior analysis can be performed for developmental robotics. On the other hand, behavior analysis can also be performed through developmental robotics, since developmental social robots can offer stimulating opportunities for improving scientific understanding of human behavior, and especially to allow a deeper analysis of the semantics and structure of human behavior. The contributions to the Special Issue explore these two perspectives.
West coast of Taiwan belongs to alluvial plain, and has rich sediment delivery in early stage. Based on river sediment transport, sea wave, and wind affected, huge amount of sediment deposited in the river outlet to the sea. Coupled with the longshore sediment transport resulted, gradually to the formation of many small barrier islands along the coast. With the passage of time, there was more and more sediment deposition thus the formation of a watershed which we called lagoon as the inside sea. The lagoon connectivity within outside sea by the inlets which made inside sea water exchanged with outside sea water, not only refreshing the water quality but also enriching the ecosystem. The port facilities construction in light of the active and increasing demand of marine transit and international trading business, coupled with upper stream reservoirs construction and the down stream sand and gravel mining, create the river sediment transport declining and directly impact on coastal change and erosion problem. The barrier islands in Tainan coast have seriously eroded and decrease the elevation, gradually loss of natural flood detention function. The ecology and fishery resources of the lagoon face threats and coastal areas occurrence of flooding. The barrier islands shift to the land make the lagoon serious siltation; the elevation decreasing of the barrier islands make new inlets whenever the typhoons pass. The tidal current velocities changes due to the tidal movement, not only make the loss of barrier island, but also expand the width of inlet. This project is to restore the barrier islands in Wangye Port, Beimen, Tainan, and the construct changes the traditional beach nourishment construction method, and applying the geotextile tubes which donated by ACE Geosynthetics. The barrier islands locate in the south side of Chishui River's outlet to the sea, the total length about 6.5 km. From 1962-2002, a comprehensive erosion situation in the Beimen's coastline, 460m width beach disappear in north of Wangye Port, the average annual erosion up to 5.3m/year. The sea meteorological in Wangye Port has average tidal range of 1.03m, the average wave height about 1.1m, the 50-year return period of storm wave height is about 6.0 similar to 6.7 m. The width of inlet from 150 becomes to 200 m in half a year, and the velocity of inlet is about 2m/s. The traditional sand-fixed hedge and sand-dune vegetation engineering method can't resolve the issue of enlargement in the inlet. Coupled with the tidal current velocity with the tidal change in inlet, the restoration work must race against time to avoid new inlet formation due to the necking effect of inlet containment. In the past, people used geotextile bag which volume was 1m(3) to implement of restoration engineering. Low strength and less weight caused damage after the typhoon attacked. At present, we suggest using geotextile tube which circumference of 8.6 m and 50 m in length, not only the weight is 200 times to the original sandbag, but also is an efficient construction method. With the 400 horsepower dredge boat, 10 inch HDPE sediment transport pipes and link geotextile tube with 8 inch hose. A 50m long geotextile tube installation can be completed within two hours under the sediment transport efficient is about 150 m(3)/hr. After the installation of the geotextile tube, the bamboo piles in both side of geotextile tubes then backfill the sand, the total duration about one month. As a result, the backfill area has reached the total filling volume of 9500m(3) of sand source which is from the lagoon. The construction period, due to the inlet width gradually reduced, the seaward side of the beach has significant sediment deposition phenomenon. The lagoon known as the natural protective barrier has the call of marine reservoir, the inlet closed can completely solve the barrier island shift to the land and caused the inside sea siltation. The barrier islands play a natural detention flood, prevention disaster function. Results to corroborate the geotextile tube not only is applicable to solving the lagoon siltation and inlet closed but also offers speedy and friendly solution to deal with environmental and reinforcement barrier island without effecting the livelihood of fishermen and Oyster farmers'.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by difficulties with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and the development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. As a result, individuals with ASD are at an increased risk of bullying victimization, compared to typically developing peers. This paper reviews the literature that has emerged over the past decade regarding prevalence of bullying involvement in the ASD population, as well as associated psychosocial factors. Directions for future research are suggested, including areas of research that are currently unexplored or underdeveloped. Methodological issues such as defining and measuring bullying, as well as informant validity and reliability, are considered. Implications for intervention are discussed.
In recent years, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has gained more and more popularity as an application of the Internet technology. For various IP applications including VoIP, the topic of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) has attracted major concern from researchers. SIP is an advanced signaling protocol operating on Internet Telephony. SIP uses digest authentication protocols such as Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) and Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP). When a user seeks SIP services, authentication plays an important role in providing secure access to the server only to the authorized access seekers. Being an insecure-channel-based protocol, a SIP authentication protocol is susceptible to adversarial threats. Therefore, security is a big concern in SIP authentication mechanisms. This paper reveals the security vulnerabilities of two recently proposed SIP authentication schemes for VoIP, Irshad et al.' s scheme [Multimed. Tools. Appl. doi: 10.1007/s11042-0131807- z] and Arshad and Nikooghadam's scheme [Multimed. Tools. Appl. DOI 10.1007/ s11042-014-2282-x], the later scheme is based on the former scheme. Irshad et al.' s scheme suffers from password guessing, user impersonation and server spoofing attacks. Arshad and Nikooghadam's scheme can be threatened with server spoofing and stolen verifier attack. None of these two schemes achieve mutual authentication. It also fails to follow the single round-trip authentication design of Irshad et al.' s scheme. To overcome these weaknesses, we propose a provable secure single round-trip SIP authentication scheme for VoIP using smart card. We formally prove the security of the scheme in random oracle and demonstrate through discussion its resistance to various attacks. The comparative analysis shows that the proposed SIP authentication scheme offers superior performance with a little extra computational cost.
The paper deals with a new method of an integral transformation of alternating nonharmonic periodic functions. The presented integral transformation serves for the determination of circuit parameters of an electromagnetic phenomenon. In the paper are calculated circuit parameters by means of measured voltage and current waveform. Then, on the basis ones, are developed Kirchhoff's current law and Kirchhoff's voltage law for root means square values of the current and the voltage under nonsinusoidal conditions.
Teaching environment has changed a lot under information-based society today, educational circle has been advocating that we should reach the most optimization in respect of using innovative instruction technology teaching means, and the aids of teaching media, and playing the role of modernization teaching facilities largely depends on the ability that the teacher uses education technology of capacity, this article illustrates the difference and contact between education technology and information technology this article gives some advice on training based on the reflection of innovative instruction technology capacity in manufacturing engineering
Human metabolism of the S-warfarin enantiomer is catalyzed primarily by cytochrome P4502C9 (CYP2C9), which, because of the enzyme's broad drug substrate specificity, leads to drug-S-warfarin interactions. Several warfarin analogs have been synthesized and used to determine whether they exhibit diminished interactions with CYP2C9. The kinetics of the warfarin analogs' inhibition of human liver microsomal CYP2C9 catalyzed metabolism of S-warfarin to S-7-hydroxywarfarin have been investigated. R- and S-7-fluorowarfarin were both predominantly competitive inhibitors, whereas racemic 6-fluorowarfarin and racemic 6,7,8-trifluorowarfarin were predominantly mixed inhibitors with some competitive inhibition. For the alcohols produced by reductive methylation of the side chain of R- and S-warfarin, the R-enantiomer did not inhibit S-warfarin metabolism, whereas the S-enantiomer was primarily a competitive inhibitor. The fluorine substituted warfarins and the S-warfarin alcohol apparently bind with high affinity to CYP2C9. Thus their use clinically (if efficacious) would not prevent CYP2C9 associated warfarin-drug interactions. The R-warfarin alcohol did not inhibit CYP2C9 catalyzed metabolism of S-warfarin and is less likely than warfarin to participate in CYP2C9 associated warfarin-drug interactions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.
The mean platelet volume (MPV), red cell distribution width (RDW) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) comprise laboratory markers in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). There is a controversy in the literature regarding which type of ear involvement is characteristic of AS. The aim of this study was to simultaneously investigate the MPV, RDW, platelet to lymphocyte (PLR) and NLR in patients with AS and their relationships with high-frequency hearing thresholds. Thirty patients with AS and 35 age-matched healthy subjects were included. Each subject was tested with low- (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz) and high- (4000, 8000, 10,000, 12,000, 14,000 and 16,000 Hz) frequency audiometry. Additionally, the case and control groups were evaluated regarding the average hearing thresholds in bone conduction. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured. The RDW, MPV, neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelet counts were evaluated with the complete blood count. Furthermore, the NLR and PLR were calculated. The complete blood count, platelet numbers, ESR, CRP and NLR levels were significantly increased in the AS patients compared with the healthy controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.007, p0.05). The AS patients had increased average measurement values for the hearing threshold in both ears at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz; however, there was no statistically significant difference (p >0.05). The average values of the hearing threshold in both ears at the high frequencies of 4000, 6000, 8000, 10,000, 12,000 and 14,000 Hz were significantly increased in the case group; however, it was not significantly increased at 16,000 Hz. The current study is the first to investigate the PLR, NLR, MPV and RDW levels in acute AS. We identified a significantly increased NLR, leukocyte count, ESR and CRP in AS patients. Sensorineural hearing loss, especially at extended high frequencies, is common in patients with AS and may represent an extra-articular feature of the disease. The combined use of NLR with the leukocyte count and other clinical assessments may facilitate the diagnostic process of ankylosing spondylitis.
In this paper inlcjet-shaped barium-titanate thin films were examined by SEM, AFM and optical microscopy, along with XRD and Raman spectroscopy in order to study effects of drying chemical additives, ink concentration and printing parameters on microstructure and phase composition. Inkjet printing is a very attractive way of shaping functional materials. Simple setup, low-cost, digital control and the possibility of obtaining complex forms without post-processing make this technique highly competitive for application in microelectronics. The most common way of preparing inks via powder dispersion involves high-temperature treatment (900 degrees C and above) in order to achieve dense and uniform structure. Thus, we utilized an energy efficient sol gel approach where the final phase composition is achieved in situ on the substrate. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.
Background: Knockdown resistance (kdr), caused by alterations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (Na-v), is one of the mechanisms responsible for pyrethroid (PY) resistance. In the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, at least four different mutations were described in the IIIS6 Na-v segment in populations from Asia, North America and Europe. In contrast, in Aedes aegypti at least 12 non-synonymous mutations have been reported at nine different codons, mostly in the IIS6 and IIIS6 Na-v segments. The Phe1534Cys kdr mutation in the IIIS6 Na-v segment is the most prevalent in populations of Ae. aegypti worldwide, also found in Ae. albopictus from Singapore. Herein, we investigated the DNA diversity corresponding to the IIS6 and IIIS6 Na-v segments in natural populations of Ae. albopictus from Brazil. Methods: DNA from eight Brazilian Ae. albopictus natural populations were individually extracted and pooled by states of origin, amplified, cloned and sequenced for the corresponding IIS6 and IIIS6 Na-v segments. Additionally, samples from each location were individually genotyped by an allelic specific PCR (AS-PCR) approach to obtain the genotypic and allelic frequencies for the 1534 Na-v site. Results: No non-synonymous substitutions were observed in the IIS6 sequences. However, the Phe1534Cys kdr mutation was evidenced in the Ae. albopictus Na-v IIIS6 segment sequences from Parana (PR) and Rondonia (RO) states, but not from Mato Grosso (MT) state. The 1534Cys(kdr) allele varied from 3% (Marilena/PR and Porto Velho/RO) to 10% ( Foz do lguacu/ PR). To our knowledge, this paper reports the first occurrence and provides distribution data of a possible kdr mutation in Ae. albopictus in South America. Conclusion: The emergence of a likely kdr mutation in Ae. albopitus natural populations is a signal of alert for vector control measures since PY are the most popular insecticides adopted by residents. Additionally, once the kdr allele is present, its frequency tends to increase faster under exposition to those compounds. Although the Asian tiger mosquito is not incriminated as an important vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses in South America, its importance in this regard has been extensively discussed since Ae. albopictus is rapidly spreading and can also migrate between sylvatic and urban environments. Therefore, insecticide resistance monitoring initiatives should also be extended to Ae. albopictus in Brazil in order to maintain chemical compounds as an efficient vector control tool when needed.
An important and plausible impact of a changing global climate is altered power generation from hydroelectric dams. Here we project 21st century global hydropower production by forcing a coupled, global hydrological and dam model with three General Circulation Model (GCM) projections run under two emissions scenarios. Dams are simulated using a detailed model that accounts for plant specifications, storage dynamics, reservoir bathymetry and realistic, optimized operations. We show that the inclusion of these features can have a non-trivial effect on the simulated response of hydropower production to changes in climate. Simulation results highlight substantial uncertainty in the direction of change in globally aggregated hydropower production (similar to-5 to +5% change in mean global production by the 2080s under a high emissions scenario, depending on GCM). Several clearly impacted hotspots are identified, the most prominent of which encompasses the Mediterranean countries in southern Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. In this region, hydropower production is projected to be reduced by approximately 40% on average by the end of the century under a high emissions scenario. After accounting for each country's dependence on hydropower for meeting its current electricity demands, the Balkans countries emerge as the most vulnerable (similar to 5-20% loss in total national electricity generation depending on country). On the flipside, a handful of countries in Scandinavia and central Asia are projected to reap a significant increase in total electrical production (similar to 5-15%) without investing in new power generation facilities. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Although the decision to engage in prosocial behavior has received research attention, the literature offers a limited understanding of fairness and uncertainty as antecedents. We propose that one can encourage prosocial decision making simply by invoking the notion of fairness because of its effects on the perceived trustworthiness of the invoking party. We also elucidate the complex role of uncertainty in prosocial decisions in that it has a negative effect while also serving to strengthen the positive effect of fairness salience. Our ideas are tested in two prosocial decision contexts, including participative pricing (i.e., pay what you want) and charitable giving. Data from an archival study of a naturally occurring event and two controlled experiments offer support for our arguments. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The programme of discretization of famous completely integrable systems and associated linear operators was launched in the 1990s. In particular, the properties of second-order difference operators on triangulated manifolds and equilateral triangular lattices have been studied by Novikov and Dynnikov since 1996. This study included Laplace transformations, new discretizations of complex analysis, and new discretizations of GL(n)-connections on triangulated n-dimensional manifolds. A general theory of discrete GL(n)-connections 'of rank one' has been developed (see the Introduction for definitions). The problem of distinguishing the subclass of SLn-connections (and unimodular SLn +/--connections, which satisfy det A - +/- 1) has not been solved. In the present paper it is shown that these connections play an important role (which is similar to the role of magnetic fields in the continuous case) in the theory of self-adjoint Schrodinger difference operators on equilateral triangular lattices in R-2. In Appendix 1 a complete characterization is given of unimodular SLn +/--connections of rank 1 for all n >1, thus correcting a mistake (it was wrongly claimed that they reduce to a canonical connection for n >2). With the help of a communication from Korepanov, a complete clarification is provided of how the classical theory of electrical circuits and star-triangle transformations is connected with the discrete Laplace transformations on triangular lattices.(1)
Although mitochondrial dysfunction is a consistent feature of Alzheimer's disease in the brain and blood, the molecular mechanisms behind these phenomena are unknown. Here we have replicated our previous findings demonstrating reduced expression of nuclear-encoded oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) subunits and subunits required for the translation of mitochondrial-encoded OXPHOS genes in blood from people with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Interestingly this was accompanied by increased expression of some mitochondrial-encoded OXPHOS genes, namely those residing closest to the transcription start site of the polycistronic heavy chain mitochondrial transcript (MT-ND1, MT-ND2, MT-ATP6, MT-CO1, MT-CO2, MT-C03) and MT-ND6 transcribed from the light chain. Further we show that mitochondrial DNA copy number was unchanged suggesting no change in steadystate numbers of mitochondria. We suggest that an imbalance in nuclear and mitochondrial genomeencoded OXPHOS transcripts may drive a negative feedback loop reducing mitochondrial translation and compromising OXPHOS efficiency, which is likely to generate damaging reactive oxygen species. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Small modular reactors are a new generation of low-energy-output, low-hazard, compact and modular nuclear reactors, with an output of <300 MWe per unit. With the integration of inherent and passive safety measures, off-site construction and higher fuel burn-up rates, they promise a safer, lower-waste and reduced-risk venture, with earlier investment returns for investors compared with large-scale nuclear power plants. Moreover, non-proliferation is enhanced through the use of small quantities of non-weapons-grade nuclear fuel or the introduction of alternative potential fuels, such as thorium or fuel waste and actinides. This paper reviews the state of the art and discusses the economic feasibility of small modular reactors, with a focus on levelised cost of electricity, economy of scale and limitations for a country wishing to embark on nuclear energy through their deployment. Concerns regarding the integration of small modular reactors into the existing electrical grids of countries with various or no levels of nuclear-power production capability are also discussed. Suggestions on alternatively calculating the cost of small modular reactors and the legislation route are also provided, along with the pros and cons of the economics and safety of small modular reactor deployment in a country new to nuclear power.
The Legendre sequence possesses several desirable features of pseudorandomness in view of different applications such as a high linear complexity (profile) for cryptography and a small (aperiodic) autocorrelation for radar, gps, or sonar. Here we prove the first nontrivial bound on its arithmetic autocorrelation, another figure of merit introduced by Mandelbaum for error correcting codes.
Strategic bidding problems in electricity markets are widely studied in power systems, often by formulating complex bi-level optimization problems that are hard to solve. The state-of-the-art approach to solve such problems is to reformulate them as mixed-integer linear programs (MILPs). However, the computational time of such MILP reformulations grows dramatically, once the network size increases, scheduling horizon increases, or randomness is taken into consideration. In this paper, we take a fundamentally different approach and propose effective and customized convex programming tools to solve the strategic bidding problem for producers in nodal electricity markets. Our approach is inspired by the Schmudgen's Positivstellensatz Theorem in semi-algebraic geometry; but then we go through several steps based upon both convex optimization and mixed-integer programming that results in obtaining close to optimal bidding solutions, as evidenced by several numerical case studies, besides having a huge advantage on reducing computation time. While the computation time of the state-of-the-art MILP approach grows exponentially when we increase the scheduling horizon or the number of random scenarios, the computation time of our approach increases rather linearly.
The pig is increasingly being used in pharmacological and toxicological studies, and is the species of choice for future research into xenotransplantation, extracorporeal liver support and hepatocyte-based bioartificial liver. However, relatively little is known about xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in this species. In the present study, immunoblotting with polyclonal anti-rat and anti-human cytochrome P450 (CYP) antibodies revealed the presence of proteins in pig liver which cross-reacted with anti-human CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, and with anti-rat CYP2E1 antibodies. Northern blot analysis demonstrated the presence of mRNA which hybridized to cDNA probes for human CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4, and to an oligonucleotide probe for pig CYP3A29. As there is a lack of a good animal model for CYP2D6, the presence of a CYP2D6-related protein in pig liver was of particular interest. Pig hepatocytes also demonstrated CYP2D6 immunoreactive protein, and mRNA hybridizable to a CYP2D6 cDNA probe. We investigated the ability of pig li,er microsomes to catalyse dextromethorphan O-demethylation, a widely-used marker enzyme activity for CYP2D6. This enzyme activity demonstrated biphasic kinetics.,vith a high affinity apparent K-m1 = 6.9 +/- 3.6 mu M and V-max1 = 10.5 +/- 6.1 nmol/min/nmol CYP. The reaction was sensitive to inhibition by the CYP2D6-selective inhibitors quinidine, quinine, lobeline and nor-fluoxetine, whereas chemical inhibitors selective for other CYP isoforms failed to affect the reaction. We conclude that dextromethorphan O-demethylation is catalysed by a CYP2D enzyme which is remarkably similar to human CYP2D6, suggesting potential value of the pig as a model for predicting human metabolism of xenobiotics which undergo CYP2D6-dependent biotransformation, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
New contributions that aim to accelerate the development or to improve the efficacy and safety of vaccines arise from many different areas of research and technology. One of these areas is computational science, which traditionally participates in the initial steps, such as the pre-screening of active substances that have the potential to become a vaccine antigen. In this work, we present another promising way to use computational science in vaccinology: mathematical and computational models of important cell and protein dynamics of the immune system. A system of Ordinary Differential Equations represents different immune system populations, such as B cells and T cells, antigen presenting cells and antibodies. In this way, it is possible to simulate, in silico, the immune response to vaccines under development or under study. Distinct scenarios can be simulated by varying parameters of the mathematical model. As a proof of concept, we developed a model of the immune response to vaccination against the yellow fever. Our simulations have shown consistent results when compared with experimental data available in the literature. The model is generic enough to represent the action of other diseases or vaccines in the human immune system, such as dengue and Zika virus.
Recurrent respiratory infections (RRI) represent a widespread condition which has a severe social and economic impact. Immunostimulants are used for their prevention. It is crucial to better characterize children with RRI to refine their diagnosis and identify effective personalized prevention strategies. Metabolomics is a high-dimensional biological method that can be used for hypothesis-free biomarker profiling, examining a large number of metabolites in a given sample using spectroscopic techniques. Multivariate statistical data analysis then enables us to infer which metabolic information is relevant to the biological characterization of a given physiological or pathological condition. This can lead to the emergence of new, sometimes unexpected metabolites, and hitherto unknown metabolic pathways, enabling the formulation of new pathogenetic hypotheses, and the identification of new therapeutic targets. The aim of our pilot study was to apply mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics to the analysis of urine samples from children with RRI, comparing these children's biochemical metabolic profiles with those of healthy peers. We also compared the RRI children's and healthy controls' metabolomic urinary profiles after the former had received pidotimod treatment for 3 months to see whether this immunostimulant was associated with biochemical changes in the RRI children's metabolic profile. 13 children (age range 3-6 yeas) with RRI and 15 matched per age healthy peers with no history of respiratory diseases or allergies were enrolled. Their metabolomic urine samples were compared before and after the RRI children had been treated with pidotimod for a period of 3 months. Metabolomic analyses on the urine samples were done using mass spectrometry combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC-MS). The resulting spectroscopic data then underwent multivariate statistical analysis and the most relevant variables characterizing the two groups were identified. Data modeling with post-transformation of PLS2-Discriminant Analysis (ptPLS2-DA) generated a robust model capable of discriminating the urine samples from children with RRI from those of healthy controls (R-2 = 0.92,Q(CV7-fold)(2) = 0.75, p-value < 0.001). The dataset included 1502 time per mass variables, and 138 of them characterized the difference between the two groups. Thirty-five of these distinctive 138 variables persisted in the profiles of the children with RRI after pidotimod treatment. Metabolomics can discriminate children with RRI from healthy controls, suggesting that the former have a dysregulated metabolic profile. Among the variables characterizing children with RRI there are metabolites that may reflect the presence of a different microbiome. After pidotimod treatment, the metabolic profile of the children with RRI was no longer very different from that of the healthy controls, except for the persistence of some microbiome-related variables. We surmise that pidotimod partially restores the altered metabolic profile of children with RRI, without modifying the metabolites related to the composition of the gut microbiota. In the light of these results, we hypothesize a potential synergic effect of the combined use of immunostimulants and probiotics for the purpose of prevention in children with RRI. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pain can be communicated nonverbally through facial expressions, vocalisations, and bodily movements. Most studies have focussed on the facial display of pain, whereas there is little research on postural display. Stimulus sets for facial and vocal expressions of pain have been developed, but there is no equivalent for body-based expressions. Reported here is the development of a new stimulus set of dynamic body postures that communicate pain and basic emotions. This stimulus set is designed to facilitate research into the bodily communication of pain. We report a 3-phase development and validation study. First 16 actors performed affective body postures for pain, as well as happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, anger, and neutral expressions. Second, 20 observers independently selected the best image stimuli based on the accuracy of emotion identification and valence/arousal ratings. Third, to establish reliability, this accuracy and valence rating procedure was repeated with a second independent group of 40 participants. A final set of 144 images with good reliability was established and is made available. Results demonstrate that pain, along with basic emotions, can be communicated through body posture. Cluster analysis demonstrates that pain and emotion are recognised with a high degree of specificity. In addition, pain was rated as the most unpleasant (negative valence) of the expressions, and was associated with a high level of arousal. For the first time, specific postures communicating pain are described. The stimulus set is provided as a tool to facilitate the study of nonverbal pain communication, and its possible uses are discussed. (C) 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
China had implemented the national strategies for Major Function-oriented Zones (MFOZs) to realize the goal of national sustainable development since 2010. This study analyzed and compared spatio-temporal characteristics and differences in built-up area for China's MFOZs using a China' s Land Use Database (CLUD) derived from high-resolution remotely sensed images in the periods of 2000-2010 and 2010-2013. To sum up: (1) The percentage of built-up area in each of the MFOZs was significantly different, revealing the gradient feature of national land development based on the distribution of the main functions. (2) Annual growth in built-up area in optimal development zones (ODZs) decreased significantly during 2010-2013 compared with the period 2000-2010, while annual growth in built-up area in key development zones (KDZs), agricultural production zones (APZs) and key ecological function zones (KEFZs) increased significantly. (3) In ODZs, the average annual increase in built-up area in the Yangtze River Delta region was significantly higher than in other regions; the average area increase and rate of increase of built-up area in KDZs was faster in the western region than in other regions; average annual area growth of built-up area in APZs in the northeast, central and western regions was twice as high as the previous decade on average; the annual rate of change and increase in the dynamic degree of built-up area were most notable in KEFZs in the central region. (4) The spatial pattern and characteristics of built-up area expansions in the period 2010-2013 reflected the gradient feature of the plan for MFOZs. But the rate of increase locally in built-up area in ODZs, APZs and KEFZs is fast, so the effective measures must be adopted in the implementation of national and regional policies. The conclusions indicated these methods and results were meaningful for future regulation strategies in optimizing national land development in China.
BackgroundFarm exposure protects against development of allergies early in life. At 4.5 years, protection against asthma by farm-milk exposure was partially mediated by regulatory T cells (Tregs). The aim of this study was to investigate the critical time window of the asthma-protective' farm effect via Tregs during childhood immune maturation. MethodsTregs were assessed longitudinally at 4.5 and 6 years in 111 children (56 farm and 55 reference children) from the PASTURE/EFRAIM birth cohort (flow cytometry). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured unstimulated (U), with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate/ionomycin (PI) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and stained for Tregs (CD4(+)CD25(high)FOXP3(upper20%)). mRNA expression of Treg/Th1/Th2/Th17-associated cell markers was measured ex vivo. Suppressive capacity of Tregs on effector cells and cytokines was assessed. Detailed questionnaires assessing farm exposures and clinical phenotypes from birth until age 6 years were answered by the parents. ResultsTreg percentage before and after stimulation and FOXP3mRNA expression ex vivo decreased from age 4.5 to 6 years (P(U,LPS) < 0.001; P(PI) = 0.051; P(FOXP3) < 0.001). High vs low farm-milk and animal-stable exposure was associated with decreased LPS-stimulated Treg percentage at age 6 years (P(LPS) = 0.045). Elevated LPS-stimulated-Treg percentage at age 6 was associated with increased risk of asthma (aOR = 11.29, CI: 0.96-132.28, P = 0.053). Tregs from asthmatics vs nonasthmatics suppressed IFN- (P = 0.015) and IL-9 (P = 0.023) less efficiently. mRNA expression of Th1/Th2/Th17-associated cell markers decreased between 4.5 and 6 years (P < 0.001). ConclusionsTregs at the age of 6 years were decreased with farm exposure and increased within asthmatics, opposite to age 4.5 years. This immunological switch defines a critical time window' for Treg-mediated asthma protection via environmental exposure before age 6 years.
A layered monolithic filter consisting of a nonwoven needlepunched and a woven monofilament geotextile is presented in this paper. The two geotextiles are mechanically bonded in a needlepunching process to produce a hybrid geotextile on a commercial scale. The fuzzy woven side of the geotextile, resulting from the needlepunching process, is ideally suited for lamination to a geonet, although a standalone filter application is also possible. Filter press tests on the geotextile against a fly ash slurry of 500% yielded a retention efficiency of 99.6%. Gradient ratio values of 1.0-1.5 and hydraulic conductivity ratio values of 0.5-1.0 were obtained against fly ash and FGD gypsum from four power plants. Four field basin tests were performed under the CCRs wherein effluent parameters of total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, turbidity, conductivity and pH were monitored with time. The field tests showed that the fly ash and FGD gypsum contained in the test basins were not migrating with time. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Monitoring urban expansion dynamically using remote sensing technology is an essential method for obtaining and understanding urban spatial structure. However, the quality of traditional optical images in some areas is poor due to clouds and fog. Compared to optical images, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can achieve earth observations without the limits of sunlight and weather conditions, but its speckle is too obvious. This paper combined the advantages of pixel-level optical image and SAR image time series and proposed a spatiotemporal fuzzy clustering (STFC) strategy for urban expansion monitoring. This strategy includes three parts: 1) the construction of optical-SAR image mixed time series; 2) a time-series fuzzy information granulation method to ascertain change nodes; and 3) STFC to determine the change types and range. In our study, 13 TM images and 25 SAR scenes taken from 2005 to 2011 were selected as raw data. We used the proposed method to monitor the urban expansion of Chengdu, China, and then, analyzed its main causes according to the monitoring results. The results suggested that: 1) the proposed methods could effectively extract the change nodes and change pixels, with the correctness of 85.20% and the completeness of 86.06%, outperforming the time series only (nonspatial) fuzzy clustering method, as well as traditional classification methods; and 2) the urban expansion of Chengdu is most apparent from 2005 to 2011, with the expansion direction shifting from the traditional ring structure expansion to point-axis expansion following the priority given to construction of new urban areas.
In this paper, the performance of geogrid and geotextile in asphalt overlay to delay the rate of reflective crack propagation has been studied based on the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). It was tried to investigate the effect of temperature, crack width, type of geosynthetics (polypropylene nonwoven and glass grid) and interactions between these parameters on the reflective crack propagation. In accordance with the obtained results of RSM, some equations were presented to predict with high accuracy the service life (N-f), vertical crack growth rate and initial strain using quadratic polynomial regression model. In addition, a new relationship between N-f and initial strain and temperature was assembled. Based on the obtained results it was identified that the glass grid has the best effect on improving the overlay performance. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using mixed design analysis of variance, this paper examines the effect of body art on job applicant hireability ratings. It employs the literatures on the social psychologies of stigma and prejudice, as well as aesthetic labor, to frame the argument. The results indicate that photos of tattooed and pierced job applicants result in lower hireability ratings compared to the control faces. The negative effect of body art on employment chances is, however, reduced for job applicants seeking non-customer-facing roles. In customer-facing roles, the tattoo is associated with lower hireability ratings than the piercing. The results suggest that visible body art can potentially be a real impediment to employment. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper presents a strategy based on the approach of designing and inserting into helicopter vibration isolation systems mountable mechanisms with springs of adjustable sign-changing stiffness for system stiffness control. A procedure to extend the effective area of stiffness control is presented; a set of parameters for sensitivity analysis and practical mechanism design is formulated. The validity and flexibility of the approach are illustrated by application to crewmen seat suspensions and vibration isolators for equipment protection containers. The strategy provides minimization of vibrations, especially in the infra-low frequency range which is the most important for crewmen efficiency and safety of the equipment. This also would prevent performance degradation of some operating systems. The effectiveness is demonstrated through measured data obtained from development and parallel flight tests of new and operating systems. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Two of the most common and simple stormwater control measures are swales and filter strips. However, an overly simplistic one-size-fits-all design approach typically is used for these practices. To provide more flexibility in design, a coupled hydraulics and particle-settling model was created to predict swale and filter strip total suspended solids (TSS) reduction as a function of catchment area, longitudinal slope, side slope, cross section type (triangular swale, trapezoidal swale, or filter strip), and length. The hydraulics and hydrology models were based on Manning's equation and the rational method, respectively, with the underlying requirement that the water quality design storm does not exceed the height of the grass. The particle-settling model was underpinned by the Aberdeen equation. The model predicts that triangular swales produce the least and filter strips the most TSS removal because of increased hydraulic retention time; trapezoidal swales had on average 10% greater TSS removal than triangular swales with similar design characteristics. Grass filter stormwater controls performed better with decreasing slope, increasing length, smaller catchment area, and shallower side slopes. Filter strips registered the majority of their TSS reduction within the first meter of their width and were insensitive to increases in longitudinal slope. This water quality design storm-abating modeling approach could be coupled with modeling for infrequent-return-interval storms to obtain dual benefits of sediment reduction and conveyance. This water quality model may provide regulatory agencies a tool to provide variable TSS credit to swales and filter strips as a function of design. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Light has a profound impact on the human body. Visually, light determines what aspects of our surroundings we can perceive and interpret. Non-visually, light contributes to regulating our physiology and psychology. Light is thus an unusual medium that can work both in and out of our conscious attention, and with new lighting technology this aspect is falling within our control. Computer controllable solid-state lighting has advanced such that they are now a commonplace technology in the world around us. While many of the characteristics of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting must fulfill the same requirements as lighting in the past, the ability to readily integrate LED technology into digital control systems presents exciting new opportunities that were not possible with other artificial light sources; for example, the potential to integrate the small form factor of an LED into the very fabric of a material or control them remotely over the Internet are aspects that set this technology apart from what has gone before. This unprecedented flexibility presents the opportunity for new functionality and novel interactive solutions for and with light. In this chapter, we present three categories of interactive lighting with many concrete examples: interacting with light at the center of our attention, interacting with light outside our attentional field, and interacting with light in the periphery of our attention. We conclude by considering the factors that make lighting a special medium for peripheral interaction and the role peripheral interaction can play in exposing the many new degrees of freedom ubiquitous digital lighting presents.
Embodied cognition theory proposes that individuals' abstract concepts can be associated with sensorimotor processes. The authors examined the effects of teaching participants novel embodied metaphors, not based in prior physical experience, and found evidence suggesting that they lead to embodied simulation, suggesting refinements to current models of embodied cognition. Creating novel embodiments of abstract concepts in the laboratory may be a useful method for examining mechanisms of embodied cognition. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Modern unvegetated rivers flowing through aeolian-dune fields demonstrate potential as analogues for pre-vegetation fluvial landscapes. A prominent example is contained in the Lencois Maranhenses of Brazil, a coastal aeolian system hosting the semi-perennial Rio Negro. Remotely sensed images covering c. 45 years display the rhythmic expansion and wind-driven shift of single-threaded and sinuous fluvial trunks alternating with wider braided plains. Sinuous tracts feature mid-channel and bank-attached bars, including expansional point bars with subdued relief. The morphology, accretion and sediment transport of unvegetated point bars in the Rio Negro are compared to the morphodynamics of vegetated meandering rivers. Unvegetated point bars are composed of large coalescent unit bars, lack apparent scroll topography and are preferentially attached to channel banks located on the windward side of the river course. Unvegetated meanders have expansional behaviour related to downwind channel trailing. Point bars maintain an expansional planform despite spatial confinement induced by aeolian dunes. Channel-flow impingement onto cohesion-less banks favours scouring of deep pools along the bar tails, which host bank-collapse deposits subsequently reworked into new bars. Analogies to Precambrian rivers suggest that ancient unvegetated fluvial landscapes were not unequivocally featured by low sinuosity, especially if characterized by a low gradient and stable discharge. This inference is supported by ongoing studies on Proterozoic fluvial-aeolian systems in the Canadian Shield. Lack of scroll topography introduces overlap with low-sinuosity fluvial facies models, underscoring the value of observing ancient fluvial deposits in planform, or along 3D sections where the palaeodrainage of channel bodies and attached bars can be compared.
Agricultural environmental pollution in China has been deteriorating in recent years. Chemical pollution issues have become more prominent, which is not favorable for the sustainable development of China's economy. This paper reports on the current status, development, and utilization efficiency of pesticides, chemical fertilizer, plastic film, and total power of agricultural machinery. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the input of chemical polluting factors into agricultural cultivation in China from both horizontal and vertical perspectives is presented. A data envelopment analysis model was used to evaluate comprehensively the utilization efficiency of each factor. Results indicate that the inputs of chemical pollutants into agricultural cultivation in China differed greatly among regions. These inputs increased annually. Usage amounts of pesticides, chemical fertilizer, plastic film, and other chemical pollutants exhibited lower growth rate than the total power consumed by agricultural machinery. Utilization efficiencies of the chemical pollutants were generally low, and most regions had non-effective efficiency and decreasing returns to scale.
In this paper, we propose a Growing Type-2 Fuzzy Classifier (GT2FC) for online rule learning from real-time data streams. While in batch rule learning, the training data are assumed to be drawn from a stationary distribution, in online rule learning, data can dynamically change over time becoming potentially nonstationary. To accommodate dynamic change, GT2FC relies on a new semi-supervised online learning algorithm called Growing Gaussian Mixture Model (2G2M). In particular, 2G2M is used to generate the type-2 fuzzy membership functions to build the type-2 fuzzy rules. GT2FC is designed to accommodate data online and to reconcile labeled and unlabeled data using self-learning. Moreover, GT2FC maintains low complexity of the rule base using online optimization and feature selection mechanisms. GT2FC is tested on data obtained from an ambient intelligence application, where the goal is to exploit sensed data to monitor the living space on behalf of the inhabitants. Because sensors are prone to faults and noise, type-2 fuzzy modeling is very suitable for dealing with such an application. Thus, GT2FC offers the advantage of dealing with uncertainty in addition to self-adaptation in an online manner. For illustration purposes, GT2FC is also validated on synthetic and classic UCI data-sets. The detailed empirical study shows that GT2FC performs very well under various experimental settings.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its tyrosine kinase receptor TrkB have been reported to be associated with poor prognosis in neuroblastoma (NB) patients. Our previous studies indicated that BDNF activation of TrkB induces chemo-resistance through activation of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. In this study, we investigated the role of BDNF/TrkB on metastasis in NB. A tetracycline-regulated TrkB-expressing NB cell line (TB3) was used. Scratch wound healing assay, Boyden chamber migration, and invasion assays were performed to study the migration and invasion of TB3 cells. A tumor xenograft model using SCID-Beige mice was utilized to detect the metastasis of NB tumors in vivo. Inhibitors of PI3K, MAPK, Akt, and mTOR were used. Western blotting was performed to study the expressions of P-Akt, P-Erk, and P-mTOR. Our results showed that in TrkB-expressing NB cells, BDNF treatment significantly increased gap closing (P < 0.01) in scratch wound healing assay, also significantly enhanced the numbers of migrating cells (P < 0.01) and invading cells (P < 0.01) in the Boyden chamber migration and invasion assays. In vivo, NB distant metastases were significantly increased in mice with TrkB-expressing xenograft tumors compared to those with non-TrkB-expressing tumors (P < 0.05). Pre-treatment with any of the inhibitors for PI3K (LY294002), MAPK (PD98059), Akt (perifosine), or mTOR (rapamycin) blocked the BDNF/TrkB-induced increases of cell migration and invasion in TB3 cells, and also blocked the BDNF/TrkB-induced expressions of P-Akt, P-Erk, and P-mTOR. These data indicated that BDNF/TrkB increased metastasis in NB via PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK pathways, and BDNF/TrkB and the downstream targets may be potential targets for the treatment of NB metastasis.
Optimal hemodynamics in aorta-pulmonary shunt reconstruction is essential for improved postoperative recovery of the newborn congenital heart disease patient. However, prior to in vivo execution, the prediction of post-operative hemodynamics is extremely challenging due to the interplay of multiple confounding physiological factors. It is hypothesized that the post-operative performance of the surgical shunt can be predicted through computational blood flow simulations that consider patient size, shunt configuration, cardiac output and the complex three-dimensional disease anatomy. Utilizing only the routine patient-specific pre-surgery clinical data sets, we demonstrated an intelligent decision making process for a real patient having pulmonary artery atresia and ventricular septal defect. For this patient, a total of 12 customized candidate shunt configurations are contemplated and reconstructed virtually using a sketch-based computer-aided anatomical editing tool. Candidate shunt configurations are evaluated based on the parameters that are computed from the flow simulations, which include 3D flow complexity, outlet flow splits, shunt patency, coronary perfusion and energy loss. Our results showed that the modified Blalock-Taussig (mBT) shunt has 12% higher right pulmonary artery (RPA) and 40% lower left pulmonary artery (LPA) flow compared to the central shunt configuration. Also, the RPA flow regime is distinct from the LPA, creating an uneven flow split at the pulmonary arteries. For all three shunt sizes, right mBT innominate and central configurations cause higher pulmonary artery (PA) flow and lower coronary artery pressure than right and left mBT subclavian configurations. While there is a trade-off between energy loss, flow split and coronary artery pressure, overall, the mBT shunts provide sufficient PA perfusion with higher coronary artery pressures and could be preferred for similar patients having PA overflow risk. Central shunts would be preferred otherwise particularly for cases with very low PA overflow risk. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
What are Operational Excellence Strategies? How do they relate to a TQM Philosophy? How do they relate to organisational excellence performance? The first part of this paper describes the use of a TQM program implementation in a Manufacturing Engineering Corporation in New Zealand. Program evaluation was undertaken using a variation of Kanji's (1998) pyramid model of business excellence as a model which uses customer satisfaction as a critical success factor for the organisation. The second part of this paper reports on a self assessment project conducted by one of the Corporation's local sales branches using the TQM tools as a means of enhancing quality service to their customers. Finally the paper reports on the organisation's position on the business excellence model, and suggests recommendations for future implementation and future research possibilities.
Despite a surge in psychological research on gratitude over the past several years, a number of important questions remain unanswered about this highly valued trait. It is largely unknown, for example, how gratitude is maintained in times of distress. This article supports and extends existing theory and research on the relevance of benefit detection (the perception of having received a gain rendered intentionally and voluntarily by another), by testing a model in which religious involvement in general, and religious coping in particular, can help sustain gratitude in the face of negative emotions. Across 2 studies-1 in a community/college student sample (n = 404) and another among individuals seeking psychological treatment (n = 122)-we found initial support for our model. Implications for further research on gratitude and other areas of positive psychology are discussed.
This review summarizes biogenesis, composition, intracellular transport, and possible functions of trichocysts. Trichocyst release by Paramecium is the fastest dense core-secretory vesicle exocytosis known. This is enabled by the crystalline nature of the trichocyst body whose matrix proteins (tmp), upon contact with extracellular Ca2+, undergo explosive recrystallization that propagates cooperatively throughout the organelle. Membrane fusion during stimulated trichocyst exocytosis involves Ca2+ mobilization from alveolar sacs and tightly coupled store-operated Ca2+-influx, initiated by activation of ryanodine receptor-like Ca2+-release channels. Particularly, aminoethyldextran perfectly mimics a physiological function of trichocysts, i.e. defense against predators, by vigorous, local trichocyst discharge. The tmp's contained in the main body of a trichocyst are arranged in a defined pattern, resulting in crossstriation, whose period expands upon expulsion. The second part of a trichocyst, the tip, contains secretory lectins which diffuse upon discharge. Repulsion from predators may not be the only function of trichocysts. We consider ciliary reversal accompanying stimulated trichocyst exocytosis (also in mutants devoid of depolarization-activated Ca2+ channels) a second, automatically superimposed defense mechanism. A third defensive mechanism may be effectuated by the secretory lectins of the trichocyst tip; they may inhibit toxicyst exocytosis in Dileptus by crosslinking surface proteins (an effect mimicked in Paramecium by antibodies against cell surface components). Some of the proteins, body and tip, are glycosylated as visualized by binding of exogenous lectins. This reflects the biogenetic pathway, from the endoplasmic reticulum via the Golgi apparatus, which is also supported by details from molecular biology. There are fragile links connecting the matrix of a trichocyst with its membrane; these may signal the filling state, full or empty, before and after tmp release upon exocytosis, respectively. This is supported by experimentally produced  frustrated exocytosis, i.e. membrane fusion without contents release, followed by membrane resealing and entry in a new cycle of reattachment for stimulated exocytosis. There are some more puzzles to be solved: Considering the absence of any detectable Ca2+ and of acidity in the organelle, what causes the striking effects of silencing the genes of some specific Ca2+-release channels and of subunits of the H+-ATPase? What determines the inherent polarity of a trichocyst? What precisely causes the inability of trichocyst mutants to dock at the cell membrane? Many details now call for further experimental work to unravel more secrets about these fascinating organelles.
Understanding and predicting whether new drug candidates will be safe in the clinic is a critical hurdle in pharmaceutical development, that relies in part on absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicology studies in vivo. Zebrafish is a relatively new model system for drug metabolism and toxicity studies, offering whole organism screening coupled with small size and potential for high-throughput screening. Through toxicity and absorption analyses of a number of drugs, we find that zebrafish is generally predictive of drug toxicity, although assay outcomes are influenced by drug lipophilicity which alters drug uptake. In addition, liver microsome assays reveal specific differences in metabolism of compounds between human and zebrafish livers, likely resulting from the divergence of the cytochrome P450 superfamily between species. To reflect human metabolism more accurately, we generated a transgenic humanized zebrafish line that expresses the major human phase I detoxifying enzyme, CYP3A4, in the liver. Here, we show that this humanized line shows an elevated metabolism of CYP3A4-specific substrates compared to wild-type zebrafish. The generation of this first described humanized zebrafish liver suggests such approaches can enhance the accuracy of the zebrafish model for toxicity prediction.
Renin substrate, biological renin activity, and/or renin-secreting cells in kidneys evolved at an early stage of vertebrate phylogeny. Angiotensin (Ang) I and II molecules have been identified biochemically in representative species of all vertebrate classes, although variation occurs in amino acids at positions 1, 5, and 9 of Ang I. Variations have also evolved in amino acid positions 3 and 4 in some cartilaginous fish. Angiotensin receptors, AT(1) and AT(2) homologues, have been identified molecularly or characterized pharmacologically in nonmammalian vertebrates. Also, various forms of angiotensins that bypass the traditional renin-angiotensin system (RAS) cascades or those from large peptide substrates, particularly in tissues, are present. Nonetheless, the phylogenetically important functions of RAS are to maintain blood pressure/blood volume homeostasis and ion-fluid balance via the kidney and central mechanisms. Stimulation of cell growth and vascularization, possibly via paracrine action of angiotensins, and the molecular biology of RAS and its receptors have been intensive research foci. This review provides an overview of: (1) the phylogenetic appearance, structure, and biochemistry of the RAS cascade; (2) the properties of angiotensin receptors from comparative viewpoints; and (3) the functions and regulation of the RAS in nonmammalian vertebrates. Discussions focus on the most fundamental functions of the RAS that have been conserved throughout phylogenetic advancement, as well as on their physiological implications and significance. Examining the biological history of RAS will help us analyze the complex RAS systems of mammals. Furthermore, suitable models for answering specific questions are often found in more primitive animals.
We investigate numerically the dynamics of capillary filling and Haines jump events using free energy Lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations. Both processes are potentially important multi-phase pore-scale flow processes for geological CO2 sequestration and oil recovery. We first focus on capillary filling and demonstrate that the numerical method can capture the correct dynamics in the limit of long times for both high and low viscosity ratios, i.e. the method gives the correct scaling for the length of the penetrating fluid column as a function of time. Examining further the early times of capillary filling, three consecutive length vs. time regimes have been observed, in agreement with available experimental work in the literature. In addition, we carry out simulations of Haines jump events in idealised and realistic rock pore geometries. We observe that the Haines jump events are cooperative, non-local and associated with both drainage and imbibition dynamics. Our observations show that the pore filling dynamics is controlled by the Ohnesorge number, associated with the balance between viscous forces and inertial / surface tension forces. Using this concept, we are able to identify the type of pore filling dynamics that will occur. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gastroesophageal (GE) malignancies make up a significant and growing segment of newly diagnosed cancers. Approximately 80% of patients who have GE cancers die within 5 years of diagnosis, which means that effective treatments for these malignancies need to be found. Currently, targeted therapies have a minimal role in this disease group. Intensive study of the molecular biology of GE cancers is a relatively new and ongoing venture, but it has already led to a significant increase in our understanding of these malignancies. This understanding, although still limited, has the potential to enhance our ability to develop targeted therapies in conjunction with the ability to identify actionable gene mutations and perform genomic profiling to predict drug resistance. Several cell surface growth factor receptors have been found to play a prominent role in GE cancer cell signaling. This discovery has led to the approval of 2 agents within the last few years: trastuzumab, an anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) monoclonal antibody used in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive GE cancers, and ramucirumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) monoclonal antibody that is currently used in later lines of therapy. This review discusses the current state of molecular testing in GE cancers, along with the known molecular biology and current and investigational treatments. The development of trastuzumab and ramucirumab represents a significant advance in our ability to make use of GE tumor molecular profiles. As our understanding of the impact of molecular aberrations on drug effectiveness and disease outcomes increases, we anticipate improved therapy for patients with GE cancers.
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been employed to examine the thermal behavior of brain tissues affected by a drug-induced neurodegenerative disorder. An animal (mouse) model of scopolamine-induced dementia was used. The DSC measurements performed on supernatants of brain tissue homogenates revealed large differences between the heat capacity profiles for healthy animals and for animals with scopolamine-induced dementia. The heat capacity profiles of the supernatants from healthy animals displayed well expressed exothermic transitions peaking in the range 35-45 degrees C, thus preceding in temperature the endothermic denaturational transitions. No such exothermic transitions were found in other samples from the same animals, e.g., centrifugation sediments of brain homogenates, liver homogenates, blood plasma. Remarkably, the low-temperature exotherms were completely abolished by the scopolamine treatment. The exothermic events may possibly reflect a process of aggregation of specific protein fractions in the brain supernatants. The reported findings may be important for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of cognitive impairment. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background and Objective: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome due to different neurodegenerative conditions in which an accurate early diagnosis needs to be supported by a reliable diagnostic tool at the individual level. In this study, we investigated in PPA the FDG-PET brain metabolic patterns at the single-subject level, in order to assess the case-to-case variability and its relationship with clinical-neuropsychological findings. Material and Methods: 55 patients (i.e., 11 semantic variant/sv-PPA, 19 non fluent variant/nfv-PPA, 17 logopenic variant/lv-PPA, 3 slowly progressive anarthria/SPA, and 5 mixed PPA/m-PPA) were included. Clinical-neuropsychological information and FDG-PET data were acquired at baseline. A follow-up of 27.4 +/- 12.55 months evaluated the clinical progression. Brain metabolism was analyzed using an optimized and validated voxel-based SPM method at the single-subject level. Results: FDG-PET voxel-wise metabolic assessment revealed specific metabolic signatures characterizing each PPA variant at the individual level, reflecting the underlying neurodegeneration in language networks. Notably, additional dysfunctional patterns predicted clinical progression to specific dementia conditions. In the case of nfv-PPA, a metabolic pattern characterized by involvement of parietal, subcortical and brainstem structures predicted progression to a corticobasal degeneration syndrome or to progressive supranuclear palsy. lv-PPA and sv-PPA cases who progressed to Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia at the follow-up presented with extended bilateral patterns at baseline. Discussion: Our results indicate that FDG-PET voxel-wise imaging is a valid biomarker for the early differential diagnosis of PPAs and for the prediction of progression to specific dementia condition. This study supports the use of FDG-PET imaging quantitative assessment in clinical settings for a better characterization of PPA individuals and prognostic definition of possible endo-phenotypes.
Objective: To investigate the survival rate, fracture strength, bending moments, loading to fracture and fracture modes of different designs of zirconia abutments after dynamic loading with thermocycling, and compare these values to titanium abutments. Methods: A total of 80 abutment samples were divided into 5 test groups of 16 samples in each group. The study included the following groups, Group 1 CAD/CAM produced all-zirconia abutments, Group 2 titanium abutments, Group 3 zirconia-abutments adhesively luted to a titanium base, Group 4 prefabricated allzirconia abutments and Group 5 zirconia-abutments glass soldered to a titanium base. Half the number of samples in each group was exposed to 1.2 million loading cycles (5-years simulation) in the chewing simulator. The samples that survived the artificial aging were later tested for fracture strength in a universal testing machine. The remaining 8 samples of the group were directly tested for fracture strength. Results: All samples exposed to the 5-years artificial aging survived except of six samples in one group (Group 1). The surviving samples were later fracture tested in the universal testing machine. The bending moments (N cm) values were as follow: Exposed groups: Group 1 94.5 N cm; Group 2 599.2 N cm; Group 3 477.5 N cm; Group 4 314.4 N cm; Group 5 509.4 N cm. Non-exposed groups: Group 1 269.3 N cm; Group 2 474.2 N cm; Group 3 377.6 N cm; Group 4 265.4 N cm; Group 5 372.4 N cm. Except in Group 1, the values were higher in the exposed groups, although, statistically there was no difference (p >0.05). The one-piece ZrO2-abutment group (Group 1 and Group 4) exhibited lower values, while the two-piece ZrO2-abutment groups (Group 3 and Group 5) showed similar values and fracture modes like the titanium abutment group. The titanium abutment group showed the highest values of bending moments among all groups. Conclusion: The implant-abutment connection area appeared to influence the bending moment value and the fracture mode of the tested abutment groups, and it was found to be the weakest part of an internal connection one-piece zirconia abutment. The titanium base in the two-piece zirconia abutment worked as a substitute for the weakest part of the abutment. Therefore, the titanium base can reinforce the fracture strength of a zirconia abutment.
Does social influence exerted through role modeling of collective action impact social change in contexts that are not conducive to collective action, such as long-lasting violent conflicts? We examined this question in two field experiments in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. We created two versions of an episode of an existing media intervention (a show aiming to promote positive social change), in which fictional characters either planned collective action (role modeling condition), or did not plan action (control condition) to address grievances. In Study 1, role modeling affected individual-level outcomes: it increased perceived collective efficacy and willingness to take action, but exacerbated intergroup attitudes and reduced tolerance. Study 2 tested the influence of role modeling on a group-level outcome (group discussions). Discussions following the role modeling show focused less on grievances, and included more positive lessons of the show, as well as more statements about collective efficacy and collective action. The findings highlight the influence of role modeling of collective action through media on efficacy and action for social change, but caution against unintended consequences on intergroup attitudes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
Termination of the Millennium Development Goals gave birth to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with which Target 6 is to provide unhindered access to safe and economical drinking water and sanitation for all. The survey in this research adopted stratified sampling technique that captured 400 households, in which 700 well-structured questionnaire consisting of open and closed-ended questions were distributed. The questions were in line with Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WaSH) recommendations on drinking water and sanitation for household surveys. It examined the access to safe water regarding accessibility, availability, affordability and acceptability in Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. Personal interviews were conducted to capture the emotional discretion of respondents towards the subject matter. Cross-tabulation and Multinomial logit model were used to analyze the relationship of the variables on water access. The results obtained showed that the water access within the study area is mostly limited to the private sources because of the level of quality and accessibility. The study reveals that the fate placed on government water facilities has dwindled drastically. Furthermore, the study highlighted the need to revisit government policies, with the inclusion of subsidy, cost recovery and rainwater harvesting as effective tools in improving and encouraging equity in water access. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Religious accommodation in the workplace remains a contentious issue in the United States. We conducted an experiment to examine how individual differences in right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) shape how people react to religious accommodation requests from Muslim versus Christian employees. Results reveal that participants exhibited more bias toward employees requesting religious accommodations when compared to employees requesting secular accommodations, but RWA determined which religion was stigmatized more: raters high in RWA stigmatized Muslims more heavily for requesting religious accommodations, but raters low in RWA stigmatized Christians more heavily for the same request. These results are consistent with the ideologically objectionable premise model (IOPM) of prejudice, demonstrating that those with both high and low RWA can exhibit symmetrical biases toward religious practices that are not aligned with their values. We discuss the implications of these findings for future scholarship on authoritarian traits. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Patients with B-cell hematologic malignancies who progress through first-or second-line chemotherapy have a poor prognosis. Early clinical trials with autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have demonstrated promising results for patients who have relapsed or refractory disease. Lymphodepleting conditioning regimens, including cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, pentostatin, bendamustine, interleukin-2, and total body irradiation, are often administered before the infusion of CAR T cells, allowing for greater T-cell expansion. The major toxicity associated with CAR T-cell infusions is cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a potentially life-threatening systemic inflammatory disorder. The quick onset and progression of CRS require rapid detection and intervention to reduce treatment-related mortality. Management with tocilizumab can help ameliorate the symptoms of severe CRS, allowing steroids, which diminish the expansion and persistence of CAR T cells, to be reserved for tocilizumab-refractory patients. Other toxicities of CAR T-cell therapy include neutropenia and/or febrile neutropenia, infection, tumor lysis syndrome, neurotoxicity and nausea/vomiting. A review of patients' medications is imperative to eliminate medications that may contribute to treatment-related toxicities. Studies are ongoing to help optimize patient selection, preparation, safety, and management of individuals receiving CAR T cells. Long-term follow-up will help establish the place of CAR T cells in therapy.
The article describes an approach to assessing the maturity of risk management of a manufacturing organization while designing and developing a product. The risk management process maturity guarantees successful product design and development in terms of cost, schedule and quality. The paper proposes a Risk Management Maturity Model based on the six levels of capability of Capability Maturity Model Integration(CMMI) and the four dimensions of organizations, namely culture, risk management process, experience and business applications. The model evaluates the organization in four dimensions against CMMI capability levels and determines where it stands in terms of capability on the CMMI ordinal scale. In the end, a case study is presented in the domain of assembly of auto-differentials to evaluate the risk management maturity of the assembly line.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects an ever-growing population of all ages with long-term consequences on health and cognition. Many of the issues that TBI patients face are thought to be mediated by the immune system. Primary brain damage that occurs at the time of injury can be exacerbated and prolonged for months or even years by chronic inflammatory processes, which can ultimately lead to secondary cell death, neurodegeneration, and long-lasting neurological impairment. Researchers have turned to rodent models of TBI in order to understand how inflammatory cells and immunological signaling regulate the post-injury response and recovery mechanisms. In addition, the development of numerous methods to manipulate genes involved in inflammation has recently expanded the possibilities of investigating the immune response in TBI models. As results from these studies accumulate, scientists have started to link cells and signaling pathways to pro-and anti-inflammatory processes that may contribute beneficial or detrimental effects to the injured brain. Moreover, emerging data suggest that targeting aspects of the immune response may offer promising strategies to treat TBI. This review will cover insights gained from studies that approach TBI research from an immunological perspective and will summarize our current understanding of the involvement of specific immune cell types and cytokines in TBI pathogenesis.
Paper describes experiences obtained during the construction of high soil reinforced retaining wall. Such walls are now used during the foundation of large logistic and distribution centres on inclined terrain. First problems appeared roughly 2 years after the wall construction, when wide tensile cracks on the fill surface were observed behind the zone of reinforcement. First step of problem evaluation showed that this crack is connected to wall overturning. Therefore the reconstruction was recommended, upper part was removed and constructed under new evaluation of all relevant limit states and design situations. Phase of reconstruction was monitored and was used as an approval of the safe design. Experiences obtained during all described phases create an important know-how for next similar applications.
Water pollution has become a global problem and its impact on the health of the human population is growing day by day. This study aims to assess the pollution of the Cibin River (Romania) by a physicochemical analysis. Water samples have been collected from four locations along the Cibin River over a period of 12 months. At this time, there are several commonly used Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods for the assessing the impact of pollutants on the environment. In this research, we used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) multi-criteria method to evaluate each sampling station's physicochemical parameters. The significant results place the river in the first (sampling stations 1, 2 and 3) and second (sampling stations 4) water quality classes. Another significant result of this work is that the research using GIS software allowed an integrated automatic data collection system and displays interactive results.
Introduction Nurse-patient communication is highly important especially when the patient is a child. One thing that has been overlooked in the nursing profession or less discussed is how to communicate with children. Design and training courses for the development of communication skills is considered as an important step in this direction. This study investigated the effect of training communication skills on children's nurses through role-playing. Materials and Methods This study is a clinical trial with pre-test and post-test which was done on 60 nurses in Dr. Sheikh Hospital in Mashhad-Iran. Nurses were randomly assigned into either intervention or control groups. Nurses' communication skills were measured using the tools of Calgary Cambridge communication skills assessment before and three weeks after the intervention. During one-day workshops, 6 hours of teaching communication skills with children were given to nurses as role playing and based on pre-prepared scenarios. Results The results showed there was no significant difference between the two groups in the mean score of nurses' verbal and non verbal communication skills before the intervention (verbal : P=0.302, non verbal : P=0.795). But after the intervention, the mean score of nurses' verbal and nonverbal communication skills in the experimental group were statistically significant and higher than those in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion Now, due to the weakness in the relationship between nurse and child at the bedside and nurses also receive instruction on communication specific skills related to children, it seems essential that the effect of the implementation of various educational practices be examined to nurses' communication skills.
Technology is rapidly changing the nature of service, customers' service frontline experiences, and customers' relationships with service providers. Based on the prediction that in the marketplace of 2025, technology (e. g., service-providing humanoid robots) will be melded into numerous service experiences, this article spotlights technology's ability to engage customers on a social level as a critical advancement of technology infusions. Specifically, it introduces the novel concept of automated social presence (ASP; i. e., the extent to which technology makes customers feel the presence of another social entity) to the services literature. The authors develop a typology that highlights different combinations of automated and human social presence in organizational frontlines and indicates literature gaps, thereby emphasizing avenues for future research. Moreover, the article presents a conceptual framework that focuses on (a) how the relationship between ASP and several key service and customer outcomes is mediated by social cognition and perceptions of psychological ownership as well as (b) three customer-related factors that moderate the relationship between ASP and social cognition and psychological ownership (i. e., a customer's relationship orientation, tendency to anthropomorphize, and technology readiness). Finally, propositions are presented that can be a catalyst for future work to enhance the understanding of how technology infusion, particularly service robots, influences customers' frontline experiences in the future.
Network coding is an important cloud storage technique, which can recover data with small repair bandwidth and high reliability compared to the existing erasure coding and replication methods. However, regardless of which data recovery technique is used, the repaired data in a geographically distributed cloud storage system are easy to be eavesdropped at the transmission link between the local datacenter and its remote backup site. This kind of network security issue is called link eavesdropping in this paper. For a network coded cloud storage system, we propose a systematic design methodology to determine the important data recovery system parameters for any specified security level. Through analysis, we present the performance curves to relate the remote repair bandwidth and the number of coded data fragments. Consequently, all the important system parameters of a network coded data recovery system, including the number of storage nodes and the link capacity between the datacenter and the backup site, can be precisely designed for satisfying different security level requirements.
This paper proposes a new method of dead-time effect compensation. The proposed solution is based on additional phase current measurements realized by analog-to-digital converters. These measurements are carried out at the time instants specified by a pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) strategy. This makes it possible to estimate inverter currents at the commutation instants and, finally, to estimate the voltage error caused by dead time. This voltage error is compensated during the next switching period by modification of a reference voltage. The proposed solution can be used to compensate the voltage error in multilevel multiphase voltage source inverters. The experimental research studies were carried out on three-phase two-level and three-level neutral-point-clamped inverters supplying 55- and 160-kW motors, respectively. The results of the experimental investigations are presented in this paper.
An optimization design simulating the electro-mechanical property of the conductive elastic knitted fabric is built based on a loops structure under biaxial extensions. A computer program can give the fabric equivalent resistance, which is obtained by solving the circuit network equations. So, it can simplify the computational process immensely. In order to simplify the calculation of the contacting forces on the overlapped yarns, two hooked yarns are used to represent the loop configurations. From the theoretical analysis and experimental investigations, it is found that the resistance changing due to the yarn segment transfer is the key factor for the sensitivity of elastic fabric sensors. This makes the resistance linear increasing with the strain increasing. Analysis of the experimental results show that change in the resistance of a fabric sensor due to the contact resistance has a minor contribution to the sensitivity of the sensor in the large-strain regime. Also, the fabric structure and the yarn elongating affect the characteristics of the fabric sensor.
Indoor visible mold growths are known to be associated with allergies and respiratory illnesses. However, a question remains of their compositions and diversities. Using swab sampling and high-throughput DNA sequencing, this study analyzed taxonomic compositions and diversities of fungi on indoor surfaces laden with visible mold growths in residential apartments in South Korea. The sequencing results showed low species diversities with Shannon indices ranging from 0.14 to 2.29 (mean = 1.11). Several allergy-related genera were detected on the same surface, where the most abundant Cladosporium with a mean relative abundance of 41% co-occurred with less abundant Aspergillus (0.094%), Rhodotorula (6.3%), Cryptococcus (3.7%), Alternaria (4.1%), and Crivellia (17%). b diversity analyses showed significant differences in the fungal communities between enclosed balconies and other indoor areas (P < 0.05, ANOSIM), emphasizing a need to sample at multiple indoor locations when assessments are made for indoor visible mold growths. High-throughput sequencing is powerful in characterizing compositions and diversities of fungal communities. Future studies should examine the relationships between taxonomic compositions and diversities of indoor visible molds and health outcomes of allergies and respiratory illnesses in residential buildings.
The green building concept has recently gained momentum, and the success of green projects to a large extent depends on the life-cycle cost. Water conservation components contribute almost 12%-15% to the capital cost of a conventional residential building. This paper aims to analyze the financial feasibility of using water conservation components by evaluating their lifecycle costs and operational savings in large mass housing projects. Four components have been evaluated for a case project located in a metropolitan suburban location in India. To analyze the benefits, two different water tariffs are considered: local corporation combined with mineralized water and well water. Lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) suggests that, excluding the rainwater harvesting component, the significant share of cost for all other components is related to maintenance, repair, and replacement activities. Results of the analysis suggest that water components do not pay a return when a local corporation water tariff is considered at an 8% discount rate. The results of this study are expected to benefit project stakeholders in mass housing projects for their financial and budgetary decisions, thus making implementation of these component-based designs feasible. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This paper presents results of a series of undrained monotonic compression tests on loose sand reinforced with geotextile mainly to study the effect of confining stress on the mechanical behaviour of geotextile reinforced sand. The triaxial tests were performed on reconstituted specimens of dry natural sand prepared at loose relative density (Dr = 30%) with and without geotextile layers and consolidated to three levels of confining pressures 50, 100 and 200 kPa, where different numbers and different arrangements of reinforcement layers were placed at different heights of the specimens (0, 1 and 2 layers). The behaviour of test specimens was presented and discussed. Test results showed that geotextile inclusion improves the mechanical behaviour of sand, a significant increase in the shear strength and cohesion value is obtained by adding up layers of reinforcement. Also, the results indicate that the strength ratio is more pronounced for samples which were subjected to low value of confining pressure. The obtained results reveal that high value of confining pressure can restrict the sand shear dilatancy and the more effect of reinforcement efficiently.
The operation principle of digital voltage-mode controlled buck converter with dual-edge modulation is analyzed in this paper. Based on the state equation of buck converter and six possible evolutions in one switching cycle, the discrete iterative-map model of digital voltage-mode controlled buck converter with dual-edge modulation is established. Ignoring the quantization error of analog-digital converter and on the basis of its discrete iterative-map model, the nonlinear dynamical behavior of digital voltage-mode controlled buck converter with dual-edge modulation is investigated in detail. Taking the input voltage and the load resistance as bifurcation parameters, the output voltage bifurcation diagram and the inductor current bifurcation diagram are plotted. Through analyzing the bifurcation diagrams, it is indicated that there are two kinds of similar but different Hopf bifurcation phenomena. By use of Poincare section, time-domain simulation waveforms and phase portraits, two different Hopf bifurcations and low-frequency oscillation phenomena are compared and studied. Observing the inductor current and capacitor voltage waveforms respectively, it is obviously found that their oscillation frequencies and amplitudes are different, the shapes of two Poincare sections and phase portraits are also different. In order to verify the correctness of the simulation and theoretical analysis, the eigenvalues of Jacobian matrix of the discrete iterative map model are introduced and solved in two kinds of stable evolutions. Through analyzing variation of eigenvalues of Jacobi matrix with input voltage, the existence and difference of two kinds of Hopf bifurcation phenomena are proved theoretically. Moreover, it is observed in this paper that the odd period-doubling bifurcation phenomenon exists in digital voltage-mode controlled buck converter with dual-edge modulation for the first time, where the operation state of the buck converter turns from period-one into period-three. Its authenticity is verified by using the time-domain simulation waveforms and phase portraits. In order to approach to the actual circuit, the equivalent series resistances of capacitor and inductor are considered. The actual circuit is simulated by using the software Psim. A comparison shows that there are little differences between the theoretical simulation and the actual circuit simulation. So the theoretical simulation can be used to analyze the performances of the actual circuit. The research results in this paper have guiding significance and practical value for designing the digital voltage-mode controlled buck converter with dual-edge modulation.
Some landslides move slowly or intermittently downslope, but others liquefy during the early stages of motion, leading to runaway acceleration and high-speed runout across low-relief terrain. Mechanisms responsible for this disparate behaviour are represented in a two-phase, depth-integrated, landslide dynamics model that melds principles from soil mechanics, granular mechanics and fluid mechanics. The model assumes that gradually increasing pore-water pressure causes slope failure to nucleate at the weakest point on a basal slip surface in a statically balanced mass. Failure then spreads to adjacent regions as a result of momentum exchange. Liquefaction is contingent on pore-pressure feedback that depends on the initial soil state. The importance of this feedback is illustrated by using the model to study the dynamics of a disastrous landslide that occurred near Oso, Washington, USA, on 22 March 2014. Alternative simulations of the event reveal the pronounced effects of a landslide mobility bifurcation that occurs if the initial void ratio of water-saturated soil equals the lithostatic, critical-state void ratio. They also show that the tendency for bifurcation increases as the soil permeability decreases. The bifurcation implies that it can be difficult to discriminate conditions that favour slow landsliding from those that favour liquefaction and long runout.
Aim: This study explored the under-researched area of whether preterm birth or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) affected hospitalisation rates, allergies or health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: We studied 88 schoolchildren born preterm at a mean gestational age of 28.8 weeks (range 24.1-31.9) and matched term-born controls at the mean age of 11 years (range 8- 14). Hospitalisations after the first discharge were recorded, skin prick allergy tests were performed and HRQoL was assessed with a parental questionnaire. Results: Preterm children were hospitalised more than controls (64% versus 39%, p = 0.001), mostly before two years of age. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) for two-year-old preterm-born children being hospitalised for wheezing was 8.2 (95% CI 2.0-34.1). BPD affected 56% of the preterm children, but did not influence hospitalisations, and the positive skin prick rate was similar between the preterm and term-born children (35% versus 48%, p = 0.126). Preterm BPD children had fewer positive skin prick tests than those without BPD. HRQoL was lower in preterm than term children (81.25 +/- 10.84 versus 86.80 +/- 9.60, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Most health problems experienced by preterm-born schoolchildren occurred before two years of age and were mainly wheezing disorders. BPD decreased atopy but had no influence on hospitalisation rates.
Empathy is a complex construct, thought to contain multiple components. One popular measurement paradigm, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), has been used extensively to measure empathic tendencies in schizophrenia research across four domains: empathic concern, perspective-taking, personal distress, and fantasy. However, no recent meta-analysis has been conducted for all four factors of this scale. The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine self-reported empathic tendencies for each factor of the IRI in people with schizophrenia as compared to healthy controls. A literature search revealed 32 eligible schizophrenia studies. The Hedges' g standardized difference effect size was calculated for each component using a random effects meta-analytic model. Compared to healthy controls, schizophrenia samples reported significantly reduced tendencies for empathic concern, perspective-taking, and fantasy, but significantly greater tendencies for personal distress. Duration of illness significantly moderated the results for perspective-taking such that those with a longer duration exhibited greater deficits; percent female significantly moderated the results for personal distress such that samples with more females exhibited reduced effect sizes. Future work is needed to examine the impact of heightened personal distress on the empathic tendencies and abilities of those with schizophrenia, including the possible role of emotion regulation.
The rationalistic theories of morality emphasize that reasoning plays an important role in moral judgments and prosocial behavior. Theory of mind as a reasoning ability in the mental domain has been considered a facilitator of moral development. The present study examined whether theory of mind was consistently positively associated with morality from middle childhood to late adulthood. Two hundred and four participants, including 48 elementary school children, 45 adolescents, 62 younger adults, and 49 older adults, completed theory of mind, moral judgment and prosocial behavior tasks. Theory of mind was measured with strange stories that tapped into an understanding of lies, white lies, double bluffs, irony, and persuasion. Moral judgments were measured with variants of the trolley dilemma. Prosocial behavior was measured through participants' performance in an interactive situation in which a helping request was made. The results indicated specific rather than similar developmental trajectories of theory of mind, moral judgments, and prosocial behavior. There was a quadratic trend in theory of mind, a combination of quadratic and cubic trends in deontological moral judgments and a linear decline in helping behavior. It is thus suggested that theory of mind may not be associated with morality in an unchanging way during development. Further results indicated that theory of mind and deontological moral judgments were negatively correlated for children, adolescents, and older adults but positively correlated for younger adults. Theory of mind and helping behavior were positively correlated for children but negatively correlated for adolescents. However, the relationships disappeared in adulthood. In sum, the present study reveals that theory of mind may be a nice tool for its facilitation of deontological moral judgments and prosocial behavior, but it may also be a nasty tool for its blocking of deontological moral judgments and prosocial behavior. Moreover, theory of mind may be a permanent tool for moral judgment development but a temporary tool for prosocial behavior development. Thus, the present study enriches the rationalistic theories of morality from a developmental perspective. Different relationships between theory of mind and morality from middle childhood to late adulthood are discussed.
Efficient power generation techniques used in a modern aircraft are described in the form of a High Voltage Variable Frequency Starter Generator. Its advantages in enabling an All-Electric aircraft are discussed. Machine Design aspects of such a system are obtained from detailed analysis of the output equation of a high speed rotating machine. Case studies are taken by varying various parameters of the equation and results obtained are compared graphically. New and important conclusions derived from the study are summarized.
Programmable AC power sources have been widely used to implement and support a wide range of Test Procedure Specifications (TPS's). Traditionally, these power sources use analog control circuits to provide key control and protection functions like load regulation, current limit and frequency conversion. While this is a proven design, it suffers from a number of drawbacks. With the advent of recent advances in DSP technologies, a full digital implementation of an AC power source design supporting high switching frequencies is now feasible. This paper discussed some of the advantages derived from an all-digital implementation of a programmable poser source and the benefits this provides for ATE system use.
The water-energy nexus has been increasingly studied in order to elucidate the complex interdependence between water and energy resources, and, as a result, enhance management practices to conserve both resources alike. In this context, integrated water management plans have direct implications on the energy embodied into water and sewerage services. The objective of this study is to assess the potential for energy savings in water and sewerage services by means of on-site integrated water and sewage management strategies in low-income households in Florianopolis, Brazil. The studied water efficient measures include: (i) installation of water efficient fixtures (dual flush toilets and water efficient taps); (ii) reclamation of grey water from shower, washing basin, and laundry for toilet flushing; and (iii) rainwater use for laundry and toilet flushing. From the combination of these measures, the water and energy saving potential of seven integrated water and sewage management strategies were studied. Moreover, the water consumption pattern at ten low-income households with conventional and water efficient taps were empirically determined using water smart meters; whereas, the rainwater supply capacity was estimated by using the computer programme Netuno 4.0, and the grey water supply and sewage reduction capacities were determined using model equations. Rainwater harvesting alone appeared as the least favourable strategy for energy savings as the energy consumption would increase 4% compared to a centralised system; while the combination of water efficient fixtures and grey water reclamation gave rise to the greatest energy saving potential (48%). The findings of this study indicate that, from an energy management point of view, the sustainability of the water sector is primarily associated with the reduction of effluents to centralised systems, rather than the use of alternative water sources. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Italian white certificate scheme is the main national policy instrument to incentivise energy efficiency of the industrial sector, with savings from white certificates amounting to 2% of Italy's 2012 primary energy consumption. The mechanism sets binding energy-saving targets on electricity and gas distributors with at least 50,000 clients and includes a voluntary opt-in model for participation from other parties. This paper investigates and assesses the elements of the scheme that help overcome several barriers to deliver industrial energy efficiency. Results from a survey conducted among leading experts indicate that the Italian system provides a strong financial incentive to energy efficiency investments, covering a significant share of investment costs and thus reducing payback time. Moreover, the scheme fosters the development of energy service companies (ESCOs), which are key to developing, installing and arranging finance for projects on the ground. In conjunction with other policies, the mechanism also raises awareness of energy efficiency investment opportunities, thus helping overcome the market failure of insufficient information. Core challenges remain, including tackling regulatory uncertainty and improving access to finance.
2008 is the year of creation of the Bitcoin network consisting of a decentralized database, which is storing all transactions of bitcoin tokens, whose quantity is predetermined by a protocol and independent of any authority. The aim of this article is to describe the limits in the use of Bitcoin as medium of exchange. Bitcoin network operation is carried out at high costs of electrical energy consumption, which, will over time be reflected in the price of transactions. Low transaction prices, which is one of the main arguments of Bitcoin promoters, are only possible with continuous issuance of new bitcoins to circulation. Bitcoin's - prove of work - is the most energetically demanding method from all currently existing methods securing cryptoplatforms. Halving mechanism which reduces the rewards of miners create pressure to decrease hash rate, which is a reflection of the rate of network security. The pressure to decrease hash rate is for now overrun by the increasing efficiency of mining devices. The future will therefore probably bring us fundamental questions: What will it mean for Bitcoin network, if the real costs of running the network will be reflected in costs of transaction? How will Bitcoin network be able to compete with other cryptocurrencies, whose operation is carried out at a much lower cost? Will halving mechanism ultimately cause a declined hash rate, and thereby also a reduction in network security?
Despite a growing interest in intellectual humility (IH) and intellectual arrogance (IA), adequate measurement remains a challenging issue. This paper presents a pair of studies that compare two strategies: self-assessments and relational measures of group consensus. In Study 1, unacquainted participants provided round-robin judgments following a set of collaborative tasks. A social relations analysis revealed no consensus for either construct, making the relational measure untenable. However, a round-robin design following months of cooperative course work (Study 2) produced consensus for both constructs. Self-reported IH in both studies was positively associated with self-enhancement, despite the construct's definitional association with accurate self-appraisals, whereas relational IH was not. These studies reveal key ways in which personal and relational assessments can differ. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
An important yet untested assumption within personality psychology is that more important person characteristics are more densely reflected in language. We investigated how ratings of importance and other term properties are associated with one another and with a term's frequency of use. Research participants were asked to provide terms that described individuals they knew, which resulted in a set of 624 adjectives. These terms were independently rated for importance, social desirability, observability, stateness versus traitness, level of abstraction, and base rate. Terms rated as describing more important person characteristics were in fact used more often by the participants in the sample and in a large corpus of online communications (close to 500 million words). More frequently used terms and more positive terms were also rated as being more abstract, more traitlike, and more widely applicable (i.e., having a greater base rate). We discuss the implications of these findings with regard to person perception in general.
The last climatic years have recorded a recrudescence of risk phenomena, especially floods and droughts. Because of this reason an acute shortage of water is presently felt even in the mountainous areas. Hydrological data have been recorded at 5 gauges distributed in the middle and lowers sectors of the basin. Suha river basin includes a large number of inhabitants, attracted here some time ago by mining exploitations. The closing of Ostra mine has not led to a decrease in population, and thus water demands are higher and higher and underground resources are used. Minimum discharge in the basin is extremely low in comparison to the reality of other mountain catchments (at Stulpicani gauge a mean minimum discharge of 0.611 m(3)/s has been recorded during 1970-2013). This situation is due first of all to the rapid infiltration of water in the very permeable deposits (sands, gravels, boulders). An increase in water demands is probable if the comfort of the dwellings is improved by raising the number of baths and showers, of greenhouses for vegetables growing, of guest-houses with pools etc. In order to preserve water resources in the area is imposed the keeping of the present forested surfaces and the adequate control of tailings dumps so as to avoid underground and surface water pollution. Due to practices like toilets lacking septic tanks or gathering of manure on un-isolated platforms, the conservation of present water quality (especially the underground one) is imperious.
This work analyse the movements and the muscular activity during motocross sessions and how a neck brace influence both. These movements are measured in terms of angles using two Biometrics (R) angular sensors (one for bi-planar flexion and one for torsion); the muscle activity is registered using four pairs of electrodes (muscle selected: Sterno-Cleido-Mastoid left and right, Trapezium left and right). From the results obtained, we can conclude that the pilot wants to focus the attention to the next jump or obstacle while accelerations of different nature are acting on the neck, therefore isometric contractions are predominant. The fact that the brace did not reduce the rotational range of motion is a positive result because the pilot field of view is not modified which is a safety requirement. According to the evidence of a fatigue effect, the brace is useful not only to protect the pilot during accidents but also as a supporting device during driving sessions. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
This research was designed to investigate the relationship between sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to the perception of social targets varying in social status. Participants varying in subjective financial status were presented with faces assigned with either a low, average, or high financial status. Electrocardiographic and impedance cardiography signals were recorded and measures of sympathetic (pre-ejection period; PEP) and parasympathetic (high frequency heart rate variability; HF HRV) cardiac control were derived. These measures associated with the presentation of each face condition were examined in relation to the subjective status of the perceivers. Participants with high subjective financial status showed reduced sympathetic activity when viewing low- and medium-status targets as compared to high-status targets, and lower parasympathetic response when viewing high- and medium-status targets relative to low-status targets. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Background: The gut microbiome in infancy influences immune system maturation, and may have an important impact on allergic disease risk. Objective: We sought to determine how prenatal and early life factors impact the gut microbiome in a relatively large, ethnically diverse study population of infants at age 3 to 6 months, who were enrolled in Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial, a clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy to prevent asthma and allergies in offspring. Methods: We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on 333 infants' stool samples. Microbial diversity was computed using the Shannon index. Factor analysis applied to the top 25 most abundant taxa revealed 4 underlying bacterial coabundance groups; the first dominated by Firmicutes (Lachnospiraceae/ Clostridiales), the second by Proteobacteria (Klebsiella/ Enterobacter), the third by Bacteriodetes, and the fourth by Veillonella. Scores for coabundance groups were used as outcomes in regression models, with prenatal/birth and demographic characteristics as independent predictors. Multivariate analysis, using all microbial community members, was also conducted. Results: White race/ethnicity was associated with lower diversity but higher Bacteroidetes coabundance scores. C-section birth was associated with higher diversity, but decreased Bacteroidetes coabundance scores. Firmicutes scores were higher for infants born by C-section. Breast-fed infants had lower proportions of Clostridiales. Cord blood vitamin D was linked to increased Lachnobacterium, but decreased Lactococcus. Conclusions: The findings presented here suggest that race, mode of delivery, breast-feeding, and cord blood vitamin D levels are associated with infant gut microbiome composition, with possible long-term implications for immune system modulation and asthma/allergic disease incidence.
Since 2008, macroalgal blooms of Ulva prolifera (also called green tides) occurred every summer in the Yellow Sea (YS), causing environmental and economic problems. A number of studies have used satellite observations to estimate the severity of the blooms through estimating the bloom size and duration. However, a critical bloom parameter, namely biomass, has never been objectively determined due to lack of measurements. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted to measure U. prolifera biomass (wet weight) per unit area and the corresponding spectral reflectance, through which a robust relationship has been established to link biomass per area to the reflectance-based floating algae index (FAI). The lab-based model has been validated with in situ measurements, with an estimated relative uncertainty of1.7 million tons during June 2015 and minimum daily biomass of < 0.09 million tons during 2012. The ability to estimate U. prolifera biomass at given locations from the near real-time MODIS images is expected to significantly enhance the capacity of an existing monitoring system to provide quantitative information for decision making. 2017 The Authors. (C) Published by Elsevier Inc.
In this paper, we discuss the design of a manually operated soil compaction machine that is being used to manufacture stabilized soil blocks (SSB). A case study of manufacturing more than three million blocks in a housing project using manually operated machines is illustrated. The paper is focussed on the design, development, and evaluation of a manually operated soil compaction machine for the production of SSB. It also details the machine design philosophy, compaction characteristics of soils, employment generation potential of small-scale stabilized soil block productions systems, and embodied energy. Static compaction of partially saturated soils was performed to generate force-displacement curves in a confined compaction process were generated. Based on the soil compaction data engineering design aspects of a toggle press are illustrated. The results of time and motion study on block production operations using manual machines are discussed. Critical path network diagrams were used for small-scale SSB production systems. Such production systems generate employment at a very low capital cost.
Oxytocin reduces amygdala responses to threatening social stimuli in males and has been suggested to facilitate approach-related processing by either decreasing anxiety or intensifying salience. The current administration study tested whether oxytocin either reduces or enhances amygdala responses during threat approach in a placebo-controlled randomized, double-blind, between-subjects design with 52 healthy males undergoing fMRI during a social approach-avoidance task. Oxytocin decreased amygdala activation during threat approach and not during threat avoidance. This neural effect supports oxytocin's social anxiolytic effects and provides a neuroendocrine mechanism promoting social approach. The findings may yield clinical implications for individuals suffering from dysregulations of social approach such as patients with anxiety disorders. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In many areas of the world, leaching of phosphorus in the soil causes serious water pollution. The purpose of this research was to decrease the phosphorus loss in soil by the adsorption behavior of biochars with special structural characteristics. In this study, a series of analysis methods including scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, elemental composition, thermogravimetric, and X-ray diffractometer analysis have been used to investigate the properties and structures of different sources of biochars. The adsorption of phosphorus by maize-straw biochar, rice-hull biochar, and pine biochar was quantified by the balance method in this research. The results show that pine biochar has more structural and thermal stability than maize-straw biochar and rice-hull biochar. Different sources of biochar have significantly different phosphate adsorption capabilities. Pine biochar has the best phosphorus adsorption capacity; the actual maximum adsorption capacity was 13.898mgg(-1); however, the phosphorus adsorption capacity of maize-straw biochar was minimum, the actual maximum adsorption capacity was 8.809mgg(-1). The volume of phosphorus adsorption on biochars increases with increasing concentration of phosphorus added to the solution, but the rate of increase gradually decreases. The phosphorus adsorption curve agreed well with the Langmuir isotherm equation.
Recently, there are revolutionary achievements in silicon-based conventional terahertz (THz) and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) integrated circuits, particularly with the advancement of CMOS technology. However, unlike Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFICs), innovative designs and lack of various circuit techniques still remain unknown in THz gap. In this paper, a multi-band THz amplifier is presented in 40 nm CMOS technology with adaptive band selection technique. The smart amplifier is able to adjust the band of operation with respect to input signal power and frequency. In addition, the circuit performance will be adjusted to achieve maximum power gain. In order to achieve multi-band external neutralization, self-healing technique is vastly utilized by means of tunable transmission lines (TTLs). The proposed smart system contains tunable transmission lines, a 5-stage amplifier core, two Successive Approximation Register-based analog-to-digital converters (SAR ADCs), a digital control core and two on-chip power sensing blocks. The fabricated amplifier achieves P-1 of 1 dBm, P-sat of 6.1 dBm and power gain of 14.8 dB +/- <1.5 dB from 197 to 288 GHz frequency range. The proposed amplifier demonstrates the highest operation frequency among all published state-of-arts in all CMOS technologies.
This work addresses the multi-scale modeling of fluid flow in highly complex media based on the concept of Representative Volume Element (RVE). The Method of Multi-scale Virtual Power developed by the authors is employed to construct a coarse scale model from standard fluid flow model at a fine-scale. Kinematic conservation principles, duality arguments and the balance of virtual power between scales are employed to set the grounds of the scale transition of physical fields. This allows to derive in a variationally consistent manner (i) the fine-scale problem to be solved at the RVE, and (ii) the homogenization formulae for coarse-scale dual quantities, namely, the force-like and stress-like fields. Examples of application of flow in permeable media are presented to show the potential of the present approach. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In a typical, entanglement-based quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols the maximally entangled, singlet states are used. The standard way to generate them is to use parametric down conversion with low intensity laser beams. This way the probability to produce two or more entangled pairs is negligible. However, one obtains it at a cost of a large likelihood of producing no particles at all. In this work, we ask the question if this approach is the optimal one from the point of view of key generation rate. For a case study, we take BBM 92 protocol and find the optimal intensity of the beam. We show optimal intensities are much higher than the ones typically used. Our results can be generalized to other protocols based on singlet states.
Dopamine plays a significant role in the function of human metabolism. It is important to develop sensitive sensor for the determination of dopamine without the interference by ascorbic acid. This paper reports the synthesis of graphene using a modified Hummer's method and its application for the electrochemical detection of dopamine. Electrochemical measurements were performed at glassy carbon electrode modified with graphene via drop-casting method. Cyclic voltammogram of ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple at graphene modified electrode showed an increased current intensity compared with glassy carbon electrode and graphite modified electrode. The decrease of charge transfer resistance was also analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The capacity of graphene modified electrode for selective detection of dopamine was confirmed in a sufficient amount of ascorbic acid (1 mM). The observed linear range for the determination of dopamine concentration was from 4 mu M to 100 mu M. The detection limit was estimated to be 2.64 mu M. (C) 2010 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.
Plant phenology is a key link for controlling interactions between climate change and biogeochemical cycles. Satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) has been extensively used to detect plant phenology at regional scales. Here, we introduced a new vegetation index, plant senescence reflectance index (PSRI), and determined PSRI-derived start (SOS) and end (EOS) dates of the growing season using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data from 2000 to 2011 in the Inner Mongolian Grassland. Then, we validated the reliability of PSRI-derived SOS and EOS dates using NDVI-derived SOS and EOS dates. Moreover, we conducted temporal and spatial correlation analyses between PSRI-derived SOS/EOS date and climatic factors and revealed spatiotemporal patterns of PSRI-derived SOS and EOS dates across the entire research region at pixel scales. Results show that PSRI has similar performance with NDVI in extracting SOS and EOS dates in the Inner Mongolian Grassland. Precipitation regime is the key climate driver of interannual variation of grassland phenology, while temperature and precipitation regimes are the crucial controlling factors of spatial differentiation of grassland phenology. Thus, PSRI-derived vegetation phenology can effectively reflect land surface vegetation dynamics and its response to climate change. Moreover, a significant linear trend of PSRI-derived SOS and EOS dates was detected only at small portions of pixels, which is consistent with that of greenup and brownoff dates of herbaceous plant species in the Inner Mongolian Grassland. Overall, PSRI is a useful and robust metric in addition to NDVI for monitoring land surface grassland phenology.
As the prevalence of embedded systems in various fields has spread, real-time operating systems (RTOSs) have been widely used for many years satisfying real-time requirements and a multitasking design. The use of RTOS adds additional overhead to a system, which should be deliberately considered and evaluated in some critical systems. This paper presents a qualitative and quantitative comparison between an open-source RTOS (FreeRTOS V8.0.0) and a commercial one (mu C/OS-III). Both RTOS use a preemptive multitasking kernel, with additional support for round robin scheduling. We aim to benchmark and evaluate their performance and behaviour, including seven performance tests and two behaviour tests. Comparing the measurement results shows that the commercial mu C/OS-III does not behave much better than FreeRTOS. Furthermore, we discovered that the priority changing function of mu C/OSIII does not behave correctly in some circumstances. Although FreeRTOS has no such problem in the latest version, it still has a problem with its dynamic memory management.
Psychostimulants induce stable changes in neural plasticity and behavior in a transcription-dependent manner. Further, stable cellular changes require transcription that is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms that alter chromatin structure, such as histone acetylation. This mechanism is typically catalyzed by enzymes with histone acetyltransferase or histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity. Class Ila HDAC5 are notable for their high expression in important regions of the brain reward circuitry and their neural activity-dependent shuttling in and out of the cell nucleus. In particular, HDAC5 has an important modulatory function in cocaine-induced behaviors and social defeat stress-induced effects. Although a mutation in HDAC5 has been shown to cause hypersensitive responses to chronic cocaine use whether this response worsens during chronic early life stress has not been examined yet. In this study, we exposed mouse pups to two different early life stress paradigms (social isolation, ESI, and social threat, EST) to determine whether the heterozygous null mutation in HDAC5 (HDAC5+/) moderated the effects of exposure to stress in early life on adult cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Notably, HDAC5+/ mice that had been exposed to ESI were more susceptible to developing cocaine-induced CPP and more resistant to extinguishing this behavior. The same effect was not observed for HDAC5+/ mice experiencing EST, suggesting that only ESI induces behavioral changes by acting precisely through HDAC5-related biological pathways. Finally, an analysis of c-Fos expression performed to discover the neurobiological substrates that Mediated this phenotype, identified the dorsolateral striatum as an important structure that mediates the interaction between HDAC5 mutation and ESL Our data demonstrate that decreased HDAC5 function is able to exacerbate the long-term behavioral effects of adverse rearing environment in mouse. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) development board, a digital signal processor (DSP) builder, and the phase-to-amplitude conversion principle, a low-cost system for measuring the amplitude-to-amplitude (AM/AM) and amplitude-to-phase (AM/PM) distortion curves of radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers (PAs) is presented. The state of the art based on the measurements and preliminary studies of AM/AM and AM/PM distortion curves is discussed. A full digital control of the test bed simulated/emulated in Matlab/Simulink is introduced to recalculate the known AM/AM and AM/PM measurements stored as look-up table (LUT). Finally, the low-cost system comprises the memory polynomial model (MPM) that involves the nonlinearity order and memory effects of real PAs. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and questioning (LGBTQ) discrimination continues to be common on college campuses. While a number of studies have examined blatant victimization among students, little attention has been given to LGBTQ microaggressions. In this study, we examine both blatant victimization and microaggressions and their association with psychological distress among LGBTQ college students (N = 497) and look at whether gender identity moderates these relationships. Both forms of discrimination are associated with lower self-esteem and greater stress and anxiety. Victimization is more negatively associated with self-esteem among trans* students. Our findings emphasize the importance of addressing both blatant and subtle forms of discrimination targeting LGBTQ college students.
The periodical-in-voltage features of the negative differential conductance (NDC) region in the current-voltage characteristics of a high-quality GaAs/AlAs terahertz resonant-tunneling diode have been detected. The found oscillations are considered taking account of the LO-phonon excitation stimulated by tunneling of electrons through the quantum active region in the resonance nanostructure where an undoped quantum well layer is sandwiched between two undoped barrier layers. Rearrangements in the I-V characteristics of the resonant-tunneling diode as a consequence of the topological transformation of a measurement circuit from the circuit with the series resistance Rs to the circuit with the shunt Rp have been experimentally studied and analyzed. The revealed substantial changes in the current-voltage characteristics of the resonant-tunneling diode are discussed schematically using Kirchhoff's voltage law.
Innovation scholars have long recognized entrepreneurship is imitative', whereas the commercialization of novelty is innovative'. Thus they are highly distinctive skill-sets. Entrepreneurship, first, involves optimizing market sentiment for pure profit sometimes to the point of catastrophe and even fraudulence in many markets. These include: payment protection insurance (PPI) to flash crashes', automotive emission defeat devices', corporate bribery settlements, social media hacking', fake news' and a litany of other infractions and catastrophes. Innovation, by contrast, is more explorative and team-reliant. Even if patenting betrays the hope for commercialization on markets, patented innovation frequently fails. Some academic innovators even profess a preference for prizes over profits. Second, this means that collective bonding' among entrepreneurs, in the form of claimed entrepreneurial ecosystems', is often based on a single customer platform or as a supplier of a highly specialist type of imitative' service from identikit pizza chains to me-too' smartphone apps. Through the latter, fused with artificial intelligence some interactive machine-learning services have long-existed as postsocial' algorithms serving customers of, for example, investment banks in stock and currency markets. Finally, entrepreneurship is fundamentally competitive, individualistic and non-solidaristic, whereas open innovation' was born from the practices of open science' and the collegiate tradition of research. Accordingly, entrepreneurial ecosystems' can display more closure than RIS set-ups. This special issue explores aspects of these ecosystem platforms and their implications for emergent forms of urban and regional evolution in the near and nearly present future.
Screening alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients has been challenging due to the subjectivity involved in the process. Hence, robust and objective methods are needed to automate the screening of AUD patients. In this paper, a machine learning method is proposed that utilized resting-state electroencephalography (EEG)-derived features as input data to classify the AUD patients and healthy controls and to perform automatic screening of AUD patients. In this context, the EEG data were recorded during 5 min of eyes closed and 5 min of eyes open conditions. For this purpose, 30 AUD patients and 15 aged-matched healthy controls were recruited. After preprocessing the EEG data, EEG features such as inter-hemispheric coherences and spectral power for EEG delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma bands were computed involving 19 scalp locations. The selection of most discriminant features was performed with a rank-based feature selection method assigning a weight value to each feature according to a criterion, i.e., receiver operating characteristics curve. For example, a feature with large weight was considered more relevant to the target labels than a feature with less weight. Therefore, a reduced set of most discriminant features was identified and further be utilized during classification of AUD patients and healthy controls. As results, the inter-hemispheric coherences between the brain regions were found significantly different between the study groups and provided high classification efficiency (Accuracy = 80.8, sensitivity = 82.5, and specificity = 80, F-Measure = 0.78). In addition, the power computed in different EEG bands were found significant and provided an overall classification efficiency as (Accuracy = 86.6, sensitivity = 95, specificity = 82.5, and F-Measure = 0.88). Further, the integration of these EEG feature resulted into even higher results (Accuracy = 89.3 %, sensitivity = 88.5 %, specificity = 91 %, and F-Measure = 0.90). Based on the results, it is concluded that the EEG data (integration of the theta, beta, and gamma power and inter-hemispheric coherence) could be utilized as objective markers to screen the AUD patients and healthy controls.
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the oxidative and reductive metabolic pathways of acrylamide (AA) in the nonsmoking general population. For the first time both the blood protein adducts and the urinary metabolites of AA and glycidamide (GA) were quantified in an especially designed study group with even distribution of age and gender. The hemoglobin adducts N-carbamoylethylvaline (AAVal) and N-(R,S)-2-hydroxy-2-carbamoylethylvaline (GAVal) were detected by GC-MS/MS in all blood samples with median levels of 30 and 34 pmol/g of globin, respectively. Concentrations ranged from 15 to 71 pmol/g of globin for AAVal and from 14 to 66 pmol/g of globin for GAVal. The ratio GAVal/AAVal was 0.4-2.7 (median = 1.1). The urinary metabolites were determined by LC-MS/MS. Of all urine samples examined 99% of N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) levels and 73% of N-(R/S)-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (GAMA) levels were above the LOD (1.5 mu g/L). Concentrations ranged from < LOD to 229 mu g/L (median = 29 mu g/L) for AAMA and from < LOD to 85 mu g/L (median = 7 mu g/L) for GAMA. The ratio of GAMA/AAMA varied from 0.004 to 1.4 (median = 0.3). Using hemoglobin adduct levels in blood and mercapturic acid excretion in urine for calculation of daily AA intake gave practically identical values. The median daily intakes were 0.43 (0.21-1.04) mu g/kg of body weight(bw)/day using Hb adducts and 0.51 (< LOD-2.32) mu g/kg of bw/day using mercapturic acids for calculations. Children take up approximately 1.3-1.5 times more AA per kilogram of body weight than adults. The ratio GAMA/AAMA is significantly higher in the group of young children (6-10 years) with a median level of 0.5. A gender-related difference in internal exposure and metabolism was not observed.
Platelet activation has long been known to be accompanied by secretion from at least three types of compartments. These include dense granules, the major source of small molecules; alpha-granules, the major protein storage organelle; and lysosomes, the site of acid hydrolase storage. Despite similar to 60 years of research, there are still many unanswered questions about the cell biology of platelet secretion: for example, how are these secretory organelles organized to support cargo release and what are the key routes of cargo release, granule to plasma membrane or granule to canalicular system. Moreover, in recent years, increasing evidence points to the platelet being organized for secretion of the contents from other organelles, namely the dense tubular system (endoplasmic reticulum) and the Golgi apparatus. Conceivably, protein secretion is a widespread property of the platelet and its organelles. In this review, we concentrate on the cell biology of the alpha-granule and its structure/function relationships. We both review the literature and discuss the wide array of 3-dimensional, high-resolution structural approaches that have emerged in the last few years. These have begun to reveal new and unanticipated outcomes and some of these are discussed. We are hopeful that the next several years will bring rapid advances to this field that will resolve past controversies and be clinically relevant.
As motion sensors are getting light-weighted and low-priced, there is a growing appetite for the accelerometer-based approaches for efficiently monitoring human activities. This paper proposes an original feature selection approach based on the spectral distances between a given signal and an activity model. This new technique is evaluated and compared to existing techniques in literature. This study also investigates the improvement of classification performances brought by the heart rate (HR) data in addition to the accelerometer data. The experimental dataset is composed of both acceleration and HR recordings from eight volunteers performing five ambulation activities. Four wearable sensor units, including an ECG node are employed. The response of the system to three widely used classifiers, the K-nearest neighbors K-NN, the Naive Bayes NB and the decision Tree C4.5 is reported along with the classification rates. The results reached up to 99% of overall recognition accuracy and higher than 98% using a single-sensor acceleration data and the HR data. These results demonstrate that the spectral distances approach can be adopted to accurately classify activities and that the joint processing of acceleration signals together with the HR signals can increase the classification accuracy compared to the case when processing the acceleration signals alone. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Traditional forensic analysis of hard disks and external media typically involves a dead analysis of a powered down machine. Forensic acquisition of hard drives and external media has traditionally been accomplished by one of several means: standalone forensic duplicator; using a hardware write-blocker or dock attached to a laptop, computer, workstation, etc.; forensic operating systems that live boot from a USB, CD/DVD or virtual machines with preinstalled operating systems. Standalone forensics acquisition and imaging devices generally cost thousands of dollars. In this paper, we propose the use of single board computers as forensic imaging devices. Single board computers can provide a low budget forensic imaging solution that can be used in a lab, remote acquisition, or even be configured as portable imaging devices. This project tests different ARM processor based single board computers and the software available at the present time. The project includes image acquisition using a write-blocker, software write-blockers and without write-blockers to test the various configurations. The final results demonstrate clearly that ARM-based single board computers can serve as effective, low cost and low energy forensic imaging devices.
Past research has shown that rapport and cooperation between individuals is related to the level of nonverbal synchrony they achieve in their interactions. This study investigates the extent to which staff and clients with mild to borderline intellectual disability achieve interactional synchrony in daily social interactions. Whilst there has been work examining how staff can adapt their verbal communication to help achieve better mutual understanding, there has been an absence of work concerning the responsiveness of staff and clients regarding their nonverbal behavior. Nineteen staff members video-recorded a social interaction with one of their clients in which the client had a need for support. The recordings were analyzed using cross recurrence quantification analysis. In addition, fifteen staff members as well as clients with an intellectual disability completed a questionnaire on the quality of the nineteen video-recorded interactions. Analysis of the nonverbal patterns of interaction showed that the staff-client dyads achieved interactional synchrony, but that this synchrony is not pervasive to all nonverbal behaviors. The client observers appeared to be more sensitive to this synchrony or to value it more highly than the staff raters. Staff observers were sensitive to quantitative measures of talking. The more staff in the interactions talked, the lower the quality rating of the interaction. The more the clients talked, the more positively the staff observers rated the interactions. These findings have implications for how collaborative relationships between clients and support workers should be understood.
In a strong designated verifier signature scheme, only the designated verifier can determine the identity of the signer; others cannot identify the signer or the verifier. To date, one strong designated verifier signature scheme from lattices has been proposed, only in the random oracle model. In this paper, we propose the first strong designated verifier signature scheme from lattices in the standard model. The proposed scheme satisfies the requirements of unforgeability, nontransferability, and privacy of the signer's identity. This scheme can be easily extended to an identity-based strong designated verifier signature scheme and an (identity-based) strong multi-designated verifiers signature scheme. Copyright (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The combined supplementation of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), L-leucine-rich amino acids, and cholecalciferol (vitamin D-3) increase muscle strength and function in frail elderly individuals. However, their effects on cognition are unknown. We enrolled 38 elderly nursing home residents (mean age +/- SD, 86.6 +/- 4.8 y) in a 3-mo randomized, controlled, parallel group trial. The participants were randomly allocated to 3 groups: the first group received a L-leucine (1.2 g)- and cholecalciferol (20 mu g)-enriched supplement with 6 g of MCT (LD+MCT); the second group received the same supplement with 6 g of long-chain triglycerides (LD+LCT); and the third group did not receive any supplements (control). Cognition was assessed at baseline and after the 3-mo intervention. The difference in changes among the groups was assessed with ANCOVA, adjusting for age and the baseline value as covariates. After 3 mo, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score in the LD+MCT group increased by 10.6% (from 16.6 to 18.4 points, p<0.05). After 3 mo, the Nishimura geriatric rating scale for mental status (NM scale) score in the LD+MCT group increased by 30.6% (from 24.6 to 32.2 points, p<0.001), whereas that in the LD+LCT and control groups decreased by 11.2% (from 31.2 to 27.7 points, p<0.05) and 26.1% (from 27.2 to 20.1 points, p<0.001), respectively. The combined supplementation of MCTs (6 g), L-leucine-rich amino acids, and cholecalciferol may improve cognitive function in frail elderly individuals.
Although millions of cats live among humans worldwide the scientific community knows relatively little about cat behavior and cognition. Olfaction is an important perceptual sense for many members of Carnivora, however the role of chemical signals in cat social relationships is not fully understood. Research indicates chemical signals play an important role in many areas of cat behavior including mother offspring and conspecific interactions and exploration of their environment. Chemical cues appear to play a role in stress and anxiety reduction, allowing cats to feel secure in their environment. A better understanding of cat chemical signals, especially as it relates to within and between species communication, may lead to an increase in cat wellbeing as humans can utilize this knowledge in applied settings. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to investigate how cats process and use chemical signals in social contexts and identify ways this information can be applied to address cat behavioral issues, such as inappropriate litter box and scratching behavior, and improve cat welfare, including species-appropriate ways of reinforcing the human-cat bond. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Oxygen plays a key role in stem cell biology as a signaling molecule and as an indicator of cell energy metabolism. Quantification of cellular oxygen kinetics, i.e. the determination of specific oxygen uptake rates (sOURs), is routinely used to understand metabolic shifts. However current methods to determine sOUR in adherent cell cultures rely on cell sampling, which impacts on cellular phenotype. We present real-time monitoring of cell growth from phase contrast microscopy images, and of respiration using optical sensors for dissolved oxygen. Time-course data for bulk and peri-cellular oxygen concentrations obtained for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and mouse embryonic stem cell (mESCs) cultures successfully demonstrated this non-invasive and label-free approach. Additionally, we confirmed non-invasive detection of cellular responses to rapidly changing culture conditions by exposing the cells to mitochondrial inhibiting and uncoupling agents. For the CHO and mESCs, sOUR values between 8 and 60 amol cell(-1) s(-1), and 5 and 35 amol cell(-1) s(-1) were obtained, respectively. These values compare favorably with literature data. The capability to monitor oxygen tensions, cell growth, and sOUR, of adherent stem cell cultures, non-invasively and in real time, will be of significant benefit for future studies in stem cell biology and stem cell-based therapies.
Prior reviews of behavioral treatments for individuals with comorbid alcohol and drug use disorders (substance use disorder SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have not systematically considered whether comparison conditions are matched to target treatments on time and attention. A systematic literature search using PubMed MESH terms for alcohol and substance use disorders, PTSD, and treatment identified relevant behavioral randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated PTSD-oriented exposure-based treatments, addiction-focused treatments, and coping-based treatments that do not involve exposure to trauma memories. Information pertaining to within-subject changes over time and between-subject differences, quality of control condition, recruitment efficiency, and assessment and treatment retention was synthesized. Alcohol and drug outcomes were described separately when possible. Twenty-four behavioral RCTs were identified: 7 exposure based, 6 addiction focused, and 11 coping based. Seven studies included SUD intervention comparison conditions matched to the target intervention on time and attention. Most of the 24 studies found that participants in both the experimental and control conditions improved significantly over time on SUD and PTSD outcomes. No study found significant between-group differences in both SUD and PTSD outcomes favoring the experimental treatment. Despite greater treatment dropout, there was greater improvement in some PTSD outcomes for exposure-based interventions than the control conditions, including when the control conditions were matched for time and attention. Addiction-focused and coping-based interventions did not generally show an advantage over comparably robust controls, although some coping-based interventions yielded better drug use outcomes than control conditions. When available, interventions that integrate exposure-based PTSD treatment and behavioral SUD treatment are recommended as they are associated with better PTSD outcomes than SUD care matched for time and attention. However, the results of this critical review also suggest that people with SUD/PTSD can benefit from a variety of treatment options, including standard SUD care.
Spondyloarthritis refers to a group of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases that predominantly affects the axial skeleton, causing pain and stiffness. Human bone is highly dynamic organ that interacts with a wide array cells and tissues. Process of bone remodelling relies on a delicate balance between bone formation and bone resorption, orchestrated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Disruption of this homeostatic balance of bone removal and replacement can manifest as inappropriate new bone formation found in spondylarthritis. We hypothesize that VEGF may promote bone remodelling, stimulate angiogenesis, and both osteoclastic and osteoblastic activity. Anti VEGF may be tested as a dedicated therapy to prevent bone remodelling in spondyloarthritis patients, namely in cases of aggressive disease. Bone remodelling could be monitored by using [18F]Fluoride PET scan. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bacterial leaf/fruit spot and canker of stone fruits, caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni, is a recurrent disease in Italy. A set of 23 strains has been isolated in peach and plum orchards in an intensively stone fruit cultivated area located in north-eastern Italy. They were all identified as X. arboricola pv. pruni by means of phytopathological and serological features: hypersensitive reaction on bean pods, pathogenicity test on immature peach or plum fruitlets, identification by immunofluorescence assay and conventional PCR. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequencing of the gyrB housekeeping gene of the isolates showed that they formed a unique clade, well characterised and separated from other xanthomonads. An insight into the genetic population features was attempted by rep-PCR analysis, using the ERIC, REP and BOX primers. The combined rep-PCR fingerprints showed a slight intra-pathovar variation within our isolates, which grouped in five close clusters. Copper resistance has been assessed in vitro for our whole X. arboricola pv. pruni collection, highlighting that two isolates show a level of resistance in vitro up to 200 ppm of copper. Nonetheless, the copLAB gene cluster, present in many other species of Xanthomonads, was not detected in any isolate, confirming the presence of a still unknown mechanism of copper detoxification in our Xanthomonads arboricola pv. pruni tolerant/resistant strains.
Soft drink industries suffer inadequate handling of their product losses generally considered as wastes. Those products contribute to the wastewater organic load augmentation and cause fastidious environmental impact. In this study, an industrial scale bioconversion process based on multistage fermentation was proposed to treat and reuse soft drink factories' high-loaded effluents for valuable components production. An upstream segregation of non-consumed beverage was performed to reduce the organic load of the soft drink wastewater. Beverage characterization revealed an important sugar content. Such an organic compound is undoubtedly responsible of the high organic load of soft drink wastewater. Thus, the bioconversion of the sugar content of soft drink waste to single-cell proteins was proposed as a solution to reduce wastewater polluting load. Soft drink wastewater including rejected and returned products was tested to be used as a substrate for yeast biomass production using a commercial yeast strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The effect of nutrient supplementation and the initial sugar concentration effect in culture media on the biomass production were investigated using batch and fed-batch process. Results indicated that supplementation is necessary for successful fermentation. Juices and nectars gave better sugar-biomass conversion yields (0.38-0.45 g g(-1)). Depletion of the sugar contained in the soft drinks exceeded 96 % for all fermented media. Fed-batch culture revealed a biomass concentration improvement reaching 9.16 g L-1 compared to batch biomass concentration resulting from batch cultures (5.2 g L-1). The proposed process was shown to enable beverage industries to reduce water pollution generation through an on-site segregation procedure and a storage system to valorize product losses as source medium for single-cell protein production.
Scene change detection between multitemporal image scenes can be used to interpret the variation of regional land use, and has significant potential in the application of urban development monitoring at the semantic level. The traditional methods directly comparing the independent semantic classes neglect the temporal correlation, and thus suffer from accumulated classification errors. In this paper, we propose a novel scene change detection method via kernel slow feature analysis (KSFA) and postclassification fusion, which integrates independent scene classification with scene change detection to accurately determine scene changes and identify the from-to transition type. After representation with the bag-of-visual-words model, KSFA is proposed to extract the nonlinear temporally invariant features, to better measure the change probability between corresponding multitemporal image scenes. Two postclassification fusion methods, which are based on Bayesian theory and predefined rules, respectively, are then employed to identify the optimal coupled class combinations of multitemporal scene pairs. Furthermore, in addition to identifying semantic changes, the proposed method can also improve the performance of scene classification, since the unchanged scenes are more likely to belong to the same class. Two experiments with high-resolution remote sensing image scene data sets confirm that the proposed method can increase the accuracy of scene change detection, scene transition identification, and scene classification.
Criminal (drug and prostitution) charges, employment levels (weekly hours), recent substance use in the past 6 months, and primary sources of income were examined among a sample (n = 106) of women ex-offenders who had opioid use disorders with and without methadone histories. A general linear model was tested to examine differences in relation to methadone use history. Results from a one-way MANCOVA found that those with methadone histories reported significantly higher levels of drug and prostitution charges than those without any methadone history, but no significant differences in terms of weekly hours of employment or recent substance use were observed between groups. Women ex-offenders with methadone histories reported various sources of income beyond employment, and proportionally, more of these women reported prostitution as a primary source of income. Findings suggest that methadone maintenance treatments are not sufficient in meeting the needs of women ex-offenders.
The Atlantic blue crab [Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896)] is a commercially and recreationally important decapod crustacean found in estuarine and nearshore waters of the western Atlantic. Recent declines in abundance, compounded with a scarcity of biological and genetic information, have made blue crab a high-priority species for research and conservation in South Carolina (SC). A suite of microsatellite loci was used to estimate the genetic diversity and effective population size of blue crab collected from Charleston Harbor, SC, in 2012 to 2013. Genetic diversity of the Charleston Harbor blue crab population was relatively high, whereas inbreeding was fairly low. Effective size estimates were on the order of several hundred to several thousand individuals. The results of our study exhibit good indications for the overall genetic ''health'' of the Charleston Harbor blue crab population and provide valuable information that can be incorporated into management plans to aid in the conservation of blue crab in SC.
The bacterial community structure and diversity were assessed at the scale of rotating biodisk procedure (RB) in a semiindustrial pilot plant. As well, the Salmonella community was particularly monitored, and the effects of ultraviolet (UV-C-254) on the bacterial community were studied. The identification of dominant bacteria revealed the presence of beneficial and useful species that could play an important role in the process of wastewater purification. Several species as Enterobacter agglomerans, Cronobacter sakazakii, and Pantoea agglomerans known for their bioremediation activities were revealed in the majority of biofilm samples. Common detection of Salmonella community provides evidence that the RB system did not seriously affect Salmonella. Furthermore, the investigation on the (UV)-C-254 inactivation of the whole bacterial community, in secondary treated wastewater, showed variable UV resistance results. No Salmonella detection was registered at a dose of around 1440 mW s cm(-2) since a total disappearance of Salmonella was recorded.
Historically, recovery from substance use disorders (SUD) has focused exclusively on the use or non-use of the addictive substance(s). More recently, SAMSHA [1] has defined recovery in a more holistic way, using quality of life (QoL) as a measure of recovery for individuals with substance use and mental health disorders. However, little is known about the myriad experiences that inform and affect QoL for individuals with substance use disorders. Using an attachment informed stress-buffering framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of parental warmth and recovery support to QoL among women in substance abuse treatment. Linear regression and bootstrapping were used to examine direct and mediated effects of parental warmth and recovery support on QoL among 318 women recruited from three inner-city women-only addiction treatment programs. Relationships were assessed across three domains of quality of life: physical, psychological, and social. Parental warmth and recovery support were directly associated with psychological and social QoL, when controlling for the influence of trauma symptoms. Recovery support mediated the relationship between parental warmth and QoL across psychological and social QoL domains. Findings suggest that interventions that focus on attachment-related constructs to enhance recovery support may improve quality of life among women with SUD.
In recent years, sand-filled geotextile bags (geobags) have become a popular means of long-term riverbank protection. However, the associated failure mechanisms of geobag revetments are still not well understood. Three interactions influence geobag performance, namely, geobag-geobag, geobag-water flow, and geobag-water flow-riverbank interactions. To enhance the fundamental understanding of the performance of geobags in a revetment, a laboratory experimental program has been undertaken using both a fixed bed and a mobile sediment bed. In the experimental study, 600 bags were used to construct geobag revetments, and failure modes were observed for these two bed configurations. In general, there were some common trends for both bed configurations (i.e.,uplifting, turbulent bursting-induced flow through the revetment voids, overtopping, pulling out, and/or internal sliding), but in the mobile bed case, toe scouring had a significant negative influence on geobag performance. To extend the laboratory measured hydraulic parameters, the conveyance estimation system (CES) was used. A CES model was validated against fixed-bed experimental observations, and the validated model was then used to predict mobile-bed formations. The CES bed predictions were used to produce a failure diagram under geobag-water flow interactions and classification of bed formation under geobag-water flow-riverbank interactions. It is concluded that the CES can be a useful and computationally efficient tool for the prediction of hydraulic parameters and bed formations. In the next phase of the research, observations from the experimental program will be used to validate a discrete element model of a geobag revetment, which will be used to help develop much-needed geobag revetment design guidance. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
We propose stronger halo effects in trait assessments from positive information relative to negative information. Due to positive information's higher similarity, positive information should foster both indirect (from a global impression to traits) and direct halo effects (from traits to traits). Negative information's relative distinctiveness should foster only direct halo effects, leading to weaker halo effects overall. Four experiments support these predictions using agency traits and communion traits and behaviors. Further supporting the predictions, halo effects from positive information were visible both within (i.e., from communion/agency information to communion/agency traits) and across (i.e., from agency/communion information to communion/agency traits) these fundamental dimensions of social perception. Halo effects from negative information were visible only within dimensions. The study thereby explains why halo effects from negative information are usually weaker; it supports different processes underlying halo effects; and it provides a case in person perception where positive information has more impact than negative information.
The purpose of this study is to develop a new method for designing compression sportswear from the viewpoint of force by simulation. Applied simulation techniques are 1) skin strain simulation, 2) fabric strain simulation using the anisotropic hyperelastic model, and 3) musculoskeletal simulation. For skin strain simulations, a three dimensional computer graphic (3D-CG) polygon strain was calculated as a skin strain using a 3D-CG model that simulates the human body (CG-Human-Model). The initial strain and the strain caused by physical exercise were given to the polygon model representing the shape of the sportswear (CG-Sportswear-Model). For compression sportswear, the strain of the fabric is approximately the same as skin strain, thus the strain of the CG-Human-Model was given to the CG-Sportswear-Model. In-plane and out-of-plane forces resulting from the CG-Sportswear-Model are calculated using anisotropic hyperelastic models. These forces were given to the musculoskeletal simulation as the external forces, and muscle activity required for any given physical exercise (e. g. swimming motion) was calculated. Information of forces and muscle activity are very useful in designing compression sportswear. It is believed that this new method for designing compression sportswear based on simulation is a sophisticated technique because this method takes into account not only forces resulting from sportswear but also the effect of these forces on physical exercise. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Hostile attribution bias (e.g., tendency to interpret the intention of others as hostile in ambiguous social contexts) has been associated with impulsive aggression in adults, but the results are mixed and the complete sequence of hostile inferential processes leading to aggression has not been investigated yet. The goal of this event-related brain potentials (ERPs) study was to track the neural activity associated with the violation of expectations about hostile versus nonhostile intentions in aggressive and nonaggressive individuals and examine how this neural activity relates to self-reported hostile attributional bias and impulsive aggression in real life. To this end, scenarios with a hostile versus nonhostile social context followed by a character's ambiguous aversive behavior were presented to readers, and ERPs to critical words that specified the hostile versus nonhostile intent behind the behavior were analysed. Thirty-seven aggressive and fifty nonaggressive individuals participated in the study. The presentation of a critical word that violated hostile expectation caused an N400 response that was significantly larger in aggressive than nonaggressive individuals. Results also showed an enhanced late positive potential-like component in aggressive individuals when hostile intention scenarios took place in a nonhostile context, which is associated with impulsive aggression in real life even after having controlled for the effect of self-reported hostile attributional bias. The Hostile Expectancy Violation paradigm evaluated in this study represents a promising tool to investigate the relationship between the online processing of hostile intent in others and impulsive aggression. Aggr. Behav. 43:217-229, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We present a preliminary examination of a new approach to a long-standing problem in non-Newtonian fluid mechanics. First, we summarize how a general implicit functional relation between stress and rate of strain of a continuum with memory is reduced to the well-known linear differential constitutive relations that account for relaxation and retardation. Then, we show that relaxation and retardation are asymptotically equivalent for small Deborah numbers, whence causal pure relaxation models necessarily correspond to ill-posed pure retardation models. We suggest that this dichotomy could be a possible way to reconcile the discrepancy between the theory of and certain experiments on viscoelastic liquids that are conjectured to exhibit only stress retardation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Typical studies of self-handicapping operationalize the construct narrowly by examining obviously debilitating and undesirable behaviors. We ask whether socially positive behaviors, including helping others, might serve the same function but be under-appreciated. Using a standard self-handicapping paradigm, 105 females undertook a difficult tracing task allegedly related to intelligence. They received either success feedback on tasks that were partially unsolvable (Non contingent Success Unsolvable-NSU), no feedback on those same tasks (NF), or success feedback on solvable tasks (Noncontingent Success Solvable-NSS). As predicted, during a practice period before expecting to re-take a longer version of the task, NSU (vs. NF and NSS) participants were more likely to help a frustrated confederate completing another task and spent more time engaging with the confederate, but less time practicing. Implications are discussed for self handicapping theory and for psychopathology.
FXF is a third-generation antihistamine drug and osthole is assumed a natural antihistamine alternative. This paper compares peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) incubation with FXF and osthole, by studying FXF, osthole and histamine cytokine secretion in PBMC in vitro cultures. Mabtech kits determined the interleukins IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13 and TNF-alpha. The influence of the above active substances on cytokine secretion in PBMC's and serum was assessed: cytokines were IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13 and TNF-alpha; and cytokine levels secreted by untreated PBMCs in pure culture medium formed the absolute control (ctrl). We determined that osthole affects PBMC cytokine secretion to almost precisely the same extent as FXF (IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-10 and TNF). In addition osthole had greater IL-13 blocking ability than FXF. Moreover, we observed significantly decreased IL-4 level in histamine/osthole theatment compared to histamine alone. Meanwhile, FXF not significantly decrease the level of IL-4 increased by histamine. This data indicates osthole's strong role in allergic inflamation. All results confirm our hypothesis that osthole is a natural histamine antagonist and therefore can be beneficially used in antihistamine treatment of conditions such as allergies.
According to the so-called 'self-licensing effect', committing to a virtuous act in a preceding choice may lead to behave less virtuously in the succeeding decision. Consequently, well-intentioned policies can lead to overall counter-productive effects by licensing people to behave badly in related behaviors. On the other side, motivational crowding theory argues that constraining people to adopt a desirable behavior can backfire. We use of a classroom experiment to test whether a regulatory framework to incentivize individuals to adopt pro-environmental behavior generate similar spillovers in terms of licensing effect than a non-regulatory framework. We show that the way the good deed is caused doesn't seem to influence the licensing effect. Nevertheless, we found that business- and environmental-orientated majors react adversely to the regulatory framework. We show that environmental-orientated students exhibit higher intrinsically motivations than business-orientated ones. Accordingly, we suggest that the licensing effect is more likely to arise when the preceding 'virtuous' act is freely chosen (respectively regulatory caused) for non-intrinsically (respectively intrinsically) motivated individuals.
Four studies specify how moral evaluations of the self regulate behavior aimed at restoring a moral reputation. We propose that people care about evaluations of themselves as moral or immoral because these are perceived as more consequential than other types of information. Therefore people are more inclined to restore their image after being negatively evaluated in terms of morality rather than competence. Studies 1 and 2 revealed that moral information was perceived as having a more enduring impact on one's reputation, and was more strongly related to anticipate intra-group respect and self-views, than competence and sociability information. This perceived pervasiveness of moral (vs. competence) evaluations mediated intentions to justify and explain one's behavior (Study 3). Study 4 finally showed that being seen as lacking in morality elicited threat and coping responses, which induced subsequent tendencies to repair one's moral reputation.
The present paper deals with the problem of voltammetric determination of a mixture of amine-type antioxidant N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (PNA) and phenol-type antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in oil matrix by the method of linear sweep voltammetry using gold working electrode. Attention was focused on the effect of large excess of PNA on the curves of anodic oxidation of BHT. It was found that only more than tenfold excess of PNA disturbs the determination of the phenol-type antioxidant in the adopted supporting electrolyte. In such case it is necessary to reduce its content by its transformation into the corresponding nitrosamine by reaction with nitrous acid. The rate constants of this reaction were determined for two different concentrations of PNA.
The impact of human activities via land use/cover changes on NDVI trends is critical for an improved understanding of satellite-observed changes in vegetation productivity in drylands. The dominance of positive NDVI trends in the Sahel, the so-called re-greening, is sometimes interpreted as a combined effect of an increase in rainfall and cropland expansion or agricultural intensification. Yet, the impact of changes in land use has yet to be thoroughly tested and supported by empirical evidence. At present, no studies have considered the importance of the different seasonal NDVI signals of cropped and fallowed fields when interpreting NDVI trends, as both field types are commonly merged into a single 'cropland' class. We make use of the distinctly different phonology of cropped and fallowed fields and use seasonal NDVI curves to separate these two field types. A fuzzy classifier is applied to quantify cropped and fallowed areas in a case study region in the southern Sahel (Fakara, Niger) on a yearly basis between 2000 and 2014. We find that fallowed fields have a consistently higher NDVI than unmanured cropped fields and by using two seasonal NDVI metrics (the amplitude and the decreasing rate) derived from the MODIS time series, a clear separation between classes of fields is achieved (r = 0.77). The fuzzy classifier can compute the percentage of a pixel (250 m) under active cultivation, thereby alleviating the problem of small field sizes in the region. We find a predominant decrease in NDVI over the period of analysis associated with an increased area of cropped fields at the expense of fallowed fields. Our findings couple cropping abandonment (more frequent fallow years) with positive NDVI trends and an increase in the percentage of the cropped area (fallow period shortening) with negative trends. These findings profoundly impact our understanding of greening and browning trends in agrarian Sahelian drylands and in other drylands of developing countries characterized by limited use of fertilizers. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The paper emphasises the very significant role of materials selection for design and manufacturing processes of new needed products, having the highest attainable quality and performance at the optimum and possibly the lowest cost level. The engineering design processes cannot be set apart either from the material design, being more and more often computer aided, or the technological design of the most suitable manufacturing processes. The review of the multi-millennia long history of human civilisation indicates that the significant increase of the level of living and production is connected more often with the launching of new material groups with the properties better and better adjusted to real requirements of customers getting more sophisticated nearly each day, and also the launching of the technological processes which are relevant to them. The given reasons enable to forecast that the future of the market and products with the required properties, which appear on the market, are inseparably connected with the development of materials science and engineering. Two main priorities can be specified in that area, that is: the continuous improvement of existing materials, and technological processes and the development of materials and technological processes ensuring environment protection or/and improving conditions and extending of human life. The paper includes also the description of the world developmental trends in that area in the first decades of the 21st century. The fundamental aim of materials science and engineering is materials selection ensuring required functions and application properties of products. which are manufactured out of them. The tasks of that field of science in priority spheres of the world development are determined. Directions of activities of materials science and engineering ensuring the achievements of strategic aims of the developments of societies include materials design, computational materials science, advanced analytical methods, manufacturing and processing, nano-, smart and biomimetic materials are included. It is concluded that there is a humanistic mission which stands at the engineering circle, especially associated with materials and manufacturing engineering and its aim is to make products and consumer goods, deciding directly about the level and quality of human life, available to people and it is also mentioned that current financing of scientific researches especially in the mentioned fields of science gives a chance to achieve modern technological development and to ensure prosperity of societies in the future. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The construction of physical three-dimensional (3D) models of biomolecules can uniquely contribute to the study of the structure-function relationship. 3D structures are most often perceived using the two-dimensional and exclusively visual medium of the computer screen. Converting digital 3D molecular data into real objects enables information to be perceived through an expanded range of human senses, including direct stereoscopic vision, touch, and interaction. Such tangible models facilitate new insights, enable hypothesis testing, and serve as psychological or sensory anchors for conceptual information about the functions of biomolecules. Recent advances in consumer 3D printing technology enable, for the first time, the cost-effective fabrication of high-quality and scientifically accurate models of biomolecules in a variety of molecular representations. However, the optimization of the virtual model and its printing parameters is difficult and time consuming without detailed guidance. Here, we provide a guide on the digital design and physical fabrication of biomolecule models for research and pedagogy using open source or low-cost software and low-cost 3D printers that use fused filament fabrication technology.
Behavior analysis has produced a robust theoretical analysis of the contingencies involved in cultural evolution. Yet, thus far, the empirical yield of this work remains quite limited. With this paper, I attempt to provide specific examples of the ways to advance an experimental analysis of the contingencies involved in cultural evolution. I begin with a review of the theoretical analyses developed by behavior analysts and other contextually oriented scientists. Next, I submit that, if the goal of our science is both predicting and influencing cultural phenomena, we must produce experimental analyses of the impact of meta-contingencies on organizations' practices. There is no more pressing reason for doing this than the threat of climate change posed by the continuing growth in human use of fossil fuels. Therefore, the paper provides an analysis of the contingencies influencing organizational practices now affecting continued use of fossil fuels and the contingencies for organizations seeking to prevent their use. One concrete step to advance a science of cultural change relevant to climate change would be to create a database of organizations that are promoting vs. working to prevent fossil fuel consumption and the consequences that seem to maintain their practices. I call for experimental analysis of the impact of altering consequences for these practices and for experimental analyses of interventions intended to change the norms, values, and behavior of organizational leaders who can influence fossil fuel consumption. I then discuss the role of prosocial behavior and values in affecting behavior relevant to reducing fossil fuel consumption because the empirical evidence shows that prosociality favors more green behavior. Recent advances in prevention research have identified interventions to promote prosociality, but we need experimental analyses of how advocacy organizations can be more effective in getting these interventions widely adopted.
The antibiotic water pollution caused by discharge of untreated antibiotic waste water and sewage from animal husbandry is increasingly severe, especially in developing countries. However, current water treatment methods for antibiotic-polluted water are complicated, expensive and time consuming. Here, we have developed a highly effective enzymatic ultrafiltration membrane, which is extremely simple and can degrade antibiotic in a fast manner at a low-cost. Penicillinase, a representative enzyme for antibiotic degradation, was covalently immobilized in bromomethylated poly (2, 6-dimethyl-1, 4-phenylene oxide) (BPPO) ultrafiltration membrane by a simple self-assembling process. The membrane immobilized with penicillinase can thoroughly degrade the antibiotic by a single passing of the polluted water, with a treatment capacity up to 335 L.m(-2).h(-1). A small piece of membrane (ca. 25 cm(2)) can provide sufficient clean drinking water for a family (4 people, 10 L per day) overnight. Furthermore, the engineered enzymatic membrane has an attractive stability and reusability for long-term application. We anticipate that our enzymatic membrane will serve as a practical and low-cost solution to antibiotic pollution, in particular for providing antibiotic-free drinking water in developing countries. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Modeling of scientific or engineering applications often yields high-dimensional dynamical systems due to techniques of computer-aided-design, for example. Thus a model order reduction is required to decrease the dimensionality and to enable an efficient numerical simulation. In addition, methods of parameterized model order reduction (pMOR) are often used to preserve the physical or geometric parameters as independent variables in the reduced order models. We consider linear dynamical systems in the form of ordinary differential equations. In the domain of the parameters, often samples are chosen to construct a reduced order model. For each sample point a common technique for model order reduction can be applied to compute a local basis. Moment matching or balanced truncation are feasible, for example. A global basis for pMOR can be constructed from the local bases by a singular value decomposition. We investigate approaches for an appropriate selection of a finite set of samples. The transfer function of the dynamical system is examined in the frequency domain, and our focus is on moment matching techniques using the Arnoldi procedure. We use a sensitivity analysis of the transfer function with respect to the parameters as a tool to select sample points. Simulation results are shown for two examples. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The development of methods for the detection of aflatoxin BI (AFB(1)) in foods is a very important practice for ensuring food quality and safety. Most tests of AFB(1) are still conducted with conventional methods (i.e. antibody-based ELISA tests, high performance liquid chromatography HPLC); however biosensor methods are being developed to date as screening tools for 'field analysis. Compared to immunology/ELISA-like tests or chromatography methods, biosensors are able to provide rapid, sensitive, robust and cost effective quantitative methods for on-site testing. In this work we propose a cellular biosensor based on Vero cells, membrane engineered with anti-AFB1 antibody as the biological recognition element reacting with AFBi molecules on gold nanoparticle/screen printed electrodes (SPEs) (three electrode system). In order to culture the cells on the SPEs surfaces the working electrodes were coated with poly L-lysine to facilitate cell adhesion. The SPEs were connected to a potentiostat device through a transducer and chronoamperometric (CA) and cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurements were performed. Quantitative results obtained using the cellular biosensor method for AFB(1) were compared to those obtained using the HPLC method in pistachio samples spiked with AFB(1). The method displayed good sensitivity (r(2) = 0.87) and detection limit (0.5 ng/mL). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper focuses on the dynamic behavior of a magnetorheological fluid undergoing an unsteady oscillatory shear under the presence of an applied magnetic field. The problem is studied from a nonlinear mechanical system perspective using tools such as: analysis in the phase space, frequency response and neural networks for parameters identification. For this purpose several numerical simulations are performed to compute the motion of N magnetic rigid spheres suspendend in a Newtonian carrier liquid. The particles are neutrally buoyant and interact both hydrodynamically and magnetically throughout the process of dynamic simulation. We apply an external magnetic field together with an oscillatory shear. These two deterministic mechanisms compete with each other to align the particles in a preferential direction. The nonlinearities are introduced into the system due to particle-particle interaction. The intensity of the non-deterministic mechanisms is regulated by two physical parameters that appear in the present formulation. The numerical simulations are based on a sophisticated technique of Ewald sums that compute convergent hydrodynamic and magnetic interactions. A numerical research code developed by the authors is used for this purpose. The code is both accurate and computationally efficient. The present work intends to show that several tools, otherwise thought to be mostly applied to the dynamics of nonlinear systems, can be used to explore the physical behavior of wet suspensions in fluid mechanics. Moreover several details of the micromechanics of these complex materials are captured and physically interpreted through the use of the proposed tools. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems are increasingly being implemented in buildings. It is common in the UK for simple RWH tank sizing methods to be utilised, and these do not consider future climate change. This paper describes the development of a tool, which integrates elements of basic and detailed sizing approaches from the British Standard for RWH, with the latest probabilistic UK Climate Projections data. The method was initially applied to the design of a university building in Cornwall, UK. The methodology utilises 3,000 equi-probable rainfall patterns for tank sizing for each time period. Results indicate that, to ensure that it is 'likely' that the same non-potable demand could be met in 2080 as in the present, a tank 112% larger would be required. This increases to a 225% over-sizing for a 'very likely' probability of meeting the same level of non-potable demand. The same RWH system design was then assessed for three further UK locations with different rainfall characteristics. From these assessments, a simplified method was developed to enable practitioners to size RWH system tanks for current and future climates. The method provides a new approach to meet present and future non-potable demands, while preventing excessive over-sizing of tanks.
Microwave processed Ni1-xMgFe2O4 with x=0.0-1.0 are characterized fordc,ac conductivities and dielectric properties as a function of temperature and frequency. Very low dielectric loss tangent is achieved at 5 MHz frequency. Grain and grain boundary contribution towards conductivity is presented on the basis of Nyquist plots and their resistances are evaluated from semi-circular arcs. Equivalent electrical circuits and approximate R-C values are presented for better insight. High dielectric constant of 41 for x= 0.8 sampleinstigated the possibility of good electromagnetic absorption material. A shift in the transport phenomenon is suggested from band like to polaron hopping with rise in temperature.In addition the electromagnetic interference shielding properties are studied in X-band.The results show that the goodelectromagnetic interference shielding efficiency is achieved for x= 0.4-0.6 compositions ranging from 10 to 17 dB (at 8.4 GHz) which is suitable for shielding application. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a demodulation algorithm based on the synchronous integrator circuit for the MEMS tuning fork gyroscope utilizing the digital processing technology. The synchronous integral demodulator (SID) is adopted to demodulate the drive-detection signal and sense-axis output signal separately. Combining with automatic gain control and phase-locked loop technology, the closed-loop control of drive mode has been implemented, and high precision output of the gyroscope has been achieved. The simulation results have verified the effectiveness of the synchronous integrator circuit, which is in good agreement with the theoretical analysis. Compared with other demodulation algorithms, the SID has the advantages of the lower noise level, a better ability to attenuate the harmonics, and the best hardware efficiency. The frequency characteristic of the synchronous integrator is also analyzed, which is vital to the bandwidth of gyroscope. The print circuit board based on field-programmable gate array digital circuit is manufactured and the corresponding experiment is carried out. The experimental results show that the SID algorithm of digital control system for the gyroscope developed in our laboratory has achieved a good performance. The bias instability of tested gyroscope is measured to be 0.2 degrees l/h with the angle random walk of 0.14 degrees/root h and the nonlinearity of the scale factor is < 60 ppm with the measurement range of +/- 100 degrees/s.
ObjectivesMen who have sex with men (MSM) are at risk of genital warts and anal cancer due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. This study explores MSMs' perceptions of HPV and HPV vaccination prior to the introduction of this programme. DesignFocus groups and one-to-one interviews with self-identified MSM were conducted between November 2014 and March 2015 in Brighton, UK. MethodsParticipants were recruited from community-based lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) venues and organizations. Discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using framework analysis. ResultsThirty-three men took part (median age 25years, IQR: 21-27), most of whom (n=25) did not know about HPV, anal cancer (31), or HPV vaccination (26). While genital warts and anal cancer were perceived as severe, men did not perceive themselves at risk of HPV. All MSM would accept the HPV vaccine if offered by a health care professional. The challenges of accessing sexual health services or openly discussing same-sex experiences with health care professionals were perceived as barriers to accessing HPV vaccination. Two participants were concerned that selective HPV vaccination could increase stigma and prejudice against MSM, comparable to the AIDS epidemic. Ten MSM were unsure about the effectiveness of HPV vaccination for sexually active men and were in favour of vaccinating all adolescent boys at school. ConclusionsMost MSM have poor knowledge about HPV and associated anal cancer. Despite the lack of concern about HPV, most MSM expressed willingness to receive HPV vaccination. There is a need for health education about the risks of HPV and HPV-related diseases so that MSM can appraise the benefits of being vaccinated. Concerns about HPV vaccine effectiveness in sexually active men and possible stigmatization need to be addressed to optimize HPV vaccine acceptability.
The role of IL-2 in HSC maintenance is unknown. Here we show that Il2(-/-) mice develop severe anomalies in HSC maintenance leading to defective hematopoiesis. Whereas, lack of IL-2 signaling was detrimental for lympho-and erythropoiesis, myelopoiesis was enhanced in Il2(-/-) mice. Investigation of the underlying mechanisms of dysregulated hematopoiesis in Il2(-/-) mice shows that the IL-2-Treg cell axis is indispensable for HSC maintenance and normal hematopoiesis. Lack of Treg activity resulted in increased IFN-gamma production by activated T cells and an expansion of the HSCs in the bone marrow (BM). Though, restoring Treg population successfully rescued HSC maintenance in Il2(-/-) mice, preventing IFN-gamma activity could do the same even in the absence of Treg cells. Our study suggests that equilibrium in IL-2 and IFN-gamma activity is critical for steady state hematopoiesis, and in clinical conditions of BM failure, IL-2 or anti-IFN-gamma treatment might help to restore hematopoiesis.
The mouldboard plough has a complex geometry surface which determines the tillage quality and the power consumption. This paper illustrates an advanced analytical method combined with computer-aided design software in order to study the effect of the geometric parameters (alpha, beta, q, and m) on the 3D surface design of the cylindroidal mouldboard plough. A comparison between the cylindroidal and the cylindrical mouldboard plough was investigated for only the effect of the geometric parameters (beta). This study shows that the increase of the cutting angle (alpha) and lifting angle (beta) generates different mouldboard ploughs with a larger cutting edge and produce the uprising of the mouldboard plough body relative to the direction of the tillage, respectively, which increases the consumed energy. However, the increase of the geometric parameters (q) and (m) reduces the radius curve of the mouldboard plough, which directly affects both the inversion process of the soil and the consumed energy. The comparison between the cylindroidal and the cylindrical mouldboard plough shows that the reversion process of the soil will be done with a delay in the case of the cylindrical mouldboard plough.
Background: Relatively few attempts have been made to set up an assay that allows the measurement of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) motility. Nowadays, the most widely used methods involve adaptation of the Boyden chamber method or the wound scratch assay, both of them showing some limitations due to long and expensive setup and high variability. Methods and Results: We propose a new, economic, and easy to setup LEC Motility ( ELM) assay that will contribute to the study of lymphangiogenesis. The experimental setup consists of extending the coating of the flask with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins also at the area opposite to the cap, where the LECs will be initially seeded at various densities. The day after, the flasks will be inclined at an angle of about 20 degrees to cover the entire coated surface. Twenty-four hours later, flasks will be moved to the standard position, and the motility of the cells will be easily observed. Using the ELM assay, we were able to compare the motility rate of LECs isolated from different origins, or seeded on different substrates. Conclusion: We propose the use of a new method to evaluate the motility of LECs: the ELM assay. This costeffective analysis has several advantages: It can be easily set up in any cell biology laboratory, can be carried out rapidly, and allows the monitoring of cellular motility for a long period.
Piezoelectric fans have been studied extensively and are seen as a promising technology for thermal management due to their ability to provide quiet, reliable cooling with low power consumption. The fluid mechanics associated with a piezoelectric fan are similar to that for a flapping bird wing, which are known to be complex. This paper is the first to investigate the three-dimensional fluid mechanics of an unconfined fan operating in its first vibration frequency mode. A custom built experimental facility was developed to capture the fan's flow field using two-dimensional phase locked Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The fluid-structure interaction was also captured through unique two-way coupled three-dimensional simulations of an oscillating beam in which the beam is actuated by a shear force at its resonant frequency and interacts with the surrounding air. This forgoes the need for temporal beam displacement data from experiments as in previous studies, allowing the numerical technique to be used independently. A finite element method is used for the simulations which allows the two-way coupling while maintaining computational efficiency. A three dimensional lambda(2) criterion constructed from interpolated PIV measurements as well as numerical data was used to identify a horse shoe vortex in the vicinity of the fan and its evolution into a hairpin vortex before it breaks up due to a combination of vortex shedding and flow along the fan blade. The experimental and numerical data are comparatively in agreement, confirming that the methods presented are valid for capturing the complex flow fields generated by this fluid-structure interaction. The results provide both a fundamental understanding on the formation and break-up of vortices from an oscillating beam, and demonstrate a validated approach which can be applied in the development of high efficiency piezoelectrically driven air moving devices and extended to the study of flapping bird and UAV wings.
In the near future we know that vehicles will communicate with each other to make Vehicular ad hoc network and gives the concept of intelligent transportation system. In this paper we presented the review of security in VANET. Consequently, several researchers represented the attacks and solutions in vehicular communication We analyzed some of the security problems and proposed solutions to overcome it. We discussed the need for robust Vehicular Ad hoc networks, which is very strongly dependent on their security and privacy features. This paper will review the existing attacks in VANET in the perspective approach of security. We also provided the solutions to the particular attack in VANET.
Water reuse schemes in urban water system are assessed in this paper against a number of hydraulic performance indicators. A city metabolism model, WaterMet2, is used to evaluate the performance of water reuse schemes. A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is employed to identify Pareto optimal solutions for the following three objectives: resilience, reliability and total cost. The demonstration of the suggested approach on a real-world case study show the importance of using the resilience index for determining the appropriate schemes. The results suggest, in the case analysed here, the rainwater-harvesting scheme plays a significant role for improvement of resilience index. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A high-efficiency method is proposed to suppress magnetic core imbalance in phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) converters. Compared with conventional solutions, such as controlling peak current mode (PCM) or adding DC blocking capacitance, the proposed method has several advantages, such as lower power loss and smaller size, because the additional current sensor or blocking capacitor is removed. A time domain model of the secondary side is built to analyze the relationship between transformer core imbalance and cathode voltage of secondary side rectifiers. An approximate control algorithm is designed to achieve asymmetric phase control, which reduces the effects of imbalance. A 60 V/15 A prototype is built to verify the proposed method. Experimental results show that the numerical difference of primary side peak currents between two adjacent cycles is suppressed from 2 A to approximately 0 A. Meanwhile, compared with the PCM solution, the efficiency of the PSFB converter is slightly improved from 93% to 93.2%.
A 27-to-3-phase thyristor matrix converter using a model predictive control (MPC) is considered. Compared to the standard method the MPC considers the coupled overall system. Due to this, all 273 19683 switching states are to be considered. The result of the MPC strategy is, compared to classical control, a drastic reduction of the commutation frequency and respectively the converter losses. However, besides the advantages there are still some problems with the use of MPC for thyristor matrix converter. Therefor this contribution presents extensions of the standard direct model predictive control strategy to overcome these problems. The result is a predictive control structure with a fallback level for problematic working areas. By this, a low total harmonic distortion (THD) as well as a high efficiency can be achieved.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the brain-based mechanisms of uncertainty and certainty associated with answers to multiple-choice questions involving common misconceptions about electric circuits. Twenty-two scientifically novice participants (humanities and arts college students) were asked, in an fMR1 study, whether or not they thought the light bulbs in images presenting electric circuits were lighted up correctly, and if they were certain or uncertain of their answers. When participants reported that they were unsure of their responses, analyses revealed significant activations in brain areas typically involved in uncertainty (anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula cortex, and superior/dorsomedial frontal cortex) and in the left middle/superior temporal lobe. Certainty was associated with large bilateral activations in the occipital and parietal regions usually involved in visuospatial processing. Correct-and-certain answers were associated with activations that suggest a stronger mobilization of visual attention resources when compared to incorrect-and-certain answers. These findings provide insights into brainbased mechanisms of uncertainty that are activated when common misconceptions, identified as such by science education research literature, interfere in decision making in a school-like task. We also discuss the implications of these results from an educational perspective.
An anomalous warm winter 2015-2016 lead to the lowest winter ice extent and highlights the sensitivity of the Arctic sea ice. Here we use the 6year record of an improved sea ice thickness product retrieved from data fusion of CryoSat-2 radar altimetry and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity radiometry measurements to examine the impact of recent temperature trend on the Arctic ice mass balance. Between November 2015 and March 2016, we find a consistent drop of cumulative freezing degree days across the Arctic, with a negative peak anomaly of about 1000 degree days in the Barents Sea, coinciding with an Arctic-wide average thinning of 10cm in March with respect to the 6year average. In particular, the loss of ice volume is associated with a significant decline of March first-year ice volume by 13%. This reveals that due to the loss of multiyear ice during previous years, the Arctic ice cover becomes more sensitive to climate anomalies.
This paper examines determinants of adoption of rainwater harvesting and conservation techniques in semi-arid Tharaka sub-county, Eastern Kenya. Given the erratic rainfall that characterises Tharaka, rainwater harvesting and conservation is critical for the improvement of agricultural production. The study was conducted in two agro-ecological zones, and 196 respondents were interviewed. The majority of the farmers were practising between 1-3 and 4-6 rainwater harvesting and conservation techniquesan indication of the awareness of the benefits. In situ technologies were more frequently practised than micro-catchment and macro-catchment technologies. There were institutional efforts supporting adoption of micro-catchment and macro-catchment techniques in the recent past. Correlation results showed that the number of techniques practised was influenced by the number of years spent in school, arable land size, labour availability and number of livelihood options. Soil quality is an unlikely determinant of rainwater harvesting because a majority of the farmers rated it as good and fair. Chi-squared results suggest that choice of rainwater techniques is primarily informed by a desire to harvest and conserve soil moisture than to improve soil quality. Although adoption of these technologies is encouraging, assessment of their efficiency in the context of physical attributes such as soil characteristics, slope and rainfall amount of the area would add value. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Drilling using twist drill is the most frequently used secondary machining for fiber-reinforced composite laminates and delamination is the most important concern during drilling. The drill design and drilling parameters associated with thrust distribution on the drilling-induced delamination are presented. The core-center drill has been found to be more advantageous than the core drill in reference and practice experiences. Response surface methodology (RSM) is a very practical, economical, and useful tool for the modeling and analysis of experimental results using polynomials as local approximations to the true input/output relationship. Due to the radial basis function network's (RBFN) fast learning speed, simple structure, local tuning, and global generalization power, researchers in the field of manufacturing engineering have been using RBFN in nonlinear manufacturing studies. The present paper compares these two techniques using various drilling parameters (diameter ratio, feed rate, and spindle speed) to predict the thrust force for a core-center drill in drilling composite materials. The obtained results indicated that RBFN is a practical and an effective way for the evaluation of drilling-induced thrust force.
Implant failure is a common problem in orthopedic applications, which causes pain and stress for patients, prolonged antibiotic therapy, increased time and cost of hospitalization, and revision surgery. Selecting the optimum porous structure, manufacturing process and surface modification approach is crucial to reduce the rate of implant failure. The design of porous structures in orthopedic implants plays an important role in vascularization, diffusion of nutrients, and in the relationship between implants and osteoblasts. Common techniques for porous design are computer aided design (CAD), image based design, implicit surface design, and topology optimization. Metal- based additive manufacturing methods such as electron beam melting (EBM), selective laser melting (SLM) and selective laser sintering (SLS) have been extensively developed for fabrication of porous structures on Titanium. Several chemical surface modification methods are used, such as acid etching, anodization, and coatings, to improve mechanical properties, biocompatibility, increase surface roughness, and to promote osseointegration and bone regrowth. This paper reviews the design and manufacturing of porous implant material via additive manufacturing techniques, as well as recent advances in surface modification, to achieve biocompatible surfaces. The outcome of this research will provide an effective strategy for manufacturing, and surface modification of titanium orthopedic implants. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
One of the fundamental requirements of real time operating systems is the determinism of executing critical tasks and treating multiple periodic or aperiodic events. The present paper presents the hardware support of the nMPRA processor (Multi Pipeline Register Architecture) dedicated to treating time events, interrupt events and events associated with synchronization and inter-task communication mechanisms. Because in real time systems the treatment of events is a very important aspect, this paper describes both the mechanism implemented in hardware for prioritizing and treating multiple events, and the experimental results obtained using Virtex-7 FPGA circuit. The article's element of originality is the very short response time required in treating and prioritizing events.
The terrestrial dayglow displays prominent emission features from the 0-0 and 1-1 bands of the O-2 Atmospheric band system in the 760-780nm region. We present an analysis of observations in this wavelength region recorded by the Space Shuttle during the Arizona Airglow Experiment. A major conclusion is that the dominant product of O(D-1)+O-2 energy transfer is O-2(b, v=1), a result that corroborates our previous laboratory studies. Moreover, critical to the interpretation of dayglow is the possible interference by N-2 and N-2(+) bands in the 760-780nm region, where the single-most important component is the N-2 1PG 3-1 band that overlaps with the O-2(b-X) 0-0 band. When present, this background must be accounted for to reveal the O-2(b-X) 0-0 and 1-1 bands for altitudes at which the O-2 and N-2/N-2(+) emissions coincide. Finally, we exploit the very different collisional behavior of the two lowest O-2(b) vibrational levels to outline a remote sensing technique that provides information on Atmospheric composition and temperature from space-based observations of the 0-0 and 1-1 O-2 atmospheric bands.
The Object Modeling Technique, a generally used object-oriented software development technique, comprises the object, dynamic, and functional models to provide three corresponding views that graphically express diverse aspects of software systems. This paper adds security engineering into an object oriented model-driven software development for real life web applications. In this paper, we use mining patterns in web applications. This research paper proposes a Unified modeling language based secure software maintenance procedure. The proposed method is applied for maintaining a large-scale software product and real-life product-line products. After modeling we can implement and run this web application, on SPF based trusted operating systems. Reverse engineering has become a main concern in software development industry because of their complete size and so much difficulty. This difficulty needs to be tackled since the software systems in question are of significant importance to their owners and maintainers. For secure designing of web applications, this paper propose system security performance model for trusted operating system. For Re engineering and re-implementation process of web applications, this paper proposes the model driven roundtrip engineering approach.
Recently, Wei et al. propose a 2-out-of-2 sharing digital image scheme (SDIS) that shares a color secret image into two shadow images based on Boolean exclusive-or operation. There are three types of shadow images for Wei et al.'s SDIS: noise-like, black-and-white meaningful, and color meaningful shadow images. However, there exist some wealmesSes in Wei et al.'s SDIS: the incorrect assignment of color palette data for the color index 255, the erroneous recovery in secret image, and the partial region in shadow image revealing the cover image. In this paper, we solve the weaknesses and propose a new SDIS. Experimental results demonstrate that our scheme effectively avoids these weaknesses.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present coordinate measuring system possibilities in the meaning of the geometric accuracy assessment of hot zone elements in aircraft engines. The aim of the paper is to prove that this method, which uses blue light and is most sufficient and cost-saving method, can to be used in the production line for serial manufacturing of elements, for which a high level of accuracy is required. Design/methodology/approach - The analysis of the geometric accuracy of the blades was performed using non-contact optical coordinate scanner ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light, manufactured by GOM Company, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rzeszow University of Technology. Geometric analysis was conducted for blades manufactured from different waxes (A7Fr/60 and RealWax VisiJet CPX200), thus comparing injection technique and rapid prototyping (RP) method, and for casting made of Inconel 713C nickel-based superalloy. Findings - The analysis of the criteria for the method of blades' measuring selection showed that the chosen system successfully met all criteria for the verification of blades' geometry at the selected stages of the process. ATOS II optical scanner with blue light technology allows measurement almost regardless of daylight or artificial (white) light. This allows the application of the measurement system in the production cycle, thus eliminating the need to create special conditions for measurements. Practical implications - Requirements related to the accuracy of measured values, diversity and allowable measurement time are linked with the methods of production. Modern manufacturing methods based on computer-aided design systems/manufacturing/engineering systems require a non-contact optical measurement method based on the computer-aided-based coordinate measuring technique. In case of the non-contact optical scanning method based on the ATOS GOM measuring system, time and measurement costs depend on the methodology of measurement and the possibility of its automation. This is why the presented paper has a practical impact on possibilities for the automation of geometric accuracy measurements of obtained elements in the series production line. Social implications - The use of ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light by GOM Company allows the reduction of cost and time of production because of the possibility of the introduction of this system in an automated production line. Additionally, the measurement of hot section blades of aircraft engines by using the blue light method is much more accurate and has implication as it impacts safety of further used manufactured elements. Originality/value - This paper presents the possibility of using the ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light measuring system for geometric accuracy measurements in case of hot section blades of aircraft engines. This research is original because it describes three model geometric accuracy measurements, wax model obtained using the injection technique, wax model obtained using the I RP process and casting made of Inconel 713C nickel-based superalloy.
Security is the primary requirement in this era of informationization. Threats and worms are rising with a high degree and penetrating into the system, there is a need of such a security system that should analyze and provide valuable information to the organization. Honeypot provides a technology that adds a layer to the network security and the goal of honeypot is to distract the attacker from real systems and to gain valuable information about them. In comparison to other intrusion detection technologies, Honeypot is far better because it has the ability to detect new attacks and improve the security of the network by using the existing intelligence of the security technologies. Honeypot is designed to get compromised with the new threats and welcome the attackers to attack and analyze their behavior. So, Honeypot is an attractive alternative as it acts as trap to detect the suspicious that breaches the network security.
The traditional bag-of-words approach has found a wide range of applications in computer vision. The standard pipeline consists of a generation of a visual vocabulary, a quantization of the features into histograms of visual words, and a classification step for which usually a support vector machine in combination with a non-linear kernel is used. Given large amounts of data, however, the model suffers from a lack of discriminative power. This applies particularly for action recognition, where the vast amount of video features needs to be subsampled for unsupervised visual vocabulary generation. Moreover, the kernel computation can be very expensive on large datasets. In this work, we propose a recurrent neural network that is equivalent to the traditional bag-of-words approach but enables for the application of discriminative training. The model further allows to incorporate the kernel computation into the neural network directly, solving the complexity issue and allowing to represent the complete classification system within a single network. We evaluate our method on four recent action recognition benchmarks and show that the conventional model as well as sparse coding methods are outperformed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Self-definition becomes a central task during early adolescence, as youth identify with multiple social groups. Focusing on ethnic identification and identification with other salient social ingroups (e.g., those based on extracurricular activities), we examined predictors of perceived ingroup membership overlap among ethnically diverse adolescents (n = 1264; M (age) = 12.51; 53 % female). Social ingroup overlap remained relatively stable, but decreased, across the seventh to eighth grade. The number of cross-ethnic classmates in seventh grade predicted lower overlap in the eighth grade, and cross-ethnic friendships by eighth grade mediated this association. Findings underscore the opportunities provided by multiethnic middle schools for youth to connect and befriend one another across ethnic lines, as well as to foster divergent social identities that are associated with positive intergroup attitudes.
This work outlines an equation-based formulation of a digital control program and transducer interacting with a continuous physical process, and an approach using the Coq theorem prover for verifying the performance of the combined hybrid system. Considering thermal dynamics with linear dissipation for simplicity, we focus on a generalizable, physically consistent description of the interaction of the real-valued temperature and the digital program acting as a thermostat. Of interest in this work is the discovery and formal proof of bounds on the temperature, the degree of variation, and other performance characteristics. Our approach explicitly addresses the need to mathematically represent the decision problem inherent in an analog-to-digital converter, which for rare values can take an arbitrarily long time to produce a digital answer (the so-called Buridan's Principle); this constraint ineluctably manifests itself in the verification of thermostat performance. Furthermore, the temporal causality constraints in the thermal physics must be made explicit to obtain a consistent model for analysis. We discuss the significance of these findings toward the verification of digital control for more complex physical variables and fields.
An outstanding Saharan dust event affected the Iberian Peninsula during winter 2016 (20 to 25 February). The impact of this event on ambient PM10 surface levels and its spatial and temporal evolution was investigated by means of data from 250 air quality stations across mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands. The event had a significant impact on surface PM10 levels, and on 22 February, 90% of the air quality monitoring sites registered PM10 concentrations above the EU daily limit value of 50g/m(3). The study of the attenuated backscattering vertical profiles associated with African dust evidenced a complex structure, with a thick aerosol layer that was at higher altitudes over the pre-Pyrenees compared to the coastal area of Barcelona but closer to the surface than typically observed at both sites. Optical and physical properties of dust particles were investigated at the continental background Global Atmosphere Watch mountain observatory of Montsec (MSA) in the pre-Pyrenees. Good agreement was found between in situ and passive remote sensing methodologies once the aloft dust layer reached the MSA station. Scattering angstrom ngstrom exponent values decreased to values close to zero (even below zero for surface in situ measurements) indicating the predominance of coarse particles. On the contrary, absorption angstrom ngstrom exponent values increased during the Saharan dust outbreak denoting an absorption enhancement at shorter wavelengths, characteristic of mineral dust particles. Furthermore, the performance of NMMB/BSC-Dust and BSC-DREAM8b models has been qualitatively evaluated for the dust spatial distribution across Spain and the vertical structure over MSA and Barcelona showing good agreement.
Novelty seeking (NS) is a core personality trait that primes the susceptibility to drug addiction. Striatal dopamine activity contributes to cognitive flexibility, an important cognitive strategy to inhibit impulsivity and compulsive drug-seeking behavior. Evidence supports the association between dopamine and NS. Opioid-dependent patients show higher levels of NS, and repeated opioid exposure can cause cognitive deficits including poor cognitive flexibility and impaired impulse control. However, in opioid-dependent patients, the link between NS, striatal dopamine activity, and cognitive flexibility is still unclear. We recruited 22 opioid-dependent individuals and 30 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Single-photon emission computed tomography with [Tc-99m]TRODAT-1 as a ligand was used to measure the striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability. The Trail Making Test (TMT) was performed to assess cognitive flexibility. Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was used to measure NS. We found that in opioid-dependent patients, the striatal DAT availability was lower and negatively associated with TMT Part B +/- Part A. Moreover, an inverted-U shape significantly matched the scores of NS as a function of the striatal DAT availability, with maximum NS potential in the midrange of the DAT availability. An extra sum-of-squares F test was conducted, indicating that a quadratic model fitted the association between the DAT and NS better than a linear model did. In brief, in opioid-dependent patients, the striatal DAT availability is nonlinearly linked to NS and linearly linked to cognitive flexibility. The role of the striatal DAT in the transition from controlled to compulsive opioid use warrants further research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recent years have witnessed a remarkable growth in the way mathematics, informatics, and computer science can process data. In disciplines such as machine learning, pattern recognition, computer vision, computational neurology, molecular biology, information retrieval, etc., many new methods have been developed to cope with the ever increasing amount and complexity of the data. These new methods offer interesting possibilities for processing, classifying and interpreting eye-tracking data. The present paper exemplifies the application of topological arguments to improve the evaluation of eye-tracking data. The task of classifying raw eye-tracking data into saccades and fixations, with a single, simple as well as intuitive argument, described as coherence of spacetime, is discussed, and the hierarchical ordering of the fixations into dwells is shown. The method, namely identification by topological characteristics (ITop), is parameter-free and needs no pre-processing and post-processing of the raw data. The general and robust topological argument is easy to expand into complex settings of higher visual tasks, making it possible to identify visual strategies.
The aim of this study was to use structured assessments to assess dental students' clinical communication skills exhibited during patient appointments. Fourth-year dental students (n=55) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham evaluated their own interpersonal skills in a clinical setting utilizing the Four Habits Coding Scheme. An instructor also assessed student patient clinical communication. These assessments were used to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses in students' clinical communication. Both instructor assessments and student self-assessments pinpointed the following clinical communication skills as effective the most often: patient greeting, avoidance of jargon, and non-verbal behavior. There was also relative agreement between instructor assessments and student self-assessments regarding clinical communication skills that were rated as not effective most frequently: ensuring patient comprehension, identification of patient feelings, and exploration of barriers to treatment. These resulted pointed to strengths and weaknesses in the portion of the curriculum designed to prepare students for effective provider patient communication. These results may suggest a need for the school's current behavioral science curriculum to better address discussion of potential treatment barriers and patient feelings as well as techniques to ensure patient comprehension.
Because of high frequency and rotation speed, the analysis and design methods of high speed machine are different from conventional ones, such as rotor stress calculation, rotor dynamics analysis and electromagnetic design. In view of an outer rotor permanent magnet claw pole machine proposed, the claw pole and wingding were designed and analyzed by equivalent magnetic circuit and finite element method (FEM); the rotor stress distribution were calculated to check its strength; and the rotor bending mode and critical speed were simulated to analyze dynamics properties. Finally, a prototype of 1.5kW was developed, then the test research of prototype was carried out, the feasibility and accuracy of theoretical analysis have been verified by experimentation.
Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients from Spain is associated with intestinal dysbiosis. This study explores whether the alteration of the gut microbiome in SLE patients from China is consistent with the intestinal dysbiosis of SLE patients from Spain. Results: The depletion of Firmicutes and the enrichment of Bacteroidetes in SLE patients from China were consistent with the SLE patients from Spain. Furthermore, we found that nine genera of gut microbiota were SLE-related microorganisms in Chinese subjects. Genera Rhodococcus, Eggerthella, Klebsiella, Prevotella, Eubacterium, Flavonifractor and Incertae sedis were significantly enriched, while genera Dialister and Pseudobutyrivibrio were significantly depleted in SLE patients. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the nine genera have the potential to distinguish SLE patients from healthy controls. Conclusions: Comparing the dysbiosis of the gut microbiome among SLE patients from China or Spain, may indicate that the gut microbiome profiles of SLE patients are more influenced by disease than ethnicity.
Many conventional computer vision object tracking methods are sensitive to partial occlusion and background clutter. This is because the partial occlusion or little background information may exist in the bounding box, which tends to cause the drift. To this end, in this paper, we propose a robust tracker based on key patch sparse representation (KPSR) to reduce the disturbance of partial occlusion or unavoidable background information. Specifically, KPSR first uses patch sparse representations to get the patch score of each patch. Second, KPSR proposes a selection criterion of key patch to judge the patches within the bounding box and select the key patch according to its location and occlusion case. Third, KPSR designs the corresponding contribution factor for the sampled patches to emphasize the contribution of the selected key patches. Comparing the KPSR with eight other contemporary tracking methods on 13 benchmark video data sets, the experimental results show that the KPSR tracker outperforms classical or state-of-the-art tracking methods in the presence of partial occlusion, background clutter, and illumination change.
Given a nonlinear infinite resistive network, an operating point can be determined by approximating the network by finite networks obtained by shorting together various infinite sets of nodes, and then taking a limit of the nodal potential functions of the finite networks. Initially, by taking a completion of the node set of the infinite network under a metric given by the resistances, limit points are obtained that represent generalized ends, which we call terminals, of the infinite network. These terminals can be shorted together to obtain a generalized kind of node, a special case of a 1-node. An operating point will involve Kirchhoff's current law holding at 1-nodes, and so the ow of current into these terminals is studied. We give existence and bounds for an operating point that also has a nodal potential function, which is continuous at the 1-nodes. The existence is derived from the said approximations.
Purpose Knowledge regarding environmental impacts of agricultural systems is required. Consideration of uncertainty in life cycle assessment (LCA) provides additional scientific information for decision making. The aims of this study were to compare the environmental impacts of different growing cherry tomato cultivation scenarios under Mediterranean conditions and to assess the uncertainty associated to the different agricultural production scenarios. Materials and methods The burdens associated to cherry tomato production were calculated and evaluated by the LCA methodology. The functional unit (FU) chosen for this study was the mass unit of 1 t of commercial loose cherry tomatoes. This study included the quantitative uncertainty analysis through Monte Carlo simulation. Three scenarios were considered: greenhouse (GH), screenhouse (SH), and open field (OF). The flows and processes of the product scenario were structured in several sections: structure, auxiliary equipment, fertilizers, crop management, pesticides, and waste management. Six midpoint impact categories were selected for their relevance: climate change, terrestrial acidification, marine eutrophication, metal depletion, and fossil depletion using the impact evaluation method Recipe Midpoint and ecotoxicity using USEtox. Results and discussion The structure, auxiliary equipment, and fertilizers produced the largest environmental impacts in cherry tomato production. The greatest impact in these stages was found in the manufacture and drawing of the steel structures, manufacture of perlite, the amount of HDPE plastics used, and the electricity consumed by the irrigation system and the manufacture and application of fertilizers. GH was the cropping scenario with the largest environmental impact in most categories (varying from 18 and 37% higher than SH and OF, respectively, in metal depletion, to 96% higher than SH and OF, in eutrophication). OF showed the highest uncertainty in ecotoxicity, with a bandwidth of 60 CTUe and a probability of 100 and 99.4% to be higher than GH and SH, respectively. Conclusions The LCA was used to improve the identification and evaluation of the environmental burdens for cherry tomato production in the Mediterranean area. This study demonstrates the significance of conducting uncertainty analyses for comparative LCAs used in comparative relative product environmental impacts.
Home health care workers interventions have been implemented in western countries to improve health status of patients with respiratory diseases especially asthma and allergic illnesses. Twenty-six controlled studies dealing with prevention and control of these diseases through home environmental interventions were reviewed. After a comprehensive description of the characteristics of these studies, the effectiveness of each intervention was then evaluated in terms of participants' compliance with the intervention program, improvement of quality of the indoor environment, and finally improvement of health outcomes, in detailed tables. Limitations and biases of the studies are also discussed. Overall, this review aims at giving a toolbox for home health care workers to target the most appropriate measures to improve health status of the patient depending on his and/or her environment and disease. Only a case-by-case approach with achievable measures will warrant the efficacy of home interventions. This review will also provide to the research community a tool to better identify targets to focus in future evaluation studies of home health care workers action. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:66-79)
Objective To assess the impact of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) on patients and society based on real-world evidence from the Adelphi nr-axSpA Disease Specific Programme, a cross-sectional survey of rheumatologists and their patients in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK. Methods Physicians completed patient record forms for the next two patients consulting with nr-axSpA (diagnosis at the physician's judgement); patients were invited to complete a patient self-completion form. Outcomes were assessed in responders and non-responders and those treated with and without biological agents. Results In total, 631 patients were included. Fulfilment of classification criteria varied across countries. Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria were most commonly met; other criteria, including Amor and European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group criteria, were applied less frequently. Most German and UK patients had their condition classified without formal criteria. Despite being diagnosed with nr-axSpA, 13% of patients met the criteria for ankylosing spondylitis. EuroQol 5-Dimensions (3L) utility scores were lower in patients with nr-axSpA versus general population matched controls (0.776 vs. 0.884; p<0.001); non-responders to treatment had impaired activity (as measured by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire) of 47.4% versus 33.3% in responders (p<0.001). Clinical outcomes were consistently better in biological-treated versus-naive patients. Average pretreatment pain levels were 6.6 and 6.2, respectively (p=0.072) but reduced to 2.5 and 4.0, respectively (p<0.001) at the time of the survey. Conclusion nr-axSpA was associated with a significant QoL and societal burden in this study of German, French, Spanish, Italian and UK patients. Treatment with biological agents was associated with improved QoL. Considerable variability in patients' clinical characteristics were observed across the countries studied and further education, aimed at improving awareness of the condition, may be needed.
Background: Genetic and environmental factors are known to be related to the development of childhood eczema. Our aim was to assess the environmental factors associated with the prevalence of eczema among children using a web-based survey. Methods: In June 2012, we conducted a nation-wide web-based survey to identify the prevalence and characteristics of allergic diseases among Japanese children. The prevalence of allergic diseases including eczema was assessed using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood core questionnaire. The associations between eczema prevalence and environmental factors, as well as those between background characteristics and comorbid allergic diseases among 6-12 year old children were assessed. Results: A total of 28,348 children were included in the analysis. The prevalence of current eczema was 13.0%. Current eczema was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of wheeze, rhinitis, and food allergy. In multiple logistic regression models, birth during autumn (aOR: 1.18 95% CI: 1.06-1.31) or winter (aOR: 1.21 95% CI: 1.08-1.34), duration of exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months (aOR: 1.14 95% CI: 1.06-1.23), and ownership of a pet from infancy (aOR: 2.61 95% CI: 1.68-4.07) were also associated with a higher prevalence of eczema. The prevalence was lower in those with a high annual household income (aOR: 0.90 95% CI: 0.81-0.99) and 2 or more siblings (aOR: 0.86 95% CI: 0.76-0.97). Conclusions: Duration of breastfeeding, season of birth, pet ownership, household income, and the number of siblings were associated with the prevalence of childhood eczema in a nationwide web survey. Copyright (C) 2016, Japanese Society of Allergology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
In modern societies there is strong belief in scientific progress, but, unfortunately, a parallel partial regress occurs because of often avoidable mistakes. Mistakes are mainly forgetting, erroneous theories, errors in experiments and manuscripts, prejudice, selected publication of positive results, and fraud. An example of forgetting is that methods introduced decades ago are used without knowing the underlying theories: Basic articles are no longer read or cited. This omission may cause incorrect interpretation of results. For instance, false use of actual base excess instead of standard base excess for calculation of the number of hydrogen ions leaving the muscles raised the idea that an unknown fixed acid is produced in addition to lactic acid during exercise. An erroneous theory led to the conclusion that lactate is not the anion of a strong acid but a buffer. Mistakes occur after incorrect application of a method, after exclusion of unwelcome values, during evaluation of measurements by false calculations, or during preparation of manuscripts. Co-authors, as well as reviewers, do not always carefully read papers before publication. Peer reviewers might be biased against a hypothesis or an author. A general problem is selected publication of positive results. An example of fraud in sports medicine is the presence of doped subjects in groups of investigated athletes. To reduce regress, it is important that investigators search both original and recent articles on a topic and conscientiously examine the data. All co-authors and reviewers should read the text thoroughly and inspect all tables and figures in a manuscript.
Extra virgin olive oil, the primary source of oil in the Mediterranean diet, differs significantly in composition from dietary lipids that are consumed by other populations. The several minor constituents of virgin olive oil include vitamins such as alpha- and gamma-tocopherols (around 200 ppm) and beta-carotene, phytosterols, pigments, terpenic acids, flavonoids, squalene, and a number of phenolic compounds, such as hydroxytyrosol, usually grouped under the rubric polyphenols. The antioxidant and enzyme-modulating activities of extra virgin olive oil phenolics, such as their ability to inhibit NF-kappa B activation in human monocyte/macrophages has been demonstrated in vitro. There is also solid evidence that extra virgin olive oil phenolic compounds are absorbed and their human metabolism has been elucidated. Several activities that might be associated with cardiovascular protection, Such as inhibition of platelet aggregation and reduction of plasma rHcy have been demonstrated in vivo. The biologically relevant properties of olive phenolics are described, although further investigations in controlled clinical trials are needed to support the hypothesis that virgin olive oil consumption may contribute to lower cardiovascular mortality.
With a shift in focus from genes to cells, systems approach is not only revolutionizing cell biology, but is also providing impetus for clinical medicine to shift from a reductionistic to a holistic approach for efficient disease management. This inevitably brings into focus one of the longest unbroken healthcare systems in the world, namely ayurveda, the medical system indigenous to Indian subcontinent. A distinctive feature of ayurveda is its systems approach to health and disease. Through the theoretical framework of vata, pitta and kapha, ayurveda offers a new paradigm for understanding the human system as a networked functional entity wherein system properties are integral components. An open-minded dialogue between the cell-centric systems biology and organism-centric ayurveda can open new exciting vistas for research beneficial to both sciences, which could leave a major imprint on clinical practice.
Artisanal gold mining (galamsey) and cocoa farming are essential sources of income for local populations in Ghana. Unfortunately the former poses serious threats to the environment and human health, and conflicts with cocoa farming and other livelihoods. Timely and spatially referenced information on the extent of galamsey is needed to understand and limit the negative impacts of Mining. To address this, we use multi-date UK-DMC2 satellite images to map the extent and expansion of galamsey from 2011 to 2015. We map the total area of galamsey in 2013 over the cocoa growing area, Using k-means clustering on a cloud-free 2013 image with strong spectral contrast between galamsey and the surrounding vegetation. We also process a pair of hazy images from 2011 and 2015 with Multivariate Alteration Detection to map the 2011-2015 galamsey expansion in a subset, labelled the change area. We use a set of visually interpreted random sample points to compute bias-corrected area estimates. We also delineate an indicative impact zone of pollution proportional to the density of galamsey, assuming a maximum radius of 10 km. In the cocoa growing area of Ghana, the estimated total area of galamsey in 2013 is 27,839 ha with an impact zone of 551,496 ha. In the change area, galamsey has more than tripled between 2011 and 2015, resulting in 603 ha of direct encroachment into protected forest reserves. Assuming the same growth rate for the rest of the cocoa growing area, the total area of galamsey in 2015 is estimated at 43,879 ha. Galamsey is developing along most of the river network (Offln, Ankobra, Birim, Anum, Tano), with downstream pollution affecting both land and water. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In 1915, the California Commission of Immigration and Housing (CCIH) unveiled a bold new experiment: the Home Teacher Program. In Los Angeles, this program sent volunteers into Mexican communities to teach immigrant women new, more American ways of homemaking and childrearing. The lesson plans, sample dialogues, teacher testimonies, and photographs featured in CCIH publications provide a fascinating window on to the tense interactions between home teachers and immigrant women. Scholars have long explored different ways of mining institutional records and other forms of writing by Americanization advocates for insights into the experiences of those who participated in the programs. This essay contributes to the discussion of California's Americanization curricula in two ways: First, I provide a close reading of CCIH texts in order to uncover and analyze three layers of recorded experience: (1) teacher biases confronted by immigrant women; (2) immigrant women's difficult material realities; and (3) immigrant women's complex responses to Americanization. Second, I provide further evidence for the view that Mexican immigrant women responded to Americanization efforts in a variety of ways, from outright resistance to milder forms of pushback and, at times, conditional acceptance of the American customs presented to them. In light of the evidence, I argue that Mexican immigrant women were doing the impossible by laying claim to a piece of California through the complex relationship they negotiated with the home teachers. Although Americanization programs intended to flatten Mexican women's ethnic affiliations, the immigrant women found subtle ways to assert their agency, survive hardship and prejudice, and forge a new Mexican American ethnic community in the process.
As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the need for fresh fruits and vegetables in urban areas grows while the difficulty of bringing these perishable products to these areas also increases. Small-scale agriculture located in urban areas is a highly effective and profitable way to provide these products to communities that are far from extensive commercial agricultural areas. Here we describe how remote sensing can be used with data mining approaches to monitor urban and peri-urban farms within cities in both developed and developing countries. Using very high resolution satellite imagery together with moderate and coarse resolution imagery and information from social media and the web, we analyze the usefulness of different methods to identify farms within urban boundaries in four countries. The analysis shows how a mixed-method approach is necessary in order to identify where urban farming is occurring and to monitor its change through time. Although remote sensing-based vegetation and water indices were useful, without ancillary data they are not effective at remotely mapping the locations of urban farms. However, remote sensing is a good way to monitor vegetation condition in locations where actively managed urban farms are known to exist. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rapid gravity filters, the final particulate barrier in many water treatment systems, are typically monitored using on-line turbidity, flow and head loss instrumentation. Current metrics for assessing filtration performance from on-line turbidity data were critically assessed and observed not to effectively and consistently summarise the important properties of a turbidity distribution and the associated water quality risk. In the absence of a consistent risk function for turbidity in treated water, using on-line turbidity as an indicative rather than a quantitative variable appears to be more practical. Best practice suggests that filtered water turbidity should be maintained below 0.1 NTU, at higher turbidity we can be less confident of an effective particle and pathogen barrier. Based on this simple distinction filtration performance has been described in terms of reliability and resilience by characterising the likelihood, frequency and duration of turbidity spikes greater than 0.1 NTU. This view of filtration performance is then used to frame operational diagnosis of unsatisfactory performance in terms of a machine learning classification problem. Through calculation of operationally relevant predictor variables and application of the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithm the conditions associated with the greatest risk of poor filtration performance can be effectively modelled and communicated in operational terms. This provides a method for an evidence based decision support which can be used to efficiently manage individual pathogen barriers in a multi-barrier system. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
The continuous auxiliary inputs leakage is more strong side-channel attacks. In this article, we first propose a continuous auxiliary inputs leakage model for the hierarchical attribute-based encryption scheme. Under the security model, an adversary has ability to gain partial updated master keys and updated secret keys continually by certain leakage attacks. Moreover, a resilient-leakage hierarchical attribute-based encryption scheme is constructed. The security proof for this scheme is provided under the standard model. Furthermore, we give the performance comparison between our scheme and relevant scheme. (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Previous communication studies have focused on how media content influences human aggression. Few studies, however, have been conducted regarding the influence of situational variables on human aggression. Regarding online gaming, the present study examines how game users' aggression is influenced by two idiosyncratic situational variables: degree of control (playing vs. watching) and degree of interaction (alone vs. together). The feeling of presence is also examined as a mediator to explicate the mechanism through which these situational variables influence the game users' levels of aggression. The results demonstrate that degree of control significantly affects users' aggression. Aggression is increased when players actively participate in the game versus simply watching; situational factors that are associated with the way people engage in interactive media cause short-term shifts in players' aggression. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Production of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) antibodies represents the hallmark of Graves' disease (GD) pathogenesis. Thus, for more than two decades the TSHR gene has been at the center of studies intended to elucidate its contribution to disease pathology. The advent of genome-wide association technology allowed to establish a strong association of the TSHR gene with GD. Subsequent fine-mapping studies narrowed the disease-susceptibility region to a 40 kb sequence in intron 1, where at least five GD-associated SNPs in tight linkage disequilibrium were identified. The current challenge is to understand the functional mechanisms by which these polymorphisms modify physiological processes and trigger disease. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the role of the TSHR gene in GD pathogenesis, which has been gained through linkage and association studies, as well as to discuss the emerging mechanisms underlying biological implications of TSHR variants in the development of GD.
The 3D printing process is highlighted nowadays as a possibility to generate individual parts with complex geometries. Moreover, the development of 3D printing hardware, software and parameters permits the manufacture of parts that can be not only used as prototypes, but are also made from materials that are suitable for implantation. In this way, this study investigates the process involved in the production of patient-specific craniofacial implants using calcium phosphate cement, and its dimensional accuracy. The implants were previously generated in a computer-aided design environment based on the patient's tomographic data. The fabrication of the implants was carried out in a commercial 3D powder printing system using alfa-tricalcium phosphate powder and an aqueous solution of Na2HPO4 as a binder. The fit of the 3D printed implants was measured by three-dimensional laser scanning and by checking the right adjustment to the patient's anatomical biomodel. The printed parts presented a good degree of fitting and accuracy.
Plug-in electric vehicles are one of the clean technologies that have many advantages to overcome the problems of power systems for instance voltage unbalance in distribution networks. Considering coordinated or uncoordinated charging method, voltage unbalance factor can be improved or worsened. In real applications, most PEVs are connected to residential or commercial networks in the form of single-phase and they can be charged or discharged that leads to voltage unbalance. In this paper, the effect of PEVs on network voltage unbalance is investigated in the form of optimization problem. VUF is minimized as an objective function in different conditions, subject to network security and PEVs constraints, using PSO algorithm. VUF is minimized by optimally selecting the state of PEVs (charging or discharging), PEV point of connection (phase a, b or c) and charging/discharging rating power. Also, the impact of Uncoordinated and coordinated charging of PEVs on VUF is evaluated. Besides, the effectiveness of the proposed framework is studied based on an unbalanced three-phase distribution network. Finally, the obtained results show that coordinated charging/discharging of PEVs can significantly improve VUF value. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Most of the volume in classical electrical machines is occupied by magnetic materials for creating an as good as possible magnetic path. In machines with planar flux paths (2D geometries) the material is laminated to reduce eddy current losses in the core. Manufacturers typically supply reference values from Epstein frame measurements as a material performance specification and an easy way for comparison. However, the magnetic flux path in electrical machines is more complex due to rotating magnetic fields passing through the stator (with or without teeth), the rotor, and the airgap. Therefore, other material characterization methods, such as ring core measurements, are more suitable to characterize the magnetic materials for electrical machines. This paper gives a short introduction on different methods to characterize magnetic materials and a detailed description of building up a measurement system for characterizing ring core samples or electrical machine stator cores. The system is developed with regard to the IEC standard for measurements on magnetic ring core samples and can easily be build up in any lab with a power amplifier and a standard industrial control system equipped with analog input/output interfaces. Finally, reference measurements demonstrate the performance of the system.
This paper presents the system integration and hierarchical control implementation in an inverter-based Microgrid Research Laboratory (MGRL) at Aalborg University, Denmark. MGRL aims to provide a flexible experimental platform for comprehensive studies of microgrids. The structure of the laboratory, including the facilities, configurations, and communication network, is first introduced. The complete control system is based on a generic hierarchical control scheme including primary, secondary, and tertiary control. Primary control loops are developed and implemented in digital control platform, while system supervision, advanced secondary, and tertiary management are realized in a microgrid central controller. The software and hardware schemes are described. Several example case studies are introduced and performed to achieve power quality regulation, energy management, and flywheel energy storage system control. Experimental results are presented to show the performance of the whole system.
Urinary system disorders may be prevented by achieving a good body hydration level (BHL). This paper investigated a measurement platform set-up for detecting the shade of the (yellow) colour of urine and its integration with the IoT principles for providing ubiquitous services to the users (citizens). We propose a smart IoT-based holistic system that consists of a urine colour measurement component to be fitted in urinals. Based on RGB colour theory, the system was implemented using a myRio board, which interacts with a mobile application. Bio-samples (urine) gathered from volunteers were tested using this board and with a hand-held refractometer. The results showed that it is possible to infer the BHL by analysing the blue values of RGB colour and by comparison with the recommended urine colour chart. We believe that the proposed system promotes sustainable healthy lifestyle through its ubiquitous on-the-go self-test solution and raises BHL awareness in a greener and more personal way.
Rio San Giorgio (Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy), a stream affected by abandoned mine wastes, is characterized by dense vegetation in the streambed, mainly comprised of Phragmites australis and Juncus acutus. This vegetation creates natural biogeochemical barriers that drive mineralization processes and attenuate metals load in the stream. Several techniques, covering scales from micrometres to kilometres, were applied to investigate the biogeochemical processes: water chemistry, injected hydrologic tracer, mineralogy, microscopic investigation and X-ray spectroscopy. From this multiscale and multimethod approach, we recognized two predominant sets of biogeochemical processes: microbially driven metal sulphide precipitation, mainly resulting in pyrite formation; and plant uptake of metals that leads to formation of iron oxide-hydroxide and incorporation of Zn within the roots and aerial part (stem and leaves). The dense vegetation in the Rio San Giorgio streambed controls its morphology, velocity of streamflow, and, as reflected by observed bromide-tracer loss, enhanced water exchange between the streambed and the hyporheic zone. The combined effect of these vegetative controls is to establish biogeochemical barriers that greatly retard trace-metal mobility in the hyporheic zone. We estimated this effect can lead to an apparent decrease in Zn load up to 60%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The flow characteristics around the proximal and distal stenoses in tandem vessel models are experimentally investigated with varying flow rates (Q=0.25, 0.5,1.0 L/min), interspacing distances (L=3, 6,10 of diameter D) and severities (S=50%, 75% reduction in diameter). When the interspacing L is larger than 10 D, no fluid-dynamic interaction is observed. The flow between the proximal and distal stenoses becomes stabilized (turbulence intensity of <3%) as the interspacing distance decreases. When the severity S is 75%, the transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs at a flow rate higher than 0.5 L/min, although the interspacing distance L is 3 D. Formation of recirculation flow is restricted by the presence of distal stenosis as the interspacing distance decreases. In this case, the flow between the stenoses is focused on the central region. The center-line velocity at the neck of the distal stenosis is approximately 10-15% higher than that of the proximal stenosis with equal severity of S=50%. When the inlet flow is center-focused, the lengths of the recirculation and the jet core behind the distal stenosis increase with decrease in interspacing distance L. When the inlet flow is turbulent, the transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs early as the interspacing distance L is reduced. When the upstream proximal stenosis exhibits increased severity, the pressure drop is measured to be 20% compared with that when the severity of the downstream distal stenosis is increased at the flow rate of Q=1.0 L/min. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the process of social development, computer information management technology has been widely applied in many fields. However in the aspect of network security, computer information management technology is still facing the threat from some of the network environment, which seriously influence the healthy development of the computer information management technology. In this paper, the significance of computer information network security management technology is briefly analyzed, and the concrete application of computer information management technology in network security status was analyzed, aiming at the corresponding solution measures of the shortcomings.
As a pillar industry of the national economy, the logistics industry is a heavy responsibility in the low-carbon economy. Essentially from a logistics point of view, this paper proposed the concept of low-carbon logistics. A departure from the status quo of China's logistics industry energy consumption, and further pointed out that the cause of the problem facing China's logistics industry to achieve a low-carbon, and further propose a way to achieve low-carbon logistics. A new perspective for the study of low-carbon economy, and it proposed countermeasures effective way to promote the healthy growth of the logistics industry.
Vertical slot fishways are structures that facilitate energy dissipation using a specific pool, slot and baffle design; these structures are common in West China. To develop an effective and simple design, the flow patterns in the pools must be fish-friendly. To assist in design optimisation, a three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and an experimental study for validating the model using an equivalent scale physical model were conducted. This paper presents the results for detailed hydraulic structures, including velocity fields, flow patterns, recirculating flows and turbulent structures in a pool, for conditions with slopes of 4.2% and 2.6% and a new structure with a long 'L'-shaped baffle. The new structure can effectively improve the flow patterns of fish by adopting a burst-coast mode. The mainstream velocity decreases from 1.22 m/s to 0.85 m/s, and the average proportion for the recirculation region decreases from 30.16% to 21.73% compared with the same slope and creates a 'Omega'-shaped flow pattern. The results provide insight of the flow patterns in vertical slot fishways, which can be used to guide future designs. (C) 2016 International Association for Hydro -environment Engineering and Research, Asia Pacific Division. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent data suggests there are non-trivial amounts of human pharmaceutical conjugates potentially entering environmental surface waters. These compounds could contribute to eliciting toxic effects on aquatic biota either directly or indirectly, via de-conjugation. The need for developing a single method for quantifying both parents and conjugates is necessary. Propranolol (PRO), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and their respective major conjugates 4-OH-propranolol sulfate (PRO-Sul) and sulfamethoxazole-beta-glucuronide (SMX-Glc) were successfully simultaneously extracted through weak anion exchange solid phase extraction cartridges from primary and secondary clarification wastewaters from the North End Winnipeg Water Pollution Treatment Plant in Winnipeg, Canada. Subsequent separation and quantification were achieved by reversed-phase C-18 chromatography coupled to positive electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry. Linearity for all compounds throughout the 7-point calibration range was >0.99. Recovery RSD ranges across all matrices for PRO, SMX, PRO-Sul, and SMX-Glc were 2.1-13.2%, 2.3-10.2%, 9.8-19.2%, and 2.0-10.3% respectively. Primary and secondary filtrates respectively showed a significant increase of PRO from 0.039 to 0.045 mu g/L; a significant decrease for SMX from 1.56 to 0.58 mu g/L; significant decrease of PRO-Sul from 0.050 to 0.020 mu g/L; and a significant decrease of SMX-Glc from 0.41 to 0.019 mu g/L. These observations indicate that there was removal of all compounds, except for PRO, from the aqueous phase occurring at some point between the stages of treatment. To our knowledge, this is first study that simultaneously separated and quantified two different classes of parent compounds and two different kinds of human metabolite conjugates (glucuronide and sulfate) from a major urban wastewater treatment plant. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In high-performance magnetic resonance imaging systems, the gradient driver is required to supply the gradient coil with a large current (>600 A) and a high voltage (>2000 V) to achieve a strong gradient field and a fast slew rate. In addition, extremely high fidelity for reproducing the current command from the central system is very critical to imaging quality. This paper presents the solutions for the different elements of the driver: 1) high-bandwidth (BW) power inverter; 2) ripple cancelation filter; 3) multioutput power supply (PS); and 4) digital control. A high-BW power inverter requires a stacked-bridges structure to achieve a high output ripple frequency with the existing commercial power semiconductor modules. The high voltage and the high frequency for large power modules can be obtained easier and with lower loss using the new silicon carbide devices. The control needs a digital implementation and a very fast processor. Digital control provides compensation and feedforward to improve the response. A capability improvement is obtained by reducing the switching frequency when large currents with a very low-frequency variation are needed. The control can handle it very well, but the filter has to be designed to eliminate more than one ripple frequency. Finally, many PS solutions have been used for multiple isolated outputs, but digital control compensation permits the use of much simpler unregulated PS and keeps the performance. A 2 MVA, 900 A/1200 V, platform has been built and fully tested. The experimental results proved the validity of the proposed structure and the modulation technique.
Background: Traditional Sanger sequencing has been used as a gold standard method for genetic testing in clinic to perform single gene test, which has been a cumbersome and expensive method to test several genes in heterogeneous disease such as cancer. With the advent of Next Generation Sequencing technologies, which produce data on unprecedented speed in a cost effective manner have overcome the limitation of Sanger sequencing. Therefore, for the efficient and affordable genetic testing, Next Generation Sequencing has been used as a complementary method with Sanger sequencing for disease causing mutation identification and confirmation in clinical research. However, in order to identify the potential disease causing mutations with great sensitivity and specificity it is essential to ensure high quality sequencing data. Therefore, integrated software tools are lacking which can analyze Sanger and NGS data together and eliminate platform specific sequencing errors, low quality reads and support the analysis of several sample/patients data set in a single run. Results: We have developed ClinQC, a flexible and user-friendly pipeline for format conversion, quality control, trimming and filtering of raw sequencing data generated from Sanger sequencing and three NGS sequencing platforms including Illumina, 454 and Ion Torrent. First, ClinQC convert input read files from their native formats to a common FASTQ format and remove adapters, and PCR primers. Next, it split bar-coded samples, filter duplicates, contamination and low quality sequences and generates a QC report. ClinQC output high quality reads in FASTQ format with Sanger quality encoding, which can be directly used in down-stream analysis. It can analyze hundreds of sample/patients data in a single run and generate unified output files for both Sanger and NGS sequencing data. Our tool is expected to be very useful for quality control and format conversion of Sanger and NGS data to facilitate improved downstream analysis and mutation screening. Conclusions: ClinQC is a powerful and easy to handle pipeline for quality control and trimming in clinical research. ClinQC is written in Python with multiprocessing capability, run on all major operating systems and is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/clinqc.
Many species of insects are agricultural pests which cause not only economic losses but also allergies in humans. The subject of this study was to identify important antigens from the saw-toothed grain beetle - Oryzaephilus surinamensis [OS]. Sera of 30 patients from a suburban population of Upper Silesia (Southern Poland) were tested for the presence of IgE antibodies to antigens from particular active life stages of OS (larvae, pupae and adults of both sexes). The collected proteins were fractionated by SDS PAGE and identified by Western blot. The patient's antibodies against particular antigens were identified using anti-human anti-IgE monoclonal antibody. The conducted studies showed the existence of many protein fractions for each life stage of OS which give positive reactions with IgE antibodies. The largest number of allergenic potential fractions was shown in females (23 protein fractions) and pupae (22 protein fractions) while smaller amount was shown in larvae (18 protein fractions) and males (14 protein fractions). Majority of the sera (25/30) showed positive reactions to protein fractions 25-29 kDa and 30 -34 kDa from pupae of OS. The obtained results may indicate the existence of many protein fractions with an allergenic properties in OS. It also should be stressed that all life stages of this storage insect may provoke allergic reactions in exposed subjects. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmurie disease that affect joints and muscles, and can result in noticeable disruption of joint structure and function. Early diagnosis of RA is very crucial in preventing disease's progression. However, it is a complicated task for General Practitioners (GPs) due to the wide spectrum of symptoms, and progressive changes in disease's direction over time. In order to assist physicians, and to minimize possible errors due to fatigued or less-experienced physicians, this study proposes an advanced decision support tool based on consultations with a group of experienced medical professionals (i.e. orthopedic surgeons and rheumatologists), and using a well-known soft computing method called Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs). First, a set of criteria for diagnosis of RA, based on previous studies and consultation with medical professionals have been selected. Then, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and FCMs along with medical experts' knowledge were used to model this problem and calculate the severity of the RA disease. Finally, a small-scale test has been conducted at Shohada University Hospital, Iran, for evaluating the accuracy of the proposed tool. Accuracy level of the tool reached to 90% and the results closely matched the medical professionals' opinions. Considering obtained results in real practice, we believe that the proposed decision support tool can assist GPs in an accurate and timely diagnosis of patients with RA. Ultimately, the risk of wrong or late diagnosis will be diminished, and patients' disease may be prevented from moving through the advanced stages.
Biosensors for rapid environmental pollution detection can be designed with biomodule based on the bacterial bioluminescent system. Usually this method returns total value of toxicity and does not allow to distinguish pollutants types. Herein we demonstrate the classification of pollutants by the kinetic analysis utilizing artificial neural networks with multilayer perceptron architecture. The kinetics of light emission of NAD(P)H:FMN-oxidoreductase-luciferase bioluminescent reaction was measured for clean water and in the presence of three environment pollutants (1,4-benzoquinone, copper sulfate and 1,3dihydroxybenzene) separately with various concentrations. The efficiency of using multilayer perceptron with sigmoid activation function for processing of kinetics of light emission was estimated. It was shown that multilayer perceptrons allowing to distinguish pollutant class and concentration after sufficient training. The architecture consisted of 61 inputs neurons, 3 hidden layers and 3 output neurons was found optimum in sense of learning time for classification of three pollutants. Usage of simplest activation function sigmoid and backpropagation method for multilayer perceptron teaching providing the results been useful for smart signal processing in computational modules of biosensors. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Geogrids and geotextiles are used routinely to stabilize weak subgrade soils during road construction. Typical subgrade stabilization applications are temporary haul roads or unpaved low-volume roads, but can also include paved roads built on poorer foundation materials. Full-scale test sections were constructed, trafficked and monitored to compare the relative operational performance of geosynthetics used as subgrade stabilization, as well as determine which material properties were most related to performance. Unpaved test sections were constructed using twelve geosynthetics consisting of a variety of geogrids and geotextiles. Multiple control test sections were also built to evaluate the effect that subgrade strength, base course thickness, and/ or presence of the geosynthetic had on performance. Even though the geotextile materials used during this study showed good performance as subgrade stabilization, material properties associated with their performance was difficult to establish due to the limited number of test sections and lack of relevant tests to properly characterize these types of materials for this application. Using longitudinal rut as the primary indicator of performance, it was determined through a linear regression analysis that the stiffness of the geogrid junctions in the cross-machine direction correlated best with performance in this application and under these conditions. Using this knowledge, the design equation associated with the Giroud-Han method was calibrated to make geogrid junction stiffness in the cross-machine direction the primary property of the geosynthetic, thereby replacing geogrid aperture stability modulus. The calibration and verification of this method is described herein. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Urban areas will need to pursue new water servicing options to ensure local supply security. Decisions about how best to employ them are not straightforward due to multiple considerations and the potential for problem shifting among them. We hypothesise that urban water metabolism evaluation based a water mass balance can help address this, and explore the utility of this perspective and the new insights it provides about water servicing options. Using a water mass balance evaluation framework, which considers direct urban water flows (both 'natural' hydrological and 'anthropogenic' flows), as well as water-related energy, we evaluated how the use of alternative water sources (stormwater/rainwater harvesting, wastewater/greywater recycling) at different scales influences the 'local water metabolism' of a case study urban development. New indicators were devised to represent the water-related 'resource efficiency' and 'hydrological performance' of the urban area. The new insights gained were the extent to which alternative water supplies influence the water efficiency and hydrological performance of the urban area, and the potential energy trade-offs. The novel contribution is the development of new indicators of urban water resource performance that bring together considerations of both the 'anthropogenic' and 'natural' water cycles, and the interactions between them. These are used for the first time to test alternative water servicing scenarios, and to provide a new perspective to complement broader sustainability assessments of urban water. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
It is important to determine the mechanical properties of reinforced soils, since they are extensively used in practice. In this study, laboratory triaxial tests and direct shear tests were carried out in order to determine the stress-strain and dilation characteristics of geotextile-reinforced river sand. The mechanical behaviour of the composite material was investigated through varying the type of geotextile and confining pressure. Interface properties of geotextile-reinforced samples were evaluated with the direct shear tests. The results demonstrated that geotextile inclusion increases the peak strength, and reduces dilation especially at higher confining pressures.
Portable sensors and biomedical devices are influenced by the recent advances in microfluidics technologies, compact fabrication techniques, improved detection limits and enhanced analysis capabilities. This paper reports the development of an integrated ultraportable, low-cost, and modular digital microfluidic (DMF) system and its successful integration with a smartphone used as a high-level controller and post processing station. Low power and cost effective electronic circuits are designed to generate the high voltages required for DMF operations in both open and closed configurations (from 100 to 800 V). The smartphone in turn commands a microcontroller that manipulate the voltage signals required for droplet actuation in the DMF chip and communicates wirelessly with the microcontroller via Bluetooth module. Moreover, the smartphone acts as a detection and image analysis station with an attached microscopic lens. The holder assembly is fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to facilitate rapid prototyping. The holder features a modular design that enables convenient attachment/detachment of a variety of DMF chips to/from an electrical busbar. The electrical circuits, controller and communication system are designed to minimize the power consumption in order to run the device on small lithium ion batteries. Successful controlled DMF operations and a basic colorimetric assay using the smartphone are demonstrated.
We are interested in the long time behaviour of the positive solutions of the Cauchy problem involving the integro-differential equation partial derivative(t)u(t, x) = integral(Omega) m(x; y) (u (t; y) - u(t, x)) d y + (a(x) - integral(Omega) k(x, y)u(t, y) dy) u(t, x), supplemented by the initial condition u (0, .) = u(0) in Omega. Such a problem is used in population dynamics models to capture the evolution of a clonal population structured with respect to a phenotypic trait. In this context, the function u represents the density of individuals characterized by the trait, the domain of trait values Omega is a bounded subset of R-N, the kernels k and m respectively account for the competition between individuals and the mutations occurring in every generation, and the function a represents a growth rate. When the competition is independent of the trait, we construct a positive stationary solution which belongs to the space of Radon measures on Omega. Moreover, in the case where this measure is regular and bounded, we prove its uniqueness and show that, for any non-negative initial datum in L-1( Omega)boolean AND L-infinity(Omega), the solution of the Cauchy problem converges to this limit measure in L-2(Omega). We also exhibit an example for which the measure is singular and non-unique, and investigate numerically the long time behaviour of the solution in such a situation. The numerical simulations seem to reveal a dependence of the limit measure with respect to the initial datum.
The use of Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers is supported in diagnostic criteria, but their maturity for clinical routine is still debated. Here, we evaluate brain fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET), a measure of cerebral glucose metabolism, as a biomarker to identify clinical and prodromal AD according to the framework suggested for biomarkers in oncology, using homogenous criteria with other biomarkers addressed in parallel reviews. FDG PET has fully achieved phase 1 (rational for use) and most of phase 2 (ability to discriminate AD subjects from healthy controls or other forms of dementia) aims. Phase 3 aims (early detection ability) are partly achieved. Phase 4 studies (routine use in prodromal patients) are ongoing, and only preliminary results can be extrapolated from retrospective observations. Phase 5 studies (quantify impact and costs) have not been performed. The results of this study show that specific efforts are needed to complete phase 3 evidence, in particular comparing and combining FDG PET with other biomarkers, and to properly design phase 4 prospective studies as a basis for phase 5 evaluations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Iron is an essential trace metal in human metabolism. However, imbalances in iron homeostasis are prevalent worldwide and have detrimental effects on human health. Humans do not have the ability to remove excess iron and therefore iron homeostasis is maintained by regulating the amount of iron entering the body from the diet. Iron is present in the human diet in number of different forms, including heme (from meat) and a variety of non-heme iron compounds. While heme is absorbed intact, the bioavailability of non-heme iron varies greatly depending on dietary composition. A number of dietary components are capable of interacting with iron to regulate its solubility and oxidation state. Interestingly, there is an emerging body of evidence suggesting that some nutrients also have direct effects on the expression and function of enterocyte iron transporters. In addition to dietary factors, body iron status is a major determinant of iron absorption. The roles of these important dietary and systemic factors in regulating iron absorption will be discussed in this review.
This paper evaluates the results of 13 large scale Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) column load tests, also known as performance tests (PT) or mini-pier tests, to study the effect of tensile strength (T-f), vertical reinforcement spacing (S-v), facing elements, and backfill properties on the deformations of GRS at 200 kPa, typical bridge bearing pressures, and also at 400 kPa. The results indicate that GRS performs well under service conditions. A semi-empirical expression is proposed for prescribed bearing pressures to limit vertical strain to 0.5% of the abutment height. In addition, recommendations for estimating lateral deformation for GRS bridge abutments are also provided. At 200 kPa surcharge for this series of tests, vertical settlements ranged from 8.3 to 33.9 mm (or from 0.4% to 1.7% axial strain); lateral deformations ranged from 3.0 mm to 10.1 mm (or 0.6%-2.0% lateral strain); and reinforcement strain ranged from less than 1% during construction to less than 3% during loading. The lateral deformation results indicate that the maximum displacement occurs in the top third region of the wall face. Comparing the vertical and lateral displacement data shows that most GRS models experienced negligible positive volume changes up to about 1% under typical bridge service loads. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Being often deployed in remote or hostile environments, wireless sensor networks are vulnerable to various types of security attacks. A possible solution to reduce the security risks is to use directional antennas instead of omnidirectional ones or in conjunction with them. Due to their increased complexity, higher costs and larger sizes, directional antennas are not traditionally used in wireless sensor networks, but recent technology trends may support this method. This paper surveys existing state of the art approaches in the field, offering a broad perspective of the future use of directional antennas in mitigating security risks, together with new challenges and open research issues.
Flavonoids are biologically active compounds in food with potential health effects. We have used the CaCo-2 cell monolayer model to study the absorption and metabolism of two flavonols, a class of flavonoids, specifically kaempferol and galangin. Metabolism experiments allowed identification of five kaempferol conjugates: 3-, 7- and 4'-glucuronide, a sulphate and a glucurono-sulphate; and four galangin conjugates: 3-, 5- and 7-glucuronides, and a sulphate, using specific enzyme hydrolysis, HPLC-MS, and HPLC with post-column metal complexation/tandem MS. Transport studies showed that the flavonols were conjugated inside the cells then transported across the monolayer or effluxed back to the apical side. Sulphated conjugates were preferentially effluxed back to the apical side, whereas glucuronides were mostly transported to the basolateral side. For kaempferol, a small amount of the unconjugated aglycone permeated in both directions, indicating some passive diffusion. When kaempferol-3-glucuronide and quercetin 7-sulphate were applied to either side of the cells, no permeation in either direction was observed, indicating that conjugates cannot re-cross the cell monolayer. Formation of apical kaempferol-7- and 4'-glucuronides was readily saturated, whereas formation of other conjugates at the apical side and all at the basolateral side increased with increasing concentration of kaempferol, implying different transporters are responsible at the apical and basolateral sides. The results highlight the important but complex metabolic changes occurring in flavonoids during absorption. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Here we propose a Bayesian approach to person perception, outlining the theoretical position and a methodological framework for testing the predictions experimentally. We use the term person perception to refer not only to the perception of others' personal attributes such as age and sex but also to the perception of social signals such as direction of gaze and emotional expression. The Bayesian approach provides a formal description of the way in which our perception combines current sensory evidence with prior expectations about the structure of the environment. Such expectations can lead to unconscious biases in our perception that are particularly evident when sensory evidence is uncertain. We illustrate the ideas with reference to our recent studies on gaze perception which show that people have a bias to perceive the gaze of others as directed towards themselves. We also describe a potential application to the study of the perception of a person's sex, in which a bias towards perceiving males is typically observed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the use of diseasemodifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis(PS/PSA). Patients and methods: This retrospective cohort study used a nationwide, population-based administrative database to enroll 84,989 cases with AS, RA, or PS/PSA who initiated treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs or nonbiologic DMARDs. Multivariable analysis was used to estimate the effect of different therapies on the risk of DM. Results: The incidence rates of DM per 1,000 person-years were 8.3 for users of anti-TNF drugs, 13.3 for users of cyclosporine (CSA), 8.4 for users of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and 8.1 for users of other nonbiologic DMARDs. Compared with the users of nonbiologic DMARDs, the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for DM were significantly lower for those who used anti-TNF drugs with HCQ (aHR: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36-0.66) and those who used HCQ alone (aHR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.63-0.78), but not for those who used anti-TNFs without HCQ (aHR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.94-1.60) or CSA (aHR: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.77-1.70). Conclusion: The aHR for DM was lowest for patients with RA and PS/PSA who initiated treatment with an anti-TNF agent with concomitant HCQ, followed by HCQ users. Those who used anti-TNF agents without HCQ and other nonbiologic DMARDs had a similar risk of DM.
Research on attitudes towards racial equality has identified an apparent paradox, sometimes described as the Principle-Implementation Gap. White Americans accept equality as an ideal yet reject interventions designed to achieve that ideal. In this article, we provide a critical review of empirical and theoretical work in the field and outline some directions for future research. Drawing on a program of research conducted in post-apartheid South Africa, we argue for the value of: (1) widening the field beyond its traditional focus on White policy attitudes in the United States; (2) developing relational models that encompass more fully the perspectives of historically disadvantaged as well as historically advantaged communities; (3) making greater use of methods that elucidate how ordinary people themselves construct the meaning of the Principle-Implementation Gap and how this informs, and indeed justifies and normalizes, associated patterns of behavior; and (4) prioritizing the difficult question of how to promote social change in societies where most citizens embrace equality as a noble end but often reject the means through which it might be accomplished. With regards to the latterand given the ascendancy of prejudice-based explanations of the Principle-Implementation Gapthe article evaluates in particular some strengths and limitations of a prejudice-reduction model of social change.
Background: Early childhood is characterized by dramatic gains in emotion regulation skills that support social adjustment and mental health. Understanding the physiological substrates of healthy emotion regulation may offer new directions for altering trajectories toward initiation and escalation of substance abuse. Here, we describe the intersections between parasympathetic and sympathetic tone, emotion regulation and prosocial behavior in a high-risk sample of preschoolers. Method: Fifty-two 3-6 year old children completed an assessment of attention regulation in response to affective stimuli. Cardiac respiratory sinus arrhythmia, an index of parasympathetic tone, and pre-ejection period, a marker of sympathetic activation, were recorded at rest and while children engaged in social interactions with their mothers and an unfamiliar research assistant. Mothers reported on children's emotional reactivity and prosocial behavior. Results: Controlling for age and psychosocial risk, higher parasympathetic tone predicted better attention regulation in response to angry emotion and higher levels of prosocial behavior, whereas a reciprocal pattern of higher parasympathetic tone and lower sympathetic arousal predicted better attention in response to positive emotion and lower emotional reactivity. Children exposed to fewer risk factors and higher levels of maternal warmth were more able to sustain a high level of parasympathetic tone during interaction episodes. Conclusions: Findings suggest that autonomic measures represent biomarkers for socio-emotional competence in young children. They also point to the importance of early experiences in the establishment of physiological regulation and the promise of family-based intervention to promote healthy emotion regulation and prevent substance dependence in high-risk populations. 2016 University of Kentucky Center for Drug Abuse Research Translation. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
The Cretaceous section of the Parnaiba Basin, designated as Grajau Basin, represents an intracontinental half-graben formed during the Early Cretaceous due to the separation between the South American and African continents during the final dispersal of Western Gondwana. Here, through a synergetic approach between fluid inclusion planes (FlPs), outcropping geologic structures, borehole breakouts and remote sensing data, we elucidate in different scales the main structural features and their kinematic indicators. Normal faults strike mainly NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE, while deformation bands and extension joints trend to NW-SE and NE-SW, and FlPs to NE-SW and WNW-ESE. In addition, normal fault-generated scarps border geomorphological units and constitute dense zones of deformation bands and fluidization. Microthermometric FIP analyses suggest this fracturing event occurred at shallow basin levels, at temperatures below 50 degrees C. Furthermore, joints, bands and FlPs present mutually cross-cutting relationships, thus indicating contemporaneity. The numerical inversions applied to striated faults, non-striated faults, joints, deformation bands and FlPs suggest the occurrence of an extensional event characterized by variable direction of extension (sigma(3)) trending from NW-SE to WNW-ESE or NE-SE to NNE-SSW. This event probably started in the Albian during the final Gondwana fragmentation stages. The quasi-perpendicular sigma(3) trend could be caused by one or all of the following phenomena: a) stress ratio R values obtained (<0.4) indicate the possibility of radial extension (sigma(2) approximate to sigma(3)), perhaps in response to the deformation partitioning due to kinematic simple-shearing constraints along the Equatorial Atlantic transform margin; b) along the WNW-oriented release normal faults, the local extension (NNE-SSW) switch positions in relation to the regional extension (WNW-ESE) by rotating 90 degrees; c) influence of the pre-existing structures on the regional stress field. Thus, the spatial and temporal relationships between Cretaceous fault activity, stress field and the development of the geomorphological features in the Grajau Basin contribute to understanding of the Brazilian Equatorial margin geodynamics. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Significance: In the last years, metabolic reprogramming, fluctuations in bioenergetic fuels, and modulation of oxidative stress became new key hallmarks of tumor development. In cancer, elevated glucose uptake and high glycolytic rate, as a source of adenosine triphosphate, constitute a growth advantage for tumors. This represents the universally known Warburg effect, which gave rise to one major clinical application for detecting cancer cells using glucose analogs: the positron emission tomography scan imaging. Recent Advances: Glucose utilization and carbon sources in tumors are much more heterogeneous than initially thought. Indeed, new studies emerged and revealed a dual capacity of tumor cells for glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) metabolism. OXPHOS metabolism, which relies predominantly on mitochondrial respiration, exhibits fine-tuned regulation of respiratory chain complexes and enhanced antioxidant response or detoxification capacity. Critical Issues: OXPHOS-dependent cancer cells use alternative oxidizable substrates, such as glutamine and fatty acids. The diversity of carbon substrates fueling neoplastic cells is indicative of metabolic heterogeneity, even within tumors sharing the same clinical diagnosis. Metabolic switch supports cancer cell stemness and their bioenergy-consuming functions, such as proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion. Moreover, reactive oxygen species-induced mitochondrial metabolism and nutrient availability are important for interaction with tumor microenvironment components. Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts and immune cells participate in the metabolic interplay with neoplastic cells. They collectively adapt in a dynamic manner to the metabolic needs of cancer cells, thus participating in tumorigenesis and resistance to treatments. Future Directions: Characterizing the reciprocal metabolic interplay between stromal, immune, and neoplastic cells will provide a better understanding of treatment resistance.
Most laboratories interested in autophagy use different imaging software for managing and analyzing heterogeneous parameters in immunofluorescence experiments (e.g., LC3-puncta quantification and determination of the number and size of lysosomes). One solution would be software that works on a user's laptop or workstation that can access all image settings and provide quick and easy-to-use analysis of data. Thus, we have designed and implemented an application called IFDOTMETER, which can run on all major operating systems because it has been programmed using JAVA (Sun Microsystems). Briefly, IFDOTMETER software has been created to quantify a variety of biological hallmarks, including mitochondrial morphology and nuclear condensation. The program interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making it useful for users not familiar with computer handling. By setting previously defined parameters, the software can automatically analyze a large number of images without the supervision of the researcher. Once analysis is complete, the results are stored in a spreadsheet. Using software for high-throughput cell image analysis offers researchers the possibility of performing comprehensive and precise analysis of a high number of images in an automated manner, making this routine task easier.
A literature review has identified the absence of a robust framework that guides the development of streamlined and valid multiple linear regression (MLR) predictive models for construction engineering applications. A reliable MLR model requires an appropriate set of input variables that can satisfy the underlying assumptions of best linear unbiased estimators (BLUE). In this research, an analytical framework is proposed for developing MLR-based predictive models by (1) selecting input variables based on a modified stepwise approach, (2) verifying the BLUE assumptions, and (3) validating the prediction performance of the regression model. The resulting MLR model only contains the most-relevant input variables while also fulfilling the BLUE assumptions. By utilizing statistical inference techniques, the MLR model also produces reliable range estimates around its point-value prediction according to a particular confidence level. To illustrate the application procedure of the proposed framework, a data set intended for workability control of ready-mixed concrete from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository is used. A practical case study based on a real-world bridge construction project is provided to further demonstrate the application of the proposed methodology in modeling the precast span installation cycle-time. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The rainfall data of Ludhiana for a period of 32 years covering 1981 to 2012 have been collected from School of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology. The study was planned to find the rainfall variability and amount of rainfall at different probability levels for the year 1981-2012. The rainfall data was analyzed on weekly basis to work out the initial & conditional probability for rainfall at different levels, i.e., >5 mm, >10 mm, >20 mm, >30 mm, >40 mm and >50 mm using Markov chain model. In addition to this, incomplete gamma distribution was also used to find out the occurrence of rainfall events at different probability levels, i.e., 20, 30, 40, 50, 65 and 75 per cent. The study results in estimation of maximum and minimum initial probability and conditional probability (wet and dry) for standard meteorological week. The results will be useful for deciding the sowing time, irrigation/fertilizer scheduling and harvesting time for different crops. In addition to this study will be useful for determining the runoff volume, peak runoff rate and hence can be used for designing of rainwater harvesting structures.
Previous work has shown there are robust differences in how North Americans and East Asians form impressions of people. The present research examines whether the tendency to weigh initial information more heavilythe primacy effectmay be another component of these cultural differences. Specifically, we tested whether Americans would be more likely to use first impressions to guide person perception, compared to Japanese participants. In this experiment, participants read a vignette that described a target person's behaviour, then rated the target's personality. Before reading the vignette, some trait information was given to create an expectation about the target's personality. The data revealed that Americans used this initial information to guide their judgments of the target, whereas the Japanese sample based their judgments on all the information more evenly. Thus, Americans showed a stronger primacy effect in their impression formation than Japanese participants, who engaged in more data-driven processing.
A planar serial manipulator is well suited for industrial applications in aided automation manufacturing, engineering applications for space robots, excavators, and pump trucks as well as medical applications for orthopaedic surgery robotics and micro-holder for tactile sending fingers. This study presents a detailed discussion on the classification, joint angle ranges and solution space atlases for analysis and design of the planar serial manipulators. The planar manipulators are categorized into three classes with further several sub-classes based on link lengths in terms of joint angle ranges. Furthermore, an improved bounded solution space is proposed to display global performances of the manipulators that leads to a design with global optimization. Besides, the joint angle ranges of the manipulator are displayed over the characteristics charts in no relation to the assembly orders of the manipulator links. Finally, case studies illustrate the presented idea. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Heterogeneous computing, combining devices with different architectures such as CPUs and GPUs, is rising in popularity and promises increased performance combined with reduced energy consumption. OpenCL has been proposed as a standard for programming such systems and offers functional portability. However, it suffers from poor performance portability, because applications must be retuned for every new device. In this paper, we use machine learning-based auto-tuning to address this problem. Benchmarks are run on a random subset of the tuning parameter spaces, and the results are used to build a machine learning-based performance model. The model can then be used to find interesting subspaces for further search. We evaluate our method using five image processing benchmarks, with tuning parameter space sizes up to 2.3 M, using different input sizes, on several devices, including an Intel i7 4771 (Haswell) CPU, an Nvidia Tesla K40 GPU, and an AMD Radeon HD 7970 GPU. We compare different machine learning algorithms for the performance model. Our model achieves a mean relative error as low as 3.8% and is able to find solutions on average only 0.29% slower than the best configuration in some cases, evaluating less than 1.1% of the search space. The source code of our framework is available at https://github.com/acelster/ML-autotuning.
Facial expression is an important channel for human nonverbal communication. This paper presents a novel and effective approach to automatic 3D/4D facial expression recognition based on the muscular movement model (MMM). In contrast to most of existing methods, the MMM deals with such an issue in the viewpoint of anatomy. It first automatically segments the input 3D face (frame) by localizing the corresponding points within each muscular region of the reference using iterative closest normal point. A set of features with multiple differential quantities, including coordinate, normal, and shape index values, are then extracted to describe the geometry deformation of each segmented region. Meanwhile, we analyze the importance of these muscular areas, and a score level fusion strategy is exploited to optimize their weights by the genetic algorithm in the learning step. The support vector machine and the hidden Markov model are finally used to predict the expression label in 3D and 4D, respectively. The experiments are conducted on the BU-3DFE and BU-4DFE databases, and the results achieved clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Statins, lipid-lowering agents for the prevention of atherosclerosis and fatal coronary heart diseases, have pleiotropic modalities on the function and physiology of vascular smooth muscle that include anti-contractile and pro-apoptotic effects. These effects were suggested to stem from the inhibition of small GTPase Rho A, but they are largely regarded as distinct and unrelated. Recently, we discovered that simvastatin causes both contractile dysfunction and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), reflecting that they may be closely related, yet their connecting link remains unexplained. Here, we elaborated the mechanism underlying simvastatin-induced apoptosis of normal VSMCs in connection with contractile dysfunction. Repeated oral administration of simvastatin to rats in vivo resulted in contractile dysfunction and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle, of which pattern was well reproduced in rat VSMCs in vitro. Of note, contractile dysfunction and apoptosis occurred in concerted manners both in vivo and in vitro in the aspects of time course and dose of exposure. In rat VSMCs, simvastatin impaired the activation of small GTPases, RhoA along with Rac-1, which resulted in the disruption of actin integrity, a pivotal factor both for the generation of contractile force and survival of VSMCs. In line with the disruption of actin integrity, Bmf, a proapoptotic factor bound to intact actin, dissociated and translocated into mitochondria, which corresponded well with the dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activation and ultimately apoptosis. These events were all rescued by an actin stabilisation agent, jasplakinolide as well as geranylgeraniol, indicating that damages of the actin integrity from disrupted activation of RhoA/Rac-1 lies at the center of simvastatin-induced contractile dysfunction and apoptosis in vascular smooth muscle.
Invasive species that successfully establish, persist, and expand within an area of introduction, in spite of demographic bottlenecks that reduce their genetic diversity, represent a paradox. Bottlenecks should inhibit population growth and invasive expansion, as a decrease in genetic diversity should result in inbreeding depression, increased fixation of deleterious mutations by genetic drift (drift load), and reduced evolutionary potential to respond to novel selection pressures. Here, we focus on the problems of inbreeding depression and drift load in introduced populations as key components of the Genetic Paradox of Invasions (GPI). We briefly review published explanations for the GPI, which are based on various mechanisms (invasion history events, reproductive traits, genetic characteristics) that mediate the avoidance of inbreeding depression and drift load. We find that there is still a substantial lack of explanation and empirical evidence for explaining the GPI for strongly bottlenecked invasions, or for during critical invasion phases (e.g. initial colonization, leading edges of range expansion) where strong genetic depletion, inbreeding depression and drift load occurs. Accordingly, we suggest that discussion of the GPI should be revived to find additional mechanisms applicable to explaining invasion success for such species and invasion phases. Based on a synthesis of the literature on the population genetics of invaders and the ecology of invaded habitats, we propose that inbreeding x environment (IxE) interactions are one such mechanism that may have strong explanatory power to address the GPI. Specifically, we suggest that a temporary or permanent release from stress in invaded habitats may alleviate the negative effects of genetic depletion on fitness via IxE interactions, and present published empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis. We additionally discuss that IxE interactions can result in rapid evolutionary changes, and may even contribute to adaptation of invaders in the absence of high genetic variation. With a view to encouraging further empirical research, we propose an experimental approach to investigate the occurrence of IxE interactions in ongoing invasions. Revived research on the GPI should provide new fundamental insights into eco-evolutionary invasion biology, and more generally into the evolutionary consequences of the interactions between inbreeding and environment.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a decentralized practice that provides both water supply and runoff reduction benefits that are often difficult to assess. To assist in this evaluation, a model was developed that simulates a single RWH system in Richmond, Virginia, using storage volume, roof area, irrigated area, an indoor nonpotable demand, and a storage dewatering goal as independent design variables. Water supply and runoff capture reliability are assessed for a wide variety of cases. Tradeoff curves were developed to evaluate the design variable substitution when reliability was held constant. A reliability function was fit to the simulation results, and a solution method was developed to solve for an unknown variable as a function of the others. This method evaluates different design cases that provide the same water supply and/or runoff reliability, demonstrating that the design variables can be substituted for each other, using care to restrict substitutions between functional inputs or (separately) functional outputs. This method can provide guidance for designers in selecting equivalent RWH systems and regulators in assessing runoff reduction goals. Results indicate that the dewatering goal enhances runoff capture reliability but reduces water supply reliability moderately. Increases in storage volume increased both water supply and runoff capture reliability. Irrigated area has a much larger, negative effect on water supply reliability, and roof area has a similar negative effect on runoff capture reliability. As irrigated area increases for the same population, runoff capture reliability increases but eventually remains constant, reflecting the dominance of indoor demand, which in turn reflects the simulation's assumption of seasonal irrigation. Applications indicate that land uses that provide larger demands, such as offices, commercial sites, and high-density residential sites, may be better suited than lower-density residential lots where RWH is more commonly employed.
AimsThe aim of this study was to determine whether the allergy status and other characteristics of common cold patients modify the effects of zinc acetate lozenges. MethodsWe had available individual patient data for three randomized placebo-controlled trials in which zinc acetate lozenges were administered to common cold patients. We used both one stage and two stage meta-analysis to estimate the effects of zinc lozenges. ResultsThe total number of common cold patients was 199, the majority being females. Eighty percent of them fell into the age range 20-50years. One third of the patients had allergies. The one stage meta-analysis gave an overall estimate of 2.73days (95% CI 1.8, 3.3days) shorter colds by zinc acetate lozenge usage. The two stage meta-analysis gave an estimate of 2.94days (95% CI 2.1, 3.8days) reduction in common cold duration. These estimates are to be compared with the 7day average duration of colds in the three trials. The effect of zinc lozenges was not modified by allergy status, smoking, baseline severity of the common cold, age, gender or ethnic group. ConclusionSince the effects of zinc acetate lozenges were consistent between the compared subgroups, the overall estimates for effect seemed applicable over a wide range of common cold patients. While the optimal composition of zinc lozenges and the best frequency of their administration should be further investigated, given the current evidence of efficacy, common cold patients may be encouraged to try zinc lozenges for treating their colds.
The study addressed individual differences on two types of prosocial behavior on the Internet: helpgiving/sharing and moral courage. A questionnaire to measure these behaviors was developed. We investigated the effects of the Big Five personality traits, sadistic traits, and values on help giving and moral courage. We found that the willingness to help on the Internet was promoted by open personality, and the relationship was partly moderated by high weekly use of social media. The willingness to act morally courageous was promoted by open personality, inclination toward sadism, and self-transcendence values. Surprisingly, the relationship between moral courage and sadistic traits was not moderated by the time spent online. Willingness to donate to a charity was fostered by benevolence and universalism values. Future studies will need to replicate the results with behavioral observations.
Objective: Childhood maltreatment is widely accepted as a risk factor for drug addiction from adolescence to adulthood. However, the influence of childhood maltreatment on drug treatment related variables, such as drug abstinence motivation and self-concept, as well as self-efficacy, remains unclear. This study aims at exploring whether self-concept mediates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and abstinence motivation, as well as self-efficacy, among drug addicts. Methods: This study involves 816 (550 males, 226 females, mean age = 34.59, range = 16-58 years) drug addicts from compulsory detoxification units. Participants completed questionnaires, including the childhood trauma questionnaire 28- item short form (CTQ- SF), Tennessee self-concept scale (TSCS), general self-efficacy scale (GSES), and drug abstinence motivation questionnaire (DAMQ). Results: The structural equation model (SEM) analysis, including total and specific forms of maltreatment scores, showed that childhood maltreatment was negatively associated with self-concept, self-efficacy, and abstinence motivation. Self-concept was positively associated with self-efficacy and abstinence motivation. Conversely, significant association between self-efficacy and abstinence motivation did not exist. An indirect analysis showed that self-concept mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and self-efficacy. Critically, selfconcept arbitrated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and abstinence motivation. The indirect effect of self-concept between childhood maltreatment and abstinence motivation still existed when the total scores of maltreatment were replaced by the scores of specific forms of maltreatment. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that self-concept is a critical factor in understanding the relationship between childhood maltreatment and abstinence motivation, as well as self-efficacy, among drug addicts. Improving the sense of self-worth may be an effective intervention therapy among drug addicts with childhood maltreatment history. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Invertebrates inhabiting marine and freshwater ecosystems make important contributions to global biodiversity and provide significant services that have cascading effects across ecosystems. However, this group is grossly under-represented in assessments of conservation status and often neglected in targeted aquatic conservation efforts. 2. In global assessments of 7857 freshwater invertebrates and 2864 marine invertebrates, 30-34% were considered Data Deficient highlighting the paucity of information for making such assessments. Of the invertebrate groups that could be assessed, those with poor dispersal abilities and high local endemism, such as many gastropods, crayfish and mussels, are the most threatened. 3. Springs and subterranean hydrological systems support the highest proportions of threatened freshwater species, while in marine environments coral reefs, lagoons and anchialine systems are particularly vulnerable. 4. Key agents of biodiversity decline in aquatic ecosystems are water pollution, overexploitation and harvesting, habitat degradation and destruction, alien invasive species, and climate change. Effects of dams and water management along with pollution from urban, agricultural and forestry sources are the main threats in freshwater ecosystems, whereas a broad range of factors have impacts on marine invertebrates, including biological resource use. 5. Significant impediments facing conservation of aquatic invertebrates are limited knowledge of their diversity, the need for broadscale actions to account for connectivity within and across ecosystems, lack of political will and investment, and the prospect that conditions may get worse before they improve, possibly not in time to save some already highly imperilled invertebrate species from extinction. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of novel software-CMF-preCADS-for the prediction of soft tissue changes following repositioning surgery for zygomatic fractures. Twenty patients who had sustained an isolated zygomatic fracture accompanied by facial deformity and who were treated with repositioning surgery participated in this study. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans and three-dimensional (3D) stereophotographs were acquired preoperatively and postoperatively. The 3D skeletal model from the preoperative CBCT data was matched with the postoperative one, and the fractured zygomatic fragments were segmented and aligned to the postoperative position for prediction. Then, the predicted model was matched with the postoperative 3D stereophotograph for quantification of the simulation error. The mean absolute error in the zygomatic soft tissue region between the predicted model and the real one was 1.42 +/- 1.56 mm for all cases. The accuracy of the prediction (mean absolute error <= 2 mm) was 87%. In the subjective assessment it was found that the majority of evaluators considered the predicted model and the postoperative model to be 'very similar'. CMF-preCADS software can provide a realistic, accurate prediction of the facial soft tissue appearance after repositioning surgery for zygomatic fractures. The reliability of this software for other types of repositioning surgery for maxillofacial fractures should be validated in the future.
Based on quantitative analysis of a nationally representative sample of 1,589 self-reported eligible blood donors in the United States, this paper investigates how religion influences giving the gift of life. I find significant positive effects for both organizational and subjective dimensions of religion. The reasons these dimensions promote this generous act vary, however. Religious service attendance works entirely through religious ties. These ties, in turn, influence various established channels of donation, including solicitation to donate, which not only has a direct effect on giving, but also indirect effects through moral norms and willingness to donate. In addition to its impact on these ties, religious group involvement encourages blood donation through exposure to messages about helping others. Finally, the impact of religious salience operates through the belief that it is better to give than to receive as well as religious ties. The implications of these findings for both the literature on blood donation and the larger scholarship on religion and generosity are discussed.
Canine influenza is a contagious respiratory disease in dogs caused by two subtypes (H3N2 and H3N8) of canine influenza virus (CIV). Currently, only inactivated influenza vaccines (ITVs) are available for the prevention of CIVs. Historically, live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) have been shown to produce better immunogenicity and protection efficacy than IIVs. Here, we have engineered a CIV H3N2 LAW by using the internal genes of a previously described CIV H3N8 LAW as a master donor virus (MDV) and the surface HA and NA genes of a circulating CIV H3N2 strain. Our findings show that CIV H3N2 LAW replicates efficiently at low temperature but its replication is impaired at higher temperatures. The CIV H3N2 LAIV was attenuated in vivo but induced better protection efficacy in mice against challenge with wild-type CIV H3N2 than a commercial CIV H3N2 IIV. This is the first description of a LAIV for the prevention of CIV H3N2 in dogs.
This paper evaluates the progress in the field of Ambient Intelligence since its early days. It discusses the extent to which earlier visions of Ambient Intelligence have materialized arguing that to a large extent we already live in an era of Ambient Intelligence, despite that 'true intelligence' appears to remain elusive. We examine the extent to which this is so, focusing on shifting mind-sets and ambitions for researchers in the last years. We discuss the various reincarnations of the vision from a historical and societal perspective, together with some of the critiques leveled against it. With many research challenges still remaining open, we discuss how Ambient Intelligence research can be aligned to contemporary societal needs. Particularly important is to create mechanisms that will enable people to interact and benefit from the envisioned technological infrastructure avoiding some of the dangers that embedding computational intelligence in our physical environment brings about. Observing the diversification of research to address different application areas, we note how the impetus towards Ambient Intelligence needs to be renewed with a uniting challenge that transcends the development of technological infrastructure.
Rousseau's project in his Social Contract was to construct a conception of human subjectivity and political institutions that would transcend what he saw to be the limits of liberal political theory of his time. I take this as a starting point to put forward an interpretation of his theory of the general will as a kind of social cognition that is able to preserve individual autonomy and freedom alongside concerns with the collective welfare of the community. But whereas many have seen Rousseau's ideas as a prelude to communitarianism or authoritarianism, we should instead see his project as articulating an alternative model of moral-cognitivist reasoning. In order to provide a framework for this interpretation, I propose reading his conception of the general will through the theory of collective intentionality and social ontology. I end with a consideration of how this interpretation of the general will can provide a more satisfying understanding of political and practical rationality contemporary debates over republicanism and liberalism.
With the rapid development of science and technology and the network popularization, computer network security becomes a social problem. Based on the analysis of the main factors influencing the computer network security, the risk evaluation index system of computer network security is established. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to calculate the weight of each index. Through the common criteria to determine the grey clustering of computer network security risk, establishing the whitenization weight function of computer network security risk evaluation model, and then calculating the whitenization clustering coefficient and clustering vector of computer network security risk evaluation model, the evaluation results are finally obtained. The method is scientific and reasonable, combining subjective evaluation with objective calculation.
The French ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy decided to launch a scientist participatory initiative in the field of water. This initiative brings the general public and scientist community together, with the aim to improve the knowledge in the field of water. The general public is invited to take pictures, film and conduct field experiments as witness of hydraulically interesting processes as propagation - deformation of surface waves in rivers as well as in oceans, river bed evolutions... The corresponding videos can refer to common or exceptional events: they will also constitute precious first hand documents. The documents produced can be commented by scientists and utilized for publishing purposes. ANSWER initiative is based on the collaborative tool WIKHYDRO, which is the wiki of the ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in the water field. Opened on Internet, it contains 1600 pages, 300 videos. The first feedback some months after the launch is positive and encouraging and some videos illustrating some physical phenomena have already raised the curiosity of the scientists. The follow-up of the initiative is to use the videos recorded during floods or storm surges to quantify some data as water levels or water velocities. ANSWER is a response to our connected society, which uses new technologies of information and communication technologies (ICT): Internet, smartphones, social networks, smart sensors... The citizen, who provides geo-referenced data, becomes a major actor of his territory. The qualitative and quantitative big data mining can contribute to improve public policies in the fields of prevention, forecasting and resilience of territories.
Elliptic curve cryptography is used as a public-key cryptosystem for encryption and decryption in such a way that if one has to encrypt a message, then they attempt to map the message to some distinct point on the elliptic curve by modifying the message using a mapping algorithm. Although the arithmetic involved in elliptic curve cryptography is computationally less complex than other cryptographic algorithms, but conversion of simple messages to points on the elliptic curve has always been challenging. In this paper, we discuss the different schemes of message mapping in elliptic curve cryptosystem, the flaws of each method, and how vulnerable they are to cryptanalysis. We also derive the guidelines of a good message mapping scheme in elliptic curve cryptosystem. In the later part of this paper, we will discuss about a new mapping scheme that is resistible to frequency analysis and other forms of cryptanalysis. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This study attempts to model the spatio-temporal dynamics of total phosphate (TP) concentrations along a river for effective hydro-environmental management. We propose a systematical modeling scheme (SMS), which is an ingenious modeling process equipped with a dynamic neural network and three refined statistical methods, for reliably predicting the TP concentrations along a river simultaneously. Two different types of artificial neural network (BPNN-static neural network; NARX network-dynamic neural network) are constructed in modeling the dynamic system. The Dahan River in Taiwan is used as a study case, where ten-year seasonal water quality data collected at seven monitoring stations along the river are used for model training and validation. Results demonstrate that the NARX network can suitably capture the important dynamic features and remarkably outperforms the BPNN model, and the SMS can effectively identify key input factors, suitably overcome data scarcity, significantly increase model reliability, satisfactorily estimate site-specific TP concentration at seven monitoring stations simultaneously, and adequately reconstruct seasonal TP data into a monthly scale. The proposed SMS can reliably model the dynamic spatio-temporal water pollution variation in a river system for missing, hazardous or costly data of interest. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A novel nonparametric system identification (SI) algorithm is described, focusing on PID-based control loops for buck converters with effective series resistance (ESR) in the output filter. Dithering amplification effects on the control path are exploited during the steady-state converter operation. The noise injected is used to stimulate the loop reaction and to identify the output filter configuration. Oversampling-dithering features of third-order Delta Sigma modulators are used to increase the DPWM resolution during the converter nominal operation and, moreover, as the core key to compute the SI algorithm. A modified structure of a noise shaper is used to handle the resolution of the SI algorithm over a range of the desired frequencies during the nonparametric identification. The SI algorithm comprises two steps: the first processing step extracts the resonant frequency, and the second extracts the ESR zero from the power spectrum density computation of the control feedback error. The SI method has been validated with different buck converter configurations, and has successfully been integrated and measured into a digitally controlled buck converters prototype for automotive safety application.
An initially wet contact filter paper test (IW-CFPT) and an initially dry contact filter paper test (ID-CFPT) were used to examine the wetting paths of geosynthetic clay liners, including non-contact filter paper tests for comparative purposes. The CFPTs were applied to both geosynthetic clay liner faces to examine the effect of geotextile type on capillary contact. The non-woven geotextile face was found to be more likely to cause capillary breaks than the woven geotextile face. Both IW- and ID-CFPTs were found to be applicable to geosynthetic clay liners within their accurate upper matric suction measurement limits of 146 kPa and 66 kPa, respectively.
This paper introduces a module-integrated distributed battery energy storage and management system without the need for additional battery equalizers and centralized converter interface. This is achieved by integrating power electronics onto battery cells as an integrated module. Compared with the conventional centralized battery system, the modular design brings several advantages such as reduced power rating and voltage stress of power electronics, no extra equalizers or centralized converters, active thermal distribution control ability, enhanced safety and reliability, etc. The battery system can now be built by simply attaching integrated modules together. The integrated module is implemented by a synchronous bidirectional dc/dc converter with digital control techniques. The design considerations and control strategy of the system are discussed. A prototype is built that the power electronics are integrated onto the battery cell. Experimental results of a three-module system verified that the module-integrated distributed system provides satisfied functional performance without extra equalizers, centralized charger, or bidirectional dc/dc converter.
The European Directive regarding the promotion of energy from renewable sources (Directive 2009/28 EC) specifies separate national targets for each member state of the EU community, in order at least 20% of EU total energy demands to be met by renewable energy sources by 2020. The analysis performed in this work highlights that grid connected photovoltaic (PV) systems bring remarkable energy benefits to the electricity supply of Greece, meeting in parallel its national targets. This is validated with data reported from the operator of Hellenic Electricity Market (LAGIE). On the other hand a mass energy production coming from PV systems without energy storage units and sufficient electricity network architectures is liable to cause severe disturbances to the Greek electricity network. This issue is acknowledged by representative data from the Hellenic Electricity Power Transmission and Distribution Network Operators (ADMIE and HEDNO). Furthermore, sustainable and innovative electricity network architectures (such as micro-grids, smart-grids and web of cells), as well as innovative intermittent Renewable Energy Sources (RES) stabilization techniques are discussed, in order to facilitate high PVs integration level. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The paper presents a design procedure for tangentially magnetized variable flux machines that aims to reduce the machine inverter rating. The proposed design can achieve high torque density at low speeds, and high efficiency at an extended speed range, as armature d-axis current pulses are applied at high speeds to reduce the magnet flux, thus avoiding the flux weakening current in conventional permanent magnet synchronous (PMSMs) machines. In order to regain the full torque capability when the motor slows down, a magnetizing current pulse has to be applied. The amplitude of the magnetizing current is usually larger than the machine rated current. Therefore, the machine might need an oversized inverter in order to be able to re-magnetize the magnets. The impact of different machine design parameters on the magnetization current requirement is investigated in order to reduce the inverter cost.
The analytical treatment of an axisymmetric rigid punch indentation of an isotropic half-space reinforced by a buried extensible thin film is addressed. With the aid of appropriate displacement potential functions, Hankel transforms, and some mathematical techniques, the mixed boundary value problem under consideration is reduced to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. The most interesting results of the problem, including the equivalent normal stiffness of the system and the contact stress distribution beneath the rigid punch, are expressed in terms of the solution of the obtained Fredholm integral equation. Some limiting cases corresponding to inextensible and extremely extensible thin films, a surface-stiffened half-space, axisymmetric surface loading, and infinite embedment are studied and the available results in the literature are used for verification purposes. Some dimensionless plots are provided to show the effects of extensibility of the membrane on the system stiffness. It is observed that neglecting the elastic behavior of thin films and utilizing the simplified inextensible assumption for their modeling can lead to unrealistic predictions. It is shown that the axisymmetric problems concerning the elastic half-spaces including surface effects can be equivalently modeled by a surface-reinforced elastic medium. Taking the surface effects into account, the problem of an isotropic half-space under the action of a surface patch load is treated by employing the present approach.
This study compared similarities and gaps in strategies and performance related to food allergies between U.S. and Alabama restaurants. The online questionnaires were completed by 185 managerial staff (United States: 110; AL: 75). Both samples have strategies to accommodate food allergy clients. Mean food allergy knowledge scores were 19.74 +/- 4.61 (United States) and 20.21 +/- 4.64 (AL) of 28 maximum score. Both samples viewed to employees' lack of commitment and interest as barriers of training provision. More U.S. sample provided employee food allergy training compared to AL sample. More studies are needed to identify best practices in food allergy management that apply to the restaurant industry.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a serine/threonine kinase that participates in an array of critical cellular processes. GSK-3 was first characterized as an enzyme that phosphorylated and inactivated glycogen synthase. However, subsequent studies have revealed that this moon-lighting protein is involved in numerous signaling pathways that regulate not only metabolism but also have roles in: apoptosis, cell cycle progression, cell renewal, differentiation, embiyogenesis, migration, regulation of gene transcription, stem cell biology and survival. In this review, we will discuss the roles that GSK-3 plays in various diseases as well as how this pivotal kinase interacts with multiple signaling pathways such as: PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTOR, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, Wnt/beta-catenin, hedgehog, Notch and TP53. Mutations that occur in these and other pathways can alter the effects that natural GSK-3 activity has on regulating these signaling circuits that can lead to cancer as well as other diseases. The novel roles that microRNAs play in regulation of the effects of GSK-3 will also be evaluated. Targeting GSK-3 and these other pathways may improve therapy and overcome therapeutic resistance. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The advantages of minimum-phase (MP) systems for control applications are well known. Prior research has shown that a non-MP (NMP) system can be discretized to an MP system using either a zero-order hold (ZOH) or a square-pulse sample-and-hold input (SHI). This paper investigates the MP characteristics of the discrete-time (DT) system obtained by discretizing a continuous-time single-input single-output NMP system using different SHIs. Two new SHIs (forward and backward triangular) are studied in addition to the square pulse. Numerical simulations were adopted for studying the MP property of the resulting DT system as a function of sample-and-hold parameters. The simulation results show that it is possible to find a smaller sampling period that results in an MP DT system using the proposed SHIs compared with the ZOH. The q-Markov cover system identification with pseudorandom binary signal was then used for a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation study. A resistor-capacitor filter was used to represent the implementation error of the SHI due to unmodeled actuator dynamics. The HIL simulation results show that the proposed SHI scheme is robust to actuator modeling error. The MP properties of the DT systems with three SHIs are compared. The results show that the forward triangle SHI has the best performance due to its robustness to unmodeled actuator dynamics and the capability of retaining the MP property of the discretized system at small sampling periods.
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is a very active topic of research that is gaining more and more attention because of its characteristics, transparency and intelligence. Older people is one of the collectives that can take advantage of the use of AmI systems because, thanks to these characteristics, AmI systems can focus on older adults' real needs so that they satisfy one of their main motivations to adapt technological innovations: perceived benefits. And, perhaps, everything related to healthcare and home care is perceived by them as both valuable and beneficial. In this paper, it is presented the Multi-Agent architecture (MAS) of a healthcare AmI system to treat older people' motor impairment problems by using specific devices to control the patient's movements. In this way, the natural relationship between AmI and MAS is being widely exploited. AmI proposes the development of context-aware systems that integrate different devices to recognize the context and act accordingly. Agents provide an effective way to develop such systems since agents are reactive, proactive and exhibit an intelligent and autonomous behavior. One of the main differences of our system is that it provides therapist with support to design new therapies, to adapt them to each specific person and to control their execution instead of using a fixed set of exercises.
Meinong's thought has been rediscovered in recent times by analytic philosophy: his object theory has significant consequences in formal ontology, and especially his account of impossible objects has proved itself to be decisive in a wide range of fields, from logic up to ontology of fiction. Rejecting the traditional 'prejudice in favour of the real', Meinong investigates what there is not: a peculiar non-existing object is precisely the fictional object, which exemplifies a number of properties (like Sherlock Holmes, who lives in Baker Street and is an outstanding detective) without existing in the same way as flesh-and-blood detectives do. Fictional objects are in some sense incomplete objects, whose core of constituent properties is not completely determined. Now, what does it imply to hold that a fictional object may also occur in true statements? We shall deal with the objections raised by Russell and Quine against Meinong's view, pointing out limits and advantages of both perspectives.
Various types of long-term stable relationships that individuals uphold, including cooperation and competition between group members, define social complexity in vertebrates. Numerous life history, physiological and cognitive traits have been shown to affect, or to be affected by, such social relationships. As such, differences in developmental modes, i.e. the 'altricial-precocial' spectrum, may play an important role in understanding the interspecific variation in occurrence of social interactions, but to what extent this is the case is unclear because the role of the developmental mode has not been studied directly in across-species studies of sociality. In other words, although there are studies on the effects of developmental mode on brain size, on the effects of brain size on cognition, and on the effects of cognition on social complexity, there are no studies directly investigating the link between developmental mode and social complexity. This is surprising because developmental differences play a significant role in the evolution of, for example, brain size, which is in turn considered an essential building block with respect to social complexity. Here, we compiled an overview of studies on various aspects of the complexity of social systems in altricial and precocial mammals and birds. Although systematic studies are scarce and do not allow for a quantitative comparison, we show that several forms of social relationships and cognitive abilities occur in species along the entire developmental spectrum. Based on the existing evidence it seems that differences in developmental modes play a minor role in whether or not individuals or species are able to meet the cognitive capabilities and requirements for maintaining complex social relationships. Given the scarcity of comparative studies and potential subtle differences, however, we suggest that future studies should consider developmental differences to determine whether our finding is general or whether some of the vast variation in social complexity across species can be explained by developmental mode. This would allow a more detailed assessment of the relative importance of developmental mode in the evolution of vertebrate social systems.
Research on fungal pathogens with the aim to identify virulence determinants strictly relies on the generation of defined, recombinant strains, a task that is executed by means of a sophisticated molecular biology toolbox. Recent developments in fungal genome engineering have opened a new frontier by implementing the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, based on expression of the Cas9 endonuclease that is loaded by a single guiding RNA (sgRNA) molecule to target a defined site in the recipient genome. This novel approach has been adapted successfully to engineer fungal genomes, among them the one of the human-pathogenic mould Aspergillus fumigatus. Implementation of the required components was achieved by various means that differ with respect to expression of the Cas9 enzyme and sgRNA delivery. Validation of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated mutagenesis could be executed by targeting selected candidate genes of A. fumigatus to provide a promising perspective for screening and multiplexing approaches to scrutinize the virulome of this opportunistic fungal pathogen in a comprehensive manner, such as by analyzing genetic polymorphisms or the function of gene families.
Genome sequences nowadays play a central role in molecular biology and bioinformatics. These sequences are shared with the scientific community through sequence databases. The sequence repositories of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC, comprising GenBank, ENA and DDBJ) are the largest in the world. Preparing an annotated sequence in such a way that it will be accepted by the database is challenging because many validation criteria apply. In our opinion, it is an undesirable situation that researchers who want to submit their sequence need either a lot of experience or help from partners to get the job done. To save valuable time and money, we list a number of recommendations for people who want to submit an annotated genome to a sequence database, as well as for tool developers, who could help to ease the process.
This study evaluated the effects of inhalation of Lavender essential oil on vital signs in open heart surgery ICU. The main complaint of patients after open-heart surgery is dysrhythmia, tachycardia, and hypertension due to stress and pain. Due to the side effects of chemical drugs, such as opioids, use of non-invasive methods such as aromatherapy for relieving stress and pain parallel to chemical agents could be an important way to decrease the dose and side effects of analgesics. In a multicenter, single-blind trial, 40 patients who had open-heart surgery were recruited. Inclusion criteria were full consciousness, lack of hemorrhage, heart rate >60 beats/min, systolic blood pressure >100 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure >60 mmHg, not using beta blockers in the operating room or ICU, no history of addiction to opioids or use of analgesics in regular, spontaneous breathing ability and not receiving synthetic opioids within 2 h before extubation. Ten minutes after extubation, the patients >vital signs [including BP, HR, Central Venous Pressure (CVP), SPO2, and RR] were measured. Then, a cotton swab, which was impregnated with 2 drops of Lavender essential oil 2%, was placed in patients' oxygen mask and patients breathed for 10 min. Thirty minutes after aromatherapy, the vital signs were measured again. Main objective of this study was the change in vital sign before and after aromatherapy. Statistical significance was accepted for P < 0.05. There was a significant difference in systolic blood pressure (p 0.001 <), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.001), and heart rate (p = 0.03) before and after the intervention using paired t-test. Although, the results did not show any significant difference in respiratory rate (p = 0.1), SpO2 (p = 0.5) and CVP (p = 0.2) before and after inhaling Lavender essential oil. Therefore, the aromatherapy could effectively reduce blood pressure and heart rate in patients admitted to the open heart surgery ICU and can be used as an independent nursing intervention in stabilizing mentioned vital signs. The limitations of our study were sample size and lack of control group. Randomized clinical trials with larger sample size are recommended.
We estimate the production function for agricultural output in Eastern Africa incorporating climate variables disaggregated into growing and non-growing seasons. We find a substantial negative effect of within growing season variance of precipitation. We simulate predicted climate change for the region and find a resulting output reduction of between 1.2% and 4.5%. Our simulation also demonstrates substantial potential for economic benefits from mitigating the effects of within growing season precipitation variability through conventional technologies such as flexible planting and rainwater harvesting on the same scale as the potential loss from predicted climate change. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective: Social and role functioning are compromised for the majority of individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis, and it is important to identify factors that contribute to this functional decline. This study aimed to investigate social cognitive abilities, which have previously been linked to functioning in schizophrenia, as potential factors that impact social, role and global functioning in ultra-high risk patients. Method: A total of 30 ultra-high risk patients were recruited from an established at-risk clinical service in Melbourne, Australia, and completed a battery of social cognitive, neurocognitive, clinical and functioning measures. We examined the relationships between all four core domains of social cognition (emotion recognition, theory of mind, social perception and attributional style), neurocognitive, clinical and demographic variables with three measures of functioning (the Global Functioning Social and Role scales and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale) using correlational and multiple regression analyses. Results: Performance on a visual theory of mind task (visual jokes task) was significantly correlated with both concurrent role (r=0.425, p=0.019) and global functioning (r=0.540, p=0.002). In multivariate analyses, it also accounted for unique variance in global, but not role functioning after adjusting for negative symptoms and stress. Social functioning was not associated with performance on any of the social cognition tasks. Conclusion: Among specific social cognitive abilities, only a test of theory of mind was associated with functioning in our ultra-high risk sample. Further longitudinal research is needed to examine the impact of social cognitive deficits on long-term functional outcome in the ultra-high risk group. Identifying social cognitive abilities that significantly impact functioning is important to inform the development of targeted intervention programmes for ultra-high risk individuals.
Following the dominant firm-competitive fringe model, this paper analyses the response of Japan's nonrenewable electricity utilities to the renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. The output of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) is primarily correlated with the magnitude of the RPS requirement and the fixed tariff. Nonrenewable firms suffer a reduction in revenue due to increased RES-E production under both schemes. The RPS requirement has direct impact on the renewable energy certificate (NEC) price. If the incumbent nonrenewable electricity utilities gain market power in both electricity and NEC markets, they can suppress the RPS quota to preserve their vested benefits. In the FIT scheme, the above-market RES-E generation cost is passed on to consumers via a surcharge. Since grid-connected RES-E accelerated rapidly under FIT, nonrenewable electricity utilities would face a substantial increase in costs to maintain network reliability due to the intermittent and variable nature of RES-E technologies. The Japanese government should therefore take measures to ensure variable renewable power occupies a higher share of the electricity system, and to do so in a cost-effective manner. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the sacroiliac joints and the spine, for which the pathogenesis is thought to be a result of the combination of host genetic factors and environmental triggers. However, the precise factors that determine one's susceptibility to AS remain to be unraveled. With 100 trillion bacteria residing in the mammalian gut having established a symbiotic relation with their host influencing many aspects of host metabolism, physiology, and immunity, a growing body of evidence suggests that intestinal microbiota may play an important role in AS. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the potential role of the microbiome in the etiology of AS, such as alterations of intestinal permeability, stimulation of immune responses, and molecular mimicry. In this review, the existing evidence for the involvement of the microbiome in AS pathogenesis was discussed and the potential of intestinal microbiome-targeting strategies in the prevention and treatment of AS was evaluated.
Vessel with 'circular' or 'star-shaped' cross sections are studied, representing respectively dilated or constricted cases where endothelial cells smoothly line or bulge into the lumen. Computational haemodynamics simulations are carried out on idealised periodic arteriole-sized vessels, with red blood cell 'tube' hematocrit value=24%. A further simulation of a single red blood cell serves for comparison purposes. The bulk motion of the red blood cells reproduces well-known effects, including the presence of a cell-free layer and the apparent shear-thinning non-Newtonian rheology. The velocity flow field is analysed in a Lagrangian reference frame, relative to any given red blood cell, hence removing the bulk coaxial motion and highlighting instead the complex secondary flow patterns. An aggregate formation becomes apparent, continuously rearranging and dynamic, brought about by the inter-cellular fluid mechanics interactions and the deformability properties of the cells. The secondary flow field induces a vacillating radial migration of the red blood cells. At different radial locations, the red blood cells express different residence times, orientation and shape. The shear stresses exerted by the flow on the vessel wall are influenced by the motion of red blood cells, despite the presence of the cell-free layer. Spatial (and temporal) variations of wall shear stress patters are observed, especially for the 'circular' vessel. The 'star-shaped' vessel bears considerable stress at the protruding endothelial cell crests, where the stress vectors are coaxially aligned. The bulging endothelial cells hence regularise the transmission of stresses on the vessel wall. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article presents the Core Expansion method to automatically detect border-zone corridors in MRI images of the left ventricle, to serve as guidance to Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) ablation. The method relies on the fact that the different gray level intensities of Delayed Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Images (DEMRI) encode information about the fibrotic tissue. These differences in intensities among tissue types allow separating dense scar from healthy areas of the myocardium, and identify the border-zone region. After generating an onion-like layer-based 3D model of the left ventricle, the method detects potential corridors in the border-zone that can become electrical circuits of low conductivity. These circuits can be responsible for arrhythmic events. The method has been tested both in phantoms and patients. In patients there was a high degree of correlation between the channels detected and those visually identified by an expert on the MRI. Whenever electroanatomical maps were available post-intervention, the MRI detected channels were found to have a high degree of correlation with them.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with atypical cortical maturation leading to a deficiency in social cognition and language. Numerous studies have attempted to classify ASD using brain measurements such as cortical thickness, surface area, or volume with promising results. However, the underpowered sample sizes of these studies limit external validity and generalizability at the population level. Large scale collaborations such as Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis (ENIGMA) or the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) aim to bring together like-minded scientists to further improve investigations into brain disorders. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the largest classification analysis for detection of ASD vs. healthy age and sex matched controls using cortical thickness brain parcellations and intracranial volume normalized surface area and subcortical volumes. We were able to increase classification accuracy overall from 56% to 60% and for females only by 6%. These novel findings using Evolving Partitions to Improve Connectomics (EPIC) underscore the importance of large-scale data-driven approaches and collaborations in the discovery of brain disorders.
The hydraulic permeability performance of geosynthetics is an important functional technical index in the field of engineering application. In this paper, the pore size characteristics of a series different specifications of spunbond and needlepunched nonwoven geotextile has tested through capillary flow aperture measuring instrument, including average pore diameter, maximum pore size and pore size distribution. The permeability characteristics of nonwoven geotextile has measured by vertical permeability measuring instrument, including flow index and vertical permeability coefficient. We study on the compressive properties of nonwoven geotextile under the different pressure, through the relationship between the average pore diameter and flow index to fit curve, and built the regression equation, so we can calculate and predict the water permeability performance through pore size Characteristics.
Several clinical trials have demonstrated that some patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) who achieve sustained deep molecular responses on tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy can safely suspend therapy and attempt treatment-free remission (TFR). Many TFR studies to date have enrolled imatinib-treated patients; however, the feasibility of TFR following nilotinib or dasatinib has also been demonstrated. In this review, we discuss available data from TFR trials and what these data reveal about the molecular biology of TFR. With an increasing number of ongoing TFR clinical trials, TFR may become an achievable goal for patients with CML-CP.
We present PetIGA, a code framework to approximate the solution of partial differential equations using isogeometric analysis. PetIGA can be used to assemble matrices and vectors which come from a Galerkin weak form, discretized with Non-Uniform Rational B-spline basis functions. We base our framework on PETSc, a high-performance library for the scalable solution of partial differential equations, which simplifies the development of large-scale scientific codes, provides a rich environment for prototyping, and separates parallelism from algorithm choice. We describe the implementation of PetIGA, and exemplify its use by solving a model nonlinear problem. To illustrate the robustness and flexibility of PetIGA, we solve some challenging nonlinear partial differential equations that include problems in both solid and fluid mechanics. We show strong scaling results on up to 4096 cores, which confirm the suitability of PetIGA for large scale simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Machine learning approaches have been widely used for the identification of neuropathology from neuroimaging data. However, these approaches require large samples and suffer from the challenges associated with multi-site, multi-protocol data. We propose a novel approach to address these challenges, and demonstrate its usefulness with the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) database. We predict symptom severity based on cortical thickness measurements from 156 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from four different sites. The proposed approach consists of two main stages: a domain adaptation stage using partial least squares regression to maximize the consistency of imaging data across sites; and a learning stage combining support vector regression for regional prediction of severity with elastic-net penalized linear regression for integrating regional predictions into a whole-brain severity prediction. The proposed method performed markedly better than simpler alternatives, better with multi-site than single-site data, and resulted in a considerably higher cross-validated correlation score than has previously been reported in the literature for multi-site data. This demonstration of the utility of the proposed approach for detecting structural brain abnormalities in ASD from the multi-site, multi-protocol ABIDE dataset indicates the potential of designing machine learning methods to meet the challenges of agglomerative data.
Whether people seek help depends on their estimations of both the likelihood and the value of getting it. Although past research has carefully examined how accurately help-seekers predict whether their help requests will be granted, it has failed to examine how accurately help-seekers predict the value of that help, should they receive it. In this paper, we focus on how accurately help-seekers predict a key determinant of help value, namely, helper effort. In four studies, we find that (a) helpers put more effort into helping than help-seekers expect (Studies 1-4); (b) people do not underestimate the effort others will expend in general, but rather only the effort others will expend helping them (Study 2); and (c) this underestimation of help effort stems from help-seekers' failure to appreciate the discomfort in particular, the guilt that helpers would experience if they did not do enough to help (Studies 3 & 4). (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In the present study, we examined group differences in Error-Related Negativity (ERN) based on perfectionism and emotional intelligence (EIQ). ERN is an ERP component that is generated in the anterior cingulate cortex and peaks 60-150 ms after making an error response on a task. The amplitude of the ERN after making a mistake reflects individual differences in emotional traits and performance concerns. Past researchers have found that participants higher in perfectionistic doubts displayed larger ERN amplitudes; however, researchers have not yet differentiated between type of perfectionism (i.e., adaptive or maladaptive) in relation to ERN. Additionally, previous researchers have found affective processes are reflected in ERN, but have not yet examined whether differences in ERN could be influenced by EIQ. Participants in the present study were 34 adults who responded to surveys and completed a computerized ERN paradigm utilizing a flanker task while neural activity was recorded using EEG. The paradigm was designed to elicit a high error rate, thereby allowing capture and measurement of the ERN component. ANOVA results indicated maladaptive perfectionists had the greatest negativity, followed by adaptive perfectionists, followed by nonperfectionists. ANOVA results indicated individuals with high EIQ had lower ERN than individuals with low EIQ. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study presents a self-testing platform with a foreground digital calibration technique for successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). A high-accuracy digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with digital control is used for the proposed self-testing platform to generate the sinusoidal test signal. This signal is then implemented using an Arduino board, and the clock signal is generated to test the ADCs. In addition, fast Fourier transform and recursive discrete Fourier transform (RDFT) processors are adopted for dynamic performance evaluation and calibration of the ADCs. The third harmonic distortion caused by the non-linearity of the track-and-hold circuit, the mismatch of the DAC capacitor array, and the direct current (DC) offset of the comparator can be calculated using the processors to improve the ADC performance. The advantages of the proposed platform include its low cost, high integration, and no need for an extra analogy compensation circuit to deal with calibration. In this work a 12 bit SAR ADC and an RDFT processor are used in the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TSMC) 0.18 mu m standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process with a sampling rate of 18.75 kS/s to validate the proposed method. The measurement results show that the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio is 55.07 dB before calibration and 61.35 dB after calibration.
Objective: to investigate the effectiveness of the Micro Expression Training Tool (METT) and the Subtle Expression Training Tool (SETT) to help improve the non-verbal communication skills of medical students. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, all participants were randomly allocated to either a training (n = 41) or control group (n = 41) and were pre-tested before education with METT and SETT at baseline. Then, training students took second tests after a 1-h class about interpreting micro and subtle expressions and control students took the second tests without the class. Results: METT pre-test scores were positively related with female gender, agreeableness, whereas SETT pre-test scores were negatively related with age and positively related with female gender. Mean METT score increases of 29.3% and mean SETT score increases of 36.2% were observed after training, whereas the control group achieved only a mean METT score increase of 11.0% at second testing. Increases in both test scores in the training group were significantly higher than in the control group. Conclusion: METT and SETT are effective, simple tools for improving the micro-and subtle-expression reading skills of medical students. Practice implications: METT and SETT can be effective for improving the non-verbal communication skills of medical students. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Despite claims that the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) targets on access to safe drinking water have been met, many 100 s of millions of people still have no access. The challenge remains how to provide these people and especially young children with safe drinking water. Method: We report a longitudinal study designed to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on provided treated drinking water in containers on self-reported diarrhoea in children. The intervention was 1001 fontaines pour demain (1001 F) is a non-governmental not for profit organization (created in 2004 and based in Caluire, France) that helps local entrepreneurs treat package, and sell safe drinking water. Cases and controls were chosen at village and household level by propensity score matching Participants were visited twice a month over six months and asked to complete a diarrhoea health diary. Results: In total 4275 follow-up visits were completed on 376 participants from 309 homes. Diarrhoea was reported in 20.4% of children on each visit, equating to an incidence rate estimate of 5.32 episodes per child per year (95% confidence interval = 4.97 to 5.69). Compared to those drinking 1001 F water, children drinking surface water were 33% (95% CI -1 to 17%), those drinking protected ground water were 62% (95% CI 19 to 120%) and those drinking other bottled water 57% (95% CI 15 to 114%) more likely to report diarrhoea. Children drinking harvested rainwater had similar rates of diarrhoea to Children drinking 1001 F water. Conclusion: Our study suggests that 1001 F water provides a safer alternative to groundwater or surface water. Furthermore, our study raises serious concerns about the validity of assuming protected groundwater to be safe water for the purposes of assessing the MDG targets. By contrast our study provides addition evidence of the relative safety of rainwater harvesting.
Laboratory tests were conducted on track materials to evaluate constitutive parameters for three different sets of constitutive relationships, namely, non-linear analysis, straight analysis and coupled analysis. The model test results of finite element analyses using various constitutive relationships are compared. The coupled analysis provided a better prediction of the measured results compared to the non-linear and straight analyses. A detailed parametric study of a prototype track was then performed using the coupled analysis to evaluate the effects of geosynthetics on track reinforcement and mud pumping reduction. Geogrid reinforcement was found to significantly reduce tie displacement only at low subgrade modulus values and effective subgrade shear strength parameters. Geogrid reinforcement was equally effective at reducing tie displacement within the subballast thickness range of 450-1000 mm. High excess pore water pressure coupled with low effective cohesion gives rise to mud-pumping problems in silty soil subgrades. The provision of geotextiles at the subgrade surface facilitates quick in-plane drainage and dissipation of pore water pressure. Thus, excess pore water pressure was observed to be lower in a geotextile-stabilized track compared to that in an unreinforced track, indicating reduction in mud-pumping potential in the former. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the common neurological disorders in young adults, which affects the central nervous system myelin or oligodendrocytes and results in disability. This study aimed to identify the key miRNAs in blood of patients in MS for better understanding the underlying mechanisms of MS. Methods: The publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus data-setsof MS were performed to integrated analysis. miRNA expression and mRNA expression were analyzed in whole blood samples from patients with MS and healthy controls by microarray analysis, Gene Ontology enrichment analyses, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses, construction of miRNA-mRNA interaction network, and quantitative real-time polymerase reaction. Results: In patients with MS, microarray analysis identified 45 significantly dysregulated miRNAs and 621 significantly dysregulated mRNAs. 1165 negative correlation pairs of miRNA-mRNA were predicted and used to construct the interaction network. hsa-miR-30a, hsa-miR-93, hsa-miR-20b, and hsa-miR-20a occurred as central hubs regulating 87, 38, 34, and 34 genes. Dysregulated mRNAs were significantly enriched in ribosome, tuberculosis, and pathways in cancer. The verification of qRT-PCR displayed that hsa-miR-328-3p was significantly up-regulated in MS and its target genes RAC2 had the down-regulated tendency in MS. hsa-miR-20a-5p had the up-regulated tendency and the corresponding target gene EIF4EBP2 had the down-regulated tendency in MS compared to healthy controls. Discussion: hsa-miR-30a, hsa-miR-93, hsa-miR-20b, and hsa-miR-20a might be the key participant in the pathophysiology of MS involved in signaling pathways including ribosome, tuberculosis, and pathways in cancer.
The Eight Communities of the Chianti area, Tuscany, Italy, receives an average annual rainfall of 700-800 mm, mainly between September and December. Nevertheless, the storage capacity of the soil is not sufficient to fulfill agricultural requirements, resulting in a shortage of water from May to September almost every year. Runoff harvesting structures like farm ponds can be used to augment water supplies in agricultural areas. The suitability of a site for a farm pond requires a careful assessment of spatially varying parameters like runoff potential, slope, and land-cover. Therefore, a spatial analysis and a continuous runoff potential accounting procedure, based on the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN), was used to evaluate the potential water harvesting. Model evaluation was performed based on daily runoff events recorded at 11 stations between 1996 and 2010. The statistical indices for the evaluation of the model calibration and validation were, respectively, mean percent error, -2.2% and 1.1%; mean absolute percent error, 25.2% and 23.8%; and Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient, 0.80 and 0.81. The analysis indicated that the model was able to estimate the observed runoff reasonably well. The sites suggested by the model were investigated for suitability in the field, and showed an 83% accuracy of the model. Given the increasing demand for water requirements in agriculture, this methodology could be effective in other agricultural areas with similar requirements to the Eight Communities of the Chianti area. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Experiencing self-agency over one's own action outcomes is essential for social functioning. Recent research revealed that patients with schizophrenia do not use implicitly available information about their action-outcomes (i.e., prime-based agency inference) to arrive at self-agency experiences. Here, we examined whether this is related to symptoms and/or familial risk to develop the disease. Fifty-four patients, 54 controls, and 19 unaffected (and unrelated) siblings performed an agency inference task, in which experienced agency was measured over action outcomes that matched or mismatched outcome-primes that were presented before action performance. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History (CASH) were administered to assess psychopathology. Impairments in prime-based inferences did not differ between patients with symptoms of over- and underattribution. However, patients with agency underattribution symptoms reported significantly lower overall self-agency experiences. Siblings displayed stronger prime-based agency inferences than patients, but weaker prime-based inferences than healthy controls. However, these differences were not statistically significant. Findings suggest that impairments in prime-based agency inferences may be a trait characteristic of schizophrenia. Moreover, this study may stimulate further research on the familial basis and the clinical relevance of impairments in implicit agency inferences.
Recognizing the need of information-sharing and its implications, development of on-line plant databases has been advocated. The present article provides details on the development of web-enabled Bioresource Information Centre for Floral Resources of Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya. It is a MySql database that presently houses information on similar to 1500 plant species. This information pertains to distribution, life form, population, local name, taxonomy, image, use, conservation status and alien species. Twelve tables form the backbone of this repository. In website creation, the database interface has been implemented using wordpress CMS written in PHP. The designing of graphic user interface has been done using HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript and jquery. The site allows for basic and guided search, and is compatible with all major browsers and operating systems. It is dynamic and provides the user with an option of sharing of information.
To perform pathogenic and pathological investigations on explosive epidemics of Hyriopsis cumingii Lea in Hunan Province, China between 2005 and 2011. We isolated pathogenic bacteria SJ-2 from naturally infected Hyriopsis cumingii Lea, and the SJ-2 strain was artificial infected into the normal Hyriopsis cumingii Lea by axe foot injection method. The strain was identified according to conventional bacteriological isolation and identification and molecular biology methods, and pathological changes caused by the bacteria in diseased mussel tissues were observed. According to morphological and culture characteristics, physiological and biochemical tests and 16S rDNA molecular identification, SJ-2 strain shares 99% sequence identity with the type strain of Aeromonas veronii (A. Veronii). Results for antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that among 50 drugs, A. Veronii was highly sensitive to 15 drugs, moderately sensitive to 5 drugs, and showed drug resistance to left drugs. Macroscopical lesions, pathological changes and cytopathology were summarized. The pathogenic bacteria SJ-2 was isolated from Hyriopsis cumingii Lea affected by explosive epidemic disease, and was identified as A. Veronii. SJ-2 strain caused multi-organ lesions and function failure in corresponding organs in the Hyriopsis cumingii Leal, resulting in gradually decreased and disappeared normal physiological metabolism, and eventually death.
Past research has demonstrated that perceivers spontaneously infer individuals' goals, beliefs, and traits from their behaviors. These inferences processes are essential for predicting others' future behaviors and, thus, for smooth social interaction. Given that social roles (e.g., professor, mother) are also predictive of an individual's future behaviors, we proposed that perceivers spontaneously infer individuals' social roles from their behaviors. Across three experiments, including two different paradigms, we documented that perceivers formed spontaneous role inferences (SRIs) from single behaviors. SRIs occurred unintentionally, efficiently, and had important downstream consequences for impression formation. Namely, SRIs led perceivers to rate targets as higher on role-consistent traits. Together, these findings provide the first empirical demonstration of a novel process in impression formation. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Analytical method based on magnetic equivalent circuits (MEC) is widely used for the preliminary machine design due to short calculation time and low computational cost, but the calculate result is normally considered to be not as accurate as finite element method (FEM). To address the MEC less accurate and FEM time-consuming challenge, a novel design and analysis procedure of permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) was proposed in this paper. The initial physical and electromagnetic features of PMSGs were presented by MEC at first design stages, the electromagnetic analyses were realized by FEM based on electromagnetic simulation software. The field-circuit coupled design method could facilitate accuracy and shorten time cycle of the generator design. Using RMxprt as simulation tool had realized the convenient and fast modeling, the parametric analysis of armature diameter, axial length, air gap and number of conductors per slots were carried out. The results show that the magnetic density distribution of the generators becomes better, and the efficiency is improved. The validity and applicability of the method is verified. Moreover, it will provide a basis for the further 3D optimization design of the generators.
This work describes the design and development of a new drying system for a rollover carwash machine with the support of numerical tools. The drying system is composed of a pair of stationary vertical dryers and a moveable horizontal dryer that can adjust itself to the contour of a vehicle. After the definition of the dryers concept, their performance was assessed individually to check their internal flow pattern and to improve their airflow distribution. These issues are expected to provide feedback on redesign and geometric optimization of the dryers. After redesign of the dryers separately, the behaviour of the complete drying system was studied on actual vehicle models, representative of the shortest and tallest dimensions that can be washed with the existing carwash machine sector. The drying efficiency of the whole system was studied by calculation of shear stress distribution on various surfaces of a given vehicle. The results allowed concluding that the overall drying performance of the design system is very good and assure adequate drying on most vehicles surfaces. The results obtained from numerical studies were then validated with experimental measurements and a good agreement was found between the two. The procedure employed in this work can be applied to support the design and analysis of other mechanical drying systems (C) 2016 Society of CAD/CAM Engineers. Publishing Servies by Elsevier.
As the processing control and sensory evaluation of green tea are highly subjective and the tea industry is highly professionalized, it is desirable that to find a more objective way of evaluating the quality of tea is found. In this paper, two models were set up using the BP-MLP and RBF neural networks, a sensory quality prediction model, using eleven parameters measured during processing as variables, such as leaf temperature, moisture content, etc., and a sensory quality evaluation model using fourteen parameters related to green tea as variables, such as image information were set up. The overall results suggested that leaf temperature, moisture content measured during production could effectively predict the sensory quality of green tea, with parameters as image information of green tea able to effectively evaluate its sensory quality. Compared with the BP-MLP neural network, the RBF model displayed much greater accuracy as a prediction model, reducing the relative error from 0.204 to 0.006. (C) 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The application of basal reinforced piled embankments and earth structures is an approved method particularly in traffic route engineering as technique for transferring static and variable loads on soil layers with low bearing capacity (e.g. soft clay) into deeper stiffer soil layers. Amongst others like CUR 226 and BS 8006 the EBGEO (Recommendations for Design and Analysis of Earth Structures using Geosynthetics Reinforcements) of the German Society for Geotechnics e.V. (DGGT) provides recommendations on calculation, design and execution of reinforced piled earth structures. These recommendations are based on specific geometrical, mechanical and load related boundary conditions, which are not fully transferable to all geotechnical applications. For traffic route engineering the objective is often to minimize the height of the bearing layer of the reinforced earth structure to a technical optimum. For a reinforced base layer it becomes essential, to predict the stability of the arch also due to cyclic loading as well as effects of surface deformation of the bearing layer in a reliable way. The paper presents the results of a three dimensional numerical simulation of a single-layered reinforced piled embankment under quasi-static cyclic loading and compares the stress distribution over the geogrid to current analytical methods.
Early-onset epileptic encephalopathy (EOEE) consists of a heterogeneous group of epilepsy phenotypes. Recent technological advances in molecular biology have also rapidly expanded the genotype of EOEE. Genes involved in diverse molecular pathways, including ion channels, synaptic structure, transcription regulation, and cellular growth, have been implicated in EOEE. Mitochondrial aminoacyl tRNA synthetase, which plays a key role in mitochondrial protein synthesis by attaching 20 different amino acids to the tRNA tail, has been recently linked with the epilepsy phenotype. Here, we report a novel homozygous c.925G >A (G309S) missense mutation in the gene that encodes the human mitochondrial phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (FARS2) in four patients from two nonconsanguineous Korean families. All four patients suffered from intractable seizures that started at the age of 3 and 4 months. Seizure types were variable, including infantile spasms and myoclonic seizures, and often prolonged. Although their initial development seemed to be normal, relentless regression after seizure onset occurred in all patients. An etiologic investigation, including brain imaging and metabolic studies, did not reveal a specific etiology. We reviewed the epilepsy phenotypes of six additional FARS2 mutation-positive patients and suggest that FARS2 can be considered one of the genetic causes of EOEE. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are widely prescribed for mood and anxiety disorders. However, it is not clear whether SNRIs are more strongly associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events than SSRIs. Methods: This was a propensity score-matched, population-based, cohort study of Manitobans who started an SSRI or SNRI between April 1, 1998, and March 31, 2014. The primary outcomewas a composite of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, or cardiovascular-related hospitalization within 1 year of drug initiation. Each component of the primary outcome and death were analyzed separately in secondary analyses. Results: A total of 225,504 and 54,635 patients initiated treatment on an SSRI and SNRI, respectively. After propensity score matching, a higher risk was observed for the primary outcome among SNRI users (weighted hazards ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.21). Secondary analyses showed that the risk of nonfatal stroke was higher among SNRI users (weighted HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.08-1.33). The risk of death was higher among SNRI users without mood and/or anxiety disorders (weighted HR, 1.17; 95% CI; 1.03-1.32). No differences were observed in the risk of AMI or fatal stroke between SSRI and SNRI use. Conclusions: New SNRI use was associated with a higher risk of nonfatal stroke relative to SSRI use. Further investigation is warranted regarding the higher risk of death observed in our subgroup analysis among incident SNRI users without mood and/or anxiety disorders.
Parking information release is large flow, and released information is not timely and accurately. In order to solve these problems the global internet of things of stereoscopic parking system is proposed based on the timer control to the parking information. The system will be use the core technology of internet of things and combination of timer and elastic pressure switch with a pressure sensor, and using their electrical circuit to realize the parking information acquisition, storage, and release with reliable and accurately. Experimental result shows the electrical circuits will be better and accurately obtained the parking information. The car user uses the vehicle terminal to search the target parking lot and to receive the parking information. Future gradually extended to the smart phone and on board navigator system. This system will be to alleviate the urban traffic and improve the utilization efficiency of urban parking lot, for the future of the city and social development to provide better technical support and basis.
Any form of emotional behaviour manifests through the adjustment of physiological acts of some components from the globe of the eye. Thus, the systemic analysis of these adjustments through different methods allows the establishment of some connections between the level of emotional state and non-verbal communication. The research that is the object of this article is based on the biomechanics analysis of the binocular vision and on the correlation of means to make a visual and a non-verbal expression, with a degree of visual stimulation respectively (through chromatic, illumination, movement, form and sizes). The analysis methodology is based on the data collection from the stimulation procedures of the visual system and following the physiological reactions of the subjects from the target group. Thus, the dynamic stimulation strategies for the visual system and the tracking of the physiological reactions of the subjects from the target group are being applied. Consequently, the dynamic stimulation strategies of the visual system are being applied, in order to follow the reactions of the visual behaviour. The results obtained are analyzed through correlative methods and are being processed through image processing methods, in order to highlight the interdependency relations between the stimuli and communication. An important aspect taken from the experimental researches is highlighter from the correlative analysis through computerized methods. Also, the final results are materialized through the fast and objective determination of the reporting coefficient -stimulus/behavioural answer (RC-S/BA). (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This study concerns the development of a numerical methodology for initializing immersed interface-based CFD solvers for using complex computer-aided design (CAD) geometry. CFD solvers with higher-order discretization stencils require larger stencil widths, which become problematic in regions of space where insufficient mesh resolution is available. This problem becomes especially challenging when convoluted triangulated surface meshes generated from complex solid models are used to initialize the cut-cells. A pragmatic balance between desired local geometry resolution and numerical accuracy is often required to find a practical solution. Here, a robust iterative fill algorithm is presented that balances geometry resolution with numerical accuracy (via stencil size). Several examples are presented to illustrate the use of this initialization procedure that employs both the original CAD generated triangulated surface mesh, along with a level set representation of the surface to initialize cut-cells and boundary proximity measures for creation of CFD stencils. Convergence error analysis of surface area and enclosed volumes is first presented to show the effects of fill on the geometry as a function of desired stencil size and grid resolution. The algorithm is then applied to geometrically complex problems using large eddy simulation. Two problems are considered. The first is flow around the Eiffel Tower. The second is a combustion swirler in the context of a design problem. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Machine learning-based computational intelligence methods are widely used to analyze large-scale data sets in this age of big data. Extracting useful predictive modeling from these types of data sets is a challenging problem due to their high complexity. Analyzing large amount of streaming data that can be leveraged to derive business value is another complex problem to solve. With high levels of data availability (i.e., Big Data), automatic classification of them has become an important and complex task. Hence, we explore the power of applying MapReduce-based distributed AdaBoosting of extreme learning machine (ELM) to build a predictive bag of classification models. Accordingly, (1) data set ensembles are created; (2) ELM algorithm is used to build weak learners (classifier functions); and (3) builds a strong learner from a set of weak learners. We applied this training model to the benchmark knowledge discovery and data mining data sets.
Individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been shown to experience significant problems in facial affect recognition (FAR). However, it is not known how these impairments relate to overall functioning and quality of life (QoL) following TBI. The aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that worse performance on an FAR task would be associated with reduced QoL (related to social and emotional functioning), worse mood, and increased fatigue. Forty-seven individuals with TBI and 27 healthy controls (HCs) completed the facial emotion identification task (FEIT), as well as questionnaires assessing social and emotional QoL, mood, and fatigue. The TBI group performed significantly worse than HCs on the FEIT. A significant relationship between FAR and fatigue and QoL related to social and emotional functioning was documented, but in an unexpected direction: individuals who performed better on the FEIT reported poorer QoL and greater fatigue. Individuals who have better FAR may require increased effort to perform this task, and thus experience greater fatigue and poorer social and emotional QoL.
Background. The question whether even-chain fatty acids can be converted into glucose has a long-standing tradition in biochemistry. Since the glyoxylate shunt is absent from mammals, the question has been considered to be solved. It is of particular relevance for understanding the metabolic state of natives of the arctic regions due to the very high fat content of their traditional diet only containing negligible amounts of carbohydrates. Methods & Results. Using an in silico approach, we discovered several hitherto unknown routes in human metabolism that allow the conversion of even-chain fatty acids into carbohydrates in humans. These pathways proceed via ketogenesis over the intermediate of acetone and produce the gluconeogenic precursor pyruvate. While these pathways can make a contribution to glucose production during times of limited carbohydrate supply, we found that their capacity might be limited due to a high demand in reducing equivalents in acetone degradation. Considering the traditional diet of natives of the arctic regions, the detected pathways are not only important in order to improve carbohydrate supply, but moreover reduce the amount of protein that needs to be used for gluconeogenesis. Conclusion. In summary, our study sheds new light on our understanding of the metabolic state of natives from the arctic regions on their traditional diet. Moreover, they provide an avenue for new analyses that can reveal how humans have adapted metabolically to a practically carbohydrate-free diet.
Purpose: Food allergies are adverse immune reactions to food. Despite their importance, there have only been a few studies conducted on situations that may cause food allergies in Korean children. This study aims to obtain basic data that are necessary to provide information on food allergies to both patients and caregivers. Methods: In this study, a survey was conducted on 97 caregivers of patients below 18 years old. The patients' situation upon occurrence of food allergy was examined by a questionnaire. Results: Approximately 89.7% of the patients were at 6 years of age or younger. The most common allergens were eggs (37%) and milk (28%) in a total of 163 cases, including multiple responses. Skin symptoms were most common (77.8%). At the time of occurrence, 85% of the patients were with their parents. As for the exposure place, house was 65%, followed by restaurant (16%), nursery (7%), and relative's or neighbor's house (4%). Exclusive of unknown cases, the most common reason of exposure was the caregiver giving the food to the patient for reconfirmation (13.6%). Conclusion: It is concluded that the understanding of food allergies based on this research will assist in the management of patients with food allergies.
The study tries to analyze the morphological and hydrological changes and to establish their relationship in the Sandwip Island through the integration of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The study concludes from the recent 30 years' data that the different parts of the island response different cycle of coastline change associated with hydrological dynamics. The resulted net loss of the coastline is about 6.98 km (0.23 km/y) and the net loss of the coastal area is about 23.99 km(2) (0.8 km(2)/y). The erosion processes (increase in the water depth near shore) were active along the western and the south-western shores. This erosion of the island is facilitated by the steep slope of the bank, high tidal water pressure and loose bank materials. In contrast, the accretions (decrease in the water depth near shore) were taken place in the larger parts of the northern and the north-eastern shores of the island. This is due to the backwash sediment deposition with the favor of gentle topographic slope along shores.
Scene text information extraction plays an important role in many computer vision applications. Most features in existing text extraction algorithms are only applicable to one text extraction stage (text detection or recognition), which significantly weakens the consistency in an end-to-end system, especially for the complex Chinese texts. To tackle this challenging problem, we propose a novel text structure feature extractor based on a text structure component detector (TSCD) layer and residual network for Chinese texts. Inspired by the three-layer Chinese text cognition model of a human, we combine the TSCD layer and the residual network to extract features suitable for both text extraction stages. The specialized modeling for Chinese characters in the TSCD layer simulates the key structure component cognition layer in the psychological model. And the residual mechanism in the residual network simulates the key bidirectional connection among the layers in the psychological model. Through the organic combination of the TSCD layer and the residual network, the extracted features are applicable to both text detection and recognition, as humans do. In evaluation, both text detection and recognition models based on our proposed text structure feature extractor achieve great improvements over baseline CNN models. And an end-to-end Chinese text information extraction system is experimentally designed and evaluated, showing the advantage of the proposed feature extractor as a unified feature extractor.
Dealing with component interactions and dependencies remains a core and fundamental aspect of engineering, where conflicts and constraints are solved on an almost daily basis. Failure to consider these interactions and dependencies can lead to costly overruns, failure to meet requirements, and lengthy redesigns. Thus, the management and monitoring of these dependencies remains a crucial activity in engineering projects and is becoming ever more challenging with the increase in the number of components, component interactions, and component dependencies, in both a structural and a functional sense. For these reasons, tools and methods to support the identification and monitoring of component interactions and dependencies continues to be an active area of research. In particular, design structure matrices (DSMs) have been extensively applied to identify and visualize product and organizational architectures across a number of engineering disciplines. However, the process of generating these DSMs has primarily used surveys, structured interviews, and/or meetings with engineers. As a consequence, there is a high cost associated with engineers' time alongside the requirement to continually update the DSM structure as a product develops. It follows that the proposition of this paper is to investigate whether an automated and continuously evolving DSM can be generated by monitoring the changes in the digital models that represent the product. This includes models that are generated from computer-aided design, finite element analysis, and computational fluid dynamics systems. The paper shows that a DSM generated from the changes in the product models corroborates with the product architecture as defined by the engineers and results from previous DSM studies. In addition, further levels of product architecture dependency were also identified. A particular affordance of automatically generating DSMs is the ability to continually generate DSMs throughout the project. This paper demonstrates the opportunity for project managers to monitor emerging product dependencies alongside changes in modes of working between the engineers. The application of this technique could be used to support existing product life cycle change management solutions, cross-company product development, and small to medium enterprises who do not have a product life cycle management solution.
Excessive A beta deposition in the brain is associated with the formation of senile plaques, and their diffuse distribution is related to Alzheimer's disease. Thirty rats (EG) were irradiated with light-emitting diode (photobiomodulation (PBM)) in the frontal region of the skull after being inoculated with the A beta toxin in the hippocampus; 30 rats were used as the control group (CG). The analysis was conducted at 7, 14, and 21 days after irradiation. We observed a decreased in A beta deposits in treated animals compared with animals in the CG. The behavioral and motor assessment revealed that the EG group covered a larger ground distance and explored the open field than the CG group on days 14 and 21 (p < 0.05). The EG group was statistically significant in the spatial memory test compared to the CG group on day 14. The use of PBM significantly reduced the presence of A beta plaques and improved spatial memory and behavioral and motor skills in treated animals on day 21.
ELENA will lower the energy of AD antiprotons from 5MeV to 100keV, thus increasing by a factor of up to 100 the number of antiprotons usable by the experiments (Oelert et al. 2014). The AD infrastructures must be adapted to cope with another 20 years of low energy antiproton physics. To fit the ELENA ring in the already crowded AD hall, old kicker generators must be relocated to a new technical building, existing and new services and racks must be re-arranged also at height, preserving access and maintenance capabilities. The ELENA beam will be delivered to existing experiments via new transfer lines without compromising the possibility to maintain a visitors path to this very popular place at CERN. New experimental areas being designed to house new experiments (GBAR, BASE), and re-arrangement for future experiments (cleaning rooms relocation in the new technical building, control rooms in a separate building with a cafeteria and a conference room) are also detailed.
Wind energy has become one of the most cost-effective renewable sources nowadays. However, the stochastic nature associated with wind-energy production represents a great challenge for power-system operations. Therefore, probabilistic techniques are necessary to evaluate the performance of power systems with substantial amounts of wind generation. This paper presents a probabilistic based bi-level optimization approach for evaluating the impact of wind farm location and control strategy on the penetration level of wind farms and electricity market prices. The bi-level optimization model is formulated as mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) and solved by means of the NLPEC solver in the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) environment. Several cases studies are presented in this paper to determine to the optimal wind generation penetration and market prices with different locations and control strategies for wind farms. Moreover, some scenarios are discussed in regards to the practical allocation of wind farms. Crown Copyright (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rivei managers are aware that wood-clogging mechanisms frequently trigger damage-causing processes like structural damages at bridges, sudden channel outbursts, and occasionally, major displacements of the water course. To successfully mitigate flood risks related to the transport of large wood (LW), river managers need a guideline for an accurate and reliable risk assessment procedure and the design of river sections and bridges that are endangered of LW clogging. In recent years, comprehensive research dealing with the triggers of wood-clogging mechanisms at bridges and the corresponding impacts on flood risk was accomplished at the University of Innsbruck. A large set of laboratory experiments in a rectangular flume was conducted. In this paper we provide an overall view of these tests and present our findings. By applying a logistic regression analysis, the available knowledge on the influence of geometrical, hydraulic, and wood-related parameters on LW clogging probabilities is processed in a generalized form. Based on the experimental modeling results a practice-oriented guideline that supports the assessment of flood risk induced by LW clogging, is presented. In this context, two specific local structural protection measures at the bridge, aiming for a significant decrease of the entrapment probabilities, are illustrated: (i) a deflecting baffle installed on the upstream face of the bridge and (ii) a channel constriction leading to a change in flow state and a corresponding increase of the flow velocities and the freeboard at the bridge cross section. The presented guideline is based on a three-step approach: estimation of LW potential, entrainment, and transport; clogging scenario at the bridge; and the impact on channel and floodplain hydraulics. For a specific bridge susceptible to potential clogging caused by LW entrapment, it allows for a qualitative evaluation of potential LW entrainment in the upstream river segments, its transport toward the hydraulic bottleneck, and for a quantification of expected entrapment probabilities. Depending on the amount and characteristics of the impacting LW, consequences of bridge clogging can be determined and LW bridge-clogging scenarios can be considered within hydrodynamic numerical modeling. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper focused on the sustainable development of advanced manufacturing technology, discussed the information technology, new materials technology and biotechnology on the enormous supporting of advanced manufacturing technology, and their important roles were pointed out. The information technology was the soul of advanced manufacturing technology, and many advanced manufacturing modes were based on information technology. New material technology was the key to the further development of advanced manufacturing technology, and it was the basis of the actual application of advanced manufacturing technology. Biotechnology provided new manufacturing models and methods for advanced manufacturing technology, so that advanced manufacturing technology had made encouraging progress, and as a result, the bio-manufacturing engineering was a kind of advanced manufacturing mode and the bionic design was a kind of advanced design method based on biotechnology.
Consolidation of soil by surcharge loading with prefabricated vertical drains is an effective ground improvement technique in saturated cohesive soils such as marine clay. Four types of band-shaped drains made from single-layer woven and non-woven jute geotextile filter fabric wrapped around a core of coir ropes or mats, designated as natural drains, were newly developed and fabricated. Laboratory marine clay confined discharge capacity and large-scale consolidation tests were conducted on the natural drains and commercially available polymer-based drains. The effect of compressive stress on the discharge capacity of the natural drains was studied and compared with the polymer-based drains. The consolidation performance of the drains in remoulded marine clay was studied with consolidation tests on marine clay with and without the drains. It was observed that the rate of settlement of marine clay was almost identical in all the marine clay samples with the drains. All the drains accelerated the consolidation in marine clay. Numerical simulations of experimental consolidation tests were carried out using Plaxis. The magnitude and rate of settlement obtained from numerical consolidation analysis matched closely with the experimental results. It is concluded that eco-friendly and easily fabricated natural drains help in accelerating consolidation in marine clay.
Racial stereotyping has been found to handicap African American and Latino candidates in negative ways. It is less clear how racial stereotypes may change the fortunes of Asian candidates. This paper explores the candidacies of Asian Americans with an experiment run through Amazon Mechanical Turk as well as real-world evaluations of Asian American candidates using the Cooperative Congressional Elections Study. In my experiments, I find that Asian candidates do significantly better than white candidates across different biographical scenarios (conservative, liberal, and foreign). I find that, contrary to expectations, Asian candidates are not significantly disadvantaged from being immigrant and foreign born. My experimental results mirror my observational results, which show that Asian Democrats are significantly advantaged even when compared with whites. These results indicate that Asian candidates in America face a set of racial-political stereotypes that are unique to their racial subgroup.
The study of sending and receiving secret messages is called cryptography. Generally, senders and receivers are unaware about the process of encryption and decryption. Hence, encryption plays an important role in data communication and data security. The meaning of encryption is not only to keep data confidential from unwanted access but also ensuring the data integrity through available way. As the capacity of breaking the security is increasing rapidly, so, the process that hides information is one of the most concerned topics. Advanced Encryption Standard is a popular, widely used and efficient encryption algorithm, which has been used since it was invented. This paper focuses on the AES key generation process and Substitution box. It modifies the conventional key generation technique and builds the dynamic 3-Dimensional S-box of Advance Encryption Standard. The proposed approach suggests 3-Dimensioanl Key Generation Matrix and S-box. As per shown this novel technique increases the amount of time it needs during encryption and decryption. The experimental result shows that it also enhances the strength of AES algorithm. The proposed approach illustrates the theoretical analysis and corresponding experimented results.
Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaease), currently, is the most widely used illicit drug around the world. The psychoactive chemical of the plant is the (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The federal government of the United States as well as other countries classified THC as Schedule I controlled substance. Concerning the use of cannabinoids as therapeutic agents exhibits beneficial therapeutic effects against nausea and vomiting in cancer and AIDS patients. Cannabis decreased the intensity of spasm and tremors in multiple sclerotic patients. On the other hand, the chronic use of Cannabis sativa may cause severe, unwanted, acute, and chronic side effects: cognition, coordination, learning defects, and impairment of memory among users, addiction, and possible suicidal attempts. Still, cannabis may trigger acute cardiovascular diseases including mortality, although there is some progress by introducing new agents that work like THC such as Sativex, Nabilone, and Conador. These agents await further extensive development to enhance efficacy and to decrease toxicity. In conclusion, the outcome of the medical use of cannabis is blurred with the presence of the recreational use. The question of whether it should be legalized still needs extensive discussion.
The authors present a comprehensive overview of image processing and analysis work done to support research into the model flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Beside the plant's importance in biological research, using image analysis to obtain experimental measurements of it is an interesting vision problem in its own right, involving the segmentation and analysis of sequences of images of objects whose shape varies between individual specimens and also changes over time. While useful measurements can be obtained by segmenting a whole plant from the background, they suggest that the increased range and precision of measurements made available by leaf-level segmentation makes this a problem well worth solving. A variety of approaches have been tried by biologists as well as computer vision researchers. This is an interdisciplinary area and the computer vision community has an important contribution to make. They suggest that there is a need for publicly available datasets with ground truth annotations to enable the evaluation of new approaches and to support the building of training data for modern data-driven computer vision approaches, which are those most likely to result in the kind of fully automated systems that will be of use to biologists.
The economic situation highlights the significant role of the application of computer in human society since the 21st century, especially since 2015. This thesis probes into the security risk propagation of immune mechanism under complex network background. Focusing on the issue of network security under network background, the thesis deploys the analysis by adopting the mechanism model of immune mechanism, immunizing parts of the nodes, establishing stochastic immune mechanism of security risk and introducing stochastic immune mechanism propagation model of security risk. To further study the security risk propagation of immune mechanism under complex network background, the thesis presents the model rules, introduces the security risk acquaintance immune mechanism and establishes models of acquaintances immune mechanism. Finally, attributing to the simulation experiments, the simulation results, the characteristics of security risk propagation model, and the study of stochastic immune mechanism propagation model and acquaintance immune mechanism stochastic model, the thesis reaches the conclusion that at the initial stage of propagation, the die-out rate of the security risk is inversely proportional to the propagation rate.
This article addresses the problem of creating interactive mixed reality applications where virtual objects interact in images of real world scenarios. This is relevant to create games and architectural or space planning applications that interact with visual elements in the images such as walls, floors and empty spaces. These scenarios are intended to be captured by the users with regular cameras or using previously taken photographs. Introducing virtual objects in photographs presents several challenges, such as pose estimation and the creation of a visually correct interaction between virtual objects and the boundaries of the scene. The two main research questions addressed in this article include, the study of the feasibility of creating interactive augmented reality (AR) applications where virtual objects interact in a real world scenario using the image detected high-level features and, also, verifying if untrained users are capable and motivated enough to perform AR initialization steps. The proposed system detects the scene automatically from an image with additional features obtained using basic annotations from the user. This operation is significantly simple to accommodate the needs of non-expert users. The system analyzes one or more photos captured by the user and detects high-level features such as vanishing points, floor and scene orientation. Using these features it will be possible to create mixed and augmented reality applications where the user interactively introduces virtual objects that blend with the picture in real time and respond to the physical environment. To validate the solution several system tests are described and compared using available external image datasets.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to the study the multiphase bubbles flow motion in a vertical channel with an electroconducting liquid without and under the influence of a magnetic field. Design/methodology/approach - For numerical calculations, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used, which is based on the kinetic theory for solving fluid mechanics and other physical problems. The phase-field lattice Boltzmann model is developed to simulate the behaviour of multiphase bubble-bubble interaction while rising in the fluid with high density ratios. Findings - The behaviour of the rising bubble flow in a rectangular column of two phases is investigated with the two-dimensional LBM. Originality/value - The multiphase flow in electroconducting liquids with high ratio of density is studied using the LBM.
Anomaly detection in a large area using hyperspectral imaging is an important application in real-time remote sensing. Anomaly detectors based on subspace models are suitable for such an anomaly and usually assume the main background subspace and its dimensions are known. These detectors can detect the anomaly for a range of values of the dimension of the subspace. The objective of this paper is to develop an anomaly detector that extends this range of values by assuming main background subspace with an unknown user-specified dimension and by imposing covariance of error to be a diagonal matrix. A pixel from the image is modeled as the sum of a linear combination of the unknown main background subspace and an unknown error. By having more unknown quantities, there are more degrees of freedom to find a better way to fit data to the model. By having a diagonal matrix for the covariance of the error, the error components become uncorrelated. The coefficients of the linear combination are unknown, but are solved by using a maximum likelihood estimation. Experimental results using real hyperspectral images show that the anomaly detector can detect the anomaly for a significantly larger range of values for the dimension of the subspace than conventional anomaly detectors.
Certain messages, even when not directly payoff relevant, can be a credible form of communication in light of natural social preferences. Social image concerns and other-regarding preferences interact to create incentives to communicate about how one feels about other people. Recognizing the prevalence of the incentive to communicate about one's social preferences suggests that many social and economic phenomena-from norms of etiquette to cooperation to gift exchange-should be seen, in part, as forms of signaling. These behaviors may be surprisingly robust to material costs, yet sensitive to context.
The severity of sustained injury resulting from assault-related violence can be minimised by reducing detection time. However, it has been shown that human operators perform poorly at detecting events found in video footage when presented with simultaneous feeds. We utilise computer vision techniques to develop an automated method of abnormal crowd detection that can aid a human operator in the detection of violent behaviour. We observed that behaviour in city centre environments often occurs in crowded areas, resulting in individual actions being occluded by other crowd members. We propose a real-time descriptor that models crowd dynamics by encoding changes in crowd texture using temporal summaries of grey level co-occurrence matrix features. We introduce a measure of inter-frame uniformity and demonstrate that the appearance of violent behaviour changes in a less uniform manner when compared to other types of crowd behaviour. Our proposed method is computationally cheap and offers real-time description. Evaluating our method using a privately held CCTV dataset and the publicly available Violent Flows, UCF Web Abnormality and UMN Abnormal Crowd datasets, we report a receiver operating characteristic score of 0.9782, 0.9403, 0.8218 and 0.9956, respectively.
The study of microstructure and texture deformation of the metallic materials necessitates detailed information of physical evidence about the plastic deformation mechanism, which involves a direct relationship between mechanical properties and their behaviours under the working conditions. Generally, the mechanical properties of materials are essentially the function of their structure and their compositions. So, the study of texture deformation of mechanical parts with an efficient way in manufacturing engineering is of considerable practical interest. The present paper entails the study of the deformation mechanism in microscopic scale-in situ observation of microstructure and texture deformation by using 'X-ray' computed tomography (CT) Medical Scanner installed in the CNAM-Paris, Industrial Materials Laboratory, for evaluating the plastic deformation mechanism. A tomographic inner-health analysis will be presented from 2D slices of the examined parts in the laboratory scale on the as-received and heat-treated aluminium specimens. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Dc-dc converters often exhibit undesirable oscillations due to their nonlinear dynamics. Digitally controlled converters have further degrees of nonlinearity in terms of quantization in the analog to digital converter and the digital pulse width modulator, giving rise to the well known phenomenon of limit cycle oscillations. In this study, a different and hitherto unreported class of oscillations in digitally controlled converters has been reported, and its origin has been traced to asymmetric saturation in the duty cycle. The study attempts to provide physical insights behind this phenomenon of saturation generated oscillation (SGO), and to identify the converter-system components responsible for it. The challenges in the traditional stability analysis of such a system are highlighted, followed by a simplified analysis leading to the calculation of the oscillation-free operating-zone, and some of the effects of system parameters on the SGO. The results have been used to show some potential ways in which the oscillation can be avoided by using SGO-immune designs. Simulation and experimental results have been provided to illustrate the points and substantiate the claims.
Aniline is an important source material in the chemical industry (e.g., rubber, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals). The general population is known to be ubiquitously exposed to aniline. Thus, assessment of aniline exposure is of both occupational and environmental relevance. Knowledge on human metabolism of aniline is scarce. We orally dosed four healthy male volunteers (two fast and two slow acetylators) with 5 mg isotope-labeled aniline, consecutively collected all urine samples over a period of 2 days, and investigated the renal excretion of aniline and its metabolites by LS-MS/MS and GC-MS. After enzymatic hydrolysis of glucuronide and sulfate conjugates, N-acetyl-4-aminophenol was the predominant urinary aniline metabolite representing 55.7-68.9 % of the oral dose, followed by the mercapturic acid conjugate of N-acetyl-4-aminophenol accounting for 2.5-6.1 %. Acetanilide and free aniline were found only in minor amounts accounting for 0.14-0.36 % of the dose. Overall, these four biomarkers excreted in urine over 48 h post-dose represented 62.4-72.1 % of the oral aniline dose. Elimination half-times were 3.4-4.3 h for N-acetyl-4-aminophenol, 4.1-5.5 h for the mercapturic acid conjugate, and 1.3-1.6 and 0.6-1.2 h for acetanilide and free aniline, respectively. Urinary maximum concentrations of N-acetyl-4-aminophenol were reached after about 4 h and maximum concentrations of the mercapturic acid conjugate after about 6 h, whereas concentrations of acetanilide and free aniline peaked after about 1 h. The present study is one of the first to provide reliable urinary excretion factors for aniline and its metabolites in humans after oral dosage, including data on the predominant urinary metabolite N-acetyl-4-aminophenol, also known as an analgesic under the name paracetamol/acetaminophen.
Mobile robot localization, which allows a robot to identify its position, is one of main challenges in the field of Robotics. In this work, we provide an evaluation of consolidated feature extractions and machine learning techniques from omnidirectional images focusing on topological map and localization tasks. The main contributions of this work are a novel method for localization via classification with reject option using omnidirectional images, as well as two novel omnidirectional image data sets. The localization system was analyzed in both virtual and real environments. Based on the experiments performed, the Minimal Learning Machine with Nearest Neighbors classifier and Local Binary Patterns feature extraction proved to be the best combination for mobile robot localization with accuracy of 96.7% and an Fscore of 96.6%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in the United States vary in terms of design and operation. To better understand common practices in the RWH community and motivation for collecting harvested rainwater, an electronic survey was used to poll members of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA). Two hundred and twenty-two members of ARCSA responded to the survey; the responses were representative of approximately 2700 RWH systems across the United States that the respondents own, have installed, or have observed in the field. Survey questions focused on system setup, catchment materials (for the roof, cistern storage tank, gutters, and downspouts), motivation for harvesting rainwater, uses for the water, treatment methods, and water quality testing practices. Results indicate that composite asphalt shingles and metal are the most commonly used roofing materials for RWH, and polyethylene is the most common cistern material for the surveyed population. The most commonly reported use for harvested rainwater was irrigation although greater than 25% of the respondents use their rainwater for potable purposes. Of the potable users, greater than 70% utilize ultraviolet (UV) light as their primary treatment method, and approximately 21% conduct no water quality testing. This survey provides critical data about current non-potable and potable RWH practices in the United States and can be used to guide future RWH research. In particular, the low frequency of water quality testing and the efficacy of UV treatment should be investigated further as the number of RWH systems installed in the United States and elsewhere continues to grow. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This research is a retrospective case study designed to document the implementation, and management decisions made about a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for a wastewater project in California. For this study, the project manager and qualified storm water pollution prevention practitioner (QSP) agreed to extensive interviews about the decisions made and associated costs. Through laws and regulations, constructors are required to take precautionary measures to ensure pollutants stay on jobsites as opposed to running into the storm water system. Moreover, from a practical standpoint, such research might be particularly useful for addressing the challenges constructors are having with the more stringent sustainability regulations. This study used a retrospective case study as part of an exploratory qualitative research strategy for examining the costs associated with storm water pollution prevention on a twenty acre, $48,000,000 wastewater project that had a construction schedule of two years. Cost analysis was taken from historical data and was applied in a quantity takeoff This study was aimed at documenting some practical features of the actual implementation, management, and cost in this particular case. Results indicate the primary roles of the QSP for this project and the SWPPP cost for this project was 0.46% of the total project cost. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Neuroscientific evidence indicates that human social functioning is supported by a distributed network of frontal and temporal brain regions that undergoes significant development during childhood and adolescence. Clinical studies of individuals with early brain insults (EBI) to frontotemporal regions suggest that such lesions may interfere with the maturation of sociocognitive skills and lead to increased sociobehavioural problems. However, little attention has focussed on the direct assessment of sociocognitive skills, such as moral reasoning, following focal EBI. In the present study, the performance of 15 patients with focal EBI (8-16 years) was compared to that of 15 demographically matched controls on basic neuropsychological measures (IQ and executive functions), sociocognitive tasks (moral reasoning, moral decision-making and empathy) and parent reports of sociobehavioural problems and social adaptive skills. Patients with focal EBI had significantly lower levels of moral reasoning maturity, moral decision-making, and empathy than their matched controls, but did not differ on more general measures of cognition. Their parents also reported increased sociobehavioural problems. These findings suggest that focal EBI to frontotemporal regions can result in reduced sociocognitive capacities, more specifically moral reasoning, and increased vulnerability to sociobehavioural problems.
In this paper, a constant-voltage power generation system based on a novel memory machine is proposed and implemented. The memory machine can offer direct and efficient air-gap flux control due to its creative integration of the memory concept and doubly-salient machine structure. By utilizing such memory machine in a direct-drive wind power generation, the resulting system can realize the constant-voltage operation under different load conditions. After addressing the memory machine design and characteristics analysis by using finite element method, this paper presents the detailed implementation and control principle of the constant-voltage power generation system. Both the numerical simulation and prototyping test are conducted to verify the validity of the proposed machine and system. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is common among older adults. Increasing evidence suggests that SMI is a risk factor for future cognitive decline, as well as for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Medial temporal lobe structures, including the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, are affected in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The current study examined the gray matter (GM) volume and microstructural changes of hippocampal and entorhinal regions in individuals with SMI, compared with elderly control participants without memory complaints. Methods: A total of 45 participants (mean age: 70.31 6.07 years) took part in the study, including 18 participants with SMI and 27 elderly controls without memory complaints. We compared the GM volume and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures in the hippocampal and entorhinal regions between SMI and control groups. Results: Individuals with SMI had lower entorhinal cortical volumes than control participants, but no differences in hippocampal volume were found between groups. In addition, SMI patients exhibited DTI changes (lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean diffusivity in SMI) in the hippocampal body and entorhinal white matter compared with controls. Combining entorhinal cortical volume and FA in the hippocampal body improved the accuracy of classification between SMI and control groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the entorhinal region exhibits macrostructural as well as microstructural changes in individuals with SMI, whereas the hippocampus exhibits only microstructural alterations.
Little is known about family risk factors and intergenerational transmission of psychological disturbance in the development of health anxiety (HA). This study investigated HA and related concepts in 8- to 17-year-old children who had been exposed to different maternal health status. Using a family case-control design, three family groups were included: (1) 50 case children of mothers with severe (HA); (2) 49 control children of mothers with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and (3) 51 control children of healthy mothers. Children and mothers completed a battery of standardised questionnaires. Case children reported significantly higher level of HA symptoms than children of mothers with RA but not compared to children of healthy mothers. There was no significant difference between the children's self-reports in the three groups with regard to anxiety symptoms in general, physical complaints, or quality of life. In contrast, mothers with HA reported their children as having more emotional and physical symptoms than mothers in one or both control groups. Compared to mothers with RA but not healthy mothers, mothers with HA also reported more visits to the general practitioner with their children during the past year. The findings suggest that maternal HA only weakly affects children's own report of HA and thereby may not be a strong risk factor for the development of HA symptoms in childhood. However, mothers with severe HA seem to conceive their children as more ill and present them more often in the health care system which could, therefore, be an important target for intervention in adult patients.
A power divider/combiner circuit, which simultaneously achieves wide bandwidth, flat gain characteristics, and bidirectional operation, is proposed for multichannel broadband system applications. The proposed circuit utilizes cascode-based bidirectional amplifier cores, which steer the operation modes between a divider and a combiner depending on the control input, and a two-stage distributed-amplifier topology with artificial transmission lines. Implemented in a 130-nm silicon-germanium BiCMOS technology platform, the proposed divider/combiner provides the advantage of seamless integration with digital control blocks. The power divider/combiner exhibits the flat in-band gain of 9 dB and the operational bandwidth of 2-22 GHz, which covers S-, C-, X-, and Ku-bands. In addition, it shows the amplitude imbalance of 0.8 dB, the phase imbalance of 3.5 degrees, the port-to-port isolation of 22 dB, the output 1-dB compression point of 3 dBm, and good impedance matching under 100-mW dc power consumption.
This paper focuses on learning a smooth skeleton structure from noisy data-an emerging topic in the fields of computer vision and computational biology. Many dimensionality reduction methods have been proposed, but none are specially designed for this purpose. To achieve this goal, we propose a unified probabilistic framework that directly models the posterior distribution of data points in an embedding space so as to suppress data noise and reveal the smooth skeleton structure. Within the proposed framework, a sparse positive similarity matrix is obtained by solving a box-constrained convex optimization problem, in which the sparsity of the matrix represents the learned neighborhood graph and the positive weights stand for the new similarity. Embedded data points are then obtained by applying the maximum a posteriori estimation to the posterior distribution expressed by the learned similarity matrix. The embedding process naturally provides a probabilistic interpretation of Laplacian eigenmap and maximum variance unfolding. Extensive experiments on various datasets demonstrate that our proposed method obtains the embedded points that accurately uncover inherent smooth skeleton structures in terms of data visualization, and the method yields superior clustering performance compared to various baselines.
Continuous growth of population and consequent growing need for drinking water is a global problem. Effective use of rainwater for for toilet flushing, laundry, gardening or washing thus saving about 50% of drink water. Overall, urban drainage presents a classic set of modern environmental challenges: the need for cost-effective and socially acceptable technical improvements in existing systems, the need for assessment of the impact of those systems, and the need to search for sustainable solutions. The paper describes comprehensive rainwater management approaches and contains an overview of the source control techniques as well as practical examples of rainwater use for non-potable purposes. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
One of the first steps in innovation projects and entrepreneurial initiative involves formulating a Business Model (BM) that describes the value creation, delivery and capturing logic of a business idea. However, when formulating a BM for networked enterprises, the alignment of the collective BM, supporting the joint service or product on offer, and the underlying operational processes of the networked businesses, need to be taken into account. This paper analyses the concept of Business Model Alignment (BMA) based on qualitative case studies of two Smart Living projects in Finland and China. To begin with, a Business Model framework (STOF) is applied to describe the high-level BM. Next, the Value, Information and Process (VIP) framework is applied to analyse BMA. The case studies show that an analytical framework, such as the VIP model, helps reveal the hurdles that may undermine BMA and, as a result, obstruct BM implementation. This paper contributes to existing BM literature by identifying the steps that are necessary to move from an abstract, often strategy-driven BM, of collaborating enterprises towards an aligned BM that can be implemented. This paper also contributes to theory formation by identifying the issues that play a role in achieving BMA.
Objectives: Two genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified the IL-23 receptor- IL-12 receptor beta 2 (1L23R-IL12RB2) as the susceptibility genetic region in Turkish and Japanese population with Behcet's disease (BD). We investigated the association of this region with BD in a Northern Chinese Han population. Methods: A total of 407 patients with BD and 421 healthy controls were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs924080 and rs11209032 using the Sequenom MassArray system. Results: Statistically significant associations with BD were detected at two SNPs namely, rs924080 and rs11209032, both, by allele analysis (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.25-2.00, P-c = 2.52 x 10(-4), and OR =1.45, 95% CI = 1.19-1.76, P-c = 3.46 x 10(-4), respectively), and genotype analysis (P-c = 1.22 x 10(-3) and P-c = 1.77 x 10(-3), respectively). Significant differences were observed in the genotype frequency distribution for these SNPs under the additive, dominant and recessive models (all P-c < 0.05). The haplotypes (AT and GC) formed by the two SNPs were associated with BD (all permutation P < 0.05). A meta-analysis also appeared to support the association of the two SNPs with BD. Conclusion: SNPs (rs924080 and rs11209032) of the IL23R-IL12RB2 region were found to be associated with BD in a Northern Chinese Han population. (C) 2016 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Attachment theory has been proven essential for mental health, including psychopathology, development, and interpersonal relationships. Validated psychometric instruments to measure attachment abound but suffer from shortcomings common to traditional psychometrics. Recent developments in multimodal fusion and machine learning pave the way for new automated and objective psychometric instruments for adult attachment that combine psychophysiological, linguistic, and behavioral analyses in the assessment of the construct. Objective: The aim of this study was to present a new exposure-based, automatic, and objective adult-attachment assessment, the Biometric Attachment Test (BAT), which exposes participants to a short standardized set of visual and music stimuli, whereas their immediate reactions and verbal responses, captured by several computer sense modalities, are automatically analyzed for scoring and classification. We also aimed to empirically validate two of its assumptions: its capacity to measure attachment security and the viability of using themes as placeholders for rotating stimuli. Methods: A total of 59 French participants from the general population were assessed using the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ), the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP), and the Attachment Multiple Model Interview (AMMI) as ground truth for attachment security. They were then exposed to three different BAT stimuli sets, whereas their faces, voices, heart rate (HR), and electrodermal activity (EDA) were recorded. Psychophysiological features, such as skin-conductance response (SCR) and Bayevsky stress index; behavioral features, such as gaze and facial expressions; as well as linguistic and paralinguistic features, were automatically extracted. An exploratory analysis was conducted using correlation matrices to uncover the features that are most associated with attachment security. A confirmatory analysis was conducted by creating a single composite effects index and by testing it for correlations with attachment security. The stability of the theory-consistent features across three different stimuli sets was explored using repeated measures analysis of variances (ANOVAs). Results: In total, 46 theory-consistent correlations were found during the exploration (out of 65 total significant correlations). For example, attachment security as measured by the AAP was correlated with positive facial expressions (r=.36, P=.01). AMMI's security with the father was inversely correlated with the low frequency (LF) of HRV (r=-.87, P=.03). Attachment security to partners as measured by the AAQ was inversely correlated with anger facial expression (r=-.43, P=.001). The confirmatory analysis showed that the composite effects index was significantly correlated to security in the AAP (r=.26, P=.05) and the AAQ (r=.30, P=.04) but not in the AMMI. Repeated measures ANOVAs conducted individually on each of the theory-consistent features revealed that only 7 of the 46 (15%) features had significantly different values among responses to three different stimulisets. Conclusions: We were able to validate two of the instrument's core assumptions: its capacity to measure attachment security and the viability of using themes as placeholders for rotating stimuli. Future validation of other of its dimensions, as well as the ongoing development of its scoring and classification algorithms is discussed.
This study analyzes muscle activity, recorded in an eight-channel electromyographic (EMG) signal stream, during the golf swing using a 7-iron club and exploits information extracted from EMG dynamics to predict the success of the resulting shot. Muscles of the arm and shoulder on both the left and right sides, namely flexor carpi radialis, extensor digitorum communis, rhomboideus and trapezius, are considered for 15 golf players (similar to 5 shots each). The method using Gaussian filtering is outlined for EMG onset time estimation in each channel and activation sequence profiling. Shots of each player revealed a persistent pattern of muscle activation. Profiles were plotted and insights with respect to player effectiveness were provided. Inspection of EMG dynamics revealed a pair of highest peaks in each channel as the hallmark of golf swing, and a custom application of peak detection for automatic extraction of swing segment was introduced. Various EMG features, encompassing 22 feature sets, were constructed. Feature sets were used individually and also in decision-level fusion for the prediction of shot effectiveness. The prediction of the target attribute, such as club head speed or ball carry distance, was investigated using random forest as the learner in detection and regression tasks. Detection evaluates the personal effectiveness of a shot with respect to the player-specific average, whereas regression estimates the value of target attribute, using EMG features as predictors. Fusion after decision optimization provided the best results: the equal error rate in detection was 24.3% for the speed and 31.7% for the distance; the mean absolute percentage error in regression was 3.2% for the speed and 6.4% for the distance. Proposed EMG feature sets were found to be useful, especially when used in combination. Rankings of feature sets indicated statistics for muscle activity in both the left and right body sides, correlation-based analysis of EMG dynamics and features derived from the properties of two highest peaks as important predictors of personal shot effectiveness. Activation sequence profiles helped in analyzing muscle orchestration during golf shot, exposing a specific avalanche pattern, but data from more players are needed for stronger conclusions. Results demonstrate that information arising from an EMG signal stream is useful for predicting golf shot success, in terms of club head speed and ball carry distance, with acceptable accuracy. Surface EMG data, collected with a goal to automatically evaluate golf player's performance, enables wearable computing in the field of ambient intelligence and has potential to enhance exercising of a long carry distance drive.
The atomistic quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) based implementations of the reversible circuits have got tremendous exposures in the last few days, due to room-temperature workability of the QCA. The researchers are in serious need of a methodology that can realize the area-efficient QCA counterparts of reversible benchmark circuits. In this work, a novel methodology named majoritylayered T hybridization is proposed to synthesize the reversible circuits using QCA. Firstly the reversible library consisting of CNTS Gates have been generated to validate the usability of the proposed methodology. Then, an elementary QCA module of 3x3 Toffoli Gate have been proposed and extended in the realization of 4x4, 5x5 and 6x6 Toffoli Gates (multi-control Toffoli Gates). The proper mathematical modelling of the several QCA design metrics like effective area, delay and O-cost has been established. The QCA counterpart of 3x3 Toffoli Gate reports 18.61% less effective area and 8.33% less O-cost compared to the previous Toffoli Gate designs. Moreover, the QCA layout of rd-32 reversible benchmark using multi-control Toffoli Gate has been employed to verify the scalability and reproducibility of the proposed methodology. The QCA layouts are generated, tested and simulated by renowned computer aided design tool QCADesigner 2.0.3.
To date, only a few reports described the potential factors influencing the position of conus medullaris. One previous study revealed no significant change of conus locations in patients with idiopathic scoliosis; however, the effect of ankylosing spondylitis (AS)-related thoracolumbar kyphosis on conus position remains unexplored. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the variation of conus medullaris terminations in patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis secondary to AS when compared with normal subjects, and evaluated the relationship between conus positions and the magnitude of kyphosis. In this study, MR images of 96 AS patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis, including 86 males and 10 females with an average of 34.6 years (range, 17-65 years), and 100 age-matched normal controls were reviewed to determine the conus terminations in relation to spinal levels. Sagittal parameters of the AS group measured on radiograph included: global kyphosis (GK), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), and thoracolumbar junction (TLJ). Finally, conus tips located at the mean level of the lower 3rd of L1 in both groups, there was no significant difference of the conus distributions between AS and control group (P = 0.49). In addition, conus medullaris displayed similar positions in AS patients among various apical region groups (P = 0.88), and no significant difference was found when AS population was stratified into GK ranges of 30 degrees (P = 0.173). Also, no remarkable correlation of the conus positions with GK (r= -0.15, P= 0.15), TK (r= -0.10, P= 0.34), LL (r= -0.10, P= 0.32), and TLJ (r= -0.06, P= 0.54) was identified. This study showed the conus terminations displayed a wide range of distributions in AS patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis, which was similar to normal subjects. Moreover, the conus located at a relatively fixed position and would not be affected by the change of kyphosis magnitude, which is an important knowledge that surgeons should acquire in surgical correction of the deformity in these patients.
First impressions profoundly influence our attitudes and behavior toward others. However, little is known about whether and to what degree the cognitive processes that underlie impression formation depend on the domain of the available information about the target person. To investigate the neural bases of the influence of verbal as compared to nonverbal information on interpersonal judgments, we identified brain regions where the BOLD signal parametrically increased with increasing strength of evaluation based on either short text vignettes or mimic and gestural behavior. While for verbal stimuli the increasing strength of subjective evaluation was correlated with increased neural activation of precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex (PC/PCC), a similar effect was observed for nonverbal stimuli in the amygdala. These findings support the assumption that qualitatively different cognitive operations underlie person evaluation depending upon the stimulus domain: while the processing of nonverbal person information may be more strongly associated with affective processing as indexed by recruitment of the amygdala. verbal person information engaged the PC/PCC that has been related to social inferential processing. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Decentralized energy supply is a frequently discussed topic in German industry, caused by continuously rising energy prices. This study assesses configurations of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) with regard to their ability to decrease a company's energy supply costs. We apply mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) to optimize an electricity and heat supply system with the aim of minimizing annual costs and perform energy system optimizations for a sample of three case studies and 363 virtual companies. Our results show that systems consisting of grid supply, combined heat and power plants (CHP), heat storage facilities and, in some cases, photovoltaics can lower the sample companies' annual energy costs by an average of 8.3%, including annualized investments. For a time frame of 20 years, the average internal return rate of the HRES investments is 29.8%. This work expands the body of literature on HRES optimizations by shifting the research focus from household to industrial supply. Our model can support corporate investment decisions on decentralized supply facilities. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The EU Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) is a major but largely unstudied environmental regulation. Most of the 1585 large combustion plants in this analysis are electricity supply plants or combined heat and power plants. We find that, controlling for country characteristics and plant size, plants in the electricity supply, combined heat and power, district heating, and paper industries have a higher probability of being opted-out of the emission limit values (ELVs), which necessitates eventual plant closure. Controlling for plant size and industry, increasing the amount of solid fuel or natural gas utilized at a plant is associated with a decreased likelihood of being opted-out of the ELVs. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ubiquitous computing technology can be effectively utilized in shared environments where groups of people are in close proximity. Shared environments are pervasive in the real world and hence the way of managing such environments will impact on not only quality of life but also business competitiveness. However, making decisions in an intelligent shared environment is never straightforward. The intelligence needs to be capable of choosing its parameters to satisfy all of its inhabitants, who have different preferences and are heterogeneous in their influences on decision. Till today, there has been no thorough research to scientifically investigate this type of decision making problems, though many systems have been already deployed. This research proposes a methodology for making decisions in such circumstances. The current and future works addressed in this paper are also conductive to any human-centric networks such as service systems, since the issues addressed here are also essential constitutes of such human-centric networks. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Maximizing the benefit of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for research, disease modeling, pharmaceutical and clinical applications requires robust methods for the large-scale production of functional cell types, including cardiomyocytes. Here we demonstrate that the temporal manipulation of WNT, TGF-beta, and SHH signaling pathways leads to highly efficient cardiomyocyte differentiation of single-cell passaged hPSC lines in both static suspension and stirred suspension bioreactor systems. Employing this strategy resulted in similar to 100% beating spheroids, consistently containing >80% cardiac troponin T-positive cells after 15 days of culture, validated in multiple hPSC lines. We also report on a variation of this protocol for use with cell lines not currently adapted to single-cell passaging, the success of which has been verified in 42 hPSC lines. Cardiomyocytes generated using these protocols express lineage-specific markers and show expected electrophysiological functionalities. Our protocol presents a simple, efficient and robust platform for the large-scale production of human cardiomyocytes.
Two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of different styles of verbal criticism (factual vs. counterfactual) on the perceptions of target, source, and quality of the attack. Counterfactual attacks resulted in more negative overall judgment of the target and ratings of the target's morality than either factual attacks or no attack. Counterfactual attacks were also rated more positively than factual attacks, and the source of the counterfactual attack was rated as being less biased against the target. Regression analyses confirmed that the observed effect on overall judgment was mediated by the perceived bias of the source. The greater effectiveness of counterfactual attacks was moderated by awareness of prior hostility of the source of the attack toward the target.
Objectives:Chronic pain places a burden on individuals and the economy. Although there is evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy, it is recognized that the effects are limited. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which aims to increase valued action in the presence of pain, has been suggested as an alternative approach. The objective of this review was to determine the clinical effectiveness of ACT for chronic pain in adults when compared with control conditions and other active treatments.Methods:The searches of this systematic review were conducted in the Cochrane library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus (EBSCO), and PsycINFO. Grey literature, reference list, and reverse citation searches were also completed.Results:Eleven trials were included. ACT was favored over controls (no alternative intervention or treatment as usual). Significant, medium to large effect sizes were found for measures of pain acceptance and psychological flexibility, which are typically considered processes of ACT. Significant small to medium effect sizes were found for measures of functioning, anxiety, and depression. Measures of pain intensity and quality of life were not significantly different than zero. Generally effect sizes were smaller at follow-up.Discussion:ACT was more clinically effective than controls on a number of outcomes. It is possible that methodological limitations, some of which are common to psychological trials, may have led to overestimated effects. Only a few studies compared ACT to active treatments and while the evidence is promising for ACT in the treatment of chronic pain, further methodologically robust trials are required.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical characteristics of cervical spine trauma in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) with those of a control group. METHODS: A total of 124 patients with cervical spine trauma from January 2004 to December 2013 were reviewed. Fourteen patients were diagnosed with AS and 25 patients were diagnosed with OPLL; 85 patients were controls. C-spine plain radiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging were obtained for evaluation of cervical spine trauma. The American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale and Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification were used to evaluate the neurologic status of patients and the fracture mechanism. RESULTS: Patients with AS or OPLL had more spinal injuries associated with minor trauma than did the control group. All patients with AS had spinal fracture injuries after cervical spine trauma, but patients with OPLL mostly had spinal cord injuries without bony fractures. After cervical spine trauma, delayed diagnosis occurred in 3 patients with AS (21.4%) and 4 patients with OPLL (15.6%). Improvement from neurologic deficit after treatment showed better outcomes in patients with AS and OPLL than in controls (P = 0.106). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AS or OPLL who had cervical spine trauma showed different characteristics and outcomes than control patients. Proper surgical treatment led to better outcomes in both patients with AS and patients with OPLL than in control patients. Moreover, it is important to thoroughly examine patients with AS or OPLL after cervical trauma so as not to delay diagnosis.
The mechanics of intracardiac blood flow and the epigenetic influence it exerts over the heart function have been the subjects of intense research lately. Fetal intracardiac flows are especially useful for gaining insights into the development of congenital heart diseases, but have not received due attention thus far, most likely because of technical difficulties in collecting sufficient intracardiac flow data in a safe manner. Here, we circumvent such obstacles by employing 4D STIC ultrasound scans to quantify the fetal heart motion in three normal 20-week fetuses, subsequently performing 3D computational fluid dynamics simulations on the left ventricles based on these patient-specific heart movements. Analysis of the simulation results shows that there are significant differences between fetal and adult ventricular blood flows which arise because of dissimilar heart morphology, E/A ratio, diastolic-systolic duration ratio, and heart rate. The formations of ventricular vortex rings were observed for both E- and A-wave in the flow simulations. These vortices had sufficient momentum to last until the end of diastole and were responsible for generating significant wall shear stresses on the myocardial endothelium, as well as helicity in systolic outflow. Based on findings from previous studies, we hypothesized that these vortex-induced flow properties play an important role in sustaining the efficiency of diastolic filling, systolic pumping, and cardiovascular flow in normal fetal hearts.
Understand the components and the behavior of the Urban Water Cycle is useful to management the environmental and economic resources of a city. This concept integrates hydrological, water supply, distribution, water use, water pollution, harvesting, treatment and reuse. In Bogota the rates of population and geographic growth are going to accelerated pace, to the point that the urban water cycle is gaining greater importance in public and private administrations, because is necessary search new sources of water supply, extension of basic sanitation infrastructure and the control of pollutants in Bogota's rivers. According to the above, this paper presents an analysis of the current state of the components of the urban water cycle in Bogota, additionally presents different challenges facing the city for sustainable environmental, social and economic future.
The transition from casual to compulsive drug use is thought to occur as a consequence of repeated drug taking leading to neuroadaptive changes in brain circuitry involved in emotion and cognition. At the basis of such neuroadaptations lie changes in the expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) implicated in transcriptional regulation, synaptic plasticity and intracellular signalling. However, little is known about how IEG expression patterns change during long-term drug self-administration. The present study, therefore, compares the effects of 10 and 60-day self-administration of cocaine and sucrose on the expression of 17 IEGs in brain regions implicated in addictive behaviour, i.e. dorsal striatum, ventral striatum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Increased expression after cocaine self-administration was found for 6 IEGs in dorsal and ventral striatum (c-fos, Mkp1, Fosb/Delta Fosb, Egr2, Egr4, and Arc) and 10 IEGs in mPFC (same 6 IEGs as in striatum, plus Bdnf, Homer1, Sgk1 and Rgs2). Five of these 10 IEGs (Egr2, Fosb/Delta Fosb, Bdnf, Homer1 and Jun) and Trkb in mPFC were responsive to long-term sucrose self-administration. Importantly, no major differences were found between IEG expression patterns after 10 or 60 days of cocaine self-administration, except Fosb/Delta Fosb in dorsal striatum and Egr2 in mPFC, whereas the amount of cocaine obtained per session was comparable for short-term and long-term self-administration. These steady changes in IEG expression are, therefore, associated with stable self-administration behaviour rather than the total amount of cocaine consumed. Thus, sustained impulses to IEG regulation during prolonged cocaine self-administration may evoke neuroplastic changes underlying compulsive drug use.
Session initiation protocol (SIP) is a widely used authentication protocol for the Voice over IP communications. Over the years, several protocols have been proposed in the literature to strengthen the security of SIP. In this paper, we present an efficient elliptic curve cryptography (ECC)-based provably secure three-factor authentication and session key agreement scheme for SIP, which uses the identity, password, and personal biometrics of a user as three factors. Our scheme aims to resolve the security weaknesses and drawbacks in existing SIP authentication protocols. In addition, our scheme supports password and biometric update phase without involving the server and the user mobile device revocation phase in case the mobile device is lost/stolen. Formal security analysis under the standard model and the broadly accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham logic ensures that the proposed scheme can withstand several known security attacks. The proposed scheme has also been analyzed informally. Simulation for formal security verification using the widely known automated validation of internet security protocols and applications tool shows the replay, and the man-in-the-middle attacks are protected by the scheme. High security and low communication and computation costs make the proposed scheme more suitable for practical application as compared with other existing related ECC-based schemes. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aims: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a neurogenetic condition associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Previous studies have shown that negative symptoms represent the most specific clinical characteristic of psychosis in 22q11.2DS and are strongly associated with outcome. However, the psychological mechanisms associated with these symptoms in this population are poorly understood. In accordance with recent conceptualizations in the field of schizophrenia, the present study aims at investigating whether negative symptoms are associated with the presence of negative performance beliefs and cognitive deficits. Methods: Thirty-five participants with 22q11.2DS and 24 typically developing individuals aged between 11 and 24 years were included in the study. Self-reported schizotypal symptoms (cognitive-perceptual, paranoid, negative and disorganization symptoms) and dysfunctional beliefs (negative performance beliefs and need for approval) were assessed. Measures of processing speed, verbal memory, working memory, executive functioning and face recognition-were also extracted from a broad cognitive evaluation protocol. Results: Adolescents with 22q11.2DS reported significantly higher score on the negative dimension of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire than controls, even when controlling for the influence of anxiety/depression and intellectual functioning. Negative and paranoid symptoms were associated with the severity of negative performance beliefs and lower face recognition abilities. Mediation analyses revealed that negative performance beliefs significantly mediated the association between face recognition and negative/paranoid symptoms. Conclusions: These findings suggest that negative performance beliefs and basic social cognitive mechanisms are associated with negative and paranoid symptoms in individuals with 22q11.2DS. Implications for intervention are discussed in this article.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) is transmitted via the respiratory tract and causes severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome by infecting lung epithelial cells and macrophages. Macrophages can readily recognize the virus and eliminate it. MERS-CoV infects cells via its Spike (S) glycoprotein that binds on Dipeptidyl-Peptidase 4 (DPP4) receptor present on macrophages. Whether this Spike/DPP4 association affects macrophage responses remains unknown. Herein we demonstrated that infection of macrophages with lentiviral particles pseudotyped with MERS-CoV S glycoprotein results in suppression of macrophage responses since it reduced the capacity of macrophages to produce TNFa and IL-6 in naive and LPS-activated THP-1 macrophages and augmented LPS-induced production of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. MERS-CoV S glycoprotein induced the expression of the negative regulator of TLR signaling IRAK-M as well as of the transcriptional repressor PPAR gamma. Inhibition of DPP4 by its inhibitor sitagliptin or siRNA abrogated the effects of MERS-CoV S glycoprotein on IRAK-M, PPAR gamma and IL-10, confirming that its immunosuppressive effects were mediated by DPP4 receptor. The effect was observed both in THP-1 macrophages and human primary peripheral blood monocytes. These findings support a DPP4-mediated suppressive action of MERS-CoV in macrophages and suggest a potential target for effective elimination of its pathogenicity.
Recently, the relationship between carbon dioxide emission (CO2), aggregate energy consumption (EC) and economic growth (GDP) has been widely studied by many researchers using different approaches but the results were conflicting. Such controversy may due to the efficiency of the applied statistical approaches and using different dataset. The main objective of this experimental study is to examine the relationship between CO2, EC, and GDP using different data transformation forms (natural logarithm versus inverse form) in reducing the heteroscedasticity in panel data. The panel data consist of 29 countries from two different economic levels of countries, 17 developed versus 12 developing countries. The data spanning from 1960 to 2008. A panel data approach is applied and estimations based on three models. First of all, the estimations are conducted by constructing three different models; First model is estimated by using the original data without any transformation, while the second and third model use the natural logarithm (Log) and inverse form to transform the data. Those two transformation forms are applied to reduce the heteroscedasticity problem. The main findings show a strong relationship between the three variables. The model with inverse function transformation is superior to the other two models using original data and Log transformation, as it has the highest R-2 which illustrates that more than 84% of CO2 emission can be explained by GDP and EC. Since EC and GDP are influential on the CO2 emissions, higher EC and lower GDP may lead to environmental problems such as air and water pollution. Therefore, prevention action should be taken to minimize the environmental degradation.
Offering safe, relatively inexpensive and reproducible teaching environment for exploring phenomena, interactive course modules are applications of special interest in education. Engineering and physics students usually have difficulty understating the topic of electrical circuits. There is limited evidence in the literature supporting the premise that utilizing interactive course modules improves student learning for the topic of electric circuits. Understanding the topic of electric circuits is important for high school students who plan to enter engineering programs at universities in Turkey since it is a topic covered at the university entrance exam conducted nationwide. Moreover the topic of electric circuits is taught in many engineering programs. This study explored the question that whether the achievement of students using interactive course module is different from the achievement of students taught with didactic teaching along with traditional teaching tools with fifty high school students. The pre-test/post-test with control group research design is used to investigate the research question. Findings revealed that utilizing interactive course modules to teach the topic of electric circuits is found to improve students learning better than teaching the same content with didactic teaching along with traditional teaching tools. Further research should be undertaken to compare the use of the simulations and real laboratory equipment.
There has been a recent trend for the construct of addiction to be applied to sexual behaviours. A growing number of people recounting excessive sexual thoughts or behaviours have been categorized as suffering from sex addiction. Sex addiction is said to involve a pathological relationship to sex, with the symptomology akin to drug dependence. Opposing interpretations have argued that sex addiction is used as a stigmatizing label for those who deviate from a socially constructed sexual standard. A Foucauldian form of discourse analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews with nine men who identified as sex-addicts or as highly sexual though not addicted to sex. Our analysis explores how sexual addiction is constructed by some interviewees, and focuses on the discursive theme of losing control, used by interviewees to construct their positioning and moral status. Socio-political and ideological connotations of a loss of control were constructed using psychological and biomedical discourses of illness, vulnerability and stress. These, in turn, produce implications for requisite treatment and societal intervention.
Objective: Manual evaluation of machine learning algorithms and selection of a suitable classifier from the list of available candidate classifiers, is highly time consuming and challenging task. If the selection is not carefully and accurately done, the resulting classification model will not be able to produce the expected performance results. In this study, we present an accurate multi-criteria decision making methodology (AMD) which empirically evaluates and ranks classifiers' and allow end users or experts to choose the top ranked classifier for their applications to learn and build classification models for them. Methods and material: Existing classifiers performance analysis and recommendation methodologies lack (a) appropriate method for suitable evaluation criteria selection, (b) relative consistent weighting mechanism, (c) fitness assessment of the classifiers' performances, and (d) satisfaction of various constraints during the analysis process. To assist machine learning practitioners in the selection of suitable classifier(s), AMD methodology is proposed that presents an expert group-based criteria selection method, relative consistent weighting scheme, a new ranking method, called optimum performance ranking criteria, based on multiple evaluation metrics, statistical significance and fitness assessment functions, and implicit and explicit constraints satisfaction at the time of analysis. For ranking the classifiers performance, the proposed ranking method integrates Wgt.Avg.F-score, CPUTimeTesting, CPUTimeTraining, and Consistency measures using the technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The final relative closeness score produced by TOPSIS, is ranked and the practitioners select the best performance (top-ranked) classifier for their problems in-hand. Findings: Based on the extensive experiments performed on 15 publically available UCI and OpenML datasets using 35 classification algorithms from heterogeneous families of classifiers, an average Spear man's rank correlation coefficient of 0.98 is observed. Similarly, the AMD method has showed improved performance of 0.98 average Spearman's rank correlation coefficient as compared to 0.83 and 0.045 correlation coefficient of the state-of-the-art ranking methods, performance of algorithms (PA1g) and adjusted ratio of ratio (ARR). Conclusion and implication: The evaluation, empirical analysis of results and comparison with state-of-the-art methods demonstrate the feasibility of AMD methodology, especially the selection and weighting of right evaluation criteria, accurate ranking and selection of optimum performance classifier(s) for the user's application's data in hand. AMD reduces expert's time and efforts and improves system performance by designing suitable classifier recommended by AMD methodology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A prior epidemiological study identified a reduction in opioid overdose deaths in US states that legalized medical cannabis (MC). One theory to explain this phenomenon is a potential substitution effect of MC for opioids. This study evaluated whether this substitution effect of MC for opioids also applies to other psychoactive medications. New England dispensary members (n = 1,513) completed an online survey about their medical history and MC experiences. Among respondents that regularly used opioids, over three-quarters (76.7%) indicated that they reduced their use since they started MC. This was significantly (p < 0.0001) greater than the patients that reduced their use of antidepressants (37.6%) or alcohol (42.0%). Approximately two-thirds of patients decreased their use of anti-anxiety (71.8%), migraine (66.7%), and sleep (65.2%) medications following MC which significantly (p < 0.0001) exceeded the reduction in antidepressants or alcohol use. The patient's spouse, family, and other friends were more likely to know about their MC use than was their primary care provider. In conclusion, a majority of patients reported using less opioids as well as fewer medications to treat anxiety, migraines, and sleep after initiating MC. A smaller portion used less antidepressants or alcohol. Additional research is needed to corroborate these self-reported, retrospective, cross-sectional findings using other data sources.
Turbine blade surfaces are cooled by jet flow from expanded exit holes (EEHs) against the prevailing hot gas flow. The flow through EEH must be designed to form a film of cool air over the blade. Computational analyses are performed to examine the cooling effectiveness of flow from EEH over the suction side of a blade by solving conservation equations and the ideal gas equation of state for turbulent and compressible flow. For a sufficiently high coolant mass flow rate, the flow through EEH, which acts as a converging-diverging nozzle, is choked at the nozzle throat, resulting in a supersonic flow, a shock, and then a subsonic flow downstream. The location of the shock relative to the high-temperature gas flow determines the temperature distribution along the blade surface; which is analyzed in detail when the following conditions are varied: coolant mass flow rate, the temperature difference between gas-and coolant-flow, EEH location on the blade surface, EEH inclination angle to the blade surface, and exit-to-inlet area ratio (AR) of EEH. The film cooling effectiveness is calculated along the surface of the blade. The results show (1) increasing the coolant flow rate improves the effectiveness, (2) change in temperature difference between the mainstream and the coolant slightly affects the effectiveness, (3) inclination angle of EEH has a pronounced effect on film cooling and the corresponding effectiveness, (4) both the location of the EEH on a blade and the AR of the EEH slightly change the effectiveness.
Majority of the investigations on rainwater harvesting focused on sizing and potential water savings including studies proposing different methods of estimating rainwater tank outcomes. Several studies used monthly rainfall data to estimate rainwater tank outcomes. However, quantification using daily rainfall data will be much more accurate compared to using monthly rainfall data. A vast majority of works using daily rainfall data used daily water balance model for analysis. Again most of the studies using daily water balance model used historical rainfall data, calculated water savings for many years and then presented an average of all the calculated years' total outcome(s). 'Raintank Analyser' is a tool, which uses the same methodology and widely used; used by the South Australian policy makers for producing relevant design charts. In contrast, eTank, a daily water balance model was developed to produce potential rainwater savings, augmented townwater supply, tank overflow, reliability and payback period for three distinct climate conditions (dry, average and wet years). This paper presents comparison of eTank calculated potential water savings with those calculated by 'Raintank Analyser' under similar conditions for a rainfall station in central Adelaide. In general, 'Raintank Analyser' produced water savings are very close to the eTank calculated water savings in average year. However, through the eTank produced potential water savings in dry and wet years, it is found that significant climatic variations exist. Magnitudes of climatic variations under different scenario are presented. Again, to assess spatial variability, three more rainfall stations from different regions of Adelaide metropolitan were selected. eTank was used to calculated potential water savings in three climatic conditions (dry, average and wet years) for various combinations of roof and tank sizes. Again it is found that depending input variable conditions (tank size, roof area and climate) significant spatial variations exist within some of the regions. Also, it is found that potential water savings not only depends on total rainfall amount of a particular area, but also on other input conditions; i.e. under similar conditions an area with lower annual rainfall may provide higher water savings due to rainfall pattern. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitor etanercept has been proven to be effective in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), while genetic polymorphism may affect drug metabolism or drug receptor, resulting in interindividual variability in drug disposition and efficacy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations between CYP2C9*3/ CYP2D6*10/CYP3A5*3 gene polymorphisms and the efficacy of etanercept treatment for patients with AS. Methods: From March 2012 to June 2015, 312 AS patients (174 males and 138 females, mean age: 35.2 +/- 5.83 years) from 18 to 56 years old were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was applied to detect the allele and genotype frequencies of CYP2C9*3, CYP2D6*10, and CYP3A5*3 gene polymorphisms. The joint swelling score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level of AS patients were compared before and after 24-week etanercept treatment. Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) and bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) scores were recorded to assess the efficacy of etanercept treatment. Results: The AS patients with wild-type *1/*1 and heterozygous *1/*3 genotypes of CYP2C9*3 polymorphism accounted for 93.59% and 6.41%, respectively, without *3/*3 genotype. The AS patients with wild-type CC, heterozygous CT, and mutation homozygous TT genotypes of CYP2D6*10 polymorphism accounted for 19.23%, 39.10%, and 41.67%, respectively. The AS patients with wild-type *1/*1, heterozygous *1/*3, and mutation homozygous *3/*3 genotypes of CYP3A5*3 polymorphism accounted for 7.69%, 36.22%, and 56.09%, respectively. After 24-week treatment, AS patients with wild-type *1/*1 genotype of CYP2C9*3, CC genotype of CYP2D6*10, and *3/*3 genotype of CYP3A5*3 polymorphisms had lower joint swelling score, ESR, and CRP level. The joint swelling score, ESR, and CRP levels were significantly lower in the patients with CC genotype of CYP2D6*10 polymorphism than in CT and TT genotype patients, and they were lower in patients with *3/*3 genotype of CYP3A5*3 polymorphism compared to those with *1/*1 and *1/*3 genotypes. Average visual analog scale scores of 4 ASAS20 indexes were decreased after treatment. The patients with CC genotype of CYP2D6*10 polymorphism and *3/*3 genotype of CYP3A5*3 polymorphism exhibited higher scores of >ASAS20, >BASDAI50%, and effective rate. Conclusion: Our results indicate that CC genotype of CYP2D6*10 polymorphism and *3*3 genotype of CYP3A5*3 polymorphism are correlated with the efficacy of etanercept treatment for AS patients.
Previous research has identified a number of coordination processes that enable people to perform joint actions. But what determines which coordination processes joint action partners rely on in a given situation? The present study tested whether varying the shared visual information available to co-actors can trigger a shift in coordination processes. Pairs of participants performed a movement task that required them to synchronously arrive at a target from separate starting locations. When participants in a pair received only auditory feedback about the time their partner reached the target they held their movement duration constant to facilitate coordination. When they received additional visual information about each other's movements they switched to a fundamentally different coordination process, exaggerating the curvature of their movements to communicate their arrival time. These findings indicate that the availability of shared perceptual information is a major factor in determining how individuals coordinate their actions to obtain joint outcomes. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Introduction: Changes in personality have been described in Parkinson's disease (PD), with suggestion that those with established disease tend to be risk averse with a disinclination for addictive behaviour. However, little is known about the earliest and prodromal stages. Personality and its relationship with addictive behaviours can help answer important questions about the mechanisms underlying PD and addiction. Methods: 941 population-ascertained PD subjects within 3.5 years of diagnosis, 128 patients with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and 292 control subjects were fully characterised for motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms and across the following 5 personality domains: 1) neuroticism 2) extraversion 3) conscientiousness 4) agreeableness 5) openness using the Big Five Inventory. Results: Patients with early PD were more neurotic (p < 0.001), less extraverted (p < 0.001) and less open than controls (p < 0.001). RBD subjects showed the same pattern of being more neurotic (p < 0.001), less extraverted (p = 0.03) and less open (p < 0.001). PD patients had smoked less (p = 0.02) and drunk less alcohol (p = 0.03) than controls, but caffeine beverage consumption was similar. Being more extraverted (p < 0.001), more open (p < 0.001), and less neurotic (p < 0.001) predicted higher alcohol use, while being more extravert (p = 0.007) and less agreeable (p < 0.001) was associated with smoking more. Conclusions: A similar pattern of personality changes is seen in PD and RBD compared to a control population. Personality characteristics were associated with addictive behaviours, suggestive of a common link, but the lower rates of addictive behaviours before and after the onset of motor symptoms in PD persisted after accounting for personality. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Despite the increasing levels of pollution in many tropical African countries, not much is known about the strength and weaknesses of policy and institutional frameworks to tackle pollution and ecological status of rivers and their impacts on the biota. We investigated the ecological status of four large river basins using physicochemical water quality parameters and bioindicators by collecting samples from forest, agriculture, and urban landscapes of the Nile, Omo-Gibe, Tekeze, and Awash River basins in Ethiopia. We also assessed the water policy scenario to evaluate its appropriateness to prevent and control pollution. To investigate the level of understanding and implementation of regulatory frameworks and policies related to water resources, we reviewed the policy documents and conducted in-depth interviews of the stakeholders. Physicochemical and biological data revealed that there is significant water quality deterioration at the impacted sites (agriculture, coffee processing, and urban landscapes) compared to reference sites (forested landscapes) in all four basins. The analysis of legal, policy, and institutional framework showed a lack of cooperation between stakeholders, lack of knowledge of the policy documents, absence of enforcement strategies, unavailability of appropriate working guidelines, and disconnected institutional setup at the grass root level to implement the set strategies as the major problems. In conclusion, river water pollution is a growing challenge and needs urgent action to implement intersectoral collaboration for water resource management that will eventually lead toward integrated watershed management. Revision of policy and increasing the awareness and participation of implementers are vital to improve ecological quality of rivers.
Some children show anger inappropriate for the situation based on the predominant incentives, which is called context-inappropriate anger. Children need to attend to and interpret situational incentives for appropriate emotional responses. We examined associations of context-inappropriate anger with emotion recognition and attention problems in 43 preschoolers (42% male; M age=55.1 months, SD=4.1). Parents rated context-inappropriate anger across situations. Teachers rated attention problems using the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Form. Emotion recognition was ability to recognize emotional faces using the Emotion Matching Test. Anger perception bias was indicated by anger to non-anger situations using an adapted Affect Knowledge Test. 28% of children showed context-inappropriate anger, which correlated with lower emotion recognition (=-.28) and higher attention problems (=.36). Higher attention problems correlated with more anger perception bias (=.32). This cross-sectional, correlational study provides preliminary findings that children with context-inappropriate anger showed more attention problems, which suggests that both problems tend to covary and associate with deficits or biases in emotion knowledge.
Biological specimens such as cells, tissues and biofluids (urine, blood) contain mixtures of many different biomolecules, all of which contribute to a Raman spectrum at any given point. The separation and identification of pure biochemical components remains one of the biggest challenges in Raman spectroscopy. Multivariate curve resolution, a matrix factorization method, is a powerful, yet flexible, method that can be used with constraints, such as non-negativity, to decompose a complex spectroscopic data matrix into a small number of physically meaningful pure spectral components along with their relative abundances. This paper reviews recent applications of multivariate curve resolution by alternating least squares analysis to Raman spectroscopic and imaging data obtained either in vivo or in vitro from biological and medical samples.
Aldehyde oxidase (AOX) is a metabolic enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of aldehyde and aza-aromatic compounds and the hydrolysis of amides, moieties frequently shared by the majority of drugs. Despite its key role in human metabolism, to date only fragmentary information about the chemical features responsible for AOX susceptibility are reported and only very local structure-metabolism relationships based on a small number of similar compounds have been developed. This study reports a more comprehensive coverage of the chemical space of structures with a high risk of AOX phase I metabolism in humans. More than 270 compounds were studied to identify the site of metabolism and themetabolite(s). Both electronic [supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations] and exposure effects were considered when rationalizing the structure-metabolism relationship.
A herringbone water-sediment separation structure (hereinafter referred to as herringbone structure) has been shown to be effective in separating coarse inorganic debris; however, less is known regarding the large wood (LW) filtration effect in this structure. This paper presents preliminary research on the wood filtration effect of the herringbone structure based on physical model tests. The results show that the herringbone structure exhibited effective performance in large wood size segregation, with a 100% component filtration rate for LW that diameter (D) larger than ribbed beam opening width (a). The total filtration rate also exceeded 80% when the Fraud number (Fr) is larger than 2.64 and increased with the increase of Fr. After exceeding Fr (max), total filtration rate would be decreased due to overflow. Beside flow condition, structure parameters influence significantly on LW filtration rate. We attempt to explain the filtration process via particle contact trajectory and particle movement trajectory. The inclined angle of ribbed beam (gamma) contributed the most variation to the filtration rate via influencing the coincidence with particle contact trajectory and particle movement trajectory. The high sensitivity coefficient of ribbed beam (theta) under relatively low Fr conditions implies remarkable influences on LW filtration effects by causing clogging problem. The ribbed beam opening width (a) together with LW diameter (D) influenced the size segregation performance.
Rain barrels can be technically shared through social practices or mutual agreement between individual households. This study proposes the evaluation system for a rain barrel sharing network (RBSN) considering three performance criteria of reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability, under plausible climate change scenarios. First, this study shows how the system can be improved in terms of the performance criteria using historical daily rainfall data based on the storage-reliability-yield relationship. This study then examined how the benefits from RBSN are affected by climate change after 100 years. Three climate change scenarios (A1B, A2 and B2) and three global circulation models were used for this purpose. The results showed that the reliability and vulnerability are improved due to sharing and their improvements become larger under climate change conditions. In contrast, the resiliency reduces slightly due to sharing and its reduction is attenuated under climate change conditions. In particular, vulnerability will be reduced significantly under climate change. These results suggest that the sharing of various water resources systems can be an effective climate change adaptation strategy that reduces vulnerability and increases the reliability of the system.
Objective: We examined the associations between perceptions and attitudes about body weight and adherence to the physical activity recommendation (PAR) for adolescents to achieve >= 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and tested whether body mass index (BMI) was a moderator of these relationships. Study design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Self-reported data from Canadian adolescents (n = 4299) who participated in the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey were analysed. Results: Dissatisfaction with body weight was associated with lower odds of adherence to the PAR (odds ratio [OR]: 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55-0.99). More specifically, those who perceived themselves as overweight/obese had lower odds of adherence to the PAR (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.42-0.81) compared with those who think they were about the right weight. Those who were trying to gain weight were more likely to adhere to the PAR (OR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.29-2.86) compared to those who were doing nothing about their body weight. BMI was a significant moderator of the association between dissatisfaction with body weight and adherence to the PAR. At low BMI, there were no differences in the adherence to the PAR between adolescents who were dissatisfied with their body weight or not. At high BMI, adolescents who were dissatisfied with their body weight were less likely to adhere to the PAR than those who were not dissatisfied with their weight. Results were not different between males and females. Conclusions: Results suggest that adolescents who are dissatisfied with their body weight have lower adherence to the PAR, particularly those who are overweight or obese. (C) 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), often administered in combination with methotrexate, target specific inflammatory mediators and have transformed the treatment of rheumatic diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but also the spondyloarthritides. However, the high cost of these drugs in many countries restricts patient access. As many bDMARDs have reached or are near to patent expiration, numerous biosimilar drugs are in development and some have already been approved. Biosimilars are generally priced lower than their reference products (RPs), or bio- originators, and as prices come down it is hoped that patient access to these drugs will increase, making the safety of these drugs an area of major interest. Areas covered: This article reviews publicly available safety data on biosimilars in RA. Expert opinion: Most available data for biosimilars in RA relate to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and rituximab (an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody). As biosimilar use around the world increases, evidence supporting the clinical safety of the biosimilars compared with their RPs also grows. To date, no new safety concerns have been raised in studies with TNFi or rituximab biosimilars for the treatment of RA; safety profiles have been consistent with those of their RPs. However, careful post-marketing pharmacovigilance remains necessary.
Stem cell therapy is a promising approach to the treatment of ischemic heart disease via replenishing cell loss after myocardial infarction. Both preclinical studies and clinical trials have indicated that cardiac function improved consistently, but very modestly after cell-based therapy. This mainly attributed to low cell survival rate, engraftment and functional integration, which became the major challenges to regenerative medicine. In recent years, several new cell types have been developed to regenerate cardiomyocytes and novel delivery approaches helped to increase local cell retention. New strategies, such as cell pretreatment, gene-based therapy, tissue engineering, extracellular vesicles application and immunologic regulation, have surged and brought about improved cell survival and functional integration leading to better therapeutic effects after cell transplantation. In this review, we summarize these new strategies targeting at challenges of cardiac regenerative medicine and discuss recent evidences that may hint their effectiveness in the future clinical settings.
Early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is imperative in enabling the understanding and clinical treatment of this disorder, as well as in preventing its progression. Imaging agents specifically targeting A beta plaques in the brain and the retina may lead to the early diagnosis of AD. Among them, near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) imaging has emerged as an attractive tool to noninvasively identify and monitor diseases during the preclinical and early, stages. In the present study, we report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a series of new near-infrared fluorescent probes. Most of these probes displayed maximum emission in PBS (>650 nm), which falls in the goad range for NIRF probes. Among them, 4a1 showed the highest affinity toward A beta aggregates (K-d = 7.5 nM) and an excellent targeting ability for A beta plaques in slices of brain and retina tissue from double transgenic mice. These compounds are also found to effectively prevent A beta fibril formation and disaggregate preformed A beta fibrils, showing a promising potential as theranostic agents for the diagnosis and therapy of AD.
Acetochlor [2-chloro-N-(ethoxymethyl)-N-(2-ethyl-6-methyl-phenyl)-acetamide], alachlor [N-(methoxymethyl)- 2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethyl-phenyl)acetamide], butachlor [N-(butoxymethyl)-2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethyl-phenyl)acetamide], and metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide] are pre-emergent herbicides used in the production of agricultural crops. These herbicides are carcinogenic in rats: acetochlor and alachlor cause tumors in the nasal turbinates, butachlor causes stomach tumors, and metolachlor causes liver tumors. It has been suggested that the carcinogenicity of these compounds involves a complex metabolic activation pathway leading to a DNA-reactive dialkylbenzoquinone imine. Important intermediates in this pathway are 2-chloro-N-(2-methyl-6-diethylphenyl)acetamide (CDEPA) produced from alachlor and butachlor and 2-chloro-N-(2-methyl-6-ethylphenyl)acetamide (CMEPA) produced from acetochlor and metolachlor. Subsequent metabolism of CDEPA and CMEPA produces 2,6-diethylaniline (DEA) and 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline (MEA), which are bioactivated through para-hydroxylation and subsequent oxidation to the proposed carcinogenic product dialkylbenzoquinone imine. The current study extends our earlier studies with alachlor and demonstrates that rat liver microsomes metabolize acetochlor and metolachlor to CMEPA (0.065 nmol/min/mg and 0.0133 nmol/min/mg, respectively), whereas human liver microsomes can metabolize only acetochlor to CMEPA (0.023 nmol/min/mg). Butachlor is metabolized to CDEPA to a much greater extent by rat liver microsomes (0.045 nmol/min/mg) than by human liver microsomes (< 0.001 nmol/min/mg). We have determined that both rat and human livers metabolize both CMEPA to MEA (0.308 nmol/min/mg and 0.541 nmol/min/mg, respectively) and CDEPA to DEA (0.350 nmol/min/mg and 0.841 nmol/min/mg, respectively). We have shown that both rat and human liver microsomes metabolize MEA (0.035 nmol/min/mg and 0.069 nmol/min/mg, respectively) and DEA (0.041 nmol/min/mg and 0.040 nmol/min/mg, respectively). We have also shown that the cytochrome P450 isoforms responsible for human metabolism of acetochlor, butachlor, and metolachlor are CYP3A4 and CYP2B6.
This paper argues that mind-reading hypotheses (MRHs), of any kind, are not needed to best describe or best explain basic acts of social cognition. It considers the two most popular MRHs: one-ToM and two-ToM theories. These MRHs face competition in the form of complementary behaviour reading hypotheses (CBRHs). Following Buckner (Mind Lang 29: 566-589, 2014), it is argued that the best strategy for putting CBRHs out of play is to appeal to theoretical considerations about the psychosemantics of basic acts of social cognition. In particular, need-based accounts that satisfy a teleological criterion have the ability to put CBRHs out of play. Yet, against this backdrop, a new competitor for MRHs is revealed: mind minding hypothesis (MMHs). MMHs are capable of explaining all the known facts about basic forms of social cognition and they also satisfy the teleological criterion. In conclusion, some objections concerning the theoretical tenability of MMHs are addressed and prospects for further research are canvassed.
Field and pretreatment-free detection of heavy-metal ions in organic polluted water is important but still challenging in current water pollution emergency response systems. Here we report a polyadenine-DNA-mediated approach for a rationally designed alkyne-coded surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) test kit, enabling rapid and simultaneous detection of Hg2+ and Ag+ by a portable spectrometer, impervious to organic interferences. Because of the formation of thymine (T)-Hg2+-T and cytosine (C)-Ag+-C, highly recognizable SERS signals are rapidly detected when two different alkyne-labeled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are induced to undergo controllable bridging upon the addition of low-volume targets. For multiplex detection through a portable spectrometer, the limits of detection reach 0.77 and 0.86 nM for Hg2+ and Ag+, respectively. Of particular significance, the proposed C C-containing Raman reporters provide an extremely effective solution for multiplex sensing in a spectral silent region, when the hyperspectral and fairly intense optical noises originating from lower wavenumber region (<1800 cm(-1)) are inevitable under complex ambient conditions.
Introduction: TREM2 is a lipid-sensing activating receptor on microglia known to be important for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but whether it plays a beneficial or detrimental role in disease pathogenesis is controversial. Methods: We analyzed AD risk of TREM2 variants in the NIMH AD Genetics Initiative Study and AD Sequencing Project. We compared each variant's risk and functional impact by a reporter assay. Finally, we analyzed expression of TREM2 on human monocytes. Results: We provide more evidence for increased AD risk associated with several TREM2 variants, and show that these variants decreased or markedly increased binding to TREM2 ligands. We identify HDL and LDL as novel TREM2 ligands. We also show that TREM2 expression in human monocytes is minimal compared to monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Discussion: Our results suggest that TREM2 signaling helps protect against AD but can cause harm in excess, supporting the idea that proper TREM2 function is important to counteract disease progression. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In the last quarter century, the epidemic of overweight and obese Americans has increased strikingly. This, in turn, has caused a substantial rise in the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cholesterol, hypertension, osteoarthritis, stroke, type II diabetes, specific forms of cancer, and other diseases. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of gardening activities on activity levels, body mass index (BMI), allergies, and reported overall health of gardeners and nongardeners. The sample population was drawn from two sources: an online survey and an identical paper-pencil formatted survey, which was distributed to church, garden, and community service groups within Texas and parts of the mid-western United States. A total of 1015 people participated in the study. Results from this study indicated nongardeners were less physically active when compared with gardeners. However, frequency of gardening did not have a statistically significant impact on gardeners' BMI. There was also no difference in BMI between gardeners and nongardeners. Gardeners indicated having more frequently reoccurring symptoms for ear infection/ear ache,'' high cholesterol,'' kidney stone,'' gallstones,'' and arthritis,'' indicating gardening may be being used as a distraction therapy, helping gardeners to cope with pain and remain active when other forms of exercise may not be an option. There was no statistically significant difference in incidence of allergies between gardeners and nongardeners.
Water permeability of woven geotextile, usually measured in uncompressed state or under compressive stresses, varies significantly under tensile loads. To study the permeability behaviours of woven geotextile in the tensioned state, a series of laboratory experiments were carried out on one type of woven polypropylene geotextile with tensile strength of 20-30 kN/m. The experimental results show that the permittivity of geotextile under tension load in the warp direction first decreases rapidly, then approaches to a value that is 10-25% of the one in the absence of the load. On the contrary, the permittivity increases with the increase of the tension force in the weft direction and no steady value is observed. Since the tension load in the warp direction has obviously influence on the water permeability of geotextile, about 2-3% tensile strain is recommended to be applied on the warp fibres initially for determining a reasonable permittivity in laboratory test. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The present paper is principally concerned with the disclosure of historical cultural potential of waterfront areas in modern architectural & landscape planning. Moreover, the attitude to water bodies of landscape has changed in recent years: not only as objects of nature, but also as an integral part of the spiritual heritage of the nation. The historic cultural field of actions is a significant part of general, complex program for ecoresponsible design of urban waterfront territories along with other blocks, such as engineering & hydro-technological measures; functional planning actions; landscape spatial composition; informative steps and digital control. The author's algorithm of historical cultural potential's disclosure of waterfront territories is shown in the paper. Today such territories need the efficient ecologically responsible architectural-landscape organization due to necessary protection of the environment from one side and accelerated urbanization process from the other with necessary creating comfortable living conditions in the general trend of climate change and the highly rapid development of smart technologies in modern world.
Point compression is an essential technique to save bandwidth and memory when deploying elliptic curve based security solutions in wireless communication systems. In this contribution, we provide new linear algebra (LA) based compression algorithms for multiple points on elliptic curves, that are compression algorithms which only make use of LA (with a constant number of field multiplications and at most one inversion, with no quadratic or higher degree polynomial root finding). In particular, we extend the results of Khabbazian et al. (IEEE Trans Comput 56(3):305-313, 2007) to four (resp. five) points on elliptic curves by generically storing five (resp. six) field elements and provide an asymptotic generalization to any number n of points on a curve by generically storing values.
Selection of a reference image is an important step in color balancing. However, the past research and currently available methods do not focus on it, leading to the lack of an effective way to select the reference image for color balancing in remote sensing imagery mosaic. This letter proposes a novel automatic reference image selection method that aims to select the reference images by assessing multifactors according to the land surface types of the target images. The proposed method addresses the limitations caused by the use of a single assessment factor as well as the selection of a single image as the reference in traditional methods. In addition, the proposed method has a wider range of applications than those requiring no reference image. The visual experimental results indicate that the proposed method can select the suitable reference images, which benefits the color balancing result, and outperforms the other comparative methods. Moreover, the absolute mean value of skewness metric of the proposed method is 0.0831, which is lower than the values of the other comparison methods. It indicates that the result of the proposed method had the best performance in the color information. The quantitative analyses with the metric of absolute difference of mean value indicate that the proposed method has a good ability in maintaining the spectral information, and the spectral changing rates had been reduced at least 10.66% by the proposed method when compared with the other methods.
Background: Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are at increased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to determine the variation in fecal calprotectin in AS over 5 years in relation to disease activity and medication and also to study the incidence of and predictors for development of IBD. Methods: Fecal calprotectin was assessed at baseline (n = 204) and at 5-year follow-up (n = 164). The patients answered questionnaires and underwent clinical evaluations. At baseline and at 5-year follow-up, ileocolonoscopy was performed in patients with fecal calprotectin = 500 mg/kg and = 200 mg/kg, respectively. The medical records were checked for diagnoses of IBD during the follow-up period. Results: Fecal calprotectin >50 mg/kg was found in two-thirds of the patients at both study visits. In 80% of the patients, fecal calprotectin changed by < 200 mg/kg between the two measuring points. Baseline fecal calprotectin was positively correlated with Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score based on C-reactive protein, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and fecal calprotectin at 5-year follow-up. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with higher fecal calprotectin, and 3-week cessation of NSAIDs resulted in a drop of a median 116 mg/kg in fecal calprotectin. The use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers was associated with lower fecal calprotectin at both visits, but the users of TNF receptor fusion proteins had significantly higher fecal calprotectin than users of anti-TNF antibodies at 5-year follow-up. The 5-year incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) was 1.5% and was predicted by high fecal calprotectin. Conclusions: Fecal calprotectin was elevated in a majority of the patients and was associated with disease activity and medication at both visits. CD developed in 1.5% of the patients with AS, and a high fecal calprotectin was the main predictor thereof. The results support a link between inflammation in the gut and the musculoskeletal system in AS. We propose that fecal calprotectin may be a potential biomarker to identify patients with AS at risk of developing IBD
Deindividuation may be described as the situation in which individuals act in groups and do not see themselves as individuals, thereby facilitating antinormative behavior. The present article analyzes the construct deindividuation theory from its conceptualization by Le Bon to the most recent theoretical model, the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects. The aim of this study is to compare theories about deindividuation and to highlight its advances, identify theoretical questions that remain and suggest future directions for the study of this issue. Recent research conducted on deindividuation may promote prosocial behavior, prevent social disturbance and prevent the development of prejudice among children. Furthermore, it may provide a feasible way to comprehend and intervene in contemporary social issues. Recent scientific techniques, such as neuroimaging and predictive mathematical models, may improve comprehension of the construct in terms of its definition and prospective effects.
In this paper we investigate univariate algebraic attacks on filter generators over extension fields with focus on the Welch-Gong (WG) family of stream ciphers. Our main contribution is to reduce the general algebraic attack complexity on such cipher by proving new and lower bounds for the spectral immunity of such ciphers. The spectral immunity is the univariate analog of algebraic immunity and instead of measuring degree of multiples of a multivariate polynomial, it measures the minimum number of nonzero coefficients of a multiple of a univariate polynomial. In particular, there is an algebraic degeneracy in these constructions, which, when combined with attacks based on low-weight multiples over , provides much more efficient attacks than over . With negligible computational complexity, our best attack breaks the primitive WG-5 if given access to 4 kilobytes of keystream, break WG-7 if given access to 16 kilobytes of keystream and break WG-8 if given access to half a megabyte of keystream. Our best attack on WG-16 targeted at 4G-LTE is less practical, and requires computational complexity and bits of keystream. In all instances, we significantly lower both keystream and computational complexity in comparison to previous estimates. On a side note, we resolve an open problem regarding the rank of a type of equation systems used in algebraic attacks.
Whether it be Smart Cities, Ambient Intelligence, or the Internet of Things, current visions for future urban spaces share a common core, namely the increasing role of distributed sensor networks and the on-demand integration of their data to power real-time services and analytics. Some of the greatest hurdles to implementing these visions include security risks, user privacy, scalability, the integration of heterogeneous data, and financial cost. In this work, we propose a crowdsensing mobile-device platform that empowers citizens to collect and share information about their surrounding environment via embedded sensor technologies. This approach allows a variety of urban areas (e.g., university campuses, shopping malls, city centers, suburbs) to become equipped with a free ad-hoc sensor network without depending on proprietary instrumentation. We present a framework, namely the GeoTracer application, as a proof-of-concept to conduct multiple experiments simulating use-case scenarios on a university campus. First, we demonstrate that ambient sensors (e.g. temperature, pressure, humidity, magnetism, illuminance, and audio) can help determine a change in environment (e.g. moving from indoors to outdoors, or floor changes inside buildings) more accurately than typical positioning technologies (e.g. global navigation satellite system, Wi-Fi, etc.). Furthermore, each of these sensors contributes a different amount of data to detecting events. for example, illuminance has the highest information gain when trying to detect changes between indoors and outdoors. Second, we show that through this platform it is possible to detect and differentiate place types on a university campus based on inferences made through ambient sensors. Lastly, we train classifiers to determine the activities that a place can afford at different times (e.g. good for studying or not, basketball courts in use or empty) based on sensor-driven semantic signatures.
The prediction of bankruptcy for financial companies, especially banks, has been extensively researched area and creditors, auditors, stockholders and senior managers are all interested in bank bankruptcy prediction. In this paper, three common machine learning models namely Logistic, J48 and Voted Perceptron are used as the base learners. In addition, an attribute-base ensemble learning method namely Random Subspaces and two instance-base ensemble learning methods namely Bagging and Multi-Boosting are employed to enhance the prediction accuracy of conventional machine learning models for bank failure prediction. The models are grouped in the following families of approaches: (i) conventional machine learning models, (ii) ensemble learning models and (iii) hybrid ensemble learning models. Experimental results indicate a clear outperformance of hybrid ensemble machine learning models over conventional base and ensemble models. These results indicate that hybrid ensemble learning models can be used as a reliable predicting model for bank failures.
The session initiation protocol (SIP) is a signaling communications protocol, which is widely used for controlling multimedia communication sessions. Recently, Yeh et al. presented an ECC-based authenticated protocol for SIP to conquer various attacks which were found in earlier schemes. In this paper, we analyze the security of Yeh et al.'s scheme and identify that Yeh et al.'s scheme is insecure. We demonstrate the vulnerability of Yeh et al.'s scheme to resist off-line password guessing attack, and their scheme also lacks the forward secrecy. We aim to propose an efficient improvement on Yeh et al.'s scheme to overcome the security weaknesses found in Yeh et al.'s scheme, while retaining the original merits. Through the rigorous informal security analysis and the formal security analysis using the widely-accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham logic (BAN logic), we show that our scheme is secure against various known attacks including the attacks found in Yeh et al.'s scheme. Furthermore, we simulate our scheme for the formal security analysis using the widely-accepted AVISPA (automated validation of internet security protocols and applications) tool, and show that our scheme is secure against passive and active attacks including the replay and man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, our proposed scheme is efficient in terms of the communication and computational overheads as compared to Yeh et al.'s scheme and other related existing schemes. To demonstrate the practicality of the scheme, we evaluate the proposed scheme using the broadly-accepted NS-2 network simulator.
Robust and efficient target-tracking algorithms embedded on moving platforms, are a requirement for many computer vision and robotic applications. However, deployment of a real-time system is challenging, even with the computational power of modern hardware. As inspiration, we look to biological lightweight solutions-lightweight and low-powered flying insects. For example, dragonflies pursue prey and mates within cluttered, natural environments, deftly selecting their target amidst swarms. In our laboratory, we study the physiology and morphology of dragonfly 'small target motion detector' neurons likely to underlie this pursuit behaviour. Here we describe our insect-inspired tracking model derived from these data and compare its efficacy and efficiency with state-of-the-art engineering models. For model inputs, we use both publicly available video sequences, as well as our own task-specific dataset (small targets embedded within natural scenes). In the context of the tracking problem, we describe differences in object statistics within the video sequences. For the general dataset, our model often locks on to small components of larger objects, tracking these moving features. When input imagery includes small moving targets, for which our highly nonlinear filtering is matched, the robustness outperforms state-of-the-art trackers. In all scenarios, our insect-inspired tracker runs at least twice the speed of the comparison algorithms.
This study numerically investigated the laminar mixed-convection heat transfer of different water copper nanofluids inside a microtube with curvature angle of 90 degrees using a finite volume method. The Reynolds number of modeling was 10, nanoparticles volume fractions were chosen from 0.0% to 6.0% and Richardson numbers varied from 0.1 to 10. The findings were depicted for dimensionless axial velocity, coefficient of friction and Nusselt number profiles as well as dimensionless temperature contours. The validity of model was excellent compared to former numerical and experimental studies. The results showed that the heat transfer and hydraulics behavior of nanofluids in curved geometries is to some extent different with other geometries and flat surfaces due to presence of buoyancy and centrifugal forces at the same time. Especially, in the regions near and after 45 degrees curvature angle, the behavior of heat transfer and nanofluid flow is unpredictable. In this region, increasing the nanoparticles volume concentration or transition from forced convection regime to free convection state, cause a decrease in Nusselt number and friction factor. That's while for the entrance region of microtube, the results are completely opposite; increasing the Richardson number or nanoparticle concentration enhances the heat transfer as well as friction factor. Also, the velocity profile variations in the vertical and horizontal diameter of microtube is significant in areas of 60 degrees (pi/3) and the heterogeneity of this profile increases by rising Rayleigh number and volume fraction of solid particles. (C) 2016 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.
The most important characteristic of semi-supervised learning methods is the combination of available unlabeled data along with an enough smaller set of labeled examples, so as to increase the learning accuracy compared with the default procedure of supervised methods, which on the other hand use only the labeled data during the training phase. In this work, we have implemented a hybrid Self-trained system that combines a Support Vector Machine, a Decision Tree, a Lazy Learner and a Bayesian algorithm using a Stacking variant methodology. We performed an in depth comparison with other well-known Semi-Supervised classification methods on standard benchmark datasets and we finally reached to the point that the presented technique had better accuracy in most cases.
Over the last few decades, geotextiles have progressively been incorporated into geotechnical applications, especially in the field of coastal engineering. Geotextile materials often act as separator and a filter layer between rocks laid above and subgrade beneath. This versatile material has gradually substituted traditional granular materials because of its ease of installation, consistent quality and labour cost efficiency. However, geotextiles often suffer damage during installation due to high dynamic bulk loading of rock placement. This can degrade geotextiles' mechanical strength. The properties considered in this paper include the impact resistance and retained strength of geotextiles. In general, the greater the impact energy applied to geotextiles, the greater the potential for damage. Results highlight the inadequacy of using index derived values as an indicator to determine geotextile performance on site because test results shows that geotextiles (staple fibre (SF) and continuous filament (CF)) with better mechanical properties did not outperform lower mechanical strength materials. The toughest CF product with a CBR index value of 9696N shows inferior impact resistance compared to SF product with the least CBR strength (2719N) given the same impact energy of 9.02 kJ. Test results also indicated that the reduction of strength for CF materials were much greater (between 20 and 50%) compared to SF materials (between 0 and 5%) when subjected to the same impact energy of 4.52 kJ. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Microneurographic recordings of human muscle sympathetic nerve activity responses to sudden sensory stimuli (ie, arousal) have revealed 2 intraindividually reproducible response profiles in healthy young males that predict different neural and blood pressure responses to more sustained stress. Approximately 50% of subjects inhibit muscle sympathetic nerve activity during arousal, whereas the remaining 50% do not, and the latter group displays a markedly greater blood pressure increase in response to arousal, as well as during and after 3 minutes of mental arithmetic. Studying a group of monozygotic twins (10 pairs, 2 excluded from analysis), the aim of the present study was to evaluate the degree of genetic determination of these sympathetic response profiles. Muscle sympathetic burst incidence at rest was similar in twins, with a within-pair burst incidence ratio of 0.87 +/- 0.02 (SEM) compared with 0.73 +/- 0.07 found in unrelated pairs (P= 0.002), confirming a previous study from our laboratory. In contrast, the sympathetic responses to arousal showed large twin within-pair variance (arousal inhibition ratio 0.56 +/- 0.11), which did not significantly differ (P= 0.939) from the variance in pairs of unrelated subjects (0.46 +/- 0.11). The finding that human muscle sympathetic nerve responses to arousal are less determined by genotype than the resting level of corresponding sympathetic nerve activity suggests that the arousal response pattern is more prone to be altered by environmental factors. This raises the possibility that these intraindividually reproducible sympathetic neural response profiles can be modified in a positive direction from a cardiovascular risk perspective.
The virtualization has been considered as one of core technologies in cloud computing to overcome low efficiency of resource utilization for physical machines by multiplexing operating systems and/or applications on physical servers in a form of virtual machine. However, efficient algorithm and policy are required in order to map virtual machines to physical machines dynamically and to support efficient consolidation or load balancing for virtual machines. In addition, when the server environment is configured with servers with heterogeneous capabilities, these allocation algorithm and mapping policy are essential for efficient server operations. In this paper, we introduce an efficient dynamic allocation algorithm for virtual machines in heterogeneous server environment that works based on more accurate resource allocation priority than previous methods. Our proposed algorithm provides efficient allocation of virtual machines based on this priority. The evaluation supports the efficiency of our algorithm both for consolidation and load balancing of virtual machines in heterogeneous server environment.
We demonstrate that a proapoptotic chemical agent, oxidopamine, induces dose dependent changes in chromatin textural patterns which can be quantified using the Gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) method. Peripheral blood (heparin-pretreated) samples were treated with oxidopamine (6-OHDA, 6-hydroxydopamine) to achieve effective concentrations of 100, 200 and 300 M. The samples were smeared on microscope slides and fixated in methanol. The smears were stained using a modification of Feulgen method for DNA visualization. For each stained smear, a sample of 30 lymphocyte chromatin structures were visualized and analyzed. This way, textural parameters for a total of 120 nuclei micrographs were calculated. For each chromatin structure, five different GLCM features were calculated: angular second moment, GLCM entropy, inverse difference moment, GLCM correlation, and GLCM variance. Oxidopamine induced the rise of the values of GLCM entropy and variance, and the reduction of angular second moment, correlation, and inverse difference moment. The trends for GLCM parameter changes were found to be highly significant (p < 0.001). These results indicate that GLCM mathematical algorithm might be successfully used in detection and evaluation of discrete early apoptotic structural changes in Feulgen-stained chromatin of peripheral blood lymphocytes that are not detectable using conventional microscopy/cell biology techniques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The article focuses on development of intercultural awareness in teaching of professional Russian. The formation of intercultural competence represents one of key elements in professional teaching of specialists. The intercultural competence comprises skills which are vital both for verbal and nonverbal communication with foreign language native speakers, requiring the perception and management of various socially and culturally rooted language phenomena and consideration of cultural peculiarities pertaining to the country of the language being studied. The need to develop such competence poses new challenges to teachers by requiring from them to develop a new perception of learning goals. The respective article dwells on didactic aspects of learners' adaptation to peculiarities of a foreign culture, as well as on teaching of effective communication to achieve professional goals by considering the intercultural factor. Various didactic techniques are therein analysed, namely the linguo-conceptual approach in teaching of a foreign language, formation of discourse frames necessary for professional and everyday communication, exercises with texts containing culturological information. The tailor-made system of exercises is targeted at eliminating possible communication failures inflicted by cultural discrepancies. The purpose is to achieve the level of competence which is sufficient for an adequate and correct implementation of communication goals in analysed situations of everyday and business communication. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This paper presents the design of a compact 60-GHz phase shifter that provides a 5-bit digital phase control and 360 degrees phase range for beam-forming systems. The phase shifter is designed using the proposed cross-coupled bridged T-type topology and switched-varactor reflective-type topology. The topologies are analyzed using a small-signal equivalent circuit model. Furthermore, the design equations are derived and investigated. To validate the theoretical analysis, 60-GHz 5-bit 360 degrees phase shifters are designed in a commercial 65-nm CMOS technology. The fabricated 360 degrees phase shifter features good performance of 32 phase states from 57 to 64 GHz with an rms phase error of 4.4 degrees, a total insertion loss of 14.3 +/- 2 dB, an rms gain error of 0.5 dB, P-1 dB of better than 9.5 dBm, and the power consumption of almost zero. To the best of our knowledge, the designed 360 degrees phase shifter with the size of 0.094 mm(2) is the smallest 5-bit passive phase shifter at frequencies around 60 GHz.
Standards reflect consensus on the semantics of terms. When used to communicate, whether between people or software systems, standards ensure the communication is correct. Different standards have different semantics for the same terms and express common concepts using different terms and in different ways. Communication between software systems based on different standards is sometimes difficult to achieve. Standards integration concerns the explicit representation of the overlapping sets of concepts in standards and the differences in their semantics to ensure that these standards are used consistently together. This in turn enables software that is based on integrated standards to interoperate, reducing the cost of software integration. Standards conformance determines whether the interpretation of the standardized terms used by software applications is consistent with semantics given by the standards. This paper proposes a general architecture to design ontologies for standards integration and conformance in manufacturing engineering. The ontology architecture is divided into four levels: vendor, standards, domain, and core. Manufacturing turning tools are used as a case study to illustrate the approach. Finally this paper offers some short examples of first order logic propositions.
With the ever growing demand of location-independent access to Autonomous Decentralized Systems (ADS), anomaly detection scheme for industrial Ethernet, which highly is satisfied with demanding real-time and reliable industrial applications, becomes one of the most pressing subjects in ADS. In this paper, we present an innovative approach to build a traffic model based on structural time series model for a chemical industry system. A basic structural model that decomposes time series into four items is established by the stationary analysis of industrial traffic. Parameters in the model are identified by the state space model, which is conducted from the training sequence using standard Kalman filter recursions and the EM algorithm. Furthermore, the performance of state space model is evaluated by the experimental results that confirm significant improvement in detection accuracy and the validity of abnormal data localization. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this study, in order to determine the efficiency of estimating annual water pollution loads from remote-sensed land cover classification and ground-observed hydrological data, an empirical model was investigated. Remote sensing data imagery from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer were applied to an 11 year (1994-2004) water quality dataset for 30 different rivers in Japan. Six water quality indicatorstotal nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and dissolved oxygen (DO)were examined by using the observed river water quality data and generated land cover map. The TN, TP, BOD, COD, and DO loads were estimated for the 30 river basins using the empirical model. Calibration (1994-1999) and validation (2000-2004) results showed that the proposed simulation technique was useful for predicting water pollution loads in the river basins. We found that vegetation land cover had a larger impact on TP export into all rivers. Urban areas had a very small impact on DO export into rivers, but a relatively large impact on BOD and TN export. The results indicate that the application of land cover data generated from the remote-sensed imagery could give a useful interpretation about the river water quality.
Oral food challenges have a crucial role in the complex process in diagnosing food allergy. Especially in case of an unclear medical history, food challenges help to validate the clinical relevance of a sensitization to food allergens or to re-evaluate the diagnosis. In particular in infants and young children, a precise diagnosis of a suspected food allergy is of major importance, in order to avoid unneeded, restrictive elimination diets or to prescribe an appropriate dietary supplementation. Double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges (DBPCFC) are considered the gold standard procedure. This article provides hands-on procedures for the conduction of oral food challenges in the pediatric population, with focus on the most common IgE-mediated food allergies in this patient group.
The assessment of off-grid electrification programs in developing countries largely based on mini-grid and solar home system (SHS) has shown that they are faced with low development imparts and sustainability challenges, which has resulted in failure of many projects. This study provides solutions on how to surmount these challenges, leaning on the experience of a hybrid solar-diesel mini-grid at Tsumkwe village in Namibia. It provides analyses of a case study based on empirical evidence from field studies, interviews of representatives of households, public institutions and energy providers. In addition, it investigates the technical challenges and economic impacts of the electrification program. HOMER (TM) and MATLAB (TM) models were used in the analysis and investigations. The findings show that despite the challenges, the system has been sustained because it keyed into an existing structure with growth potentials. The progressive tariff system adopted by the government helped to cushion costs and allow low income households in the energy matrix. Adoption of strict maintenance measures, and implementation of energy efficiency measures prior to the commissioning of the program, resulted in the reduction of costs. The success elements identified in this study could be extrapolated in other sub-Saharan African countries if the challenges are properly addressed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The negative health effects of water pollution remain a major source of morbidity and mortality in China. The Chinese government is making great efforts to strengthen water environment treatment; however, no studies have evaluated the effects of water treatment on human health by water pollution in China. This study evaluated the association between water pollution and health outcomes, and determined the extent to which environmental regulations on water pollution may lead to health benefits. Data were extracted from the 2011 and 2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Random effects model and random effects Logit model were applied to study the relationship between health and water pollution, while a Mediator model was used to estimate the effects of environmental water treatment on health outcomes by the intensity of water pollution. Unsurprisingly, water pollution was negatively associated with health outcomes, and the common pollutants in industrial wastewater had differential impacts on health outcomes. The effects were stronger for low-income respondents. Water environment treatment led to improved health outcomes among Chinese people. Reduced water pollution mediated the associations between water environment treatment and health outcomes. The results of this study offer compelling evidence to support treatment of water pollution in China. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we introduce a new concept called generalized ring signcryption (GRSC), which can achieve ring signature and ring signcryption functions with only one key pair and one algorithm. It is very useful for a system which has a large number of users, or has limited storage space, or whose function requirements may be changed later. We give a formal definition and a security model of GRSC and propose a concrete scheme based on bilinear pairings. In the random oracle model, the scheme's confidentiality can be proved under the GBDH assumption, and its unforgeability can be proved under GDH' assumption, and what is more, this scheme also allows unconditional anonymity. Compared with other identity-based ring signcryption schemes that use bilinear pairings as well, our scheme is a highly efficient one.
This paper presents the results of a centrifuge study performed to investigate the time-dependent behavior of geotextile-reinforced soil walls. To this effect, reduced-scale centrifuge models were built using nonwoven fabrics as reinforcement elements and Monterey no. 30 sand as backfill. Digital image analysis techniques were used to quantify the internal displacements within the reinforced zone, where sand markers had been placed along the reinforcement layers. A sigmoid function was found to provide adequate fit to raw displacement data, allowing estimation of the strain distribution along the reinforcement layers. This investigation includes an initial series of centrifuge models designated as Short-term tests, which were loaded to failure by continuously increasing the acceleration imparted to them. In addition, a series of models designated as Long-term tests were conducted by subjecting them to constant accelerations corresponding to 25%, 40%, 60% and 80% of the g-level at failure obtained from the Short-term tests. The results revealed that walls subjected to constant acceleration showed a time dependent behavior that adversely affected their stability. Considerable time-dependent deformations were observed to occur during the Long-term tests. That is, time-dependent deformations in the reinforcements, quantified using geosynthetic samples tested in isolation, were found to also develop under confinement in the centrifuge models. In particular, creep failure was observed in the Long-term models subjected to comparatively high levels of constant acceleration. The time-dependent deformations from confined geotextiles tested in the centrifuge testing program were compared against the results from unconfined geotextiles tested in a conventional creep testing program. The time to failure defined using data from centrifuge tests was found to be consistent with that obtained from conventional creep tests. The soil used in the centrifuge models in this study, frequently considered as having negligible creep, was ultimately found not to prevent the development of time-dependent deformations. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags as an observational level-two screening measure to detect risk for autism spectrum disorder in toddlers when used with a video-recorded administration of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales. Psychometric properties of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags were examined in a sample of 247 toddlers of 16- to 24months old: 130 with autism spectrum disorder, 61 with developmental delays, and 56 typically developing. Individual items were examined for performance to create an algorithm with improved sensitivity and specificity, yielding a total Composite score and Domain scores for Social Communication and Restricted Repetitive Behaviors. Codes indicating clear symptom presence were collapsed to yield a count of the number of Red Flags for the overall scale and each symptom domain. Results indicated significant group differences with large effects for the Composite, both Domain scores, and Red Flags score, and good discrimination (area under the curve=0.84-0.87) between autism spectrum disorder and nonspectrum groups for the Composite, Social Communication Domain, and Social Communication Red Flags score. The Systematic Observation of Red Flags provides an observational screening measure for 16- to 24-month-olds with good discrimination, sensitivity, and specificity. A cutoff of 20 on the Composite is recommended to optimally detect autism spectrum disorder risk.
Cell physiology is impaired before protein aggregation and this may be more relevant than inclusions themselves for neurodegeneration. The present study aimed to characterize an animal model to enable the analysis of the cell biology before and after protein aggregation. Ten-month-old Lewis rats were exposed either to 1 or 2 mg/kg/day of rotenone, delivered subcutaneously through mini-pumps, for one month. Hyperphosphorylated TAU, alpha-synuclein, amyloid-beta peptide and protein carbonylation (indicative of oxidative stress) were evaluated in the hippocampus, substantia nigra and locus coeruleus through immunohistochemistry or western blot. It was found that 2 mg/kg/day rotenone increased amyloid-beta peptide, hyperphosphorytation of TAU and alpha-synuclein. Rotenone at 1mg/kg/day did not alter protein levels. Protein carbonylation remained unchanged. This study demonstrated that aged Lewis rats exposed to a low dose of rotenone is a useful model to study cellular processes before protein aggregation, while the higher dose makes a good model to study the effects of protein inclusions.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-dominated rainfed uplands of eastern India are facing two major problems such as lack of irrigation water sources and low productivity. In fact, unlined on-farm pond (OFP) technology in this terrain could prove to be an effective agricultural drought mitigation measure for monsoon crops but failed to ensure supplemental irrigation (SI) to the next winter crops. Consequently, the OFP technology could not pick up in the region. In order to overcome the shortcomings in the technology, the location of the OFP has been changed and a new concept of partial rice substitution (PRS) has been introduced in the present study to provide SI for the second crop in winter. Maize (Zea mays L.) and rice crops at upper and lower compartments of the field, respectively, were tried at various crop substitution ratios (CSR) of 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, and 30:70 during monsoon season. Rainfall excess from both the compartments was harvested in an unlined OFP located in between the compartments and used for providing SI. In winter, black gram (Vigna mungo L.) and mustard (Brassica campestris) were taken in the upper and lower compartments, respectively, based on availability of water in the OFP. Water balance models were used to simulate the soil moisture in crop root zone as well as storage of water in the OFP. The optimal size of such unlined OFP for average land holdings (1200 m(2)) in rainfed uplands and under 60:40 CSR was found to be occupying 6 % area of the crop field.
Pulp and paper mills are indispensable for any nation as far as the growth of the nation is concerned. Due to fast growth in population, urbanization and industrialization, the demand and consumption of paper has increased tremendously. These put high load on our natural resources and force the industry to look for alternative raw material. Rice straw is a lignocellulosic material abundantly available in wood short countries like China, India, Bangladesh, etc. and can be used as raw material for this industry. Open burning of rice straw releases noxious green house gases to the air and poses serious threats to global air chemistry and human health. So, it is a dual benefit option (for farmers and industries) to use rice straw as a raw material in pulp and paper industry. Organosolv pulping using acids are the prominent choices of researchers to convert this residue into valuable pulp but in developed countries only. Developing world favours the soda and soda-AQ processes as these are economical. As a virtue of less lignin content in comparison to wood, rice straw requires less harsh conditions for cooking and can be easily pulped. Bleaching is a crucial step of paper making but also responsible for causing water pollution. Many studies revealed that during the process more than 500 chlorinated compounds are released that are highly toxic, bioaccumulative and carcinogenic in nature. Most of the industries over the globe switch on to the elemental chlorine free short sequence bleaching methods using chlorine dioxide, hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide. This paper presented the effective need of ecofriendly, economically reliable pulping and bleaching sequences in case of rice straw to eliminate the problems of chlorinated compounds in wastewater of paper mills. Such approach of using waste as a raw material with its environmentally safe processing for making paper can prove to be valuable towards sustainable growth. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water pollution is a major environmental and human health issue and the Sarno river is regarded as the most polluted River in the whole of Europe. This study aimed at evaluating antioxidant response to freshwater pollution in the Sarno River (Campania, South Italy), using bags containing the biosensor water plant, Lemna minor L. Homogeneous samples of L. minor, collected from the Botanical Gardens of the University of Naples, were accurately washed and disposed in nylon bags. The bags were exposed for one week, floating on the water of the Sarno River at three sites, to determine antioxidant response to pollutants. Five heavy metal concentrations, representative of pollution of the River, were measured in the three exposure sites. Ultrastructural alterations of the exposed samples were examined to confirm the environmental stress, which underwent the exposes samples. Three different methods were used to measure the antioxidant activity: Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, chemiluminescence, and GST activity assays. Moreover, some specimens were in vitro exposed to the same heavy metal (HM) concentrations measured in the three exposure sites of the River and the results were compared with those obtained from the bag experiment. L. minor reacted to pollution increasing the antioxidant activity, which gets higher from the river springs towards the flatland (see bag experiments) and is related to the heavy metal concentrations (see in vitro experiments). Furthermore, TEM observations showed that cell ultrastructure alterations increased along the river in the same way as the antioxidant activity. The results confirmed the potential use of this species as biosensor and this methodological approach both in biomonitoring and phytoremediation studies.
Due to the grave situation of China's water environment and aquatic ecosystems, it is of prime importance to understand the present situation of China's water resources vulnerability, and how this situation has evolved over the recent past. Consequently, we performed a comprehensive spatio-temporal analysis of China's water resources vulnerability over the period 2003-2013, using a composite index approach with an array of aspects highlighting key challenges that China's water resources system is facing. Water resources in the northern and central coasts appeared more vulnerable than in western China. China's water productivity has grown substantially over the study period, and so has safe drinking water and improved sanitation accessibility. In contrast, water pollution has been worsening remarkably in most parts of China, and so has water scarcity and shortage in the most stressed parts of the country. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a new formulation for coupled circuit-electromagnetic (EM) simulation is presented. The formulation employs full-wave integral equations to model the EM behavior of two- or three-dimensional structures while using modified nodal analysis to model circuit interactions. A coupling scheme based on charge and current continuity and potential matching, realized as a generalization of Kirchoff's voltage and current laws, ensures that the EM and circuit interactions can be formulated as a seamless system. While rigorous port models for EM structures can be obtained using the approach discussed herein, it is shown that the coupling paradigm can reveal additional details of the EM-circuit interactions and can provide a path to analysis-based design iteration.
Breast cancer is the most common female cancer, affecting approximately one in eight women during their lifetime in North America and Europe. Receptor Activator of NF-kB Ligand (RANKL), its receptor RANK and the natural antagonist osteoprotegerin (OPG) are essential regulators of bone resorption. We have initially shown that RANKL/RANK are essential for hormone-driven mammary epithelial proliferation in pregnancy and RANKL/RANK have been implicated in mammary stem cell biology. Using genetic mouse-models, we and others identified the RANKL/RANK system as a key regulator of sex hormone, BRCA1-mutation, and oncogene-driven breast cancer and we proposed that RANKL/RANK might be involved in the initiation of breast tumors. We now report that in postmenopausal women without known genetic predisposition, high RANKL and progesterone serum levels stratify a subpopulation of women at high risk of developing breast cancer 12-24 months before diagnosis (5.33-fold risk, 95% CI 1.5-25.4; P=0.02). In women with established breast cancer, we demonstrate that RANKL/OPG ratios change dependent on the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Finally, we show in a prospective human breast cancer cohort that alterations in RANKL/OPG ratios are significantly associated with breast cancer manifestation. These data indicate that the RANKL/RANK/OPG system is deregulated in post-menopausal women at high risk for breast cancer and in women with circulating tumor cells. Thus, serum levels of RANKL/OPG are potentially indicative of predisposition and progression of breast cancer in humans. Advancement of our findings towards clinical application awaits prior validation in independent patient cohorts.
Canada faces environmental problems that threaten our stock of natural capital our endowment of natural resources such as water, forests, land, and atmosphere and the flow of goods and services that natural capital generates, known as ecosystem services. Much of the literature focuses on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, but many other challenges persist, including air and water pollution, risks from oil and gas extraction, water scarcity, flooding, loss of natural areas, threatened species, and toxic spills. While regulatory responses exist, their effectiveness is questionable with relatively little use of market-based instruments. We focus on the challenges associated with measuring and developing policy to sustain natural capital and ecosystem services. We highlight problems and identify policy options and big ideas that may help us both to improve our understanding of the linkages between natural capital, ecosystem services, and human well-being and to achieve a more sustainable future.
Monitoring cellular responses to changes in growth conditions and perturbation of targeted pathways is integral to the investigation of biological processes. However, manipulating cells and their environment during live-cell-imaging experiments still represents a major challenge. While the coupling of microfluidics with microscopy has emerged as a powerful solution to this problem, this approach remains severely underexploited. Indeed, most microdevices rely on the polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which strongly absorbs a variety of molecules commonly used in cell biology. This effect of the microsystems on the cellular environment hampers our capacity to accurately modulate the composition of the medium and the concentration of specific compounds within the microchips, with implications for the reliability of these experiments. To overcome this critical issue, we developed new PDMS-free microdevices dedicated to live-cell imaging that show no interference with small molecules. They also integrate a module for maintaining precise sample temperature both above and below ambient as well as for rapid temperature shifts. Importantly, changes in medium composition and temperature can be efficiently achieved within the chips while recording cell behaviour by microscopy. Compatible with different model systems, our platforms provide a versatile solution for the dynamic regulation of the cellular environment during live-cell imaging.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The a subunit of the heterotrimeric G stimulatory protein (Gsa), encoded by the guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha-stimulating gene (Gnas, in mice), is expressed ubiquitously and mediates receptor-stimulated production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and activation of the protein kinase A signaling pathway. We investigated the roles of Gsa in vivo in smooth muscle cells of mice. METHODS: We performed studies of mice with Cre recombinase-mediated disruption of Gnas in smooth muscle cells (GsaSMKO and SM22-CreERT2, induced in adult mice by tamoxifen). Intestinal tissues were collected for histologic, biochemical, molecular, cell biology, and physiology analyses. Intestinal function was assessed in mice using the whole-gut transit time test. We compared gene expression patterns of intestinal smooth muscle from mice with vs without disruption of Gnas. Biopsy specimens from ileum of patients with chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction and age-matched control biopsies were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Disruption of Gnas in smooth muscle of mice reduced intestinal motility and led to death within 4 weeks. Tamoxifen-induced disruption of Gnas in adult mice impaired contraction of intestinal smooth muscle and peristalsis. More than 80% of these died within 3 months of tamoxifen exposure, with features of intestinal pseudoobstruction characterized by chronic intestinal dilation and dysmotility. Gsa deficiency reduced intestinal levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and transcriptional activity of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein 1 (CREB1); this resulted in decreased expression of the forkhead box F1 gene (Foxf1) and protein, and contractile proteins, such as myosin heavy chain 11; actin, a2, smooth muscle, aorta; calponin 1; and myosin light chain kinase. We found decreased levels of Gsa, FOXF1, CREB1, and phosphorylated CREB1 proteins in intestinal muscle layers of patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, compared with tissues from controls. CONCLUSIONS: Gsa is required for intestinal smooth muscle contraction in mice, and its levels are reduced in ileum biopsies of patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Mice with disruption of Gnas might be used to study human chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
The evolution of Information Technology (IT) and the emergence of the Ambient Intelligence paradigm have drastically affected the way users live and learn. Ambient Intelligence is a vision of the future that offers great opportunities to enrich everyday activities (e.g., on the road, at home, at work, etc.) and has been proven to play an important role in education. In smart learning environments, learning activities are enhanced with the use of pervasive and mobile computing. This paper presents an extensible software infrastructure that empowers teachers to design and program purposeful and engaging learning activities for formal and informal learning environments, by combining and orchestrating cloud-based, ambient and pervasive facilities and services.
Weaknesses in the nature of rater judgments are generally considered to compromise the utility of workplace-based assessment (WBA). In order to gain insight into the underpinnings of rater behaviours, we investigated how raters form impressions of and make judgments on trainee performance. Using theoretical frameworks of social cognition and person perception, we explored raters' implicit performance theories, use of task-specific performance schemas and the formation of person schemas during WBA. We used think-aloud procedures and verbal protocol analysis to investigate schema-based processing by experienced (N = 18) and inexperienced (N = 16) raters (supervisor-raters in general practice residency training). Qualitative data analysis was used to explore schema content and usage. We quantitatively assessed rater idiosyncrasy in the use of performance schemas and we investigated effects of rater expertise on the use of (task-specific) performance schemas. Raters used different schemas in judging trainee performance. We developed a normative performance theory comprising seventeen inter-related performance dimensions. Levels of rater idiosyncrasy were substantial and unrelated to rater expertise. Experienced raters made significantly more use of task-specific performance schemas compared to inexperienced raters, suggesting more differentiated performance schemas in experienced raters. Most raters started to develop person schemas the moment they began to observe trainee performance. The findings further our understanding of processes underpinning judgment and decision making in WBA. Raters make and justify judgments based on personal theories and performance constructs. Raters' information processing seems to be affected by differences in rater expertise. The results of this study can help to improve rater training, the design of assessment instruments and decision making in WBA.
This paper presents the experience of Mercy Corps' Community Based Initiatives for Water Demand Management project, a five year project (2006-2011), in terms of community-based initiatives for water management. This project was designed to build the capacity of local community-based organizations (CBOs) to raise the awareness level around water demand management (WDM) and engage community members in water management measures. It showed how local solutions decrease the reliance on public water systems and ultimately help in facing the water shortage on a national level. This paper also showed that on-site rainwater harvesting Cisterns funded through this project have been able to harvest 88,335 m(3) annually. The paper found that rainwater harvesting at household level was able to save an average of 24% in potable water per year. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Total sixteen tacrine-curcumin hybrid compounds were designed and synthesized for the purpose of searching for multifunctional anti-Alzheimer agents. In vitro studies showed that these hybrid compounds showed good cholinesterase inhibitory activity. Particularly, the potency of K3-2 is even beyond tacrine. Some of the compounds exhibited different selectivity on acetylcholinesterase or butyrylcholinesterase due to the structural difference. Thus, the structure and activity relationship is summarized and further discussed based on molecular modeling studies. The ORAC and MTT assays indicated that the hybrid compounds possessed pronounced antioxidant activity and could effectively protect PC12 cells from the H2O2/A beta 42-induced toxicity. Moreover, the hybrid compounds also showed positive metal ions-chelating ability in vitro, suggesting a potential to halt ion-induced All aggregation. All the obtained results demonstrated that the tacrine-curcumin hybrid compounds, in particular compound K3-2, can be considered as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Liposomes are natural vesicles generally based on phosphatidylcholine (PC). The optimization of the lipid bilayer composition with the addition of little percentages of natural lipids is still at early stage due to the difficulties experienced by classical liposome formation processes, mainly, in reproducibility and encapsulation efficiency. Supercritical assisted liposome formation (SuperLip) has demonstrated that these limitations can be overcome. Therefore, in this work, this process has been tested to produce liposomes of controlled nanometric diameter and the effect of water solution flow rate on drug encapsulation efficiency was investigated. The addition of cholesterol (Chol) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was also studied to gain the control on the release rate of the drug entrapped in liposomes. Theophylline was selected as the model hydrophilic drug. Using SuperLip process, PC/Chol and PC/PE liposomes were successfully produced with nanometric mean diameters down to 200 nm. Optimization of both lipid composition and SuperLip operative parameters allowed to obtain theophylline encapsulation efficiencies up to 98%. Drug release kinetics were affected by liposome composition, in particular, the addiction of Chol and PE allowed to slow down theophylline release rate. These results confirmed the possibility of producing liposomes with a complex architecture of the lipid membrane using the SuperLip process. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The idea that undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) represents the early undifferentiated stage of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other well-defined SpA subtypes is well known. The gist of this study is to assess the rate estimate of patients with uSpA evolved to AS during long-term follow-up. Methods: A systematic search was implemented to identify pertinent articles. The primary outcome was the rate estimate that patients with uSpA fulfilling the diagnosis of AS according to the modified New York criteria during follow-up. The rate estimate and corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were pooled by the random-effects model in STATA 11.0 software. Meta-regression analyses were adopted to explore the sources of heterogeneity. The quality assessment was conducted by the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies and the Begg test and the Egger test were applied to assess publication bias. Results: Sixteen papers were finally included in this study after screening 1299 citations. The pooled rate of patients with uSpA progression to AS synthesized from the 16 papers was 0.323 (95% CI 0.257-0.389). Subgroup analysis based on the length of follow-up showed that the rate at the time-point of 5, 8, and 10 years follow-up was 0.220 (95% CI 0.110-0.330), 0.291 (95% CI 0.257-0.325), and 0.399 (95% CI 0.190-0.608), respectively; while the rate in Asia, Europe, and Latin America was 0.367 (95% CI 0.282-0.452), 0.228 (95% CI 0.066-0.390), and 0.269 (95% CI 0.209-0.329), respectively. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the length of follow-up alone accounts for 45.23% of the total heterogeneity. Nearly half of the papers scored fair quality and none publication bias was identified based on the Begg test and the Egger test. Further, line chart describes an obviously increased trend for the patients with uSpA fulfilling the diagnosis of AS over time. Conclusion: The progression rate of patients with uSpA evolved into AS was variable in different time-point, this variation can mostly be explained by the length of follow-up. Thus, more studies with similar time point of follow-up are needed to clarify the full spectrum of uSpA.
Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province is one of the largest port cities in China and has achieved high economic development during the past decades. The port construction, land reclamation, urban development and silt deposition in the Ningbo coastal zone have resulted in extensive coastline change. In this study, the spatio-temporal change of the Ningbo coastlines during 1976-2015 was detected and analysed using Landsat time-series images from different sensors, including Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Operational Land Imager (OLI). Fourteen individual scenes (covering seven phases) of cloud-free Landsat images within the required tidal range of +/- 63 cm were collected. The ZiYuan-3 (ZY-3) image of 2015 was used to extract the reference coastline for the accuracy assessment. The normalised difference water index (NDWI) and the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) were applied to discriminate surface water and land features, respectively. The on-screen digitising approach was then used to further refine the extracted time-series coastlines in the period from 1976 to 2015. Six relevant indices, length, length change, annual length change, fractal dimension (FD), average net shoreline movement (NSM) and average annual NSM, were calculated to analyse and explore the spatio-temporal change features of Ningbo coastlines. Results show that the length of the Ningbo coastlines increased from 910 km to 986 km, and the value of FD increased from 1.09 to 1.12, and the coastline morphology changed from sinuous to straight. The average NSM increased from 187 m to 298 m and the average annual NSM reached 85 m/year, indicating the advance of coastlines towards the sea at a high level. The spatio-temporal change patterns also varied in different areas. In Hangzhou Bay, significant advancement along the coastlines was experienced since 2001 mainly because of urban construction and land reclamation. In Xiangshan Bay, the forces of nature played a major role in coastline dynamics before 2008, whilst port construction, urban construction and island link projections moved the coastlines towards the sea. The coastline changes of Sanmen Bay were affected by the interaction of nature and human activities. All these observations indicate that forces of nature and human activities were the two important influential factors for the observed coastline change. In this case, the coastline complexity variation was considered responsible for various coastline patterns change of the Ningbo coast. In addition, erosion and accretion occurred in turn because of forces of nature and human activities, such as urban development and agricultural exploitation.
Previous research has already firmly established the negative relationship between intelligence and racial prejudice. Yet, so far, the role of self-perceived intelligence in explaining racial prejudice remains uninvestigated. The present study therefore compared the effects of intelligence test scores and self-perceived intelligence on racial prejudice using a Belgian community sample (N = 183). Our results revealed opposite relationships: whereas individuals who scored higher (vs. lower) on an intelligence test showed lower levels of racial prejudice, individuals who perceived themselves as being more intelligent compared, to others showed higher levels of racial prejudice. Additional mediation analyses showed that the negative relationship between actual intelligence and racial prejudice was mediated by essentialist thinking whereas the positive association between self-perceived intelligence and racial prejudice was mediated by Social Dominance Orientation. The present results indicate that being more intelligent is related with less racial prejudice, but judging that one is more intelligent than others is related with more racial prejudice. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Neural progenitor cells have a central role in the development and evolution of the vertebrate brain. During early brain development, neural progenitors first expand their numbers through repeated proliferative divisions and then begin to exhibit neurogenic divisions. The transparent and experimentally accessible optic tectum of Xenopus laevis is an excellent model system for the study of the cell biology of neurogenesis, but the precise spatial and temporal relationship between proliferative and neurogenic progenitors has not been explored in this system. Here we construct a spatial map of proliferative and neurogenic divisions through lineage tracing of individual progenitors and their progeny. We find a clear spatial separation of proliferative and neurogenic progenitors along the anterior-posterior axis of the optic tectum, with proliferative progenitors located more posteriorly and neurogenic progenitors located more anteriorly. Since individual progenitors are repositioned toward more anterior locations as they mature, this spatial separation likely reflects an increasing restriction in the proliferative potential of individual progenitors. We then examined whether the transition from proliferative to neurogenic behavior correlates with cellular properties that have previously been implicated in regulating neurogenesis onset. Our data reveal that the transition from proliferation to neurogenesis is associated with a small change in cleavage plane orientation and a more pronounced change in cell cycle kinetics in a manner reminiscent of observations from mammalian systems. Our findings highlight the potential to use the optic tectum of Xenopus laevis as an accessible system for the study of the cell biology of neurogenesis. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Purpose - The intention of this research paper is to shed light on the key factors influencing the human resource management (HRM) performance of first tier managers (FTMs), and the vital importance that a holistic strategic framework can have in this regard. Design/methodology/approach - The research paper uses an up-to-date historical approach and, additionally, draws on detailed case study evidence from an aerospace manufacturing/engineering company via manually and electronically analysed in-depth semi-structured interview and company documentation. Findings - The case study findings reveal that the FTM's HRM performance is greatly influenced by a group of four key factors, and their interrelationships. Research limitations/implications - The literature survey was mainly industry-specific (manufacturing), and the sample was restricted to one sector (aerospace), as well as one case study organisation. Furthermore, the views of FTMs' staff are not directly represented. Originality/value - The FTMs' HRM role shows no signs of abating, in addition, questions regarding their performance of this role have increasingly emerged. This has become more evident as organisations have continued to expand the FTMs' role by devolving greater HRM responsibilities to them, and their performance of the role demonstrates that many FTMs are ill equipped to perform their HRM duties to the required standard. However, the vital importance that a holistic strategic framework (which encompasses the four key factors influencing their performance) can have on their performance of this role is not acknowledged. The present research paper, gives an empirical example of a case study, and therefore provides a springboard to address the weakness in the literature.
Purpose of Review This review shows that a more or less constant rate of tip-to-base vessel widening across species, together with the assumption that wider vessels are more vulnerable to embolism, suggests how climate should limit maximum vegetation height; together, these two factors predict a maximum mean vessel diameter permitted by temperature and water availability at a site and thus maximum plant height. Recent Findings Empirical work makes it increasingly clear that the main driver of variation in mean vessel diameter is plant size, specifically the length of the conductive stream. Anatomical evidence, together with hydraulic optimality models, suggests that this vessel diameter-stem length relationship is the result of natural selection favoring the maintenance of constant hydraulic resistance over size increases. From their very narrow termini, vessels widen predictably from the stem tip to the base, following approximately a power law, i. e., with very rapid widening toward the tips and nearly constant diameter toward the base. This size dependence must be taken into account when studying the hydraulics-climate relationship. Summary This review discusses outstanding predictions that require testing, including the following: variation in the vessel diameter-stem length relationship should involve factors such as vessel length distributions, pit characteristics, leaf area, and wood density; leaves higher in trees should have higher terminal leaf vein-petiole base vessel widening rates; species without disposable units (e. g., columnar cacti) might have different widening rates; and within-plant widening rate should vary as plants approach their height limits. Finally, we emphasize the need to standardize for size in making comparisons of vessel diameter variation.
Although Small Hydropower Projects (SHPs) are encouraged as sources of clean and green energy, there is a paucity of research examining their socio-ecological impacts. We assessed the perceived socio-ecological impacts of 4 SHPs within the Western Ghats in India by conducting semi-structured interviews with local respondents. Primary interview data were sequentially validated with secondary data, and respondent perceptions were subsequently compared against the expected baseline of assured impacts. We evaluated the level of awareness about SHPs, their perceived socio-economic impacts, influence on resource access and impacts on human-elephant interactions. The general level of awareness about SHPs was low, and assurances of local electricity and employment generation remained largely unfulfilled. Additionally most respondents faced numerous unanticipated adverse impacts. We found a strong relationship between SHP construction and increasing levels of human-elephant conflict. Based on the disparity between assured and actual social impacts, we suggest that policies regarding SHPs be suitably revised.
Background: The assessment of affective temperaments has provided useful insights for the psychopathological understanding of affective disorders and for the conceptualization of bipolar spectrum disorders. The Temperament in Memphis Pisa and San Diego (TEMPS) instrument has been widely used in research, yet its psychometric properties and optimal factor structure are unclear. Methods: The PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE electronic databases were searched from inception until March 15th, 2016. Validation peer-reviewed studies of different versions of the TEMPS performed in adult samples were considered for inclusion. Results: Twenty-seven studies (N=20,787) met inclusion criteria. Several versions of the TEMPS have been validated in 14 languages across 15 countries. The 110-item self-reported version of the TEMPS has been the most studied version. Most studies (50%) supported a five factor solution although few studies performed confirmatory factor analyses. A five-factor solution has consistently been reported for the 39-item version of the TEMPS-A. Overall, evidence indicates that different versions of the TEMPS have adequate internal consistency reliability, while the TEMPS-A-110 version has acceptable test-retest reliability. The methodological quality of included studies varied. Limitations: A meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of settings and versions of the TEMPS utilized. Conclusions: Different versions of the TEMPS have been validated across different cultures. The short 39-item version of the TEMPS-A holds promise and merits further investigation. Culture-bound factors may influence the expression and/or assessment of affective temperaments with the TEMPS.
Estuary plumes on the western Louisiana continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, outside of constricted channels of the Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes were observed on two RADARSAT-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The in situ data showed a change in salinity of similar to 2-3 PSUs across the front on the northwest edge of the plume, corresponding to locations of vertical salinity variation of 5.5-7.5 PSU. Velocity magnitude outside of the inlet reached more than 2.3 ms(-1) seaward and a brackish lens in the upper 4.5 m of the water column, the spread of which contributed to the development of a plume. The volume of brackish water within the plume was estimated an order of magnitude larger than the volume output from the Calcasieu River within an entire ebb tidal period. This implies that the plume was formed during multiple tidal cycles and it sustained during the flood tides because only weak diurnal tides exist. Both satellite and in situ observations showed an interesting western intensification of the plume. An analysis to the momentum/vorticity equations suggests that the western intensification is due to the asymmetry of the vorticity-divergence relationship under the Coriolis force. This can also be enhanced by an ambient coastal current that strengthens the convergence at the front. Estuary plumes are shown as bright and dark features in two SAR images. Results from a radar model simulation and in situ water temperature data showed that the SAR observed plume features were dominated by the water temperature differences.
Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been in use since more than one century, when Leonard Noon experimentally proved its efficacy in hayfever (Noon, in Lancet 1: 1572-3, 1911). Since then, AIT was administered only as subcutaneous injections (SCIT) until the sublingual route (SLIT) was proposed in 1986. The use of SLIT was proposed following several surveys from the USA and UK that repeatedly reported fatalities due to SCIT (Lockey et al. in J Allergy Clin Immunol 75(1): 166, 1985; Lockey et al. in J Allergy Clin Immunol 660-77, 1985; Committee on the safety of medicines. CSM update. Desensitizing vaccines. Br Med J, 293: 948, 1986). These reports raised serious concerns about the safety and the risk/benefit ratio of AIT. Many cases of life-threatening events with SCIT were due to avoidable human errors in administration, but a relevant fraction of them remained unexplained and unpredictable (Aaronson and Gandhi in J Allergy Clin Immunol 113: 111721, 2014). Subsequently, in a few years, SLIT gained credibility and was included in the official documents and guidelines (Table 1) (Bousquet et al. in J Allergy Clin Immunol 108(5 Supp): S146-S150, 2001; Canonica et al. in Allergy 64 (Supp 91): 1-59, 2009) as a viable alternative to traditional SCIT. Of note, the local bronchial (aerosol) and the intranasal route of administration were attempted after the 1970s as alternatives to SCIT: the bronchial route was soon abandoned due to the poor efficacy and/or side effects, and the local nasal route, although effective and safe, was judged substantially impractical (Canonica and Passalacqua in J Allergy Clin Immunol 111: 437-48, 2003). In contrast to SCIT, SLIT was tested in very large clinical trials (need references), including hundreds of patients and with dose-ranging experimental designs, so that some products (tablets) for grass, mite, and ragweed were officially approved as commercial drugs by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency and the optimal content for the maintenance dose was identified for selected allergens. In parallel, the knowledge on the mechanisms of action of AIT was rapidly refined, leading to further improvements, such as the chemically modified extracts and the use of adjuvants to enhance efficacy and safety. In addition, in the last 10 years, there has been an increasing scientific and clinical interest in AIT applied to food allergies, in particular in children, with the use of orally administered extracts (Albin and Nowak-Wegrzyn in Immunol Allergy Clin North Am 35: 77-100, 2015). The results are so far encouraging, at least for cow's milk, egg, and peanut, although the use of treatment is still restricted to clinical trials or within specialized centers. Finally, the introduction of molecular-or component-resolved diagnosis has allowed detailing the prescription of AIT, by better delineating true sensitization versus cross-reactivity (Canonica et al. in World Allergy Organ J 6(1): 17, 2013). This latter point is also in strict relation to the use of recombinant, engineered or highly purified molecules, instead of raw extracts, for the desensitization process.
This paper explores some important characteristics of a system of linear equations containing parameters. Such a system of equations arises in many branches of engineering including electrical circuits, hydraulic networks and truss structures. A parametrized solution of a set of linear equations can be obtained by applying Cramer's rule. In many practically important cases the parameters appear with rank one dependency, resulting in parametrized solutions to be of a rational multilinear form, which will be monotonic in each parameter. This monotonic characteristic has practical importance in the analysis and design of linear systems with parameters having interval uncertainties. In particular, extremal values of system variables occur at the vertices of the parameter boxes.
Aim: Underfeeding is known to reduce resting energy expenditure (REE) as an energy-conserving mechanism and may also reduce insulin sensitivity. Uncoupling protein 1 is known to have a significant role in energy expenditure (EE) in small mammals, but the role of UCPs in humans is unclear. UCP3 is primarily expressed in human skeletal muscle, a significant site of whole-body EE in lean individuals and therefore has a potential role in human metabolism. Here, we examine the effects of short-term underfeeding on UCP3 skeletal muscle expression, and on whole-body insulin sensitivity, substrate utilization and thermogenesis. Methods: Eleven non-obese men [age 22.8 +/- 1.34 years, body mass index 23.4 +/- 0.71 kg/m(2), mean +/- s.e.m.]were fed for two periods of 6 days, an underfeeding diet (UF) (50% predicted requirements for weight maintenance) and an eucaloric diet (EU), with the same macronutrient composition, in random order. Subjects visited the laboratory on four separate occasions, before and after each dietary period. REE, metabolites and muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were taken and the thermogenic response to a hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp was measured over a 2-h period. UCP3 mRNA levels were measured using Taqman. Results: After underfeeding for 6 days, REE fell by 0.43 +/- 0.17 kJ/min (p = 0.032), with weight loss of 2.05 +/- 0.34 kg (p < 0.001). Baseline fasting glucose was significantly lower at 4.26 +/- 0.07 mmol/l (p = 0.005), with a corresponding fall in carbohydrate oxidation (0.08 +/- 0.03 g/min; p = 0.04). Fasting free fatty acids (FFA) increased by 0.13 +/- 0.03 mmol/l ( p < 0.001), with an increase in beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations of 0.41 +/- 0.07mM(p < 0.001) compared with post-EU. There was no significant change in UCP3 mRNA levels pre- and post-UF [10.4 +/- 6.8 arbitrary units (au); p = 0.16] compared with pre- and post-EU (3.2 +/- 7.3 au; p = 0.67). There was no thermogenic response to the clamp after 6 days of underfeeding and a significant reduction in glucose disposal rates (from 46.35 +/- 2.15 to 39.46 +/- 1.12 mmol/min/kg; p = 0.003). Carbohydrate oxidation rates were lower by 0.08 +/- 0.03 g/min (p = 0.011) compared with pre- UF, with no change in glucose storage rates (28.2 +/- 2.4 mmol/min/ kg pre- UF; 27.0 +/- 2.3 mmol/min/ kg post-UF; p = 0.7). EU resulted in a mildly underfed state with marginal weight loss (0.55 +/- 0.28 kg; p 0.08), and fasting FFA increased by 0.13 +/- 0.03 mmol/l ( p < 0.001) and b-hydroxybutyrate concentrations by 0.05 +/- 0.02mM(p = 0.03) compared with pre- EU. There was no change in glucose disposal or storage rates compared with pre- EU. Conclusions: Underfeeding for 6 days has no significant effect on UCP3 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle in non-obese men but is associated with changes in carbohydrate fuel partitioning, REE and the thermogenic response to the glucose clamp. Mild underfeeding had no effect on insulin sensitivity, but more severe energy restriction reduced insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation without affecting glucose storage.
This paper deals with a new product design framework for the optimal structural design applications. The proposed approach called hybrid charged system search (CSS) and Nelder-Mead algorithm (HCSSNM) offers significant improvements in performance over existing methods in the field of computer-aided design optimisation. The HCSSNM based on the CSS and Nelder-Mead algorithm is used for optimisation of a vehicle suspension arm which is critically important for the vehicle safety. As observed in the results, the HCSSNM can be used effectively to reduce the mass of the vehicle components while maintaining its fatigue durability.
Water shortage and pollution are serious challenges for many countries. Nanomaterials are promising new tools for water quality management due to unique physicochemical properties, high economic benefit, high removal efficiency and environmental friendliness. Here we describe four types of nanomaterials used for water treatment: nanofiltration membranes, photocatalytic nanomaterials, adsorption nanomaterials and reducing nanomaterials. We discuss their properties, applications and mechanisms for pollutant removal. We also review nanomaterials used for water quality monitoring, notably nanomaterials used for the detection of trace pollutants and pathogens. These nanomaterials include carbon nanotubes, magnetic nanoparticles, noble metal nanomaterials and quantum dots.
Categorizations of multiracial individuals provide insight into the psychological mechanisms driving social stratification, but few studies have explored the interplay of cognitive and motivational underpinnings of these categorizations. In the present study, we integrated research on racial essentialism (i.e., the belief that race demarcates unobservable and immutable properties) and negativity bias (i.e., the tendency to weigh negative entities more heavily than positive entities) to explain why people might exhibit biases in the categorization of multiracial individuals. As theorized, racial essentialism, both dispositional (Study 1) and experimentally induced (Study 2), led to the categorization of Black-White multiracial individuals as Black, but only among individuals evaluating Black people more negatively than White people. These findings demonstrate how fundamental cognitive and motivational biases interact to influence the categorization of multiracial individuals.
The proof of principle of an acquisition system of +/-50ppm repeatability, 10 V range, real-time delay less than 1.2 its is presented. The system will be integrated into the digital control loop of a high -voltage modulator under design at ETH Zurich and University of Laval for the new particle accelerator under study at CERN, the Compact LInear Collider (CLIC). Initial specifications are presented and translated into system requirements. Main design choices are discussed and Pspice simulation results are reported to prove that the proposed system meets the demanding requirements.
Product portfolio diversity is prominent for customers, but critical for manufacturers. From the manufacturers' perspective, diversity must be maintained at a level where engineering costs do not exceed the acquired advantages of increased market share. Therefore, in this paper we consider the problem of product portfolio planning to simultaneously maximise market share and minimise manufacturing engineering costs. Since this problem belongs to the NP-hard class of problems, exact algorithms are incapable of rendering an optimal solution. Therefore, we used metaheuristic-based simulated annealing to deal with the problem. Our proposed algorithm consists of two parts, i.e. a random search and a predetermined rule to generate the next possible neighbours (product portfolio). In order to have a robust algorithm, we calibrated different levels of our problem's parameters using the Taguchi method. This method picks the best levels of different parameters, conducting the least possible experiments. To evaluate the performance of our proposed algorithm, we compared it with a strong algorithm - the genetic algorithm. We used this comparison as the basis of our research. The obtained computational results clearly demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.
Burkholderia mallei and B. pseudomallei cause glanders and melioidosis, respectively, in humans and animals. A hallmark of pathogenesis is the formation of granulomas containing multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs) and cell death. These processes depend on type 6 secretion system 1 (T6SS-1), which is required for virulence in animals. We examined the cell biology of MNGC formation and cell death. We found that chloroquine diphosphate (CLQ), an antimalarial drug, inhibits Burkholderia growth, phagosomal escape, and subsequent MNGC formation. This depends on CLQ's ability to neutralize the acid pH because other alkalinizing compounds similarly inhibit escape and MNGC formation. CLQ inhibits bacterial virulence protein expression because T6SS-1 and some effectors of type 3 secretion system 3 (T3SS-3), which is also required for virulence, are expressed at acid pH. We show that acid pH upregulates the expression of Hcp1 of T6SS-1 and TssM, a protein coregulated with T6SS-1. Finally, we demonstrate that CLQ treatment of Burkholderia-infected Madagascar hissing cockroaches (HCs) increases their survival. This study highlights the multiple mechanisms by which CLQ inhibits growth and virulence and suggests that CLQ be further tested and considered, in conjunction with antibiotic use, for the treatment of diseases caused by Burkholderia.
The scarcity of fossil fuels is affecting the efficiency of established modes of cargo transport within the transportation industry. Efforts have been made to develop innovative modes of transport that can be adopted for economic and environmental friendly operating systems. Solid material, for instance, can be packed in rectangular containers (commonly known as capsules), which can then be transported in different concentrations very effectively using the fluid energy in pipelines. For economical and efficient design of such systems, both the local flow characteristics and the global performance parameters need to be carefully investigated. Published literature is severely limited in establishing the effects of local flow features on system characteristics of Hydraulic Capsule Pipelines (HCPs). The present study focuses on using a well validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool to numerically simulate the solid-liquid mixture flow in both on-shore and off-shore HCPs applications including bends. Discrete Phase Modelling (DPM) has been employed to calculate the velocity of the rectangular capsules. Numerical predictions have been used to develop novel semi-empirical prediction models for pressure drop in HCPs, which have then been embedded into a robust and user-friendly pipeline optimisation methodology based on Least-Cost Principle. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In order to improve the fault monitoring performance of grounding electrode lines in ultra-high voltage DC (UHVDC) transmission systems, a novel fault monitoring approach based on the high-frequency voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) is proposed in this paper. The VSWR is defined considering a lossless transmission line, and the characteristics of the VSWR under different conditions are analyzed. It is shown that the VSWR equals 1 when the terminal resistance completely matches the characteristic impedance of the line, and when a short circuit fault occurs on the grounding electrode line, the VSWR will be greater than 1. The VSWR will approach positive infinity under metallic earth fault conditions, whereas the VSWR in non-metallic earth faults will be smaller. Based on these analytical results, a fault supervision criterion is formulated. The effectiveness of the proposed VSWR-based fault supervision technique is verified with a typical UHVDC project established in Power Systems Computer Aided Design/Electromagnetic Transients including DC(PSCAD/EMTDC). Simulation results indicate that the proposed strategy can reliably identify the grounding electrode line fault and has strong anti-fault resistance capability.
Improving mainstream perceptions of diversity in Hong Kong is fundamental to enhancing equality and human rights in the society in the future. The importance of mainstream members of society learning to recognize diversity with less prejudice undergirds many of the aims of a recent educational reform, Liberal Studies. This paper evaluates the capacity of Liberal Studies to educate for multicultural understanding of cultural difference. Its primary data source is Liberal Studies textbooks, and it employs a qualitative content analysis to consider how diversity and ethnic, cultural, and religious differences are represented in the texts. The analysis is complemented by an examination of related resources teachers may use in the classroom (and are encouraged to use by the Hong Kong Curriculum Development Council): mainstream news articles and resources from the (government-provided) Web-based Resource Platform for Liberal Studies. The voices and views of some practicing teachers and pre-service teacher education students related to multicultural Liberal Studies resources are also included to provide a balanced picture. Based on this analysis, multicultural education as provided in major resources within the Liberal Studies curriculum appears inadequate. As diversity is reflected upon in resources analyzed here most often as problematic and stereotypical, interventions are needed if Liberal Studies is to enable multicultural appreciation and understanding among students in Hong Kong in the future.
This study presents numerical simulations of advective flow through a composite geomembrane geosynthetic clay liner (GMB-GCL). In the past, GCLs were considered homogeneous materials, but they actually consist of a special layered composite structure that combines two types of materials, geotextiles and bentonite, which are connected together by various processes. One could imagine that, when the GCL hydrates, the different water-retention properties of the geotextile and the bentonite affect the hydraulic behaviour of engineered systems, including GMB-GCL composite liners. To investigate this question, the advective flow through a composite liner modelled as a GCL and a damaged GMB was numerically simulated to evaluate how the hydraulic properties of the unsaturated geotextile and bentonite influences the temporal evolution of advective flow through composite liners. Results are compared with measured water-retention curves of geotextiles and bentonite. The simulation indicates that the reproduced flow rate is influenced by the desaturation of the geotextile that occurs as the bentonite hydrates. The reduction in flow rate is thus governed by the hydraulic conductivities of the geotextile and the bentonite, both of which vary with degree of saturation.
The combination of wind turbines with fuel cells (FC) and electrolyzers (ELY) is an option for balancing fluctuating grid power injections from renewable energy sources. The conversion of electricity to hydrogen via ELY is often called power to gas, while transforming hydrogen to electricity via FC is referred to as re-electrification. The application of these technologies currently faces high costs and finding a positive business case is challenging. This study quantifies the economic potential of marketing FC/ELY systems' flexibility. Their potential to reduce wind farm forecast errors as well as the system's ability to provide secondary control reserve (SCR) in Germany is investigated. For this purpose, data for the year 2013 is used. Different root mean squared errors and a probability density function (PDF) for forecast errors are considered. SCR dispatch power in high temporal resolution is approximated and different bidding strategies (SCR market) are taken into account. Results show that both applications can be economically viable, also when being combined. However, profitability is highly dependent on the system's configuration as well as its operating strategy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In thiswork, a molecular dynamics simulationmethodwas introduced to compute the preassembled system of molecular imprinted polymers for sulfamethoxazole monomer. The results revealed that the ratio of sulfamethoxazole as template molecule to 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as functional monomer to tetraethylorthosilicate as cross-linker of 10: 10: 40 led to themost stable template-functionalmonomer cluster. Based on the result of computational simulation, CdTe@SiO2 core-shell imprinted polymers, a cadmium telluride quantum dots layer on the surface of aminofunctionalized SiO2, were synthesized as the fluorescent sensor. Then, a series of measures were used to characterize the structure and morphology to get optimal sensors. The concentration range was 5.0-30.0 mu mol/L between molecular imprinted polymers at CdTe at SiO2, and sulfamethoxazole of the fluorescence intensity. To further verify the reliability and accuracy of the fluorescent sensor, the application was successfully by analyzing sulfamethoxazole in pure milk and lake water. The results showed the recoveries were above 96.89% with a relative standard deviation of 1.25-5.45%, and the fluorescence sensor with selective recognition provides an alternative solution for the determination of sulfamethoxazole.
Like the traditional machine learning, the multi-label learning is faced with the curse of dimensionality. Some feature selection algorithms have been proposed for multi-label learning, which either convert the multi-label feature selection problem into numerous single-label feature selection problems, or directly select features, from the multi-label data set. However, the former omit the label dependency, or produce too many new labels leading to learning with significant difficulties; the latter, taking the global label dependency into consideration, usually select a few redundant or irrelevant features, because actually not all labels depend on each other, which may confuse the algorithm and degrade its classification performance. To select a more relevant and compact feature subset as well as explore the label dependency, a granular feature selection method for multi-label learning is proposed with a maximal correlation minimal redundancy criterion based on mutual information. The maximal correlation minimal redundancy criterion makes sure that the selected feature subset contains the most class-discriminative information, while in the meantime exhibits the least intra-redundancy. Granulation can help explore the label dependency. We study the relation of the label granularity and the performance on four data sets, and compare the proposed method with other three multi-label feature selection methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can select compact and specific feature subsets, improve the classification performance and performs better than other three methods on the widely-used multi label learning evaluation criteria. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Soft mudstone dominates the rock mass at southwest Taiwan. Mudstone slakes significantly when it meets water due to a short diagenetic period and poor cementation. Gulleys are visible on the surface of mudstone slopes after rainfall. The low slaking durability resistance of the mudstone causes not only geographical badland but also erosion problems on the highway slopes in the mudstone area. An effective countermeasure for protecting the mudstone slope must contribute to a reduction in surface erosion; facilitate drainage from the slope surface during rainfall; and incorporate a high-strength structure to fight against swelling stress, preserve vegetation, and contribute to slope stabilization. In this study, a new slope erosion countermeasure, the soil-tyre-vegetation method (STV), was applied to an excavated mudstone slope in southwest Taiwan. STV utilizes waste tyres, H-beams, and geotextile. Waste tyres are good for preserving the soil for vegetation on mudstone slopes, mitigating slope erosion. The H-beams support the weight of the vegetation and the soil-filled tyres. The geotextile prevents the loss of fine-grain soil and guarantees drainage from the slope during heavy rainfall. The experimental results for a mudstone slope with a slope angle of 45A degrees showed that STV protected the mudstone slope and improved the condition of the vegetation on it.
Background: Most particulate matter (PM) and health studies in children with asthma use exposures averaged over the course of a day and do not take into account spatial/temporal variability that presumably occurs as children move from home, into transit and then school microenvironments. The objectives of this work were to identify increases in morning PM exposure occurring within home, transit and school microenvironments and determine their associations with asthma-related inflammation and rescue medication use. Methods: In 2007-2008, thirty Denver-area schoolchildren with asthma performed personal PM exposure monitoring using a real-time sensor integrated with a geographic information system (GIS) to apportion exposures to home, transit and school microenvironments. Concurrently, daily monitoring of the airway inflammatory biomarker urinary leukotriene E4 (uLTE(4)) and albuterol usage was performed. Results: Mean PM exposures each morning were relatively well correlated between microenvironments for subject samples (0.3 < r < 0.8), thus limiting use of this exposure metric to attribute health effects to PM exposure in specific microenvironments. Within-microenvironment increases in exposure, such as would be characterized by one or a series of transient spikes or a sustained increase in concentration (exposure event), however, were not strongly correlated between microenvironments (vertical bar r vertical bar= 5 mu g/m(3) exposure event during transit, they demonstrated a 24.0 % increase in uLTE(4) (95 % CI: 1.5 %, 51.5 %) and a 9.7 % (-5.9 %, 27.9 %) increase in albuterol usage compared to days without transit exposure events. Associations between exposure events and health outcomes in home and school microenvironments tended to be positive as well, but weaker than for transit. Conclusions: School children with asthma moving across morning microenvironments experience spatially heterogeneous PM exposures with potentially varying health effects.
In skimming flow on a stepped spillway, the upstream flow motion is nonaerated and a turbulent boundary layer develops until the outer edge of the boundary layer interacts with the free surface; that is, at the inception point of air entrainment. Herein, new experiments were performed in the developing flow region on a large 1V:1H stepped spillway model with step height h=0.10m. The flow properties in the developing flow region were carefully documented. In the developing boundary layer, the velocity distributions followed a 1/4.5th power law at the step edges. Detailed velocity and pressure measurements showed some rapid flow redistribution between step edges and above step cavities. The application of the momentum integral equation indicated an average friction factor of 0.18, which is close to the observed air-water-flow friction factor of 0.23, suggesting that the spatially averaged dimensionless shear stress was comparable in the developing flow and fully aerated flow regions.
We study geometric and topological properties of the image of a smooth submanifold of under a bi-Lipschitz map to . In particular, we characterize how the dimension, diameter, volume, and reach of the embedded manifold relate to the original. Our main result establishes a lower bound on the reach of the embedded manifold in the case where and the bi-Lipschitz map is linear. We discuss implications of this work in signal processing and machine learning, where bi-Lipschitz maps on low-dimensional manifolds have been constructed using randomized linear operators.
A survey of adolescents (N = 1,646) documented third-person perception regarding media depictions of dating/relationship violence. It also contributes to the growing literature documenting optimistic bias as a strong predictor of third-person perception and draws from the optimistic bias literature considering new variables including self-esteem, self-efficacy, and experience with violence.
Advanced biomedical instruments and data acquisition techniques generate large amount of physiological data. For accurate diagnosis of related pathology, it has become necessary to develop new methods for analyzing and understanding this data. Clinical decision support systems are designed to provide real time guidance to healthcare experts. These are evolving as an alternate strategy to increase the exactness of diagnostic testing. Generalization ability of these systems is governed by the characteristics of dataset used during its development. It is observed that sub pathologies have a much varied ratio of occurrence in the population, making the dataset extremely imbalanced. This problem can be resolved at both levels i.e. at data level as well as algorithmic level. This work proposes a synthetic sampling technique to balance dataset along with Modified Particle Swarm Optimization (M-PSO) technique. A comparative study of multiclass support vector machine (SVM) classifier optimization algorithm based on grid selection (GSVM), hybrid feature selection (SVMFS), genetic algorithm (GA) and M-PSO is presented in this work. Empirical analysis of five machine learning algorithms demonstrate that M-PSO statistically outperforms the others. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Human prosociality has been traditionally explained in the social sciences in terms of internalized social norms. Recent neuroscientific studies extended this traditional view of human prosociality by providing evidence that prosocial choices in economic games require cognitive control of the impulsive pursuit of self-interest. However, this view is challenged by an intuitive prosociality view emphasizing the spontaneous and heuristic basis of prosocial choices in economic games. We assessed the brain structure of 411 players of an ultimatum game (UG) and a dictator game (DG) and measured the strategic reasoning ability of 386. According to the reflective norm-enforcement view of prosociality, only those capable of strategically controlling their selfish impulses give a fair share in the UG, but cognitive control capability should not affect behavior in the DG. Conversely, we support the intuitive prosociality view by showing for the first time, to our knowledge, that strategic reasoning and cortical thickness of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were not related to giving in the UG but were negatively related to giving in the DG. This implies that the uncontrolled choice in the DG is prosocial rather than selfish, and those who have a thicker dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and are capable of strategic reasoning (goal-directed use of the theory of mind) control this intuitive drive for prosociality as a means to maximize reward when there are no future implications of choices.
The Long Island Sound Watersheds (LISW) are experiencing significant land use/cover change (LUCC), which affects the environment and ecosystems in the watersheds through water pollution, carbon emissions, and loss of wildlife. LUCC modeling is an important approach to understanding what has happened in the landscape and what may change in the future. Moreover, prospective modeling can provide sustainable and efficient decision support for land planning and environmental management. This paper modeled the LUCCs between 1996, 2001 and 2006 in the LISW in the New England region, which experienced an increase in developed area and a decrease of forest. The low-density development pattern played an important role in the loss of forest and the expansion of urban areas. The key driving forces were distance to developed areas, distance to roads, and social-economic drivers, such as nighttime light intensity and population density. In addition, this paper compared and evaluated two integrated LUCC models-the logistic regression-Markov chain model and the multi-layer perception-Markov chain (MLP-MC) model. Both models achieved high accuracy in prediction, but the MLP-MC model performed slightly better. Finally, a land use map for 2026 was predicted by using the MLP-MC model, and it indicates the continued loss of forest and increase of developed area.
Recording growth stage information is an important aspect of precision agriculture, crop breeding and phenotyping. In practice, crop growth stage is still primarily monitored by-eye, which is not only laborious and time-consuming, but also subjective and error-prone. The application of computer vision on digital images offers a high-throughput and non-invasive alternative to manual observations and its use in agriculture and high-throughput phenotyping is increasing. This paper presents an automated method to detect wheat heading and flowering stages, which uses the application of computer vision on digital images. The bag-of-visual-word technique is used to identify the growth stage during heading and flowering within digital images. Scale invariant feature transformation feature extraction technique is used for lower level feature extraction; subsequently, local linear constraint coding and spatial pyramid matching are developed in the mid-level representation stage. At the end, support vector machine classification is used to train and test the data samples. The method outperformed existing algorithms, having yielded 95.24, 97.79, 99.59% at early, medium and late stages of heading, respectively and 85.45% accuracy for flowering detection. The results also illustrate that the proposed method is robust enough to handle complex environmental changes (illumination, occlusion). Although the proposed method is applied only on identifying growth stage in wheat, there is potential for application to other crops and categorization concepts, such as disease classification.
In this paper I criticize theory-biased and overly individualist approaches to understanding others and introduce the PAIR account of joint attention as a pragmatic, affectively charged intentional relation. I argue that this relation obtains in virtue of intentional contents in the minds of the co-attenders, and - against the received understanding of intentional states as propositional attitudes - that we should recognize what I call 'subject mode' and 'position mode' intentional content. Based on findings from developmental psychology, I propose that this subject mode content represents the co-attenders as co-subjects, who are like them and who are at least disposed to act jointly with them. I conclude by arguing that in joint attention we experience and understand affective, actional and perceptual relations at a non-conceptual level prior to the differentiation of mind and body.
Specific leaf area (SLA), which is defined as the leaf area per unit of dry leaf mass is an important component when assessing functional diversity and plays a key role in ecosystem modeling, linking plant carbon and water cycles as well as quantifying plant physiological processes. However, studies of SLA variation across relevant spatial and temporal scales are lacking. While remote sensing is a fast and efficient approach to quantify vegetation parameters, there are insufficient studies estimating SLA from remotely sensed data. This article aims at finding efficient hyperspectral indices for fast and accurate estimation of SLA from leaf and canopy spectral measurements. Validation of our results with data measured at leaf and canopy scale as well as with experimental datasets simulated using PROSPECT (at leaf level) and INFORM (at canopy level) revealed SLA was predicted accurately by several indices, such as simple ratio and normalized index types. Most of the bands sensitive to SLA selected using these indices were in the 1300-1800 nm spectral region. At leaf level, a ratio index at bands1370 nm, 1615 nm performed strongly (R-2 = 0.93 and RMSE = 13.66 cm(2)/g) during cross-validation. The multiband indices with 920 nm, 1675 nm, 1335 nm and 1345 nm, 1675 nm, 1850 nm central wavelengths were also among the top performing indices, with R-2 >0.90 for both measured and simulated leaf level data. At canopy level, the soil adjusted ratio vegetation index (with a band setting of 1537 nm, 1543 nm) showed that the hyperspectral data from HySpex airborne imagery accurately estimated SLA (R-2 = 0.88 and RMSE = 13.30 cm(2)/g). Generally at canopy level the potential indices for accurate retrieval of SLA from HySpex imagery were two-band indices with soil line information. The discrepancy observed in the performance and band combinations of vegetation indices at leaf and canopy scales can be explained by external factors such as canopy structure, soil background, illumination and sensor configuration which affect the signal when moving from leaf to canopy level. Our findings suggest the availability and suitability of a wide range of existing vegetation indices for assessing SLA accurately and rapidly from remotely sensed data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: The use of the Internet for seekers of health-related information provides convenience and accessibility to diverse sources (of variable quality) for many medical conditions. There is a suggestion that patients may find empowerment by engaging with Internet health care strategies and communities. The profile of consumers of online health information on knee pain has not been explored. Objective: Our objective was to identify the characteristics and motivations of online health information-seekers accessing the online health community, KNEEguru (KG). The study was designed to obtain the respondents' sociodemographic profile, together with their main reasons and motivations for joining such a community, their health information-seeking behavior, the extent of their knee problems, and their general Internet usage. Methods: We undertook an online questionnaire survey, offered to users of the KG website from June to July 2012. A mix of open and closed questions was used to facilitate inductive enquiry. Quantitative responses were analyzed using univariate analysis; qualitative thematic analysis of the open responses was completed and a conceptual model was developed. Results: One-hundred and fifty-two respondents took part (11.56% response rate, 152/1315), with a mean age of 40.1 years. Of this cohort, 61.2% were female, 68.4% were in domestic partnerships, 57.2% were employed, 75.0% had higher education qualifications, and 80.3% were of white/Caucasian ethnicity. Females were associated with joining KG in order to get emotional support from other users (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.04 - 4.27, P=.04). Respondents' self-perception of health was associated with reported quality of life (OR 10.86, 95% CI 3.85 - 30.43, P<.001). Facebook users were associated with joining KG to share experiences (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.04 - 5.56, P=.03). Post-surgery respondents were associated with joining KG to compare symptoms with other users (OR 7.31, 95% CI 2.06 - 39.82, P<.001). Three key themes were induced: condition, emotion and support. Respondents expressed distress and frustration at uncertainty of prognosis around various knee conditions, with some users preferring to initially observe rather than engage. Conversely, a strong desire to inform and support other community members was stated with reciprocation of ideas and experiences. KG was conceptualized as a filter that takes an individual's condition and emotional response to that condition as basis for support; this filter facilitated validation as the outcome of engagement. Conclusions: This study, in line with wider literature, suggests that users of an online knee-specific community are typically female, middle-aged, white/Caucasian, married, employed, and have attained a level of higher education. These users demonstrate a pragmatic approach to health care information with altruistic motivations and a desire to share experiences as a means of validation. This finding emphasizes a means of promoting efficient and appropriate online health care, and demonstrates the benefits of the Internet as a viable complement to clinical engagement.
Introduction: Polysubstance use disorder is prevalent in treatment-seeking patients with substance use disorder (SUD), with a higher risk of developing comorbid psychiatric symptoms, more pervasive deficits in cognitive functions, and inferior treatment results. The present study investigates if individuals with polysubstance use disorder who achieve at least one year of abstinence show greater improvements in satisfaction with life, executive functions, and psychological distress, compared to relapsers and controls. The prospective recovery from polysubstance use disorder assessed with broad output indicators remains understudied. A better understanding of the pattern of recovery of the chosen output indicators could shed light on the recovery process for this group of patients. Material and methods: We investigated changes in satisfaction with life, executive functions and psychological distress over a period of 12 months in patients who remained abstinent and in those who relapsed. Subjects with polysubstance use disorder (N = 115) were recruited from outpatient and residential treatment facilities; healthy controls (N = 34) were recruited by posters exhibited at social welfare and GP offices. Executive functions were assessed by the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult self-report version (BRIEF A), psychological distress by the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and satisfaction with life by the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Substance use was assessed by self-reports on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT). Participants were categorized as relapsers if they had AUDIT score >= 8 or DUDIT score >= 2 for women and >= 6 for men. Results: Results indicated that the abstinent group had the greatest improvement on all the indicators compared with relapsers and controls. Participants who successfully quit substance use for one year showed improved satisfaction with life, executive functions, and psychological distress compared to participants who relapsed and controls. Conclusions: Our study provides support for the view that there is a clinically and statistically significant recovery of satisfaction with life, executive functions, and psychological distress for SUD patients following one-year of abstinence. This knowledge highlights the importance of time and continued abstinence. Our findings suggest that a gradual and careful step-up of learning requirement should be adopted, and SUD treatment should initially focus on stabilizing the patient and achieving abstinence, while interventions for co-morbid problems and more cognitively demanding treatment components are more likely to succeed later in the treatment sequence. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Improving the accuracy of phenotyping through the use of advanced psychometric tools will increase the power to find significant associations with genetic variants and expand the range of possible hypotheses that can be tested on a genome-wide scale. Multivariate methods, such as structural equation modeling (SEM), are valuable in the phenotypic analysis of psychiatric and substance use phenotypes, but these methods have not been integrated into standard genome-wide association analyses because fitting a SEM at each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) along the genome was hitherto considered to be too computationally demanding. By developing a method that can efficiently fit SEMs, it is possible to expand the set of models that can be tested. This is particularly necessary in psychiatric and behavioral genetics, where the statistical methods are often handicapped by phenotypes with large components of stochastic variance. Due to the enormous amount of data that genome-wide scans produce, the statistical methods used to analyze the data are relatively elementary and do not directly correspond with the rich theoretical development, and lack the potential to test more complex hypotheses about the measurement of, and interaction between, comorbid traits. In this paper, we present a method to test the association of a SNP with multiple phenotypes or a latent construct on a genome-wide basis using a diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) estimator for four common SEMs: a one-factor model, a one-factor residuals model, a two-factor model, and a latent growth model. We demonstrate that the DWLS parameters and p-values strongly correspond with the more traditional full information maximum likelihood parameters and p-values. We also present the timing of simulations and power analyses and a comparison with and existing multivariate GWAS software package.
Developments of ambient assistance systems and energy consumption optimization in home environments are one of the main goals of ambient intelligent systems. In this work we propose a wearable standalone solution, which combines the assistance task and the energy optimization task. For this purpose we develop a real-time mobile sound-based device and activity recognizer that senses the audible part of the environment to support its owner during his daily tasks and to help him optimize them in terms of resource consumption.
Nowadays manufacturers are forced to shift from their traditional product-manufacturing paradigm to the goods-services continuum by providing integrated combination of products and services. The adoption of service-based strategies is the natural consequence of the higher pressure that these companies are facing in the global markets especially due to the presence of competitors which operate in low wage region. By betting on services, or more specifically, on servitization manufacturing companies are moving up the value chain in order to move the competition from costs to sophistication and innovation. The proliferation of new emerging technologies and paradigms together with a wider dissemination of information technology (IT) can significantly improve the capability of manufacturing companies to infuse services in their own products. The authors present a knowledge-based and data-driven platform that can support the design and development of Product Extended by Services (PESs) solutions.
Autophagy is an essential degradation pathway in clearing abnormal protein aggregates in mammalian cells and is responsible for protein homeostasis and neuronal health. Several studies have shown that autophagy deficits occurred in early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Autophagy plays an important role in generation and metabolism of beta-amyloid (A beta), assembling of tau and thus its malfunction may lead to the progress of AD. By considering the above evidences, autophagy may be a new target in developing drugs for AD. So far, a number of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-dependent and independent autophagy modulators have been identified to have positive effects in AD treatment. In this review, we summarized the latest progress supporting the role for autophagy deficits in AD and the potential therapeutic effects of autophagy modulators in AD.
While we are working or living in severe environment, the internal pressure changes of functional garments, the resistance from clothing and the thermal insulation for individual will lead obviously changes of our workload, heart rate and metabolic rate. Working in extreme circumstances and dressing pressure garments make workload increased significantly which limit people's ability to accomplish the tasks and reducing the efficiency of activity. This paper mainly report the study on relationship between different upper limb workloads and metabolic rate when subjects were dressing, undressed or with pressures. Specially, we focus on the relationship between heart rate and metabolic rate in clothes. The main conclusions of this paper is: Wearing different garments the correspondence between heart rate and metabolic rate are far from the same. And Liquid Cooling Garment (LCG) is the most effective garment for human metabolism among the clothes in this research. The pressures inside clothes increased workload, as well as the metabolic rate.
Employment, demographic, cultural, and legal changes in Europe over the past 40 years have brought unprecedented numbers of minority groups into organisations at all levels, and research suggests that most workplaces are likely to become even more diverse in the future. While much attention has been paid to negative experiences of minorities in the workplace, it also has the potential to be an important site of prejudice reduction. In response, drawing on original quantitative and qualitative data, this article explores the encounters of socially different groups in the workplace. It demonstrates that workplaces can promote meaningful encounters. However, cases of positive encounter with difference were often discussed at the level of the individual, with reference to specific people and friendships, rather than towards the minority group to which the individual belonged. As such, these positive encounters were often superficial with underlying tensions still existing between different groups in the workplace.
Protein homeostasis (proteostasis) requires the timely degradation of misfolded proteins and their aggregates by protein quality control (PQC), of which molecular chaperones are an essential component. Compared with other cell types, PQC in neurons is particularly challenging because they have a unique cellular structure with long extensions. Making it worse, neurons are postmitotic, i. e., cannot dilute toxic substances by division, and, thus, are highly sensitive to misfolded proteins, especially as they age. Failure in PQC is often associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's disease (HD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and prion disease. In fact, many neurodegenerative diseases are considered to be protein misfolding disorders. To prevent the accumulation of disease-causing aggregates, neurons utilize a repertoire of chaperones that recognize misfolded proteins through exposed hydrophobic surfaces and assist their refolding. If such an effort fails, chaperones can facilitate the degradation of terminally misfolded proteins through either the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system (UPS) or the autophagy-lysosome system (hereafter autophagy). If soluble, the substrates associated with chaperones, such as Hsp70, are ubiquitinated by Ub ligases and degraded through the proteasome complex. Some misfolded proteins carrying the KFERQ motif are recognized by the chaperone Hsc70 and delivered to the lysosomal lumen through a process called, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). Aggregation-prone misfolded proteins that remain unprocessed are directed to macroautophagy in which cargoes are collected by adaptors, such as p62/SQSTM-1/Sequestosome-1, and delivered to the autophagosome for lysosomal degradation. The aggregates that have survived all these refolding/degradative processes can still be directly dissolved, i. e., disaggregated by chaperones. Studies have shown that molecular chaperones alleviate the pathogenic symptoms by neurodegeneration-causing protein aggregates. Chaperone-inducing drugs and anti-aggregation drugs are actively exploited for beneficial effects on symptoms of disease. Here, we discuss how chaperones protectmisfolded proteins from aggregation andmediate the degradation of terminallymisfolded proteins in collaboration with cellular degradative machinery. The topics also include therapeutic approaches to improve the expression and turnover of molecular chaperones and to develop anti-aggregation drugs.
In this paper, we propose a non-cooperative differential game theory based resource allocation approach for the network security risk assessment. For the risk assessment, the resource will be used for risk assess, including response cost and response negative cost. The whole assessment process is considered as a differential game for optimal resource control. The proposed scheme can be obtained through the Nash Equilibrium. It is proved that the game theory based algorithm is applicable and the optimal resource level can be achieved based on the proposed algorithm.
To evaluate aquatic macrophyte species, an indicator organism of heavy-metal pollution in bio-monitoring studies of the aquatic ecosystem is studied. The aim of this study is determining some heavy-metal (Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, and Cd) accumulation of aquatic plants in the lower Sakarya river basin which is located in northwestern Turkey. This study is performed by collecting aquatic plants from the research area (Poyrazlar Lake, Taskisigi Lake, Sapanca Lake, and Acarlar Longoz) between December 2012 and 2013. After the solution process of the plants is performed, Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, and Cd amounts are determined by ICP-OES device. The determination of seven elements in the samples was performed by ICP-OES. The experimental results comply with the reported values in the literature. According to the analysis, heavy-metal concentration of the plants in the Sakarya river basin is between the range of Cu 2.0 +/- 0.1-30.0 +/- 0.8 mu g/g, Mn 2.3 +/- 0.2-12.5 +/- 0.8 mu g/ g, Ni 0-2.5 +/- 0.3 mu g/g, and Zn 12 +/- 0.2-800 +/- 0.8 mu g/g. Pb, Cr, and Cd amounts could be detected. Regional accumulations are interpreted by identifying pollution maps for each metal.
Prior research suggests that religiosity, especially public religious participation, is related to greater volunteerism. However, less is known about religious transmission across the life course, in particular whether and how religiosity in childhood is linked to later life volunteerism. This study investigates a sample of emerging adults in South Texas (n = 701) with a high percent of Hispanic Americans (53 percent). Specifically, we examine pathways of childhood and emerging adulthood religiosity leading to secular volunteerism. Findings indicate that both childhood and emerging adulthood religiosity are associated with greater volunteerism, but the effects of childhood religiosity on emerging adulthood volunteerism are mediated through emerging adulthood religiosity. These findings provide further confirmation of the importance of childhood religiosity only insofar as religiousness persists into adulthood. In other words, we find that it is emerging adulthood religiosity that transmits childhood religiosity into greater secular volunteerism in later life. Furthermore, emerging adulthood public religiosity has the most robust direct effects on volunteerism.
Indisulam is a new anticancer drug with a unique mechanism of action, arresting the cell cycle at the G1/S transition. The major excretory pathway of indisulam is via the urine, accounting for 63% of the radioactive dose ([C-14]indisulam) administered in a human mass balance study. Radiochromatographic profiling of urine samples resulted in the detection of several radioactive peaks. The purpose of the present investigation was to elucidate the chemical structures of these observed indisulam metabolites. We collected fractions after chromatographic separation of the urine samples. These fractions were analysed using tandem mass spectrometry. We propose the chemical structure of 15 indisulam metabolites in urine. The metabolism of indisulam is very complex, consisting of oxidative dechlorination, hydroxylation, hydrolysis, acetylation, sulphation and glucuronidation. The clinical relevance of the observed indisulam metabolites needs further investigation.
The current paper establishes criteria for the existence of principal eigenvalues of time periodic cooperative linear nonlocal dispersal systems with Dirichlet type, Neumann type or periodic type boundary conditions. It is shown that such a nonlocal dispersal system has a principal eigenvalue in the following cases: the nonlocal dispersal distance is sufficiently small; the spatial inhomogeneity satisfies a so-called vanishing condition; or the spatial inhomogeneity is nearly globally homogeneous. Moreover, it is shown that the principal eigenvalue of a time periodic cooperative linear nonlocal dispersal system (if it exists) is algebraically simple. A linear nonlocal dispersal system may not have a principal eigenvalue. The results established in the current paper extend those in literature for time independent or periodic nonlocal dispersal equations to time periodic cooperative nonlocal dispersal systems and will serve as a basic tool for the study of cooperative nonlinear systems with nonlocal dispersal.
Bedside teaching encounters (BTEs) involve doctor-patient-student interactions, providing opportunities for students to learn with, from and about patients. How the differing concerns of patient care and student education are balanced in situ remains largely unknown and undefined. This video ethnographic study explores patient involvement during a largely student-centric activity: 'feedback sequences' where students learn clinical and practical skills. Drawing on a data subset from a multi-site study, we used Conversation Analysis to investigate verbal and non-verbal interactional practices to examine patients' inclusion and exclusion from teaching activities across 25 BTEs in General Practice and General Surgery and Medicine with 50 participants. Through analysis, we identified two representations of the patient: the patient embodied (where patients are actively involved) and the patient as-a-body (when they are used primarily as a prop for learning). Overall, patients were excluded more during physical examination than talk-based activities. Exclusion occurred through physical positioning of doctor-patient-student, and through doctors and students talking about, rather than to, patients using medical jargon and online commentaries. Patients' exclusion was visibly noticeable through eye gaze: patients' middle-distance gaze coincided with medical terminology or complex wording. Inclusory activities maintained the patient embodied during teaching activities through doctors' skilful embedding of teaching within their care: including vocalising clinical reasoning processes through students, providing patients with a 'warrant to listen', allocating turns-at-talk for them and eye-contact. This study uniquely demonstrates the visible nature patient exclusion, providing firm evidence of how this affects patient empowerment and engagement within educational activities for tomorrow's doctors.
The function of the robot living together converges on the problem of communication. We focus on nonverbal communication and relationship between service robots and human. We show nonverbal communication experiments of robot to build relationship between human. We described some ideal fiction robots to live with. We got experience such as; Relationship based on touch communication is managed three elements, appearance, motion and predictable behavior. As the result, these elements are based on embodiment. Human touches robot after feeling safe and natural motion. Motivation to build relationship with robots is decided above three elements in physically but appearance and motion are important. Evaluation of relationship is complicated because relationship grows up depending on spending time and motivation to relate. These experiences were shown by life sized humanoid robot and robot arm in exhibition. Based on these results, evaluation method to understand relationship between robot and human are considered in near future robot development.
Back ground : The ventral tegmental area (VTA), containingmesolimbic andmesocortical dopaminergic neurons, is implicated in processes involving reward, addiction, reinforcement, and learning, which are associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. Electrical stimulation of the VTA or the medial forebrain bundle and its projection target the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is reported to improve depressive symptoms in patients affected by severe, treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) and depressive-like symptoms in animal models of depression. Here we sought to determine the neuromodulatory effects of VTA deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a normal large animal model (swine) by combining neurochemical measurements with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods : Animals (n= 8 swine) were implanted with a unilateral DBS electrode targeting the VTA. During stimulation (130 Hz frequency, 0.25 ms pulse width, and 3 V amplitude), fMRI was performed. Following fMRI, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in combination with carbon fiber microelectrodes was performed to quantify VTA-DBS-evoked dopamine release in the ipsilateral NAc. In a subset of swine, the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) percent change evoked by stimulation was performed at increasing voltages (1, 2, and 3 V). Results : A significant increase in VTA-DBS-evoked BOLD signal was found in the following regions: the ipsilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate, insula, premotor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and striatum. A decrease in the BOLD signal was also observed in the contralateral parahippocampal cortex, dorsolateral and anterior prefrontal cortex, insula, inferior temporal gyrus, and primary somatosensory cortex (Bonferroni-corrected < 0.001). During neurochemical measurements, stimulation time-locked changes in dopamine release were recorded in the NAc, confirming that mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons were stimulated by DBS. In the parametric study, BOLD signal changes were positively correlated with stimulation amplitude. Conclusions : In this study, the modulation of the neural circuitry associated with VTA-DBS was characterized in a large animal. Our findings suggest that VTA-DBS could affect the activity of neural systems and brain regions implicated in reward, mood regulation, and in the pathophysiology of MDD. In addition, we showed that a combination of fMRI and electrochemically-based neurochemical detection platform is an effective investigative tool for elucidating the circuitry involved in VTA-DBS.
Knowledge representation plays a very important role for designing knowledge base systems as well as intelligent systems. Nowadays, there are many effective methods for representing such as: semantic network, rule-base systems, computational network. Computational Objects Knowledge Base (COKB) can be used to represent the total knowledge and design the knowledge base of systems. In fact, a popular form of knowledge domain is knowledge about operations and computational relations, especially computational knowledge domain, such as: Linear Algebra, Analytic Geometry. However, COKB model and the other models have not solved yet some problems about operators: specification of operator, properties of operator, reducing an expression. In this paper, we will present a reducing model of COKB. This model, called Ops-model, represents knowledge about operators between objects and solve some problems related to these operators. Through that, the algorithms for designing inference engine of model have been built up. Moreover, Ops-model has been applied to specify a part of knowledge domain about Direct Current (DC) Electrical Circuits and construct a program for solving some problems on this knowledge domain.
Physically based multispectral image simulation consists of sensor system modeling, bottom-of-atmosphere (BOA) image generation, and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) image calculation. TOA radiance images are usually generated using a lookup table (LUT) for computational efficiency, which is calculated by means of atmospheric radiative transfer codes with different combination of input variables, including viewing zenith, solar zenith, and relative azimuth angles; visibility; columnar water vapor; and ground elevation. In this paper, a new strategy is proposed for TOA radiance image simulation, where transmitted surface radiance and atmospheric radiance at the TOA are calculated, respectively, to improve accuracy as well as efficiency. The transmitted surface radiance image is obtained from pixel-by-pixel calculation of BOA radiance and path transmittance. In calculating the atmospheric radiance of TOA, two LUTs are built for the emitted and the scattered radiance from each atmospheric layer, respectively. The effects of visibility and columnar water vapor on the atmospheric radiance are characterized by means of an equivalent path transmittance, which is related to the scene geometry as well as the thickness of atmospheric layer. In this way, when a new scene is simulated, except for three variables, i.e., viewing and solar zenith angles and atmospheric layer number, other parameters are set as constants in building the LUTs, enabling more combinations of input variables without adding excessive computational burden. Multispectral images in different bands with moderate spatial resolution are simulated and compared with the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) images to demonstrate the accuracy and the usefulness of the proposed strategy.
To study climate-related aspects of power system operation with large volumes of wind generation, data with sufficiently wide temporal and spatial scope are required. The relative youth of the Wind industry means that long-term data from real systems are not available. Here, a detailed aggregated Wind power generation model is developed for the Republic of Ireland using MERRA reanalysis wind speed data and verified against measured wind production data for the period 2001-2014. The model is most successful in representing aggregate power output in the middle years of this period, after the total installed capacity had reached around 500 MW. Variability on scales of greater than 6 h is captured Well by the model; one additional higher resolution wind dataset was found to improve the representation of higher frequency variability. Finally, the model is used to hindcast hypothetical aggregate wind production over the 34-year period 1980-2013, based on existing installed wind capacity. A relationship is found between several of the production characteristics, including capacity factor, ramping and persistence, and two large-scale atmospheric patterns the North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Atlantic Pattern. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This work presents a novel approach for decisionmaking for multi-objective binary classification problems. The purpose of the decision process is to select within a set of Pareto-optimal solutions, one model that minimizes the structural risk (generalization error). This new approach utilizes a kind of prior knowledge that, if available, allows the selection of a model that better represents the problem in question. Prior knowledge about the imprecisions of the collected data enables the identification of the region of equivalent solutions within the set of Pareto-optimal solutions. Results for binary classification problems with sets of synthetic and real data indicate equal or better performance in terms of decision efficiency compared to similar approaches.
Internet gamblers have more problems gambling than land-based gamblers, but recent studies showed that Internet gamblers are involved in a higher number of gambling activities, which may confound the relationship between Internet gambling and gambling problems. The present study aimed to test whether the relationship between Internet gambling and gambling problems persisted when including variables related to gambling involvement as predictors, namely time spent gambling and diversity of gambling formats. Data from a large sample of French adolescents (n = 9910) were used. Associations between disordered gambling/money spent gambling with Internet gambling were performed using generalized linear models, not controlling and controlling for diversity of gambling formats and time spent gambling. The results showed that Internet gamblers had significantly more problems than land based gamblers. The relationship decreased when diversity of gambling formats and time spent gambling were controlled separately, and became non-significant when they were both included in the model. To conclude, time spent gambling and diversity of gambling formats rather than Internet gambling should be considered a detrimental gambling behavior. They seemed to capture different aspects of gambling patterns. This study was a step forward in changing the conceptual model of problem gambling, with gambling involvement as a main variable. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This work deals with the surface modification of 316LVM stainless steel by Si+ ion implantation and the in vitro study of its effect on the short-term corrosion behaviour and ion release. In order to achieve a high Si content close to the surface, the experimental set up was designed with different implantation doses, acceleration voltages and angles of incidence. Corrosion tests were carried out by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). A special feature of this paper is the evaluation of the EIS data obtained through a critical analysis of the existing equivalent electrical circuits, in order to establish adequate parameters and scientific criteria to propose a classification of the corrosion response of the investigated surfaces. It has been demonstrated that doses of Si+ ion implantation equal to 2.5 x 10(16) ion/cm(2) and an acceleration voltages of 50 keV enhanced the corrosion protection. In contrast, higher ion-implantation dose (1 x 10(17) ion/cm(2)) and acceleration voltage (80 keV) produced worse results, probably due to the development of strain induced alpha'-martensite. The quantity of relevant ions (Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni and Si) released to the medium was determined by an optimized Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) method. It has been shown that a better corrosion resistance is accompanied by a reduction in the amount of ions released. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Dehydrogenase/reductase SDR family member 7 (DHRS7, SDR34C1, retSDR4) is one of the many endoplasmic reticulum bound members of the SDR superfamily. Preliminary results indicate its potential significance in human metabolism. DHRS7 containing TEV-cleavable His(10) and FLAG-tag expressed in the Sf9 cell line was solubilised, purified, and reconstituted into liposomes to enable the improved characterisation of this enzyme in the future. Igepal CA-630 was determined to be the best detergent for the solubilisation process. The solubilised DHRS7 was purified using affinity chromatography, and the purified enzyme was subjected to TEV cleavage of the affinity tags and then repurified using subtractive Ni-IMAC. The cleaved and uncleaved versions of DHRS7 were successfully reconstituted into liposomes. In addition, using tobacco specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) as the substrate, the cleaved liposomal DHRS7 was found to be inactive, whereas the pure and uncleaved liposomal DHRS7 were confirmed as enzymes, which reduce carbonyl group of the substrates. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Nowadays many organizations experience security incidents due to unauthorized access to information. To reduce the risk of such incidents, security policies are often employed to regulate access to information. Such policies, however, are often too restrictive, and users do not have the rights necessary to perform assigned duties. As a consequence, access control mechanisms are perceived by users as a barrier and thus bypassed, making the system insecure. In this paper, we draw a bridge between the social concept of conviviality and access control. Conviviality has been introduced as a social science concept for ambient intelligence and multi-agent systems to highlight soft qualitative requirements like user-friendliness of systems. To bridge the gap between conviviality and security, we propose a methodological framework for updating and adapting access control policies based on conviviality recommendations. Our methodology integrates and extends existing techniques to assist system designers in the derivation of access control policies from socio-technical requirements of the system, while taking into account the conviviality of the system. We illustrate our framework using the Ambient Assisted Living use case from the HotCity of Luxembourg.
In this paper, I use data from the General Social Survey, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics, and other sources to consider differences in attitudes about punishment among four groups Black men, Black women, White men, and White women as well as how these differences vary according to county crime rates. Centering my expectations about group-specific attitudes within conflict theory and prior empirical findings, I am guided by the presumption that race and gender are cultural categories that shape attitudes about punishment by influencing our interactions with the criminal justice system, and that the meaning of these cultural categories varies by context. Analyses provide some evidence that race, gender, and context interact to shape attitudes about punishment. Overall, this research improves our understanding of group differences in punitive attitudes and of the cultural context in which the US system of incarceration operates. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the design and experimental evaluation of discrete time sliding mode controller using multirate output feedback to minimize structural vibration of a cantilever beam using shape memory alloy wires as control actuators and piezoceramics as sensor and disturbance actuator. Linear dynamic models of the smart cantilever beam are obtained using online recursive least square parameter estimation. A digital control system that consists of Simulink (TM) modeling software and dSPACE DS1104 controller board is used for identification and control. The effectiveness of the controller is shown through simulation and experimentation by exciting the structure at resonance.
This experimental and analytical study investigates the double-averaged (DA) turbulent flow characteristics within an array of large gravel obstacles found atop a porous gravel bed. Analysis of the experimental data reveals that the DA streamwise velocity preserves the logarithmic law above the form-induced sublayer, while a linear law and a third-degree polynomial function apply within the form-induced and interfacial sublayers, respectively. The form-induced shear stress is 70% of the DA Reynolds shear stress (RSS) occurring at the virtual bed level. The DA turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) components, streamwise and vertical, attain their peak values at the obstacle crest level, while they diminish sharply below the virtual bed level. The fluxes of the TKE streamwise and vertical components, however, change their signs slightly below the crest level, indicating a changeover of the dominance of the bursting events. For the TKE budget, the TKE production, diffusion, and pressure energy diffusion rate terms attain their peak values at the crest level, while the TKE dissipation rate has its peak value at the virtual bed level. Third-order moments of velocity fluctuations follow the linear relationship, and their signs change slightly below the crest level. The quadrant analysis suggests that the sweep events are the governing mechanism at the near-bed flow region, while the ejection events become predominant with an increase in vertical distance. The quadrant plots of the form-induced velocity components display a pseudo-elliptical scatter within the interfacial sublayer and a small circular cluster above the form-induced sublayer.
This study adopts rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) into a stormwater runoff management model (SWMM) for the spatial design of capacities and quantities of rain barrel for urban flood mitigation. A simulation-optimization model is proposed for effectively identifying the optimal design. First of all, we particularly classified the characteristic zonal subregions for spatial design by using fuzzy C-means clustering with the investigated data of urban roof, land use and drainage system. In the simulation method, a series of regular spatial arrangements specification are designed by using statistical quartiles analysis for rooftop area and rainfall frequency analysis; accordingly, the corresponding reduced flooding circumstances can be simulated by SWMM. Moreover, the most effective solution for the simulation method is identified from the calculated net benefit, which is equivalent to the subtraction of the facility cost from the decreased inundation loss. It serves as the initially identified solution for the optimization model. In the optimization method, backpropagation neural network (BPNN) are first applied for developing a water level simulation model of urban drainage systems to substitute for SWMM to conform to newly considered interdisciplinary multi-objective optimization model, and a tabu search-based algorithm is used with the embedded BPNN-based SWMM to optimize the planning solution. The developed method is applied to the Zhong-He District, Taiwan. Results demonstrate that the application of tabu search and the BPNN-based simulation model into the optimization model can effectively, accurately and fast search optimal design considering economic net benefit. Furthermore, the optimized spatial rain barrel design could reduce 72% of inundation losses according to the simulated flood events.
The paper presents the application of a knowledge based software architecture (KBSA) scheme which has been developed and implemented in order to be used as a tool in the electrical machines design industrial process. The proposed scheme's layers are introduced, considering several impact factors from many points of view (i.e. technical, material, algorithmic, economic etc), as well as their interference. It is evident that the specific engineering design problem poses inherent demand for a knowledge representation framework that could support the entire life cycle: requirements, specification, coding, as well as the software process itself. In this context, the work continues by presenting design results of the implemented KBSA for a certain type of permanent magnet motor currently under research in electric vehicle industry, for an in-wheel electric vehicle (EV) application. The KBSA employs evolutionary algorithms for the systematic optimization and the results reveal the effectiveness of the aforementioned procedure followed.
Understanding the energy demand of cities is a challenge especially in countries such as Brazil where the lack of building energy consumption benchmarks makes it hard to decide upon interventions in the building stock, as neither the existing nor the attainable energy performance are known. Aiming to overcome these difficulties this study develops a framework to estimate the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) baseline of an existing building stock category based on the investigation of land use regulations, a land tax database and field surveys. These offer a starting point to estimate current energy consumption and promising interventions without having to study specific buildings in depth. A case study of the high-rise commercial building stock took place in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Three representative typologies were identified. For each of these, archetype energy models were created in order to assess EUI. The analysis of the EUI baselines highlights differences between archetypes, explaining the impact of technical choices on the overall electricity consumption and indicating a growing tendency of energy consumption for forthcoming buildings. The archetype analysis also provides knowledge to identify the most promising energy savings potential and thus to support further energy policies in the city. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of inflammation-based cancers and is occurred due to growth and spread of cancer cells in colon and/or rectum. Previously genetic association of cell cycle genes, both proto-oncogenes and the tumor suppressors has been proved. But there were few studies about association of immune related genes such as killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). Thus we intend to perform a meta-analysis to find the association of different genes of KIR and susceptibility to be affected by colorectal cancer. The overall population of the four studies investigated in ourmeta-analysis was 953 individuals (470 individuals with colorectal cancer and 483 individuals in control groups). After the analyses, we concluded that colorectal cancer is affected by KIR2DS5 and also there were no protecting gene. This result shows the inflammatory basis of this cancer. In other words, in contrast to leukemia and blood cancers, colorectal cancers seem to be affected by hyper activity of natural killer-cells (NKs). Whys and therefore of this paradox, is suggested to be investigated further. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
For a long distance water transfer system, guaranteeing the safety of water transferred in a long open canal is a challenge. Potential pollution sources and locations are identified first. Bridges above the canal are considered as the typical location where pollution accidents could happen. Truck responses, road conditions, and human responses are the main factors resulting in sudden pollution accidents. A Bayesian Network model is developed to calculate the risk of water pollution and evaluate the effects of pollutants in water. The key causes (human judgment, truck condition) were determined to calculate the unfavorable accidental risk. Six types of hydraulic structures were included in this canal reach. MIKE 11, a one-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model, was used to simulate the fluid field and pollutants transportation process. The water quality situations of cyanide at four pollution loads (0.5 t, 5 t, 10 t, 20 t) were simulated. Emergent countermeasures and measures, including the management of diversion and check gate, have been proposed according to the calculate result. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This review explicates the past, present and future of theory and research concerning audience perceptions of the media as well as the effects that perceptions of media have on audiences. Before the sections that examine media perceptions and media effects perceptions, we first identify various psychological concepts and processes involved in generating media-related perceptions. In the first section, we analyze two types of media perceptions: media trust/credibility perceptions and bias perceptions, focusing on research on the Hostile Media Perception. In both cases, we address the potential consequences of these perceptions. In the second section, we assess theory and research on perceptions of media effects (often referred to as Presumed Influence) and their consequences (referred to as the Influence of Presumed Influence). As examples of Presumed Influence, we evaluate the literature on the Persuasive Press Inference and the Third-Person Perception. The bodies of research on media perceptions and media effects perceptions have been featured prominently in the top journals of the field of mass communication over the past 20 years. Here we bring them together in one synthetic theoretical review.
This naturalistic study examined differences in students' motivations for elective versus required service-learning (SL) classes. Students in two successive academic years' cohorts were surveyed by the SL center at a large Midwestern university. Analyses compared classes differing in requirements for community-based service. Students required to participate in community service as part of a class within a program required for admission to a university were less likely to: want to be involved in future community work; enroll in another SL class; and recommend their class, compared to other groups of students, including others from classes in which SL was required as part of the program in which students were enrolled. These findings suggest that students' motivations to participate in community-engaged activities are not shaped simply by whether or not community engagement is required in SL classes, but also by other factors including how the engagement opportunity is contextualized.
Introduction: The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (hereafter: Eyes Test) is considered an advanced task of the Theory of Mind aimed at assessing the performance of the participant in perspective-takingthat is, the ability to sense or understand other people's cognitive and emotional states. In this study, the item response theory analysis was applied to the adult version of the Eyes Test.Methods: The Italian version of the Eyes Test was administered to 200 undergraduate students of both genders (males=46%). Modified parallel analysis (MPA) was used to test unidimensionality. Marginal maximum likelihood estimation was used to fit the 1-, 2-, and 3-parameter logistic (PL) model to the data. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) due to gender was explored with five independent methods.Results: MPA provided evidence in favour of unidimensionality. The Rasch model (1-PL) was superior to the other two models in explaining participants' responses to the Eyes Test. There was no robust evidence of gender-related DIF in the Eyes Test, although some differences may exist for some items as a reflection of real differences by group.Conclusions: The study results support a one-factor model of the Eyes Test. Performance on the Eyes Test is defined by the participant's ability in perspective-taking. Researchers should cease using arbitrarily selected subscores in assessing the performance of participants to the Eyes Test. Lack of gender-related DIF favours the use of the Eyes Test in the investigation of gender differences concerning empathy and social cognition.
This paper reports the effectiveness of proposed expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam cellular reinforcement with fly ash as filling material overlying a soft clay bed through small-scale laboratory model tests. The test beds were subjected to uniformly distributed load by means of a rigid steel plate. Loads with corresponding settlement were measured during the testing. EPS geofoam cellular reinforcement of densities 15, 20, 22, and 30 kg/m(3) were prepared in the form of a mattress with three different heights of 50, 75, and 100 mm. The effects of density of EPS geofoam, height of cellular reinforcement, and the planar jute geotextile layer at the base of cellular reinforcement were tested through a series of tests to systematically study the overall performance of the system in terms of load carrying capacity and settlement behavior. Test results indicated that the provision of EPS geofoam cellular reinforcement in fly ash bed significantly improved load carrying capacity above the clay bed. The load carrying capacity decreased with increasing density of EPS geofoam and increased with increase in height of cellular reinforcement. A layer of jute geotextile placed at the base of cellular reinforcement further enhanced load carrying capacity for less height of cellular reinforcement. However, the effect of planer reinforcement was decreased with the increase in height of cellular reinforcement.
Potential human health risk from waterborne diseases arising from unsatisfactory performance of on-site wastewater treatment systems is driven by landscape factors such as topography, soil characteristics, depth to water table, drainage characteristics and the presence of surface water bodies. These factors are present as random variables which are spatially distributed across a region. A methodological framework is presented that can be applied to model and evaluate the influence of various factors on waterborne disease potential. This framework is informed by spatial data and expert knowledge. For prediction at unsampled sites, interpolation methods were used to derive a spatially smoothed surface of disease potential which takes into account the uncertainty due to spatial variation at any pre-determined level of significance. This surface was constructed by accounting for the influence of multiple variables which appear to contribute to disease potential. The framework developed in this work strengthens the understanding of the characteristics of disease potential and provides predictions of this potential across a region. The study outcomes presented constitutes an innovative approach to environmental monitoring and management in the face of data paucity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Although stereotypes have traditionally been regarded as stable, research has documented their considerable malleability. One potential source of such malleability is intrusion into the stereotype of other concepts also activated when the stereotype is activated. In three experiments we assessed the extent to which stereotypes were influenced by stereotypic, stereotype-unrelated, or counter-stereotypic traits activated in a completely unrelated context immediately prior to stereotype measurement. Across experiments, priming of stereotype-unrelated traits increased their inclusion in the stereotype, whereas priming of counter-stereotypic traits had no effect in the subsequently assessed stereotype. In Experiment 3 we collected perceived dispersion measures and showed that although priming counter-stereotypic traits had no effect on overall characterization of the target group, it boosted perceptions of the group's variability. We accounted for these results by extending Higgins' (1989) Synapse Model of knowledge accessibility to the stereotype domain. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The article describes some of the features of the servo amplifier, developed in the NRU MPEI for use in multi-axis high-precision materials processing. Simplified structure of servo amplifier and some of the key components of servo drive digital control system are presented. Two ways of multi-axes control are compared: using the RS-232 interface and digital inputs/outputs, and using the CANopen standard based digital CAN protocol. The benefits of multi-axis control with the CANopen protocol are high-speed exchanges, reliability of data transmission, standardization and simple communication topology.
Extensively employed in reproductive science, the term fetal-maternal interface describes how maternal and fetal tissues interact in the womb to produce the transient placenta, purporting a theory of pregnancy where mother', fetus', and placenta' are already-separate entities. However, considerable scientific evidence supports a different theory, which is also elaborated in feminist and new materialist literatures. Informed by interviews with placenta scientists as well as secondary sources on placental immunology and the developmental origins of health and disease, I explore evidence not of interfacing during pregnancy, but of intra-action, or the mutual emergence of entities in simultaneous practices of differentiation and connection. I argue that attending to evidence that can be figured as intra-action enables us to recognize, account for, and attend to diffuse responsibilities for fetal-maternal outcomes that extend beyond mothers to the biosocial milieus of pregnancy. In reimaging the intra-action of placentas, a new understanding of what constitutes a healthy pregnancy' becomes possible.
The article describes the development of fundamentals of machine elements and assemblies design processes automation using artificial intelligence, and descriptions of structural elements' features in a natural language. Realization of those processes is in conditions of uncertainty and with non-repeatable processes. The aim of the research is to develop the basis for new design processes of higher level of automation, and object approach to problems and application of voice communication between the design engineer and data processing systems. In the proposed interactive automated design systems, computational artificial intelligence methods allow communication by speech and handwriting, resulting in analyses of design engineer's messages, analyses of constructions, encoding and assessments of constructions, CAD system controlling and visualizations. The system is equipped with several adaptive intelligent layers for human biometric identification, recognition of speech and handwriting, recognition of words, analyses and recognition of messages, enabling interpretation of messages, and assessments of human reactions.
The assessment of the impact of climate change depends not only on quantitative changes in precipitation but also system characteristics that can be changed and enhanced. This study investigated the effect of building the shared network of a rainwater harvesting system as an adaptation to climate change scenarios. The performance of a rain barrel network under three climate change scenarios and three global circulation models (GCM) is examined. A sample community composed of four prospective users with individual storage is tested with various forms of shared connections. Most importantly, the results show that the benefit from shared rain barrels greatly increases under the climate change conditions compared with the historical rainfall data. Especially, for high reliabilities, the results indicate that the benefit of a rain barrel network increases under future climate change scenarios, whereas it does not show apparent improvement for low reliabilities. However, the performance of a rain barrel network is highly dependent on location and climate change scenarios. In contrast, the GCM does not considerably affect the performance of the shared network. The results of this study highlight the needs to establish sharing networks of rainwater harvesting systems under the climate change conditions, which would significantly increase the benefit of the entire community. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Geotextiles have been widely used in the reinforced retaining wall, but it is not easy to measure the deformation of the wall during and after construction. To assess the deformation stability of the reinforced retaining wall, an optical fiber sensor was used in geotextile. Based on the measurement accuracy of strain for the sensor geotextile, an actual geotextile-reinforced retaining wall was studied using the fiber sensor geotextile. The experimental results were compared with the results from a numerical procedure, which employs the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion and an initial stress method and determines the plastic displacement at collapse represented by the distribution of yield elements. The comparison shows that the numerical results have a good agreement with the corresponding measurement values. The result shows the possibility that the procedure gives the realistic evaluation of long-term deformation of reinforced retaining wall.
Across two studies, we found evidence supporting a positive feedback loop between positive activities, kindness and well-being. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to one of four distinct positive activities (versus a neutral writing activity) before spending three weeks engaging in kind acts. We found that the positive activities served as triggers - that is, they predicted greater prosocial effort, which in turn predicted greater well-being immediately following the intervention and at a two-week follow-up. In Study 2, we explored the specific effects of a gratitude trigger, and extended the intervention period to six weeks. Although, we did not replicate the direct effect of the gratitude trigger on prosocial effort, people who wrote gratitude letters (versus writing about their week) reported relatively greater elevation, which predicted greater prosocial effort during the six weeks. In turn, replicating Study 1, greater effort predicted higher well-being immediately following the study.
Two-dimensional numerical simulations are used to study the coupled fluid-structure-electric interaction of a simple model of an inverted piezoelectric flag, and to investigate the dynamics of the flow-structure interaction of this configuration as well as its energy harvesting performance. In particular, the dynamic response of the inverted flag as well as the associated flow patterns are examined for a range of inertia, bending stiffness and Reynolds numbers, and categorized into distinct vibrational states based on the symmetry of the motion as well as the amplitude. Simulations indicate that large-amplitude vibrations can be achieved over a large range of parameters and there is also evidence of lock-on between the flag flutter and the intrinsic wake shedding phenomenon. The initial inclination of the flag to the prevailing flow is found to significantly affect the flutter performance for inclination angles exceeding 15 degrees. The state with large symmetric flutter is identified as being most promising for energy harvesting, and the effect of piezoelectric material parameters on the energy harvesting performance of this flutter state is examined in detail. The maximum energy efficiency of the flags is found to be approximately 7 %, and the maximum occurs when there is a match between the time scales of flutter and the intrinsic time scale of the piezoelectric circuit. The simulations are used to examine a simple scaling law that could be used to predict the energy harvesting performance of such devices.
Purpose of review To present up to date evidence on the pathogenicity of low-density lipoprotein receptor ( LDLR) variants and to propose a strategy that is suitable for implementation in the clinical work-up of familial hypercholesterolaemia. Recent findings More than 1800 variants have been described in the LDLR gene of patients with a clinical diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia; however, less than 15% have functional evidence of pathogenicity. Summary The spectrum of variants in the LDLR identified in patients with clinical familial hypercholesterolaemia is increasing as novel variants are still being reported. However, over 50% of all LDLR variants need further evidence before they can be confirmed as mutations causing disease. Even with applying the recent American College of Medical Genetics variant classification, a large number of variants are still considered variants of unknown significance. Before obtaining an undisputable confirmation of the effect on the expression and activity of the LDLR, reporting these variants as part of a clinical diagnosis to the patient holds the risk that it might need to be withdrawn in a later stage. An investment should be made to develop functional assays to characterize LDLR variants of unknown significance for a better patient diagnosis and to prevent confusion in the physician's office.
Systems-on-a-Chip are among the best-performing and complete solutions for complex electronic systems. This is also true in the field of network security, an application requiring high performance with low resource usage. This work presents an Advanced Encryption Standard implementation for Systems-on-a- Chip using as a reference the Cipher Block Chaining mode. In particular, a flexible interface based and the Advanced Peripheral Bus to integrate the encryption algorithm with any kind of processor is presented. The hardware-software approach of the architecture is also analyzed and described. The final system was integrated on a Xilinx Zynq 7000 to prototype and evaluate the idea. Results show that our solution demonstrates good performance and flexibility with low resource usage, occupying less than 2% of the Zynq 7000 with a throughput of 320 Mbps. The architecture is suitable when implementations of symmetric encryption algorithms for modern Systems-on-a-Chip are required.
Heat shock transcription factor I (HSF1) regulates heat shock proteins (HSPs), which assist in protein folding and inhibit protein denaturation following stress. HSFI was firstly cloned from orange-spotted grouper and exists as two isoforms, one with (osgHSF1a) and one without (osgHSF1b) exon 11. Heat exposure increased the expression of osgHSFlb while cold exposure increased that of osgHSFla. Both isoforms were mainly expressed in the brains, eyes, and fins. Expression of osgHSF1b was higher than osgHSFla during development. Poly I:C and LPS could also induce osgHSF1 isoforms expression differentially. Exposure to nervous necrosis virus (NNV) increased the level of both osgHSF1 isoforms at 12 h. GF-1 cells with overexpression of osgHSF1 isoforms enhanced viral loads within 24 h, whereas both pharmacological inhibition and RNA interference of HSF1 reduced virus infection. This study shows that osgHSF1 can support the early stage of virus infection and provides a new insight into the molecular regulation of osgHSF1 between the influence of temperatures and immunity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A frequency-domain approach to the design of digital feedback controls for SISO systems is presented. The noise gain is minimized, subject to a phase margin constraint. The controller is expressed as a repeated-pole expansion, which reduces the optimization to a quadratic problem and a linear system of equations. PID+filter controls are produced as a limiting case.
Background: IgG to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal) are highly abundant natural antibodies (Ab) in humans. alpha-Gal-specific IgE Ab cause a special form of meat allergy characterized by severe systemic reactions 3-7 h after consumption of red meat. We investigated 20 patients who experienced such reactions and characterized their alpha-gal-specific IgE and IgG responses in more detail. Methods: alpha-Gal-specific IgE was determined by ImmunoCAP. IgE reactivity to meat extract and bovine gamma globulin (BGG) was assessed by immunoblotting and ELISA, respectively. In some experiments, sera were pre-incubated with alpha-gal or protein G to deplete IgG Ab. alpha-Gal-specific IgG(1-4) Ab in individuals with and without meat allergy were assessed by ELISA. Results: In immunoblots, BGG was the most frequently recognized meat protein. Binding of IgE and IgG to BGG was confirmed by ELISA and completely abolished after pre-incubation with alpha-gal. Neither the depletion of autologous alpha-gal-specific IgG Ab nor the addition of alpha-gal-specific IgG Ab from nonallergic individuals changed the IgE recognition of BGG of meat-allergic patients. Meat-allergic patients showed significantly higher alpha-gal-specific IgG1 and IgG3 Ab than nonallergic individuals, whereas the latter showed significantly higher levels of alpha-gal-specific IgG4 Ab. Conclusion: Patients with delayed meat allergy display IgE and IgG Ab that selectively recognize the alpha-gal epitope on BGG. Their enhanced alpha-gal-specific IgE levels are accompanied by high levels of alpha-gal-specific IgG1 devoid of IgE-blocking activity. This subclass distribution is atypical for food allergies and distinct from natural alpha-gal IgG responses in nonallergic individuals.
We have developed a new method for the efficient numerical simulation of colloidal suspensions. This method is designed and especially well-suited for parallel code execution, but it can also be applied to single-core programs. It combines the Stokesian Dynamics method with a variant of the widely used Barnes-Hut algorithm in order to reduce computational costs. This combination and the inherent parallelization of the method make simulations of large numbers of particles within days possible. The level of accuracy can be determined by the user and is limited by the truncation of the used multipole expansion. Compared to the original Stokesian Dynamics method the complexity can be reduced from 0(N2) to linear complexity for dilute suspensions of strongly clustered particles, N being the number of particles. In case of non-clustered particles in a dense suspension, the complexity depends on the particle configuration and is between O(N) and O(Pn(p, max)(2)), where P is the number of used processes and n(p, max) = inverted right perpendicularN/Pinverted left perpendicular, respectively. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
GPS radio occultation can estimate ionospheric electron density and total electron content (TEC) with high spatial resolution, e.g., China's recent Fengyun-3C GPS radio occultation. However, high-order ionospheric delays are normally ignored. In this paper, the high-order ionospheric effects on electron density estimation from the Fengyun-3C GPS radio occultation data are estimated and investigated using the NeQuick2 ionosphere model and the IGRF12 (International Geomagnetic Reference Field, 12th generation) geomagnetic model. Results show that the high-order ionospheric delays have large effects on electron density estimation with up to 800 el cm(-3), which should be corrected in high-precision ionospheric density estimation and applications. The second-order ionospheric effects are more significant, particularly at 250-300 km, while third-order ionospheric effects are much smaller. Furthermore, the high-order ionospheric effects are related to the location, the local time, the radio occultation azimuth and the solar activity. The large high-order ionospheric effects are found in the low-latitude area and in the daytime as well as during strong solar activities. The second-order ionospheric effects have a maximum positive value when the radio occultation azimuth is around 0-20 degrees, and a maximum negative value when the radio occultation azimuth is around -180 to -160 degrees. Moreover, the geomagnetic storm also affects the high-order ionospheric delay, which should be carefully corrected.
Several grams of labelled trans linoleic and linolenic acids with high chemical and isomeric purities (>97%) have been prepared for human metabolism studies. A total of 12.5 g of (9Z,12E)-[1-C-13]-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid and 6.3 g of (9Z,12Z,15E)-[1-C-13]-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid were obtained in, respectively: seven steps (7.8% overall yield) and 11 steps (7% overall yield) from 7-bromo-heptan-1-ol. The trans bromo precursors used for the labelling were synthesised by using copper-catalysed couplings. The trans fatty acids were then obtained via the nitrile derivatives. A total of 23.5 g of (9Z,12Z)-[1-C-13]-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid and 10.4 g of (9Z,12Z,15Z)-[1-C-13]-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid were prepared in five steps in, respectively, 32 and 18% overall yield. Large quantities of bromo and chloro precursors were synthesised from the commercially available acid according to Barton's procedure. In all cases, the main impurities ( >0.5%) of each labelled fatty acid have been characterised. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Although the system reliability theory has a high capability in quality quantification, while system reliability optimization (SRO) has been well developed in manufacturing engineering, seldom can their applications be found in the construction industry. This study aims to develop a system reliability theory based multiple-objective optimization model to conduct SRO, and then identify the cost-quality trade-off solution for construction projects. First the whole construction project is treated as a system composed of different work packages. Second, the reliability function is employed to quantify the quality performance and the nonlinear cost-reliability function is set up. Moreover, according to the physical arrangements among each work package, the system reliability structural function is determined. Third, the total construction cost minimization and system reliability maximization are defined as multiple-objectives. The particle swarm optimization algorithm is employed to search for the Pareto-optimal solutions, from which the final cost-quality trade-off solution can be selected. A real construction case is used to evaluate the workability of the proposed model and the results have fully proven its validity and practicality. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Super-critical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) is a promising thermodynamic cycle for advanced nuclear reactors and solar energy conversion applications. Dynamic control of the proposed recompression S-CO2 cycle is accomplished with input from resistance temperature detector (RTD) measurements of the process fluid. One of the challenges in practical implementation of S-CO2 cycle is high corrosion rate of component and sensor materials. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model of RTD sensing using eigendecomposition model of radial heat transfer in a layered long cylinder. We show that the value of RTD time constant primarily depends on the rate of heat transfer from the fluid to the outer wall of RTD. We also show that for typical material properties, RTD time constant can be calculated as the sum of reciprocal eigen-values of the heat transfer matrix. Using the computational model and a set of RTD and CO2 fluid thermophysical parameter values, we calculate the value of time constant of thermowell-mounted RTD sensor at the hot side of the precooler in the S-CO2 cycle. The eigendecomposition model of RTD will be used in future studies to model sensor degradation and its impact on control of S-CO2. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hydroinformatics emerged in 1991 when numerical modelling of water expanded its range from one that was restricted to the modelling of flows to a much wider ranging sociotechnical discipline that supports stakeholders in addressing their water-related problems. However, despite numerous advances in hydroinformatics, the current practical and research effort is still very much technocratic (or techno-centric) which in turn may restrict the potential of hydroinformatics in its scope and its reach. This Special Issue, through the compilation of thirteen papers, illustrates some of the developments and applications in the field of hydroinformatics and marks the twenty-five years of its existence. We hope that this will help to further raise the awareness of the subject and its developments and applications. In the Editorial of this Special Issue, we briefly discuss the origin of hydroinformatics and we introduce the papers that are featuring in this Special Issue. We also give a way forward for future research and application.
This study discusses aspects of doctor-patient communication and presents a preliminary analysis of doctor-patient interactions in Italy. The aim is to gain information on how (mis)communication between doctors and patients may affect the doctor-patient relationship and may lead patients to lack trust in their doctors. The authors use a corpus of existing audio-video materials on Italian doctor-patient interactions, and analyse doctors' use of verbal and nonverbal expressions in their exchanges with their patients. The analysis is aimed to identify which features may engender communication problems leading to misunderstandings and the perception of doctors as distant or unreliable. The preliminary findings reveal that patients' lack of trust in doctors may also be the result of doctors' use of culture-specific patterns of verbal and nonverbal expressions, for example certain sentences used for minimizing patients' fears, specific postures and gestures signalling distance or closure. These findings will be used for planning future investigations of doctor-patient interactions based on the collection and analysis of audio-visual material. Having a detailed knowledge of what patterns mostly affect communication in natural settings will provide important information to be implemented in digital devices.
The overall objective of the present work was to estimate the degradation level of old reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in terms of permeability and salt rejection, along with their potential reuse as ultrafiltration (UF) membranes after NaOCl oxidation at 62,500 ppm for 3 h. Detailed study of old RO membrane materials deconstruction has also resulted in recommendations in their reuse as geotextile, mouse pad, support for children drawings, protection to snake attack, and aromatic wall in familial kitchen; all being alternatives solutions to incineration. At the end of the work, 95% of the old RO membrane materials were recycled.
A novel generalized pattern search (GPS)-based cellular automata (GPS-CA) model was developed to simulate urban land-use change in a GIS environment. The model is built on a fitness function that computes the difference between the observed results produced from remote-sensing images and the simulated results produced by a general CA model. GPS optimization incorporating genetic algorithms (GAs) searches for the minimum difference, i.e. the smallest accumulated residuals, in fitting the CA transition rules. The CA coefficients captured by the GPS method have clear physical meanings that are closely associated with the dynamic mechanisms of land-use change. The GPS-CA model was applied to simulate urban land-use change in Kunshan City in the Yangtze River Delta from 2000 to 2015. The results show that the GPS method had a smaller root mean squared error (0.2821) than a logistic regression (LR) method (0.5256) in fitting the CA transition rules. The GPS-CA model thus outperformed the LR-CA model, with an overall accuracy improvement of 4.7%. As a result, the GPS-CA model should be a superior tool for modeling land-use change as well as predicting future scenarios in response to different conditions to support the sustainable urban development.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate barriers to pro-social behaviour in the form of blood donating using self-determination theory. Design/methodology/approach - Respondents were recruited through intercepts at a major international university and at points within the community in a capital city in Australia. Sampling was conducted over a three-week period resulting in a sample of 617 respondents. Findings - Results show intrinsic motivations positively influence intentions towards blood donation, self- identity, and locus of control. Further, despite positively influencing other factors, external regulation positively influenced amotivation indicating the more likely people feel pressured to donate blood, the less likely they will be motivated to donate blood. Originality/value - This would suggest one way to influence more people to become donors is to place greater focus on the positive emotional feelings they derive from the act of donating blood and the control they have over that donation. Using external regulation strategy which often suggests people must or have-to donate blood may be limiting blood donation numbers.
In systems modelling for fusion power plants, it is essential to robustly predict the performance of a given machine design (including its respective operating scenario). One measure of machine performance is the energy confinement time tau(E) that is typically predicted from experimentally derived confinement scaling laws (e.g. IPB98(y, 2)). However, the conventionally used scaling laws have been derived for ITER which-unlike a fusion power plant-will not have significant radiation inside the separatrix. In the absence of a new high core radiation relevant confinement scaling, we propose an ad hoc correction to the loss power P-L used in the ITER confinement scaling and the calculation of the stored energy W-th by the radiation losses from the 'core' of the plasma P-rad,P- core. Using detailed ASTRA/TGLF simulations, we find that an appropriate definition of P-rad,P-core is given by 60% of all radiative losses inside a normalised minor radius rho(core) = 0.75. We consider this an improvement for current design predictions, but it is far from an ideal solution. We therefore encourage more detailed experimental and theoretical work on this issue.
The paper presents a novel simulation tool which can be used for numerical analysis of nonlinear circuits and systems forced by strong noise sources and perturbed by weak periodic signals. The methodology, which is based on linear-response theory, is universal in scope and can be applied to all topologies without restraints on the dimensionality of the structure or the size of the parameter set. The main purpose of the developed algorithm is to enable efficient numerical analysis of nonlinear noise-driven circuits and systems with emphasis on stochastic resonance. Currently, computationally expensive Monte-Carlo methods often constitute the only other option available for simulation in these cases. Linear-response models have previously been developed for the 1-dimensional canonical scenario but it will be shown that these specialized formulations can not be directly adapted to higher dimensional systems. Compared to a simple Monte-Carlo integration scheme, the computational efficiency following from the proposed algorithm is improved by several orders of magnitude.
Neuroscience research has examined separately how we detect human agents on the basis of their face and body (person perception) and how we reason about their thoughts, traits or intentions (person knowledge). Neuroanatomically distinct networks have been associated with person perception and person knowledge, but it remains unknown how multiple features of a person (e.g. thin and kind) are linked to form a holistic identity representation. In this fMRI experiment, we investigated the hypothesis that when encountering another person specialised person perception circuits would be functionally coupled with circuits involved in person knowledge. In a factorial design, we paired bodies or names with trait-based or neutral statements, and independent localiser scans identified body-selective and mentalising networks. When observing a body paired with a trait-implying statement, functional connectivity analyses demonstrated that body-selective patches in bilateral fusiform gyri were functionally coupled with nodes of the mentalising network. We demonstrate that when forming a representation of a person circuits for representing another person's physical appearance are linked to circuits that are engaged when reasoning about trait-based character. These data support the view that a 'who' system for social cognition involves communication between perceptual and inferential mechanisms when forming a representation of another's identity.
Multiple kernel learning (MKL) algorithms are proposed to address the problems associated with kernel selection of the kernel-based classification algorithms. Using a group of kernels rather than one single kernel, the MKL algorithms aim to provide better classification efficiency. This paper presents new similarity-based MKL algorithms to classify remote-sensing images. These algorithms find the optimal combination of kernels by maximizing the similarity between a combination of kernels and an ideal kernel. In this framework, we initially introduced three similarity measures to be used: kernel alignment, norm of kernel difference, and Hilbert-Schmidt independence criterion. Then, we proposed to solve the optimization problems of the MKL algorithm associated with each similarity measure adopting heuristic and convex optimization methods. The performances of the proposed algorithms were compared with a single kernel support vector machines as well as other MKL algorithms for classifying the features extracted from the high-resolution and hyperspectral images. The results demonstrated that the similarity-based MKL algorithms performed better than other algorithms, especially when their optimization problems were solved using the convex optimization methods or when few training samples were available. Moreover, when the optimization problems of these algorithms were solved using the heuristic optimization methods, they were able to yield acceptable performances and were faster than other MKL algorithms.
In an attempt to explain the inconsistent findings and overall weak relation between empathy and aggression, we focused on the role of emotional empathy (emotions of concern, compassion or sympathy toward a (potential) victim), agentic goals (the desire to be dominant during social interaction with peers) and their interplay (mediation or moderation) in the prediction of proactive aggression (learned instrumental behavior) in adolescence. Data were collected from 550 young Dutch adolescents, who filled out multiple questionnaires. Findings showed that the link between a lack of empathic concern and proactive aggression is partly mediated and moderated by agentic goals. The moderation analyses showed that the predictive value of a lack of empathic concern with regard to proactive aggression was greater when adolescents reported a stronger desire to be dominant in social situations with peers. In addition, the findings supported the assumption that the relation between empathic concern and reactive aggression (a hostile and angry response to perceived provocation) is not mediated or moderated by agentic goals. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications for future research. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The study investigates the dynamic of verbal and non-verbal communication in the context of Animal Assisted Therapy for children with special needs, using ethological and sociometrical methods (i.e. focal individual sampling, ethogram and sequential behavior analysis). The study followed the evolution of a 5-year-old boy with mild mental retardation, ADHD symptoms and a very low level of verbalization, through one year of weekly AAT (dog assisted therapy) sessions. Each session had an average duration of 20 min. Behavioral analysis of the video recorded materials indicated a significant progress in speech development and a decrease of hyperactive symptoms. The implementation of the proposed methods (focal animal sampling and Social Network Analysis) allowed us to objectively analyze the complex interactions between the behavioral sequences, which usually can be very difficult to be extracted in a quantitative manner. The results supported our hypotheses in terms that the complexity of verbal communication increased throughout the five sessions of dog-assisted therapy, which were selected for the behavioral data analysis. Nonverbal communication towards the dog and the handler was also diversified towards the last session. (C) 2016 Published by Future Academy
Recombined fingerprints have been suggested as a convenient approach to improve the efficiency of anonymous fingerprinting for the legal distribution of copyrighted multimedia contents in P2P systems. The recombination idea is inspired by the principles of mating, recombination and heredity of the DNA sequences of living beings, but applied to binary sequences, like in genetic algorithms. However, the existing recombination-based fingerprinting systems do not provide a convenient solution for collusion resistance, since they require double-layer fingerprinting codes, making the practical implementation of such systems a challenging task. In fact, collusion resistance is regarded as the most relevant requirement of a fingerprinting scheme, and the lack of any acceptable solution to this problem would possibly deter content merchants from deploying, any practical implementation of the recombination approach. In this paper, this drawback is overcome by introducing two non-trivial improvements, paving the way for a future real-life application of recombination-based systems. First, Nuida et al.'s collusion-resistant codes are used in segment-wise fashion for the first time. Second, a novel version of the traitor-tracing algorithm is proposed in the encrypted domain, also for the first time, making it possible to provide the buyers with security against framing. In addition, the proposed method avoids the use of public-key cryptography for the multimedia content and expensive cryptographic protocols, leading to excellent performance in terms of both computational and communication burdens. In fact, after bootstrapping, the merchant is no longer required to participate in any file transfer, reducing the investment in equipment required for content distribution to the bare minimum. The paper also analyzes the security and privacy properties of the proposed system both formally and informally, whereas the collusion resistance and the performance of the method are shown by means of experiments and simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) plays an important role in immune response regulation as a co-inhibitory signal during T cell activation. However, there is little known about the serum autoantibody profile of PD-1 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease characterized by the breakdown of immune tolerance to self-antigens and an excessive production of autoantibodies. Thus, we aim to investigate the serum levels and function of anti-PD-1 in patients with new-onset SLE. Methods: Serum levels of anti-PD-1 IgG and IgM isotypes were detected in new-onset SLE patients (n = 90), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 50), primary Sjogren's syndrome (n = 50), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 25), and healthy controls (HC) (n = 80) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation of anti-PD-1 with clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters of patients with new-onset SLE was analyzed. The effects of purified anti-PD-1 IgG from SLE patients on T cell proliferation were measured using flow cytometry. Results: The data revealed increased levels of anti-PD-1 IgG, but not IgM, especially in new-onset SLE patients, and the positive rate of anti-PD-1 IgG was 30 (33.3%). The level of anti-PD-1 IgG was closely associated with malar rash (OR = 15.773), arthritis (OR = 22.937), serositis (OR = 16.008), hematological (OR = 35.187), renal (OR = 8.306), and neurological involvement (OR = 37.282). Moreover, the serum levels of anti-PD-1 IgG were positively correlated with the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score (r = 0.296, p = 0.0046) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r = 0.2446, p = 0.0201). In vitro examination showed that purified anti-PD-1 IgG obtained from SLE patients enhanced T cell proliferation when co-cultured with dendritic cells (DCs). Conclusions: The current study indicates, for the first time, that the serum levels of co-inhibitor autoantibodies against PD-1 are elevated in new-onset SLE patients and are associated with disease activity in SLE. Autoantibodies against PD-1, facilitating T cell proliferation, revealed a new insight into the function of negative regulation signals involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.
Across six studies, people used a bad is black heuristic in social judgment and assumed that immoral acts were committed by people with darker skin tones, regardless of the racial background of those immoral actors. In archival studies of news articles written about Black and White celebrities in popular culture magazines (Study 1a) and American politicians (Study 1b), the more critical rather than complimentary the stories, the darker the skin tone of the photographs printed with the article. In the remaining four studies, participants associated immoral acts with darker skinned people when examining surveillance footage (Studies 2 and 4), and when matching headshots to good and bad actions (Studies 3 and 5). We additionally found that both race-based (Studies 2, 3, and 5) and shade-based (Studies 4 and 5) associations between badness and darkness determine whether people demonstrate the bad is black effect. We discuss implications for social perception and eyewitness identification.
Di(isononyl)cyclohexane-1,2-clicarboxylate(DINCH) is a major substitute for some high molecular weight phthalates that adversely affect reproductive function. Like for the phthalates a broad exposure of the population has to be expected. We postulated the DINCH monoester (MINCH) and secondary oxidized metabolites (OH-MINCH, cx-MINCH and oxo-MINCH) as human metabolites and possible biomarkers of DINCH exposure. We developed an on-line HPLC-MS/MS method for their determination in human urine. Identification was performed with authentic standard substances and quantification via isotope dilution. The analytical method is highly selective and sensitive with limits of quantification (LOQ) between 0.05 mu g/l and 0.1 mu g/l. In a pilot study with 22 volunteers from the general German population oxidized DINCH metabolites were found in above 80% of the samples. OH-MINCH was most abundant (mean 0.71 mu g/l; maximum 3.69 mu g/l) followed by cx-MINCH (0.61 mu g/l; 2.82 mu g/l) and oxo-MINCH (0.33 mu g/l: 1.05 mu g/l). All three oxidized metabolites correlated strongly among each other (rho >= 0.76). MINCH was detected in one sample only and has to be regarded a weak marker of exposure. With this analytical method we are able to perform human metabolism studies to provide metabolic conversion factors and to investigate the extent of DINCH exposure in the general population. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Facilitating fish passage in fragmented river systems has commonly focused on commercially important migratory species (e.g. salmonids). Increasingly, ecosystem-based approaches to river rehabilitation are being adopted and fishways are progressively being designed for fish assemblages. Estuarine barriers to fish movement have received less attention than riverine barriers in regards to refinement of fish passage. This study evaluated fish passage at a pair of hydraulically distinct vertical-slot fishways (large vertical slot: max velocity 2.0 m s(-1), max turbulence 95 W m(-3), discharge 0.36 m3 s(-1); small vertical-slot: max velocity 1.0 m s(-1), max turbulence 26 W m3, discharge 0.03 m3 s(-1)) on a low-level (-1.0 m) estuarine barrier at the terminus of the River Murray, Australia. Over 32 paired-day samples of the fishway entrances and exits, 291,483 fish (19 species) were sampled from the large vertical-slot, compared to 183,659 fish (19 species) from the small vertical-slot. Small-bodied fish (96%) and large-bodied species were rare at both fishways. Species composition was similar, but species-specific abundances varied widely between fishways. The large vertical-slot successfully passed a broad range of species and sizes, but the passage of several small-bodied (<100mm in length) species was partially obstructed, whilst passage efficiency was high for all species that entered the small vertical-slot fishway. Variation in head differential and subsequently fishway hydraulics, influenced the number of fish sampled at the entrance of the small vertical-slot and the number of fish sampled at the exit of the large vertical slot. In unison, however, the fishways facilitated the passage of a diverse migratory fish assemblage across the range of head differential experienced, suggesting the application of paired vertical-slot fishways with differing hydraulic characteristics is likely a viable approach at other low-level estuarine barriers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Xylem resistance to cavitation is an important trait that is related to the ecology and survival of plant species. Vessel network characteristics, such as vessel length and connectivity, could affect the spread of emboli from gas-filled vessels to functional ones, triggering their cavitation. We hypothesized that the cavitation resistance of xylem vessels is randomly distributed throughout the vessel network. We predicted that single vessel air injection (SVAI) vulnerability curves (VCs) would thus be affected by sample length. Longer stem samples were predicted to appear more resistant than shorter samples due to the sampled path including greater numbers of vessels. We evaluated the vessel network characteristics of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), English oak (Quercus robur L.) and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & A. Gray), and constructed SVAI VCs for 5- and 20-cm-long segments. We also constructed VCs with a standard centrifuge method and used computer modelling to estimate the curve shift expected for pathways composed of different numbers of vessels. For all three species, the SVAI VCs for 5aEuro...cm segments rose exponentially and were more vulnerable than the 20aEuro...cm segments. The 5aEuro...cm curve shapes were exponential and were consistent with centrifuge VCs. Modelling data supported the observed SVAI VC shifts, which were related to path length and vessel network characteristics. These results suggest that exponential VCs represent the most realistic curve shape for individual vessel resistance distributions for these species. At the network level, the presence of some vessels with a higher resistance to cavitation may help avoid emboli spread during tissue dehydration.
Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is a serine/threonine protein kinase. Development of GSK3 inhibitor Alsterpaullone as a therapeutic agent for mood disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and bipolar disorder, required the synthesis of a suitably labeled drug product for use in human metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies. Owing to the potential metabolic degradation of the molecule, a multi-labeled approach utilizing (14)C was adopted. The synthesis of [(14)C]Alsterpaullone was accomplished in separate routes from methyl-[1, 2-(14)C]-2-bromoacetate and [1, 2-(14)C]-2-bromoethanol, respectively. Labeled versions were combined on the basis of molar radioactivity giving a final product with a radiochemical purity of 99.0% and a specific activity of 54.0 mCi/mmol.
Proteomic studies have facilitated the identification of proteins associated with the detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) fraction in a variety of cell types. Here, we have undertaken label-free quantitative (LFQ) proteomic profiling of the proteins associated with detergent-resistant plasma and internal membranes from resting and activated platelets. One hundred forty-one proteins were identified and raw data is available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002554. The proteins identified include a myriad of important platelet signaling and trafficking proteins including Rap1b, Src, SNAP-23, syntaxin-11, and members of the previously unattributed Ragulator complex. Mean LFQ intensities calculated across three technical replicates for the three biological donors revealed that several important platelet signaling proteins altered their detergent solubility upon activation, including GPIb alpha, GPIb beta, Src, and 14-3-3 zeta. Altered detergent solubility for GPIb zeta, following activation using a variety of platelet agonists, was confirmed by immunoblotting and further coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that GPIb alpha forms a complex with 14-3-3 zeta that shifts into DRMs following activation. Taken together, proteomic profiling of platelet DRMs allowed greater insight in the complex biology of both DRMs and platelets and will be a useful subproteome to study platelet-related disease. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002554 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD002554).
The growing computational power of modern CPUs allows increasingly complex signal processing applications to be successfully implemented and executed on general-purpose processors and operating systems. In this regard, the application's architecture, its design, and operating system integration directly affect the maximal achievable processing bandwidth. In this paper, we present alternative driver architectures for signal processing applications that differ in the distribution of processing stages between kernel space and user space. Using the processing of ADS-B air traffic radio signals for civil aviation as case study, we evaluate the performance of the design alternatives on a Linux system and quantify their strengths and weaknesses with respect to data overhead, usage of vector units, applicable compiler optimizations, and cache behavior. Based on our results, we determine the best design choice and derive guidelines for the development of efficient signal processing applications.
Some children with Down syndrome may experience difficulties in recognizing facial emotions, particularly fear, but it is not clear why, nor how such skills can best be facilitated. Using a photo-matching task, emotion recognition was tested in children with Down syndrome, children with nonspecific intellectual disability and cognitively matched, typically developing children (all groups N = 21) under four conditions: veridical vs. exaggerated emotions and emotion-labelling vs. generic task instructions. In all groups, exaggerating emotions facilitated recognition accuracy and speed, with emotion labelling facilitating recognition accuracy. Overall accuracy and speed did not differ in the children with Down syndrome, although recognition of fear was poorer than in the typically developing children and unrelated to emotion label use. Implications for interventions are considered.
This article provides a conceptual framework for studying the effects of religion on consumer behavior, with the goal of stimulating future research at the intersection of these two topics. We delineate religion as a multidimensional construct and propose that religion affects consumer psychology and behavior through four dimensions beliefs, rituals, values, and community. For each dimension of religion, we offer definitions and measures, integrate previous findings from research in the psychology, consumer behavior, marketing, and religion literatures, and propose testable future research directions. With this conceptual framework and research agenda, we challenge consumer researchers to ask deeper questions about why religious affiliation and level of religiosity may be driving previously established differences in consumer behavior, and to uncover the psychological mechanisms underlying the effects. This framework complements and extends previous literature and provides a new delineated framework for considering research on the effects of religion on consumer behavior. (C) 2015 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper provides an analysis of RC and RL electrical circuits described by a fractional difierential equation of Caputo type. The order considered is 0 < gamma <= 1. The Laplace transform of the fractional derivative is used. To keep the dimensionality of the physical quantities, R, C, L, and an auxiliary parameter sigma are introduced, characterizing the existence of fractional components in the system. The relationship between gamma and sigma is reported. The response obtained from the fractional RC and RL circuits exhibits the characteristic behaviors of a cap-resistor, memcapacitor, and memristor, as well as charge-voltage for memcapacitive systems and current-voltage for memristive systems. The relationship between Ohm's law and Faraday's laws for the charge stored in a capacitor and induction is reported. Illustrative examples are presented.
Harnessing the immune system to fight cancer is an exciting advancement in lung cancer therapy. Antitumor immunity can be augmented by checkpoint blockade therapy, which removes the inhibition/brakes imposed on the immune system by the tumor. Checkpoint blockade therapy with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1)/anti-programmed death ligand 1 (anti-PDL-1) antibodies causes tumor regression in about 25% of patients with lung cancer. In another approach, the immune system is forced or accelerated to attack the tumor through augmentation of the antitumor response against mutations carried by each lung tumor. This latter approach has become feasible since the advent of next-generation sequencing technology, which allows identification of the specific mutations that each individual lung tumor bears. Indeed lung cancers are now known to have high mutation rates, making them logical targets for mutation-directed immune therapies. We review how sequencing of lung cancer mutations leads to better understanding of how the immune system recognizes tumors, providing improved opportunities to track antitumor immunity and ultimately leading to the development of personalized vaccine strategies aimed at unleashing the host immune system to attack mutations in the tumor.
Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) is an emerging paradigm to transparently provide support for demanding tasks on resource-constrained mobile devices by relying on the integration with remote cloud services. Research in this field is tackling the multiple conceptual and technical challenges (e.g., how and when to offload) that are hindering the full realization of MCC. The Networked Autonomic Machine (NAM) framework is a tool that supports and facilitates the design networks of hardware and software autonomic entities, providing or consuming services or resources. Such a framework can be applied, in particular, to MCC scenarios. In this paper, we focus on NAM's features related to the key aspects of MCC, in particular those concerning code mobility capabilities and autonomic offloading strategies. Our first contribution is the definition of a set of high-level actions supporting MCC. The second contribution is the proposal of a formal semantics for those actions, which provides the core NAM features with a precise formal characterization. Thus, the third contribution is the further development of the NAM conceptual framework and, in particular, the partial re-engineering of the related Java middleware. We show the effectiveness of the revised middleware by discussing the implementation of a Global Ambient Intelligence case study.
The paper deals with a technique for the simulation of higher-order electrical circuits with parameters varying randomly. The principle consists in the utilization of the theory of stochastic differential equations (SDE), namely the vector form of the ordinary SDEs. Random changes of both excitation voltage and some parameters of passive circuit elements are considered, and circuit responses are analyzed. The voltage and/or current responses are computed and represented in the form of the sample means accompanied by their confidence intervals to provide reliable estimates. The method is applied to analyze responses of the circuit models of optional orders, specially those consisting of a cascade connection of the RLGC networks. To develop the model equations the state-variable method is used, afterwards a corresponding vector SDE is formulated and a stochastic Euler numerical method applied. To verify the results the deterministic responses are also computed by the help of the PSpice simulator or the numerical inverse Laplace transforms (NILT) procedure in MATLAB (R), while removing random terms from the circuit model.
Direct numerical simulations are used to study the interaction of a cavity-backed circular orifice with grazing laminar and turbulent boundary layers and incident sound waves. The flow conditions and geometry are representative of single degree-of-freedom acoustic liners applied in the inlet and exhaust ducts of aircraft engines and are the same as those from experiments conducted at NASA Langley. The simulations identify the fluid mechanics of how the sound field and state of the grazing boundary layer impact the in-orifice flow and suggest a simple flow analogy that enables scaling estimates. From the scaling estimates the simulations are then used to develop reduced-order models for the in-orifice flow and a time-domain impedance model is constructed. The liner is found to increase drag at all conditions studied by an amount that increases with the incident sound pressure amplitude.
In the Indian Himalayan region (IHR), landslide-driven hazards have intensified over the past several decades primarily caused by the occurrence of heavy and extreme rainfall. However, little attention has been given to determining the cause of events triggered during pre- and post-Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) seasons. In the present research, detailed geological, meteorological, and remote sensing investigations have been carried out on an extreme rainfall landslide event that occurred in Sadal village, Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya, during September 2014. Toward the receding phase of the ISM (i.e., in the month of September 2014), an unusual rainfall event of similar to 488.2 mm rainfall in 24 h took place in Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya in contrast to the normal rainfall occurrence. Geological investigations suggest that a planar weakness in the affected region is caused by bedding planes that consist of an alternate sequence of hard, compact sandstone and weak claystone. During this extreme rainfall event, the Sadal village was completely buried under the rock slides, as failure occurred along the planar weakness that dips toward the valley slope. Rainfall data analysis from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) for the preceding years homogeneous time series (July-September) indicates that the years 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014 (i.e., closely spaced and clustering heavy rainfall events) received heavy rainfalls during the withdrawal of the ISM; whereas the heaviest rainfall was received in the years 2003 and 2013 at the onset of the ISM in the study region. This suggests that no characteristic cyclicity exists for extreme rainfall events. However, we observe that either toward the onset of the ISM or its retreat, the extreme rainfall facilitates landslides, rockfall, and slope failures in northwestern Himalaya. The spatiotemporal distribution of landslides caused by extreme rainfall events suggests its confinement toward the windward side of the Himalayan front. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Because the normal stress applied to landfill liner systems increases with the volume of waste during the construction of engineered landfills, traditional shear tests do not adequately describe the loading process on the liner system because only one shear test is performed on a single sample. In this study, a series of laboratory tests using a new test method that differs from traditional shear tests were performed to investigate the repeated shear behaviors of geotextile/geomembrane (GT/GM) and geomembrane/clay (GM/clay) interfaces under various normal stresses. The test results indicated that increasing shearing times decrease the peak and residual shear strengths of both GT/GM and GM/clay interfaces. Additionally, the strength parameters obtained from traditional and repeated shear tests were both used to analyze global stability along the liner system of a typical landfill. The results of repeated shear tests and limit equilibrium analysis were determined to be significant for landfill liner system anti-slide design. The limitations of the tests were also discussed.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi have been reported to increase root hydraulic conductivity (L (pr)) by altering apoplastic and plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP)-mediated cell-to-cell water transport pathways in associated roots, or to have little effect on root water transport, depending on the interacting species and imposed stresses. In this study, we investigated the water transport properties and PIP transcription in roots of aspen (Populus tremuloides) seedlings colonized by the wild-type strain of Laccaria bicolor and by strains overexpressing a major fungal water-transporting aquaporin JQ585595. Inoculation of aspen seedlings with L. bicolor resulted in about 30 % colonization rate of root tips, which developed dense mantle and the Hartig net that was restricted in the modified root epidermis. Transcript abundance of the aspen aquaporins PIP1;2, PIP2;1, and PIP2;2 decreased in colonized root tips. Root colonization by JQ585595-overexpressing strains had no significant impact on seedling shoot water potentials, gas exchange, or dry mass; however, it led to further decrease in transcript abundance of PIP1;2 and PIP2;3 and the significantly lower L (pr) than in non-inoculated roots. These results, taken together with our previous study that showed enhanced root water hydraulics of L. bicolor-colonized white spruce (Picea glauca), suggest that the impact of L. bicolor on root hydraulics varies by the ectomycorrhiza-associated tree species.
This paper aims to develop the theoretical framework and the applicative implementation of a new analysis method, which has the purpose of determining and classifying mineral waters in Romania and Europe, with the use of mathematical modelling and fuzzy logic. Firstly, the article underlines the properties of mineral waters in terms of curative effects, particularly the role of Ca2+ and Mg2+ upon the human metabolism. The values of these two chemical elements will constitute an index, a basis for creating a comparative database, which will embed a limited number of samples, with statistical value; in brief, a mathematical model that determines the mineral water spring (or springs) has been implemented, which in the same time illustrates graphically the membership degree of an unknown water sample to a specific spring, making use only of the Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentration indexes.
In this study a series of cyclic triaxial tests were performed to examine the undrained dynamic resistance of silty sand reinforced with various arrangements of geotextile layers. The silt content of samples varies in percentage from 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%. A total of 32 laboratory cyclic triaxial tests have been performed on silly sand samples reinforced with geotextile layers in different depths. All tests were performed with 100 kPa confining pressure, subjected to an isotropic consolidated undrained (CIU) condition. The tests were conducted at a frequency of 2 Hz. Results indicate that both the geotextile arrangement and the silt content were most essential in the liquefaction potential of reinforced sands. An increase in the number of geotextile layers enhanced the cyclic resistance of reinforced samples against the liquefaction potential. It was also found that when the geotextile layer was posited near the top of the specimen (load application part) the liquefaction resistance would increase (e.g. for clean sands, the improvement of liquefaction resistance caused by the geotextile layer had a 0.2 depth, and the sample height was 5.5 times greater than the geotextile layer inserted in mid height of sample H). Based on the obtained results, effects of geotextile on liquefaction resistance decreased as fines content increased to about 33%. Further increase in the fines content however, would lead to higher in reinforcement advantages. The liquefaction improvement is more effective with a higher number of geotextile layers. The results also revealed that the reinforcement effect in FC approximate to 33 % is at its lowest amount.
The purpose of this study was to determine the anxiety of prospective music teachers (N =129) during piano exams and to examine the effects of peer and self-assessments on anxiety and exam achievement of individuals with high performance and test anxiety (n = 5). Female students were more anxious compared to males, students of the fourth class were the most anxious, and students who had graduated from fine arts high schools had lower anxiety levels. There was a positive and significant relation between test anxiety and music performance anxiety. No significant relation was determined between piano course achievement scores and test or performance anxiety. Despite awareness of coping recommendations, students with high levels of anxiety experienced anxiety that could influence performance during exams.
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) provides a vision of the information society where heterogeneous hardware entities are disseminated in the environment and used by intelligent agents to provide ubiquitous applications. To ease the integration of new entities in the system, the application and the underlying hardware infrastructure have to be decorrelated. The aim of our research work is to propose mechanisms for the deployment, automatic configuration and monitoring of applications on an heterogeneous hardware infrastructure. In this paper, we model ambient systems to fulfill this purpose. We propose a graph-based mathematical model for ambient systems. This model allows to use a projection algorithm, extending an existing graph matching algorithm, for the deployment and the automatic configuration of applications on an heterogeneous hardware infrastructure. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Eucalyptus spp. and hybrids remain among the mostly widely-planted species in the world, owed principally to its diverse genome, its site-adaptability, and relatively fast growth rates. Numerous pure species, and yet more hybrid clones have been globally deployed in plantations, as industry seeks to meet growing demands for wood and their products. As a result, various propagation approaches have been explored, from seeds to vegetative propagation by cuttings and trough in vitro method, with a view to remaining cost-effective, yet efficient, and sustainable. Vegetative propagation of eucalypts is preferred, as it conserves valuable germplasm and offers predictability in commercial foplantations. The range of eucalypt species and hybrids in commercial use, however, has resulted in an array of propagation protocols, as researchers seek to optimise growth conditions to enhance the quality and yields of rooted cuttings and in vitro propagules. The exogenous supply of plant growth regulators (PGRs) is central to the objectives of these protocols. The present review traces recent developments in Eucalyptus propagation, and presents a selection of published protocols for a variety of species, explants and PGR supply. With advancements in plant physiology, molecular biology and biochemistry, a clearer picture of the vegetative physiological growth requirements steadily develops, leading researchers to more accurately manipulate and improve Eucalyptus propagation. Furthermore, the recent completion of the E. grandis genome sequence will drive advancements in eucalypt genomics, metabolomics, and proteomics. Collectively, these developments will present future opportunities to accurately decipher, augment and significantly enhance sustainable growth, yields, valuable traits and germplasm conservation of the eucalypts.
Despite the immense public health successes of immunization over the past century, effective vaccines are still lacking for globally important pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus, malaria, and tuberculosis. Exciting recent advances in immunology and biotechnology over the past few decades have facilitated a shift from empirical to rational vaccine design, opening possibilities for improved vaccines. Some of the most important advancements include (i) the purification of subunit antigens with high safety profiles, (ii) the identification of innate pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and cognate agonists responsible for inducing immune responses, and (iii) developments in nano- and microparticle fabrication and characterization techniques. Advances in particle engineering now allow highly tunable physicochemical properties of particle-based vaccines, including composition, size, shape, surface characteristics, and degradability. Enhanced collaborative efforts between researchers in immunology and materials science are expected to rise to next-generation vaccines. This process will be significantly aided by a greater understanding of the immunological principles guiding vaccine antigenicity, immunogenicity, and efficacy. With specific emphasis on PRR-targeted adjuvants and particle physicochemical properties, this review aims to provide an overview of the current literature to guide and focus rational particle-based vaccine design efforts.
Patriotism and threat have been shown to predict immigration attitudes. We suggest that patriotism is influential in producing threat, and such threat drives anti-immigration attitudes, but this relationship is different for Whites and Latinos. All participants completed a patriotism scale (blind and constructive patriotism measures), a threat scale (realistic and symbolic threat), and anti-immigration attitude scale. Latinos showed lower blind patriotism, realistic threat, symbolic threat, and anti-immigration attitudes compared to Whites, with no differences in constructive patriotism. Threat partially mediated the relationship between blind patriotism and anti-immigration attitudes for Whites and fully mediated the relationship for Latinos. Threat partially mediated the relationship for cultural patriotism and anti-immigration attitude for Whites but not for Latinos. Implications for public policy and education concerning immigrant attitudes are discussed.
Underwater exploration has become an active research area over the past few decades. The image enhancement is one of the challenges for those computer vision based underwater researches because of the degradation of the images in the underwater environment. The scattering and absorption are the main causes in the underwater environment to make the images decrease their visibility, for example, blurry, low contrast, and reducing visual ranges. To tackle aforementioned problems, this paper presents a novel method for underwater image enhancement inspired by the Retinex framework, which simulates the human visual system. The term Retinex is created by the combinations of Retina and Cortex. The proposed method, namely LAB-MSR, is achieved by modifying the original Retinex algorithm. It utilizes the combination of the bilateral filter and trilateral filter on the three channels of the image in CIELAB color space according to the characteristics of each channel. With real world data, experiments are carried out to demonstrate both the degradation characteristics of the underwater images in different turbidities, and the competitive performance of the proposed method. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Data conversion from a 3D raster to spiral coordinates is the key function in the scanning process for Roll Powder Sintering (RPS) additive manufacturing technology. Conversion process is especially important, as it produces the basis for a processed object. There are many equations for such conformal transformation, but there is still room to improve the computation efficiency. This paper presents an efficient conversion algorithm, which processes 3D objects and linear transforming it into rolling ribbon. The new algorithm has several significant advantages over the old ones due to applying only one main linear equation. The program based on the linear algorithm is simpler, more compact and faster in comparison to other programs which use trigonometric, transcendental or other equations. The proposed algorithm has been developed and extensively tested on several parts of computer-aided design models for RPS processing.
Accurately monitoring global vegetation dynamics with modern remote sensing is critical for understanding the functions and processes of the biosphere and its interactions with the planetary climate. The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) vegetation index (VI) product has been a primary data source for this purpose. To date, the MODIS team had released several versions of VI products that have widely used in global change studies and practical applications. In this study, we re-examined the global vegetation activity by comparing the recent MODIS Collection 6 (C6) VIs with Collection 5 (C5) VIs including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from Terra (2001-2015) and Aqua Satellites (2003-2015). We found substantial differences in global vegetation trends betweenTerra-C5 and -C6 VIs, especially EVI. From 2001 to 2015, global vegetation showed a remarkable greening trend in annual EVI from the Terra-C6 (0.28% year(-1) P < 0.001), in contrast to the decreasing EVI trend from the Terra-05 (-0.14% year(-1) P < 0.01). Spatially, large portions of the browning areas in tropical regions identified by Terra-05 VIs were not evident in Terra-C6 VIs. In contrast, the widespread greening areas in Terra-C6 VIs were consistent with Aqua C6 VIs and GIMMS3g NDVI. Our finding of a greening Earth supports the recent studies suggesting an enhanced land carbon sink. Our study suggests that most of the vegetation browning trends detected by MODIS Terra-C5 VIs were likely caused by sensor degradation, particularly for the period after 2007. Therefore, previous studies of temporal vegetation trends based solely on Terra-C5 VIs may need to be reevaluated. Our new analysis offers the most updated understanding of the global vegetation dynamics during the past 15 years and contributes to accurately understanding the role of vegetation played in the Earth's biogeochemical and climatic systems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The computer graphics and computer vision communities have been working closely together in recent years, and a variety of algorithms and applications have been developed to analyze and manipulate the visual media around us. There are three major driving forces behind this phenomenon: 1) the availability of big data from the Internet has created a demand for dealing with the ever-increasing, vast amount of resources; 2) powerful processing tools, such as deep neural networks, provide effective ways for learning how to deal with heterogeneous visual data; 3) new data capture devices, such as the Kinect, the bridge between algorithms for 2D image understanding and 3D model analysis. These driving forces have emerged only recently, and we believe that the computer graphics and computer vision communities are still in the beginning of their honeymoon phase. In this work we survey recent research on how computer vision techniques benefit computer graphics techniques and vice versa, and cover research on analysis, manipulation, synthesis, and interaction. We also discuss existing problems and suggest possible further research directions.
The observability of a system with respect to its possible outputs is usually evaluated using the rank criterion of the observability matrix or the observability indices. In addition, this paper uses the properties of the differential equations characterizing real-time electrical circuits which base their nonlinearities on the exponential function. Interplay between mathematical tools and practical considerations is done through observability coefficients, observability matrices and high order sliding mode observers for the Colpitts chaotic system, representative for such nonlinearities.
Based on ethnographic and archival research conducted on North American Judaism and Messianic Judaism, this article argues that each group uses DNA in what appear to be sociologically similar ways but that actually differ profoundly at the theological level. Our analysis moves beyond DNA testing per se to focus on what anthropologist Kim Tallbear calls gene talk, referring to the idea that essential truths about identity inhere in sequences of DNA. Contrasting Jews and Messianic Jews, we demonstrate clearly what scholars have only begun to recognize: how theological commitments may drive investments in genetic science and interpretations of it. Further, we show how religiously significant identities associated with race, ethnicity, or lineage interact with DNA science, coming to be viewed as inalienable qualities that reside in the self but move beyond phenotype alone. Finally, we argue that gene talk in these contexts is a religiously inflected practice, which serves to binds communities and (implicitly or explicitly) authorize existing theological ideals.
This paper presents a series of unconsolidated-undrained (UU) triaxial compression tests for investigating the behavior and failure mechanism of geotextile-reinforced clay and the effects of sandwiching nonwoven geotextile in a thin layer of sand (sandwich technique) on improving the shear strength of reinforced clay. Test variables include confining pressures, the number of geotextile layers, and thicknesses of the sand layers. The mobilized tensile strain of reinforcements, estimated according to the residual tensile strain by using a digital image-processing technique, was used to directly quantify the effects of soil-geotextile interaction on the shear-strength improvement. The test results showed that the shear strength of reinforced clay increased as the number of geotextile layers was increased. Failure patterns were changed from classical Rankine-type failures for unreinforced soil specimens to bulging (barrel-shaped) failures between adjacent geotextile layers. The effectiveness of reinforcing clay by applying nonwoven geotextile can be attributed to an increase in the apparent cohesion of the reinforced clay specimen. Regarding the sandwich technique, the test results revealed that layers of sand encapsulating the reinforcement can effectively provide an improved soil-geotextile interaction, thereby enhancing the shear behavior of reinforced clay. The shear strength increased as the thickness of the sand layer was increased. An optimal value of sand-layer thickness for maximum shear-strength improvement was not observed at large confining pressures. An appreciable shear-strength improvement was still observed when the sand-layer thickness was increased from 15 to 20 mm at sigma(3) >100 kPa. The sandwich technique contributes to shear-strength improvement by increasing the friction angle of reinforced specimens. The mobilized tensile strain and force of the geotextile increased as the number of geotextile layers, thicknesses of the sand layers, and confining pressure were increased. The mobilized tensile strain and force were strongly correlated to the strength difference between reinforced and unreinforced soil. This experimental finding demonstrated that mobilized tensile strain and force directly contribute to the shear-strength improvement of reinforced clay. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Background: Research has consistently found that favourable exchange with one's proximal social environment has positive effects on both mental health and wellbeing. Adults with physical disabilities may have fewer opportunities of favourable exchange, and therefore the effects on mental health and wellbeing may be less advantageous. The aim of this study is to systematically review quantitative studies exploring associations of social relationships with mental health and wellbeing in persons with physical disabilities. Methods: The databases PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for relevant studies published between 1995 and 2016. Data was extracted on study and participants' characteristics, independent and dependent variables, used measures and effects sizes of associations between social relationships and mental health or wellbeing. A narrative review was performed to synthesize findings along the constructs social support, social networks, negative social interactions, family functioning and relationship quality. Results: Of the 63 included studies, 47 were cross-sectional and 16 longitudinal. Most studies included a measure of social support (n = 58), while other concepts were less often studied (social networks n = 6; negative social interaction n = 3; family functioning n = 2; relationship quality n = 1). Over half of studies included depression as outcome (n = 33), followed by wellbeing (n = 14), composite mental health measures (n = 10), anxiety (n = 8), psychological distress (n = 7), posttraumatic stress disorder (n = 3), and hopelessness (n = 1). Although trends for associations of social support with mental health and wellbeing were consistent, around a quarter of studies failed to report significant associations. Social networks were related to depression, but not to other mental health or wellbeing measures. Family functioning, negative social interactions and relationship quality showed consistent associations with mental health and wellbeing, however, only few studies were available. Conclusions: This review indicates that social relationships play an important role in mental health and wellbeing in persons with disabilities, although findings are less consistent than in general populations and strength of associations vary between constructs. Integrating persons with disabilities into social networks seems not sufficient and rehabilitation professionals together with affected persons and their peers should ensure that high quality relationships and tailored support are available.
High-speed electric machines are becoming increasingly important and utilized in many applications. This paper addresses the considerations and challenges of the rotor design of high-speed surface permanent magnet machines. The paper focuses particularly on mechanical aspects of the design. Special attention is given to the rotor sleeve design including thickness and material. Permanent magnet design parameters are discussed. Surface permanent magnet rotor dynamic considerations and challenges are also discussed.
Parents' perceptions about their strategies to deal with children's anxiety have been minimally explored. Based on a mixed-method approach, the current study compared the strategies that parents said they use more frequently to deal with their child's anxious behaviors and the strategies they actually used during two mildly anxiogenic interactions with their child. Forty-two parents of children with anxiety disorders, aged 9-12 years, participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were administered to identify parental perceptions about their strategies to deal with their children's anxiety. Subsequently dyadic interactions were observed and coded by two independent coders. We found discrepancies relating to four strategies. Significantly more parents used strategies based on overinvolvement and anxious behavior during the interactions than had been reported by them in the interviews. In contrast, reassurance and reinforcement of avoidance/dependence were used in interactions by fewer parents than would be expected, according to the interviews. Relevant implications for assessment and intervention with families of anxious children are suggested.
Caffeine is adjudged world's most consumed pharmacologically active food component. With reports of the potential cognitive enhancing properties of caffeine, we sought to investigate if caffeine can influence the anticholinesterase and antioxidant properties of donepezil-a selective acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor used in the management of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In vitro, we investigated the effect of donepezil (DON), caffeine (CAF) and their various combinations on the activity of AChE in rat brain homogenate, as well as determined their antioxidant properties. In vivo, two rat groups were administered single oral dose of DON (5 mg/kg) and CAF (5 mg/kg) separately, while three groups, each received 5 mg/kg DON plus either 5, 50 or 100 mg/kg CAF for three hours, after which the rats were sacrificed and brain isolated. Results show that CAF concentration dependently and synergistically increased the anticholinesterase properties of DON in vitro. Also, CAF produced a significant influence on investigated in vitro antioxidant properties of DON. Furthermore, rats administered 5 mg/kg CAF and DON produced no significant difference in AChE activity compared to rats administered DON alone. However, co-administration of either 50 or 100 mg/kg CAF with DON lead to higher AChE activity compared to both control and DON groups. In addition, DON, CAF and their various combinations augmented brain antioxidant status in treated rats. We conclude that while low caffeine consumption may improve the antioxidant properties of donepezil without having a significant influence on its anticholinesterase effect, moderate-high caffeine consumption could also improve the antioxidant properties of donepezil but reduce its anticholinesterase effect; nevertheless, a comprehensive clinical trial is essential to fully explore these possibilities in human AD condition.
Carbofuran is a carbamate pesticide used in agricultural practice throughout the world. Its effect as a pesticide is due to its ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity. Through carbofuran has a long history of use, there is little information available with respect to its metabolic fate and disposition in mammals. The present study was designed to investigate the comparative in vitro metabolism of carbofuran from human, rat, and mouse liver microsomes (HLM, RLM, MLM, respectively), and characterize the specific enzymes involved in such metabolism, with particular reference to human metabolism. Carbofuran is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) leading to the production of one major ring oxidation metabolite, 3-hydroxycarbofuran, and two minor metabolites. The affinity of carbofuran for CYP enzymes involved in the oxidation to 3-hydroxycarbofuran is significantly less in HLM (K-m = 1.950 mM) than in RLM (K-m = 0.210 mM), or MLM (K-m = 0.550 mM). Intrinsic clearance rate calculations indicate that HLM are 14-fold less efficient in the metabolism of carbofuran to 3-hydroxycarbofuran than RLM or MLM. A screen of 15 major human CYP isoforms for metabolic ability with respect to carbofuran metabolism demonstrated that CYP3A4 is the major isoform responsible for carbofuran oxidation in humans. CYP1A2 and 2C19 are much less active while other human CYP isoforms have minimal or no activity toward carbofuran. In contrast with the human isoforms, members of the CYP2C family in rats are likely to have a primary role in carbofuran metabolism. Normalization of HLM data with the average levels of each CYP in native HLM, indicates that carbofuran metabolism is primarily mediated by CYP3A4 (percent total normalized rate (% TNR) = 77.5), although CYP1A2 and 2C19 play ancillary roles (% TNR = 9.0 and 6.0, respectively). This is substantiated by the fact that ketoconazole, a specific inhibitor of CYP3A4, is an excellent inhibitor of 3-hydroxycarbofuran formation in HLM (IC50: 0.31 muM). Chlorpyrifos, an irreversible non-competitive inhibitor of CYP3A4, inhibits the formation of 3-hydroxycarbofuran in HLM (IC50: 39 muM). The use of phenotyped HLM demonstrated that individuals with high levels of CYP3A4 have the greatest potential to metabolize carbofuran to its major metabolite. The variation in carbofuran metabolism among 17 single-donor HLM samples is over 5-fold and the best correlation between CYP isoform activity and carbofuran metabolism was observed with CYP3A4 (r(2) = 0.96). The interaction of carbofuran and the endogeneous CYP3A4 substrates, testosterone and estradiol, were also investigated. Testosterone metabolism was activated by carbofuran in HLM and CYP3A4, however, less activation was observed for carbofuran metabolism by testosterone in HLM and CYP3A4. No interactions between carbofuran and estradiol metabolism were observed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
To describe the variability in rheumatology visits and referrals to other medical specialties of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and to explore factors that may influence such variability. Nation-wide cross-sectional study performed in 2009-2010. Randomly selected records of patients with a diagnosis of SpA and at least one visit to a rheumatology unit within the previous 2 years were audited. The rates of rheumatology visits and of referrals to other medical specialties were estimated-total and between centres-in the study period. Multilevel regression was used to analyse factors associated with variability and to adjust for clinical and patient characteristics. 1168 patients' records (45 centres) were reviewed, mainly ankylosing spondylitis (55.2 %) and psoriatic arthritis (22.2 %). The patients had incurred in 5908 visits to rheumatology clinics (rate 254 per 100 patient-years), 4307 visits to other medical specialties (19.6 % were referrals from rheumatology), and 775 visits to specialised nurse clinics. An adjusted variability in frequenting rheumatology clinics of 15.7 % between centres was observed. This was partially explained by the number of faculties and trainees. The adjusted intercentre variability for referrals to other specialties was 12.3 %, and it was associated with urban settings, number of procedures, and existence of SpA dedicated clinics; the probability of a patient with SpA of being referred to other specialist may increase up to 25 % depending on the treating centre. Frequenting rheumatology clinics and referrals to other specialists significantly varies between centres, after adjustment by patient characteristics.
TARGET is a collaborative project involving a partnership of universities and institutes of higher education in UK, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The project will develop tools to enhance capacity in regional manufacturing companies to adapt and embrace new technologies and innovation. This is to be done in collaboration with small/medium sized manufacturing engineering companies - developing, applying and piloting the tools through individual companies' processes. The Toolbox developed will consist of subsets such as Digital manufacturing (robotics and simulation), New Ideas and Thinking (human centred and environmental thinking, competitiveness), Business Models and modern Product Innovation. On completion of the Project, the Toolbox of supports will be made available for use through open access to manufacturing companies. The initial project phase with development of a Toolbox suitable for use in all the project partners' regions is presented.
Cardiac failure has been widely associated with an increase in glucose utilization. The aim of our study was to identify factors that mechanistically bridge this link between hyperglycemia and heart failure. Here, we screened the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel (HMDP) for substrate-specific cardi-omyocyte candidates based on heart transcriptional profile and circulating nutrients. Next, we utilized an in vitro model of rat cardiomyocytes to demonstrate that the gene expression changes were in direct response to substrate abundance. After overlaying candidates of interest with a separate HMDP study evaluating isoproterenol-induced heart failure, we chose to focus on the gene Trp53inp2 as a cardiomyocyte glucose utilization-specific factor. Trp53inp2 gene knockdown in rat cardiomyocytes reduced expression and protein abundance of key glycolytic enzymes. This resulted in reduction of both glucose uptake and glycogen content in cardiomyocytes stimulated with isoproterenol. Furthermore, this reduction effectively blunted the capacity of glucose and isoprotereonol to synergistically induce hypertrophic gene expression and cell size expansion. We conclude that Trp53inp2 serves as regulator of cardiomyocyte glycolytic activity and can consequently regulate hypertrophic response in the context of elevated glucose content. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here, we apply a novel method for screening transcripts based on a substrate-specific expression pattern to identify Trp53inp2 as an induced cardiomyocyte glucose utilization factor. We further show that reducing expression of the gene could effectively blunt hypertrophic response in the context of elevated glucose content.
Sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are expected to be used as a renewable power source for remote environmental monitoring; therefore, evaluation of their long-term power performance is critical for their usability. In' this paper, we present novel data needed to understand the long-term performance of SMFCs. We used 3-D Microemulsion (3DMe)(TM) doped anodes, which slowly release lactate and its fermented products. During our tests, anode-limited SMFCs with and without 3DMe-doped anodes were operated for more than 18 months with a load simulating a sensor operation. We found that dclping an anode with an electron donor reduced startup time and increased maximum power (55 +/- 2 mu W compared to 46 +/- 2 mu W) in the control systems. We found that the long-term steady power performance is approximately 33% of the maximum power (similar to 18 LW). Finally, our small-sized SMFCs generated higher power densities than those in the literature (28 mW/m(2) versus 4 mW/m2). Using electron donor doped anodes can be practical when a short startup time and initial high power are needed. However, if long-term power is critical, the addition of an electron donor does not provide a practical advantage. In addition, in long-term operation enrichment of the anode surface with electrochemically active bacteria does not provide any advantage. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recently, Luo et al. introduced the concept of the color transfer visual cryptographic scheme (CTVCS) by embedding the information of color channels R, G and B into the conventional (k, n)-VCS. Luo et al.'s (k, n)CTVCS visually decoded the halftoned secret image by stacking any k shadow images similar to the conventional (k, n)-VCS and obtained a high-quality color image. However, Luo et al.'s (k, n)-CTVCS requires a key in the encoding and decoding phases and therefore it is, strictly speaking, not a threshold scheme with perfect security. In this study, we solved this security problem and proposed a (k, n)-CTVCS that does not require a key. This experiment indicated that the proposed solution achieves the same feature (obtaining the original color image) as Luo et al.'s (k, n)-CTVCS. In addition, we formally defined contrast and security conditions of a (k, n)-CTVCS and demonstrated that our constructions satisfied the contrast and security conditions of a (k, n)-CTVCS. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) accumulation and hypertrophy are common in vascular disorders, and inflammation has a crucial role in the development of these diseases. To investigate the effect of inflammation on the neurotransmission of VSMC, bioinformatic analysis was performed, following next generation sequencing. Genes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated A7r5 cells and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated A7r5 cells were sequenced via next generation sequencing, and each assay was repeated three times. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using the NOISeq package in R. Subsequently, their potential functions were predicted by functional and pathway enrichment analyses using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery online tool. Interaction relationships of the proteins enriched in pathways associated with neurological diseases, the proteins which had interaction relationships with adrenoceptor 1D (ADRA1D) or calcium voltage-gated channel subunit 1 S (CACNA1S), separately, were obtained from STRING, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using Cytoscape software. A total of 2,038 DEGs, including 1,094 upregulated and 944 downregulated genes in the LPS treatment group were identified when compared with the control group. Enrichment analyses showed that NADH:Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase Core Subunit V2 (NDUFV2) was involved in several neurological diseases, including oxidative phosphorylation, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Furthermore, NDUFV2 (degree, 20) had a higher degree in the PPI network for DEGs enriched in pathways associated with neurological diseases. In the PPI network for ADRA1D, CACNA1S and the DEGs interacting with them, prohibitin (PHB), oxytocin receptor (OXTR), collapsin response mediator protein 1 (CRMP1) and dihydropyrimidinase like 2 (DPYSL2) had interaction relationships with both ADRA1D and CACNA1S. To conclude, the present study revealed that NDUFV2, PHB, OXTR, CRMP1 and DPYSL2 may have key roles in the effect of inflammation on neurotransmission of VSMC.
Between the 24th of June and the 6th of July 2005, nine men came to Fort-deFrance emergency department (Martinique, French West Indies) with more or less pronounced pulmonary symptoms associated in two cases with skin lesions. Three weeks before these nine men performed work in a deserted house. The diagnosis of histoplasmosis was based on pulmonary sample mycological analysis (direct examination and culture), molecular biology and serological tests. Interrogatory and environmental investigations on the presumed place of exposition to H. capsulatum var. capsulatum spores allowed confirming how and where contamination took place. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are one of the primary components in keeping a network secure. They are classified into different forms based on the nature of their functionality such as Host based IDS, Network based IDS and Anomaly based IDS. However, Literature survey portrays different evasion techniques of IDS. Thus it is always important to study the responsive behavior of IDS after such failures. The state of the art shows that much work have been done on IDS on contrary to little on Intrusion Response System (IRS). In this paper we propose a model of IRS based on the inspiration derived from the functioning of defense and response mechanism in plants. The proposed model is the first attempt of its kind with the objective to develop an efficient response mechanism in a network subsequent to the failure of IDS, adopting plants as a source of inspiration.
Social perception is among the most important tasks that occur in daily life, and perceivers readily appreciate the social affordances of others. Here, we demonstrate that sex categorizations are functionally biased towards a male percept. Perceivers judged body shapes that varied in waist-to-hip ratio to be men if they were not, in reality, exclusive to women, and male categorizations occurred more quickly than female categorizations (studies 1 and 4). This pattern was corroborated when participants identified the average body shapes of men and women (study 2) and when we assessed participants' cognitive representations (study 3). Moreover, these tendencies were modulated by emotion context (study 4). Thus, male categorizations occurred readily and rapidly, demonstrating a pronounced categorization bias and temporal advantage for male judgements.
Network security situation awareness is vital important for network security supervision. In order to obtain the network security situation effectively, a multidimensional assessment method is proposed in this paper. The method is composed of three dimensions at different levels, namely vulnerability, threat and basic operation, with quantitative calculation method for each index. In the service layer, CVSS standard is adopted to assess the vulnerability situation, and simplified DREAD model is chosen for the threat situation. In the node layer, the vulnerability situation in the service layer is added with a weight, the threat situation in the service layer is accumulated according to attack paths based on Markov model, and the basic operation situation is evaluated by D-S evidence fusion of several host and network performance index. In the network layer, each situation equals to weighted summation of corresponding situation in the node layer. Experimental results show the ease of use of this method, and multi-dimensional situation depicts the overall safety evolution process of network system accurately and intuitively.
Firstly, we are given the security problems faced by a detailed analysis of the cognitive radio networks, and introduces the related basic cognitive radio network problems. Then, based on the difference between the cognitive radio network and the existing wireless network, which analyzes security and artificial intelligence, dynamic spectrum access and discussion. It concluded for the safety of cross-layer design.
Mature moral judgments include an analysis of both the outcomes of others' actions as well as the mental states that drive them. While adults easily incorporate both intention and outcome into their moral evaluations, scores of developmental studies suggest that it may be uniquely difficult for young children to privilege intention in their judgments of right and wrong (e.g., Piaget, 1932/1965), leading to the conclusion that the 'moral mind' of the young child is fundamentally different from that of older children and adults. The current studies utilize a puppet-choice methodology shown to provoke reliable social preferences throughout the first year after birth (e.g., Hamlin, Wynn, & Bloom, 2007), and provide evidence that 8-month-old infants incorporate, and even privilege, intentions in their social evaluations. In contrast, 5-month-olds appear only able to distinguish characters who intend the outcomes they cause. Such results suggest that one requirement for mature moral judgments, the ability to distinguish between intentions and outcomes in morally relevant events, is present by 8 months of age. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The water resources management may face serious challenges under climate change. In order to efficiently utilize water resources and reduce loadings on centralized water supply systems, it is necessary for each water user to reduce their water requirements. Rural community consumes the great portion of water resources in Taiwan due to high irrigation water demands and thus is concerned in this study. The rural community considers having both external domestic water supply and irrigation systems, and installing reuse system and constructed wetland to provide harvested rainwater and reclaimed water. The purpose of this study is to establish an integrated water resources system dynamics model and propose indicators for quantitatively evaluating the water supply system of a rural community. The three indicators are designed to evaluate water saving efficiency, tolerance of drought duration, and influence of insufficient irrigation water on crop yields. The results show that the combination of the constructed wetland and reuse system possesses more eminent stability than the reuse system alone. The integrated water resources system may reduce up to 32 % of domestic water demands and 7.8 % of irrigation water demands from external systems, respectively. At the same time, the domestic system owns higher resilience. In conclusion, the results indicate that the reuse system and constructed wetland can significantly improve the stability and resilience of water supply system. The study on integrated water resources system for rural community desires more researches. Besides, the influence of climate change and water quality of reclaimed water should be further considered.
Purpose - Previous studies that examined the role of empathy and nonverbal immediacy on business-to-business (B2B) salesperson performance is limited in scope and yielded inconclusive evidence. Grounded in Plank and Greene's (1996) framework of salesperson effectiveness, this paper aims to empirically investigate the mediating role of adaptive selling behavior through which empathy and nonverbal immediacy influence sales force performance and the form of empathy (cognitive or affective) that has the most beneficial role in improving relationship (versus outcome) salesperson performance. Design/methodology/approach - Using cross-sectional data that were collected from 422 pharmaceutical sales representatives, this study used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings - Adaptive selling behavior mediates the effect of perspective taking empathy and empathic concern on relationship performance. However, the impact of empathy on outcome performance is not significant through adaptive selling behavior, but perspective taking empathy has a direct influence on outcome performance. Contrary to expectations, nonverbal immediacy is not mediated by adaptive selling behavior but has a direct and positive impact on relationship performance. Research limitations/implications - The results of this study have several implications for recruitment, training and assessment of salespeople in a B2B context. Based on the empirical evidence, it is highlighted that firms may use different forms of empathy and nonverbal cues to promote adaptive selling behavior that impact sales force performance (i.e. outcome or relationship). Originality/value - To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study which simultaneously examines the mediating role of adaptive selling behavior in the relationship between three antecedent variables that relate to sales force empathy and nonverbal communication (i.e. perspective taking empathy, empathic concern and nonverbal immediacy) and two aspects of B2B sales performance (relationship and outcome).
Background: Nursing education is a process aimed both at theoretical knowledge and skill development. The Fundamentals of Nursing is a course that furnishes students with professional knowledge, concepts and technical skills, and, also, is the keystone of nursing education in our country. Students experience a great deal of anxiety as they face basic nursing practices for the first time. Studies have revealed the effectiveness of music in relieving anxiety in many patient groups. However, no previous studies were found where music was used with the intent to lower the anxiety that students experience over the course of skill learning. The experimental study is aimed at determining the effect of music in decreasing anxiety during the first nursing practices of students in a laboratory setting. Methods: The experimental study was conducted on nursing students of Akdeniz University attending Fundamentals of Nursing, a freshman course, during the 2013-2014 academic year. A total of 73 students, of which 34 were assigned to the experimental group and 39 to the control group, participated in the study. Data collection was carried out using (a) the student identification form prepared by the authors, (b) skill control lists and (c) the Situational Anxiety Scale. The students in the experimental group listened to music during blood draw skill practice in a laboratory environment. The students were assessed with respect to their performance of blood drawing through skill control lists using the statements True, False and Forgotten. The anxiety levels and vital signs of students were assessed before and after the practice. Results: The mean age of the students was 19.08. 64.7% of the experimental group and 82.1% of the control group were female. The age group of 64.7% of the students in the experimental group was female. The age group of 82.1% of the students in the control group was female. After music listening, the mean anxiety score of the students was 38.70 +/- 3.83 in the experimental group and 39.76 +/- 4.72 in the control group. The difference between the mean anxiety scores of the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The evaluation made before and after the blood draw revealed a statistically significant difference in diastolic blood pressure values in the experimental group that listened to music(p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the study showed that listening to music decreased the anxiety levels of nursing students during their first blood draw experience. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In pre-surgery decisions in hospital emergency cases, fast and reliable results of the solid and fluid mechanics problems are of great interest to clinicians. In the current investigation, an iterative process based on a pressure-type boundary condition is proposed in order to reduce the computational costs of blood flow simulations in arteries, without losing control of the important clinical parameters. The incorporation of cardiovascular autoregulation, together with the well-known impedance boundary condition, forms the basis of the proposed methodology. With autoregulation, the instabilities associated with conventional pressure-type or impedance boundary conditions are avoided without an excessive increase in computational costs. The general behaviour of pulsatile blood flow in arteries, which is important from the clinical point of view, is well reproduced through this new methodology. In addition, the interaction between the blood and the arterial walls occurs via a modified weak coupling, which makes the simulation more stable and computationally efficient. Based on in vitro experiments, the hyperelastic behaviour of the wall is characterised and modelled. The applications and benefits of the proposed pressure-type boundary condition are shown in a model of an idealised aortic arch with and without an ascending aorta dissection, which is a common cardiovascular disorder.
The elucidation of the metabolism of new therapeutics is a major task for pharmaceutical companies and of great interest for drug testing Laboratories. The tatter in particular need to determine the presence or absence of drugs or their metabolic products in urine to test for a misuse of these compounds. Commonly, in vitro or animal models are used to mimic the human metabolism and produce potential targets in amounts allowing for method development. An alternative route based on electrochemical reactions of drugs was reported to allow for the generation of selected metabolites. The utility of this approach for doping control purposes was demonstrated with a novel class of anabolic agents termed selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). An arylpropionamide-derived drug candidate was subjected to etectrochemical metabolism and a major phase-I-metabolite, resulting from the elimination of a substituted phenol residue as identified in in vitro experiments, was generated and characterised using liquid chromatography/nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high resolution/high accuracy mass spectrometry. The metabolite was included in routine doping control procedures based on Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and has served as a reference compound for 5000 doping control specimens.
We explored how computer vision techniques can be used to detect engagement while students (N = 22) completed a structured writing activity (draft-feedback-review) similar to activities encountered in educational settings. Students provided engagement annotations both concurrently during the writing activity and retrospectively from videos of their faces after the activity. We used computer vision techniques to extract three sets of features from videos, heart rate, Animation Units (from Microsoft Kinect Face Tracker), and local binary patterns in three orthogonal planes (LBP-TOP). These features were used in supervised learning for detection of concurrent and retrospective self-reported engagement. Area under the ROC Curve (AUC) was used to evaluate classifier accuracy using leave-several-students-out cross validation. We achieved an AUC = .758 for concurrent annotations and AUC = .733 for retrospective annotations. The Kinect Face Tracker features produced the best results among the individual channels, but the overall best results were found using a fusion of channels.
Router discovery in IPv6 is vulnerable to rogue Router Advertisements (RAs), wherein unintended and possibly incorrect RAs make their way into the network. An IPv6 host obtains several important information from an RA like the default router's address and the prefix for autoconfiguring its IPv6 address. Incorrect data in the RA fields result in operational problems in the network. This can occur as a result of misconfigurations or malicious intentions. A variation of this security threat occurs in the form of a node sending a rogue RA with the spoofed address of the legit router but with the router lifetime field set to zero. This causes the legit router to be removed as the default router for hosts on the subnet. Further, the malicious node could advertise itself as the default router and essentially perform a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. This paper demonstrates such a possibility on an IPv6 testbed and presents a possible solution to prevent the same. The implementation of the solution is done on the Linux kernel and results testifying the solution are presented.
We present a set of Matlab/Octave functions to compute measures of emergence, self-organization, and complexity applied to discrete and continuous data. These measures are based on Shannon's information and differential entropy. Examples from different datasets and probability distributions are provided to show how to use our proposed code.
Whether you like a person or not is often appraised in a glance. However, under such short presentation durations stimuli are harder to perceive and, according to hedonic fluency theory-which holds that higher fluency is linked to higher liking-thus, are liked less. Given that liking considerably influences person perception, we tested how shorter and longer presentation durations affect liking for faces and compared this with abstract patterns. To capture facets of fluency of processing we assessed felt fluency, liking, and certainty ratings. Following predictions of fluency theory, longer presentation durations led to higher felt fluency, certainty, and positively affected liking judgments in the abstract patterns. In faces, felt fluency and certainty also increased with longer durations. However, with longer durations, faces were liked less, and liking was not related to felt fluency. In other words, in contrast to hedonic fluency theory, faces are more attractive when only seen for a short amount of time. Thus, fluency does not inevitably lead to more positive evaluations -it rather depends on the stimulus category. We discuss these findings in terms of the special status that faces have with regard to human perception and evaluation.
Flash floods are considered as catastrophic phenomena possessing major hazardous threat to the coastal cities, towns, villages and infrastructures. This study deals with the evaluation of flash flood hazard in the ungauged Wadi Al Lith basin depending on detailed morphometric characteristics of Al Lith basin and its sub-basins. For the detailed study, ASTER data were used for preparing digital elevation model (DEM), and geographical information system (GIS) was used in the evaluation of linear, areal and relief aspects of morphometric parameters. The major parameters such as watershed boundary, flow accumulation, flow direction, flow length and stream ordering are prepared using the ArcHydro Tool. Surface Tool in ArcGIS-10 software, and ASTER (DEM) was used to create different thematic maps such as DEM, contour, slope aspect and hill shade maps. Twenty-five morphometric parameters were measured, calculated and interlinked to produce nine effective parameters for evaluation of the flash flood hazard degree of the study area. Based on nine morphometric parameters which affect the hydrologic behaviour of the Wadi, by influence on time of concentration which has a direct influence on flooding prone area. The flash flood hazard of the Al Lith basin and its sub-basins was identified and classified into three groups (high, medium and low hazard degree). The study provides details on the flash flood-prone area (Wadi Al Lith) and the mitigation measures. This study also helps to plan rainwater harvesting and watershed management in the flash flood alert zones.
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of Arnica montana on post-operative blood loss and seroma production in women undergoing unilateral total mastectomy by administering Arnica Montana 1000 Korsakovian dilution (1000 K). Materials and Methods: From 2012 to 2014, 53 women were randomly assigned to A. montana or placebo and were followed up for 5 days. The main end point was the reduction in blood and serum volumes collected in drainages. Secondary end points were duration of drainage, a self-evaluation of pain, and the presence of bruising or hematomas. Results: The per-protocol analysis revealed a lower mean volume of blood and serum collected in drainages with A. montana (-94.40 ml; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.48-211.28; P = 0.11). A regression model including treatment, volume collected in the drainage on the day of surgery, and patient weight showed a statistically significant difference in favor of A. montana (-106.28 ml; 95% CI: 9.45-203.11; P = 0.03). Volumes collected on the day of surgery and the following days were significantly lower with A. montana at days 2 (P = 0.033) and 3 (P = 0.0223). Secondary end points have not revealed significant differences. Conclusions: A. montana 1000 K could reduce post-operative blood and seroma collection in women undergoing unilateral total mastectomy. Larger studies are needed with different dilutions of A. montana to further validate these data.
A new method for obtaining random bijective S-boxes based on discrete chaotic map is presented. The proposed method uses a discrete chaotic map based on the composition of permutations. The obtained S-boxes have been tested on the number of criteria, such as bijection, nonlinearity, strict avalanche criterion, output bits independence criterion, equiprobable input/output XOR distribution and maximum expected linear probability. The results of performance test show that the S-box presented in this paper has good cryptographic properties. The advantage of the proposed method is the possibility to achieve large key space, which makes it suitable for generation of S-boxes for larger values of n. Also, because this method uses discrete chaotic map based on the composition of permutations which has finite space domain, there is no need for discretization of continuous values of chaotic map, so the process of generation of S-boxes is not affected by approximations of any kind.
This paper presents various experimental tests on the sensorless capability of induction motors (IM). An intentionally created saliency is introduced in the rotor so as to allow the rotor position to be estimated by means of a high-frequency (HF) injected signal in the stator winding. Experimental measurements are carried out on three prototypes, two with saliency and the third without saliency, as reference. The critical aspects in the prototype realization are discussed in this paper. Suggestion on how to solve them from the machine design point of view is included. The rotor saliency has been measured by means of an HF injection. Then, the steady-state performance has been measured, together with the mechanical characteristic of the three prototypes. FE analysis is used to predict the variation of the IM parameters with rotor position. The results are compared with those achieved from measurements.
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: A recent commentary by Edwards et al. (Am. J. Bot. 103: 975-978) proposed that constraints imposed by the packing of young leaves in buds could explain the positive association between non-entire leaf margins and latitude but did not thoroughly consider alternative explanations. METHODS: We review the logic and evidence underlying six major hypotheses for the functional significance of marginal teeth, involving putative effects on (1) leaf cooling, (2) optimal support and supply of the areas served by major veins, (3) enhanced leaf-margin photosynthesis, (4) hydathodal function, (5) defense against herbivores, and (6) bud packing. KEY RESULTS: Theoretical and empirical problems undermine all hypotheses except the support-supply hypothesis, which implies that thinner leaves should have non-entire margins. Phylogenetically structured analyses across angiosperms, the El Yunque flora, and the genus Viburnum all demonstrate that non-entire margins are indeed more common in thinner leaves. Across angiosperms, the association of leaf thickness with non-entire leaf margins is stronger than that of latitude. CONCLUSION: We outline a synthetic model showing how biomechanics, hydraulics, vein geometry, rates of leaf expansion, and length of development within resting buds, all tied to leaf thickness, drive patterns in the distribution of entire vs. non-entire leaf margins. Our model accounts for dominance of entire margins in the tropics, Mediterranean scrub, and tundra, non-entire margins in cold temperate deciduous forests and tropical vines and early-successional trees, and entire leaf margins in monocots. Spinose-toothed leaves should be favored in short-statured evergreen trees and shrubs, primarily in Mediterranean scrub and related semiarid habitats.
Solar energy is one of the most popular clean energy sources and is a promising alternative to fulfill the increasing energy demands of modern society. Solar cells have long been under intensive research attention for harvesting energy from sunlight with a high power-conversion efficiency and low cost. However, the power outputs of photovoltaic devices suffer from fluctuations due to the intermittent instinct of the solar radiation. Integrating solar cells and energy-storage devices as self-powering systems may solve this problem through the simultaneous storage of the electricity and manipulation of the energy output. This review summarizes the research progress in the integration of new-generation solar cells with supercapacitors, with emphasis on the structures, materials, performance, and new design features. The current challenges and future prospects are discussed with the aim of expanding research and development in this field.
This review focuses on the research literatures published in 2015 relating to topics of thermal effects in water pollution control. This review is divided into the following sections: biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal, wastewater treatment for organic conversion, industrial wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge and solid waste, sludge biochar preparation and application, pyrolysis of sewage sludge, reduction heavy metal in sewage sludge and soil, and other issues of wastewater and sludge treatment.
Research typically reveals that outgroups are regarded with disinterest at best and hatred and enmity at worst. Working from an evolutionary framework, we identify a unique pattern of outgroup attraction. The small-group lifestyle of pre-human ancestors plausibly limited access to genetically diverse mates. Ancestral females may have solved the inbreeding dilemma while balancing parental investment pressures by mating with outgroup males either via converting to an outgroup or cuckolding the ingroup. A vestige of those mating strategies might manifest in human women as a cyclic pattern of attraction across the menstrual cycle, such that attraction to outgroup men increases as fertility increases across the cycle. Two studies, one using a longitudinal method and the other an experimental method, evidenced the hypothesized linear relationship between attraction to outgroup men and fertility in naturally cycling women.
Background: This study examined whether starting buprenorphine treatment prior to prison and after release from prison would be associated with better drug treatment outcomes and whether males and females responded differently to the combination of in-prison treatment and post-release service setting. Methods: Study design was a 2 (In-Prison Treatment: Condition: Buprenorphine Treatment: vs. Counseling Only) x 2 [Post-Release Service Setting Condition: Opioid Treatment: Program (OTP) vs. Community Health Center (CHC)] x 2 (Gender) factorial design. The trial was conducted between September 2008 and July 2012. Follow-up assessments were completed in 2014. Participants were recruited from two Baltimore pre-release prisons (one for men and one for women). Adult pre-release prisoners who were heroin-dependent during the year prior to incarceration were eligible. Post-release assessments were conducted at 1, 3, 6, and 12-month following prison release. Results: Participants (N = 211) in the in-prison treatment condition effect had a higher mean number of days of community buprenorphine treatment compared to the condition in which participants initiated medication after release (P = 0.005). However, there were no statistically significant hypothesized effects for the in-prison treatment condition in terms of: days of heroin use and crime, and opioid and cocaine positive urine screening test results (all Ps >0.14) and no statistically significant hypothesized gender effects (all Ps >0.18). Conclusions: Although initiating buprenorphine treatment in prison compared to after-release was associated with more days receiving buprenorphine treatment in the designated community treatment program during the 12-months post-release assessment, it was not associated with superior outcomes in terms of heroin and cocaine use and criminal behavior. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of silane pretreatment on the universal adhesive bonding between lithium disilicate glass ceramic and composite resin. IPS e.max ceramic blocks etched with hydrofluoric acid were randomly assigned to one of eight groups treated with one of four universal adhesives (two silane-free adhesives and two silane-containing adhesives), each with or without silane pretreatment. Bonded specimens were stored in water for 24 h. The shear bond strength (SBS) of the ceramic-resin interface was measured to evaluate bond strength, and the debonded interface after the SBS test was analysed using field-emission scanning electron microscopy to determine failure mode. Light microscopy was performed to analyse microleakage and marginal sealing ability. Silane pretreatment significantly and positively influenced SBS and marginal sealing ability. For all the universal adhesive groups, SBS increased and the percentage of microleakage decreased after the pretreatment. Without the pretreatment, SBS and the percentage of microleakage were not significantly different between the silane-containing universal adhesive groups and the silane-free groups. Cohesive failure was the main fracture pattern. The results suggest that additional silane pretreatment can effectively improve the bonding strength and marginal sealing of adhesives to lithium disilicate glass ceramics. The bonding performance of silane-containing universal adhesives without pretreatment is similar to that of silane-free adhesives.
In human interaction and communication, not only verbal messages but also nonverbal behavior such as nodding and paralanguage are rhythmically related and mutually synchronized among speakers. This synchrony of embodied rhythms unconsciously enhances a sense of unification and causes an interaction-activated communication in which nonverbal behaviors such as body movements and speech activity increase, and the embodied interaction is activated. In this paper, we propose the concept of an estimation model of interaction-activated communication based on the heat conduction equation with the characteristics of precipitous speed fluctuation and develop a model that estimates the degree of interaction-activated communication by using speech input only. Further, we evaluate the developed model in estimating the period of the interaction-activated communication in an avatar-mediated communication. The results demonstrate that the developed model is effective in estimating the interaction-activated communication.
Lymphocytic esophagitis (LyE) is a recently described clinicopathological condition, but little is known about its features and clinical associations. The aim of this study was to characterize patients with LyE, compare them to non-LyE controls, and identify risk factors. We conducted a retrospective study of all patients aeyen18 years old who underwent upper endoscopy with esophageal biopsy between January 1, 2000, and June 1, 2012. Archived pathology slides were re-reviewed, and LyE was diagnosed if there was lymphocyte-predominant esophageal inflammation with no eosinophils or granulocytes. Three non-LyE controls groups were also defined: reflux, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), and normal. Clinical data were extracted from electronic medical records, and LyE cases were compared to non-LyE controls. Twenty-seven adults were diagnosed with LyE, and the majority were female (63 %). The most common symptom was dysphagia (70 %). Fifty-two percentage had a prior or current diagnosis of reflux. Endoscopic findings included strictures (37 %), erosive esophagitis (33 %), rings (26 %), and hiatal hernia (26 %); 33 % of patients required dilation. After histology re-review, 78 % of LyE patients were found to have more than 20 lymphs/hpf. In comparison with the normal, reflux and EoE controls, patients with LyE tended to be nonwhite (p < 0.01), were more commonly tobacco users (p = 0.02) and less likely to have seasonal allergies (p = 0.02). LyE commonly presents with dysphagia due to esophageal strictures which require dilation. Smoking was associated with LyE, whereas atopy was not. LyE should be considered as a diagnostic possibility in patients with these characteristics undergoing upper endoscopy.
N-doped carbon materials have great potential as functional materials for water pollution control. However, the synthesis of green and sustainable N-doped carbon catalysts face numerous challenges. This study uses a thermal treatment by directly heating a homogeneous mixture of cobalt acetate and dimethylglyoxime to synthesize lamellar ordering Co3O4/N/C compounds. Dimethylglyoxime was chosen to play duple roles as both nitrogen and carbon source. The obtained N-doped carbon material was used as a catalyst for effective aniline degradation by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). In this approach, nanomaterials with good catalytic performance, high stability, and magnetic property can be obtained, which facilitate recycle convenience. In this study, graphitic N is found to improve electron mobility, and the lone pair of pyrrolic-like N electrons tends to form effective Co-N-4 moieties with Co species, which can increase the catalyst activity. Therefore, the prepared catalyst has higher activity than individual Co3O4. Furthermore, the effects of N-doped carbon materials on aniline degradation by activated PMS and the proposed reaction pathways for the mineralization of aniline were explain in detailed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Integrating knowledge of environmental degradation, biodiversity change, and ecosystem processes across large spatial scales remains a key challenge to illuminating the resilience of earth's systems. There is now a growing realization that the manner in which communities will respond to anthropogenic impacts will ultimately control the ecosystem consequences. Here, we examine the response of freshwater fishes and their nutrient excretion -a key ecosystem process that can control aquatic productivity -to human land development across the contiguous United States. By linking a continental-scale dataset of 533 fish species from 8100 stream locations with species functional traits, nutrient excretion, and land remote sensing, we present four key findings. First, we provide the first geographic footprint of nutrient excretion by freshwater fishes across the United States and reveal distinct local-and continental-scale heterogeneity in community excretion rates. Second, fish species exhibited substantial response diversity in their sensitivity to land development; for native species, the more tolerant species were also the species contributing greater ecosystem function in terms of nutrient excretion. Third, by modeling increased land-use change and resultant shifts in fish community composition, land development is estimated to decrease fish nutrient excretion in the majority (63%) of ecoregions. Fourth, the loss of nutrient excretion would be 28% greater if biodiversity loss was random or 84% greater if there were no nonnative species. Thus, ecosystem processes are sensitive to increased anthropogenic degradation but biotic communities provide multiple pathways for resistance and this resistance varies across space.
Water shortage, water pollution and climate changes are highly interrelated global issues. These have raised immense concerns about possible serious adverse effects on the quality, treatment and reuse of wastewater. This research aims to investigate the potential impact of Triton X-100 on the soilborne fungus Aspergillus niger (A. niger) as well as the ability of this organism to remove Triton X-100 from contaminated wastewater. We found that 2,250-6,000mg/L Triton is toxic toward A. niger with irreversible effects, whereas 23-2,000mg/L is inhibitory toward A. niger with reversible effects. These concentration ranges vary with initial concentrations of Triton and A. niger as well as with the contact time. At an initial concentration of 228 and 2,152mg/L, A. niger can remove 20 and 28%, respectively, of Triton by day 1, which increase to 28 and 38%, respectively, by day 3. Another experiment showed that at an initial concentration of 50 and 100mg/L, A. niger can biodegrade 29 and 15%, respectively, of Triton by day 1, which further increases to 87 and 34% by day 15. Adsorption and biodegradation are the mechanisms employed by the organism for Triton removal. Thus, A. niger can enhance biological treatment of wastewater.
This study aims at assessing the technical and economic benefits of refurbishing existing public housing villas in the UAE. Four representative federal public housing villas built between 1980s and 2010s were modeled and analyzed. The Integrated Environmental Solutions-Virtual Environment (IES-VE) energy modeling software was used to estimate the energy consumption and savings due to different refurbishment configurations applied to the villas. The refurbishment technical configurations were based on the UAE's Estidama green buildings sustainability assessment system. The refurbishment configurations include upgrading three elements: the wall and roof insulation as well as replacing the glazing. The annual electricity savings results indicated that the most cost-efficient refurbishment strategy is upgrading of wall insulation (savings up to 20.8 %) followed by upgrading the roof's insulation (savings up to 11.6 %) and lastly replacing the glazing (savings up to 3.2 %). When all three elements were refurbished simultaneously, savings up to 36.7 % were achieved (villa model 670). The savings translated to CO2 emission reduction of 22.6 t/year. The simple and discounted payback periods for the different configurations tested ranged between 8 and 28 and 10 and 50 years, respectively.
This research evaluates which is the most cost-efficient rainwater harvesting (RWH) system in a new commercial building located in the north of Portugal, in Braga. Based on the economic analysis, the cost-efficiency of the presented RWH strategies may be considered for the case studied. The results of this research indicate that RWH scenarios proposed are cost-efficient. Considering a 10 % discount rate, the water price charge in the municipally of Braga and the cost of the infrastructures would be enough to make RWH cost-efficient for this option. At this discount rate, the payback period ranges from 2 to 6 years and the internal rate of return would range from 23 to 76 %. If a discount rate of 5 % were considered, the payback periods would be reduced by approximately 1 year.
This paper describes a method for fast identification of the thermal behavior of vehicle integrated electric drives to propose a better understanding of electric machine design tailored to driving cycles. A simple, but satisfactorily accurate, calculation method for the estimation of machine losses, which is an input for the analytic thermal network, in the early design stage is introduced. The analytic models, which are verified using measurement data, are used for parameter and case studies for consideration of the thermal environment, with a focus on the gearbox. The first case study analyzes the influence of the gearbox on the thermal behavior of critical machine components. Aiming to use the gearbox lubricant for cooling the winding heads, an improvement of machine performance using an alternative cooling approach, which cools down the end windings, is shown in the second case study.
BACKGROUND: Contextual factors, including the gender of researchers, influence experimental and patient pain reports. It is currently not known how social stimuli influence pain percepts, nor which types of sensory modalities of communication, such as auditory, visual or olfactory cues associated with person perception and gender processing, produce these effects. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether exposure to two forms of social stimuli (audio and visual) from a virtual male or female stranger modulates cold pressor task (CPT) pain reports. METHODS: Participants with similar demographic characteristics conducted a CPT in solitude, without the physical presence of an experimenter or another person. During the CPT, participants were exposed to the voice and image of a virtual male or female stranger. The voices had analogous vocal prosody, provided no semantic information (spoken in a foreign language) and differed only in pitch; the images depicted a middle-age male or female health care practitioner. RESULTS: Male participants, but not females, showed higher CPT pain intensity when they were exposed to the female stimuli compared with the male stimuli. Follow-up analyses showed that the association between the social stimuli and variability in pain sensitivity was not moderated by individual differences in subjective (eg, self-image) or objective measurements of one's physical stature. Discussion: The findings show that exposure to virtual, gender-based auditory and visual social stimuli influences exogenous pain sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Further research on how contextual factors, such as the vocal properties of health care examiners and exposure to background voices, may influence momentary pain perception is necessary for creating more standardized methods for measuring patient pain reports in clinical settings.
Flow cytometry is a method widely used to quantify suspended solids such as cells or bacteria in a size range from 0.5 to several tens of micrometers in diameter. In addition to a characterization of forward and sideward scatter properties, it enables the use of fluorescent labeled markers like antibodies to detect respective structures. Using indirect antibody staining, flow cytometry is employed here to quantify birch pollen allergen (precisely Bet v 1)-loaded particles of 0.5 to 10 mu m in diameter in inhalable particulate matter (PM10, particle size0.5 mu m.
When Johann and Daniel Bernoulli founded fluid dynamics they encountered several problems. To go beyond the vision of Newtonian particles, a new set of images was needed in order to deal with the spatial extensibility and lack of form of fluids. I point to evidence that analogy was an essential abductive strategy in the creation of this imagery. But its heuristic behavior is complex: analogy can provide an initial model or proto-model that establishes the starting point of a theoretical process, but it can play other roles as well. The historical genesis analyzed here shows that the participation of analogy in physicists' creativity is not so restricted and that its richness opens up the field for very different roles and strategies in model-based discovery processes. Analogies can crop up intermittently in the evolution of a theory; and they can cooperate with images, extreme case reasoning and thought experiments, and even activate these processes at origin. Although it may seem that the contributions of analogy are generative in the sense of helping to discover new aspects of reality, we must stress the evaluative function that sometimes is performed by analogical reasoning in order to gain confidence. The study of the Bernoulli's genesis of the foundations of fluid dynamics generates interesting hypotheses about the multiple roles that analogy can play in scientific model-based reasoning.
Among the processes of micropart manufacturing, special attention is paid to applying electrochemical (ECMM) and electrodischarge (EDMM) micromachining. These processes have especially been predicted for 3D-sculptured surface (i.e. tools for microforming processes) manufacturing. In the first part of the paper a review and comparison of ECMM and EDMM are presented with special focus on accuracy and productivity. Additionally the solutions of the integration of the electrochemical and electrodischarge machining are reviewed. The analysis was the background for the concept of combining ECMM and EDMM (EC/EDMM) into a sequential process carried out on the same machine tool. Such a combination gives the possibility of minimizing the disadvantages and emphasizing the advantages of the ECMM and EDMM processes. All of these considerations were carried out based on the literature review. In the second part of the paper, overviews of the special EC/EDMM machine design, CAD/CAM support and examples of applying the EC/EDMM sequence are presented. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The second part of this article reports our query into the essential characteristics of effective engineering networks in the current business environments through case studies focusing on engineering design, manufacturing engineering, and engineering services. The engineering networks of four global leading companies were studied to refine, enrich, and extend the preliminary understandings gained from the first part of this article. The case studies suggested essential characteristics of effective engineering networks in four main areas, including (1) efficient engineering processes, (2) effective engineering learning, (3) flexible engineering resources, and (4) digital engineering environment. This contributes to the theoretical understanding of international engineering operations by bridging a missing link between the engineering network theories and the unique nature of engineering. It is expected that the findings can help managers to improve the performance of their engineering networks and facilitate the effective interface management between engineering and other functional areas.
Background. Fiveworkers from a plantmanufacturing concrete wall panels and beams were referred to our department because of suspected occupational dermatitis. When patch tested, 3 workers reacted to potassium dichromate. Four workers reacted to ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, without any obvious exposure. Owing to the high proportion of workers with recent-onset skin disease, an investigation of all workers at the plant was initiated. Objectives. To investigate the prevalence of occupational dermatitis and contact allergy in the workers at the plant. Methods. All 24 workers at the plant underwent a clinical investigation and were patch tested. Results. Four cases of allergic occupational contact dermatitis and 3 cases of irritant occupational contact dermatitis were diagnosed. Contact allergy to potassium dichromate was found in 4 workers. All 4 also reacted to ethylenediamine dihydrochloride and/or amines that were present as additives in the cement. Conclusions. Chromate contact allergy can still be found in concrete workers, despite the legislation regulating the amount of hexavalent chromium (chromate) in cement. Occupational contact allergy to amines can be found in workers exposed to cement and concrete, so amines should be tested in these workers.
This research explores interactions among Mexican immigrants and their U.S.- and Mexican-born allies at an immigrant support center (ISC) in the U.S. Southwest. I propose that to support Mexican immigrants in resettling, allies who work at this ISC must apply cultural knowledge about competent communication for Mexican speakers to structure their strategic actions (Sprain & Boromisza-Habashi, 2013). Taking an ethnography of communication (EOC) approach, I investigate the means and meanings of communication (Hymes, 1972) for speakers that point to cultural knowledge about competent communication. Data for this study include 7 months of observation, interviews with 37 community and staff members, and public documents collected during fieldwork. Findings reveal five means of communication that are meaningful for speakers at ISC. This research demonstrates the practical utility of the EOC in understanding how cultural expectations for communication may both assist and limit ISC's efforts to support resettlement.
Religion can have an important influence in moral decision-making, and religious reminders may deter people from unethical behavior. Previous research indicated that religious contexts may increase prosocial behavior and reduce cheating. However, the perceptual-behavioral link between religious contexts and decision-making lacks thorough scientific understanding. This study adds to the current literature by testing the effects of purely audial religious symbols (instrumental music) on moral behavior across three different sites: Mauritius, the Czech Republic, and the USA. Participants were exposed to one of three kinds of auditory stimuli (religious, secular, or white noise), and subsequently were given a chance to dishonestly report on solved mathematical equations in order to increase their monetary reward. The results showed cross-cultural differences in the effects of religious music on moral behavior, as well as a significant interaction between condition and religiosity across all sites, suggesting that religious participants were more influenced by the auditory religious stimuli than non-religious participants. We propose that religious music can function as a subtle cue associated with moral standards via cultural socialization and ritual participation. Such associative learning can charge music with specific meanings and create sacred cues that influence normative behavior. Our findings provide preliminary support for this view, which we hope further research will investigate more closely.
Aims and objectives. To explore the factors that influence the use of de-escalation and its success in halting conflict in acute psychiatric inpatient setting. Background. De-escalation is the use of verbal and nonverbal communication to reduce or eliminate aggression and violence during the escalation phase of a patient's behaviour. Although de-escalation is a first-line intervention in aggression management in acute psychiatric settings, little is known about the use or effectiveness of this technique. Design. A retrospective case note analysis. Methods. For each patient (n = 522), their involvement in conflict (e.g. aggression) or containment (e.g. coerced medication) during the first two weeks of their admission was recorded. The frequency and order of the conflict and containment events were identified during each shift. The sequences of events occurring in shifts involving de-escalation were analysed. Sequences where de-escalation ended the pattern of conflict or containment were categorised as 'successful', and all others were categorised as 'unsuccessful'. Results. Over half of patients (53%) experienced de-escalation during the first two weeks of admission, with the majority of these (37%) experiencing multiple episodes. De-escalation was successful in approximately 60% of cases. Successful de-escalations were preceded by fewer, and less aggressive, conflict events, compared with unsuccessful de-escalations, which were most frequently followed by administration of pro re nata medication. Patients with a history of violence were more likely to experience de-escalation, and it was more likely to be unsuccessful. Conclusions. De-escalation is frequently effective in halting a sequence of conflict in acute inpatient settings, but patients with a history of violence may be specifically challenging. Relevance to clinical practice. These findings provide support for de-escalation in practice but suggest that nurses may lack confidence in using the technique when the risk of violence is greater. Providing evidence-based staff training may improve staff confidence in the use of this potentially powerful technique.
Frequency-response measurements at high frequencies have been shown to provide a valuable design tool in various fields of electronics. These measurements are often challenging when using most commercially available measurement tools due to their relatively low maximum sampling frequency and long measurement time. This effectively prevents frequency-response-based low-cost applications where fast and reliable measurements are required. This paper proposes the use of a combined frequency mixer applied with pseudo-random sequences. In this method, the applied pseudo-random excitation is upconverted to high frequencies by the mixer, and once injected into the device being tested, the system response is down converted to lower frequencies. The method provides a low-cost solution that can be applied for rapid high-frequency measurements by using only modest data-acquisition tools. Experimental results based on a high-frequency resonator are presented and used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
More than three decades since the emergence of the environmental justice (EJ) movement in the U. S., environmental injustices continue to unfold across the world to include new narratives of air and water pollution, as well as new forms of injustices associated with climate change, energy use, natural disasters, urban greenspaces, and public policies that adversely affect socially disadvantaged communities and future generations. This focus issue of Environmental Research Letters provides an interdisciplinary forum for conceptual, methodological, and empirical scholarship on EJ activism, research, and policy that highlights the continuing salience of an EJ perspective to understanding nature-society linkages. The 16 letters published in this focus issue address a variety of environmental issues and social injustices in multiple countries across the world, and advance EJ research by: (1) demonstrating how environmental injustice emerges through particular policies and political processes; (2) exploring environmental injustices associated with industrialization and industrial pollution; and (3) documenting unjust exposure to various environmental hazards in specific urban landscapes. As the discourse of EJ continues to evolve both topically and geographically, we hope that this focus issue will help establish research agendas for the next generation of EJ scholarship on distributive, procedural, participatory, and other forms of injustices, as well as their interrelationships.
Context. Black patients are more likely than white patients to die in the intensive care unit with life-sustaining treatments. Differences in patient- and/or surrogate-provider communication may contribute to this phenomenon. Objectives. To test whether hospital-based physicians use different verbal and/or nonverbal communication with black and white simulated patients and their surrogates. Methods. We conducted a randomized factorial trial of the relationship between patient race and physician communication using high-fidelity simulation. Using a combination of probabilistic and convenience sampling, we recruited 33 hospital-based physicians in western Pennsylvania who completed two encounters with prognostically similar, critically and terminally ill black and white elders with identical treatment preferences. We then conducted detailed content analysis of audio and video recordings of the encounters, coding verbal emotion-handling and shared decision-making behaviors, and nonverbal behaviors (time interacting with the patient and/or surrogate, with open vs. closed posture, and touching the patient and physical proximity). We used a paired t-test to compare each subjects' summed verbal and nonverbal communication scores with the black patient compared to the white patient. Results. Subject physicians' verbal communication scores did not differ by patient race (black vs. white: 8.4 vs. 8.4, P-value = 0.958). However, their nonverbal communication scores were significantly lower with the black patient than with the white patient (black vs. white: 2.7 vs. 2.9, P-value 0.014). Conclusion. In this small regional sample, hospital-based physicians have similar verbal communication behaviors when discussing end-of-life care for otherwise similar black and white patients but exhibit significantly fewer positive, rapport-building nonverbal cues with black patients. (C) 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Self-report studies have found evidence that cultures differ in the display rules they have for facial expressions (i.e., for what is appropriate for different people at different times). However, observational studies of actual patterns of facial behavior have been rare and typically limited to the analysis of dozens of participants from two or three regions. We present the first large-scale evidence of cultural differences in observed facial behavior, including 740,984 participants from 12 countries around the world. We used an Internet-based framework to collect video data of participants in two different settings: in their homes and in market research facilities. Using computer vision algorithms designed for this dataset, we measured smiling and brow furrowing expressions as participants watched television ads. Our results reveal novel findings and provide empirical evidence to support theories about cultural and gender differences in display rules. Participants from more individualist cultures displayed more brow furrowing overall, whereas smiling depended on both culture and setting. Specifically, participants from more individualist countries were more expressive in the facility setting, while participants from more collectivist countries were more expressive in the home setting. Female participants displayed more smiling and less brow furrowing than male participants overall, with the latter difference being more pronounced in more individualist countries. This is the first study to leverage advances in computer science to enable large-scale observational research that would not have been possible using traditional methods.
Battery energy storage (BES) plays an important role in the integration of intermittent renewable power and distributed generation. The price arbitrage is a major source of energy storage income. In China, the electricity price is tightly regulated by the government. It's interesting to find out whether the BES is economic viability in such a special electricity market, and what's the optimal response of the grid (or regulator) when facing the arbitrage activities of BES. This research starts with a price arbitrage model to evaluate the feasibility of energy storage in China's electricity market, which can be used to determine the optimal investment scale and operation mode of energy storage. A quantitative assessment is also implemented to discuss the influence when factors change. Following this, an optimal pricing strategy for grid is established. The results reveal that the storage investment can realize positive profit in some districts where the price gap between peak/off-peak periods is high. Appropriate subsidies can be quantitatively described by sensitivity analysis. In terms of social welfare, the energy storage can be deployed on a large-scale at a low social cost under a suitable price mechanism. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) is one important line of defense in the intestinal mucosal surface to protect the intestinal epithelium from enteric toxins and pathogenic microorganisms. Multiple factors, such as intestinal microbiota, intestinal cytokines, and nutrients are highly involved in production of SIgA in the intestine. Recently, glutamine has been shown to affect intestinal SIgA production; however, the underlying mechanism by which glutamine stimulates secretion of intestinal SIgA is unknown. Here, we review current knowledge regarding glutamine in intestinal immunity and show that glutamine-enhanced secretion of SIgA in the intestine may involve intestinal microbiota, intestinal antigen sampling and presentation, induction pathways for SIgA production by plasma cells (both T-dependent and T-independent pathway), and even transport of SIgA. Altogether, the glutamine-intestinal SIgA axis has broad therapeutic implications for intestinal SIgA-associated diseases, such as celiac disease, allergies, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Currently tourism is moving towards sustainable tourism because this industry poses negative impacts on the environment. Tourism industry consumes and produces many resources such as water, energy and waste. The purpose of this research is to determine the rate of participation in green approaches of Malaysia green hospitality industry. The methodology used was in depth interviews and observations. This research finding shows that the operators adopt greener approaches in three common areas such as energy, waste and water. Less participation in indoor air quality, sustainable management of the site, renewable energy and rainwater harvesting system. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Whereas current pharmacological interventions for ASD focus primarily on psychiatric symptoms, including agitation and obsessive behaviors, few agents target core symptomatology. It has been previously hypothesized that abnormalities in facial scanning, such as reduced eye contact or increased mouth fixation, contribute to social communication deficits in ASD. In addition, previous reports have suggested elevated stress and anxiety in ASD, symptoms that are believed to impact facial scanning patterns. Objectives: The present pilot study sought to explore the effects of pharmacological intervention via propranolol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist and known anxiolytic, on facial scanning in ASD. Specifically, we wished to determine whether there is an increase in eye contact and a decrease in mouth fixation with administration of propranolol. Method: A sample of 14 participants with ASD and 14 matched controls participated in two study sessions in which propranolol and placebo were administered in a counterbalanced, double-blinded manner. At each session, ocular fixation data were collected during presentation of video stimuli of 16 human faces. Fixation time on the eye, nose, and mouth regions of the face stimuli was analyzed. Results: The baseline fixation patterns for the ASD and control groups did not significantly differ; however, administration of propranolol was associated with a significant reduction in mouth fixation for the ASD group. Additionally, mouth fixation was positively related to nonverbal communication impairment in the ASD group. Conclusions: Although eye fixation in ASD appears typical in the present study, the effect of propranolol in reducing mouth fixation suggests an important focus for further research. Future studies are needed to better characterize the relationship between stress and anxiety and facial scanning in ASD, as well as the effects of pharmacological intervention.
Anti-INF-alpha therapies are used in the treatment of different inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, paradoxical effects may occur during treatment. In other words, these drugs can induce or unmask diseases similar to those they were intended to treat. Etanercept is the main anti-INF-alpha agent associated with the development of paradoxical IBD; this drug, moreover, has no proven usefulness in the treatment of the disease. This association, which is not coincidental and meets the criteria for a temporal causal association, is infrequent and is seen particularly in patients with spondyloarthritis. Restarting treatment with etanercept may induce new intestinal symptoms. There are no endoscopic, histopathologic or clinical differences between primary and secondary IBD, and both are diagnosed in the same way. The most frequent presentation is Crohn disease. When a paradoxical event occurs, etanercept is usually replaced with infliximab, which has not been associated with disease recurrence. (C) 2016 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U., AEEH y AEG. All rights reserved.
Detailed IgE-binding epitope analysis is a key requirement for the understanding and development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to address food allergies. An IgE-specific linear peptide microarray with random phage peptide display for the high-resolution mapping of IgE-binding epitopes of the major soybean allergen Gly m 4, which is a homologue to the birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 is combined. Three epitopes are identified and mapped to a resolution of four key amino acids, allowing the rational design and the production of three Gly m 4 mutants with the aim to abolish or reduce the binding of epitope-specific IgE. In ELISA, the binding of the mutant allergens to polyclonal rabbit-anti Gly m 4 serum as well as IgE purified from Gly m 4-reactive soybean allergy patient sera is reduced by up to 63% compared to the wild-type allergen. Basophil stimulation experiments using RBL-SX38 cells loaded with patient IgE are showed a decreased stimulation from 25% for the wild-type Gly m 4 to 13% for one mutant. The presented approach demonstrates the feasibility of precise mapping of allergy-related IgE-binding epitopes, allowing the rational design of less allergenic mutants as potential therapeutic agents.
In this study, hyperspectral reflectance (HySR) data derived from a handheld spectroradiometer were used to assess the water status of three grapevine cultivars in two sub-regions of Douro wine region during two consecutive years. A large set of potential predictors derived from the HySR data were considered for modelling/predicting the predawn leaf water potential (Psi(pd)) through different statistical and machine learning techniques. Three HySR vegetation indices were selected as final predictors for the computation of the models and the in-season time trend was removed from data by using a time predictor. The vegetation indices selected were the Normalized Reflectance Index for the wavelengths 554 nm and 561 nm (NRI554;561), the water index (WI) for the wavelengths 900 nm and 970 nm, and the D1 index which is associated with the rate of reflectance increase in the wavelengths of 706 nm and 730 nm. These vegetation indices covered the green, red edge and the near infrared domains of the electromagnetic spectrum. A large set of state-of-the-art analysis and statistical and machine-learning modelling techniques were tested. Predictive Modelling techniques based on generalized boosted model (GBM), bagged multivariate adaptive regression splines (B-MARS), generalized additive model (GAM), and Bayesian regularized neural networks (BRNN) showed the best performance for predicting Psi(pd), with an average determination coefficient (R-2) ranging between 0.78 and 0.80 and RMSE varying between 0.11 and 0.12 MPa. When cultivar Touriga Nacional was used for training the models and the cultivars Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca for testing (independent validation), the models performance was good, particularly for GBM (R-2 = 0.85; RMSE = 0.09 MPa). Additionally, the comparison of Psi(pd) observed and predicted showed an equitable dispersion of data from the various cultivars. The results achieved show a good potential of these predictive models based on vegetation indices to support irrigation scheduling in vineyard. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Molecular mechanisms governing maintenance, commitment, and differentiation of stem cells are largely unexploited. Molecules involved in the regulation of multiple cellular processes are of particular importance for stem cell physiology, as they integrate different signals and coordinate cellular decisions related with self-renewal and fate determination. Geminin has emerged as a critical factor in DNA replication and stem cell differentiation in different stem cell populations. Its inhibitory interaction with Cdt1, a member of the prereplicative complex, ensures the controlled timing of DNA replication and, consequently, genomic stability in actively proliferating cells. In embryonic as well as somatic stem cells, Geminin has been shown to interact with transcription factors and epigenetic regulators to drive gene expression programs and ultimately guide cell fate decisions. An ever-growing number of studies suggests that these interactions of Geminin and proteins regulating transcription are conserved among metazoans. Interactions between Geminin and proteins modifying the epigenome, such as members of the repressive Polycomb group and the SWI/SNF proteins of the permissive Trithorax, have long been established. The complexity of these interactions, however, is only just beginning to unravel, revealing key roles on maintaining stem cell self-renewal and fate specification. In this review, we summarize current knowledge and give new perspectives for the role of Geminin on transcriptional and epigenetic regulation, alongside with its regulatory activity in DNA replication and their implication in the regulation of stem and progenitor cell biology.
In response to Palermo (2016, Australian Psychologist, in press) comments, some aspects of the target paper are further elaborated here. In particular, given Palermo's timely emphasis on the potential social and cultural implications of research demonstrating the beneficial consequences of negative affect, the historical background, and practical implications of the experimental evidence are elaborated. Furthermore, the reviewer also comments on the applicability of alternative theoretical conceptualizations to the data reported here, and this issue also receives further attention. Overall, it is concluded that there is now strong and convergent evidence for the often beneficial consequences of mild negative affect, and these findings deserve serious consideration in practical applications of psychology, and in our conceptions of what represents a healthy and balanced emotional life. Embracing and accepting periods of negative affectivity should be recognised as a normal and healthy part of the human condition, and the cultural bias towards positive affect should be tempered by an appreciation of the adaptive benefits of dysphoria.
Concrete corrosion is one of the most significant problems affecting valuable sewer infrastructure on a global scale. This problem occurs in the aerobic zone of the sewer, where a layer of surface corrosion develops on the exposed concrete and the surface pH is typically lowered from around 11-10 (pristine concrete) to pH 2-4. Acidophilic microorganisms become established as biofilms within the concrete corrosion layer and enhance the loss of concrete mass. Until recently, the acidophilic community was considered to comprise relatively few species of microorganisms, however, the biodiversity of the corrosion community is now recognized as being extensive and varying from different sewer environmental conditions. The diversity of acidophiles in the corrosion communities includes chemolithoautotrophs, chemolithoheterotrophs, and chemoorganoheterotrophs. The activity of these microorganisms is strongly affected by H2S levels in the sewer gas phase, although CO2, organic matter, and iron in the corrosion layer influence this acidic ecosystem. This paper briefly presents the conditions within the sewer that lead to the development of concrete corrosion in that environment. The review focuses on the acidophilic microorganisms detected in sewer corrosion environments, and then summarizes their proposed functions and physiology, especially in relation to the corrosion process. To our knowledge, this is the first review of acidophilic corrosion microbial communities, in which, the ecology and the environmental conditions (when available) are considered. Ecological studies of sewer corrosion are limited, however, where possible, we summarize the important metabolic functions of the different acidophilic species detected in sewer concrete corrosion layers. It is evident that microbial functions in the acidic sewer corrosion environment can be linked to those occurring in the analogous acidic environments of acid mine drainage and bioleaching.
Understanding the influence of ubiquitously present plant steroids on mammalian cell biology is currently of interest. Feedback inhibition of HMGCoA reductase (HMGCR) catalytic activity in the transformation of HMG-CoA to mevalonate is a significant regulatory step in sterol biosynthetic pathway. To assess the role of dietary steroids in this biochemical transformation, the phytosteroid isoform 28-homobrassinolide (28-HB), 90 % pure, obtained from Godrej Agrovet (India) was used to determine its effect on mammalian HMG-CoA reductase. Photometric assay of pure human and select rat tissue HMGCR post 28-HB oral feed, PCR-HMGCR gene expression, and in silico docking of 28-HB and HMGCoA on HMGCR protein template were carried out. Using an oral feed regimen of pure 28-HB, we noted a decrease of 16 % in liver, 17.1 % in kidney and 9.3 % in testicular HMGCR enzyme activity, 25 % in HMGCR gene expression and 44 % in the activity of pure human HMGCR due to this plant oxysterol. In silico docking studies yielded binding metrics for 28-HB-HMGCR lower than for HMGCoA-HMGCR, indicating stronger binding of HMGCR by this ligand. 28-HB exerts differential effects on rat tissue HMGCR, down regulates liver HMGCR gene expression and significantly inhibits HMGCR activity.
Impairments in interpersonal relationships are a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Social cognition dysfunction, like false recognition of others' emotions and intentions, may lead to emotional disturbances, self-injury, and impulsive aggression behaviors in patients with BPD. This study explored the extent to which social cognition, including emotional recognition and theory of mind (ToM), can predict the ability of social awareness in patients with BPD. Emotion recognition tasks (matching emotional facial expressions to prosody), verbal and nonverbal theory of mind tasks, and the awareness of social inference test were assessed. Results of a stepwise multiple regression showed that the quality of the early parent-child relationship, anger prosody recognition, and ToM were significantly related to the ability to be aware of social interactions in the patients with BPD.
Availability of safe drinking water is considered a key challenge in the coastal region of Bangladesh. High concentrations of salinity, iron and arsenic, and the unavailability of suitable aquifers, have deterred the exploitation of groundwater resources. In addition the cyclonic storm surge is a major threat to this system. Cyclones accompanied by storm surges in the coastal area cause significant deterioration of drinking water supply and sanitation. Water professionals have launched some initiatives to promote small-scale, alternative safe water sources (e. g. rainwater harvesting, pond sand filters and piped water techniques) to provide sustainable solutions to the problem. However, a systematic evaluation of the alternatives that considers social, technical and economic criteria has not been carried out so far. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the alternative options for drinking water supply in a cyclone-prone area. The authors conducted a multi-criteria analysis and reached the conclusion that rainwater harvesting is the most suitable option for the area. Moreover, the final result was shared with the users to obtain their feedback to ensure sustainability of the water source.
Many agitation and mixing processes utilize various sensors for real-time monitoring and control, which can involve complex and costly equipment. For many mixing and agitation processes, such as in dough making, as mixing energy is placed, the resistance to extension increases and then after some point it decreases again. High-quality bread is obtained by stopping mixing at or close to the maximum resistance. The change in resistance causes a change in motor torque. The torque change affects the motor's current draw for agitation and mixing machines driven by electrical motors. The rheological characteristics of the mixed material are related to motor torque of the mixing machine. Therefore, it is related to the motor electric current where the load variation can be estimated by a low-cost current sensor. This paper outlines a novel design for an intelligent agitator/mixer process controller. The design is based on current sensing and on-line learning through reinforcement learning using operator input. The system provides a low-cost approach to automate various kinds of production equipment currently operated manually, which are common in the developing world. Additionally, the approach requires minimal modification to the equipment: it requires only a current sensor, an on/off control relay, a set of buttons for operation, and an embedded system. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Emerging contaminants are considered as some substances of actual or potential threat to human health or environment, which include endocrine disruptors, pharmaceutical, personal care products, nanoparticles, antibiotic resistance genes and chemicals used in packaging products, etc. The disposal and treatment of emerging contaminants has become a key problem in the field of water pollution control. The purpose of this review is to summarize published researches on emerging pollutants treatment in 2015.
For cryptographic algorithms, secret keys should be generated randomly as the security of the system depends on the key and therefore generation of random sequences is vital. Randomness testing is done by means of statistical randomness tests. In this work, we show that the probabilities for the overlapping template matching test in the NIST test suite are only valid for a specific template and need to be recalculated for the other templates. We calculate the exact distribution for all 4-bit templates and propose new randomness tests, namely template matching tests. The new tests can be applied to any sequence of minimum length 5504 whereas the overlapping template matching test in the NIST test suite can only be applied to sequences of minimum length 10(6). Moreover, we apply the proposed tests to biased nonrandom data and observe that the new tests detect the nonrandom behavior of the generator even for a bias of 0.001, whereas the template matching tests in NIST cannot detect that bias.
Previous research mostly defines the benefits of work as the absence of unemployment's negative outcomes or as benefits to employers, such as increased productivity. This study uses mixed methods to investigate the ways that work can enhance the well-being of the worker. Two hundred and two participants from a rural area participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Participants' qualitative discussions of work in the interviews were coded with grounded theory. The majority (74.8 %) of participants mentioned work at least once during the interview, which focused on prominent moments in their life stories, and 53.3 % of work mentions were positive. Two main themes encompassing the protective benefits of work arose: self-oriented benefits and other-oriented benefits. Each main theme was further divided into three subthemes. Self-oriented subthemes were autonomy, personal development, and empowerment; other-oriented subthemes were providing for dependents, generativity, and helping others. Participants spoke about how each of these benefits enhances their well-being and happiness. The empowerment subtheme was positively correlated with workplace integration and negatively correlated with financial strain. This study uncovered protective benefits of work that have not been addressed by previous scholarship. Qualitative data provided the flexibility to explore work-related domains for which quantitative scales do not currently exist. Work is one of the main activities of most adults, and the study of the psychological benefits of work can improve our understanding of adult well-being and happiness.
Unravelling the molecular mechanisms of disease manifestations is important to understand pathologies and symptom development in plant science. Bacteria have evolved different strategies to manipulate their host metabolism for their own benefit. This bacterial manipulation is often coupled with severe symptom development or the death of the affected plants. Determining the specific bacterial molecules responsible for the host manipulation has become an important field in microbiological research. After the identification of these bacterial molecules, called effectors, it is important to elucidate their function. A straightforward approach to determine the function of an effector is to identify its proteinaceous binding partner in its natural host via a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screen. Normally the host harbors numerous potential binding partners that cannot be predicted sufficiently by any in silico algorithm. It is thus the best choice to perform a screen with the hypothetical effector against a whole library of expressed host proteins. It is especially challenging if the causative agent is uncultivable like phytoplasma. This protocol provides step-by-step instructions for DNA purification from a phytoplasma-infected woody host plant, the amplification of the potential effector, and the subsequent identification of the plant's molecular interaction partner with a Y2H screen. Even though Y2H screens are commonly used, there is a trend to outsource this technique to biotech companies that offer the Y2H service at a cost. This protocol provides instructions on how to perform a Y2H in any decently equipped molecular biology laboratory using standard lab techniques.
In this technical note, we first present an adaptive distributed observer for a discrete-time leader system. This adaptive distributed observer will provide, to each follower, not only the estimation of the leader's signal, but also the estimation of the leader's system matrix. Then, based on the estimation of the matrix S, we devise a discrete adaptive algorithm to calculate the solution to the regulator equations associated with each follower, and obtain an estimated feedforward control gain. Finally, we solve the cooperative output regulation problem for discrete-time linear multi-agent systems by both state feedback and output feedback adaptive distributed control laws utilizing the adaptive distributed observer.
Detecting moving objects in a scene is a fundamental and critical step for many high-level computer vision tasks. However, background subtraction modeling is still an open and challenge problem, particularly in practical scenarios with drastic illumination changes and dynamic backgrounds. In this paper, we present a novel background modeling method focused on dealing with complex environments based on circular shift operator. The background model is constructed by performing circular shifts on the neighborhood of each pixel, which forms a basic region unit. The foreground mask is obtained via two stages. The first stage is to subtract the established background from the current frame to obtain the distance map. The second is to adopt the graph cut on the distance map. In order to adapt to the background changes, the background model is updated with an adaptive update rate. Experimental results on indoor and outdoor videos demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed method.
This paper introduces preliminary developments of an NSF-funded on-going educational project. The project goal is to enhance student technical and professional skills and business knowledge by integrating lean manufacturing education into a traditional manufacturing engineering program. A group of faculty members with complementary background and expertise in engineering and business co-taught a new Lean course that attracted student enrollments from five departments across campus. In addition to plant tours, guest lectures' and real-world industrial projects, we particularly designed an innovative and unique experience, Lean Lego Simulation (LLS), which has proven valuable for students to better understand lean principles and applications. Course survey shows student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Evaluation is also being carried out to measure how well the project is working from the viewpoint of all participants especially faculty collaboration and student achievements.
Self-other discrimination is a crucial mechanism for social cognition. Neuroimaging and neurostimulation research has pointed to the involvement of the right temporoparietal region in a variety of self-other discrimination tasks. Although repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the right temporoparietal area has been shown to disrupt self-other discrimination in face-recognition tasks, no research has investigated the effect of increasing the cortical excitability in this region on self-other face discrimination. Here we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate changes in self-other discrimination with a video-morphing task in which the participant's face morphed into, or out of, a familiar other's face. The task was performed before and after 20 min of tDCS targeting the right temporoparietal area (anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation). Differences in task performance following stimulation were taken to indicate a change in self-other discrimination. Following anodal stimulation only, we observed a significant increase in the amount of self-face needed to distinguish between self and other. The findings are discussed in relation to the control of self and other representations and to domain-general theories of social cognition.
Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects approximately 21.9 million people worldwide. This study aims to determine the association between age of onset of opioid use and comorbid disorders, both physical and psychiatric, in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for OUD. Understanding this association may inform clinical practice about important prognostic factors of patients on MMT, enabling clinicians to identify high-risk patients. Methods: This study includes data collected between June 2011 and August 2016 for the Genetics of Opioid Addiction research collaborative between McMaster University and the Canadian Addiction Treatment Centers. All patients were interviewed by trained health professionals using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and case report forms. Physical comorbidities were verified using patients' electronic medical records. A multi-variable logistic regression model was constructed to determine the strength of the association between age of onset of opioid use and the presence of physical or psychiatric comorbidity while adjusting for current age, sex, body mass index, methadone dose and smoking status. Results: Data from 627 MMT patients with a mean age of 38.8 years (SD = 11.07) were analyzed. Individuals with an age of onset of opioid use younger than 18 years were found to be at higher odds for having a physical or psychiatric comorbid disorder compared to individuals with an age of onset of opioid use of 31 years or older (odds ratio 2.94, 95% confidence interval 1.20, 7.19, p = 0.02). A significant association was not found between the risk of having a comorbidity and an age of onset of opioid use between 18 and 25 years or 26 and 30 years, compared to an age of onset of opioid use of 31 years or older. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that the younger one begins to use opioids, the greater their chance of having a physical or psychiatric co-morbidity. Understanding the risk posed by an earlier onset of opioid use for the later development of comorbid disorders informs clinical practice about important prognostic predictors and aids in the identification of high-risk patients.
The environmental challenges posed by global warming in the Himalayan region include early and rapid melting of snow and glaciers, creation of new lakes, and expansion of old ones posing a high risk of glacial lakes outburst flood (GLOF) hazard for downstream communities. According to various elevation ranges, 3044 lakes were analyzed basinwide in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya (HKH) ranges of Pakistan using multisensor remote sensing data of the 2001-2013 period. An overall increase in glacial lakes was observed at various altitudinal ranges between 2500 and 5500, m out of which noticeable-change by number was within the 4000-4500 m range. The analysis carried out by glacial-fediakes and nonglacial-fed lakes in different river basins indicated variable patterns depending on the geographic location in the HKH region. The correlation analysis of parameters like lake area, expansion, rate, and elevation was performed with 617 glacial lakes distributed in various river basins of the three HKH ranges. Lake area (2013) and elevation showed a negative relationship for all basins except Hunza, Shigar, and Shyok. The correlation between the expansion rate of lakes and elevation was on the positive side for Swat, Gilgit, Shigar, and Shingo basins a situation that may be attributed to the variable altitudinal pattern of temperature and precipitation. In order to explore such diverse patterns of lake behavior and relationship with influential factors in the HKH, detailed studies based on using high resolution image data coupled with in situ information are a prerequisite. Although an increase in lake area observed below 3500 m would be favorable for water resource management, but could be alarming in context of glacial flood hazards that need to be monitored critically on a long-term basis. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to 1) describe and compare treatment persistence with first-and second-line subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (SC-TNFis) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (collectively immune-mediated rheumatic disease) in Sweden and 2) estimate and contrast health care costs in the two groups. Methods: Patients who initiated their first or second SC-TNFi between May 6 2010 and December 12 2012 were identified from the Prescribed Drug Register. Persistence was estimated using survival analysis. Costs comprised specialized outpatient care, inpatient care, and medication. The persistence analysis was stratified by immune-mediated rheumatic disease diagnosis. Results: A total of 4,903 patients treated with their first and 845 patients treated with their second SC-TNFi were identified. Baseline characteristics differed between the two groups. Therefore, propensity score matching analysis was implemented. Second-line patients were matched to first-line patients, and four cohort pairs (AS, PsA, RA, and all diagnoses combined) were generated. Patients treated with their first SC-TNFi had statistically significant higher persistence than patients treated with their second SC-TNFi in PsA (P=0.036), RA (P=0.048), and all diagnoses combined (P<0.001) but not in AS (P=0.741). Patients who were treated with their second SC-TNFi incurred higher costs than patients treated with their first SC-TNFi. Conclusion: Overall, persistence to the first SC-TNFi was higher than persistence to the second SC-TNFi. Furthermore, the second SC-TNFi was associated with higher costs than the first SC-TNFi. Therefore, prescribing the SC-TNFi with the best long-term persistence first may be beneficial.
Background Treatment with omalizumab has shown a positive effect on food allergies, but no dosages are established. Basophil allergen threshold sensitivity (CD-sens) can be used to objectively measure omalizumab treatment efficacy and correlates with the outcome of double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge to peanut. Objective To evaluate whether individualized omalizumab treatment monitored by CD-sens could be an effective intervention for suppression of allergic reactions to peanut. Methods Severely peanut allergic adolescents (n = 23) were treated with omalizumab for 8 weeks, and CD-sens was analysed before and after. Based on whether CD-sens was suppressed after 8 weeks, the patients either were subject to a peanut challenge or received eight more weeks with increased dose of omalizumab, followed by peanut challenge or another 8-week cycle of omalizumab. IgE and IgE-antibodies to peanut and its components were analysed before treatment. Results After individualized omalizumab treatment (8-24 weeks), all patients continued with an open peanut challenge with no (n = 18) or mild (n = 5) objective allergic symptoms. Patients (n = 15) needing an elevated omalizumab dose (ED) to suppress CD-sens had significantly higher CD-sens values at baseline 1.49 (0.44-20.5) compared to those (n = 8) who managed with normal dose (ND) 0.32 (0.24-5.5) (P < 0.01). Median ratios for Ara h 2 IgE-ab/IgE were significantly higher in the ED group (17%) compared to the ND group (11%). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Individually dosed omalizumab, monitored by CD-sens, is an effective and safe treatment for severe peanut allergy. The ratio of IgE-ab to storage protein Ara h 2/IgE as well as CD-sens to peanut may predict the need of a higher omalizumab dose.
Hydropower plants are an important source of renewable energy. In the near future, high-head storage hydropower plants will gain further importance as a key element of large-scale electricity production systems. However, these power plants can cause hydropeaking which is characterized by intense unnatural discharge fluctuations in downstream river reaches. Consequences on environmental conditions in these sections are diverse and include changes to the hydrology, hydraulics and sediment regime on very short time scales. These altered conditions affect river ecosystems and biota, for instance due to drift and stranding of fishes and invertebrates. Several structural and operational measures exist to mitigate hydropeaking and the adverse effects on ecosystems, but estimating and predicting their ecological benefit remains challenging. We developed a conceptual framework to support the ecological evaluation of hydropeaking mitigation measures based on current mitigation projects in Switzerland and the scientific literature. We refined this framework with an international panel of hydropeaking experts. The framework is based on a set of indicators, which covers all hydrological phases of hydropeaking and the most important affected abiotic and biotic processes. Effects of mitigation measures on these indicators can be predicted quantitatively using prediction tools such as discharge scenarios and numerical habitat models. Our framework allows a comparison of hydropeaking effects among alternative mitigation measures, to the pre-mitigation situation, and to reference river sections. We further identified key issues that should be addressed to increase the efficiency of current and future projects. They include the spatial and temporal context of mitigation projects, the interactions of river morphology with hydropeaking effects, and the role of appropriate monitoring to evaluate the success of mitigation projects. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Structured, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques are widely considered an effective intervention for children who experienced sexual abuse. However, unstructured (i.e., nondirective) play/experiential techniques have a longer history of widespread promotion and are preferred by many practicing clinicians. No evidence is available, however, to determine how the integration of these techniques impacts treatment outcome. In this study, community-based clinicians who received training in a structured, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral intervention administered pretreatment and posttreatment evaluations to 260 sexually abused children presenting with elevated posttraumatic stress. In addition, they completed a questionnaire describing the treatment techniques implemented with each child. Overall, significant improvement was observed for each of the six clinical outcomes. Regression analyses indicated that technique selection was a significant factor in posttreatment outcome for posttraumatic stress, dissociation, anxiety, and anger/aggression. In general, a greater utilization of the structured CBT techniques was related to lower posttreatment scores, whereas a higher frequency of play/experiential techniques was associated with higher posttreatment scores. However, no interaction effects were observed. The implication of these findings for clinical practice and future research are examined.
Increase in power demand has required providing infrastructure, such as huge power plants and transmission lines. However, the recent trends in power system planning and operation are being toward maximum utilization of existing electricity infrastructure with tight operating margins because of new constraints placed by economic, political, and environmental issues. This might cause serious stability problems when a severe fault or a sudden outage of critical lines occurs. Therefore, the special protection scheme (SPS) has been used by generator tripping and successive load shedding to prevent a large-scale blackout by the cascading effect. If the number of tripping generators in the SPS operation is reduced, the enormous cost of power outage can be saved. This paper analyzes the enhancement of SPS via the transient stability improvement by the static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) applied to a generation side of Korea electric power system. First, its characteristic related to the SPS is described. Then, the proper capacity of STATCOM is determined with the equal area criterion to reduce the number of tripping generators. Also, the new control method for STATCOM is proposed for its full utilization. Finally, its effectiveness is verified by the case study with the practical data of Korea electric power system.
Despite via-ferrata (Klettersteig) climbing has become more and more popular, currently no appropriate safety equipment is available for lightweight climbers. A typical example of missing user friendliness for children is the via ferrata carabiner whose dimension compared to customary adult equipment - and unlocking procedure might be inadequate for a child's hand. A new designed effort saving via-ferrata carabiner (ERGOTEC, SALEWA Sportgerate GmbH, Germany) has been evaluated with respect to ergonomics and user friendliness for both children and adults. Twelve adults (21 to 29 years) and twelve children and adolescents (7 to 15 years) tested a new effort saving via-ferrata carabiner ERGOTEC and two conventional carabiners - One-Touch (EDELRID GmbH & Co. KG, Germany) and ATTAC (SALEWA Sportgerate GmbH, Germany). The activities produced by the flexors M. brachioradialis and M. flexor carpi ulnaris were measured in two loading situations by using Electromyography (EMG, Noraxon Inc., USA). With the new effort saving via-ferrata carabiner a reduction of muscle activity compared to the two conventional carabiners was observed for adults as well as for children and adolescents. However due to different hand anthropometry and muscle forces differences in operation and handling of the via-ferrata carabiners, i.e. the position of the transmission of the finger forces, were observed. To compensate the lower finger forces children use the advantage of a better lever arm for all three tested carabiners, i.e. the distance of the force transmission to the hinge joint increased. But with this position of the fingers it is difficult to mount the customary carabiners in the steel cable. With the design of the via-ferrata carabiner ERGOTEC a user friendly handling was observed also with the anthropometry of smaller child hands. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Usage of the geotextile based artificial soil materials recently increase in coastal protection applications. These materials are become important such as temporary solutions, lack of supplying natural materials (rock), quick solutions cases. One of the most important applications of geotextile application in coastal engineering is one or several layer geotubes overlap each other replacements as height as wave run up in the coast line or near protecting coastal area. Stability of these type of structures are generally tested by numerically and wave loads determined over geotubes. In the presented paper, numerical model generated extreme wave loads over the geotube was compared with a bearing capacity of geosynthetic in Black Sea coast of Turkey for protecting filled zone.
Aim: Oxytocin presents an exciting potential to target the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) pharmacologically in an easily administered, cost-effective form with possibly minimal adverse effects. But, there are still major gaps in this area of research. This paper reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effects of oxytocin administration on social cognition and restricted, repetitive behaviors in individuals with an ASD. Method: Electronic literature searches were conducted from PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and EMBASE for RCTs published through June 2015. Results: 12 RCTs were included in this review. 7 out of the 11 studies that examined social cognition reported improvements. Additionally, one out of the 4 studies on restricted, repetitive behaviors, reported improvements following oxytocin administration. However, results from our meta-analyses suggest that oxytocin has no significant effect on these 2 domains. Conclusion: Previous evidence revealed mixed findings about the effects of oxytocin on ASD. Given the limited number of RCTs, our summary of findings on the effectiveness of oxytocin on ASD should still be considered tentative.
Numerous studies have examined the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cell homeostasis and cardiovascular disease and have markedly improved our understanding of RNA biology in general and the potential role of miRNAs in atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis, several miRNAs, such as miR-33a,b, miR-92a, miR-126 and others, have been identified that are relevant mediators of pathological processes, including regulation of cholesterol and lipid biosynthesis, lipoprotein metabolism and cholesterol efflux, but also immune responses, endothelial cell biology and vascular function. Further understanding of the specific roles of miRNAs in the distinct cell types involved in atherosclerosis initiation, progression and resolution may reveal new intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study presents control algorithms for a new unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) without the series transformers that are frequently used to make the insertion of the series converter of the UPQC between the power supply and the load. The behaviour of the proposed UPQC is evaluated in presence of voltage imbalances, as well as under non-sinusoidal voltage-and current conditions. The presented algorithms derive from the concepts involving the active and non-active currents, together with a phase-locked-loop circuit. Based on these real-time algorithms, and considering the proposed hardware topology, the UPQC is able to compensate the harmonic components of the voltages and currents, correct the power factor, and keep the load voltages regulated, all of this in a dynamic way, responding instantaneously to changes in the loads or in the electrical power system. The control algorithms were distributed in a two-DSP digital control architecture, without any communication between them. Consequently, can be increased the sampling frequency of the acquired voltages and currents and improve the UPQC performance. Furthermore, some constraints of the proposed UPQC are evidenced, particularly when the main voltages are imbalanced. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the UPQC performance under transient and steady state conditions.
In order to reduce the accumulation of hydrogen and thus to mitigate the risk of combustion, many countries have installed passive autocatalytic recombiners (PARs) within light water reactor containments. The severe hydrogen combustion events of the recent Fukushima Daiichi accident are likely to incentivize an increased demand in upgrading nuclear power plants with PARs. Numerical simulation is an important tool for assessing PAR operation during a severe accident in terms of efficiency and proper installation. Advanced numerical PAR models are required for the challenging boundary conditions during a severe accident, for example, low oxygen amount, high steam amount, and presence of carbon monoxide. The REKO-DIREKT code has been developed in order to provide a PAR model capable of simulating complex PAR phenomena and at the same time being suitable for implementation in thermal-hydraulic codes. The development of REKO-DIREKT was supported by small-scale experiments performed at Forschungszentrum Juelich in the REKO facilities. These facilities allow the study of PAR-related single phenomena such as reaction kinetics under different conditions including variation of steam, oxygen, and carbon monoxide (REKO-3) and the chimney effect (REKO-4). Recently, the code has been validated against full-scale experiments performed in the Thermal-Hydraulics, Hydrogen, Aerosols, Iodine (THAI) facility at Eschborn, Germany, in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/ Nuclear Energy Agency THAI project. By this, the code has proven its applicability for different PAR designs and for a broad range of boundary conditions (pressure of up to 3 bars, steam amount up to 60 vol %, low-oxygen conditions). REKO-DIREKT has been successfully implemented in the commercial computational fluid dynamics code ANSYS-CFX as well as in the LP code COCOSYS [Gesellschaft for Anlag- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), Germany].
A key pillar for the success of a company in business is its ability to succeed in a global, rapidly changing labour market. This can be achieved only if the workforce is qualified, skilled and flexible, thus it is clear that an emphasis should also be put on staff development. Development can be achieved in many ways; one of them is through lifelong learning supported by universities. This paper presents e-learning study materials developed by academics in the Department of Machine Design (DMD) at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) at the University of West Bohemia (UWB). The study materials focus on design projects from industrial practice. There are several projects and each one focuses on a specific machine. The outputs from all the projects are e-learning pdf files. These study materials contain all the important information which a designer usually comes into contact with, for example: drawing documentation, a 3D model, calculation reports, welding technology, etc. These study materials were developed primarily for full-time students at the Department of Machine Design to rectify their lack of practical knowledge. When the project was completed it became clear that these study materials could also be applied in the context of lifelong learning. The Institute of Lifelong Learning at the University of West Bohemia offers courses and training for companies and the general public. The courses for employees tend to be narrowly focused on an area specified by the company. Public courses are not designed for training individuals. Open courses are periodically arranged in the spring and autumn of each year to train groups. Due to the narrow specialization of engineers who work in industrial practice, there is a loss of continuity in education in other areas of mechanical engineering. The elearning study materials are comprehensive and include knowledge from different fields of engineering. In a new job, these study materials can help an employee to study the problematics before starting work in another field, and possibly even shorten in-company learning. Study materials can also help to a large extent during a job interview. The study materials were created in cooperation with experts from industry according to currently valid technical standards.
We present a neural network implementation of central components of the iterative reprocessing (IR) model. The IR model argues that the evaluation of social stimuli (attitudes, stereotypes) is the result of the IR of stimuli in a hierarchy of neural systems: The evaluation of social stimuli develops and changes over processing. The network has a multilevel, bidirectional feedback evaluation system that integrates initial perceptual processing and later developing semantic processing. The network processes stimuli (e.g., an individual's appearance) over repeated iterations, with increasingly higher levels of semantic processing over time. As a result, the network's evaluations of stimuli evolve. We discuss the implications of the network for a number of different issues involved in attitudes and social evaluation. The success of the network supports the IR model framework and provides new insights into attitude theory.
Plant diseases is one of the major bottlenecks in agricultural production that have bad effects on the economic of any country. Automatic detection of such disease could minimize these effects. Features selection is a usual pre-processing step used for automatic disease detection systems. It is an important process for detecting and eliminating noisy, irrelevant, and redundant data. Thus, it could lead to improve the detection performance. In this paper, an improved moth-flame approach to automatically detect tomato diseases was proposed. The moth-flame fitness function depends on the rough sets dependency degree and it takes into a consideration the number of selected features. The proposed algorithm used both of the power of exploration of the moth flame and the high performance of rough sets for the feature selection task to find the set of features maximizing the classification accuracy which was evaluated using the support vector machine (SVM). The performance of the MFORSFS algorithm was evaluated using many benchmark datasets taken from UCI machine learning data repository and then compared with feature selection approaches based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithms (GA) with rough sets. The proposed algorithm was then used in a real-life problem, detecting tomato diseases (Powdery mildew and early blight) where a real dataset of tomato disease were manually built and a tomato disease detection approach was proposed and evaluated using this dataset. The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm was efficient in terms of Recall, Precision, Accuracy and F-Score, as long as feature size reduction and execution time. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To response to the increasing demands for clean water, a large pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a desalination capability has been studied and demonstrated its potential so far. However, the electricity production of the large nuclear reactor decreases by 10% due to steam bypass for desalination. In this study, the authors evaluate the possibility of a large PWR with a capability of producing both electric power and clean water by using the supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) Brayton cycle technology. The S-CO2 power technology is adopted to minimize the decrease in the electricity production capacity due to desalination process. Two concepts which replace the existing steam based power conversion system with a S-CO2 Brayton cycle were proposed. The first concept is that the low pressure steam turbine section of the power conversion system is replaced with the S-CO2 Brayton cycle. The second concept is that the whole steam based power conversion system is replaced with the S-CO2 Brayton cycle. Several S -CO2 cycle options were considered in terms of power production and the desalination capacity and conducted a comparative analysis of selected layouts and the optimal operating conditions of the suggested layouts were identified. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
By the homotopy renormalisation method, the global approximate solutions to Falkner-Skan equation and Von Karma's problem of a rotating disk in an infinite viscous fluid are obtained. The homotopy renormalisation method is simple and powerful for finding global approximate solutions to nonlinear perturbed differential equations arising in mathematical physics.
A novel switched flux permanent magnet (PM) machine with a partitioned stator structure is proposed, consisting of a conventional switched flux machine with the PMs removed from the stator teeth and placed on a secondary stator within a salient rotor. This novel machine harnesses two distinct synergies in machine design: magnetically geared and switched flux machines. The machine is optimized and the performance is compared with different numbers of rotor poles and validated by experiment. This machine benefits from reduced copper loss, improved torque density, and torque per magnetic volume, compared with conventional switched flux machines.
The concept of autonomous farming concerns automatic agricultural machines operating safely and efficiently without human intervention. In order to ensure safe autonomous operation, real-time risk detection and avoidance must be undertaken. This paper presents a flexible vehicle-mounted sensor system for recording positional and imaging data with a total of six sensors, and a full procedure for calibrating and registering all sensors. Authentic data were recorded for a case study on grass-harvesting and human safety. The paper incorporates parts of ISO 18497 (an emerging standard for safety of highly automated machinery in agriculture) related to human detection and safety. The case study investigates four different sensing technologies and is intended as a dataset to validate human safety or a human detection system in grass-harvesting. The study presents common algorithms that are able to detect humans, but struggle to handle lying or occluded humans in high grass.
Countries are implementing policies to develop greener energy markets worldwide. In Europe, the 2030 Energy and Climate Package asks for further reductions of green house gases, renewable sources integration, and energy efficiency targets. But the polluting intensity of electricity may be different in average than when considering market inefficiencies, in particular losses, and therefore the implemented policy must take those differences into account. Precisely, herein we study the importance in terms of CO2 emissions the extra amount of energy necessary to cover losses. With this purpose we use Spanish market and system data with hourly frequency from 2011 to 2013. Our results show that indeed electricity losses significantly explain CO2 emissions, with a higher CO2 emissions rate when covering losses than the average rate of the system. Additionally, we find that the market closing technologies used to cover losses have a positive and significant impact on CO2 emissions: when polluting technologies (coal or combined cycle) close the market, the impact of losses on CO2 emissions is high compared to the rest of technologies (combined heat and power, renewables or hydropower). To the light of these results we make some policy recommendations to reduce the impact of losses on CO2 emissions.
Bifidobacteria exert beneficial effects on hosts and are extensively used as probiotics. However, due to the genetic inaccessibility of these bacteria, little is known about their mechanisms of carbohydrate utilization and regulation. Bifidobacterium breve strain JCM1192 can grow on water-insoluble yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cell wall glucans (YCWG), which were recently considered as potential prebiotics. According to the results of H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry, the YCWG were composed of highly branched (1 ->3,1 ->6)-beta-glucans and (1 ->4,1 ->6)-alpha-glucans. Although the YCWG were composed of 78.3% beta-glucans and 21.7% alpha-glucans, only alpha-glucans were consumed by the B. breve strain. The ABC transporter (malEFG1) and pullulanase (aapA) genes were transcriptionally upregulated in the metabolism of insoluble yeast glucans, suggesting their potential involvement in the process. A nonsense mutation identified in the gene encoding an ABC transporter ATP-binding protein (MalK) led to growth failure of an ethyl methanesulfonate-generated mutant with yeast glucans. Coculture of the wild-type strain and the mutant showed that this protein was responsible for the import of yeast glucans or their breakdown products, rather than the export of alpha-glucancatabolizing enzymes. Further characterization of the carbohydrate utilization of the mutant and three of its revertants indicated that this mutation was pleiotropic: the mutant could not grow with maltose, glycogen, dextrin, raffinose, cellobiose, melibiose, or turanose. We propose that insoluble yeast alpha-glucans are hydrolyzed by extracellular pullulanase into maltose and/or maltooligosaccharides, which are then transported into the cell by the ABC transport system composed of MalEFG1 and MalK. The mechanism elucidated here will facilitate the development of B. breve and water-insoluble yeast glucans as novel synbiotics. IMPORTANCE In general, Bifidobacterium strains are genetically intractable. Coupling classic forward genetics with next-generation sequencing, here we identified an ABC transporter ATP-binding protein (MalK) responsible for the import of insoluble yeast glucan breakdown products by B. breve JCM1192. We demonstrated the pleiotropic effects of the ABC transporter ATP-binding protein in maltose/maltooligosaccharide, raffinose, cellobiose, melibiose, and turanose transport. With the addition of transcriptional analysis, we propose that insoluble yeast glucans are broken down by extracellular pullulanase into maltose and/or maltooligosaccharides, which are then transported into the cell by the ABC transport system composed of MalEFG1 and MalK. The mechanism elucidated here will facilitate the development of B. breve and water-insoluble yeast glucans as novel synbiotics.
Cities play a prominent role in our economic development as more than 80 % of the gross world product (GWP) comes from cities. Only 600 urban areas with just 20 % of the world population generate 60 % of the GWP. Rapid urbanization, climate change, inadequate maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructures and poor solid waste management may lead to flooding, water scarcity, water pollution, adverse health effects and rehabilitation costs that may overwhelm the resilience of cities. These megatrends pose urgent challenges in cities as the cost of inaction is high. We present an overview about population growth, urbanization, water, waste, climate change, water governance and transitions. Against this background, we discuss the categorization of cities based on our baseline assessments, i.e. our City Blueprint research on 45 municipalities and regions predominantly in Europe. With this bias towards Europe in mind, the challenges can be discussed globally by clustering cities into distinct categories of sustainability and by providing additional data and information from global regions. We distinguish five categories of sustainability: (1) cities lacking basic water services, (2) wasteful cities, (3) water-efficient cities, (4) resource-efficient and adaptive cities and (5) water-wise cities. Many cities in Western Europe belong to categories 3 and 4. Some cities in Eastern Europe and the few cities we have assessed in Latin America, Asia and Africa can be categorized as cities lacking basic water services. Lack of water infrastructures or obsolete infrastructures, solid waste management and climate adaptation are priorities. It is concluded that cities require a long-term framing of their sectoral challenges into a proactive and coherent Urban Agenda to maximize the co-benefits of adaptation and to minimize the cost. Furthermore, regional platforms of cities are needed to enhance city-to-city learning and to improve governance capacities necessary to accelerate effective and efficient transitions towards water-wise cities. These learning alliances are needed as the time window to solve the global water governance crisis is narrow and rapidly closing. The water sector can play an important role but needs to reframe and refocus radically.
Conventional shaping mehod of tire curing depends on bladder with high elasticity and low rigidity to determine tire cavity profile, it is inevitably difficult to aquire high uniform mass distribution,which leads to low product manufacturing precision and low dynamic balance of tire.Meanwhile conventional tire curing process has defects of low heat transfer efficiency and geat useless consumption which adopts steam or water to heat green tire,especially tire cavity indirectly obtains themal energy from bladder with very low thermal conductivity.A new generation of tire energy saving curing and precision manufacturing technology is expected.Authors of this paper developed a kind of curing technology of direct pressure shaping with inner mould for tire and complete plants that an controlled telescopic metal mould with high rigidity and high heat conductivity replaces bladder and electromagnetic induction heating is applid to curing process which thoroughly abandons conventional heating mediums,further more intelligent and digital control of curing procedure is realized,which provide a new approach for curing saving and precision manufacturing of high-performance tire.Product trial-manufacture is carrid out on 255/30R22 tire and experimental results show that uniformity and dynamic balance of tire respectively increases 33% and 51%,utility cost saves 64% in curing process.
Current trends in the AI's evolution are going towards enriching environments with intelligence in order to support humans in their everyday life. AmI systems are plunged in the real world and humans expect to interact with them in a way that is similar to the one they have with other humans. In this kind of systems, where eliciting requirements involves several documents and stakeholders (mainly users that will be the first consumers of the system), the requirement analysis phase can be affected by incomplete, ambiguous and imprecise information. Hence, the need to find a fruitful way for knowledge management and its representation at design time. In this paper we propose a set of abstractions to be used during the early requirements analysis of AmI systems development. The result is a simple and at the same time powerful set of concepts and guidelines for providing environment knowledge representation for AmI systems.
The current practice of discrete-time electricity pricing starts to fall short in providing an accurate economic signal reflecting the continuous-time variations of load and generation schedule in power systems. This paper introduces the fundamental mathematical theory of continuous-time marginal electricity pricing. We first formulate the continuous-time unit commitment problem as a constrained variational problem, and subsequently define the continuous-time economic dispatch (ED) problem where the binary commitment variables are fixed to their optimal values. We then prove that the continuous-time marginal electricity price equals to the Lagrange multiplier of the variational power balance constraint in the continuous-time ED problem. The proposed continuous-time marginal price is not only dependent to the incremental generation cost rate, but also to the incremental ramping cost rate of the units, thus embedding the ramping costs in calculation of the marginal electricity price. The numerical results demonstrate that the continuous-time marginal price manifests the behavior of the constantly varying load and generation schedule in power systems.
In the current era of computer and communication rapid development, network security has become one of the most important factors to consider. Security considerations in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been an interesting point in research especially with the fast spread of WSNs. In this paper, an efficient two-layer and three-layer intrusion detection models are introduced. The two-layer model represents the levels of the sensor and sink nodes. The three-layer model represents the levels of the sensor, sink and base station. The models are elaborated and examined through a set of experiments. A supervised learning algorithm is introduced to be used in the sensor node layer and an unsupervised learning algorithm is introduced to be used in the other layers. The learning algorithms used only 10% of the data for training and gave a high detection accuracy on the used dataset, using lesser number of features compared to other approaches.
In semiarid areas, slope restoration is usually hampered by high rainfall and temperature variability. These may cause severe erosion and slope instability, also environmental stresses, such as long-term drought and temperature extremes that lead to revegetation failure. In this study, three types of geotextiles including jute mat (JM), polyester mat (PM) and polyester net (PN) were installed on slopes and their effects on erosion control and vegetation growth were investigated by both laboratory and field experiments. The results of rainfall simulation experiments on laboratory plots showed that JM, PM and PN could delay the time to runoff, reducing runoff by 62.1%, 57.7% and 16.6%, and decrease erosion by 99.4%, 98.5% and 5.5%, respectively. Field studies were also conducted on a restored rock slope in Fengshan quarry, northeast Beijing, China, in both 2010 and 2011. Results indicated that JM, PM and PN could increase soil moisture by 54.5%, 36.3% and 18.7%, respectively, and provide more moderate soil temperatures that facilitate vegetation growth. The geotextiles were less effective in 2011 than in 2010 as a result of their degradation over time. Slope stability and plant growth, however, were not affected due to the developed vegetation cover. Thus geotextiles could protect slopes by preventing erosion and creating favourable soil conditions for revegetation, especially in the initial stage of slope restoration, and the natural geotextile mat (jute mat) is preferred since it is more effective and more environmental friendly. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this research is to use the protection motivation theory to examine base-of-the pyramid (BoP) consumers' environmentally friendly behaviors. BoP consumers suffer from the threat of environmental degradation and resource scarcity, particularly in emerging economies. They have not benefited from worldwide economic development as much as their counterparts in the middle and affluent classes. Based on the protection motivation theory, we investigate how threat appraisal and coping appraisal affect BoP consumers' intentions to engage in pro-environmental household behaviors. The proposed relationships are tested using self-reported data of Chinese BoP consumers. The results indicate that these threat and coping appraisal variables are related to BoP consumers' low-cost and/or high-cost household green behaviors. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an effective way to enhance the secret key guessing ratio in machine learning based power analysis attack on secure systems such as smartcards. The power supply current traces are obtained by varying the atmospheric temperature for all possible values of key. The collected power supply current traces are then pre-processed by using wavelet transform, data normalization and principal component analysis (PCA) and the featured data samples are used to train the probabilistic neural network (PNN). The network is then tested with a current trace obtained from the device under attack and the correct key is identified. The proposed method achieves 100% success rate in guessing the secret key of the cryptographic algorithm with minimum number of power traces when compared to the existing methods of machine learning technique.
The paper presents the optimum design of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator for wind power applications. The proposed optimization strategy deals with two contradictory objectives: to reduce generator costs and to raise the energy yield. This task is accomplished by maximizing the difference between the energy proceeds and the generator costs. The generator operating cycle is taken into account by a Weibull function that represents the wind profile for a fictitious site. A thermal model is adopted to evaluate the winding temperature and prevent overheating. The optimally designed machine is a 3phase generator for 40 kW direct drive wind turbines. The results show that this strategy would produce a cost-effective machine.
A forest fire started on August 8th, 2016 in several places on Madeira Island causing damage and casualties. As of August 10th the local media had reported the death of three people, over 200 people injured, over 950 habitants evacuated, and 50 houses damaged. This study presents the preliminary results of the assessment of several spectral indices to evaluate the burn severity of Madeira fires during August 2016. These spectral indices were calculated using the new European satellite Sentinel-2A launched in June 2015. The study confirmed the advantages of several spectral indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVIreXn) using red-edge spectral bands to assess the post-fire conditions. Results showed high correlation between NDVI, GNDVI, NBR and NDVIreln spectral indices and the analysis performed by Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMSR175), considered as the reference truth. Regarding the red-edge spectral indices, the NDVIreln (using band B5, 705 nm) presented better results compared with B6 (740 nm) and B7 (783 nm) bands. These preliminary results allow us to assume that Sentinel-2 will be a valuable tool for post-fire monitoring. In the future, the two twin Sentinel-2 satellites will offer global coverage of the Madeira Archipelago every five days, therefore allowing the simultaneous study of the evolution of the burnt area and reforestation information with high spatial (up to 10 m) and temporal resolution (5 days). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Vascular dementia is a common disorder resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Determining the extent to which genes play a role in disease susceptibility and their pathophysiological mechanisms could improve our understanding of vascular dementia, leading to a potential translation of this knowledge to clinical practice. Discussion: In this review, we discuss what is currently known about the genetics of vascular dementia. The identification of causal genes remains limited to monogenic forms of the disease, with findings for sporadic vascular dementia being less robust. However, progress in genetic research on associated phenotypes, such as cerebral small vessel disease, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke, have the potential to inform on the genetics of vascular dementia. We conclude by providing an overview of future developments in the field and how such work could impact patients and clinicians. Conclusion: The genetic background of vascular dementia is well established for monogenic disorders, but remains relatively obscure for the sporadic form. More work is needed for providing robust findings that might eventually lead to clinical
Ambient Intelligence and Ubiquitous Computing are carrying the world to a reality where almost every object interacts with the environment, either via sensors or actuators, and users must learn how to interact with such systems. This paper presents a gesture-based interaction approach to manipulate such objects. We developed a prototype using a leap motion controller as a hand-tracking device, and a Support Vector Machine as a classifier to distinguish between gestures. Our system was evaluated by 12 users with over 10 commands. We also show a review on gesture-based interaction and compare other proposals with ours.
End-to-end learning machines enable a direct mapping from the raw input data to the desired outputs, eliminating the need for hand-crafted features. Despite less engineering effort than the hand-crafted counterparts, these learning machines achieve extremely good results for many computer vision and medical image analysis tasks. Two dominant classes of end-to-end learning machines are massive-training artificial neural networks (MTANNs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Although MTANNs have been actively used for a number of medical image analysis tasks over the past two decades, CNNs have recently gained popularity in the field of medical imaging. In this study, we have compared these two successful learning machines both experimentally and theoretically. For that purpose, we considered two well-studied topics in the field of medical image analysis: detection of lung nodules and distinction between benign and malignant lung nodules in computed tomography (CT). For a thorough analysis, we used 2 optimized MTANN architectures and 4 distinct CNN architectures that have different depths. Our experiments demonstrated that the performance of MTANNs was substantially higher than that of CNN when using only limited training data. With a larger training dataset, the performance gap became less evident even though the margin was still significant. Specifically, for nodule detection, MTANNs generated 2.7 false positives per patient at 100% sensitivity, which was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the best performing CNN model with 22.7 false positives per patient at the same level of sensitivity. For nodule classification, MTANNs yielded an area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.8806 (95% CI: 0.8389-0.9223), which was significantly (p < 0.05) greater than the best performing CNN model with an AUC of 0.7755 (95% CI: 0.7120-0.8270). Thus, with limited training data, MTANNs would be a suitable end-to-end machine-learning model for detection and classification of focal lesions that do not require high-level semantic features.
Slope instability due to rainwater infiltration poses a serious problem, and causes thousands of deaths and severe damage to infrastructures each year. In the present study, the effect of inclusion of hybrid-geosynthetic layers within a slope subjected to rainfall was investigated numerically. The analysis was done with and without hybrid-geosynthetic layers embedded in a silty sand slope having 2V:1H inclination with rainfall intensities ranging from 2 mm/h to 80 mm/h. The rainfall was simulated numerically for 24 h, and seepage, deformation and stability analyses were performed at the onset of rainfall, during rainfall, and up to 24 h after rainfall. Further, the need for both drainage and reinforcement function in the reinforced slope was highlighted by analysing the effect of geotextile and geogrid layer inclusions separately on the slope subjected to rainfall. The results indicate that, the inclusion of hybrid-geosynthetic layers was effective, as it lowered the phreatic surface by causing a reduction in excess pore water pressure. Further, the static global stability of a hybrid-geosynthetic-reinforced slope was found to increase considerably under all intensities of rainfall, while the deformation values were significantly lower for the reinforced slope as compared with that of the unreinforced slope.
A mathematical model of two competitive populations with migrations between two patches in manufacturing engineering is proposed. It is assumed that migration rates of the two populations are not constants but density-dependent which are led mainly by the pressure from interspecific competition. Conditions for the persistence of the system are obtained which shows that appropriate migration rates facilitate the two competitive populations to cooperate well such that both the populations are persistent in every patch. The results are confirmed by computer simulations. It is also found that the positive equilibrium which is globally stable changes into bitable equilibrium as the parameters vary.
There is an enormous growth of industrial applications using internet communication. Secure network is a prime objective for the survival of any organization. Network monitoring and defence systems have become an integral part of network security for identifying and preventing potential attacks. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) are network based defence systems which combines Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and a firewall. In contrast to IDS, IDPS is a proactive technique which provides both quick reactions to potential threats and attacks in a network as well as preventing the attacks from entering the network. Current generation IDPS have their limitations on their performance and effectiveness. Some studies have proven that the modern IDPS have difficulties in dealing with high-speed network traffic. Meeting the current network requirements there exist several research approaches to find an efficient IDPS. Nevertheless, serious security and privacy breaches still occur every day, creating an absolute necessity to provide secure and safe information security systems. This survey provides an up-to-date comprehensive review on state of the art of IDPS based on different accelerating techniques, different detection algorithms, types of hardware and optimizing algorithms to match the demand requirements of high speed network. A detailed overview on high performance IDS and IDPS along with pros and cons of individual techniques will be given. This paper also highlights and discusses the requirement for developing a new IDPS to detect the known and unknown threats.
Careful characterization and standardization of the composition of plant-derived food supplements is essential to establish a cause-effect relationship between the intake of that product and its health effect. In this review we follow a specific grape seed extract containing monomeric and oligomeric flavan-3-ols from its creation by Jack Masquelier in 1947 towards a botanical remedy and nutraceutical with proven health benefits. The preparation's research history parallels the advancing insights in the fields of molecular biology, medicine, plant and nutritional sciences during the last 70 years. Analysis of the extract's flavanol composition emerged from unspecific colorimetric assays to precise high performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance fingerprinting techniques. The early recognition of the preparation's auspicious effects on the permeability of vascular capillaries directed research to unravel the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Recent clinical data revealed a multitude of favorable alterations in the vasculature upon an 8 weeks supplementation which summed up in a health benefit of the extract in healthy humans. Changes in gene expression of inflammatory pathways in the volunteers' leukocytes were suggested to be involved in this benefit. The historically grown scientific evidence for the preparation's health effects paves the way to further elucidate its metabolic fate and molecular action in humans.
Objective: A social-cognitive perspective on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been proposed and posits that impaired social cognition, rooted in attachment insecurity, plays a role in the development of PTSD. Support for the role of impaired social cognition in PTSD has been found in adults, but the social-cognitive perspective on PTSD has not been examined in adolescents. This study sought to explore differences in social cognition and PTSD on the basis of attachment security, and it examined social cognition as a mediator in the relation between attachment security and PTSD and with regard to PTSD symptom change during inpatient treatment. Method: We recruited 142 adolescents from an inpatient psychiatric hospital, where adolescents and their parents completed assessments at admission and discharge. Results: Adolescents with a secure attachment demonstrated better social-cognitive skills than did those with an insecure attachment. Social cognition mediated the relation between adolescents' maternal attachment representations and PTSD at admission across 3 self-and parent-report measures. Social cognition also mediated the relation between adolescents' maternal attachment representations at admission and PTSD treatment outcome. Conclusion: This study provides the 1st support for the application of Sharp, Fonagy, and Allen's (2012) social-cognitive perspective of PTSD to adolescents by showing a link between clinically significant symptoms of PTSD and attachment security through social-cognitive impairment. Findings indicate that improvement in PTSD during medium-stay inpatient treatment is partially driven by baseline attachment security and social-cognitive abilities, highlighting the potential of social-cognitive skills as important targets of clinical intervention among adolescents with PTSD.
An experimental study of the performance and optimisation of a prototype novel drag-driven vertical axis tidal stream turbine is presented. The drag turbine has several unique advantages, including simple blade design, deployable in shallow waters and potential denser array spacing. Performance optimisation was conducted in the hydraulics flume at Cardiff University (CU), where the turbine reached C(p)max/lambda = 0.132/0.441 for its 90 degrees phase angle configuration. The CU turbine was then tested using the wider and deeper hydraulics flume at IFREMER, France. Testing at IFREMER reduced the blockage factor from 17% at CU down to 1%; into the range of unblocked conditions. Testing in an unblocked environment, under similar flow conditions, reduced the peak efficiency of the CU turbine by 43% to C(p)max/lambda = 0.067/0.346. Finally the CU turbine was compared to the performance of a Savonius turbine. The design of the Savonius was based on a literature review. The CU turbine showed inferior efficiency values compared to the performance of the Savonius. The Savonius reached C(p)max/lambda = 0.098/0.962 in unblocked conditions, 46% greater than C(p)max of the drag turbine. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Background: This study investigates the relationship between insomnia and cognitive dysfunctions including, subjective memory impairment (SMI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, by considering depression in a community sample of elderly individuals. Methods: Data for 1,740 elderly individuals aged 65 years and over were obtained from a nationwide dementia epidemiological study conducted in South Korea. Cognitive functional status was assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet Clinical Assessment Battery. Insomnia was defined as the presence of at least one of the four sleep complaints (difficulty in initiating sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, and nonrestorative sleep), accompanied by moderate to severe daytime consequences. Depression was evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Results: The prevalence of insomnia in the patients with SMI, MCI, and dementia was found to be 23.2%, 19.6%, and 31.0%, respectively. The patients with SMI, MCI, and dementia were significantly more likely to have insomnia and the four sleep complaints than the normal comparison patients. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the significant relationships between cognitive dysfunctional status and insomnia remained. However, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depression, no significant relationships with any of the sleep complaints or insomnia remained. Conclusion: Insomnia is a very common complaint in the elderly with SMI, MCI, and dementia. Depression might play an important factor in the relationship between insomnia and cognitive dysfunctional status in the elderly.
Background: Previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have consistently shown that subjects with cocaine use disorder (CocUD) had altered white matter microstructure in the corpus callosum. It is believed that these alterations are due to preexisting factors, chronic cocaine use, or both. However, there is no published longitudinal DTI study on human cocaine users yet which could shed light on the relationship between cocaine use and DTI findings. Methods: This study used a longitudinal design and DTI to test if the white matter microstructure shows quicker alteration in CocUD subjects than controls. DTI data were acquired from eleven CocUD subjects who participated a treatment study and eleven non-drug-using controls at baseline (Scan 1) and after ten weeks (Scan 2). The baseline fractional anisotropy (FA), a general measure of white matter microstucture, and the change in FA (Delta FA, equals Scan 1 FA minus Scan 2 FA) were both compared between groups. Results: The two groups did not show a difference in FA at baseline. The CocUD subjects had significantly greater Delta FA than the controls in the left splenium of the corpus callosum. In CocUD subjects, greater FA in this region was associated with shorter lifetime cocaine use and greater number of positive cocaine urine samples collected during the treatment. Conclusion: The finding in the left splenium is consistent with previous animal studies and provide indirect evidence about the effects of chronic cocaine use on white matter alterations. The subject sample size is small, therefore the results should be treated as preliminary. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Amphetamine and other drugs of abuse have both short-term and long-lasting effects on brain function, and drug sensitization paradigms often result in chronic impairments in behavioral flexibility. Here we show that acute amphetamine administration temporarily renders rats less sensitive to reward omission, as revealed by a decrease in lose-shift responding during a binary choice task. Intracerebral infusions of amphetamine into the ventral striatum did not affect lose-shift responding but did increase impulsive behavior in which rats chose to check both reward feeders before beginning the next trial. In contrast to acute systemic and intracerebral infusions, sensitization through repeated exposure induced long-lasting increased sensitivity to reward omission. These treatments did not affect choices on trials following reward delivery (i.e. win-stay responding), and sensitization increased spine density in the sensorimotor striatum. The dichotomous effects of amphetamine on short-term and long-term loss sensitivity, and the null effect on win-stay responding, are consistent with a shift of behavioral control to the sensorimotor striatum after drug sensitization. These data provide a new demonstration of such a shift in a novel task unrelated to drug administration, and suggests that the dominance of sensorimotor control persists over many hundreds of trials after sensitization. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognitive Flexibility. (C) 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Olympic Games are one of the most popular global mega-media events. However, the ways in which the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games in London were reported varied significantly from one country to another. In order to compare how different countries represented this event, we conducted a qualitative discourse analysis of three days of television news coverage from 10 channels in five countries: the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We explored whether different locations, political systems, and television systems affect how the same event is reported. We found that while European public service broadcasters (BBC and ARD) were more serious, critical, and political than their commercial counterparts (ITV and RTL), the Japanese commercial broadcaster's coverage of the event was more critical than that of the public service broadcaster, which was popularized and nationalistic throughout. In China, the more market-oriented Dragon TV was more evaluative in its reporting than the state-run CCTV. NBC, which monopolized the broadcast rights in the United States, emphasized the universal values of the Olympics and avoided nationalism. In light of our results, future attention should be directed toward the role of commercial broadcasting in a contemporary globalized world in which ideological constellations are changing.
Background and Objectives: Adolescence-related increases in both anxiety and risk taking may originate in variability in Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU), rendering the study of IU of importance. We therefore studied the psychometric properties of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale Short version (IUS-12), including its associations with trait anxiety and risk taking, among adolescents. Methods: A sample of 879 Dutch adolescents, from diverse educational levels, and with an equal distribution of boys and girls, was classically tested. To obtain indices of IU, and self-reported trait anxiety and need for risk taking, questionnaires were administrated; to obtain an index of risk taking behavior, adolescents performed a risk taking task. Results: Multi-group Confirmatory Factor Analyses revealed that the IUS-12 consists of a Prospective and an Inhibitory IU subscale, which are partially measurement invariant across sex. Cronbach's alphas and item-total correlations revealed that the IUS-12 and its subscales have reasonable-to-good internal consistency. Correlational analyses support convergent validity, as higher IUS-12 scores were related to, respectively, higher and lower levels of self-reported trait anxiety and need for risk taking. However, we found no relationship between IUS-12 scores and risk taking behavior, operationalized by performance on the risk taking task. Limitations: A community, instead of clinical, sample was included. Also, IU was measured by a paper and -pencil version of the IUS-12, instead of a computerized version. Conclusions: The IUS-12 has good psychometric properties and may be a central measure to assess IU, which enables to explain the adolescence-related increase in both anxiety and risk taking. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic childhood abuse has revealed that traditional trauma treatments often fail to fully address the complicated symptom presentation, including somatic complaints, loss of awareness of one's emotional and physical being in the present moment, and overall lack of integration between the self and the body. The mindfulness-based intervention of hatha yoga shows promise as a complementary treatment, and focuses on personal growth in addition to symptom reduction. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 31 adult women with PTSD related to chronic childhood trauma who participated in a 10-week Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) class, specifically examining perceived changes in symptoms and personal growth. Five themes were identified that reflect participants' feelings of gratitude and compassion, relatedness, acceptance, centeredness, and empowerment. Results and implications for research and clinical work are presented.
Background: Two-dimensional (2D) barcoding has the potential to enhance documentation of vaccine encounters at the point of care. However, this is currently limited to environments equipped with dedicated barcode scanners and compatible record systems. Mobile devices may present a cost-effective alternative to leverage 2D vaccine vial barcodes and improve vaccine product-specific information residing in digital health records. Objective: Mobile devices have the potential to capture product-specific information from 2D vaccine vial barcodes. We sought to examine the feasibility, performance, and potential limitations of scanning 2D barcodes on vaccine vials using 4 different mobile phones. Methods: A unique barcode scanning app was developed for Android and iOS operating systems. The impact of 4 variables on the scan success rate, data accuracy, and time to scan were examined: barcode size, curvature, fading, and ambient lighting conditions. Two experimenters performed 4 trials 10 times each, amounting to a total of 2160 barcode scan attempts. Results: Of the 1832 successful scans performed in this evaluation, zero produced incorrect data. Five-millimeter barcodes were the slowest to scan, although only by 0.5 seconds on average. Barcodes with up to 50% fading had a 100% success rate, but success rate deteriorated beyond 60% fading. Curved barcodes took longer to scan compared with flat, but success rate deterioration was only observed at a vial diameter of 10 mm. Light conditions did not affect success rate or scan time between 500 lux and 20 lux. Conditions below 20 lux impeded the device's ability to scan successfully. Variability in scan time was observed across devices in all trials performed. Conclusions: 2D vaccine barcoding is possible using mobile devices and is successful under the majority of conditions examined. Manufacturers utilizing 2D barcodes should take into consideration the impact of factors that limit scan success rates. Future studies should evaluate the effect of mobile barcoding on workflow and vaccine administrator acceptance.
Digital audio signal provides a large capacity for embedding hidden messages using digital steganography techniques. How to prevent hazardous steganography embedding on the Internet becomes an important task in the field of network security. For the Internet environment, the steganography attack method is required to be generic and real time. An active warden-based attack method is potential to be a generic method for the steganography attack. A discrete spring transform (DST)-based generic active warden steganography attack framework has been proposed by us. In this paper, based on the DST, a real-time steganography attack method is proposed. The potential unauthorized hidden message is removed in a real-time manner when uploading or downloading the audio signal. The real-time signal perceptual quality control is achieved by the automatic feedback from the objective audio quality evaluation model. The attack parameters are adaptively changed to reach a balance between the attack performance and the audio signal quality. The simulation results validate the proposed method in terms of the steganography attack performance and the audio signal quality after the attack. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effective communication in health care benefits patients. Medical and veterinary schools not only have a responsibility to teach communication skills, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) requires that communication be taught in all accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. However, the best strategy for designing a communications curriculum is unclear. The Calgary-Cambridge Guide (CCG) is one of many models developed in human medicine as an evidence-based approach to structuring the clinical consultation through 71 communication skills. The model has been revised by Radford et al. (2006) for use in veterinary curricula; however, the best approach for veterinary educators to teach communication remains to be determined. This qualitative study investigated if one adaptation of the CCG currently taught at Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine (MWU CVM) fulfills client expectations of what constitutes clinically effective communication. Two focus groups (cat owners and dog owners) were conducted with a total of 13 participants to identify common themes in veterinary communication. Participants compared communication skills they valued to those taught by MWU CVM. The results indicated that while the CCG skills that MWU CVM adopted are applicable to cat and dog owners, they are not comprehensive. Participants expressed the need to expand the skillset to include compassionate transparency and unconditional positive regard. Participants also expressed different communication needs that were attributed to the species of companion animal owned.
Children with developmental dyspraxia (DD) express impairments in the acquisition of various motor skills and in the development of their social cognition abilities. Although the neural bases of this condition are not fully understood, they are thought to involve frontal cortical areas, subcortical structures, and the cerebellum. Although cerebellar dysfunction is typically difficult to assess and quantify using traditional neurophysiological methods, oculomotor analysis may provide insight into specific cerebellar patterns. The aim of the present study was to investigate, in dyspraxic and typically developing subjects, various oculomotor saccade tasks specifically designed to reveal frontal and cerebellar dysfunction. In addition to evidence supporting prefrontal dysfunction, our results revealed increased variability of saccade accuracy consistent with cerebellar impairments. Furthermore, we found that dyspraxic patients showed decreased velocities of non-visually guided saccades. A closer analysis revealed significant differences in saccade velocity profiles with slightly decreased maximum saccade velocities but markedly prolonged deceleration phases. We show that this pattern was not related to a decreased state of alertness but was suggestive of cerebellar dysfunction. However, the clear predominance of this pattern in non-visually guided saccades warrants alternative hypotheses. In light of previous experimental and anatomical studies, we propose that this unusual pattern may be a consequence of impaired connections between frontal areas and cerebellar oculomotor structures.
Acrylates have been widely used in the synthesis of pharmaceutical polymers. The quantitation of residual acrylate monomers is vital as they are strong irritants and allergens, but after polymerization, are relatively inert, causing no irritation and allergies. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) hydrogels were prepared using pentaerythritol tetra-acrylate (PETRA) as UV crosslinking agent. A simple, accurate, and robust quantitation method was developed based on gas chromatographic techniques (GC), which is suitable for routine analysis of residual PETRA monomers in these hydrogels. Unreacted PETRA was initially identified using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC MS). The quantitation of analyte was performed and validated using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC FID). A linear relationship was obtained over the range of 0.0002%-0.0450% (m/m) with a correlation coefficient (r(2)) greater than 0.99. The recovery (>90%), intra-day precision (%RSD <0.67), inter-day precision (%RSD <2.5%), and robustness (%RSD <1.62%) of the method were within the acceptable values. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.0001% (m/m) and 0.0002% (m/m), respectively. This assay provides a simple and quick way of screening for residual acrylate monomer in hydrogels. (C) 2016 Xi'an Jiaotong University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
Two genes encoding methionine adenosyltransferase, SAM2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and metK from Corynebacterium glutamicum, were individually cloned into pDXW-8, the shuttle vector between Escherichia coli and C. glutamicum, and overexpressed in E. coli DH5 and C. glutamicum ATCC13032. In DH5, both genes were overexpressed and their protein products showed the activity of methionine adenosyltransferase. In ATCC13032, metK was overexpressed, its product MetK showed the enzyme activity and could convert l-methionine to S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM). However, when SAM2 was overexpressed in ATCC13032, neither the enzyme activity nor the conversion of SAM from l-methionine was observed. Reverse transcription PCR analysis and SDS-PAGE showed that SAM2 was transcribed but not translated in C. glutamicum. Therefore, SAM2-C, a mutant SAM2, was constructed by codon optimization, and overexpressed in ATCC13032; it was well transcribed and translated, and could convert l-methionine to SAM. Finally, SAM2-C and metK were individually overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3), and their products SAM2-C and MetK were purified and characterized. The optimum activity for both enzymes was found at pH 8.5 and 35 degrees C; SAM2-C and MetK have similar K-m for ATP, but quite different K-m for l-methionine. These results suggest that SAM2-C and MetK can be useful for developing C. glutamicum to produce SAM. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
The core aspect of this work is a review for player detection and tracing. Coaches and players prepare widely by studying the opponents attacking and self-protecting formations, plays and metrics before every game. Moving object detection is one of the serious problems in the field of surveillance, traffic monitoring, computer vision, player tracking in sports video and so forth. Detecting the objects in the video and tracking its movement to recognise its qualities have been a demanding examination zone in the area of computer image and image processing. The core aspect of this work is a review for player detection and tracking. As coaches and players prepare widely by studying the opponents offensive and defensive formations, plays and metrics before every game, tracking of player becomes a major problem because of different problems in appearance, occlusion and so on. This work offers an analysis on detection of objects, segmentation of objects and tracking of objects. It also provides the study of comparison of diverse methods used for player tracking.
A wide variety of predictive analytics techniques have been developed in statistics, machine learning and data mining; however, many of these algorithms take a black-box approach in which data is input and future predictions are output with no insight into what goes on during the process. Unfortunately, such a closed system approach often leaves little room for injecting domain expertise and can result in frustration from analysts when results seem spurious or confusing. In order to allow for more human-centric approaches, the visualization community has begun developing methods to enable users to incorporate expert knowledge into the prediction process at all stages, including data cleaning, feature selection, model building and model validation. This paper surveys current progress and trends in predictive visual analytics, identifies the common framework in which predictive visual analytics systems operate, and develops a summarization of the predictive analytics workflow.
This paper shows a review on ECDM process on the basis of Novel theoretical model, novel process, and novel machine design (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the conference committee members of the 4th International conference on Materials Processing and Characterization.
This paper puts forward a novel algorithm for locating faults on double-circuit transmission lines using two-end unsynchronized current measurements. The algorithm does not require line parameters, which is a radical step forward compared to existing approaches, which require this information, so it can be considered as a settings-free algorithm. Only the positive-sequence current phasors during the fault are processed for determining the sought distance to fault and the synchronization angle, limiting thus the amount of data needed to be transferred from each line terminal. The proposed algorithm is derived by applying the Kirchhoff's voltage law around the parallel circuits loops during the fault. The algorithm is applicable for both transposed and untransposed double-circuit lines and is independent of the fault type. Evaluation studies using reliable Alternative Transients Program-Electromagnetic Transients Program simulation data verify that the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is very high under various fault resistances, fault locations, and source impedances.
We aimed to compare digital tomosynthesis (DTS) with radiographs for the assessment of spinal bone damage in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The study comprised 68 patients with AS who underwent both DTS and radiographs of the cervical and lumbar spine on the same day. Spinal bone damage was assessed using the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) and the presence of facet joint damage. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and McNemar's test were used to compare spinal bone damage between the two modalities. In 68 AS patients with mean 4.5 years of disease duration, the mean mSASSS was 11.7 +/- 11.3 with radiographs and 13.1 +/- 11.5 with DTS (p = 0.001). A grade 1 (erosion, sclerosis, or squaring) score in the mSASSS system was higher with DTS than with radiographs (p = 0.001), but grade 2 (syndesmophyte) and grade 3 (bridge) scores (p >0.005 each) were not. In particular, the grade 1 score was higher with DTS than with radiographs at the cervicothoracic (p < 0.001) and thoracolumbar (p = 0.003) junctions. With regard to facet joint damage, erosion/sclerosis of facet joints was better depicted by DTS than by radiographs in the cervical (54.4 vs. 22.1%, p < 0.001) and lumbar spine (72.1 vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001). DTS depicted more subtle damage of spinal vertebrae in patients with AS than radiographs did. Moreover, erosion/sclerosis of facet joints was better detected with DTS than with radiographs.
The present paper deals with the problem of characterization of oscillating magnetic dipole (OMD) signals and the development of a suitable magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) algorithm for it. The resulting outcomes of investigating the above mentioned problem are: (1) a development of a complete model of the noise and the signal based on a non-linear gravity pendulum model. This model was compared and verified against real world magnetic signals, as well as simulated ones. (2) A detection algorithm that utilizes this model by whitening the noise and seeking for periodical features in the signal. The developed algorithm has high noise immunity with high detection probabilities even at as low SNR as -10 dB. Compared to benchmark detectors, our detection scheme offers performance improved by 5-10 dB. Moreover, when testing the detector against real world signals, the SNR difference in respect to the performance predicted by the simulations was less than 2.5 dB.
The purpose of this study is to propose a novel differential protection scheme for DC-AC converters. The current differential relay is widely used to protect transformers, generators, busbars and transmission lines. However, it cannot be applied to a DC-AC inverter, which is used in an AC-DC transmission line system. This paper presents a novel differential protection scheme for DC-AC converters, using Tellegen's Theorem. Tellegen's Theorem is a simple theorem of electric power proved from Kirchhoff's current law and Kirchhoff's voltage law. Under the theorem, we define three kinds of electric power as power flow. The proposed technique is evaluated using simulation studies based on an ideal inverter circuit which transforms DC to AC. The test results show the validity of the proposed protection.
This paper deals with the design and no load test of an outer rotor Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG). For this purpose, many analyses were made to identify which modification of the geometrical parameters help us to improve the voltage waveform in winding terminals of the generator. Tests results complements previous works where were presented analysis of this 5 kW PMSG. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is analyzed, under design parameters handling, i.e., the geometry of the stator, the polar arc percentage, the air gap, the skew angle in rotor poles, the pole length and the core steel class. Seventy-six cases are simulated and the results provide useful information for designing these machines. Tests on machine help us to verify the electromagnetic analysis. Finally, some important stages of the generator building process are shown.
The aim of this study was to determine if extracts from selected spices (caraway, ginger, chili, sweet peppers, anise, sesame, nutmeg and black pepper) might be harmful to people suffering from celiac disease, wheat allergy or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. All of these spice extracts exhibited some reaction to antibodies found in sera from two celiac patients and to sera from rabbits that had been sensitized with the specific peptides, QQQPP, PQQQ and QQQP. These peptides had sequences that might be included in active epitopes for celiac disease and wheat allergy. Methodology followed in this study included ELISA, SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting. The observed reactivities suggest that spice proteins might produce adverse reactions in celiac patients, patients with various wheat allergies or with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. However, further work would be needed to elucidate this possibility.
Introduction: Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) infections cause a high burden of lethal sepsis in young children and HIV patients, often associated with malaria, anaemia, malnutrition and sickle-cell disease. Vaccines against iNTS are urgently needed but none are licensed yet. Areas covered: This review illustrates how immunology, epidemiology and within-host pathogen behaviour affect invasive Salmonella infections and highlights how this knowledge can assist the improvement and choice of vaccines. Expert Commentary: Control of iNTS disease requires approaches that reduce transmission and improve diagnosis and treatment. These are often difficult to implement due to the fragile ecology and economies in endemic countries. Vaccines will be key tools in the fight against iNTS disease. To optimise vaccine design, we need to better define protective antigens and mechanisms of resistance to disease in susceptible populations even in those individuals where innate immunity may be impaired by widespread comorbidities.
In this paper architecture of a smart school laboratory is proposed. It is based on technologies of Smart Environment and Multi-Agent Systems employed to improve comfort, effectiveness and safety during conducting of laboratory work with any technological equipment (e.g., computers, machine tools and so on).
Water clarity trends in three upper Great Lakes, Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron, were assessed via satellite imagery from 1998 to 2012. Light attenuation coefficients (Kd(490)) from SeaWiFS and Aqua MODIS satellites compared favorably with in situ measurements. Significant temporal and spatial trends and differences in Kd(490) were noted within all three of the lakes. Lake-wide average Kd(490) for Lake Superior did not exhibit any changes between 1998 and 2012. Annual Kd(490) values for Lake Huron, however, showed a significant negative trend during the study period using both SeaWiFS and MODIS datasets. Similarly, annual Kd(490) values of Lake Michigan declined between 1998 and 2010. Only in the offshore waters (>90 m depth) of northern Lake Michigan did Kd(490) increase but just after 2007. Photic depth increased significantly in both Lake Michigan (similar or equal to 5 m), and Lake Huron (similar or equal to 10 m) when comparing annual Kd(490) for pre- (1998-2001) and post-dreissenid mussel (2006-2010). At seasonal level, significant decreases in Kd(490) in lakes Michigan and Huron were mainly noted for the spring/fall/winter mixing periods. After these recent changes in water clarity, lake-wide photic depths in lakes Michigan and Huron superseded Lake Superior; thus, making Lake Superior no longer the clearest Great Lake. Several factors (e.g. filtering activities of quagga mussels, phosphorus abatement, climate change, etc.) are likely responsible for these large changes. (C) 2016 International Association for Great Lakes Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Effects of flood-induced bed elevation and channel geometry changes on flood hazards are largely unexplored, especially in the case of multiple floods from the same site. This study quantified the evolution of river channel and floodplain geometry during a repeated series of hypothetical extreme floods using a 2D full hydro-morphodynamic model (LHMM). These experiments were designed to examine the consequences of channel geometry changes on channel conveyance capacity and subsequent flood dynamics. Our results revealed that extreme floods play an important role in adjusting a river channel to become more efficient for subsequent propagation of floods, and that in-channel scour and sediment re-distribution can greatly improve the conveyance capacity of a channel for subsequent floods. In our hypothetical sequence of floods the response of bed elevation was of net degradation, and sediment transport successively weakened even with floods of the same magnitude. Changes in river channel geometry led to significant impact on flood hydraulics and thereby flood hazards. We found that flood-induced in-channel erosion can disconnect the channel from its floodplain resulting in a reduction of floodwater storage. Thus, the frequency and extent of subsequent overbank flows and floodplain inundation decreased, which reduced downstream flood attenuation and increased downstream flood hazard. In combination and in summary, these results suggest that changes in channel capacity due to extreme floods may drive changes in flood hazard. The assumption of unchanging of river morphology during inundation modelling should therefore be open to question for flood risk management. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Multi-label feature selection involves the selection of relevant features from multi-labeled datasets, resulting in a potential improvement of multi-label learning accuracy. In conventional multi-label feature selection methods, the final feature subset is obtained by identifying the features of high relevance with low redundancy. Thus, accurate score evaluation is a key factor for obtaining an effective feature subset. However, conventional methods suffer from inaccurate conditional relevance evaluation when a large number of labels are involved. As a result, irrelevant features can be a member of the final feature subset, leading to low multi-label learning accuracy. In this paper, we propose a new multi-label feature selection method. Using a scalable relevance evaluation process that evaluates conditional relevance more accurately, the proposed method significantly improves multi-label learning accuracy compared with conventional multi-label feature selection methods.
Based on single-phase ac-ac converter with controllable phase and amplitude (ACCPA), a three-phase ACCPA without third harmonic trap was proposed for power transmission control in grid by adopting a symmetrical relationship of three phase. The three-phase ACCPA is comprised of two parts, which are used to adjust the phase and amplitude of three-phase output voltage, respectively, and continuously. Its front part is made up of three buck-type ac converters, and the back part is a three-phase boost-type ac converter. The operation principle of three-phase ACCPA, the adjustable ranges of the phase and amplitude of the front part, and the calculation formulas of control parameters under ideal conditions were studied and deduced in detail. Furthermore, the control accuracy of the phase angle was discussed for the three-phase ACCPA with digital control, and then, the method to select close-loop control parameters was obtained. The control strategy of three-phase ACCPA was presented and a prototype was fabricated. The experimental waveforms and testing results verified the correctness of the theoretical analysis and the feasibility of the control strategy.
This paper presents an approach to electrical circuits using Hilbert transform. By applying Hilbert transform to linear circuit equations under sinusoidal form, (-pi/2) phase shifting occurs. This method can be extended to complex form circuits analysis. Applications refer strictly to sampled signals, discrete signals. The input signal is a signal under the harmonic form. An application that determines the analysis of two RLC circuits - series respectively series - parallel - powered by a constant sinusoidal current is developed.
Geocell is an effective type of geosynthetics for improving the performance of reinforced soil foundations due to provision of lateral confinement for the infill soil. In this research, in order to study the bearing pressure-settlement response of geocell-reinforced sand, a reduced-scale physical model is developed and geocells with various geometrical dimensions (height, pocket size, and width) produced from woven geotextile are used to reinforce sand bed. Strip footing model is then loaded monotonically to ultimate failure level, and the influence of geocell geometrical properties on the improvement in bearing capacity and settlement of footing is described. The results show that by increasing height and decreasing pocket size of geocell, the beneficial effect of geocell reinforcement increases substantially. For the highest geocell used in the tests at settlement level of 6%, improvement in bearing capacity and percentage reduction in footing settlement are obtained as 2.1 and 48%, respectively. The optimum width of geocell is determined five times the foundation width beyond which the improvement effect is negligible. It is also concluded that substituting a single layer of geocell reinforcement with 2 half -height and 4 quarter-height geocell layers results in 10% and 22% decrease in the ultimate bearing capacity, respectively. (C) 2017 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved.
Computer network vulnerability analysis is a method of analysis and evaluation of network security beforehand. The attacks method has occurred in the network, the previous network status change as input information, calculated by the model analysis. Forecasting network node may be network attacks given the current security level value network, network security reinforcement measures taken before the danger. Administrators can proactively identify network security issues, to take measures in advance to avoid information leakage, financial losses, ensure the safety of individuals and countries. Therefore, vulnerability analysis computer network is very important. Based on the properties of attack graph shows the method of attack graphs to Bayesian network transformation, using the new algorithm to eliminate loops attribute attack graph optimization, building the Bayesian attribute attack graph model used to evaluate the network itself security situation. In this model, based on Bayes formula for calculating the probability of a new node probability calculation formula and attack paths occur for calculating network vulnerability assessment of the quantitative indicators. The model not only can visually process description of cyber attacks, but also into the Bayesian network probabilistic thinking of possible network attack path prediction and assessment.
Objective: As many inflammatory rheumatic diseases affect patients in childbearing age, some concern has been expressed about the safety of biologic drugs during pregnancy. This study evaluated the effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) agents on pregnancy/foetal outcomes. Methods: Thirty-eight pregnancies were followed prospectively from November 2008 to February 2015. Information about the patients' exposure to anti-TNF alpha, disease activity, DMARD therapy, pregnancy/foetal outcomes were registered. Results: Twenty-four/38 (71.1%) pregnancies were exposed to anti-TNF alpha at conception/I trimester, 11/38 (28.9%) prior to conception and 3 (11.1%) following paternal exposure. There were two congenital malformations: one infant (4.2%) was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia and obstructive megaureter; the mother was exposed to adalimumab at conception/I trimester. While one foetus (9.1%) showed a trisomy 16, the mother 38 year-old had suspended etanercept 4 weeks before conception. There was no significant difference in pregnancy/foetal outcome between the two groups. Nor were there any significant differences in pregnancy/foetal outcomes in the various groups being treated with different anti-TNF alpha antagonists. No congenital malformations were found in connection to paternal exposure. Conclusion: Study results suggest that anti-TNF alpha drugs could be safe when administered during conception/I trimester and following paternal exposure. (C) 2016 Societe francaise de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
This work presents the neutronics and thermal hydraulics feasibility to convert the UO2 core of the Westinghouse AP1000 in a (U-Th)O-2 core by performing a parametric study varying the type of geometry of the pins in fuel elements, using the heterogeneous seed blanket concept and the homogeneous concept. In the parametric study, all geometry and materials for the burnable poison were kept the same as the AP 1000, and the only variable was the fuel pin material, in which we usa several mass proportion of uranium and thorium but keeping the enrichment in U-235, as LEU (20 w/o). The neutronics calculations were made by SERPENT code, and to validate the thermal limits we used a homemade code. The optimization criteria were to maximize the U-233, and conversion factor, and minimize the plutonium production. The results Obtained showed that the homogeneous concept with three different mass proportion zones, the first containing (32% UO2-68%ThO2); the second with (24% UO2-76% ThO2), and the third with (20% UO2-80% ThO2), using U-235 LEU (20 w/o), and corresponding with the 3 enrichment zones of the AP 1000 (4.45 w/o; 3.40 w/o; 235 w/o), satisfies the optimization criteria as well as attending all thermal constrain. The concept showed advantages compared with the original UO2 core, such a lower power density, and keeping the same 18 months of cycle a reduction of B-10 concentration at the soluble poison as well as eliminating in the integral boron poison coated (IFBA). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
First introduced to Egypt in 2006, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza has resulted in the death of millions of birds and caused over 350 infections and at least 117 deaths in humans. After a decade of viral circulation, outbreaks continue to occur and diffusion mechanisms between poultry farms remain unclear. Using landscape genetics techniques, we identify the distance models most strongly correlated with the genetic relatedness of the viruses, suggesting the most likely methods of viral diffusion within Egyptian poultry. Using 73 viral genetic sequences obtained from infected birds throughout northern Egypt between 2009 and 2015, we calculated the genetic dissimilarity between H5N1 viruses for all eight gene segments. Spatial correlation was evaluated using Mantel tests and correlograms and multiple regression of distance matrices within causal modeling and relative support frameworks. These tests examine spatial patterns of genetic relatedness, and compare different models of distance. Four models were evaluated: Euclidean distance, road network distance, road network distance via intervening markets, and a least-cost path model designed to approximate wild waterbird travel using niche modeling and circuit theory. Samples from backyard farms were most strongly correlated with least cost path distances. Samples from commercial farms were most strongly correlated with road network distances. Results were largely consistent across gene segments. Results suggest wild birds play an important role in viral diffusion between backyard farms, while commercial farms experience human-mediated diffusion. These results can inform avian influenza surveillance and intervention strategies in Egypt. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights
Background: To evaluate the immunomodulating and clinical effects of nilotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in a proof-of-concept study in spondyloarthritis (SpA) assessing the mast cell as potential novel therapeutic target in this disease. Methods: Twenty eight patients with active peripheral (pSpA) and/or axial SpA (axSpA) were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (Trial registration: Trialregister.nl NTR2834). Patients were treated 1:1 with nilotinib or placebo for 12 weeks, followed by an open label extension for another 12 weeks. Paired synovial tissue biopsies, serum sampling and assessment of clinical symptoms were performed serially. Results: In pSpA (n = 13) synovial inflammation appeared to diminish after 12 weeks of nilotinib treatment as evidenced by histopathology (decrease in number of infiltrating CD68+ and CD163+ macrophages and mast cells). Compared to placebo mRNA expression of c-Kit as mast cell marker (p = 0.037) and of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 (p = 0.024) were reduced. The reduction of synovial inflammation was paralleled by a decrease in serum biomarkers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein (p = 0.024) and calprotectin (p = 0.055). Also clinical parameters such as patient's global assessment of disease activity (p = 0.031) and ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (p = 0.031) showed improvement upon 12 weeks of nilotinib but not placebo treatment. This improvement was further augmented at week 24. In contrast to pSpA, neither serum biomarkers of inflammation nor clinical parameters improved upon nilotinib treatment in axSpA. During the trial one serious adverse event occurred, which was considered unrelated to the study drug. Conclusions: This small proof-of-concept study suggests that nilotinib treatment modulates inflammation and clinical symptoms in pSpA. A similar effect was not seen in axSpA.
This paper presents a new 1D Neutronics/Thermal-hydraulics code ATAC-1D based on the advanced Jacobian-Free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) method and the low dimensional equivalent strategy. Conventional operator-splitting (OS) strategies are used to maintain its accuracy with small time steps and linearization of the nonlinear problem, which leads to slow computation speed and linearization error. The JFNK method solves the troubles in the coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics problems mentioned above. Furthermore, a core-wide three dimension to one dimension equivalent method has been developed to provide variable few-group parameters. Finally, the performance of the coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics code ATAC-1D is studied by simulating four OECD/NEA CRP PWR rod ejection benchmark problems. The simulation results are compared to the reference ones, which proves that the developed 1D code has a good accuracy and practicability in nuclear reactor transient calculation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is among the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide and is associated with a diverse range of physical and psychological comorbidities. Despite various types of treatment, there are many barriers to accessing treatment (ie, stigma, cost, accessibility of service, etc). Mobile apps have the potential to overcome these barriers and provide support to those who need it. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of mobile apps in reducing alcohol consumption for individuals with AUD and understand the psychological outcomes of using the apps (ie, client empowerment, self-efficacy, etc). Methods: The search strategy was applied to 7 health sciences and interdisciplinary databases. Two reviewers will independently assess all titles and abstracts for relevance and then full texts of relevant articles for eligibility. To be included, the article must be a quantitative evaluation of clinical outcomes using the intervention and the intervention must be a consumer-facing app focused on supporting individuals with AUD. Two reviewers will independently extract data from all eligible articles using a standardized extraction worksheet and will independently assess the study quality. A meta-analysis will be conducted if appropriate. Depending on outcomes reported, pooled risk ratios or standardized mean differences will be calculated and reported in the review. Results: The search strategy yielded 699 unique citations. Of those, 63 (9.0%, 63/ 699) articles were assessed as relevant for full-text review. The full-text reviews are currently underway and the final review is projected to be completed in the summer of 2017. Conclusions: There is potential for mobile apps to support individuals with AUD to reduce their alcohol consumption. This review will be the first to assess the effectiveness of AUD mobile apps and client experiences using the apps.
This article reviews recent advances and developments in the field of wearable sensors with emphasis on a subclass of these devices that are able to perform highly-sensitive electrochemical analysis. Recent insights into novel fabrication methodologies and electrochemical techniques have resulted in the demonstration of chemical sensors able to augment conventional physical measurements (i.e. heart rate, EEG, ECG, etc.), thereby providing added dimensions of rich, analytical information to the wearer in a timely manner. Wearable electrochemical sensors have been integrated onto both textile materials and directly on the epidermis for various monitoring applications owing to their unique ability to process chemical analytes in a non-invasive and non-obtrusive fashion. In this manner, multi-analyte detection can easily be performed, in real time, in order to ascertain the overall physiological health of the wearer or to identify potential offenders in their environment. Of profound importance is the development of an understanding of the impact of mechanical strain on textile- and epidermal (tattoo)-based sensors and their failure mechanisms as well as the compatibility of the substrate employed in the fabrication process. We conclude this review with a retrospective outlook of the field and identify potential implications of this new sensing paradigm in the healthcare, fitness, security, and environmental monitoring domains. With continued innovation and detailed attention to core challenges, it is expected that wearable electrochemical sensors will play a pivotal role in the emergent body sensor networks arena.
This review is focused on creatine (CR) (methyl guanidine acetic acid) and its application in the form of a dietary supplement. It has been especially utilized by athletes, but its pronounced therapeutic potential is also discussed in the present article. It is supposed that human body uses CR for the formation of creatine phosphate (PCr), which is necessary for muscular work as a source of energy. The effects of supplemented CR on dynamics of methionine cycle and other related metabolic pathways have not been fully explained yet. The review is focused on the description of affects caused by its application on human body and metabolism. Already the application of small amounts of CR rapidly increases levels of thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) in urine after its supplementation, which phenomenon can serve as a sensitive marker of disturbance in metabolic pathways of 2C units and of thiolic compounds. Strong differences between initial and terminal TDGA levels in urine indicate that CR disturbed the equilibria of redox processes, catalyzed by folates and vitamin B-12. Some theories for explanation of these effects are described in this manuscript. Nevertheless, similarly as in other metabolic studies, the results are significantly affected by the probands' individual responses, which reflect their individual genetic makeup. The various methods such as voltammetric (generally electrochemical), chromatographic, mass spectrometric, enzymatic etc., which have been most frequently utilized for determination of discussed compounds in common laboratories, have been reported.
A poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocom-posite incorporated with polydopamine-coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO@PDOPA) nanosheets has been developed with high dielectric permittivity and low loss for electricity storage applications. Structural analysis indicates that PDOPA was successfully anchored onto rGOs through non-covalent linkage under mild conditions. The presence of PDOPA layer between rGO and PVDF can not only prevent the agglomeration and direct contact of original rGOs but also enhance the interaction between PVDF and rGO and microcapacitor formation. Compared to rGO/PVDF composites, higher dielectric permittivity and lower loss factor were achieved simultaneously in rGO@PDOPA/PVDF nanocomposites at low and moderate frequencies. The PDOPA interface layers are effective in modifying the dielectric characteristics of the composites to increase the dielectric permittivity without the introduction of loss mechanisms. This study demonstrates that PDOPA is an ideal interface layer for the development of new percolative dielectric composites with high dielectric permittivity and low loss.
The stellarator fusion experiment Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is presently under assembly at the Greifswald branch of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Germany. The W7-X superconducting magnet system basically consists of 50 nonplanar and 20 planar coils, including the interconnecting bus bars, and the support structure. The seven electrical circuits with 10 coils each in a series are supplied by 14 current leads (CLs) operating between the cryogenic and ambient temperature environments. A special feature of these feedthroughs is their upside-down orientation to save space in the vicinity of the machine. Basic electrical CL requirements are maximal steady-state currents of 18.2 kA and voltage strengths of 13 kV to ground. A W7-X CL consists of a copper conductor that also acts as a heat exchanger at the warm end side, in its continuation of a high-temperature superconductor part, and at the cold end side of a copper bar with integrated Nb3Sn rods. All components are fully contained within a CL vacuum chamber that is separated from the main W7-X cryostat vacuum. The high-voltage (HV) electrical insulation is built up of a glass tape epoxy resin system. Mechanical support of the CLs is achieved by a warm and cold glass fiber reinforced plastic flange. There are three He cooling circuits: 1) one for the bus bar and contact cooling; 2) one for the cold end of the CL (both at about 5 K); and 3) one for the CLs heat exchanger (entrance temperature about 50 K). After intensive tests of two prototypes, the series production has been established and completed. The CLs were tested at room temperature (HV, helium leaks, instrumentation, etc.) and with electrical currents up to the maximum current at cryogenic temperatures. This paper gives an overview of the basic CL design requirements and layout as well as on the fabrication and acceptance tests. Furthermore, a description of the assembly progress is given.
The care and prevention of congenital disorders (CDs) is an emerging but unprioritised health need in South Africa (SA). Inadequate empirical data and underreporting conceal the true burden of CDs while medical genetic services to confront the problem have regressed. Positive epidemiological transition in the country now demands these services are improved to significantly further reduce child mortality. Current sector capacity in SA is inadequate and required personnel targets will not be reached quickly enough to meet the growing health need even if relevant posts are designated. Historically, genetic-trained nurses played a defined role in primary healthcare (PHC) by recognising and diagnosing common CDs and counselling patients and their families, while referring complex matters to the limited tertiary medical genetic services available. Policy changes to redress past inequalities and other healthcare priorities resulted in genetic services being incorporated into PHC, with few genetic nurses retaining their genetic services role. While the medium- to long-term aim for SA would be to develop medical genetic services with appropriate capacity at all levels of healthcare, there is an urgent short-term need to provide basic medical genetic services in PHC. Central to achieving this is the upgrading and re-implementation of the previously successful Medical Genetics Education Programme (MGEP). This post-graduate distance learning, education programme is implemented with the Congenital Disorders Course Book, a distance education tool promoting independent, home-based learning. Together, these tools offer an approach to swiftly build up a nursing work-force with improved knowledge and skills in medical genetics.
Purpose of review This review provides an update and summary of recent neuropsychological findings in epilepsy focusing on three major clinical topics among the many developments in the field. We will critically outline the current state with regard to cognition in new-onset epilepsies, social cognition in epilepsy, and the long-term outcome of epilepsy surgery and the cognitive outcomes of superselective surgical procedures. Recent findings Current studies indicate that neuropsychological impairments are prevalent already at the onset of epilepsy and even before, social cognition (i.e., emotion recognition and theory of mind) is impaired in different epilepsy populations, the long-term outcome of epilepsy surgery is mostly characterized by a stable or even improved cognitive status, and superselective epilepsy surgeries are associated with a promising neuropsychological outcome. Summary The high prevalence of cognitive deficits around epilepsy onset challenges the assumption that epilepsy is the major cause of cognitive problems and calls for early neuropsychological diagnostics. Social cognition seems to be a relevant domain that is not yet routinely considered in epilepsy. The cognitive long-term outcome of epilepsy surgery is mostly positive. Stereotactic thermocoagulation and gamma knife surgery appear to be cognitively safe procedures.
Human phase I enzymes and their isoforms that metabolize pesticides are listed in a database that will be updated periodically. This initial version includes enzymes and isoforms that metabolize organophosphorus insecticides, chloroacetamide herbicides and triazine herbicides. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An experiment (N=177) examined how user-generated comments on a crime news article, which attribute the reported crime to the local residents' predispositions, affect individuals' processing of the news and their reality perception. Participants who viewed the regionalism-invoking comments estimated the crime rates of the featured region to be higher than those exposed to regionalism-irrelevant or regionalism-counterbalancing comments, and such effects were more pronounced for those with a stronger regional self-identity. Moreover, those who read regionalism-related comments, either regionalism-invoking or regionalism-counterbalancing, (a) recalled better the locations featured in the focal and the subsequent, yet unrelated, news articles and (b) attributed greater responsibility to news media coverage for the persistence of regionalism, as compared to those who viewed regionalism-irrelevant comments.
Considering the traditional power amplifier has the disadvantage of poor reliability and flexibility, a three-level pulse-width modulation (PWM) power amplifier which is based on a novel field-programmable logic gate array (FPGA) algorithm and hardware solution is proposed. The power amplifier can provide various signals flexibly and realize rapid response of the magnetic suspension spindle in micro-electrical discharge machining (EDM). In this paper, the principle of three-level PWM amplifier with half bridge and full bridge power circuit is introduced. According to different functions, the amplifier is divided into four function modules which include PWM signal generator module, voltage signal convert module, bootstrap drive module, and power bridge module. PWM signal generator module is also divided into four sub-modules in term of a new FPGA algorithm. Voltage signals are converted by high-speed photo coupler HCPL-2630. IR2110S chips are applied to drive the half bridge and full bridge power circuits. According to Kirchhoff voltage law, when the period of PWM signals is 50 mu s and the duty cycles are larger than 0.76 and 0.665, the average current of half bridge and full bridge are more than 3 and 4 A; however, the ripple of the half bridge and full bridge are still less than 0.25 and 0.2 A, this advantage is suitable for the control system of magnetic suspension spindle. Test results of the average current and ripple are close to theoretical value. The axial response frequency of the spindle can reach 125 Hz, using this power amplifier and the magnetic suspension spindle, micro EDM can be achieved in Z axis with 1.2 mm stroke.
As a new and exciting science, however, the nonverbal communication takes a significant place in the English classroom teaching. This thesis starts from the definitions of the Non-verbal communication and focuses on some usages of the Non-verbal communication in English classroom teaching on the basis of the current situation of English teaching, such as the use of body language, space language, environment language. Though using of such strategies and techniques, teachers and students' ability of non-verbal communication have been greatly improved.
The aim of this study was to examine differences in the neural processing of social information about kin and friends at different levels of closeness and social network level. Twenty-five female participants engaged in a cognitive social task involving different individuals in their social network while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning to detect BOLD (Blood Oxygen Level Dependent) signals changes. Greater levels of activation occurred in several regions of the brain previously associated with social cognition when thinking about friends than when thinking about kin, including the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC). Linear parametric analyses across network layers further showed that, when it came to thinking about friends, activation increased in the vMPFC, lingual gyrus, and sensorimotor cortex as individuals thought about friends at closer layers of the network. These findings suggest that maintaining friendships may be more cognitively exacting than maintaining kin relationships.
The goal of the paper is to describe the added value and complexities of nonlinear system identification applied to a large scale industrial test setup. The additional important insights provided by the frequency domain nonlinear approach are significant and for such systems the nonlinear system identification is important, for example to estimate the noise and non-linearities levels, which can indicate mechanical and configuration issues. It is not the goal to provide a final full-scale model, but to explore what is the applicability of the nonlinear system identification theories for a complex multi-physical non-academic test-case. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Are stereotypes accurate or inaccurate? We summarize evidence that stereotype accuracy is one of the largest and most replicable findings in social psychology. We address controversies in this literature, including the long-standing and continuing but unjustified emphasis on stereotype inaccuracy, how to define and assess stereotype accuracy, and whether stereotypic (vs. individuating) information can be used rationally in person perception. We conclude with suggestions for building theory and for future directions of stereotype (in)accuracy research.
The clinical implementation of a new carbon-fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketon (PEEK) plate for distal radius fractures might offer advantageous properties over the conventional metallic devices. This includes similar elastic modulus to cortical bone, radiolucency, low artifacts on MRI scans and the lack of metal allergies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical results at 6-week and 12-month follow-up using either a new fixed angle (monoaxial) PEEK plate system or a fixed angle (polyaxial) titanium plate. We included 26 patients (mean age 59.3) with displaced fractures of the distal radius (all AO types). Radiological and functional outcomes were measured prospectively at a 6-week and 12 month follow-up. We documented no cases of hardware breakage or significant loss of the surgically achieved fracture reduction with the usage oft the new PEEK device. Operating time was 101.0 min using PEEK versus 109.3 min in titanium plates, recorded times were including preparation, draping, and postoperative processing (ns, p 0.156). At the 6-week follow up the PEEK plate showed a trend for better range of motion and functional results (DASH-score, Mayo-wrist score, VAS) with no statistical significance. Results of 12 month follow up with PEEK showed comparable results with corresponding studies examining titanium plate after this period. First experience with PEEK plate osteosynthesis demonstrate quick clinical implementation with good clinical outcome and the advantage of excellent postoperative radiological assessment. At early follow-up PEEK even showed a trend for improved functional results.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of CV events. The aim of the study was to assess arterial stiffness and inflammatory markers in patients with short duration chronic arthritis. We assessed carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx), traditional CV risk factors and inflammatory and endothelial markers in 71 chronic arthritis patients (RA and AS) and in 29 healthy controls. We did not find differences in PWV (for RA, AS and controls, respectively: 10 [8.8-10.9] versus 10.7 [9.1-11.8] versus 9.2 [8.3-11.4] m/s; p=.14) and AIx (for RA, AS and controls, respectively: 24.3 +/- 11.5 versus 5.7 +/- 12.4 versus 10 +/- 12.8%; p=.22). Both groups of arthritis patients had active disease with significantly elevated inflammatory markers compared to controls. There were no correlations between endothelial and inflammatory markers and parameters of arterial stiffness in arthritis patients. When analyzing arthritis patients according to median of PVW, there were no significant differences in inflammatory and endothelial markers. We found that in patients with short duration active RA and AS arterial stiffness was not increased and furthermore, there was no association between markers of systemic inflammation and arterial stiffness.
Faces and voices, in isolation, prompt consistent social evaluations. However, most human interactions involve both seeing and talking with another person. Our main goal was to investigate how facial and vocal information are combined to reach an integrated person impression. In Study 1, we asked participants to rate faces and voices separately for perceived trustworthiness, attractiveness, and dominance. Most previous studies relied on stimuli in which extra-vocal information (e.g., verbal content, prosody) may have confounded voice-based effects; to prevent these unwanted influences, we used brief, neutral vowel sounds. Voices, like faces, led to the formation of highly reliable impressions. Voice trustworthiness correlated with voice attractiveness, mirroring the relation between face trustworthiness and attractiveness, but did not correlate with voice dominance. Inconsistent with the possibility that face and voice evaluations are indicative of real character traits, we found no positive correlations between judgments of trustworthiness or dominance based on faces and the same judgments based on voices (there was also no correlation between face attractiveness and voice attractiveness). In Study 2, we asked participants to evaluate male targets after seeing their faces and hearing their voices. Faces and voices contributed equally to judgments of trustworthiness and combined to produce a significant interaction effect. For attractiveness, faces were given more weight than voices, possibly due to the predominantly visual character of the attractiveness concept (there was no interaction effect). For dominance, the reverse pattern was true, with voices having a larger effect than faces on final judgments. In this case the auditory cues may be perceived to be more reliable because of the strong links between voice pitch, masculinity, and dominance.
Molecular pathological epidemiology (MPE) is a transdisciplinary and relatively new scientific discipline that integrates theory, methods, and resources from epidemiology, pathology, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and computational biology. The underlying objective of MPE research is to better understand the etiology and progression of complex and heterogeneous human diseases with the goal of informing prevention and treatment efforts in population health and clinical medicine. Although MPE research has been commonly applied to investigating breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, its methodology can be used to study most diseases. Recent successes in MPE studies include: (1) the development of new statistical methods to address etiologic heterogeneity; (2) the enhancement of causal inference; (3) the identification of previously unknown exposure-subtype disease associations; and (4) better understanding of the role of lifestyle/behavioral factors on modifying prognosis according to disease subtype. Central challenges to MPE include the relative lack of transdisciplinary experts, educational programs, and forums to discuss issues related to the advancement of the field. To address these challenges, highlight recent successes in the field, and identify new opportunities, a series of MPE meetings have been held at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Herein, we share the proceedings of the Third International MPE Meeting, held in May 2016 and attended by 150 scientists from 17 countries. Special topics included integration of MPE with immunology and health disparity research. This meeting series will continue to provide an impetus to foster further transdisciplinary integration of divergent scientific fields.
Intellectual humility is usually regarded as a virtue. In this paper, we conceptualized intellectual humility along two dimensions: (1) placing an adequate level of confidence in one's own beliefs; (2) being willing to consider other people's beliefs. We tested whether children (ages 4 to 11years) and adults perceived intellectual humility as positive and how these perceptions changed across development. To do so, we asked participants to evaluate an intellectually humble person as compared to an intellectually arrogant person, who readily dismissed other people's beliefs, or to an intellectually diffident person, who was unsure of a well-supported belief. Young children did not favor the intellectually humble person over the others, but older children and adults liked this person better and tended to consider her nicer than the arrogant one and smarter than the diffident one. These findings suggest that the virtuousness of intellectual humility in others is recognized from mid-childhood on.
India is rich in genetic diversity of major pulse crops, but the productivity and the production of pulse crops remains low compared to the world and hence, there is a need to enhance the utilization for increasing the production. Major pulse species for which genetic diversity is occurring in India include Vigna, Cajanus, Cicer, Pisum, Lens, Phaseolus and few minor pulses such as Macrotyloma, Canavalia, Lathyrus, Vicia, Mucuna, Moghania and Rhynchosia etc. National Bureau of PInt Genetic Resources (NBPGR) is the nodal institute for the management of plant genetic resources in India. It has assembled-70,000 accessions of different pulse crops majoring Cajanus cajan, Cicer arietinum, Phaseolus vulgaris, Pisum sativum, Vigna mungo, Vigna radiata, Vigna umbellata, Vigna unguiculata, Viceasp. and Lens sp. through collection and introduction from India and from >70 other countries of the world. Several pests of quarantine significance have been identified and salvaged from the exotic germplasm. The ex situ base collection at NBPGR conserve 64,744 accessions of 20 genera and 61 species of pulses. This germplasm has been characterized for agro-morphological, quality and biochemical traits, biotic and abiotic stresses for identifying trait-specific reference sets and 28 catalogues describing about 45,000 accessions of 14 pulse crops. A total of 121 accessions of various pulse crops have been registered as unique/potential donors. Core and mini cores have been developed in chickpea, pigeonpea, common bean, mungbean, adzuki bean, cowpea, lentil, moth bean and pea both nationally and internationally. Wild species of pulse crops have been utilized for transferring desirable traits into cultivated species. Application of modern tools and technologies of molecular biology will accelrate the process of gene transfer for improvement of pulse crops.
During microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), the cementation medium needs to fully contact and react with bacteria inside a soil sample through pores of sand. The goal of this study was to develop a new sample preparation mold, i.e., a full-contact flexible mold, to prepare samples during the MICP process. The mold was constructed using a needle-punched, nonwoven geotextile material. Specimens of different sizes were prepared using the full-contact flexible mold to evaluate the engineering soil properties improved by the MICP process. The results indicated that the mechanical improvement of the MICP-treated soil using the full-contact flexible mold is one order of magnitude higher than that of the typical sample preparation method. The full-contact flexible mold enhances the contact between the bacteria and the cementation medium and promotes homogeneous calcium carbonate precipitation within the sand pores.
As the prevalence and socioeconomic burden of allergic rhinitis is steadily increasing every year, it is essential that clinical practitioners diagnose and manage allergic rhinitis in an evidence-based manner. Therefore, the Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology developed new clinical guidelines for Korean patients and practitioners. We first performed a questionnaire survey to address the core questions, about which clinical practitioners are the most curious. A large group of physicians (allergists), pediatricians, and otorhinolaryngologists developed answers for those questions by performing a systematic literature review and determining the appropriate levels of recommendation. In this article, we propose 11 answers for core questions regarding the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.
Aims Changes in electrical activation sequence are known to affect the timing of cardiac mechanical events. We aim to demonstrate that these also modify global properties of the intraventricular blood flow pattern. We also explore whether such global changes present a relationship with clinical outcome. Methods and results We investigated 30 heart failure patients followed up after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). All subjects underwent echocardiography before implant and at follow-up after 6+ months. Left ventricular mechanics was investigated at follow-up during active CRT and was repeated after a temporary interruption <5 min later. Strain analysis, performed by speckle tracking, was used to assess the entity of contraction (global longitudinal strain) and its synchronicity (standard deviation of time to peak of radial strain). Intraventricular fluid dynamics, by echographic particle image velocimetry, was used to evaluate the directional distribution of global momentum associated with blood motion. The discontinuation of CRT pacing reflects into a reduction of deformation synchrony and into the deviation of blood flow momentum from the base-apex orientation with the development of transversal flow-mediated haemodynamic forces. The deviation of flow momentum presents a significant correlation with the degree of volumetric reduction after CRT. Conclusion Changes in electrical activation alter the orientation of blood flow momentum. The long-term CRT outcome correlates with the degree of re-alignment of haemodynamic forces. These preliminary results suggest that flow orientation could be used for optimizing the biventricular pacing setting. However, larger prospective studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia display social cognitive deficits. However, little is known about patients' nonverbal communication during their social encounters with others. This review identified 17 studies investigating nonverbal communication in patients' unscripted face-to-face interactions, addressing a) nonverbal differences between patients and others, b) nonverbal behavior of the patients' partners, c) the association between nonverbal behavior and symptoms, and d) the association between nonverbal behavior and social outcomes. Patients displayed fewer nonverbal behaviors inviting interaction, with negative symptoms exacerbating this pattern. Positive symptoms were associated with heightened nonverbal behavior. Patients' partners changed their own nonverbal behavior in response to the patient. Reduced prosocial behaviors, inviting interaction, were associated with poorer social outcomes. The evidence suggests that patients' nonverbal behavior, during face-to-face interaction, is influenced by patients symptoms and impacts the success of their social interactions.
The reporting of ecological phenomena and environmental status routinely required point observations, collected with traditional sampling approaches to be extrapolated to larger reporting scales. This process encompasses difficulties that can quickly entrain significant errors. Remote sensing techniques offer insights and exceptional spatial coverage for observing the marine environment. This review provides guidance on (i) the structures and discontinuities inherent within the extrapolative process, (ii) how to extrapolate effectively across multiple spatial scales, and (iii) remote sensing techniques and data sets that can facilitate this process. This evaluation illustrates that remote sensing techniques are a critical component in extrapolation and likely to underpin the production of high-quality assessments of ecological phenomena and the regional reporting of environmental status. Ultimately, is it hoped that this guidance will aid the production of robust and consistent extrapolations that also make full use of the techniques and data sets that expedite this process. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
For the purpose of analyzing and managing Urban Water Pollution Discharge Systems (UWPDS) comprehensively, a systematic approach of tracking and tracing analyses was developed based on environmental systems analysis theory, in which the directed graph, the nodal flow balance and the network analysis of Geographic Information System (GIS) were used. Based on the digitalized UWPDS of GIS which was established by collecting and processing a large amount of topographic, sewage discharge and drainage data, this scientific approach can be applied to make the tracking and tracing analyses on wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, illicit sewage outlets, pollution sources and drainage pipelines systematically. The upstream and downstream information about sources, discharging paths, flow quantities and final destinations of pollutants was obtained, and potential problems in the UWPDS analysis such as illicit connections between different drainage pipelines were identified, with the spatial analysis. This developed approach was tested using the UWPDS of Chaohu City (Anhui Province, China). The study results are important for the implementation of sewage interception engineering, the determination of load reduction, and the optimization of drainage pipelines and pumping stations in future.
Many efforts have been devoted to modeling the diffusive impedance of conjugated polymer (CP) based actuators using their equivalent electrical circuits. Employing the same methodology, CP based mechanical sensors can also be treated by an equivalent transmission line circuit and their overall impedance can be modeled, correspondingly. Due to the large number of resources to study the electrical circuits, this technique is a practical tool. Therefore, in this study, an equivalent RC-circuit model including electrochemical parameters is determined to obtain a better perception of the sensing mechanism of these mechanical sensors. Conjugated polymers are capable of generating an output current or voltage upon an induced mechanical deformation or force. This observed behavior in polymer based mechanical sensors is considered as the reverse actuation process. Many outstanding properties of the conjugated polymer actuators including their light weight and biocompatibility are still retained by these sensors. Sensors with a trilayer configuration are capable of operating in air in response to a mechanically induced bending deformation. However, due to their nonlinear behavior and multivariable characteristics, it is required to propose a systematic approach in order to optimize their performance and gain the optimal values of their constituent decision variable. Therefore, the proposed mathematical model is used to define the output voltage of the PPy based mechanical sensor along with the sensitivity of the model to the applied frequency of the induced deformation. Applying a multiobjective optimization algorithm, the optimization problem was solved and the tracking ability of the proposed model was then verified.
Microfluidic flow cells provide excellent control over the formation of microemulsions, which are widely applied as templates for the fabrication of hydrogel microparticles and vesicles with defined physicochemical properties. In recent years, bio-orthogonal synthesis schemes of macromolecular building blocks as well as their microfluidic processing under mild reaction conditions have greatly extended microfluidics-based vesicle and hydrogel design beyond material sciences. In particular, in synthetic and cell biology, tissue engineering as well as cell-free biotechnology, microgels and vesicles as experimental platforms with known parameter space allow for mimicking, studying and manipulating key aspects of cellular life in vitro in a tailored fashion. This article provides insights in recent advances to fabricate vesicles and microgels by microfluidic jets and droplets with tailored volume, shape and internal structure, and presents developments in applying these materials as artificial extracellular matrices as well as simple cell mimics designed by microfluidics.
Encounters across difference-in city spaces marked by diverse migration trajectories, cultural differences, and racialized hierarchies-have captured the attention of urban scholars concerned with both the challenge of living with difference and the promise of multicultural conviviality that inhere in the super-diversity of many cities. Expanding on approaches that focus on analyzing the conditions of a good or meaningful encounter that can reduce prejudice or promote intercultural understanding, this paper brings interviews with queer Asian men in Sydney, Australia into dialogue with Sara Ahmed's revaluation of the bad encounter. It shows how research on encounters can more productively engage with how negative encounters can become meaningful political occasions in their own right. Focusing on the problem of sexual racism as it emerges in accounts shared by participants, the paper highlights dating and sex as important moments through which the aesthetic orderings of race, gender, and sexuality shape the unevenly shared spaces of citizenship and urban life.
In this paper, we construct a lattice based(t,n) threshold multi-stage secret sharing (MSSS) scheme according to Ajtai's construction for one-way functions. In an MSSS scheme, the authorized subsets of participants can recover a subset of secrets at each stage while other secrets remain undisclosed. In this paper, each secret is a vector from a t-dimensional lattice and the basis of each lattice is kept private. A t-subset of n participants can recover the secret(s) using their assigned shares. Using a lattice based one-way function, even after some secrets are revealed, the computational security of the unrecovered secrets is provided against quantum computers. The scheme is multi-use in the sense that to share a new set of secrets, it is sufficient to renew some public information such that a new share distribution is no longer required. Furthermore, the scheme is verifiable meaning that the participants can verify the shares received from the dealer and the recovered secrets from the combiner, using public information.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between temperament and social cognition, including theory of mind and emotion understanding, in 34 preschool-aged children (aged 3-4years). Theory of mind was measured with a belief-desire reasoning assessment, and emotion understanding was measured with an affective perspective-taking task. Child temperament was provided by online parent report. Consistent with previous research, theory of mind correlated with shy and socially observant temperament. In contrast, emotion understanding was associated with attention focusing and low intensity pleasure (enjoyment of low arousal activities). Both theory of mind and emotion understanding were positively related to inhibitory control and negatively related to activity level. In sum, theory of mind and emotion understanding, while both associated with executive functioning, correlate with distinct social preference temperament dimensions. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: Although the entomotoxicity of plant ureases has been reported almost 20 years ago, their insecticidal mechanism of action is still not well understood. Jaburetox is a recombinant peptide derived from one of the isoforms of Canavalia ensiformis (Jack Bean) urease that presents biotechnological interest since it is toxic to insects of different orders. Previous studies of our group using the Chagas disease vector and model insect Rhodnius prolixus showed that the treatment with Jack Bean Urease (JBU) led to hemocyte aggregation and hemolymph darkening, among other effects. In this work, we employed cell biology and biochemical approaches to investigate whether Jaburetox would induce not only cellular but also humoral immune responses in this species. Results: The findings indicated that nanomolar doses of Jaburetox triggered cation-dependent, in vitro aggregation of hemocytes of fifth-instar nymphs and adults. The use of specific eicosanoid synthesis inhibitors revealed that the cellular immune response required cyclooxygenase products since indomethacin prevented the Jaburetox-dependent aggregation whereas baicalein and esculetin (inhibitors of the lipoxygenases pathway) did not. Cultured hemocytes incubated with Jaburetox for 24 h showed cytoskeleton disorganization, chromatin condensation and were positive for activated caspase 3, an apoptosis marker, although their phagocytic activity remained unchanged. Finally, in vivo treatments by injection of Jaburetox induced both a cellular response, as observed by hemocyte aggregation, and a humoral response, as seen by the increase of spontaneous phenoloxidase activity, a key enzyme involved in melanization and defense. On the other hand, the humoral response elicited by Jaburetox injections did not lead to an increment of antibacterial or lysozyme activities. Jaburetox injections also impaired the clearance of the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus from the hemolymph leading to increased mortality, indicating a possible immunosuppression induced by treatment with the peptide. Conclusions: In our experimental conditions and as part of its toxic action, Jaburetox activates some responses of the immune system of R. prolixus both in vivo and in vitro, although this induction does not protect the insects against posterior bacterial infections. Taken together, these findings contribute to the general knowledge of insect immunity and shed light on Jaburetox's mechanism of action.
The die model characterized with high design efficiency and strong correlation plays an important role in simulation and machining. Because of the complexity of structure and the changing shape of flow channel, current design tools lack in the level of automation so that design of an extrusion die is a nontrivial task. In this paper, an integral design method is proposed to improve the design efficiency and model correlation. The computer-aided design (CAD) system for plastic profile extrusion die is designed and implemented by integrating Visual Studio 2010 (VS2010) and Unigraphics NX (UG). The closed loop recognition algorithm (CLR), multi closed loops intelligent recognition (MCLR) algorithm, and multi closed loops matching (MCLM) algorithm based on feature recognition are proposed to realize automatic generation of ruled surface in flow channel. The integral design and automatic generation methods of die set are proposed to facilitate efficient formation of different structures and process holes. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is put forward to obtain best position and specification for the interference parts. Three modules (integral sketches, integral flow channel, and integral die set) are developed, which focus on integrating the proposed automation design methods into their framework. A case application on die design is used to illustrate the proposed method. The results show that the developed CAD system not only improves the design efficiency of extrusion die but also enhances the design quality.
Renin is the initiator and rate-limiting factor in the renin-angiotensin blood pressure regulation system. Although renin is not exclusively produced in the kidney, in nonmurine species the synthesis and secretion of the active circulatory enzyme is confined almost exclusively to the dense core granules of juxtaglomerular (JG) cells, where prorenin is processed and stored for release via a regulated pathway. Despite its importance, the structural organization and regulation of granules within these cells is not well understood, in part due to the difficulty in culturing primary JG cells in vitro and the lack of appropriate cell lines. We have streamlined the isolation and culture of primary renin-expressing cells suitable for high-speed, high-resolution live imaging using a Percoll gradient-based procedure to purify cells from RenGFP(+) transgenic mice. Fibronectin-coated glass coverslips proved optimal for the adhesion of renin-expressing cells and facilitated live cell imaging at the plasma membrane of primary renin cells using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). To obtain quantitative data on intracellular function, we stained mixed granule and lysosome populations with Lysotracker Red and stimulated cells using 100 nM isoproterenol. Analysis of membrane-proximal acidic granular organelle dynamics and behavior within renin-expressing cells revealed the existence of two populations of granular organelles with distinct functional responses following isoproterenol stimulation. The application of high-resolution techniques for imaging JG and other specialized kidney cells provides new opportunities for investigating renal cell biology.
In this paper, the global operating point dependent losses of induction machines are studied by using a local transient loss formulation. The level of flux, the machine is operated at, depends on the operation mode of the inverter. Hence, for precise loss modeling of inverter driven induction machines at the machine design stage, the time and spatial distribution of flux density and the influence of choosing the best operating point is included. A loss scaling method is developed to map iron losses calculated at a single synchronous frequency to other frequencies along the torque-speed map. The modeled losses and operating points are compared to extensive machine measurements. By way of example, the effect of different electrical steel grades tailored either to low losses or preferable magnetizability on the machine performance is investigated.
Among the four different types of thyroid cancer, treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma poses a major challenge because of its propensity of early metastasis. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms of medullary thyroid carcinoma and discover candidates for targeted therapies, we developed a new mouse model of medullary thyroid carcinoma based on our CGRP(CreER) mouse line. This system enables gene manipulation in parafollicular C cells in the thyroid, the purported cells of origin of medullary thyroid carcinoma. Selective inactivation of tumor suppressors, such as p53, Rb, and Pten, in mature parafollicular C cells via an inducible Cre recombinase from CGRP(CreER) led to development of murine medullary thyroid carcinoma. Loss of Pten accelerated p53/Rb-induced medullary thyroid carcinoma, indicating interactions between pathways controlled by tumor suppressors. Moreover, labeling differentiated parafollicular C cells by CGRP(CreER) allows us to follow their fate during malignant transformation to medullary thyroid tumor. Our findings support a model in which mutational events in differentiated parafollicular C cells result in medullary thyroid carcinoma. Through expression analysis including RNA-Seq, we uncovered major signaling pathways and networks that are perturbed following the removal of tumor suppressors. Taken together, these studies not only increase our molecular understanding of medullary thyroid carcinoma but also offer new candidates for designing targeted therapies or other treatment modalities.
In this paper, we propose a novel two-step building extraction method from remote sensing images by integrating saliency cue. We first utilize classical features such as shadow, color, and shape to find out initial building candidates. A fully connected conditional random field model is introduced in this step to ensure that most of the buildings are incorporated. While it is hard to further remove the mislabled rooftops from the building candidates by only using classical features, we adopt saliency cue as a new feature to determine whether there is a rooftop in each segmentation patch obtained from previous step. The basic idea behind the use of saliency information is that rooftops are more likely to attract visual attention than surrounding objects. Based on a specifically designed saliency estimation algorithm for building object, we extract saliency cue in the local region of each building candidate, which is integrated into a probabilistic model to get the final building extraction result. We show that the saliency cue can provide an efficient probabilistic indication of the presence of rooftops, which helps to reduce false positives while without increasing false negatives at the same time. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets highlight the advantages of the integration of saliency cue and demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the stateof- the-art methods.
One important motivation for people behaving prosocially is that they want to avoid negative and obtain positive emotions. In the prosocial behavior literature however, the motivations to avoid negative emotions (e.g., guilt) and to approach positive emotions (e.g., warm glow) are rarely separated, and sometimes even aggregated into a single mood-management construct. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anticipated guilt if not helping and anticipated warm glow if helping are influenced similarly or differently when varying situational factors related to personal responsibility to help. Helping scenarios were created and pilot tests established that each helping scenario could be formulated both in a high-responsibility version and in a low-responsibility version. In Study 1 participants read high-responsibility and low-responsibility helping scenarios, and rated either their anticipated guilt if not helping or their anticipated warm glow if helping (i.e., separate evaluation). Study 2 was similar but here participants rated both their anticipated guilt if not helping and their anticipated warm glow if helping (i.e., joint evaluation). Anticipated guilt was clearly higher in the high-responsibility versions, but anticipated warm glow was unaffected (in Studies 1a and 1b), or even higher in the low-responsibility versions (Study 2). In Studies 3 (where anticipated guilt and warm glow were evaluated separately) and 4 (where they were evaluated jointly), personal responsibility to help was manipulated within-subjects. Anticipated guilt was again constantly higher in the high-responsibility versions but for many types of responsibility-manipulations, anticipated warm glow was higher in the low-responsibility versions. The results suggest that we anticipate guilt if not fulfilling our responsibility but that we anticipate warm glow primarily when doing over and beyond our responsibility. We argue that future studies investigating motivations for helping should measure both anticipated negative consequences for oneself if not helping, and anticipated positive consequences for oneself if helping.
Several studies have showed the efficiency of natural techniques to dewater the sludge from water treatment plants in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dewatering system through drainage/drying with a geotextile blanket using the sludge of decanters from two types of water treatment plants, in laboratory experiments and reduced scale. The following technical parameters of project were considered: density of blanket, application rate of solids, volumetric application rate, and drying in different climate conditions. In the drainage phase, 78 to 91% of the total volume of percolated liquid presented a compatible quality to the standardized limits for freshwater bodies from classes I and II, according to Resolution 357/05 from the National Council of Environment. In the drying phase, it was possible to obtain total solid rates between 15.9 and 20.3%, values of the same magnitude order as those obtained by mechanical drainages, even in critical drying conditions.
The importance of the performance of frequency regulation has already been acknowledged by regulators and Independent System Operators (ISOs). A performance-based frequency regulation market model considering both regulation capacity and regulation mileage constraints is proposed in this paper. In the proposed market, high-performance regulation resources have higher priorities to be selected in the market. Market clearing prices are derived with Lagrange relaxation. The analysis of the components of market clearing prices accurately indicates the correlation between regulation capacity and regulation mileage. To accommodate the proposed regulation market design, AGC allocation algorithm is adjusted based on the market clearing results. The clearing procedure of the market model is demonstrated on an illustrative case. The proposed market design is tested and verified with market simulations and system dynamic simulations. Simulation results are discussed and compared to show the effectiveness of the proposed market design. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The sacroiliac joint and spine are seen on abdominal computed tomography (CT) and may show structural lesions as part of spondyloarthritis. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of CT features of spondyloarthritis in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Material and Methods: A retrospective study of structural lesions of spondyloarthritis on abdominal CT was performed. The sacroiliac joints and spine of 120 patients were studied: study group I consisted of 40 patients with known CD and inflammatory back pain, group II involved 40 patients with CD without inflammatory back pain, and group III consisted of 40 patients without known joint or inflammatory bowel disease. Recorded CT features included sclerosis, erosions or ankylosis of the sacroiliac joint, enthesopathy, spinal syndesmophytes, and costovertebral joint lesions. Results: CT showed structural lesions of the sacroiliac joints in 19/40 (48%) patients with CD and inflammatory back pain (sclerosis [n=14; 35%], erosions [n=14; 35%], ankylosis [n=3; 8%]), in 8/40 (8%) patients with CD without inflammatory back pain (sclerosis [n=3; 8%], erosions [n=4; 10%], ankylosis [n=3; 8%]), and in 3/40 (8%) patients without known joint or bowel disease (sclerosis [n=2; 5%], ankylosis [n=1; 3%]). Syndesmophytes were exclusively seen in group I (n=6; 15%). Conclusion: CT of the abdomen in patients with CD and inflammatory back pain shows structural lesions of the sacroiliac joint, entheses, or spine in almost half of the patients. Awareness and knowledge of these findings may guide the referring clinician to further clinical evaluation, imaging, and biomarker evaluation of the disease.
In spite of excellent properties of supercritical CO2 in enzyme catalyzed reactions, destabilizing effects of CO2 molecules on the enzyme structure limits the industrial applications of this green solvent in the field of biocatalysis. Here, based on the substantial role of charged surface residues such as lysines in enzyme inactivation, we introduced for the first time, Post Translational Modifications (PTMs), a famous concept in molecular biology, as a protein stabilization strategy in supercritical condition. Lysine groups were modified using PTM templates to find out more about the exact mechanism of enzyme inactivation in supercritical CO2 and to explore a new way for protein stabilization in this solvent. We used MD simulation as common tool for in situ examining enzyme structure in supercritical fluids, for the investigation of structural consequence of modifications. Different modifications including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and carboxylation have been applied on the model enzyme. For comparison to CALB structure in supercritical CO2, the acetylated enzyme was also simulated in aqueous solvent at 300 and 353 K. Interestingly, acetylation of lysine residues prevents enzyme from denaturation at high temperatures in water, which is in agreement with experimental observation in aqueous solution. However, acetylation is not so useful for stabilization of enzyme in supercritical CO2. In contrast, methylation and carboxylation efficiently stabilize enzyme in supercritical CO2. Phosphate groups in phosphorylated lysines destabilize enzyme by formation of excess hydrogen bonds by inappropriate groups and perturb enzyme conformation. Moreover, it was found that modification of surface arginine residues was not so satisfactory in stabilization of the enzyme. This finding supports the mechanism of lipase inactivation through direct interaction of CO2 molecules on lysine residues and formation of carbamates. We think this new exploration can open new window for developing enzyme catalyzed mechanism of enzyme inactivation in scCO(2). (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Public health research treats intimate partnerships as sites of risk management, including in the management of HIV and hepatitis C transmission. This risk-infused biomedical approach tends to undermine appreciation of the emotional and socially situated meanings of care in intimate partnerships. In this article we explore qualitative interview accounts of the care enacted in partnerships between people who inject drugs, drawing on a 2014 study of 34 couples and 12 individuals living in two locations of Australia. A thematic analysis highlights 'best friend relationships', 'doing everything together', 'co-dependency', and 'doing normalcy' as core to narratives of care. As we will argue, the accounts position the care undertaken by couples as at once shaped by day-to-day practices of drug use and by social situation, with the partnership enacting care as a form of social protection, including protection from stigma and other environmental hostilities. The intimacy of doing everything together offers insulation against stigma, yet also reproduces its isolating effects. While the care produced in drug-using partnerships is presented as double-edged, we note how interview accounts are used to deflect the charge that these relationships represent harmful co-dependency. Taken together, the interview accounts negotiate a 'counter-care' in relation to normalcy, presenting the intimate partnership between people who use drugs as a legitimate embodiment of care. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
More than 40 years of research have shown that people favor members of their ingroup in their impressions, attitudes, and behaviors. Here, we propose that people also form different mental images of minimal ingroup and outgroup members, and we test the hypothesis that differences in these mental images contribute to the well-established biases that arise from minimal group categorization. In Study 1, participants were assigned to 1 of 2 groups using a classic minimal group paradigm. Next, a reverse correlation image classification procedure was used to create visual renderings of ingroup and outgroup face representations. Subsequently, a 2nd sample naive to the face generation stage rated these faces on a series of trait dimensions. The results indicated that the ingroup face was significantly more likely than the outgroup face to elicit favorable impressions (e. g., trusting, caring, intelligent, attractive). Extending this finding, Study 2 revealed that ingroup face representations elicited more favorable implicitly measured attitudes than did outgroup representations, and Study 3 showed that ingroup faces were trusted more than outgroup faces during an economic game. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated that facial physiognomy associated with trustworthiness more closely resembled the facial structure of the average ingroup than outgroup face representation. Together, these studies suggest that minimal group distinctions can elicit different mental representations, and that this visual bias is sufficient to elicit ingroup favoritism in impressions, attitudes and behaviors.
Little is known about the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students attending religious colleges and universities. This study used grounded theory to analyze the narratives (N = 271) of LGBTQ former and current students. The central theme described by LGBTQ students was a fight for survival with five subthemes: (a) institutionalized homo/transphobia (strict school policies, enforcement of heterosexuality and gender conformity through discipline, conversion therapy); (b) a culture of fear (fear of exposure, homophobic panic and code words, seeking cover); (c) marginalization and isolation; (d) struggle (suffering and suicide, reconciling faith and LGBTQ identity); and (e) coping and resilience (surviving through critical thinking and strategic activism). Implications for practice are provided.
Pharmacogenetic studies have identified the non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (A118G) in the human mu opioid receptor (MOR) gene (OPRM1) as a critical genetic variant capable of altering the efficacy of opioid therapeutics. To date few studies have explored the potential impact of the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism on the pharmacological effects of buprenorphine (BPN), a potent MOR partial agonist and kappa opioid receptor antagonist, which is approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid addiction and chronic pain. The goal of these studies was to determine whether the MOR-mediated behavioral effects of BPN were altered in the Oprm1 A112G mouse model of the human OPRM1 A118G SNP. All studies were conducted in female, AA, AG and GG mice. BPN's maximal analgesic effect in the hot plate test was significantly blunted in AG and GG mice compared to wild type AA mice. Similarly, the BPN-induced reduction of latency to consume food in the novelty induced hypophagia test was blocked entirely in AG and GG mice compared to their AA littermates. In addition, GG mice exhibited marked reductions in psychostimulant hyperlocomotor activity compared to the AA group. In contrast, reduced immobility in the forced swim test, an effect of BPN mediated by kappa opioid receptors, was not affected by genotype. These studies demonstrate the ability of the Oprm1 A112G SNP to attenuate the analgesic, anxiolytic and hyperlocomotor effects of BPN. Overall, these data suggest that the OPRM1 A118G SNP will significantly impact the clinical efficacy of BPN in its therapeutic applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study evaluated the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on fibroblasts obtained from young and elderly individuals. Gingival fibroblasts from young (Y) and elderly (E) individuals were seeded in wells of 24-well plates with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 10 % of fetal bovine serum (FBS). After 24 h, the cells were irradiated (LASERTable-InGaAsP-780 +/- 3 nm, 25 mW, 3 J/cm(2)) or exposed to EGF (100 mu M). After 72 h, cells were evaluated for viability, migration, collagen and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) synthesis, and gene expression of growth factors. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (alpha = 5 %). Y and E fibroblasts irradiated with laser or exposed to EGF showed increased viability and collagen synthesis. Enhanced cell migration was observed for Y fibroblasts after both treatments, whereas only the LLLT stimulated migration of E cells. VEGF synthesis was higher for Y and E cells exposed to EGF, while this synthesis was reduced when E fibroblasts were irradiated. Increased gene expression of VEGF was observed only for Y and E fibroblasts treated with LLLT. Regardless of a patient's age, the LLLT and EGF applications can biostimulate gingival fibroblast functions involved in tissue repair.
The present study investigates the accuracy of five different data-driven techniques in estimating oxygen transfer efficiency in baffled chutes: feedforward neural network (FFNN), radial basis neural network (RBNN), generalized regression neural network (GRNN), adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system with subtractive clustering (ANFIS-SC), and adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system with fuzzy c-means clustering (ANFIS-FCM). Baffled apron chutes or drops are used on channel structures to dissipate the energy in the flow. A baffled chute design is effective both in energy dissipation and in aerating the flow and reducing nitrogen supersaturation. There is a close relationship between energy dissipation and oxygen transfer efficiency. This study aims to determine the aeration efficiency of baffled chutes with stepped (S), wedge (W), trapezoidal (T), and T-shaped (T-S) baffle blocks. The performances of the FFNN, RBNN, GRNN, ANFIS-SC, and ANFIS-FCM models are compared with those of multilinear and nonlinear regression models. Based on the comparisons, it was observed that all data-driven models could be successfully employed in modeling the aeration efficiency of S, W, and T-S baffle blocks from the available experimental data. Among data-driven models, the FFNN model was found to be the best. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The pervasiveness of explicit and implicit weight bias (WB) defined as negative stereotypes and prejudice regarding one's weight has been observed among individuals of all weight categories. As a source of WB, health messages have been discussed due to reinforcing stigmatizing notions. The present study sought to investigate whether health messages (i.e., eat healthy, become physically active) have the potential to increase explicit and implicit WB. Participants (N = 144) from the community were randomized to either an experimental group (EG) or a control group (CG). While the EG was presented with health messages, the CG was presented with neutral information. Before and after manipulation, participants completed measures of explicit and implicit WB. Paired samples t-test revealed no differences in explicit WB after manipulation, however, a small effect decrease of implicit WB in the EG but not in the CG was found. This study provided evidence that health messages might have differential impact to change WB. According to dual-model approaches, explicit and implicit WB tap into two different information processing systems, and thus were differentially affected by health messages. Brief exposure to health messages might have the potential to contribute to health behavior and to mitigate implicit WB.
Via mental simulation, future previews have been shown to optimize behavioral selection and enhance task performance. Yet little is known about the critical factors that determine exactly how and when imagination impacts behavior. Noting the theoretical importance of vantage point (i.e., field vs. observer perspective) during mental imagery, here we explored the possibility that spatial visual perspective influences the real-time behavioral correlates of simulated (i.e., imagined) events. Participants were instructed to imagine positive and negative social encounters from either a field or an observer vantage point. Throughout each imagined interaction, postural movement in the anterioposterior (i.e., front-back) plane served as a real-time index of approach-withdrawal behavior. The results revealed that mental simulations were accompanied by functionally adaptive behavior (i. e., approach or withdrawal) but only when events were imagined from a field perspective. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are considered.
Studies on the implications of population density on energy consumption in small and medium-sized cities in low- and middle-income countries are limited. This paper estimates and analyses energy consumption, using a diverse set of methods, to compare two medium-sized cities in Thailand with similar urban forms and socioeconomic characteristics but different population densities - namely, the less dense city Chaiyaphum and denser city Roi Et. The results reveal that the annual household electricity consumption per capita of these two cities is similar, showing no implications of density. However, private transport energy consumption per capita in Chaiyaphum is 22 per cent higher, supporting the hypothesis that a less dense city will have higher transport energy consumption. The key factor identified is the greater distance travelled by households located in the peri-urban areas in the less dense city. This has important policy implications for urban planning and urban development practices in Thailand.
Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is a species of bivalve mollusk that has a high capacity in filtering the water nearby and concentrate the virus and bacteria present in it. This can constitute a microbiological risk when they are consumed afterwards. Thus, depending on water pollution, mussels suffer a depuration process, usually controlled using Escherichia coli as indicator. The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of mussels from various sources after purifying, and to consider the utility of the use of Clostridium perfringens as quality indicator. For this, microbiological analysis were performed in fifteen lots of mussel samples obtained from Spain and Italy. Aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, Vibrio spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Cl. perfringens, and the presence Salmonella spp. were measured. The results showed the presence of Salmonella spp. in four batches of mussels from various locations and Cl. perfringrens in thirteen of them. All samples were within the legal limits for E. coli. In conclusion, the results propose that the use of E. coli as an indicator microorganism for the mussels' depuration process is not sufficient to assure the microbiological quality of the product. Thus, it would be appropriate to include of Cl. perfringens, as an additional indicator, in the control carried out during and after the refinement is done. Finally, the results emphasized the necessity to properly cook this food product prior to consumption, as it allows the destruction of any microorganisms present.
The emergence of hardware multithread (HW-MT) architectures increased the performance of MT applications. However, traditional HW-MT architectures are not suitable to real-time operating systems as their performance-oriented scheduling algorithm may conflict with RTOS software scheduling. This letter presents RT-SHADOWS, a portable architecture which provides a unified hardware-software scheduling, bringing the benefits of HW-MT to the RTOS domain. We show that tightly-coupled real-time compliant hardware integration achieves throughput benefits, maintaining the RTOS scheduling policy intact while increasing the predictability of RTOSes. Our solution shows on average, speed-ups between 3 and 4 times over the native versions with very low area usage/performance overhead ratio, due to its minimal cost (2% of extra slices per hardware-supported thread). This work surpasses related work by providing a complete and agnostic hardware solution which is independent of any specific RTOS.
In e-Learning research, teachers can record lecture videos in e-class and upload these lecture videos to e-Learning system themselves. Once lecture videos and handouts can be generated automatically in traditional classroom, it can help students with self-learning and teacher with lecture content development for e-Learning services. This paper proposed a teaching assistant system based on computer vision that can help in content development for e-Learning services. Lecture videos are taken by using two cameras and merged on both sides so that students can see a clear and complete teaching content. The k-means segmentation is used to extract board area and then connected component technique helps refill the board area which is covered by lecturer's body. Then we use adaptive threshold to extract handwritings in various light conditions and time-series denoising technique is designed to reduce noise. According to extracted handwritings, the lecture videos can be automatically structured with high level of semantics. The lecture videos are segmented into video clips and all key-frames are integrated as handouts of the education videos.
A number of resistive switching memories exhibit activation-based dynamical behavior, which makes them suitable for neuromorphic and programmable analog filtering applications. Because the Boundary Condition Memristor (BCM) model accounts for tunable activation thresholds only at the on and off boundary states, it is not quantitatively accurate in the description of these kinds of memristors and in the investigation of their circuit applications. This paper introduces the Generalized Boundary Condition Memristor (GBCM) model, preserving the features of the BCM model while allowing, further, an ad-hoc tuning of activation-based dynamics, which enables an appropriate modulation of the conditions under which memristors may operate as storage elements or data processors. A simple circuit implementation of the novel model is presented, and time-efficient simulations confirming the improvement in modeling accuracy over the BCM model are shown. As a proof-of-concept for the suitability of the GBCM model in the exploration of the full potential of memristors in neuromorphic circuits and programmable analog filters, this paper adopts it to model fundamental synaptic rules governing the mechanisms of learning in neural systems and to gain some insight into key issues in the design of a couple of filters. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are often used as lining materials for freshwater reservoirs. To irrigate agricultural land without depleting groundwater, surface water is stored in these artificial ponds. In this study, hydraulic conductivity tests were performed on GCLs placed in flexible-wall permeameters under hydraulic heads of up to 50 m in order to investigate the risk of internal erosion. In these tests, base pedestals made of Plexiglas with uniform circular voids were placed beneath the GCLs instead of a typical gravel subgrade. The voids in the base pedestal represented the voids between uniform rounded gravel particles. Different types of GCLs were tested. GCL-1 was reinforced using needle-punching technology, whereas GCL-2, GCL-3, and GCL-4 were un-reinforced GCLs that were assembled in the laboratory. We investigated the effects on internal erosion of the void size in the subbase; the geotextile component that was in contact with the subbase; the bentonite component; and the manufacturing process of the GCLs. Test results indicated that internal erosion was directly related to the void diameter of the base pedestal. The resistance of the needle-punched GCL to internal erosion was better than that of the un-reinforced GCLs. The degree of internal erosion was also related to the engineering properties of the geotextile in contact with the base pedestal. Higher tensile strength of the GCL reduced the possible potential for internal erosion within it. The type of bentonite did not have a significant effect on internal erosion.
The systemic investigation of the energy metabolism in the frame of the selfish-brain theory focusses on supply chains. They describe the transport chain beginning with the energy exploration in the remote environment until the energy is consumed by neurons in the brain. Modeling this, the main difficulty consists in the selection of significant core models among the enormous member of known substances and regulatory mechanisms, which are afflicted with considerable uncertainties in general. We supplement the standard bottom-up modeling of certain mechanisms by a deductive approach. Therefore, we investigate general supply chains and deduce indispensable elements in the regulatory mechanisms from available observations. A critical selection of system properties and underlying mechanisms enables us to simulate observations; which cannot be explained by the classical glucostatic and lipostatic theory. These observations are the e. g. nearly constant energy level in the brain, the different responses of the periphery and the brain to atrophic periods and finally the development of diabetes.
Both mobile phone communication and the genre of sex advice writing are often criticized, the former as unkind and the latter as sexist. Yet some research indicates that digitally mediated communication may have some advantages, particularly when disinhibition might confer benefits such as personal expression or resisting coercion and sexual harassment. This paper investigates whether consent is discussed differently in popular online sexting tips articles as compared with a similar set of general sex advice articles. I find that while general sex tips infrequently address consent and offer communication as an optional practice, sexting tips stress the importance of consent more often and warn sexters about the potential harm an unwanted sext might cause to a recipient. I suggest that this may be due to the particular affordances of mobile phone communication, including lack of physical proximity, asynchronicity, and the reduction of unconscious nonverbal communication. Because this discourse about consent appears in a popular format, it may have the potential to serve as a model for a broader cultural shift towards the normalization of explicit communication about consent for all sexual acts.
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the deposition of amyloid-beta as extracellular plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau as intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. Tau pathology characterizes not only Alzheimer's disease, but also many other tauopathies, presenting tau as an attractive therapeutic target. Passive tau immunotherapy has been previously explored; however, because only a small fraction of peripherally delivered antibodies crosses the blood-brain barrier, enters the brain and engages with tau that forms intracellular aggregates, more efficient ways of antibody delivery and neuronal uptake are warranted. In the brain, tau exists as multiple isoforms. Here, we investigated the efficacy of a novel 2N tau isoform-specific single chain antibody fragment, RN2N, delivered by passive immunization in the P301L human tau transgenic pR5 mouse model. We demonstrate that, in treated mice, RN2N reduces anxiety-like behaviour and phosphorylation of tau at distinct sites. When administration of RN2N was combined with focused ultrasound in a scanning mode (scanning ultrasound), RN2N delivery into the brain and uptake by neurons were markedly increased, and efficacy was significantly enhanced. Our study provides evidence that scanning ultrasound is a viable tool to enhance the delivery of biologics across the blood-brain barrier and improve therapeutic outcomes and further presents single-chain antibodies as an alternative to full-length antibodies.
In this letter, Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) delay Doppler maps (DDMs) acquired by the U.K. TechDemoSat-1 (TDS-1) mission are analyzed to identify sea ice infesting waters in circumpolar areas. First, the sensitivity of actual DDM to sea ice is investigated using reference information provided by a Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar imagery and a Special Sensor Microwave/Imager based sea-ice concentration map. Then, a new product is proposed that consists of normalized radar cross section measurements derived from actual DDMs and arranged in gridded format. This product is shown to provide spatial information on the sea ice transition that cannot be obtained exploiting the conventional DDM product. Hence, this new product can be used to improve/complement conventional remote sensing techniques for sea ice observation.
Friction properties at geotextile interfaces play an important role in the stability of geotextile encapsulated-sand systems in coastal protection. The stabilising action of the frictional force is important to oppose sliding along the contact surface and to prevent deformations, which may lead to structural failures. This paper presents a set of experiments, based on large-scale direct shear tests performed under both cyclic loading and cyclic displacement conditions, examining friction at interfaces between geotextile specimens, sand-filled geosystem elements, and between a sand layer and a sand-filled geosystem element. The results presented here indicate that the friction parameters (i.e., shear strength and friction angle) derived from geotextile specimens are below those obtained for sand-filled elements, which suggests that using the former for the stability analysis is conservative. The tests carried out with a sand layer surface showed that a modification to the shear plane slope is likely to occur for the sand-filled geosystem element buries into the sand layer. This deformation can result in toe instability, ultimately leading to progressive damage or even collapse of the entire structure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Play development is part of the child's growth and maturation process since birth. Games in general, and technologically augmented games in particular, can play a fundamental role in this process. This paper introduces the design, implementation and deployment of a new version of the popular Tower Game integrated within an Ambient Intelligence (AmI) simulation space, based on knowledge stemming from the processes and theories used in occupational therapy. An augmented interactive table and a three-dimensional avatar are employed in order to extend the purpose and objectives of the game, so that its applicability expands to the age group of preschool children from 3 to 6 years old. Various augmented artifacts, such as force-pressure sensitive interactive surface, and augmented pen, and a digital dice are integrated in the environment, aiming to enhance children's play experience. Through such augmented artifacts, the game becomes capable of monitoring and following the progress of each young player, adapt accordingly and provide important information regarding the abilities and skills of the child and his development growth progress over time.
Focus of brain tumour research is shifting towards tumour genesis and genetics, and possible development of individualized treatment plans. Genetic analysis shows recurrent mutation in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) gene in most Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells. In this review we evaluated the prognostic significance of IDH 1 mutation on the basis of published evidence. Multiple retrospective clinical analyses correlate the presence of IDH1 mutation in GBM with good prognostic outcomes compared to wild-type IDH1. A systematic review reported similar results. Based on the review of current literature IDH1 mutation is an independent factor for longer overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in GBM patients when compared to wild-type IDH1. The prognostic significance opens up new avenues for treatment.
Violent video game (VVG) use has repeatedly been found to be associated with hostile expectations about others, desensitization to violence, decreased empathy and prosocial behavior, and aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Although these research findings have been widely publicized, VVGs remain the most extensively played games and represent a multi-billion dollar industry. Although VVGs are typically rated mature, indicating they are not suitable for youths, they are often purchased for youths. This may be in part because there is currently no system available to consumers that thoroughly describes the content of video games, and much of the public is unaware of the types of violence that characterize game play. The purpose of this paper is to describe the violent content of some of the top VVGs, based on sales. For the purposes of this issue, acts of senseless, unprovoked violence will be described in detail.
We explain how to share photons between two distant parties using concatenated entanglement swapping and assess performance according to the two-photon visibility as the figure of merit. From this analysis, we readily see the key generation rate and the quantum bit error rate as figures of merit for this scheme applied to quantum key distribution (QKD). Our model accounts for practical limitations, including higher-order photon pair events, dark counts, detector inefficiency, and photon losses. Our analysis shows that compromises are needed among the runtimes for the experiment, the rate of producing photon pairs, and the choice of detector efficiency. From our quantitative results, we observe that concatenated entanglement swapping enables secure QKD over long distances but at key generation rates that are far too low to be useful for large separations. We find that the key generation rates are close to both the Takeoka-Guha-Wilde and the Pirandola-Laurenza-Ottaviani-Banchi bounds. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The proportion of elderly people over 65 years old has rapidly increased, and social costs related to aging population problems have grown globally. The governments want to reduce these social costs through advanced technologies. The physician or medical center evaluates health conditions from the reports of elderly people. However, self-reports are often inaccurate, and sometimes reports by family or caregivers can be more accurate. To solve these problems, an evaluated objective method based on sensor data is needed. In this paper, we propose a data-driven smart home system that uses web technologies for connecting sensors and actuators. The proposed system provides a method of monitoring elderly people's daily activities using commercial sensors to register recognizable activities easily. In addition, it controls actuators in the home by using user-defined rules and shows a summary of elderly people's activities to monitor them.
Interest on the enrichment of eggs and poultry meat with omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) has increased given their important role in human metabolism. The inclusion of n-3 FA into eggs and poultry meat is achieved by feeding ingredients such as flaxseed, fish oil, fish meal, marine algae and canola to birds. However, problems in various production parameters and sensory quality of eggs and meat may arise. The former possibly caused by antinutritional and physiological effects and the latter influenced by the interaction of volatile substances. Possible increases in formulation costs also deserve attention. Strategies to ameliorate these undesirable effects include limiting the inclusion levels of n-3 FA sources, time of feeding, mixing different n-3 FA sources in commercial rations, and including high levels of vitamin E along with high-quality ingredients. A mild heat treatment may eliminate some of the drawbacks of feeding flaxseed to birds.
In this review we argue in favour of further integration between the disciplines of positive and clinical psychology. We argue that most of the constructs studied by both positive and clinical psychology exist on continua ranging from positive to negative (e.g., gratitude to ingratitude, anxiety to calmness) and so it is meaningless to speak of one or other field studying the positive or the negative. However, we highlight historical and cultural factors which have led positive and clinical psychologies to focus on different constructs; thus the difference between the fields is more due to the constructs of study rather than their being inherently positive or negative. We argue that there is much benefit to clinical psychology of considering positive psychology constructs because; (a) constructs studied by positive psychology researchers can independently predict wellbeing when accounting for traditional clinical factors, both cross-sectionally and prospectively, (2) the constructs studied by positive psychologists can interact with risk factors to predict outcomes, thereby conferring resilience, (3) interventions that aim to increase movement towards the positive pole of well-being can be used encourage movement away from the negative pole, either in isolation or alongside traditional clinical interventions, and (4) research from positive psychology can support clinical psychology as it seeks to adapt therapies developed in Western nations to other cultures.
This study reports the results of a researcher-administered survey with 115 patients receiving chronic opioid therapy (>90 days) to obtain information regarding how chronic opioid therapy was started. Chronic opioids were started after surgery (27.0%, 95% confidence interval [Cl], 18.5-35.5) or for the treatment of acute injury-related pain (27.0%, 95% CI, 18.5-35.5). Many who initiated opioid therapy after surgery reported postoperative complications (61.3%, 95% CI, 50.8-71.8) and many with injury-related pain reported follow-up corrective surgery (58.1%, 95% CI, 47.5-68.7), which led to the continuation of opioids. A large percentage of patients had concurrent depression (43.5%, 95% CI, 34.0-53.0) and anxiety (23.5%, 95% CI, 15.3-31.7). Many participants had a medical history of aberrant drug-related behavior (32.5%, 95% CI, 23.5-41.5) and self-reported history of addiction (21.7%, 95% CI, 13.7-29.7). Almost one-quarter reported taking opioids for a different indication than that for which opioids were started (95% CI, 26.6-45.0). Patients receiving long-term opioid therapy often transitioned to chronic use after starting opioids for the short-term treatment of postoperative or injury-related pain. It is not evident if a clear decision to continue opioids on a chronic basis was made. This survey provides insight as to how chronic opioid therapy is started, and may suggest opportunities for improved patient selection for opioid therapy. Perspective: This article explores the reasons why patients using chronic opioid therapy (>90 days) initiated opioid medications. The results of this study may help clinicians better select patients for chronic opioid therapy. (C) 2017 by the American Pain Society
Since the discovery of the formation of DNA-based extracellular traps (ETs) by neutrophils as an innate immune defense mechanism (1), hundreds of articles describe the involvement of ETs in physiological and pathological human and animal conditions [ reviewed in Ref. (2), and the previous Frontiers Research Topic on NETosis: http://www.frontiersin.org/books/NETosis_At_the_Intersection_of_Cell_Biology_Microbiology_and_Immunology/195]. Interestingly, a few reports reveal that ETs can be formed by immune cells of more ancient organisms, as far back as the common ancestor of vertebrates and invertebrates (3). Recently, we reported that the Sentinel cells of the multicellular slug of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum also produce ETs to trap and kill slug-invading bacteria [ see Box 1; and Figure 1 Ref. (4)]. This is a strong evidence that DNA-based cell-intrinsic defense mechanisms emerged much earlier than thought, about 1.3 billion years ago. Amazingly, using extrusion of DNA as a weapon to capture and kill uningestable microbes has its rationale. During the emergence of multicellularity, a primitive innate immune system developed in the form of a dedicated set of specialized phagocytic cells. This professionalization of immunity allowed the evolution of sophisticated defense mechanisms including the sacrifice of a small set of cells by a mechanism related to NETosis. This altruistic behavior likely emerged in steps, starting from the release of dispensable mitochondrial DNA by D. discoideum Sentinel cells. Grounded in this realization, one can anticipate that in the near future, many more examples of the invention and fine-tuning of ETs by early metazoan ancestors will be identified. Consequently, it can be expected that this more complete picture of the evolution of ETs will impact our views of the involvement and pathologies linked to ETs in human and animals.
There is evidence that being imitated has social effects, and that the imitation of the child's actions may be used as a strategy to promote social engagement in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The observation of someone that imitates us recruits, indeed, neural areas involved in social cognition. We reviewed studies exploring the behavioral consequences of being imitated in children with ASD. We aimed at assessing what are the social skills targeted by this strategy, and the factors that may improve the response. The being imitated strategy improves social gazes, proximal social behaviors, and play skills, particularly in children with low developmental level, and also when the strategy is implemented by children's mothers. The being imitated may be used as a tool in early intervention to improve social skills, helping to assess the effects of intervention at both behavioral and neural level.
The most deadly (Nevado del Ruiz, 1985) and the most costly (Eyjafjallajokull, 2010) eruptions of the last 100 years were both glaciovolcanic. Considering its great importance to studies of volcanic hazards, global climate, and even astrobiology, the global distribution of gladovolcanism is insufficiently understood. We present and assess three algorithms for mapping, monitoring, and predicting likely centers of glaciovolcanic activity worldwide. Each algorithm intersects buffer zones representing known Holocene-active volcanic centers with existing datasets of snow, ice, and permafrost. Two detection algorithms, RGGA and PZGA, are simple spatial join operations computed from the Randolph Glacier Inventory and the Permafrost Zonation Index, respectively. The third, MDGA, is an algorithm run on all 15 available years of the MOD10A2 weekly snow cover product from the Terra MODIS satellite radiometer. Shortcomings and advantages of the three methods are discussed, including previously unreported blunders in the MOD10A2 dataset. Comparison of the results leads to an effective approach for integrating the three methods. We show that 20.4% of known Holocene volcanic centers host glaciers or areas of permanent snow. A further 10.9% potentially interact with permafrost. MDGA and PZGA do not rely on any human input, rendering them useful for investigations of change over time. An intermediate step in MDGA involves estimating the snow-covered area at every Holocene volcanic center. These estimations can be updated weekly with no human intervention. To investigate the feasibility of an automatic ice-loss alert system, we consider three examples of glaciovolcanism in the MDGA weekly dataset. We also discuss the potential use of PZGA to model past and future glaciovolcanism based on global circulation model outputs. Combined, the three algorithms provide an automated system for understanding the geographic and temporal patterns of global glaciovolcanism which should be of use for hazard assessment, the search for extreme microbiomes, climate models, and implementation of ice-cover-based volcano monitoring systems. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
China has become the world largest paper and paperboard producer. However, pulp and paper industry has involved high resource consumption and severe pollution especially for water. This research has assessed the eco-efficiency of China's pulp and paper industry at the national level and provincial level. An overview regarding the cleaner production of China's pulp and paper industry was presented to reveal the measures for reducing environmental impact in the last two decades. Slacks-based measure was used to analyze the efficiency levels of 16 provinces' pulp and paper industries. To uncover the underlying causes of eco-efficiency performance, Malmquist-Luenberger index was calculated to discover the drivers of productivity growth of pulp and paper industries. Our results showed that the pollution treatment of China's pulp and paper industry has made progress in terms of water consumption and water pollution, although the absolute amount of pollution discharge is still large. Chemical oxygen demand emissions are still the first critical influencing factor of pulp and paper industry's inefficiency. Furthermore, efficiency progress was the dominating contribution of the industry's productivity growth between 2010 and 2013. The policies for adjusting the industrial structure of pulp and paper industry have resulted in the scale effects through eliminating backward production capacity and accelerating merger and acquisitions. Moreover, the productivity of pulp and paper industry was underestimated when the undesirable outputs were ignored. It indicates that the stricter environmental regulations have positive effects on paper companies to internalize environmental pressures in the production activities through environmental management. In the future, pulp and paper companies should further internalize the cost of pollution treatment through scale effects and technology improvement. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose A 3D printer was used to realise compartmental dosage forms containing multiple active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) formulations. This work demonstrates the microstructural characterisation of 3D printed solid dosage forms using X-ray computed microtomography (X mu CT) and terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI). Methods Printing was performed with either polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polylactic acid (PLA). The structures were examined by X mu CT and TPI. Liquid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) formulations containing saquinavir and halofantrine were incorporated into the 3D printed compartmentalised structures and in vitro drug release determined. Results A clear difference in terms of pore structure between PVA and PLA prints was observed by extracting the porosity (5.5% for PVA and 0.2% for PLA prints), pore length and pore volume from the X mu CT data. The print resolution and accuracy was characterised by X mu CT and TPI on the basis of the computer-aided design (CAD) models of the dosage form (compartmentalised PVA structures were 7.5 +/- 0.75% larger than designed; n = 3). Conclusions The 3D printer can reproduce specific structures very accurately, whereas the 3D prints can deviate from the designed model. The microstructural information extracted by X mu CT and TPI will assist to gain a better understanding about the performance of 3D printed dosage forms.
Integrating multi-source geoscience information (such as geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and remote sensing) using GIS mapping is one of the key topics and frontiers in quantitative geosciences for mineral exploration. GIS prospective mapping and three-dimensional (3D) modeling can be used not only to extract exploration criteria and delineate metallogenetic targets but also to provide important information for the quantitative assessment of mineral resources. This paper uses the Shangnan district of Shaanxi province (China) as a case study area. GIS mapping and potential granite-hydrothermal uranium targeting were conducted in the study area combining weights of evidence (WofE) and concentration area (C-A) fractal methods with multi-source geoscience information. 3D deposit-scale modeling using GOCAD software was performed to validate the shapes and features of the potential targets at the subsurface. The research results show that: (1) the known deposits have potential zones at depth, and the 3D geological models can delineate surface or subsurface ore-forming features, which can be used to analyze the uncertainty of the shape and feature of prospectivity mapping at the subsurface; (2) single geochemistry anomalies or remote sensing anomalies at the surface require combining the depth exploration criteria of geophysics to identify potential targets; and (3) the single or sparse exploration criteria zone with few mineralization spots at the surface has high uncertainty in terms of the exploration target. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Cotton (Gossypium spp.), as the world's most utilized textile fibre source, is an important, economically valuable crop worldwide. Understanding the genomic variation of tetraploid cotton species is important for exploitation of the excellent characteristics of wild cotton and for improving the diversity of cotton in breeding. However, the discovery of DNA polymorphisms in tetraploid cotton genomes has lagged behind other important crops. Results: A total of 111,795,823 reads, 467,735 specific length amplified fragment (SLAF) tags and 139,176 highquality DNA polymorphisms were identified using specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq), including 132,880 SNPs and 6,296 InDels between the reference genome (TM-1) and the five tetraploid cotton species. Intriguingly, gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that a number of significant terms were related to reproduction in G. barbadense acc. 3-79. Based on the new data sets, we reconstructed phylogenetic trees that showed a high concordance to the phylogeny of diploid and polyploid cottons. A large amount of interspecific genetic variations were identified, and some of them were validated by the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) method, which will be applied in introgression genetics and breeding with G. hirsutum cv. Emian22 as the receptor and the other species as donors. Conclusions: Using SLAF-seq, a large number of DNA polymorphisms were identified. The comprehensive analysis of DNA polymorphisms provided invaluable insights into the different tetraploid cotton species. More importantly, the identification of numerous interspecific genetic variations provides the basis and is very practical for future introgression breeding. The results presented herein provide a valuable genomic resource for new insights into the genetics and breeding of cotton.
Objectives: These 2 studies assessed a technology-aided program to support mild physical exercise or simple occupational activity in participants with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Study 1 included 11 participants who were to perform a leg-raising response. Study 2 included 10 participants who were to sort objects into different containers. The program ensured that they received positive stimulation contingent on the responses and reminders/prompts after periods of nonresponding. Each study was carried out according to a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants. Results: The program was successful in supporting mild physical exercise and activity with objects in the 2 groups of participants, respectively. The participants also showed signs of positive involvement (eg, smiles and verbalizations) during the sessions. Moreover, staff personnel rated the program and its impact positively. Conclusion: The program may be considered a practical resource for supporting positive engagement in persons with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.
Background: By the time clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) manifest in patients there is already substantial tau pathology in the brain. Recent evidence also suggests that tau pathology can become self propagating, further accelerating disease progression. Over the last decade several groups have tested the efficacy of protein-based anti-tau immunotherapeutics in various animal models of tauopathy. Here we report on the immunological and therapeutic potency of the first anti-tau DNA vaccine based on the MultiTEP platform, AV-1980D, in THY-Tau22 transgenic mice. Methods: Starting at 3 months of age, mice were immunized intramuscularly with AV-1980D vaccine targeting a tau B cell epitope spanning aa2-18 followed by electroporation (EP). Humoral and cellular immune responses in vaccinated animals were analyzed by ELISA and ELISpot, respectively. Neuropathological changes in the brains of experimental and control mice were then analyzed by biochemical (WB and ELISA) and immunohistochemical (IHC) methods at 9 months of age. Results: EP-mediated AV-1980D vaccinations of THY-Tau22 mice induced activation of Th cells specific to the MultiTEP vaccine platform and triggered robust humoral immunity response specific to tau. Importantly, no activation of potentially harmful autoreactive Th cell responses specific to endogenous tau species was detected. The maximum titers of anti-tau antibodies were reached after two immunizations and remained slightly lower, but steady during five subsequent monthly immunizations. Vaccinations with AV-1980D followed by EP significantly reduced total tau and pS199 and AT180 phosphorylated tau levels in the brains extracts of vaccinated mice, but produced on subtle non-significant effects on other phosphorylated tau species. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that MultiTEP-based DNA epitope vaccination targeting the N-terminus of tau is highly immunogenic and therapeutically potent in the THY-Tau22 mouse model of tauopathy and indicate that EP-mediated DNA immunization is an attractive alternative to protein-based adjuvanted vaccines for inducing high concentrations of anti-tau antibodies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH) is a highly specific molecular method widely used for microbial identification. Nonetheless, and due to the detection limit of this technique, a time-consuming preenrichment step is typically required before identification. In here we have developed a lab-on-a-chip device to concentrate cell suspensions and speed up the identification process in yeasts. The PNA-FISH protocol was optimized to target Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a common yeast that is very relevant for several types of food industries. Then, several coinsized microfluidic devices with different geometries were developed. Using Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), we modeled the hydrodynamics inside the microchannels and selected the most promising options. SU-8 structures were fabricated based on the selected designs and used to produce polydimethylsiloxane-based microchips by soft lithography. As a result, an integrated approach combining microfluidics and PNA-FISH for the rapid identification of S. cerevisiae was achieved. To improve fluid flow inside microchannels and the PNA-FISH labeling, oxygen plasma treatment was applied to the microfluidic devices and a new methodology to introduce the cell suspension and solutions into the microchannels was devised. A strong PNA-FISH signal was observed in cells trapped inside the microchannels, proving that the proposed methodology works as intended. The microfluidic designs and PNA-FISH procedure described in here should be easily adaptable for detection of other microorganisms of similar size.
Eliciting empathy plays a significant role in encouraging charitable donations. However, we know little about how incidental, contextual cues can facilitate empathy. In a series of behavioral, neuroscience, and field studies, we show that incidental exposure to haptic sensation of roughness (vs. smoothness) increases individuals' attention to the unfortunate others. Such heightened attention subsequently leads to enhanced empathic responses. These findings not only underscore the power of subtle contextual cues on shaping important behaviors but also point to the possibility of developing novel intervention strategies for promoting empathy and prosociality. (C) 2015 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We present a refined entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) for an arbitrary unknown less-entangled four-electron-spin cluster state by exploring the optical selection rules derived from the quantum-dot spins in one-sided optical microcavities. In our ECP, the parties obtain not only the four-electron-spin systems in the partial entanglement with two unknown parameters, but also the less-entangled two-electronspin systems in the first step. Utilizing the above preserved systems as the resource for the second step of our ECP, the parties can obtain a standard cluster state by keeping the robust odd-parity instances with two parity-check gates. Meanwhile, the systems in the rest three instances can be used as the resource in the next round of our ECP. The success probability of our ECP is largely increased by iteration of the ECP process. Moreover, all the coefficients of our ECP are unknown for the parties without assistance of extra single electron-spin, so our ECP maybe has good applications in quantum communication network in the future.
Motion segmentation and non-rigid structure from motion are two challenging computer vision problems that have attracted numerous research interests. While the previous works handle these two problems separately, we present a general motion segmentation framework in this paper for solving these two seemingly different problems in a unified manner. At the heart of our general motion segmentation framework is a model selection mechanism based on finding the minimal basis subspace representation, by seeking the joint sparse representation of the data matrix. However, such formulation is NP-hard and we solve the convex proxy instead. Unlike other compressive sensing related works, this convex proxy solution is insufficient for our problem. The convex relaxation artefacts and noise yield multiple subspace representations, making identification of the exact number of motion subspaces challenging. We solve for the right number of subspaces by transforming this problem into a Facility Location problem with global cost and solve the factor graph formulation using max product belief propagation message passing.
Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is a common age-related disorder that leads to deposition of extracellular fibrillar material throughout the body. The most recognized disease manifestation is exfoliation glaucoma (XFG), which is a common cause of blindness worldwide. Recent developments in XFS genetics, cell biology and epidemiology have greatly improved our understanding of the etiology of this complex inherited disease. This review summarizes current knowledge of XFS pathogenesis, identifies gaps in knowledge, and discusses areas for future research. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
It is generally accepted that hearing homophobic language can be detrimental to the well-being of same-sex attracted young people. Writing Themselves In 3, a survey of Australian same-sex attracted young people, found that almost half of the respondents reported hearing such language on a regular basis, and considered it offensive. Less is known however about heterosexual young people's experiences. Homophobic language use is often assumed to be motivated by prejudice, but this topic has not been well studied. Using interviews and an online discussion with young people aged 16-21 years, this study explored heterosexual young people's perspectives on homophobic language use at school. Contrary to the framing often used in anti-homophobia education, the meaning of this form of language was seen to largely depend on the context in which it was employed, frequently functioning to reinforce masculine gender norms, particularly for popular male students. Furthermore, while many heterosexual participants in this study used homophobic language regularly, they did not see themselves as homophobic and viewed school policies against the use of homophobic language as largely ineffective. Findings suggest that heterosexual young people may respond more favourably to anti-homophobia education if these programmes acknowledge the variety of meanings and functions of language commonly understood to be homophobic in character.
Our various daily activities continually require regulation of our internal state. These regulatory processes covary with changes in High Frequency Heart Rate Variability (HF-HRV), a marker of parasympathetic activity. Specifically, incidental increases in HF-HRV accompany positive social engagement behavior and prosocial action. Little is known about deliberate regulation of HF-HRV and the role of voluntary parasympathetic regulation in prosocial behavior. Here, we present a novel biofeedback task that measures the ability to deliberately increase HF-HRV. In two large samples, we find that a) participants are able to voluntarily upregulate HF-HRV, and b) variation in this ability predicts individual differences in altruistic prosocial behavior, but not non-altruistic forms of prosociality, assessed through 14 different measures. Our findings suggest that self-induction of parasympathetic states is involved in altruistic action. The biofeedback task may provide a measure of deliberate parasympathetic regulation, with implications for the study of attention, emotion, and social behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is an essential process that modulates host physiology and immunity. Recently, researchers have begun to understand how and when these microorganisms colonize the gut and the early-life factors that impact their natural ecological establishment. The vertical transmission of maternal microbes to the offspring is a critical factor for host immune and metabolic development. Increasing evidence also points to a role in the wiring of the gut-brain axis. This process may be altered by various factors such as mode of delivery, gestational age at birth, the use of antibiotics in early life, infant feeding, and hygiene practices. In fac(t), these early exposures that impact the intestinal microbiota have been associated with the development of diseases such as obesity, type 1 diabetes, asthma, allergies, and even neurodevelopmental disorders. The present review summarizes the impact of cesarean birth on the gut microbiome and the health status of the developing infant and discusses possible preventative and restorative strategies to compensate for early-life microbial perturbations.
Pervious paving (PPS) model rigs have been used in laboratory-based experiments to determine the impact of a glyphosate-containing herbicide (GCH) on the ability of the PPS to retain and biodegrade pollutants. Using three concentrations of GCH (7200, 720, and 72mgL(-1)) and used engine oil, it was found that hydrocarbon in the effluent increased with time, and with increasing GCH concentration. Turbidity increased and pH decreased with time, with the highest application of GCH declining by a whole pH unit to become slightly acidic. For Zn, Cu, and Pb, values for the lowest concentration of GCH, whilst slightly higher than the control mirrored its temporal trend and the highest concentration of GCH decreased with time. For the medium GCH concentration, however, Zn and Pb increased toward the end of the monitoring period. Dissolution experiments appeared to confirm speculation that the surfactant in the GCH may be forming an emulsion with the oil facilitating the release of metals associated with the oil. Particulate-associated pollutants possibly released from the aggregate may be desorbed as the pH declined in the PPS rig. This raises concerns for receiving water quality, particularly with UK legislation encouraging the use of sustainable drainage systems and therefore PPS.
A broad spectrum of autoimmunity is now well described in patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs). Management of autoimmune disease in the background of PID is particularly challenging given the seemingly discordant goals of immune support and immune suppression. Our growing ability to define the molecular underpinnings of immune dysregulation has facilitated novel targeted therapeutics. This review focuses on mechanism-based treatment strategies for the most common autoimmune and inflammatory complications of PID including autoimmune cytopenias, rheumatologic disease, and gastrointestinal disease. We aim to provide guidance regarding the rational use of these agents in the complex PID patient population. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma& Immunology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Racial discrimination in decision-making scenarios such as police arrests appears to be a violation of expected utility theory. Drawing on results from the science of information, we discuss an information-based model of signal detection over a population that generates such behavior as an alternative explanation to taste-based discrimination by the decision maker or differences among the racial populations. This model uses the decision rule that maximizes expected utility-the likelihood ratio test-but constrains the precision of the threshold to a small discrete set. The precision constraint follows from both bounded rationality in human recollection and finite training data for estimating priors. When combined with social aspects of human decision making and precautionary cost settings, the model predicts the own-race bias that has been observed in several econometric studies.
This study aims to understand (mainly qualitatively) the long-term role of human impact on avulsion processes and the development of fluvial (mega-) fans in semi-arid environments. In this paper we refer to human impact as the direct influences of actions on the river's hydraulics (i.e. flow regulation, flow diversion and channel engineering). In five case-studies drawn from the Khuzestan plains in southwest Iran we have analysed the setup and triggering conditions of specific avulsions that occurred in the past (timescale of millennia) and identified the role of human interference in their causation. Our analysis is based on the integration of historical, archaeological, geomorphological and geological data. Through this study we demonstrate that avulsions in the Khuzestan plains are the result of long-term and complex interplay between multiple human-induced and natural causes. In similar ways human-induced actions may play important roles during different phases of avulsion development. The success of an avulsion in the post-triggering phase may be defined by human-induced setup causes as well as morphodynamic processes. We suggest that present-day flood events may be partly inherited from long-term human alterations of the natural processes. These finding could have implications for any fluvial system (e.g. distributive fluvial systems, deltas) where avulsion plays a major role in their development and research tends to emphasize on natural mechanisms. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Worldwide, ecosystem change compromises the supply of ecosystem services (ES). Better managing ecosystems requires detailed information on these changes and their implications for ES supply. Ecosystem accounting has been developed as an environmental-economic accounting system using concepts aligned with the System of National Accounts. Ecosystem accounting requires spatial information from a local to national scale. The objective of this paper is to explore how remote sensing can be used to analyze ecosystems using an accounting approach in the Orinoco River Basin. We assessed ecosystem assets in terms of extent, condition, and capacity to supply ES. We focus on four specific ES: grasslands grazed by cattle, timber harvesting, oil palm fresh fruit bunches harvesting, and carbon sequestration. We link ES with six ecosystem assets: savannahs, woody grasslands, mixed agroecosystems, very dense forests, dense forest, and oil palm plantations. We used remote sensing vegetation and productivity indexes to measure ecosystem assets. We found that remote sensing is a powerful tool to estimate ecosystem extent. The enhanced vegetation index can be used to assess ecosystems condition, and net primary productivity can be used for the assessment of ecosystem assets capacity to supply ES. Integrating remote sensing and ecological information facilitates efficient monitoring of ecosystem assets. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in proximal tibial deformity between closing wedge (CW) and opening wedge (OW) high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and their effects on the difficulty of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) conversion. Surgical simulations of CW-HTO and OW-HTO were performed on the same 3D computer-aided design knee models reconstructed from computed tomographic datasets of patients (median age 77 years; range 55-87 years; 40 knees) with medial osteoarthritis or osteonecrosis, and proximal tibial deformities were analysed. Subsequent TKA conversion was simulated in both CW and OW models, and the interference between the tibial implant and endosteal cortex was assessed. The difference in the metaphyseal-diaphyseal angle in the CW-HTO and OW-HTO groups was 0.3A degrees A +/- 0.2A degrees (p < 0.001). The mechanical axis in the CW-HTO group was shifted laterally by 1.8 +/- 1.1 mm relative to that in the OW-HTO group (p < 0.001) on the resection surface in TKA. Finally, the TKA tibial implant was substantially closer to the endosteal cortex in the CW-HTO group (mean 5.6 +/- 1.6 mm) than to that in the OW-HTO group (mean 7.3 +/- 1.6 mm) (p < 0.001). The difference in the post-operative angular deformities of the proximal tibia between CW-HTO and OW-HTO was considered to be clinically irrelevant. The risk of interference between TKA tibial implant and endosteal bone was greater after CW-HTO than after OW-HTO. For clinical relevance, the difference between the two techniques has little influence on subsequent TKA difficulty regarding the proximal tibial deformity, although preoperative planning is obligatory, particularly after CW-HTO, to prevent interference with the tibial implant. II.
In this paper, a new quantum encryption based on the key-controlled chained CNOT operations, which is named KCCC encryption, is proposed. With the KCCC encryption, an improved arbitrated quantum signature (AQS) protocol is presented. Compared with the existing protocols, our protocol can effectively prevent forgery attacks and disavowal attacks. Moreover, only single state is required in the protocol. We hope it is helpful to further research in the design of AQS protocols in future.
In a renewable energy system, in order to ensure continuous production, batteries associated to a charge controller are always necessary whenever the source of charging is solar, wind, or hydraulics. For photovoltaic (PV) systems, an excessive energy produced by solar cells during intense sunlight peak conditions could damage the batteries. A charge controller is therefore used to maintain the suitable charging voltage to the batteries so that, as the input voltage from the PV module rises, the charge controller regulates the process, thus, preventing any overcharging. This paper presents a practical solution for off grid PV systems using standard commercial elements. A detailed analysis is carried out based on experimental results of the battery charge control allowing a long-life and a high safety of the autonomous storage and production systems. The experimental work was performed with a solar battery (24 V-55 Ah) charged by a 175Wp PV module, through a Maximum-Power-Point-Tracking/Three-Stage-Charging-Cycle (MPPT/TSCC) charge controller. The benefits of the Three-Stage-Charging-Cycle (TSCC) control as well as the Maximum-Power-Point-Tracking (MPPT) have been thus proven for the efficiency of the recharge, both qualitatively and quantitatively. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a treatment for allergic respiratory diseases that has demonstrated efficacy and safety. Several formulations of SLIT are now available worldwide for treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). Grass tablets containing 15 to 25 mu g of group 5 major allergen reduced combined AR symptoms and medication use by 23% to 41% in 3 treatment years and 2 follow-up years. Ragweed pollen tablets (12 mg of Ambrosia artemisiifolia 1) and liquid extracts (50 mg of Ambrosia artemisiifolia 1) reduced combined AR symptoms and medication use by 26% and 43%, respectively. House dust mite tablets containing 300 index of reactivity (16 mg of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 1 and 68 mg of Dermatophagoides farinae 1) reduced AR symptoms by 17.9% and 17.0% in 1 treatment year and 1 follow-up year, respectively. A different house dust mite tablet (12 standardized quality house dust mite) was able to reduce the risk of asthma exacerbation compared with placebo (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.50-0.96). Most adverse events were local and mild to moderate in severity. For SLIT products reviewed herein, effective doses range from 1.12 to 84 mu g of major allergen(s). However, allergen content is not uniformly standardized, can be expressed in arbitrary or proprietary units (depending on the manufacturer), and assays for determination of allergen content are highly variable. Thus, results from one study of a given product cannot be extrapolated to other products. Despite these limitations, this Clinical Management Review aims to provide practitioners with relevant information on the dosing of selected SLIT formulations in the treatment of allergic respiratory disease. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:1-10)
Interpersonal accuracy correlates modestly across different domains. Although some research has explored factors that predict accuracy within specific domains of interpersonal judgment (e.g., social attributes), whether any variables might predict interpersonal accuracy generally across different domains remains in question. Subjective socioeconomic status (SES) has recently emerged as an important moderator of various social cognitions, such as contextual focus and empathic accuracy. Moreover, people lower in SES tend to show greater interpersonal engagement and attention; thus, we wondered whether individuals with lower subjective SES might exhibit superior interpersonal accuracy in multiple domains. Indeed, across four studies, we found that subjective SES inversely correlated with accuracy in three different domains of interpersonal accuracy: social attributes, situational affect, and emotion. These findings therefore demonstrate that subjective SES may predict broad interpersonal accuracy abilities and suggest that, despite modest relationships between different types of first impression accuracy, the correlates of such accuracy can still operate across domains.
Until recently, food allergies to mammalian meats have been considered to be very rare. The observation that patients not previously exposed to the monoclonal chimeric antibody cetuximab suffered from severe anaphylaxis upon first exposure, led to the identification of galactose-alpha- 1,3-galactose as a new relevant carbohydrate allergen. These patients later often suffered from anaphylactic reactions to red meat. Epidemiological data indicated that bites by the tick Amblyomma americanum in the USA, later also by Ixodes species in other continents, resulted in sensitisation to alpha-gal. On the other hand, in African patients with parasitic disorders, a high prevalence of anti-alpha-gal IgE, without clinical relevance, has been reported. In our four cases, one patient with a late onset of meat allergy had a history of a tick bite. The other three patients had symptoms from childhood or at a juvenile age. This indicates that in some patients, other ways of sensitisation may also take place. However, in patients without atopy, tick bite-induced IgE to alpha-gal may be more relevant. Diagnosis is based on a history of delayed onset of anaphylaxis. Skin tests with commercially available meat test solutions are often equivocal or negative; skin tests with raw meat and particularly pork kidney are more sensitive. Determination of specific IgE to alpha-gal is commercially available. The highest sensitivity is observed with skin and basophil activation tests with cetuximab which is, however, limited by its high costs.
Research in parental social support has chiefly examined received social support. Studies have suggested that provided social support may also be protective for child mental health problems. We aim to investigate the association between parental social interaction (both received and provided social support) and offspring behavior problems. We analyzed the data of 982 households, including 1538 children aged 4 to 16 years, from the Japanese Study of Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood (J-SHINE) survey conducted over 2010-2011. We used a 5-point Likert scale to assess social interaction including parental emotional and instrumental support received from and provided to the spouse, other co-residing family members, non-co-residing family members or relatives, neighbors, and friends. Behavior problems in offspring were assessed using parental responses to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Associations between parental social interaction and behavior problems were analyzed using ordered logistic regression. We found that higher maternal social interaction is significantly associated with lower odds of both difficult and prosocial behavior problems, while the same associations were not found for paternal social interaction. Further, maternal provided social support showed an independent negative association with prosocial behavior problems in offspring, even when adjusted for received maternal social support and paternal social interaction. This study showed that maternal social interaction, but not paternal social interaction, might have a protective effect on offspring behavior problems. Further study is required to investigate the effect of the intervention to increase social participation among mothers whose children have behavior problems.
Protein consensus-based surface engineering (ProCoS) is a simple and efficient method for directed protein evolution combining computational analysis and molecular biology tools to engineer protein surfaces. ProCoS is based on the hypothesis that conserved residues originated from a common ancestor and that these residues are crucial for the function of a protein, whereas highly variable regions (situated on the surface of a protein) can be targeted for surface engineering to maximize performance. ProCoS comprises four main steps: (i) identification of conserved and highly variable regions; (ii) protein sequence design by substituting residues in the highly variable regions, and gene synthesis; (iii) in vitro DNA recombination of synthetic genes; and (iv) screening for active variants. ProCoS is a simple method for surface mutagenesis in which multiple sequence alignment is used for selection of surface residues based on a structural model. To demonstrate the technique's utility for directed evolution, the surface of a phytase enzyme from Yersinia mollaretii (Ymphytase) was subjected to ProCoS. Screening just 1050 clones from ProCoS engineering guided mutant libraries yielded an enzyme with 34 amino acid substitutions. The surface-engineered Ymphytase exhibited 3.8-fold higher pH stability (at pH 2.8 for 3 h) and retained 40% of the enzyme's specific activity (400 U/mg) compared with the wild-type Ymphytase. The pH stability might be attributed to a significantly increased (20 percentage points; from 9% to 29%) number of negatively charged amino acids on the surface of the engineered phytase.
Rainwater harvesting is increasingly viewed as a practical means of reducing stormwater runoff and supplementing water supply in water-scarce regions, although its widespread adoption has been limited in urban areas. While a number of studies have examined the potential of rainwater harvesting to reduce potable water use, stormwater runoff, energy associated with delivering potable water supplies, or the associated costs, none have assessed these costs and benefits collectively. Using a densely urbanized watershed in southern California as a test case, this study quantifies the economic benefits and costs of rainwater harvesting to investigate whether capturing and using rainwater can be an efficient regional policy. Given the watershed's land use, topography, and rainfall variability, a range of cistern sizes is evaluated to estimate the magnitude of water, energy and carbon savings for two rainwater use scenarios: outdoor use only and outdoor plus non-potable indoor use. With water prices held constant, only the smallest cistern (208 l) used for outdoor irrigation is efficient from an economic standpoint. In contrast, with a modest annual increase in water rates over the life of the project, the study shows that rainwater capture for outdoor use is an efficient policy for any cistern size. Finally, due to the higher installation and maintenance costs required to pipe the water indoors, outdoor/indoor uses show only modest economic benefits. The potential volume of water captured annually is significant, depending on the cistern size, equivalent to the total water needs of 13,345 to 31,138 single-family residences.
The qualities of color images captured by digital imaging devices are vulnerable to the scene illumination settings of a given environment. The colors of captured objects may not be accurately reproduced when the illumination settings are uncontrollable or not known a priori. This undesirable property can inevitably degrade the qualities of captured images and lead to difficulties in subsequent image-processing stages. Considering that the task of controlling scene illumination is nontrivial, color correction has emerged as a plausible post-processing procedure to efficiently restore the scene chromatics of a given image. In this study, a new color correction technique called the Saturation Avoidance Color Correction (SACC) algorithm is proposed to remove the undesirable effect of scene illuminants. Unlike most well-established color correction algorithms, the proposed SACC comprises a nonlinear pixel adjustment mechanism to avoid the saturation effect during the color manipulation process. A collection of color images including indoor, outdoor, and underwater images are used to verify the capability of SACC. Extensive experimental studies reveal that the proposed algorithm is preferable to some existing techniques because the former has a high capability to mitigate the color saturation issue and is able to produce corrected images with more pleasant visualization.
BackgroundAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a world-wide recovery mutual-help organization that continues to arouse controversy. In large part, concerns persist because of AA's ostensibly quasi-religious/spiritual orientation and emphasis. In 1990 the United States' Institute of Medicine called for more studies on AA's effectiveness and its mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) stimulating a flurry of federally funded research. This paper reviews the religious/spiritual origins of AA and its program and contrasts its theory with findings from this latest research. MethodLiterature review, summary and synthesis of studies examining AA's MOBC. ResultsWhile AA's original main text (the Big Book', 1939) purports that recovery is achieved through quasi-religious/spiritual means (spiritual awakening'), findings from studies on MOBC suggest this may be true only for a minority of participants with high addiction severity. AA's beneficial effects seem to be carried predominantly by social, cognitive and affective mechanisms. These mechanisms are more aligned with the experiences reported by AA's own larger and more diverse membership as detailed in its later social, cognitive and behaviorally oriented publications (e.g. Living Sober, 1975) written when AA membership numbered more than a million men and women. ConclusionsAlcoholics Anonymous appears to be an effective clinical and public health ally that aids addiction recovery through its ability to mobilize therapeutic mechanisms similar to those mobilized in formal treatment, but is able to do this for free over the long term in the communities in which people live.
Social Perception and Social Reality (Jussim 2012) reviews the evidence in social psychology and related fields and reaches three conclusions: (1) Although errors, biases, and self-fulfilling prophecies in person perception are real, reliable, and occasionally quite powerful, on average, they tend to be weak, fragile, and fleeting. (2) Perceptions of individuals and groups tend to be at least moderately, and often highly accurate. (3) Conclusions based on the research on error, bias, and self-fulfilling prophecies routinely greatly overstate their power and pervasiveness, and consistently ignore evidence of accuracy, agreement, and rationality in social perception. The weight of the evidence -including some of the most classic research widely interpreted as testifying to the power of biased and self-fulfilling processes - is that interpersonal expectations relate to social reality primarily because they reflect rather than cause social reality. This is the case not only for teacher expectations, but also for social stereotypes, both as perceptions of groups, and as the bases of expectations regarding individuals. The time is long overdue to replace cherry-picked and unjustified stories emphasizing error, bias, the power of self-fulfilling prophecies, and the inaccuracy of stereotypes, with conclusions that more closely correspond to the full range of empirical findings, which includes multiple failed replications of classic expectancy studies, metaanalyses consistently demonstrating small or at best moderate expectancy effects, and high accuracy in social perception.
In order to ensure successful mating opportunities, it is critical that human perceivers accurately infer others' sexual interests. But how do perceivers achieve these inferences? For over 50 years, scientists have documented that the pupils dilate in response to sexual arousal. Despite the potential importance of this cue for mate selection, however, extant data have focused almost exclusively on the perspective of the individual experiencing arousal. Here, we demonstrate that outside observers exploit pupil dilation as a visible cue to others' sexual interests. We used reverse-correlation methods to derive facial images based on perceivers' mental representations of both state-based (sexually aroused, sexually unaroused) and trait-based (sexually promiscuous, sexually non promiscuous) markers of sexual interest. Next, we explored the phenotypic features that differentiated these faces, specifically the dilation of the pupils contained within each reverse-correlation image. Consistent with the notion that pupil dilation is a reliable cue to sexual arousal, sexually interested faces contained objectively larger and darker pupils than did sexually disinterested faces. Moreover, these differences were perceptually obvious to naive observers. Collectively, our results suggest that perceivers attend to an external cue - pupil dilation - when forming decisions about others' state-based and trait-based sexual interests. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In Design by Shopping, designers explore the design space to gain an insight into trades, and feasible and impractical solutions, as well as to learn about alternatives before optimization and selection. The design space consists of multidimensional sets of data and, in order to select the best design from among numerous alternatives, designers may use several different graphs. In this study, we test to find the most appropriate graph to indicate the best solution corresponding to a set of objectives represented by a design scenario (1). A further constraint is that this must be done in the shortest possible time (2). Three graph types are tested in three different design scenarios where one car has to be chosen from a total of 40. A response quality index is proposed which computes the quality of a designer's choice for any given scenario. In total, 90 tests with 30 participants were performed. The parallel coordinates plot proved to be the best graph for selection in Design by Shopping.
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is caused by mutations within the Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene. These gain of function mutations lead to an increased activation of the inflammasome pyrin with a subsequent disproportional proinflammatory reaction. Classically, in FMF patients two pathogenic mutations affecting both alleles are found in the molecular genetic analysis; however, it is well known that the phenotype can also be caused either by mutations with lower penetrance or unknown significance. Furthermore, in a significant number of patients only one or even no MEFV mutations can be detected. Heterozygous mutation carriers who do not suffer from classical FMF, can also present with other signs of inflammation, e. g. subclinical increased inflammation markers, associated inflammatory diseases or unclassified symptoms. Thus, FMF does not follow a classical autosomal recessive inheritance and a variable gene dose effect has to be considered, which is furthermore modulated by other mostly unknown genetic variants and environmental factors. This article summarizes the broad spectrum of clinical presentations associated with MEFV mutations and analyzes the effect of the gene dose on the phenotypical expression. Furthermore, the impact of the molecular genetic analysis on the diagnostics of a patient and on the individualized management of the disease is discussed.
Selective laser melting (SLM) is a promising technique capable of rapidly fabricating customized implants having desired macro-and micro-structures by using computer-aided design models. However, the SLM-based products often have non-equilibrium microstructures and partial surface defects because of the steep thermal gradients and high solidification rates that occur during the laser melting. To meet clinical requirements, a heat treatment was used to tailor the physiochemical properties, homogenize the metallic microstructures, and eliminate surface defects, expecting to improve the cytocompatibility in vitro. Compared with the as-printed Ti-6Al-4V substrate, the heat-treated substrate had a more hydrophilic, rougher and more homogeneous surface, which should promote the early cell attachment, proliferation and osseointegration. More importantly, a crystalline rutile TiO2 layer formed during the heat treatment, which should greatly promote the biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of the implant. Compared to the untreated surfaces, the adhesion and proliferation of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) on heat-treated substrates were significantly enhanced, implying an excellent cytocompatibility after annealing. Therefore, these findings provide an alternative to biofunctionalized SLM-based Ti-6Al-4V implants with optimized physiochemical properties and biocompatibility for orthopedic and dental applications.
We can learn about the affective content of the environment by observing the behavior of others; their responses to stimuli tend to be appropriate to the context. To investigate the impact of observing such appropriate, compared with inappropriate, behaviors, we developed a novel behavioral task where participants observed different faces reacting to emotional scenes. We found that affective categorization of a scene was facilitated when it was presented alongside an appropriate facial expression (Experiment 1). Further, we observed that several brain areas in the right hemisphere-the putamen, insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex-were more activate when viewing faces that were previously observed emoting inappropriately (Experiment 2). We contend that these areas form a network that codes for the retrieval of affective conflict information generated by observing individuals producing inappropriate emotions.
This paper deals with the study of a process that allows the use of waste sulphates from drywalls and plasterboards in the cement chemistry without affecting the resistance of cement, since cement industry is an important sulphate consumer. The role of the recycling temperature to obtain recycled calcium sulphates (RCS) and their SO3 contents, when RCS are used as set retarders in cements, is also studied. Gypsum from drywalls, and plaster of Paris from plasterboards, were heated at three recycling temperatures (110 degrees C - 150 degrees C - 170 degrees C) and partially dehydrated to obtain RCS. Chemical composition and SO3 purity of these RCS and of natural gypsums were determined and compared via XRD and DSC/TG. Setting time, the compressive strengths and the microstructure of cements with RCS used as set retarder were studied. The main products formed after cement hydration were determined by XRD and their microstructure observed by SEM/EDX. Internal porosity of different blends, area per mm(2) and diameter distribution, was determined through image processing with computer-aided design (CAD) software in SEM images. Cements with RCS from plasterboards as set retarder, with the higher SO3 content and higher amount of hemihydrates, preheated at 150-170 degrees C, have mechanical strengths according to cement standards. They show a denser microstructure, lower porosity and more homogeneous matrix after final setting than cements with RCS from drywalls. The selection here suggested of waste sulphates and the preheating process will allow using recycled sulphates from debris in the cement industry, according to EU standards. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prescribed burning (PB) is a widespread management technique for wildfire hazard abatement. Understanding PB effects on tree ecophysiology is key to defining burn prescriptions aimed at reducing fire hazard in Mediterranean pine plantations, such as Pinus pinea L. stands. We assessed physiological responses of adult P. pinea trees to PB using a combination of dendroecological, anatomical, hydraulic and isotopic analyses. Tree-ring widths, xylem cell wall thickness, lumen area, hydraulic diameter and tree ring delta C-13 and delta O-18 were measured in trees on burned and control sites. Vulnerability curves were elaborated to assess tree hydraulic efficiency or safety. Despite the relatively intense thermal treatment (the residence time of temperatures above 50 degrees C at the stem surface ranged between 242 and 2239 s), burned trees did not suffer mechanical damage to stems, nor significant reduction in radial growth. Moreover, the PB did not affect xylem structure and tree hydraulics. No variations in C-13-derived water use efficiency were recorded. This confirmed the high resistance of P. pinea to surface fire at the stem base. However, burned trees showed consistently lower 6180 values in the PB year, as a likely consequence of reduced competition for water and nutrients due to the understory burning, which increased both photosynthetic activity and stomatal conductance. Our multi-approach analysis offers new perspectives on post-fire survival strategies of P. pinea in an environment where fires are predicted to increase in frequency and severity during the 21st century.
Malaysia aims to be a developed state by 2020. Various programs and policies towards this have been promulgated and development is rapidly arising as a result. Nevertheless, there is a vital need to balance development and sustainability of water resources in Malaysia. This is important as water demand is steadily increasing in the country's industrialized and highly populated cities. It is significant that water resources be managed efficiently and water conservation efforts such as rainwater harvesting be promoted across the country. This paper aims to examine development policies that may affect the sustainability of water resources and their implementation from the legal point of view. This doctrinal study involves analyses of related laws and development policies and their impact over the development process. The paper concludes that, although important laws and policies have been introduced, implementation has been hindered by lack of support from stakeholders and lack of integration between water agencies. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
A fluid mechanics problem relevant to foam fractionation processes is analysed. Specifically the fluid flow field transporting surfactant from foam Plateau borders (fed with surfactant-rich material) towards comparatively surfactant-lean foam films is considered. The extent to which this surfactant mass transfer is limited by surface viscous effects is studied. Previous work (Vitasari et al.. 2016) made assumptions about the likely flow field along the Plateau border surface. These assumptions suggested that 'high' surface viscosity (measured by a suitable dimensionless parameter) led to strong suppression of the rate of surfactant mass transfer from Plateau border to film, whereas 'low' surface viscosity did not suppress this mass transfer rate in any significant way. More detailed fluid mechanical calculations which are carried out here corroborate the aforementioned assumptions in the 'high' surface viscosity regime. However the calculations suggest that in the low' surface viscosity regime, in contrast to the findings from the previous assumptions, moderate reductions in the rate of surfactant mass transfer are also possible. Counterintuitively these moderate reductions in mass transfer rate potentially have more negative impact on fractionation processes than the aforementioned strong suppression. This is because they tend to arise under conditions for which the efficiency of the fractionation system is particularly sensitive to any reduction whatsoever in the surfactant mass transfer rate. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aim: It is unknown whether food allergies have greater impact on quality of life than respiratory allergies. This study compared health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children allergic to wheat or grass. Methods: We surveyed 63 children with wheat allergies (median age of five) and 72 with grass allergies (median age 12), with their parents. The Child Health Questionnaires for parents (CHQ-PF28) and children (CHQ-CF87) were applied. Results: The parents of children in the wheat group recorded significantly lower CHQ-PF28 scores for the impact of their child's allergy on general behaviour, general health perceptions, parental impact of emotions and time and family activities, than the parents of children with grass allergies (p values <= 0.001). However, parents in the grass group recorded lower scores for the change in health item than the parents of children with wheat allergies (p = 0.020). In the grass group, children and parents reported similar scores for the different questions, but there was poorer correlation between parents and children in the wheat allergy group. Conclusion: HRQoL was lower in children with wheat than grass allergies according to parental reports, with more consistent perceptions of HRQoL among parents and children in the grass allergy than wheat allergy group.
A number of computer vision problems such as facial age estimation, crowd counting and pose estimation can be solved by learning regression mapping on low-level imagery features. We show that visual regression can be substantially improved by two-stage regression where imagery features are first mapped to an attribute space which explicitly models latent correlations across continuously-changing output. We propose an approach to automatically discover spectral attributes which avoids manual work required for defining hand-crafted attribute representations. Visual attribute regression outperforms direct visual regression and our spectral attribute visual regression achieves state-of-the-art accuracy in multiple applications.
Phosphorus (P) export from lowland polders has caused severe water pollution. Numerical models are an important resource that help water managers control P export. This study coupled three models, i.e., Phosphorus Dynamic model for Polders (PDP), Integrated Catchments model of Phosphorus dynamics (INCA-P) and Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), to describe the P dynamics in polders. Based on the coupled models and a data-set collected from Polder Jian in China, sensitivity analysis were carried out to analyze the cause-effect relationships between environmental factors and P export fromPolder Jian. The sensitivity analysis results showed that P export from Polder Jian were strongly affected by air temperature, precipitation and fertilization. Proper fertilization management should be a strategic priority for reducing P export from Polder Jian. This study demonstrated the success of model coupling, and its application in investigating potential strategies to support pollution control in polder systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Lagrangian numerical approach for the simulation of rapid landslide runouts is presented and discussed. The simulation approach is based on the so-called Particle Finite Element Method. The moving soil mass is assumed to obey a rigid-viscoplastic, non-dilatant Drucker-Prager constitutive law, which is cast in the form of a regularized, pressure-sensitive Bingham model. Unlike in classical formulations of computational fluid mechanics, where no-slip boundary conditions are assumed, basal slip boundary conditions are introduced to account for the specific nature of the landslide-basal surface interface. The basal slip conditions are formulated in the form of modified Navier boundary conditions, with a pressure-sensitive threshold. A special mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation is used for the elements on the basal interface to accommodate the new slip conditions into the Particle Finite Element Method framework. To avoid inconsistencies in the presence of complex shapes of the basal surface, the no-flux condition through the basal surface is relaxed using a penalty approach. The proposed model is validated by simulating both laboratory tests and a real large-scale problem, and the critical role of the basal slip is elucidated. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aim: This study aims to identify the predictors of poor sleep quality and the associations between depression, hope and sleep in a sample of 156 women with breast cancer prior to surgery. Background: The care and treatment of breast cancer is among the most important scientific challenges in public health. Sleep disturbances and depression are the important complaint of cancer patients. However, they are often neglected. Patients diagnosed with breast cancer also experience prejudice, fear of death, suffering, mutilation, fear of lymphedema, as well as feelings of social devaluation leading to hopelessness Several studies point to hope as an effective strategy to help patients cope with difficulties and achieve their goals, especially patients with cancer. Methods: This is a report of baseline data extracted from a longitudinal study. Data collection tools: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Herth Hope Index. Data were analyzed with the Spearman's Rank Correlation test and Multiple Logistic Regression analysis. Results: The majority of women had tumors in initial stages (78.7%), reported poor sleep quality (58.9%), and had moderate to severe or severe depression (27.2%). Significant correlations were found between hope and depression (Spearman r = 0.4341), and between sleep quality and depression (Spearman r = 03938). Significant associations were found between poor sleep quality and pain, symptoms of menopause and depression. Depression and symptoms of menopause were independent predictors of poor sleep quality. Conclusion: The evaluation of sleep quality, depression and hope should be implemented in clinical practice. Increased hope lessens depression and may positively affect sleep quality, all of which improves quality of life for women with breast cancer. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Smart-metering allows electricity utilities to provide consumers with better information on their energy usage and to apply time-of-use pricing. These measures have been shown to reduce electricity consumption and induce time-shifting of demand. Less is known about how they affect residential energy efficiency investment behaviour. We use data from a randomised-controlled trial on a sample of almost 2500 Irish consumers, conducted over a 12-month period to investigate the effect of smart-metering and residential feedback on household investment behaviour. The results show that exposure to time-of-use pricing and information stimuli, while reducing overall and peak usage, can also have the unintended effect of reducing investment in energy efficiency measures within the home. Our findings indicate that households exposed to treatment were less likely to adopt any energy saving measure (23-28 % on average), and those households adopted less energy saving features than those in the control group (15-21 % on average). This result highlights the potential for behavioural interventions to have unintended consequences on behaviours other than those specifically targeted. Furthermore, it underlines the importance of examining a wider range of outcomes and allowing longer time-scales when evaluating this type of experiment.
The aim of this study was to report the most frequent psychosocial difficulties (PSDs) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), to explore the relationship between PSDs, disability and quality of life (QoL), and to address the predictors of PSDs. Patients with PD were interviewed using a protocol composed of a questionnaire investigating PSDs (PARADISE 24), QoL, disability, comorbidity, and social support questionnaires, scales on resilience, personality traits, and empathy in physician. Most frequent PSDs were reported. Spearman's correlation was used to address the relationship between PARADISE 24 and QoL and disability measures. Multiple linear regression was performed to investigate predictors of PARADISE 24. Eighty patients were enrolled: 40% women, mean age 61.2 years. The most frequent PSDs were related to cognitive and motor slowness, tiredness, sleeping, facing all things to do, depressive mood, and anxiety. PARADISE 24 were correlated with disability (rho = 0.831) and QoL (rho = -0.685). Lower QoL, higher disability, early age at onset, and shorter disease duration were significant predictors of PSDs (adjusted R-2 = 0.762). PARADISE 24 is an easy to use questionnaire that could contribute toward describing the impact of PD on patients' life more extensively, thus helping to define more tailored interventions. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
The lush gardens and gleaming cars that surround Mumbai's middle-class apartment buildings hint at plentiful water supplies. However, piped mains water is only supplied for a few hours per day. This research explores the pragmatic choreography of water sources to co-produce a constant supply. Middle-class households respond to the limited municipal water supply through the use of mains water storage tanks, wells, water trucks, packaged water and rainwater harvesting. This portfolio of water supplies involves various actors and is an important instance of domestic service co-production. This article suggests that introducing rainwater harvesting creates opportunities for more water use in these households and allows a reconsideration of water provision and governance citywide.
With the vigorous spread of renewable energy, much attention has been paid to natural ventilation. The natural ventilator is usually classified into a passive type and an active type. Iri this study, the Venturi type ventilator, which is one of the passive type and basically operated by the Bernoulli's principle, was experimentally investigated to evaluate the ventilation characteristics according to the outdoor wind velocities and the opening area of a wall. It was confirmed from the experimental results that the ventilation rate of the Venturi-type ventilator was linearly increased and that the ventilation rate was affected by an intake opening area. The wider the intake opening size gets, the more the ventilation rate increases. Furthermore, the new coefficient of a, which reflects the pressure loss from the intake opening to the mixing zone of the Venturi-type ventilator was introduced and experimentally evaluated. The value of beta, which was evaluated as about 0.08, provides the simple calculation means to estimate the ventilation rate through the Venturi-type ventilator only if the geometric dimensions are known. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The main goal of introducing an identity-based cryptosystem and certificateless cryptosystem was avoiding certificates' management costs. In turn, the goal of introducing a certificate-based cryptosystem was to solve the certificate revocation problem. In this paper, we propose a new digital Implicit and Explicit Certificates-Based Hess's Signature (IE-CBHS) scheme that combines the features of a standard public key infrastructure (PKI) and certificate-based cryptosystem. Our IE-CBHS scheme is an efficient certificates-based signature. The security analysis proves that the scheme is secure against two game attacks in the random oracle model. The security is closely related to the difficulty of solving the computational Diffie-Hellman and discrete logarithm problems. The IE-CBHS scheme, when compared with other signature schemes, has similar efficiency and is both more flexible and more useful in practice. It is possible to revoke the explicit certificate and use that fact during digital signature verification. Thus, our scheme is useful in applications where typical mechanisms of standard PKI are used. One of many important security features is resistance to denial of signature verification attack. Also, it is impossible for a trusted authority to recreate a partial private key, even with cooperation with the signer.
Craving, as a central feature of addiction and a precursor of relapse, is targeted recently in addiction intervention. While Internet gaming disorder (IGD), conceptualized as a behavioral addiction, is lack of effective treatment practice and exploration of its mechanism. This research aims to test the effectiveness and detect the active ingredients of craving behavior intervention (CBI) in mitigation of IGD among young adults. A total of 63 male college students with IGD were assigned into the intervention group (six-session CBI intervention) or the waiting-list control group. Structured questionnaires were administered at pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2), 3-month follow-up (T3), and 6-month follow-up (T4). Compared to the control group, a significant decrease in the severity of IGD in intervention group was found at post-intervention and lasting to 6 months after intervention. The value changes of craving could partially mediate the relationship between intervention and changes of IGD among all effects tests (immediate, T2-T1; short-term, T3-T1; and long-term effects, T4-T1). Further, explorations of the active ingredients of intervention found depression relief and shift of psychological needs from Internet to real life significantly predict craving amelioration at both post-intervention and 6-month follow-up. Although preliminary, the current study provides evidence for the value of craving-aimed intervention practice in IGD treatment and identifies two potential active ingredients for mitigation of craving, and the long-term therapeutic benefits are further conferred. Registry name: The behavioral and brain mechanism of IGD; URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02550405; Registration number: NCT02550405.
The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease involves multiple pathways that, at the macrolevel, include decreased proliferation plus increased loss affecting neurons, astrocytes, and capillaries and, at the subcellular level, involve several elements: amyloid/amyloid precursor protein, presenilins, the unfolded protein response, the ubiquitin/proteasome system, the Wnt/catenin system, the Notch signaling system, mitochondria, mitophagy, calcium, and tau. Data presented show the intimate, anatomical interactions between neurons, astrocytes, and capillaries; the interactions between the several subcellular factors affecting those cells; and the treatments that are currently available and that might correct dysfunctions in the subcellular factors. Available treatments include lithium, valproate, pioglitazone, erythropoietin, and prazosin. Since the subcellular pathogenesis involves multiple interacting elements, combination treatment would be more effective than administration of a single drug directed at only 1 element. The overall purpose of this presentation is to describe the pathogenesis in detail and to explain the proposed treatments.
Simple voltammetric determination of thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) offers the possibility to follow individual deviations in metabolism of thiocompounds and one-carbon (1c) and two-carbon (2c) units, which take part in endogenous synthesis of creatine (CR). In three groups of young men the levels of TDGA in urine were followed after application of CR given as food supplement in 5 g daily doses. In the first group (7 men) it was found that the level of TDGA increased independently of the day time of application of CR. In the second group (9 men) the level of TDGA increased within an interval of 3-8.5 h after CR application and then dropped during 2 h to the normal level (20 mg L-1). In the third group (11 men), in 4 days' study the effects of CR were compared in alternation to vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 was given in the evening of the 1st and 3rd day and CR in the morning of the 3rd and 4th day. CR increased the excretion of TDGA in all men, while B-12 only in four men independently of CR application. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cocaine addiction remains a serious challenge for clinical and medical research because there is no effective pharmacological treatment. L-THP, a natural product isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, is one of the most frequently used traditional herbs to treat drug addiction in China. Our laboratory first reported that its demethylated metabolites L-ICP, L-CD, and L-CP had high affinity at dopamine D1, D2, and D5 receptors. Here we report the chemical synthesis of these metabolites and other derivatives and their binding affinities at dopamine receptors. The synthesis of these bioactive metabolites will allow further in vivo study of their potential in treating cocaine addiction. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This paper includes examples of innovative e-learning study materials created at the University of West Bohemia (UWB) in Pilsen at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME). The e-learning project described in this paper creates study materials and a vision for their future development. New methods and forms of education are applied in this e-learning project. It is in agreement with modern trends of information and communication technologies (ICT). It consists of design projects created in cooperation with industrial companies. 3D PDF files are a part of the e-learning project. It is one way of making the outputs from specialized computer aided design (CAD) software more available. A wide field of potential applicants could be inspired to study due to these materials.
Source apportionment of river water pollution is critical in water resource management and aquatic conservation. Comprehensive application of various GIS-based multivariate statistical methods was performed to analyze datasets (2009-2011) on water quality in the Liao River system (China). Cluster analysis (CA) classified the 12 months of the year into three groups (May-October, February-April and November-January) and the 66 sampling sites into three groups (groups A, B and C) based on similarities in water quality characteristics. Discriminant analysis (DA) determined that temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, chemical oxygen demand (CODMn), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), NH4+-N, total phosphorus (TP) and volatile phenols were significant variables affecting temporal variations, with 81.2% correct assignments. Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) identified eight potential pollution factors for each part of the data structure, explaining more than 61% of the total variance. Oxygen-consuming organics from cropland and woodland runoff were the main latent pollution factor for group A. For group B, the main pollutants were oxygen-consuming organics, oil, nutrients and fecal matter. For group C, the evaluated pollutants primarily included oxygen-consuming organics, oil and toxic organics.
This paper shows how a method developed by Van Steenwijk can be generalized to calculate the resistance between any two vertices of a symmetrical polytope all of whose edges are identical resistors. The method is applied to a number of structures that have not been considered earlier such as the Archimedean polyhedra and their duals in three dimensions, the regular polytopes in four dimensions and the hypercube in any number of dimensions.
Development of effective monitoring systems of power exchange fluctuations and proportional alignment of loading on gas-diesel-generator units requires carrying out detailed researches both their own fluctuations, and exchange fluctuations in case of parallel work of several units. Carrying out such researches on real objects is limited to their considerable cost and can be given only at the final stage. Therefore it is very important for developers to have adequate models of the studied objects. The researches of output voltage frequency fluctuations for real objects executed by authors showed that in general they have casual character, and these fluctuations in all range of loadings represent non-stationary casual process with the changing population mean and dispersion. Authors developed mathematical model of the regulator stabilizing exchange fluctuations of power in the studied system. But there was a question of its hardware realization because it requires solving the problem of identification of the structure of this system and on-line monitoring of changes in its parameters and signals. The authors have proposed a candidate solution for such a problem through the example of identification and synthesis of the system of measuring system performance indicators required to appraise the electric power quality in this system and, as consequence, performance quality.
Mobile@Old is a friendly low cost intelligent AAL platform designed to meet the needs of elderly users with the purpose to assist old people with their daily activities, maintaining physical and cognitive fitness, maintaining connection to their close ones while increasing their safety, autonomy, self-confidence and mobility. Our paper considers 4 main scenarios emphasized by interviews conducted with the elders and caregivers: 1. Med (Medicine) designed for monitoring vital parameters and assessing the situation of the person who forgets to take their medicine in order to improve their condition, 2. Rem (Reminder scenarios) focused on problems related to cognitive ageing, 3. VSM (Vital Sign Monitoring) - activity analysis for monitoring vital parameters using medical expertise and observed behaviors, 4. PAT (Physical Activity Trainer) - consists of recommendations on performing additional exercise, if it detects a low level of physical activity. This solution is elder-centered, taking into account: the individual particularities, illness, level of acceptance and usability.
Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a high-risk factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ideal mediators of hypoxic stress responses to facilitate cellular adaptation to long-term hypoxia. MiR-124 is a kind of nervous system-specific miRNAs, and one of its target genes is beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1). In the present study, miR-124 was found to be inhibited all the time from early to late stage of cerebral hypoxia accompanying with the upregulation of BACE1 protein and overproduction of amyloid-beta (A beta) in the hippocampus from cerebral hypoperfusion rat models. Meanwhile, A beta could further enhance the expression of BACE1 protein due to the inhibition of miR-124. Thus, miR-124 was the key factor in this hypoxia/A beta-miR-124-BACE1-A beta cycle. The activation of EPAC-Rap1 pathway was involved in the inhibition of miR-124 in hippocampus under hypoxia or A beta insult. Our data suggest that, as an endogenous regulator of BACE1 protein, miR-124 may play a role in AD onset induced by CCH.
Background: Several immune-mediated inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus have been linked to an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the data on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are limited. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that reported odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio, or standardized incidence ratio comparing the risk of VTE and possible pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with AS versus non-AS participants. Pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird. Results: Of 423 potentially relevant articles, three studies met our inclusion criteria and thus, were included in the data analysis. The pooled risk ratio of VTE in patients with AS was 1.60 (95% confidence interval: 1.05-2.44). The statistical heterogeneity of this study was high with an I-2 of 93%. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a statistically significant increased VTE risk among patients with AS.
Maria Montessori is one of the most well-known women in Italian history. Although she was the first woman who graduated in medicine in Italy, she is mostly known as an educator. Her teaching method -the Montessori Method- is still used worldwide. Because she could not speak English during the imprisonment in India, there was a big obstacle for her communication with children. However, the need to adopt a non-verbal communication, led her to a sensational discovery: children use an innate and universal language. This language, made of gestures and mimic, is called extra verbal communication.
The article describes created measurement setup equipped with a user interface allowing parallel measurement of transient phenomena in electrical circuits and harmonic analysis of nonharmonic signals in electrical circuits. Detailed explanation of created user interface created in the programming environment MATLAB and its advantages in usage are given.
Chronic stressors are generally considered to disrupt reproduction and inhibit mating. Here we test the hypothesis that a chronic stressor, specifically social isolation, can facilitate adaptive changes that enhance/accelerate reproductive effort. In general, monogamous species display high levels of prosociality, delayed sexual maturation, and greater parental investment in fewer, higher quality offspring compared with closely related polygynous species. We predicted that chronic social isolation would promote behavioral and neurochemical patterns in prairie voles associated with polygyny. Male and female prairie voles were isolated for four weeks and changes in mating behavior, alloparental care, estrogen receptor (ER) a expression and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in brain regions regulating sociosexual behavior were examined. In males, isolation accelerated copulation, increased ER alpha in the medial amygdala (MEApd) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTpm), and reduced TH expression in the MEApd and BSTpm, but had no effect on alloparental behavior. In females, isolation resulted in more rapid estrus induction and reduced TH expression in the MEApd and BSTpm, but had no effect on estradiol sensitivity or ERa expression. The results support the hypothesis that ERa expression in the MEApd and BSTpm is a critical determinant of male copulatory behavior and/or mating system. The lack of change in alloparental behavior suggests that changes in prosocial behavior are selective and regulated by different mechanisms. The results also suggest that TH in the MEApd and BSTpm may play a critical role in determining mating behavior in both sexes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Viewing and manipulating three-dimensional (3D) structures in molecular graphics software are essential tasks for researchers and students to understand the functions of molecules. Currently, the way to manipulate a 3D molecular object is mainly based on mouse-and-keyboard control that is usually difficult and tedious to learn. While gesture-based and touch-based interactions are increasingly popular in interactive software systems, their suitability in handling molecular graphics has not yet been sufficiently explored. Here, we designed the gesture-based and touch-based interaction methods to manipulate virtual objects in PyMOL utilizing the motion and touch sensors in a mobile device. Three fundamental viewing controls-zooming, translation and rotation-and frequently used functions were implemented. Results from a pilot user study reveal that task performances on viewing controls using a mobile device are slightly reduced as compared to mouse-and-keyboard method. However, it is considered to be more suitable for oral presentations and equally suitable for education scenarios such as school classes. Overall, PyMOL mControl provides an alternative way to manipulate objects in molecular graphic software with new user experiences. The software is freely available at . (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):76-83, 2017.
The prediction and calculation of eddy current losses occurring in permanent magnets (PMs) of electrical machines is of great interest. Most accurate results are achieved using 3-D finite-element (FE) simulations, which require long computation times and elaborate models. Due to this, 3-D methods are only applied in the final stage of the machine design process. This paper presents different methods to calculate eddy-current losses in PMs by 2-D FE simulations. A radial 2-D FE solver in combination with an axial 2-D FE solver is developed enabling the prediction of the eddy current paths in three dimensions with the associated losses. This approach is applicable to both surface mounted and interior PMs.
The paper reports on a new foundation system, the self-regulating membrane foundation, for embankments on deep soft soil deposits, such as stockpiles or infrastructure embankments. The load bearing behavior of the system was analyzed by means of centrifuge model tests and comprehensive numerical simulations, such as global sensitivity analyses and parametric studies. The results of those analyses and the derived design approach are presented in the paper. The paper concludes with a validation of the design approach, by comparison with results of the numerical simulation.
Purpose: Labor is thought to positively influence immune system development in the offspring, but studies investigating the impact of different modes of delivery on maternal immune system cells are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of labor on maternal peripheral blood T-cell subsets and on the recently described regulatory T and B cells. Methods: Cross-sectional study comparing the absolute counts and percentages of peripheral blood T-cell subsets (maturation and activation profiles) and regulatory T and B cells between healthy pregnant women who delivered their newborns via elective cesarean (no labor; n = 14) and those who had a spontaneous vaginal delivery (after labor; n = 18). The cells were characterized using flow cytometry. Results: We found that compared to the women who had elective cesareans, those who had spontaneous vaginal deliveries had significantly (P < .05) lower absolute counts of B cells (median [cells/L]: 146 [interquartile range, IQR = 49] vs 192 [IQR = 65]) and natural killer-like T (NKT-like) cells (median [cells/L]: 154 [IQR = 125] vs 224 [IQR = 117]) in the peripheral blood. No further significant differences, particularly in regulatory T and B cells, were identified between the study groups. Conclusion: Labor does not seem to have a major impact on maternal peripheral blood T-cell subsets or regulatory T and B cells.
Background and aims Deficits in social cognitive abilities including emotion recognition and theory of mind (ToM) can play a significant role in interpersonal difficulties observed in alcohol use disorder (AUD). This meta-analysis aims to estimate mean effect sizes of deficits in social cognition inAUD and examines the effects of demographic and clinical confounding factors on the variability of effect sizes across studies. Methods A literature review was conducted on research reports published from January 1990 to January 2016. Twenty-five studies investigating ToM and facial emotion recognition performances of 756 individuals with AUD and 681 healthy controls were selected after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Weighted effect sizes (d) were calculated for ToM, decoding and reasoning aspects of ToM, total facial emotion recognition and recognition of each of six basic emotions. Results Facial emotion recognition was significantly impaired [d=0.65,95% confidence interval (CI)=0.42-0.89], particularly for disgust and anger. AUDwas also associated with deficits in ToM (d=0.58, 95% CI=0.36-0.81). These deficits were evident in tasks measuring both decoding (d=0.46, 95% CI=0.19-0.73) and reasoning (d=0.72, 95% CI=0.37-1.06) aspects of ToM. The longer duration of alcohol misuse and more depressive symptoms were associated with more severe deficits in recognition of facial emotions. Conclusions Alcohol use disorder appears to be associated with significant impairment in facial emotion recognition and theory of mind.
Adsorption properties of metallic ions not essential for human metabolism, such as cadmium, lead, and mercury, on silica chemically modified with zirconium(IV) phosphate, SiZrP, were investigated using batch systems. The immobilization procedure was efficient and the functionalization degree was 2.82% for zirconium (0.31 mol g(-1)) and 2.54% for PO43-(0.27 mol g(-1)). These results indicate that phosphate reacted with zirconium in a 1:1 ratio. The equilibrium is reached very quickly( 15 min), indicating that the adsortion sites are well exposed, The best adsorption parameters were evaluated using 50 mL of aqueous phase at pH 4.5, an adsorption time of 15 min, and 0.2000 g of adsorbent. From adsorption isotherms obtained for the metals ions and distribution coefficients the affinity of SiZrP for the metal ions studied increases in the order Cd(II) < Pb(II) < Hg(II). Twice as much lead was adsorbed by the SiZrP surface (Nf = 10.0 mu mol g(-1))as cadmium (Nf = 5.0 mu mol g(-1)). For mercury, the capacity was greater; nevertheless an adsorption plateau was not observed. (C) 1998 Academic Press.
Progress in biomechanical modelling of human soft tissue is the basis for the development of new clinical applications capable of improving the diagnosis and treatment of some diseases (e.g. cancer), as well as the surgical planning and guidance of some interventions. The finite element method (FEM) is one of the most popular techniques used to predict the deformation of the human soft tissue due to its high accuracy. However, FEM has an associated high computational cost, which makes it difficult its integration in real-time computer-aided surgery systems. An alternative for simulating the mechanical behaviour of human organs in real time comes from the use of machine learning (ML) techniques, which are much faster than FEM. This paper assesses the feasibility of ML methods for modelling the biomechanical behaviour of the human liver during the breathing process, which is crucial for guiding surgeons during interventions where it is critical to track this deformation (e.g. some specific kind of biopsies) or for the accurate application of radiotherapy dose to liver tumours. For this purpose, different ML regression models were investigated, including three tree-based methods (decision trees, random forests and extremely randomised trees) and other two simpler regression techniques (dummy model and linear regression). In order to build and validate the ML models, a labelled data set was constructed from modelling the deformation of eight ex-vivo human livers using FEM. The best prediction performance was obtained using extremely randomised trees, with a mean error of 0.07 mm and all the samples with an error under 1 mm. The achieved results lay the foundation for the future development of some real-time software capable of simulating the human liver deformation during the breathing process during clinical interventions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fixed placements of inertial sensors have been utilized by previous human activity recognition algorithms to train the classifier. However, the distribution of sensor data is seriously affected by the sensor placement. The performance will be degraded when the model trained on one placement is used in others. In order to tackle this problem, a fast and robust human activity recognition model called TransM-RKELM (Transfer learning mixed and reduced kernel Extreme Learning Machine) is proposed in this paper; It uses a kernel fusion method to reduce the influence by the'choice of kernel function and the reduced kernel is utilized to reduce the computational cost. After realizing initial activity recognition model by mixed and reduced kernel extreme learning model (M-RKELM), in the online phase M-RKELM is utilized to classify the activity and adapt the model to new locations based on high confident recognition results in real time. Experimental results show that the proposed model can adapt the classifier to new sensor locations quickly and obtain good recognition performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether motivational climates have a differential impact on adolescent psychological and physiological stress responses (i.e., salivary cortisol). It is important to investigate this relationship, as psychological stress and stress-responsive hormones have been implicated in a variety of biochemical processes deleterious to mental and physical health. Although youth consistently respond positively to caring, task-involving (C/TI) physical activity settings, ego-involving (EI) climates remain prevalent in youth sport contexts. Design: Middle school students (N = 47) were separated by gender and randomly assigned to either a C/TI or EI 30 min instructional juggling session. Method: Salivary cortisol was measured at four times over the 3 h study, including one baseline (t = 0 min; juggling session start) and three response measures (t = +30, t = +45, and t = +60 min). Psychological stress and motivational responses were also examined, including anxiety, affect, enjoyment, and effort. Individual items were utilized to substantiate stress perceptions and assess psychological responses. Results: Results revealed El climate procured a significant rise in salivary cortisol and greater humiliation, self-consciousness, shame, negative affect, and anxiety, relative to the C/TI group, while adolescents in the C/TI group responded more favorably (e.g., greater effort and enjoyment). Conclusions: These findings suggest the motivational climate can differentially impact adolescents' stress responses, with EI climates eliciting both physiological and psychological stress responses in youth. In contrast, C/TI climates may buffer performance related stressors that accompany group achievement settings and yield a protective response. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autism, known as a spectrum disorder (ASD) is seen in early childhood or by three years of age. ASD is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social responsiveness, impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relevance of e-learning technology to the area of training the caregivers of autistic children. Our search focused on a number of data banks that contain numerous references to autism and home based treatment. Our results found only ten papers published since 2010 that met our criteria for inclusion. Six were demonstrations of e learning to teach caregivers and professionals the basics of applied behavior analysis and some techniques for skill training. The remainder of the studies fell into the telehealth category which involved direct communication between a professional and caregiver in the home. The studies suggest that home based service delivery is effective and offers both the social service system and parents considerable financial savings. The use of Web based platform (e learning and telehealth) is depicted as an aid to caregivers of autistic children. The need for more studies of the variables related to home based service delivery is noted.
A semi-empirical approach to model the temperature effects on I-V characteristics of Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNTFETs) is proposed. The model includes two thermal parameters describing CNTFET behaviour in terms of saturation drain current and threshold voltage, whose values are extracted from the simulated and trans-characteristics of the device in different temperature conditions. Our results are compared with those of a numerical model online available, obtaining I-V characteristics comparable but with a lower CPU calculation time.
Information security can be achieved using cryptography, steganography or a combination of them, where data is firstly encrypted using any of the available cryptography techniques and then hid into any hiding medium. Recently, the famous genomic DNA has been introduced as a hiding medium, known as DNA steganography, due to its notable ability to hide huge data sets with a high level of randomness and hence security. Despite the numerous cryptography techniques, to our knowledge only the vigenere cipher and the DNA-based playfair cipher have been combined with the DNA steganography, which keeps space for investigation of other techniques and coming up with new improvements. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis between the DNA-based playfair, vigenere, RSA and the AES ciphers, each combined with a DNA hiding technique. The conducted analysis reports the performance diversity of each combined technique in terms of security, speed, hiding capacity in addition to both key size and data size. Moreover, this paper proposes a modification of the current combined DNA-based playfair cipher technique, which makes it not only simple and fast but also provides a significantly higher hiding capacity and security. The conducted extensive experimental studies confirm such outstanding performance in comparison with all the discussed combined techniques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Although transpiration and aquaporins have long been identified as two key components influencing plant water status, it is only recently that their relations have been investigated in detail. The present review first examines the various facets of aquaporin function in stomatal guard cells and shows that it involves transport of water but also of other molecules such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. At the whole plant level, changes in tissue hydraulics mediated by root and shoot aquaporins can indirectly impact plant transpiration. Recent studies also point to a feedback effect of transpiration on aquaporin function. These mechanisms may contribute to the difference between isohydric and anisohydric stomatal regulation of leaf water status. The contribution of aquaporins to transpiration control goes far beyond the issue of water transport during stomatal movements and involves emerging cellular and long-distance signalling mechanisms which ultimately act on plant growth. This review examines the relation between aquaporins and transpiration, two key components influencing plant water status. Aquaporins transport water and other molecules such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide during stomatal movements. The function of aquaporins in roots and shoots is also intimately linked to transpiration. Thus, aquaporins contribute to emerging cellular and long-distance signalling mechanisms which ultimately act on plant growth.
Appearance of various trace and/or emerging pollutants and deteriorated water pollution events challenge existing analytical methods and water treatment technologies. In the past 15 years, a technology termed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been widely used for detecting various types of environmental analytes and for improving the water treatment efficiency. In this review, SPR principles and surface modification methods are summarized. Applications of SPR in the, environmental detection of heavy metals, organic pollutants and bacteria over the past decade are illustrated. In addition, the use of SPR in monitoring microbial attachment, movement, and biofilm growth and in characterizing antifouling materials is described. While SPR is widely used, there are still considerably more capacities that can be exploited to fully utilize SPR in the investigation of the water pollution control process. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Biological data science is an emerging field facing multiple challenges for hosting, sharing, computing on, and interacting with large data sets. Privacy regulations and concerns about the risks of leaking sensitive personal health and genomic data add another layer of complexity to the problem. Recent advances in cryptography over the last five years have yielded a tool, homomorphic encryption, which can be used to encrypt data in such a way that storage can be outsourced to an untrusted cloud, and the data can be computed on in a meaningful way in encrypted form, without access to decryption keys. This paper introduces homomorphic encryption to the bioinformatics community, and presents an informal manual for using the Simple Encrypted Arithmetic Library ( SEAL), which we have made publicly available for bioinformatic, genomic, and other research purposes.
The design method of initial topology of interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) propulsion is described in this paper. Design constraints are selected on the basis of limitations imposed by machine's manufacturer and application (e.g. maximum copper slot fill factor, air gap length, permanent magnet material, limited space available in drive trains, etc.). Design variables are rotor radius, stator slot width and number of turns per phase winding. Parametric analysis is performed for various machine topologies. The cost function, which connects the distribution of operating points of HEV and the efficiency maps of various topologies of an electrical machine, is defined. Obtained parametric results are compared to find the result leading to the extreme value of the cost function. The initial design of IPMSM that corresponds to this result is considered as the best initial design.
In the current scenario, due to global deterioration of the environment and climate change, among them water pollution possesses serious threat to most of the populace. Waterborne pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, etc. are responsible for several diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, salmonellosis, etc. In order to overcome these waterborne bacterial diseases and for purification of water, plants have been of great use for their potential role from very ancient times. The present study deals with the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)-recommended broth microdilution antibacterial susceptibility assay of waterborne bacterial pathogens against Lippia nodiflora L. petroleum ether (LNPE) and ethanolic extracts (LNEE) prepared from the leaves and flowers together of Lippia nodiflora (Verbenaceae), in comparison to camphor. Growth inhibition of tested bacterial pathogens was recorded in from of IC50 and MIC values were found to be 0.171, 0.327 (mg/ml) against E. coli and V. cholerae, respectively, for LNPE extract. Thus, LNPE justifies its potential in inhibiting the growth of tested waterborne bacterial pathogens and creates an interest in further testing its active fraction for in vivo trials and organoleptic analysis; making it a good herbal replacement for the conventional water treatment.
Nowadays, lean thinking has proven its effectiveness in reducing wastes and boosting manufacturing performances. Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to implement it, as lean principles must always be reinterpreted to fit the specific requirements of the industry where they need to be applied. What remains constant in every implementation is that, first of all, the status quo of the company must be understood, before envisaging lean solutions. This necessity is even more strategic for those manufacturing environments where performances depend on several interrelated parameters, such as High-Variety Low-Volume (HVLV) job shops. This paper tackles this problem by introducing the Multiple-Values Stream Mapping (M-VSM), an innovative framework integrating Values Stream Mapping with other tools typical of manufacturing engineering. Although the framework is flexible in nature, it focuses on Work Load Control, since this hybrid technique is recognized in the literature as the main choice for HVLV job shop systems. In order to demonstrate both its quality and practical utility, M-VSM is introduced step by step using a case study taken as an example.
Dynamic characteristic is important to machine design and controller design of a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). In this paper, an experiment and corresponding test bench for estimating the dynamic characteristic of a PMSM is proposed, which is suitable for apply various variable load torque to the tested machine. The experimental platform consists of two PMSMs, one of them called tested machine and another is load machine. The tested one run in speed control mode and load one run in torque control mode. The load machine applied a sinusoidal torque load with variable frequency, amplitude and phase. Because load is sinusoidal, the tested motor is in motoring and generating alternating state. During the experiment, the experimental data of both the tested machine and load machine are recorded by a computer. It is found that by analyzing the experimental data, the tested machine and corresponding drive system can be able to accurately track the load torque and has excellent dynamic characteristics.
Background: Protein secretion is one of the most important processes in eukaryotes. It is based on a highly complex machinery involving numerous proteins in several cellular compartments. The elucidation of the cell biology of the secretory machinery is of great importance, as it drives protein expression for biopharmaceutical industry, a 140 billion USD global market. However, the complexity of secretory process is difficult to describe using a simple reductionist approach, and therefore a promising avenue is to employ the tools of systems biology. Results: On the basis of manual curation of the literature on the yeast, human, and mouse secretory pathway, we have compiled a comprehensive catalogue of characterized proteins with functional annotation and their interconnectivity. Thus we have established the most elaborate reconstruction (RECON) of the functional secretion pathway network to date, counting 801 different components in mouse. By employing our mouse RECON to the CHO-K1 genome in a comparative genomic approach, we could reconstruct the protein secretory pathway of CHO cells counting 764 CHO components. This RECON furthermore facilitated the development of three alternative methods to study protein secretion through graphical visualizations of omics data. We have demonstrated the use of these methods to identify potential new and known targets for engineering improved growth and IgG production, as well as the general observation that CHO cells seem to have less strict transcriptional regulation of protein secretion than healthy mouse cells. Conclusions: The RECON of the secretory pathway represents a strong tool for interpretation of data related to protein secretion as illustrated with transcriptomic data of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, the main platform for mammalian protein production.
This study attempted to examine the validity of the Italian version of the Career Factors Inventory (CFI), a psychometric tool widely used in the assessment of cognitive and personal-emotional dimensions of career indecision, among a sample of 2,060 Italian students attending high school and university. Recurring to both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the original four-factor structure was confirmed and returned, in line with the literature, satisfactory reliability indices; moreover, CFI subscales showed intercorrelations consistent with previous studies, albeit lower in some cases. Subsequently, convergent validity between the four CFI subscales and other scales via zero-order correlation was tested, confirming previous evidence except for need for career information. In conclusion, consistent with previous studies, the Italian version of the CFI showed to be a valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of dimensions of career indecision.
Precipitation is still one of the most complex climate variables to observe, to understand, and to handle within climate monitoring and climate analysis as well as to simulate in numerical weather prediction and climate models. Especially over ocean, less is known about precipitation than over land due to the sparsity of in situ observations. Here, we introduce and discuss a global Expert Team on Climate Change and Indices (ETCCDI)-based precipitation climatology. The basis for computation of this climatology is the global precipitation dataset Daily Precipitation Analysis for Climate Prediction (DAPACLIP) which combines in situ observation data over land and satellite-based remote sensing data over ocean in daily temporal resolution, namely data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) and the Hamburg Ocean Atmosphere Parameters and Fluxes from Satellite Data (HOAPS) dataset. The DAPACLIP dataset spans the period 1988-2008 and thus the global ETCCDI-based precipitation climatology covers 21 years in total. Regional aspects of the climatology are also discussed with focus on Europe and the monsoon region of south-east Asia. To our knowledge, this is the first presentation and discussion of an ETCCDI-based precipitation climatology on a global scale.
Altered metabolism is linked to the appearance of various human diseases and a better understanding of disease-associated metabolic changes may lead to the identification of novel prognostic biomarkers and the development of new therapies. Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) have been employed for studying human metabolism in a systematic manner, as well as for understanding complex human diseases. In the past decade, such metabolic models - one of the fundamental aspects of systems biology - have started contributing to the understanding of the mechanistic relationship between genotype and phenotype. In this review, we focus on the construction of the Human Metabolic Reaction database, the generation of healthy cell type- and cancer-specific GEMs using different procedures, and the potential applications of these developments in the study of human metabolism and in the identification of metabolic changes associated with various disorders. We further examine how in silico genome-scale reconstructions can be employed to simulate metabolic flux distributions and how high-throughput omics data can be analyzed in a context-dependent fashion. Insights yielded from this mechanistic modeling approach can be used for identifying new therapeutic agents and drug targets as well as for the discovery of novel biomarkers. Finally, recent advancements in genome-scale modeling and the future challenge of developing a model of whole-body metabolism are presented. The emergent contribution of GEMs to personalized and translational medicine is also discussed.
Introduction: Recent advances in the therapeutics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have provided more options to clinicians managing PsA. The purpose of this review is to update the reader on treatment options for PsA using conventional synthetic disease modifying agents (csDMARDs) and novel therapies including tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitors, interleukin 12/23 inhibitor (ustekinumab), the interleukin 17 antagonists including secukinumab, brodalumab, ixekizumab, and the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, apremilast.Areas covered: We reviewed published articles on the treatment of PsA. Our main sources of data included treatment recommendations, registry studies, systematic literature reviews, major randomised controlled trials for more recently approved drugs, and abstracts from the American College of Rheumatology and EULAR meetings.Expert commentary: An overview of the evidence for the use of various pharmacotherapeutic agents for treatment of this heterogeneous disease was compiled. Treatment options for the various domains of PsA are also discussed.
People imagine criminal behavior in greater detail and ascribe more blame to criminals when a description of a crime is written using the imperfective verb aspect (Hart & Albarracin, 2011, Experiment 3). An initiative to reproduce these findings conducted by Eerland et al. (2016) yielded a lack of replication. Eerland et al. have suggested that the original effect was likely driven by a Type I error produced by methodological aspects of the experiment, including low sample size. Recent conceptual replications of Hart and Albarracin's effect (Sherrill, Eerland, Zwaan, & Magliano, 2015), however, might imply the effect could be contingent on sample characteristics.
West and East Africa experience high variability of rainfall that is expected to increase with climate change. This results in fluctuations in water availability for food production and other socioeconomic activities. Water harvesting and storage can mitigate the adverse effects of rainfall variability. But past studies have shown that when investments in water storage are not guided by environmental health considerations, the increased availability of open water surface may increase the transmission of water-related diseases. This is demonstrated for schistosomiasis associated with small reservoirs in Burkina Faso, and for malaria in Ethiopia around large dams, small dams, and water harvesting ponds. The concern is that the rush to develop water harvesting and storage for climate change adaptation may increase the risk for already vulnerable people, in some cases more than canceling out the benefits of greater water availability. Taking health issues into account in a participatory approach to planning, design, and management of rainwater harvesting and water storage, as well as considering the full range of water storage options would enable better opportunities for enhancing resilience against climate change in vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa.
The lymph node (LN) is an important immune system in which a number of antigen-presenting cells are present that induce rapid immune responses to foreign antigens. While a great number of macrophages exist in lymph nodes, recent studies using animal models have shown that lymph node sinus macrophages are associated with the induction of anti-tumor immunity, playing a significant role in host immune responses against tumor cells. In colorectal tumor, malignant melanoma, and endometrial tumor, it was shown that a high density of CD169-positive macrophages in the LN sinus was a predictive factor for better clinical prognosis. The observations that the density of CD169-positive macrophages in the LN sinus was positively associated with the density of infiltrating T or NK cells in tumor tissues, indicates the significance of CD169-positive macrophages in anti-tumor immune reactions of tumor patients. Moreover, antigen delivery targeting LN macrophages is also considered to be promising approach for vaccination. In this article, we have summarized the significance of CD169-positive LN macrophages in anti-tumor immunity.
The American manufacturing workforce is currently not well-trained to undertake increased modern day usage of robotics in the workplace 1. In the past robots and computers were primarily used to aid in routine and dangerous tasks. The skill level necessary for operators, on these systems, were very specialized in nature, as different manufacturers had differing coding and operating schemes. The robotic systems employed were generally inflexible to changes in the product itself, product demand or even working on a queue of products in the same family. In the past decade there has been a major push in the field of robotic design for integrated robotic systems that work in tandem with human operators, making them more flexible and also imbuing them with an innate ability to produce multiple products in small lots and in a just-in-time manner. This added ability allows robots, that in the past worked independently, to communicate with other robots in flexible robotic cells and with human supervisors, sharing information, such as cycle time, work-in-progress, and problems associated with the undertaking of a routine. As more manufacturing firms continue to adopt operational improvement strategies like lean or agile manufacturing the focus will now shift to the integration of robots into the manufacturing system. Our current Manufacturing Engineering Education programs, nationwide, need to be aware of this impending change and how to embark upon introducing these concepts into the curriculum. This paper sets forth a framework for which systems engineering and robotics can coexist in our current pedagogical environments. The framework is based on the modification of the Manufacturing Engineering Program at Indiana State University. By utilizing, an interview session with one of North America's largest producer of oriented polypropylene films, the framework established seeks to find common ground for all manufacturing engineering programs nationwide.
An outbreak of acute hepatitis recently occurred in a nursing home in Zhejiang Province, China. The objectives of this study were to confirm the outbreak and identify the aetiology, source and transmission patterns. All residents and staff in or near the nursing home during the period from 1 October 2014 to 21 May 2015 were investigated regarding hygiene and for epidemiological information including water and food (eating meat especially pork products). Serum and stool specimens were collected for detection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies using ELISA and RNA using RT-PCR. Samples that were RNA positive were genotyped. Of 185 senior residents and 24 staff in the nursing home, there were 37 laboratory-confirmed cases during the outbreak. Of these cases, 12 patients (three deaths) were symptomatic with jaundice, a common clinical symptom for hepatitis E infection. HEV strains were isolated from three cases and they formed a single cluster within genotype 4d. A case-control study was conducted to investigate potential risk factors for the outbreak and the results revealed that cases more often washed their dishes and rinsed their mouths using tap water than the controls (P < 0.05). Based on hygiene investigation and meteorological information, it is likely that HEV-infected sewage and faeces contaminated the water network on rainy days. Collectively, these results suggest that the outbreak of HEV genotype 4 infection was most likely caused by contaminated tap water rather than food.
Purpose of review To outline the roles of SR-B1 and PDZK1 in hepatic selective HDL cholesterol uptake and reverse cholesterol transport and the consequences for atherosclerosis development. Recent findings Much of our understanding of the physiological roles of SR-B1 and PDZK1 in HDL metabolism and atherosclerosis comes from studies of genetically manipulated mice. These show SR-B1 and PDZK1 play key roles in HDL metabolism and protection against atherosclerosis. The recent identification of rare loss of function mutations in the human SCARB1 gene verifies that it plays similar roles in HDL metabolism in humans. Other rare mutations in both the human SCARB1 and PDZK1 genes remain to be characterized but may have potentially devastating consequences to SR-B1 function. Summary Identification of carriers of rare mutations in human SCARB1 and PDZK1 that impair the function of their gene products and characterization of the effects of these mutations on HDL cholesterol levels and atherosclerosis will add to our understanding of the importance of HDL function and cholesterol flux, as opposed to HDL-cholesterol levels, per se, for protection against cardiovascular disease.
Background and objectives: Patients with social anxiety disorder suffer from pronounced fears in social situations. As gaze perception is crucial in these situations, we examined which factors influence the range of gaze directions where mutual gaze is experienced (the cone of gaze). Methods: The social stimulus was modified by changing the number of people (heads) present and the emotional expression of their faces. Participants completed a psychophysical task, in which they had to adjust the eyes of a virtual head to gaze at the edge of the range where mutual eye-contact was experienced. Results: The number of heads affected the width of the gaze cone: the more heads, the wider the gaze cone. The emotional expression of the virtual head had no consistent effect on the width of the gaze cone, it did however affect the emotional state of the participants. Angry expressions produced the highest arousal values. Highest valence emerged from happy faces, lowest valence from angry faces. Conclusion: These results suggest that the widening of the gaze cone in social anxiety disorder is not primarily mediated by their altered emotional reactivity. Implications for gaze assessment and gaze training in therapeutic contexts are discussed. Limitations: Due to interindividual variability, enlarged gaze cones are not necessarily indicative of social anxiety disorder, they merely constitute a correlate at the group level. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Despite the implementation of multiple sophisticated safety barriers, well blowout, the most undesired disaster for the petroleum industry, still happens as Macondo or Montara incidents show. The crush of crude price has pushed the operators toward cost-cutting plans. Such plans, in short terms, may significantly reduce the exploration and operation costs and relieve financial pressures. On the other hand, such measures may also compromise the balance among safety, reliability and cost in the long term and potentially lead to catastrophic accidents. The current regulation in the Gulf of Mexico region requires the operators to report a single value for the worst-case discharge (WCD) during a possible blowout. However, it does not provide any additional value to manage risk of uncontrolled wellbore flow event and the impact to the marine environment. In this paper, a practical and comprehensive oil spill risk assessment method is introduced. It couples the reservoir/wellbore models and distribution of uncertainties to depict the risk picture of uncontrolled wellbore flow events. Statistical design of experiments is conducted to determine important uncertainties to the blowout risk. As shown by sensitivity analysis, this method can guide the operators to allocate limited resources to the important barriers and make proper risk reduction plans, so that the blowout risks are effectively controlled. (C) 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Prenatal anxiety and depression are distressing for the expectant mother and can have adverse effects on her fetus and subsequently, her child. This study aimed to determine whether listening to specially composed songs would be an effective intervention for reducing symptoms of prenatal anxiety and depression. Methods: Pregnant women were recruited online and randomly assigned to one of two groups: the music group (daily listening to specially composed songs) or control group (daily relaxation) for 12 weeks each. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess symptoms of State and Trait anxiety (Spielberger) and depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)). Trait anxiety was measured as the primary outcome, while State anxiety and depression were the secondary outcomes. 111 participants were randomised to each group. 20 participants in the intervention group and 16 participants in the active control group completed the study. Results: The music group demonstrated lower Trait Anxiety (p = .0001) (effect size 0.80), State Anxiety (p = .02) (effect size 0.64), and EPDS (p = .002) (effect size 0.92) scores at week 12 compared to baseline, by paired t test. There were no such changes in the control group. Conclusions: Though this pilot study had high levels of attrition, the results do suggest that regular listening to relaxing music should be explored further as an effective non-pharmacological means for reducing prenatal anxiety and depression.
Human metabolism of carotenoids is of interest not only because of the provitamin A function of certain carotenoids, but also because these compounds have been associated with reducing risks of certain certain cancers and chronic diseases. Full understanding of carotenoid metabolism is complicated by a number of factors: variations in physiochemical properties among carotenoids; altered carotenoid utilization as a result of the normal vicissitudes of lipid absorption and transport; divergence in metabolic fate within the intestinal enterocyte (especially carotenoid cleavage to retinoids), differences in packaging and transport in lipoproteins; dissimilarity in tissue uptake of specific carotenoids; and the possible isomerization of carotenoids within tissues. Hampering research progress is the lack of animal models that perfectly mimic human carotenoid metabolism and the limited number of carotenoids approved for human consumption in a pure form. It is clear, however, that diet affects carotenoid absorption. The efficient digestion and absorption of dietary fat, as well as the presence of bile salt micelles, is essential for carotenoid absorption. Competition among carotenoids and other dietary components for absorption, transport, and uptake by tissues is documented bur needs further research. From limited data it seems that the more polar carotenoids (xanthophylls) may be absorbed more efficiently than are carotenes (hydrocarbon carotenoids). The mechanism in humans for the phenomenon of ''nonresponders'' to oral doses of beta-carotene requires further study to determine whether it is an effect of inefficient absorption or of intestinal cleavage of p-carotene. The delayed maxima in plasma carotenoid concentrations after ingestion, relative to plasma triacylglycerol, are explainable as secondary secretion of carotenoids transferred to other lipoproteins after chylomicron clearance. The site and degree of isomerization of carotenoids after consumption has not yet been defined In this article the absorption, transport and tissue uptake of carotenoids will be reviewed and possible differences among carotenoids and factors influencing their utilization will be discussed. (C) Elsevier Science Inc. 1997.
Dravet syndrome (DS) is a genetic encephalopathy that is characterized by severe seizures and prominent co-morbidities (e.g., physical, intellectual disabilities). More than 85% of the DS patients carry an SCN1A mutation (sodium channel, voltage gated, type I alpha subunit). Although numerous anti-epileptic drugs have entered the market since 1990, these drugs often fail to adequately control seizures in DS patients. Nonetheless, current clinical data shows significant seizure reduction in DS patients treated with the serotonergic (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) drug fenfluramine (FA). Recent preclinical research confirmed the anti-epileptiform activity of FA in homozygous scn1a mutant zebrafish larvae that mimic DS well. Here we explored the anti-epileptiform mechanisms of FA by investigating whether selective agonists/antagonists of specific receptor subtypes were able to counteract the FA-induced inhibition of seizures and abnormal brain discharges observed in the scn1a mutants. We show that antagonists of 5-HT1D and 5-HT2C receptor subtypes were able to do so (LY 310762 and SB 242084, respectively), but notably, a 5-HT2A-antagonist (ketanserin) was not. In addition, exploring further the mechanism of action of FA beyond its serotonergic profile, we found that the anti-epileptiform brain activity of FA was significantly abolished when it was administered in combination with a sigma(1)-agonist (PRE 084). Our study therefore provides the first evidence of an involvement of the sigma(1) receptor in the mechanism of FA. We further show that the level of some neurotransmitters [i.e., dopamine and noradrenaline (NAD)] in head homogenates was altered after FA treatment, whereas g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate levels were not. Of interest, NAD-decreasing drugs have been employed successfully in the treatment of neurological diseases; including epilepsy and this effect could contribute to the therapeutic effect of the compound. In summary, we hypothesize that the anti-epileptiform activity of FA not only originates from its 5-HT1D and 5-HT2C-agonism, but likely also from its ability to block sigma(1) receptors. These findings will help in better understanding the pharmacological profile of compounds that is critical for their applicability in the treatment of DS and possibly also other drug-resistant epilepsies.
This paper presents a reference modification model digitally controlled dc-dc converter. The proposed method is able to obtain superior transient response because it modifies a reference of conventional feedback loop against the change of output voltage. The modifying process operates only in the transient state. During the steady state, the feedforward control cancels a steady-state-error. Since the feedforward control uses the load current value, this paper discusses two current-sensing methods. One is the output current-sensing method using the sensing resistor, and the reactor current-sensing method using the R-C filter is discussed in order to reduce a performance loss by the sensing resistor. As a result, the output current-sensing method is effective in case that high-transient-response performance is required. On the other hand, it is better to use the reactor current-sensing method when efficiency is important.
The challenge of studying human cognitive evolution is identifying unique features of our intelligence while explaining the processes by which they arose. Comparisons with nonhuman apes point to our early-emerging cooperative-communicative abilities as crucial to the evolution of all forms of human cultural cognition, including language. The human self-domestication hypothesis proposes that these early-emerging social skills evolved when natural selection favored increased in-group prosociality over aggression in late human evolution. As a by-product of this selection, humans are predicted to show traits of the domestication syndrome observed in other domestic animals. In reviewing comparative, developmental, neurobiological, and paleoanthropological research, compelling evidence emerges for the predicted relationship between unique human mentalizing abilities, tolerance, and the domestication syndrome in humans. This synthesis includes a review of the first a priori test of the self-domestication hypothesis as well as predictions for future tests.
Human brain asymmetries have been well described. Intriguingly, a number of asymmetries in brain phenotypes have been shown to change throughout the lifespan. Recent studies have revealed topological asymmetries between hemispheric white matter networks in the human brain. However, it remains unknown whether and how these topological asymmetries evolve from adolescence to young adulthood, a critical period that constitutes the second peak of human brain and cognitive development. To address this question, the present study included a large cohort of healthy adolescents and young adults. Diffusion and structural magnetic resonance imaging were acquired to construct hemispheric white matter networks, and graph-theory was applied to quantify topological parameters of the hemispheric networks. In both adolescents and young adults, rightward asymmetry in both global and local network efficiencies was consistently observed between the 2 hemispheres, but the degree of the asymmetry was significantly decreased in young adults. At the nodal level, the young adults exhibited less rightward asymmetry of nodal efficiency mainly around the parasylvian area, posterior tempo-parietal cortex, and fusiform gyrus. These developmental patterns of network asymmetry provide novel insight into the human brain structural development from adolescence to young adulthood and also likely relate to the maturation of language and social cognition that takes place during this period.
Elliptic curves over a finite field F-q with j-invariant 0 or 1728, both supersingular and ordinary, whose embedding degree k is low are studied. In the ordinary case we give conditions characterizing such elliptic curves with fixed embedding degree with respect to a subgroup of prime order l. For k = 1, 2, these conditions give parameterizations of q in terms of l and two integers m, n. We show several examples of families with infinitely many curves. Similar parameterizations for k >= 3 need a fixed kth root of the unity in the underlying field. Moreover, when the elliptic curve admits distortion maps, an example is provided.
This essay examines the role of racial, ethnic, and cultural bias in custody cases. It analyzes cases where the court explicitly considered the parents' racial, ethnic, or cultural background and cases where the court did not acknowledge these factors but where it is clear from the court's opinion that biases influenced its decision. It then briefly describes the literature on implicit bias to demonstrate how biases may influence the assessments of custody evaluators, lawyers, and judges despite best efforts to make fair and impartial decisions. Drawing on studies suggesting that individuals can reduce their implicit biases and their effects on decision making, the essay explores individual strategies and institutional reforms to address bias in custody disputes. Key Points for the Family Court Community: Custody evaluators, lawyers, and judges are influenced by the racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds of the parents and the child in custody disputes. Implicit biases may influence how custody evaluators, lawyers, and judges interpret parents' behaviors and testimony. Preferences for parenting styles favored by middle-class families disproportionately disadvantage racial and ethnic minorities and low-income families. The best interests of the child standard increases the risk of intuitive and biased assessments. Acknowledgement of racial, ethnic, and cultural differences is necessary to reduce bias. Individual strategies and institutional reforms may help reduce bias and its effect on assessments and decision making in custody cases.
Renewable energy projects in Korea have two avenues that provide subsidies to increase their financial viability. Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs) offer cost based prices for renewable electricity to compete with conventional energy producers. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) issues certified emission reduction (CER) credits that generate additional revenues, enhancing renewable projects' return on investment. This study investigated how these subsidies impact the financial returns on Korea's CDM projects. An investment analysis was performed on four cases including solar, hydropower, wind and landfill gas projects. Revenues from electricity sales, FITs and CERs were compared using financial indicators to measure their relative contributions on profitability. Results indicate that CDM is partial towards large scale projects with high emission reductions. Moreover, conflicts with FIT schemes can deter small scale, capital intensive projects from pursuing registration. The analysis highlights CDM's bias for particular project types, which is in part due to its impartiality towards carbon credit prices. It also reveals that Korea, a key benefactor of CDM, is susceptible to such biases, as demonstrated by the disproportionate distribution of issued CERs. Improving incentives for bundled, small scale projects, CER price differentiation, and excluding domestic subsidies during additionality testing are proposed as possible reforms.
Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is an indolent translocation-associated soft tissue sarcoma with a high propensity for metastases. Using a clinical sequencing approach, we genomically profiled patients with metastatic EMC to elucidate the molecular biology and identify potentially actionable mutations. We also evaluated potential predictive factors of benefit to sunitinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor with reported activity in a subset of EMC patients. Between January 31, 2012 and April 15, 2016, six patients with EMC participated in the clinical sequencing research study. High quality DNA and RNA was isolated and matched normal samples underwent comprehensive next generation sequencing (whole or OncoSeq capture exome of tumor and normal, tumor PolyA+ and capture transcriptome). The expression levels of sunitinib targeted-kinases were measured by transcriptome sequencing for KDR, PDGFRA/B, KIT, RET, FLT1, and FLT4. The previously reported EWSR1-NR4A3 translocation was identified in all patient tumors; however, other recurring genomic abnormalities were not detected. RET expression was significantly greater in patients with EMC relative to other types of sarcomas except for liposarcoma (p<0.0002). The folate receptor was overexpressed in two patients. Our study demonstrated that similar to other translocation-associated sarcomas, the mutational profile of metastatic EMC is limited beyond the pathognomonic translocation. The clinical significance of RET expression in EMC should be explored. Additional pre-clinical investigations of EMC may help elucidate molecular mechanisms contributing to EMC tumorigenesis that could be translated to the clinical setting.
Malicious software activities have become more and more clandestine, making them challenging to detect. Existing security solutions rely heavily on the recognition of known code or behavior signatures, which are incapable of detecting new maiware patterns. We propose to discover the triggering relations on network requests and leverage the structural information to identify stealthy malware activities that cannot be attributed to a legitimate cause. The triggering relation is defined as the temporal and causal, relationship between two events. We design and compare rule- and learning-based methods to infer the triggering relations on network data. We further introduce a user-intention based security policy for pinpointing stealthy malware activities based on a triggering relation graph. We extensively evaluate our solution on a DARPA dataset and 7 GB real-world network traffic. Results indicate that our dependence analysis successfully detects various maiware activities including spyware, data exfiltrating malware, and DNS bots on hosts. With good scalability for large datasets, the learning-based method achieves better classification accuracy than the rule-based one. The significance of our traffic reasoning approach is its ability to detect new and stealthy malware activities. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Firewall configuration is an important activity for any modern day business. It is particularly a critical task for the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks that control power stations, water distribution, factory automation, etc. Lack of automation tools to assist with this critical task has resulted in unoptimised, error prone configurations that expose these networks to cyber attacks. Automation can make designing firewall configurations more reliable and their deployment increasingly cost-effective. Best practices have been proposed by the industry for developing high-level security policy (e.g., ANSI/ISA 62443-1-1). But these best practices lack specification in several key aspects needed to allow a firewall to be automatically configured. For instance, the standards are vague on how firewall management policies should be captured at a high-level using its specifications. In this paper, we uncover these missing pieces and propose extensions. We apply our extended best-practice specification to real-world firewall case studies to achieve multiple objectives: 1) to evaluate the usefulness of the refined best-practice in the automated specification of firewalls and 2) to illustrate that even in simple cases, SCADA networks are often insecure due to their misconfigured firewalls.
One triumph of the human mind is the ability to place the multitudinous array of people we encounter into in-and out-group members based on racial characteristics. One fundamental question that remains to be answered is whether invisible own- and other-race faces can nevertheless influence subsequent affective judgments. Here, we employed continuous flash suppression (CFS) to render own- and other-race faces unperceivable in an affective priming task. Both on-line and off-line awareness checks were employed to provide more stringent control of partial awareness. Results revealed that relative to own-race faces, imperceptible other-race faces significantly facilitated participants' identification of negative words, suggesting an other-race derogation bias. When faces were presented consciously, we found that not only other-race faces facilitated detection of negative words, but also own-race faces facilitated detection of positive words. These findings together provide novel and strong evidence suggesting that invisible racial faces can bias affective responses. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Optimal sizing of residential photovoltaic (PV) generation and energy storage (ES) systems is a timely issue since government polices aggressively promote installing renewable energy sources in many countries, and small-sized PV and ES systems have been recently developed for easy use in residential areas. We in this paper investigate the problem of finding the optimal capacities of PV and ES systems in the context of home load management in smart grids. Unlike existing studies on optimal sizing of PV and ES that have been treated as a part of designing hybrid energy systems or polygeneration systems that are stand-alone or connected to the grid with a fixed energy price, our model explicitly considers the varying electricity price that is a result of individual load management of the customers in the market. The problem we have is formulated by a D-day capacity planning problem, the goal of which is to minimize the overall expense paid by each customer for the planning period. The overall expense is the sum of expenses to buy electricity and to install PV and ES during D days. Since each customer wants to minimize his/her own monetary expense, their objectives look conflicting, and we first regard the problem as a multi-objective optimization problem. Additionally, we secondly formulate the problem as a D-day noncooperative game between customers, which can be solved in a distributed manner and, thus, is better fit to the pricing practice in smart grids. In order to have a converging result of the best-response game, we use the so-called proximal point algorithm. With numerical investigation, we find Pareto-efficient trajectories of the problem, and the converged game-theoretic solution is shown to be mostly worse than the Pareto-efficient solutions.
The performance of electrical machines is ultimately limited by thermal issues. To facilitate the modelling and speed up the time to market of novel designs, the accuracy, efficiency and reliability of thermal models has to be improved. In the literature, the majority of thermal models of electrical machines are based on lumped-parameter thermal networks, which are both efficient and simple to implement. Accuracy is the main concern related to this approach. Moreover, the outputs of these thermal models are average temperatures, which are not a suitable constraint for the machine design. In this work we introduce an improved lumped parameter configuration based on a novel structure: the Distributed Losses and Capacitance (DLC) element. The DLC is able to accurately estimate local temperatures at steady-state or during transients with a high Biot number or high aspect ratios. We validate the approach experimentally, creating a thermal model of an external-rotor Surface-mounted Permanent Magnet (SPM) machine. The error in the estimation of the end-windings temperature is within 4%.
Human infants are involved in communicative interactions with others well before they start to speak or understand language. It is generally thought that this communication is useful for establishing interpersonal relations and supporting joint activities, but, in the absence of symbolic functions that language provides, these early communicative contexts do not allow infants to learn about the world. However, recent studies suggest that when someone demonstrates something using an object as the medium of instruction, infants can conceive the object as an exemplar of the whole class of objects of the same kind. Thus, an object, just like a word, can play the role of a symbol that stands for something else than itself, and infants can learn general knowledge about a kind of object from nonverbal communication about a single item of that kind. This rudimentary symbolic capacity may be one of the roots of the development of symbolic understanding in children.
This paper tries to present the concentration dynamic of the principal quality indicators of the groundwater from Balesti-Tamasesti perimeter, Gorj County, in the last 45 years, in a special geographical area - with groundwater very closed to the land surface, making them very vulnerable to anthropic pollution, the area being declared under common Order of MESD and MARD no 1.552/03.12.2008/743/12.12.2008 as an area included on the list of localities with nitrates sources from agricultural activities. The characterization of the groundwater quality from the studied perimeter was based on the physico-chemical analysis bulletins of hydro geological drillings from the national network of groundwater monitoring, from their execution (period 1970-1974), from these in the studied perimeter being part the hydro geological stations, as well as the citizens wells (2013-2015); the monitored wells have been chosen on the flow direction of groundwaters established by original hydro geologic map and hydro geologic section, elaborated through Sub Carpathian hillock depression. According to the report on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive published by the European Commission, Southern Romania is among the areas in the EU where groundwater contain elevated levels of nitrates, due to use of chemical fertilizers and organic nitrates, as a major source of water pollution. In all 27 Member States is a decrease in the quantities of nitrate in water, so that the implementation of legislation designed to prevent pollution of land and water with nitrates from agriculture became a success. Following the conducted monitoring in Gorj area - Romania, we observed a significant appreciation of quality indicators of groundwater, sowe could recommend implementation of measures to protect and continuing rehabilitating groundwater quality in Balesti by building some sewage-evacuation-disposal plants, because the quality of groundwater here could return to further nitrogen compound concentration values existing in the natural background of groundwater.
Emerging technologies are often not part of any official industry, patent or trademark classification systems. Thus, delineating boundaries to measure their early development stage is a nontrivial task. This paper is aimed to present a methodology to automatically classify patents concerning service robots. We introduce a synergy of a traditional technology identification process, namely keyword extraction and verification by an expert community, with a machine learning algorithm. The result is a novel possibility to allocate patents which (1) reduces expert bias regarding vested interests on lexical query methods, (2) avoids problems with citation approaches, and (3) facilitates evolutionary changes. Based upon a small core set of worldwide service robotics patent applications, we derive apt n-gram frequency vectors and train a support vector machine, relying only on titles, abstracts, and IPC categorization of each document. Altering the utilized Kernel functions and respective parameters, we reach a recall level of 83% and precision level of 85%.
In a distributed generation system, the stability of grid-connected inverters is directly related to the reliable operation of the grid-connected system. The impedance-based analysis method can be employed to effectively study the interaction stability between grid-connected inverters and grid, which means that it is necessary to obtain the impedance modeling of grid-connected inverters for the analysis of impedance stability. Based on the three-phase LCL-type grid-connected inverter, the harmonic linearization method was adopted in this paper to analyze the frequency characteristic of Phase-Locked Loop (PLL), and a design approach of PLL regulator parameters was proposed. Meanwhile, the impacts of the factors that include PLL and digital control delay on the impedance characteristic were considered, and the positive-sequence and negative-sequence impedance model of the gridconnected inverter was built by combining the harmonic linearization and symmetrical component methods. Then, the frequency characteristic of PLL was verified by the simulation results and the output impedance model of the grid-connected inverter was verified by the experimental results, which effectively proved the correctness of the theoretical analysis. Finally, based on the output impedance model of the grid-connected inverter, the impedance-based analysis method was adopted to make a theoretical analysis and experiment validation of the interaction stability of the grid-connected system.
Introduction: Gesture is integrally linked with language and cognitive systems, and recent years have seen a growing attention to these movements in patients with schizophrenia. To date, however, there have been no investigations of gesture in youth at ultra high risk (UHR) for psychosis. Examining gesture in UHR individuals may help to elucidate other widely recognized communicative and cognitive deficits in this population and yield new clues for treatment development. Method: In this study, mismatch (indicating semantic incongruency between the content of speech and a given gesture) and retrieval (used during pauses in speech while a person appears to be searching for a word or idea) gestures were evaluated in 42 UHR individuals and 36 matched healthy controls. Cognitive functions relevant to gesture production (i.e., speed of visual information processing and verbal production) as well as positive and negative symptomatologies were assessed. Results: Although the overall frequency of cases exhibiting these behaviors was low, UHR individuals produced substantially more mismatch and retrieval gestures than controls. The UHR group also exhibited significantly poorer verbal production performance when compared with controls. In the patient group, mismatch gestures were associated with poorer visual processing speed and elevated negative symptoms, while retrieval gestures were associated with higher speed of visual information-processing and verbal production, but not symptoms. Conclusions: Taken together these findings indicate that gesture abnormalities are present in individuals at high risk for psychosis. While mismatch gestures may be closely related to disease processes, retrieval gestures may be employed as a compensatory mechanism. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a spectrally coded optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) system using a hybrid modulation scheme has been investigated. The idea is to propose an effective approach for simultaneous improvement of the system capacity and security. Data formats, NRZ (non-return to zero), DQPSK (differential quadrature phase shift keying), and PoISk (polarisation shift keying) are used to get the orthogonal modulated signal. It is observed that the proposed hybrid modulation provides efficient utilisation of bandwidth, increases the data capacity and enhances the data confidentiality over existing OCDMA systems. Further, the proposed system performance is compared with the current state-of-the-art OCDMA schemes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system provides a technological breakthrough in mutant generation. Several methods such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction enzyme (RE) assay, T7 endonuclease I (T7EI) assay, Surveyor nuclease assay, PAGE-based genotyping assay, and high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis-based assay have been developed for screening CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutants. However, these methods are time and labour-intensive and may also be sequence-limited or require very expensive equipment. Here, we described a cost-effective and sensitive screening technique based on conventional PCR, annealing at critical temperature PCR (ACT-PCR), for identifying mutants. ACT-PCR requires only a single PCR step followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. We demonstrated that ACT-PCR accurately distinguished CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutants from wild type in both rice and zebrafish. Moreover, the method can be adapted for accurately determining mutation frequency in cultured cells. The simplicity of ACT-PCR makes it particularly suitable for rapid, large-scale screening of CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutants in both plants and animals. Copyright (C) 2017, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science Press. All rights reserved.
To obtain quantitative information on human metabolism of selenium, we have performed selenium speciation analysis by HPLC/lCPMS on samples of human urine from one volunteer over a 48-hour period after ingestion of selenium (1.0 mg) as sodium selenite, L-selenomethionine, or DL-selenomethionine. The three separate experiments were performed in duplicate. Normal background urine from the volunteer contained total selenium concentrations of 8-30 mu g Se/L (n=22) but, depending on the chromatographic conditions, only about 30-70% could be quantified by HPLC/ICPMS. The major species in background urine were two selenosugars, namely methyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-seleno-beta-D-galactopyranoside (selenosugar 1) and its deacylated analog methyl-2-amino-2-deoxy-l-seleno-beta-D-galactopyranoside (selenosugar 3). Selenium was rapidly excreted after ingestion of the selenium compounds: the peak concentrations (similar to 250-400 mu g Se/L, normalized concentrations) were recorded within 5-9 hours, and concentrations had returned to close to background levels within 48 hours, by which time 25-40% of the ingested selenium, depending on the species ingested, had been accounted for in the urine. In all experiments, the major metabolite was selenosugar 1, constituting either similar to 80% of the total selenium excreted over the first 24 hours after ingestion of selenite or L-selenomethionine or similar to 65% after ingestion of DL-selenomethionine. Selenite was not present at significant levels (< 1 mu g Se/L) in any of the samples; selenomethionine was present in only trace amounts (similar to 1 mu g/L, equivalent to less than 0.5% of the total Se) following ingestion of L-selenomethionine, but it constituted about 20% of the excreted selenium (first 24 hours) after ingestion of DL-selenomethionine, presumably because the D form was not efficiently metabolized. Trimethylselenonium ion, a commonly reported urine metabolite, could not be detected (<1 mu g/L) in the urine samples after ingestion of selenite or selenomethionine. Cytotoxicity studies on selenosugar 1 and its glucosamine isomer (selenosugar 2, methyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-seleno-beta-D-glucosopyranoside) were per-formed with HepG2 cells derived from human hepatocarcinoma, and these showed that both compounds had low toxicity (about 1000-fold less toxic than sodium selenite). The results support earlier studies showing that selenosugar I is the major urinary metabolite after increased selenium intake, and they suggest that previously accepted pathways for human metabolism of selenium involving trimethylselenonium Ion as the excretionary end product may need to be re-evaluated.
Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are wireless networks that have a wide range of applications because of their dynamic topologies and ease of deployment. Owing to the independent and dynamic nature of mobile nodes, the topology of a MANET often changes and is prone to various attacks. Therefore, substantial research in the area of security is required. Certificate revocation is an effective mechanism for providing network security services. However, the existing schemes are not well suited to MANETs because of their considerable overhead or low accuracy with respect to certificate revocation. In this study, the authors investigate a distributed certificate revocation protocol. On the basis of the game-theoretic model, they design a new voting-based security scheme. Their game-based security paradigm can provide the ability to practically respond to the current system conditions and is suitable for real MANET operations. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of their scheme with respect to certificate revocation. Finally, they discuss the results of an evaluation provide an outlook on the future work in this field.
With Donald Trump the Republican nominee and Hillary Clinton the Democratic nominee for the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, speculations of why Trump resonates with many Americans are widespread - as are suppositions of whether, independent of party identification, people might vote for Hillary Clinton. The present study, using a sample of American adults (n = 406), investigated whether two ideological beliefs, namely, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO) uniquely predicted Trump support and voting intentions for Clinton. Cognitive ability as a predictor of RWA and SDO was also tested. Path analyses, controlling for political party identification, revealed that higher RWA and SDO uniquely predicted more favorable attitudes of Trump, greater intentions to vote for Trump, and lower intentions to vote for Clinton. Lower cognitive ability predicted greater RWA and SDO and indirectly predicted more favorable Trump attitudes, greater intentions to vote for Trump and lower intentions to vote for Clinton. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
To analyse the accuracy of maxillary positioning after Le Fort I osteotomy, we retrospectively assessed the outcome in three patients (mean (range) age 40 (21 60) years) who had been treated with patient-specific CAD-CAM osteosynthesis plates as part of a bimaxillary osteotomy. Virtual surgical planning in each case was based on cone-beam computed tomography (CT) (Simplant (R) O&O, Dentsply Implants NV, Kessel-Lo, Belgium), and patient-specific CAD-CAM drilling guides and osteosynthesis plates were produced for maxillary positioning and fixation. We evaluated the accuracy of the placement by virtual comparison of the preoperative and postoperative images. In the upper dentition, postoperative analysis showed a mean (SD) deviation of 1.3 (1.4) mm from the preoperative plan. The method enables accurate placement of the maxilla, independent of the condyle or mandible, without the need for extraoral reference points. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Migraine is a common primary headache disorder. The mechanisms underlying the onset of a migraine attack are not completely understood. Environmental changes and a number of other factors could induce migraine attacks. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the frequency of migraine attacks and allergens. Migraine patients without aura, and healthy individuals similar in age and gender without a history of headache and allergy were prospectively included in the study. The duration of migraine, the frequency of migraine attacks, the medication history, and the symptoms during attacks were questioned. Migraine disability assessment score (MIDAS) and visual analog scale (VAS) scores were obtained. Allergen extracts including dust, fungi, insect, animal epithelium, pollens, and food allergens were applied for allergy tests. 49 migraine patients and 49 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. There was no significant difference in terms of age and gender. The median migraine disease duration, the number of attacks in a month, and the duration of attacks were, respectively, 5.5 years (1-44), 4 (1-10) day/month, and 24 (4-72) h. The mean MIDAS grade was 2.45 +/- 0.14 (1-4), and mean VAS score was 7.89 +/- 0.27 (4-10). The positivity of allergy tests was 55.1 % (27/49) in the migraine group and 32.7 % (16/49) in the control group (p < 0.05). The allergy tests were positive for house dust, red birch, hazel tree, olive tree, nettle, and wheat. The frequency of migraine attacks was higher in allergy-test-positive patients than in negative ones in the migraine group (p = 0.001). The migraine patients who had frequent attacks should be examined for allergies.
Curriculum structure is responsible, largely, for the success of post-secondary Vocational Education. According to a survey among graduated students and local employers, the top skills required in students of CAD (short for Computer-aided Design) and CAM (short for Computer-aided Manufacturing) Engineering major are the abilities to use CAD applications in engineering design and production. Here we suggested a core-curriculum-based educational program aiming to enhance the employability and flexibility of students, thus promote china's post-secondary vocational education improvement.
Advances in technology have made surgery in children safer and faster. The management of pediatric cataract has made rapid progress in the past decade with the availability of safer anesthesia, newer technique's, more predictable intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation, a better understanding of neurobiology, genetics, amblyopia management, improved IOL designs for preventing visual axis opacification, and adjuvant postoperative care. Modern vitrectomy machines with minimally invasive instruments, radiofrequency, diathermy, and plasma blades help immensely in complicated cases. Preoperative evaluation with ultrasound biomicroscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows better planning of surgical procedure. The future holds good for stem cell research, customized OCT, and Zepto (precision pulse capsulotomy).
In this paper, we analyze and discuss the well-posedness of two new variants of the so-called sweeping process, introduced by Moreau in the early 70s (Moreau in S,m Anal Convexe Montpellier, 1971) with motivation in plasticity theory. The first new variant is concerned with the perturbation of the normal cone to the moving convex subset , supposed to have a bounded variation, by a Lipschitz mapping. Under some assumptions on the data, we show that the perturbed differential measure inclusion has one and only one right continuous solution with bounded variation. The second variant, for which a large analysis is made, concerns a first order sweeping process with velocity in the moving set . This class of problems subsumes as a particular case, the evolution variational inequalities [widely used in applied mathematics and unilateral mechanics (Duvaut and Lions in Inequalities in mechanics and physics. Springer, Berlin, 1976]. Assuming that the moving subset has a continuous variation for every with bounded, we show that the problem has at least a Lipschitz continuous solution. The well-posedness of this class of sweeping process is obtained under the coercivity assumption of the involved operator. We also discuss some applications of the sweeping process to the study of vector hysteresis operators in the elastoplastic model (KrejA +/- in Eur J Appl Math 2:281-292, 1991), to the planning procedure in mathematical economy (Henry in J Math Anal Appl 41:179-186, 1973 and Cornet in J. Math. Anal. Appl. 96:130-147, 1983), and to nonregular electrical circuits containing nonsmooth electronic devices like diodes (Acary et al. Nonsmooth modeling and simulation for switched circuits. Lecture notes in electrical engineering. Springer, New York 2011). The theoretical results are supported by some numerical simulations to prove the efficiency of the algorithm used in the existence proof. Our methodology is based only on tools from convex analysis. Like other papers in this collection, we show in this presentation how elegant modern convex analysis was influenced by Moreau's seminal work.
With the development of economic globalization, the cultivation of minority secretary major should follow the principle of compound talents training mode and improve the overall quality of the talent of minority secretary major. Secretary major training plan has shortage of teaching content and lacks cross-cultural communication training program. Its teaching mission objectives is not new and secretary professional competence of teachers are not enough and the teaching method is too traditional and curriculum is unreasonable. Based on this situation, the paper does the digitization DRM solutions using the DRM digital control program based on multivariate intelligent teaching reform program of talent training. This paper establishes and develops the ODRL talent model and achieves the segmentation description and dynamic segmentation authorization of tasks and contents of minority secretary major secretary courses. It also achieves the secondary development of DRM under the ODRL control model and verifies the feasibility and reliability of the training mode using the teaching effect evaluation method of OpenAPI, which provides a reliable theoretical basis for the reform of minority secretary major training model.
Rapid urbanization dramatically changes the local environment. A hybrid classification method is designed and applied to multi-temporal Landsat images and ancillary data to obtain land cover change datasets. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier is used to classify multi-temporal Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images that were collected in 2000 at the pixel level. These images are also segmented with the mean shift method. The impervious surface is refined based on a combination of the segmented objects and the SVM classification results. The changed areas in 1990 and 2010 are determined by comparing the Thematic Mapper (TM) and ETM+ images via the re-weighted multivariate alteration detection transformation method. The TM images that were masked as changed areas in 1990 and 2000 are input into the SVM classifier. Land cover maps for 1990 and 2010 are produced by combining the unchanged area in 2000 with the new classes of the changed areas in 1990 and 2010. Land cover change has continuously accelerated since 1990. Remarkably, arable land decreased, while the impervious surface area significantly increased.
This paper compares the hydraulics and 3D flow features of the ordinary rectangular and trapezoidal plan view piano key weirs (PKWs) using two phase RANS numerical simulations. The main aim is to investigate effects of the inlet key area and angle of the side walls on discharge capacity of the PKW, while keeping the developing length of the crest intact. The numerical model has been used to carry out a sensitivity analysis for geometrical parameters and hydrodynamics of the rectangular and trapezoidal weirs (TPKWs) have been compared for wide range of the water head on the weir. Results show that the trapezoidal weir has higher efficiency than the ordinary rectangular PKW. This is partly related to the inlet key flow conditions. The trapezoidal geometry increases the inlet flow area resulting in reduction of the velocity along the key axis. Consequently, flow is distributed more uniformly over the side crests. The gradual transition of the inlet key limits the development of the recirculation zones along the side walls, and it also limits the formation of the critical section along the inlet key. These phenomena result in increase of the effective weir length and thus discharge capacity increases in trapezoidal weir compared with rectangular one. Discretization of the discharge along the crest of the tested weirs clearly confirms these findings.
This paper details the design considerations of a permanent-magnet three-phase synchronous machine for fault-tolerant operation. A multidisciplinary approach to the optimal design of the machine is adopted, targeted at minimizing the additional losses resulting from faulty operating conditions and accounting for the remedial control strategy implemented. The design of a closed-slot six-slot four-pole machine is presented. The machine is prototyped and tested to validate the analytical-computational performances predicted in the design and analysis stage under healthy and faulty conditions.
Speakers respond automatically and rapidly to compensate for brief perturbations of pitch in their auditory feedback. The specific adjustments in vocal output require integration of brain regions involved in speech-motor- control in order to detect the sensory-feedback error and implement the motor correction. Cortical regions involved in the pitch reflex phenomenon are highly vulnerable targets of network disruption in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined the pitch reflex in AD patients (n - 19) compared to an age-matched control group (n = 16). We measured the degree of behavioral compensation (peak compensation) and the extent of the adaptive response (pitch-response persistence). Healthy-controls reached a peak compensation of 18.7 +/- 0.8 cents, and demonstrated a sustained compensation at 8.9 +/- 0.69 cents. AD patients, in contrast, demonstrated a significantly elevated peak compensation (22.4 +/- 1.2 cents, p < 0.05), and a reduced sustained response (pitch-response persistence, 4.5 +/- 0.88 cents, p < 0.001). The degree of increased peak compensation predicted executive dysfunction, while the degree of impaired pitch-response persistence predicted memory dysfunction, in AD patients. The current study demonstrates pitch reflex as a sensitive behavioral index of impaired prefrontal modulation of sensorimotor integration, and compromised plasticity mechanisms of memory, in AD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
As a kind of sustainable development mode, energy-efficient building and green design is not only the ideal way of the new rural development of China in the future, but also the direction of the world's development. When taking the green energy-saving design practice and application of the new rural construction as an illustration in this paper, it turns out that the energy-efficient building and green design has broad prospects and typical meanings in the new rural construction. Wang Yu is the demonstration village of the new rural construction in Hebei province. The rainwater harvesting, waste-water treatment, gray water utilization, natural landscape of water fall, building energy conservation and biogas utilization, etc. in Wang Yu, everything without exception annotate the significance of the green design and green construction.
This article analyzes parameters of stability of the secondary electrical circuits of the variable speed pump storage unit. The differential equations in Laplace transformation are describing operation equations and transfer functions of dynamic mathematical model of the exciter and control system. The additional factors and transferring units are installing in the structure circuit of the dynamic model. The dynamic mathematical model of the variable speed pump storage unit is comparing with standard mathematical models of IEEE. Investigation for stability and instability of the secondary electrical circuits of the variable speed pump storage unit are created the methodology of testing.
Background Three competing theories about the mechanism of mitral coaptation in normal subjects were evaluated by color Doppler and vector flow mapping (VFM): (1) beginning of ventricular (LV) ejection, (2) breaking of the jet of diastolic LV inflow, and (3) returning diastolic vortices impacting the leaflets on their LV surfaces. Methods and Results We analyzed 80 color Doppler frames and 320 VFM measurements. In all 20 normal subjects, coaptation occurred before LV ejection, 78 +/- 16 ms before onset. On color Doppler frames the larger anterior, and smaller posterior vortices circle back and, in all cases, strike the ventricular surfaces of the leaflets. On the first closing-begins frame, for the first time, vortex velocity normal to the ventricular surface of the anterior leaflet (AML) is greater than that in the mitral orifice, and the angle of attack of LV vortical flow onto the AML is twice as high as the angle of flow onto the valve in orifice. Thus, at the moment coaptation begins, vortical flow strikes the mitral leaflet with higher velocity, and higher angle of attack than orifice flow, and thus with greater force. According to the breaking of the jet theory, one would expect to see de novo LV flow perpendicular to the leaflets beginning after transmitral flow terminates. Instead, the returning continuous LV vortical flow that impacts the valve builds continuously after the P-wave. Conclusions Late diastolic vortices strike the ventricular surfaces of the mitral leaflets and contribute to valve coaptation, permitted by concomitant decline in transmitral flow.
Agent technology is currently being considered as an important approach for developing intelligent manufacturing systems. It offers a new way of thinking about many of the classical problems in manufacturing engineering. A multi-agent-based approach for solving the part allocation problems in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) is presented that can easily cope with the dynamic environment. Four agents were involved in carrying out the tasks of allocating parts on different machines: communicator, machine, part and material handling device (MHD). Upon arrival in the manufacturing facility, the part informs the communicator agent about the task requirements. The communicator agent divides the task into subtasks and sends a call-for-bids message to the machine and MHD agents. Each machine responds in accordance with its process capabilities and buffer limit. This response may be for the whole task or for one or more subtasks and it contains the price and cost details for these subtasks along with the performance index and acceptance ratio of the machine. The final allocation is made based on the objective function that includes processing and transportation costs and time. An algorithm is presented that is used by the communicator agent for allocating parts to different machines. An illustrative example is given to solve the task allocation on five machines, with each machine having different performance index and acceptance ratio.
Global warming and climate change have increased the frequency of heavy precipitation. Heavy rainfall results in a large amount of water entering roadways within a short time period. Water remains in the pavement system for a certain time period, reduces strengths and moduli of granular bases and subgrades, and induces pavement distresses. Geotextiles are commonly used in roadways for drainage purposes, which require soil saturation. However, soil saturation does not always exist in roadways to enable gravity drainage of water by conventional geotextiles. Wicking geotextile, a new type of woven geotextile, was recently introduced to the market to remove moisture from unsaturated soils. The wicking geotextile includes special hydrophilic and hygroscopic 4 deep groove fibers with multichannel cross sections, which can induce high capillary force to wick water out of moist soil without saturation of soil. The ability and rate of this geotextile to remove water from moist soil depends on several factors, including temperature and relative humidity. In this study, a series of laboratory tests under controlled temperature and relative humidity were conducted to quantify the water removal rate of the wicking geotextile. A half length of the wicking geotextile was submerged in water tanks, and the other half was hung outside of the tanks. The water wicked from the tank into the geotextile evaporated into the air. Such tests were conducted under 12 different test conditions (i.e., different temperatures and relative humidities). Test results demonstrated that the wicking geotextile could remove water from the water tank at a certain rate. Three commonly used methods available in the literature were adopted to quantify the water removal rate of the wicking geotextile based on vapor pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. A new concept of equivalent water evaporation length of a wicking geotextile is proposed in this study. It should be pointed out that the tests presented in this paper aimed to determine the maximum water removal capacity of the geotextile given sufficient water supply. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Heat shock factor 1 (Hsf1) is a transcription factor that is often described as the master regulator of the heat shock response in all eukaryotes. However, due to its essentiality in yeast, Hsf1's contribution to the transcriptome under basal and heat shock conditions has never been directly determined. Using a chemical genetics approach that allowed rapid Hsf1 inactivation, my colleagues and I have recently shown that the bulk of the heat shock response is Hsf1 independent. Rather than inducing genes responsible for carrying out the various cellular processes required for adaptation to thermal stress, Hsf1 controls a dedicated set of chaperone protein genes devoted to restoring protein-folding homeostasis. The limited scope of the Hsf1 regulon belies its outsize importance in cellular fitness.
Objective: Hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging) is a common cause of dementia in older adults. We tested the variability in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins associated with previously identified HS-Aging risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Methods: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort (ADNI; n = 237) data, combining both multiplexed proteomics CSF and genotype data, were used to assess the association between CSF analytes and risk SNPs in four genes (SNPs): GRN (rs5848), TMEM106B (rs1990622), ABCC9 (rs704180), and KCNMB2 (rs9637454). For controls, non-HS-Aging SNPs in APOE (rs429358/rs7412) and MAPT (rs8070723) were also analyzed against A131-42 and total tau CSF analytes. Results: The GRN risk SNP (rs5848) status correlated with variation in CSF proteins, with the risk allele (T) associated with increased levels of AXL Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (AXL), TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand Receptor 3 (TRAIL-R3), Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and clusterin (CLU) (all p < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction). The TRAIL-R3 correlation was significant in meta-analysis with an additional dataset (p = 5.05 x 10-5). Further, the rs5848 SNP status was associated with increased CSF tau protein-a marker of neurodegeneration (p = 0.015). These data are remarkable since this GRN SNP has been found to be a risk factor for multiple types of dementia-related brain pathologies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Advanced glycation end products (AGEs)/receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) or Rho/ Rho kinase (ROCK) are both involved in the development of non-specific inflammation. However, there are few reports about their effects on neuroinflammation. Here, we explored the mechanism of AGEs/RAGE/Rho/ ROCK pathway underlying the non-specific inflammation and microglial polarization in BV2 cells. AGEs could activate ROCK pathway in a concentration-dependent manner. ROCK inhibitor fasudil and RAGE-specific blacker FPS-ZM1 significantly inhibited AGEs-mediated activation of BV2 cells and induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). FPS-ZM1 and fasudil exerted their anti-inflammatory effects by downregulating inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), NLRP3 and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-KB) p65. In addition, AGEs induced both M1 (CD16/32, M1 marker) and M2 (CD206, M2 marker) phenotype in BV2 cells. Fasudil and FPS-ZM1 led to a decreased M1 and increased M2 phenotype. Together, these results indicate that the AGEs/RAGE/Rho/ROCK pathway in BV2 cells could intensify the non-specific inflammation of AD, which will provide novel strategies for the development of anti-AD drugs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The sociological interpretation of reality and the processes occurring in it is determined by various approaches to understanding its nature. The diversity of these approaches is eventually reduced to its definition as a reality of the social world, which reflects, on the one hand, objectively existing phenomena and processes and, on the other hand, people's subjective perceptions about the objective reality. Social actuality as objective social reality exists beyond the subject of social cognition, i.e. objectively. Each new generation inherits from their parent generations a complex system of economic, social and political structures, institutions, organizations and t5he established relationships which form the social infrastructure of objective reality (social reality). But people perceive directly only the part of objective reality in which they have their own knowledge. Due to knowledge of its particular sphere or different objects of reality, people get its more or less adequate subjective perception. Therefore, the study of social reality focuses on the process of formation of subjective ideas about the objects of social actuality and attitudes to it, which is included in the subject area of sociology of knowledge. That is, from the standpoint of sociology of knowledge, the research object is not reality, but ideas about the reality. Based on subjective perceptions of reality, people construct their own reality. These perceptions change under the influence of various factors affecting the changes in social reality in the process of its formation. A significant change factor is the crisis which affects all spheres of the Russian society. The article analyzes the impact of the crisis on the changes in social reality in different population groups in Russia and the way it is reflected on people's attitudes to each other, to family, work and education. Based on analysis of data from nationwide studies it has been revealed that there is a contradiction between Russians' traditional attitudes to each other, family, work and education and the emerging modern attitudes. Amid crisis, this contradiction tends to exacerbate due to the impossibility of maintaining the traditional principles underlying the old way of life, which leads to uncertainty and formation of new forms of certainty through the change in life paradigm.
This paper reports on an evaluation of the properties of a novel structure known as OASIS (R) which was designed at Coventry University as an enhancement of the commercially available geotextiles when incorporated in the permeable pavement system (PPS). The impact on the hydraulic behaviour of a PPS was analysed through the study of infiltration rate, throughout the PPS and time required to reach the steady-state stage behaviour of the water within the PPS, under extreme rainfall intensities of 100mm/hr, 200mm/hr and 400mm/hr, corresponding to a 100-year return period rainfall over a duration of 15min in different parts of the world. The result indicated that the novel structure provides an extra benefit when incorporated in PPSs, delaying peak flow of a rainfall event by retaining and storing great volumes of water within its structure. These additional benefits are especially important under extreme rainfall events.
The improved version of the author's previously declared asymmetric cipher protocol based on matrix power function (MPF) is presented. Proposed modification avoids discrete logarithm attack (DLA) which could be applied to the previously declared protocol. This attack allows us to transform the initial system of MPF equations to so-called matrix multivariate quadratic (MMQ) system of equations, which is a system representing a subclass of multivariate quadratic (MQ) systems of equations. We are making a conjecture that avoidance of DLA in protocol, presented here, should increase its security, since an attempt to solve the initial system of MPF equations would appear to be no less complex than solving the system of MMQ equations. No algorithms are known to solve such a system of equations. Security parameters and their secure values are defined. Security analysis against chosen plaintext attack (CPA) and chosen ciphertext attack (CCA) is presented. Measures taken to prevent DLA attack increase the security of this protocol with respect to the previously declated protocol.
In the past year, automation has become more and more important in the field of elemental and structural chemical analysis to reduce the high degree of manual operation and processing time as well as human errors. Thus, a high number of data points are generated, which requires fast and automated data evaluation. To handle the preprocessed export data from different analytical devices with software from various vendors offering a standardized solution without any programming knowledge should be preferred. In modern laboratories, multiple users will use this software on multiple personal computers with different operating systems (e.g., Windows, Macintosh, Linux). Also, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have gained growing importance. The developed software, Project Analytical Data Evaluation (ADE), is implemented as a web application. To transmit the preevaluated data from the device software to the Project ADE, the exported XML report files are detected and the included data are imported into the entities database using the Data Upload software. Different calculation types of a sample within one measurement series (e.g., method validation) are identified using information tags inside the sample name. The results are presented in tables and diagrams on different information levels (general, detailed for one analyte or sample).
In visual tracking, learning a robust and efficient appearance model is a challenging task. Model learning determines both the strategy and the frequency of model updating, which contains many details that could affect the tracking results. Self-paced learning (SPL) has recently been attracting considerable interest in the fields of machine learning and computer vision. SPL is inspired by the learning principle underlying the cognitive process of humans, whose learning process is generally from easier samples to more complex aspects of a task. We propose a tracking method that integrates the learning paradigm of SPL into visual tracking, so reliable samples can be automatically selected for model learning. In contrast to many existing model learning strategies in visual tracking, we discover the missing link between sample selection and model learning, which are combined into a single objective function in our approach. Sample weights and model parameters can be learned by minimizing this single objective function. Additionally, to solve the real-valued learning weight of samples, an error-tolerant self-paced function that considers the characteristics of visual tracking is proposed. We demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of our tracker on a recent tracking benchmark data set with 50 video sequences. (C) 2017 SPIE and IS&T
Households in the USA state of Oklahoma serviced by investor owned electric utilities that have smart meters may select to be charged based on either a traditional meter rate schedule, a smart meter schedule, or they may install a household grid-tied wind turbine and be subject to a different rate schedule. The objective of the research was to determine the economic consequences of installing microgeneration grid-tied wind turbine systems (6 kW; 10 kW) given alternative pricing structures for households at five unique locations with different wind resources. Twenty years of hourly wind speed data, and hourly electricity use data for representative households, were obtained for each location. The annual household electricity cost among the five locations ranged from $894 to $1199 for the smart meter rates and $870-$1191 for the traditional meter rates. The estimated annual cost of $5389 for the least costly household grid-tied 6 kW wind turbine system, is five times greater than the annual cost of purchasing from the grid. If external consequences of electricity generation and distribution are ignored, given current and proposed rate structures and prices, household wind turbine electricity generation systems are not economically competitive in the region. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The development of a non-human primate (NHP) model of spinal cord injury (SCI) based on mechanical and computational modeling is described. We scaled up from a rodent model to a larger primate model using a highly controllable, friction-free, electronically-driven actuator to generate unilateral C6-C7 spinal cord injuries. Graded contusion lesions with varying degrees of functional recovery, depending upon pre-set impact parameters, were produced in nine NHPs. Protocols and pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to optimize the predictability of outcomes by matching impact protocols to the size of each animal's spinal canal, cord, and cerebrospinal fluid space. Post-operative MRI confirmed lesion placement and provided information on lesion volume and spread for comparison with histological measures. We evaluated the relationships between impact parameters, lesion measures, and behavioral outcomes, and confirmed that these relationships were consistent with our previous studies in the rat. In addition to providing multiple univariate outcome measures, we also developed an integrated outcome metric describing the multivariate cervical SCI syndrome. Impacts at the higher ranges of peak force produced highly lateralized and enduring deficits in multiple measures of forelimb and hand function, while lower energy impacts produced early weakness followed by substantial recovery but enduring deficits in fine digital control (e.g., pincer grasp). This model provides a clinically relevant system in which to evaluate the safety and, potentially, the efficacy of candidate translational therapies.
A location-aware service (LAS) is an imperative topic in ambient intelligence; an LAS recommends suitable utilities to a user based on the user's location and context. However, current LASs have several problems, and most of these services do not last. This study proposes an optimization-based approach for enhancing the sustainability of an LAS. In this paper, problems related to optimizing an LAS system are presented. The distinct nature of an LAS optimization problem in comparison with traditional optimization problems is subsequently described. Existing methods applicable to solving an LAS optimization problem are also reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are then discussed as a motive for combining multiple optimization methods in this study, as illustrated by an example. Finally, opportunities and challenges faced by researchers in this field are presented.
Due to engineering application and its intricacy, flow in a rotating coiled duct has become one of the most challenging research fields of fluid mechanics. In this paper, a spectral-based numerical study is presented for the fully developed two-dimensional flow of viscous incompressible fluid through a rotating coiled rectangular duct. The emerging parameters controlling the flow characteristics are the rotational parameter i.e. the Taylor number, Tr; the Grashof number, Gr; the Prandtl number, Pr and the pressure driven parameter i.e. the Dean number, Dn. The rotation of the duct about the center of curvature is imposed in both the positive and negative direction and combined effects of the centrifugal, Coriolis and buoyancy forces are investigated, in detail, for two cases of the Dean Numbers, Case I: Dn = 1000 and Case II: Dn = 1500. For positive rotation, we investigated unsteady solutions for 0 <= Tr <= 500, and it is found that the chaotic flow turns into steady-state flow through periodic or multi-periodic flows, if Tr is increased in the positive direction. For negative rotation, however, unsteady solutions are investigated for -700 <= Tr <= -50, and it is found that the unsteady flow undergoes through various flow instabilities, if Tr is increased in the negative direction. Typical contours of secondary flow patterns and temperature distributions are obtained at several values of Tr, and it is found that the unsteady flow consists of asymmetric two-to eight-vortex solutions. The present study demonstrates the role of secondary vortices on convective heat transfer and it is found that convective heat transfer is significantly enhanced by the secondary flow; and the chaotic flow, which occurs at large Dn's, enhances heat transfer more effectively than the steady-state or periodic solutions. This study also shows that there is a strong interaction between the heating-induced buoyancy force and the centrifugal-Coriolis instability in the curved channel that stimulates fluid mixing and consequently enhances heat transfer in the fluid. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The performance of some Fourier transform based fundamental current detection algorithms is evaluated and compared in this paper. Some difficult conditions are imposed by a load which draws a highly distorted current with a slight fluctuation, i. e. with non-equal semi-periods. The implemented algorithms are Recursive Discrete Fourier Transform (RDFT), Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) implemented through a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter and respectively the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) with Butterfly operation and radix-2 decimation in time (DIT). A digital signal processor (DSP) based solution is used for real-time implementation, namely a dSPACE 1103 controller development board. MATLAB/Simulink software is used for the design of the algorithms because it provides specialized tools and blocks. For the performance comparison one used criteria like total harmonic distortion (THD) and settling time of detected fundamental current and also the run time for the DSP. This study may be useful as a guide for engineers in selecting the suitable Fourier transform based control algorithm for active power filters or other grid-synchronized equipments which are operating in difficult load conditions.
The recycling of post-consumer PET (POSTC-PET) as a technology is a cross-disciplinary practice with many fields of science involved. These include polymer chemistry and physics, process engineering and manufacturing engineering. This paper presents a concise background of the current state of knowledge with respect to POSTC-PET recycling covering the disciplines mentioned above. In the first section of this paper, a brief background is presented about virgin PET synthesis, thermal transitions, processing and applications. The second section covers the PET recycling process with a focus on contamination and ways to increase the molecular weight of recycled PET (R-PET). It serves as an introduction to Section 3 where the chain extension process is described in detail. In Section 3, the current understanding of chain extenders, chain extension experimentation variables and equipment is reviewed. Reactive extrusion process is described in Section 4 with a special focus on system stability under chain extension conditions. Section 5 covers the effect of chain extension on R-PET thermal transitions and crystallinity. Section 6 presents the injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) process as a possible application for R-PET with a focus on preform and bottle moulding. The last section gives a description of FT-IR technology to detect bottles' orientation and conformation changes. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In most of quantum key distribution schemes, real random number generators are required on both sides for preparation and measurement bases choice. In this paper, via entangled photon pairs, we present a side channel passive quantum key distribution scheme, in which random number generator is unneeded on the receiver side. On the sender Alice side, along with massive of signal photons, small amount of uninformative photons are randomly sent to her partner Bob for eavesdropper-presence testing and error estimation. While on the other side channel, without using random number generator Bob do not actively measure the income signals randomly in two non-orthogonal bases. Instead, he just passively register photon click events, in two settled symmetric (i.e.X) bases, and the raw key(click events) is the probable outcomes of a special quantum measurement module constructed by Alice and Bob. Further, security analysis and formulas of security bounds for this scheme is also investigated under reasonable assumptions. Our work shows that the uninformative state employed in this paper is powerful to fight against eavesdropper Eve.
Disparities in health and mental health between sexual-minority and heterosexual individuals emerge in early adolescence, in large part because sexual-minority individuals are stigmatized. In this article, I review and synthesize the role of gender nonconformity in shaping how adolescents experience the stigma associated with sexual-minority status. Then, I review research with adolescents and emerging adults that shows that gender nonconformity is associated with variation in harassment and mental health outcomes both within sexual-minority groups and between sexual-minority and heterosexual groups. Next, I discuss gender nonconformity as a construct that influences the association between sexual-minority status and peer relations, and between peer relations and individual psychosocial outcomes. Finally, I discuss the importance of addressing stigma related to gender nonconformity.
The JET machine and associated facilities require significant maintenance and enhancement installation activities in support of the experimental exploitation programme. A proportion of these activities are within radiological and respiratory hazardous environments. As such, breathing air-fed one-piece pressurised suits provide workers with protection from the inhalation of both airborne tritium and beryllium dust. The design of these suits has essentially developed empirically. There is a practical necessity to improve the design to optimise worker performance, protection and thermal comfort. This paper details the complexity of modeling the three-dimensional thermofluid domain between the inner surface of the suit and under garments that includes mass as well as heat transfer, suiting geometry, human metabolism and respiration and effects of limb movements. The methods used include computational fluid dynamics (CFD), theoretical adaptations of mixed-phase turbulent now, profile scanning of a suit and actuating life size mannequin and data processing of the images and experimental validation trials. The achievements of the current programme and collaborations are presented in the paper and future endeavors are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Generally, the rainwater harvesting systems are used as a strategy for the management of runoff and water supply during rainfall. Before transforming the rainfall in the form of evaporation or flooding, it can be collected and used with help of storage methods. There are many restrictions for implementation of rainwater harvesting systems, such as, the lack of space and the cost of installing these systems, and these are caused the optimization to be inevitable. Imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) is a new method of optimization that uses from a social phenomenon and has an appropriate performance. In this paper, 4. The multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm (MOICA) has been studied on part of the Tehran city, Iran. The results showed the high effectiveness of the optimal volume of rainwater harvesting systems on the peak discharge and flood volume, so that for a flood with a return period of 50 years, the peak flow reduced up to about 53 percent and flood volume reduced up to about 49 percent.
BACKGROUND: Addiction relies on persistent alterations of neuronal properties, which depends on gene regulation. Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) is an immediate early gene that modulates neuronal plasticity underlying learning and memory. Its role in cocaine-induced neuronal and behavioral adaptations remains elusive. METHODS: Acute cocaine-treated mice were used for quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and confocal imaging from striatum. Live imaging and transfection assays for Arc overexpression were performed from primary cultures. Molecular and behavioral adaptations to cocaine were studied from Arc-deficient mice and their wild-type littermates. RESULTS: Arc messenger RNA and proteins are rapidly induced in the striatum after acute cocaine administration, via an extracellular-signal regulated kinase-dependent de novo protein synthesis. Although detected in dendrites, Arc accumulates in the nucleus in active zones of transcription, where it colocalizes with phospho-Ser10-histone H3, an important component of nucleosomal response. In vitro, Arc overexpression downregulates phospho-Ser10-histone H3 without modifying extracellular-signal regulated kinase phosphorylation in the nucleus. In vivo, Arc-deficient mice display decreased heterochromatin domains, a high RNA-polymerase II activity and enhanced cFos expression. These mice presented an exacerbated psychomotor sensitization and conditioned place preference induced by low doses of cocaine. CONCLUSIONS: Cocaine induces the rapid induction of Arc and its nuclear accumulation in striatal neurons. Locally, it alters the nucleosomal response, and acts as a brake on chromatin remodeling and gene regulation. These original observations posit Arc as a major homeostatic modulator of molecular and behavioral responses to cocaine. Thus, modulating Arc levels may provide promising therapeutic approaches in drug addiction.
In this pilot study, the effectiveness and feasibility of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for decreasing disruptive behavior was evaluated in 17 young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). PCIT is a behaviorally based play therapy which targets the parent-child relationship through live coaching of play interactions and the implementation of consistent discipline techniques. Following an average of 19 sessions, disruptive behavior as measured by multiple indices significantly decreased. Congruently, parents increased positive parental following skills and decreased negative parental leading skills across the course of treatment. In addition, parents reported increased levels of child functional communication and prosocial behavior. High levels of parent acceptability of the intervention were also noted. Effect sizes were medium to large across measured dependent variables, including parent report and behavioral observations. Implications for the clinical use of PCIT within an ASD population and future research with controlled outcome studies are discussed.
Background Consultations in primary care for allergies are common. It can be difficult to differentiate between IgE-mediated (atopic) symptoms which respond to allergen-specific interventions-and those that are non-atopic, without performing objective tests that are largely unavailable in UK general practice. Aim To develop and test a screening tool that can accurately discriminate between atopic and non-atopic individuals. Design and setting A validation study that took place in 2012 in adult volunteers aged >16 years in Scotland. Method A questionnaire screening tool was developed using questions from a large cohort study and through consultation with experts. Participants answered the questions and had skin prick tests for four aeroallergens (house dust mite, cat, dog, and mixed grasses). Participants were classified as atopic if any average wheal diameter was >= 3 mm bigger than the negative control. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of individual and combinations of questions were calculated. Results In all, 143 participants completed the questionnaire and underwent skin prick testing. Of these, 81 (56.6%) were atopic. Negative predictive values for the individual questions ranged from 48.2% (55 not atopic out of 114 negative answers) to 72.0% (18/25). An optimum combination of four questions was identified, in which a negative answer to all four questions was reported by 24 participants, 21 (87.5%) of whom were not atopic. Conclusion The authors have identified a set of questions that correctly predict negative skin prick tests to common aeroallergens 88% of the time. These may be useful to exclude patients who do not warrant further investigation and who can reliably be advised that allergen avoidance is neither necessary nor helpful.
While the initial treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) usually relies on surgical resection followed by systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, recent advances in understanding of NSCLC biology and immunology have spurred the development of numerous targeted therapies. In particular, a class of immune modulatory drugs targeting the immune checkpoint pathways has demonstrated remarkable durable remissions in a select minority of advanced NSCLC patients, potentially heralding the elusive cancer cure. This review focuses on the clinical evidence for one of these agents, nivolumab, and clarifies the role of this drug in the context of the other targeted therapies currently available for the treatment of NSCLC. We also discuss the impact of nivolumab on patient quality of life and health economics.
Currently, serious investigations are made now in road security as a critical research domain. However, the majority of them are based on expensive infrastructure. In this paper, we propose a new scheme for warnings spreading between vehicles without any dependence on road foundation. A new concept of Active vehicle that combines the power of the intelligence ambient and the V2V technologies is introduced. For alert endorsement, we suggest a new model for trust management for VANET based on only the cooperation between Active vehicles in order to enhance their security states and to cut with the spread of false warnings through a vehicular network. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Of the 57 human cytochromes P450 (P450) and 58 pseudogenes discovered to date, (http:// drinelson.utmem.edu/CytochromeP450.html), 1/4 still remain orphans in the sense that their function, expression sites, and regulation are still largely not elucidated. The posthuman genome-sequencing project era has presented the research community with novel challenges. Despite many insights gathered about gene location and genetic variations in our human genome, we still lack important knowledge about these novel P450 enzymes and their functions in endogenous and exogenous metabolism, as well as their possible roles in the metabolism of toxicants and carcinogens. Our own list of such orphans currently consists of 13 members: P450 2A7, 2S1, 2U1, 2W1, 3A43, 4A22, 4F11, 4F22, 4V2, 4X1, 4Z1, 20A1, and 27C1. Some of the orphans, e.g. P450s 2W1 and 2U1, already have putative assigned functions in arachidonic acid metabolism and may activate carcinogens. However, at this point, for the majority of them more knowledge is available about their genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms than of their biological functions. It is noteworthy that most P450 orphans express high interspecies sequence conservation and have orthologs in rodents (e.g. CYP4X1/Cyp4x1, CYP4V2/Cyp4v3). This review summarizes recent knowledge about the P450 orphans and questions remaining about their specific roles in human metabolism.
In the modern information and knowledge society, every citizen stands to benefit from advanced ICT and smart techniques. However, in proportion to such benefits, many side effects also come to us. The typical side effects are copyright infringement, hacking, cyber bullying, internet addiction, etc. Internet addiction can occur at all levels, can also cause serious social problems unless the appropriate prevention and treatment programs are provided at national level. The purpose of this paper is to investigate correlation between internet addiction and school age groups. To achieve this purpose, extensive and national survey works of National Information Society Agency of Korea (NIA) are analyzed. Based on results of thorough statistical analysis, it is concluded that there is a meaningful correlation between internet addiction and school age groups.
Fish protein hydrolysate was prepared from muscle of small red scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata) by treatment with a protease from the fungus Penicillium digitatum. Protein hydrolysate was found to strongly inhibit the angiotensin I converting enzyme and exhibited high antioxidative activity through 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay. After ultrafiltration, peptides were isolated by a two-step procedure: size exclusion chromatography on a Toyopearl HW-40 followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with a high purification yield of 2.5 mg of peptide per gram of initial protein. Two major peptides were then identified by nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS), corresponding to the following sequences: Leu-Val-Thr-Gly-Asp-Asp-Lys-Thr-Asn-Leu-Lys (1,204.665 Da) and Asp-Thr-Gly-Ser-Asp-Lys-Lys-Gln-Leu (992.511 Da). These peptides, mainly composed of hydrophilic amino acids, showed high antioxidative and angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activities. These data suggest that the two novel peptides isolated from the muscle hydrolysate of small red scorpionfish can be a beneficial ingredient for functional foods or pharmaceuticals against hypertension and oxidative stress. (C) 2016 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
This paper introduces a novel backward/forward sweep algorithm for both fundamental and harmonics flow calculation in distribution network. In this algorithm, the fundamental and harmonic currents of each branch are calculated by equivalent current injection method. The relationship between branch currents and harmonic currents of each order on a radial feeder can be calculated by summing the injection current from the receiving end toward the sending end of the feeder. After obtaining the branch currents, both the harmonics bus voltage and the fundamental bus voltage can be easily obtained from the sending end to the receiving end based on the Kirchhoff's Voltage Law. By using this method, the LU decomposition is avoided and it will save huge computational time. Base on special hierarchy characteristic of radial network, the branches are sorted by layers. So that the branch power loss and voltage drop can be computed in parallel at each level. The computational time can be further reduced. The test results demonstrate the flexible, accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.
Occupational and recreational aquatic activity predisposes our population to a wide variety of dermatoses. Sunburn, urticaria, jellyfish stings, and contact dermatitis to rubber equipment are common allergies that are encountered in the aquatic environment. Among the infections, tinea versicolor, intertrigo, and verruca vulgaris are widespread. Swimmer's itch may occur due to skin penetration by schistosome cercariae, while free-floating nematocysts of marine coelenterates may precipitate seabather's eruption. Suit squeeze due to cutaneous barotrauma and lymphoedematous peau d'orange due to decompression are rare, described entities. This review serves as a ready reckoner for Indian dermatologists and medical practitioners to identify and manage these conditions.
The chaotic map has complex dynamics under ideal conditions however it suffers from the problem of performance degradation in the case of finite computing precision. In order to prevent the dynamics degradation, in this paper the continuous Chen chaotic system is used to perturb both the inputs and parameters of Chebyshev map to minimize the chaotic degradation phenomenon under finite precision. Experimental evaluations and corresponding performance analysis demonstrate that the Chebyshev chaotic map has a good randomness and complex dynamic performance by using the proposed perturbation method, and some attributes of the proposed system are stronger than the original system (e.g. chaos attractor and approximate entropy). Finally, the corresponding pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) is constructed by this method and then its randomness is evaluated via NIST SP800-22 and TestU01 test suites, respectively. Statistical test results show that the proposed PRNG has high reliability of randomness, thus it can be used for cryptography and other potential applications.
This paper proposes a protection method for single line-to-ground (SLG) faults in an ungrounded offshore wind farm with fully-rated converter-based wind turbines. The proposed method uses the unsynchronized current phasors measured by unit protections installed at the connection point of the fully-rated converter (FRC)-based wind turbines (WTs). Each unit protection collects the unsynchronized current phasors from two adjacent nodes and synchronizes them by aligning the positive-sequence current to the same phase angle. The faulted section is identified by comparing the phase angles of the synchronized zero-sequence currents from adjacent nodes. Simulations of an ungrounded offshore wind farm with relay models were carried out using power system computer-aided design (PSCAD)/electromagnetic transients including direct current (EMTDC).
Today, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) with open source operating systems still need many efforts to guarantee that the protocol stack succeeds in delivering its expected performance. This is due to subtle implementation problems and unexpected interactions between protocol layers. The subtleties are often related to the judicious choice of parameters, in particular those related to timing issues. As these issues are often not visible in simulation studies, this paper proposes a low-cost versatile measurement testbed and demonstrates its usefulness in measuring the performance of RDC protocols. We demonstrate how the testbed helped to identify bugs in the implementation of an RDC protocol.
Background: Carbohydrates, also called glycans, play a crucial but not fully understood role in plant health and development. The non-template driven formation of glycans makes it impossible to image them in vivo with genetically encoded fluorescent tags and related molecular biology approaches. A solution to this problem is the use of tailor-made glycan analogs that are metabolically incorporated by the plant into its glycans. These metabolically incorporated probes can be visualized, but techniques documented so far use toxic copper-catalyzed labeling. To further expand our knowledge of plant glycobiology by direct imaging of its glycans via this method, there is need for novel click-compatible glycan analogs for plants that can be bioorthogonally labelled via copper-free techniques. Results: Arabidopsis seedlings were incubated with azido-containing monosaccharide analogs of N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine, L-fucose, and L-arabinofuranose. These azido-monosaccharides were metabolically incorporated in plant cell wall glycans of Arabidopsis seedlings. Control experiments indicated active metabolic incorporation of the azido-monosaccharide analogs into glycans rather than through non-specific absorption of the glycan analogs onto the plant cell wall. Successful copper-free labeling reactions were performed, namely an inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction using an incorporated N-acetylglucosamine analog, and a strain-promoted azide-alkyne click reaction. All evaluated azido-monosaccharide analogs were observed to be non-toxic at the used concentrations under normal growth conditions. Conclusions: Our results for the metabolic incorporation and fluorescent labeling of these azido-monosaccharide analogs expand the possibilities for studying plant glycans by direct imaging. Overall we successfully evaluated five azido-monosaccharide analogs for their ability to be metabolically incorporated in Arabidopsis roots and their imaging after fluorescent labeling. This expands the molecular toolbox for direct glycan imaging in plants, from three to eight glycan analogs, which enables more extensive future studies of spatiotemporal glycan dynamics in a wide variety of plant tissues and species. We also show, for the first time in metabolic labeling and imaging of plant glycans, the potential of two copper-free click chemistry methods that are bio-orthogonal and lead to more uniform labeling. These improved labeling methods can be generalized and extended to already existing and future click chemistry-enabled monosaccharide analogs in Arabidopsis.
This paper presents a Real-Time Operating System ( RTOS) implementation. This RTOS is based on the OSEK-OS 2.2.3 standard, which will be extended to support an Asymmetric Multiprocessor System ( AMP). The term asymmetric means that the microprocessors included in the system have heterogeneous architectures ( a subgroup of identical processors may exist but not the whole amount of them are identical) and each processor executes an instance of the RTOS specifically designed and optimised. Also, a description of the development process that took place to communicate each RTOS instance, taking advantage of hardware features in order to exchange information between processors, is provided. Finally, a functional test application is presented: Processors monitor each other using RTOS resources as keep-alive events while sharing information about GPIO activity and reporting changes and system status using serial communication. In addition, an energy consumption analysis is performed for this test case. The hardware platform used in this development is the Argentine Open Industrial Computer ( Computadora Industrial Abierta Argentina, CIAA) based on the LPC4337 dual-core AMP microcontroller, which includes an ARM Cortex-M4 ( ARMv7E-M architecture) acting as the master microprocessor and an ARM Cortex-M0 ( ARMv6-M architecture), as the slave coprocessor.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, autoimmune disease affecting the spine. Involvement of the cervical spine, atlanto occipital, temporomandibular and cricoarytenoid joints leads to difficulty in airway management and securing airway by conventional laryngoscopy. We report a case of severe ankylosing spondylitis with severe restriction in neck movements and limited mouth opening. Conventional laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation was impossible in this patient as there was no movement at the atlanto-occipital join. So, we decided to use King Vision (TM) video laryngoscope for intubation which proved to be of great use. (C) 2016 Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Egyptian Society of Anesthesiologists.
Managing the aging of digital control systems ensures that nuclear power plant systems are in adequate safety margins during their life cycles. Software is a core component in the execution of control logic and differs between digital and analog control systems. The hardware aging management for the digital control system is similar to that for the analog system, which has matured over decades of study. However, software aging management is still in the exploratory stage. Software aging evaluation is critical given the higher reliability and safety requirements of nuclear power plants. To ensure effective inputs for reliability assessment, this paper provides the required software aging information during the life cycle. Moreover, the software aging management scheme for safety digital control system is proposed on the basis of collected aging information.
In this work a novel integrated biokinetic wastewater treatment (WWT) model based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method as hydraulic model is proposed. Significant outcomes of this work are the computation of a detailed spatial distribution of compounds in WWT basins and the quantification of the effects of the stirrer induced mixing on the evolution of compounds. SPH is a meshfree particle method which herein is applied to compute a treatment plant's reactor hydraulics. The characteristic feature of SPH is to describe a fluid's dynamics by particles that move along with the flow. The present WWT model takes advantage of this principle by assigning the compounds' concentrations, which are defined by the activated sludge model no. 1, to SPH particles. A full-scale treatment plant simulation with a variable stirrer induced mixing intensity in the denitrification basin is performed. A spatial distribution of the compounds' concentrations, which up to now was unknown for unsteady flows, is computed and analysed. The developed framework is generic and therefore expected to be applicable for modelling chemical engineering processes which are influenced by hydrodynamic effects. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Alcohol dependent patients (ADs) are known to encounter severe interpersonal problems. Nonverbal communication skills are important for the development of healthy relationships. The present study aimed to explore emotional facial expression (EFE) recognition and posed and spontaneous EFE expressivity in male ADs divided into two groups according to Cloninger's typology and the impact of their interpersonal relationship quality on the potential nonverbal deficits. Twenty type I ADs, twenty-one type II ADs, and twenty control participants took part in an EFE recognition task and an EFE expressivity task that considered personal emotional events (spontaneous expressivity) and EFE in response to a photo or word cue (posed expressivity). Coding was based on judges' ratings of participants' emotional facial expressions. Participants additionally completed a questionnaire on interpersonal relationship quality. No difference between the three groups emerged in the EFE recognition task. Type II ADs showed heightened deficits compared with type I ADs in EFE expressivity: Judges perceived less accurate posed EFE in response to a cue word and less intense and positive spontaneous EFE in type II ADs compared to control participants. In addition, type II ADs reported more relationship difficulties compared to both type I ADs and control participants. These interpersonal relationship difficulties were related to some of the EFE expressivity deficits of AD-IIs. This study underlines the important differences between the interpersonal functioning of AD subtypes.
Schizophrenia is associated with deficits in cortical plasticity that affect sensory brain regions and lead to impaired cognitive performance. Here we examined underlying neural mechanisms of auditory plasticity deficits using combined behavioural and neurophysiological assessment, along with neuropharmacological manipulation targeted at the N-methyl-D-aspartate type glutamate receptor (NMDAR). Cortical plasticity was assessed in a cohort of 40 schizophrenia/schizoaffective patients relative to 42 healthy control subjects using a fixed reference tone auditory plasticity task. In a second cohort (n = 21 schizophrenia/schizoaffective patients, n = 13 healthy controls), event-related potential and event-related time-frequency measures of auditory dysfunction were assessed during administration of the NMDAR agonist D-serine. Mismatch negativity was used as a functional read-out of auditory-level function. Clinical trials registration numbers were NCT01474395/NCT02156908. Schizophrenia/schizoaffective patients showed significantly reduced auditory plasticity versus healthy controls (P = 0.001) that correlated with measures of cognitive, occupational and social dysfunction. In event-related potential/time-frequency analyses, patients showed highly significant reductions in sensory N1 that reflected underlying impairments in theta responses (P < 0.001), along with reduced theta and beta-power modulation during retention and motor-preparation intervals. Repeated administration of D-serine led to intercorrelated improvements in (i) auditory plasticity (P = 0.001); (ii) theta-frequency response (P < 0.05); and (iii) mismatch negativity generation to trained versus untrained tones (P = 0.02). Schizophrenia/schizoaffective patients show highly significant deficits in auditory plasticity that contribute to cognitive, occupational and social dysfunction. D-serine studies suggest first that NMDAR dysfunction may contribute to underlying cortical plasticity deficits and, second, that repeated NMDAR agonist administration may enhance cortical plasticity in schizophrenia.
Psychosocial rehabilitation programs received mental health professional support in addition to traditional medication therapy. Many psychosocial programs were developed since the 1990s, including cognitive remediation therapy. In this review, we focus on cognitive remediation therapy in Korea since the 1990s. We review several cognitive rehabilitation programs developed in Korea and their outcome studies and suggest future research directions and prospects. We reviewed cognitive rehabilitation programs including social cognitive training as well as more recent forms of computerized cognitive rehabilitation. Although there are differences in cognitive domains by training targets, almost all neurocognitive remediation trainings in Korea have beneficial effects on early visual processing, various attention types, and executive function. Future studies need to investigate the mechanisms and various mediators underlying the relationships between cognitive functions and functional outcomes. With more comprehensive cognitive and social cognitive programs, we can enhance both cognition and functional outcomes of the patients with schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Dark Triad traits, including narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy, are assumed to link to poor personal morality. However, an increasing number of studies suggested that narcissism was brighter than Machiavellianism and psychopathy. In a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 2828), relationships among the Dark Triad traits, moral identity (both internalization and symbolization) and prosocial behavior were examined. The results showed that narcissism was positively related to internalization, symbolization and prosocial behavior, whereas Machiavellianism and psychopathy were negatively related to internalization and prosocial behavior but not related to symbolization. Further, the positive links between narcissism and personal morality was moderated by self-esteem, such that the links were weaker among high self-esteem individuals than low self-esteem ones. These findings highlighted the bright but fragile side of narcissism and were discussed from cognitive and motivational perspectives. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Automatic change detection is one of the remote sensing applications that has received an increasing attention during the last years. However, fully automatic solutions reach their limitation; on the one hand, it is difficult to design general decision criteria able to select area of changes for images under various acquisition conditions, and on the other hand, the relevance of changes may differ from one user to another. In this letter, we introduce an alternative change detection method based on relevance feedback. The proposed algorithm is iterative and based on a query and answer model that: 1) asks the user questions about the relevance of his targeted changes and 2) according to these answers, updates change detection results. Our method is also based on a new formulation of canonical correlation analysis (CCA), referred to as context-aware CCA, that learns transformations, which map data from different input spaces (related to multitemporal satellite images) into a common latent space, which is sensitive to relevant changes while being resilient to irrelevant ones. These CCA transformations correspond to the optimum of a particular constrained maximization problem that mixes an alignment term with a context-based regularization criterion. The particularity of this novel CCA approach resides in its ability to exploit spatial geometric context resulting into better performances compared with other CCA approaches, as shown in experiments.
We investigated the effects of different perspective taking instructions on emotional variables in the context of intergroup reconciliation. In three experiments we found that individual-level and group-level perspective taking increased willingness to compensate an outgroup for historical transgressions of the ingroup. The data suggests that the two forms of perspective taking trigger different psychological processes. Individual-level perspective taking was more strongly linked to feelings of empathy. Group-level perspective taking increased feelings of collective guilt. Collective guilt mediated the positive effect of group-level perspective taking on willingness to compensate. No such effect was found for individual-level perspective taking.
Moving objectives detection is the basis for the application of computer vision technology, in intelligent video surveillance systems in many areas have a wide range of applications for dynamic in the context of the moving object detection, presented in this paper that will improve the pyramid optical flow law and the combination of edge detection moving object detection method. First of video pre-processing applications, Wavelet Threshold to remove noise; second, through the pyramid optical flow to achieve maximum displacement appears moving objectives; then uses a canny edge detection for the edge of an image information; and finally will get the optical flow of information and the edge of the characteristics of the information so the second value after the integration of the morphology through the follow-up to the campaign to get accurate target information. Lab results indicate that the algorithm real-time high, the versatile good, you can more accurately detect moving objectives.
In this paper, a dynamical and adaptive LDPC coding scheme is proposed in order to improve the performance of the cryptographic key distillation protocol of an FSO/CV-QKD system considering the atmospheric turbulence levels that may be present in the classic channel. In this scheme, the Generator and Parity-check matrices of the encoder are modified according to the Rytov variance values estimated in the classical channel in order to improve the final secret key rate of the QKD system. The simulation results show that the final secret key was incremented 87.5 Kbps (from 52.5 Kbps to 140 Kbps) using the adaptive code rate; meaning that the information encrypted and transmitted is increased. In addition, the use of the dynamical encoder avoids the drastically reduction of the final secret key rate when the conditions of the classical channel are considered. Our proposal might be implemented based on the use of high-speed FPGA's and DSP's commercially available.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine with an important role in both immune regulation and exercise metabolism. During exercise, IL-6 is predominantly produced within, and released from, the working skeletal muscle, with the magnitude of IL-6 release related to the duration and intensity of the exercise bout. IL-6 (a) is the first cytokine to appear in circulation following initiation of exercise and (b) undergoes the most pronounced increase as compared to any cytokine in response to exercise. In the last decade, studies have suggested a role for IL-6 as a muscle energy sensor, pointing to its potential role as a biomarker of overtraining. Currently, ELISA and western blot is the staple detection technique for IL-6. However, they require substantial time, cost, machinery and specialist training. On the other hand, a Graphene Oxide-based amperometric sensor can provide real-time, low-cost yet sensitive protein detection. But, the coverage of mono-layered Graphene Oxide (GO) flake on SiO2 substrate is limited due to rinsing and unwanted crosslinking of the 3-AminoPropylTriEthoxy Silane (APTES) adhesion layer, thus leading to low available GO surface area, high variability of electrical conductivity between chips and low sheet transconductance that limits sensitivity of the sensor. This work had overcome this limitation by depositing carbon on the edges of GO flakes using an ethanol chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Then, the post-treated GO is fabricated into a liquid-gated biosensor and the detection window for IL-6 is presented. Our work yielded a highly conductive and electrically homogeneous carbon-based transducer to enable low-cost, facile, real-time yet sensitive amperometric sensors for IL-6. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Reservoir geomechanics can play an important role in hydrocarbon recovery mechanism. In CO2-EOR process, reservoir geomechanics analysis is concerned with the simultaneous study of fluid flow and the mechanical response of the reservoir under CO2 injection. Accurate prediction of geomechanical effects during CO2 injection will assist in modeling the Carbon dioxide recovery process and making a better design of process and production equipment. This paper deals with the implementation of a program (FORTRAN 90 interface code), which was developed to couple conventional reservoir (ECLIPSE) and geomechanical (ABAQUS) simulators, using a partial coupling algorithm. A geomechanics reservoir partially coupled approach is presented that allows to iteratively take the impact of geomechanics into account in the fluid flow calculations and therefore performs a better prediction of the process. The proposed approach is illustrated on a realistic field case. The reservoir geomechanics coupled models show that in the case of lower maximum bottom hole injection pressure, the cumulative oil production is more than other scenarios. Moreover at the high injection pressures, the production rates will not change with the injection bottom hole pressure variations. Also the FEM analysis of the reservoir showed that at CO2 injection pressure of 11000 Psi the plastic strain has been occurred in the some parts of the reservoir and the related stress path show a critical behavior.
The Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT), Portland Center, has been offering Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MfgET) and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) undergraduate programs for students around the greater Portland Metropolitan area for the past ten (10) years. A Master's degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MMfgET) is also offered. These programs are extensions of programs offered at OIT main Campus in Klamath Falls. Portland Campus programs are designed specifically to cater to students employed full-time in industry. This paper discusses engineering technology programs and their direct application in training local company full-time employees to become engineers and managers. Most of these employees have associate degrees and years of experience in their respective companies. A discussion of engineering-related, hands-on work experience and understanding of engineering principles and their applications presented. The effectiveness of special instruction techniques, custom-developed for students with limited time availability, while maintaining ABET accreditations is also discussed. Discussion-oriented learning and teaching models and the impact of adding dimensions to these instructional models, with the industry-experienced students in mind, is emphasized. Case studies are presented to show improvement in student engagement, curiosity, and application of new knowledge to actual day-to-day, work-environment problems. Advantages and disadvantages of night school are discussed.
Reducing discolouration events in aging water supply networks is a major challenge facing water utilities worldwide as they are required to comply with increasingly stringent water quality regulations in a proactive and cost-effective manner. Emerging control methods for dynamic reconfiguration of network topologies could reduce the risk of discolouration by regulating hydrodynamic conditions to facilitate the implementation of self-cleaning networks. This review paper provides a holistic assessment of mechanisms and pathways which govern discolouration processes, associated models and the impact of system hydraulics so that control rules can be formulated. The possible role of biofilms in conditioning the wall-bound cohesive layers is identified and methods for their effective removal are discussed. The information presented identifies key variables and research gaps to facilitate the development of near real-time hydraulic and network topology control for the long-term and proactive management of discolouration risk.
Theories of value development often identify adolescence as the period for value formation, and cultural and familial factors as the sources for value priorities. However, recent research suggests that value priorities can be observed as early as in middle childhood, and several studies, including one on preadolescents, have suggested a genetic contribution to individual differences in values. In the current study, 174 pairs of monozygotic and dizygotic seven-year-old Israeli twins completed the Picture-based Value Survey for Children (PBVS-C). We replicated basic patterns of relations between value priorities and variables of socializationgender, religiosity, and socioeconomic statusthat have been found in studies with adults. Most important, values of Self-transcendence, Self-enhancement, and Conservation, were found to be significantly affected by genetic factors (29 percent, 47 percent, and 31 percent, respectively), as well as non-shared environment (71 percent, 53 percent, and 69 percent, respectively). Openness to change values, in contrast, were found to be unaffected by genetic factors at this age and were influenced by shared (19 percent) and non-shared (81 percent) environment. These findings support the recent view that values are formed at earlier ages than had been assumed previously, and they further our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors involved in value formation at young ages.
Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Traditionally, antistaphylococcal penicillins (ASPs) have been considered the agents of choice for the treatment of MSSA bacteremia. Vancomycin has been demonstrated to have poorer outcomes in several studies and is only recommended for patients with severe penicillin allergies. Although cefazolin is considered as an alternative to the ASPs for patients with nonsevere penicillin allergies, cefazolin offers several pharmacologic advantages over ASPs, such as more convenient dosing regimens, and antimicrobial stewardship programs are increasingly using cefazolin as the preferential agent for MSSA infections as part of cost-saving initiatives. Concerns about susceptibility to hydrolysis by type A beta-lactamases, particularly at high inocula seen in deep-seated infections such as endocarditis; selective pressures from unnecessary gram-negative coverage; and lack of comparative clinical data have precluded recommending cefazolin as a first-line therapy for MSSA bacteremia. Recent clinical studies, however, have suggested similar clinical efficacy but better tolerability, with lower rates of discontinuation due to adverse drug reactions, of cefazolin compared with ASPs. Other variables, such as adequate source control (e.g., intravascular catheter removal, debridement, or drainage) and enhanced pharmacodynamics through aggressive cefazolin dosing, may mitigate the role of cefazolin inoculum effect and factor into determining improved clinical outcomes. In this review, we highlight the utility of cefazolin versus ASPs in the treatment of MSSA bacteremia with a focus on clinical efficacy and safety.
This study examined parent-offspring communication of disgust-related information and its effects on children's feelings of disgust and fear towards an animal. Mothers were instructed to provide information about a novel animal to their children (N=60) by studying in secrecy either disgusting or neutral attributes that were allegedly characteristic of this animal. First, mothers were instructed to do this in a nonverbal way; then they were also allowed to use verbal utterances. Results indicated that nonverbal communication of disgust by the mothers failed to produce any effects on offspring's subjective evaluations of the animal. However, verbal information transmission did have a differential impact on children's feelings of disgust and fear. That is, children to whom mothers had verbally communicated about a set of disgusting specimens not only displayed higher levels of disgust (Cohen's d=1.02) but also exhibited higher levels of fear (Cohen's d=.62) towards the novel animal as compared to children to whom mothers had verbally communicated about neutral specimens. The effect on fear was mainly due to the fact that children after the verbal neutral information exhibited a clear decline in fear, whereas children to whom mothers had provided verbal disgust information maintained a similar level of fear towards the animal. The implications of these results for the familial transmission of disgust and fear will be discussed.
Impact bar is the key part of buffer bed for long distance conveyor equipment which has the characteristics of high energy absorption, low friction, product spillage and scattering elimination. The state-of-the-art and the application of the impact bar and metal matrix composites (MMCs) are introduced. The paper emphatically explained the impact bar structure and integrated process, new theories and computer aided development in the buffer investigation. The main concerns for the impact bar include: structure composition, performance index and key technology; damping technology, laser texturing and genetic algorithm in the simulation and optimization; computer aided design, analysis, testing and manufacturing process in the development of impact bar. Furthermore, the manufacturing standard, quality control and data mining for the impact bar design is urgent to exploited in the future. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily life. Businesses now offer services through smartphones. Users also store sensitive personal information on their smartphones and perform financial transactions. Consequently, security attacks on smartphone platforms have also increased significantly. Traditional desktop anti-virus software are not very effective in smartphones due to the restrictive security model and they are heavily dependent on their definition updates. In this paper, we propose a Secure Anti-Malware framework (SAM) for smartphone operating systems to prevent malicious activities. The core idea of the framework resembles a smart city. The framework acts as the government of the city and treats the applications as citizens. It has components to enforce laws (prevent) and perform policing (monitor and control). It also provides APIs to aid anti-virus software and third-party applications to leverage the functionalities of the framework. Our goal is to design an operating system framework that hinders malicious activities and thus protects user resources.
This paper describes the general design considerations and analysis for an industrial size electro-static (ES) motor/generator. The operation fundamentals, combined with FE (Finite Element) analysis are discussed with the target operation in the outer space or vacuumed environment. The torque production and limitations with high voltage electric field are analyzed and compared with conventional frame size electric machines.
Ethosuximide is a chiral drug substance primarily indicated for the treatment of absence seizures. This drug is used clinically as the racemate. The human urinary metabolites of ethosuximide (1) have been studied using chiral gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The metabolites identified were the previously reported unchanged ethosuximide (I) enantiomers, all four stereoisomers of 2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-succinimide (II), and the four stereoisomers of 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylsuccinimide (III). Through chemical derivatization methodology and GC/MS (using electron impact ionization [EI] and chemical ionization [CI] techniques) two enantiomers of a previously unreported metabolite of ethosuximide, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxymethylsuccinimide (VI), have been identified. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BackgroundApproximately 40%-45% of youth with anxiety disorders do not achieve remission (or a substantial reduction in symptoms) following treatment, highlighting the need to identify predictors of treatment response. Given the well-established link between attentional biases and anxiety disorders in youth and adults, this study examined the neural correlates of directing attention toward and away from emotional faces in relation to pediatric anxiety treatment response. MethodPrior to beginning treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), 37 youth (age 7-19years) with generalized and/or social anxiety disorder completed a task with conditions that manipulated whether participants were instructed to match emotional faces (explicit emotion processing) or match shapes in the context of emotional face distractors (implicit emotion processing) during functional magnetic resonance imaging. ResultsResults revealed that reduced activation in superior frontal gyrus (SFG), encompassing the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), during implicit processing of emotional faces predicted a greater reduction in anxiety severity pre-to-post treatment. Post hoc analyses indicated that effects were not significantly moderated by the type of treatment or anxiety type. ConclusionsFindings suggest that less recruitment of SFG, including the dorsal ACC and dorsomedial PFC, during implicit emotion processing predicts a greater reduction in youth anxiety symptoms pre-to-post treatment. Youth who exhibit reduced activation in these areas while matching shapes in the context of emotional face distractors may have more to gain from CBT and SSRI treatment due to preexisting deficits in attentional control. These findings suggest that neuroimaging may be a useful tool for predicting which youth are most likely to benefit from anxiety treatment.
The potential impact of using human genetic data linked to longitudinal electronic medical records on drug development is extraordinary; however, the practical application of these data necessitates some organizational innovations. Vanderbilt has created resources such as an easily queried database of >2.6 million de-identified electronic health records linked to BioVU, which is a DNA biobank with more than 230,000 unique samples. To ensure these data are used to maximally benefit and accelerate both de novo drug discovery and drug repurposing efforts, we created the Accelerating Drug Development and Repurposing Incubator, a multidisciplinary think tank of experts in various therapeutic areas within both basic and clinical science as well as experts in legal, business, and other operational domains. The Incubator supports a diverse pipeline of drug indication finding projects, leveraging the natural experiment of human genetics.
What cognitive processes specify understanding of humans' behavior in communicative situations? 51 healthy controls and 50 schizophrenia patients were presented with social silent video clips and then they performed flicker task and predicted characters' behavior. During the experiment eye movements were recorded. Observers, who have made successful predictions, evaluated the characters' actions, specified how they categorized the objects and events, and then profiled the objects' features, on which just these categorizations were based. Information about these features remained in working memory and directed a communicative situation's perception. Observers noticed the events, relevant to the viewpoints of the characters, and understood their gazes, gestures and actions. Those, who have made unsuccessful predictions, advanced hypotheses about how the characters categorized the objects and events, but they did not profile the objects' features, on which categorizations were based. They demonstrated blindness to the events, relevant to the viewpoints of the characters, and did not understand a coherence of their actions.
Mountainous vegetation recovery after major earthquakes has important implications for preventing postseismic soil erosion and geo-hazards. However, regional recovery processes of the postseismic vegetation and its spatial patterns have not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, we examined the vegetation recovery processes following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (Ms. 7.8) using 16-day intervalMODIS normalized difference vegetation index time series from 2000 to 2014. The Savitzky-Golay filter and cross-correlogram spectral matching were used to eliminate the influences of cloud and intraannual phenology. Change vector analysis was applied to measure the postseismic vegetation recovery conditions for each year. We find that the heavily affected vegetation areas are mainly located along the southern part of the earthquake surface rupture. Additionally, five major affected vegetation types have been identified: shrubland, grassland, broadleaf/mixed, needleleaf, and plantation. Shrubland represents the largest fraction of vegetation type in the heavily affected area, whereas plantation comprises the smallest fraction of vegetation type in the heavily affected area. Further analysis indicates that the changing trend of postseismic vegetation conditions in the first six years can be grouped into three classes: recovering, fluctuating, and deteriorating. Recovering and fluctuating classes cover 59% and 37% of the heavily affected areas, respectively, and are the two dominant postseismic vegetation classes. In contrast, the deteriorating recovery class covers just 4% of the affected areas. The recovering vegetation is primarily located around the epicenter, and most of the fluctuating classes is located to the northeast of the epicenter. These results demonstrate that the Wenchuan earthquake has long-term and important influences on mountain vegetation, andmore attention should be given to the locations of deteriorating and fluctuating vegetation following mountain disasters.
Based on similarities between overconsumption of food and addictive drugs, there is increasing interest in food addiction, a compulsive eating pattern defined using symptoms parallel to substance use disorders. Impulsivity, a multidimensional construct robustly linked to drug addiction, has been increasingly examined as an obesity determinant, but with mixed findings. This study sought to clarify relations between three major domains of impulsivity (i.e., impulsive personality traits, discounting of delayed rewards, and behavioral inhibition) in both obesity and food addiction. Based on the association between impulsivity and compulsive drug use, the general hypothesis was that the impulsivity-food addiction relation would be stronger than and responsible for the impulsivity-obesity relation. Using a cross-sectional dimensional design, participants (N = 181; 32% obese) completed a biometric assessment, the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scales, a Go/NoGo task, and measures of monetary delay discounting. Results revealed significantly higher prevalence of food addiction among obese participants and stronger zero-order associations between impulsivity indices and YFAS compared to obesity. Two aspects of impulsivity were independently significantly associated with food addiction: (a) a composite of Positive and Negative Urgency, reflecting proneness to act impulsively during intense mood states, and (b) steep discounting of delayed rewards. Furthermore, the results supported food addiction as a mediator connecting both urgency and delay discounting with obesity. These findings provide further evidence linking impulsivity to food addiction and obesity, and suggest that food addiction may be a candidate etiological pathway to obesity for individuals exhibiting elevations in these domains. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Since the beginning of this millennium, shale gas extraction by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has boosted U.S. gas production, changing the global energy markets and leading to low natural gas and oil prices. Following the expansion of this industry, other countries such as U.K., Poland or China are exploring and supporting its extraction as a way to secure energy independence in an increasingly unstable geopolitical context and as an effective transition substitute for coal while moving towards a renewable energy market. However, there are important environmental concerns associated to shale gas production including atmospheric pollution and air quality issues, risks of water pollution and nuisance to the population caused by road traffic and noise. Water management is one of the most challenging problems since hydraulic fracturing requires millions of liters of water and produces high volumes of liquid effluents at variable compositions and rates. The present review focuses on the characteristics of this wastewater and the options existing to minimize its environmental impacts. At the moment, deep well injection and re-use are the most commonly employed strategies for this wastewater in the U.S. but the stricter regulations in other regions will require further treatment. Partial treatment and reuse is the preferred option where feasible. Otherwise, techniques such as mechanical vapor compression, thermal distillation or forward osmosis may be needed in order to meet the requirements for discharge. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study produces composite geotextile, and evaluates its effectiveness of being used for soil protection. Kevlar fibers, high strength polyethylene terephthalate (HPET) fibers, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) fibers, and nylon grids are made into Kevlar/PET/Nylon composite geotextiles, which are then tested for air permeability, and tensile, tearing, and bursting strength. The experimental results show that when the ratio of Kevlar fibers to HPET is 0/40, the resulting composite geotextile has the optimum mechanical properties, where the tensile strength is approximately 990 N, tearing strength is approximately 890 N, bursting strength is approximately 3700, and an air permeability is around 35 cm(3)/cm(2)/s.
State recognition in disconnecting switches is important during substation automation. Here, an effective computer vision-based automatic detection and state recognition method for disconnecting switches is proposed. Taking advantage of some important prior knowledge about a disconnecting switch, the method is designed using two important features of the fixed-contact facet of such disconnecting switches. First, the Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) of the fixed-contact are used to design a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) target detector to position the disconnecting switches and distinguish their loci against a usual cluttered background. Then a discriminative Norm Gradient Field (NGF) feature is used to train the Support Vector Machine (SVM) state classifier to discriminate disconnecting switch states. Finally, experimental results, compared with other methods, demonstrate that the proposed method is effective and achieves a low miss rate while delivering high performance in both precision and recall rate. In addition, the adopted approach is efficient and has the potential to work in practical substation automation scenarios.
Due to the edge-preserving ability, the bilateral filter is considered as the fundamental tool in computer vision and computer graphics. However, its computational complexity has a close connection with the size of the box window. This drawback leads that the bilateral filter is inappropriate for the computational insensitive application. One way to accelerate the bilateral filter is to approximate the Gaussian range kernel by trigonometric functions and synthesise final results from a set of filtering results of fast convolutions. A novel approximation that can be applied to any range kernel is proposed. Specifically, first the Z transformation of the range kernel is obtained, then approximate the Z transformation of the range kernel using the Pade Approximation. Finally, inverse the transformation of the Pade approximation and obtain an exponential sum to approximate original range kernel, where the coefficients of the exponential basis are computed by solving a set of linear equations. Experiments show the method achieves state-of-the-art results in terms of accuracy and speed.
Asthma is a condition that has consistently demonstrated significant health outcome inequalities for minority populations. One approach used for care of patients with asthma is the incorporation of technology for behavioral modification, symptom monitoring, education, and/or treatment decision making. Whether such technological interventions can improve the care of black and inner-city patients is unknown. We reviewed all randomized controlled trial technological interventions from 2000 to 2015 performed in minority populations. A total of 16 articles met inclusion and exclusion criteria; all but 1 was performed in a childhood or adolescent age group. The interventions used MPEG audio layer-3 players, text messaging, computer/Web-based systems, video games, and interactive voice response. Many used tailored content and/or a specific behavior theory. Although the interventions were based on technology, most required additional special staffing. Subject user satisfaction was positive, and improvements were noted in asthma knowledge, medication adherence, asthma symptoms, and quality of life. Unfortunately, health care utilization (emergency department visits and/or hospitalizations) was typically not improved by the interventions. Although no single intervention modality was vastly superior, the computer-based interventions appeared to have the most positive results. In summary, technology-based interventions have a high level of user satisfaction among minority and urban/low-income individuals with asthma, and can improve asthma outcomes. Further large-scale studies are needed to assess whether such interventions can decrease health disparities in asthma. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Background: Liao River basin in Jilin Province is the place of origin of the Dongliao River. This study gives a comprehensive analysis of the vegetation coverage in the region and provides a potential theoretical basis for ecological restoration. Methods: The seasonal variation of vegetation greenness and dynamics based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in major land cover types in the region was studied. Analyzing the relationship NDVI, temperature and rainfall, we derived a set of predictor variables from 2001 to 2012 using the MODIS Terra level 1 Product (MOD02QKM). Results: The results showed a general increasing trend in NDVI value in the region, while 34.63 % of the region showed degradation. NDVI values begin to rise from April when plants are regreening and they drop in September when temperature are decreasing and the leaves are falling in the study area and temperature was found decreasing during the period of 2001-2012 while rainfall showed an increasing trend. This model could be used to observe the change in vegetation greenness and the dynamic effects of temperature and rainfall. Conclusion: This study provided important data for the environmental protection of the basin area. And we hope to provide scientific analysis for controlling water and soil erosion, maintaining the sustainable productivity of land resources, enhancing the treatment of water pollution and stimulating the virtuous cycle of the ecological system.
The irregular shape of most agricultural products complicates their physical and engineering analysis. Therefore, precise description of the irregular product geometric surface form/shape is significant for any related analyses used in both product quality evaluation and design of agricultural machinery systems. This study describes a reverse engineering application procedure for precise description of the physical attributes related to geometric features (size, shape, volume etc.) of the agricultural products under consideration. In the study, a three-dimensional (3D) laser scanner has been utilised and 3D digital model data of the selected sample agricultural product (Pecan Fruit) processed in the virtual environment through 3D scanner software and 3D parametric solid modelling design software has been collected. After 3D solid models were created, some of the physical attributes related to geometric features of the agricultural products were measured precisely and realistic virtual 3D computer aided design (CAD) data was provided for deeper rheological investigation such as structural deformation, fluid dynamics (flow) and heat transfer analyses of the products by means of computer aided engineering (CAE) techniques. Finally, a comparative deformation simulation case study was concluded. This study contributes to further research into the development of agricultural machinery and equipment through the utilisation of reverse engineering and CAD tools.
Cellular learning automata (CLA) is a distributed computational model which was introduced in the last decade. This model combines the computational power of the cellular automata with the learning power of the learning automata. Cellular learning automata is composed from a lattice of cells working together to accomplish their computational task; in which each cell is equipped with some learning automata. Wide range of applications utilizes CLA such as image processing, wireless networks, evolutionary computation and cellular networks. However, the only input to this model is a reinforcement signal and so it cannot receive another input such as the state of the environment. In this paper, we introduce a new model of CLA such that each cell receives extra information from the environment in addition to the reinforcement signal. The ability of getting an extra input from the environment increases the computational power and flexibility of the model. We have designed some new algorithms for solving famous problems in pattern recognition and machine learning such as classification, clustering and image segmentation. All of them are based on the proposed CLA. We investigated performance of these algorithms through several computer simulations. Results of the new clustering algorithm shows acceptable performance on various data sets. CLA-based classification algorithm gets average precision 84% on eight data sets in comparison with SVM, KNN and Naive Bayes with average precision 88%, 84% and 75%, respectively. Similar results are obtained for semi-supervised classification based on the proposed CLA. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study proposes the third-person perception (TPP) can be viewed as a type of comparative social judgment in the domain of media influence, in that it is a function of assimilation, contrast, and anchoring mechanisms in the process of social comparison. The derived hypotheses were tested with web-based experimental data (N = 511). Results showed some evidence that TPP was a function of assimilation and contrast effects. There was also evidence that there were anchoring effects, and such effects tended to emerge when self was the anchor. Implication and directions for future research on TPP were discussed.
In this work, computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed to predict the temperature distribution on a part during an autoclave run. Data from an experimental study are used as input to the simulations and also for comparison with the numerical results. A conjugate heat transfer approach was used for the simulations, where best agreement with experiments was obtained from the simulation that included thermal radiation and utilized an experimentally obtained velocity profile as inlet velocity. A yet more detailed inlet velocity profile and more advanced turbulent model could result in an even better agreement.
The aggregation of specific proteins plays a pivotal role in the etiopathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). beta-Amyloid (A beta) peptide-containing plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated protein tau are the two main neuropathological lesions in Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, Parkinson's disease is defined by the presence of intraneuronal inclusions (Lewy bodies), in which alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn) has been identified as a major protein component. The current literature provides considerable insights into the mechanisms underlying oligomericrelated neurodegeneration, as well as the relationship between protein aggregation and ND, thus facilitating the development of novel putative biomarkers and/or pharmacological targets. Recently, alpha-syn, tau and A beta have been shown to interact each other or with other pathological proteins to form toxic heteroaggregates. These latest findings are overcoming the concept that each neurodegenerative disease is related to the misfolding of a single specific protein. In this review, potential opportunities and pharmacological approaches targeting alpha-syn, tau and A beta and their oligomeric forms are highlighted with examples from recent studies. Protein aggregation as a biomarker of NDs, in both the brain and peripheral fluids, is deeply explored. Finally, the relationship between biomarker establishment and assessment and their use as diagnostics or therapeutic targets are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The increase in food allergies worldwide has led to mounting concern among healthcare providers, families, schools, and the food industry. Of particular interest is the growing prevalence of peanut allergy. The Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) study confirms that the early introduction of peanut significantly decreases the risk of developing peanut allergy among high-risk children. However, a number of issues, such as a unified definition of high risk and whether or not to screen patients before peanut introduction, remain. This article will review the LEAP findings and the new peanut allergy prevention guidelines, and then briefly discuss recommendations on the introduction of other allergenic foods based on results from other food allergy prevention randomised controlled trials.
A human biomonitoring (HBM) survey in four areas affected by natural or anthropogenic arsenic pollution was conducted in Italy within the framework of the SEpiAs project. A questionnaire, including the exploration of risk perception (RP) regarding environmental hazards and access to and trust in information, was administered to 282 subjects stratified by area, gender and age. The survey was designed to investigate how populations living in polluted areas could adopt prevention-oriented habits, fostered by the awareness of existing risks and, in addition, how increased knowledge of RP and information flows could support researchers in identifying recommendations, and presenting and disseminating HBM results. This study characterizes the four areas in terms of RP and access to and trust in environmental information, and provides insights into the influence of RP and environmental information on food consumption. For the data analysis, a combined random forest (RF) and logistic regression approach was carried out. RF was applied to the variables derived from the questionnaire in order to identify the most important in terms of the aims defined. Associations were then tested using Fisher's exact test and assessed with logistic regression in order to adjust for confounders. Results showed that the perception of and personal exposure to atmospheric and water pollution, hazardous industries and waste, hazardous material transportation and waste was higher in geographical areas characterized by anthropogenic pollution. Citizens living in industrial areas appeared to be aware of environmental risks and had more confidence in environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) than in public authorities. In addition, they reported an insufficient circulation of information. Concerning the influence of RP and environmental information on food consumption, a high perception of personal exposure to atmospheric pollution and hazardous industries was associated with a lower consumption of local fish. In conclusion, different RPs and information flow patterns were observed in areas with arsenic of natural origin or in industrial contexts. These findings may be useful for targeted risk communication plans in support of risk management strategies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objectives: Based on the trait activation principle, researchers have tested whether personality traits are capable of predicting sport performance (under pressure). Typically, however, these investigations followed experimental approaches in the laboratory and only rarely in the field. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to test for the generalizability of findings gained in these experimental studies and to investigate potential trait activation for real-world performance in competitions. Based on prior studies on the prediction of performance under pressure, the selected personality traits involved fear of negative evaluation, dispositional reinvestment, and athletic identity. Design: Personality traits were used as predictors for low-pressure and high-pressure basketball free-throw performance. Method: First, 53 basketball players completed trait questionnaires. Second, directly prior to performance assessments, participants reported on perceived importance, their somatic and cognitive state anxiety, and confidence. Third, free-throw performance was assessed in a low-pressure condition (i.e., successful free-throw percentage for 30 attempts) and repeatedly in 12 high-pressure conditions within real basketball matches (i.e., successful free-throw percentage for total attempts). Results: Two main findings were identified: First, none of the traits predicted performance under low pressure. Second, under high-pressure, only fear of negative evaluation as well as state anxiety were significantly negatively associated with performance in competitions. Conclusion: These results extend existing literature and add applied and ecologically valid empirical support for the relevance of anxiety-related traits (i.e., fear of negative evaluation) and states for performance under pressure in real-world competitions, emphasizing the importance of self-presentational considerations in athletes when the stakes are high. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The ability to solve problems is a critical skill in all undergraduate engineering curricula. Students' capacity for problem solving is complicated by the fact that higher level reasoning skills, including the capacity for abstraction, are not innate in a person until the mid-twenties or later. The results of an exploratory study that looked at students' episodes of reasoning when solving problems in a sophomore level electrical circuits course are presented. Students' problem solving attempts are analyzed using the representation mapping framework developed by Hahn and Chater that is based on store representations of knowledge and how they are applied. This framework distinguishes between similarity and rules-based cognitive processes, and accounts for memory-bank, rules-based, similarity based and prototype types of reasoning. Students were asked to think aloud when solving specific problems selected by the course instructor. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in detail to identify the types of reasoning and the degree of abstraction in the students' problem solving attempts. This study demonstrated that representation mapping is useful framework for studying students' problem solving skills in electrical engineering.
The purpose of this article is to elucidate a development problem of nonverbal means of communication as a condition of reflection formation in communication in children with speech underdevelopment. A research technique to characterise nonverbal encoding and decoding of nonverbal means of communication has been offered by the authors. Experimental study of nonverbal encoding and decoding is carried out, and also the analysis of the obtained experimental data is provided. (C) 2016 The Authors Published by Elseiver Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Due to recent intensification in international mobility in Europe, its citizens are exposed to a much wider range of lifestyles and competing attitudes towards difference. Individuals are, therefore, increasingly likely to encounter strangers' and are, therefore, required to negotiate discontinuities and contradictions between the values that are transmitted through different sites. In response, the article explores the concept of the stranger' through original data collected in the UK and Poland. The article highlights that the construction of who is a stranger depends on national historical contexts, core values and related visions of the society. The UK and Poland have very different histories and experiences with social diversity, impacting on the ways in which individuals negotiate strange encounters. In both countries, the stranger' is often seen in a negative way and in relation to the minority groups that are perceived to be visibly different, distinct or unknown' in contemporary times. In Poland, this is now largely articulated through sexual prejudice (homophobia), whilst in the UK, attitudes towards the stranger' are largely conveyed through religious prejudice (Islamophobia). As such, the article offers a means of understanding how encounters with difference produce' strangers in different contexts.
This article reviews some of the recent advances on FTIR spectroscopy in areas related to natural tissues and cell biology. It is an update on our previously published review on the applications of spectroscopic methods employed for the analysis of biological molecules, and summarizes some of the most widely used peak frequencies and their assignments. The aim of this review is to update and consolidate our previously published spectral database, which will help researchers in defining the chemical structure of the biological tissues introducing most of the important peaks present in the natural tissues more precisely and accurately. In spite of applying different methods, there seems to be a considerable similarity in defining the peaks of identical areas of the FTIR spectra. As a result, it is believed that preparing a unique collection of the frequencies encountered in FTIR spectroscopic studies can provide substantial help for future studies. In this article, we have included recent studies that have been reported since previous publication that will be of considerable assistance and added value to those who are focusing their research on defining chemical pathway to the progression of different diseases.
Recent success in cancer immunotherapy (anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD1/PD-L1) has confirmed the hypothesis that the immune system can control many cancers across various histologies, in some cases producing durable responses in a way not seen with many small molecule drugs. However, only less than 25% of all patients do respond to immunooncology drugs and several resistance mechanisms have been identified (e.g. T-cell exhaustion, overexpression of caspase-8 and beta-catenin, PD-1/PD-L1 gene amplification, MHC-I/II mutations). To improve response rates and to overcome resistance, novel second- and third-generation immuno-oncology drugs are currently evaluated in ongoing phase I/II trials (either alone or in combination) including novel inhibitory compounds (e.g. TIM-3, VISTA, LAG-3, IDO, KIR) and newly developed co-stimulatory antibodies (e.g. CD40, GITR, OX40, CD137, ICOS). It is important to note that co-stimulatory agents strikingly differ in their proposed mechanism of action compared with monoclonal antibodies that accomplish immune activation by blocking negative checkpoint molecules such as CTLA-4 or PD-1/PD-1 or others. Indeed, the prospect of combining agonistic with antagonistic agents is enticing and represents a real immunologic opportunity to 'step on the gas' while 'cutting the brakes', although this strategy as a novel cancer therapy has not been universally endorsed so far. Concerns include the prospect of triggering cytokine-release syndromes, autoimmune reactions and hyper immune stimulation leading to activation-induced cell death or tolerance, however, toxicity has not been a major issue in the clinical trials reported so far. Although initial phase I/II clinical trials of agonistic and novel antagonistic drugs have shown highly promising results in the absence of disabling toxicity, both in single-agent studies and in combination with chemotherapy or other immune system targeting drugs; however, numerous questions remain about dose, schedule, route of administration and formulation as well as identifying the appropriate patient populations. In our view, with such a wealth of potential mechanisms of action and with the ability to fine-tune monoclonal antibody structure and function to suit particular requirements, the second and third wave of immuno-oncology drugs are likely to provide rapid advances with new combinations of novel immunotherapy (especially co-stimulatory antibodies). Here, we will review the mechanisms of action and the clinical data of these new antibodies and discuss the major issues facing this rapidly evolving field. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Systematic identification and characterization of genetic perturbations have proven useful to decipher gene function and cellular pathways. However, the conventional approaches of permanent gene deletion cannot be applied to essential genes. We have pioneered a unique collection of similar to 70 temperature-sensitive (ts) lethal mutants for studying cell cycle regulation in the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii(1). These mutations identify essential genes, and the ts alleles can be conditionally inactivated by temperature shift, providing valuable tools to identify and analyze essential functions. Mutant collections are much more valuable if they are close to comprehensive, since scattershot collections can miss important components. However, this requires the efficient collection of a large number of mutants, especially in a wide-target screen. Here, we describe a robotics-based pipeline for generating ts lethal mutants and analyzing their phenotype in Chlamydomonas. This technique can be applied to any microorganism that grows on agar. We have collected over 3000 ts mutants, probably including mutations in most or all cell-essential pathways, including about 200 new candidate cell cycle mutations. Subsequent molecular and cellular characterization of these mutants should provide new insights in plant cell biology; a comprehensive mutant collection is an essential prerequisite to ensure coverage of a broad range of biological pathways. These methods are integrated with downstream genetics and bioinformatics procedures for efficient mapping and identification of the causative mutations that are beyond the scope of this manuscript.
A misconception regarding the human metabolism has been shown to be widespread among high school students. The students consider glucose as the sole metabolic fuel, disregarding that lipids and amino acids can be oxidized for ATP production by human cells. This misconception seems to be a consequence of formal teaching in grade and high schools. The present study reports the evaluation of a teaching strategy based on the use of a dialogic teaching methodology within a conceptual change approach to remediate that misconception. Students were stimulated to formulate hypotheses, outline experiments, and to discuss their outcomes. The results showed that students were able to reformulate their original concepts immediately after teaching. The majority of the students showed adequate learning of the topic eight months after the application of the teaching strategy, although some level of misconception recurrence was observed. The educational consequences of the teaching unit are discussed in the context of the possible reasons for its success as well as the need for similar initiatives at grade school to avoid the establishment of the misconception. (c) 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Multiple system atrophy is a fatal sporadic adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder with no symptomatic or disease-modifying treatment available. The cytopathological hallmark of multiple system atrophy is the accumulation of alpha-synuclein aggregates in oligodendrocytes, forming glial cytoplasmic inclusions. Impaired insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling (IGF-1) and insulin resistance (i.e. decreased insulin/IGF-1) have been reported in other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Increasing evidence also suggests impaired insulin/IGF-1 signalling in multiple system atrophy, as corroborated by increased insulin and IGF-1 plasma concentrations in multiple system atrophy patients and reduced IGF-1 brain levels in a transgenic mouse model of multiple system atrophy. We here tested the hypothesis that multiple system atrophy is associated with brain insulin resistance and showed increased expression of the key downstream messenger insulin receptor substrate-1 phosphorylated at serine residue 312 in neurons and oligodendrocytes in the putamen of patients with multiple system atrophy. Furthermore, the expression of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) phosphorylated at serine residue 312 was more apparent in inclusion bearing oligodendrocytes in the putamen. By contrast, it was not different between both groups in the temporal cortex, a less vulnerable structure compared to the putamen. These findings suggest that insulin resistance may occur in multiple system atrophy in regions where the neurodegenerative process is most severe and point to a possible relation between alpha-synuclein aggregates and insulin resistance. We also observed insulin resistance in the striatum of transgenic multiple system atrophy mice and further demonstrate that the glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue exendin-4, a well-tolerated and Federal Drug Agency-approved antidiabetic drug, has positive effects on insulin resistance and monomeric alpha-synuclein load in the striatum, as well as survival of nigral dopamine neurons. Additionally, plasma levels of exosomal neural-derived IRS-1 phosphorylated at serine residue 307 (corresponding to serine residue 312 in humans) negatively correlated with survival of nigral dopamine neurons in multiple system atrophy mice treated with exendin-4. This finding suggests the potential for developing this peripheral biomarker candidate as an objective outcome measure of target engagement for clinical trials with glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues in multiple system atrophy. In conclusion, our observation of brain insulin resistance in multiple system atrophy patients and transgenic mice together with the beneficial effects of the glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist exendin-4 in transgenic mice paves the way for translating this innovative treatment into a clinical trial.
Permeable geotextile tubes are usually made by sewing geotextile sheets together and then filling with clay slurry or sand. However, the tensile strength of a seamed woven geotextile material is usually only half of that of the seamless geotextile sheet. A new seam method has been proposed to improve the tensile strength of the seamed woven geotextile material. The main idea of the method is to reinforce the geotextile on the area of the pin-hole side which was the weakest part in the traditional seaming methods. The test results show that after the seam had been reinforced, the percentage ratio of its tensile strength to the strength of seamless geotextile sheet was improved by more than 75%.
The Spanish industrial heritage is considered much worse than other heritage sectors in Spain and industrial heritage in other countries. The 2001 Industrial Heritage National Plan (PNPI) was a first step for changing this situation, but much remains to be done. One of the main needs is having an appropriate methodology for the categorization, classification and study of industrial heritage's assets. This work develops an own methodology and gives a clear criteria for its application to a large number of selected items from four sources with different approaches. This creates an own catalog which allows comparative analysis from different perspectives and classifies industrial assets by clear and easy criteria, favoring the extension of the catalog and whit it the interest of its analyses. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Nowadays, container virtualization is a lightweight alternative to the hypervisor-based approach. Recent improvements in Linux kernel allow to execute containers on smart objects, that are, single board computers running Linux-based operating systems. By considering several IoT application scenarios, it is crucial to rely on cloud services able to deploy and customize pieces of software running on target smart objects. To achieve this goal, in this paper, we focus our attention on a Message Oriented Middleware for Cloud (MON4C), a system designed to compose cloud facilities by means of a flexible federation-enabled communication system. Its objective is to provide Internet of Things (IoT) services in a complex smart environment, such as a smart city, where smart objects interact each others and with the cloud infrastructure. More specifically, we discuss how MOM4C can be extended to support container virtualization on Linux embedded devices in order to easily deploy IoT applications in a flexible fashion and we present the design of related software modules.
Introduction: Maternal obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for obesity in children and may also affect children's psychosocial outcomes. It is not yet clear whether there are also psycho-emotional mechanisms explaining the effects of maternal weight on young children's weight and psychosocial development. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal body mass index (BMI), mother-child emotional availability (EA), and maternal parenting stress are associated with children's weight and psychosocial development (i.e., internalizing/externalizing symptoms and social competence) and whether these predictors interact with each other. Methods: This longitudinal study included three assessment points (similar to 11 months apart). The baseline sample consisted of N = 194 mothers and their children aged 5-47 months (M = 28.18, SD = 8.44, 99 girls). At t1, we measured maternal weight and height to calculate maternal BMI. We videotaped mother-child interactions, coding them with the EA Scales (fourth edition). We assessed maternal parenting stress with the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) short form. At t1 to t3, we measured height and weight of children and calculated BMI-SDS scores. Children's externalizing and internalizing problems (ti-t3) and social competence (t3, N = 118) were assessed using questionnaires: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1.5-5), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ: prosocial behavior), and a checklist for behavioral problems at preschool age (VBV 3-6: social emotional competence). Results: By applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and a latent regression analysis, we found maternal BMI to predict higher BMI-SDS and a poorer psychosocial development (higher externalizing symptoms, lower social competence) in children. Higher parenting stress predicted higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms and lower social competence. Better maternal EA was associated with higher social competence. We found parenting stress to serve as a mediator in the association between maternal weight and children's psychosocial outcomes. Moreover, children of mothers with an elevated BMI were at greater risk of lower social competence only when their mothers showed low levels of maternal EA (moderation). Conclusion: Interventional studies are needed that investigate the causal pathways between parenting stress, mother-child interaction quality and child outcomes. These aspects might be targets to improve the psychosocial development of the offspring of overweight or obese mothers.
In a conventional electricity market, trading is conducted based on power forecasts in the day-ahead market, while the power imbalance is regulated in the real-time market, which is a separate trading scheme. With large-scale wind power connected into the power grid, power forecast errors increase in the day-ahead market which lowers the economic efficiency of the separate trading scheme. This paper proposes a robust unified trading model that includes the forecasts of real-time prices and imbalance power into the day-ahead trading scheme. The model is developed based on robust optimization in view of the undefined probability distribution of clearing prices of the real-time market. For the model to be used efficiently, an improved quantum-behaved particle swarm algorithm (IQPSO) is presented in the paper based on an in-depth analysis of the limitations of the static character of quantum-behaved particle swarm algorithm (QPSO). Finally, the impacts of associated parameters on the separate trading and unified trading model are analyzed to verify the superiority of the proposed model and algorithm.
Background: Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused mostly by disruptions in the MECP2 gene. MECP2-null mice show imbalances in neuronal excitability and synaptic communications. Several previous studies indicate that augmenting synaptic GABA receptors (GABA(A)Rs) can alleviate RTT-like symptoms in mice. In addition to the synaptic GABA(A)Rs, there is a group of GABA(A)Rs found outside the synaptic cleft with the capability to produce sustained inhibition, which may be potential therapeutic targets for the control of neuronal excitability in RTT. Methods: Wild-type and MECP2-null mice were randomly divided into four groups, receiving the extrasynaptic GABA(A)R agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol hydrochloride (THIP) and vehicle control, respectively. Low-dose THIP was administered to neonatal mice through lactation. RTT-like symptoms including lifespan, breathing, motor function, and social behaviors were studied when mice became mature. Changes in neuronal excitability and norepinephrine biosynthesis enzyme expression were studied in electrophysiology and molecular biology. Results: With no evident sedation and other adverse side effects, early-life exposure to THIP extended the lifespan, alleviated breathing abnormalities, enhanced motor function, and improved social behaviors of MECP2-null mice. Such beneficial effects were associated with stabilization of locus coeruleus neuronal excitability and improvement of norepinephrine biosynthesis enzyme expression. Conclusions: THIP treatment in early lives might be a therapeutic approach to RTT-like symptoms in MECP2-null mice and perhaps in people with RTT as well.
Cannabinoid-mediated memory impairment is a concern in cannabinoid-based therapies. Caffeine exacerbates cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R)-induced memory deficits through an adenosine A(1) receptor mediated mechanism. We now evaluated how chronic or acute blockade of adenosine A(2A) receptors (A(2A)Rs) affects long-term episodic memory deficits induced by a single injection of a selective CB1R agonist. Long-term episodic memory was assessed by the novel object recognition (NOR) test. Mice received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the CB1/CB2 receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (1 mg/kg) immediately after the NOR training, being tested for novelty recognition 24 h later. Anxiety levels were assessed by the Elevated Plus Maze test, immediately after the NOR. Mice were also tested for exploratory behaviour at the Open Field. For chronic A(2A)R blockade, KW-6002 (istradefylline) (3 mg/kg/day) was administered orally for 30 days; acute blockade of A2ARs was assessed by i.p. injection of SCH 58261 (1 mg/kg) administered either together with WIN 55,212-2 or only 30 min before the NOR test phase. The involvement of CB(1)Rs was assessed by using the CB1R antagonist, AM251 (3 mg/kg, i.p.). WIN 55,212-2 caused a disruption in NOR, an action absent in mice also receiving AM251, KW-6002 or SCH 58261 during the encoding/consolidation phase; SCH 58251 was ineffective if present during retrieval only. No effects were detected in the Elevated Plus maze or Open Field Test. The finding that CB1R-mediated memory disruption is prevented by antagonism of adenosine A(2A)Rs, highlights a possibility to prevent cognitive side effects when therapeutic application of CB1R drugs is desired. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Newtonian heating and slip effect on mixed convective flow near a stagnation point in a porous medium with thermal radiation in the presence of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), heat generation/absorption and chemical reaction. Design/methodology/approach - The governing nonlinear coupled equations are converted into ordinary differential equations by similarity transformation. These equations are solved numerically using a Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method with shooting technique and analytically using the homotopy analysis method (HAM). Findings - The effects of different parameters on the fluid flow and heat transfer are investigated. It is found that the velocity and temperature profiles increase on an increase in the Biot number. The velocity and concentration profiles increase on decreasing the chemical reaction parameter. Practical implications - This paper is helpful to the engineers and scientists in the field of thermal and manufacturing engineering. Originality/value - The two-dimensional boundary layer flow over a vertical plate with slip and convective boundary conditions near the stagnation-point is analysed in the presence of magnetic field, radiation and heat generation/absorption. This paper is helpful to the engineers and scientists in the field of thermal and manufacturing engineering.
Visual Cryptography Scheme (VCS) is a cryptographic technique which can hide image based secrets. Even though VCS has the major advantage that the decoding can be done with the help of Human Visual System (HVS), yet it does not provide sufficient reconstruction quality. Hence, Two in One Image Secret Sharing Scheme (TiOISSS) is used which provides two decoding phases. However, the existing TiOISSS method has several limitations. In this work, a Modified TiOISSS is proposed in which an adaptive threshold is used for halftoning, which changes depending on the nature of the pixels present in image. By this, the quality of reconstructed secret image is improved in the first decoding stage compared to the existing scheme. In addition, the security is also enhanced by pixel and bit level permutation with a 64 bit key and embedding the key in Gray VCS shadows. To verify the authenticity of the image, a secret message is also embedded in the shadows. Security analysis shows that the Modified TiOISSS is robust to Brute Force and Man-in-Middle attacks.
The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) is critical to the pathophysiology of anxiety-driven alcohol drinking and relapse. The endogenous cannabinoid/type 1 cannabinoid receptor (eCB/CB1) system curbs BLA-driven anxiety and stress responses via a retrograde negative feedback system that inhibits neurotransmitter release, and BLA CB1 activation reduces GABA release and drives anxiogenesis. Additionally, decreased amygdala CB1 is observed in abstinent alcoholic patients and ethanol withdrawn rats. Here, we investigated the potential disruption of eCB/CB1 signaling on GABAergic transmission in BLA pyramidal neurons of rats exposed to 2-3weeks intermittent ethanol. In the naive rat BLA, the CB1 agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN) decreased GABA release, and this effect was prevented by the CB1 antagonist AM251. AM251 alone increased GABA release via a mechanism requiring postsynaptic calcium-dependent activity. This retrograde tonic eCB/CB1 signaling was diminished in chronic ethanol exposed rats, suggesting a functional impairment of the eCB/CB1 system. In contrast, acute ethanol increased GABAergic transmission similarly in naive and chronic ethanol exposed rats, via both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. Notably, CB1 activation impaired ethanol's facilitation of GABAergic transmission across both groups, but the AM251-induced and ethanol-induced facilitation of GABA release was additive, suggesting independent presynaptic sites of action. Collectively, the present findings highlight a critical CB1 influence on BLA GABAergic transmission that is dysregulated by chronic ethanol exposure and, thus, may contribute to the alcohol-dependent state.
Visual information plays a critical role in the assessment of music performance. Audiovisual integration is well recognised in person perception, and people readily match talking faces to speaking voices. This effect exists in identifying music performers, but its strength is untested. This study investigated the importance of visual or audio priming in identifying a music performer from a line-up. Half the participants saw a target saxophonist (no sound) and then heard a line-up (no visuals) of saxophonists playing (2 to 5 saxophonists). In contrast, half the participants heard a target saxophonist (no visuals) and then saw the line-up (no sound). Participants identified the target saxophonist in visual and audio line-ups at a rate above chance, although identification accuracy decreased as the line-up number increased. Those who saw the targets identified a significantly greater number of performers from the audio line-up than those who heard the targets and identified them from a visual line-up. As the task complexity and number of distractors increased, responses remained consistent and visual priming was robust and reliable in performer identification.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables provably secure communication between two parties over an optical fiber that arguably withstands any form of attack. Besides the need for a suitable physical signalling scheme and the corresponding devices, QKD also requires a secret key distillation protocol. This protocol and the involved signal processing handle the reliable key agreement process over the fragile quantum channel, as well as the necessary post-processing of key bits to avoid leakage of secret key information to an eavesdropper. In this paper we present in detail an implementation of a key distillation engine for a QKD system based on the coherent one-way (COW) protocol. The processing of key bits by the key distillation engine includes agreement on quantum bit detections (sifting), information reconciliation with forward error correction coding, parameter estimation, and privacy amplification over an authenticated channel. We detail the system architecture combining all these processing steps, and discuss the design trade-offs for each individual system module. We also assess the performance and efficiency of our key distillation implementation in terms of throughput, error correction capabilities, and resource utilization. On a single-FPGA ( Xilinx Virtex-6 LX240T) platform, the system supports distilled key rates of up to 4 Mbps.
Magnesium is an essential mineral in human metabolism, and is the second most abundant intracellular cation and the fourth most abundant in the human body. Magnesium has a large variety of biological functions, including being a cofactor for over 300 enzymes, mainly involving phosphorylation of proteins and nucleic acids. Low levels of magnesium in the body can develop during different illnesses, such as diabetes (type 2), metabolic syndrome, cardiac arrhythmias, and muscular constriction. The present review shows the advances in analytical chemistry based on sensor systems to quantify the concentration of magnesium in different biological samples, plasma, serum, or urine, that are relevant to human health.
Congenital heart disease is the most common congenital anomaly, representing an important cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Congenital heart disease represents a group of heart anomalies that include septal defects, valve defects, and outflow tract anomalies. The exact genetic, epigenetic, or environmental basis of congenital heart disease remains poorly understood, although the exact mechanism is likely multifactorial. However, the development of new technologies including copy number variants, single-nucleotide polymorphism, nextgeneration sequencing are accelerating the detection of genetic causes of heart anomalies. Recent studies suggest a role of small non-coding RNAs, micro RNA, in congenital heart disease. The recently described epigenetic factors have also been found to contribute to cardiac morphogenesis. In this review, we present past and recent genetic discoveries in congenital heart disease.
In recent work, Baez, Fong and the author introduced a framework for describing Markov processes equipped with a detailed balanced equilibrium as open systems of a certain type. These open Markov processes serve as the building blocks for more complicated processes. In this paper, we describe the potential application of this framework in the modeling of biological systems as open systems maintained away from equilibrium. We show that non-equilibrium steady states emerge in open systems of this type, even when the rates of the underlying process are such that a detailed balanced equilibrium is permitted. It is shown that these non-equilibrium steady states minimize a quadratic form which we call dissipation. In some circumstances, the dissipation is approximately equal to the rate of change of relative entropy plus a correction term. On the other hand, Prigogine's principle of minimum entropy production generally fails for non-equilibrium steady states. We use a simple model of membrane transport to illustrate these concepts.
This is the first revision of a database covering human phase I enzymes and their isoforms that metabolize pesticides and related compounds. The original version included enzymes that metabolize chloroacetamide and triazine herbicides, and organophosphorus insecticides. This revision also includes carbamate, nicotinoid, and pyrethroid insecticides and insect repellents. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper proposes an optimization model to determine the optimal tank size of a single residential housing unit for rainwater harvesting and storage. Taking into account the site specific data such as the rainfall profile, the roof area of the building, the water consumption per capita and the number of residents, an integrated optimization model based on linear programming is proposed to decide on the size of rainwater storage tank to build such that the net present value of the total tank construction costs and freshwater purchase costs is minimized. The proposed model was tested on a case study from Northern Cyprus, the results of which emphasized the feasibility of rainwater harvesting as a sustainable supplement to the depleting aquifers in the region. The study also offers managerial insights on the impact of various parameters such as the number of residents, roof area, discount rate, water consumption per capita, unit cost of building the rainwater tank, and rainfall characteristics on the optimal tank size and on the net financial benefit gained from rainwater harvesting through detailed sensitivity analysis. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Telecare Medicine Information Systems (TMIS) improve the medical and healthcare services by information and communication technology. The doctor can monitor the patient's physiological condition by TMIS, the confidentiality of this sensitive data should be protected, which is the key issue in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Guo et al. proposed an efficient and provably secure certificateless public key encryption scheme for TMIS. They claimed that their scheme is secure under the random oracle model. Unfortunately, by giving concrete attack, we find that their scheme actually does not reach the security as they claimed. Then we propose an improved scheme to make up for the defect in their scheme.
Inorganic arsenic is methylated to methylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) by alternating reduction of AsV to AsIII and addition of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine. The methylated metabolites are less reactive with tissue constituents and more readily excreted in the urine than is inorganic arsenic. Therefore, a low percentage of MMA + DMA in urine correlates with a low rate of excretion of the absorbed arsenic. Although most studies indicate on average 10-30% inorganic arsenic, 10-20% MMA, and 60-70% DMA in urine, there seems to be a polymorphism in arsenic methylation. Our studies on arsenic-exposed native Andean people in north-west Argentina, show only a few percent MMA in the urine, which in most other populations is a rare event, occurring in a few individuals only. However, in several other mammalian species this is a common feature. On the other hand, one study indicates a higher than usual % MMA in the urine of arsenic exposed people in Taiwan. There is also a marked intra-individual variation in the urinary pattern of arsenic metabolites. In experimental studies we have shown that the methylation of arsenic is influenced by the form of arsenic absorbed, the dose level, route of exposure, and nutritional status. Our studies in Argentina indicate that arsenic methylation is influenced by age, dose level and, probably, hormonal status. For example, in children there was a lower % DMA in urine compared to adults, and an increasing % DMA with increasing exposure level.
Water pollution generated by industrial effluents discharge is a threat to the maintenance of aquatic ecosystems and human development. The Jundiai River estuarine, located in Northeast Brazil, receives an industrial pretreated effluent load from the city of Macaiba/RN/Brazil. The present study aimed to assess the water quality of this water reservoir through i) physicochemical characterization, ii) quantification of metal concentration and iii) by an ecotoxicological assessment carried out using Mysidopsis juniae and Pomacea lineata. The study was performed throughout the period comprising May to September 2014. Physicochemical variables such as chloride, total solids and electrical conductivity presented values in the waste discharge point, significantly different with those located out of the waste releasing point. Apart from that, metal concentration showed variable behavior throughout the monitored period. Levels of Al, Fe, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Ag were over the considered guidelines. Both natural and anthropogenic sources seem to be involved in the resulting environmental scenario. A reduction in the fecundity rate ( usingMysidopsis juniae) along with an increase inmortality rate (in both species) was observed ratifying the presence of toxic substances in this water reservoir. Moreover, a correlation analysis stated an association of the aforementioned toxicological effects with the delivery of industrial waste products. The ecotoxicological assessment performed highlighted the presence of toxic substance/s in water from the Jundiai River. Especially as a consequence of industrial activity, a fact that might threaten the bioma and, therefore, the human health of the population settled in the studied region. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To access the distributed web applications in a computer network, mobile agents have long been proved to be a successful tool. The power of a mobile agent lies in migrating to the destination hosts directly for retrieving the information under consideration. Since many businesses run their sensitive data in distributed servers, it has been a mandatory demand that before the information is downloaded, the mobile agents need to be authenticated and authorized. To provide such authentication, digital signatures based on well known algorithms such as RSA, ECC have been proposed in the past. The main drawback of these works is that the they are not computationally efficient during the encryption and decryption of keys which are used to encrypt and decrypt the content. Thus, the major contribution of our work is to reduce the computational complexity for the authentication of mobile agents through a new hierarchical access management scheme. The computational costs are reduced during the key derivation and signature verification processes. The proposed work not only reduces the computational time, but provides flexibility to give fine grained access to the mobile agents to access only the authorized files. Extensive simulations prove that our approach significantly reduces the computational overhead than the recent works in the literature and hence this approach is best suited for implementation in the distributed web environments.
Classification plays a critical role in False Positive Reduction (FPR) in lung nodule Computer Aided Detection (CAD). To achieve effective recognition of nodule, many machine learning methods have been proposed. However, multiple heterogeneous feature subsets, high dimensional irrelevant features, as well as imbalanced distribution between the nodule and non-nodule classes typically makes this problem challenging. To solve these challenges, we proposed a multi-kernel based framework for feature selection and imbalanced data learning in Lung nodule CAD, involving multiple kernel learning with a ezi norm regularizer for heterogeneous feature fusion and selection from the feature subset level, a multi-kernel feature selection based on pairwise similarities from the feature level, and a multi-kernel over-sampling for the imbalanced data learning. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of Geometric mean (G mean) and Area under the ROC curve (AUC), and consistently outperform the competing methods.
Background: Against the background that crystal methamphetamine (colloquially known as tik) is extensively used by the emerging working class Coloured youth in Cape Town, South Africa, this exploratory qualitative study was conducted to explore the experience of mothers whose children use methamphetamine. Methods: The researchers conducted one-to-one semi-structured in-depth interviews with sixteen (16) purposively selected caregivers (mothers) whose sons use methamphetamine. Interviews were recorded and simultaneously translated and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to the experiences of caregivers of youth with methamphetamine problems. Results: Findings showed that youth misbehaviour provided a context that led to feelings of shame and embarrassment. Participants also experienced personal challenges which included emotional problems, fear and self-blame. Participants also expressed family disruptions and financial drain as adverse experiences as a results of their sons' misbehaviour. Conclusion: The study results highlight the psychosocial challenges for caregivers of children who use methamphetamine. These findings underscore the need for effort to be directed at the development of formal support interventions for mothers of youth who are troubled with addiction.
The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of a horticultural activity program on the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of kindergarteners. A total of 336 children aged 5 to 7 years in public and private kindergartens and day care centers in Incheon, South Korea, participated in a 24-session horticultural activity program. This program included indoor and outdoor activities such as planting seeds, transplanting plants, making and applying eco-friendly fertilizer, watering, harvesting, using plants to make crafts, and cooking with produce. It was designed to improve the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of kindergarteners. Each session lasted an average of 50 minutes and was held once per week. The results of the study showed that the 24-session horticultural activity program improved the emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes of the children (P < 0.05). Satisfaction with the program was very high among both the children and their teachers and parents. Future studies should consider exploring the effects of horticultural activity programs on children in different age groups.
Background: The concept of mental toughness (MT) has gained increasing importance among groups other than elite athletes by virtue of its psychological importance and explanatory power for a broad range of health-related behaviors. However, no study has focused so far on the psychological origins of MT. Therefore, the aims of the present study were: to explore, to what extent the psychological profiles of preschoolers aged five were associated with both (1) MT scores and (2) sleep disturbances at age 14, and 3) to explore possible gender differences. Method: Nine years after their first assessment at age five (preschoolers), a total of 77 adolescents (mean age: 14.35 years; SD = 1.22; 42% females) took part in this follow-up study. At baseline, both parents and teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), covering internalizing and externalizing problems, hyperactivity, negative peer relationships, and prosocial behavior. At followup, participants completed a booklet of questionnaires covering socio-demographic data, MT, and sleep disturbances. Results: Higher prosocial behavior, lower negative peer relationships, and lower internalizing and externalizing problems at age five, as rated by parents and teachers, were associated with self-reported higher MT and lower sleep disturbances at age 14. At age 14, and relative to males, females had lower MT scores and reported more sleep disturbances. Conclusion: The pattern of results suggests that MT traits during adolescence may have their origins in the pre-school years.
Analytical calculation methods for all the major components of the synchronous inductance of tooth-coil permanent-magnet synchronous machines are reevaluated in this paper. The inductance estimation is different in the tooth-coil machine compared with the one in the traditional rotating field winding machine. The accuracy of the analytical torque calculation highly depends on the estimated synchronous inductance. Despite powerful finite element method (FEM) tools, an accurate and fast analytical method is required at an early design stage to find an initial machine design structure with the desired performance. The results of the analytical inductance calculation are verified and assessed in terms of accuracy with the FEM simulation results and with the prototype measurement results.
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterized by severe deficits in social communication, whereby the nature of their impairments in emotional prosody processing have yet to be specified. Here, we investigated emotional prosody processing in individuals with ASD and controls with novel, lifelike behavioral and neuroimaging paradigms. Compared to controls, individuals with ASD showed reduced emotional prosody recognition accuracy on a behavioral task. On the neural level, individuals with ASD displayed reduced activity of the STS, insula and amygdala for complex vs basic emotions compared to controls. Moreover, the coupling between the STS and amygdala for complex vs basic emotions was reduced in the ASD group. Finally, groups differed with respect to the relationship between brain activity and behavioral performance. Brain activity during emotional prosody processing was more strongly related to prosody recognition accuracy in ASD participants. In contrast, the coupling between STS and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity predicted behavioral task performance more strongly in the control group. These results provide evidence for aberrant emotional prosody processing of individuals with ASD. They suggest that the differences in the relationship between the neural and behavioral level of individuals with ASD may account for their observed deficits in social communication.
The demand for electricity production has been consistently raising since the last century. In the future, the tendency is to grow even further. Concerning this fact, renewable energy and specifically, wave energy should be considered as an alternative for energy production. However, devices suitable to harness this renewable energy source and convert it into electricity are not yet commercially competitive. This paper is focused on the structural analysis of a wave energy converter (WEC) through the numerical study of several design parameters. Tridimensional computer aided design (3D CAD) numerical models were built and several Finite Element Analyses (FEA) were performed using a commercial finite element code. The main components of the WEC were simulated assuming different materials. The Von Mises stress gradients and displacement fields determined by FEA demonstrated that, regardless of the WEC component, materials with low Young's modulus seems to be unsuitable for this application. The same is valid for the material yield strength since materials with higher yield strength lead to a better structural behavior of the WEC components. The developed 3D
The aim of this study was to investigate childhood fears in children who are blind from the perspective of teachers who are blind. The study was conducted in Jordan. Forty-six teachers were interviewed. Results revealed that the main fear content in children who are blind includes fear of the unknown; environment-,transportation- and people-related fear; and fear of animals. The teachers reported that the reasons for fear in children with visual impairment include child-related reasons (internal reasons), lack of training (hearing, social skills, orientation and mobility [O&M] and tactile training), family factors and an unsuitable physical environment. O&M training, independence training, family counselling and environment adaptation were reported to be the best procedures to deal with fear in these children. Recommendations are provided in the light of the study.
Gene regulation modulates RNA expression via transcription factors. Posttranscriptional gene regulation in turn influences the amount of protein product through, for example, microRNAs (miRNAs). Experimental establishment of miRNAs and their effects is complicated and even futile when aiming to establish the entirety of miRNA target interactions. Therefore, computational approaches have been proposed. Many such tools rely on machine learning (ML) which involves example selection, feature extraction, model training, algorithm selection, and parameter optimization. Different ML algorithms have been used for model training on various example sets, more than 1,000 features describing pre-miRNAs have been proposed and different training and testing schemes have been used for model establishment. For pre-miRNA detection, negative examples cannot easily be established causing a problem for two class classification algorithms. There is also no consensus on what ML approach works best and, therefore, we set forth and established the impact of the different parts involved in ML on model performance. Furthermore, we established two new negative datasets and analyzed the impact of using them for training and testing. It was our aim to attach an order of importance to the parts involved in ML for pre-miRNA detection, but instead we found that all parts are intricately connected and their contributions cannot be easily untangled leading us to suggest that when attempting ML-based pre-miRNA detection many scenarios need to be explored.
First of all, the principle of neural network is discussed, and the traditional BP network learning algorithm and BP neural network adaptive learning algorithm are researched. Combining the advantages of two algorithms, the distributed neural network self-learning algorithm is proposed, which is a kind of intrusion detection algorithm using the method of distributed learning to optimize the BP neural network algorithm. Using this algorithm to study and test the network intrusion data, it solves the problem that directly using BP learning caused by the training sample size too large and difficult to convergence. At the same time, the sample training time is shortened, and the BP neural network classification accuracy is improved. Secondly, based on the research of the improved algorithm, this paper gives the specific steps of the algorithm, and uses the improved algorithm to establish mathematical model which is used to analyzing and forecasting. Compared with the traditional BP network learning algorithm and BP neural network adaptive learning algorithm, verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the improved algorithm. Finally, the algorithm is applied to intrusion detection. Through appropriate test method, use the sample data of this paper adopted to verify the example. Through the results of the testing data, it verifies the performance of the distributed neural network self-learning algorithm, and comes to the conclusion.
We study load balancing in wireless networks with a single class of traffic, focusing our attention on an important example, i.e., Wireless Sensor Networks. The analysis is based on the Wireless Minimum Cost Problem, an optimization problem that implicitly captures the effects of interference through the novel use of an arc cost function that depends on the amount of traffic flowing through nearby links. We present an algorithm that optimizes the flow by modifying the traffic along cycles constructed during an initialization phase. Its operation may be viewed as trying to satisfy Kirchhoff's Voltage Law on an electric circuit containing interferistors. It is robust, distributed, with minimal communication overhead, and converges quickly. Furthermore, when the traffic is elastic, the algorithm can be easily modified to also perform congestion control.
The treatment of craniofacial defects can present many challenges due to the variety of tissue-specific requirements and the complexity of anatomical structures in that region. 3D-printing technologies provide clinicians, engineers and scientists with the ability to create patient-specific solutions for craniofacial defects. Currently, there are three key strategies that utilize these technologies to restore both appearance and function to patients: rehabilitation, reconstruction and regeneration. In rehabilitation, 3D-printing can be used to create prostheses to replace or cover damaged tissues. Reconstruction, through plastic surgery, can also leverage 3D-printing technologies to create custom cutting guides, fixation devices, practice models and implanted medical devices to improve patient outcomes. Regeneration of tissue attempts to replace defects with biological materials. 3D-printing can be used to create either scaffolds or living, cellular constructs to signal tissue-forming cells to regenerate defect regions. By integrating these three approaches, 3D-printing technologies afford the opportunity to develop personalized treatment plans and design-driven manufacturing solutions to improve aesthetic and functional outcomes for patients with craniofacial defects.
Wireless network security is becoming a great challenge as its popularity is in the high spirit. On account of open medium, insignificant software implementation, potential for hardware deficits, and improper configuration; Wi-Fi network is vulnerable to Rogue Access Point (RAP). Rogue Access Point is an unauthorized access point which can be installed by end-users without the knowledge of security administrator. When this rogue device is connected to the Internet, it can be used by an assailant to breach the security of the network. Existing RAPs detection techniques have limited capabilities and are not able to detect all variants of assaulters activities. In this paper, a method named Honeypot Intrusion Detection System (Honeypot IDS) is proposed for the detection and prevention of Rogue Access Point via attack detection performed by internal and external malicious users. Honeypot IDS combines Intrusion Detection System and Honeypot, to reduce false alarm rate generated by existing IDS. The proposed approach consist of three phases; filtering, intrusion detection system and honeypot. The traffic after passing filtering and intrusion detection system is rerouted to honeypot for in-depth investigation. The proposed architecture improves the overall performance of the system by diminishing false alarm rate generated by intrusion detection system and is able to sustain the overall workload of honeypot.
Childbirth is a major life event, but for some women, the fear of childbirth goes beyond trepidation towards full-blown anxiety and panic, known as fear of childbirth (FOC) or tokophobia. In the present study the authors investigated and compared the intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that might be associated with FOC among women who previously gave birth (parous) and women who did not. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 529 women (parous women (n = 365) and women who had never given birth (n = 173). All participants completed self-report measures using an online survey system. The questionnaires assessed intrapersonal factors including attitudes toward pregnancy and birth, body image, self-esteem and life satisfaction as well as interpersonal factors namely relationship satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses revealed that among parous women age and attitudes toward pregnancy and birth, especially those that relate to body image and delivery were significantly associated with FOC. Among women who had never given birth, only attitudes toward pregnancy and birth, especially those that relate to body image, importance of pregnancy and delivery, and preference of caesarean section (CS), were significantly associated with FOC. In both groups, satisfaction with spousal relationship was not found to be associated with FOC. The results indicate that regarding FOC, intra-personal factors are more dominant than inter-personal factors. When assessing this medico-psychological fear, cognitive aspects should also be addressed.
A new three-dimensional (3-D) Zn-based metal-organic framework with the formula of [Zn-2(L)(bpy)](CI) (1, H3L = 2,6-dihydroxypyridine-4-carboxylate, bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine), has been synthesized under hydrothermal condition. X-Ray diffraction analyse reveals that compound 1 exhibits the unique 3-D two-fold interpenetrated coordination framework with 3,4-connected fsx-3,4-C2 network topology, in which the L ligand adopts the mu(3)-bridging fashion. In addition, the experimental results of anti-inflammatory activity showed that compared with organic ligands H3L and bpy, the title compound 1 exerted rather potent activity.
Jurors are asked to use their personal knowledge and experience to make verdict decisions; thus, it is no surprise that their religious beliefs might influence their decisions. During legal insanity trials, jurors might also be exposed to religious stimuli (e.g. crucifix, prayer, Bible, etc.), which could evoke (prime) religious beliefs and thus influence decisions. Two studies examined whether dimensions of religiosity and religious beliefs relate to attitudes and decisions concerning mental health defenses, testing social identity theory against Allport and Ross's religiosity hypothesis. In Study 1 (attitudes survey) and Study 2 (mock juror decision-making paradigm), religious fundamentalist beliefs consistently predicted punitive attitudes and decisions related to mental health defenses and verdicts, and this was moderated by intrinsic religiosity, such that religious fundamentalist beliefs only predicted punitiveness for individuals low in intrinsic religiosity. Also, priming fundamentalist beliefs increased punitiveness in both verdict and sentencing decisions. Combined, these results suggest that religious beliefs play a role in jurors' verdict decisions in an insanity case, and that priming fundamentalist beliefs increases jurors' punitiveness. Allport and Ross's religiosity hypothesis was supported, but social identity theory was not.
Skin prick testing (SPT) in combination with the clinical history of the patient is one important step in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated occupational allergies. However, skin test performance is related to the quality of allergen extracts. The present consensus document was prepared by an EAACI Task Force consisting of an expert panel of allergologists and occupational physicians from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria, and Poland. All members of the panel were also involved in the data collection within the European multicentre study STADOCA (Standard diagnosis for occupational allergy). The aim of this Task Force was the assessment of the quality of commercially available SPT solutions for selected occupational allergens under standardized procedure conditions in different European centers and institutes of Occupational Medicine. The data evaluation shows a wide variability among SPT solutions and also indicated that the sensitivity of several SPT solutions is low. Therefore, improvement and standardization of SPT solutions for occupational allergens is highly recommended. Clinical practitioners should also not presume that their SPT solutions are fully reliable. The main objective of the document is to issue consensus suggestions for the use of SPT with occupational allergens based on the European multicenter study STADOCA, on existing scientific evidence and the expertise of a panel of allergologists.
Machine learning algorithms applied to text categorization mostly employ the Bag of Words (BoW) representation to describe the content of the documents. This method has been successfully used in many applications, but it is known to have several limitations. One way of improving text representation is usage of Wikipedia as the lexical knowledge base - an approach that has already shown promising results in many research studies. In this paper we propose three path-based measures for computing document relatedness in the conceptual space formed by the hierarchical organization of a Wikipedia Category Graph (WCG). We compare the proposed approaches with the standard Path Length method to establish the best relatedness measure for the WCG representation. To test overall WCG efficiency, we compare the proposed representations with the BoW method. The evaluation was performed with two different types of clustering algorithms (OPTICS and K-Means), used for categorization of keyword-based search results. The experiments have shown that our approach outperforms the standard Path Length approach, and the WCG representation achieves better results than BoW.
Security in terms of Networks have turn out to be more significant to Organizations, Military and personal computer user's. Since various kinds of threats are for data from sending it from sender side over internet till it reaches to receiver. Here we will focus on SSL it is a technique used to give client and server authentication, data confidentiality and data integrity. It transform our data into unintelligible form, data which we will be sending can be text or no text form, by encrypting our data we can save it from attacks like eavesdropping, in which interception of communication by unauthorized person, he can either listen or can add malicious information in our data which can lead to catastrophic results. This technique of secure data transmission is very useful in securing the integrity of data sent by the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in military application to commercially used Electricity meter. Since the above mentioned devices uses microcontroller to send data through internet hence this data is always going to be susceptible to above mentioned threats so it is important to ensure that it doesn't fall in wrong hands, our objective is that our microcontroller sends the data to remote location has authenticity, confidentiality and integrity. First we will send some meaningful text already stored in controller of STM3240G Eval-board then that data will be sent to server. These encrypted packets will be sending to remote server through Ethernet. At the receiver end this data will be received and decrypted to get the original captured data.
Adapting application to diverse/dynamic domains is required to enlarge pervasive computing use and to satisfy people demand in terms of continuity of services. In addition, the proliferation of smart devices and ubiquitous services motivate the need for a quick development of applications that support people in dynamic domains. Inappropriately, this quick development is often associated a discard of domain knowledge. Therefore, we target in our research raising the level of adaptation for rapid application development in dynamic domains. In this paper, we present our work to improve the formal definition of domain knowledge/applications to be created by domain experts. We propose our context-based semantic framework (i.e., AmI-DEU) used to create dynamic domain models that are the basis for building applications. In this framework, domain knowledge is described by means of meaningful context that include unambiguous terms and operations, resulting in an enhancement of adaptation of applications. We also present in this paper the applicability of the framework to describe dynamic domains and context-based services, as well as, to develop micro context-aware applications that negotiate and interchange context, and consume services in multiple computational spaces.
Previous research has demonstrated that people preferentially remember reputational information that is emotionally incongruent to their expectations, but it has left open the question of the generality of this effect. Three conflicting hypotheses were proposed: (a) The effect is restricted to information relevant to reciprocal social exchange. (b) The effect is most pronounced for emotional (approach-and-avoidance-relevant) information. (c) The effect is due to a general tendency of the cognitive system to attend to unexpected and novel information regardless of its (emotional) content. Here, we varied the type of to-be-remembered person information across experiments. To stimulate expectations, we selected faces whose facial appearance was rated as pleasant or disgusting (Experiments 1 and 2), as intelligent or unintelligent (Experiment 3), or as being that of a lawyer or a farmer (Experiment 4). These faces were paired with behavior descriptions that violated or confirmed these appearance-based 1st impressions. Source memory for the association between the faces and the descriptions was assessed with surprise memory tests. The results show that people are willing to form various social expectations based on facial appearance alone, and they support the hypothesis that the classification of the faces in the memory test is biased by schema-congruent guessing. Source memory was generally enhanced for information violating appearance-based social expectations. In sum, the results show that person memory is consistently affected by different kinds of social expectations, supporting the idea that the mechanisms determining memory performance generalize beyond exchange-relevant reputational and emotional information.
Background: many immigrant and ethno-cultural groups in Canada face substantial barriers to accessing health care including language barriers. The negative consequences of miscommunication in health care settings are well documented although there has been little research on communication barriers facing immigrant women seeking maternity care in Canada. This study identified the nature of communication difficulties in maternity services from the perspectives of immigrant women, health care providers and social service providers in a small city in southern Alberta, Canada. Methods: a focused ethnography was undertaken incorporating interviews with 31 participants recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. A community liaison and several gatekeepers within the community assisted with recruitment and interpretation where needed (n=1). All interviews were recorded and audio files were transcribed verbatim by a professional transcriptionist. The data was analysed drawing upon principles expounded by Roper and Shapira (2000) for the analysis of ethnographic data, because of (1) the relevance to ethnographic data, (2) the clarity and transparency of the approach, (3) the systematic approach to analysis, and (4) the compatibility of the approach with computer assisted qualitative analysis software programs such as Atlas.ti (ATLAS ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Germany). This process included (1) coding for descriptive labels, (2) sorting for patterns, (3) identification of outliers, (4) generation of themes, (5) generalising to generate constructs and theories, and (6) memoing including researcher reflections. Findings: four main themes were identified including verbal communication, unshared meaning, nonverbal communication to build relationships, and trauma, culture and open communication. Communication difficulties extended beyond matters of language competency to those encompassing nonverbal communication and its relation to shared meaning as well as the interplay of underlying pre migration history and cultural factors which affect open communication, accessible health care and perhaps also maternal outcomes. Conclusion: this study provided insights regarding maternity health care communication. Communication challenges may be experienced by all parties, yet the Onus remains for health care providers and for those within health care management and professional bodies to ensure that providers are equipped with the skills necessary to facilitate culturally appropriate care. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
First-order and high-order correlation-power-analysis attacks have been shown to be a severe threat to cryptographic devices. As such, they serve as a security measure for evaluation and comparison of security-oriented implementations. When properly designed, data-dependent delays can be used as a barrier to these attacks. This paper introduces a security-oriented delay assignment algorithm for mitigating single and multibit attacks. The algorithm enables a reduction of the correlation between the processed data and the consumed current by utilizing the data-dependent delays as a source of correlated noise. This is done while minimizing the area overhead, propagation time, and power. We show that for the same security level this new algorithm provides X2 and X6 more area efficiency, and X1.5 and X2.25 higher frequencies than a permuted path delay assignment and random embedding of delay elements.
Alcohol has been implicated in intergroup aggression and hostility. The effect of consuming alcohol relative to a placebo on hostile cognitive biases toward a social category typically stereotyped as threatening and hostile (i.e., Middle Eastern men) was tested. Undergraduates (N = 81) consumed either an intoxicating dose of alcohol (BrAC = .05% by vol.) or placebo. Then, they played a shooter game in which they were asked to shoot at targets holding guns, but not at targets holding harmless objects. Half of the targets were White and half were Middle Eastern. As predicted, alcohol consumption, relative to a placebo, increased participants' bias to shoot Middle Eastern targets, but did not affect the shooter bias against White targets. Findings suggest that alcohol may heighten aggressive biases toward outgroups stereotyped as threatening and hostile.
School anxiety appears to be related to self-esteem and self-handicapping strategies. This study aims at identifying children with atypical levels of anxiety and examining the relationship between their self-esteem at school and their use of self-handicapping strategies. The sample included 120 pupils (M=8.6years) attending third grade of primary school and was divided into three groups: pupils with low anxiety, average anxiety and high anxiety. Children were administered the Scale for Evaluation of Anxiety (SAFA A), the TMA - Multidimensional test of Self-esteem- and the Self-Handicapping Scale for Children. On the whole, results demonstrate a nearly normative distribution of school anxiety in a nonclinical sample. Pupils with an average level of school anxiety showed a higher level of Self-esteem and engaged more in self-handicapping strategies. The developmental perspective suggests the importance of preventive research in order to identify any risk factors of subsequent anxiety disorders at an early age.
In the last few decades there has been increased consumer interest in the fatty acid (FA) composition of ruminant meat due to its content of saturated FAs, which have been implicated in diseases associated with modern life. However, recent studies have questioned the recommendations to reduce intake of fat, saturated FAs and cholesterol as a means of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, ruminant meat has some bioactive lipids such as C18:1t11 and C18:2 c9, t11 which have been reported to have positive effects on human health. In order to improve muscle fat composition from a human health standpoint, oilseeds, plant oils and marine oils can be used in ruminant diets. On the other hand, molecular mechanisms play an important role in the alteration of the FA composition of muscle fat. Genetics offer a wide range of possibilities for improvement of muscle fat composition by identifying different loci underlying the expression of quantitative traits. While significant progress has been made in characterizing the influence of diet on the FA composition of ruminant meat, the use of genetic tools can favor genotypes that could maximize their genetic potential through the diet. (c) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
The deployment of renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaics and wind turbines, poses challenges in terms of electricity grid stability due to the intermittent nature of such energy sources, which creates a need for innovative storage solutions. We demonstrate a metal hydride-based hybrid electrochemical system that enables a solid-oxide fuel cell to operate in both fuel cell mode and battery mode, allowing for un-interrupted electricity generation. In the fuel cell mode, the device acts as a conventional fuel cell and converts the chemical energy stored in fuels into electrical energy. In the battery mode, the metal hydride near the anode releases hydrogen and quickly responds to fuel supply interruption or power demand surges. The concept demonstrated here is a promising way to provide a robust and economical solution for balancing power supply and demand for the electrical grid of the future.
Stream hydraulics control flux into and out of slow-moving water transient storage (WTS) zones and, thus, hydrologic retention in stream channels. In-stream nutrient uptake is thought to depend on hydrologic retention, so stream hydraulics could influence the extent to which in-stream nutrient biogeochemistry affects nutrient export downstream. Our goals were to: 1) characterize WTS with an emphasis on water residence time and 2) evaluate its influence on nutrient uptake. We analyzed data from 2 y of monthly solute-tracer injections with accompanying nutrient-uptake estimates in 2 hydrogeomorphically different streams. We fit the conservative tracer breakthrough curves to 2 hydrodynamic models: the one-dimensional transport with inflow and storage (OTIS) and the stochastic mobile-immobile model (SMIM), which allows for a wide distribution of water residence times. The 2 streams differed hydraulically, especially in water residence-time distributions in WTS zones. SMIM parameters depended less on discharge than did OTIS parameters, indicating that SMIM may be influenced more by local features of channel morphology than by hydrologic conditions. NH4+ uptake differed between streams, was correlated with all SMIM hydraulic parameters, and was weakly correlated with only 1 OTIS parameter. Based on SMIM correlations, the parameters related to the exchange of free-flowing water with water storage zones and the in-stream retention times explained 43 and 41%, respectively, of the variation in NH4+ uptake in the streams. Soluble reactive P (SRP) uptake was similar between streams and was not correlated with hydraulic parameters. These results indicate that hydraulics and residence time of water can be important regulators of WTS zones and nutrient uptake in headwater streams, but other environmental factors must be considered for complete understanding of in-stream nutrient processing capacity.
This article shows a two-dimensional analysis model for predicting eddy current loss in a winding flux-switching permanent magnet under an open-circuit. The finite-element method is used for electrical machine design; however, this numerical method is always time consuming. Depending on the geometry, the mesh quality of the finite-element method should be high, and thus the finite-element method is more time consuming for special electrical machines. To solve this problem, a sub-domain model using Fourier analysis is improved for a flux-switching permanent magnet machine. It is obtained by solving Poisson and Laplace equations in polar coordinates for each domain, i.e., the magnet, air gap, rotor and stator slots, as well as external region. The model accounts for the influence of interaction between the stator slots and air gap, as well as rotor slots and air gap. Magnetic field distribution, flux linkage, back-electromotive force, cogging torque, and eddy current loss waveforms are derived from the analytical method and verified by finite-element analysis. To the best knowledge of the authors, such an analysis has not been carried out previously.
For many years ago, the beneficial effects of using reinforcement to improve the property of soil have been demonstrated. Over the last three decades, the use of polymeric reinforcement such as geotextile has increased in geotechnical engineering. Among the possible applications, earth reinforcement techniques have become useful and economical techniques to solve many problems in geotechnical engineering practice, such as improve the bearing capacity and settlement characteristics of the footing. This research presents the effect of geotextile inclusion on the bearing capacity of two close strip footings located at the surface of soft clay. A broad series of finite element analysis were performed on two footings with width of 1 and 2 m using two-dimensional plane strain model using the computer code Plaxis (ver 8). Only one type of soft clay was used for the analysis, and the soil was represented by two yielding criteria including hardening soil model and Mohr-Coulomb model, while reinforcement was represented by elastic element, and at the interface between the reinforcements and soft clay, interface elements have been used. A wide range of boundary conditions, including unreinforced and reinforced cases, was analyzed by varying parameters such as number of geotextile layers, vertical spacing of layers, depth to topmost layer of geotextile, tensile stiffness of geotextile layers, and distance of between two footings. From numerical results, the bearing capacity ratio and the interference factor of the foundations have been estimated. On the basis of the analysis performed in this research, it can be concluded that there is a best distance between footings and optimum depth for topmost layer to achieve maximum bearing capacity for closely spaced strip footings. The bearing capacity was also found to increase with increasing number of reinforcement layers if the reinforcements were placed within a range of effective depths. In addition, the analysis indicated that increasing reinforcement stiffness beyond a threshold value does not result in a further increase in the bearing capacity.
The ability to derive new insights from data using advanced machine learning or analytics techniques can enhance the decision-making process in companies. Nevertheless, researchers have found that the actual application of analytics in companies is still in its initial stages. Therefore, this paper studies by means of a descriptive survey the application of analytics with regards to five different aspects as defined by the DELTA model: data, enterprise or organization, leadership, targets or techniques and applications, and the analysts who apply the techniques themselves. We found that the analytics organization in companies matures with regards to these aspects. As such, if companies started earlier with analytics, they apply nowadays more complex techniques such as neural networks, and more advanced applications such as HR analytics and predictive analytics. Moreover, analytics is differently propagated throughout companies as they mature with a larger focus on department-wide or organization-wide analytics and a more advanced data governance policy. Next, we research by means of clustering how these characteristics can indicate the analytics maturity stage of companies. As such, we discover four clusters with a clear growth path: no analytics, analytics bootstrappers, sustainable analytics adopters and disruptive analytics innovators. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose - Although previous research has established that moral emotion, moral judgment, and moral identity influence consumer intention to engage in prosocial behavior (e.g. donating, volunteering) under some circumstances, these factors, in reality, can concurrently influence judgment process. Therefore, it is important to get a more nuanced understanding of how the combinations of each factor can lead to a high intention to engage in prosocial behavior. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach - This research employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore different configurations of moral emotion, judgment, and identity that lead to a high consumer intention to engage in prosocial behavior. Findings - Findings indicate four configurations of moral emotion, moral judgment, and moral identity that lead to a high intention to engage in prosocial behavior. Research limitations/implications - This research focuses on the case of a hospital in Indonesia; thus, it is important not to overgeneralize the findings. Nonetheless, from a methodological standpoint, opportunity emerges to broaden the examinations in other service and cultural contexts. Practical implications - The findings of this research can help the hospital to develop effective combinations of advertising and marketing strategies to promote prosocial behavior among its customers. Originality/value - This paper provides the first empirical evidence on the existence of multiple pathways of moral emotion, judgment, and identity that lead to a high consumer intention to engage in prosocial behavior. The implications of this research also highlight the importance of cultural context in understanding consumer behavior.
The aberrant expression of microRNA (miR)-214 contributes to the regulation of normal and cancer cell biology, and is associated with human malignancies, however, it can operate in a contradictory manner. The role of miR-214 in osteosarcoma remains to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of miR-214 on osteosarcoma progression and tumor cell proliferation, and examine the molecular mechanism underlying osteosarcoma. The level of miR-214 was determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis in osteosarcoma and matched paracancerous tissues, and in human osteosarcoma cancer cell lines. The roles of miR-214 in cell proliferation, survival and cell cycle were analyzed using miR-214 lentivirus (LV-miR-214)-infected osteosarcoma cells. In addition, the downstream target proteins in the Wnt/ beta-catenin signaling pathway were evaluated using western blot analysis in the LV-miR-214-infected cells. The LV-miR-214-infected MG63 cells were also treated with exogenous beta-catenin for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively, following which the expression of beta-catenin was measured using western blot analysis and survival was determined using a 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results of the RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression level of miR-214 was significantly higher in the osteosarcoma tissues, compared with that in the matched paracancerous tissues, and the same was observed in the osteosarcoma cell lines. The MG63, Saos-2 and U2OS cells were infected with the hsa-mir-214 lentivirus for 48 h, and the levels of miR-214 were significantly upregulated in the human osteosarcoma cancer cells. The overexpression of miR-214 in the MG-63 and Saos-2 cells promoted cell growth, and treatment of the cells with specific antisense-microRNA oligonucleotides (AMOs) for miR-214 for indicated durations reversed the effects of miR-214. Additionally, the AMO-treated MG63 cells showed G0/G1 phase arrest, suggesting that miR-214 contributed to regulation of the cell cycle. In addition, the results of western blot analysis showed that, in the miR-214 lentivirus-infected cells, the levels of cyclin-D1, c-myc and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor-1 were significantly increased, compared with those in the control lentivirus-infected cancer cells. Of note, infection with the miR-214 lentivirus did not affect the levels of Wnt1, Wnt2, Wnt4, Axin or glycogen synthase kinase beta in the U2OS cells, whereas the expression levels of beta-catenin in the MG63 cells and Saos-2 cells were significantly increased. The addition of exogenous beta-catenin effectively reversed the efficiency of miR-214-specific AMOs, which was detected using an MTT assay. These data suggested the critical role of miR-214 in human osteosarcoma via regulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway and demonstrated that miR-214 is as an oncogene for human osteosarcoma.
Prolonged translation arrest correlates with delayed neuronal death of hippocampal CA1 neurons following global cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Many previous studies investigated ribosome molecular biology, but mRNA regulatory mechanisms after brain ischemia have been less studied. Here we investigated the embryonic lethal abnormal vision/Hu isoforms HuR, HuB, HuC, and HuD, as well as expression of mRNAs containing adenine and rich uridine elements following global ischemia in rat brain. Proteomics of embryonic lethal abnormal vision immunoprecipitations or polysomes isolated from rat hippocampal CA1 and CA3 from controls or following 10min ischemia plus 8h of reperfusion showed distinct sets of mRNA-binding proteins, suggesting differential mRNA regulation in each condition. Notably, HuB, HuC, and HuD were undetectable in NIC CA1. At 8h reperfusion, polysome-associated mRNAs contained 46.1% of ischemia-upregulated mRNAs containing adenine and rich uridine elements in CA3, but only 18.7% in CA1. Since mRNAs containing adenine and rich uridine elements regulation are important to several cellular stress responses, our results suggest CA1 is disadvantaged compared to CA3 in coping with ischemic stress, and this is expected to be an important contributing factor to CA1 selective vulnerability. (Data are available via ProteomeXchange identifier PXD004078 and GEO Series accession number GSE82146).
Water is one of the most important resources in the world because it is essential for the life. Recently, several strategies for the proper use of water in different sectors (industrial, agricultural and domestic) have been ported, which involve options such as recycling, reusing and regeneration. However, the overall water management in a macroscopic level has received lower attention. In the macroscopic level, numerous water uses are involved and several sources of freshwater can interact to satisfy the freshwater demands, where also recycling, reusing and regeneration strategies can be implemented. Therefore, in this paper is proposed a new optimization formulation for the proper use of water in a macroscopic level involving water recycling, reusing and regeneration as well as accounting for the impact in the surrounding watershed. A case study from the central-west part of Mexico was analyzed, and the results show that is possible to reduce the freshwater consumption by 21 % with an investment of US $686,510,000/year.
Words activate cortical regions in accordance with their modality of presentation (i.e., written vs. spoken), yet there is a long-standing debate about whether patterns of activity in any specific brain region capture modality invariant conceptual information. Deficits in patients with semantic dementia highlight the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) as an amodal store of semantic knowledge but these studies do not permit precise localisation of this function. The current investigation used multiple imaging methods in healthy participants to examine functional dissociations within ATL. Multi-voxel pattern analysis identified spatially segregated regions: a response to input modality in anterior superior temporal gyrus (aSTG) and a response to meaning in more ventral anterior temporal lobe (vATL). This functional dissociation was supported by resting-state connectivity that found greater coupling for aSTG with primary auditory cortex and vATL with the default mode network. A meta-analytic decoding of these connectivity patterns implicated aSTG in processes closely tied to auditory processing (such as phonology and language) and vATL in meaning-based tasks (such as comprehension or social cognition). Thus we provide converging evidence for the segregation of meaning and input modality in the ATL.
Based on logical GHZ states and logical Bell states, two robust quantum key agreement protocols are proposed, which can be immune to the collective-dephasing noise and the collective-rotation noise, respectively. The delayed measurement technique ensures that two participants can fairly negotiate a shared key and any one of them cannot successfully perform the participant attacks. The two protocols are congenitally free from the Trojan horse attacks and they can resist against other outsider attacks with the help of the decoy state technology. Moreover, they have no information leakage problem and achieve high qubit efficiency.
This paper investigates the impact of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) integration on the power systems scheduling and energy cost. An intermediary entity, the EV aggregator, participates in the market on behalf of the EV owners by optimally self-scheduling under the price-taking approach. Through detailed rolling simulations for a year and different EVs' penetration scenarios at a large insular power system, this work highlights the different impact of direct and smart charging on power system scheduling and energy costs, the limitations of the price-taking approach, which is widely used in self-scheduling models, and the difference in system value and market value that smart charging adoption creates in restructured markets under the marginal pricing rule.
Vertical gate-all-around (VGAA) structure has been shown to be one of the most promising devices for the scaling beyond 10 nm for its reduced area, large driving current, and good gate control. Moreover, emerging devices such as heterojunction tunneling FETs are more amenable to vertical fabrication. However, past studies of vertical channel devices focused more on regular memory architectures and simple standard cells like inverters. Since naive migration of regular FinFET layouts to vertical FETs yields little benefits, we identify several vertical efficient layout structures and propose novel layout generation heuristics for vertical channel devices. We also compare VGAA with symmetric and asymmetric source/drain architectures and different contact placement strategies. The layout efficiencies of several VGAA structures, vertical double-gate, lateral gate-all-around (LGAA), and FinFET are presented in our experiments. Routing congestion estimation on both cell-level and chip-level after placement and routing are also presented. We observe that even though most vertical channel standard cells have more diffusion gaps than lateral cells do, they still benefit from vertical architectures in area because of the vertically aligned top contacts. For asymmetric architectures, the area is larger than symmetric architectures because of the extra diffusion gaps needed, but our experiments indicate that for both symmetric and asymmetric architectures, vertical channel devices are likely to have a density advantage over lateral channel devices.
The importance of T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire diversity is highlighted in murine models of immunodeficiency and in many human pathologies. However, the true extent of TCR diversity and how this diversity varies in health and disease is poorly understood. In a previous issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Lossius et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2014. 44: 3439-3452] dissected the composition of the TCR repertoire in the context of multiple sclerosis (MS) using high-throughput sequencing of TCR-beta chains in cerebrospinal fluid samples and blood. The authors demonstrated that the TCR repertoire of the CSF was largely distinct from the blood and enriched in EBV-reactive CD8(+) T cells in MS patients. Studies of this kind have long been hindered by technical limitations and remain scarce in the literature. However, TCR sequencing methodologies are progressing apace and will undoubtedly shed light on the genetic basis of T-cell responses and the ontogeny of T-cell-mediated diseases, such as MS.
This paper presents a power management system of a household photovoltaic-battery hybrid power system within demand side management under time of use electricity tariff. This system is easy to implement by employing cheap electrical switches, off-the-shelf chargers and inverters. Control system models combining both power dispatching level and home appliance scheduling level are proposed to minimize the residents` energy cost and energy consumption from the grid with the practical constraints strictly satisfied. In addition, the resident comfort inconvenience level is considered in the control system models. The trade-off among operating cost, energy consumption and inconvenience is considered and a multi-objective optimization problem is formulated. The optimal control strategies are derived by solving a mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem. Simulation results show that the energy cost and energy consumption from the grid can be largely reduced with the proposed strategies. These results are important for customers to dispel their major uncertainty in determining whether to newly install or update to such photovoltaic-battery hybrid power systems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The objective was to investigate a family from Argentina. The proposita was a 51-year-old woman who had a moderate bleeding tendency. Some of her children showed a mild bleeding tendency. Her mother and the husband were asymptomatic. Clotting, immunological and molecular biology techniques were used. Partial thromboplastin, prothrombin, Russell Viper venom-clotting times were moderately prolonged in the proposita, whereas they were slightly prolonged in the children and in her mother. Factor X (FX) activity was about 2-3% of normal in all assay systems. FX antigen was less than 5%. Other clotting factors and platelet were normal. Genetic analysis showed a compound heterozygosis: combination of a 'new' mutation (Gln138Arg) with an already known mutation (Glu350Lys). The children had intermediate FX levels (35-63% of normal) and were carriers of one of the two mutations present in the proposita. This is the first observation of a FX deficiency in Argentina. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (SiNW PET) device's have been interfaced with cells; however, their application for noninvasive, real-time monitoring of interfacial effects during cell growth and differentiation on SiNW has not been fully explored. Here, we cultured rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, a type of neural progenitor cell, directly on SiNW PET devices to monitor cell adhesion during growth and morphological changes during neuronal differentiation for a period of 5-7 d. Monitoring was performed by measuring the non-Faradaic electrical impedance of the cell-SiNW PET system using a precision LCR meter. Our SiNW PET devices exhibited changes in impedance parameters during cell growth and differentiation because of the negatively charged cell membrane, seal resistance, and membrane capacitance at the cell/SiNW interface. It was observed that during both PC12 cell growth and neuronal differentiation, the impedance magnitude increased and the phase shifted to more negative values. However, impedance changes during cell growth already plateaued 3 d after seeding, while impedance changes continued until the last observation day during differentiation. Our results also indicate that the frequency shift to above 40 kHz after growth factor induction resulted from a larger coverage of cell membrane on the SiNWs due to distinctive morphological changes according to vinculin staining. Encapsulation of PC12 cells in a hydrogel scaffold resulted in a lack of trend in impedance parameters and confirmed that impedance changes were due to the cells. Moreover, cytolysis of the differentiated PC12 cells led to significant changes in impedance parameters. Equivalent electrical circuits were used to analyze the changes in impedance values during cell growth and differentiation. The technique employed in this study can provide a platform for performing investigations of growth-factor-induced progenitor cell differentiation.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an example of a country that suffers from high water scarcity. Additionally, due to the economic drivers in the country, such as phosphate and potash extraction and pharmaceutical production, the little fresh water that remains is generally polluted. The infrastructure, often antiquated in urban areas and non-existent in rural areas, also contributes to poor water conditions and to the spread of waterborne diseases. This paper examines the socioeconomic factors that contribute to diarrhea and hepatitis A on a macro level in Jordan and discusses the public-policies that government officials could use to abate those problems. Ordinary least squares time series models are used to understand the macro-level variables that impact the incidence of these diseases in Jordan. Public health expenditure has a significant impact on reducing their incidence. Furthermore, investment in sanitation facilities in rural regions is likely to reduce the number of cases of hepatitis A. Perhaps the most surprising outcome is that importation of goods and services likely results in a decrease in cases of hepatitis A. However, income has little impact on the incidence of diarrhea and hepatitis A.
A multi-pump, multi-piston power take-off wave energy converter ((MPPTO)-P-2 WEC) has been proposed for use with a novel renewable energy harvester termed the Ocean Grazer. The (MPPTO)-P-2 WEC utilizes wave motion to pump via buoys connected to pistons working fluid within a closed circuit and store it as potential energy that can be converted to electricity via turbines. This paper introduces the mechanical design and model-based performance prediction of a single-piston pump that constitutes the basic building block for the (MPPTO)-P-2 WEC. Results provide preliminary validation of aqueous lubrication as a viable means of reducing friction and wear, suggesting that water-based hydraulic fluids can prohibit solid contact at the piston-cylinder interface while reducing volumetric leakage, and allowing for an estimation of the energy extraction efficiency for the mechanical pumping system. Pending more thorough and extended tribological investigations using the methodology introduced in this paper, findings suggest that the overall system efficiency will be dictated by the hydrodynamics of the buoys actuating the pumping system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Polymeric drag reducers, such as partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (PHPAAm), are important chemical additives in hydraulic fracturing fluids as they can significantly decrease the frictional pressure drop in the casing (by up to 80%), resulting in an increase of the injection rate that can be delivered to the fracturing point. The incorporation of sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid (NaAMPS) moieties into polyacrylamide (PAAm) can further improve the performance of fracturing fluids by addressing some compatibility issues related to the use of PHPAAm, e.g., the sensitivity to water salinity. In this study, three types of poly(acrylamide-co-NaAMPS) and pure PHPAAm were investigated with respect to polymer induced drag reduction and mechanical polymer degradation in turbulent pipe flow in a pressure-driven pipe flow facility. The test section comprised a horizontal 1 bore circular cross-section pipe. The facility was modified in order to allow long time/length experiments by automatically recirculating the polymer solution in a closed-loop through the test section. The presence of NaAMPS groups in the copolymer backbone is found to increase the ability of PHPAAm to reduce frictional drag while the vulnerability to mechanical degradation remains unaffected. The drag reduction of NaAMPS copolymer solutions can be described by a modified version of Virk?s correlation (1967), extended to include the effect of Reynolds number. Polymer mechanical degradation is found to proceed until the friction reducer is almost ineffective in reducing drag. This phenomenon is in contrast with the most common correlation for polymer degradation, which predicts the existence of an asymptotic (but finite) limit to the reduced drag reduction. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Soil erosion has become a serious problem in recent decades due to unhalted trends of unsustainable land use practices. Assessment of soil erosion is a prominent tool in planning and conservation of soil and water resource ecosystems. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was applied to Nyabarongo River Catchment that drains about 8413.75 km(2) (33%) of the total Rwanda coverage and a small part of the Southern Uganda (about 64.50 km(2)) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies. The estimated total annual actual soil loss was approximately estimated at 409 million tons with a mean erosion rate of 490 t.ha(-1).y(-1) (i.e., 32.67 mm.y(-1)). The cropland that occupied 74.85% of the total catchment presented a mean erosion rate of 618 t.ha(-1).y(-1) (i.e., 41.20 mm.y(-1)) and was responsible for 95.8% of total annual soil loss. Emergency soil erosion control is required with a priority accorded to cropland area of 173,244 ha, which is extremely exposed to actual soil erosion rate of 2222 t.ha(-1).y(-1) (i.e., 148.13 mm.y(-1)) and contributed to 96.2% of the total extreme soil loss in the catchment. According to this study, terracing cultivation method could reduce the current erosion rate in cropland areas by about 78%. Therefore, the present study suggests the catchment management by constructing check dams, terracing, agroforestry and reforestation of highly exposed areas as suitable measures for erosion and water pollution control within the Nyabarongo River Catchment and in other regions facing the same problems.
A synchronous reluctance motor (SynRelM) and a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PM-assisted SynRelM) at a rated power level between 15 and 40 kW have been designed with the help of finite element analysis (FEA). Their performances levels are compared to an off-the-shelf inverter-fed variable speed squirrel cage induction motor (SCIM) and a surface mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor (SMPMSM), respectively. In the comparison the resulting average torque over the operating speed range and the torque ripple are investigated. Two prototypes have been fabricated and experimental measurements have been carried out to validate simulation data. It was identified that SynRelMs, especially assisted with permanent magnets (PMs), could compete with induction motors - and even PM synchronous motors (PMSMs) under certain operating conditions.
This study presents the results of geogrid pullout tests conducted in wet and fine-grained soils. Failures of reinforced soil structures have often involved inadequate drainage due to the use of fine-grained soils, which has led to stringent specifications for backfill material in such structures although there are significant economic reasons for relieving the specifications. One approach to improve the issue is to reinforce fine-grained soils with geosynthetic providing both reinforcement and lateral drainage. Although using reinforcement with in-plane drainage capability is conceptually promising, transmissivity requirements for this application have not been properly evaluated. Pullout tests were conducted on cohesive soils using geogrids with the same tensile strength but with and without in-plane drainage channels. The results indicate that geogrids with in-plane drainage layers show higher pullout resistance than conventional geogrids. The finding contributes to promoting the use of poorly draining soils as backfill material.
Purpose of Review The ebb and flow of genetic influence relative to the understanding of craniofacial and dental disorders has evolved into a tacit acceptance of the current genetic paradigm. This review explores the science behind craniofacial and dental disorders through the lens of recent past and current findings and using tooth agenesis as a model of advances in craniofacial genetics. Recent Findings Contemporary studies of craniofacial biology takes advantage of the technological resources stemming from the genomic and post-genomic eras. Emerging data highlights the role of key genes and the epigenetic landscape controlling these genes, in causing dentofacial abnormalities. We also report here a novel Glu78FS MSX1 mutation in one family segregating an autosomal dominant form of severe tooth agenesis as an illustration of an evolving theme, i.e., different mutations in the same gene can result in a spectrum of dentofacial phenotypic severity. Summary The future of clinical therapeutics will benefit from advances in genetics and molecular biology that refine the genotype-phenotype correlation. Indeed, the past century suggests a continued convergence of genetic science in the practice of clinical dentistry.
Woody vegetation in global tropical drylands is of significant importance for both the interannual variability of the carbon cycle and local livelihoods. Satellite observations over the past decades provide a unique way to assess the vegetation long-term dynamics across biomes worldwide. Yet, the actual changes in the woody vegetation are always hidden by interannual fluctuations of the leaf density, because the most widely used remote sensing data are primarily related to the photosynthetically active vegetation components. Here, we quantify the temporal trends of the nonphotosynthetic woody components (i.e., stems and branches) in global tropical drylands during 2000-2012 using the vegetation optical depth (VOD), retrieved from passive microwave observations. This is achieved by a novel method focusing on the dry season period to minimize the influence of herbaceous vegetation and using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data to remove the interannual fluctuations of the woody leaf component. We revealed significant trends (P < 0.05) in the woody component (VODwood)in 35% of the areas characterized by a nonsignificant trend in the leaf component (VODleaf modeled from NDVI), indicating pronounced gradual growth/ decline in woody vegetation not captured by traditional assessments. The method is validated using a unique record of ground measurements from the semiarid Sahel and shows a strong agreement between changes in VODwood and changes in ground observed woody cover (r(2) = 0.78). Reliability of the obtained woody component trends is also supported by a review of relevant literatures for eight hot spot regions of change. The proposed approach is expected to contribute to an improved assessment of, for example, changes in dryland carbon pools.
In the present study, the copolymerization of ethyl acrylate and guar gum was induced by microwave irradiation in the presence of catalytic amount of the initiator potassium persulfate (KPS). The maximum percentage conversion was found to be 107.1% under microwave power of 900MW after 3min exposure. The copolymerized guar gum-graft-poly-ethyl acrylate (GG-g-PEA) was characterized using FTIR spectroscopy and SEM analysis. The effect of pH on the capacity of the GG-g-PEA copolymers to reduce the hardness of the water was investigated, leading to the effective removal of Ca(II) and Mg(II) ions from solutions at pH 8. The calculated values of the coefficient of determination (0.914-0.9553) for Ca(II) and Mg(II), respectively, showed that the equilibrium isotherm data followed the Freundlich isotherm model. The pseudo-second-order model was suitable for the modelling of the kinetic data, predicting adsorption capacities of 0.2680g/mg/min for Ca(II) and 0.3835g/mg/min for Mg(II), respectively. The synthesized GG-g-PEA adsorbent could therefore be recommended for the reduction in the water's hardness.
Subcritical flow in a short expansion tends to become detached from its sidewalls and create turbulent eddies. This phenomenon can cause undesirable losses of flow energy and channel erosion. This paper numerically investigates the effects of a triangular hump fitted at the bottom of the expansion on flow separation reduction. The results are validated using available experimental data. This paper reports quantitative details of the velocity field, eddy structures, and flow streamline separation in expansions of different divergence angles under various conditions of the Froude number. The results show that the flow of water can separate along either of the two sidewalls, possibly due to bistability. The use of appropriate humps can effectively reduce separation and turbulent eddies because they force the flow to accelerate and hence create a favorable pressure gradient. The results from this paper are useful for the optimal design of expansions as an important part of irrigation and water systems.
Snow accumulation, ablation, and runoff in mountainous areas are critical components of the hydrologic cycle, but are poorly known. Passive microwave (PM) measurements are sensitive to snow water equivalent (SWE), even in mountain regions, but vegetation masks the microwave signals and reduces this sensitivity. This study examines how the PM snow signal is affected by the forest density in fourteen basins in the Sierra Nevada, USA, and in a series of sixteen subsets of the Kern basin that have varied vegetation density. 36.5 GHz vertical polarization brightness temperature (T-b) time series for each basin were produced from the spaceborne AMSR-E operational period (water year (WY) 2003 to WY2011). For each basin, the coefficient of determination (R-2) between the annual minimum Tb and the concurrent SWE was calculated to evaluate the sensitivity of the PM to SWE. The relationship between the R-2 values and the forest density was then analyzed to assess how vegetation affect the SWE information in the observed Tb. Mean forest coverage from MODIS was used to represent forest density. The R2 between the annual minimum Tb and concurrent SWE was >0.6 for three of the basins. Consistent with previous studies, WY2006 demonstrated anomalous Tb values for many basins, apparently due to anomalous warm winter rainfall. Excluding WY2006, R-2 is significantly higher in all basins: eight of fourteen basins have R-2 >0.6. For basins with average elevation >2500 m, SWE correlates well with Tb. The R-2 decreases monotonically with decreasing elevation. Basin elevation and forest cover are highly correlated in the Sierra; a basin elevation of 2500 m generally coincides with forest cover of 20%. A total of 42% of Sierra Nevada has <20% forest cover; this corresponds to an estimated 34% of the total SWE in the Sierra. Thus, SWE and Tb are empirically correlated for over a third of the SWE in the Sierra, typically at high elevations and above treeline. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Bunch charge variations in Free Electron Lasers such as the Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (FLASH) or the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser (E-XFEL) impacts the longitudinal phase space distribution of the electrons resulting in different bunch peak currents, pulse duration and pulse shapes. The electron bunches are generated by short ultraviolet laser pulses impinging onto a photocathode inside a radio frequency (RF) accelerating cavity. At FLASH, bursts of bunches up to 800 pulses with an intra train repetition rate of 1 MHz are used and even higher repetition rates for the E-XFEL (up to 4.5 Mhz) are planned. Charge variations along these bunch-trains can be caused by variations of the laser pulse energies, instabilities of the accelerating fields in the RF cavity and time dependent effects in the photoemission process. To improve the intra bunch-train charge flatness and to compensate train-to-train fluctuations a dedicated digital control system, based on the Micro Telecommunication Computing Architecture (MicroTCA.4) standard, was designed, implemented and successfully tested at the FLASH. The system consists of a bunch charge detection module which analyzes data from toroid system and provides the input signal for the controller which drives a fast UV-Pockels Cell installed in the optical path of the photo-cathode laser. The Pockels cell alters the laser polarization and thus the transmission through a polarizer. The modulation of UV laser pulse energy with an iterative learning feed-forward minimizing the repetitive errors from bunch-train to bunch-train and a fast feedback algorithm implemented in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) allows for fast tuning of bunch charge inside the bunch-train. In this paper a detailed description of the system and first measurement results are presented.
Background: Influenza infection can result in severe disease with debilitating complications. Young children have the highest rate of influenza hospitalisations with various factors influencing influenza susceptibility and severity. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the disease burden and assess risk factors for severe hospitalised influenza in South Australian children under 5 years of age. Methods: Influenza admissions to the tertiary paediatric hospital in South Australia from 2008 to 2012 were identified. Data from laboratory-confirmed influenza cases were collected, including infecting influenza strain, co-infections, prematurity, pre-existing medical comorbidities and other potential risk factors. Predictors of high-level care were assessed using logistic regression. Results: A total of 267 children with laboratory-confirmed influenza were hospitalised. Of these, 147 admissions (53%) occurred in children without underlying medical risk factors. Eighteen children (7%) required high-level care, of which 11 (61%) had no underlying medical risk factors. No deaths were reported. The majority of children were unimmunised against influenza. Co-infections were identified in 40% of children (n = 107). Influenza B was associated with a requirement for higher care (OR 3.7, CI 1.3-10.9, P = .02) as was a history of food allergies (OR 9.7, CI 1.5-61.4, P = .02) and iron deficiency anaemia (OR 4.8, CI 1.4-16.1, P = .01). Conclusions: Influenza can be a severe illness, even in children without underlying medical conditions. The identification of Influenza B strain, history of food allergies and iron deficiency anaemia as predictors of severity in hospitalised cases warrants further investigation and may have important implications for preventative strategies to reduce the burden of childhood influenza.
Highly optimised reconfigurable hardware architecture is proposed of 64 bit block ciphers MISTY1 and KASUMI for wide-area cryptographic applications. The reconfigurable hardware architecture is comprised of reconfigurable components consisting of FL function, FO/FI function and XOR function designed to perform MISTY1 and KASUMI algorithms round transformation functions. In addition, reconfigurable FO/FI function is adequate to generate MISTY1 extended keys for onward use in MISTY1 round transformation function. The substitution functions S9 and S7 for MISTY1 and KASUMI algorithms are optimised for area and throughput. Common sub-expression elimination for AND-XOR logic combined with permutation/combination technique for AND gates reduces the area considerably, whereas parallel execution improves the throughput. With this design approach, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implementations using Synopsys Design Complier, SMIC 0.18 mu m at 1.8 V achieved an area of 3481 NAND gates having throughput of 130.2 and 154.56 Mbits/s for MISTY1 and KASUMI, respectively. Synthesised FPGA implementation using Xilinx Artix 7 FPGA yielded an area of 487 configurable logic block (CLB) Slices having throughput of 209.43 and 248.7 Mbits/s for MISTY1 and KASUMI, respectively. Detailed design and performance analysis of reconfigurable hardware architecture of 64 bit block ciphers MISTY1 and KASUMI for ASIC implementations is described.
Categorization plays a fundamental role in organizing daily interactions with the social world. However, there is increasing recognition that social categorization is often complex, both because category membership can be ambiguous (e.g., multiracial or transgender identities) and because different categorical identities (e.g., race and gender) may interact to determine the meaning of category membership. These complex identities simultaneously impact social perceivers' impressions and social targets' own experiences of identity, thereby shaping perceptions, experiences, and interactions in fundamental ways. This review examines recent research on the perception and experience of the complex, multifaceted identities that both complicate and enrich our lives. Although research has historically tended to focus more on difficulties and challenges associated with multiple identities, increasing attention is being paid to opportunities that emerge from the possession of identities that include multiple distinct or overlapping groups. We consider how these opportunities might benefit both perceivers and targets.
This paper describes a course that was redesigned to meet industry's need for a product life cycle management (PLM) literate workforce. The objective of this interdisciplinary course is to introduce students to manufacturing engineering theories coupled with an industry-sponsored project. Throughout the building of an assembly line simulation, students are exposed to topics including process design, process verification, and workspace ergonomics. Moreover, practices of project management along with the theory of critical chain are built into this course. The end goal is to prepare students with not only the knowledge of PLM but also the capability of problem solving, communication, self-motivated teamwork, and leadership.
To observe the effects of Huannao Yicong Formula (e, HYF) on learning and memory and it's regulating effect on gamma-secretase related anterior pharynx defective 1 (APH-1), presenilin enhancer-2 (PEN-2) signaling pathway, so as to discuss and further clarify the mechanism of HYF on Alzheimer's disease. Sixty APP/PS1 transgenic mice, randomly allocated into 4 groups, the model group, the donepezil group (0.65 mg/kg), HYF low-dose group (HYF-L, 5.46 g/kg) and HYF high-dose group (HYF-H, 10.92 g/kg), 15 for each group. Another 15 C57BL/6J mice with the same age and same genetic background were allocated into the control group, proper dosage of drugs or distilled water were given by intragastric administration once daily for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks of administration, the learning and memory abilities of mice in each group was evaluated by the morris water maze test, amyloid precursor protein (APP), A beta(1-40) and A beta(1-42) levels in hippocampus were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, gamma-secretase was detected by dual luciferase assaying, the levels of APH-1a, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and PEN-2 and their mRNA expression was measured by Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction. HYF can ameliorate learning and memory deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice by decreasing the escape latency, improving the number of platform crossing and swimming speed (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). HYF can decrease the levels of APP, A beta(1-40), A beta(1-42) and the activity of gamma-secretase in hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease model mice. HYF can down-regulate the levels of CREB and PEN-2 and the expression of their mRNA. HYF can improve the learning and memory ability by inhibiting the activity of gamma-secretase through the CREB/PEN-2 signaling pathway, and this may be one of the therapeutic mechanisms of HYF in Alzheimer's disease.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) encompass a range of syndromes that are characterized by social interaction impairments, verbal and nonverbal communication difficulties, and stereotypic or repetitive behaviours. Although there has been considerable progress in understanding the mechanisms underlying the changes in the 'social' and 'communicative' aspects of ASD, the neurofunctional architecture of repetitive and stereotypic behaviours, as well as other cognitive domains related to response and action control, remain poorly understood. Based on the findings of neurobiological and neuroanatomical alterations in ASD and the functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology of different action control functions, we emphasize that changes in action control processes, including response inhibition, conflict and response monitoring, task switching, dual-tasking, motor timing, and error monitoring, are important facets of ASD. These processes must be examined further to understand the executive control deficits in ASD that are related to stereotypic or repetitive behaviours as a major facet of ASD. The review shows that not all domains of action control are strongly affected in ASD. Several factors seem to determine the consistency with which alterations in cognitive control are reported. These factors relate to the relevance of neurobiological changes in ASD for the cognitive domains examined and in how far action control relies upon the adjustment of prior experience. Future directions and hypotheses are outlined that may guide basic and clinical research on action control in ASD. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Although detection of deception accuracy rate has been researched extensively, the person perception components that are the basis for these judgments remain unclear. To explore this, 30 academics' person perceptions, as well as truthfulness judgment, of the individual presenting a televised appeal were measured using a 14-item scale. Twelve appeals (6 genuine and 6 false) for information regarding the whereabouts of a missing relative, or for information to apprehend the person who murdered their relative, were used. The person perception scale consisted of (1) global, abstract judgments (open, deceptive, genuine, trustworthy, and emotional) and (2) behavioural indices (facial pleasantness, facial animation, arousal, tension, involvement, verbal; consistency, plausibility and directness, and vocal certainty). Multiple regression identified person perceptions of openness, (non)deceptiveness, genuineness, trustworthiness, and verbal plausibility as significant predictors of truthfulness judgments. Future research should now explore the relationship of these person perception components of truth judgments to the accuracy.
In the domain of information technologies, certification exams are widespread as a mechanism for validation of expertise in specific domains of knowledge. CompTIA is an organization recognized by the ANSI, created to respond to the demand for certification of information technology. The CompTIA Security + certification is internationally recognized validation of skills related to computer security. The absence of ontologies for semantic markup of learning objects in the domain of this certification exam in the context of the Semantic Web, is the main motivation for the development of this proposal. This article presents a proposal to the domain ontology of this Network Security certification exam is developed, reaching the formal modeling Protege subdomain of Firewalls.
Frequent inundation has become a serious problem in urban areas all over the world in recent years. It is necessary to improve rainwater retention and infiltration in the urban watershed. The purpose of this study is to report how private rainwater-retention/harvesting tools/facilities can be spread gradually but steadily in the city, as a smart way to responding to urban flood-disaster risks. Rainwater harvesting tanks (0.2 m(3)) were installed intensively in 2010 and a rainwater harvesting house (42 m3) was constructed in 2012 in the city of Fukuoka, Japan after the city experienced a flood disaster in 2009. The former enhanced users' daily preparedness for emergency, and the latter inspired construction of a rainwater-harvesting housing complex (108m(3)) in an adjacent city. An elementary school is under construction from November of 2014 by another, nearby municipality inspired by these facilities. The school premises are located on the land reclaimed from an old irrigation pond. Thus the school needs to be adapted to this condition. 3,800 m(3) of rainwater can be retained within the school premises. The water is used to flush the toilet and water flowers to be grown by pupils. The amounts of retention and discharge will be monitored, and the data will be utilized for science education. In big cities, people tend to depend too much on the top-down, mega-system involving dredging rivers, strengthening drainage systems, constructing flood walls, etc., which invites more man-made, impervious surfaces in urban areas. Bottom-up, individual and/or collaborative approaches should be adopted in order to achieve multiple purposes of preventing/mitigating disasters, preserving/conserving ecosystems and nurturing/rebuilding communities in the city. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Wood contains a large amount of air, even in functional xylem. Air embolisms in the xylem affect water transport and can determine plant growth and survival. Embolisms are usually estimated with laborious hydraulic methods, which can be prone to several artefacts. Here, we describe a new method for estimating embolisms that is based on air flow measurements of entire branches. To calculate the amount of air flowing out of the branch, a vacuum was applied to the cut bases of branches under different water potentials. We first investigated the source of air by determining whether it came from inside or outside the branch. Second, we compared embolism curves according to air flow or hydraulic measurements in 15 vessel- and tracheid-bearing species to test the hypothesis that the air flow is related to embolism. Air flow came almost exclusively from air inside the branch during the 2.5-min measurements and was strongly related to embolism. We propose a new embolism measurement method that is simple, effective, rapid and inexpensive, and that allows several measurements on the same branch, thus opening up new possibilities for studying plant hydraulics.
Multimedia contents are inherently sensitive signals that must be protected whenever they are outsourced to an untrusted environment. This problem becomes a challenge when the untrusted environment must perform some processing on the sensitive signals; a paradigmatic example is Cloud-based signal processing services. Approaches based on Secure Signal Processing (SSP) address this challenge by proposing novel mechanisms for signal processing in the encrypted domain and interactive secure protocols to achieve the goal of protecting signals without disclosing the sensitive information they convey. This paper presents a novel and comprehensive set of approaches and primitives to efficiently process signals in an encrypted form, by using Number Theoretic Transforms (NTTs) in innovative ways. This usage of NTTs paired with appropriate signal pre- and post-coding enables a whole range of easily composable signal processing operations comprising, among others, filtering, generalized convolutions, matrix-based processing or error correcting codes. Our main focus is on unattended processing, in which no interaction from the client is needed; for implementation purposes, efficient lattice-based somewhat homomorphic cryptosystems are used. We exemplify these approaches and evaluate their performance and accuracy, proving that the proposed framework opens up a wide variety of new applications for secured outsourced-processing of multimedia contents.
Objectives: Motivation to change behavior is an important therapeutic factor that affects treatment outcomes in patients with substance-use disorders. The motivation level influences treatment engagement, retention, and outcomes. Assessment of motivation is an important aspect of management of these patients. Methods: A total of 26 patients admitted in Kasr Al-Ainy Addiction Unit fulfilling Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition criteria of one or more substance dependence disorder were included. Patients were assessed using the Stage of change readiness and the treatment-eagerness scale (SOCRATES) and Addiction Severity Index before attending 4 motivation-incentives group psychotherapy sessions: 1 session/week. Patients were reassessed using SOCRATES after the sessions. Results: SOCRATES increased 3 scales after the motivationincentives groups; however, recognition and ambivalence scales showed significant increase (P= 0.005 and 0.012, respectively), whereas the increase in the taking steps scale was not statistically significant, with P= 0.125. A best-fit model of regression was calculated for factors thatmaypredictSOCRATES before the group. Age of the patient, education years, main substance of abuse (either tramadol or other substances), history of suicide, previous treatment trial, positive or negative medical history, history of alcohol use, history of legal problems, presence of family issues, and psychiatric complications were predictors of the recognition, ambivalence, and taking steps components of motivation. Conclusions: Short-motivation incentives group therapy may improve the readiness to change in patients with polysubstance dependence.
OBJECTIVE Recent advancements in molecular biology have identified the BRAF mutation as a common mutation in melanoma. The wide use of BRAF kinase inhibitor (BRAFi) in patients with metastatic melanoma has been established. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of BRAF mutation status and use of BRAFi in conjunction with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). METHODS This was a single-center retrospective study. Patient's charts and electronic records were reviewed for date of diagnosis of primary malignancy, BRAF mutation status, chemotherapies used, date of the diagnosis of CNS metastases, date of SRS, survival, local tumor control after SRS, and adverse events. Patients were divided into 3 groups: Group A, those with mutant BRAF without BRAFi treatment (13 patients); Group B, those with mutant BRAF with BRAFi treatment (17 patients); and Group C, those with wild-type BRAF (35 patients). Within a cohort of 65 patients with the known BRAF mutation status and treated with SRS between 2010 and 2014, 436 individual brain metastases (BMs) were identified. Kaplan-Meier methodology was then used to compare survival based on each binary parameter. RESULTS Median survival times after the diagnosis of melanoma BM and after SRS were favorable in patients with a BRAF mutation and treated with SRS in conjunction with BRAFi (Group B) compared with the patients with wild-type BRAF (Group C, 23 vs 8 months and 13 vs 5 months, respectively; p < 0.01, log-rank test). SRS provided a local tumor control rate of 89.4% in the entire cohort of patients. Furthermore, the local control rate was improved in the patients treated with SRS in conjunction with BRAFi (Group B) compared with patients with wild-type (Group C) or with BRAF mutation but no BRAFi (Group A) as an adjunct treatment for BMs. CONCLUSIONS BRAF mutation status appears to play an important role as a potent prognostic factor in patients harboring melanoma BM. BRAFi in conjunction with SRS may benefit this group of patients in terms of BM survival and SRS with an acceptable safety profile.
Five enzymopathies (G6PDH, TPI, PGI, DPGM and PGK deficiencies) in the human red blood cells are investigated using a stoichiometric modeling approach, i.e., metabolic pathway analysis. Elementary flux modes (EFMs) corresponding to each enzyme deficiency case are analyzed in terms of functional capabilities. When available, experimental findings reported in literature related to metabolic behavior of the human red blood cells are compared with the results of EFM analysis. Control-effective flux (CEF) calculation, a novel approach which allows quantification and interpretation of determined EFMs, is performed for further analysis of enzymopathies. Glutathione reductase reaction is found to be the most effective reaction in terms of its CEF value in all enzymopathies in parallel with its known essential role for red blood cells. Efficiency profiles of the enzymatic reactions upon the degree of enzyme deficiency are obtained by the help of the CEF approach, as a basis for future experimental studies. CEF analysis, which is found to be promising in the analysis of erythrocyte enzymopathies, has the potential to be used in modeling efforts of human metabolism. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The network systems of the world are fragile, and can come under attack from any source. The attack can be a denial-of-service (DoS) state or another type of threat. What keep the networks safe are the intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS). They constantly monitor network traffic and if a malicious threat is detected, the threat is blocked and reported for further analysis. However, every defensive system must always have some type of weakness. False negatives and false positives are some examples of how IDPS can fail to protect the network. In another instance, a skilled attacker may employ Direct Kernel Object Modification (DKOM) to trick the IDPS into detecting no malicious activities. The IDPS is strong, yet not strong enough. This paper presents a hybrid solution that incorporates both signature and anomaly based systems to detect and prevent more malicious attacks by intensifying what is cataloged to include common anomalies to the baselines used by the signature based systems. We also propose an improvement in the framework to current Host IDPS/Network using signature and anomaly based methodologies by implementing a hybrid VMM-based Honeypot into a theorized self-healing hybrid IDPS to further boost their advantages in efficiency and accuracy. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Interdisciplinary exploration is vital to education in the 21st century. This manuscript outlines an innovative laboratory-based teaching method that combines elements of biochemistry/molecular biology, kinesiology/health science, computer science, and manufacturing engineering to give students the ability to better conceptualize complex biological systems. Here, we utilize technology available at most universities to print three-dimensional (3D) scale models of actual human muscle cells (myofibers) out of bioplastic materials. The same methodological approach could be applied to nearly any cell type or molecular structure. This advancement is significant because historically, two-dimensional (2D) myocellular images have proven insufficient for detailed analysis of organelle organization and morphology. 3D imaging fills this void by providing accurate and quantifiable myofiber structural data. Manipulating tangible 3D models combats 2D limitation and gives students new perspectives and alternative learning experiences that may assist their understanding. This approach also exposes learners to 1) human muscle cell extraction and isolation, 2) targeted fluorescence labeling, 3) confocal microscopy, 4) image processing (via open-source software), and 5) 3D printing bioplastic scale-models (3500 larger than the actual cells). Creating these physical models may further student's interest in the invisible world of molecular and cellular biology. Furthermore, this interdisciplinary laboratory project gives instructors of all biological disciplines a new teaching tool to foster integrative thinking. (C)2015 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 43: 403407, 2015.
The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9) system discovered as an adaptive immunity mechanism in prokaryotes has emerged as the most popular tool for the precise alterations of the genomes of diverse species. CRISPR/Cas9 system has taken the world of genome editing by storm in recent years. Its popularity as a tool for altering genomes is due to the ability of Cas9 protein to cause double-stranded breaks in DNA after binding with short guide RNA molecules, which can be produced with dramatically less effort and expense than required for production of transcription-activator like effector nucleases (TALEN) and zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN). This system has been exploited in many species from prokaryotes to higher animals including human cells as evidenced by the literature showing increasing sophistication and ease of CRISPR/Cas9 as well as increasing species variety where it is applicable. This technology is poised to solve several complex molecular biology problems faced in life science research including cancer research. In this review, we highlight the recent advancements in CRISPR/Cas9 system in editing genomes of prokaryotes, fungi, plants and animals and provide details on software tools available for convenient design of CRISPR/Cas9 targeting plasmids. We also discuss the future prospects of this advanced molecular technology. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater retention tank systems are designed to capture rainwater from roof surfaces and store it as an effective water supply for later use. Such systems are known as RSD (Rainfall-Storage-Discharge) systems because they involve three processes: rainfall, storage, and discharge. Here we develop a design method for each process and use the water balance for the tank to estimate the control effect for a given volume of rainwater tank retention. We also develop an algorithm for calculating the nonlinear behavior of the stored water volume in the rainwater tank and the simulated flow variation of the tank. The simulated results are represented in the form of tank capacity-peak outflow curves. In the case that a storage tank of 10 m(3) per 100-m(2) area is installed for the roof surface of all buildings in a small area, the results show that the peak flow and total outflow are reduced by up to 20% and 18%, respectively. Thus, RSD systems are useful for controlling runoff from rooftops and effective in reducing the final discharge rate of an urban drainage system.
Heap-based priority queues are very common dynamical data structures used in several fields, ranging from operating systems to scientific applications. However, the rise of new multicore CPUs introduced new challenges in the process of design of these data structures: in addition to traditional requirements like correctness and progress, the scalability is of paramount importance. It is a common opinion that these two demands are partially in conflict each other, so that in these computational environments it is necessary to relax the requirements of correctness and linearizability to achieve high performances. In this paper we introduce a loosely coordinated approach for the management of heap based priority queues on multicore CPUs, with the aim to realize a tradeoff between efficiency and sequential correctness. The approach is based on a sharing of information among only a small number of cores, so that to improve performance without completely losing the features of the data structure. The results obtained on a scientific problem show significant benefits both in terms of parallel efficiency, as well as in term of numerical accuracy.
In the present article, we investigate the effects of specific nonverbal behaviors signaling dominance and submissiveness on impression formation and outcome expectation in the soccer penalty kick situation. In Experiment 1, results indicated that penalty takers with dominant body language are perceived more positively by soccer goalkeepers and players and are expected to perform better than players with a submissive body language. This effect was similar for both video and point-light displays. Moreover, in contrast to previous studies, we found no effect of clothing (red vs. white) in the video condition. In Experiment 2, we used the implicit association test to demonstrate that dominant body language is implicitly associated with a positive soccer player schema whereas submissive body language is implicitly associated with a negative soccer player schema. The implications of our findings are discussed with reference to future implications for theory and research in the study of person perception in sport.
Discharge of olive mill wastewater (OMWW) into rivers system in Crete had led to heavy organic pollution and several drastic environmental impacts. The current research study aims to map and evaluate the environmental hazards initiated by olive mill wastewater pollution discharged into surface stream network of Kolymvari agricultural area located in western Crete, Greece. Implemented methodology is based on locating source points of pollution and determining pollutant surface flow paths under GIS environment. Hydrological features of the area were delineated in the GIS environment using basically elevation data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture. On a microscale, it was proved that the implementation of MCA can quantify the environmental risk to surface water resources caused by OMWW. On a macroscale, risk mapping was implemented by establishing a spatial connection between the source points of pollution and the possible sedimentation areas. Furthermore, mapping of olive mill waste tanks will positively improve the exercised methodology in term of assessing the potential risks of soil and groundwater pollution.
Rainwater harvesting in residential homes is emerging as an important complement to centralized water supplies in urban centres around the world. Domestic rainwater harvesting systems provide a variety of benefits for water management and contribute to sustainable and integrated urban water management. There are however risks associated with rainwater harvesting that requires appropriate mitigation. One such risk is that systems can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This can constitute a significant health risk through the spread of mosquito-borne diseases (i.e. arbovirus and malaria). This paper explores the extent to which mosquitoes breed in rainwater harvesting systems as well as the effectiveness of different risk mitigation actions. Data were sourced from a large-scale domestic rainwater tank inspection survey undertaken in Melbourne and were analysed using simple Bayesian Network models. The observed rate of mosquito breeding was too high and was identified as a serious concern for health officials and water managers. The most common access routes into the tank system were found to be through the tank inlet or overflow. By exploring different system set-ups it was found that in order to mitigate the risk of mosquito breeding in tanks, all potential access routes must be adequately sealed. The complete eradication of mosquitos in rainwater tanks, however, may need further investigation, as 4% of systems with adequate protection at the inlet and overflow were still found to have mosquitoes in them. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Genetic variation lays the foundation for diversity and enables humans to adapt to changing environments. The order of the nucleotides adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine on the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules of the nuclear chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays an important role in normal cell division, tissue development, and reproduction but is susceptible to alteration from a large number of random, inherited, or environmental events. Variations can range from a change in a single nucleotide to duplication of entire chromosomes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms are the major source of human heterogeneity. Other variations that can alter phenotypes and adversely impact growth, development, and health include copy number variations, aneuploidies, and structural alterations such as deletions, translocations, inversions, duplications, insertions, or mutations in mtDNA. In addition, DNA rearrangements in somatic cells underlie the uncontrolled cell growth found in cancer. This article explores the mechanisms by which variations in DNA arise and the impact those changes can have on human health.
Three-dimensional (3D) printing is at the crossroads of printer and materials engineering, noninvasive diagnostic imaging, computer-aided design, and structural heart intervention. Cardiovascular applications of this technology development include the use of patient-specific 3D models for medical teaching, exploration of valve and vessel function, surgical and catheter-based procedural planning, and early work in designing and refining the latest innovations in percutaneous structural devices. In this review, we discuss the methods and materials being used for 3D printing today. We discuss the basic principles of clinical image segmentation, including coregistration of multiple imaging datasets to create an anatomic model of interest. With applications in congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease, and surgical and catheter-based structural disease, 3D printing is a new tool that is challenging how we image, plan, and carry out cardiovascular interventions. (C) 2017 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
Increase in workload across many organizations and consequent increase in occupational stress are negatively affecting the health of the workforce. Measuring stress and other human psychological dynamics is difficult due to subjective nature of selfreporting and variability between and within individuals. With the advent of smartphones, it is now possible to monitor diverse aspects of human behavior, including objectively measured behavior related to psychological state and consequently stress. We have used data from the smartphone's built-in accelerometer to detect behavior that correlates with subjects stress levels. Accelerometer sensor was chosen because it raises fewer privacy concerns (e.g., in comparison to location, video, or audio recording), and because its low-power consumption makes it suitable to be embedded in smaller wearable devices, such as fitness trackers. About 30 subjects from two different organizations were provided with smartphones. The study lasted for eight weeks and was conducted in real working environments, with no constraints whatsoever placed upon smartphone usage. The subjects reported their perceived stress levels three times during their working hours. Using combination of statistical models to classify selfreported stress levels, we achieved a maximum overall accuracy of 71% for user-specific models and an accuracy of 60% for the use of similar-users models, relying solely on data from a single accelerometer.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Traditional medicine has used Uvaria rufa Blume as an ethnomedicinal plant for treating fever, skin allergies, intestinal ulcers and prostate disorders including BPH. However, no scientific evidence supports the traditional use. Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of U. rufa on BPH using in vitro and in vivo models. Materials and methods: In vitro studies screened the efficacy of a 5 alpha-reductase (5 alpha R) inhibition and antioxidant activity of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol and aqueous extracts from the stem of U. rufa. Phytochemical screening was performed to determine the active compound using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Ethyl acetate extract (UR-EtOAc) of U. rufa was used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy in vivo models. BPH was induced by subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate (3 mg/kg) to male rats for 30 days. After 30 days of oral administration of UR-EtOAc at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg and finasteride at a dose of 1 mg/kg, the prostate weight, prostate index (PI), testosterone and androgen receptor (AR) levels, and histopathological alteration of prostate gland were determined. Also, oxidative status and toxicity indices were assessed. Results: UR-EtOAc exhibited the highest potency of inhibition of 5 alpha R and possessed potent antioxidants rich in phenolics and flavonoids contents. The active compound analyzed by HPLC was beta-sitosterol. In vivo results show a significant reduction in prostate weight, PI, and AR in all treated groups when compared to the BPH model group (P < 0.001). Also, the UR-EtOAc and finasteride treated groups had increased prostatic and serum testosterone levels when compared to the BPH model group. A histopathological investigation of the prostate glands supported the above results. UR-EtOAc elevated the antioxidant enzymes and reduced the malondialdehyde level in BPH-induced rats. Moreover, treatment of UR-EtOAc at all doses had no toxic effects on the vital organs and serum biochemical indices. Conclusions: UR-EtOAc from the stem of Uvaria rufa Blume appears to have the potential as a phytotherapeutic agent in the management of BPH, which provides the scientific evidence for traditional use.
Covert channel in network protocols has been an area absorbing great interests for many years in secret transmission. Recently, covert channels based on packet length have become a new preference among researchers in this field because of their excellent performance in simulating statistical features of network packets in real world. However, few approaches which can embed secret information with great security ensured has been worked out by so far. Therefore, in this paper, we analyze the traffic stream of UDP packets and several storage features of data files and then propose a novel network steganography scheme based on IP address and UDP packet length in order to overcome the drawbacks of existing schemes. A comprehensive set of corresponding experiment results show that the proposed covert channel follows the normal traffic statistical features well and thus ensures more security than that of the existing algorithms.
Modern competitive shooting is a strenuous test of the human perceptual and motor systems. Like driving a race car or piloting a high performance aircraft, speed shooting matches require precise, rapid movements coordinated using a careful mixture of planning and reaction. In some disciplines of competitive shooting, this mixture is further complicated by complex moving targets. This paper develops a set of state space equations for a moving, reactive steel target used in professional 3-Gun competition. The equations for target motion are nonlinear, time-varying, and chaotic in certain regions of the state space. Once derived, the equations for target motion are validated against motion extracted from video. Then, the calibrated equations are implemented in real-time on a portable, laser-activated simulator. Applications of the simulation environment to marksmanship training and human motor control studies are also discussed.
The aim of this study was to test whether the association between belief in a just world (BJW) and Internet altruistic behavior (IAB) was mediated by gratitude and self-esteem in a sample of Chinese undergraduates. A total of 238 participants (aged from 18 to 25) completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire which assessed their BJW, self-esteem, gratitude, and Internet altruistic behavior. Mplus 7.0 was used to conduct structural equation modeling to estimate direct and indirect effects. Path analysis showed that self-esteem and gratitude partially mediated the relationship between BJW and IAB. The final model also revealed a significant path from BJW thorough self-esteem and gratitude to IAB. Limitations and implications for research and practical application of the present study were discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Planar nanoscopic contacts are observed to undergo early electrical breakdown. The authors show that the cause is high field emission capable of triggering electromigration. The phenomenon is well described by an empirical current-voltage law, well different from that usually found in nonflat field emitters; this is attributed to the particular geometry of the contacts. Although the mathematical form of the law is always the same, the intensity of breakdown current changes from sample to sample, ranging over several orders of magnitude; this is explained by the nanoscopic roughness of the emitting surfaces. They also show that the occurrence of breakdown may be dependent on the polarity of the applied voltage.
Graph clustering has been an essential part in many methods and thus its accuracy has a significant effect on many applications. In addition, exponential growth of real-world graphs such as social networks, biological networks and electrical circuits demands clustering algorithms with nearly-linear time and space complexity. In this paper we propose Personalized PageRank Clustering (PPC) that employs the inherent cluster exploratory property of random walks to reveal the clusters of a given graph. We combine random walks and modularity to precisely and efficiently reveal the clusters of a graph. PPC is a top-down algorithm so it can reveal inherent clusters of a graph more accurately than other nearly-linear approaches that are mainly bottom-up. It also gives a hierarchy of clusters that is useful in many applications. PPC has a linear time and space complexity and has been superior to most of the available clustering algorithms on many datasets. Furthermore, its top-down approach makes it a flexible solution for clustering problems with different requirements. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Allowing rats extended access to cocaine self-administration is thought to recapitulate several key aspects of cocaine addiction in humans. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie drug-induced neuroadaptations that persist in the brain after protracted periods of abstinence is crucial towards the goal of developing therapeutic interventions for this disease state. We have employed both whole-cell voltage clamp and extracellular recording technique to assess changes in neurotransmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) in stratum radiatum of the CA1 region using the rat ventral hippocampal slice preparation. Rats allowed to self-administer cocaine daily, including long access' (6hours) sessions, exhibited an increase in the -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/N-methyl-d-aspartate current ratio and enhanced excitatory transmission following 3-5weeks of abstinence. Inhibitory transmission was also significantly decreased in long-access animals, and the AMPA/N-methyl-d-aspartate ratio measured in the absence of GABAergic blockers was greatly enhanced. We also observed a significant reduction of LTP magnitude evoked in the long-access cocaine rats. These findings suggest the presence of synergistic effects of enhanced AMPA and diminished gamma-aminobutyric acid neurotransmission under physiological conditions in the CA1 region of cocaine-taking animals, supporting the conclusion that persisting enhancement of AMPA-mediated transmission and/or inhibition of gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated transmission promoted a chronic state of potentiation that partially occluded further LTP. This increased output from the ventral hippocampus to other limbic areas would be among the drug-induced neuroadaptations that persist following abstinence from cocaine self-administration and therefore may contribute to the disease state of addiction.
The introduction of the energy efficiency design index (EEDI) and ballast water treatment regulations by the International Maritime Organization, the fluctuation of fuel price levels, along with the continuous endeavor of the shipping industry for economic growth and profits has led the shipbuilding industry to explore new and cost-efficient designs for various types of merchant ships. In this respect, proper use of modern computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering systems (CAD/CAE) extends the design space, while generating competitive designs with innovative features in short lead time. The present article deals with the parametric design and optimization of containerships. The developed methodology, which is based on the CAESES/Friendship-Framework software system, is demonstrated by the conceptual design and multiobjective optimization of a midsized, 6500-TEU containership. The methodology includes a complete parametric model of the ship's external and internal geometry and the development and coding of all models necessary for the determination of the design constraints and the design efficiency indicators, which are used for the evaluation of parametrically generated designs. Such indicators defining the objective functions of a multiobjective optimization problem are herein the EEDI, the required freight rate, the ship's zero ballast container box capacity, and the ratio of the above to below deck number of containers. The set-up multiobjective optimization problem is solved by use of the genetic algorithms, and clear Pareto fronts are generated. Identified optimal design proves very competitive compared with the standard containership designs in the market.
Soil salinization is one of the most common land desertification processes that can be found worldwide. It is a certainly severe environment hazard and threatens the stability of ecosystems. As a rapid and inexpensive tool, remote sensing technology combining with the measurements of soil spectra has been widely concerned on identifying and mapping salt effect on lands. However, as effects of the soil moisture often immerge the effects of salt to soil reflectance spectra, soil moisture became a major factor to restrict soil salinity monitoring from soil reflectance. High soil moisture content will lead to failure on soil salinity estimation from soil reflectance data. In this paper, a semianalytical model using an exponent function was developed to estimate soil salt content (SSC) under different moisture levels based on a control laboratory experiment. And the root-mean- square error and mean relative error were 0.799 g/kg and 31.294%, respectively, when the model was applied to estimate SSCs by wet soil reflectance. To sum up, considering both effects of soil moisture and soil salt on soil reflectance, the semianalytical model reduced SSC estimated error. The approach presented in this paper provides a new way of estimating soil salinity from soil spectra under various soil moisture conditions, and it will be a potential application for large-scale SSC mapping.
Peristaltic motion of a non-Newtonian Carreau fluid is analyzed in a curved channel under the long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions, as a simulation of digestive transport. The flow regime is shown to be governed by a dimensionless fourth-order, nonlinear, ordinary differential equation subject to no-slip wall boundary conditions. A well-tested finite difference method based on an iterative scheme is employed for the solution of the boundary value problem. The important phenomena of pumping and trapping associated with the peristaltic motion are investigated for various values of rheological parameters of Carreau fluid and curvature of the channel. An increase in Weissenberg number is found to generate a small eddy in the vicinity of the lower wall of the channel, which is enhanced with further increase in Weissenberg number. For shear-thinning bio-fluids (power-law rheological index, n<1) greater Weissenberg number displaces the maximum velocity toward the upper wall. For shear-thickening bio-fluids, the velocity amplitude is enhanced markedly with increasing Weissenberg number.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), characterized by pervasive and highly distressing anxiety and worries, is associated with severe impairment. Although numerous agents from various drug classes are available to treat GAD, as many as 50% of patients have inadequate response, constituting an important medical frontier. In the face of this challenge, new pharmacological alternatives need to be further studied aiming at clinical improvement and better quality of life for patients. To assess the efficacy of pregabalin (PGB) compared with placebo for amelioration of anxiety symptoms in patients with GAD. A systematic literature search was performed using databases such as MEDLINE and EMBASE and other sources. The main outcome was Hedges' g for continuous scores. We used a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I-2 (moderate heterogeneity was assumed if I-2 was >50% and high heterogeneity if I-2 was >75%) and the chi(2)-test (P<0.10 for heterogeneity). Publication bias was evaluated using the funnel plot. Meta-regression was performed using the random-effects model. For safety evaluation, we compared patients' dropout rates. We included eight randomized-controlled trials (n=2299) in our study, comparing the use of PGB in different dosages and placebo. In terms of the main outcome, PGB was found to be superior to the placebo group (Hedges' g=0.37; 95% confidence interval 0.30-0.44). The funnel plot assessment showed a low risk of publication bias. Between-study heterogeneity was not significant (I-2=0%), strengthening our results. Meta-regression showed no particular influence of any variable on the results. A categorical analysis of safety, using dropout as the most severe possible outcome, was carried out. No difference between PGB and placebo groups was observed in terms of the dropout rates. PGB was superior to placebo for the amelioration of GAD symptoms. In addition, the dropout rate was not significantly higher than that of the placebo groups. PGB was comparable to benzodiazepines in clinical response, but had lower dropout rates than benzodiazepine. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Previous work has revealed that secure parental attachment promotes prosocial behaviors, but its underlying mechanism is less commonly explored. Drawing upon Bowlby's attachment theory, the current study examined the role of self-control in the link between parental attachment and prosocial behaviors. Six hundred and seven Chinese adolescents participated in the study completing measures that assessed parental attachment, self-control, and prosocial behaviors. Results showed that secure maternal attachment, rather than paternal attachment, was directly related to more prosocial behaviors in total sample and girls. Importantly, self-control mediated the links between both maternal and paternal attachment and prosocial behaviors across sex. In conclusion, self-control partly addresses how individuals who report being securely attached to parents engage in more prosocial behaviors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Little is known about whether stereotypes influence social judgments of autistic individuals, in particular when they compete with tacit face-to-face cues. We compared impression formation of 17 subjects with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 17 age-, gender- and IQ-matched controls. Information about the profession of a job applicant served as stereotype activating information. The target person's nonverbal behavior was presented as a computer animation showing two virtual characters in interaction. Contrary to our hypothesis, HFA participants were as sensitive to nonverbal cues as controls. Moreover, HFA showed a tendency to evaluate persons more positively. This might indicate a routine HFA apply in impression formation in order to compensate for their deficit in intuitive understanding of nonverbal communication cues.
In general, operating systems (OSs) are designed to mediate access to device hardware by applications. They process different kinds of system calls using an indiscriminate kernel with the same configuration. Applications in cloud computing platforms are constructed from service components. Each of the service components is assigned separately to an individual virtual machine (VM), which leads to homogeneous system calls on each VM. In addition, the requirements for kernel function and configuration of system parameters from different VMs are different. Therefore, the suit-to-all design incurs an unnecessary performance overhead and restricts the OS's processing capacity in cloud computing. In this paper, we propose an adaptive model for cloud computing to resolve the conflict between generality and performance. Our model adaptively specializes the OS of a VM according to the resource-consuming characteristics of workloads on the VM. We implement a prototype of the adaptive model, vSpec. There are five classes of VM: CPU-intensive, memory-intensive, I/O-intensive, network-intensive and compound, according to the resource-consuming characteristics of the workloads running on the VMs. vSpec specializes the OS of a VM according to the VM class. We perform comprehensive experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of vSpec on benchmarks and real-world applications.
Color image segmentation is a crucial step in many computer vision and pattern recognition applications. This paper introduces an adaptive and unsupervised approach based on Vorondi regions to solve the color image segmentation problem. The proposed method uses a hybrid of spatial and feature space Dirichlet tessellation followed by inter-Vorondi region proximal cluster merging to automatically find the number of clusters and cluster centroids in an image. Since, the Voronoi regions are much smaller compared to the whole image, Vorondi region-wise clustering improves the efficiency and accuracy of the number of clusters and cluster centroid estimation process. The proposed method was compared with four other adaptive unsupervised cluster-based image segmentation algorithms on three image segmentation evaluation benchmarks. The experimental results reported in this paper confirm that the proposed method outperforms the existing algorithms in terms of the image segmentation quality and results in much lower average execution time per image.
During the last earthquake that occurred in Chlef (El Asnam 1980, Algeria), a significant decrease in the shear strength has caused major damages to several civil and hydraulic structures (earth dams, embankments, bridges, slopes and buildings), especially for the saturated sandy soil of the areas near Chlef valley. This paper presents a laboratory study of drained compression triaxial tests conducted on sandy soil reinforced with horizontal layers of geotextile, in order to study the influence of geotextile layer characteristics both on shear stress-strain and on volumetric change-strain. Tests were carried out on medium and dense sand. The experimental programme includes some drained compression tests performed on reinforced sand samples, for different values of the geotextile layers number (N (g)), of confining pressure () and relative density (D (r)). The test results have shown that the contribution of the geotextile at low values of the axial strain (epsilon (1)) is negligible, for higher values of (epsilon (1)); geotextile induces a quasi-linear increase in the deviator stress (q) and leads to an increase in the volume contractiveness within the reinforced samples. A negligible influence of geotextile layers number (N (g)) on the stress-strain behaviour and the volumetric change has been shown, when normalized with N (g). The results indicate that the contribution of geotextile to the stress-strain mobilization increases with increasing confining pressure, while its contribution to the volume contraction decreases with the increase in the confining pressure.
South-west Asia including the Middle East is one of the most prone regions to dust storm events. In recent years, there was an increase in the occurrence of these environmental and meteorological phenomena. Remote sensing could serve as an applicable method to detect and also characterise these events. In this study, two dust enhancement algorithms were used to investigate the behaviour of dust events using satellite data, compare with numerical model output and other satellite products and finally validate with in-situ measurements. The results show that the use of thermal infrared algorithm enhances dust more accurately. The aerosol optical depth from MODIS and output of a Dust Regional Atmospheric Model (DREAM8b) are applied for comparing the results. Ground-based observations of synoptic stations and sun photometers are used for validating the satellite products. To find the transport direction and the locations of the dust sources and the synoptic situations during these events, model outputs (HYSPLIT and NCEP/NCAR) are presented. Comparing the results with synoptic maps and the model outputs showed that using enhancement algorithms is a more reliable way than any other MODIS products or model outputs to enhance the dust.
The composition, structure and bioavailability characteristics of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in the water-land interface of Erhai Lake were studied by using fluorescence and UV-vis absorbance. Moreover, the effect on water quality was also discussed. Results showed that: (1) The DON concentration of the water-land interface from Erhai Lake via Yongan River was between 0. 25 and 1. 39 mg . L-1 and the DON concentration were relatively high by summer and autumn from the inflow river input into the Erhai Lake. The loading of DON into the Erhai Lake by Yongan River between 0. 48 and 2. 34 t, and it was relatively high in summer, suggesting that the potential risk for impact on the water quality of Erhai Lake was relatively large by the inflow river into the Erhai Lake, especially in the summer. (2) The DON mainly comprised humic-like substances in the water-land interface from the Yongan river flow into the Erhai Lake, showing the decrease by the microbial degradation with 15. 27%, however, aromatic proteins-like and dissolved metabolites of the microorganisms were accumulated by 42. 00% and 20. 68% respectively to some extent. In addition, the humification degree of DON was gradually decreased by 14. 97% via Yongan River into Erhai Lake. Moreover, the substitution groups in the aromatic rings of DON showed that the transformation of mainly contained aliphatic chains to carbonyl, carboxyl, hydroxyl and esters from inflow river into Erhai Lake, particularly in the summer; (3) The composition characteristic parameters of DON (P-(III+v,P-n /P-(I+II,P- n), A(253) /A(203)) was positively correlated with the contents of the different nitrogen (N) forms (R-2=0. 64 similar to 0. 74, P<0. 1, p<0. 05) in the water-land interface from Erhai Lake via Yongan river, that was, the structure affect their bioavailability; the different structural characteristic parameters of DON in the water -land interface from Erhai Lake had a significant positive correlation with water quality(R=0. 82 similar to 0. 96, p< 0. 05, p<0.01), indicating that the composition, structure and bioavailability of DON had contributed to the water pollution in the water -land interface from the Yongan river input into the Erhai lake, especially being greatly affected by the terrestrial pollution such as human activity in summer. Therefore, the change of composition and structure of DON ( such as Pca+v,, P(I+ II ) A(253) /A(203)) in the water -land interface from the Yongan river into lake could reflect the condition of the water quality of Erhai Lake to some extent.
In this paper, a three-party controlled quantum secure direct communication and authentication (QSDCA) protocol is proposed by using four particle cluster states via a quantum one-time pad and local unitary operations. In the present scheme, only under the permission of the controller, the sender and the receiver can implement secure direct communication successfully. But under any circumstances, Charlie cannot obtain the secret message. Eavesdropping detection and identity authentication are achieved with the help of the previously shared reusable base identity strings of users. This protocol is unconditionally secure in both ideal and practical noisy cases. In one transmission, a qubit of each four particle cluster state is used as controller's permission and the same qubit with another qubit are used to recover two classical bits of information. In the proposed scheme, the effciency is improved compared with the previous works.
This study applies multispectral band ratios to examine vegetation density and vegetation health to assess drought conditions over nearly 30 years (1989-2016) in Tuy Phong district, Binh Thuan province, Vietnam using a sequence of Landsat imagery (TM and OLI). Our research area has a distinctive climate, characterized by arid and semiarid areas adjacent to Binh Thuan's coastline. Drought is likely intensified by rain shadow effects of the Central Highlands (part of the Truong Son- or the Annamese Cordillera, positioned immediately west of the province). The seasonal Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were calculated to derive three other indices: Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI). Results show that approximately two-thirds of Tuy Phong district was influenced by mid-to-severe drought. During the dry season (November to the following April), severity of drought has increased both intensively and extensively toward the North. Hypotheses testing of correlation between LST and NDVI also revealed a significantly negative relationship - increasing surface temperature and decreasing NDVI. To validate our results, we applied the same procedure for generating the VHI from MODIS data. Despite the absence of historical datasets for our region, Landsat data shows many advantages in monitoring drought in remote and small areas compared to MODIS. Our research strategies may be effective in other regions without sufficient climatic records for conventional climatic analysis.
In recent years, updating the inventory of road infrastructures based on field work is labor intensive, time consuming, and costly. Fortunately, vehicle-based mobile laser scanning (MLS) systems provide an efficient solution to rapidly capture three-dimensional (3D) point clouds of road environments with high flexibility and precision. However, robust recognition of road facilities from huge volumes of 3D point clouds is still a challenging issue because of complicated and incomplete structures, occlusions and varied point densities. Most existing methods utilize point or object based features to recognize object candidates, and can only extract limited types of objects with a relatively low recognition rate, especially for incomplete and small objects. To overcome these drawbacks, this paper proposes a semantic labeling framework by combing multiple aggregation levels (point-segment-object) of features and contextual features to recognize road facilities, such as road surfaces, road boundaries, buildings, guardrails, street lamps, traffic signs, roadside-trees, power lines, and cars, for highway infrastructure inventory. The proposed method first identifies ground and non-ground points, and extracts road surfaces facilities from ground points. Non-ground points are segmented into individual candidate objects based on the proposed multi-rule region growing method. Then, the multiple aggregation levels of features and the contextual features (relative positions, relative directions, and spatial patterns) associated with each candidate object are calculated and fed into a SVM classifier to label the corresponding candidate object. The recognition performance of combining multiple aggregation levels and contextual features was compared with single level (point, segment, or object) based features using large-scale highway scene point clouds. Comparative studies demonstrated that the proposed semantic labeling framework significantly improves road facilities recognition precision (90.6%) and recall (91.2%), particularly for incomplete and small objects. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We investigated adolescent prosocial relations by examining social networks based on the question Who helps you (e.g., with homework, with repairing a flat [bicycle] tire, or when you are feeling down?). The effects of individual characteristics (academic achievement, symptoms of depressive mood, and peer status) on receiving help and giving help were examined, and we investigated the contribution of (dis)similarity between adolescents to the development of prosocial relations. Gender, structural network characteristics, and friendship relations were taken into account. Data were derived from the Social Network Analysis of Risk behavior in Early adolescence (SNARE) study, and contained information on students in 40 secondary school classes across 3 waves (N = 840, M age = 13.4, 49.7% boys). Results from longitudinal social network analyses (RSiena) revealed tendencies toward reciprocation of help and exchange of help within helping groups. Furthermore, boys were less often mentioned as helpers, particularly by girls. Depressed adolescents were less often mentioned as helpers, especially by low-depressed peers. Moreover, lower academic achievers indicated that they received help from their higher achieving peers. Rejected adolescents received help more often, but they less often helped low-rejected peers. Last, low-and high-popular adolescents less often helped each other, and also high-popular adolescents less often helped each other. These findings show that (dis) similarity in these characteristics is an important driving factor underlying the emergence and development of prosocial relations in the peer context, and that prosocial behavior should be defined in terms of benefitting particular others.
We have developed a small, lightweight, single operator fuel cell vehicle with a 20 W fuel cell and a 5.8 L hydrogen gas tank for university education purposes, named the pico FCY. The frame for the vehicle was fabricated using thin rectangular aluminum rods. A 90 W DC motor and a reduction gear system were used to actuate the system. The control system was designed using a PIC microcomputer which controls the drive motor speed, the drive current, and purging of the non-active gas from the fuel cell. Students are able to study the design of mechanical systems, electrical circuits, and microcomputer programming during the development of their pico FCYs. There is also the added benefit of focusing student interest on environmental consciousness while working on this project. In this paper, we will discuss the designs of the pico FCV, and will provide the running experimental results with varied gear ratios.
NMRFx Processor is a new program for the processing of NMR data. Written in the Java programming language, NMRFx Processor is a cross-platform application and runs on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. The application can be run in both a graphical user interface (GUI) mode and from the command line. Processing scripts are written in the Python programming language and executed so that the low-level Java commands are automatically run in parallel on computers with multiple cores or CPUs. Processing scripts can be generated automatically from the parameters of NMR experiments or interactively constructed in the GUI. A wide variety of processing operations are provided, including methods for processing of non-uniformly sampled datasets using iterative soft thresholding. The interactive GUI also enables the use of the program as an educational tool for teaching basic and advanced techniques in NMR data analysis.
Wastewater contains significant quantities of thermal energy. Consequently, heat recovery in sewer systems can provide urban areas with an additional source of renewable energy for heating of buildings. However, certain treatment processes in a wastewater treatment plant are temperature-sensitive. From a water protection perspective it is therefore imperative, that heat recovery in sewer systems does not negatively affect the performance of the wastewater treatment. With regard to practical implication the question arises, where to find the locations best suitable for wastewater heat recovery in sewer systems. Hereby, suitability is characterised by meeting both the energy supply and water pollution control requirements. This article introduces a methodological framework (procedure) to evaluate the suitability of a potential heat recovery site integrating both perspectives. The framework incorporates decision support criteria and planning principles for energy planners and water authorities. Application in a case study proved practicability of the procedure as well as of the criteria and principles. In addition, it also delivered comprehensive information on the spatial and temporal wastewater temperature development in the regarded sewer system. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cooperative behavior is widespread among animals, yet the neural mechanisms have not been studied in detail. We examined cooperative territory defense behavior and associated neural activity in candidate forebrain regions in the cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. We find that a territorial male neighbor will engage in territory defense dependent on the perceived threat of the intruder. The resident male, on the other hand, engages in defense based on the size and behavior of his partner, the neighbor. In the neighbor, we find that an index of engagement correlates with neural activity in the putative homolog of the mammalian basolateral amygdala and in the preoptic area, as well as in preoptic dopaminergic neurons. In the resident, neighbor behavior is correlated with neural activity in the homolog of the mammalian hippocampus. Overall, we find distinct neural activity patterns between the neighbor and the resident, suggesting that an individual perceives and processes an intruder challenge differently during cooperative territory defense depending on its own behavioral role. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Although metagenomics is a relatively new scientific trend, it has managed to become popular in many countries, including Russia, over its 20-year history. This division of molecular genetics studies ecosystem-extracted nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), which contain full information about the microbial community of a habitat. Owing to metagenomic methods, soil microbiology has undertaken to study not only known cultivated types of microorganisms but also noncultivated forms, the biological properties of which can be suggested exclusively from the genetic information coded in their DNA. It turns out that such phantom types constitute the overwhelming majority within soil microbial communities; to all appearances, they actively participate in ensuring soil fertility, and, hence, in the opinion of the authors of this paper, study of them is topical for both basic research and agricultural practice. The development of metagenomic technologies will help understand biological phenomena determined by close plant-microbe interactions, such as increasing the productivity of agricultural crops and protecting them against phytopathogens. However, the introduction of new methods has always presented difficulties; in metagenomics, they are associated with the acquisition, storage, and bioinformational analysis of a huge array of genetic information.
Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients with early repolarization (ER) pattern are at higher risk of ventricular arrhythmia, yet the genetic background of this situation has not been well investigated. Here we report novel trigenic mutations detected in a Chinese family of obstructive HCM with ER and short QT syndrome (SQTS). Methods: Proband and family members underwent detailed medical assessments. DNAs were extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes for genetic screening with next generation method. The functional characterization of the mutation was conducted in TSA201 cells with patch-clamp experiment. Results: The proband was a 52-year-old male who had a ER pattern ECG in inferioral-lateral leads with atrioventricular block and QTc of 356 ms. He also suffered from severe left ventricular hypertrophy and dysfunction. Targeted sequencing revealed trigenic mutations: c.700G >A/p.E234K in DES, c.2966G >A/p.R989H in MYPN, and c.5918G >C/p.R1973P in CACNA1C. All mutations were also detected in his daughter with ER and mild myocardium hypertrophy. The CACNA1C-R1973P mutation caused significant reduction (68.4%) of I-Ca compared to CACNA1C-WT (n = 14 and 14, P < 0.05). The computer modeling showed that all 3 mutations were highly disease-causing. The proband received the CRT-D (cardiac resynchronizing therapy) implantation, which lowered the left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG, 124 mmHg pre vs. 27 mmHg post) and restored the LV function (LVEF 40% pre vs. 63% post). Conclusions: The study reveals a novel CACNA1C mutation underlying the unique ER pattern ECGs with SQTS. It also shows the rare trigenic mutations are the pathogenic substrates for the complicated clinical manifestation in HCM patients.
The extant literature shows that third-person perceptions depend on subjective knowledge: The more people think they know, the greater are the perceived communication effects on others than on themselves. This study extends previous research on third-person perceptions by (1) investigating persuasion knowledge's influence on third-person perceptions and related behavior in an advertising context, and by (2) analyzing whether the regulatory competence of the government moderates this effect. The results of two studies, an experiment and a survey, show that subjective knowledge about persuasion attempts in advertising increases third-person perceptions that, in turn, reduce consumers' willingness to recommend a product. This effect is moderated by perceived regulatory competence of the government: the influence of persuasion knowledge on third-person perceptions becomes stronger the weaker the regulatory competence is perceived to be. Furthermore, the influence of persuasion knowledge on third-person perceptions is due to overestimated influences on others. The findings provide implications for advertisers and public policy makers.
Electric machines are a key component of electric/hybrid electric vehicle (EV/HEV) powertrains. Thus, computationally efficient models for electric machines are essential for powertrain-level design, simulation, and optimization. In this paper, a finite-element-based method for quickly generating torque-speed curves and efficiency maps for electric machines is presented. First, magnetostatic finite-element analysis (FEA) is conducted on a  base machine design. This analysis produces torque, normalized losses, flux linkage, and the maximum magnetic field intensity in the permanent magnets for a wide range of currentmagnitudes and phase angles. These values are then scaled based upon changing the size of the machine and the effective number of turns of the machine windings to quickly generate a variety of new machine designs and their corresponding efficiency maps using postprocessing techniques. Results suggest that, by avoiding resolving the FEA for the scaled designs, the proposed techniques can be used to quickly generate efficiency maps, and thus are useful for EV/HEV powertrain-level simulation and optimization.
Galectins is a family of non-classically secreted, beta-galactoside-binding proteins that has recently received considerable attention in the spatio-temporal regulation of surface 'signal lattice' organization, membrane dynamics, cell-adhesion and disease therapeutics. Galectin-9 is a unique member of this family, with two non-homologous carbohydrate recognition domains joined by a linker peptide sequence of variable lengths, generating isoforms with distinct properties and functions in both physiological and pathological settings, such as during development, immune reaction, neoplastic transformations and metastasis. In this review, we summarize the latest knowledge on the structure, receptors, cellular targets, trafficking pathways and functional properties of galectin-9 and discuss how galectin-9-mediated signalling cascades can be exploited in cancers and immunotherapies.
Having one of the most vulnerable coasts of the world to climate change, Bangladesh and India are facing new challenges to protect Sundarban, the largest mangrove in the world, from adverse impacts of climate-driven changes. In this study, unsupervised classification of mangrove density is performed on Landsat images of folk time periods over 35 years (1975-77, 1989, 2000 and 2010) to identify the spatiotemporal evolution of the Sundarban mangrove, and infer the causes of observed changes. Specifically the influences of environmental and anthropogenic drivers on these changes are discriminated by correlating the observed change patterns with cyclones' tracks, erosion processes and areas of expected human influences as assessed by local stakeholders. Results highlight a very dynamic systerh, with rapid changes characterized by decreasing mangrove density, mainly in India, erosion and accretion. There is similar to 1.2% (or 11,500 ha) net erosion in 35 years in Sundarban, which remains limited relative to the documented high rate of sea level rise of 6 mm/yr. Mangrove density changes are attributed to cyclones, increased salinity and anthropogenic influences. Based on interpretation of the spatial pattern of density changes by local stakeholders, we conclude that the zones accessible to human activities are significantly more affected by land cover changes. Management policies of Sundarban by Bangladeshi and Indian authorities should acknowledge the important role played by natural or global drivers like sea level change, cyclones in affecting the mangrove as well as manage the localized anthropogenic pressures. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background Different advantages of virtually planned and guided mandibular reconstructions have been described. Functional analyses and comparisons with conventionally reconstructed patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 30 cases of mandibular reconstructions that involved virtually planned or conventional microvascular, fibular free flaps that occurred between April 2011 and December 2014 at a single center. The results were also compared with a healthy cohort of 30 participants. Axiographic measurements were performed postoperatively, and uni-and multivariate regressions analyses were performed to determine the association between possible predictor variables on functional outcome. Results Operation time, hospital stay, number of osteotomies, incidence of postoperative temporomandibular joint pain, noise, and tension did not differ significantly between the conventional and computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) groups (each p >0.05). Mouth opening and protrusion and laterotrusion also did not differ significantly (each p >0.05) but were significantly reduced compared with the healthy group. Univariate analysis showed a significant influence of postoperative irradiation on mouth opening and laterotrusion in the conventional group (p = 0.047 and p = 0.028). In addition, multivariate analysis showed a significant influence of indication and number of osteotomies on laterotrusion (p = 0.005 and p = 0.043). Uni and multivariate analyses revealed a significant influence of indication, preoperative irradiation, and number of osteotomies on protrusion and mouth opening in the CAD/CAM group (p = 0.016, p = 0.044, and p = 0.028). Conclusion CAD/CAM-assisted reconstructions of the mandible give comparable functional results with those of the conventional technique, but no functional superiority has been established. Nevertheless, the integration of virtual planning and guided surgery is definitely of significant value but should be indicated individually case by case.
Assistive Technologies (AT) are an application area where several Artificial Intelligence techniques and tools have been successfully applied to support elderly or impeded people on their daily activities. However, approaches to AT tend to center in the user-tool interaction, neglecting the user's connection with its social environment (such as caretakers, relatives and health professionals) and the possibility to monitor undesired behaviour providing both adaptation to a dynamic environment and early response to potentially dangerous situations. In previous work we have presented COAALAS, an intelligent social and norm-aware device for elderly people that is able to autonomously organize, reorganize and interact with the different actors involved in elderly-care, either human actors or other devices. In this paper we put our work into context, by first examining what are the desirable properties of such a system, analysing the state-of-the-art on the relevant topics, and verifying the validity of our proposal in a larger context that we call AVICENA. AVICENA's aim is develop a semi-autonomous (collaborative) tool to promote monitored, intensive, extended and personalized therapeutic regime adherence at home based on adaptation techniques.
The grasslands of Western Jilin Province in China have experienced severe degradation during the last 50 years. Radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN) and support vector machines (SVM) were used to predict the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents of Leymus chinensis (L. chinensis) and explore the degree of grassland degradation using the matter-element extension model. Both RBFNN and SVM demonstrated good prediction accuracy. The results indicated that there was severe degradation, as samples were mainly concentrated in the 3rd and 4th levels. The growth of L chinensis was shown to be limited by either nitrogen, phosphorus, or both during different stages of degradation. The soil chemistry changed noticeably as degradation aggravated, which represents a destabilization of L chinensis community homeostasis. Soil salinization aggravates soil nutrient loss and decreases the bioavailability of soil nutrients. This, along with the destabilization of C/N, C/P and N/P ratios, weakens the photosynthetic ability and productivity of L chinensis. This conclusion was supported by observations that L. chinensis is gradually being replaced by a Chloris virgata, Puccinellia tenuiflora and Suaeda acuminate mixed community. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
There has been much controversy about the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia in recent years, with the Australian Government continuing to enforce a very hard-line stance on asylum seekers who arrive to Australia by boat. The present study examined attitudes towards asylum seekers using 164 Australian community members during June 2015 by way of questionnaire. Our primary research question involved how five variables predicted false beliefs about asylum seekers. Specifically, we measured prejudice, the third-person effect, and confidence in the answers given to false beliefs about asylum seekers. Regression results indicated that the main predictors of false beliefs were right-wing political orientation, prejudice, confidence in espousing false beliefs, and the third-person effect (politicians). Furthermore, most of our community participants accepted a large number of false beliefs as being true, with approximately two-thirds of our participants scoring above the midpoint. This reflects similar findings over the last decade or so. Our results indicate that, if one believes in bottom-up change, a more nuanced approach needs to be undertaken with community anti-prejudice interventions.
Background: A large amount of research has been devoted to the detection and investigation of epistatic interactions in genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Most of the literature focuses on low-order interactions between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with significant main effects. Results: In this paper we propose an original approach for detecting epistasis at the gene level, without systematically filtering on significant genes. We first compute interaction variables for each gene pair by finding its Eigen-Epistasis component, defined as the linear combination of Gene SNPs having the highest correlation with the phenotype. The selection of significant effects is done using a penalized regression method based on Group Lasso controlling the False Discovery Rate. Conclusion: The method is tested against two recent alternative proposals from the literature using synthetic data, and shows good performances in different settings. We demonstrate the power of our approach by detecting new gene-gene interactions on three genome-wide association studies.
ObjectivesBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotional instability, interpersonal dysfunction, and other features that typically develop before a background of insecure attachment and traumatic experiences. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) has proven highly effective in reducing self-harm and improving emotion regulation, whereby problems concerning social cognition, which are also characteristic of BPD, may need additional approaches such as mentalization-based treatment (MBT). MethodsHere, we examined, in a pilot study, the effectiveness of MBT given adjunct to DBT, compared to DBT alone, in an inpatient sample with BPD, whereby mentalization was measured using a novel cartoon-based task. ResultsBoth treatments were highly effective in reducing symptom severity. The combination of DBT and MBT was superior in reducing fearful attachment and in improving affective mentalizing. ConclusionsMentalization-based treatment in combination with DBT may improve certain aspects of social cognitive skills and attachment security, as compared to DBT alone, although the exact mechanisms that led to these changes need to be studied further. Practitioner points Clinical implications Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) can usefully be combined with mentalization-based treatment (MBT). The combination of DBT and MBT reduces self-harm more than DBT alone. DBT plus MBT may lead to a reduction in fearful attachment and improvement of affective mentalizing. Short-term combinations of evidence-based borderline treatments may enrich psychiatric inpatient care. Therefore, such approaches deserve further research. Limitations The treatment condition was therapeutically more intense than the control condition. The study lacked a follow-up assessment. The impact of comorbid conditions on treatment response was not taken into account. Adherence to the manualized approach was not measured.
A communicative act that involves the presence of two or more persons always involves a nonverbal aspect. The focus of the article is on nonverbal situations as a basis for the evolution of belief narratives. This pre-narrative aspect has not received much attention in narrative research as most analyses are based on texts that already exist in verbalised form. However, on many occasions the basis for a belief narrative is a nonverbal act that has triggered its witness or re-narrator(s) to interpret it within the framework of vernacular belief. Hence, texts that contain a nonverbal part consist of two components: 1) description of a nonverbal occurrence; 2) its meaning/interpretation that is verbalised by the narrator within the framework of a topical belief tradition. By bringing examples from Estonian belief narratives, the author points out some models and patterns that leap to the eye in texts narrating about nonverbal occurrences (e.g. the context of described situations, the types and results of activities described, etc.). As a theoretical basis, works on communication theory and vernacular belief research are used.
Increasing evidence indicates a strong link between intestinal health and bone health. For example, inflammatory bowel disease can cause systemic inflammation, weight loss, and extra-intestinal manifestations, such as decreased bone growth and density. However, the effects of moderate intestinal inflammation without weight loss on bone health have never been directly examined; yet this condition is relevant not only to IBD but to conditions of increased intestinal permeability and inflammation, as seen with ingestion of high-fat diets, intestinal dysbiosis, irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic syndrome, and food allergies. Here, we induced moderate intestinal inflammation without weight loss in young male mice by treating with a low dose of dextran sodium sulfate (1%) for 15 days. The mice displayed systemic changes marked by significant bone loss and a redistribution of fat from subcutaneous to visceral fat pad stores. Bone loss was caused by reduced osteoblast activity, characterized by decreased expression of osteoblast markers (runx2, osteocalcin), histomorphometry, and dynamic measures of bone formation. In addition, we observed a reduction in growth plate thickness and hypertrophic chondrocyte matrix components (collagen X). Correlation analyses indicate a link between gut inflammation and disease score, but more importantly, we observed that bone density measures negatively correlated with intestinal disease score, as well as colon and bone TNF-alpha levels. These studies demonstrate that colitis-induced bone loss is not dependent upon weight loss and support a role for inflammation in the link between gut and bone health, an important area for future therapeutic development.
Flexible multi-generation systems (FMGs) consist of integrated and flexibly operated facilities that provide multiple links between the different sectors of the energy system. The present study treated the design optimization of a conceptual FMG which integrated a methanol-producing biorefinery with an existing combined heat and power (CHP) unit and industrial energy utility supply in the Danish city of Horsens. The objective was to optimize economic performance and minimize total CO2 emission of the FMG while it was required to meet the local district heating demand plus the thermal utility demand of the butchery. The design optimization considered: Selection, dimensioning, location and integration of processes; operation optimization with respect to both hourly variations in Operating conditions over the year as well as expected long term energy system development; and uncertainty analysis considering both investment costs and operating conditions. Applying a previously developed FMG design methodology, scalable models of the considered processes were developed and the system design was optimized with respect to hourly operation over the period 2015-2035. The optimal design with respect to both economic and environmental performance involved a maximum-sized biorefinery located next to local industry rather than in connection with the existing CHP unit. As the local industry energy demands were limited when compared to the biorefinery dimensions considered, process integration synergies were found to be marginal when compared to the economic and environmental impact of the biorefinery for the present case. Assessing the impact of uncertainties on the estimated FMG performances, the net present value (NPV) of the optimal design was estimated to vary within the range 252.5-1471.6 ME in response to changes of 25% in investment costs and methanol price, and considering two different electricity price scenarios. In addition, a change in the interest rate from 5% to 20% was found to reduce the lower bound of the NPV to 181.3 ME for reference operating conditions. The results suggest that the applied interest rate and operating conditions, in particular the methanol price, would have a much higher impact on the economic performance of the designs than corresponding uncertainties in investment costs. In addition, the study outcomes emphasize the importance of including systematic uncertainty analysis in the design optimization of FMG concepts. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the spawning environment of salmonids, the quality of the intergravel flow is an essential abiotic requirement for the survival success of incubated embryos. As one of the most frequently investigated anthropogenic environmental impacts, the enhanced mobilization of fine sediments (< 1 mm) and their entry into riverine ecosystems is considered as a major cause for the degradation of a variety of biological processes and habitats, including the spawning habitats of salmonids. In catchments draining crystalline bedrock, however, like the Bohemian Massif in the northern part of Austria, the excessive loading of river channels with coarse sand and fine gravel sediments (D = 1-10 mm) and less cohesive than fines is common as a consequence of altered catchment land use. Here, far less understanding exists of the mechanism and the possible implications of coarse sand infiltration on the functioning of the intergravel flow in salmonid redds. To investigate the intergravel flow hydraulics in response to coarse sand infiltration (D-50 = 2 mm) in brown trout spawning redds (Salmo trutta fario) under controlled conditions, a laboratory flume experiment with three infiltration scenarios was conducted: (1) no infiltration; (2) segmental infiltration; and (3) full section infiltration. A more than two times drop in the average intergravel flow velocity was documented from scenario 1 (5.85 cms(-1)) to scenario 2 (2.53 cms(-1)) and another clear reduction was seen from scenario 2 (2.53 cms(-1)) to scenario 3 (1.61 cms(-1)). Moreover, in scenario 3, a clear reduction of the intergravel flow distance traveled was observed. Based on the findings we conclude that future considerations regarding the sustainable catchment management of salmonid fisheries should include programs to reduce not only the excessive entry of fines, but, in the relevant catchments, also the entry of excessive coarse sand into the riverine ecosystem. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Purpose The objective of the present study was to validate an existing prediction rule (including age, education, depressive/anxiety symptoms, and recovery expectations) for predictions of the duration of sickness absence due to common mental disorders (CMDs) and investigate the added value of work-related factors. Methods A prospective cohort study including 596 employees who reported sick with CMDs in the period from September 2013 to April 2014. Work-related factors were measured at baseline with the Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work. During 1-year follow-up, sickness absence data were retrieved from an occupational health register. The outcome variables of the study were sickness absence (no = 0, yes = 1) at 3 and 6 months after reporting sick with CMDs. Discrimination between workers with and without sickness absence was investigated at 3 and 6 months with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results A total of 220 (37 %) employees agreed to participate and 211 (35 %) had complete data for analysis. Discrimination was poor with AUC = 0.69 and AUC = 0.55 at 3 and 6 months, respectively. When 'variety in work' was added as predictor variable, discrimination between employees with and without CMD sickness absence improved to AUC = 0.74 (at 3 months) and AUC = 0.62 (at 6 months). Conclusions The original prediction rule poorly predicted CMD sickness absence duration. After adding 'variety in work', the prediction rule discriminated between employees with and without CMD sickness absence 3 months after reporting sick. This new prediction rule remains to be validated in other populations.
Interlinking knowledge sources to enable information exchange is basic means to build enriched knowledge-based systems, which gains importance with the spread of the Internet. Inconsistency, however, arises easily in such systems, which is not least due to their heterogeneity, but also due to their independent design. This makes developing methods for consistency management of such systems a pressing issue. An important aspect is that in many relevant cases, the information at individual sources may not be amenable to change in order to resolve inconsistency, like in case of autonomous management of the sources. We thus aim at analyzing inconsistency of a system by means of the interlinking of sources and changes thereof. More concretely, we consider the powerful framework of Multi-Context Systems, in which decentralized and heterogeneous system parts interact via (possibly nonmonotonic) bridge rules for information exchange. Nonmonotonicity and potential cyclic dependencies pose additional challenges that call for suitable methods of inconsistency analysis. We thus provide two approaches for explaining inconsistency, which both characterize inconsistency in terms of bridge rules, but in different ways: by pointing out rules which need to be altered for restoring consistency, and by finding combinations of rules which cause inconsistency. We show duality and modularity properties of these notions, give precise complexity characterizations, and provide algorithms for their computation, which have been implemented in a prototype, by means of so-called Hex-programs. Our results provide a basis for inconsistency management in heterogeneous knowledge systems which, different from and orthogonal to other works, explicitly addresses the knowledge interlinks in order to restore consistency. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
\There are many factors that affect the performance of active power filter, which is a key factor for command current tracking control. Aiming at the deficiency of traditional PR controller, this paper puts forward an improved PR controller-vector resonant controller. The controller has the advantages of stronger anti-interference ability and greater gain at the resonance point, and it can improve the accuracy of harmonic compensation in the current compensation control. In this paper, the digital controller in the digital control system has been given a detailed design. Finally, the experimental results show that the control strategy can further reduce the harmonic content and improve the compensation accuracy.
In a Cable In Conduit Conductor (CICC) cooled by forced circulation of supercritical helium, the heat exchange in the bundle region can play a significant role for conductor safe operation, while remaining a quite uncertain parameter. Heat exchange between bundle and jacket depends on the relative contributions of convective heat transfer due to the helium flow inside the bundle and of thermal resistance due to the wrappings between the cable and the conduit. In order to qualify this thermal coupling at realistic operating conditions, a dedicated experiment on a 1.2 m sample of ITER Toroidal Field (TF) dummy conductor was designed and performed in the HELIOS test facility at CEA Grenoble. Several methods were envisaged, and the choice was made to assess bundle jacket heat transfer coefficient by measuring the temperature of a solid copper cylinder inserted over the conductor jacket and submitted to heat deposition on its outer surface. The mock-up was manufactured and tested in spring 2015. Bundle jacket heat transfer coefficient was found in the range 300-500 W m(-2) K-1. Results analysis suggests that the order of magnitude of convective heat transfer coefficient inside bundle is closer to Colburn-Reynolds analogy than to Dittus-Boelter correlation, and that bundle jacket thermal coupling is mainly limited by thermal resistance due to wrappings. A model based on an equivalent layer of stagnant helium between wraps and jacket was proposed and showed a good consistency with the experiment, with relevant values for the helium layer thickness. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Among athletes and coaches, there is a common perception that high training loads and competitions, applied chronically, with inadequate nutritional control and/or recovery periods, may reduce the immune resistance, increasing susceptibility to infection episodes, mainly upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). In this sense, this study is focused on reviewing the interactions between immunological parameters with the overtraining syndrome, specifically in team sports, considering its intermittent nature. Thus, a review of national and international journals related to the topic was held. The correlations between exercise, immune system and susceptibility to URTI have been evaluated mainly in individual and endurance sports compared to the team sports. The modulations of leukocytes throughout the season, against the totalization of training loads and competitions, when analyzed specifically for neutrophils and monocytes, are possibly related to tissue repair processes and incidence of URTI. Modulations related to lymphocytes seem to be more directly related to the incidence of URTI. Moreover, an understanding of all the proposed markers, including immunological markers, in association with the performance indicators and control of training, appears to be a more promising avenue for clinical diagnosis of the athlete's immune status and prevention of overtraining syndrome than the search for a unique marker of overtraining.
The flow field with a high order scheme is usually calculated so as to solve complex flow problems and describe the flow structure accurately. However, there are two problems, i.e., the reduced-order boundary is inevitable and the order of the scheme at the discontinuous shock wave contained in the flow field as the supersonic flow field is low. It is questionable whether the reduced-order boundary and the low-order scheme at the shock wave have an effect on the numerical solution and accuracy of the flow field inside. In this paper, according to the actual situation of the direct numerical simulation of the flow field, two model equations with the exact solutions are solved, which are steady and unsteady, respectively, to study the question with a high order scheme at the interior of the domain and the reduced-order method at the boundary and center of the domain. Comparing with the exact solutions, it is found that the effect of reduced-order exists and cannot be ignored. In addition, the other two model equations with the exact solutions, which are often used in fluid mechanics, are also studied with the same process for the reduced-order problem.
Geotextile filters are currently under consideration as a potential treatment method for removing suspended solids from urban stormwater runoff. One important aspect of assessing the viability of a new filter is the duration in which it will function before becoming clogged. Predicting the hydraulic conductivity of the filter throughout the filter lifespan is one way in which the duration of use can be determined. In this study, a semi-theoretical model was developed which predicts the hydraulic conductivity of the filter system as a function of the mass of solids captured by the geotextile. Values for several parameters of the theoretical model were empirically derived using laboratory data. Using these values, the parameters were analyzed as functions of specific characteristics of the geotextile filters and the simulated stormwater containing the targeted suspended solids.
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of systemic and localized infection by Candida species and its possible association with demographic, clinical and laboratory manifestations and therapy in patients with rheumatic diseases taking TNF blockers. Methods: Consecutive patients with rheumatic diseases receiving anti-TNF agents were included. The following risk factors up to four weeks prior to the study were analyzed: use of antibiotics, immunosuppressant drugs, hospitalization and invasive procedures. All subjects were evaluated for clinical complaints; specific blood cultures were obtained for fungi and blood samples were collected for Candida spp. detection by polymerase chain reaction. Results: 194 patients [67 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 47 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 36 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 28 with psoriatic arthritis and 16 with other conditions] were included. The average age of patients was 42 +/- 16 years, with 68 (35%) male and mean disease duration of 15 +/- 10 years. Sixty-four (33%) patients were receiving adalimumab, 59 (30%) etanercept and 71 (36%) infliximab. Eighty-one percent of patients were concomitantly taking immunosuppressant drugs. At the time of the study, only one (0.5%) patient had localized fungal infection (vaginal candidiasis). None of the patients included had systemic candidiasis with positive blood cultures for fungi or IDCR positive for Candida spp. in peripheral blood sample. Conclusions: This was the first study to assess the prevalence of invasive and localized fungal disease by Candida in a significant number of patients with rheumatic diseases on anti-TNF therapy, and demonstrated low risk of candidiasis, despite the high prevalence of immunosuppressive drug use. (C) 2015 Elsevier Editora Ltda.
(Objective) In order to increase classification accuracy of tea-category identification (TCI) system, this paper proposed a novel approach. (Method) The proposed methods first extracted 64 color histogram to obtain color information, and 16 wavelet packet entropy to obtain the texture information. With the aim of reducing the 80 features, principal component analysis was harnessed. The reduced features were used as input to generalized eigenvalue proximal support vector machine (GEPSVM). Winner-takes-all (WTA) was used to handle the multiclass problem. Two kernels were tested, linear kernel and Radial basis function (RBF) kernel. Ten repetitions of 10-fold stratified cross validation technique were used to estimate the out-of-sample errors. We named our method as GEPSVM + RBF + WTA and GEPSVM + WTA. (Result) The results showed that PCA reduced the 80 features to merely five with explaining 99.90% of total variance. The recall rate of GEPSVM + RBF + WTA achieved the highest overall recall rate of 97.9%. (Conclusion) This was higher than the result of GEPSVM + WTA and other five state-of-the-art algorithms: back propagation neural network, RBF support vector machine, genetic neural-network, linear discriminant analysis, and fitness-scaling chaotic artificial bee colony artificial neural network.
Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) mostly uses proprietary software, but the interest in Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) for GEOBIA is growing. This interest stems not only from cost savings, but also from benefits concerning reproducibility and collaboration. Technical challenges hamper practical reproducibility, especially when multiple software packages are required to conduct an analysis. In this study, we use containerization to package a GEOBIA workflow in a well-defined FOSS environment. We explore the approach using two software stacks to perform an exemplary analysis detecting destruction of buildings in bi-temporal images of a conflict area. The analysis combines feature extraction techniques with segmentation and object-based analysis to detect changes using automatically-defined local reference values and to distinguish disappeared buildings from non-target structures. The resulting workflow is published as FOSS comprising both the model and data in a ready to use Docker image and a user interface for interaction with the containerized workflow. The presented solution advances GEOBIA in the following aspects: higher transparency of methodology; easier reuse and adaption of workflows; better transferability between operating systems; complete description of the software environment; and easy application of workflows by image analysis experts and non-experts. As a result, it promotes not only the reproducibility of GEOBIA, but also its practical adoption.
Introduction: The recent approval of adalimumab (trade name Humira, Abbvie inc.) by the FDA for the treatment of noninfectious intermediate, posterior and panuveitis marks the first on label' non-corticosteroid drug available to ophthalmologists. Immunomodulatory (IMT) and biologic agents have long been shown to be effective in inducing remission of chronic uveitis but have remained as orphan drugs due to lack of financial incentive and perceived need. Areas covered: Here we provide detail into the background and use of adalimumab for uveitic patients. Topics include pharmacology, therapeutic indications and usage, dosage, drug safety, physician monitoring, side effects and adverse events. Expert opinion: We see the approval of adalimumab for uveitis as an important milestone improving upon the accepted standards of care for patients with this severe, sight threatening disease. We implore medical professionals to consider the use of IMT and biologic treatments for patients with recurrent non-infectious uveitis, referring to ocular immunology and uveitis specialists when necessary.
Social-categorical knowledge is partially grounded in proprioception. In Study 1, participants describing hard and soft politicians, and hard and soft scientists used different hard and soft traits for the two groups, suggesting that the meaning of these traits is context specific. Studies 2 to 4 showed that both meanings were supported by hard and soft proprioception. Consistent with political stereotypes, perceivers viewing faces while handling a hard ball were more likely to categorize them as Republicans rather than as Democrats, compared to perceivers viewing the same faces while handling a soft ball (Study 2). Similarly, consistent with stereotypes of hard and soft academic disciplines, perceivers were more likely to categorize photographs of professors as physicists than historians when handling a hard versus soft ball (Study 3). Finally, thinking about Republicans and Democrats led participants to perceive a ball as harder or softer, respectively, suggesting that simulating proprioception might aid social-categorical thinking (Study 4).
Background: Degrees in health disciplines need a balance of theoretical knowledge and sufficient clinical practice to meet registration requirements, in particular those requiring specialist skills such as the use of scalpels and other small instruments, such as podiatry. However, despite this requirement there is a scarcity of literature and research to inform teaching of these particular manual clinical skills. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine the current approaches being used to teach manual skills, in particular scalpel skills, in university podiatry programs in Australia and New Zealand, and to explore what issues, challenges and innovations exist. Methods: A qualitative study, consisting of semi-structured interviews with staff at eight university podiatry programs in Australia and New Zealand was undertaken to determine how these skills are taught and evaluated, and how poor performers are managed. A conventional content analysis technique was used to analyse and code interview data, with the resultant categories reported. Results: Approaches to teaching manual clinical skills, in particular scalpel skills, appear to be consistent between university programs in Australia and New Zealand in utilising didactic-style content, demonstration, physical practice on inanimate objects and real skin, and often the use of supplementary audio-visual material. The main reported differences between programs were in methods and processes of practice, with controversy regarding the use of inanimate objects versus real skin for practice. Conclusions: Despite a lack of research and literature surrounding this topic, the approach to teaching is relatively consistent between programs with greatest disparity being the structure and duration of practice. Key issues for teaching staff in teaching manual skills were students' clinical exposure, motivation, levels of anxiety and dexterity.
Composite materials, (composites) are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different properties, which remain, separate and distinct at the macroscopic or microscopic scale even after they are made into a single material. The constituent materials used in it will compensate each other's limitations, so that the resulting material would constitute the advantages of all the included materials. Therefore combining specific materials we would achieve material, which could serve the specific application extensively and so now a days composite materials plays a wide and extensive role in manufacturing engineering components. There are several types of composite materials and methods for manufacturing them. In this paper manufacturing of metal matrix composites by stir casting is taken into focus, manufacturing of Aluminium Alloy (LM6)-SiC particle reinforced MMC by stir casting is the objective. They are widely used in automotive, aeronautical application and so it is given the prime importance. The methodology opted for manufacturing is stir casting because it is the cheapest and easiest and the applications like automotive and aeronautics involves manufacturing and utilization of large number of components, so the price should be low and the process should be easy and simple. Lot of researches is going on this area by varying different parameters. This paper focuses on designing, fabricating and testing different stirrers and feeders and utilizing them in stir casting for the manufacturing of Aluminium silicon carbide composite materials. Then the significance of individual stirrers and feeders are compared and the best one is identified. The significance of each stirrer and feeder is found by testing the specimen. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
Technological innovations, from ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, telecommunication to intelligent appliances and robotics, bring new possibilities to the Smart Home domain, which has led to an increase in the number of academic publications in this domain. To date, no comprehensive overview and clustering of the core concepts used in these publications have been produced. Based on an extensive review of existing literature on the Smart Home, this paper visualizes the state of the art in the Smart Home research in a systematic way and outlines future research challenges. To do so, a business model framework is applied that helps researchers place their work within a broader context and identify gaps in the existing body of knowledge in this area. In order to move from the exploration towards the exploitation of Smart Home concepts, it is essential to contribute to a coherent body of knowledge that not only is technology driven, as it is the case now, but also pay attention to the non-technological aspects, i.e. social-organizational, economical, organizational, law/legislation and entrepreneurial topics, from both a strategic and an operational perspective.
Ecological vulnerability assessment is a key approach to adaptation to and mitigation of environmental degradation. To assess the ecological vulnerability of Yinma River Basin in cold mountain region of China, the ecological vulnerability index (EVI) model was established based on the integrated system dynamic (SD) model and driving force-pressure-state-impact-response-management (DPSIRM) framework. Using multi-sources data including meteorological, remote sensing, basic geographical, sample and socio-economic data, the values of EVI were calculated. The assessment results indicated that the overall ecosystem vulnerability conditions in the study area experienced a degenerating trend. The extremely, heavily and moderately vulnerable zones were mainly distributed in the north-central and southwest parts of the basin. The slightly and lightly vulnerable areas were distributed in the southeast part of the basin. For the distribution of ecological vulnerability grades, in administrative regions, the high rate of slightly vulnerable level and light vulnerable level appeared in Shuangyang district and Panshi city while the largest area rate of moderately, heavily and extremely vulnerable level were distributed in Dehui city, Nongan county, jiutai district and Yitong county. The study demonstrated that the SD model could efficiently reflect the dynamic mechanism of the basin ecological vulnerability and the results gained closely reflected the reality of the study area. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Numerical modelers are often faced with the challenge to numerically reproduce the physical behavior of soil-geosynthetic interaction problems using assumed values for missing soil and interface model parameters. This paper examines two such examples using the finite-difference method, (1) horizontal pullout of a geosynthetic (geogrid) reinforcement layer in a pullout box and (2) a geosynthetic (geotextile)-reinforced soil layer over a void. It also presents the results of parametric sensitivity analyses for the missing soil and interface model parameter values and identifies the values that give the best agreement with measured data. The paper further demonstrates that correct modeling of geometrical nonlinearity is key to accurately predicting the performance of geosynthetic-reinforced soil systems controlled by the tensioned membrane effect. The lessons learned in this study will be of interest to numerical modelers during numerical model design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil systems.
This paper is concerned with approximations of the Boltzmann equation based on the method of moments. We propose a generalization of the setting of the moment-closure problem from relative entropy to -divergences and a corresponding closure procedure based on minimization of -divergences. The proposed description encapsulates as special cases Grad's classical closure based on expansion in Hermite polynomials and Levermore's entropy-based closure. We establish that the generalization to divergence-based closures enables the construction of extended thermodynamic theories that avoid essential limitations of the standard moment-closure formulations such as inadmissibility of the approximate phase-space distribution, potential loss of hyperbolicity and singularity of flux functions at local equilibrium. The divergence-based closure leads to a hierarchy of tractable symmetric hyperbolic systems that retain the fundamental structural properties of the Boltzmann equation.
Background: Orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) are a modern form of tablets that when placed in the oral cavity, disperses rapidly. These tablets have advantages, particularly good applications for children and old patients who have a complication in chewing or swallowing solid dosage forms. The aim of this study was to design, formulate, and evaluate the physicochemical properties of 5 mg montelukast ODTs for the prevention of asthma and seasonal allergies. Methods: Formulations were prepared with different amounts of super disintegrating agents and effervescent bases as disintegrant agents. Flowability and compressibility of mixed powders were evaluated. The prepared formulations were tested for hardness, thickness, friability, weight variation, drug content, wetting time, disintegration time, dissolution study, and moisture uptake studies. Results: The compressibility index and angle of repose were in the range of 15.87%-23.43% and 32.93-34.65, respectively. Hardness, thickness, friability, wetting time, and content uniformity of formulations were in the range of 33.7-37.1 N, 3.00-3.81 mm, 0.27%-0.43%, 31-50 s and 96.28%-99.90%, respectively. Disintegration time of the tablets prepared with super disintegrating agents, effervescent bases, and combination of two were in the range of 30-50, more than 60 and 20-36 s, respectively. Conclusions: Mixture of powders and tablets passed all the specified tests. The results showed formulations prepared by super disintegrating agents and super disintegrating agents with effervescent bases had shorter disintegration time compared to formulations with effervescent bases alone.
Automatic detection and recognition of traffic sign has been a topic of great interest in advanced driver assistance system. It enhances vehicle and driver safety by providing the condition and state of the road to the drivers. However, visual occlusion and ambiguities in the real-world scenario make the traffic sign recognition a challenging task. This paper presents an Automatic Traffic Sign Detection and Recognition (ATSDR) system, involving three modules: segmentation, detection, and recognition. Region of Interest (ROI) is extracted using multiple thresholding schemes with a novel environmental selection strategy. Then, the traffic sign detection is carried out using correlation computation between log-polar mapped inner regions and the reference template. Finally, recognition is performed using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Our proposed system achieved a recognition accuracy of 98.3 % and the experimental results demonstrates the robustness of traffic sign detection and recognition in real-world scenario.
Water and/or hydroxyl detected remotely on the lunar surface originates from several sources: (i) comets and other exogenous debris; (ii) solar-wind implantation; (iii) the lunar interior. While each of these sources is interesting in its own right, distinguishing among them is critical for testing hypotheses for the origin and evolution of the Moon and our Solar System. Existing spacecraft observations are not of high enough spectral resolution to uniquely characterize the bonding energies of the hydroxyl molecules that have been detected. Nevertheless, the spatial distribution and associations of H, OH-or H2O with specific lunar lithologies provide some insight into the origin of lunar hydrous materials. The global distribution of OH-/H2O as detected using infrared spectroscopic measurements from orbit is here examined, with particular focus on regional geological features that exhibit OH-/H2O absorption band strengths that differ from their immediate surroundings. This article is part of the themed issue 'The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System'.
Trust is one of the most challenging issues in the emerging cloud computing era. Over the past few years, numerous cloud service providers have been emerged providing similar kinds of services. It has become incredibly complex for the cloud clients to make a distinction among multiple cloud service providers offering similar kinds of services. Cloud clients need trustworthy service providers who provide services exactly as per the SLA and do not deviate from their promises. Though, there have been significant efforts to form trust between service providers and the clients by providing data, storage and network security, but relatively fewer efforts have been made in the field of trustworthiness determination by monitoring the compliance of offered services as per the SLA. This paper presents the design of a trust evaluation framework that uses the compliance monitoring mechanism to determine the trustworthiness of service providers. The compliance values are computed and then processed using a technique known as the Improved Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (Improved TOPSIS) to obtain trust on the service providers. Case study based approach has been followed to demonstrate the usability and the applicability of the proposed framework. Experiments have been performed using the real cloud data extracted from the Cloud Harmony reports. From the experimental results, it is clear that the proposed framework can be used in real cloud environments to determine the trustworthiness of service providers by employing the real time monitoring of their services.
The translation of the genotype into phenotype, represented for example by the expression of genes encoding enzymes required for the biosynthesis of phytochemicals that are important for interaction of plants with the environment, is largely carried out by transcription factors (TFs) that recognize specific cis-regulatory elements in the genes that they control. TFs and their target genes are organized in gene regulatory networks (GRNs), and thus uncovering GRN architecture presents an important biological challenge necessary to explain gene regulation. Linking TFs to the genes they control, central to understanding GRNs, can be carried out using gene-or TF-centered approaches. In this study, we employed a gene-centered approach utilizing the yeast one-hybrid assay to generate a network of protein-DNA interactions that participate in the transcriptional control of genes involved in the biosynthesis of maize phenolic compounds including general phenylpropanoids, lignins, and flavonoids. We identified 1100 protein-DNA interactions involving 54 phenolic gene promoters and 568 TFs. A set of 11 TFs recognized 10 or more promoters, suggesting a role in coordinating pathway gene expression. The integration of the gene-centered network with information derived from TF-centered approaches provides a foundation for a phenolics GRN characterized by interlaced feed-forward loops that link developmental regulators with biosynthetic genes.
The American flag is a powerful symbol that campaigns seek to harness for electoral gain. But the flag's benefits may be more elusive than they appear. We begin by presenting content analysis of the flag's prevalence in 2012 U.S. presidential campaign ads, which suggests both candidates saw flags as advantageous. Then, in two experiments set during the 2012 campaign and a later study with prospective 2016 candidates, we find flag exposure provides modest but consistent benefits for Republican candidates among voters high in symbolic patriotism, racial prejudice, and Republican identification. These effects arise regardless of which candidate appears with the flag. Taken together, our results speak to both the power and limitations of the American flag in electioneering. Beyond practical implications for campaigns, these studies emphasize the heterogeneity of citizens' reactions to visual political symbols and highlight potent links between symbolic attitudes and a nation's flag.
Arsenic (As) contamination of communal tubewells in Prey Veng, Cambodia, has been observed since 2000. Many of these wells exceed the WHO As in drinking water standard of 10 mu g/L by a factor of 100. The aim of this study was to assess how cooking water source impacts dietary As intake in a rural community in Prey Veng. This aim was fulfilled by (1) using geostatistical analysis techniques to examine the extent of As contaminated groundwater in Prey Veng and identify a suitable study site, (2) conducting an on-site study in two villages to measure As content in cooked rice prepared with water collected from tubewells and locally harvested rainwater, and (3) determining the dietary intake of As from consuming this rice. Geostatistical analysis indicated that high risk tubewells (>50 mu g As/L) are concentrated along the Mekong River's east bank. Participants using high risk tubewells are consuming up to 24 times more inorganic As daily than recommended by the previous FAO/WHO provisional tolerable daily intake value (2.1 mu g/kgBW/day). However, As content in rice cooked in rainwater was significantly reduced, therefore, it is considered to be a safer and more sustainable option for this region. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this work is to establish a protocol, which combines CAD modeling to non-destructive microscopic techniques of confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy and laser microscopy, to assess the in-vivo hydrothermal stability of ZTA femoral head retrievals. The combined effects of wear, biological environment, and in vivo occurring peculiar events as metal staining were evaluated on five retrieved ZTA femoral heads with implantation time ranging from 9 to 106 months. The protocol relies on the application of a polar grid on the entire surface of the head, which divides it into small sectors; each sector is then automatically screened with micrometer resolution. Maps are finally linked to each other and an in-toto view of the retrieved head becomes available in three dimensions. Upon combining analytical techniques with a solid modeling computer-aided design (CAD) software, it becomes possible to develop a 3D model of the femoral head, which comprehensively describes topographic, crystallographic, and micromechanical characteristics of the entire surface and immediate sub-surface. The combination of CAD, polarized Ramanspectroscopy, and laser microscopy has led to in-toto screening of femoral head with micrometer-scale resolution, thus providing a new and comprehensive protocol for both quality assessments on new components and failure analysis on retrievals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This research investigated the application of 915 MHz microwaves in pasteurizing, pre-packaged vegetables. A specially designed 915 MHz single-mode microwave-assisted pasteurization (MAP) system was used to process carrot cuboids in brine pre-packaged in 8-oz polymer pouches. Gellan gel was formulated and selected as the model food to simulate the real foods processed by the MAP system; heating patterns and cold spots of the pouched samples were detected by a chemical-marker based computer vision method. Two MAP processes (F-90 degrees C = 3 min and F-90 degrees C = 10 min) targeting Clostridium botulinum type E spores were developed and compared with conventional hot water (HW) processes resulting in equivalent microbial safety. Compared with an equivalent HW process, MAP process greatly reduced the total processing time, reduced the cook values and improved quality uniformity of the products. Quality evaluation showed the impacts of MAP processing on each quality attribute of carrot products depended on the specific quality parameter selected. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The control of UPS inverters has a special importance in applications where a high quality output voltage is needed. Several control schemes have been proposed for the control of three-phase inverter. This paper presents a simple and powerful control scheme using model predictive control (MPC). It uses a discrete-time model of the system to predict the behaviour of the output voltage for all possible switching states generated by the inverter. Then, a cost function is used for selecting the optimal switching state that will be applied at the next sampling instant. The simulation results under linear and nonlinear loads are presented, using MATLAB/Simulink tools, verifying the feasibility and good performance of the proposed control scheme. Finally, experimental results are presented, using HIL simulation, to verify the feasibility and good performance of the proposed MPC under realistic conditions.
An individual (male, 36 years, 87 kg) ingested two separate doses of di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) at a rate of similar to 60 mu g/kg. Key monoester and oxidized metabolites were identified and quantified in urine continuously collected until 48 h post-dose. For both DnBP and DiBP, the majority of the dose was excreted in the first 24 h (92.2 % of DnBP, 90.3 % of DiBP), while only < 1 % of the dose was excreted in urine on day 2. In each case, the simple monoesters were the major metabolites (MnBP, 84 %; MiBP, 71 %). For DnBP, similar to 8 % was excreted as various side chain oxidized metabolites. For DiBP, approximately 20 % was excreted mainly as the oxidized side chain metabolite 2OH-MiBP, indicating that the extent of oxidative modification is around 2.5 times higher for DiBP than for DnBP. All DnBP and DiBP metabolites reached peak concentrations between 2 and 4 h post-exposure, followed by a monotonic decline. For DnBP metabolites, the elimination halftime of MnBP was 2.6 h; longer elimination halftimes were estimated for the oxidized metabolites (2.9-6.9 h). For DiBP metabolites, MiBP had the shortest halftime (3.9 h), and the oxidized metabolites had somewhat longer halftimes (4.1 and 4.2 h). Together with the simple monoesters, secondary oxidized metabolites are additional and valuable biomarkers of phthalate exposure. This study provides basic human metabolism and toxicokinetic data for two phthalates that have to be considered human reproductive toxicants and that have been shown to be omnipresent in humans.
Seafood is the predominant food source of several organoarsenic compounds. Some seafood species, like crustaceans and seaweed, also contain inorganic arsenic (iAs), a well-known toxicant. It is unclear whether human biotransformation of ingested organoarsenicals from seafood result in formation of arsenicals of health concern. The present controlled dietary study examined the urinary excretion of arsenic compounds (total arsenic (tAs), iAs, AB (arsenobetaine), dimethylarsinate (DMA) and methylarsonate (MA)) following ingestion of a single test meal of seafood (cod, 780 mu g tAs, farmed salmon, 290 mu g tAs or blue mussel, 690 mu g tAs or potato (control, 110 mu g tAs)) in 38 volunteers. The amount of ingested tAs excreted via the urine within 0-72 h varied significantly among the groups: Cod, 74% (52-92%), salmon 56% (46-82%), blue mussel 49% (37-78%), control 45% (30-60%). The estimated total urinary excretion of AB was higher than the amount of ingested AB in the blue mussel group (112%) and also ingestion of cod seemed to result in more AB, indicating possible endogenous formation of AB from other organoarsenicals. Excretion of iAs was lower than ingested (13-22% of the ingested iAs was excreted in the different groups). Although the ingested amount of iAs + DMA + MA was low for all seafood groups (1.2-4.5% of tAs ingested), the urinary DMA excretion was high in the blue mussel and salmon groups, counting for 25% and 11% of the excreted tAs respectively. In conclusion our data indicate a possible formation of AB as a result of biotransformation of other organic arsenicals. The considerable amount of DMA excreted is probably not only due to methylation of ingested iAs, but due to biotransformation of organoarsenicals making it an inappropriate biomarker of iAs exposure in populations with a high seafood intake. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene are the most common genetic cause of Parkinson's disease. Here, we investigated whether the G2019S LRRK2 mutation causes morphological and/or functional changes at nigro-striatal dopamine neurons. Density of striatal dopaminergic terminals, nigral cell counts, tyrosine hydroxylase protein levels as well as exocytotic dopamine release measured in striatal synaptosomes, or striatal extracellular dopamine levels monitored by in vivo microdialysis were similar between >= 12-month-old G2019S knock-in mice and wild-type controls. In vivo striatal dopamine release was insensitive to the LRRK2 inhibitor Nov-LRRK2-11, and was elevated by the membrane dopamine transporter blocker GBR-12783. However, G2019S knock-in mice showed a blunted neurochemical and motor activation response to GBR-12783 compared to wildtype controls. Western blot and dopamine uptake analysis revealed an increase in dopamine transporter levels and activity in the striatum of 12-month-old G2019S KI mice. This phenotype correlated with a reduction in vesicular monoamine transporter 2 levels and an enhancement of vesicular dopamine uptake, which was consistent with greater resistance to reserpine-induced hypolocomotion. These changes were not observed in 3-month-old mice. Finally, Western blot analysis revealed no genotype difference in striatal levels of endogenous alpha-synuclein or alpha-synuclein bound to DOPAL (a toxic metabolite of dopamine). However, Serine129-phosphorylated alpha-synuclein levels were higher in 12-month-old G2019S knock-in mice. Immunohistochemistry confirmed this finding, also showing no genotype difference in 3-month-old mice. We conclude that the G2019S mutation causes progressive dysfunctions of dopamine transporters, along with Serine129-phosphorylated alpha-synuclein overload, at striatal dopaminergic terminals, which are not associated with dopamine homeostasis dysregulation or neuron loss but might contribute to intrinsic dopaminergic terminal vulnerability. We propose G2019S knock-in mice as a presymptomatic Parkinson's disease model, useful to investigate the pathogenic interaction among genetics, aging, and internal or environmental factors leading to the disease.
Advanced human augmentation provides a human-centred perspective on technology design. It builds upon earlier technological concepts such as ubiquitous computing, wearable computing, augmented-virtual-and mixed realities, autonomous systems and ambient intelligence. This tutorial contemplates advanced human augmentation in the industrial work context, and considers the requirements for a future augmented Superworker and the prerequisites for their advanced augmentation. In this tutorial, it is anticipated that to support the design of new augmenting solutions current human-centred design practices should be reconsidered and enhanced in new directions.
Adjuvants are substances added to vaccines to improve their immunogenicity. Used for more than 80years, aluminum, the first adjuvant in human vaccines, proved insufficient to develop vaccines that could protect against new challenging pathogens such as HIV and malaria. New adjuvants and new combinations of adjuvants (Adjuvant Systems) have opened the door to the delivery of improved and new vaccines against re-emerging and difficult pathogens. Adjuvant Systems concept started through serendipity. The access to new developments in technology, microbiology and immunology have been instrumental for the dicephering of what they do and how they do it. This knowledge opens the door to more rational vaccine design with implications for developing new and better vaccines.
While hyperspectral sensors describe plant canopy reflectance in greater detail than multispectral sensors, they also suffer from issues with data redundancy and spectral autocorrelation. Data mining techniques that extract relevant spectral features from hyperspectral data will aid the development of novel sensors for plant trait estimation. The objectives of this research were to (1) compare broad-band reflectance, narrow-band reflectance, and spectral derivatives for estimation of durum wheat traits in the field and (2) develop a genetic algorithm to identify the most relevant spectral features for durum wheat trait estimation. Experiments at Maricopa, Arizona during the winters of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 tested six durum wheat cultivars with six split-applied nitrogen (N) fertilization rates. Durum wheat traits, including leaf area index, canopy dry weight, and plant N content, were measured from destructive biomass samples on four occassions in each growing season. Grain yield and grain N content were also measured. Canopy spectral reflectance data in 701 narrow wavebands from 350 nm to 1050 nm were collected weekly using a field spectroradiometer. First-and second-order spectral derivatives were calculated using Savitzky-Golay filtering. The narrow-band data were also used to estimate reflectance in broad wavebands, as typically collected by two commercial multispectral instruments. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) compared the ability of each spectral data set to estimate each measured durum wheat trait. A genetic algorithm was developed to mine narrow-band canopy reflectance and spectral derivative data for spectral features that improved estimates of durum wheat traits. Multispectral data in 4 broad bands estimated leaf area index, canopy dry weight, and plant N content with root mean squared errors of cross validation (RMSECV) between 33.0% and 67.6%, while hyperspectral data in 701 narrow bands reduced RMSECV to values between 19.3% and 36.3%. Use of the genetic algorithm to identify less than 25 relevant spectral features further reduced RMSECV to values between 15.1% and 30.7%. Grain yield was optimally estimated from canopy spectral measurements between 110 and 130 days after planting with RMSECV less than 7.6% using the genetic algorithm approach. The timing corresponded to anthesis and early grain fill when presence of wheat heads likely affected canopy spectral reflectance. By using a genetic algorithm to mine hyperspectral reflectance and spectral derivative data, durum wheat traits were optimally estimated from a subset of relevant canopy spectral features. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The aim of this paper is to present the development of the proposal to use a model mechanical - electrical simulating system of the heart as a teaching tool for the teaching and learning of electrical circuits in grade eleven, of secondary education. Methodology: the following phases were developed: to) design of the didactic model, it planned the activity of class work based on constructivist methods, as it is the knowledge of previous ideas; b) testing laboratories on the mechanical movement of the heart, is a confrontation of these ideas with the experimental process; c) adaptation of the educational model to a circuit; d) application of the teaching model for electric circuits in the classroom teaching. Academic practice was conducted with students of the educational institution of the city of Florencia, Caqueta Dominic Savio. Results: the application of a teaching tool allows a better understanding of physical concepts such as electrical circuits, especially RC circuits and the strengthening of the theoretical elements that the student is from use of models similar to the issues studied. It is concluded that the study of actual situations of everyday life, complemented by the realization of experimental practices, contributes greatly to the understanding of scientific issues.
The present research examined how situational and individual difference factors influence majority-group observers' evaluations of witnesses' responses to an incident of bias. In Study 1, participants learned of a situation in which a White person applying for a job he did or did not need (high vs. low cost of confrontation) heard his interviewer make a racist comment, which the White person did or did not confront. Non-confrontation was evaluated as less appropriate than confrontation when the costs of confronting were low, but not when costs were high, revealing that in a high cost situation the appropriate response to bias is more ambiguous. Study 2 focused on this high cost situation to show that evaluations of another person's responses to bias depend on individual differences in the observer's values. Observers who scored low on Universalism-Concern evaluated another person's non-confrontation as appropriate as confrontation, but participants who scored high on Universalism-Concern perceived non-confrontation as less appropriate. Considering how responses to bias are assessed helps illuminate normative processes that affect confrontations of bias against outgroups, contributing to the knowledge of the processes that may allow biases to persist. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The drilling fluid rheological properties should be monitored frequently during the drilling operations to prevent the problems related to the change in these properties. Properties such as yield point, plastic viscosity, and apparent viscosity are crucial to evaluate the drilling fluid efficiency in cleaning the well. These properties are only measured twice or once a day, but the Marsh funnel viscosity, solid content, and drilling fluid density are measured every 10 min. Previous models were introduced only to predict the apparent viscosity of the drilling fluid from the Marsh funnel viscosity with large errors. In this paper and for the first time we introduced new model to predict the drilling fluid rheological properties from the Marsh funnel viscosity, solid content, and density measurements in real time. We developed a mathematical model that obtained from the weights, biases, and the transfer functions used in the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The ANNs black box was converted to white box to obtain a visible mathematical model that can be used to predict the drilling fluid rheological properties only using Marsh funnel viscosity, solid content, and density. Based on 9000 data points (collected from the field measurements for actual drilling fluid samples) used in model training and testing, the viscometer readings at 300 and 600 rpm were predicted using the visible mathematical model from the ANNs. The rheological parameters such as yield point, plastic viscosity, apparent viscosity, and consistency index were determined from the viscometer readings at 300 and 600 rpm. The predicted rheological parameters were compared with the measured ones from the field and the match was very good. The average absolute error for the various parameters ranges from 1 to maximum 5 compared to 60 if we used the previously developed correlations. The developed model is a robust technique and tool that can be used to predict the real time drilling fluid rheological parameters that are essential for the drilling hydraulics design and also to predict the performance of drilling fluid. Efficient performance of the drilling fluids depends on the quality of the drilling fluid which needs to be monitored frequently and with the new model this process will be achievable. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A large number of electrical components are used in civil aircraft engines, whose electrical circuits are usually intricate and complicated. Continuity resistance is an important parameter for the operating state of electrical components. Electrical continuity fault has serious impact on the reliability of the aircraft engine. In this paper, mathematical models of electrical components are established, and simulation is made by Simulink to analyze the electrical continuity fault.
Despite their differences, human language and the vocal communication of nonhuman primates share many features. Both constitute forms of coordinated activity, rely on many shared neural mechanisms, and involve discrete, combinatorial cognition that includes rich pragmatic inference. These common features suggest that during evolution the ancestors of all modern primates faced similar social problems and responded with similar systems of communication and cognition. When language later evolved from this common foundation, many of its distinctive features were already present.
In this paper, we presented a novel approach of low energy consumption architecture of S-Box used in Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm using programmable second order reversible cellular automata (RCA(2)). The architecture entails a low power implementation with minimal delay overhead and the performance of proposed RCA(2) based S-Box in terms of security is evaluated using the cryptographic properties such as nonlinearity, correlation immunity bias, strict avalanche criteria, entropy and also found that the proposed architecture is secure enough for cryptographic applications. Moreover, the proposed AES algorithm architecture simulation studies show that energy consumption of 68.726 nJ, power dissipation of 3.856 mW for 0.18-mu m at 13.69 MHz and energy consumption of 29.408 nJ, power dissipation of 1.65 mW for 0.13-mu m at 13.69 MHz. The proposed AES algorithm with RCA(2) based S-Box shows a reduction power consumption by 50 % and energy consumption by 5 % compared to best classical S-Box and composite field arithmetic based AES algorithm. Apart from that, it is also shown that RCA(2) based S-Boxes are dynamic in nature, invertible, low power dissipation compared to that of LUT based S-Box and hence suitable for Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) applications.
New mathematics has often been inspired by new insights into the natural world. Here we describe some ongoing and possible future interactions among the massive data sets being collected in neuroscience, methods for their analysis and mathematical models of the underlying, still largely uncharted neural substrates that generate these data. We start by recalling events that occurred in turbulence modelling when substantial space-time velocity field measurements and numerical simulations allowed a new perspective on the governing equations of fluid mechanics. While no analogous global mathematical model of neural processes exists, we argue that big data may enable validation or at least rejection of models at cellular to brain area scales and may illuminate connections among models. We give examples of such models and survey some relatively new experimental technologies, including optogenetics and functional imaging, that can report neural activity in live animals performing complex tasks. The search for analytical techniques for these data is already yielding new mathematics, and we believe their multi-scale nature may help relate well-established models, such as the Hodgkin-Huxley equations for single neurons, to more abstract models of neural circuits, brain areas and larger networks within the brain. In brief, we envisage a closer liaison, if not a marriage, between neuroscience and mathematics.
With the development of science and technology and the formation of a comprehensive multidisciplinary technology. The emergence of new permanent magnetic actuator and electronic operation of synchronous technology in the field of pressure to achieve a hardware basis. In order to meet the high reliability of the vacuum circuit breaker operation, our country is in-depth study, and gradually promote and electronic control systems match the permanent mechanism. In this article, we have the key technology of digital signal processing theory research motor and motor control. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the method, to better reflect the characteristics of the digital control system for digitizing motion brushless DC motor control engineering applications useful to explore and try.
Haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is a severe disease in which fetal red blood cells (RBC) are destroyed by maternal anti-RBC IgG alloantibodies. HDFN is most often caused by anti-D but may also occur due to anti-K, -c- or -E. We recently found N-linked glycosylation of anti-D to be skewed towards low fucosylation, thereby increasing the affinity to IgG-Fc receptor IIIa and IIIb, which correlated with HDFN disease severity. Here, we analysed 230 pregnant women with anti-c, -E or -K alloantibodies from a prospective screening cohort and investigated the type of Fc-tail glycosylation of these antibodies in relation to the trigger of immunisation and pregnancy outcome. Anti-c, -E and -K show - independent of the event that had led to immunisation - a different kind of Fc-glycosylation compared to that of the total IgG fraction, but with less pronounced differences compared to anti-D. High Fc-galactosylation and sialylation of anti-c correlated with HDFN disease severity, while low anti-K Fc-fucosylation correlated with severe fetal anaemia. IgG-Fc glycosylation of anti-RBC antibodies is shaped depending on the antigen. These features influence their clinical potency and may therefore be used to predict severity and identify those needing treatment.
Background: The sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide, encoded by SLC10A1, was identified as a functional receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV). The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association of the Ser267Phe variant (rs2296651) with HBV infection status in Moroccan patients. Methods: Using a TaqMan 5' allelic discrimination assay, the Ser267Phe variant was genotyped in 286 chronic hepatitis B patients, 135 individuals with spontaneous clearance from HBV infection and 109 healthy controls negative for hepatitis B serological markers. Results: In this cohort, we detected only wild-type genotype (S267S) in all groups. This polymorphism was not associated with the HBV infection status in Moroccan patients. Conclusions: The S267F variant is absent among Moroccans regardless of chronic HBV infection status.
BACKGROUND: Current US guidelines recommend the Asthma Control Test (ACT) for assessing disease control and selecting treatment. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to prospectively assess the ACT and its component questions for their utility in predicting the risk of severe asthma exacerbations. METHODS: Individuals were participants in the Study of Asthma Phenotypes and Pharmacogenomic Interactions by Race-Ethnicity, and those included in the current analysis had the following characteristics: age 18 years or more, physiciandiagnosed asthma, and longitudinal care received at a large health system in southeastern Michigan. Study participants underwent a baseline evaluation, which included answering the ACT. A severe asthma exacerbation was defined as one requiring oral steroids, an emergency department visit, or inpatient admission. Receiver-operator characteristic curves were used to measure and compare the predictive utility of the ACT and its component questions for severe asthma exacerbations. RESULTS: Of 1180 participants, 354 (30.0%) experienced a severe asthma exacerbation within 6 months of their baseline evaluation. When compared with the individual questions that composed the ACT, the composite score was significantly better at predicting severe exacerbations with 1 exception; the composite ACT score and the question assessing rescue medication use were not significantly different (P =.580). Pharmacy-based records of metereddose inhaler short-acting beta-agonist use and asthma severity were also not significantly different from the composite ACT score. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that although the ACT is modestly predictive for exacerbations, the composite score may not be superior to assessing rescue medication use alone for predicting the risk of severe asthma exacerbations. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
A global map of drought risk has been elaborated at the sub-national administrative level. The motivation for this study is the observation that little research and no concerted efforts have been made at the global level to provide a consistent and equitable drought risk management framework for multiple regions, population groups and economic sectors. Drought risk is assessed for the period 20002014 and is based on the product of three independent determinants: hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Drought hazard is derived from a non-parametric analysis of historical precipitation deficits at the 0.5; drought exposure is based on a non-parametric aggregation of gridded indicators of population and livestock densities, crop cover and water stress; and drought vulnerability is computed as the arithmetic composite of high level factors of social, economic and infrastructural indicators, collected at both the national and sub-national levels. The performance evaluation of the proposed models underlines their statistical robustness and emphasizes an empirical resemblance between the geographic patterns of potential drought impacts and previous results presented in the literature. Our findings support the idea that drought risk is driven by an exponential growth of regional exposure, while hazard and vulnerability exhibit a weaker relationship with the geographic distribution of risk values. Drought risk is lower for remote regions, such as tundras and tropical forests, and higher for populated areas and regions extensively exploited for crop production and livestock farming, such as South-Central Asia, Southeast of South America, Central Europe and Southeast of the United States. As climate change projections foresee an increase of drought frequency and intensity for these regions, then there is an aggravated risk for global food security and potential for civil conflict in the medium- to long-term. Since most agricultural regions show high infrastructural vulnerability to drought, then regional adaptation to climate change may begin through implementing and fostering the widespread use of irrigation and rainwater harvesting systems. In this context, reduction in drought risk may also benefit from diversifying regional economies on different sectors of activity and reducing the dependence of their GDP on agriculture. (C) 2016 European Commission. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Analytical methods used for pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse in sewage play a fundamental role in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) studies. Here quantitative analysis of drug metabolites in raw wastewaters is used to determine consumption from general population. Its great advantage in public health studies is that it gives objective, real-time data about community use of chemicals, highlighting the relationship between environmental and human health. Within a WBE study on salbutamol use in a large population, we developed a procedure to distinguish human metabolic excretion from external source of contamination, possibly industrial, in wastewaters. Salbutamol is mainly excreted as the sulphate metabolite, which is rapidly hydrolyzed to the parent compound in the environment, so this is currently not detected. When a molecule is either excreted un-metabolized or its metabolites are unstable in the environment, studies can be completed by monitoring the parent compound. In this case it is mandatory to assess whether the drug in wastewater is present because of population use or because of a specific source of contamination, such as industrial manufacturing waste. Because commercial salbutamol mainly occurs as a racemic mixture and is stereoselective in the human metabolism, the enantiomeric relative fraction (EFrel) in wastewater samples should reflect excretion, being unbalanced towards one of two enantiomers, if the drug is of metabolic origin. The procedure described involves chiral analysis of the salbutamol enantiomers by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) and calculation of EFrel, to detect samples where external contamination occurs. Samples were collected daily between October and December 2013 from the Milano Nosedo wastewater treatment plant. Carbamazepine and atenolol were measured in the sewage collector, as control drugs. Salbutamol EFrel was highly consistent in all samples during this three-month period, but a limited number of samples had unexpectedly high concentrations where the EFrel was close to that observed of the un-metabolized, commercially available drug, supporting the idea of an external source of contamination, besides human metabolic excretion. Results showed that, when present, non-metabolic daily loads could be evaluated indicating an average of 4.12 g/day of salbutamol extra load due to non-metabolic sources. The stereoselectivity in metabolism and enantiomeric ratio analysis appears to be a useful approach in WBE studies to identify different sources of drugs in the environment, when no metabolic products are present at useful analytical levels. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Characterization of land displacement induced by long-term overexploitation of groundwater is necessary to ensure sustainable water supply in Beijing, China. The northern part of the Beijing Plain is an important water source area and is also designed for groundwater recharge from South-to-North Water Diversion Project. We aim to depict the process of characterizing land displacement under complex hydrogeological and geological context in the region using remote sensing and geographic information system. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar time-series analysis was used to detect land displacement from 2003 to 2010. Statistic linear regression equations between groundwater level and land displacement were built based on linear consolidation principle. The spatial difference of Pearson correlation coefficient (R) and slope (k) were discriminated to quantify the response of land displacement to groundwater level change. The results show that there are two major displacement cones with annual rates up to -40 and -24 mm year(-1). R and k had a negative and positive correlation with increasing land displacement, respectively. A larger R reflects that the groundwater level has a closer relation with the occurrence of land displacement. The weak correlation is due to the delay in the propagation of the pressure drawdown in the fine-sediment layers or lens from the pumped aquifers where the pressure is measured. Thick compressible layer has more potential for land displacement. Results of this study are necessary to clarify the land displacement characteristics, to make full use of abundant spatial-temporal dataset, and ultimately to support hazard prevention and mitigation decisions.
To obtain bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, every student besides the pure theory needs to have certain practical experience in order to feel comfortable at the beginning of his career. Throughout the years in the university, this practical education is conducted in two different ways. The first one is during the mandatory specialized internship in real electric power plants and substations. The other possibility for the students is on the grounds of the university and includes classes, dedicated to practical activities and the classical laboratory exercises on different engineering subjects. This report presents a hybrid approach for doing exercises combining the elements of design and assemble of electrical circuits which are very close to real-world problems students would encounter during their careers.
An experiment investigated the effects of violent content in video games on two physiological indicators of the fight-or-flight response (cortisol and cardiovascular changes) and on accessibility of aggressive thoughts in children. Participants played a randomly assigned violent or nonviolent video game, rated the game on several dimensions, and did a word completion task. Results showed that the violent video game increased cortisol and (for boys) cardiovascular arousal (relative to baseline) more than did the equally exciting nonviolent game. The violent game also increased the accessibility of aggressive thoughts. The cortisol findings in particular suggest that playing a violent video game may activate the sympathetic nervous system and elicit a fight-or-flight type response in children. Theoretical implications and future research are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A family 27 carbohydrate-binding module of a Thermotoga maritima beta-mannanase (TmCBM27) was chosen from the carbohydrate-active enzyme database by computer-aided design, possessing the lowest binding free energy with mannopentaose. To improve the enzymatic properties of a glycoside hydrolase family 5 beta-mannanase from Aspergillus usamii (AuMan5A), two fusion beta-mannanases, AuMan5A-F-M and AuMan5A-R-M, were designed by fusing a TmCBM27 into its C-terminus linked with a flexible peptide F (GGGGS)(3) and rigid peptide R (EAAAK)(3). Two fusion enzyme genes, Auman5A-F-m and Auman5A-R-m, were constructed as designed theoretically by overlapping PCR. Then, Auman5A and two fusion genes were expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. Three recombinant beta-mannanases, reAuMan5A, reAuMan5A-F-M and reAuMan5A-R-M, were purified to homogeneity with specific activities of 230.6, 153.3 and 241.7 U/mg. The temperature optimum of reAuMan5A-R-M was 70 degrees C, identical with that of reAuMan5A, while its thermostability and melting temperature (T-m) reached 68 degrees C and 74.9 degrees C, being 8.0 degrees C and 8.4 degrees C higher than those of the latter, respectively. Additionally, the Km values of reAuMan5A-R-M, towards locust bean gum, konjac gum and guar gum, significantly decreased to 0.9, 1.9 and 2.5 mg/mL from 1.7, 3.8 and 4.2 mg/mL of reAuMan5A, while its k(cat)/K-m (catalytic efficiency) values increased to 287.8, 163.7 and 84.4 mL/mg.s from 171.2, 97.6 and 56.0 mL/ing.s of the latter, respectively. These results verified that the fusion of a TmCBM27 into the C-terminus of AuMan5A mediated by (EAAAIC)(3) linker contributed to its improved thermostability and catalytic efficiency. (C) 2016, The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a validation of airflow network (AFN) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for a naturally ventilated office building using wind tunnel measurements as the reference for external pressure coefficients and effective airflow rate prediction. The CFD simulation model is also used to study the effect of partially open windows on the effective flow rate. This study also includes a design exercise for a naturally ventilated office building that analyses the differences in predicted average window open area for a typical weather year. The results obtained show that, for simple isolated buildings, CFD can predict pressure coefficients with less than 20% average error. For cases with interfering surrounding buildings or more complex building geometries the average error is less than 40%. Average errors in bulk flow rates are lower: typically less than 25%. The largest errors occur in effective flow rate predictions for cases where the openings are exposed to recirculations and shear driven flows.
Empathy is widely recognized as the psychological foundation for prosocial behavior, yet very little is known about methods to increase affective empathy in students and trainees. The present research sought to assess the reliability and potential boundary conditions of one such intervention-a brief emotional video featuring a boy diagnosed with cancer. Study 1 found that the video succeeded in indirectly increasing empathic concern for an African American victim of police abuse among an ethnically diverse student sample in a classroom setting. Study 2 replicated the effect in an online environment among a population of near-racially homogeneous adults. The effect of this brief, convenient, positive-affect intervention is in line with other practice-based and negative-affect interventions.
We predicted that members of Chinese groups would tend to express personality judgments that establish commonalities among members, whereas members of American groups would tend to express judgments that affirm how members differ. We had groups of five acquaintances (23 groups at one U. S. university, 28 groups at three Chinese universities) rate their own and each other's traits and subjected the round-robin data to social relations model and social accuracy model analyses. As hypothesized, Chinese were more likely to portray their peers as similar to themselves and to each other as indicated by greater perceived self-other similarity and less variance in target ratings; conversely, Americans were more likely to express a shared understanding of what distinguished each group member from others, as indicated by greater distinctive agreement and target variance (consensus). Collectivistic values mediated effects of country on perceived similarity; individualistic values mediated effects of country on consensus and perceived similarity.
When switching to automatic output-quality testing systems, the aspiration for improving the detectability of insignificant deviations of the output parameters from the statutory ones necessitates the solution of a number of new problems. One of those is assessing the effect of the image-energy spectral density from an axisymmetric flaw on the reliability of its detection against background noise by both human and computer vision systems. Knowing this information is a necessary condition for developing new enhanced testing and evaluating techniques. Results are presented on the probabilities of false alarm and correct detection of axisymmetric circular or rectangular flaws depending on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the ratio of the flaw radius to the background-fluctuation correlation radius. It has been established that for small SNR, human vision is more effective than machine vision that implements the correlation detector algorithm and the Neyman-Pearson criterion.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by pathological osteogenesis and inflammation. However, the pathogenesis of AS and the pathological relationship between osteogenesis and inflammation in this disease remain largely unknown. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells capable of osteogenic differentiation and immunoregulation. Recently, we demonstrated that MSCs from AS patients (ASMSCs) have a greater potential for osteogenic differentiation than MSCs from healthy donors (HDMSCs), which therefore seems to be a component of pathological osteogenesis in AS. Previous studies have indicated that the immunoregulatory abilities of MSCs change following differentiation. However, the subsequent effects of ASMSCs during abnormal osteogenic differentiation are unclear. Here, we further demonstrated that ASMSCs secreted more monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) than HDMSCs during osteogenic differentiation. This enhanced MCP1 secretion augmented monocyte migration, increased classical macrophage polarization, and enhanced TNF-alpha secretion. Inhibiting MCP1 secretion from osteogenic differentiated ASMSCs using lentiviruses encoding short hairpin RNAs ameliorated these dysfunctions. Blocking the ERK1/2 pathway in ASMSCs with U0126 corrected the abnormal osteogenic differentiation, inhibited MCP1 overexpression, and prevented subsequent monocyte dysfunction. Finally, MCP1 expression was up-regulated during osteogenic differentiation in ASMSCs in vivo and was locally augmented in osteoblasts at ossification sites in AS patients. In summary, our study determined that MCP1 overexpression during abnormal osteogenic differentiation of ASMSCs triggers monocyte dysfunctions. We propose the novel hypothesis that pathological osteogenesis can lead to inflammation in AS. This hypothesis may contribute to reveal the precise pathological relationship between osteogenesis and inflammation in the field of osteoimmunology. ASMSCs secreted more MCP1 during abnormal osteogenic differentiation. MCP1 overexpression leads to monocyte dysfunctions. Pathological osteogenesis can lead to inflammation in AS.
Classical electrical circuits consist of resistors and capacitors and are governed by integer-order model. Circuits may have so-called fractance which represents an electrical element with fractional order impedance. Therefore, fractional order derivative is important to study the dynamical behaviors of circuits. This paper extends the classical coupled Duffing circuits to cover a new fractional order Duffing system consisting of two identical periodic forced circuits coupled by a linear resistor. The fundamental resonance responses under various paired and unpaired fractional orders are investigated in detail using the harmonic balance in combination with polynomial homotopy continuation. The approximate solutions having a high degree of accuracy in the steady state response are sought. There exist different shapes of frequency versus response and excitation amplitude versus response curves under various fractional orders. Multiple-valued solutions and nonclassical bifurcations are observed analytically and verified numerically. The influence of coupling intensity on the fundamental resonance response is also examined. New contributions include the innovative introduction of fractional order to the coupled Duffing circuits, the explicit integration of fractional order and the linear consideration of higher harmonics to improve the nonlinear solutions of the lower harmonics without increasing the computational complexity.
On a stepped spillway, the steps act as macroroughness elements, contributing to enhanced energy dissipation and significant aeration. In a skimming flow, the upstream flow motion is nonaerated, and the free surface appears smooth and glossy up to the inception point of free-surface aeration. In this developing flow region, a turbulent boundary layer grows until the outer edge of the boundary layer interacts with the free surface and air entrainment takes place. The flow properties in the developing flow region were documented carefully in a large stepped spillway model (1V:1H; h=0.10m). The upstream flow was controlled by a broad-crested weir and critical flow conditions were observed along most of the weir crest, although the pressure distributions were not hydrostatic at the upstream and downstream ends. Downstream of the broad crest and upstream of the inception point, the free surface was smooth, although some significant free-surface curvature was observed for all discharges. The boundary layer growth was faster than on a smooth chute for identical flow conditions. The inception point of free-surface aeration was observed when the boundary layer thickness reached 80% of the flow depth: /di approximate to 0.8. The location of the inception point of free-surface aeration and the flow depth at inception were compared successfully to previous laboratory and prototype results.
In this paper, we proposed a novel model for multiple fractured horizontal wells (MFHW) with consideration of pressure drop in the wellbore. To begin with, we proposed an analytical model incorporating with turbulent flow in wellbore, Darcy's flow in reservoir and hydraulic fractures, and effect of stress-sensitivity of permeability. Then, the model was solved by used mathematical methods of line source function, Pedrosa's substitution, and Newton-Raphson algorithm. After that, based on the solution, pressure transient behavior of the MFHW was obtained. Finally, model validation and sensitivity analysis were conducted. Results of validations show that there are good matches among our results, analytical results and numerical results. According to results of sensitivity analysis, we find that the pressure depletion decreases as fracture volume increases, and their effect on pressure depletion becomes weaker when increasing the pressure drops within wellbore. The pressure depletion increases with the increase of Reynolds number and relative pipe roughness; it decreases with the increase of reservoir-wellbore constant. The effects of Reynolds number, reservoir-wellbore constant, and relative pipe roughness on pressure behavior become stronger as fracture parameters increase, especially for fracture number. It is also found that the relative pipe roughness mainly affects the flow regimes at the early time, including bilinear flow and formation linear flow, while Reynolds number and reservoir-wellbore constant can influence all the flow regimes. This work provides some guidelines on understanding the effects of wellbore hydraulics on well performance in the tight gas reservoirs. (C) 2016 Elsevier E.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Persistent organic pollutants represent about 95 % of the industrial sector effluents in Egypt. Contamination of the River Nile water with various pesticides poses a hazardous risk to both human and environmental compartments. Therefore, a large scale monitoring study was carried on pesticides pollution in three geographical main regions along the River Nil water stream, Egypt. Methods: Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed by GC-ECD. Results: Organochlorine pesticides mean concentrations along the River Nile water samples were 0.403, 1.081, 1.209, 3.22, and 1.192 mu g L-1 for endrin, dieldrin, p, p'-DDD, p, p'-DDT, and p, p'-DDE, respectively. Dieldrin, p, p'-DDT, and p, p'-DDE were above the standard guidelines of the World Health Organization. Detected organophosphorus pesticides were Triazophos (2.601 mu g L-1), Quinalphos (1.91 mu g L-1), fenitrothion (1.222 mu g L-1), Ethoprophos (1.076 mu g L-1), chlorpyrifos (0.578 mu g L-1), ethion (0.263 mu g L-1), Fenamiphos (0.111 mu g L-1), and pirimiphos-methyl (0.04 mu g L-1). Toxicity characterization of organophosphorus pesticides according to water quality guidelines indicated the hazardous risk of detected chemicals to the public and to the different environmental compartments. The spatial distribution patterns of detected pesticides reflected the reverse relationship between regional temperature and organochlorine pesticides distribution. However, organophosphorus was distributed according to the local inputs of pollutant compounds. Conclusions: Toxicological and water quality standards data revealed the hazardous risk of detected pesticides in the Egyptian River Nile water to human and aquatic life. Thus, our monitoring data will provide viewpoints by which stricter legislation and regulatory controls can be admitted to avoid River Nile pesticide water pollution.
Recent studies on construction material technology have indicated that soil reinforcement improves resistance of soil against compression and tension. Due to the wide use of geotextile reinforcement in road construction, the potential benefit of geotextile reinforcement in cyclic loading should be investigated. In this study we performed a series of cyclic triaxial tests to examine dry silty sand reinforced with geotextile when subjected to dynamic loading. These tests were conducted on reinforced and unreinforced dry sand and sand mixed with varying amounts of silt (0-50%). The main factors affecting the cyclic behaviour, such as the arrangement and number of geotextile layers, confined pressure and silt content are examined and discussed in this paper. The results indicate that geotextile inclusion and increased confining pressure increase the axial modulus and decreased cyclic ductility of dry sand for all silt contents examined. Also, it was found that by increasing the silt content by up to about 35 percent the axial modulus in reinforced and unreinforced sand is decreased and cyclic ductility increased. With further increases in silt content, these values are increased for cyclic axial modulus and decreased for cyclic ductility. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the present work, the case of the Carmenes del Mar resort (Granada, Spain) is shown. It can be considered one of the most extreme examples on the Mediterranean coast of severe pathologies associated with urban development on coastal landslides. The resort, with 416 dwellings, was partially built on a deep-seated landslide which affects a soft formation composed of dark graphite schists. In November 2015, the City Council officially declared a state of emergency in the resort and 24 dwellings have already been evacuated. We have used two remote sensing techniques to monitor the landslide with the aim of identifying and measuring a wide range of displacements rates (from mm/year to m/year): (1) PSInSAR, exploiting 25 ENVISAT SAR images acquired from May 2003 to December 2009, and (2) photogrammetry, considering the output from two Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flights made in June 2015 and January 2016 and the outdated photos from a conventional flight in 2008. The relationship between the geology of the site, data from PS deformation measurements, building displacements, rainfall and damage observed and their temporal occurrence allows a better understanding of the landslide kinematics and both the spatial and temporal evolution of the instability. Results indicate building displacements of up to 1.92 m in 8 years, a clear lithological control in the spatial distribution of damage and a close relationship between the most damaging events and water recharge episodes (rainy events and leaks from swimming pools and the water supply network). This work emphasises the need to incorporate geohazards into urban planning, including policies to predict, prepare for and prevent this type of phenomenon.
This study considers intellectual capital based on the assumption that this capital, which possesses social aspects, is related to the emotional capacities (i.e., emotional intelligence) of an organization's members. A literature review indicates that this relationship has been previously noted and studied, and researchers agree that the emotional intelligence of the members of an organization affects the organization's intellectual capital. Based on this analysis, this relationship is examined in the Turkish business context. Data are collected from top managers, who can affect the intellectual capital of their businesses and who, as human beings, are emotional. Thus, in this study, the emotional intelligence of top managers and their opinions regarding the intellectual capital of their businesses are considered to be related, with interesting results. When all of the factors of emotional intelligence that are likely to affect opinions regarding intellectual capital are examined using a multivariate model, the effect of emotional intelligence is revealed. Primarily, three factors of the emotional intelligence-empathy and communication skill, self-awareness and sociability-affect the participants' opinions regarding the intellectual capital of their businesses. Univariate models are used to evaluate the effect of each emotional intelligence factor on the participants' opinions regarding the intellectual capital of their businesses. Empathy and communication skills affect opinions about the quality of human capital. Self-awareness affects opinions about the organizational commitment of workers. Sociability can affect opinions about information technology and information sharing. In summary, emotional intelligence affects opinions about human capital quality, information technology and information sharing.
We explore the two-dimensional flow around a circular cylinder with the aim of elucidating the changes in the topology of the vorticity field that lead to the formation of the Karman vortex street. Specifically, we analyse the formation and disappearance of extremal points of vorticity, which we consider to he feature points for vortices. The basic vortex creation mechanism is shown to he a topological cusp bifurcation in the vorticity field, Where a saddle and an extremum of the vorticity are created simultaneously. We demonstrate that vortices are first created approximately 100 diameters downstream of the cylinder, at a Reynolds number, Re-K, which is slightly larger than the critical Reynolds number, R-ecrit approximate to 46, at which the flow becomes time periodic. For Re slightly above Re-K, the newly created vortices disappear again a short distance further downstream. As Re is further increased, the points of creation and disappearance move rapidly upstream and downstream, respectively, and the Karman vortex street persists over increasingly large streamwise distances.
The noise induced by quantization in digitally controlled systems can be modelled as small amplitude chaotic behaviour described by a simple piecewise linear map, the micro-chaos map. The chaotic nature of certain micro-chaos maps was proved rigorously in the last 20 years. It was also pointed out that several disconnected strange attractors or repellers may coexist far from the desired state of the system. The control error is influenced by the number of these strange sets and the local behaviour of trajectories in their neighbourhoods. In the present paper we focus on the exploration of the possible attractor/repeller structures in the phase space of a PD-controlled system and estimate the expected control error by several methods.
Selenium is an essential micronutrient to human metabolism and it has been demonstrated that it has a marked antioxidant effect. In its inorganic form, selenium can be potentially toxic for human health, while its availability increases in its organic form and its toxicity declines. Inorganic selenium is incorporated in some lactic acid bacteria, which are commonly used as starter in fermented dairy products. The aim of this research was to determine and quantify the capacity of selenium incorporation in Lactobacillus ssp. metabolism, by ICE Culture media were enriched with Na2SeO3 in order to determine such capacity. Four lactic acid. bacteria were used and their tolerance to selenium was determined by adding Na2SeO3 to growth medium. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GO presented the highest tolerance (198 mg/L). Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus NCFB2772 showed the lowest assimilation of inorganic selenium (9.14%) while L. helveticus IUAMI70129 had the highest (76.50%) despite being the microorganism which displayed the least tolerance (43 mg/L). On the other hand, Lactobacillus jhonsonii showed the highest concentration of selenium in terms of generated biomass weight (0.91 mu g/mg). Finally, all bacteria under study assimilated inorganic selenium. Therefore, they could be used as starter cultures or as functional ingredients, for elaboration of foods enriched with selenium.
Interaction between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling with GM3 ganglioside expression has been previously described. However, little is known about EGFR and NeuGcGM3 co-expression in cancer patients and their therapeutic implications. In this paper, we evaluate the co-expression of EGFR and NeuGcGM3 ganglioside in tumors from 92 patients and in two spontaneous lung metastasis models of mice (Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL-D122) in C57BL/6 and mammary carcinoma (4T1) in BALB/c). As results, co-expression of EGFR and NeuGcGM3 ganglioside was frequently observed in 63 of 92 patients (68 %), independently of histological subtype. Moreover, EGFR is co-expressed with NeuGcGM3 ganglioside in the metastasis of 3LL-D122 and 4T1 murine models. Such dual expression appears to be therapeutically relevant, since combined therapy with mAbs against these two molecules synergistically increase the survival of mice treated. Overall, our results suggest that NeuGcGM3 and EGFR may coordinately contribute to the tumor cell biology and that therapeutic combinations against these two targets might be a valid strategy to explore.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common illness in children and can impair their quality of life. Furthermore, many children remain symptomatic despite maximizing systemic antihistamine and topical therapies. It is at this clinical juncture that immunotherapy may be considered. The efficacy and safety associated with both subcutaneous (SCIT) and sublingual (SLIT) approaches are reviewed and positioned as treatment options for pediatric patients, with specific focus on current literature as it relates to SLIT in children, including those with perennial allergic rhinitis. Although there is more extensive experience with SLIT treatment in Europe, grass and ragweed tablet forms of SLIT are approved in the US. Approaches to the care of pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis are presented. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:46-51)
Glomerular visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) play a critical role in the maintenance of glomerular permselectivity. Podocyte injury, manifesting as proteinuria, is the cause of many glomerular diseases. We reported previously that calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)) is cytoprotective against complement-mediated glomerular epithelial cell injury. Studies in iPLA(2) KO mice have demonstrated an important role for iPLA(2) in mitochondrial lipid turnover, membrane structure, and metabolism. The aim of the present study was to employ iPLA(2) KO mice to better understand the role of iPLA(2) in normal glomerular and podocyte function as well as in glomerular injury. We show that deletion of iPLA(2) did not cause detectable albuminuria; however, it resulted in mitochondrial structural abnormalities and enhanced autophagy in podocytes as well as loss of podocytes in aging KO mice. Moreover, after induction of anti-glomerular basement membrane nephritis in young mice, iPLA(2) KO mice exhibited significantly increased levels of albuminuria, podocyte injury, and loss of podocytes compared with wild type. Thus, iPLA(2) has a protective functional role in the normal glomerulus and in glomerulonephritis. Understanding the role of iPLA(2) in glomerular pathophysiology provides opportunities for the development of novel therapeutic approaches to glomerular injury and proteinuria.
Brain tumors represent some of the most malignant cancers in both children and adults. Current treatment options target the majority of tumor cells but do not adequately target self-renewing cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs have been reported to resist the most aggressive radiation and chemotherapies, and give rise to recurrent, treatment-resistant secondary malignancies. With advancing technologies, we now have a better understanding of the genetic, epigenetic and molecular signatures and microenvironmental influences which are useful in distinguishing between distinctly different tumor subtypes. As a result, efforts are now underway to identify and target CSCs within various tumor subtypes based on this foundation. This review discusses progress in CSC biology as it relates to targeted therapies which may be uniquely different between pediatric and adult brain tumors. Studies to date suggest that pediatric brain tumors may benefit more from genetic and epigenetic targeted therapies, while combination treatments aimed specifically at multiple molecular pathways may be more effective in treating adult brain tumors which seem to have a greater propensity towards microenvironmental interactions. Ultimately, CSC targeting approaches in combination with current clinical therapies have the potential to be more effective owing to their ability to compromise CSCs maintenance and the mechanisms which underlie their highly aggressive and deadly nature.
Predicting the final embedment depth of a dynamically installed anchor is a key prerequisite for reliable calculation of anchor capacity. This paper investigates the embedment characteristics of dynamically installed anchors in normally consolidated and overconsolidated clay through a series of centrifuge tests involving a model anchor instrumented with a microelectric mechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer, enabling the full motion response of the anchor to be established. The data are used to assess the performance of an anchor embedment model based on strain-rate-dependent shearing resistance and fluid mechanics drag resistance. Predictions of a database of over 100 anchor installations - formed from this study and the literature - result in calculated anchor embedment depths that are within +/- 15% of the measurements. An interesting aspect, consistent across the entire database, relates to the strain rate dependence on frictional resistance relative to bearing resistance. The predictions reveal that strain rate dependency may indeed be higher for frictional resistance, although only if a soil strength lower than the fully remoulded strength is considered as the reference strength, which suggests that water may be entrained along a boundary layer at the anchor-soil interface during installation.
3D-PTV is a quantitative flow measurement technique that aims to track the Lagrangian paths of a set of particles in three dimensions using stereoscopic recording of image sequences. The basic components, features, constraints and optimization tips of a 3D-PTV topology consisting of a high-speed camera with a four-view splitter are described and discussed in this article. The technique is applied to the intermediate flow field (5 <x/d <25) of a circular jet at Re approximate to 7,000. Lagrangian flow features and turbulence quantities in an Eulerian frame are estimated around ten diameters downstream of the jet origin and at various radial distances from the jet core. Lagrangian properties include trajectory, velocity and acceleration of selected particles as well as curvature of the flow path, which are obtained from the Frenet-Serret equation. Estimation of the 3D velocity and turbulence fields around the jet core axis at a cross-plane located at ten diameters downstream of the jet is compared with literature, and the power spectrum of the large-scale streamwise velocity motions is obtained at various radial distances from the jet core.
Design a kind of reducer, the first stage transmission is a cylindrical cam, the secondary stage transmission is a gear transmission. Multistage transmission of the reducer has carried on the design calculation and checking. On the basis of the lateral cylindrical cam lateral transmission mathematical model, conducted the spiral curve analysis and calculation with numerical analysis software MATLAB. Import the spiral curve data into SOLIDWORKS to complete the 3D modeling of cylindrical cam. According to the structural design of cylindrical cam, complete reducer machine design and virtual assembly of gearless reducer. The stress analysis was carried out on the cam disk with the ANSYS Mechanical Analysis Module of SOLIDWORKS, designed to meet the working conditions. Conducted physical development based on CAD and CAE. The result showed that the design was fast and effective, significantly shorten the production cycle.
The traditional active contour models cannot segment the remote sensing river images accurately. To solve this problem, a novel active contour model based on modified symmetric cross entropy is proposed. In the proposed model, the external energy constraint terms are defined by the symmetric cross entropy and the region fitting centers are represented by the medians of pixel grayscale values inside the object and background regions. Moreover, the penalty energy term is incorporated into the energy functional to avoid the re-initialization. In order to improve the segmentation efficiency of the proposed model, the Chebyshev distance between the pixel grayscale values inside the region and its region fitting center is chosen as its region energy weight, which can be adaptively adjusted, instead of the constant region energy weight. The extensive experiments are performed on a large number of remote sensing river images and the results demonstrate that, compared with the CV model, the GAC model, the CEACM model, the RSF model, the LIF model, and the LGIF model, the proposed model can segment the images more accurately and rapidly, which has the clear advantages in both segmentation performance and segmentation efficiency. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The aim of this paper is to discuss electrical machines building and computation while taking into account the change of reluctance network (RN) topology required in an optimization process. Indeed, as electrical machine RN changes during an electrical period, this model has to consider several rotor positions to analyze harmonic influence on machine performance (e.g., its torque and losses). Such a requirement can also be important in applications where machine geometry changes shortly during sizing process by optimization. These two cases are addressed in this paper. Using established independent meshes of the initial RN, this paper proposes an algorithm to deal with all topologies necessary for an optimization process. This aims to reduce the computation time, increase the model, and improve the solving stability. An output selectivity approach is also applied on the RN modeling to improve the computation time of the optimization process. The simulation results are compared to finite-element methods and the optimization performance is presented.
Computer simulation is a basic tool in future power engineering education because it allows a better understanding of the various electrical phenomena without the need to make contact with a real system. The achievement and use of simulators contribute to the improvement of electricity supply security taking into account the basic idea that one of the utmost important factors in the electric power field is the quality, education and training of specialists. When connecting and disconnecting the electrical circuits using circuit breakers, voltages and currents occur that differ from those in stationary or quasi-permanent regimes, generating high stress working conditions of the electrical appliances. We present an application made to simulate the short-circuit current and the transient recovery voltage, under certain simplifying conditions. Flash code and Action Script programming language was used to the completion of the simulator software. The items exhibited in the paper highlight a real solution to achieve a suitable interface for graphic analysis of dynamic phenomena in electric networks. Our application is meant to improve the electric engineering education with modern simulation methods.
Expanding from remote areas of Mexico to a worldwide scale, the ten-striped insect, the Colorado potato beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say), has risen from being an innocuous beetle to a prominent global pest. A diverse life cycle, phenotypic plasticity, adaptation to adverse conditions, and capability to detoxify or tolerate toxins make this insect appear to be virtually indestructible. With increasing advances in molecular biology, tools of biotechnological warfare were deployed to combat CPB. In the last three decades, genetically modified potato has created a new challenge for the beetle. After reviewing hundreds of scientific papers dealing with CPB control, it became clear that even biotechnological means of control, if used alone, would not defeat the Colorado potato beetle. This control measure once again appears to be provoking the potato beetle to exhibit its remarkable adaptability. Nonetheless, the potential for adaptation to these techniques has increased our knowledge of this pest and thus opened possibilities for devising more sustainable CPB management programs.
Rationale Tobacco has a higher rate of dependence than other drugs of abuse. However, the psychopharmacological effects of nicotine are incongruent with the tenacity of tobacco addiction since nicotine does not produce robust euphoria in humans or self-administration in rodents. A potential explanation is that nicotine amplifies the salience of other stimuli that have some incentive value, which could influence the initiation and persistence of smoking. However, the neural mechanisms of this process are unknown. Objectives One way that nicotine may amplify the salience of other stimuli is by enhancing reward prediction errors. We hypothesized that nicotine would enhance the neural response to unexpected (relative to expected) rewards compared to placebo. Methods Twenty-three nonsmokers underwent two fMRI scans, following nicotine (1 mg) or placebo administration, while performing an outcome expectation task. In the task, a pair of cues was associated with either a subsequent reward (the image of a $100 bill) or a nonreward (the image of a blurry rectangle). On 20% of trials, the cue was followed by an unexpected outcome. Results Although nicotine did not affect the magnitude of prediction errors relative to placebo, nicotine did increase BOLD activation in the anterior insula/inferior frontal gyrus and decrease activation in the caudate across all outcome types (including both rewards and nonrewards). Conclusions The insula and caudate could play a role in the initial effects of nicotine in nonsmokers, and these changes in baseline may be the mechanism that underlies how nicotine amplifies the salience of nondrug stimuli.
Signalling pathways involving the vital second messanger, cAMP, impact on most significant physiological processes. Unsurprisingly therefore, the activation and regulation of cAMP signalling is tightly controlled within the cell by processes including phosphorylation, the scaffolding of protein signalling complexes and sub cellular compartmentalisation. This inherent complexity, along with the highly conserved structure of the catalytic sites among the nine membrane-bound adenylyl cyclases, presents significant challenges for efficient inhibition of cAMP signalling. Here, we will describe the biochemistry and cell biology of the family of membrane bound adenylyl cyclases, their organisation within the cell, and the nature of the cAMP signals that they produce, as a prelude to considering how cAMP signalling might be perturbed. We describe the limitations associated with direct inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity, and evaluate alternative strategies for more specific targeting of adenylyl cyclase signalling. The inherent complexity in the activation and organisation of adenylyl cyclase activity may actually provide unique opportunities for selectively targeting discrete adenylyl cyclase functions in disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) is the one of the most attractive and promising green thermo-electric material to convert the heat into electricity in the mid temperature range (RT to 600 degrees C). However, synthesizing of Mg2Si compound through liquid and solid state processing carries several challenges such as processing time, inhomogenous stoichiometry and phase purity. The alternative method is demonstrated by rapid in-situ synthesis of pure nano-crystalline Mg2Si doped with Bi (0-0.025 at.%) by spark plasma sintering (SPS). XRD and electron microscopy studies confirm the formation of Mg2Si compound and EDS confirm chemical and doping homogeneity. The superior power factor of 11 mu W/cm-k(2) is achieved at 550 degrees C. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Combining biological components, such as cells and tissues, with soft robotics can enable the fabrication of biological machines with the ability to sense, process signals, and produce force. An intuitive demonstration of a biological machine is one that can produce motion in response to controllable external signaling. Whereas cardiac cell-driven biological actuators have been demonstrated, the requirements of these machines to respond to stimuli and exhibit controlled movement merit the use of skeletal muscle, the primary generator of actuation in animals, as a contractile power source. Here, we report the development of 3D printed hydrogel bio-bots with an asymmetric physical design and powered by the actuation of an engineered mammalian skeletal muscle strip to result in net locomotion of the bio-bot. Geometric design and material properties of the hydrogel bio-bots were optimized using stereolithographic 3D printing, and the effect of collagen I and fibrin extracellular matrix proteins and insulin-like growth factor 1 on the force production of engineered skeletal muscle was characterized. Electrical stimulation triggered contraction of cells in the muscle strip and net locomotion of the bio-bot with a maximum velocity of similar to 156 m s(-1), which is over 1.5 body lengths per min. Modeling and simulation were used to understand both the effect of different design parameters on the bio-bot and the mechanism of motion. This demonstration advances the goal of realizing forward-engineered integrated cellular machines and systems, which can have a myriad array of applications in drug screening, programmable tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biomimetic machine design.
Multi-vent regulators are widely used in Egypt. Operation system of gates affects the characteristics of the flow downstream (DS) of multi-vent regulators. The current study aimed toward introducing the artificial intelligence technique as a new modeling tool in the prediction of the characteristics of the flow downstream of multi-vent regulators under the management and operating systems of multi-gates. Specially Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is utilized in the current study in conjunction with experimental data to predict the relative length of the submerged hydraulic jump (HJ) occured DS of multi-vent regulators under the different cases of gates operation. The results show that ANN technique is very successful in simulating the relative submerged hydraulic jump length occurred in stilling basins downstream of multi-vent regulators better than multiple linear regression (MLR). (C) 2015 Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
People with epilepsy are prone to be sedentary compared with the general population. The causes of inactivity are ignorance, prejudice, overprotection, fear and shame. There is no scientific evidence supporting a limitation of physical exercise in persons with epilepsy. The benefits of exercise in these patients are huge. Positive aspects are: physical conditioning, prevention of seizures, emotional wellbeing, social interaction, drug treatment adherence, osteoporosis prevention and better quality of life for patients and their families. Having in mind the individual characteristics, physical exercise should be prescribed and guided. Available evidence underlies the complementary therapeutic effects of physical activity with large positive results at a low cost. Sports or regular physical activity should be a standard indication for persons with epilepsy.
Presence describes the feeling of reality and immersion that users of virtual/Internet environments have. Importantly, it has been suggested that there are individual and contextual differences regarding susceptibility to presence. These aspects of presence have been linked to both beneficial and disadvantageous uses of the Internet, such as online therapeutic applications and addictive Internet behaviours. In the present study, presence was studied in relation to individual anxiety symptoms and classroom-level openness to experience (OTE) using a normative sample of 648 adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years. Presence was assessed with the Presence II questionnaire, anxiety symptoms with the relevant subscales of the SCL-90-R, and OTE with the Five-Factor Questionnaire. A three-level hierarchical linear model was calculated. Results showed that experiencing presence in virtual environments dropped between the ages of 16 and 18 years. Additionally, although anxiety symptoms were associated with higher presence at 16 years, this association decreased with age. Results also demonstrated that adolescents in classrooms higher on OTE reported reduced level of experiencing presence. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
AimsAxonal degeneration is a pathological symbol in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which can be triggered by amyloid- (A) peptide deposition. Growing evidence indicates that deficit of autophagy eventually leads to the axonal degeneration. Our previous studies have shown that Dendrobium nobile Lindl alkaloid (DNLA) had protective effect on neuron impairment in vivo and in vitro; however, the underlying mechanisms is still unclear. MethodsWe exposed cultured hippocampus neurons to A(25-35) to investigate the effect of DNLA in vitro. Axonal degeneration was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining and MTT assay. Neurons overexpressing GFP-LC3B were used to measure the formation of autophagosome. Autophagosome-lysosome fusion, the lysosomal pH, and cathepsin activity were assessed to reflect autophagy process. Proteins of interest were analyzed by Western blot. ResultsDNLA pretreatment significantly inhibited axonal degeneration induced by A(25-35) peptide in vitro. Further studies revealed DNLA treatment increased autophagic flux through promoting formation and degradation of autophagosome in hippocampus neurons. Moreover, enhancement of autophagic flux was responsible for the protective effects of DNLA on axonal degeneration. ConclusionsDNLA prevents A(25-35)-induced axonal degeneration via activation of autophagy process and could be a novel therapeutic target.
Models of cognitive processing in anxiety disorders state that socially anxious children display several distorted cognitive processes that maintain their anxiety. The present study investigated the role of social threat thoughts and social skills perception in relation to childhood trait and state social anxiety. In total, 141 children varying in their levels of social anxiety performed a short speech task in front of a camera and filled out self-reports about their trait social anxiety, state anxiety, social skills perception and social threat thoughts. Results showed that social threat thoughts mediated the relationship between trait social anxiety and state anxiety after the speech task, even when controlling for baseline state anxiety. Furthermore, we found that children with higher trait anxiety and more social threat thoughts had a lower perception of their social skills, but did not display a social skills deficit. These results provide evidence for the applicability of the cognitive social anxiety model to children.
Women are less likely than men to engage in sexually agentic behavior (e.g., initiating sexual encounters), despite the benefits associated with sexual agency (Kiefer & Sanchez, 2007). Two studies examined possible explanations, related to person perception, for gender differences in sexually agentic behavior. In Study 1, participants viewed the dating profiles of targets who were either high or low on sexual agency and rated sexually agentic targets as more desirable but also riskier sexual partners (i.e., having more previous sexual partners), as well as more selfish partners overall. Participants believed the agentic female targets to be the most desirable but also to have the highest number of previous sexual partners. In Study 2, female participants weighed the importance and consequences of sexual agency differently than male participants. Based on the two studies, we suggest that although men and women are judged similarly for sexual agency, women may refrain from sexual agency because they view the traits and characteristics that are perceived to go hand in hand with sexual agency more negatively.
A linear stability analysis is performed on the base-state solution describing a pneumatically-transported system inclined at an angle theta. One of two modes was found to be dominant, depending on the tilting angle: a low-shear mode whose voidage eigenmode remains nearly symmetric from 0 degrees< thetatheta(c), marked by significant asymmetry throughout the domain and a high level of shear inside the thin regions adjacent to the walls. The critical angle theta(c) increases with the amount of momentum and energy lost to particle-wall friction and collisions, respectively. The time-evolution of the latter mode, superimposed onto the base-state solution, reveals an alternating train of dense and dilute regions near the top of the domain, which agrees qualitatively with the development and propagation of bubbles in inclined systems observed in experiment. An analytic solution corresponding to a vertical system with a uniform base state was also derived to identify the instability mechanisms responsible for a class of non-oscillatory transverse waves which exist in both vertical and tilted particle systems. (c) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Under normality and homoscedasticity assumptions, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is known to be optimal in terms of minimising the Bayes error for binary classification. In the heteroscedastic case, LDA is not guaranteed to minimise this error. Assuming heteroscedasticity, we derive a linear classifier, the Gaussian Linear Discriminant (GLD), that directly minimises the Bayes error for binary classification. In addition, we also propose a local neighbourhood search (LNS) algorithm to obtain a more robust classifier if the data is known to have a non-normal distribution. We evaluate the proposed classifiers on two artificial and ten real-world datasets that cut across a wide range of application areas including handwriting recognition, medical diagnosis and remote sensing, and then compare our algorithm against existing LDA approaches and other linear classifiers. The GLD is shown to outperform the original LDA procedure in terms of the classification accuracy under heteroscedasticity. While it compares favourably with other existing heteroscedastic LDA approaches, the GLD requires as much as 60 times lower training time on some datasets. Our comparison with the support vector machine (SVM) also shows that, the GLD, together with the LNS, requires as much as 150 times lower training time to achieve an equivalent classification accuracy on some of the datasets. Thus, our algorithms can provide a cheap and reliable option for classification in a lot of expert systems. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This letter proposes a novel framework for the classification of light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived features. In this context, several features are extracted directly from the LiDAR point cloud data using aggregated local point neighborhoods, including laser echo ratio, variance of point elevation, plane fitting residuals, and echo intensity. Additionally, the LiDAR digital surface model (DSM) is input to our classification. Thus, both the LiDAR raster DSM and also rich geometric and also backscatter 3-D point cloud information aggregated to images are considered in our workflow. These extracted features are characterized as base images to be fed to extinction profiles to model spatial and contextual information. Then, a composite kernel support vector machine is investigated to efficiently integrate the elevation and spatial information suitable for the LiDAR data. Results indicate that the proposed method can obtain high classification accuracy using LiDAR data alone (e.g., more than 86% overall accuracy on the benchmark Houston LiDAR data using the standard set of training and test samples on all 15 classes) in a short CPU processing time.
Benzene, an important industrial solvent, is also present in unleaded gasoline and cigarette smoke. The hematotoxic effects of benzene in humans are well documented and include aplastic anemia, pancytopenia, and acute myelogenous leukemia. However, the risks of leukemia at low exposure concentrations have not been established. A combination of metabolites (hydroquinone and phenol, for example) may be necessary to duplicate the hematotoxic effect of benzene, perhaps due in part to the synergistic effect of phenol on myeloperoxidase-mediated oxidation of hydroquinone to the reactive metabolite benzoquinone. Because benzene and its hydroxylated metabolites (phenol, hydroquinone, and catechol) are substrates for the same cytochrome P450 enzymes, competitive interactions among the metabolites are possible. In vivo data on metabolite formation by mice exposed to various benzene concentrations are consistent with competitive inhibition of phenol oxidation by benzene. In vitro studies of the metabolic oxidation of benzene, phenol, and hydroquinone are consistent with the mechanism of competitive interaction among the metabolites. The dosimetry of benzene and its metabolites in the target tissue, bone marrow, depends on the balance of activation processes such as enzymatic oxidation and deactivation processes such as conjugation and excretion. Phenol, the primary benzene metabolite, can undergo both oxidation and conjugation. Thus the potential exists for competition among various enzymes for phenol. Zonal localization of phase I and phase II enzymes in Various regions of the river acinus also impacts this competition. Biologically based dosimetry models that incorporate the important determinants of benzene flux, including interactions with other chemicals, will enable prediction of target tissue doses of benzene and metabolites at low exposure concentrations relevant for humans.
Oil palm plantations have expanded around the world, increasing concern about its pressure on deforestation rates and the homogenization of the landscape. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the impact of oil palm plantations on the physical characteristics of streams in Amazonia and their effects on Heteroptera, Odonata and Fish assemblages. A total of 23 streams were sampled, eight within fragments of primary forest, while 15 were in oil palm plantations. Data were collected on characteristics of the channel morphology, substrate, hydraulics, instream cover for aquatic organisms, riparian vegetation, human impacts and woody debris. Instream cover and proximity of human impacts were the variables that had the greatest effects on the physical structure of the streams, showing variation between streams of forest in pristine areas and oil palm plantations. Of the analyzed parameters, substrate, instream cover and woody debris influence the richness of Heteroptera, Odonata and Fish. The impact of oil palm plantations on local streams depended on the size of the plantations, and they cannot be considered an adequate substitute for lost habitats in efforts to preserve the physical habitat of Amazonian streams. Any type of conversion of the natural forest can have direct or indirect impacts on the dynamics and structure of these environments, with potentially negative consequences for their biodiversity. The maintenance of an adequate buffer zone of native riparian vegetation adjacent to the streams that flow through the plantations recommended, because this appears to be the principal factor determining the physical conditions of these streams. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Utilizing remote sensing techniques to extract soil properties can facilitate several engineering applications for large-scale monitoring and modeling purposes such as earthen levees monitoring, landslide mapping, and off-road mobility modeling. This study presents results of statistical analyses to investigate potential correlations between multiple polarization radar backscatter and various physical soil properties. The study was conducted on an approximately 3 km long section of earthen levees along the lower Mississippi river as part of the development of remote levee monitoring methods. Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar imagery from UAVSAR was used along with an extensive set of in situ soil properties. The following properties were analyzed from the top 30-50 cm of soil: texture (sand and clay fraction), penetration resistance (sleeve friction and cone tip resistance), saturated hydraulic conductivity, field capacity, permanent wilting point, and porosity. The results showed some correlation between the cross-polarized (HV) radar backscatter coefficients and most of these properties. A few soil properties, like clay fraction, showed similar but weaker correlations with the co-polarized channels (HH and VV). The correlations between the soil properties and radar backscatter were analyzed separately for the river side and land side of the levee. It was found that the magnitude and direction of the correlation for most of the soil properties noticeably differed between the river and the land sides. The findings of this study can be a good starting point for scattering modelers in a pursuit of better models for radar scattering at cross polarizations which would include more diverse set of soil parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we note that the signature-based intrusion detection system (S-IDS) can cause the low accuracy against mutants of intrusion packets. This is because the S-IDS commonly detects network intrusion in data flows by identifying the existence of the predefined intrusion signatures, which is called static intrusion signature configuration (SISC). To increase the accuracy, all intrusion signatures corresponding to all possible mutants of a pertinent attack may be activated. However, the static intrusion signature configuration with all possible intrusion signatures can largely increase the size of storage and the signature search time in the process of signature analysis. To solve the problems that occur when activating all possible intrusion signatures, we propose a two-player non-cooperative zero-sum game with incomplete information for dynamic intrusion signature configuration (DISC), where the various lengths of an intrusion signature have been activated in a time-shared manner. After formulating the problem into the game theoretic approach, we found the optimal strategy for DISC in the S-IDS. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first approach that analyzes the optimal DISC strategy against the various mutants of intrusion packets. From evaluation results, we show that the DISC by the defender is more effective than the SISC against various mutants of intrusion packets by the intruder.
Ensuring torque smoothness is an essential requirement in a wide range of high performance applications based on permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM). The reported work proposes a novel technique for the compensation of the torque oscillations essentially caused by the spatial harmonics which can result from the machine design imperfectness or/and the operating uncertainties. The main idea of the proposed method is to modify a conventional PMSM controller by superposing an appropriate compensating signal in the inner current loop. The proposed approach allows minimizing torque ripple through a simple synthesis of the compensating signal and does not require a hard calculation cost. A theoretical analysis and some simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed compensating method.
The debate about direct perception encompasses different topics, one of which concerns the richness of the contents of perceptual experiences. Can we directly perceive only low-level properties, like edges, colors etc. (the sparse-content view), or can we perceive high-level properties and entities as well (the liberal-content view)? The aim of the paper is to defend the claim that the content of our perceptual experience can include emotions and also person impressions. Using these examples, an argument is developed to defend a liberal-content view for core examples of social cognition. This view is developed and contrasted with accounts which claim that in the case of registering another person's emotion while seeing them, we have to describe the relevant content not as the content of a perceptual experience, but of a perceptual belief. The paper defends the view that perceptual experiences can have a rich content yet remain separable from beliefs formed on the basis of the experience. How liberal and enriched the content of a perceptual experience is will depend upon the expertise a person has developed in the field. This is supported by the argument that perceptual experiences can be systematically enriched by perceiving affordances of objects, by pattern recognition or by top-down processes, as analyzed by processes of cognitive penetration or predictive coding.
The objective of this paper is to propose an exact closed-form solution to the H-infinity optimization of piezoelectric materials shunted with inductive-resistive passive electrical circuits. Realizing that Den Hartog's method which imposes fixed points of equal height in the receptance transfer function is approximate, the parameters of the piezoelectric tuned vibration absorber are calculated through the direct minimization of the maxima of the receptance. The method is applied to a one-degree-of-freedom primary oscillator considering various values of the electromechanical coupling coefficients.
This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of stored rainwater in basic schools in the Tamale Metropolis, a semi-arid region of Ghana, which experiences persistent water scarcity. Sixty four stored rainwater samples were collected from eight rainwater harvesting facilities in eight basic schools in November and December, 2013, and analysed. Total coliform levels ranged from 1.1 x 10(1) to 1.2 x 10(3) cfu/100 ml with a mean of 208 +/- 195 cfu/100 ml. The microbial load exceeded World Health Organisation's (WHO) limit for potability. Heavy metal concentrations were within WHO standards except cadmium and lead. Drinking of stored rainwater can be deleterious to the health of pupils in the basic schools studied. It is therefore recommended that potable water should be provided in the basic schools in order to meet the millennium development goals.
This study investigated interactive exchange in lovers and the associated interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based hyperscanning. Three types of female-male dyads, lovers, friends, and strangers, performed a cooperation task during which brain activity was recorded in right frontoparietal regions. We measured better cooperative behavior in lover dyads compared with friend and stranger dyads. Lover dyads demonstrated increased IBS in right superior frontal cortex, which also covaried with their task performance. Granger causality analyses in lover dyads revealed stronger directional synchronization from females to males than from males to females, suggesting different roles for females and males during cooperation. Our study refines the theoretical explanation of romantic interaction between lovers. Hum Brain Mapp 38:831-841, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Background: Recent studies have compared the efficacy of cognitive intervention compared to behavioral techniques for the treatment of different disorders. In line with that work, the empirical study presented here examined the efficacy of Behavioral Activation (BA) and Cognitive Therapy (CT) on Negative Automatic Thoughts (PANs) elicited in situations generating anxiety. Method: Based on a sample of 42 students aged 18 to 21 who took the ISRA B, BADS and EROS, 18 subjects with the highest scores were selected and assigned at random to one of two experimental groups or to a control group. Experimental Group 1 was given intervention based on CT and Experimental Group 2 based on BA. Both interventions consisted of five 60-min sessions. Results: Pre and post treatment measurement analyses reveal that both conditions effectively reduced the intensity of the anxiety response. However, BA was the only condition showing a significant reduction in ANTs. Conclusions: The results are discussed stressing the efficacy of BA in exclusively cognitive intervention.
Dementia is a global health problem with a huge impact on the lives of those afflicted. There are several distinct diseases that are classified under the umbrella term dementia ranging from neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease to chronic infections of the central nervous system such as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis ( SSPE), a rare complication of measles virus infection in childhood. Clinical features, neuropsychological profiles and imaging characteristics of the various dementia syndromes can be sufficiently distinct to distinguish them from one another. However, in some cases, the cognitive, psychiatric and behavioural features can sufficiently overlap such that neurophysiologic testing may be of help. While it is recognized the electroencephalogram ( EEG) may have a special role to play in the diagnosis of certain dementing illnesses such as SSPE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) that have characteristic EEG changes, current research focusses on the potential utility of quantitative EEG as one more tool in the armamentarium of clinicians dealing with patients who suffer from a dementing illness. We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Database from 1 January 1946 up to 1 January 2016, combining the search terms EEG, electroencephalography, dementia and status epilepticus; identified papers from these searches were then read in detail and summarized. Here, we discuss both the qualitative and quantitative EEG findings in the various types of dementia.
Kif7 is a ciliary kinesin motor protein that regulates mammalian Hedgehog pathway activation through influencing structure of the primary cilium. Here we show that Kif7 is required for normal T-cell development, despite the fact that T-cells lack primary cilia. Analysis of Kif7-deficient thymus showed that Kif7-deficiency increases the early CD44+CD25+CD4-CD8- thymocyte progenitor population but reduces differentiation to CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) cell. At the transition from DP to mature T-cell, Kif7-deficiency selectively delayed maturation to the CD8 lineage. Expression of CD5, which correlates with TCR signal strength, was reduced on DP and mature CD4 and CD8 cells, as a result of thymocyte-intrinsic Kif7-deficiency, and Kif7-deficient T-cells from radiation chimeras activated less efficiently when stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 in vitro. Kif7-deficient thymocytes showed higher expression of the Hedgehog target gene Ptch1 than WT, but were less sensitive to treatment with recombinant Shh, and Kif7-deficient T-cell development was refractory to neutralisation of endogenous Hh proteins, indicating that Kif7-deficient thymocytes were unable to interpret changes in the Hedgehog signal. In addition, Kif7-deficiency reduced cell-surface MHCII expression on thymic epithelial cells.
The article is devoted to the consideration of art as a communicative system on the example of the syncretic forms of song and dance in Gypsy culture. Reviewing the historical and cultural interactions of Gypsies with European peoples and analyzing the original forms of Gypsy art, the author examines levels and results of the intercultural dialogue.
PMSG wind turbine system configured with three-level neutral-point-clamped (3L-NPC) back-to-back power converter and direct-drive train has good properties and is a nice solution for high power wind energy applications. Direct model predictive control has emerged as a viable alternative for power electronics and electrical drives. This work presents a direct model predictive current control (DMPCC) solution for both the grid and generator side control of grid-connected 3L-NPC back-to-back power converters in PMSG wind turbine systems. The presented DMPCC is realized all in alpha beta frame and evaluated all with experimental results on a fully FPGA based platform. Experimental results confirm both its effectiveness and its better steady state control performances in comparison with the conventional switching table based DTC-DPC technique.
Aim of study - to estimate leptin gene (Arg223Gln) genotypes polymorphism in patients with coronary heart disease and obesity. Materials and Methods. 222 patients with the coronary heart disease (CHD) and obesity have been comprehensively examined. All patients were on treatment in cardiologic unit of KUZ of the Kharkiv city hospital. 27, which is the basic clinic of Department of Internal Medicine. 2 and Clinical Immunology and Allergology of the Kharkiv National Medical University of MH of Ukraine. The comparison group consisted of 115 ischemic heart disease patients with normal body weight. 35 practically healthy persons formed the control group. Groups were comparable in age and sex. The study didn't include the patients with the serious accompanying pathology of respiratory organs, digestion, kidneys and persons with oncological diseases. Results. In the control group there was the following distribution of leptin gene (Arg223Gln) alleles and genotypes polymorphism frequency: 15 people were allele A that made 42.86 %, allele G -20 people (57.14 %); genotypes G/G, A/A and G/G had 15 (42.86 %), 7 (20 %) and 13 (37.14 %) persons respectively. 42 patients with CHD were allele A, which made 36.52 %, allele G -73 patients (63.48 %). Genotypes G/G, A/A and G/G had 47 (40.87 %), 20 (17.39 %) and 48 (41.74%) patients with CHD respectively. In group of patients with combination of CHD and obesity 71 patients (31.98 %) were allele A, allele G -151 people (68.02 %); genotypes G/G, A/A and G/G -81 (36.49 %), 33 (14.87 %) and 108 (48.64 %) respectively. Comparison of leptin gene (Arg223Gln) alleles and genotypes polymorphism frequency of detection between groups showed the reliable differences of alleles A, G and a genotype G/G. In patients with CHD and obesity allele G was 10.88 % more and genotype G/G was 11.5 % more, than in the control group. Allele A was 10.88 % more in the control group, than in patients with CHD and obesity (p < 0.05). Reliable differences between group of CHD patients and the control group in distribution of detected alleles and genotypes frequency of leptin gene (Arg223Gln) polymorphism were not found (p < 0.05). Conclusions. By results of the study allele G and a genotype G/G of leptin gene (Arg223Gln) polymorphism in patients with CHD has been associated with obesity.
With the explosive growth of mobile terminal access to the Network and the shortage of IPv4, the Network Address Translation (NAT) technology has become more and more widely used. The technology not only provides users with convenient access to the Internet, but also brings trouble to network operators and regulatory authorities. This system NAT detection using NetFlow data, is often used for monitoring and forensics analysis in large networks. In the paper, in order to detect NAT devices, an Out-in Activity Degree method based on network behavior is proposed. Our approach works completely passively and is based on NetFlow data only. Our approach gets accuracy of 91.2 % in real large-scale network for a long time.
Due to higher magnetic flux density, larger effective magnetic air gap, and lesser use of ferromagnetic materials, large-scale direct-drive superconducting (SC) wind generators have a very high peak fault current and torque, which pose a challenge for their armature windings and mechanical supports. Understanding the behavior of the SC generators under faults is important for their application and commercialization. In this paper, a 13.2-MW direct-drive SC wind generator is analyzed under the three-phase symmetric short circuit using 2-D finite-element analyses. The key differences in the short-circuit behavior between SC generators and conventional machines are explained. The effects of a high fault torque on the cost and weight of a generator are also discussed. It is found that the higher fault current and torque in an SC generator are mainly caused by low reactances and nonnegligible armature resistance. Generator parameters, including the use of ferromagnetic materials, the value of magnetic loading, the pole number, the number of turns per armature coil, and the number of armature winding sets, have a significant influence on reactances, fault current, and torque. The influences of these parameters on fault current and torque under the three-phase symmetric short-circuit are analyzed in detail. Moreover, several ways to decrease the fault current and torque in terms of machine design are proposed.
Soil salinity is a serious problem worldwide that reduces agricultural productivity. Trichoderma longibrachiatum T6 (T6) has been shown to promote wheat growth and induce plant resistance to parasitic nematodes, but whether the plant-growth-promoting fungi T6 can enhance plant tolerance to salt stress is unknown. Here, we determined the effect of plant-growth-promoting fungi T6 on wheat seedlings growth and development under salt stress, and investigated the role of T6 in inducing the resistance to NaCl stress at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Wheat seedlings were inoculated with the strain of T6 and then compared with non-inoculated controls. Shoot height, root length, and shoot and root weights were measured on 15 days old wheat seedlings grown either under 150 mM NaCl or in a controlled setting without any NaCl. A number of colonies were re-isolated from the roots of wheat seedlings under salt stress. The relative water content in the leaves and roots, chlorophyll content, and root activity were significantly increased, and the accumulation of proline content in leaves was markedly accelerated with the plant growth parameters, but the content of leaf malondialdehyde under saline condition was significantly decreased. The antioxidant enzymes-superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in wheat seedlings were increased by 29, 39, and 19%, respectively, with the application of the strain of T6 under salt stress; the relative expression of SOD, POD, and CAT genes in these wheat seedlings were significantly up-regulated. Our results indicated that the strain of T6 ameliorated the adverse effects significantly, protecting the seedlings from salt stress during their growth period. The possible mechanisms by which T6 suppresses the negative effect of NaCl stress on wheat seedling growth may be due to the improvement of the antioxidative defense system and gene expression in the stressed wheat plants.
The mechanism and characteristic of current oscillation of four-quadrant converter with predictive current controller caused by nonlinear characteristic of the system is analyzed in the paper. With the discrete model considering the digital control delay of the single-phase four-quadrant converter, the stability condition is derived. Using the describing function of saturation characteristic, the frequency and amplitude of the nonlinear oscillation is obtained. The simulation and experiment results verify the analyses.
The orally administered BY-2 plant cell-expressed recombinant anti-TNF fusion protein (PRX-106)(n= 6) consists of the soluble form of the human TNF receptor (TNFR) fused to the Fc component of a human antibody IgG1 domain. Aim: To evaluate the immune modulatory effect of the oral administration of plant cells expressing PRX-106. Methods: Mice treated with Concanavalin A (ConA) to induce immune hepatitis was orally treated with cells expressing PRX-106 containing 0.5 or 5 mu g PRX 106. In the colitis model, TNBS-colitis was induced in mice followed by the oral administration of plant cells expressing PRX-106. The immune modulatory effect was determined through follow-up to assess the clinical effect, histology, and serum cytokine levels and by FACS analysis for lymphocyte subsets. Results: The oral administration of BY-2 cells expressing PRX-106 alleviated immune-mediated liver injury. Serum AST and ALT levels decreased and were comparable to those of mice that had received high-dose steroids. The beneficial effect was also observed as a marked decrease in hepatic necrosis. In the colitis model, the oral administration of BY-2 plant cells expressing PRX-106 alleviated weight loss associated with immune-mediated colitis and improved bowel histology. A reduction in I-IkB-alpha phosphorylation in treated mice was also observed. These effects were associated with a significant alteration in the distribution of CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ cells. Conclusions: Plant cells expressing recombinant anti-TNF fusion protein show biological activity when orally administered, exerting an immune modulatory effect through the alleviation of immune-mediated hepatitis and immune-mediated colitis. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Waterborne diseases have emerged as global health problems and their rapid and sensitive detection in environmental water samples is of great importance. Bacterial identification and enumeration in water samples is significant as it helps to maintain safe drinking water for public consumption. Culture-based methods are laborious, time-consuming, and yield false-positive results, whereas viable but nonculturable (VBNCs) microorganisms cannot be recovered. Hence, numerous methods have been developed for rapid detection and quantification of waterborne pathogenic bacteria in water. These rapid methods can be classified into nucleic acid-based, immunology-based, and biosensor-based detection methods. This review summarizes the principle and current state of rapid methods for the monitoring and detection of waterborne bacterial pathogens. Rapid methods outlined are polymerase chain reaction (PCR), digital droplet PCR, real-time PCR, multiplex PCR, DNA microarray, Next-generation sequencing (pyrosequencing, Illumina technology and genomics), and fluorescence in situ hybridization that are categorized as nucleic acid-based methods. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence are classified into immunology-based methods. Optical, electrochemical, and mass-based biosensors are grouped into biosensor-based methods. Overall, these methods are sensitive, specific, time-effective, and important in prevention and diagnosis of waterborne bacterial diseases.
Recently, several articles (Cullmann, 2012; Agrell et al., 2014; Filippini and Orea, 2014; Llorca et al., 2014) address the issue of benchmarking decision making units with different technologies by using latent class models. This method groups units that have similar technology for better comparison. Under this scheme, there are two implicit assumptions: First, that each class reflects a unique technology where its elements are not outliers. Second, classes are assumed to be stationary and fixed. If this assumption is violated, the classification is transient and time-dependent, inadequate for the regulatory use suggested in the seminal papers. We apply latent class models to classify Swedish electricity distributors under different specifications. In most of the models, we identify one large class with approximately 78.4% of the DMU's and two small classes with 7.4% and 14.2% respectively. Moreover, most of small classes elements switch between categories. We contrast our parametric results with nonparametric outlier detector methods and find a relationship between identified outliers and the elements of smaller residual classes. We believe that our work is an important caveat to the adoption of latent class modelling as an alternative or remedy for conventional models, relying on a homogeneous reference set.
This article offers a brief, selective review of some important trends and issues in nonverbal research over the last 50 years. Although the volume and range of research have increased dramatically over that period, an adequate integration of this extensive body of work is lacking. In response to this concern, the article proposes that nonverbal communication might be framed in terms of an adaptive and efficient system of managing our social worlds. Several basic characteristics of this system are outlined and their utility in organizing and facilitating research is discussed.
Background: Maternal supplementation with long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can have immunologic effects on the developing fetus through several anti-inflammatory pathways. However, there is limited knowledge of the long-term programming effects. Objective: In a randomized controlled trial from 1990 with 24 years of follow-up, our aim was to determine whether supplementation with 2.7 g of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnancy can reduce the risk of asthma in offspring and allergic respiratory disease. Methods: The randomized controlled trial included 533 women who were randomly assigned to receive fish oil during the third trimester of pregnancy, olive oil, or no oil in the ratio 2: 1: 1. The offspring were followed in a mandatory national prescription register, with complete follow-up for prescriptions related to the treatment of asthma and allergic rhinitis as primary outcomes. Furthermore, the offspring were invited to complete a questionnaire (74% participated) and attend a clinical examination (47% participated) at age 18 to 19 years. Results: In intention-to-treat analyses the probability of having had asthma medication prescribed was significantly reduced in the fish oil group compared with the olive oil group (hazard ratio, 0.54, 95% CI, 0.32-0.90; P = .02). The probability of having had allergic rhinitis medication prescribed was also reduced in the fish oil group compared with the olive oil group (hazard ratio, 0.70, 95% CI, 0.47-1.05; P = .09), but the difference was not statistically significant. Self-reported information collected at age 18 to 19 years supported these findings. No associations were detected with respect to lung function outcomes or allergic sensitization at 18 to 19 years of age. Conclusion: Maternal supplementation with fish oil might have prophylactic potential for long-term prevention of asthma in offspring.
Viral vaccines have had remarkable positive impacts on human health as well as the health of domestic animal populations. Despite impressive vaccine successes, however, many infectious diseases cannot yet be efficiently controlled or eradicated through vaccination, often because it is impossible to vaccinate a sufficient proportion of the population. Recent advances in molecular biology suggest that the centuries-old method of individual-based vaccine delivery may be on the cusp of a major revolution. Specifically, genetic engineering brings to life the possibility of a live, transmissible vaccine. Unfortunately, releasing a highly transmissible vaccine poses substantial evolutionary risks, including reversion to high virulence as has been documented for the oral polio vaccine. An alternative, and far safer approach, is to rely on genetically engineered and weakly transmissible vaccines that have reduced scope for evolutionary reversion. Here, we use mathematical models to evaluate the potential efficacy of such weakly transmissible vaccines. Our results demonstrate that vaccines with even a modest ability to transmit can significantly lower the incidence of infectious disease and facilitate eradication efforts. Consequently, weakly transmissible vaccines could provide an important tool for controlling infectious disease in wild and domestic animal populations and for reducing the risks of emerging infectious disease in humans.
While the water quality issues in suburban watersheds have been greatly attributed to rapid urban development and stormwater runoff, pollution contribution from agricultural practices are still significant but often overlooked. The objective of this study is to assess water quality impacts of managing both agricultural and urban lands in a suburban watershed. Neshanic River watershed is a headwater watershed with mixed land uses located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA. It has 40% of agricultural lands and 33% of urban lands, which represents typical natural resource conditions and water quality problems in suburban New Jersey, USA. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is used to evaluate the potential water quality impacts of agricultural and urban land use and management practices in this suburban watershed. Four management scenarios (baseline, best-case and worst-case I and II) are developed through interviews and meetings with farmers and natural resource conservation professionals to represent achievable, ideal and worst operation conditions in urban and agricultural lands in the watershed. The specific water quality parameters assessed are soil, total nitrogen and phosphorus losses. The modeling results demonstrate that mismanagement in urban and agricultural lands in suburban watersheds (worst-case I and II) could significantly exacerbate the existing water quality problems while no-till in row crops (best-case) doesn't necessarily improve water quality. Agriculture is still the primary source of water pollution and attention should continuously be paid to implement agricultural BMPs to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution in suburban watersheds.
Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a neurovisceral lysosomal cholesterol trafficking and lipid storage disorder caused by mutations in one of the two genes, NPC1 or NPC2. Diagnosis has often been a difficult task, due to the wide range in age of onset of NP-C and clinical presentation of the disease, combined with the complexity of the cell biology (filipin) laboratory testing, even in combination with genetic testing. This has led to substantial delays in diagnosis, largely depending on the access to specialist centres and the level of knowledge about NP-C of the physician in the area. In recent years, advances in mass spectrometry has allowed identification of several sensitive plasma biomarkers elevated in NP-C (e.g. cholestane-3 beta,5 alpha,6 beta-triol, lysosphingomyelin isoforms and bile acid metabolites), which, together with the concomitant progress in molecular genetic technology, have greatly impacted the strategy of laboratory testing. Specificity of the biomarkers is currently under investigation and other pathologies are being found to also result in elevations. Molecular genetic testing also has its limitations, notably with unidentified mutations and the classification of new variants. This review is intended to increase awareness on the currently available approaches to laboratory diagnosis of NP-C, to provide an up to date, comprehensive and critical evaluation of the various techniques (cell biology, biochemical biomarkers and molecular genetics), and to briefly discuss ongoing/future developments. The use of current tests in proper combination enables a rapid and correct diagnosis in a large majority of cases. However, even with recent progress, definitive diagnosis remains challenging in some patients, for whom combined genetic/biochemical/cytochemical markers do not provide a clear answer. Expertise and reference laboratories thus remain essential, and further work is still required to fulfill unmet needs. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
C-14 has long been used as a tracer for quantifying the in vivo human metabolism of food components, biopharmaceuticals, and nutrients. Minute amounts (<= 1 x 10(-18) mol) of C-14 can be measured with high-throughput C-14-accelerator mass spectrometry (HT C-14-AMS) in isolated chemical extracts of biological, biomedical, and environmental samples. Availability of in vivo human data sets using a C-14 tracer would enable current concepts of the metabolic behavior of food components, biopharmaceuticals, or nutrients to be organized into models suitable for quantitative hypothesis testing and determination of metabolic parameters. In vivo models are important for specification of intake levels for food components, biopharmaceuticals, and nutrients. Accurate estimation of the radiation exposure from ingested C-14 is an essential component of the experimental design. Therefore, this paper illustrates the calculation involved in determining the radiation exposure from a minute dose of orally administered C-14-beta-carotene, C-14-alpha-tocopherol, C-14-lutein, and C-14-folic acid from four prior experiments. The administered doses ranged from 36 to 100 nCi, and radiation exposure ranged from 0.12 to 5.2 mu Sv to whole body and from 0.2 to 3.4 mu Sv to liver with consideration of tissue weighting factor and fractional nutrient. In comparison, radiation exposure experienced during a 4 h airline flight across the United States at 37000 ft was 20 mu Sv.
Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) is a process of evaluating alternatives against relevant decision making criteria. Several methods are available to facilitate the evaluation steps. This paper deals with a rural water supply problem in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Three different MCDM methods - weighted summation, analytical hierarchy process, and novel approach to imprecise assessment and decision environments - were used to evaluate the suitable water supply alternative. The ranking of alternatives obtained from these MCDM techniques produced similar results. Among five water supply alternatives evaluated, rainwater harvesting systems and deep tube wells scored first and second, respectively, for all three evaluation methods. In addition, sensitivity analyses were carried out for the MCDM techniques and these results did not show drastic variations either. This finding implies that while selection of MCDM technique is important, when evaluating similar problems more emphasis should be given to defining the problem comprehensively and thus selecting the relevant criteria and priorities to factor into the decision problem.
Purpose - While researchers have argued that multicultural marketplaces are conceptually different from other types of marketplaces, the marketing literature has only recently begun to develop multicultural perspective studies, and very little research has been done to examine intergroup complexities in consumption contexts (Demangeot et al., 2015). The purpose of this study is to fill this research gap by developing and empirically testing a research model to examine the effects of socio-political constructs and intergroup-based emotional variables on consumer decisions to consume cross-ethnic products. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire designed to assess the effects of socio-political constructs and intergroup-based emotional variables on consumer decisions to consume cross-ethnic products was developed and administered to 294 students at a Midwestern US university. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) techniques. Findings - Results indicate that all path coefficients are significant. Social dominance, intergroup anxiety and intergroup experience were found to be important predictors of intergroup tolerance and, importantly, intergroup tolerance was found to significantly affect consumer attitude toward cross-ethnic products. Research limitations/implications - In terms of limitations and future research implications, this research suffers from inherent limitations associated with self-reported survey research in a limited geographic region. Accordingly, study respondents may not be representative of consumers across the nation or the world, the respondents may not have understood the questions in the intended manner, and reported intentions may not reflect actual behaviour. This study was conducted among college students, but other target segments may have different intergroup experiences and perceptions of ethnic products. Practical implications - Findings from this research suggest that firms offering ethnic products can increase crossover consumption appeal by implementing marketing communication programmes that integrate cultural forums and event tactics to promote positive intergroup experiences and tolerance among their multicultural customers. Social implications - Regarding policy implications, public policymakers and social thinkers may use the findings of this study as a prism to better explicate intercultural dealings among multicultural consumers. The contention of this study about public policy implications is supported by Neal et al.' s (2013) perspectives on how consumption situations can serve as a lens for explicating intergroup emotions in multicultural marketplaces. Originality/value - This is one of only a few studies in marketing to assess the effects of socio-political constructs in a consumption context. This is the first known study to underscore the importance of intranational ethnic differences and assess the effects of socio-political and intergroup-based emotional variables on attitude to consume ethnic products, specifically.
Nitrate (NO3 (-)) pollution is a severe problem in urban aquatic systems especially within megacity undergoing rapid urbanization, and mostly, sewage is supposed as the prevailing NO3 (-) source. A dual isotope approach (delta N-15-NO3 (-) and delta O-18-NO3 (-)) was applied to explore the variation in NO3 (-) isotopic signatures in sewage processed by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Beijing from 2014 to 2015. We found that the raw and treated sewage owned the different NO3 (-) isotopic signatures, including delta N-15 from 1.1 to 24.7 aEuro degrees and delta O-18 from 1.6 to 22.8 aEuro degrees in raw sewage, as well as delta N-15 from 6.1 to 22.8 aEuro degrees and delta O-18 from 1.6 to 13.2 aEuro degrees in treated effluents. The WWTP processing would result in the enrichment of NO3 (-) isotopic compositions in discharged effluents with NO3 (-) concentrations increasing. Besides, advanced sewage treatment technology with more pollutant N reduction may raise the heavier NO3 (-) isotopic compositions further. The NO3 (-) isotope value ranges of urban sewage and manure should be separated, and the seasonal and tighter NO3 (-) isotope value ranges are supposed to improve the accuracy of source apportionment. The NO3 (-) isotope value ranges conducted in this study might provide useful information for tracing NO3 (-) sources towards the implementation of efficient water pollution control in Beijing.
Purpose - Surface roughness is an important parameter in manufacturing engineering with significant influence on the performance of mechanical parts. Failures, sometimes catastrophic failures, leading to high costs, have been imputed to a component's surface roughness. Owing to the need for improvement of machining parameters in order to obtain a prescribed surface roughness, new developments have been recently investigated. This work aims to report on a study of an optimisation model based on genetic algorithms (GAs). Design/methodology/approach - The developed algorithm considers a machining parameter data population obtained from experimental tests. The exchange of structured information based on natural selection principles and survival-of-the-fittest allows the combination of solutions in a sequence of generations leading to the best solution. Findings - Over standard experimental design methodologies the proposed GA approach shows advantages in finding the optimal conditions under the imposed constraints. Indeed the quality of the produced surface roughness cannot be evaluated using only a criterion. This GA method determines the combined effects of the input parameters to the optimal machining parameter. Originality/value - A new methodology for determining optimal machining parameters in dry turning based on the measurement of the surface roughness is proposed. The numerical and experimental developed model can be used with success on further applications with industrial interest.
Wide spread use of biometric based authentication implies the need to secure biometric reference data. Various template protection schemes have been introduced to prevent biometric forgery and identity thefts. Cancelable biometrics and visual cryptography are two recent technologies introduced to address the concerns regarding privacy of biometric data, and to improve public confidence and acceptance of biometric systems. Cancelable biometrics is an important technique that allows generation of revocable biometric templates. As the number of biometric instances are limited and once compromised they are lost forever. Cancelable biometrics allows templates to be cancelled and revoked like passwords innumerable times. Recently, various approaches that utilize visual cryptography to secure the stored template and impart privacy to the central databases have been introduced. This work attempts to summarize the existing approaches in literature making use of these two technologies to protect biometric templates.
Tauopathies encompass a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases featuring extensive neuronal death and cognitive decline. However, research over the past 30 years has failed to significantly advance our understanding of how tau causes dementia, limiting the design of rational therapeutics. It has become evident that we need to expand our understanding of tau in physiology, in order to delineate how tau may contribute to pathology. This review discusses recent evidence that has uncovered a novel aspect of tau function, based on its previously uncharacterized localization to the synapse. Here, multiple streams of evidence support a critical role for synaptic tau in the regulation of synapse physiology. In particular, long-term depression, a form of synaptic weakening, is dependent on the presence of tau in hippocampal neurons. The regulation of tau by specific phosphorylation events downstream of GSK-3 beta activation appears to be integral to this signaling role. We also describe how the regulation of synapse physiology by tau and its phosphorylation may inform our understanding of tauopathies and comorbid diseases. This work should provide a platform for future tau biology research in addition to therapeutic design.
The present contribution is a significant extension of the work by Kelbin et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 721, 2013, pp. 340-366) as a new time-dependent helical coordinate system has been introduced. For this, Lie symmetry methods have been employed such that the spatial dependence of the originally three independent variables is reduced by one and the remaining variables are: the cylindrical radius r and the time- dependent helical variable xi = (z/alpha(t)) + b phi, b = const. and time t. The variables z and pi are the usual cylindrical coordinates and alpha(t) is an arbitrary function of time t. Assuming alpha = const., we retain the classical helically symmetric case. Using this, and imposing helical invariance onto the equation of motion, leads to a helically symmetric system of Euler and Navier-Stokes equations with a time-dependent pitch alpha(t), which may be varied arbitrarily and which is explicitly contained in all of the latter equations. This has been conducted both for primitive variables as well as for the vorticity formulation. Hence a significantly extended set of helically invariant flows may be considered, which may be altered by an external time-dependent strain along the axis of the helix. Finally, we sought new conservation laws which can be found from the helically invariant Euler and Navier-Stokes equations derived herein. Most of these new conservation laws are considerable extensions of existing conservation laws for helical flows at a constant pitch. Interestingly enough, certain classical conservation laws do not admit extensions in the new time-dependent coordinate system.
We consider the general problem of sensitive and specific discrimination between biochemical species. An important instance is immune discrimination between self and not-self, where it is also observed experimentally that ligands just below the discrimination threshold negatively impact response, a phenomenon called antagonism. Wecharacterize mathematically the generic properties of such discrimination, first relating it to biochemical adaptation. Then, based on basic biochemical rules, we establish that, surprisingly, antagonism is a generic consequence of any strictly specific discrimination made independently from ligand concentration. Thus antagonism constitutes a 'phenotypic spandrel': a phenotype existing as a necessary by-product of another phenotype. We exhibit a simple analytic model of discrimination displaying antagonism, where antagonism strength is linear in distance from the detection threshold. This contrasts with traditional proofreading based models where antagonism vanishes far from threshold and thus displays an inverted hierarchy of antagonism compared to simpler models. The phenotypic spandrel studied here is expected to structure many decision pathways such as immune detection mediated by TCRs and FC epsilon RIs, as well as endocrine signalling/disruption.
This paper describes the methods used by the University of West Bohemia (UWB) for recruiting students to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME). Developments in the Czech educational system over the past two decades are also summarized. The methods used to inform the general public about the possibilities of studying at FME and provide news in the field of science and the new technologies being developed at FME are described in this article. Information is given about activities organised by the Faculty for the general public and specialized events directed towards a closed number of potential students. New e-learning study materials created at UWB at FME are mentioned in this paper. These study materials contribute to increasing the interest in study at FME and assist in keeping students motivated during their studies.
1. Human-chimeric mice with humanized liver have been constructed by transplantation of human hepatocytes into several types of mice having genetic modifications that injure endogenous liver cells. Here, we focus on liver urokinase-type plasminogen activator-transgenic severe combined immunodeficiency (uPA/SCID) mice, which are the most widely used human-chimeric mice. Studies so far indicate that drug metabolism, drug transport, pharmacological effects and toxicological action in these mice are broadly similar to those in humans. 2. Expression of various drug-metabolizing enzymes is known to be different between humans and rodents. However, the expression pattern of cytochrome P450, aldehyde oxidase and phase II enzymes in the liver of human-chimeric mice resembles that in humans, not that in the host mice. 3. Metabolism of various drugs, including S-warfarin, zaleplon, ibuprofen, naproxen, coumarin, troglitazone and midazolam, in human-chimeric mice is mediated by human drug-metabolizing enzymes, not by host mouse enzymes, and thus resembles that in humans. 4. Pharmacological and toxicological effects of various drugs in human-chimeric mice are also similar to those in humans. 5. The current consensus is that chimeric mice with humanized liver are useful to predict drug metabolism catalyzed by cytochrome P450, aldehyde oxidase and phase II enzymes in humans in vivo and in vitro. Some remaining issues are discussed in this review.
Background: Extra-oral bitter taste receptors have been associated with innate bacterial defence mechanisms. Genetic variation in T2R38 functionality has been shown to be associated with susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections and chronic rhino sinusitis (CRS). We sought to independently assess the influence of bitter taste receptor genotype on the presence of culturable bacteria in the sinuses. Methodology: A cross-sectional analysis of patients with CRS undergoing surgery was performed. Middle meatal nasal swabs were sent for microbiological evaluation at the time of the procedure. Mucosal biopsies were taken and sent for bitter taste receptor genotype analysis. Sequencing of 3 polymorphisms in theTAS2R38 gene was performed to identify genotypes as super tasters (PAV/PAV), non-tasters (AVI/AVI) or heterozygous expression (PAV/AVI). The presence of culturable organisms and common pathogens were compared with bitter taste receptor genotypes. Results: 25 patients (age 52.4 +/- 18.28 years, 51% female) were assessed. Super-tasters comprised 16% of the group, 24% were non-tasters and 48% had heterozygous expression. A cultured pathogen was grown in 48% of patients; 32% gram-positive, 20% gram-negative, 28% grew Staphylococcus aureus and 12% Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A non-taster genotype was predictive of colonised pathogens. Tissue eosinophilia (>10/HPF) was seen in 48%. Conclusion: Even in a small sample of patients with CRS, non-taster T2R38 genotype appears to predict the presence of culturable bacteria colonising the sinus cavity at the time of surgery for their condition. A genetic link to patients more likely to become 'infected' is likely.
Automat layout detection of color yarns is necessary for weaving and producing processes of yarn-dyed fabrics. This study presents a novel approach to inspect the layout of color yarns of double-system-melange color fabrics automatically, which is Part III of the series of studies to develop a computer vision-based system for automatic inspection of color yarn layout for yarn-dyed fabrics. The inspection of single-system-melange color fabrics has been realized in Part I of the series of studies. Integrating the projection-based region segmentation method proposed in Part I and the FCM-based stepwise classification method proposed in Part II, the proposed approach is composed of three steps: (1) fabric region segmentation, (2) fabric region selection, and (3) layout of color yarns recognition. In the first step, the fabric regions are segmented by the projection-based region segmentation method. In the second step, the reasonable fabric regions are selected by analyzing their color histograms and comparing their weft color's frequency. In the third step, the layout of color yarn is recognized by the FCM-based stepwise classification method, and the precise layouts of color warps and wefts are produced. The experimental analysis proved that the proposed method can recognize the layout of color yarns of double-system-melange color fabrics correctly by testing four different color fabrics and three pieces of same yarn-dyed fabrics. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Outcomes related to disordered metabolism are common in alcohol dependence (AD). To investigate alterations in the regulation of body mass that occur in the context of AD, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of body mass index (BMI) in African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs) with AD. Subjects were recruited for genetic studies of AD or drug dependence and evaluated using the Semi-structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism. We investigated a total of 2587 AAs and 2959 EAs with DSM-IV AD diagnosis. In the stage 1 sample (N=4137), we observed three genome-wide significant (GWS) single-nucleotide polymorphism associations, rs200889048 (P = 8.98* 10(-12)) and rs12490016 (P = 1.44* 10(-8)) in EAs and rs1630623 (P= 5.14* 10(-9)) in AAs and EAs meta-analyzed. In the stage 2 sample (N= 1409), we replicated 278, 253 and 168 of the stage 1 suggestive loci (P< 5*10(-4)) in AAs, EAs, and AAs and EAs meta-analyzed, respectively. A meta-analysis of stage 1 and stage 2 samples (N= 5546) identified two additional GWS signals: rs28562191 in EAs (P= 4.46* 10(-8)) and rs56950471 in AAs (P= 1.57* 10(-9)). Three of the GWS loci identified (rs200889048, rs12490016 and rs1630623) were not previously reported by GWAS of BMI in the general population, and two of them raise interesting hypotheses: rs12490016 -a regulatory variant located within LINC00880, where there are other GWAS-identified variants associated with birth size, adiposity in newborns and bulimia symptoms, which also interact with social stress in relation to birth size; rs1630623-a regulatory variant related to ALDH1A1, a gene involved in alcohol metabolism and adipocyte plasticity. These loci offer molecular insights regarding the regulatory mechanisms of body mass in the context of AD.
Most studies of trans prejudice, or prejudice against transgender people, have been conducted in Western countries. The current study explored trans prejudice in a sample of 124 heterosexual college students from the People's Republic of China. We also examined the relationship between gender self-esteem-the importance of gender to one's self-identity-and trans prejudice. Results indicated that men reported more trans prejudice than women. Both women and men reported more violence toward, teasing of, and discomfort with trans women compared with trans men. Gender self-esteem was not a significant predictor of trans prejudice for men or women. These results suggest that some of the predictors of trans prejudice in Chinese people may be similar to predictors found in Western samples. However, differences may be due to cultural factors such as membership in a collectivistic versus an individualistic society.
The design of Lab on a Chip microfluidic devices is, typically, preceded by a long and costly period of prototyping stages in which the system is gradually refined by an iterative process, involving the manufacturing of a physical prototype and the making of a lot of laboratory experiments. In this scenario, a virtual prototyping framework which allows the emulation of the behavior of the complete system is greatly welcome. This paper presents such a framework and details a virtual prototyping methodology able to soundly handle microfluidic behavior based on SystemC-AMS extensions. The use of these extensions will permit the communication of the developed microfluidic models with external digital or mixed signal devices. This allows the emulation of the whole Lab on a Chip system as it usually includes a digital control and a mixed-signal reading environment. Moreover, as SystemC-AMS is also being extended to cover other physical domains within the CATRENE CA701 project, interactions with these domains will be possible, for example, with electromechanical or optical parts, should they be part of the system. The presented extensions that can manage the modeling of a micro-fluidic system are detailed. Two approaches have been selected: to model the fluid analytically based on the Poiseuille flow theory and to model the fluid numerically following the SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) approach. Both modeling techniques are, by now, encapsulated under the TDF (Timed Data Flow) MoC (Model of Computation) of SystemC-AMS. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The past two decades of growth in renewable energy sources of electricity (RES-E) have been largely driven by out-of-market support policies. These schemes were designed to drive deployment on the basis of specific subsidies sustained in time to allow for the larger costs as well as to limit investor risk. While these policies have proven to be effective, the way they have been designed to date has led to costly market distortions that are becoming more difficult to ignore as penetrations reach unpreceded levels. In the context of this growing concern, we provide a critical analysis of the design elements of RES-E support schemes, focusing on how they affect this trade-off between promoting and efficiently integrating RES-E. The emphasis is on the structure of the incentive payment, which in the end turns to be the cornerstone for an efficient integration. We conclude that, while needed, a well-designed and further developed capacity-based support mechanism complemented with ex-post compensations defined for reference benchmark plants, such as the mechanism currently implemented in Spain, is an alternative with good properties if the major goal is truly market integration. The approach is robust to future developments in technology cost, performance and market penetration of RES-E.
The main objectives of the present studies were to update the explicit gender stereotypes linked to sport activities and examine whether they are associated with gender, age, personal practice, and general feminization rates of participation (Study 1, N = 690), as well as to investigate the potential effects of implicit gender sport stereotypes on the categorization of gendered names (Study 2, N = 53) and on perceptions of feminine, neutral, and masculine silhouettes (Study 3, N = 42). Study 1 indicated that explicit gender stereotypes are still attached to sport activities, with little variations according to personal characteristics but with a strong association with actual feminization rates. In Study 2, which focused on implicit stereotypes, we observed a slower identification of male names when participants were primed with feminine sport activities. In Study 3, neutral silhouettes were more frequently categorized as women following a feminine sport, but as men following a masculine sport. Our research suggests that sport activities are still gendered, both at the explicit and implicit levels, which may lead individuals to adjust their own participation even outside their consciousness.
While learners of a second language (L2) are increasingly interacting in small groups as part of a communicative methodological paradigm, very few studies have investigated the social dynamics that occur in such groups. The aim of this study is to introduce a group work dynamic measuring instrument and to investigate the relationship between group work dynamic (GWD), or the social climate existing within a group, and learners' state-level motivational responses and amount of language produced in interactive tasks. The context for the classroom-based study was a speaking-skills course consisting of a small group of 10 Korean English learners of intermediate to high intermediate proficiency level enrolled in a Korean university TESOL certificate program. The data were based on 15 different tasks that were part of the course and two work groups for each task for a total of 30 groups. Instruments of data collection consisted of audio-video recordings, transcription of all verbal and nonverbal language produced in the tasks, the GWD measurement instrument, and post-task motivation questionnaires. Results from correlational analysis showed a significant relationship between GWD and task motivation and between GWD and language production. Nonverbal-related behaviors, furthermore, were found to be particularly influential in shaping GWD and were significantly associated with learners' task motivation, especially in the form of greater task enjoyment and sense of success. The study's findings therefore add support to socio-contextual perspectives in L2 motivation and applied linguistics that emphasize the critical role of social and group factors on motivation and language development and imply a need for educators to focus on creating positive group dynamics in their classrooms.
Annually, hunters shoot millions of birds with lead ammunition. Many studies indicate diverse and often very high lead levels in the edible parts of game. Considering the number of hunters, the determined levels may pose a public health risk. Shotgun pellets are the main source of lead contamination of game animal tissues. Despite numerous studies indicating lead contamination in game birds, no significant reasons for diverse contamination of tissues with this toxic metal have been reported. The analysis presented in this paper suggests that the explanation for diverse levels of contamination of game animal tissues should be sought in physical phenomena generated by a projectile in damaged animal tissues. A projectile penetrating a target generates a multi-phase medium from destroyed tissues and simultaneously changes the shape of its front part. This movement of a projectile is an example of a turbulent flow. The interpretation of the interaction between a projectile and damaged tissues indicate that the variable and unpredictable parameters of a projectile for each shot and the medium created by a projectile make it impossible to determine the degree of this interaction. The phenomenon of a temporary cavity created by a shot seems to determine the magnitude of lead transfer into tissues surrounding the path of a wound. Fluid mechanics also explains the relatively high lead levels in game birds in comparison with the levels determined in big game animals. In view of the unpredictability of projectile-animal body interactions, it should be assumed that game bird shot with lead pellets contains the lead levels dangerous to human health. Therefore, the use of lead pellets for bird shooting should be banned.
RGB-D human action recognition is a very active research topic in computer vision and robotics. In this paper, an action recognition method that combines gradient information and sparse coding is proposed. First of all, we leverage depth gradient information and distance of skeleton joints to extract coarse Depth-Skeleton (DS) feature. Then, the sparse coding and max pooling are combined to refine the coarse DS feature. Finally, the Random Decision Forests (RDF) is utilized to perform action recognition. Experimental results on three public datasets show the superior performance of our method.
There are three main magnet systems in Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), comprising in total 85 coils arranged in 22 independent circuits fed by steady-state power supplies. The superconducting coil system creates the main magnetic field and consists of 70 coils, grouped in 7 electrical circuits with 10 coils each with an inductance of similar to 1 H. Each circuit is fed by one power supply with a maximum current of 20 kA and a maximum voltage of +/- 30 V. The second coil system is the so-called trim coil system, intended for enhanced experimental flexibility and error field corrections. It consists of five independently powered copper coils that are placed on the outer side of the cryostat. They will be operated with the currents of up to 1.95 kA. The full-scale ratings of a power supply are +/- 2200 A(dc) and +/- 230 V(dc). The third magnet system is the divertor control coil system. The ten normal conducting copper coils are situated inside the plasma vessel behind the divertor targets and are arranged in ten independent circuits. The current rating of one power supply is a dc current of up to +/- 2500 A, which can be modulated by an ac current of up to 625 A with the frequencies of up to 20 Hz. The commissioning of all the systems was made first by using dummy loads, and finally with the installed coils in W7-X. The final commissioning has been running since November 2014 and will be completed in Summer 2015.
The clinical development of molecularly targeted cancer therapies is enhanced by proof of mechanism of action as well as proof of concept, which relate molecular pharmacodynamics to efficacy via changes in cancer cell biology and physiology resulting from drug action on its intended target. Here, we present an introduction to the field of clinical pharmacodynamics, its medical and laboratory aspects, and its practical incorporation into clinical trials. We also describe key success factors that are useful for judging the quality of clinical pharmacodynamic studies, including biopsy quality and suitability, specimen handling, assay fitness-for-purpose, and reagent quality control. This introduction provides not only context for the following articles in this issue, but also an appreciation of the role of well-conducted clinical pharmacodynamic studies in oncology drug development. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
With integrative trend of world economy, drastic competition in the market, commercial intercourse in the future will emphasize more and more on convenience. Thus strengthening the comprehensive transportation network of research and practice has become the mainstream. This paper describes the development of an intelligent traffic control and dispatch system.
Peripheral neuronal activation by inflammatory mediators is a multifaceted physiological response that involves a multitude of regulated cellular functions. One key pathway that has been shown to be involved in inflammatory pain isGq/GPCR, whose activation by inflammatory mediators is followed by the regulated response of the cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). However, the mechanism that underlies TRPV1 activation downstream of the Gq/GPCR pathway has yet to be fully defined. In this study, we employ pharmacological and molecular biology tools to dissect this activation mechanism via perforated-patch recordings and calcium imaging of both neurons and a heterologous system. We showed that TRPV1 activity downstream of Gq/GPCR activation only produced a subdued current, which was noticeably different from the robust current that is typical of TRPV1 activation by exogenous stimuli. Moreover, we specifically demonstrated that 2 pathways downstream of Gq/GPCR signaling, namely endovanilloid production by lipoxygenases and channel phosphorylation by PKC, converge on TRPV1 to evoke a tightly regulated response. Of importance, we show that only when both pathways are acting on TRPV1 is the inflammatory-mediated response achieved. We propose that the requirement of multiple signaling events allows subdued TRPV1 activation to evoke regulated neuronal response during inflammation.- KumarR., Hazan, A., Geron, M., Steinberg, R., Livni, L., Matzner, H., Priel, A. Activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 by lipoxygenase metabolites depends on PKC phosphorylation.
In this study, the chemical constituents of pu-erh tea, black tea, and green tea, as well as those of pu-erh tea products of different ages, were analyzed and compared using a chemical profiling approach. Differences in tea processing resulted in differences in the chemical constituents and the color of tea infusions. Human biological responses to pu-erh tea ingestion were also studied by using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOFMS) in conjunction with multivariate statistical techniques. Metabolic alterations during and after pu-erh tea ingestion were characterized by increased urinary excretion of 5-hydroxytryptophan, inositol, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid, along with reduced excretion of 3-chlorotyrosine and creatinine. This study highlights the potential for metabonomic technology to assess nutritional interventions and is an important step toward a full understanding of pu-erh tea and its influence on human metabolism.
IgE-mediated reactions to food allergens are the most common cause of anaphylaxis in childhood. Although allergies to cow's milk, egg, or soy proteins, in contrast to peanut and tree nut allergens, resolve within the first 6 years of life in up to 60% due to natural tolerance development, this process is not well understood. At present, there is no cure or treatment for food allergy that would result in an induction of tolerance to the symptom-eliciting food. Avoidance, providing an emergency plan and education, is the standard of treatment. Oral immunotherapeutic approaches have been proven reasonable efficacy; however, they are associated with high rates of side-effects and low numbers of patients achieving tolerance. Nevertheless, mechanisms that take place during oral immunotherapy may help to understand tolerance development. On the basis of these therapeutic interventions, events like loss of basophil activation and induction of regulatory lymphocyte subsets and of blocking antibodies have been described. Their functional importance at a clinical level, however, remains to be investigated in detail. Consequently, there is eminent need to understand the process of tolerance development to food allergens and define biomarkers to develop and monitor new treatment strategies for food allergy.
In line with a growing need for data and information transmission in a safe and quick manner, researches on image protection and security through a combination of cryptographic and compression techniques begin to take form. The combination of these two methods may include into three categories based on their process sequences. The first category, i.e. cryptographic technique followed by compression method, focuses more on image security than the reduction of a size of data. The second combination, compression technique followed by the cryptographic method, has an advantage where the compression technique can be lossy, lossless, or combination of both. The third category, i.e. compression and cryptographic technologies in a single process either partially or in the form of compressive sensing(CS) provides a good data safety assurance with such a low computational complexity that it is eligible for enhancing the efficiency and security of data/information transmission.
Blackspot is a subsurface potato damage resulting from impacts during harvesting. This type of bruising represents substantial economic losses every year. As the tubers do not show external symptoms, bruise detection in potatoes is not straightforward. Therefore, a nondestructive and accurate method capable of identifying bruised tubers is needed. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has been shown to be able to detect other subsurface defects such as bruises in apples. This method is nondestructive, fast and can be fully automated. Therefore, its potential for non-destructive detection of blackspot in potatoes has been investigated in this study. Two HSI setups were used, one ranging from 400 to 1000 nm, named Visible Near Infrared (Vis-NIR) and another covering the 1000-2500 nm range, called Short Wave Infrared (SWIR). 188 samples belonging to 3 different varieties were divided in two groups. Bruises were manually induced and samples were analyzed 1, 5, 9 and 24 h after bruising. PCA, SIMCA and PLS-DA were used to build classifiers. The PLS-DA model performed better than SIMCA, achieving an overall correct classification rate above 94% for both hyperspectral setups. Furthermore, more accurate results were obtained with the SWIR setup at the tuber level (98.56 vs. 95.46% CC), allowing the identification of early bruises within 5 h after bruising. Moreover, the pixel based PLS-DA model achieved better results in the SWIR setup in terms of correctly classified samples (93.71 vs. 90.82% CC) suggesting that it is possible to detect blackspot areas in each potato tuber with high accuracy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We present a quantum key distribution (QKD) method that allows us to demonstrate practical quantum cryptography. It is used for obtaining the cryptographic key to encode the information communicated between to legitimate parties. It generally relates to a secured key sharing method and system between a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers, more particularly to a system and method of QKD between transmitters and receivers. The aspect of the method is a QKD system capable of forming the first signals with different phases or polarization and the second signals with different delay time. The transmitter sends the two signals to share the key with receiver. The first signal is generated in different phases or polarization to protect the transmission channel and to be the reference time for second signal. The state of first signal and the delay time between the first signal and second signal is the key. The method leads to increase the length of the shared key. This method is used to implement the practical QKD system that can be used for switching between our protocol and BB84 protocol in optical fiber (one-way system) and free space setups with unconditionally security. Secure keys generated by the QKD network are managed in the key management layer by key management agents (KMAs), and used to encrypt the data and send it to receivers. The proposed schemes aimed to provide a secure end to end communication.
Operating systems interface between hardware and the user, random numbers are useful for security and simulation, and file systems form the program access to them in a modern operating system. Blending these items into a remotely accessed infrastructure forms the basis for supporting operating systems projects. This work describes the hardware, software, and communication infrastructure to support student projects by sharing remote hardware to acquire background radiations events with a Geiger counter, transforming those events into random numbers, and providing those numbers through a custom file system. Collectively, the hardware and software provide an inexpensive remote laboratory experience for computing students.
Water is a precious resource. Its demand is rising rapidly and has already exceeded the supply capacity of natural sources in many cities. Airports are spread over vast areas which are normally free from birds and pollution and thus offer immense opportunities for rainwater harvesting which could, to a large extent, meet their non-potable water requirements. This article reviews rainwater treatment procedures at various airports which not only provide a valuable resource for their own consumption but also prevent the entry of pollutants directly into the environment. It also discusses the models and approaches to assess the rainwater harvesting potential of airports on parameters of cost and reliability. It explains the stages involved in the rainwater harvesting systems and how some airports have implemented rainwater treatment systems. Finally, it identifies the gaps at various stages and discusses possible improvements in the near future.
Empathy is the basic ability to respond affectively to the emotions of others and is observed early in human development. This study (N=304) tested the Italian version of the Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue), which is a parent scale assessing empathy-related behaviors in toddlers. For this study, it was completed by participants' mothers only. The EmQue measurement model and its factorial invariance across children's gender were tested via confirmatory factor analysis. Highly satisfactory goodness-of-fit indexes were found for a three factor-structure (contagion, attention to the feelings of others and prosocial actions) with 13 loading items. Furthermore, the data supported invariance of measurement across gender groups. These results suggest that the EmQue-I13 is a reliable instrument for investigating empathy and prosocial behavior in 18- to 36-month-old children in the Italian context.
Fibrolamellar carcinoma is a unique type of hepatocellular carcinoma with a distinctive predilection for young patients without underlying liver disease, characteristic large neoplastic cells with intervening, dense fibrosis, co-expression of keratin 7 and CD68 and activation of protein kinase A (most often by formation of DNAJBI-PRKACA). Fibrolamellar carcinoma has a similar prognosis to conventional hepatocellular carcinomas arising in non-cirrhotic livers. The current American Joint Cancer Committee staging system does not provide optimal stratification of patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma and an alternate systems should be considered in the future. The only effective treatment for fibrolamellar carcinoma is complete resection. Novel therapies may be on the horizon as investigation into the molecular biology of fibrolamellar carcinoma continues. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Atopic eczema (synonymous with atopic dermatitis) is a common heterogeneous phenotype with a wide spectrum of severity, from mild transient disease to a severe chronic disorder with atopic and non-atopic comorbidities. Eczema is a complex trait, resulting from the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. The skin, as an organ that can be biopsied easily, provides opportunities for detailed molecular genetic analysis. Strategies applied to the investigation of atopic eczema include candidate gene and genome-wide studies, extreme phenotypes, and comparative analysis of inflammatory skin diseases. Genetic studies have identified a central role for skin barrier impairment in eczema predisposition and perpetuation; this has brought about a paradigm shift in understanding atopic disease, but specific molecular targets to improve skin barrier function remain elusive. The role of Th2-mediated immune dysfunction is also central to atopic inflammation, and has proved to be a powerful target for biological therapy in atopic eczema. Advances in understanding eczema pathogenesis have provided opportunities for patient stratification, primary prevention, and therapy development, but there remain considerable challenges in the application of this knowledge to optimize benefit for patients with atopic eczema in the era of personalized medicine. Copyright (C) 2016 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heritable predisposition is an important cause of cancer in children and adolescents. Although a large number of cancer predisposition genes and their associated syndromes and malignancies have already been described, it appears likely that there are more pediatric cancer patients in whom heritable cancer predisposition syndromes have yet to be recognized. In a consensus meeting in the beginning of 2016, we convened experts in Human Genetics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology to review the available data, to categorize the large amount of information, and to develop recommendations regarding when a cancer predisposition syndrome should be suspected in a young oncology patient. This review summarizes the current knowledge of cancer predisposition syndromes in pediatric oncology and provides essential information on clinical situations in which a childhood cancer predisposition syndrome should be suspected.
In this work we study the localization properties of the disordered classical dual transmission lines, when the values of capacitances {C-j} and inductances {4} fluctuate in phase in the form C-j= C-0+b sin(2 pi x(j)) and L-j= L-0+b sin(2 pi x(j)), where b is the fluctuation amplitude. {x(j)} is a disordered long-range correlated sequence obtained using the Fourier filtering method which depends on the correlation exponent alpha. To obtain the transition point in the thermodynamic limit, we study the critical behavior of the participation number D. To do so, we calculate the linear relationship between In(D) versus In(N), the relative fluctuation eta(D) and the Binder cumulant BD. The critical value obtained with these three methods is totally coincident between them. In addition, we calculate the critical behavior of the normalized localization length Lambda(b) as a function of the system size N. With these data we build the phase diagram (b,alpha) which separates the extended states from the localized states. A final result of our work is the disappearance of the conduction bands when we introduce a finite number of impurities in random sites. This process can serve as a mechanism of secure communication, since a little alteration of the original sequence of capacitances and inductances, can destroy the band of extended states. (C) 2013 Elsevier BY. All rights reserved.
In high power applications, proper gate control strategy for insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) can increase their efficient and reliability. As to the feed-back control strategy, the key issues are the control speed and control stability. This paper proposed a new feed-back control method integrated in digital gate driver for high power IGBT. It aims for controlling the current and voltage slope suppressing the voltage overshoot and electromagnetic interference (EMI) in switching transient. The digital gate driver for large power IGBT detects the collector current and voltage in real time. Then the detected analog signal is digitally sampled and sent to the digital core on board. An algorithm similar to bang-bang control is deployed in forward control loop to adjust the gate drive resistance. The control stability and robustness can be guaranteed as a result. The whole detection and control process is accomplished in real time with only hundreds of nanoseconds. Thus, the proposed control method can optimized the IGBT switching transient with high reliability and time effectiveness. Experimental results validate the feasibility of the proposed feed-back digital control method.
The aim of this paper is to present a superior transient response of a digital peak current mode dc-dc converter in order to address input voltage fluctuation. In the dc power feeding system, a quick response is important for not only load fluctuation but also input voltage fluctuation. Since the proposed peak current mode control method can detect the peak current in real time, the transient response can improve compared with the conventional digital voltage mode PID control. As a result, the convergence time and undershoot of output voltage is suppressed by more than 50%.
Second- through fourth-grade students were read a storybook that described a typical boy who interacted with an obese boy for one of four reasons (sympathy, curiosity, teacher instructed, or no reason) to explore the manner in which a typical storybook character's reason for associating with an obese storybook character influences children's responses to both characters. Results revealed that the children responded more favorably to the obese storybook character after than before learning about the typical storybook character's association with him, especially when the typical storybook character's reason for association was presented as internally motivated (sympathy or curiosity). In contrast to stigma by association findings reported in prior research, the children also responded more favorably to the typical storybook character after than before his association with the obese storybook character.
This article examines the importance of being able to read body language signals in business negotiations. Observing physical body changes and gestures can lead to a more or less realistic impression about the opponent, his feelings, mood, thoughts, expectations, intentions and their changes. The most important aspects of non-verbal body language are: posture, clothing, accessories, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, smile, voice tone, laughter, eye contact, eye signs, the distance between the participants of the conversation, touch, clap, dance, and physiological response - sweating palms or forehead, paleness, acute facial or neck redness, etc. Some of the non-verbal communication signs, or, in other words, body language signals are conscious (either natural or pretended), while others are communicated to the environment unintentionally, with immediate, instant and instinctive response to received information without any thinking. Body language signals in business negotiations are important in several aspects: They reveal the other person's or the opponent's physical and emotional state as well as its change; They complement, reinforce or weaken the spoken words; They enable those, who can read non-verbal communication signs, to determine, whether what was said is true, more or less accurately.
This paper describes how the Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MNET) Program at South Dakota State University (SDSU) is using Lean Production techniques to map the educational outcomes across the curriculum. As a part of the accreditation review process, the MNET program has undertaken a project to determine whether the outcomes used in the program provide value to the constituents. A student research team has been assembled to value stream map the MNET program educational process. The needs of the customer, or educational outcomes that provide value, were determined through surveys and interviews with constituents of the program. A future state map will be developed and compared to a current state value stream map. Using the information gleaned from these maps, the curriculum can be critically evaluated and changed to better meet the needs of its constituents.
One important research area in autonomous mobile robotics is to create companions that live in our ambience and perform tasks to help in everyday life. On the other hand, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) seeks to create a network of helpful intelligent devices. This paper describes an approach for the development of cooperation models for eldercare robot teams using goal-driven control components. The framework and the approach are illustrated through the development and assessment of task allocation in multi-robot teams. Two cooperation models are implemented: (i) a team model based on the adaptive multi-agent systems theory where task responsibility is agreed among team peers by exchanging individual estimations of the degree of difficulty and priority to achieve the task; (ii) a hierarchical model where a robot manager asks for the estimations of its team members and then assigns the task. Experimentation for team cooperation assessment is performed through considering environmental changes, as well as communications and internal failures. The proposal is simulated in an AmI-oriented elderly care center to assist seniors in need.
In the last few years, Multitouch and Tangible User Interfaces have emerged as a powerful tool to integrate interactive surfaces and responsive spaces that embody digital information. Besides providing a natural interaction with digital contents, they allow the interaction of multiple users at the same time, thus promoting collaborative activities and information sharing. In particular, these characteristics have opened new exploration possibilities in the edutainment context, as witnessed by the many applications successfully developed in different areas, from children's collaborative learning to interactive storytelling, cultural heritage and medical therapy support. However, due to the availability of different multitouch and tangible interaction technologies and of different target computing platforms, the development and deployment of such applications can be challenging. To this end, in this paper we present GAINE (tanGible Augmented INteraction for Edutainment), a software framework that enables rapid prototyping and development of tangible augmented applications for edutainment purposes. GAINE has two main features. First, it offers developers high-level context specific constructs that significantly reduces the implementation burden. Second, the framework is portable on different operating systems and offers independence from the underlying hardware and tracking technology. In this paper, we also discuss several case studies to show the effectiveness of GAINE in simplifying the development of entertainment and edutainment applications based on multitouch and tangible interaction. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The qualitative analysis of nonverbal communication is more and more relying on 3D recording technology. However, the human analysis of 3D data on a regular 2D screen can be challenging as 3D scenes are difficult to visually parse. To optimally exploit the full depth of the 3D data, we propose to enhance the 3D view with a number of visualizations that clarify spatial and conceptual relationships and add derived data like speed and angles. In this paper, we present visualizations for directional body motion, hand movement direction, gesture space location, and proxemic dimensions like interpersonal distance, movement and orientation. The proposed visualizations are available in the open source tool JMocap and are planned to be fully integrated into the ANVIL video annotation tool. The described techniques are intended to make annotation more efficient and reliable and may allow the discovery of entirely new phenomena.
In many research and application areas, such as information retrieval and machine learning, we often encounter dealing with a probability distribution that is mixed by one distribution that is relevant to our task in hand and the other that is irrelevant and that we want to get rid of. Thus, it is an essential problem to separate the irrelevant distribution from the mixture distribution. This article is focused on the application in Information Retrieval, where relevance feedback is a widely used technique to build a refined query model based on a set of feedback documents. However, in practice, the relevance feedback set, even provided by users explicitly or implicitly, is often a mixture of relevant and irrelevant documents. Consequently, the resultant query model (typically a term distribution) is often a mixture rather than a true relevance term distribution, leading to a negative impact on the retrieval performance. To tackle this problem, we recently proposed a Distribution Separation Method (DSM), which aims to approximate the true relevance distribution by separating a seed irrelevance distribution from the mixture one. While it achieved a promising performance in an empirical evaluation with simulated explicit irrelevance feedback data, it has not been deployed in the scenario where one should automatically obtain the irrelevance feedback data. In this article, we propose a substantial extension of the basic DSM from two perspectives: developing a further regularization framework and deploying DSM in the automatic irrelevance feedback scenario. Specifically, in order to avoid the output distribution of DSM drifting away from the true relevance distribution when the quality of seed irrelevant distribution (as the input to DSM) is not guaranteed, we propose a DSM regularization framework to constrain the estimation for the relevance distribution. This regularization framework includes three algorithms, each corresponding to a regularization strategy incorporated in the objective function of DSM. In addition, we exploit DSM in automatic (i.e., pseudo) irrelevance feedback, by automatically detecting the seed irrelevant documents via three different document reranking methods. We have carried out extensive experiments based on various TREC datasets, in order to systematically evaluate the proposed methods. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approaches in comparison with various strong baselines.
Cellular enzymes interact in a post-translationally regulated fashion to govern individual cell behaviors, yet current platform technologies are limited in their ability to measure multiple enzyme activities simultaneously in single cells. Here, we developed multi-color Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) based enzymatic substrates and use them in a microfluidics platform to simultaneously measure multiple specific protease activities from water-in-oil droplets that contain single cells. By integrating the microfluidic platform with a computational analytical method, Proteolytic Activity Matrix Analysis (PrAMA), we are able to infer six different protease activity signals from individual cells in a high throughput manner (similar to 100 cells/experimental run). We characterized protease activity profiles at single cell resolution for several cancer cell lines including breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231, lung cancer cell line PC-9, and leukemia cell line K-562 using both live-cell and in-situ cell lysis assay formats, with special focus on metalloproteinases important in metastasis. The ability to measure multiple proteases secreted from or expressed in individual cells allows us to characterize cell heterogeneity and has potential applications including systems biology, pharmacology, cancer diagnosis and stem cell biology. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) provide potentially accessible in vivo sources of metastatic cancer cells. As such, considerable focus has been placed on analyzing the genetics of single-CTCs. Prior to these analyses, however, CTCs must first be detected within the blood samples of cancer patients. Current methods for detection of CTCs by fluorescence microscopy require the analysis of hundreds of images per blood sample, making this a time-consuming process that creates a bottleneck in CTC analysis. In this study, we therefore developed a wide-field fluorescence imaging system for rapid CTC detection. For these analyses, CTCs were first isolated using the microcavity array (MCA), a micro-sized filter for CTC recovery that separates cells based on differences in cell size and deformability. Notably, the proposed imaging system enabled rapid (similar to 10 s) visualization of all stained cells within the 6 mm x 6 mm MCA field via one-shot imaging. Furthermore, the morphology of the cells in the resulting images accurately reflected that observed by conventional microscopy. In total, isolation and detection of CTCs using the MCA combined with our novel wide-field fluorescence imaging system was achieved within 1 h. Thus, our proposed system will provide rapid CTC detection system. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Sampling and computational delay are necessary in digital control, though they may alter the characteristics of the actual controlled plant when considered in the discrete domain. Accordingly, this article establishes a mathematical model of a single-phase grid-connected inverter with an LCL filter in the discrete domain. Three active damping control delay times: 0, [GRAPHICS] , [GRAPHICS] are analysed, considering the influences introduced by digital control of the plant. Further, the range of the capacitor current feedback coefficient used in active damping control is derived to guarantee that the controlled plant does not have poles outside the unit circle. Using Nyquist diagrams, the proper proportional-resonant (PR) controller parameters can be intuitively determined. The theoretical analysis is verified using MATLAB and a 3kW laboratory prototype based on a digital signal processor (TMS320F2808).
Objectives: The purpose was to examine the effectiveness of music care on cognitive function, depression, and behavioral problems among elderly people with dementia in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. Methods: The study had a quasi-experimental, longitudinal research design and used two groups of subjects. Subjects were not randomly assigned to experimental group (n = 90) or comparison group (n = 56). Based on Bandura's social cognition theory, subjects in the experimental group received Kagayashiki music care (KMC) twice per week for 24 weeks. Subjects in the comparison group were provided with activities as usual. Results: Results found, using the control score of the Clifton Assessment Procedures for the Elderly Behavior Rating Scale (baseline) and time of attending KMC activities as a covariate, the two groups of subjects had statistically significant differences in the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). Results also showed that, using the control score of the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (baseline) and MMSE (baseline) as a covariate, the two groups of subjects had statistically significant differences in the Clifton Assessment Procedures for the Elderly Behavior Rating Scale. Conclusion: These findings provide information for staff caregivers in long-term care facilities to develop a non-invasive care model for elderly people with dementia to deal with depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems.
The atmospheric effects that influence on the signal registered by remote sensors might be minimized in order to provide reliable spectral information. In aquatic systems, the application of atmospheric correction aims to minimize such effects and avoid the under or overestimation of remote sensing reflectance (R-rs). Accurately R-rs provides better information about the state of aquatic system, it means, establishing the concentration of aquatic compounds more precisely. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outputs from several atmospheric correction methods (Dark Object Subtraction DOS; Quick Atmospheric Correction - QUAC; Fast Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Hypercubes - FLAASH; Atmospheric Correction for OLI 'lite' - ACOLITE, and Provisional Landsat-8 Surface Reflectance Algorithm - L8SR) in order to investigate the suitability of R-rs for estimating total suspended matter concentrations (TSM) in the Barra Bonita Hydroelectrical Reservoir. To establish TSM concentrations via atmospherically corrected Operational Land Imager (OLI) scene, the TSM retrieval model was calibrated and validated with in situ data. Thereby, the achieved results from TSM retrieval model application demonstrated that L8SR is able to provide the most suitable R-rs values for green and red spectral bands, and consequently, the lowest TSM retrieval errors (Mean Absolute Percentage Error about 10% and 12%, respectively). Retrieved R-rs from near infrared band is still a challenge for all the tested algorithms. (C) 2017 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
When people feel prejudice toward a group, they can justify their prejudice by perceiving the group as threatening. Three experiments tested the hypothesis that prejudice causes threat perception, using affective conditioning to create new prejudice toward unfamiliar groups. The experimentally created prejudice increased threat perception (Experiments 1-3), except when threat information was inconsistent with conditioned affect (Experiment 3). Consistency of affect and threat information is necessary in order for threat to be a plausible justification of prejudice. Mere prejudice can cause perception of threat in the absence of information about the group; this finding suggests threats are not necessarily inherent to the characteristics of the group. Threat perception can be used as a way to explain the experience of prejudice, rather than forming the source of the prejudice itself.
Recent innovations in molecular biology and colorectal cancer (CRC) genetics have facilitated the understanding of the pathogenesis of sporadic and hereditary CRC syndromes. The development of technology has enabled data collection for a number of genetic factors, which lead to understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying CRC. The incidence and the nature of CRC is a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. The current field of interest is to understand how molecular basis could shape predisposition for developing CRC, disease progression and response to chemotherapy. In this article, we summarize new and developing genetic markers, and assess their clinical value for inherited and sporadic CRC.
Geotextiles are thin polymeric materials widely used in geotechnical, environmental and hydraulic applications. They are employed in infiltration basins designed to collect and improve the quality of storm and runoff waters before their infiltration into the surrounding soil. The introduction of geotextiles in the subsoil of infiltration basins may significantly influence the flow and transfer of pollutants present in storm and runoff waters in solute form or associated with colloidal and particulate phases. The objective of this work was to study the influence of a nonwoven geotextile on conservative solute and colloidal transport through sandy and gravel porous media under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. Solute and colloid transport through columns containing soil amended with a geotextile were characterized by injecting a tracer solution and a suspension of colloidal particles at a constant flow rate under saturated and unsaturated conditions. The flow pattern was described using a MIM model implemented with the HYDRUS 1D code. The results showed that nonwoven geotextiles can increase flow homogeneity. Their effect on flow homogenization depended on soil heterogeneity and the degree of water saturation. Colloidal retention efficiency at column scale was also modified by the presence of geotextiles. By homogenizing flow they increased the filter capacity of the soil, thereby decreasing the pollutant transfer in colloidal form. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Large networks are becoming a widely used abstraction for studying complex systems in a broad set of disciplines, ranging from social-network analysis to molecular biology and neuroscience. Despite an increasing need to analyze and manipulate large networks, only a limited number of tools are available for this task. Here, we describe the Stanford Network Analysis Platform (SNAP), a general-purpose, high-performance system that provides easy-to-use, high-level operations for analysis and manipulation of large networks. We present SNAP functionality, describe its implementational details, and give performance benchmarks. SNAP has been developed for single big-memory machines, and it balances the trade-off between maximum performance, compact in-memory graph representation, and the ability to handle dynamic graphs in which nodes and edges are being added or removed over time. SNAP can process massive networks with hundreds of millions of nodes and billions of edges. SNAP offers over 140 different graph algorithms that can efficiently manipulate large graphs, calculate structural properties, generate regular and random graphs, and handle attributes and metadata on nodes and edges. Besides being able to handle large graphs, an additional strength of SNAP is that networks and their attributes are fully dynamic; they can be modified during the computation at low cost. SNAP is provided as an open-source library in C++ as well as a module in Python. We also describe the Stanford Large Network Dataset, a set of social and information real-world networks and datasets, which we make publicly available. The collection is a complementary resource to our SNAP software and is widely used for development and benchmarking of graph analytics algorithms.
Pharmaceuticals are very useful in treating human diseases but they are excreted to the environment sometimes in their original form or as byproducts of human metabolism. Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites have been proven by studies to be harmful to non-target ecological species and may be persistent in different water matrices. In this regard, there is an emergent need to eliminate these compounds to prevent their adverse effects on aquatic species. Biodegradation using white-rot fungi is a promising technology for the removal of recalcitrant compounds; however, products of fungal biodegradation can also be detrimental. In this novel study, we evaluated the ability of Phanerochaete chrysosporium to degrade amlodipine, an anti-hypertensive drug which was recently found in water systems. Analysis of amlodipine metabolites was done using quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after the degradation set-up of 120 hours. Pharmaceutical degradation was seen using triple quadrupole liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Ninety-two significant metabolites (P-value <= 0.05) were significantly expressed after false discovery rate adjustment at a significance threshold of q = 0.05. Pyridine derivatives which were identified from samples became the basis of the proposed degradation pathway of amlodipine in this study.
Stress plays a key role in addiction etiology and relapse. Rodent models posit that following repeated periods of alcohol and other drug intoxication, compensatory allostatic changes occur in the central nervous system (CNS) circuits involved in behavioral and emotional response to stressors. We examine a predicted manifestation of this neuroadaptation in recently abstinent alcohol-dependent humans. Participants completed a translational laboratory task that uses startle potentiation to unpredictable (vs. predictable) stressors implicated in the putative CNS mechanisms that mediate this neuroadaptation. Alcohol-dependent participants displayed significantly greater startle potentiation to unpredictable than predictable stressors relative to nonalcoholic controls. The size of this effect covaried with alcoholrelated problems and degree of withdrawal syndrome. This supports the rodent model thesis of a sensitized stress response in abstinent alcoholics. However, this effect could also represent premorbid risk or mark more severe and/ or comorbid psychopathology. Regardless, pharmacotherapy and psychological interventions may target unpredictable stressor response to reduce stress-induced relapse.
To create possibilities for a more sustainable wastewater management, a novel system consisting of electrodeionization (EDI) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is proposed in this study. This system is integrated with anaerobic digestion/landfills to capture energy from carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollutants. Both EDI and SOFCs showed good performances. EDI removed 95% and 76% ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N) from diluted (0.025 M) to concentrated (0.5 M) synthetic ammonium wastewaters, respectively, accompanied by hydrogen production. SOFCs converted the recovered fuels, biogas mixtures of methane and carbon dioxide, to electricity. Under the optimal conditions of EDI (3.0 V applied voltage and 7.5 mm internal electrode distance (IED), and SOFCs (750 degrees C operating temperature), the system achieved 60% higher net energy output as compared to conventional systems. The estimated energy benefit of this proposed system showed that the net energy balance ratio is enhanced from 1.11 (existing system) to 1.75 (this study) for a local Hong Kong active landfill facility with 10.0 g L-1 chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 0.21 M NH4+-N. Additionally, an average of 80% inorganic ions (heavy metals and nutrient elements) can be removed from the raw landfill leachate by EDI cell. The results are successful demonstrations of the upgrades of anaerobic processes for energy extraction from wastewater streams. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objectives-Dissipative energy loss derived from vector flow mapping represents the viscous dissipation of turbulent blood flow. We aimed to determine the left ventricular (LV) energy loss in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Methods-Patients with ESRD and a preserved LV ejection fraction, who consisted of a group receiving peritoneal dialysis, a group receiving hemodialysis, and a group receiving preparation for dialysis initiation, were examined by echocardiography; a group of healthy control participants were examined as well. Vector flow mapping analysis was then performed from the apical 4-chamber view to calculate the energy loss during diastole and systole in the left ventricle. Results-Conventional transthoracic echocardiography and LV energy loss calculations were successfully performed in 63 cases and 50 controls. The patients with ESRD had significantly higher diastolic energy loss [median (interquartile range), 71.73 (46.08-106.75) versus 23.32 (17.17-29.26) mW/m; P < .001] and higher systolic energy loss [25.28 (19.03-33.93) versus 12.52 (9.35-16.47) mW/m; P < .001]. A significant difference in diastolic energy loss between the peritoneal dialysis and preparation groups was found [54.92 (39.28-89.94) versus 84.82 (62.58-171.4) mW/m; P = .04]. In patients with ESRD, the log-transformed diastolic energy loss had a significant association with the peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (P=.011), peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity-to-peak early diastolic mitral annular flow velocity ratio (P = .001), LV mass index (P = .017), and heart rate (P = .003). Conclusions-Impaired blood flow efficiency was detected in patients with ESRD by using dissipative energy loss derived from vector flow mapping. The energy loss value could be a novel parameter for evaluating the ventricular workload of uremic hearts in terms of fluid mechanics.
Objective: This study moves beyond previous cohort studies and benchmark data by studying a population of elective spine surgery from a multicenter registry in an effort to validate, disprove, and/or identify novel risk factors for dural tears. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis queried a multicenter registry for patients with degenerative spinal diagnoses undergoing elective spinal surgery from 2010-2014. Multivariable logistic regression analysis interrogated for independent risk factors of dural tears. Results: Of 104,930 patients, a dural tear requiring repair occurred in 0.6% of cases. On adjusted analysis, the following factors were independently associated with increased likelihood of a dural tear: ankylosing spondylitis vs. intervertebral disc disorders, greater than two levels, combined surgical approach and posterior approach vs. anterior approach, decompression only vs. fusion and decompression, age groups 85+, 75-84 and 65-74 vs.= 30), corticosteroid use and preoperative platelet count <150,000. Conclusions: This multicenter study identifies novel risk factors for dural tears in the elective spine surgery population, including corticosteroids, thrombocytopenia, and ankylosing spondylitis. The results of this analysis provide further information for surgeons to use both in operative planning and in preoperative counseling when discussing the risk of dural tears.
The advertising as a form of business promotion has more and more widely in different applications, and the lighting lamps is one of the key equipments in the entire outdoor advertising facilities. In order to improve advertising effectiveness and facilities security, especially for the outdoor advertising lighting applications in some remote areas, occasionally occur the advertising lamps stolen and damaged. A novel advertising lighting anti-thefts security system based on digital control technologies is designed and implementation in this paper. The designed system can achieve the real-time online status monitoring of advertising lighting lamps, once the abnormal situation the system can be issued on-site sound and light alarms and remote on-line notification, etc., which greatly improving the anti-theft security performance of outdoor advertising lighting.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatic lipotoxicity results from and contributes to obesity-related disorders. It is a challenge to study human metabolism of fatty acids (FAs) in the liver. We combined (11)C-palmitate imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) with compartmental modeling to determine rates of hepatic FA uptake, oxidation, and storage, as well as triglyceride release in pigs and human beings. METHODS: Anesthetized pigs underwent (11)C-palmitate PET imaging during fasting (n = 3) or euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (n = 3). Metabolic products of FAs were measured in arterial, portal, and hepatic venous blood. The imaging methodology then was tested in 15 human subjects (8 obese subjects); plasma (11)C-palmitate kinetic analyses were used to quantify systemic and visceral lipolysis. RESULTS: In pigs, PET-derived and corresponding measured FA fluxes (FA uptake, esterification, and triglyceride FA release) did not differ and were correlated with each other. In human beings, obese subjects had increased hepatic FA oxidation compared with controls (mean +/- standard error of the mean, 0.16 +/- 0.01 vs 0.08 +/- 0.01 mu mol/min/mL; P = .0007); FA uptake and esterification rates did not differ between obese subjects and controls. Liver FA oxidation correlated with plasma insulin levels (r = 0.61, P = .016), adipose tissue (r = 0.58, P = .024), and systemic insulin resistance (r = 0.62, P = .015). Hepatic FA esterification correlated with the systemic release of FA into plasma (r = 0.71, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: PET imaging can be used to measure FA metabolism in the liver. By using this technology, we found that obese individuals have increased hepatic oxidation of FA, in the context of adipose tissue insulin resistance, and increased FA flux from visceral fat. FA flux from visceral fat is proportional with the mass of the corresponding depot.
This article describes the approach of experts of the National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MGSU) to the construction of modern operating systems in buildings using BIM-technology. This article was performed within the Russian State task.
This paper presents a mathematical model to find the wheel location in grinding a given helical flute of an end mill. Two new setting parameters are introduced to define the relative wheel location in workpiece coordinates. This model allows the wheel-axis orientation be expressed explicitly as a function of the design factors and machine setting parameters. By utilizing this explicit form of the wheel orientation and analyzing the influence of setting parameters on design parameters, a new efficient search algorithm is proposed, and the performance shows that the required wheel location is found within 1.5 s to machine a given flute profile. Moreover, the rake angle can be produced more precisely compared with the conventional methods, which have been used with approximations. A comprehensive development of the software for designing and grinding the helical flute of the end mill is presented, which provides a technology and good foundation for the development of a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system for manufacturing end mills. The results of the experiment, simulation, and design are compared in order to verify of the proposed method.
Due to the effort designing high efficient electric vehicles, high speed traction drives are frequently used. Nowadays different winding topologies, rotor shapes and cooling concepts are studied to enlarge efficiency and power density. The application of a compact multi-phase winding permanent magnet excited synchronous machine including an active rotor cooling system provides opportunities to meet the high requirements of a traction drive. This contribution focuses on the construction and characteristics of the engineered six-phase motor and the potential to increase the machine's performance by the integrated rotor cooling system.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with magnesium ion (Mg2+) deficits and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) elevations in the serum or brains of AD patients. However, the mechanisms regulating IL-1 beta expression during Mg (2+) dyshomeostasis in AD remain unknown. We herein studied the mechanism of IL-1 beta reduction using a recently developed compound, magnesium-L-threonate (MgT). Using human glioblastoma A172 and mouse brain D1A glial cells as an in vitro model system, we delineated the signaling pathways by which MgT suppressed the expression of IL-1 beta in glial cells. In detail, we found that MgT incubation stimulated the activity of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) signaling pathways by phosphorylation, which resulted in IL-1 beta suppression. Simultaneous inhibition of the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and PPAR gamma induced IL-1 beta upregulation in MgT-stimulated glial cells. In accordance with our in vitro data, the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v) injection of MgT into the ventricles of APP/PS1 transgenic mice and treatment of Ab precursor protein (APP)/PS1 brain slices suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of IL-1 beta. These in vivo observations were further supported by the oral administration of MgT for 5 months. Importantly, Mg (2+) influx into the ventricles of the mice blocked the effects of IL-1 beta or amyloid beta-protein oligomers in the cerebrospinal fluid. This reduced the stimulation of IL-1 beta expression in the cerebral cortex of APP/PS1 transgenic mice, which potentially contributed to the inhibition of neuroinflammation. Cellular & Molecular Immunology (2017) published online 9 November 2015
In recent years, water pollution has become a major problem for the environment and human health due to the industrial effluents discharged into the water bodies. Day by day, new molecules such as pesticides, dyes, and pharmaceutical drugs are being detected in the water bodies, which are bio-refractory to microorganisms. In the last two decades, scientists have tried different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as Fenton, photocatalytic, hydrodynamic, acoustic cavitation processes, etc. to mineralize such complex molecules. Among these processes, hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has emerged as a new energy-efficient technology for the treatment of various bio-refractory pollutants present in aqueous effluent. In this review, various geometrical and operating parameters of HC process have been discussed emphasizing the effect and importance of these parameters in the designing of HC reactor. The advantages of combining HC with other oxidants and AOPs such as H2O2, ozone, Fenton process, and photocatalytic process have been discussed with some recommendation for large-scale operation. It has been observed that the geometry of the HC device and other operating parameters such as operating pressure and cavitation number are the key design parameters that ultimately decide the efficacy and potentiality of HC in degrading bio-refractory pollutants on an industrial scale.
The main issue of higher education in the Czech Republic relating to mechanical engineering is currently the lack of opportunities for students to acquire practical knowledge and experience in the field during their studies. Moreover, engineering companies in the Czech Republic are often reluctant to share their knowhow with universities, meaning that the study of Machine Design is isolated from practice in engineering companies. One way to deal with these issues is to improve different aspects of teaching technical subjects in order to improve the quality, efficiency, comprehensibility and attractiveness of Machine Design. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia (FME) has launched the Machine Design Teaching Enhancement Project (TEP) whose goal is to provide students and academics at FME with quality learning materials. Learning materials concerned with teaching of computer aided engineering (CAE) systems were developed as a part of TEP. These step-by-step learning materials promote self-study and make learning CAE systems much easier for students. Another part of TEP is concerned with developing a new concept of project-based learning materials based on interactive CAE models. The learning materials have been developed by academics in cooperation with local engineering companies and software developers. This paper presents these learning materials and their advantages for students and academics at FME.
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique is based on the specific recognition ability of the molecular structure of an antigen (epitope) by an antibody and is likely the most important diagnostic technique used today in bioscience. With this methodology, it is possible to diagnose illness, allergies, alimentary fraud, and even to detect small molecules such as toxins, pesticides, heavy metals, etc. For this reason, any procedures that improve the detection limit, sensitivity or reduce the analysis time could have an important impact in several fields. In this respect, many methods have been developed for improving the technique, ranging from fluorescence substrates to methods for increasing the number of enzyme molecules involved in the detection such as the biotin-streptavidin method. In this context, nanotechnology has offered a significant number of proposed solutions, mainly based on the functionalization of nanoparticles from gold to carbon which could be used as antibody carriers as well as reporter enzymes like peroxidase. However, few works have focused on the study of best practices for nanoparticle functionalization for ELISA enhancement. In this work, we use 20 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a vehicle for secondary antibodies and peroxidase (HRP). The design of experiments technique (DOE) and four different methods for biomolecule loading were compared using a rabbit IgG/goat anti-rabbit IgG ELISA model (adsorption, directional, covalent and a combination thereof). As a result, AuNP probes prepared by direct adsorption were the most effective method. AuNPs probes were then used to detect gliadin, one of the main components of wheat gluten, the protein composite that causes celiac disease. With this optimized approach, our data showed a sensitivity increase of at least five times and a lower detection limit with respect to a standard ELISA of at least three times. Additionally, the assay time was remarkably decreased.
Operating system jitter is one of the causes of runtime overhead in high-performance computing applications. Many high-performance computing applications perform burst accesses to I/O, and such accesses consume a large amount of memory. When the Linux kernel runs out of memory, it awakens special kernel threads to reclaim memory pages. If the kernel threads are frequently awakened, application performance is degraded because of the threads' resource consumption as well as the increase in the application's page faults and migration between CPU cores. In this study, we empirically analyze the impact of jitter caused by reclaiming memory pages, and we propose a method for reducing it. The proposed method reclaims memory pages in advance of the kernel thread. It reclaims more pages at one time than the kernel threads, thus reducing the frequency of page reclaim and the impact of jitter. We conducted experiments using practical weather forecast software, the results of which showed that the proposed method minimized performance degradation caused by jitter.
The main purpose of this study is the presentation skills evaluation of pre-service teachers via fuzzy logic. There are two different groups in this study. The first one consists of 14 instructors serving in the Computer Education and Instructional Technology (CEIT) Department of Firat University (FU). This group has supplied expert view in ranking the importance of the matters in the Presentation Evaluation Scale (PES) and in forming the rule base that sets ground for the operation of fuzzy logic mechanism. The second group consists of 41 juniors having the Operating Systems and Applications Course in the CEIT Department of Fa The students in this group make a presentation associated with the units of this course, PES are applied on them and the study is conducted by the data obtained from this scale. Frequencies and percentages and Wilcoxon test is used to analyze the data sets. It is found that there is a significant difference between the PES obtained student scores and those scores that passes through fuzzy logic mechanism. The scores of some students have decreased, those of some have increased while there is no significant change in some of them. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper illustrates the development, up to prototype stage, of an electromechanical actuation system for a medium-voltage vacuum contactor. Such development is carried out using a multi-domain simulation-based mechatronic approach, i.e. developing coordinated sub-models for the mechanism linking the actuator to the movable parts of the interrupter, the rotational electromagnetic actuator, and the power and control electronic circuit supplying the actuator and governing the system via a digital control unit. After a preliminary analysis, the modeling, design and check of the parts via coordinated simulations is presented. A prototype of the system, manufactured to validate the design procedure is finally presented.
There is a long history of research on acetylcholine (ACh) function in myelinating glia, but a resurgence of interest recently as a result of the therapeutic potential of manipulating ACh signaling to promote remyelination, and the broader interest in neurotransmitter signaling in activity-dependent myelination. Myelinating glia express all the major types of muscarinic and nicotinic ACh receptors at different stages of development, and acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase are highly expressed in white matter. This review traces the history of research on ACh signaling in Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes, and in the myelin sheath, and summarizes current knowledge on the intracellular signaling and functional consequences of ACh signaling in myelinating glia. Implications of ACh in diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and white matter toxicity caused by pesticides are considered, together with an outline of major questions for future research.
Home and Building Automation Systems (HBAS) are becoming of widespread adoption. When distinct users interact with such systems, their intentions are likely to be different, often resulting in conflicting situations, which the systems ought to recognize and resolve automatically. This work aims at investigating conflict in HBAS and creating a solution to detect and resolve them. Herein, we review the literature concerning conflict detection and resolution, and propose a formal framework based on constraint solving that enables detecting and solving conflict situations automatically. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Study Design. A prospective multicenter cohort study for more than 10 years of outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objective. To identify predictive risk factors of cervical spine instabilities, which may induce compression myelopathy in patients with RA. Summary of Background Data. Many reports described the natural course of cervical spine involvement in RA. Only a few studies, however, conducted comprehensive evaluation of its prognostic factors. Methods. Cervical spine instability was radiographically defined as atlantoaxial subluxation with the atlantodental interval greater than 3 mm, vertical subluxation (VS) with the Ranawat value less than 13 mm, and subaxial subluxation with irreducible translation of 2mm or higher. The severe'' category of instability was defined as atlantoaxial subluxation with the atlantodental interval of 10mm or lower, vertical subluxation with the Ranawat value of 10mm or higher, and subaxial subluxation with translation of 4 mm or higher or at multiple levels. Of 503 definite'' or classical'' patients with RA without baseline severe'' instability, 143 were prospectively followed throughout for more than 10 years. The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine predictors for the development of severe'' instabilities. To exclude biases from the low follow-up rate, similar assessments were performed in 223 patients followed for more than 5 years from baseline. Results. The incidence of cervical spine instabilities and severe'' instabilities significantly increased during more than 10 years in both 143 and 223 cohorts (all P<0.01). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models found that baseline mutilating changes (hazard ratio [HR] = 19.15, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 3.96-92.58, P< 0.01), corticosteroid administration (HR = 4.00, 95% CI = 1.76-9.11, P< 0.01), and previous joint surgery (HR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.01-3.93, P = 0.048) correlated with the progression to severe'' instability in 143 cases and also in 223 cases (HR = 8.12, 95% CI = 2.22-29.64, P< 0.01; HR = 3.31, 95% CI = 1.68-6.53, P< 0.01; and HR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.16-3.69, P = 0.014, respectively). Conclusion. Established mutilating changes, concomitant corticosteroid treatment, and previous joint surgery are relatively robust indicators for a poor prognosis of the cervical spine in patients with RA, based on the consistency in more than 10-year analysis of two different settings.
This paper presents a neural network-based vision inspection system interfaced with a robot to detect and report IC lead defects on-line. The vision system consists of custom software that contains a neural network database for each of the ICs to be inspected on a PCB. The vision system uses gray scale images and a single layer neural network with three outputs based on defect criteria. Each IC has a different inspection area, thus, the input vector varies for each of the ICs. The IC networks were trained with Matlab's Bayesian regularization module. Performance of each of the networks investigated was found to be 100%, based on the defect criteria. This system has been implemented and tested on several electronic products using ProE, C++ and OpenGL software platforms [R. Balderas, S. Bose, Automated robotic inspection system for electronic manufacturing, MSE Thesis, Manufacturing Engineering Department, UT-Pan American, 2002; A.I. Edinbarough. J. Amieva, Experimental study on the robotics vision inspection of electronic components, BS Thesis, Engineering Technology Department, UT-Brownsville, 2002]. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This manuscript presents a method to model in detail the piezoelectric traveling wave rotary ultrasonic motor (PTRUSM) stator response under the action of DC and AC voltages. The stator is modeled with a discrete two dimensional system of equations using the finite volume method (FVM). In order to obtain accurate results, a model of the stator bridge is included into the stator model. The model of the stator under the action of DC voltage is presented first, and the results of the model are compared versus a similar model using the commercial finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics. One can observe that there is a difference of less than 5% between the displacements of the stator using the proposed model and the one with COMSOL Multiphysics. After that, the model of the stator under the action of AC voltages is presented. The time domain analysis shows the generation of the traveling wave in the stator surface. One can use this model to accurately calculate the stator surface velocities, elliptical motion of the stator surface and the amplitude and shape of the stator traveling wave. A system of equations discretized with the finite volume method can easily be transformed into electrical circuits, because of that, FVM may be a better choice to develop a model-based control strategy for the PTRUSM. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Clarification of how Alcoholics Anonymous ( AA) participation generates change informs our broader knowledge of recovery processes and offers improved understanding of what common factors underlie the ostensibly religio- spiritual program of AA. These insights can counter misunderstanding or confusion that impedes the adoption of freely available AA resources in communities and societies where alcohol- related disease burden is high.
The American educational system currently yields disappointing levels of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) engagement and achievement among students. One way to remedy this may be to increase children's motivation in STEM from an early age. This study examined whether a social cue-being part of an experimental minimal group-increases STEM engagement in preschoolers (N = 141; 4.5-year-olds). Using a within-subjects design, participants were assigned to a group and an individual condition (counterbalanced for order) before they worked on a math task and a spatial task. Children persisted longer on, placed more pieces correctly, reported higher self-efficacy, and were more interested in the group STEM task than the individual STEM task. In addition, we conducted a continuously cumulating meta-analysis (CCMA) to combine the results of the current experiment with two previous experiments. These findings suggest that incorporating nonacademic social factors, such as group membership, into current STEM curricula could be an effective way to boost young children's STEM motivation.
The excellent features of bearing vibration signal are helpful to obtain accurate diagnosis results for the failure of bearing. In this study, the feature extraction method of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-phase space reconstruction-singular value decomposition (WPS) is presented to improve the traditional feature extraction method of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-singular value decomposition (WS). In the proposed feature extraction method, singular value decomposition is performed for phase space reconstruction signal of each wavelet packet coefficient's reconstructed signal of bearing vibration signal. The dynamic characteristics of a certain frequency range can be reflected by phase space reconstruction for wavelet packet coefficients' reconstructed signals of bearing vibration signal. Support vector machine (SVM) is a machine learning method based on structural risk minimization principle, and SVM classifier can solve the classification problems with small training samples, high dimensions, and nonlinearity. Thus, the SVM model of bearing is established by the features of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-phase space reconstruction-singular value decomposition in this study. The experimental results show that the feature extraction method of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-phase space reconstruction-singular value decomposition is better than the feature extraction method of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-singular value decomposition, and SVM established by the features of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-phase space reconstruction-singular value decomposition (WPS-SVM) has a stronger fault diagnosis ability of bearing than SVM established by the features of bearing vibration signal based on wavelet packet transform-singular value decomposition (WS-SVM).
The abilities of tumor cells to invade and metastasize are frequent causes of death of cancer patients. Studying the mechanisms of cell motility alterations and acquisition of enhanced metastatic potential as the result of transformation is an important aspect in current cell biology. The initial and determinant step of cell motility is the formation of active cell edge with protrusions based on the Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerization. We used three different cell systems as examples of different models of tumor transformation to study the alteration and redistribution of protrusive activity caused by transformation in fibroblasts. We analyzed relationships between detected alterations and the acquisition of increased invasive potential by cells. Active edge of untransformed fibroblasts occupies about 50% of the cell perimeter and is concentrated at the cell front. There are well pronounced stable regions at the lateral cell edges. Tumor transformation causes redistribution of protrusive activity of fibroblasts irrespective of their origin and the nature of transforming agents. The length of active edges significantly increases, up to 92% of the total perimeter in fibrosarcoma cells of tumor origin. These cells have practically no stable edges. The intensity of protrusive activity of transformed cells is also increased. Single transformed cells show a decrease in the directionality and rate of migration on 2D substrate without special stimulation. Instead, they gain the capacity to migrate in 3D and to invade matrigel. These abilities increase in parallel with the intensification of edge activity. We showed that invasive abilities are not associated with the activation of matrix metalloproteinases in the studied cell systems. Our data demonstrate that the increase of length of active edge could be considered as an additional feature of cell transformation together with the reduction of stress fiber and focal adhesions and that the excessive protrusive activity results in the development of explorative migration of tumor cells.
The electromagnetic structure of the phase-shift autotransformer (PSAT) is introduced. The operation of the PSAT in connection with a double 3-steps rectifier is discussed. The algorithm for deduction of the main design quantities of such machine is described. The circuit model of the PSAT is arrived at; the circuit analysis allows deducing the quantities from which the machine design can be performed and that are the inputs for the thermal analysis. The results of as thermal analysis on a machine designed and built by the Authors are shown.
The molecular basis for control of the cytoskeleton by the Arf GTPase-activating protein AGAP1 has not been characterized. AGAP1 is composed of G-protein-like (GLD), pleckstrin homology (PH), Arf GAP, and ankyrin repeat domains. Kif2A was identified in screens for proteins that bind to AGAP1. The GLD and PH domains of AGAP1 bound the motor domain of Kif2A. Kif2A increased GAP activity of AGAP1, and a protein composed of the GLD and PH domains of AGAP1 increased ATPase activity of Kif2A. Knockdown (KD) of Kif2A or AGAP1 slowed cell migration and accelerated cell spreading. The effect of Kif2A KD on spreading could be rescued by expression of Kif2A-GFP or FLAG-AGAP1, but not by Kif2C-GFP. The effect of AGAP1 KD could be rescued by FLAG-AGAP1, but not by an AGAP1 mutant that did not bind Kif2A efficiently, ArfGAP1-HA or Kif2A-GFP. Taken together, the results support the hypothesis that the Kif2AAGAP1 complex contributes to control of cytoskeleton remodeling involved in cell movement.
In this study we provide a computerized graph structure for synthesizing and displaying the data on a region's ecosystem-economic system. By applying Mathematica-based graph modeling we create a causal network of the synergistic impact mechanism among certain climate related factors. Our computational approach identifies a climate factor that affects most immediately or most strongly the others. Important factors are indicated through the use of graph theoretical tools. Our graph-based approach and its computational aspects allow for factor ranking(s) according to their importance to the network both numerically and visually, for certain settlement types. Our contribution provides quantitative estimates of impacts and adaptation potentials of five potential effects of climate change ( migration, flooding-landslides-fire, air and water pollution, human health and energy-water-other resources) which play a substantial role at the synergistic impact mechanism. By using graph visualization techniques, the structure of the synergistic impact mechanism is selfevident. Specifically, graph layouts are created to detect i) the causal relationships of the synergistic mechanism under study ii) the most influential factor(s) in the synergistic mechanism and iii) classify the factor's roles (based on the degree of their impact) within the coping mechanism. Highlighting graph elements let information for policy implications stand out. (C) 2017 Economic Society of Australia, Queensland. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved
In order to obtain an ideal material using for artificial corneal skirt, a porous polymer hydrogel containing 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and butyl acrylate was prepared through one-step radical polymerization method and the usage of CaCO3 whisker as porogen. The physical-chemical properties of the fabricated polymer hydrogel can be adjusted by CaCO3 whisker content, such as pore size, porosity, water content of materials and surface topography. Then a series of cell biology experiments of human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs) were carried out to evaluate its properties as an artificial corneal skirt, such as the adhesion of cells on the materials with different pore size and porosity, the apoptosis on materials with different characteristics, the distribution of the cells on the material surface. The results revealed that high porosity not only could improve water content of hydrogel, but also strengthen the adhesion of HCFs on hydrogel. In addition, high porosity hydrogel with the whisker shape of pores showed much elongate spindle-like morphology than those low porosity hydrogels. MTT assay certified that the resulted polymer hydrogel material possessed excellent biocompatibility and was suitable for HCFs growing, making it promising for being developed as artificial corneal skirt. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Controlling groundwater is always of great concern for tunnel management. A tunnel drainage system may not function properly due to insufficient drain capacity, or because drains become clogged with sediment such as calcium carbonate. In this study, various types of geocomposites were investigated in a laboratory to evaluate their filtration and discharge capacity characteristics for their potential use in tunnels. The drain capacity of the geocomposites was then compared with that of a needle-punched non-woven geotextile, currently used as a drain layer material in tunnels. Based on the results of discharge capacity tests performed on four types of geocomposites found to meet the filtration requirements, the presence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in water was found to result in a decrease of approximately 30% of maximum discharge capacity under a confining pressure of 100 kPa. Also, the maximum reduction observed in the discharge capacity was approximately 65% as the confining pressure increased from 50 to 400 kPa. The comparison between the geocomposites and the non-woven needle-punched geotextiles, however, revealed that the geocomposites have a significantly larger discharge capacity than that of non-woven needle-punched geotextiles with similar thickness (i.e., an approximate average of 25 times larger). Moreover, the discharge capacity of the geocomposites is relatively less affected by CaCO3 and confining pressure compared with the non-woven needle-punched geotextile. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hyperspectral anomaly detection (AD) is an important problem in remote sensing field. It can make full use of the spectral differences to discover certain potential interesting regions without any target priors. Traditional Mahalanobis-distance-based anomaly detectors assume the background spectrum distribution conforms to a Gaussian distribution. However, this and other similar distributions may not be satisfied for the real hyperspectral images. Moreover, the background statistics are susceptible to contamination of anomaly targets which will lead to a high false-positive rate. To address these intrinsic problems, this paper proposes a novel AD method based on the graph theory. We first construct a vertex- and edge-weighted graph and then utilize a pixel selection process to locate the anomaly targets. Two contributions are claimed in this paper: 1) no background distributions are required which makes the method more adaptive and 2) both the vertex and edge weights are considered which enables a more accurate detection performance and better robustness to noise. Intensive experiments on the simulated and real hyperspectral images demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other benchmark competitors. In addition, the robustness of the proposed method has been validated by using various window sizes. This experimental result also demonstrates the valuable characteristic of less computational complexity and less parameter tuning for real applications.
Ambient intelligence environments are technologically augmented surroundings that aim to provide personalized services to the users based on their context. Identifying these services for the users has become an increasingly challenging task. The overwhelming number of services in the ambient environment has made the selection and management of services even more challenging. To address this problem, researchers have proposed several techniques, such as creating a user model and selecting services based on that model; applying rule-based approach to match the relevant services; utilizing a combination of user's profile, context, interaction history and service reputation to select the best services for the user, and so on. Most of these techniques obtain the preference of a user based on his/her own interaction and profile and do not consider the power of collaborative selection approach. In this paper, we propose to use the collaborative recommendation technique to select services for a user based on multiple users' interactions and profile. Accordingly, we demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach through preliminary experiment.
As networking has become major innovation driver for the Internet of Things as well as Networks on Chips, the need for effective cryptography in hardware is on a steep rise. Both cost and overall system security are the main challenges in many application scenarios, rather than high throughput. In this work we present area-optimized implementations of the lightweight block cipher SIMON. All presented cores are protected against side channel attacks using threshold implementation, which applies secret sharing of different orders to prevent exploitable leakages. Implementation results show that, on FPGAs, the higher-order protected SIMON core can be smaller than an unprotected AES core at the same security level against classic cryptanalysis. Also, the proposed secure cores consume less than 30 percent the power of any unprotected AES. Security of the proposed cores is validated by provable arguments as well as practical t-test based leakage detection methods. In fact, we show that the first-order protected SIMON core does not have first-order leakage and is secure up to 10 million observations against higher-order attacks. The second-order secure implementation could not be exploited at all with up to 100 million observations.
Process plants are designed and constructed by engineering, procurement, and construction companies, which order various types of equipment to be installed in them. Equipment manufacturers design and produce the ordered equipment, and deliver it to the customer. Therefore, equipment information sharing between them is an important issue for engineering collaboration in a plant project. However, they use different three-dimensional computer-aided design systems for different purposes. For this reason, additional three-dimensional computer-aided design and data merging techniques are required for equipment information sharing. This article presents a new approach to share equipment information using three-dimensional computer-aided design simplification and digital catalog techniques. In this approach, the equipment's three-dimensional computer-aided design data generated by a manufacturer are first simplified and then converted into neutral three-dimensional computer-aided design. The converted three-dimensional computer-aided design data are merged with port and specification data into a digital catalog. Equipment information in the form of this digital catalog is finally delivered to the engineering, procurement, and construction companies.
Fregoli delusion is the mistaken belief that some person currently present in the deluded person's environment (typically a stranger) is a familiar person in disguise. The stranger is believed to be psychologically identical to this known person (who is not present) even though the deluded person perceives the physical appearance of the stranger as being different from the known person's typical appearance. To gain a deeper understanding of this contradictory error in the normal system for tracking and identifying known persons, we conducted a detailed survey of all the Fregoli cases reported in the literature since the seminal Courbon and Fail (1927) paper. Our preliminary reading of these cases revealed a notable lack of definitional clarity. So, we first formulated a classification scheme of different person misidentification delusions so as to identify those cases that qualified as instances of Fregoli according to the above characterization: the mistaken belief that a known person is present in the environment in a different guise to his or her typical appearance. We identified 38 clear cases of this type and set out to answer a series of questions motivated by current hypotheses about the origin of the Fregoli delusion. We asked whether the patients misidentified particular strangers, made reference to the misidentified known persons using wigs or plastic surgery (or other techniques to disguise their appearance), misidentified many different strangers or only one, showed other symptoms (in particular, other misidentification delusions), and made inferences about the motives of the known persons in disguise. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for current hypotheses concerning the origin of the Fregoli delusion.
Event-triggered control aims at reducing the resource utilization, especially the communication over the feedback link, while guaranteeing a certain control performance. Although setpoint tracking problems are common in practice, the majority of the proposed approaches in literature focus on regulation problems. Therefore, an event-triggered PI control design strategy with guaranteed performance is proposed in this paper, where both the event-triggering condition and the PI controller are implemented periodically. Based on a quadratic cost function, the PI control design problem is introduced and formulated as an LMI optimization problem. Comparisons with other approaches in the literature are made by simulation and by experimental studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
A male neonate presented with CHARGE syndrome, a multiorgan genetic disorder involving the Coloboma of the eyes, congenital Heart defects, nasal choanal Atresia, growth and development Retardation, Genitourinary disorders, and Ear anomalies and deafness. Moreover, he had a rare case of vascular ring-consisting of a right aortic arch with retroesophageal brachiocephalic artery-combined with coarctation of the mid-aortic arch. He underwent both vascular ring and aortic arch repair at our institution. To our knowledge, this is the 4th documented case of this exceedingly rare type of aortic arch anomaly combined with aortic arch obstruction. Moreover, it is the first confirmed case of these combined disorders occurring in CHARGE syndrome. This report describes a truly rare case and reveals the limitations of echocardiography in detecting complex aortic arch anomalies while illustrating the benefits of advanced imaging prior to surgical intervention.
Understanding the significance of efficiency improvement in an electric vehicle drivetrain system and the prospects of multi-phase electric motors, this paper discuses research findings elicited through a comparative performance analysis performed on commercially available in-vehicle conventional three-phase permanent magnet motor and modified dual stator winding permanent magnet motor derived from the conventional three-phase machine. Various electrical losses in both the machines have been estimated and compared through developed mathematical approach using analytical equations. The study performed here is exclusive to estimate the electrical losses in a multi-phase permanent magnet machine and provide decision points on various structural design indices of the machine before venturing into the FEA based machine design and assessment.
Agents and agent systems are becoming more and more important in the development of a variety of fields such as ubiquitous computing, ambient intelligence, autonomous computing, intelligent systems and intelligent robotics. In this paper, we analyze how agent technology is presented in mathematical models of computation demonstrating how these models are used in the novel distributed intelligent managed element (DIME) network architecture (DNA), which extends the conventional computational model of information processing networks, allowing improvement of the efficiency and resiliency of computational processes.
Regression analysis is a machine learning approach that aims to accurately predict the value of continuous output variables from certain independent input variables, via automatic estimation of their latent relationship from data. Tree-based regression models are popular in literature due to their flexibility to model higher order non-linearity and great interpretability. Conventionally, regression tree models are trained in a two-stage procedure, i.e. recursive binary partitioning is employed to produce a tree structure, followed by a pruning process of removing insignificant leaves, with the possibility of assigning multivariate functions to terminal leaves to improve generalisation. This work introduces a novel methodology of node partitioning which, in a single optimisation model, simultaneously performs the two tasks of identifying the break-point of a binary split and assignment of multivariate functions to either leaf, thus leading to an efficient regression tree model. Using six real world benchmark problems, we demonstrate that the proposed method consistently outperforms a number of state-of-the-art regression tree models and methods based on other techniques, with an average improvement of 7-60% on the mean absolute errors (MAE) of the predictions. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Aluminum/graphite (Al/Gr) composites have been used as self-lubricating materials due to the superior lubricating effect of graphite during sliding. This paper summarizes various tribological aspects of self-lubricating aluminum composites. The influence of various factors such as (a) material factors, graphite size and volume fraction, and (b) mechanical factors, applied load and sliding speed on the tribological properties of self-lubricating aluminum composites, is discussed. Furthermore, the tribological properties of self-lubricating composites as a function of these parameters and the active wear mechanism involved in various systems are discussed. Bringing self-lubricating composites into different operating systems is a solution to reduce the use of external toxic petroleum-based lubricants in sliding contacts in a way to help the environment and reduce energy dissipation in industrial components for strategies toward sustainability and energy efficiency.
Previous thermohydraulic studies performed for the ITER TF, CS and PF magnet systems have brought some important information on the detection and consequences of a quench as a function of the initial conditions (deposited energy, heated length). Even if the temperature margin of the Correction Coils is high, their behavior during a quench should also be studied since a quench is likely to be triggered by potential anomalies in joints, ground fault on the instrumentation wires, etc. A model has been developed with the SuperMagnet Code (Bagnasco et al., 2010) for a Side Correction Coil (SCC2) with four pancakes cooled in parallel, each of them represented by a Thea module (with the proper Cable In Conduit Conductor characteristics). All the other coils of the PF cooling loop are hydraulically connected in parallel (top/bottom correction coils and six Poloidal Field Coils) are modeled by Flower modules with equivalent hydraulics properties. The model and the analysis results are presented for five quench initiation cases with/without fast discharge: two quenches initiated by a heat input to the innermost turn of one pancake (case 1 and case 2) and two other quenches initiated at the innermost turns of four pancakes (case 3 and case 4). In the 5th case, the quench is initiated at the middle turn of one pancake. The impact on the cooling circuit, e.g. the exceedance of the opening pressure of the quench relief valves, is detailed in case of an undetected quench (i.e. no discharge of the magnet). Particular attention is also paid to a possible secondary quench detection system based on measured thermohydraulic signals (pressure, temperature and/or helium mass flow rate). The maximum cable temperature achieved in case of a fast current discharge (primary detection by voltage) is compared to the design hot spot criterion of 150 K, which includes the contribution of helium and jacket. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recently, Yang and Hwang [Int. J. Theor. Phys. 53, 224 (2014)] demonstrated that the scheme to share information via employing discrete algorithm to quantum states presented by Kang and Fang [Commun. Theor. Phys. 55, 239 (2011)] suffers from a major vulnerability allowing an eavesdropper to perform a measurement and resend attack. By introducing an additional checking state framework, the authors have proposed an improved protocol to overcome this weakness. This work calls into question the invoked vulnerability in order to clarify a misinterpretation in the same protocol stages also introduce a possible leakage information strategy, known as a faked state attack, despite the proposed improvement, which means that the same security problem may persist. Finally, an upgrading technic was introduced in order to enhance the security transmission.
Having access to the right information at the right time has been, and remains a pervasive problem during operations and maintenance (O&M) and thus hinders an asset owner's ability to ensure their facilities performance are being optimized. Typically, asset managers are often confronted with 'As-built' documentation that is prepared using Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) and is often incomplete, erroneous and/or redundant, which adversely impacts an asset's integrity and productivity during O&M. With this mind, the quality of information contained within 'As-Built' electrical documentation for an 'Underground Railway Station' is evaluated by quantifying the errors and omissions contained within them. The cost to document information using CAD compared to the development of a System Information Model (SIM) is determined. A retrospective SIM is constructed and a bi-directional link with a three dimensional (3D) model is established to ensure the integrity of the information required for O&M. The use of a SIM instead of CAD can provide engineers with a new medium and process for preparing the design and documentation of electrical systems as it provides them with an ability to obtain significant productivity and cost benefits. The empirical research presented in this paper provides the impetus for future research in the fertile and unexplored area of Digital Asset Management for infrastructure projects. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An increasing body of evidence indicates the relevance of microbiota for pulmonary health and disease. Independent investigations recently demonstrated that the lung harbors a resident microbiota. Therefore, it is intriguing that a lung microbiota can shape pulmonary immunity and epithelial barrier functions. Here, we discuss the ways how the composition of the microbial community in the lung may influence pulmonary health and vice versa, factors that determine community composition. Prominent microbiota at other body sites such as the intestinal one may also contribute to pulmonary health and disease. However, it is difficult to discriminate between influences of lung vs. gut microbiota due to systemic mutuality between both communities. With focuses on asthma and respiratory infections, we discuss how microbiota of lung and gut can determine pulmonary immunity and barrier functions.
We explore the integration of societal issues in undergraduate training within the life sciences. Skills in thinking about science, scientific knowledge production and the place of science in society are crucial in the context of the idea of responsible research and innovation. This idea became institutionalized and it is currently well-present in the scientific agenda. Developing abilities in this regard seems particularly relevant to training in the life sciences, as new developments in this area somehow evoke the involvement of all of us citizens, our engagement to debate and take part in processes of change. The present analysis draws from the implementation of a curricular unit focused on science-society dialogue, an optional course included in the Biochemistry Degree study plan offered at the University of Porto. This curricular unit was designed to be mostly an exploratory activity for the students, enabling them to undertake in-depth study in areas/topics of their specific interest. Mapping topics from students' final papers provided a means of analysis and became a useful tool in the exploratory collaborative construction of the course. We discuss both the relevance and the opportunity of thinking and questioning the science-society dialogue. As part of undergraduate training, this pedagogical practice was deemed successful. (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):46-52, 2017.
Alterations in general intellectual ability and social cognition in schizophrenia are core features of the disorder, evident at the illness' onset and persistent throughout its course. However, previous studies examining cognitive alterations in siblings discordant for schizophrenia yielded inconsistent results. Present study aimed to investigate the nature of the association between facial emotion recognition and general IQ by applying genetically sensitive cross-trait cross-sibling design. Participants (total n=158; patients, unaffected siblings, controls) were assessed using the Benton Facial Recognition Test, the Degraded Facial Affect Recognition Task (DFAR) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III. Patients had lower IQ and altered facial emotion recognition in comparison to other groups. Healthy siblings and controls did not significantly differ in IQ and DFAR performance, but siblings exhibited intermediate angry facial expression recognition. Cross-trait within-subject analyses showed significant associations between overall DFAR performance and IQ in all participants. Within-trait cross-sibling analyses found significant associations between patients' and siblings' IQ and overall DFAR performance, suggesting their familial clustering. Finally, cross-trait cross-sibling analyses revealed familial covariation of facial emotion recognition and IQ in siblings discordant for schizophrenia, further indicating their familial etiology. Both traits are important phenotypes for genetic studies and potential early clinical markers of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper describes the development of a decision support tool for the positioning and sizing of vortex flow controls in existing sewer systems. The tool aims to prioritise the placement of vortex flow controls primarily within subcatchments with the greatest flood consequence rating and maximise the use of unused inpipe volumes during critical rainfall events. The decision support tool is intended for use in catchments where opportunities to implement SuDS and rainwater harvesting to defend against flooding are limited. The decision support tool is envisaged to identify potential strategies which could enhance flood resistance of sewer systems in a cost effective manner. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this work a design methodology for synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) is presented. The methodology is focused on maximizing the average torque but also takes into account the torque ripple. The presented methodology parameterizes the rotor in function of certain design variables which define the arrangement of the iron segments and flux barriers. The change in one of these design variables involves a change in the rotor geometry, resulting in a new machine design. The methodology is based in the systematically change of the design variables. The machine electromagnetic behavior and the performance of the motor is evaluated with finite elements models (FEM).
This article reviews research contributions in political science and communication to the topic of nonverbal communication and politics from 2005 to 2015. The review opens with research on the content of nonverbal communication, then considers studies examining what moderates the impact of nonverbal aspects of political messages on attitudes and behavior and the mechanisms that underpin these effects. Over the period reviewed here, research shows that the nonverbal channel is rich in political information and is consequential for political decision making, particularly under certain circumstances, such as in low-information conditions. Visuals affect political decisions through cognitive and emotional routes. This review article also identifies several directions where further research is required, particularly with regard to social media, nonvisual aspects of nonverbal communication, the interplay of visual and verbal arguments, and the mechanisms behind the effects of nonverbal communication.
To improve the flexibility of microbial desalination cell (MDC) construction and operation, a new configuration with decoupled anode and cathode was developed and examined in this study. A higher salt concentration resulted in higher current generation, as well as a higher salt removal rate. The effect of the distance between the anode and the cathode on the MDC performance was not obvious, likely due to a sufficient conductivity in the salt solution. Because the cathode was identified as a limiting factor, adding one more cathode unit increased the current generation from 723 to 116.0 A/m(3), while installing additional anode units did not obviously alter the MDC current production. Changing the position of the anode/cathode units exhibited a weak influence on the MDC performance. Parallel connection of electrical circuits generally produced more current than the individual connections, and a strong competition was observed between multiple units sharing the same opposite unit. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Making use of favourable local circumstances an interdisciplinary team of content-experts, educational researchers, game-designers and secondary school teachers was formed. Using a design-research approach, the team simultaneously developed and tested a serious game for the teaching off electrical circuits and effective classroom practice using it. The project comprised two rounds. In a first round, an open-inquiry teaching strategy was used and the game was observed to have a strong impact on students understanding, though not in the desired way. On the basis of this evaluation and additional expert-review, the game was redesigned. Simultaneously classroom practice was improved accordingly. An extend teacher guide was developed, supporting teachers in switching between 'free' gaming episodes in classroom and episodes of discussion and reflection. In the second round a strong impact on students' conceptual understanding of electrical circuits was observed and the students showed fewer misconceptions. Moreover students spontaneously reported that the game had helped them to understand the subject. We conclude that multi-disciplinaire collaboration was essential for this result, and that teachers played a critically role in connecting the development of the game and classroom practice. The design research approach taken greatly helped to keep the teams focus on the educational output. Accordingly, the educational expert appeared to be best positioned to play a leading role. It was also concluded that when a suitable mental model is coherently represented in the game's structure and layout (looks included), a serious game may significantly contribute to students' conceptual understanding.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has inspired solutions that are already available for addressing problems in various application scenarios, such as healthcare, security, emergency support and tourism. However, there is no clear approach to modeling these systems and envisioning their capabilities at the design time. Therefore, the process of designing these systems is ad hoc and its real impact is evaluated once the solution is already implemented, which is risky and expensive. This paper proposes a modeling approach that uses human-centric wireless sensor networks to specify and evaluate models of IoT-based systems at the time of design, avoiding the need to spend time and effort on early implementations of immature designs. It allows designers to focus on the system design, leaving the implementation decisions for a next phase. The article illustrates the usefulness of this proposal through a running example, showing the design of an IoT-based solution to support the first responses during medium-sized or large urban incidents. The case study used in the proposal evaluation is based on a real train crash. The proposed modeling approach can be used to design IoT-based systems for other application scenarios, e. g., to support security operatives or monitor chronic patients in their homes.
Previous research suggests that voting in elections is influenced by appearance-based personality inferences (e.g., whether a political candidate has a competent-looking face). However, since voters cannot objectively evaluate politicians' personality traits, it remains to be seen whether appearance-based inferences about a characteristic continue to influence voting when clear information about that characteristic is available. The authors examine the impact of appearance-based inferences for a characteristic that is well known about candidates: their political affiliation. Across two studies, the authors show that U. S. candidates facing conservative electorates benefit from looking more stereotypically Republican than their rivals (controlling for gender, ethnicity, and age). In contrast, no relationship between political facial stereotypes and voting is found for liberal electorates (using identical controls). The authors further show that this contrast between liberal and conservative electorates has more to do with individual-level differences between liberal and conservative voters than with macro-level differences between liberal and conservative states.
Inlet efficiency is a requirement for characterizing the flow transfers between surface and sewer flow during rain events. The dual drainage approach is based on the joint analysis of both upper and lower drainage levels, and the flow transfer is one of the relevant elements to define properly this joint behaviour. This paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical investigation about the inlet efficiency definition. A full scale (1: 1) test platform located in the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) reproduces both the runoff process in streets and the water entering the inlet. Data from tests performed on this platform allow the inlet efficiency to be estimated as a function of significant hydraulic and geometrical parameters. A reproduction of these tests through a numerical three-dimensional code (Flow-3D) has been carried out simulating this type of flow by solving the RANS equations. The aim of the work was to reproduce the hydraulic performance of a previously tested grated inlet under several flow and geometric conditions using Flow-3D as a virtual laboratory. This will allow inlet efficiencies to be obtained without previous experimental tests. Moreover, the 3D model allows a better understanding of the hydraulics of the flow interception and the flow patterns approaching the inlet.
In a wide spectrum of geotechnical applications, materials undergo large deformations and/ or large displacements. On modeling these problems with a Lagrangian finite element method, the mesh can become too distorted and re-meshing is essential. In the past decades, considerable efforts have been made to adopt what is called meshfree methods to mitigate the problems related to mesh distortion. One of these methods is the Material Point Method (MPM) that represents the continuum field as Lagrangian material points (particles), which can move through the fixed background of an Eulerian mesh. In this paper, the tensile membrane is modeled using the coupled FEM-MPM approach which adopts two-dimensional triangular elements for the membrane discretisation which is free to move through a three-dimensional mesh of non-structured tetrahedral elements. Apart from the membrane, the soil is treated with the classical procedure of MPM. To show the potential of the method and the presented membrane scheme, a failure of an embankment with and without geotextile has been presented in this paper. The analyses of failure mechanism and the embankment stability using undrained conditions were investigated to determine the critical embankment height and the corresponding geotextile forces. For the sake of comparison, Plaxis 2D with large deformation formulation is considered as a reference solution.
Ambient Intelligence has emerged lately as the integrating concept which includes Ubiquitous Computing, Ubiquitous Communication and Intelligent User Interfaces. The real implementation of such concepts is based on the use of new technology and innovative ways of development. Agent Oriented Software Engineering techniques and concepts have been used as a way of providing support to ubiquitous computing and communication. In addition, intelligent user interfaces require systems that provide a more efficient and rich interface with the user than the traditional ones. This paper presents a platform called MAPAS, which uses Ambient Intelligence concepts and techniques to give a fully scalable solution to a particular problem. The chosen system provides a solution, using the platform, to personalize the dissemination of events, that is, the system makes available to the user a set of events of his/her interest. This kind of systems requires a high degree of user's personalization. However nowadays, it is the user who must search the events of interest or subscribe to several different services or pages. The platform introduced in this paper takes profit of Agent Oriented technology to provide a system composed of various agents who may run in different devices, which communicate and provide a user personalized selection of events. Moreover, the system is aware of the surrounding environment, can be installed on smart devices, provides a rich and intuitive user interface and uses Augmented Reality techniques to give spatial location data about the events. Regarding the characteristics of the solution, it seems to be suitable for problems in the domain of Ambient Intelligence.
This paper describes a 63-participant user study that compares two widely known systems supporting end users in creating trigger-action rules for the Internet of Things and Ambient Intelligence scenarios. The user study is the first stage of a research agenda that concerns the implementation of a novel conceptual framework for the design and continuous evolution of 'sentient multimedia systems', namely socio-technical systems, where people and many kinds of hardware/software components (sensors, robots, smart devices, web services, etc.) interact with one another through the exchange of multimedia information, to give rise to intelligent, proactive behaviors. The conceptual framework is structured along three layers physical, inference and user - and is based on an information space of events, conditions and actions, linked together in Event-Condition-Action rules and operating according to the interconnection metaphor. The results of the user study have provided some indications for the implementation of the user layer, suggesting which could be the most suitable interaction style for rule design by a community of end users (e.g. a family) and which issues should be addressed in such a wide context.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality in Western societies, affecting about one third of the population before their seventieth year. Over the past decades modifiable risk factors of CHD have been identified, including smoking and diet. These factors when altered can have a significant impact on an individuals' risk of developing CHD, their overall health and quality of life. There is strong evidence suggesting that dietary intake of plant foods rich in fibre and polyphenolic compounds, effectively lowers the risk of developing CHD. However, the efficacy of these foods often appears to be greater than the sum of their recognised biologically active parts. Here we discuss the hypothesis that beneficial metabolic and vascular effects of dietary fibre and plant polyphenols are due to an up regulation of the colon-systemic metabolic axis by these compounds. Fibres and many polyphenols are converted into biologically active compounds by the colonic microbiota. This microbiota imparts great metabolic versatility and dynamism, with many of their reductive or hydrolytic activities appearing complementary to oxidative or conjugative human metabolism. Understanding these microbial activities is central to determining the role of different dietary components in preventing or beneficially impacting on the impaired lipid metabolism and vascular dysfunction that typifies CHD and type 11 diabetes. This approach lays the foundation for rational selection of health promoting foods, rational target driven design of functional foods, and provides an essential thus-far, overlooked, dynamic to our understanding of how foods recognised as healthy impact on the human metabonome.
Ependymomas represent 10% of pediatric brain tumors. In the recent WHO 2016 classification, pathology is enriched by localization and molecular biology. Whatever the age, total removal by one or several looks when required remains a major prognostic factor. In children, focal radiation remains a standard, while the role of chemotherapy is matter of randomized studies. In infants, front line chemotherapy is the standard. Inclusion in the SIOP ependymoma II protocol is encouraged. In case of relapse, further surgery and radiation are advised, while inclusion in innovative trials including re-irradiation, and phase I-II should be encouraged. A better understanding of underlying mechanisms of ependymoma cell will provide in the close future, the key to use targeted therapies at time of relapse, and very soon as first line therapy for some subgroups of patients.
This paper presents a numerical approximation technique for the Boltzmann equation based on a moment-system approximation in velocity dependence and a discontinuous Galerkin finite-element approximation in position dependence. The closure relation for the moment systems derives from minimization of a suitable go-divergence. This divergence-based closure yields a hierarchy of tractable symmetric hyperbolic moment systems that retain the fundamental structural properties of the Boltzmann equation. The approximation in position dependence is based on the discontinuous Galerkin finite-element method. The resulting combined discontinuous Galerkin moment method corresponds to a Galerkin approximation of the Boltzmann equation in renormalized form. The new moment-closure formulation engenders a new upwind numerical flux function, based on half-space integrals of the approximate distribution. We establish that the proposed upwind flux ensures entropy dissipation of the discontinuous Galerkin finite element approximation. Numerical results are presented for a one-dimensional test case. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Alternating flows in the ground have a detrimental effect on the internal stability of the ground at the bottom of bodies of water, at offshore structures, coastal protection structures, and revetments. A test apparatus for alternating flow was constructed for the purpose of investigating various problems relating to alternating flow in the ground. It was used to conduct investigations into the stability of granular filters for offshore wind turbines subjected to high levels of alternating hydraulic loads. The design criteria for granular filters subjected to oscillating loads must be considerably more stringent than those for granular filters subjected to unidirectional flow. It was also possible to demonstrate that the hydraulic loads due to waves have a significant effect on the filter stability in the area relevant for offshore structures.
The present research uses a Social Relations Model approach to focus on individual differences in perceptual confidence - a person's confidence in her or his impressions of others. Across two samples of group interactions, we found that the majority of variance in perceptual confidence was explained by individual differences in how people tended to perceive others (i.e., perceiver effects). A smaller percentage of variance was explained by differences in how people tended to be perceived by others (i.e., target effects). Both these individual differences were stable over time, were related to relevant personality measures, and group outcomes. Together, these results demonstrate that although perceptual confidence may not be substantially related to accuracy, it exists as a stable individual difference dimension that has important consequences for social interactions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
It is well established that low-level visual features affect person categorization in a bottom-up fashion. Few studies have examined top-down influences, however, and have largely focused on how information recalled from memory or from motivation influences categorization. Here, we investigated how race categorizations are affected by the context in which targets are perceived by manipulating semantic information associated with the faces being categorized. We found that presenting faces that systematically varied in racial ambiguity with race-congruent (vs. incongruent) semantic labels shifted the threshold at which perceivers distinguished between racial groups. The semantic information offered by the labels therefore appeared to influence the categorization of race. These findings suggest that semantic information creates a context for the interpretation of perceptual cues during social categorization, highlighting an active role of top-down information in race perception.
This article focuses on the cultural meaning of art mediated intra and interpersonal touch and space (AMITS) phenomena amongst a group of Korean, female, graduate students (n = 22). In a workshop, each student created and shared a personalized Attachment-Based Cloth album. While sharing their albums, the participants' cultural based AMITS behaviors included frequent reaching out to, touching, and manipulating their partner's album. Analyses of a survey suggested that AMITS themes were respect, care, and support, the degree of which was mediated by familiarity. Engaging with AMITS also facilitated the expression of autobiographical memories and interpersonal relationships, communication of respect, and could replace some of the functions of physical touch. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, the self-heating and mutual thermal coupling in a state-of-the-art SiGe:C multi-finger heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) was investigated in static dc operation conditions. Multi-finger HBT structure was created using Sentaurus structure editor with dimensions similar to the layout of SiGe:C multi-finger HBTs in ST-Microelectronics BiCMOS55 (B55) technology (f (T) >300 GHz, f (max) >400 GHz) as per ST's BiCMOS55 process design kit guidelines. Three-dimensional thermal technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulations were carried out to obtain the temperature distribution in static dc operation. The lattice temperature (T (Lattice)) and heat flux (F (Heat)) distribution inside the device were studied. The impact of back-end-of-line (BEOL) layers on static thermal behavior of the state-of-the-art SiGe:C multi finger HBTs was also investigated. The temperature dependent thermal resistance of different fingers of the trench isolated SiGe multi-finger HBT was extracted without and with back-end-of-line (BEOL) effect. An electro-thermal dc compact model of self-heating and mutual thermal coupling in multi-finger HBTs was proposed and applied to compare the modeling results with the TCAD simulation results. Very good agreement was achieved between results obtained from TCAD simulation and those obtained from compact model-based simulation.
This analytical study examined the importance of nonverbal communication in law enforcement work. In many encounters between police and citizens, the primary focus is always on suspects'/citizens' verbal statements, rather than on how and what their body is conveying while telling the story. This study argues for an integrated approach in which the police officers need to realise that they, too, are communicating nonverbally with suspects. This study reveals that nonverbal communication, also known as body language, proxemic, and kinesics behavior, in many cases tends to constitute a much larger fraction of the police communication model than verbal communication, which should help officers to establish authority and dominance and ensure their safety. Nonverbal communication is not something added onto criminal justice, but rather it is the essence of criminal justice. This results suggest that nonverbal communication is the foundation of a successful relationship/encounter between criminal justice personnel and suspects or criminals, as well as being a powerful method that cannot be feigned.
Research suggests that benefiting from someone's voluntary, intentional, costly effort encourages reciprocal prosocial behavior, as well as promoting upstream reciprocity, that is, increases reciprocal actions by the recipient for the benefit of an unrelated third party. The current study examines the role of the identifiability of the benefactor in determining the extent to which people engage in direct and upstream reciprocity. Results of three studies reveal that while an identified benefactor tends to engender greater direct reciprocal reactions than an unidentified one, this strong reaction toward the identified benefactor does not hold to the same extent when upstream reciprocity is considered (regardless of identification of the third party). On the other hand, when the benefactor is unidentified, levels of direct and upstream reciprocity remain similar. Moderated-mediation analysis suggests that ethical commitment associated with the universal norm of reciprocity explains the decrease in prosociality between reactions toward the benefactor himself or herself and toward a third party under the identified condition. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The commonly adopted method of dumping dredge spoil at sea using split-hull barges leads to considerable sediment loss to the water column and a subsequent dispersion of fine material that can pose a risk to sensitive downstream habitats such as coral reefs. Containing sediment loads using stitched closed geotextile bags is practiced for minimizing loss of contaminated sediment, but is expensive in terms of operational efficiency. Following promising observations from initial laboratory trials, the plunging of partially shielded sediment loads, released on open sea, was studied. The partial shielding was achieved with rigid, open containers as well as flexible, open bags. The loss of sediment from these modes of shielding was measured, and it was observed that even limited and unstitched shielding can be effective in debilitating the entrainment of water into the descending load. In particular, long-sleeved flexible bags practically self-eliminated the exposure of the load and thus losses. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An inverse problem for the wave equation outside an obstacle with a dissipative boundary condition is considered. The observed data are given by a single solution of the wave equation generated by an initial data supported on an open ball. An explicit analytical formula for the computation of the coefficient at a point on the surface of the obstacle, which is nearest to the center of the support of the initial data, is given. Copyright (C) 2016 JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.
Non-salient permanent magnet machines are considered poor candidates for flux weakening operations due to their inherent low-inductance characteristics. In this paper, a two-pole 24-slot non-salient PM machine design is proposed that can utilize a winding switching technique to achieve wide speed range operation. A very wide speed range operation (from 3 to 1 ratio to as much as 13 to 1) is demonstrated. This is accomplished by simply rearranging the winding coils on the stator periphery. Moreover, a control strategy is proposed that not only utilizes the flux weakening using winding switching, but also flux weakening using a negative d-axis current to maximize the speed range of the machine. The machine is operated with two inverters to control the current in the machine winding over the entire speed range. A dq model for the machine is also presented. Analytical, simulated, and experimental results are provided to validate the proposed machine drive system.
The goal of this paper is to propose a novel concept of permanent magnet machine with integrated airfoil-shaped rotor that can perform compression action. Electrically driven conventional compressor systems need electric machines as prime movers to provide mechanical energy to rotate the compressor. The proposed novel integrated permanent magnet machine system synthesizes both an electric machine and an axial-flow compressor into a single device to convert electrical power to mechanical rotational power of the rotor, which simultaneously compresses the gas. This novel integrated design simplifies the compressor system by eliminating the connection between the electric machine and compressor. Weight, volume, and cost savings are expected. The feasibility of the proposed concept is demonstrated by combining the principle knowledge in electric machine design and compressor design. The operating principles of this novel integrated machine are described in the paper. Analytical design methods are used to study the proposed integrated machine and compressor. Possible topology variations of the proposed concept are discussed.
Existing computational pipelines for quantitative analysis of high-content microscopy data rely on traditional machine learning approaches that fail to accurately classify more than a single dataset without substantial tuning and training, requiring extensive analysis. Here, we demonstrate that the application of deep learning to biological image data can overcome the pitfalls associated with conventional machine learning classifiers. Using a deep convolutional neural network (DeepLoc) to analyze yeast cell images, we show improved performance over traditional approaches in the automated classification of protein subcellular localization. We also demonstrate the ability of DeepLoc to classify highly divergent image sets, including images of pheromone-arrested cells with abnormal cellular morphology, as well as images generated in different genetic backgrounds and in different laboratories. We offer an open-source implementation that enables updating DeepLoc on new microscopy datasets. This study highlights deep learning as an important tool for the expedited analysis of high-content microscopy data.
Expected population growth will result in increasing water demand. The consequences could potentially jeopardise water resource availability especially in urban areas and significantly increase costs. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems can aid not only in meeting water demand partially, but also doing so in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner than other techniques. Although the reduction of environmental burdens is fairly obvious, the question for urban planners and consumers remains: are RWH systems economically feasible? This paper investigates cost-effectiveness of eight different scenarios in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. To do so, monetary investment is quantified to provide rainwater for laundry purposes. Results indicate that high density scenarios are financially the most suitable choices (higher net present value and shorter payback time) given that: more users mean more savings from laundry additive consumption. Further studies should consider which are the variables that have a greater effect on the financial appraisal. Similar to inflation rate, specific attention should be paid to the costs associated with the storage tank location. Included on the savings side should be the no tap water consumption effect on the water bill, along with special attention to tap water prices in the area of study.
Even though Ibuprofen is one of the most studied pharmaceutical in the aquatic environment, there is still a lack of information about its fate and the generation of different transformation products along wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Ibuprofen biotransformation products can be generated by human metabolism or by microorganisms present in WWTPs and in natural waters, soils, and sediments, which increase the probability to find them in environment. In this work, the presence of ibuprofen and its main metabolites: ibuprofen carboxylic acid (CBX IBU), 2-hydroxylated ibuprofen (2-OH IBU) and 1-hydroxylated ibuprofen (1-OH IBU), was monitored quantitatively along the biodegradation processes occurring in different batch activated sludge (BAS) experiments under different working conditions. Total ibuprofen removal, achieved in almost all the experiments, was related in part to the formation of the metabolites mentioned. Another ibuprofen metabolite, 1,2-dihydroxy ibuprofen, was detected in BAS experiments for the first time. The metabolites 2-OH IBU and 1-OH IBU remained in solution at the end of ibuprofen biodegradation experiments whereas CBX IBU disappeared faster than hydroxylated metabolites. In addition, also the biodegradation of 1-OH IBU, 2-OH IBU and CBX IBU was evaluated in batch experiments: CBX IBU removal occurred at the highest rate followed by IBU, 2-OH IBU, and 1-OH IBU, which exhibited the lowest removal rate. Finally, Ibuprofen and ibuprofen metabolites were monitored in sewage and natural water samples, where they were found at higher levels than expected: the maximum concentration in influent wastewater samples were 13.74, 5.8, 38.4, 94.0 mu g/L for IBU, 1-OH IBU, CBX IBU and 2-OH IBU respectively: whereas maximum levels in effluent wastewater samples were 1.9, 1.4, 10.7, 5.9 mu g/L for IBU, 1-OH IBU, CBX IBU and 2-OH IBU respectively. High levels of the compounds were also found in river samples, in particular for CBX IBU, which was detected up to 3.9 mu g/L. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hill is a classical cipher which is generally believed to be resistant against ciphertext-only attack. In this paper, by using a divide-and-conquer technique, it is first shown that Hill with d x d key matrix over Z(26) can be broken with computational complexity of O (d26(d)), for the English language. This is much less than the only publicly known attack, i.e., the brute-force with complexity of O (d(3)26(d2)). Then by using the Chinese Remainder Theorem, it is shown that the computational complexity of the proposed attack can be reduced down to O (d13(d)). Using an information-theoretic approach, it is shown that the minimum ciphertext length required for a successful attack increases by a factor of about 7 and 9.8, respectively for these two attacks in comparison with the brute-force attack. This is the only serious attack on Hill since its invention in 1929. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
CO2 laser cutting is an advanced processing technology, which can, according to the computer-aided design graphics, cut a variety of shapes in the surfaces of many polymer sheets. This work aims to analyze the effect of laser power, scanning speed, and processing times on the surface roughness of polymethyl-methacrylate microchannels with CO2 laser LCJG-1290 cutting process. There are several experiments designed by us, and the results were analyzed by orthogonal experimental method. Finally, optimal power, scanning speed, and processing times were obtained, and in the optimal case, the arithmetical mean roughness (Ra) can reach as small as 110 nm.
The United Kingdom's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act (2013) was framed by the Government as an equality measure and, as such, those who opposed the legislation were likely to be sensitive to possible accusations of prejudice. This article examines opposition to marriage equality within the British press and explores how denials of homophobia were made. Opponents to same-sex marriage attended to commonsense notions of homophobes', either by aligning their views with categories of persons not typically considered homophobic or by distancing their views from a homophobic other. Opponents also offered a counter-accusation that it was liberal supporters of same-sex marriage who were intolerant. Parallels are drawn with discursive literature on racist discourse and it appears that despite social scientists' attempts to expand the concept of antigay prejudice, homophobia is commonly referred to in terms of irrational bigoted individuals.
The potential benefits of reinforcing the active zone behind a model sheet pile wall were studied. A series of plane strain laboratory model tests were performed on both unreinforced and reinforced active zones loaded with a rigid strip footing. Parameters including the sand relative density, reinforcement embedment depth, type of reinforcement, footing location relative to the sheet pile wall, length of reinforcement, and number of reinforcing layers were varied. The sheet pile wall deflection during loading was measured. Finite element (FE) analyses were performed on a prototype sheet pile wall to supplement the results of the model tests. A two-dimensional plane strain FE model using the computer code MAXIS was used. Close agreement between the experimental and numerical results was observed (about 4 % to 11 %). The results indicate that the inclusion of reinforcement in the active zone leads to a reduction by about 48 % to 75 % in the lateral deflection. The effectiveness of the reinforcement in decreasing the lateral deflection of the sheet pile wall is attributed to its tensile strength and type. Based on the results of the laboratory model and the numerical analyses, critical values of reinforcement parameters for maximum reinforcing effects are suggested. The results are used to development linear regression equations relating the ultimate lateral capacity of the sheet pile wall to the aforementioned parameters.
To evaluate lung function responses to short-term indoor PM1 and PM2.5 concentrations, we conducted a panel study of healthy schoolchildren aged 13-14 years. The following lung function parameters FVC, FEV1, PEF, and mid expiratory flows MEF25, MEF50, and MEF75 were measured in 141 schoolchildren of the secondary school in Wroclaw, Poland in years 2009-2010. On days when spirometry tests were conducted, simultaneously, PM1 and PM2.5 samples were collected inside the school premises. Information about differentiating factors for children including smoking parents, sex, living close to busy streets, dust, mold, and pollen allergies were collected by means of questionnaires. To account for repeated measurements, the method of generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used. The GEE models for the entire group of children revealed the adverse effects (p < 0.05) of PM1 and PM2.5. Small differences in effects estimates per interquartile range (IQR) of PM1 and PM2.5 on MEF25 (5.1 and 4.8 %), MEF50 (3.7 and 3.9 %), MEF75 (3.5 and 3.6 %) and FEV1 (1.3 and 1.0 %) imply that PM1 was likely the component of PM2.5 that might have a principal health effect on these lung function parameters. However, the reduction of FVC and PEF per IQR for PM2.5 (2.1 and 5.2 %, respectively) was higher than for PM1 (1.0 and 4.4 %, respectively). Adjustment for potential confounders did not change the unadjusted analysis.
This paper provides information on placing geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) as a lining material over coarse-grained soils in cover systems or irrigation ponds. The effects of the hydraulic head acting over the GCL and the void size of the subgrade material on deformation behavior of the GCL were analyzed by using finite element method (FEM) and a relation between the deformations and failure of the GCL was established by comparing the results with those obtained from an experimental study. Based upon these results, recommendations for the use of GCL as a barrier over coarse materials are given.
this paper designed and developed a new type of rectifier bridge machine, the equipment can efficiently in automatic mode and manual mode to complete the detection and classification of the rectifier bridge, the laser marking and the pendulum work, greatly improving the sorting efficiency of the rectifier bridge. And the mechanical structure and working principle of the equipment are expounded.
The ability to predict circulating human metabolites of a candidate drug before first-in-man studies are carried out would provide a clear advantage in drug development. A recent report demonstrated that while in vitro studies using human liver preparations reliably predict primary human metabolites in plasma, the predictability of secondary metabolites, formed by multiple reactions, was low, with total success rates of <= 65%. Here, we assess the use of chimeric mice with humanized liver as an animal model for the prediction of human metabolism in vivo. Metabolism studies with debrisoquine and (S)-warfarin demonstrated significantly higher concentrations of their primary human abundant metabolites in serum or plasma in chimeric mice than in control mice. Humanized chimeric mice were also capable of producing human-specific metabolites of several in-house compounds which were generated through more than one metabolism reaction. This model is closer to in vivo human physiology and therefore appears to have an advantage over in vitro systems in predicting complex metabolites in human plasma. However, prediction of human metabolites failed for other compounds which were highly metabolized in mice. Although requiring careful consideration of compound suitability, this model represents a potential tool for predicting human metabolites in combination with conventional in vitro systems.
Social initiations make up a core deficit for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, initiated questions during social interactions are often minimal or absent in this population. In the context of a multiple baseline design, the efficacy of using the motivational procedures of Pivotal Response Treatment to increase social question-asking for three young children with autism was assessed. Results indicated that participants initiated a greater number of targeted questions following intervention. Additionally, all children exhibited increases in initiation of untargeted questions during social interaction in novel settings. Furthermore, post intervention data revealed collateral gains in communication and adaptive behavior. Theoretical implications of incorporating motivational strategies into intervention to improve social initiations in young children with ASD are discussed.
A comprehensive radiometric characterization of raw-data format imagery acquired with the Raspberry Pi 3 and V2.1 camera module is presented. The Raspberry Pi is a high-performance single-board computer designed to educate and solve real-world problems. This small computer supports a camera module that uses a Sony IMX219 8 megapixel CMOS sensor. This paper shows that scientific and engineering-grade imagery can be produced with the Raspberry Pi 3 and its V2.1 camera module. Raw imagery is shown to be linear with exposure and gain (ISO), which is essential for scientific and engineering applications. Dark frame, noise, and exposure stability assessments along with flat fielding results, spectral response measurements, and absolute radiometric calibration results are described. This low-cost imaging sensor, when calibrated to produce scientific quality data, can be used in computer vision, biophotonics, remote sensing, astronomy, high dynamic range imaging, and security applications, to name a few. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its
Because loneliness is a subjective experience, it is often examined using self-reports. Yet, researchers have started to use other-reports to examine loneliness. As previous research suggests that discrepancies between self- and other views might have important implications for adolescents' mental health, the current study examines discrepancies in multi-informant reports on adolescents' loneliness in relation with prosocial behavior, aggression, and adolescents' parent-related loneliness. The sample consisted of 374 mother-adolescent dyads and 318 father-adolescent dyads (41.80% male, M (age) = 15.67 years, SD = 1.25). Results indicated that informants used different reference points to assess adolescents' peer-related loneliness, but were otherwise comparable. Moreover, informant discrepancies were associated with greater adolescents' reported parent-related loneliness. The current study did not provide evidence that discrepancies were related to prosocial or aggressive behavior. The current study adds to the notion that other-reports on loneliness show substantial convergence with self-reports. In addition, this study indicates that the discrepancy between other- and self-reports on loneliness holds valuable information for adolescent socio-emotional adjustment.
In the last two decades, computational hydraulics has undergone a rapid development following the advancement of data acquisition and computing technologies. Using a finite-volume Godunov-type hydrodynamic model, this work demonstrates the promise of modern high-performance computing technology to achieve real-time flood modeling at a regional scale. The software is implemented for high-performance heterogeneous computing using the OpenCL programming framework, and developed to support simulations across multiple GPUs using a domain decomposition technique and across multiple systems through an efficient implementation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard. The software is applied for a convective storm induced flood event in Newcastle upon Tyne, demonstrating high computational performance across a GPU cluster, and good agreement against crowd-sourced observations. Issues relating to data availability, complex urban topography and differences in drainage capacity affect results for a small number of areas.
Introduction: Brain structural changes in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) are poorly understood. Methods: We compared the changes in cortical thickness in the ADNI cohort during a 2-year follow-up between the NIA-AA preclinical AD stages defined by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker levels. We also analyzed the correlation between baseline CSF biomarkers and cortical atrophy rates. Results: At follow-up, stage 1 subjects showed reduced atrophy rates in medial frontal areas and precuneus compared to stage 0 subjects, whereas stage 2/3 subjects presented accelerated atrophy in medial temporal structures. Low CSF A beta(1-42) levels were associated with reduced atrophy rates in subjects with normal tau levels and high CSF tau levels with accelerated atrophy only in subjects with low A beta(1-42) levels. Discussion: Our longitudinal data confirm a biphasic trajectory of changes in brain structure in preclinical AD. These have implications in AD trials, both in patient selection and the use of MRI as a surrogate marker of efficacy. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In recent years systematic evaluation of university courses has become common in Germany. While the statistical, sociological and psychological aspects have been quite thoroughly explored, there is little linguistic research on this kind of evaluation. This paper will endeavour to present, on the basis of a >speech act model of judgement<, the fundamental problems connected to the evaluation of teaching university courses from a linguistic point of view. This is done for reasons that are explained in detail in this paper - not in the form of a strictly linguistic model, but by way of a popular scientific argumentation.
The computational study of human metabolism has been advanced with the advent of the first generic (non-tissue specific) stoichiometric model of human metabolism. In this study, we present a new algorithm for rapid reconstruction of tissue-specific genome-scale models of human metabolism. The algorithm generates a tissue-specific model from the generic human model by integrating a variety of tissue-specific molecular data sources, including literature-based knowledge, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and phenotypic data. Applying the algorithm, we constructed the first genome-scale stoichiometric model of hepatic metabolism. The model is verified using standard cross-validation procedures, and through its ability to carry out hepatic metabolic functions. The model's flux predictions correlate with flux measurements across a variety of hormonal and dietary conditions, and improve upon the predictive performance obtained using the original, generic human model (prediction accuracy of 0.67 versus 0.46). Finally, the model better predicts biomarker changes in genetic metabolic disorders than the generic human model (accuracy of 0.67 versus 0.59). The approach presented can be used to construct other human tissue-specific models, and be applied to other organisms. Molecular Systems Biology 6: 401; published online 7 September 2010; doi:10.1038/msb.2010.56
Sufficient conditions are derived for global asymptotic synchronization in a system of identical nonlinear electrical circuits coupled through linear time-invariant (LTI) electrical networks. In particular, the conditions we derive apply to settings where: i) the nonlinear circuits are composed of a parallel combination of passive LTI circuit elements and a nonlinear voltage-dependent current source with finite gain; and ii) a collection of these circuits are coupled through either uniform or homogeneous LTI electrical networks. Uniform electrical networks have identical per-unit-length impedances. Homogeneous electrical networks are characterized by having the same effective impedance between any two terminals with the others open circuited. Synchronization in these networks is guaranteed by ensuring the stability of an equivalent coordinate-transformed differential system that emphasizes signal differences. The applicability of the synchronization conditions to this broad class of networks follows from leveraging recent results on structural and spectral properties of Kron reduction-a model-reduction procedure that isolates the interactions of the nonlinear circuits in the network. The validity of the analytical results is demonstrated with simulations in networks of coupled Chua's circuits.
Mimotope mapping enables the characterization of allergen epitopes for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In the present study, a phage display peptide library was used for mimotope mapping based on the binding of antibodies against the recombinant group 5 allergen from the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f 5), an arthropod that causes indoor allergies worldwide. When three monoclonal anti-Der f 5 antibodies were used for biopanning, seven mimotopes were identified. Their common subsequence was '---[-A][-T] W[-S] H[HSFW][LM][PSKR] [TLV][AST] -[DP][-L] -'. When analyzed in combination with predicted discontinous epitopes, amino acids P2, K3, K4, H5, F11, F13, L14, R72, T77, L79, R84, T39, F40, P44, T45 and K46 were identified as key residues in conformational epitopes of Der f 5. Therefore, the seven mimotopes or modification of the key amino acids may facilitate the development of blocking antibodies or epitope-specific immunotherapies for mite allergy.
Purpose of Review This study aims to provide an update on current status of pharmacological therapies in early and advanced stages of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), as well as its late onset forms, and to discuss the need for treat to target strategies in this entity. Recent Findings Efficacy of TNF inhibitors has been assessed in randomized controlled trials in axSpA, which included patients who had non-radiographic axSpA according to the ASAS classification criteria. The role of IL17/23 pathway as a therapeutic target in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has been the focus of phase III studies of secukinumab (named MEASURE 1 and MEASURE 2) and a proof-of-concept study of ustekinumab. Potential efficacy of novel small molecules such as apremilast and tofacitinib has been explored in recent phase II trials. Summary All the trials of TNF inhibitors in non-radiographic axSpA have achieved their primary endpoints, which resulted in their approval for this indication in Europe, but not in USA. The phase III trials of secukinumab have demonstrated significant therapeutic benefit as compared to placebo, resulting in its approval as the first non-TNF biologic for the treatment of AS, both by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.
Single system image is a computing paradigm where a number of distributed computing resources are aggregated and presented via an interface that maintains the illusion of interaction with a single system. This approach encompasses decades of research using a broad variety of techniques at varying levels of abstraction, from custom hardware and distributed hypervisors to specialized operating system kernels and user-level tools. Existing classification schemes for SSI technologies are reviewed, and an updated classification scheme is proposed. A survey of implementation techniques is provided along with relevant examples. Notable deployments are examined and insights gained from hands-on experience are summarized. Issues affecting the adoption of kernel-level SSI are identified and discussed in the context of technology adoption literature. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose. An initiative to determine the effects of penicillin skin testing (PST) from an antimicrobial stewardship perspective is described. Summary. Penicillin allergy is one of the most frequently reported altergies; however, only about 10% of self-reports of penicillin allergy are accurate. Incorrect penicillin allergies are therefore a significant barrier to antimicrobial stewardship, with important clinical and economic implications, including increased antimicrobial resistance, an increased overall cost of care, increased length of stay, and, ultimately, increased mortality. As part of its antimicrobial stewardship program, a community health system launched a PST initiative in order to optimize therapy, reduce adverse events acquisition costs, and minimize development of antibiotic resistance. The PST prograit involves the use of a standardized protocol for the assessment of hypersensitivity to penicillin in patients with suspected penicillin allergy. Among 36 patients who completed the PST protocol during an eight-month period, all had a negative result; in 27 of those patients, a conversion of antimicrobial therapy to a penicillin or cephalosporin was implemented as a direct result of PST. Conclusion. In patients with a self-reported penicillin allergy, PST led to a reduction in the use of carbapenems, aztreonam, vancomycin, and other broad-spectrum agents within a health system. A decrease in drug costs was documented in a sample of patients switched to a penicillin or a cephalosporin after PST.
Osteochondral tissue has a complex graded structure where biological, physiological, and mechanical properties vary significantly over the full thickness spanning from the subchondral bone region beneath the joint surface to the hyaline cartilage region at the joint surface. This presents a significant challenge for tissue-engineered structures addressing osteochondral defects. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D bioprinters present a unique solution to this problem. The objective of this study is to use FDM-based 3D bioprinting and nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite for improved bone marrow human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) adhesion, growth, and osteochondral differentiation. FDM printing parameters can be tuned through computer aided design and computer numerical control software to manipulate scaffold geometries in ways that are beneficial to mechanical performance without hindering cellular behavior. Additionally, the ability to fine-tune 3D printed scaffolds increases further through our investment casting procedure which facilitates the inclusion of nanoparticles with biochemical factors to further elicit desired hMSC differentiation. For this study, FDM was used to print investment-casting molds innovatively designed with varied pore distribution over the full thickness of the scaffold. The mechanical and biological impacts of the varied pore distributions were compared and evaluated to determine the benefits of this physical manipulation. The results indicate that both mechanical properties and cell performance improve in the graded pore structures when compared to homogeneously distributed porous and non-porous structures. Differentiation results indicated successful osteogenic and chondrogenic manipulation in engineered scaffolds.
We assessed whether diversity in plant hydraulic traits can explain the observed diversity in plant responses to water stress in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs). The Ecosystem Demography model 2 (ED2) was updated with a trait-driven mechanistic plant hydraulic module, as well as novel drought-phenology and plant water stress schemes. Four plant functional types were parameterized on the basis of meta-analysis of plant hydraulic traits. Simulations from both the original and the updated ED2 were evaluated against 5yr of field data from a Costa Rican SDTF site and remote-sensing data over Central America. The updated model generated realistic plant hydraulic dynamics, such as leaf water potential and stem sap flow. Compared with the original ED2, predictions from our novel trait-driven model matched better with observed growth, phenology and their variations among functional groups. Most notably, the original ED2 produced unrealistically small leaf area index (LAI) and underestimated cumulative leaf litter. Both of these biases were corrected by the updated model. The updated model was also better able to simulate spatial patterns of LAI dynamics in Central America. Plant hydraulic traits are intercorrelated in SDTFs. Mechanistic incorporation of plant hydraulic traits is necessary for the simulation of spatiotemporal patterns of vegetation dynamics in SDTFs in vegetation models.
Purpose of review To review the recent work on potential mechanisms underlying a paradoxical positive association between the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) and weight gain. Recent findings Several potential mechanisms, not mutually exclusive, are hypothesized. First, by dissociating sweetness from calories, NNS could interfere with physiological responses that control homeostasis. Second, by changing the intestinal environment, NNS could affect the microbiota and in turn trigger inflammatory processes that are associated with metabolic disorders. Third, by interacting with novel sweet-taste receptors discovered in the gut, NNS could affect glucose absorptive capacity and glucose homeostasis. The latter mechanism that has received the most attention recently. Some animal studies, but not all, found that NNS activate gut sweet-taste pathways that control incretin release and upregulate glucose transporters. Human studies found that, at least for healthy fasted individuals, the sole interaction of NNS with sweet-taste gut receptors is insufficient to elicit incretin responses. The reasons for discrepancy between different studies are unknown but could be related to the species of mammal tested and the dose of NNS used. Summary Whether NNS are metabolically inactive, as previously assumed, is unclear. Further research on the potential effects of NNS on human metabolism is warranted.
A series of coupled thermo-hydraulic simulations were performed on a soil-geotextile column to understand the effect of temperature on suction distribution throughout the soil column and on the hydraulic performance of the geotextile as a drainage/capillary barrier layer. Two different constant temperatures of 0 degrees C and 38 degrees C and a temperature gradient of 4 degrees C along the column were modeled. Changing the temperature from 0 degrees C to 38 degrees C did not have a significant effect on the suction head distribution in the soil-geotextile column. The temperature gradient resulted in appreciable thermal vapor flow and changes in suction head and hydraulic conductivity of the geotextile. During drainage, the temperature gradient and lower temperature at the top of the column increased suction in the geotextile and its ability to function as a capillary barrier. During capillary rise, the temperature gradient and lower temperature at the top of the column decreased the suction in the geotextile and its ability to function as a capillary barrier. Changing the direction of the thermal gradient reversed the water vapor flow direction and its effect on the suction in the geotextile. A temperature gradient did not have a noticeable effect on the suction head of the geotextile when positive pore pressure was developed in the geotextile and adjacent soil during drainage. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The paper presents a newly developed method for the analysis of the flow around open rotors characterised by hubs of general shape. The exact and implicit solution of the axysimmetric, inviscid and incompressible flow is represented as the superposition of infinite ring vortices properly arranged along the hub surface and the rotor wake. The solution is made explicit through a semi-analytical and iterative procedure. The proposed semi-analytical approach can deal with hubs of arbitrary shape and with quite general rotor load distributions. The method strongly couples the flow induced by the rotor and the hub. Moreover, the contraction/divergence and the rotation of the wake can be fully taken into account. The results of the semi-analytical method are also compared with those obtained with a widely diffused actuator disk model based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. Finally, in comparison with more advanced methods, such as those relying on a CFD approach, this method is characterised by an extremely reduced computational cost. The computer code is freely available on contacting the authors.
Due to cost effectiveness, rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems are practicing already in some rural parts of Bangladesh but very few in urban areas. This paper aimed to evaluate the potentiality of RWH systems in the South Agrabad in Chittagong city with an average annual precipitation of 3000 mm, experiencing both water scarcity and urban flooding in the same year. The adopted approach was Analytic Hierarchy Process (AMP) based multicriteria decision analysis technique, and the evaluation criteria were roof area, slope, drainage density and runoff coefficient. Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension supported hydrologic model viz. HEC-HMS used to simulate the precipitation-runoff process, the model outcomes showed RWH potentiality which could minimize stagnant storm water up to 26% through supplementing city water supply annually up to 20 liter/person/day. Then, assigning suitable weightage to the evaluation criteria with their associated features in ArcGIS 9.3, the study area was reasonably divided into three potential zones i.e. good, moderate and poor covering 19%, 64% and 17% of the total area respectively. Thus, this is envisaged AHP using HEC-HMS could provide important guidance to the decision supporting system not only for urban areas but also for the wide sub-basin/basin context. Crown Copyright (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electricity customers who install solar panels often are paid the prevailing retail price for the electricity they generate. We demonstrate that this rate of compensation typically is not optimal. A payment for distributed generation (w) that is below the retail price of electricity (r) often will induce the welfare-maximizing level of distributed generation (DG) when the fixed costs of centralized electricity production and the network management costs of accommodating intermittent solar DG are large, and when centralized generation and DG produce similar (pollution) externalities. w can optimally exceed r under alternative conditions. The optimal DG compensation policy varies considerably as industry conditions change. Furthermore, a requirement to equate w and r can reduce aggregate welfare substantially and can generate pronounced distributional effects.
The thermal analysis of high speed machine is necessary made to check of serviceability. The temperatures of electric machine individual parts influence other aspects of electric machine design. This paper deals with modeling of thermal phenomena of high seed asynchronous machine. The main requirement for this model is easy integration into electromagnetic model. The Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis can be used to determine some boundary condition of thermal model that aren't commonly known for high speed machine.
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (mealybug destroyer) is a predatory ladybird of Australian origin and has been introduced worldwide to control mealybugs. However, no simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker has been developed for C. montrouzieri, hampering study of its population genetics. We developed and characterized 12 novel SSR markers from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in C montrouzieri, which proved to be sufficiently polymorphic for population genetic analysis. The results of a population genetic analysis using these markers reveal strong genetic differentiation in ten native and introduced populations, which were not seen in our previous results using mitochondrial markers. Four populations probably underwent a recent genetic bottleneck and one wild population was probably the result of an admixture of two lab-reared populations. Our results from these newly developed EST-SSR markers suggest a strong genetic differentiation among populations of this widely introduced biological control agent. Greater attention should be paid to bottleneck effects, mito-nuclear discordance and admixture for further population genetic analysis, prediction of invasiveness and practical use of the ladybird in biological control. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In eInclusion, the main interest has traditionally been in granting interaction with ICT, i.e. the accessibility of interfaces. Due to the developments toward an AmI (Ambient Intelligence) information society, the technology of interest in accessibility and its integration in multimedia interfaces matched to the user requirements and preferences are becoming of interest for the general customers. Therefore, the point made in the paper is that the concept of eInclusion, as it already happened at the political level, should be generalized to include actions able to guarantee well-being. Therefore, it becomes necessary to collect knowledge about activities necessary for living comfortably and enjoyably, to identify and implement an ICT environment offering the functionalities to carry them out and to make available the quantity and quality of intelligence necessary to adapt the environment to different users and contexts of use.
The aim of this study was to explore the relation between Problematic Gaming Behaviour (PGB) and specific psychological factors (gaming motives, self-awareness of problematic gaming behaviour) and structural factors (game genres) among Finnish adolescents and young adults. A national survey of 271 respondents, aged 13 to 24, participated in the study. The study sample was randomly selected from the Population Register Center. Multiple regression analysis was used as a means of examining links between game genres, gaming motives and PGB. In addition, pairwise comparisons of a non-problematic gaming behavior group and a problematic gaming behavior group were used as a means of examining differences across game genre use and self-awareness of PGB. PGB was particularly associated with the use of a group of games encompassing role-playing, progression (e.g., character development), action and strategy features. The findings indicated that entertainment-achievement, social and escapism motives were associated with PGB. On the whole, this study emphasized that specific game genres and playing motives are involved in problematic use of digital game playing.
The main objective of this paper is to present an academic example of a PD controller applied to teach position control design of a DC-motor to automatically adjust a potentiometer. This adjustment is focused on to solve the maximum power transfer objective in a linear electrical circuit. This design involves the use of the extremum seeking algorithm. To support our proposal, numerical simulations and mathematical modelling of the main problem statement are programmed. (C) 2016, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are often used to assess and monitor the environmental impacts caused by mining activities. The aim of this work was to develop a new application to produce dynamic maps for monitoring the temperature variations in a self-burning coal waste pile, under a GIS open source environmentGIS-ECOAL (freely available). The performance of the application was evaluated with distributed temperature measurements gathered in the S. Pedro da Cova (Portugal) coal waste pile. In order to obtain the temperature data, an optical fiber cable was disposed over the affected area of the pile, with 42 location stakes acting as precisely-located control points for the temperature measurement. A monthly data set from July (15 min of interval) was fed into the application and a video composed by several layouts with temperature measurements was created allowing for recognizing two main areas with higher temperatures. The field observations also allow the identification of these zones; however, the identification of an area with higher temperatures in the top of the studied area was only possible through the visualization of the images created by this application. The generated videos make possible the dynamic and continuous visualization of the combustion process in the monitored area.
Human Embryonic Lung fibroblasts (HEL cells) are widely used as a normal cell in studies of cell biology and can be easily maintained in the resting phase. Here we aimed to discover compounds that exhibit cytotoxicity against HEL cells in the dividing phase, but not in the resting phase. The cytotoxicity of each compound against HEL cells either in the resting phase or in the dividing phase was determined by MTT assay. Ratios of the IC50 of cells in the resting phase and that of cells in the dividing phase (RRD) for these compounds were compared. We selected 44 compounds that exhibited toxic effects on HEL cells in the dividing phase from a chemical library containing 325 anticancer drugs and enzyme inhibitors. The RRD values of those compounds were widely distributed. Paclitaxel and docetaxel, which are clinically used as anticancer drugs, had RRD values larger than 2000. On the other hand, the RRD value of dimethyl sulfoxide, an organic solvent, was 1. The cytotoxic effect of paclitaxel on HEL cells in the dividing phase was attenuated by aphidicolin, hydroxyurea, and nocodazole, confirming that the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel are dependent on cells being in the dividing phase. Thapsigargin, whose RRD value was 800, the third highest RRD value in the library, exhibited therapeutic effects in a mouse model of FM3A ascites carcinoma. We suggest that compounds with high RRD values for HEL cells are candidate anticancer chemotherapy seeds.
Motor stereotypies are common, repetitive, rhythmic movements with typical onset in early childhood. While most often described in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), stereotypies can also present without developmental delay and persist into adulthood. Stereotypies are often disruptive and harmful, both physically and socially, and effective evidence-based treatments are lacking. This can be attributed, in part, to our incomplete knowledge of the underlying biological and environmental risk. Several studies implicate various neurotransmitters, brain circuits, anatomical loci, and pre- and post-natal environmental influences in stereotypy onset and symptom severity. However, there are few points of convergence among a relatively small number of studies, indicating that more research is needed to confirm the underlying bases of risk. Of particular note is the lack of published genetic studies of stereotypies, despite evidence for Mendelian inheritance patterns in some families. Focusing future studies on typically-developing children with primary motor stereotypies may be a useful approach to minimize potential biological, environmental, and genetic heterogeneity that could theoretically hinder consistent findings. Ultimately, a deeper understanding of the underlying biology and risk factors for motor stereotypies will lead us closer to more effective targeted therapies that will alleviate suffering in affected children.
The objective of this study was to compare performance of partial least square regression (PLSR) and best narrowband normalize nitrogen vegetation index (NNVI) linear regression models for predicting N concentration and best narrowband normalize different vegetation index (NDVI) for end of season biomass yield in bioenergy crop production systems. Canopy hyperspectral data was collected using an ASD FieldSpec FR spectroradiometer (350-2500 nm) at monthly intervals in 2012 and 2013. The cropping systems evaluated in the study were perennial grass {mixed grass [50 % switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), 25 % Indian grass Cheyenne (Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash) and 25 % big bluestem Kaw (Andropogon gerardii Vitman)] and switchgrass Alamo} and high biomass sorghum Blade 5200 (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grown under variable N applications rates to estimate biomass yield and quality. The NNVI was computed with the wavebands pair of 400 and 510 nm for the high biomass sorghum and 1500 and 2260 nm for the perennial grass that were strongly correlated to N concentration for both years. Wavebands used in computing best narrowband NDVI were highly variable, but the wavebands from the red edge region (710-740 nm) provided the best correlation. Narrowband NDVI was weakly correlated with final biomass yield of perennial grass (r(2) = 0.30 and RMSE = 1.6 Mg ha(-1) in 2012 and r(2) = 0.37 and RMSE = 4.0 Mg ha(-1), but was strongly correlated for the high biomass sorghum in 2013 (r(2) = 0.72 and RMSE = 4.6 Mg ha(-1)). Compared to the best narrowband VI, the RMSE of the PLSR model was 19-41 % lower for estimating N concentration and 4.2-100 % lower for final biomass. These results indicates that PLSR might be best for predicting the final biomass yield using spectral sample obtained in June to July, but narrowband NNVI was more robust and useful in predicting N concentration.
The off-line quality engineering is an important aspect that regards the manufacturing engineering process optimization. This target may be achieved by implementing the robust engineering principles. Therefore, the present paper reflects the results of the Taguchi Method approach applied for a fractioned factorial designed experiment in case of deep peck drilling with a twist drill, of a composite material. The scope was to optimize the surface state, characterized by his roughness, optically measured. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A comparison of the performance of four full-scale aerated horizontal flow constructed wetlands was conducted to determine the efficacy of the technology on sites receiving high and variable ammonia loading rates not yet reported in the literature. Performance was assessed in terms of ammonia and solids removal, hydraulic conductivity and mixing patterns. The capability of systems to produce ammonium effluent concentrations <3 mgNH(4)(+)-N/L was observed across all sites in systems receiving variable loadings between 0.1 and 13.0 gNH(4)(+)-N/m(2)/d. Potential resilience issues were observed in relation to response to spike loadings posited to be due to an insufficient nitrifying population within the beds. Hydraulic conductivity and flow mixing patterns observed suggested deterioration of the reactor effective volume over time. Overall, the study demonstrates the efficacy of the technology where ammonium removal is required on small sites receiving high and variable flow rates, with adequate removal of organics and solids, but no significant benefit to the long term hydraulics of the system.
A self-sustaining sensor platform is a core component for Internet-of-Things and smart-grid systems. However, monitoring, processing, and displaying the minute changes of a targeted-environmental element in a real-time fashion without external power sources is challenging because of a practical difficulty of doing energy harvesting and analysis of dynamics at the same time. Here, we present a self-sustaining water-motion-sensing (SS-WMS) platform to monitor and display the time-varying dynamics of water-motion, i.e., frequency and amplitude, using only the energy harvested from the water-motion itself. A water-contact triboelectric nanogenerator (WC-TENG) produces electrical energy, correlated with the repetitive squeezing and releasing of a water droplet. The SS-WMS integrated circuit (IC) harvests the energy and simultaneously analyzes the dynamics of water-motion, which is converted into binary codes to be displayed through LEDs powered by the gathered energy. The proposed platform would contribute to advanced sensing functions of a self-sustaining system for various targeted-ambient elements.
In this paper, piezoelectric patches and electrical circuits are associated to attenuate vibration of a flat panel. The resulting electrical network is equivalent to a resistor-inductor-capacitor circuit performing as a tuned vibration absorber, denoted by piezoelectric resonator. The choice of design parameters, such as the correct placement for piezoelectric patches and the optimal electrical circuit elements, is assisted by finite element simulation and theoretical analysis. Measurements of sound transmission loss and modal analysis are conducted to demonstrate the structural vibration control and its resulting sound insulation performance. It is shown that, despite its reduced mass, the piezoelectric resonator can be more effective than conventional damping in low frequencies, which enables the overall sound insulation system to perform, with lower mass, in a wider frequency range.
Problems of high turbidity, sedimentation, water pollution and siltation occur at Limboto Lake, Gorontalo, Indonesia. The objective of this study was to analyze the rainfall-discharge relationship and its implications for water quality conditions. Secchi disk (water transparency), chlorophyll-a (chl-a), and total organic matter (TOM) were measured in May 2012, September 2012 and March 2013 at three sites of the lake (L-1, L-2 and L-3) to observe the impacts on the surrounding catchment. Based on representative stations for rainfall data from 2004 to 2013, monthly averages of rainfall in March-May (166.7 mm) and September (76.4 mm) were used to represent the wet and dry period, respectively. Moreover, sediment traps at these three sites were installed in September 2012. Based on the analysis it is suggested that rainfall magnitude and land use change at the Alopohu River catchment influenced the amount of materials flowing into the lake, degrading the water quality. Specifically, the higher average rainfall in May (184.5 mm) gave a higher average total sediment load (4.41 g/L/day). In addition, water transparency decreased with increasing chl-a. This indicates that the concentrations of sediment and nutrients, reflected by the high amount of chl-a, influenced the water quality conditions.
In this paper, we compare numerical simulations and experiments on droplets impinging onto a hot surface at a temperature well above the Leidenfrost point, for different impacting Weber numbers ranging from 7 to 45. We use a novel numerical method for the simulation of two-phase flows with phase change (evaporation and boiling) which accounts for the heterogeneous thermodynamic conditions at the liquid/gas interface. We present the results of experimental and numerical values for the droplet shape, its spreading diameter and its loss of momentum. The numerical simulations determine the time evolution of the average vapor layer thickness, which is typically from one to two orders of magnitude smaller than the initial droplet diameter. Thermal transfer between the liquid and the gas phases are also investigated both numerically and experimentally. In the numerical results, like in the experiments, the droplet heating increases with the impacting Weber numbers. The fully resolved direct numerical simulations allow for the accurate description of the multi-scale complex problem involving both fluid mechanics and coupled heat and mass transfer. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using 17 chemical elements as a proxy for stellar DNA, we present a full phylogenetic study of stars in the solar neighbourhood. This entails applying a clustering technique that is widely used in molecular biology to construct an evolutionary tree from which three branches emerge. These are interpreted as stellar populations that separate in age and kinematics and can be thus attributed to the thin disc, the thick disc and an intermediate population of probable distinct origin. We further find six lone stars of intermediate age that could not be assigned to any population with enough statistical significance. Combining the ages of the stars with their position on the tree, we are able to quantify the mean rate of chemical enrichment of each of the populations, and thus show in a purely empirical way that the star formation rate in the thick disc is much higher than that in the thin disc. We are also able to estimate the relative contribution of dynamical processes such as radial migration and disc heating to the distribution of chemical elements in the solar neighbourhood. Our method offers an alternative approach to chemical tagging methods with the advantage of visualizing the behaviour of chemical elements in evolutionary trees. This offers a new way to search for ' common ancestors' that can reveal the origin of solar neighbourhood stars.
Thiamine (vitamin BI) deficiency (TD) plays a major role in the etiology of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) which is a severe neurological disorder. TD induces selective neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress in the brain which are commonly observed in many aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The progress in this line of research is hindered due to the lack of appropriate in vitro models. The neurons derived for the human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide a relevant and powerful tool for the research in pharmaceutical and environmental neurotoxicity. In this study, we for the first time used human induced pluripotent stem cells(hiPSCs)-derived neurons (iCell neurons) to investigate the mechanisms of TD-induced neurodegeneration. We showed that TD caused a concentration-and duration-dependent death of iCell neurons. TD induced ER stress which was evident by the increase in ER stress markers, such as GRP78, XBP-1, CHOP, ATF-6, phosphorylated eIF2 alpha, and cleaved caspase-12. TD also triggered oxidative stress which was shown by the increase in the expression 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE). ER stress inhibitors (STF-083010 and salubrinal) and antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) were effective in alleviating TD-induced death of iCell neurons, supporting the involvement of ER stress and oxidative stress. It establishes that the iCell neurons are a novel tool to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms for TD-induced neurodegeneration. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The functional traits of plants in regions of the world with a Mediterranean climate have been shaped to tolerate periods of water deficit. These species are adapted to summer droughts but may not be able to cope with future increases in drought intensity, duration, and/or frequency. Here, we review the mechanisms and traits of drought resistance and recovery of the well-studied holm oak (Quercus ilex), which we propose as a model species for Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Our aim was to understand the differences and links between the responses of Q. ilex to summer droughts, extreme droughts, and long-term drought experiments. A main goal was to provide an integral picture of drought responses across organisational and temporal scales for identifying the most relevant processes that are likely to contribute to determining the future of Mediterranean vegetation. Evidence from long-term drought experiments showed that acclimation processes from the molecular (e.g. epigenetic changes) to the ecosystem level (e.g. reductions in stand density) mitigate the effects of drought. Changes in leaf morphology and hydraulics, leaf-to-shoot allometry, and root functioning are among the key mechanisms for overcoming increasing drought. The duration of drought determines its severity in terms of canopy loss and stem mortality. Although Q. ilex can vigorously resprout after such episodes, its resilience may be subsequently reduced. In the future, higher frequency of return of extreme droughts will challenge thus the capacity of these forests to recover. The insights provided by this review of the complex interplay of processes that determine the response of trees to droughts of different duration, intensity, and frequency will also help us to understand the likely responses of other resprouting angiosperms in seasonally dry ecosystems that share similar functional traits with Q. ilex.
Great part of human communication is carried out nonverbally. All this information is lost in mobile text messaging. This work describes an attempt to augment text chatting in mobile phones by adding automatically detected facial expression reactions, to conversations. These expressions are detected using known image processing techniques. Known related work, concerning the investigation of non-verbal communication through text messaging are considered and distinguished from the present solution. The conception and implementation of a mobile phone application with the debated feature is described and user studies are narrated. Finally, context of application, conclusions and future work are also discussed.
Electricity power is a basic industrial component which plays an important role in the economy of a nation. In this paper, the correlations evolution of electricity prices among 50 states and the District of Columbia are studied based on random matrix theory (RMT) Four regime shifts are identified from January 1990 to August 2014 in the U.S. residential, commercial and industrial electricity markets. Then, the genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to analyze the clusters of evolution. The results show that, the correlations of electricity prices increased continually in the three departments. However, it decreased in 2012 which further confirms its sensitivity to fuel market. Besides, four regime shifts exist in the three departments though the different times of occurrence caused by price level. And, the fluctuation of community evolution is consistent with four regime shifts. The final part is a summary of the research analyzed and results. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Fault Detection (FD) Problem in control theory concerns of monitoring a system to identify when a fault has occurred. Two approaches can be distinguished for the FD: Signal processing based FD and Model-based FD. The former concerns of developing algorithms to directly infer faults from sensors' readings, while the latter uses a simulation model of the real-system to analyze the discrepancy between sensors' readings and expected values from the simulation model. Most contamination Event Detection Systems (EDSs) for water distribution systems have followed the signal processing based FD, which relies on analyzing the signals from monitoring stations independently of each other, rather than evaluating all stations simultaneously within an integrated network. In this study, we show that a model-based EDS which utilizes a physically based water quality and hydraulics simulation models, can outperform the signal processing based EDS. We also show that the model-based EDS can facilitate the development of a Multi-Site EDS (MSEDS), which analyzes the data from all the monitoring stations simultaneously within an integrated network. The advantage of the joint analysis in the MSEDS is expressed by increased detection accuracy (higher true positive alarms and fewer false alarms) and shorter detection time. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Individual differences in attentional control involve the ability to voluntarily direct, shift, and sustain attention. In studies of the role of attentional control in emotional adjustment, social relationships, and vulnerability to the effects of stress, self-report questionnaires are commonly used to measure this construct. Yet, convincing evidence of the association between self-report scales and actual cognitive performance has not been demonstrated. Across 2 independent samples, we examined associations between self-reported attentional control (Attentional Control Scale; ACS), self-reported emotional adjustment, Five-Factor Model personality traits (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) and performance measures of attentional control. Study 1 examined behavioral performance on the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002) and the Modified Switching Task (MST; Suchy & Kosson, 2006) in a large sample (n = 315) of healthy young adults. Study 2 (n = 78) examined behavioral performance on standardized neuropsychological tests of attention, including Conner's Continuous Performance Test-II and subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales, Third Edition (WAIS-III; Psychological Corporation, 1997) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001). Results indicated that the ACS was largely unrelated to behavioral performance measures of attentional control but was significantly associated with emotional adjustment, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. These findings suggest that although self-reported attentional control may be a useful construct, researchers using the ACS should exercise caution in interpreting it as a proxy for actual cognitive ability or performance.
Stormwater quality modeling has arisen as a promising tool to develop mitigation strategies. The aim of this paper is to assess the build-up and wash-off processes and investigate the capacity of several water quality models to accurately simulate and predict the temporal variability of suspended solids concentrations in runoff, based on a long-term data set. A Markov Chain Monte-Carlo ( MCMC) technique is applied to calibrate the models and analyze the parameter's uncertainty. The short-term predictive capacity of the models is assessed based on inter-and intra-event approaches. Results suggest that the performance of the wash-off model is related to the dynamic of pollutant transport where the best fit is recorded for first flush events. Assessment of SWMM ( Storm Water Management Model) exponential build-up model reveals that better performance is obtained on short periods and that build-up models relying only on the antecedent dry weather period as an explanatory variable, cannot predict satisfactorily the accumulated mass on the surface. The predictive inter-event capacity of SWMM exponential model proves its inability to predict the pollutograph while the intra-event approach based on data assimilation proves its efficiency for first flush events only. This method is very interesting for management practices because of its simplicity and easy implementation.
Ankylosing spondylitis often involves a heart, such as aortic or mitral regurgitation, conduction disorder, or cardiomyopathy. We present a 34-year-old male patient with ankylosing spondylitis who has severe aortic regurgitation, mild mitral stenosis, and a conduction disturbance of the left bundle branch block, identified using multimodal images.
This paper provides a comprehensive review of published literatures concerning the fluid mechanics and heat transfer mechanisms of liquid drop impact on a heated wall. The review is divided into four parts, each centered on one of the main heat transfer regimes: film evaporation, nucleate boiling, transition boiling, and film boiling. Each of these regimes is discussed in detail in terms of available depictions of drop deformation and/or breakup, proposed heat transfer mechanisms, predictive correlations and/or models. It is shown that understanding the underlying physics for each heat transfer regime is highly dependent on the experimental methods that investigators have adopted, and broadness of available databases in terms of liquid type, drop size and momentum, impact angle, and wall material and surface roughness. Despite significant advances in experimental, theoretical and computational research in understanding the interfacial behavior of the drop from the moment of impact, there are many inconsistencies concerning some of the most important aspects of the impact process and ensuing heat transfer, especially in regards to critical heat flux, transition boiling, and the Leidenfrost point. This review is concluded with recommendations concerning future work that is needed to address poorly understood and/or contradictory issues. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The analysis and interpretation of skeletal lead is relatively common in anthropological research employing chemical analyses of human tissues. To provide an additional dimension to such research, this paper presents the rationale for, and a case study illustrating the use of skeletal lead isotope data to address problems of group affinity. The radiogenic origin of three of the four stable lead isotopes give lead from any given geologic deposit (source) a characteristic isotopic ''signature''. As lead does not fractionate measurably in biological systems, including human metabolism, the isotopic composition of skeletal lead reflects the source(s) of lead to which individuals were exposed. It is assumed that different cultural groups will be exposed to different sources of lead through natural processes and cultural practices. Given this assumption, lead isotope analysis of eight unidentified skeletons (two Native North Americans and six Fur Traders) from a 19th century fur trade cemetery was conducted. The results indicate that, as predicted, the Native North American and Fur Trader skeletal remains have different skeletal lead isotopic compositions. The differences are generally congruent with the two primary sources of lead available. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited
The simple phenomenon of a water drop falling onto a glass plate may seem like a trivial fluid mechanics problem. However, detailed imaging has shown that this process is highly complex and a small air-bubble is always entrapped under the drop when it makes contact with the solid. This bubble can interfere with the uniformity of spray coatings and degrade inkjet fabrication of displays etc. We will describe how we use high-speed interferometry at 5 million frames per second to understand the details of this process. As the impacting drop approaches the solid, the dynamics are characterized by a balance between the lubrication pressure in the thin air layer and the inertia of the bot-tom of the drop. This deforms the drop, forming a dimple at its bottom and making the drop touch the surface along a ring, thereby entrapping the air-layer, which is typically 1-3 mu m thick. This air-layer can be highly compressed and the deceleration of the bottom of the drop can be as large as 300,000 g. We describe how the thicknessevolution of the lubricating air-layer is extracted from following the interference fringes between frames. Two-color interferometry is also used to extract absolute layer thicknesses. Finally, we identify the effects of nanometric surface roughness on the first contact of the drop with the substrate. Here we need to resolve the 100 nm thickness changes occurring during 200 ns intervals, requiring these state of the art high-speed cameras. Surprisingly, we see a ring of micro-bubbles marking the first contact of the drop with the glass, only for microscope slides, which have a typical roughness of 20 nm, while such rings are absent for drop impacts onto molecularly smooth mica surfaces.
In the present work, we provide a most extensive and detailed study of highly ionized Cu-like ions and diagnose extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) transitions with N-shell electron excitation to M-shell and higher shells. We have determined energy levels and lifetimes for lowest 27 fine-structure levels by adopting multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) with the inclusion of quantum electrodynamics (QED) as well as Breit corrections as a first-order perturbation theory. We have also reported complete radiative data for strong electric dipole transitions within lowest 27 levels. We have compared our calculated results with theoretically calculated and experimentally measured results available in the literature, to measure the credibility and genuineness of our results, and achieve good agreement. Further, because of insufficiency of adequate and complete atomic data for higher levels of highly ionized Cu-like ions in the literature, we have performed other equivalent parallel calculations by implementing fully relativistic distorted wave flexible atomic code (FAC) to ensure the accuracy of our results. Additionally, we have also presented transition wavelengths of N alpha transitions of high-Z Cu-like ions by using Moseley's law. We believe that the large amount of atomic data presented in this paper may be useful in fusion and astrophysical plasma and in several applications, especially in lithography and cell biology.
This article presents a study that aimed to assess the accessibility, use, and quality of harvested rainwater in three rural communities in Ghana where the government of Ghana and local and international development organisations have sponsored domestic rainwater harvesting. The results showed that rainwater storage facilities were within the recommended distance of 1000m from each house. The amount of rainwater per person per day was below the recommended amount. The majority of the respondents therefore depended on other sources of water. Though the physico-chemical quality of rainwater met the WHO guideline limit for drinking water, the bacteriological quality did not. The majority of common water-associated infections experienced prior to the project have not been experienced after the project. Cet article presente une etude dont l'objectif etait d'evaluer l'accessibilite, l'utilisation et la qualite de l'eau de pluie collectee dans trois communautes rurales du Ghana au sein desquelles le gouvernement du pays et des organisations de developpement locales et internationales ont finance la collecte de l'eau de pluie au niveau domestique. Les resultats ont montre que les installations d'entreposage de l'eau de pluie respectaient la distance recommandee de 1000m de chaque maison. La quantite d'eau de pluie/personne/jour etait inferieure a la quantite recommandee. La majorite des personnes interrogees dependaient donc d'autres sources d'eau. Si la qualite physico-chimique de l'eau de pluie etait conforme a la ligne directrice de l'OMS pour l'eau de consommation, il n'en etait pas ainsi de sa qualite bacteriologique. La majorite des infections communes associees a l'eau recensees avant le projet ne l'ont pas ete apres ce dernier. El presente articulo presenta los resultados aportados por un estudio orientado a valorar la disponibilidad, el uso y la calidad del agua de lluvia recolectada en tres comunidades rurales de Ghana, en las que el gobierno del pais y varias organizaciones locales e internacionales patrocinaron la recoleccion de agua de lluvia a nivel domestico. Los hallazgos obtenidos dan cuenta de que las instalaciones para la recoleccion de lluvia se ubican a la distancia recomendada de no mas de mil metros de cada casa. La cantidad de lluvia/persona/dia conseguida estuvo por debajo de lo recomendado, razon por la cual la mayoria de los informantes dependia de otras fuentes de agua. Si bien la calidad fisicoquimica del agua de lluvia cumplio con los parametros normativos establecidos por la oms para el agua potable, no ocurrio lo mismo con su calidad bacteriologica. La mayoria de las infecciones mas comunes asociadas con el agua, existentes antes de que se implementara el proyecto, no se presentaron despues de su inicio.
Recognising Australia's need for water management that better supports urban populations facing increasing socio-ecological challenges, the study on which this article is based brought together professionals from Sydney's water sector to understand what they believe is entailed in transitioning Sydney to a water sensitive city. Participants called for new institutional arrangements requiring collaboration and leadership from various levels of government, community groups and individual community members. We adopt Tainter's model of social complexification as an analytical framework for considering the implications of the research findings. From the perspective of this model, we argue that the proposed arrangements would involve, along with the envisioned benefits, increasing complexity and commensurate costs, with important consequences for the forms that water sensitive cities might take. Considerations relating to the costs of complexity take on particular importance in futures for which reduced material affluence appears increasingly possible. The costs of complexity under such conditions may be more readily ameliorated via pathways that entail increased local responsibility for meeting water needs, such as decentralised rainwater harvesting. We argue that increased participation in water-related governance and responsibility for related infrastructure will follow more readily from measures to foster local enthusiasm than from mandated approaches that themselves require increased complexity. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Aggression comprises a heterogeneous set of behavioral patterns that aim to harm and hurt others. Empathy represents a potential mechanism that inhibits aggressive conduct and enhances prosocial behavior. Nevertheless, research results on the relationship between empathy and aggression are mixed. Subtypes of aggressive behavior, such as reactive and proactive aggression might be differently related to empathy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interrelations of cognitive and affective empathy with reactive and proactive aggression. Methods: We recruited a sample of 177 (33% female, M age 15.6) adolescents from socio-educational and juvenile justice institutions and a community sample of 77 (36% female, M age 13.1) adolescents from secondary schools. Using bivariate correlation analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis, we firstly investigated associations between cognitive and affective empathy and reactive and proactive aggression. Subsequently, we performed cluster analysis to identify clusters of adolescents with meaningful profiles of aggressive behavior and compared derived clusters on measures of empathy. We applied the Basic Empathy Scale and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Results: Bivariate analysis and hierarchical regression analysis showed that cognitive and affective empathy were negatively associated with proactive aggression, but not with reactive aggression. Cluster-analysis revealed three clusters of adolescents with distinct aggression profiles: a cluster with elevated scores on reactive and proactive aggression, a clusters with high scores on reactive aggression only, and a low aggression cluster. Cluster comparisons revealed that the reactive-proactive aggression cluster showed significantly lower scores on cognitive and affective empathy than both other clusters. Results further indicated that within the reactive-proactive aggression cluster, girls did not differ significantly from boys in empathy. Conclusions: The present study extends previously published findings, and possibly explains conflicting results in prior research. Our results indicated that cognitive and affective empathy are reduced in adolescents with high levels of reactive and proactive aggression. Our study may contribute to the development of tailored clinical interventions for different aggression clusters.
This paper uses artificial intelligent algorithms for reconfiguration of the distribution network. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem where the objective function to be minimized is the power losses, and the constraints are nodal voltage magnitude limits, branch current limits, Kirchhoff's current law (KCL), Kirchhoff's voltage law (KVL) and the network radiality condition. While the state (on-off) of the tie switch is considered as control or independent variable, the nodal voltage magnitude, branch current are considered as state or dependent variables. These state variables are continuous whilst the switch state is an integer (binary) variable. The problem being a mixed-integer programming one because of the state of switch (on=closed=1 or off=open=0), a Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO) and Neural Network are used separately to solve this problem. The effectiveness of proposed method is demonstrated through an example.
A new concept of an electrical shunt with different materials (aluminum and copper) has been developed to be used as an alternative current measurement device. The device provides better current measurement characteristics compared with the conventional current measurement devices such as a shunt resistor with an ammeter or the multiple shunts consisting of molybdenum having a low temperature coefficient and a Rogowski coil with an integrated circuit. The currents in several electrical circuits have been measured using the developed current-voltage transferring device (CVTD) as voltages between the aluminum and copper elements. The measured voltages (V-m) are proportional to measuring currents (I-m), which is shown as the following the experimental equation V-m [mV] =kI(m) [A], in which k is a coefficient depending on the configuration of the CVTD. (c) 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The present work describes two-dimensional finite element analyses carried out to study the critical height of an embankment supported by geotextile encased granular columns (GEC) in a very soft soil, using PLAXIS 2D software. Comprehensive numerical analyses were performed, by increasing the height of the embankment, to study the influence of the tensile stiffness of the encasement, the compressibility and thickness of the soft clay layer and the span between columns, in order to assess the embankment critical height. It was concluded that the diameter and the spacing between columns are the only parameters affecting the development of the critical height. Based on the numerical results obtained, a design equation was proposed to estimate the embankment critical height, function of the mesh configuration, column diameter and spacing between columns. It was also possible to compare the equation developed, with the available critical height results for piled embankments, concluding that there are no significant differences between the two.
This study investigated the relationship between self-reported time in bed and sleep quality in association with self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of 285 elementary school students (52 % female) recruited from a rural Midwestern elementary school. Path models were used to estimate proposed associations, controlling for grade level and gender. Curvilinear associations were found between time in bed and anxiety, depressive symptoms, and irritability. Marginal curvilinear trends were found between time in bed and emotion dysregulation, reactive aggression, and proactive aggression. Sleep quality was negatively associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, irritability, reactive aggression, and delinquency engagement. Gender and grade differences were found across models. Findings suggest that examining self-reported time in bed (both linear and quadratic) and sleep quality is important for understanding internalizing and externalizing symptoms associated with sleep in school-age youth. Incorporating self-reported sleep assessments into clinical practice and school-based evaluations may have implications for a child's adjustment.
Models are crucial in the engineering design process because they can be used for both the optimisation of design parameters and the prediction of performance. Thus, models can significantly reduce design, development and optimisation costs. This paper presents the construction process of a novel equivalent electrical model for Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbines (DTVAWTs). Physical concepts and theoretical formulations underpinning the development of the model are addressed. The proposed model was built from the mechanical description given by the Paraschivoiu double-multiple streamtube model and is based on the analogy between mechanical and electrical circuits. After highlighting the working principle of the DTVAWT, the step-by-step development of the model is presented. For assessment purposes, simulations of aerodynamic characteristics and those of corresponding electrical components are performed and compared.
Shallow water equations are widely used in inundation analysis and they are known to be successful in computation of floods over wide terrains. Flood propagation in between buildings in urban areas and flows around hydraulic structures such as bridges may not satisfy the assumptions of shallow flow and may display markedly more 3-Dimensional (3D) flow characteristics. However, for the convenience of fast numerical solutions, the shallow-current equations can also be used for such 3D flows and useful output may be obtained. In this study, shallow water equations are applied to flows with prominent 3D characteristics and results are evaluated. Water depths and velocity field in horizontal plane were calculated satisfactorily, surface waves in supercritical flow involving shocks were described in detail. However, it has been determined that the flow around several 3D obstacles increases by adding faults that calculate water depth. In case of uniform flows with boundary layer characteristics, velocity and bed shear stresses were predicted successfully using a suitable turbulence model.
In recent years, the study of the shear strength of soil with geosynthetics has caught the attention of scholars. In this study, by changing the traditional geogrid structure and adding polymeric anchors to the reinforcement grid, naming it Grid-Anchor (G-A), it is sought to experimentally analyze the performance of this new system by increasing the Coefficient of Interaction Ratio in Direct Shear (CIRDS). To achieve this, 16 large-scale direct shear tests were conducted on a typical geogrid and G-A system. The results of this showed that CIRDS is, on average, 1.45 times greater. In other words, the interaction between soil and the reinforcement in G-A system increases by almost 50% compared to that of typical geogrid regarding direct shear mechanism. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autoimmune regulator (Aire) is essential in the perinatal period to prevent the multiorgan autoimmunity. Here we show that Aire-regulated single positive thymocyte trafficking in neonatal period is critical for thymic egress. Reduced thymic emigration was found in Aire(-/-) mice during neonatal period, leading to enhanced homeostatic expansion of peripheral T cells as early as 2 weeks of age. In neonatal Aire(-/-) mice, thymic expression of CCR7 ligands were dramatically reduced, resulting in decreased thymocyte motility and thymocyte emigration. This reduction of thymic egress in Aire(-/-) mice was alleviated beyond 3 weeks of age by an early upregulation of S1P(1) signaling. As the numbers and quality of thymic emigrants are essential for the establishment and maintenance of peripheral tolerance, the reduced thymic emigration during neonatal period may deteriorate autoimmunity caused by the emigration of autoreactive T cells.
Multi-objective optimization of antenna structures is a challenging task owing to the high computational cost of evaluating the design objectives as well as the large number of adjustable parameters. Design speed-up can be achieved by means of surrogate-based optimization techniques. In particular, a combination of variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) simulations, design space reduction techniques, response surface approximation models and design refinement methods permits identification of the Pareto-optimal set of designs within a reasonable timeframe. Here, a study concerning the scalability of surrogate-assisted multi-objective antenna design is carried out based on a set of benchmark problems, with the dimensionality of the design space ranging from six to 24 and a CPU cost of the EM antenna model from 10 to 20 min per simulation. Numerical results indicate that the computational overhead of the design process increases more or less quadratically with the number of adjustable geometric parameters of the antenna structure at hand, which is a promising result from the point of view of handling even more complex problems.
These days the number of processors in computer systems is increasing in a very fast speed, and different manufacturers are producing computers with manycore processors. In turn, these manycore computer systems require a new operating system that can solve the problems of commodity operating systems. Commodity operating systems originally made for single, dual or multi-cores systems; they will have lower performance and scalability problem for higher number of cores that are hundreds or thousands in number. In this regard, scholars of different research institutions are trying to develop their own solutions for existing problems among commodity operating systems and the recently emerging the manycore processor. This paper intends to see what those manycore operating systems are. The main objective of this paper is to compare and contrast some of manycore operating systems, analyze their experimental results, and give some summarizing concepts. Manycore operating systems are developing from either the scratch or the amendment on the existing commodity operating systems. Operating systems projects that develop a manycore operating system from the scratch, need lots of effort, and generally new approaches are applied. They use completely new technical approaches for development of OSes for increased number of cores. Operating systems like FOS and BarrelFish are some examples of operating systems that developed from the scratch. On the other hand, some operating system projects focus on commodity OSes problems for increased number of cores. These projects amend commodity operating systems and/or used them collectively. Therefore, their main task is preparing systems that play an important role for this amendment. As compared with the above operating system development approach, these approaches are simple and more manycore OSes used it. Operating systems like FusedOS, Cerberus and others are such a type of operating systems. In this respect, this paper will see the reason behind the selection of either of the two approaches. Also will provide highlights about the basic structural differences among the existing manycore operating systems, in order to catch the philosophy behind them.
In this study, cluster analysis (CA) and discriminant analysis (DA) were used to assess the water quality and evaluate its spatial and temporal variations in South Florida. For this purpose, 15 years (2000-2014) data set of 12 water quality variables covering 16 monitoring stations, and about 35,000 observations were used. Agglomerative hierarchical CA grouped 16 monitoring sites into three groups (low pollution, moderate pollution, and high pollution) based on their similarity of water quality characteristics. DA, as an important data reduction method, and CA were used to assess the water pollution status and analysis of its spatiotemporal variation. It was found by the stepwise DA that five variables (chI-a, DO, TKN, TP and water temperature) were the most important discriminating water quality parameters responsible for temporal variations. In spatial DA, the stepwise mode identified seven variables (chl-a, DO, TKN, TP, magnesium, chloride, and sodium) and six variables (DO, TKN, TP, turbidity, magnesium, and chloride) as the most important discriminating variables responsible for spatial variations in wet and dry seasons, respectively. Different patterns associated with spatial variations were identified depending on the variables and considered season, however the overall trend of environment pollution problems was found from the low pollution (LP) region to high pollution (HP) region. It is believed that the results of this study could be very useful to the local authorities for the control and management of pollution and better protection of important riverine water quality. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a novel motor topology (lateral stator machine) is proposed for various drilling applications where the space in the tool head is limited. The stator of the motor grows in one lateral direction, allowing for a compact direct drive design. Finite-element analysis (FEA) is carried out and the machine design is optimized for the specifications of a high-speed micro-machining spindle which is given as an example. The design procedure for those specifications is described in detail, where the torque is maximized while considering the space limitations and the loss constraints at the critical operating points. The construction of a lateral stator machine merged into a test bench is also described. The test bench is used for measuring the standstill torque of the machine in a configuration without bearings, such that only the electromagnetic torque is measured without any friction effects from the bearings. Moreover, the test bench can be modified to measure the no-load losses and separate the mechanical and electromagnetic components of it. Although described on a lateral stator machine, the measurement methodology of this paper can be applied to any electrical machine. Finally, measurement results are given and the design procedure is verified.
Suspensions of microswimmers are a.rich source of fascinating new fluid mechanics. Recently we predicted the active pipe flow dispersion of gyrotactic microalgae, whose orientation is biased by gravity and flow shear. Analytical theory predicts that these active swimmers disperse in a markedly distinct manner from passive tracers (Taylor dispersion). Dispersing swimmers display non-zero drift and effective diffusivity that is non-monotonic with Peclet number. Such predictions agree with numerical simulations, but hitherto have not been tested experimentally. here, to facilitate comparison, we obtain new solutions of the axial dispersion theory accounting both for swimmer negative buoyancy and a local nonlinear response of swimmers to shear, provided by two alternative microscopic stochastic descriptions. We obtain new predictions for suspensions of the model swimming alga Durialiella,valina, whose motility and buoyant mass we parametrise using tracking video microscopy. We then present a new experimental method to measure gyrotactic dispersion using fluorescently stained D. satina and provide a preliminary comparison with predictions of a non-zero drift. above the mean flow for each microscopic stochastic description. Finally, we propose further experiments for a full experimental characterisation of gyrotactic dispersion measures and discuss the implications of our results for algal dispersion in industrial. photobioreactors.
This paper presents a photovoltaic (PV) system with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) facility. The goal of this work is to maximize power extraction from the photovoltaic generator (PVG). This goal is achieved using a sliding mode controller (SMC) that drives a boost converter connected between the PVG and the load. The system is modeled and tested under MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. In simulation, the sliding mode controller offers fast and accurate convergence to the maximum power operating point that outperforms the well-known perturbation and observation method (P&O). The sliding mode controller performance is evaluated during steady-state, against load varying and panel partial shadow (PS) disturbances. To confirm the above conclusion, a practical implementation of the maximum power point tracker based sliding mode controller on a hardware setup is performed on a dSPACE real time digital control platform. The data acquisition and the control system are conducted all around dSPACE 1104 controller board and its RTI environment. The experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed control scheme over a stand-alone real photovoltaic system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Many countries in Europe and North America see their natural and agricultural landscapes being replaced by a fragmented, sprawled landscape. Spatially detailed modelling of changes in land use, population and transport could help to forecast the impact of scenarios aimed at mitigating the process of urban sprawl. A common problem with land-use change models however, is the lack of historical data for proper model calibration. In this paper we describe an approach for developing historical population density maps by downdating a recent high-resolution population density raster, using a time series of sealed surface data and historical census data as an input. In the proposed approach, we hypothesise a local relationship between increasing population densities and increasing sealed surface fraction estimates, the latter obtained from remote sensing imagery. We apply the method to Flanders, Belgium, a region where population growth and improved transport networks led to a diffuse urban expansion, with ribbon development along many roads and a strong fragmentation of open space. The resulting population and sealed surface maps provide interesting data on the urban sprawl phenomenon in the past decades. By computing a densification index we observe that most urban areas witness a recent population density increase while in several rural areas the built-up area per inhabitant is still growing. The downdated time series of population maps obtained in this study will be used to set up a historical calibration for an activity-based cellular automata model for Flanders and Brussels which, among other data, needs high-resolution population maps. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The purposes of this study were to clarify the relationship between the force in tethered swimming (TS) and the power in semi-tethered swimming (STS), and to develop multiple regression models to estimate the force in the TS and the power in the STS using plural physical elements. To perform these purposes, the force in the TS and the power in the STS of 53 elite male high school and junior high school swimmers as subjects were measured. The force in the TS was measured by an electrical digital force gauge. The power in the STS was measured by the ergometer attachment improved a bicycle ergometer. Furthermore, height(163.2cm in average), weight (51.6kg), finger reach span (168.4cm), foot length (26.1cm), vertical jump (43.0cm) and its power of each subject was measured. The results of this study were summarized as follows; 1) The relationships between the force in the TS (X) and the power in the STS (Y) was Y=0.182X+16.35 (r=0.814). This relationship was highly significant statistically (p<0.001). 2) 49 of the multiple regression models to estimate the force in the TS were derived. The highest correlation coefficient model in theses was as follows; TS=0.16xweight+0.75xage+0.03xfinger reach span+1.10xfoot length+0.22xvertical jump-41.68 (r=0.787). 3) 59 of the multiple regression models to estimate the power in the STS were derived. The highest correlation coefficient model in these was as follows; STS=0.03xheight+0.45xweight+2.26xage+0.41xfinger reach span+0.27xvertical jump+0.01xvertical jump power-88.56 (r=0.866). (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Rice is an important staple food for more than half of the world's population and its demand is expected to increase with increasing population, more so in developing countries mainly Asia. Green revolution technologies transformed agricultural practices resulting into a considerable increase in the productivity of rice in the later part of twentieth century. However, rice agriculture is currently faced with multiple challenges such as declining or stagnant yields, lack of water availability, contamination of natural resources due to excessive use of agrochemicals, biodiversity losses, greenhouse gas emissions and losses due to extreme climatic events. There is a strong need to adapt agricultural practices in order to increase the production of rice in a manner that is economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Here I review the technologies that are already available and could contribute significantly towards achievement of this objective. Using modern high throughput technologies, breeders are developing rice varieties, which possess traits for climate resilience along with higher yields. Effective management of limited water resources is of high value e.g. rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and timing of paddy transplantation with the onset of rain can greatly contribute towards sustainability of rice production and a well maintained canal system could reduce seepage losses by 30-40 %. Agronomic practices like laser levelling of fields, dry seeding and alternate wetting drying are known to considerably reduce irrigation water requirement. System of rice intensification is advocated to increase rice yields by 50 % while halving the water requirement and input costs, particularly in resource-poor conditions. Integrated nutrient management, adjustment of fertilizer dosage, placement and application timings increases nutrient use efficiency while minimising degradation of natural resources through runoff and leaching. Integrated pest management and observation of threshold values could reduce environmental and health costs such as undesired effects on non-target organisms, development of pesticide resistance and residues in the food products along with minimising the input costs. To obtain fullbenefit from the available technologies, a strong commitment from extension and policy institutions is highly important. Use of modern information technologies for timely communication of information such as weather forecast could assist farmers in decision making for various farming activities.
Immunity represents an important defense mechanism against pathogens and is intimately linked to fitness. Previous studies have found significant interindividual variation of immune responses in wild populations and have emphasized the importance of ecological factors in explaining this variability. A deterioration of environmental conditions, such as agricultural intensification, can modify resource availability and, as a result, alter immune functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of agricultural intensification on innate immune functions in breeding adult tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) over 6 yr. We investigated the relationship between agricultural intensification and bacteria-killing ability (BKA) against a strain of E. coli. We also assessed how the presence and the number of bacteria on the surface of eggshells changed with agricultural intensification. Contrary to our expectations, we found a positive relationship between agricultural intensification and BKA, where individuals had higher BKA in intensive compared to nonintensive farmlands. While this trend was observed through the 6-yr study, we also found a tendency for a reduction of BKA over time. We found no relationships between the presence or number of different types of eggshell bacteria and agricultural intensification or an association between BKA of females and eggshell bacteria of their clutch. Our results suggest that differences in immune function observed between intensive and nonintensive farmlands could reflect genetic differences among individuals and/or trade-offs with other traits expressed among habitats within our study system.
This article deals with the simulation of the power converter with voltage-source inverter and sine-filter. The repetitive control system was designed. The existing power converter has a control system which makes Fourier transform of the output voltage to inject these harmonics with opposite phase. The new proposed system based on repetitive controller which is much simpler and with smaller CPU load. The higher harmonics elimination works perfect and the power converter produces output voltage with less than 5% THD under linear or non-linear load. This paper describes the improved control system structure and its implementation in MATLAB Simulink environment. The advantages of the repetitive algorithm facing Fourier transform harmonic compensation are shown. The performance of the new control method is shown in simulation results. The algorithm is carried out in C language using MATLAB S-Function block so it is suitable for implementation in the real-time control systems.
Technological education is a different kind of education, since it manages to channel the students beyond conventional frontal learning. The paper refers to the educational process in the secondary education, at the 8th grade Technological education courses. The electric circuit in a house is the most important piece of the utility network. The authors create an original educational software which is made of two main components: one informative part that is directly taught to the whole class as a didactic movie that refers to the knowledge and abilities accumulated by the students in the module Energy, and the second one, that is an interactive part used to apply the information by individual or collective activities that can be verified and measured. This interactive part allows the students to make a draft regarding the electrical circuits of plugs and light using the specific symbols of a given plan of a house. Unlike academic learning, this process allows the teacher to see the students in different ways, working individual, in pairs, and in groups. The role of the teacher is to provide feedback, comments and reinforcement. The ICT products creates a new approach that places the student at the center of doing, allowing him to undergo a process of developing independent thinking and finding personal solutions.
This study examined the developmental trajectory of a potential source of resilience, prosocial behaviors, and children's peer victimization from third to sixth grade. Trajectories were examined for 1091 children (540 females, 81.4% Caucasian) from Phase 3 of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Latent growth mixture modeling indicated that three latent classes emerged (labeled resilient, at-risk, and normative). Follow-up analyses with covariates further supported the presence of these classes. The resilient class, of particular interest in this study, indicated high initial, but dramatically decreasing victimization coupled with high-stable prosocial behaviors over the 4-year period. These findings suggest the potential protective function of engaging in prosocial behaviors for victims and highlight the need to examine potential heterogeneity among victims. (c) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a 1V -70dB THD audio Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuits. The proposed AGC is based on feedback topologies and the gain is digital controlled. A pi-type resistors network is used in the Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA) as the passive feedback device to realize gain linearity in decibels and increase the gain accuracy. The hysteresis comparator eliminate the chattering effects when the output signal of Peak Detector changes rapidly around the threshold. The design is implemented in 0.18 mu m CMOS and occupies an active area of 0.41mm2. The power consumption of AGC is about 0.17mW at 1V supply voltage. The gain of PGA in the AGC loop ranges from 0dB to 40dB in 2dB step with gain error not more than 0.2dB. The integrated noise in the audio range (20 Hz similar to 20 kHz) is 2.28 mu VRMS when the gain is set at 40dB. The total harmonic distortion (THD) is below -70dB over the audio frequencies at 0.4-Vpp differential output.
This study addresses the applicability and financial feasibility of residential rainwater harvesting systems in the city of Austin, Texas. A cost-benefit analysis is used to estimate the financial return for individual households with rainwater harvesting systems. In addition, a subsidy value that could be provided by the delay of a wastewater treatment plant expansion project is investigated. The findings suggest that a residential rainwater harvesting system would not be feasible without a sufficient subsidy. The estimated subsidy is also not enough to make the cost of the harvesting system effective; however, its multi-purpose benefits are not quantified.
By following the steps of the Integrated Water Management (IWM) approach in the European Union, Brazil has moved from a top-down approach to water management to a participatory one that involves different segments of society. Since decisions regarding water affect all economic activities, the environment and life in communities, it is important that society takes an active part in opportunities to discuss and collectively decide on water issues. When this is done, multiple perspectives can be taken into consideration such that the sustainability of water management and planning is more likely to be maintained. Nevertheless, many conflicts arise from society having to share water, a limited resource, for multiple uses. The volume of water needed and the way it is used for certain activities, such as by agriculture and industry, can negatively impact its availability and quality for other uses. This paper proposes an integrative negotiation model to assist watershed committees (WSCs) to deal with conflicts regarding water pollution. In a pre-negotiation phase the decision-makers (DMs) use the Strategic Options Development Analysis (SODA) method to structure the problem and to identify the relevant factors of the decision problem. DMs evaluate the problem from a multi-attribute perspective. Additionally, a post-negotiation phase is proposed with evaluation criteria to monitor how the compromise solution chosen is affecting the quality of water and if the actors are fulfilling their parts of the agreement. A virtual case study is presented to illustrate the applicability of the model, where three DMs are considered as part of a WSC, namely a representative of civil society, a representative of the public sector, and a representative of water users. The WSC has used social, economic and environmental attributes to evaluate proposals and counter proposals. They have arrived at a balanced agreement, taking into consideration their interests. The model helps reduce conflicts between the DMs and it is flexible in the sense that it can be applied in different conflicts and contexts. It is also easy to implement in most WSCs. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopian highlands, rainfall distribution is extremely uneven both spatially and temporally. Drought frequently results in crop failure, while high rainfall intensities result in low infiltration and high runoff causing soil erosion and land degradation. These combined factors contribute to low agricultural productivity and high levels of food insecurity. Poor land management practices coupled with lack of effective rainwater management strategies aggravate the situation. Over the past two decades, however, the Government of Ethiopia has attempted to address many of these issues through a large-scale implementation of a number of soil and water conservation measures. Despite the success of interventions, uptake and adoption remains low. The conceptual framework of this study is based on the premise that farmers are more likely to adopt a combination of rainwater management technologies as adaptation mechanism against climate variability and agricultural production constraints. This contrasts the previous work that typically examined a single technology without considering the interdependence between technologies. Data used in this study come from household survey in seven watersheds in the Ethiopian Blue Nile Basin. A multivariate probit model was used to account for the potential correlation and interdependence of various components of rainwater management technologies. Our results suggest that rainwater management technologies are related with each other; hence, any effort to promote the adoption of rainwater management technologies has to consider such interdependence of technologies, or failure to do so may mask the reality that farmers face a set of choices in their adoption decisions.
Enzymatic treatments in textile are remarkable because of their environmentally friendly properties, such as less energy, water and chemical need, low waste water pollution. In this paper combined use of amylase, pectinase and cellulase in the same bath was studied in different parts. In the first part of the experiment, raw cotton woven fabrics were treated with amylase, pectinase and cellulase enzymes in the same bath at different process conditions to desize, scour and polish. Results showed that one-bath triple enzymatic mixture process could be done successfully. Therefore, it could be used instead of conventional processes. Moreover, the enzymatic process was completed almost in half of the conventional treatments' durations and temperatures. In the second part, effects of enzymes' dosages were analyzed by using enzymes in pairwise combinations. By this way, not only the effects of the amount of enzymes but also the effects of each enzyme on each fabric property were seen more distinctly. The increases of enzymes' concentrations led to an increase in every tested value except tear strength. Pectinase + cellulase combination resulted in minimum tear strength and whiteness, but maximum absorbency. Usage of enzymes one-by-one constituted the final part of the study. It had been found that amylase affected whiteness and absorbency, cellulase affected tear strength particularly. Although combined enzymatic treatments were conducted at more moderate conditions than conventional processes, comparable results were observed.
In healthy subjects some tissues in the human body display metabolic flexibility, by this we mean the ability for the tissue to switch its fuel source between predominantly carbohydrates in the postprandial state and predominantly fats in the fasted state. Many of the pathways involved with human metabolism are controlled by insulin and insulin-resistant states such as obesity and type-2 diabetes are characterised by a loss or impairment of metabolic flexibility. In this paper we derive a system of 12 first-order coupled differential equations that describe the transport between and storage in different tissues of the human body. We find steady state solutions to these equations and use these results to nondimensionalise the model. We then solve the model numerically to simulate a healthy balanced meal and a high fat meal and we discuss and compare these results. Our numerical results show good agreement with experimental data where we have data available to us and the results show behaviour that agrees with intuition where we currently have no data with which to compare.
1. Host-parasitoid systems are characterized by a continuous development of new defence strategies in hosts and counter-defence mechanisms in parasitoids. This co-evolutionary arms race makes host-parasitoid systems excellent for understanding trade-offs in host use caused by evolutionary changes in host immune responses and parasitoid virulence. However, knowledge obtained from natural host-parasitoid systems on such trade-offs is still limited. 2. In this study, the aim was to examine trade-offs in parasitoid virulence in Asecodes parviclava (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) when attacking three closely related beetles: Galerucella pusilla, Galerucella calmariensis and Galerucella tenella (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). A second aim was to examine whether geographic variation in parasitoid infectivity or host immune response could explain differences in parasitism rate between northern and southern sites. 3. More specifically, we wanted to examine whether the capacity to infect host larvae differed depending on the previous host species of the parasitoids and if such differences were connected to differences in the induction of host immune systems. This was achieved by combining controlled parasitism experiments with cytological studies of infected larvae. 4. Our results reveal that parasitism success in A. parviclava differs both depending on previous and current host species, with a higher virulence when attacking larvae of the same species as the previous host. Virulence was in general high for parasitoids from G. pusilla and low for parasitoids from G. calmariensis. At the same time, G. pusilla larvae had the strongest immune response and G. calmariensis the weakest. These observations were linked to changes in the larval hemocyte composition, showing changes in cell types important for the encapsulation process in individuals infected by more or less virulent parasitoids. 5. These findings suggest ongoing evolution in parasitoid virulence and host immune response, making the system a strong candidate for further studies on host race formation and speciation.
Parametric surfaces are an essential modeling tool in computer aided design and movie production. Even though their use is well established in industry, generating ray-traced images adds significant cost in time and memory consumption. Ray tracing such surfaces is usually accomplished by subdividing the surfaces on the fly, or by conversion to a polygonal representation. However, on-the-fly subdivision is computationally very expensive, whereas polygonal meshes require large amounts of memory. This is a particular problem for parametric surfaces with displacement, where very fine tessellation is required to faithfully represent the shape. Hence, memory restrictions are the major challenge in production rendering. In this article, we present a novel solution to this problem. We propose a compression scheme for a priori Bounding Volume Hierarchies (BVHs) on parametric patches, that reduces the data required for the hierarchy by a factor of up to 48. We further propose an approximate evaluation method that does not require leaf geometry, yielding an overall reduction ofmemory consumption by a factor of 60 over regular BVHs on indexed face sets and by a factor of 16 over established state-of-the-art compression schemes. Alternatively, our compression can simply be applied to a standard BVH while keeping the leaf geometry, resulting in a compression rate of up to 2: 1 over current methods. Although decompression generates additional costs during traversal, we can manage very complex scenes even on the memory restrictive GPU at competitive render times.
Gamma spectrometric field measurements may provide high resolution information on topsoil texture. Yet, calibrations for the estimation of texture data usually have to be done site-specifically. The lack of site-independent calibrations thus limits the easy and universal use of proximal gamma-ray sensing in soil mapping and precision agriculture. Our objective was to develop a study site-independent prediction model for topsoil texture from gamma-ray spectra. We surveyed ten study sites across Germany with 417 reference samples (291 for calibration, 126 for test set-validation), providing soils from a broad range of parent materials and with widely varying soil texture. First, study site-specific models were calibrated by a linear regression approach. These models provided reliable estimations of sand, silt, and clay for most of the study sites. Second, study site-independent models were calibrated via i) linear regression and ii) support vector machines (SVM), the latter being mathematical methods of data pattern recognition. Based on the non-linear relationship between gamma spectrum and soil texture, which varied widely between the different parent materials the linear models are not appropriate for satisfactory soil texture prediction (averaged R-2 of 0.73 for sand, 0.61 for silt, and 0.18 for clay and averaged absolute prediction errors of 9 to 5%, respectively). In contrast, the SVM calibrated prediction models revealed reliable performance also for site-independent calibrations. With the non-linear SVM approach we were able to include all sites in one single prediction model for each texture fraction although the different mineralogical composition of their parent materials led to complex and partly opposing relationships between gamma features and soil texture. Site-independent predictions via SVM were often even better than site-specific linear regression models. The site-independent SVM calibrated predictions yielded an averaged R-2 of 0.96 (sand), 0.93 (silt), and 0.78 (clay), and corresponding averaged absolute prediction errors of 2 to 4%, respectively. To summarize, (i) non-linear prediction models are a feasible approach for capable site-independent texture estimations across a wide range of soils and (ii) gamma spectrometry based texture predictions are a valuable input for applications that require highly resolved texture information at low costs and efforts. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death today, incorporates a wide range of cardiovascular system malfunctions that affect heart functionality. It is believed that the hemodynamic loads exerted on the cardiovascular system, the left ventricle (LV) in particular, are the leading cause of CVD initiation and propagation. Moreover, it is believed that the diagnosis and prognosis of CVD at an early stage could reduce its high mortality and morbidity rate. Therefore, a set of robust clinical cardiovascular assessment tools has been introduced to compute the cardiovascular hemodynamics in order to provide useful insights to physicians to recognize indicators leading to CVD and also to aid the diagnosis of CVD. Recently, a combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and different medical imaging tools, image-based CFD (IB-CFD), has been widely employed for cardiovascular functional assessment by providing reliable hemodynamic parameters. Even though the capability of CFD to provide reliable flow dynamics in general fluid mechanics problems has been widely demonstrated for many years, up to now, the clinical implications of the IB-CFD patient-specific LVs have not been applicable due to its limitations and complications. In this paper, we review investigations conducted to numerically simulate patient-specific human LV over the past 15 years using IB-CFD methods. Firstly, we divide different studies according to the different LV types (physiological and different pathological conditions) that have been chosen to reconstruct the geometry, and then discuss their contributions, methodologies, limitations, and findings. In this regard, we have studied CFD simulations of intraventricular flows and related cardiology insights, for (i) Physiological patient-specific LV models, (ii) Pathological heart patient-specific models, including myocardial infarction, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Finally, we discuss the current stage of the IB-CFD LV simulations in order to mimic realistic hemodynamics of patient-specific LVs. We can conclude that heart flow simulation is on the right track for developing into a useful clinical tool for heart function assessment, by (i) incorporating most of heart structures' (such as heart valves) operations, and (ii) providing useful diagnostic indices based hemodynamic parameters, for routine adoption in clinical usage.
Purpose - Previous research has demonstrated the importance of emotion recognition ability in negotiations and leadership, but scant research has investigated the role of emotion recognition ability in service contexts. The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a compensatory model in which service employees' emotion recognition ability helps enhance their job performance, particularly when employees score low on the agreeableness personality dimension or have low cognitive ability. Design/methodology/approach - With a two-wave multisource dataset collected from a service center of a large retail bank, multiple regression analysis was used to test the moderating roles of agreeableness and cognitive ability on the relationship between service employees' emotion recognition ability and their performance. Findings - Service employees' emotion recognition ability helped enhance their job performance. However, the positive effect of emotion recognition ability on job performance was only statistically significant when employees' agreeableness or cognitive ability was low. Practical implications - The findings have important implications for how service organizations select and recruit employees. In particular, service employees with low agreeableness or cognitive ability may still be able to perform well when possessing high emotion recognition ability. Therefore, emotion recognition ability should be considered in the selection and recruitment process. Originality/value - Going beyond self-report measures of emotion recognition and using a performance measure from organizational records, this study is one of the first to examine how emotion recognition ability interacts with personality and cognitive ability in predicting service employees' effectiveness in a service organization.
Background: Peer relationships are important for children's mental health, yet little is known of their etiological underpinnings. Here, we explore the genetic influences on childhood peer network characteristics in three different networks defined by rejection, acceptance, and prosocial behavior. We further examine the impact of early externalizing and internalizing trajectories on these same peer network characteristics. Methods: Participants were 1,288 children from the Dutch 'Generation R' birth cohort. At age 7, we mapped out children's classroom peer networks for peer rejection, acceptance, and prosocial behavior using mutual peer nominations. In each network, genetic influences were estimated for children's degree centrality, closeness centrality and link reciprocity from DNA using Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis. Preschool externalizing and internalizing trajectories were computed using parental ratings at ages 1.5, 3, and 5 years. Results: Of the three network properties examined, closeness centrality emerged as significantly heritable across all networks. Preschool externalizing problems predicted unfavorable positions within peer rejection networks and having fewer mutual friendships. In contrast, children with preschool-internalizing problems were not actively rejected by their peers, but were less well-connected within their social support network. Conclusions: Our finding of significant heritability for closeness centrality should be taken as preliminary evidence that requires replication. Nevertheless, it can orient us to the role of genes in shaping a child's position within peer networks. Additionally, social network perspectives offer rich insights into how early life mental health trajectories impact a child's later functioning within peer networks.
This work addresses the problem of expedited design optimization of decomposable compact microwave structures, particularly impedance matching transformers. The approach proposed here exploits structure decomposition and a bottom-up technique where the elementary building blocks of the transformer circuit of interest are first optimized with respect to specifications extracted from a conventional circuit design, and subsequently, the entire circuit is optimized using the previously obtained building-block dimensions as a starting point. The optimization engine for each stage of the process is adjoint-based gradient search embedded in the trust region framework. The bottom-up approach turns out to be critical from the reliability standpoint: As the initial dimensions obtained from the optimized building blocks already result in reasonably good characteristics of the entire circuit, no global search is required to find a satisfactory design. This is in contrast to direct adjoint-based optimization of the entire circuit which leads to a local optimum, which may not satisfy the imposed requirements. At the same time, computational cost of the design process is reduced compared with direct optimization of the entire circuit, because building block optimization is carried out in low-dimensional search spaces and using simpler (i.e., less expensive) electromagnetic models. Our technique is demonstrated using a three-section impedance matching transformer. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bringing quantum science and technology to the space frontier offers exciting prospects for both fundamental physics and applications such as long-range secure communication and space-borne quantum probes for inertial sensing with enhanced accuracy and sensitivity. But despite important terrestrial pathfinding precursors on common microgravity platforms and promising proposals to exploit the significant advantages of space quantum missions, large-scale quantum test beds in space are yet to be realised due to the high costs and lead times of traditional Big Space' satellite development. But the small space' revolution, spearheaded by the rise of nanosatellites such as CubeSats, is an opportunity to greatly accelerate the progress of quantum space missions by providing easy and affordable access to space and encouraging agile development. We review space quantum science and technology, CubeSats and their rapidly developing capabilities and how they can be used to advance quantum satellite systems.
Objective. To develop a genotype-based ankylosing spondylitis (AS) risk prediction model that is more sensitive and specific than HLA-B27 typing. Methods. To develop the AS genetic risk scoring (AS-GRS) model, 648 individuals (285 cases and 363 controls) were examined for 5 copy number variants (CNV), 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), and an HLA-B27 marker by TaqMan assays. The AS-GRS model was developed using logistic regression and validated with a larger independent set (576 cases and 680 controls). Results. Through logistic regression, we built the AS-GRS model consisting of 5 genetic components: HLA-B27, 3 CNV (1q32.2, 13q13.1, and 16p13.3), and 1 SNP (rs10865331). All significant associations of genetic factors in the model were replicated in the independent validation set. The discriminative ability of the AS-GRS model measured by the area under the curve was excellent: 0.976 (95% CI 0.96-tion set. Th0.99) in the model construction set and 0.951 (95% CI 0.94-0.96) in the validae AS-GRS model showed higher specificity and accuracy than the HLA-B27-only model when the sensitivity was set to over 94%. When we categorized the individuals into quartiles based on the AS-GRS scores, OR of the 4 groups (low, intermediate-1, intermediate-2, and high risk) showed an increasing trend with the AS-GRS scores (r(2) = 0.950) and the highest risk group showed a 494x higher risk of AS than the lowest risk group (95% CI 237.3-1029.1). Conclusion. Our AS-GRS could be used to identify individuals at high risk for AS before major symptoms appear, which may improve the prognosis for them through early treatment.
Ambient intelligence technologies are making our daily life increasingly virtual, and the boundary between the real world and the virtual world is gradually disappearing. Computer games are often played on the Internet, which allows people to enjoy games with others, even when they are not at the same location. This paper analyzes the Trading Card Game (TCG), which has two versions. One version is played with paper-based cards, whereas the other is played on a computer. The computer-based TCG supports remote play and has a number of enhancements, such as providing special fictional effects on virtual cards. The two different versions are useful to analyze the influence of virtuality in making future social interaction more playful. First, we investigate potential pitfalls to introduce virtuality in TCG through the scenario-based analysis, which adopts a player's personality to exploit potential difficulties. For investigating further insights on the influence of virtuality in TCG, we analyze some experiments with Augmented Trading Card Game, where a real opponent player is replaced with a fictional player. Our findings from the analyses show that the feeling of realness is essential to make incorporated virtuality successful. Recently some games' concepts can be adopted in order to augment our real world. It is essential to investigate the influence of virtuality introduced with the games. The future social interaction will incorporate virtuality based on a variety of game-like features to make the interaction more playful. Therefore, the insights described in this paper will be useful to help the design of future playful social interaction.
Memory corruption vulnerability is prevalent in software that are written using languages that lack memory safety features, e.g., C and C++. This has become a serious problem because the number of the attacks that exploit this vulnerability has increased. More specifically, this vulnerability allows control-flow-hijacking, a memory corruption attack that involves a well-known dangerous program stack. Several countermeasures have been proposed both in academia and the information technology industry to thwart such attacks. Some of these countermeasures have been implemented and used in practice. However, memory corruption attacks continue to be a serious problem because even these countermeasures are simply bypassed by new attacks. In this paper, we survey and classify protection and mitigation technologies that are especially pervasive in operating systems and compilers. This study aims to organize the pervasive countermeasures against these attacks. We present the existing countermeasures to address the current serious problem and propose modifications to these countermeasures that can be implemented in the future.
Uncertainty monitoring is a core property of metacognition, allowing individuals to adapt their decision-making strategies depending on the state of their knowledge. Although it has been argued that other animals share these metacognitive abilities, only humans seem to possess the ability to explicitly communicate their own uncertainty to others. It remains unknown whether this capacity is present early in development, or whether it emerges later with the ability to verbally report one's own mental states. Here, using a nonverbal memory-monitoring paradigm, we show that 20-month-olds can monitor and report their own uncertainty. Infants had to remember the location of a hidden toy before pointing to indicate where they wanted to recover it. In an experimental group, infants were given the possibility to ask for help through nonverbal communication when they had forgotten the toy location. Compared with a control group in which infants had no other option but to decide by themselves, infants given the opportunity to ask for help used this option strategically to improve their performance. Asking for help was used selectively to avoid making errors and to decline difficult choices. These results demonstrate that infants are able to successfully monitor their own uncertainty and share this information with others to fulfill their goals.
Background: The determination and regulation of cell morphology are critical components of cell-cycle control, fitness, and development in both single-cell and multicellular organisms. Understanding how environmental factors, chemical perturbations, and genetic differences affect cell morphology requires precise, unbiased, and validated measurements of cell-shape features. Results: Here we introduce two software packages, Morphometrics and BlurLab, that together enable automated, computationally efficient, unbiased identification of cells and morphological features. We applied these tools to bacterial cells because the small size of these cells and the subtlety of certain morphological changes have thus far obscured correlations between bacterial morphology and genotype. We used an online resource of images of the Keio knockout library of nonessential genes in the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli to demonstrate that cell width, width variability, and length significantly correlate with each other and with drug treatments, nutrient changes, and environmental conditions. Further, we combined morphological classification of genetic variants with genetic meta-analysis to reveal novel connections among gene function, fitness, and cell morphology, thus suggesting potential functions for unknown genes and differences in modes of action of antibiotics. Conclusions: Morphometrics and BlurLab set the stage for future quantitative studies of bacterial cell shape and intracellular localization. The previously unappreciated connections between morphological parameters measured with these software packages and the cellular environment point toward novel mechanistic connections among physiological perturbations, cell fitness, and growth.
This study explored the experience of being stereotyped in a group of black South African adolescents. Participants were 73 black adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 (females = 43.8%, majority ethnicity Setswana = 43,8%). The adolescents participated in focus group discussions on their experience of ethnicity-based stereotyping by others. The data were thematically analysed. The adolescents reported to experience identity compromising stereotyping related to gender roles, sexual orientation, race, and language. Gender-based stereotypes predominantly related to education and career opportunities; with females perceived to be less educated and to have poorer career prospects than male peers. Racial stereotyping was linked to discrimination and xenophobia; and being different was distrusted. Individuals who choose to speak English were stereotyped as culturally superior to those who speak indigenous languages. The adolescents reported to cope with stereotyping by taking actions to contradict stereotypical expectations (find common goals, increase intergroup cooperation, and appreciate difference and uniqueness in people). Stereotype vulnerability in adolescent groups was confirmed, as well as that stereotypes can shape identity outcomes. In addition to this, the importance of intergroup contact to eradicate stereotypes was reiterated.
AmI is clearly the next step into the evolution of the integration in daily life of computer technologies and AI products. Despite of the revolutionary nature of AmI, its analysis and media attention was big in the middle of 21st century decade, but decreasing since then. And this is a mistake, because the new social tendencies as well as the advancements in technological equipment and data procession techniques are allowing a next step into the advancement of AmI. Some general mistakes have been pointed and labeled as 'Ambient stupidity' and a broad philosophical analysis framework is suggested in order to prepare and improve the advent of Big AmI. At the same time, some critical remarks on the nature of human cognitive processes are introduced or reviewed. Finally, the request of new tools to deal with multivariate and dynamic sources of data is showed as a necessity of future researches.
The product development process of hydraulic systems for construction machines is often supported by unidimensional simulations. They are used i.e. to define properties of new parts or to test system functions. More and more simulations are also used within the concept phase to define the best suited system layout for a certain purpose. But the usage of simulations in the concept phase is a difficult task. Because of the generally high number of different possible concepts and different customer usage profiles, the simulation effort is overwhelming without a proper process. Therefore, this paper shows an approach for a model based concept evaluation with respect to customer specific usage profiles. For this, a modular simulation model as well as downstream customer specific weighting procedure of the simulation results is used. The paper includes the general approach as well as its application on the hydraulic system of an excavator.
This letter presents an improved backward/forward sweep algorithm for three-phase load-flow analysis of radial distribution systems. In the backward sweep, Kirchhoff's Current Law and Kirchhoff's Voltage Law are used to calculate the upstream bus voltage of each line or a transformer branch. Then, the linear proportional principle is adopted to find the ratios of the real and imaginary components of the specified voltage to those of the calculated voltage at the substation bus. In the forward sweep, the voltage at each downstream bus is then updated by the real and imaginary components of the calculated bus voltage multiplying with the corresponding ratio. The procedure stops after the mismatch of the calculated and the specified voltages at the substation is less than a convergence tolerance. The proposed algorithm is tested with three IEEE benchmark distribution systems. Results show that the algorithm is accurate and computationally efficient in comparing with two other commonly used methods.
Water pollution is gradually increasing in natural waters through anthropogenic activities. This study aimed to use fish scales as a bio-indicator of pollution, along with water quality parameters, and the assessment and detection of selected heavy metals in water samples collected from the River Chenab, including the Chakbandi drain that gathers domestic sewage waste and industrial effluents from Faisalabad and deposits it into this freshwater body. All water quality parameters (pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), salinity, conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), phenols and sulphates) and concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Cr) were found to be considerably higher than permissible limits as defined by the WHO, and therefore capable of causing ill health effects in aquatic organisms. Specimens of fish scales from selected fish were described qualitatively and observed quantitatively. In Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala, the scales showed several deformities in shape and different scale structures such as circuli, radii and annuli. In each of the three types of fish, considerable variation in the morphology of their scales was observed in specimens collected from polluted sites.
Detecting vehicles in aerial imagery plays an important role in a wide range of applications. The current vehicle detection methods are mostly based on sliding-window search and handcrafted or shallow-learning-based features, having limited description capability and heavy computational costs. Recently, due to the powerful feature representations, region convolutional neural networks (CNN) based detection methods have achieved state-of-the-art performance in computer vision, especially Faster R-CNN. However, directly using it for vehicle detection in aerial images has many limitations: (1) region proposal network (RPN) in Faster R-CNN has poor performance for accurately locating small-sized vehicles, due to the relatively coarse feature maps; and (2) the classifier after RPN cannot distinguish vehicles and complex backgrounds well. In this study, an improved detection method based on Faster R-CNN is proposed in order to accomplish the two challenges mentioned above. Firstly, to improve the recall, we employ a hyper region proposal network (HRPN) to extract vehicle-like targets with a combination of hierarchical feature maps. Then, we replace the classifier after RPN by a cascade of boosted classifiers to verify the candidate regions, aiming at reducing false detection by negative example mining. We evaluate our method on the Munich vehicle dataset and the collected vehicle dataset, with improvements in accuracy and robustness compared to existing methods.
In Study 1, the authors find that people are more satisfied with a service experience when they choose to participate in the provider's voluntary green program (e.g., recycling)-an effect mediated by the warm glow of participation. The downside, however, is that this same mechanism decreases satisfaction among people who choose not to participate. In Study 2, analysis of data from the J.D. PowerGuest Satisfaction Index suggests that incentivizing the program (i.e., compensating the program participants) paradoxically increases satisfaction for those who do not participate but decreases satisfaction among those who do. Studies 3 and 4 explore how manipulating incentive characteristics might enable managers to maximize satisfaction for both groups. Study 3 indicates that, compared with no incentive, an other-benefiting incentive increases warm glow and satisfaction for green program participants but decreases them among nonparticipants. Study 4, however, suggests that mixed incentive bundles (i.e., providing both self-benefiting and other-benefiting options) maximize warm glow and satisfaction for both groups-the ideal outcome for managers.
A pilot project was conducted to examine the health status and possible adverse health effects associated with seawater exposure (microbial water-quality indicators and phytoplankton abundance and their toxins) of surfers in Monterey Bay, Central California coastal waters. Forty-eight surfers enrolled in the study and completed an initial health background survey and weekly health surveys online using Survey Monkey. Descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equation, a regression technique, were used to identify longitudinal and correlated results. The surfers were predominately Caucasian, male, and physically active. They surfed approximately 4 h a week. Their average age was 34 years. The data indicated that the surfers were generally healthy,'' with a low prevalence of diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Their most common health problems were allergies and asthma. During the study, 10% of the surfers reported gastrointestinal symptoms and 29% reported upper respiratory symptoms. This study suggests surfers were significantly more likely to report upper respiratory symptoms when they had a history of allergies, housemates with upper respiratory symptoms, and/or a history of previous adverse health symptoms while surfing during a red tide'' (an event often associated with the presence of phytoplankton toxins). Additionally, female surfers reported upper respiratory symptoms more than males.
Co-speech gestures in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are poorly understood. Historically, all gestures were thought to be reduced in this social-communicative disorder; however, reduced gestures have not been consistently demonstrated in the empirical literature. Just as protodeclarative pointing is reduced in young children with ASD, while protoimperative pointing is not, the varied functions of co-speech gesture may explain these mixed findings. Verbally fluent adolescents with ASD (n = 18) and controls (n = 18) completed a narrative task and a standardized executive function task. Gestures on the narrative task, which serve a wide range of social and cognitive functions, were reduced in ASD. Gestures on the executive function task, which serve primarily cognitive functions, were increased in ASD. Gesture function may be the best predictor of the presence or absence of gesture in ASD. Despite reduced social-communicative gestures, individuals with ASD may benefit from gesture's internal, cognitive functions.
Aim: Children have the highest rates of food-related allergic reactions. While 85% of children outgrow allergies including cow's milk and eggs by five years of age, allergies to peanuts and seafood continue into adulthood. The school setting poses a high-risk environment for allergen exposure. The aim of the present study was to examine the availability, drivers and communication of school food allergy awareness and management policies/guidelines in one Australian education jurisdiction. Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising an online survey of principals on school allergy awareness (n = 100) was conducted in public, catholic and independent primary and high schools in an Australian education jurisdiction between August 2011 and November 2012. Results: Sixty-three per cent (17/27) of schools responding to the survey reported using food allergy management guidelines. An average of 13 students per school were reported to have a food allergy with 93% of schools reported having students with at least one food allergy. Parents, not government policy, were identified as primary drivers of food allergy guideline implementation and a third of schools provided anaphylaxis training annually. Communication of food allergy management was limited with only 42 school websites either providing access to policies/guidelines or providing a food allergy statement. Conclusions: Detailed awareness and management guidelines are integral for schools to adequately manage food-induced allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in the school environment. To enable this, national government support through legislation and policy is needed to ensure a consistent, up-to-date and policed approach to food allergy management in the Australian education sector.
The governing procedure in coupled Monte Carlo (MC) codes relies on discretization of the simulation time into time steps. Typically, the MC transport solution at discrete points will generate reaction rates, which in most codes are assumed to be constant within the time step. This assumption can trigger numerical instabilities or result in a loss of accuracy, which, in turn, would require reducing the time steps size. This paper focuses on reducing the time discretization error without requiring additional MC transport solutions and hence with no major computational overhead. The sub-step method presented here accounts for the reaction rate variation due to the variation in nuclide densities and thermal hydraulic (TH) conditions. This is achieved by performing additional depletion and TH calculations within the analyzed time step. The method was implemented in BGCore code and subsequently used to analyze a series of test cases. The results indicate that computational speedup of up to a factor of 10 may be achieved over the existing coupling schemes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control has been successfully applied to the single-phase bidirectional inverter with an LC filter, which can coverwide inductance variation and achieve precise inverter current tracking. However, high frequency ripple current injection to the grid cannot be avoided, and an LCL filter is therefore required. Since there typically exist grid voltage harmonics, the injected grid current will contain harmonic components due to the effect of the LCL-filter capacitor. This paper presents an extended application of the D-Sigma digital control associated with a filter-capacitor-current compensation to reduce the injected grid-current harmonics. The control laws of the inverter with the D-Sigma digital control and compensation approach are derived in detail, and the reduction of grid-current harmonics is analyzed. With the proposed approaches, the phase margin between the output impedance of the inverter and grid impedance can be higher than 80 degrees from low to high frequencies, and the inverter can achieve high harmonic voltage rejection ratio up to 39th harmonic, which is relatively suitable for weak grid connection. Experimental results measured from a 5-kW single-phase bidirectional inverter have verified the feasible application of the D-Sigma digital control and proposed compensation.
Exchanging computer-aided design (CAD) model data among heterogeneous CAD systems is indispensable for collaborative product development. Currently, the industry mainly uses the standardized neutral files-based methods to implement such exchange. While at the same time, the application of web ontology language (OWL) file and underlying semantic web technologies in CAD model data exchange is gaining importance and popularity within the academia. The coexistence of different types of methods has generated a series of controversies and questions within the industry and the academia. Yet, can the neutral files-based exchange methods completely implement model data exchange among heterogeneous CAD systems? What challenges have been addressed to date by the developed CAD model data exchange standards? Why OWL has been introduced to CAD model data exchange? Does CAD model data exchange really need OWL? Are there any issues in existing neutral files-based exchange methods and OWL file-based exchange methods need to be addressed in future studies? This paper proposes to conduct a study of the standardized neutral files-based exchange methods and OWL file-based exchange methods. An in-depth analysis of the widely used standard for the exchange of product model data (STEP) method and the newly emerging OWL methods is first provided. Then, the paper makes a detailed comparison between these two types of methods based on this analysis. Finally, some issues in the two types of methods that need to be addressed in the future are discussed.
Paper deals with mathematical modelling of impulse waveforms and impulse switching functions used in electrical engineering. Using z-transformation the impulse switching functions can be obtained for any discrete time instant as impulse sequences of exciting functions. Applying such an impulse sequence to electrical circuit the response of state variables can be investigated using inverse z-transformation. Theoretical derived wave-forms are verified by LT-Spice circuit simulator and compared to those of simulation worked-out results.
Hereditary fever syndromes (HFS) include a group of disorders characterized by recurrent self-limited episodes of fever accompanied by inflammatory manifestations occurring in the absence of infection or autoimmune reaction. Advances in the genetics of HFS have led to the identification of new gene families and pathways involved in the regulation of inflammation and innate immunity. The key role of several cytokine networks in the pathogenesis of HFS has been underlined by several groups, and supported by the rapid response of patients to targeted cytokine blocking therapies. This can be due to the direct effect of cytokine overproduction or to an absence of receptor antagonist resulting in dysbalance of downstream pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine networks. The aim of this study was to present an overview and to discuss the major concepts regarding the cellular and molecular immunology of HFS, with a particular focus on their specific cytokine signatures and physiopathological implications. Based on their molecular and cellular mechanisms, HFS have been classified into intrinsic and extrinsic IL-1 beta activation disorders or inflammasomopathies, and protein misfolding disorders. This review integrates all recent data in an updated classification of HFS. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Eczema is a frequent childhood manifestation and a few atopic children are allergic to certain foods or aeroallergens. Anxious parents of atopic children often have a fear of topical steroid-related side-effects, and some may try a range of elimination diets to avoid allergies. Elimination diets increase the risk of anaphylaxis on re-exposure to previously tolerated foods from the loss of oral tolerance. Unbalanced diets together with an inadvertent excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables may lead to carotenemia from the carotenoids in the plant foods. Carotenemia is benign but unusual diets and the consumption of preformed vitamin A in health supplements can lead to vitamin A toxicity. We discuss a child with eczema on an exclusion diet presenting with anaphylaxis to dairy food. He had carotenemia with hepatomegaly, which resolved on dietary management.
Dramatic technology progress in data manipulation induced several attempts of baleful and illegal processing. In this regard, several protection techniques, including cryptography, steganography, and watermarking have been used to avoid the illegal production and distribution of data online. On the other side, the attacks are still a major problem that limits the effectiveness of watermarking techniques. The geometric attacks involve displacement of pixels. Therefore, they induce synchronization errors between the original and attacked image that complicates the watermark recovery process. So in order to solve the de-synchronization problem, we propose to use a robust meshing technique between different geometrical data of the image to correct the geometric distortion. In this work, we propose a novel geometrically invariant digital image watermarking approach based on the geometrical feature of the cover image and the Defragmented Delaunay Triangulation on respecting the three constraints of watermarking approaches (imperceptibility of embedded watermark, embedding capacity, and robustness). The aim idea of this work is to propose a blind, imperceptible, and robust digital image watermarking scheme based on Defragmented Delaunay Tessellation and Weber's law. The defragmented triangulation provides a best synchronization of the embedded data after attacks application. The Weber's law is used to propose an auto-thresholding algorithm to compute the optimal embedding gain factor for each watermark's bit in order to ensure the imperceptibility of the hidden data. Firstly, the invariant features in the host gray scale image are extracted by using the canny edge detector. Then, the Delaunay tessellation of the saved keys points set is generated and defragmented to select the optimal robust triangles for watermark embedding. Simulation results illustrate the imperceptibility of the embedded data and the robustness of the proposed approach against intentional and unintentional geometrical attacks are presented in the finally section. Copyright (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using a mixed methods approach, the researcher gathered a set of narrative responses from focus groups that supported the claim of underreporting campus discrimination on a survey. Multiple studies have shown that underrepresented minority students are likely to bond with same-ethnic peers in a racially tense campus climate. This mixed method is a follow-up investigation into, why, in a post-9/11 environment, Arab and Muslim American community college students demonstrated less variation in the level of perceived discrimination in relationship to the percentage of same-ethnic and/or same-faith campus friendship groups. Post hoc comparisons revealed that Arab and Muslim students exhibited significantly higher mean scores on a perceived discrimination scale than other ethnic groups.
Since the early beginnings, in the 1950s, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has become an established curative treatment for an increasing number of patients with life-threatening hematological, oncological, hereditary, and immunological diseases. This has become possible due to worldwide efforts of preclinical and clinical research focusing on issues of transplant immunology, reduction of transplant-associated morbidity, and mortality and efficient malignant disease eradication. The latter has been accomplished by potent graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effector cells contained in the stem cell graft. Exciting insights into the genetics of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system allowed improved donor selection, including HLA-identical related and unrelated donors. Besides bone marrow, other stem cell sources like granulocyte-colony stimulating-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells and cord blood stem cells have been established in clinical routine. Use of reduced-intensity or non-myeloablative conditioning regimens has been associated with a marked reduction of non-hematological toxicities and eventually, non-relapse mortality allowing older patients and individuals with comorbidities to undergo allogeneic HSCT and to benefit from GvL or antitumor effects. Whereas in the early years, malignant disease eradication by high-dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy was the ultimate goal; nowadays, allogeneic HSCT has been recognized as cellular immunotherapy relying prominently on immune mechanisms and to a lesser extent on non-specific direct cellular toxicity. This chapter will summarize the key milestones of HSCT and introduce current developments.
Non-verbal communication incorporating visual, audio, and contextual information is important to make sense of and navigate the social world. Individuals who have trouble with social situations often have difficulty recognizing these sorts of non-verbal social signals. In this article, we propose a training tool NOCOA+ (Non-verbal COmmuniation for Autism plus) that uses utterances in visual and audio modalities in nonverbal communication training. We describe the design of NOCOA+, and further perform an experimental evaluation in which we examine its potential as a tool for computer-based training of non-verbal communication skills for people with social and communication difficulties. In a series of four experiments, we investigated 1) the effect of temporal context on the ability to recognize social signals in testing context, 2) the effect of modality of presentation of social stimulus on ability to recognize non-verbal information, 3) the correlation between autistic traits as measured by the autism spectrum quotient (AQ) and non-verbal behavior recognition skills measured by NOCOA+, 4) the effectiveness of computer-based training in improving social skills. We found that context information was helpful for recognizing non-verbal behaviors, and the effect of modality was different. The results also showed a significant relationship between the AQ communication and socialization scores and non-verbal communication skills, and that social skills were significantly improved through computer-based training.
We address the entanglement dynamics of a three-qubit system interacting with a classical fluctuating environment described either by a Gaussian or non-Gaussian noise in three different configurations namely: common, independent and mixed environments. Specifically, we focus on the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) noise and the random telegraph noise (RTN). The qubits are prepared in a state composed of a Greenberger-HorneZeilinger (GHZ) and a W state. With the help of the tripartite negativity, we show that the entanglement evolution is not only affected by the type of system-environment coupling but also by the kind and the memory properties of the considered noise. We also compared the dynamics induced by the two kinds of noise and we find that even if both noises have a Lorentzian spectrum, the effects of the OU noise cannot be in a simple way deduced from those of the RTN and vice-versa. In addition, we show that the entanglement can be indefinitely preserved when the qubits are coupled to the environmental noise in a common environment (CE). Finally, the presence or absence of peculiar phenomena such as entanglement revivals (ER) and entanglement sudden death (ESD) is observed.
The objective of this work was to develop and evaluate a classifier for differentiating probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) from Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and from frontotemporal dementia, behavioral variant (bvFTD) based on quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG). We compared 25 QEEG features in 61 dementia patients (20 patients with probable AD, 20 patients with PDD or probable DLB (DLBPD), and 21 patients with bvFTD). Support vector machine classifiers were trained to distinguish among the three groups. Out of the 25 features, 23 turned out to be significantly different between AD and DLBPD, 17 for AD versus bvFTD, and 12 for bvFTD versus DLBPD. Using leave-one-out cross validation, the classification achieved an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 100% using only the QEEG features Granger causality and the ratio of theta and beta1 band powers. These results indicate that classifiers trained with selected QEEG features can provide a valuable input in distinguishing among AD, DLB or PDD, and bvFTD patients. In this study with 61 patients, no misclassifications occurred. Therefore, further studies should investigate the potential of this method to be applied not only on group level but also in diagnostic support for individual subjects.
This work describes an electrical interferometer for contactless permittivity measurements working at 120 GHz. It was fabricated in a 130 nm SiGe process featuring an ft and fmax of 240 and 330 GHz. The on-chip system contains a 120 GHz VCO with a tuning range of 7 GHz featuring a divide-by- 64 circuit to enable external PLL operation. The subsequent buffer provides 7 dBm of output power at 120 GHz. Additionally, the IC contains high-precision and high-resolution phase shifters based on a slow-wave transmission line approach with digital control for direct readout ability. A 120 GHz LNA with 17 dB gain and a power detector to provide DC output signals were realized on chip. It enables sample emulation capability by phase shift inducement in the measurement as well as a reference transmission line. In terms of phase detection, the system shows a sensitivity of 907.36 MHz/degrees.
The Mona Lisa effect describes the phenomenon when the eyes of a portrait appear to look at the observer regardless of the observer's position. Recently, the metaphor of a cone of gaze has been proposed to describe the range of gaze directions within which a person feels looked at. The width of the gaze cone is about five degrees of visual angle to either side of a given gaze direction. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how the brain regions involved in gaze direction discrimination would differ between centered and decentered presentation positions of a portrait exhibiting eye contact. Subjects observed a given portrait's eyes. By presenting portraits with varying gaze directionseye contact (0 degrees), gaze at the edge of the gaze cone (5 degrees), and clearly averted gaze (10 degrees), we revealed that brain response to gaze at the edge of the gaze cone was similar to that produced by eye contact and different from that produced by averted gaze. Right fusiform gyrus and right superior temporal sulcus showed stronger activation when the gaze was averted as compared to eye contact. Gaze sensitive areas, however, were not affected by the portrait's presentation location. In sum, although the brain clearly distinguishes averted from centered gaze, a substantial change of vantage point does not alter neural activity, thus providing a possible explanation why the feeling of eye contact is upheld even in decentered stimulus positions. Hum Brain Mapp 36:619-632, 2015. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Duo is a general, user-friendly program for computing rotational, rovibrational and rovibronic spectra of diatomic molecules. Duo solves the Schrodinger equation for the motion of the nuclei not only for the simple case of uncoupled, isolated electronic states (typical for the ground state of closed-shell diatomics) but also for the general case of an arbitrary number and type of couplings between electronic states (typical for open-shell diatomics and excited states). Possible couplings include spin-orbit, angular momenta, spin-rotational and spin-spin. Corrections due to non-adiabatic effects can be accounted for by introducing the relevant couplings using so-called Born-Oppenheimer breakdown curves. Duo requires user-specified potential energy curves and, if relevant, dipole moment, coupling and correction curves. From these it computes energy levels, line positions and line intensities. Several analytic forms plus interpolation and extrapolation options are available for representation of the curves. Duo can refine potential energy and coupling curves to best reproduce reference data such as experimental energy levels or line positions. Duo is provided as a Fortran 2003 program and has been tested under a variety of operating systems. Program summary Program title: Duo Catalogue identifier: AEZJ_v1_0 rogram summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEZLv1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 187443 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 6968371 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran 2003. Computer: Any personal computer. Operating system: Linux, Windows, Mac OS. Has the code been vectorized or parallelized?: Parallelized RAM: Case dependent, typically < 10 MB Classification: 4.3, 4.9, 16.2, 16.3. Nature of problem: Solving the Schrodinger equation for the nuclear motion of a diatomic molecule with an arbitrary number and type of couplings between electronic states. Solution method: Solution of the uncoupled problem first, then basis set truncation and solution of the coupled problem. A line list can be computed if a dipole moment function is provided. The potential energy and other curves can be empirically refined by fitting to experimental energies or frequencies, when provided. Restrictions: The current version is restricted to bound states of the system. Unusual features: User supplied curves for all objects (potential energies, spin orbit and other couplings, dipole moment etc.) as analytic functions or on a grid is a program requirement. Running time: Case dependent. The test runs provided take seconds or a few minutes on a normal PC. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
BACE1 is a major therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Developing inhibitors that can selectively target BACE1 in favor of other proteases, especially cathepsin D (CatD), has presented significant challenges. Here, we investigate the conformational dynamics and protonation states of BACE1 and CatD using continuous constant pH molecular dynamics with pH replica-exchange sampling protocol. Despite similar structure, BACE1 and CatD exhibit markedly different active site dynamics. BACE1 displays pH-dependent flap dynamics that controls substrate accessibility, while the CatD flap is relatively rigid and remains open in the pH range 2.5-6. Interestingly, although each protease hydrolyzes peptide bonds, the protonation states of the catalytic dyads are different within the active pH range. The acidic and basic components of the BACE1 catalytic dyad are clear, while either aspartic acid of the CatD catalytic dyad could play the role of acid or base. Finally, we investigate binding of the inhibitor LY2811376 developed by Eli Lilly to BACE1 and CatD. Surprisingly, in the enzyme active pH range, LY2811376 forms a stronger salt bridge with the catalytic dyad in CatD than in BACE1, which might explain the retinal toxicity of the inhibitor related to off-target inhibition of CatD. This work highlights the complexity and challenge in structure-based drug design where receptor-ligand binding induces protonation state change in both the protein and the inhibitor. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper proposes a method for three-phase state estimation (SE) in power distribution network including on-load tap changers (OLTC) for voltage control. The OLTC tap positions are essentially discrete variables from the SE point of view. Estimation of these variables in SE presents a formidable challenge. The proposed methodology combines discrete and continuous state variables (voltage magnitudes, angles, and tap positions). A hybrid particle swarm optimization (HPSO) is applied to obtain the solution. The method is tested on standard IEEE 13-and 123-bus unbalanced test system models. The proposed algorithm accurately estimates the network bus voltage magnitudes and angles, and discrete tap values. The HPSO-based tap estimation provides a more accurate estimation of losses in the network, which helps in fair allocation of cost of losses in arriving at overall cost of electricity.
The study indicates that analysis of morphometric parameters with the help of geographic information system (GIS) would prove a viable method of characterizing the hydrological response behaviour of the watershed. It is also well observed that remote sensing satellite data is emerging as the most effective, time saving and accurate technique for morphometric analysis of a basin. This technique is found relevant for the extraction of river basin and its stream networks through ASTER (DEM) in conjunction with remote sensing satellite data (Landsat etm+, 2013 and georeferenced survey of Indian toposheet, 1972). In this study, Kanhar basin a tributaries of Son River has been selected for detailed morphometric analysis. Seven sub-watersheds are also delineated within this basin to calculate the selected morphometric parameters. Morphometric parameters viz; stream order, stream length, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, stream frequency, form factor, circulatory ratio, etc., are calculated. The drainage area of the basin is 5,654 km(2) and shows sub-dendritic to dendritic drainage pattern. The stream order of the basin is mainly controlled by physiographic and lithological conditions of the area. The study area is designated as seventh-order basin with the drainage density value being as 1.72 km/km(2). The increase in stream length ratio from lower to higher order shows that the study area has reached a mature geomorphic stage.
Detecting the shape of the non-rigid molten metal during welding, so-called weld pool visual sensing, is one of the central tasks for automating arc welding processes. It is challenging due to the strong interference of the high-intensity arc light and spatters as well as the lack of robust approaches to detect and represent the shape of the nonrigid weld pool. We propose a solution using active contours including an prior for the weld pool boundary composition. Also, we apply Adaboost to select a small set of features that captures the relevant information. The proposed method is applied to weld pool tracking and the presented results verified its feasibility. Note to Practitioners-Welding quality is highly dependent on the human welder's experiences and skills in the gas tungsten arc welding process. In particular, detecting the shape of the nonrigid molten metal during welding plays an important role in improving the welding quality since it provides a prime feedback mechanism for welding control. However, this is a challenging task due to a number of reasons, e.g., strong interference and changing working environment. Applying classical image processing algorithms directly, such as active contour models (ACM), cannot guarantee satisfactory performance due to the above-mentioned reasons. Actually, in practice, ACM more often than not failed to capture the welding pool boundary. In this work, we integrate an application-dependent prior to the definition of the energy functional of a traditional ACM, thus allowing us to use machine learning techniques to improve the performance of traditional ACM. In density estimation of the prior, AdaBoost is utilized to select features that are most suitable for Gaussian Bayesian classifiers to differentiate wanted boundaries and unwanted ones (e.g., spurious boundaries caused by interfering noise). The proposed approach improves the perfor-mance of the traditional ACM and captures the boundary of the welding pool successfully. It can also be generalized to other applications that need to integrate application-dependent priors to enhance classical methods, which may otherwise be not applicable in real-world implementations.
Background: A common problem of some information technology courses is the difficulty of providing practical exercises. Although different approaches have been followed to solve this problem, it is still an open issue, specially in security and computer network courses. Results: This paper proposes NETinVM, a tool based on nested virtualization that includes a fully functional lab, comprising several computers and networks, in a single virtual machine. It also analyzes and evaluates how it has been used in different teaching environments. Conclusions: The results show that this tool makes it possible to perform demos, labs and practical exercises, greatly appreciated by the students, that would otherwise be unfeasible. Also, its portability allows to reproduce classroom activities, as well as the students' autonomous work.
Drawing together social psychologists' concerns with equality and cognitive psychologists' concerns with scientific inference, 6 studies (N = 841) showed how implicit category norms make the generation and test of hypothesis about race highly asymmetric. Having shown that Whiteness is the default race of celebrity actors (Study 1), Study 2 used a variant of Wason's (1960) rule discovery task to demonstrate greater difficulty in discovering rules that require specifying that race is shared by White celebrity actors than by Black celebrity actors. Clues to the Whiteness of White actors from analogous problems had little effect on hypothesis formation or rule discovery (Studies 3 and 4). Rather, across Studies 2 and 4 feedback about negative cases-non-White celebrities-facilitated the discovery that White actors shared a race, whether participants or experimenters generated the negative cases. These category norms were little affected by making White actors' Whiteness more informative (Study 5). Although participants understood that discovering that White actors are White would be harder than discovering that Black actors are Black, they showed limited insight into the information contained in negative cases (Study 6). Category norms render some identities as implicit defaults, making hypothesis formation and generalization about real social groups asymmetric in ways that have implications for scientific reasoning and social equality.
Brushless Doubly Fed Induction Generator (BDFIG) is one of the upcoming machines which is under research study to be used in offshore windfarms as it has many advantages over the conventional machines. Electromagnetism, the study of electric and magnetic fields plays the vital role in the design of machines. Electric machines are used in novel applications around the world, driven by the need for greater power efficiency in the transportation, aerospace and defense, and industrial automation areas. It is difficult to design a machine to meet all the performance criteria. ANSYS Maxwell software is a powerful tool to analyze all the relevant performance indices related to machine design. Finite element method is used in this software for the accurate analysis of the modeled machine. In this paper, design of 1.1 kW Brushless Doubly Fed Induction Generator (BDFIG) for 2/6 pole configuration and 4/8 pole configuration are done and analysis of the configurations are carried out using ANSYS Maxwell software. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This letter presents a gait classification technique for the identification of individuals with different gait patterns using simulated micro-Doppler radar remote sensing data. Proposed feature parameters for the classification are principal components of velocities extracted via micro-Doppler radar signals generated using motion capture-based kinematic data. Distinct differences were found in the proposed parameters among three groups of subjects with different gait patterns: healthy young and elderly adults, and elderly adults with a history of falls (elderly fallers).
Rising temperatures have begun to shift flowering time, but it is unclear whether phenotypic plasticity can accommodate projected temperature change for this century. Evaluating clines in phenological traits and the extent and variation in plasticity can provide key information on assessing risk of maladaptation and developing strategies to mitigate climate change. In this study, flower phenology was examined in 52 populations of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) growing in three common gardens. Flowering date (anthesis) varied 91 days from late July to late November among gardens. Mixed-effects modeling explained 79% of variation in flowering date, of which 46% could be assigned to plasticity and genetic variation in plasticity and 33% to genetics (conditional R-2 = 0.79, marginal R-2 = 0.33). Two environmental variables that explained the genetic variation were photoperiod and the onset of spring, the Julian date of accumulating degree-days >5 degrees C reaching 100. The genetic variation was mapped for contemporary and future climates (decades 2060 and 2090), showing flower date change varies considerably across the landscape. Plasticity was estimated to accommodate, on average, a +/- 13-day change in flowering date. However, the examination of genetic variation in plasticity suggests that the magnitude of plasticity could be affected by variation in the sensitivity to photoperiod and temperature. In a warmer common garden, lower-latitude populations have greater plasticity (+16 days) compared to higher-latitude populations (+10 days). Mapped climatypes of flowering date for contemporary and future climates illustrate the wide breadth of plasticity and large geographic overlap. Our research highlights the importance of integrating information on genetic variation, phenotypic plasticity and climatic niche modeling to evaluate plant responses and elucidate vulnerabilities to climate change.
Chronic granulomatous disease is a rare, inherited immunodeficiency disorder that reduces the superoxide generation ability of phagocytes, leading to recurrent infections and granulomatous inflammation. We report the case of a previously healthy 3-year-old boy who presented with classic features of Crohn disease. Suspicion from histopathologiclogic assessment allowed early diagnosis and treatment for chronic granulomatous disease before the onset of infections.
The purpose of the Charpy test is to determine the impact resistance of materials. It makes it possible to measure their impact strength. It consists of breaking a standard notched bar using a pendulum hammer. The notch can take various forms: out of U or, generally, out of V The power consumption to break the bar is measured by making the difference between the drop height of the hammer and that to which it goes up after having broken the bar. If this last were completely brittle, the hammer would go up with the same height as that from where it fell. If it were on the contrary extremely tough, it would not be broken and the pendulum would not go up at all. The fracture energy thus determined is called impact strength. More it is raised, more the material is tough. Today, this test is identified by measuring of the impact force in accordance with ISO 148-1 and largely used for industrial materials. However, with technological evolution of industrial materials used in manufacturing engineering, other test methods have been developed, in time and complexity, to characterise particularly thin sheet welded pieces (tailored blanks) used in automotive industry. However, one may see a little development in this domain for thin plates regarding to thick plates. This paper reports the early history of instrumented impact testing, started from Augustin Georges Albert CHARPY (1865-1945) up to now, and gives a comparative study on the recent results of experiments obtained on the different welded steel grades by means of the new developed machine called impact tensile crash test or simulated crash test and presents of new ductile/brittle transition diagrams concerning different welding techniques. This concerns dynamic testing of the welded pieces used in automotive industry. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Patient specific HA/beta-TCP scaffold were fabricated using an indirect fabrication approach which involves the application of rapid prototyping technology. beta-TCP powder with 10, 20 and 30 % HA concentrations were analyzed for different sintering temperatures. Scaffolds were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction, compression tests, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cytotoxicity tests using human osteosarcoma cell line. Results include HA/beta-TCP scaffold porosity, volumetric shrinkage, mechanical properties, bonding, structural phase change and cytotoxicity.
A relatively new form of human communication, video-conferencing has become more popular as video technology improves and with increasing demands for real-time communication across greater distances. The full effects of video-conferencing on human communication are still being explored. Video-conferencing is presumed to be a somewhat richer form of communication than email and telephone, but not quite as informative as face-to-face communication. This review explores research into the influence of eye contact on communication and how video-conferencing mediates both verbal and non-verbal interactions. Facilitation of eye contact is a challenge that must be addressed so that video-conferencing can approach the rich interactions of face-to-face communication. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ozonation of a representative taste and odor compound, 2-Isobutyl-3-methoxy pyrazine (IBMP), in drinking water was systematically investigated in this study. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the influencing factors including initial IBMP concentration, O-3 addition rate, initial pH, H2O2 dosage, and different water qualities on the degradation of IBMP in the ozonation process. Results showed that the degradation of IBMP followed pseudo-first order kinetics. The degradation rate constants increased with the increasing O-3 addition rate and initial pH value, whereas it decreased with the increasing initial IBMP concentration. Degradation of IBMP is mainly dominated by direct ozone oxidation at low pH, while the free radical oxidation may become dominant at high pH levels. Moreover, appropriate H2O2 dosage can greatly increase the IBMP degradation rates, but large excess H2O2 would act as an OH center dot scavenger and inhibit the degradation. In addition, lower degradation rate was observed in raw water, compared to that in deionized water. Overall, ozonation can be a promising treatment technology to control IBMP-associated water pollution.
Present study is on the interdependent nature of hydraulic parameters and morphometric variables of a bedrock river. In this study, using dumpy level, GPS, satellite images and some mathematical equations a data set on hydraulics and morphometric variables of a bedrock channel, named Bhatajhor, of eastern India was generated. That data set was used to (1) find out impulse-response relations between hydraulic variables (2) find out relations between morphometric variables and (3) find out relations between hydraulic and morphometric variables. Seven equations (5-11) were formulated based on this empirical study to the end. The seven empirical relations, most of which include only two variables, involve channel cross-section dimensions (area, width, mean depth, maximum depth, width/depth ratio, hydraulic radius), slope and hydraulic variables (velocity, kinetic energy, stream power, Manning's n factor, Chezy's C factor and shear stress). Observation shows relatively higher coefficient of determination (R2) between variables like velocity and Manning's n factor (0.67), velocity and Chezy's C factor (0.67), slope and t (0.89), w/d ratio and hydraulic radius (0.53), slope and w/d ratio (0.50).
Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to highlight recent methodological advances that have helped us to understand the role of intramuscular triglycerides in human health as well as prevention and treatment of disease. In addition to both invasive (muscle biopsy) and noninvasive methods, techniques to assess other lipids within muscle will be reviewed. Recent findings In addition to intramuscular triglycerides, other lipids contained within skeletal muscle such as diacylglycerol and ceramides may have an important role in human metabolic disease. Both ex-vivo and in-vivo methods to obtain serial measurements of these muscle lipids as a result of experimental perturbation have recently provided unique insight into their respective roles in human metabolism. Summary Triglyceride accumulation within skeletal muscle has received considerable interest due to its potential role in insulin resistance and fatty acid metabolism of obesity, aging and type 2 diabetes. Observations that triglycerides themselves may be used as a fuel source for exercising muscle, and thus may not be detrimental in all circumstances, has in part prompted the development and implementation of analytical methods to quantify the fatty acid composition of muscle triglycerides as well as other lipid species within muscle, e.g. diacylglycerol and ceramides. In addition, noninvasive computed tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging methods have been applied to examine the serial effects of intervention on muscle triglycerides.
Style, styles: Specific way of expressing in a particular area of human activity for certain purposes of communication. Based on this definition and relating to the performance context of volleyball, we decided to conduct a study on the communication style between female volleyball players during an official game. This style of communication, in the sport environment, is called nonverbal communication. The target group consisted of the female players from CSU Medicina Tirgu Mures. The team plays in the first volleyball division from the Romanian National Championship and participated in the last 5 seasons of the Challenge Cup. The study was conducted in the 2013-2014 competitive season and consisted in exemplifying the ways of communication between players and between the game coordinator and the other teammates. This study aims to highlight the existence of a different style of communication, especially nonverbal communication that represents a starting point for all those involved in sports life and beyond.
Since thermal environment affects production, egg quality and laying hens' mortality rates, it is highly relevant to control the thermal environment within poultry houses so that the best financial profits could be obtained. Three commercial poultry houses with different climatization systems are analyzed in current research: a poultry house with tunnel-like ventilation and pad cooling; a poultry house with natural ventilation and nebulization; a poultry house with simple natural ventilation. Their thermal environment, production, egg quality and laying hens' mortality rates among different poultry houses and at different areas of the same poultry house are compared. Economic profits based on difference in electric energy consumption by climatization systems and on the laying hens' productivity of each poultry house are calculated. Electricity meters were installed within the electrical circuits of the climatization and light systems of the three poultry houses. Data were registered between December 2011 and March 2012 and results showed that all the poultry houses featured heterogeneity in internal thermal environment with faults in the climatization systems. Important differences were reported in egg production and quality caused by overheating. The poultry house with tunnel-like ventilation and pad cooling had the best thermal isolation from the external environment that resulted in a 12.04% improvement in production, decrease between 30 and 40% in laying hens' mortality rates and the best economic result.
This study examined the feasibility of using quantitation to augment interpretation of florbetapir PET amyloid imaging. A total of 80 physician readers were trained on quantitation of florbetapir PET images and the principles for using quantitation to augment a visual read. On day 1, the readers completed a visual read of 96 scans (46 autopsy-verified and 50 from patients seeking a diagnosis). On day 2, 69 of the readers reinterpreted the 96 scans augmenting their interpretation with quantitation (VisQ method) using one of three commercial software packages. A subset of 11 readers reinterpreted all scans on day 2 based on a visual read only (VisVis control). For the autopsy-verified scans, the neuropathologist's modified CERAD plaque score was used as the truth standard for interpretation accuracy. Because an autopsy truth standard was not available for scans from patients seeking a diagnosis, the majority VisQ interpretation of the three readers with the best accuracy in interpreting autopsy-verified scans was used as the reference standard. Day 1 visual read accuracy was high for both the autopsy-verified scans (90%) and the scans from patients seeking a diagnosis (87.3%). Accuracy improved from the visual read to the VisQ read (from 90.1% to 93.1%, p90% on day 1). Accuracy in interpreting the autopsy-verified scans also increased from the first to the second visual read (VisVis group). However, agreement with the reference standard (best readers) for scans from patients seeking a diagnosis did not improve with a second visual read, and in this cohort the VisQ group was significantly improved relative to the VisVis group (change 5.4% vs. -1.1%, p < 0.0001). These results indicate that augmentation of visual interpretation of florbetapir PET amyloid images with quantitative information obtained using commercially available software packages did not reduce the accuracy of readers who were already performing with above average accuracy on the visual read and may improve the accuracy and confidence of some readers in clinically relevant cases.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria are common microorganisms in nature and are particularly found in soil and water. They cause pulmonary infections, lymphadenitis, disseminated infections, localized skin and soft tissue infections, tendon-bone-articular infections, and catheter infections. Mycobacterium xenopi is categorized as a slow-growing mycobacterium. Pulmonary infections caused by M. xenopi have been found to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), underlying diseases such as bronchiectasis, and immunosuppression. This article aims to present an atypical mycobacterial infection in a patient in whom anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy was being planned and who was followed up with diagnoses of ankylosing spondylitis and COPD.
In recent decades, there has been a growing attention toward using teamwork and the commitment and productivity of teams to improve the quality of education and research in higher education institutes. To achieve these goals, the leadership style of team leaders and group organizational citizenship behavior (GOCB) of team members who exceed their formal roles are of high importance. This article explores the effects of shared leadership on group commitment and productivity of 70 university teams. It also investigates whether GOCB mediates the effect of shared leadership on team commitment and productivity. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and SmartPLS software are applied to investigate the relationship between variables. The results show that shared leadership has both direct and indirect (through GOCB) effects on team commitment and productivity. Shared leadership affects GOCB, team commitment, and team productivity. Furthermore, GOCB affects team commitment and team productivity.
In order to assess how the last sea level rise affected the Aegean archipelago, we quantified the magnitude and rate of geographic change for the Aegean islands during the last sea-level-rise episode (21 kyr BP-present) with a spatially explicit geophysical model. An island-specific Area-Distance-Change (ADC) typology was constructed, with higher ADC values representing a higher degree of change. The highest fragmentation rates of the Aegean archipelago occurred in tandem with the largest rates of sea-level-rise occurring between 17 kyr and 7 kyr ago. Sea-level rise resulted in an area loss for the Aegean archipelago of approximately 70%. Spatiotemporal differences in sea-level changes across the Aegean Sea and irregular bathymetry produced a variety of island surface-area loss responses, with area losses ranging from 20% to >90% per island. In addition, sea-level rise led to increased island isolation, increasing distances of islands to continents to >200% for some islands. We discuss how rates of area contractions and distance increases may have affected biotas, their evolutionary history and genetics. Five testable hypotheses are proposed to guide future research. We hypothesize that islands with higher ADC-values will exhibit higher degrees of community hyper-saturation, more local extinctions, larger genetic bottlenecks, higher genetic diversity within species pools, more endemics and shared species on continental fragments and higher z-values of the power-law species-area relationship. The developed typology and the quantified geographic response to sea-level rise of continental islands, as in the Aegean Sea, present an ideal research framework to test biogeographic and evolutionary hypotheses assessing the role of rates of area and distance change affecting biota. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper details modeling to support the design of an air-core permanent-magnet-based energy-harvest system for use within an in-pipe mobile water-quality sensor. A challenge presented by this system is that the electrical and mechanical dynamics of the device are strongly coupled. Recently, a rigorous electrical/mechanical model was established to address this challenge in order to determine expected energy harvest, given the geometric/material parameters and electrical/mechanical inputs. An initial focus herein is the development of parameter measurement techniques for purposes of model validation. Subsequently, based upon hardware results, an alternative friction model is derived and utilized to explore the effect of friction on expected energy harvest.
This paper presents applied research on fuzzy logic modeling to forecast the distribution of salinity in the coastal region of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Geoelectrical resistivity data has been used in this research, apart from nominal approach of salinity forecasting using geochemical data analysis. The data collected using vertical electrical sounding (VES) method was fed as an input for fuzzy inverting algorithm to evaluate true resistivity and thickness of subsurface layers. Inverted resistivity values have been subjected to fuzzy rule-based approach for salinity forecasting. Classifications have been made on the basis of linguistic variables with five linguistic terms of resistivity range using a triangular membership function of fuzzy logic. The purpose is to find the saltwater intrusion in the coastal region of Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu, India. This research work reveals that fuzzy logic would be the effective tool for solving complex problems as well as enhancement in integrating multiple features necessary for the study. The results overlain in the surrounding regions which were mapped the threatening zones; hence, to mark pre-awareness in the regions, more rainwater harvesting system and avoidance of human anthropogenic activities need to be implemented.
Purpose of the Study: On the face of the shrinking opportunities for children and older adults to routinely interact with one another-sometimes the result of adolescent geographies, age-segregated and gated communities, families' geographical mobility-many communities have introduced intergenerational programs within the school curriculum. For more than a decade one Massachusetts community has maintained an intergenerational program that brings fourth grade students together with older adults. The question is, does students' involvement in an intergenerational program lessened ageist beliefs 5-9 years later. Design and Methods: A quasi-experimental research design examined the images of aging held by 944 students who grew up in neighboring towns and attend a regional high school. Participants completed brief questionnaire. Results: Separate regression analyses of positive and negative images of aging-controlling for students' frequency and self-reported quality of interaction with older adults, ethnicity, age, and gender-reveal a town difference in students' positive, but not negative, images of aging. Implications: What is certain is that the high school students from one community with ongoing intergenerational programming hold a more positive image of older adults. Further research is needed to parse out exactly how short-and long-term legacy effects arise when young students have an opportunity to interact closely with older adults who are not their grandparents or neighbors.
Sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 3 (Smpd3), which encodes neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2), is a key molecule for skeletal development as well as for the cytodifferentiation of odontoblasts and alveolar bone. However, the effects of nSMase2 on the cytodifferentiation of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells are still unclear. In this study, the authors analyzed the effects of Smpd3 on the cytodifferentiation of human PDL (HPDL) cells. The authors found that Smpd3 increases the mRNA expression of calcification-related genes, such as alkaline phosphatase (ALPase), type I collagen, osteopontin, Osterix (Osx), and runt-related transcription factor (Runx)-2 in HPDL cells. In contrast, GW4869, an inhibitor of nSMase2, clearly decreased the mRNA expression of ALPase, type I collagen, and osteocalcin in HPDL cells, suggesting that Smpd3 enhances HPDL cytodifferentiation. Next, the authors used exome sequencing to evaluate the genetic variants of Smpd3 in a Japanese population with aggressive periodontitis (AgP). Among 44 unrelated subjects, the authors identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs145616324, in Smpd3 as a putative genetic variant for AgP among Japanese people. Moreover, Smpd3 harboring this SNP did not increase the sphingomyelinase activity or mRNA expression of ALPase, type I collagen, osteopontin, Osx, or Runx2, suggesting that this SNP inhibits Smpd3 such that it has no effect on the cytodifferentiation of HPDL cells. These data suggest that Smpd3 plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of PDL tissue.
Today, millions of users all over the world visit websites using their Smartphones. Mobile devices have several features that may contribute to worsen the user experience when using mobile webs, such as: small displays and virtual keyboards, poor precision to select elements using the finger as cursor. In addition, the mobile Web has a peculiar feature, is not always used in the same place or in the same situations; in many cases environmental factors can adversely affect the user experience while he is using a web application, adverse situations derived from the ambient may be different: noise pollution, an excess of light, not being able to see well the letters while walking, etc. This research presents a novel mobile Web paradigm that allows the adaptation of web applications depending on the environment. The proposed solution introduces a novel Mobile Web Browser based on the principles of the Ambient Intelligence (AmI). This Web browser uses the Smartphone's hardware elements as sensors and microphones to capture the environmental information, which will be intelligently analyzed to detect events and other situations. The identified situations will be communicated to the web application, so that appropriate adaptation are made and there by improve the user experience.
A field experiment examined whether increasing opportunities for face-to-face interaction while eliminating the use of screen-based media and communication tools improved nonverbal emotion-cue recognition in preteens. Fifty-one preteens spent five days at an overnight nature camp where television, computers and mobile phones were not allowed; this group was compared with school-based matched controls (n = 54) that retained usual media practices. Both groups took pre- and post-tests that required participants to infer emotional states from photographs of facial expressions and videotaped scenes with verbal cues removed. Change scores for the two groups were compared using gender, ethnicity, media use, and age as covariates. After five days interacting face-to-face without the use of any screen-based media, preteens' recognition of nonverbal emotion cues improved significantly more than that of the control group for both facial expressions and videotaped scenes. Implications are that the short-term effects of increased opportunities for social interaction, combined with time away from screen-based media and digital communication tools, improves a preteen's understanding of nonverbal emotional cues. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The measurement of core losses in electrical steel laminations is considered an essential step in the machine design process. Accordingly, the calibration of the tangential field sensor for measurements of magnetic field strength H is of importance in core loss measurements for estimation of electrical machine efficiency. Due to the stray field between the lamination surface and the tangential coil, a concern is raised regarding the certainty of the measured field. This paper presents a reliable technical approach to calibrate the tangential field sensor used in the investigation of core losses in electrical machine laminations, which compensates for the drop in the actual field value. The proposed approach is based on developing a magnetizing circuit, which consists of two test laminations. An array of Hall Effect sensors is used in this study as a reference for the tangential field. The calibration results show that the magnetic field strength measured at the specimen surface by the tangential coil is scaled down by 4.57% of the actual field. The results are verified experimentally and validated by finite-element simulations. Based on the obtained results, a correction factor is applied on pulsating and rotational core losses to attain more accurate data.
Integrating more functionality in a smaller form factor with higher performance and lower-power consumption is pushing semiconductor technology scaling to its limits. 3-D chip stacking is touted as the silver bullet technology that can keep Moore's momentum and fuel the next wave of consumer electronic products. Additionally, the complexity of digital designs imposes that computer-aided design algorithms are getting harder and slower. This paper introduces a framework for application implementation onto 3-D reconfigurable architectures. In contrast to existing approaches, the proposed solution is customizable according to constraints posed by the application and the target 3-D device in order to improve performance metrics. Experimental results highlight the effectiveness of our framework, as we achieve average enhancements in terms of maximum operation frequency and power consumption by 35% and 47%, respectively, as compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.
Background The oxidation of methionine residue in position 35 of Ab to sulphoxide (Ab-sulphoxide) has the ability to deeply modify wild-type Ab 1-42 (Ab) neurotoxic action. Our previous studies suggest that in nucleated cells, lower toxicity of Ab-sulphoxide might result not from structural alteration, but from elevation of methionine sulphoxide reductase A (MsrA) activity and mRNA levels. Design On this basis, we hypothesised that red blood cell (RBC), a cell devoid almost completely of MsrA activity, shares with nucleated cells an antioxidant system induced by methionine 35 sulphoxide, responsible for the lower toxicity of Ab-sulphoxide in RBC. (Results) Supporting this hypothesis, we found that the low toxicity of Ab-sulphoxide in RBC correlated with pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) flux increase, and this event was associated with a low level of methionine oxidation in total proteins. None of these effects were observed when cells were exposed to Ab native. Discussion These results outline the importance of the redox state of methionine 35 in the modulation of Abmediated events and suggest an important protective role for PPP in RBC of patients affected by Alzheimer's disease.
Deep learning techniques for Sentiment Analysis have become very popular. They provide automatic feature extraction and both richer representation capabilities and better performance than traditional feature based techniques (i.e., surface methods). Traditional surface approaches are based on complex manually extracted features, and this extraction process is a fundamental question in feature driven methods. These long-established approaches can yield strong baselines, and their predictive capabilities can be used in conjunction with the arising deep learning methods. In this paper we seek to improve the performance of deep learning techniques integrating them with traditional surface approaches based on manually extracted features. The contributions of this paper are sixfold. First, we develop a deep learning based sentiment classifier using a word embeddings model and a linear machine learning algorithm. This classifier serves as a baseline to compare to subsequent results. Second, we propose two ensemble techniques which aggregate our baseline classifier with other surface classifiers widely used in Sentiment Analysis. Third, we also propose two models for combining both surface and deep features to merge information from several sources. Fourth, we introduce a taxonomy for classifying the different models found in the literature, as well as the ones we propose. Fifth, we conduct several experiments to compare the performance of these models with the deep learning baseline. For this, we use seven public datasets that were extracted from the microblogging and movie reviews domain. Finally, as a result, a statistical study confirms that the performance of these proposed models surpasses that of our original baseline on Fl-Score. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Secure and sanitary water supply is essential for human health and well-being. The challenges in meeting this demand are great in Small Island Developing States where water resources may be limited due to social and environmental constraints. In Honiara, Solomon Islands, a number of factors have constrained access to fresh water including: rapid population growth and urbanisation; neglected water infrastructure; the ethnic tensions; water tariff increases of 170% in the past 3 years; sole reliance on groundwater; and poor supporting electrical infrastructure. Within this context, the case for using rainwater tanks as either a predominant source or for augmentation of existing domestic water supply has been explored. The effect of historical drought events on rainwater tanks has been examined. A water balance model has been developed and various household scenarios reviewed to determine the reliability of domestic rainwater tanks over a 28-year period. The development of this model has highlighted both opportunities and limitations in Honiara that can be used to inform decision-makers and planners in water resources management.
This paper presents a concrete software architecture dedicated to ambient intelligence (AmI) features and requirements. The proposed behavioral model, called Higher-order Agent (HoA) captures the evolution of the mental representation of the agent and the one of its plan simultaneously. Plan expressions are written and composed using a formal algebraic language, namely AgLOTOS, so that plans are built automatically and on the fly, as a system of concurrent processes. Based on a specific semantics, a guidance service is also proposed to assist the agent in its execution. Moreover due to the specific structure of AgLOTOS expressions, the update of sub-plans is realized automatically accordingly to the revising of intentions, hence maintaining the consistency of the agent.
To date, to the best of the authors' knowledge, in almost all of the studies performed around the hemodynamics of bileaflet mechanical heart valves, a heart rate of 70-72beats/min has been considered. In fact, the heart rate of similar to 72beats/min does not represent the entire normal physiological conditions under which the aortic or prosthetic valves function. The heart rates of 120 or 50beats/min may lead to hemodynamic complications, such as plaque formation and/or thromboembolism in patients. In this study, the hemodynamic performance of the bileaflet mechanical heart valves in a wide range of normal and physiological heart rates, that is, 60-150beats/min, was studied in the opening phase. The model considered in this study was a St. Jude Medical bileaflet mechanical heart valve with the inner diameter of 27mm in the aortic position. The hemodynamics of the native valve and the St. Jude Medical valve were studied in a variety of heart rates in the opening phase and the results were carefully compared. The results indicate that peak values of the velocity profile downstream of the valve increase as heart rate increases, as well as the location of the maximum velocity changes with heart rate in the St. Jude Medical valve model. Also, the maximum values of shear stress and wall shear stresses downstream of the valve are proportional to heart rate in both models. Interestingly, the maximum shear stress and wall shear stress values in both models are in the same range when heart rate is90beats/min (up to similar to 40% growth compared to that of the native valve). The findings of this study may be of importance in the hemodynamic performance of bileaflet mechanical heart valves. They may also play an important role in design improvement of conventional prosthetic heart valves and the design of the next generation of prosthetic valves, such as percutaneous valves.
Background: Psoriatic arthritis is associated with psychosocial morbidity and decrease in quality of life. Psychiatric comorbidity also plays an important role in the impairment of quality of life and onset of fatigue. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of fatigue in psoriatic arthritis patients and to correlate it to quality of life indexes, functional capacity, anxiety, depression and disease activity. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on outpatients with psoriatic arthritis. Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F; version 4) was used to measure fatigue; 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI) to measure quality of life; Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) to assess functional capacity; Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale to measure anxiety and depression symptoms; Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) to evaluate clinical activity. Results: In all, 101 patients with mean age of 50.77 years were included. The mean PDI score was 8.01; PASI score, 9.88; BASDAI score, 3.59; HAQ score, 0.85; HAD-Anxiety (HAD A) score, 7.39; HAD Depression (HAD D) score, 5.93; FACIT-Fatigue Scale (FACIT-FS) score, 38.3 and CDAI score, 2.65. FACIT-FS was statistically associated with PASI (r(s)-0.345, p < 0.001), PDI (r(s)-0.299, p < 0.002), HAQ (r(s)-0.460, p < 0.001), HAD A (r(s)-0.306, p=0.002) and HAD D (r(s)-0.339, p < 0.001). The correlations with CDAI and BASDAI were not confirmed. There was statistically significant correlation with all of the domains of SF-36 and FACIT-F (version 4). Conclusion: Prevalence of fatigue was moderate to intense in < 25% of patients with psoriatic arthritis. Fatigue seems to be more related to the emotional and social aspects of the disease than to joint inflammatory aspects, confirming that the disease's visibility is the most disturbing aspect for the patient and that skin pain is more intense than the joint pain.
Inspiring by the advantages of digital peak voltage (DPV) control and digital average current (DAC) control, the digital average voltage (DAV) control for switching DC-DC converter is proposed and investigated. Taking buck converter as an example, DAV control algorithm is analyzed in detail. In order to explore the stability of system, the z-domain transfer function is deduced, by which the critical equivalent series resistance (ESR) of output capacitor is obtained. Finally, DAV controlled, DPV controlled and DAC controlled buck converter are compared by time-domain simulation. Results indicate that DAV control possesses better steady accuracy as well as DAC control. In addition, DAV controlled buck converter is in stable state during the whole duty ratio. Moreover, DAV control and DPV control have similar load transient performance but DAV control behaves lower overshoot voltage with load variation.
The operating voltages of low-voltage control circuits in power plants and substations have decreased with the installation of digital control equipment. This increases the susceptibility of control equipment to abnormal surges, which arise mainly from lightning. To protect control equipment from lightning, it is necessary to predict lightning surges invading power plants and substations and design effective lightning protection methodologies. Compared with conventional simulation techniques based on circuit theory, full-wave numerical approaches are advantageous in handling three-dimensional structures such as transmission line towers, grounding structures, nonhorizontal wires, such as incoming power lines to power plants and substations, and lightning-induced effects. In this study, to apply the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to the lightning surge analysis of an air-insulated substation, we first propose techniques for simulating the nonlinear breakdown characteristics of short-air-gap arcing horns and transmission line surge arresters installed in 77 kV transmission lines for FDTD-based surge simulations, and compare the breakdown characteristics calculated using the proposed techniques with measured results for validation. Second, as an example of the application of the proposed techniques to practical surge analysis, it is confirmed that we can reproduce the measured results of lightning surges invading a 77 kV air-insulated substation in the case of a direct lightning strike to its nearby transmission line tower by taking into account lightning-induced voltages arising from the lightning current flowing through the lightning channel and transmission line tower, which are commonly ignored in conventional circuit-theory-based simulations, multiphase back-flashover phenomena, and the effect of applied AC voltages.
Industry involvement in the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) domain together with openness and complexity expected from context-aware applications drive research into generic context management middle-ware (CMM) solutions. However, the variety of AmI scenarios requires flexibility in design-time and run-time deployment options, while existing CMM approaches do not sufficiently address the means to easily configure and engineer such mechanisms. In response to these challenges we propose a context management middleware with a design based on techniques and principles from the research fields of Multi-Agent Systems and the Semantic Web. We focus on showing how deployment principles based directly on the application context model and ontology-based configuration options offered by CONSERT lead to flexible development. We showcase the usage of our solution with a scenario from the area of smart university life management.
The present paper presents a system intended to be used in the development of photovoltaic inverters with maximum power point tracking capability. A simulation model was implemented in MATLAB/SIMULINK and an experimental model composed of a DSpace 1104 controller board, a Semikron inverter, a coupling transformer, an LC filter and two 75W solar panels was developed. The system facilitates the development and testing of digital control and MPPT algorithms for single-phase inverters connected to the utility grid.
Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) was associated with survival benefit in some types of cancer. The relationship between LMR and rectal cancer has not been investigated. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the prognostic significance of LMR in patients with nonmetastatic rectal cancer. Patients with rectal cancer who underwent potentially curative resection between January 2009 and December 2013 were enrolled. The LMR was calculated from preoperative blood test by dividing the absolute lymphocyte counts by the absolute monocyte counts. The optimal cut-off value for LMR was calculated as the median value. On the basis of the cut-off value, patients were divided into 2 groups: low group and high group. A total of 543 patients with rectal cancer were eligible for this study. The median follow-up time for all patients was 55 months (range 6-85 months). The cut-off value of LMR was 5.13 and patients were divided into 2 groups: low group (LMR= 5.13). In the univariate and multivariate analysis, the LMR was not significantly associated with overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR): 1.034, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.682-1.566, P=0.876]. When disease-free survival (DFS) was compared, univariate and multivariate analysis also indicated that the LMR was not significantly associated with DFS (HR: 0.988, 95% CI: 0.671-1.453, P=0.950). In addition, in the subgroup analysis by tumor-node-metastasis stage, there existed no significance between LMR and OS and DFS. Although as an easy access and highly efficient laboratorial inflammatory marker, LMR cannot predict the prognosis of nonmetastatic rectal cancer patients.
The Bangor Gambling Task (BGT, Bowman & Turnbull, 2004) is a simple test of emotion-based decision making, with contingencies varying across five blocks of 20 trials. This is the first study to characterise BGT performance in survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) relative to healthy controls. The study also aimed to explore sub-groups (cluster analysis), and identify predictors of task performance (multiple regression). Thirty survivors of TBI and thirty-nine controls completed the BGT and measures of processing speed, pre-morbid IQ, working memory, and executive function. Results showed that survivors of TBI made more gamble choices than controls (total BGT score), although the groups did not significantly differ when using a cut-off score for 'impaired'performance. Unexpectedly, the groups did not significantly differ in their performance across the blocks; however, the cluster analysis revealed three subgroups (with survivors of TBI and controls represented in each cluster). Findings also indicated that only age and group were significant predictors of overall BGT performance. In conclusion, the study findings are consistent with an individual difference account of emotion-based decision making, and a number of issues need to be addressed prior to recommending the clinical use of the BGT.
Immigration is a global phenomenon, yet comparatively few psychological investigations of anti-immigrant prejudice have been conducted in East Asia, a region of high economic growth that is set to become a leading destination for international migrants. Over two studies, we examined Singaporean attitudes towards four prominent immigrant groups: Chinese, Filipino, South Asian, and Western immigrants. Each immigrant group was found to be associated with a unique attitudinal profile. Chinese immigrants, who are culturally the most closely related to most Singaporeans, were viewed the most negatively in terms of prejudice, stereotyped warmth, and realistic and symbolic threat. Westerners were viewed the most positively despite higher ratings of perceived competence, possibly due to Western cultural influence, whereas South Asians and Filipinos were viewed as being relatively unthreatening, possibly due to their occupation of undesirable social roles. Perceived threat-both realistic and symbolic-proved to be stronger predictors of anti-immigrant prejudice than stereotypes. Implications for immigration policy in the region are discussed.
Mediterranean ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the environmental changes which have occurred in the last decades. Evaluating the ecosystem response to these changes is therefore a top priority, particularly concerning water and carbon dynamics. The Pianosa Island is a well known test site where numerous environmental surveys have been performed to fully characterize the most typical vegetation type, Mediterranean macchia. A first measurement campaign concerning both vegetation and soil properties was performed in 2001, and was repeated in 2010 only for soil properties. Vegetation cover was characterized again by means of an aircraft high resolution LiDAR dataset taken in 2009. Additional medium and low spatial resolution satellite images (Landsat OLI and MODIS) and aircraft photos were recovered from various sources. The availability of these datasets offers a unique opportunity to develop and test a methodology capable of modelling and analyzing the water and carbon dynamics of Mediterranean macchia during the 2001-2010 decade. To this aim, simulation procedures integrating remotely sensed and ancillary data were first tuned towards the available observations of vegetation biomass and soil carbon content. These procedures were then applied to produce daily estimates of macchia actual evapotranspiration (AET), gross primary production (GPP) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE), whose accuracy was assessed against corresponding eddy covariance flux tower observations taken in two years (2007-2008). The results obtained are satisfactory and support the capability of the modelling approach to reproduce both the water and carbon dynamics of macchia during the study decade. From an ecological viewpoint, both fluxes are increasing in this time period, mainly depending on similarly increasing spring rainfall. The macchia ecosystem behaves as a net sink of carbon, which is stored primarily in soil (congruent to 90%) and secondarily in vegetation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Traditional control charts, such as Hotelling's T-2, are effective in detecting abnormal patterns. However, most control charts do not take into account a time-varying property in a process. In the present study, we propose a parameter-less self-organizing map-based control chart that can handle a situation in which changes occur in the distribution or parameter of the target observations. The control limits of the proposed chart are determined by estimating the empirical level of significance on the percentile using the bootstrap method. Experimental results obtained by using simulated data and actual process data from the manufacturing process for a thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed algorithm. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The influence of the sand placement method above geotextile layer on interface shear strength behavior was investigated. Seven different types of woven and nonwoven geotextiles were used with only poorly graded sand. The investigation involved placement of sand layer through inclined horizontal plane with different angles. This step constitutes a fundamental step for assessing soil to be deposited in different plane and, therefore, with different internal soil fabric. The interface shear strength was evaluated using direct shear test. Although the investigated soil is uniform poorly graded sand, the influence of the deposit plane was significant especially for non-woven geotextile. Differences in soil interface shear strength associated with the tested geotextile samples show that samples with higher mass per unit area and same opening sizes had the higher interface friction angle regardless the bedding plane.
To achieve competitive advantages, companies need to embrace changes and evolve strategies for coping with challenges when time and data are limited. This study applies grey forecast theory with the Lotka-Volterra competition model to explore the dynamic competition between smart TVs and flat panel TVs, as well as Android and iOS smartphone operating systems (OS). The results show the growing strength of smart TVs and the Android OS is superior to other competing products. With respect to the interactive relationship between products, the two aforementioned products represent the competition relationship of predators and prey: flat panel TVs and iOS are playing the role of prey, while smart TVs and Android are the predators. After comparing forecast accuracy among the model proposed in this study, the grey forecasting model GM(1,1), and Lotka-Volterra model, we found the proposed model has the best accuracy. Companies can use the proposed model to develop a strategic plan feasible enough to secure a sustainable competitive advantage. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
People differ in their implicit theories about the malleability of characteristics such as intelligence and personality. These relatively chronic theories can be experimentally altered, and can be affected by parent or teacher feedback. Little is known about whether people might selectively shift their implicit beliefs in response to salient situational goals. We predicted that, when motivated to reach a desired conclusion, people might subtly shift their implicit theories of change and stability to garner supporting evidence for their desired position. Any motivated context in which a particular lay theory would help people to reach a preferred directional conclusion could elicit shifts in theory endorsement. We examine a variety of motivated situational contexts across 7 studies, finding that people's theories of change shifted in line with goals to protect self and liked others and to cast aspersions on disliked others. Studies 1-3 demonstrate how people regulate their implicit theories to manage self-view by more strongly endorsing an incremental theory after threatening performance feedback or memories of failure. Studies 4-6 revealed that people regulate the implicit theories they hold about favored and reviled political candidates, endorsing an incremental theory to forgive preferred candidates for past gaffes but leaning toward an entity theory to ensure past failings stick to opponents. Finally, in Study 7, people who were most threatened by a previously convicted child sex offender (i.e., parents reading about the offender moving to their neighborhood) gravitated most to the entity view that others do not change. Although chronic implicit theories are undoubtedly meaningful, this research reveals a previously unexplored source of fluidity by highlighting the active role people play in managing their implicit theories in response to goals.
Three experiments are reported which examined the capacity to match a voice with a static image of a face. When using a simultaneous same/different matching task, performance was significantly better than chance (Experiments 1 and 2). However, it did not appear to depend either on sex of speaker, sex of listener, stimulus distinctiveness, or self-reported strategies (Experiment 2). Concerns over floor effects as well as a significant response bias prompted a change of task, and when performance was examined through matching a voice to a face lineup, a more interesting pattern emerged. Again, performance was significantly better than chance, but in addition, it was demonstrably affected by the distinctiveness of the speaker's voice. These results are considered in the context of theoretical discussions regarding face-voice integration, and in the context of more applied considerations regarding multimodal benefits in witness scenarios.
Muwallads (native neo-Muslims) were one of the groups that played an important role in political and social changes during the reign of the Umayyads of Andalusia. By conversion to Islam, they called for equal rights with the Arab minority. However, political exclusion, poverty, and economic pressure, social and racial discrimination applied against them by the Arab Umayyad rulers provided the context of their rebellion. Initially, most Muwallads began military struggle against the reign to obtain their rights. The conditions almost changed by the beginning of the third Abul Al-Rahman's governance (imprinted, 912-961 AD), and the peaceful politics as well as ethnic and religious tolerance of Abdul Nasser, the Umayyad caliph and his son, the second sentence (imprinted; 961-972 AD) made opportunities for Muwallads to participate in political and social structures of Andalusia society. However, in the meantime, some of them emphasizing their ethnic identity did cultural and intellectual activities in the form of praising and advocating talent and ability of non-Arab against Arabs' racial prejudice and racial superiority. In addition, gradually, with the weakness of the Umayyad rule in Andalusia and the formation of independent states, the defensive mode changed into offensive and explicit denial of the Arab's race by the Muwallads that culminated in the Shu'ubiyya treatise of Ibn Garasiah. Using an analytical approach, this article is intended, first, to examine the causes and context of the formation of Shu'ubiyya thoughts in Andalusia and then to survey the method and quality of writing treatises and writings of Shu'ubiyya at the end of Umayyad rule.
Stormwater runoff infiltration brings about some concerns regarding its potential impact on both soil and ground-water quality; besides, the fate of contaminants in source-control devices somewhat suffers from a lack of documentation. The present study was dedicated to assessing the spatial distribution of three heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc) in the surface soil of ten small-scale infiltration facilities, along with several physical parameters (soil moisture, volatile matter, variable thickness of the upper horizon). High-resolution samplings and in-situ measurements were undertaken, followed by X-ray fluorescence analyses and spatial interpolation. Highest metal accumulation was found in a relatively narrow area near the water inflow zone, from which concentrations markedly decreased with increasing distance. Maximum enrichment ratios amounted to >20 in the most contaminated sites. Heavy metal patterns give a time-integrated vision of the non-uniform infiltration fluxes, sedimentation processes and surface flow pathways within the devices. This element indicates that the lateral extent of contamination is mainly controlled by hydraulics. The evidenced spatial structure of soil concentrations restricts the area where remediation measures would be necessary in these systems, and suggests possible optimization of their hydraulic functioning towards an easier maintenance. Heterogeneous upper boundary conditions should be taken into account when studying the fate of micropollutants in infiltration facilities with either mathematical modeling or soil coring field surveys. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Monte Carlo method was used for QSAR modeling of dimeric pyridinium compounds as acetylcholine esterase inhibitors. QSAR model was developed for a series of 39 dimeric pyridinium compounds. QSAR models were calculated with the representation of the molecular structure by the simplified molecular-input line-entry system. One split into the training and test set have been examined. The statistical quality of the developed model is very good. The calculated model for dimeric pyridinium derivatives had following statistical parameters: r (2) = 0.9477 for the training set and r (2) = 0.9332 the test set. Structural indicators considered as molecular fragments responsible for the increase and decrease in the inhibition activity have been defined. The computer-aided design of new dimeric pyridinium compounds potential acetylcholine esterase inhibitors with the application of defined structural alerts has been presented.
Reconstruction of the tridimensional geometry of a visual scene using the binocular disparity information is an important issue in computer vision and mobile robotics, which can be formulated as a Bayesian inference problem. However, computation of the full disparity distribution with an advanced Bayesian model is usually an intractable problem, and proves computationally challenging even with a simple model. In this paper, we show how probabilistic hardware using distributed memory and alternate representation of data as stochastic bitstreams can solve that problem with high performance and energy efficiency. We put forward a way to express discrete probability distributions using stochastic data representations and perform Bayesian fusion using those representations, and show how that approach can be applied to diparity computation. We evaluate the system using a simulated stochastic implementation and discuss possible hardware implementations of such architectures and their potential for sensorimotor processing and robotics. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The ever increasing computing and storage capacity of smart devices are enabling users to perform in them tasks that until now were relegated only to devices with high computing capabilities (such as PCs or laptops). Empowering users to employ in each moment the device that best adapts to each concrete situation. This demands that the applications deployed on them should provide a consistent user experience when users migrate from one device to another. The Liquid Software paradigm facilitates the development of this kind of applications. However, in order to get a more satisfying user experience, these applications should also be adaptable to the specific context of each user. This position paper presents the concept of Liquid Context, being the contextual information that migrates across devices along with the applications and their data. In addition, we also propose an architecture for the development of context-aware liquid applications. These techniques will improve the usability and the user experience of liquid applications.
Background: Prenatal detection of congenital malformations gives an opportunity to positively influence prenatal and postnatal management, survival and morbidity, as well as to allow parental choice and psychological preparation. Objective: To examine the available evidence regarding the impact of detection and underdetection of fetal anomalies as well as that of fetal therapy on neonatal outcome, parental psychological wellness and neonatal care organization. Methods: Literature search of PubMed. Results and conclusions: The impact of prenatal diagnosis on neonatal survival and morbidity is dependent upon the type and severity of the anomalies inasmuch as upon the evaluation criteria chosen. We discuss the various pitfalls in the design of trials explaining why only few studies, targeting selected anomalies, have shown improved outcomes associated with prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations. Fetal therapy applies mainly to conditions that are lethal either in utero or at birth if untreated before birth. It has rarely been evaluated with the highest level of evidence; this may be explained by a poor acceptability of randomization between prenatal intervention and expectancy up until delivery.
Accurate condition assessment of in-service infrastructure systems is critical for system-wide prioritization decisions. Current protocols require lengthy inspections and expensive equipment to examine large infrastructure systems. Furthermore, changes in inspection protocols over time can create discontinuities in recording and understanding the time history of a structure. To address these challenges, a systematic and adaptive technique for converting two-dimensional (2D) digital images into three-dimensional (3D) models has been developed, with the goal of creating high-resolution and scale-accurate inspection records. The developed reconstruction technique utilizes multiscale imaging to reconstruct a structure with varying levels of details and geometric complexity. The captured images are then converted into photorealistic, accurate, and dense 3D scene reconstructions by utilizing a hierarchical adaptation of a dense structure-from-motion (DSfM) algorithm. The result of this approach is a virtual 3D model of the structure with accurate geometry and high-fidelity representation of fine details. The accuracy, completeness, adaptability, and feasibility of the developed method were compared to both terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and conventional DSfM methods. Experimental findings and direct comparison between generated point clouds indicate that the developed hierarchical technique consistently produces dense point clouds capable of resolving 0.1-mm details, an order of magnitude improvement over existing methods. The developed technique also allows for user-controlled point cloud density, a significant benefit over current reconstruction methods. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
A fundamental question in cell biology, under investigation for over six decades, is the structural organization of mitochondrial cristae. Long known to harbor electron transport chain proteins, crista membrane integrity is key to establishment of the proton gradient that drives oxidative phosphorylation. Visualization of cristae morphology by electron microscopy/tomography has provided evidence that cristae are tube-like extensions of the mitochondria] inner membrane (IM) that project into the matrix space. Reconciling ultrastructural data with the lipid composition of the IM provides support for a continuously curved cylindrical bilayer capped by a dome-shaped tip. Strain imposed by the degree of curvature is relieved by an asymmetric distribution of phospholipids in monolayer leaflets that comprise cristae membranes. The signature mitochondrial lipid, cardiolipin (similar to 18% of IM phospholipid mass), and phosphatidylethanolamine (34%) segregate to the negatively curved monolayer leaflet facing the crista lumen while the opposing, positively curved, matrix-facing monolayer leaflet contains predominantly phosphatidylcholine. Associated with cristae are numerous proteins that function in distinctive ways to establish and/or maintain their lipid repertoire and structural integrity. By combining unique lipid components with a set of protein modulators, crista membranes adopt and maintain their characteristic morphological and functional properties. Once established, cristae ultrastructure has a direct impact on oxidative phosphorylation, apoptosis, fusion/fission as well as diseases of compromised energy metabolism. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Pancreatic cancer remains an aggressive disease with a 5 year survival rate of 5%. Only 15% of patients with pancreatic cancer are eligible for radical surgery. Evidence suggests a benefit on survival with adjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine o fluourouracil) after R1/R0 resection. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is also a valid option in patients with positive margins. Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer is defined as the involvement of the mesenteric vasculature with a limited extension. These tumors are technically resectable, but with a high risk of positive margins. Neoadjuvant treatment represents the best option for achieving an R0 resection. In advanced disease, two new chemotherapy treatment schemes (Folfirinox or Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel) have showed improvements in overall survival compared with gemcitabine alone. Progress in pancreatic cancer treatment will require a better knowledge of the molecular biology of this disease, focusing on personalized cancer therapies in the near future.
Early diagnostics at the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease is of utmost importance for drug development in clinical trials and prognostic guidance. Since soluble A beta oligomers are considered to play a crucial role in the disease pathogenesis, several methods aim to quantify A beta oligomers in body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma. The highly specific and sensitive method surface-based fluorescence intensity distribution analysis (sFIDA) has successfully been established for oligomer quantitation in CSF samples. In our study, we explored the sFIDA method for quantitative measurements of synthetic Aa particles in blood plasma. For this purpose, EDTA-, citrate-and heparin-treated blood plasma samples from five individual donors were spiked with Aa coated silica nanoparticles (A beta-SiNaPs) and were applied to the sFIDA assay. Based on the assay parameters linearity, coefficient of variation and limit of detection, we found that EDTA plasma yields the most suitable parameter values for quantitation of Aa oligomers in sFIDA assay with a limit of detection of 16 fM.
Natural streams are characterized by variation in cross-section geometry, bed-slope, bed roughness, hydraulic slope, etc., along their channels resulting from several interacting features of the riverine system including the effects of discharge changes, geologic context, sediment load, etc. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of river flow dynamics requires sufficient knowledge of hydraulics and these geophysical variables. Average flow condition theory expressed as At-A-Station hydraulic geometry (AHG) relations are site-specific power-functions, relating the mean stream channel forms (i.e. water depth, top width, flow velocity, and flow area) to discharge, have been studied since 50s. Establishing robust AHG relations requires pre-assessment of data quality by means of uncertainty analysis. Our paper introduces a recursive data filtering procedure to find both random and systematic errors in streamflow and river survey data that can be used to produce robust and informative AHG relations. The method is first verified on synthetic data and then by experiments over: (1) real discharge-stage ratings provided by daily streamflow records of U.S. Geological Survey/National Water Information System dataset (USGS/NWIS), and (2) field river survey measurement data from USGS/NWIS. This produces robust AHG relations at 4472 monitoring stations across the U.S. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The indexing table was developed for angle measurements on machine tools. The measuring techniques, which have been reviewed in this paper, are currently available in manufacturing engineering to calibrate the angle measurement. The measuring principles of each equipment are outlined and their capabilities are also discussed. The new indexing table using 6 points kinematic concept and employing ball and vee grooves location was designed and manufactured to calibrate angle errors of rotary tables using a laser interferometer. The manufacturing method was evaluated to manufacture the accurate vee grooves. A special cam was designed and manufactured to translate rotation movement into lift-up and rotation movement. A CNC machining centre and indexing head were used to manufacture the cam. All parts of the new indexing table were manufactured with a manufacturing tolerance according to drawings, squareness and parallelism checked to obey the 6 points kinematic concept. Also these factors controlled the repeatability of the new indexing table. After installing the new indexing table, the performance was evaluated using rotary table operating in both the horizontal and vertical orientations.
Understanding the receptivity, including concerns and drivers, of water-users such as householders, is vital in facilitating the promotion, appropriate installation, end-use and maintenance of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems. This article presents the triangulated results of a literature review and survey, undertaken to increase policy-makers' understanding of householder receptivity to RWH. It was identified that overall receptivity to RWH is high, but that factors pertaining particularly to cost and maintenance pose threats to receptivity. Three areas for improvement have been identified: product development, capacity building and support services, for which recommendations for action are provided. These present policy-makers with a starting point to enhance the receptivity of householders to RWH.
Agitation associated with dementia is frequently reported clinically but has received little attention in preclinical models of dementia. The current study used a 7PA2 CM intracerebroventricular injection model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to assess acute memory impairment, and a bilateral intrahippocampal (IH) injection model of AD (aggregated A beta(1-42) injections) and a bilateral IH injection model of dementia with Lewy bodies (aggregated NAC(61-95) injections) to assess chronic memory impairment in the rat. An alternating-lever cyclic-ratio schedule of operant responding was used for data collection, where incorrect lever perseverations measured executive function (memory) and running response rates (RRR) measured behavioral output (agitation). The results indicate that bilateral IH injections of A beta(1-42) and bilateral IH injections of NAC(61-95) decreased memory function and increased RRRs, whereas intracerebroventricular injections of 7PA2 CM decreased memory function but did not increase RRRs. These findings show that using the aggregated peptide IH injection models of dementia to induce chronic neurotoxicity, memory decline was accompanied by elevated behavioral output. This demonstrates that IH peptide injection models of dementia provide a preclinical screen for pharmacological interventions used in the treatment of increased behavioral output (agitation), which also establish detrimental side effects on memory. (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
In manufacturing engineering, localization accuracy is a key concern in the design of a fixture to specify a locating scheme and tolerance allocation. This paper presents a general analysis methodology that is able to characterize the effects of localization source errors based on the position and orientation of the workpiece. From this methodology, a fixture model is formulated by taking into account the overall errors among the system consisting of the workpiece and the fixture in the design of the fixture locating scheme. With this model, the locating principle and a criterion of the robust optimal design are then proposed to improve the localization quality of the fixture. Some examples are provided and allow for a detailed discussion about how to carry out the optimal design of the locating scheme. A comparative study is also made between the optimal solution and the empirical one. Finally, an experiment is made to validate the fixture locating scheme for a cylindrical workpiece. We conclude that this robust design method effectively achieves stable machining precision in workpieces.
Extracting powerful image features plays an important role in computer vision systems. Many methods have previously been proposed to extract image features for various computer vision applications, such as the scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT), speed-up robust feature (SURF), local binary patterns (LBP), histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), and weighted HOG. Recently, the convolutional neural network (CNN) method for image feature extraction and classification in computer vision has been used in various applications. In this research, we propose a new gender recognition method for recognizing males and females in observation scenes of surveillance systems based on feature extraction from visible-light and thermal camera videos through CNN. Experimental results confirm the superiority of our proposed method over state-of-the-art recognition methods for the gender recognition problem using human body images.
The neuropeptide 'oxytocin' (OT) is known to play a pivotal role in a variety of complex social behaviors by promoting a prosocial attitude and interpersonal bonding. One mechanism by which OT is hypothesized, to promote prosocial behavior is by enhancing the processing of socially relevant information from the environment. With the present study, we explored to what extent OT can alter the 'reading' of emotional body language as presented by impoverished biological motion point light displays (PLDs). To do so, a double-blind between-subjects randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted, assessing performance on a bodily emotion recognition task in healthy adult males before and after a single-dose of intranasal OT (24 IU). Overall, a single-dose of OT administration had a significant effect of medium size on emotion recognition from body language. OT-induced improvements in emotion recognition were not differentially modulated by the emotional valence of the presented stimuli (positive versus negative) and also, the overall tendency to label an observed emotional state as 'happy' (positive) or 'angry' (negative) was not modified by the administration of OT. Albeit moderate, the present findings of OT-induced improvements in bodily emotion recognition from whole-body PLD provide further support for a link between OT and the processing of socio-communicative cues originating from the body of others. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Background: Although discovery research has identified the importance of dozens of pro-and anti-inflammatory immune mediators in the pathogenesis, maintenance, exacerbation and resolution of inflammatory diseases, most human cohort studies have incorporated few or no immunological intermediate phenotypes in their analyses. Significant hindrances have been (1) the limited panel of biomarkers known to be readily detected in healthy human populations and (2) the stability, hence utility, of such biomarkers to repeated analysis. Methods: The frequency and stability of 14 plasma biomarkers linked to in vivo immune regulation of allergic and autoimmune inflammatory disorders was determined in 140 healthy pediatric and adult participants. The impact of initial and multiple subsequent freeze/thaw cycles on pro-inflammatory (CCL2, CXCL10, IL-18, TNF alpha, IL-6), anti-inflammatory (IL-10, sTNF-RII, IL-1Ra), acute phase proteins (CRP, PTX3) and other biomarkers (sST2, IL-1RAcP) was subsequently quantified. Results: Multiple biomarkers capable of providing an innate immune signature of inflammation were readily detected directly ex vivo in healthy individuals. These biomarker levels were unaffected when comparing paired data sets from freshly obtained, never frozen plasma or serum and matched aliquots despite extensive freeze/thaw cycles. Neither age nor sex affected stability. Similarly, no quantitative differences were found following repetitive analysis of inflammatory biomarkers in culture samples obtained following in vitro stimulation with TLR and RLR ligands. Conclusions: A broad panel of in vivo and ex vivo cytokine, chemokine and acute phase protein biomarkers that have been linked to human chronic inflammatory disorders are readily detected in vivo and remain stable for analysis despite multiple freeze thaw cycles. These data provide the foundation and confidence for large scale analyses of panels of inflammatory biomarkers to provide better understanding of immunological mechanisms underlying health versus disease.
Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is an important part of ambient intelligence systems since it can provide user-context information, thus allowing a greater personalization of services. One of the problems with HAR systems is that the labeling process for the training data is costly, which has hindered its practical application. A common approach is to train a general model with the aggregated data from all users. The problem is that for a new target user, this model can perform poorly because it is biased towards the majority type of users and does not take into account the particular characteristics of the target user. To overcome this limitation, a user-dependent model can be trained with data only from the target user that will be optimal for this particular user; however, this requires a considerable amount of labeled data, which is cumbersome to obtain. In this work, we propose a method to build a personalized model for a given target user that does not require large amounts of labeled data. Our method uses data already labeled by a community of users to complement the scarce labeled data of the target user. Our results showed that the personalized model outperformed the general and the user-dependent models when labeled data is scarce.
Epitranscriptome refers to any relevant changes in gene expression without changes in RNA sequences. Similar to epigenetic changes, the epitranscriptomic changes are in general mediated by post-transcriptional chemical modifications of RNA species. Recently, mRNA modifications, especially both N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and N1-methyladenosine (m1A), have received significant attention as proteins responsible for generating, removing or recognizing m6A modification have been identified. m6A in eukaryotic cells including human and mouse was initially identified in early 1970s. However, the function of the modification has not been intensively studied because of technical limitations. Recently, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, several groups revealed transcriptome-wide distribution of m6A and its both in vitro and in vivo roles in biological processes such as metabolism and development. The review focuses on recent progress in mRNA modification and stem cell biology. In addition, an integrated landscape of m6A enrichments in both human and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is presented using publically available datasets.
Objective: To determine the survival and success rate of CAD/CAM-fabricated monolithic lithium-disilicate crowns supported by zirconia oral implants after 3 years. Material and Methods: Twenty-four patients in need of a single tooth replacement received a zirconia implant and were finally restored with 24 single crowns (SCs) ground out of precrystallized lithium-disilicate blanks. The restorations were adhesively cemented and evaluated using modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. In case of clinically relevant defects that could be repaired to an acceptable level, SCs were regarded as surviving. Restorations with minor chippings, a small-area roughness (empty set <2 mm), slightly soundable marginal gaps, minimal under-/overcontours, and tolerable color deviations (<1 Vitashade) were regarded as success. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used for the success/survival analyses and the calculation of potential group differences (gender, location, jaw). Additionally, several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were evaluated. Results: Twenty-three patients were seen 3 years after implant placement. No SC had to be replaced, resulting in 100% survival. No chippings were observed. As one SC showed a major occlusal roughness, the Kaplan-Meier success rate after a mean observation period of 31 months was 95.7%. No group differences could be calculated. Compared with the pre-treatment surveys, the further PROMs showed a permanently improved perception of function, esthetics, sense, and speech. Conclusion: Monolithic lithium-disilicate SCs supported by zirconia implants showed promising survival and success rates after an observation period of 3 years. It remains to be seen whether the further observation period confirms this positive results.
Water permeability is one of the most important functional characteristics of the geotextiles, being mandatorily marked in the factsheets of any type of trademark geotextile. This feature is found in the standards under the denomination of Ge-Ye-Flow K. The Mathematical modeling of the water permeability of geotextiles examines the influence of the technological parameter's quality. Using the 3D and 2D graphics, it may achieve this purpose. In this paper it is considered that the technological parameters - interweaving density and depth of penetration - are independent variables which have a huge influence on the quality of the analyzed geotextiles
The installation of offshore scour protection systems in offshore wind farms allows avoid the effect of scour phenomenon around these structures. Up to date, numerous research projects have been carried out to justify the necessity of the scour protection systems and also to optimize their design. Protection systems based on riprap is frequently used due to its low cost and easy availability compared to other solutions such as geotextile bags or prefabricated concrete blocks. The sizing of these structures can be performed according to a series of recommendations that can optimize the costs associated with them, but there have been only few studies with real data up to now which have allowed identify the need for such protections. This investigation aims to assess the functionality of the scour protections adopted through the available data about their characteristics and the scour depth developed around the foundations. In this sense, this paper presents the results of a study that analyzes the functionality of scour protections in different European offshore wind farms.
Macromolecular immunosuppressive monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins directed against molecules or cells involved in inflammation and immunity represent a recent and important addition to our therapeutic armamentarium. Tumor necrosis alpha (TNF) is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and clinical utilization of its antagonists has revolutionized treatment of juvenile rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and plaque psoriasis. Clinical utility has also been demonstrated for use against steroid-refractory graft-vs-host disease and other immune-mediated conditions. Currently, five anti-TNF agents are approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), including the monoclonal anti-TNF antibodies infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab and certolizumab pegol along with etanercept, a TNF-receptor/IgG-Fc fusion protein. Theoretical considerations related to their mode of action and clinical observations suggest that opportunistic infectious complications should be seriously considered as possible adverse events of macromolecular immunosuppressants. The purpose of this review is to critically analyze the literature on invasive fungal infections (IFIs) occurring in association with TNF inhibitors alone or in combination with other immunosuppressive agents, with a focus on pediatric patients, and to provide a framework of evaluating the risk for IFIs in this population.
This paper deals with the design, the modeling and the simulation of two electrical circuits devoted to kinetic piezoelectric energy harvesters for powering distributed control cells. Two schemes are proposed, analyzed and discussed: the first is a based on classical electrical stages, and the second integrates a novel multiplier/rectifier stage which permits to reduce the voltage loss. Simulation and experimental tests are carried out and demonstrate the advantage of the second scheme relative to the first one.
Various versions of a typical control panels are experimentally analyzed both from the effectiveness and efficiency point of view. The stimuli differed in objects' locations within a panel, and the type of the expected response to the presented stimuli. The results of users' performance are investigated using classical analyses of variance. Moreover, visual activity of all examined persons gathered by means of eye tracking system were presented and formally analyzed.
Colour detection plays an important role for many computer vision-based applications. However, most existing colour detection methods tend to be environment dependent since slight changes of environmental factors such as illumination or shadowing effects could greatly reduce their performances. In this paper, a new colour model is introduced to allow enhanced colour detection from images, even with significantly different lighting conditions and image qualities. The proposed colour model is called the HPBr colour model. It is converted from the RGB colour model and it consists of three colour components, namely, hue (H), purity (P) and brightness (Br). This colour model can be represented in three different geometric shapes: diamond, sphere and cylinder. To assess the effectiveness of the model, two different colour detection methods have been applied onto benchmark images. Experimental results from both methods confirmed that the proposed colour model produced the best colour detection results among existing models.
The posterior Superior Temporal Suclus (pSTS) represents a central hub in the complex cerebral network for person perception and emotion recognition as also suggested by its heavy connections with face- and body-specific cortical (e.g., the fusiform face area, FFA and the extrastriate body area, EBA) and subcortical structures (e.g., amygdala). Information on whether pSTS is causatively involved in sustaining conscious visual perception of emotions expressed by faces and bodies is lacking. We explored this issue by combining a binocular rivalry procedure (where emotional and neutral face and body postures rivaled with house images) with off-line, 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). We found that temporary inhibition of the right pSTS reduced perceptual dominance of fearful faces and increased perceptual dominance of fearful bodies, while leaving unaffected the perception of neutral face and body images. Inhibition of the vertex had no effect on conscious visual perception of neutral or emotional face or body stimuli. Thus, the right pSTS plays a causal role in shortening conscious vision of fearful faces and in prolonging conscious vision of fearful bodies. These results suggest that pSTS selectively modulates the activity of segregated networks involved in the conscious visual perception of emotional faces or bodies. We speculate that the opposite role of the right pSTS for conscious perception of fearful face and body maybe explained by the different connections that this region entertains with face- and body-selective visual areas as well as with amygdalae and premotor regions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) and being overweight both induce functional deterioration and atrophy of the hippocampus. These alterations are associated with mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Exercise combats obesity and enhances brain health. There is substantial evidence that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is a key regulator of affective behavior, and that increased brain nNOS leads to anxiety while environmental enrichment (EE), which reduces brain nNOS, has anxiolytic effects. In this study we investigated the effects of HFD with and without exercise on nNOS protein and gene expression levels in the brains of mice. Twelve weeks of HFD consumption increased body and mesenteric fat weight, as well as nNOS protein levels in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Six weeks of exercise training reduced body fat and rescued hippocampal and cortical nNOS expression levels in HFD-fed mice. Cerebellar nNOS expression was unaffected by HFD and exercise. Our results suggest that HFD-induced brain dysfunction may be regulated by hippocampal and/or cortical nNOS, and that exercise may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of HFD-induced depression and anxiety via the nNOS/NO pathway. In conclusion, exercise reverses HFD-induced changes in hippocampal and cortical nNOS protein levels in mice. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Metastasis accounts for the high mortality rate associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), but metastasis regulators are not fully understood. To identify a novel gene involved in tumor metastasis, we used oligonucleotide microarrays, transcriptome distance analyses, and machine learning algorithms to determine links between primary and metastatic colorectal cancers. Aminopeptidase A (APA; also known as ENPEP) was selected as our focus because its relationship with colorectal cancer requires clarification. Higher APA mRNA levels were observed in patients in advanced stages of cancer, suggesting a correlation between ENPEP and degree of malignancy. Our data also indicate that APA overexpression in CRC cells induced cell migration, invasion, anchorage-independent capability, and mesenchyme-like characteristics (e.g., EMT markers). We also observed TWIST induction in APA-overexpressing SW480 cells and TWIST down-regulation in HT29 cells knocked down with APA. Both APA silencing and impaired APA activity were found to reduce migratory capacity, cancer anchorage, stemness properties, and drug resistance in vitro and in vivo. We therefore suggest that APA enzymatic activity affects tumor initiation and cancer malignancy in a TWIST-dependent manner. Results from RT-qPCR and the immunohistochemical staining of specimens taken from CRC patients indicate a significant correlation between APA and TWIST. According to data from SurvExpress analyses of TWIST1 and APA mRNA expression profiles, high APA and TWIST expression are positively correlated with poor CRC prognosis. APA may act as a prognostic factor and/or therapeutic target for CRC metastasis and recurrence.
A complete model of a thermionic generator has been developed in order to optimise the technology for application in the solar thermal generation of electricity. Steady state current densities predicted by the model have been shown to agree with published experimental thermionic data. Two separate genetic algorithm optimisations have been carried out for both power density and efficiency, in which electrode temperatures and work functions, external circuit resistance and electrode separation were varied. The result of these optimisations were two configurations separately exhibiting a maximum power density of 1.66 W/cm(2), and a Maximum efficiency of 7.69% for parameter ranges applicable to concentrating solar thermal power. Examination of the optimum simulation parameters indicated that future developments in lowering collector work functions, increasing emitter service temperature and decreasing attainable electrode separations will all positively impact device performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Analysis of multitemporal remote sensing imagery offers a reliable and cost-effective means for monitoring crops on a broad-scale and provides consistent temporal measurements. Fractal geometry has been used as a quantitative description of spatial complexity of remote sensing images. Yet, corn field of spatial irregularity alters the fractal dimension of the landscape, which shall be suppressed in the estimation. In this paper, we propose a method for computing fractal dimension from irregular region of interests that minimizes the contribution from 2-D spatial irregularity. Our method was evaluated with normalized difference vegetation index products derived from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer and satellite pour l'observation de la terre VEGETATION sensors from three states in the U.S. The experimental results using the time series demonstrated that our proposed fractal dimension estimation method exhibited great consistency and invariance to the change of image spectral characteristics, spatial resolution, and the degree of pixel mixing. In contrast to entropy and variance, the spectral characteristics of different imaging devices exhibited lower impact to the fractal dimension, which also implies its scale invariance. With respect to the detection rate of the first peak, fractal dimension achieved the best consistency. The proposed method for computing fractal dimension provides a critical and reliable measure for studying phenological patterns.
Oscillators are essential to fuel autonomous behaviours in molecular systems. Artificial oscillators built with programmable biological molecules such as DNA and RNA are generally easy to build and tune, and can serve as timers for biological computation and regulation. We describe a new artificial nucleic acid biochemical reaction network, and we demonstrate its capacity to exhibit oscillatory solutions. This network can be built in vitro using nucleic acids and three bacteriophage enzymes, and has the potential to be implemented in cells. Numerical simulations suggest that oscillations occur in a realistic range of reaction rates and concentrations.
This paper presents several conceptual approaches for improving user engagement and happiness in mass transport systems by effectively integrating principles of ambient and aesthetic intelligence. We introduce themed passenger carriages as constructed spaces with an overarching topic or narrative, designed to make commuting a meaningful and immersive experience. We examine the challenges for commuters and the existing solutions. Following which, we develop scenarios related to the fields of recreation, culture, education, business and entertainment. With an increasing interest of policy-makers in the concept of happiness as a socioeconomic measure for national wellbeing, we identify generic approaches for future research. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Physical examination of any swelling is the first step in making a diagnosis. Many a times we see a patient with a spherical swelling, which is usually a cyst. The interpretation of physical signs should be based on sound principles of physics. In the present paper, we explain physical characteristics of a swelling (cyst) using principles of fluid mechanics.
Omitted citations - i.e., missing links between a cited paper and the corresponding citing papers - are the main consequence of several bibliometric database errors. This paper investigates the possible relationship between omitted citations and publishers of the relevant citing papers. This relationship is potentially meaningful because: (i) publishers generally impose editorial styles, which could affect database errors, and (ii) some publishers may be more efficient than others in detecting and correcting pre-existing errors in the manuscripts to be published, reducing the risk of database errors. Based on an extensive sample of scientific papers in the Manufacturing Engineering field, this study examines the citations omitted by the Scopus and WoS databases, using a recent automated algorithm. Major results are that: (i) there are significant differences in terms of omitted-citation rate between publishers and (ii) the omitted-citation rates of publishers may vary depending on the database in use. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematological cancer, characterized by a reciprocal chromosomal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 [t(9;22)], producing the Bcr-Abl oncogene. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) represent the standard of care for CML patients and exert a dual mode of action: direct oncokinase inhibition and restoration of effector-mediated immune surveillance, which is rendered dysfunctional in CML patients at diagnosis, prior to TKI therapy. TKIs such as imatinib, and more potent second-generation nilotinib and dasatinib induce a high rate of deep molecular response (DMR, BCR-ABL1 <= 0.01%) in CML patients. As a result, the more recent goal of therapy in CML treatment is to induce a durable DMR as a prelude to successful treatment-free remission (TFR), which occurs in approximately half of all CML patients who cease TKI therapy. The lack of overt relapse in such patients has been attributed to immunological control of CML. In this review, we discuss an immunological timeline to successful TFR, focusing on the immunology of CML during TKI treatment; an initial period of immune suppression, limiting antitumor immune effector responses in newly diagnosed CML patients, linked to an expansion of immature myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells and aberrant expression of immune checkpoint signaling pathways, including programmed death-1/programmed death ligand-1. Commencement of TKI treatment is associated with immune system re-activation and restoration of effector-mediated [natural killer (NK) cell and T cell] immune surveillance in CML patients, albeit with differing frequencies in concert with differing levels of molecular response achieved on TKI. DMR is associated with maximal restoration of immune recovery in CML patients on TKI. Current data suggest a net balance between both the effector and suppressor arms of the immune system, at a minimum involving mature, cytotoxic CD56dn NK cells may be important in mediating TFR success. However, a major goal remains in CML to identify the most effective pathways to target to maximize an advantageous immune response and promote TFR success.
Compacted clay liners are vulnerable to desiccation cracking if exposed to atmospheric conditions for extended periods of time. Three clayey soils typically used as landfill liners were studied in relatively large-scale containers exposed to real atmospheric conditions for a full annual cycle. Desiccation cracking and particularly the variation in depth of cracks were examined in soil pairs; one set was directly exposed to atmospheric conditions and the other covered with a white separator geotextile. Cracks started to grow deeper in time with some variations with rainfall events up to a few months followed by no significant increase later. Smaller crack depths were observed for the soil with the lowest plasticity index. Using a geotextile cover resulted in 35-79% reduction in average crack depth. Hydraulic conductivity of the soils increased at the end of the experiment with greater increase for soils with deeper cracks. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Background: Rare conditions can be catastrophic for families and the implications for public health can be substantial. Our study compared basic surveillance through active medical record review with a linked administrative data file to assess the number of cases of two rare conditions, fragile X syndrome (FXS) and muscular dystrophy (MD) in a population. Methods: Two methods of data collection were used to collect information from five counties comprising two standard metropolitan statistical areas of South Carolina. The passive system relied mostly on health claims data using ICD-9 CM diagnostic codes. The active system relied on a nurse abstracting records from a list of all licensed physicians with specialties in neurology, orthopedics, and genetics. Results: There were 141 FXS cases and 348 MD cases that met the case definitions using active surveillance. Additional cases were found for both conditions but they were determined to not be true cases. After linking the actively collected MD and FXS cases to passive datasets, we found that the estimated total numbers of cases were similar to using capture-recapture analysis; the positive predictive values for cases identified in the passive system were 56.6% for MD and 75.7% for FXS. Conclusions: Applying capture-recapture methods to passively collected surveillance data for rare health conditions produced an estimate of the number of true cases that was similar to that obtained through active data collection.
alpha-Glucans are present in virtually all domains of life, and these glucose chains linked by alpha-1,4- and alpha-1,6-linked branches form the most important storage carbohydrates in cells. It is likely for this reason that alpha-glucans are not generally considered as bioactive molecules as beta-glucans are. Nevertheless, it is known that depending on their source, many alpha-glucans play important roles as modulators of immune response. Recent efforts have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms through which alpha-glucans exert their immunostimulant effects; however, the main challenge is the accurate identification of the receptors of immune cells involved in their recognition. Here, we review the adjuvant properties reported for some polysaccharides and ultimately focus on alpha-glucans and how their structural characteristics, such as molecular weight, solubility and derivatization, influence their immunostimulatory properties. As a final point, we discuss the potential and associated challenges of using these polysaccharides as adjuvants, particularly in mucosal vaccination. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
To investigate the cervical compensation pattern and to clarify relationships between cervical compensation and quality of life (QOL) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis. A cross-sectional study of consecutive AS patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis was performed. Forty-four patients with hyperlordotic cervical spine were assigned to group A and sixteen with kyphotic cervical spine in group B. Sagittal parameters were measured and compared, including T1 slope, cervical lordosis (CL), cervical sagittal vertical axis (C-SVA), global SVA and global kyphosis (GK). Independent factors for cervical compensation were identified. To exclude confounding variables while comparing QOL between patients with hyperlordotic and kyphotic cervical spine, 31 patients were selected as group A-1, similar to 13 patients in group B-1 in the distribution of matching variables such as age, gender, course of disease, GK, global SVA and radiographic progression assessment for AS. The QOL was assessed by Neck Disability Index (NDI) and other indices. Mean C-SVA was significantly lower in group A than in group B, whereas mean T1 slope, global SVA and GK were significantly larger in group A. T1 slope (36.0 %) was the independent factor for CL. T1 slope was correlated with CL, GK and global SVA in group A. Group A-1 showed lower NDI score. CL (59.6 %) independently affects NDI. Notable cervical compensation exists in AS patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis. The cervical compensation responsive to global imbalance was mediated by T1 slope. AS patients with hyperlordotic cervical spine present with better QOL than patients with kyphotic cervical spine.
Mu opioid receptor selective antagonists are highly desirable because of their utility as pharmacological probes for receptor characterization and functional studies. Furthermore, the mu opioid receptors act as an important target in drug abuse and addiction treatment. Previously, we reported NAP as a novel lead compound with high selectivity and affinity towards the mu opioid receptor. Based on NAP, we have synthesized its derivatives and further characterized their binding affinities and selectivity towards the receptor. NMP and NGP were identified as the two most selective MOR ligands among NAP derivatives. In the present study, molecular modeling methods were applied to assess the dual binding modes of NAP derivatives, particularly on NMP and NGP, in three opioid receptors, in order to analyze the effects of structural modifications on the pyridyl ring of NAP on the binding affinity and selectivity. The results indicated that the steric hindrance, electrostatic, and hydrophobic effects caused by the substituents on the pyridyl ring of NAP contributed complimentarily on the binding affinity and selectivity of NAP derivatives to three opioid receptors. Analyses of these contributions provided insights on future design of more potent and selective mu opioid receptor ligands. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Manual handling of municipal solid waste is of serious concern owing to emerging occupational risks. Considering this, health risks of municipal solid waste workers involved in street sweeping, waste collection, waste processing and rag picking were assessed in Chandigarh, India, using an interview schedule as a study tool. Result shows that the waste worker profession is mainly dominated by males, except in rag pickers, and with a lower literacy rate. Age distribution shows that 16% of waste collectors and 11% of rag pickers were below 18years of age. Daily income of the waste workers ranges from ?100 to ?200. It was observed that 22.2% of waste collectors, 43.2% of street sweepers and 25.5% of rag pickers do not use any type of protective gears owing to their casual attitude, which results in various types of injuries. The major occupational health issues reported by various categories of waste workers were respiratory disorders, injuries and allergies having prevalence of 12.3%-17.6%, 4.9%-44.4% and 35.3%-48.9%, respectively. Waste workers are vulnerable to occupational health hazards and hence there is a need to safeguard them through formulation of new laws and policies.
A new image analysis algorithm based on mathematical morphology and pixel classification for grapevine berry counting is presented in this paper. First, a set of berry candidates represented by connected components was extracted. Then, six descriptors were calculated using key features of these components, and were employed for false positive (FP) discrimination using a supervised approach. More specifically, the set of descriptors modelled the grapes' distinctive shape, light reflection pattern and colour. Two classifiers were tested, a three-layer neural network and an optimised support vector machine. A dataset of 152 images was acquired with a low-cost smart phone camera. Images came from seven grapevine varieties, 18 per variety, at the two phenological stages in the Baggiolini scale between berry set (named stage K; 94 images) and cluster-closure (named stage L; 32 images). 126 of these images were kept for external validation and the remaining 26 were used for training (12 at stage L and 14 at K). From these training images, 5438 true/false positive samples were generated and labelled in terms of the six descriptors. The neural network performed better than the support vector machine, yielding consistent Recall and Precision average values of 0.9572 and 0.8705, respectively. The presented algorithm, implemented as a smartphone application, can constitute a useful diagnosis tool for the in-the-field and non-destructive yield prediction and berry set assessing for the grape and wine industry. (C) 2017 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evolvable Hardware (EHW) is hardware that can dynamically change its behavior and architecture by interacting with its environment. EHW can make use of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to optimally synthesize electrical circuits. In this paper, five different mutation methods are implemented in a conventional genetic algorithm technique to automatically realize a digital 8 bit full adder (FA). The main achievement of this work is the comparison between those techniques in terms of number of iterations required to converge on the required logical structure. Results demonstrate that the sequential mutation method (SMM) and circular gene method (CGM) reduce the convergence time, and a substantial reduction is observed when these methods are combined with the Adaptive Group Mutation (AGM) method for the full adder implementation. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a fundamental study of the flow dynamics and heat transfer induced by a slug flow under saturated flow boiling in a circular microchannel. Numerical simulations are carried out by utilizing the commercial CFD solver ANSYS FLUENT v. 14.5, with its built-in volume of fluid (VOF) method to advect the interface, which was improved here by implementing self-developed functions to model the phase change and the surface tension force. A continuous stream of bubbles is generated (by additional user-defined functions) by patching vapor bubbles at the channel upstream with a constant generation frequency. This modeling framework can capture the essential features of heat transfer in slug flows for a continuous stream of bubbles which are here investigated in detail, e.g., the mutual influence among the growing bubbles, the fluid mechanics in the liquid slug trapped between two consecutive bubbles, the effect of bubble acceleration on the thickness of the thin liquid film trapped against the channel wall and on other bubbles, and the transient growth of the heat transfer coefficient and then its periodic variation at the terminal steady-periodic regime, which is reached after the transit of a few bubble-liquid slug pairs. Furthermore, the results for a continuous stream of bubbles are found to be quite different than that of a single bubble, emphasizing the importance of modeling multiple bubbles to study this process. Finally, the outcomes of this analysis are utilized to advance a theoretical model for heat transfer in microchannel slug flow that best reproduces the present simulation data.
Objective: Cognitive remediation programs often have larger effects on cognition compared with everyday outcomes. We compared changes across cognitive, functional competence, and vocational domains in 2 cognitive remediation programs. Method: A sequential enrollment, nonrandom design with 50 individuals with serious mental illnesses (psychotic and mood disorders) from a community vocational rehabilitation program. Action-Based Cognitive Remediation (ABCR), a new program that combines traditional cognitive training techniques with simulated workplace situations and goal setting for engaging with cognitively demanding activities (N = 24; 19 completers) was compared with traditional cognitive remediation (tCR; N = 26; 15 completers). Both groups met twice-weekly for 2-hr sessions over 10 weeks. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine effects pre-and posttreatment and 10 weeks after treatment. Univariate analysis of variance and chi-square tests were used to compare work outcomes 6 months after intervention. Results: Significantly more ABCR participants (83%) were retained in the intervention compared with tCR (57%) and reported greater increases in perceived competence with cognitively challenging tasks (eta(2) =.23). ABCR effects were significantly larger than tCR on functional competence (eta(2) =.53), with smaller, nonsignificant differences in social cognition (eta(2) =.14) and neurocognition (eta(2) =.16). ABCR participants were marginally more likely to be competitively employed (68.4% vs. 40%) and, among those employed, ABCR participants experienced less job-related stress (eta(2) =.37). Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Cognitive rehabilitative programs for serious mental illness that rely on computer -based training for neuroplasticity should ensure opportunities for active skill development and therapist supported techniques to overcome challenges with generalizing cognitive effects to everyday outcomes.
The phenomena associated with the entrainment of free-stream turbulence (FST) into boundary-layer flows are relevant for a number of subjects. It has been believed that the continuous spectra of the Orr-Sommerfeld (O-S)/Squire equations describe the entrainment process, and thus they are used to specify the inlet condition in simulation of bypass transition. However, Dong and Wu (Dong, M. and Wu, X. On continuous spectra of the Orr-Sommerfeld/Squire equations and entrainment of free-stream vortical disturbances. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 732, 616-659 (2013)) pointed out that continuous spectra exhibit several non-physical features due to neglecting the non-parallelism. They further proposed a large-Reynolds-number asymptotic approach, and showed that the non-parallelism is a leading-order effect even for the short-wavelength disturbance, for which the response concentrates in the edge layer. In this paper, the asymptotic solution is verified numerically by studying its evolution in incompressible boundary layers. It is found that the numerical results can be accurately predicted by the asymptotic solution, implying that the latter is adequate for moderate Reynolds numbers. By introducing a series of such solutions as the inflow perturbations, the bypass transition is investigated via the direct numerical simulation (DNS). The transition processes, including the evolution of streaks, the amplification of secondary-instability modes, and the emergence of turbulent spots, agree with the experimental observations.
Multi-organ microdevices can mimic tissue-tissue interactions that occur as a result of metabolite travel from one tissue to other tissues in vitro. These systems are capable of simulating human metabolism, including the conversion of a pro-drug to its effective metabolite as well as its subsequent therapeutic actions and toxic side effects. Since tissue-tissue interactions in the human body can play a significant role in determining the success of new pharmaceuticals, the development and use of multi-organ microdevices present an opportunity to improve the drug development process. The devices have the potential to predict potential toxic side effects with higher accuracy before a drug enters the expensive phase of clinical trials as well as to estimate efficacy and dose response. Multi-organ microdevices also have the potential to aid in the development of new therapeutic strategies by providing a platform for testing in the context of human metabolism (as opposed to animal models). Further, when operated with human biopsy samples, the devices could be a gateway for the development of individualized medicine. Here we review studies in which multi-organ microdevices have been developed and used in a ways that demonstrate how the devices' capabilities can present unique opportunities for the study of drug action. We will also discuss challenges that are inherent in the development of multiorgan microdevices. Among these are how to design the devices, and how to create devices that mimic the human metabolism with high authenticity. Since single organ devices are testing platforms for tissues that can later be combined with other tissues within multi-organ devices, we will also mention single organ devices where appropriate in the discussion. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We describe a measuring transducer of electrical conductivity of liquids, used both under laboratory conditions and also for the study of ocean processes (under natural conditions). The transducer is represented in the form of a separate unit for laboratory investigations, which can be used as part of a deep-water hydraulic probe. For an example of different processes and flows, at the IPMekh RAN laboratory of fluid mechanics it has been shown that a small-scale transducer has a high speed and high spatial resolution.
Malware and forensic analyses of embedded cyber-physical systems are tedious, manual processes that testbeds are commonly not designed to support. Additionally, attesting the physics impact of embedded cyber-physical system malware has no formal methodologies and is currently an art. This chapter describes a novel testbed design methodology that integrates virtualized embedded industrial control systems and physics simulators, thereby supporting malware and forensic analyses of embedded cyber-physical systems without risks. Unlike existing hardware-based testbeds, the resulting soft industrial control system testbeds are portable, distributable and expandable by design. However, embedded system virtualization is non-trivial, especially at the firmware level, and solutions vary widely depending on the embedded system architectures and operating systems. This chapter discusses how the proposed methodology overcomes the challenges to virtualizing embedded systems and explores the benefits via a proof-of-concept implementation involving a Siemens MJ-XL variable step voltage regulator control panel.
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is sexually dimorphic in brain structure, genetics, and behaviors. In studies of brain tissue, the age of the population is clearly a factor in interpreting study outcome, yet sex is rarely considered. To begin to address this issue, we extend our previously published microarray analyses to examine expression of small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), in ASD and in the control temporal cortex in males and females. Predicted miRNA targets were identified as well as the pathways they overpopulate. Findings: After considering age, sexual dimorphism in ASD sncRNA expression persists in the temporal cortex and in the patterning that distinguishes regions. Among the sexually dimorphic miRNAs are miR-219 and miR-338, which promote oligodendrocyte differentiation, miR-125, implicated in neuronal differentiation, and miR-488, implicated in anxiety. Putative miRNA targets are significantly over-represented in immune and nervous system pathways in both sexes, consistent with previous mRNA studies. Even for common pathways, the specific target mRNAs are often sexually dimorphic. For example, both male and female target genes significantly populate the Axonal Guidance Signaling pathway, yet less than a third of the targets are common to both sexes. Conclusions: Our findings of sexual dimorphism in sncRNA levels underscore the importance of considering sex, in addition to age, when interpreting molecular findings on ASD brain.
This article explores the importance of social bonds in facilitating an investment in prosocial behavior amongst female prisoners working as HIV peer educators. Female prisoners can lack strong prosocial attachments to both individuals and institutions prior to incarceration. Absent this bond, little prevents the female prisoner from recidivating. Prison provides an opportunity to fashion new attachments that will assist in the reintegrative process. One way to create strong bonds of attachment, particularly for women, is through working as an HIV peer educator while incarcerated. In order to measure attachment levels, interviews were conducted with 49 female prisoners who worked in two HIV prison-based peer programs during their incarceration. Female peers developed strong attachments to one another. Such attachments were formed while incarcerated and were maintained upon release, thus serving to bolster support for newfound prosocial identities.
The recent exponential growth of nanotechnology and numerous applications of nanotechnology-based products resulted in water pollution by engineered nanoparticles. Over the last few decades, membrane technology has emerged as one of the most promising and reliable techniques in water purification. Therefore, it is an obvious candidate to remove manufactured nano-sized contaminants and to purify the water. Nanoparticle properties play a crucial role in the performance and effectiveness of membrane filtration. This experimental study investigates the role of nanoparticle size and polydispersity on fouling and rejection development during dead-end microfiltration of electrostatically stabilized silica nanoparticles. Our work on filtration of monodisperse silica nanoparticles (11 nm, 25 nm and 92 nm) smaller than the membrane pore size (similar to 200 nm) demonstrates that an increasing nanoparticle diameter accelerates pore blockage and development of cake. The specific cake resistance of the filtration cake formed decreases with increasing nanoparticle diameter. Filtration of polydisperse nanoparticles (obtained by mixing monodisperse suspensions in various ratios) shows that increasing the fraction of smaller nanoparticles results in delayed pore blockage, and cake filtration occurring at a later stage. The specific cake resistance of the polydisperse nanoparticles is always found to be in between that obtained for the monodisperse nanoparticle suspensions. An increasing weight fraction of larger nanoparticles results in faster development of nanoparticle rejection due to accelerated pore blockage. However, because of the highly porous structure of the filtration cake originating from strong surface charges, the moderate trans membrane pressure applied and cake imperfections, the smallest (11 nm) nanoparticles were rejected only to a low extent, even during the cake filtration stage. An increase in applied transmembrane pressure during filtration of the polydisperse suspension resulted in faster pore blockage and higher specific cake resistance. Nevertheless, rejection of the nanoparticles in the cake filtration stage improved only slightly with increasing transmembrane pressure. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electrical analogy, which is used to solve numerical problems in fluid mechanics, is used here to solve the classical problem of Couette flow between two parallel plates, Hagen-Poiseuille flow in a pipe and the transient free convection flow along a semi-infinite vertical wall. The nonlinear system of partial differential equations is numerically solved by the Network Simulation Method, based on thermo-electric analogy. A simulator of electrical devices, permits the direct visualization of the local and/or integrated transport variables (temperatures, velocities, concentrations, and fluxes) at any point or section of the medium. At the same time, the solution for both transient and steady-state problems is obtained, the only requirement being finite-difference schemes for the spatial variable. This educational tool is seen to be very useful for solving numerical problems in engineering and can be used to graduate in the University. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 21: 748-757, 2013
This study deals with the design of a load sensorless multi-loop control system for the stand-alone inverter. In the proposed strategy, only the inverter current is measured, which is practically required for both control and protection purposes, then the load voltage and current are both estimated using the linear Kalman filter algorithm, and the gradient descent adaptive control method, respectively. The estimated quantities are used as feedback signals of an inner-outer double-loop controller, which uses a proportional-resonant outer-controller to regulate the output voltage with minimum steady-state error and a simple proportional inner-controller to provide active damping and improve the transient performance. The controller parameters are designed in the frequency domain based on the required bandwidth and stability margin. Furthermore, the controllability and observability, as well as the stability of overall digital control system, including the dynamics of estimators, are analytically investigated. Simulation and experimental results, with a 600 VA prototype, confirm the theoretical achievements and illustrate the excellent performance of the proposed estimation and control scheme.
Since the lacZ alpha-based blue/white screening system was introduced to molecular biology, several different visual reporter systems were developed and used for various purposes in Escherichia coli. A common limit to the existent visual reporter systems is that an extracellular chromogenic substrate has to be added for the visible pigment production. In this study, we developed a new blue/white screening system based on a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase encoded by idgS from Streptomyces and a phosphopantetheinyl transferase encoded by sfp from Bacillus. When IdgS is activated from an apo-form to a holo-form via a posttranslational modification catalyzed by Sfp, it can synthesize a blue pigment indigoidine using L-glutamine, the amino acid abundant in cells, as a substrate. The new blue/white screening system contains a recipient E. coli strain with an optimized idgS gene cassette and a cloning vector harboring an sfp gene with an in-frame insertion of a multiple cloning site close to its N-terminal. We demonstrated that the IdgS/Sfp-based blue/white screening system is a powerful alternative to the lacZ alpha-based screening system, which does not require any external substrate addition.
Background: Laboratory examination is a great value to confirm a diagnosis and estimate disease activity of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). Since little research related to the diagnosis of RA and AS has been done in Iran, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnosis markers in patients with RA and AS. Methods: This study was conducted among 104 patients with RA and 42 patients with AS in Iran during 2016. Inclusion criteria were according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria. Five mL blood samples were collected from all patients. Laboratory studies consisted of ESR and anti-CCP tests and also determination of the presence of RF and CRP in these patients. Finally, the statistical analysis test was conducted using SPSS version 16.0. Results: The study patients with RA included 23 males (22.1%) and 81 females (77.9%) with the average age of 50.25 14.34. In RA patients, 82.7% were RF positive and 17.3% were negative. Also, 49% were CRP positive and 51% were negative. The mean ESR in RA patients was 27.76 +/- 20.17 mm/hour. The mean levels of anti-CCP were 109.15 +/- 90.55 IU/mL. The mean ages of 42 patients with AS, including 30 male (71.4%) and 12 females (28.6%), were 38.69 +/- 11.82 years. Among them, 24 patients (57.1%) were positive for CRP and 18 patients (42.9%) were negative. Only 2 patients (4.8%) were RF positive. 24 patients (57.1%) were positive for HLA-1127 and 18 patients (42.9%) were negative. The mean levels of ESR in AS patients were 30.30 +/- 26.98 mm/hour. Conclusions: Early diagnosis of the Rheumatoid arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis can help to prevent complications and its progression and help patients to recover more quickly.
Purpose: To characterize outer retina structure in best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) and to determine the effect of macular lesions on overlying and adjacent photoreceptors. Methods: Five individuals with BVMD were followed prospectively with spectral domain optical coherence tomography and confocal and nonconfocal split-detector adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). The AOSLO cone photoreceptor mosaic images were obtained within and around retinal lesions. Cone density was measured inside and outside lesions. In 2 subjects, densities were compared with published measurements acquired similar to 2.5 years before. One subject was imaged 3 times over a 5-month period. Results: The AOSLO imaging demonstrated that photoreceptor morphology within BVMD retinal lesions was highly variable depending on the disease stage, with photoreceptor structure present even in advanced disease. The AOSLO imaging was repeatable even in severe disease over short-time and long-time intervals. Photoreceptor density was normal in retinal areas immediately adjacent to lesions and stable over similar to 2.5 years. Mobile disk-like structures possibly representing subretinal macrophages were also observed. Conclusion: Combined confocal and nonconfocal split-detector AOSLO imaging reveals substantial variability within clinical lesions in all stages of BVMD. Longitudinal cellular photoreceptor imaging could prove a powerful tool for understanding disease progression and monitoring emerging therapeutic treatment response in inherited degenerations such as BVMD.
The automation of agricultural mapping using satellite-derived remotely sensed data remains a challenge in Africa because of the heterogeneous and fragmental landscape, complex crop cycles, and limited access to local knowledge. Currently, consistent, continent-wide routine cropland mapping of Africa does not exist, with most studies focused either on certain portions of the continent or at most a one-time effort at mapping the continent at coarse resolution remote sensing. In this research, we addressed these limitations by applying an automated cropland mapping algorithm (ACMA) that captures extensive knowledge on the croplands of Africa available through: (a) ground-based training samples, (b) very high (sub meter to five-meter) resolution imagery (VHRI), and (c) local knowledge captured during field visits and/or sourced from country reports and literature. The study used 16-day time-series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) composited data at 250-m resolution for the entire African continent. Based on these data, the study first produced accurate reference cropland layers or RCLs (cropland extent/areas, irrigation versus rainfed, cropping intensities, crop dominance, and croplands versus cropland fallows) for the year 2014 that provided an overall accuracy of around 90% for crop extent in different agro-ecological zones (AEZs). The RCLs for the year 2014 (RCL2014) were then used in the development of the ACMA algorithm to create ACMA-derived cropland layers for 2014 (ACL2014). ACL2014 when compared pixel-by-pixel with the RCL2014 had an overall similarity greater than 95%. Based on the ACL2014, the African continent had 296 Mha of net cropland areas (260 Mha cultivated plus 36 Mha fallows) and 330 Mha of gross cropland areas. Of the 260 Mha of net cropland areas cultivated during 2014, 90.6% (236 Mha) was rainfed and just 9.4% (24 Mha) was irrigated. Africa has about 15% of the world's population, but only about 6% of world's irrigation. Net cropland area distribution was 95 Mha during season 1, 117 Mha during season 2, and 84 Mha continuous. About 58% of the rainfed and 39% of the irrigated were single crops (net cropland area without cropland fallows) cropped during either season 1 (January-May) or season 2 (June September). The ACMA algorithm was deployed on Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform and applied on MODIS time-series data from 2003 through 2014 to obtain ACMA-derived cropland layers for these years (ACL2003 to ACL2014). The results indicated that over these twelve years, on average: (a) croplands increased by 1 Mha/yr, and (b) cropland fallows decreased by 1 Mha/year. Cropland areas computed from ACL2014 for the 55 African countries were largely underestimated when compared with an independent source of census-based cropland data, with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 3.5 Mha. ACMA demonstrated the ability to hind-cast (past years), now-cast (present year), and forecast (future years) cropland products using MODIS 250-m time-series data rapidly, but currently, insufficient reference data exist to rigorously report trends from these results. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS).
Two populations have been found to exhibit delays in theory of mind (ToM): deaf children of hearing parents and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Deaf children exposed to sign from birth by their deaf parents, however, show no such delay, suggesting that early language exposure is key to ToM development. Sign languages also present frequent opportunities with visual perspective-taking (VPT), leading to the question of whether sign exposure could benefit children with ASD. We present the first study of children with ASD exposed to sign from birth by their deaf parents. Seventeen native-signing children with a confirmed ASD diagnosis and a chronological- and mental age-matched control group of 18 typically developing (TD) native-signing deaf children were tested on American Sign Language (ASL) comprehension, two minimally verbal social cognition tasks (ToM and VPT), and one spatial cognition task (mental rotation). The TD children outperformed the children with ASD on ASL comprehension (p<0.0001), ToM (p=0.02), and VPT (p<0.01), but not mental rotation (p=0.12). Language strongly correlated with ToM (p<0.01) and VPT (p<0.001), but not mental rotation (p=ns). Native exposure to sign is thus insufficient to overcome the language and social impairments implicated in ASD. Contrary to the hypothesis that sign could provide a scaffold for ToM skills, we find that signing children with ASD are unable to access language so as to gain any potential benefit sign might confer. Our results support a strong link between the development of social cognition and language, regardless of modality, for TD and ASD children. Autism Res2016, 9: 1304-1315. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The pumped storage power station (PSPS) is a special power source that has flexible operation modes and multiple functions. With the rapid economic development in China, the energy demand and the peak-valley load difference of the power grid are continuing to increase. Moreover, wind power, nuclear power, and other new energy sources also develop very fast. Developing the PSPS is of great importance to the power source structure adjustment, and the secure and stable operation of the power grids in China in the 21st century. This paper provides a survey of the PSPS development in China. Over the last two decades, China's PSPS has developed quickly. The PSPS installed capacity had reached 21.83 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2014, ranking among the top in the world. 27 PSPSs have been completed and put into production, and many with the installed capacity of more than 1200 megawatts (MW) are still under construction, including Fengning PSPS. In addition, a lot of sites suitable for the PSPS construction have been planned. With regard to the challenges existing in the exploitation course, some suggestions are proposed. There is a bright future for the PSPS development in China.
Background: Compulsive sexual behaviors (CSB) are relatively common and associated with significant personal and social dysfunction. The underlying neurobiology is still poorly understood. The present study examines brain volumes and resting state functional connectivity in CSB compared with matched healthy volunteers (HV). Methods: Structural MRI (MPRAGE) data were collected in 92 subjects (23 CSB males and 69 age-matched male HV) and analyzed using voxel- based morphometry. Resting state functional MRI data using multi-echo planar sequence and independent components analysis (ME-ICA) were collected in 68 subjects (23 CSB subjects and 45 age- matched HV). Results: CSB subjects showed greater left amygdala gray matter volumes (small volume corrected, Bonferroni adjusted P < 0.01) and reduced resting state functional connectivity between the left amygdala seed and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (whole brain, cluster corrected FWE P < 0.05) compared with HV. Conclusions: CSB is associated with elevated volumes in limbic regions relevant to motivational salience and emotion processing, and impaired functional connectivity between prefrontal control regulatory and limbic regions. Future studies should aim to assess longitudinal measures to investigate whether these findings are risk factors that predate the onset of the behaviors or are consequences of the behaviors. (C) 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantum private comparison (QPC) aims to accomplish the equality comparison of secret inputs from two users on the basis of not leaking their contents out. Recently, Chen et al. proposed the QPC protocol based on triplet GHZ state and single-particle measurement (Optics Communications 283, 1561-1565 (2010)). In this paper, they suggested the standard model of a semi-honest third party (TP) for the first time, and declared that their protocol is secure. Subsequently, Lin et al. pointed out that in Chen et al.'s protocol, one user can extract the other user's secret without being discovered by performing the intercept-resend attack, and suggested two corresponding improvements (Optics Communications 284, 2412-2414 (2011)). However, Yang et al. first pointed out that the model of TP adopted by both Chen et al.'s protocol and Lin et al.'s improved protocols is unreasonable, and thought that a practical TP may also try any possible means to steal the users' secrets except being corrupted by the adversary including the dishonest user (Quantum Inf Process 12, 877-885 (2013). In this paper, after taking the possible attacks from TP into account, we propose the eavesdropping strategy of TP toward Lin et al.'s improved protocols and suggest two feasible solutions accordingly.
Bovine milk lipids (BML) contain a number of bioactive substances with positive as well as negative properties, mainly in the class of fatty acids. Besides trans fatty acids (TFA), conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are of particular interest. Apart from ruminant meat products the main source of CLA in food are BML. Although TFA as well as saturated fatty acids (12:0-16:0) are thought to be positively correlated with atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, CLA are considered antiatherogenic. Further, CLA are reported to reduce adipose fat and to have anticarcinogenic properties. The varying CLA and TFA contents of lipids from milk and dairy products are positively correlated with one another. However, TFA are also negatively correlated with 12:0-16:0 in BML. Anticarcinogenic effects are also ascribed to butyric acid as well as to some phospholipids and ether lipids present in BML. Moreover, the essential fatty acids 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 are found in BML which are involved in a variety of biochemical processes and thus have numerous functions in human metabolism. Contents of the individual bioactive components of BML are summarised taking into account also seasonal variations. The total content of bioactive substances in BML is approximately 75% but their overall impact on human health considering benefits and drawbacks is difficult to assess.
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the application of modified chitosan as a potential vector for gene delivery to gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR)-expressing cells. Such design of gene carrier could be useful in particular for gene therapy for cancers related to the reproductive system, gene disorders of sexual development, and contraception and fertility control. In this study, a decapeptide GnRH was successfully conjugated to chitosan (CS) as confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1 NMR) and Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The synthesized GnRH-conjugated chitosan (GnRH-CS) was able to condense DNA to form positively charged nanoparticles and specifically deliver plasmid DNA to targeted cells in both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures systems. Importantly, GnRH-CS exhibited higher transfection activity compared to unmodified CS. In conclusion, GnRH-conjugated chitosan can be a promising carrier for targeted DNA delivery to GnRHR-expressing cells. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the increasing deployment of network systems, network attacks are increasing in intensity as well as complexity. Along with these increasing network attacks, many network intrusion detection techniques have been proposed which are broadly classified as being signature-based, classification-based, or anomaly based. A deployable network intrusion detection system (NIDS) should be capable of detecting of known and unknown attacks in near real time with very low false positive rate. Supervised approaches for intrusion detection provides good detection accuracy for known attacks, but they can not detect unknown attacks. Some of the existing NIDS emphasize on unknown attack detection by using unsupervised anomaly detection techniques, but they can not distinguish network data as accurately as supervised approaches. Moreover they do not consider some other important issues like real time detection or minimization of false alarm. To overcome these problems, in the recent years many hybrid NIDS have been proposed which are basically aimed at detecting both known and unknown attacks with high accuracy of detection. In this literature review on hybrid network intrusion detection systems, we will discuss a few of the notable hybrid NIDS proposed in the recent years and will try to provide a comparative study on them.
A methodology for predicting scaling in membrane distillation (MD), which considers thermodynamics, kinetics, and fluid mechanics, is developed and experimentally validated with calcium sulfate. The theory predicts the incidence of scaling as a function of temperature, concentration, and flow conditions by comparing the nucleation induction time to the residence time and applying an experimental correction factor. The relevant residence time is identified by considering a volume of solution near the membrane surface that contains enough ions to form a nucleus of critical size. The theory is validated with fouling experiments using calcium sulfate as a model sealant over a range of temperatures (40-70 degrees C) saturation indices, and flow rates. Although the model is validated with a bench-scale MD system, it is hoped to be compatible with large-scale systems that may have significant changes in concentration, temperature, and flow rate along the flow direction. At lower temperatures, the saturation index can be as high as 0.4-0.5 without scaling, but the safe concentration limit decreases with increasing temperature. Increasing the feed flow rate reduces concentration polarization and fluid residence time, both of which decrease the likelihood of fouling. The model is translated into easily readable maps outlining safe operating regimes for MD. The theory and maps can be used to choose safe operating conditions in MD over a wide range of conditions and system geometries.
Internet and organizational network security is still threatened by devastating malicious activities. Given the continuous escalation of such attacks in terms of their frequency, sophistication and stealthiness, it is of paramount importance to generate effective cyber threat intelligence that aim at inferring, attributing, characterizing and mitigating such misdemeanors. Nevertheless, such imperative tasks are partially impeded by the lack of approaches that can produce prompt and accurate actionable intelligence by investigating various network traffic sources. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a big data architecture that is rooted in real-time network traffic processing, distributed messaging and scalable data storage. The key benefit of the proposed architecture is that it automates the aggregation and transformations of heterogeneous network data, allowing for greater focus on cyber threat intelligence analytics, rather than data management, aggregation, reconciliation and formatting. Empirical evaluations investigating the application of machine learning analytics by exploiting the artifacts resulting from a prototype of the proposed architecture and by using 100 GB of real network traffic, indeed demonstrate the practicality, effectiveness, and added-value of the proposed architecture.
Article presents a version of textile sand piles application in road construction for road bases arranged on saline soils. Construction of roads in the areas of saline soils occurrence is a complex multidimensional problem, which includes study of soil properties and conditions of their education taking into account specific features of road constructions and features of excavation production technology. In the case of preservation of saline soils in the subgrade it is required to provide stability and reduce the time of accumulation of possible drafts of road the structure. In practice, these conditions can be realized through the use of design and technological solutions, namely, sand piles devices, slots or horizontal surface pillows, precast reinforced concrete piles with a flexible raft of geotextile vertical crushing drainage strips and mounds from polystyrene plates, soil-concrete piles, as well as strengthening the implementation of deep saline soils by mechanical mixing with binders. The calculation of the developed roadbed construction using textile-sand piles to further reduce of cost and timing of the road construction on saline soils was made. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Thiols and in particular glutathione (GSH) play a central role in human metabolism, including the detoxification of xenobiotics, cell homeostasis, radioprotection, and antioxidant defence. Here, a new method is provided for the measurement of reduced and total forms of thiols in red blood cells. In order to minimize oxidation of reduced thiols, a water erythrocyte lysis (15 min at 4&DEG; C) was performed followed by a protein precipitation step with acetonitrile. The supernatant was rapidly derivatized with 5-iodoacetoamidefluorescein that trapped thiol groups, thus minimizing auto-oxidation. Derivatized samples were separated in a 57 cm x 75 &mu; m ID capillary by using 5 mmol/L sodium phosphate, 4 mmol/L boric acid as electrolyte solution with 75 mmol/L N-methyl-D-glucamine at pH 11.0. Under these conditions, cysteinylglycine (CysGly), cysteine (Cys), glutathione, and &gamma;-glutamylcysteine (GluCys) were baseline-resolved in &SIM; 4 min. Precision tests showed a good repeatability of our method both for migration times (coefficient of variation CV &LT; 0.8%) and areas (CV &LT; 3.3%). Furthermore, a good reproducibility of intrassay and interassay tests was obtained (CV &LT; 5% and CV &LT; 8%, respectively). The method was employed to investigate the effect of acidic precipitation on intracellular thiol concentration. Our data suggest that sample acidification causes a modification of the measured redox thiol status due to the development of a pro-oxidant environment; moreover, the thiol redox status of red blood cells was evaluated in 22 healthy volunteers.
This paper constructs a model for determining the optimal capacities of water projects, including, but not limited to, diversion dams, flood-control dams, water-transfer projects, and rainwater-harvesting systems. The model helps us analyze the impacts of institutional, environmental, and technological changes on the capacity choices of water projects. The analysis identifies the conditions under which water reforms, flood damages, and climate change could lead to larger optimal water-project capacities. We also systematically analyze the relation between water-project capacities and water-conservation technologies (e.g., drip irrigation) and identify the conditions under which they are complements. The paper implies that the design of water projects should not be separated from the institutional, environmental, and technological conditions both upstream and downstream. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Epidemiological and genetic studies have identified metabolic disorders and inflammation as risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Evidence in obesity and type-2 diabetes suggests a role for a metabolic inflammasome (metaflammasome) in mediating chronic inflammation in peripheral organs implicating IKK (inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit beta), IRS1 (insulin receptor substrate 1), JNK (c-jun N-terminal kinase), and PKR (double-stranded RNA protein kinase). We hypothesized that these proteins are expressed in the brain in response to metabolic risk factors in AD. Neocortex from 299 participants from the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies was analysed by immunohistochemistry for the expression of the phosphorylated (active) form of IKK [pSer(176/180)], IRS1 [pS(312)], JNK [pThr(183)/Tyr(185)] and PKR [pT(451)]. The data were analyzed to investigate whether the proteins were expressed together and in relation with metabolic disorders, dementia, Alzheimer's pathology and APOE genotype. We observed a change from a positive to a negative association between the proteins and hypertension according to the dementia status. Type-2 diabetes was negatively related with the proteins among participants without dementia; whereas participants with dementia and AD pathology showed a positive association with JNK. A significant association between IKK and JNK in participants with dementia and AD pathology was observed, but not in those without dementia. Otherwise, weak to moderate associations were observed among the protein loads. The presence of dementia was significantly associated with JNK and negatively associated with IKK and IRS1. Cognitive scores showed a significant positive relationship with IKK and a negative with IRS1, JNK and PKR. The proteins were significantly associated with pathology in Alzheimer's participants with the relationship being inverse or not significant in participants without dementia. Expression of the proteins was not related to APOE genotype. These findings highlight a role for these proteins in AD pathophysiology but not necessarily as a complex.
Background and Purpose With the aim of facilitating the early detection of Alzheimer's disease, the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative proposed two stages based on the memory performance: early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI) and late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI). The current study was designed to investigate structural differences in terms of surface atrophy and microstructural changes of the hippocampus in EMCI and LMCI. Methods Hippocampal shape modeling based on progressive template surface deformation was performed on T1-weighted MRI images obtained from 20 cognitive normal (CN) subjects, 17 EMCI patients, and 20 LMCI patients. A template surface in CN was used as a region of interest for diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Cluster-wise group comparison was performed based on DTI indices within the hippocampus. Linear regression was performed to identify correlations between DTI metrics and clinical scores. Results The hippocampal surface analysis showed significant atrophies in bilateral CAl regions and the right ventral subiculum in EMCI, in contrast to widespread atrophy in LMCI. DTI VBM analysis showed increased diffusivity in the CA2-CA4 regions in EMCI and additionally in the subiculum region in LMCI. Hippocampal diffusivity was significantly correlated with scores both for the Mini Mental State Examination and on the Modified Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale. However, the hippocampal diffusivity did not vary significantly with the fractional anisotropy. Conclusions EMCI showed hippocampal surface changes mainly in the CA1 region and ventral subiculum. Diffusivity increased mainly in the CA2-CA4 regions in EMCI, while it decreased throughout the hippocampus in LMCI. Although axial diffusivity showed prominent changes in the right hippocampus in EMCI, future studies need to confirm the presence of this laterality difference. In addition, diffusivity is strongly correlated with the cognitive performance, indicating the possibility of using diffusivity as a biomarker for disease progression.
Mexican male to female transgender asylum seekers in the United States suffer from serious health issues that can be attributed to stressors related to their transgender, ethnic minority, and socioeconomic status. This study explored these stressors, the resulting health issues, and the needs of this particularly vulnerable population. Asylum seekers' (n = 45) sworn declarations and psychological evaluations were examined by a multidisciplinary research team using a systematic document review process. The review identified stressors that occurred both in Mexico and the United States: verbal, physical, and sexual assaults; unstable environments; fear for safety/security; hiding undocumented status; and economic insecurity. The health issues that resulted in part from these stressors include posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, sleep issues, isolation, avoidance, drug/alcohol use, and suicidal tendencies. Despite suffering from multiple health issues, asylum seekers rarely sought health or social services. Health promotion practitioners can play an important role in serving this silent minority by (1) expanding community-based research focused on the intersection of transgender, ethnic minority, and socioeconomic status; (2) using trusted community members to connect this population to necessary resources; (3) providing communication training/resource development for health care providers; and (4) creating a network of service organizations that understand the needs of transgender asylum seekers.
Employers and mainly those the operate in an international context and interact in a multicultural environment want and look for employees who possess emotional competences, which influence and ease relationships between people, allow a better social cohesion, an emotional self-control and an alphabetisation of emotional states, and who work together for their personal benefit and not contrary to their expectations, needs and competences. An increasing number of specialists state that emotional intelligence is a central variable that affects leaders' performance. In this study, carried out in a sugar factory, we tried to characterise the internal environment of the organisation and the relationships that dominate them in order to identify and understand the situation the organisation is confronted with in terms of the relationship between managers and subordinates, empathy, nonverbal communication, self-control, handling relationships, emotional intelligence. We tried to provide exploratory evidence for the effects that emotional intelligence has on leaders and followers in terms of performance, results and work satisfaction. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A numerical analysis of a reciprocating hydraulic rod seal with a textured rod has been performed. The sealed pressure during the instroke is elevated, while that during the outstroke is atmospheric. The analysis consists of coupled fluid mechanics, contact mechanics and load support analyses, and takes account of starvation. The fluid transport, friction force, film thickness distribution, contact pressure distribution and fluid pressure distribution in the sealing zone have been computed for a polyurethane U-cup. seal. Starvation during the instroke dominates the seal behavior at moderate to high rod speeds. The results indicate the friction force exerted on the rod by the seal cannot be significantly reduced by texturing the rod, and could even be slightly increased. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Visual elements are central components of current political communication. Visual portrayals, for example, convey cues and attributes that can affect the perceived credibility, truthfulness, and suitability of politicians. The pervasive use of images in politics has made visual political communication an important research area. Yet, analyses in the field predominantly use content analyses to examine the valence of visual portrayals. The present study investigates how the audience actually interprets visual cues and composition elements in the images of politicians and compares the results with the findings of content analyses. A card-sorting technique (Q-sort) and qualitative interviews are employed to capture subjective and intuitive interpretations of 33 color photographs of a politician. When compared with the attribute measurements of previous content analyses, the results show a strong accordance in the audience interpretation and the attribute analysis regarding an unfavorable political depiction. However, the findings indicate disagreement about the composition of a favorable depiction.
Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease affecting large populations worldwide characterized mainly by progressive loss of memory along with various other symptoms. The foremost cause of the disease is still unclear, however various mechanisms have been proposed to cause the disease that include amyloid hypothesis, tau hypothesis, and cholinergic hypothesis in addition to genetic factors. Various genes have been known to be involved which are APOE, PSEN1, PSEN2, and APP among others. In the present study, we have used computational methods to examine the pathogenic effects of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with ABCA7, CR1, MS4A6A, CD2AP, PSEN1, PSEN2, and APP genes. The SNPs were obtained from dbSNP database followed by identification of deleterious SNPs and prediction of their functional impact. Prediction of disease-associated mutations was performed and the impact of the mutations on the stability of the protein was carried out. To study the structural significance of the computationally prioritized mutations on the proteins, molecular dynamics simulation studies were carried out. On analysis, the SNPs with IDs rs76282929 ABCA7; CR1 rs55962594; MS4A6A rs601172; CD2AP rs61747098; PSEN1 rs63750231, rs63750265, rs63750526, rs63750577, rs63750687, rs63750815, rs63750900, rs63751037, rs63751163, rs63751399; PSEN2 rs63749851; and APP rs63749964, rs63750066, rs63750734, and rs63751039 were predicted to be deleterious and disease-associated having significant structural impact on the proteins. The current study proposes a precise computational methodology for the identification of disease-associated SNPs. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Space and spatiality had been a thorn in philosophy's side from time immemorial. Spatiality, immediately associated with corporeality, finitude, even death, properly speaking constituted problems for philosophy; enigmas posed to philosophy to disrupt its cool complacency. The root of the difficulty, it seems, rests on nothing more than a prejudice: the rightful domain of philosophy is time, understood as pure continuous duration, the image of eternity; the compartmentalised units of space are (always in the plural) the province of cartographers and geographers, but certainly not the philosopher, lost in his transcendent contemplation. What follows then is a preliminary study, or better an etude deploying variations on a single theme: how can we liberate space from the Cartesian grid under which it has been imprisoned for so long, so as to open up its free expanse? What might it be to think of space as a form of duration, without breaks, without borders, without boundaries? And in the last instance, is this pure void not another name for the very being of consciousness itself?
Waste water from the animal production industry contains large amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter, which can easily cause water pollution. Continuous-cropping of Artemisia selengens causes the accumulation of the serious soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, resulting in serious disease in cutting seedlings. For the containment of organic matter and the flowability of waste water, the experiment to assay the biocontrol capacity of the waste water fortified with the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis D9 against F. oxysporum was performed. The results showed that the population of soil D9 significantly (P < 0.05) affected the Fusarium wilt disease incidence of A. selengens and a higher population of D9 in the soil was correlated with a lower disease incidence of A. selengens. The effects of factors such as the irrigation quantity of treated waste water (TWW), the irrigation quantity of tap water, the percentage of D9 spores, the soil bulk density and the additive ratio of adsorbent in the soil population of Bacillus spp. were determined.The irrigation quantity of TWW, the irrigation quantity of tap water and the additive ratio of poly-gamma-glutamic acid were selected as significant factors and were optimized using Central Composite Design. The optimal factors were a TWW irrigation quantity of 2.35 ml cm(-2), a tap water irrigation quantity of 3.21 ml cm(-2), and a poly-gamma-glutamic acid additive ratio of 1.11 g L-1. Validation of the predictive gained population of soil Bacillus was 1.92 x 10(8) cfu g(-1), which was close to the predicted value of 2.0 x 10(8) cfu g(-1). Compared with the control (soil not irrigated with waste water) and WW (soil irrigated with waste water) treatments, the disease incidence with the TWW (soil irrigated with treated waste water) treatment was significantly decreased. The biocontrol efficacy of TWW treatment was 92.5%. TWW significantly decreased the population of E oxysporum by 47.1% in the rhizosphere soil and by 87.7% in the stem of A. selengens (P < 0.05). These findings support a new value-added application method for waste water from the animal production industry. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the future patients will have a more active role in strengthening and maintaining their own health. Telehealth can empower and motivate patients by giving them the chance to stay in their own homes instead of going to the hospital. A telehealth system is deployed in a patient's home hence it will influence his or her everyday live. Therefore we believe that a telehealth system shall adapt its behavior so that it will not be a burden for the patient/resident to use. To this aim we have extended an existing telehealth platform to reason about activities of daily living in a smart home scenario. The extensions have been tested on up to three of the CASAS datasets. The extensions are two algorithms: one for understanding the resident's everyday habits and one for predicting the resident's next activity. The prediction algorithm correctly predicts 69.76%, 73.06%, and 65.14% in the CASAS datasets.
The basophil activation test (BAT) has been suggested as a complementary method for diagnosing drug allergies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of this test in patients with drug-induced anaphylaxis. In total, 19 patients, all of whom had a history of moderate to severe anaphylaxis, were enrolled. None of the causative drugs had available in vitro tests or reliable skin tests; these drugs included, among others, first and second-generation cephalosporins, H2 blockers, and muscle relaxants. The BAT yielded positive results in 57.9% of the cases, which was similar those results of skin prick and intradermal tests (42.1% and 57.9%, respectively). When basophils were double labelled with CD63 and CD203c, both of which are basophil activation markers, the positive rate was increased from 57.9% to 73.7%. Therefore, the results of this study confirm that the BAT is a quick, reliable, and safe diagnostic tool for patients with drug-induced anaphylaxis.
Rapid population growth, climate impediments, poor implementation of regulatory frameworks, and challenging political relations have led to over-exploitation of conventional water resources in the Middle East. This situation may have impelled out-of-the-box thinking and advances in research on non-conventional water resources including desalination, wastewater reuse, rainwater harvesting, and long-distance water transfer. This paper aims to assess the extent of research on non-conventional water resources in the Middle East, and identify original and innovative research findings. Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Sudan, Syria, and Turkey were selected for this purpose. A systematic online library search of the scientific literature was conducted, and relations between national indicators and the number of articles and citations were assessed. There was an increasing trend in the number of articles addressing non-conventional water resources. Desalination was the most popular research topic (44%; 5.4 citations, on average), followed by wastewater reuse (37%; 11.5 citations, on average). Publication of desalination articles has increased significantly since 2001, with a substantial number authored by private companies. Non-conventional approaches include commercial salt production at a desalination plant, the strengthening of wastewater reuse standards based on the adverse effects of long-term reuse, the application of a water-harvesting plough for large-scale rangeland rehabilitation, and the development of a 78-km long under-sea pipeline for water transfer. Research on off-site effects and environmental impacts was lacking. Investment in research capacity, as an element of social capital, can contribute to water resources diversification and sustainable solutions both for water-stressed and more humid countries.
The control system described in this work implements automatically a digital controller that achieves the highest possible cross-over frequency for the specified phase margin by applying a design method based on the measured frequency response of the DC/DC converter, identified by the system itself. The algorithms for the design, identification process and control of the converter are implemented on a SoC (System on Chip). The proposed algorithm to calculate the controller is described and the identification process and the designed compensator are validated through measurements on an actual converter.
Sabkha is an inferior and indigenous type of soil which forms widely in the Arabian Gulf and in many parts of Saudi Arabia, especially in the coastal areas. Several studies over the last 25 years have been conducted to develop a better understanding and characterization of Sabkha soil and to improve its strength and durability. Different studies from different perspectives, different geographical locations, and particular types were discussed with specific treatment for its improvement. The main purpose of this study is to conclude Saudi Arabian Sabkha Soil characteristics, its associated problems, and to recapitulate the current technologies and practices for the improvement of it. The relative advantages and some of the drawbacks of currently available techniques have also been discussed. Scope and future development regarding this field have also been summarized. Preloading technique was found to be effective for stabilization and consolidation of Sabkha soil over longer period of time. Another study revealed characterizing Saudi Arabian Sabkha soil using seismic refraction technique. Other comparative research was studied which focused on the improvement of Sabkha soil for road construction using geotextile and cement additives. The results suggest that both of the techniques have similar effect on the improvement of subgrade but the geotextile application is more economical as compared to others. Geotextile (grade A-400) with greater strength and thickness exhibits higher load carrying capability which leads to less deformation settlement on the subgrade.
Rainwater harvesting from roof is considered as valuable water resources. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) of water in Mahasarakham University (Khamriang Campus) shows that rainwater harvesting from roof can reduce water supply production by 7% and save more than 200,000 Bt/year for water treatment cost. The sensitivity analysis suggests that by 5% water supply conservation and 20% additional rainwater harvesting, MSU could have enough water resources. The rainwater is suitable to be substituted water for gardening due to the convenience to assemble an above ground storage tank or a pond to store harvested rainwater from roof. The current practice of rainwater is collected and discharged into drainage system and treated in wastewater treatment plant. Utilisation of rainwater harvested could reduce wastewater amount that must be treated by 9%. Rainwater harvesting and reuse should be promoted in campus in order to encourage sustainable living and water conservation policy.
The forces acting on a single drag-typed pick are important parameters for excavation machine design and selection. For better prediction of tool forces including cutting and normal forces generally, a general model of cutting forces was proposed based on theoretical models. Also, a general model of normal forces was proposed using the ratio of the normal force to cutting force. Subsequently, the effect of relevant geometrical parameters on the cutting force was discussed. The friction angle between pick and rock, the cone angle and the attack angle were employed to develop the cutting force models of conical picks. The rake angle and the friction angle between pick and rock were included in the peak cutting force model of radial picks. Finally, the peak and mean cutting forces models of conical picks and the peak cutting force model of radial picks under unrelieved cutting mode were developed using principle component regression analysis and ridge regression analysis based on the raw data from linear full-scale cutting test. The results show the proposed regression coefficients and equations are more reasonable physically. Some empirical models used for practical application were then developed by introducing relevant modified coefficients considering tool wear, relieved cutting and complex shapes of picks. The results show a good agreement between the measured and predicted cutting force of sharp picks under unrelieved cutting mode. The performance of modified models using relevant modified coefficients would be decreased to a certain extent. However, they are all statistical valid according to the results of t-test. The models of this work can be used for preliminarily estimation of tool forces acting on drag-typed picks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gastric cancer represents a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide despite a declining incidence. New molecular classification schemes developed from genomic and molecular analyses of gastric cancer have provided a framework for understanding this heterogenous disease, and early findings suggest these classifications will be relevant for designing and implementing new targeted therapies. The success of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in breast cancer and melanoma, respectively, has not been duplicated in gastric cancer, but trastuzumab and ramucirumab have demonstrated efficacy in select populations. New markers that predict therapeutic response are needed to improve patient selection for both targeted and immunotherapies.
Site specific recombinases are invaluable tools in molecular biology, and are emerging as powerful recorders of cellular events in synthetic biology. We have developed a stringently controlled FLP recombinase system in Escherichia coli using an arabinose inducible promoter combined with a weak ribosome binding site. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A generic rainwater harvesting system including a catchment area and a command area is often equipped with rainwater storage tanks. The stochastic nature of precipitation dominates water balance of rainwater harvesting systems, and the theory of stochastic control better serves for determining optimal strategies for water management. A mathematical model consisting of stochastic differential equations, with few model parameters that can be identified from observed data, is developed to describe dynamics of rainwater harvesting systems for irrigation. Stochastic control problems are formulated and then solved to obtain the optimal irrigation strategies during dry spells. This procedure can be inversely applicable to designing dimensions of a system. Identification of the model parameters is demonstrated with the data observed in an experimental micro rainwater harvesting system in Japan as well as in semiarid savanna of Ghana. Then, a real life application is discussed in the context of the Jordan Rift Valley, where a rainwater harvesting system will be developed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Usually, the security of traditional cryptography which works on integer numbers and chaotic cryptosystem which works on real numbers is worthy of study. But the classical chaotic map over the real domain has a disadvantage that the calculation accuracy of the floating point number can be doubled when the map is implemented by computer. This is a serious drawback for practical application. The Logistic map is a classical chaotic system and it has been used as a chaotic cipher in the real number field. This inevitably leads to the degradation of finite precision under computer environment, and it is also very difficult to guarantee security. To solve these drawbacks, we extend the Logistic map to the finite field. In this paper, we consider the Logistic map for the finite field N = 3(n), and analyze the period property of sequences generated by the Logistic map over Z(N). Moreover, we discuss the control parameters which may influence the behavior of the mapping, and show that the Logistic map over Z(N) may be suitable for application by performance analysis. Ultimately, we find that there exists an automorphic map between two Logistic maps with the different control parameters, which makes them suitable for sequence generator in cryptosystem. The automorphic sequence generated algorithm based on the Logistic map over Z(N) is designed and analyzed in detail. These sequences can be used in the pseudorandom number generator, the chaotic stream cipher, and the chaotic block cipher, etc.
Purpose of review We review P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) as a selectin and chemokine-binding adhesion molecule. PSGL-1 is widely studied in neutrophils. Here, we focus on T cells, because PSGL-1 was recently described as a major immunomodulatory molecule during viral infection. PSGL-1 also plays a crucial role in T-cell homeostasis by binding to lymphoid chemokines, and can induce tolerance by enhancing the functions of regulatory T cells. Recent findings PSGL-1 was originally described as a leukocyte ligand for P-selectin, but it is actually a ligand for all selectins (P-, L-and E-selectin), binds chemokines, activates integrins and profoundly affects T-cell biology. It has been shown recently that PSGL-1 can modulate T cells during viral infection by acting as a negative regulator for T-cell functions. Absence of PSGL-1 promotes effector CD4 and CD8 T-cell differentiation and prevents T-cell exhaustion. Consistent with this, tumor growth was significantly reduced in PSGL-1-deficient mice because of an enhanced number of effector T cells together with reduced levels of inhibitory receptors that induce T-cell exhaustion. Summary PSGL-1 is the best-studied selectin ligand and has become a posterchild of versatility in leukocyte adhesion, inflammation and immunology. The direct involvement of PSGL-1 in T-cell biology suggests that it might be a drug target. Indeed, PSGL-1 has been tested in some clinical
Diagnostic elimination diet, sensitization tests and dietary history are all crucial elements for the diagnosis of food allergies. The goal is to make sure that that the nutritional needs of the child remain the same during the entire elimination process of the allergen from the diet. A detailed diet history, possibly with evaluation of a symptom diary, is the basis for creating an individual elimination diet. Strict diets, such as oligo-allergenic based diet, are no longer used, as the risk of severe dietary deficiencies in children is too pronounced. An elimination diet needs to incorporate the food preferences of the child and should not restrict the quality of life of the child and its family.
Experiments conducted to quantify potential leakage from holes in two geomembranes [1-mm-thick linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and 2-mm-thick high-density polyethylene (HDPE)] placed on a silty-sand [underliner hydraulic conductivity (kUL), 1.1x10-7kUL1.2x10-5m/s], or pea gravel (kUL=1x10-2m/s) underliner (foundation/subgrade) and covered with saturated fine tailings at 65% initial solids content are discussed [tailings hydraulic conductivity (kT), 2.9x10-8kT1.6x10-6m/s]. Tests results show that the overlying tailings, with a kT<kUL, filled the geomembrane hole and had a larger effect on flow through the hole than the underliners examined. For the tested conditions, leakage through 10 and 20-mm-diameter holes were essentially the same whereas the leakage through a 1.5-mm-diameter hole was three orders of magnitude lower. Introduction of a 580g/m2 nonwoven needle-punched geotextile (GTX) layer between the geomembrane and tailings increased the flow by approximately 60%. A gap below geomembrane hole attributable to a stone on the underliner filled with tailings, which flowed through the hole. The evidence of fines migration through the hole, from the tailings to the underliner is discussed.
Do actual and perceived self-enhancement entail differing social impressions (i.e. interpersonal evaluations)? Actual self-enhancement represents unduly positive self-views, as gauged by an objective criterion (in this case, IQ scores), whereas perceived self-enhancement involves the extent to which an individual is seen by informants (i.e. peers or observers) as self-enhancing. In an online survey (N=337), a laboratory experiment (N=75), and a round-robin study (N=183), we tested the effects of actual and perceived intellectual self-enhancement on (informant-rated) emotional stability, social attractiveness, and social influence. Actual self-enhancers were rated as emotionally stable, socially attractive, and socially influential. High perceived self-enhancers were judged as socially influential, whereas low-to-moderate perceived self-enhancers were deemed emotionally stable and socially attractive. Privately entertained, illusory positive (even extreme) self-beliefs confer social benefits, whereas being perceived as self-enhancing buys social influence at the cost of being despised. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a new approach involving guidelines and supporting techniques that guarantees all needed space for appropriate product maintenance. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is based on two major areas: field survey to understand how maintainability parameter is applied and converge theory and practice into a systematic space claim method using computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assure proper maintenance procedures at design stages. Findings - Case studies from a truck industry conducted following the proposed approach contrast the savings that can be achieved by using a proper space claim for aftermarket needs against an unsuitable level of participation by maintenance personnel during the design development. Research limitations/implications - This approach is highly dependent on maintenance experts with suitable skills on CAD systems. Practical implications - Products developed according to the approach envisaged can result in following aspects: lower repair time, better maintenance procedures on key components, easier preventive maintenance, less need for special tools, more ergonomic design, better communication between design and service engineers, simplicity and less complex training. Social implications - Further research on maintainability will provide new information on how to apply this parameter on product development process (PDP), so design teams can better understand and address this relevant issue. The proposed method has been introduced in the PDP of a major multinational automotive company. Originality/value - A new process is presented, considering the protection of needed spaces for maintenance procedures throughout the PDP, diverging to other studies that only propose analysis addressing maintainability at singular point in time during the product development. In just one case study presented, savings of US$1.3m were achieved by applying this space claim approach.
Background and AimsGambling disorder is characterized by poor regulation of negative emotions and impulsive behaviours. This study aimed to (1) compare gambling disorder patients (GDPs) and healthy controls (HCs) in self-report and brain activation measures of emotion regulation; and (2) establish its relationship with negative emotion-driven impulsivity. DesignTwo cross-sectional case-control studies including GDPs and HCs. Setting and ParticipantsGDPs and HCs were recruited from specialized gambling clinics in Andalusia (Spain), where they were following out-patient treatment, and from the community, respectively. Study 1 included 41 GDPs and 45 HCs [All males; M-age=35.22, 33.22; standard deviation (SD)=11.16, 8.18; respectively]. Study 2 included 17 GDPs and 21 HCs (16/20 males; M-age=32.94, 31.00; SD=7.77, 4.60; respectively). MeasurementsIn study 1, we compared both groups on suppression and re-appraisal emotion regulation strategies [Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)]. In study 2, we compared GDPs with HCs on brain activation associated with down-regulation of negative emotions in a cognitive re-appraisal task, measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In both studies, we correlated the measures of emotion regulation with mood-related impulsivity indicated by negative urgency (UPPS-P impulsive behaviour scale). FindingsGDPs relative to HCs showed higher levels of emotional suppression [F=4.525; P=0.036; means difference M-HCs-M-GDPs=-2.433, 95% confidence interval (CI)=-4.706, -0.159] and higher activation of the premotor cortex and middle frontal gyrus during negative emotion regulation in the fMRI task [P0.005, cluster size (CS)>50 voxels]. Negative urgency correlated positively with emotional suppression (r=0.399, 95% CI=0.104, 0.629, one-tailed P=0.005) and middle frontal gyrus activation during negative emotion regulation (P0.005, CS>50) in GDPs. ConclusionsGambling disorder is associated with greater use of emotional suppression and stronger pre-motor cortex and middle frontal gyrus activation for regulating negative emotions, compared with healthy controls. Emotional suppression use and middle frontal gyrus activation during negative emotion regulation are linked with negative emotion-driven impulsivity in this disorder.
Plasma levels of the chemokine CXCL12 are elevated in mice following acute cocaine exposure and decreased in human cocaine abusers during withdrawal. CXCL12 is also one of the few chemokines located in the brain and can modulate dopamine transmission through activation of its receptor CXCR4. To assess a role for the CXCL12/CXCR4 system in behavioral effects of cocaine, we tested the hypothesis that AMD 3100 (Plerixafor), a CXCR4 antagonist, would inhibit conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor activation produced by cocaine. Rats injected with cocaine (10 mg/kg) displayed CPP relative to saline-injected controls following 4 conditioning sessions. AMD 3100 (1, 2.5, 5 mg/kg) administered prior to cocaine conditioning reduced development of cocaine CPP. AMD 3100 (5 mg/kg) also inhibited expression of cocaine-induced CPP in a paradigm in which it was injected once (following cocaine conditioning and just prior to CPP testing). In addition, AMD 3100 (5, 10 mg/kg) pretreatment reduced locomotor activation produced by an acute cocaine injection (15 mg/kg) but did not affect basal locomotor activity relative to saline-injected controls. Repeated cocaine exposure produced a significant increase (1.49-fold) in CXCL12 mRNA expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Our results suggest that the CXCL12/CXCR4 system in the brain reward circuit is impacted by cocaine exposure and influences behavioral effects related to the abuse liability of cocaine. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A new method based on modified self-organizing maps is presented for the reconstruction of deep ocean current velocities from surface information provided by satellites. This method takes advantage of local correlations in the data-space to improve the accuracy of the reconstructed deep velocities. No assumptions regarding the structure of the water column, nor the underlying dynamics of the flow field, are made. Using satellite observations of surface velocity, sea-surface height and sea-surface temperature, as well as observations of the deep current velocity from autonomous Argo floats to train the map, we are able to reconstruct realistic high-resolution velocity fields at a depth of 1000 m. Validation reveals promising results, with a speed root mean squared error of similar to 2.8 cm.s(-1), more than a factor of two smaller than competing methods, and direction errors consistently smaller than 30 degrees. Finally, we discuss the merits and shortcomings of this methodology.
In the paper, firstly, the insulation aging and insulation cut or crack fault models of DC feeder cable were established; then according to the characteristics of electrical and loads of DC feeder cable, the Rail-Voltage law and different DC current law were purposed in the orbital theory, and the feasibility of purposed law were discussed from engineering view. The results of analysis show that the Rail-Voltage law could not be carried out in real project, because there were lots of interferences and could not be separated; and the different DC current law meets the real projection request and could be carried out. Lastly, simulation tests were done to investigate the effectiveness of different DC current law to detect the cable faults in the Laboratory. The results of experiment show that the different DC current law had great limitations on detecting insulation cut or crack fault of DC feeder cable, and the effectiveness was impacted by the environment especially soil moisture. Another law should be found to living detect the insulation cut or crack fault of EPR DC cable.
The present study examines 536 Indian publications on Vitamin D Deficiency as covered in Scopus database during 2006-15, experiencing an annual average growth rate of 37.08%, citation impact per paper of 8.30 and international collaborative publication share of 15.30%. The global publications share on Vitamin D Deficiency came from several countries, of which the top 10 most productive countries accounted for 73.67% share of global publications and 99.22% share of global citations during 2006-15. A large number of Indian organizations and authors participated in Indian research on Vitamin D Deficiency during 2006-15, of which the top 15 organizations and 15 authors contributed 47.57% and 33.02% publications share and 71.45% and 69.59% citation share respectively of the Indian output and citations. Medicine, among subjects, contributed the largest publications share of 88.62%, followed biochemistry, genetics & molecular biology (22.01%), pharmacology, toxicology & pharmaceutics (6.53%), nursing (6.34%) neurosciences (2.80%), agricultural & biological science (2.05%) and immunology & microbiology (1.68%) during 2006-15. Of the total Indian publications, 530 appeared in several journals, of which the top 15 journals contributed 31.72% share of the India's output. The top 13 highly cited papers registered 50 to 479 citations, and together contributed 1535 citations, leading to the average citation per paper of 118.08. Concludes that there is an urgent need to frame a national policy in this area, undertake more R&D and recognize vitamin D deficiency as a public health problem and allocate more healthcare funds in this area.
Visual tracking is a popular research area in computer vision, which is very difficult to actualize because of challenges such as changes in scale and illumination, rotation, fast motion, and occlusion. Consequently, the focus in this research area is to make tracking algorithms adapt to these changes, so as to implement stable and accurate visual tracking. This paper proposes a visual tracking algorithm that integrates the scale invariance of SURF feature with deep learning to enhance the tracking robustness when the size of the object to be tracked changes significantly. Particle filter is used for motion estimation. The confidence of each particle is computed via a deep neural network, and the result of particle filter is verified and corrected by mean shift because of its computational efficiency and insensitivity to external interference. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations on challenging benchmark sequences demonstrate that the proposed tracking algorithm performs favorably against several state-of-the-art methods throughout the challenging factors in visual tracking, especially for scale variation.
Adolescence is a time of continued brain maturation, particularly in limbic and cortical regions, which undoubtedly plays a role in the physiological and emotional changes. Prenatally stressed offspring rats were used to investigate the potential antidepressive-like effects of imperatorin (IMP) extracted from the root of radix angelica. After 4 weeks of treatment of IMP, behavioral tests (sucrose-preference test, forced-swimming test, and open-field test) were measured. 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentration in the hippocampus and frontal cortex was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serotonin transporters (5-HTT) and 5-HT1A receptor (5-HT1AR) mRNA expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex were also determined by real-time PCR. Administration with IMP (15 and 30 mg/kg/day, intragastrically) for 28 days markedly increased the percentage of sucrose (anhedonia), decreased the immobility time, and increased the number of total crossings, center crossings, rearing, and grooming in the male prenatally stressed offspring. Meanwhile, we found that 5-HT concentration in the hippocampus and frontal cortex was significantly increased in the IMP-treated group. Subsequently, we found significantly decreased 5-HTT and increased 5-HT1AR mRNA expressions in the hippocampus and frontal cortex after IMP treatment in the prenatally stressed male offspring. IMP showed antidepressive-like effects and increased 5-HT concentration in male prenatally stressed offspring, suggesting that IMP could be of therapeutic use in preventing depressive-like behavior in adolescence. Copyright (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain condition that exerts a considerable impact on patients' daily activities and quality of life. Objectives: The main objective of the present study was to evaluate kinematic parameters of gait, functional performance, and balance in women with fibromyalgia syndrome. Methods: The study included 26 female patients with fibromyalgia (49.2 +/- 8.0 years) according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology, as well as 16 pain-free women (43.5 +/- 8.5 years). Gait and balance parameters were extracted from video recordings of participants performing several motor tasks. Non-linear dynamic of body sway time series was also analyzed by computing the Hurst exponent. In addition, functional performance and clinical pain were obtained by using standardized motor tests (Berg's balance scale, 6-min walking test, timed up and go task, Romberg's balance test) and self-report questionnaires (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire). Results: Walking speed was significantly diminished (p < 0.001) in FM patients as compared to Vain free controls, probably due to significant reductions in stride length (p 0.001) and cycle frequency (p < 0.001). Analyses of balance also revealed significant differences between fibromyalgia and pain-free controls on body sway in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior axes (all ps < 0.01). Several parameters of gait and balance were significantly associated with high levels of pain, depression, stiffness, anxiety, and fatigue in fibromyalgia. Conclusion: Our data revealed that both gait and balance were severely impaired in FM, and that subjective complaints associated with FM could contribute to functional disability in these patients. These findings suggest that optimal rehabilitation and fall prevention in fibromyalgia require a comprehensive assessment of both psychological responses to pain and physical impairments during postural control and gait.
With respect to the current vulnerable climatic condition, water quality has become a matter of the highest worldwide concern. Rainwater harvesting is the most acceptable solution for overcoming this problem. Among various rainwater harvesting systems, green roof rainwater harvesting is a significant tool for improving the standard of living for rapidly growing populations in the whole world, in terms of both water demand and protecting the environment from pollution. This paper assesses the water quality parameter (dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, conductivity, and temperature) of rainwater harvesting from green roofs in humid tropic center under tropical climate conditions. It shows that the values of electric conductivity are always within Class I according to Interim National Water Quality Standards (INWQS) and Water Quality Index (WQI). Depletions of DO and pH values were observed for the green roof runoff, and the runoff quality ranged between Class I and III under INWQS and WQI. Lower value of pH indicates that harvested rainwater from green roofs is more acidic than the standard neutral value. Harvested water must be processed through general water treatment methods like filtration, disinfection, and through reverse osmosis storage tank. The indoor temperatures are always within an acceptable range.
With the degree of parallelism increasing, performance of multi-threaded shared variable applications is not only limited by serialized critical section execution, but also by the serialized competition overhead for threads to get access to critical section. As the number of concurrent threads grows, such competition overhead may exceed the time spent in critical section itself, and become the dominating factor limiting the performance of parallel applications. In modern operating systems, queue spinlock, which comprises a low-overhead spinning phase and a high-overhead sleeping phase, is often used to lock critical sections. In the paper, we show that this advanced locking solution may create very high competition overhead for multithreaded applications executing in NoC-based CMPs. Then we propose a software-hardware cooperative mechanism that can opportunistically maximize the chance that a thread wins the critical section access in the low-overhead spinning phase, thereby reducing the competition overhead. At the OS primitives level, we monitor the remaining times of retry (RTR) in a thread's spinning phase, which reflects in how long the thread must enter into the high-overhead sleep mode. At the hardware level, we integrate the RTR information into the packets of locking requests, and let the NoC prioritize locking request packets according to the RTR information. The principle is that the smaller RTR a locking request packet carries, the higher priority it gets and thus quicker delivery. We evaluate our opportunistic competition overhead reduction technique with cycle-accurate full-system simulations in GEM5 using PARSEC (11 programs) and SPEC OMP2012 (14 programs) benchmarks. Compared to the original queue spinlock implementation, experimental results show that our method can effectively increase the opportunity of threads entering the critical section in low-overhead spinning phase, reducing the competition overhead averagely by 39.9% (maximally by 61.8%) and accelerating the execution of the Region-of-Interest averagely by 14.4% (maximally by 24.5%) across all 25 benchmark programs.
We evaluated the correlation of educational attainment with structural volume and shape morphometry of the bilateral hippocampi and amygdalae in a sample of 110 non-demented, older adults at elevated sociodemographic risk for cognitive and functional declines. In both men and women, no significant education-volume correlation was detected for either structure. However, when performing shape analysis, we observed regionally specific associations with education after adjusting for age, intracranial volume, and race. By sub-dividing the hippocampus and the amygdala into compatible subregions, we found that education was positively associated with size variations in the CA1 and subiculum subregions of the hippocampus and the basolateral subregion of the amygdala (p < 0.05). In addition, we detected a greater left versus right asymmetric pattern in the shape-education correlation for the hippocampus but not the amygdala. This asymmetric association was largely observed in men versus women. These findings suggest that education in youth may exert direct and indirect influences on brain reserve in regions that are most vulnerable to the neuropathologies of aging, dementia, and specifically, Alzheimer disease.
Advancing our understanding of osteoblast biology and differentiation is critical to elucidate the pathological mechanisms responsible for skeletal diseases such as osteoporosis. Histology and histomorphometry, the classical methods to study osteoblast biology, identify osteoblasts based on their location and morphology and ability to mineralize matrix, but do not clearly define their stage of differentiation. Introduction of visual transgenes into the cells of osteoblast lineage has revolutionized the field and resulted in a paradigm shift that allowed for specific identification and isolation of subpopulations within the osteoblast lineage. Knowledge acquired from the studies based on GFP transgenes has allowed for more precise interpretation of studies analyzing targeted overexpression or deletion of genes in the osteoblast lineage. Here, we provide a condensed overview of the currently available promoter-fluorescent reporter transgenic mice that have been generated and evaluated to varying extents. We cover different stages of the lineage as transgenes have been utilized to identify osteoprogenitors, pre-osteoblasts, osteoblasts, or osteocytes. We show that each of these promoters present with advantages and disadvantages. The studies based on the use of these reporter mice have improved our understanding of bone biology. They constitute attractive models to target osteoblasts and help to understand their cell biology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
It is useful and challenging to analyze and select object features of very high resolution (VHR) remote sensing imagery. The overwhelming majority of existing feature selection methods always concatenate all of the features into a long feature vector and then select features from the vector, ignoring the homogeneity and heterogeneity of underlying feature subspaces. In this paper, we propose a supervised multiview feature selection (SMFS) method. Unlike the existing multiview methods, SMFS requires no prior knowledge of the number of views, and is independent of a prefixed classifier. By utilizing homogeneity and heterogeneity of the data, SMFS employs affinity propagation to automatically decompose features into multiple disjoint and meaningful feature groups or views without any prior knowledge. A group or view consists of homogeneous features, describing a unique data characteristic. Different views represent heterogeneous data characteristics. Then, features are evaluated and selected based on joint l(1,2)-norm minimization of a loss function and a regularization term. Different from the popular l(1,2)-norm, joint l(1,2)-norm enforces the intraview sparsity, instead of interview sparsity. Consequently, a view can be represented by a few representative features in each view, and the information of heterogeneous views can be well kept by the remaining representative features. The experimental results on four VHR satellite images attest to the effectiveness and practicability of SMFS in comparison with single-view algorithms. Furthermore, some discussions are conducted to give insights into homogeneity and heterogeneity of features.
Although pain is one of the most commonly experienced symptoms by patients with chronic kidney disease, it is under-recognized, the severity is underestimated, and the treatment is inadequate. Pain management is one of the general primary palliative care competencies for medical providers. This review provides nephrology prokr,iders with basic skills for pain management. These skills include recognition of types of pain (nociceptive and'neuropathic) syndromes and appropriate history-taking skills. Through this history, providers can identify clinical circumstances in which specialist referral is beneficial, including those who are at high risk for addiction, at risk for adverse effects to medications, and those with complicated care needs such as patients with a limited prognosis. Management of pain begins with the development of a shared treatment plan, identification of appropriate medications, and continual follow-up and assessment of efficacy and adverse effects. Through adequate pain management, providers can positively affect the health of individual patients and the performance of health care systems. (C) 2016 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recognition of facial affect has been studied extensively in adults with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI), mostly by asking examinees to match basic emotion words to isolated faces. This method may not capture affect labelling in everyday life when faces are in context and choices are open-ended. To examine effects of context and response format, we asked 148 undergraduate students to label emotions shown on faces either in isolation or in natural visual scenes. Responses were categorised as representing basic emotions, social emotions, cognitive state terms, or appraisals. We used students' responses to create a scoring system that was applied prospectively to five men with TBI. In both groups, over 50% of responses were neither basic emotion words nor synonyms, and there was no significant difference in response types between faces alone vs. in scenes. Adults with TBI used labels not seen in students' responses, talked more overall, and often gave multiple labels for one photo. Results suggest benefits of moving beyond forced-choice tests of faces in isolation to fully characterise affect recognition in adults with and without TBI.
In this study, the association between heavy metals in water and cyprinids sampled from the Yeilrmak River stretch, which is frequently exposed to pollutant sources (a sugar production factory (Turhal) and solid wastes dump area (Talciftlik) was explored, and the oxidative effects of heavy metals on cyprinids were evaluated through analyzing some liver enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and cortisol. The heavy metal concentrations of both fish and water, collected from three different locations along the river during the summer of 2011 and winter of 2010 (Turhal, Talciftlik, and Gumenek), were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The water and fish liver heavy metal concentrations exhibited increasing trends from upstream (Gumenek) to downstream (Turhal). The water and liver samples collected during the summer had higher heavy metal concentrations than those obtained during the winter. The mean heavy metal concentrations increased from Gumenek to Turhal. The liver heavy metal concentrations were higher than those in the water and exhibited almost the same increasing trend from Gumenek to Turhal. Positive relationships between liver and water heavy metal concentrations, especially for cadmium (R-2 = 0.91) and lead (R-2 = 0.98), were obtained. Among the liver enzymes, only MDA followed the same increasing trend from Gumenek to Turhal as was obtained for heavy metals. On the other hand, CAT and SOD had a contrary spatial pattern of change to those of heavy metals and MDA. Although the values of heavy metals and MDA in Talciftlik were between the two other locations, fish inhabiting this locality had significantly higher values of cortisol, which is an indication of the other stress-causing factors for fish.
Mythimna separata walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest of nearly 100 families of more than 300 kinds of food and industrial crops. So far, both nucleotide and protein sequence information has been rarely available in database for M. separata, strictly limiting molecular biology research in this insect species. In this study, we carried out a transcriptome sequencing for M. separata. The sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analysis yielded 69,238 unigenes, among which 45,227 unigenes were annotated to corresponding functions by blasting with high homologous genes in database, giving annotation rate of 65.32%. Several lepidopteran insects gave best matches with the transcriptome data. To gain insight into the mechanism of insecticide resistance in M. separata, 15 families of genes encoding insecticide resistance-related proteins were investigated. Substantial numbers of unigenes in these families were identified in the transcriptome data, and 17 out of 21 selected unigenes were successfully amplified. Expressions of most of these genes were detected at larval stages and in gut tissue, as was consistent with their putative involvement in insecticide resistance. Our study provides most comprehensive transcriptome data for M. separata to date, and also provides reference sequence information for other Noctuidae family insects.
Underwater wireless sensor networks are networks composed of various underwater sensor nodes (USNs) that are able to communicate with each other. The vast majority of Earth's surface is composed of water, which makes such networks a very interesting research topic and enables a variety of applications, i.e, from oil monitoring to real time water pollution control. The design of USNs is paramount to the network's operation. In comparison to terrestrial wireless sensor nodes, USNs are more expensive, larger, and present greater energy consumption, due to the harsh conditions of the aquatic environment. This leads to different challenges that need to be addressed in the design of the node, including processing, communications, energy management, data sensing, and storage. This survey aids in the development of underwater sensor nodes, and underwater applications. We present a general architecture of USNs and discuss the basic functions that must be accomplished by each unit. We also present a comprehensive study of all elements that compose a sensor node, including microcontrollers, memories, sensors, and batteries. In doing so, we highlight which aspects should be of pivotal importance in the design of a USN and how they affect communication protocols and applications. We believe that this survey can facilitate and guide development of future UWSN applications and protocols.
The goal of ratio enhancement for hyperspectral (HS) image pansharpening is to obtain an enhancement ratio between a simulated low-resolution panchromatic (Pan) image and an original high-resolution Pan image. However, the simulated low-resolution Pan image often suffers from gray-level distortion. To solve these problems, the original HS bands are synthesized to a smaller number of reduced HS bands, then the pixels of Pan and HS images are divided into different groups according to the linearity between the Pan band and the reduced bands. For each pixel group, a nonnegative least-squares algorithm is utilized to calculate the weights of reduced HS bands, so that the simulated Pan image is obtained by weighted summation of reduced HS bands. Finally, the HS image is sharpened by a ratio enhancement. The experiments demonstrated that the proposed method had a good performance on fusion quality. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
Background: Brain p38a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), a potential therapeutic target for cognitive dysfunction based on the neuroinflammation-synaptic dysfunction cycle of pathophysiology progression, offers an innovative pharmacological strategy via inhibiting the same activated target in both glia and neurons, thereby enhancing the possibility for efficacy. The highly selective, brain-penetrant p38aMAPK inhibitor MW150 attenuates cognitive dysfunction in two distinct Alzheimer's disease (AD)-relevant models and avoids the problems encountered with previous mixed-kinase inhibitor drug candidates. Therefore, it is essential that the glial effects of this CNS-active kinase inhibitor be addressed in order to anticipate future use in clinical investigations. Methods: We explored the effects of MW150 on glial biology in the AD-relevant APP/PS1 knock-in (KI) mouse model where we previously showed efficacy in suppression of hippocampal-dependent associative and spatial memory deficits. MW150 (2.5 mg/kg/day) was administered daily to 11-12-month-old KI mice for 14 days, and levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 beta, TNFa, and IL-6 measured in homogenates of mouse cortex using ELISA. Glial markers IBA1, CD45, CD68, and GFAP were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Microglia and amyloid plaques were quantified by immunofluorescence staining followed by confocal imaging. Levels of soluble and insoluble of A beta 40 and A beta 42 were measured by ELISA. The studies of in vivo pharmacodynamic effects on markers of neuroinflammation were complemented by mechanistic studies in the murine microglia BV2 cell line, using live cell imaging techniques to monitor proliferation, migration, and phagocytosis activities. Results: Intervention with MW150 in KI mice during the established therapeutic time window attenuated the increased levels of IL-1 beta and TNFa but not IL-6. MW150 treatment also increased the IBA1(+) microglia within a 15 mu m radius of the amyloid plaques, without significantly affecting overall microglia or plaque volume. Levels of IBA1, CD45, CD68, GFAP, and A beta 40 and A beta 42 were not affected by MW150 treatment. MW150 did not significantly alter microglial migration, proliferation, or phagocytosis in BV2 cells. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that MW150 at an efficacious dose can selectively modulate neuroinflammatory responses associated with pathology progression without pan-suppression of normal physiological functions of microglia.
This paper describes the reinforcing effects of multiple layers of geocell in combination with rubber-soil mixture layers in sand, and compares their behaviour with that of the multilayered geocell reinforcement alone, using plate loading at a diameter of 300 mm. The plate load tests were performed in an outdoor test pit, dug in natural ground measuring 2000 x 2000 mm in plan and 700 mm in depth. The geocell used in the tests was non-perforated with pocket size 110 x 110 mm(2) and height 100 mm, fabricated from continuous polypropylene filaments as a nonwoven geotextile. The optimum embedded depth of the first layer of geocell and the vertical spacing of geocell layers were found to be approximately 0.2 times the footing diameter, and the optimum percentage of rubber replacement was found to be around 8% by weight of the soil mixture. Both bearing capacity increase and settlement reduction were highest when multiple layers of geocell and rubber reinforcement were used. Results show that the reinforcements' efficiency decreased as the number of reinforcement layers increased, particularly at low settlement ratios. Higher bearing capacity and lower settlement were achieved by replacing the layers beneath the geocell layers with the rubber-soil mixture. At a ratio of settlement to plate diameter of 2%, the values of bearing pressure were in the ratio 1:2.3:3 for, respectively, the unreinforced installation, the installation with three layers of geocell, and the installation with three layers of geocell and rubber-soil between the layers. The inclusion of the geocell layers reduces the vertical stress transferred down through the foundation bed by distributing the load over a wider area. For example, at the pressure of 550 kPa applied on the soil surface, the transferred pressure at the depth of 510 mm is about 48%, 34% and 27% for the reinforced bed with one, two and three layers of geocell, respectively, compared with the stress in the unreinforced bed. Furthermore, use of the combination of geocell and rubber-soil mixture layers is more effective than use of geocell layers only in reducing the stress transferred downwards. For example, 350 mm beneath a soil surface that carries a stress of 830 kPa, the vertical stress is 15% less when two geocell layers are combined with two rubber-soil mixture layers than when there are only two geocell layers.
The STARS project at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) has adopted the TRACE thermal-hydraulic code. For analyses involving interactions between system and core, a coupling of TRACE with the SIMULATE-3K (S3K) light water reactor (LWR) core simulator has been developed. In this configuration, the codes and associated simulation models play a central role to achieve a comprehensive safety analysis capability. Therefore, efforts have now been undertaken to consolidate the validation strategy by implementing a more rigorous and structured assessment approach for TRACE applications. The principle is to systematically track the evolution of a given set of predicted physical quantities of interest (QoIs) over a multidimensional parametric space. If properly set up, such environment should provide code developers and code users with persistent (less affected by user effect) and quantified information (sensitivity of QoIs) on the applicability of a simulation scheme (codes, methodology, and input models) for steady-state and transient analysis of full LWR systems. Through this, for each given transient/accident, critical paths of the validation process can be identified that could then translate into defining reference schemes to be applied for downstream predictive simulations. To illustrate this approach, this validation strategy is applied to an inadvertent blowdown event that occurred in a Swiss BWR/6. The transient was initiated by the spurious actuation of the automatic depressurization system. Here, the validation approach progresses through a number of dimensions: (a) different versions of the TRACE code; (b) the methodology dimension-in this case imposed power and updated TRACE core models are investigated; and (c) the nodalization dimension, where changes to the input model are assessed. For each step in each validation dimension, a common set of QoIs is investigated. For the steady-state results, these include fuel temperature distributions. For the transient part of the present study, the evaluated QoIs include the system pressure evolution and water carryover into the steam line. It has been seen that the improvements to the model predictions resulted in a small impact on the system pressure gradient, thus confirming a persistency of the downstream mechanical stress estimate, whereas the water carryover could vary by up to 150% as a function of the adopted simulation methodology.
Extracted total phenols, flavanols and flavonoids were measured in beer samples and their quality as antioxidants was measured by two modified antioxidant methods: the 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical cation (ABTS (center dot+)) and the beta-carotene-linoleate model system (beta-carotene). It was found that the antioxidant potential of beer was well correlated with flavanols and flavonoids and was slightly lower with total polyphenols (R 2 values from 0.8203 to 0.9393). Forty-two male non drinkers, hypercholesterolaemic volunteers ages 43-71 after coronary bypass surgery, were randomly divided into experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups, each of 21 participants. The antiatherosclerotic diet of the EG group was supplemented for 30 consecutive days with 330 ml beer per day. Could short-term beer consumption affect not only the risk factors of coronary atherosclerosis, but also the markers of this process: plasma albumin and its antioxidant activity? For this goal, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, plasma albumin and fibrinogen, and the antioxidant activity were determined. After the trial a significant improvement in the plasma lipid levels, and an increase in the plasma antioxidant and anticoagulant activities in patients of the EG group was registered. A parallel increase in the plasma albumin concentration and its antioxidant activity was observed. In conclusion, short-term beer consumption on the basis of the bioactivity of the beverage positively affects plasma lipid levels, plasma antioxidant and anticoagulant activities. The increase in the plasma albumin concentration and its antioxidant activity could be the markers of atherosclerosis status.
Previous studies exploring athletes' affective experience within competition neglected the multivariate nature of the construct of affective states. The purposes of the current study were to: (a) identify affective profiles before and during competition; (b) examine if key theoretical covariates from a transactional perspective of affective states (i.e., perceived control and stress) predict membership of affective profiles; (c) explore the issue of consistency or change of affective profiles for the same individual over time (transition probabilities); and (d) examine whether precompetitive perceived control and stress impact transition probabilities. Two-hundred and 96 competitive athletes filled out self-report measures of perceived stress, perceived control, intensity and direction of positive affect (PA) and negative Affect (NA). Latent profile transition analysis revealed 5 affective profiles as a whole: low PA and NA debilitators (T1 only), high PA moderate NA facilitators, low PA high NA debilitators (T1 only), moderate PA and NA neutrals (T2 only), low PA moderate NA debilitators (T2 only). Athletes exhibited changes of affective profiles over time. High PA moderate NA facilitators reported the best psychological adjustment, as indicated by the effects of covariates (i.e., perceived control and stress) on affective profiles. Precompetitive perceived control and stress significantly predicted transition probabilities (i.e., athletes' change of affective profiles from before to during competition). As a whole, an affective profile approach may prove useful in understanding affective states as a dynamic system and have implications for intervention.
Aim: The campos rupestres are species-rich tropical mountain grasslands in southeast Brazil that are threatened by mining and quarrying. Eight years following a strong disturbance (i.e. quarrying for gravel exploitation during the asphalting of highway MG-010), spontaneous succession did not occur on degraded areas. This study was therefore designed to test the restoration technique of hay transfer as a means of enhancing seed dispersal from the reference ecosystems to the degraded areas. Location: Campo rupestre grasslands, Serra do Cipo, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: Nine degraded areas representing three kinds of substrate (latosol, sandy and stony) were selected. Hay transfer was carried out using hay collected in two kinds of grassland (i.e. campos arenosos and campos pedregosos) year-round in 2010, in order to maximize the seed pool. The collected hay was distributed on 40 cm x 40 cm quadrats among the three types of substrate, with and without geotextile, according to the following protocol: hay from campo arenoso grasslands was spread on all types of substrate, while hay from campo pedregoso grasslands was used on stony substrate only. Results: Few seedlings emerged within 14 mo of the treatment application, despite the large number of seeds contained in the hay, indicating that hay transfer may not be a useful method for restoring degraded areas of campos rupestres. The seedlings emerging on the degraded areas mainly belonged to ruderal species. Therefore, we suggest that, although poor soil conditions could limit seedling establishment, germination issues of the campo rupestre species are the first limitation for restoring degraded campos rupestres using hay transfer. Conclusion: Our results highlight the inherent difficulty in restoring degraded areas of campos rupestres; their protection must be made a high conservation priority.
Human action recognition (HAR) is a core technology for human-computer interaction and video understanding, attracting significant research and development attention in the field of computer vision. However, in uncontrolled environments, achieving effective HAR is still challenging, due to the widely varying nature of video content. In previous research efforts, trajectory-based video representations have been widely used for HAR. Although these approaches show state-of-the-art HAR performance for various datasets, issues like a high computational complexity and the presence of redundant trajectories still need to be addressed in order to solve the problem of real-world HAR. In this paper, we propose a novel method for HAR, integrating a technique for rejecting redundant trajectories that are mainly originating from camera movement, without degrading the effectiveness of HAR. Furthermore, in order to facilitate efficient optical flow estimation prior to trajectory extraction, we integrate a technique for dynamic frame skipping. As a result, we only make use of a small subset of the frames present in a video clip for optical flow estimation. Comparative experiments with five publicly available human action datasets show that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art HAR approaches in terms of effectiveness, while simultaneously mitigating the computational complexity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Palm oil mill effluent (POME), which is rich in organic matter, is one of the major contributors of water pollution. To date, biological treatment has been employed before it is released into water bodies to minimize the environmental hazards. However, the dark brownish colour of the effluent is still a big challenge to be addressed. In regard to this concern, membrane separation can serve as an attractive solution for this issue. This paper aims to investigate the performance of ultrafiltration nanocomposite membrane embedded with coupled zinc-iron oxide (ZIO) for the decolourization of POME. The ZIO was synthesized through the solution combustion technique by employing zinc nitrate hexahydrate and iron (III) nitrate nonahydrate as the precursors and urea as the fuel. The nanocomposite flat sheet membrane was prepared via phase inversion process. The physico-chemical properties of the MMMs were analysed using zeta potential analysis, SEM, BET and contact angle. Continuous filtration test was carried out to evaluate the capability of the MMMs for colour and COD removal. The results showed that the increase in the ZIO loading has drastically increased the membrane surface negativity and led to the colour removal of 70%. In addition, with the addition of M0.5, the permeation and colour removal had increased 25% and 17% respectively, compared to the pristine PVDF membrane. However, the long term filtration test revealed that the structure of M0.5 collapsed after 4 cycles of washing, but M2.0 still retained its performance. In a nutshell, this study demonstrated that negative surface charge has improved the antifouling properties meanwhile hydrophilicity has contributed to increased water flux during the colour removal process. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mycotoxins, the secondary metabolites of fungal species, are the most frequently occurring natural food contaminants in human and animal diets. Risk assessment of mycotoxins focused as yet on their mutagenic, genotoxic and potential carcinogenic effects. Recently, there is an increasing awareness of the adverse effects of various mycotoxins on vulnerable structures in the intestines. In particular, an impairment of the barrier function of the epithelial lining cells and the sealing tight junction proteins has been noted, as this could result in an increased translocation of luminal antigens and pathogens and an excessive activation of the immune system. The current review aims to provide a summary of the available evidence regarding direct effects of various mycotoxins on the intestinal epithelial barrier. Available data, based on different cellular and animal studies, show that food-associated exposure to certain mycotoxins, especially trichothecenes and patulin, affects the intestinal barrier integrity and can result in an increased translocation of harmful stressors. It is therefore hypothesized that human exposure to certain mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol, as the major trichothecene, may play an important role in etiology of various chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, and in the prevalence of food allergies, particularly in children.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor of the pleura with a poor prognosis. The most active first-line regimens are platinum compounds and pemetrexed. There is no standard second-line treatment in MPM. Advances in the understanding of tumor molecular biology have led to the development of several targeted treatments, which have been evaluated in clinical trials. Unfortunately none of the explored targeted treatments can currently be recommended as routine treatment in MPM. We reviewed the biological pathways involved in MPM, the clinical trials about targeted therapy, and possible related mechanisms of resistance. We suggest that specific genetic markers are needed as targets of selective therapy. By this way the selection of patients based on the molecular profile may facilitate a therapeutic strategy that allows the use of the most appropriate drug for each patient. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biodiversity mapping in African savannah is important for monitoring changes and ensuring sustainable use of ecosystem resources. Biodiversity mapping can benefit from multi-spectral instruments such as WorldView-2 with very high spatial resolution and a spectral configuration encompassing important spectral regions not previously available for vegetation mapping. This study investigated i) the benefits of the eight-band WorldView-2 (WV-2) spectral configuration for discriminating tree species in Southern African savannah and ii) if multiple-images acquired at key points of the typical phenological development of savannahs (peak productivity, transition to senescence) improve on tree species classifications. We first assessed the discriminatory power of WV-2 bands using interspecies-Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) via Band Add-On procedure and tested the spectral capability of WorldView-2 against simulated IKONOS for tree species classification. The results from interspecies-SAM procedure identified the yellow and red bands as the most statistically significant bands (p = 0.000251 and p = 0.000039 respectively) in the discriminatory power of WV-2 during the transition from wet to dry season (April). Using Random Forest classifier, the classification scenarios investigated showed that i) the 8-bands of the WV-2 sensor achieved higher classification accuracy for the April date (transition from wet to dry season, senescence) compared to the March date (peak productivity season) ii) the WV-2 spectral configuration systematically outperformed the IKONOS sensor spectral configuration and iii) the multi-temporal approach (March and April combined) improved the discrimination of tress species and produced the highest overall accuracy results at 80.4%. Consistent with the interspecies-SAM procedure, the yellow (605 nm) band also showed a statistically significant contribution in the improved classification accuracy from WV-2. These results highlight the mapping opportunities presented by WV-2 data for monitoring the distribution status of e.g. species often harvested by local communities (e.g. Sclerocharya birrea), encroaching species, or species-specific tree losses induced by elephants. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The molecular dynamics method was used to simulate thermodynamic properties of two binary alloys: Al-75 Si-25, Al-85 Si-15..They were calculated of the energy functions, including cohesive energy, formation energy Results display, formation energy and excess free energy are all negative values, so Al-Si alloys belong to negative system. The atomic interactions were analyzed in macroscopic and microcosmic views. The calculated formation energy can describe the deviation degree between the actual alloy and the ideal melt quantitatively. Al-Si alloy has excellent casting performance and comprehensive thermodynamic performance. It can be well separated with vacuum distillation, and the noble metal Au will be greatly enriched. Thermodynamic properties of an alloy play a key role in vacuum distillation metallurgy. But due to a lack of experimental thermodynamic data of the Al-Si alloy, it is difficult to calculate the reaction concerned with the Al-Si alloy. Therefore, the computer simulation method becomes effective means. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been widely used in the material and field, many reports about the defect, surface property and liquid structure of pure metals and alloys, have come forth from 1980 s([1-3]). However, MD has rarely been used in metallurgy, because there is less simulation on thermodynamic properties of metals and alloys at home and abroad. As thermodynamic properties play a key role in metallurgy, some energy functions of Al-75 Si-25, Al-85 Si-15 have been calculated and been compared with the available experimental ones over wide temperature range from 458to 1358 K in this paper.
Poultry and pork farming are typical activities of small farms in southern Brazil. This production plays an important social and economic role in many of these areas as it is often the main income source. The swine compost has emerged as an alternative to reduce the volume of swine wastewater, which is transformed into a residue that can be easily transported and applied with less environment prejudice. However, there is no information in literature regarding the use of this compound as a source of nitrogen in grain crops. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate poultry litter and swine compost as organic sources of nitrogen for the millet crop. The experiment was conducted in the years of 2013 and 2014 in southern Brazil, in no-tillage systems in a Hapludox soil. The treatments were: control (without nitrogen); poultry litter (PL), swine compost (SC) and mineral fertilization (NPK). The use of poultry litter resulted in better averages for almost all evaluated variables. Although the swine compost did not express results as good as the crop treated with poultry litter, the crop in which the swine compound was applied presented better results for some plant parameters than the chemical fertilizer treatment, which shows that these two residues can be viable alternatives for nitrogen fertilization in millet cultivations.
This study presents an integrated approach for targeting critical source areas (CSAs) to control nonpoint source pollution in watersheds. CSAs are the intersections between hydrologically sensitive areas (HSAs) and high pollution producing areas of watersheds. HSAs are the areas with high hydrological sensitivity and potential for generating runoff. They were based on a soil topographic index in consistence of a saturation excess runoff process. High pollution producing areas are the areas that have a high potential for generating pollutants. Such areas were based on simulated pollution loads to streams by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool. The integrated approach is applied to the Neshanic River watershed, a suburban watershed with mixed land uses in New Jersey in the U.S. Results show that several land uses result in water pollution: agricultural land causes sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution; wetlands cause sediment and phosphorus pollution; and urban lands cause nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The primary CSAs are agricultural lands for all three pollutants, urban lands for nitrogen and phosphorus, and wetlands for sediment and phosphorus. Some pollution producing areas were not classified into CSAs because they are not located in HSAs and the pollutants generated in those areas are less likely to be transported by runoff into streams. The integrated approach identifies CSAs at a very fine scale, which is useful for targeting the implementation of best management practices for water quality improvement, and can be applied broadly in different watersheds to improve the economic efficiency of controlling nonpoint source pollution.
The goal of this research was to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Portuguese version of the Revised Peer Experience Questionnaire, which assesses aggression, victimization and prosocial behavior. Victimization and aggression among adolescents in school settings is a growing problem, not yet fully understood or properly evaluated, particularly in Portugal. A sample of 1320 adolescents was recruited (52.7% female), with ages varying from 10 to 18 years old, attending middle and high school. Confirmatory factor analysis confirms the measurement model of the instrument's bully and victim versions, as evaluating overt, relational, and reputational aggression/ victimization and providing/ receiving prosocial behavior, respectively. This measurement model was invariant across schooling and gender, showed adequate internal consistency indicators, and presented evidence for construct validity in relation to other variables. Descriptive analyses indicate that boys are more aggressive in overt and relational forms and victimized through overt aggression, whereas girls are more aggressive and victimized relationally. More than any form of aggression or victimization, boys and girls revealed higher values for engaging in and receiving prosocial behavior. These results suggest that this instrument is a reliable, valid, and structurally sound measure of aggression, victimization and prosocial behavior in this Portuguese school- based community sample. Hence, its use may assist researchers in gaining a better understanding of adolescent aggression and victimization.
By grounding the self in the body, experimental psychology has taken the body as the starting point for a science of the self. One fundamental dimension of the bodily self is the sense of body ownership that refers to the special perceptual status of one's own body, the feeling that my body belongs to me. The primary aim of this review article is to highlight recent advances in the study of body ownership and our understanding of the underlying neurocognitive processes in three ways. I first consider how the sense of body ownership has been investigated and elucidated in the context of multisensory integration. Beyond exteroception, recent studies have considered how this exteroceptively driven sense of body ownership can be linked to the other side of embodiment, that of the unobservable, yet felt, interoceptive body, suggesting that these two sides of embodiment interact to provide a unifying bodily self. Lastly, the multisensorial understanding of the self has been shown to have implications for our understanding of social relationships, especially in the context of self-other boundaries. Taken together, these three research strands motivate a unified model of the self inspired by current predictive coding models.
Background: A steadily increasing pattern of breast cancer mortality has been reported in South Korea since the late 1980s. This paper explored the trends of educational inequalities of female breast cancer mortality between 1983 and 2012 in Korea, and conducted age-period-cohort (APC) analysis by educational level. Methods: Age-standardized mortality rates of breast cancer per 100,000 person-years were calculated. Relative index of inequality (RII) for breast cancer mortality was used as an inequality measure. APC analyses were conducted using the Web tool for APC analysis provided by the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Results: An increasing trend in breast cancer mortality among Korean women between 1983 and 2012 was due to the increased mortality of the lower education groups (i.e., no formal education or primary education and secondary education groups), not the highest education group. The breast cancer mortality was higher in women with a tertiary education than in women with no education or a primary education during 1983-1992, and the reverse was true in 1993-2012. Consequently, RII was changed from positive to negative associations in the early 2000s. The lower education groups had the increased breast cancer mortality and significant cohort and period effects between 1983 and 2012, whereas the highest group did not. Conclusions: APC analysis by socioeconomic position used in this study could provide an important clue for the causes on breast cancer mortality. The long-term monitoring of socioeconomic patterning in breast cancer risk factors is urgently needed.
Self-locomotion is central to animal behaviour and survival. It is generally analysed by focusing on preferred speeds and gaits under particular biological and physical constraints. In the present paper we focus instead on the maximum speed and we study its order-of-magnitude scaling with body size, from bacteria to the largest terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Using data for about 460 species of various taxonomic groups, we find a maximum relative speed of the order of magnitude of ten body lengths per second over a 10(20)-fold mass range of running and swimming animals. This result implies a locomotor time scale of the order of one tenth of second, virtually independent on body size, anatomy and locomotion style, whose ubiquity requires an explanation building on basic properties of motile organisms. From first-principle estimates, we relate this generic time scale to other basic biological properties, using in particular the recent generalisation of the muscle specific tension to molecular motors. Finally, we go a step further by relating this time scale to still more basic quantities, as environmental conditions at Earth in addition to fundamental physical and chemical constants.
Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a promising technique that generates a pressure gradient at the tip of an infusion catheter to deliver therapeutics directly through the interstitial spaces of the central nervous system. It addresses and offers solutions to many limitations of conventional techniques, allowing for delivery past the blood-brain barrier in a targeted and safe manner that can achieve therapeutic drug concentrations. CED is a broadly applicable technique that can be used to deliver a variety of therapeutic compounds for a diversity of diseases, including malignant gliomas, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. While a number of technological advances have been made since its development in the early 1990s, clinical trials with CED have been largely unsuccessful, and have illuminated a number of parameters that still need to be addressed for successful clinical application. This review addresses the physical principles behind CED, limitations in the technique, as well as means to overcome these limitations, clinical trials that have been performed, and future developments.
Objective: To Examine physician eye contact (EC), patient understanding and adherence. Methods: Secondary analysis of National Institute of Aging videotapes (N = 52) of physician-elder patients in two visit types: (1) routine (n = 20); (2) anxiety-provoking (n = 32) was conducted. Self-reports of understanding and adherence were used. History-taking segments were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed for relationships between EC, understanding and adherence. Results: Qualitative analysis showed: (1) two salient EC elements - frequency, type (brief or sustained) - and verbal synchronicity were commonly invoked; (2) conjoint unfolding of three communication elements - looking, listening and talking - may be salient for patient outcomes; (3) despite differing EC patterns in routine and anxiety provoking visits, statistical analyses showed patient understanding and adherence ratings were similar in the sample population comprising two visit types; no significant correlations between EC elements and understanding and adherence were found. Conclusions: Salience of EC for patient-centered communication is shown in prior research. Present findings broaden the significance of EC by including verbal synchronicity. Methodological limitations may account for no significant correlations between EC and patient outcomes. Practice implications: Using suggested framework for operationalizing EC elements, including verbally synchronous communication, may facilitate patient-centeredness and have positive implications for patient understanding and adherence. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
We fractionated frontal cortical grey matter from human Alzheimer's disease and control subjects into four biochemically defined pools that represent four distinct compartments: soluble/cytosolic, peripheral membrane/vesicular cargo, integral lipid/membranous pools and aggregated/insoluble debris. Most of the readily extractable amyloid-beta remains associated with a lipid/membranous compartment. There is an exchange of amyloid-beta between the biochemical pools that was lost for the amyloid-beta(42) species in Alzheimer's disease, consistent with the peptide being irreversibly trapped in extracellular deposits. The quantitative amyloid-beta data, combined with magnetic resonance imaging volumetric analysis of the amount of cortical grey matter in brain, allowed us to estimate the total mass of amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's disease (6.5 mg) and control (1.7 mg) brains. The threshold positron emission tomography standard uptake value ratio of 1.4 equates to 5.0 kg amyloid-beta/g of grey matter and the mean Alzheimer's disease dementia standard uptake value ratio level of 2.3 equates to 11.20 kg amyloid-beta/g of grey matter. It takes 19 years to accumulate amyloid from the threshold positron emission tomography standard uptake value ratio to the mean value observed for Alzheimer's disease dementia. This accumulation time window combined with the difference of 4.8mg of amyloid-beta between Alzheimer's disease and control brain allows for a first approximation of amyloid-beta accumulation of 28 ng/h. This equates to an estimated 2-5% of the total amyloid-beta production being deposited as insoluble plaques. Understanding these rates of amyloid-beta accumulation allows for a more quantitative approach in targeting the failure of amyloid-beta clearance in sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
This paper presents a two-dimensional numerical model of nearshore random wave transformation with a focus on model calibration and verification with both laboratory and field data. The model is based on the energy balance equation including diffraction and dissipation terms (Mase, 2001). The energy dissipation is determined based on the formulation by Dally et al. (1985), with new expressions for the stable wave height and decay coefficients. These coefficients are estimated based on the local beach slope and offshore wave conditions. The model is calibrated with several data sets from the Large-scale Sediment Transport Facility (LSTF) at the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory in USA. Then, the model is verified against a large number of data sets, including LSTF data for cases with structures, laboratory data from the Great Wave Flume in Hanover, the field data from Egmond in the Netherlands, Duck in USA, and Cancun in Mexico. The validation showed that the model could reproduce the observations well. The relative root-mean-square error varies from 5% to 7.6% for laboratory data, and from 10.3% to 18.6% for field data. The coefficient of determination varies from 0.81 to 0.97, demonstrating good agreement between the model and the measurements.
Immunodominance clone selection algorithm (ICSA) is a robust and effective metaheuristic method for feature selection problem. However, ICSA is usually slow in finding the optimal solution. In this paper, we propose a parallel immunodominance clone selection algorithm (PICSA) on Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to improve the speedup of ICSA for feature selection problem. The parallel program can considerably accelerate the feature selection operator. The immunodominance operator, which efficiently connects the local and global information, makes the algorithm able to jump out of the local optimum easily and obtain the global optimum. When comparing with other parallel languages, Open Computing Language (OpenCL) has advantages both in efficiency and portability. Therefore, we use OpenCL to implement this algorithm on Intel many integrated core and different GPU platforms. Experiment results obtained using high-dimensional UCI machine learning and image texture datasets demonstrate that the PICSA algorithm allows one to achieve good acceleration ratio while maintaining similar classification accuracy to serial ICSA program. Besides, the OpenCL-based implementation of PICSA shows good portability on many integrated core and different GPU platforms as well. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background & Aims: Next generation sequencing approaches have tremendously improved the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. It may however be faced with difficult clinical interpretation of variants. Inherited enzymatic diseases provide an invaluable possibility to evaluate the function of the defective enzyme in human cell biology. This is the case for respiratory complex III, which has 11 structural subunits and requires several assembly factors. An important role of complex III in liver function is suggested by its frequent impairment in human cases of genetic complex III defects. Methods: We report the case of a child with complex III defect and acute liver dysfunction with lactic acidosis, hypoglycemia, and hyperammonemia. Mitochondrial activities were assessed in liver and fibroblasts using spectrophotometric assays. Genetic analysis was done by exome followed by Sanger sequencing. Functional complementation of defective fibroblasts was performed using lentiviral transduction followed by enzymatic analyses and expression assays. Results: Homozygous, truncating, mutations in LYRM7 and MTO1, two genes encoding essential mitochondrial proteins were found. Functional complementation of the complex III defect in fibroblasts demonstrated the causal role of LYRM7 mutations. Comparison of the patient's clinical history to previously reported patients with complex III defect due to nuclear DNA mutations, some actually followed by us, showed striking similarities allowing us to propose common pathophysiology. Conclusions: Profound complex III defect in liver does not induce actual liver failure but impedes liver adaptation to prolonged fasting leading to severe lactic acidosis, hypoglycemia, and hyperammonemia, potentially leading to irreversible brain damage. Lay summary: The diagnosis of rare genetic disease has been tremendously accelerated by the development of high throughput sequencing technology. In this paper we report the investigations that have led to identify LYRM7 mutations causing severe hepatic defect of respiratory complex III. Based on the comparison of the patient's phenotype with other cases of complex III defect, we propose that profound complex III defect in liver does not induce actual liver failure but impedes liver adaptation to prolonged fasting. (C) 2016 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Past work suggested that dual identity was effective to reduce prejudice. This study extended research on dual identity and prejudice by identifying a boundary condition in this relationship, that is, group permeability. In Study 1, we replicated previous studies with Chinese individuals and found that inducing dual identity (emphasizing subgroup differences and a common nation identity), compared to the control condition, decreased the urban residents' prejudice against rural-to-urban migrants. In Study 2, we manipulated the group boundary permeability using the Hukou system reform, and found that when the group boundary was permeable, dual identity was effective in reducing prejudice against rural-to-urban migrants. However, this effect vanished in the condition where the group boundary was impermeable. These results point to the importance of inducing dual identity under specific conditions for research on decreasing prejudice. Some practical implications of the findings for urbanization and immigration are discussed.
Background: The transition to adulthood, the gradual change in roles and responsibilities, is identified as a challenging time for adolescents and young adults with physical disabilities, including those with cerebral palsy. Health care, education, employment, independent living, and community engagement have been identified as areas of concern. However, relatively little research has been done to understand the experiences, perceptions, and needs of individuals with cerebral palsy as they transition toward adulthood. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the transition experiences, perceptions, and needs of young adults with cerebral palsy living in one state in the southeastern United States. Methods: Focus groups with nine young adults with cerebral palsy (19-34 years) were conducted. The focus group interview explored the preparation for transition and experiences navigating adulthood. The audio-recorded groups were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Young adults with cerebral palsy identified numerous challenges associated with navigating adulthood. The main themes were: 1) being thrust into adulthood; 2) navigating systems and services; 3) understanding and managing my body; and 4) dealing with stereotypes and prejudice. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for a holistic approach to transition with a focus on building capacity and empowerment. To navigate complex systems of care, navigators or facilitators are needed. Additionally, practitioners and service providers in adult systems need further education about cerebral palsy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation has beneficial effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases. However, whether this intervention benefits different age groups in women or men is largely unknown. To investigate HRQoL in patients with chronic rheumatic disease after completion of a 3-week multidisciplinary treatment, with special focus on differences in effect between age and gender groups. HRQoL was measured with SF-36. Mean scores for all SF-36 domains were compared before and after the 3-week regimen and again at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Multivariable linear regression models using generalized estimating equations to account for repeated measurement were employed. A weighting procedure to account for differential dropouts was applied. Three hundred fifty-six women and 74 men with chronic rheumatic disease were included. There were short-term improvements in all SF-36 domains irrespective of age or gender. These effects persisted for up to 1 year in the psychological, social, and energy domains for women under 50. We found no lasting effects for men; however, young men showed similar trends. Inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation improves short-term HRQoL in all patients. Younger women maintain these beneficial effects for up to 1 year. Additional intervention should be considered for elderly women and for men in order to sustain rehabilitation effects.
Water quality in the Banchengzi reservoir in Beijing has been deteriorating year by year, and it was embodied by increasing concentrations of COD and stable but high levels of total nitrogen. In order to identify the causes and to formulate a strategy for pollution prevention and control, we examined the temporal and spatial variations of water pollution and carried out source identification studies. Routine monthly monitoring data for seven water quality and six hydro-meteorological variables of the Banchengzi reservoir from 2007 to 2012 were analyzed by statistical techniques, including correlation analysis and principle component analysis. In addition, water samples at six different sites in the reservoir were collected and analyzed to investigate the spatial variation of water quality and to further identify the water pollution sources by UV-vis spectroscopy, three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy, and nitrogen stable isotope (N-15) analysis. The results revealed that dissolved organic matter and nitrogen were the main pollutants and were principally derived from anthropogenic point source pollution in the upper areas, which included domestic sewage and livestock farming. We speculated that the biodegradable organic pollutants from sewage were degraded to form soluble microbial products (SMP) by aerobic microorganisms and that nitrogen pollutants were mostly transformed to nitrate by nitrification. These SMP, nitrate, and other refractory pollutants were carried by the upper stream flowing into the Banchengzi reservoir, where it accumulated. Effective control of point source pollution and upper river ecological restoration should be done to improve the water quality and protect the reservoir.
In this work, we carried out a theoretical analysis of the reflection, transmission and surface deformation of long linear water waves, propagating on a submerged breakwater whose cross-section obeys a cycloidal geometric transition. We use the well-known one-dimensional governing equations for the propagation of linear shallow-water waves, which are presented in their dimensionless version. Considering harmonic wave propagation, the governing equations can be reduced to a dimensionless second-order differential equation with variable coefficients for predicting the elevation of water waves. This equation is solved using a matrix method based on Taylor polynomials. In particular, we evaluate the reflection and transmission coefficients for three breakwaters, namely, cycloidal, semi-cycloidal and quarter-cycloidal. The first case exhibits the smallest transmission coefficient. The present mathematical model is compared with a simple numerical solution and with another analytical solution expressed in terms of the Legendre functions. The present mathematical model can be used as a practical reference for design of the geometrical configurations of submerged cycloidal breakwaters under shallow-flow conditions.
Health promotion programs have become increasingly common in U.S. workplaces, yet little research has examined the unintended and potentially negative consequences of these initiatives. Overweight and obese employees face widespread prejudice and pervasive discrimination in employment settings, and this study investigates whether workplace health promotion may lead to more negative outcomes for these workers. Using an experimental design, the author finds that overweight and obese employees are rated more negatively and receive lower hiring recommendations when evaluated for companies with health promotion programs. These findings suggest that health promotion increases the salience and perceived legitimacy of negative fat stereotypes that facilitate weight-based discrimination.
Perceptual systems must rapidly generate accurate representations of the world from sensory inputs that are corrupted by internal and external noise. We can typically obtain more veridical representations by integrating information from multiple channels, but this integration can lead to biases when inputs are, in fact, not from the same source. Although a considerable amount is known about how different sources of information are combined to influence what we perceive, it is not known whether temporal features are combined. It is vital to address this question given the divergent predictions made by different models of cue combination and time perception concerning the plausibility of cross-modal temporal integration, and the implications that such integration would have for research programs in action control and social cognition. Here we present four experiments investigating the influence of movement duration on the perceived duration of an auditory tone. Participants either explicitly (Experiments 1-2) or implicitly (Experiments 3-4) produced hand movements of shorter or longer durations, while judging the duration of a concurrently presented tone (500-950 ms in duration). Across all experiments, judgments of tone duration were attracted toward the duration of executed movements (i.e., tones were perceived to be longer when executing a movement of longer duration). Our results demonstrate that temporal information associated with movement biases perceived auditory duration, placing important constraints on theories modeling cue integration for state estimation, as well as models of time perception, action control and social cognition.
Landslide barrier lakes usually form quickly after disasters and require very timely remote sensing images to monitor the land-cover change. However, cloud-free images are not always available in emergency situations. This paper provides a method to fuse multitemporal cloud-covered images for change detection, based on the evidential fusion framework. First, the frame of discernment is defined by postclassification comparison results. Second, a way of measuring the basic belief assignment (BBA) is introduced based on the confusion matrixes. Next, a simple BBA redistribution process is proposed to deal with cloud coverage problems. Then, the complementary and redundant information from the input images can be fused following the evidence combination and decision making rules in the evidential fusion framework. Finally, the land-cover change map can be derived. Thanks to the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, the proposed method can complete the change detection process-including data fusion and cloud removal-in an integrated manner. The proposed method is applied to detect the landslide barrier lake in a real case study, using a series of cloud-covered images from the GF-1 satellite. Result comparisons show that the proposed method is more effective than some basic fusion strategies that perform change detection and cloud removal in separate steps. Then, some approaches to improve the proposed method are discussed: introducing new evidence combination rule, improving the classification accuracy, and adding new evidences. All the results indicate the potential of evidential fusion for change detection from cloud-covered images.
As a cantilever failure involves rapid channel widening and delivers a large volume of sediment into the channel, it is important to understand this mechanism from the river engineering point of view. Different types of riverbank failures have been investigated in several previous studies, but these works have limitations in understanding the complex mechanisms of cantilever failure regarding the coupling of fluvial erosion with that failure. Experiments were thus carried out to assess the underlying mechanisms of cantilever failure using three types of cohesive materials classified on the basis of their percentages of silt-clay content. The experiments showed that fluvial erosion of the lower part of cohesive riverbanks progressively undermines the upper part during the initial stage of a cantilever failure. Tension cracks then develop at the upper surface of the cohesive riverbanks and beam failure occurs thereafter. A mathematical model of cantilever failure was also developed. The model uses a triple-grid approach to simulate the behaviour of a cantilever within the framework of fluvial erosion and the cantilever's subsequent failure. The simulated results show good agreement with the experimental results in terms of spatial-averaged bank width and water level along cohesive riverbanks.
Background: Prevalence of allergic diseases and impaired pulmonary function may be high in children born prematurely. This study aimed to assess pulmonary function and prevalence of asthma, atopic diseases and allergic sensitisation in these patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with children aged 6-14 years who were born prematurely with birth weight <2000 g from January 2008 to May 2011. Exclusion criteria were: major malformations, or acute respiratory disorders. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire was applied followed by allergic skin prick test and spirometry. Results: The study included 84 children aged 9.3 +/- 2.3 years born at mean gestational age of 31.8 +/- 2.4 weeks. The prevalence of current asthma was 25%, more severe asthma was 15.5%; rhinitis was 38.1%; flexural eczema was 8.3%; and a positive skin-prick test was 69.6%. Frequencies of children with values <80% of predicted were: FVC (8.3%), FEV1 (22.6%), and FEV1/FVC ratio (16.7%). Prevalence of children with FEF25-75% <70% of the predicted value was 32.4%, positive bronchodilator response was observed in 20.5% of cases, and altered pulmonary function in 42.9%. Factors associated with altered pulmonary function were oxygen dependency at 28 days of life (OR: 4.213, p=0.021), the presence of wheezing in childhood (OR: 5.979, p=0.014) and infant's height (OR: 0.945, p=0.005). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of severe asthma, allergic sensitisation, and altered pulmonary function among children and adolescents born prematurely. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and a history of wheezing were risk factors for altered pulmonary function. (C) 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
The influence of particle shape on the mechanical behavior of sand-woven geotextile interfaces over a wide domain of soil density and normal stress is studied. A uniformly graded angular fine sand, and a blend of well rounded glass beads with identical particle size distributions, were selected as granular material. Experiments revealed the impact of particle shape on peak and residual friction angles as well as the maximum dilation angle of interfaces between both granular media and woven geotextile. It was observed that the residual friction angles of interfaces between angular sand/glass-beads and woven geotextile are very similar to the residual friction angles of angular sand and glass-beads in soil-soil direct shear test. It is understood that the peak friction angle and maximum dilation angle of angular sand-woven geotextile were slightly lower than corresponding values for angular sand in soil-soil direct shear test. While the peak friction angle and maximum dilation angle of angular sand-woven geotextile interface decrease with the increase in normal stress, experiments showed that these factors are insensitive to normal stress for glass beads-woven geotextile interfaces, at least for the range studied herein. All interfaces with woven geotextile as the contact surface exhibit an abrupt loss of shear strength in the post-peak regime of behavior. Finally, a unified stress-dilation law for the angular sand-woven geotextile, glass beads-woven geotextile, and angular sand-roughened steel interfaces is obtained. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The viewpoints of Brazilian opinion leaders regarding cancer are not yet well defined. Examining public perceptions of three segments of society through a qualitative study may provide clues to understanding the negative view that the population still has about the disease. Journalists, scientists and teachers participated in discussions in six focus group sessions. The findings were studied using the content analysis method, showing similar elements among these professionals, regardless of area of operation. We identified a negative view that may be contributing to or mirroring the vision of society that associates the illness with death and suffering. Although these opinion leaders believe they are able to filter certain negative aspects of media dissemination about cancer, when the disease affects them personally, the feeling of despair resembles common sense. Words such as cure are viewed with prejudice. On the other hand, a morbid approach arouses interest on the subject. It was also noted that the disclosure of a celebrity with cancer stands out as a decoy in the consumption of news. Such distortions may support actions that enhance communication about cancer, structured on pillars such as prevention, early diagnosis and cure.
This paper describes a framework for software-based networking in smart factories (SF) that enables them to easily adapt the communication network to changing requirements. Similar to cloud-based systems, such SFs could be seen as production clusters that could be rented and configured as needed. The SF network utilizes software-defined networking (SDN) combined with network functions virtualization (NFV) in order to achieve the required flexibility. This paper presents and discusses our vision of a network architecture for SFs based on SDN and network virtualization in order to support smart services especially for Industrie 4.0. Despite the fact that the technology is nowadays not yet ready for deployment in today's manufacturing networks, we present a framework for software-defined factory networks and discuss possible challenges and benefits.
The creation of a network for an organization or a firm can be a multifarious task especially if there a large number of nodes, middle-boxes and security nodes to be integrated in the network. This paper introduces the integration of the ABE algorithm into a virtual network security called the NETSECVISOR in order to achieve authentication of the users involved in the network and the confidentiality of data transmitted or received. A virtual network redeems the administrators and network designers from its complexity not only by reducing the number of devices required, to a specific workstation that will take as input the various policies pertaining to the packets to be sent but also by including various routing rules and response techniques for malicious attacks. The Attribute Based Encryption (ABE) algorithm is used to improve the security on an existing virtual network security called the NETSECVISOR. The ABE algorithm uses attributes that are known to the participants involved in the transmission and reception of packets. This helps ease the process of creation and retrieval of keys for encryption and decryption notwithstanding the performance of security that will be enhanced for the virtual network.
Since earlier days, most of the failures encountered by the structures or machines are mainly due to material fatigue. The dynamic behaviour of the beam may change when cracks begin to appear in it. Knowledge of these changes in the dynamic individualism is important in crack detection as well as in structure or in machine design. This paper deals with systematic study on the free vibration of Euler-Bernoulli beam containing open edge transverse cracks. In this study, two springs steel materials (EN 8 and EN 47) are considered. The effect of the top side cracks and bottom side cracks on the natural frequency of a cantilever beam is discussed. The natural frequency of a cracked case cantilever beam is investigated numerically using FE analysis software ANSYS. Experimental work is done by using DeweFRF to investigate the natural frequency of cracked beams for strong validation of the numerical results. The results of this study suggest that the average value of natural frequencies for all top side cracked beams are identical to the average value of natural frequency for all bottom side cracked beams. This is true for both EN 47 and EN 8. Hence, it is clear that the dynamic characteristic (natural frequency) is not changing, when same configuration of cracks is either on top or bottom side of the beam. The natural frequencies for EN 8 material are comparatively on higher side than EN 47 material for the same crack configurations. In most of the cracked cases, the damping effect of EN 47 is greater than EN 8. It is also found that as crack location increases at constant crack depth, then natural frequency increases. At the last location, as crack depth increases, natural frequencies almost remain same. It is observed that, the presence of top side crack and bottom side crack of the same configuration in the cantilever beam is not a function of natural frequency, when cantilever beam is of a square cross section.
The aim of our study was to investigate the risk of any, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke associated with incident benzodiazepine and related drug (BZDR) use among community-dwelling individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Data from the MEDALZ cohort including all community-dwelling persons newly diagnosed with AD between 2005 and 2011 in Finland were utilized. Incident BZDR users were identified with a 1-year washout period for previous use. Persons with a previous stroke were excluded, resulting in a final study sample of 45050 individuals. Incident any, ischemic, and hemorrhagic strokes were identified from the Hospital Discharge and Causes of Death registers. The risk of stroke between time on BZDRs was compared with nonuse time with Cox proportional hazard models. During the follow-up, 21.9% (N=9879) of persons started BZDR use. Compared with nonuse, BZDR use was associated with an increased risk of any stroke [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.40] and ischemic stroke (aHR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.02-1.44), but the association between BZDR use and hemorrhagic stroke did not reach significance (aHR: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.91-1.74). Z-drug use was associated with a similar risk as benzodiazepine use. In conclusion, BZDR use was associated with an increased risk of stroke among older individuals with AD.
In this paper, a very efficient and secure multi-proxy multi-blind-signature scheme is proposed which is based on controlled quantum teleportation. Genuine six-qubit entangled state functions as quantum channel. The scheme uses the physical characteristics of quantum mechanics to guarantee its unforgeability, undeniability, blindness and unconditional security.
Among recent high profile scientific debates was the proposal that life could exist with arsenic in place of phosphorous in its nucleic acids and other biomolecules. Soon after its initial publication, scientists across diverse disciplines began to question this extraordinary claim. Using the original article, its claims, its scientific support, and the ensuing counterarguments, a two-day, active learning classroom exercise was developed focusing on the presentation, evaluation, and discussion of scientific argumentation and discourse. In this culminating assignment of a first semester biochemistry course, undergraduate students analyze the scientific support from the original research articles and then present and discuss multiple scientific rebuttals in a lively, civil classroom debate. Through this assignment, students develop a sense of skepticism, especially for the original arsenic-based life claims, and learn to clearly articulate their counterarguments with scientific support and critical reasoning. With its direct integration into first-semester biochemistry curriculum and the excitement surrounding arsenic based life, this assignment provides a robust, simple, and stimulating framework for introducing scientific discourse and active learning into the undergraduate molecular science curriculum. (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):40-45, 2017.
The design of a two-dimensional rotational core loss setup that considers sensor sizing and the airflux leakage field is presented. The length of the flux density (B) coils is evaluated based on the magnetic degradation caused by holes used to locate the B-coils. The measured core loss is shown to be independent of the planar magnetic field (H) coil size, but depends on the location and the thickness of the enclosed core area. This determines the extent of the airflux leakage field in the measured field. This field links through the air close to the sample surface, and is shown to bias the shape, magnitude, and phase of the measured magnetic field. Core losses measured using three testers show that the airflux leakage field reduces with increasing magnetizer diametrical size. However, it is independent of the stack length in compact magnetizers. Finally, the performance of the proposed magnetizer is assessed at 60 Hz, 400 Hz, and 1 kHz.
Exploring the cell biology of hepatocytes in vitro could be a powerful strategy to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying the structure and function of the liver in vivo. However, this approach relies on appropriate in vitro cell culture systems that can recapitulate the cell biological and metabolic features of the hepatocytes in the liver whilst being accessible to experimental manipulations. Here, we adapted protocols for high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and quantitative image analysis to compare two primary hepatocyte culture systems, monolayer and collagen sandwich, with respect to the distribution of two distinct populations of early endosomes (APPL1 and EEA1-positive), endocytic capacity, metabolic and signaling activities. In addition to the re-acquisition of hepatocellular polarity, primary hepatocytes grown in collagen sandwich but not in monolayer culture recapitulated the apico-basal distribution of EEA1 endosomes observed in liver tissue. We found that such distribution correlated with the organization of the actin cytoskeleton in vitro and, surprisingly, was dependent on the nutritional state in vivo. Hepatocytes in collagen sandwich also exhibited faster kinetics of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) internalization, showed improved insulin sensitivity and preserved their ability for glucose production, compared to hepatocytes in monolayer cultures. Although no in vitro culture system can reproduce the exquisite structural features of liver tissue, our data nevertheless highlight the ability of the collagen sandwich system to recapitulate key structural and functional properties of the hepatocytes in the liver and, therefore, support the usage of this system to study aspects of hepatocellular biology in vitro.
The quality of highway roadbed construction which affects the overall performance of highway is the most important to the highway construction. The roadbed is the crucial part of highway engineering. Its stability directly restricts the process of the highway roadbed construction, quality and the engineering costs, and relates to the security of people's lives and property, and to the regional economic development. And the roadbed soft foundation treatment is the key to construction of subgrade, usually by apply pad chemical fiber non-woven fabrics, geotextile, glass fiber grating way to deal with soft foundation. This article is to analyze the monitoring data of the highway roadbed engineering and to study the process and means of highway roadbed monitoring[1]. Actually, it helps and guides us to deal with the highway's soft foundation significantly.
Patients with severe stage of dementia present several psycho-behavioral disorders, caused by an altered perception of their environment and a feeling of isolation. Most of them are bedridden because of the advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease which causes cognitive dysfunctions and physical disorders, including coordination movement problems. Consequently, their freedoms of movement are limited as well as the quality of their communication. In this study, a new care support using activities on the ground is proposed to compensate for the massive cognitive and psychological losses and enhance their communication skills. The results of this study show that ground activities seem to be a promising way to reduce psycho-behavioral disorders and recreate communication link of the patients presenting with a severe stage of dementia.
This paper presents a method for detecting anomalous power consumption patterns attacks, using a discrete wavelet transform, as well as the variance fractal dimension (VFD) and an artificial neural network (ANN) for a smart grid. The main procedure of the proposed algorithm consists of the following steps: (i) Finding normal and anomalous patterns of power consumption to train the proposed method, (ii) Applying wavelet transform to power consumption patterns to extract features, (iii) Applying the VFD to the extracted features from Step 3 as an input, (iv) Training an ANN with the extracted features from Step 3, and (v) Launching the trained ANN from Step 4 to detect the anomalous power consumption attack based on a threshold. The proposed method can detect an anomalous power consumption attack with 51% accuracy in the worst case scenario.
In this review we explore the similarities between spinocerebellar ataxias and dystonias, and suggest potentially shared molecular pathways using a gene co-expression.network approach. The spinocerebellar ataxias are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by coordination problems caused mainly by atrophy of the cerebellum. The dystonias are another group of neurological' movement disorders linked to basal ganglia dysfunction, although evidence is now pointing to cerebellar involvement as well. Our gene co -expression network approach identified 99 shared genes and showed the involvement of two major pathways: synaptic transmission and neurodevelopment. These pathways overlapped in the two disorders, with a large role for GABAergic signaling in both. The overlapping pathways may provide novel targets for disease therapies. We need to prioritize variants obtained by whole exome sequencing in the genes associated with these pathways in the search for new pathogenic variants, which can than be used to help in the genetic counseling of patients and their families. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dietary supplements contain not only macro- and microelements, but also elements which affect human. metabolism. Many products available on the market contain chromium compounds together with chitosan used as a dietary supplement enhancing the digestion of lipids. The studies involved natural chitosan from krill available on the market, with the deacetylation degree of 85 to 95%, and dietary supplements containing chitosan (Vitana (R), Hitec Nutrition (R)) as well as a product containing ionic chromium with niacin and several aminoacids - Chromdiet (R)). The study has determined the capability of binding fatty and bile acids by dietary supplements containing chitosan and chromium. The process of lipids and bile acids adsorption was investigated by means of a dynamic method in a biopharmaceutical model imitating in vitro conditions. The findings prove that extracts of fatty acids and bile acids undergo adsorption by various kinds of adjuvant substances found in dietary supplements, which confirms a significant effect of these polymers on the bioavailability of fatty and bile acids in a human organism. The addition of chromium to a supplement does not effect the capability of chitosan to bind fatty and bile acids. Mean adsorption of bile acids by 1 g of the polymer (chitosan, inulin, fibre) ranges from 0.9 g to 1.79 g depending on the pH (which decreases the bioavailability of lipids by 15-30%).
Goblet cells within the conjunctival epithelium are specialized cells that secrete mucins onto the surface of the eye. Recent research has demonstrated new characteristics of the cells, including factors influencing their differentiation, their gene products and their functions at the ocular surface. The following review summarizes the newly discovered aspects of the role of Spdef, a member of the Ets transcription factor family in conjunctival goblet cell differentiation, the newly discovered goblet cell products including claudin2, the Wnt inhibitor Frzb, and the transmembrane mucin Muc16. The current concepts of conjunctival goblet cell function, including debris removal and immune surveillance are reviewed, as are changes in the goblet cell population in ocular surface diseases. Major remaining questions regarding conjunctival cell biology are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In intergroup competition and conflict, humans benefit from coalitions with strong partners who help them to protect their in-group and prevail over competing out-groups. Here, we link oxytocin, a neuropeptide produced in the hypothalamus, to ally selection in intergroup competition. In a double-blind placebo-controlled experiment, males self-administered oxytocin or placebo, and made selection decisions about six high-threat and six low-threat targets as potential allies in intergroup competition. Males given oxytocin rather than placebo viewed high-threat targets as more useful allies and more frequently selected them into their team than low-threat targets.
While urbanization brings economic and social benefits, it also causes water pollution and other environmental ecological problems. This paper provides a theoretical framework to quantitatively analyze the dynamic relationship between water resource utilization and the process of urbanization. Using data from Jiangsu province, we first construct indices to evaluate urbanization and water resource utilization. We then adopt an entropy model to examine the correlation between urbanization and water resource utilization. In addition, we introduce a dynamic coupling model to analyze and predict the coupling degree between urbanization and water resource utilization. Our analyses show that pairing with rising urbanization during 2002-2014, the overall index of water resource utilization in Jiangsu province has experienced a decline-rise-decline trend. Specifically, after the index of water resource utilization reached its lowest point in 2004, it gradually began to rise. Water resource utilization reached its highest value in 2010. The coupling degree between urbanization and water resource utilization was relatively low in 2002 and 2003 varying between -90 degrees and 0 degrees. It has been rising since then. Out-of-sample forecasts indicate that the coupling degree will reach its highest value of 74.799 degrees in 2016, then will start to gradually decline. Jiangsu province was chosen as our studied area because it is one of the selected pilot provinces for China's economic reform and social development. The analysis of the relationship between provincial water resource utilization and urbanization is essential to the understanding of the dynamic relationship between these two systems. It also serves as an important input for developing national policies for sustainable urbanization and water resource management.
Genetically modified organisms are increasingly used in the production of feed and food, which has met with opposition from consumers. The aim of the study was the use of molecular biology methods with particular emphasis on techniques of real-time PCR in the research in the detection and identification of genetically modified feed. The research materials were samples of feed taken from feed produced and used in animal nutrition in Poland in the years 20042015. The applied research methods included PCR and real-time PCR techniques, and consisted in the detection and determination of the DNA content of genetically modified plants. Cascade methods used in this study included the screening method of detection of GMOs, the method of identifying the type of GMO, and methods of quantitative analysis of GMO content. As part of the research task in the years 20042015 a total of 1435 samples of feed towards GMOs were examined. A positive result was found in 559 cases (39%). Most frequently the positive samples were found the presence of genetically modified soybeans (531, 37%). Moreover, within the years 20142015 an increase in the number of positive GM rape samples was observed (56, 4%). GM maize contained the least positive samples (38, 2.6%). GMO content above the legislative threshold 0.9% was found in the vast majority of samples containing GM soy, while for maize and rapeseed the number of samples containing more than 0.9% GMO was respectively 12 and 8. Analysis of the feed market in Poland indicates that the soybean plant is the most common genetically modified crop. Analysis of the origin of sources of GM rapeseed showed that the reasons for this should be sought in batches of rapeseed imported from third countries. It has been observed with regard to the situation of GM maize for the feed market in Poland that from 2013 the situation changed radically as a result of the Decree of the Ministry of Agriculture issued prohibiting the cultivation of MON810 maize on Polish fields. The result of our study showed that the proportion of genetically modified feed on the feed market in Poland is very similar to other EU countries. The source of GMOs in feed on the Polish market is feed materials imported into Poland as a source of feed protein.
The magnetic properties of ferromagnetic cores and the resistance of conductors are severely affected by the high operating temperatures in modern electrical machines. These temperature effects must be taken into account in the electrical machine design process to optimize their performance. In this work, we have proposed a simple material model to predict the change in the single-valued B-H relationship of non-oriented electrical steel with respect to the temperature. The temperature dependent power loss curves have also been measured and are fitted to a two term iron loss formula to compute the magnetic losses. The temperature dependent magnetic properties (B-H relationship and power loss formula) and the resistivity values of the conductors have then been incorporated into the Finite Element (FE) based computer simulations of a transformer core and an induction machine. The effects of temperature on different performance parameters, such as magnetic and copper losses and supply current have been studied.
Objective: There is increasing recognition that socio-cognitive skills, such as moral reasoning (MR), are affected in a wide range of developmental and neuropsychological conditions. However, the lack of appropriate measures available to neuropsychologists poses a challenge for the direct assessment of these skills. This study sought to explore age-related changes in MR using an innovative visual tool and examine the developmental sensitivity of the task. Method: To address some of the methodological limitations of traditional measures of MR, a novel, visual task, the Socio-Moral Reasoning Aptitude Level (So-Moral), was used to evaluate MR in 216 healthy participants aged 6-20years. Results: The findings show a linear increase in MR from childhood to late adolescence with significant group differences between childhood (6-8years) and preadolescence (9-11years), and between early adolescence (12-14years) and middle adolescence (15-17years). Conclusions: Interpreted in light of current brain development research, the results highlight age-related changes in MR that offer insight into typical MR development and opportunities for comparisons with clinical populations. The findings also provide evidence of the potential of the So-Moral as a developmentally appropriate measure of MR throughout childhood and adolescence.
Significant changes in satellite-detected net primary production (NPP, mgCm(-2)d(-1)) were observed in the Southern Ocean during 2011-2016: an increase in the Pacific sector and a decrease in the Atlantic sector. While no clear physical forcing was identified, we hypothesize that the changes in NPP were associated with changes in the phytoplankton community and reflected in the concomitant bio-optical properties. Satellite algorithms for chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a, mgm(-3)) use a combination of estimates of the remote sensing reflectance Rrs() that are statistically fitted to a global reference data set. In any particular region or point in space/time the estimate produced by the global mean algorithm can deviate from the true value. Reflectance anomaly (RA) is supposed to remove the first-order variability in Rrs() associated with Chl a and reveal bio-optical properties that are due to the composition of phytoplankton and associated materials. Time series of RA showed variability at multiple scales, including the life span of the sensor, multiyear and annual. Models of plankton functional types using estimated Chl a as input cannot be expected to correctly resolve regional and seasonal anomalies due to biases in the Chl a estimate that they are based on. While a statistical model using RA() time series can predict the times series of NPP with high accuracy (R-2=0.82) in both Pacific and Atlantic regions, the underlying mechanisms in terms of phytoplankton groups and the associated materials remain elusive.
Background: Quercetin is a well-known flavonoid, has pharmacokinetic interaction with ester drugs due to its capability of esterase inhibition in the gut and liver. However, the interaction between quercetin nanoparticles (NQC) and rivastigmine has not been reported. Hence, the present study was performed to evaluate the effect of quercetin alone and its nanoparticles on the pharmacokinetics of rivastigmine in rats. Methods: NQC prepared by antisolvent precipitation method. The influence of quercetin on the pharmacokinetics of rivastigmine was evaluated by following methods i.e. in vitro inhibitory effect on esterase enzyme in rat liver microsomes and in vitro assessment of CYP3A activity using erythromycin-N-demethylase (EMD) assay. To confirm these findings, an in vivo pharmacokinetic study of orally administered rivastigmine in rats with quercetin and NQC pretreatments was performed. Results: The size of NQC was observed below 300 nm. Quercetin significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the esterase-mediated metabolism of rivastigmine. In in vitro assessment of CYP3A activity model the erythromycin-N-demethylation (EMD) levels in quercetin treated group were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). Cmax, AUC(0-t) and AUC(0-1) of rivastigmine were found to be increased in quercetin and NQC pretreated groups. Further, the CL/F and Vd/F of rivastigmine were significantly decreased. Conclusions: The results revealed that enhanced bioavailability of rivastigmine might be caused by the combination of their effects due to CYP3A and esterase inhibition, Therefore, concomitant administration of NQC influences the bioavailability of rivastigmine and also has synergetic effect in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2016 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.
Aims Semisynthetic derivatives of the antimalarial drug artemisinin may also possess anticancer properties. The ability to detect artemisinin uptake and distribution in cells would facilitate live cell imaging without labelling. This study describes mid-range infrared absorption spectra for three artemisinin variants and attempts to detect their presence in a simple cell model (erythrocytes). Cytotoxicity assays assess potential anticancer properties against bladder cancer cells. Methods Mid-range Fourier transform infrared spectra were obtained from dry preparations of dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artesunate (ART) and artemether (ARTE). Erythrocytes were prepared from normal blood and incubated for 30min at 37 degrees C with the three artemisinin derivatives. Cytospin preparations were prepared on aluminium foil for spectroscopy. Potential for growth inhibition in the RT112 bladder carcinoma cell line was assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide residual viable biomass method. Results Spectra were obtained from the three native compounds. Repeat scans after 8weeks showed ART and ARTE to be stable, stored under manufacturer's recommendations. DHA exhibited marked changes over the same period. It was possible by subtraction to detect DHA in cytospins, but not ART or ARTE. The fit between the subtraction spectrum and that of the native compound was >80%. DHA and ART showed strong cytotoxic potential against RT112 cells. Conclusions The artemisinin derivatives tested exhibit unique mid-range infrared absorption spectra which can be used to monitor degradation and, for DHA, can be detected by subtraction in loaded erythrocytes rendering future imaging studies feasible. Its cytotoxic efficacy against RT112 cells suggests bladder cancer as a possible target disease.
This paper addresses the self-interference (SI) cancellation in a full-duplex radio transceiver. In particular, we focus on shared-antenna based full-duplex transceivers where the self-interference coupling channel is always frequency-selective and can also be strongly time-varying depending on the antenna matching characteristics and reflections from the surroundings. A novel digitally-controlled RF self-interference canceller structure is described, being able to process the signals in a frequency-selective manner as well as track adaptively the time-varying SI features, stemming from the fast digital control loop. A complete demonstrator board is developed, reported and measured, incorporating both the RF processing and the digital control processing. Comprehensive RF measurements are then also carried out and reported at 2.4GHz ISM band, evidencing more than 40dBs of active RF cancellation gain up to 80MHz instantaneous waveform bandwidths. Furthermore, real-time self-adaptive tracking features are successfully demonstrated.
Malaria is the most devastating parasitic disease of humans, caused by the unicellular protozoa of the Plasmodium genus, such as Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and is responsible for up to a million deaths each year. Pf life cycle is complex, with transmission of the parasite between humans via mosquitos involving a remarkable series of morphological transformations. In the bloodstream, the parasites undergo asexual multiplications inside the red blood cell (RBC), where they mature through the ring (R), trophozoite (T) and schizont (S) stages, and sexual development, resulting in gametocytes (G). All symptoms of malaria pathology are caused by the asexual blood stage parasites. Flow cytometry methods were previously used to detect malaria infected (i) RBCs, in live or fixed cells, using DNA (Hoechst) and RNA (Thiazole Orange) stains. Here, by using imaging flow cytometry, we developed improved methods of identifying and quantifying each of the four parasite blood stages (R, T, S and G). This technique allows multi-channel, high resolution imaging of individual parasites, as well as detailed morphological quantification of Pf-iRBCs cultures. Moreover, by measuring iRBC morphological properties, we can eliminate corrupted and extra cellular (dying) parasites from the analysis, providing accurate quantification and robust measurement of the parasitemia profile. This new method is a valuable tool in malaria molecular biology research and drug screen assays. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Groundwater of Wadi Nu'man (30 km southeast of Mecca city) of high radon-222 (Rn-222) content, emanated directly from the bed rock into the water reservoir, has been analyzed for lead-210 (Pb-210) and polonium-210 (Po-210), the comparatively long-lived Rn-222 progenies, to study the effect of the continuous Rn-222 emanation on the accumulation of both radionuclides in this water. Emanation of Rn-222 directly from rock to water may be affected seasonally by atmospheric temperature and pressure; therefore, Rn-222 and Rn-222 progenies were reanalyzed in seasonal samples of the same wells. The obtained results showed Pb-210 and Po-210 activity levels ranging from <6 to 29.9 and from 0.6 to 18.2 mBq/L, respectively, which was far below the recorded level of their parent radionuclide 222Rn (10.9-99.7Bq/L). The data have been discussed in detail.
Research into ambient assisted living (AAL) strives to ease the daily lives of people with disabilities or chronic medical conditions. AAL systems typically consist of multitudes of sensors and embedded devices, generating large amounts of medical and ambient data. However, these biomedical sensors lack the processing power to perform key monitoring and data-aggregation tasks, necessitating data transmission and computation at central locations. The focus here is on the development of a scalable and context-aware framework and easing the flow between data collection and data processing. The resource-constrained nature of typical wearable body sensors is factored into our proposed model, with cloud computing features utilized to provide a real-time assisted-living service. With the myriad of distributed AAL systems at play, each with unique requirements and eccentricities, the challenge lies in the need to service these disparate systems with a middleware layer that is both coherent and flexible. There is significant complexity in the management of sensor data and the derivation of contextual information, as well as in the monitoring of user activities and in locating appropriate situational services. The proposed CoCaMAAL model seeks to address such issues and implement a service-oriented architecture (SOA) for unified context generation. This is done by efficiently aggregating raw sensor data and the timely selection of appropriate services using a context management system (CMS). With a unified model that includes patients, devices, and computational servers in a single virtual community, AAL services are enhanced. We have prototyped the proposed model and implemented some case studies to demonstrate its effectiveness. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A large number of methods have been applied to evaluate genotoxic damage in different aquatic species. Comet assay, as a method for detecting DNA alterations, and micronucleus test, as an index of chromosomal damage are the most widely used and authentic methods in laboratory and field studies. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the genotoxic effects of heavy metals generated by toxic industrial effluents and various kinds of pollutants from urban and agricultural areas and domestic waste on Catla catla and Cirrhinus mrigala due to water pollution in the Chenab River, Pakistan. The heavy metals Cd, Cu, Mn. Zn, Pb, Cr, Sn, and Hg were detected by atomic absorption spectrophotometry from water samples collected from predetermined sampling sites. All the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals were found to exceed the upper limits recommended by various agencies. Comet assays showed significant (p < 0.05) DNA damage in C. mrigala compared to C. catla for tail length and olive tail moment from three different sites. Significant (p0.05) findings were observed between fish collected from farmed and non-polluted upstream waters. Micronucleus assays showed similar findings for single and double micronucleus induction in C. catla and C. mrigala. A significantly (p < 0.05) higher micronuclei induction and percent tail DNA was observed in C. mrigala specimen collected from the polluted site. These findings infer that DNA damage could be used as a biomarker of pollution load and its early monitoring by using simple and reliable techniques such as the comet and micronucleus assays, expedient methods for toxicity screening of aquatic environments. Regular monitoring is necessary to assess eco-health of the Chenab River by choosing perhaps C. mrigala, being a bottom feeder, as a bioindicator that could provide more reliable information to determine the status of the environmental quality of the river.
Eimeria maxima is one of the most pathogenic species of avian coccidia, yet it is unknown why different E. maxima strains differ in the pathogenic effects they cause in chickens. The purpose of this study was to determine if a more pathogenic E. maxima strain (APU1) was also more fecund than a less pathogenic E. maxima strain (APU2). At identical doses, E. maxima APU1 always produces greater intestinal lesions and lower weight gain compared to E. maxima APU2. Using a dose response study, median and mean intestinal lesion scores in E. maxima APU2-infected chickens were greater by a score of 1-1.5 compared to chickens infected with E. maxima APU2. Likewise, weight gain depression in E. maxima APU1-infected chickens was 20-25% greater (equivalent to 110-130 g body weight) than in E. maxima APU2-infected chickens. In order to understand the underlying cause of these observed clinical effects, 120 broiler chicks (5 oocyst levels, 6 replicates/level) were inoculated with various doses of E. maxima APU1 or APU2 oocysts. The dynamics of oocyst shedding was investigated by collecting fecal material every 12 h from 114 to 210 h post-inoculation (p.i.) and every 24 h thereafter from 210 to 306 h, and then processed for measuring E. maxima oocyst output. Oocysts were first observed at 138 h p.i., and time of peak oocyst production was nearly identical for both E. maxima APU1 and APU2 around 150-162 h. Total oocyst production was 1.1-2.6 fold higher at all dose levels for E. maxima APU1 compared to E. maxima APU2, being significantly higher (P <0.05) at the log 1.5 dose level. Other groups of chickens were infected with higher doses of E. maxima APU1 or APU2 oocysts, and intestinal lesions were assessed by histology at 72, 96, 120, and 144h p.i. Although schizonts, gamonts, and oocysts were observed at expected time-points, no obvious differences were noted in lesions induced by the two E. maxima strains. This study showed that the greater fecundity of E. maxima APU1 compared to E. maxima APU2 explains in part the observed differences in pathogenicity of the two E. maxima strains, but that other factors may contribute to differences in observed clinical effects.
Nonlinear similarity measures defined in kernel space, such as correntropy, can extract higher order statistics of data and offer potentially significant performance improvement over their linear counterparts especially in non Gaussian signal processing and machine learning. In this paper, we propose a new similarity measure in kernel space, called the kernel risk-sensitive loss (KRSL), and provide some important properties. We apply the KRSL to adaptive filtering and investigate the robustness, and then develop the MKRSL algorithm and analyze the mean square convergence performance. Compared with correntropy, the KRSL can offer a more efficient performance surface, thereby enabling a gradient-based method to achieve faster convergence speed and higher accuracy while still maintaining the robustness to outliers. Theoretical analysis results and superior performance of the new algorithm are confirmed by simulation.
The functional factors responsible for fluoride (F-)-bearing groundwater used for drinking as well as for cooking in the area of Gummanampadu Sub-basin, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India are discussed. The study area is a part of an Archean Gneissic Complex, consisting of banded-biotite-hornblende-gneisses, over which the Proterozoic Cumbhum quartzites, shales, phyllites, and dolomitic limestones occur. The chemistry of groundwater is dominated by carbonates (HCO3 (-) and CO3 (2-)) at a higher pH. This results in a higher total alkalinity over total hardness, causing an excess alkalinity. Sodium ion is dominated among the cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+). The concentration of F- (2.1-3.7 mg/L) is higher than that of desirable national limit (1.2 mg/L) prescribed for drinking purpose. A significant positive correlation exists between F- and pH as well as that between F- and HCO3 (-) + CO3 (2-). This indicates that the alkaline condition is the prime conducive factor for dissolving F--bearing minerals more effectively leading to a higher concentration of F- in the groundwater. Furthermore, a positive chloro-alkaline index reflects the ion exchange, and an oversaturation with respect to CaCO3 indicates the evaporation. In addition, a negative relation between the well depth and F- shows the effect of solubility and/or leaching of salts in different depth levels. These factors regulate the concentration of F- in the groundwater. On the other hand, a positive correlation of F- with SO4 (2-) as well as with K+ shows the human land use activities (namely, use of chemical fertilizers, disposal of domestic wastes, etc.), which add F- to the groundwater. A significant number of the residents of the study area suffer from the health disorders related to fluorosis, which is a consequence of higher concentration of F- in the drinking water. Thus, this study emphasizes the need for supply of safe drinking water, nutritional diet, rainwater-harvesting structures, and public education to realize health for all motto of World Health Organization.
Supervisory control that ensures deadlock-free and nonblocldng operation has been an active research area of manufacturing engineering. So far, most of deadlock control policies in the existing literature assume that allocated resources are reliable. Additionally, a large number of methods are for systems of simple sequential processes with resources (S(3)PRs), where a part uses only one copy of one resource at each processing step. In contrast, we investigate the automated manufacturing systems (AMSs) that can be modeled by a class of Petri nets, namely SPUR. SPUR is a generalization of the S'PR Petri net model, while S'PR is a superclass of (SPR)-P-3. This work addresses the robust supervision for deadlock avoidance in SPUR. Specifically, we take into account unreliable resources that may break down while working or being in idle, and the considered AMSs allow the use of multiple copies of different resources per operation stage. Our objective is to control the system so that: 1) when there are breakdowns, the system can continue producing parts of some types whose production does not need any failed resources; and 2) given the correction of all faults, it is possible to complete all the on-going part instances remaining in the system. We illustrate the characteristics of a desired supervisor through several examples, define the corresponding properties of robustness, and develop a control policy that satisfies such properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper we consider the problem of synthesis of equivalent circuits containing nonlinear electrical circuits, in general, any number of non-linear elements. The system of differential equations describing the linear non autonomous multi-pole after quasiequivalence transformations allows to synthesize an equivalent circuit of the multi-pole consisting of two-pole linear, nonlinear resistors, controlled voltage sources, etc. The question of replacing the series-connected voltage sources controlled by the operational amplifier, the implementation of linear and nonlinear two-pole resistors.
Due to its ability to eliminate the visual ambiguities in single-shot algorithms, video-based person re identification has received an increasing focus in computer vision. Visual ambiguities caused by variations in view angle, lighting, and occlusions make the re-identification problem extremely challenging. To overcome the ambiguities, most previous approaches often extract robust feature representations or learn a sophisticated feature transformation. However, most of these approaches ignore the effect of the impostors arising from annotation or tracking process. In this case, impostors are regarded as genuine and applied in training process, leading to the model drift problem. In order to reduce the risk of model drifting, we propose to automatically discover impostors in a multiple instance metric learning framework. Specifically, we propose a kNN based confidence score to evaluate how much an impostor invades the interested target and utilize it as a prior in the framework. In the meanwhile, we integrate an impostor rejection mechanism in the multiple instance metric learning framework to automatically discover impostors, and learn the semantical similarity metrics with the refined training set. Experiments show that the proposed system performs favorably against the state-of-the-art algorithms on two challenging datasets (iLIDS-VID and PRID 2011). We have improved the rank 1 recognition rate on iLIDS-VID and PRID 2011 dataset by 1.0% and 1.2%, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As a key component in Accelerator Driven System (ADS), the spallation target is exposed to high irradiation intensity radiation, and a larger amount of heat is deposited on it. Therefore, the cooling of the target is a challenging task in the target design. Integrated target module with a solid beam window, and cooled by reactor primary coolant is a good contender for ADS system. The numerical analysis of two target modules was performed by using finite element code to assess the target cooling capacity. It was found that with uniform inlet velocity, the geometry modification of the inlet could improve the heat transfer effectively. But with non-uniform inlet velocity, the geometry modification of the inlet had little effect on cooling capacity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recent research highlights that patient engagement, conceived as a patient's behavioral, cognitive and emotional commitment to his own care management, is a key issue while implementing new technologies in the healthcare process. Indeed, eHealth interventions may systematically fail when the patient's subjective experience has not been taken into consideration since the first steps of the technology design. In the present contribution, we argue that such an issue is more and more crucial as regarded to the field of Ambient Intelligence (AmI). Specifically, the exact concept of technologies embedded in the patients' surrounding environment implies a strong impact on their everyday life, which can be perceived as a limitation to autonomy and privacy, and therefore refused or even openly opposed by the final users. The present contribution tackles this issue directly, highlighting: (1) a theoretical framework to include patient engagement in the design of AmI technologies; (2) assessment measures for patient engagement while developing and testing the effectiveness of AmI prototypes for healthcare. Finally (3) this contribudon provides an overview of the main issues emerging while implementing Ami technologies and suggests specific design solutions to address them. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Plenoptic PIV offers a simple, single camera solution for volumetric velocity measurements of fluid flow. However, due to the novel manner in which the particle images are acquired and processed, few references exist to aid in determining the resolution limits of the measurements. This manuscript provides a framework for determining the spatial resolution of plenoptic PIV based on camera design and experimental parameters. This information can then be used to determine the smallest length scales of flows that are observable by plenoptic PIV, the dynamic range of plenoptic PIV, and the corresponding uncertainty in plenoptic PIV measurements. A simplified plenoptic camera is illustrated to provide the reader with a working knowledge of the method in which the light field is recorded. Then, operational considerations are addressed. This includes a derivation of the depth resolution in terms of the design parameters of the camera. Simulated volume reconstructions are presented to validate the derived limits. It is found that, while determining the lateral resolution is relatively straightforward, many factors affect the resolution along the optical axis. These factors are addressed and suggestions are proposed for improving performance.
This document describes the development of a methodology for analysis of the variables in the water sources particularly the river Bogota, in order to evaluate, test and predict the rate of water pollution, it is proposed raised the necessary aspects for processing data so that it can be extracted from the database that has the CAR. a review of some previous work and the importance of determining how they will be measured indices water quality as proposed in this work scope is done, the approach of the most important variables are to be considered for this research, according to procedures standard data analysis.
Image feature representation is a hot topic in the computer vision field. Inspired by Weber's law and local graph structure (LGS), we propose a novel image feature representation descriptor, called orthogonal symmetric local weber graph structure (OSLWGS). It contains two components: differential excitation pattern (DEP) and orthogonal symmetric LGS (OSLGS). In particular, DEP is extended by bringing difference of Gaussian (DoG), which can make OSLWGS robust to image noise. In addition, OSLGS can overcome some defects of LGS including non-symmetric and single horizontal structure problems. Furthermore, 2D OSLWGS histogram is generated by fusing DEP and OSLGS to improve the discriminative power and obtain more precise image description. And then, it is further encoded into 1D histogram and classified via sparse representation. Extensive experiments on FERET, CMUPIE, LFW, Yale B, simulated YALE partial occlusion, RawFooT and PhoTex databases validate the effectiveness of the proposed OSLWGS. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is an efficient and robust method compared with some state-of-the-art approaches. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The present study was designed to examine trajectories of personal identity coherence and confusion among Hispanic recent-immigrant adolescents, as well as the effects of these trajectories on psychosocial and risk-taking outcomes. Personal identity is extremely important in anchoring young immigrants during a time of acute cultural change. A sample of 302 recently immigrated (5 years or less in the United States at baseline) Hispanic adolescents (M-age = 14.51 years at baseline; SD = 0.88 years, range 14-17) from Miami and Los Angeles (47 % girls) completed measures of personal identity coherence and confusion at the first five waves of a six-wave longitudinal study; and reported on positive psychosocial functioning, depressive symptoms, and externalizing problems at baseline and at Time 6. Results indicated that identity coherence increased linearly across time, but that there were no significant changes in confusion over time and no individual differences in confusion trajectories. Higher baseline levels of, and improvements in, coherence predicted higher levels of self-esteem, optimism, and prosocial behavior at the final study timepoint. Higher baseline levels of confusion predicted lower self-esteem, greater depressive symptoms, more aggressive behavior, and more rule breaking at the final study timepoint. These results are discussed in terms of the importance of personal identity for Hispanic immigrant adolescents, and in terms of implications for intervention.
A series of novel benzo[d]oxazole derivatives (6a-n) have been synthesized and biologically evaluated as potential inhibitors of acetylcholinesterases (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The chemical structures of all final compounds were confirmed by spectroscopic methods. In vitro studies showed that most of the synthesized compounds are potent acetylcholinester ase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors. Among them, compounds 6a and 6j strongly inhibited AChE and BChE activities with IC50 values of 1.03-1.35 and 6.6-8.1 mu m, respectively. Docking studies also provided the binding modes of action and identified hydrophobic pi forces as the main interaction.
The aim was to assess the usefulness of spectral data to detect structural and physiological changes in Citrus crops tinder water and saline stress. Multispectral images were acquired from a fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) while concomitant measurements of gas exchange, plant water status, leaf structural traits and chlorophyll were taken in a commercial farm located in southeast Spain with two Citrus species, grapefruit and mandarin irrigated for eight years with saline reclaimed water (RW) combined with regulated deficit irrigation (RDI). Measurements at leaf scale and airborne flights were carried out twice a day, at 7 and 10 GMT. Irrigation with RW decreased gas exchange and leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) on grapefruit. However, salinity from RW resulted in an increase in pressure potential (gyp) on mandarin and allowed maintaining net photosynthesis (A) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) when vapour pressure deficit increased. On both crops, leaf total chlorophyll (ChlT) concentrations were significantly reduced by RW. Moreover, RDI decreased A, gs and stem water potential (psi s) on grapefruit, independently of water quality. Regarding spectral data, red wavelength (R) was significantly correlated with Chl T (p < 0.001), except when mandarin was subjected to stressful climatic conditions (at 10 GMT); since R was influenced, in addition to Chl T, by the plant water and gas exchange status. Near infrared (NIR) was a useful indicator of psi s, A and gs on both crops. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was clearly related to gas exchange in both species and to psi s only on mandarin. Finally, we combined data from both Citrus species and the best indicators were NIR and R. The novelty of this study was to show that diurnal changes in physiological and structural traits of Citrus irrigated with RW combined with RDI can be determined by multispectral images from UAVs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Novel information and communication technologies create possibilities to change the future of health care and support. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is seen as a promising alternative to the current care models so a number of researchers have developed AAL systems with promising results. The main goal of AAL solutions is to apply ambient intelligence technologies to enable people with specific needs to continue to live in their preferred environments. In this paper, we are presenting a general architecture of system for assisted living that supports most of the use cases for such system.
Carrier transport in GaAs-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) is investigated by means of an in-house multiphysics code, with particular emphasis on the description of many valley effects in the conduction band of AlGaAs barriers. These effects, which are revealed to have a significant impact on the overall VCSEL performance, are accounted for by an effective density of states obtained with a closed-form model. This description has been included in a simplified simulation framework, where most of the distributed Bragg reflector pairs are replaced by an equivalent homogeneous layer. This leads to a major reduction of the computational cost, especially important in view of the computer-aided design of 3D devices.
Depressive delusion is the key symptom of psychotic depression also known as major depressive disorder with psychotic features (ICD-10: F 32.3). Delusional topics are limited to guilt, impoverishment and hypochondria. Kurt Schneider described these as being the three primordial fears of human beings. Psychotic depression is distinguished by the particular severity and frequency of the episodes of illness as well as by increased suicidal tendencies. Although one in five patients with a major depression experiences psychotic symptoms, this condition is all too easily overlooked and the appropriate therapy is not initiated. Here we use case histories to illustrate some of the obstacles to diagnosis arising from the difficulty of identifying delusions hidden in a person's experience of depression, life history and personality. A targeted active exploration of these difficulties is significant taking into account the observable symptoms and not only the subjectively experienced symptoms. A phenomenological approach is chosen to explore the matter of depressive delusion and to investigate the interaction of delusion and affect and the special importance of anxiety for the genesis of delusion. In accordance with the current treatment recommendations and against this background, it is proposed that the pharmacological strategy should be supplemented by the use of benzodiazepines more often than has it has been in the past.
Cassava is marketed in fresh form, which requires manual peeling for later human consumption. Currently, there is a growing commercialization of peeled cassava, however the processing is done by hand. This article presents the study of the operation to remove the external shell and the inner shell of cassava, as well as others factors involved, necessary to build the knowledge base required for the conceptual definition of functional structure of a cassava peeling machine. This research is delimited to the early stages of the design of industrial products. The objective is to check whether there is a relationship between factors of influence in the operation of peeling and the functional structure of a cassava peeling machine. The methodology is based on a reference model for agricultural machinery development process, with a focus on activities pertaining to the phases of informational and conceptual design. The results establish that the analysis of the operation of peeling are determinants influencing factors for the complete definition of the functional structure. The global function to remove the external shell and inner shell of cassava consists in four partial functions that divide into thirteen elementary functions. Of these, ten functions are derived from the influence of the factors initially identified. Thus, it is possible to verify the existence of a relationship between the design influence factors and the functional structure of cassava peeling machine, demonstrating the dependence of the settings made in the informational design phase and the tasks established during the conceptual design phase.
Monitoring turbidity and Surface Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSSC) of inland waters is essential to address several important issues: erosion, sediment transport and deposition throughout watersheds, reservoir siltation, water pollution, human health risks, etc. This is especially important in regions with limited conventional monitoring capacities such as West Africa. In this study, we explore the use of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data (MODIS, MODO9Q1 and MYDO9Q1 products, red (R) and near infrared (NIR) bands) to monitor turbidity and SSSC for the Bagre Reservoir in Burkina Faso. High values of these parameters associated with high spatial and temporal variability potentially challenge the methodologies developed so far for less turbid waters. Field measurements (turbidity, SSSC, radiometry) are used to evaluate different radiometric indices. The NIR/R ratio is found to be the most suited to retrieve SSSC and turbidity for both in-situ spectoradiometer measurements and satellite reflectance from MODIS. The spatio temporal variability of MODIS NIR/R together with rainfall estimated by the Tropical Rainforest Measuring Mission (TRMM) and altimetry data from Jason-2 is analyzed over the Bagre Reservoir for the 2000-2015 period. It is found that rain events of the early rainy season (February-March) through mid-rainy season (August) are decisive in triggering turbidity increase. Sediment transport is observed in the reservoir from upstream to downstream between June and September. Furthermore, a significant increase of 19% in turbidity values is observed between 2000 and 2015, mainly for the July to December period. It is especially well marked for August, with the central and downstream areas showing the largest increase. The most probable hypothesis to explain this evolution is a change in land use, and particularly an increase in the amount of bare soils, which enhances particle transport by runoff. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This article is based on a qualitative study on diet education among student preschool teachers. The problem under discussion is: What does a student preschool teacher learn in his education about food, meals, and nutrition? The material used in the article comprises interviews with student preschool teachers at one university and one college in Norway. Preschool teacher education is a three years university college study with bachelor degree. The survey results show that student preschool teachers do not receive even the most element training, when it comes to food and meals, including nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, although education must prepare them for a job outside the kindergarten. Practical cooking was almost completely absent in their education, including hygiene. Most student preschool teachers did not know what fat they were to use in cooking. Food and senses, allergies, and food and culture were not discussed in their education. There was little correlation between the formal curricula in connection with food and meals and the training the preschool teacher students received in their education.
We propose a computational model for shape, illumination and albedo inference in a pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) camera. In contrast to TOF cameras based on phase modulation, our camera enables general exposure profiles. This results in added flexibility and requires novel computational approaches. To address this challenge we propose a generative probabilistic model that accurately relates latent imaging conditions to observed camera responses. While principled, realtime inference in the model turns out to be infeasible, and we propose to employ efficient non-parametric regression trees to approximate the model outputs. As a result we are able to provide, for each pixel, at video frame rate, estimates and uncertainty for depth, effective albedo, and ambient light intensity. These results we present are state-of-the-art in depth imaging. The flexibility of our approach allows us to easily enrich our generative model. We demonstrate this by extending the original single-path model to a two-path model, capable of describing some multipath effects. The new model is seamlessly integrated in the system at no additional computational cost. Our work also addresses the important question of optimal exposure design in pulsed TOF systems. Finally, for benchmark purposes and to obtain realistic empirical priors of multipath and insights into this phenomena, we propose a physically accurate simulation of multipath phenomena.
This study examined whether the grouping of people into meaningful social scenes (e.g., two people having a chat) impacts the basic perceptual analysis of each partaking individual. To explore this issue, we measured neural activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants sex-categorized congruent as well as incongruent person dyads (i.e., two people interacting in a plausible or implausible manner). Incongruent person dyads elicited enhanced neural processing in several high-level visual areas dedicated to face and body encoding and in the posterior middle temporal gyrus compared to congruent person dyads. Incongruent and congruent person scenes were also successfully differentiated by a linear multivariate pattern classifier in the right fusiform body area and the left extrastriate body area. Finally, increases in the person scenes' meaningfulness as judged by independent observers was accompanied by enhanced activity in the bilateral posterior insula. These findings demonstrate that the processing of person scenes goes beyond a mere stimulus-bound encoding of their partaking agents, suggesting that changes in relations between agents affect their representation in category-selective regions of the visual cortex and beyond. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process, whereby unwanted cytoplasmic contents are enclosed by the double-membrane autophagosomes and delivered to the lysosomes for degradation. It is responsible for the recycling of nutrients and cellular components, thus playing a pivotal role in maintaining cellular homeostasis as well as cell survival during stress conditions. Perturbations in autophagy are implicated in multiple diseases, such as cancers and neuro-degeneration diseases. Recent studies demonstrate that autophagy may participate in almost every step of immune responses, including pathogen recognition, antigen processing and presentation, immune cell development and function, and immunoregulation. The pathogenesis of some autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease, has been reported to be associated with dysregulated autophagy. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, potentially fatal autoimmune disease, characterized by dysregulation of immune cells and production of autoantibodies that cause widespread tissue and organ damage. The pathogenesis of SLE remains unclear. With several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in autophagy-related gene5 (ATG5) being linked to SLE susceptibility, more and more lines of evidence from animal model, cell biology, immunology, and genetics studies show that autophagy contributes to the occurrence, development, and severity of SLE. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The need to understand the control strategies utilized by humans in their everyday activity requires the measurement of several variables, which pertain to different aspects of the interaction with the environment. This work focuses on validation and uncertainty quantification of a sensor-fusion suite for the acquisition of biometric information that can be used for the estimation of the control strategy in a variety of everyday tasks. Specifically, the acquisition of biomechanical parameters such as those involving estimations of human ankle mechanical impedance is addressed. The sensor fusion suite that we devised consists of a centralized program that can synchronize and integrate the information coming from several transducers. In this work the system combines a set of two computer vision cameras. The cameras utilize a stereovision algorithm that transforms the markers acquired in Cartesian space with a model in the camera space. Furthermore, a biomechanical model of the human is integrated in the system for the reconstruction of the tracked movements in the joint space. The architecture of the systems allows for the integration of transducers beyond those implemented to date, including inertial measurement units, electromyography and pressure sensors. The system was able to capture the dynamics of an inverted pendulum on a cart mimicking human walking on a treadmill there the mechanical parameters of the ankles where estimated simulating a single stand phase.
The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that depression mediated the association between stressful life events and Internet addiction. The participants were randomly recruited from 5 vocational schools in Anhui Province, China and completed a succession of self-completed questionnaires including the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist, and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. A structural equation model was applied to examine the mediating role of depression in the association between stressful life events and Internet addiction. The frequency and severity of stressful life events was higher in the Internet addiction group than that in the average Internet use group. Participants in the Internet addiction group experienced more depression when compared to average Internet users. Significant and positive correlations between stressful life events, depression and Internet addiction were detected. The standardized path coefficients from life events to depression and from depression to Internet addiction were significant. The path from life events to internet addiction was also significant. The findings suggested that life events associated with Internet addiction both directly and indirectly, depression mediated the association between life events and Internet addiction. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Internet banking is one of many services provided by financial institutions that have become very popular with an increasing trend. Due to the increased amount of usage of the service, Internet banking has become a target from adversaries. One of the points that are at risk of an attack is the login process. Therefore, it is necessary to have a security mechanism that can reduce this risk. This research designs and develops a multi-factor authentication protocol, starting from a registration system, which generates authentication factors, to an actual authentication mechanism. These factors can be categorised into two groups: short term and long term. For the authentication protocol, only three messages need to be exchanged between a client and a financial institution's server. Many cryptographic processes are incorporated into the protocol, such as symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, a symmetric key generation process, a method for generating and verifying digital signatures. All of the authentication messages have been proved and analysed by the logic of GNY and the criteria of OWASP-AT-009. Even though there are additional factors of authentication, users do not really feel any extra load on their part, as shown by the satisfactory survey.
This prospective 12-week open-label trial evaluates the tolerability and efficacy of memantine hydrochloride for the treatment of core social and cognitive deficits in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Measures for assessment of therapeutic response included the Social Responsiveness Scale-Adult Research Version (SRS-A), disorder-specific Clinical Global Impression scales, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Adult Self-Report, Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy Scale, and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Eighteen adults (mean age, 28 +/- 9.5 years) with high-functioning ASD (SRS-A raw score, 99 +/- 17) were treated with memantine (mean dose, 19.7 +/- 1.2 mg/d; range, 15-20 mg), and 17 (94%) completed the trial. Treatment with memantine was associated with significant reduction on informant-rated (SRS-A, -28 +/- 25; P < 0.001) and clinician-rated (Clinical Global Impression-Improvement subscale <= 2, 83%) measures of autism severity. In addition, memantine treatment was associated with significant improvement in ADHD and anxiety symptom severity. Significant improvement was noted in nonverbal communication on the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy Scale test and in executive function per self-report (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Adult Self-Report Global Executive Composite, -6 +/- 8.8; P < 0.015) and neuropsychological assessments (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery). Memantine treatment was generally well tolerated and was not associated with any serious adverse events. Treatment with memantine appears to be beneficial for the treatment of ASD and associated psychopathology and cognitive dysfunction in intellectually capable adults. Future placebo-controlled trials are warranted.
In a context of increasing landscape modifications and climatic changes, scale hierarchy becomes an ever more crucial issue to integrate in the analysis of drivers and stressors of biological communities, especially in river networks. To cope with this issue, we developed (i) spatial hierarchical models of functional diversity of stream invertebrate communities to assess the relative influence of local-vs. regional-scale factors in structuring community assembly, and (ii) analysis of metacommunity elements to determine the ecological processes behind the structuring. The spatial structuring of benthic invertebrate cominunities was investigated over 568 sites in South-eastern France. Community structure was mainly driven by the altitudinal gradient and spring flow variation at broad scales, with functional diversity gradually decreasing with elevation and being maximized at intermediate levels of flow variability. According to the 'elements of metacommunity structure' analysis, the prevailing influence of the altitudinal gradient was also supported by a Clenientsian structuration of invertebrate communities. Conversely, the influence of observed climatic changes in temperature and rainfall was weak and observed only at fine scales. As a result, natural environmental filters were stronger drivers of the functional diversity of communities than human-induced stressors (e.g. water pollution and hydromorphological alterations). More broadly, our results suggest that management needs to embrace the possibilities of gathering high spatial and taxonomical resolution data when analysing and predicting flow variation and climate change effects in order to preserve and restore functionally diverse communities. Moreover, to develop environmental flow schemes or restoration and climate change adaptation strategies for freshwater communities, local and regional processes need to be addressed simultaneously; equally responsible as drivers of community diversity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Histamine is a biogenic amine, synthetized and released by mast cells, which acts as a vasodilator in several pathologic processes, namely in allergies and conjunctivitis. Its role on cancer is not fully understood. High levels of histamine have been associated with a bivalent behavior in regulation of several tumors (i.e. cervical, ovarian, vaginal, uterine, vulvar, colorectal cancer, and melanoma), promoting or inhibiting their growth. Histamine receptors (H1, H2, H3 and H4) are present in a vast group of cells, including tumor cells, making them sensitive to histamine variations. In this work, we review the role of mast cells and histamine on cancer development and the possibility of use antihistamines in the clinical management of this disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
The benefit of using stone columns in low strength soil has been proved as an efficient method to improve load-carrying characteristics of shallow footings. The stone column bearing capacity mainly depends on circumferential confinement providing by native soft soils. In this paper, some large body laboratory tests were performed on stone columns with diameters of 60, 80, and 100 mm and a length to diameter of 5. Both unreinforced and encased geotextile reinforced stone columns were tested. Vertical encased stone column (VESC) have been considered to investigate the effect of reinforcement on the footing load-carrying characteristics. The main objective of this research is to compare the effectiveness of vertical encapsulating of stone columns in the same conditions for various stone column diameters. In addition, tests on groups of stone columns with 60 mm diameter were carried out to investigate the effect of presence of neighboring columns on the reference loaded stone column. Results show that the stone column bearing capacity increases by using vertical reinforcing material. With increasing the length and strength of reinforcement in VESC, the stone column bearing capacity increases. In addition, the stress concentration ratio of columns also increases. Moreover, the lateral bulging decreases by using geotextiles. Numerical analysis based on finite element method (FEM) was also conducted to study scale effects on small stone columns tested and how to expand reinforcement effectiveness to large reinforced stone columns. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Beaver dams have significant impacts on the hydrology, temperature, biogeochemical processes, and geomorphology of streams and riparian areas. They have also been used as a viable tool in restoring impaired riverine systems. Because of the dynamic nature of beaver dams, these influences vary and are difficult to quantify. To begin understanding the impacts of beaver dams in mountain streams, we developed 1D hydraulic models for a beaver impacted reach that includes eight dams and a non-impacted reach to compare hydraulic responses (e.g. channel depth, width, and velocity distributions). We also compared observations of substrate size distributions for different geomorphic/habitat units within each reach. Results from the models indicated shifts in channel hydraulics through statistically significant increases in depths and widths as well as a decrease in flow velocities through the beaver impacted reach. These hydraulic adjustments, as a result of beaver dams, are consistent with observed changes in the increased variability and spatial heterogeneity in sediment size distributions. Through the application of three different modelling approaches, we found that a relatively low number of beaver dams would result in significant changes in channel hydraulics. These results provide preliminary information regarding the number of dams per unit stream length required to begin meeting various restoration goals.
The carbonylation is found as an irreversible post-translational modification and considered a biomarker of oxidative stress. It plays major role not only in orchestrating various biological processes but also associated with some diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. However, since the experimental technologies are costly and time-consuming to detect the carbonylation sites in proteins, an accurate computational method for predicting carbonylation sites is an urgent issue which can be useful for drug development. In this study, a novel computational tool termed predCar-Site has been developed to predict protein carbonylation sites by (1) incorporating the sequence-coupled information into the general pseudo amino acid composition, (2) balancing the effect of skewed training dataset by Different Error Costs method, and (3) constructing a predictor using support vector machine as classifier. This predCar-Site predictor achieves an average AUC (area under curve) score of 0.9959, 0.9999, 1, and 0.9997 in predicting the carbonylation sites of K, P, R, and T, respectively. All of the experimental results along with AUC are found from the average of 5 complete runs of the 10-fold cross validation and those results indicate significantly better performance than existing predictors. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Studies of the mTOR pathway have prompted speculation that diminished mTOR complex-1 (mTORC1) function may be involved in controlling the aging process. Our previous studies have shown diminished mTORC1 activity in tissues of three long-lived mutant mice: Snell dwarf mice, growth hormone receptor gene disrupted mice (GHRKO), and in this article, mice deficient in the pregnancy-associated protein-A (PAPPA-KO). The ways in which lower mTOR signals slow aging and age-related diseases are, however, not well characterized. Here, we show that Snell, GHKRO, and PAPPA-KO mice express high levels of two proteins involved in DNA repair, O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1). Furthermore, we report that lowering mTOR enhances MGMT and NDRG1 protein expression via post-transcriptional mechanisms. We show that the CCR4-NOT complex, a post-transcriptional regulator of gene expression, is downstream of the mTORC1 pathway and may be responsible for the upregulation of MGMT and NDRG1 in all three varieties of long-lived mice. Our data thus suggest a novel link between DNA repair and mTOR signaling via post-transcriptional regulation involving specific alteration in the CCR4-NOT complex, whose modulation could control multiple aspects of the aging process.
An electrical variable transmission (EVT) is an electromagnetic device with dual mechanical and electrical ports. In hybrid electric vehicles (HEV's) it is used to split the power to the wheels in a part coming from the combustion engine and a part exchanged with the battery. The most important feature is that the power splitting is done in an electromagnetic way. This has the advantage over mechanical power splitting devices of reduced maintenance, high efficiency and inherent overload protection. Depending on the operating point part of the power is transmitted in an electromagnetic way, while the rest is transmitted electrically using two back to back inverters. The power flow determines the power rating of the inverters, the cooling and the machine design. This paper gives an overview of the different operating points and the corresponding power flow.
This paper presents a new content-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image retrieval method to search out SAR image patches, which consists of two essential parts: an initial retrieval and later refined results. To obtain the proper initial retrievals, we develop a similarity measure named region-based fuzzy matching (RFM) to evaluate the similarities between SAR image patches. First, to reduce the negative influence of speckle noise, we segment the SAR image patches into brightness-texture regions at the superpixel level rather than the pixel level. Second, a multiscale edge detector is utilized to resolve the multiscale property of the SAR image patches, and then the edge regions of the SAR image patches are defined by those edge features. Third, to overcome the segmented uncertainty and the blurry boundaries, the obtained regions are described by fuzzy features. Finally, the RFM similarity between two SAR image patches is converted into the linear summation of the resemblance between different fuzzy feature sets. After we obtain the initial retrieval results, the multiple relevance feedback (MRF) scheme is proposed to refine the original ranked list. In this scheme, different relevance feedback approaches are carried out respectively, and then their results are fused to improve the initial retrieval. In addition, a new kernel function based on the RFM measure is developed for MRF. The encouraging experimental results counted on a manually constructed ground truth SAR image patch dataset demonstrate that our retrieval method is effective for SAR images compared with some existing approaches proposed in the remote sensing community
Vibrational comfort is one of the most important parameters evaluated by cyclists during bicycle riding. A method for measuring the saddle vibration transmissibility was developed with the aim of comparing the comfort properties of bicycle saddles without any influence of the full bicycle frame, using a quantitative approach. Three different bicycle saddles were mounted on a stiff seatpost clamped to the extremity of a vertical servohydraulic cylinder: saddles were loaded by a UNI 10814 standard wooden dummy bottom carrying deadweights. After applying a sinusoidal sweep of 0.6mm amplitude to the cylinder, from 1 to 100 Hz, with steps of 2.5 Hz, the application of two piezoelectric accelerometers allowed evaluating the magnitude of the transfer function H between the input acceleration at the cylinder shaft and the output acceleration at the dummy, in the range 1-100 Hz. The three curves of the transfer function magnitude were compared and analyzed in order to introduce a Vibrational Comfort Index and to rank the tested saddles from the engineering quantitative point of view. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Purpose of study: Elderly peoples' values and preferences for end-of-life care have not yet known in details. The aim of the present study was to investigate the end-of-life wishes and decision making among Japanese elderly people who required home care services. The study was designed to qualitative research strategies, using face to face interview data recorded in nursing care records, with a focus on advance care planning. Design and methods: A total of 102 elderly people (47 males, 55 females) of 6 home care support offices in Hyogo prefecture participated. Results and implications: We finally extracted the following 5 themes: anxiety about the future, abandonment of control, clinging to current daily life, precarious mutual support, delegating decision-making. While elderly people living at home generally feel anxious and fearful about the future, they seemed to try to avoid thinking too seriously about possible complications in their life. They also tend to leave end-of-life decision to someone else, and their decisions tend to change as they advance in age and as their condition deteriorates. Our findings suggest that medical professionals and care managers always support their patients' decisions, allowing for the views of the informal caregivers on whom elderly people rely for decision-making. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In previous studies investigating entrainment and person perception, synchronized movements were found to enhance memory for incidental person attributes. Although this effect is robust, including in dance, the process by which it is actuated are less well understood. In this study, two hypotheses are investigated: that enhanced memory for person attributes is the result of (1) increased gaze time between in-tempo dancers; and/or (2) greater attentional focus between in tempo dancers. To explore these possible mechanisms in the context of observing dance, an eye-tracking study was conducted in which subjects watched videos of pairs of laterally positioned dancers; only one of the dancers was synchronized with the music, the other being asynchronous. The results were consistent with the first hypothesis-music-dance synchrony gives rise to increased visual inspection times. In addition, there was a preference for upper-body fixations over lower-body fixations across both synchronous and asynchronous conditions. A subsequent, single-dancer eye-tracking study investigated fixations across different body regions, including head, torso, legs and feet. Significantly greater dwell times were recorded for head than torso and legs; feet attracted significantly less dwell time than any other body region. Lastly, the study sought to identify dance gestures responsible for torso- and head-directed fixations. Specifically we asked whether there are features in dance that are specially designed to direct an observer's gaze towards the face- the main communicative portal with respect to the transmission of intent, affect and empathy.
Advanced cladding materials with potentially enhanced accident tolerance will yield different light water reactor performance and safety characteristics than the present zirconium-based cladding alloys. These differences are due to cladding material properties, reactor physics, and thermal hydraulics characteristics. Differences in reactor physics are driven by the fundamental properties (e.g., neutron absorption cross section in iron for an iron-based cladding) and also by design modifications necessitated by the candidate cladding materials (e.g., a larger fuel pellet to compensate for parasitic absorption). This paper describes three-dimensional nodal kinetics simulations of a reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) in a representative pressurized water reactor with both iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) and silicon-carbide fiber silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite (SiC/SiC) materials. This study shows similar RIA neutronic behavior for SiC/SiC cladding configurations versus reference Zircaloy cladding. However, the FeCrAl cladding response indicates similar energy deposition but with shorter pulses of higher magnitude. This is due to the shorter neutron generation time of the core models based on FeCrAl cladding. The FeCrAl-based cases exhibit a more rapid fuel thermal expansion rate than other cases, and the resultant pellet-cladding interaction may occur more rapidly. The conclusions in this paper are based on a limited set of simulated super prompt RIA transients. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Social Interaction and the feeling of emotional closeness to beloved ones is mainly driven by the communication with each other. For patients suffering from a serious disease due to intense mood changes, it is difficult to keep regular contact with relatives. This affects the need for direct and verbal communication with relatives. To continue the participation in each others lives, we have developed a concept to share daily activities, current moods and presence information using a smart living room table. A first lab study with a prototype showed promising results with regard to expressiveness, joy of use, and usability.
Blood velocity measurements are important in physiological science and clinical diagnosis. Doppler ultrasound is the most commonly used method but can only measure one velocity component. Ultrasound imaging velocimetry (UIV) is a promising technique capable of measuring two velocity components; however, there is a limit on the maximum velocity that can be measured with conventional hardware which results from the way images are acquired by sweeping the ultrasound beam across the field of view. Interleaved UIV is an extension of UIV in which two image frames are acquired concurrently, allowing the effective interframe separation time to be reduced and therefore increasing the maximum velocity that can be measured. The sweeping of the ultrasound beam across the image results in a systematic error which must be corrected: in this work, we derived and implemented a new velocity correction method which accounts for acceleration of the scatterers. We then, for the first time, assessed the performance of interleaved UIV for measuring pulsatile arterial velocities by measuring flows in phantoms and in vivo and comparing the results with spectral Doppler ultrasound and transit-time flow probe data. The velocity and flow rate in the phantom agreed within 5-10% of peak velocity, and 2-9% of peak flow, respectively, and in vivo the velocity difference was 9% of peak velocity. The maximum velocity measured was 1.8 m s(-1), the highest velocity reported with UIV. This will allow flows in diseased arteries to be investigated and so has the potential to increase diagnostic accuracy and enable new vascular research.
The non-pathogenic Gram-positive soil bacterium Streptomyces davawensis synthesizes the riboflavin (vitamin B(2)) analogs roseoflavin (RoF) and 8-demethyl-8-amino-riboflavin (AF). Both compounds are antibiotics. Notably, a number of other riboflavin analogs are currently under investigation with regard to the development of novel antiinfectives. As a first step towards understanding the metabolism of riboflavin analogs in humans, the key enzymes flavokinase (EC 2.7.1.26) and FAD synthetase (EC 2.7.7.2) were studied. Human flavokinase efficiently converted RoF and AF to roseoflavin mononucleotide (RoFMN) and 8-demethyl-8-amino-riboflavin mononucleotide (AFMN), respectively. Human FAD synthetase accepted RoFMN but not AFMN as a substrate. Consequently, roseoflavin adenine dinucleotide (RoFAD) was synthesized by the latter enzyme but not 8-demethyl-8-amino-riboflavin adenine dinucleotide (AFAD). The cofactor analogs RoFMN, AFMN and RoFAD have different physicochemical properties as compared to FMN and FAD. Thus, the cofactor analogs have the potential to render flavoenzymes inactive, which may negatively affect human metabolism. RoF, but not AF, was found to inhibit human flavokinase. In summary, we suggest that AF has a lower toxic potential and may be better suited as a lead structure to develop antimicrobial compounds. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) is a species of conservation concern, especially in the northeastern portion of its range. They remain relatively common at Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA, where we studied their spatial ecology and habitat selection. We radio-tracked 17 adult snakes (10 F, 7 M) from May 2009 to November 2011, yielding 765 relocations. We conducted a use-availability analysis to investigate patterns of microhabitat selection using a subset of snake locations. We conducted a compositional analysis of habitat selection at multiple spatial scales within home ranges using a high-resolution (1-m pixel size) vegetation cover map of the study area. Snakes moved frequently and had large home ranges (x = 35.4 ha) relative to other snake species of similar body size but exhibited variation in home range size among individuals (1- 209 ha). Movements peaked at different times of year for each sex, and were most different between sexes in fall. In gravid females, movement was significantly greater in the 2-week post-oviposition period versus the 2-week pre-oviposition period. Estimates of home range and average daily movements (x = 30.1 m/day) were lower than estimates from other studies of eastern hognose snakes, possibly because of a greater density of resources at our study area. Probability of snake habitat use increased with grass and leaf litter and decreased with open soil. Compositional analysis revealed a strong avoidance of open dune areas. A comparison of edge density between use and random locations within home ranges revealed an apparent preference for edge habitat. We recommend that resource managers should limit recreational disturbance to and maintain the patchy mosaic of early successional vegetation with abundant edge to ensure the persistence of appropriate habitat for the species. We identified the timing of peak seasonal movements and recommend that this information be used to help prevent road mortality for this important population. (C) 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Propofol is a safe, well-tolerated anesthetic that is labeled as contraindicated in patients with egg or soy allergy. This contraindication has become increasingly problematic given the rising incidence of food allergy and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). To address this issue, we studied practice patterns of propofol use for esophagogastroduodenoscopies in children with EoE and food allergies at our institution. A retrospective observational study of 1365 esophagogastroduodenoscopies from January 2013 to June 2014 was performed. Data were analyzed using Student t tests, chi square tests, Fisher exact tests, and multivariable logistic regression. We found that propofol was used significantly less in patients with egg or soy allergy, and in patients with EoE, even after adjusting for the presence of food allergy. There was no difference in complication rates relative to propofol use. Propofol was used safely in pediatric patients with EoE and food allergy in this limited single-center review.
Inspired by the matrix-based methods used in feature extraction and selection, one matrix-pattern-oriented classification framework has been designed in our previous work and demonstrated to utilize one matrix pattern itself more effectively to improve the classification performance in practice. However, this matrix-based framework neglects the prior structural information of the whole input space that is made up of all the matrix patterns. This paper aims to overcome such flaw through taking advantage of one structure learning method named Alternative Robust Local Embedding (ARLE). As a result, a new regularization term R-gl is designed, expected to simultaneously represent the globality and the locality of the whole data domain, further boosting the existing matrix-based classification method. To our knowledge, it is the first trial to introduce both the globality and the locality of the whole data space into the matrixized classifier design. In order to validate the proposed approach, the designed Rgi is applied into the previous work matrix-pattern-oriented Ho-Kashyap classifier (MatMHKS) to construct a new globalized and localized MatMHKS named GLMatMHKS. The experimental results on a broad range of data validate that GLMatMHKS not only inherits the advantages of the matrixized learning, but also uses the prior structural information more reasonably to guide the classification machine design. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Guided by indirect evidence, recent approaches propose a tripartite crosstalk among interoceptive signaling, emotional regulation, and low-level social cognition. Here we examined the neurocognitive convergence of such domains. First, we performed three meta-analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to identify which areas are consistently coactivated by these three systems. Multi-level Kernel Density Analysis (MKDA) revealed major overlaps in the right anterior insular and frontotemporal regions (viz., the orbitofrontal and inferior frontal gyri, the amygdala, and mid temporal lobe/subcortical structures). Second, we explored such domains in patients with fronto-insulo-temporal damage. Relative to controls, the patients showed behavioral impairments of interoception, emotional processing, and social cognition, with preservation of other cognitive functions. Convergent results from both studies offer direct support for a model of insular-frontotemporal regions integrating interoception, emotion, and social cognition. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The corrosion behaviour of cenospheres metal matric syntactic foams of different compositions in 3.5 wt-% NaCl aqueous solution at similar to 25 degrees C was investigated. The electrochemical properties of the composites were assessed experimentally, employing potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. Appropriate equivalent electrical circuits were proposed. Results showed that the corrosion rate is higher for the metal matrix syntactic foams compared to pure sintered aluminium. As the volume fraction of cenospheres increases cenospheres fragments and the presence of reaction zones seems to have a greater effect on the corrosion behaviour of the composites compared to the presence of unintended porosity.
Sweetpotatoes are important food crops with high starch and high carotene content. However, studies concerning the molecular biology of these crops are limited. In this paper, we selected two varieties of sweetpotato (Zhengshu 20 and Luoxushu 8) for transcriptome analysis. De novo RNA sequencing of these sweetpotatoes (tuberous roots, stems and leaves) under field conditions was performed using an Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform with PE125. Approximately 34.4 G nucleotide bases were sequenced. Following assembly, 176,167 transcripts and 109,401 unigenes were identified. 41,729 (Nr), 21,004 (Nt), 12,524 (KO), 29,444 (SwissProt), 30,212 (PFAM), 31,304 (GO), and 14,349 (KOG) unigenes were functionally annotated using different databases, and a total of 47,749 annotated sequences were identified. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) analyses revealed 9549 SSR loci on the 8334 unigenes. The KEGG analysis uncovered 55 and 78 unigenes involved in the carotenoid and terpe-noid backbone biosynthesis pathways, respectively. Among these genes, 20 and 10 differentially expressed unigenes were observed in the Zhengshu 20 and Luoxushu 8, respectively. Eight differentially expressed unigenes were validated by qRT-PCR. Thus, we prepared and analyzed the transcriptome data of the two sweetpotato varieties, for which prior genomic information was limited. This new sequence information will improve the current knowledge in this important and healthy crop and provide valuable insight for further biological research. (C) 2017 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly heterogeneous developmental conditions characterized by deficits in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and obsessive/stereotyped patterns of behavior and repetitive movements. Social interaction impairments are the most characteristic deficits in ASD. There is also evidence of impoverished language and empathy, a profound inability to use standard nonverbal behaviors (eye contact, affective expression) to regulate social interactions with others, difficulties in showing empathy, failure to share enjoyment, interests and achievements with others, and a lack of social and emotional reciprocity. In developed countries, it is now reported that 1%-1.5% of children have ASD, and in the US 2015 CDC reports that approximately one in 45 children suffer from ASD. Despite the intense research focus on ASD in the last decade, the underlying etiology remains unknown. Genetic research involving twins and family studies strongly supports a significant contribution of environmental factors in addition to genetic factors in ASD etiology. A comprehensive literature search has implicated several environmental factors associated with the development of ASD. These include pesticides, phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls, solvents, air pollutants, fragrances, glyphosate and heavy metals, especially aluminum used in vaccines as adjuvant. Importantly, the majority of these toxicants are some of the most common ingredients in cosmetics and herbicides to which almost all of us are regularly exposed to in the form of fragrances, face makeup, cologne, air fresheners, food flavors, detergents, insecticides and herbicides. In this review we describe various scientific data to show the role of environmental factors in ASD. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
It may be important to know when our impressions of someone differ from how that person sees him/herself and how others see that same person. We investigated whether people are aware of how their friends see themselves (knowledge of identity) and are seen by others (knowledge of reputation). Previous research indicates that, for physical attractiveness, romantic partners do have such knowledge of others' perceptions, but it is unknown whether people in platonic relationships also detect such discrepancies between their own perceptions and others'. We examined this phenomenon for a new set of characteristics: the Big Five personality traits. Our primary research questions pertained to identity accuracy and reputation accuracy (i. e., knowledge of a target's self-views and how others view the target, respectively) and identity insight and reputation insight (i. e., identity accuracy and reputation accuracy that cannot be accounted for by a potential artifact: perceivers assuming that others share their own views of targets). However, after a series of preliminary tests, we did not examine reputation insight, as several necessary conditions were not met, indicating that any effects would likely be spurious. We did find that perceivers can accurately infer a target's identity and reputation on global personality traits (identity and reputation accuracy), and that perceivers can sometimes accurately distinguish between their own perceptions of targets and targets' self-views, but not others' views of targets (i. e., identity, but not reputation, insight). Finally, we explored boundary conditions for knowledge of others' perceptions and whether knowledge of identity is correlated with knowledge of reputation.
We consider the problem of allocating the cost of a transmission system among load and generator entities. It is a known instance of the classical cooperative game theoretic problem. To solve this problem is a formidable task, as we are dealing with a combinatorial game with transferable utilities. This is an NP hard problem. Therefore, it suffers from the curse of dimensionality. Marginal pricing is a pragmatic alternative to solve this problem since both Kirchhoff current law and voltage law are strictly adhered to. However, the generic complexity of cooperative game theoretic problems cannot be just wished away. It now manifests as the difficulty in choosing an economic slack bus, which may even be dispersed. We propose the application of min-max fairness policy to solve this problem and give an algorithm which will run in polynomial time. During network cost allocation, min-max fairness policy minimizes the maximum regret among participating entities at each step. Maximum regret is measured in terms of price, and lexicographic application of this principle leads to a fair and unique equilibrium price vector. Results on a large network demonstrate fairness as well as tractability of the proposed approach.
Objective: In patients with cerebral palsy (CP), psychological problems influence their participation in society. Little is known about the persistence of behavioral and social problems into adulthood. Materials and methods: In a two-center cross-sectional study, caregivers of 121 adults and 88 children were ask to assess behavior of the patients through the parent/caregiver forms of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II (VABS). Questionnaires were returned from 43 adults and 39 children. Results: In both groups we found the same frequency of abnormalities in attention problems (32.4 vs. 36.1%, p = 0.826) and social interaction problems (32.3 vs. 33.3%; p = 0.926) in the CBCL, and peer problems (38.9 vs. 75.7%; p = 0.115) in the SDQ. Children show a lower percentage of abnormal prosocial behavior (41.7 vs. 16.2%, p = 0.016) and lower abnormal rates of communication (88.2 vs. 61.5; p = 0.01) and daily living skills (90.0 vs. 71.8; p = 0.041), whereas the level of abnormalities in both groups in these dimensions of VABS notably high. Conclusion: The persistence of psychological and social problems from childhood into adulthood underlines the importance of focusing on early intervention. (C) 2015 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Most of the well-known supervised dimensionality reduction methods assume unimodal or Gaussian like-lihoods, which may not be appropriate in the real life applications. In this manuscript, we introduce a novel supervised dimensionality reduction approach, moments discriminant analysis, which models linear relationships between the high-dimensional input space and a low-dimensional space by maximizing the discrimination between second order raw moments of different classes to improve the generalization capability of a classifier. Unlike the state-of-the-art methods, moments discriminant analysis is intended to accommodate data distributions that may be multimodal and non-Gaussian. Initially, experiments using synthetic random data (generated from different probability distributions) are performed to prove the efficiency of the proposed method for multimodal and non-Gaussian data with the help of five separability measures. Also, extensive experimental results on UCI machine learning repository and image retrieval on WANG and MIT (Oliva and Torralba) databases are carried out in order to exhibit the effectiveness of moments discriminant analysis over the state-of-the-art methods.
Municipal wastewater reuse has been an important way to enhance water pollution control and water conservation in China. However, many pollutants, such as N, P, chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), are contained in the reclaimed water that can pollute the groundwater environment around rivers and lakes supplied with reclaimed water. Therefore, an environmentally friendly method to control infiltration and purification is quite necessary. Original sediment is one potential option. Therefore, in this study, the effects of sediment thickness at 5, 10, and 20 cm were studied for water infiltration and purification processes in riverbed media. The results indicate that the infiltration efficiency of the riverbed media was reduced when the sediment formed gradually and reached an appreciable level. The thickness was kept at 5-20 cm, and the ranges of the removal efficiencies for BOD5, CODCr, ammonium-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were 47.7-69.0, 49.9-62.7, 90.6-92.5, 30.5-45.8, 42.7-63.1, and 62.2-77.9%, respectively, by a sediment and soil pillar of riverbed media. The removal efficiencies increased by increasing the sediment thickness, and the final infiltration rates were over 10(-4) cm/s. The riverbed infiltration remained steady even when thickness was beyond 20 cm, and the purification effect was obvious. The ammonium-nitrogen removal efficiency of the riverbed filtration system did not appear to have an unlimited increase with the increase in sediment thickness. Generally, the existence of a nitrification and denitrification interface was located in the sedimentary layer, and it remained anaerobic at the bottom over a 10-cm thickness. Because ammonium-nitrogen was involved in nitrification, the nitrate-nitrogen concentration of the percolate tended to increase at the beginning of experiments. As the adsorption and nitrification took place, over 90% of ammonium-nitrogen was removed in the riverbed infiltration system through attachment to sediments. The experimental results could be used as references in river regulation.
Although key differences have been found in boys' and girls' prosocial behavior toward peers, few studies have systematically examined gender differences in how intrinsic perspective-taking abilities theory of mind (ToM) and emotion understanding (EU) and the extrinsic peer environment relate to prosocial behavior. In this prospective longitudinal study, we studied gender differences in the relations between children's observed prosocial behavior and their ToM, EU, and social preference ratings in 114 children (58 boys and 56 girls). We used conventional ToM and EU tasks at 5 and 7 years of age. Observed prosocial behavior in triadic peer interactions was assessed at both time points. Controlling for gender, age, verbal ability, and earlier prosocial behavior, ToM at 5 years was found to predict prosocial behavior at 7 years. Results also revealed gender-differentiated associations at 7 years, whereby only girls' prosocial behavior was positively associated with EU. Results are discussed in terms of gender-differentiated patterns of socialization. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Hyperspectral image superresolution is a highly attractive topic in computer vision and has attracted many researchers' attention. However, nearly all the existing methods assume that multiple observations of the same scene are required with the observed low-resolution hyperspectral image. This limits the application of superresolution. In this paper, we propose a new framework to enhance the resolution of hyperspectral images by exploiting the knowledge from natural images: The relationship between low/high-resolution images is the same as that between low/high-resolution hyperspectral images. In the proposed framework, the mapping between low-and high-resolution images can be learned by deep convolutional neural network and be transferred to hyperspectral image by borrowing the idea of transfer learning. In addition, to study the spectral characteristic between low-and high-resolution hyperspectral image, collaborative nonnegative matrix factorization (CNMF) is proposed to enforce collaborations between the low-and high-resolution hyperspectral images, which encourages the estimated solution to extract the same endmembers with low-resolution hyperspectral image. The experimental results on ground based and remote sensing data suggest that the proposed method achieves comparable performance without requiring any auxiliary images of the same scene.
We construct team-optimal estimation algorithms over distributed networks for state estimation in the finite-horizon mean-square error (MSE) sense. Here, we have a distributed collection of agents with processing and cooperation capabilities. These agents observe noisy samples of a desired state through a linear model and seek to learn this state by interacting with each other. Although this problem has attracted significant attention and been studied extensively in fields including machine learning and signal processing, all the well-known strategies do not achieve team-optimal learning performance in the finite-horizon MSE sense. To this end, we formulate the finite-horizon distributed minimum MSE (MMSE) when there is no restriction on the size of the disclosed information, i.e., oracle performance, over an arbitrary network topology. Subsequently, we show that exchange of local estimates is sufficient to achieve the oracle performance only over certain network topologies. By inspecting these network structures, we propose recursive algorithms achieving the oracle performance through the disclosure of local estimates. For practical implementations we also provide approaches to reduce the complexity of the algorithms through the time-windowing of the observations. Finally, in the numerical examples, we demonstrate the superior performance of the introduced algorithms in the finite-horizon MSE sense due to optimal estimation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a cytokine found highly upregulated in the brain in different disorders characterized by overt neuroinflammation such as neurodegenerative diseases, drug addiction, traumatic injury, and ischemia. In the present work, we have explored whether PTN modulates neuroinflammation and if Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), crucial in the initiation of an immune response, is involved. Methods: In immunohistochemistry assays, we studied lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 7.5 mg/kg i.p.)-induced changes in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, astrocyte marker) and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1, microglia marker) expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum of mice with transgenic PTN overexpression in the brain (PTN-Tg) and in wild-type (WT) mice. Cytokine protein levels were assessed in the PFC by X-MAP technology. The influence of TLR4 signaling in LPS effects in both genotypes was assessed by pretreatment with the TLR4 antagonist (TAK-242, 3.0 mg/kg i.p.). Murine BV2 microglial cells were treated with PTN (0.5 mu g/ml) and LPS (1.0 mu g/ml) and assessed for the release of nitric oxide (NO). Results: We found that LPS-induced microglial activation is significantly increased in the PFC of PTN-Tg mice compared to that of WT mice. The levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and MCP-1 in response to LPS were significantly increased in the PFC of PTN-Tg mice compared to that of WT mice. Pretreatment with TAK-242 efficiently blocked increases in cytokine contents in a similar manner in both genotypes. Concomitant incubation of BV2 cells with LPS and PTN significantly potentiated the production of NO compared to cells only treated with LPS. Conclusions: Our findings identify for the first time that PTN is a novel and potent regulator of neuroinflammation. Pleiotrophin potentiates LPS-stimulated microglia activation. Our results suggest that regulation of the PTN signaling pathways may constitute new therapeutic opportunities particularly in those neurological disorders characterized by increased PTN cerebral levels and neuroinflammation.
The ultra-saturation phenomenon is one of the transient phenomena that may lead to the false trip of the power transformer differential protection during the energization of a loaded power transformer. This paper presents, at first, a model of a loaded three-phase power transformer by using and combining magnetic and electrical circuits and then, a new algorithm is presented to control the unusual false trip of three-phase power transformer differential protection due to ultra-saturation phenomenon based on Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Clarke's Transform. In this algorithm, the transient phenomena of three-phase power transformer including the magnetic inrush current, the ultra-saturation phenomenon, and the external and internal faults of power transformer are simulated. To distinguish between these phenomena, appropriate criteria using Clarke's Transform and DWT by the use of energy coefficients and standard deviation of coefficients are presented. Also, to model the ultra-saturation phenomenon, the nonlinear characteristic of the magnetic core and the effect of the saturation of the current transformers are taken into account. It is assumed that the load of the transformer is a resistive and an inductive load. The results show that the control of the ultra-saturation phenomenon is necessary for preventing the false trip of the differential protection. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Do therapists and potential clients similarly evaluate offices of practicing clinicians? Furnishings in a therapist's office can create a welcoming environment, yet little research examines perceptions of such furnishings, leading to the focus of this research. In a previous study with 30 color photographs of psychotherapists' offices, students favored clinical settings that were soft, personalized, and orderly (Nasar & Devlin, 2011). Using the same 30 photographs, the present studies had 32 licensed psychotherapists evaluate the quality of care, comfort in the setting, and therapist qualities they expected clients to experience in each office. The judgments that therapists thought clients would make had high correlations with the earlier judgments of students; each group's composite evaluation improved significantly as the office became softer and more orderly. This brief report concludes by recommending the features likely to create a welcoming therapeutic office.
Substitution Box (S-Box) is one of the most significant structures used to create an encryption which is strong and resistant against attacks in block encryption algorithms. S-Box plays an important role in data encryption. This paper presents a novel S-Box generation algorithm design based on scaled Zhongtang chaotic system. In this study, a new random number generator which uses the new scaled Zhongtang chaotic system with very complicated and interesting dynamic features is designed; also, a new effective and strong S-Box design algorithm utilizing this RNG (random number generator) is developed. Bits generated by RNG are put to NIST tests and they passed all the NIST tests. Non-linearity, bit independence criteria, strict avalanche criteria, differential approximation probability performance tests are run on the proposed S-Box produced by new S-Box design algorithm. The proposed S-Box is compared with other studies available in the literature, and it is proved stronger and more effective.
This study focuses on evolving an integrated water management plan (IWMP) for Shimla City (erstwhile summer capital of British India). Presently it is the state capital of Himachal Pradesh. Total water demand (2014) is 58.46 million litres per day (MLD) against system capacity of 54.54 MLD. The present deficit of 3.92 MLD (2014) may amplify to 59.01 MLD in 2051. Resource assessment in the related watersheds namely, Ashwani, Nauti, Giri and Pabbar accomplished using remote sensing techniques and geographic information system (GIS) based Arc-SWAT hydrological model. Average annual precipitation in all watersheds for 26 years (1984-2010) is about 1,005 mm, out of which about 34% flows as runoff, 8% as groundwater and about 58% as evapotranspiration. Being ungauged watersheds, water balance equation considered as the validation criteria, coefficient of correlation 'R' between observed rainfall and simulated runoff varies from 0.94-0.96. Results further validated through actual measurement of inflow in lean period in one of the major sources, i.e. Giri River, which has shown very good correlation (R = 0.95) between simulated and observed stream flow. The study establishes that existing sources are not sustainable. IWMP suggests, source augmentation coupled with rainwater harvesting and reuse of wastewater as long-term strategic measures.
The high-power grid-connected inverters with LCL filters have been widely used. Current control plays a key role in the grid-connected inverter control system. To cope with the inherent resonance of the LCL filter, active damping (AD) methods are usually employed. However, the AD performance is impaired by control delays which are introduced in the digital control implementation process. Besides, the lag phase due to control delays limits the system bandwidth and stability margin. The effects of control delays are more noteworthy in the high-power grid-connected inverter due to its low switching frequency. This paper investigates the current control strategy based on multisampling for the high-power grid-connected inverter with the LCL filter. First, the multisampled AD scheme is studied, which can reduce control delays effectively and improve AD performance. Besides, the multisampled control without additional damping whether passive or active is researched. Through the inverter-side current feedback, the system can realize single-current-loop control based on multisampling. Thus, the control system is simplified and it can be stable, and achieve better dynamic performance. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed control schemes are effective.
The electrification of sectors such as heating and transportation represents a challenge as well as an opportunity for distribution system operators. On the one hand, they are committed to accommodate large numbers of highly rated loads in networks for which it was not designed. On the other hand, some of those represent a source of flexibility that can be used to satisfy different technical and commercial purposes. This paper introduces an upgraded hierarchical structure that aims to serve as a platform for activating and controlling the demand response in low voltage (LV) networks. In this way, a system operator playing a role of an aggregator not only could trade flexible demand in the power markets, but also materialize its energy agreements while ensuring the local network security and reliability. To verify the effectiveness of this extended method, a Danish LV network is considered. The results show that it is possible to fulfill energy commitments in energy markets such as the regulation power market while respecting the proper network operation. However, the activation of the flexibility offered might be limited depending on the network characteristics and the season of the year.
Silver has been known for centuries to be a powerful disinfectant, with no known harmful effects to humans if applied in adequate doses. Although its use was partially discontinued with the advent of chlorination and modern antibiotics, the discovery of bacterial resistance and disinfection by-products has enabled its re-emergence as a viable water purification option. On the other hand, implementation in small-scale rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems has received little attention, possibly due to a general perception that it is a complex and/or expensive technology. This can be overcome by efficient designs that dose silver ions into the water at a minimal cost. The authors evaluated a dozen RWH systems equipped with silver releasing devices, which have been providing drinking water to schools and clinics in a rural area of Mexico. This paper represents a follow-up to a previously published study on an evaluation performed in the same region. A number of water quality parameters have been analysed, examining the long-term efficiency of the projects. Our observations show that the silver ion devices act as an effective disinfection mechanism, as long as adequate maintenance is provided. The combination with conventional settling tanks and filtration units seems to greatly enhance the overall performance of the system.
Fluorescence spectroscopy is widely used to study water pollution. The fluorescence of water natural organic matter can be classified into two groups: the protein-like fluorescence originating from aromatic amino acids and the humic fluorescence originating from humic substances. Actually, the precise molecular origin of the protein-like fluorescence is unknown because this fluorescence may be caused by either free amino acids, peptides or proteins. Therefore, we studied the molecular origin of the protein-like fluorescence of Suwannee River natural organic matter and fractions A, B and C + D obtained by size exclusion chromatography/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Fractions were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The electrophoretic mobilities of fractions varied in the order C + D >B >A and the molecular size in the opposite order. Our results show that the protein-like fluorescence is almost exclusively located in high molecular size fraction A and medium molecular size fraction B. Retention times and fluorescence emission spectra of authentic free aromatic amino acids tyrosine and tryptophan were identical with the retention times and emission spectra of several chromatographic peaks of fractions A and B. More than 50 % of the protein-like fluorescence is due to free aromatic amino acids incorporated in water natural organic matter.
The Wendelstein 7-X modular advanced stellarator is in the commissioning phase at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany. The focus of the numerical analysis has been shifted from support of the machine design and assembly towards preparation of commissioning steps, assessment of possible field disturbances under operational loads, and exploration of operational limits. The paper emphasizes on the development, evolution and realization of new analysis strategies, as well as on implemented numerical approaches for electromagnetic, thermal and structural analyses. Remarkable results of first comparisons with measurements from the extended mechanical instrumentation system obtained during evacuation and flooding of the cryostat, the first cool-down of the magnet system and also during first part of the superconducting coil groups commissioning are presented in detail. Finally, some lessons learned during the transition phase are highlighted which might be relevant for other large fusion machines.
Coral reefs provide important ecological services such as biodiversity, climate regulation, and cultural benefits through recreation and tourism. However, many of the world's reefs are declining, with Caribbean reefs suffering a significant decline in living corals over the past half century. This situation emphasizes the need to assess and monitor reef conditions using a variety of methods. In this study, a new method for assessing reef conditions to inform management using participatory mapping by coral reef experts in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is described. Occupational SCUBA divers were recruited (n=87) to map coral reef conditions, uses, and threats (stressors) using an internet-based mapping website. The data reveal an uneven geographic distribution of reef conditions in the USVI with the most frequently mapped perceived healthy reef characteristics being: large amount of physical reef structure (n=872 markers); endangered or threatened species present (n=721); and large amount of live coral cover (n=615). The greatest perceived threats were: invasive species (n=606); water pollution (n=234); and unsustainable fishing (n=200). Areas of important reef characteristics, perceived threats to reefs, and perceived recovery potential were plotted to identify areas requiring critical management attention. The authors found that perceptions of healthy reef conditions outnumbered perceptions of reef threats for nine of the ten most familiar coral reefs; the most frequent activity type within the coral reefs was tourism diving; and for the most familiar coral reefs, the divers perceived a high recovery potential. Given the novelty of participatory mapping methods to assess coral reefs, the strengths and weaknesses of the method is evaluated. The authors further propose a management typology for categorizing reef areas to inform their future management. In the absence of primary data, or, as a supplement to underwater surveys and remotely-sensed data on reef condition, participatory mapping can provide a cost-effective means for assessing coral reef conditions while identifying place-specific reef locations requiring management attention.
Wood is a renewable, abundant bio-energy and environment friendly resource. Woody biomass Moisture Content (MC) is a key parameter for controlling the biofuel product qualities and properties. In this paper, we are interested in predicting MC from data. The input impedance of half-wave dipole antenna when buried in the wood pile varies according to the permittivity of wood. Hence, the measurement of reflection coefficient, that gives information about the input impedance, depends directly on the MC of wood. The relationship between the reflection coefficient measurements and the MC is studied. Based upon this relationship, MC predictive models that use machine learning techniques and feature selection methods are proposed. Numerical experiments using real world data show the relevance of the proposed approach that requires a limited computational power. Therefore, a real-time implementation for industrial processes is feasible. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The future world of micro and nano dimensions is leading to the generation of a whole new range of products, particularly engineered medical and healthcare diagnostics, industrial, optical telecommunications aerospace applications and textiles. Many current manufacturing processes are based on lithographic techniques that have traditionally driven silicon micro IC production but the new drive is for low cost, high precision products with greater functionality based on non-silicon materials such as polymers, ceramics, glass and metals. Machining micro and nano structures in non-silicon materials requires new process technologies and these are being developed at new facilities at the Manufacturing Engineering Centre at Cardiff University. Known as MicroBridge, the facilities provide an open access micro and nano engineering and manufacturing service to UK industry. This provides a suite of equipment and facilities based on a focused ion beam milling machine, a picosecond laser ablation system and nano imprinting lithograph and which complement an already established range of micro machining equipment.
This work describes a mentorship experience. Mentorship of novice teachers by experienced teachers is an important aspect in training teachers for universities. The strategy followed in this work consisted of a double improvement cycle (or clinical supervision cycle), based on the use of recordings of classes. Each of these cycles included planning, recording, viewing and analysis. Conclusions were reached in a final meeting after video analysis. In order to systematize the viewing, analysis and assessment of the videos, an observation test was employed. Class planning, contents, methodology, and verbal and nonverbal communication skills were evaluated using the test.
We present a new mathematical theory explaining the fluid mechanics of subsonic flight, which is fundamentally different from the existing boundary layer-circulation theory by Prandtl-Kutta-Zhukovsky formed 100 year ago. The new theory is based on our new resolution of d'Alembert's paradox showing that slightly viscous bluff body flow can be viewed as zero-drag/lift potential flow modified by 3d rotational slip separation arising from a specific separation instability of potential flow, into turbulent flow with nonzero drag/lift. For a wing this separation mechanism maintains the large lift of potential flow generated at the leading edge at the price of small drag, resulting in a lift to drag quotient of size 15-20 for a small propeller plane at cruising speed with Reynolds number Re approximate to 10(7) and a jumbojet at take-off and landing with Re approximate to 10(8), which allows flight at affordable power. The new mathematical theory is supported by computed turbulent solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations with a slip boundary condition as a model of observed small skin friction of a turbulent boundary layer always arising for Re >10(6), in close accordance with experimental observations over the entire range of angle of attacks including stall using a few millions of mesh points for a full wing-body configuration.
The digital low dropout regulator (D-LDO) has drawn significant attention recently for its low-voltage operation and process scalability. However, the tradeoff between current efficiency and transient response speed has limited its applications. In this brief, a coarse-fine-tuning technique with burst-mode operation is proposed to the D-LDO. Once the voltage undershoot/overshoot is detected, the coarse tuning quickly finds out the coarse control word in which the load current should be located, with large power MOS strength and high sampling frequency for a fixed time. Then, the fine-tuning, with reduced power MOS strength and sampling frequency, regulates the D-LDO to the desired output voltage and takes over the steady-state operation for high accuracy and current efficiency. The proposed D-LDO is verified in a 65-nm CMOS process with a 0.01-mm(2) active area. The measured voltage undershoot and overshoot are 55 and 47 mV, respectively, with load steps of 2 to 100 mA with a 20-ns edge time. The quiescent current is 82 mu A, with a 0.43-ps figure of merit achieved. Moreover, the reference tracking speed is 1.5 V/mu s.
Objective: This exploratory study provided a proof of concept of a new procedure using multivariate electroencephalographic (EEG) topographic markers of cortical connectivity to discriminate normal elderly (Nold) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) individuals. Method: The new procedure was tested on an existing database formed by resting state eyes-closed EEG data (19 exploring electrodes of 10-20 system referenced to linked-ear reference electrodes) recorded in 42 AD patients with dementia (age: 65.9 years +/- 8.5 standard deviation, SD) and 42 Nold non-consanguineous caregivers (age: 70.6 years +/- 8.5 SD). In this procedure, spectral EEG coherence estimated reciprocal functional connectivity while non-normalized directed transfer function (NDTF) estimated effective connectivity. Principal component analysis and computation of Mahalanobis distance integrated and combined these EEG topographic markers of cortical connectivity. The area under receiver operating curve (AUC) indexed the classification accuracy. Results: A good classification of Nold and AD individuals was obtained by combining the EEG markers derived from NDTF and coherence (AUC = 86%, sensitivity = 0.85, specificity = 0.70). Conclusion: These encouraging results motivate a cross-validation study of the new procedure in ageand education-matched Nold, stable and progressing mild cognitive impairment individuals, and de novo AD patients with dementia. Significance: If cross- validated, the new procedure will provide cheap, broadly available, repeatable over time, and entirely non-invasive EEG topographic markers reflecting abnormal cortical connectivity in AD patients diagnosed by direct or indirect measurement of cerebral amyloid beta and hyperphosphorylated tau peptides. (C) 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
State-of-energy (SoE) is an important index for batteries in electric vehicles and it provides the essential basis of energy application, load equilibrium and security of electricity. To improve the estimation accuracy and reliability of SoE, a novel multi-model fusion estimation approach is proposed against uncertain dynamic load and different temperatures. The main contributions of this work can be summarized as follows: (1) Through analyzing the impact on the estimation accuracy of SoE due to the complexity of models, the necessity of redundant modeling is elaborated. (2) Three equivalent circuit models are selected and their parameters are identified by genetic algorithm offline. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) based H-infinity state observer technique is applied to estimate SoEs on aforementioned models. (3) The concept of fusion estimation is introduced. The estimation results derived by different models are merged under certain weights which are determined by Bayes theorem. (4) Batteries are tested with dynamic load cycles under different temperatures to validate the effectiveness of this method. The results indicate the estimation accuracy and reliability on SoE are elevated after fusion. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The effectiveness of long, perforated exit regions in reducing the radiation of micro-pressure waves (MPWs) from railway tunnels is assessed. Such disturbances always occur, but their amplitudes are usually small. For the particular case of high-speed trains, they can reach levels that would cause annoyance in the absence of suitable countermeasures. This risk is especially large in the case of long tunnels. The general behaviour of wave reflection/transmission/radiation at a perforated exit region has been explored in previous papers that have (a) quantified the dependence on the characteristics of the incident wavefront reaching the exit region from further upstream in the tunnel and (b) validated the numerical methodology in a searching manner. Some notable differences have been found in comparison with the criteria that have long been known for unperforated exit regions. In particular, the resulting MPW amplitudes depend on the amplitudes of incident wavefronts as well as on their steepnesses. This paper summarises these outcomes and uses the methodology to explore important practical design issues, namely the dependence of the effectiveness of perforated exit regions on their length and cross-sectional area. Once again, differences are found from the behaviour of unperforated regions.
Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) is present in virtually every human cell type. Representing a nuclear receptor superfamily, GR has several different isoforms essentially acting as ligand-dependent transcription factors, regulating glucocorticoid-responsive gene expression in both a positive and a negative manner. Although the natural ligand of the Glucocorticoid Receptor, glucocorticoids (GC) represent only some of the multiple ligands for GR Xenobiotics, ubiquitous in the environment, bind to GR and are also capable of activating or repressing GR gene expression, thereby modulating GR cell and tissue-specific downstream effects in a multitude of ways that include responses to inflammatory, allergic, metabolic, neoplastic and autoimmune processes. Many xenobiotics, if inadequately metabolized by xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and not wholly eliminated, could have deleterious toxic effects with potentially lethal consequences. This review examines GR, the genomic and non-genomic actions of natural and synthetic GC and the body's handling of xenobiotic compounds, before reviewing what is presently known about GR's interactions with many of the more commonly encountered and some of the less well known GR-associated xenobiotics. GR promiscuity and crosstalk with other signaling pathways is discussed, alongside novel roles for GR that include mood disorder and addiction. A knowledge of GR interactions with xenobiotics is increasingly relevant when considering aging populations and the related prevalence of neoplastic disease, together with growing concerns around human exposure to mixtures of chemicals in the environment. Furthermore, escalating rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes; autoimmune, allergy, addiction and mood disorder-related pathologies, require novel targeted interventions and GR appears a promising pharmacological candidate. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Organisms inhabiting unpredictable environments often evolve diversified reproductive bet-hedging strategies, expressed as production of multiple offspring phenotypes, thereby avoiding complete reproductive failure. To cope with unpredictable rainfall, African annual killifish from temporary savannah pools lay drought-resistant eggs that vary widely in the duration of embryo development. We examined the sources of variability in the duration of individual embryo development, egg production and fertilization rate in Nothobranchius furzeri. Using a quantitative genetics approach (North Carolina type II design), we found support for maternal effects rather than polyandrous mating as the primary source of the variability in the duration of embryo development. The number of previously laid eggs appeared to serve as an internal physiological cue initiating a shift from rapid-to-slow embryo developmental mode. In annual killifish, extensive phenotypic variability in progeny traits is adaptive, as the conditions experienced by parents have limited relevance to the offspring generation. In contrast to genetic control, with high phenotypic expression and heritability, maternal control of traits under natural selection prevents standing genetic diversity from potentially detrimental effects of selection in fluctuating environments.
To compensate for the limitations of optical remote sensing when restricted by cloud cover, it is worth exploring how to detect cyanobacterial blooms using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which can penetrate clouds. A satellite-ground synchronous experiment was conducted in Lake Taihu, the third largest freshwater lake in China. A lipopeptide biosurfactant was detected in the algal scum layer, with an average content of 1.8 g/L. The viscosity (1.41 to 332 mPa. s) of the scum was significantly higher than that of scum-free water. The surface tension of the algal scum decreased by 12.5%, and the SAR microwave backscatter was reduced by 7.3 dB. This indicated that the cyanobacterial scum could effectively attenuate capillary waves and appear as dark patches in SAR images. SAR has the potential to be developed as a tool for the remote sensing of algal scum in lake waters. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The use of biomarkers has been proposed for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in recent criteria, but some biomarkers have not been sufficiently investigated to justify their routine clinical use. Here, we evaluate in a literature review the clinical validity of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using a structured framework developed for the assessment of oncological biomarkers. Homogenous criteria have been addressed in reviews of other Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. There is adequate evidence that the main aims of phases 1 (rationale for use) and 2 (discriminative ability) have been achieved. The aims of phase 3 (early detection ability) have been partly achieved, while phase 4 studies (performance in representative mild cognitive impairment patients) are currently ongoing. Phase 5 studies (quantification of impact and costs) are still to come. This review highlights the priorities to be pursued to enable the proper use of amyloid PET imaging in a clinical setting. Future investigations will primarily be large, phase 4 studies that will assess the utility of amyloid PET imaging in routine clinical practice. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting is an important technology in cities that can contribute to a number of functions, such as sustainable water management in the face of demand growth and drought as well as the detention of rainwater to increase flood protection and reduce damage to waterways. The objective of this article is to investigate the integrity of residential rainwater harvesting systems, drawing on the results of the field inspection of 417 rainwater systems across Melbourne that was combined with a survey of householders' situation, maintenance behaviour and attitudes. Specifically, the study moves beyond the assumption that rainwater systems are always operational and functional and draws on the collected data to explore the various reasons and rates of failure associated with pumps and pump switches, leaving for later further exploration of the failure in other components such as the collection area, gutters, tank, and overflows. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no data like this in academic literature or in the water sector. Straightforward Bayesian Network models were constructed in order to analyse the factors contributing to various types of failures, including system age, type of use, the reason for installation, installer, and maintenance behaviour. Results show that a number of issues commonly exist, such as failure of pumps (5% of systems), automatic pump switches that mediate between the tank and reticulated water (9% of systems), and systems with inadequate setups (i.e. no pump) limiting their use. In conclusion, there appears to be a lack of enforcement or quality controls in both installation practices by sometimes unskilled contractors and lack of ongoing maintenance checks. Mechanisms for quality control and asset management are required, but difficult to promote or enforce. Further work is needed into how privately owned assets that have public benefits could be better managed. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Immune defenses are expected to be crucial for survival under the considerable parasite pressures experienced by wild animals. However, our understanding of the association between immunity and fitness in nature remains limited due to both the complexity of the vertebrate immune system and the often-limited availability of immune reagents in nonmodel organisms. Here, we use methods and reagents developed by veterinary researchers for domestic ungulates on blood samples collected from a wild Soay sheep population, to evaluate an unusually broad panel of immune parameters. Our evaluation included different innate and acquired immune cell types as well as nematode parasite-specific antibodies of different isotypes. We test how these markers correlate with one another, how they vary with age-group and sex, and, crucially, whether they predict over-winter survival either within or among demographic groups. We found anticipated patterns of variation in markers with age, associated with immune development, and once these age trends were accounted for, correlations among our 11 immune markers were generally weak. We found that females had higher proportions of naive T cells and gamma-delta T cells than males, independent of age, while our other markers did not differ between sexes. Only one of our 11 markers predicted overwinter survival: sheep with higher plasma levels of anti-nematode IgG antibodies were significantly more likely to survive the subsequent high mortality winter, independent of age, sex, or weight. This supports a previous finding from this study system using a different set of samples and shows that circulating antibody levels against ecologically relevant parasites in natural systems represent an important parameter of immune function and may be under strong natural selection. Our data provide rare insights into patterns of variation among age-and sex groups in different T-cell subsets and antibody levels in the wild, and suggest that certain types of immune response-notably those likely to be repeatable within individuals and linked to resistance to ecologically relevant parasites-may be most informative for research into the links between immunity and fitness under natural conditions.
Progressive and relatively circumscribed loss of semantic knowledge, referred to as semantic dementia (SD) which falls under the broader umbrella of frontotemporal dementia, was officially identified as a clinical syndrome less than 50 years ago. Here, we review recent neuroimaging, pathological, and genetic research in SD. From a neuroimaging perspective, SD is characterised by hallmark asymmetrical atrophy of the anterior temporal pole and anterior fusiform gyrus, which is usually left lateralised. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have revealed widespread changes in connectivity, implicating the anterior temporal regions in semantic deficits in SD. Task-related fMRI have also demonstrated the relative preservation of frontal and parietal regions alongside preserved memory performance. In addition, recent longitudinal studies have demonstrated that, with disease progression, atrophy encroaches into the contralateral temporal pole and medial prefrontal cortices, which reflects emerging changes in behaviour and social cognition. Notably, unlike other frontotemporal dementia subtypes, recent research has demonstrated strong clinicopathological concordance in SD, with TDP43 type C as the most common pathological subtype. Moreover, an underlying genetic cause appears to be relatively rare in SD, with the majority of cases having a sporadic form of the disease. The relatively clear diagnosis, clinical course, and pathological homogeneity of SD make this syndrome a promising target for novel disease-modifying interventions. The development of neuroimaging markers of disease progression at the individual level is an important area of research for future studies to address, in order to assist with this endeavour.
Internet addiction (IA) is a condition characterized by loss of control over Internet use, leading to a variety of negative psychosocial consequences. Recent neuroimaging studies have begun to identify IA-related changes in specific brain regions and connections. However, whether and how the interactions within and between the large-scale brain networks are disrupted in individuals with IA remain largely unexplored. Using group independent component analysis, we extracted five intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) from the resting-state fMRI data of 26 adolescents with IA and 43 controls, including the anterior and posterior default mode network (DMN), left and right fronto-parietal network (FPN), and salience network (SN). We then examined the possible group differences in the functional connectivity within each ICN and between the ICNs. We found that, compared with controls, IA subjects showed: (1) reduced inter-hemispheric functional connectivity of the right FPN, whereas increased intra-hemispheric functional connectivity of the left FPN; (2) reduced functional connectivity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the anterior DMN; (3) reduced functional connectivity between the SN and anterior DMN. Our findings suggest that IA is associated with imbalanced interactions among the DMN, FPN and SN, which may serve as system-level neural underpinnings for the uncontrollable Internet-using behaviors. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As part of EU incentives, the UK government have set ambitious environmental targets relating to energy consumption including a reduction of carbon emissions of 80% by 2050. The use of various technologies can help meet these targets as well as providing a secure energy source for the UK in the future. This research took the UK as a case study and investigated where reduction measures are most suited to reduce energy consumption. This paper presents a review on the current state-of-the-art on the domestic technology available, in particular solar energy, heat pumps, phase changing materials (PCMs) and micro combined heat and power (micro-CHP) systems, aiming at identifying research and development opportunities for energy saving in these fields. Furthermore, the financial as well as environmental aspects are assessed as these are the two key considerations of typical household. A typical UK house design, including the floor plan, is created through the use of computer aided design (CAD) software. The house design gives a payback period between 8.7 years at best and 11.6 years at worst.
A good skin detector that is capable of capturing skin tones under different conditions is important for human-machine interaction applications. In a general situation, skin detectors, such as skin probability maps or Gaussian mixture models, achieve acceptable skin segmentation results. However, the false positive rate increases significantly when the skin tones are in shadow or when skin-like background objects are under similar illumination. In this paper, we propose a novel skin feature learning algorithm based on stacked autoencoders, which are deep neural networks. To overcome the problems encountered in skin segmentation that are caused by different ethnicities and varying illumination conditions, the stacked autoencoders are utilized to learn more discriminative representations of the skin area in both the RGB color space and the HSV color space. Unlike traditional machine learning methods, instead of predicting each pixel individually, our algorithm utilizes blocks to learn the representations and detect the skin areas. The algorithm exploits the learning ability of deep neural networks to learn high-level representations of skin tones. Experiments on test images show that the proposed algorithm achieves acceptable results on several publicly available data sets. To reduce the difficulty of detecting skin pixels in these data sets, the ground truths of these data sets are commonly focused on foreground skin area detection. Our skin detector is also able to detect background areas, as shown in our experiments.
Adenoviruses cause a variety of diseases that range from mild to fatal in vulnerable patients. Its evolution occurs as a process of selection pressure; for example, genetic recombination generates intermediate strains that can be more infectious or pathogenic than parental strains. This study sought to determine the diversity of circulating adenoviruses in Paraguayan children less than 5 years of age hospitalized with acute lower respiratory infection, by using molecular biology and bioinformatics tools, though amplification of penton, hexon and fiber genes in 26 samples of nasopharyngeal aspirates. It was demonstrated the circulation of three species: B (4/26), C (21/26), and D (1/26), as well as recombination events corresponding to the HAdV-D isolate, with at least three different genotypes (D49, D9 y D15). The HAdV-D are associated with gastrointestinal or ocular diseases, and less commonly with respiratory infections. Recently, however, it has been reported changes in behavior of these viruses due to recombination, allowing them to expand their host cell repertoire. These data extend the knowledge about the genetic diversity of HAdV in Paraguay and strongly support the importance of genomic analysis using bioinformatics tools in epidemiological surveillance of emerging recombinant strains of HAdV.
The development of prophylactic vaccines remains largely empirical in nature and rarely have general rules been applied in the strategic decision and the formulation of a viral vaccine. Currently, there are a total of 15 virus agents from 12 unique virus families with vaccines licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Extensive structural information on these viral particles and potential mechanisms of protection are available for the majority of these virus pathogens and their respective vaccines. Here I review the quantitative features of these viral surface antigens in relation to the molecular mechanisms of B-cell activation and point out a potential correlation between the density of immunogenic proteins displayed on the surface of the vaccine antigen carrier and the success of a vaccine. These features help us understand the humoral immunity induced by viral vaccines on a quantitative ground and re-emphasize the importance of antigen density on the activation of the immune system. Although the detailed mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain to be explored, it implies that both the size of antigen carriers and the density of immunogenic proteins displayed on these carriers are important parameters that may need to be optimized for the formulation of a vaccine. (C) 2016 American Pharmacists Association (R). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Negotiation convergence is a crucial part of the automated multi-issue negotiation process. To improve the negotiation convergence process and to minimize complexity an agenda based approach can be used to build a new negotiation model. The agenda based model investigates the significance of the choice of the sequence in issue-by-issue negotiation. This model can improve an agent's utility by providing efficient convergence and an effective equilibrium outcome. The main motivation is to construct a new model which is symmetric and Pareto-optimal. The proposed automated negotiation approach deals with the multiple issues in such a way that it helps to balance the efficiency and effectiveness of the outcome. The model is analysed in an ambient intelligence domain in order to prove its effectiveness.
Smokeless tobacco (ST) use among US high school males living in rural areas exceeds national levels. Subgroups at heightened risk of ST use have been identified, but less is known regarding ST decision-making within high-risk groups. The study objective was to describe rural adolescent males' perceived ST acceptability, health risks, and social implications and how those perceptions differ between ST users and never-users. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 55 male students (32 ST ever-users) at three rural California high schools. Interviews were audio recorded and professionally transcribed. Investigators collaboratively developed a codebook based on thematic content and then independently coded transcripts, reconvening frequently to achieve consensus. Coded text was systematically organized into themes following a general inductive approach. ST users and non-users shared multiple ST-related perceptions, including: that ST is a common, normative way of life in rural country culture among certain groups; that ST use conveys oral health risks; and that the decision to use (or not to use) is rooted in personal choice. ST users' and never-users' perceptions differed regarding the immediacy, severity, and inevitability of health risks, particularly relative to cigarette smoking. Other differences included perceived parental permissiveness and the expected social benefits of ST use, such as peer acceptance and conveying maturity. Within this population of rural male adolescents, ST users emphasized the social benefits of ST use, while acknowledging but discounting health risks. Differences and similarities in tobacco perceptions among adolescents living in similar environments may inform effective health communication.
In this paper, we propose two new algorithms and their hardware implementations for the normal basis multiplication over GF(p(m)), where p is an element of {2, 3}. In this case, the proposed multipliers are designed using serial and digit-serial hardware architectures. The normal basis multipliers over GF(2(m)) and GF(3(m)) are based on two proposed algorithms to compute the multiplication matrices T-k in order to speed-up the execution time and to reduce the area resources. It can be seen that the new hardware architecture for the NB multiplier over GF(2(m)) has the best characteristics of area complexity presented by Reyhani [16] and time complexity presented by Azarderakhsh and Reyhani [31]. The proposed hardware architectures for the normal basis multipliers over GF(2(163)), GF(2(233)), GF(2(283)), GF(2(409)), GF(3(89)) and GF(3(233)) were described in VHDL, and simulated and synthesized using Modelsim and Quartus Prime v16, respectively.
Behind the roll-out of smart metering technologies lies a belief that personalised, fact-based information enhances energy awareness and allows consumers to modify their behaviour. Amongst others, practice theoretical accounts have shown that this belief stems from a linear, individualistic and unrealistic interpretation of behaviour change. However, in emphasising how energy use is grounded in socio-material realities of everyday life, practice-based studies have not fully considered the role and potential of information in reconfiguring domestic practices. This article takes a smart grid pilot project in the Netherlands as a case to analyse the interrelatedness of policy interventions, information flows and domestic practices. We argue that the effects of policy interventions on domestic practices can be better understood when seen as part of a configuration of heterogeneous practices. This helps in understanding when and how information is accomplished and put-to-work, and in identifying what can be done to improve smart grid interventions.
The geochemical compositions of sediments in the Dongshan Bay, a semi-enclosed bay on the southeast coast of China, were obtained to identify pollutant sources and evaluate the anthropogenic impacts over the last 100 years. The results indicated that the metal flux had been increasing since the 1980s. Enrichment factor values (Pb, Zn and Cu) suggested only slight enrichment. The proportion of anthropogenic Pb changed from 9% to 15% during 2000-2014. Coal combustion might be an important contamination source in the Dongshan Bay. The historical variation in the metal flux reflected the economic development and urbanization in the Zhangjiang drainage area in the past 30 years. According to the Landsat satellite remote sensing data, the urbanization area expanded approximately three times from 1995 to 2010. The delta C-13 values (-21%o to 23%o) of the organic matter (OM) in the sediments indicated that the OM was primarily sourced from aquatic, terrigenous and marsh C-3 plants. Nitrogen was mainly derived from aquatic plants and terrigenous erosion before the 1980s. However, the total organic carbon (TOC) contents, total nitrogen (TN) contents and delta N-15 had been increasing since the 1980s, which suggested that the sources of nitrogen were soil erosion, fertilizer and sewage. In addition, the TOC and TN fluxes in the Dongshan Bay had significantly increased since the 1980s, which reflected the use of N fertilizer. However, the TOC and TN fluxes significantly decreased in the past decade because environmental awareness increased and environmental protection policies were implemented. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In vitro metabolism of permethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, was assessed in primary human hepatocytes. In vitro kinetic experiments were performed to estimate the Michaelis-Menten parameters and the clearances or formation rates of the permethrin isomers (cis- and trans-) and three metabolites, cis- and trans-3-(2,2 dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethyl-(1-cyclopropane) carboxylic acid (cis- and trans-DCCA) and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). Non-specific binding and the activity of the enzymes involved in permethrin's metabolism (cytochromes P450 and carboxylesterases) were quantified. Trans-permethrin was cleared more rapidly than cis-permethrin with a 2.6-factor (25.7 +/- 0.6 and 10.1 +/- 0.3 mu L/min/10(6) cells respectively). A 3-factor was observed between the formation rates of DCCA and 3-PBA obtained from trans- and cis-permethrin. For both isomers, the rate of formation of DCCA was higher than the one of 3-PBA. The metabolism of the isomers in mixture was also quantified. The co-incubation of isomers at different ratios showed the low inhibitory Potential of cis- and trans-permethrin on each other. The estimates of the clearances and the formation rates in the co-incubation condition did not differ from the estimates obtained with a separate incubation. These metabolic parameters may be integrated in physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models to predict the fate of permethrin and metabolites in the human body. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we use a car-following model to study each electric vehicle's trip cost and the total trip cost allowing late arrival. The numerical result show that the electricity cost has great effects on each commuter's trip cost and the total trip costs and that these effects are dependent on each commuter's time headway at the origin, but the electricity cost has no prominent impacts on the minimum value of total trip cost under each commuter's different time headway at the origin. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The temporal pole (TP) has been associated with diverse functions of social cognition and emotion processing. Although the underlying mechanism remains elusive, one possibility is that TP acts as domain-general hub integrating socioemotional information. To test this, 26 participants were presented with 60 empathy-evoking film clips during fMRI scanning. The film clips were preceded by a linguistic sad or neutral context and half of the clips were accompanied by sad music. In line with its hypothesized role, TP was involved in the processing of sad context and furthermore tracked participants' empathic concern. To examine the neuromodulatory impact of TP, we applied nonlinear dynamic causal modeling to a multisensory integration network from previous work consisting of superior temporal gyrus (STG), fusiform gyrus (FG), and amygdala, which was extended by an additional node in the TP. Bayesian model comparison revealed a gating of STG and TP on fusiform-amygdalar coupling and an increase of TP to FG connectivity during the integration of contextual information. Moreover, these backward projections were strengthened by emotional music. The findings indicate that during social cognition, TP integrates information from different modalities and top-down modulates lower-level perceptual areas in the ventral visual stream as a function of integration demands.
Central to behavior and cognition is the way that sensory stimuli are represented in neural systems. The distributions over such stimuli enjoy rich structure; however, how the brain captures and exploits these regularities is unclear. Here, we consider different sources of perhaps the most prevalent form of structure, namely hierarchies, in one of its most prevalent cases, namely the representation of images. We review experimental approaches across a range of subfields, spanning inference, memory recall, and visual adaptation, to investigate how these constrain hierarchical representations. We also discuss progress in building hierarchical models of the representation of images-this has the potential to clarify how the structure of the world is reflected in biological systems. We suggest there is a need for a closer embedding of recent advances in machine learning and computer vision into the design and interpretation of experiments, notably by utilizing the understanding of the structure of natural scenes and through the creation of hierarchically structured synthetic stimuli.
The present research explored the effects of cultural, affective, and linguistic variables on adult Chinese as a second language learners' willingness to communicate in Chinese. One hundred and sixty-two Chinese as a second language learners from a Chinese university answered the Willingness to Communicate in Chinese Scale, the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale, Chinese Learning Motivation Scale, Use of Chinese Profile, as well as the Background Questionnaire. The major findings were as follows: (1) the Willingness to Communicate in Chinese Scales were significantly negatively correlated with Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale but positively correlated with length of stay in China and (2) Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale was a powerful negative predictor for the overall willingness to communicate in Chinese and the Willingness to Communicate in Chinese Scales, followed by length of stay in China, Chinese Learning Motivation Scale, interaction attentiveness, and Chinese proficiency level. Apparently, students' willingness to communicate in Chinese is largely determined by their Chinese Speaking Anxiety Scale level and length of stay in China, mediated by other variables such as Chinese proficiency level and intercultural communication sensitivity level.
The high-speed machine design is becoming important due to advantages such as high-power density and small size. Flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machines have a simple rotor design without any windings or PMs, which makes them apt for high-speed operation. A low-pole topology of the FSPM machine is desirable to keep the operational frequency to a minimum. The lowest slot-pole combination for a three-phase FSPM machine is the 6-stator slot 4-rotor-pole topology. This research aims at investigating and analyzing the cause of the unbalance in the flux linkage and the back electromotive force waveforms of such an FSPM machine. The influence of rotor-pole width, stator-tooth width, and the magnet length has been analyzed to find the optimum design variable. Results will be useful in making this low-pole FSPM topology amenable for high-speed operations.
Background: SmD1-amino-acid 83-119 peptide (SmD1(83-119)) is the major epitope of Smith (Sm) antigen, which is specific for adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The anti-SmD1(83-119) antibody has exhibited higher sensitivity and specificity than anti-Sm antibody in diagnosing adult SLE. However, the utility of anti-SmD1(83-119) antibodies remains unclear in children with SLE (cSLE). This study aimed to assess the characteristics of anti-SmD1(83-119) antibody in the diagnosis of cSLE. Methods: Samples from 242 children with different rheumatological and immunological disorders, including autoimmune diseases (SLE [n = 46] and ankylosing spondylitis [AS, n = 11]), nonautoimmune diseases (Henoch-Schonlein purpura [HSP, n = 60], idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura [n = 27], hematuria [n = 59], and arthralgia [n = 39]) were collected from Shanghai Children's Medical Center from March 6, 2012 to February 27, 2014. Seventy age-and sex-matched patients were enrolled in this study as the negative controls. All the patients' sera were analyzed for the anti-SmD1(83-119), anti-Sm, anti-U1-nRNP, anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), anti-nucleosome, anti-SSA/Ro60, anti-SSA/Ro52, anti-SSB, anti-Scl-70, and anti-histone antibodies using the immunoblotting assay. The differences in sensitivity and specificity between anti-SmD1(83-119) and anti-Sm antibodies were compared by Chi-square test. The correlations between anti-SmD1(83-119) and other auto-antibodies were analyzed using the Spearman's correlation analysis. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Thirty-six out of 46 patients with cSLE were found to be positive for anti-SmD1(83-119), while 12 patients from the cSLE cohort were found to be positive for anti-Sm. Compared to cSLE, it has been shown that anti-SmD1(83-119) was only detected in 27.3% of patients with AS and 16.7% of patients with HSP. In comparison with anti-Sm, it has been demonstrated that anti-SmD1(83-119) had a higher sensitivity (78.3% vs. 26.1%, chi(2) = 25.1, P < 0.05) and a lower specificity (90.8% vs. 100%, chi(2) = 13.6, P < 0.05) in the diagnosis of cSLE. Further analysis revealed that anti-SmD1(83-119) antibodies were positively correlated with anti-dsDNA, anti-nucleosome, and anti-histone antibodies in cSLE. Moreover, it has been clearly shown that anti-SmD1(83-119) was more sensitive than anti-Sm in discriminating autoimmune diseases from nonautoimmune disorders in patients with arthralgia or hematuria. Conclusions: Measurement of anti-SmD1(83-119) in patients with cSLE has a higher sensitivity and a marginally lower specificity than anti-Sm. It has been suggested that inclusion of anti-SmD1(83-119) testing in the integrated laboratory diagnosis of cSLE may significantly improve the overall sensitivity in child populations.
The high incidence of esophageal cancer in Northeast India and the unique ethnic background and dietary habits provide a great opportunity to study the molecular genetics behind esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in this part of the region. We hypothesized that in addition to currently known environmental risk factors for esophageal cancer, genetic and epigenetic factors are also involved in esophageal carcinogenesis in Northeast India. Therefore, in this study, we explored the possible association between the two important G1 cell cycle regulatory genes p16 and p53 and environmental risk factors and risk of esophageal carcinogenesis. A total of 100 newly diagnosed esophageal cancer cases along with equal number of age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched controls were included in this study. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the p16 promoter methylation status. Single-nucleotide polymorphism at codon 72 of p53 gene was assessed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Aberrant methylation of p16 gene was seen in 81% of esophageal cancer cases. Hypermethylation of p16 gene was not found in healthy controls. p53 Pro/Pro genotype was found to be a risk genotype in Northeast India compared with Arg/Pro and Arg/Arg. p53 variant/polymorphism was significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk in the study population under all three genetic models, namely, dominant model (Arg/Pro+Pro/Pro vs Arg/Arg odds ratio=2.25, confidence interval=1.19-4.26; p=0.012), recessive model (Arg/Arg+Arg/Pro vs Pro/Pro odds ratio=2.35, confidence interval=1.24-4.44; p=0.008), and homozygous model (Pro/Pro vs Arg/Arg odds ratio=3.33, confidence interval=1.54-7.20; p=0.002). However, p53 variant/polymorphism was not statistically associated with esophageal cancer risk under the heterozygous model (Pro/Pro vs Arg/Pro). In the case-only analysis based on p16 methylation, the p53 variant/polymorphism (Pro/Pro or Arg/Pro) showed significant association for esophageal cancer risk (odds ratio=3.33, confidence interval=1.54-7.20; p=0.002). Gene-gene and gene-environment interaction using the case-only approach revealed a strong association between p16 methylation, p53 single-nucleotide polymorphism, and environmental factors and esophageal cancer risk. Cases with p16 methylation and p53 variant/polymorphism (Pro/Pro or Arg/Pro) along with both betel quid and tobacco chewing habit (odds ratio=8.29, confidence interval=1.14-60.23; p=0.037) conferred eightfold increased risk toward esophageal cancer development. This study reveals a synergistic interaction between epigenetic, genetic, and environmental factors and risk of esophageal cancer in this high-incidence region of Northeast India. The inactivation of either p16 or p53 in a majority of esophageal cancer cases in this study suggests the possible crosstalk between the important cell cycle genes.
The present work aims to provide first principles insights into the catalytic performance of composites based on BaTiO3 particles decorated over reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Examination regarding the orbital contributions of valence states, conduction states, interaction. surface and anchoring of perovskite over rGO have been carried out. Theoretical results thus obtained have been validated using experimental investigation. Further experiments have also been conducted to analyze the catalytic performance of composites with respect to multiple advanced oxidation processes. Charge separation has been improved due to rGO acting as macromolecular photosensitizer. Degradation of xanthene dye (Rhoda mine B) and methyl orange (MO) assisted in evaluation of the catalytic performance. Acoustic irradiation provides an additional route to improve degradation by ameliorating catalytic activity (from 0.036 min to 0.099 min in RhB especially). Synergistic effect obtained through conjugated benefits of oxidation processes with proposed composite, played a crucial role in improving the overall efficiency. The cumulative outcome of the results indicates superior performance of BaTiO3-rGO composites for green and sustainable water treatment applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
While organizational citizenship behaviors (i. e., employee's choosing to perform above and beyond work expectations) are beneficial for the success of any organization, there has been little research on this form of prosocial behavior in private correctional agencies. This study is the first to examine the relationship between two forms of organizational commitment (affective and continuance) and organizational citizenship behaviors for 160 correctional staff at a maximum security private US prison. Results of the Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis supported the predictions that affective commitment would have a positive association with organizational citizenship behaviors and continuance commitment would have a negative association. Possible interventions that private correctional organizations can undertake to encourage affective organizational commitment from their staff are discussed.
Positive energy residential buildings are houses that generate more energy from renewable sources than they consume while maintaining appropriate thermal comfort levels. However, their design, construction and operation present several critical challenges. In particular, the considerable load reductions are not always compatible with the increased level of comfort expected in modern houses. Tropical climates, meanwhile, should be more amenable to the implementation of positive energy houses for two reasons. Firstly, negligible heating is generally required as compared to colder climates, where the heating energy requirements are considerable. Then, renewable energy resources are usually abundant in tropical climates. This paper investigates the feasibility of positive energy residential buildings in the tropical island of Mauritius. A baseline model representing a typical Mauritian house is designed using DesignBuilder software. The energy efficiency of the model is then optimised by investigating a whole range of passive building design strategies, many of them adapted from vernacular architecture. Results reveal that the application of passive strategies such as shading, insulation and natural ventilation have precluded the need for artificial cooling and ventilation in the positive energy (PE) house. The resulting electricity consumption of the house decreases from 24.14 to 14.30 kWh/m(2)/year. A 1.2 kW photovoltaic system provides the most cost-effective solution to exceed the annual electricity requirements of the house.
Clusterin, also known as apoJ, is a lipoprotein abundantly expressed within the CNS. It regulates A fibril formation and toxicity and facilitates amyloid-beta (A) transport across the blood-brain barrier. Genome-wide association studies have shown variations in the clusterin gene (CLU) to influence the risk of developing sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). To explore whether clusterin modulates the regional deposition of A, we measured levels of soluble (NP40-extracted) and insoluble (guanidine-HCl-extracted) clusterin, A beta 40 and A beta 42 by sandwich ELISA in brain regions with a predilection for amyloid pathologymid-frontal cortex (MF), cingulate cortex (CC), parahippocampal cortex (PH), and regions with little or no pathologythalamus (TH) and white matter (WM). Clusterin level was highest in regions with plaque pathology (MF, CC, PH and PC), approximately mirroring the regional distribution of A. It was significantly higher in AD than controls, and correlated positively with A beta 42 and insoluble A beta 40. Soluble clusterin level rose significantly with severity of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and in MF and PC regions was highest in APOE 4 homozygotes. In the TH and WM (areas with little amyloid pathology) clusterin was unaltered in AD and did not correlate with A level. There was a significant positive correlation between the concentration of clusterin and the regional levels of insoluble A beta 42; however, the molar ratio of clusterin : A beta 42 declined with insoluble A beta 42 level in a region-dependent manner, being lowest in regions with predilection for A plaque pathology. Under physiological conditions, clusterin reduces aggregation and promotes clearance of A. Our findings indicate that in AD, clusterin increases, particularly in regions with most abundant A beta, but because the increase does not match the rising level of A beta 42, the molar ratio of clusterin : A beta 42 in those regions falls, probably contributing to A deposition within the tissue.
In this paper we prove the existence and regularity of a solution to a two-dimensional system of evolutionary hemivariational inequalities which describes the Boussinesq model with nonmonotone friction and heat flux. We use the time retardation and regularization technique, combined with a regularized Galerkin method, and recent results from the theory of hemivariational inequalities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB), has developed a preconceptual design for a commercial pebble-bed (PB), fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) (PB-FHR). The baseline design for this Mark-I PB-FHR (Mk1) plant is a 236-MW(thermal) reactor. The Mk1 uses a fluoride salt coolant with solid, coated-particle pebble fuel. The Mk1 design differs from earlier FHR designs because it uses a nuclear air-Brayton combined cycle designed to produce 100 MW(electric) of base-load electricity using a modified General Electric 7FB gas turbine. For peak electricity generation, the Mk1 has the ability to boost power output up to 242 MW(electric) using natural gas co-firing. The Mk1 uses direct heating of the power conversion fluid (air) with the primary coolant salt rather than using an intermediate coolant loop. By combining results from computational neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and pebble dynamics, UCB has developed a detailed design of the annular core and other key functional features. Both an active normal shutdown cooling system and a passive, natural-circulation-driven emergency decay heat removal system are included. Computational models of the FHR-validated using experimental data from the literature and from scaled thermal-hydraulic facilities-have led to a set of design criteria and system requirements for the Mk1 to operate safely and reliably. Three-dimensional, computer-aided-design models derived from the Mk1 design criteria are presented.
In this paper, a class of large deployable mechanisms constructed by plane-symmetric Bricard linkages is presented. The plane-symmetric Bricard linkage is a closed-loop overconstrained spatial mechanism composed of six hinge-jointed bars, which has one plane of symmetry during its deployment process. The kinematic analysis of the linkage is presented from the perspectives of geometric conditions, closure equations, and degree-of-freedom. The results illustrate that the linkage has one degree-of-freedom and can be deployed from the folded configuration to one rectangle plane. Therefore, the plane-symmetric Bricard linkage can be used as a basic deployable unit to construct larger deployable mechanisms. Four plane-symmetric Bricard linkages can be assembled into a quadrangular module by sharing the vertical bars of the adjacent units. The module is a multiloop deployable mechanism and has one degree-of-freedom. The singularity analysis of the module is developed, and two methods to avoid singularity are presented. A large deployable mast, deployable plane truss, and deployable ring are built with several plane-symmetric Bricard linkages. The deployment properties of the large deployable mechanisms are analyzed, and computer-aided design models for typical examples are built to illustrate their feasibility and validate the analysis and design methods.
Rare earth ions (REIs) are playing very important roles in modern industries. However, the huge amount of smelting water containing various types of REIs was difficult to separate, which often lead to difficulty in recovery of REIs and water pollution in environment. Selective adsorption was an effective route to recover the REIs in smelting water. Two adsorbents (SiO2-BT, SiO2-BWT) were prepared by grafting plant tannins (Bayberry tannin, Black wattle tannin) onto aminated silica. The as-prepared adsorbents have exhibited a high adsorption capacity to four typical REIs and high selectivity to La3+ among these four REIs (La3+, Ce3+, Pr3+, Nd3+). Furthermore, the after-used adsorbents can be easily regenerated by 0.1mol/L HNO3 solution indicating superior reusability.
In this letter, we detail a modular approach for measuring the secondary physical and emotional effects of ambient intelligence (AmI) technology in traffic. Using the case of merges on to a highway, we assess the results of a system that advises the driver to change early to a lane on the left to create space for merging cars downstream (tested using a cellular automata simulation). The indirect impact of the system downstream, namely how the remaining lane changes from the merge lane to the innermost lane proceed, is then evaluated using a time-discrete, space-continuous microscopic traffic simulation tool. This yields detailed results concerning driver interactions that can also be used to derive an estimate of driver anger in the situation. We have used real geographic, traffic and psychological data to test the system, and different models are used to accomplish various tasks. The approach yields (surprisingly) negative results concerning the indirect emotional impact of this AmI intervention which may be due to the nature of the lane changing model used and the chosen parameters. We argue that such an approach is also applicable to similar types of systems, where different data and model types are suited to different scenario elements.
Geotextiles have been widely promoted for pavement structures over the past 30 years. Previous studies show that a geotextile placed at the subgrade-base course interface of a paved road can increase the number of load repetitions before rutting failure. Thus, reduction of base and/or asphalt thickness may be possible. However, there is a lack of well-instrumented full-scale experiments to investigate effect of geotextile reinforcement on other possible mechanisms of pavement failure like fatigue of the Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) layer. In this study, full-scale accelerated pavement testing was done on eight pavement test sections. Six out of these eight sections had base layers reinforced with different types of woven geotextiles. The reinforced sections and the control sections (with unreinforced base) were paved with Superpave HMA layers. Base and subgrade materials were the same for all sections while some test sections had different asphalt and base layer thicknesses. Each test section was instrumented with six H-bar strain gages at the bottom of the HMA layers to measure longitudinal and transvers strains. The mechanistic response of each section was monitored and analysed at the selected number of wheel passes. Predicted fatigue lives of the test sections were calculated based on the Asphalt Institute and Shell models. Results indicate that fatigue life of test sections did not increase due to geotextile reinforcing although rutting performance of some reinforced sections did improve. This may indicate geotextiles may not improve fatigue performance of HMA layers in pavements.
Background: Genomic selection (GS) uses information from genomic signatures consisting of thousands of genetic markers to predict complex traits. As such, GS represents a promising approach to accelerate tree breeding, which is especially relevant for the genetic improvement of boreal conifers characterized by long breeding cycles. In the present study, we tested GS in an advanced-breeding population of the boreal black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP) for growth and wood quality traits, and concurrently examined factors affecting GS model accuracy. Results: The study relied on 734 25-year-old trees belonging to 34 full-sib families derived from 27 parents and that were established on two contrasting sites. Genomic profiles were obtained from 4993 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) representative of as many gene loci distributed among the 12 linkage groups common to spruce. GS models were obtained for four growth and wood traits. Validation using independent sets of trees showed that GS model accuracy was high, related to trait heritability and equivalent to that of conventional pedigree-based models. In forward selection, gains per unit of time were three times higher with the GS approach than with conventional selection. In addition, models were also accurate across sites, indicating little genotype-by-environment interaction in the area investigated. Using information from half-sibs instead of full-sibs led to a significant reduction in model accuracy, indicating that the inclusion of relatedness in the model contributed to its higher accuracies. About 500 to 1000 markers were sufficient to obtain GS model accuracy almost equivalent to that obtained with all markers, whether they were well spread across the genome or from a single linkage group, further confirming the implication of relatedness and potential longrange linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the high accuracy estimates obtained. Only slightly higher model accuracy was obtained when using marker subsets that were identified to carry large effects, indicating a minor role for short-range LD in this population. Conclusions: This study supports the integration of GS models in advanced-generation tree breeding programs, given that high genomic prediction accuracy was obtained with a relatively small number of markers due to high relatedness and family structure in the population. In boreal spruce breeding programs and similar ones with long breeding cycles, much larger gain per unit of time can be obtained from genomic selection at an early age than by the conventional approach. GS thus appears highly profitable, especially in the context of forward selection in species which are amenable to mass vegetative propagation of selected stock, such as spruces.
Recent studies suggest that by the second year of life, infants can attribute false beliefs to agents. However, prior studies have largely focused on infants' ability to predict a mistaken agent's physical actions on objects. The present research investigated whether 20-month-old infants could also reason about belief-based emotional displays. In Experiments 1 and 2, infants viewed an agent who shook two objects: one rattled and the other was silent. Infants expected the agent to express surprise at the silent object if she had a false belief that both objects rattled, but not if she was merely ignorant about the objects' properties. Experiment 3 replicated and extended these findings: if an agent falsely believed that two containers held toy bears (when only one did so), infants expected the agent to express surprise at the empty, but not the full, container. Together, these results provide the first evidence that infants in the second year of life understand the causal relationship between beliefs and emotional displays. These findings thus provide new evidence for false-belief understanding in infancy and suggest that infants, like older children, possess a robust understanding of belief that applies to a broad range of belief-based responses. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: This study aimed to identify the most important factors of changing pattern of drug abuse from opium to methamphetamine in Iranian drugdependent women. Materials and Methods: This study was a phenomenological study. The data were analyzed by the 7-step Colaizzi method. Subjects selected from patients who were referred to addiction rehabilitation residential center of welfare organization in Bojnurd city located in northeast Iran. Results: We found 8 conceptual classes, and 32 codes from the analysis of data. The individual factors were as follow: elevation of mood, obtaining more pleasure, increasing energy and improving performance, relief of physical pain, and sensation seeking. Conclusions: Depth review and analyses of interviews revealed that individual factors are the most important factor in crystal meth abuse.
In this study, the authors propose a novel method to encrypt a colour image by use of Logistic mapping and double random-phase encoding. Firstly, use Logistic mapping to diffuse the colour image, then the red, green and blue components of the result are scrambled by replacement matrices generated by Logistic mapping. Secondly, by utilising double random-phase encoding to encrypt the three scrambled images into one encrypted image. Experiment results reveal the fact that the proposed method not only can achieve good encryption result, but also that the key space is large enough to resist against common attack.
Multi-scale computer aided design of manufacturing processes of a magnesium bracket for the automotive industry is the main goal of the present paper. Tensile tests at various deformation conditions (temperatures, strain rates etc.) were performed to obtain flow stress data necessary for the macro-scale finite element analysis. The digital material representation concept was used to create a micro-scale model and to evaluate the influence of local microstructural features in the form of twins on material behaviour. An algorithm based on the cellular automata method capable of replicating microstructural morphology with twins was proposed to provide the digital material representation model. The bracket made of AZ31 magnesium alloy was formed at an elevated temperature of 200 degrees C. Description of the study as well as results obtained at two length scales are presented in the paper.
This paper reports on the design, development and evaluation of a framework which implements virtual humans for information provision. The framework can be used to create interactive multimedia information visualizations (e.g., images, text, audio, videos, 3D models) and provides a dynamic data modeling mechanism for storage and retrieval and implements communication through multimodal interaction techniques. The interaction may involve human-to-agent, agent-to-environment or agent-to-agent communication. The framework supports alternative roles for the virtual agents who may act as assistants for existing systems, standalone applications or even as integral parts of emerging smart environments. Finally, an evaluation study was conducted with the participation of 10 people to study the developed system in terms of usability and effectiveness, when it is employed as an assisting mechanism for another application. The evaluation results were highly positive and promising, confirming the system's usability and encouraging further research in this area.
A novel magnetic force driven noncontact electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid nanogenerator for scavenging biomechanical energy to sustainably power portable electrics is presented. Based on the effective conjunction of electromagnetic induction and triboelectrification, the hybrid nanogenerator with a small dimension consists of an electromagnetic generator (EMG) with a peak output power of 3.4 mW under a load resistance of 200 Omega and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a peak output power of 0.23 mW under a load resistance of 25 M Omega. For TENG, the electrospun Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded PVDF fibers membrane is employed as triboelectric layer. A magnet is utilized as the trigger to non-contactly drive contact-separation mode TENG due to the magnetic responsiveness of triboelectric materials, and the EMG can be drived by coupling magnet with copper coils simultaneously. The hybrid nanogenerator exhibits a good stability for the output performance and charging performance, so it can be utilized to charge energy storage devices and sustainably power some portable electronics. This work demonstrates a novel prototype of hybrid nanogenerators toward harvesting human biomechanical energy and its potential applications in building up self-powered systems.
Background: Metastasis is a major cause of death in human colorectal cancer patients. However, the contribution of chemokines in the tumor microenvironment to tumor metastasis is not fully understood. Methods: Herein, we examinined several chemokines in colorectal cancer patients using chemokine ELISA array. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect expression of CXCL5 in colorectal cancer patients tissues. Human HCT116 and SW480 cell lines stably transfected with CXCL5, shCXCL5 and shCXCR2 lentivirus plasmids were used in our in vitro study. Immunoblot, immunofluorescence and transwell assay were used to examine the molecular biology and morphological changes in these cells. In addition, we used nude mice to detect the influence of CXCL5 on tumor metastasis in vivo. Results: We found that CXCL5 was overexpressed in tumor tissues and associated with advanced tumor stage as well as poor prognosis in colorectal cancer patients. We also demonstrated that CXCL5 was primarily expressed in the tumor cell cytoplasm and cell membranes, which may indicate that the CXCL5 was predominantly produced by cancer epithelial cells instead of fibroblasts in the tumor mesenchyme. Additionally, overexpression of CXCL5 enhanced the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells by inducing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through activation of the ERK/Elk-1/Snail pathway and the AKT/GSK3 beta/beta-catenin pathway in a CXCR2-dependent manner. The silencing of Snail and beta-catenin attenuated CXCL5/CXCR2-enhanced cell migration and invasion in vitro. The elevated expression of CXCL5 can also potentiate the metastasis of colorectal cancer cells to the liver in vivo in nude mice intrasplenic injection model. Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings support CXCL5 as a promoter of colorectal cancer metastasis and a predictor of poor clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer patients.
Background and objective: Antibacterial peptides (ABPs) are essential components of host defense against microbial infections present in all domains of life. The AMPs incorporating unnatural amino acids (uABPs) exhibit several advantages over naturally occurring AMPs based on factors such as bioavailability, metabolic stability and overall toxicity. Methods: Computer-aided modeling and in vitro susceptibility test were combined to rationally design short uABPs with potent antimicrobial activity. In the procedure, peptide characterization and machine learning modeling were used to develop statistical regression predictors, which were then employed to guide the molecular design and structural optimization of uABPs, to which a number of commercially available unnatural amino acids were introduced. Results: An improved uABP population was obtained, from which several promising candidates were successfully prepared and their antibacterial potencies against three bacterial strains Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were measured using broth microdilution assay. Consequently, four uABPs with hybrid structure property were determined to have high potency against the tested strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of <50 mu g/ml. Conclusions: Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that the designed uABPs are amphipathic helix in solution but they would largely unfold when spontaneously embedding into an artificial lipid bilayer that mimics microbial membrane. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A new digital predictive control strategy for a single-phase boost power factor correction (PFC) converter is presented in this paper, to reduce the harmonic distortion and improve the dynamic response. Based on the converter circuit structure, the values of output voltage and inductor current of next switching cycle are predicted in advance. The steady-state algorithm and the dynamic-state algorithm are implemented respectively, the duty cycle is calculated only via the predicted output voltage and inductor current values during the steady process, and the optimized duty cycle is predicted during the dynamic process, to improve the characters of PFC converter. The single-phase boost PFC converter with the proposed digital predictive control strategy has been implemented via the field programmable gate array (FPGA). The experimental results indicate that the proposed digital control strategy can improve the power factor and the dynamic response of PFC converter simultaneously.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries delivered the WaterSmart Farms project through the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative. The project provided irrigation management training and infrastructure upgrade grants for licensed river, and potable water irrigators in peri-urban areas of the Sydney Basin, securing 5,900 megalitres of water savings and preventing export of 19 t of nitrogen and 7 t of phosphorus annually. Greenhouse vegetable producers in the region are mostly from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Enterprises are small with tight cash flows with uncertain land tenure due to potential rezoning. Investing in expensive water efficient infrastructure (e.g., disinfection and filtration systems) presented a major barrier to technology uptake. To address these barriers the extension team decided on a 'two-pronged' approach which utilised demonstration farms showcasing basic low-cost technology (rainwater harvesting tanks) and high-tech, high-cost recycling systems (UV, ozone, copper ionisation and ultra-filtration systems). Concurrently, the services of independent auditors were engaged to assess the water savings potential options for growers. The demonstration sites have assisted in increasing uptake of recycling projects with potable water savings of up to 23 ML per annum per site being realised along with significant reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus export into the catchment area. Financial analysis of hydroponic greenhouse vegetable recycling project sites has shown a payback period of two years. Overall, the project has provided some valuable data and lessons that will help in developing water management strategies or long-term water security and river health in peri-urban landscapes.
Stimulants and caffeine have been proposed for cognitive enhancement by healthy subjects. This study investigated whether performance in chess - a competitive mind game requiring highly complex cognitive skills - can be enhanced by methylphenidate, modafinil or caffeine. In a phase IV, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 39 male chess players received 2 x 200 mg modafinil, 2 x 20 mg methylphenidate, and 2 x 200 mg caffeine or placebo in a 4 x 4 crossover design. They played twenty 15-minute games during two sessions against a chess program (Fritz 12; adapted to players' strength) and completed several neuropsychological tests. Marked substance effects were observed since all three substances significantly increased average reflection time per game compared to placebo resulting in a significantly increased number of games lost on time with all three treatments. Treatment effects on chess performance were not seen if all games (n=3059) were analysed. Only when controlling for game duration as well as when excluding those games lost on time, both modafinil and methylphenidate enhanced chess performance as demonstrated by significantly higher scores in the remaining 2876 games compared to placebo. In conjunction with results from neuropsychological testing we conclude that modifying effects of stimulants on complex cognitive tasks may in particular result from more reflective decision making processes. When not under time pressure, such effects may result in enhanced performance. Yet, under time constraints more reflective decision making may not improve or even have detrimental effects on complex task performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.
AAbstracts in technical writing are a genre that functions more than a mere summary situated at the beginning of academic report writing. They are considered a very important site that promotes and draws the readers' attention to read on or to disregard the paper. Often, writers tend to use evaluative language in abstracts to convey their stance in disciplinary knowledge making and to convince the readers of the value of their study. This study investigates the authorial stance and engagement with the readers in postgraduate theses abstracts. It consists of a corpus of 44 MPhil and PhD online theses abstracts by Chinese students from the departments of Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering and Information Technology, and Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management in a Hong Kong university. The analysis of texts is based on the four parameters of evaluation in texts proposed by Thomson and Hunston (2000), namely: the good/bad or positive/negative parameter; the certainty parameter; the importance parameter; and the expectedness parameter. The findings show that evaluative language signaling the worth of the study and the writer's certainty of the knowledge claim and the good-bad parameter were mostly used in the corpus. This study also discusses its implications on technical communication pedagogy.
This research is a framework of a big project aimed to the knowledge of human metabolism in hemodialysis patients. For reaching high sensitivity and obtaining accurate values for elements at very low concentrations Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used for its characteristics to be a primary analytical method and because it does not require any chemical-physical pretreatment. The samples analyzed (160) are representative of groups of homogeneous population and specific matrices (hemodialysis fluids and whole human blood). The irradiation was performed in the rotating rack (Lazy Susan) of the Triga Mark II reactor of the R.C. Casaccia-ENEA at a neutron flux of 2.6 x 10(12) n cm(-2) s(-1) with an irradiation time of 12 h. The results on the hemodialysis fluids report the values and the behavior of selected trace elements: the levels of Br and Na show a decrease between the pre- and post-dialysis whereas Fe, K and Zn an increase. The other elements such as Cs, Rb and Se seem to keep constant between the two phases. Similar data are found for the whole human blood for the same selected elements. Finally, exploiting the INAA peculiarity it has been investigated the levels of trace and ultra-trace elements interesting from a toxicological (Hg, Ni, Sb) and nutritional (Co, Cr) point of view and seldom determined due to their analytical implications. Finally, a chemiometric investigation performed through dendrogram trees, Canonical discriminant analysis and principal component analysis, has evidenced the similar effects of the HF, HDF and BIC-treatments on the investigated fluids respect to the CAPD dialysis.
Political communication scholars have shown that nonverbal communication cues have the potential to influence political judgments. The bulk of this literature has focused on leader displays in the context of electoral politics. The study reported here aligns with that body of literature, but tests how facial displays of ordinary citizens might affect political participatory intentions among different demographic groups. The study reported here provides support for the idea that being exposed to audiovisual news that features emotional testimonies of people with firsthand experience of social issues encourages political participation. The findings from a mixed design experiment (N = 80) examining story personalization, ideological strength, and education level offer evidence that participants from both higher and lower socioeconomic segments of society become equally motivated for political participation after viewing emotional testimony of fellow citizens. It is reasonable to start considering the potential of news that gives voice to ordinary people, showcasing their facial displays of emotion, for revitalizing the public sphere.
The Rapid Prototyping (RP) manufacture technology, computer tomography (CT) image processing, and mechanical analyses were adopted to repair a skull defect injury. After the patient was inspected by spiral CT the data was exported to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. The data was processed with Mimics software to eliminate noise and gray-level registration. The processing filtered out the parenchyma data and preserved the bone data. The STL files were analyzed and processed by the Magics and put into the RP equipment. The RP equipment is one type of Stereo Lithography Apparatus (SLA) with laser light spot diameter that is 50.2 mm. The 3D models were analyzed to comply with the patients' requirements. The stereo lithography model emulated the mechanical properties and shape with the patient's bone. The titanium-alloy plate matched the anatomy well. The 3D reconstructed freeform model was accurate to within 0.2 mm.
Person perception is a dynamic, evolving process. Because other people are an endless source of social information, people need to update their impressions of others based upon new information. We devised an fMRI study to identify brain regions involved in updating impressions. Participants saw faces paired with valenced behavioral information and were asked to form impressions of these individuals. Each face was seen five times in a row, each time with a different behavioral description. Critically, for half of the faces the behaviors were evaluatively consistent, while for the other half they were inconsistent. In line with prior work, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) was associated with forming impressions of individuals based on behavioral information. More importantly, a whole-brain analysis revealed a network of other regions associated with updating impressions of individuals who exhibited evaluatively inconsistent behaviors, including rostrolateral PFC, superior temporal sulcus, right inferior parietal lobule and posterior cingulate cortex.
Instead of analog electronic circuits and components, digital controllers that are capable of active multi-resonant piezoelectric shunting are applied to elastic metamaterials integrated with piezoelectric patches. Thanks to recently introduced digital control techniques, shunting strategies are possible now with transfer functions that can hardly be realized with analog circuits. As an example, the `pole-zero' method is developed to design single-or multi-resonant bandgaps by adjusting poles and zeros in the transfer function of piezoelectric shunting directly. Large simultaneous attenuations in up to three frequency bands at deep subwavelength scale (with normalized frequency as low as 0.077) are achieved. The underlying physical mechanism is attributable to the negative group velocity of the flexural wave within bandgaps. As digital controllers can be readily adapted via wireless broadcasting, the bandgaps can be tuned easily unlike the electric components in analog shunting circuits, which must be tuned one by one manually. The theoretical results are verified experimentally with the measured vibration transmission properties, where large insulations of up to 20 dB in low-frequency ranges are observed.
Tau is a microtubule-binding protein that is important for the stability of neuronal axons. It is normally expressed within neurons and is also secreted into the brain interstitial fluid that communicates freely with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and, in a more restricted manner, blood via the glymphatic clearance system of the brain. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), neuroaxonal degeneration results in increased release of tau from neurons. Furthermore, tau is truncated and phosphorylated, which leads to aggregation of tau in neurofibrillary tangles of the proximal axoplasm. Neuroaxonal degeneration and tangle formation are reflected by increased concentrations of total tau (T-tau, measured using assays that detect most forms of tau) and phospho-tau (P-tau, measured using assays with antibodies specific to phosphorylated forms of tau). In AD CSF, both T-tau and P-tau concentrations are increased. In stroke and other CNS disorders with neuroaxonal injury but without tangles, T-tau is selectively increased, whereas P-tau concentration often stays normal. In tauopathies (diseases with both neurodegeneration and neurofibrillary tangles) other than AD, CSF T-tau and P-tau concentrations are typically unaltered, which is a puzzling result that warrants further investigation. In the current review, I discuss the association of T-tau and P-tau concentrations in body fluids with neuropathological changes, imaging findings and clinical features in AD and other CNS diseases. The search for reliable biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases is an active field, important for diagnosis, monitoring disease progression and treatment response. This focussed review by Professor Zetterberg considers the association of total tau and phospho-tau in body fluids with neuropathology, imaging and clinical features in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases.
This article aims to add to the relatively small body of literature on online hatred. In particular, it focuses on the role social networking sites may play in the development of polarisation, by exploring how online users respond to explicit online hate materials. Specifically, this article discusses the ways in which a self-selected sample of YouTube users responded, via posting online comments, to a video clip in which a White female train passenger (called Emma) could be seen to racially to abuse other passengers. Thematic analysis of the YouTube comments identified four main themes: (1) Making Sense of Emma, which encapsulated posters' attempts to find explanations for Emma's behaviour; (2) Meeting Hatred with Hatred, which described posters' attempts to oppose Emma's racism by means of resorting to aggressive, hateful language; (3) Us versus Them, which encapsulated posters' tendencies to categorise themselves and other posters into in- and outgroups, based on their particular stance on racism; (4) Contesting Britishness, which expressed posters' attempts to articulate (and contest) what it means to be British. Whilst the current analysis provides some evidence that hateful web content can fuel aggressive and hateful responses, many of the comments analysed here emphasised common group membership, alongside people's right to claim membership in a particular social category (i.e. Britishness). The current evidence, therefore, suggests that, at least in the specific context of this study, hateful web content may not necessarily lead to an automatic endorsement or escalation of hatred.
Objective: To propose a phylogenetic significance to the Moro reflex which remains unexplained since its publication in 1918 because both hands are free at the end of the gesture. Method: Among the 75 videos of healthy term newborns we have filmed in a research project on antenatal education to parenthood, we describe a sequence that clearly showed the successive movements of the Moro reflex and we report the occurrence of this reflex in the videos that were recorded from Time 0 of birth defined as the moment that lies between the birth of the thorax and the pelvis of the infant. Results: The selected sequence showed the following succession of the newborn's actions: quick extension-adduction of both arms, the orientation of the body, head and eyes towards a human person, and full extension-abduction of both arms with spreading of the fingers, crying and a distressed face. There were 13 Moro reflexes between 2 and 14s from Time 0 of birth. We found a significant association between the occurrence of the Moro reflex and the placement of the newborn at birth in supine position on the mother's abdomen (p = 0.002). Discussion: The quick extension-adduction of both arms which started the sequence may be considered as a startle reflex controlled by the neural fear system and the arm extension adduction which followed as a Moro reflex. The characteristics of all Moro reflexes were those of ritualization: amplitude, duration, stereotype of the gestures. This evolutionary process turns a physiological behavior, grasping in this case, to a non-verbal communicative behavior whose meaning is a request to be picked up in the arms. The gestures associated with the Moro reflex: crying and orientation of the body, head, and eyes towards a human person, are gestures of intention to communicate which support our hypothesis. The neural mechanism of the Moro reaction probably involves both the fear and the separation-distress systems. Conclusion: This paper proposes for the first time a phylogenetic significance to the Moro reflex: a ritualized behavior of nonverbal communication. Professionals should avoid stimulating the newborns' fear system by unnecessarily triggering Moro reflexes. Antenatal education should teach parents to respond to the Moro reflexes of their newborn infant by picking her up in their arms with mother talk. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective: This study used a candidate gene approach to examine genomic variation associated with pain, anxiety, and distress in children undergoing a medical procedure. Study Design: Children aged 4-10 years having an IV catheter insertion were recruited from three Midwestern children's hospitals. Self-report measures of pain, anxiety, and distress were obtained as well as an observed measure of distress. Samples were collected from children and biological parents for analysis of genomic variation. Genotyped variants had known or suspected association with phenotypes of interest. Analyses included child-only association and family-based transmission disequilibrium tests. Results: Genotype and phenotype data were available from 828 children and 376 family trios. Children were 50% male, had a mean age of 7.2 years, and were 84% White/non-Hispanic. In family-based analysis, one single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs1143629, interleukin (IL1B) 1) was associated with observed child distress at Bonferroni-corrected levels of significance (p = .00013), while two approached significance for association with high state anxiety (rs6330 Nerve Growth Factor, Beta Subunit, [NGFB]) and high trait anxiety (rs6265 brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF]). In the child-only analysis, multiple SNPs showed nominal evidence of relationships with phenotypes of interest. rs6265 BDNF and rs2941026 cholecystokinin B receptor had possible relationships with trait anxiety in child-only and family-based analyses. Conclusions: Exploring genomic variation furthers our understanding of pain, anxiety, and distress and facilitates genomic screening to identify children at high risk of procedural pain, anxiety, and distress. Combined with clinical observations and knowledge, such explorations could help guide tailoring of interventions to limit procedure-related distress and identify genes and pathways of interest for future genotype-phenotype studies.
Neuroimaging techniques have greatly enhanced the understanding of neurodiversity (human brain variation across individuals) in both health and disease. The ultimate goal of using brain imaging biomarkers is to perform individualized predictions. Here we proposed a generalized framework that can predict explicit values of the targeted measures by taking advantage of joint information from multiple modalities. This framework also enables whole brain voxel-wise searching by combining multivariate techniques such as ReliefF, clustering, correlation-based feature selection and multiple regression models, which is more flexible and can achieve better prediction performance than alternative atlas-based methods. For 50 healthy controls and 47 schizophrenia patients, three kinds of features derived from resting-state fMRI (fALFF), sMRI (gray matter) and DTI (fractional anisotropy) were extracted and fed into a regression model, achieving high prediction for both cognitive scores (MCCB composite r = 0.7033, MCCB social cognition r = 0.7084) and symptomatic scores (positive and negative syndrome scale [PANSS] positive r = 0.7785, PANSS negative r = 0.7804). Moreover, the brain areas likely responsible for cognitive deficits of schizophrenia, including middle temporal gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, striatum, cuneus and cerebellum, were located with different weights, as well as regions predicting PANSS symptoms, including thalamus, striatum and inferior parietal lobule, pinpointing the potential neuromarkers. Finally, compared to a single modality, multimodal combination achieves higher prediction accuracy and enables individualized prediction on multiple clinical measures. There is more work to be done, but the current results highlight the potential utility of multimodal brain imaging biomarkers to eventually inform clinical decision-making. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Realising that rainwater harvesting (RWH) improves crop productivity, smallholder farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe modified contour ridges traditionally used for rainwater management by digging infiltration pits inside contour ridge channels in order to retain more water in crop fields. However, scientific studies on crop yield benefits of infiltration pits have not been conclusive. Combining field-edge RWH methods such as contour ridges with infiltration pits with in-field practices may enhance crop yield benefits. Thus, the objective of the study was to assess soil moisture and maize yield improvement of combining infiltration and planting pits. Field experiments were conducted in Rushinga, Zimbabwe for three seasons at three sites using a split-plot design: main-plot factor, field-edge rainwater management method (RWMM); and split-plot factor, tillage method. Soil moisture content was measured weekly using gravimetric and Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) methods. A household and field survey to establish farmers' perceptions, typology and availability of field-edge RWMM was conducted. In order to share experiences and enhance stakeholders' learning, field days were held. Lateral movement of soil water was measured up to 2 m downslope from infiltration pits, hence infiltration pits did not improve maize yield and soil moisture content in the cropping area. Maize yield (kg ha(-1)) was 45% higher under conventional tillage (2697) than planting pits (1852) but the yield gap decreased from 90 to 30% in the first and third year respectively. The value of infiltration pits is in reducing soil erosion by water and growing high value horticultural crops inside and close to pits, a view shared by host farmers and other stakeholders. Planting pits are an option for farmers without access to draught power and a fall-back method. Research is required to determine soil moisture, maize yield benefits and waterlogging risk in fields with underlying impermeable layers that enhance lateral flow of water. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background. Previous studies suggest that adults with Tourette syndrome (TS) can respond unconventionally on tasks involving social cognition. We therefore hypothesized that these patients would exhibit different neural responses to healthy controls in response to emotionally salient expressions of human eyes. Method. Twenty-five adults with TS and 25 matched healthy controls were scanned using fMRI during the standard version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task which requires mental state judgements, and a novel comparison version requiring judgements about age. Results. During prompted mental state recognition, greater activity was apparent in TS within left orbitofrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, right amygdala and right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), while reduced activity was apparent in regions including left inferior parietal cortex. Age judgement elicited greater activity in TS within precuneus, medial prefrontal and temporal regions involved in mentalizing. The interaction between group and task revealed differential activity in areas including right inferior frontal gyrus. Task-related activity in the TPJ covaried with global ratings of the urge to tic. Conclusions. While recognizing mental states, adults with TS exhibit greater activity than controls in brain areas involved in the processing of negative emotion, in addition to reduced activity in regions associated with the attribution of agency. In addition, increased recruitment of areas involved in mental state reasoning is apparent in these patients when mentalizing is not a task requirement. Our findings highlight differential neural reactivity in response to emotive social cues in TS, which may interact with tic expression.
A common approach to model memristive systems is to include empirical window functions to describe edge effects and nonlinearities in the change of the memristance. We demonstrate that under quite general conditions, each window function can be associated with a sigmoidal curve relating the normalised time-dependent memristance to the time integral of the input. Conversely, this explicit relation allows us to derive window functions suitable for the mesoscopic modelling of memristive systems from a variety of well-known sigmoidals. Such sigmoidal curves are defined in terms of measured variables and can thus be extracted from input and output signals of a device and then transformed to its corresponding window. We also introduce a new generalised window function that allows the flexible modelling of asymmetric edge effects in a simple manner. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sensitivity Analysis (SA) is performed to gain fundamental insights on a system behavior that is usually reproduced by a model and to identify the most relevant input variables whose variations affect the system model functional response. For the reliability analysis of passive safety systems of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), models are Best Estimate (BE) Thermal Hydraulic (TH) codes, that predict the system functional response in normal and accidental conditions and, in this paper, an ensemble of three alternative invariant SA methods is innovatively set up for a SA on the TH code input variables. The ensemble aggregates the input variables raking orders provided by Pearson correlation ratio, Delta method and Beta method. The capability of the ensemble is shown on a BE-TH code of the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) of an Advanced Pressurized water reactor AP1000, during a Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA), whose output probability density function (pdf) is approximated by a Finite Mixture Model (FMM), on the basis of a limited number of simulations. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We present a Python program, FREQ for calculating the optimal scale factors for calculating harmonic vibrational frequencies, fundamental vibrational frequencies, and zero-point vibrational energies from electronic structure calculations. The program utilizes a previously published scale factor optimization model (Alecu et al., 2010) to efficiently obtain all three scale factors from a set of computed vibrational harmonic frequencies. In order to obtain the three scale factors, the user only needs to provide zero-point energies of 15 or 6 selected molecules. If the user has access to the Gaussian 09 or Gaussian 03 program, we provide the option for the user to run the program by entering the keywords for a certain method and basis set in the Gaussian 09 or Gaussian 03 program. Four other Python programs, input.py, input6, pbs.py, and pbs6.py, are also provided for generating Gaussian 09 or Gaussian 03 input and PBS files. The program can also be used with data from any other electronic structure package. A manual of how to use this program is included in the code package. Program summary Program title: FREQ Catalogue identifier: AFBH_v1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AFBH_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland at http://www.cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk or from Truhlar group software page at comp.chem.umn.edu/freq/Licensing provisions: GNU GPL v3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 3013 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 212537 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: PYTHON. Computer: Any computer with PYTHON compiler. Operating systems: Linux, Unix. Classifications: 16.3, 23. External routines: Gaussian 03 or Gaussian 09 (see Restrictions). Nature of problem: Optimization of property-specific scale factors for vibrational frequencies for a specific electronic model chemistry. Solution method: The method is based on minimizing the root-mean-square deviation between a set of zero-point energies derived from harmonic vibrational frequencies (either provided by the user or computed on the fly) and their experimentally determined counterparts. Restrictions: In order to compute the electronic model chemistry's harmonic zero-point energies on the fly, the user must have access to the Gaussian 03 or Gaussian 09 program. If the electronic model chemistry's zero-point energies are read in, no other program is required. Additional comments: After opening the FREQ.tar.gz file, the user will find a run.sh file which can be used to run all the programs to obtain the scaling factors for a user-chosen electronic structure model chemistry. Running time: Less than a second if the user provides the zero-point energies; if zero-point energies are to be computed, the running time depends on the electronic model chemistry used to compute them as well as the efficiency of the Gaussian 09 program, in our test we obtain the results within 10 min by using one node with eight processors for each Gaussian 09 input on Minnesota Supercomputing Institute's Meabi supercomputer. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
We report a 22-year onset age man diagnosed with rapidly progressing early-onset Alzheimer's disease with predominant extrapyramidal symptoms as the initial presenting symptoms and V391G mutation in presenilin 1 gene (PSEN1) was founded. The unaffected parents of the proband are not carriers of the mutation but have histories of extrapyramidal diseases, suggesting de novo origin of V391G mutation. The Val391Gly variation widens the number of PSEN1 mutations responsible for early-onset Alzheimer's disease with extrapyramidal phenotype and would help to establish a functional map of presenilin 1 protein architecture. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Most immune cell communication takes place by intercellular transfer of cytokines or the contact-dependent interaction of surface receptors in immunological synapses. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Gardell and Parker (Eur. J. Immunol. 2017, 47, 41-50) point to a new, hybrid mechanism for Th1-cell delivery of help to B cells, based on contact-dependent CD40L transfer. The transfer process and its specificity are both cell contact dependent and antigen dependent. CD40 expression is also required on the B-cell surface to capture the CD40L presented by the Th1 cell. While further studies are needed to confirm the phenomenon in vivo and to test the role of transferred CD40L in other aspects of T-cell help, this study provides an exceptional take-off point and makes excellent use of mouse genetics to work out some possible rules for B cells being able to order help 'to go'.
The gut microbiota includes a community of bacteria that play an integral part in host health and biological processes. Pronounced and repeated findings have linked gut microbiome to stress, anxiety, and depression. Currently, however, there remains only a limited set of studies focusing on microbiota change in substance abuse, including alcohol use disorder. To date, no studies have investigated the impact of vapour alcohol administration on the gut microbiome. For research on gut microbiota and addiction to proceed, an understanding of how route of drug administration affects gut microbiota must first be established. Animal models of alcohol abuse have proven valuable for elucidating the biological processes involved in addiction and alcohol-related diseases. This is the first study to investigate the effect of vapour route of ethanol administration on gut microbiota in mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 4 weeks of chronic intermittent vapourized ethanol (CIE, N= 10) or air (Control, N = 9). Faecal samples were collected at the end of exposure followed by 16S sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. Robust separation between CIE and Control was seen in the microbiome, as assessed by alpha (p < 0.05) and beta (p < 0.001) diversity, with a notable decrease in alpha diversity in CIE. These results demonstrate that CIE exposure markedly alters the gut microbiota in mice. Significant increases in genus Alistipes (p < 0.001) and significant reductions in genra Clostridium IV and XIVb (p <0.001), Dorea (p < 0.01), and Coprococcus (p < 0.01) were seen between CIE mice and Control. These findings support the viability of the CIE method for studies investigating the microbiota-gut-brain axis and align with previous research showing similar microbiota alterations in inflammatory states during alcoholic hepatitis and psychological stress. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PartitionFinder 2 is a program for automatically selecting best-fit partitioning schemes and models of evolution for phylogenetic analyses. PartitionFinder 2 is substantially faster and more efficient than version 1, and incorporates many new methods and features. These include the ability to analyze morphological datasets, new methods to analyze genome-scale datasets, new output formats to facilitate interoperability with downstream software, and many new models of molecular evolution. PartitionFinder 2 is freely available under an open source license and works on Windows, OSX, and Linux operating systems. It can be downloaded from www.robertlanfear.com/partitionfinder. The source code is available at https://github.com/brettc/partitionfinder.
Objective: Emotion processing abilities might be reduced in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Previous studies of emotion processing in ALS have inconsistent results, and are limited by variations in task difficulty, modalities examined, and participants' cognitive status. The current study used a battery of emotion processing tasks at differing levels of difficulty and across different modalities (facial affect and voice prosody) to assess the extent of emotion processing deficits in nondemented ALS. Method: 33 ALS participants with intact basic cognition and 22 healthy controls completed the abbreviated Comprehensive Affect Testing System (CATS), which assesses simple and complex facial affect recognition, affective prosody recognition, cross-modal face-prosody integration, and semantic comprehension of affect. Participants also completed measures of executive function, mood, and functional impairment. Results: ALS participants showed impairments on complex facial affect recognition, affective prosody recognition, and cross-modal integration. In contrast, simple facial affect recognition and semantic comprehension of affect were intact. ALS participants did not have significant mood symptoms, and neither mood nor functional impairment was related to emotion processing. Performance on the cross-modal composite was related to executive function, however, this relationship was not apparent for facial or prosody recognition within a single modality. Conclusions: These results indicate that people living with ALS without dementia often have subtle difficulties with recognizing emotions in both faces and voices, even in the context of intact basic cognition. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for these emotion processing difficulties to be present in ALS and to affect interpersonal behavior and quality of life.
The learning habits of a new generation of students, i.e., those growing up with cell phones, access to social media, and video games, are significantly different from the habits of the educators who are preparing them for the future workplace. The effectiveness of traditional lecture-based classrooms has been questioned by educators, parents, industry, and government. In the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the importance of hands-on learning and traditional classroom teaching underscores the need for curriculum reform. This paper presents a methodology to improve graduates' knowledge and skills in the area of fluid mechanics in an ongoing curriculum reform process. The course syllabus is reformed to support a multi-modal student learning process. Beyond current lecture-based classroom teaching, tools are developed to foster flexible, inductive learning through hands-on applications, and online learning tools. A multipurpose laboratory equipped with fluid power processes, sensors, data acquisition systems, and application programs has been established and it is being developed every semester. The laboratory experiments utilize fluid mechanics principles in industrial applications to provide students a robust understanding of the subject. Because of the practice of industrial processes, use of sensors, data acquisition hardware, and application programs in the laboratory, the technical skills of program graduates improve significantly. Finally, the project evaluation, assessment, and dissemination process for monitoring and evaluating project activities, outcomes assessment of student learning, and feedback for continuous curriculum improvement are presented.
Traditional network architecture is inflexible and complex. This observation has led to a paradigm shift toward software-defined networks (SDNs), in which the network control level is separated from the data link layer. This change became possible because of the control plane transfer from switching equipment to software modules that run on a dedicated server called a controller (or a network operating system) or to network applications that work with this controller. Methods of presentation, storage, and communication interfaces with network topology elements available to SDN controller users are the most important aspects of network operating systems because the operation of some key controller modules depends heavily on the internal representation of the network topology. Firewall and routing modules can be cited as examples of these modules. This paper considers the methods used to represent and store the network topology, as well as communication interfaces with corresponding modules of the Floodlight controller. An alternative algorithm for exchanging messages on the changes in the network topology between the controller and network applications has been proposed and developed. The algorithm makes it possible to issue notifications based on a subscription to relevant events. An API for the module of interacting with applied programs of the SDN controller has been developed. The Topology Tracker module has been designed based on this algorithm and API. In active mode, this module can inform network applications about the changes in the network topology and store its compact representation for the interaction acceleration.
Background and objectives: The seeds of Sophora alopecuroides L. var. alopecuroides may benefit treatment of opioid dependence. Therefore, the plant alkaloid composition, toxicity and effects on morphine withdrawal were studied. Methods: The alkaloid composition was determined by GC and GC/MS analysis. Mice were made dependent by morphine injected 3 times a day for 3 days. The withdrawal jumping and diarrhea were induced by administration of naloxone 2 h after the 10th injection of morphine on the day 4. The ethanol 90% extract (100, 200, 300 mg/kg), alkaloid fraction (5, 10, 20 mg/kg), morphine (50 mg/kg) or saline were injected 30 min before naloxone. All drugs were injected subcutaneously to groups each consisting of 10 mice. To assess toxicity, different doses of the ethanol or aqueous extracts dissolved in normal saline were gavaged once to groups each consisting of 30 mice. Afterward, the numbers of dead animals within 72 h after gavage were counted and LD50 was calculated. Results: Matrine, cytisine, sophoridine, n-methyl cytisine, sophocarpine and sophoramine were the major alkaloids. All doses of the total extract, alkaloid fraction and morphine decreased jumping and diarrhea significantly compared to the saline (p0.05). The ethanol and aqueous extracts LD50 were 355 mg/kg and 540 mg/kg, respectively. Conclusion: The plant inhibited opioid withdrawal with efficacy comparable to morphine. The alkaloids may be involved in the effect. The ethanol and aqueous extracts are moderately and slightly orally toxic, respectively.
Background:Infants who are not breast-fed benefit from formula with both docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n3) and arachidonic acid (ARA; C20:4n6). The amount of ARA needed to support immune function is unknown. Infants who carry specific fatty acid desaturase (FADS) polymorphisms may require more dietary ARA to maintain adequate ARA status.Objective:The aim of the study was to determine whether ARA intake or FADS polymorphisms alter ARA levels of lymphocytes, plasma, and red blood cells in term infants fed infant formula.Methods:Infants (N=89) were enrolled in this prospective, double-blind controlled study. Infants were randomized to consume formula containing 17 mg docosahexaenoic acid and 0, 25, or 34 mg ARA/100 kcal for 10 weeks. Fatty acid composition of plasma phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, total fatty acids of lymphocytes and red blood cells, activation markers of lymphocytes, and polymorphisms in FADS1 and FADS2 were determined.Results:Lymphocyte ARA was higher in the 25-ARA formula group than in the 0- or 34-ARA groups. In plasma, 16:0/20:4 and 18:0/20:4 species of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were highest and 16:0/18:2 and 18:0/18:2 were lowest in the 34-ARA formula group. In minor allele carriers of FADS1 and FADS2, plasma ARA content was elevated only at the highest level of ARA consumed. B-cell activation marker CD54 was elevated in infants who consumed formula containing no ARA.Conclusions:ARA level in plasma is reduced by low ARA consumption and by minor alleles in FADS. Dietary ARA may exert an immunoregulatory role on B-cell activation by decreasing 16:0/18:2 and 18:0/18:2 species of phospholipids. ARA intake from 25 to 34 mg/100 kcal is sufficient to maintain cell ARA level in infants across genotypes.
The microbes colonizing the infant gastrointestinal tract have been implicated in later-life disease states such as allergies and obesity. Recently, the medical research community has begun to realize that very early colonization events may be most impactful on future health, with the presence of key taxa required for proper immune and metabolic development. However, most studies to date have focused on bacterial colonization events and have left out fungi, a clinically important sub-population of the microbiota. A number of recent findings indicate the importance of host-associated fungi (the mycobiota) in adult and infant disease states, including acute infections, allergies, and metabolism, making characterization of early human mycobiota an important frontier of medical research. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge with a focus on factors influencing infant mycobiota development and associations between early fungal exposures and health outcomes. We also propose next steps for infant fungal mycobiome research, including longitudinal studies of mother-infant pairs while monitoring long-term health outcomes, further exploration of bacterium-fungus interactions, and improved methods and databases for mycobiome quantitation.
This paper presents a scheme to improve the line current distortion of power factor corrector (PFC) topology at the zero crossing point using a predictive control algorithm in both the continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). The line current in single-phase PFC topology is distorted at the zero crossing point of the input AC voltage because of the characteristic of the general proportional integral (PI) current controller. This distortion degrades the line current quality, such as the total harmonic distortion (THD) and the power factor (PF). Given the optimal duty cycle calculated by estimating the next state current in both the CCM and DCM, the proposed predictive control algorithm has a fast dynamic response and accuracy unlike the conventional PI current control method. These advantages of the proposed algorithm lower the line current distortion of PFC topology. The proposed method is verified through PSIM simulations and experimental results with 1.5 kW bridgeless PFC (BLPFC) topology.
Data owners with large volumes of data can outsource spatial databases by taking advantage of the cost-effective cloud computing model with attractive on-demand features such as scalability and high computing power. Data confidentiality in outsourced databases is a key requirement and therefore, untrusted third-party service providers in the cloud should not be able to view or manipulate the data. This paper proposes DISC (Dynamic Index for Spatial data on the Cloud), a secure retrieval scheme to answer range queries over encrypted databases at the Cloud Service Provider. The dynamic spatial index is also able to support dynamic updates on the outsourced data at the cloud server. To be able to support secure query processing and updates on the Cloud, spatial transformation is applied to the data and the spatial index is encrypted using Order-Preserving Encryption. With transformation and cryptography techniques, DISC achieves a balance between efficient query execution and data confidentiality in a cloud environment. Additionally, a more secure scheme, DISC*, is proposed to balance the trade-off between query results returned and security provided. The security analysis section studies the various attacks handled by DISC. The experimental study demonstrates that the proposed scheme achieves a lower communication cost in comparison to existing cloud retrieval schemes.
This article features an authentic research-lab experience developed for use in a freshman-level general biology course for nonmajors at a two-year college. Students work in groups to select and investigate factors affecting microalgal cell growth and relate their findings to a real-life application of social significance. This lab experience was designed using a four-step pedagogical framework originally developed at a four-year university in a sophomore-level molecular and cell biology course. The creators of the pedagogical framework at the four-year university mentored the instructor at the two-year college through the process of using the pedagogical framework to design and implement the authentic research lab experience described in this article. This example shows that adaptation of successful pedagogical models, particularly within mentoring partnerships, can greatly increase the implementation of authentic research experiences in biology lab courses at varying levels of study.
Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) has been widely used for the digital signature to ensure the secu-rity in communication. It is important for the ECC processor to support a variety of ECC standards to be compatible with different security applications. Thus, a flexible proces-sor which can support different standards and algorithms is desired. In this paper, an efficient and flexible dual-field ECC processor using the hardware-software approach is presented. The proposed processor can support arbitrary elliptic curve. An elaborate modular arithmetic logic unit is designed. It can perform basic modular arithmetic opera-tions and achieve high efficiency. Based on our designed instruction set, the processor can be programmed to perform various point operations based on different algorithms. To demonstrate the flexibility of our processor, a pointmultipli-cation algorithm with power analysis resistance is adopted. Our design is implemented in the field-programmable gate array platform and also in the application-specified inte-grated circuit. After implemented in the 55 nm CMOS process, the processor takes between 0.60 ms (163 bits ECC) and 6.75ms (571 bits ECC) to finish one-pointmultiplication. Compared to other related works, the merits of our ECC pro-cessor are the high hardware efficiency and flexibility.
The Mek ong River is ranked as the 8th in terms of water discharge and as the 10th in terms of sediment load in the world. During the last 4500 years, its delta prograded more than 250 km to the south due to a tremendous amount of sediments deposited, and turned from a tide-dominated delta into a wave-and-tide dominated delta. This study aims at completing our knowledge on the fate of sediments that may be stored in estuarine or coastal systems, or dispersed over the continental shelf and slope. Sediment transport in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) coastal area was studied by numerical simulations using the Delft3D model. The model configuration was calibrated and validated from data collected in situ during 4 periods from 2012 to 2014. Then, 50 scenarios corresponding to different wave conditions (derived from the wave climate) and river discharge values typical of low flow and flood seasons enabled us to quantify the dispersal patterns of fluvial sediments close to the mouths and along the coast. Sediments mostly settled in the estuary and close to the mouths under calm conditions, and suspended sediment with higher concentrations extend further offshore with higher waves. Waves from the Southeast enhanced the concentration all along the MRD coastal zone. Waves from the South and Southwest induced coastal erosion, higher suspended sediment concentrations in front of the southern delta, and a net transport towards the Northeast of the delta. Because of episodes of Southern and Southwestern waves during the low flow season, the net alongshore suspended sediment transport is oriented Northeastward and decreases from the Southwestern part of the coastal zone (similar to 960 x 10(3) t yr(-1)) to the Northeastern part (similar to 650 x 10(3) t yr(-1)).
Purpose: Researchers are increasingly using national population surveys (NPS) to understand the health of gay and bisexual men (GBM). However, valid inference from these surveys depends on accurate identification of GBM. Methods: We asked 8126 GBM in an anonymous, online, community-recruited survey about their willingness to reveal their sexual orientation in NPS. Results: Overall, 30% indicated that they would not reveal their sexual orientation; however, there were differences in frequencies according to sexual orientation, relationship status, age, HIV status, living environment, education, income, and ethnicity. Conclusion: NPS might not be fully representative of GBM due to misclassification errors stemming from unwillingness to disclose.
Bill Reynolds was a remarkably creative scientist who combined a natural curiosity with enormous energy to make significant contributions to fluid mechanics research. In this article, we combine our own recollections with those of many others to capture the aspects of Bill's personality and sense of humor that made him the irrepressible person that he was. We discuss his works on turbulent flow and touch on others that illustrate the wide range of his interests. We survey his involvement in education through classroom teaching and mentoring of research students, and his lifelong support of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society. And we cover his many contributions during his long career at Stanford University, where he spent his entire working life, especially his seminal role with the Center for Turbulence Research.
Soluble microbial products (SMPs) can act as a disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor besides natural organic matter (NOM) when source water is polluted by biologically treated wastewater effluent that has SMPs as its main component. Influential factors of SMPs as a DBP precursor were investigated in this study. Model feed substrates were biologically incubated to simulate the biological treatment of wastewater organics, and the SMPs produced were chlorinated according to the standard procedure to study the DBP formation potential (DBPFP) of SMPs. Feed chemical type is a crucial factor affecting SMP production and the following DBP formation. SMPs from four kinds of model feed substrates with the same initial organic carbon concentration produced DBPs with a wide range from 196 to 684 mu g L-1 and also different DBP formation properties. Different organic substrates would facilitate the growth of different microbial species, which produce SMPs with varied levels and chemical structure and subsequently different DBP formation characters. For the environmental factors, an anaerobic condition showed a significant effect, producing extremely high chloral hydrate up to about 2000 mu g L-1, probably due to the production of volatile fatty acids. Different incubation conditions can not only bring about different levels of SMPs and DBPs, but also SMPs with different DBP formation feathers.
Analysis of the quality of investments should be part of decision-making for implementing rainwater-harvesting systems in order to evaluate whether investments in environmental impacts mitigation are also attractive from the point of view of investors. Considering discounted cash flow methods, net present value is the best indicator for this analysis, because it allows deciding which is the best between two mutually exclusive projects, and it also presents a simple calculation routine and is easily understood by users. This work aimed at presenting a decision-making analysis tool for rainwater-harvesting systems, which is based on the maximization of net present value, using the Particles Swarm Optimization technique. The decision tool was used to evaluate the quality of the investments for implementing a rainwater-harvesting system, considering a building of the public tax category. Three scenarios of the water bill were considered: current rate structure and increases of 100%, 150% and 200%. All scenarios contemplate two alternatives: with sewage rate corresponding to the rainwater use and no fee. Results illustrate opportunities for investments in rainwater-harvesting systems.
In this paper, we model the trajectory of sea vessels and provide a service that predicts in near-real time the position of any given vessel in 4', 10', 20' and 40' time intervals. We explore the necessary tradeoffs between accuracy, performance and resource utilization is explored given the large volume and update rates of input data. We start with building models based on well-established machine learning algorithms using static datasets and multi-scan training approaches and identify the best candidate to be used in implementing a single-pass predictive approach, under real-time constraints. The results are measured in terms of accuracy and performance and are compared against the baseline kinematic equations. Results show that it is possible to efficiently model the trajectory of multiple vessels using a single model, which is trained and evaluated using an adequately large, static dataset, thus achieving a significant gain in terms of resource usage while not compromising accuracy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents some new evolutions of research works in the IRWTL at SJTU on intelligentized technologies for arc welding dynamic process and robot systems, including multi-information sensing of arc welding process, such as characteristic extraction of weld pool image, voltage, current, and sound, arc-spectral features; multi-information fusion algorithms for prediction of weld penetration; intelligentized modeling of welding dynamic process; intelligent control methodology for welding dynamic process; intelligentized technologies for robotic welding, such as guiding and tracking seam technology and intelligent control of weld pool and penetration in robotic welding process; and development of autonomous welding robot system for the special environment. The ideas of intelligentized welding manufacturing technology (IWMT) and intelligentized welding manufacturing engineering (IWME) are presented in this paper for systematization of intending researches and applications on intelligentized technologies for modern welding manufacturing. The studies of intelligentized welding presented in this paper establish the foundation work of intending researches and applications on intelligentized technologies for modern welding manufacturing. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Rainfall shortages constrain small-holders' agricultural production in developing countries and with ongoing climate change these shortages may increase in volume and frequency. Rainwater harvesting irrigation is an interesting technology that decreases this risk. Therefore, one would expect an increasing use of this technology in drought-prone areas, particularly for large and wealthy farms. This study investigated the relation between farm size and share of irrigated land among smallholders from two regions in Ethiopia. It also analyzed which factors explain the share of irrigated land using panel data collected in 2005 and 2010. A random effects tobit model was estimated for the share of irrigated land as a function of variables affecting returns, market prices, source of finance, and expectation formation. The findings show that the share of irrigated land declines with farm size. Moreover, the share of irrigated land depends on distance to market, ease of selling output, age, aridity, distance from natural water sources, credit access, and regional differences. These results question the relevance of water harvesting for farm enlargement. However, they also show that by safeguarding the availability of credit and improving local infrastructure farmers may extend the share of land irrigated by harvested water. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The accurate location of eyes in a facial image is important to many human facial recognition-related applications, and has attracted considerable research interest in computer vision. However, most prevalent methods are based on the frontal pose of the face, where applying them to non-frontal poses can yield erroneous results. In this paper, we propose an eye detection method that can locate the eyes in facial images captured at various head poses. Our proposed method consists of two stages: eye candidate detection and eye candidate verification. In eye candidate detection, eye candidates are obtained by using multi-scale iris shape features and integral image. The size of the iris in face images varies as the head pose changes, and the proposed multi-scale iris shape feature method can detect the eyes in such cases. Since it utilizes the integral image, its computational cost is relatively low. The extracted eye candidates are then verified in the eye candidate verification stage using a support vector machine (SVM) based on the feature-level fusion of a histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) and cell mean intensity features. We tested the performance of the proposed method using the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Pose, Expression, Accessories, and Lighting (CAS-PEAL) database and the Pointing'04 database. The results confirmed the superiority of our Method over the conventional Haar-like detector and two hybrid eye detectors under relatively extreme head pose variations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Every year smaller, cheaper and more precise technologies for ambient intelligence are emerging. One of them has been particularly gaining a lot of traction in the past few year. Indeed, due to their low cost and long battery life, the so-called Bluetooth beacons are being used for a wide range of applications including indoor localization of human. Our team has been using them to gather statistics about room occupancy in health monitoring. In this paper, we consider the beacons signals as time series and we define a new spatial feature that generalize across any configuration (floor plan, beacons number, etc.). The feature is used to distinguish positioning information from the resident. The results of leave-one-out experiments with various floor plans shows promising results.
Face-recognition is becoming common among the section of study in computer-vision, while it is also one of the very effective programs of comprehension and image-analysis. It may be employed for both ID and confirmation. At the moment, there are lots of means of front watch face-recognition. Nicely when just one instant picture per course can be obtained nevertheless, a handful of them can perhaps work. In this paper, we discuss the different face recognition techniques and find a better method for pose variation, non-uniform motion blur and Illumination by using a Reference face graph for face recognition. One example image' problem and two generalized eigenface algorithms are proposed. Face-recognition has been analyzed thoroughly; nevertheless, real world face-recognition stays a job that is difficult. The interest in unconstrained useful face-recognition is increasing using the surge of online media, for example, video-surveillance video, and internet sites wherever encounter evaluation is of substantial significance. Face-recognition is approached by us within data theory's framework. We identify an unfamiliar encounter utilizing an exterior Reference Face Graph (RFG). There is an RFG produced by evaluating it towards the encounters within the built RFG and acknowledgement of the given encounter is attained. Centrality steps are used to recognize encounters that were unique within the Reference Face Graph.
A full understanding of the hydrodynamic processes within the jet produced by a manoeuvring ship's propeller is essential in the development and maintenance of ports, docks and harbours. In this investigation the predominant axial velocity component within a freely expanding wash was studied. The flow fields formed by four propellers, each operating at four power levels (speeds of rotation), were investigated under bollard pull conditions and in the absence of a rudder, within a large free surface tank using Laser Doppler Anemometry. The characteristics of these propellers extended the range over which high accuracy measurements have been previously attempted. Comparison were made to existing methodologies by which a prediction of the magnitudes of the axial velocity can be made, and where deficient modifications to the methodologies have been developed and presented. The jets were found to produce a maximum axial velocity along the initial efflux plane at a location near the blade mid-span. The position and magnitude of the axial velocity was seen to decrease as the jet entrained more flow and transitioned from the zone of flow establishment into the zone of established flow. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tremendous advances in our understanding of the tumor immunology and molecular biology of urothelial carcinoma (UC) have led to the recent approval of immunotherapy as a novel option for patients with UC with advanced disease. Despite the promising data of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors, only a small subset of patients with UC achieves durable remissions. Because an optimal antitumor response requires coordination of multiple immune, tumor, and microenvironment effector cells, novel approaches targeting distinct mechanisms of action likely in combination are needed. In addition, discovery of reliable immune biomarkers, understanding of mechanisms of resistance, and novel clinical trial designs are warranted for maximum benefit of UC immunotherapy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction. In parallel to the rapid growth of access to new technologies (NT) there has been an increase in the problematic use of the same, especially among children and adolescents. Although research in this field is increasing, the studies have mainly been developed in the community, and the characteristics associated with the problematic use of NT are unknown in samples that require clinical care. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between problematic use of video games (UPV) and Internet (UPI) and personality traits and behavior problems in a clinical sample of children and adolescents. Methodology. The sample consists of 88 patients who were examined in the clinical psychology consultation in the Mental Health Unit for Children and Adolescents of the University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela. Data were obtained from self-reports and rating scales filled out by parents. Results. 31.8% of the participants present UPI and 18.2%, UPV. The children and adolescents with UPNT have lower levels of Openness to experience, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness and higher levels of Emotional instability, global Impulsivity and Externalizing behavior problems, as well as Attention and Thought problems. Conclusions. UPNT is a problem that emerges as an important issue in clinical care for children and adolescents, so its study in child and youth care units is needed. Understanding the psychopathological profile of children and adolescents with UPNT will allow for the development of differential and more specific interventions.
During the last years, the computational capabilities of smart mobile devices have been continuously improved by hardware vendors, raising new opportunities for mobile application engineers. Mobile augmented reality is one scenario demonstrating that smart mobile applications are becoming increasingly mature. In the AREA (Augmented Reality Engine Application) project, we developed a kernel that enables such location-based mobile augmented reality applications. On top of the kernel, mobile application developers can easily realize their individual applications. The kernel, in turn, focuses on robustness and high performance. In addition, it provides a flexible architecture that fosters the development of individual location-based mobile augmented reality applications. In the first stage of the project, the LocationView concept was developed as the core for realizing the kernel algorithms. This LocationView concept has proven its usefulness in the context of various applications, running on iOS, Android, or Windows Phone. Due to the further evolution of computational capabilities on one hand and emerging demands of location-based mobile applications on the other, we developed a new kernel concept. In particular, the new kernel allows for handling points of interests (POI) clusters or enables the use of tracks. These changes required new concepts presented in this paper. To demonstrate the applicability of our kernel, we apply it in the context of various mobile applications. As a result, mobile augmented reality applications could be run on present mobile operating systems and be effectively realized by engineers utilizing our approach. We regard such applications as a good example for using mobile computational capabilities efficiently in order to support mobile users in everyday life more properly. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The dual-stator spoke-array vernier permanent-magnet (DSSA VPM) machines proposed in the previous papers have been proven to be with high torque density and high power factor. However, the design procedure on the DSSA VPM machines has not been well established, and there is little design experience to be followed, which makes the DSSA VPM machine design quite difficult. This paper presents the detailed DSSA VPM machine design procedure including decision of design parameter initial values, analytical sizing equation, geometric size relationship, and so on. In order to get reasonable design parameter initial values which can reduce the number of design iteration loop, the influence of the key parameters, such as rotor/stator pole combination, slot opening, magnet thickness, etc., on the performances is analyzed based on the finite-element algorithm (FEA) in this paper, and the analysis results can be regarded as design experience during the selection process of the initial values. After that, the analytical sizing equation and geometric relationship formulas are derived and can be used to obtain and optimize the size data of the DSSA VPM machines with little time consumption. The combination of the analytical and FEA methods makes the design procedure time-effective and reliable. Finally, the design procedure is validated by experiments on a DSSA VPM prototype with 2000 N . m.
Nitrate pollution, primarily in groundwater (GW), has been one of major water pollution problems in Europe over the last 30 years. Specially, Mediterranean areas (semi-arid zones) are more vulnerable to nitrate pollution, as in these areas a small excess of nitrogen produce higher nitrate concentrations than in more humid countries because the aquifer recharge is minor. A large number of GW bodies in the Jucar River Basin District (RBD) (43.000 km(2)), located in Spain, has nitrate concentrations above 50 mg/L. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets out the goal of good status for the water bodies of the European Union, which also implies compliance with the Nitrates Directive. The River Basin Authorities (RBAs) must define the measures needed to reach the environmental objectives in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs), considering the long time-lag of aquifers is decisive in the measures effectiveness. By means of nitrogen cycle simulation in the river basin district and with the help of the monthly distributed PATRICAL model, the Jucar RBA has defined the measures to be applied and the exemptions to reach the objectives in GW in relation to nitrate pollution. Both, model and methodology are useful for other river basins to define measures. The total nitrogen inputs in the Jucar RBD amounts to 180,000 tN/year, which represents a nitrogen surplus of 80,000 tN/year and a pressure of 58.5 kgN/year/ha-crop. Around 3/4 of GWbodies have currently the good status while the remaining of GW bodies could reach the good status during following hydrological planning cycles through the implementation of modernized irrigation systems that include fertigation -the use of fertilizers in the water for irrigation. The implementation of this scenario involves increasing efficiency in fertilizer application, in order to reduce nitrogen losses from slightly under a half to <1/3. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Jumping to negative conclusions about other people's traits is judged as morally bad by many people. Despite this, across six experiments (total N = 2,151), we find that multiple types of moral evaluationseven evaluations related to open-mindedness, tolerance, and compassionplay a causal role in these potentially pernicious trait assumptions. Our results also indicate that moralization affects negativebut not positivetrait assumptions, and that the effect of morality on negative assumptions cannot be explained merely by people's general (nonmoral) preferences or other factors that distinguish moral and nonmoral traits, such as controllability or desirability. Together, these results suggest that one of the more destructive human tendenciesmaking negative assumptions about otherscan be caused by the better angels of our nature.
Caring is a positive social act, but can it result in negative attitudes towards those cared for, and towards others from their wider social group? Based on intergroup contact theory, we tested whether care workers' (CWs) positive and negative contact with old-age care home residents (CHRs) predicts prejudiced attitudes towards that group, and whether this generalises to other older people. Fifty-six CWs were surveyed about their positive and negative contact with CHRs and their blatant and subtle attitudes (humanness attributions) towards CHRs and older adults. We tested indirect paths from contact with CHRs to attitudes towards older adults via attitudes towards CHRs. Results showed that neither positive nor negative contact generalised blatant ageism. However, the effect of negative, but not positive, contact on the denial of humanness to CHRs generalised to subtle ageism towards older adults. This evidence has practical implications for management of CWs' work experiences and theoretical implications, suggesting that negative contact with a subgroup generalises the attribution of humanness to superordinate groups. Because it is difficult to identify and challenge subtle prejudices such as dehumanisation, it may be especially important to reduce negative contact. (c) 2016 The Authors. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Since the mid 1970s, when membrane modules became available, plasma separation techniques have gained in importance especially in the past few years. The advantages of this method are a complete separation of the corpuscular components from the plasma and due to increased blood flow rate and higher efficacy. Systemic autoimmune diseases based on an immune pathogenesis produce autoantibodies and circulating immune complexes, which cause inflammation in the tissues of various organs. In most cases, these diseases have a poor prognosis without treatment. Therapeutic apheresis (TA) in combination with immunosuppressive therapies has led to a steady increase in survival rates over the last 40years. The updated information on immunology and molecular biology of different immunologic diseases are discussed in relation to the rationale for apheresis therapy and its place in combination with other modern treatments. The different diseases can be treated by various apheresis methods such as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) with substitution solution, or with online plasma or blood purification using adsorption columns, which contain biological or non-biological agents. Here, the authors provide an overview of the most important pathogenic aspects indicating that TA can be a supportive therapy in systemic autoimmune diseases such as renal and neurological disorders. For the immunological diseases that can be treated with TA, the guidelines of the German Working Group of Clinical Nephrology and of the Apheresis Committee of the American Society for Apheresis are cited.
As a result of the rapid growth in popularity of portable digital devices in recent years, the power requirements for computer operating systems used in these devices have also rapidly increased as both their complexity and processing power have increased. Compared with systems based on DRAM as main memory, PCM (Phase change memory), a new memory technology, can significantly reduce power consumption because data stored in PCM does not disappear when the device is powered down. This paper will first discuss several PCM-RAM-based hybrid systems. In these systems, the amount of read-only data influences the design of the hybrid structure. In the experiment section, it was found that almost 80% of data was semi-read-only.
Evaluating daily life quality is important in ambient intelligence applications targeted for health status monitoring. When we consider the fact that people approximately spend one-third of their lives sleeping, we need to monitor the sleep quality as well as the activities of daily living in order to be able to provide a seamless health monitoring system. In this paper, a seamless activity recognition system that makes use of multi-modal wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and mobile phones is proposed. The proposed system is then used to collect life-log and sleep behavior data from actual users. In the lights of this information, important factors affecting the sleep quality of a person is extracted.
People unconsciously and unintentionally make inferences about others' personality traits based on their behaviours. In this study, a classic memory phenomenon - proactive interference (PI) - is for the first time used to detect spontaneous trait inferences. PI should occur when lists of behaviour descriptions, all implying the same trait, are to be remembered. Switching to a new trait should produce release' from proactive interference (or RPI). Results from two experiments supported these predictions. PI and RPI effects are consistent with an interactive activation and competition model of person perception (e.g., McNeill & Burton, 2002, J. Exp. Psychol., 55A, 1141), which predicts categorical organization of social behaviours based on personality traits. Advantages of this model are discussed.
Cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-, interleukin (IL)-12, interferon (IFN)-, IL-23 and, more recently, IL-9, have been implicated in the initiation/maintenance of inflammation in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In the present study we aimed to characterize the role of T cells in peripheral blood and synovial fluid of PsA patients and to investigate their response to in-vitro stimulation with antigen or cytokines (IL-9 and IL-23). T cells isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and synovial fluid were analysed by flow cytometry to evaluate the phenotype and cytokine production. IL-23R and IL-9R gene expression were also evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), sorted T cells and cell lines were also stimulated in vitro with isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), recombinant IL-9 or recombinant IL-23. Our results show an expansion of T cells with a predominant effector memory phenotype in peripheral blood and synovium of untreated PsA patients, which reverses significantly after treatment with anti-TNF- or anti-IL-12/IL-23R monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Moreover, in PsA patients T cells activation is driven prevalently by IL-9/IL-9R interaction, and not only by IL-23/IL-23R. Together these findings indicate T cells and IL-9 as new players in the pathogenesis of PsA.
In Denmark various non-traditional students are mature-age students who already have some kind of a vocational background. When applying to do a professional degree, most of them fall outside the traditional admission requirements, which is why individual assessment of applicants is necessary for bachelor programmes. This article examines the case of a woman named Amy, a mature, non-traditional university college student who becomes a social pedagogue. Because of severe allergies, Amy had to quit her job as a farmer and began to study to become a social pedagogue. Becoming a social pedagogue is a tremendously complex process that involves taking on a new professional identity and acquiring new skills. In order to ascertain the extent of this complexity, this article uses a psycho-societal approach derived from a Danish/German life history research approach. This article offers a brief presentation of the theoretical and methodological framework applied before analysing the process Amy undergoes to become a social pedagogue. The analysis demonstrates that this type of significant career change is demanding and, for Amy, filled with feelings of ambivalence and defensiveness.
Experiences and environments have a variety of effects on brain plasticity at levels ranging from the molecular and cellular to the behavioral. Brain plasticity is one of the most important characteristics of animal survival. In particular, environmental enrichment and exercise induce many structural and functional changes in the brain, and it is noteworthy that these changes result in further beneficial effects at behavioral levels, such as improved learning behavior and antidepressant effects. The effects of enrichment and exercise, and the mechanisms involved in both, provide crucial evidence for the prevention and treatment of brain disorders. However, the enriched environment- and exercise-induced mechanisms underlying the structural and behavioral effects in the brain remain poorly understood. In this review I discuss the molecular mechanisms of environment-and experience-dependent brain plasticity based on the results of studies carried out by our research group at the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Osaka University. This review consists of three parts: first, a description of a role for the motor protein KIF1A in enhanced synaptogenesis and memory function induced by environmental enrichment; second, a discussion of the function of the 5-HT3 receptor in hippocampal neurogenesis and behavioral changes induced by exercise; third, a discussion of the role of the 5-HT3 receptor in fear extinction.
Purpose of reviewThis review gives an overview of the systems-immunology single-cell proteomic and transcriptomic approaches that can be applied to study primary immunodeficiency. It also introduces recent advances in multiparameter tissue imaging, which allows extensive immune phenotyping in disease-affected tissue.Recent findingsMass cytometry is a variation of flow cytometry that uses rare earth metal isotopes instead of fluorophores as tags bound to antibodies, allowing simultaneous measurement of over 40 parameters per single-cell. Mass cytomety enables comprehensive single-cell immunophenotyping and functional assessments, capturing the complexity of the immune system, and the molecularly heterogeneous consequences of primary immunodeficiency defects. Protein epitopes and transcripts can be simultaneously detected allowing immunophenotype and gene expression evaluation in mixed cell populations. Multiplexed epitope imaging has the potential to provide extensive phenotypic characterization at the subcellular level, in the context of 3D tissue microenvironment.SummaryMass cytometry and multiplexed epitope imaging can complement genetic methods in diagnosis and study of the pathogenesis of primary immunodeficiencies. The ability to understand the effect of a specific defect across multiple immune cell types and pathways, and in affected tissues, may provide new insight into tissue-specific disease pathogenesis and evaluate effects of therapeutic interventions.
The collection 6 (C6) MODIS land surface temperature (LST) product is publicly available for the user community. Compared to the collection 5 (C5) MODIS LST product, the C6 MODIS LST product has been refined over bare soil pixels. Assessing the accuracy of the C6 MODIS LST product will help to facilitate the use of the LST product in various applications. In this study, we present a cross-satellite comparison to evaluate the accuracy of the C6 MODIS LST product (MOD11_L2) over bare soil surfaces under various atmospheric and surface conditions using the ASTER LST product as a reference. For comparison, the C5 MODIS LST product was also used in the analysis. The absolute biases (0.2-1.5 K) of the differences between the C6 MODIS LST and ASTER LST over bare soil surfaces are approximately two times less than those (0.6-3.8 K) of the differences between the C5 MODIS LST and ASTER LST. Furthermore, the RMSEs (0.7-2.3 K) over bare soil surfaces for the C6 MODIS LST are significantly smaller than those (0.9-4.2 K) for the C5 MODIS LST. These results indicate that the accuracy of the C6 MODIS LST product is much better than that of the C5 MODIS LST product. We recommend that the user community employs the C6 MODIS LST product in their applications. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper uses data on the life satisfaction of more than 100,000 individuals in 21 European countries from 2002 to 2011, to study the relationship between subjective well-being and the affordability for households of electricity, heating oil and natural gas. We find that energy prices have statistically and economically significant effects on subjective well-being. The effect sizes are smaller than but comparable to the effects of important personal factors of well-being. Effects above average are found in individuals from the lowest income quartile. In addition, effects are strongest at times when required energy expenditures can be expected to be high. The empirical results are consistent with the prediction that greater fuel poverty implies a greater effect of energy prices on well-being.
In attempting to understand the increased rates of immoral behavior associated with psychopathic personality, researchers have largely focused on identifying deficits such as reduced concerns for the well-being of others. However, we have little understanding of what does motivate individuals with psychopathic traits. What do these individuals value in life, and what goals do they aspire to? Within a large online sample (N = 3,521), we examined relationships between psychopathic traits and several measures of values and goals. Overall, psychopathy was related to both pleasure-seeking and a desire for relative social positioning. Individuals scoring higher in psychopathy placed more value on seeking power (but not necessarily personal achievement), financial success, and acquiring material possessions. They demonstrated a preference for group-based dominance (social dominance orientation) and were more concerned about their relative position in society than their absolute level of income, education, or vacation time. This study may help us understand what motivates the behavior of individuals scoring higher in psychopathy by going beyond identifying deficits (e.g., reduced concerns about the welfare of others) and examining what these individuals do value. We discuss ways in which this could be useful in developing treatments or interventions that take these motivations into account.
Social perception studies have revealed that smiling individuals are perceived more favourably on many communion dimensions in comparison to nonsmiling individuals. Research on gender differences in smiling habits showed that women smile more than men. In our study, we investigated this phenomena further and hypothesised that women perceive smiling individuals as more honest than men. An experiment conducted in seven countries (China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Republic of South Africa and USA) revealed that gender may influence the perception of honesty in smiling individuals. We compared ratings of honesty made by male and female participants who viewed photos of smiling and nonsmiling people. While men and women did not differ on ratings of honesty in nonsmiling individuals, women assessed smiling individuals as more honest than men did. We discuss these results from a social norms perspective.
Background: Whole genome duplication (WGD) and tandem duplication (TD) provide two critical sources of raw genetic material for genome complexity and evolutionary novelty. Little is known about the complexity of the Sesamum indicum genome after it diverged from a common ancestor with the paleodiploid Vitis vinifera and further experienced WGD and TD events. Results: Here, we analyzed the functional divergence of different classes of inter-and intra-genome gene pairs from ancestral events to uncover multiple-layers of evolutionary dynamics acting during the process of forming the modern S. indicum genome. Comprehensive inter-genome analyses revealed that 60% and 70% of syntenic orthologous gene pairs were retained among the two subgenomes in S. indicum compared to V. vinifera, although there was no evidence of significant differences under selection pressure. For the intra-genomic analyses, 5,932 duplicated gene pairs experienced fractionation, with the remaining 1,236 duplicated gene pairs having undergone functional divergence under diversifying selection. Analysis of the TD events indicated that 2,945 paralogous gene pairs, from 1,089 tandem arrays of 2-16 genes, experienced functional divergence under diversifying selection. Sequence diversification of different classes of gene pairs revealed that most of TD events occurred after the WGD event, with others following the ancestral gene order indicating ancient TD events at some time prior to the WGD event. Our comparison-of-function analyses for different classes of gene pairs indicated that the WGD and TD evolutionary events were both responsible for introducing genes that enabled exploration of novel and complementary functionalities, whilst maintaining individual plant ruggedness. Conclusions: In this study, we first investigated functional divergence of different classes of gene pairs to characterize the dynamic processes associated with each evolutionary event in S. indicum. The data demonstrated massive and distinct functional divergence among different classes of gene pairs, and provided a genome-scale view of gene function diversification explaining the complexity of the S. indicum genome. We hope this provides a biological model to study the mechanism of plant species formation, particularly in the context of the evolutionary history of flowering plants, and offers novel insights for the study of angiosperm genomes.
Cryptography via public key cryptosystems (PKC) has been widely used for providing services such as confidentiality, authentication, integrity and non-repudiation. Other than security, computational efficiency is another major issue of concern. And for PKC, it is largely controlled by either modular exponentiation or scalar multiplication operations such that found in RSA and elliptic curve cryptosystem (ECC), respectively. One approach to address this operational problem is via concept of addition chain (AC), in which the exhaustive single operation involving large integer is reduced into a sequence of operations consisting of simple multiplications or additions. Existing techniques manipulate the representation of integer into binary and m-ary prior performing the series of operations. This paper proposes an iterative variant of sliding window method (SWM) form of m-ary family, for shorter sequence of multiplications corresponding to the modular exponentiation. Thus, it is called an iterative SWM. Moreover, specific for ECC that imposes no extra resource for point negation, the paper proposes an iterative recoded SWM, operating on integers recoded using A modified non-adjacent form (NAF) for speeding up the scalar multiplication. The relative behaviour is also examined, of number of additions in scalar multiplications, with the integers hamming weight. The proposed iterative SWM methods reduce the number of operations by up to 6% than the standard SWM heuristic. They result to even shorter chains of operations than ones returned by many metaheuristic algorithms for the AC.
Data hiding is a wide field that is helpful to secure network communications. It is common that many data hiding researchers consider improving and increasing many aspects such as capacity, stego file quality, or robustness. In this paper, we use an audio file as a cover and propose a reversible steganographic method that is modifying the sample values using modulus function in order to make the reminder of that particular value to be same as the secret bit that is needed to be embedded. In addition, we use a location map that locates these modified sample values. This is because in reversible data hiding it needs to exactly recover both the secret message and the original audio file from that stego file. The experimental results show that, this method (measured by correlation algorithm) is able to retrieve exactly the same secret message and audio file. Moreover, it has made a significant improvement in terms of the following: the capacity since each sample value is carrying a secret bit. The quality measured by peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), and Similarity Index Modulation (SIM). All of them have proven that the quality of the stego audio is relatively high.
Substitution Boxes (S-Boxes) play an important role in many modern-day cryptographic algorithms, more commonly known as ciphers. Without carefully chosen S-Boxes, such ciphers would be easier to break. Therefore, it is not surprising that the design of suitable S-Boxes attracts a lot of attention in the cryptography community. The evolutionary computation (EC) community also had several attempts using evolutionary paradigms to evolve S-Boxes with good cryptographic properties. This article focuses on a fitness function one should use when evolving highly nonlinear S-Boxes. After an extensive experimental analysis of the current state-of-the-art fitness functions, we present a new one that offers higher speed and better results when compared with the aforementioned fitness functions.
Construction of a random ssDNA sublibrary is an important step of the aptamer screening process. The available construction methods include asymmetric PCR, biotin-streptavidin separation, and lambda exonuclease digestions, in which PCR amplification is a key step. The main drawback of PCR amplification is overamplification increasing nonspecific hybridization among different products and by-products, which may cause the loss of potential high-quality aptamers, inefficient screening, and even screening failure. Cycle number optimization in PCR amplification is the main way to avoid overamplification but does not fundamentally eliminate the nonspecific hybridization, and the decreased cycle number may lead to insufficient product amounts. Here, we developed a new method, asymmetric emulsion PCR, which could overcome the shortcomings of conventional PCR. In asymmetric emulsion PCR, different templates were separated by emulsion particles, allowing single-molecule PCR, in which each template was separately amplified, and the nonspecific hybridization was avoided. Overamplification or formation of by-products was not observed. The method is so simple that direct amplification of 40 or more cycles can provide a high-quality ssDNA library. Therefore, the asymmetric emulsion PCR would improve the screening efficiency of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment. (C) 2015 The Authors. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
In a typical smart grid, a large number of smart meters are deployed at energy consumers' premises, which can report real-time usage data to the control center of the energy producer. Although such a communication model can help to improve the efficiency and reliability of electricity delivery, which is crucial to our society, it also leads to several security issues: (1) attackers may violate the privacy of energy consumers, and (2) attackers may tamper with the transmitted data for their own benefits or purposes. To deal with these security issues, many researchers have proposed different schemes for privacy preservation or abnormal data detection. However, existing studies usually address them separately. In this paper, we jointly resolve these two major security issues in the smart grid. Specifically, we propose a privacy-aware data dissemination scheme for smart grid with abnormal data traceability (PDDS), based on bilinear group theory and non-interactive zero-knowledge proof. In our scheme, we design a novel link function that can verify whether there are different signatures that are signed by the same consumer, which effectively reduces the time and communication overhead for tracing. To evaluate the correctness and performance of the proposed scheme, we first develop a solid security analysis, which shows that the proposed scheme can efficiently preserve identity confidentiality and data integrity. We then conduct extensive simulation experiments, which further demonstrate that our scheme can significantly reduce communication costs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The aim of the present study is to offer a validated decision model for casino enterprises. The model enables those users to perform early detection of problem gamblers and fulfill their ethical duty of social cost minimization. To this end, the interpretation of casino customers' nonverbal communication is understood as a signal-processing problem. Indicators of problem gambling recommended by Delfabbro et al. (Identifying problem gamblers in gambling venues: final report, 2007) are combined with Viterbi algorithm into an interdisciplinary model that helps decoding signals emitted by casino customers. Model output consists of a historical path of mental states and cumulated social costs associated with a particular client. Groups of problem and non-problem gamblers were simulated to investigate the model's diagnostic capability and its cost minimization ability. Each group consisted of 26 subjects and was subsequently enlarged to 100 subjects. In approximately 95 % of the cases, mental states were correctly decoded for problem gamblers. Statistical analysis using planned contrasts revealed that the model is relatively robust to the suppression of signals performed by casino clientele facing gambling problems as well as to misjudgments made by staff regarding the clients' mental states. Only if the last mentioned source of error occurs in a very pronounced manner, i.e. judgment is extremely faulty, cumulated social costs might be distorted.
Mothers, fathers, and siblings from 87 multiplex (M-mothers, M-fathers, and M-siblings) and 41 simplex (S-mothers, S-fathers, and S-siblings) Autism spectrum disorder families were assessed using the Broader Phenotype Autism Symptom Scale. S-mothers, S-fathers, and S-siblings showed more social interest and were more expressive in their use of nonverbal communication compared to M-mothers, M-fathers, and M-siblings. Conversational skills were also improved in S-fathers and S-siblings compared to M-fathers and M-siblings. S-siblings showed significantly lower rigidity and intense interests compared to M-siblings. The decreased number and intensity of broader autism phenotype traits observed in parents and siblings within simplex families provide behavioral evidence consistent with findings of increased de novo genetic events in simplex families.
Purpose of Review This review presents cutting- edge methods and current and forthcoming satellite remote sensing technologies to map aboveground biomass (AGB). Recent Findings The monitoring of carbon stored in living AGB of forest is of key importance to understand the global carbon cycle and for the functioning of international economic mechanisms aiming to protect and enhance forest carbon stocks. The main challenge of monitoring AGB lies in the difficulty of obtaining field measurements and allometric models in several parts of the world due to geographical remoteness, lack of capacity, data paucity or armed conflicts. Space- borne remote sensing in combination with ground measurements is the most cost-efficient technology to undertake the monitoring of AGB. Summary These approaches face several challenges: lack of ground data for calibration/validation purposes, signal saturation in high AGB, coverage of the sensor, cloud cover persistence or complex signal retrieval due to topography. New space-borne sensors to be launched in the coming years will allow accurate measurements of AGB in high biomass forests (>200 t ha(-1)) for the first time across large areas.
Introduction: Care of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) poses special challenges. As the disease progresses, individuals with ADRD require increasing levels of medical care, caregiver support, and long-term care which can lead to substantial economic burden.Areas covered: In this expert review, we synthesized findings from studies of costs of ADRD in the United States that were published between January 2006 and February 2017, highlighted major sources of variation in costs, identified knowledge gaps and briefly outlined directions for future research and implications for policy and program planning.Expert commentary: A consistent finding of all studies comparing individuals with and without ADRD is that the average medical, non-medical, and indirect costs of individuals with ADRD are higher than those without ADRD, despite the differences in the methods of identifying ADRD, duration of the study, payer type and settings of study population. The economic burden of ADRD may be underestimated because many components such as direct non-medical costs for home safety modifications and adult day care services and indirect costs due to the adverse impact of ADRD on caregivers' health and productivity are not included in cost estimates.
Exposure to air pollution claimed the lives of about seven million people worldwide in 2010, largely from combustion of solid biomass fuels. Bioenergy is an alternative renewable source which can mitigate a climate change. Little is known about the human health and ecosystem effects of bioenergy, mainly in the electricity sector. This research applied a life cycle assessment approach to examine the human health and ecosystem effects of four bioenergy pathways: direct combustion of wood biomass, direct combustion of forest residue, direct combustion of pellets, and biomass integrated gasification and combined cycle (BIGCC). All pathways showed some variability of impacts; therefore, no single bioenergy pathway was the best absolute option. With the exception of the slightly higher human health impact, BIGCC has the least impact for all impact categories. However, all bioenergy systems implied lower ecosystem impact but higher human health impact as compared to climate change impact. Electricity generation from wood-biomass would improve the environmental sustainability of Alberta's electricity grid system because it reduces the human health and ecosystem impacts, as compared to the existing electricity production mix of the province. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
HLA-A is a locus of the major histocompatibility complex situated on chromosome 6p21.3. HLA-A has been shown to be associated with susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we firstly investigated the association of gene variants in HLA-A and brain structures on MRI in a large sample from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to explore the effects of HLA-A on AD pathogenesis. We selected the hippocampus, parahippocampus, posterior cingulate, precuneus, middle temporal, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala as regions of interest (ROIs). In hybrid population analysis, our results showed a marginally significant association between rs9260168 and the atrophy of the left parahippocampus (P = 0.007, Pc = 0.054), rs3823342 and the atrophy of the left parahippocampus (P = 0.014, Pc = 0.054), rs76475517, which only exists in Caucasians with HLA-A23 or HLA-A24 alleles, and the atrophy of the right amygdala (P = 0.010, Pc = 0.085) at baseline. In particular, the haplotype (TGACAAGG), as a surrogate marker of HLA-A2, was founded to be positively associated with the atrophy of the right hippocampus (P = 0.047) at baseline. Furthermore, we detected the above four associations in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subpopulation analysis. Our study provided preliminary evidences supporting HLA-A2 in Caucasians contribute to the risk of AD by modulating the alteration of hippocampal volume and HLA-A gene variants appear to play a role in altering AD-related brain structures on MRI.
The demand for additive processes that provide components with high technological performance became overriding regardless of the application area. For medical applications, the orthopedics field-multimaterial orthoses and splint-scan clearly benefit from direct additive manufacturing using a hybrid process instead of the traditional handmade manufacturing, which is slow, expensive, inaccurate, and difficult to reproduce. The ability to provide faster better orthoses, using innovative services and technologies, resulting in lower recovery times, reduced symptoms, and improved functional capacity, result in a significant impact on quality of life and the well-being of citizens. With these purposes, this work presents an integrate methodology, that includes the tridimensional (3D) scanning, 3D computer-aided design modeling, and the direct digital manufacturing of multimaterial orthoses and splints. Nevertheless, additive manufacturing of components with functional gradients, multimaterial components, e.g. metal/plastic is a great challenge since the processing factors for each one of them are very different. This paper proposes the addition of two advanced additive manufacturing technologies, the selective laser melting and the stereolithography, enabling the production of a photopolymerization of the polymer in the voids of a 3D metal mesh previously produced by selective laser melting. Based on biomimetic structures concept, this mesh is subject to a previous design optimization procedure in order to optimize its geometry, minimizing the mass involved and evidencing increased mechanical strength among other characteristics. A prototype of a hybrid additive manufacturing device was developed and its flexibility of construction, geometrical freedom, and different materials processability is demonstrated through the case study-arm orthosis-presented in this work.
Objective: Despite the need for effective pain communication, pain is difficult to verbalise. Co-speech gestures frequently add information about pain that is not contained in the accompanying speech. We explored whether recipients can obtain additional information from gestures about the pain that is being described. Methods: Participants (n = 135) viewed clips of pain descriptions under one of four conditions: 1) Speech Only; 2) Speech and Gesture; 3) Speech, Gesture and Face; and 4) Speech, Gesture and Face plus Instruction (short presentation explaining the pain information that gestures can depict). Participants provided free-text descriptions of the pain that had been described. Responses were scored for the amount of information obtained from the original clips. Findings: Participants in the Instruction condition obtained the most information, while those in the Speech Only condition obtained the least (all comparisons p < 0.001). Conclusions: Gestures produced during pain descriptions provide additional information about pain that recipients are able to pick up without detriment to their uptake of spoken information. Practice implications: Healthcare professionals may benefit from instruction in gestures to enhance uptake of information about patients' pain experiences. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Internet of Things (IoT) comprises a complex network of smart devices, which frequently exchange data through the Internet. Given the significant growth of IoT as a new technological paradigm, which may involve safety-critical operations and sensitive data to be put online, its security aspect is vital. This paper studies the network security matters in the smart home, health care and transportation domains. It is possible that the interruption might occur in IoT devices during operation causing them to be in the shutdown mode. Taxonomy of security attacks within IoT networks is constructed to assist IoT developers for better awareness of the risk of security flaws so that better protections shall be incorporated.
The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) refers to a path from the education system to the juvenile or adult criminal justice system. Over the past two decades, this path has grown significantly, and scholars attribute a myriad of contributing factors to this increase. Each factor has its own impact and consequences, which are covered in detail based on an extensive literature review and macro practice through Race Matters for Juvenile Justice. Prior to the STPP concept, education had largely been considered a protective factor for children and a route to success as opposed to a risk factor or track toward juvenile justice involvement. Staying in school and getting good grades were regarded as strategies that even at-risk students could use to overcome poverty, prejudice, and powerlessness. But since the 1990s, the approach to discipline in U.S. public schools has changed, and the effects of this change are only now becoming evident. This article explains the correlates of the STPP and its disparate outcomes, most notably for students of color; those with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students. The article concludes with implications for social workers in various settings and specific strategies for reducing the impact of the STPP.
Microscopic colitis (MC) refers to chronic inflammation of the colon which is characterized by histologic changes at the level of a radiologically and endoscopically normal mucosa. It is a common cause of chronic non-bloody diarrhea that occurs primarily in older individuals; however, there are few studies in the literature with strong scientific evidence compared to other inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which limits the knowledge of physicians and pathologists. This article aims to review the information on MC, describing diagnostic methods and drugs available for treatment. We conducted a search of the Pubmed database and CAPES Portal using the keywords microscopic colitis, collagenous colitis, lymphocytic colitis, and review for selection of articles published between 1996 and 2015 related to the topic. Based on the studies discussed in this review, we conclude that MC is a relatively new gastrointestinal disorder, most studies are incipient particularly with respect to pathophysiology and immunology, and budesonide is the best documented short-term treatment. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the best strategy for treatment in the long term.
This paper presents a novel approach to non-standard timber assembly - Robotic Timber Construction (RTC) where robotic fabrication is used to expand additive digital fabrication techniques towards industrial full scale dimensions. Featuring robotic systems that grasp, manipulate, and finally position building components according to a precise digital blueprint, RTC combines robotic assembly procedures and advanced digital design of nonstandard timber structures. The resulting architectural morphologies allow for a convergence of aesthetic and functional concerns, enabling structural optimisation through the locally differentiated aggregation of material. Initiated by the group of Gramazio Kohler Research at ETH Zurich, this approach offers a new perspective on automated timber construction, where the focus is shifted from the processing of single parts towards the assembly of generic members in space. As such, RTC promotes unique advantages over conventional approaches to timber construction, such as, for example, CNC joinery and cutting: through the automated placement of material exactly where it is needed, RTC combines additive and largely waste-free construction with economic assembly procedures, it does not require additional external building reference, and it offers digital control across the entire building process, even when the design and assembly information are highly complex. This paper considers 1) research parameters for the individual components of RTC (such as computational design processes, construction methods and fabrication strategies), and 2) the architectural implications of integrating these components into a systemic, unifying process at the earliest stages of design. Overall, RTC leads to profound changes in the design, performance and expressive language of architecture and thus fosters the creation of architecture that profoundly reinvents its constructive repertoire. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: In patients with mild to moderate Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS), plastic surgeons have mainly focused on the restoration of soft tissue deficiencies. While, bone deficits are easily overlooked. This study developed a new method combines the autologous mandibular outer cortex (MOC) grafting with fat grafting in mild to moderate patients with PRS, and apply computer-assisted techniques to improve the surgical outcomes and accuracy. Methods: Seven patients with mild to moderate PRS were prospectively enrolled in the study. Preoperative and 7 days and 6 months postoperative computed tomography (CT) and photographs were performed. Computer-aided design was done based on preoperative CT data. Surgical templates for MOC harvesting and grafting were designed and printed out. The topographic map of fat grafting was generated. The accuracy of MOC bone grafting was evaluated by the MOC thickness relative error, the MOC thickness accuracy at the preop most severe bone atrophy point (preop MSBAP), and the MOC volume accuracy. The percentage volume maintenance of the fat grafting surgery was assessed. Results: All 7 patients had ideal clinical outcomes with significant improvement in facial symmetry and no major complications happened. The average MOC thickness relative error is 2.85 +/- 0.50%. The average MOC thickness accuracy at the preop MSBAP is 3.36 +/- 1.13%. The average MOC volume accuracy is 3.41 +/- 1.37%. The average percentage volume maintenance of fat grafting is 62.79 +/- 5.73%. Conclusions: The combination of MOC grafting with fat grafting can be an excellent choice in reconstruction of mild to moderate patients with PRS. Applying computer-assisted techniques offers a reliable and accurate outcome.
To investigate the roles of the plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level and VEGF gene polymorphisms in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility. The plasma VEGF level was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The VEGF rs2010963 G/C gene polymorphism was analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Our data indicated that the average plasma VEGF concentration in the AS patients was markedly higher than in the controls. Stratification analysis indicated a significant correlation between an elevated plasma VEGF level in AS patients and sex, but not age, HLA-B27, C-reactive protein (CRP), or grade of the sacroiliac joint. We also found that VEGF rs2010963 G/C was associated with a decreased risk of AS. Significant differences were found between the VEGF rs2010963 G/C genotypes and elevated plasma level in AS patients when compared with the controls. However, we did not find a significant association between the plasma VEGF level and different rs2010963 G/C genotypes in the AS patients or controls. To sum up, serum VEGF levels are significantly associated with the inflammatory process of AS. This study suggests that VEGF is involved in the immunological or inflammatory process of AS. (C) 2016 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
As most future automotive innovations will be realized with software, the automotive industry is facing a transition from mechanical to software engineering. To achieve successful product launches, this is also true for manufacturing engineering. This paper presents an empirical study of the interaction between the organizations for product development and manufacturing, specifically focusing on automotive software engineering. It is presented as a multiple case study with a qualitative approach where data were collected from documents and in interviews with practioners at two Swedish automotive companies. To obtain validity of the results, multiple information sources were triangulated in within-case analysis and cross-case analysis. It can be concluded that there are challenges in the research area since 18 issues emerged from the data. Furthermore, a majority of the findings were supported by data sources from both cases, which indicates a possibility to generalize the results to the automotive domain.
The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) model and the optimal decision-making model is applied to the design of special-shaped stone Machining Center. Through the establishment of Design of house of quality of Machining Center, it can convert the users' needs and requirements of improvement on machining center into engineering measures of shape design of machining center in manufacturing engineering and at the same time combine resource consumption of various engineering measures implemented and resources of enterprises together. In the constrains of limited resource, in order to make the design of machining center meet the customers' needs to the maximum extent and enhance the competitiveness of machine tool in the market, the optimal decision model can be used to select the vital engineering measurement on re-designing machining tool.
This paper presents the possibilities of combing public-key encryption and digital signature algorithms which are actually based on different mathematical hard problems. Since the output of the combination produces an Encrypted signed message. In general, most of the currently used public-key algorithms are computationally expensive with relatively lengthy key requirement due to the dependency on the number theory. Therefore, it's important to show a combinational protocols which are based on different mathematical hard problem. In some sense, difficult to solve. In the combined scheme, we present the powerful and practical encryption digital signature scheme and its security level and execution time.
The work proposes an improved technique to design a low power 8-bit asynchronous successive approximation register (ASAR), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The proposed ASAR ADC consists of a comparator, ASAR (digital control logic block), and a capacitivedigital-to-analog convertor (C-DAC). The comparator is a preamplier-based improved positive feedback latch circuit which has a built-in sample and hold (S/H) functionality and saves an enormous amount of power. The implemented digital control logic block performing the successive approximation (SA) algorithm is totally unrestrained of the external clock pulse. The outputs from the comparator are given to a XOR logic whose outputs serve as an internally generated clock (ready signal) to trigger the digital control block. Hence, an external clock is not required to initiate the digital control block making its operation asynchronous. By implementing this, the ADC can circumvent the usage of an oversampled clock and can operate on a single low-speed sample clock. This, in turn, saves power and it cuts down the required resilience in sampling rates. The proposed ADC has been designed and simulated using UMC-0.18 mu m CMOS technology which dissipates 32.18 mu W power when operated on a single 1V power supply and achieves complete 8-bit conversion in 1.09 mu s. The relative accuracy of capacitor ratio, aperture jitter and FOM are 0.39%, 1.2 ns and 125 fJ/conversion-step, respectively.
A number of studies have shown that prosocial behavior is associated with enhanced well-being, but most prior experimental studies have involved actual or potential face-to-face contact with the beneficiary. To establish that it is prosocial behavior itself, and not only an increased sense of social relatedness to the recipient that improves well-being, participants (n = 76) were invited to play a simple computer game, where half were made aware of a chance to have an anonymous prosocial impact through gameplay. As compared to the control condition, this group experienced more positive affect, meaningfulness and marginally more vitality. Going beyond self-reported outcomes, they also demonstrated better post-game performance on a subsequent Stroop task, providing behavioral evidence for the positive effects of prosocial behavior. Also supported was the hypothesis that these positive effects of prosocial behavior on well-being were mediated by subjectively assessed autonomy and competence need satisfactions.
Modular exponentiation is a time-consuming operation widely used in cryptography. Modular multi-exponentiation, a generalization of modular exponentiation also used in cryptography, deserves further analysis from the algorithmic point of view. The parallelization of modular multi-exponentiation can be obtained by generalizing methods used to parallelize modular exponentiation. In this paper, we present a new parallelization method for the modular multi-exponentiation operation with two optimizations. The first one searches for the fastest solution without taking into account the number of processors. The second one balances the load among the processors and finds the smallest number of processors that achieves the fastest solution. In detail, our algorithms compute the product of i modular exponentiations. They split up each exponent in j blocks and start j threads. Each thread processes together i blocks from different exponents. Thus, each block of an exponent is processed in a different thread, but the blocks of different exponents are processed together in the same thread. Using addition chains, we show the minimum number of threads with load balance and optimal running time. Therefore, the algorithms are optimized to run with the minimum time and the minimum number of processors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This was a study on the perceived enjoyment of different movie genres. In an online experiment, 176 students were randomly divided into two groups (n = 88) and asked to estimate how much they, their closest friends, and young people in general enjoyed either serious or light-hearted movies. These self-other differences in perceived enjoyment of serious or light-hearted movies were also assessed as a function of differing individual motivations underlying entertainment media consumption. The results showed a clear third-person effect for light-hearted movies and a first-person effect for serious movies. The third-person effect for light-hearted movies was moderated by level of hedonic motivation, as participants with high hedonic motivations did not perceive their own and others' enjoyment of light-hearted films differently. However, eudaimonic motivations did not moderate first-person perceptions in the case of serious films.
The web browser is the new desktop. Not only do many users spend most of their time using the browser, the browser has also become host to rich and dynamic applications that were previously tailored to each individual operating system. The lingua franca of web scripting, JavaScript, was pivotal in this development. Imagine that all desktop applications allocated memory from a single heap managed by the operating system. To reclaim memory upon application shutdown, all processes would then be garbage collected-not just the one being quit. While operating systems improved upon this approach long ago, this was how browsers managed memory until recently. This article explores compartmentalized memory management, an approach tailored specifically to web browsers. The idea is to partition the JavaScript heap into compartments and allocate objects to compartments based on their origin. All objects in the same compartment reference each other direct, whereas cross-origin references go through wrapper objects. We carefully evaluate our techniques using Mozilla's Firefox browser-which now ships with our enhancements-and demonstrate the benefits of collecting each compartment independently. This simultaneously improves runtime performance (up to 36%) and reduces garbage collection pause times (up to 75%) as well as the memory footprint of the browser. In addition, enforcing the same-origin security policy becomes simple and efficient with compartments.
Subsurface defects of polished fused silica optics are responsible for igniting laser damage in high power laser system. A non destructive measurement technique is developed to detect subsurface photoluminescence defects of fused silica. The fused silica samples polished by different vendors are applied to characterization of subsurface defects and measurement of damage performance. Subsurface photoluminescence defects of fused silica are evaluated by confocal fluorescence microscopy system. Laser induced damage threshold and damage density are measured by 355 nm nanosecond pulse laser. The results show a great differential subsurface quality of fused silica samples. Laser induced damage performance has a good correlation with subsurface defects. This paper shows a new non destructive measurement technique to detect photoluminescence defects on the subsurface layer of polished fused silica. It is very valuable to increasing laser damage performance and improving production-manufacturing engineering of optics.
This work aimed to evaluate some aspects of construction and operation of full-scale best management practices and their effects on infiltration loading rate. Two systems were studied: i) filter-swale-trench (FST) and ii) infiltration well (IW). In these units, field essays and full-scale measurements were made in order to assess the soil permeability. Further, the fine particles transportation and the geotextile blanket permeability were determined before and after operation. The results pointed out that there were soil transportation to inside the FST and IW systems, despite of the installed protections, and that these material were responsible for diminishing the geotextile (reduction from 30 to 90% for FST and 40 to 70% for IW) and the full-scale infiltration loading rates (varying from 4.7 x 10(-6) to 10(-5) m.s(-1)).
Mini wind generator is an efficient way to save electricity and develop the potential green wind energy in city environment. The material and structure design of the supporting frame is a key factor to ensure the generator work fluently and safely for manufacturing engineering. In this research, the dynamic properties of the frame with different structure materials are analyzed by finite element method. The epoxy frame has the fewest number natural frequencies coinciding with the generator working revolution frequency. And the mode shapes of epoxy frame of different orders are achieved by FEM. A new kind of analytical method, key node component-displacement criterion is proposed with respect to the displacement characteristic of the frame under different mode orders. This criterion provides a new approach in evaluating the deformation characteristic of the dynamic properties of mechanical structures.
Data mining for intrusion detection is one of the most cutting-edge researches which focus on network security, database, and information decision-making. Due to the emergence of new forms of attacks and intrusion on the network, we need a new intrusion detection system which would be able to detect new and unknown attacks. Nevertheless, because of the complexity and diversity of network security alarm data, ordinarily, it is difficult to analyze and evaluate network security situation accurately. Intrusion detection is to protect network system from attacks and defend its security. We used machine learning technology in intrusion detection system in order to improve system performance effectively. In the paper, by studying the characteristics of network data intrusion, we put forward a intrusion detection system based on Rough set theory, and detect anomaly action in network. This method can extract detection rule model of network connection data, dealing with incomplete data and discrete data exit in data mining effectively. The basic ideas and techniques of data mining-based intrusion detection and the architecture of a real time data mining-based IDS are discussed. Meanwhile, we mainly analyzed the basic structure of intrusion detection system and application of several Machine Learning methods in intrusion detection which include Bayesian Classification-based method, neural networks-based method, Support Vector Machine-based method(SVM). The experiments results show that, models, methods and generation framework proposed in this paper can effectively detect network intrusion.
Background: Functional brain imaging research has already demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia had difficulties with emotion processing, namely in facial emotion perception and emotional prosody. However, the moderating effect of social context and the boundary of perceptual categories of emotion attribution remain unclear. This study investigated the neural bases of emotional sentence attribution in schizophrenia. Methods: Twenty-one schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy subjects underwent an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm including two tasks: one to classify sentences according to their emotional content, and the other to classify neutral sentences according to their grammatical person. Results: First, patients showed longer response times as compared to controls only during the emotion attribution task. Second, patients with schizophrenia showed reduction of activation in bilateral auditory areas irrespective of the presence of emotions. Lastly, during emotional sentences attribution, patients displayed less activation than controls in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Conclusions: We suggest that the functional abnormality observed in the mPFC during the emotion attribution task could provide a biological basis for social cognition deficits in patients with schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Austin, Texas, is one of the worst places with respect to allergies. In winter, mountain cedar (Juniperus ashei) is producing high pollen amounts exerting the so-called cedar fever in individuals allergic to this pollen species. In this study, we evaluated to which extent the effect of prescribed fires in a semi-arid ecosystem decreases pollen concentrations at the local scale. The study was performed on patches characterized by human-induced fire disturbances and unmanaged areas (control sites) in the southwest of Austin. Pollen was sampled on four consecutive days in January 2015 using ten pollen traps installed at 1.5 m a.g.l. Microscope slides were inserted every second hour during 8 am and 6 pm. Each station was equipped with meteorological devices to account for influencing factors such as wind speed and direction. Mean cedar pollen concentrations differed across the studied days and plots and ranged between 633 (16th January) and 126,400 pollen grains/m(3) (17th January). We determined diurnal patterns with peak values between 2 and 3 pm. Pollen concentrations were on average 15% lower at burnt vs. control plots. Comparing pairs of adjacent plots even revealed a reduction of up to 50%. Therefore, local land management can alter pollen concentrations drastically. A walk across previously burnt areas may trigger less severe symptoms for allergic people during the flowering period of mountain cedar. Our results add to the knowledge about individual cedar pollen exposure in heterogeneous areas and help improving mitigation strategies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Gaming addiction is usually characterized by a loss of control and mental instability, which may be particularly problematic in the military where task performance often requires optimal physical and mental functioning. No previous studies have thus far investigated levels of gaming addiction among conscripts. The aim of the present study was to assess the levels of gaming addiction among conscripts ( at the entry of service), and to investigate if indicators of lower psychosocial well-being ( particularly boredom, loneliness, depression, and anxiety) can help explain the variance in gaming addiction among conscripts. Lower psychosocial well-being has previously been related to gaming addiction in the general population, and coping with negative emotions has also been identified as a major motivation for gaming. The sample consisted of 1,017 conscripts ( 80.3% men) with a mean age of 19.5 years ( SD = 1.0). Results showed that 4.8% of the conscripts were addicted to gaming, and the addicted gamers scored significantly higher on boredom, loneliness, depression, and anxiety, compared with nonproblem gamers and nongamers. Results from hierarchical regression analyses showed that weekly time spent gaming explained most of the variance in gaming addiction ( 18.8%) whereas the indicators of low psychosocial well-being explained an additional 6.7% in Step 2, where depression, loneliness, and lack of external stimulation contributed significantly. Addiction is likely to have negative impact on training, operative ability, and task performance of the soldiers; hence a revision of the present selection criteria to include gaming addiction as an exclusion criterion for drafting may be warranted.
Dietary preferences influence basal human metabolism and gut microbiome activity that in turn may have long-term health consequences. The present study reports the metabolic responses of free living subjects to a daily consumption of 40 g of dark chocolate for up to 14 days. A clinical trial was performed on a population of 30 human subjects, who were classified in low and high anxiety traits using validated psychological questionnaires. Biological fluids (urine and blood plasma) were collected during 3 test days at the beginning, midtime and at the end of a 2 week study. NMR and MS-based metabonomics were employed to study global changes in metabolism due to the chocolate consumption. Human subjects with higher anxiety trait showed a distinct metabolic profile indicative of a different energy homeostasis (lactate, citrate, succinate, trans-aconitate, urea, proline), hormonal metabolism (adrenaline, DOPA, 3-methoxy-tyrosine) and gut microbial activity (methylamines, p-cresol sulfate, hippurate). Dark chocolate reduced the urinary excretion of the stress hormone cortisol and catecholamines and partially normalized stress-related differences in energy metabolism (glycine, citrate, trans-aconitate, proline, P-alanine) and gut microbial activities (hippurate and p-cresol sulfate). The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 40 g of dark chocolate during a period of 2 weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of free living and healthy human subjects, as per variation of both host and gut microbial metabolism.
A visual breakout prediction method for mold monitoring is proposed based on temperatures measured by thermocouples in the mold combined with the use of computer vision technology. This mold temperature rate thermography allows the characteristics of abnormal temperature regions to be captured and extracted, including the rate of temperature change with time, the geometry, and propagation velocity. On the basis of these characteristics, a back-propagation (BP) neural network model is constructed to detect mold breakout. The weight and threshold values of the model are optimized using the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm and a genetic algorithm (GA) through an iterative process of sample training and testing. The results show that the GA-LM-BP neural network model is better than both the traditional BP and the LM-BP models. This breakout prediction model has a higher accuracy rate (83.3 %) and a lower false-alarm rate (0.05 %). The GA-LM-BP model has also been compared with an actual BOPS used in continuous casting production. Meanwhile, it provides a way of detecting abnormalities visually for continuous casting process. The results of this work also provide a positive example of the application of intelligent monitoring and visualization methods to continuous casting.
The development of network technology has brought convenience to people's life, but also provides the convenience for the virus, Trojan and other destructive programs to attack the network. Then, the computer network security is becoming more and more dangerous. Accurately and scientifically predict the risk of network, it can effectively prevent the risk, and reduce the loss caused by the problem of computer network security. Computer network security is an early warning problem of multi index system. So, the traditional linear forecasting method cannot accurately describe the impact of each index on the evaluation results, and the accuracy of the prediction results is low. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of computer network security, this paper presents a new forecasting method for computer network security. Firstly, the evaluation index of computer network security is selected by expert system, and the weight of evaluation index is determined by the expert scoring method. Secondly, we put the index weight into the BP neural network, and use the BP neural network to learn it. Then, the parameters of BP neural network are optimized by the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm. After that, this paper uses a method based on the Fibonacci method principle to find the number of hidden layer node which has the best fitting ability. Finally, we use this algorithm to predict the network security of a certain enterprise in the next six months. The score is 0.67, 0.84, 0.72, 0.87, 0.86 and 0.91, which is close to the actual value of network security.
While several studies have examined the effect of renewable portfolio standard laws on renewable generation in states, previous literature has not assessed the potential for spatial dependence in these policies. Using recent spatial panel methods, this paper estimates a number of econometric models to examine the impact of RPS policies when spatial autocorrelation is taken into account. Consistent with previous literature, we find that RPS laws do not have a significant impact on renewable generation within a state. However, we find evidence that state RPS laws have a significant positive impact on the share of renewable generation in the NERC region as a whole. These findings provide evidence that electricity markets are efficiently finding the lowest-cost locations to serve renewable load in states with more stringent RPS laws. In addition, our results suggest that RPS laws may be more effective tools for environmental policy than for economic development.
In this paper a pipelined architecture of a high speed network security processor (NSP) for SSL/TLS protocol is implemented on a system on chip (SoC) where hardware information of all encryption, hashing and key exchange algorithms are stored in Secure Digital (SD) card in terms of bit files, in contrary to recent ones where all are actually implemented in hardware. The SoC works as NSP for the system (PC), which is running the application. Through the SoC the security algorithms are implemented and it also provides the Ethernet communication interface. The NSP finds applications in e-commerce, virtual private network (VPN) and in other fields that require data confidentiality. The motivation of the present work is to dynamically execute applications in embedded systems having strict resource and power budgets maintaining a stipulated throughput. An appropriate cipher suite is chosen following a proposed preferential algorithm based on Efficient System Index (ESI) budget comprising of throughput, power and resource given by the user. The bit files of the chosen security algorithms are downloaded from the SD card to the partial region of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The proposed SoC controls data communication between an application running in a system through a PCI and an Ethernet interface of a network. The proposed design uses partial reconfiguration feature of ISE14.4 suite with ZYNQ 7z020-c1g484 FPGA platform. The performances of the implemented crypto algorithms are considerably better in terms of power throughput and resource than the existing works reported in literatures. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The quality and composition of biomass as used in Portugal's thermal power plants is highly variable. The biomass consists mainly of residual forest biomass derived from forestry operations and wood waste from industrial processes, in particular paper and pulp industry. Its quality and composition is influenced by the presence of moisture and inert fragments, the latter being incorporated during collection or as a consequence of adherence to the biomass prior to collection. This variability presents difficulties for the thermal power plants; besides being an additional operational cost, the presence of large amounts of water and inerts in biomass used as a fuel, can result in problems related to the instability of the combustion and the accumulation of ash or rock that have to be removed and discarded. The objective of this paper is to review the main parameters that influence the quality of biomass, while analysing the current state-of-the-art power generation from the biomass sector in Portugal, as a new contribution to earlier studies.
Electrocoagulation with an iron-air fuel cell is an innovative arsenate removal system that can operate without an external electricity supply. Thus, this technology is advantageous for treating wastewater in remote regions where it is difficult to supply electricity. In this study, the possibility of real applications of this system for arsenate treatment with electricity production was verified through electrolyte effect investigations using a small-scale fuel cell and performance testing of a liter-scale fuel cell stack. The electrolyte species studied were NaCl, Na2SO4, and NaHCO3. NaCl was overall the most effective electrolyte for arsenate treatment, although Na2SO4 produced the greatest electrical current and power density. In addition, although the current density and power density were proportional to the concentrations of NaCl and Na2SO4, the use of concentrations above 20 mM of NaCl and Na2SO4 inhibited arsenate treatment due to competition effects between anions and arsenate in adsorption onto the iron hydroxide. The dominant iron hydroxide produced at the iron anode was found to be lepidocrocite by means of Raman spectroscopy. A liter-scale four-stack iron-air fuel cell with 10 mM NaCl electrolyte was found to be able to treat about 300 L of 1 ppm arsenate solution to below 10 ppb during 1 day, based on its 60-min treatment capacity, as well as produce the maximum power density of 250 mW/m(2). (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Masculine self-concept refers to a man's psychological sense of being male. In this study, we used the Semantic Misattribution Procedure to assess men's implicit masculine self-concept. As expected, implicit masculine self-concept was not associated with social desirability, but was positively associated with several gender-relevant outcomes, including conformity to masculine norms, endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology, hostile sexism, and benevolent sexism. We also found support for a mediation model in which explicit masculine self-concept mediated the impact of implicit masculine self-concept on these outcomes. These results provide evidence for the importance of implicit masculine self-concept when exploring gender-relevant outcomes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ambient Intelligence Healthcare Systems (AmI-HSs) are increasingly being deployed in hospitals, nursing homes, medical environment with the aim of supporting physicians to manage the complexity of performing varied medical activities. Such systems have to be able to handle multiple medical devices, and human activities in a dynamic environment in which people and things can evolve over time as well as change their position with respect to the operational ambient. Design reliable AmI-HSs is of great importance since such system are considered safety-critical, but no software development life cycle (SDLC) exists that supports a design for reliability approach suited for AmI-HS, which must abide by international regulations to guarantee safety and effectiveness. To fill this gap, in this work a evidence-oriented, risk-driven design methodology is proposed. The novelty of our approach consists of interleaving risk management activities within the SDLC, and by guiding the design using evidence produced via a probabilistic risk assessment approach.
The genus Gentiana is the largest in the Gentianaceae family with ca. 400 species. However, with most species growing on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, the processes of adaptive evolution and speciation within the genus is not clear. Also, the genomic analyses could provide important information. So far, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome data of the genus are still deficient. As the second and third sequenced members within Gentianaceae, we report the construction of complete cp sequences of Gentiana robusta King ex Hook. f. and Gentiana crassicaulis Duthie ex Burk., and describe a comparative study of three Gentiana cp genomes, including the cp genome of Gentiana straminea Maxim. published previously. These cp genomes are highly conserved in gene size, gene content, and gene order and the rps16 pseudogene with exon2 missing was found common. Three repeat types and five SSR types were investigated, and the number and distribution are similar among the three genomes. Sixteen genome divergent hotspot regions were identified across these cp genomes that could provide potential molecular markers for further phylogenetic studies in Gentiana. The IR/SC boundary organizations in Gentianales cp genomes were compared and three different types of boundaries were observed. Six data partitions of cp genomes in Gentianales were used for phylogenetic analyses and different data partitions were largely congruent with each other. The ML phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the fragments in cp genomes commonly available in 33 species from Lamiids, including 12 species in Gentianales, 1 in Boraginaceae, 10 in Solanales, and 10 in Lamiales. The result strongly supports the position of Boraginaceae (Ehretia acuminata) as the sister of Solanales, with the bootstrap values of 97 %. This study provides a platform for further research into the molecular phylogenetics of species in the order Gentianales (family Gentianaceae) notably in respect of speciation and species identification.
Mercury-discharge lamp technology is the basis for fluorescent lighting and UV lamps for water purification. We showed that by modifying the ratios of the seven stable isotopes of mercury from their natural relative abundances, lamp efficiencies can be improved by over 20%. In parallel, recent methods of isotope separation can make the cost of the optimized isotopic mixtures economically competitive. We review these recent developments and discuss implications for future lighting and UV lamp technologies.
Identification of new fluorescent biomarkers is a key issue to decipher mechanisms in living cells. Isolated from the fungus Epicoccum nigrum, natural epicocconone (NE) establishes a covalent and reversible link with primary amines and has been identified as a new fluorescent dye for cell imaging. In the present study, the properties of a synthetic and multifunctional analogue of epicocconone (SE) have been compared to those of NE through 1 -photon (1P) and 2-photon (2P) advanced light microscopies. 1P triangle lambda confocal microscopy analyses revealed that, in cell culture medium, SE and NE displayed two peaks of excitation (ex) at 480 and 530 nm and a large band of emission (em) with a maximum at 610 nm. In living cells, SE presented sharper bands compared to NE with maxima at 545 nm (ex) and 605 nm (em). In 2P microscopy, SE and NE presented maxima around 790 nm (ex) and 595 nm (em) when diluted in cell culture medium. In living cells, SE did not present any large disturbing blue-shift for emission that was observed for NE. In addition, 2P bands for SE were sharper than the NE ones. SE was 2-3 times more fluorescent than NE as determined through 1P and 2P approaches. SE did not induce any cytotoxicity and was adapted for time-lapse acquisition. In PC12 cells, SE broadly labeled nuclear and plasma membranes, vesicles-like structures and organelles including the Golgi apparatus and mitochondria. Taken together, these data indicate that SE has appropriate properties for in vitro and in vivo cell biology studies and presents many advantages compared to NE for 1P and 2P microscopies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the current study, we investigate factors that facilitate or otherwise obstruct reparations of a perpetrating group (i.e. Muslims) to a victim group (i.e. Christians). The study (N=200) reveals that among Muslim participants, the role of dual Abrahamic categorization in positively predicting reparation attitude towards Christians was mediated by the first group's prosocial emotions of empathy and collective guilt towards the latter group. In addition, relative Muslim prototypicality negatively predicted dual Abrahamic categorization and each of the two prosocial emotions. Empathy and collective guilt in turn mediated the role of relative ingroup prototypicality in negatively predicting reparation attitude. Moreover, as hypothesized, we found that the roles of empathy and collective guilt in predicting reparation intention, as manifested in participants' willingness to engage in collective action on behalf of the victim group, were not significant on their own, but were mediated by reparation attitude. These findings shed light on the importance of the relationship between the perpetrating group's shared identity with the victim group, reduced ingroup focus and its support for making reparations to the victim group. Theoretical implications, study limitations and practical strategies highlighting how to decrease relative Muslim prototypicality are discussed.
SUMMARY The main aspect of this paper is to show that the stability of linear time-variant systems cannot be estimated from the location of the eigenvalues. For this purpose, two simple time-variant electrical circuits are presented, which have constant eigenvalues. As will be shown, the time-variant circuits can be asymptotically stable although there is a positive eigenvalue and this circuit can be unstable despite negative eigenvalues only. The idea behind is a suited time-variant state transformation of a linear time-invariant system. An electrical interpretation of both systems and of state transformations allows for an energetic evaluation from an electrical point of view even though the analytical solution is not necessarily known. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of skin cancer with rapidly increasing incidence rate. The disease is largely considered incurable and the patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma have a survival of not more than five years. Despite of the recent advances in anti-melanoma chemo- and immunotherapies, the available drugs are relatively toxic and responsive to only a limited subset of lesions. Currently, topical pharmacotherapy is demonstrated as an effective approach for the treatment of various skin cancers. Also, in vitro testing of melanoma cell lines and murine melanoma models has identified a number of relatively safe and effective phytochemicals. In this review, we described the use of topical pharmacotherapy for the treatment of skin cancers. Melanoma treatment by drugs targeting MAPK-pathway has also been discussed. Long non-coding RNAs and therapeutics targeting ER-associated pathways looks quite promising for the treatment of melanoma. Moreover, some natural anticancer compounds that have been reported to have anti-melanoma effects have also been described. At present a better understanding of genetics and epigenetics of initiation and progression of melanoma is needed for the identification of novel biomarkers and development of targeted therapeutics against melanoma. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Neuroactive steroids such as (3 alpha,5 alpha)3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3 alpha,5 alpha-THP, allopregnanolone) enhance the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic effects of ethanol and modulate excessive drinking in rodents. Moreover, chronic ethanol consumption reduces 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP levels in human plasma, rat hippocampus and mouse limbic regions. We explored the relationship between 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP levels in limbic brain areas and voluntary ethanol consumption in the cynomolgus monkey following daily self-administration of ethanol for 12 months and further examined the relationship to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function prior to ethanol exposure. Monkeys were subjected to scheduled induction of ethanol consumption followed by free access to ethanol or water for 22 h/day over 12 months. Immunohistochemistry was performed using an anti-3 alpha,5 alpha-THP antibody. Prolonged voluntary drinking resulted in individual differences in ethanol consumption that ranged from 1.2 to 4.2g/kg/day over 12 months. Prolonged ethanol consumption reduced cellular 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP immunoreactivity by 13 +/- 2 percent (P<0.05) in the lateral amygdala and 17 +/- 2 percent (P<0.05) in the basolateral amygdala. The effect of ethanol was most pronounced in heavy drinkers that consumed 3 g/kg20 percent of days. Consequently, 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP immunoreactivity in both the lateral and basolateral amygdala was inversely correlated with average daily ethanol intake (Spearman r=-0.87 and -0.72, respectively, P<0.05). However, no effect of ethanol and no correlation between drinking and 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP immunoreactivity were observed in the basomedial amygdala. 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP immunoreactivity following ethanol exposure was also correlated with HPA axis function prior to ethanol exposure. These data indicate that voluntary ethanol drinking reduces amygdala levels of 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP in non-human primates and that amygdala 3 alpha,5 alpha-THP levels may be linked to HPA axis function.
Regulatory and technological aspects of cloud technology are showing both opportunities and gaps in the rules on security and accessibility. Our proposal aims at addressing a problem that has not yet manifested using a protocol and discussing the normative aspects regarding the possibility of rendering a document completely immaterial. Our article proposes a protocol that uses the network in an unconventional way to make a document fully immaterial. By immaterial we mean that is not localisable anywhere in its entirety. If we continue the analogy to climate, we want to realise a fog of files rather than a cloud. The files are distributed on a public or private network and only the injectors and extractors can access them. The inaccessibility by others, the non-location, and the dynamics of the system offer significant advantages in terms of security but raise some legal problems.
Electrical circuits based on linear and nonlinear modelling principles have difficulties to meet demands caused by a large amount of data generated and processed. The aim is to examine the existing models from bigeometric calculus point of view to obtain accuracy on the results. This work is an application of bigeometric Runge-Kutta (BRK4) method aiming to solve differential equations with nonzero initial condition. This type of work arises from applications where the systems are defined by ordinary differential equations such as noise, filter, audio, chaotic circuits, etc. Solutions to these types of equations are not always easy. The improvement in this work is obtained by introducing bigeometric calculus in the process of seeking a solution to differential equations. Different classes of input signals are applied as input to the system and processed to determine the accuracy of the output. The applicability is tested against the classical method called Runge-Kutta (RK4). Simulation results confirm the application of BRK4 method in electrical circuit analysis. The new method also provides better results for all types of input signals, i.e., linear, nonlinear, constant or Gaussian.
Experimental investigations are conducted to study the effectiveness of protective coating with cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) on coir. CNSL solution has been applied on suitably pretreated coir yarns and coating concentrations are optimized to reduce moisture absorption and microbial growth. Two common cellulose and lignin degrading fungi (Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer) have been taken as test organisms. Qualitative and quantitative analyses are carried out tomeasure fungal growth on untreated and treated fibers. The study shows that treated fibers inhibit the development of fugal growth on fiber surface by 95%. The reducedmoisture absorption and improved hydrophobicity of the treated yarns are also reported. Increase in tensile strength up to 17% is noticed. The better properties achieved are explained on the basis of selection of the coating methodology and also the interfacial features of the coatings with the coir fiber. The results indicate the possibility of future application of such treated fibers in geotextiles having better performance compared to the untreated counterparts.
Introduction: The 60 Co beam emerging from the Gamma- Tomo source assembly was simulated in a previous study [1] and the authors reported the spectra of particles reaching the plane immediately (1mm) before the collimation system entrance. In the present work, we simulate the 60Co beam emerging from a novel Gamma-Tomo SBRT collimation system and calculate the output factors and dose rates for different source configurations and collimator sizes. Materials and Methods: A Gamma Tomo system includes 13 60 Co source capsules, source housing, a primary collimator and 4 different changeable collimators. The sources (6.22 mm of diameter) are located in 2 rows with different angles and distances to the longitudinal axis and the beams can be collimated to obtain four different circular field sizes at the isocenter (35 mm, 16 mm, 7mm, and 3.5mm). The BEAM- Monte Carlo [2] code is used to realistically model the collimation system geometry, including primary collimator and 4 different changeable collimators. The previously calculated phase space file [1] is used to transport particles throughout the collimation system to the patient plane for all of the changeable collimators of the Gama-Tomo System, and the respective phase space files of particles are stored at isocenter for each of the circular fields to be used as input of the GEPTS [3] to perform dose calculations. A newly designed geometry module is used to determine the dose distributions in a spherical polystyrene phantom with an 8cm radius centered at the isocenter. Results: The characteristics of the particle spectra emerging from the collimation assembly are determined and the effect of the source-collimator position on the spectra reaching the isocenter found to be dependent on field size. We observed differences up to 5% between the energy spectra and fluence distributions calculated for different configurations of the source-collimator assembly. The effect of the source-collimator position is observed (up to 6%) on dose distributions calculated at isocenter and is dependent upon the size of the circular field. Conclusions: The resulting data from the present study supports the machine design process and is valuble in building a well-represented source model for all sources to perform the dose calculations for all of the changeable collimators for this novel Gamma-Tomo system.
Between people, eye gaze and other forms of nonverbal communication can influence trust. We hypothesised similar effects would occur during human-robot interaction, predicting a humanoid robot's eye gaze and lifelike bodily movements (eye tracking movements and simulated breathing) would increase participants' likelihood of seeking and trusting the robot's opinion in a cooperative visual tracking task. However, we instead found significant interactions between robot gaze and task difficulty, indicating that robot gaze had a positive impact upon trust for difficult decisions and a negative impact for easier decisions. Furthermore, a significant effect of robot gaze was found on task performance, with gaze improving participants' performance on easy trials but hindering performance on difficult trials. Participants also responded significantly faster when the robot looked at them. Results suggest that robot gaze exerts pressure upon participants, causing audience effects similar to social facilitation and inhibition. Lifelike bodily movements had no significant effect upon participant behaviour.
Purpose of review The microbiome continues to demonstrate an important role in immune and metabolic programming. This review will focus on the mechanistic implications of recent findings for diabetes pathogenesis and treatment. Recent findings Multiple techniques are developing to specify the microbiome. At the same time, new insights have emerged into local interactions of microbial products with human development. New findings demonstrate that key bacteria and their products result in the programming of diabetes-modulating Th17 and regulatory T lymphocytes within and outside the intestine. The role of the bacterial metagenome in programming human metabolism has also revealed new insights. In turn, these findings suggest a framework in which the microbiome may be modified to change the course of diabetes. Summary The microbiome is a key regulator of metabolism and immunity. Specific bacteria and their secreted products are now known to program Th17 and regulatory T-cell development, which may change the course of diabetes. Bacterial genomics are demonstrating important, modifiable roles of bacterial gene products in metabolism. Further understanding of this symbiotic relationship will provide new avenues for intervention in diabetes.
Background: There is little information on the application and impact of revised criteria for diagnosing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), now termed major and mild neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) in the DSM-5. We evaluate a psychometric algorithm for diagnosing DSM-5 NCDs in a community-dwelling sample, and characterize the neuropsychological and functional profile of expert-diagnosed DSM-5 NCDs relative to DSM-IV dementia and International Working Group criteria for MCI. Methods: A population-based sample of 1644 adults aged 72-78 years was assessed. Algorithmic diagnostic criteria used detailed neuropsychological data, medical history, longitudinal cognitive performance, and informant interview. Those meeting all criteria for at least one diagnosis had data reviewed by a neurologist (expert diagnosis) who achieved consensus with a psychiatrist for complex cases. Results: The algorithm accurately classified DSM-5 major NCD (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-0.97), DSM-IV dementia (AUC = 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.97), DSM-5 mild NCD (AUC = 0.75, 95% CI 0.70-0. 80), and MCI (AUC = 0.76, 95% CI 0.72-0.81) when compared to expert diagnosis. Expert diagnosis of dementia using DSM-5 criteria overlapped with 90% of DSM-IV dementia cases, but resulted in a 127% increase in diagnosis relative to DSM-IV. Additional cases had less severe memory, language impairment, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) impairments compared to cases meeting DSM-IV criteria for dementia. DSM-5 mild NCD overlapped with 83% of MCI cases and resulted in a 19% increase in diagnosis. These additional cases had a subtly different neurocognitive profile to MCI cases, including poorer social cognition. Conclusion: DSM-5 NCD criteria can be operationalized in a psychometric algorithm in a population setting. Expert diagnosis using DSM-5 NCD criteria captured most cases with DSM-IV dementia and MCI in our sample, but included many additional cases suggesting that DSM-5 criteria are broader in their categorization.
Quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) is an important branch of quantum cryptography. It can transmit secret information directly without establishing a key first, unlike quantum key distribution which requires this precursory event. Here we propose a QSDC scheme by applying the frequency coding technique to the two-step QSDC protocol, which enables the two-step QSDC protocol to work in a noisy environment. We have numerically simulated the performance of the protocol in a noisy channel, and the results show that the scheme is indeed robust against channel noise and loss. We also give an estimate of the channel noise upper bound.
The development of the green roof market in Greece and other Mediterranean countries in general has not been standardized, unlike in Germany and other northern European countries. The construction of successful sustainable green roofs relies mainly on the development and combination of integrated systems that include green roof stabilization and the appropriate selection of a substrate and drainage system to support sustainable plant growth. The current study provides a thorough review of the decision-making process associated with the selection of substrate, drainage, and slope-reinforcing materials for the Athens Concert Hall green roof park (2 ha). For the scope of this study, guidelines from different scientific fields were modified and combined to accommodate the specifics of this project and the Hellenic climatic conditions. The challenges addressed included a roof shell with 70 different inclinations, underground retaining walls and steps, and steep slopes that reached 70 % gradients. Selection of the appropriate materials and methodologies was supported by analyses that included granulometry, bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, moisture potential curves, organic matter content, and weight at saturation and field capacity. The drainage layer consisted of a bilayered system of pea gravel and sand combined with geotextiles. Substrate characteristics were defined by the analyses undertaken and adapted to the Hellenic climatic conditions. Geogrids and honeycomb geocells were utilized separately or in conjunction on inclined surfaces. Substrate moisture measurements performed at 150 locations on the green roof revealed increased moisture fluctuations (10-35 % v/v), which were mainly caused by the presence of the underground retaining walls.
To find a balance between food and energy security, this research presents the design of an energy self-sufficient farm in electricity, heat and bioethanol, which is produced by energy crops and agricultural residues. The farm proposed is evaluated by two models: Land Optimization and Cost Optimization. Due to the food-fuel debate over land and the detriment of food security, this research proposes utilizing the current abandoned land and increasing the food self-sufficiency ratio (FSSR) of the crops analyzed (rice, wheat and maize). The farm is optimized for several food and fuel demands, with a maximum farm unit size of 100 ha. The result is a myriad of farms of different sizes, each optimized for a certain demand. Subsequently, the amount and variety of such farms are optimized maximizing the food and fuel produced for each city of the case study (Miyagi Prefecture, Japan). The results suggest that the establishment of energy self-sufficient farms in the abandoned land can stimulate the biofuel industry and increase food security simultaneously. The FSSR of maize and wheat can be improved in approximately 10-25 and 7-9 %, respectively. The estimated bioethanol potential is 3.2-3.8 ML. Additionally, a surplus of electricity and heat, approximately 61-65 GWh and 60-165 MJ, respectively, is obtained. As the Land Optimization model proposed is sensitive to crop yields, a simultaneous evaluation is recommended. The results also suggest that the farms must be larger than 8 ha to achieve self-sufficiency; therefore, the policies involved need further evaluation.
A set of simple models is proposed in this study to measure the cost of the direct effects of water pollution on human resources. Inductive reasoning is used while developing and applying the models on a hypothetical case to demonstrate the feasibility and practicability of the proposed models. By testing the validity and applicability of the proposed models, a professional accountant may recognize the accounting transactions tangibly in the financial statements of the polluted companies. This will improve the quality of companies' financial reporting.
Bioretention cells (BRCs) are an increasingly popular Stormwater Control Measure used to mitigate the hydrologic and water quality impacts of urbanization. Previous BRC research has demonstrated a strong capacity for pollutant removal; however, long-term sequestration of pollutants within soil media can elevate concentrations to levels fostering environmental and human health risks. Soil media samples were collected from an 11 year-old BRC in Charlotte, NC, and analyzed for the accumulation and spatial distribution of zinc, copper, and phosphorus. Pollutant distribution varied significantly with respect to depth and ordinate distance from the BRC inlet. Zinc concentrations (0.9-228.6 mg kg(-1) soil) exceeded environmental thresholds and phosphorus concentrations (5.1-173.3 mg kg(-1) soil) increased from initial levels by a factor of seven; however, notable accumulation was restricted to the BRC forebay. Maximum zinc and copper concentrations in soil media did not exceed 1% of mandatory cleanup levels and with regular maintenance of the forebay, the effective life of BRC media should exceed the life of the developments they treat. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) techniques have been adapted in arid and semi-arid regions to minimise the risk from droughts. The demand for water has increased but water resources have become scarcer, so the assessment and modelling of surface water related to RWH in catchments has become a necessity. An understanding of the hydrological processes at the sub-catchment level is generally lacking, and little attention has been given to the assessment of RWH after implementation. The objective of this study was to develop a simple but generally applicable water-harvesting model and test it at sub-catchment level to evaluate and optimize the performance of RWH under different design and management scenarios. The model was applied to rainfall data for 1980-2004 in 25 sub-catchments of the watershed of Wadi Oum Zessar (south-eastern Tunisia). The performance and analysis of RWH in three types of years (dry, normal, and wet) are presented and discussed. This study emphasises the advantages of simulating long-term water balances at the sub-catchment level for improving our understanding of hydrological processes in the RWH system and provides several solutions for optimizing RWH performance in various scenarios. Changing the spillway heights together with the flow directions had a significant impact on the performance of RWH by making 92% of all sub-catchments supply sufficient water for crop requirements, compared to 44% of the sub-catchments in case of no changes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The use of thresher machines for threshing rice plants helped farmers in improving agricultural productivity. However, thresher machine design that is currently available has not fairly concerned on the working position and posture of the farmers using it. The working position that was modeled by farmers when operating a thresher machine tent to cause injury because of the dimensions of the engine and the body of farmers that did not conform to each other. RULA method was one of the methods that could analyze work postures. From the results of the data collection and the process using RULA method, it was clear that the measures that had to be taken to the thresher machines which used to be available were promptly modified in order to avoid musculoskeletal problem. Improvements that could be undertaken to avoid the musculoskeletal problem on farmers who used the thresher machine were redesigning the thresher machine based on farmers working posture. One of these ways was by adjusting the dimensions of the farmers' body with the dimensions of the machine. In addition, the use of adjustable concept in the design could probably assist the farmers adjust the working position with the machinery they used.
As networks applications are growing fast, data are more generated and transmitted, leaving it vulnerable to modification. Besides that, the significance, sensitivity and preciseness of that information cause a big security issue, increasing the needs to keep it safe. One proper solution for this problem is cryptography, which is a technique used to transform data to unrecognizable information and useless to any unauthorized person. By being the main core of network security and since new attacks techniques are daily invented, ciphers are constantly under test by cryptanalysis attacks to harden their safety. This paper contains a fair comparison between serval ciphers in speed test under different platforms, also in performance and risk to globalize the vision about the most fast safe algorithm.
To date, information systems (IS) research mainly has provided a monolithic view of information technology (IT) use, considering it to be a desired behaviour with positive outcomes. However, given the dramatic increase in the use of technology during the last few years, susceptibility to IT addiction is increasingly becoming an important issue for technology users and IS researchers. In this paper, we report the results of a study that focuses on identifying variations in user liability to ITaddiction, which reflects the susceptibility of individual users to develop IT addiction. First, a review of the literature in different disciplines (e.g. health, psychology and IS) allows us to better understand the concepts of IT addiction and liability to addiction. The literature review also provides an overview of the antecedents and consequences associated with IT addiction. Then, building on the analysis of 15 in-depth interviews and 182 exploratory open-ended surveys collected from smartphone users, we apply the concept of liability to addiction in the IT use context and propose a typological theory of user liability to IT addiction. Our typology reveals five ideal types; each can be associated to a user profile (ADDICT, FANATIC, HIGHLY ENGAGED, REGULAR AND THOUGHTFUL). Building upon both the extant literature and our results, we put forth propositions to extend the theoretical contributions of the study. We finally discuss the contributions and implications of our paper for research and practice.
Humans are amazingly experts at processing and recognizing faces, however there are moderating factors of this ability. In the present study, we used the event-related potential technique to investigate the influence of both race and gaze direction on visual working memory (i.e., VWM) face representations. In a change detection task, we orthogonally manipulated race (own-race vs. other-race faces) and eye-gaze direction (direct gaze vs. averted gaze). Participants were required to encode identities of these faces. We quantified the amount of information encoded in VWM by monitoring the amplitude of the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN) time-locked to the faces. Notably, race and eye-gaze direction differently modulated SPCN amplitude such that other-race faces elicited reduced SPCN amplitudes compared with own-race faces only when displaying a direct gaze. On the other hand, faces displaying averted gaze, independently of their race, elicited increased SPCN amplitudes compared with faces displaying direct gaze. We interpret these findings as denoting that race and eye-gaze direction affect different face processing stages.
The focus of this article is the theoretical understanding behind, and the clinical application of, a newly developed music-therapy assessment tool, Assessment of Parenting Competencies (APC). While the psychometric properties have been analyzed successfully in prior publications, the advantages and challenges of a nonverbal and emotional interactional medium such as music in assessing parent-child interaction and parental capacity are presented and discussed. The assessment model relates to theories of attunement, autonomy, and attachment, and clinical relevance for practice within the field of child protection is addressed according to clinical application of the tool. How can the scores of APC be interpreted and how are they clinically relevant? With the combination of a playful and rigorous approach, APC can provide useful information to families, family therapists, and other social-service professions within the field of child protection, including level of mutual attunement, nonverbal communication skills, emotional parental response, and possibly indications of attachment behavior in the child. APC can thereby help indicate the severity of the situation and the possible therapeutic direction for the family in question.
Cirrus is an important regulator for the flow of radiant energy in the earth- atmosphere system through the processes of scattering and absorption of radiation. In order to satisfy the urgent requirement for accurate retrieval of cirrus microphysical properties, terahertz wave is expected to be the best waveband for inverting cirrus particle size and ice water path, with terahertz wavelengths on the order of the size of typical cirrus particles. There is an urgent need for establishing stable and accurate inversion method. A new retrieval method for particle size and ice water path is developed based on multiple lookup tables for spaceborne measurements of brightness temperature spectrum of 183 GHz, 325 GHz, 462 GHz, 664 GHz, and 874 GHz channels. Five parameters are derived to quantify the effects of particle size and ice water path on terahertz radiation spectrum due to the scattering of ice clouds, manifested by brightness temperature difference, brightness temperature difference slope, etc. To retrieve cirrus microphysical parameters, a weighted least square fit that matches the modeled parameters is used. The analysis of retrieval errors are conducted by a simulated data series and the results are compared with those retrieved by the other two methods, i.e., difference method and slope method. The results retrieved by the multiple lookup table method are much closer to the simulated data series than those from the other two methods. It is indicated that the method introduced here is a stable and valid method of inverting particles between 50 and 500 mu m and ice water path between 10 and 500 g/m(2). Compared with the errors from the difference- featured method and slope- featured method, the retrieval errors are reduced by 68.78% and 60.28% for particle size, 78.17% and 49.01% for ice water path. The analyses of retrieval uncertainties show that, in general, uncertainties of particle size and ice water path vary with particle size and ice water path. The ice water path uncertainties mainly spread in a range of 0-15 g/m(2). The particle size uncertainties fluctuate within a range of 0-20 mu m. In other words, for small particle size range, the uncertainties are 0-5 mu m for thick clouds and 5-20 mu m for thin clouds. However, for large particle size range, the uncertainties are 0-5 mu m for particles larger than 300 mu m and 5-15 mu m for those smaller than 300 mu m. The results will be helpful for further developing the terahertz wave remote sensing of cirrus microphysical parameter technology. Moreover, it is also an important reference to the improvement of cirrus retrieval accuracy.
This paper proposes a novel inerter-based electromagnetic device and investigates its performance as a vehicle suspension strut. The inerter-based electromagnetic device is obtained by placing the flywheel employed in an existing inerter prototype into a constant magnetic field. During rotation of the flywheel, the flywheel is doing the magnetic line cutting motion, which makes the flywheel perform as a Faraday generator. The influences of different types of loads on the behaviour of the inerter-based electromagnetic device are analyzed, and it is shown that the resistive, capacitive and inductive loads can contribute to the damping, the inertance, and the stiffness of the whole device, respectively. Moreover, the proposed device can also be used to realize higher-order mechanical admittances by using electrical circuits. The performance of the device as a suspension strut is also studied. Numerical simulations show that the proposed device can not only provide improvements on the suspension performance (ride comfort and road holding) compared with the conventional strut, but also generate an amount of electric energy that can be utilized by other parts of the vehicle.
Mobile communication technology plays an increasingly pervasive role in everyday life. This study examined one aspect of this role, specifically, the effects of mobile device use on the micro-interactions of pedestrians as they approached and passed a confederate. Over 400 participants were observed in a 2 (group: mobile device vs. control) x 3 [condition: look-only (L); look and smile (LS); look, smile, and greeting (LSG)] factorial design study measuring participants' looks, smiles, nods, and greetings toward the confederates. Log-linear analyses of the dependent measures provided qualified support for the predicted decreased responsiveness from mobile device users. Specifically, a group by condition interaction on smiles showed that significantly fewer mobile device users than controls smiled at the confederates in the LSG condition. In addition, a group by sex of participant interaction on greetings indicated that significantly fewer female mobile device users offered greetings than males and females in the other conditions. The processes potentially mediating these effects are discussed and the broader influence of mobile devices on the micro-interactions of pedestrians is considered.
The total environment includes 5 closely-linking circles, in which biosphere and lithosphere are the active core. As global population increases and urbanization process accelerates, arable land is gradually decreasing under global climate change and the pressure of various types of environmental pollution. This case is especially for China. Land is the most important resources for human beings' survival. How to increase and manage arable land is the key for sustainable agriculture development. China has extensive marshy land that can be reclamated for the better potential land resources under the pre- condition of protecting the environment, which will be a good way for enlarging globally and managing arable land. Related studies have been conducted in China for the past 30years and now many results with obvious practical efficiency have been obtained. For summarizing these results, salt-soil will be the main target and related contents such as nutrient transport, use types, biodiversity and interactions with plants from molecular biology to ecology will be covered, in which the interactions among biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere will be focused on. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The traditional k out of n Visual Secret Sharing (VSS) scheme encodes a secret binary image into n shares of random pattern. If the shares are printed onto transparencies, the secret image can be visually revealed only when a subset of k or more transparencies are stacked together otherwise nothing will be revealed. Progressive Visual Secret Sharing (PVSS) also allows the decryption of secret image by stacking of physical transparencies but clarity and contrast of the decoded secret image will be increased progressively with the number of stacked shares. Most of the existing researches on PVSS suffer with the common problems like space-inefficiency(pixel expansion) and noise-like shares. This paper proposes a novel PVSS scheme with four or more number of space-efficient as well as meaningful shares. To achieve this, an efficient preprocessing approach and a basis matrix creation algorithm have also been proposed. This paper also addresses many avoidable encryption limitations like explicit requirement of codebook, restriction on number of shares etc. Experiments show that the contrast of reconstructed secret image is 50% and can be easily decrypted by only human visual system without any cryptographic computation.
Lies and deceptions are prevalent in our daily lives, yet most people merely guess when attempting to distinguish between lies and truths. In the current research, we examined the validity of the saying that it takes a thief to know a thief' by showing that it takes a good liar - one high in attachment insecurity - to detect another liar. In Study 1, 68 card players participated in a Bullshit tournament - a card game in which players try to deceive other players while also striving to detect their deceptions. In Study 2 (N = 99), people who cheated on their romantic partner (versus those who did not) were asked to detect cues of infidelity. Results confirmed our expectations and showed that good liars and cheaters, who are usually insecure individuals, are better at detecting lies and dishonesty. These results are discussed from the perspective of social defense theory, highlighting the utility of personality traits that are often deemed maladaptive. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the use of the memristor as a new element for designing passivity-based controllers. From the port-Hamiltonian description of the electrical circuits with memristors, a target dynamics is assigned to the matching equation proposed by the methodology known as Interconnection and Damping Assignment-Passivity-Based Control. The inclusion of the memristor element extends the closed-loop dynamics and it results in an extra term in the control algorithm that can be seen as a state-modulated gain. Two mechanical examples, in the form of position control systems, are included to show possible applications. (C) 2013 European Control Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The present study was conducted to assess the possible risks induced by construction of Gavi Dam in Ilam Province; western part of Iran, using MIKE-11 model and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution. For this purpose, vulnerable zone of the dam site against the flooding risk of Gavi River was calculated for different return periods. The flooding zones were stimulated by MIKE-11 model. In order to check whether or not the dam construction could affect the quality of the Gavi River, the physicochemical quality of the river water was also tested. Afterwards, a questionnaire was prepared containing an inventory of possible risks supposed to be induced by construction of Gavi Dam. The questionnaires were placed at disposal of experts to score the items based on their importance. The questionnaires were then analyzed using SPSS Software, version 16. According to which, a total number of 12 risk factors were identified. The dam construction risks were qualitatively assessed by preliminary hazard analysis. Based on the results, 3 of 12 identified risks were recognized unacceptable. The shortlisted risks were prioritized at final step using technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution. Habitat fragmentation with a weight of 0.3002, water pollution with a weight of 0.295, and impacts on aquatics with a weight of 0.293 were identified as three top priority flooding risks. Among the most important corrective measures for mitigation of the risks at construction phase can be pointed to restoration of the land cover, conservation of areas surrounding the dam as a new wildlife habitat, prevention of water contamination, and conservation of fish spawning sites.
Biocrusts are critical components of desert ecosystems, significantly modifying the surfaces they occupy. The mixture of biological components and soil particles that form the crust, in conjunction with moisture, determines the biocrusts' spectral signatures. Proximal and remote sensing in complemeritary spectral regions, namely the reflective region, and the thermal region, have been used to study biocrusts in a non-destructive manner, in the laboratory, in the field, and from space. The objectives of this review paper are to present the spectral characteristics of biocrusts across the optical domain, and to discuss significant developments in the application of proximal and remote sensing for biocrust studies in the last few years. The motivation for using proximal and remote sensing in biocrust studies is disttissed. Next, the application of reflectance spectroscopy to the study of biocrusts is presented followed by a review of the emergence of high spectral resolution thermal remote sensing, Which facilitates the application of thermal spectroscopy for biocrust studies. Four specific topics at the forefront of proximal and remote sensing of biocrusts are discussed: (1) The use of remote sensing in determining the role of biocrusts in global biogeochemical cycles; (2) Monitoring the inceptive establishment of biocrusts; (3) Identifying and characterizing biocrusts using Longwave infrared spectroscopy; and (4) Diurnal emissivity dynamics of biocrusts in a sand dune environment. The paper concludes by identifying innovative technologies such as low altitude and high resolution imagery that are increasingly used in remote sensing science, and are expected to be used in future biocrusts studies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The digital control of high speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) is carried out as part of mass reduction for embedded systems. This paper focuses on improving the stability of high speed PMSM digital control. A study of the stability of the closed-loop system shows the importance of taking into account the constraints of digital control (delay and discrete characteristics) in the calculation of decoupling terms and inverse Park transformation. The proposed decoupling is done using the discrete model of the system and a prediction of the evolution of the currents during the delay. The voltage, calculated by vector control, is applied to the machine by a three-phase voltage-source Power Width Modulation PWM converter. This voltage is modified because the rotor reference d-q frame turns during the delay and the switching period. The voltage error caused by this rotation can be significant at high speeds and more generally when the ratio of the switching frequency over the electrical output frequency becomes too high. To stabilize the system, we suggest predicting the average electric angle that the motor will have during the application of the voltage vector. The efficiency is shown through a time simulation.
Electric machines with concentrated winding and single tooth design provide a cost effective way to use flat wires. Hereby high filling factors can be achieved, but due to geometric constraints and the influence of current displacements there remains unused space inside the slot. This space can be used for water cooling channels. As a result of the small thermal resistance between winding and cooling fluid this leads to an outstanding cooling performance. Compared to round wires efficiency is improved in wide parts of the operating area. The absence of the cooling jacket leads to comparable production costs but an even more compact machine design. Technological aspects are discussed and a particular high-power-density interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) with water jacket cooling and round wires is compared to a flat wire wound, slot cooled motor by the use of FEM and CFD simulations and measurements on single tooth specimen.
This article presents a single-phase series active power filter for mitigation of the load voltage harmonic content while maintaining the voltage on the DC side regulated without the support of a voltage source. The proposed series active power filter control algorithm eliminates the additional voltage source to regulate the DC voltage, and with the adopted topology, a coupling transformer is not used to interface the series active power filter with the electrical power grid. The article describes the control strategy that encapsulates the grid synchronization scheme, compensation voltage calculation, damping algorithm, and dead-time compensation. The topology and control strategy of the series active power filter have been evaluated in simulation software, and simulations results are presented. Experimental results, obtained with a developed laboratorial prototype, validate the theoretical assumptions and are within the harmonic spectrum limits imposed by the international recommendations of IEEE Standard 519.
Purpose of review Altered differentiation and activation of T-cell subsets occur in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the impact on graft rejection and protective immunity during transplantation are not fully understood. Recent findings Patients with CKD have decreased frequency of naive T cells, accumulation of activated, terminally differentiated memory cells, and skewed regulatory versus T helper 17 ratio. Naive and memory T-cell subsets do not appear to improve following kidney transplantation. Retained thymic output is associated with acute rejection, whereas naive lymphopenia and accumulation of CD8(+) TEMRA cells correlate with long-term graft dysfunction. CD28(null) memory cells accumulate during CKD and appear to confer protection against acute rejection under standard immunosuppression and possibly costimulation blockade. T cells bearing CD57 are also increased in patients with CKD and may underlie rejection during costimulation blockade. Summary The mechanisms by which CKD alters the differentiation and activation status of T-cell subsets is poorly understood. Further research is also needed to understand which cell populations mediate rejection under various immunosuppressive regimens. To date, there is little use of animal models of organ failure in transplant immunology research. CKD mouse models may help identify novel pathways and targets to better control alloimmunity in posttransplant.
The potential use of rainwater harvesting in conjunction with miscellaneous water supplies and a rooftop garden with rainwater harvesting facility for temperature reduction have been evaluated in this study for Hong Kong. Various water applications such as toilet flushing and areal climate controls have been systematically considered depending on the availability of seawater toilet flushing using the Geographic Information System (GIS). For water supplies, the district Area Precipitation per Demand Ratio (APDR) has been calculated to quantify the rainwater utilization potential of each administrative district in Hong Kong. Districts with freshwater toilet flushing prove to have higher potential for rainwater harvest and utilization compared to the areas with seawater toilet flushing. Furthermore, the effectiveness of using rainwater harvesting for miscellaneous water supplies in Hong Kong and Tokyo has been analyzed and compared; this revives serious consideration of diurnal and seasonal patterns of rainfall in applying such technology. In terms of the cooling effect, the implementation of a rooftop rainwater harvesting garden has been evaluated using the ENVI-met model. Our results show that a temperature drop of 1.3 degrees C has been observed due to the rainwater layer in the rain garden. This study provides valuable insight into the applicability of the rainwater harvesting for sustainable water management practice in a highly urbanized city. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasonic scaling on teeth restored with a light-cured resin. Ultrasonic scaling is a very popular periodontal therapy among dentists, and used for the removal of dental plaque and calculus in order to reduce and eliminate inflammation. Given the fact that most ultrasonic devices are used at high frequencies to perform scaling, undesirable consequences, such as loss of adhesion and increase in surface roughness, may occur in teeth that have been restored with light-cured resins. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the effects of ultrasonic treatments at the dental material-hard dental tissue interface. After ultrasonic scaling, EIS measurements were performed on a human tooth that had been restored with a light-cured resin filling. The data were analyzed and the influence of ultrasound was shown after visualization of the hard dental tissues and the dental material as equivalent electrical circuits. The study revealed, through EIS measurements, that ultrasonic scaling affected the resistance of the light-cured resin filling and dentin, whereas the enamel was affected only slightly. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an increase in roughness of the dental material.
Prior to 1950, the consensus was that biological transformations occurred in two-electron steps, thereby avoiding the generation of free radicals. Dramatic advances in spectroscopy, biochemistry, and molecular biology have led to the realization that protein-based radicals participate in a vast array of vital biological mechanisms. Redox processes involving high-potential intermediates formed in reactions with O-2 are particularly susceptible to radical formation. Clusters of tyrosine (Tyr) and tryptophan (Trp) residues have been found in many O-2-reactive enzymes, raising the possibility that they play an antioxidant protective role. In blue copper proteins with plastocyanin-like domains, Tyr/Trp clusters are uncommon in the low-potential single-domain electron-transfer proteins and in the two-domain copper nitrite reductases. The two-domain muticopper oxidases, however, exhibit clusters of Tyr and Trp residues near the trinuclear copper active site where O-2 is reduced. These clusters may play a protective role to ensure that reactive oxygen species are not liberated during O-2 reduction.
A nonwoven fabric has been widely used in geotextile engineering in recent years; its tensile strength is an important behaviour. Since the fibre distributions in nonwoven fabrics are random and discontinuous, the unit-cell model of a nonwoven fabric cannot be developed to simulate its tensile behaviour. This article presents our research on using finite element method (FEM) to study the tensile behaviour of a nonwoven fabric in macro-scale based on the classical laminate composite theory. The laminate orientation was considered with orientation distribution function of fibres, which has been obtained by analysing the data acquired from scanning electron microscopy with Hough Transform. The FE model of a nonwoven fabric was developed using ABAQUS software; the required engineering constants of a nonwoven fabric were obtained from experimental data. Finally, the nonwoven specimens were stretched along with machine direction and cross direction. The experimental stress-strain curves were compared with the results of FE simulations. The approximate agreement proves the validity of an FE model, which could be used to precisely simulate the stress relaxation, strain creep, bending and shear property of a nonwoven fabric.
Face perception models propose that different facial attributes are processed by anatomically distinct neural pathways that partially overlap. Whether these attributes interact functionally is an open question. Our goal was to determine if there are interactions between age and ethnicity processing and, if so, at what temporal epoch these interactions are evident. We monitored event-related potentials on electroencephalography while subjects categorized faces by age or ethnicity in two conditions: a baseline in which the other of these two properties not being categorized was held constant and an interference condition in which it also varied, as modelled after the Garner interference paradigm. We found that, when participants were categorizing faces by age, variations in ethnicity increased the amplitude of the right face-selective N170 component. When subjects were categorizing faces by ethnicity, variations in age did not alter the N170. We concluded that there is an asymmetric pattern of influence between age and ethnicity on early face-specific stages of visual processing, which has parallels with behavioural evidence of asymmetric interactions between identity and expression processing of faces.
Generally electrical circuits are fabricated as PCB(Printed Circuit Board) and mounted on a casing of the product. And it requires lots of other parts and some labor for assembly. Recently a molding technology is increasingly applied to embed simple circuits on a plastic casing. The technology is called as MID(Molded Interconnected Device). By using this technology PCB fabrication can be replaced by molding, and lot of the corresponding assembly process for the PCB can be eliminated when if the circuit is simple enough to molding. Furthermore as the improvement of conductive materials and printing technologies of electric circuit, simple circuits can be printed directly on the part casing. It reduces the complexity of the product design and production cost also. Therefore this paper introduces a new MID fabrication process by using direct 3D printing technology. And applied to an automotive part of cruise control switch. The methodology and design is shown.
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that the pathological overeating underlying some forms of obesity is compulsive in nature and therefore contains elements of an addictive disorder. However, direct physiological evidence linking obesity to synaptic plasticity akin to that occurring in addiction is lacking. We sought to establish whether the propensity to diet-induced obesity (DIO) is associated with addictive-like behavior, as well as synaptic impairments in the nucleus accumbens core considered hallmarks of addiction. METHODS: Sprague Dawley rats were allowed free access to a palatable diet for 8 weeks then separated by weight gain into DIO-prone and DIO-resistant subgroups. Access to palatable food was then restricted to daily operant selfadministration sessions using fixed ratio 1, 3, and 5 and progressive ratio schedules. Subsequently, nucleus accumbens brain slices were prepared, and we tested for changes in the ratio between alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate currents and the ability to exhibit long-term depression. RESULTS: We found that propensity to develop DIO is linked to deficits in the ability to induce long-term depression in the nucleus accumbens, as well as increased potentiation at these synapses as measured by AMPA/ N-methyl-Daspartate currents. Consistent with these impairments, we observed addictive-like behavior in DIO-prone rats, including 1) heightened motivation for palatable food; 2) excessive intake; and 3) increased food seeking when food was unavailable. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show overlap between the propensity for DIO and the synaptic changes associated with facets of addictive behavior, supporting partial coincident neurological underpinnings for compulsive overeating and drug addiction.
The clinical importance of the thyroid nodules in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) rests with the need to exclude thyroid malignancy. The aim of this study is to assess the risk of thyroid malignancy in ax-SpA patients receiving anti-TNF therapy. From September 2015 until December 2015, 70 patients diagnosed with ax-SpA were included in the research. Forty of the patients had received anti-TNF therapy, and 30 of the patients were anti-TNF naive. All cases were screened for the presence of nodules in the thyroid gland with ultrasound. Of the patients that received anti-TNF therapy, 15 (37.5%); and of the anti-TNF naive patients, 11 (36.7%) had thyroid nodule(s). Four patients from the anti-TNF group underwent fine needle aspiration biopsy of the nodules, and two of them were diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma. None of the nodules in anti-TNF naive patients required biopsy. When compared to the normal population, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was found to be increased in both male (SIR 2.03, 95% CI 1.9 to 18) and female (SIR 2.7, 95% CI 2.6 to 24) cases. It is not yet established whether the development of cancer during the treatment process is the effect of the treatment or if it is a part of the natural course of the disease or if it is coincidental. We saw a mild increase in thyroid malignancies in ax-SpA patients who received anti-TNF therapy. Therefore, we believe that the thyroid gland should also be taken into consideration while screening for malignancy before anti-TNF therapy.
In Eastern Canada, several of the grape (Vitis spp.) cultivars susceptible to downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) are hybrids (e.g. 'Chancellor' and 'Vidal') that are protected with soil or geotextile fabric during the winter months. This practice, although useful for protecting vines from winter injuries, provides shelter for P. viticola oospores during adverse winter conditions. It is thus expected that a large proportion of P. viticola oospores will overwinter. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between fall downy mildew incidence and disease development in the following spring. This relationship was established using data collected from 2008 to 2011 in plantings with the cultivars 'Chancellor', 'Vidal', and 'Seyval Blanc' in plots with fall mildew incidence of 0 % to 2.5 %, >2.5 % to 5 %, >5 % to 10 %, and >10 % to 20 %. Downy mildew severity was assessed weekly from bud break until harvest, and the proportion of leaf area diseased at 25 % bloom and at harvest, the area under the disease progress curve, the time to 50 % maximum disease, the rate of disease progress, and the yield were estimated. Regardless of the cultivar and year, fall mildew incidence had a significant effect on mildew progress. Higher fall mildew incidence was associated with earlier development of symptoms and higher severity of mildew at bloom in the following spring. This information could be used to determine the most appropriate strategy to manage downy mildew during the following spring. However, more research is needed to determine how management strategies should be adapted to the various levels of risk.
Background: Glutaminase 1 is a phosphate-activated metabolic enzyme that catalyzes the first step of glutaminolysis, which converts glutamine into glutamate. Glutamate is the major neurotransmitter of excitatory synapses, executing important physiological functions in the central nervous system. There are two isoforms of glutaminase 1, KGA and GAC, both of which are generated through alternative splicing from the same gene. KGA and GAC both transcribe 1-14 exons in the N-terminal, but each has its unique C-terminal in the coding sequence. We have previously identified that KGA and GAC are differentially regulated during inflammatory stimulation and HIV infection. Furthermore, glutaminase 1 has been linked to brain diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and hepatic encephalopathy. Core enzyme structure of KGA and GAC has been published recently. However, how other coding sequences affect their functional enzyme activity remains unclear. Methods: We cloned and performed serial deletions of human full-length KGA and GAC from the N-terminal and the C-terminal at an interval of approximately 100 amino acids (AAs). Prokaryotic expressions of the mutant glutaminase 1 protein and a glutaminase enzyme activity assay were used to determine if KGA and GAC have similar efficiency and efficacy to convert glutamine into glutamate. Results: When 110 AAs or 218 AAs were deleted from the N-terminal or when the unique portions of KGA and GAC that are beyond the 550 AA were deleted from the C-terminal, KGA and GAC retained enzyme activity comparable to the full length proteins. In contrast, deletion of 310 AAs or more from N-terminal or deletion of 450 AAs or more from C-terminal resulted in complete loss of enzyme activity for KGA/GAC. Consistently, when both Nand C-terminal of the KGA and GAC were removed, creating a truncated protein that expressed the central 219 AA -550 AA, the protein retained enzyme activity. Furthermore, expression of the core 219 AA -550 AA coding sequence in cells increased extracellular glutamate concentrations to levels comparable to those of full-length KGA and GAC expressions, suggesting that the core enzyme activity of the protein lies within the central 219 AA -550 AA. Full-length KGA and GAC retained enzyme activities when kept at 4 degrees C. In contrast, 219 AA - 550 AA truncated protein lost glutaminase activities more readily compared with full-length KGA and GAC, suggesting that the N-terminal and C-terminal coding regions are required for the stability KGA and GAC. Conclusions: Glutaminase isoforms KGA and GAC have similar efficacy to catalyze the conversion of glutamine to glutamate. The core enzyme activity of glutaminase 1 protein is within the central 219 AA - 550 AA. The N-terminal and C-terminal coding regions of KGA and GAC help maintain the long-term activities of the enzymes.
Mechanical-electrical analogous circuit models are widely used in electromechanical system design as they represent the function of a coupled electrical and mechanical system using an equivalent electrical system. This research uses electrical circuits to establish a discussion of simple active vibration control principles using two scenarios: an active vibration isolation system and an active dynamic vibration absorber (DVA) using a voice coil motor (VCM) actuator. Active control laws such as gain scheduling are intuitively explained using circuit analysis techniques. Active vibration control approaches are typically constraint by electrical power requirements. The electrical analogous is a fast approach for specifying power requirements on the experimental test platform which is based on a vibration shaker that provides the based excitation required for the single Degree-of-Freedom (1DoF) vibration model under study.
Background: Responding to joint attention (RJA) is reduced in young children with ASD despite being vital to the early development of social communication. For this reason, RJA is a frequent target in early intervention programs. Clinical guidelines suggest that exaggerating facial expressions or gestural pointing may improve RJA in children with autism by clarifying the meaning of the gaze or gesture. In the current study, we investigate the effect of intensity of emotional expression on RJA in preschoolers with ASD. Method: Twenty-five preschoolers with ASD and 21 typically developing peers were administered a specifically designed eye-tracking task in which an actor directs attention to a moving object by looking at it with an expression that was either neutral, mildly surprised or intensely surprised. In a supplementary condition, gestural pointing was accompanied by a neutral gaze shift. Results: Commensurate with previous studies, children with ASD oriented less to the face of the actor and were less responsive to RJA when compared to their typically developing peers. However, children with autism differed in their response to RJA according to the different task conditions. They demonstrated more frequent responses to RJA when the actor's facial expression was either intense or supported by gestural pointing. Conclusions: We report initial evidence for the importance of clarifying content cues in order to help preschoolers with autism adhere to receptive joint attention (RJA) opportunities. Our findings inform knowledge about early treatment and attention to emotional expressions in autism and improve our understanding of how early interventions may work to increase RJA in young children with ASD. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Memory diagnostics are important to improving the resilience of DRAM main memory. As bit cell size reaches physical limits, DRAM memory will be more likely to suffer both transient and permanent errors. Memory diagnostics that operate online can be a component of a comprehensive strategy to allay errors. This paper presents a novel approach, Asteroid, to integrate online memory diagnostics during workload execution. The approach supports diagnostics that adapt at runtime to workload behavior and resource availability to maximize test quality while reducing performance overhead. We describe Asteroid's design and how it can be efficiently integrated with a hierarchical memory allocator in modern operating systems. We also present how the framework enables control policies to dynamically configure a diagnostic. Using an adaptive policy, in a 16-core server, Asteroid has modest overhead of 1-4 % for workloads with low to high memory demand. For these workloads, Asteroid's adaptive policy has good error coverage and can thoroughly test memory.
Lattice problems are considered as the key elements in many areas of computer science as well as in cryptography; the most important of which is the shortest vector problem and its approximate variants. Algorithms for this problem are known as lattice reduction algorithms. Currently, the most practical lattice reduction algorithm for such problems is the block Korkine-Zolotarev (BKZ) algorithm and its variants. The authors optimise both the pruning and the preprocessing parameters of the recursive (aborted, extreme pruned) preprocessing of the BKZ lattice reduction algorithm and improve the results from Asiacrypt'11 by Chen and Nguyen. The authors derive approximate closed-form complexity formulas (based on the sandpile model assumption model by Hanrot et al.) for the enumeration time which allow a simple estimation of complexity without running the simulation algorithm (by Chen and Nguyen) and asymptotically suggests a modified extreme pruning bounding profiles with different parameters. Hence, the authors' contributions are in optimising and improving the analysis of the complexity upper bound estimates presented by Chen and Nguyen, based on the same recursive-BKZ preprocessing model.
Background: Freedom from discrimination is one of the key principles in a human rights-based approach to maternal and newborn health. Objective: To review the published evidence on discrimination against Romani women in maternity care in Europe, and on interventions to address this. Search strategy: A systematic search of eight electronic databases was undertaken in 2015 using the terms Roma and maternity care. A broad search for grey literature included the websites of relevant agencies. Data extraction and synthesis: Standardised data extraction tables were utilised, quality was formally assessed and a line of argument synthesis was developed and tested against the data from the grey literature. Results: Nine hundred papers were identified; three qualitative studies and seven sources of grey literature met the review criteria. These revealed that many Romani women encounter barriers to accessing maternity care. Even when they are able to access care, they can experience discriminatory mistreatment on the basis of their ethnicity, economic status, place of residence or language. The grey literature revealed some health professionals held underlying negative beliefs about Romani women. There were no published research studies examining the effectiveness of interventions to address discrimination against Romani women and their infants in Europe. The Roma Health Mediation Programme is a promising intervention identified in the grey literature. Conclusions: There is evidence of discrimination against Romani women in maternity care in Europe. Interventions to address discrimination against childbearing Romani women and underlying health provider prejudice are urgently needed, alongside analysis of factors predicting the success or failure of such initiatives.
Restoring hydrologic connectivity between channels and floodplains is common practice in stream and river restoration. Floodplain hydrology and hydrogeology impact stream hydraulics, ecology, biogeochemical processing, and pollutant removal, yet rigorous field evaluations of surface water-groundwater exchange within floodplains during overbank floods are rare. We conducted five sets of experimental floods to mimic floodplain reconnection by pumping stream water onto an existing floodplain swale. Floods were conducted throughout the year to capture seasonal variation and each involved two replicate floods on successive days to test the effect of varying antecedent moisture. Water levels and specific conductance were measured in surface water, soil, and groundwater within the floodplain, along with surface flow into and out of the floodplain. Vegetation density varied seasonally and controlled the volume of surface water storage on the floodplain. By contrast, antecedent moisture conditions controlled storage of water in floodplain soils, with drier antecedent moisture conditions leading to increased subsurface storage and slower flood wave propagation across the floodplain surface. The site experienced spatial heterogeneity in vertical connectivity between surface water and groundwater across the floodplain surface, where propagation of hydrostatic pressure, preferential flow, and bulk Darcy flow were all mechanisms that may have occurred during the five floods. Vertical connectivity also increased with time, suggesting higher frequency of floodplain inundation may increase surface water-groundwater exchange across the floodplain surface. Understanding the variability of floodplain impacts on water quality noted in the literature likely requires better accounting for seasonal variations in floodplain vegetation and antecedent moisture as well as heterogeneous exchange flow mechanisms. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Knowing water consumption patterns in buildings is key information for water planning. This article aims to characterize the water consumption pattern and water end-uses in low-income houses in the region of Florianopolis, Southern Brazil. Data were collected by interviewing householders, as well as by measuring the flow rate of existing water fixtures and appliances. The results indicated that the shower was the fixture with the largest water consumption in households, i.e., about 30%-36% of total water consumption on average, followed by the toilet (18%-20%). The surveyed households consumed from 111 to 152 L/capita day on average, based on different income ranges. No correlation was found between income and water consumption. The results of this study can be used to estimate the consumption of water for new buildings, as well as to develop integrated water management strategies in low-income developments, in Florianopolis, such as water-saving plumbing fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and greywater reuse. Likely, there would be a deferral of capital investments in new water assets for enhancing water and wastewater services by saving water in low-income houses.
The physical conception of the memristor by the Hewlett-Packard Labs has opened the possibility of combining this new fundamental circuit element with traditional devices in order to carried out novel applications. An important step for incorporating the memristor into the computer-aided design tools is to find an expression that represents the behavior of the device. In this paper, a novel modeling methodology for memristive systems using homotopy perturbation methods is introduced. This methodology is capable of generating a semi-symbolical expression that represents the memristive behavior of the device. The new memristor model is characterized in order to determinate the impact of the variables on the memristive behavior and establishes the range of compliance using the principal fingerprints of the memristor. Besides, the novel memristor model is depicted by two cases of study. Finally, the advantages of the memristor model are presented and discussed.
This paper develops an Internet-of-Things data highway embracing end sensors, sensor nodes, databases, big data processors, web connections, and high-end statistics engines. It is aiming at automatic, pseudo real-time, and integrative sensor stream processing, fully benefitting from the capability of sophisticated statistics packages supporting a variety of artificial intelligence and data mining libraries. Specifically, Raspberry Pi nodes capture signals from attached sensors via GPIO interfaces and insert into a remote MySQL database table using its connector utility. In the Linux machine, the table entry is purged at each fixed time and dumped to a text file for a later batch analysis using Hadoop. The R package running in a Windows PC periodically downloads the sensor stream from the database table via the implementation of a library extension invoking relevant operating systems calls. In the R space, even a spatial analysis and visualization can be provided comprehensively.
Improving the safety of transportation systems attracts lots of attention. Researchers introduced their methods to detect and analyze the vehicle and the pedestrian on the road to accomplish this goal. However, the bicycle is also a significant factor of the safety on a road. In this paper, a bicycle detector for side-view image is proposed based on the observation that a bicycle consists of two wheels in the form of ellipse shapes and a frame in the form of two triangles. Through the proposed triangle detection algorithm, the bicycle model and the geometric constraints on the relationship between the triangles and ellipses, the computation is fast according to the sample implementation and the evaluation of the reduced data amount. Besides, the training process is unnecessary and only single image is required for our algorithm. The experimental results are also given in this paper to show the practicability and the performance of the proposed bicycle model and bicycle detection algorithm.
Gliding is an important flight mode for insects because it saves energy during long distance flight without wing flapping. In this study, we investigated the influence of locust wing corrugation on the aerodynamic performance in gliding mode at low Reynolds number. Numerical simulations using two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are applied to study the gliding flight, which reveals the interaction between forewing and hindwing. The lift of the corrugated airfoil in a locust wing decreases from the wing root to the tip. Simulation results show that the pressure drags on the forewing and hindwing increase with an increase in wing thickness; while the lift-drag ratio of the airfoil is marginally affected by the corrugation on the airfoil. Geometric parameters analysis of the locust wing is also carried out, which includes the corrugation height, the corrugation placement and the shapes of leading and trailing edges.
We investigate whether there is any association between the Braak neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) stage and clinical and MRI features in definite primary age-related tauopathy (PART). We analysed 52 cases with a Braak NFT tangle stage >0 and <= IV, and a Thal phase of 0 (no beta-amyloid present). Twenty-nine (56%) were female. Median age at death was 88 years (IQR 82-92 years). Fifteen (29%) were TDP-positive (75% TDP stage I), 16 (31%) had argyrophilic grain disease and three (6%) had alpha-synuclein-positive Lewy bodies. TDP-43 inclusion when present were rare and predominantly perivascular. Of the 15 with TDP-43, three showed a moderate number of inclusions and also had hippocampal sclerosis, neuronal intranuclear inclusions and fine neurites of the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Four cases (8%) had an apolipoprotein epsilon 4 (APOE4) allele. There was a significant correlation between age at death and Braak NFT stage (r = 0.32, p = 0.02). After accounting for age at clinical examination, there were significant associations between Braak NFT stage, and WAIS-R Block Design and Trail Making Tests A and B, with higher Braak stage associated with poorer performances. Thirty of the 52 cases had completed an antemortem volumetric head MRI. Two separate MRI analyses revealed an association between higher Braak NFT stage and grey matter atrophy in the head of the left hippocampus. There were no significant clinical or radiologic associations with TDP-43. Findings from this study demonstrate that aggregated tau distribution is associated with poorer cognitive performance, as well as atrophy, in the absence of beta-amyloid. These findings support the parcellation of definite PART as a useful construct. The relatively low frequencies of APOE4, TDP-43, Lewy bodies, and hippocampal sclerosis, and the rarity and morphology of TDP-43 lesions are noted contrasts to what is typically observed in Alzheimer's disease of the old.
VERA, the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications, is the system of physics capabilities being developed and deployed by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). CASL was established for the modeling and simulation of commercial nuclear reactors. VERA consists of integrating and interfacing software together with a suite of physics components adapted and/or refactored to simulate relevant physical phenomena in a coupled manner. VERA also includes the software development environment and computational infrastructure needed for these components to be effectively used. We describe the architecture of VERA from both software and numerical perspectives, along with the goals and constraints that drove major design decisions, and their implications. We explain why VERA is an environment rather than a framework or toolkit, why these distinctions are relevant (particularly for coupled physics applications), and provide an overview of results that demonstrate the use of VERA tools for a variety of challenging applications within the nuclear industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Every fifth pregnant woman is affected by allergies, especially rhinitis and asthma. Allergic symptoms existing before pregnancy may be either attenuated, or equally often promoted through pregnancy. Optimal allergy and asthma diagnosis and management during pregnancy is vital to ensure the welfare of mother and baby. For allergy diagnosis in pregnancy, preferentially anamnestic investigation as well as in vitro testing should be applied, whereas skin testing or provocation tests should be postponed until after birth. Pregnant women with confirmed allergy should avoid exposure to, or consumption of the offending allergen. Allergen immunotherapy should not be initiated during pregnancy. In patients on immunotherapy since before pregnancy, maintenance treatment may be continued, but the allergen dose should not be increased further. Applicable medications for asthma, rhinitis or skin symptoms in pregnancy are discussed and listed. In conclusion, i) allergies in pregnancy should preferentially be diagnosed in vitro; ii) AIT may be continued, but not started, and symptomatic medications must be carefully selected; iii) management of asthma and allergic diseases is important during pregnancy for welfare of mother and child.
Diencephalic defects underlie an array of neurological diseases. Previous studies have suggested that retinoic acid (RA) signaling is involved in diencephalic development at late stages of embryonic development, but its roles and mechanisms of action during early neural development are still unclear. Here we demonstrate that mice lacking enzymatic activity of the acetyltransferase GCN5 ((Gcn5(hat/hat))), which were previously characterized with respect to their exencephalic phenotype, exhibit significant diencephalic expansion, decreased diencephalic RA signaling, and increased diencephalic WNT and SHH signaling. Using a variety of molecular biology techniques in both cultured neuroepithelial cells treated with a GCN5 inhibitor and forebrain tissue from (Gcn5(hat/hat)) embryos, we demonstrate that GCN5, RAR alpha/gamma, and the poorly characterized protein TACC1 form a complex in the nucleus that binds specific retinoic acid response elements in the absence of RA. Furthermore, RA triggers GCN5-mediated acetylation of TACC1, which results in dissociation of TACC1 from retinoic acid response elements and leads to transcriptional activation of RA target genes. Intriguingly, RA signaling defects caused by in vitro inhibition of GCN5 can be rescued through RA-dependent mechanisms that require RAR beta. Last, we demonstrate that the diencephalic expansion and transcriptional defects seen in (Gcn5(hat/hat)) mutants can be rescued with gestational RA supplementation, supporting a direct link between GCN5, TACC1, and RA signaling in the developing diencephalon. Together, our studies identify a novel, nonhistone substrate for GCN5 whose modification regulates a previously undescribed, tissue-specific mechanism of RA signaling that is required to restrict diencephalic size during early forebrain development.
Leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter to characterize vegetation dynamics and ecosystem structure that determines the ecosystem functions and services such as clean water supply and carbon sequestration in a watershed. However, linking LAI dynamics and environmental controls (i.e., coupling biosphere, atmosphere, and anthroposphere) remains challenging and such type of studies have rarely been done at a watershed scale due to data availability. The present study examined the spatial and temporal variations of LAI for five ecosystem types within a watershed with a complex topography in the Upper Heihe River Basin, a major inland river in the arid and semi-arid western China. We integrated remote sensing-based GLASS (Global Land Surface Satellite) LAI products, interpolated climate data, watershed characteristics, and land management records for the period of 2001-2012. We determined the relationships among LAI, topography, air temperature and precipitation, and grazing history by five ecosystem types using several advanced statistical methods. We show that long-term mean LAI distribution had an obvious vertical pattern as controlled by precipitation and temperature in a hilly watershed. Overall, watershed-wide mean LAI had an increasing trend overtime for all ecosystem types during 2001-2012, presumably as a result of global warming and a wetting climate. However, the fluctuations of observed LAI at a pixel scale (1 km) varied greatly across the watershed. We classified the vegetation changes within the watershed as 'Improved', 'Stabilized', and 'Degraded' according their respective LAI changes. We found that climate was not the only driver for temporal vegetation changes for all land cover types. Grazing partially contributed to the decline of LAI in some areas and masked the positive climate warming effects in other areas. Extreme weathers such as cold spells and droughts could substantially affect inter-annual variability of LAI dynamics. We concluded that temporal and spatial LAI dynamics were rather complex and were affected by both climate variations and human disturbances in the study basin. Future monitoring studies should focus on the functional interactions among vegetation dynamics, climate variations, land management, and human disturbances. Published by Elsevier B.V.
To determine the diagnostic value of MR signal within the sacroiliac (SI) joint space in spondyloarthritis (SpA). A retrospective analysis of MRIs of SI joints was performed in 363 patients, aged 16-45 years, clinically suspected of sacroiliitis. Intra-articular SI joint MR signals were categorized as normal, high T1 signal, fluid signal, ankylosis or vacuum phenomenon (VP). These MRI findings were correlated with the final diagnosis, according to the ASAS criteria. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) and predictive values were calculated. Presence of intra-articular high T1 signal, fluid signal and ankylosis had a specificity of 95.8 %, 95.3 % and 99.5 % for SpA. High T1 signal, fluid signal and ankylosis were present in 38.4 %, 19.2 % and 17.9 % of SpA patients and in 4.2 %, 4.7 % and 0.5 % of patients without SpA, resulting in LR+ of 9.0, 4.1 and 37.9, respectively. VP was present in 13.2 % of SpA patients and in 20.8 % of patients without SpA, resulting in an LR+ of 0.6. Presence of high T1 signal, fluid signal and ankylosis within the SI joint on MRI have high specificity for SpA. High T1 signal is the most sensitive MRI feature within the SI joint for SpA. aEuro cent MRI of the SI joints is typically obtained for diagnosis of spondyloarthritis. aEuro cent The MR signal within the SI joint itself reflects features of spondyloarthritis. aEuro cent Intra-articular high T1 signal, fluid signal and ankylosis are seen in spondyloarthritis. aEuro cent The vacuum phenomenon makes spondyloarthritis less likely.
Basketball game involves, beyond physical preparation, the individual technical-tactical knowledge essential for the good development of the game, a proactive attitude towards the goal of the action or a team spirit. It consists in the interaction of players and is based on mutual knowledge, acceptance and understanding, on cooperation for reaching the common goal. The athletes' ability to communicate and create relationships can be analysed in connection with the individual ability to shift attention, with the sociometric and preferential statuses, consequently with the team cohesion level. Sociometric analysis will be achieved periodically, according to the team structure, composition and evolution in order to ensure an optimal integration of athletes into the team, to increase its cohesion and eventually its performance. Sociometric analysis correlated to nonverbal communication ability, while knowing the preferential status indices (Psi), is the purpose of our research. The 20 subjects are members of the representative women's basketball team, juniors U16. Nonverbal communication ability positively correlates with the preferential status index of the team player. Research methods: bibliographic study, PONS (Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity) test, Moreno's psycho-sociometric analysis, statistical and mathematical method, graphical representation. Average score obtained by calculating the Psi has a negative value, very close to zero, namely -0.000006. Regarding the minimal (-0.15) and maximal (0.26) values, it can be noted a balanced distribution of scores, as compared to central tendency. The value of Pearson's correlation coefficient for PONS and Psi variables is rf = 0.833, which indicates a very close positive correlation between variables. (C) 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.uk
The authors present a protocol and security architecture for the smart grid in an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Various levels of the hierarchical grid are isolated in protocol planes for preventing propagation of attacks. The utility meters are interconnected via the wireless technologies in order for metering functions, as well as location identification and reporting for attackers. An amended version of Bell Labs security framework (aka, ITU-X. 805) protects every component with added first response security apparatus, forensic component and a location determination algorithm for fortifying the PHY of WLAN interconnecting the meters.
The constant 'interchain pressure' idea has been addressed, to evaluate if it is an adequate quantitative assumption to describe the fluid mechanics of oligomer diluted entangled NMMD polymer systems. The molecular stress function constitutive framework has been used with the constant interchain pressure assumption. Furthermore, the maximal extensibility based on the number of Kuhn steps in an entanglement has been used based on the relative Pad, inverse Langevin function. The model predictions agree with the extensional measurements on all previously published poly(methyl methacrylate)s and almost all published oligomer diluted NMMD polystyrenes. The only deviation is on the most diluted and largest molecular weight case of an 18% 1880 kg/mol polystyrene in oligomer diluent. In this case, the maximal extensibility is not needed.
The evolution and increasing commoditization of home and building automation systems (HBAS) is contributing to their widespread adoption. However, an effort must still be made to render them usable, intelligent, highly adaptive and able to fulfill users' needs. When distinct users interact with such a system, their intentions are likely to be different, often resulting in conflicting situations, which the system ought to recognize and, if possible, resolve automatically. However, conflict detection and resolution in HBAS are not yet fully understood. This work aims at investigating conflict in Ambient Intelligence systems, namely those supported by HBAS. Our main contribution is a systematization and review of existing literature concerning conflict detection and resolution in these systems.
GeoWeb 2.0, laying the foundations of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) systems, has led to platforms where users can contribute to the geographic knowledge that is open to access. Moreover, as a result of the advancements in 3D visualization, virtual globes able to visualize geographic data even on browsers emerged. However the integration of VGI systems and virtual globes has not been fully realized. The study presented aims to visualize volunteered data in 3D, considering also the ease of use aspects for general public, using Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The new Application Programming Interface (API) of NASA, Web World Wind, written in JavaScript and based on Web Graphics Library (WebGL) is cross-platform and cross-browser, so that the virtual globe created using this API can be accessible through any WebGL supported browser on different operating systems and devices, as a result not requiring any installation or configuration on the client-side, making the collected data more usable to users, which is not the case with the World Wind for Java as installation and configuration of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is required. Furthermore, the data collected through various VGI platforms might be in different formats, stored in a traditional relational database or in a NoSQL database. The project developed aims to visualize and query data collected through Open Data Kit (ODK) platform and a cross-platform application, where data is stored in a relational PostgreSQL and NoSQL CouchDB databases respectively.
This paper proposes a stochastic evaluation method for examining tree population states in a river cross section using an integrated model with Monte Carlo simulation. The integrated model consists of four processes as submodels, i.e., tree population dynamics, flow discharge stochasticity, stream hydraulics, and channel geomorphology. A floodplain of the Kako River in Japan was examined as a test site, which is currently well vegetated and features many willows that have been growing in both individual size and overall population over the last several decades. The model was used to stochastically evaluate the effects of hydrologic and geomorphologic changes on tree population dynamics through the Monte Carlo simulation. The effects including the magnitude of flood impacts and the relative change in the floodplain level are examined using very simple scenarios for flow regulation, climate change, and channel form changes. The stochastic evaluation method revealed a tradeoff point in floodplain levels, at which the tendency of a fully vegetated state switches to that of a bare floodplain under small impacts of flood. It is concluded from these results that the states of tree population in a floodplain can be determined by the mutual interactions among flood impacts, seedling recruitment, tree growth, and channel geomorphology. These interactions make it difficult to obtain a basic understanding of tree population dynamics from a field study of a specific floodplain. The stochastic approach used in this paper could constitute an effective method for evaluating fundamental channel characteristics for a vegetated floodplain.
Although abundant research has documented positive interpersonal outcomes of perspective taking, a growing body of evidence indicates that perspective taking can also induce negative interpersonal outcomesin other words, it backfires. We aim at integrating these seemingly contradictory findings, suggesting that perspective taking backfires when it causes the perspective-taking individual to feel threatened. Threat can emerge from the very act of perspective taking if the target of perspective taking is perceived as too different from the self or if adopting another's perspective creates the potential for negative self-evaluation. Furthermore, threat may emerge if perspective taking successfully creates perceptions of self-other overlap, but the overlapping characteristics accentuate potentially threatening characteristics of the target. Our theoretical model affords predictions for other conditions in which perspective taking is linked to self-threat and may backfire.
Background: Serum p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) associates with cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. PCS concentrations are determined by intestinal uptake of p-cresol, human metabolism to PCS and renal clearance. Whether intestinal uptake of p-cresol itself is directly associated with cardiovascular disease in patients with renal dysfunction has not been studied to date. Methods: We performed a prospective study in patients with chronic kidney disease stage 1 - 5 (NCT00441623). Intestinal uptake of p-cresol, under steady state conditions, was estimated from 24 h urinary excretion of PCS. Primary endpoint was time to first cardiovascular event, i.e., cardiac death, myocardial infarction/ischemia, ventricular arrhythmia, cardiovascular surgery, ischemic stroke or symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. Statistical analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazard analyses. Results: In a cohort of 200 patients, median 24 h urinary excretion of PCS amounted to 457.47 mu mol (IQR 252.68-697.17). After a median follow-up of 52 months, 25 patients reached the primary endpoint (tertile 1/2/3: 5/6/14 events, log rank P 0.037). Higher urinary excretion of PCS was directly associated with cardiovascular events (univariate hazard ratio per 100 mu mol increase: 1.112, P 0.002). In multivariate analysis, urinary excretion of PCS remained a predictor of cardiovascular events, independent of eGFR (hazard ratio 1.120, P 0.002). Conclusions: In patients with chronic kidney disease, intestinal uptake of p-cresol associates with cardiovascular disease independent of renal function. The intestinal generation and absorption of p-cresol may be therapeutic targets to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in patients with renal dysfunction.
The high rates of cholera epidemic mortality in less developed countries is a challenge for health facilities to which it is necessary to equip itself with the epidemiological surveillance. To strengthen the capacity of epidemiological surveillance, this paper focuses on remote sensing satellite data processing using data mining methods to discover risk areas of the epidemic disease by connecting the environment, climate and health. These satellite data are combined with field data collected during the same set of periods in order to explain and deduct the causes of the epidemic evolution from one period to another in relation to the environment. The existing technical (algorithms) for processing satellite images are mature and efficient, so the challenge today is to provide the most suitable means allowing the best interpretation of obtained results. For that, we focus on supervised classification algorithm to process a set of satellite images from the same area but on different periods. A novel research methodology (describing pre-treatment, data mining, and post-treatment) is proposed to ensure suitable means for transforming data, generating information and extracting knowledge. This methodology consists of six phases: (1.A) Acquisition of information from the field about epidemic, (1.B) Satellite data acquisition, (2) Selection and transformation of data (Data derived from images), (3) Remote sensing measurements, (4) Discretization of data, (5) Data treatment, and (6) Interpretation of results. The main contributions of the paper are: to establish the nature of links between the environment and the epidemic, and to highlight those risky environments when the public awareness of the problem and the prevention policies are absolutely necessary for mitigation of the propagation and emergence of the epidemic. This will allow national governments, local authorities and the public health officials to effective management according to risk areas. The case study concerns the knowledge discovery in databases related to risk areas of the cholera epidemic in Mopti region, Mali (West Africa). The results generate from data mining association rules indicate that the level of the Niger River in the wintering periods and some societal factors have an impact on the variation of cholera epidemic rate in Mopti town. More the river level is high, at 66% the rate of contamination is high. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article explores how people do sympathetic talk in relation to the European refugee crisis. The analysis was grounded in critical discursive psychology and also drew on the concept of affective-discursive practice. Data was retrieved from a phone-in program on Irish national radio over a 6-month period when the refugee crisis debate was at its height. It is shown that speakers deployed elaborate sympathetic repertoires with ease that described their normative emotional response to the plight of the asylum seekers. But these same speakers found it problematic to present explicit, unambiguous, and unconditional calls of inclusive political solidarity with the asylum seekers, advocating increased asylum provision in Ireland. These findings are discussed in light of the hostile affective-discursive environment towards asylum and the common sense understanding that nation-states have the moral right to exclude, which appears to constrain the talk to a position of ambivalent paternalism.
Additive manufacturing (AM) technology is capable of building 3D near-net-shaped functional parts directly from computer models using unit materials, such as powder or wire. Additive manufacturing's computer-aided design offers superior geometrical flexibility. The near-net-shaping capability also significantly reduces materials waste. These benefits make AM desirable for critical applications, such as aerospace, ground transportation, and medical. Confident utilization of the technology requires thorough understanding of the AM materials, ensuring that structural integrity and performance requirements are met or exceeded. In this study, Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by two AM techniques: Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM) were investigated and critically compared. Samples were built using various processing parameters and heat treated under different conditions, which resulted in different microstructures and mechanical properties. Characteristic microstructures were determined for all cases. Room temperature tensile and fatigue crack growth properties were also evaluated and compared in different orientations with respect to the building direction. The effects of post-AM heat treatments on microstructure and properties were also studied. The results are systematically presented and discussed from the material/process optimization, structural design, and fatigue life prediction perspectives. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Streams in urban areas are prone to degradation. While urbanization-induced poor water quality is a widely observed and well documented phenomenon, the mechanism to pinpoint local drivers of urban stream degradation, and their relative influence on water quality, is still lacking. Utilizing data from the citizen science project FreshWater Watch, we use a machine learning approach to identify key indicators, potential drivers, and potential controls to water quality across the metropolitan areas of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Partial dependencies were examined to establish the direction of relationships between predictors and water quality. A random forest classification model indicated that predictors of stream water colour (drivers related to artificial land coverage and agricultural land use coverage) and potential controls related to the presence of bankside vegetation were found to be important in identifying basins with degraded water quality conditions, based on individual measurements of turbidity and nutrient (N-NO3 and P-PO4) concentrations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION: a large area between the provinces of Naples and Caserta in the Campania Region (Southern Italy) is characterized by environmental problems caused by the illegal dumping of industrial or domestic waste in fields or by roadsides. In some cases, these wastes have been burned, thereby spreading persistent contaminants. As this material is sometimes burnt, the area has been dubbed Terra dei fuochi (Land of fires). OBJECTIVES: search for trace elements in fruits and vegetables grown in this area. DESIGN AND SETTING: monitoring plan to detect the level of presence of both inorganic and bio-essential metals in vegetables and fruits growth in the considered area. The content of trace elements was determined through Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a microwave-assisted digestion procedure. RESULTS: during the monitoring activity, 65 vegetable samples and 49 fruit samples were collected in 43 municipalities included in the area called Terra dei fuochi. The resulted average content of toxic metals, cadmium, and lead in fruits and vegetables was lower than the minimum level established by European legislation. The values of the contents were significantly lower than the contents detected in other areas at high environmental impact caused by the presence of industrial plants. CONCLUSIONS: the presence of toxic (or potentially toxic) elements in fruits and vegetables grown in the Terra dei fuochi area is attributable to a variety of environmental factors (geological characteristics; soil, air, and irrigation water pollution; illicit practices of industrial waste disposal). A health risk for consumers of these products does not seem to exist. Therefore, the alert for the presence of pollutants in the environment and the need of monitoring activities still remain.
What are the sources and effects of gendered leadership stereotypes for women's representation? We explore the role of stereotypes in shaping public attitudes toward women's representation using AmericasBarometer survey data from 25 countries. We report three key results. First, the modal respondent in almost every country rejects gendered leadership stereotypes, affirming that women and men leaders are equally qualified on corruption and the economy. This holds even after we attempt to account for social desirability bias. Second, there are significant individual- and country-level determinants of stereotyping. In countries with higher women's representation and labor force participation but without gender quotas, citizens are more likely to choose pro-female and neutral responses over pro-male stereotypes. At the individual level, those rejecting stereotypes are less authoritarian, more supportive of labor market equality, and more leftist than those reporting pro-female stereotypes. Third, the consequences for representation vary by partisanship and country context. Pro-female leadership stereotypes boost support for women presidential candidates and for legislative gender quotas, but they matter less among copartisans of women candidates, and they matter more when women candidates are viable but gendered outsiders. Those rejecting leadership stereotypes altogether are less supportive of quotas.
Our team is currently the global technology leader in the field of both carbon-carbon ultracapacitors and hybrid lithium-carbon devices. Main expertise includes R&D in material science, electrochemistry, process engineering, manufacturing engineering, electrical system design and manufacture of ultracapacitor electrodes, cells and modules. The team participated in a number of international research projects, and prototypes of ultracapacitors and hybrids were tested in the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis, in JME Inc., in Wayne State University, and some other labs. All the test results confirm the superlative performance of the devices developed: carbon-carbon ultracapacitors demonstrate the extremely low inner resistance resulting in the highest power capability and efficiency that also reduces the cooling requirements and improves safety. Our parallel hybrid devices demonstrate substantially higher energy and power density than competing LIC technologies. In order to make ultracapacitor technology even more attractive to automakers, new organic electrolytes have been developed and are currently under testing (not ionic liquids) at temperatures about 100 degrees C and voltages up to 3.0 V.
This paper proposes an LED driving circuit with a digital controller, power factor correct (PFC) function, and low light flicker. The key topology of the proposed circuit is a conventional Flyback combined with a pre-stage. As a result, there will be less light flicker than with other one-stage PFC circuits. A digital controller, implemented using a low-cost microcontroller, dsPIC30F2020, will meet PFC and low light flicker. The experimental results validate the functionality of the proposed circuit.
We report on a case of repeated MDPV consumptions that resulted in severe psychosis and agitation prompting the concomitant abuse of benzodiazepines. A 27-year-old man was found irresponsive in his apartment and was brought to the emergency department (ED) of a local hospital. When in ED, he rapidly recovered and self-reported to have recently injected some doses of MDPV that he had bought in the Internet. He left the hospital without medical cares. 15 days after, he was again admitted to the same ED due to severe agitation, delirium and hallucinations, and reported the use of MDPV and pharmaceutical drugs during the preceding week. He was sedated with diazepam and chlorpromazine. Urine samples collected in both occasions were sent for testing using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and liquid chromatography-high resolution multiple mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) on an Orbitrap. The LC-HRMS analysis revealed the presence of MDPV and its phase I and phase II metabolites (demethylenyl-MDPV, demethylenyl-methyl-MDPV, demethylenyl-methyl-oxo-MDPV, demethylenyl-hydroxy-alkyl-MDPV, demethylenyl-methyl-hydroxy alkyl-MDPV, demethylenyl-oxo-MDPV and their corresponding glucuronides), alprazolam and alprazolam metabolite at the first ED admission; at the time of the second ED access, the same MDPV metabolites, alprazolam, temazepam, and chlordiazepoxide were detected together with diazepam and metabolites. LC-HRMS/MS was use to determine the following concentrations, respectively on his first and second admission: MDPV 55 ng/mL, alprazolam 114 ng/mL, alpha-hydroxyalprazolam 104 ng/mL; MDPV 35 ng/mL, alprazolam 10.4 ng/mL, alpha -hydroxyalprazolam 13 ng/mL; chlordiazepoxide 13 ng/mL, temazepam 170 ng/mL, diazepam 1.3 ng/mL, nordiazepam 61.5, oxazepam 115 ng/mL. The toxicological findings corroborated the referred concomitant use of multiple pharmaceutical drugs and benzodiazepines. Confirmation of previous hypothesis on human metabolism of MDPV could be inferred by the analysis of urine. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Social knowledge beyond one's direct relationships is a key in successfully manoeuvring the social world. Individuals gather information on the quality of social relationships between their group companions, which has been termed triadic awareness. Evidence of the use of triadic awareness in natural contexts is limited mainly to conflict management. Here we investigated triadic awareness in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in the context of bridging interactions defined as male-infant-male interactions whereby a male (initiator, holder) presents an infant to another male (receiver, non-holder) in order to initiate an affiliative interaction with that male. Analyses based on 1263 h of focal observations on ten infants of one wild social group in Morocco supported the hypothesis that males use their knowledge of the relationship between infants and other adult males when choosing a male as a partner for bridging interactions. Specifically, (i) the number of bridging interactions among holder-infant-receiver triads was positively affected by the strength of the infant-receiver relationship and (ii) when two males were available as bridging partners, a male was more likely to be chosen as the receiver the stronger his social relationship with the infant relative to the other available male. This demonstrates that non-human primates establish triadic awareness of temporary infant-male relationships and use it in a naturally occurring affiliative context. Our results contribute to the discussion about the mechanism underlying the acquisition of triadic awareness and the benefits of its usage, and lend support to hypotheses linking social complexity to the evolution of complex cognition.
In the computation of fluid mechanics problems with moving boundaries, including fluid-structure interaction, fluid mesh deformation is a common problem to be solved. An automatic mesh deformation technique for large deformations of the fluid mesh is presented on the basis of a pseudo-solid method in which the fluid mesh motion is governed by the equations of elasticity. A two-dimensional mathematical model of a linear elastic body is built by using the finite element method. The numerical result shows that the proposed method has a better performance in moving the fluid mesh without producing distorted elements than that of the classic one-step methods.
This study analyzes the economic activity-BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) relationships of the so-called 'dirty' and 'clean' water polluting industries, during the period of 1995-2005. The results indicate that the economic activity-environment trade-off of 'dirty' and 'clean' industrial sectors has been altered during the period of study. On average, pollution-intensive 'dirty' industries in the poorer nations were found to benefit - in terms of BOD emissions - from extra exports and openness to trade. The opposite was true for 'clean' sectors where increased trade openness seems to have contributed to a wider gap between poorer and richer nations' pollution intensities. With openness to trade skewing innovations away from the 'clean' industries - industrial sectors in which the poorer countries specialize - the classical model of opening the economy and lifting barriers to technology adoption will not be enough to improve the poorer nations' water quality. Policies that induce innovation by reducing the cost and increasing the return on innovation, particularly on R&D activities in which the poorer countries have a comparative advantage, will be necessary in order to improve their economic activity environment relationship. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A new quantum dialogue protocol is designed by using the continuous-variable two-mode squeezed vacuum states due to its entanglement property. The two communication parties encode their own secret information into the entangled optical modes with the translation operations. Each communication party could deduce the secret information of their counterparts with the help of his or her secret information and the Bell-basis measurement results. The security of the proposed quantum dialogue protocol is guaranteed by the correlation between two-mode squeezed vacuum states and the decoy states performed with translation operations in randomly selected time slots. Compared with the discrete variable quantum dialogue protocols, the proposed continuous-variable quantum dialogue protocol is easy to realize with perfect utilization of quantum bits.
As the research in Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) matures, we expect that data generated from AAL IoT devices will benefit from analysis by well established machine learning techniques. There is also potential that new research in ML and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used on data generated from the sensors used in AAL. In this paper we present a survey of the research in the related topics, identify its shortcomings and propose future work that will integrate these fields by collecting ambient sensor data and process the data by ML framework which can detect and classify activities.
This article investigates the sampled-data disturbance rejection control problem for a class of non-integral-chain systems with mismatched uncertainties. Aiming to reject the adverse effects caused by general mismatched uncertainties via digital control strategy, a new generalized discrete-time extended state observer is first proposed to estimate the lumped disturbances in the sampling point. A disturbance rejection control law is then constructed in a sampled-data form, which will lead to easier implementation in practices. By carefully selecting the control gains and a sampling period sufficiently small to restrain the state growth under a zero-order-holder input, the bounded-input bounded-output stability of the hybrid closed-loop system and the disturbance rejection ability are delicately proved even the controller is dormant within two neighbor sampling points. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed method.
Time-domain simulations are heavily used in today's planning and operation practices to assess power system transient stability, posttransient voltage/frequency profiles as well as oscillatory behavior following severe contingencies to comply with industry standards. Because of the increased modeling complexity, it is many times slower than real time for state-of-the-art commercial software packages to complete a dynamic simulation for a large-scale model. With the growing stochastic behavior introduced by emerging technologies, power industry has seen a growing need for performing security assessment in real time. This paper presents an innovative parallel implementation framework to speed up a single dynamic simulation by leveraging the existing stability model library in commercial tools through their application programming interfaces (APIs). Several high performance computing (HPC) techniques are explored and implemented such as parallelizing the calculation of generator current injection, identifying fast linear solvers for network solution, and parallelizing data outputs when interacting with APIs in the commercial package, TSAT. The proposed method has been tested on a Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) planning base case with detailed synchronous generator models and it exhibits outstanding scalable performance with sufficient accuracy.
Background Equal access to mainstream healthcare services for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) still requires attention. Although recent studies suggest that health professionals hold positive attitudes towards people with ID, stigmatising attitudes may influence their efforts to serve people with ID in community healthcare practice. To stimulate inclusion in mainstream healthcare services, this systematic review focussed on barriers in attitudes of mainstream health professionals towards people with ID. Method Five electronic databases were systematically searched and references in full text articles were checked for studies published in the English language between January 1994 and January 2016. A social-psychological triad of cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions of stigmatising attitudes is used to structure and discuss the results. Results The literature search generated 2190 records with 30 studies that passed our exclusion criteria. Studies were mostly cross-sectional and of moderate quality. With respect to stigma, a lack of familiarity with and knowledge about people with ID was found. ID was considered as a stable condition not under personal control. Moreover, mainstream health professionals had either low or high expectations of the capabilities of people with ID. Professionals reported stress, lack of confidence, fear and anxiety, a tendency to treat people with ID differently and a lack of supporting autonomy. Conclusions Stigmatising attitudes towards people with ID appeared to be present among mainstream health professionals. This might affect the ongoing challenges regarding inclusion in mainstream healthcare services. To facilitate inclusion in mainstream healthcare services, it is recommended to include contact and collaboration with experts-by-experience in education programs of health professionals. Future research should progress beyond descriptive accounts of stigma towards exploring relationships between cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions as pointers for intervention. Finally, inclusion would benefit from an understanding of equal' treatment that means reasonable adjustments instead of undifferentiated treatment.
The identification of plum varieties is generally done on the base of distinctive plant traits such as shape, size, and fruit drupe color identified during the variety registration, following official descriptors. In this paper, image analysis techniques were applied to study endocarps variability of 23 Prunus domestica cultivars from Sardinia. Digital images were acquired and analysed using a macro specifically developed to measure morpho-colorimetric endocarps features. The data were later statistically processed applying the stepwise Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) to implement a statistical classifier able to classify each variety and identify plausible synonymy groups. The present study represent the first attempt to investigate the morphology and morphometry of plum endocarps in order to characterize the whole Sardinian plum agrobiodiversity. It is also the evidence of the usefulness of image analysis techniques in taxonomic investigations too, as well as for the conservation and enhancement of traditional plums for consumer satisfaction. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Neuroinflammation is a pathophysiological process present in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury including chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other age-related CNS disorders. Although there is still much debate about the initial trigger for some of these neurodegenerative disorders, during the progression of disease, broad range anti-inflammatory drugs including cytokine suppressive anti-inflammatory drugs (CSAIDs) might be promising therapeutic options to limit neuroinflammation and improve the clinical outcome. One of the most promising CSAIDs is curcumin, which modulates the activity of several transcription factors (e.g., STAT, NF-kappa B, AP-1) and their pro-inflammatory molecular signaling pathways. However, normal curcumin preparations demonstrate low bioavailability in vivo. To increase bioavailability, preparations of high bioavailability curcumin have been introduced to achieve therapeutically relevant concentrations in target tissues. This literature review aims to summarize the pharmacokinetic and toxicity profile of different curcumin formulations.
We examined the extent to which the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) were related to sensitive maternal behavior directly or indirectly via maternal social cognition. Participants were 207 (105 European-American and 102 African-American) mothers and their children (52% females). Sensitive maternal behavior was rated and aggregated across a series of tasks when infants were 6 months, 1 year and 2 years old. At 6 months, mothers were interviewed about their empathy, attributions about infant behavior and beliefs about crying to assess their parenting-related social cognition. Mothers with long alleles for AVPR1a and DRD4 engaged in more mother-oriented social cognition (i.e. negative attributions and beliefs about their infants' crying, beta = 0.13, P < 0.05 and beta = 0.16, P < 0.05, respectively), which in turn predicted less sensitive maternal behavior (beta = -0.23, P < 0.01). Both indirect effects were statistically significant independent of one another and covariates [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.22, -0.03 and beta = -0.03 for AVPR; 95% CI: -0.20, -0.03 and beta = -0.04 for DRD4]. There were no significant direct effects of AVPR1a or DRD4 on maternal sensitivity (beta = 0.02, P = .73 and beta = -0.10, P = .57, respectively). The results did not vary for African-American and European-American mothers (Delta chi(2) = 18.76, Delta df = 16, P = 0.28). Results support the view that one mechanism by which maternal genes are associated with parental behavior is via social cognition.
Hosts can utilize different types of defense against the effects of parasitism, including avoidance, resistance, and tolerance. Typically, there is tremendous heterogeneity among hosts in these defense mechanisms that may be rooted in the costs associated with defense and lead to trade-offs with other life-history traits. Trade-offs may also exist between the defense mechanisms, but the relationships between avoidance, resistance, and tolerance have rarely been studied. Here, we assessed these three defense traits under common garden conditions in a natural host-parasite system, the trematode eye-fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum and its second intermediate fish host. We looked at host individuals originating from four genetically distinct populations of two closely related salmonid species (Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar and sea trout, Salmo trutta trutta) to estimate the magnitude of variation in these defense traits and the relationships among them. We show species-specific variation in resistance and tolerance and population-specific variation in resistance. Further, we demonstrate evidence for a trade-off between resistance and tolerance. Our results suggest that the variation in host defense can at least partly result from a compromise between different interacting defense traits, the relative importance of which is likely to be shaped by environmental components. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of considering different components of the host defense system when making predictions on the outcome of host-parasite interactions.
In the present analysis, we study the steady mixed convection boundary layer flow past a vertical cone embedded in a porous medium subjected to a convective boundary condition. The governing partial differential equations are reduced to the coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations using a similarity transformation before being solved numerically by a shooting method. Both assisting and opposing flows are considered. The influence of the convective heat transfer parameter is analysed and discussed through graphs. Dual solutions are found to exist for the case of opposing flow. (C) 2016 National Laboratory for Aeronautics and Astronautics. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommon.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
In this paper the drying process of ginkgo biloba is discussed. The process combined effect of convective Heat and mass transfer on hydromagnetic electrically conducting viscous, how to improve the ability of drying is an important problem. The heat transmission for drying process is discussed. The parameter of drying process is determined. The ginkgo biloba drying machine is developed and the key part of drying machine is designed. The whole drying machine is developed, which can enhance the ability of medical industry. The study can help the Optimization of drying process and the level of the ginkgo biloba drying.
Analyzing situation of water resources in South Central Hebei, the water crisis assessment indicator system was established. The indicators were chose from three aspects: water resources status, water use rationality, and socioeconomic development. A corresponding set of assessment criteria was set. The indicators of every administrative region in South Central Hebei were calculated and assessed. The conclusion demonstrated that the water resource condition of South Central Hebei is poor widely which has high water shortage grade. But there has been great potential for water resource tapping and saving in that area. Reclaimed water reuse and rainwater utilization are good measure to tap water resource in that area. Water-saving irrigation and water conservation in daily life are good measures to save water resource in South Central Hebei. Finally, the countermeasures was put forward from the water diversion project, water project, water prices rising, water conservation service system construction, and water conservation propaganda.
Continuous monitoring of chemicals in the environment is important to control their fate and to protect human health, flora, and fauna. Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been detected frequently in different environmental compartments during the last 15 years and have drawn much attention because of their environmental persistence, omnipresence, and bioaccumulation potential. Water is an important source of their transport. In the present study, distributions of PFAAs in river water, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and tap water from eastern part of Germany and western part of Kenya were investigated. Eleven perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and five perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) were analyzed using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Sum of mean concentrations of eight PFAAs detected in drinking tap water from Leipzig was 11.5 ng L-1, dominated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, 6.2 ng L-1). Sums of mean riverine concentrations of PFAAs detected in Plei beta e/White Elster, Saale, and Elbe (Germany) were 24.8, 54.3, and 26.8 ng L-1, respectively. Annual flux of PFAAs from River Saale was estimated to be 164 +/- 23 kg a(-1). The effluent of WWTP in Halle was found to contain four times higher levels of PFAAs than river water and was dominated by perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) with 32 times higher concentration than the riverine level. It advocates that WWTPs are the point source of contaminating water bodies with PFAAs, and short-chain PFAAs are substituting long-chain homologues. Sums of mean riverine concentrations of PFAAs in Sosiani (Kenya) in samples from sparsely populated and densely populated areas were 58.8 and 109.4 ng L-1, respectively, indicating that population directly affected the emissions of PFAAs to surface waters. The discussion includes thorough review and comparison of recently published literature reporting occurrence of PFAAs in aqueous matrices.
A global, system-level thermal-hydraulic model of the EU DEMO tokamak fusion reactor is currently under development and implementation in a suitable software at Politecnico di Torino, including the relevant heat transfer and fluid dynamics phenomena, which affect the performance of the different cooling circuits and components and their integration in a consistent design. The model is based on an object-oriented approach using the Modelica language, which easily allows to preserve the high modularity required at this stage of the design. The first module of the global model will simulate the blanket cooling system and will be able to investigate different coolant options and different cooling schemes, to be adapted to the different blanket systems currently under development in the Breeding Blanket (BB) project. The paper presents the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) module of the EU DEMO blanket cooling loops system model. The model is used to compare different schemes for the cooling of the different components of the HCPB BB, and to suggest improvements aimed at optimizing the pumping power required by the cooling system. The model is then used to analyse a pulsed scenario, characteristic of the EU DEMO operation. (C) 2016 EURATOM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) have been consistently associated with semantic processing which, in turn, has a key role in reading aloud single words. This study aimed to investigate (1) the reading abilities in patients with the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), and (2) the relationship between gray matter (GM) volume of the left ATL and word reading performance using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Three groups of participants (svPPA, Alzheimer's Disease, AD and healthy elderly adults) performed a reading task with exception words, regular words and pseudowords, along with a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. For exception words, the svPPA group had a lower accuracy and a greater number of regularization errors as compared to the control groups of healthy participants and AD patients. Similarly, for regular words, svPPA patients had a lower accuracy in comparison with AD patients, and a greater number of errors related to complex orthography-to-phonology mappings (OPM) in comparison to both control groups. VBM analyses revealed that GM volume of the left ATL was associated with the number of regularization errors. Also, GM volume of the left lateral ATL was associated with the number of errors with complex OPM during regular word reading. Our results suggest that the left ATL might play a role in the reading of exception words, in accordance with its role in semantic processing. Results further support the involvement of the left lateral ATL in combinatorial processes, including the integration of semantic and phonological information, for both exception and regular words.
Subtropical forest ecosystems play essential roles in the global carbon cycle and in carbon sequestration functions, which challenge the traditional understanding of the main functional areas of carbon sequestration in the temperate forests of Europe and America. The leaf area index (LAI) is an important biological parameter in the spatiotemporal simulation of the carbon cycle, and it has considerable significance in carbon cycle research. Dynamic retrieval based on remote sensing data is an important method with which to obtain large-scale high-accuracy assessments of LAI. This study developed an algorithm for assimilating LAI dynamics based on an integrated ensemble Kalman filter using MODIS LAI data, MODIS reflectance data, and canopy reflectance data modeled by PROSAIL, for three typical types of subtropical forest (Moso bamboo forest, Lei bamboo forest, and evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest) in China during 2014-2015. There were some errors of assimilation in winter, because of the bad data quality of the MODIS product. Overall, the assimilated LAI well matched the observed LAI, with R-2 of 0.82, 0.93, and 0.87, RMSE of 0.73, 0.49, and 0.42, and aBIAS of 0.50, 0.23, and 0.03 for Moso bamboo forest, Lei bamboo forest, and evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest, respectively. The algorithm greatly decreased the uncertainty of the MODIS LAI in the growing season and it improved the accuracy of the MODIS LAI. The advantage of the algorithm is its use of biophysical parameters (e.g., measured LAI) in the LAI assimilation, which makes it possible to assimilate long-term MODIS LAI time series data, and to provide high-accuracy LAI data for the study of carbon cycle characteristics in subtropical forest ecosystems. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this study we empirically tested the effects of the use of third-person perceptions in the context of the stock market using a sample of 109 professional stock traders and 130 members of the lay public. Findings show that people perceived anonymous information recommending stocks on the Internet as having a greater influence on others than on themselves. Additionally, participants demonstrated a third-person perception when others were novice investors with little knowledge or experience in stock trading than when others were presumed to be experienced investors. Professional stock traders perceived a greater influence on others than did the lay public. We also found support for the relationship between third-person perceptions and attitudes toward support for warnings about anonymous information.
The systemic administration of opioids leads to potentially severe and undesirable and side effects like sedation and drowsiness, vomiting and nausea, allergies, respiratory depression, and neutrophil dysfunction. The application of nanotechnology in medical field has drawn a great attention in recent times. Several treatments available are tedious and expensive. Application of nanotechnology brings about faster cure and cost effectiveness. Nanoliposomes are one of the widely used names for nanoparticles used in medicine. Recently, nanoliposomes are used as a crucial novel drug delivery systems. The use of nanoliposomal formulation brings about a good results to pain control, rapid patient recovery, increased patient comfort, treatment costs reduction, and shortens length of hospitalization. This review presents a brief description about the achievements in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology related to the application of nanoliposomes in anesthesia. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
For over 50 years, a debate has existed over the use of Native American sports mascots; however, few empirical studies on the topic exist. The present study examined if supraliminal exposure to Native American mascots results in the application of negative stereotypes toward Native American people. Results indicated that the effect of Native American mascots was moderated by people's racial attitudes toward Native people. When exposed to Native mascots, people with a prejudiced attitude rated a Native American individual more stereotypically aggressive than those with a non-prejudiced attitude. However, this pattern did not occur when people were exposed to White mascots or neutral images. Furthermore, this pattern was not evident when people evaluated a non-Native individual. This overall pattern of results indicates that Native American mascots selectively facilitate the application of negative stereotypes, resulting in harmful evaluations of Native American people.
Telecare medicine information systems (TMIS) provide flexible and convenient e-health care. However, the medical records transmitted in TMIS are exposed to unsecured public networks, so TMIS are more vulnerable to various types of security threats and attacks. To provide privacy protection for TMIS, a secure and efficient authenticated key agreement scheme is urgently needed to protect the sensitive medical data. Recently, Mishra et al. proposed a biometrics-based authenticated key agreement scheme for TMIS by using hash function and nonce, they claimed that their scheme could eliminate the security weaknesses of Yan et al.'s scheme and provide dynamic identity protection and user anonymity. In this paper, however, we demonstrate that Mishra et al.'s scheme suffers from replay attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks and fails to provide perfect forward secrecy. To overcome the weaknesses of Mishra et al.'s scheme, we then propose a three-factor authenticated key agreement scheme to enable the patient to enjoy the remote healthcare services via TMIS with privacy protection. The chaotic map-based cryptography is employed in the proposed scheme to achieve a delicate balance of security and performance. Security analysis demonstrates that the proposed scheme resists various attacks and provides several attractive security properties. Performance evaluation shows that the proposed scheme increases efficiency in comparison with other related schemes.
During the last years several studies of construction materials with incorporation of encapsulated phase change material (PCM) have been published. However, the utilization of non-encapsulated PCM is one of the main gaps. The main objective of this work was the study of physical and mechanical properties of cement mortars with incorporation of non-encapsulated PCM. It was possible to conclude that the utilization of non-encapsulated phase change materials can be seen as a good and more economical solution for the energy efficiency of the buildings, without prejudice of the properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective Both the innate and the adaptive immune responses contribute to the onset of chronic inflammation in spondyloarthritis (SpA). The association between SpA and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, enteropathic SpA-ESpA) has been largely established and suggests a shared pathophysiology. There is evidence that innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are involved in the pathogenesis of both SpA and IBD while no evidence has been reported to date on ESpA. We aimed to analyse for the first time the frequency and cytokine expression of ILC in peripheral blood from ESpA patients compared with both IBD and healthy subjects. Correlations between immunophenotyping and disease activity were also explored. Methods ESpA patients (n=20) were prospectively enrolled. Healthy controls (HC, n=10) and IBD patients (n=10) served as control groups. Peripheral blood Interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-17 expressing T and non-T cells as well as ILC subsets (ILC-1: IFN- gamma +; ILC-3: IL-17+; natural killer-NK) were characterised by flowcytometry. Correlations between IL-17+ cells and SpA disease activity were analysed. Results ESpA patients showed higher levels of ROR-gamma expressing non T-cells with the respect to the controls. IL-17 producing non-T cells were higher than the HC and positively correlated with IFN-gamma expressing cells levels as well as with SpA disease activity. ESpA showed higher levels of ILC-1 and ILC-3 than both IBD and HC. IFN-gamma expressing NK cells were higher in ESpA than HC. Conclusion Our preliminary findings indicate that peripheral blood of ESpA patients is enriched for IL-17 expressing ILC which distinguishes the blood compartment from both IBD and HC. The increased IL-17 production by ILC indicates a novel role for ILC in ESpA.
Traditional water distribution and irrigation systems have been used in the Middle East in agriculture for thousands of years. The main objectives of the study are to investigate positive and negative environmental and social impacts of such traditional methods in three countries of the Mediterranean (Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine). To achieve these objectives, field visits, observations, interviews, and questionnaires were used. The results showed the presence of five main traditional water distribution systems in the three areas. Differences in the existing systems were attributed to farmers' education level, experience, and degree of water scarcity in the area (50% of the educated farmers, more experienced farmers and water scarcity areas are adopting modern irrigation techniques, especially in Palestine). Preserving existing natural habitat and strengthening of social ties and relations between farmers were among the positive environmental impacts of such old methods. Water losses through high evaporation (about 40% water loss), seepage and water pollution were among the negative impacts. Proper planning and control, especially by public institutions, and programs for environmental awareness are some necessary actions to minimize the negative impacts in such traditional water societies. Such suggested measures are specifically important to be adopted whenever modern methods of water distribution (pipelines) and irrigation (drip irrigation) are intended to be applied.
The human population continues to grow exponentially in the fast developing and most populated countries, whereas in Western Europe it is getting older and older each year. This inevitably raises the demand for better and more efficient medical services without increasing the economic burden in the same proportion. To meet these requirements, improvement of medical diagnosis is certainly a key aspect to consider. Therefore, we need powerful analytical methodologies able to go deeper and further in the characterization of human metabolism and identification of disease biomarkers and endogenous molecules in body fluids and tissues. The ultimate goal is to have a reliable and early medical diagnosis, mitigating the disease complications as much as possible. Microextraction techniques (METs) represent a key step in these analytical methodologies by providing samples in the suitable volumes and purification levels necessary for the characterization of the target analytes. In this aspect, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and, more recently, microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), are powerful sample preparation techniques, characterized by their reduced time of analysis, low solvent consumption, and broad application. Moreover, as miniaturized techniques, they can be easily automatized to have a high-throughput performance in the clinical environment. In this review, we explore some of the most interesting MEPS and SPME applications, focusing on recent trends and applications to medical diagnostic, particularly the in vivo and near real time applications.
Purpose - Rapport between service employees and customers has been suggested to be an important determinant of customer relationship management, yet existing marketing literature still lacks a sufficient understanding of how service employees' nonverbal communication affects customer-employee rapport development in service encounters. The purpose of this paper is to fill this research gap by proposing and testing a model that explores how service employees' nonverbal communication (employee affective delivery and behavioral mimicry) influences customer positive emotions and customer-employee rapport. The mediating role of customer positive emotions and the moderating role of store atmosphere in the process of customer-employee rapport development were also assessed. Design/methodology/approach - Using an observational methodology in conjunction with a customer survey, multi-source survey data collected from 303 customer-employee pairs in the apparel retailing industry was examined through structural equation modeling and regression analysis. Findings - Results showed that employee nonverbal communication positively influenced customer positive emotions and customer-employee rapport. The partial mediating role of customer positive emotions and the moderating role of store atmosphere in the process of rapport development were also confirmed. Practical implications - Service firms should train and motivate employees to use nonverbal communication to develop and strengthen customer-employee rapport. The importance of customer positive emotions in the service process should be addressed in the customer-employee rapport development process. Moreover, service managers should also allocate firm resources to create a well-designed store atmosphere for target customers. Originality/value - This research represents one of the earliest studies to explore and empirically test the influence of employee nonverbal communication on customer-employee rapport development in service encounters. The partial mediating role of customer positive emotions and the moderating role of store atmosphere on the relationship between employee nonverbal communication and customer-employee rapport were also proposed and confirmed.
Some of the activities of the Laboratory of Manufacturing Technology of the NTUA in manufacturing engineering are reported, focusing onto some recent trends and developments in advanced manufacturing of advanced materials, in the important engineering topics nowadays from industrial, research and academic point of view: nanotechnology/nanostructured materials, synthesis and net-shape fabrication of superconductors, biomedical engineering and solar energy devices.
Through 16 problem-focused interviews in three German surgical clinics, anxieties that affect the adoption of ambient intelligence in healthcare were investigated. This research reveals 17 anxieties, grouped into 5 categories containing implementation anxieties of ambient intelligence in hospitals. The results expand the basis in theory underlying technology-related anxieties of medical professionals and offer theoretical and practical implications, leading to an initial basis for decisions regarding the implementation of ambient systems.
This work is the result of a study on the struggles and achievements of the LGBT community in Brazil, both in the historical context and in the religious context. We will see initially the discriminatory process arising from the conflict between the human being and the society in which they live and how this conflict may create social transformation. From then on, two main issues will be addressed within the historical trajectory of homosexuality. Its prevailing juxtaposition as normal and pathological since antiquity-characterized today by its dichotomized presentation as perversion along side the political debate of social acceptance and achievement of citizenship through the recognition of some basic civil rights to exercise it. And the religious issues-fueled by condemning rhetoric regarding the practice of homosexuality, by intolerance, and the relationship between homosexuals (and homosexuality) and the emergence of diseases such as AIDS-which have become more open to dialogue, although without promoting tolerance and brotherhood between the LGBT and religious communities in said discourse. Even though stereotypes once constituted tend to last for centuries, due to large strides in favor of the LGBT community we are experiencing a quick break with these paradigms. On these issues was founded this monograph, which remains grounded in literary research and brought clarification on the issue, prompting new studies exploring the same theme.
The present study reports US independent classic articles published by American scientists from 1900 to 2014. We examined those articles that had been cited at least 1000 times since publication to the end of 2014 using the Science Citation Index Expanded in the Web of Science (WoS). We also applied a bibliometric indicator, the Y-index, to assess the contributions of the authors of these articles. The results showed that 4909 classic articles were published between 1916 and 2013, and that the most productive categories from the WoS were multidisciplinary sciences, biochemistry and molecular biology, and general and internal medicine. Science published most of these articles, and the three most productive institutions were Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The physicist, Edward Witten was the most prolific author and an article written by the biochemist, Marion Bradford at University of Georgia in 1976 had the highest number of citations. In addition, the article by Perdew, Burke and Ernzerhof at Tulane University had the highest number of citations in 2014.
Stem cells are one of the key components in tissue engineering (TE) for tissue repair and regeneration. However, further studies are necessary in order to provide a suitable microenvironment for stem cells to differentiate and thereby regenerate tissues. Carbon-based nanomaterials (i.e., carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene) have recently attracted much significant attention as tools for investigating and controlling stem cell biology and fate due to their remarkable characteristics, including unique mechanical properties, tunable surface chemistry, and high electrical conductivity. In this review paper, we describe applications of CNTs and graphene in stem cell differentiation and consequently tissue formation in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Cytotoxicity of CNTs and graphene is also addressed. Finally, we discuss potential challenges and future directions for applications of CNTs and graphene in the stem cell culture and differentiation.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) are two forms of male sexual disorder with both psychological and physical features. While their cognitive, attentional, and affective components have been investigated separately, there is a lack of knowledge about the role played by cognitive attentional syndrome in their onset and maintenance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible contribution of perseverative thinking styles and thought control strategies to the development and maintenance of ED and PE. The authors hypothesized that such modes of processing might constitute a cognitive attentional syndrome specific to these disorders and sustained by particular metacognitive beliefs. A semistructured interview was administered to 11 participants with ED and 10 with PE in order to assess their metacognitive beliefs and cognitive attentional processes. The results suggest that individuals with ED and PE adopt a range of cognitive attentional strategies aimed at improving their sexual performance, and endorse both positive and negative metacognitive beliefs about these thinking responses. Overall, their cognitive and attentional patterns worsened negative internal states, reduced sexual excitement, detached them from their bodily sensations, and hindered sexual functioning. These preliminary findings suggest that perseverative thinking, thought control strategies, and metacognitive beliefs may play a key role in the onset and maintenance of male sexual dysfunction.
Introduction: Early diagnosis, monitoring of disease activity, prediction of treatment response, and structural outcome remain major challenges in spondyloarthritis (SpA). Biomarkers could play a role in addressing these challenges, but in SpA there is a lack of suitable biomarkers.Areas covered: As SpA is clinically and pathophysiologically closely related to psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we reviewed in literature, the value of serum biomarkers in these conditions with the aim to find potential candidates for assessing SpA.Expert commentary: Candidates of interest were antimicrobial peptides, including serum human beta defensin-2 (hBD-2) and lipocalin-2 (LCN-2), and class-1 MHC molecule beta2-microglobulin. Since these biomarkers are relevant in psoriasis and/or IBD from a pathophysiological point of view, and may play a role in the pathogenesis of SpA, we recommend further exploration of their value as biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis of SpA.
The optimal stenting technique for coronary artery bifurcations is still debated. With additional advances computational simulations can soon be used to compare stent designs or strategies based on verified structural and hemodynamics results in order to identify the optimal solution for each individual's anatomy. In this study, patient-specific simulations of stent deployment were performed for 2 cases to replicate the complete procedure conducted by interventional cardiologists. Subsequent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were conducted to quantify hemodynamic quantities linked to restenosis. Patient-specific pre-operative models of coronary bifurcations were reconstructed from CT angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Plaque location and composition were estimated from OCT and assigned to models, and structural simulations were performed in Abaqus. Artery geometries after virtual stent expansion of Xience Prime or Nobori stents created in SolidWorks were compared to post-operative geometry from OCT and CT before being extracted and used for CFD simulations in SimVascular. Inflow boundary conditions based on body surface area, and downstream vascular resistances and capacitances were applied at branches to mimic physiology. Artery geometries obtained after virtual expansion were in good agreement with those reconstructed from patient images. Quantitative comparison of the distance between reconstructed and post-stent geometries revealed a maximum difference in area of 20.4%. Adverse indices of wall shear stress were more pronounced for thicker Nobori stents in both patients. These findings verify structural analyses of stent expansion, introduce a workflow to combine software packages for solid and fluid mechanics analysis, and underscore important stent design features from prior idealized studies. The proposed approach may ultimately be useful in determining an optimal choice of stent and position for each patient. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The electrical instrumentation control systems (EICS) 'As-built' documentations of a copper mine were found to possess a significant errors and omissions, which hindered the asset owner's ability to undertake effective and efficient operations and maintenance. A Systems Information Model (SIM) was used to retrospectively create a connected system to ensure all physical equipment and the associated connections that were constructed are modelled in an object-orientated database. In creating the SIM, the existing errors and omissions in the 'As-built' documentation were quantified, and cost savings that could be achieved for a future planned copper mine, with a similar design, were identified. The limitations of using conventional computer-aided-design (CAD) to design and document EICS are discussed. It is recommended that retrospectively creating a SIM can provide owners and operators with significant productivity benefits as well as ensure the asset's integrity. The case study presented provides asset owners and operators with the empirical evidence to challenge conventional thinking surrounding the design, engineering and documentation of EICS using CAD and alternatively consider the use of SIM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Obesity continues to be a major global problem. Various cancers are related to obesity and proper understanding of their aetiology, especially their molecular tumour biology is important for early diagnosis and better treatment. Genes play an important role in the development of obesity. Few genes such as leptin, leptin receptor encoded by the db (diabetes), pro-opiomelanocortin, AgRP and NPY and melanocortin-4 receptors and insulin-induced gene 2 were linked to obesity. MicroRNAs control gene expression via mRNA degradation and protein translation inhibition and influence cell differentiation, cell growth and cell death. Overexpression of miR-143 inhibits tumour growth by suppressing B cell lymphoma 2, extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5 activities and KRAS oncogene. Cancers of the breast, uterus, renal, thyroid and liver are also related to obesity. Any disturbance in the production of sex hormones and insulin, leads to distortion in the balance between cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The possible mechanism linking obesity to cancer involves alteration in the level of adipokines and sex hormones. These mediators act as biomarkers for cancer progression and act as targets for cancer therapy and prevention. Interestingly, many anti-cancerous drugs are also beneficial in treating obesity and vice versa. We also reviewed the possible link in the mechanism of few drugs which act both on cancer and obesity. The present review may be important for molecular biologists, oncologists and clinicians treating cancers and also pave the way for better therapeutic options.
Poor sleep, depression, and anxiety are common in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and associated with increased risk of relapse and poor outcomes. The effectiveness of therapies in improving such psychosocial outcomes is unclear but is an important question to examine with increasing selectivity of therapeutic agents. This prospective cohort enrolled patients with moderate-to-severe CD or UC starting biologic therapy with vedolizumab or anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha agents (anti-TNF). Sleep quality, depression, and anxiety were measured using validated short-form NIH PROMIS questionnaires assessing sleep and mood quality over the past 7 days. Disease activity was assessed using validated indices. Improvement in sleep and mood scores from baseline was assessed, and regression models were used to identify determinants of sleep quality. Our study included 160 patients with IBD (49 anti-TNF, 111 Vedolizumab) among whom half were women and the mean age was 40.2 years. In the combined cohort, we observed a statistically significant and meaningful decrease in mean scores from baseline (52.8) by week 6 (49.8, p = 0.002). Among vedolizumab users, sleep T-score improved from baseline (53.6) by week 6 (50.7) and persisted through week 54 (46.5, p = 0.009). Parallel reductions in depression and anxiety were also noted (p < 0.05 by week 6). We observed no difference in improvement in sleep, depression, and anxiety between vedolizumab and anti-TNF use at week 6. Both vedolizumab and anti-TNF biologic therapies were associated with improvement in sleep and mood quality in IBD.
This paper presents a new stochastic operation scheduling model for microgrid in day-ahead electricity market considering the forecast uncertainties of wind generations, microgrid's load, and locational marginal price of the point of common coupling, as well as the uncertainties pertaining to availability of generation units of the microgrid. The financial risk caused by these uncertainties is modeled by conditional value-at-risk criterion. The proposed approach is formulated as a risk-minimizing two-stage stochastic model based on mixed-integer linear programming framework. This model minimizes the expected scheduling cost together with the cost of financial risk. The impacts of different uncertainty sources on the model's results in both grid-connected and islanded operation modes are extensively studied. Additionally, higher effectiveness of the proposed stochastic model compared with common deterministic approach, regarding total operation cost and convergence behavior, is illustrated through an out-of-sample analysis.
Nitric oxide ((NO)-N-center dot)-dependent pathways and cerebrovascular dysfunction have been shown to contribute to the cognitive decline and neurodegeneration observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) but whether they represent initial factors or later changes of the disease is still a matter of debate. In this work, we aimed at investigating whether and to what extent neuronal-derived (NO)-N-center dot signaling and related neurovascular coupling are impaired along aging in the hippocampus of the triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's Disease (3xTg-AD). We performed a longitudinal study combining behavior studies, in vivo simultaneous measurements of (NO)-N-center dot concentration gradients and cerebral blood flow (CBF), along with detection of NO synthase (NOS) and markers of nitroxidative stress. Our results revealed an impairment in the neurovascular coupling along aging in the 3xTg-AD mice which preceded obvious cognitive decline. This impairment was characterized by diminished CBF changes in response to normal or even increased (NO)-N-center dot signals and associated with markers of nitroxidative stress. The results suggest that impairment in neurovascular coupling is primarily due to cerebrovascular dysfunction, rather than due to dysfunctional NO signaling from neurons to blood vessels. Overall, this work supports cerebrovascular dysfunction as a fundamental underlying process in AD pathology. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A recently emerging view in music cognition holds that music is not only social and participatory in its production, but also in its perception, i.e. that music is in fact perceived as the sonic trace of social relations between a group of real or virtual agents. While this view appears compatible with a number of intriguing music cognitive phenomena, such as the links between beat entrainment and prosocial behaviour or between strong musical emotions and empathy, direct evidence is lacking that listeners are at all able to use the acoustic features of a musical interaction to infer the affiliatory or controlling nature of an underlying social intention. We created a novel experimental situation in which we asked expert music improvisers to communicate 5 types of non-musical social intentions, such as being domineering, disdainful or conciliatory, to one another solely using musical interaction. Using a combination of decoding studies, computational and psychoacoustical analyses, we show that both musically-trained and non musically-trained listeners can recognize relational intentions encoded in music, and that this social cognitive ability relies, to a sizeable extent, on the information processing of acoustic cues of temporal and harmonic coordination that are not present in any one of the musicians' channels, but emerge from the dynamics of their interaction. By manipulating these cues in two-channel audio recordings and testing their impact on the social judgements of non-musician observers, we finally establish a causal relationship between the affiliation dimension of social behaviour and musical harmonic coordination on the one hand, and between the control dimension and musical temporal coordination On the other hand. These results provide novel mechanistic insights not only into the social cognition of musical interactions, but also into that of non-verbal interactions as a whole. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Empathy facilitates everyday social interactions and has often been linked in the literature to prosocial behavior. Robust evidence has been found for a positive relationship between experiencing empathy and behaving prosocially. However, empathy, and the empathy-prosocial behavior relationship in particular, has been studied mostly in combination with negative emotions. Less research has been conducted on empathy for positive emotions, and the link between positive empathy and displayed prosocial behavior has not been intensively investigated so far. The purpose of the present article is thus twofold: first, we review and summarize research evidence on empathy for positive emotions, and second, we propose that people's motivation to maintain an experienced positive affect is a viable mechanism linking positive empathy and prosocial behavior.
In January, 2014, severe haze episodes which sweep across Chinese cities have attracted public concern and interest at home and abroad. In addition to the physicochemical properties of air pollutants, bacteria are thought to be responsible for the spread of respiratory diseases and various allergies. We attempted the bacterial characterization of submicron particles (PM0.18-0.32, PM0.32-0.56, and PMo.(56-1)) under severe haze episodes using high throughput sequencing and real-time quantitative PCR detecting system based on 21 samples collected from January to March 2014 at Ji'nan, China. The high bacterial concentration in PIV0.32-056 (7314 cells m(-3)), PM0.18-032 (7212 cells m(-3)), and PM0.56-1 (6982 cells m-3) showed significant negative correlations with SO2, NO2, and O-3. Under sufficient sequencing depth, 37 phyla, 71 classes, 137 orders, 236 families, and 378 genera were classified, and the bacterial community structure varied significantly in different size fractions. For example, Holophagaceae (Acidobacteria) in PM0.32-0.56 showed 6-fold higher abundance than that in PM0.(18-0.32). Moreover, functional categories and bacterial species (Lactococcus piscium, Pseudomonas fragi, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Pseudomonas cichorii) that may potentially be responsible for infections and allergies were also discovered. Source track analysis showed that the ambient bacteria mainly originated from soils, leaf surfaces, and feces. Our results highlighted the importance of airborne microbial communities by understanding the concentration, structure, ecological' and health effects, especially those in submicron particles during haze episodes. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Research on distributive justice indicates that preschool-age children take issues of equity and merit into account when distributing desirable items, but that they often prefer to see desirable items allocated equally in third-party tasks. By contrast, less is known about the development of retributive justice. In a study with 4- to 10-year-old children (n = 123) and adults (n = 93), we directly compared the development of reasoning about distributive and retributive justice. We measured the amount of rewards or punishments that participants allocated to recipients who differed in the amount of good or bad things they had done. We also measured judgments about collective rewards and punishments. We found that the developmental trajectory of thinking about retributive justice parallels that of distributive justice. The 4- to 5-year-olds were the most likely to prefer equal distributions of both rewarding and aversive consequences; older children and adults preferred deservingness-based allocations. The 4- to 5-year-olds were also most likely to judge collective rewards and punishments as fair; this tendency declined with increasing age. Our results also highlight the extent to which the notion of desert influences thinking about distributive and retributive justice; desert was considered equally when participants allocated reward and punishments, but in judgments about collective discipline, participants focused more on desert in cases of punishment compared with reward. We discuss our results in relation to theories about preferences for equality versus equity, theories about how desert is differentially weighed across distributive and retributive justice, and the literature on moral development and fairness.
Switched Affine Systems (SAS's) is a class of Hybrid Systems composed of a collection of Affine Systems (AS's) and a switching signal that determines, at each time instant, the evolving affine subsystem. This paper is concerned with the observability and observer design for single-input single-output (SISO) SAS's under unknown perturbation, for the case that no information about the switching signal is available. It is firstly demonstrated that in the presence of disturbances every pair of AS's is always indistinguishable from the continuous output, meaning that it is not possible to infer the evolving AS by using only the information provided by the output of the SAS. Nevertheless, by taking advantage of the knowledge on the disturbance bound, new distinguishability conditions are derived, making possible to distinguish the evolving AS. By using these new distinguishability conditions, an observer scheme for SISO SAS's, subject to unknown switching signal and unknown perturbations, is presented. Such an observer scheme determines in finite-time the evolving AS. Furthermore, it estimates both the state of the system and the disturbance. Finally, the proposed observer scheme is effectively applied for a non-autonomous chaotic modulation application, which is an attractive method for spread-spectrum secure communication in which the message is fed as a disturbance to a chaotic SAS and the output is then transmitted through an open channel to a receiver, which is an observer algorithm that recovers the message (the disturbance) from the output signal. (C) 2016 European Control Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Combination of reverse transcription (RT) and deep sequencing has emerged as a powerful instrument for the detection of RNA modifications, a field that has seen a recent surge in activity because of its importance in gene regulation. Recent studies yielded high-resolution RT signatures of modified ribonucleotides relying on both sequence-dependent mismatch patterns and reverse transcription arrests. Common alignment viewers lack specialized functionality, such as filtering, tailored visualization, image export and differential analysis. Consequently, the community will profit from a platform seamlessly connecting detailed visual inspection of RT signatures and automated screening for modification candidates. CoverageAnalyzer (CAn) was developed in response to the demand for a powerful inspection tool. It is freely available for all three main operating systems. With SAM file format as standard input, CAn is an intuitive and user-friendly tool that is generally applicable to the large community of biomedical users, starting from simple visualization of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data, up to sophisticated modification analysis with significance-based modification candidate calling.
This study describes the Virtual Programmable Logic Controller (Virtual PLC), a web-based system for PLC education that consists of (1) educational simulations to help students visualize abstract concepts, practice programming and device interfacing skills, and understand problem-solving processes; and (2) a simple intelligent tutoring system. Results from two preliminary evaluations are also presented. Index Terms-PLC, intelligent tutoring system, simulation, manufacturing engineering education. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 13: 266-279, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley. com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20052
Cultivating empathy is a presumed benefit of mindfulness, but this possibility has rarely been investigated experimentally. We examined whether a five-minute mindfulness exercise would cultivate empathy relative to two equally brief control exercises: relaxation and mind-wandering. We further examined whether mindfulness would be especially beneficial for people with autistic or narcissistic traits. Results showed no effect of mindfulness relative to both control conditions on mind reading, empathic responding, or prosocial behavior. Mindfulness effects were independent of autistic traits. Unexpectedly, people higher in autistic traits did show increased prosocial behavior across conditions. Intriguingly, mindfulness improved mind reading in non-narcissistic people, but reduced it in narcissistic people. These findings question whether a brief mindfulness exercise is sufficient for building empathy.
Green-city innovation uses industrial and entrepreneurial ecosystems that can reduce environmental and ecological risks and achieve sustainable urban development without degrading urban environments. In a city, entrepreneurship ecosystems include start-ups and supporting networks of coordinating entities which contribute to economies of scale; however, these systems may make a city's green environment worse, by contributing to air or water pollution. Even though there is a widely held perception of an adverse relationship between urban economic performance and urban environmental conditions, green-city development involving clean industries can be a way to attract employees without affecting urban environments negatively. However, there is a dearth of empirical studies that examine how such a green-related innovative entrepreneurial system could become a growth engine of cities. This paper examines whether a greener city can contribute to the economic prosperity of the city. A two-stage econometrics approach is the method applied, using data from 2000 and 2005. This paper contributes to the field by distinguishing concerns about urban environments in green cities from concerns about economic performances related to innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
The presence of pesticide residues in food is a public health problem. Exposure to these substances in daily life could have serious effects on the intestine-the first organ to come into contact with food contaminants. The present study investigated the impact of a low dose (1 mg/day in oil) of the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) on the community structure, diversity and metabolic response of the human gut microbiota using the SHIME (R) model (six reactors, representing the different parts of the gastrointestinal tract). The last three reactors (representing the colon) were inoculated with a mixture of feces from human adults. Three time points were studied: immediately before the first dose of CPF, and then after 15 and 30 days of CPF-oil administration. By using conventional bacterial culture and molecular biology methods, we showed that CPF in oil can affect the gut microbiota. It had the greatest effects on counts of culturable bacteria (with an increase in Enterobacteria, Bacteroides spp. and clostridia counts, and a decrease in bifidobacterial counts) and fermentative activity, which were colon-segment-dependent. Our results suggest that: (i) CPF in oil treatment affects the gut microbiota (although there was some discordance between the culture-dependent and culture-independent analyses); (ii) the changes are SHIME (R)-compartment specific; and (iii) the changes are associated with minor alterations in the production of short-chain fatty acids and lactate.
Software-defined networking (SDN) is an emerging paradigm, which breaks the vertical integration in traditional networks to provide the flexibility to program the network through (logical) centralized network control. SDN has the capability to adapt its network parameters on the fly based on its operating environment. The decoupled structure of SDN serves as a solution for managing the network with more flexibility and ease. In SDN, the centralized cost effective architecture provides network visibility which helps to achieve efficient resource utilization and high performance. Due to the increasingly pervasive existence of smart programmable devices in the network, SDN provides security, energy efficiency, and network virtualization for enhancing the overall network performance. We present various security threats that are resolved by SDN and new threats that arise as a result of SDN implementation. The recent security attacks and countermeasures in SDN are also summarized in the form of tables. We also provide a survey on the different strategies that are implemented to achieve energy efficiency and network security through SDN implementation. In an effort to anticipate the future evolution of this new paradigm, we discuss the main ongoing research efforts, challenges, and research trends in this area. With this paper, readers can have a more thorough understanding of SDN architecture, different security attacks and countermeasures, and energy efficiency.
Objective: The current study aimed to examine how counselors' nonverbal communication (i.e. nonverbal encouragements and counselee-directed eye gaze) and conversational contribution (i.e. verbal dominance and interactivity) during the final visit within breast cancer genetic counseling relate to counselee satisfaction, needs fulfillment and anxiety. Methods: Breast cancer counselees (N = 85) completed questionnaires measuring satisfaction, needs fulfillment and anxiety after the final consultation and anxiety before the initial visit. Consultations were videotaped. Counselor nonverbal encouragements and counselee-directed eye gaze were coded. Verbal dominance and interactivity were measured using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). Results: More counselor nonverbal encouragements and higher counselor verbal dominance were both significantly related to higher post-visit anxiety. Furthermore, counselor verbal dominance was associated with lower perceived needs fulfillment. No significant associations with eye gaze and interactivity were found. Conclusion: More research is needed on the relationship between nonverbal encouragements and anxiety. Given the unfavorable association of counselor verbal dominance with anxiety and needs fulfillment, more effort could be devoted to involve counselees in the dialog and reduce the counselor's verbal contribution during the consultation. Practice implications: Interventions focused on increasing counselees' contribution in the consultation may be beneficial to counselees. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fourteen novel miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) families are found in the Florida carpenter ant genome, Camponotus floridanus. They constitute approximately 0.63 % of the entire genome. Analysis of their insertion time showed that most members of these MITEs were inserted into their host genome in less than 8 million years ago. In addition, the association between MITEs and the noncoding regions of genes in C. floridanus is random. Interestingly, an autonomous partner (named CfTEC) responsible for the amplification of these MITEs was also found in C. floridanus. Meanwhile, we present evidence, based on searches of publicly available databases, that this autonomous element was widespread in animals. Moreover, structure and phylogenetic analyses supported that TECs might represent a novel cade of transposons intermediate between the classic CACTA transposon and TRCs. Finally, their transposition mechanism and impact on host genome evolution were also discussed.
Purpose of review Aciclovir (ACV) is the first-line drug for the management of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infections. Long-term administration of ACV for the treatment of severe infections in immunocompromised patients can lead to the development of drug resistance. Furthermore, the emergence of isolates resistant to ACV is increasingly recognized in immunocompetent individuals with herpetic keratitis. This review describes the mechanisms involved in drug resistance for HSV and VZV, the laboratory diagnosis and management of patients with infections refractory to ACV therapy. Recent findings Genotypic testing is more frequently performed for the diagnosis of infections caused by drug-resistant HSV or VZV isolates. Molecular biology-based systems for the generation of recombinant viruses have been developed to link unknown mutations with their drug phenotypes. Fast and sensitive methods based on next-generation sequencing will improve the detection of heterogeneous viral populations of drug-resistant viruses and their temporal changes during antiviral therapy, which could allow better patient management. Novel promising compounds acting on targets that differ from the viral DNA polymerase are under clinical development. Summary Antiviral drug resistance monitoring for HSV and VZV is required for a rational use of antiviral therapy in high-risk populations.
Trust management has become an emerging security paradigm in various areas such as ad hoc networks and cloud computing. One core element of trust management is the indirect trust model that evaluates the trustworthiness of a target based on others' recommendations. The research on indirect trust is still at an early stage, and some problems are not addressed yet. Because of the subjectivity of trust, entities would have different views on a same target. Consequently, after receiving recommendations, the evaluating entity should first measure their credibility. Existing methods often distort recommendations. We propose a more reasonable method based on the similarity between recommenders and evaluating entities. Furthermore, considering the characteristics of one-hop and multi-hop recommendations, the similarity calculation methods for them were developed individually. Another problem is the spoofed recommendations aiming at tarnishing someone or harboring conspirators. We design a simple but efficient algorithm to detect and remove them. The proposed methods and algorithms constitute the integrated indirect trust model. This model is not bound to any specific domain, and thus it can be widely applied. Simulation results show that the model is effective in obtaining an objective indirect trust value with the existence of personalized and dishonest recommenders. Copyright (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Despite tremendous progress in finding genes that, when manipulated, affects lifespan, little is known about the genetics underlying natural variation in lifespan. While segregating genetic variants for lifespan has been notoriously difficult to find in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), a complementary approach is to manipulate key genetic pathways in lines that differ in lifespan. If these candidate pathways are down regulated in long-lived lines, these lines can be predicted to respond less to pharmaceutical down-regulation of these pathways than short-lived lines. Experimental studies have identified the nutrient-sensing pathway TOR as a key regulator of lifespan in model organisms, and this pathway can effectively be down regulated using the drug rapamycin, which extends lifespan in all tested species. We expose short-and long-lived lines of the nematode Caenorhabditis remanei to rapamycin, and investigate if long-lived lines, which are hypothesized to already have down-regulated TOR signaling, respond less to rapamycin. We found no interaction between line and rapamycin treatment, since rapamycin extended lifespan independent of the intrinsic lifespan of the lines. This shows that rapamycin is equally effective on long and short-lived lines, and suggests that the evolution of long life may involve more factors that down-regulation of TOR. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
There is a common belief that wrinkles in the aging face reflect frequently experienced emotions and hence resemble these affective displays. This implies that the wrinkles and folds in elderly faces interfere with the perception of other emotions currently experienced by the elderly as well as with the inferences perceivers draw from these expressions. Whereas there is ample research on the impact of aging on emotion recognition, almost no research has focused on how emotions expressed by the elderly are perceived by others. The present research addresses this latter question. Young participants rated the emotion expressions and behavioral intentions of old and young faces displaying identical expressions. The findings suggest that emotions shown on older faces have reduced signal clarity and may consequently have less impact on inferences regarding behavioral intentions. Both effects can be expected to have negative consequences for rapport achieved in everyday interactions involving the elderly. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Today, manufacturing is being shaped by the paradigm shift from mass production to on demand dictated, personalized, customer-driven and knowledge-based proactive production. Thus, shorter product life cycles, an increased number of product varieties, high performance processes, flexible machines and production systems result in an increased complexity in all factory level domains from product design, process development, factory and production planning to factory operation. To handle this complexity, new knowledge-based methods, technologies and tools to model, simulate, optimize and monitor planned and existing manufacturing systems are required. This paper presents the challenges, the approach and an overview of the results of the EU-FP7 funded project Apps4aME (GA No 314156) and provides a concise overview over the Engineering Apps (eApps) approach that the project is based on. The project aims at the comprehensive consideration of ICT-based support of Manufacturing Engineering in all the above mentioned domains, called advanced Manufacturing Engineering (aME). The different life cycles are aligned by the development of a Reference Data Model that provides a detailed overview of all relevant domain-specific and inter-domain interdependencies. This life cycle-oriented model enables an integrated product design, process development, factory planning as well as production planning and factory operation. All stakeholders in these activities are supported by eApps that are conceived, developed and validated with the help of four industrial use cases spanning very diverse industrial branches. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The accuracy of imaging for bulk volume estimation of apple slices in the process of drying at temperatures from 40 to 80 degrees C was investigated and compared with physical caliper measurements. The initial hypothesis was to estimate bulk volume of cylindrically shaped apple slices from diameter and thickness imaging. Imaging of diameter showed strong agreement with caliper measurements throughout the entire drying process, however imaging of thickness was not accurate due to the irregular shrinkage and bending phenomena. A linear model reflecting the relationship between diameter and bulk volume was developed and validated at temperatures of 40, 60, and 80 degrees C. It showed good correlation between imaging diameter and bulk volume changes in the range of moisture contents from 9.1 to 0.25 g/g. The relative percentage error of the prediction model was approximately 6.45%, which suggests that imaging can be used as a robust tool for bulk volume estimation of apple slices during convective drying.
The current study examined associations between mothers' behavioral profiles during mother-child conflict interactions and their children's social skills. This person-centered approach classified 181 mothers according to their levels of emotional responsiveness, intrusiveness, negativity, and engagement facilitation behaviors during an eight-minute conflict discussion task with their child. Three distinct classes of mothers were identified using latent profile analysis: sensitive/engaged, moderately sensitive/engaged, and insensitive/disengaged. An analysis of covariance indicated that children of mothers in the sensitive/engaged group had significantly higher social skills than children of mothers in the moderately sensitive/engaged and insensitive/disengaged groups. Results suggest that mother-child conflict interactions may benefit children's social development when mothers facilitate their children's participation in a highly sensitive manner.
Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles (5.6 +/- 0.6 g), at an initial density of 152 individuals/m(2), were grown for 28 days in 12 cylindrical 1,000-l tanks with no water exchange. Three tanks had 7.1 m(2) Aquamats (R) to promote periphyton growth, and six had 7.1 m(2) geotextile fabric or mosquito net (three for each substrate). The remaining three served as controls. The shrimp were fed 35% protein shrimp feed, twice daily, supplied on demand. There were no differences in dissolved TAN or unionized ammonia (NH3) concentrations between treatments with substrates, but they were significantly lower than in the control. N-NO3- values were higher in tanks with substrates, possibly indicating faster nitrification rates. These tanks produced shrimp with higher mean individual weights and growth rates than the control, but the final yield in tanks with mosquito netting was intermediate between the control and the remaining treatments. The highest feed and economic feed conversion indices, and the lowest nitrogen utilization and protein efficiency ratio, were in the control, and there were no differences between the three treatments with added substrates, showing that the less expensive geotextile fabric and mosquito net may be used with the same efficiency as Aquamats (R) in periphyton-based aquaculture.
The predictive nature of digital soil mapping makes it a labour-and cost-effective way of facilitating soil surveys. A digital elevation model was used to generate terrain attributes that can be used to infer the distribution of soil associations relative to the topography. Two study areas - Gladstone and Potsane - in the Free State Province of South Africa were considered. Slope, aspect, contour and plan curvature, topographic wetness index and topographic morphological unit were used to develop a model for predicting soil associations. Discriminant analysis was employed to develop the model. The model was trained on data obtained from Gladstone and validated on data from Gladstone and Potsane. Predicting soil form was unsatisfactory. Prediction done on soil associations, with soils grouped as deep, shallow and valley-bottom soils (criteria closely related to the suitability for in-field rainwater harvesting), achieved acceptable improvement in prediction accuracy. For Gladstone, when analysis was done using equal prior probability, accuracy percentages of 56.9%, 51.5% and 58.3% were found for calibration, cross-validation and areas suited to in-field rainwater harvesting, respectively. With prior probability set in accordance to sample frequency, the accuracy percentages were improved to 83.1%, 80.0% and 94.6%, respectively. In Potsane, the prediction accuracy percentage was low (38.23%) with equal prior probability but markedly improved (67.65%) when prior probability was similar to sample frequency. These results support the validity of the statement that the predictive nature of digital soil mapping makes it a labour-and cost-effective way of facilitating soil surveys.
Climate change, improper use of water resources, surface waters pollution as well as increase of water requirements are the results of growing population of people in the world. It causes water deficiency in majority of countries in the world, including Poland. Due to the water pollution advanced technologies for its treatment are in demand, what leads to increase of water price. In this connection, there are more often taken actions to reduce water consumption by using rainwater to flush toilets, wash cars, do laundry or water green areas. This publication presents results of Life Cycle Cost analysis of two variants of water supply systems designed for multi-family residential building situated in Rzeszow. In line with LCC methodology the calculations were made throughout the whole life-cycle of the building considering initial investment outlays intended for construction of water supply system as well as operation and maintenance costs. In the first of analyzed variants it was assumed that the system would be fed by municipal water supply network. In the second variant rainwater harvesting system for domestic use was additionally applied. Rainwater stored in the tank would be used in sanitary installation to flush toilets, what leads to lowering the costs of municipal water purchase, reducing fees for rainwater discharge to sewage system and consequently is beneficial for financial standing of the examined building.
Waste generated from natural resources should be recycled as more useful materials. This research has produced acoustical waffle panel material which is useful as an absorber on the noisy housing. Acoustical waffle panels was made by Hydraulic Hot Press machine. The purpose of this discussion is to describe the machine design process and compare waffle panels made of coconut fiber and wood sawdust in the best acoustic performances. The result is that the hydraulic hot press machine has the structural strength and stability on the load of 2,500 N and 5,000 N. The hot press machine is safe for both the transverse tensile stress and longitudinal tensile stress which are smaller than the allowable stress of steel material of 40 at 1,100 kg/cm(2). It also has the highest Sound Transmission Loss (STL) with the value of 40.059 dB.
With the increasing prevalence of electronic readers (e-readers) for vocational and professional uses, it is important to discover if there are visual consequences in the use of these products. There are no studies in the literature quantifying the incidence or severity of eyestrain, nor are there clinical characteristics that may predispose to these symptoms with e-reader use. The primary objective of this pilot study was to assess the degree of eyestrain associated with e-reader use compared to traditional paper format. The secondary outcomes of this study were to assess the rate of eyestrain associated with e-reader use and identify any clinical characteristics that may be associated with the development of eyestrain. Forty-four students were randomly assigned to study (e-reader iPAD) and control (print) groups. Participant posture, luminosity of the room, and reading distance from reading device were measured during a 1-h session for both groups. At the end of the session, questionnaires were administered to determine symptoms. Significantly higher rates of eyestrain (p = 0.008) and irritation (p = 0.011) were found among the iPAD study group as compared to the print 'control' group. The study group was also 4.9 times more likely to report severe eyestrain (95 % CI [1.4, 16.9]). No clinical characteristics predisposing to eyestrain could be identified. These findings conclude that reading on e-readers may induce increased levels of irritation and eyestrain. Predisposing factors, etiology, and potential remedial interventions remain to be determined.
Up to recent years aircraft production, especially the assembly of large structural components has always been compared more to a crafted shipyard labor than a highly productive automotive line. This paper describes how lean concepts are helping Embraer to bring new paradigms in this stage by applying these fundaments to its new wing assembly line in Evora, Portugal. Starting from design for manufacturing principles in the product, full application of Production Preparation Process (3P) concept for the line early design planning, going through designed for automation assembly tooling, intense application of manufacturing simulation tools like ergonomic analysis and dimensional management as well as state of the art digital manufacturing execution systems for shop floor management Embraer intends to create a highly efficient work flow. All these developments ultimately will ensure product quality, continuous and stable production rates and a highly efficient use of all available resources.
Feature representation is a classic problem in the machine learning community due to the fact that different representations can entangle and hide more or less the different explanatory factors of variation behind the raw data. Especially for scene classification, its performance generally depends on the discriminative power of feature representation. Recently, unsupervised feature learning attracts tremendous attention because of its ability to learn feature representation automatically. However, reliable performance of feature representations by unsupervised learning always requires a large number of features and complex framework of mid-level feature representation. To alleviate such drawbacks, this paper presents a new framework of mid-level feature representation, which does not need learnmany convolutional features during the unsupervised feature learning process, and has few parameter settings. In detail, the unsupervised feature learning method, sparse autoencoder, is employed to learn relatively small number of convolutional features from input dataset, and then extended features are extracted from the learned features by a multiple normalized difference features extraction method to compose a derivative feature set. At mid-level feature representation stage, in order to avoid poor performance of standard pooling technology in solving problems brought by rotation and translation of scene images, global feature descriptors (histogram moments, mean, variance, standard deviation) are utilized to build mid-level feature representations of images. For validation and comparison purposes, the proposed approach is evaluated via experiments with two challenging high-resolution remote sensing datasets. The results demonstrate that the approach is effective, and shows strong performance for remotely sensed scene classification.
Acacia Nilotica seed shell ash supported Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by a low-cost, simple, and environmentally benign procedure. The adsorbent was characterized by several methods including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then, the potential of Acacia Nilotica seed shell ash supported Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles was investigated for adsorption of Pb(II). The effect of different parameters including contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage and initial Pb(II) concentration on the Pb(II) removal yield was studied. The experimental data were fitted well with the pseudo-second order kinetic model (R-2 = 0.999). The adsorption isotherm was described well by the Langmuir isotherm (R-2 = 0.900) with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 37.6 mg g(-1). The process for purifying water treatment presented here is easy using the magnetic nanoparticles. Therefore, this adsorbent was found to be useful and valuable for controlling water pollution due to Pb(II) ions.
Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large family of regulatory enzymes that function in extracellular matrix degradation and facilitate a diverse range of cellular processes. Despite the significant focus on the activities of MMPs in human disease, there is a lack of substantial knowledge regarding their normal physiological roles and their role in regulating aspects of stem cell biology. The freshwater planarian Schmidtea mediterranea (S. mediterranea) is an excellent system in which to study robust and nearly unlimited regeneration, guided by a population of mitotically active stem cells, termed neoblasts. Results: We characterized MMPs in the context of planarian stem cells, specifically exploring the role of S. mediterranea MT-MMPB. Using in situ hybridization and available functional genomic tools, we observed that mt-mmpB is expressed in the dorsoventral muscle cells, and its loss results in a reduction in animal size accompanied by a decrease in mitotic cells, suggesting that it plays a unique role in regulating stem cell proliferation. Conclusions: The novel findings of this study bring to light the unique and critical roles that muscles play in regulating neoblast function, and more broadly, highlight the importance of MMPs in stem cell biology. Developmental Dynamics 245: 963-970, 2016. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Background and AimsScreening, brief intervention and referral to treatment' programs have been promoted widely as US federal policy. Little is known about the efficacy of the RT component (referral to treatment) of brief intervention for motivating patients with unhealthy drug use identified by screening to use addiction treatment. This study aimed to compare receipt of addiction treatment following two types of brief intervention for drug use versus a no-intervention control group among primary care patients screening positive for drug use. DesignSecondary analyses from a single-site randomized controlled trial. SettingMassachusetts, USA. ParticipantsA total of 528 adults with Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) drug-specific scores 4. InterventionsRandom assignment to: (1) a 10-15-minute brief negotiated interview (BNI) conducted by health educators (n=174), (2) a 30-45-minute adaptation of motivational interviewing by Masters-level counselors (MOTIV) (n=177) or (3) no BI (n=177). All received a list of treatment and mutual help resources; both intervention protocols included dedicated staff for treatment referrals. MeasurementsReceipt of any addiction treatment within 6months after study entry, assessed in a state-wide database and hospital electronic medical record linked to trial data. FindingsAmong 528 participants, the main drugs used were marijuana (63%), cocaine (19%) and opioids (17%); 46% met past-year drug dependence criteria (short form Composite International Diagnostic Interview); and 10% of MOTIV, 18% of BNI and 17% of control participants had any addiction treatment receipt within 6months after study entry. There was no significant difference in addiction treatment receipt for BNI versus control [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.57, 2.15, Hochberg adjusted P=0.76]. The MOTIV group had lower odds of linking to treatment (AOR=0.36, 95% CI=0.17, 0.78, Hochberg adjusted P=0.02) compared with the no BI group. ConclusionBrief intervention delivered in primary care for screen-identified drug use did not increase addiction treatment receipt significantly; a motivational interviewing approach appeared to be counterproductive.
The contamination of aquatic ecosystems with a wide range of pollutants, especially with heavy metals cause direct toxic effects and has become a matter of general concern throughout the last decades. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of heavy/metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Ni) in the water, sediments, and fish (Alburnus alburnus) of Plumbuita Lake (Bucharest, Romania), this species of fish being frequently part of the local people's diet. The results from this study provides useful information regarding concentration levels of heavy metals in the water, sediments and fish in the Plumbuita Lake, essential for the assessment of environmental quality and health of living organisms from this lake ecosystem.
This article is crafted around assessment and analysis of health risks associated with domestic rooftop water harvesting in India, with the prime objective of bringing to the forefront the deterrent issues and challenges in rainwater harvesting in general and domestic rooftop water harvesting in particular. This is based on a study on health risk assessment of a domestic rooftop water harvesting project conducted in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, India, providing a critical reflection and exemplifying the prevalent scenario in the arid regions of the world. The methodology used for deriving the conclusions is failure mode and effects analysis. A set of risks were graded according to their severity based on their risk priority number scores evolved, including various contaminants polluting the harvested rainwater. The findings bear implications for planning of reconstructive changes to be incorporated and thus providing the necessary outlook for effective alleviation of the deterrents and make rainwater harvesting the premium solution for realization of the Millennium Development Goals by providing access to safe drinking water to the populace chiefly in the developing countries where the problem of scarce safe water is grave.
Fungi cause more than a billion skin infections, more than 100 million mucosal infections, 10 million serious allergies and more than a million deaths each year. Global mortality owing to fungal infections is greater than for malaria and breast cancer and is equivalent to that owing to tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. These statistics evidence fungal infections as a major threat to human health and a major burden to healthcare budgets worldwide. Those patients who are at greatest risk of life-threatening fungal infections include those who have weakened immunity or have suffered trauma or other predisposing infections such as HIV. To address these global threats to human health, more research is urgently needed to understand the immunopathology of fungal disease and human disease susceptibility in order to augment the advances being made in fungal diagnostics and drug development. Here, we highlight some recent advances in basic research in medical mycology and fungal immunology that are beginning to inform clinical decisions and options for personalized medicine, vaccine development and adjunct immunotherapies. This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'.
Background: Nonverbal communication is a critical feature of successful social interaction and interpersonal rapport. Social exclusion is a feature of schizophrenia. This experimental study investigated if the undisclosed presence of a patient with schizophrenia in interaction changes nonverbal communication (ie, speaker gesture and listener nodding). Method: 3D motion-capture techniques recorded 20 patient (1 patient, 2 healthy participants) and 20 control (3 healthy participants) interactions. Participants rated their experience of rapport with each interacting partner. Patients symptoms, social cognition, and executive functioning were assessed. Four hypotheses were tested: (1) Compared to controls, patients display less speaking gestures and listener nods. (2) Patients increased symptom severity and poorer social cognition are associated with patients reduced gesture and nods. (3) Patients partners compensate for patients reduced nonverbal behavior by gesturing more when speaking and nodding more when listening. (4) Patients reduced nonverbal behavior, increased symptom severity, and poorer social cognition are associated with others experiencing poorer rapport with the patient. Results: Patients gestured less when speaking. Patients with more negative symptoms nodded less as listeners, while their partners appeared to compensate by gesturing more as speakers. Patients with more negative symptoms also gestured more when speaking, which, alongside increased negative symptoms and poorer social cognition, was associated with others experiencing poorer patient rapport. Conclusions: Patients symptoms are associated with the nonverbal behavior of patients and their partners. Patients increased negative symptoms and gesture use are associated with poorer interpersonal rapport. This study provides specific evidence about how negative symptoms impact patients social interactions.
In order to provide additional information for risk assessment of the fungicide metalaxyl, the main objectives were (1) to elucidate the interactions of metalaxyl with different human liver cytochrorne, P450 enzymes, (2) to tentitatively identify and (semi)quantify metabolites in vitro and (3) to identify human CYP enzymes responsible for metabolism. The mean inhibitory concentrations (IC50) for 7-pentoxyresorufin-O-dealkylation (CYP2B) and bupropion hydroxylation (2B6) were 48.9 and 41.7 mu M, respectively. The biotransformation reactions were hydroxylation, (di)demethylation and lactone formation. In human liver microsomes predominant metabolites were two hydroxymetalaxyl derivatives or atropisomers of one of the derivatives. On the basis of previous rat studies these could be N-(2-hydroxymethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(methoxyacetyl)alanine methyl ester and/or N-(2,6-dimethyl-5-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(methoxyacetyl)alanine methyl ester. The amounts of didemethylmetalaxyl N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)N-(hydroxyacetyl)alanine and lactone 4-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-3-methylmorpholine-2,5-dione were higher in homogenates than microsomes. The carcinogenic 2,6-dimethylaniline was not detected. Among the nine major human CYPs, CYP3A4 was the only one responsible for metalaxyl hydroxylation, while CYP2B6 was the major isoform responsible for (di)demethylation and lactone formation. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The high cost of traditional stabilizing agents such as lime and cement has led to the research on industrial and agricultural wastes as suitable alternatives. Rice growing areas of Kenya accumulate large quantities of rice husk which pose serious disposal problems. When burnt as a means of disposal, the rice husk ash formed is difficult to coagulate and thus contribute to air and water pollution, require a large space for disposal, and cause respiratory health problems when inhaled. Red coffee soil poses serious engineering problems such as swelling due to wetting, shrinkage due to drying, low bearing capacity, and differential settlement leading to cracks and needs improvement for strength and stability in service. Red coffee soil and rice husks samples were obtained from Gatundu and Mwea, respectively. The rice husk was burnt at temperatures between 500 and 700 A degrees C to ensure maximal formation of siliceous component. Chemical analysis on the rice husk ash gave the sum of SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3 as 85.5 % indicating that it has pozzolanic activity. Rice husk ash was applied at 4, 6, 8, and 10 % by weight of dry soil. Plasticity index, liquid limit, and linear shrinkage decreased from 26.1, 67.1, and 13.0 % for lean sample to 18.5, 63.6, and 9.2 %, for 10 % rice husk ash stabilized samples, whereas plastic limit increased from 41.0 to 45.15 %. The soaked California bearing ratio value for rice husk ash stabilized samples increased from 5 to 22 % corresponding to soil subgrade class S4. However, lime-stabilized samples gave higher values.
This article examines support for cultural preservation as a predictor of support for censorship of entertainment media in three Arab Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (N = 3,017; n >1,000 in each country). Greater support for cultural preservation was positively associated with support for censorship; a belief that more should be done to preserve cultural traditions (Qatar, United Arab Emirates) and a desire for more entertainment that reflects one's culture and history (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) were positively associated with support for censorship in two of the three countries. The belief that Hollywood films are harmful to morality was the only variable associated with stronger censorship support in all countries.
Copper is a trace mineral that plays an important role in human metabolism, largely because it allows many critical enzymes to function properly. Little is known of copper content of Nigerian foods. In this paper, copper contents of several typical Nigerian foods were determined. The samples were collected from Kanam of Plateau State in central region of Nigeria. The samples were wet-ashed according to the protocol of Hill et al. (Anal Chem 55: 2340-2342, 1986). Concentrations of copper in the samples was determined using inductively coupled-mass spectrophotometry. There is, for each crop, a wide variation in copper content. The highest copper content was found in cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (16.95 mu g/g of dry weight). Lowest copper content was found in white maize and in yellow maize (Zea mays), with values 1.23 mu g/g and 1.38 mu g/g of dry weights, respectively. Other foods, such as white sorghum, red sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), and groundnuts (Arachis hypogea) had copper contents varying from 2.22 to 11.81 mu g/g. These values are well below the supplemental values of 50 mg/day that could interfere with zinc absorption. Thus, among the staple foodstuffs of the areas sampled, cowpea appears to be the richest source of dietary copper followed by groundnut while the two maize varieties are the poorest.
As non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies are expected to replace DRAM in the near future, new challenges have emerged. For example, NVMs have slow and power-consuming writes, and limited write endurance. In addition, NVMs have a data remanence vulnerability, i.e., they retain data for a long time after being powered off. NVM encryption alleviates the vulnerability, but exacerbates the limited endurance by increasing the number of writes to memory. We observe that, in current systems, a large percentage of main memory writes result from data shredding in operating systems, a process of zeroing out physical pages before mapping them to new processes, in order to protect previous processes' data. In this paper, we propose Silent Shredder, which repurposes initialization vectors used in standard counter mode encryption to completely eliminate the data shredding writes. Silent Shredder also speeds up reading shredded cache lines, and hence reduces power consumption and improves overall performance. To evaluate our design, we run three PowerGraph applications and 26 multiprogrammed workloads from the SPEC 2006 suite, on a gem5-based full system simulator. Silent Shredder eliminates an average of 48.6% of the writes in the initialization and graph construction phases. It speeds up main memory reads by 3.3 times, and improves the number of instructions per cycle (IPC) by 6.4% on average. Finally, we discuss several use cases, including virtual machines' data isolation and user-level large data initialization, where Silent Shredder can be used effectively at no extra cost.
Coincident (simultaneous) three-component particle velocity measurements performed using two laser Doppler anemometry probes at the outlet section of a 9 m high cylindrical riser are for the first time presented for dilute flow conditions. Near the blinded extension of the T-outlet a solids vortex is formed. Particle downflow along the riser wall opposite the outlet tube is observed, which is restricted to higher riser heights at higher gas flow rates. Increased velocity fluctuations are observed in the solids vortex and downflow region as well as at heights corresponding to the outlet tube. Contrary to the rest of the riser, in the downflow region time and ensemble velocity averages are not equal. Given the local bending of the streamlines, axial momentum transforms to radial and azimuthal momentum giving rise to the corresponding shear stresses. Turbulence intensity values indicate the edges of the downflow region. (C) 2016 The Authors AIChE Journal published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 3575-3584, 2016
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with mortality, but the extent of the adverse impacts differs across various regions. A quantitative estimation of health effects attributed to PM2.5 in China is urgently required, particularly because it has the largest population and high air pollution levels. Based on the remote sensing-derived PM2.5 and grid population data, we estimated the acute health effects of PM2.5 in China using an exposure-response function. The results suggest the following: (1) The proportion of the population exposed to high PM2.5 concentrations (>35 mu g/m(3)) increased consistently from 2000 to 2011, and the population exposed to concentrations above the threshold defined by World Health Organization (WHO) (>10 mu g/m(3)) rose from 1,191,191,943 to 1,290,562,965. (2) The number of deaths associated with PM2.5 exposure increased steadily from 107,608 in 2000 to 173,560 in 2010, with larger numbers in the eastern region. (3) PM2.5 health effects decreased in three pollution control scenarios estimated for 2017, i.e., the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) scenario, the APPCAP under WHO IT-1 scenario (35 mu g/m(3)), and the APPCAP under WHO IT-3 scenario (15 mu g/m(3)), which indicates that pollution control can effectively reduce PM2.5 effects on mortality.
A study has been carried out in three French hospitals in order to assess and model the pharmaceutical load in hospital wastewater and its impact in WWTP. This study, called Mediflux, consisted of three successive steps: first, an original prioritization procedure developed in our laboratory enabled us to select a list of relevant molecules from different Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classes containing pharmaceuticals for specific hospital use such as anesthetics or antineoplastic agents and pharmaceuticals dispensed in the community. Then, analytical quantification procedures were developed and validated according to 2002/657/EC European directive. Sampling campaigns were performed in three different hospitals, two located in the Paris area and one in a medium-sized city 150 km from Paris. Sampling was also carried out in wastewater treatment plants. At the same time, in order to model the pharmaceutical loads from hospitals, predicted concentrations were calculated as a first approach assuming it would be a single-box model, i.e. hospitals have no effect on drug loads and only human metabolism is taken into account to evaluate the fraction of drugs eliminated in hospital effluent. In the last step, the comparison of measured and calculated concentrations showed a satisfactory correlation for some pharmaceuticals, mainly those with short elimination half-lifes and weak human metabolism. For others, it appeared that modeling should take into account various factors such as out patient use, pharmacokinetic data and molecule stability in wastewater.
Molecular imaging agents have the ability to non-invasively visualize, characterize, and quantify the molecular biology of disease. Recent advances in nuclear probe development, particularly in PET radiotracers, have generated many new imaging agents with precise molecular targets. With such specificity, PET probes may be utilized as biomarkers to objectively interrogate and evaluate pathology. Whereas the current indications for PET imaging are predominately confined to staging and restaging of malignancy, the utility of PET greatly expands when utilized as a biomarker, the topic of this review. As an imaging biomarker, PET may be used to (1) measure target expression to select subsets of patients who would most benefit from targeted therapy; (2) measure early treatment response to predict therapeutic efficacy; and (3) relate tumor response to survival. This review will discuss the application of radiotracers to targeted cancer therapy. Particular attention is given to new radiotracers evaluated in recently completed clinical trials and those with current or potential clinical utility. The diverse roles of PET in clinical trails for drug development are also examined. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A systemic and validated model was developed to predict ultraviolet spectra features from the shock layer of near-space hypersonic vehicles in the solar blind band region. Computational procedures were performed with 7-species thermal non-equilibrium fluid mechanics, finite rate chemistry, and radiation calculations. The thermal non-equilibrium flow field was calculated with a two-temperature model by the finite volume technique and verified against the bow-shock ultra-violet (BSUV) flight experiments. The absorption coefficient of the mixture gases was evaluated with a line-by-line method and validated through laboratory shock tube measurements. Using the line of sight (LOS) method, radiation was calculated from three BSUV flights at altitudes of 38, 53.5 and 71 km. The investigation focused on the level and structure of ultraviolet spectra radiated from a NO band system in wavelengths of 200-400 nm. Results predicted by the current model show qualitative spatial agreement with the measured data. At a velocity of 3.5 km/s (about Mach 11), the peak absolute intensity at an altitude of 38 km is two orders of magnitude higher than that at 53.5 km. Under the same flight conditions, the spectra structures have quite a similar distribution at different viewing angles. The present computational model performs well in the prediction of the ultraviolet spectra emitted from the shock layer and will contribute to the investigation and analysis of radiative features of hypersonic vehicles in near space. (C) 2016 Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.
Objective There is evidence that parents play an important role in their adolescent's health and well-being, but the links between specific daily processes and biological mechanisms relevant to health remain to be determined. In this study, we examined the role of parental accuracythat is, whether parents who are more accurate about their adolescents' daily experiences have adolescents with better psychological functioning and inflammatory regulation. Methods In a 2-week daily diary study of 116 parent-adolescent dyads, we examined whether parental accuracy about their adolescent's daily demands and the positivity of their day together were associated with markers of psychological functioning and with regulation of the inflammatory response in terms of glucocorticoid sensitivity (the extent to which cortisol is able to dampen the production of inflammatory proteins) in adolescents. Results Adolescents whose daily experiences were perceived more accurately by their parents reported better psychological adjustment (lower stress and depression) and a greater sensitivity of their immune cells to anti-inflammatory signals from cortisol (i.e., diminished production of inflammatory proteins when cells were stimulated with the combination of a bacterial product [lipopolysaccharide] and cortisol; || range, 0.38-0.53, all p values <.041). Conclusions Greater parental accuracy regarding adolescents' daily experiences is associated with better adolescent psychological adjustment and a more sensitive anti-inflammatory response to cortisol. These results provide preliminary evidence that parental accuracy regarding their adolescent's daily experiences may be one specific daily parent factor that plays a role in adolescent health and well-being.
The aim of our study was to assess the aerobic biodegradation of four selected sulfonamides (sulfanilamide, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine and sulfathiazole) using water samples drawn from highly polluted rivers. Additionally, we aimed to identify the factors that have a significant effect on the process efficiency. The 19 water samples were collected from Brynica and Czarna Przemsza rivers (in Poland) at the same location at approximately monthly intervals. A characteristic feature of the results is the presence of significant differences between the rates of sulfonamides biodegradation in particular samples. The sulfonamide most resistant to biodegradation was sulfamethoxazole, whereas sulfathiazole was most biodegradable. Seasonal variations and related microbial population changes had the most significant effects on sulfonamides biodegradation, e.g., the studied process was highly inhibited during wintertime. A decrease in the biodegradation rate in the river water could be caused by an accidental water pollution by industrial wastewater with heavy metals, an increase in salinity and a decrease in pH, and turbidity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
With the growing interest in computational models of visual attention, saliency prediction has become an important research topic in computer vision. Over the past years, many different successful saliency models have been proposed especially for image saliency prediction. However, these models generally do not consider the dynamic nature of the scenes, and hence, they work better on static images. To date, there has been relatively little work on dynamic saliency that deals with predicting where humans look at videos. In addition, previous studies showed that how the feature integration is carried out is very crucial for more accurate results. Yet, many dynamic saliency models follow a similar simple design and extract separate spatial and temporal saliency maps which are then integrated together to obtain the final saliency map. In this paper, we present a comparative study for different feature integration strategies in dynamic saliency estimation. We employ a number of low and high-level visual features such as static saliency, motion, faces, humans and text, some of which have not been previously used in dynamic saliency estimation. In order to explore the strength of feature integration strategies, we investigate four learning-based (SVM, Gradient Boosting, NNLS, Random Forest) and two transformation based (Mean, Max) fusion methods, resulting in six new dynamic saliency models. Our experimental analysis on two different dynamic saliency benchmark datasets reveal that our models achieve better performance than the individual features. In addition, our learning-based models outperform the state-of-the-art dynamic saliency models.
Four studies tested the hypothesis that a weaker belief in free will would be related to feeling less gratitude. In Studies 1a and 1b, a trait measure of free will belief was positively correlated with a measure of dispositional gratitude. In Study 2, participants whose free will belief was weakened (vs. unchanged or bolstered) reported feeling less grateful for events in their past. Study 3 used a laboratory induction of gratitude. Participants with an experimentally reduced (vs. increased) belief in free will reported feeling less grateful for the favor. In Study 4, a reduced (vs. increased) belief in free will led to less gratitude in a hypothetical favor scenario. This effect was serially mediated by perceiving the benefactor as having less free will and therefore as being less sincerely motivated. These findings suggest that belief in free will is an important part of being able to feel gratitude.
The Ethiopian government has been working on rainwater harvesting (RWH) for more than three decades. Despite its efforts, the results are not as expected. Different barriers have posed challenges to promoting RWH in Ethiopia. This study was done to identify the main problems and obstacles, and reflect on potential solutions. As a result, absence of clear policy definitions, lack of sustainably implemented projects, poor societal perceptions of RWH, local professionals lacking proper knowledge, and initial investment costs are found to be major causes of poor outcomes. Considering the site-specific nature of water issues, the authors propose various management strategies such as policy-oriented promotion, formulation of design guidelines, proactive planning, collaborative research, and integration of RWH with cost covering practices.
Background: Food allergy affects around 6% of the European population and its prevalence worldwide has been increasing in the last decades, but studies focused on investigating food allergy epidemiology in Europe are lacking. Objective: The Cibus project was created to register the main culprit foods and their clinical manifestations in food allergic patients in Catalonia. Methods: A specific online database was designed. Allergists from eight different Catalan hospitals registered the new diagnoses of food allergy. Results: 618 food allergic patients were included. Egg and milk were the main elicitors in the early ages, while fruits and nuts were the most frequent in patients >14 years old. Fish was more frequent in children, while seafood and Anisakis allergy were more frequent in the >14-year-old group. Overall, peach was the most prevalent food eliciting an allergic reaction (10%). Food allergy diagnosis was reached using compatible clinical history and positive skin prick test to the involved food in 98% of cases. Globally, urticaria was the most frequently reported manifestation in our population (48.2%), followed by oral allergy syndrome (25.6%) and anaphylaxis (24.8%). Conclusions: The Cibus project gives a full overview of the profile of food allergic patients in Catalonia and reinforces the predominance of plant food allergies in the Mediterranean area. (C) 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
In the United States, as in most of the world, there are large numbers of nutraceuticals that are sold and which people take to boost their immune response. There are, in addition, almost an equal number of products sold to reduce allergies. However, very few consumers, and indeed physicians, are aware of what a structure/function claim is. Structure/function claims are labeling claims that can be used to describe the potential effects of a dietary ingredient or similar substance on the structure or function of the human body. This category of claims was created by legislation contained in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The intent was to supply consumers with reasonably substantiated information that would allow them to make educated choices about their diet and health. They were not intended to have the same weight and substantiation as the claims made for conventional prescription pharmaceuticals. Rather, they were proposed to fill the gap between consumer desire for over-the-counter supplements and foods, and rigorous and generally more potent and potentially toxic prescription medications. The legally mandated disclaimer, stating that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated the structure/function claim, often leads to misinterpretation. While there should be a biologic premise underlying the claim, there is not an absolute requirement for a conventional rigorous placebo-controlled dose response trial. While this may not be the clinical standard that a typical scientific oriented society might desire, it reflects the attempts of the FDA to find common grounds and to allow consumers to use products that are generally considered as safe based on historical use and biologic comparisons. The logic of, indeed need for, structure/function claims is straightforward; however, of equal importance is that nutraceuticals should be properly labeled, have accuracy in their ingredients, be free of contamination, be safe, and have a reasonable body of data that supports their efficacy.
Early diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism is commonly performed through biofluid metabolomics, which detects specific metabolic biomarkers whose concentration is altered due to genomic mutations. The identification of new biomarkers is of major importance to biomedical research and is usually performed through data mining of metabolomic data. After the recent publication of the genome-scale network model of human metabolism, we present a novel computational approach for systematically predicting metabolic biomarkers in stochiometric metabolic models. Applying the method to predict biomarkers for disruptions of red-blood cell metabolism demonstrates a marked correlation with altered metabolic concentrations inferred through kinetic model simulations. Applying the method to the genome-scale human model reveals a set of 233 metabolites whose concentration is predicted to be either elevated or reduced as a result of 176 possible dysfunctional enzymes. The method's predictions are shown to significantly correlate with known disease biomarkers and to predict many novel potential biomarkers. Using this method to prioritize metabolite measurement experiments to identify new biomarkers can provide an order of a 10-fold increase in biomarker detection performance. Molecular Systems Biology 28 April 2009; doi:10.1038/msb.2009.22
Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Artemisia annua L. (sweet wormwood), is extensively used in the treatment of malaria. In order to better understand the metabolism of terpenes in A. annua and the influence of terpene synthases on artemisinin yield, the expression pattern of a monoterpene alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2) has been studied using transgenic plants expressing promoter-beta-glucuronidase (GUS) fusion. ADH2 played a major role in monoterpenoid biosynthesis including carveol, borneol, and artemisia ketone through in vitro biochemical analysis. In this study, the ADH2 promoter was cloned by the genome walking method. A number of putative cis-acting elements were predicted in promoter region, suggesting that the ADH2 is driven by a complex regulation mechanism. ADH2 gene was highly expressed in old leaves, whereas the artemisinin biosynthetic genes were mainly expressed in bud and young leaves. The expression of ADH2 gene increased quickly during leaf development, revealed by qRT-PCR. GUS expression analysis in different tissues of transgenic A. annua demonstrates that ADH2 expression is exclusively located to T-shaped trichome, not glandular secretory trichome. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 834-840, 2016
Ebola virus (EBOV) infection results in severe disease and in some cases lethal hemorrhagic fever. The infection is directed by seven viral genes that encode nine viral proteins. By definition, viruses are obligate intracellular parasites and require aspects of host cell biology in order to replicate their genetic material, assemble new virus particles, and subvert host cell antiviral responses. Currently licensed antivirals are targeted against viral proteins to inhibit their function. However, experience with treating HIV and influenza virus demonstrates that resistant viruses are soon selected. An emerging area in virology is to transiently target host cell proteins that play critical proviral roles in virus biology, especially for acute infections. This has the advantage that the protein being targeted is evolutionary removed from the genome of the virus. Proteomics can aid in discovery biology and identify cellular proteins that may be utilized by the virus to facilitate infection. This work focused on defining the interactome of the EBOV nucleoprotein and identified that cellular chaperones, including HSP70, associate with this protein to promote stability. Utilization of a mini-genome replication system based on a recent Makona isolate demonstrated that disrupting the stability of NP had an adverse effect on viral RNA synthesis.
Engaging undergraduates in research is essential for teaching them to think like scientists, and it has become a desired component of classroom and laboratory instruction. Research projects that span an entire semester expose students to a variety of concepts and techniques and allow students to use experiments to learn scientific principles, understand why specific techniques are applicable, critically analyze varied data, and examine how experimentation leads to acquiring knowledge. To provide an experience with these features, a semester long research project was integrated into a combined lecture and laboratory course, Molecular Biology. The project utilized the zebrafish model to examine gene expression during embryonic development and required students to develop and test hypotheses about the timing of expression of previously uncharacterized genes. The main goals for the project were to provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills required for conducting research and to support the content goals of the course. To determine whether these goals were met, student performance on the steps of the project and related pre-test and post-test questions was examined. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Let b, n is an element of Z, n >= 1, and D-1 ,..., D-tau(n) be all positive divisors of n. For 1 <= l <= tau(n), define C-l := {1 <= x <= n : (x, n) = D-l}. In this paper, by combining ideas from the finite Fourier transform of arithmetic functions and Ramanujan sums, we give a short proof for the following result: the number of solutions of the linear congruence x(1)+ center dot center dot center dot + x(k) = b (mod n), with kappa(l) = vertical bar{x(1), ..., x(k)} n Cl vertical bar, 1 <= l <= tau(n), is 1n Sigma(d vertical bar n) c(d)(b) (tau(n))Pi(l =1) (c n/D-l (d))(kappa l), where c(d)(b) is a Ramanujan sum. Some special cases and other forms of this problem have been already studied by several authors. The problem has recently found very interesting applications in number theory, combinatorics, computer science, and cryptography. The above explicit formula generalizes the main results of several papers, for example, the main result of the paper by Sander and Sander [J. Number Theory 133 (2013) 705-718], one of the main results of the paper by Sander [J. Number Theory 129 (2009) 22602266], and also gives an equivalent formula for the main result of the paper by Sun and Yang [Int. J. Number Theory 10 (2014) 1355-1363].
Group call is a major service in TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) networks, and there are some cases where group call conflict occurs. This paper presents a method to resolve group call conflict by merging the users requesting to initiate an existing group call into the ongoing call. In addition, this paper also comes up with a method to shorten the call set-up time by setting a time delay between call clear and channel release when the same group call is initiated frequently, and by these means user experience and system performance are improved. The state machine design and process design are described in details. The experimental test result proven the effectiveness of our method.
Amidst an ongoing debate surrounding the traditional dichotomy of whether video games are good or bad for children, in this paper we present Path of Trust, a novel, prosocial game that aims at helping children understand the importance of teamwork and learn how and when to express trustworthiness. We have created a colorful, non-violent digital game, in which children aged 7-10 can be exposed to prosocial content and develop specific prosocial attitudes, such as cooperation and trustworthiness, driven by the fact that video games with prosocial content can be used to improve social interactions. The game was designed to maintain an attractive and engaging nature, which is usually associated with games that are often vilified within social circles in terms of being packed with tons of action and violence. We conducted two separate studies to test our game's modeling of prosocial behavior, which demonstrate the potential of the game as a tool for teaching important prosocial behavior to children.
Arid and semi-arid regions around the world face water scarcity problems due to lack of precipitation and unpredictable rainfall patterns. For thousands of years, rainwater harvesting (RWH) techniques have been applied to cope with water scarcity. Researchers have used many different methodologies for determining suitable sites and techniques for RWH. However, limited attention has been given to the evaluation of RWH structure performance. The aim of this research was to design a scientifically-based, generally applicable methodology to better evaluate the performance of existing RWH techniques in (semi-) arid regions. The methodology integrates engineering, biophysical and socio-economic criteria using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) supported by the Geographic Information System (GIS). Jessour/Tabias are the most traditional RWH techniques in the Oum Zessar watershed in south-eastern Tunisia, which were used to test this evaluation tool. Fifty-eight RWH locations (14 jessr and 44 tabia) in three main sub-catchments of the watershed were assessed and evaluated. Based on the criteria selected, more than 95% of the assessed sites received low or moderate suitability scores, with only two sites receiving high suitability scores. This integrated methodology, which is highly flexible, saves time and costs, is easy to adapt to different regions and can support designers and decision makers aiming to improve the performance of existing and new RWH sites.
Microneedles (MNs) are micron-scale polymeric or metallic structures that offer distinct advantages for vaccines by efficiently targeting skin-resident immune cells, eliminating injection-associated pain, and improving patient compliance. These advantages, along with recent studies showing therapeutic benefits achieved using traditional intradermal injections in human cancer patients, suggest MN delivery might enhance cancer vaccines and immunotherapies. We recently developed a new class of polyelectrolyte multilayers based on the self assembly of model peptide antigens and molecular toll-like receptor agonists (TLRa) into ultrathin, conformal coatings. Here, we reasoned that these immune polyelectrolyte multilayers (iPEMs) might be a useful platform for assembling cancer vaccine components on MN arrays for intradermal delivery from these substrates. Using conserved human melanoma antigens and a potent TLRa vaccine adjuvant, CpG, we show that iPEMs can be assembled on MNs in an automated fashion. These films, prepared with up to 128 layers, are approximately 200 nm thick but provide cancer vaccine cargo loading >225 mu g/cm(2). In cell culture, iPEM cargo released from MNs is internalized by primary dendritic cells, promotes activation of these cells, and expands T cells during coculture. In mice, application of iPEM-coated MNs results in the codelivery of tumor antigen and CpG through the skin, expanding tumor-specific T cells during initial MN applications and resulting in larger memory recall responses during a subsequent booster MN application. This study support MNs coated with PEMs built from tumor vaccine components as a well-defined, modular system for generating tumor-specific immune responses, enabling new approaches that can be explored in combination with checkpoint blockade or other combination cancer therapies.
The objective of this study was to prospectively compare the incidence of pin tract infection in pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures managed with pin care daily or every other day or weekly. We hypothesized that there were some differences between these three methods. From June 2012 to May 2015, 135 children with supracondylar humerus fractures were randomized to postoperative pin care by cleaning pin tracts daily (group A, 45 cases) or cleaning every 2 days (group B, 45 cases) or cleaning weekly (group C, 45 cases). The three groups were comparable with respect to age, gender, affected side, body mass index (BMI), fracture type, injury to surgery time, number of intraoperative percutaneous pinning, and follow-up time. We collected data on pin retention time, union time, and pin tract infection. The average follow-up time of group A was 4.5 +/- 1.3 and 4.2 +/- 1.6 months in group B and 4.3 +/- 1.4 months in group C. The patient demographics and intraoperative variables of three groups were comparable. No significant difference between these three groups was found in union time and pin fixation time. Of the 135 children, 48 (35.6%) cases had pin tract infection. Grade I infections (Checketts-Otterburns classification) occurred around 28.9% of 270 pin and grade II around 6.7%. We found no differences between three groups as regards frequency and severity of pin tract infections (both P >0.05). However, complain of pain was more frequent in group A than other two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: All of the three methods were effective for the management of pin site infection in pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures. However, excessive frequent care as well as pin care daily had the disadvantages of child's fear and parental anxiety.
The frequent, widespread use of pesticides in agriculture adversely affects biodiversity, human health, and water quality. In 2008, the French government adopted an environmental policy plan, Ecophyto 2018, to halve pesticide use within 10 years. Trends in synthetic pesticide sales and use in France were described, through three different indicators: the number of unit doses (NUD), the quantity of active ingredient (QAI), and the treatment frequency index (TFI). Changes in pesticide use on seven of the principal arable crops in France since the implementation of this policy plan were analyzed, together with the impact of changes in pesticide use on water quality. No evidence was found for a decrease in pesticide sales at national level between 2008 and 2013. In terms of the TFI values for individual crops, the only decrease in pesticide use observed since 2001 was for soft wheat. This decrease was very slight, and pesticide use did not decline more rapidly after 2006 than before. Changes in pesticide use differed between French regions and crops. Water pollution did not decrease during the period studied. Possible explanations for the lack of effectiveness of the French environmental plan are considered in the context of European legislation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The effect of sand grain shape and size on the mechanical behavior of geotextile-reinforced sands is investigated in the present research, based on the results of triaxial compression tests. Six clean uniform sands differing in grain shape (subangular or rounded grains) and/or grain size as well as one non-woven and three woven geotextiles with or without apertures, were used in this experimental investigation. Triaxial compression tests were conducted on specimens with a diameter of 70 mm and a height of 144 mm, consisting of dry and dense sands reinforced with 3, 5 and 7 horizontal geotextile disks. The geotextile-reinforced sands present higher strength and axial strain at failure than the unreinforced sands. The strength of reinforced sands increases with decreasing sand grain size, with increasing number of geotextile layers and is affected by the grain shape of sand, since it was observed that reinforced sands with subangular grains attain higher strength values than the reinforced sands with rounded grains. The triaxial compression tests yielded bilinear failure envelopes for all geotextile-reinforced sands.
In this paper of computer network information security, network strategy were reviewed in this article, on the basis of all kinds of network safety measures, and the technology to carry on the analysis to Banding mechanical electronic technical computer network as an example, introduces the computer network networking strategy and the computer network information safety protection strategy. The actual operation of the computer network to the hardware, software, Internet use management rules and regulations a series of protective measures, set up for the actual situation of the network security environment, guarantee the stable operation of the network, for the education teaching provided support for the computer network construction and computer information safety protection provide the beneficial reference.
In this study, we present a modular worm-like robot, which utilizes voice coils as a new paradigm in soft robot actuation. Drive electronics are incorporated into the actuators, providing a significant improvement in self-sufficiency when compared with existing soft robot actuation modes such as pneumatics or hydraulics. The body plan of this robot is inspired by the phylum Annelida and consists of three-dimensional printed voice coil actuators, which are connected by flexible silicone membranes. Each electromagnetic actuator engages with its neighbor to compress or extend the membrane of each segment, and the sequence in which they are actuated results in an earthworm-inspired peristaltic motion. We find that a minimum of three segments is required for locomotion, but due to our modular design, robots of any length can be quickly and easily assembled. In addition to actuation, voice coils provide audio input and output capabilities. We demonstrate transmission of data between segments by high-frequency carrier waves and, using a similar mechanism, we note that the passing of power between coupled coils in neighboring modulesor from an external power sourceis also possible. Voice coils are a convenient multifunctional alternative to existing soft robot actuators. Their self-contained nature and ability to communicate with each other are ideal for modular robotics, and the additional functionality of sound input/output and power transfer will become increasingly useful as soft robots begin the transition from early proof-of-concept systems toward fully functional and highly integrated robotic systems.
We study three different types of electrical circuit equations using fractional calculus and various definitions of fractional derivative therein. Using plotting tools, we compare different types of solutions of each equation among themselves as well as with its classical solution.
Six experiments, involving a total of 6,492 participants, were conducted to investigate the relative effectiveness of repeated evaluative pairings (REP; exposure to category members paired with pleasant or unpleasant images), evaluative statements (ES; verbally signaling upcoming pairings without actual exposure), and their combination (ES + REP) in shifting implicit social and nonsocial attitudes. Learning modality (REP, ES, and ES + REP) was varied between participants and implicit attitudes were assessed using an Implicit Association Test (IAT). Study 1 (N = 675) used fictitious social groups (NIFFs and LAAPs), Study 2 (N = 1,034) used novel social groups (humans with long vs. square faces), Study 3 (N + 1,072) used nonsocial stimuli (squares vs. rectangles), and Study 4 (N = 848) and Study 5 (N = 958) used known social groups (young vs. elderly; American vs. foreign). ES were more effective than REP and no less superior than ES + REP in producing implicit attitude change. Results were robust across social and nonsocial domains and for known and novel groups. Study 6 (N = 1,905) eliminated time on intervention, levels of construal, and expectancy effects as possible explanations for these findings. Associative theories of implicit evaluation posit that implicit attitudes should shift piecemeal over time; yet, in these experiments, one-shot language-based learning led to larger shifts in implicit attitude than exposure to stimulus pairings. Moreover, the redundancy observed in REP + ES suggests that attitude acquisition from repeated pairings and evaluative instructions may rely on shared mental representations.
Young children share fairly and expect others to do the same. Yet little is known about the underlying cognitive mechanisms that support fairness. We investigated whether children's numerical competencies are linked with their sharing behavior. Preschoolers (aged 2.5-5.5) participated in third-party resource allocation tasks in which they split a set of resources between 2 puppets. Children's numerical competence was assessed using the Give-N task (Sarnecka & Carey, 2008; Wynn, 1990). Numerical competence-specifically knowledge of the cardinal principle-explained age-related changes in fair sharing. Although many subset-knowers (those without knowledge of the cardinal principle) were still able to share fairly, they invoked turn-taking strategies and did not remember the number of resources they shared. These results suggest that numerical cognition serves as an important mechanism for fair sharing behavior, and that children employ different sharing strategies (division or turn-taking) depending on their numerical competence.
Background and Aims Regulation of water channel aquaporins (AQPs) provides another mechanism by which abscisic acid (ABA) may influence water flow through plants. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have addressed the changes in ABA levels, the abundance of AQPs and root cell hydraulic conductivity (Lp(Cell)) in the same tissues. Thus, we followed the mechanisms by which ABA affects root hydraulics in an ABA-deficient barley mutant Az34 and its parental line 'Steptoe'. We compared the abundance of AQPs and ABA in cells to determine spatial correlations between AQP abundance and local ABA concentrations in different root tissues. In addition, abundance of AQPs and ABA in cortex cells was related to Lp(Cell). Methods Root hydraulic conductivity (Lp(Root)) was measured by means of root exudation analyses and Lp(Cell) using a cell pressure probe. The abundance of ABA and AQPs in root tissues was assessed through immunohistochemical analyses. Isoform-specific antibodies raised against HvPIP2; 1, HvPIP2; 2 and HvPIP2; 5 were used. Key Results Immunolocalization revealed lower ABA levels in root tissues of Az34 compared with ` Steptoe'. Root hydraulic conductivity (Lp(Root)) was lower in Az34, yet the abundance of HvPIPs in root tissues was similar in the two genotypes. Root hair formation occurred closer to the tip, while the length of the root hair zone was shorter in Az34 than in ` Steptoe'. Application of external ABA to the root medium of Az34 and ` Steptoe' increased the immunostaining of root cells for ABA and for HvPIP2; 1 and HvPIP2; 2 especially in root epidermal cells and the cortical cell layer located beneath, parallel to an increase in Lp(Root) and Lp(Cell). Treatment of roots with Fenton reagent, which inhibits AQP activity, prevented the ABA-induced increase in root hydraulic conductivity. Conclusion Shortly after (<2 h) ABA application to the roots of ABA-deficient barley, increased tissue ABA concentrations and AQP abundance (especially the plasma-membrane localized isoforms HvPIP2; 1 and HvPIP2; 2) were spatially correlated in root epidermal cells and the cortical cell layer located beneath, in conjunction with increased Lp(Cell) of the cortical cells. In contrast, long-term ABA deficiency throughout seedling development affects root hydraulics through other mechanisms, in particular the developmental timing of the formation of root hairs closer to the root tip and the length of the root hair zone.
Objective: Adipocytes are robust protein secretors, most notably of adipokines, hormone-like polypeptides, which act in an endocrine and paracrine fashion to affect numerous physiological processes such as energy balance and insulin sensitivity. To understand how such proteins are assembled for secretion we describe the function of a novel endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase, adiporedoxin (Adrx). Methods: Adrx knockdown and overexpressing 3T3-L1 murine adipocyte cell lines and a knockout mouse model were used to assess the influence of Adrx on secreted proteins as well as the redox state of ER resident chaperones. The metabolic phenotypes of Adrx null mice were characterized and compared to WT mice. The correlation of Adrx levels BMI, adiponectin levels, and other inflammatory markers from adipose tissue of human subjects was also studied. Results: Adiporedoxin functions via a CXXC active site, and is upstream of protein disulfide isomerase whose direct function is disulfide bond formation, and ultimately protein secretion. Over and under expression of Adrx in vitro enhances and reduces, respectively, the secretion of the disulfide-bonded proteins including adiponectin and collagen isoforms. On a chow diet, Adrx null mice have normal body weights, and glucose tolerance, are moderately hyperinsulinemic, have reduced levels of circulating adiponectin and are virtually free of adipocyte fibrosis resulting in a complex phenotype tending towards insulin resistance. Adrx protein levels in human adipose tissue correlate positively with adiponectin levels and negatively with the inflammatory marker phospho-Jun kinase. Conclusion: These data support the notion that Adrx plays a critical role in adipocyte biology and in the regulation of mouse and human metabolism via its modulation of adipocyte protein secretion. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
This article points out a security loophole in Shi et al.'s quantum blind signature scheme. By using the modification attack, a message owner can cheat a signature receiver with a fake message-signature pair without being detected.
AimTo calculate the epidemiology of Rheumatic Diseases in Iran. Materials and MethodsThe data of Tehran, Zahedan, Sanandaj (urban) and Tuyserkan (rural) stage Community Oriented Program for the Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) studies were gathered. The data were adjusted to the population number of the studied areas to represent Iran. ResultsThe population of Iran is 75 149 669 (71.5% urban areas, males 50.4%) and of the mentioned area were respectively 10 000 000, 580 071, 311 444 and 109 262. The interviewed subjects were 10 291, 1565, 2100 and 5830. Male/female ratio was 0.9/1, 0.8/1, 08/1 and 0.8/1. Musculoskeletal complaints during the past 7 days (people aged 15 years) were detected in 44.7% of subjects. They were: shoulder 15.6%, wrist 10.4%, hands and fingers 10.2%, hip 8.3%, knee 27.4%, ankle 12.3%, toes 6.2%, cervical spine 14.2% and dorsolumbar spine 23.7%. Osteoarthritis (OA) was detected in 16.9%: knee 15.5%, hands 2.9% and hip 0.32%. Low back pain was found in 15.7%, sciatica in 0.94%, and soft tissue rheumatism in 4.6% (shoulder tenosynovitis 2.5%, frozen shoulder 0.56%, tennis elbow 1.2%, golf elbow 0.48%, de Quervain tenosynovitis 0.24%, trigger finger 0.2%, carpal tunnel syndrome 1.3%). Rheumatoid arthritis was detected in 0.37%, seronegative spondyloarthropathy in 0.24%, ankylosing spondylitis in 0.12%, systemic lupus erythematosus in 0.06%, Behcet's disease in 0.08%, fibromyalgia in 0.79% and gout in 0.13%. ConclusionCompared to other COPCORD reports (17 countries), Iran gets the following rank: musculoskeletal complaints second, low back pain fourth, osteoarthritis second, knee osteoarthritis third, soft tissue rheumatism sixth, rheumatoid arthritis tenth, seronegative spondyloarthropathies fifth, gout eleventh and fibromyalgia fifth.
Seed dehydration is the normal terminal event in the development of orthodox seeds and is physiologically related to the cessation of grain dry mass accumulation and crop grain yield. For a better understanding of grain dehydration, we evaluated the hypothesis that hydraulic conductance of the ear decreases during the latter stages of development and that this decrease results from disruption or occlusion of xylem conduits. Whole ear, rachis, and stem nodes hydraulic conductance and percentage loss of xylem conductivity were measured from flowering to harvest-ripeness on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Recital grown under controlled environments. Flag leaf transpiration, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and grain and ear water potentials were also measured during grain development. We show that grain dehydration was not related with whole plant physiology and leaf senescence, but closely correlated with the hydraulic properties of the xylem conduits irrigating the grains. Indeed, there was a substantial decrease in rachis hydraulic conductance at the onset of the grain dehydration phase. This hydraulic impairment was not caused by the presence of air embolism in xylem conduits of the stern internodes or rachis but by the occlusion of the xylem lumens by polysaccharides (pectins and callose). Our results demonstrate that xylem hydraulics plays a key role during grain maturation.
In this study, non-Darcian flow to a partially penetrating pumping well in a leaky aquifer was investigated. The aquifer system is composed of a main aquifer with an aquitard bounded on the top of the aquifer. The storage of the aquitard was considered in this study, which is the main contribution of this study. The horizontal flow in the main aquifer is assumed to be non-Darcian, while both the vertical flows in the main aquifer and the aquitard were assumed to be Darcian due to the relative low velocities. The non-Darcian flow was described by the Izbash equation. A linearization procedure associated with Laplace transform and separate variable method were used to solve the non-Darcian flow model. Semianalytical solutions (Laplace-domain solutions) were obtained then inverted to time domain by using the Stehfest method. The results indicated that the power index n in the Izbash equation results in a smaller drawdown at late times, the flow approaches quasi steady state earlier, and the leakage has little impact on the drawdowns in the main aquifer when n is larger. The drawdowns are quite different from each other for different z positions even at the same radial distance. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the drawdown in the main aquifer is very sensitive to the power index n, moderately sensitive to the parameters of the main aquifer, and relatively not sensitive to the parameters of the aquitard. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Economic games offer a convenient approach for the study of prosocial behavior. As an advantage, they allow for straightforward implementation of different techniques to reduce socially desirable responding. We investigated the effectiveness of the most prominent of these techniques, namely providing behavior-contingent incentives and maximizing anonymity in three versions of the Trust Game: (i) a hypothetical version without monetary incentives and with a typical level of anonymity, (ii) an incentivized version with monetary incentives and the same (typical) level of anonymity, and (iii) an indirect questioning version without incentives but with a maximum level of anonymity, rendering responses inconclusive due to adding random noise via the Randomized Response Technique. Results from a large (N = 1,267) and heterogeneous sample showed comparable levels of trust for the hypothetical and incentivized versions using direct questioning. However, levels of trust decreased when maximizing the inconclusiveness of responses through indirect questioning. This implies that levels of trust might be particularly sensitive to changes in individuals' anonymity but not necessarily to monetary incentives.
Although genetic testing for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is widely available, it is unknown what proportion of patients with ALS have access to genetic counseling and testing, and patient attitudes towards ALS genetic testing have not been studied. We conducted a national survey of ALS patients enrolled in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which consisted of multiple choice questions and two 12 item Likert scale series assessing respondents' experience with and attitude toward genetic testing. The survey had an 8 % response rate, with 449 completed responses. Genetic testing was offered to 33.4 % and completed by 67.1 % of those offered. A minority of respondents (12.5 %) saw a genetic counselor, and were much more likely to be offered genetic testing (p = 0.0001). Respondents with a family history of ALS (8.4 %) were more likely to be offered testing (p = 0.0001) and complete testing (p = 0.05). Respondents with a family history of ALS were more likely to report a favorable attitude towards genetic testing (p = 0.0003), as were respondents who saw a genetic counselor (p = 0.02). The majority of respondents (82.7 %) felt that genetic testing should be offered to all patients with ALS. Our results indicate that ALS patients may have limited access to genetic testing, but perceive benefit from this service. Development of practice guidelines for genetic testing in ALS, to include the routine offer of genetic counseling, may result in broader and more consistent access to these services.
In this paper, a theoretical and experimental analysis of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) architectures is undertaken for sea oil slick observation purposes. Reference is made to the conventional full-polarimetric (FP) SAR that is here contrasted with new-generation polarimetric SAR architectures, known as compact-polarimetric (CP) SAR. Two CP modes are considered, i.e., the hybrid-polarity and pi/4 modes, whose measurements are emulated from actual L-and C-band FP SAR data. Polarimetric sea surface scattering is predicted according to an extended version of the Bragg scattering model (X-Bragg) in order to point out the differences exhibited between FP and CP SAR architectures and among CP SAR modes. Theoretical predictions are then contrasted with experiments undertaken on actual polarimetric SAR data collected over well-known oil slicks and weak-damping surfactants. Results confirm model prediction, showing that differences mainly apply when polarimetric features are estimated over slick-free sea surface using different SAR architectures, with the pi/4 mode behaving closer to FP SAR. Although CP SAR architectures measure only a subset of the FP information content, they represent an interesting operational alternative for both detecting oil slicks and discriminating them from weak-damping surfactants.
Background: Evidence in the literature suggests that there is an impairment of social cognition in schizophrenia. Theory of Mind (ToM) is defined as one's ability to understand others' wishes, beliefs, intentions, and other psychological states and thereby to judge others' behavior, as an essential component of social cognition. However, there have been limited studies on social cognition, especially ToM in adolescent onset schizophrenia (AOS). The current study aims to investigate ToM abilities in adolescent schizophrenia according to various ToM subcomponents (cognitive ToM and affective ToM) and various ToM orders (first order and second order). Methods: This study examines ToM in 35 adolescent schizophrenic patients and 35 healthy adolescents using the Yoni task and Faux Pas Recognition test to assess their affective and cognitive ToM abilities. Results: In the Yoni task, patients with AOS showed differences in ToM abilities either on a different order or under different conditions. The Faux Pas Recognition task results revealed that AOS patients were not always able to recognize a faux pas or understand complicated emotions under the faux pas scenario. Furthermore, as indicated by the correlation analysis, neither cognitive ToM nor affective ToM was related to the patients' symptoms, disease duration, dose of medication, or intelligence quotient (IQ). Conclusion: Our findings showed AOS impairment in the performance of ToM tasks. It seemed that impairment in second-order-ToM is more serious. Moreover, these deficits are largely independent of symptom clusters, disease duration, dose of medication, and IQ. It can be speculated that ToM dysfunction may be a hallmark of adolescent schizophrenia.
Efficiently and effectively detecting shell-like structures of particular shapes is an important task in computer vision and image processing. This paper presents a generalized possibilistic c-means algorithm (PCM) for shell clustering based on the diversity index of degree-lambda proposed by Patil and Taillie [Diversity as a concept and its measurement. J Amer Statist Assoc. 1982;77:548-561]. Experiments on various data sets in Wang [Possibilistic shell clustering of template-based shapes. IEEE Trans Fuzzy Syst. 2009;17:777-793] show that the the proposed generalized PCM performs better than Wang's [Possibilistic shell clustering of template-based shapes. IEEE Trans Fuzzy Syst. 2009;17:777-793] possibilistic shell clustering method according two two criteria: (i) the 'grade of detection' g(d) for each target cluster; (ii) the amount of computation, denoted as k(c), required to attain a given g(d).
The gastrointestinal microbiota in the gut interacts metabolically and immnunologically with the host tissue in the contact zone of the mucus layer. For understanding the detail's of these interactions and especially their dynamics it is crucial to identify the metabolically active subset of the microbiome. This became possible by the development of stable isotope probing techniques, which have only sparsely been applied to microbiome research. We applied the in vivo stable isotope approach using N-15-labeled diet with subsequent identification of metabolically active bacterial species. Four-week old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to chow diet (CD, n=15) and high-fat diet (HFD, n=15). After 11 weeks, three animals from each group were sacrificed for baseline characterization of anthropometric and metabolic obesity. The remaining animals were exposed to either a N-15-labeled (n=9) or a N-14-unlabeled experimental diet (n=3). Three rats from each cohort (HFD and CD) were sacrificed at 12, 24, and 72 h. The remaining three animals from each cohort, which received the N-14-unlabeled diet, were sacrificed after 72 h. The colon was harvested and divided into three equal sections (proximal; medial, and distal), and the mucus layer of each specimen Was sampled by scraping. We identified the active subset in an HFD model of obesity in comparison with lean controls rats using metaproteomics. In addition, all samples were investigated by 16S rRNA amplicon gene sequencing. The active microbiome of the HFD group showed an increase in bacterial taxa for Verrucomicrobia and Desulfovibrionaceae. In contrast with no significant changes in alpha diversity, time- and localization-dependent effects in beta-diversity were clearly observed. In terms of enzymatic functions the HFD group showed strong affected metabolic pathways such as energy production and carbohydrate metabolism. In vivo isotope labeling combined with metaproteomics provides a valuable method to distinguish the active from the non-active bacterial phylogenetic groups that are relevant for microbiota host interaction. For morbid obesity such analysis may provide potentially new strategies for targeted pre- or probiotic treatments.
In power electronics, the pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter is one of the families of electrical circuits that converts the electrical supply from one level to another using semiconductor-based electronic switches. The important characteristic of these types of circuits is that the switches are operated only in one of two states: ON or OFF. The continuous conduction operations of these transitions cause switching power losses, which lead to power loss in PWM inverter. The purpose of the switch is to assist the process of transferring power from source to load. So, these power losses affect the performance and efficiency of the load. To overcome these problems, in this paper, asymmetric space vector pulse width modulation (ASVPWM) technique is proposed. In the proposed ASVM, the additional voltage sectors' switching states are determined by state transition matrix. Subsequently, using the proposed technique, the speed of the induction motor (IM) is controlled. The error speed and change of error speed of an IM are calculated using a fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The output of FLC is applied to the ASVPWM inverter and the stability of the IM is improved. Then, the switching loss and harmonics effect of the proposed ASVPWM inverter are analyzed.
Flow experience has been widely investigated in experiential activities such as sports, the performing arts, gaming, and Internet usage. Most studies focus on the positive aspects of flow experience and its effect on performance. In stark contrast, gambling research focusing on the negative side of addiction lacks an in-depth investigation of gamblers' (positive) flow encounters. This separation of research lines seems out of place given that recent research indicates connections between flow and addiction. Joining both constructs in a causal-effects model helps one gain a better understanding of their relationship and its contingencies. This article empirically investigates whether and how it is possible to observe a Janus face of flow with its various sub-dimensions in online gambling. Empirical data were collected from 500 online gamblers by applying a structured questionnaire with established scales. The data were analyzed with a confirmatory factor analysis and a double-hurdle model to separate casual gamblers who are unsusceptible to any addiction issues from gamblers affected by initiatory addiction issues. The findings indicate that online gambling addiction is negatively influenced by two sub-dimensions of flow experience, namely a sense of control and concentration on the task at hand, whereas it is enhanced by a transformation of time and autotelic experience.
It is important to establish the forecasting model of the network security situation. But the network security situation cannot be observed directly and can only be measured by other observable data. In this paper the network security situation is considered as a hidden behavior. In order to predict the hidden behavior, some methods have been proposed. However, these methods cannot use the hybrid information that includes qualitative knowledge and quantitative data. As such, a forecasting model of network security situation is proposed on the basis of the hidden belief rule base (BRB) model when the inputs are multidimensional. The initial parameters of the hidden BRB model given by experts may be subjective and inaccurate. In order to train the parameters, a revised covariance matrix adaption evolution strategy (CMA-ES) algorithm is further developed by adding a modified operator. The revised CMA-ES algorithm can optimize the parameters of the hidden BRB model effectively. The case study shows that compared with other methods, the proposed hidden BRB model and the revised CMA-ES algorithm can predict the network security situation effectively to improve the forecasting precision by making full use of qualitative knowledge. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This investigation was conducted to determine the variations in the dimensions of multi-component geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). Two GCLs were tested: a sample with a relatively smooth geofilm, and a sample with a textured geofilm. Discrete effects of cyclic wetting-drying, initial moisture content, overburden pressure, temperature, and underlying subgrade soil were determined. Coupled effects of underlying subgrade soil and climatic conditions were evaluated in an outdoor simulated field environment. Cyclic wetting and drying resulted in net shrinkage of GCLs, with shrinkage strains of 11 % and 4 % in the machine and cross-machine directions, respectively. Specimens with high initial moisture contents (75 % to 125 %) underwent more shrinkage in the early wet-dry cycles than those with low initial moisture (22 % to 50 %), however, the initial moisture had no significant effect on the ultimate shrinkage. In the machine direction, strains exceeded values that would cause panel separation in the field within the first two cycles, whereas at least seven cycles were required for panel separation strains in the cross-machine direction. Temperature effects alone did not result in significant shrinkage. Specimens placed on soil subgrades without wetting or drying underwent moisture changes however experienced less shrinkage than those subjected to wet-dry cycling. The GCLs underwent significant diurnal temperature variations (up to 55 C) outdoors. However, the shrinkage of these specimens was similar to that observed in the subgrade tests. The specimens with higher initial moisture contents underwent more dimensional change than the specimens at lower moistures. The type of geosynthetic in contact with the underlying soil influenced GCL soil systems. Woven geotextile sides on soil subgrades resulted in high moisture transfer and shrinkage.
Ecosystem water use efficiency is an important indicator of carbon and water cycle coupling. This study presents a new measure of water use efficiency, soil water use efficiency (SWUE), based on gross primary production and surface soil moisture derived from remote sensing products (ECV/-SM). Variation in SWUE among biomes, climate conditions, and latitudes from 2000 to 2014 was comprehensively assessed. Average global SWUE over this 15-year period was approximately 3.47 gC/kgH(2)O. SWUE was relatively high for ecosystems near the equator and decreased gradually with increasing latitude. At the biome level, high SWUE was measured in evergreen broadleaf forests, and lower values were found in shrublands. Compared with two other commonly used indicators of water use efficiency, EWUE (ratio of gross primary production to evapotranspiration) and RUE (ratio of gross primary production to precipitation), average SWUE from 2000 to 2014 was significantly higher and had the largest range of values. In addition, spatial distributions of these three indicators varied greatly. The new indicator SWUE will help promote understanding of soil water use in various ecosystems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study a novel auditory version of the Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT-A) was developed to investigate (a) the valence of adults' associations to infant cries and laughs, (b) moderation of implicit associations by gender and empathy, and (c) the robustness of implicit associations controlling for auditory sensitivity. Eighty adults (50% females) were administered two SC-IAT-As, the Empathy Quotient, and the Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale. Adults showed positive implicit associations to infant laugh and negative ones to infant cry; only the implicit associations with the infant laugh were negatively related to empathy scores, and no gender differences were observed. Finally, implicit associations to infant cry were affected by noise sensitivity. The SC-IAT-A is useful to evaluate the valence of implicit reactions to infant auditory cues and could provide fresh insights into understanding processes that regulate the quality of adult-infant relationships.
This study investigates the performance of existing vegetation indices for retrieving chlorophyll content for a semi-arid mixed grass prairie ecosystem across scales using in situ data collected in 2012 and 2013. A 144 published broadband (21) and narrowband (123) vegetation indices are evaluated to estimate chlorophyll content. Results indicate that narrowband indices utilize reflectance data from one or more wavelengths in the red-edge region (similar to 690-750 nm) perform better. Broadband indices are found to be as effective as narrowband indices for chlorophyll content estimation at both leaf and canopy scales. The empirical relationships are generally stronger at the canopy than the leaf scale, attributable to the fact that leaf samples are collected during the peak growing season when chlorophyll in plant species are uniform. SPOT-5 and CASI-550 derived chlorophyll maps result in map accuracies of 63.56% and 78.88% respectively. The assessment of vegetation chlorophylls at the canopy level, especially using remote sensing imagery is important for providing information pertaining to ecosystem health such as the physiological status, productivity, or phenology of vegetation. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A methodology for seminars developing in manufacturing engineering is presented. Often, when planning similar seminars, it is noted that seminars have a very limited duration. A normal way to overcome this limitation is to prepare the seminar educational documents, at students' disposal, before the seminar date. In this point, ICT tools used for virtual teaching, like eXe-Learning, become a significant advancement. However, in this paper is not only considered the elaboration of seminar materials for students, but also a whole educational strategy for seminars developing in manufacturing engineering is stated.
The avoidance of allergens and allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) are the only curative treatments of allergic diseases. This requires identification of the offending allergens based on the clinical history and the results of allergy tests, but also on prior attempts to stabilize the disease with drugs. AIT in polysensitized patients with severe allergic diseases which are difficult to control is a major challenge. We report the case of a 16-year-old girl with rhinitis and severe asthma attributed to mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dennatophagoides farinae), grass pollen and cat dander. The addition of Omaluzimab to the pre-established optimal treatment helped to control the disease and allowed us to initiate sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). SLIT was well tolerated during Omaluzimab administration and also after the drug was discontinued, and the treatment led to complete control of her allergic disease (symptoms, respiratory function and immunoassays). Several studies have shown that omalizumab increases tolerance to and efficacy of AIT in patients with respiratory and hymenoptera venom allergies. However, in most studies, omalizumab treatment was maintained during AIT. Our results in this young polysensitized girl with severe asthma agree with results reported in other studies which showed that pretreatment with omalizumab could lead to better tolerance and efficacy of AIT. Moreover, it was also reported that AIT can act synergistically with omalizumab and involves only the induction mechanisms of immune-regulation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Objectives: To prospectively evaluate the immunogenicity of a 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients undergoing etanercept therapy. Methods: Twenty-two RA patients treated with etanercept (ETA) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) (n=15) or monotherapy (n=7) for at least one year were included. Altogether 24 osteoarthritis patients not receiving biological or MTX therapy, treating only NSAIDs or analgesics served as controls. All subjects were vaccinated with a single dose (0.5 ml) of the PCV13. Pneumococcal antibody levels at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks were assessed by a VaccZyme (TM) Anti-PCP IgG Enzyme Immunoassay Kit. Based on recommendations of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, an at least two-fold increase in antibody level, as the protective antibody response (pAR) was an indicator of responsiveness (i.e., ratio of postvaccination and prevaccination antibody levels). The antibody levels and their ratios were analysed in a variety of different ways, vaccine safety parameters (fever, infections, changes in regular antirheumatic treatments) were assessed at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks after vaccination. Results: Four weeks after vaccination, the anti-pneumococcal antibody levels significantly increased in both groups. At week 8, antibody levels somewhat decreased in both groups, however, still remained significantly higher compared to baseline. Compared with postvaccination levels at 4 and 8 weeks between two groups, the mean protective antibody levels were higher in control group (1st month P=0.016; 2nd month: P=0.039). Possible predictors of pAR were analysed by logistic regression model. In RA, increases of antibody levels at week 8 compared to baseline exerted a negative correlation with age, (Spearman's R=-0,431; P=0.045). There were no clinically significant side effects or reaction after administration of vaccine observed in any of these patients after the 2-month follow-up period, all patients medical condition were stable. Conclusions: In RA patients treated with ETA, vaccination with PCV13 is effective and safe, resulting in pAR one and two months after vaccination. Higher age at vaccination was identified as predictors of impaired pAR. The efficacy of vaccination may be more pronounced in younger RA patients. The vaccine is safe in RA patients on ETA. (C) 2016 Societe francaise de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
In the era of cloud computing and big data, virtualization is gaining great popularity in storage systems. Since multiple guest virtual machines (DomUs) are running on a single physical device, disk I/O fairness among DomUs and aggregated throughput remain the challenges in virtualized environments. Although several methods have been developed for disk I/O performance virtualization among multiple DomUs, most of them suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks. (1) A fair scheduling mechanism is missing when requests converge together from multiple queues. (2) Existing methods rely on better performance of the underlying storage system such as solid state drive (SSD). (3) Throughput and latency are not considered simultaneously. To address these disadvantages, this paper presents a virtual multi-channel of disk I/O (VMCD) method that can be built on top of an ordinary storage utility, which mitigates the interference among multiple DomUs by using separated virtual channel (V-Channel) and an I/O request queue for each DomU. In our VMCD, several mechanisms are employed to enhance the I/O performance, including a credit allocation mechanism, a global monitoring strategy, and a virtual multi-channel fair scheduling algorithm. The proposed techniques are implemented on the Xen virtual disk and evaluated on Linux guest operating systems. Experiments results show that VMCD increases fairness by 70 percent approximately compared with CFQ and Anticipatory schedulers, by 30 percent approximately compared with Deadline scheduler; and enhances bandwidth utilization by 28 percent approximately compared with CFQ and Anticipatory schedulers, by 37 percent compared with Deadline in the case of three or more virtual DomUs running on the same physical host.
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is a highly integral methodology in product development, starting from the concept development phase, with the aim of improving manufacturing productivity and maintaining product quality. While Design for Assembly (DFA) is focusing on elimination or combination of parts with other components (Boothroyd, Dewhurst and Knight, 2002), which in most cases relates to performing a function and manufacture operation in a simpler way, DFM is following a more holistic approach. During DFM, the considerable background work required for the conceptual phase is compensated for by a shortening of later development phases. Current DFM projects normally apply an iterative step-by-step approach and eventually transfer to the developer team. Although DFM has been a well established methodology for about 30 years, a Fraunhofer IAO study from 2009 found that DFM was still one of the key challenges of the German Manufacturing Industry. A new, knowledge based approach to DFM, eliminating steps of DFM, was introduced in Paul and Al-Dirini (2009). The concept focuses on a concurrent engineering process between the manufacturing engineering and product development systems, while current product realization cycles depend on a rigorous back-and-forth examine-and-correct approach so as to ensure compatibility of any proposed design to the DFM rules and guidelines adopted by the company. The key to achieving reductions is to incorporate DFM considerations into the early stages of the design process. A case study for DFM application in an automotive powertrain engineering environment is presented. It is argued that a DFM database needs to be interfaced to the CAD/CAM software, which will restrict designers to the DFM criteria. Consequently, a notable reduction of development cycles can be achieved. The case study is following the hypothesis that current DFM methods do not improve product design in a manner claimed by the DFM method. The critical case was to identify DFA/DFM recommendations or program actions with repeated appearance in different sources. Repetitive DFM measures are identified, analyzed and it is shown how a modified DFM process can mitigate a non-fully integrated DFM approach.
Studied the effects of female migrants' acculturation strategies on affective evaluation, sexism and social dominance orientation - SDO in France, as a host country, and Romania, as a home country. The same quasi-experimental design was used in both countries: the description of an integrated, assimilated, separated or marginalized female migrant was introduced to participants and then benevolent and hostile sexism, SDO and the degree of acceptance of the migrant were assessed. A control condition was introduced for assessing these attitudes without migrant description. In France, the female migrant was perceived more positively in the integration condition than in the three other ones while assimilation increased SDO. In Romania, the female migrant was perceived more positively and the benevolent sexism was lower when the home culture was maintained than when it was not. Considering that female migrants strategies depend on the acculturation policies of host countries, these results highlight the role of integration policies for improving female migrants' acceptation, relations between communities and relations between genders. This study contributes to the extant literature through two main innovations: 1/it provides information on the influence of female migrants' acculturation strategies on gender relations and SDO, and 2/it documents this influence in a host and a home country using a similar procedure.
Higher education and traditional forms of teaching and management system are difficult to adapt to the individualized requirements and the cultivation of personalized talents, higher education information technology is a new trend in the world, and it plays an important role in promoting universities personalized education and innovation, training personnel, improving the integrated use of the excellent teaching resources, deepening teaching management reform and improving the teaching management level, enhancing teaching quality of advanced manufacturing engineering. Colleges and universities should attach great importance to the building and information on the quality of the teaching environment of information technology and promote information technology in education for major of manufacturing engineering.
When constructing structures receiving high vertical and horizontal force such as port facilities, caissons and breakwaters on a soft ground on the sea or seashore, it is very important to increase the strength of the ground and inhibit excessive settlement. Recently, there have been numerous studies on the method of wrapping the outer wall of granular piles with geotextile or geogrid that has a certain level of tensile strength. Since the geotextile increases the strength of granular piles by confinement effects, those confined granular piles more advantages than the Conventional Sand Compaction Piles (SCP) in terms of the bearing capacity and settlement. Furthermore, this method consumes less aggregate compared to the conventional Sand Compaction Pile (SCP) or Gravel Compaction Pile (GCP) method. This study proposed to determine the characteristics of mechanical behaviors such as bearing capacity and stress concentration ratio of a composite ground improved using SCPs reinforced with geotextile (Geotextile-Encased Sand Pile, GESP) as an alternative to the conventional SCP method. With this purpose, several loading tests were conducted on the artificially sedimented clay grounds reinforced using conventional SCPs and GESPs with geotextiles of three different tensile strengths with various replacement ratios. Based on the results of this study, the bearing capacity of the soft clay ground reinforced by the GESPs is larger than that of the soft ground reinforced by the conventional SCPs and the failure mode of the GESPs is buckling different from the bulging of the SCPs. The tensile strength of the geotextile has little effect on the bearing capacity in the buckling failure of GESPs.
Sediment grains in a bedrock-alluvial river will be deposited within or adjacent to a sediment patch, or as isolated grains on the bedrock surface. Previous analysis of grain geometry has demonstrated that these arrangements produce significant differences in grain entrainment shear stress. However, this analysis neglected potential interactions between the sediment patches, local hydraulics and grain entrainment. We present a series of flume experiments that measure the influence of sediment patches on grain entrainment. The flume had a planar bed with roughness that was much smaller than the diameters of the mobile grains. In each experiment sediment was added either as individual grains or as a single sediment pulse. Flow was then increased until the sediment was entrained. Analysis of the experiments demonstrates that: (1) for individual grains, coarse grains are entrained at a higher discharge than fine grains; (2) once sediment patches are present, the different in entrainment discharge between coarse and fine grains is greatly reduced; (3) the sheltering effect of patches also increases the entrainment discharge of isolated grains; (4) entire sediment patches break-up and are eroded quickly, rather than through progressive grain-by-grain erosion; (5) as discharge increases there is some tendency for patches to become more elongate and flow-aligned, and more randomly distributed across the bed. One implication of this research is that the critical shear stress in bedrock-alluvial channels will be a function of the extent of the sediment cover. Another is that the influence of sediment patches equalizes critical shear stresses between different grain sizes and grain locations, meaning that these factors may not need to be accounted for. Further research is needed to quantify interactions between sediment patches, grain entrainment and local hydraulics on rougher bedrock surfaces, and under different types of sediment supply. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: Adiponectin and leptin are implicated in the initiation and pathomechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The serum concentrations of these adipokines has been extensively studied in AD, however little is known about their receptors in this disease. Objective: We developed a novel approach to examine whether the receptors of adiponectin (AdipoR1 and -R2) and/or leptin (LepR) can contribute to AD pathomechanism. To achieve this, we investigated the effect of both genetic and environmental factors associated with AD on the expression of these receptors. Method: We used C57BL/6J (WT) and APP(swe)/Presen(e9d)1 (AD) mice. Both strains were exposed to restraint stress (RS) daily for 6h over different time periods. Then, we measured the mRNA expression of AdipoR1, AdipoR2 and LepR and the level of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 proteins in the hippocampal and prefrontal cortical areas of each mouse. Results: We detected brain region specific transcriptomic changes of adiponectin receptors induced by APP and PS1 transgenes. Both acute and chronic RS caused significant elevations in AdipoR1 mRNA expression in the hippocampus of WT mice. In the prefrontal cortex, the mRNA expression of AdipoR1 followed a biphasic course. In AD mice, RS did not promote any changes in the expression of AdipoR1 mRNA and AdipoR1 protein levels. AdipoR2 mRNA in AD animals, however, showed a significant increase in the prefrontal cortex during RS. Regarding AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 mRNA and protein expression, relevant changes could be measured during stress exposure in both brain areas. Furthermore, stress exposed groups exhibited little change in LepR mRNA expression. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that carrying the transgenes associated with AD induces modification in the expression of both adiponectin receptors. In the case of a normal genetic background, these receptors also appear to be sensitive to environmental factors, while in a genetically determined AD model less response to stress stimuli could be observed. The results suggest that modification of adipokine receptors could also be considered in the therapeutic approach to AD.
In order to reduce the stress on fuel cell based hybrid source fed electric drive system the controller design is made through active current sharing (ACS) technique. The effectiveness of the proposed ACS technique is tested on a dc drive system fed from fuel cell and battery energy sources which enables both load current sharing and source power management. High efficiency and reliability of the hybrid system can be achieved by proper energy conversion and management of power to meet the load demand in terms of required voltage and current. To overcome the slow dynamics feature of FC, a battery bank of adequate power capacity has to be incorporated as FC voltage drops heavily during fast load demand. The controller allows fuel cell to operate in normal load region and draw the excess power from battery. In order to demonstrate the performance of the drive using ACS control strategy different modes of operation of the hybrid source with the static and dynamic behavior of the control system is verified through simulation and experimental results. This control scheme is implemented digitally in LabVIEW with PCI 6251 DAQ I/O interface card. The efficacy of the controller performance is demonstrated in system changing condition supplemented by experimental validation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP) inherently incorporates standpoints, interventions, and ways of action promoting the development of the reflective function and mentalization, and thus has special value for parent-child psychotherapy. Two central tools in AAP contribute to this process. The first is the ethical stance of the therapist, who sees the animals as full partners in the therapy situation, respecting them as subjects with needs, desires, and thoughts of their own. The second tool combines nonverbal communication with animals together with the relating, in the here and now, to the understanding and decoding of body language of everyone in the setting. Nonverbal communication in AAP enables access to implicit communication patterns occurring between parent and child. This article provides a survey of theoretical development and research constituting a basis for the development of therapeutic approaches for the improvement of parent-children dynamics, followed by a description of a dyadic therapy model of a mentalization-based treatment originating from a psychoanalytic-relational orientation. Clinical examples are provided to illustrate AAP processes in parent-child psychotherapy (consent was received for examples that were not aggregated).
The current state of art in the literature indicates that linear visual receptive fields are Gaussian or formed based on Gaussian kernels in biological visual systems. In this paper, by employing hypotheses based on the anatomy and physiology of vertebrate biological vision, we propose a neural circuitry possessing Gaussian-related visual receptive fields. Here, we present a plausible circuitry system matching the characteristic properties of an ideal visual front end of biological visual systems and then present a condition under which this circuit demonstrates a linear behaviour to model the linear receptive fields observed in the biological experimental data. The objective of this study is to understand the hardware circuitry from which various visual receptive fields in biological visual system can be deduced. In our model, a nonlinear neural network communicating with spikes is considered. The condition under which this neural network behaves linearly is discussed. The equivalent linear circuit proposed here employs some anatomical and physiological properties of the early biological visual pathway to derive the visual receptive field profiles for linear cells such as neurons with isotropic separable, non-isotropic separable and non-separable (velocity-adapted) Gaussian receptive fields in the LGN and striate cortex. In the model presented here, the theory of transmission lines for linear distributed electrical circuits is employed for two-dimensional transmission grids to model cell connectivities in a neural layer. The model presented here leads to a formulation similar to the Gaussian scale-space theory for the transmission of visual signals through various layers of neurons. Our model therefore presents a new insight on how the convolution process with Gaussian kernels can be implemented in vertebrate visual systems. The comparison of the numerical simulations of our model presented in this paper with the data analysis of receptive field profiles recorded in the biological literature demonstrates a complete agreement between our theoretical model and experimental data. Our model is also in good agreement with the numerical results of the Gaussian scale-space theory for the visual receptive fields.
We experienced an autopsy case in which the cause of death was judged as poisoning by multiple new psychoactive substances, including AB-CHMINACA, 5-fluoro-AMB and diphenidine [Forensic Toxicol. 33 (2015): 45-53]. Although unchanged AB-CHMINACA could be detected from 8 solid tissues, it could neither be detected from blood nor urine specimens. In this article, we obtained eight kinds of reference standards of AB-CHMINACA metabolites from a commercial source. The AB-CHMINACA metabolites from the urine specimen of the abuser were extracted by a modified QuEChERS method and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry before and after hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase. Among the eight AB-CHMINACA metabolites tested, only 2 metabolites could be identified in the urine specimen of the deceased. After hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase, the concentrations of the two metabolites were not increased, suggesting that the metabolites were not in the conjugated forms. The metabolites detected were 4-hydroxycyclohexylmethyl AB-CHMINACA (M1), followed by N-[[1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1H-indazol-3-yl]carbonyl]-L-valine (M3). Their concentrations were 52.8 +/- 3.44 and 41.3 +/- 5.04 ng/ml (n = 10) for M1 and M3, respectively. Although there is one preceding report showing the estimations of metabolism of AB-CHMINACA without reference standards, this is the first report dealing with exact identification using reference standards, and quantification of M1 and M3 in an authentic urine specimen. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Creating a socially conscious educational environment is an imperative if health care practitioners are to have a significant impact on health inequities. The effects of practitioner bias, prejudice, and discrimination on health and health outcomes have been well documented in the literature. Individuals being trained to provide health care will be entering into an increasingly diverse world and must be equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills in order to meet the needs of those seeking their care. Cultural competency training in medical education has evolved over the past 15 years since the Institute of Medicine's 2002 report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. As research on the effectiveness of this training has emerged, several authors have called for the integration of antiracism training into the cultural competency curriculum, but few have found effective ways of doing so. This article describes the approach of one midwifery program in order to inform clinical education programs across the spectrum of health care practitioners.
RNA sequencing (RNAseq) is a versatile method that can be utilized to detect and characterize gene expression, mutations, gene fusions, and noncoding RNAs. Standard RNAseq requires 30 - 100 million sequencing reads and can include multiple RNA products such as mRNA and noncoding RNAs. We demonstrate how targeted RNAseq (capture) permits a focused study on selected RNA products using a desktop sequencer. RNAseq capture can characterize unannotated, low, or transiently expressed transcripts that may otherwise be missed using traditional RNAseq methods. Here we describe the extraction of RNA from cell lines, ribosomal RNA depletion, cDNA synthesis, preparation of barcoded libraries, hybridization and capture of targeted transcripts and multiplex sequencing on a desktop sequencer. We also outline the computational analysis pipeline, which includes quality control assessment, alignment, fusion detection, gene expression quantification and identification of single nucleotide variants. This assay allows for targeted transcript sequencing to characterize gene expression, gene fusions, and mutations.
Natural cellulosic fibres such as flax fibres present interesting mechanical properties as well as biodegradability, and by-products, such as short flax fibres, could be used to produce geotextiles to stabilise soils. Today, geotextiles are often made of coir fibres, which have a high lignin percentage leading to their slow degradation in soil. Fibres with a high cellulosic content, such as those of flax, exhibit lower resistance to soil degradation. This study investigates solutions to improve this parameter with a view to increasing their service life and therefore their credibility compared to coir fibres for geotextile applications. For this purpose, a cellulose coating of yarns made of short flax fibres was performed and its stability under a water flow was assessed. The ability to form a cellulose sheath was estimated by chromaticity measurements of flax fibres after applying a dye specific to lignin. Infrared spectrometry analysis to monitor the level of protection against degradation by cellulolytic enzymes was also carried out. It appears that the cellulose coating provides an efficient physical protection, preventing access of these enzymes to their fibrous substrate. Then, the possibility of conferring antibacterial properties on the cellulose coating by chelating phytoalexin molecules such as gramine on it was assayed and proven to be effective against soil cellulolytic bacteria such as Cellvibrio fulvus and Cellvibrio vulgaris. This study therefore establishes that coating flax yarns with cellulose associated with antibacterial molecules could contribute to obtaining a longer service life in soil for geotextiles manufactured from flax fibres. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objectives - Whether and when to immunologically treat epilepsy patients with suggested autoantibody (AB)-negative limbic encephalitis (LE) is clinically challenging. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical outcome and eventual outcome predictors of immunotherapy in a group of AB-negative patients with recent-onset temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicators of LE, subjective cognitive decline, and/or psychiatric symptoms. Methods - This retrospective, observational, uncontrolled study monitored 28 TLE patients with suggested AB-negative LE along with methylprednisolone immunotherapy. Results - All patients had seizures, amygdala and/or - hippocampal enlargement, subjective cognitive decline and/or behavioral problems. Eighty-six percent (24/28) were impaired in executive or memory functions, 39% (10/25) depressed, 81% were on antiepileptic drugs when pulse therapy started. After a median follow-up of 18 months, 46% (13/28) of the patients were seizure free (>2 months), 48% (13/27) showed MRI improvements (amygdala and/or hippocampal volume reduction), cognition improved in 57% (16/28), worsened in 32% (9/28), mood improved in 14% (4/25), and deteriorated in 11% (3/25). Immunotherapy was discontinued in 75% (21/28). Clinical changes did not correlate to each other. Outcomes could not be predicted. Conclusion - Immunological treatment of suggested AB-negative LE showed reasonable seizure control, MRI and cognitive improvements. Treatment success was not predictable from clinical features, nor definitely attributable to immunological treatment. Lacking biomarkers for the reliable diagnosis of AB-negative LE, we suggest that in presence of mild manifestations, and after initiating antiepileptic drug therapy, negative dynamics in MRI, seizures, cognition, and behavior should be documented before immunosuppressive treatment is initiated.
The mechanics of urine during its transport from the renal pelvis to the bladder is of great interest for urologists. The knowledge of the different physical variables and their interrelationship, both in physiologic movements and pathologies, will help a better diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this chapter is to show the physics principles and their most relevant basic relations in urine transport, and to bring them over the clinical world. For that, we explain the movement of urine during peristalsis, ureteral obstruction and in a ureter with a stent. This explanation is based in two tools used in bioengineering: the theoretical analysis through the Theory of continuous media and Ffluid mechanics and computational simulation that offers a practical solution for each scenario. Moreover, we review other contributions of bioengineering to the field of Urology, such as physical simulation or additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques. Finally, we list the current limitations for these tools and the technological development lines with more future projection. CONCLUSIONS: In this chapter we aim to help urologists to understand some important concepts of bioengineering, promoting multidisciplinary cooperation to offer complementary tools that help in diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Oscillometric measurement is widely used to estimate systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). In this paper, we propose a deep belief network (DBN)-deep neural network (DNN) to learn about the complex nonlinear relationship between the artificial feature vectors obtained from the oscillometric wave and the reference nurse blood pressures using the DBN-DNN-based-regression model. Our DBN-DNN is a powerful generative network for feature extraction and can address to stick in local minima through a special pretraining phase. Therefore, this model provides an alternative way for replacing a popular shallow model. Based on this, we apply the DBN-DNN-based regression model to estimate the SBP and DBP. However, there are a small amount of data samples, which is not enough to train the DBN-DNN without the overfitting problem. For this reason, we use the parametric bootstrap-based artificial features, which are used as training samples to efficiently learn the complex nonlinear functions between the feature vectors obtained and the reference nurse blood pressures. As far as we know, this is one of the first studies using the DBN-DNN-based regression model for BP estimation when a small training sample is available. Our DBN-DNN-based regression model provides a lower standard deviation of error, mean error, and mean absolute error for the SBP and DBP as compared with the conventional methods.
Purpose: Differential reinforcement and most-to-least prompting were implemented within the context of developmentally appropriate play activities in an effort to improve the eye contact between a 4-year-old boy with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and his three therapists. Methods: A multiple baseline design across therapists was used to examine the eye contact of a 4-year-old boy with PDD-NOS. Maintenance data were collected at 1, 2 and 3 months post intervention. Results: The intervention was effective and improvements in eye contact were maintained for at least 3 months post intervention. However, eye contact did not readily generalize across communication partners. Conclusions: Results suggest that eye contact may not generalize to communication partners who are not directly involved in intervention. Results are discussed in terms of implications for practitioners and directions for future research.
The optimum economic sizing of a water distribution network has been focus of study for many researches and projectors, and represent a relevant part of sanitation programs. But, by now, the known works approaches only the implantation cost, considering that the pipes have biggest heavy in the project. So, the problem is reduced to sizing pipes which objective is reach a cheaper network and satisfying the minimum hydraulic prerequisites. This leads to the choice of a network with pipes of minor diameters since this choice satisfies the hydraulics restrictions. New in Brazil by now, our approach consider too the maintenance cost throughout life span of network. It because, if in one way the larger diameters are more expensive, in an other, it are more resistant to break and to rugosity effects. This leads to a network of minimum maintenance cost throughout its life span. Then, we reach the equilibrium between the implantation cost and the maintenance cost.
With the rapid development of our country's economy, the per capita level of material life has improved significantly, the corresponding power consumption is also growing sharply, which brings a severe test to the stable operation of power grid system. As the mainstream trend of the current power grid construction, intelligent substation gathers many advanced technologies, wherein the communication technology plays a more and more significant role in it, and how to ensure the communication network security has become the currently primary work content. Thus, this article mainly analyzes the communication security technology in the intelligent substation, objectively sets forth the structure of the intelligent substation by integrating the actual situation, puts forward a safer and more reliable technical solution according to the characteristics of IED, so as to provide more solid guarantee for the intelligent substation, make sure the data transmission is securer, and promote the healthy and sustainable development of power utility.
Astronomy is in an era where all-sky surveys are mapping the Galaxy. The plethora of photometric, spectroscopic, asteroseismic, and astrometric data allows us to characterize the comprising stars in detail. Here we quantify to what extent precise stellar observations reveal information about the properties of a star, including properties that are unobserved, or even unobservable. We analyze the diagnostic potential of classical and asteroseismic observations for inferring stellar parameters such as age, mass, and radius from evolutionary tracks of solar-like oscillators on the lower main sequence. We perform rank correlation tests in order to determine the capacity of each observable quantity to probe structural components of stars and infer their evolutionary histories. We also analyze the principal components of classic and asteroseismic observables to highlight the degree of redundancy present in the measured quantities and demonstrate the extent to which information of the model parameters can be extracted. We perform multiple regression using combinations of observable quantities in a grid of evolutionary simulations and appraise the predictive utility of each combination in determining the properties of stars. We identify the combinations that are useful and provide limits to where each type of observable quantity can reveal information about a star. We investigate the accuracy with which targets in the upcoming TESS and PLATO missions can be characterized. We demonstrate that the combination of observations from GALA and PLATO will allow us to tightly constrain stellar masses, ages, and radii with machine learning for the purposes of Galactic and planetary studies.
Recent field work at the Wax Lake Delta (WLD) in coastal Louisiana indicates lateral outflow from channels to islands upstream of the receiving basin; in this region of the delta the flow transitions from confined to unconfined (i.e., from a uniform discharge profile to a nonuniform discharge profile). The hydraulics of this transition zone and the controls exerted by vegetation, topography, and river discharge fluctuations are analyzed in this work. The shallow water equations are numerically solved in two model domains: an idealized channel-island complex and the full domain of the WLD. In both domains, a significant fraction of the river discharge flows laterally from the channels to deltaic islands before reaching the receiving basin. Vegetation roughness within the delta islands significantly impacts the fraction and rate of lateral outflow from the channel, while river discharge fluctuations have a limited effect, due to the backwater control on the subcritical flow. The presence of vegetation in the islands tends to increase velocities within the channel, except in the region upstream of significant lateral outflow, where the velocity increases with decreasing vegetation roughness due to the lowered water level that reduces the flow cross-section. The topography establishes a lateral water surface gradient between the channel and the islands even with low vegetation roughness, which drives lateral flow. A velocity spreading angle is used to mark the transition from confined to unconfined flow; the angle generally increases up to the onset of unconfined flow and then decreases as the flow approaches the receiving basin and the flow in the island tends to align with that of the channel. The lateral outflow from the primary channels influences the hydraulics of the flow throughout the backwater length. The transition between confined and unconfined flow in coastal river deltas has a significant impact on the flow hydraulics and the resulting transport dynamics of solids and solutes. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Water distribution networks are vulnerable to various contamination events that may be accidental or purposeful. Sensors are required for online monitoring of water quality to safeguard human health. Since sensors are costly, their numbers must be limited that makes sensor locations crucial in the water monitoring system. This paper aims at location of sensors in intermittent water distribution system which are more prone to accidental contamination due to contaminants ingress into the pipe lines because of low pressures during non supply hours. Considering deployment of limited number of sensors, the novelty of the paper is to propose a methodology for selection of contamination events with associated risk to be used in design of sensor network. Integrated risk assessment model is used to identify risk prone areas that may lead to possible contamination events. A Genetic Algorithm based methodology is suggested for optimal location of water quality sensors to maximize the detection likelihood of the contamination events within the acceptable time from the risk prone areas to improve network security. A comparison of sensor network design is made by considering contamination events occurring with: (i) equal probability at all the nodes; (ii) equal probability at risk prone nodes; and (iii) probability of occurrences based on quantified risk, to show that identification of risk prone areas and selection of contamination events results in reduction of computational work and more sensible placement of sensors.
Recently, rainwater harvesting systems have received increased attention due to their capability for adapting to water scarcity and climate change. However, a key obstacle to the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems is that they are often not financially feasible given difficulty in determining optimal system size. A key premise of previous studies was that all rainwater harvesting systems are constructed in a single construction event even though it is possible to construct a system in multiple stages. This assumption limits managerial flexibility in the construction of rainwater harvesting systems, which is particularly valuable in scenarios where it is difficult to forecast future rainfall patterns. Therefore, we propose a multi-stage system expansion strategy for the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems using decommissioned septic tanks under scenarios of uncertainty in rainfall from a real option perspective as a means to improve the financial feasibility of implementing rainwater harvesting systems. We tested this strategy by evaluating a proposed rainwater harvesting system for a midsize apartment complex in Jeonju, South Korea. The multi-stage expansion strategy generated an option value of 9,896 USD. This study will help to improve the financial feasibility of rainwater harvesting systems by adding the value of managerial flexibility through a sequential expansion of RWH systems as new information becomes available.
Prior research has identified the offline thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that lead to impaired relationships for individuals high in social anxiety (HSA; e.g., fear of conversation; interpersonal aloofness). We tested whether social anxiety manifests through visible online signals of relationship impairment that mirror these known offline indicators, and whether observers use these signals when judging social anxiety online. Facebook profile owners (n = 77) reported social anxiety, their profiles were coded for objective features, and unacquainted observers (n = 6) rated profile owners' social anxiety after viewing their profiles. HSA individuals' Facebook profiles were shown to contain signs indicating relationship impairment across the domains of social inactivity (e.g., few friends and photographs), close relationship quality (e.g., relationship status of single), and self-disclosure (e.g., absence of status updates), and observers inferred high levels of social anxiety in individuals' whose profiles showed these signs. These findings suggest that offline relationship impairment experienced by HSA individuals carries over into online contexts, and that online relationship impairment can be accurately perceived by unacquainted observers. Discussion considers whether integrating this knowledge into existing treatments - most notably online, self-guided protocols - could improve the identification and treatment of social anxiety. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Previous studies have shown that female infidelity, attachment insecurity, and male sexual coercion in intimate relationships are empirically related to each other. However, the mechanisms that are involved remain poorly understood. The study aimed to examine two mediating models of male sexual coercion concerning first sex in Chinese college students' dating relationships (perceived female infidelity or attachment insecurity as the mediator), with both male and female participants (not using dyadic data). A total of 927 validly completed questionnaires provided the data; the respondents were recruited by purposive snowball sampling of students attending colleges in five of China's largest cities who were currently in a romantic relationship. First, with both the male and female samples, perceived female infidelity was positively correlated with violence threat coercive tactics; and, with the male sample only, it was positively correlated with emotional manipulation coercive tactics. Second, with the male sample only, male partners' attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) were positively correlated with perceived female infidelity. Third, male partners' attachment anxiety fully mediated the relationship between perceived female infidelity and emotional manipulation coercive tactics. These findings suggest how the proximate and ultimate causes of sexual coercion in intimate relationships interact. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The United States Geological Survey estimates that over four trillion barrels of crude oil are currently trapped within U.S. oil shale reserves. However, no cost-effective, environmentally sustainable method for oil production from oil shale currently exists. Given the continuing demand for low-cost fossil-fuel production, alternative methods for shale-oil extraction are needed. Geothermic Fuel Cells (TM) (GFC) harness the heat generated by high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells during electricity generation to process oil shale into sweet crude oil. In this paper, a thermo-electrochemical model is exercised to simulate the performance of a 4.5 kW(e) (gross) Geothermic Fuel Cell module for in situ oil-shale processing. The GFC analyzed in this work is a prototype which contains three 1.5 kW(e) solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack-and-combustor assemblies packaged within a 0.3 m diameter, 1.8 m tall, stainless-steel housing. The high-temperature process heat produced by the SOFCs during electricity generation is used to retort oil shale within underground geological formations into high-value shale oil and natural gas. A steady-state system model is developed in Aspen Plus (TM) using user-defined subroutines to predict the stack electrochemical performance and the heat-rejection from the module. The model is validated against empirical data from independent single-stack performance testing and full GFC-module experiments. Following model validation, further simulations are performed for different values of current, fuel and air utilization to study their influence on system electrical and heating performance. The model is used to explore a wider range of operating conditions than can be experimentally tested, and provides insight into the competing physical processes at play during Geothermic Fuel Cell operation. Results show that the operating conditions can be tuned to generate desired heat-flux conditions as needed across applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Many studies deal with the impact of prevention campaigns. Whatever the method used, most of them postulate that people take the campaign into consideration as soon as they are exposed to it. The cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957, 1964) postulates the principle of selective exposure. People tend to both expose themselves to consistent information to strengthen their attitude and behavior and avoid inconsistent one. Avoiding inconsistent information prevents them from threatening position which could modify their attitude. The goal of this research consists in verifying a selective exposure effect concerning smoking prevention using a measure of implicit attitude. This research was conducted in a professional training institute. Participants were recruited on the pretext of a consultation as part of a training design on addictions. They were either employees or trainees from the institute. Forty-four smokers and 80 non-smokers took part in the experiment. They had to precise which prevention thematic (among six addictions) would interest them in order to construct a new training/formation program dealing with dangers of addiction the harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, drugs etc. People were asked what kind of topic would interest them most. Then, their attitudes and behavior toward smoking were evaluated. To evaluate smoking attitudes, we used both an explicit (Attitude Toward Smoking Scale [ATS]; Etter et al., 2000) and an implicit measure (Single Category Implicit Association Test Personalized [SC-IAT-P]; Bardin et al., 2014). Smoking habits were also recorded. Results revealed that smokers have an implicit attitude less negative than non-smokers. Implicit attitude of smokers also predicts selective exposure. The more their attitude is positive, the less people would like to expose themselves to smoking prevention information. At last, smokers who have already considered quitting are more inclined to expose to such information than other smokers. These results support the hypothesis of an effect on attitudes explicit and implicit in the expression of needs in the context of smoking prevention training design. (C) 2015 Societe Francaise de Psychologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Several major market operators argue that the current level of knowledge about quality is too scant to justify a switch to a large-scale production of triploid salmon. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to elucidate how rearing conditions (5, 10 and 15 degrees C) affect the flesh quality of triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo solar L, 1.6 +/- 0.3 kg). As a reference, diploid salmon kept under equal conditions and with equal genetics were used. The main design discriminant was the holding temperature; increased temperature gave increased blood lactate, rigor index (I-r), drip loss (DL), content of astaxanthin and intensity of redness, but reduced muscle pH, cathepsin activity and fillet lightness. Salmon kept at 10 degrees C grew the fastest. It is concluded that ploidy gave less variation than temperature. Triploids were characterized by lower blood haernatocrit (Hct) and I-r higher DL and collagenase activity, and on average, paler and less yellowish fillets. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a novel interleaved high-conversion-ratio bidirectional dc-dc converter based on switched capacitors and coupled inductors. Series-connected switched capacitor and inductor cells were used to increase the voltage conversion ratio, reduce voltage stresses on power switches, realize soft-charging/discharging of switched capacitors, and achieve autocurrent-sharing in parallel inductors. The interleaved structure combined with switched capacitors was adopted to reduce current ripple at the side having lower voltage, thus enabling applications that require high power levels. In this paper, we first review the status of high-voltage-ratio bidirectional dc-dc converters. Then, the evolution of the proposed extensible topologies and the steady-state operating principle under the inductor current continuous conduction mode is presented. Finally, the performance and features such as voltage gain, voltage and current stress, and the autocurrent-sharing mechanism that are realized by switched capacitors are verified; the optimal design of coupled-inductors, switched-capacitors, and the chip size of switches are given. A specific design of the driving circuit that facilitates actual applications is described. A 1-kW prototype converter, employing a hybrid configuration of SiC and Si MOSFETs, was constructed to verify the theoretical analysis, and achieved an optimal compromise between conversion efficiency and low cost.
Airlift reactors have numerous applications in processing industries, and thus the hydrodynamic behaviors using fluids that have distinct rheological characteristics need to be better understood for the successful design and operation of these devices. In this sense, the novelty of this study is to evaluate the influence of the energy losses in each reactor region on the interstitial liquid velocity (V-LR), and to provide correlations for prediction of gas hold-ups (epsilon(R) and epsilon(D)) and V-LR for a wide range of physical and rheological properties of the liquid, using different models (draft-tube-DTA, split-cylinder-SCA) and scales (5 and 10 L) of airlift reactors. Gas hold-ups were determined by a manometric method, and V-LR was calculated by circulation time of spheres with the same liquid density. Energy losses were calculated using a semi-theoretical method. The total energy dissipated in the riser and downcomer was greater for DTA reactors, whereas in the bottom was greater for SCA reactors. Non-Newtonian fluids showed higher VLR in SCA reactors, while the opposite was observed for Newtonian fluids. Excellent fits to the experimental data were achieved using simple correlations to predict epsilon(R) and epsilon(D), as well as dimensionless correlations that incorporated the desired parameter (V-LR). (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is associated with lower cognition and reduced white matter volume in older adults, specifically for particulate matter < 2.5-mu m diameter (PM2.5). Rodents exposed to TRAP have shown microglial activation and neuronal atrophy. We further investigated age differences of TRAP exposure, with focus on hippocampus for neuritic atrophy, white matter degeneration, and microglial activation. Young-and middle-aged mice (3 and 18 months female C57BL/6J) were exposed to nanoscalePM (nPM, < 0.2 mm diameter). Young mice showed selective changes in the hippocampal CA1 region, with neurite atrophy (-25%), decreased MBP (- 50%), and increased Iba1 (-50%), with dentate gyrus relatively unaffected. Exposure to nPM of young mice decreased GluA1 protein (- 40%) and increased TNFa mRNA (10 x). Older controls had age changes approximating nPM effects on young, with no response to nPM, suggesting an age-ceiling effect. The CA1 selective vulnerability in young mice parallels CA1 vulnerability in Alzheimer's disease. We propose that TRAP-associated human cognitive and white matter changes involve hippocampal responses to nPM that begin at younger ages. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
One-class classification is a basic problem in machine learning. Unlike the existing typical one-class classifiers designed from the angle of probability or geometric, this paper attempts to study this problem from the bionics point of view. Using the continuous cognition characteristic as the starting point, we propose a new framework of one-class classifier, named multiple regression model (OC-MR), which can be seen as a natural extension of multiple regression for one-class classification problem. This paper applies least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) as an example to show the modeling process of the proposed method and the corresponding one-class classifier is named one-class least squares support vector machine (OC-LSSVM). Various simulation and real-life datasets are used to test the performance of the proposed OC-LSSVM. The existing popular one-class classification methods including Parzen kernel density estimation, support vector data description and Gaussian mixture model are also applied in order to achieve a comprehensive comparison. The results show that OC-LSSVM has achieved the best performance in most of the simulation and real-life datasets due to its good robustness, which highlights the efficacy of OC-LSSVM. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mitochondria have many different functions, the most important one of which is oxidative phosphorylation. They originated from an endosymbiotic event between a bacterium and an archaeal host cell. It was the evolution of a protein import system that marked the boundary between the endosymbiotic ancestor of the mitochondrion and a true organelle that is under the control of the nucleus. In present day mitochondria more than 95% of all proteins are imported from the cytosol in a proces mediated by hetero-oligomeric protein complexes in the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes. In this review we compare mitochondrial protein import in the best studied model system yeast and the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei. The 2 organisms are phylogenetically only remotely related. Despite the fact that mitochondrial protein import has the same function in both species, only very few subunits of their import machineries are conserved. Moreover, while yeast has 2 inner membrane protein translocases, one specialized for presequence-containing and one for mitochondrial carrier proteins, T. brucei has a single inner membrane translocase only, that mediates import of both types of substrates. The evolutionary implications of these findings are discussed.
As a droplet with particles evaporates, the particles deposit on the substrate surface. In this work, we show the extent of gravitational effects on the particle deposition profile and propose a new model for particle tracing in an evaporating droplet which accounts for gravitational effects. Experimentally, we compare pendant and sessile water droplets with 1 and 3 m polystyrene particles. Numerically, the finite element method was used to create a transport model of the evaporating droplet system and particle deposition. The numerical and experimental results have excellent agreement and show that a pendant water droplet with 1 and 3 m polystyrene spheres has significant separation of the two particle sizes. Finally, a phase diagaram was created to map different deposition profiles for various gravitational Peclet numbers (Pe(G)) and ratios of Peclet number to Damkohler number (Pe/Da). (c) 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 947-955, 2016
Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology provides broad-ranging support of AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry needs. The inclusion of a web display provides increased support to BIM users and it is desirable that global CAD (computer-aided design) and BIM design software should provide increased access to building product specifications via web browser. Recent actions towards to develop a BIM-based Web3D environments evidence the effort of facing the situation which request to integrate IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) with web technology, such as WebGL. This paper discusses a method to create 3D visualization for BIM models in web browser by combining IFC standard and WebGL technology. The solution is developed based upon a conversion of IFC text into object file (OBJ) and a subsequent OBJ compilation in WebGL. The main work consists of three parts. First, based on IFC standard, the IFC-to-OBJ transforming method is constructed for encoding specific IFC attributes into the OBJ file. Second, through WebGL programming, a visualization method is presented for creating 3D performance in web browser. Thirdly, a visualization platform with three-layered structure is designed based on IFC and WebGL integration for BIM data. The testing of the approach and the platform suggested demonstrated consistency in the conversion process and stability and rendering quality in the display of models over the Web browser. The method may be applied in planning and design workflows, particularly in multiuser, multi-BIM-application and real-time environments, which require BIM models or exported IFC files to be visualized easily in the web browser.
Objective: The introduction of health information technology systems, electronic health records in particular, is changing the nature of how clinicians interact with patients. Lack of knowledge remains on how best to integrate such systems in the exam room. The purpose of this systematic review was to (1) distill bestbehavioral and communication practices recommended in the literature for clinicians when interacting with patients in the presence of computerized systems during a clinical encounter, (2) weigh the evidence of each recommendation, and (3) rank evidence-based recommendations for electronic health record communication training initiatives for clinicians. Methods: We conducted a literature search of 6 databases, resulting in 52 articles included in the analysis. We extracted information such as study setting, research design, sample, findings, and implications. Recommendations were distilled based on consistent support for behavioral and communication practices across studies. Results: Eight behavioral and communication practices received strong support of evidence in the literature and included specific aspects of using computerized systems to facilitate conversation and transparency in the exam room, such as spatial (re) organization of the exam room, maintaining nonverbal communication, and specific techniques that integrate the computerized system into the visit and engage the patient. Four practices, although patient-centered, have received insufficient evidence to date. Discussion and Conclusion: We developed an evidence base of best practices for clinicians to maintain patientcentered communications in the presence of computerized systems in the exam room. Further work includes development and empirical evaluation of evidence-based guidelines to better integrate computerized systems into clinical care.
This study investigated whether the pattern of behavior associated with popularity in the USA is also found in Indonesia. Participants were 452 7th (13 years) and 10th grade (16 years) Muslim students from West Java, Indonesia. Data were obtained from adolescents, peers, and teachers. Social preference and popularity were positively associated with prosocial behavior and number of mutual friends. Whereas social preference was positively associated with academic achievement and negatively associated with aggression, popularity was positively associated with aggression and tobacco use. These patterns of association are similar to those found in the United States. Indonesian society is highly hierarchical and popularity structures may build upon these stratifications.
Geotextiles are porous and fibrous materials that consist of randomly oriented and isotropically distributed long filaments which vary in terms of spatial distribution, curvature, orientation, size, and mass density. The heterogeneous internal structure of geotextiles constituted from individual/discrete fibers and having different micro-structure and macro-structure properties are prone to exhibit dissimilar tensile stress-strain behavior (i.e. progressive versus reactionary) as well as showing favorable versus adverse response to varied experimental conditions such as temperature and strain rate change when tested at macro scale as opposed to micro-scale level. To this end, in order to evaluate thermo-tensile strength properties as well as to characterize tensile extension behavior of single geotextile filaments at micro-scale level, micro-mechanical tensile tests were performed at different temperatures using a Dynamic Thermo-Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) on single filaments extracted from polypropylene needle punched nonwoven geotextile. Various test temperatures between 21 degrees C and 50 degrees C were chosen to represent and simulate the wide range of temperatures encountered in the field for geotechnical applications such as landfill base liners. The paper also presents a statistical analysis of the results of the test program to provide a basis for comparison of inherent filament variability. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Smart textiles have become a dominant trend in future textiles development, especially wearable electronics. However, electronic garment designs often look more 'technical' than 'textile', which is reflected in the slow growth of the market. Therefore, a design approach is proposed to design the conductive paths of electric stimulation garments in three steps: modelling, division and conquer, and pattern refinement to enhance the aesthetics. A Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) knitwear garment with a refined conductive network was developed and evaluated. The output waveforms and spectrums of the resulting TENS knitwear are similar to those of TENS signals. The resistance variations are smaller than 16 per cent after optimization, which is largely due to truncation and deformation. This method could provide a feasible and systematic approach to the design of electric stimulation textiles by using conductive fabrics to meet the requirements of both functionality and aesthetics.
A numerical model was used to investigate the mechanical behaviour of granular embankments reinforced by geosynthetics in areas prone to subsidence and to overcome the shortcomings of the current design methods. The ability of the numerical model to consider the load transfer mechanisms and the deflection of the geosynthetic was established by comparison with experimental data. By testing two numerical processes, it was demonstrated that the cavity opening modes have a great influence on the shape of the load distribution transmitted to the geosynthetic sheet above the cavity and on the expansion mechanisms of the soil. An approximate conical load distribution seems well adapted when considering a progressive cavity diameter opening process, whereas an inverted load distribution seems more suitable for a gradual settlement process. In both cases, the intensity of the load transfer mechanism can be approached by the Terzaghi's formulation using an appropriate value for the ratio between the horizontal and vertical stresses. Finally, recommendations based on the experimental and numerical results are proposed to promote a better design of such structures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Systems cell biology understanding of development requires characterization of all the molecules produced in the biological system. Decades of research and new-generation sequencing provided functional information on key genes and transcripts. However, there is less information available on how differential gene expression translates into the domains of functionally important proteins, peptides, and metabolites, and how changes in these molecules impact development. Mass spectrometry (MS) is the current technology of choice for the detection and quantification of large numbers of proteins and metabolites, because it requires no use of antibodies, functional probes, or a priori knowledge of molecules produced in the system. This review focuses on recent technologies that have improved MS sensitivity for proteins and metabolites and enabled new functionalities to assess their temporal and spatial changes during vertebrate embryonic development. This review highlights case studies, in which new-generation MS tools have enabled the study of hundreds-to-thousands of proteins and metabolites in tissues, cell populations, and single cells in model systems of vertebrate development, particularly the frog (Xenopus), zebrafish, and mouse. New-generation MS expands the toolbox of cell and developmental studies, raising exciting potentials to advance basic and translational research in the life sciences.
Surface remote sensing of aerosol properties provides ground truth for satellite and model validation and is an important component of aerosol observation system. Due to the different characteristics of background aerosol variability, information obtained at different locations usually has different spatial representativeness, implying that the location should be carefully chosen so that its measurement could be extended to a greater area. In this study, we present an objective observation array design technique that automatically determines the optimal locations with the highest spatial representativeness based on the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) theory. The ensemble is constructed using aerosol optical depth (AOD) products from five satellite sensors. The optimal locations are solved sequentially by minimizing the total analysis error variance, which means that observations at these locations will reduce the background error variance to the largest extent. The location determined by the algorithm is further verified to have larger spatial representativeness than some other arbitrary location. In addition to the existing active Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites, the 40 selected optimal locations are mostly concentrated on regions with both high AOD inhomogeneity and its spatial representativeness, namely, the Sahel, South Africa, East Asia, and North Pacific Islands. These places should be the focuses of establishing future AERONET sites in order to further reduce the uncertainty in the monthly mean AOD. Observations at these locations contribute to approximately 50% of the total background uncertainty reduction.
Vocal tract resonances provide reliable information about a speaker's body size that human listeners use for biosocial judgements as well as speech recognition. Although humans can accurately assess men's relative body size from the voice alone, how this ability is acquired remains unknown. In this study, we test the prediction that accurate voice-based size estimation is possible without prior audiovisual experience linking low frequencies to large bodies. Ninety-one healthy congenitally or early blind, late blind and sighted adults (aged 20-65) participated in the study. On the basis of vowel sounds alone, participants assessed the relative body sizes of male pairs of varying heights. Accuracy of voice-based body size assessments significantly exceeded chance and did not differ among participants who were sighted, or congenitally blind or who had lost their sight later in life. Accuracy increased significantly with relative differences in physical height between men, suggesting that both blind and sighted participants used reliable vocal cues to size (i.e. vocal tract resonances). Our findings demonstrate that prior visual experience is not necessary for accurate body size estimation. This capacity, integral to both nonverbal communication and speech perception, may be present at birth or may generalize from broader cross-modal correspondences.
People read dominance, trustworthiness and competence into the faces of politicians but do they also perceive such social qualities in other nonverbal cues? We transferred the body movements of politicians giving a speech onto animated stick-figures and presented these stimuli to participants in a rating-experiment. Analyses revealed single body postures of maximal expansiveness as strong predictors of perceived dominance. Also, stick-figures producing expansive movements as well as a great number of movements throughout the encoded sequences were judged high on dominance and low on trustworthiness. In a second step we divided our sample into speakers from the opposition parties and speakers that were part of the government as well as into male and female speakers. Male speakers from the opposition were rated higher on dominance but lower on trustworthiness than speakers from all other groups. In conclusion, people use simple cues to make equally simple social categorizations. Moreover, the party status of male politicians seems to become visible in their body motion. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
To identify the presence of environmental factors linked to the onset of allergies and asthma in the homes of children participating in an early detection program that were identified with sensitivity to common allergens in the region of Sonora, Mexico. A walkthrough assessment was carried out in the homes of sensitized children; the research tools were the questionnaire and environmental checklist proposed by the Lowell Healthy Homes Program of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. The results showed the presence of environmental allergen sources, to which most of the children in the study are sensitized, as well as the environmental conditions and habits that determine the quality of the indoor air of the households, were both related to triggering allergies and asthma in this population. A statistically significant association was found between the visual observation of dust inside homes and the sensitivity of children to dust mites. Dust found inside the home was the most relevant environmental factor related to positive cases of IgE in children. Early detection of allergies in children in the study and the methodology used in this investigation provided a useful framework for the design of plans and intervention alternatives in these homes to prevent the development of allergies and asthma panorama. These plans should be designed with a multidisciplinary approach to impact social, environmental and economic benefits in the family, improving the living conditions of the study population and contributing to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations for 2030.
The authors of this study explored (a) body-to-pattern measurement and shape relationships in trouser patterns drafted by two methods; (b) the consistency of these body-to-pattern relationships between methods and between differently shaped bodies within methods; (c) the patternmaking procedures that cause these outcomes; and (d) how these findings impact garment fit, particularly for mass customization. Body-to-pattern measurement and shape relationships were inconsistent between and within methods, making them unsuitable for use in computer-aided custom patternmaking. Most strikingly, pattern crotch shapes were similar within each method, despite the fact that form crotch shapes were different. Patternmaking procedures causing these inconsistencies include (a) use of proportion of noncorresponding body measurements; (b) use of standard, rather than body, measurements; (c) variations in ease as proportions or standard amounts; (d) trueing, blending, and connecting steps; (e) variation between methods of measurements used, in use of proportions or standard measurements, and in steps; and (h) disregard of body shape.
The collection, storage, management, and anticipation of contextual information about the user to support decision-making constitute some of the key operations in most Ambient Intelligent (AmI) systems. When the instructor has a computer-based class it is often difficult to confirm if the students are working in the proposed activities. In order to mitigate problems that might occur in an environment with learning technologies we suggest an AmI system aimed at capturing, measuring, and supervising the students' level of attentiveness in real scenarios and dynamically provide recommendations to the instructor. With this system it is possible to assess both individual and group attention, in real-time, providing a measure of the level of engagement of each student in the proposed activities and allowing the instructor to better steer teaching methodologies.
Cortical networks underpinning attentional control and mentalizing converge at the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). It is debated whether the rTPJ is fractionated in neighboring, but separate functional modules underpinning attentional control and mentalizing, or whether one overarching cognitive mechanism explains the rTPJ's role in both domains. Addressing this question, we combined attentional control and mentalizing in a factorial design within one task. We added a social context condition, in which another individual's mental states became apparently task-relevant, to a spatial cueing paradigm. This allowed for assessing cue validity-and context-dependent functional activity and effective connectivity of the rTPJ within corresponding cortical networks. We found two discriminable rTPJ subregions, an anterior and a posterior one. Yet, we did not observe a sharp functional dissociation between these two, as both regions responded to attention cueing and social context manipulation. The results suggest that the rTPJ is part of both the ventral attention and the ToM network and that its function is defined by context-dependent coupling with the respective network. We argue that the rTPJ as a functional unit underpins an overarching cognitive mechanism in attentional control and mentalizing and discuss how the present results help to further specify this mechanism.
Background: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD. However, it is unclear whether EMDR shows the same effectiveness in patients with substance use disorders (SUD) and comorbid PTSD. In this trial, we examine the effectiveness of EMDR in reducing PTSD symptoms in patients with SUD and PTSD. Methods/Design: We conduct a single-blinded RCT among 158 patients with SUD and comorbid PTSD admitted to a German addiction rehabilitation center specialized for the treatment of patients with SUD and comorbid PTSD. Patients are randomized to receive either EMDR, added to SUD rehabilitation and non-trauma-focused PTSD treatment (TAU), or TAU alone. The primary outcome is change from baseline in PTSD symptom severity as measured by the ClinicianAdministered PTSD Scale at 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes are change from baseline in substance use, addiction-related problems, depressive symptoms, dissociative symptoms, emotion dysregulation and quality of life. Assessments are carried out by blinded raters at admission, at end of treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. We expect that EMDR plus TAU will be more effective in reducing PTSD symptoms than TAU alone. Mixed models will be conducted using an intention-to-treat and per-protocol approach. Discussion: This study aims to expand the knowledge about the effectiveness of EMDR in patients with SUD and comorbid PTSD. The expected finding of the superiority of EMDR in reducing PTSD symptoms compared to non-trauma-focused PTSD treatment may enhance the use of trauma-focused treatment approaches for patients with SUD and co-morbid PTSD.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a complex and chronic inflammatory disease with a high heritage. Previous study has shown that IL-1A and IL-1B involved in inflammatory reaction. But little is known about single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-1A and IL-1B associated with AS. We conducted a case-control study among 267 AS cases and 297 healthy controls from China. In the genetic model analysis, we found the T genotype of rs3783550 was associated with decreased AS risk in the dominant model (p = 0.044) and log-additive model (p = 0.023); the C genotype of rs3783546 was significantly associated with decreased AS risk based in the dominant model (p = 0.044) and log-additive model (p = 0.023). Additionally, the minor allele A of rs2853550 may also reduce the risk of AS in dominant (p = 0.025) and log-additive model (p = 0.024). Our results suggested that the polymorphisms of IL-1A and IL-1B are associated with the AS susceptibility in the Chinese Han population. Further studies are needed to characterize the functional sequences that cause AS.
Background: Fluorescent proteins have continued to shed light on cell biology since the cDNA of wild type green fluorescent protein was first isolated. Nowadays, these remarkable proteins are useful tools, not only in basic research, but also in clinical medicine. Highlight: By taking advantage of fluorescent protein-based technologies, we identified a signaling network critical for influenza virus internalization and infection. In addition, we developed a highly sensitive biosensor for monitoring kinase activity that utilizes energy transfer between fluorescent proteins. This has led to a high-performance clinical test that enables the prediction of future therapeutic responses and the risk of acquired drug resistance for each individual patient before beginning molecular target therapy. Conclusion: Technologies that utilize fluorescent proteins, such as the biosensor presented here, should find increasing applications in clinical medicine. (C) 2016 Japanese Association for Oral Biology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Women are still underrepresented at the highest management levels. The think-manager-think-male phenomenon suggests that leadership is associated with male rather than female attributes. Although styling has been shown to influence the evaluation of women's leadership abilities, the relevant specific features have been left remarkably unaddressed. In a 2x2x2x2 (skirt/pants, with/without jewelry, loose hair/braid, with/without makeup) between-subjects design, 354 participants evaluated a woman in a photograph. Women with makeup, pants, or with jewelry were rated as more competent than women without makeup, with skirts, or without jewelry. A combination of loose hair and no makeup was perceived as warmest, and women with loose hair were more likely to be hired than those with braids. In sum, even subtle changes in styling have a strong impact on how women's leadership abilities are evaluated.
Aging is the main risk factor for many degenerative diseases and declining health. Senescent cells are part of the underlying mechanism for time-dependent tissue dysfunction. These cells can negatively affect neighbouring cells through an altered secretory phenotype: the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The SASP induces senescence in healthy cells, promotes tumour formation and progression, and contributes to other age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, immune-senescence and neurodegeneration. Removal of senescent cells was recently demonstrated to delay age-related degeneration and extend lifespan. To better understand cell aging and to reap the benefits of senescent cell removal, it is necessary to have a reliable biomarker to identify these cells. Following an introduction to cellular senescence, we discuss several classes of biomarkers in the context of their utility in identifying and/or removing senescent cells from tissues. Although senescence can be induced by a variety of stimuli, senescent cells share some characteristics that enable their identification both in vitro and in vivo. Nevertheless, it may prove difficult to identify a single biomarker capable of distinguishing senescence in all cell types. Therefore, this will not be a comprehensive review of all senescence biomarkers but rather an outlook on technologies and markers that are most suitable to identify and isolate senescent cells. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In big data era, how to process large-scale data stream is one of the existing challenges. Feature extraction method has attracted much attention because of its effectiveness to data classification. Traditional classification algorithms may take less advantage of labeled samples information. Online learning and out-of-sample problems are also hot topics recently. To solve these problems, a novel algorithm named semi-supervised incremental feature extraction algorithm is proposed in this paper. First, we extract feature incrementally in unsupervised way. Then we propose a semi-supervised subspace learning algorithm by taking advantage of class information to adjust k-nearest neighbor weights. Third, we combine the unsupervised and semi-supervised feature extraction approaches to obtain objective function, in order to solve the out-of-sample learning problem. Experiments have been carried out on Machine learning datasets of University of California Irvine (UCI) datasets and real-world face image datasets (Olivetti faces (ORL), Yale, YaleB, and Rendered face). To demonstrate the proposed algorithm's expandability to process the large-scale data stream, classification experiments using Spark skill in parallel computation environment are performed, with comparisons with some related semi-supervised feature extraction methods. The experiment results and computational complex comparison demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can obtain good performance. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: In the present study, we evaluated relationships between serum biomarkers and clinical/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in golimumab-treated patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Methods: In the GO-RAISE study, 356 patients with ankylosing spondylitis randomly received either placebo (n = 78) or golimumab 50 mg or 100 mg (n = 278) injections every 4 weeks through week 24 (placebo-controlled); patients continuing GO-RAISE received golimumab through week 252. Up to 139/125 patients had sera collected for biomarkers/serial spine MRI scans (sagittal plane, 1.5-T scanner). Two blinded readers employed modified ankylosing spondylitis spine magnetic resonance imaging score for activity (ASspiMRI-a) and ankylosing spondylitis spine magnetic resonance imaging score for chronicity. Spearman correlations (r(s)) were assessed between serum biomarkers (n = 73) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), C-reactive-protein (CRP)-based Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), modified Stokes Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS), and ASspiMRI scores. Serum biomarkers predicting postbaseline spinal fatty lesion development and inflammation were analyzed by logistic regression. Results: Significant, moderately strong correlations were observed between baseline inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, complement component 3 (C3), CRP, haptoglobin, and serum amyloid-P and baseline ASDAS (r(s) = 0.39-0.66, p = 0.01). Only baseline leptin significantly correlated with ASDAS improvement at week 104 (r(s) = 0.55, p = 0.040), and only baseline IL-6 significantly predicted mSASSS week 104 change (beta = 0.236, SE = 0.073, p = 0.002, model R-2 = 0.093). By logistic regression, baseline leptin, C3, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 correlated with new fatty lesions per spinal MRI at week 14 and week 104 (both p < 0.01). Changes in serum C3 levels at week 4 (r(s) = 0.55, p = 0.001) and week 14 (r(s) = 0.49, p = 0.040) significantly correlated with BASDAI improvement at week 14. Baseline IL-6 and TIMP-1 (rs = -0.63, -0.67; p < 0.05) and reductions at week 4 in IL-6 (r(s) = 0.61, p < 0.05) and C3 (r(s) = 0.72; p < 0.05) significantly correlated with week 14 ASspiMRI-a improvement. Conclusions: Extensive serum biomarker multiparametric analyses in golimumab-treated patients with ankylosing spondylitis demonstrated few correlations with disease activity or MRI changes; IL-6 weakly correlated with radiographic progression.
Biofouling is a pervasive challenge in industrial and medical settings with enormous economic and health impacts. Use of quorum-quenching phages is a potential solution in either combating the biofilm or inhibiting biofilm formation when an engineered phage is designed for a specific bacterial system. In the event of a real-life application of synthetic phage, it is necessary to consider the effect of environmental conditions on the synthetic phage. This study focused on both (1) stability of phage lysate under different types of carbon sources and (2) competition of the engineered phage in comparison to a wild-type (wt) phage. Optimal results were found (in plaque forming units [PFUs]) with glucose as a carbon source and were kept stable for almost 30 days. Results suggested that competition happens before 4h. After that time, polymerase chain reaction results from PFU samples showed an increase in T7aiiA, which indicates that these conditions favored the phage replication of the engineered phage over the wt at 27h in a monoculture system. When both stability and competition were combined, the mix of phages showed a trend similar to T7aiiA only primarily after 8 days.
The Mobile ad-hoc network do not take any static infrastructure and they depend on their neighbors to convey message. The mobile nodules can travel all over the network in an unrestricted fashion. Unlike wired networks, there is no fixed and committed link exists between the nodes. The self-organizing capability of nodes in MANET made it trendy among crucial mission functions like military usage and emergency rescue. Hence MANET security is of essential importance. Unfortunately, the open medium, eclectic supply of nodes and dynamic topology make MANET defenseless to malevolent attackers. In this circumstance, it is crucial to foster proficient intrusion-detection mechanisms to guard MANET from a number of attacks. Lot of techniques have been suggested for intrusion detection, specifically for MANETs. This article put forward a review of some of the up to date intrusion detection procedures in MANETs and their comparisons.
Group identification predicts adherence to a group's norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors. The ability to accurately perceive another's degree of group identification may be important for predicting the other's beliefs and actions. In two studies, we examine friends' accuracy and bias in rating identification with social categories. Friends were asked to rate one another's and their own identification with state (Studies 1 and 2), national, and global citizen (Study 2) social identities. Across both studies, friends were shown to be both accurate and biased in rating one another's identification. Thus, although friends may project identification onto a friend (i.e., bias), friends are also able to accurately predict one another's degree of connection to social groups. Furthermore, friends' greater frequency of contact was found to increase accuracy in prediction. Together, the results provide initial evidence for future research examining person perception and intergroup interactions.
Background-Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetically heterogeneous condition caused by mutations in genes encoding desmosomal proteins in up to 60% of cases. The 40% of genotype-negative cases point to the need of identifying novel genetic substrates by studying genotype-negative ARVC families. Methods and Results-Whole exome sequencing was performed on 2 cousins with ARVC. Validation of 13 heterozygous variants that survived internal quality and frequency filters was performed by Sanger sequencing. These variants were also genotyped in all family members to establish genotype-phenotype cosegregation. High-resolution melting analysis followed by Sanger sequencing was used to screen for mutations in cadherin 2 (CDH2) gene in unrelated genotype-negative patients with ARVC. In a 3-generation family, we identified by whole exome sequencing a novel mutation in CDH2 (c.686A>C, p.Gln229Pro) that cosegregated with ARVC in affected family members. The CDH2 c.686A>C variant was not present in >200000 chromosomes available through public databases, which changes a conserved amino acid of cadherin 2 protein and is supported as the causal mutation by parametric linkage analysis. We subsequently screened 73 genotype-negative ARVC probands tested previously for mutations in known ARVC genes and found an additional likely pathogenic variant in CDH2 (c.1219G>A, p.Asp407Asn). CDH2 encodes cadherin 2 (also known as N-cadherin), a protein that plays a vital role in cell adhesion, making it a biologically plausible candidate gene in ARVC pathogenesis. Conclusions-These data implicate CDH2 mutations as novel genetic causes of ARVC and contribute to a more complete identification of disease genes involved in cardiomyopathy.
A fuzzy logic-based modeling approach using the universal soil-loss equation (USLE) along with selection and application of the appropriate coir geotextile (CG) in soil erosion control was attempted in this study. The fuzzy logic model was developed to address issues of soil erosion risk with constant rainfall intensity. Two simple and efficient fuzzy logic soil erosion models were developed, of which one was for predicting soil erosion intensity (fuzzy-soil erosion model, or F-SEM) and the other was for selecting an appropriate CG type for soil erosion control based on types of soil in various combinations of slope angle and length, crop cover, rainfall intensity, and so forth (fuzzy-CG model, or F-CGM). These two models were developed in such a way that the input data requirement was the minimum for model execution. The considered input parameters were the main primary governing factors that influence soil erosion intensity in the USLE platform. F-SEM and F-CGM was compared with actual field data and found to be very closely matching. F-SEM predicts the erosion intensity of an area, and F-CGM can be used in the selection of CGs for erosion control application. (c) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Rainfall analysis is essential for agricultural crop planning and water resources management, especially under water scarcity conditions. The 36 years (1977-2013) of rainfall data for Kharagpur were analyzed for characterization of different seasonal events. The Weibull's formula predicted the probability of mean onset on 23rd standard meteorological weeks (SMW) (3rd-9th June) and withdrawal on 43rd SMW (21st-27th October). There was 80-83% probability of a wet week [P(W)] occurring within 25th-35th SMW. The first order Markov chain process shows the conditional probability of one wet week preceded by another wet week [P(W/W)] varied between 0 and 86%; whereas, dry week preceded by another dry week [P(D/D)] varied in the range of 70 to 100%. The stochastic analysis of successive wet or dry weeks formulates the adaptation strategies to avoid the possible effect of wet or dry spell during cropping seasons. The wet spell analysis suggests rainwater harvesting to control soil erosion and maximization of water use efficiency. The probability of getting consecutive wet [P(W/W)] and dry days [P(D/D)] were varied in the range of 40%-70% and 50%-90%, respectively. The probability of getting different magnitude of rainfall (10 to 40 mm) during the monsoon weeks (25th-39th week) were found to be more than 50% probability level, which suggest for harvesting of excess runoff water for future supplemental irrigation.
Drosophila ovary is recognized as one of the best model systems to study stem cell biology in vivo. We had previously identified an autonomous role of the histone Hi in germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance. Here, we found that histone H1 depletion in escort cells (ECs) resulted in an increase of spectrosome-containing cells (SCCs), an ovary tumor-like phenotype. Further analysis showed that the Dpp pathway is excessively activated in these SCC cells, while the expression of bam is attenuated. In the H1-depleted ECs, both transposon activity and DNA damage had increased dramatically, followed by EC apoptosis, which is consistent with the role of H1 in other somatic cells. Surprisingly, H1-depleted ECs acquired cap cell characteristics including dpp expression, and the resulting abnormal Dpp level inhibits SCC further differentiation. Most interestingly, double knockdown of H1 and dpp in ECs can reduce the number of SCCs to the normal level, indicating that the additional Dpp secreted by ECs contributes to the germline tumor. Taken together, our findings indicate that histone H1 is an important epigenetic factor in controlling EC characteristics and a key suppressor of germline tumor.
Introduction: water is used predominantly in food manufacturing process. Northern morocco agro-food industries use different sources of water, but public water and wells water are the main sources of water used. This water can be the main source of possible food contaminations and alterations. This study aims is to assess the bacteriological quality of water used in the agro-food industries in the Northern region of Morocco, to identify the different types of germs responsible for the pollution of these waters and to establish the main causes of this pollution. Methods: water samples taken from taps or wells were analyzed to detect pollution indicator germs (total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (PC), intestinal enterococci (E), revivable microorganisms (RM), sulphite-reducing anaerobes) and pathogens (Salmonella, Staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The enumeration of the bacteria was performed by filtration technique and incorporation obtained through supercooled solid state. Results: the results showed that public-supply waters were of satisfactory bacteriological quality while 40% of the wells water was non-compliant with water quality standards due to the presence of TC, FC, E and RM pollution indicators. In contrast, pathogens, particularly Salmonellae, were absent in all the wells water analyzed. Conclusion: well water pollution was generally due to failure to meet hygienic requirements for water pumping. Bacteriological quality of these wells water could be improved by adequate protection.
Whilst many vertebrates appear externally left-right symmetric, the arrangement of internal organs is asymmetric. In zebrafish, the breaking of left-right symmetry is organised by Kupffer's Vesicle (KV): an approximately spherical, fluid-filled structure that begins to form in the embryo 10 hours post fertilisation. A crucial component of zebrafish symmetry breaking is the establishment of a cilia-driven fluid flow within KV. However, it is still unclear (a) how dorsal, ventral and equatorial cilia contribute to the global vortical flow, and (b) if this flow breaks left-right symmetry through mechanical transduction or morphogen transport. Fully answering these questions requires knowledge of the three-dimensional flow patterns within KV, which have not been quantified in previous work. In this study, we calculate and analyse the three-dimensional flow in KV. We consider flow from both individual and groups of cilia, and (a) find anticlockwise flow can arise purely from excess of cilia on the dorsal roof over the ventral floor, showing how this vortical flow is stabilised by dorsal tilt of equatorial cilia, and (b) show that anterior clustering of dorsal cilia leads to around 40 % faster flow in the anterior over the posterior corner. We argue that these flow features are supportive of symmetry breaking through mechano-sensory cilia, and suggest a novel experiment to test this hypothesis. From our new understanding of the flow, we propose a further experiment to reverse the flow within KV to potentially induce situs inversus.
The formation of a coherent and unified self-concept represents a key developmental stage during adolescence. Imaging studies on self-referential processing in adolescents are rare, and it is not clear whether neural structures involved in self-reflection are also involved in reflections of familiar others. In the current study, 41 adolescents were asked to make judgments about trait adjectives during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): they had to indicate whether the word describes themselves, their friends, their teachers or politicians. Findings indicate a greater overlap in neural networks for responses to self- and friend-related judgments compared to teachers and politicians. In particular, classic self-reference structures such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and medial posterior parietal cortex also exhibited higher activation to judgments about friends. In contrast, brain responses towards judgments of teachers (familiar others) compared to politicians (unfamiliar others) did not significantly differ. Results support behavioral findings of a greater relevance of friends for the development of a self-concept during adolescence and indicate underlying functional brain processes. Hum Brain Mapp 38:987-996, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We consider a new type of attack on a coherent quantum key distribution protocol [coherent one-way (COW) protocol]. The main idea of the attack consists in measuring individually the intercepted states and sending the rest of them unchanged. We have calculated the optimum values of the attack parameters for an arbitrary length of a communication channel and compared this novel attack with a standard beam-splitting attack.
Hydrogen sulfide is presented in textbooks as toxic, environmentally unacceptable species, however some positive effects in human metabolism were discovered in the last decades. It is important to offer students also some new information about this compound. As didactic tool in this case may serve serial precipitation of Cd2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Mn2+ and Pb2+ ions forming various colored sulfides in bubblers with chemically generated hydrogen sulfide stream. This experiment has strong and diverse color effect for enhancing the visual perception to motivate students to understand more abstract and complex information about hydrogen sulfide. It also may be helpful in analytical chemistry courses for conditional precipitation equilibrium teaching and calculations.
Malaria in human is a serious and fatal tropical disease. This disease results from Anopheles mosquitoes that are infected by Plasmodium species. The clinical diagnosis of malaria based on the history, symptoms and clinical findings must always be confirmed by laboratory diagnosis. Laboratory diagnosis of malaria involves identification of malaria parasite or its antigen / products in the blood of the patient. Manual diagnosis of malaria parasite by the pathologists has proven to become cumbersome. Therefore, there is a need of automatic, efficient and accurate identification of malaria parasite. In this paper, we proposed a computer vision based approach to identify the malaria parasite from light microscopy images. This research deals with the challenges involved in the automatic detection of malaria parasite tissues. Our proposed method is based on the pixel-based approach. We used K-means clustering (unsupervised approach) for the segmentation to identify malaria parasite tissues.
In the light of the current situation of water resources in Egypt, where it has a deficit in those resources, the rainwater harvesting and assessment of its potentialities became necessary. In the present study, an attempt is made to define a decision based on scientific approach for identifying the most appropriate sites for rainwater harvesting. This approach is based on GIS data layers which include DEM, landforms, geologic setting, watershed area, rainfall amounts, drainage lines, morphometric parameters, flow accumulation, flow direction, slope, and surface runoff. It also includes a verification of the site suitability through field investigations. El Daba'a area has been chosen because it has a lack of water for agriculture and drinking purposes. In addition, this area has special interest because of a planned nuclear power plant there. The obtained results reveal that the study area contains eight basins which have slightly intensive drainage network. The morphometric analyses of the studied basins reveal their opportunities for surface runoff. Three of them are showing high hazard degrees. These basins have actual runoff (Q) ranges between 16.5 and 25 mm annually resulted from average rainfall of 164 mm. Therefore, management of rainwater harvesting and protections from flash floods were recommended. Many rainwater harvesting structures, for example concert dams, alternative earth dikes, surface water reservoirs, and cisterns, should be established.
Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) is a mediator of matrix remodelling and a proposed susceptibility locus in the genetic profile of musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the MMP3 gene as a risk marker for these injuries by conducting a case control genetic association study in two independent samples groups. Three previously investigated MMP3 variants (rs679620, rs591058 and rs650108) in addition to the functional promoter variant (rs3025058) were genotyped in 195 Australian control participants and 79 Australian individuals with chronic Achilles tendinopathy. Similarly, 234 South African individuals with acute anterior cruciate ligament ruptures and 232 matched control participants were also analysed. Based on high linkage with the previously associated MMP3 variant rs679620, rs3025058 was inferred and found to be associated with increased risk for Achilles tendinopathy within the South African group (P=0.012; OR: 2.88; 95% CI: 1.4 to 6.1). Lastly, the 6A-G-C-G haplotype, constructed from the investigated variants, was significantly associated with reduced risk for Achilles tendinopathy (29% CON vs. 20% TEN, P=0.037) in the Australian group. In conclusion, a signal surrounding MMP3 is apparent with respect to Achilles tendinopathy. However, whether the investigated variants are contributing to injury susceptibility or whether they are merely linked to the risk conferring variants mapping elsewhere within the MMP gene cluster on chromosome 11, still requires refining.
Cooperative spectrum sensing, despite its effectiveness in enabling dynamic spectrum access, suffers from location privacy threats, merely because secondary users (SUs)' sensing reports that need to be shared with a fusion center to make spectrum availability decisions are highly correlated to the users' locations. It is therefore important that cooperative spectrum sensing schemes be empowered with privacy preserving capabilities so as to provide SUs with incentives for participating in the sensing task. In this paper, we propose privacy preserving protocols that make use of various cryptographic mechanisms to preserve the location privacy of SUs while performing reliable and efficient spectrum sensing. We also present cost-performance tradeoffs. The first consists on using an additional architectural entity at the benefit of incurring lower computation overhead by relying only on symmetric cryptography. The second consists on using an additional secure comparison protocol at the benefit of incurring lesser architectural cost by not requiring extra entities. Our schemes can also adapt to the case of a malicious fusion center as we discuss in this paper. We also show that not only are our proposed schemes secure and more efficient than existing alternatives, but also achieve fault tolerance and are robust against sporadic network topological changes.
A mesh-based magnetic equivalent circuit has been derived to model the dynamics of wound rotor synchronous machines (WRSMs). A particular focus has been placed on the derivation of flux tubes to model machines with an arbitrary number of damper bars placed at an arbitrary depth in the rotor pole tip. Faraday's Law is applied to establish a state model in which winding and damper bar flux linkages are selected as state variables. The resulting coupled magnetic equivalent circuit/state model is solved to predict machine dynamics. An important attribute of the model is that saturation is represented without the need for a relaxation factor, which enables its use as a practical tool in machine design. Data obtained from hardware experiment and a finite-element model are used to validate the proposed methods.
ObjectiveWe compared the prevalence of receiving depression care between adults with past-year major depressive episodes (depressed) and substance use disorders (SUD) in the United States and their depressed counterparts without SUD. MethodData were from 25,500 adults who participated in the 2008-2014 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression models were applied. ResultsDuring 2008-2014, approximately 55.4% of depressed U.S. adults with SUD received past-year depression care, while 60.1% of depressed adults without SUD received such care. Overall, co-occurring SUD was associated with an 8% decreased likelihood of receiving past-year depression care (risk ratio (RR) = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.89-0.96). For depressed adults with severe functional impairment, co-occurring SUD was associated with a 9% decreased likelihood of receiving past-year depression care (RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.87-0.95). For depressed men, co-occurring SUD was associated with a 13% decreased likelihood of receiving past-year depression care (RR= 0.87, 95% CI = 0.81-0.94). The following depressed adults were at increased risk of not receiving depression care: those without functional impairment, without suicidal ideation, and without physical comorbidities, aged 18-29, male, racial/ethnic minorities, having less than high school education, uninsured, and never married. ConclusionsAmong depressed adults in the United States, comorbid SUD modestly but significantly decreases the likelihood of receiving past-year depression care. Depressed young adults, men, racial/ethnic minorities, less educated individuals, uninsured adults, and never married adults are also at increased risk for not receiving depression care. Outreach efforts are needed to broaden access to depression care for these underserved adults.
In this paper, we present a new cryptographic primitive called policy-controlled signatures. In this notion, a signer can sign a message and attach it with some policies. Only a verifier who satisfies the policies attached can verify the authenticity of the message. This type of signature schemes has many applications, in particular to deal with sensitive data, where the signer does not want to allow anyone who is unauthorized to verify the authenticity of the messages. The notion of policy-controlled signatures resembles some similarities with designated verifier signatures, as it can also be used to designate a signature to multiple recipients. Nevertheless, we shall demonstrate that the notion of policy-controlled signatures generalize the notion of designated verifier signatures. A concrete scheme that is secure in our model is also provided. Furthermore, we also present an extension to universal policy-controlled signature. In this extended notion, we combine the idea of universal designated verifier signatures with policy-controlled signatures to allow more flexible delegations. We also provide a concrete scheme that is secure in our model.
High-resolution quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) from radar and satellite combined with rain gauges is one of the most important guides for hydrological forecasts. Whereas rain gauges provide accurate measurement at a point, remote sensing helps to retrieve the spatial pattern. An algorithm, named Siprec, has been used to blend rain gauges, radar mosaic data, and satellite Eumetsat/MPE estimates by using Poisson's equation over two basins in Brazil. The results indicated that Siprec decreased the root mean square error (RMSE) when compared to radar and satellite estimates as well as improved the correlation. Most of the errors were related to precipitation above 10mmh-1, due to large spatial variability, typical of deep convection. The solution of Poisson's equation acts directly on the data received at a certain time, converging the amplitude to the rain gauge values and keeping the spatial distribution of the radar or satellite measurement without a priori adjustments. This is an important advantage in an operational environment because it does not require frequent processing to update the weights like other schemes. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The permanent magnet synchronous reluctance machine (PMSynRM) is a type of permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) with the objective to provide high reluctance torque. This is realized by a particularly designed constellation of flux barriers in the rotor of the machine. Beside high efficiency and supplied power density, an acoustic evaluation of this machine is performed for various applications, for example in hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV, EV). A study for the acoustic design of a PMSynRM is presented in this paper. An approach to improve the magnetic circuit by varying the shape of the flux barriers is introduced. Using numerical simulations every operating point in the d-q-diagram is considered. The local force density in the air gap of the machine is calculated and analyzed with a 2-D Fourier Transformation. The results are used as analysis criterion.
The effects of video games on children's psychosocial development remain the focus of debate. At two timepoints, 1 year apart, 194 children (7.27-11.43 years old; male = 98) reported their gaming frequency, and their tendencies to play violent video games, and to game (a) cooperatively and (b) competitively; likewise, parents reported their children's psychosocial health. Gaming at time one was associated with increases in emotion problems. Violent gaming was not associated with psychosocial changes. Cooperative gaming was not associated with changes in prosocial behavior. Finally, competitive gaming was associated with decreases in prosocial behavior, but only among children who played video games with high frequency. Thus, gaming frequency was related to increases in internalizing but not externalizing, attention, or peer problems, violent gaming was not associated with increases in externalizing problems, and for children playing approximately 8 h or more per week, frequent competitive gaming may be a risk factor for decreasing prosocial behavior. We argue that replication is needed and that future research should better distinguish between different forms of gaming for more nuanced and generalizable insight.
Inflammatory and chronic structural changes are objective signs of axial spondyloarthritis. In the sacroiliac joints (SIJs), inflammation (sacroiliitis) can be visualized as bone marrow edema, whereas chronic structural changes are visualized as fat metaplasia, erosions, sclerosis, or ankylosis in the area of the SIJ. In the spine, bone marrow edema in the vertebral bodies represents spondylitis but can also affect the facet and the costovertebral and costotransverse joints (arthritis), whereas structural changes are visualized as fat metaplasia, sclerosis or syndesmophytes and ankylosis at the vertebral edges.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health challenge. HBV can cause significant morbidity and mortality by establishing acute and chronic hepatitis. Approximately 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected, and more than 2 billion people have been exposed to HBV. Since the discovery of HBV, the advances in our understanding of HBV virology and immunology have translated into effective vaccines and therapies for HBV infection. Although current therapies successfully suppress viral replication but rarely succeed in viral eradication, recent discoveries in HBV virology and immunology provide exciting rationales for novel treatment strategies aiming at HBV cure.
This paper introduces current issues, challenges, and future directions of nuclear thermalhydraulic (T-H) safety research, viewed in close conjunction with new developments in advanced reactor systems and simulation tools and lessons learned from the Fukushima accident. Two technical concerns are introduced to illustrate some of the limitations in our current understanding of important T-H phenomena that are very relevant to nuclear safety. The first is reflood heat transfer, which has been an important safety issue for a long time, and the second is the multidimensional T-H phenomena appearing in nuclear reactor systems, which have rather recently drawn significant attention in the nuclear community. These concerns are discussed by taking some recent research examples and emphasizing their critical relevance to nuclear reactor safety. Then, some challenging issues for the advancement of nuclear T-H safety technologies are identified and briefly discussed in close conjunction with recent research efforts, and perspectives on advanced nuclear T-H safety research are presented.
The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of Andersson lesions using whole spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with plain radiography in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A total of 62 patients with AS who had undergone whole spine MRI and plain radiography were retrospectively enrolled in this study. We compared the number of discovertebral units (DVUs) with Andersson lesions with clinical and radiographic indices such as erythrocyte sediment rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS). Fifty-three patients (85.5 %) by whole spine MRI and 23 patients (37.1 %) by plain radiography had at least one Andersson lesion. We found 129 DVUs with Andersson lesions (11.1 %) by MRI and 35 DVUs by plain radiography over all the spine levels. Andersson lesions by MRI were most commonly detected at the lower thoracic spine (from T7-8 to T12-L1). Among the 151 total Andersson lesions by whole spine MRI, 41 were identified as central disc type, 26 as anterior peripheral disc type, 44 as posterior peripheral disc type, and 40 as diffuse disc type. However, the number of Andersson lesions did not correlate with ESR, CRP, BASDAI, BASFI, or mSASSS (p >0.05 for all). Our study indicates that the presence of Andersson lesions in patients with AS is clearly underestimated. MRI is a superior technique for detecting early Andersson lesions compared with plain radiography.
BACKGROUND: Mexican-born children living in the United States have a lower prevalence of asthma than other US children. Although children of Mexican descent near the Arizona (AZ)Sonora border are genetically similar, differences in environmental exposures might result in differences in asthma prevalence across this region. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine if the prevalence of asthma and wheeze in these children varies across the AZ-Sonora border. METHODS: The International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children written and video questionnaires were administered to 1753 adolescents from 5 middle schools: Tucson (school A), Nogales, AZ (schools B, C), and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico (schools D, E). The prevalence of asthma and symptoms was compared, with analyses in the AZ schools limited to selfidentified Mexican American students. RESULTS: Compared with the Sonoran reference school E, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for asthma was significantly higher in US schools A (OR 4.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.72-8.80), B (OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.88-6.42), and C (OR 4.12, 95% CI 1.789.60). The adjusted OR for wheeze in the past year was significantly higher in schools A (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.20-4.01) and B (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.42-5.01) on the written questionnaire and significantly higher in A (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.22-3.75), B (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.07-3.53), and Sonoran school D (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.28-4.30) on the video questionnaire compared with school E. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma and wheeze prevalence differed significantly between schools and was higher in the United States. Environmental factors that may account for these differences could provide insight into mechanisms of protection from asthma. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
A ground cover rice production system (GCRPS) has been reported to reduce the consumption of irrigation water while increasing grain yield and water use efficiency in regions where water and temperature are limiting factors for rice production. However, all fertilizer must be applied in a single basal dose before the soil surface is covered by plastic film in GCRPS resulting in excessive vegetative crop growth and nitrogen deficiency during the reproductive stage. Furthermore, a severe drawback of GCRPS is soil and water pollution from residuals polyethylene film used for ground cover. A two-year field experiment was conducted using biodegradable film together with treatments comparing all basal application of N with application of N as three splits and a single basal fertilization of urea plus manure. We examined N uptake and crop growth from transplanting harvest, rice grain yield, yield components, dynamics of tillers and shoot dry matter, and N recovery efficiency. Compared to basal application of all N fertilizer in GCRPS, split application of N or a basal combination of urea plus manure in conjunction with the use of biodegradable film 1) significantly increased rice grain yield, number of productive tillers, and spikelets per square meter; 2) improved crop growth rate and N uptake rate from panicle initiation to maturity; and 3) significantly increased agronomic efficiency of N fertilizer and recovery efficiency of N in grains. Our results highlight that using biodegradable film instead of standard plastic film allows for split application of fertilizers, which increases yield and N use efficiency as well as significantly reduce environmental pollution with plastic film in GCRPS. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Actuators for more electric aircraft are predominantly based on permanent magnet machines for the best power to weight ratio. However, permanent magnet machines can give rise to drag torque under short circuit conditions. This paper explains the concept of permanent magnet assistance in switched reluctance machines and sets out a topology which maximizes the benefits of permanent magnet assistance without compromising fault tolerance. The problem of demagnetization in this topology is explored and a revised design proposed. The increased torque from permanent magnet assistance is demonstrated, and laboratory tests on a prototype machine evidence the fault tolerant nature of the proposed machine by comparison with a baseline permanent magnet machine design. It is suggested that the permanent magnet assisted segmental rotor switched reluctance machine could achieve similar torque to a permanent magnet machine in this application with much improved fault tolerance and with much reduced magnet mass.
In this paper we study the singularity formation for two nonlocal 1D active scalar equations, focusing on the hyperbolic flow scenario. Those 1D equations can be regarded as simplified models of some 2D fluid equations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article presents three successful case studies oriented to disabled and dependent people. These three case studies are the results of the following corresponding projects: Autonomous aGent for monitoring ALZheimer's patients (AGALZ), which facilitates the monitoring and tracking of patients with Alzheimer's; AZTECA, which is formed by a set of tools that facilitate the work of disabled people in their work environment; and MOVI-MAS, which simulates a 3D work environment enabling the detection of dangerous situations. These tools were developed using an agent platform called PANGEA, which is a platform to develop open multi-agent systems, specifically those including organizational aspects such as virtual agent organizations.
The use of a digital architecture in PWM controllers for point-of-load (POL) applications, together with system identification techniques, allows the development of fully automated routines for in-situ system performance optimization where controller parameters are specifically tailored to the application. In this context, this paper proposes a method for performing parametric system identification of digitally controlled power converters using a conventional analog frequency response analyzer (FRA). Nonlinearities intrinsic to the digital loop are taken into account, thus leading to accurate estimation of converter parameters. The proposed method has been verified on a digitally controlled POL with V-in=12V, V-out=1.2V, I-out=10A and f(sw)=400kHz for various bulk capacitor scenarios.
The modulatory actions of glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS), are exerted through the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Of the eight known mGluRs (mGluR1-8), group III mGluRs (mGluR4, mGluR6, mGluR7, and mGluR8) are less understood because of the lack of selective ligands. Except for mGluR6, group III mGluRs are widely distributed throughout the CNS. They are mainly located on presynaptic terminals where they inhibit neurotransmitter release at glutamatergic and -aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic synapses. Their location at certain synapses is considered critical for normal CNS function, which makes them potential targets in neurological and psychiatric treatments. Novel ligands that are selective for group III mGluR subtypes have recently been developed. These compounds, which mainly targetallosteric sites and act as positive or negative allosteric modulators (PAMs or NAMs) of glutamate transmission, are contributing to the understanding of the functional roles of group III mGluRs in a number of pathological conditions, such as epilepsy, anxiety, neurodegenerative diseases, and chronic pain. Moreover, the presence of group III mGluRs throughout the entire pain neuraxis and particularly in the descending system suggests that these endogenous substrates that extend from the cortex to the first spinal synapse are candidates for pain control. Recent data on chronic pain alleviation by group III mGluR ligands encourage further studies as pathological pain is one of the most troublesome diseases because of the current lack of satisfactory therapy. This review summarizes recent studies on group III mGluRs in animal models of chronic pain, which evidence an opposite modulation of mGluR7 and mGluR8 on pain responses and their capability to affect pain responses only in pathological states.
Social deficits are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder; however, the perturbed neural mechanisms underpinning these deficits remain unclear. It has been suggested that social prediction errors-coding discrepancies between the predicted and actual outcome of another's decisions-might play a crucial role in processing social information. While the gyral surface of the anterior cingulate cortex signalled social prediction errors in typically developing individuals, this crucial social signal was altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Importantly, the degree to which social prediction error signalling was aberrant correlated with diagnostic measures of social deficits. Effective connectivity analyses further revealed that, in typically developing individuals but not in autism spectrum disorder, the magnitude of social prediction errors was driven by input from the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These data provide a novel insight into the neural substrates underlying autism spectrum disorder social symptom severity, and further research into the gyral surface of the anterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex could provide more targeted therapies to help ameliorate social deficits in autism spectrum disorder.
Because of the reducing number of satellite images with various periods and good quality caused not only by changes in climate conditions, but also typhoons, rainy seasons, and various atmospheric changes, continuous image production and identification of changes in biophysical characteristics have become increasingly difficult. To remedy this, the production of simulated image that consider user-preferred periods and satellite geometric information can be one of alternatives. In this study, a simulated image generation method that uses the back project under collinearity conditions and atmospheric simulation is proposed. To create input data for the generation of simulated image, we produced SPOT-4 HRVIR satellite image that geometric and atmospheric corrections are processed. The analysis results on the similarity between simulated image and target image show average R-2 of 0.88. In addition, the experimental results for each image application field showed that (1) in the case of natural color composite, pixels having a correlation coefficient greater than 0.99 occupied 98% of the total image, (2) the results of the NDVI, an index frequently used in the forestry field, showed that the R-2 of two images was 0.91, and (3) the results of a similarity analysis showed that, after land cover classification was performed using maximum likelihood classification, an average similarity of 96% per land cover was achieved as compared with the target image. These results verify the similarity between the simulated image and target image, and the applicability of the simulated image.
Research on adult populations has widely investigated the deep differences that characterize individuals who embrace either conservative or liberal views of the world. More recently, research has started to investigate these differences at very early stages of life. One major goal is to explore how parental political ideology may influence children's characteristics that are known to be associated to different ideological positions. In the present work, we further investigate the relations between parents' ideology and children cognitive processing strategies within the framework of political ideology as motivated social cognition (Jost et al., 2003) and the dual process model of political ideology (Duckitt et al., 2002). Specifically, epistemic (implicit attitudes toward order vs. chaos), existential (negativity and threat bias), and relational needs (conformity measure) were assessed in pre-school children (N = 106; 46 years). For each child at least one parent completed both the Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and the Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) measures. Interestingly, results indicated that mothers' and fathers' responses had unique associations with children's socio-cognitive motivations, and different findings emerged in relation to the two facets of parental authoritarianism, namely dominance (i.e., SDO) and submission (i.e., RWA). More specifically, children's existential needs appeared to be more related to mothers' RWA scores, whereas children's epistemic needs appeared to be more related to fathers' SDO. Finally, parents' RWA and SDO scores appeared to have opposite effects on children's relational needs: children's conformity increased at increasing levels of mothers' RWA and decreased at increasing levels of fathers' SDO. Overall, however, results were relatively weak and several links between the responses of parents and their children were not significant, suggesting caution in drawing strong conclusions about the impact of parents' ideology. Limitations and future developments will be discussed.
Hippocrates is often credited with first recognizing that food could be responsible for adverse symptoms and even death in some individuals, but it was not until the seminal observations by Prausnitz that the investigation of food allergy was viewed on a more scientific basis. In the first half of the 20th century, there were periodic reports in the medical literature describing various food allergic reactions. In the mid-to late- 1970' s, the studies of Charles May and colleagues began to penetrate the medical world's skepticism about the relevance of food allergy and how to diagnose it, since standard skin testing was known to correlate poorly with clinical symptoms. With May's introduction of the double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge, the study of food allergy became evidence-based and exponential strides have been made over the past four decades in the study of basic immunopathogenic mechanisms and natural history, and the diagnosis and management of food allergies. Today IgE-and non-IgE-mediated food allergic disorders are well characterized and efforts to treat these allergies by various immunotherapeutic strategies are well under way. Copyright (C) 2016, Japanese Society of Allergology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
It is shown that the problem of evaluation of states both object and controller arises at digital control. In multi-circuit embedded systems time intervals of residence of system in any state depends on both time complexity of control algorithm and dispatching discipline. Two simplest disciplines, of most common use are investigated: the cyclic dispatching and foreground (quasi-stochastic) one. With use the semi-Markov process as fundamental theory, models of functioning of control programs under investigated dispatching disciplines are worked out. Mathematical relationships for time of return to any state of semi-Markov process and time between switches are obtained. The parameters obtained are essential for working out of efficient regimes of data processing in embedded systems.
Sport research activities often require graphical user interfaces (GUI) for viewing, merging, tagging and processing of data. More complex processing, like video, requires more complex interfaces but often these GUIs are for short term research use and the investment in creating or purchasing and adapting the GUI is lost. This paper demonstrates an Auto Generation GUI creation tool using Matlab environment. Any GUI is created using a text file that defines all component properties, including the figure, its controls and the callbacks. The auto generation GUI was used in this paper for the creation of a video digitizing interface for monitoring upper arm and forearm rotations of cricket bowlers. This method simplifies the creation and modification of GUIs used in research. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Simulated spectrometric observations of unresolved resident space objects are required for the interpretation of quantities measured by optical telescopes. This allows for their characterization as part of regular space surveillance activity. A peer-reviewed spacecraft reflectance model is necessary to help improve the understanding of characterization measurements. With this objective in mind, a novel approach to model spacecraft spectral reflectance as an overall spectral bidirectional reflectance distribution function (sBRDF) is presented. A spacecraft's overall sBRDF is determined using its triangular-faceted computer-aided design (CAD) model and the empirical sBRDF of its homogeneous materials. The CAD model is used to determine the proportional contribution of each homogeneous material to the overall reflectance. Each empirical sBRDF is contained in look-up tables developed from measurements made over a range of illumination and reflection geometries using simple interpolation and extrapolation techniques. A demonstration of the spacecraft reflectance model is provided through simulation of an optical ground truth characterization using the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment-1 Engineering Model nanosatellite as the subject. Validation of the reflectance model is achieved through a qualitative comparison of simulated and measured quantities. (C) 2016 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective. - Comment the new WHO histological classification of tumors of the urinary system and male genital organs 2016 and expose the state of art about urothelial carcinogenesis and molecular modifications of bladder cancer, with the consequences on the treatments. Material and method. - A systematic review of the literature search was performed from the data base PubMed, focused on the following keywords: bladder cancer, molecular, subtypes. Results. - The new WHO histological classification of tumors of the urinary system 2016 confirm the importance of pathology in determining the care of patients, especially the grade, the histological type and the infiltration, while taking into account the difficulties. In 2014, the Cancer Genome Atlas reported genetic modifications of bladder cancer. Recently, several studies explored molecular anomalies of bladder cancer and elaborated molecular classifications, analyzing their predictive value. According to the groups, different molecular subtype had been defined: Urobasal A, Urobasal B, genomically unstable, infiltrated, squamous cell carcinoma-like and p53-like luminal bladder cancers. This latter subgroup seems to be chemoresistant. Conclusions. - The molecular biology and classifications allow a better understanding of bladder cancer and could complete in near future histological data to improve patient management. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Methylphenidate (MPH) abuse can cause serious neurological damages. The neuroprotective effects of topiramate (TPM) have been reported already, but its mechanism of action still remains unclear. The current study evaluates in vivo role of CREB/BDNF in TPM protection of the rat hippocampal cells from methylphenidate-induced apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A total of 60 adult male rats were divided into six groups. Groups 1 and 2 received normal saline (0.7 ml/rat) and MPH (10 mg/kg) respectively for 14 days. Groups 3 and 4 were concurrently treated with MPH (10 mg/kg) and TPM50 and 100 mg/kg respectively for 14 days. Groups 5 and 6 were treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg TPM only respectively. After drug administration, open field test (OFT) was used to investigate motor activity. The hippocampus was then isolated and the apoptotic, antiapoptotic, oxidative, antioxidant, and inflammatory factors were measured. Expression of the total and phosphorylated CREB and BDNF in gene and protein levels, and gene expression of Ak1, CaMK4, MAPK3, PKA, and c-Fos levels were also measured. MPH significantly decreased motor activity in OFT. TPM (50 and 100 mg/kg) decreased MPH-induced motor activity disturbance. Additionally, MPH significantly increased Bax protein level, CaMK4 gene expression, lipid peroxidation, catalase activity, mitochondrial GSH, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha levels in isolated hippocampal cells. Also CREB, in total and phosphorylated forms, BDNF and Bcl-2 protein levels, Ak1, MAPK3, PKA and c-Fos gene expression, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities decreased significantly by MPH. TPM (50 and 100 mg/kg), both in the presence and absence of MPH, attenuated the effects of MPH. Immunohistochemistry data showed that TPM increased localization of the total and phosphorylated forms of CREB in dentate gyrus (DG) and CA1 areas of the hippocampus. It seems that TPM can be used as a neuroprotective agent against apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation induced by frequent use of MPH. This might be probably mediated by the CREB/BDNF and their upstream signaling pathways.
Africa's population is growing at a faster pace, and the growth in megacities and rate of urbanization has been very rapid. Alongside, economic growth is expected to be very robust in the future. Altogether, these will pose serious challenges for the energy system in Africa; a condition that makes the development of renewables (RES) a necessity in the continent. Though the continent is well-endowed with RES, it is least developed and deployed, partly due to limited research and development in the sector. Particularly, the macroeconomic implications of RES have not been thoroughly studied in the continent, which leaves a big literature gap for the continent. This motivates the current study to investigate into the macroeconomic implications of RES using Ghana as the case study, a country that is Well-endowed with RES and one of the few in the continent that has integrated RES into their overall energy policy. Specifically, in this study, we examined the implications of RES concentration on electricity price uncertainty. Further, we investigated the persistent profile effect of both system-wide and individual shocks on the equilibrium relations. Finally, we decomposed the variance in electricity price into permanent and transitory components and explained what drives these trends. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aim: There has been a lack of research on adolescents who undergo double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate food allergic adolescents' experiences and consequences of double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges. Methods: This qualitative, descriptive interview study included 17 adolescents aged 14-15 years with total elimination of cows' milk, hens' eggs or cod due to food allergies. The participants, who were initially identified from a large population-based cohort study, were interviewed 18 months after completing their challenges. Results: The double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge proved to be a complex experience for the adolescents, involving fear of potential reactions and the hope that the food could be reintroduced. Experiences during the challenge were described in three themes: facing fears in a secure environment, being hesitant but curious about unknown tastes and waiting for unknown food reactions. Experiences after the challenge were described in two themes: gaining control and freedom and continuing old habits. A negative challenge was not consistently associated with the reintroduction of the challenged food. Conclusion: This study highlighted the importance of considering the adolescents' expectations and experiences of the challenge and the reintroduction process to ensure desirable changes in their dietary habits. Follow-ups should be performed regardless of the outcome of challenges.
Background: We investigated identifying patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who progress to Alzheimer's disease (AD), MCI converter (MCI-C), from those with MCI who do not progress to AD, MCI non-converter (MCI-NC), based on resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI). New method: Graph theory and machine learning approach were utilized to predict progress of patients with MCI to AD using rs-fMRI. Eighteen MCI converts (average age 73.6 years; 11 male) and 62 age matched MCI non-converters (average age 73.0 years, 28 male) were included in this study. We trained and tested a support vector machine (SVM) to classify MCI-C from MCI-NC using features constructed based on the local and global graph measures. A novel feature selection algorithm was developed and utilized to select an optimal subset of features. Results: Using subset of optimal features in SVM, we classified MCI-C from MCI-NC with an, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating, characteristic (ROC) curve of 91.4%, 83.24%, 90.1%, and 0.95, respectively. Furthermore, results of our statistical analyses were used to identify the affected brain regions in AD. Comparison with existing method(s): To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that combines the graph measures (constructed based on rs-fMRI) with machine learning approach and accurately classify MCI-C from MCI-NC. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate potential of the proposed approach for early AD diagnosis and demonstrate capability of rs-fMRI to predict conversion from MCI to AD by identifying affected brain regions underlying this conversion. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
One third of adult patients with orthognathic surgery of a prognathic or retrognathic mandible show relapse. The sagittal split osteotomy of the mandible leads to a displacement of both parts up to 10 mm without any changes of muscle attachment. Changed mandible length needs adaptation of muscle capacity because of changed force to moment ratio. The aim of this Microarray study was to analyze the general genetic response of masseter muscle in patients with retrognathism or prognathism of the mandible six months after surgery in comparison with healthy untreated controls. We found in tissue samples from masseter muscle a reduction of different entities between patients and controls but less in retrognathic than in prognathic patients (274/429). The different entities to controls in prognathia were reduced from 1862 to 1749 but increased in retrognathia from 1070 to 1563. We have to consider that the total amount of different entities to the controls is higher in patients with prognathic mandible (7364) because of their strong genetic controlled development compared with that in patients with retrognathic mandible (4126), which is more environmentally influenced. It can be concluded that function follows form after surgical change with high inheritance. In retrognathic patients the adaptation could be delayed or the capacity of regeneration potential is not sufficient. (C) 2017 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Nasu-hakola disease (NHD) is a rare disease characterized by bone cysts and fractures, frontal lobe syndrome, and progressive presenile dementia. NHD may be the prototype of primary microglial disorders of the CNS or, as they have been coined, microgliopathies. Mutations in TREM2 and TYROBP genes are known to cause NHD. Interestingly, recent evidence-associated rare genetic variants of TREM2 gene with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. Here, we report a 33-year-old Greek female with phenotype suggestive of NHD. Full gene sequencing of the TREM2 and TYROBP genes revealed a novel mutation in exon 2 of TREM2 gene, namely c. 244G>T (p. W50C) and heterozygosity in the parents and her brother. This report extends the range of TREM2 mutations that cause NHD phenotype. In addition, we provide a comprehensive review of all reported in the literature TREM2 gene mutations and the respective wide spectrum of clinical manifestations that highlights the importance of considering TREM2 gene mutations in a variety of neurodegenerative phenotypes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a simple and efficient watermarking method is proposed by using visual cryptography, singular value decomposition and chaotic maps. The proposed scheme uses a gray-level image as watermark instead of binary logo or bit sequence. The proposed scheme is a zero-watermarking scheme, where the watermark is not embedded directly in the host image. The host image is encrypted with secret watermark image by constructing two shares- master share and ownership share. The two shares separately do not give any information about the watermark but when stacked together, the watermark is revealed. Singular value decomposition has been used to select the robust features of the host image and chaotic maps have been used to improve the security. Experimental study is conducted to evaluate the robustness of the algorithm against various signal processing and geometrical attacks.
Direct Model Predictive Power Control (DMPPC) has emerged as a viable alternative for grid-tied Active Front End (AFE) power converters. However, its one-switching-vectorper-sampling-interval character leads to big ripples in its control variables. This work proposes a Performance-Enhanced Direct Multiple-Vector Model Predictive Power Control (DMV-MPPC) solution for grid-tied AFEs directly implementable on an FPGA. The proposed control scheme is compared with the classical DMPPC. The presented experimental results illustrate that the control performance can be significantly improved by the proposed DMV-MPPC scheme.
The time delay caused by the calculation time is unavoidable for the implementation of digital controller and also degrades the control performance. In order to cope with the time delay for the control of single-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS), this paper proposes the time delay compensator based on the Smith-predictor for both voltage and current controller and also evaluates the usefulness of the compensator by analytic analysis and experimental results. Theoretically the compensator alleviates the effect of time delay for both voltage and current controller, but the compensation for the fast current control is usually sufficient from the practical point of view. The experimental results are presented to show the validity of the proposed design and analysis of the time delay compensator for single-phase UPS.
Generativity, contributing to the next generation, is important for well-being throughout middle and late life. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what contributes to generativity during these life stages. Parenting and work are common, but not the only, ways people engage generatively; prosocial behavior is another. A community connection may encourage generative contributions in adults. However, older adults may face obstacles to being generative, and may need an additional drive to engage in these behaviors. Given this, it was expected that community cohesion would predict prosocial behavior despite age, and that grit would provide motivation for older adults, so the current study examined whether age moderated the relation between grit and prosocial behavior. Data were used from 188 upper-Midwest adults (aged 37-89). Multiple regression analyses showed that age moderated the relation between grit and prosocial behavior such that grit predicted prosocial behavior in older adults but not middle age adults. A sense of community cohesion was predictive of prosocial behavior despite age. While grit may promote generative acts in different ways depending on age, a sense of community cohesion may foster community contributions despite age. The discussion focuses on future directions and ways to promote generativity using this research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Until recently, social class has been rarely studied in psychology, and when it was taken into account it was rather as a control demographic variable than as a variable of interest. The aim of this paper is to propose an integrated review of recent research in social psychology that examines how social class influences psychological functioning and behavior. This literature conceptualizes social class as a context of socialization that modulates access to resources, which shapes individuals ways of thinking, feeling and acting. We present three approaches that respectively focus on three distinct aspects of the social class context - economic, symbolic or cultural resources - and describe how these resources impact attentional focus, orientation towards the self or the environment and ways to define oneself as an individual. We review the supporting empirical evidence sustaining these approaches and discuss the relevance of the indicators used to measure social class (income, employment, level of education, perceived rank). Finally, we argue that an experimental social psychology of social class is particularly needed as it allows, through the manipulation of processes, to identify the mechanisms by which social class influences psychological functioning and behavior.
The rostral ventral tegmental area (VTAR) and central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) are considered the main regions for induction of psychological dependence on abused drugs, such as morphine. The main aim of this study was to investigate the transient inhibition of each right and left side as well as both sides of the VTAR and the CeA by lidocaine (2%) on morphine reward properties using the conditioned place preference (CPP) method. Male Wistar rats (250 +/- 20g) 7days after recovery from surgery and cannulation were conditioned to morphine (7.5 mg/kg) in CPP apparatus. Five minutes before morphine injection in conditioning phase, lidocaine was administered either uni- or bilaterally into the VTAR (0.25 mu L/site) or CeA (0.5 mu L/site). The results revealed that lidocaine administration into the left side, but not the right side of the VTAR and the CeA reduced morphine CPP significantly. The reduction was potentiated when lidocaine was injected into both sides of the VTAR and the CeA. The number of compartment crossings was reduced when lidocaine was injected into both sides of the VTAR and the CeA as well as the left side. Rearing was reduced when lidocaine was injected into the right, but not the left side of the VTAR. Sniffing and rearing increased when animals received lidocaine in the right side and reduced in the group that received lidocaine in the left side of the CeA. It was concluded that the right and the left side of VTAR and the CeA play different roles in morphine-induced activity and reward.
This study introduces a method to alleviate against non-point source water pollution which typically comprises both organic and inorganic pollutants. We synthesized a hydrogel adsorbent customized for simultaneous adsorption (and removal) of benzene and heavy metals ion pollutants. Two functional groups were successfully incorporated into the hydrogel system using solution polymerization and chemical cross-linking methods. The adsorbent was golden brown and insoluble in water, and its structural decomposition in the dry state started at around 175 degrees C. Other thermal properties, hydrogel characterization and adsorption mechanism are described herein. Exploiting the alkylating chemistry of mono-aromatic compounds, this hydrogel successfully adsorbed benzene onto its heterogeneous surface. The strong nature of adsorption with a relatively faster equilibrium time progressed according to second order kinetic model. However, competitive heavy metal ions adsorption was a diffusion-limited process and the adsorption capacity increased not only with the solution pH but also with ionic size and the amount of metal ions' electric charge. With both type of pollutants adsorbed onto PBA hydrogel, this work therefore opens up a possibility of synthesizing adsorbent systems customized for simultaneous removal of organic and inorganic pollutants in a multi-type polluted waters. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The transport properties and mechanisms of fractured porous media are very important for oil and gas reservoir engineering, hydraulics, environmental science, chemical engineering, etc. In this paper, a fractal dual-porosity model is developed to estimate the equivalent hydraulic properties of fractured porous media, where a fractal tree-like network model is used to characterize the fracture system according to its fractal scaling laws and topological structures. The analytical expressions for the effective permeability of fracture system and fractured porous media, tortuosity, fracture density and fraction are derived. The proposed fractal model has been validated by comparisons with available experimental data and numerical simulation. It has been shown that fractal dimensions for fracture length and aperture have significant effect on the equivalent hydraulic properties of fractured porous media. The effective permeability of fracture system can be increased with the increase of fractal dimensions for fracture length and aperture, while it can be remarkably lowered by introducing tortuosity at large branching angle. Also, a scaling law between the fracture density and fractal dimension for fracture length has been found, where the scaling exponent depends on the fracture number. The present fractal dual-porosity model may shed light on the transport physics of fractured porous media and provide theoretical basis for oil and gas exploitation, underground water, nuclear waste disposal and geothermal energy extraction as well as chemical engineering, etc.
In order to study high and low cycle fatigue experiment bench control technology of a certain type of aircraft engine fan blade, we can reach the purpose of reducing the pressure pulsation of system and improving the stability of the test loading force. By means of simulation, we first designed the experiment bench model of high-low cycle fatigue based on MATLAB/SimHydraulics. Then on the basis of the system model, we completed the simulation according to the following steps: changing the position and loading ways of the accumulator in the hydraulic test bench; matching the system with different parameters. From the study can we find that the simulation of high-low cycle fatigue test rig has reached the expected purpose. At the same time, we got the effective parameter selection. In the process of simulation, we also found that the introduction of the accumulator can give great buffer effect to pressure pulsation which produced by the sudden closing of valves. At the mean time, the accumulator can bring more stable loading force. In conclusion, this study can provide necessary guidance to the design and production of experiment bench, so that we can get better experiment results.
Cognitive reserve (CR) shows protective effects in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and reduces the risk of dementia. Despite the clinical significance of CR, a clinically useful diagnostic biomarker of brain changes underlying CR in AD is not available yet. Our aim was to develop a fully-automated approach applied to fMRI to produce a biomarker associated with CR in subjects at increased risk of AD. We computed resting-state global functional connectivity (GFC), i.e. the average connectivity strength, for each voxel within the cognitive control network, which may sustain CR due to its central role in higher cognitive function. In a training sample including 43 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects and 24 healthy controls (HC), we found that MCI subjects with high CR (>median of years of education, CR+) showed increased frequency of high GFC values compared to MCI-CR- and HC. A summary index capturing such a surplus frequency of high GFC was computed (called GFC reserve (GFC-R) index). GFC-R discriminated MCI-CR+ vs. MCI-CR-, with the area under the ROC = 0.84. Cross-validation in an independently recruited test sample of 23 MCI subjects showed that higher levels of the GFC-R index predicted higher years of education and an alternative questionnaire-based proxy of CR, controlled for memory performance, gray matter of the cognitive control network, white matter hyperintensities, age, and gender. In conclusion, the GFC-R index that captures GFC changes within the cognitive control network provides a biomarker candidate of functional brain changes of CR in patients at increased risk of AD.
In this note, we announce a complete classification of the stability of periodic roll-wave solutions of the viscous shallow water equations, from their onset at Froude number F approximate to 2 up to the infinite Froude limit. For intermediate Froude numbers, we obtain numerically a particularly simple power-law relation between F and the boundaries of the region of stable periods, which appears potentially useful in hydraulic engineering applications. In the asymptotic regime F. 2(onset), we provide an analytic expression of the stability boundaries, whereas in the limit F ->infinity, we show that roll waves are always unstable. (C) 2016 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Objectives: Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are a subtype of artificial neural network that have shown strong performance in computer vision tasks including image classification. To date, there has been limited application of CNNs to chest radiographs, the most frequently performed medical imaging study. We hypothesize CNNs can learn to classify frontal chest radiographs according to common findings from a sufficiently large data set. Materials and Methods: Our institution's research ethics board approved a single-center retrospective review of 35,038 adult posterior-anterior chest radiographs and final reports performed between 2005 and 2015 (56% men, average age of 56, patient type: 24% inpatient, 39% outpatient, 37% emergency department) with a waiver for informed consent. The GoogLeNet CNN was trained using 3 graphics processing units to automatically classify radiographs as normal (n = 11,702) or into 1 or more of cardiomegaly (n = 9240), consolidation (n = 6788), pleural effusion (n = 7786), pulmonary edema (n = 1286), or pneumothorax (n = 1299). The network's performancewas evaluated using receiver operating curve analysis on a test set of 2443 radiographs with the criterion standard being board-certified radiologist interpretation. Results: Using 256 x 256-pixel images as input, the network achieved an overall sensitivity and specificity of 91% with an area under the curve of 0.964 for classifying a study as normal (n = 1203). For the abnormal categories, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve, respectively, were 91%, 91%, and 0.962 for pleural effusion (n = 782), 82%, 82%, and 0.868 for pulmonary edema (n = 356), 74%, 75%, and 0.850 for consolidation (n = 214), 81%, 80%, and 0.875 for cardiomegaly (n = 482), and 78%, 78%, and 0.861 for pneumothorax (n = 167). Conclusions: Current deep CNN architectures can be trained with modest-sized medical data sets to achieve clinically useful performance at detecting and excluding common pathology on chest radiographs.
This study investigates the now-common action of looking at a mobile phone display, thereby offering insight into the present communication situation in an era in which the use of high-performance mobile phones has become ubiquitous. In this study, the action of looking at a mobile phone display is considered nonverbal behavior/communication. This study applies a basic, general model to elucidate the present situation of face-to-face communication in light of the increasing prevalence of social interaction via mobile phone use. The results derived from the model include mobile phone users' increasing social power and an accumulation of potential discontent in relation to different interpretations. This study concludes that in an era of high-performance mobile phones, the social context in face-to-face communication can be influenced by the act of looking at a mobile phone display. (C) 2014 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In recent years, a major global challenge being faced in manufacturing industry, which requires low energy consumption, low pollution, low emission, less use of non-renewable resources, excellent market competitiveness and cost control capability, better protection of occupational health and safety, excellent technical performance, is to address the associated multifaceted context in environment, economy, society and technology. Many researchers and practitioners have thus been making great efforts in sustainable manufacturing in order to take on the challenges in a comprehensive and scientific manner. As the advanced manufacturing equipment, CNC machine tools particularly their design and applications need to adapt and cope with the increasing demands for sustainability capability and features. Incorporating sustainability at the design stage of CNC machine tools is an effective measure linking to the sustainable design and analysis of machines in particular. However, there is no universally accepted design guidelines and design methodologies for sustainable CNC machine tools yet. At present, many researchers and practitioners focus on one or two specific technologies, such as reducing energy consumption and reducing pollution emissions, for the sustainable performance of CNC machine tools. The study of the comprehensive quantitative analysis for the sustainable performance is still lacking. Therefore, in this paper a sustainable design index (SDI) oriented approach is presented for the machine design and analysis within the CAD/CAE environment. It is expected to be quantitative analysis oriented and applicable to the engineering manufacture in an industrial feasible manner. This analysis model quantitatively evaluates the design scheme of machine tools in four aspects covering environment, economy, society and technology, using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods. This SDI analysis model consists of an indexing system, which can fully reflect the sustainable performance of design schemes, and a synthesis algorithm which can accurately calculate the sustainable design index value based on the following criterion levels: energy consumption, pollution emissions, costs, modular design, lightweight design, security, accuracy and processing capability. To enhance the application of SDI analysis model in CAD/CAE environment, we develop a new plugin program, which has been written in Visual Basic. This program can calculate the sustainable design index value for each design schemes by using original design values and weights. Using the approach and the associated tool developed, designers can determine a more sustainable machine design scheme, and further improve the sustainable performance of the machine by applying sustainable design index (SDI) based assessment indicators. A case study shows that the sustainable design performance of design scheme B is 38.10% better than design scheme A.
The first step in any rainwater harvesting system involves methods to increase the amount of water stored in the soil profile by trapping or holding the rain where it falls. This may involve small movements of rainwater as surface runoff in order to concentrate the water where it is wanted most. This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS) methodology based on a decision support system (DSS) that uses remote-sensing data, filed survey, and GIS to delineate potential in situ rainwater harvesting areas. The GIS-based DSS implemented as well as evaluated the existing rainwater harvesting structures in the study area. The input into the DSS included a map of rainfall surplus, slope, potential runoff coefficient (PRC), land cover/use, and soil texture. The outputs were map showing potential sites for in situ water harvesting (IWH). The spatial distribution of the suitability map showed that 1.5 and 27.8 % of the study area have excellent and good suitability for IWH, relatively, while 45 % of the area has moderate suitability. Validation of the existing IWH structures was done during a field survey using collected data and the suitability map. The validation depends on comparing rainwater harvesting/recharge dam's locations in the generated suitability map and the location of the surveyed IWH structures using the proximity analysis tool of ArcGIS 10.1. From the proximity analysis result, all the exiting IWH structures categorized as successful (99 %) were within the good suitable areas.
This research examined children's evaluation of public and private prosocial giving and whether such evaluation would predict actual behavior. We tested children between 6 and 12 years old (N = 192) in China, where children are socialized not to call positive attention to themselves. In Study 1, a significant age-related change was found; younger children evaluated public acts of prosocial giving more favorably than private acts, whereas older children showed the opposite pattern. Study 2 not only replicated the findings of Study 1 but also showed that children's evaluation of public versus private giving predicted their actual behavior in communicating about their own prosocial giving. These findings are the first to show that age-related changes in children's understanding of generosity predict reputation management behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a three dimensional drug model is constructed to investigate the impact of media coverage on the spread and control of drug addiction. The dynamical behavior of the model is studied by using the basic reproduction number Ro. The drug-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if R-o1. The results demonstrate that the media effect in human population cannot change the stabilities of equilibria but can affect the number of drug addicts. Sensitivity analyses are performed to seek for effective control measures for drug treatment. Numerical simulations are given to support the theoretical results. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An analogue-digital circuit for thermal control of the resonance frequency of optical ring resonators is suggested. This approach is characterised by a low power dissipation of 209 mu W and needs only 2800 mu m(2) of chip area in 0.16 mu m CMOS technology. Therefore, it is well appropriate to be used to control each of the cells of large optical switch matrices. Compared with a purely analogue heater control approach the power dissipation is reduced to 7%.
Cloud computing represents the most recent enterprise trend in information technology and refers to the virtualization of computing resources that are available on demand. Cloud computing saves cost and time for businesses. Moreover, this computing process reflects a radical technological revolution in how companies develop, deploy, and manage enterprise applications over the Internet. Virtualized cloud computing mainly offers cloud-computing delivery models such as software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service. Security and privacy are presently considered critical factors in the adaptation of any cloud-service delivery model. Cloud computing leverages several technologies; in the process, this model can inherit potential security threats. Thus far, security issues in cloud computing have rarely been addressed at the service delivery level. Key security concerns include Web application security, network security, data security, integration, vulnerabilities in the virtualized environment, and physical security. The aim of this research is to comprehensively present the security threats with respect to their cloud service deliver models. This study also determines how service delivery models differ from existing enterprise applications, classify these models, and investigate the inherent security challenges. This study primarily focuses on the security concerns of each layer of the cloud-service delivery model, as well as on existing solutions and approaches. In addition, countermeasures to potential security threats are also presented for each cloud model. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cutting movements in football (soccer) induce high loads on the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee. The injury risk is affected by the shoe-surface interaction. For the evaluation of different influencing factors of this interaction the TrakTester, a custom-made device, was used. To obtain significant results from testing ACL loading a realistic plantar pressure distribution in the shoe is required. Using the TrakTester several cutting movements were carried out using two different foot models with the resultant plantar pressure analysed with three different systems: The original foot model with Parotec insoles (24 integrated sensors; Paromed GmbH, Markt Neubeuern, Germany), the modified version of this foot model with Pedar-X insoles (99 sensors; novel GmbH, Munich, Germany) and the inflexible model was surveyed with the OpenGo science system (13 sensors, Moticon, Munich, Germany). For the inflexible model distinct angles between the lower leg and the surface were adjusted and the obtained plantar pressure distributions were analyzed. As the first version showed high pressures in the arch region, it was modified to reduce the load in this area. A second inflexible model induced the pressure in the heel and forefoot region. For various angles similar plantar pressure distributions were obtained. Highest pressures were applied on the medial side of the heel and forefoot with minor load in the arch region. This corresponds to literature data investigating cutting movements with subjects. Tests with the inflexible foot model achieved similar and realistic patterns of the plantar pressure distribution for different angles. This is an important precondition to obtain reproducible data for ACL loading during cutting movements. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
The present study examined legal perceptions of lesbian intimate partner violence (IPV) in an experimental context. Undergraduate women and men from the Southeastern United States (N = 217) read a trial summary in which the defendant was charged with physically assaulting her same-sex partner. The trial varied as to whether the victim and defendant were depicted via images as either feminine or masculine. Participants rendered verdicts and made judgments about the victim and defendant (e.g., credibility). Results indicated that the victim's and defendant's masculine or feminine appearance affected these judgments. Female participants viewed a masculine victim as more credible than a feminine victim when the defendant was masculine. When the victim was masculine, they viewed a masculine defendant as more responsible for the victim's injuries than a feminine defendant. Male participants had higher sympathy for a masculine versus feminine victim overall, but had more anger toward a masculine defendant versus a feminine defendant accused of assaulting a feminine victim. Finally, fewer participants mentioned the defendant's history of violence as a reason for a guilty of felony verdict for a feminine victim with a feminine defendant versus all other combinations of victim and defendant masculine/feminine appearance. Results are discussed in terms of gender stereotypes influencing legal decision-making in IPV cases among lesbian couples.
Wconfirms the accuracy and robustness of the proposed FFT-BP model. The root-mean-square errors of FFT-BP blind predictions of a benchmark set of 100 complexes, the PDB-Bind v2007 core set of 195 complexes and the PDBBind v2015 core set of 195 complexes are 1.99, 2.02 and 1.92 kcal/mol, respectively. Their corresponding Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.75, 0.80, and 0.78, respectively. We present a feature functional theory-binding predictor (FFT-BP) for the protein-ligand binding affinity prediction. The underpinning assumptions of FFT-BP are as follows: (1) representability: There exists a microscopic feature vector that can uniquely characterize and distinguish one protein-ligand complex from another; (2) feature-function relationship: the macroscopic features, including binding free energy, of a complex is a functional of microscopic feature vectors; and (3) similarity: molecules with similar microscopic features have similar macroscopic features, such as binding affinity. Physical models, such as implicit solvent models and quantum theory, are utilized to extract microscopic features, while machine learning algorithms are employed to rank the similarity among protein-ligand complexes. A large variety of numerical validations and tests
Occupational allergies have been among the most frequently recorded occupational diseases for years and both the skin as well as the respiratory tract may be affected. Estimated 9 - 15% of adult asthma is (partially) caused by work-related exposure. Gender-specific differences in exposure cause different risks at the workplace which affect the health of employees. This also applies to exposure and working conditions when handling with sensitizing working substances. The gender-specific analysis presented here, based on the German documentation of the confirmed occupational allergic diseases of the airways and the skin, reveals clear differences between men and women in the numbers of diseases and also in exposure condition and working areas.
The design of an electromagnetic machine is a nonlinear, multivariable, and multimodal optimization problem that incurs a great deal of computation time when calculating electromagnetic fields. To overcome these problems effectively, this paper proposes a new evolutionary multimodal optimization algorithm based on the Big Bang-Big Crunch method and aided by a surrogate model using the theory of compressed sensing. Its efficiency is demonstrated by assessing the optimization results for test functions. Moreover, to evaluate the feasibility of its application to an electromagnetic problem, an interior permanent magnet motor is designed using the proposed algorithm. The obtained results confirm that the proposed method has the ability to search for multiple optimal solutions with a good computational efficiency by reducing the number of fitness function evaluations during the optimization process.
Virtual reality can be used to visually substitute a person's body by a life-sized virtual one. Such embodiment results in a perceptual illusion of body ownership over the virtual body (VB). Previous research has shown that the form of the VB can influence implicit attitudes. In particular, embodying White people in a Black virtual body is associated with an immediate decrease in their implicit racial bias against Black people. We tested whether the reduction in implicit bias lasts for at least 1 week and whether it is enhanced by multiple exposures. Two experiments were carried out with a total of 90 female participants where the virtual body was either Black or White. Participants were required to follow a virtual Tai Chi teacher who was either Asian or European Caucasian. Each participant had 1, 2, or 3 exposures separated by days. Implicit racial bias was measured 1 week before their first exposure and 1 week after their last. The results show that implicit bias decreased more for those with the Black virtual body than the White. There was also some evidence of a general decrease in bias independently of body type for which possible explanations are put forward.
Lipoprotein(a), a variant of LDL carrying the adhesive glycoprotein apo(a), is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is found in humans and subhuman primates but rarely in lower mammals. Better understanding of the evolutionary advantage of this molecule should elucidate its physiological role. We developed a new mouse model with two characteristics of human metabolism: the expression of Lp(a) and the lack of endogenous ascorbate (vitamin C) production. We show that dietary deficiency of ascorbate increases serum levels of Lp(a). Moreover, chronic hypoascorbemia and complete depletion of ascorbate (scurvy) leads to Lp(a) accumulation in the vascular wall and parallels atherosclerotic lesion development. The results suggest that dietary ascorbate deficiency is a risk factor for atherosclerosis independent of dietary lipids. We provide support for the concept that Lp(a) functions as a mobile repair molecule compensating for the structural impairment of the vascular wall, a morphological hallmark of hypoascorbemia and scurvy.
Innovative systems and automated computational procedures, such as those based on computer vision or inertial wearable sensors, have recently been adopted to provide effective and accurate monitoring and analysis of cow behaviour and respond to different issues related to cow health and welfare. In this study, a new and open source algorithm, characterised by a linear computational time, was defined and implemented with the aim to improve real-time monitoring and analysis of walking behaviour of dairy cows. It was applied to a novel inertial sensor-based system composed of low-cost devices, including wearable sensors, open source software, operating with a 4-Hz sampling frequency. The algorithm computed the number of steps of each cow from accelerometer data by making use of statistically defined thresholds. Two vector variables were considered to study the accelerometer signals, i.e., Signal Vector Magnitude and Signal Magnitude Area. Algorithm accuracy was carried out by comparing total error (E) and Relative Measurement Error (RME), and a sensitivity analysis on the parameters of the computed thresholds was carried out to analyse the variation of the error made by the algorithm. The results showed that the algorithm produced an E equal to 9.5%, and a RME between 2.4% and 4.8%. The sensitivity analysis confirmed that the proposed thresholds provided the minimum errors and that RME is less suitable than E for measuring the accuracy of the step counter. In fact, the underestimated and overestimated numbers of steps counted by the algorithm tended to compensate each other in RME computation. (c) 2016 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The recent appreciation of novel subsets of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) as important regulators of tissue homeostasis, inflammation and repair, raise questions regarding the presence and role of these cells in cancer tissues. In addition to natural killer and fetal lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells, the ILC family comprises non-cytolytic, cytokine-producing cells that are classified into ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 based on phenotypic and functional characteristics. Differently from natural killer cells, which are the prototypical members of ILC1 and whose role in tumors is better established, the involvement of other ILC subsets in cancer progression or resistance is still fuzzy and in several instances controversial, since current studies indicate both context-dependent beneficial or pathogenic effects. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the involvement of these novel ILC subsets in the context of tumor immunology, highlighting how ILC subsets might behave either as friends or foes. (C) 2016 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Latest variants of denial-of-service attack like low-rate denial-of-service attack require very few packets for launching an attack. As a result, reducing the number of packets required for IP traceback has gained considerable importance. In packet marking schemes, routers probabilistically mark the packets. Therefore, a large number of packets is required by the victim to reconstruct the complete attack path. In this paper, we introduce an efficient data structure known as wrap-around counting Bloom filter (WCBF) to minimize the required number of packets. WCBF maintains a set of cyclic counters to decide which particular mark needs to be sent to the victim for faster IP traceback. We prove the efficacy of our technique by performing detailed theoretical analysis and confirm it using extensive experimental results. In case of probabilistic packet marking, the proposed scheme reduces the number of packets by 5-10 times. Likewise, in case of deterministic packet marking, the number of packets required is reduced by 2-4 times. We also show that WCBF can be incorporated with different variants of probabilistic packet marking and deterministic packet marking to obtain effective results. Finally, we highlight the benefits of WCBF over the other traceback schemes like logging and hybrid traceback. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We show that it is possible for the so-called weak locking capacity of a quantum channel (Guha et al. in Phys Rev X 4:011016, 2014) to be much larger than its private capacity. Both reflect different ways of capturing the notion of reliable communication via a quantum system while leaking almost no information to an eavesdropper; the difference is that the latter imposes an intrinsically quantum security criterion whereas the former requires only a weaker, classical condition. The channels for which this separation is most straightforward to establish are the complementary channels of classical-quantum (cq-)channels and, hence, a subclass of Hadamard channels. We also prove that certain symmetric channels (related to photon number splitting) have positive weak locking capacity in the presence of a vanishingly small pre-shared secret, whereas their private capacity is zero. These findings are powerful illustrations of the difference between two apparently natural notions of privacy in quantum systems, relevant also to quantum key distribution: the older, na < ve one based on accessible information, contrasting with the new, composable one embracing the quantum nature of the eavesdropper's information. Assuming an additivity conjecture for constrained minimum output R,nyi entropies, the techniques of the first part demonstrate a single-letter formula for the weak locking capacity of complements to cq-channels, coinciding with a general upper bound of Guha et al. for these channels. Furthermore, still assuming this additivity conjecture, this upper bound is given an operational interpretation for general channels as the maximum weak locking capacity of the channel activated by a suitable noiseless channel.
With the development of digital control technology, sampled-data control shows its prominent superiority for most practical industries. In the framework of sampled-data control, this paper studies the stabilization problem for a class of switched linear neutral systems meanwhile taking into account asynchronous switching. By utilizing the relationship between the sampling period and the dwell time of switched neutral systems, a bond between the sampling period and the average dwell time is revealed to form a switching condition, under which and certain control gains conditions exponential stability of the closed-loop systems is guaranteed. A simple example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a progressive muscle strengthening program using a Swiss ball for AS patients. Methods: Sixty patients with AS were randomized into the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). Eight exercises were performed by the IG patients with free weights on a Swiss ball two times per week for 16 weeks. The evaluations were performed by a blinded evaluator at baseline and after 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks using the following instruments: the one-repetition maximum test (1 RM), BASMI, BASFI, HAQ-S, SF-36, 6-minute walk test, time up and go test, BASDAI, ASDAS, ESR and CRP dosage and Likert scale. Results: There was a statistical difference between groups for: strength (1 RM capacity) in the following exercises: abdominal, rowing, squat, triceps and reverse fly (p < 0.005); 6-minute walk test (p < 0.001); timed up and go test (p = 0.025) and Likert scale (p < 0.001), all of them with better results for the IG. No differences were observed between the groups with respect to the functional capacity evaluation using the BASFI, HAQ-S, BASMI, SF-36, TUG, ASDAS, ESR and CPR dosage. Conclusions: Progressive muscle strengthening using a Swiss ball is effective for improving muscle strength and walking performance in patients with AS. (C) 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda.
Program of Training and Social Mobilization for Living with the Semiarid: One Million Rural Cisterns (P1MC), one of the largest programs of rainwater harvesting for human water supply, is underway in Brazil. This article presents an assessment of the P1MC, from the point of view of users. The methodology was based on a survey with 623 interviews in 63 municipalities reached by the programme, in-depth interviews with 32 managers and technicians and 15 users, participant and non-participant observations and image recording. Field works were carried out between February 2009 and July 2011. The results indicate that the presence of rainwater harvesting systems reduced by almost 90% the total time spent in search of water. Results also showed that highly precarious socioeconomic conditions still prevail, which is a limiting factor for the achievement of program effectiveness. The program has achieved its goal of building physical structures, but there are still significant challenges, especially those related to adequate supply of water in quantity and quality. Therefore, public policies for water supply in semiarid rural areas should associate technical issues with management elements considering the social, climatic and economic local conditions.
Since the initial visions proposed in the SmartDust project fifteen years ago, Wireless Sensor Networks have seen a tremendous development, leading to the realization of the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, there is a large variety of hardware and software to choose from that is easy to set up and use. Even though there is an increasing number of real-world applications that employ large deployments of IoT devices, the wireless nature of communication in combination with the low-end capabilities of the devices raises security and privacy issues that have not been properly addressed. Considering also that sensor node brands are very different in their capabilities, providing a single solution is very challenging. In this paper we adopt Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) as an attractive alternative to conventional public key cryptography, such as RSA. ECC is an ideal candidate for implementation on constrained devices where the major computational resources, i.e., speed, memory are limited and low-power wireless communication protocols are employed. That is because it attains the same security levels with traditional cryptosystems using smaller parameter sizes. We provide a generic implementation of ECC that runs on different host operating systems, such as Contiki, TinyOS, iSenseOS, ScatterWeb and Arduino. Furthermore, it runs on smartphone platforms such as Android and iPhone and also any linux based systems (e.g., raspberryPi). Our implementation does not contain any platform-specific specializations, allowing a single implementation to run natively on heterogeneous networks. We look into the Smart Parking application domain and provide a solution that protects the privacy of the users by totally avoiding the exchange of confidential information. We also show how to protect a user's privacy by adapting the tool of zero knowledge proofs (ZKP) with our ECC implementation. We study the performance of our system in an real-world outdoor IoT testbed and analyze the execution time and network overhead for each available hardware platform. Our code is available as open source software and can be used from developers who wish to achieve certain levels of security and privacy in their applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A full-scale test embankment was constructed on a soft deposit (S-u < 20 kPa) improved by geotextile-encased granular columns to assess its serviceability performance for a nearby stockyard foundation. The behaviour of the improved foundation was monitored by means of instrumentation with respect to surface settlements, excess pore pressures, total vertical stresses acting on the top of the encased column and surrounding soft soil as well as geotextile radial deformation. Two-dimensional finite-element analysis was performed using an axi-symmetric unit cell, and then the results were compared with field measurements. It was observed that the soil arching progressed during post-construction due to a decrease in apparent stiffness of soft clay from quasi undrained to drained stiffness. Furthermore, there was a difference in settlement between the top of the encased column and the surrounding soft soil, midpoint between the columns, which increased during both construction and consolidation stages. A measured relation was also found to correlate the geotextile expansion with the maximum settlement occurring below the embankment.
This paper deals with realization of fractional-order impedance functions by passive electrical networks composed of a fractional capacitor and some RLC components. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such a realization are found in a general case. Also for impedance functions described by a class of fractional-order transfer functions, the realizability conditions are stated as some algebraic conditions on the parameters of the transfer function. Moreover, a procedure is proposed for implementation of such impedance functions by passive electrical networks composed of a fractional capacitor and some RLC components. Numerical examples are presented to show the usefulness of the results of the paper in design of fractional-order electrical circuits.
Service providers have often used the mantra of service with a smile as a strategy to engender customer satisfaction. The findings of the current research indicate that a smile alone may not be sufficient in achieving service excellence. Specifically, this work extends prior research suggesting that customers have more positive reactions to Duchenne, or authentic, smiles compared to non-Duchenne, or non genuine, smiles. Two experimental vignette studies examined the influence of the type of smile a service provider displays (Duchenne vs. non-Duchenne) and gender of the service provider on perceptions of service quality, as well as the Stereotype Content Model dimensions of competence and warmth. The results suggest that the type of smile (Duchenne vs. non-Duchenne) impacts evaluations of service providers in terms of their perceived level of competence, as well as their perceived service quality ratings. Implications for the hiring and training of service providers are also discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The online extraction of kernel principal components has gained increased attention, and several algorithms proposed recently explore kernelized versions of the generalized Hebbian algorithm (GHA) [1], a well-known principal component analysis (PCA) extraction rule. Corisequently, the convergence speed of such algorithms and the accuracy of the extracted components are highly dependent on a proper choice of the learning rate, a problem dependent factor. This paper proposes a new online fixed-point kerriel principal component extraction algorithm, exploring the minimization of a recursive least-square error function, conjugated with an approximated deflation transform using component estimates obtained by the algorithm, implicitly applied upon data. The proposed technique automatically builds a concise dictionary to expand kernel components, involves simple recursive equations to dynamically define a specific learning rate to each component under extraction, and has a linear computational complexity regarding dictionary size. As compared to state-of-art kernel principal component extraction algorithms, results show improved convergence speed and accuracy of the components produced by the proposed method in five open-access databases.
Autopsy, histology and cytology have been and histology and cytology still are the main diagnostic tools in surgical pathology. During the last two decades molecular biology gradually has extended the diagnostic armamentarium. In tumor pathology molecular biology techniques are used to diagnose and subclassify tumors, predict response to therapies and identify therapeutic targets. Molecular pathology has evolved into a novel focus of clinical pathology and transforms the historically morphology based discipline. Traditional pathology and molecular pathology combine and guide tumor therapy.
This study aims to analyze the users' form of interaction and problems in terms of interface design considering the people's constant interaction with mobile devices which has an important place in their daily life. For this purpose, the location of interface design elements and the changes caused in this development process of mobile communication technology are addressed. Because it is directly associated with the topics, required literature reviews has been done, descriptions and opinions related to the interface design have been given place. In addition to this, the notion of usability, interface usability, user-oriented interface design and the importance interface in the human-computer interaction are tried to be explained. Due to this the most widely used operating systems of Android and IOS, interface design of these operating systems it was analyzed by considering the basic graphic design principles. In order to measure the usability of these interfaces, one of interrogation methods based on information collected from the focus groups. At the end of the study, results of design analysis of the participants were compared and situation evaluation has been done.
The South American Atlantic rainforest is a one-of-a-kind ecosystem considered as a biodiversity hotspot; however, in the last decades, it was intensively reduced to 7 % of its original surface. Water resources and water quality are one of the main goods and services this system provides to people. For monitoring and management recommendations, the present study is focused on (1) determining the nutrient content (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and phosphate) and physiochemical parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and total dissolved solids) in surface water from 24 rainforest mountain rivers in Argentina, (2) analyzing the human health risk, (3) assessing the environmental distribution of the determined pollutants, and (4) analyzing water quality indices (WQI(obj) and WQI(min)). In addition, for total coliform bacteria, a dataset was used from literature. Turbidity, total dissolved solids, and nitrite (NO2-) exceeded the guideline value recommended by national or international guidelines in several sampling stations. The spatial distribution pattern was analyzed by Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis (PCA/FA) showing well-defined groups of rivers. Both WQI showed good adjustment (R-2 = 0.89) and rated water quality as good or excellent in all sampling sites (WQI >71). Therefore, this study suggests the use of the WQI(min) for monitoring water quality in the region and also the water treatment of coliform, total dissolved solids, and turbidity.
This paper reports on a model-assisted bundle adjustment (BA) framework in which visually-derived features are fused with an underlying three-dimensional (3D) mesh provided a priori. By using an approach inspired by the expectation-maximization (EM) class of algorithms, we introduce a hidden binary label for each visual feature that indicates if that feature is considered part of the nominal model, or if the feature corresponds to 3D structure that is absent from the model. Therefore, in addition to improved estimates of the feature locations, we can identify visual features that correspond to foreign structure on the ship hull. We show that this framework is a special case of the Gaussian max-mixtures framework, which can be efficiently incorporated into state-of-the-art graph-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solvers. In addition, the precision of our bundle adjustment framework allows the identification of structural deviations between 3D structure inferred from bundle-adjusted camera imagery and the prior model. These structural deviations are clustered into shapes, which allow us to fuse camera-derived structure back into the 3D mesh. This augmented model can be used within a 3D photomosaicing pipeline, providing a visually intuitive 3D reconstruction of the ship hull. We evaluate our pipeline using the Bluefin Robotics hovering autonomous underwater vehicle (HAUV) surveying the SS Curtiss, where a 3D mesh derived from computer aided design (CAD) drawings serves as the prior model. In addition to more consistent visual reconstructions, we can update the prior mesh with 3D information corresponding to underwater structure, such as biofouling or manually-placed cylindrical shapes with known dimensions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Classification based on image sets has recently attracted increasing interests in computer vision and pattern recognition community. It finds numerous applications in real-life scenarios, such as classification from surveillance videos, multi-view camera networks, and personal albums. Image set based face classification highly depends on the consistency and coverage of the poses and view point variations of a subject in gallery and probe sets. This paper explores a synthetic method to create the unseen face features in the database, thus achieving better performance of image set based face recognition. By considering the high symmetry of human faces, multiple synthetic instances are virtually generated to make up the missing parts, so as to enrich the variety of the database. With respect to the classification framework, we resort to reverse training due to its high efficiency and accuracy. The performance of the proposed approach, Synthetic Examples based Reverse Training (SEAT), has been fully evaluated on Honda/UCSD, CMU Mobo and YouTube Celebrities, three benchmark datasets comprising facial image sequences. Extensive comparisons with the other state-of-the-art methods have corroborated the superiority of our approach.
Objective. Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is the second most frequent inflammatory rheumatic disease, characterized by spinal involvement, peripheral arthritis, or enthesitis with marked pain, stiffness, and fatigue. Fibromyalgia (FM) may be associated with SpA, and shares some common symptoms. We aimed to determine how FM influences assessment of SpA disease activity, which is mainly dependent on patient-based outcome measures such as the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) or the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS). Methods. This single-center cross-sectional study included consecutive patients with SpA according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society criteria. FM was diagnosed according to the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Patient characteristics, BASDAI, ASDAS/C-reactive protein (CRP), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 questionnaire were recorded and compared. Results. The study included 103 patients with SpA; 81 with axial and 22 with peripheral forms. Eighteen patients presented with concomitant FM, of whom 12 had axial SpA and 6 peripheral SpA. Demographic characteristics did not differ except for sex, with a female predominance in the FM group that was more marked in peripheral forms. BASDAI was higher in patients with FM [median (IQR): 4.2 (4.2) vs 2.2 (3.1); p = 0.0068], whereas ASDAS-CRP was not significantly different [median (IQR): 2.7 (2) vs 2 (1.3); p = 0.1264]. Nevertheless, median ASDAS-CRP corresponded to high disease activity in patients with SpA or FM compared with moderate activity in non-FM patients. Conclusion. FM is a frequent comorbidity in patients with SpA, especially in peripheral forms. In patients with SpA-FM, disease activity may be overestimated when measured by BASDAI and to a lesser extent by ASDAS-CRP, and this overestimation could lead to inappropriate treatment escalation.
The energy and resource efficient manufacture of consumption and investment products is becoming a competitive advantage and companies are increasingly interested in optimal machine design and process operation. In this contribution an analytical description of the milling process has been derived on basis of an extensive, experimental power and resources consumption analysis. Using the discrete events modeling approach a parameterized process model for milling has been developed. The calculation of the resources consumption of all machine components or process operations is controlled by NC codes and allows for time-depended consumption profiles. For the consumption optimization the resources energy, tool wear, coolant, material removal volume and operation time are considered either for single or combined resources minimization. (C) The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Currently teachers play an increasingly important role as informants in the context of psychological diagnostic processes. It is still uncertain how far rater agreement between students and their teachers as well as agreement between different self-report scales can be affected by specific characteristics of the students as age and gender. In a sample of N = 189 students (mean age = 13,69; SD = 2,26; age span: 9 to 18 years), it was tested if these characteristics have impact on the amount of agreement between teachers' and students' ratings concerning social and learning behavior in a regression model. Secondary it was tested if the agreement between different self-report scales regarding social and learning behavior as well as prosocial behavior and psychological stress is effected by the student's age and gender. It appears that rater agreements between girls and their teachers are larger than between boys and their teachers. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.
A project to develop the Accelerator Driven System (ADS) for nuclear waste transmutation has been launched by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) since 2011 through three stages. China LEAd-based Reactor (CLEAR) was selected as the reference reactor for CASADS project, which means lead or lead-bismuth will be used as the primary coolant for reactor. Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology (INEST), CAS, is one of the leading teams being involved in ADS project, and taking charge of the design and R&D activities of CLEAR series reactors. According to the research and development roadmap of CLEAR, a 10MWth lead-bismuth cooled pool-type research reactor named CLEAR-I coupled with a proton accelerator will be constructed at the first stage. In the second stage, China LEAd-based Engineering Demonstration Reactor (CLEAR-II) with 100MWth will be constructed. In the third stage, China LEAd-based Commercial Prototype Reactor (CLEAR-III) with 1000MWth will be constructed. In order to verify the key components and investigate the thermal-hydraulics phenomena for CLEAR-I and even for pool type lead-based reactor, an integrated multifunctional non-nuclear test facility named CLEAR-S will be built and commissioning before the end of 2016. Note that CLEAR-S will be used to test the 1: 1 prototype components for CLEAR-I, such as primary pump, heat exchanger, control rod driven system and in-vessel refueling system, and to verify the design and safety analysis codes. In this paper, the design description and latest progress have been presented for CLEAR-S. (C) 2016 The Authors. International Journal of Energy Research Published by John Wiley& Sons Ltd.
The Ambient Intelligence (Am!) paradigm envisions systems whose central entity is the user. AmI integrates technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, implicit Human Computer Interaction, and Ubiquitous Services. Each capability of AmI systems is oriented towards assistance of humans at work, in the classroom, or even at home. In consequence, the Awl development process usually incorporates the final user since the first stages. However, having users available during all this long process is not always possible. Agent-based social simulations where the users role is played by simulated entities can be used to make the Awl development process faster and more effective. In this scenario, the modelling of CMHBs (Computational Models of Human Behaviour) is a major challenge. To address this issue, this paper proposes a methodology whose main contributions are: (1) the use of domain experts' knowledge to create CMHBs; (2) a common methodological framework to develop CMHBs by combining information obtained from sensors' perceptions and experts' experiences; and, (3) open source tools to support this development paradigm. The paper also presents a full case of study in a hospital which illustrates: the number of recommendations made by the methodology; the techniques proposed (mainly the use of ontologies and temporal reasoning); and, the potential of the methodology to model the personnel in a hospital. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3-D printing refers to a new class of technologies that actively construct products directly from any 3-D digital model. In the future, the broader applications of AM will require a cost reduction of AM machines. Currently, the products fabricated by low-end machines, such as those fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) processes, suffer from the issue of low dimensional accuracy due to multiple error sources. To properly manage error sources for improved prevision, this paper proposes a novel strategy for error compensation in the FDM processes. First, we consecutively attribute the dimensional inaccuracy to two major error sources that affect the geometric shape of the product: 1) positioning error of the extruder and 2) shape deformation induced by processing error, including material phase change and other variations that occur. The extruder positioning error is characterized by a Kriging model, while the modeling of shape deformation due to processing error follows the method developed by Huang et al. Second, using error equivalence concept, we transform the positioning error into the equivalent amount of design input error. Finally, we adjust the design to compensate for the overall shape deviation. To validate this strategy, we conduct a designed experiment for the shape deviation prediction and the compensation. The experimental results successfully demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed three-step strategy to manage multiple error sources in the FDM processes. Note to Practitioners-At present, the shape deviation of the product hinders the application of additive manufacturing in extensive industries. This paper propose an in-plane compensation plan for a fused deposition modeling (FDM) process. Mathematical models are built to predict the deviation of a 2-D shape, and a compensation algorithm is derived based on this model. With the methodology described in this paper, a special compensation system can be developed for an FDM machine. This system analyzes the measurement of specifically designed test products, derives a compensation plan, and modifies any 2-D computer-aided design model to increase the shape fidelity of the product.
Precise knowledge of the plant time constant L/R is essential to perform a thorough analysis and design of the current control loop in voltage source converters (VSCs). From the perspective of the current controller dynamics in the low-frequency range, such plant time constant is also suitable for most cases in which an LCL filter is used. As the loop behavior can be significantly influenced by the VSC working conditions, the effects associated to converter losses should be included in the model, through an equivalent series resistance. In addition, the plant inductance may also present important uncertainties with respect to the value of the VSC L/LCL interface filter measured at rated conditions. Thus, in this paper, a method is presented to estimate both parameters of the plant time constant, i.e., the equivalent inductance and resistance in the plant model of current-controlled VSCs. The proposed technique is based on the evaluation of the closed-loop transient responses of both axes of the synchronous reference frame when a proportional-integral current controller is implemented. The method gives a set of resistance and inductance values that should be employed for a rigorous design of the current controllers. Experimental results validate the approach.
Climate models predict a further drying of the Mediterranean summer. One way for plant species to persist during such climate changes is through acclimation. Here, we determine the extent to which trait plasticity in response to drought differs between species and between sites, and address the question whether there is a trade-off between drought survival and phenotypic plasticity. Throughout the summer we measured physiological traits (photosynthesis - A(max), stomatal conductance - g(s), transpiration - E, leaf water potential - l) and structural traits (specific leaf area - SLA, leaf density - LD, leaf dry matter content - LDMC, leaf relative water content - LRWC) of leaves of eight woody species in two sites with slightly different microclimate (north- versus south-facing slopes) in southern Spain. Plant recovery and survival was estimated after the summer drought period. We found high trait variability between species. In most variables, phenotypic plasticity was lower in the drier site. Phenotypic plasticity of SLA and LDMC correlated negatively with drought survival, which suggests a trade-off between them. On the other hand, high phenotypic plasticity of SLA and LDMC was positively related to traits associated with rapid recovery and growth after the drought period. Although phenotypic plasticity is generally seen as favourable during stress conditions, here it seemed beneficial for favourable conditions. We propose that in environments with fluctuating drought periods there can be a trade-off between drought survival and growth during favourable conditions. When climate become drier, species with high drought survival but low phenotypic plasticity might be selected for.
The relationship between shear environment and physiological characteristics of plant cells is always a crucial and challenging aspect in the scale up of suspension cultivations. In this work, we propose a quantitative method for evaluating the lethal effects of hydrodynamic on Carthamus tinctorius L. cell with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) technology and online capacitance viable cell detection. The study towards the effect of short term shear force on C tinctorius L. cells was carried out in 5 L bioreactor under various overall shear intensities (0.02-1.82 w/kg), in which an online capacitance electrode was applied to count the dynamic vital cell. A first order kinetic model was achieved to describe the death rate in a time span of 60 min based on the capacitance. A product of the maximum shear stress and shear frequency (SSF) parameter, which is an evolution of energy dissipation/circulation function, was established to relate cell death rate to the shear environment. A good correlation between cell death kinetics and the SSF parameter was observed in the verification test in a 15 L STR bioreactor. SSF can be used to determine the maximum operating range of hydrodynamic stress, and improve the design and optimization of the of C. tinctorius L cultivation in scale-up process. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Composite nanofibers of NiO/gamma-Al2O3 were fabricated by sol-gel processing and electrospinning followed by calcination of precursor composite fibers of nickel acetate/aluminum acetate/polyvinylpyrrolidone. Calcination at high temperatures allows for preservation of the NiON-Al2O3 in fibrous form with a fineness of 322 +/- 69 nm in diameter. The composite fibers calcined at 800 or 1000 degrees C exhibited the nickel oxide and the gamma-alumina phases, and higher calcination temperature was found to be in favor of crystalline development. EDS analysis confirmed that the Ni: Al ratio is about the same as the precursor formulation prepared for electrospinning. Finally, photocatalytic activity of the NiO/gamma-Al2O3 nanofibers in comparison with TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated by evaluating the photodegradation of hazardous dye Rhodamine B. It was found that the as-fabricated NiO/gamma-Al2O3 composite nanofibers possessed a photocatalytic efficiency of 85.56%, which was nearly the same photocatalytic activity as the TiO2 nanoparticles but can be recycled more easily. This work offers a direct insight into the comparison of photocatalysis of NiO/gamma-Al2O3 nanofibers and TiO2 nanoparticles and suggests the great potential of using the developed nanofibrous NiO/gamma-Al2O3 for practical photocatalysis applications in various air/water pollution controls. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.
The aim of this work is to study the effect of High Pressure Processing (HPP) on the allergenicity of the main protein involved in peach allergy (Pru p 3). Results obtained showed that most pressure/time combinations slightly enhanced in vitro IgE-binding to Pm p 3 and peach extract. Moreover, additional tests were carried out by means of skin prick tests on peach allergic patients. Different from in vitro results, in vivo effects evidenced that HPP (600 MPa/5 min) can either reduce or increase Pm p 3 allergenicity, depending on the particular sensitisation of each patient. Notwithstanding this variability, it is highly remarkable that the skin response to pressurized peach extract was stronger in more than half of individuals. These results would suggest a higher risk of HPP-treated peach products to elicit an allergenic reaction. However, it has been also proved that matrix plays an important role in peach allergenicity modification. Consequently, further investigations are needed before extrapolating results to more complex products. Industrial relevance: Peach allergy is one of the most frequent allergies in Mediterranean countries among adult patients. However, up to date, there is no information about the effect of HPP on peach allergenicity. This study increases understanding about the impact of processing on an important fruit allergen in order to advance knowledge-based ways to managing allergens risks in industry, as well as it opens new opportunities of research in other technologies or strategies in the attempt to reduce peach allergenicity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We describe case studies of clinically significant changes in sedentary behavior of older adults captured with a novel computer vision algorithm for depth data. An unobtrusive Microsoft Kinect sensor continuously recorded older adults' activity in the primary living spaces of TigerPlace apartments. Using the depth data from a period of ten months, we develop a context aware algorithm to detect person-specific postural changes (sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit events) that define sedentary behavior. The robustness of our algorithm was validated over 33,120 minutes of data for 5 residents against manual analysis of raw depth data as the ground truth, with a strong correlation (r = 0.937, p < 0.001) and mean error of 17 minutes/day. Our findings are highlighted in two case studies of sedentary activity and its relationship to clinical assessments of functional decline. Our findings show strong potential for future research towards a generalizable platform to automatically study sedentary behavior patterns with an in-home activity monitoring system.
Aluminum is associated with etiology of many neurodegenerative diseases specially Alzheimer's disease. Chronic exposure to aluminum via drinking water results in aluminum deposition in the brain that leads to cognitive deficits. The study aimed to determine the effects of aluminum on cholinergic biomarkers, i.e., acetylcholine level, free choline level, and choline acetyltransferase gene expression, and how cholinergic deficit affects novel object recognition and sociability in mice. Mice were treated with AlCl3 (250 mg/kg). Acetylcholine level, free choline level, and choline acetyltransferase gene expression were determined in cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. The mice were subjected to behavior tests (novel object recognition and social novelty preference) to assess memory deficits. The acetylcholine level in cortex and hippocampus was significantly reduced in aluminum-treated animals, as compared to cortex and hippocampus of control animals. Acetylcholine level in amygdala of aluminum-treated animals remained unchanged. Free choline level in all the three brain parts was found unaltered in aluminum-treated mice. The novel object recognition memory was severely impaired in aluminum-treated mice, as compared to the control group. Similarly, animals treated with aluminum showed reduced sociability compared to the control mice group. Our study demonstrates that aluminum exposure via drinking water causes reduced acetylcholine synthesis in spite of normal free choline availability. This deficit is caused by reduced recycling of acetylcholine due to lower choline acetyltransferase level. This cholinergic hypofunction leads to cognitive and memory deficits. Moreover, hippocampus is the most affected brain part after aluminum intoxication.
Thermal management of an electric machine plays a significant role in the improvement of machine performance. Material selection of different components is one of the key stages in electric machine design for high efficiency and high torque density applications. In the stator, the slot liner between the copper winding and laminate is typically good as electrical insulation but poor in thermal conductivity. This affects the heat transfer from the winding to the stator significantly. This paper identifies the key parameters in slot liner selection and the effect of these parameters in terms of heat distribution in the stator of a 150kW motor by using a lumped parameters network. The simulation provides an insight and comparison between various air gaps (liner-laminate) conditions, different liner and impregnation materials and the impact of manufacturing processes evaluated under the same speed and load operating conditions.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of lymphatic tissue to heterotopic ossification (HO). Background: HO is the pathologic development of ectopic bone within soft tissues often following severe trauma. Characterization of the tissue niche supporting HO is critical to identifying therapies directed against this condition. Lymphangiogenesis is upregulated during incidents of trauma, thereby coincident with the niche supportive of HO. We hypothesized that lymphatic tissues play a critical role in HO formation. Methods: Mice underwent hindlimb Achilles' tendon transection and dorsal burn injury (burn/tenotomy) to induce HO. The popliteal and inguinal lymph nodes were excised ipsilateral to the tenotomy site. Flow cytometry and immunostaining were used to quantify and localize lymphoendothelium. MicroCT was used to quantify HO. Results: Enrichment of mature lymphatic tissues was noted 2 weeks after injury at the tendon transection sites when compared with the contralateral, intact tendon based on LYVE1+ tubules (10.9% vs 0.8%, P < 0.05). Excision of the inguinal and popliteal nodes with draining popliteal lymphatic vessel significantly decreased the presence of mature lymphoendothelium 2 weeks after injury (10.9% vs 3.3%, P < 0.05). Bone-cartilage-stromal progenitor cells (CD105+/AlphaV+/Tie2-/CD45-/CD90-/BP1-) were also significantly decreased after lymph node excision (10.2% vs 0.5%, P < 0.05). A significant decrease was noted in the volume of de novo HOpresent within the soft tissues (0.12 mm(3) vs 0.02 mm(3)). Conclusion: These findings suggest that lymphatic vessels are intimately linked with the de novo formation bone within soft tissues following trauma, and their presence may facilitate bone formation.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which includes both Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) are common in patients with IBD, and occur in 6%-47% of patients with CD or UC. EIMs can involve organs other than the gastrointestinal tract such as skin, eyes, joints, biliary tract, and kidneys. Renal and urinary involvement particularly occurs in 4-23% of patients with IBD. Among the renal complications of IBD, secondary amyloidosis (AA-type, AAA) is a rare but serious complication. Renal amyloidosis has been proven to be the most common lethal manifestation of IBD-associated amyloidosis, since renal involvement rapidly leads to end-stage renal failure. A few studies suggest that AAA is more prevalent in CD than in UC, mainly occurring in male patients with an extensive, long-lasting, and penetrating disease pattern. The therapeutic approaches of IBD-associated AAA are based both on control of the chronic inflammatory process that causes the production and storage of serum amyloid A (SAA), which is a precursor of the amyloid, as well as on destabilizing amyloid fibrils so that they can no longer maintain their beta-pleated sheet configuration; however, in patients with end-stage renal disease, the only therapeutic options still available are hemodyalisis and renal transplantation. Whether effective treatment exists for AAA remains controversial.
The ingredients of a betel chew are usually kept in a special box or bowl used exclusively for betel chewing. Tepak sirih reflects the life and value of the Malay community especially on traditional customs and codes of conduct. It is obvious that Tepak sirih plays an important role in the everyday life of the Malays. However, as time passes, the importance of Tepak sirih is now only confined to ceremonial and traditional events and activities. Only decorated and embroidered Tepak sirih are used in ceremonies such as visit and observe (adat merisik), proposal (adat meminang) and engagement (adat bertunang). This study identifies and examines the role of Tepak sirih as a nonverbal communication in the marriage customs of the Malay community. This study was conducted at Kampung Seri Kedah, Sungai Leman, Sekinchan Selangor. The finding has shown that Tepak sirih used in a Malay wedding is seen as a symbol of opening of a conversation, symbol of asking, symbol of accepting, symbol of rejecting, and symbol of unity. Tepak sirih is placed in front of other items used in a wedding. In a Malay wedding, only Tepak sirih bertekad which is made from wood and embroidered is used. The interior of the Tepak sirih holds small globular covered boxes (cembul), a little cylindrical container for sliced areca nut, lime, gambier and cloves. All the cembul then must be placed according to the Malay customs. Furthermore, the Malay community believe that something bad may occur if the customs are not followed. In addition, arranging cembul in tepak is seen as a sign to educate the Malay community about the importance of following rules. During engagement (adat bertunang) tepak sirih plays is seen as a symbol of acceptace to live together and also promises. Engagement is a tie of promise of a man and a woman before they get married (akad nikah).
Recent experiments on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak aim at improving the physics base for ITER and DEMO to aid the machine design and prepare efficient operation. Type I edge localized mode (ELM) mitigation using resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) has been shown at low pedestal collisionality (nu(*)(ped) < 0.4). In contrast to the previous high nu* regime, suppression only occurs in a narrow RMP spectral window, indicating a resonant process, and a concomitant confinement drop is observed due to a reduction of pedestal top density and electron temperature. Strong evidence is found for the ion heat flux to be the decisive element for the L-H power threshold. A physics based scaling of the density at which the minimum P-LH occurs indicates that ITER could take advantage of it to initiate H-mode at lower density than that of the final Q = 10 operational point. Core density fluctuation measurements resolved in radius and wave number show that an increase of R/L-Te introduced by off-axis electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) mainly increases the large scale fluctuations. The radial variation of the fluctuation level is in agreement with simulations using the GENE code. Fast particles are shown to undergo classical slowing down in the absence of large scale magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) events and for low heating power, but show signs of anomalous radial redistribution at large heating power, consistent with a broadened off-axis neutral beam current drive current profile under these conditions. Neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) suppression experiments using electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) with feedback controlled deposition have allowed to test several control strategies for ITER, including automated control of (3,2) and (2,1) NTMs during a single discharge. Disruption mitigation studies using massive gas injection (MGI) can show an increased fuelling efficiency with high field side injection, but a saturation of the fuelling efficiency is observed at high injected mass as needed for runaway electron suppression. Large locked modes can significantly decrease the fuelling efficiency and increase the asymmetry of radiated power during MGI mitigation. Concerning power exhaust, the partially detached ITER divertor scenario has been demonstrated at P-sep/R = 10 MW m(-1) in ASDEX Upgrade, with a peak time averaged target load around 5 MW m(-2), well consistent with the component limits for ITER. Developing this towards DEMO, full detachment was achieved at P-sep/R = 7 MW m(-1) and stationary discharges with core radiation fraction of the order of DEMO requirements (70% instead of the 30% needed for ITER) were demonstrated. Finally, it remains difficult to establish the standard ITER Q = 10 scenario at low q(95) = 3 in the all-tungsten (all-W) ASDEX Upgrade due to the observed poor confinement at low beta(N). This is mainly due to a degraded pedestal performance and hence investigations at shifting the operational point to higher beta(N) by lowering the current have been started. At higher q(95), pedestal performance can be recovered by seeding N-2 as well as CD4, which is interpreted as improved pedestal stability due to the decrease of bootstrap current with increasing Z(eff). Concerning advanced scenarios, the upgrade of ECRH power has allowed experiments with central ctr-ECCD to modify the q-profile in improved H-mode scenarios, showing an increase in confinement at still good MHD stability with flat elevated q-profiles at values between 1.5 and 2.
The novel taxanes SB-T-1102, SB-T-1214 and SB-T-1216 are up to 1000-fold more cytotoxic for resistant tumour cells than clinically used paclitaxel and docetaxel, and the current study has examined the metabolism of these new taxanes in human, rat, pig and minipig liver microsomes. Metabolites were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. Metabolic pathways derived from their structures were confirmed by investigating subsequent metabolism of purified metabolites. SB-T-1102, SB-T-1214 and SB-T-1216 were metabolized to 14, 10 and 11 products, respectively. In contrast to docetaxel, side-chain hydroxylation did not occur at their tert-butyl group, but on the isobutyl (SB-T-1102) or isobutenyl (SB-T-1214 and SB-T-1216) chains. Species differences in their metabolism were observed. For example, human and untreated rat microsomes hydroxylated SB-T-1216 preferentially at the side-chain, whereas pig and minipig microsomes preferentially metabolized more at the taxane core. The increased formation of secondary and tertiary metabolites in rat microsomes with high expression of CYP3A1/2 compared with uninduced rats confirmed the role of CYP3A in taxane metabolism. All major products were formed by human cDNA-expressed CYP3A4 and none by CYP1A2, 1B1, 2A6, 2C9 and 2E1, indicating the principal role of CYP3A orthologues in SB-T metabolism. The knowledge of metabolic pathways of the examined agents and of their rates of formation is important due to possible metabolic inactivation of these three novel drugs with a great potential for the therapy of taxane-resistant tumours. The relatively slow metabolism of SB-T-1102 could be favourable for its antitumour efficiency in vivo.
Background: Surgical interventions are commonly advocated for correcting kyphotic deformities and relieving severe back pain in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of osteotomy performed through the gap of a pathological fracture for the treatment of kyphosis in ankylosing spondylitis and to introduce the key points of this novel surgical approach. Methods: From January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014, 13 consecutive AS patients who were treated with osteotomy through the fracture gap were retrospectively reviewed. Patients underwent the radiographic assessment of sagittal balance parameters. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores were used to assess improvement in back pain. Results: The average follow-up time was 2 years and 1 month. The median operation time was 280 min (range, 220-460 min). The mean blood loss was 1100 mL (range, 820-1300 mL). No major acute complications such as death or complete paralysis occurred. There were no neurologic complications or cerebrospinal fluid leaks in any patient. One patient had postoperative wound infection, which subsided after a switch of antibiotics. The global kyphosis Cobb angle of patients decreased from the preoperative 55.8 degrees +/- 11.0 degrees to 23.2 degrees +/- 6.7 degrees (P < 0.001) after surgery. The C7 plumb line was used to assess global balance; its relationship with the posterosuperior corner of the sacrum decreased from 166 +/- 37 mm to 111 +/- 20 mm (P < 0.001). The thoracolumbar kyphosis Cobb angle decreased from 51.0 degrees +/- 9.9 degrees to 21.6 degrees +/- 11.0 degrees (P < 0.001). VAS scores for back pain decreased from 7.2 +/- 1.2 to 2.1 +/- 1.1 (P < 0.001). Lumbar lordosis increased from 5.7 degrees +/- 23.2 degrees to 10.5 degrees +/- 29.2 degrees (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Osteotomy through the pathological fracture gap is a safe and effective surgical procedure for kyphosis correction and improvement of back pain in AS patients with pathological fractures. A significant kyphosis correction and improvement of back pain can be achieved with this surgical procedure.
Childhood and adolescence coincide with rapid structural and functional maturation of brain networks implicated in Theory of Mind (ToM); however, the impact of paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the development of these higher order skills is not well understood. ToM can be partitioned into conative ToM, defined as the ability to understand how indirect speech acts involving irony and empathy are used to influence the mental or affective state of the listener; and affective ToM, concerned with understanding that facial expressions are often used for social purposes to convey emotions that we want people to think we feel. In a sample of 84 children with mild-severe TBI and 40 typically developing controls, this study examined the effect of paediatric TBI on affective and conative ToM; and evaluated the respective contributions of injury-related factors (injury severity/lesion location) and non-injury-related environmental variables (socio-economic status (SES)/family functioning) to long-term ToM outcomes. Results showed that the poorest ToM outcomes were documented in association with mild-complicated and moderate TBI, rather than severe TBI. Lesion location and SES did not significantly contribute to conative or affective ToM. Post-injury family affective responsiveness was the strongest and most significant predictor of conative ToM. Results suggest that clinicians should exercise caution when prognosticating based on early clinical indicators, and that group and individual-level outcome prediction should incorporate assessment of a range of injury-and non-injury-related factors. Moreover, the affective quality of post-injury family interactions represents a potentially modifiable risk factor, and might be a useful target for family-centred interventions designed to optimise social cognitive outcomes after paediatric TBI.
This paper presents a numerical parametric study on behavior of bearing reinforcement earth (BRE) wallswith different backfill properties using the finite-element method software PLAXIS 2D. The primary objective of this study was to improve the understanding of bearing stress, settlement, lateral earth pressure, and horizontal wall movement of BRE walls with different backfill materials. The second objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various soil-structure interactions, foundations, and stiffness of reinforcements on horizontal wall deformations. The backfill materials consisted of four types of soil, which were mixtures of silty clay and sand at different fine contents of 2, 20, 40, and 80% by dry weight. The model parameters for the numerical simulation were obtained from the conventional laboratory tests and back-calculated from the laboratory pullout tests of the bearing reinforcement. The geotextile elements were used to model the bearing reinforcements by converting the contribution of friction and bearing resistances to the equivalent friction resistance, which was represented by the soil-bearing reinforcement interaction ratio, R-inter. The values of R-inter decreased following a polynomial function as an increase of fine content in the ranges of 0.65-0.38 and 0.75-0.40 for the numbers of transverse members, n = 2 and 3, respectively. The simulated bearing stress in the reinforced zone decreased from the front to the back of the wall because the BRE wall behaved as a rigid body built on the relatively firm foundation retaining the unreinforced backfill. The foundation settlement decreased from the facing of the wall to the unreinforced zone for all backfill properties due to the slight rotation of the wall. The relationship between the maximum horizontal wall movement and the fine content can be expressed by a polynomial function. The maximum horizontal wall movement significantly increased as the fine content increased. The excessive movement was realized when the fine content was greater than 45%. The increase of the fine content moved the location of the maximum wall movement higher up from the mid to the top of the wall. A numerical parametric study was conducted to investigate the soil-structure interaction, foundation, and stiffness of reinforcement. These parameters affected the horizontal wall deformation, which is especially important for serviceability of BRE walls. The knowledge gained from this study provides a preliminary guideline in predicting the behavior of BRE walls and may be used to investigate other BRE walls with different wall heights and features of bearing reinforcements.
Focusing mechanism is an important part of zoom lens in production manufacturing engineering, in order to meet the reading and detection of anti-counterfeiting label laser anti-counterfeit platform, this paper presents the principle and method of using linear driving mode focusing and introduces the focusing mechanism which consists of a stepping motor, linear guide rail, rail screw or gear rack, the DSP controller. By contrast test, it verifies the location precision ball screw type focusing mechanism for 0.061 similar to 0.067 mm which higher than the design requirements and it is suitable for use in laser anti-counterfeit authentication system in production manufacturing engineering.
Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-beta inhibitors have been in development for decades with the outmost results of being promising candidates. From the latest clinical results at the 2016 ASCO meeting converging evidences suggest that we have moved from promising to effective drug nominees.
Extratropical cyclones are a key feature of the weather in the extratropics, which climate models need to represent in order to provide reliable projections of future climate. Extratropical cyclones produce significant precipitation and the associated latent heat release can play a major role in their development. This study evaluates the ability of a climate model, HiGEM, to represent latent heating in extratropical cyclones. Remote sensing data is used to investigate the ability of both the climate model and ERA-Interim (ERAI) reanalysis to represent extratropical cyclone cloud features before latent heating itself is assessed. An offline radiance simulator, COSP, and the ISCCP and CloudSat datasets are used to evaluate comparable fields from HiGEM and ERAI. HiGEM is found to exhibit biases in the cloud structure of extratropical cyclones, with too much high cloud produced in the warm conveyor belt region compared to ISCCP. Significant latent heating occurs in this region, derived primarily from HiGEM's convection scheme. ERAI is also found to exhibit biases in cloud structure, with more clouds at lower altitudes than those observed in ISCCP in the warm conveyor belt region. As a result, latent heat release in ERAI is concentrated at lower altitudes. CloudSat indicates that much precipitation may be produced at too low an altitude in both HiGEM and ERAI, particularly ERAI, and neither capture observed variability in precipitation intensity. The potential vorticity structure in composite extratropical cyclones in HiGEM and ERAI is also compared. A more pronounced tropopause ridge evolves in HiGEM on the leading edge of the composite as compared to ERAI. One future area of research to be addressed is what impact these biases in the representation of latent heating have on climate projections produced by HiGEM. The biases found in ERAI indicate caution is required when using reanalyses to study cloud features and precipitation processes in extratropical cyclones or using reanalysis to evaluate climate models' ability to represent their structure.
In recent years, there is an increasing interest in adopting synchronous reluctance machines for several applications. This is due to two main factors. The first is the increasing and highly variable cost of rare-earth permanent magnet (PM), such as NdFeB and SmCo. The second is the requirement for more efficient machines with respect to induction machines in general applications. However, a drawback of the synchronous reluctance machine is the low power factor. Such a drawback is compensated by assisting the machine by means of a proper volume of PM material, generally Ferrite, which is introduced in the rotor flux-barriers. The PM flux saturates the rotor iron bridges, increases the power factor of the machine (which corresponds to a decrease of the Volt-Amps ratings of the inverter) and adds a PM flux torque component. This paper investigates how to select the optimal amount of Ferrite magnet in a PM assisted reluctance machine.
With water becoming an even scarcer resource, rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems are becoming increasingly more commonplace as mechanisms to capture and store rainwater for both agricultural and domestic use. Three important engineering considerations associated with the construction of RWH systems are the capture surface area, the tank volume required for specific demand levels, and the number of expected occupants. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the engineering design of a RWH system in a semi-arid Texas region using a non-parametric stochastic rainfall generator based on 64 years of data and to provide engineering charts and equations for future use. We model the RWH system using simulation techniques in order to estimate requirements for building a system capable of providing a family with 100% of its water requirements with demand never exceeding available supply (100% demand satisfaction).
Geotextiles are used to control soil losses in civil engineering. The effects of geotextiles on runoff and soil erosion have been documented; however, the conditions studied to date have been limited and are insufficient for the optimization of the selection and application of geotextiles for other sites. As a result, systematic studies of various rainfall intensities are still required. In this study, four geotextiles (coir blanket-CB, mixed coir and straw blanket-MCSB, straw blanket-SB and nonwoven fabric-NB) and a bare control group were examined under simulated rainfall events. Four rainfall intensities (24, 47, 71 and 93 mm h(-1)) were simulated for 60 min. The plots used in this experiment were 200 cm long by 100 cm wide by 40 cm deep at a slope gradient of 70 %. The tested soil was sandy loam, which is a primary soil type in northern China. The results show that geotextiles are more effective for soil loss control than for runoff control, especially in the case of stronger rainfall events. The effectivenesses of the geotextiles at reducing runoff and soil erosion decrease with increasing rainfall intensity; the geotextiles are most effective under moderate rainfall intensity levels. NB is the most effective geotextile for reducing runoff, while it reduces soil loss only below a rainfall intensity level of 47 mm h(-1). The natural geotextiles can reduce both runoff and soil erosion. For runoff control, SBs are more effective than MCSB, followed by CBs. For soil erosion control, CBs are the most effective, followed by MCSBs and then SBs.
We propose a new class of profiler for distributed and heterogeneous systems. In these systems, a task may wait for the result of another task, either locally or remotely. Such wait dependencies are invisible to instruction profilers. We propose a host-based, precise method to recover recursively wait causes across machines, using blocking as the fundamental mechanism to detect changes in the control flow. It relies solely on operating system events, namely scheduling, interrupts and network events. It is therefore capable of observing kernel threads interactions and achieves user-space runtime independence. Given a task, the algorithm computes its active path from the trace, which is presented in an interactive viewer for inspection. We validated our new method with workloads representing major architecture and operating conditions found in distributed programs. We then used our method to analyze the execution behavior of five different distributed systems. We found that the worst case tracing overhead for a distributed application is 18 percent and that the typical average overhead is about 5 percent. The analysis implementation has linear runtime according to the trace size.
We investigated theory of mind (ToM) deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its possible connection to autobiographical memory (ABM). Patients and matched controls were evaluated and compared using a video-based ToM test, an autobiographical fluency task, and a neuropsychological test battery. We found that ToM deficits were positively associated with semantic ABM in the clinical group, whereas a positive relationship appeared between ToM and episodic ABM in controls. We hypothesize that this reflects the course of the disease as well as that semantic ABM is used for ToM processing, being still accessible in AD. Furthermore, we assume that it is also less efficient, which in turn leads to a specific deficit profile of social cognition.
With the increase of intelligent devices, ubiquitous computing is spreading to all scopes of people life. Smart home (or industrial) environments include automation and control devices to save energy, perform tasks, assist and give comfort in order to satisfy specific preferences. This paper focuses on the proposal for Software Reference Architecture for the development of smart applications and their deployment in smart environments. The motivation for this Reference Architecture and its benefits are also explained. The proposal considers three main processes in the software architecture of these applications: perception, reasoning and acting. This paper centres attention on the definition of the Perception process and provides an example for its implementation and subsequent validation of the proposal. The software presented implements the Perception process of a smart environment for a standard office, by retrieving data from the real world and storing it for further reasoning and acting processes. The objectives of this solution include the provision of comfort for the users and the saving of energy in lighting. Through this verification, it is also shown that developments under this proposal produce major benefits within the software life cycle. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Instant messenger, often shortened to IM is one type of communication service that allows person to have a conversation (chat) privately with others via the internet. Within the calls & messaging on Android and iOS operating systems, they both have an equal value in the terms of innovation and performance. In this work, we focus on evaluate the performance of the IM application on Android and iOS operating systems used several criteria; delay, packet size, and throughput. We usetwo methods of data collection; primary and secondary data, and compare the IM application using simulation methods. Input parameters for this simulation is in thestanza form of a text message, and the output consists of delay, packet size, and throughput. The results of this work indicate that the IM on iOS operating system with criteria of delay, packet size and throughput can send and receive messages faster than IM on android operating system.
Shape alignment or estimation under occlusion is one of the most challenging tasks in computer vision field. Most previous works treat occlusion as noises or part models, which usually lead to low accuracy or inefficiencies. This paper proposes an efficient and accurate regression-based algorithm for face alignment. In this framework, local and global regressions are iteratively used to train a series of random forests in a cascaded manner. In training and testing process, each step consists of two layers. In the first layer, a set of highly discriminative local features are extracted from local regions according to locality principle. The regression forests are trained for each facial landmark independently using those local features. Then the leaf node of the regression tree is encoded by histogram statistic method and the final shape is estimated by a linear regression matrix. In the second layer, our proposed global features are generated. Then we use those features to train a random fern to keep the global shape constraints. Experiments show that our method has a high speed, but same or slightly lower accuracy than state of the art methods under occlusion condition. In order to gain a higher accuracy we use multi-random shape for initialization, which may slightly reduce the calculation efficiency as a trade-off.
Introduction: Dementia is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disease, whose etiology results from a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors. Methods: We searched PubMed to identify meta-analyses of observational studies that examined associations between nongenetic factors and dementia. We estimated the summary effect size using random-effects and fixed-effects model, the 95% CI, and the 95% prediction interval. We assessed the between-study heterogeneity (I-square), evidence of small-study effects, and excess significance. Results: A total of 76 unique associations were examined. By applying standardized criteria, seven associations presented convincing evidence. These associations pertained to benzodiazepines use, depression at any age, late-life depression, and frequency of social contacts for all types of dementia; late-life depression for Alzheimer's disease; and type 2 diabetes mellitus for vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Discussion: Several risk factors present substantial evidence for association with dementia and should be assessed as potential targets for interventions, but these associations may not necessarily be causal. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Despite advances in molecular biology, imaging, and treatment, gastric neoplasms remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality; gastric adenocarcinoma is the fifth most common malignancy and third most common cause of death worldwide (Brenner et al., Methods Mol Biol 472:467-477, 2009; Howson et al. Epidemiol Rev 8:1-27, 1986; Roder, Gastric Cancer 5(Suppl 1):5-11, 2002; Ferlay et al., GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2013). Because of both the frequency at which malignant gastric tumors occur as well as the worldwide impact, gastric neoplasms remain important lesions to identify and characterize on all imaging modalities. Despite the varied histologies and behaviors of these neoplasms, many have similar imaging features. Nonetheless, the treatment, management, and prognosis of gastric neoplasms vary by pathology, so it is essential for the radiologist to make every effort to differentiate between these lesions and raise the less common entities as differential diagnostic considerations when appropriate.
Water resources play an important role in demographic, social, and economic development. The present study divides the macroeconomic factors that affect the sustainable use of water resources into five major subsystems: economy, population, water supply and demand, land resources, and water pollution and management It then constructs a feedback loop and stock-flow chart of the systems with the system dynamics model to simulate water supply and demand conditions and future changes in the gap between supply and demand from 2005 to 2020. Further, this study designs different development programs to simulate the changes to the key variables by changing the value of important model parameters. It is found that a balanced development program can achieve not only steady economic growth, provide a demographic dividend, and protect arable land resources, but also maximize the sewage treatment rate and improve the reutilization efficiency of water. Moreover, we find that the fundamental way in which to bridge the gap between the supply and demand of water resources is to improve water supply rather than control demand. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Metacognition refers to a range of cognitive processes that allow one to form complex ideas of self and others and to use this information to navigate psychosocial challenges. Several studies in both early-phase and prolonged schizophrenia have demonstrated not only that significant deficits in metacognitive ability are present, but importantly that they are associated with significant functional impairment and decreased quality of life. In spite of the importance of metacognitive impairment in schizophrenia, relatively little is known about the biological substrates that may contribute to this dysfunction. In this study, we examined the relationship between resting state functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a structure shown in prior voxel-based morphometry studies to be associated with metacognition, with metacognitive function in an early phase psychosis cohort (n=18). Analyses revealed a positive association of resting state functional connectivity between the mPFC and precuneus and posterior cingulate structures and metacognitive ability. These results provide evidence of disrupted resting state connectivity in structures relevant to metacognitive dysfunction in early-phase psychosis, which may have implications for pathophysiological models of complex cognitive deficits in this illness.
Wetlands have the ability to accumulate large amounts of carbon (C), and therefore wetland restoration has been proposed as a means of sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to help mitigate climate change. There is a growing interest in using the C services of wetlands to help reduce habitat loss and finance restoration projects. However, including wetlands in C markets worldwide requires a better mechanistic understanding of CO2 and methane exchange and instruments and models that can accurately and inexpensively monitor and predict these fluxes across global wetlands. Remote sensing technology, including near-surface and satellite instruments/approaches, is an effective tool for modeling C fluxes including gross primary productivity (GPP) from the site to global scale. In this study, we evaluate the potential of using digital cameras as a simple, cost-effective means of estimating GPP in restored wetlands, and assess the suitability of using Landsat data to model GPP in these environments for regional upscaling. Our research focused on restored temperate freshwater marshes due to their high C sequestration potential. As observed in other ecosystems, daily GPP was strongly correlated with site greenness derived from camera imagery (GCC(cam)). Based on this, we show the potential of using GCCcam and eddy covariance data to adapt and parameterize a light use efficiency (LUE) model to predict daily GPP. The LUE model combining GCCcam and meteorological data was able to explain up to 91% of the variation in daily GPP at the restored marshes, and predict annual GPP budgets within 0% to 20% of observed budgets. However, model performance decreased with increasing site complexity, highlighting the need to explicitly consider spatial heterogeneity in LUE models. We also tested a similar model using Landsat-derived indices, and found that although model performance was high at a homogeneous wetland dominated by emergent vegetation, data-model agreement decreased at a site comprised of a mixture of open water and vegetation, reflecting limitations of Landsat data. Nonetheless, we show that digital camera and Land sat imagery can be used to model photosynthesis in restored wetlands, providing low-cost methods for monitoring C capture that can be used in C market-funded wetland conservation and restoration. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Knowing faulty modules prior to testing makes testing more effective and helps to obtain reliable software. Here, we develop a framework for automatic extraction of human understandable fuzzy rules for software fault detection/classification. This is an integrated framework to simultaneously identify useful determinants (attributes) of faults and fuzzy rules using those attributes. At the beginning of the training, the system assumes every attribute (feature) as a useless feature and then uses a concept of feature attenuating gate to select useful features. The learning process opens the gates or closes them more tightly based on utility of the features. Our system can discard derogatory and indifferent attributes and select the useful ones. It can also exploit subtle nonlinear interaction between attributes. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the framework, we have used several publicly available software fault data sets and compared the performance of our method with that of some existing methods. The results using tenfold cross-validation setup show that our system can find useful fuzzy rules for fault prediction.
Logging has become a fundamental feature within the modern computer operating systems because of the fact that logging may be used through a variety of applications and fashion, such as system tuning, auditing, and intrusion detection systems. Syslog daemon is the logging implementation in Unix/Linux platforms, while Windows Event Log is the logging implementation in Microsoft Windows platforms. These logging implementations provide application program interfaces that, in turn, simplify logging functions from data collection to data storage. In this paper, we survey Unix, Linux, and Windows logging mechanisms and introduce their security issues. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This study sought to determine the evaluation of current and pre-morbid personality traits in Alzheimer's disease, as well as personality changes. Psychodynamic framework and Sidney Blatt's personality developmental perspective, anaclitic vs introjective, are taken as references. The study was conducted with four groups which were assessed using the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, mainly in the form of individual interview sessions. Current personality measure: Alzheimer's disease Group, consisting of 44 female participants (M-Age = 81.36 years); Control Group, consisting of 80 female participants from the population at large (M-Age = 75.84 years). Pre-morbid personality measure: Alzheimer's disease Group Informants (n = 40); Control Group Informants (n = 42). Results are in line with the psychodynamic literature review and provide new research data. Findings suggest that there is stability across the life cycle in a relatedness/anaclitic/dependency personality style in dementia. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Research suggests that 90% of patients labeled beta-lactam allergic are able to tolerate penicillins following further assessment. This study aims to define and describe the frequency of true beta-lactam allergy following allergy patient evaluation in a predominantly pediatric population. Methods: 306 primary care patients referred between January 2010 and June 2015 were assessed for a suspected beta-lactam allergy. Patient demographics, history and test results were extracted from electronic medical records. Testing performed was based on specialist recommendation following review of patient history. Results: 34% of the study participants had intradermal testing. Oral challenge was given to 96.7% of the sample. 96% of patients with a prior history of beta-lactam allergy were advised that they could re-introduce beta-lactam antibiotics following evaluation. Conclusions: Among patients with a documented beta-lactam allergy or a recent history of a reaction there is a low rate of 'true' beta-lactam allergy. Consistent evaluation of beta-lactam antibiotic allergies can reduce rates of broad spectrum antibiotic prescribing, among other harmful consequences.
High-fat diets (HFD) impair hippocampal-dependent learning and memory and produce important changes in synaptic transmission by enhancing glutamate uptake, decreasing synaptic efficacy, and inhibiting plasticity mechanisms such as N-methyl-d-aspartate-mediated long-term depression (LTD) within the hippocampus. Adolescent animals seem to be particularly susceptible to the detrimental effect of HFD as dietary treatments carried out between weaning and early adulthood are much more efficient in terms of hippocampal damage that those carried out during the adult period. As palmitic acid is the most abundant saturated fatty acid in HFD, its effect on hippocampal function needs to be studied. However, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), a pleiotropic enzyme highly expressed in the central nervous system, modulates both hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and LTD, and has been implicated in neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we have characterized in mice hippocampus the effect of (i) a 48h HFD intervention and (ii) in-vitro palmitic acid, as well as the possible involvement of GSK-3 in the above-mentioned plasticity mechanisms. Our results show that both 48h HFD and palmitic acid inhibit LTP in hippocampal slices, whereas no effect on LTD was observed. Moreover, tideglusib, an ATP-noncompetitive inhibitor of GSK-3, induced hippocampal LTP and partially reversed the impairment of LTP induced by palmitic acid.
Water management is an important issue in urban design due to the growing concern of water scarcity. As a result, rainwater harvesting system has received notable attention as an alternative water source. Rainwater is one of purest form of waters and can easily be accessed via a rainwater harvesting system. In general, performance of a rainwater harvesting system is estimated based on historical rainfall data without the possible impacts of climate change on rainfall. However, rainfall pattern is likely to change in the future as a consequence of climate change that may affect the performance of a rainwater harvesting system. But research on climate change impacts on rainwater harvesting is limited. The objective of this study is to understand the plausible impacts of climate change on the performances (i.e. water savings, reliability and water security) of a residential rainwater harvesting system, based on the projected future rainfall conditions. A continuous daily simulation water balance model is developed based on behavioural analysis and yield-after-spillage criteria to simulate the performances of a rainwater harvesting system. The analysis is conducted at five locations in the Greater Sydney region, Australia. The results indicate that performances of a rainwater harvesting system will be impacted negatively due to climate change conditions in the future. It is found that a given tank size at the selected locations would not be able to supply expected volume of water under changing climate conditions in future. Water savings is going to be reduced from a rainwater harvesting system in future (e.g. 2%-14% reduction for 3 kL tank for indoor water demand). Moreover, number of days in a year to meet the water demand by a rainwater harvesting system (i.e. reliability) is likely to be reduced (e.g. 3%-16% reduction for 3 kL tank for indoor water demand). Also, the percentage of days a rainwater tank would remain completely empty is likely to increase in future (e.g. 12% in future climate conditions in comparison to 8% in historical conditions for indoor water demand). Furthermore, it is found that the performance of a rainwater harvesting system will be more affected in dry season than the wet season. The findings of the study will help water authorities and policy makers, as well the home owners to improve their understanding of climate change impact on residential rainwater harvesting system, and will assist them in selecting appropriate rainwater tank size in the context of climate change. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
People often mimic others more if the other is liked, a member of an ingroup, or in a cooperative relationship with the observer; we call this the interpersonal attitude effect. This study examines the degree to which this attitude effect on mimicry is an automatic or an effortful process. While under cognitive load or no load, participants observed positive, negative, and neutral others making emotional expressions. Electromyography measured corrugator supercilii (knits brow) and zygomaticus major (raises corners of mouth) activity. Under load, participants mimicked smiles of positive individuals but not neutral or negative individuals. During no-load trials, participants did not mimic negative individuals, but did mimic smiles of neutral and positive individuals. Participants enhanced their smiles in response to the smiles of liked others without effort, but smiling at neutral others' smiles required greater cognitive resources.
Pragmatics has historically played a relatively peripheral role in language evolution research. This is a profound mistake. Here I describe how a pragmatic perspective can inform language evolution in the most fundamental way: by making clear what the natural objects of study are, and hence what the aims of the field should be.
Growing evidence indicates that gratefulness and gratitude are important for well-being and happiness. Yet, research to date has been hindered by a lack of conceptual clarity into the nature of these constructs. The present paper reviews existing literature and argues for a distinction between gratefulness and gratitude. While both gratefulness and gratitude are types of appreciative functioning and both involve benefit appraisals, only the latter concerns perceived agency. A set of triggers, moderating factors, and motivation and behavioural processes involved in gratefulness and gratitude are outlined, and differences are highlighted. From this vantage, it is argued that appreciative functioning can be adequately represented as a complex dynamic system, which involves a plurality of interacting processes. Some of these processes are common to gratefulness and gratitude and some are unique to each. The proposed conceptualisation of appreciative functioning spans aspects of attention, cognition, emotion, motivation and social behaviour, integrating the diverse approaches to gratefulness and gratitude taken in the literature. It is suggested that grateful dispositions can be understood as characteristic self-reinforcing patterns in which this complex system functions. The paper also highlights the need to measure gratitude and gratefulness more independently and to both qualitatively and quantitatively determine the unique contribution of the two constructs to well-being.
Children begin to show preferences for specific playmates as early as the first 2years of life. Children with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty making friends, even in elementary and middle school. However, very little is known about earlier friendships in children with autism such as preschool friendships. This study examined friendships in preschool children with autism and explored how joint attention contributes to these friendships in mainstream settings. A secondary aim was to determine the extent to which teachers used strategies to facilitate friendship development. The participants were 31 mainstreamed preschool children (ages 2-5years) with autism spectrum disorder. School observations were conducted individually to capture participants' interactions with peers and adults during free play. The results indicated that 20% of the participants had friendships at school. Children with friends were more likely than children without friends to be jointly engaged with their peers during free play, and they used higher joint attention skills. Teachers used few friendship facilitating strategies, and more often used behavioral management strategies within the classrooms. Future studies may want to examine the effects of early interventions and/or teacher training on the development of friendships in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder within the school setting.
Multilevel spin toque transfer RAM (STT-RAM) is a suitable storage device for energy-efficient neural network accelerators (NNAs), which relies on large-capacity on-chip memory to support brain-inspired large-scale learning models from conventional artificial neural networks to current popular deep convolutional neural networks. In this paper, we investigate the application of multilevel STT-RAM to general-purpose NNAs. First, the error-resilience feature of neural networks is leveraged to tolerate the read/write reliability issue in multilevel cell STT-RAM using approximate computing. The induced read/write failures at the expense of higher storage density can be effectively masked by a wide spectrum of NN applications with intrinsic forgiveness. Second, we present a precision-tunable STT-RAM buffer for the popular general-purpose NNA. The targeted STT-RAM memory design is able to transform between multiple working modes and adaptable to meet the varying quality constraint of approximate applications. Lastly, the reconfigurable STT-RAM buffer not only enables precision scaling in NNA but also provides adaptiveness to the demand for different learning models with distinct working-set sizes. Particularly, we demonstrate the concept of capacity/precision-tunable STT-RAM memory with the emerging reconfigurable deep NNA and elaborate on the data mapping and storage mode switching policy in STT-RAM memory to achieve the best energy efficiency of approximate computing.
Stream restoration practice typically relies on a geomorphological design approach in which the integration of ecological criteria is limited and generally qualitative, although the most commonly stated project objective is to restore biological integrity by enhancing habitat and water quality. Restoration has achieved mixed results in terms of ecological successes and it is evident that improved methodologies for assessment and design are needed. A design approach is suggested for mesohabitat restoration based on a review and integration of fundamental processes associated with: (1) lotic ecological concepts; (2) applied geomorphic processes for mesohabitat self-maintenance; (3) multidimensional hydraulics and habitat suitability modeling; (4) species functional traits correlated with fish mesohabitat use; and (5) multi-stage ecohydraulics-based mesohabitat classification. Classification of mesohabitat units demonstrated in this article were based on fish preferences specifically linked to functional trait strategies (i.e., feeding resting, evasion, spawning, and flow refugia), recognizing that habitat preferences shift by season and flow stage. A multi-stage classification scheme developed under this premise provides the basic building blocks for ecological design criteria for stream restoration. The scheme was developed for Midwest US prairie streams, but the conceptual framework for mesohabitat classification and functional traits analysis can be applied to other ecoregions.
Testicular spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are a heterogeneous population of stem cells, and definitive marker for the most primitive subset that undergoes asymmetric cell division remains to be identified. A novel subpopulation of pluripotent, very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) has been reported in both human and mouse testes. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptors (FSHRs) are expressed on Sertoli cells in testis and on granulosa cells in ovary, but recently FSHRs are reported on VSELs in ovaries, bone marrow, and cord blood. The present study was aimed to investigate whether FSHRs are also expressed on testicular stem cells (VSELs and SSCs) and their possible modulation by FSH using intact and chemoablated (25 mg/kg busulfan) mice. Chemoablated testis was a better model to study stem cell biology since quiescent stem cells survive along with the Sertoli cells in the tubules. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive, small-sized cells presumed to be VSELs were clearly visualized, and flow cytometry analysis revealed an increase in LIN-/CD45(-)/SCA-1(+) VSELs from 0.045 +/- 0.008% to 0.1 +/- 0.03% of total cells in chemoablated testis after FSH treatment. Very small embryonic-like stem cells expressing nuclear octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT-4) and SSCs with cytoplasmic OCT-4 were detected. Very small embryonic-like stem cells (Oct-4A, Sca-1, Nanog), SSCs (Oct-4), and proliferation (Pcna) specific transcripts were upregulated on FSH treatment. Stem cells expressed FSHR and were stimulated by FSH, and Fshr3 was the predominant transcript maximally modulated by FSH. Nuclear OCT-4 and SCA-1 (stem cell antigen 1) positive VSELs are the most primitive stem cells in testis, and FSH stimulates them to undergo asymmetric cell division including self-renewal and give rise to SSCs, which in turn proliferate rapidly and undergo clonal expansion and further differentiation.
Allergies are steadily gaining in importance in the Western world. For over one hundred years, immunology has been the only causal treatment. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) aims at the cure of allergy or at least freedom from allergy symptoms. In association with this, adherence poses a complex problem. Both treatment applications commonly used in Germany-sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy-show poor persistence on the part of the patients. In most cases, SIT is not carried out to the end of the recommended duration and instead is discontinued prematurely. Corresponding figures from 3aEuroyear studies in the literature range from 41- 93% for uncompleted SLIT and from 40-77% for uncompleted SCIT. Patient adherence is subject to influencing factors of various dimensions that are interdependent in complex relationships. The physician-patient relationship is just as decisive a factor for treatment success as the patient's understanding of allergy, treatment, and the importance of adherence.
The tropics are predicted to become warmer and drier, and understanding the sensitivity of tree species to drought is important for characterizing the risk to forests of climate change. This study makes use of a long-term drought experiment in the Amazon rainforest to evaluate the role of leaf-level water relations, leaf anatomy and their plasticity in response to drought in six tree genera. The variables (osmotic potential at full turgor, turgor loss point, capacitance, elastic modulus, relative water content and saturated water content) were compared between seasons and between plots (control and through-fall exclusion) enabling a comparison between short- and long-term plasticity in traits. Leaf anatomical traits were correlated with water relation parameters to determine whether water relations differed among tissues. The key findings were: osmotic adjustment occurred in response to the long-term drought treatment; species resistant to drought stress showed less osmotic adjustment than drought-sensitive species; and water relation traits were correlated with tissue properties, especially the thickness of the abaxial epidermis and the spongy mesophyll. These findings demonstrate that cell-level water relation traits can acclimate to long-term water stress, and highlight the limitations of extrapolating the results of short-term studies to temporal scales associated with climate change.
Background: The human 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, comprising E1o, E2o, and E3 components, catalyzes conversion of 2-oxoglutarate to succinyl-CoA. Results: Human E1o generates both a thiamin-enamine-derived radical and the reactive oxygen species, superoxide, and hydrogen peroxide. Conclusion: Human E1o produces reactive oxygen species at a rate of <1% of succinyl-CoA under physiological conditions. Significance: This work presents the novel discovery that the 5-carboxyl group affects enzymatic reactivity of 2-oxoglutarate. Herein are reported unique properties of the human 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (OGDHc), a rate-limiting enzyme in the Krebs (citric acid) cycle. (a) Functionally competent 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (E1o-h) and dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase components have been expressed according to kinetic and spectroscopic evidence. (b) A stable free radical, consistent with the C2-(C2-hydroxy)--carboxypropylidene thiamin diphosphate (ThDP) cation radical was detected by electron spin resonance upon reaction of the E1o-h with 2-oxoglutarate (OG) by itself or when assembled from individual components into OGDHc. (c) An unusual stability of the E1o-h-bound C2-(2-hydroxy)--carboxypropylidene thiamin diphosphate (the ThDP-enamine/C2-carbanion, the first postdecarboxylation intermediate) was observed, probably stabilized by the 5-carboxyl group of OG, not reported before. (d) The reaction of OG with the E1o-h gave rise to superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide (reactive oxygen species (ROS)). (e) The relatively stable enzyme-bound enamine is the likely substrate for oxidation by O-2, leading to the superoxide anion radical (in d) and the radical (in b). (f) The specific activity assessed for ROS formation compared with the NADH (overall complex) activity, as well as the fraction of radical intermediate occupying active centers of E1o-h are consistent with each other and indicate that radical/ROS formation is an off-pathway side reaction comprising less than 1% of the on-pathway reactivity. However, the nearly ubiquitous presence of OGDHc in human tissues, including the brain, makes these findings of considerable importance in human metabolism and perhaps disease.
Skilled human full-body movements are often planned in a highly predictive manner. For example, during walking while reaching towards a goal object, steps and body postures are adapted to the goal position already multiple steps before the goal contact. The realization of such highly predictive behaviors for humanoid robots is a challenge because standard approaches, such as optimal control, result in computation times that are prohibitive for the predictive control of complex coordinated full body movements over multiple steps. We devised a new architecture that combines the online-planning of complex coordinated full-body movements, based on the flexible combination of learned dynamic movement primitives, with a Walking Pattern Generator (WPG), based on Model Predictive Control (MPC), which generates dynamically feasible locomotion of the humanoid robot HRP-2. A dynamic filter corrects the Zero Moment Point (ZMP) trajectories in order to guarantee the dynamic feasibility of the executed behavior taking into account the upper-body movements, at the same time ensuring an accurate approximation of the planned motion trajectories. We demonstrate the high flexibility of the chosen movement planning approach, and the accuracy and feasibility of the generated motion. In addition, we show that a na ve approach, which generates adaptive motion by using machine learning methods by the interpolation between feasible training motion examples fails to guarantee the stability and dynamic feasibility of the generated behaviors. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Food allergy is a common health problem worldwide, with increasing prevalence during recent decades. The only approved treatments for food allergy are food avoidance and administration of emergency medications in case of accidental exposure, which negatively affects patients' quality of life, so new treatments are highly desirable. Different food immunotherapy modalities have recently been used, with variable success rates in the induction of desensitization and tolerance, and different numbers and types of adverse reactions. Adverse reactions, especially intolerable gastrointestinal symptoms, are the most important causes of immunotherapy withdrawal. Eosinophilic esophagitis has been reported as a complication of milk, egg, and peanut oral immunotherapies and sublingual immunotherapy for respiratory allergies, but not for food allergies. Eosinophilic gastritis and eosinophilic colitis also rarely happened following egg and milk oral immunotherapies. The patients undergoing oral and sublingual immunotherapies should be closely followed up for a long time, and those with gastrointestinal symptoms should be evaluated by endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract. These complications are usually reversible after early diagnosis and stopping the immunotherapy protocol. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel
We herein report the case of a 75-year-old male who had shown many psychiatric symptoms, but whose autopsy disclosed the presence of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). When he was 70 years old, the patient had presented with stereotyped behavior, dietary changes, and a decline in social interpersonal conduct in clinical settings, and it was thought that these symptoms were consistent with a behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and he lacked the core features of DLB. Nevertheless, this case was pathologically defined as the limbic type of DLB after he died at the age of 75 years. Looking retrospectively at the clinical course, it was considered that the following features were suggestive or supportive of DLB: neuroleptic sensitivity, autonomic symptoms, and psychiatric symptoms. It can be presumed that the bvFTD-like behavioral disturbances were caused by the severe Lewy pathology of the locus ceruleus (LC) and left anterior temporal region. The clinical symptoms of DLB might be more multifarious than has conventionally been thought, because the symptoms can be modified by the pathological spread of DLB within the brain. It is important to be aware of these possible symptoms of DLB so as not to overlook the diagnosis in the clinical setting.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH), which was previously undertaken more out of necessity than any commitment to autonomy, is now being heralded as a sustainable alternative for domestic water supply and flood control, and in disaster relief. In Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region, RWH is included in water security and sustainability strategies. Despite the plethora of domestic RWH projects, estimates of water consumption in RWH-dependent households are unavailable, and project designers are left to assume values that are based on conventional water-supply systems. In the present study the per capita consumption (PCC) of domestic water in three RWH-dependent communities was quantified. For this purpose, households' perceived and actual water consumption was investigated in three rural communities in Trinidad. It was found that perceived and actual consumption are 105-164 l per person per day (lpd) and 95-240 lpd, respectively. Householders' perception of how much water is consumed was generally significantly different from the measured amount. While the sample of measured PCC was small, the results provide more realistic values for the design of RWH systems, which are being promoted in the region.
Laminar radial flow between two parallel disks is a fundamental nonlinear fluid mechanics problem described by the Navier-Stokes (NS) equation, but is unsolved because (1) an exact solution is not found even with extensive references, and (2) it is unclear why radial flow remains laminar at high Reynolds numbers. This paper first presents exact velocity distribution solutions for developed radial inflows and outflows, proving that both flows are described by brief Jacobi elliptic sine-squared functions but with different characteristics. For inflow, a stable velocity distribution forms; for outflow, the velocity distribution may have an inflection point inducing flow instability or separation. Both velocity distributions become the classic parabolic law at low Reynolds numbers, but uniform (similar to turbulent velocity distributions) at high Reynolds numbers. Furthermore, both pressure and boundary shear stress follow an inverse-square law, but the friction factor is invariant. These results are instructive for studying nonuniform open-channel flow for which nonlinear inertia is of importance. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
KIAA1377, of which there are few studies regarding cell biology and neurological diseases, has been found to be significantly amplified in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with lymph node metastasis compared with ESCC without lymph node metastasis. This suggests that KIAA1377 may play a role in the lymph node metastasis of ESCC. There has, to the best of our knowledge, been no study performed to investigate the role of KIAA1377 in ESCC. In the present study, the expression of KIAA1377 was detected by immunohistochemistry, and its expression was statistically analyzed with clinicopathological parameters, using commercially obtained tissue arrays consisting of 86 cases of ESCC and 79 paired controls. KIAA1377 was knocked down ex vivo using transient transfection with specific small hairpin RNA (shRNA) vectors into ESCC TE-1 and EC9706 cell lines whose endogenous KIAA1377 level was highest. The variation of proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium, wound healing and Transwell assay, respectively. It was found in vivo that KIAA1377 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and differentiation, and ex vivo that knockdown of KIAA1377 cannot significantly affect proliferation and mobility in the ESCC cell line TE-1. Overall, this is the first study suggesting that KIAA1377 may play a role in the lymph node micrometastasis of ESCC.
The succession of events after revegetation has rarely been studied. A plant consortium with a good initial development may come to be inadequate later, resulting in exposed soil, susceptible to the weathering forces. The objective of this study was to monitor characteristics associated with vegetative stabilization and, in the long term, the appearance of new cover forms or soil exposure in response to planting grasses and legumes on a steep road slope alongside a highway. After four years of recovery, new forms of soil cover or exposure were observed in the experimental plots, called typologies, described below: brachiaria grass cover, legume plants, gordura grass, invasive species, geotextile, decomposing residues, microphytic crusts, soil crust, exposed soil, erosion, and rock outcrops. The characteristics of these typologies were quantified by two surveys, before and after the rainy season. In addition, the different typologies of each experimental plot were mapped; these maps were used to analyze the dynamics, spatial distribution, frequency, and competition among typologies identified in the two surveys. Of the total 11 typologies, the vegetation species and microphytic crusts were the most relevant for revegetation. Microphytic crusts were very important in the initial stage of ecological succession, resulting in rapid stabilization and reclamation of degraded surfaces and favoring the appearance of invasive species. The seasonal variation between the two surveys showed that erosion and soil exposure decreased with increase in vegetation cover and microphytic crust development.
We investigate semisupervised learning (SL) and pool-based active learning (AL) of a classifier for domains with label-scarce (LS) and unknown categories, i.e., defined categories for which there are initially no labeled examples. This scenario manifests, e.g., when a category is rare, or expensive to label. There are several learning issues when there are unknown categories: 1) it is a priori unknown which subset of (possibly many) measured features are needed to discriminate unknown from common classes and 2) label scarcity suggests that overtraining is a concern. Our classifier exploits the inductive bias that an unknown class consists of the subset of the unlabeled pool's samples that are atypical (relative to the common classes) with respect to certain key (albeit a priori unknown) features and feature interactions. Accordingly, we treat negative log-p-values on raw features as nonnegatively weighted derived feature inputs to our class posterior, with zero weights identifying irrelevant features. Through a hierarchical class posterior, our model accommodates multiple common classes, multiple LS classes, and unknown classes. For learning, we propose a novel semisupervised objective customized for the LS/unknown category scenarios. While several works minimize class decision uncertainty on unlabeled samples, we instead preserve this uncertainty [ maximum entropy (maxEnt)] to avoid overtraining. Our experiments on a variety of UCI Machine learning (ML) domains show: 1) the use of p-value features coupled with weight constraints leads to sparse solutions and gives significant improvement over the use of raw features and 2) for LS SL and AL, unlabeled samples are helpful, and should be used to preserve decision uncertainty (maxEnt), rather than to minimize it, especially during the early stages of AL. Our AL system, leveraging a novel sample-selection scheme, discovers unknown classes and discriminates LS classes from common ones, with sparing use of oracle labeling.
We are on a new era of interaction between persons and physical spaces. Users want that those spaces smartly adapt to their preferences in a transparent way. This paper describes the process of planning, reasoning and modeling of a Smart Environment with domestic and industrial application, taking advantage of emerging wearable devices on the market (smart watches, fitness trackers, etc.) and newer wireless communication technologies (NFC, BLE, Wi-Fi Direct). Enabling in a noninvasive way for the user, optimize the efficiency, comfort, and safety at the environments. This approach can be applied in home automation, public spaces and also incorporated at industrial level, to help build smart and autonomous factories.
Objectives. Adherence to the allergic rhinitis clinical practice guideline is being considered as a potential focus for national performance metrics. To help inform this discussion, we assessed patient- and clinician-reported medication administration among nationally representative populations of patients with allergic rhinitis. Study Design. Cross-sectional analyses. Setting and Subjects. Home health assessments, ambulatory visits. Methods. Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey / National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were assessed. The primary outcomes were the percentage of patients reporting receipt of antihistamines and/or nasal steroids among those with allergy-related symptoms and the percentage for whom a clinician administered these medications when diagnosing allergic rhinitis. Secondary outcomes included assessments of those with worse quality of life, confirmatory allergy testing, and leukotriene receptor antagonist use. Results. Within the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an estimated 29.2 million patients were diagnosed with hay fever, while 92.2 million were diagnosed with allergies. Patients with symptoms of allergic rhinitis reported that antihistamines or nasal steroids were prescribed in 21.1% to 24.0% of cases. Leukotriene receptor antagonists were given to 1.7% of those without asthma or use of other allergy medications. Within the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey / National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, observations representing 149.5 million visits for allergic rhinitis demonstrated that nasal steroids were administered in 29.6% of cases, while nonsedating and sedating antihistamines were given in 22.4% and 17.2%, respectively. Conclusions. Despite a high prevalence of allergic rhinitis, per patient report and clinician entry, a substantial number of affected patients do not receive antihistamines and nasal steroids.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a method for computing voltage spikes endured by the insulation of the first coils of high-temperature (HT degrees) synchronous machines fed by PWM inverters that deliver fast-fronted voltage pulses. Design/methodology/approach - The transient state following each steep edge is computed by SPICE using the global high-frequency (HF) equivalent circuit of the motor winding. This equivalent circuit is automatically built using the proposed elementary coil model. Two inorganic HT degrees technologies are compared: the first one uses a round copper wire insulated by a thin ceramic layer and the second one is made with an anodized aluminum strip. Findings - The winding made with an anodized aluminum strip, which has a higher turn-to-turn capacitance, yields a better voltage distribution between coils of the machine. Research limitations/implications - The elementary coil equivalent circuit is computed from impedance measurements performed on an elementary coil. Another starting point could be developed with an FE analysis to determine the parameters of the HF equivalent circuit, which would avoid the need for a prototype coil before the machine design. Practical implications - For inorganic motors, the insulation layers have poorer electrical characteristics compared with standard organic ones. Therefore, the computation of voltage spikes distribution along the coils of each phase represents a major issue in the design of HT degrees machines. Originality/value - The presented approach is a step toward the design of HT degrees (400-500 degrees C) actuators fed by PWM inverters based on fast SiC electronic switches.
as the deceleration of processor scaling due to Moore's law accelerates research in new types of computing structures, the need arises for rethinking operating systems paradigms. Traditionally, an operating system is a layer between hardware and applications and its primary function is in managing hardware resources and providing a common abstraction to applications. How does this function apply, however, to new types of computing paradigms? Are operating systems even needed for these new structures? This paper revisits operating system functionality for new computing paradigms. The structure of these new computers is uncertain as there are many possibilities such as neuromorphic, bio-inspired, adiabatic, reversible, approximate, quantum, combinations of these and others unforeseen [1]. We do know, however, that whatever these new computers will be, there will be some need to manage their resources, to provide programming support, to partition, scale, and connect them and to deal with (partial) failure, along with other traditional operating system's functionality. There might also be some new functionality, such as creating abstract control loops, reasoning about precision, new ways of reconfiguring, and more. We strongly believe that even if traditional operating systems functionality evolves, that the need for operating systems will remain in the new era of computing.
Background and Aims In vascular plants, important questions regarding phloem function remain unanswered due to problems with invasive experimental procedures in this highly sensitive tissue. Certain brown algae (kelps; Laminariales) also possess sieve tubes for photoassimilate transport, but these are embedded in large volumes of a gelatinous extracellular matrix which isolates them from neighbouring cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that kelp sieve tubes might tolerate invasive experimentation better than their analogues in higher plants, and sought to establish Nereocystis luetkeana as an experimental system. Methods The predominant localization of cellulose and the gelatinous extracellular matrix in N. luetkeana was verified using specific fluorescent markers and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Sieve tubes in intact specimens were loaded with fluorescent dyes, either passively (carboxyfluorescein diacetate; CFDA) or by microinjection (rhodamine B), and the movement of the dyes was monitored by fluorescence microscopy. Key Results Application of CFDA demonstrated source to sink bulk flow in N. luetkeana sieve tubes, and revealed the complexity of sieve tube structure, with branches, junctions and lateral connections. Microinjection into sieve elements proved comparatively easy. Pulsed rhodamine B injection enabled the determination of flow velocity in individual sieve elements, and the direct visualization of pressure-induced reversals of flow direction across sieve plates. Conclusions The reversal of flow direction across sieve plates by pressurizing the downstream sieve element conclusively demonstrates that a critical requirement of the Munch theory is satisfied in kelp; no such evidence exists for tracheophytes. Because of the high tolerance of its sieve elements to experimental manipulation, N. luetkeana is a promising alternative to vascular plants for studying the fluid mechanics of sieve tube networks.
Natural killer cells (NK cells) are traditionally attributed to the innate immune system. It is considered that previously received stimuli have little effect on the functioning of these immune cells. Indeed, NK cells even without prior sensitization provide a rapid effector response against tumor, virus-infected, or otherwise damaged cells. They have a limited repertoire of receptors, the expression of which does not require somatic recombination. However, recent data indicate that NK cells may acquire the properties specific to adaptive immune cells. In particular, NK cells have been shown to possess the features of immunological memory, namely, the ability to more quickly and effectively respond to a repeated stimulus. The mechanisms of memory acquisition in NK cells differ from those implemented in T and B lymphocytes and are still rather vague. Presumably, some of these mechanisms underlie the significant phenotypic and functional NK cell diversity emerging during their differentiation. The recent data accumulated in this area considerably change the existing immunology paradigm, which postulates a clear delineation of the adaptive and innate immune cells. The published data on phenotypic and functional characteristics of NK cells and particular changes in these characteristics during NK cell differentiation and generation of memory-like NK cells are reviewed.
Knowledge surrounding the trillions of microbes that inhabit the human gut has bloomed exponentially in recent years, and the emerging concept of a gut-brain axis represents a major shift in how we think about neurological health. A recent workshop at the University of British Columbia, Canada brought together multi-disciplinary leaders in the field of microbiomics and brain health and aimed to serve as a springboard for future combined endeavors in these areas. This article provides the motivation for, and overview of, the workshop, and the next steps in establishing a cross-disciplinary initiative on Brain Health and the Microbiome.
Avian scavengers are declining throughout the world, and are affected by a large number of threats such as poisoning, electrocution, collision with man-made structures, direct persecution, changes in agricultural practices, landscape composition, and sanitary regulations that can reduce food availability. To formulate effective conservation strategies, it is important to quantify which of these factors has the greatest influence on demographic parameters such as territory occupancy and breeding success, and whether quantitative models can be transferred across geographic regions and political boundaries. We collated territory and nest monitoring data of the endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus in the Balkans to understand the relative influence of various factors on population declines. We monitored occupancy in 87 different territories and breeding performance of 405 territory-monitoring years between 2003 and 2015, with an overall territory occupancy rate of 69% and a mean productivity of 0.80 fledglings per occupied territory. We examined which of 48 different environmental variables were most influential in explaining variation in territory occupancy and breeding success in Bulgaria and Greece, and tested whether these models were transferrable to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Territory occupancy and breeding success were affected by a wide range of environmental variables, each of which had a small effect that may not be the same across political boundaries. Both models had reasonably good discriminative ability [area under the receiver-operated characteristic curve (AUC) for territory occupancy = 0.871, AUC for breeding success = 0.744], but were unsuccessful in predicting occupancy or breeding success in the external validation data set from a different country, possibly because the most influential factors vary geographically. Management focussing on a small number of environmental variables is unlikely to be effective in slowing the decline of Egyptian Vultures on the Balkan Peninsula. We recommend that in the short term the reduction of adult mortality through the enforcement of anti-poison laws, and in the long term the adoption of large-scale landscape conservation programs that retain or restore historical small-scale farming practices may benefit vultures and other biodiversity.
Children show stronger cooperative behavior in experimental settings as they get older, but little is known about how the environment of a child shapes this development. In adults, prosocial behavior toward strangers is markedly decreased in low socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods, suggesting that environmental harshness has a negative impact on some prosocial behaviors. Similar results have been obtained with 9-year-olds recruited from low vs. high SES schools. In the current study, we investigate whether these findings generalize to a younger age group and a developing country. Specifically, we worked with a sample of thirty-nine 6- to 7-year-olds in two neighborhoods in a single city in Romania. Using a Quality Dictator Game that offers greater resolution than previous measures, we find that children living in the harsher neighborhood behave less prosocially toward a stranger than children living in the less harsh neighborhood.
The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) has a wide distribution in Europe and is a prominent example of a highly adaptable alien species. It has been recorded sporadically in Denmark since 1980 but observations since 2008 suggested that the species had established a free-ranging, self-sustaining population. To elucidate the origin and genetic patterns of Danish raccoon dogs, we studied the population genomics of 190 individuals collected in Denmark (n = 141) together with reference captive individuals from Poland (n = 21) and feral individuals from different European localities (Germany, Poland, Estonia and Finland, n = 28). We used a novel genotyping-by-sequencing approach simultaneously identifying and genotyping a large panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (n = 4526). Overall, there was significant indication for contemporary genetic structuring of the analysed raccoon dog populations, into at least four different clusters, in spite of the existence of long distance gene flow and secondary admixture from different population sources. The Danish population was characterized by a high level of genetic admixture with neighbouring feral European ancestries and the presence of private clusters, non-retrieved in any other feral or captive populations sampled. These results suggested that the raccoon dog population in Denmark was founded by escapees from genetically unidentified Danish captive stocks, followed by a recent admixture with individuals migrating from neighbouring Germany.
In higher education, interdisciplinary gender studies centers deconstruct traditional androcentric positivist academic knowledge, making it possible to apply the gender perspective to all objects of knowledge. However, they suffer from insufficient recognition and weak institutionalization in Brazilian academia. This paper focuses on the trajectories of the gender studies centers affiliated to the North/Northeast Gender Studies Feminist Network (REDOR), and of their founders. The analysis is based on documentary data and biographical and autobiographical narratives. The histories of the centers and women intertwine personal and institutional dimensions: the involvement with feminist studies influenced their personal and professional lives; many of them suffered from prejudice and discrimination for researching gender; practically all of them continue their activism within the universities in order to sustain their centers. The research was supported by CNPq and Capes grants.
Smart people detection systems are nowadays using heterogeneous cameras. This paper proposes an architecture which is focused on robustly detecting people by infrared and visible video fusion in smart environment. The architecture covers all levels provided by the INT-Horus framework, initially designed to perform monitoring and activity interpretation tasks. Indeed, INT-Horus is used as the development environment where the approach starts with image segmentation in both infrared and visible spectra. Then, the results are fused to enhance the overall detection performance. The paper describes in detail the INT-Horus levels selected to implement the new architecture. These are the acquisition, segmentation, fusion, identification and Tracking levels.
A two dimensional (2D) analytical drain current model has been developed for a delta-doped tunnel field-effect transistor (D-TFET) that can address the ON-current issues of the conventional TFET. Insertion of a highly doped delta layer in the source region paves the way for improved tunneling volume and thus provides high drain current as compared with TFETs. The present model takes into account the effects of the distance between the delta-doping region and the source-channel interface on the subthreshold swing (SS), current ratio, and ON-current performance. The D-TFET is predicted to have a higher current ratio (I-ON/I-OFF congruent to 10(11)) compared with TFETs (I-ON/I-OFF congruent to 10(10)) with a reasonable SS (similar to 52mV/dec) and Vth performance at an optimal position of 2 nm from the channel. The surface potential, electric field, and minimum tunneling distance have been derived using the solution of the 2D Poisson equation. The accuracy of the D-TFET model is validated using the technology computer aided design (TCAD) device simulator from Synopsys.
Soil and carbon redistribution on arable land and the associated impacts on carbon sequestration and mineralisation may play an important role in the global carbon cycle. While our insight in the process-chain of erosion, transport and deposition has significantly grown over recent years, there are still major gaps in understanding making it difficult to make an overall assessment of erosion processes on carbon exchange between the soil and the atmosphere. One issue is the potential effect soil degradation and erosion processes may have on CO2 effluxes at eroding sites. The major goal of this study was therefore to analyse and understand the effects of interrill erosion, soil crusting and soil aggregate breakdown on in situ CO2 effluxes. Therefore a set of rainfall simulations were carried out on bare loess-burden soil with different antecedent soil moisture content. All treatments were compared with controls protected from rain drop impact using a fine-meshed geotextile. As expected, runoff and sediment delivery was significantly larger on bare compared to covered soils, while surface runoff and sediment delivery increased (in most cases) with rising antecedent soil moisture as well as rainfall duration. Crust thickness increased with antecedent soil moisture and rainfall intensity and was in general smaller for the controls. However, variations in crust thickness did not result in significant differences in in situ measured CO2 effluxes. Also the destruction of the soil crust after six to seven days of measurements did not have a significant effect. This leads to the conclusion that crusting and interrill erosion has no or only a minor effect on in situ CO2 effluxes. Nevertheless, it should be recognised that topsoil carbon is preferentially removed due to interrill erosion which may result in additional CO2 release at depositional sites or in stream and/or standing water bodies. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The VIIRS-DNB sensor launched in 2011 offers the remote sensing community improved capabilities for monitoring and quantifying nighttime brightness. So far, most studies of temporal changes in nighttime lights were focused on examining inter-annual trends or on sudden changes in light emission, related to demographic and economic reasons. Here, the recently released two year (2014-2015) set of monthly cloud-free VIIRS-DNB composites was used to explicitly examine seasonal changes in nighttime lights and their correspondence with seasonality of land cover in Northern and Central America. It was found that monthly changes in nighttime brightness were positively correlated with monthly changes in snow cover and in albedo, and negatively correlated with monthly changes in NDVI. These correlations were strongest in urban areas in the northeast of the USA, where high correlation coefficient values (>0.8) were obtained. Seasonality in nighttime brightness is thus an important factor to consider both when quantifying trends in light emission from annual time series, and in studies examining the adverse consequences of artificial lights on human health and on the environment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) circuitry determines which behaviors are positively reinforcing and therefore should be encoded in the memory to become a part of the behavioral repertoire. Natural reinforcers, like food and sex, activate this pathway, thereby increasing the likelihood of further consummatory, social, and sexual behaviors. Oxytocin (OT) has been implicated in mediating natural reward and OT-synthesizing neurons project to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc); however, direct neuroanatomical evidence of OT regulation of DA neurons within the VTA is sparse. To phenotype OT-receptor (OTR) expressing neurons originating within the VTA, we delivered Cre-inducible adeno-associated virus that drives the expression of fluorescent marker into the VTA of male mice that had Cre-recombinase driven by OTR gene expression. OTR-expressing VTA neurons project to NAc, prefrontal cortex, the extended amygdala, and other forebrain regions but less than 10% of these OTR-expressing neurons were identified as DA neurons (defined by tyrosine hydroxylase colocalization). Instead, almost 50% of OTR-expressing cells in the VTA were glutamate (GLU) neurons, as indicated by expression of mRNA for the vesicular GLU transporter (vGluT). About one-third of OTR-expressing VTA neurons did not colocalize with either DA or GLU phenotypic markers. Thus, OTR expression by VTA neurons implicates that OT regulation of reward circuitry is more complex than a direct action on DA neurotransmission. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:1094-1108, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Horizontal means of reinforcement layers of soil substrates installed in roads and rail routes also the interaction of geotextiles reinforcement of the soil are the subject of discussion in this article. The effectiveness of friction is the main factor in the efficiency the immobilized planar reinforcement by vertical uniform load utility. Mechanism of occurrence of friction as the forces of adhesion reinforcement geotextile with the ground is apparent from the balance of forces and appointed experimental testing as well. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Purpose - The model for digitally controlled three-phase pulse width modulation (PWM) boost rectifiers is a sampled data model, which is different from the continuous time domain models presented in previous studies. The controller, which is tuned according to the model in continuous time domain and discretized by approximation methods, may exhibit some unpredictable performances and even result in unstable systems under some extreme situations. Consequently, a small-signal discrete-time model of digitally controlled three-phase PWM boost rectifier is required. The purpose of this paper is to provide a simple but accurate small-signal discrete-time model of digital controlled three-phase PWM boost rectifier, which explains the effect of the sampling period, modulator and time delays on system dynamic and improves the control performance. Design/methodology/approach - Based on the Laplace domain analysis and the waveforms of up-down-count modulator, the small signal model of digital pulse width modulation (DPWM) in the Laplace domain is presented. With a combination of state-space average and a discrete-time modeling technique, a simplified large signal discrete time model is developed. With rotation transformation and feed-forward decoupling, the large-signal model is decoupled into a single input single output system with rotation transformation. Then, an integrated small signal model in the Laplace domain is constructed that included the time delay and modulation effect. Implementing the modified z-transform, a small-signal discrete-time model is derived from the integrated small signal model. Findings - In a digital control system, besides the circuit parameters, the location of pole of open-loop transfer function is also related to system sampling time, affecting the system stability, and the time delay determines the location of the zero of open-loop transfer function, affecting the system dynamic. In addition to the circuit parameters discussed in previous literature, the right half plane (RHP) zero is also determined by the sampling period and the time delay. Furthermore, the corner frequency of the RHP zero is mainly determined by the sampling period. Originality/value - The model developed in this paper, accounting for the effect of the sampling period, modulator and time delays on the system dynamic, give a sufficient insight into the behavior of the digitally controlled three-phase PWM rectifier. It can also explain the effect of sampling period and control delay time on system dynamic, accurately predict the system stability boundary and determine the oscillation frequency of the current loop in critical stable. The experimental results verify that the model is a simple and accurate control-oriented small-signal discrete-time model for the digitally controlled three-phase PWM boost rectifier.
This paper presents a summary of the doctoral dissertation of the author, which addresses the task of context-based reasoning in ambient intelligence.
Solar pasteurization is effective in reducing the level of indicator organisms in stored rainwater to within drinking water standards. However, Legionella spp. were detected at temperatures exceeding the recommended pasteurization temperatures using polymerase chain reaction assays. The aim of the current study was thus to apply EMA quantitative polymerase chain reaction (EMA-qPCR) to determine whether the Legionella spp. detected were intact cells and therefore possibly viable at pasteurization temperatures >70 degrees C. The BacTiter-Glo T Microbial Cell Viability Assay was also used to detect the presence of ATP in the tested samples, as ATP indicates the presence of metabolically active cells. Chemical analysis also indicated that all anions and cations were within the respective drinking water guidelines, with the exception of iron (mean: 186.76 mu g/L) and aluminium (mean: 188.13 mu g/L), which were detected in the pasteurized tank water samples at levels exceeding recommended guidelines. The BacTiter-Glo T Microbial Cell Viability Assay indicated the presence of viable cells for all pasteurized temperatures tested, with the percentage of ATP (in the form of relative light units) decreasing with increasing temperature [70-79 degrees C (96.7%); 80-89 degrees C (99.2%); 90-95 degrees C (99.7%)]. EMA-qPCR then indicated that while solar pasteurization significantly reduced (p0.05) in the mean copy numbers was detected with an increase in the pasteurization temperature, with 6 x 10(3) genomic copies/mL DNA sample obtained at 95 degrees C. As intact Legionella cells were detected in the pasteurized tank water samples, quantitative microbial risk assessment studies need to be conducted to determine the potential health risk associated with using the water for domestic purposes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The constant changes occurring in today's teaching and learning processes provide a continuous improvement in the interaction of information. At the same time, globalization and the need for streamlining time facilitate the development of new methods of imparting knowledge. With the new information technologies, new forms of learning occur adding greater dynamism to the information. This form of learning, which optimizes time and space, is known as distance learning and it is being amply used in many different areas. Distance education presents the advantage of facilitating the teaching and learning processes without face-to-face interaction as knowledge is transmitted, partly or as a whole using technology. In fact, technological innovation has assumed a vital role in education. Looking to achieve more efficiency in carrying out the various activities, the job market constantly requires an investment in new skills and knowledge so that the professionals can operate the equipment and working tools, successfully and with quality. This paper presents a new system of learning a curricular unit of Circuit Theory using desktop virtual reality (VR). The software provides the possibility to understand the relationship between the physical concepts of an electrical circuit, direct or alternating current, through computer simulations and animations. This work was developed to demonstrate how a desktop VR prototype, Virtual Electric Manual-VEMA, can be applied to an engineering unit and used to enhance security and resourcefulness in using electrical equipment. Several interactive scenes were developed to illustrate the idea using a measurements and instrumentation laboratory as virtual environment. A range of interactive learning environments are presented: the menu with the first interactive experiment is the simulator of a DC circuit. It allows the student to analyze the setting up of a parallel, or series-parallel resistive circuit series powered by direct current; the second menu, features the simulator of an alternating current circuit and demonstrates how the student can perform the analysis of a circuit with resistors, inductors and capacitors; the third interactive experiment is the simulator of a three-phase alternating current circuit; the fourth menu refers to a study on the transitional phenomena. Finally, the fifth menu is an interactive experiment related to the phenomena of resonance. VEMA offers students the opportunity to understand the processes, helping them to better discern the procedures and trains them to interact with the equipment. The VEMA prototype addresses these issues and highlights the potential benefits of using VR for this purpose. Each experiment will provide technical and scientific knowledge in order to give the student/user adequate information and training in the subject.
Although efforts have been directed toward the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) positions, little research has directly examined women's perspectives and bottom-up strategies for advancing in malestereotyped disciplines. The present study utilized Photovoice, a Participatory Action Research method, to identify themes that underlie women's experiences in traditionally male-dominated fields. Photovoice enables participants to convey unique aspects of their experiences via photographs and their in-depth knowledge of a community through personal narrative. Forty-six STEM women graduate students and postdoctoral fellows completed a Photovoice activity in small groups. They presented photographs that described their experiences pursuing leadership positions in STEM fields. Three types of narratives were discovered and classified: career strategies, barriers to achievement, and buffering strategies or methods for managing barriers. Participants described three common types of career strategies and motivational factors, including professional development, collaboration, and social impact. Moreover, the lack of rewards for these workplace activities was seen as limiting professional effectiveness. In terms of barriers to achievement, women indicated they were not recognized as authority figures and often worked to build legitimacy by fostering positive relationships. Women were vigilant to other people's perspectives, which was costly in terms of time and energy. To manage role expectations, including those related to gender, participants engaged in numerous role transitions throughout their day to accommodate workplace demands. To buffer barriers to achievement, participants found resiliency in feelings of accomplishment and recognition. Social support, particularly from mentors, helped participants cope with negative experiences and to envision their future within the field. Work-life balance also helped participants find meaning in their work and have a sense of control over their lives. Overall, common workplace challenges included a lack of social capital and limited degrees of freedom. Implications for organizational policy and future research are discussed.
Objective: Methamphetamine (MA) usage has been recognized as a prominent substance-abuse issue. While exercise training reportedly improves fitness and mental status in the MA-dependent, how exercise training affects addiction and cognitive deficiency has yet to be established. The current study aimed to determine the effects of aerobic exercise training on both MA-associated cravings and inhibitory control among those with MA dependencies. Design: A 12-week randomized controlled trial. Method: Sixty-two people with MA dependencies recruited through the Drug Rehabilitation Bureau were assigned to either an aerobic exercise or attentional control group, with 50 participants completing the trial. The aerobic exercise program involved three 30-min sessions of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Along with a pre-test assessment, craving levels were evaluated every three weeks, and data on neutral and MA-related inhibitory control as well as its elicited neuroelectric activation were collected at the end of the intervention. Results: Compared with the control group, the exercise group experienced attenuated MA craving levels after 6 weeks of the exercise program, and the decreased trend was maintained until the termination of treatment. In the post-test, the exercise group also demonstrated more accuracy in behavioral inhibitory control as well as greater N2 amplitude in the Nogo condition of both the standard and MA-related tasks than those in the control group or pre-test. Conclusions: The current study provides the first evidence that aerobic exercise training may be efficacious for MA-associated cravings and inhibitory control from behavioral and neuroelectric perspectives among MA-dependent individuals. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Nonlinearity and noise play a significant role in an enormous range of subjects across the entire spectrum of science and engineering. This paper considers several research topics that encompass the area of random dynamical systems (RDS). A general overview of the problems, the multidisciplinary methods required for their analysis, and relevant results achieved in RDS are given with particular emphasis on developments during the past 25 years. The first part of this paper focuses on developing methods to unravel complex interactions between noise and nonlinearities using a mix of multidisciplinary approaches from theory, modeling, and simulation. Practical applications of these research results are beginning to appear across the entire spectrum of mechanics; for example, vibration absorbers, panel flutter, variable speed machining processes, and mixing and transport phenomena in fluid mechanics. The second part of this paper focuses on developing new algorithms and tools for the collection, assimilation and harnessing of data by threading together ideas ranging from random dynamical systems to information theory. A new particle filtering algorithm that combines stochastic homogenization with filtering theory is presented. Importance sampling and control methods are then used as a basic and flexible tool for the construction of the proposal density inherent in particle filtering.
Inappropriate management of industrial effluents has been among major causes of water pollution and subsequent fish physiological and behavioral disorders and mortalities. This study investigated the effects of wastewater from a paper mill on immune-related gene expressions (lysozyme, tumor necrosis factor and heat shock protein 70) and hematological alterations, in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during a 14-day exposure period. Following the determination of LC50, fish (135 +/- 10 g body weight) were exposed to three effluent treatments: control (0), 10 and 25% of LC50, in laboratory conditions. The wastewater exposure initially increased lysozyme and tumor necrosis factor gene expression, and the expression of both genes was suppressed on the 14th day after exposure. There was a rise in heat shock protein 70 gene expression at the beginning of the experiment and then decreased to the level observed in the control group. Fish exposed to wastewater showed a significant increase in the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells and hematocrit three days following exposure, but the levels of these blood parameters significantly decreased at the end of the exposure period (P < 0.05). Our results indicated a range of immune-related gene toxicity and hematotoxicity in rainbow trout caused by the negative impacts of the industrial wastewater. Here we also discussed that poor biosecurity controls and inadequate treatments of effluents from industrial activities can lead to serious damages among wild populations.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event for individuals, who frequently develop motor and sensory impairment as well as autonomic dysfunction. Previous studies reported that autonomic activity plays a major role in social cognition and that difficulties in the ability to interpret social information are commonly observed in a variety of mental disorders, which in turn correlate with a poor autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. It is well established that subjects with SCI have an alteration in ANS regulation mechanisms. We hypothesized that subjects diagnosed with SCI, who are experiencing a period of adaptation and socio-labor insertion suffer alterations in an emotion recognition task, a component of social cognition, which correlate with poor ANS regulation. We evaluated ANS function by measuring the heart rate variability (HRV) in 18 healthy subjects and 10 subjects with SCI. A 5-min baseline HRV was compared to a task period while performing The reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET). We found that while both groups have similar general performance in the test, healthy subjects responded with greater certainty during the RMET. This level of certainty during the RMET was positively correlated with baseline HRV measures in this group. Also, the group of healthy subjects exhibited higher HRV at baseline than participants with SCI. Finally, the changes in HRV between baseline and task condition were significantly higher in healthy individuals than in SCI participants. Our results show that patients with SCI have low levels of autonomic regulation mechanisms which may promote social cognition problems during their reinsertion to daily life.
There have been many robust image steganography methods that are invented in recent decades. However, this technique also may be used by malicious users to transmit dangerous information through the Internet beyond the control of the security agencies. How to detect and/or block potentially dangerous information transmission on the Internet through billions of images while not affecting the normal digital images becomes a challenging problem. Existing steganalysis methods or steganography attacking methods cannot be used for analyzing a large volume of digital images in a short time. In this paper, we propose an effective steganography attacking method that is not limited by the types of the steganography method. The proposed method can process the digital images to remove the potentially dangerous hidden information while keeping the digital image in a high visual quality. Inspired by the way in which printers and scanners work, our method decouples the human visual perception and the digital image's numerical values. It causes the numerical values of the image to change dramatically, and then the hidden information are largely damaged, while at the same time, the visual image quality can be maintained. Our experimental results have demonstrated that the peak signal-to-noise ratio of images can be above 32 dB while the stego data are destroyed. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Understanding the discharge capacity of channels and changes in hydraulic properties during large storms is essential for prediction of flash floods. However, such information is limited for steep mountain channels because of their complex nature and the lack of measured data. Thus, we obtained detailed water-level and surface-velocity data during large floods of a steep mountain channel, and documented how complex channel morphology affected water flow during large storms. We installed water-level and surface-velocity sensors at a cascade and at a pool that was 10 m downstream at the Aono Research Forest of the Arboricultural Research Institute of the University of Tokyo Forests in Japan. We successfully obtained 1-min interval data for a major storm with total precipitation of 288 mm that fell over 59 h and a maximum rainfall intensity of 25 mm/h. During the storm, height of the water surface from the deepest point of each cross section ranged from 0.35 to 1.57 m and surface velocity ranged from 0.35 to 4.15 m/s. As expected, the changes in flow depth, surface velocity, and velocity profiles were complex and differed even between the cascade and adjacent pool cross sections. Dramatic changes in flow conditions first occurred at the cascade when discharge increased to a certain point, when water suddenly stagnated at the foot of the cascade and submerged flow might have occurred. Thereafter, the water level increased remarkably but surface velocity and the velocity profile stayed almost constant at the cascade cross section. At the downstream pool, where most rocks were submerged at a mean water depth of 0.7 m, surface velocity suddenly increased dramatically and the velocity profile changed as very slow flow developed in the lower portion of the profile, while water levels increased only slightly. When the rainfall diminished, first, the surface velocity markedly declined, then the velocity profile returned to its original state at the pool, and then submerged flow at the bottom of the cascade ceased. These temporally and spatially detailed flow measurements effectively document and characterize flow conditions during a large flood in a steep mountain channel. These field data confirm the long held hypothesis that marked changes in flow conditions occur when steps become submerged. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose: To investigate the details of the flow structure of a plug-like jet that had a vortex ring in pulsatile stenotic phantoms using 4D flow MRI. Method: Pulsatile Newtonian flows in two stenotic phantoms with 50% and 75% reductions in area were scanned by 4D flow MRI. Blood analog working fluid was circulated via the stenotic phantom using a pulsatile pump at a constant pulsating frequency of 1 Hz. The velocity and vorticity fields of the plug-like jet with a vortex ring were quantitatively analyzed in the spatial and temporal domains. Results: Pulsatile stenotic flow showed a plug-like jet at the specific stenotic degree of 50% in our pulsatile waveform design. This plug-like jet was found at the decelerating period in the post-stenotic region of 26.4 mm (1.2 D). It revealed a vortex ring structure with vorticity strength in the range of +/- 100 s(-1). Conclusion: We observed a plug-like jet with a vortex ring in pulsatile stenotic flow by in vitro visualization using 4D flow MRI. In this plug-like jet, the local fastest flow region occurred at the post-systole phase in the post-stenotic region, which was distinguishable from a typical stenotic jet flow at systole phase. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study investigated how individuals' work-family enrichment (WFE) crosses over to affect their partners' marital satisfaction, as well as spills over to affect their own marital satisfaction in a sample of 361 Chinese dual-earner couples. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the broaden-and-build theory, and the person perception literature, we examined social support and social undermining as the underlying mechanisms responsible for the transmission processes. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that for the crossover associations, husbands' WFE related to wives' marital satisfaction through wives' perceptions of increased social support, whereas wives' WFE related to husbands' marital satisfaction through husbands' perceptions of decreased social undermining. For the spillover associations, husbands' WFE related to their own marital satisfaction through perceiving more social support in their partners, whereas wives' WFE related to their own marital satisfaction through perceiving more social support as well as less social undermining in their partners. The findings add to the literature by examining the transmission of positive experiences between marital partners through varied patterns of social interaction, as well as by highlighting perceptions of the partner's behaviors as a relevant mechanism to explain the transmission between work and marriage within the same individual.
Primary antibody deficiencies (PADs) are the most common form of primary immunodeficiency and predispose to severe and recurrent pulmonary infections, which can result in chronic lung disease including bronchiectasis. Chronic lung disease is among the most common complications of PAD and a significant source of morbidity and mortality for these patients. However, the development of lung disease in PAD may not be solely the result of recurrent bacterial infection or a consequence of bronchiectasis. Recent characterization of monogenic immune dysregulation disorders and more extensive study of common variable immunodeficiency have demonstrated that interstitial lung disease (ILD) in PAD can result from generalized immune dysregulation and frequently occurs in the absence of pneumonia history or bronchiectasis. This distinction between bronchiectasis and ILD has important consequences in the evaluation and management of lung disease in PAD. For example, treatment of ILD in PAD typically uses immunomodulatory approaches in addition to immunoglobulin replacement and antibiotic prophylaxis, which are the stalwarts of bronchiectasis management in these patients. Although all antibody-deficient patients are at risk of developing bronchiectasis, ILD occurs in some forms of PAD much more commonly than in others, suggesting that distinct but poorly understood immunological factors underlie the development of this complication. Importantly, ILD can have earlier onset and may worsen survival more than bronchiectasis. Further efforts to understand the pathogenesis of lung disease in PAD will provide vital information for the most effective methods of diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment of these patients. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
In this article, through aeolian sand sample study in Inner Mongolia Baotou area, to determine the aeolian sand maximum dry density and optimum moisture content. On this basis, the aeolian sand cohesion and internal friction angle were measured by the quick direct shear test when aeolian sand was at the optimum moisture content and near the most largest compactness. And the bearing capacity of retaining wall model which regarded aeolian sand as fillers was determined. Then bearing capacity change of aeolian sand wrapped before and after was compared. Experimental results showed that: when the aeolian sand was in the wet and compacted state, its cohesion was 3.31 kPa and internal friction angle was 36.8 degrees. The aeolian sand bearing capacity was 153.8kPa by the plate loading test. The aeolian sand wrapped with a geotextile bearing capacity was 194.1kPa. Through the aeolian sand research of Baotou area, it provides a useful reference for the construction of highway and railway and application of wrap-reinforced retaining wall which is a new retaining structure in the region, and the aeolian sand is treated as a special filling material in these structures.
Introduction: The dissemination of multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRB) has become a major public health concern worldwide because of the increase in infections caused by MDRB, the difficulty in treating them, and expenditures in patient care.Areas covered: We have reviewed challenges and contemporary opportunities for rapidly confronting infections caused by MDRB in the 21st century, including surveillance, detection, identification of resistance mechanisms, and action steps.Expert commentary: In this context, the first critical point for clinical microbiologists is to be able to rapidly detect an abnormal event, an outbreak and/or the spread of a MDRB with surveillance tools so that healthcare policies and therapies adapted to a new stochastic event that will certainly occur again in the future can be implemented.
This work proposes a clusterization algorithm called k-Morphological Sets (k-MS), based on morphological reconstruction and heuristics. k-MS is faster than the CPU-parallel k-Means in worst case scenarios and produces enhanced visualizations of the dataset as well as very distinct clusterizations. It is also faster than similar clusterization methods that are sensitive to density and shapes such as Mitosis and TRICLUST. In addition, k-MS is deterministic and has an intrinsic sense of maximal clusters that can be created for a given input sample and input parameters, differing from k-Means and other clusterization algorithms. In other words, given a constant k, a structuring element and a dataset, k-MS produces k or less clusters without using random/pseudo-random functions. Finally, the proposed algorithm also provides a straightforward means for removing noise from images or datasets in general.
This paper presents a new switching-cycle state-space model of the modular multilevel converter (MMC), on the basis of which unused switching states of this converter are explored and a corresponding new control method is proposed. This paper begins with a comprehensive summary and analysis on the prior-art modeling approaches of the MMC, where various models used for the MMC are discussed, and their limits in controlling the converter are shown. This is followed by the complete derivation of the proposed state-space switching model, whose mathematical derivation leverages simply on state variable transformations and Kirchhoff's voltage law without losing any circuital characteristics of the converter. As a result, all the possible switching states-many of those not previously used-and operating modes of the converter are effectively unveiled. With it, a switching-cycle control approach is proposed taking advantage of the developed state-space switching model. The new control scheme can greatly reduce the cell capacitance and arm inductance value, as well as enable the MMC to operate at any ac terminal frequency without affecting the voltage ripple of its capacitors. Simulation results are shown to validate the converter operations using the new control scheme.
Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is one of the most popular and indispensable tools in molecular biology. Despite numerous advances in ELISA methods that markedly improve the sensitivity and throughput of detection, a hallmark of all ELISA continues to be repeated pipetting of fluids that is not only cumbersome but can easily introduce errors or contaminations. Robotics, despite obvious advantages, remains expensive. Here, we designed and produced cheap pillar plates using stereolithography-based 3D printing that can be readily inserted into conventional 96- and 384- well plates and serve as the substrate for ELISA. We demonstrate that ELISA using these pillar plates affords comparable specificity and sensitivity of detection of serum antibodies to traditional sandwich ELISA, while markedly reducing the time and efforts associated with fluid transfer. These results underscore pillar plates as an attractive platform for rapid yet robotics-free ELISA.
Objectives: This study examined the current assessment practices of clinicians working with people with social cognition impairment following traumatic brain injury. Method: Two hundred and sixty clinicians completed an on-line survey that was disseminated through professional brain injury organisations. Of respondents around 90% were allied health clinicians, with the remainder comprising medical, nursing and academia. Main outcomes: The four areas of social cognition that were routinely assessed across the disciplines were insight, disinhibition, anger and social adjustment. The least routinely assessed areas were theory of mind and alexithymia. The test suggested most likely to identify social cognition impairments was The Awareness of Social Inference Test, although only 8% of clinicians responded to this question. Clinicians preferred informal assessment methods over standardised assessment methods for identifying social cognition rehabilitation goals. Higher levels of education were associated with greater use of standardised assessment modalities. Whilst there was paucity of responses overall, TBI Express was most commonly used for social cognition rehabilitation. Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence of social cognition impairments in this population, formal assessment is extremely limited. The under-utilisation of assessment tools is problematic for the assessment and rehabilitation initiatives offered to people with TBI. These results have implications for the training of clinicians working in brain injury rehabilitation.
A code PNCMC (Program for Natural Circulation under Motion Conditions) has been developed for natural circulation simulation of marine reactors. The code is based on one-dimensional two-fluid model in noninertial frame of reference. The body force term in the momentum equation is considered as a time dependent function, which consists of gravity and inertial force induced by three-dimensional ship motion. Staggered mesh, finite volume method, semi-implicit first order upwind scheme and Successive Over Relaxation (SOR) method are used to discretize and solve two-phase mass, momentum and energy equations. Single-phase natural circulation experiments under rolling condition performed in Institute of nuclear and new energy technology of Tsinghua University and two-phase natural circulation experiments under rolling condition performed by Tan and colleagues are used to validate PNCMC. The validation results indicate that PNCMC is capable to investigate the single-phase and two-phase natural circulation under rolling motion.
In Web 2.0 environment, the influence of customers' voices is increasing. Many companies have built their online brand communities for listening to the diverse voices of the customer (VOC) and promoting customer's engagement. The information obtained from these brand communities is exploited for organizational innovation. However, the VOC with negative contents could possibly present threats to a firm in an online context. In this study, we develop a research model that includes the types of customer expectations, opinion leader engagement, negative valence of VOC, interaction, and innovation. Subsequently, we empirically validate the effects of customer expectations on the interactions among community members and organizational innovation by using a dataset from MyStarbucksIdea.com. The results show that the effects of VOC on the interaction within a brand community and organizational innovation are different depending on the types of expectation in the VOC. Opinion leaders' engagement positively affects the interaction among community members. Moreover, the negative valence of VOC affects the relationships between customer expectations and interactions, and results in a possible threat within an online brand community. The research results give some insight into managing the brand community and analyzing the VOCs so as to achieve organizational innovation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
Global demand for clean water supplies is on the rise due to population growth. This is also true in most cities of Iran. Non-conventional water resources must be developed to partially offset the increasing demand. In this study, the applicability and performance of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to supply daily non-potable water were assessed. Storage of rain falling on the roofs of residential buildings and directed into installed tanks was simulated in three cities of varying climatic conditions, namely Tabriz (Mediterranean climate), Rasht (humid climate), and Kerman (arid climate). Daily rainfall statistics for a period of 53 years as well as the information on the contributing roof area, available tank volumes and non-potable water demand were collected in each city. Typical residential buildings with roof areas of 60, 120, 180 and 240m(2) with an average of four residents in each house were considered for the study. According to the results in humid climate, it is possible to supply at least 75% of non-potable water demand by storing rainwater from larger roof areas for a maximum duration of 70% of the times. For roofs with small surface area, the supply meets 75% of non-potable water demand for a maximum duration of 45% of the times. Moreover, for Mediterranean climate, it is possible to supply at least 75% of non-potable water demand in buildings with larger roof areas for a maximum duration of 40% of the times. It is also found that in arid climate, similar duration is only 23% of the times. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays pivotal roles in neuronal function. The cleaved-mature-form of BDNF (mBDNF), predominantly expressed in adult brains, critically determines its effects. However, insufficient proteolytic processing under pathology may lead to the precursor form of BDNF (proBDNF) and thereby increased neuronal apoptosis and synaptic weakening. Previous findings in our lab showed that cognitive stimulation (CS) delayed memory decline in Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), an effect that was tightly associated with augmented levels of mBDNF. In view of this association, the present study explored whether altered cleavage of BDNF could be involved in AD-related traits triggered by excessive amyloid-beta (A beta) pathology and whether this process could be therapeutically targeted. Ala pathology, both in AD patient samples and experimental models, triggered the upregulation of plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) via JNK/c-Jun. This led to inhibition of plasmin-regulated conversion of mBDNF. Pharmacological inhibition of PAI-1 with PAl039 sufficiently reverted Ap-induced tau hyperphosphorylation and neurotoxicity. Chronic treatment of 15 old-month Tg2576 mice with oral administration of PAI-039 resulted in improved BDNF maturation and cognitive function without inducing significant changes in amyloid burden. In conclusion, upregulation of PAI-1 may be a critical mechanism underlying insufficient neurotrophic support and increased neurodegeneration associated with AD. Thus, targeting BDNF maturation through pharmacological inhibition of PAI-1 might become a potential treatment for AD. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this study, the corrosion behaviors of carbon steel and stainless steel are investigated for water-saturated CO2 system to examine the condition of CO2 injection wells in CO2 sequestration and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. In our model, potential nonisothermal effects resulting from CO2 injection activities, including Joule-Thomson effect, heat transfer between CO2 stream and surrounding well/rock formation, the adiabatic (de-) compression of CO2, and the frictional losses, are accounted. The model is applied to onshore and offshore wells using realistic data. In the offshore well, the depth is considered to vary as a power function of lateral distance from the sea floor to the perforation. Depending on scales of injection, our calculations show that the corrosion rates in the tubing wall from the wellhead to bottomhole is on the order of 1 mm/y for carbon steel. For stainless steel, the rate obtained is 0.0057 mm/y. Results of this study provide insights on the material selection of CO2 injection wells, design of injection operations, as well as leakage monitoring and risk assessment in wellbores. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study tested the use of machine learning techniques for the estimation of above-ground biomass (AGB) of Sonneratia caseolaris in a coastal area of Hai Phong city, Vietnam. We employed a GIS database and multi-layer perceptron neural networks (MLPNN) to build and verify an AGB model, drawing upon data from a survey of 1508 mangrove trees in 18 sampling plots and ALOS-2 PALSAR imagery. We assessed the model's performance using root-mean-square error, mean absolute error, coefficient of determination (R-2), and leave-one-out cross-validation. We also compared the model's usability with four machine learning techniques: support vector regression, radial basis function neural networks, Gaussian process, and random forest. The MLPNN model performed well and outperformed the machine learning techniques. The MLPNN model-estimated AGB ranged between 2.78 and 298.95Mgha(-1) (average=55.8Mgha(-1)); below-ground biomass ranged between 4.06 and 436.47Mgha(-1) (average=81.47Mgha(-1)), and total carbon stock ranged between 3.22 and 345.65Mg C ha(-1) (average=64.52Mg C ha(-1)). We conclude that ALOS-2 PALSAR data can be accurately used with MLPNN models for estimating mangrove forest biomass in tropical areas.
Sex affects the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Although AAAs are less prevalent in women, at least in the general population, women with an AAA have a poorer prognosis in comparison to men. Sex differences in the genetic predisposition for aneurysm disease remain to be established. In this study we investigated the familial risk of AAA for women compared to men. All living AAA patients included in a 2004-2012 prospective database were invited to the multidisciplinary vascular/genetics outpatient clinic between 2009 and 2012 for assessment of family history using detailed questionnaires. AAA risk for male and female relatives was calculated separately and stratified by sex of the AAA patients. Families of 568 AAA patients were investigated and 22.5% of the patients had at least one affected relative. Female relatives had a 2.8-fold and male relatives had a 1.7-fold higher risk than the estimated sex-specific population risk. Relatives of female AAA patients had a higher aneurysm risk than relatives of male patients (9.0 vs 5.9%, p = 0.022), corresponding to 5.5- and 2.0-fold increases in aneurysm risk in the female and male relatives, respectively. The risk for aortic aneurysm in relatives of AAA patients is higher than expected from population risk. The excess risk is highest for the female relatives of AAA patients and for the relatives of female AAA patients. These findings endorse targeted AAA family screening for female and male relatives of all AAA patients.
Autophagy is an essential cellular pathway that sequesters various cytoplasmic components, including accumulated proteins, damaged organelles or invading microorganisms and delivers them to lysosomes for degradation. The function of autophagy has been reported in various tissues and systems, including its role in the regulation of cellular immunity. Autophagy plays a fundamental role at various stages of T cell maturation. It regulates the thymocyte selection and the generation of T cell repertoire by presenting intracellular antigens to MHC class molecules. Autophagy is crucial for metabolic regulation of T cells, and therefore supports cell survival and homeostasis, particularly in activated mature T cells. Furthermore, deletion of specific autophagy-related genes induces several immunological alterations including differentiation of activated T cells into regulatory, memory or natural killer T cells. In this review, we emphasize the impact of autophagy on T cell development, activation and differentiation, which is pivotal for the adaptive immune system.
The ageing of the population, and their increasing wish of living independently, are motivating the development of welfare and healthcare models. Existing approaches based on the direct heath-monitoring using body sensor networks (BSN) are precise and accurate. Nonetheless, their intrusiveness causes non-acceptance. New approaches seek the indirect monitoring through monitoring activities of daily living (ADLs), which proves to be a suitable solution. ADL monitoring systems use many heterogeneous sensors, are less intrusive, and are less expensive than BSN, however, the deployment and maintenance of wireless sensor networks (WSN) prevent them from a widespread acceptance. In this work, a novel technique to monitor the human activity, based on non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM), is presented. The proposal uses only smart meter data, which leads to minimum intrusiveness and a potential massive deployment at minimal cost. This could be the key to develop sustainable healthcare models for smart homes, capable of complying with the elderly people' demands. This study also uses the Dempster-Shafer theory to provide a daily score of normality with regard to the regular behavior. This approach has been evaluated using real datasets and, additionally, a benchmarking against a Gaussian mixture model approach is presented.
In this paper we consider the structure of the symmetry group of some important mechanical theories (nonlinear elasticity and fluids of grade n). We discuss why the invariance with respect to some well-known transformations must be used with care and we explain why some of these universal transformations are useless to obtain invariant solutions of physical significance. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper addresses the problem of identifying different flow environments from sparse data collected by wing strain sensors. Insects regularly perform this feat using a sparse ensemble of noisy strain sensors on their wing. First, we obtain strain data from numerical simulation of a Manduca sexta hawkmoth wing undergoing different flow environments. Our data-driven method learns low-dimensional strain features originating from different aerodynamic environments using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes in the frequency domain, and leverages sparse approximation to classify a set of strain frequency signatures using a dictionary of POD modes. This bio-inspired machine learning architecture for dictionary learning and sparse classification permits fewer costly physical strain sensors while being simultaneously robust to sensor noise. A measurement selection algorithm identifies frequencies that best discriminate the different aerodynamic environments in low-rank POD feature space. In this manner, sparse and noisy wing strain data can be exploited to robustly identify different aerodynamic environments encountered in flight, providing insight into the stereotyped placement of neurons that act as strain sensors on a Manduca sexta hawkmoth wing.
Energy harvesting is now an established field, and the linear equivalent circuit models for single-and multiple-degree-of-freedom systems are being routinely used to assess the energy harvesting efficiency of various interface and electronic circuits. However, as the field of energy harvesting moves toward more complex systems such as nonlinear energy harvesting and fluidic energy harvesting, modified equivalent circuits are required to effectively capture the behavior of these devices. This article presents two general methods (a system-level approach and a dependent source equivalent approach) that can adequately model the behavior of more advanced harvesters. These approaches can also be easily used to model single-and multiple-degree-of-freedom linear harvesters. Equivalent circuits for both piezoelectric and electromagnetic harvesters are discussed. Four case studies are presented to illustrate the application of these equivalent circuit approaches including the following: (1) a piezoelectric Duffing harvester, (2) an electromagnetic Duffing harvester, (3) a simplified aeroelastic harvester, and (4) a piezoelectric Duffing harvester with a rectifier circuit.
CGG repeat expansion >200 within FMR1, termed full mutation (FM), has been associated with promoter methylation, consequent silencing of gene expression and fragile X syndrome (FXS)-a common cause of intellectual disability and co-morbid autism. Unmethylated premutation (55-199 repeats) and FM alleles have been associated with fragile X related tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a late onset neurodegenerative disorder. Here we present a 33-year-old male with FXS, with white matter changes and progressive deterioration in gait with cerebellar signs consistent with probable FXTAS; there was no evidence of any other cerebellar pathology. We show that he has tissue mosaicism in blood, saliva, and buccal samples for the size and methylation of his expanded alleles and a de novo, unmethylated microdeletion. This microdeletion involves a similar to 80 bp sequence in the FMR1 promoter as well as complete loss of the CGG repeat in a proportion of cells. Despite FMR1 mRNA levels in blood within the normal range, the methylation and CGG sizing results are consistent with the diagnosis of concurrent FXS and probable FXTAS. The demonstrated presence of unmethylated FM alleles would explain the manifestation of milder than expected cognitive and behavioral impairments and early onset of cerebellar ataxia. Our case suggests that individuals with FXS, who manifest symptoms of FXTAS, may benefit from more detailed laboratory testing. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Young adolescents are generally considered to be self-absorbed. Studies indicate that they lack relevant general cognitive abilities, such as impulse control, that mature in early adulthood. However, their idealism may cause them to be more intolerant of unfair treatment to others and thus result in their engaging in more altruistic behavior. The present study aimed to clarify whether young adolescents are more altruistic than adults and thus indicate whether altruistic competence is domain-specific. One hundred 22 young adolescents and adults participated in a face-to-face, two-round, third-party punishment experiment. In each interaction group, a participant served as an allocator who could share money units with a stranger; another participant who knew the allocator could punish the acquaintance for the stranger. Participants reported their emotions after the first round, and at the end of the experiment, the participants justified their behavior in each round. The results indicated that the young adolescents both shared more and punished more than did the adults. Sharing was associated with a reference to fairness in the justifications, but altruistic punishment was associated with subsequent positive emotion. In sum, greater altruism in young adolescents compared to adults with mature cognitive abilities provides evidence of domain-specificity of altruistic competence. Moreover, sharing and altruistic punishment are related to specific cognitive and emotional mechanisms, respectively.
Interactive narratives offer interesting opportunities for the study of the impact of media on behavior. A growing amount of research on games advocating social change, including those focusing on interactive narratives, has highlighted their potential for attitudinal and behavioral impact. In this study, we examine the relationship between interactivity and prosocial behavior, as well as potential underlying processes. A yoked study design with 634 participants compared an interactive with a noninteractive narrative. Structural equation modeling revealed no significant differences in prosocial behavior between the interactive and noninteractive condition. However, support for the importance of appreciation for and engagement with a narrative on subsequent prosocial behavior was observed. In summary, while results shed light on processes underlying the relationship between both noninteractive and interactive narratives and prosocial behavior, they also highlight interactivity as a multifaceted concept worth examining in further detail.
Crime victims' emotional display in legal settings has been found to influence credibility judgments. The specific nature of public expectations about crime victims' emotional responses have, however, not been adequately investigated. In an experimental vignette study, respondents in a community sample (N = 404) estimated the likelihood that female and male victims would experience 7 distinct emotions in response to 5 types of crimes. Across all crime types, female victims were expected to experience significantly more situation-focused (anxiety, fear) and inward-focused (guilt, shame, sadness) emotions, and significantly less other-focused emotions (hatred, anger) than male victims. This calls for an increased focus on distinct emotions in future research on victim's emotions. Implications for victims in legal and social settings are discussed.
Chimeric mice, constructed by transplanting human hepatocytes, are useful for predicting the human metabolism of drug candidates. In this study, we investigated whether these mice show similar metabolic profile to humans by examining the hydroxylation of S-warfarin reported to be mainly metabolized to S-7-hydroxywarfarin (7-OH-warfarin), catalyzed by CYP2C9, in humans. When S-H-3-warfarin was administered to chimeric mice and control (uPA(+/+)/SCIDwt/wt) mice, the blood concentration-time curve was higher in chimeric than control mice. Plasma protein binding of S-H-3-warfarin of chimeric and control mice amounted to 98.1 and 92.1%, respectively. When S-H-3-warfarin was administered to these mice, radioactivity was mainly recovered in urine (81.7% in chimeric mice and 65.9% in control mice). After S-H-3-warfarin was administered to these mice, the radioactivity was recovered in the bile of chimeric and control mice at 5.1 and 17.9%, respectively. The main urinary metabolite in chimeric mice was 7-OH-warfarin. the main urinary metabolite in control mice was S-4'-hydroxywarfarin. These results show that mass balance, metabolic disposition of S-H-3-warfarin in chimeric mice with humanized liver were similar to reported human data.
We propose a two-stage mixed-integer linear stochastic optimization model to analyze the scheduling of electricity-production units under natural gas-supply uncertainty due to pipeline congestion and natural gas-price variability. The first stage of this stochastic optimization model represents the day-ahead scheduling (i.e., unit commitment) stage, while the second stage represents actual real-time operations through a number of scenarios. We use this model to analyze the effect on unit commitment and dispatch of two types of natural gas-supply conditions. First, we analyze a case involving low-cost natural gas supply with natural gas-transmission issues related to potential gas-pipeline congestion. We then examine a case involving higher-cost natural gas, which is used solely to attain feasibility with fast-ramping events. The first case mimics situations in the ISO New England system, in which relatively low-cost natural gas supply is uncertain in cold-weather conditions due to natural gas-transmission bottlenecks. The second case is reminiscent of situations in the California ISO system, in which relatively expensive but flexible natural gas-fired units need to be used to handle rapid changes in net demand in the early mornings and late afternoons.
Cleaning by a horizontal water jet, impinging onto a soiled Perspex vertical plate, is described. The plate, the substrate, was coated with PVA or petroleum jelly, the soil. The substrate was either. (i) fixed, for batch tests in which the cleaned area, roughly circular, grew with time, or (ii) the substrate moved vertically up or down in its own plane, the water jet remaining fixed; this reproduced the effect of a jet moving across a surface for cleaning, as found in real tank cleaning operations. In the batch experiments, growth of the radius a of the cleaning area is well described, at early times t, by a(5) - a(o)(5) = K-5 (t - t(o)), a(o) being the initial radius of the cleaned area at time t(o); K is a constant. At later times with petroleum jelly, the cleaning front reached a maximum value, when the outward momentum of the radially flowing water film balanced the strength of the soil. This maximum value is modelled as a ramp of viscoplastic soil inclined at angle chi to the substrate surface, where chi was found to vary from 7 degrees to 25 degrees. In the tests of continuous cleaning of petroleum jelly, a lengthening cleaned area, of width w(c), was observed on the moving substrate. Near the jet was a stationary clean front, whose shape looked like half an ellipse. This shape, and the width wc, are well described by theory (Wilson et al., 2015, 123, 450-459) using parameters from the above-mentioned batch experiments. This establishes a good link between batch and continuous cleaning experiments. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Stem cells are fundamental to human life and offer great therapeutic potential, yet their biology remains incompletely-or in cases even poorly-understood. The field of stem cell biology has grown substantially in recent years due to a combination of experimental and theoretical contributions: the experimental branch of this work provides data in an ever-increasing number of dimensions, while the theoretical branch seeks to determine suitable models of the fundamental stem cell processes that these data describe. The application of population dynamics to biology is amongst the oldest applications of mathematics to biology, and the population dynamics perspective continues to offer much today. Here we describe the impact that such a perspective has made in the field of stem cell biology. Using hematopoietic stem cells as our model system, we discuss the approaches that have been used to study their key properties, such as capacity for self-renewal, differentiation, and cell fate lineage choice. We will also discuss the relevance of population dynamics in models of stem cells and cancer, where competition naturally emerges as an influential factor on the temporal evolution of cell populations.
Current therapeutic approaches of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are symptomatic and of modest efficacy, and there is no available effective cure or prevention of AD; hence, the need arise to search for neuroprotective agents to combat AD. The current study aimed at investigating the neuroprotective effect of nanodiamond (ND), adamantine-based nanoparticles, in aluminum-induced cognitive impairment in rats, an experimental model of AD. AD was induced by aluminum chloride (17 mg/kg, p.o. for 6 weeks) and confirmed by Morris water maze and Y-maze behavioral tests. Biochemical and histological analyses of the hippocampus were also performed. Aluminum-treated rats showed behavioral, biochemical, and histological changes similar to those associated with AD. ND improved learning and memory and reversed histological alterations. At the molecular levels, ND mitigated the increase of hippocampal beta-amyloid (A beta(42)) and beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) together with down-regulation of phosphorylated tau protein. It also modulated the excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter level. Furthermore, ND boosted the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mitochondrial transcription factor-A (TFAM), suppressed the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and curbed oxidative stress by hampering of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Moreover, ND augmented the hippocampal levels of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (p-STAT3) and B cell leukemia/lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) anti-apoptotic protein while diminished nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappa B) and caspase-3 (casp-3) expression. These findings indicate the protective effect of ND against memory deficits and AD-like pathological aberrations probably via modulating NF-kB and STAT3 signaling, effects mediated likely by modulating N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors.
High speed machining is an advanced technology that. has significantly developmental potential. Due to the drastic market competition,the development of new materials,the improved demand of component quality,the shortening of product life cycle,the complexity of product and the development of manufacturing equipments, High speed machining (HSM) technology develops rapidly. The process about HSM from the conception to industrialization is realized. HSM technology plays an important role in Chinese aviation. In this article the HSM technology and its application in aerial manufacturing is introduced. Through summarizing the key factors of HSM and the current application the innovative mode of manufacturing engineering management about HSM is proposed and this mode can achieve optimization cost.
In this paper an adaptive rotor flux observer is developed. This observer performs a real-time correction of the mutual inductance and rotor resistance of the motor using data from the DC-link voltage sensor, the inverter state and the phase current and position sensors. The observer compares the behavior of two independent observers (sensorless and sensored observers) in order to correct the parameters of the sensored observer. The adaptation algorithm corrects the mutual inductance, which can vary due to change of the magnetization current, and the rotor resistance, which can change due to variation of the rotor temperature. Computer simulation results are presented to validate the proposed method.
Galvanized steel is widely used in transportation and industry. However, the corrosion performance of these products is highly affected while exposed to chloride-containing environments. One alternative is Al-rich metal coatings which are known to notably improve the corrosion protection of the steel substrate by the enhanced barrier properties provided by Al. Although hot dip aluminum-based coatings on steel are nowadays used for many applications, little is known about the electrochemical behaviour of these coatings. This work studies the corrosion behaviour of Al-containing metal coated steel. Odd random phase multisine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ORP-EIS) is used for monitoring the corrosion evolution under continuous immersion in a NaCl solution. This technique allows a rapid screening of corrosion processes due to the reduced measurement time with respect to conventional single sine techniques. Extra information concerning linearity, stationarity and noise level is also supplied and can be valuable for further data quality evaluation and fitting. Different equivalent electrical circuits are proposed and their validity is discussed, not only based on physical phenomena but also taking the quality of the obtained data and the statistical evaluation of the fittings into account. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare, complex multisystem genetic disorder which includes hypothalamic dysfunction, hyperphagia, cognitive and behavioral problems, increased anxiety, and compulsive behaviors. Individuals with PWS have a deficit of oxytocin producing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Oxytocin plays a role in regulation of feeding behaviors, social interactions, and emotional reactivity, which are all issues that significantly affect the quality of life for individuals with this syndrome. We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study in 24 children with PWS at three academic institutions using 5 days of intranasal oxytocin (IN-OT) or 5 days of intranasal placebo spray, followed by a 4 week washout period, and then patients returned for 5 days of treatment with the alternate source. Questionnaires, including the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Social Responsiveness Scale, Repetitive Behavior Scale - Revised, and the Hyperphagia Questionnaire, as well as Clinical Global Impression scales were administered. Blood testing for sodium, potassium, and glucose levels on days 2, 4, and 6, and a 24 hr diet recall. All scales factor improvement from Day 3 to Day 6 favored oxytocin over placebo. No single factor showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between groups at Day 6. The drug effect appeared to be diminished at Day 14. There was no evidence of a difference between oxytocin and placebo in safety lab parameters, 60 min post dose vital signs, weight, or diet parameters. The results from this study suggest that low dose intranasal oxytocin is safe for individuals with PWS and may result in reduction in appetite drive, and improvements in socialization, anxiety, and repetitive behaviors. Further, long-term studies with a larger population of participants are necessary to confirm these findings. The results of this study are encouraging that oxytocin may be a safe and effective treatment for many of the issues that negatively impact individuals with PWS.
Because there are many differences in the different operating systems of intelligent equipment, application software adaptation workload will be multiplied. Based on HTML5 cross platform development framework, such as PhoneGap, Sencha Touch, Titanium and AppCan and so on, can easily solve the cross platform problem, reduce software development cycle and the costs of software development and maintenance. This paper mainly introduced PhoneGap, Sencha Touch, Titanium and AppCan cross platform development framework, compared to their advantages and disadvantages, and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of cross platform mobile hybrid mobile development mode based on HTML5. Finally, this paper looked forward to the development of HTML5 and development technology of cross platform hybrid mobile application based on HTML5.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is being used more often today as a water supply and stormwater management green infrastructure (GI). In recent years, GIs in urban water engineering have gained attention due to their lower lifecycle costs-in both implementation and operation phases-rather than traditional gray approaches. The research described in the present paper compared implementation of RWH systems to gray approaches previously designed as a part of the long-term control plan (LTCP) for combined sewer overflow (CSO) control in Toledo, Ohio. RWH scenarios in this study were defined based on different system capacities and release policies, and then combined gray and green scenarios were analyzed according to their hydrologic performance and cost. This study employed long-term continuous hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) simulations as well as lifecycle cost (LCC) analysis techniques. The results showed that greening the LTCP via RWH could improve the lifecycle cost-effectiveness by 48%. The captured rainwater was considered to supply toilet flushing water demand in buildings. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Flood hazard modeling is an important task for decision making in the flood management aiming at preventing human and material losses. There is therefore a pressing need for reliable predictive tools in order to identify flood-prone areas. Recently, with the increase in cheap computational power, most studies in this context use one- or two-dimensional (1-D, 2-D) deterministic hydraulic models, which provide estimates of the flood extent and depth with satisfactory accuracy at reduced time. These models, however, capture only a relatively small fraction of the active processes by simulating flood without consideration of morphological change, while 2-D/3-D hydro-morphodynamic solutions are more realistic by considering the influences of channel and floodplain morphologies to simulate inundation flow. This research seeks to assess the suitability of a landscape evolution model (LEM) to simulate adequately the hydraulics of flood events in a real case scenario. We opted to use the 2-D model cellular automaton evolutionary slope and river (CAESAR) which is originally a LEM that has recently undergone a real evolution by integrating the hydrodynamic flow routing algorithm LISFLOOD-FP (LF). CAESAR-LISFLOOD (CAESAR-LF) is a reduced-complexity and depth-integrated 2-D storage cell model that simulates flow and sediment transport in response to hydrological inputs. The area is an urban reach of the river Bouregreg (Morocco) having a large and swampy floodplain with complex topography. Performance of the reduced-complexity model CAESAR-LF in flood mapping is investigated and benchmarked against the one-dimensional (1-D) hydraulic model Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). Combined climate and hydrologic modeling were used to generate input flow data for hydraulic models. The results from both approaches agree well and show a relative good consistency in estimating flood extent and magnitude. Some differences occur, but these can easily be explained as a result of unavoidable differences in concepts and implementation.
The Warburg effect describes the phenomenon by which cancer cells obtain energy from glycolysis even under normoxic (O-2-sufficient) conditions. Tumor tissues are generally exposed to hypoxia owing to inefficient and aberrant vasculature. Cancer cells have multiple molecular mechanisms to adapt to such stress conditions by reprogramming the cellular metabolism. Hypoxia-inducible factors are major transcription factors induced in cancer cells in response to hypoxia that contribute to the metabolic changes. In addition, cancer cells within hypoxic tumor areas have reduced access to serum components such as nutrients and lipids. However, the effect of such serum factor deprivation on cancer cell biology in the context of tumor hypoxia is not fully understood. Cancer cells are lipid-rich under normoxia and hypoxia, leading to the increased generation of a cellular organelle, the lipid droplet (LD). In recent years, the LD-mediated stress response mechanisms of cancer cells have been revealed. This review focuses on the production and functions of LDs in various types of cancer cells in relation to the associated cellular environment factors including tissue oxygenation status and metabolic mechanisms. This information will contribute to the current understanding of how cancer cells adapt to diverse tumor environments to promote their survival.
Three dimensional (3D) printing involves a number of additive manufacturing techniques that are used to build structures from the ground up. This technology has been adapted to a wide range of surgical applications at an impressive rate. It has been used to print patient-specific anatomic models, implants, prosthetics, external fixators, splints, surgical instrumentation, and surgical cutting guides. The profound utility of this technology in surgery explains the exponential growth. It is important to learn how 3D printing has been used in surgery and how to potentially apply this technology. PubMed was searched for studies that addressed the clinical application of 3D printing in all surgical fields, yielding 442 results. Data was manually extracted from the 168 included studies. We found an exponential increase in studies addressing surgical applications for 3D printing since 2011, with the largest growth in craniofacial, oromaxillofacial, and cardiothoracic specialties. The pertinent considerations for getting started with 3D printing were identified and are discussed, including, software, printing techniques, printing materials, sterilization of printing materials, and cost and time requirements. Also, the diverse and increasing applications of 3D printing were recorded and are discussed. There is large array of potential applications for 3D printing. Decreasing cost and increasing ease of use are making this technology more available. Incorporating 3D printing into a surgical practice can be a rewarding process that yields impressive results.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe clinical features of children and adolescents with celiac disease (CD) and to assess if the presenting symptoms vary with age and sex. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 65 known cases of patients with CD, both males and females whom diagnosed in Namazi Hospital, a large referral center in south of Iran, by census were studied in 2014. A detailed data about clinical features and associated disorders, for all patients were assessed based on their medical records and also clinical examination. Two groups were made as per the age of the patients at the time of diagnosis, groups I (less than or equal to 10 years old) and II (11-18 years old). RESULTLTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 8.11 years. Growth failure and abdominal pain were the most frequent presenting features. Diarrhea was more common in females (36.8% vs. 18.5%, P=0.1). The most common presenting features in group I were growth failure, abdominal pain and anorexia and in group II were growth failure, short stature and abdominal pain. All cases of convulsion were male (P=0.03). Both abdominal distention (46% vs. 18.5%, P=0.02) and anxiety (34.2% vs. 11.1%, P=0.03) were more common among female participants. The most frequently associated disorder was diabetes mellitus type 1 (5 patients). CONCLUSIONS: CD should be considered in children and adolescents with growth failure or short stature, even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms, especially diarrhea.
This work presents a control system suitable for high-precision pulsed current sources. The proposed control system is based on the detection of events so as to define changes in the power converter state to produce the required current waveform with a good dynamic response. Additionally, this control system is designed to regulate the flat-top current with a well-defined precision. In order to mitigate the effect of the measurement noise, an estimation algorithm for the controlled current is incorporated. This algorithm generates a filtered version of the controlled variable without affecting the control dynamics. The use of the estimated current allows to improve the detection of the events and to avoid an increase in the number of commutations due to possible erratic comparisons. Then, the estimator gains are tuned by using genetic algorithm techniques to optimize the root-mean-square value for a typical pulse. Furthermore, in order to independently perform the required set of tasks, the proposed control system is implemented by using a digital platform based on a field-programmable gate array. Additionally, due to the demanding precision in these applications, different considerations regarding its implementation, such as the digital wordlength, binary point position, rounding method, and overflow behavior, have been taken into account. Experimental results obtained from the application of the proposed control system to a laboratory prototype are presented.
This paper deals with the evaluation of innovative e-learning materials that were created within the project Exemplary developmental projects from industry for reinforcing the practical knowledge of future mechanical engineers at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB) at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) in the Department of Machine Design (DMD). Under this project, e-learning study materials were created based on themes that are common in technical practice and at the same time interesting, necessary and useful for educating students at FME. This entire project was divided into 10 basic design areas, which all contain one or more design projects. Individual design projects were worked on by academics in cooperation with students, and also with help from industry practitioners, so that everything corresponds with modern norms and standards currently used in real industrial companies. E-learning materials were created for all the design projects. These materials have been implemented into the teaching of several subjects, not only in DMD for which they were originally intended, but due to the extensiveness of these materials they are also used for teaching in other departments at FME. All e-learning materials consist of several important parts, including a 3-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) model, calculation, drawings, technical description, etc. All these parts are necessary for describing the structure of a machine or device in detail and for explaining all their features and functions. After completing the project and implementing the new e-learning materials into teaching, it was necessary to evaluate the success of the project and its impact on the quality and methods of teaching. Questionnaires were created and given to students for completion. We were also interested in the opinions of practitioners from the engineering industry, so we asked employees of companies we cooperate with to evaluate the study materials. Using all the gathered information and opinions, we evaluated the quality of the materials and its impact on teaching. Mistakes were corrected and the whole project was brought to a successful conclusion.
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients can be divided into those with structural damage in the SI joint visible on X-rays, termed radiographic axSpA or AS, and those in an earlier phase of the disease, without structural damage in the SI joint, termed non-radiographic axSpA. TNF-blockers have been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of active axSpA. Interestingly, conventional DMARDs and also non-TNF-blocker biologics targeting IL-1, IL-6 and T cells (abatacept) are not effective. Recent interest has focused on the cytokines IL-23 and IL-17 as potential treatment targets in axSpA. An open-label trial with ustekinumab showed a good efficacy in AS patients. Two placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with a mAb blocking IL-17, secukinumab, showed a good reduction in disease activity, similar to that shown for TNF blockers. Probably triggered by inflammation, new bone formation is another hallmark in AS and a potentially important treatment target. However, a previously reported inhibitory effect of NSAID treatment could not be confirmed in a recent NSAID trial.
Linux-based operating systems and runtimes (OS/Rs) have emerged as the environments of choice for the majority of HPC systems. While Linux-based OS/Rs have advantages such as extensive feature sets and developer familiarity, these features come at the cost of additional system overhead. In contrast to Linux, there is a substantial history of work in the HPC community focused on lightweight OS/Rs that provide scalable and consistent performance for HPC applications, but lack many of the features offered by commodity OS/Rs. In this paper, we propose to bridge the gap between LWKs and commodity OS/Rs by selectively providing a lightweight memory subsystem for HPC applications in a commodity OS/R where concurrently executing a diverse range of workloads is commonplace. Our system HPMMAP provides lightweight memory performance transparently to HPC applications by bypassing Linux's memory management layer. Using HPMMAP, HPC applications achieve consistent performance while the same local compute nodes execute competing workloads likely to be found in HPC clusters and in-situ workload deployments. Our approach is dynamically configurable at runtime, and requires no resources when not in use. We show that HPMMAP can decrease variance and reduce application runtime by up to 50 percent when executing a co-located competing commodity workload.
How to timely and precisely identify attack behaviors in network without dealing with a large number of traffic features and historical data, such as training data, is an important research work in the field of network security. In this paper,firstly, the differences between Renyi entropy and Shannon entropy are analyzed and compared. In order to capture network traffic changes exactly, Renyi entropy instead of Shannon entropy is proposed to measure selected traffic features. Then EWMA control chart theory is used to check Renyi entropy time series for detecting and screening anomalies. And three kinds of network attacks are also analyzed and characterized by behavior feature vector for attack identification. Finally a feature similarity based method is used to identify attacks. The experimental results of real traffic traces show that the proposed method has good capability to detect and identify these attacks with less computation cost. To evaluate attack identification method conveniently, an approach is proposed to generate simulated attack traffics. Compared with Shannon entropy-based method, the experiments on simulation traffics show that Renyi entropy-based method has much higher overall accuracy, average precision and average true positive rate. Further comparison indicates the proposed method has more powerful performance to detect attacks than PCA-based method.
Extraction of road networks in urban areas from remotely sensed imagery plays an important role in many urban applications (e.g. road navigation, geometric correction of urban remote sensing images, updating geographic information systems, etc.). It is normally difficult to accurately differentiate road from its background due to the complex geometry of the buildings and the acquisition geometry of the sensor. In this paper, we present a new method for extracting roads from high-resolution imagery based on hierarchical graph-based image segmentation. The proposed method consists of: 1. Extracting features (e.g., using Gabor and morphological filtering) to enhance the contrast between road and non-road pixels, 2. Graph-based segmentation consisting of (i) Constructing a graph representation of the image based on initial segmentation and (ii) Hierarchical merging and splitting of image segments based on color and shape features, and 3. Post-processing to remove irregularities in the extracted road segments. Experiments are conducted on three challenging datasets of high-resolution images to demonstrate the proposed method and compare with other similar approaches. The results demonstrate the validity and superior performance of the proposed method for road extraction in urban areas. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The present study examined whether thin-slice ratings of child personality serve as a resource-efficient and theoretically valid measurement of child personality traits. We extended theoretical work on the observability, perceptual accuracy, and situational consistency of childhood personality traits by examining intersource and interjudge agreement, cross-situational consistency, and convergent, divergent, and predictive validity of thin-slice ratings. Forty-five unacquainted independent coders rated 326 children's (ages 8-12) personality in 1 of 15 thin-slice behavioral scenarios (i.e., 3 raters per slice, for over 14,000 independent thin-slice ratings). Mothers, fathers, and children rated children's personality, psychopathology, and competence. We found robust evidence for correlations between thin-slice and mother/ father ratings of child personality, within-and across-task consistency of thin-slice ratings, and convergent and divergent validity with psychopathology and competence. Surprisingly, thin-slice ratings were more consistent across situations in this child sample than previously found for adults. Taken together, these results suggest that thin slices are a valid and reliable measure to assess child personality, offering a useful method of measurement beyond questionnaires, helping to address novel questions of personality perception and consistency in childhood.
With the wealth of data accumulated from completely sequenced genomes and other high-throughput experiments, global studies of biological systems, by simultaneously investigating multiple biological entities (e.g. genes, transcripts, proteins), has become a routine. Network representation is frequently used to capture the presence of these molecules as well as their relationship. Network biology has been widely used in molecular biology and genetics, where several network properties have been shown to be functionally important. Here, we discuss how such methodology can be useful to translational biomedical research, where scientists traditionally focus on one or a small set of genes, diseases, and drug candidates at any one time. We first give an overview of network representation frequently used in biology: what nodes and edges represent, and review its application in preclinical research to date. Using cancer as an example, we review how network biology can facilitate system-wide approaches to identify targeted small molecule inhibitors. These types of inhibitors have the potential to be more specific, resulting in high efficacy treatments with less side effects, compared to the conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. Global analysis may provide better insight into the overall picture of human diseases, as well as identify previously overlooked problems, leading to rapid advances in medicine. From the clinicians' point of view, it is necessary to bridge the gap between theoretical network biology and practical biomedical research, in order to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the world's major diseases.
In the present work, monoclinic bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO4) nanostructures have been synthesized via simple hydrothermal method and employed for visible light driven antimicrobial and photocatalytic activity. Morphology (octahedral) and size (200-300 nm) of the m-BiVO4 are studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystal structure of m-BiVO4 (monoclinic scheelite structure) is confirmed by high resolution-TEM (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The band gap of m-BiVO4 was estimated to be ca. 2.42 eV through Kubellca-Munk function F(R infinity) using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Antimicrobial action of m-BiVO4 is anticipated by (i) shake flask method, (ii) MIT [3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide] assay for cytotoxicity. SEM analysis has been carried on Escherichia coli (E. coli) before and after treatment with nanostructure materials to reveal the mechanism underlying the antimicrobial action. Antimicrobial activity is studied as a function of m-BiVO4 concentration viz. 20, 40, 60 and 80 ppm. The bacterial growth is decreased 80% to 96%, with the increase in m-BiVO4 concentration from 20 ppm to 80 ppm, respectively, in 2 h. Photocatalytic activity and rate kinetics of m-BiVO4 nanostructures have been studied as a function of time on methylene blue (MB) dye degradation which is one of the waste products of textile industries and responsible for water pollution. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Facing increasingly serious water pollution, the Chinese government is changing the environmental management strategy from solely pollutant concentration control to a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, and water quality models are increasingly being applied to determine the allowable pollutant load in the TMDL. Despite the frequent use of models, few studies have focused on how parameter uncertainty in water quality models affect the allowable pollutant loads in the TMDL program, particularly for complicated and high-dimension water quality models. Uncertainty analysis for such models is limited by time-consuming simulation and high-dimensionality and nonlinearity in parameter spaces. In this study, an allowable pollutant load calculation platform was established using the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC), which is a widely applied hydrodynamic-water quality model. A Bayesian approach, i.e. the DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm, which is a high-efficiency, multi-chain Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, was applied to assess the effects of parameter uncertainty on the water quality model simulations and its influence on the allowable pollutant load calculation in the TMDL program. Miyun Reservoir, which is the most important surface drinking water source for Beijing, suffers from eutrophication and was selected as a case study. The relations between pollutant loads and water quality indicators are obtained through a graphical method in the simulation platform. Ranges of allowable pollutant loads were obtained according to the results of parameter uncertainty analysis, i.e. Total Organic Carbon (TOC): 581.5-1030.6 t.yr(-1); Total Phosphorus (TP): 23.3-31.0 t.yr(-1); and Total Nitrogen (TN): 480-1918.0 t.yr(-1). The wide ranges of allowable pollutant loads reveal the importance of parameter uncertainty analysis in a TMDL program for allowable pollutant load calculation and margin of safety (MOS) determination. The sources of uncertainty are discussed and ways to reduce the uncertainties are proposed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water management and regulation in buildings have been facing real challenges with the increasing environmental awareness during the last decades. Current concerns of shortage in water resources increase the demands to enhance water management strategies. In this respect, buildings should be able to gain, conserve, transport, and lose water adequately. Efficient water management solutions can be extracted from strategies found in nature. Here, we classify a basic array of strategies for water management; discuss morphological features and active means; and list corresponding examples from nature, to facilitate the search for and the selection of strategies from the large database of nature, and inspire new design solutions. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Background: We present a rare early presentation of a ADCK4-related glomerulopathy. This case is of interest as potentially treatable if genetic results are timely obtained. Case presentation: We report the case of a 5-year-old boy who was identified with significant proteinuria by a urinary routine screening program for school children. Physical examination revealed dysplastic ears and abnormal folded pinna. Albumin level was 41 g/L (39-53 g/L), and urine proteins/creatinine ratio was 2.6 g/g. Renal ultrasound showed enlarged kidneys and perimedullary hyperechogenicity. Treatment by angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor was not beneficial. Renal biopsy showed signs of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. After 4 years of follow-up, he developed a clinical nephrotic syndrome and no response to prednisone and other immunosuppressive agents was obtained. Within 6 months, he was in end-stage-renal-failure (ESRF) and hemodialysis was started. He was transplanted at 10 years with his mother's kidney. Genes known to be responsible in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndromes were tested. Our patient is compound heterozygous for two mutations in the aarF domain-containing-kinase 4 (ADCK4) gene. ADCK4 gene is one of the genes involved in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) biosynthesis, is located in chromosome 19q13.2 and expressed in podocytes. ADCK4 mutations show a largely renal-limited phenotype. The nephropathy usually presents during adolescence, fast evolves towards ESRF, and may be treatable by CoQ10 supplementation if started early in the disease. Our patient presented nephrotic range proteinuria at 5 years, and he reached ESRF at 10 years. Conclusion: ADCK4-related glomerulopathy is an important novel and potentially treatable cause of isolated nephropathy not only in adolescents, but also in children in their first decade of life. Discovery of important proteinuria in an asymptomatic child should prompt early genetic investigations.
Purpose: We present the development and evaluation of a robust hand tracker based on single overhead depth images for use in the COACH, an assistive technology for people with dementia. The new hand tracker was designed to overcome limitations experienced by the COACH in previous clinical trials. Methods: We train a random decision forest classifier using similar to 5000 manually labeled, unbalanced, training images. Hand positions from the classifier are translated into task actions based on proximity to environmental objects. Tracker performance is evaluated using a large set of similar to 24 000 manually labeled images captured from 41 participants in a fully-functional washroom, and compared to the system's previous colour-based hand tracker. Results: Precision and recall were 0.994 and 0.938 for the depth tracker compared to 0.981 and 0.822 for the colour tracker with the current data, and 0.989 and 0.466 in the previous study. Conclusions: The improved tracking performance supports integration of the depth-based tracker into the COACH toward unsupervised, real-world trials. Implications for Rehabilitation The COACH is an intelligent assistive technology that can enable people with cognitive disabilities to stay at home longer, supporting the concept of aging-in-place. Automated prompting systems, a type of intelligent assistive technology, can help to support the independent completion of activities of daily living, increasing the independence of people with cognitive disabilities while reducing the burden of care experienced by caregivers. Robust motion tracking using depth imaging supports the development of intelligent assistive technologies like the COACH. Robust motion tracking also has application to other forms of assistive technologies including gaming, human-computer interaction and automated assessments.
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER), otherwise known as viral nervous necrosis (VNN), is a major devastating threat for aquatic animals. Betanodaviruses have been isolated in at least 70 aquatic animal species in marine and in freshwater environments throughout the world, with the notable exception of South America. In this review, the main features of betanodavirus, including its diversity, its distribution and its transmission modes in fish, are firstly presented. Then, the existing diagnosis and detection methods, as well as the different control procedures of this disease, are reviewed. Finally, the potential of selective breeding, including both conventional and genomic selection, as an opportunity to obtain resistant commercial populations, is examined.
The security of quantum key distribution (QKD) relies on the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, with which legitimate users are able to estimate information leakage by monitoring the disturbance of the transmitted quantum signals. Normally, the disturbance is reflected as bit flip errors in the sifted key; thus, privacy amplification, which removes any leaked information from the key, generally depends on the bit error rate. Recently, a round-robin differential-phase-shiftQKDprotocol for which privacy amplification does not rely on the bit error rate (Sasaki et al 2014 Nature 509 475) was proposed. The amount of leaked information can be bounded by the sender during the state-preparation stage and hence, is independent of the behavior of the unreliable quantum channel. In our work, we apply the tagging technique to the protocol and present a tight bound on the key rate and employ a decoy-state method. The effects of background noise and misalignment are taken into account under practical conditions. Our simulation results show that the protocol can tolerate channel error rates close to 50% within a typical experiment setting. That is, there is a negligible restriction on the error rate in practice.
Pharmacological intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an important addition to treatment, yet currently available agents target co-morbid psychiatric concerns, such as aggression and irritability. Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist with anxiolytic effects, has been shown to improve verbal fluency and working memory in adults and adolescents with ASD in single-dose challenges. The present pilot study explores the acute effects of propranolol on a measure of conversational reciprocity in this population. We also examined whether autonomic activity and anxiety moderate or mediate response to the drug, given relationships between these variables and ASD, as well as the drug's effects. In a within-subject crossover design, 20 individuals with ASD received a single dose of propranolol or placebo during two sessions in a double-blinded, counterbalanced manner. After drug administration, participants performed a conversational reciprocity task by engaging in a short conversation with the researcher. Measurements of autonomic activity and anxiety were obtained before and after drug administration. Propranolol significantly improved performance on the conversational reciprocity task total [d = 0.40] and nonverbal communication domain scores when compared to the placebo condition. However, neither autonomic activity nor anxiety was significantly associated with drug response. Acute propranolol administration improved conversational reciprocity in ASD. Further exploration of these preliminary findings, as well as other potential treatment response predictors, with serial doses is warranted.
Herpesviruses establish a chronic infection in the host characterized by intervals of lytic replication, quiescent latency, and reactivation from latency. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) naturally infects small rodents and has genetic and biologic parallels with the human gammaherpesviruses (gHVs), Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr virus. The murine gammaherpesvirus model pathogen system provides a platform to apply cutting-edge approaches to dissect the interplay of gammaherpesvirus and host determinants that enable colonization of the host, and that shape the latent or lytic fate of an infected cell. This knowledge is critical for the development of novel therapeutic interventions against the oncogenic gHVs. The nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) signaling pathway is well-known for its role in the promotion of inflammation and many aspects of B cell biology. Here, we review key aspects of the virus lifecycle in the host, with an emphasis on the route that the virus takes to gain access to the B cell latency reservoir. We highlight how the murine gammaherpesvirus requires components of the NF-kB signaling pathway to promote replication, latency establishment, and maintenance of latency. These studies emphasize the complexity of gammaherpesvirus interactions with NF-kB signaling components that direct innate and adaptive immune responses of the host. Importantly, multiple facets of NF-kB signaling have been identified that might be targeted to reduce the burden of gammaherpesvirus-associated diseases.
Actions observed in everyday life normally consist of one person performing sequences of goal-directed actions. The present fMRI study tested the hypotheses that observers are influenced by the actor's identity, even when this information is task-irrelevant, and that this information shapes their expectation on subsequent actions of the same actor. Participants watched short video clips of action steps that either pertained to a common action with an overarching goal or not, and were performed by either one or by varying actors (2 x 2 design). Independent of goal coherence, actor coherence elicited activation in dorsolateral and ventromedial frontal cortex, together pointing to a spontaneous attempt to integrate all actions performed by one actor. Interestingly, watching an actor performing unrelated actions elicited additional activation in left inferior frontal gyrus, suggesting a search in semantic memory in an attempt to construct an overarching goal that can reconcile the disparate action steps with a coherent intention. Post-experimental surveys indicate that these processes occur mostly unconsciously. Findings strongly suggest a spontaneous expectation bias toward actor-related episodes in action observers, and hence to the immense impact of actor information on action observation. Hum Brain Mapp 35:2178-2190, 2014. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DC distribution power systems are vulnerable to instability because of the destabilizing effect of converter-controlled constant power loads (CPLs) and input filters. Standard stability analysis tools based on averaging linearization techniques can be used only when the switching frequency of the converter is significantly higher than the cutoff frequency of the filter. However, dc distribution systems with a reduced size filter, and consequently a high cutoff frequency, are common in transportation applications. Conventional methods fail to detect instabilities in the system because they do not take into account the switching effect. To overcome this drawback, this paper proposes a discrete-time method to analyze the stability of dc distribution systems. This model is applied here to a dc power system with a CPL. The switching effects and the nonlinearities of the system model are taken into account with a simple discretization approach. The proposed method is able to predict the dynamic properties of the system, such as slow-scale and fast-scale instabilities. An active stabilizer is also included in the system model in order to extend the stability margin of the system. Finally, these observations are validated experimentally on a laboratory test bench.
This paper describes an approach to assess and measure trust based on a specific Ambient Intelligence environment. The primary aim of this work is to address and expand on this line of research by investigating the possibility of measuring trust based on quantifiable behavior. To do so, we present a brief review of the existing definitions of trust and define trust in the context of an Ambient Intelligence (AmI) scenario. Further, we propose a formal definition so that the analysis of trust in this kind of scenarios can be developed. Thus, it is suggested the use of Ambient Intelligence techniques that use a trust data model to collect and evaluate relevant information based on the assumption that observable trust between two entities (parties) results in certain typical behaviors. This will establish the foundation for the prediction of such aspects based on the analysis of people's interaction with technological environments, providing new potentially interesting trust assessment tools.
This paper proposes a novel variable speed control strategy of a particular 5-phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) in healthy and faulty modes by taking into account the constraints on voltages and currents. These constraints are related to the converter and machine design. The considered faults are open-circuited phases (one phase, two adjacent phases and two non-adjacent phases). A variable speed control strategy is presented, including flux weakening operations. Based on analytical formulations, a numerical computation is proposed to bring out the torque speed characteristics. This method allows the determination of the current references which ensure the functioning of a 5-phase PMSG at variable speed while keeping phase voltages and currents below their limits. Theoretical, numerical and experimental results are presented. These results are compared in order to validate the proposed approach. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Previous work shows that children view group membership and psychological traits in essentialist terms, perceiving them to be both biologically determined and stable across time. To what extent might individuals view mental states such as beliefs similarly? Given that beliefs are often based on experience and can change across time, one hypothesis is that beliefs on the whole do not elicit essentialism. An alternative hypothesis, however, is that some beliefs may be perceived as inherited and stable over time characteristics associated with essentialism. In three studies, we examined two aspects of psychological essentialism regarding three different types of beliefs (religious beliefs, factual beliefs, and opinions) in 8- to 10-year-old children and adults, asking whether beliefs are seen as (a) biologically based and/or (b) stable across time. Both children and adults distinguished among belief types when considering biology; opinions were perceived to be more rooted in biology than were other beliefs. By contrast, fewer consistent differences emerged when children and adults considered stability. For example, both children and adults perceived opinions and factual beliefs to be equally changeable. Finally, although children typically perceived beliefs to be more rooted in biology than adults, more specific patterns across belief types (e.g., perceiving opinions to be more rooted in biology than religious beliefs) remained relatively stable across age groups. Thus, development and social learning may play a larger role in perceptions of the biological component of essentialism than in judgments of particular beliefs. We discuss implications for literatures on essentialism, religious cognition, and social cognitive development. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study investigates land cover change near the abandoned Pine Point Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories. Industrial mineral development transforms local environments, and the effects of such disturbances are often long-lasting, particularly in subarctic, boreal environments where vegetation conversion can take decades. Located in the Boreal Plains Ecozone, the Pine Point Mine was an extensive open pit operation that underwent little reclamation when it shut down in 1988. We apply remote sensing and landscape ecology methods to quantify land cover change in the 20 years following the mine's closure. Using a time series of near-anniversary Landsat images, we performed a supervised classification to differentiate seven land cover classes. We used raster algebra and landscape metrics to track changes in land cover composition and configuration in the 20 years since the mine shut down. We compared our results with a site in Wood Buffalo National Park that was never subjected to extensive anthropogenic disturbance. This space-for-time substitution provided an analog for how the ecosystem in the Pine Point region might have developed in the absence of industrial mineral development. We found that the dense conifer class was dominant in the park and exhibited larger and more contiguous patches than at the mine site. Bare land at the mine site showed little conversion through time. While the combination of raster algebra and landscape metrics allowed us to track broad changes in land cover composition and configuration, improved access to affordable, high-resolution imagery is necessary to effectively monitor land cover dynamics at abandoned mines.
This paper presents a technique for reducing the input current ripple on multiphase power converters that provide multiple heterogeneous power supply rails, such as those present in portable electronics and computers. Through asymmetric interleaving of individual phases, the input current ripple can be reduced compared to conventional interleaving. The technique is derived based on an analytic description of the relevant current waveforms. Practical requirements of a digital control implementation of the proposed technique are analyzed, and its possible performance improvement is quantified through simulations and experimental results. With the proposed technique, close to a 3x reduction in input current ripple, compared to conventional methods, is demonstrated using an experimental prototype comprising a microcontroller that controls a multiphase 180 nm CMOS power management IC.
Today's power systems become more prone to cyber-attacks due to the high integration of information technologies. In this paper, we demonstrate that the outages of some lines can be masked by injecting false data into a set of measurements. The success of the topology attack can be guaranteed by making that: 1) the injected false data obeys Kirchhoff current law and Kirchhoff voltage law to avoid being detected by the bad data detection program in the state estimation and 2) the residual in the line outage detection is increased such that the line outage cannot be detected by phasor measurement unit data. A bilevel optimization problem is set up to determine the optimal attack vector that can maximize the residual of the outaged line. The IEEE 39-bus and 118-bus systems are used to demonstrate the masking scheme.
We present a continuous variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme based on the CV quantum teleportation of coherent states that yields a raw secret key made up of discrete variables for both Alice and Bob. This protocol preserves the efficient detection schemes of current CV technology (no single-photon detection techniques) and, at the same time, has efficient error correction and privacy amplification schemes due to the binary modulation of the key. We show that for a certain type of incoherent attack, it is secure for almost any value of the transmittance of the optical line used by Alice to share entangled two-mode squeezed states with Bob (no 3 dB or 50% loss limitation characteristic of beam splitting attacks). The present CVQKD protocol works deterministically (no postselection needed) with efficient direct reconciliation techniques (no reverse reconciliation) in order to generate a secure key and beyond the 50% loss case at the incoherent attack level.
Effective thermal conductivities (ETC) under vacuum were computed numerically on 3D blocks of open cell foams either obtained by X-ray tomography or generated by Computer-Aided Design (CAD) with ideal geometries. For the first time a Monte-Carlo/Random Walk code accounting for the coupling of conduction in the solid phase and of radiation in the pore space has been used. The whole range of conduction/radiation ratio, parameterized by a Nusselt number, has been scanned; a law relating the ETC to this parameter has been obtained. In all cases the conductive and radiative contributions are additive. The slope of the radiative contribution to the ETC is found to display a distinct behavior, depending on. whether radiation or conduction dominates. The low-temperature regime has an emissivity-dependent ETC slope, while the high-temperature regime does not. The critical ratio between both regimes is related to the ratio between cell and strut diameters. In all cases, it is found that the ETC anisotropy decreases with temperature. Closing some windows enhances conduction parallel to the closing walls and reduces radiation perpendicular to them. This effect is shown to influence the ETC eigendirections in actual media. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
This study relies on double-sided chips where capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (cMUT) are manufactured on both sides of a silicon substrate in order to perform galvanic isolation between two electrical circuits. The operating principle is based on the propagation of acoustic waves from one transducer to the other, providing a high level of electrical isolation. The work presented here focuses mainly on the assessment of the power efficiency, from an experimental and from a theoretical point of view. Encouraging power efficiency values were reached, showing a significant efficiency gain when taking advantage of the coupling with the substrate.
Since its introduction, colonoscopy has played an important role as a diagnostic, therapeutic, and screening tool. In general, colonoscopy is regarded as a safe procedure, but complications may occur. The most dreaded of these complications is colonic perforation. Bacteremia postprocedure may occur, and although it is not uncommon, it rarely results in clinically significant complications. Patients with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) are a high-risk population for bacteremia, which may leads to bowel wall overstepping by the bacteria. With regard to that, we report a fatal case of gas gangrene complicating colonoscopy polypectomy without bowel perforation in a healthy adult. To the best of our knowledge, only two other cases of retroperitoneal gas gangrene associated with colonoscopy polypectomy without bowel perforation have been described in international literature, but none of which was completed by a molecular biology analysis.
Platinum drugs remain the backbone of many antineoplastic regimens. Among the numerous chemical or pharmacological effects of platinum drugs, some aspects tend to be under-reported. Thus, this perspective paper intends to stress some neglected properties of platinum drugs: first, the physico-chemical characteristics (aquation reaction kinetics) that determine site-specific toxicity; second, the impact on RNA molecules. Knowledge of the RNA world' has dramatically changed our understanding of cellular and molecular biology. The inherent RNA-crosslinking properties should make platinum-based drugs interact with coding and non-coding RNAs. Third, we will discuss the impact on the immune system, which is now recognized to substantially contribute to chemotherapy efficacy. Together, platinum drugs are in fact old drugs, but are worth re-focusing on. Many aspects are still mysterious but can pave the way to new drugs or an improved application of the already existing compounds.
Ethnic groups use music to promote in-group favoritism and values, but also to enhance intergroup closeness and understanding. The current study examined whether national music, often used for emphasizing intergroup separateness, can also reduce prejudice and promote theory of mind among two groups in conflict, Jews and Arabs in Israel. More specifically, the study examined whether removing a national song from its conflictual context, and introducing it in a manner which emphasizes out-group familiarity, enhances mentalization and positive attitudes between groups. Arab/Jewish women (N = 254) were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to one of two types of national Israeli songs, a Holocaust Day song (HDS), which is not associated with the IsraeliArab conflict, or a Memorial Day song (MDS), which is aired only on days of remembrance for Israel's fallen soldiers, sung by either a Jewish or an Arab singer. The results demonstrated that exposure to a HDS enhanced theory of mind when it is sung by an Arab singer. Moreover, Arabs who heard the HDS demonstrated reduced prejudice against Jews, when compared with the MDS. The results demonstrate that national songs, which may be the epitome of in-group favoritism, can be used for promoting theory of mind even among adversarial groups.
Currently, storage theory has been widely adopted but rarely used in procurement decision-making of construction, especially in green landscaping engineering. Seedlings storage is different from other general products for their survival rates will exert direct impact on the project quality and progress. Therefore, it is very important for those green landscaping manufacturing engineering companies to adopt scientific methods to store seedlings. This article establishes mathematical model of seedlings storage through in-depth analysis of practical manufacturing engineering problems and applies mathematical model to providing analysis and solutions to the problem using the storage model theory against the background of limited storage capacity. Finally, the optimal seedlings procurement strategy has been set up to save costs for enterprises to the maximum extent under the context of limited storage capacity. This conveys some application value for green landscaping engineering companies when make scientific procurement decision.
Human prosocial behavior emerges in the 2nd year of life, posing challenging questions about mechanism. An increasingly common claim is that prosocial behavior in the first 3 years of life is neither a result of nor affected by socialization. In this article, we argue that early socialization plays a critical role in the developmental origins of prosocial behavior. To support this argument, we highlight conceptual perspectives and empirical evidence for influences of socialization from parents' reports, direct observation, and experimental studies. We conclude that progress in explaining the ontogenetic origins of human prosocial behavior depends on more fully specifying mechanisms of socialization in infancy as well as what and how human infants learn from their social experiences.
The heart rate (HR) measurements based on the camera (visible light) can be used to detect HR in non-contact mode, which has great application prospects both in the clinical application and home health care. However, CMOS sensors equipped with rolling shutters, which distinguishes different lines per frame to become light sensitive at different moments in time, and stylized dithering of image acquisition (IMAQ) time caused by different computer programs running in the background will greatly influence the accuracy of the measured HR. In this paper, we analyze the phase error caused by CMOS sensor and the system error introduced by system sampling clock jitters. According to derivation, we propose two methods, amplitude-frequency superposition and a cubic spline interpolation reconstruction method based on actual schedules, that can be widely utilized in computer vision to overcome the camera phase error and sampling time fluctuation error. Amplitude of signal is analyzed and processed in amplitude-frequency domain in the method of amplitude-frequency superposition, which ignores the signal phase. Thus it can eliminate the phase error effectively. The cubic spline interpolation reconstruction method based on actual schedules can reconstructed the non-uniform sampling of images as uniform ones, so it can eliminate the system error involved by the system clock jitters. What's more, the properties of the methods are tested by applying them to both simulation experiments and real HR measurements. In the simulation, amplitude of measured signal is improved 4. 58% relative to the amplitude measured without the method of amplitude-frequency superposition; root mean square error of signal's frequency, detected by the cubic spline interpolation reconstruction method based on actual schedules, is reduced more than 30%. In the real HR measurements, the amplitude of HR is raised to 33. 5% relatively based on amplitude-frequency superposition. And the accuracy of HR is raised to approximately 40% by the method of cubic spline interpolation reconstruction method based on actual schedules. Therefore, the simulation experiments and real HR measurement proof that we can effectively eliminate the camera phase error based on the amplitude-frequency superposition extraction method, and the cubic spline interpolation based on the timetable method can effectively reduce the random error in IMAQ due to system clock jitters. These methods can both be widely used in dynamic signal detection based on machine vision.
Preschoolers have a sophisticated understanding of reward and punishment. Here we investigated whether children spontaneously correct unfair punishments. Across two experiments, 3- and 4-year-olds engaged in a block-tower building task with a puppet in order to receive a reward (four stickers to be shared between the puppet and the child). The puppet then either accidentally or intentionally knocked over the tower. In both cases, an adult, who did not observe the intentionality of the outcome, punished the puppet by giving all the stickers to the child. After hearing the puppet protest, children were more likely to correct the adult's punishment (i.e., share stickers with the puppet) when puppet's actions were accidental rather than intentional. Our results suggest that rather than passively accepting rewards and punishments imposed by authority figures, young children spontaneously correct situations they potentially believe are unfair. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Nonverbal communication using social cues, like gestures, governs a great part of our daily interactions. It has been proposed that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a deviant processing of social cues throughout their social cognitive development. However, social cues do not always convey an intention to communicate. Hence, the aim of this study was to test the sensitivity of adolescents and adults with ASD and neurotypical controls to social cues of high communicative (pointing) and low communicative values (grasping). For this purpose, we employed a spatial cueing paradigm with both Cue Types and compared saccadic reaction times (SRTs) between conditions in which the target appeared at a location which was congruent versus incongruent with the direction of the cue. Results showed that both adolescents and adults with ASD had slower SRTs for the incongruent relative to the congruent condition for both Cue Types, reflecting sensitivity to these cues. Additionally, mental effort during the processing of these social cues was assessed by means of pupil dilation. This analysis revealed that, while individuals with and without ASD required more mental effort to process incongruent compared to the congruent cues, cues with higher communicative value posed more processing load for the ASD group. These findings suggest that the perception of social gestures is intact in ASD but requires additional mental effort for gestures with higher communicative value.
Mirror neurons (MNs) are a fascinating class of cells originally discovered in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and, subsequently, in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) of the macaque, which become active during both the execution and observation of actions. In this review, I will first highlight the mounting evidence indicating that mirroring others' actions engages a broad system of reciprocally connected cortical areas, which extends well beyond the classical IPL-PMv circuit and might even include subcortical regions such as the basal ganglia. Then, I will present the most recent findings supporting the idea that the observation of one's own actions, which might play a role in the ontogenetic origin and tuning of MNs, retains a particular relevance within the adult MN system. Finally, I will propose that both cortical and subcortical mechanisms do exist to decouple MN activity from the motor output, in order to render it exploitable for high-order perceptual, cognitive, and even social functions. The findings reviewed here provide an original framework for envisaging the main challenges and experimental directions of future neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies of the monkey MN system.
The objective of this work is to assess the potential and limitations of current practice in computational fluid dynamic modeling in predicting vortical flowfields over a generic 53-degree swept diamond wing with rounded leading edges. This wing was designed under STO AVT Task Group 183 and has a constant NACA 64A-006 airfoil section with a leading edge radius of 0.264 percent chord. CFD simulations were run for different angles of attack at a Mach number of 0.15 and a Reynolds number of 2.7 x 10(6) based on the mean aerodynamic chord to match experiments. The wind tunnel experiments of the diamond wing were carried out in the Institute of Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics of the Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany and include aerodynamic lift, drag, and pitch moment measurements as well as span-wise pressure distributions at different chord-wise locations. This data set is used to validate the CFD results. The results presented demonstrate that the CFD compare well with the experiments at small angles of attack; the pitch moments predicted by the SARC turbulence model provide a better match to experimental results than the SA model at moderate angles of attack; and at high angles of attack, CFD predictions are not as good. The flow visualization results show that a leading-edge vortex is formed above the upper surface of the wing at an angle of attack of about eight degrees. This vortex becomes larger and stronger when the angle of attack is increased. With increasing angle of attack, the vortex formation point moves upstream and the vortex core moves inboard towards the wing center. Finally, the computational results show that the flow over the diamond wing is relatively steady throughout the range of angles of attack. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
Anonymous systems on the Internet aim to protect users from revealing to an external unauthorized entity their identities and their network activities. Despite using layered encryption, these systems are still vulnerable to timing analysis, wherein an eavesdropper can use traffic correlation mechanisms to identify the source of packets arriving at a destination. Mixes are intelligent routers or proxy servers that aim to provide packet source anonymity from timing analysis by delaying and shuffling the order of received packets prior to transmission. Such shuffling strategies naturally increase latency and result in a tradeoff between anonymity and latency. This paper investigates this tradeoff in a network of mixes, by deriving the optimal routing for sources which maximizes weighted sum of anonymity and delay. The achievable anonymity is characterized analytically for a general multipath model, and it is shown that under light traffic conditions, there exists a unique single route strategy, which achieves the optimal delay anonymity tradeoff. A low complexity algorithm is presented that derives the optimal routes to achieve a desired tradeoff. The light traffic results are specialized for a graphical model of existing practical anonymous systems, and optimal scaling behavior with the size of such networks is characterized. In the heavy traffic regime, it is shown that optimal anonymity is achieved for any allocation of rates across the different routes. Simulations on example networks are presented where it is shown that the optimal routes derived under light traffic performs quite well in general traffic regime.
Rationale: Little is known about residence in a rural or farming environment and allergic diseases in Latin America. Methods: Cross-sectional study of rural residence and current wheeze, current asthma and current symptoms of allergic rhino-conjunctivitis in 1,804 adolescents (ages 13-14 years) attending 31 schools in urban and rural areas of San Francisco (Cordoba, Argentina). Rural residence was classified as never, previous, and current. Duration of rural residence was categorized as 0, >0 but5 years. Current wheeze, current asthma, and current allergic rhino-conjunctivitis were defined on the basis of responses to an extensively validated questionnaire from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Logistic regression was used for the multivariable analysis of rural residence and the outcomes of interest. Results: After adjustment for current smoking and other covariates, current rural residence (odds ratio [OR] = 0.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.03-0.81) and rural residence for >5 years (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.12-0.84) were significantly associated with reduced odds of current wheeze. In a multivariable analysis, current residence in a rural area (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.32-0.86) and rural residence for >5 years (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.26-0.73) were significantly associated with reduced odds of allergic rhino-conjunctivitis. This association was no longer significant after additional adjustment for current residence in a dairy farm, which was significantly associated with reduced odds of allergic rhino-conjunctivitis. Similarly, current regular contact with farm animals was significantly associated with reduced odds of allergic rhino-conjunctivitis. Conclusions: Among Argentinean adolescents, current rural residence and rural residence for >5 years were associated with reduced odds of current wheeze and allergic rhino-conjunctivitis. These potential protective effects may be explained by a dairy farm environment, including regular contact with farm animals. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In the Central Andes of Argentina (30-37 degrees S), snowmelt is the main source of freshwater, an essential natural resource for similar to 2.2 million people in the adjacent arid lowlands. In this region, Laguna Llancanelo collects the water inputs from the Malargue endorheic basin. Previous studies concerning the annual and intra-annual variations of this lagoon and its relationship with regional climate are rare. We obtained a monthly record for the Laguna Llancanelo area (LLA, 1984-2013) using the modified normalized difference water index derived from Landsat images. Monthly LLA ranges between 35 km(2) and 411km(2) and is significantly related to variations of the Rio Malargue, the main snow-fed tributary to the lagoon. There is no long-term relationship between LLA and local rainfall, but rapid increases in LLA result from heavy rainfall around the lagoon. Conversely, rapid reductions in LLA encompass periods with both reduced discharge from the Rio Malargue and low local rainfall. The LLA integrates moisture of both Pacific (snowfall in the upper Andes) and Atlantic (lowland rainfall) origins; therefore, we propose using LLA as an indicator of regional water balance.
Product lifecycle management (PLM) systems provide a useful function with regard to creating and managing product data. But, because current PLM systems are based on individual functions and because of distributed information management, it takes a lot of time and effort to collect data as well as analyse engineering planning data. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve an integrated engineering environment and share information across departments or enterprises in the environment of current PLM systems. Moreover, current PLM systems have concentrated on design and engineering, i.e. design production and the management of design data. Manufacturing engineering, such as layout design, is not a focal point in current PLM systems. Hence, to achieve an integrated and concurrent engineering environment, the authors propose a new concept, the digital factory wizard (DFW), in a PLM environment. The DFW provides interoperability across heterogeneous systems and integrated information management as well as facilitates information utilisation based on the concept proposed in this research. The DFW is composed of four modules: integrated standard schema (ISS), PLM Integrator, layout builder (LB) and simulation builder (SB). The ISS defines a common data type and structure for supporting interoperability. For supporting automatic information exchange through the ISS, the PLM integrator has been developed. The third module is LB. It helps to generate a factory layout using managed information in PLM systems. Finally, the function of SB is the automatic generation of a simulation model. The final part of the article suggests implementations and presents a case study to show that the implementation of an effective, reliable and interoperable engineering environment is possible, and can be performed in a concurrent and integrated manner.
Object co-segmentation aims to simultaneously segment common regions of interest from multiple images. It is of great importance to image classification, object recognition and image retrieval. One way to extract similar objects shared by multiple images is to construct a correlation function between image regions. In this paper, object co-segmentation is addressed based on weakly supervised data fusion. First, we integrate the image boundary information into weakly supervised clustering by adopting an efficient image segmentation algorithm with proved convergence. Feature learning as well as clustering are also incorporated into the proposed algorithm to establish a unified framework so that an optimal feature subspace with clustering-oriented methods is provided. Second, the shared object from multiple images is regarded as the procedure to search objects from heterogeneous data sources, which is formalized as data fusion problems. Using data fusion techniques, we present a novel method to evaluate the similarity between images, which facilitates the use of similar objects from multiple images. Finally, the two proposed object segmentation and co-segmentation algorithms are verified through publicly available datasets MSRA1000 and iCoseg. Experiments demonstrate that both algorithms are capable to achieve superior or comparable performance over the compared state-of-the-art segmentation methods in all tested datasets. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
This paper proposes an optimization-based approach for designing rainwater harvesting systems for domestic use in a residential development. The optimization model accounts for the implementation of rainwater harvesting devices, pipes and reservoirs for the optimal sitting, collecting, storing and distribution of harvested rainwater. The optimization model consists in satisfying the water domestic demands and considers as objective function the minimization of the total annual cost associated to the fresh water, the capital costs for the catchment areas, storages and pumps, and the cost associated to the pumping, maintenance and treatment. A case study for a residential development in Morelia, Mexico is presented. The city of Morelia is characterized for having complications to satisfy the water demands, especially during dry seasons. The application of the proposed optimization approach shows that it is possible to satisfy a significant percentage of the domestic water demands using a harvesting rainwater system decreasing the associated cost in the time horizon. Several scenarios have been presented to show the potential solutions identified in the case study. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Research was conducted to understand and extend Rothbart and Park's (1986) innovative study of trait attribution. Participants estimated the baserate frequency of correspondent behaviors and the behavioral expectations of trait stereotypes. The frequency of correspondent behavior appears to determine the evidence needed to confirm and disconfirm traits observed by Rothbart and Park by shaping the behavior expected of persons with a trait. When the baserate of correspondent behavior is high, it is generally expected of everyone, and less likely to impact trait attributions. In contrast, when correspondent behavior is uncommon, it is expected primarily of persons with a trait, and weighted more heavily in the inference process. The findings help to explain why traits that are hard to acquire are easy to lose and why positive trait attributions are harder to acquire but easier to lose than negative trait attributions.
Object detection and classification have countless applications in human-robot interacting systems. It is a necessary skill for autonomous robots that perform tasks in household scenarios. Despite the great advances in deep learning and computer vision, social robots performing non-trivial tasks usually spend most of their time finding and modeling objects. Working in real scenarios means dealing with constant environment changes and relatively low-quality sensor data due to the distance at which objects are often found. Ambient intelligence systems equipped with different sensors can also benefit from the ability to find objects, enabling them to inform humans about their location. For these applications to succeed, systems need to detect the objects that may potentially contain other objects, working with relatively low-resolution sensor data. A passive learning architecture for sensors has been designed in order to take advantage of multimodal information, obtained using an RGB-D camera and trained semantic language models. The main contribution of the architecture lies in the improvement of the performance of the sensor under conditions of low resolution and high light variations using a combination of image labeling and word semantics. The tests performed on each of the stages of the architecture compare this solution with current research labeling techniques for the application of an autonomous social robot working in an apartment. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed sensor architecture outperforms state-of-the-art approaches.
Human brown adipose tissue has been acknowledged in newborns and children but in adults the first printed publications are from the beginning of 20th century. Further evidence of the existence of adult brown fat was published throughout the century but only very recently the functionality of active brown adipose tissue in vivo in adulthood was confirmed. This was contributed mainly by advanced imaging technology, namely hybrid positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT), being able to combine functional and anatomical imaging data. Functionality is most commonly measured with glucose analog, 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) but other tracers for other functions than glucose uptake have been introduced as well. Growing body of evidence has increased the knowledge of the role of brown adipose tissue in human metabolism and energy expenditure, providing a promising option for the management of body weight balance and disturbed glucose and lipid metabolism. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The field of treatment wetlands (TWs) is rapidly expanding and, arguably, is tasked with studying and understanding one of the most complex water treatment systems available. Microbial communities are generally considered to be responsible for the majority of wastewater constituent degradation in TWs. However, they are also known to be spatially heterogeneous, temporally dynamic, as well as structurally and functionally diverse. Presented here is a meta-analysis of all peer reviewed TW journal articles which utilized a microbial community assessment methodology over the period of 1988 to July 2016. A total of 1101 papers were reviewed, 512 from 1988 to 2012, 215 of which included a microbial community assessment aspect and were subsequently classified as representing past research, and 589 from 2013 to July 2016, 196 of which were classified as representing current TW microbial community research. In general, TW microbial community research has increased over time, with a marked surge in the past four years. Microbial community structure is currently the most commonly used methodological type followed by activity, enumeration and function, respectively. Areas of research focus included nitrogen transformations (156), organic degradation (33), and emerging contaminants (32), with general characterization studies also accounting for a significant proportion (243). Microbial communities from a range of TW systems have been investigated over the last four years with meso-scale (10-1000 L) being the most commonly studied system size followed by large-scale (>100,000 L), micro-scale (< 10 L), and pilot-scale (1000-100,000 L). Free water surface flow (SF), horizontal subsurface flow (HF), and vertical flow (VF) systems are being studied in approximately equal proportions with the majority of studies focused on gaining fixed media/biofilm samples for analysis (rather than from the rhizosphere or interstitial water). Looking at efforts from a regional perspective shows Asia to be publishing the majority of research with a main focus on VF systems and structural community assessment. European and North American studies are generally more evenly distributed among structure, function, activity, and enumeration with the majority of studies completed on HF systems. South America, Africa, and Oceania published fewer studies but focused on structural community assessment with a selection of HF, SF and VF investigations. Great strides are being made in the field of microbial community assessment in TWs with functional assessment methods being developed, better utilized, and being related directly to water treatment. The use of high-powered metagenomics sequencing such as Illumina HiSeq instrumentation is on the rise, as is the development and utilization of functional assays such as DNA microarrays and community level physiological profiling allowing for more complete community assessment. Used in concert with activity, enumeration and newly implemented stable isotope methodologies, the field of TWs is certainly moving away from the black-box understanding of the past.
Our knowledge of autumn phenology and its response to climate variability is currently limited. One way to improve our understanding of autumn phenology at the landscape scale is to investigate autumn vegetation dynamics based on multiple vegetation indices from remote sensing data. In this study, we derived two autumn phenological metrics (phenometrics), onset of drying and dormancy, for semi-arid grasslands from MODIS normalized difference water index (NDWI) time series. The onset of drying represents the start of decline in the vegetation's metabolism during autumn, and the onset of NDWI-based dormancy signifies the end of metabolic activity. These NDWI-based phenometrics were then compared with enhanced vegetation index (EVI)-based phenometrics in northeastern China from 2001 to 2013. Influences of climatic variability on autumn phenology were analyzed using partial correlation analysis. We found that, in general, the onset of drying was slightly later than the onset of EVI-based senescence. Both did not strongly correlate with precipitation and mean minimum temperature in August. The onset of NDWI-based dormancy had, on average, a time lag of seven days, relative to the onset of EVI-based dormancy during 2001-2013. Moreover, it showed a much stronger response to mean minimum temperature in September than EVI-based dormancy. A colder autumn generally advanced the onset of NDWI-based dormancy, while it had little effect on the onset of EVI-based dormancy in the study area. These results suggest that phenological studies using NDWI could expand our understanding of land surface phenology. Furthermore, considering the different responses of the onset of NDWI- and EVI-based dormancy to climate variability, a combination of these phenometrics could contribute to the study of the ecosystem processes (e.g., carbon cycle) in semi-arid grasslands. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Carob syrup is a traditional product native to the Mediterranean region, containing a high concentration of sugar, phenolic compounds and minerals. d-pinitol is a bioactive component extracted from legumes and has some beneficial effects on human metabolism. In this research, the d-pinitol content and sugar profile of 10 different carob syrup samples purchased from Turkish markets were determined. Mean d-pinitol, sucrose, glucose and fructose contents of samples were found to be 84.63 +/-+/- 10.73, 385.90 +/-+/- 45.07, 152.44 +/-+/- 21.72 and 162.03 +/-+/- 21.45 g/kg dry weight, respectively. Carob syrup has a considerable amount of d-pinitol compared with the other d-pinitol-including legumes. Consequently, this study showed that carob syrup may be a suitable source of d-pinitol for medical use and d-pinitol may be an indicator for the detection of any adulteration in carob syrup.
This paper proposes a robust adaptive observer for a class of singular nonlinear non-autonomous uncertain systems with unstructured unknown system and derivative matrices, and unknown bounded nonlinearities. Unlike many existing observers, no strong assumption such as Lipschitz condition is imposed on the recommended system. An augmented system is constructed, and the unknown bounds are calculated online using adaptive bounding technique. Considering the continuous nonlinear gain removes the chattering which may appear in practical applications such as analysis of electrical circuits and estimation of interaction force in beating heart robotic-assisted surgery. Moreover, a simple yet precise structure is attained which is easy to implement in many systems with significant uncertainties. The existence conditions of the standard form observer are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequality and the constrained generalised Sylvester's equations, and global stability is ensured. Finally, simulation results are obtained to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimator and demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed scheme.
The estimation of nutrient content of plants is considerably important in agricultural practices, especially in enabling the application of precision farming. A plethora of methods has been used to estimate nitrogen amount in plants, including the utilization of computer vision. However, most of the image-based nitrogen estimation methods are conducted in controlled environments. These methods are not so practical, time consuming, and require many equipment. Therefore, there is a crucial need to develop a method to estimate nitrogen content of plants based on leaves images captured on field. It is a very challenging task since the intensity of sunlight is always changing and this leads to an inconsistent image capturing problem. In this paper, we develop a low-cost, simple, and accurate approach image-based nitrogen amount estimation. Plant images are captured directly under sunlight by using a conventional digital camera and are subject to a variation in lighting conditions. We propose a color constancy method using neural networks fusion and a genetic algorithm to normalize various plant images due to different sunlight intensities. A Macbeth color checker is utilized as the reference to normalize the color of the images. We also develop a combination of neural networks using a committee machine to estimate the nitrogen content in wheat leaves. Twelve statistical RGB color features are used as the input parameters for the nutrient estimation. The obtained result shows considerable better performance than the conventional gray-world and scale-by-max approaches, as well as linear model and single neural network methods. Finally, we show that our nutrient estimation approach is superior to the commonly used soil-plant analysis development meter based prediction.
Transmission towers play an important role in transmitting electricity in a power grid safely and reliably. In traditional design practice, the second-order P-Delta (frame side sway) and P-delta (member curvature) effects and joint effects such as load eccentricities, slippage effects, and semirigid connection are commonly ignored in analysis. Great discrepancy is frequently noted between full-scale tower tests and numerical simulations using first-order linear analysis. In this paper, second-order direct analysis is used and slippage of bolted joints as well as semirigid connection behavior are taken into account. Member initial bowing and frame out-of-plumbness imperfections are considered in the present study, which is verified by full-scale test on an ultrahigh-voltage (UHV) lattice transmission tower. The technique of semirigid design and simulation of joint stiffness for load eccentricity by simple modeling for transmission towers meeting the requirements for direct analysis with verification by a full-scale test is unavailable in literature and proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the influences of joint slippage on the deflection and load behavior of the studied towers are quantified and reported. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Researchers have extensively documented sociodemographic predictors of race and gender attitudes, and the mechanisms through which such attitudes are formed and change. Despite its growing recognition as an important status characteristic, sexual orientation has received little attention as a predictor of Americans' race and gender attitudes. Using nationally representative data from the American National Election Survey 2012 Time Series Study, I compare heterosexuals' and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people's attitudes about sexuality, race, and gender. For most attitudes, LGB people hold significantly more liberal attitudes about sexuality, race, and gender than do heterosexuals, even upon controlling for other powerful sociodemographic determinants of social attitudes. However, a substantial proportion of these sexual orientation gaps in attitudes especially about race and gender - are explained by LGB people's relatively liberal political ideology. The findings provide evidence for the necessity of incorporating sexual orientation in future assessments of Americans' social and political attitudes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Whether theory of mind (ToM) is preserved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a controversial subject. Recent studies have showed that performance on some ToM tests might be altered in AD, though to a lesser extent than in behavioural-variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD). It is however, unclear if this reflects a genuine impairment of ToM or a deficit secondary to the general cognitive decline observed in AD. Aiming to investigate the cognitive determinants of ToM performance in AD, a data-mining study was conducted in 29 AD patients then replicated in an independent age-matched group of 19 AD patients to perform an independent replication of the results. 44 bvFTD patients were included as a comparison group. All patients had an extensive neuropsychological examination. Hierarchical clustering analyses showed that ToM performance clustered with measures of executive functioning (EF) in AD. ToM performance was also specifically correlated with the executive component extracted from a principal component analysis. In a final step, automated linear modelling conducted to determine the predictors of ToM performance showed that 48.8% of ToM performance was significantly predicted by executive measures. Similar findings across analyses were observed in the independent group of AD patients, thereby replicating our results. Conversely, ToM impairments in bvFTD appeared independent of other cognitive impairments. These results suggest that difficulties of AD patients on ToM tests do not reflect a genuine ToM deficit, rather mediated by general (and particularly executive) cognitive decline. They also suggest that EF has a key role in mental state attribution, which support interacting models of ToM functioning. Finally, our study highlights the relevancy of data-mining statistical approaches in clinical and cognitive neurosciences. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PathWhiz is a web server built to facilitate the creation of colorful, interactive, visually pleasing pathway diagrams that are rich in biological information. The pathways generated by this online application are machine-readable and fully compatible with essentially all web-browsers and computer operating systems. It uses a specially developed, web-enabled pathway drawing interface that permits the selection and placement of different combinations of pre-drawn biological or biochemical entities to depict reactions, interactions, transport processes and binding events. This palette of entities consists of chemical compounds, proteins, nucleic acids, cellular membranes, subcellular structures, tissues, and organs. All of the visual elements in it can be interactively adjusted and customized. Furthermore, because this tool is a web server, all pathways and pathway elements are publicly accessible. This kind of pathway crowd sourcing means that PathWhiz already contains a large and rapidly growing collection of previously drawn pathways and pathway elements. Here we describe a protocol for the quick and easy creation of new pathways and the alteration of existing pathways. To further facilitate pathway editing and creation, the tool contains replication and propagation functions. The replication function allows existing pathways to be used as templates to create or edit new pathways. The propagation function allows one to take an existing pathway and automatically propagate it across different species. Pathways created with this tool can be re-styled into different formats (KEGG-like or text-book like), colored with different backgrounds, exported to BioPAX, SBGN-ML, SBML, or PWML data exchange formats, and downloaded as PNG or SVG images. The pathways can easily be incorporated into online databases, integrated into presentations, posters or publications, or used exclusively for online visualization and exploration. This protocol has been successfully applied to generate over 2,000 pathway diagrams, which are now found in many online databases including HMDB, DrugBank, SMPDB, and ECMDB.
The amygdala is known as a key brain region involved in the explicit and implicit processing of emotional faces, and plays a crucial role in salience detection. Not until recently was the mismatch negativity (MMN), a component of the event-related potentials to an odd stimulus in a sequence of stimuli, utilized as an index of preattentive salience detection of emotional voice processing. However, their relationship remains to be delineated. This study combined the fMRI scanning and event-related potential recording by examining amygdala reactivity in response to explicit and implicit (backward masked) perception of fearful and angry faces, along with recording MMN in response to the fearfully and angrily spoken syllables dada in healthy subjects who varied in trait anxiety (STAI-T). Results indicated that the amplitudes of fearful MMN were positively correlated with left amygdala reactivity to explicit perception of fear, but negatively correlated with right amygdala reactivity to implicit perception of fear. The fearful MMN predicted STAI-T along with left amygdala reactivity to explicit fear, whereas the association between fearful MMN and STAI-T was mediated by right amygdala reactivity to implicit fear. These findings suggest that amygdala reactivity in response to explicit and implicit threatening faces exhibits opposite associations with emotional MMN. In terms of emotional processing, MMN not only reflects preattentive saliency detection but also stands at the crossroads of explicit and implicit perception. Hum Brain Mapp 38:140-150, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spatial organization is an extensively studied field, in which most of the research has been on how the physical environment is perceived and conceived. There is a consensus that physical attributes such as environment geometry and landmarks are key factors in shaping spatial cognition. Nevertheless, the numerous studies of spatial behavior have usually been carried out on individuals, thereby overlooking the possible impact of the social environment. In the present study, rats were exposed to an unfamiliar open-field, first alone and then in tetrads of unfamiliar individuals, in order to monitor and analyze when and how their individual spatial behavior converged to a group spatial behavior. We found that the unfamiliar rats spent most of their time in companionship, first with preferred partners and ultimately as a quartet. Specifically, group formation was dynamic and gradual, with the rats first forming duos, then trios, and ultimately a quartet. Trios and quartets mostly huddled in the same specific corner that became a shared home base, from which they took solo or duo roundtrips to the arena. The present study unveils how, by means of gradual interactions among self, place, and conspecifics, four unfamiliar rats organized together their social spatial behavior.
This study investigates the change in multiple glacier parameters of three valley-type glaciers (Sakchum (SC), Chhota Shigri (CS), and Bara Shigri (BS)) located in Chandra basin, Himachal Himalaya, sharing the same climatic regime, and assesses the control of nonclimatic factors on wholesome glacier response. Multitemporal satellite remote sensing data from Landsat-TM/ETM/OLI (1993-2014), and Terra-ASTER (2002-2014) along with an SRTM digital elevation model were used for extraction of the glacier parameters. Results show that while SC and BS retreated (SC: 10.65 +/- 2.52 m/y; BS: 15.51 +/- 2.52 m/y) and lost area (SC: 0.49 +/- 0.0032 km(2), BS: 1.18 +/- 0.0032 km(2)), the CS remained relatively stable (retreat rate: 4.06 +/- 2.52 m/y, area loss: 0.19 +/- 0.0032 km(2)) during 1993-2014. However, results of surface ice velocities (SIV) change (SC: 24.41%, CS: 21.60%, and BS: 28.49%) and surface elevation change (SC: - 1.22 m/y, CS: - 0.91 m/y and BS: - 1.21 m/y) suggest a comparable slowing down and surface lowering from 2002 to 2014. Debris cover also varied substantially (SC: 30.25%, CS: 11.96%, BS: 19.61%) on these glaciers. Results reveal that higher retreat/deglaciation of glaciers was associated with higher altitudinal range, slow SIV in lower ablation zones (LAZ), and glacier hypsometry. Debris cover on glaciers was found to be controlled by slope, higher deglaciation rates, higher SN in the upper ablation zone (UAZ) coupled with lower SIV in LAZ and surface lowering. Glacier SN was primarily governed by slope gradient, differential surface lowering, and size of accumulation zone (ACZ). The SN results confirm the presence of stagnant zones in the lower ablations of SC (<1 km upstream) and BS (<6 km upstream) and a major SIV dropdown in the UAZ (SC: 34.48%, BS: 3735%), indicating the expansion of stagnant zones farther up. Glacier surface lowering seemed to be influenced by ice-flux, changing spatial distribution of debris cover, presence of supraglacial lakes, and ice cliffs bordering them. Melting around supraglacial lakes and backwasting of ice cliffs may be the prime reasons behind intense mass loss observed in the stagnant zone of the Bara Shigri glacier, where surface lowering was similar to 32% higher than glacier-wide thinning. Differential surface lowering in glaciers reduced the surface gradient and hence the SN. Also, rapid surface gradient changes and SN dropdown in the Sakchum glacier indicate possible development of supraglacial lakes on it in the future. Interestingly, despite close proximity, SC, CS, and BS demonstrate three distinct ablation patterns, reemphasizing the role of nonclimatic factors. Overall, the study states that mutual variation of glacier parameters together with.nonclimatic factors exercise a great control on glacier response. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A system is presented for emulate a mouse from the movement of the head and eyelids. The position of the head is used for controlling the horizontal and vertical displacement of the cursor, and the closing of the eyelids to activate the click of the right and left buttons. The system includes zoom, navigation shortcuts, vertical scrollbars and menus activation according to the cursor position; that enhance the functionality and facilitate handling applications. The proposed solution eliminates the restriction of direct contact with the mouse, and empowers people with motor disabilities in the upper extremities to interact with the computer. The mouse emulator can also be used by people without limitations to expand command instructions. The system was tested in navigation on social network Facebook, where an average speed of 382 pixels / s was obtained, with an average accuracy of 22 pixels for the X axis and 17 pixels for the Y axis. However, after user interaction with the interface, improvements of 23% and 37% were observed, in execution time and location accuracy, respectively. Click activation by temporary location over a menu option had a performance of 100%; while the right and left clicks by eyelid closing had a performance of 93% and 92%, respectively. Finally, the surveys showed high satisfaction about the proposed interface during user interaction with Facebook.
Mimicry involves unconsciously imitating the actions of others and is a powerful and ubiquitous behavior in social interactions. There has been a long debate over whether mimicry is abnormal in people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and what the causes of any differences might be. Wang and Hamilton's (2012) social top-down response modulation (STORM) model proposed that people with ASC can and do mimic but, unlike neurotypical participants, fail to modulate their mimicry according to the social context. This study used an established mimicry paradigm to test this hypothesis. In neurotypical participants, direct gaze specifically enhanced congruent hand actions as previously found; in the ASC sample, direct gaze led to faster reaction times in both congruent and incongruent movements. This result shows that mimicry is intact in ASC, but is not socially modulated by gaze, as predicted by STORM.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the pathological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid beta-protein (A beta), which plays a central role in AD pathogenesis, is reported to accumulate within mitochondria. However, a question remains as to whether A beta is generated locally from amyloid precursor protein (APP) within mitochondria. We investigated this issue by analyzing the expression patterns of APP, APP-processing secretases, and APP metabolites in mitochondria separated from human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and those expressing Swedish mutant APR APP, BACE1, and PEN-2 protein levels were significantly lower in crude mitochondria than microsome fractions while those of ADAM10 and the other gamma-secretase complex components (presenilin 1, nicastrin, and APH-1) were comparable between fractions. The crude mitochondrial fraction containing substantial levels of cathepsin D, a lysosomal marker, was further separated via iodixanol gradient centrifugation to obtain mitochondria- and lysosome-enriched fractions. Mature APP, BACE1, and all gamma-secretase complex components (in particular, presenilin 1 and PEN -2) were scarcely present in the mitochondria-enriched fraction, compared to the lysosome-enriched fraction. Moreover, expression of the beta-C-terminal fragment (beta-CTF) of APP was markedly low in the mitochondria-enriched fraction. Additionally, immunocytochemical analysis showed very little co-localization between presenilin 1 and Tom20, a marker protein of mitochondria. In view of the particularly low expression levels of BACE1, gamma-secretase complex proteins, and beta-CTF in mitochondria, we propose that it is unlikely that A beta generation from APP occurs locally within this organelle. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Tight gas reservoirs are of prominent importance among unconventional petroleum reservoirs. Due to the complicated flow dynamics of gas in tight porous media and compressibility effects, corrections have to be applied to the Darcy equation so that it can properly predict gas flow dynamics. As the mean pore diameter of tight rocks (e.g. shales) decreases, the ratio of the mean free path to the pore diameter, known as the non-dimensional Knudsen number, rises, the gas rarefaction effects becomes important, and the condition of no-slip on the pore surface is violated. Proper treatments of these complexities have been attempted by using classical continuum fluid mechanics and kinetic theory of gases approaches. The most well-known slip condition correction was presented by Klinkenberg in 1941. Many researchers have tried to correct and extend Klinkenberg's model beyond the slip flow regime. In this research the slip condition of the rarefied gas in low permeability simple porous media is studied by the lattice Boltzmann method and new corrections to Klinkenberg's coefficients are investigated. These corrections allow the extension of Klinkenberg model to higher ranges of Knudsen numbers. All the simulations in this work were performed by codes developed by the authors. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Peanuts are the most common food to provoke fatal or near-fatal anaphylactic reactions. Treatment with an anti-hIgE mAb is efficacious but requires frequent parenteral administration. Objective: Based on the knowledge that peanut allergy is mediated by peanut-specific IgE, we hypothesized that a single administration of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer vector encoding for anti-hIgE would protect against repeated peanut exposure in the host with peanut allergy. Methods: We developed a novel humanized murine model of peanut allergy that recapitulates the human anaphylactic response to peanuts in NOD-scid IL2Rgamma null mice transferred with blood mononuclear cells from donors with peanut allergy and then sensitized with peanut extract. As therapy, we constructed an adeno-associated rh. 10 serotype vector coding for a full-length, high-affinity, anti-hIgE antibody derived from the Fab fragment of the anti-hIgE mAb omalizumab (AAVrh.10anti-hIgE). In the reconstituted mice peanut-specific IgE was induced by peanut sensitization and hypersensitivity, and reactions were provoked by feeding peanuts to mice with symptoms similar to those of human subjects with peanut allergy. Results: A single administration of AAVrh.10anti-hIgE vector expressed persistent levels of anti-hIgE. The anti-hIgE vector, administered either before sensitization or after peanut sensitization and manifestation of the peanut-induced phenotype, blocked IgE-mediated alterations in peanut-induced histamine release, anaphylaxis scores, locomotor activity, and free IgE levels and protected animals from death caused by anaphylaxis. Conclusion: If this degree of persistent efficacy translates to human subjects, AAVrh. 10anti-hIgE could be an effective 1-time preventative therapy for peanut allergy and possibly other severe, IgE-mediated allergies.
Sexual addiction is prevalent among college students and warrants continued examination. Using a descriptive discriminant analysis, the authors assessed differences in attachment style and religious coping between students in the clinical range of sexual addiction (n = 56) and those in the nonclinical range (n = 270). Results indicated significant differences between the 2 groups, with a large effect size. Specifically, attachment anxiety and negative religious coping were most responsible for the explained variance.
The gene encoding a cellobiohydrolase 7B (CBH7B) of the thermophilic fungus Thielavia terrestris was identified, subcloned, and expressed in Pichia pastoris. CBH7B encoded 455 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 51.8 kDa. Domain analysis indicated that CBH7B contains a family 7 glycosyl hydrolase catalytic core but lacks a carbohydrate-binding module. Purified CBH7B exhibited optimum catalytic activity at pH 5.0 and 55 degrees C with 4-methylumbelliferryl-cellobioside as the substrate and retained 85% of its activity following 24 H incubation at 50 degrees C. Despite the lack of activity toward microcrystalline substrates, this enzyme worked synergistically with the commercial enzyme cocktail Cellic((R)) CTec2 to enhance saccharification by 39% when added to a reaction mixture containing 0.25% alkaline pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested a reduction of lignin and crystalline cellulose in OPEFB samples supplemented with CBH7B. Scanning electron microscopy revealed greater destruction extent of OPEFB strands in samples supplemented with CBH7B as compared with the nonsupplemented control. Therefore, CBH7B has the potential to complement commercial enzymes in hydrolyzing lignocellulosic biomass. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Full packet analysis on firewalls and intrusion detection, although effective, has been found in recent times to be detrimental to the overall performance of networks that receive large volumes of throughput. For this reason partial packet analysis technologies such as the NetFlow protocol have emerged to better mitigate these bottlenecks through log generation. This paper researches the use of log files generated by NetFlow version 9 and IPFIX to identify successful and unsuccessful exploit attacks commonly used by automated systems. These malicious communications include but are not limited to exploits that attack Microsoft RPC, Samba, NTP (Network Time Protocol) and IRC (Internet Relay Chat). These attacks are recreated through existing exploit implementations on Metas-ploit and through hand-crafted reconstructions of exploits via known documentation of vulnerabilities. These attacks are then monitored through a preconfigured virtual testbed containing gateways and network connections commonly found on the Internet. This common attack identification system is intended for insertion as a parallel module for Bolvedere in order to further the increase the Bolvedere system's attack detection capability.
Permeable pavement systems are important part of the sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS). Over a decade ago, it was proposed that the pervious pavement system (PPS) has the capability to store water for reuse, the possibility of using the SUDS device simultaneously in source control and water recycling applications have not been holistically investigated by previous studies. This paper reports experiments where water from geotextile incorporated permeable pavement system models on which 24mL/m(2) of hydrocarbon was applied as a pollutant. A single dose of 17g of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium slow release nutrients (applied to encourage biodegradation) was administered to the surface. The PPS recycled water was used to irrigate tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum (Fantasio hybrid)) and rye grass (Lolium perenne) for ten weeks. The growth, development, and heavy metal content of the organs of these plants were compared to that of plants from untreated rigs and with plants treated with de-ionized water (DI) as well as the pH, sodium adsorption ratio, and electrical conductivity. The comparative performance of the plants indicated that the water from the treated rigs supported plant growth more than the water from the untreated test rigs and DI. Heavy metal analysis of the plants organs indicated that the metals were at normal levels and below toxicity levels for plants and livestock. Soil structure tests showed that there were no salinity or soil structure issues. Heavy metal analysis of soil also indicated that the metals were within normal range and below toxicity levels. These results further demonstrate the water recycling capability of the PPS and its potential use for irrigation purposes.
Excessive ethanol consumption alters the neuroimmune system and particularly impacts the cytokine milieu of the CNS. Cytokine dysregulation has been shown to underlie addictive-like behaviors including alcohol abuse; however, many studies focus primarily on the proinflammatory cytokine profile during alcohol dependence. The current study furthers this research by determining the impact of excessive ethanol consumption on interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) activity in a model of non-dependent binge consumption called the drinking in the dark (DID) paradigm. Furthermore, the ability of IL-10 to modulate ethanol consumption was tested using site-directed pharmacology. Immunohistochemistry analyses determined that ethanol decreased IL-10 by 50 % in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) but had no effect on IL-4. Neither IL-10 nor IL-4, however, were altered in the central amygdala (CEA). Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays confirmed that IL-10 was decreased in the amygdala but not in the serum, suggesting changes of this cytokine with the DID paradigm are restricted to the central nervous system. Finally, bilateral infusions of IL-10 into the BLA, but not CeA, reduced binge-like drinking and corresponding blood ethanol concentrations without impacting either locomotor activity or anxiety-like behavioral correlates. Together, these data support the idea that alcohol abuse dysregulates specific anti-inflammatory cytokines; however, ameliorating alcohol-induced effects on cytokines, like IL-10, may prove to be an effective therapy in curbing excessive consumption.
In this paper, we discuss the sectionalization in linear tail-biting trellis. In [3], Lafourcade and Vardy investigated the basic property of sectionalization in conventional trellis. Their proofs of basic properties are based on conventional trellis structure which fails to be generalized to linear tail-biting trellis. We derive our proofs from the construction of Koetter-Vardy (KV) trellis in [1]. All properties of sectionalization in conventional trellis are preserved in linear tail-biting trellis. Especially, we prove the necessary condition of an optimal sectionalization in linear tail-biting trellis.
The recent advent of ambient intelligence is enabled by parallel technological advancements in sensing, context recognition, embedded systems and communications. This paper focuses on the communication issues of embedded systems, particularly the latency Quality of Service (QoS) metric and the multi-hop communications with Bluetooth standard, to examine the viability of communications of embedded systems in AmI environments and applications. Bluetooth is a worldwide radio license-free technology that enables the creation of low-power multi-hop networks interconnecting multiple devices. Bluetooth sets the procedure to establish piconets (point-to-point and point-to-multipoint links) and scatternets (multi-hop communications), and hence, Bluetooth nodes can be interconnected to form wireless networks. This paper presents research on multi-hop latency that was conducted using a custom-built test platform. Moreover, an empirical model is derived to calculate the latency over asynchronous links when links in scatternets are always active or in sniff mode. The designers of ambient intelligent devices and networks can take advantage of the model and the estimation of the delay in Bluetooth multi-hop networks presented in this paper.
Kidd and Castano (in press) critique our failure to replicate Kidd and Castano (2013) on 3 grounds: failure to exclude people who did not read the texts, failure of random assignment, and failure to exclude people who did not take the Author Recognition Test (ART). This response addresses each of these critiques. Most importantly, we note that even when Kidd and Castano reanalyzed our data in the way that they argue is most appropriate, they still failed to replicate the pattern of results reported in their original study. We thus reaffirm that our replication of Kidd and Castano (2013) found no evidence that literary fiction uniquely and immediately improves theory of mind. Our objective remains not to prove that reading literary fiction does not benefit social cognition, but to call for in- depth research addressing the difficulties in measuring any potential effect and to note the need to temper claims accordingly. This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) inhibitors are increasingly being used in inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD). The risk of cardiovascular disease is elevated in patients with IRD and TNF- inhibitors reduce this risk. We assessed whether the beneficial effect of TNF- inhibitors on cardiovascular risk is mediated by blood pressure reduction. We measured blood pressure levels with 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements device in patients with IRD before and 3 months after treatment with TNF- inhibitors. The study population consisted of 15 subjects (6 men; mean age 45.9 +/- 14.1 years). Most patients had either rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis and adalimumab was the most common TNF- inhibitor used. Mean 24-h systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels remained the same after treatment (121 +/- 12/66 +/- 7 before and 123 +/- 11/67 +/- 10mm Hg after; p=0.88 and 0.66, respectively). The study demonstrates that TNF- inhibitors have no effect on blood pressure levels.
Background and aims It has been proposed that modification of leaf size, driven by epidermal cell size, balances leaf water supply (determined by veins) with transpirational demand (generated by stomata) during acclimation to local irradiance. We aimed to determine whether this is a general pattern among plant species with contrasting growth habits. Methods We compared observed relationships between leaf minor vein density, stomatal density, epidermal cell size and leaf size in four pairs of herbs and woody species from the same families grown under sun and shade conditions with modelled relationships assuming vein and stomatal densities respond passively to epidermal cell expansion. Leaf lignin content was also quantified to assess whether construction costs of herbaceous leaf veins differ from those of woody plants and the leaf mass fraction invested in veins. Key Results Modelled relationships accurately described observed relationships, indicating that in all species, co-ordinated changes to the density of minor veins and stomata were mediated by a common relationship between epidermal cell size, vein density and stomatal density, with little or no impact from stomatal index. This co-ordination was independent of changes in leaf size and is likely to be an adaptive process driven by the significant proportion of biomass invested in veins (13 center dot 1 % of sun leaf dry weight and 21 center dot 7 % of shade leaf dry weight). Relative costs of venation increased in the shade, intensifying selective pressure towards economizing investment in vein density. Conclusions Modulation of epidermal cell size appears to be a general mechanism among our experimental species to maintain a constant ratio between leaf anatomical traits that control leaf water fluxes independently of habit. We propose that this process may co-ordinate plasticity in hydraulic supply and demand in the majority of eudicot angiosperms.
The heat transfer characteristics between liquid lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) and helium are of great significance for the two-loop cooling system based on an accelerator-driven system (ADS). This paper presents an experimental study on the resistance characteristics and heat transfer performance in a LBE-helium experimental loop of ADS. Pressure drops in the LBE loop, the main heat transfer, and the coupled heat transfer characteristics between LBE and helium are investigated experimentally. The temperature of LBE has a significant effect on the LBE thermo-physical properties, and is therefore considered in the prediction of pressure drops. The results show that the overall heat transfer coefficient increases with the increasing helium flow rate and the decreasing inlet temperature of helium. Increasing the LBE Reynolds number and LBE inlet temperature promotes the heat transfer performance of main heat transfer and thus the overall heat transfer coefficient. The experimental results give an insight into the flow and heat transfer properties in a LBE-helium heat exchanger and are helpful for the optimization of an ADS system design. Copyright (C) 2016, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC on behalf of Korean Nuclear Society.
Elevated forest mortality has been attributed to climate change-induced droughts, but prediction of spatial mortality patterns remains challenging. We evaluated whether introducing plant hydraulics and topographic convergence-induced soil moisture variation to land surface models (LSM) can help explain spatial patterns of mortality. A scheme predicting plant hydraulic safety loss from soil moisture was developed using field measurements and a plant physiology-hydraulics model, TREES. The scheme was upscaled to Populus tremuloides forests across Colorado, USA, using LSM-modeled and topographymediated soil moisture, respectively. The spatial patterns of hydraulic safety loss were compared against aerial surveyed mortality. Incorporating hydraulic safety loss raised the explanatory power of mortality by 40% compared to LSM-modeled soil moisture. Topographic convergence was mostly influential in suppressing mortality in low and concave areas, explaining an additional 10% of the variations in mortality for those regions. Plant hydraulics integrated water stress along the soil-plant continuum and was more closely tied to plant physiological response to drought. In addition to the well-recognized topo-climate influence due to elevation and aspect, we found evidence that topographic convergence mediates tree mortality in certain parts of the landscape that are low and convergent, likely through influences on plant-available water.
Background: Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 and 2 (CysLTR1 and CysLTR2) are involved in allergic processes and play a role in adenotonsillar hyperplasia (AH). Clinically, only CysLTR1 may be blocked by montelukast. Our objective was to compare the expression of CysLTR1 and CysLTR2 in the B and T cells of hyperplasic tonsils of sensitized (SE) and control (NS) snoring children. Methods: Sixty children, 5 to 10 years of age, referred for adenotonsillectomy, were divided into SE and NS groups, according to their responses to the skin-prick test. Cells from the removed tissues were stained for CysLTR1, CysLTR2, CD19, and CD3 and counted via flow cytometry. messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of the CysLTRs genes was measured real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: The SE group showed reduced expression of the small CD3+/CysLTR1+ lymphocytes (4.6 +/- 2.2 vs 6.5 +/- 5.0; p = 0.04). Regarding the large lymphocytes, the SE group showed lower expression of CD3+/CysLTR1+ (40.9 +/- 14.5 vs 47.6 +/- 11.7; p = 0.05), CD19+/CysLTR1+ (44.6 +/- 16.9 vs 54.1 +/- 12.4; p= 0.01), and CD19+/CysLTR2+ (55.3 +/- 11.3 vs 61.5 +/- 12.6; p = 0.05) lymphocytes. Considering the total number of lymphocytes, the SE group had fewer CD3+/CysLTR1+ lymphocytes (11.1 +/- 5.5 vs 13.7 +/- 6.2; p = 0.04). All other cell populations exhibited reduced expression in the SE group without statistical significance. The expression of CysLTR2 was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than CysLTR1 in most studied cell populations. The mRNA expression did not show significant differences between the groups. Conclusion: The expression of CysLTR is higher in the lymphocytes of the NS children, and CysLTR2 shows greater expression than CysLTR1 Respiratory allergies do not appear to be a stimulus for AH occurrence. Newer drugs capable of blocking both CysLTRs warrant further study. (C) 2016 ARS-AAOA, LLC.
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with metastasis formation as well as with generation and maintenance of cancer stem cells. In this way, EMT contributes to tumor invasion, heterogeneity and chemoresistance. Morphological and functional changes involved in these processes require robust reprogramming of gene expression, which is only partially accomplished at the transcriptional level. Alternative splicing is another essential layer of gene expression regulation that expands the cell proteome. This step in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression tightly controls cell identity between epithelial and mesenchymal states and during stem cell differentiation. Importantly, dysregulation of splicing factor function and cancer-specific splicing isoform expression frequently occurs in human tumors, suggesting the importance of alternative splicing regulation for cancer biology. In this review, we briefly discuss the role of EMT programs in development, stem cell differentiation and cancer progression. Next, we focus on selected examples of key factors involved in EMT and stem cell differentiation that are regulated post-transcriptionally through alternative splicing mechanisms. Lastly, we describe relevant oncogenic splice-variants that directly orchestrate cancer stem cell biology and tumor EMT, which may be envisioned as novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
Connection of wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) to the Internet will enable information flow to these once isolated networks. Distributed Ambient Intelligence (AmI) applications, such as remote monitoring and control services, would become possible if Internet connectivity of WSANs is achieved. However, realization of such applications remains challenging with three major obstacles. First, the homogeneity of embedded sensor and actuator nodes and hence homogeneous networks prevents seamless information flow and service provision. Second, current WSAN technology has limited support for Internet connectivity. Protocol conversion with heavy overhead is required on a more powerful gateway device. Third, there are no common interoperable interfaces between different WSAN standards which has become a barrier to heterogeneous WSAN applications. This paper introduces a design for an integrated IP compatible, heterogeneous WSAN composed of the University of Auckland's AWSAM and Oracle's SunSPOT nodes. This was achieved through the creation of a Hybrid Router, which physically bridges AWSAM and SunSPOT communication with customized network abstraction, and an Edge Router, which provides Internet connectivity.
For more than 15 years, motor interference paradigms have been used to investigate the influence of action observation on action execution. Most research on so-called automatic imitation has focused on variables that play a modulating role or investigated potential confounding factors. Interestingly, furthermore, a number of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have tried to shed light on the functional mechanisms and neural correlates involved in imitation inhibition. However, these fMRI studies, presumably due to poor temporal resolution, have primarily focused on high-level processes and have neglected the potential role of low-level motor and perceptual processes. In the current EEG study, we therefore aimed to disentangle the influence of low-level perceptual and motoric mechanisms from high-level cognitive mechanisms. We focused on potential congruency differences in the visual N190 - a component related to the processing of biological motion, the Readiness Potential - a component related to motor preparation, and the high-level P3 component. Interestingly, we detected congruency effects in each of these components, suggesting that the interference effect in an automatic imitation paradigm is not only related to high-level processes such as self-other distinction but also to more low-level influences of perception on action and action on perception. Moreover, we documented relationships of the neural effects with (autistic) behavior.
A stereovision based methodology to estimate the position, speed and heading of a moving marine vehicle from a pursuing unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is considered, in support of enabling a USV to follow a target vehicle in motion. The methodology involves stereovision ranging, object detection and tracking, and minimization of tracking error due to image quantization limitations and pixel miscorrespondences in the stereo pixel-matching process. The method consists of combining a simple stereovision-matching algorithm, together with a predictive-corrective approach based on an extended Kalman filter (EKF), and use of suitable choices of probabilistic models representing the motion of the target vehicle and the stereovision measurements. Simple matching algorithms perform faster at the expense of potential errors in depth measurement. The approach considered aims to minimize the tracking errors related to such errors in stereovision measurements, thereby improving the accuracy of the state estimation of the vehicle. Results from simulations and a real-time implementation reveal the effectiveness of the system to compute accurate estimates of the state of the target vehicle over non-compliant trajectories subjected to a variety of motion conditions.
Background: Campylobacter species are widespread zoonotic pathogens. Campylobacter jejuni causes a form of gastroenteritis called campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter drug resistance is considered a serious threat. In order to better understand national and international research output on Campylobacter, we conducted this bibliometric overview of publications on Campylobacter. This study can be used to assess extent of interaction and response of researchers, food regulators, and health policy makers to global burden of campylobacateriosis. Methods: Scopus database was used to retrieve publications with the following keywords (Campylobacter/campylobacteriosis, C. jejuni, C. coli). The study period was set from 2000 to 2015. All types of journal documents, excluding errata, were considered. Bibliometric indicators such as annual growth of publications, country contribution, international collaboration, and citation analysis were presented. The quality of retrieved data was indirectly assessed by Hirsch index and impact factor of journals. Results: A total of 5522 documents were retrieved with median (Q1-Q3) citations of 9 (2-23) and h-index of 113. Annual number of publications showed a fluctuating increase. The core leading journals were Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal and Journal of Food Protection with 246 (4.46%) publications for each. The USA (1309; 23.6%) was the most productive country while Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (150; 2.7%) was the most productive institution. Half of the top ten productive countries were European. France had the lowest percentage (33.5%) of articles with international collaboration while Netherlands (57.7%) had the highest percentage of articles with international collaboration. Approximately half (50.1%) of retrieved articles were published in journals under the subject area of immunology/microbiology. Main themes in highly cited articles were molecular biology/genetics and public health burden of campylobacteriosis. There were 728 (13.1%) articles on campylobacter-related drug resistance, and the top cited articles focused mainly on increasing resistance to quinolones and fluoroquinolones. Conclusions: There was a clear increase in number of publications on Campylobacter. Rational use of antimicrobials in humans, poultry, and animals is highly recommended. International collaboration is highly required particularly in implementing new diagnostic screening technologies to minimize global health burden of Campylobacter and ensure food safety.
Although the effects of habitat size and shape on ecological processes have been well studied, the importance of habitat orientation (i.e., the geometrical feature of habitat placement that describes how a habitat is placed in space) has been largely overlooked for decades. Here, we varied the orientation of cuboid chambers (with correspondingly small, medium and large sides as the chamber base) in a microcosm experiment involving a phytoplankton-zooplankton (Chlorella pyrenoidosa-Ceriodaphnia quadrangula) system at two volume scales (64 mL and 512 mL) to determine the effect of habitat orientation on the swimming activity and grazing rate of C. quadrangula. At a given chamber volume, the grazers spent more time in swimming vertically and swam slower (particularly in the horizontal direction) in the tall (small-based) chamber compared with the short (large-based) ones. Moreover, grazing rates of C. quadrangula were significantly lower in the tall chambers than short ones regardless of experimental time, consistent with the positive relationship between average swimming velocity and grazing rate. Our data indicate that habitat orientation may affect animal activity and foraging success, and we therefore suggest that habitat orientation deserves much more attention in future studies.
We are assessing the effect of our new freshman electrical engineering course sequence on follow-on courses. One of our assessments is a survey distributed to sophomores in electrical circuits and juniors in microelectronics courses. Roughly one half of freshman year is spent on programming in MATLAB and C, and problem solving using these programming tools. Our observation is that students consider programming important and have reasonably good confidence (self-efficacy) that they can solve problems using MATLAB and C. However, when asked about frequency of use for these tools students report using them somewhere between once a week and once a month. There is a significant number of students who report almost no usage at all. Results are consistent across sophomore and junior years with a slight up-tick in frequency of use for juniors. We are hypothesizing that students do not view MATLAB and C as tools for problem solving but as yet another item to acquire in their studies. Our plan is to change instruction in sophomore courses so that more problem-solving which requires programming will be introduced. The existing survey will be used to measure future improvement.
This paper analyses whether China's export VAT rebates and export taxes are driven by environmental concerns. Since China struggles to enforce environmental regulation, trade policy can be used as a second-best environmental policy. In a general equilibrium model it is possible to show that the second-best export tax increases in a product's pollution intensity. The empirical analysis investigates whether the export tax equivalent of partial VAT rebates and export taxes are higher for products which are more pollution intensive along several dimensions. The results indicate that the VAT rebate rates are set in a way that discourages exports of water pollution intensive, 502 intensive and energy intensive products from 2007 on. Moreover, the conservation of natural resources such as minerals, metals, wood products and precious stones seems to be a key determinant of China's export VAT rebate rates. There is little evidence that export taxes are motivated by environmental concerns. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licensesiby/4.0/).
Acacias (Mimosoideae) represent a major woody group in arid and subarid habitats of all tropical and subtropical regions. The genetic diversity and population dynamic of African species are still poorly investigated, in particular due to ploidy variation among and within species. Here, we aim to investigate the diversity of the plastid genome (or plastome) of Central Saharan mimosoids, in order to assess its potential utility for phylogenetic and population genetic analyses. We first used a genome skimming strategy to assemble the complete plastome plus the nuclear ribosomal DNA cluster of six species belonging to three genera (Vachellia, Senegalia, and Faidherbia). Phylogenetic relationships based on these data confirm the existence of three main evolutionary lineages in the Hoggar range (southern Algeria). An analysis of the plastome structure reveals an extension of the inverted repeat (IR) in Faidherbia albida as recently reported in two other genera of the same lineage (Inga and Acacia s. s.). Higher substitution rates are detected in this lineage, and our species sampling allows revealing genes (particularly accD, clpP, rps2, rps3, ycf1, ycf2, and ycf4) under positive selection following the IR extension. The reasons for this evolutionary transition need to be unraveled. We then develop 21 plastid microsatellites to be used on a large panel of mimosoid species. At a local scale, 18 of these loci reveal intra-specific polymorphism in at least one species. These markers may be useful to assess the genetic diversity of the plastome for comparative phylogeographies or population genetic studies.
A digital dead-beat current controller for voltage source converters is presented in this paper. The control structure is specified in a digital hardware description language, synthesized, and deployed on a field-programmable gate array chip. By updating, with negligible computation delay, the duty cycle twice in a switching period, the reference current error is nulled in half a modulation period, so that the controller's small-signal bandwidth is maximized. In addition, due to a simple transient detection circuit, the large-signal response delay is reduced to a small fraction of the modulation period, which is determined by the chosen current signal oversampling rate. The controller can effectively support different voltage-source inverter applications, such as active filters, uninterruptible power supplies, microgrid distributed energy resource controllers, and dc-dc converter applications, including interface converters for renewable energy sources, laboratory battery chargers, and electronic welding machines.
This paper discusses a discrete-time loop shaping algorithm for servo enhancement at multiple wide frequency bands. Such design considerations are motivated by a large class of practical control problems such as vibration rejection, active noise control, and periodical reference tracking; as well as recent novel challenges that demand new design in the servo technologies. A pseudo Youla-Kucera parameterization scheme is proposed using the inverse system model to bring enhanced control at selected local frequency regions. Design methodologies are created to control the waterbed amplifications that come from the fundamental limitations of feedback control. Finally, simulation and experimental verification are conducted in precision control and semiconductor manufacturing. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study introduces a novel unified interface design (UID) concept to develop factory automation production manufacturing systems in the LCD industry. In response to the recent needs of smart factory production and integration of manufacturing information for the manufacturing sector, automation technology and systems play an increasingly important role in integrating production applications. The implementation of automation transportation system (ATS) also started off as single systems (material systems) and evolved to incorporate multiple applications and roles (material + information + intelligent management). Since upgrading manufacturing technology, developed UID innovative models integrate manufacturing engineering concepts that effectively integrated system of material and information flow. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the innovative concepts used to implement ATS with UID concepts into integrated production engineering to effectively combine system material and information flow. Through the actual process allows us to identify critical elements that may be emulated or used as a reference for other similar companies or industries interested in developing UID while reducing the risks of failure.
The key to the success of surgical navigation based on computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) planning is the registration process. This has to be precise and adapted to the surgical needs. However, the application of a conventional rigid skull-fixed navigation star for accurate registration is limited for use in the paediatric population, because of the risk of unstable fixation, dural perforation, and intracranial bleeding. The authors describe their experience with a non-invasive reference headband that was used in combination with a custom-made acrylic resin dental registration splint for resection of a rare infraorbital zygomatic desmoplastic fibroma in a 2-year old patient. This approach appears not to have been reported in the literature to date.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been applied with increasing frequency in the study of human nutrition and heavy metal toxicity. ICP-MS provides reliable isotope ratio determinations and superior metal concentration sensitivity. When combined with compound separation technology as part of the sample introduction phase, ICP-MS extends the tools available for studies of human metabolism and heavy metal poisoning. The basis for ICP-MS in these fields is reviewed, and examples are presented for zinc nutrition and lead toxicity to demonstrate the advances achieved in ICP-MS. The prospect for kinetic models with ICP-MS data is explored.
Population growth, urbanization, pollution, and climate change pose urgent water challenges in cities. In this study, the sustainability of integrated water resources management in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was evaluated using the City Blueprint approach. The City Blueprint is a set of 24 dedicated indicators divided over 8 categories (i.e., water security, water quality, drinking water, sanitation, infrastructure, climate robustness, biodiversity and attractiveness, and governance including public participation). The analysis showed that the rapid increase of water use for urban, industrial, and agricultural activities in HCMC has resulted in depletion of groundwater and severe pollution of both groundwater and surface water. Surface water quality, groundwater quality, biodiversity, and the sanitation of domestic and industrial wastewater are matters that need serious improvement. Current and future water supply in HCMC is at risk. HCMC can cope with it, but the 7 governance gaps as described by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are major obstacles for HCMC. Rainwater harvesting, pollution reduction, as well as wastewater reuse are among the practical options. Wastewater reuse could lower the water stress index to 10%. The window to do this is narrow and rapidly closing as a result of the unprecedented urbanization and economic growth of this region. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:345-352. (c) 2015 SETAC
Purpose of Review Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal) is a carbohydrate allergen with several unique characteristics. In this article, we discuss some recent advances in our understanding of the 'alpha-gal syndrome,' highlight data supporting the role of ticks in pathogenesis, and speculate on immune mechanisms that lead to sensitization. Recent Findings First described as the target of IgE in individuals suffering immediate hypersensitivity reactions to the novel anti-EGF monoclonal antibody cetuximab, it is now clear that a-gal sensitization is associated with mammalian meat allergy as well as reactions to other mammalian products. Unlike traditional IgE-mediated food allergies, reactions to a-gal often do not manifest until several hours following an exposure, although co-factors can influence the presentation. Multiple pieces of evidence, including recent work with a mouse model, point to the fact that sensitization is mediated by exposure to certain hard ticks and increasingly we are aware of its globally widespread impact. Summary The oligosaccharide a-gal represents a novel allergen with several unusual clinical features. It has been recognized now on multiple continents and its clinical presentation can be quite variable. Moreover, efforts to delineate the mechanisms leading to a-gal sensitization may have ramifications for our broader understanding of type 2 immunity.
Landslide is the most common natural disaster in mountainous regions. It causes damages to life and properties. The study area, Calicut-Nilampur-Gudalurghat section (SH37) falls under the Survey of India toposheet 58A-7/NE (1: 25,000). The present study was carried out with landslide hazard zonation mapping on meso-scale. This paper explains how meso-zonation of landslide hazards (facet-wise) was made from investigations as per the norms given in Bureau of Indian Standard IS 14496: 1998. Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) was utilized for the preparation of thematic maps on 1: 10,000 scale. The present study evaluates more detailed related factors of inherent causative factors ( lithology, structure, slope gradient, relative relief, land use/land cover, and hydrogeology) involved in landslides. This method also incorporates effects of external causative factors like seismicity and rainfall as corrected rating. In the study area, 10 different facets have been identified. This area falling in facets 3, 4, 6, 7, and 10 come under high hazardous zone, the slopes falling in the facets 1 and 5 fall in the moderate hazardous zone, facet 2 in low hazard zone and other facets 8 and 9 show very high hazardous zone. Details of this work are presented in this paper. The landslide inventory points were collected with the help GPS in this ghat section. The inventory percentage 3.3% comes in low hazard zone, 18% present in moderate hazard zone, 57.4% in high hazard zone, and 21.3% under very high hazard zone.
Recent advances in microelectronics and biosensors are enabling developments of innovative biochips for advanced healthcare by providing fully integrated platforms for continuous monitoring of a large set of human disease biomarkers. Continuous monitoring of several human metabolites can be addressed by using fully integrated and minimally invasive devices located in the sub-cutis, typically in the peritoneal region. This extends the techniques of continuous monitoring of glucose currently being pursued with diabetic patients. However, several issues have to be considered in order to succeed in developing fully integrated and minimally invasive implantable devices. These innovative devices require a high-degree of integration, minimal invasive surgery, long-term biocompatibility, security and privacy in data transmission, high reliability, high reproducibility, high specificity, low detection limit and high sensitivity. Recent advances in the field have already proposed possible solutions for several of these issues. The aim of the present paper is to present a broad spectrum of recent results and to propose future directions of development in order to obtain fully implantable systems for the continuous monitoring of the human metabolism in advanced healthcare applications.
Although piezoelectric transducers are employed in a variety of fields, their application for vibration control of civil or industrial structures has not yet been fully developed, at the best of authors' knowledge. Thanks to a new generation of ever more performing piezoceramic materials and to the recent development of scientific proposals based on a very simple technology, this paper presents a step forward to engineering applications for the control of structural systems. A three-hinged arch controlled by piezoelectric stack actuators and passive RL electrical circuits is chosen as a simple structural model that may represent the starting point for a generalization to the most common typologies of civil and industrial engineering structures. Based on the concept of electromechanical analogy, the evolution equations are obtained through a consistent Lagrangian approach. A multimodal vibration suppression is guaranteed by the spectral analogy between the mechanical and electrical components. Preliminary applications related to free oscillations, with one or more actuators on each member, seem to lead to excellent performance in terms of multimodal damping and dissipated energy.
Based on a case report an overview on the differential diagnostic considerations with respect to blood hypereosinophilia (HE) and hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES) in childhood is given. A 13-year-old boy was admitted for the clarification of an asthma. In the blood count an increased HE with 3500/mu l (30%) was found along with elevated total serum IgE and IL-5 level (2000IU/ml and 17pg/ml). Lung function showed an obstruction (FEV1 38%). Radiologically the picture of bronchiectasis and mucus pluggine appeared. In the BAL a HE (76%) with raised IL-5 level was apparent. Histologically asthma was diagnosed with mucostasis, hypertrophy of the bronchial wall musculature and a lung HE. Differential-diagnostically an ABPA, a Churg-Strauss-Syndrome, a parasitosis, drug associated HE, allergies and malignant disease could be excluded. An aberrant T-cell clone in peripheral blood was detected by flow cytometry and T-cell receptor clonal rearrangements by PCR, leading to the diagnosis of a lymphoid variant of HES (L-HES). Failure to detect the FIP1L1-PDGFRA gene fusion and a normal bone marrow examination could exclude a neoplastic HES (HESN). After steroid initiation, prompt decrease of blood eosinophilia with resolution of symptoms was observed. Steroid discontinuation led to eosinophilia recurrence associated with disease symptoms. As steroid-sparing agent the immunosuppressive azathioprine was additionally given; steroid doses could be decreased and stopped in the course. This case demonstrated the range of HE evaluation in infancy. With asthma one should also consider the possibility of a L-HES.
This research investigated the behavioural consequences of homophobic epithets. After exposure to either a category or a homophobic label, heterosexual participants allocated fictitious resources to two different prevention programmes: one mainly relevant to heterosexuals (sterility prevention), the other to homosexuals (AIDS-HIV prevention). Responses on allocation matrices served to identify strategies that favoured the ingroup over the outgroup. Results indicated stronger ingroup-favouritism in the homophobic than in the category label condition. This study shows that discriminatory group labels have tangible effects on people's monetary behaviours in intergroup contexts, increasing their tendency to favour the ingroup when distributing resources.
Arsenic contamination in drinking ground water has reached an alarming situation in parts of Bengal Delta, India. Development of methods for removal of arsenic contamination from the drinking water will be of great importance for the mankind. The main objective of this study was to isolate and characterize arsenic resistant bacteria (ARB) from the surface water of Kabar Wetland (6.066 +/- 0.23 mg/L As) located in Begusarai district of Bihar province (25 degrees 35'N and 86 degrees 10'E), India. Bacteria were isolated from water sample by enrichment culture technique and based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences, isolates tolerating 150mM arsenate/As(V) were identified as Paracoccus sp strain NC-A and Alcaligenes faecalis strain NC-B, whereas isolate resistant to 30mM arsenite/As(lll) was identified as Stenotrophomonas sp. strain NC-C. Bioinformatic analysis of genome of reference strains revealed the presence of different arsenic resistance (ars) genes. Arsenic removal efficiency of isolates was evaluated and it was observed that As(V) resistant strains of Paracoccus and Alcaligenes removed up to 84.5% and 93% arsenic, respectively from the external growth medium, whereas, As(111) resistant strain of Stenotrophomonas sp. removed 79.6% arsenic from the culture broth. The optimum pH, temperature and nutrient levels (peptone water) for arsenic removal by these isolates were 7.0, 35 degrees C and (PW/60), respectively. These observations suggest that the strains described in this study are capable of removing arsenic from the dilute solutions, and hence being natural isolates, these strains can be easily used in the purification of arsenic contaminated water and thereby check the increasing arsenic toxicity in human food chain.
While research on monoracial college students' experiences with racial microaggressions increases, minimal, if any, research focuses on multiracial college students' experiences with racial microaggressions. This manuscript addresses the gap in the literature by focusing on multiracial college students' experiences with multiracial microaggressions, a type of racial microaggression. Utilizing qualitative data, this study explored 3 different multiracial microaggressions that 10 multiracial women experienced at a historically white institution including, Denial of a Multiracial Reality, Assumption of a Monoracial Identity, and Not (Monoracial)Enough to Fit In.'
Why is drug resistance common and vaccine resistance rare? Drugs and vaccines both impose substantial pressure on pathogen populations to evolve resistance and indeed, drug resistance typically emerges soon after the introduction of a drug. But vaccine resistance has only rarely emerged. Using well-established principles of population genetics and evolutionary ecology, we argue that two key differences between vaccines and drugs explain why vaccines have so far proved more robust against evolution than drugs. First, vaccines tend to work prophylactically while drugs tend to work therapeutically. Second, vaccines tend to induce immune responses against multiple targets on a pathogen while drugs tend to target very few. Consequently, pathogen populations generate less variation for vaccine resistance than they do for drug resistance, and selection has fewer opportunities to act on that variation. When vaccine resistance has evolved, these generalities have been violated. With careful forethought, it may be possible to identify vaccines at risk of failure even before they are introduced.
Background Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) are reported to have socio-communicative impairments. Although many of these children are diagnosed with intellectual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these populations are seldom used as control groups. Hence, information regarding syndrome-specific socio-communicative challenges is lacking.Method Parental concerns regarding everyday communication were investigated by means of the Children's Communication Checklist-2-NL (Geurts, 2007). Twenty children with 22q11.2DS (chronological age: 6 years-13 years 3 months) were compared to 21 children with idiopathic ID and 23 children with idiopathic ID and comorbid ASD. All groups were matched for fluid intelligence (Gf), chronological age, and core language scores.Results Neglect or inadequate use of context information was more prevalent in children with 22q11.2DS than in children with idiopathic ID. Nonverbal communication seemed less impaired than in children with idiopathic ID + ASD.Conclusion Pragmatic language skills and developmental trajectories in children with 22q11.2DS merit further investigation.
Documentation of the severity of the disease in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) can represent a clinical challenge, especially as the course of SpA can be very different. Patients with SpA often complain of symptoms, such as pain, fatigue and stiffness as well as limitations in mental functions and social participation. This wide range of functional impairments could so far only be insufficiently documented and not with one single measurement instrument. Despite various attempts in recent years, experts could not reach agreement on a definition of the severity and documentation of the extent of the severity. This was the starting point for the development of the ASAS health index presented here, which initially focused on patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This questionnaire serves to document the health and functional ability of patients with AS and has been available since 2015 as the original english version of the ASAS health index together with the accompanying environmental factors set. This article describes the German translation and transcultural adaptation of the ASAS health index and the accompanying environmental factors set.
This paper describes laboratory testing to investigate the suitability of recycled construction and demolition (C&D) materials as alternative subbase materials for permeable pavements. Permeable pavements are increasingly being used as urban stormwater management systems. Three commonly found recycled C&D waste materials, crushed brick (CB), recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), were investigated to assess their suitability as permeable pavement subbase materials. Geotextile was also used in this research to trap pollutants. The laboratory tests included basic physical characterization such as particle size distribution, specific gravity, water absorption, Los Angeles abrasion, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and modified Proctor compaction tests. In addition, hydraulic conductivity tests were undertaken in a laboratory test setup with different influent suspension percentages and moisture contents. Temporal variations of effluent suspension percentages were investigated to assess clogging effects. It was found that the geotextile layer did not have any effect in terms of permeability of the C&D materials. The chemical assessment included organic content, pH value, trace element, and leachate concentration for a range of contaminant constituents and compared with maximum allowable limits in soil and natural water as well as with the environmental protection authorities' requirements. In terms of geotechnical and chemical assessment for permeable pavement applications, RCA was found to be a suitable alternative construction material for permeable pavements, while CB was borderline and RAP did not meet some of the specified requirements. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Here we provide evidence that repeated immobilization stress (RIS) in rats induces a persistent increase in noradrenergic activity in the anterior aspects of the anterolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aIBNST). This increase in noradrenergic activity results from both enhanced synthesis and reuptake of norepinephrine (NE). It leads to a decrease in the synaptic availability of NE, which elicits an augmented noradrenergic response to the inhibitors of NE reuptake (NRIs), such as desipramine (DMI), an antidepressant. The enduring depression-like behavior and the augmentation of the climbing behavior seen in repeatedly stressed rats following subchronic administration of DMI in the forced swimming test (FST) might be explained by a dysregulation of noradrenergic transmission observed in alBNST. Taken together, we propose that dysregulation of noradrenergic transmission such as the one described in the present work may represent a mechanism underlying major depressive disorders (MDD) with melancholic features in humans. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This research addressed the effects of downscaling cokriging Land Surface Temperature (LST) on estimation of Actual Evapotranspiration (AET) from remote sensing images. Two procedures were followed. We first applied downscaling cokriging to a coarse resolution LST product of MODIS at 1000 m. With its outcome, daily AET of a medium spatial resolution (250 m) was obtained using the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS). Second, we downScaled a coarse AET map to medium spatial resolution (250 m). For both procedures, the 250 m resolution MODIS NDVI product was used as a co-variable. Validation was carried out using Landsat 8 images, from which LST was derived from the thermal bands. The two procedures were applied to an agricultural area with a traditional irrigation network in Iran. We obtained an average LST value of 305.8 K as compared to a downscaled LST value of 307.0 K. Reference AET estimated with SEBS using Landsat 8 data was equal to 5.756 mm day(-1), as compared with a downscaled AET value of 5.571 mm day(-1). The RMSE between reference AET and downscaled AET was equal to 1.26 mm day(-1) (r = 0.49) and between reference and downscaled LST to 3.67 K (r = 0.48). The study showed that AET values obtained with the two downscaling procedures were similar to each other, but that AET showed a higher spatial variability if obtained with downscaled LST. We concluded that LST had a large effect on producing AET maps from Remote Sensing (RS) images, and that downscaling cokriging was helpful to provide daily AET maps at medium spatial resolution. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Pain may be reported in one-half to three-fourths of children with cancer and other terminal conditions and anxiety in about one-third of them. Pharmacologic methods do not always give satisfactory symptom relief. Complementary therapies such as Reiki may help children manage symptoms. Objective: This pre-post mixed-methods single group pilot study examined feasibility, acceptability, and the outcomes of pain, anxiety, and relaxation using Reiki therapy with children receiving palliative care. Methods: A convenience sample of children ages 7 to 16 and their parents were recruited from a palliative care service. Two 24-minute Reiki sessions were completed at the children's home. Paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were calculated to compare change from pre to post for outcome variables. Significance was set at P < .10. Cohen d effect sizes were calculated. Results: The final sample included 8 verbal and 8 nonverbal children, 16 mothers, and 1 nurse. All mean scores for outcome variables decreased from pre- to posttreatment for both sessions. Significant decreases for pain for treatment 1 in nonverbal children (P = .063) and for respiratory rate for treatment 2 in verbal children (P = .009). Cohen d effect sizes were medium to large for most outcome measures. Discussion: Decreased mean scores for outcome measures indicate that Reiki therapy did decrease pain, anxiety, heart, and respiratory rates, but small sample size deterred statistical significance. This preliminary work suggests that complementary methods of treatment such as Reiki may be beneficial to support traditional methods to manage pain and anxiety in children receiving palliative care.
This paper describes a novel cyber attack-resilient server inspired by the concept of biological diversity. The server consists of several virtual machines running different operating systems and different implementations of the same server protocol specification. This approach is based on the observation that not all implementations are affected by the same vulnerability, except for vulnerabilities in specifications and on shared libraries. A prototype system was built and tested to evaluate the continuity of the service. The results showed that, by exploiting a vulnerability, the prototype system could suppress downtime of the DNS service to less than 4 s without false positives.
Introduced the basic principle of synchronous rectification in low voltage high current fields. Using digital control's feature in switch power, a design scheme of SR digital Buck converter was put forward and analyzed the device choice. Designed all the circuit of the converter, designed and made a prototype. The experiment data were given including driving waveform and efficiency curve. One-cycle control strategy was made. To extend the using fields of the prototype, designed the intelligence communication interface. By means of experiment, the power supply has fast dynamic response and high precision and its efficiency can reach up to 95%.
Self-report inventories enable efficient assessment of mental attributes in large representative surveys. However, an inventory can be administered in several ways whose equivalence is largely untested. In the present study, we administered thirteen psychological questionnaires assessing positive and negative aspects of mental health. The questionnaires were administered by four different data collection methods: face-to-face interview, telephone interview, online questionnaire, and offline questionnaire. We found that twelve of the questionnaires differed in survey methods. Although, some studies showed that social desirability tends to be highest for telephone survey and lowest for web survey. Furthermore, the effects of social desirability should be the same for the online and offline samples. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the face-to-face and telephone samples for the anxiety scale, the stress scale, and the tradition scale. We also found that for eight scales, the online sample was statistically different from the offline sample in the respondent answers. Moreover, the survey method effects were only moderated by age. Finally, measurement invariance across the four survey methods was tested for each self-report measure. There was full strong measurement invariance established for nine of thirteen scales and partial strong measurement invariance for the remaining four scales across the four survey methods. These findings indicated that measurement invariance was affected by different survey methods. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modern operating systems (OSs) are expected to be more secure as they integrate robust security measures to ensure that users can perform their daily tasks reliably. In this article, through extensive experimentation, we evaluate how today's most common OSs fare against the typical Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) poisoning attack in a local area network (LAN). We test some common variants of Linux along with two variants of Mac OS X and one variant of Windows, and observe that they are not impervious to ARP poisoning. Also, we conclude that Mac OS X is the most vulnerable of all the OSs tested, whereas the tested variants of Linux and Windows show the same resilience toward attack, even though Windows is believed to be less secure than the others.
Acetyl Cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors such as Donepezil, Rivastigmine and Galantamine are approved by US-FDA as first line drugs to treat the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Their beneficial effects are attributed to their ability to elevate endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) at the M-1 muscarinic receptor in the brain. However, their side effects such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, loss of appetite and altered heart rate are related to non-specific activation of M-2-M-5 muscarinic subtypes in various tissues. It is logical, therefore, to develop agonists with M-1 receptor selectivity. Unfortunately, this is limited due to a high degree of orthosteric site homology among the receptor subtypes. In contrast, their allosteric sites are unique and, therefore, allow selective targeting using positive allosteric modulators (PAMs). PAMs of M-1 receptors are devoid of agonist activity, however, when bound they enhance the binding affinity of orthosteric ligand, ACh. The major limitation of these PAMs is their bioavailability in the brain. In the current hypothesis, we propose surface modified nano-lipid drug conjugates (LDC-NPs) of PAMs of M-1 receptors to improve their bioavailability in brain. When co-administered with AChE inhibitors they are expected to increase their efficacy and reduce their therapeutic dose and side effects. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Eliminating the leakage current is one of the most important issues for transformerless three-phase photovoltaic (PV) systems. In this paper, the leakage current elimination of a three-phase four-leg PV inverter is investigated. With the common-mode loop model established, the generation mechanism of the leakage current is clearly identified. Different typical carrier-based modulation methods and their corresponding common-mode voltages are discussed. A new modulation strategy with Boolean logic function is proposed to achieve the constant common-mode voltage for the leakage current reduction. Finally, the different modulation methods are implemented and tested on the TMS320F28335 DSP +XC3S400 FPGA digital control platform. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Two-dimensional (2D) boron nitride (BN) nanosheets, the rising material stars, have unique properties and amazing functionalities. The concise history of diverse synthesis routes of BN nanosheets is briefly summarized here; and the recent development towards mass production of BN nanosheets, i.e. chemical blowing technique relying on blowing molten polymer precursors into large polymeric bubbles and subsequent annealing into BN bubbles/nanosheets, is focused on. The abundant BN nanosheets enable their applications, especially in the representative polymeric composites with BN nanosheet additives, as particularly highlighted in this review. The highly thermoconductive insulating BN-filled composites are thus envisaged as high-performance packaging materials for electrical circuits.
Background and aim: Learning about changes in communication of Deaf with dementia (DWD) is important in order to improve services and support DWD and their families. We explored family members' views on the changes in communication DWD have and the ways communication was adapted due to progression of dementia. Methods: A qualitative content analysis of thematic interviews that were conducted with eight close family members of DWD. Results: With decreasing vocabulary and increasing sign-finding difficulties, conversations became poorer, and DWD tended to diverge from the topic. Nonverbal communication became more important as the verbal communication abilities of DWD deteriorated, and the adult children took a more active role by taking initiative and guiding conversations. Conclusion: DWD seem to go through similar changes in communication as hearing people with dementia. Adult children of DWD need to get used to interpreting and assisting their parent's communication through different phases of dementia.
Pseudorandom binary sequences play a crucial role in cryptography. The classical approach to pseudorandomness of binary sequences is based on computational complexity. This approach has certain weak points thus in the last two decades a new, more constructive and quantitative approach has been developed. Since multidimensional analogs of binary sequences (called binary lattices) also have important applications thus it is a natural idea to extend this new approach to the multidimensional case. This extension started with a paper published in 2006, and since that about 25 papers have been written on this subject. Here our goal is to present a survey of all these papers. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The time to rupture of a 1.5-mm-thick high-density polyethylene geomembrane aged in a typical landfill composite liner configuration is investigated under a pressure of 250 kPa at 85 degrees C. The geomembrane was underlain with a geosynthetic clay liner and had a 560 g/m(2) needle-pinched nonwoven geotextile protection layer separating it from 50 mm of drainage gravel containing leachate. Seventeen (0.6-m-diameter) tests were conducted. In addition to 9 months required to deplete antioxidants (Stage I), the tests indicated a lag period (Stage II) of 5.5 months and a time from the start of degradation to rupture (Stage III) of 20 months, giving a total inferred time to rupture of 34.5 months (2.9 years). There were up to 61 brittle ruptures per sample (i.e. >2 million cracks per hectare). The ruptures were predominately oriented in the machine direction and located (1) directly beneath a gravel contact, (2) at the side of a gravel indentation, or (3) between gravel indentations. The ruptures between gravel indentations were the least frequent but largest. The calculated strains perpendicular to the rupture direction were 24 +/- 6%. Rupture occurred, although the average stress-crack resistance for all ruptured geomembrane samples still was approximately 760 +/- 200 h, with a minimum of 360 h. These results indicate the importance of minimizing tensile strains in the geomembrane in the design of a liner system. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
In the Design4All project, a hardware and software architecture is under development for the implementation of adaptable and adaptive applications aimed to support all people in carrying out an independent life at home. In this paper, the problems of interactions with applications implemented in the Android platform, chosen for the experiments of interaction with the developed applications, are discussed with main emphasis on two main aspects: (i) the use of facilities supporting accessibility available in the most commonly used operating systems (mainstreaming) and (ii) the portability of solutions across different platforms.
We examined whether cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) would influence the relationship between two distinct forms of emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and satisfaction with life in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). When compared to healthy adults (n = 42) at baseline (Study 1), patients with SAD (n = 128) reported lesser use of cognitive reappraisal, greater use of expressive suppression, and lower levels of satisfaction with life. In a randomized controlled trial of CBT (n = 40) versus a waitlist control group (n = 32) (Study 2), resulted indicated in the CBT group significant group by time interactions for the use of cognitive reappraisal and satisfaction with life, but not for the use of expressive suppression. Regression analyses in Study 2 provide insight into the predictive value of expressive suppression emotion regulation on post-CBT life satisfaction.
Cocaine dependence frequently co-occurs with personality disorders, leading to increased interpersonal problems and greater burden of disease. Personality disorders are characterised by patterns of thinking and feeling that divert from social expectations. However, the comorbidity between cocaine dependence and personality disorders has not been substantiated by measures of brain activation during social decision-making. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain activations evoked by a social decision-making taskthe Ultimatum Gamein 24 cocaine dependents with personality disorders (CDPD), 19 cocaine dependents without comorbidities and 19 healthy controls. In the Ultimatum Game participants had to accept or reject bids made by another player to split monetary stakes. Offers varied in fairness (in fair offers the proposer shares similar to 50 percent of the money; in unfair offers the proposer shares <30 percent of the money), and participants were told that if they accept both players get the money, and if they reject both players lose it. We contrasted brain activations during unfair versus fair offers and accept versus reject choices. During evaluation of unfair offers CDPD displayed lower activation in the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex and higher activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and superior frontal and temporal gyri. Frontal activations negatively correlated with emotion recognition. During rejection of offers CDPD displayed lower activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, striatum and midbrain. Dual diagnosis is linked to hypo-activation of the insula and anterior cingulate cortex and hyper-activation of frontal-temporal regions during social decision-making, which associates with poorer emotion recognition.
In this work electrical impedance spectroscopy was applied as an alternative method for floral origin determination of unifloral honeys, which may supplement the labeling according to the European Legislation. Impedance measurements, in agreement with data from routine analyses, allowed to distinguish the unifloral honey samples and to acquire information on chemical and physical properties, such as conductivity, ash content and acidity. Equivalent electrical circuits have been extracted for each unifloral honey sample, which have been validated by means of electrical simulation, and every electrical component has ben associated to a specific honey characteristic. It can be concluded that the method developed here permits rapid and easy determination of honey floral origin, no sample preparation procedure is required and it could be used in the official control laboratories. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Public-Key Cryptography (PKC) based on multivariate quadratic equations is one of the most promising alternatives for classical PKC after the eventual coming of quantum computers. Recently, Shen and Tang proposed a new MQ-signature scheme, RGB, based on three types of variables, Red(r), Green(g) and Blue(b). They claimed that signing for RGB is faster than that of UOV and Rainbow. At ACISP 2016, Tang et al. implemented RGB on S5PV210 and MT6582 microprocessors at 64, 80, 96, 118 and 128-bit security levels for practical use. Their results are much more efficient than other MQ-signature schemes, so RGB is very appealing for resource-limited devices. We show that ROB with their suggested parameters at 64, 80, 96, 118 and 128 security levels are entirely broken by key recovery attacks using good keys. From a practical point of view, we are able to break their parameters at 64, 80, 96, 118 and 128 security levels in less than 0.48 seconds, 1.7 seconds, 90.68 seconds, 11 minutes and 6.82 hours, respectively. Consequently, we show that signing and the key sizes for RGB with secure parameter sets are much slower and larger than those of UOV and Rainbow. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The discursive use of language in legal contexts is multifaceted and complex. First, it begins with the chain of oral narrative structures (victim, witness, suspect accounts) and written texts (confessions, notes, depositions, letters, Internet documents, email, tweets, telephone records) used in a court of law. The transcription of oral communiques is a potentially transformative phase of evidence production that may be flawed (ambiguity, error, mistakes, gaps, misrepresentation). Second, it includes or/excludes the textual and narrative representation of nonverbal communication (kinesics, paralanguage, proxemics) and how it is recorded (transcripts, graphics, video, enactments). At each stage of the legal process, interpretation of narrative structures and texts plays a key role in the ultimate meaning of verbal and nonverbal communication. Third, it concerns interrogation strategies and tactics in preliminary evidence gathering as well as in the courtroom. Fourth, it involves translation of documents written in another language or interpretation of oral statements in another language to the language of the courtroom.
It was recently demonstrated that the synchronous reluctance motor is well suited for electric as well as for hybrid electric vehicles. This paper deeply investigates the capabilities of a synchronous reluctance motor and compares them with those of a permanent-magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor, according to the typical requirement of a traction application. A proper rotor design is necessary. The average torque is due to the rotor anisotropy. The permeance difference between the directand the quadrature-axis is achieved by means of a high number of flux barriers. The position of the flux barrier ends and proper rotor asymmetries are chosen so as to reduce the torque ripple, mainly due to the slot harmonics. The impact of the rotor design on the motor performance is presented deeply, showing several simulation and experimental results, carried out on synchronous reluctance motors with different rotor geometries. Permanent magnets can be inset in the flux barriers to assist the synchronous reluctance motor improving its capabilities, but avoiding to use rare-earth permanent magnets. The main advantages of the permanent magnet assistance is an increase of the main torque density and of the power factor. They are evaluated experimentally. However, the drawback of adopting permanent magnets is the possible demagnetization of the magnets themselves. This can greatly limit the maximum overload capability of the motor, which is a salient requirement of a traction motor.
First impressions made to photographs of faces can depend as much on momentary characteristics of the photographed image (within-person variability) as on consistent properties of the face of the person depicted (between-person variability). Here, we examine two important sources of within-person variability: emotional expression and viewpoint. We find more within-person variability than between-person variability for social impressions of key traits of trustworthiness, dominance, and attractiveness, which index the main dimensions in theoretical models of facial impressions. The most important source of this variability is the emotional expression of the face, but the viewpoint of the photograph also affects impressions and modulates the effects of expression. For example, faces look most trustworthy with a happy expression when they are facing the perceiver, compared to when they are facing elsewhere, whereas the opposite is true for anger and disgust. Our findings highlight the integration of these different sources of variability in social impression formation.
A Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser is characterised and modelled to identify important electrochemical effects. These electrochemical effects include the ohmic, activation, and concentration losses within the PEM electrolyser during hydrogen production. The electrochemical effects of the PEM electrolyser are modelled by means of equivalent electrical circuits. The equivalent electrical circuit components of importance are the membrane resistance, the charge transfer resistance, the double layer capacitance and the Warburg impedance. The current interrupt method is proposed by using, (i) the natural voltage response method and (ii) system identification, for solving the parameters of the equivalent electrical circuits. In this paper both simulation and experimental results are provided.
Policy and path updates are common causes of network instability, leading to service disruptions or vulnerable intermediate states. In this letter, we propose the reverse update, an update scheme for software-defined networking that guarantees to preserve properties of flows during the transition time. We prove through a formal model that the proposal achieves consistent policy updates, in which in-transit packets are always handled in the next forwarding hops by the same or a more recent policy. The main contributions are: 1) a relaxation of the concept of per-packet-consistency in the data plane of software-defined networking; and 2) a policy update scheme, proved to be consistent and efficient. A software-defined networking simulator was developed and validated. The results of our simulations show that the proposed reverse update scheme is faster and has lower overhead than the current two-phase update proposed in the literature.
Surface flow types (SFTs) are advocated as ecologically relevant hydraulic units, often mapped visually from the bankside to characterize rapidly the physical habitat of rivers. SFT mapping is simple, non-invasive and cost-efficient. However, it is also qualitative, subjective and plagued by difficulties in recording accurately the spatial extent of SFT units. Quantitative validation of the underlying physical habitat parameters is often lacking and does not consistently differentiate between SFTs. Here, we investigate explicitly the accuracy, reliability and statistical separability of traditionally mapped SFTs as indicators of physical habitat, using independent, hydraulic and topographic data collected during three surveys of a c. 50m reach of the River Arrow, Warwickshire, England. We also explore the potential of a novel remote sensing approach, comprising a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) and structure-from-motion photogrammetry (SfM), as an alternative method of physical habitat characterization. Our key findings indicate that SFT mapping accuracy is highly variable, with overall mapping accuracy not exceeding 74%. Results from analysis of similarity tests found that strong differences did not exist between all SFT pairs. This leads us to question the suitability of SFTs for characterizing physical habitat for river science and management applications. In contrast, the sUAS-SfM approach provided high resolution, spatially continuous, spatially explicit, quantitative measurements of water depth and point cloud roughness at the microscale (spatial scales 1m). Such data are acquired rapidly, inexpensively and provide new opportunities for examining the heterogeneity of physical habitat over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Whilst continued refinement of the sUAS-SfM approach is required, we propose that this method offers an opportunity to move away from broad, mesoscale classifications of physical habitat (spatial scales 10-100m) and towards continuous, quantitative measurements of the continuum of hydraulic and geomorphic conditions, which actually exists at the microscale. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Objective: There is considerable evidence that patients with schizophrenia have neurocognitive and social-cognitive deficits. It is unclear how such deficits in first-episode schizophrenia relate to current clinical symptoms. Method: Fifty-nine patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) were tested using the Danish version of NART (premorbid IQ), subtests from WAIS-III (current IQ), and global cognition using Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrena (BACS), a neurocognitive test battery. Social perception was tested using film clips of everyday interactions (TASIT). Theory of mind (ToM) was tested using silent animations (Animated Triangles Task). The FES subjects had been experiencing psychotic symptoms for several years (mean duration 9.5 years 95% confidence interval (CI [7.6; 11.3]). The FES patients were divided into clinical subgroups based on their level of positive and negative symptoms (using SANS and SAPS). Healthy controls were matched to the patients. Results: High levels of negative symptoms were associated with low estimated functional IQ and poor neurocognition and social cognition. All SANS subscales, but Avolition-Apathy, had significant negative impact on social cognition. The effects of positive symptoms were complex. High levels of delusions were associated with higher premorbid IQ. In the presence of high levels of negative symptoms, high levels of positive symptoms were associated with the most comprehensive deficits in social perception, while, in the absence of negative symptoms, high levels of positive symptoms were not associated with such deficits. Conclusion: The results suggest that social-cognitive training will need to take account of the above mentioned effects of symptoms.
The treatment of rainwater is typically performed by the diversion of the first flush and the use of strainers to retain gross particles (e.g. leaves). To date, there is a lack of rainwater treatment systems with both high efficiency to remove small suspended particles, and simple operation without energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this work was to develop and test a novel concept for the filtration of particles in raw rainwater with no energy usage, self-cleaning mechanism, and simple installation and operation in buildings. For this purpose, an innovative concept was developed based on an up-flow filtration with down-flow backwashing operation. The concept was tested by building a prototype, in which the treatment efficiency for particle removal as well as the backwash efficiency were assessed for three different filter media. Results showed that the system designed under the proposed concept operated effectively with the correct selection of the filter medium. Therefore, the proposed rainwater treatment concept offers an opportunity to enhance water security by treating and using rainwater in buildings in an efficient, simple, and energy-free way. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A microscope vision system to retrieve small metallic surface via micro laser line scanning and genetic algorithms is presented. In this technique, a 36 pm laser line is projected on the metallic surface through a laser diode head, which is placed to a small distance away from the target. The micro laser line is captured by a CCD camera, which is attached to the microscope. The surface topography is computed by triangulation by means of the line position and microscope vision parameters. The calibration of the microscope vision system is carried out by an adaptive genetic algorithm based on the line position. In this algorithm, an objective function is constructed from the microscope geometry to determine the microscope vision parameters. Also, the genetic algorithm provides the search space to calculate the microscope vision parameters with high accuracy in fast form. This procedure avoids errors produced by the missing of references and physical measurements, which are employed by the traditional microscope vision systems. The contribution of the proposed system is corroborated by an evaluation via accuracy and speed of the traditional microscope vision systems, which retrieve micro-scale surface topography.
In this paper, a (3 + 1)-dimensional generalized B-type Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation is investigated, which can be used to describe weakly dispersive waves propagating in a quasi media and fluid mechanics. Based on the Bell polynomials, its multiple-soliton solutions and the bilinear form with some reductions are derived, respectively. Furthermore, by using Riemann theta function, we construct one- and two-periodic wave solutions for the equation. Finally, we study the asymptotic behavior of the periodic wave solutions, which implies that the periodic wave solutions can be degenerated to the soliton solutions under a small amplitude limit. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Despite their popularity, strategy video games have been poorly studied in social science. Because strategy video games require long gaming sessions and planning and management of resources for reaching long-term goals, we assumed that they would function as a virtual training center for self-regulation abilities in every-day life. Adopting the Strength Model of Self-control theoretical framework (Baumeister, Vohs, and Tice, 2007), in two cross-sectional studies we examined the extent to which playing strategy video games predicts self-regulation. In Study 1, we found a positive significant association between strategy video game play controlling for the impact of other video game genres- and self-regulation. In Study 2, we deepened this relationship by controlling for the effects of some personality traits and individual preferences (i.e., age, gender, satisfaction with life, avoidance of temptations, need for cognition, risk taking, impulsiveness, Big 5, and overall frequency of exposure to video games). As in Study 1, playing strategy video games was positively associated with self-regulation. Moreover, this relation statistically held when controlling for the impact of individual and personality differences. Implications and future directions are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
It is well known that the edge vector space of an oriented graph can be decomposed in terms of cycles and cocycles (alias cuts, or bonds), and that a basis for the cycle and the cocycle spaces can be generated by adding and removing edges to an arbitrarily chosen spanning tree. In this paper, we show that the edge vector space can also be decomposed in terms of cycles and the generating edges of cocycles (called cochords), or of cocycles and the generating edges of cycles (called chords). From this observation follows a construction in terms of oblique complementary projection operators. We employ this algebraic construction to prove several properties of unweighted Kirchhoff-Symanzik matrices, encoding the mutual superposition between cycles and cocycles. In particular, we prove that dual matrices of planar graphs have the same spectrum (up to multiplicities). We briefly comment on how this construction provides a refined formalization of Kirchhoff's mesh analysis of electrical circuits, which has lately been applied to generic thermodynamic networks.
In this study we investigated human metabolism and excretion of DEHP after intravenous exposure. For this purpose we determined the five major DEHP metabolites in urine samples of a volunteer before and after a platelet donation (dual-needle technique). Plateletpheresis procedures are known to cause a significant DEHP exposure. We observed a sharp increase in urinary DEHP metabolite concentrations after the procedure. Maximum concentrations of 5OH-MEHP, 5oxo-MEHP, 5cx-MEPP and MEHP observed 4 h after the procedure were 822, 729, 577 and 388 mu g/l respectively. 2cx-MMHP was excreted at highest concentrations after 8 h (201 mu g/l). Due to longer elimination half-times, 5cx-MEPP and 2cx-MMHP were the major metabolites excreted in urine 24 h after the exposure. The 24-h-cumulative excretion of 363 mu g 5cx-MEPP, 353 mu g 5OH-MEHP, 309 mu g 5oxo-MEHP, 178 mu g MEHP and 133 mu g 2cx-MMHP indicates an absolute exposure of our volunteer of about 2.6 mg DEHP. Related to the body weight this equals a dose of 31.6 mu g/kg body weight/day. This indicates that current risk or preventive limit values for DEHP such as the RfD of the US EPA (20 mu g/kg/day) and the TDI of the European Union (20-48 mu g/kg/day) can be exceeded on the day of the plateletpheresis. The amount of the dose excreted in urine, distribution of the metabolites in urine and all other elimination characteristics after intravenous DEHP exposure are comparable to oral exposure. There are no indications that toxicokinetic behaviour and the toxicity of DEHP are fundamentally different after the two routes of exposure. Therefore, toxicological endpoints observed for DEHP after oral application should also be considered relevant for medical procedures causing intravenous DEHP exposure, like apheresis procedures. Especially women in their reproductive age need to be protected from DEHP exposures exceeding the above mentioned preventive limit values.
A study is carried out to investigate the heat transfer characteristics in peristaltic flow of Oldroyd 8-constant in a curved channel when inertial and streamline-curvature effects are negligible. The solution of resulting nonlinear governing equations is obtained using finite difference technique (FDM) combined with an iterative scheme. The impacts of physical parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics is investigated in detail. Particular attention is given to explain the pumping and trapping phenomena in detail. A comparative study between curved and straight channels is also made. It is found that, the rate of heat transfer increases with increasing the curvature of the channel. The current two-dimensional analysis is applicable in bio-fluid mechanics, industrial fluid mechanics, and some of the engineering fields. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are the main causal pathogens of gastrointestinal disease. However, there are limited reports about the prevalence of these organisms in captive Eurasian wild boars worldwide. Therefore, we examined the occurrence and identified the species/assemblages/ genotypes of these pathogens in captive Eurasian wild boars, and estimated the zoonotic potential. Findings: Of 357 fecal samples collected from captive Eurasian wild boars in China, 155 (43.4%) were infected with Cryptosporidium, G. duodenalis and/or E. bieneusi. The infection rates significantly differed in different areas, but did not differ between wild boars kept indoors and outdoors. Three (0.8%), 11 (3.1%) and 147 (41.2%) fecal samples were positive for Cryptosporidium, G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi, respectively. Sequence analysis of SSU rRNA gene revealed that all of the Cryptosporidium strains belonged to C. scrofarum. Based on the sequence analysis of the agiardia gene of G. duodenalis, assemblages E and A were characterized. Fourteen E. bieneusi genotypes comprising five novel (WildBoar 7-11) and eight known (EbpC, F, CHG19, CHC5, PigEBITS5, D, RWSH4, SC02) genotypes were identified by ITS sequencing. EbpC was the most frequent genotype, detected in 85 specimens. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 14 genotypes belonged to Group 1. Conclusions: This first report on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium, G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi in captive wild boars in China indicates that the presence of zoonotic species/assemblages/genotypes poses a threat to public health. The findings suggest that wild boars could be a significant source of human infection and water pollution.
Multicomponent groundwater tracer tests were conducted in a well-characterized field site in Altona, NY using inert carbon-cored nanoparticles and a thermally degrading phenolic compound. Experiments were conducted in a mesoscale reservoir consisting of a single subhorizontal bedding plane fracture located 7.6 m below ground surface contained between two wells separated by 14.1 m. The reservoir rock, initially at 11.7 degrees C, was heated using 74 degrees C water. During the heating process, a series of tracer tests using thermally degrading tracers were used to characterize the progressive in situ heating of the fracture. Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (FODTS) was used to measure temperature rise orthogonal to the fracture surface at 10 locations. Recovery of the thermally degrading tracer's product was increased as the reservoir was progressively heated indicating that the advancement of the thermal front was proportional to the mass fraction of the thermally degrading tracer recovered. Both GPR imaging and FODTS measurements reveal that flow was reduced to a narrow channel which directly connected the two wells and led to rapid thermal breakthrough. Computational modeling of inert tracer and heat transport in a two-dimensional discrete fracture demonstrate that subsurface characterization using inert tracers alone could not uniquely characterize the Altona field site. However, the inclusion of a thermally degrading tracer may permit accurate subsurface temperature monitoring. At the Altona field site, however, fluid-rock interactions appear to have increased reaction rates relative to laboratory-based measurements made in the absence of rock surfaces.
A heuristic procedure based on novel recursive formulation of sinusoid (RFS) and on regression with predictive least-squares (LS) enables to decompose both uniformly and nonuniformly sampled 1-d signals into a sparse set of sinusoids (SSS). An optimal SSS is found by Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) optimization of RFS parameters of near-optimal sinusoids combined with common criteria for the estimation of the number of sinusoids embedded in noise. The procedure estimates both the cardinality and the parameters of SSS. The proposed algorithm enables to identify the RFS parameters of a sinusoid from a data sequence containing only a fraction of its cycle. In extreme cases when the frequency of a sinusoid approaches zero the algorithm is able to detect a linear trend in data. Also, an irregular sampling pattern enables the algorithm to correctly reconstruct the under-sampled sinusoid. Parsimonious nature of the obtaining models opens the possibilities of using the proposed method in machine learning and in expert and intelligent systems needing analysis and simple representation of 1-d signals. The properties of the proposed algorithm are evaluated on examples of irregularly sampled artificial signals in noise and are compared with high accuracy frequency estimation algorithms based on linear prediction (LP) approach, particularly with respect to Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been associated with reduced orienting to social stimuli such as eyes, but the results are inconsistent. It is not known whether atypicalities in phasic alerting could play a role in putative altered social orienting in ASD. Here, we show that in unisensory (visual) trials, children with ASD are slower to orient to eyes (among distractors) than controls matched for age, sex, and nonverbal IQ. However, in another condition where a brief spatially nonpredictive sound was presented just before the visual targets, this group effect was reversed. Our results indicate that orienting to social versus nonsocial stimuli is differently modulated by phasic alerting mechanisms in young children with ASD. Autism Res2017, 10: 246-250. (c) 2016 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.
Building systems to enable knowledge sharing and decision support among clinicians across organizational and geographical boundaries is a complex but important task that lies at the core of the idea of telehealth. Practice-centered awareness has the potential to enhance the usability of cross-boundary clinical decision support systems by providing a shared context of work for decision support across organizational and geographical boundaries based on awareness of a clinician's work contexts and practice-related work activities, including local workarounds, non-explicit rules, improvisation strategies, institutional agenda and patients' needs. We present a multi-method evaluation of the practice-centered awareness features of CaDHealth. CaDHealth is a clinical decision support system that enables clinicians to construct awareness of one another's work activities and contexts across geographical and organizational boundaries based on three categories of work practice - ontological, stereotyped and situated work practices. Evaluation results indicate that incorporating practice-centered awareness features in telehealth systems results in better work coordination across organizational and geographical boundaries, leads to more effective cross-boundary clinical decision support, and enhances the perceived usefulness and adoption of telehealth and e-health applications. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the globalization of economic development, the application of mathematics throughout the various areas of probability and statistics is the use of modern engineering, social and economic research is a core of mathematics. Mathematical modeling provides a new way of thinking to the economic problems from the economic decision-making issues mathematical model of probability and statistics in the economic field.
Participatory approaches elicit information from multiple stakeholders while planning and implementing resource management systems. Such elicited information is often associated with significant variability. Public participation geographical information science (GIS) (PP-GIS) solutions can reduce this variability by helping stakeholders to measure the factors involved and provide the elicited information. We propose a Quality Function Deployment'-based participatory framework for developing such PP-GIS solutions. It is demonstrated using a case study to enhance an existing PP-GIS into a solution for rainwater harvesting systems in Indian villages. The novelty of the proposed framework is that it identifies metrics and carries out comparative analysis of three existing solutions: participatory rural appraisal, participatory mapping and PP-GIS. In the case study, PP-GIS scored less than participatory mapping as it scored less on usability and affordability. To improve PP-GIS in these aspects, an easy-to-use mobile and web based, free and open source PP-GIS solution, Watershed GIS, was developed. It scored better than the three existing solutions and its usage resulted in substantial reduction of variability in criteria values and thus better ranking of alternatives, with the average coefficient of variation decreasing from 0.12 to 0.05.
Since 2009, Singapore has set about implementing mitigation and energy efficiency measures in key sectors to achieve unilaterally pledged reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 7-11% below business-as-usual (BAU) levels in 2020. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants are a major focus for emissions abatement, with an expected reduction of 4 Mt CO2 from the electricity generation sector in 2020. In this paper, we explore Singapore's various strategies in the electricity generation sector to fulfil this target and use an EnergyPLAN optimization model to assess the impact of these strategies on CO2 emissions from Singapore's electricity generation sector through to 2020. A comparison of BAU scenario in 2020 (BAU 2020), 2020 target emissions reduction trajectory, and three emissions reduction alternative policy scenarios (denoted APS-I, APS-II, and APS-III) is carried out. The EnergyPLAN simulation results indicate that all three APS scenarios achieve the 2020 carbon emissions reduction target in Singapore's electricity generation sector. The results furthermore suggest that the 2020 electricity generation associated emissions reduction target can be met through measures that are already available. Vulnerabilities are identified in Singapore's electricity generation fuel mix, and emission reduction strategies beyond 2020 are outlined. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Geographic Information System (GIS) are an intelligence technique skilled to extract, store, manage and display the spatial information for various applications of water resources management. Practically, arid and semi-arid environments suffer from several restrictions (e.g., lack of socio-economic and physical data, limited precipitation, and poor rain water management). In this research, Remote Sensing (RS) approach was integrated with GIS conducted to estimate the physical variables of reservoir system (i.e., elevation-area-volume curve). First and foremost, computing an accurate and reliable elevation-area-volume curve is a challenging task for the purpose of identifying the optimal depth, minimum surface area and maximum reservoir storage. Accordingly, a field study consisting of three constructed small earth dams were demonstrated the use of the geospatial approach in the western desert of Iraq, where the elevation-area-volume curve was extracted. The surface areas and the reservoir volumes that were obtained from field survey and spatial intelligence techniques were compared. A comprehensive analysis have been carried out for the evaluation purposes. The results indicate that the proposed approach efficiently applied with remarkable level of accuracy.
Schizophrenia patients are severely impaired in nonverbal communication, including social perception and gesture production. However, the impact of nonverbal social perception on gestural behavior remains unknown, as is the contribution of negative symptoms, working memory, and abnormal motor behavior. Thus, the study tested whether poor nonverbal social perception was related to impaired gesture performance, gestural knowledge, or motor abnormalities. Forty-six patients with schizophrenia (80%), schizophreniform (15%), or schizoaffective disorder (5%) and 44 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and education were included. Participants completed 4 tasks on nonverbal communication including nonverbal social perception, gesture performance, gesture recognition, and tool use. In addition, they underwent comprehensive clinical and motor assessments. Patients presented impaired nonverbal communication in all tasks compared with controls. Furthermore, in contrast to controls, performance in patients was highly correlated between tasks, not explained by supramodal cognitive deficits such as working memory. Schizophrenia patients with impaired gesture performance also demonstrated poor nonverbal social perception, gestural knowledge, and tool use. Importantly, motor/frontal abnormalities negatively mediated the strong association between nonverbal social perception and gesture performance. The factors negative symptoms and antipsychotic dosage were unrelated to the nonverbal tasks. The study confirmed a generalized nonverbal communication deficit in schizophrenia. Specifically, the findings suggested that nonverbal social perception in schizophrenia has a relevant impact on gestural impairment beyond the negative influence of motor/frontal abnormalities.
We investigated the implicit attitudes of Chinese youth towards the second-generation rich, and the relationship of these with their explicit attitudes. Participants were 119 undergraduate students ( 58 men and 61 women). Using the Semantic Differential Measure and the Feeling Thermometer Scale, we examined the participants' explicit attitudes, and we used the Implicit Association Test to assess their implicit attitudes toward the second-generation rich. Results showed that the participants did not show a negative implicit attitude towards the second-generation rich. However, the participants exhibited a negative explicit attitude toward the second-generation rich. These results are consistent with previous research. This suggests that the second-generation rich can take advantage of these findings and project a more positive image of themselves to other people in China.
Objective: This study assessed changes in anxiety during different phases of childbirth in a sample of women demanding epidural anesthesia.Design: Prospective, longitudinal case series.Sample: A total of 133 women who demanded epidural anesthesia for childbirth answered the questionnaires.Methods: Anxiety state was measured using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. The STAI-S (anxiety state) was administered in three phases during childbirth: Phase 1 was before applying epidural anesthesia, Phase 2 was 45min after the application of epidural anesthesia and Phase 3 was at less than 24h after delivery. Data were collected in two general hospitals: a third-level public hospital and a well-recognized private hospital.Main outcome measures: STAI scores.Results: Anxiety state decreases significantly after applying the epidural anesthesia (Phase 2) compared to before anesthesia (Phase 1), and it remains low levels 24h after childbirth (Phase 3). There were statistically significant differences in STAI scores between the different phases administrated (Phases 1 and 2: p<0.001; effect size, d=1.40; Phases 1 and 3: p<0.001; effect size, d=1.39). In Phase 3, women with cesarean section birth had significant differences in STAI scores relative to those with spontaneous birth (p=0.037; d=0.44). The type of health-care setting (public or private), the educational level and the numbers of previous births does not affect the level of anxiety state in women in any of the three phases.Conclusions: Women's anxiety decreases significantly after applying epidural anesthesia, and it remains low 24h after delivery. Anxiety against childbirth was not influenced by the health system used by women, by the condition of primiparous or multiparous, or by the educational level. Women who received an epidural anesthesia with a cesarean section reported higher rates of anxiety state after birth.
Local high points widely exist in wastewater pressure pipe system. In reality, wastewater pumps are cyclically switched on and off so that the force mains may not be always pressurized as usually assumed. Understanding the hydraulics of those gravity driven pipes is very important to the reliable operation of wastewater pumping. In this study, a differentiation-based method was developed to determine the temporal and spatial dynamics of wastewater in force main by solving the equations involving pump curves and system curves for both gravity-driven and pressurized flows. The solutions to the equations determine the operation points of pumps. The method was applied to a wastewater pumping system of the City of Lakeland, Florida, with multiple local high and low points in the force main. Field investigations and theoretical analyses are incorporated to calibrate pump head characteristic curve and pipe friction coefficient, enabling more accurate simulation of force main hydraulics. With its simplicity and affordability, this method would be of interest to water utility engineers. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Online behavioral advertising (OBA) provides Internet users with potential benefit (relevant ads) and harm (privacy infringement) through personalized covert persuasion tactics, making it an interesting case for understanding perceptions of media effects. In study 1 (survey), we found that subjective persuasion knowledge of OBA was positively related to third-person perception (TPP). Importantly, the assessment of the potential harm and benefit of OBA mediated the relationship between subjective persuasion knowledge and TPP. Objective persuasion knowledge however was only indirectly related to TPP via subjective persuasion knowledge. TPP related to personal (accept, avoid OBA) but not social-level (pro-regulation) coping measures. Study 2 (experiment) replicated study 1 and showed that the perceived effect of OBA on self (not others) drove the TPP and the responses to personal outcome measures. Implications for understanding perceived media effects and response to OBA are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVES: In this study, the influence of aortic root distensibility on the haemodynamic parameters and valve kinematics of a bioprosthetic aortic valve was investigated in a controlled in vitro experiment. METHODS: An Edwards INTUITY Elite 21 mm sutureless aortic valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) was inserted in three transparent aortic root phantoms with different wall thicknesses (0.55, 0.85 and 1.50 mm) mimicking different physiological distensibilities. Haemodynamic measurements were performed in an in vitro flow loop at heart rates of 60, 80 and 100 bpm with corresponding cardiac outputs of 3.5, 4.0 and 5.0 l/min and aortic pressures of 100/60, 120/90 and 145/110 mmHg, respectively. Aortic valve kinematics were assessed using a high-speed camera. The geometric orifice area (GOA) was measured by counting pixels in the lumen of the open aortic valve. The effective orifice area (EOA) was calculated from the root-mean-square value of the systolic aortic valve flow rate and the mean systolic trans-valvular pressure gradient. RESULTS: The tested aortic root phantoms reproduce physiological distensibilities of healthy individuals in age groups ranging from 40 to 70 years (+/- 10 years). The haemodynamic results show only minor differences between the aortic root phantoms: the trans-valvular pressure gradient tends to increase for stiffer aortic roots, whereas the systolic aortic valve flow rate remains constant. As a consequence, the EOA decreased slightly for less distensible aortic roots. The GOA and the aortic valve opening and closing velocities increase significantly with reduced distensibility for all haemodynamic measurements. The resulting mean systolic flow velocity in the aortic valve orifice is lower for the stiffer aortic root. CONCLUSIONS: Aortic root distensibility may influence GOA and aortic valve kinematics, which affects the mechanical load on the aortic valve cusps. Whether these changes have a significant effect on the onset of structural valve deterioration of bioprosthetic heart valves needs to be further investigated.
The stacked geotextile structure is being increased as a structure for protecting beach line and as a structure for the purpose of solving environmental problem as well a dike. Three types of the geotextile tube were proposed to satisfy the desired crest height, structure for is being increased as a stand their stability against external forces was analyzed at each of the cross sections of the stacked geotextile tubes. The considered external forces were wave force, tidal force and lateral earth pressure by reclamation. Also, various field monitoring instrumentations (strain gauge, earth pressure cell, pore pressure measurement, inclinometer) were installed at a representative geotextile tube section. The behavior of a stacked geotextile tube was analyzed using field monitoring results, such as the tube structure settlement, the vertical soil pressure at the bottom of the tube, the lateral earth pressure, the surface strain of the geotextile tube, during and after construction. The analysis results showed that the stacked geotextile tube had external and internal stability. The seepage analysis showed that ground seepage was steady during monitoring. Therefore, when a temporary dike structure with a filling material is constructed, not only should its structural stability be considered, but also its height reduction due to settlement by low - pressure filling, scouring by high-velocity tides, and fine material loss by water flow. In this study, the experimental results of the behavior of stacked geotextile tubes are confirmed using a numerical method. Thus, by analyzing the behavior of stacked geotextile tubes at a coastal area by a numerical method such as FLAC, we can improve the geotextile tube technology for safe construction of structures at a shore.
Individual and life span differences in charitable giving are an important economic force, yet the underlying motives are not well understood. In an adult, life span sample, we assessed manifestations of prosocial tendencies across 3 different measurement domains: (a) psychological self-report measures, (b) actual giving choices, and (c) fMRI-derived, neural indicators of pure altruism. The latter expressed individuals' activity in neural valuation areas when charities received money compared to when oneself received money and thus reflected an altruistic concern for others. Results based both on structural equation modeling and unit-weighted aggregate scores revealed a strong higher-order General Benevolence dimension that accounted for variability across all measurement domains. The fact that the neural measures likely reflect pure altruistic tendencies indicates that General Benevolence is based on a genuine concern for others. Furthermore, General Benevolence exhibited a robust increase across the adult life span, potentially providing an explanation for why older adults typically contribute more to the public good than young adults.
Determining the relevance of services from intelligent environments is a critical step in implementing a reliable context-aware ambient intelligent system. Designing the provision of explicit indications to the system is effective in communicating this relevance, however, such explicit indications come at the cost of user's cognitive resources. In this work, we strive to create a novel pathway of implicit communication between the user and their ambient intelligence by employing user's stress as a feedback pathway to the intelligent system. In addition, following a few very recent works, we propose using proven laboratory stressors to collect ground truth data for stressed states. We present results from a preliminary pilot study which shows promise for creating this implicit channel of communication as well as proves the feasibility of using laboratory stressors as a reliable method of ground truth collection for stressed states.
This work deals with the evaluation of the aqueous concentrations of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), total phosphorus (TP), and ammonium nitrogen (N-NH4) in surface water by means of direct online instrumentation. A portable, submersible, and automated analyzer designed to measure dissolved and total nutrient concentrations characterized by miniaturization of the entire analytical process was tested against laboratory methods. A total number of 36 water samples of different origin (i.e., rain, river, lake, and sewage waters) were analyzed and used in the comparison of DRP, TP, and N-NH4 data. Raw data were distributed in a broad range of concentrations: 5-299 mu g P/L for DRP, 7-97 mu g P/L for TP, and 11-332 mu g N/L for N-NH4. Regression analysis underlined a high significant correlation between the measures of the probe and those of the laboratory (0.6 < R-2 < 0.9; p < 0.001) and pointed out the effectiveness of the new instrument in representing a broad range of nutrient concentrations.
Domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) is widely recognized as an alternative source of water in Taiwan because of water shortages. This suggests that rainwater potential should be maximized and quantified. In this article, we assess the potential of DRWH at a national level. To consider the climatic, building characteristic, economic, and ecological aspects of DRWH, we propose three categories: (1) theoretical; (2) available; and (3) environmental bearable rainwater potential. Four main steps were followed to develop the proposed framework: (1) Fifteen rainfall zones across Taiwan were generated through cluster analysis based on the average annual 10-day rainfall distributions of rainfall stations and administrative districts; (2) The roof area in each rainfall zone was estimated using a geographic information system (GIS) and land use classification database; (3) The weighted percentage of rainwater use in each rainfall zone was determined by the optimal point on the storage capacity and rainwater supply reliability curve for an equivalent building from each building type; (4) The percentage of the total roof area used to harvest rainwater in each region depends on the downstream impact of the stream flow. The procedures developed in this study constitute an effective tool for preliminarily estimation of the national DRWH potential.
New styles can be created by modifying existing ones. In order to formalize style change using grammars, style has to be formally defined in the design language of a grammar. Previous studies in the use of grammars for style change do not give explicit rationale for transformation. How would designers decide which rules to modify in a grammar to generate necessary changes in style(s) of designs? This paper addresses the aforementioned issues by presenting a framework for strategic style change using goal-driven grammar transformations. The framework employs a style description scheme constructed by describing the aesthetic qualities of grammar elements using adjectival descriptors. We present techniques for the formal definition of style in the designs generated by grammars. The utility of the grammar transformation framework and the style description scheme is tested with an example of mobile phone design. Analyses reveal that constraining rules in grammars is a valid technique for generating designs with a dominance of desired adjectival descriptors, thus aiding in strategic style change.
Growing electricity demand from a range of sources and the changes of the power grid structures open the possibility of more frequent and much higher fault current. Traditional solutions to the fault are difficult to satisfy the requirement of the new power grid due to many factors, such as high cost, additional impact to power grid in normal loading condition, which leads to the research for an efficient alternative solution of interest to both academia and industry: Superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL).In this paper, two types of low-inductance solenoidal coils, the braid type and the nonintersecting type, are built with 2G high-temperature superconductors. The current limiting performance, the recovery characteristics, and the ac losses of both types of coils are tested and compared in detail. Experimental results show that both types of coils can effectively limit fault current and recover in several seconds. Furthermore, comparison between the ac losses of both types of SFCLs shows that the ac loss of the braid type coil is lower than that of the single tape by about an order of magnitude in low-current regions.
Network Time Protocol based DDoS attacks saw a lot of popularity throughout 2014. This paper shows the characterization and analysis of two large datasets containing packets from NTP based DDoS attacks captured in South Africa. Using a series of Python based tools, the dataset is analysed according to specific parts of the packet headers. These include the source IP address and Time-to-Live (TTL) values. The analysis found the top source addresses and looked at the TTL values observed for each address. These TTL values can be used to calculate the probable operating system or DDoS attack tool used by an attacker. We found that each TTL value seen for an address can indicate the number of hosts attacking the address or indicate minor routing changes. The Time-to-Live values are then analysed as a whole to find the total number used throughout each attack. The most frequent TTL values are then found and show that the majority of them indicate the attackers are using an initial TTL of 255. This value can indicate the use of a certain DDoS tool that creates packets with that exact initial TTL. The TTL values are then put into groups that can show the number of IP addresses a group of hosts are targeting. The paper discusses our work with two brief case studies correlating observed data to real-world attacks, and the observable impact thereof.
Ambient intelligence (Aml) is a discipline that makes the environments we visit everyday sensitive to us by adding sensors to measure our surroundings and actuators to interact with both the environment and the people in it. But the problem emerges when trying to convert a space into an ambient intelligence environment or to modify one that already exists. This is where a simulator could help to arrive to an optimal set up without the need of expending money installing the required devices until we are sure we have achieved the desired configuration. In this paper we propose the architecture for the integration of social simulation with network simulation in order to create a whole ambient intelligence environment simulator.
Advances in understanding adult stem cell biology have facilitated the development of novel cell-based therapies for cancer. Recent developments in conventional therapies (eg, tumor resection techniques, chemotherapy strategies, and radiation therapy) for treating both metastatic and primary tumors in the brain, particularly glioblastoma have not resulted in a marked increase in patient survival. Preclinical studies have shown that multiple stem cell types exhibit inherent tropism and migrate to the sites of malignancy. Recent studies have validated the feasibility potential of using engineered stem cells as therapeutic agents to target and eliminate malignant tumor cells in the brain. This review will discuss the recent progress in the therapeutic potential of stem cells for tumors in the brain and also provide perspectives for future preclinical studies and clinical translation.
This paper presents the flexibility of technology FPGA in the implementation of automatic control systems. A digital structure at level hardware of a regulator of PI action was designed and built by the VHDL standard. Also, a Java graphical interface was developed for monitoring and control. Experiments were performed on a mechanism for position control consisting of DC motors with encoder, checking an agile response to different reference values and graphing the results from the embedded Java application in real time.
Background: Radiographic sacroiliitis is the hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and detection of acute sacroiliitis is pivotal for early diagnosis of AS. Although radiographic sacroiliitis is a distinguishing feature of AS, sacroiliitis can be seen in a variety of other disease entities. Case presentation: We present an interesting case of sacroiliitis in a patient with Paget disease; the patient presented with inflammatory back pain which was treated with bisphosphonate. This case demonstrates comorbidity with Paget disease and possible ankylosing spondylitis. We also present a review of the literature for other cases of Paget involvement of the sacroiliac joint. Conclusions: In addition, we review radiographic changes to the sacroiliac joint in classical ankylosing spondylitis as well as other common diseases. We compare and contrast features of other diseases that mimic sacroiliitis on a pelvic radiograph including Paget disease, osteitis condensans ilii, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, infections and sarcoid sacroiliitis. There are some features in the pelvic radiographic findings which help distinguish among mimics, however, one must also rely heavily on extra-pelvic radiographic lesions. In addition to the clinical presentation, various nuances may incline a clinician to the correct diagnosis; rheumatologists should be familiar with the imaging differences among these diseases and classic spondylitis findings.
Proteins are one of the most versatile modular assembling systems in nature. Experimentally, more than 110 000 protein structures have been identified and more are deposited every day in the Protein Data Bank. Such an enormous structural variety is to a first approximation controlled by the sequence of amino acids along the peptide chain of each protein. Understanding how the structural and functional properties of the target can be encoded in this sequence is the main objective of protein design. Unfortunately, rational protein design remains one of the major challenges across the disciplines of biology, physics and chemistry. The implications of solving this problem are enormous and branch into materials science, drug design, evolution and even cryptography. For instance, in the field of drug design an effective computational method to design protein-based ligands for biological targets such as viruses, bacteria or tumour cells, could give a significant boost to the development of new therapies with reduced side effects. In materials science, self-assembly is a highly desired property and soon artificial proteins could represent a new class of designable self-assembling materials. The scope of this review is to describe the state of the art in computational protein design methods and give the reader an outline of what developments could be expected in the near future.
Mindreading refers to the ability to attribute mental states, including thoughts, intentions and emotions, to oneself and others, and is essential for navigating the social world. Empirical mindreading research has predominantly featured children, groups with autism spectrum disorder and clinical samples, and many standard tasks suffer ceiling effects with neurologically typical (NT) adults. We first outline a case for studying mindreading in NT adults and proceed to review tests of emotion perception, cognitive and affective mentalizing, and multidimensional tasks combining these facets. We focus on selected examples of core experimental paradigms including emotion recognition tests, social vignettes, narrative fiction (prose and film) and participative interaction (in real and virtual worlds), highlighting challenges for studies with NT adult cohorts. We conclude that naturalistic, multidimensional approaches may be productively applied alongside traditional tasks to facilitate a more nuanced picture of mindreading in adulthood, and to ensure construct validity whilst remaining sensitive to variation at the upper echelons of the ability.
In this paper, we focus on resource conservation in a model of decentralized management of groundwater and rainwater. We show that a conservation policy may have opposite effects on the level of the resource, depending on the outcome of the decentralized management. More precisely, we consider identical farmers who can use two water resources (groundwater and/or rainwater) and we study the symmetric and asymmetric feedback stationary Nash equilibria of the dynamic game. We show that a subsidy on the use of rainwater may increase the level of the aquifer at the symmetric equilibrium, whereas it decreases the level of the aquifer at the asymmetric equilibrium. This suggests that the usual focus on (interior) symmetric equilibria in dynamic games may provide misleading policy implications.
Background: A key challenge in human nutrition is the assessment of usual food intake. This is of particular interest given recent proposals of eHealth personalized interventions. The adoption of mobile phones has created an opportunity for assessing and improving nutrient intake as they can be used for digitalizing dietary assessments and providing feedback. In the last few years, hundreds of nutrition-related mobile apps have been launched and installed by millions of users. Objective: This study aims to analyze the main features of the most popular nutrition apps and to compare their strategies and technologies for dietary assessment and user feedback. Methods: Apps were selected from the two largest online stores of the most popular mobile operating systems-the Google Play Store for Android and the iTunes App Store for iOS-based on popularity as measured by the number of installs and reviews. The keywords used in the search were as follows: calorie(s), diet, diet tracker, dietician, dietitian, eating, fit, fitness, food, food diary, food tracker, health, lose weight, nutrition, nutritionist, weight, weight loss, weight management, weight watcher, and ww calculator. The inclusion criteria were as follows: English language, minimum number of installs (1 million for Google Play Store) or reviews (7500 for iTunes App Store), relation to nutrition (ie, diet monitoring or recommendation), and independence from any device (eg, wearable) or subscription. Results: A total of 13 apps were classified as popular for inclusion in the analysis. Nine apps offered prospective recording of food intake using a food diary feature. Food selection was available via text search or barcode scanner technologies. Portion size selection was only textual (ie, without images or icons). All nine of these apps were also capable of collecting physical activity (PA) information using self-report, the global positioning system (GPS), or wearable integrations. Their outputs focused predominantly on energy balance between dietary intake and PA. None of these nine apps offered features directly related to diet plans and motivational coaching. In contrast, the remaining four of the 13 apps focused on these opportunities, but without food diaries. One app-FatSecret-also had an innovative feature for connecting users with health professionals, and another-S Health-provided a nutrient balance score. Conclusions: The high number of installs indicates that there is a clear interest and opportunity for diet monitoring and recommendation using mobile apps. All the apps collecting dietary intake used the same nutrition assessment method (ie, food diary record) and technologies for data input (ie, text search and barcode scanner). Emerging technologies, such as image recognition, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence, were not identified. None of the apps had a decision engine capable of providing personalized diet advice.
This article presents an introductory microcontroller programming course on digital signal processing for undergraduate university level. The course is intended to provide insight into information technology and to prepare students for more complex exercises later on in their studies. Solutions to overcome pedagogical obstacles like the fear of new technologies and to minimise technological incompatibilities between different operating systems while setting up a programming tool chain are presented. This leads to an increased scalability of the course, allowing hundreds of students to attend each year. In the case presented here, the average number of participants was 300. The problem-oriented task assignments are defined leading to a final creative improvement task, for which the students' solutions are analysed. The course is evaluated and an outlook on further improvements is given.
Animal and human studies suggest that initial expression of maternal behaviour depends on oxytocin and dopamine systems. However, the mechanism by which these systems affect parenting behaviours and the timing of these effects are not well understood. This article explores the role of mothers' executive function in mediating the relation between oxytocin and dopamine gene variants and maternal responsiveness at 48 months post-partum. Participants (n= 157) were mothers recruited in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Study, which assesses longitudinally two cohorts of mothers and children in Canada. We examined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the dopamine and oxytocin systems (DRD1 rs686, DRD1 rs265976, OXTR rs237885 and OXTR rs2254298), assessed mothers' decision-making at 48 months using the Cambridge Neurological Automated Testing Battery (CANTAB) and evaluated maternal responsiveness from videotaped interactions during the Etch-A-Sketch co-operation task. Mediation analyses showed that OXTR rs2254298 A-carriers had an indirect effect on positive parenting which was mediated by mothers' performance on decision-making task (estimate= 0.115, P < 0.005), while OXTR rs2254298 A-carriers had both direct and indirect effects on physically controlling parenting, also mediated through enhanced performance on decision-making (estimate=-0.059, P0.05). While oxytocin has previously been associated with only the early onset of maternal behaviour, we show that an OXTR polymorphism is involved in maternal behaviour at 48 months post-partum through mothers' executive function. This research highlights the importance of the oxytocin system to maternal parenting beyond infancy.
Cellular automata (CA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been used by researchers over the last three decades to simulate land-use change (LUC). While conventional CA and ANN models assign a cell to only one land-use class, in reality, a cell may belong to several land-use classes simultaneously. The recently developed multi-label (ML) concept overcomes this limitation in land change science. Although the ML concept is a new paradigm with nonexclusive classes and has shown considerable merit in several applications, few studies in land change science have applied it. In addition, determining transition rules in conventional CA is difficult when the number of drivers is large. Since CA has been shown as a potential model to consider neighborhood effects and ANN has been shown effective in determining CA transition rules, we integrated both CA with an ANN model to overcome limitations of each tool. In this study, we specifically extended the ANN-based Land Transformation Model (LTM) with both a CA-based model and the ML concept to create an integrated ML-CA-LTM modeling framework. We also compared, using standard evaluation measures, differences between the proposed integrated model with a conventional CA-based LTM model (called the ml-CA-LTM). Parameterization was made using a learning and testing procedure common in machine learning. Results showed that the modified LUC model, ML-CA-LTM, produced consistently better goodness of fit calibration values compared to the ml-CA-LTM. The outcome of this modified model can be used by managers and decision makers for improved urban planning.
Neuroscience investigations of emotional influences on social cognition have been dominated by the somatic marker hypothesis and dual-process theories. Taken together, these lines of inquiry have not provided strong evidence that emotional influences on social cognition rely on neural systems which code for bodily signals of arousal nor distinguish emotional reasoning from other modes of reasoning. Recent findings raise the possibility that emotionally influenced social cognition relies on two stages of neural changes: once when emotion is elicited and a different set of changes at the time of social cognitive judgment. These findings suggest that affect infusion models may be a fruitful framework for bridging neuroscience and psychological understanding of the role of emotion in social cognition.
Objective: To estimate asthma prevalence, severity, and associated factors in adolescents who live in a low relative humidity environment. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, adolescents aged 13-14 years from the city of Petrolina located in the Brazilian semiarid region answered the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. The possible explanatory variables of the study were gender, family income, mother's education, smokers in the household, parental history of asthma, personal history of allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis, and physical activity level. Poisson regression analysis was used to assess the association between asthma and the explanatory variables. Results: A total of 1591 adolescents participated in the study, of whom 49.7% were male. The prevalence of active asthma, severe asthma, and physician-diagnosed asthma were 14.0%, 10.4%, and 17.8%, respectively. Adolescents with asthma missed more school days than their peers (33 vs. 22 days/year; p < 0.03). Associated factors that remained significant after adjustment were history of asthma in parents (PR = 2.65, p < 0.001) and personal diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (PR = 1.96, p < 0.001) and/or atopic dermatitis (PR = 2.18, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Asthma prevalence in this low-humidity environment was lower, but more severe than those reported in other Brazilian cities. The dry climate might hamper disease control and this may have contributed to the higher school absenteeism observed. The association of asthma with allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis as welt as a history of asthma in parents suggests that atopy is an important risk factor for asthma in this population. (C) 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Risk analysis is essential for attracting investment to solar projects. This paper measures risk as the variability in internal rate of return (IRR) and estimates it from the uncertainty in (i) future systems prices, (ii) operations costs and (iii) revenues based on energy yield, irradiance and electricity prices. We quantify these risks for photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) projects starting in 2016, 18 and 20 for customers selling solar-generated electricity under a fixed feed-in tariff (FIT) and for large business customers displacing electricity loads that they would pay for according to variable market rates. An international comparison of results is provided. Uncertainty in future systems prices causes on average 45% (PV) and 93% (CPV) variation in IRR, which is important to a developer's planning process but is resolvable with negotiated system prices from suppliers. Uncertainty in future operations costs impacts the IRR by on average 17% (PV) and 20% (CPV). Uncertainty in revenues impacts the IRR by at most 3.6%. Furthermore, the analysis shows that overall percentage variability in a project's IRR is much less than the percentage variability in operations costs and revenues, which are the two factors at play once the system is operating. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mobile devices, namely phones and tablets, have long gone smart. Their growing use is both a cause and an effect of their technological advancement. Among the others, their increasing ability to store and exchange sensitive information, has caused interest in exploiting their vulnerabilities, and the opposite need to protect users and their data through secure protocols for access and identification on mobile platforms. Face and iris recognition are especially attractive, since they are sufficiently reliable, and just require the webcam normally equipping the involved devices. On the contrary, the alternative use of fingerprints requires a dedicated sensor. Moreover, some Icinds of biometrics lend themselves to uses that go beyond security. Ambient intelligence services bound to the recognition of a user, as well as social applications, such as automatic photo tagging on social networks, can especially exploit face recognition. This paper describes FIRME (Face and Iris Recognition for Mobile Engagement) as a biometric application based on a multimodal recognition of face and iris, which is designed to be embedded in mobile devices. Both design and implementation of FIRME rely on a modular architecture, whose workflow includes separate and replaceable packages. The starting one handles image acquisition. From this point, different branches perform detection, segmentation, feature extraction, and matching for face and iris separately. As for face, an antispoofing step is also performed after segmentation. Finally, results from the two branches are fused. In order to address also security-critical applications, FIRME can perform continuous reidentification and best sample selection. To further address the possible limited resources of mobile devices, all algorithms are optimized to be low-demanding and computation-light. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper analyses the discrete hydraulic systems with emphasis on hydraulic parameter analysis for a pump-turbine power plant. The developed model could make hydro-electric power plants transient behavior studies more easy and accurate, especially for complicated systems. The simulation was developed based on analog mathematical models of transient phenomenon equations (Hydroacoustic modeling). In this method, the governing equations for transient flows are solved based on equivalent electrical circuits being defined for different equipments of the system. By using the Kirchhoff's voltage law for the final equivalent circuit of the system a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is generated. The unsteady friction loss and visco-elastic behavior of pipe and fluid are considered in the pipelines model. A set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is generated by using an implicit scheme. These equations of nonlinear ODEs are solved using a fourth order Runge-Kutta method. Further validation has been carried out with experimental values. Also a mathematical model for Francis pump-turbine has been developed and the transient behavior of two different cases of hydraulic systems including the pump-turbine has been investigated. The results were logically correct and acceptable. This method is very efficient for overall simulation of hydro power plants including turbine, generator and transformer.
Citric acid represents a class of carboxylic acids present in biological fluids and playing key roles in biochemical processes in bacteria and humans. Its ability to promote diverse coordination chemistries in aqueous media, in the presence of metal ions known to act as trace elements in human metabolism, earmarks its involvement in a number of physiological functions. Cobalt is known to be a central element of metabolically important biomolecules, such as B-12, and therefore its biospeciation in biological fluids constitutes a theme worthy of chemical and biological perusal. In an effort to unravel the aqueous chemistry of cobalt in the presence of a physiologically relevant ligand, citrate, the first aqueous, soluble, mononuclear complex has been synthesized and isolated from reaction mixtures containing Co(II) and citrate in a 1:2 molar ratio at pH similar to 8. The crystalline compound (NH4)(4)[CO(C6H5O7)(2)] (1) has been characterized spectroscopically (UV/vis, EPR) and crystallographically. Its X-ray structure consists of a distorted octahedral anion with two citrate ligands fulfilling the coordination requirements of the Co(II) ion. The magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 in the range from 6 to 295 K are consistent with a high-spin complex containing Co(II) with a ground state S=3/2. Corroborating this result is the EPR spectrum of 1, which shows a signal consistent with the presence of a Co(II) system. The spectroscopic and structural properties of the complex signify its potential biological relevance and participation in speciation patterns arising under conditions consistent with those employed for its synthesis and isolation.
Hybrid microgrids are expected to play an important role in the expansion of access to electricity in developing countries. While most of these systems are operated with dispatch strategies which do not make use of predictions about the load or about the availability of renewable energy resources, forecast-based strategies have recently gained attention as an alternative to bring down operation costs. In this work, we develop a framework to assess this potential under a range of assumptions about the quality of load and photovoltaic generation forecasts. The application of the methodology to a village of 600 households reveals cost savings ranging between 2% and 7% depending on the forecast quality and the composition of the microgrid. We also show that sizing microgrid components under the assumption of a predictive operation strategy results in a design with a higher share of intermittent generation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the manufacturing field it happens that products are processed by high-speed production lines. They pass through different machines in order to be processed, according to a pre-established order, resting on moving supports. Usually they do not stop during this process: rather, the machines are able to track and handle them while they are moving. The advantages of this kind of process stem from the continuous motion of the product, that results in an increased productivity since there is no downtime during the production. As a consequence, the tracking of goods is widely adopted to process, to manipulate and to package the products. As reported in literature, strong effort is being directed at the development of an effective control system allowing for the synchronization of the operations and the detection of the position of the incoming products. All of these systems are generally called cutting systems on the fly. For the design and the setup of these systems, it is critical to have a tool to simulate and analyse the behaviour of the machine. This article proposed a systemic approach to model the main elements that characterize such systems aimed to develop the most effective control strategy to improve the performance of the machine. The simulation tool allows to predict the behaviour of the machine and to test different control strategies.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) occur in the majority of terrestrial, and some aquatic, habitats worldwide. They are important for the functioning of individual plants and of entire ecosystems. Here, we review trends in research on species-(species recognition, phylogenetic relationships, autecology) and community-level AMF diversity patterns and aim to identify ways of improving the complementarity of these approaches. Research into many aspects of AMF diversity has flourished in parallel with the increasing availability of molecular biology techniques. However, despite their shared goal of understanding AMF biodiversity, species- and community-level perspectives, and the morphological and molecular approaches that underpin them, currently have limited capacity for information exchange. We indicate critical research gaps in AMF species and community characterisation and outline important research directions. We propose steps that could link research using different methods and targeting different aspects of diversity, in order to maximise our understanding of AMF. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
Background and aims: The recent opioid epidemic has prompted renewed interest in opioid use disorder treatment, but there is little evidence regarding health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes in treatment programs. Measuring HRQoL represents an opportunity to consider outcomes of opioid use disorder treatment that are more patient-centered and more relevant to overall health than abstinence alone. We conducted a systematic literature review to explore the extent to which the collection of HRQoL by opioid treatment programs is documented in the treatment program literature. Materials and methods: We searched PubMed, Embase PsycINFO and Web of Science for papers published between 1965 and 2015 that reported HRQoL outcome measures from substance abuse treatment programs. Results: Of the 3014 unduplicated articles initially identified for screening, 99 articles met criteria for further review. Of those articles, 7 were unavailable in English; therefore 92 articles were reviewed. Of these articles, 44 included any quality-of-life measure, 17 of which included validated HRQoL measures, and 10 supported derivation of quality-adjusted life year utility weights. The most frequently used validated measure was the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Non-U.S. and more recent studies were more likely to include a measure of HRQoL. Conclusions: HRQoL measures are rarely used as outcomes in opioid treatment programs. The field should incorporate HRQoL measures as standard practice, especially measures that can be used to derive utility weights, such as the SF-12 or EQ-5D. These instruments provide policy makers with evidence on the impact of programs on patients' lives and with data to quantify the value of investing in opioid use disorder treatments. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: A standard task in pharmacogenomics research is identifying genes that may be involved in drug response variability, i.e., pharmacogenes. Because genomic experiments tended to generate many false positives, computational approaches based on the use of background knowledge have been proposed. Until now, only molecular networks or the biomedical literature were used, whereas many other resources are available. Method: We propose here to consume a diverse and larger set of resources using linked data related either to genes, drugs or diseases. One of the advantages of linked data is that they are built on a standard framework that facilitates the joint use of various sources, and thus facilitates considering features of various origins. We propose a selection and linkage of data sources relevant to pharmacogenomics, including for example DisGeNET and Clinvar. We use machine learning to identify and prioritize pharmacogenes that are the most probably valid, considering the selected linked data. This identification relies on the classification of gene-drug pairs as either pharmacogenomically associated or not and was experimented with two machine learning methods -random forest and graph kernel-, which results are compared in this article. Results: We assembled a set of linked data relative to pharmacogenomics, of 2,610,793 triples, coming from six distinct resources. Learning from these data, random forest enables identifying valid pharmacogenes with a F-measure of 0.73, on a 10 folds cross-validation, whereas graph kernel achieves a F-measure of 0.81. A list of top candidates proposed by both approaches is provided and their obtention is discussed.
Background: A stereoisomer of inositol, scyllo-inositol (SI), has been regarded as a promising therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease. However, this compound is relatively rare, whereas another stereoisomer of inositol, myo-inositol (MI) is abundant in nature. Bacillus subtilis 168 has the ability to metabolize inositol stereoisomers, including MI and SI. Previously, we reported a B. subtilis cell factory with modified inositol metabolism that converts MI into SI in the culture medium. The strain was constructed by deleting all genes related to inositol metabolism and overexpressing key enzymes, IolG and IolW. By using this strain, 10 g/l of MI initially included in the medium was completely converted into SI within 48 h of cultivation in a rich medium containing 2% (w/v) Bacto soytone. Results: When the initial concentration of MI was increased to 50 g/l, conversion was limited to 15.1g/l of SI. Therefore, overexpression systems of IolT and PntAB, the main transporter of MI in B. subtilis and the membrane-integral nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase in Escherichia coli respectively, were additionally introduced into the B. subtilis cell factory, but the conversion efficiency hardly improved. We systematically determined the amount of Bacto soytone necessary for ultimate conversion, which was 4% (w/v). As a result, the conversion of SI reached to 27.6 g/l within 48 h of cultivation. Conclusions: The B. subtilis cell factory was improved to yield a SI production rate of 27.6 g/l/48 h by simultaneous overexpression of IolT and PntAB, and by addition of 4% (w/v) Bacto soytone in the conversion medium. The concentration of SI was increased even in the stationary phase perhaps due to nutrients in the Bacto soytone that contribute to the conversion process. Thus, MI conversion to SI may be further optimized via identification and control of these unknown nutrients.
Many finite element (FE) models have been designed based on geometric information from computed tomography (CT) data, and validated via comparison with experimental results for human cadaver ossicular bones. Here, we describe a novel method for developing and analyzing the biomimetic ceramic ossicles (BCO) in combination with 3D printing technology, and we establish an FE model of the BCO for analyzing vibration peiformance. Novel biomimetic ceramic ossicles (BCO) made of hydroxyapatite (HA) were fabricated using 3D printing technology, and their vibration properties were measured. We created a 3D model of the BCO using computer-aided design, which corresponds to the ossicular structure and geometry, and created an FE model of the human ossicles via a comparison of experimental and simulated vibrations to investigate the characteristics of the ossicular chain. The FE model was established based on the displacements of the malleus, incus, and stapes, which was analyzed using an externally applied vibrational force.
To the best of our knowledge, we present the first hardware implementation of isogeny-based cryptography available in the literature. Particularly, we present the first implementation of the supersingular isogeny Diffie-Hellman (SIDH) key exchange, which features quantum-resistance. We optimize this design for speed by creating a high throughput multiplier unit, taking advantage of parallelization of arithmetic in F p(2), and minimizing pipeline stalls with optimal scheduling. Consequently, our results are also faster than software libraries running affine SIDH even on Intel Haswell processors. For our implementation at 85-bit quantum security and 128-bit classical security, we generate ephemeral public keys in 1.655 million cycles for Alice and 1.490 million cycles for Bob. We generate the shared secret in an additional 1.510 million cycles for Alice and 1.312 million cycles for Bob. On a Virtex-7, these results are approximately 1.5 times faster than known software implementations running the same 512-bit SIDH. Our results and observations show that the isogeny-based schemes can be implemented with high efficiency on reconfigurable hardware.
Abnormal buildup of the microtubule associated protein tau is a major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and various tauopathies. The mechanisms by which pathological tau accumulates and spreads throughout the brain remain largely unknown. Previously, we demonstrated that a restoration of the major astrocytic glutamate transporter, GLT1, ameliorated a buildup of tau pathology and rescued cognition in a mouse model of AD. We hypothesized that aberrant extracellular glutamate and abnormal neuronal excitatory activities promoted tau pathology. In the present study, we investigated genetic interactions between tau and the GLT1 homolog dEaatl in Drosophila melanogaster. Neuronal-specific overexpression of human wildtype tau markedly shortened lifespan and impaired motor behavior. RNAi depletion of dEaatl in astrocytes worsened these phenotypes, whereas overexpression of dEaatl improved them. However, the synaptic neuropil appeared unaffected, and we failed to detect any major neuronal loss with tau overexpression in combination with dEaatl depletion. To mimic glutamate-induced aberrant excitatory input in neurons, repeated depolarization of neurons via transgenic TrpA1 was applied to the adult Drosophila optic nerves, and we examined the change of tau deposits. Repeated depolarization significantly increased the accumulation of tau in these neurons. We propose that increased neuronal excitatory activity exacerbates tau mediated neuronal toxicity and behavioral deficits. (C) 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Until now hiding methods in network steganography have been described in arbitrary ways, making them difficult to compare. For instance, some publications describe classical channel characteristics, such as robustness and bandwidth, while others describe the embedding of hidden information. We introduce the first unified description of hiding methods in network steganography. Our description method is based on a comprehensive analysis of the existing publications in the domain. When our description method is applied by the research community, future publications will be easier to categorize, compare and extend. Our method can also serve as a basis to evaluate the novelty of hiding methods proposed in the future.
This article presents an analysis of the projected performance of urban residential rainwater harvesting systems in the United States (U.S.). The objectives are to quantify for 23 cities in seven climatic regions (1) water supply provided from rainwater harvested at a residential parcel and (2) stormwater runoff reduction from a residential drainage catchment. Water-saving efficiency is determined using a water-balance approach applied at a daily time step for a range of rainwater cistern sizes. The results show that performance is a function of cistern size and climatic pattern. A single rain barrel (190 l [50 gal]) installed at a residential parcel is able to provide approximately 50% water-saving efficiency for the nonpotable indoor water demand scenario in cities of the East Coast, Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, but <30% water-saving efficiency in cities of the Mountain West, Southwest, and most of California. Stormwater management benefits are quantified using the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting can reduce stormwater runoff volume up to 20% in semiarid regions, and less in regions receiving greater rainfall amounts for a long-term simulation. Overall, the results suggest that U.S. cities and individual residents can benefit from implementing rainwater harvesting as a stormwater control measure and as an alternative source of water.
Aggressive behavior is assumed to be associated with certain patterns of social information processing. While some theories link aggression to a tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as hostile (i.e., enhanced sensitivity to anger), others assume an insufficient ability to perceive emotional expressions, particularly fear. Despite compelling evidence to support both theories, no previous study has directly investigated the predictions made by these two accounts in aggressive populations. The aim of the current study was to test processing patterns for angry and fearful facial expressions in violent offenders (VOs) and healthy controls (CTLs) and their association with self-reported aggression and psychopathy scores. In Experiment 1, we assessed perceptual sensitivity to neutral-emotional (angry, fearful, happy) blends in a task which did not require categorization, but an indication whether the stimulus is neutral or emotional. In Experiment 2, we assessed categorization performance for ambiguous fearful-happy and angry-happy blends. No group differences were revealed in Experiment 1, while Experiment 2 indicated a deficit in the categorization of ambiguous fearful blends in the VO group. Importantly, this deficit was associated with both self-reported psychopathy and aggression in the VO, but not the CTL group. The current study provides evidence for a deficient categorization of fearful expressions and its association with self-reported aggression and psychopathy in VOs, but no support for heightened sensitivity to anger. Furthermore, the current findings indicate that the deficit is tied to categorization but not detection stages of social information processing.
This article examines whether employment outcomes for exoffenders are associated with employers' subjective belief in redeemability, mediated through exoffenders' objective desistance signals. An online factorial vignette survey was completed by 367 employers, which examined their hiring decisions in the context of exoffender job applicants. OLS regression and serial multiple mediation analyses revealed that both belief in redeemability and desistance signals positively and significantly predicted employers' hiring decisions. As well, exoffenders' objective desistance signals mediated the association between belief in redeemability and employment outcomes. These findings highlight the importance for exoffenders to effectively communicate their desistance from crime to employers in their endeavors to obtain employment.
In order to minimize the environmental problems caused by pollution, public, private and third sector organizations began adopting environmental marketing strategies as a tool to meet a growing demand from concerned stakeholders with the environmental crisis. Among the many organizations that cause negative environmental impacts and that are regulated by environmental agencies, stand out the gas stations. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the environmental marketing actions taken by municipal gas station Sao Gabriel -RS. Several interviews were conducted with managers of the city's gas stations. It was found in relation to environmental issues: employees are aware about the environmental problems; at gas stations reusing water is not made used in car washes or rainwater harvesting; the posts there is a suitable place for storage of materials and waste, and these are stored in covered places and their packaging is made in resistant and sealed containers; all stations have contingency plans to minimize leakage of fuel, offering trained staff in case of situations like explosions, accidents in normal operations or products leak. There are many differences between the perceptions of managers in relation to environmental issues, however, the results revealed that the Sao Gabriel municipality of gas stations -RS work within the standards set by legislation, since adopt all measures required by the inspectors in the environmental context.
Within the past decade, mobile computing has morphed into a principal form of human communication, business, and social interaction. Unfortunately, the energy demands of newer ambient intelligence and collaborative technologies on mobile devices have greatly overwhelmed modern energy storage abilities. This paper proposes several novel techniques that exploit spatiotemporal and device context to predict device wireless data and location interface configurations that can optimize energy consumption in mobile devices. These techniques, which include variants of linear discriminant analysis, linear logistic regression, non-linear logistic regression with neural networks, k-nearest neighbor, and support vector machines are explored and compared on synthetic and user traces from real-world usage studies. The experimental results show that up to 90% successful prediction is possible with neural networks and k-nearest neighbor algorithms, improving upon prediction strategies in prior work by approximately 50%. Further, an average improvement of 24% energy savings is achieved compared to state-of-the-art prior work on energy-efficient location-sensing.
For several years the Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering (DIMEG), in collaboration with SintEnergy Sri, has been performing researches for the exploitation of tidal currents. An innovative turbine has been developed, anchored to the coast, which does not require the supporting structures on the seabed and should reduces installation costs and environmental impact. This machine, in its latest version, proposes the use of two concentric and contra-rotating rotors, in order to require a small, or non-existent, stabilizing torque. In the present work the machine equilibrium conditions have been defined and, by a CFD analysis, the lift and drag coefficients of the central deflector have been calculated, together with a final machine design procedure. As a case study, applying the above procedure for a machine installed on the Messina strait, the energy output and the payback period have been estimated. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The macromolecular crystallography P13 beamline is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Integrated Facility for Structural Biology at PETRA III (DESY, Hamburg, Germany) and has been in user operation since mid-2013. P13 is tunable across the energy range from 4 to 17.5 keV to support crystallographic data acquisition exploiting a wide range of elemental absorption edges for experimental phase determination. An adaptive Kirk-patrick-Baez focusing system provides an X-ray beam with a high photon flux and tunable focus size to adapt to diverse experimental situations. Data collections at energies as low as 4 keV (lambda = 3.1 angstrom) are possible due to a beamline design minimizing background and maximizing photon flux particularly at low energy (up to 10(11) photons s(-1) at 4 keV), a custom calibration of the PILATUS 6M-F detector for use at low energies, and the availability of a helium path. At high energies, the high photon flux (5.4 x 10(11) photons s(-1) at 17.5 keV) combined with a large area detector mounted on a 2 theta arm allows data collection to sub-atomic resolution (0.55 angstrom). A peak flux of about 8.0 x 10(12) photons s(-1) is reached at 11 keV. Automated sample mounting is available by means of the robotic sample changer 'MARVIN' with a dewar capacity of 160 samples. In close proximity to the beamline, laboratories have been set up for sample preparation and characterization; a laboratory specifically equipped for on-site heavy atom derivatization with a library of more than 150 compounds is available to beamline users.
Knowledge of the material properties is important at machine design from composite materials. This information cannot be found in related literature and is not standard, therefore, it was necessary to determine, by measurements and by basic experiments of the mechanics of materials. This paper presents a new 3D finite element (FE) model-cell for the modeling of the material properties of a roving. By this numerical modeling method, one can determine the orthotropic and macroscopic material properties of a roving. This model-cell, models numerically, a roving, which consists of multiples of thousands of fibers that are embedded in a matrix material, as a homogenized orthotropic material. The numerical results of the material properties of the roving, can be applied to the definition of the macroscopic material properties of fiber reinforced composite laminates.
Ventilation is the intentional air supply to a closed space from the outside, which is essential for the sake of a comfortable environment and the health of human beings. In recent, with the wide spread of renewable energy, much attention has been paid to the natural ventilation. The natural ventilator is classified into a fixed type, a venturi type and a wind turbine type. In this study, the ventilation rates of the fixed type ventilator were experimentally investigated by changing the wind velocity. Additionally, the condition of a backflow was also examined. According to the experimental results, the ventilated air flow strongly depended on the outside wind velocity and also on the intake opening area. In the reverse flow test, it was confirmed that the reverse flow into the ventilator occurred if the wind velocity was under a certain threshold value. Furthermore, the reverse flow phenomenon was more severe when an obstacle is located in the downstream of a ventilator.
Because pressure is determined globally for the incompressible Euler equations, a localized change to the initial velocity will have an immediate effect throughout space. For solutions to be physically meaningful, one would expect such effects to decrease with distance from the localized change, giving the solutions a type of stability. Indeed, this is the case for solutions having spatial decay, as can be easily shown. We consider the more difficult case of solutions lacking spatial decay, and show that such stability still holds, albeit in a somewhat weaker form.
The stereotypical media coverage of persons With physical disabilities (PWDs) has been repeatedly criticized, because biased depictions of PWDs can negatively affect nondisabled recipients' attitudinal evaluations of PWDs. However, it remains unclear how the superordinate context of disability, which is frequently used by journalists to depict PWDs in the media or other contexts (e.g., sports) affect recipients' attitudes toward those PWDs portrayed in the media. Potential context effects were analyzed with the help of two experiments (between-subjects design). In Study 1, nondisabled participants (N = 97) were randomly assigned to four groups. The context was manipulated by subliminally (30 ms) exposing participants to different textual primes of disability, sports, politics, and no prime (control group). Participants subsequently evaluated a visually depicted PWD (arm amputation). In Study 2, nondisabled participants (N = 63) were randomly assigned to three groups, and they read an illustrated print article (the same picture as in Study 1 was used). The context was manipulated with the help of specific news cues (disability, sports, politics), while the rest of the article remained unchanged. In both studies, the context of disability significantly lowered participants' evaluations of the PWD. In contrast, sports in both studies had a systematically positive impact on participants' attitudes toward the PWD. Furthermore, the general acceptance of PWDs in society was perceived to be more positive with sports cues in Study 2. Implications for the media coverage of PWDs are discussed.
BackgroundSingle-tooth replacement often requires a prefabricated dental implant and a customized crown. The benefits of individualization of the abutment remain unclear. PurposeThis randomized controlled clinical trial aims to study potential benefits of individualization of zirconia implant abutments with respect to preservation of marginal bone level and several clinical and patient-based outcome measures. Material and MethodsFifty participants with a missing premolar were included and randomly assigned to standard (ZirDesign, DentsplySirona Implants, Molndal, Sweden) or computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) customized (Atlantis, DentsplySirona Implants, Molndal, Sweden) zirconia abutment therapy. Peri-implant bone level (primary outcome), Plaque-index, calculus formation, bleeding on probing, gingiva index, probing pocket depth, recession, appearance of soft tissues and patients' contentment were assessed shortly after placement and one year later. ResultsNo implants were lost and no complications related to the abutments were observed. Statistically significant differences between stock and CAD/CAM customized zirconia abutments could not be demonstrated for any of the operationalized variables. ConclusionThe use of a CAD/CAM customized zirconia abutment in single tooth replacement of a premolar is not associated with an improvement in clinical performance or patients' contentment when compared to the use of a stock zirconia abutment.
A neurochemical target at which cannabinoids interact to have global effects on behavior is brain noradrenergic circuitry. Acute and repeated administration of a cannabinoid receptor synthetic agonist is capable of increasing multiple indices of noradrenergic activity. This includes cannabinoid-induced 1) increases in norepinephrine (NE) release in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC); 2) desensitization of cortical alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated effects; 3) activation of c-Fos in brainstem locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons; and 4) increases in anxiety like behaviors. In the present study, we sought to examine adaptations in adrenoceptor expression and function under conditions of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1r) deletion using knockout (KO) mice and compare these to wild type (WT) controls. Electrophysiological analysis of alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated responses in mPFC slices in WT mice showed a clonidine-induced a2-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in mPFC cell excitability coupled with an increase in input resistance. In contrast, CB1r KO mice showed an alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated decrease in mPFC cell excitability. We then examined protein expression levels of alpha 2- and beta 1-adrenoceptor subtypes in the mPFC as well as TH expression in the locus coeruleus (LC) of mice deficient in CB1r. Both alpha 2- and inadrenoceptors exhibited a significant decrease in expression levels in CB1r KO mice when compared to WT in the mPFC, while a significant increase in TH was observed in the LC. To better define whether the same cortical neurons express alpha 2A-adrenoceptor and CB1r in mPFC, we utilized high-resolution immunoelectron microscopy. We localized alpha 2A-adrenoceptors in a knock-in mouse that expressed a hemoagglutinin (HA) tag downstream of the alpha 2A-adrenoceptor promoter. Although the alpha 2A-adrenoceptor was often identifiedpre-synaptically, we observed co-localization of CB1r with alpha 2-adrenoceptors post-synaptically in the same mPFC neurons. Finally, using receptor binding, we confirmed prior results showing that alpha 2A-adrenoceptor is unchanged in mPFC following acute or chronic exposure to the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist, WIN 55,212-2, but is increased, following chronic treatment followed by a period of abstinence. Taken together, these data provide convergent lines of evidence indicating cannabinoid regulation of the cortical adrenergic system. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: The impact on health related quality of life (HRQL) has been well studied in children with Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy. However limited data exists on related quality of life (QOL) of families who have a child suffering from food protein induced non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal allergies. We aimed to establish the QOL of families with children at the beginning of following an elimination diet for non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergies. Methods: A prospective, observational study was performed. Parents of children aged 4 weeks-16 years who improved after 4-8 weeks of following an elimination diet for suspected non-IgE mediated allergies were included. The Family Impact Module (FIM) of the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL (TM)) was used and we compared our data to two historical cohorts: one with sickle cell disease and another with intestinal failure. Results: One hundred and twenty three children with a median age of 20 months were included (84 boys). The total FIM Score was 57.43 (SD 22.27) and particularly low for daily activities and worry. Factors that impacted significantly included age (p < 0.0001), number of foods excluded (p = 0.008), symptom severity (p = 0.041) and chronic nasal congestion (p = 0.012). Children with non-IgE mediated food allergies had worse scores in all domains (p < 0.0001) compared to sickle cell disease and worse physical (p = 0.04), emotional (p = 0.04) and worry (p = 0.01) domains compared to intestinal failure. Conclusions: This study found that parent QOL and family functioning was worse in those families who had a child on an elimination diet for non-IgE mediated allergies compared to those with sickle cell disease and intestinal failure, highlighting the impact this disease has on families.
Because of the nature of their one-dimensional structure, good conductivity and excellent ballistic transport property, single-walled carbon nanotubes have been considered as an important nanomaterial in building a new generation of electrical circuits. In this article, we mainly focus on two strategies developed for installing diverse functionalities into single-walled carbon nanotube-based molecular transistors: nanolithographic method and surface chemical modification. To overcome ill-defined contacts between molecules and electrodes, we highlight the current effort and direction in the creation of reliable single-molecule devices using carboxylic acid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes as nanogapped point contacts. These contacts are made by high-resolution electron beam lithography and oxygen plasma oxidative etching. Electrically functional molecules are then covalently bridged into the nanogaps through robust amide linkages, thus forming stable molecular electronic devices. These results open up new opportunities to develop unique single-molecule biosensors with high selectivity and high speed, which hold great promise in both industrial applications and basic scientific researches.
In the oil sands mining region near Fort McMurray, Alberta, strategies to construct wetlands and peatlands and methods to evaluate their success are just beginning. Reclamation of wetlands is particularly challenging in this region as growing seasons are short, precipitation is variable and often limiting, and the presence of elevated salinity associated with the mining process can be harmful to vegetation. As part of their reclamation programme, Syncrude Canada Ltd constructed a series of test plots (termed cells) to examine specific procedures and management strategies associated with wetland reclamation. In this study, water balance of 12 cells (each similar to 400m(2) in area) with different soil and vegetation treatments were studied over two growing seasons to understand the influence of soil salvage, vegetation, and placement strategy on water balance components. Cells were constructed in (i) the summer or winter, (ii) with either stockpiled material planted with vegetation or with soils directly transplanted from a nearby wetland and (iii) with soil depths of 15, 50 and 100 cm. Cells were built on a liner to eliminate leakage and were watered using an irrigation system along with receiving precipitation inputs. In 2010, cells were irrigated between similar to 100 and 400 mm, and water tables were maintained at or near the surface for the duration of the growing season at most cells. In 2011, watering was reduced considerably, and water tables were on average much lower. Evapotranspiration (ET) losses measured using lysimetres varied throughout the season and among cells. ET rates were greater in 2010 than in 2011 because of wet conditions at the surface, and cells placed in the winter and with shallower organic soils (15 cm) also had enhanced ET. Cumulative water balance suggests that some cells had considerable leakage despite being constructed atop a geotextile. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This study examined the effect of resistance exercise on the production, recruitment, percentage, and adhesion characteristics of granulocytes with andwithout polyphenol (PPB) supplementation. Thirty-eight untrained men were randomized into three groups: PPB (n=13, 21.8 +/- 2.5 years, 171.2 +/- 5.5cm, 71.2 +/- 8.2kg), placebo (PL; n=15, 21.6 +/- 2.5years, 176.5 +/- 4.9cm, 84.0 +/- 15.7kg), or control (CON; n=10, 23.3 +/- 4.3years, 173.7 +/- 12.6cm, 77.3 +/- 16.3kg). Blood samples were obtained pre (PRE), immediately (IP), 1h (1H), 5h (5H), 24h (24H), 48h (48H), and 96h (96H) postresistance exercise (PPB/PL) or rest (CON). Fine-needle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis at PRE, 1H, 5H, and 48H. Plasma concentrations and intramuscular content of interleukin-8 (IL-8), granulocyte (G-CSF), and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were analyzed via multiplex assays. Changes in relative number of circulating granulocytes and adhesion receptor (CD11b) were assessed using flow cytometry. Intramuscular IL-8 was significantly elevated at 1H, 5H, and 48H (P<0.001). Area under the curve analysis indicated a greater intramuscular IL-8 content in PL than PPB (P=0.011). Across groups, circulating G-CSF was elevated from PRE at IP (P<0.001), 1H (P=0.011), and 5H (P=0.025), while GM-CSF was elevated at IP (P<0.001) and 1H (P=0.007). Relative number of granulocytes was elevated at 1H (P<0.001), 5H (P<0.001), and 24H (P=0.005, P=0.006) in PPB and PL, respectively. Across groups, granulocyte CD11b expression was upregulated from PRE to IP (P<0.001) and 1H (P=0.015). Results indicated an increase in circulating CD11b on granulocytes, and IL-8 within the muscle following intense resistance exercise. Polyphenol supplementation may attenuate the IL-8 response, however, did not affect granulocyte percentage and adhesion molecule expression in peripheral blood following resistance exercise.
Exploratory research was performed on a promising safety intervention concept, prevention through design (PtD), also known as designing for construction safety (DfCS). The overall research goal was to increase understanding of the role that owners of constructed facilities can play in adopting PtD on their capital projects. A total of 65 face-to-face interviews and 79 anonymous surveys were completed at four case-study organizations in addition to 103 surveys completed online by members of national construction associations and organizations. Industry survey data indicate that while the majority of owner firm employees had not heard of PtD, they find the concept compelling and do not anticipate significant barriers to its implementation. Key empirical findings indicate that (1) an explicit PtD process is required for implementation; (2) proactive owner leadership and involvement are necessary to initiate PtD on a project; (3) owner leadership is required both to set high expectations for worker safety and health and to ensure general contractor and trade contractor personnel participation in the design review process; and (4) supporting tools, such as design checklists, four dimensional (4D) computer-aided design (CAD) systems, and risk identification and assessment documents, facilitate the PtD process. These findings can be used by owners to most effectively implement a PtD program on one or more of their projects. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This paper presents a Computer-aided System known as the deep-drawing tool applied to the resolution of a combined deep-drawing and ironing process. The system allows the user for selecting input data for getting the formability of material to deep-drawing, selecting the process that provides the best solution from a technological perspective, optimizing the process for material waste, knowing the influence of the punch in the results and considering the process cost. In this manner, the tool allows developing competencies to students that apply scientific, technological, mathematical, economical and sustainable knowledge, with a global vision of the manufacturing processes and conciliating research and teaching. An industrial case has been considered and the proposed Computer-aided System has been tested with a brass alloy to demonstrate the system's capability. The results obtained show significant improvements in the two variables analyzed, namely, total process time and total manufacturing cost. These aspects provide competencies to students in the manufacturing environment.
To restrain the influence of armature reaction, flux barriers is added to rotor structure and enhance the output power ability of brushless doubly-fed machine. Design scheme of brushless doubly-fed machine with barrier rotor is provided. Based on field-circuit coupled finite element method, The asynchronous operation performance of brushless doubly-fed machine with barrier rotor is studied under the condition of no-load, including adjusting voltage adjusting speed and series resistance adjusting voltage. The prototype is carried out on the condition of no-load asynchronous operation; comparison analysis of simulation speed values and tested speed values is realized. The designed machine is reasonable and reliable.
This paper presents some newest and potential developments on artificial intelligent technologies for welding manufacturing process in Shanghai Mao Tong University (SJTU), which contains multi-information acquirement and fusion processing of arc welding dynamical process; Intelligent computing for welding process; Intelligent control methods for welding process and quality control; artificial intelligent technologies for welding robot systems and robotic welding process; and some application in welding engineering. The ideas of intelligentized welding manufacturing technology (IWMT) and intelligentized welding manufacturing engineering (IWME) are presented in this paper for systematization of intending researches and applications on intelligentized technologies for modem welding manufacturing.
Background: Krokodil or Crocodile is an illegal homemade desomorphine drug obtained from chemical reactions of commercial codeine drugs with several other powerful and highly toxic chemical agents increasing its addiction and hallucinogenic effects when compared with other morphine analogues. Methods: This paper summarizes a complete review about an old drug called desomorphine (Krokodil), presenting its chemistry, pharmacology, metabolism, toxicology and analysis. Results: It is of particular interest and concern because this cheaper injectable semisynthetic opioid drug has been largely used in recent years for recreational purposes in several Eastern European as well as North and South American countries, despite known damage to health that continuous use might induce. These injuries are much stronger and more aggressive than morphine's, infecting and rotting skin and soft tissue to the bone of addicts at the point of injection in less than three years, which, in most cases, evolves to death. On this basis, it is imperative that literature reviews focus on the chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and analysis of dangerous Krokodil to find strategies for rapid and effective determination to mitigate its adverse effects on addicts and prevent consumption. Conclusions: It is crucial to know the symptoms and consequences of the use of Krokodil, as well as Methods: for identification and quantification of desomorphine, contaminants and metabolites, which can help the forensic work of diagnosis and propose actions to control and eradicate this great danger to public health around the world. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) has been grouping the allergic and hypersensitivity disorders involving the respiratory tract under topographic distribution, regardless of the underlying mechanisms, triggers or concepts currently in use for allergic and hypersensitivity conditions. In order to strengthen awareness and deliberate the creation of the new Allergic or hypersensitivity disorders involving the respiratory tract section of the ICD-11, we here propose make the building process public. Methods: The new frame has been constructed to cover the gaps previously identified and was based on consensus academic reports and ICD-11 principles. Constant and bilateral discussion was kept with relevant groups representing specialties and resulted in proposals submission into the ICD-11 online platform. Results: The Allergic or hypersensitivity disorders involving the respiratory tract section covers 64 entities distributed across five main categories. All the 79 proposals submitted resulted from an intensive collaboration of the Allergy working group, relevant Expert working groups and the WHO ICD governance. Conclusion: The establishment of the ICD-11 Allergic or hypersensitivity disorders involving the respiratory tract section will allow the dissemination of the updated concepts to be used in clinical practice by many different specialties and health professionals.
An asphalt shear strength tester was developed. It had the advantages of high precision, low cost, and was easy to generalize. Interlayer shear strength testing scheme was designed based on the characteristics of vehicle real driving conditions. Considering different interlayer material types, three typical binding conditions were selected, i.e., with binding oil, without binding oil and geotextile + binding oil. For each kind of binding condition, four specimens were prepared to test the shear strength under different normal stress states. By comparing experimental results, the shear strength formulas for the three conditions were obtained.
Atrazine (ATZ) metabolism by human liver microsomes (HLM), cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms, and human liver (HL) S9 fractions, was investigated using HPLC/PDA and LC/MS/MS. CYP-dependent metabolites from pooled HLM are desethylatrazine (DEA), desisopropylatrazine (DIA), 1-hydroxyisopropylatrazine (HIATZ), and 2-hydroxyethyl atrazine (HEATZ). DEA and DIA were major metabolites in pooled HLM. CYP1A2 and 2C19, respectively, were major isoforms for DEA and DIA production. CYP3A4, while less active, is generally at high concentrations, produces both DEA and DIA and is significant. The percent total normalized rates (%TNR) for CYP1A2 and 3A4 in pooled HLM were 63% and 24% for DEA, and 35% and 56% for DIA production. Single donor HLM samples, showed correlations for CYP1A2 (r = 0.92) and 3A4 (r = 0.81) for DEA and DIA production, while variations in production of DEA and DIA were 8.5- and 6.0-fold, respectively. Pooled S9 fractions also mediate glutathione conjugation of atrazine, DEA and DIA. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This special feature results from the symposium 'Ants 2016: ant interactions with their biotic environments' held in Munich in May 2016 and deals with the interactions between ants and other insects, plants, microbes and fungi, studied at micro- and macroevolutionary levels with a wide range of approaches, from field ecology to next-generation sequencing, chemical ecology and molecular genetics. In this paper, we review key aspects of these biotic interactions to provide background information for the papers of this special feature. After listing the major types of biotic interactions that ants engage in, we present a brief overview of ant/ant communication, ant/plant interactions, ant/fungus symbioses, and recent insights about ants and their endosymbionts. Using a large molecular clock-dated Formicidae phylogeny, we map the evolutionary origins of different ant clades' interactions with plants, fungi and hemiptera. Ants' biotic interactions provide ideal systems to address fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions about mutualism, coevolution, adaptation and animal communication.
Spent nuclear liquid waste is often kept in partially filled storage tanks. When such storage tanks are subjected to wind and/or earthquake induced excitations, this could lead to detrimental conditions. Therefore, storage tank designers should ensure safe design margins and develop methodologies to overcome a wide range of possible scenarios. In the present study, systematic numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the sloshing dynamics of liquid in a storage tank, subjected to seismic excitation. As a precursor, the influence of resonant harmonic excitation on the free surface displacement, pressure distribution, slosh forces etc. is studied. To suppress the free surface fluctuations and the associated slosh force, two types of baffles viz., ring and vertical baffle are examined. Based on the response to an imposed harmonic excitation, the vertical baffle plate in the middle of the tank, was found to be effective and its dimensions are systematically optimized. This baffle geometry was tested for a well known seismic excitation (El Centro) and it was observed to effectively suppress free surface fluctuations and the slosh forces. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a new cryptosystem system that combines DNA cryptography and algebraic curves defined over different Galois fields. The security of the proposed cryptosystem is based on the combination of DNA encoding, a compression process using a hyperelliptic curve over a Galois field , and coding via an algebraic geometric code built using a Hermitian curve on a Galois field , where . The proposed cryptosystem resists the newest attacks found in the literature because there is no linear relationship between the original data and the information encoded with the Hermitian code. Further, the work factor for such attacks increases proportionally to the number of possible choices for the generator matrix of the Hermitian code. Simulations in terms of BER and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are included, which evaluate the gain of the transmitted data in an AWGN channel. The performance of the DNA/AG cryptosystem scheme is compared with un-coded QPSK, and the McEliece code in terms of BER. Further, the proposed DNA/AG system outperforms the security level of the McEliece algorithm.
Purpose of reviewThe review examines the utility of stem cell biology in ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery.Recent findingsThe applicability of stem cell biology varies across a range of different subfields within ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery. Resident stem cells have been identified in the lacrimal gland, corneal limbus, orbital fat, and muscles of the eye, and can potentially be applied for in-vitro cell and organ cultures with the intent of disease modeling and transplants. The discovery of adipocyte-derived stem cells offered a potentially powerful tool for a variety of oculoplastic applications, such as wound healing, skin rejuvenation, and burn therapeutics. Several groups are currently identifying new uses for stem cells in oculoplastic surgery.SummaryThe need for stem cell treatment spans a wide array of subfields within ophthalmology, ranging from reconstruction of the eyelid to the generation of artificial lacrimal glands and oncological therapeutics. The advent of induced pluripotent stem cells opened the realm of regenerative medicine, making the modeling of patient-specific diseases a possibility. The identification and characterization of endogenous stem cell populations in the eye makes it possible to obtain specific tissues through induced pluripotent stem cells differentiation, permitting their use in transplants for oculoplastic surgery.
Eutrophication is a serious water pollution problem in many lakes and reservoirs. One method of understanding the causes of eutrophication and devising strategies to address this phenomenon is watershed modeling. An integrated model is developed in this paper for simulating and evaluating the water quality protection strategies of reservoirs based on controlling the upstream point and non-point sources of pollution and also reservoir operation. To achieve this, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is used for modeling of the surface runoff and transportation of pollutant load over the watershed area and then, the numerical model CE-Qual-W2 is used for simulating the reservoir water quality. These models are linked to simulate the transmission and distribution of water quality variables in the Seimare watershed-reservoir system, west part of Iran. After calibration of the models, different strategies for reduction of pollution over the watershed are simulated and ranked based on their efficiency in reducing the pollution load entering into the reservoir. Results show that completion and modernization of the sewage network and wastewater treatment plant of Kermanshah city as long as adopting some measures against the direct release of municipal wastewater into the Gharehsou River can reduce the pollution load by 40-50% as the best short term strategy. It is also found that in the long-term period, watershed management and decreasing local animal husbandry activities are the most effective measure for reducing the nutrient load entering Seimare reservoir, and thus need to be considered in the future watershed management policies and programs.
Hematopoietic cells are continuously generated throughout life from hematopoietic stem cells, thus making hematopoiesis a favorable system to study developmental cell lineage commitment. The main factors incorporating environmental signals to developing hematopoietic cells are cytokines, which regulate commitment of hematopoietic progenitors to the different blood lineages by acting either in an instructive or a permissive manner. Fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 (Flt3) ligand (FL) and Interleukin-7 (IL-7) are cytokines pivotal for B-cell development, as manifested by the severely compromised B-cell development in their absence. However, their precise role in regulating B-cell commitment has been the subject of debate. In the present study we assessed the rescue of B-cell commitment in mice lacking IL-7 but simultaneously overexpressing FL. Results obtained demonstrate that FL overexpression in IL-7-deficient mice rescues B-cell commitment, resulting in significant Ebf1 and Pax5 expression in Ly6D(+) CD135(+)CD127(+)CD19(-) precursors and subsequent generation of normal numbers of CD19(+) B-cell progenitors, therefore indicating that IL-7 can be dispensable for commitment to the B-cell lineage. Further analysis of Ly6D(+)CD135(+)CD127(+)CD19(-) progenitors in IL-7-or FL-deficient mice overexpressing Bcl2, as well as in IL-7 transgenic mice suggests that both FL and IL-7 regulate B-cell commitment in a permissive manner: FL by inducing proliferation of Ly6D(+)CD135(+)CD127(+)CD19(-) progenitors and IL-7 by providing survival signals to these progenitors.
This paper investigates the role of interaction and communication kinesics in human-robot interaction. This study is part of a novel research project on sign language (SL) tutoring through interaction games with humanoid robots. The main goal is to motivate the children with communication problems to understand and imitate the signs implemented by the robot using basic upper torso gestures and sound. We present an empirical and exploratory study investigating the effect of basic nonverbal gestures consisting of hand movements, body and face gestures expressed by a humanoid robot, and having comprehended the word, the participants will give relevant feedback in SL. This way the participant is both a passive observer and an active imitator throughout the learning process in different phases of the game. A five-fingered R3 robot platform and a three-fingered Nao H-25 robot are employed within the games. Vision-, sound-, touch-and motion-based cues are used for multimodal communication between the robot, child and therapist/parent within the study. This paper presents the preliminary results of the proposed game tested with adult participants. The aim is to evaluate the SL learning ability of participants from a robot, and compare different robot platforms within this setup.
A history of allergy or allergic condition has been reported to be associated with reduced risk of some types of malignancies. However, the understanding of this association for colorectal cancer (CRC) is controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of CRC risk in individuals who had history of allergy compared to those without the history of allergic condition. Pumbed and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies. The adjusted relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled using the random-effects model. Nine studies, including 775, 178 individuals, were eligible for inclusion. The pooled estimate showed no significant association between history of allergy and CRC risk (adjusted RR 1.01, 95 % CI 0.88-1.17). Subgroup analyses confirmed the neutral association stratified by tumor location (colon: n = 6 studies; adjusted RR 1.01, 95 % CI 0.81-1.25; rectum: n = 6 studies; adjusted RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.77-1.15; colorectum: n = 3 studies; adjusted RR 0.92, 95 % CI 0.70 to 1.21), sex (male: n = 4 studies; adjusted RR 0.93, 95 % CI 0.81-1.07; female: n = 6 studies; adjusted RR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.80-1.09) or by allery type (asthma: n = 5 studies; adjusted RR 1.16, 95 % CI 0.96-1.42; hay fever: n = 4 studies; adjusted RR 0.93, 95 % CI 0.86-1.03). Meta-analysis of existing evidence provides a neutral association between allergies and CRC risk. Future well-designed prospective cohort studies should be conducted to better understand this association.
Hybrids are generally less fit than their parental species, and the mechanisms underlying their fitness reductions can manifest through different traits. For example, hybrids can have physiological, behavioral, or ecological defects, and these defects can generate reproductive isolation between their parental species. However, the rate that mechanisms of postzygotic isolation other than hybrid sterility and inviability evolve has remained largely uninvestigated, despite isolated studies showing that behavioral defects in hybrids are not only possible but might be widespread. Here, we study a fundamental animal-behavior the ability of individuals to find food-and test the rate at which it breaks down in hybrids. We measured the ability of hybrids from 94 pairs of Drosophila species to find food and show that this ability decreases with increasing genetic divergence between the parental species and that male hybrids are more strongly (and negatively) affected than females. Our findings quantify the rate that hybrid dysfunction evolves across the diverse radiation of Drosophila and highlights the need for future investigations of the genetic and neurological mechanisms that affect a hybrid's ability to find a suitable substrate on which to feed and breed.
Thymic atrophy occurs during infection being associated with apoptosis of double positive (DP) and premature exit of DP and double negative (DN) thymocytes. We observed for the first time that a significant bone marrow aplasia and a decrease in common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) preceded thymic alterations in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. In addition, depletion of the DN2 stage was previous to the DN1, indicating an alteration in the differentiation from DN1 to DN2 thymocytes. Interestingly, infected mice deficient in IL-6 expression showed higher numbers of DP and CD4(+) thymocytes than wild type infected mice, while presenting similar percentages of DN1 thymocytes. Moreover, the drop in late differentiation stages of DN thymocytes was partially abrogated in comparison with wild type littermates. Thus, our results suggest that thymic atrophy involves a drop in CLPs production in bone marrow and IL-6-dependent and independent mechanisms that inhibits the differentiation of DN thymocytes.
Objective Nowadays smartphone overuse has become a social and medical concern. For the diagnosis and treatment, clinicians use the self-report information, but the report data often does not match actual usage pattern. The paper examines the similarity and variance in smartphone usage patterns between the measured data and self-reported data. Methods Together with the self-reported data, the real usage log data is collected from 35 college students in a metropolitan region of Northeast Asia, using Android smartphone monitoring application developed by the authors. Results The unconscious users underestimate their usage time by 40%, in spite of 15% more use in the actual usage. Messengers are most-used application regardless of their self-report, and significant preference to SNS applications was observed in addict group. The actual hourly pattern is consistent with the reported one. College students use more in the afternoon, when they have more free time and cannot use PCs. No significant difference in hourly pattern is observed between the measured and self-report. Conclusion The result shows there are significant cognitive bias in actual usage patterns exists in self report of smartphone addictions. Clinicians are recommended to utilize measurement tools in diagnosis and treatment of smartphone overusing subjects.
An experimental technique based on time-averaged circular geometric moire for optical measurement of angular oscillations is presented in this paper. The pitch of the circular moire is preselected in such a way that angular oscillations of different amplitudes yield time-averaged moire fringes at different locations of the cover image. This optical effect enables to construct an optical scale for direct measurement of angular oscillations. The proposed technique is similar to visual cryptography, which is a cryptographic technique that allows encryption of visual information in such a way, that decryption can be done without use of any computational device. The efficiency and the applicability of the proposed technique for performance degradation prediction of rotating mechanical components is illustrated and validated by computational simulations and experimental tests.
The battery energy storage systems (BESSs) have been increasingly installed in the power system, especially with the growing penetration rate of the renewable energy sources. However, it is difficult for BESSs to be profitable due to high capital costs. In order to boost the economic value of BESSs, this paper proposes a hierarchical energy management system (HiEMS) to aggregate multiple BESSs, and to achieve multimarket business operations. The proposed HiEMS optimizes the multimarket bids considering a realistic BESS performance model, and coordinates the BESSs and manages their state of charge values, according to their price penalties based on dynamically generated annualized cost. By taking part in the energy market and regulation market at the same time, the cost-performance index (CPI) of the BESS aggregation is greatly improved. The impact of photovoltaic generation on system performance and CPI is also studied.
Osteopontin (OPN) is a protein, generally considered to play a pro-tumorigenic role, whereas several reports have demonstrated the anti-tumorigenic function of OPN during tumor development. These opposing anti-and pro-tumorigenic functions are not fully understood. Here, we report that host-derived OPN plays an anti-tumorigenic role in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model and a TRAMP tumor transplant model. Tumor suppression mediated by OPN in Rag2(-/-) mice suggests that OPN is dispensable in the adaptive immune response. We found that host-derived OPN enhanced infiltration of natural killer (NK) cells into TRAMP tumors. The requirement of OPN in NK cell migration towards TRAMP cells was confirmed by an ex vivo cell migration assay. In contrast to TRAMP cells, in vivo B16 tumor development was not inhibited by OPN, and B16 tumors did not show OPN-mediated cell recruitment. It is possible that low levels of chemokine expression by B16 cells do not allow OPN to enhance immune cell recruitment. In addition to demonstrating the anti-tumorigenic role of OPN in TRAMP tumor development, this study also suggests that the contribution of OPN to tumor development depends on the type of tumor as well as the source and isoform of OPN.
This mini-review highlights the photophysical properties of fluorescent molecular logic gates responsive to acids and oxidants, particularly those developed in our laboratory the past few years. The review pays tribute to earlier developments that lay the foundation for this emerging class of molecules. The logic gates incorporate design concepts based on photoinduced electron transfer from the cross-fertilization of the fluorophore-spacer-receptor and fluorophore-spacer-electron-donor formats. The molecular logic gates explored in detail consist of anthracene and/or naphthalimide fluorophores, while the receptor and electron-donor are typically alkyl amines and ferrocene, respectively. This emerging class of molecule has numerous probable uses, most notably, in corrosion science, geochemistry, molecular cell biology and biomedical diagnostics.
We present an economic assessment of the impacts of Demand Response (DR) and pricing schemes on the conditions for distributed solar photovoltaics, with the focus on individual households. An optimization model has been developed that minimizes the electricity cost for individual households with the option of dispatching DR loads. DR of appliances and hydronic heating (electrical water heating for both space heating and hot water) are investigated, as well as the effects of applying a monthly, hourly or net metering pricing scheme for selling excess generated electricity and a tax reduction scheme for electricity sold to the grid. We show that for Swedish conditions a monthly net metering pricing scheme would result in the largest PV installations per household (median rated capacity of 4.21 Wpihousehold). The use of the tax reduction scheme reduces the installation per household (2.1 kWp/household), but with an installation being profitable for a larger fraction of the households. Furthermore, the tax reduction scheme retains an incentive for engaging in DR. The use of hydronic DR can support the same installations sizes as the tax reduction scheme, whilst Appliance DR is shown to have only a low impact on the profitability of a PV installation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Maintaining satisfactory properties in geosynthetics exposed to factors that could lead to their degradation needs to be considered in projects employing these materials. Geosynthetics subjected to tensile creep and weathering can undergo premature degradation over time. It is essential to study the influence of these factors, since they could act simultaneously in some applications. To assess the synergetic effects, frames were developed and four groups of a woven geotextile polypropylene sample were tested. The first and second groups were subjected to tensile creep at 5% and 10% of the tensile strength in conjunction with weathering for 2160 h. The third group was exposed to the same weathering conditions without tensile load. The fourth group was subjected to tensile creep at 10% of the tensile strength in laboratory conditions. Frames were built with a slope similar to the location of exposure to guarantee greater effects of weathering on the material surface. A meteorological station at the site monitored the meteorological parameters. The degradation suffered by the geotextile was determined by comparing tensile strength test results. The results presented show the importance of the constructed frames in assesssing tensile creep and weathering in the field under small loads.
This paper presents different state feedback approaches of finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) applied to a grid-connected voltage-source converter (VSC) with an LCL filter. Besides converter-side current feedback, two multivariable control approaches and line-side current control are introduced and compared based on theoretical and experimental evaluation. As the LCL filter introduces an additional resonance frequency to the system, the use of different active damping (AD) methods in combination with FCS-MPC is discussed. Furthermore, practical control implementation issues are discussed. The presented methods reveal the great potential, high dynamic performance, and flexibility of FCS-MPC, enabling multivariable control as well as both reduced switching losses and low harmonic current distortion at the same time. Eventually, the feasibility of the theoretical control concepts is shown in a laboratory environment.
In the present times, the discrimination experiences of various marginalized groups tend to be characterized by subtle acts of disrespect and intolerance in addition to the traditional and more blatant incidents of violence. One such newer manifestation is microaggression. This research explored the impact of frequency of experiencing invisibility (i.e., feeling ignored or overlooked owing to one's group membership) on distress among Northeasterners residing in Delhi. Further, the role of individual self stereotyping as a moderator in the invisibility frequency-distress relationship was investigated. Moderation analysis suggested a significant moderating effect of individual self-stereotyping in the relationship between frequency of experiencing invisibility acts and the distress experienced by Northeasterners. In other words, experiencing invisibility caused distress for participants who saw themselves as prototypical of the Northeasterners. Interestingly, frequency of experiencing invisibility was associated with distress for all Northeasterners, however the size of this relationship was greater for Northeasterners who saw themselves as typical of their group.
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most commonly injured ligament. It has a great impact on athletes causing long absence from play and is linked with increased risks of osteoarthritis. Today, literature suggests that the knee braces may not completely reduce ACL injury mechanism risks. Ankle braces, on the other hand, have shown promising results in some of these aspects. Thus, the purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of a knee-ankle brace restraint in reducing ACL injury risks by increasing knee flexion and reducing knee valgus angles. Eighteen healthy Asian male subjects performed a drop vertical jump maneuver from a 31cm platform. A motion analysis capture was carried out to measure the knee flexion and knee valgus angles. Results show that the effect of a knee-ankle brace restraint was insignificant in increasing knee flexion and in reducing knee valgus angles at initial contact and at peak vertical ground reaction force (VGRF). While the ankle brace showed some trends of increasing knee flexion angles at initial contact, the effect was insignificant. Similarly, the ankle brace did not show significant effects on knee flexion angles at peak VGRF and on knee valgus angles at both instances. The knee brace had little effect on knee flexion angles but showed significant effects on valgus angle increase. In conclusion, a knee-ankle brace restraint was not found to have an effect on reducing ACL injury risks during jump-landing. Ankle brace use did not adversely increase ACL injury risks but has shown weak effects in reducing the risks. The knee brace used in this study was not found to be suitable for reducing valgus angles. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
How journalists perceive the influence of different types of media and how this perception affects the journalists' attitude toward supporting censorship was explored by conducting a survey among German journalists (N = 1,688). As predicted, the stronger journalists perceive the political influence of the media to be on the public, the more they approve of, for example, demands for restricting this influence. At the same time, behavioral intentions regarding censorship depend less on the perception of the media influences directly, and more on attitude toward these restrictions.
Background: Misuse of codeine-containing medicines is an emerging public health issue. Aims: We present the application of Liese and Franz's (1996) cognitive developmental model of substance abuse to the trajectory from legitimate codeine use for pain, towards that of therapeutic and other forms of misuse, and physical and psychological dependence. It illustrates a cognitive behavioural analysis of the experiences of codeine misusers - which surfaces' the specific beliefs, thoughts, emotions and behaviours of this group of hidden codeine dependent individuals, who are distinct and unique from other opioid-dependent cohorts. Method: In-depth one-to-one interviews with codeine misusers and dependent individuals in Ireland (n = 21) and South Africa (n = 25) are analysed and applied to Liese and Franz's (1996) cognitive developmental model of substance abuse. Results: Misuse and dependence pathways are maintained by the interplay between physiological determinants relating to pain, withdrawal and tolerance, and psychological influences such as therapeutic need, pre-empting of anticipated physical pain, pleasure from the dreamy sedative opiate effect of codeine and relief of emotional distress. Progression towards habitual use and misuse for therapeutic and intoxication purposes appears to be mediated by external environmental triggers pertaining to availability, internal meta-cognitions around physical pain and emotional distress, and increasing importance of codeine in the life of the user. Conclusion: The concept mapping of codeine misuse and dependence presented here could provide psychological therapists working with individuals experiencing problems with codeine, misusing codeine and those with iatrogenic dependence, with an enhanced understanding of the key concepts involved in misuse and recovery pathways.
Health risks from drinking rainwater are relatively small in the developing world context, but action is needed to ensure water safety. Water safety plans (WSPs) use an approach to manage water quality that has shown signs of success with public and communal water supplies, but relatively little research has been done to investigate the application of WSPs to self-supply systems. The aim of this paper is to investigate the primary issues surrounding appropriate water quality management of domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) systems in Fiji and consider how the principles of WSPs can be applied in this context. A qualitative research design was followed, utilising semi-structured interviews with 34 rural households and six key informants, sanitary inspections of DRWH systems and thematic data analysis. A number of challenges, including limited government resources and the limited knowledge and casual attitudes of rural rainwater consumers, constrain the practicality of adopting conventional WSPs at the household level, but steps for improvement can be taken.
His-Asn-His (HNH) proteins are a very common family of small nucleic acid-binding proteins that are generally associated with endonuclease activity and are found in all kingdoms of life. Although HNH endonucleases from mesophiles have been widely investigated, the biochemical functions of HNH endonucleases from thermophilic bacteriophages remain unknown. Here, we characterized the biochemical properties of a thermostable HNH endonuclease from deep-sea thermophilic bacteriophage GVE2. The recombinant GVE2 HNH endonuclease exhibited non-specific cleavage activity at high temperature. The optimal temperature of the GVE2 HNH endonuclease for cleaving DNA was 60-65 A degrees C, and the enzyme retained its DNA cleavage activity even after heating at 100 A degrees C for 30 min, suggesting the enzyme is a thermostable endonuclease. The GVE2 HNH endonuclease cleaved DNA over a wide pH spectrum, ranging from 5.5 to 9.0, and the optimal pH for the enzyme activity was 8.0-9.0. Furthermore, the GVE2 HNH endonuclease activity was dependent on a divalent metal ion. While the enzyme is inactive in the presence of Cu2+, the GVE2 HNH endonuclease displayed cleavage activity of varied efficiency with Mn2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+. The GVE2 HNH endonuclease activity was inhibited by NaCl. This study provides the basis for determining the role of this endonuclease in life cycle of the bacteriophage GVE2 and suggests the potential application of the enzyme in molecular biology and biotechnology.
This paper presents the results of large-scale numerical modeling of cellular mattress-reinforced fly ash beds overlying soft clay using a finite-element program. The cellular mattress was a honeycomb structure consisting of interconnected multiple circular cells. The influence of the height, diameter, and tensile stiffness of the cell and the width of the entire mattress on the pressure-settlement response of footing, surface deformation during footing settlement, and mobilization of hoop tension in the cell walls are illustrated. Results from the numerical analyses indicate an improvement in footing capacity of approximately1.4 times greater over fly ash bed by inclusion of a single geotextile separator representing jute geotextile in between the fly ash bed and underlying clay. The cellular mattress-fly ash composite bed produced an approximately sevenfold increment in the footing capacity compared with the unreinforced fly ash bed both in presence of the jute separator. The mattress-reinforced beds produced better footing capacity with an increase in the height and width of the mattress and the tensile stiffness of the cell wall. It is satisfactory to acquire the optimization for the height and width of mattress and the tensile stiffness of the cell wall. For a particular mattress width and height, the footing capacity increased with a reduction in the cell diameter. The cell at the mattress center mobilized maximum hoop tension that was lesser in the cells successively toward the mattress periphery. Also, more hoop tension was mobilized with an increase in the tensile stiffness of cell wall. Small-scale finite-element models were created using the same material models and properties as those used for the large-scale modeling to validate the program with laboratory small-scale model tests comprising the same model conditions. The finite-element results were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.
Nowadays, power is a dominant factor that constrains highly integrated hardware-systems designs. The implied problems of high power density, causing chip overheating, or limited power source in modern Internet-of-Things devices are most commonly dealt with the use of the dynamic power management. This method enables to use power-reduction techniques, such as clock gating, power gating, or voltage and frequency scaling. Since the adoption of power management is quite difficult in modern complex systems, there are new approaches evolving intended to simplify power-constrained systems design. We have also proposed such an approach, utilizing the system level of design abstraction and increased automation in the design process. In this paper, the proposed hybrid verification approach is described that represents an integral part of the suggested design methodology. It consists of formal and informal techniques, enabling the verification process to begin at the very early specification stage of the system development. Our approach helps a designer to create correct and consistent power-management specification and verifies whether the specified power intent is preserved after design refinement. The continuous automated verification steps can quickly find errors at early design stages and thus reduce the amount of design re-spins, which speeds-up the overall development process.
Background. The need to incorporate genetic data into conservation management decisions is increasingly recognised. However, many published studies represent a 'gold standard' of sampling, techniques, and analyses. Such rigour is often not possible with limited funding and resourcing available for developing plans for the increasing number of threatened species requiring conservation management. Two endemic palm species of the Itremo Massif in central Madagascar, Dypsis ambositrae and D. decipiens, are known to be threatened with extinction and conservation management for these species is a priority for the newly created protected area in the region. Methods. The genetic diversity of these two species was studied using the relatively low-cost and rapid AFLP technique. DNA fragments generated using three primer combinations were analysed for 20 and 50 individuals of the two species, respectively, from across their ranges. Results. Genetic diversity was relatively low for both species. The two sites where the highly restricted D. ambositrae grows were found to be genetically distinct (although overall heterozygosity was low). Despite having a much wider distribution and relatively large population, D. decipiens did not show clear geographical nor genetic groupings and had similarly low genetic heterozygosity to D. ambositrae. Discussion and Recommendations. With so few individuals remaining in the wild and two genetically distinct subpopulations, it is recommended that both sites of D.ambositrae are conserved and that seed are collected from both for ex situ conservation and potential future reintroduction. It may be less important to focus resources on conserving or collecting ex situ material from all sites where D. decipiens is found, as the genetic diversity represented by each subpopulation is limited and increasing sampling may not protect significantly higher levels of genetic diversity. This study provides data that inform and support conservation decisions taken for both species within this region, and in the management of the newly designated Itremo Massif Protected Area, which covers most of the sites where these two species remain in the wild.
Background and Objective: Headache is a common health problem, which may present with neurological diseases and other chronic diseases, and has an adverse effect on the emotional status. We think that headache is a common disease in asthmatic patients. This study aims to evaluate the presence of headache and risk factors in patients with asthma. Methods: Ninety-three patients with asthma and 58 healthy control subjects were included in the study. The presence of headache was evaluated according to the revised criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition (ICDH-II). Asthma control test (ACT) was performed to determine asthma control status. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were performed in all participants. Demographic features, used medications, and presence of headaches were recorded. Results: Fifty-eight patients with asthma (62.4%) had headaches, whereas only 19 control subjects (32.8%) had headaches. Thirty-two patients (34.4%) had tension-type headache, 19 patients (20.3%) had migraine-type headache, and 7 patients (7.5%) had other types of headaches. The frequency of headaches was significantly higher in patients with asthma, compared to healthy control subjects (p= 0.001). There was a significant correlation between migraine-type headache and inhaled steroid use, and presence of allergies. Conclusion: Migraine-type and tension-type headaches are more common in patients with asthma, compared to the overall population. The frequency of migraine-type headache is higher in patients with asthma who have allergies and low respiratory function test scores.
Remote sensing platforms have consistently demonstrated the ability to detect, and in some cases identify, specific targets of interest, and photovoltaic solar panels are shown to have a unique spectral signature that is consistent across multiple manufacturers and construction methods. Solar panels are proven to be detectable in hyperspectral imagery using common statistical target detection methods such as the adaptive cosine estimator, and false alarms can be mitigated through the use of a spectral verification process that eliminates pixels that do not have the key spectral features of photovoltaic solar panel reflectance spectrum. The normalized solar panel index is described and is a key component in the false-alarm mitigation process. After spectral verification, these solar panel arrays are confirmed on openly available literal imagery and can be measured using numerous open-source algorithms and tools. The measurements allow for the assessment of overall solar power generation capacity using an equation that accounts for solar insolation, the area of solar panels, and the efficiency of the solar panels conversion of solar energy to power. Using a known location with readily available information, the methods outlined in this paper estimate the power generation capabilities within 6% of the rated power. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
Neutrophils (PMN) are best known for their phagocytic functions against invading pathogens and microorganisms. They have the shortest half-life amongst leukocytes and in their non-activated state are constitutively committed to apoptosis. When recruited to inflammatory sites to resolve inflammation, they produce an array of cytotoxic molecules with potent antimicrobial killing. Yet, when these powerful cytotoxic molecules are released in an uncontrolled manner they can damage surrounding tissues. In recent years however, neutrophil versatility is increasingly evidenced, by demonstrating plasticity and immunoregulatory functions. We have recently identified a new neutrophil-derived subpopulation, which develops spontaneously in standard culture conditions without the addition of cytokines/growth factors such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)/interleukin (IL)-4. Their phagocytic abilities of neutrophil remnants largely contribute to increase their size immensely; therefore they were termed giant phagocytes (G phi). Unlike neutrophils, G phi are long lived in culture. They express the cluster of differentiation (CD) neutrophil markers CD66b/CD63/CD15/CD11b/myeloperoxidase (MPO)/neutrophil elastase (NE), and are devoid of the monocytic lineage markers CD14/CD16/CD163 and the dendritic CD1c/CD141 markers. They also take-up latex and zymosan, and respond by oxidative burst to stimulation with opsonized-zymosan and PMA. G phi also express the scavenger receptors CD68/CD36, and unlike neutrophils, internalize oxidized-low density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Moreover, unlike fresh neutrophils, or cultured monocytes, they respond to oxLDL uptake by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Additionally, these phagocytes contain microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain 3B (LC3B) coated vacuoles, indicating the activation of autophagy. Using specific inhibitors it is evident that both phagocytosis and autophagy are prerequisites for their development and likely NADPH oxidase dependent ROS. We describe here a method for the preparation of this new subpopulation of long-lived, neutrophil-derived phagocytic cells in culture, their identification and their currently known characteristics. This protocol is essential for obtaining and characterizing G phi in order to further investigate their significance and functions.
As is known, machine design is a time-consuming and complicated process. And consequently, the verification of the designs and machine performances with known optimization methods prior fabrication are becoming more complex and expensive. Relating to this issue, many studies have been achieved to realize optimization and analyze dynamic performance of the designed machines. In this paper, optimization and short/open circuit fault analysis along with transient performance of a designed 0.6 kW radial flux permanent magnet synchronous generator (RFPMSG) for a stand alone wind turbine was studied. The main feature of this study is to use RMxprt dynamic generator model which is linked with the ANSYS Simplorer external circuit simulator. The co-simulation method has been used to analyze the performance of the generator considered for feeding an ohmic load. This method also yields the waveforms of load voltages and load currents for different load and wind speed conditions along with experimental studies. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) C-terminal fragments (CTFs) by gamma-secretase underlies the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). An RNA interference screen using APP-CTF [99-residue CTF (C99)]- and Notch-specific gamma-secretase interaction assays identified a unique ErbB2-centered signaling network that was predicted to preferentially govern the proteostasis of APP-C99. Consistently, significantly elevated levels of ErbB2 were confirmed in the hippocampus of human AD brains. We then found that ErbB2 effectively suppressed autophagic flux by physically dissociating Beclin-1 from the Vps34-Vps15 complex independent of its kinase activity. Down-regulation of ErbB2 by CL-387,785 decreased the levels of C99 and secreted amyloid-beta in cellular, zebrafish, and mouse models of AD, through the activation of autophagy. Oral administration of an ErbB2-targeted CL-387,785 for 3 wk significantly improves the cognitive functions of APP/presenilin-1 (PS1) transgenic mice. This work unveils a noncanonical function of ErbB2 in modulating autophagy and establishes ErbB2 as a therapeutic target for AD.
In this work, a thin film SiGe was synthesized by the solid source Molecular Beam Epitaxy and identified by X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of the Ge fraction on the structural, electrical conduction and relaxation was studied in detail using impedance analysis. The results of the modulus study reveal the presence of two distinct relaxation processes suggesting the presence of grains and grain boundaries in the sample. The value of exponent `s' calculated from the plot of log (sigma) versus log (w) ranges 0.32e0.8 suggested that the conduction phenomena in the studied samples pursue hopping conduction. The impedance data were well fitted by two equivalent electrical circuits and confirms the presence of two distinct relaxation processes. The results indicate that the SiGe thin films fabricated by this method are applicable for SiGe-based electronic and optical devices. Moreover, fabrication of high quality SiGe thin films on Si thin film enables the application in solar cell. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This article presents an innovative pressure feedback method to address undesired payload oscillations in hydraulic load-handling machines, which have a negative impact on both machine productivity and safety. Tracking control techniques in these machines are often not applicable due to the difficulty or the cost associated with the installation of the feedback sensors on the payload. In this work, by means of pressure sensors installed on the hydraulic system, the payload oscillation frequency is first detected by analyzing the frequency content of the measured pressure and then counteracted through a sinusoidal-based excitation command on the machine actuator. The work particularly addresses the challenges related to the use of the same actuator for detecting and quantifying the oscillation (in both frequency and amplitude) and for reducing the payload oscillations. In fact, interference on the feedback pressure signal due to the control action is present. Experimental results on a truck-mounted hydraulic crane show how the proposed technique permits to reduce payload oscillation in order of 50%, which is comparable to other less-practical tracking control techniques.
Frequent water stress episodes affecting urban hubs have caused a shift in urban water management towards integrated approaches and motivated a search for alternative water resources. Large-scale rainwater harvesting on the municipal scale can overcome the disadvantages of climate dependence and the volume restrictions associated with small-scale collection facilities. In this paper, two tools based on the urban metabolism concept are used to determine the water self-sufficiency potential of urban systems from urban runoff: a simple water self-sufficiency potential indicator and a socioeconomic water flow accounting scheme, which includes water losses. Both tools are applied to a densely populated coastal area that exemplifies urban centres in the Mediterranean. This approach is useful for regions with restricted data availability on water use and facilitates information dissemination to policy makers. The results indicate a significant water self-sufficiency potential for the area of study, even under projections of reduced precipitation in the area.
The digital low dropout regulator (D-LDO) has drawn significant attention recently for its low-voltage operation and process-scalability. However, the D-LDO inherently suffers from limit cycle oscillation (LCO). To address this issue, the modes and amplitudes of LCO are calculated in this work and verified by SPICE simulation in a 65-nm CMOS process. An LCO reduction technique for the D-LDO is then proposed, by adding two unit power transistors in parallel with the main power MOS array as a feedforward path. This technique sets the LCO mode to 1 and effectively reduces the ripple amplitude for a wide (0.5-20 mA) load current range. When compared with the dead-zone scheme, this technique minimizes LCO with negligible circuit complexity and design difficulty.
As the elderly population has been rapidly expanding, needs of adequate health and housing services for elderly people continue to grow, but resources for providing such services are becoming increasingly scarce. Thus, using modern technologies and efficiently providing Intelligent Home Care (IHC) services is regarded as a pressing issue. In order to handle issues of the coming aging society, this article analyzes health monitoring, health prevention, health advisor and knowledge service requirements of an IHC Platform, and proposes an architecture of the IHC Platform based on chronic disease knowledge management, which is excepted to offer intelligent, accurate and personal care service for elderly people.
A compact model of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors, suitable for CAD simulators, is proposed. The model is simple, symmetric, and accurately accounts for the subthreshold, linear, and saturation regimes via a unique formulation. It accounts for both trapped and free charges by means of multiple-trapping-and-release and percolation in the conduction band. Aim of the paper is to work out the analytic expression of the current and of the terminal charges, along with the surface potential and the electric field as a function of position in the channel. The availability of the surface potential and of the electric field is the key to model advanced physical effects as, for example, the carrier injection from the electrodes into the channel.
Ailanthus altissima pollen (AAP) is considered as an emerging cause of respiratory allergy in United States, Italy and Iran. However, the allergenic composition of AAP is still unknown and has yet to be characterized. The present study aimed to identify AAP allergens using a proteomics-based approach. For this purpose, optimized AAP protein extracts were analyzed using 1D- and 2D- gel electrophoresis and confronted to twenty sera from individuals with respiratory allergy during the AAP season. Candidate allergens were detected using the serum from an allergic patient with clinical history of AAP pollinosis. IgE-binding spots were identified using MALDI-TOF/OF mass spectrometry and database searching. According to our results, AAP extracts were rich in proteins (up to 16.25 mg/ml) with a molecular-weight distribution ranging from 10 to 175 kDa. Two-D electrophoresis of AAP extracts revealed 125 protein spots from which 13 were IgE reactive. These IgE-binding proteins were identified as enolase, calreticulin, probable pectate lyase 6, conserved hypothetical protein and ras-related protein RHN1-like. By our knowledge, this study is the first report identifying AAP allergens. These findings will open up further avenues for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of the AAP allergy as well as for the cloning and molecular characterization of relevant allergens. Biological significance: Ailanthus altissima colonizes new areas every year in Iran and is spreading aggressively worldwide. According to USDA, the tree of heaven is now present as an invasive plant in 30 states in US (www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/treeheaven.shtml) and come to dominate large areas in many regions. Up to now, several cases of allergy to A. altissima pollen have been reported in United States, Italy and Iran [14]. However, there is still no information on the sensitizing allergens and the molecular origin of these clinical symptoms, which constitutes a serious threat to patients suffering from respiratory allergies in these regions. To our knowledge, the current study describes, therefore, the first panel of proteins responsible for IgE-mediated A. altissima pollinosis by using a gel-based proteomic approach. This work represents the pioneer proteomic investigation on Simaroubaceae spp. and provides useful insights for further studies on the allergens of this widely distributed plant family. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an approach of static and dynamic visualizations synchronized along with source code in a web-based programming environment, JavelinaCode. Using JavelinaCode, student programmers can write Java programs directly in a frontend web browser without any software or plug-in installation. They are provided with a view of the static state of a Java program in UML class diagrams and the dynamic run-time state of the program by stepping forwards and backwards through program execution. A case study has revealed that our approach is useful, in particular, to trace and detect an object flow anomaly caused by method overriding and polymorphism. A preliminary comparison test result also has shown that through our web-based platform-independent environment, student programmers are freed from concern with continuous version changes and evolutions of the Java language, plug-ins, and operating systems.
Riparian and floodplain tree-like emergent vegetation alter significantly the flow field and lead to complicated three-dimensional flow patterns, characterized by increased turbulence production, with the potential to induce morphological changes. The canopy presence in tree-like vegetation leads to the formation of lee wake vortices and can induce a strong subcanopy flow. The present experimental study employs artificial, rigid, tree-like emergent vegetation elements, with relatively simple structure, in order to investigate the canopy effects on the flow field. Specifically, the tree-like canopy is simulated by placing an element on top of a wooden rod simulating the trunk. Three elements with an equal encircling diameter of 16 cm are examined as canopy in tree-like vegetation, namely a circular cylinder and two hexagonal arrays comprising smaller circular cylinders with two different individual diameters. The experiments were conducted in a 26 m long laboratory flume and the velocity measurements were carried out with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. The results show that the canopy porosity has a direct impact on the subcanopy flow intensity and on the required distance that the flow needs to recover. In addition, the subcanopy flow disrupts the formation of a steady wake region behind the entire porous element and inhibits the development of a recognizable von Karman vortex street.
Models based on deep convolutional networks have dominated recent image interpretation tasks; we investigate whether models which are also recurrent are effective for tasks involving sequences, visual and otherwise. We describe a class of recurrent convolutional architectures which is end-to-end trainable and suitable for large-scale visual understanding tasks, and demonstrate the value of these models for activity recognition, image captioning, and video description. In contrast to previous models which assume a fixed visual representation or perform simple temporal averaging for sequential processing, recurrent convolutional models are doubly deep in that they learn compositional representations in space and time. Learning long-term dependencies is possible when nonlinearities are incorporated into the network state updates. Differentiable recurrent models are appealing in that they can directly map variable-length inputs (e.g., videos) to variable-length outputs (e.g., natural language text) and can model complex temporal dynamics; yet they can be optimized with backpropagation. Our recurrent sequence models are directly connected to modern visual convolutional network models and can be jointly trained to learn temporal dynamics and convolutional perceptual representations. Our results show that such models have distinct advantages over state-of-the-art models for recognition or generation which are separately defined or optimized.
Sorting-related receptor with A-type repeats (SORLA) is an intracellular sorting receptor that directs cargo proteins, such as kinases, phosphatases, and signaling receptors, to their correct location within the cell. The activity of SORLA assures proper function of cells and tissues, and receptor dysfunction is the underlying cause of common human malignancies, including Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and obesity. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms that govern sorting of SORLA and its cargo in multiple cell types, and why genetic defects in this receptor results in devastating diseases.
Synthetic polyesters have deeply impacted various biomedical and engineering fields, such as tissue scaffolding and therapeutic delivery. Currently, many applications involving polyesters are being explored with polymers derived from monomers that are endogenous to the human metabolism. Examples of these monomers include glycerol, xylitol, sorbitol, and lactic, sebacic, citric, succinic, alpha-ketoglutaric, and fumaric acids. In terms of mechanical versatility, crystallinity, hydrophobicity, and biocompatibility, polyesters synthesized partially or completely from these monomers can display a wide range of properties. The flexibility in these macromolecular properties allows for materials to be tailored according to the needs of a particular application. Along with the presence of natural monomers that allows for a high probability of biocompatibility, there is also an added benefit that this class of polyesters is more environmentally friendly than many other materials used in biomedical engineering. While the selection of monomers may be limited by nature, these polymers have produced or have the potential to produce an enormous number of successes in vitro and in vivo.
Geo-fencing has been predicted to be a multi-billion dollar market in areas such as retail, ambient intelligence, entertainment, healthcare, etc. Businesses have been adopting geo-fencing technology, and now there are several platform providers such as Google, Qualcomm, Esri, Urban Airship, and others. These tools are continuing to attract application developers; however, best practices for choosing the specific performance options within this technology is still ambiguous. For example, Esri provides a geo-trigger service that allows developers to send targeted messages to users when they enter, exit, or dwell in a geo-fenced area. This service also provides the ability to choose higher levels of accuracy or battery saving by offering different location tracking profiles. This paper investigated two geo-trigger tracking profiles (Fine and Adaptive) to assess their performance in small, outdoor, geo-fenced areas; these two profiles are the most accurate but vary in their battery-use. The results show the Adaptive tracking profile to provide 100% reliability and average accuracy of 68.53 meters in geo-fences between 20-70 meter radii. In addition, the Adaptive tracking profile saved 15.20% battery-life while the user is stationery and 9.23% while the user is moving. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The present article retrieves the idea of justice of Alain Badiou, with the aim of contributing to enunciate some terms that will identify and combat the doctrinal morality underlying the work performance of basic education teachers. Concepts from Labour Sociology, Lacanian psychoanalysis and Post-foundational philosophy are worked, in order to reflect the light in reference to the overemphasis in discipline and bureaucracy in basic education. They also served to sustain the argument that applied the idea of Alain Badiou's justice on the field of formal school education which requires: a) to fight against the prejudice that programs and regulations drawn up by experts, automatically result in an improvement, b) to defend the idea of justice as a faithful and disciplined action around the equality and dignity of bodies with ideas. The work of teachers is proposed as the first instance from which they should start their training in the idea of justice for equality between bodies with ideas. As a central contribution, the term of quasipolitical is understood as the act of state, in the inability of crossing the disappearing division of labour between experts and simple executors.
Personality traits are patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that are relatively consistent over time and across situations. Judging the traits of others and of oneself is a ubiquitous and consequential activity of daily life, which raises two important questions. First, how does accurate personality judgment happen? According to the Realistic Accuracy Model ( RAM), accuracy in such judgments is achieved when relevant behavioral information is available to and detected by a judge who then utilizes that information correctly. Second, when are personality judgments accurate? The RAM identifies four principal moderators of accurate personality judgment, which are properties of the target of judgment, the trait that is judged, the information upon which the judgment is based (i.e., its quantity and quality), and the individual making the judgment. People usually manage to make personality judgments that are accurate enough for navigation of the complex social world; research on accuracy seeks to understand how and when this happens.
The prevalence of pediatric food allergies has increased in children by 50% from 1997 to 2011, affecting 1 in 13 children in the United States. Food allergies can have short- and long-term emotional and physical consequences, which may result in challenges for both children and caregivers. Currently, to our knowledge, there are no low-cost, easily available, evidence-based psychosocial resources for children with food allergies and their families. The Cellie Coping Kit for Food Allergies was created to address this need. This study examined the acceptability and feasibility of the Cellie Coping Kit as an intervention and explored the learning outcomes associated with the kit. Twenty-five children (between ages 7 and 13 with 1 or more food allergies) and their caregivers were recruited from an outpatient clinic while participating in an oral food challenge. Children and caregivers were introduced to the Cellie Coping Kit following their food challenge. Four weeks later, follow-up assessments were completed to evaluate participants' impressions of the intervention. The results suggest that children and caregivers found the Cellie Coping Kit acceptable and feasible. Most (80%-100%) participants thought the intervention materials were trustworthy, found the kit easy to use, liked the appearance of the kit, and would recommend the intervention to others. Approximately 65% of children and 60% of caregivers reported learning from the Cellie Coping Kit. The Cellie Coping Kit for Children with Food Allergies was generally well received by children with food allergies and their families. The Cellie Coping Kit can be used to help facilitate dialog between children and caregivers about food allergy-related issues. While results are promising, additional research (especially in younger children and those newly diagnosed) is needed to determine if the intervention is achieving targeted goals (ie, coping behaviors and improved adherence to medical recommendations).
Sizing storage for rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems is often a difficult design consideration, as the system must be designed specifically for the local rainfall pattern. We introduce a generally applicable method for estimating the required storage by using regional regression equations to account for climatic differences in the behavior of RWH systems across the entire continental United States. A series of simulations for 231 locations with continuous daily precipitation records enable the development of storage-reliability-yield (SRY) relations at four useful reliabilities, 0.8, 0.9, 0.95, and 0.98. Multivariate, log-linear regression results in storage equations that include demand, collection area and local precipitation statistics. The continental regression equations demonstrated excellent goodness-of-fit (R-2 0.96-0.99) using only two precipitation parameters, and fits improved when three geographic regions with more homogeneous rainfall characteristics were considered. The SRY models can be used to obtain a preliminary estimate of how large to build a storage tank almost anywhere in the United States based on desired yield and reliability, collection area, and local rainfall statistics. Our methodology could be extended to other regions of world, and the equations presented herein could be used to investigate how RWH systems would respond to changes in climatic variability. The resulting model may also prove useful in regional planning studies to evaluate the net benefits which result from the broad use of RWH to meet water supply requirements. We outline numerous other possible extensions to our work, which when taken together, illustrate the value of our initial generalized SRY model for RWH systems.
Xylazine is used in veterinary medicine for sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia. It has also been reported to be misused as a horse doping agent, a drug of abuse, a drug for attempted sexual assault, and as source of accidental or intended poisonings. So far, no data concerning human metabolism have been described. Such data are necessary for the development of toxicological detection methods for monitoring drug abuse, as in most cases the metabolites are the analytical targets. Therefore, the metabolism of xylazine was investigated in rat and human urine after several sample workup procedures. The metabolites were identified using gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with linear ion trap high-resolution multistage MS (MS (n) ). Xylazine was N-dealkylated and S-dealkylated, oxidized, and/or hydroxylated to 12 phase I metabolites. The phenolic metabolites were partly excreted as glucuronides or sulfates. All phase I and phase II metabolites identified in rat urine were also detected in human urine. In rat urine after a low dose as well as in human urine after an overdose, mainly the hydroxy metabolites were detected using the authors' standard urine screening approaches by GC-MS and LC-MS (n) . Thus, it should be possible to monitor application of xylazine assuming similar toxicokinetics in humans.
This paper presents the results of studying the spatial distribution of the maximum monthly rainfall within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) using geographic information systems (GIS). Isohyetal maps were constructed based on long historical rainfall depth data (1963-2013) of 255 rain gauges, after processing the data using different interpolation methods and their conversion to grid raster. Six interpolation methods were used: (a) kriging, (b) spline, (c) natural neighbor, (d) inverse distance weighting (IDW), (e) modified Shepard, and (f) triangulation with linear interpolation (TIN). Estimations of the rainfall at the rain gauges were compared to the observed measurements as controls and the method that resulted in minimum residuals and minimum standard deviation; in this case, the IDW was selected for the study. The percentage of residuals within +/- 2.0 mm were found to be 98 % for IDW, modified Shepard, and TIN, 97 % for natural neighbor, 90 % for spline, and 32 % for kriging. While identifying potential water harvesting sites depends on many factors, such as watershed area, topography, morphology, and rainfall, the results of this study can be used for the primary selection of water harvesting sites based on rainfall being the most important factor.
This paper describes the use of a methodology for value stream mapping and analysis of Manufacturing Engineering New Product Introduction processes. The applicability and usefulness of the technique to process improvement in this domain is explored in a case study where the production system for a new component part is planned and proven. This analysis enables an improvement strategy for the Manufacturing Engineering process to be successfully outlined.
Young bisexual women experience worse mental and sexual health outcomes in comparison to their heterosexual and lesbian peers. These disparities are associated with stigma and devaluation of bisexual identities. The current paper addresses a community-based focus group project in which participants discussed bisexual stigma in regard to bisexual erasure and other stereotypes. Specifically, participants detailed experiences of feeling pressured to provide evidence of their bisexual identity, modifying their relationship or sexual behavior to conform to these expectations, as well as feeling excluded from queer community. Further, participants discussed how these experiences were related to decreased mental and sexual health. Future research should further investigate the relationship between bisexual stigma, pressure to provide evidence of bisexual identity, and negative mental and sexual health outcomes.
Although the prevalence with which food causes asthma is not well known, food allergy is implicated in a variety of respiratory symptoms. Eighty-two asthmatic children aged 6-16 years with doctor-diagnosed sensitization to inhalants and presenting with asthma exacerbation participated in this study of food allergies linked to asthma exacerbations. The diagnosis of food allergy was established using a questionnaire, clinical criteria, serum-specific IgE antibody measurements, and an atopy patch test. Asthma exacerbation was determined using fractional exhaled nitric oxide management after the children were admitted to the hospital. On the basis of questionnaire data, suspected food allergy was identified in 59.8% children. The positive and negative rates of serum food-specific IgE tests were 54.9% and 45.1%, respectively. The results of atopy patch tests in radioallergosorbent-positive participants were 88.9% positive and 12.5% negative. Food allergy is a risk factor for asthma exacerbation, and evaluation of food allergy in selected patients with asthma is indicated.
There is a significant clinical need for engineered bone graft substitutes that can quickly, effectively, and safely repair large segmental bone defects. One emerging field of interest involves the growth of engineered bone tissue in vitro within bioreactors, the most promising of which are perfusion bioreactors. Using bioreactor systems, tissue engineered bone constructs can be fabricated in vitro. However, these engineered constructs lack inherent vasculature and once implanted, quickly develop a necrotic core, where no nutrient exchange occurs. Here, we utilized COMSOL modeling to predict oxygen diffusion gradients throughout aggregated alginate constructs, which allowed for the computer-aided design of printable vascular networks, compatible with any large tissue engineered construct cultured in a perfusion bioreactor. We investigated the effect of 3D printed macroscale vascular networks with various porosities on the viability of human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro, using both gas-permeable, and non-gas permeable bioreactor growth chamber walls. Through the use of 3D printed vascular structures in conjunction with a tubular perfusion system bioreactor, cell viability was found to increase by as much as 50% in the core of these constructs, with in silico modeling predicting construct viability at steady state.
Unresolved experimental Lyme arthritis in C3H (5-LOX)(-/-) mice is associated with impaired macrophage phag-ocytosis of Borrelia burgdorferi. In the present study, we further investigated the effects of the 5-LOX metabolite, (LT)B-4, on phagocytosis of B. burgdorferi. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) from 5-LOX-/- mice were defective in the uptake and killing of B. burgdorferi from the earliest stages of spirochete internali-zation. BMDM from mice deficient for the LTB4 high-affinity receptor (BLT1(-/-)) were also unable to efficiently phagocytose B. burgdorferi. Addition of exogenous LTB4 augmented the phagocytic capability of BMDM from both 5-LOX-/- and BLT1(-/-) mice, suggesting the low-affinity LTB4 receptor, BLT2, might be involved. Blocking BLT2 activity with the specific antagonist, LY255283, inhibited phagocytosis in LTB4-stimulated BLT1(-/-) BMDM, demonstrating a role for BLT2. However, the lack of a phagocytic defect in BLT2(-/-) BMDM suggested this was a compensatory effect. In contrast, 12-HHT, a natural BLT2-specific high-affinity ligand, and RvE1, a BLT1 agonist, were both unable to boost phagocytosis in BMDM from either 5-LOX-/- or BLT1(-/-) mice, suggesting a specific role for LTB4 in mediating phagocytosis in murine macrophages. This study demonstrates LTB4 promotes macrophage phagocytosis of bacteria via BLT1, and that BLT2 can fulfil this role in the absence of BLT1.
Individuals with obesity in Western societies often face weight-related stigmatization and social exclusion. Recurrent exposure to prejudice and negative social feedback alters one's behavior in future social interactions. In this study, we aimed to investigate autonomic nervous system and affective responses to social interactions in individuals with obesity. Women and men with (n = 56) and without (n = 56) obesity participated in episodes of social inclusion and social exclusion using a virtual ball-tossing game. During the experiment, heart rate was measured and parasympathetic activity (overall high-frequency power and event-related cardiac slowing) was analyzed. Our results show that in novel social interactions, women with obesity, relative to the other groups, exhibited the strongest increase in parasympathetic activity. Furthermore, parasympathetic activity was related to a more negative body image in individuals with obesity, but not in lean individuals. Additionally, women with obesity reported a stronger decrease in mood after social exclusion than did the other participants. Our results demonstrate influences of objective and subjective bodily characteristics on parasympathetic cardio-regulation during social interactions. In particular, they show behavioral and physiological alterations during social interactions in women with obesity.
This paper presents the findings of an integrated household water treatment and reuse system for agriculture in La Soukra, Tunisia. The researchers found that the system has an internal rate of return of 17% and a net present value range from USD 26,000 (at a 5% discount rate) to USD 11,000 (for a 10% discount rate). Benefits included more water for irrigation, reduced costs to service providers, increased agricultural production from greenhouses and expanded agricultural options. These results suggest that investments in rainwater harvesting and greywater treatment at the farm level can increase the financial feasibility of peri-urban farms, which are often faced with pressure from urban growth. The systems can also help build household resilience to broader environmental change by lowering the exposure of farmers to burdens associated with infrequent access to water and poor-quality soil.
A smart community is a distributed system consisting of a set of smart homes which utilize the smart home scheduling techniques to enable customers to automatically schedule their energy loads targeting various purposes such as electricity bill reduction. Smart home scheduling is usually implemented in a decentralized fashion inside a smart community, where customers compete for the community level renewable energy due to their relatively low prices. Typically there exists an aggregator as a community wide electricity policy maker aiming to minimize the total electricity bill among all customers. This paper develops a new renewable energy aware pricing scheme to achieve this target. We establish the proof that under certain assumptions the optimal solution of decentralized smart home scheduling is equivalent to that of the centralized technique, reaching the theoretical lower bound of the community wide total electricity bill. In addition, an advanced cross entropy optimization technique is proposed to compute the pricing scheme of renewable energy, which is then integrated in smart home scheduling. The simulation results demonstrate that our pricing scheme facilitates the reduction of both the community wide electricity bill and individual electricity bills compared to the uniform pricing. In particular, the community wide electricity bill can be reduced to only 0.06 percent above the theoretic lower bound.
This paper reports fabric circuit boards (FCBs), a new type of circuit boards, that are three-dimensionally deformable, highly stretchable, durable and washable ideally for wearable electronic applications. Fabricated by using computerized knitting technologies at ambient dry conditions, the resultant knitted FCBs exhibit outstanding electrical stability with less than 1% relative resistance change up to 300% strain in unidirectional tensile test or 150% membrane strain in three-dimensional ball punch test, extraordinary fatigue life of more than 1 000 000 loading cycles at 20% maximum strain, and satisfactory washing capability up to 30 times. To the best of our knowledge, the performance of new FCBs has far exceeded those of previously reported metal-coated elastomeric films or other organic materials in terms of changes in electrical resistance, stretchability, fatigue life and washing capability as well as permeability. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation illustrate that the structural conversion of knitted fabrics is attributed to the effective mitigation of strain in the conductive metal fibres, hence the outstanding mechanical and electrical properties. Those distinctive features make the FCBs particularly suitable for next-to-skin electronic devices. This paper has further demonstrated the application potential of the knitted FCBs in smart protective apparel for in situ measurement during ballistic impact.
Background and Objectives: Mortality from substance misuse has a constantly changing pattern, with notable rising trends in certain regions of the country. In particular, Camden County, New Jersey has historically struggled with this problem. Because of its inclusion of Camden City, with its high poverty rate and high availability of illicit drugs, and the broader regional impact of the economic recession, analysis of substance misuse-related death in this population might facilitate understanding of these contributory factors in the development and maintenance of addiction and resulting mortality. Methods: Mortality and population data were obtained from public sources (N= 516). Subjects' demographic information and substance profile found at death were investigated for regression and trend analysis. Results: Across the study period, an overwhelming majority of subjects were white adult males. Opiate derivatives were the highest offending agent, occurring in 83.7% of deaths, followed by stimulants (50.3%) and benzodiazepines (38.4%). Furthermore, 24.4% of subjects were found to have 3 or more substances at death. No significant trends were found in mortality rates, but Camden County had significantly higher rates of drug mortality than the rest of New Jersey for the study period. Conclusions and Scientific Significance: This study highlights the opiate epidemic as a major player in Camden County, but also notes significant mortality contributions from stimulant drugs and benzodiazepines in the setting of polysubstance use elicited at the time of death. It is imperative to focus on basic needs (particularly housing) and outpatient long-term programs, rather than inpatient rehabilitation, especially in a population with high poverty rate.
A 400-800 MHz spectrum sensing system is designed and implemented using 0.18-mu m CMOS technology for cognitive radios in the UHF TV band. Based on envelope detection, the system employs a down converter, a digitally controlled oscillator, a low-pass filer (LPF), a rectifier, a comparator, and a digital control unit to realize spectrum sensing with 10-bit frequency representation. With variable-gain function of the LPF, signal strength can be measured and presented with a 5-bit signal strength index.
Psychological science that examines racial and gender bias, primarily located within social psychology, has tended to discount the ways in which race and gender mutually construct each other. Lay conceptions of racial and gender discrimination tend to see racism as primarily afflicting men and sexism primarily afflicting White women, when in fact race and gender are interrelated and work together intersectionally. Ignoring women's experiences of racial discrimination produces androcentric conceptions of racisms-in other words, many definitions of racial discrimination are to some degree sexist (Goff et al., 2008). Similarly, privileging the experiences of White women produces narrow definitions of gender discrimination-in other words, many definitions of gender discrimination are to some degree racist, such that they serve to reinforce the current societal hierarchies. Psychological science sometimes appears to reflect such conceptions. The result is that the social science principally responsible for explaining individual-level biases has developed a body of research that can undervalue the experiences of non-White women (Goff et al., 2008). This article examines features of social psychological science and its research processes to answer a question suggested by this framing: is the current psychological understanding of racism, to some extent, sexist and the understanding of sexism, to some extent, racist? We argue here that the instruments that much of social psychological science uses to measure racial and gender discrimination may play a role in producing inaccurate understandings of racial and gender discrimination. We also present original experimental data to suggest that lay conceptions parallel social psychology's biases: with lay persons also assuming that racism is about Black men and sexism is about White women. 2 Finally, we provide some suggestions to increase the inclusivity of psychology's study of discrimination as well as reasons for optimism in this area.
Detecting early enough the anomalous behavior of technical systems facilitates cost savings thanks to avoiding system downtimes, guiding maintenance, or improving performance. The novel framework proposed in this paper processes event streams originating from system monitoring for anomaly detection purposes. Therefore, statistical models characterizing the normal behavior of the monitored system are learned from the events. Instead of having one coarse normal model for all operational states, the proposed framework contains a mechanism for automatically detecting different conditions of the systemallowing for fine-tuned models for every condition. The performance of the framework is demonstrated by means of a real-world application, where the log files of a large-scale printing machine are analyzed for anomalies.
Objectives: Hong Kong has among the highest mobile phone usage rates in Asia. Although the mobile phone may foster adolescents' communication with parents and peers, there is also concern that some teens may become dependent on the mobile phone. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the Mobile Phone Dependence Questionnaire (MPDQ) in a sample of young adolescents. Method: The MPDQ was translated and validated in a Hong Kong sample of adolescents (N = 733) from S1 (ages 11-12), S2 (ages 12-13), and S5 (ages 16-17) in six schools representing various levels of socioeconomic status. A subset of 27 students participated in focus groups on the topic of adolescents' mobile phone usage. Result: Confirmatory factor analysis identified three psychological factors represented in adolescents' responses to the MPDQ: compulsive text messaging, making and receiving a high number of calls, and obsessive thinking about using the mobile phone. Using the criterion of a score 2 standard deviations above the mean, 3.41% of students would be classified as showing mobile phone dependency, with a higher rate among females than males. Discussion: Positive examples of mobile phone usage were mobile parenting to monitor children, and children's use of the phone to seek mobile tutoring from teachers. E-counselling and e-tutoring are suggested as ways to provide support to adolescents using technology that is already an integral part of their lives.
Purpose of Review The purpose of this review is to summarize the evidence from recently published original studies investigating how glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene polymorphisms modify the impact of air pollution on asthma, allergic diseases, and lung function. Recent Findings Current studies in epidemiological and controlled human experiments found evidence to suggest that GSTs modify the impact of air pollution exposure on respiratory diseases and allergies. Of the nine articles included in this review, all except one identified at least one significant interaction with at least one of glutathione S-transferase pi 1 (GSTP1), glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1), or glutathione S-transferase theta 1 (GSTT1) genes and air pollution exposure. The findings of these studies, however, are markedly different. This difference can be partially explained by regional variation in the exposure levels and oxidative potential of different pollutants and by other interactions involving a number of unaccounted environment exposures and multiple genes. Summary Although there is evidence of an interaction between GST genes and air pollution exposure for the risk of respiratory disease and allergies, results are not concordant. Further investigations are needed to explore the reasons behind the discordancy.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors distinguished by driver mutations in proto-oncogenes KIT or PDGFRA in 85-90% of cases. These mutations have been linked to the response to imatinib, a multikinase inhibitor, and have independent prognostic impact. Here, we describe the prospective study of the molecular characteristics of 104 GISTs from French adult patients analyzed routinely through the National Hospital Program of Molecular Cancer Diagnosis. All patients with GISTs diagnosed at the University Hospital of Besancon between August 2005 and October 2014 were prospectively included in the present study. KIT, PDGFRA and KRAS-codons 12 and 13 as well as BRAF codon 600 mutations were analyzed by Sanger sequencing or SNaPshot. KIT and PDGFRA mutations were detected in 71.2 and 19.2% of the cases, respectively. A total of 43 different mutations were detected of which 13 had never been described. As expected, KIT exon 9 and PDGFRA exon 18 mutations were associated with small bowel and gastric localizations respectively. No mutation was found in KRAS and BRAF. Molecular studies are critical to improve the management of GISTs. Our study enhances the current knowledge by describing 13 new mutations in KIT. A common molecular pattern in all KIT exon 11 substitutions is also described for the first time in this study but its significance remains unknown since genetic and environmental risk factors favoring the development of GISTs such as DNA repair defects and exposure to carcinogens are not currently known.
Di-iso-nonylphthalate (DINP), a complex mixture of predominantly nine-carbon branched chain dialkyl phthalate isomers, has replaced di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) as the major plasticiser for polyvinylchloride (PVC) polymers. Similar to DEHP, DINP is a developmental and reproductive toxicant in rodents. This study for the first time describes human metabolism and elimination of DINP in a male volunteer after we applied a single oral DINP dose of 1.27 mg/kg body-weight. To avoid interference by omnipresent background exposure we used deuterium-labelled DINP. We investigated the urinary excretion of the simple monoester mono-iso-nonylphthalate (MINP) and oxidised isomers with hydroxy (OH-MINP), oxo (oxo-MINP) and carboxy (carboxy-MINP) functional groups. We used isomeric MINP and three specific oxidised isomer standards for quantification: mono-(4-methyl-7-hydroxy-octyl)phthalate (70H-MMeOP), mono-(4-methyl-7-oxo-octyl)phtalate (7oxo-MMeOP) and rnono-(4-methyl-7-carboxyheptyl)phthalate (7carboxy-MMeHP). These specific DINP metabolites are currently the only synthetic DINP metabolite standards available. Within 48 h we recovered 43.6% of the applied dose in urine as the above DINP metabolites, 20.2% as OH-MINP, 10.7% as carboxy-MINP, 10.6% as oxo-MINP and only 2.2% as MINP. Other oxidised DINP metabolites not determined in this study probably increase the share of the DINP dose excreted via urine. Elimination followed a multi-phase pattern, elimiation half-lives in the second phase (beginning 2411 post-dose) can only roughly be estimated to be 12h for the OH- and oxo-MNP-metabolites and 18h for carboxy-MINP metabolites. After 24h, the carboxy-MINP metabolites replaced the OH-MINP metabolites as the major urinary metabolites. All oxidised DINP metabolites are suitable parameters for biomonitoring human DINP exposure. (c) 2006 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Objectives: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection induces production of CD13-specific autoantibodies, which may promote inflammation and tissue damage. HCMV infection has been suggested as a cause of biliary atresia (BA), but little is known of its role in other forms of neonatal cholestasis. We studied serum levels of CD13-specific autoantibodies in mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis of different causes, including BA, and in mothers of healthy, term infants without cholestasis, as well as in healthy blood donors. Methods: Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, we measured CD13-specific autoantibody levels in serum from the above-mentioned groups. In addition, the effect of serum from mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis was tested on the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages. Results: CD13-specific autoantibodies were found in mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis, but not in mothers of infants without cholestasis and healthy blood donors, and were associated with HCMV seropositivity. Sera from mothers of infants with all forms of neonatal cholestasis inhibited differentiation of monocytes into macrophages, but this was not dependent on CD13-specific autoantibodies. Conclusions: The significantly higher frequency of CD13-specific autoantibodies in mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis of all forms compared with mothers of healthy infants without cholestasis suggests an association, but does not prove that they are pathogenic. The presence of CD13-specific autoantibodies does not correlate with HCMV IgG serostatus, suggesting a more complicated mechanism that possibly reflects active HCMV infection in these individuals. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether these autoantibodies contribute to the development of cholestasis or represent an epiphenomenon.
An accurate, fast-running and stable six-group, point kinetics (PK) model is developed and applied successfully to the dynamic simulation of the operation of the prismatic core, high temperature next generation nuclear plant (NGNP) reactor. The model is unrestricted by the size of the time step, which could be as much as several seconds, accounts for Doppler Broadening and the fuel and graphite temperature reactivity feedbacks, and includes an active neutron source for zero-power reactor startup. An efficient and robust numerical technique that approximates the exponential matrix using 7th order-accurate Pade(3,3) function with a discretization error on the order of (Delta t)(3), solves the coupled nonlinear and stiff six-groups point kinetics equations. The PK model handles reactivity insertions in excess of a prompt critical, rho/(beta) over bar>$1.0, with unrestrictive time step size. Model results are successfully benchmarked using the Inhour solution for a step insertion of external reactivity. To simulate the transient response of the NGNP reactor following an external reactivity insertion and during a startup, the PK model is coupled to 84-nodes thermal-hydraulics model of the reactor, also developed in this work. With a 2 s time step, the error of predicting the reactor thermal power is similar to 0.001%, increasing exponentially to similar to 0.08% and similar to 1.5% with increased time step size to 5 and 8 s, respectively. The present PK model has been successfully incorporated into MELCOR-H-2 nuclear reactor analysis code to simulate transient operation of Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) for electricity generation, using a Closed Brayton Cycle turbomachinery, and the co-generation of hydrogen using Sulfur Iodine (SI) thermo-chemical processes. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Most countries have started to educate students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools, but it remains unclear how inclusive attitudes towards students with SEN can be promoted. Aims: This study investigated the role of adolescents' friendships and socio-moral competencies for their attitudes towards the inclusion of students with SEN. Specifically, we studied whether adolescents without SEN would develop more inclusive attitudes if they had close friendships with SEN students and if they expressed negative emotions about social exclusion. Methods: Adolescents' inclusive attitudes and their emotions were gathered from survey data of 1225 Swiss students aged 11-13. Social network data were collected to assess adolescents' friendship relationships. Results: The results indicated that adolescents' friendship closeness with SEN students positively related to their inclusive attitudes. However, this was only true for adolescents who anticipated more negative than positive emotions if a student with SEN was excluded. Implications: These findings highlight the role of friendship relationships between adolescents with and without SEN and adolescents' socio-moral experiences for their attitudes towards the inclusion of peers with SEN. Thus, inclusive education may benefit from promoting friendships among students with and without SEN as well as adolescents' sociomoral competencies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rationale: Forkhead box P3(+) T regulatory cells (Tregs) are key players in maintaining immune homeostasis. Evidence suggests that Tregs respond to environmental cues to permit or suppress inflammation. In atherosclerosis, Th1-driven inflammation affects Treg homeostasis, but the mechanisms governing this phenomenon are unclear. Objective: Here, we address whether atherosclerosis impacts Treg plasticity and functionality in Apoe(-/-) mice, and what effect Treg plasticity might have on the pathology of atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: We demonstrate that atherosclerosis promotes Treg plasticity, resulting in the reduction of CXCR3(+) Tregs and the accumulation of an intermediate Th1-like interferon (IFN)-gamma(+) CCR5(+) Treg subset (Th1/Tregs) within the aorta. Importantly, Th1/Tregs arise in atherosclerosis from bona fide Tregs, rather than from T-effector cells. We show that Th1/Tregs recovered from atherosclerotic mice are dysfunctional in suppression assays. Using an adoptive transfer system and plasticity-prone Mir146a-/-Tregs, we demonstrate that elevated IFN gamma(+)Mir146a(-/-)Th1/Tregs are unable to adequately reduce atherosclerosis, arterial Th1, or macrophage content within Apoe(-/-) mice, in comparison to Mir146a(+/+) Tregs. Finally, via single-cell RNA-sequencing and real-time-polymerase chain reaction, we show that Th1/Tregs possess a unique transcriptional phenotype characterized by coexpression of Treg and Th1 lineage genes and a downregulation of Treg-related genes, including Ikzf2, Ikzf4, Tigit, Lilrb4, and Il10. In addition, an ingenuity pathway analysis further implicates IFN gamma, IFN alpha, interleukin-2, interleukin-7, CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4), T-cell receptor, and Csnk2b-related pathways in regulating Treg plasticity. Conclusions: Atherosclerosis drives Treg plasticity, resulting in the accumulation of dysfunctional IFN gamma(+) Th1/Tregs that may permit further arterial inflammation and atherogenesis.
RNA modifications have long been known to be central in the proper function of tRNA and rRNA. While chemical modifications in mRNA were discovered decades ago, their function has remained largely mysterious until recently. Using enrichment strategies coupled to next generation sequencing, multiple modifications have now been mapped on a transcriptome-wide scale in a variety of contexts. We now know that RNA modifications influence cell biology by many different mechanisms by influencing RNA structure, by tuning interactions within the ribosome, and by recruiting specific binding proteins that intersect with other signaling pathways. They are also dynamic, changing in distribution or level in response to stresses such as heat shock and nutrient deprivation. Here, we provide an overview of recent themes that have emerged from the substantial progress that has been made in our understanding of chemical modifications across many major RNA classes in eukaryotes.
Past work on the political impact of racial diversity has focused on direct effects, demonstrating that diverse environments are associated with more negativeor in some circumstances, more positiveracial attitudes and race-targeted policy preferences. We show that diversity functions in a second way, as a variable that magnifies the political impact of individual differences in the psychological disposition of authoritarianism. Using a national sample, we find that in white areas with minimal diversity, authoritarianism had no impact on racial prejudice, political intolerance, and attitudes toward immigration. As diversity rises, however, authoritarianism plays an increasingly dominant role in political judgment. In diverse environments, authoritarians become more racially, ethnically, and politically intolerant and nonauthoritarians less so. We conceptually replicate these findings in a dorm setting with plausibly exogenous levels of local diversity and discuss the implications of our findings in terms of the various ways in which ethno-racial diversity structures political attitudes.
The stone column is a useful method for increasing the bearing capacity and reducing the settlements of foundations. The confinement provided by the native soft soils has an effective influence on the stone column bearing capacity. In this paper, laboratory tests were performed on unreinforced and reinforced geotextile-encased stone columns. Tests were performed on columns with diameters of 60, 80, and 100 mm and a length to diameter ratio of 5. Vertical encased stone columns (VESC) and horizontal reinforced stone columns (HRSC) were used for stone column reinforcement to investigate the effect of reinforcement type on the bearing capacity. The main objective of this research is to study the efficiency of VESC and HRSC under the same conditions for diameters of 60, 80, and 100 mm. Experimental results show that the bearing capacity of stone columns increases using vertical or horizontal reinforcing material. Moreover, the bearing capacity of reinforced stone columns increases by increasing the strength of reinforcement in both VESC and HRSC. Results show that bulging failure mechanism governed in all tests and that lateral bulging decreases using geotextiles and increasing strength of reinforcement. In addition, for both VESC and HRSC, the stress concentration ratio of the columns also increases.
In this work, a metal nitride interlayer semiconductor (MN-I-S) source/drain (S/D) model is suggested to investigate the effect of titanium nitride (TiN) and tantalum nitride (TaN) on the specific contact resistivity (rho(c)) of an MN-I-S S/D structure in a sub-14 nm n-type Si FinFET. The work function (WF) variation of TiN and TaN was considered based on a Rayleigh distribution. In this model, an undoped interlayer (undoped-IL) or heavily doped interlayer (n(+)-IL) were included to identify the effect of IL doping on rho(c). The structure with an n+-IL provides a very low variation in rho(c) as well as lower rho(c) values (i.e., similar to 4 x 10(-9) Omega.cm(2)). By using three-dimensional technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation, we also investigated the impact of rho(c) variation on device performance. The MN-I-S S/D with an n(+)-IL showed a higher on-state drive current with highly suppressed variation.
The present study aims to develop a dynamic numerical model to describe the growth and interactions between the shoot and root systems of Eichhornia crassipes along the irrigation canals in the Nile Delta, Egypt. While carrying out this study, the shoot and root biomasses of E. crassipes were sampled monthly from April to November 2014 over three irrigation canals in the Nile Delta using five randomly distributed quadrats (each 0.5 x 0.5 m) at each canal. Two state variables, shoot and root systems biomasses, were considered to follow the growth of E. crassipes. The biomass of each organ was simulated to incorporate the net growth of the plant as a function of photosynthesis, respiration, mortality and translocation from the shoot to the root system. After validating the model with data from the Nile Delta, it was verified using four independent sets of published field data: 19A degrees 50'S (Brazil), 19A degrees 57'N (Mexico), 29A degrees 38'N (USA) and 30A degrees 33'N (China). The level of agreement between the simulated values and actual field data indicated that the model was capable of simulating the total biomass of E. crassipes over a wide range of latitudes. Global sensitivity analysis showed that of all the parameters that were used, the model was most sensitive to the maximum photosynthetic growth rate. Based on our results, we recommend the following: first, if E. crassipes is used to remove water pollution or in animal feed, manure, mulch, or the production of biogas, pulp and paper, then E. crassipes stands should be harvested at peak net production. Second, if the main purpose of E. crassipes management is to suppress its growth or eradicate the plant from an irrigation canal, then the harvest should be at the point of the minimum net production.
This paper highlights the digital control problems and issues during the controller design and suggests the solutions to resolve them. For this purpose, digital controller designed on the basis of digital redesign or emulation technique is applied to a buck converter working in continuous conduction mode. Nonlinearities due to the ADC and DAC quantizers, loop-delay, etc. are introduced into the control loop and their adverse effects on performance are interrogated. The nonlinearities are suppressed by retuning the digital controller. The order of the controller may increase and require more resources for its implementation. The quantizers' nonlinearities add quantization noise into the loop and may cause offsets and limit cycle oscillations (LCOs). The overall phase margin gets reduced due to the delay thus keeping the bandwidth limited and leading the system towards instability. The well-tuned loop remains asymptotically stable if the nonlinearities are neglected. MATLAB/Simulink environment is used to address all the issues.
AimsBoth amyloid deposition and neuroinflammation appear in the early course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the progression of neuroinflammation and its relationship with amyloid deposition and behavioral changes have not been fully elucidated. A better understanding the role of neuroinflammation in AD might extend our current knowledge to therapeutic intervention possibilities. MethodsThis study systematically characterized changes in behavioral abnormalities in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Brain pathology measures were performed in post-mortem brain tissues of mice from 2 to 22months. ResultsAPP/PS1 mice exhibited significant memory deficits from 5months old, which were aggravated at the later stage of life. However, the degree of memory impairments reached a plateau at 12months. An early appearance of amyloid plaques was at 3months with a linear increase throughout the disease course. CD11b-positive microglia and glial fibrillary acidic protein-(GFAP) positive astrocytes were first detected at 3months with a close association with amyloid plaques. Yet, the rate of changes in glial activation slowed down from 12months despite the steady increase in A. ConclusionThese findings provided evidence that neuroinflammation might be involved in the development and progression of cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice, suggesting novel intervention and prevention strategies for AD.
Male secondary sexual traits and female mate choice traits must contain heritable variation for sexual selection to operate. However, for female mate choice, especially, this is poorly known. To complicate matters, both male sexual traits and female mate choice typically show condition dependence, implying that environmental effects probably play an important synergistic role. Using a cross-fostering design, we therefore aimed to disentangle genetic, environmental and their potential interacting effects to investigate how they affect the expression of a sexually selected trait (here birdsong) and female mate choice. To assess environmental effects, we focused on the role of the social environment and thus on learned components. Among the different male song traits investigated, we found a high heritability for song bout length and song bout repertoire, as well as an intriguing gene-by-environment interaction for song bout repertoire. Specifically, the tutor appeared to negatively affect the song bout repertoire of the tutee when his genetic father had a large song bout repertoire but had a positive effect on descendants from fathers with small song bout repertoires. In contrast, we did not detect significant heritability in female mate choice. Female mate choice contained a learned component as females significantly disfavoured their foster father in the mate choice tests, indicating a learned inbreeding avoidance. Thus, our study provides important insights into the role of the social environment for both birdsong and female mate choice. However, the absence of a heritable component in female mate choice suggests a need for studies investigating the heritability of female preferences for (heritable) male song traits in order to gain a better understanding of a potential coevolution between male sexual traits and female mate choice. Overall, our results suggest that indirect genetic effects acting during the pre- and postfledging social contexts may play a prominent role in sexual selection. (C) 2017 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background and objectives: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) have both garnered empirical support for the effective treatment of social anxiety disorder. However, not every patient benefits equally from either treatment. Identifying moderators of treatment outcome can help to better understand which treatment is best suited for a particular patient. Methods: Forty-nine individuals who met criteria for social anxiety disorder were assessed as part of a randomized controlled trial comparing 12 weeks of CBT and ACT. Pre-treatment avoidance of social situations (measured via a public speaking task and clinician rating) was investigated as a moderator of post-treatment, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up social anxiety symptoms, stress reactivity, and quality of life. Results: Public speaking avoidance was found to be a robust moderator of outcome measures, with more avoidant individuals generally benefitting more from CBT than ACT by 12-month follow-up. In contrast, clinician-rated social avoidance was not found to be a significant moderator of any outcome measure. Limitations: Results were found only at 12-month follow-up. More comprehensive measures of avoidance would be useful for the field moving forward. Conclusions: Findings inform personalized medicine, suggesting that social avoidance measured behaviorally via a public speaking task may be a more robust factor in treatment prescription compared to clinician-rated social avoidance. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
We test an information theory of prosocial behavior whereby ego utility and self-signaling crowd out the effect of consumption utility on choice. The data come from two field experiments involving purchases of a consumer good bundled with a charitable donation. Across experimental cells, we randomize the price level and the donation level. A model-free analysis of the data reveals nonmonotonic regions of demand when the good is bundled with relatively large charitable donations. Subjects also self-report lower ratings of feeling good about themselves when offered bundles with large donations and price discounts. The evidence suggests that price discounts crowd out consumer self-inference of altruism. Alternative motivation-crowding theories are rejected due to their inability to explain the nonmonotonic data moments. The standard use of interaction effects and other falsification checks to explore the underlying choice mechanism in an experimental setting is complicated in our self-signaling context. Instead, a novel feature of our analysis consists of using the experimental data to estimate the structural form of a model of consumer demand with self-signaling. We specify a model in which consumers obtain both consumption and ego utility from their choices. Ego utility derives from a consumer's posterior self-beliefs after making her choice. An estimator is proposed that handles the potential multiplicity of equilibria that can arise in the self-signaling model. The model estimates allowus to quantify the economic role of ego utility and to explore the underlying signaling mechanism. Nested tests reject the hypothesis of no self-signaling. Alternative model specifications that potentially allow for nonmontonic demand without the self-signaling structure exhibit an inferior fit to the data. The model estimates imply that consumer response to the donations are mainly driven by ego utility and not by consumption utility (i.e., not by altruistic motives). The findings from the combination of a field experiment and a structural model contribute to a growing literature on self-signaling and consumer behavior by quantifying the magnitude of self-signaling on preferences and choices. The results also have implications for the design of a cause marketing campaign and the potential negative synergies between price and nonprice promotions.
Accurate person perception is crucial in social decision-making. One of the central elements in successful social perception is the ability to understand another's response bias; this is because the same behavior can represent different inner states depending on whether other people are yea-sayers or naysayers. In the present study, we have tried to investigate how the internal biases of others are perceived. Using a multi-trial learning paradigm, perceivers made predictions about a target's responses to various suggested activities and then received feedback for each prediction trial-by-trial. Our hypotheses were that (1) the internal decision criterion of the targets would be realized through repeated experiences, and (2) due to positive-negative asymmetry, yea-sayers would be recognized more gradually than naysayers through the probabilistic integration of repeated experiences. To find neural evidence that tracks probabilistic integration when forming person knowledge on response biases, we employed a model-based fMRI with a State-Space Model. We discovered that person knowledge about yea-sayers modulated several brain regions, including caudate nucleus, DLPFC, hippocampus, etc. Moreover, when person knowledge was updated with incorrect performance feedback, brain regions including the caudate nucleus, DLPFC, dmPFC, and TPJ were also involved. There were overlapping regions for both processes, caudate nucleus and DLPFC, suggesting that these regions take crucial roles in forming person knowledge with repeated feedback, while reflecting acquired information up to the current prediction. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and its actions are related to the behavioral effects of psychostimulant drugs. In the last two decades, basic neuroscience research and preclinical studies with animal models are suggesting a critical role for glutamate transmission in drug reward, reinforcement, and relapse. Although most of the interest has been centered in post-synaptic glutamate receptors, the presynaptic synthesis of glutamate through brain glutaminases may also contribute to imbalances in glutamate homeostasis, a key feature of the glutamatergic hypothesis of addiction. Glutaminases are the main glutamate-producing enzymes in brain and dysregulation of their function have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disorders; however, the possible implication of these enzymes in drug addiction remains largely unknown. This mini-review focuses on brain glutaminase isozymes and their alterations by in vivo exposure to drugs of abuse, which are discussed in the context of the glutamate homeostasis theory of addiction. Recent findings from mouse models have shown that drugs induce changes in the expression profiles of key glutamatergic transmission genes, although the molecular mechanisms that regulate drug-induced neuronal sensitization and behavioral plasticity are not clear.
Nowadays Web services are one of the most commonly used technologies for distributed system integration and interoperability. Recently, a new communication technique called Web Sockets has appeared for implementing Web services that offer a true server-push mechanism. In this paper we present a system based on it to manage agent communications, and we motivate its use in an Assistive Technologies use case. A new Web Socket Message Transport Protocol is described and an implementation for the Jade platform is presented. Subscription based agent interaction for the use case is presented, along with a comparison between Web Socket and HTTP Message Transport Protocols.
In this study, a proton conducting solid oxide fuel cell (layered H+-SOFC) is prepared by introducing a La(2)NiO(4)perovskite oxide with a Ruddlesden-Popper structure as a catalyst layer onto a conventional Ni + BaZr(0.4)Ceo(0.4)Y(0.2)O(3-delta) (NiO + BZCY4) anode for in situ CO2 dry reforming of methane. The roles of the La2NiO4 catalyst layer on the reforming activity, coking tolerance, electrocatalytic activity and operational stability of the anodes are systematically studied. The La2NiO4 catalyst layer exhibits greater catalytic performance than the NiO + BZCY4 anode during the CO2 dry reforming of methane. An outstanding coking resistance capability is also demonstrated. The layered H+-SOFC consumes H-2 produced in situ at the anode and delivers a much higher power output than the conventional cell with the NiO + BZCY4 anode. The improved coking resistance of the layered H+-SOFC results in a steady output voltage of similar to 0.6 V under a constant current density of 200 mA cm(-2). In summary, the H+-SOFC with La2NiO4 perovskite oxide is a potential energy conversion device for CO2 conversion and utilization with cogeneration of electricity and syngas. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate (IGF-II/M6P) receptor is a multifunctional single transmembrane glycoprotein. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the structure, ligand-binding properties, and trafficking of the IGF-II/M6P receptor. This receptor has been implicated in a variety of important cellular processes including growth and development, clearance of IGF-II, proteolytic activation of enzymes, and growth factor precursors, in addition to its well-known role in the delivery of lysosomal enzymes. The IGF-II/M6P receptor, distributed widely in the central nervous system, has additional roles in mediating neurotransmitter release and memory enhancement/consolidation, possibly through activating IGF-II-related intracellular signaling pathways. Recent studies suggest that overexpression of the IGF-II/M6P receptor may have an important role in regulating the levels of transcripts and proteins involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-the prevalent cause of dementia affecting the elderly population in our society. It is reported that IGF-II/M6P receptor overexpression can increase the levels/processing of amyloid precursor protein leading to the generation of beta-amyloid peptide, which is associated with degeneration of neurons and subsequent development of AD pathology. Given the significance of the receptor in mediating the transport and functioning of the lysosomal enzymes, it is being considered for therapeutic delivery of enzymes to the lysosomes to treat lysosomal storage disorders. Notwithstanding these results, additional studies are required to validate and fully characterize the function of the IGF-II/M6P receptor in the normal brain and its involvement in various neurodegenerative disorders including AD. It is also critical to understand the interaction between the IGF-II/M6P receptor and lysosomal enzymes in neurodegenerative processes, which may shed some light on developing approaches to detect and prevent neurodegeneration through the dysfunction of the receptor and the endosomal-lysosomal system.
Background: Protein contact dermatitis has frequently been reported in case studies (usually in cases involving contact with seafood products), but there are very few descriptive series. The objectives of this present study were firstly to determine the incidence of protein contact dermatitis among fishermen in France and compare it with data from onshore work involving seafood exposure. Second, to discover what factors could explain any differences. In order to answer these questions we analysed data from the French national occupational disease surveillance and prevention network (RNV3P) and occupational diseases declared to the French National Network for Monitoring and Prevention of Occupational Disease. This retrospective study was done for a 13 year period. Case presentation: Between 2000 and 2012, we only found eight cases of protein contact dermatitis in the French network. There were no cases of protein contact dermatitis in the seafaring population. The eight cases from the French network are essentially allergies to different fish and chefs are the professionals most affected. Atopy is present in half of these cases. In the seafaring population we found several cases of allergic delayed-time contact dermatitis due to bryozoans and to gloves but no protein contact dermatitis. Conclusions: Chefs who have to cook seafood are more at risk of occupational protein contact dermatitis than fishermen. We think that skin protection (that is to say glove wearing) is better implemented in the fishing sector than in the catering profession on shore in France.
A combined experimental and computational study of the transfer of transparent index-matched silica-particle inks between two flat plates is presented for gravure printing applications. The influence of printing speed and initial ink droplet size on the ability to accurately transfer ink during the printing process is explored systematically. Smooth interface volume of fluid simulations show the same trends as the ink transfer observed in experiments over a wide range of printing speeds and for inks having different silica particle loadings. Our calculations indicate that for ink droplets with characteristic dimensions in the vicinity of 10 mu m, which are of particular interest for gravure printing applications, ink transfer improves significantly due to the diminishing effect of gravity, and the increased importance of capillary forces at small length scales. VC 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1419-1429, 2017
Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) infrastructure are conventionally designed based on historical climate data. Yet, variability in rainfall intensities and patterns caused by climate change have a significant impact on the performance of an urban drainage system. Although rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a potential solution to manage stormwater in urban areas, its benefits in mitigating the climate change impacts on combined sewer networks have not been assessed yet. Hence, the goal of the present study was set to evaluate the effectiveness of RWH in alleviating the potential impacts of climate change on CSOs. To do so, first, future rainfall was achieved through the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) based on modified historical record. Then, rainfall-runoff modeling was employed using the U.S. EPA Stormwater management model (SWMM) to study the response of CSO outfalls to future rainfall. The study site was the combined sewer network of the City of Toledo, Ohio. Results showed that under the maximum impact scenario in the near future, climate change might cause up to approximately 12-18% increase in CSOs occurrence, volume and duration in Toledo. However, an RWH plan with the capacity of 0.76 m(3) (200 gal) implemented on half on the buildings throughout the area, appeared to be able to mitigate the potential future impacts, and showed a remarkable controlling performance in the peak flow periods. This plan also met toilet flushing demands. Therefore, RWH can be considered as a feasible solution to mitigate future climate change impacts on CSOs and supply water demands. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a mathematical model describing blood flow in the deforming porous channel is solved numerically. The blood flow is considered as a micropolar fluid flow. The governing system of nonlinear partial differential equations is reduced to a nonlinear system of ordinary boundary value problem by using some suitable similar transformations. An efficient numerical technique based on the integration radial basis function process, IRBF, coupled with collocation method is performed to approximate the solution of the boundary value problem. Numerical results are presented through the figures and tables to demonstrate efficiency, accuracy, and convergence of the method. Moreover, the effects of various embedded model parameters such as expansion ratio, slip coefficient and others on flow velocity profiles have been explained graphically.
Background: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria are resistant to several types of antibiotics excluding carbapenems. A transmissibility of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae would be depending on each bacterial property, however, that has not been elucidated in clinical setting. In this study, we attempted to identify the source of an outbreak of ESBL-producing bacteria in a medical oncology and immunology care unit. Methods: An ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) outbreak observed between July 2012 and August 2012 in Kagawa University Hospital was surveyed using various molecular microbiology techniques. We used Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), PCR-based ESBL gene typing, and direct sequence of ESBL gene as molecular microbiology typing method to distinguish each strain. Results: The typical prevalence of ESBL-E isolation in the unit was 7.0 per month (1.7 per week). The prevalence of ESBL-E isolation during the target research period was 20.0 per month (5.0 per week). In total, 19 isolates (11 K. pneumoniae and 8 E. coli) were obtained from clinical samples, including four control strains (two each of both bacteria), that were physically different from those obtained from other inpatient units in our hospital. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for K. pneumoniae (digested by XbaI) produced similar patterns excluding one control strain. PCR classification of the ESBL gene for K. pneumoniae revealed that all strains other than the control strain carried SHV and CTX-M-9. This result was reconfirmed by direct DNA sequencing. Although the outbreak of K. pneumoniae was considered to be clonal, PFGE and PCR classification of the ESBL genes for E. coli uncovered at least six different non-clonal strains possessing individual ESBL gene patterns. According to the result of an antibiogram, the pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility was more variable for K. pneumoniae than for E. coli. Conclusions: Typing by PFGE and ESBL gene PCR analysis is practical for discriminating various organisms. In our cohort, two outbreaks were concomitantly spread with different transmission strategies, namely clonal and non-clonal, in the same unit. This might represent clinical evidence that transmissibility differs according to the type of strain. We speculated that patient-to-patient transmission of ESBL-E occurred according to the properties of each individual strain.
Introduction: Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) resulting from genetic Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been described only once. Whether familial CBS-AD is a distinct clinical entity with its own imaging signature remains unknown. Methods: Four individuals with CBS from two families underwent detailed assessment. For two individuals, regional atrophy and hypoperfusion were compared to autopsy-confirmed typical late-onset AD and corticobasal degeneration, as well as genetically proven PSEN1 cases with an amnestic presentation. Results: One family harbored a novel mutation in PSEN1: p.Phe283Leu. MRI demonstrated severe parietal, perirolandic, and temporal atrophy, with relative sparing of frontal and ipsilateral hippocampal regions. Autopsy confirmed pure AD pathology. The other family harbored a known PSEN1 mutation: p.Gly378Val. Discussion: This report confirms familial CBS-AD as a distinct clinical entity, with a parietal-perirolandic-temporal atrophy signature. It illustrates the clinical heterogeneity that can occur despite a shared genetic cause and underscores the need for biomarkers such as amyloid imaging during life. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.
The red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) indigenous to the mountains of the western United States are high-elevation specialists that could face range reduction due to climatic warming, as well as potential encroachment, loss of adaptive alleles, and displacement by introduced nonnative red foxes. We investigated the genetic integrity of the native Rocky Mountain red fox (V. v. macroura) in Colorado through analysis of the composition, distribution, and patterns of gene flow between native and nonnative red fox populations along an elevational gradient. The study area spanned the high plains around Denver in the east to the alpine zone of the Rocky Mountains adjacent to Gunnison and Crested Butte in the west. We used microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Colorado foxes, along with previously published reference data from other native western and nonnative populations, to evaluate the distribution of native versus nonnative ancestry and its relationship to elevation, distance, and landscape type. Nonnative red fox ancestry predominated in Denver and low-lying areas, whereas native ancestry was most prevalent at high elevations. The genetic integrity of foxes at higher elevations (i.e., within the historical native range) was greater in terms of mtDNA than nuclear DNA, consistent with higher male-mediated gene flow. Nonnative admixture was most pronounced in human-altered landscapes. Our findings provide baseline data necessary to monitor future trends of these Rocky Mountain red fox populations and highlight the potential for similar threats to affect genetic integrity of endangered montane red fox subspecies along the Pacific Crest.
Assessment of human body composition has stimulated the need for an understanding of available methodologies of estimating fat-free mass and percent body fat. In our study, we found statistical significant changes of body composition evaluated by multi-frequency bioelectrical analysis in a group of athletes following creatine supplementation. These results are consistent with literature i.e. supplemented creatine effects osmolality of cell's membranes which leads to increased intracellular water retention. Multi-frequency BIA can be considered to be an accurate and sensitive method for assessment of human body composition.
We investigate the electrical characteristics according to changing temperature on trap distribution in the energy gap of grain boundary (GB) and interface trap density (D-it) between polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) channel and tunnel oxide in Vertical NAND (VNAND) flash cell with poly-Si channel. We confirmed that there are two factors changing GB potential barrier height such as trap distribution in GB and Dit using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. Also, we found that the electrical characteristics according to changing temperature are significantly dependent on height and position of GB potential barrier in VNAND flash cell with poly-Si channel. We expect that it is required to develop more accurate extraction method for trap distribution in each GB and Dit for better understanding temperature dependence of electrical characteristics in VNAND Flash cell.
With the rapid increase in computational power of mobile devices the amount of ambient intelligence-based smart environment systems has increased greatly in recent years. A proposition of such a solution is described in this paper, namely real time monitoring of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal during everyday activities for identification of life threatening situations. The paper, being both research and review, describes previous work of the authors, current state of the art in the context of the authors' work and the proposed aforementioned system. Although parts of the solution were described in earlier publications of the authors, the whole concept is presented completely for the first time along with the prototype implementation on mobile device-a Windows 8 tablet with Modern UI. The system has three main purposes. The first goal is the detection of sudden rapid cardiac malfunctions and informing the people in the patient's surroundings, family and friends and the nearest emergency station about the deteriorating health of the monitored person. The second goal is a monitoring of ECG signals under non-clinical conditions to detect anomalies that are typically not found during diagnostic tests. The third goal is to register and analyze repeatable, long-term disturbances in the regular signal and finding their patterns.
Despite providing water-related services as the primary purpose of urban water system (UWS), all relevant activities require capital investments and operational expenditures, consume resources (e.g. materials and chemicals), and may increase negative environmental impacts (e.g. contaminant discharge, emissions to water and air). Performance assessment of such a metabolic system may require developing a holistic approach which encompasses various system elements and criteria. This paper analyses the impact of integration of UWS components on the metabolism based performance assessment for future planning using a number of intervention strategies. It also explores the importance of sustainability based criteria in the assessment of long-term planning. Two assessment approaches analysed here are: (1) planning for only water supply system (WSS) as a part of the UWS and (2) planning for an integrated UWS including potable water, stormwater, wastewater and water recycling. WaterMet(2) model is used to simulate metabolic type processes in the UWS and calculate quantitative performance indicators. The analysis is demonstrated on the problem of strategic level planning of a real-world UWS to where optional intervention strategies are applied. The resulting performance is assessed using the multiple criteria of both conventional and sustainability type; and optional intervention strategies are then ranked using the Compromise Programming method. The results obtained show that the high ranked intervention strategies in the integrated UWS are those supporting both water supply and stormwater/wastewater subsystems (e.g. rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling schemes) whilst these strategies are ranked low in the WSS and those targeting improvement of water supply components only (e.g. rehabilitation of clean water pipes and addition of new water resources) are preferred instead. Results also demonstrate that both conventional and sustainability type performance indicators are necessary for strategic planning in the UWS. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
As a model for human tissue, this report considers the rate of free radical generation in a dilute solution of water in which a beta-emitting radionuclide is uniformly dispersed. Each decay dissipates a discrete quantity of energy, creating a large number of free radicals in a short time within a small volume determined by the beta particle range. Representing the instantaneous dissipated power as a train of randomly-spaced pulses, the time-averaged dissipated power p and rate of free radical generation-g are derived. The analogous result in the theory of electrical circuits is known as the shot noise theorem. The reference dose of X-rays D-ref producing an identical rate of free radical generation and level of oxidative stress is shown a) to increase with the square root of the absorbed dose, D, and b) to be far larger than D. This finding may have important consequences for public health in cases where the level of shot noise exceeds some noise floor corresponding to equilibrium biological processes. An estimate of this noise floor is made using the example of potassium-40, a beta-emitting radioisotope universally present in living tissue. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Today, with the economic globalization, the cultural and creative industries boomingly became one of the promising industries with great growing potential recognized internationally in twenty-first Century, can achieve enormous economic benefits and social benefits. Although there are many scholars no matter who are from domestic and abroad undertake discussing from different point of view, there are still many problems and shortcomings, especially in the areas around Beijing and Tianjin, Hubei Province cultural and creative industry also cannot ignore the problems to be solved urgently.
Several human diseases are caused by metabolism defects. Discovering the mechanisms that govern the onset and progression of human metabolism-related diseases is not a straightforward process. Computational approaches, such as the flux balance analysis, have been successfully used to extract useful knowledge on the metabolic dysregulation processes from genome-scale network models. In this work, we propose a novel approach which integrates constraint-based techniques with model checking methods, with the aim to extract relevant qualitative information from a metabolic network model. As a case study, we applied our methodology to the simulation and analysis of the primary hyperoxaluria type I, an inherited disease in which the lack of a particular liver enzyme causes the kidney to accumulate excessive amounts of oxalate.
Background: Controversy exists regarding possible correlation of periodontal disease with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Confounding factors may relate to stringency of inflammatory disease diagnosis and the effect of therapeutic intervention for RA on periodontal disease. These factors are investigated in this study. Methods: Forty-five individuals with documented RA (n = 15), spondyloarthropathy (n = 15), and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD) (n = 15), from the Hamann-Todd collection of human skeletons compiled from 1912 to 1938, and 15 individuals contemporarily incorporated in the collection were examined for tooth loss, cavity occurrence, average and maximum lingual and buccal depth of space between tooth and bone, periosteal reaction, serpentine bone resorption, abscess formation, and root penetration of the bone surface and analyzed by analysis of variance. Results: Tooth loss was common, but actual number of teeth lost, cavity occurrence, average and maximum lingual and buccal depth of space between tooth and bone, periosteal reaction, serpentine grooving surrounding teeth (considered a sign of inflammation), abscess formation, and root exposure (penetration of bone surface) were indistinguishable among controls and individuals with RA, spondyloarthropathy, and CPPD. Conclusions: Although many factors can affect periodontal disease, presence of inflammatory arthritis does not appear to be one of them. The implication is that dental disease was common in the general population and not necessarily associated with arthritis, at least before the advent of modern rheumatologic medications. As specific diagnosis did not affect prevalence, perhaps current prevalence controversy may relate to current intervention, a subject for further study.
Remote sensing observations are extensively used for analysis of environmental variables. These variables often exhibit spatial correlation, which has to be accounted for in the calibration models used in predictions, either by direct modelling of the dependencies or by allowing for spatially correlated stochastic effects. Another feature in many remote sensing instruments is that the derived predictor variables are highly correlated, which can lead to unnecessary model over-training and at worst, singularities in the estimates. Both of these affect the prediction accuracy, especially when the training set for model calibration is small. To overcome these modelling challenges, we present a general model calibration procedure for remotely sensed data and apply it to airborne laser scanning data for forest inventory. We use a linear regression model that accounts for multicollinearity in the predictors by principal components and Bayesian regularization. It has a spatial random effect component for the spatial correlations that are not explained by a simple linear model. An efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling scheme is used to account for the uncertainty in all the model parameters. We tested the proposed model against several alternatives and it outperformed the other linear calibration models, especially when there were spatial effects, multicollinearity and the training set size was small. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway. The prevalence of this disorder is strictly dependent on its gravity. At >= 15 events/h apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), it ranges from 6 to 17% in the general population, with higher rates in men and increasing with age. The hypoxia induced by OSA severely affects the structure and function of blood vessels, culminating in mortality and morbidity. Its negative impact influences also cognitive functioning. Recent papers showed the relationship between OSA and some neurological disorders, such as neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, epilepsy, and headache. OSA may accelerate the onset of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and might also represent an independent risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). OSA is also frequent in multisystem atrophy. In the early stages of AD, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment might slow down the progression of the disease, thus highlighting the potential importance of OSA screening and a timely intervention in these patients. Moreover, CPAP is effective in reducing daytime sleepiness in PD. OSA may induce seizures by means of sleep disruption and deprivation, as well as cerebral hypoxemia with consequent oxidative stress. It has been demonstrated that CPAP treatment is efficacious in controlling epileptic seizures. OSA can represent a risk factor for stroke and death, mainly related to the endothelial dysfunction, with the formation of atherosclerosis caused by hypoxia through oxidative stress. CPAP treatment in patients with OSA and stroke, if delivered in the early stages, is able to increase the magnitude of neurologic improvement after the vascular accident. There is a strong association between OSA and headache. In particular, there is a sleep apnea headache described as a recurrent morning headache, with resolution after effective treatment of sleep apnea. This review clearly shows the importance of taking asleep history in neurological patients and considering the diagnosis and specific treatment of OSA in these patients.
The theme of the article is protection of electrical circuits against negative sequence currents both with sinusoidal and trapezoidal waveforms. The suggested solution is enhancement of instrument current transducers used in industrial relaying and control applications. The instrument negative sequence current transducer connected to Rogowski coils designed by the authors is presented in the article. To protect circuits with extremely non-sinusoidal currents (such as trapezoidal waveforms), instrument transducers with 2nd order low pass filter are suggested. In the presence of higher-order harmonics in the protected three-phase circuit the low pass filter will reduce the THD in the output voltage of instrument negative sequence current transducer (as compared to harmonics in currents of the protected circuit) and compensate for the differentiation effect typical of such transducer schemes. The paper may be of interest for investigators and engineers engaged in research, design and commissioning of protection and control equipment, current instrument and measurement devices used in industrial applications, and also for undergraduate and postgraduate students in electrical engineering. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autism spectrum disorder diagnoses sometimes change due to misdiagnosis, maturation, or treatment. This study uses a probability-based national surveythe Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Servicesto compare currently diagnosed (n=1420) and previously diagnosed (n=187) children aged 6-17years based on retrospective parental reports of early concerns about their children's development, responses to those concerns by doctors and other healthcare providers, the type of provider who made the first autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, and the autism spectrum disorder subtype diagnoses received (if any). Propensity score matching was used to control for differences between the groups on children's current level of functioning and other current characteristics that may have been related to diagnosis loss. Approximately 13% of the children ever diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were estimated to have lost the diagnosis, and parents of 74% of them believed it was changed due to new information. Previously diagnosed children were less likely to have parents with early concerns about verbal skills, nonverbal communication, learning, and unusual gestures or movements. They were also less likely to have been referred to and diagnosed by a specialist. Previously diagnosed children were less likely to have ever received a diagnosis of Asperger's disorder or autistic disorder.
The present paper details the development of a cost-effective Fall-Detection and-Intervention System (FaDIS) based on Wireless Sensor Network technologies. The system is designed to integrate into existing low-tech homes, to enable Ambient Assisted Living environments, where software and hardware devices attempt to facilitate a safe and proactive independent living. FaDIS is designed to operate both as an add-on component to existing centralized solutions (complete or otherwise) and as an integral yet independent component of decentralized, scalable, and expandable solutions. Accordingly, FaDIS was implemented in two parts. Part 1 was developed as a scaled proof-of-concept that served as the foundation for Part 2, which is the principal focus of the paper. In Part 2, FaDIS is developed as a fully operational, real-scale system that uses a self-healing mesh network protocol, where its own BeagleBone Black development platform serves as the sink node, and where two Class 2M 10 degrees line lasers are used in conjunction with light dependent resistors to gauge the probabilities of an emergency event based on the estimated dimensions of the collapsed object. In both parts, if FaDIS construes the probabilities of an emergency event as high, the same series of corresponding robotic response-actions intervene locally while automated notifications are sent to emergency-personnel, care-takers, and/or family members via both wireless and cellular technologies. A series of sample runs are detailed and described in the present work in order to demonstrate and to argue for the feasibility and functionality of FaDIS as both a Fall-Detection and -Intervention System in particular and as a WSN-based system in general. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Three-dimensional symmetric tensor fields have a wide range of applications in solid and fluid mechanics. Recent advances in the (topological) analysis of 3D symmetric tensor fields focus on degenerate tensors which form curves. In this paper, we introduce a number of feature surfaces, such as neutral surfaces and traceless surfaces, into tensor field analysis, based on the notion of eigenvalue manifold. Neutral surfaces are the boundary between linear tensors and planar tensors, and the traceless surfaces are the boundary between tensors of positive traces and those of negative traces. Degenerate curves, neutral surfaces, and traceless surfaces together form a partition of the eigenvalue manifold, which provides a more complete tensor field analysis than degenerate curves alone. We also extract and visualize the isosurfaces of tensor modes, tensor isotropy, and tensor magnitude, which we have found useful for domain applications in fluid and solid mechanics. Extracting neutral and traceless surfaces using the Marching Tetrahedra method can cause the loss of geometric and topological details, which can lead to false physical interpretation. To robustly extract neutral surfaces and traceless surfaces, we develop a polynomial description of them which enables us to borrow techniques from algebraic surface extraction, a topic well-researched by the computer-aided design (CAD) community as well as the algebraic geometry community. In addition, we adapt the surface extraction technique, called A-patches, to improve the speed of finding degenerate curves. Finally, we apply our analysis to data from solid and fluid mechanics as well as scalar field analysis.
In applications involving digital control, the set of admissible control actions is finite/quantized. Coupled with state constraints and fast dynamics, explicit model predictive control (EMPC) provides an attractive control formalism. However, the design of data-driven EMPCs with finite admissible control sets is a challenging and relatively unexplored problem. In this paper, a systematic data-driven method is proposed for the design of quantized EMPCs (Q-EMPCs) for time-varying output tracking in nonlinear systems. The design involves: 1) sampling the admissible state space using low-discrepancy sequences to provide scalability to higher dimensional nonlinear systems; 2) at each sampled data point, solving for optimal quantized model predictive control actions and determining feasibility of the intrinsic mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem; and 3) constructing the Q-EMPC control surface using multiclass support vector machines (MC-SVMs). In particular, four widely used MC-SVM algorithms are employed to construct the proposed data-driven Q-EMPC. Extensive testing and comparison among the different MC-SVM algorithms is performed on 2-D and 5-D benchmark examples to demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed methodology.
Isogeometric analysis (IGA) fundamentally seeks to bridge the gap between engineering design and high-fidelity computational analysis by using spline functions as finite element bases. However, additional computational design paradigms must be taken into consideration to ensure that designers can take full advantage of IGA, especially within the context of design optimization. In this work, we propose a novel approach that employs IGA methodologies while still rigorously abiding by the paradigms of advanced design parameterization, analysis model validity, and interactivity. The entire design lifecycle utilizes a consistent geometry description and is contained within a single platform. Because of this unified workflow, iterative design optimization can be naturally integrated. The proposed methodology is demonstrated through an IGA-based parametric design optimization framework implemented using the Grasshopper algorithmic modeling interface for Rhinoceros 3D. The framework is capable of performing IGA-based design optimization of realistic engineering structures that are practically constructed through the use of complex geometric operations. We demonstrate the framework's effectiveness on both an internally pressurized tube and a wind turbine blade, highlighting its applicability across a spectrum of design complexity. In addition to inherently featuring the advantageous characteristics of IGA, the seamless nature of the workflow instantiated in this framework diminishes the obstacles traditionally encountered when performing finite-element-analysis-based design optimization. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Reverse routing can be used to transfer flood- or pollution-related information monitored at a downstream gauging station to an ungauged upstream cross-section. This signal identification problem is ill-posed and, as such, is sensitive to perturbations in the data to be inverted; therefore, the amplification of errors, e.g., those befalling measurements, must be controlled. Storage routing models are parsimonious diffusion wave substitutes and well suited for conversion to direct reverse routers. We present efficient inversion frameworks based on the lag-and-route (single reservoir plus exact reverse lag-step) and the reservoirs-in-series models. In both cases we invert a centred finite difference scheme of the reservoir storage balance equation that involves only one value of the unknown signal; signal values identified in previous reverse time steps, which would carry perturbations, are absent. This simple structure endows the reverse scheme with robustness. Procedures are verified with perfect and with error-seeded data; solution oscillations caused by the latter are damped by low-pass filtering. Both inverse routing models regain the upstream signals with high fidelity. Reverse storage routing is exemplified in a demonstration of reservoir control and in a field case of solute transport in a stream.
We propose that asymmetric dependence between individuals (i.e., power) produces asymmetric social distance, with high-power individuals feeling more distant than low-power individuals. From this insight, we articulate predictions about how power affects (a) social comparison, (b) susceptibility to influence, (c) mental state inference and responsiveness, and (d) emotions. We then explain how high-power individuals' greater experienced social distance leads them to engage in more abstract mental representation. This mediating process of construal level generates predictions about how power affects (a) goal selection and pursuit, (b) attention to desirability and feasibility concerns, (c) subjective certainty, (d) value-behavior correspondence, (e) self-control, and (f) person perception. We also reassess the approach/inhibition theory of power, noting limitations both in what it can predict and in the evidence directly supporting its proposed mechanisms. Finally, we discuss moderators and methodological recommendations for the study of power from a social distance perspective.
In this work, we present PolyBlaze, a scalable and configurable multicore platform for FPGA-based embedded systems and systems research. PolyBlaze is an extension of the MicroBlaze soft processor, leveraging the configurability of the MicroBlaze and bringing it into the multicore era with Linux Symmetric Multi-Processor (SMP) support. This work details the hardware modifications required for the MicroBlaze processor and its software stack to enable fully validated SMP operations, including atomic operation support, shared interrupts and timers, and exception handling. New in this work, we present a scalable and flexible memory hierarchy optimized for Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which manages atomic operations and provides support for future flexible memory hierarchies and heterogeneous systems. Also new is an in-depth analysis of key performance characteristics, including memory bandwidth, latency, and resource usage. For all system configurations, bandwidth is found to scale linearly with the addition of processor cores until the memory interface is saturated. Additionally, average memory latency remains constant until the memory interface is saturated; after which, it scales linearly with each additional processor core. Categories and Subject Descriptors: C.5.3 [Computer System Implementation]: Microcomputers; D.4.0 [Operating Systems]: General; B.8.0 [Performance and Reliability]: General
Objectives: Emotional processing abnormalities have been implicated in bipolar disorder (BD) but studies are typically small and uncontrolled. Here, facial expression recognition was explored in a large and naturalistically recruited cohort of BD patients. Methods: 271 patients with BD completed the facial expression recognition task. The effects of current medication together with the influence of current mood state and diagnostic subtype were assessed whilst controlling for the effects of demographic variables. Results: Patients who were currently receiving treatment with lithium demonstrated significantly poorer accuracy in recognising angry faces, an effect that held in a monotherapy sub-analysis comparing those participants on lithium only and those who were medication-free. Accuracy in recognising angry faces was also lower amongst participants currently taking dopamine antagonists (antipsychotics). Higher levels of current depressive symptoms were linked to poorer accuracy at identifying happy faces. Conclusion: Use of lithium and possibly dopamine antagonists may be associated with reduced processing of anger cues in BD. Findings support the existence of mood-congruent negative biases associated with depressive symptoms in BD. Observational cohort studies provide opportunities to explore the substantial effects of demographic, psychometric and clinical variables on cognitive performance and emotional processing.
Automatically describing the content of an image is a fundamental problem in artificial intelligence that connects computer vision and natural language processing. In this paper, we present a generative model based on a deep recurrent architecture that combines recent advances in computer vision and machine translation and that can be used to generate natural sentences describing an image. The model is trained to maximize the likelihood of the target description sentence given the training image. Experiments on several datasets show the accuracy of the model and the fluency of the language it learns solely from image descriptions. Our model is often quite accurate, which we verify both qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, given the recent surge of interest in this task, a competition was organized in 2015 using the newly released COCO dataset. We describe and analyze the various improvements we applied to our own baseline and show the resulting performance in the competition, which we won ex-aequo with a team from Microsoft Research.
Choline was officially recognized as an essential nutrient by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1998. There is significant variation in the dietary requirement for choline that can be explained by common genetic polymorphisms. Because of its wide-ranging roles in human metabolism, from cell structure to neurotransmitter synthesis, choline-deficiency is now thought to have an impact on diseases such as liver disease, atherosclerosis, and, possibly, neurological disorders. Choline is found in a wide variety of foods. Eggs and meats are rich sources of choline in the North American diet, providing up to 430 milligrams per 100 grams. Mean choline intakes for older children, men, women, and pregnant women are far below the adequate intake level established by the IOM. Given the importance of choline in a wide range of critical functions in the human body, coupled with less-than-optimal intakes among the population, dietary guidance should be developed to encourage the intake of choline-rich foods.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa generated extensive controversy over spectators' use of the African vuvuzela trumpet. We asked 123 White American participants about their opinions of vuvuzelas as well as their attitudes towards a variety of racial/ethnic minority groups including immigrants, African Americans, and Latinos. We found that the less participants liked vuvuzelas, the less positively they also tended to feel toward minority groups. Furthermore, respondents who liked vuvuzelas the least were also less generally open to change. These findings suggest that the vuvuzela controversy was about more than just a plastic trumpet - it was also an episode of differential ingroup/outgroup perceptions and a lack of openness to new things.
This paper presents a dual band Digitally-Controlled-Oscillator (DCO) based on Ring-Oscillators (RO) topology with differential input/output at 1.45 GHz is proposed. The circuit has two frequency band which switches by a digital mode bit. Switching between two bands of DCO, will change delay path and power consumption during the run time. A new Source-Coupled-Logic (SCL) based reconfigurable delay element with Schmitt-Trigger (ST) characteristic is used in each stage and 6 bits digital code control their current tails. Power consumption profile with frequency in each band has a steady regime. The proposed designs are fully differential, which is appropriate for low jitter high performance applications. The proposed DCO is simulated by spice with CMOS standard 0.18 mu m @ 1.8 v supply. The frequency, power consumption and jitter in lower band are 455.2 MHz to 505.1 MHz, 1.98 mW (at 455 MHz), 6.04 ps (at 505.1 MHz) and for upper band are from 1.39 MHz to 1.45 MHz, 9.7 mW (at 1.39 GHz) and 3.48 ps (at 1.45 MHz), sequentially. In this paper also circuit analysis of proposed DCO, delay calculation and comparison and analytical equation for frequency bands are obtained. Also, Monte Carlo and PVT test shows acceptable frequency tolerance.
Using data from two measurement networks, we analyse the following aspects of wind speeds over Switzerland to assess the possibility of high wind power penetration: spatial correlation, persistent low wind power conditions and the diurnal and seasonal wind speed patterns. We show that correlation amongst speeds as a function of distance is significantly lower compared to values found in literature. This can be attributed to the complex terrain of the Alps, which has a profound influence on meteorological parameters. Secondly, using extreme value analysis we calculate return levels for low wind power periods. Large differences are found, with return levels ranging from 29 to 1017 h of no power production for a return period of 10 years. No clear spatial pattern was found that can account for these values. However, the length of no-production periods decreases with increasing elevation. Next, we investigate diurnal and seasonal wind speed patterns and show how the different patterns and their intra-annual variation can be explained by local topography. We also find that with increasing elevation mean wind speeds and power production increase, even when accounting for lower air density. Wind speeds are on average higher in winter, and at elevation the relative increase in winter compared to summer is higher. Notable exceptions are explained from topography and carry implications for wind power development. In view of Switzerland's electricity shortage in winter, these findings make a strong claim for wind power development, especially at higher elevations. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The genetic variability of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum populations has been investigated in many countries and, consequently, under different ecological conditions. The first studies were conducted to gather information about the genetic structure of populations sampled in temperate climate areas. Based on DNA fingerprinting analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) data and mycelial compatibility groups, most studies revealed a clonal population structure. Later, using DNA sequences, populations from subtropical regions of North America were reported to be more variable than those from temperate regions. In the past few years, new analyses in temperate, sub-tropical and tropical areas were conducted using microsatellite (SSR) markers. Most studies using SSR reported both high variability and evidence of outcrossing in S. sclerotiorum populations, but evidence of clonality has also been found. Some authors argue that populations from subtropical and tropical areas are more diverse. We argue that the reports of high variability of S. sclerotiorum in tropical or subtropical regions may be due to an increase in the number of studies performed with SSR markers in these regions and in some cases due to inappropriate interpretations of the results.
Rural residential areas and low resident density areas are usually distressed by the lack of municipal infrastructure, which causes a poor supply of water and energy, as well as a shortage of the waste and pollution disposal equipment The courtyard integrated ecological system (CIES) is an example of an ecological engineering solution to this problem. CIES originated in the Hainan rural area of China. This family level symbiotic system was designed by the authors according to a few sustainable principles, such as making good use of local natural resources, low cost, convenience of operation, and resource recycling. CIES systematically integrated a series of single techniques, such as vertical planting, hydroponic farming, artificial wetland, rainwater harvesting and automatic management, and so on. After a brief introduction of the CIES design, this article also studied its economic-environmental benefit with one year of monitoring data and a comparison between the CIES pattern and traditional pattern with both emergy analysis and carbon footprint analysis methods. The results showed that CIES could provide an increase of 75 m(2) of green land, 40 m(3) of green volume and 2400 kg of vegetables for each rural family. In addition, each family could save 277 kWh of electric power, 70.87 t of fresh water, 7.5 kg of chemical fertilizer and 450 g of pesticides each year. Additionally, counting the money saved, each CIES can produce more than 38,000 RMB after 1.28 years of payback. Compared to the traditional living pattern in a local area, the CIES pattern costs only 19.4% of the former's emergy and 49.6% of the carbon footprint of the traditional living pattern. Assuming that CIES is applied to half of the rural households in Hainan Province, each farmer would receive an extra 2842 RMB for each year, the emergy consumed by the system would be reduced by 1.6 x 10(21) sej, and CO2 emissions would be reduced by 1.036 x 10(5) t. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Impaired cognitive empathy is a core social cognitive deficit in schizophrenia associated with negative symptoms and social functioning. Cognitive empathy and negative symptoms have also been linked to medial prefrontal and temporal brain networks. While shared behavioral and neural underpinnings are suspected for cognitive empathy and negative symptoms, research is needed to test these hypotheses. In two studies, we evaluated whether resting-state functional connectivity between data-driven networks, or components (referred to as, inter-component connectivity), predicted cognitive empathy and experiential and expressive negative symptoms in schizophrenia subjects. Study 1: We examined associations between cognitive empathy and medial prefrontal and temporal inter-component connectivity at rest using a group-matched schizophrenia and control sample. We then assessed whether inter-component connectivity metrics associated with cognitive empathy were also related to negative symptoms. Study 2: We sought to replicate the connectivity-symptom associations observed in Study 1 using an independent schizophrenia sample. Study 1 results revealed that while the groups did not differ in average inter-component connectivity, a medial-fronto-temporal metric and an orbito-fronto-temporal metric were related to cognitive empathy. Moreover, the medial-fronto-temporal metric was associated with experiential negative symptoms in both schizophrenia samples. These findings support recent models that link social cognition and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ventilation standards, health, and indoor air quality have not been adequately examined for residential weatherization. This randomized trial showed how ASHRAE 62-1989 (n=39 houses) and ASHRAE 62.2-2010 (n=42 houses) influenced ventilation rates, moisture balance, indoor air quality, and self--reported physical and mental health outcomes. Average total airflow was nearly twice as high for ASHRAE 62.2-2010 (79 vs. 39 cfm). Volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide were all significantly reduced for the newer standard and first--floor radon was marginally lower, but for the older standard, only formaldehyde significantly decreased. Humidity in the ASHRAE 62.2-2010 group was only about half that of the ASHRAE 62-1989 group using the moisture balance metric. Radon was higher in the basement but lower on the first floor for ASHRAE 62.2-2010. Children in each group had fewer headaches, -eczema, and skin allergies after weatherization and adults had improvements in psychological distress. Indoor air quality and health improve when weatherization is accompanied by an ASHRAE residential ventilation standard, and the 2010 ASHRAE standard has greater improvements in certain outcomes compared to the 1989 standard. Weatherization, home repair, and energy conservation projects should use the newer ASHRAE standard to improve indoor air quality and health.
The large majority of classified primary immune deficiency (PID) diseases present in childhood. Yet, most patients with PID are adults, with a large proportion experiencing onset of symptoms beyond their childhood years. Most of these are diagnosed predominantly with antibody defects, but cellular and other disorders are increasingly being identified in older patients as well. Moreover, advances in clinical immunology are allowing pediatric patients, even those with severe disease, to reach adulthood. Because of differences in the physiology and pathophysiology of children and adults, the presentation, diagnosis, and management of a complex chronic disease could differ significantly between these patient populations and therefore require modifications in approach. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The main objective of the paper is to identify the appropriate temporal scale for modeling the behavior of rainwater harvesting tanks in relation to the purpose they are built for, i.e., water saving, stormwater retention potential, etc. A tank water balance model coupled with a specific procedure to determine long-term series of rainfall (tank inflow) and toilet flushes (tank outflow) at different daily and sub-daily resolution timescales was developed. The model was applied to a household case study for which detailed water demand data are available from measurements. Simulations show that the daily scale may be reliably chosen to evaluate the tank water saving efficiency. In contrast, sub-daily resolutions (at least the hourly time step) are needed for the evaluation of the tank retention efficiency to limit inaccuracies, especially for small tanks and for high values of the water demand. Moreover, preliminary results at the 5 min time step show that rainwater tanks can help in reducing the rainfall intensity peak, basically depending on the tank storage and on the rainfall event characteristics.
There is evidence that the neural mechanisms underlying Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) resemble those of drug addiction. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies of the resting state and measures of gray matter volume have shown that Internet game playing was associated with changes to brain regions responsible for attention and control, impulse control, motor function, emotional regulation, sensory-motor coordination. Furthermore, Internet game playing was associated with lower white matter density in brain regions that are involved in decision-making, behavioral inhibition and emotional regulation. Videogame playing involved changes in reward inhibitory mechanisms and loss of control. Structural brain imaging studies showed alterations in the volume of the ventral striatum that is an important part of the brain's reward mechanisms. Finally, videogame playing was associated with dopamine release similar in magnitude to those of drugs of abuse and lower dopamine transporter and dopamine receptor D-2 occupancy indicating sub-sensitivity of dopamine reward mechanisms. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rigid water column (RWC) models simulate the unsteady-incompressible hydraulics of pressurized pipe networks. They conceptually lie between water hammer and quasi-steady models, yet despite their intrinsic strengths, existing RWC formulations suffer efficiency-, stability-, and interpretation-related challenges; thus, they are typically overlooked as a modeling alternative. To address the aforementioned limitations, this article presents the RWC global gradient algorithm (GGA), a novel formulation for pipe networks that has greater efficiency and overcomes the numerical challenges. The RWC GGA extends the generalized GGA (G-GGA) to consider inertial effects in addition to variable-area tanks and mixed (i.e., demand and pressure-dependent) outflows. Two pipe networks of simple and moderate complexity are used to compare the new approach against two other RWC algorithms, the G-GGA, and a water hammer model: the current work is shown to have improved stability and efficiency relative to previous work. The RWC GGA is also found to have a computational cost only slightly greater than that of the G-GGA for the same time-step size. Overall, this work highlights the practical utility of RWC models to simulate slow transient events and controlled operations.
Product manufacturers are extending their responsibilities in the whole life cycle by providing services to their customers. In recent years, product service system has become an important research topic to address the special requirements in the new service driven business model. High value machine tools in modern manufacturing factories are special products: they are regarded as 'products' from maintenance point of view, and they also manufacture other products. In the new business model, the quality and behavior of a machine tool not only affect the quality of the parts it manufactures, but also affect the profits of the machine tool's manufacturer. However, in the research area of product service systems and related computerized maintenance systems, there is a lack of investigation into the special nature, problems and requirements of high value machine tool maintenance, which are very important in modern digitized manufacturing systems. Therefore, this research investigated the various relationships between different stakeholders in the machine tools' lifecycle, focusing on knowledge management, communication and the decision-making processes. This research also explored the potential application of advanced content management systems, which are widely implemented in the financial, business and government organizations, in the manufacturing engineering domain which has been dominated by traditional engineering information systems. A prototype collaborative maintenance planning system is proposed, developed and evaluated using an example machine tool, which indicated that significant improvement could be achieved and the content management technology has a number of advantages over the traditional engineering information systems, such as computer aided engineering, product data and lifecycle management, and enterprise resource planning systems, in managing machine tool maintenance and service information including dynamic and unstructured knowledge. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Performance improvement capability is related to an organization's ability to utilize a fundamental asset, the knowledge that resides with its employees, together with learning from past projects and having good links to external knowledge sources. Firms that develop mechanisms to encourage conversation between individuals and teams to take place, particularly in today's post job security economic climate, can witness performance improvement at the individual and team level, and thence to the overall performance of the organization. This paper reports on performance improvement work that is taking place with the case study company, a post-lean organization, in order to develop its capacity for team and organizational learning and improve its performance in the global marketplace.
The paper presents the study of the magnetic signature for a component equipment of the engine sincron generator located on board a ship built from non-magnetic materials. The equipment is analysed in terms of physical and geometrical similarity criteria. The algorithm for computing the electrical circuits from the global compensation windings was correlated with the ship's geometrical shape. In was taken into consideration the fact that the winding arrangement is symmetrical to the ship diametrical plan, as well as the ship magnetic field. The paper purpose is to realise the equipment permanent and inductive magnetization compensation.
The global industry is currently facing a growing increase in the competitiveness that forces companies to adopt and develop new strategies and methods of production. Therefore, one of the most relevant challenges in manufacturing engineering is innovatively integrating Product, Process and Factory dimensions and life cycles, in a holistic approach, from design to recycling/disposal and reuse. The challenge faced here is the synchronization and simultaneous generation of all three-domain models by integrating manufacturing engineering knowledge into the early stage of the modelling and planning processes. The next generation of factories has to be modular, scalable, flexible, open, agile and knowledge-based in order to be able to adapt, in real time, to the continuously changing market demands, technology options and regulations. Therefore, integration, flexibility and efficiency requirements and the ability to simulate the production life cycle of a factory play a crucial role in decreasing ramp-up and design times. Furthermore they play a crucial role in improving the performance in the evaluation and reconfiguration of new or existing facilities, in supporting management decisions and providing tools that can guarantee real-time performance monitoring. Therefore, it is necessary to research and implement the underlying models and ideas during the foundation stage of a new conceptual framework, which is designed to be implemented in the next generation of factories. This will be supported by suitable Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and digital infrastructures and should lay down the foundations for future applications in this research area the industrial paradigm of Factory as a Product. In line with the context presented here, we propose the development of factory templates to address the design and operation practices throughout the entire life cycle of the factory. Different dimensions of the factory templates are presented in this paper; they cover the design and creation of the factory, its remodelling and even the disassembly and recycling stages. This entire study takes into account relevant factors such as costs, quality, time, flexibility, environmental and social issues and energy efficiency. Throughout the article, different kinds of models are presented, which describe and adjust the structure of the analysis, design and development of a factory integration project that helps provide a formal analysis of the system. Furthermore, templates integrating the factory's response to internal and external disturbances will also be developed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is linked to cervical cancer. With the technological development of molecular biology and epidemiology, detection and treatment of HPV has become an important mean to prevent cervical cancer. Methods: A simple, rapid, and sensitive colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was established herein to detect 23 HPV genotypes. The sequences of the primers for the LAMP reaction were located in the L1 gene of the HPV genome. As it is a fluorescent dye, calcein was added before the reaction. The reaction was run under isothermal conditions at 65 degrees C for 40 minutes. A positive reaction was indicated by a color change from yellow to fluorescent green. The fluorescence curve diagram represents the monitoring of real time quantitative instrument. 450 cervical swab samples from patients with single infections of 23 different HPV genotypes were examined to evaluate the specificity. Results: The results revealed no cross-reaction with other HPV genotypes. A serial dilution of a cloned plasmid containing 23 HPV L1 gene sequences was employed to evaluate the sensitivity. Different HPV subtypes have different detection capability. The sensitivity of different HPV subtypes tested by LAMP assay was in the range from 1.0 x10 to 4.0 x 10(3) copies per reaction. The LAMP assay and the RDB (reverse dot blot) were compared for detecting and genotyping HPV among the 450 clinical samples. There were 385 (85.6%) and 375 (83.3%) HPV positive specimens detected by LAMP and RDB, respectively, as well as 306 (68.0%) and 296 (65.8%) for HR-HPV positive specimens. The agreement between the LAMP and RDB assays was 93.3% (kappa = 0.75) for HPV positivity and 94.7% (kappa = 0.88) for HR-HPV positivity. Conclusions: It was concluded that this colorimetric LAMP assay had potential application for the rapid screening of the HPV infection in resource-limited hospitals or rural clinics.
There is a need for in-situ soil moisture conservation in arid and semi-arid regions due to insufficient rainfall for agriculture. For this purpose, a combination implement [integrated reservoir tillage system (RT)] comprised of a single-row chisel plow, single-row spike tooth harrow, modified seeder, and spiked roller was developed and compared to the popular tillage practices, viz., minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) in an arid Mediterranean environment in Egypt. The different tillage practices were conducted at tillage depths of 15, 20, and 25 cm and forward speeds of 0.69,1, 1.25, and 1.53 m s(-1). Some soil physical properties, runoff, soil loss, water harvesting efficiency and yield of wheat were evaluated. The different tillage practices caused significant differences in soil physical properties as the RT increased soil infiltration, producing a rate of 48% and 65% higher than that obtained in MT and CT, respectively. The lowest values of runoff and soil loss were recorded under RT as 4.91 mm and 0.65 t ha(-1), whereas the highest values were recorded under CT as 11.36 mm and 1.66 t ha(-1), respectively. In conclusion, the RT enhanced the infiltration rate, increased water harvesting efficiency, reduced runoff and achieved the highest yield of wheat. The best tillage operating parameters appeared to be at a tillage depth of 20 cm and speed between 1.00 and 1.25 ms(-1). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The effects of different catchment types and storage conditions on Pseudomonas aeruginosa in harvested rainwater under wet and dry seasons were investigated. Both horizontal (roof intercepted to outlet point) and vertical (surface to bottom) quality variation inside storage tanks of different rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems was also monitored. The numbers of P. aeruginosa varied from 30 to 400 colony forming units (CFU)/100mL during the dry season and 200 to 1800 CFU/100mL during the wet season. A relatively good quality of harvested rainwater was observed in dry season. The horizontal and vertical quality variation of P. aeruginosa revealed best quality at the supply point. The number of P. aeruginosa was the highest (about 1800 and 1000 CFU/100 mL during wet and dry seasons, respectively) in rainwater harvested from mountain catchment while the lowest (about 30 and 1000 CFU/100mL during dry and wet seasons, respectively) numbers was seen from concrete roof catchment. Dark, covered storage conditions resulting low rainwater temperatures showed better microbial quality of rainwater than uncovered and open storage conditions exposed to light. The study suggests that the improvement in the quality of harvested rainwater is possible when appropriate tank designs, maintenance of catchment surfaces, and proper storage conditions are considered in RWH systems.
Meiosis is a key event of sexual life cycles in eukaryotes. Its mechanistic details have been uncovered in several model organisms, and most of its essential features have received various and often contradictory evolutionary interpretations. In this perspective, we present an overview of these often 'weird' features. We discuss the origin of meiosis (origin of ploidy reduction and recombination, two-step meiosis), its secondary modifications (in polyploids or asexuals, inverted meiosis), its importance in punctuating life cycles (meiotic arrests, epigenetic resetting, meiotic asymmetry, meiotic fairness) and features associated with recombination (disjunction constraints, heterochiasmy, crossover interference and hotspots). We present the various evolutionary scenarios and selective pressures that have been proposed to account for these features, and we highlight that their evolutionary significance often remains largely mysterious. Resolving these mysteries will likely provide decisive steps towards understanding why sex and recombination are found in the majority of eukaryotes. This article is part of the themed issue 'Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction'.
The sorting-related receptor gene (SORL1) has been defined as an interesting candidate gene for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, one novel variant, rs11218343, within SORL1 was reported to be related to late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in Caucasians, Korean, and Japanese. The aim of this case-control study is to investigate whether SORL1 rs11218343 contributes to susceptibility for LOAD in Chinese. Furthermore, our data, along with previously studies, were pooled for determining the risk of the rs11218343 polymorphism on LOAD. The rs11218343 polymorphism was genotyped in the 2350 independent subjects from Northern Han Chinese population (including 992 cases and 1358 age-and gender-matched controls). Result of the case-control study showed the association between rs11218343 polymorphism and the risk of LOAD in a Northern Han Chinese population (recessive model: odds ratio (OR) = 0.641, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.464-0.884, P = 0.007; additive model: OR = 0.873, 95 % CI = 0.765-0.996, P = 0.043). The results of meta-analysis in subgroups (Caucasian and Asian) and the whole showed that the minor allele (C allele) within rs11218343 played a protective effect on AD risk (OR (95 % CI), 0.77 (0.72-0.83), 0.85 (0.79-0.91), 0.81 (0.76-0.85), respectively). In conclusion, the C allele in SORL1 rs11218343 may be a protective factor for LOAD in both Caucasian and Han Chinese.
Green roofs (GRs) are becoming a trend in urban areas, favouring thermal performance of buildings, promoting removal of atmospheric pollutants, and acting as possible water collection spots. Rainwater harvesting systems in buildings can also contribute to the management of stormwater runoff reducing flood peaks. These technologies should be enhanced in Mediterranean countries where water scarcity is increasing and the occurrence of extreme events is becoming very significant, as a result of climate change. An extensive pilot GR with three aromatic plant species, Satureja montana, Thymus caespititius and Thymus pseudolanuginosus, designed to study several parameters affecting rainwater runoff, has been in operation for 12 months. Physico-chemical analyses of roof water runoff (turbidity, pH, conductivity, NH4+, NO3-, PO43-, chemical oxygen demand) have shown that water was of sufficient quality for non-potable uses in buildings, such as toilet flushing. An innovative approach allowed for the development of an expression to predict a 'monthly runoff coefficient' of the GR system. This parameter is essential when planning and designing GRs combined with rainwater harvesting systems in a Mediterranean climate. This study is a contribution to improving the basis for the design of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings with extensive GRs under a Mediterranean climate.
The viral supergroup includes the entire collection of known and unknown viruses that roam our planet and infect life forms. The supergroup is remarkably diverse both in its genetics and morphology and has historically remained difficult to study and classify. The accumulation of protein structure data in the past few years now provides an excellent opportunity to re-examine the classification and evolution of viruses. Here we scan completely sequenced viral proteomes from all genome types and identify protein folds involved in the formation of viral capsids and virion architectures. Viruses encoding similar capsid/coat related folds were pooled into lineages, after benchmarking against published literature. Remarkably, the in silico exercise reproduced all previously described members of known structure-based viral lineages, along with several proposals for new additions, suggesting it could be a useful supplement to experimental approaches and to aid qualitative assessment of viral diversity in metagenome samples.
The analytical methodology for speciation of metals and metalloids associated with alkyl groups and biomacromolecules is critically reviewed. Alkylated metals and metalloids are not only known to be produced by microbial methylation within most anaerobic compartments in the environment, but also in the course of enzymatic transformations during human metabolism. Because of the toxicological relevance of these compounds present in trace to ultratrace concentrations, firm species identification and exact quantification are essential. While many instrumental techniques coupling chromatography (GC, HPLC, CE, GE) with plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are available for quantification, methods used for structural identification often suffer from inadequate sensitivity (EI-MS, ESI-MS, MALDI-MS, FT-ICRMS). Other problems encountered are sample derivatisation artefacts, lack of suitable standards for quantification, lack of equilibrium between spikes and sample, and the integrity of metal-protein association during separation, in particular during SDS-PAGE. Selected application examples with respect to mercury and arsenic speciation will be discussed critically.
In this article, we proposed a new scheme to encrypt highly autocorrelated image pixel data. In existing literature, single substitution was used to break autocorrelation in images. To get better results, instead of single substitution box, some researchers are minimizing the autocorrelation via utilizing multiple substitution boxes. However, we found that multiple substitution boxes cannot solve the problem of autocorrelation independently. Therefore, we added chaotic confusion and diffusion to the existing substitution scheme in order to remove the correlation completely. Initially, we break the autocorrelation of data by permuting the pixels via TD-ERCS chaotic map. Bitwise XOR is carried out for diffusion using logistic map followed by the existing substitution scheme. Experimental analysis shows that the proposed scheme has greater resistance to brute force attack and statistical attack. Further analyses such as statistical analysis, peak signal-to-noise ratio, contrast analysis, key space analysis, entropy analysis, correlation analysis, key sensitivity analysis, and encryption quality analysis proved the high robustness of the proposed scheme.
Deep convolutional neural networks have demonstrated breakthrough accuracies for image classification. A series of feature extractors learned from CNN have been used in other computer vision tasks. However, CNN features of different layers aim to encode different-level information. High-layer features care More about semantic information but less detail information, while low-layer features contain more detail information but suffer from the problem of background clutter and semantic ambiguity. We propose to exploit complementary strengths of different layers in a simple but effective way. A mapping function is designed to highlight the effectiveness of low-layer similarity, when measuring fine-grained similarity between query linage and its nearest neighbors with similar semantic. Extensive experiments show that our method can achieve Competitive performance on popular retrieval benchmarks. Extensive experiments show that the proposed method outperforms the features extracted from single layers and their direct concatenations. Meanwhile, our method achieves competitive performance on popular retrieval benchmarks.
The Iberian Pyrite Belt( IPB) is rich in sulfide deposits which have been intensively exploited, generating a huge problem of contamination of the Odiel River by acid mine drainage( AMD). At its source is a clean river, but along a 7 km-long reach receives five discharges of acid mine waters: Concepcion, San Platon, Esperanza, Poderosa and the Agrio River, which drains the AMD contaminated water from the Rio Tinto mines. The flows and hydrogeochemical characteristics of these AMD sources have been studied. The Agrio River is the main contributor of acidity, sulfate and metals to the Odiel River due to its high flows and pollutant concentrations. San Platon and Poderosa mines have high sulfate and metal concentrations although both sources are characterized by low or moderate flows while Concepcion has the lowest concentrations but higher flows. The composition of AMD sources seem to be controlled by the mineralogy of the deposits and by geochemical processes. Strong seasonal variations are observed for some AMD sources while others are more constant throughout the year. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This paper details the analysis and design of an air-core permanent-magnet-based energy-harvest system for use within an in-pipe mobile water-quality sensor. The sensor is a free-moving/free-rotating device of which the energy-harvest system occupies an appreciable volume. Therefore, the electrical and mechanical dynamics of the device are strongly coupled, which poses a modeling challenge. To address this challenge, a rigorous electrical/mechanical model is established to determine expected energy harvest, given the geometric/material parameters and electrical/mechanical inputs. The model was utilized within a single-objective optimization-maximizing energy harvested from impacts-to design a prototype, which was constructed and used for model validation. Subsequently, multiobjective optimizations were performed to establish the tradeoff between energy harvest versus device volume and impact-based versus rolling-based energy-harvest efficacy.
As technology advances, systems involving artificial components provide more and more support for people. The potential consequences of this phenomena are examined in the specific circumstances of 'ambient assisted living' as an instantiation of the concept of 'intelligent environment'. This chapter describes the idea of 'ambient assisted living' and looks at some of the possible ways humans may be affected by the prevalence of technology. The general example of assisted healthcare, and the specific example of medication support are used to show that systems are advancing. Moreover, these advancements can lead to problems with both the artificial systems, and the larger systems with which they are involved. In many cases there is a trade-off around having people in the loop, but inevitably they will need to be included for many decision making processes. Keeping a person in the loop might also partially redress problems of Artificial General Intelligence systems. The chapter concludes with reflections on how these considerations can help us to retain the positive aspects whilst avoiding the negative side effects of the hypothetical technological singularity.
The fashion industry is regarded as responsible for causing soil erosion, water pollution, and large-scale carbon dioxide emissions and waste because of the many production processes it involves. This paper reports on a study that explored the concept of future fashion, which uses materials that grow directly from natural and renewable sources (i.e. biofashion from bacterial cellulose). In this study, various types of bacterial cellulose were studied and evaluated. Green tea cellulose was identified as the most desirable for fashion creation. The cellulosic pellicles of green tea grown in various culture solution concentrations and incubation times were compared for an optimal result. A theoretical and practical framework was established to explore bacterial cellulose for use in fashion creation. Successful realization of natural self-grown fashion (SGF) has tremendous creative and practical potential, as well as a profound ecological effect on the fashion industry and the environment.
Brain network alterations in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been the subject of much investigation, but the biological mechanisms underlying these alterations remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to identify the changes in brain networks in patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and provide an accurate algorithm for classification of these patients from healthy control subjects (HC) by using a graph theoretical approach and advanced machine learning methods. Multivariate Granger causality analysis was performed on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of 34 AD, 89 MCI, and 45 HC to calculate various directed graph measures. The graph measures were used as the original feature set for the machine learning algorithm. Filter and wrapper feature selection methods were applied to the original feature set to select an optimal subset of features. An accuracy of 93.3% was achieved for classification of AD, MCI, and HC using the optimal features and the naive Bayes classifier. We also performed a hub node analysis and found that the number of hubs in HC, MCI, and AD were 12, 10, and 9, respectively, suggesting that patients with AD experience disturbance of critical communication areas in their brain network as AD progresses. The findings of this study provide insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying MCI and AD. The proposed classification method highlights the potential of directed graph measures of rs-fMRI data for identification of the early stage of AD. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A simple new device for dry separation of fine particulate matter from bulk soil samples is presented here. It consists of a stainless steel tube along which a nitrogen flow is imposed, resulting in the displacement of particles. Taking into account particle transport, fluid mechanics, and soil sample composition, a tube 6-m long, with a 0.04-m diameter, was found best adapted for PM10 separation. The device rapidly produced several milligrams of particulate matter, on which chemical extractions with EDTA were subsequently performed to study the kinetic parameters of extractable metals. New Caledonian mining soils were chosen here, as a case-study. Although the easily extracted metal pool represents only 0.5-6.4 % of the total metal content for the elements studied (Ni, Co, Mn), the total concentrations are extremely high. This pool is therefore far from negligible, and can be troublesome in the environment. This dry technique for fine particle separation from bulk parent soil eliminates the metal-leaching risks inherent in wet filtration and should therefore ensure safe assessment of environmental quality in fine-textured, metal-contaminated soils.
Climate change is an unprecedented global threat to fundamental life-supporting systems and people's livelihoods and is expected to aggravate development challenges. Subsistence-oriented smallholder farmers of developing regions, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, are highly vulnerable to these changes given their lower adaptive capacity. In this context, building a climate-resilient agricultural society is an essential requirement to protect livelihoods. Hence, there is a need for spreading the climate-resilient sustainable agricultural (CRSA) practices by replicating the proven ones to larger areas (scaling-up). Fostering widespread adoption of such practices needs consideration of their social, ecological, economic, and institutional appropriateness in target areas. This article reports the application of a tool ScalA that generates information on a multitude of aspects and assesses the local suitability of CRSA practices among sub-Saharan smallholders. It also briefly presents other state-of-the-art tools that can be used for similar purposes. In the first case study, the tool is used to assess appropriateness of agroforestry, biochar application, and rainwater harvesting in Fulwe village of Morogoro, Tanzania, for enhancing resilience capacity. In another case study, the potential of fertilizer management is assessed for two different villages, i.e., Fulwe and Mlali. Analytically, appropriateness of interventions is assessed by the deviation of the actual factor constellation of the scaling-up process with an optimal constellation that will foster the wider adoption of the given practice.
recent studies have shown a huge and steady increase in elderly population, which eventually becomes a predominant aspect of our society. As such, effective solutions that is not costly for this aspect is needed. Recently, a lot of work has been conducted on Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) which focuses on elderly peoples need. Ambient Intelligence technologies are widely researched on and developed, aiming to build a safe environment and help them to maintain independent lifestyle for elderly people. However, AAL is still a growing area with a few fundamental issues which remain open and yet to be solved. We believe these features are essential towards having effective AAL service which can help elderly. This paper proposes a novel way of combining different techniques to detect dining utensil i.e. spoon, while eating at a dining table with the help of Kinect and other tools. We detect spoon by combining different shapes which produces high accuracy.
Spectral reflectance data, including irradiance reflectance (R-t) and remote sensing reflectance (R-rs, sr(-1)), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficients a(CDOM)(440), were collected in the Saginaw River and Kawkawlin River plume regions of Lake Huron. We developed an empirical band ratio algorithm to derive a(CDOM)(440) that could be directly applicable to Landsat-8 imagery. A model ranking method is used to determine the best band ratios as well as their empirical functions. One problem of previous CDOM estimations from Landsat imagery is that they usually use R-t or R-t/pi rather than the real R-rs as the input data, but as a result of our study, algorithms derived using R-rs performed much better than using R-t. The green/red band ratio gave the best accuracies by fitting with power and exponential models (power model: R-2 = 0.819 and RMSE = 0.889 m(-1) and exponential model: R-2 = 0.829 and RMSE = 0.863 m(-1)). The power and exponential models were further validated using an independent data group, achieving excellent results with the RMSE of 0.642 and 0.504 m(-1), respectively. The application of the exponential model a(CDOM)(440) = 40.75e(-2.463x), x = R-rs(B3)/R-rs(B4) on two Landsat-8 images demonstrated that estimating CDOM from to Landsat-8 imagery has potential applications for monitoring water quality in long term and large scale.
BackgroundAllergen-specific IgE antibodies are a hallmark of type I allergy. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the sensitization profiles of an Austrian adolescent population utilizing molecule-based IgE diagnosis. MethodsSerum samples of 501 nonselected pupils from Salzburg, Austria, were tested in ImmunoCAP ISAC((R)) for IgE reactivity to 112 single allergens. Sensitization profiles were assessed and statistically coordinated with reported allergies. ResultsIn the population aged 12-21 years, 53.5% showed IgE reactivity to at least one allergen tested. The highest prevalence was found for Phl p 1 from grass pollen (26.5%), group 2 mite allergens (18.2%), Bet v 1 from birch pollen (16.3%) and Fel d 1 from cat (14.4%). The majority of participants showed a complex sensitization profile and reacted on average to 9 allergens. Pollen sensitization was highly prevalent (41.7%) and mainly driven by group I grass and PR-10 allergens of the Betulaceae family, while Pla l 1 represented the most relevant weed. Diagnosed and self-reported allergies were noted in 21.9% and 45.5% of participants, respectively, and correlated well with in vitro results. Among atopic individuals, 71.4% reported to suffer from at least one allergy; concordance was found for grass and cat sensitization, while venom- and weed pollen-positive individuals were frequently asymptomatic. ConclusionsMore than half of the tested adolescent population had already established an atopic status presenting a complex IgE reactivity profile dominated by pollen sensitization. Detailed molecule-based analysis allows determining relevant biomarkers and monitoring of the atopic status in populations.
Platelet activation in response to stimulation of the Protease Activated Receptor 4 (PAR4) receptor differs by race. One factor that contributes to this difference is the expression level of Phosphatidylcholine Transfer Protein (PCTP), a regulator of platelet PAR4 function. We have conducted an expression Quantitative Trait Locus (eQTL) analysis that identifies single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to the expression level of platelet genes. This analysis revealed 26 SNPs associated with the expression level of PCTP at genome-wide significance (p < 5x10-8). Using annotation from ENCODE and other public data we prioritised one of these SNPs, rs2912553, for functional testing. The allelic frequency of rs2912553 is racially-dimorphic, in concordance with the racially differential expression of PCTP. Reporter gene assays confirmed that the single nucleotide change caused by rs2912553 altered the transcriptional potency of the surrounding genomic locus. Electromobility shift assays, luciferase assays, and overexpression studies indicated a role for the megakaryocytic transcription factor GATA1. In summary, we have integrated multi-omic data to identify and functionalise an eQTL. This, along with the previously described relationship between PCTP and PAR4 function, allows us to characterise a genotype- phenotype relationship through the mechanism of gene expression.
Information security is key important when we are trying to interconnect the wireless body sensor network with the healthcare social network via mobile facilities. In this paper, we specially work on a secured electrocardiogram (ECG) signal transmission scheme to prevent further injuries for patients with heart diseases from human emotional stress. We proposed a dynamic encryption method via biometric information among frequency spectrums of ECG signals, which can guarantee both high classification rate (>90 %) and system energy efficiency. At the same time, cooperative relays are applied for an additional spatial diversity gains. Simulation results show that the improved transmission rate and signal power capacity can lower the probability of data intercept (LPI) and detection (LPD) by taking the advantages of both temporal and spatial diversities. The network security thereby can be further improved.
In the paper the mathematical model of an induction generator, based on the distributed electrical parameters, is presented. Transient electromechanical processes occurring in the power system are analyzed for the case of an unbalanced lagging load. The interdisciplinary method coming from the modification of Hamilton's principle is used in order to formulate the state differential equations. Numerical simulations were made. The results of the simulations are presented in the paper as graphs.
This paper investigates the transient synchronization performance of a line-start permanent magnet synchronous machine (LS PMSM) taking into account the effect of the rotor cage slot design, active permanent magnet volume and load inertia. First the transient performances of a rotor cage with different slot profiles and the same cross sectional area are evaluated. The design optimization of LS PMSM with a selected rotor slot shape is then conducted by employing an adapted multi-step Taguchi method. The aim of the optimization is to improve transient performance. In addition, the optimized rotor design is subjected to further sensitivity analysis by exposing the design to various noise factors such as the system's moment of inertia and permanent magnet volume. This is to check the robustness of the design. Finally, results are discussed and relevant conclusions are drawn.
Aim: This study examined the efficacy and the safety of peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT). Methods: We recruited 60 patients aged six years to 18 years who had a moderate-tosevere reaction to a double-blind placebo-controlled peanut challenge: 39 received OIT during an eight-month build-up phase and maintenance phase and 21 controls avoided peanuts. We measured specific immunoglobulin E and G4 (IgE and IgG4) to peanuts and to Ara h 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 and monitored adverse events, bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) to methacholine and fractional concentrations of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). The median follow-up period was 30 months. Results: Most (85%) of the OIT patients passed the build-up phase and 67% tolerated 5 g of peanuts during the post-treatment challenge. No controls were desensitised, with a risk ratio of 29 and 95% confidence interval of 1.9-455. During OIT, IgE to peanut, Ara h 1, 2 and 3 decreased and IgG4 increased. Consuming peanuts had no harmful effects on BHR or FeNO. The annual incidence rate of emergency visits during the follow-up period was 11% or 3.0 per 10 000 patient-days. Conclusion: Peanut OIT was efficacious in severe allergies without negative effects on airway inflammation, but unpredictable long-term reactions might occur.
Rainwater harvesting is seen as part of solution to avoid water shortage in the future as it offers a sufficient supply and more economical if compare to the conventional way. The scarcity of water supply is becoming a concern due to the growing population of human along with environment pollutions. Rainwater harvesting is considered the most accessible source which could be easily used for potable purposes both for household and commercial activities. Therefore, in this study, the physical, microbiological and chemical rainwater quality samples were analyzed using membrane filtration technique (ELE Paqualab 50), ICP-OES and Hach methods, to ensure the suitability of rainwater harvesting for domestic consumption. The study reveals that overall quality of the rainwater is quite satisfactory as per WHO and Malaysian standards, where the pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, salinity, NO3-, SO42-, Zn and Pb were still under the permissible limits. However, the microbiological parameters (total coliform, fecal coliform and E. coli) and chemical (Cr) were found exceeded the standards, due to poor hygienic practices of the harvesting system. It can be concluded that the rainwater harvesting is still safe to drink and can be a potential alternative source of water supply in the future.
Visual tracking is a challenging computer vision task due to the significant observation changes of the target. By contrast, the tracking task is relatively easy for humans. In this article, we propose a tracker inspired by the cognitive psychological memory mechanism, which decomposes the tracking task into sensory memory register, short-term memory tracker, and long-term memory tracker like humans. The sensory memory register captures information with three-dimensional perception; the short-term memory tracker builds the highly plastic observation model via memory rehearsal; the long-term memory tracker builds the highly stable observation model via memory encoding and retrieval. With the cooperative models, the tracker can easily handle various tracking scenarios. In addition, an appearance-shape learning method is proposed to update the two-dimensional appearance model and three-dimensional shape model appropriately. Extensive experimental results on a large-scale benchmark data set demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art two-dimensional and three-dimensional trackers in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and robustness.
In order to meet the development of advanced manufacturing technology, based on the requirement of engineering training in colleges in the new period, the advanced manufacturing engineering training platform is established. In this paper, the authors introduce in details the framework and function, analyze how to run the platform, and then, sum up its application of numerical control manufacturing in practice.
Getting higher occurrence of cybercrimes by means of hacking, identity theft, and network security violations necessitates a robust system for resolving these issues. For the new era of IT, using conventional user authentication methods like providing login IDs, passwords /PIN and other two-factor authentication methods are fading to offer the required level of security required. Since biometrics come forward as an efficient alternative technique to provide security. Keystroke and typing dynamics uses behavioral characteristics like typing rhythms of a person for authentication. This protection method effortlessly integrates with the existing environment and it could be scaled across the web also. This technology is will be getting promoted in the upcoming years because of its non-invasiveness, unobtrusiveness and low deployment cost. Thereby security of the physical and logical access can be improved. This proposed technique acts as a supplementary security layer besides the traditional user IDs & passwords/PIN, most organizations are making supplementary investments in keystroke and typing dynamics to ensure a more robust user authentication system.
Research has shown that mimicking someone is a way for solicitors to be perceived more positively and to increase compliance with a helping request. The effect of mimicking on children and on compliance with a request for change in food consumption, however, has never been examined. Nine- and 11-year-old children (N = 57) were either mimicked or not by an instructor at the beginning of an interaction. Then, the children were asked to eat a piece of fruit in their afternoon snack for at least 1 week and to try not to eat candy or drink soda for at least 1 week. The results show that children who were mimicked by the instructor consumed more fruit in their afternoon snack and they did so for a longer period of time. Children who were mimicked also asked their parents to buy fruit, and they wanted to continue eating fruit in their afternoon snack. These changes in their fruit consumption were confirmed by their mother (N = 25). These results suggest that mimicry can influence child behavior and could be used to promote changes in eating behavior. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We propose that religion impacts trust and trustworthiness in ways that depend on how individuals are socially identified and connected. Religiosity and religious affiliation may serve as markers for statistical discrimination. Further, affiliation to the same religion may enhance group identity, or affiliation irrespective of creed may lend social identity, and in turn induce taste-based discrimination. Religiosity may also relate to general prejudice. We test these hypotheses across three culturally diverse countries. Participants' willingness to discriminate, beliefs of how trustworthy or trusting others are, as well as actual trust and trustworthiness are measured incentive compatibly. We find that interpersonal similarity in religiosity and affiliation promote trust through beliefs of reciprocity. Religious participants also believe that those belonging to some faith are trustworthier, but invest more trust only in those of the same religion religiosity amplifies this effect. Across non-religious categories, whereas more religious participants are more willing to discriminate, less religious participants are as likely to display group biases. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
In order to understand the security level of an organization network, detection methods are important to tackle the probable risks of the attackers' malicious activities. Intrusion detection systems, as detection solutions of the defense in depth concept, are one of the main devices to record and analyze suspicious behaviors. Besides the benefits of these systems for security enhancement, they will bring some challenges and issues for security administrators. A large number of raw alerts generated by the intrusion detection systems clearly reflect the need for a novel proactive alert correlation framework to reduce redundant alerts, correlate security incidents, discover and model multi-step attack scenarios, and track them. Several alert correlation frameworks have been proposed in the literature, but the majority of them address the alert correlation in the offline settings. In this paper, we propose a three-phase alert correlation framework, which processes the generated alerts in real time, correlates the alerts with the aid of causal knowledge discovery to automatically extract causal relationships between alerts, constructs the attack scenarios using the Bayesian network concept, and predicts the next goal of the attacks using the creating attack prediction rules. Experimental results show that the scalable proposed framework is efficient enough in learning and detecting known and unknown multi-step attack scenarios without using any predefined knowledge. The results also show that the proposed framework perfectly estimates complex attacks before they can damage the assets of the network. (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The primary immunodeficiency (PID) diseases comprise a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of immune function. Technical advancements in whole-genome, whole-exome, and RNA-sequencing have seen the explosion of genetic discoveries in the field of PIDs. The present review aims to focus on a group of immunodeficiency disorders associated with elevated levels of IgM (hyper IgM; HIGM) and provides a clinical differential diagnosis. Most patients present for evaluation of immunodeficiency due to recurrent infections, and laboratory studies show either a clear isolated elevation of serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) with low or absent IgG, IgA, and IgE. Alternatively, IgM levels may be normal or moderately elevated while other serum immunoglobulins are reported below the norms for age but not absent. Mechanistically, these disorders are recognized as defects in immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch recombination (CSR). Importantly, to safeguard genetic stability, CSR utilizes elements of the DNA repair machinery including multi-protein complexes involved in mismatch repair (MMR). Therefore, it is not uncommon for defects in the DNA repair machinery, to present with laboratory findings of HIGM. This review will discuss clinical phenotypes associated with congenital defects associated with HIGM. Clinical manifestations, relevant immunologic testing, inheritance pattern, molecular diagnosis, presumed pathogenesis, and OMIM number, when annotated are compiled. Accepted therapeutic options, when available, are reviewed for each condition discussed. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Nearly all of the known populations of Scarce Fritillary, Euphydryas maturna (Linnaeus, 1758), are declining in Western and Central Europe. In order to identify the possible reasons for its vulnerability we surveyed the population genetics of this butterfly species using multi-locus genotype data. Females of our target species lay lots of eggs in one or two batches only and pre-hibernation caterpillars live and feed gregariously in a nest. As a consequence, a random unfavourable event can eliminate most offspring of a particular female resulting in a strong genetic drift effect combined with inbreeding. Thus, our hypothesis regarding the genetic composition of Scarce Fritillary populations suggests that: (1) there will be random fluctuations in allele frequencies from generation to generation; (2) populations should exhibit small effective sizes and a relatively high level of heterozygote deficiency, and; (3) the majority of the individuals in a population will be composed of the offspring of just a few females. In order to test these hypotheses, fine-scale genetic structure was studied in two subpopulations of a Hungarian Scarce Fritillary population for 4 consecutive years (generations) using enzyme polymorphism data. The results supported all of our assumptions. We detected random fluctuation in the frequency of several alleles, small effective population size and the index of heterozygote deficiency (F-IS) indicated a considerable level of inbreeding in most samples. Furthermore, average values of relatedness were also fairly high, and we were able to identify 17 putative sib families in total with the two subpopulations based on estimation of individual gametic phases. Thus, the present study suggests that intrinsic factors (e.g. specific life history) might increase the sensitivity of a species to various threatening factors (e.g. habitat loss or fragmentation) and result in the vulnerability of the given species.
Background: Recent introduction of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) monolithic zirconia dental prostheses raises the issue of material low thermal degradation (LTD), a wellknown problem with zirconia hip prostheses. This phenomenon could be accentuated by masticatory mechanical stress. Until now zirconia LTD process has only been studied in vitro. This work introduces an original protocol to evaluate LTD process of monolithic zirconia prostheses in the oral environment and to study their general clinical behavior, notably in terms of wear. Methods/design: 101 posterior monolithic zirconia tooth elements (molars and premolars) are included in a 5-year prospective clinical trial. On each element, several areas between 1 and 2 mm(2) (6 on molars, 4 on premolars) are determined on restoration surface: areas submitted or non-submitted to mastication mechanical stress, glazed or non-glazed. Before prosthesis placement, ex vivo analyses regarding LTD and wear are performed using Raman spectroscopy, SEM imagery and 3D laser profilometry. After placement, restorations are clinically evaluated following criteria of the World Dental Federation (FDI), complemented by the analysis of fracture clinical risk factors. Two independent examiners perform the evaluations. Clinical evaluation and ex vivo analyses are carried out after 6 months and then each year for up to 5 years. Discussion: For clinicians and patients, the results of this trial will justify the use of monolithic zirconia restorations in dental practice. For researchers, the originality of a clinical study including ex vivo analyses of material aging will provide important data regarding zirconia properties. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
The past decade has witnessed discussions on various options to overcome groundwater depletion, such as rainwater harvesting (RWH) and 'artificial recharge' methods. This paper addresses law and policy issues relating to managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Based on an analysis of the National Water Policy of India and water polices and laws of the Indian states, a concrete case study, namely Chennai metropolitan area, has been studied in detail. The city of Chennai and the State of Tamil Nadu provide a favorable atmosphere for groundwater recharge, making, e.g. RWH mandatory. However, the legal framework does not support more systematic approaches towards MAR and the administrative praxis does not ensure that groundwater recharge is offset by an increase of illegal groundwater extraction.
In this paper, we establish a regularity criterion in terms of the temperature for the 2D fractional Boussinesq equations with zero heat conductivity.
The Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm applied to the healthcare sector is a promising solution to develop software-based systems capable of supporting medical procedures and activities carried out in a close, high-regulated, and complex healthcare environment. An AmI Healthcare System (AmI-HS) which may impact on the health and life of its users (i.e. doctors, caregivers, patients, etc.) is considered as a Medical Device (MDs), and thus subject to pass through a cumbersome risk-based regulatory process which evaluates and certifies the system safety before it is put on the market. Thus, a human-centred risk analysis is of paramount importance to establish the safety level of an AmI-HS. In this paper, we propose a dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (DPRA) approach for AmI-HS which allows the quantitative assessment of risk in different hazard scenarios in order both to support the design and development of AmI-HSs and to provide those objective evidences needed during the regulatory process. In addition, to support our risk-based methodology we define a probabilistic risk model (PRM), based on an extension of a Markov Decision Process (MDP), capable of taking into account two main peculiarities of AmI-HSs: context-awareness and personalisation. Some preliminary results show the feasibility of our approach and the capability of our model to assess risk of context-aware hazard scenarios.
Through the process of priming, incidental stimuli in our environments can influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This may be true of incidental stimuli in online environments, such as adverts on websites. Two experiments (N = 325, N=331) showed that the mere presence of advertisements with violent content on a simulated Facebook page induced higher levels of aggression-related cognition in comparison to non-violent adverts (d = 0.56, d = 0.71). In a subsequent word recognition task, participants primed with the violent stimuli 'remembered' more actually-unseen violence-related words than did the control participants. That is, they reported recognising violent words they had not actually seen. However, priming with violent adverts had no effect on mood or person perception. A third correlational study (N=131) examined whether variance in the extent of priming could be attributed to individual differences in aggressiveness. Participants' aggressiveness was unrelated to their scores on the aggressive cognition measure. These studies established that website adverts with violent content could prime aggressive cognitions. Individuals differed in the extent to which they experienced the priming effect, and this was not attributable to their levels of trait aggressiveness. No effects of priming were found on either mood state or person perception. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Monotonic triaxial compression, triaxial extension and torsional shear tests were carried out on geotextile reinforced sand and reinforced clay, mainly to investigate the effects of rotation of principal stresses on the mechanical behavior of the reinforced soil materials. The tests were carried out on unreinforced and reinforced specimens with 2, 3 and 4 geotextile layers under three different confining pressures. Investigation of the monotonic behavior of the reinforced materials under different stress paths, i.e. triaxial compression, triaxial extension, and torsional shear shows that direction of principal stresses can have profound effects on the stress-strain curve, shear strength, and slope and intercept of failure envelope. Test results reveal that geotextiles improve the mechanical properties of the sand and clay, since both strain at failure and undrained shear strength increase with the number of geotextile layers in sand and clay. In addition, test results indicate that geotextile inclusion enhances the mechanical properties of geotextile reinforced sand and clay, however, geotextiles seems to be more effective when used to reinforce sands.
Purpose of reviewIt has been proposed that biodiversity loss leads to reduced interaction between environmental and human microbiotas. This, in turn, may lead to immune dysfunction and impaired tolerance mechanisms in humans. That is, contact with environmental biodiversity is expected to protect from allergies. However, direct evidence linking contact with biodiversity and risk of allergy has been lacking. In this review, we consider the latest research on the biodiversity hypothesis of allergy.Recent findingsIt is becoming clear that what you eat, drink, inhale, and touch all contribute to the grand scheme of host-microbial crosstalk that is needed for a balanced, healthy immune system to develop and maintain a healthy recognition between harmful and harmless invasions. Microbes can either communicate directly with host immune cells or affect the host via metabolism that can even lead to epigenetic modifications. Our living environment plays a key role in this process. Although especially, early exposure to diverse, beneficial microbiota from the environment is repeatedly found crucial, studies on immigrants demonstrate that condition in later life can also be decisive.ConclusionWe are still lacking a more detailed understanding of the interaction between natural, environmental biodiversity, and health, which calls for new innovative and more long-term investigations. The outcomes should be utilized in policy and urban planning efforts, promoting human interaction with natural biodiversity, and supporting a healthy lifestyle.
This study aimed to evaluate an innovative workflow for maxillofacial fracture surgery planning and surgical splint designing. The maxillofacial multislice computerized tomography (MSCT) data and dental cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) data both were obtained from 40 normal adults and 58 adults who suffered fractures. The each part of the CBCT dentition image was registered into MSCT image by the use of the iterative closest point algorithm. Volume evaluation of the virtual splints that were designed by the registered MSCT images and MSCT images of the same object was performed. Eighteen patients (group 1) were operated without any splint. Twenty-one (group 2) and 19 patients (group 3) used the splints designed according to the MSCT images and registered MSCT images, respectively. The authors' results showed that the mean errors between the 2 models ranged from 0.53 to 0.92mm and the RMS errors ranged from 0.38 to 0.69mm in fracture patients. The mean errors between the 2 models ranged from 0.47 to 0.85mm and the RMS errors ranged from 0.33 to 0.71mm in normal adults. 72.22% patients in group 1 recovered occlusion. 85.71% patients in group 2, and 94.73% patients in group 3 reconstructed occlusion. There was a statistically significant difference between the MSCT images based splints' volume and the registered MSCT splints' volume in patients (P<0.05). The MSCT images based splints' volume was statistically significantly distinct from the registered MSCT splints' volume in normal adults (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the MSCT images based splints' volume and the registered MSCT splints' volume in patients and normal adults (P<0.05). The occlusion recovery rate of group 3 was better than that of group 1 and group 2. The way of integrating CBCT images into MSCT images for splints designing was feasible. The volume of the splints designed by MSCT images tended to be smaller than the splints designed by the integrated MSCT images. The patients operated with splints tended to regain occlusion. The patients who were operated with the splints which were designed according to registered MSCT images tended to get occlusal recovered.
Dietary polyamines (PAs) putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) participate in an array of roles in human metabolism. Nevertheless, under some physiological conditions they can be undesirable. Meat and meat products are among important sources of PAs in human nutrition, mainly of SPM. The usual contents of PUT, SPD and SPM in fresh beef and pork are < 2, < 5 and 2040 mg kg(-1), respectively. Current information on changes of PAs during meat storage corresponds with PUT formation by bacterial activity mainly of pseudomonads and Enterobacteriaceae. However, data on SPD and SPM changes during meat chill-storage have been inconsistent. Culinary processing of meat probably does not change SPD and SPM levels. PUT can be formed in different meat products in relation to the microbial population of the raw materials used and the hygienic level of manufacturing process. SPD and SPM contents seem to remain stable during processing of non-fermented meat products or decrease during dry-cured ham ripening. PUT contents increase commonly to 60-140 mg kg(-1) in dry spontaneously fermented sausages, however, contents up to several hundreds mg kg(-1) are not extraordinary. Starter cultures are usually able to decrease PUT formation considerably. SPD and SPM contents in dry fermented sausages are comparable with levels typical for fresh meat. Data on SPD and SPM changes during ripening and storage are inconsistent. A decrease of the both polyamines during a storage period has been usually reported. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A novel switched-flux (SF) surface-mounted permanent magnet (PM) memory machine is proposed by incorporating the flux-memorizable concept into the SF structure. It employs a temporary current pulse to magnetize/demagnetize the aluminum-nickel-cobalt (Al-Ni-Co) PMs so that the air-gap flux can be regulated online for extending its high-speed constant-power region. An analytical hysteresis modeling method is formulated and implemented by numerical nonlinear approximation of hysteresis loops, and then coupled with time-stepping finite element method to perform the analyses of both static and transient flux-regulatable characteristics. The preciseness of the coupling solution and the validity of machine design are verified by experimental results.
The ER-mitochondria organizing network (ERMIONE) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is involved in maintaining mitochondrial morphology and lipid homeostasis. ERMES and MICOS are two scaffolding complexes of ERMIONE that contribute to these processes. ERMES is ancient but has been lost in several lineages including animals, plants, and SAR (stramenopiles, alveolates and rhizaria). On the other hand, MICOS is ancient and has remained present in all organisms bearing mitochondrial cristae. The ERMIONE precursor evolved in the alpha-proteobacterial ancestor of mitochondria which had the central subunit of MICOS, Mic60. The subsequent evolution of ERMIONE and its interactors in eukaryotes reflects the integrative co-evolution of mitochondria and their hosts and the adaptive paths that some lineages have followed in their specialization to certain environments. By approaching the ERMIONE from a perspective of comparative evolutionary cell biology, we hope to shed light on not only its evolutionary history, but also how ERMIONE components may function in organisms other than S. cerevisiae. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The cellular lipid landscape edited by Tim P. Levine and Anant K. Menon. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper describes the implementation of a second order sliding mode (SOSM) controller for a practical point-of-load (POL) power supply with realistic values of output capacitor equivalent series resistance (ESR) and equivalent series inductance (ESL). The SOSM control presented in this paper results in fast transient responses, has a current limiting feature, supports light load operation, and achieves constant frequency steady state operation. Experimental results are given for a 2.5 V - 5.5 V input, 0.6 V - 1.5 V output, 3 A prototype.
The purpose of the paper is to assess the groundwater quality near the landfill sites using landfill water pollution index (LWPI). In order to investigate the scale of groundwater contamination, three landfills (E, H and S) in different stages of their operation were taken into analysis. Samples of groundwater in the vicinity of studied landfills were collected four times each year in the period from 2004 to 2014. A total of over 300 groundwater samples were analysed for pH, EC, PAH, TOC, Cr, Hg, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, as required by the UE legal acts for landfill monitoring system. The calculated values of the LWPI allowed the quantification of the overall water quality near the landfill sites. The obtained results indicated that the most negative impact on groundwater quality is observed near the old Landfill H. Improper location of piezometer at the Landfill S favoured infiltration of run-off from road pavement into the soil-water environment. Deep deposition of the groundwater level at Landfill S area reduced the landfill impact on the water quality. Conducted analyses revealed that the LWPI can be used for evaluation of water pollution near a landfill, for assessment of the variability of water pollution with time and for comparison of water quality from different piezometers, landfills or time periods. The applied WQI (Water Quality Index) can also be an important information tool for landfill policy makers and the public about the groundwater pollution threat from landfill.
In this work, we demonstrate the technology of wafer-scale transistor-level heterogeneous integration of GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors (pHEMTs) and Si complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) on the same Silicon substrate. GaAs pHEMTs are vertical stacked at the top of the Si CMOS wafer using a wafer bonding technique, and the best alignment accuracy of 5 mu m is obtained. As a circuit example, a wide band GaAs digital controlled switch is fabricated, which features the technologies of a digital control circuit in Si CMOS and a switch circuit in GaAs pHEMT, 15% smaller than the area of normal GaAs and Si CMOS circuits.
The time-dependent bridge pier scour during flood waves is analysed. Scour experiments were conducted in a novel installation able to produce complex hydrographs with high precision. Experimental data were used to test scour formulas including a new mathematical model. Results confirm the reliability and superior performance of the proposed dimensionless, effective flow work based model under steady and unsteady hydraulic conditions. Analyses highlight the impact of different hydrographs on scour, demonstrating the strong control by the hydrograph shape of the temporal evolution of scour depth and scour rate, although final scour after a flood only depends on the total effective flow work exerted by the hydrograph on the sediment bed. Hysteresis between flow discharge and scour rate is reported and explained. Flow acceleration is shown to play a minor role in scouring. The proposed model is a promising alternative for computation of local scour under highly unsteady hydraulic conditions.
Accurate behavioral measurement is essential to developing a science of leadership, yet accurate measurement has remained elusive. The use of follower reports of leader behavior creates challenges given that a large body of basic and applied research suggests that behavioral ratings reflect not only recall of actual behaviors, but also inferences based on semantic memory, which may vary among individuals. In this paper, we examine several explanations for rater effects that are associated with follower individual differences, contextual factors, and even research methods, such as the type of measure used, that may bias ratings of leader behavior. We also develop a conceptual model to illustrate these processes. Finally, we offer potential solutions to increase accuracy in follower reports of leader behavior. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In the paper, mathematical models of the supercapacitors are investigated. The models are based on electrical circuits in the form of RC ladder networks. The elementary cell of the network may consist of resistances and capacitances that are connected in series or parallel. The dynamic behavior of the circuit is described using fractional-order differential equations and its properties are analyzed. The identification procedure with quadratic performance index is performed in time domain to identify the parameters of the supercapacitor models. The results of numerical simulations are compared with the results measured experimentally in the physical system. In addition, an example from the automotive industry is used for an experimental evaluation of the theoretical analysis and to present a perspective on the applicability of the approach for other industrial projects.
This research details the development of the comfort with interpersonal touch (CIT) scale designed to measure individual differences in interpersonal touch tendencies and preferences. The CIT construct is defined as the degree to which an individual is comfortable with intentional interpersonal touch from or to another person. The scale incorporates the distinction between initiating touch, which is the act of touching someone else, and receiving touch, which is the act of being touched by someone else. Investigation of this construct includes scale development, measure purification, and validation. We situate CIT-initiating and CIT-receiving within an approach avoidance framework and demonstrate that comfort with initiating touch is more related to approach tendencies such as assertiveness while comfort with receiving touch is more related to avoidant tendencies such as avoiding crowded spaces. While previous research generally finds positive effects of interpersonal touch, we find that these effects, at least in part, depend on an individual's comfort with interpersonal touch. We discuss theoretical and managerial implications as well as future research opportunities using the CIT scale. (C) 2014 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In the present work, detailed simulation using Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) tool, Silvaco for non-irradiated and irradiated LGAD (Low Gain Avalanche Detector) devices has been carried out. The effects of different design parameters and proton irradiation on LGAD operation are discussed in detail. An already published effective two trap bulk damage model is used to simulate the radiation damage without implementing any acceptor removal term. The TCAD simulation for irradiated LGAD devices produce decreasing gain with increasing fluence, similar to the measurement results. The space charge density and electric field distribution are used to illustrate the possible reasons for the degradation of gain of the irradiated LGAD devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We propose a new model of social influence, which can occur spontaneously and in the absence of typically assumed motives. We assume that perceivers routinely construct representations of other people's experiences and responses (beliefs, attitudes, emotions, and behaviors), when observing others' responses or simulating the responses of unobserved others. Like representations made accessible by priming, these representations may then influence the process that generates perceivers' own responses, without intention or awareness, especially when there is a strong social connection to the other. We describe evidence for the basic properties and important moderators of this process, which distinguish it from other mechanisms such as informational, normative, or social identity influence. The model offers new perspectives on the role of others' values in producing cultural differences, the persistence and power of stereotypes, the adaptive reasons for being influenced by others' responses, and the impact of others' views about the self.
Objectives: To develop and validate a noninvasive mobility sensor to automatically and continuously detect and measure patient mobility in the ICU. Design: Prospective, observational study. Setting: Surgical ICU at an academic hospital. Patients: Three hundred sixty-two hours of sensor color and depth image data were recorded and curated into 109 segments, each containing 1,000 images, from eight patients. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Three Microsoft Kinect sensors (Microsoft, Beijing, China) were deployed in one ICU room to collect continuous patient mobility data. We developed software that automatically analyzes the sensor data to measure mobility and assign the highest level within a time period. To characterize the highest mobility level, a validated 11-point mobility scale was collapsed into four categories: nothing in bed, in-bed activity, out-of-bed activity, and walking. Of the 109 sensor segments, the noninvasive mobility sensor was developed using 26 of these from three ICU patients and validated on 83 remaining segments from five different patients. Three physicians annotated each segment for the highest mobility level. The weighted Kappa (kappa) statistic for agreement between automated noninvasive mobility sensor output versus manual physician annotation was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.72-1.00). Disagreement primarily occurred in the nothing in bed versus in-bed activity categories because the sensor assessed movement continuously, which was significantly more sensitive to motion than physician annotations using a discrete manual scale. Conclusions: Noninvasive mobility sensor is a novel and feasible method for automating evaluation of ICU patient mobility. (Crit Care Med 2017; 45:630-636)
This paper mainly introduces a novel deep learning and mapping (DLM) framework oriented to the ternary change detection task for information unbalanced images. Different from the traditional intensity-based methods available, the DLM framework is based on the operation of the features extracted from the two images. Due to the excellent performance of deep learning in information representation and feature learning, two networks are used here. First, the stacked denoising autoencoder is used on two images, serving as a feature extractor. Then after a sample selection process, the stacked mapping network is employed to obtain the mapping functions, establishing the relationship between the features for each class. Finally, a comparison between the features is made and the final ternary map is generated through the clustering of the comparison result. This work is highlighted by two aspects. Firstly, previous works focus on two images with similar properties, whereas the DLM framework is based on two images with quite different properties, which is a usually encountered case. Secondly, the DLM framework is based on the analysis of feature instead of superficial intensity, which avoids the corruptions of unbalanced information to a large extent. Parameter tests on three datasets provide us with the appropriate parameter settings and the corresponding experimental results demonstrate its robustness and effectiveness in terms of accuracy and time complexity.
Mass-spectrometry-based proteomics is continuing to make major contributions to the discovery of fundamental biological processes and, more recently, has also developed into an assay platform capable of measuring hundreds to thousands of proteins in any biological system. The field has progressed at an amazing rate over the past five years in terms of technology as well as the breadth and depth of applications in all areas of the life sciences. Some of the technical approaches that were at an experimental stage back then are considered the gold standard today, and the community is learning to come to grips with the volume and complexity of the data generated. The revolution in DNA/RNA sequencing technology extends the reach of proteomic research to practically any species, and the notion that mass spectrometry has the potential to eventually retire the western blot is no longer in the realm of science fiction. In this review, we focus on the major technical and conceptual developments since 2007 and illustrate these by important recent applications.
Herein, we present a case of anaphylaxis in multiple family members after ingesting silkworms, an Asian delicacy. While food allergies, including anaphylaxis are unfortunately common, there are no previous reports of multiple family members suffering an anaphylactic reaction after eating silkworms. In addition, both family members required multiple doses of epinephrine and eventually an epinephrine infusion to improve their blood pressures. All interventions, including the epinephrine infusions, were started by emergency medical services (EMS) with on-line medical direction. Both the reaction and the required treatment are not extensively documented in the medical literature.
Two studies were conducted to test the predictions of a multi-component model of distinctiveness-based illusory correlation (IC) regarding the use of episodic and evaluative information in the production of the phenomenon. Extending on the standard paradigm, participants were presented with 4 groups decreasing in size, but all exhibiting the same ratio of positive to negative behaviours. Study I (N = 75) specifically tested the role of group size and distinctiveness, by including a zero-frequency cell in the design. Consistent with predictions drawn from the proposed model, with decreasing group size, the magnitude of the IC effect showed a linear increase in judgments thought to be based on evaluative information. In Study 2 (N = 43), a number of changes were introduced to a group assignment task (double presentation, inclusion of decoys) that allowed a more rigorous test of the predicted item-specific memory effects. In addition, a new multilevel, mixed logistic regression approach to signal-detection type analysis was used, providing a more flexible and reliable analysis than previously. Again, with decreasing group size, IC effects showed the predicted monotonic increase on the measures (group assignment frequencies, likability ratings) thought to be dependent on evaluative information. At the same time, measures thought to be based on episodic information (free recall and group assignment accuracy) partly revealed the predicted enhanced episodic memory for smaller groups and negative items, while also supporting a distinctiveness-based approach. Additional analysis revealed that the pattern of results for judgments though to be based on evaluative information was independent of interpersonal variation in behavioral memory, as predicted by the multi-component model,and in contrast to predictions of the competing models. The results are discussed in terms of the implications of the findings for the proposed mechanisms of illusory correlation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
If there is a 'platonic world' of mathematical facts, what does contain precisely? I observe that if is too large, it is uninteresting, because the value is in the selection, not in the totality; if it is smaller and interesting, it is not independent of us. Both alternatives challenge mathematical platonism. I suggest that the universality of our mathematics may be a prejudice and illustrate contingent aspects of classical geometry, arithmetic and linear algebra, making the case that what we call mathematics is always contingent.
This paper presents the design and project of an innovative concept for a Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) Machine. Nowadays, equipment currently available for conducting SPIF result mostly from the adaptation of conventional CNC machine tools that results in a limited range of applications in terms of materials and geometries. There is also a limited market supply of equipment dedicated to Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF), that are costly considering low batches, making it unattractive for industry. Other factors impairing a quicker spread of SPIF are large forming times and poor geometrical accuracy of parts. The following sections will depict the development of a new equipment, designed to overcome some of the limitations of machines currently used, allowing the development of a sounding basis for further studies on the particular features of this process. The equipment here described possesses six-degrees-of freedom for the tool, for the sake of improved flexibility in terms of achievable tool-paths and an extra stiffness provided by a parallel kinematics scheme. A brief state of the art about the existing SPIF machines is provided to support the project's guidelines.
Little is known about how the virulence of a human pathogen varies in the environment it shares with its vector. This study focused on whether the virulence of Trypanosoma cruzi (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae), the causal agent of Chagas' disease, is related to altitude. Accordingly, Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) specimens were collected at three different altitudes (300, 700 and 1400 m a. s. l.) in Chiapas, Mexico. The parasite was then isolated to infect uninfected T. dimidiata from the same altitudes, as well as female CD-1 mice. The response variables were phenoloxidase (PO) activity, a key insect immune response, parasitaemia in mice, and amastigote numbers in the heart, oesophagus, gastrocnemius and brain of the rodents. The highest levels of PO activity, parasitaemia and amastigotes were found for Tryp. cruzi isolates sourced from 700 m a. s. l., particularly in the mouse brain. A polymerase chain reaction-based analysis indicated that all Tryp. cruzi isolates belonged to a Tryp. cruzi I lineage. Thus, Tryp. cruzi from 700 m a. s. l. may be more dangerous than sources at other altitudes. At this altitude, T. dimidiata is more common, apparently because the conditions are more beneficial to its development. Control strategies should focus activity at altitudes around 700 m a. s. l., at least in relation to the region of the present study sites.
In this paper, we propose a robust methodology to assess the value of microblogging data to forecast stock market variables: returns, volatility and trading volume of diverse indices and portfolios. The methodology uses sentiment and attention indicators extracted from microblogs (a large Twitter dataset is adopted) and survey indices (AAII and II, USMC and Sentix), diverse forms to daily aggregate these indicators, usage of a Kalman Filter to merge microblog and survey sources, a realistic rolling windows evaluation, several Machine Learning methods and the Diebold-Mariano test to validate if the sentiment and attention based predictions are valuable when compared with an autoregressive baseline. We found that Twitter sentiment and posting volume were relevant for the forecasting of returns of S&P 500 index, portfolios of lower market capitalization and some industries. Additionally, KF sentiment was informative for the forecasting of returns. Moreover, Twitter and KF sentiment indicators were useful for the prediction of some survey sentiment indicators. These results confirm the usefulness of microblogging data for financial expert systems, allowing to predict stock market behavior and providing a valuable alternative for existing survey measures with advantages (e.g., fast and cheap creation, daily frequency). (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study investigates a multiple input buck dc-dc converter. Different operational modes of the converter for two-, three- and four-input sources are studied then, for each item the relation of critical inductance between continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode is calculated. Finally, a generalised relationship is proposed for calculation of critical inductance of n-input topology, which is true for any number of input sources. Experimental and simulation results in power systems computer-aided design/EMTDC are presented to validate the theoretical concepts and proposed generalised relation of converter critical inductance.
ROS, an open-source robot operating system, is widely used and rapidly developed in the robotics community. However, running on Linux, ROS does not provide real-time guaranteeS, while real-time tasks are required in many robot applications such as robot motion control. This paper for the first time presents a real-time ROS architecture called RT-RTOS on multi-core processors. RT-ROS provides an integrated real-time/non-real-time task execution environment so real-time and non-real-time ROS nodes can be separately run on a real-time OS and Linux, respectively, with different processor cores. In such a way, real-time tasks can be supported by real-time ROS nodes on a real-time OS, while non-real-time ROS nodes on Linux can provide other functions of ROS. Furthermore, high performance is achieved by executing real-time ROS nodes and non-real-time ROS nodes on different processor cores. We have implemented RT-ROS on a dual-core processor and conducted various experiments with real robot applications. The experimental results show that RT-ROS can effectively provide real-time support for the ROS platform with high performance by exploring the multi-core architecture. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose of review Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular programme for the turnover of organelles, proteins, and other macromolecules, involving the lysosomal degradation pathway. Emerging evidence suggests that autophagy can play a central role in human metabolism as well as impact diverse cellular processes including organelle homeostasis, cell death and proliferation, lipid and glycogen metabolism, and the regulation of inflammation and immune responses. The purpose of this review is to examine recent evidence for the role of autophagy in cellular metabolism, and its relevance to select human diseases that involve disorders of metabolism. Recent findings Recent studies suggest that autophagy may play multiple roles in metabolic diseases, including diabetes and its complications, metabolic syndrome and obesity, myopathies and other inborn errors of metabolism, as well as other diseases that may involve altered mitochondrial function. Summary Strategies aimed at modulating autophagy may lead to therapies for diseases in which altered cellular and tissue metabolism play a key role.
Introduction: The emergence and mass utilization of high-throughput (HT) technologies, including sequencing technologies (genomics) and mass spectrometry (proteomics, metabolomics, lipids), has allowed geneticists, biologists, and biostatisticians to bridge the gap between genotype and phenotype on a massive scale. These new technologies have brought rapid advances in our understanding of cell biology, evolutionary history, microbial environments, and are increasingly providing new insights and applications towards clinical care and personalized medicine.Areas covered: The very success of this industry also translates into daunting big data challenges for researchers and institutions that extend beyond the traditional academic focus of algorithms and tools. The main obstacles revolve around analysis provenance, data management of massive datasets, ease of use of software, interpretability and reproducibility of results.Expert commentary: The authors review the challenges associated with implementing bioinformatics best practices in a large-scale setting, and highlight the opportunity for establishing bioinformatics pipelines that incorporate data tracking and auditing, enabling greater consistency and reproducibility for basic research, translational or clinical settings.
We extend in this paper some previous results concerning the differential-algebraic index of hybrid models of electrical and electronic circuits. Specifically, we present a comprehensive index characterization which holds without passivity requirements, in contrast to previous approaches, and which applies to nonlinear circuits composed of uncoupled, one-port devices. The index conditions, which are stated in terms of the forest structure of certain digraph minors, do not depend on the specific tree chosen in the formulation of the hybrid equations. Additionally, we show how to include memristors in hybrid circuit models; in this direction, we extend the index analysis to circuits including active memristors, which have been recently used in the design of nonlinear oscillators and chaotic circuits. We also discuss the extension of these results to circuits with controlled sources, making our framework of interest in the analysis of circuits with transistors, amplifiers, and other multiterminal devices.
In this study, an effective means of dewatering the dredged material obtained from the sea-bottom in Istanbul is investigated through the use of additives and geotextile tubes (also known as geotubes, geotextile containers, and geotextile bags). Rapid dewatering test and geotube dewatering test are laboratory approaches, where the types and amounts of anionic and cationic additives for dewatering efficiency of dredged sludge can quickly and economically be examined. In this study, a best dosage amount of 1.5kg/tonne was used as flocculant solution preparation with distilled water. After this process, twelve homogeneous sludge-polymer admixtures were prepared by adding 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% polymers (anionic and cationic) by weight of the dredged material in rapid dewatering tests and another twelve homogeneous sludge-polymer admixtures were prepared by adding 0.1, 0.25, and 0.50% polymers (anionic and cationic) by weight of the dredged material in geotube dewatering tests. The results indicated that Golden Horn dredged sludge could be successfully dewatered and retained by geotextile tubes. The use of chemical cationic polymers is recommended with Golden Horn dredged sludge rather than the anionic polymers. Results also showed that use of flocculants can significantly increase the retention capacity of geotubes.
Inhibition of the Hsp90 function is an essential therapeutic approach and several inhibitors were designed as anti-cancer agents. These inhibitors are ATPases and they aim to deregulate Hsp90 folding function. ATPase proteins are common in human metabolism but they form nonspecific targets. Hsp90 functions as dimer with coordinating chaperones. Heat Shock Organizing Protein (Hop) forms a bridge between Hsp90 and Hsp70-Hsp40 complex to form Hsp90-Hsp70 coordination. Perturbing conformational changes of these Hsp proteins, dimer formation, and protein-protein interactions inhibit Hsp90 substrate protein folding function. This approach does not target all ATPase proteins but targets Hsp90 function solely. For this purpose, we designed compounds to block Hsp90 function. Moreover, molecular docking studies as well as competition analysis of the compounds were performed with Hsp90. Novel thiazolyl coumarine compounds were determined as valuable C-terminal Hsp90 inhibitors and provide promising templates for the drug design. Anticancer activities of these novel compounds were tested by employing human colon (DLD-1) and liver cancer (HepG2) cell lines. Thiazolyl coumarine compounds are found to be significant and useful for the treatment of human colon and liver cancer as evidenced by in vitro and in silico results.
Dense buildings are the major factor affecting urban flood routing. Currently, the study of urban dam-break flood routing primarily focuses on a simplified terrain model and 2D shallow water equations, which ignore the effects of dense urban buildings. Furthermore, the complex interactions between the dam-break wave and the wall surfaces of buildings are not reflected in the results. To tackle these problems, three-dimensional flood routing with a high-precision digital model of an urban area is studied in this paper. Firstly, the vector data of various land types is extracted from a remote sensing image, and the NURBS algorithm based on the TIN algorithm is introduced to construct a three-dimensional terrain model. Coupled with the vector data and the terrain model, a three-dimensional digital model of the urban area is established. Next, a three-dimensional k-epsilon turbulence model is proposed for the flood routing simulation. A polyhedral grid with a second-order accuracy and a discrete format is used to divide the digital model of the urban area, and the governing equations are solved using the PISO algorithm. Finally, the superiority of the 3D mathematical model and the computational efficiency of the polyhedral mesh model are validated according to the urban flood routing experiments of Testa and Soares-Frazao. An urban reservoir, located in SZ City, China, is modelled to show that a dam-break flood in an urban area exhibits significant three-dimensional characteristics. Moreover, due to the surrounding buildings, the flood exhibits complex three-dimensional turbulence phenomena, including collision, reflection and vortices.
Light-regime variability is an important limiting factor constraining tree growth in tropical forests. However, there is considerable debate about whether radiation-induced green-up during the dry season is real, or an apparent artifact of the remote-sensing techniques used to infer seasonal changes in canopy leaf area. Direct and widespread observations of vertical canopy structures that drive radiation regimes have been largely absent. Here we analyze seasonal dynamic patterns between the canopy and understory layers in Amazon evergreen forests using observations of vertical canopy structure from a spaceborne lidar. We discovered that net leaf flushing of the canopy layer mainly occurs in early dry season, and is followed by net abscission in late dry season that coincides with increasing leaf area of the understory layer. Our observations of understory development from lidar either weakly respond to or are not correlated to seasonal variations in precipitation or insolation, but are strongly related to the seasonal structural dynamics of the canopy layer. We hypothesize that understory growth is driven by increased light gaps caused by seasonal variations of the canopy. This light-regime variability that exists in both spatial and temporal domains can better reveal the drought-induced green-up phenomenon, which appears less obvious when treating the Amazon forests as a whole.
Among the different processes for producing biodiesel fuel, the use of methanol under conditions near to the critical point is a promissory alternative. The reactive distillation has been proposed to reduce the energy requirements of the esterification step in this process. Such reductions are accompanied by reductions in the total annual costs and the environmental impact. However, due to the conditions under which the column should be operated, special care must be taken in the design of the trays and their hydraulic performance. Proper design of the trays should prevent operational problems. In this work, a strategy for the mechanical design of sieve trays in a homogeneous reactive distillation column is presented. In the column, oleic acid is esterified with methanol under a pressure of 7 MPa. The designs obtained are tested in terms of hydraulics through CFD simulations. CFD analysis is carried out using ANSYS Fluent software. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Involvement of tendons and tendon sheaths is frequently found in the most common inflammatory systemic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis tendon manifestations occur as tenosynovitis, with swelling and pain of the tendons mainly on the hands and feet. In spondyloarthritis the involvement of tendons presents as enthesitis with pain and swelling directly at the attachment points of tendons to the bony structures and more commonly in the lower extremities. Pathological alterations of tendons can be normally visualized by sonography and only sometimes with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or scintigraphy. Furthermore, it is important for diagnostics and effective therapy to detect all joints involved by means of clinical, sonographic and radiological examination as well as laboratory parameters of inflammation, antibody serology (e.g. anti-CCP antibodies) and HLA-B27. The histopathological alterations of tendinopathy in rheumatic diseases differ from degenerative/posttraumatic tendinopathy in their expression of the changes; however, a clear differentiation of the different rheumatic inflammatory systemic diseases is histopathologically not possible. Therapeutically, systemic medication is the most important part of treatment in rheumatic diseases. Local therapeutic measures can be employed in the treatment of tenosynovitis and enthesitis. In the case of failure or lack of efficacy of the medication and conservative therapy, tenosynovectomy is performed for persistent tenosynovitis and reconstructive surgical procedures are necessary for tendon ruptures.
A significant amount of existing research has dealt with the negative effects of music on people's behavior, but only a few studies have shown that music with prosocial lyrics can increase prosocial behavior. This study focuses on the positive effects of music with prosocial lyrics on people in an everyday setting. Based on the general learning model, a field experiment (N = 256, 66% female) was conducted to test whether people exposed to music with prosocial lyrics engaged in more prosocial behavior by buying more fair trade products compared to regular products than did those exposed to songs with neutral lyrics. Guests of a cafe were randomly assigned to either the prosocial or the neutral music condition and were monitored by two observers who were instructed to report the prosocial purchase (of fair trade coffee) and tipping behavior of the guests. The results indicated that there is a significant positive association between prosocial behavior and the prosocial lyrics of the songs played. The study shows that it is most likely that music with prosocial lyrics can influence one's prosocial purchase behavior in an everyday situation. The underlying mechanisms are still poorly researched, but these findings support the theoretical assumptions.
The Dalvik virtual machine (VM) is an integral component used to execute applications in Android, which is one of the leading operating systems for mobile devices. The Dalvik VM is an interpreter and is equipped with a trace-based just-in-time compiler for enhancing the execution performance of frequently executed paths, or traces. However, traces generated by the Dalvik VM can be stopped in a conditional branch or a method call/return, which means that these traces usually have a short lifetime, decreasing the effectiveness of the compiler optimizations applied to them. Furthermore, the just-in-time compiler applies only a few simple optimizations because of performance considerations. In this article we present a traces-to-region (T2R) framework that extends traces to regions and statically compiles these regions into native binaries so as to improve the execution of Android applications. The T2R framework involves three main stages: (i) the profiling stage, in which the run-time trace information of an application is extracted; (ii) the compilation stage, in which regions are constructed from the extracted traces and are statically compiled into a native binary; and (iii) the execution stage, in which the compiled binary is loaded into the code cache when the application starts to execute. Experiments performed on an Android tablet demonstrated that the T2R framework was effective in improving the execution performance of applications by 10.5-16.2% and decreasing the size of the code cache by 4.6-28.5%. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper presents a new adaptive mesh refinement strategy which offers an alternative to the classic AMR methods. The automatic local refinement needs only few additional storage and has good cpu-time results which makes it a fine candidate for some specific studies. It is here applied to a fluid-structure interaction problem: the prediction of the behavior of a submerged net for fisheries applications from fishing companies and scientific questioning. Indeed, the structure code modeling the net already uses a lot of memory space so we introduce a scheme which does not require data structure. The original algorithm employs a local numbering of the cells to identify the neighbor of every cell. The auto-adaptive mesh is applied to the fluid model for a test case describing the hydrodynamic behavior of a netting panel. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
To manoeuvre in complex societies, it is beneficial to acquire knowledge about the social relationships existing among group mates, so as to better predict their behaviour. Although such knowledge has been firmly established in a variety of animal taxa, how animals acquire such knowledge, as well as its functional significance, remains poorly understood. In order to understand how primates acquire and use their social knowledge, we studied kin-biased redirected aggression in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) relying on a large database of over 15 000 aggressive episodes. Confirming previous research, macaques redirected aggression preferentially to the kin of their aggressor. An analysis that controlled for the rate of affiliation between aggressors and targets of redirection showed that macaques identified the relatives of group mates on the basis of the frequency of their ongoing associations. By contrast, having observed group mates interact with their mother as infants did not increase the monkeys' success in correctly identifying kin relationships among third parties. Inter-individual variation in the successful identification of the kin of aggressors and in redirecting aggression accordingly translated into differences in the amount of aggression received, highlighting a selective advantage for those individuals that were better able to acquire and use social knowledge.
It was proved in two independent experimental studies with the same group of 11 young sportsmen that creatine (CR) given as food supplement interfered with the metabolism of one- and two-carbon units. CR, given in one dose of 5 g daily during one month, induced reciprocal changes of muscle mass and body fat. These changes were characteristic of each of the four proband groups, into which the probands were divided on basis of the increased or decreased level of CR in urine, and the increased or decreased levels of folates and vitamin B-12 in blood. The comparison of results of short- and long-term CR supplementations showed that individual deviations found within the rank of each group are characteristic for each person under study. The changes of the level of thiodiglycolic acid in urine proved to be good markers for deviations from homeostasis.
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most disabling diseases to affect large numbers of elderly people worldwide. Because of the characteristics of this disease, patients with AD require daily assistance from service providers both in nursing homes and at home. Domiciliary assistance has been demonstrated to be cost effective and efficient in the first phase of the disease, helping to slow down the course of the illness, improve the quality of life and care, and extend independence for patients and caregivers. In this context, the aim of this work is to demonstrate the technical effectiveness and acceptability of an innovative domiciliary smart sensor system for providing domiciliary assistance to patients with AD which has been developed with an Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) approach. Methods: The design, development, testing, and evaluation of the innovative technological solution were performed by a multidisciplinary team. In all, 15 sociomedical operators and 14 patients with AD were directly involved in defining the end-users' needs and requirements, identifying design principles with acceptability and usability features and evaluating the technological solutions before and after the real experimentation. Results: A modular technological system was produced to help caregivers continuously monitor the health status, safety, and daily activities of patients with AD. During the experimentation, the acceptability, utility, usability, and efficacy of this system were evaluated as quite positive. Conclusion: The experience described in this article demonstrated that AAL technologies are feasible and effective nowadays and can be actively used in assisting patients with AD in their homes. The extensive involvement of caregivers in the experimentation allowed to assess that there is, through the use of the technological system, a proven improvement in care performance and efficiency of care provision by both formal and informal caregivers and consequently an increase in the quality of life of patients, their relatives, and their caregivers.
Melanotic schwannoma (MS) is a soft tissue neoplasm that shares histologic features with melanocytic tumors and schwannomas. A type of MS, called psammomatous MS (PMS), is associated with Carney complex (CNC), which is caused by PRKAR1A mutations. Other pigmented neoplasms, such as uveal melanomas and melanocytomas (MCs), are associated with genetic defects in other genes including GNA11. We report an adolescent female with a large sporadic mesenteric MS with complex histologic findings reminiscent of both PMS and MC. The lesion carried a mutation of the GNA11 gene. We conclude that sporadic MSs may occur rarely in adolescents without CNC; MSs may also be associated with somatic GNA11 mutations.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) could be the best alternative for water resources, which affects the yield and productivity of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). Therefore, field studies were conducted in North Kordofan area, Western Sudan, on a sandy clay loam soil during 2012 and 2013 growing seasons, in which the effects of five water harvesting techniques (WHTs) for growing sorghum including mulching, intercropping, stone barriers, crescent and L-shape were investigated. The moisture content of the soil was measured at three periods before crop sowing (P-1), at mid-season (P-2) and after harvest (P-3) and at four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm). The results revealed that, the soil and plant parameters were significantly influenced by the WHTs during both growing seasons through improving the structure, infiltrability, and water storage capacity of the soil in relation to the control. The variability of the soil moisture content (SMC) and plant parameters increased during the drier season 2012 and decreased during the wetter season 2013. Soil depth, measurement period and their interaction had highly significant effects on SMC during both growing seasons. Differences among the WHTs were more obvious in the topsoil layer (0-30 cm) with no significant differences below 30 cm depth. Straw mulching conserved more moisture within one soil profile, particularly at the medium and lower depths (30-90 cm). It also consistently captured more run-off water than the other techniques; at all stages of plant growth, in both growing seasons followed by earth and stone bunding. This was clearly reflected by better crop establishment and yield components of sorghum, hence generate higher gross returns. In conclusion, the study revealed the potential advantages of WHTs for semi-arid zones and in particularly for Northern Kordofan, Sudan with reference to the rationale for adopting WHTs and enhance sorghum yield.
The intrusion detection systems, firewalls and other security devices provide a guarantee for the safe operation of the network, but with the wide application of network, virus, hackers and other security incidents are increasing, these security devices will send tens of thousands of a warning in a very short period of time, the network management personnel is difficult to find useful information from these massive alarms. In addition, with the increasingly large scale network, mobile network, data management, data related to SMS, MMS message service system, single security device cannot detect all intrusions, so we must consider how to make these equipments work harmoniously. In this paper, based on the above problems, the mobile data network security integrated management system is studied, and the research and implementation of security event management mechanism is discussed in detail. The event management proposed in this paper can be regarded as an extension of the concept of network management, which enriches the content of the five functions of network management. In addition, the traditional network management and system management are two independent concepts. The two management systems can be combined together through the event management, so that the network security operation can be further improved. The purpose of security event modeling is to format the events from different event sources to facilitate subsequent processing. In this paper, the object oriented modeling method is adopted, which is scalable, and at the same time, the difference of all kinds of events is fully considered. For the description of the model, this paper uses the XML language, which is universal. Harm of computer virus on the network security management is more and more big, the characteristics of computer virus and the typical symptoms and its harmfulness are analyzed, and the security of mobile communication network is analyzed. The proposed system modification virus prevention. Implementation of general security management system in mobile data network is the focus of this article, mainly from the three aspects of the audit log management, security event monitor and account password management in the mobile data network involving multiple business systems in the implementation of integrated security management system. In this paper, we adopt rule based hierarchical system architecture, the coupling degree of each module is relatively loose, and it has great flexibility in the deployment. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Prospects of roll-forming are analyzed. Requirements to the computer-aided design (CAD) of roll-forming equipment and tools are formulated. The CAD system developed by the MISiS is described.
Physical activity is recommended in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) but may be insufficiently performed. The objective of this study was to assess physical activity in axial spondyloarthritis and to explore its explanatory factors. This was a cross-sectional study of patients with definite axSpA. The level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long form, IPAQ-L), type of aerobic exercise and the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Score were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explain levels of exercise at least as recommended by the World Health Organization. In all, 203 patients were included: mean age 46.0 +/- A 11.6 years, 108 (53.2 %) males, mean Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity Index (0-100) 37.8 +/- A 19.9; 137 (68.8 %) were treated with TNF-inhibitors. In all, 111 patients (54.7 %) were exercising at least as recommended; 96 (47.2 %) were in the 'high physical activity' category. Aerobic exercise >30 min was performed at least once a week by 61 (30.0 %) patients; the most frequent activities were energetic walking (31.0 %) and swimming (21.2 %). Main perceived benefits of exercising were improving physical fitness and functioning of the cardiovascular system, and the main barrier was physical exertion. Patients with paid employment had lower levels of physical activity whereas other demographic variables, disease activity/severity or TNF-inhibitor treatment were not predictive. One half of these patients performed enough physical activity according to the recommendations, similarly to the French population. Levels of physical activity did not appear to be explained by disease-related variables. Physical activity should be encouraged in axSpA.
Antifat attitudes refer to stereotyping based on people's weight. A potential explanation for the strong negative attitudes toward obese individuals relates to people's emotional reactions. In this study, conducted with 373 female students, it is suggested that physical disgust, germ aversion and perceived controllability of weight play a central role in explaining the individual differences that exist in antifat attitudes. Our results showed a positive relationship between physical disgust and germ aversion. Additionally, it has been found a positive correlation between physical disgust and perceived controllability of weight. Furthermore, a positive relationship between antifat attitudes, physical disgust and germ aversion was found. Finally, perceived controllability of weight was positively related to antifat attitudes. The path analysis conducted showed the mediational effect of perceived controllability of weight in the relationship between physical disgust and antifat attitudes. Finally, it is discussed the results in the frame of antifat attitudes literature.
We present a novel sensor system for the support of nutrition monitoring. The system is based on smart table cloth equipped with a fine grained pressure textile matrix and a weight sensitive tablet. Unlike many other nutrition monitoring approaches, our system is unobtrusive, non privacy invasive and easily deployable in every day life. It allows the spotting and recognition of food intake related actions, such as cutting, scooping, stirring, etc., the identification of the plate/container on which the action is executed, and the tracking of the weight change in the containers. In other words, we can determine how many pieces are cut on the main dish plate, how many are taken from the side dish, how many sips are taken from the drink, how fast the food is being consumed and how much weight is taken overall. In addition, the distinction between different eating actions, such as cutting, scooping, poking, provides clues to the type of food taken and the way the meal is consumed. We have evaluated our system on 40 meals (5 subjects) in a real life living environment: for seven eating related actions (cutting, scooping, stirring, etc.), resulting in above 90% average recognition rate for person dependent cases, and spotting each action out of continuous data streams (average F1 score 87%).
This paper uses a fluid mechanics approach to perform swarming aggregation on a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (QUAV) swarm platform. This is done by adapting the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) technique. An algorithm benchmarking is conducted to see how well SPH performs. Simulations of varying set-ups are experimented to compare different algorithms with SPH. The position error of SPH is 30% less than the benchmark algorithm when a target enclosure is introduce. SPH is implemented using Crazyflie quadrotor swarm. The aggregation behavior exhibited successfully in the said platform.
Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine is one of the most potential bicyclic 5-6 heterocyclic rings that is recognized as a drug prejudice scaffold due to its broad range of applications in medicinal chemistry such as anticancer, antimycobacterial, antileishmanial, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic, proton pump inhibitor, insecticidal activities. This scaffold has also been represented in various marketed preparations such as zolimidine, zolpidem, alpidem. Therefore, several attempts were made to carry out the structural modifications of this scaffold to discover and develop novel therapeutic agents. This review provides a valuable insight into the research findings of wide range of derivatives of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine scaffold leading to promising heterocyclic compounds which could be explored further for the synthesis of new derivatives as well as construction of potential drug-like chemical libraries for biological screening in search of new therapeutic agents.
Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is currently recognized as a clinically effective treatment for allergic diseases, with a unique disease-modifying effect. AIT was introduced in clinical practice one century ago, and performed in the early years with allergenic extracts of poor quality and definition. After the mechanism of allergic reaction were recognized, the practice of AIT was refined, leading to remarkable improvement in the efficacy and safety profile of the treatment. Currently AIT is accepted and routinely prescribed worldwide for respiratory allergies and hymenoptera venom allergy. Both the subcutaneous (SCIT) and sublingual (SLIT) routes of administration are used in the pediatric population. AIT is recommended in allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis with/without allergic asthma, with an evidence of specific IgE-sensitization towards clinically relevant inhalant allergens. Long-term studies provided evidence that AIT can also prevent the onset of asthma and of new sensitizations. The favorable response to AIT is strictly linked to adherence to treatment, that lasts 3-5 years. Therefore, several factors should be carefully evaluated before starting this intervention, including the severity of symptoms, pharmacotherapy requirements and children and caregivers' preference and compliance. In recent years, there have been increasing interest in the role of AIT for the treatment of IgE-associated food allergy and extrinsic atopic dermatitis. A growing body of evidence shows that oral immunotherapy represents a promising treatment option for IgE-associated food allergy. On the contrary, there are still controversies on the effectiveness of AIT for patients with atopic dermatitis. This consensus document was promoted by the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP) to provide evidence-based recommendations on AIT in order to implement and optimize current prescription practices of this treatment for allergic children.
Repetitive control strategies have been commonly applied in pulse-width-modulated (PWM) voltage source inverters (VSIs) for many industrial applications. This paper presents a repetitive controller for voltage harmonic mitigation of VSI-based islanded microgrids. The phase delay in the overall control system, e.g., the delay caused by the digital duty cycle calculation, PWM generation, and repetitive controller, has to be compensated by elaborately designed phase lead filters in order to prevent control performance deterioration and system instability. Nevertheless, quantificational analysis and practical design of the time advance unit in such filters are hardly found in existing literature works. In view of this, this paper proposes an explicit analysis of the phase lead filters and a novel design method of the time advance unit in repetitive controllers to ensure system stability. Moreover, with the help of the proposed method, the overall system stability margin is predictable and improved controller performance is achieved as well. The proposed method is implemented experimentally to show the accurate stability margin calculation as well as the excellent steady state and dynamic performances of the repetitive control scheme.
Compressed sensing (CS) demonstrates that sparse signals can be estimated from underdetermined linear systems. Distributed CS (DCS) further reduces the number of measurements by considering joint sparsity within signal ensembles. DCS with jointly sparse signals has applications in multisensor acoustic sensing, magnetic resonance imaging with multiple coils, remote sensing, and array signal processing. Multimeasurement vector (MMV) problems consider the estimation of jointly sparse signals under the DCS framework. Two related MMV settings are studied. In the first setting, each signal vector is measured by a different independent and identically distributed (i. i. d.) measurement matrix, while in the second setting, all signal vectors are measured by the same i. i. d. matrix. Replica analysis is performed for these two MMV settings, and the minimum mean squared error (MMSE), which turns out to be identical for both settings, is obtained as a function of the noise variance and number of measurements. To showcase the application of MMV models, the MMSE's of complex CS problems with both real and complex measurement matrices are also analyzed. Multiple performance regions for MMV are identified where the MMSE behaves differently as a function of the noise variance and the number of measurements. Belief propagation (BP) is a CS signal estimation framework that often achieves the MMSE asymptotically. A phase transition for BP is identified. This phase transition, verified by numerical results, separates the regions where BP achieves the MMSE and where it is suboptimal. Numerical results also illustrate that more signal vectors in the jointly sparse signal ensemble lead to a better phase transition.
Recently with the rapid development of smart phones and mobile Internet, network security is more and more important in people's daily life. In this paper, a network security scanning system based on Android (wScan) is proposed, which aims to make sure users' mobile terminals are in a secure network environment when they are using these devices. The system is composed of WiFi scanning, router tracking, port scanning, running service detection, virus killing and real-time communication functions, which integrates Java technology, Eclipse platform and SQLite database. Using Nmap toolkit in the system, the wScan can provide valuable information of running services and opening ports in mobile devices based on Android.
The paper is devoted to the study of several stability properties (such as Aubin/Lipschitz-like property, calmness and isolated calmness) of a special non-monotone generalized equation. The theoretical results are applied in the theory of non-regular electrical circuits involving electronic devices like ideal diode, practical diode, and diode alternating current.
Agriculture is the largest employing sector that involves 44.7% of manpower of Pakistan's total population and participates about 23% in GDP of Pakistan but on the other side, country is facing the shortage of water. The 60% of population lives in rural and hilly areas while implementing the schemes of water in hilly areas is not feasible because of high expenditures and less progress. Moreover, supplying of water in hilly areas is time consuming, unsafe and expensive work therefore, hilly areas rainwater harvesting is the most appropriate and feasible technique. This paper represents the study of runoff pattern and to investigate the potential water harvesting sites in Potohar Plateau of Pakistan. The techniques, such as Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing, HEC-GeoHMS and HEC-HMS were used for delineation of water channels, drainage line and for estimation of runoff generation. The results revealed that 60% of the study area has potential for rainwater harvesting in order to accumulate and store runoff generated from annual rainfall.
The three metabolites hydroxyibuprofen (OH-Ibu), carboxyibuprofen (CA-Ibu), and carboxyhydratropic acid (CA-HA), also known from human metabolism of ibuprofen, could be identified in biodegradation experiments. Identification was based on El mass spectra and comparison with literature data. Detection was performed by selective MS-MS measurements by GC-ion-trap MS and online methylation. Ibuprofen (Ibu), OH-Ibu, and CA-Ibu could be detected with a signal-to-noise ratio of 10:1 at a concentration of 2 nmol L-1, CA-HA at 0.5 nmol L-1. Degradation experiments in both biofilm reactors (BFR) and batch experiments with activated sludge (BAS) reveal OH-Ibu as the major metabolite under oxic conditions, and CA-HA under anoxic conditions. CA-Ibu was found under oxic and anoxic conditions almost only in the BAS. The metabolites together do not account for more than 10% of the initial concentration of Ibu.
Access control is critical for many applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) since the owner of an IoT device (and application) may only permit one user to access a subset of the resources of the device. To provide access control for an IoT network, recent work adopted the capability-based access control (CBAC) model, which allows an IoT device to decide on the authorization by itself based on a capability token. However, the existing approaches based on CBAC directly attach the capability token at the end of CoAP when sending a request message. For the receiver, it is not easy to retrieve the capability token from the request message if the CoAP payload is present, because CoAP does not have a length field to indicate the size of its payload. To counter this problem, we propose a CoAP option, Cap-Token, to encapsulate a capability token when sending request messages. Because a CoAP option is independent from other CoAP fields, a receiver can get the capability token from the Cap-Token option of the request message without ambiguity. We also provide a compression mechanism to reduce the size of the Cap- Token option. Our evaluation shows that the compression mechanism can save the size of the option by 60%. Adding a compressed Cap-Token option to a request message increases the IP datagram size by 45 bytes, which is only 41% of the increase when directly attaching the capability token at the end of CoAP.
A digital pulse-frequency-modulated controller is designed by discretizing an analog integral controller for an LLC resonant DC-DC converter using the so called IA-PIM digital redesign method. It regulates the output voltage by adjusting the frequency of the input switching, which in turn changes the gain of the LLC converter. Its performances to sudden changes in the load are evaluated though extensive simulations. These results show that the digital controller can realize the performance of an analog controller at a sampling frequency that can be much lower than those currently prevail, which may be advantageous in terms of reduced computational requirements and power consumption.
In the paper by Gleim et al (2016 Opt. Express 24 2619), it was declared that the system of quantum cryptography, exploiting quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol BB84 with the additional reference state and encoding in a sub-carrier, is able to distribute secret keys at a distance of 210 km. The following shows that a simple attack realized with a beam splitter results in a loss of privacy of the keys over substantially smaller distances. It turns out that the actual length of the secret key transmission for the QKD system encoding in the sub-carrier frequency is ten times less than that declared in Gleim et al (2016 Opt. Express 24 2619). Therefore it is impossible to safely use the keys when distributed at a larger length of the communication channel than shown below. The maximum communication distance does not exceed 22 km, even in the most optimistic scenario.
Background: Cervical cancer is a common gynecologic malignant tumor and has a great impact on women's health. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is implicated in cervical cancer and precancerous lesions and the two are possibly two stages of disease progression. With the technological development of molecular biology and epidemiology, detection and treatment of HPV has become an important means to prevent cervical cancer. Methods: Here we present a novel, rapid, sensitive and specific isothermal method of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), which is established to detect the two most common high-risk human papillomavirus type 16 and type 18 DNA. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of the RPA assay, incubating clinical specimens of HPV16 and HPV18 using plasmids standard. It operates at constant low temperature without the thermal instrumentation for incubation. The products can be detected via agarose gel electrophoresis assay, reverse dot blot assay, and quantitative real-time assay with SYBR Green I. We assess the diagnostic performance of the RPA assay for detecting of HPV16 and HPV18 in 335 clinical samples from patients suspected of cervical cancer. Results: The results revealed no cross-reaction with other HPV genotypes and the RPA assay achieve a sensitivity of 10(0) copies. Compared with TaqMan qPCR, the RPA technique achieves exponential amplification with no need for pretreatment of sample DNA at 37 degrees C for 20 minutes, which reveals more satisfactory performance. The agreement between the RPA and qPCR assays was 97.6% (kappa = 0.89) for HPV16 positivity and 98.5% (kappa = 0.81) for HPV18 positivity, indicating very good correlation between both tests. Conclusions: Importantly, the RPA assay was demonstrated to be a useful and powerful method for detection of HPV virus, which therefore may serve as a valuable tool for rapid diagnosis of HPV infection in both commercial and clinical applications.
In the past decade mass spectrometry-based proteomics has greatly contributed to shaping our knowledge about Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria, from the initial identification of novel essential components in purified protein complexes, to the actual characterization of the mitochondrial proteome, the specific analysis of mitochondrial subcompartment proteomes, and the study of regulatory mechanisms that govern mitochondrial homeostasis. Here, we provide an overview of relevant mitochondrial proteome studies and furthermore discuss future possibilities how proteomics will further improve our existing understanding of mitochondria. Although mitochondria were the first organelles that have been intensively studied using proteomics, indeed the recent progress and development of more powerful and sensitive methods, instrumentation and data analysis strategies indicate that we are only beginning to exploit the full potential of mitochondrial proteomics and its possibilities to decipher cell biology. Beside mere (quantitative) inventory under different conditions, this will for instance include studying the role of multiple post-translational modifications in mitochondrial homeostasis as well as the system-wide mapping of protein-protein complexes and protein-lipid interactions. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Mitochondria Research Society.
An experiment with 212 students (100 men, 112 women; M age = 18.3 years, SD = 0.9) was carried out to compare the effect of four techniques used by mediators on the number of agreements contracted by negotiators. Under experimental conditions, mediators were asked either to rephrase (reformulate) negotiators' words or to imitate them or to show active listening behavior; or finally, to use a free technique. More agreements were reached in the active listening condition than in both free and rephrase conditions. Furthermore, mediators in the active listening condition were perceived, by the negotiators, as more efficient than mediators using other techniques, although there was no significant difference observed between the active listening and imitation conditions.
This paper describes the use of simulation in supporting system design and in improving manufacturing performance at the Ford powertrain operations, Manufacturing Engineering division. Simulation modelling of engine assembly lines is carried out using the Ford Assembly Simulation Tool (FAST) which is an Excel based front-end user interface to the Witness simulation system. FAST is a component-based Simulation system that enables engineers and non-simulation experts to develop engine assembly models easily and quickly. The model building is also enhanced by the use of specialised sub-models (Witness modules). Assembly line models are automatically built using a Witness shell that imports data from Excel data sheets, produces Witness elements and populates the elements with relevant data. The importance of the quality of input data and their sources has been emphasised. The models are generally verified using expected cyclic throughput values, and validated with real manufacturing data from the shop floor. Validated models are used to assess and enhance performances of engine assembly lines.
Taxes are beneficial; society depends on the revenue generated from taxation to provide essential public services such as education and health care. Taxes also attract a high degree of loathing. Tax noncompliance is a major problem for governments worldwide with hundreds of billions of potential tax revenue uncollected each year. It is therefore critical for research to examine factors that encourage tax satisfaction. In this research, we hypothesized that people would be more inclined to view taxation in a favorable light if they believed that wealth incurs a responsibility to give back to society (wealth-as-responsibility). Consistent with this prediction, in Study 1, people who reported stronger wealth-as-responsibility beliefs felt better about paying taxes. In Study 2, individuals assigned to read text encouraging the idea that wealth incurs a responsibility to give back to society felt better about paying taxes compared to a neutral control group. In Study 3, individuals assigned to read text encouraging wealth-as-responsibility felt better about paying taxes on earned income in the lab. Together, these studies show that reframing the meaning of wealth can shape people's attitudes about paying their taxes, thus providing evidence for a novel lever to encourage more positive attitudes about taxation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scaling-up capabilities for the design, build, and test of synthetic biology constructs holds great promise for the development of new applications in fuels, chemical production, or cellular-behavior engineering. Construct design is an essential component in this process; however, not every designed DNA sequence can be readily manufactured, even using state-of-the-art DNA synthesis methods. Current biological computer-aided design and manufacture tools (bioCAD/CAM) do not adequately consider the limitations of DNA synthesis technologies when generating their outputs. Designed sequences that violate DNA synthesis constraints may require substantial sequence redesign or lead to price-premiums and temporal delays, which adversely impact the efficiency of the DNA manufacturing process. We have developed a suite of build-optimization software tools (BOOST) to streamline the design build transition in synthetic biology engineering workflows. BOOST incorporates knowledge of DNA synthesis success determinants into the design process to output ready-to-build sequences, preempting the need for sequence redesign. The BOOST web application is available at https://boost.jgi.doe.gov and its Application Program Interfaces (API) enable integration into automated, customized DNA design processes. The herein presented results highlight the effectiveness of BOOST in reducing DNA synthesis costs and timelines.
Digitally controlled oscillators are the main cores in all-digital phase-locked loops (ADPLL), which are important for determining the range of frequency and power consumption in ADPLLs. In the conventional digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) designs, one single band of operation is assigned to the DCO. The following paper presents a new approach in the design of DCOs, which works in dual-band and wide-band modes with a control unit. In dual-band mode, the DCO works in two different ranges of frequencies simultaneously via digital control bits. The wide-band DCO (WBDCO) works in one wider range of frequencies consecutively. It seems that in the wide-band DCO, the gap width for the dual-band DCO (DBDCO) is zero. The previously mentioned designs allow the designer to have standard frequencies with the help of direct or multiplied frequencies. So, we can have a trade-off between power and performance. This means that we can have low power consumption in low-frequency applications and vice versa. The proposed designs are based on using digitally controlled capacitors, current starving gates and Schmitt triggers in critical points of the DCO loop, while preserving coarse and fine tunings. The non-delay linearity factors are clearly investigated and resolved with the use of a new combined control unit. The simulations of the proposed designs are performed in Hspice with a voltage of v in 180 nm CMOS technology for 64- and 128-bit input coarse codes. Our simulation and evaluation results showed that in the dual-band DCO, a 14.8 ps jitter was calculated at 134 MHz with 1.2131 mW power consumption, while in the wide band with overlap mode, a 68.7 ps jitter was measured at 184.61 MHz with 1.604 mW power consumption. Our designs are proper for reconfigurable and multi-standard ADPLL designs.
This review updates the relationship between the adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) assessed by questionnaire and asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic eczema in childhood. It deals with the effect of MedDiet in children on asthma/wheeze, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis/eczema, and also with the effect of MedDiet consumption by the mother during pregnancy on the inception of asthma/wheeze and allergic diseases in the offspring. Adherence to MedDiet by children themselves seems to have a protective effect on asthma/wheezing symptoms after adjustment for confounders, although the effect is doubtful on lung function and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. By contrast, the vast majority of the studies showed no significant effect of MedDiet on preventing atopic eczema, rhinitis, or atopy. Finally, studies on adherence to MedDiet by the mother during pregnancy showed some protective effect on asthma/wheeze symptoms in the offspring only during the first year of life, but not afterward. Very few studies have shown a protective effect on wheezing, current sneeze, and atopy, and none on eczema. Randomized control trials on the effect of the adherence to MedDiet to prevent (by maternal consumption during pregnancy) or improve (by child consumption) the clinical control of asthma/wheezing, allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis are needed.
Wireless Sensor Networks are installed in hostile areas. The security issues in wireless sensor networks are very important. Getting secure links between nodes is a challenging problem in WSNs. They are more vulnerable to security attacks than wired networks. In order to protect the sensitive data in WSN can be protected using secret keys to encrypt the exchanged messages between communicating nodes. Key management is essential for many security services such as confidentiality and authentication. The symmetric or asymmetric key cryptography or Trusted-server schemes are used to solve this problem. Asymmetric key cryptography increases network security but it increases computational, memory, and energy overhead. Symmetric key cryptography provides less security and it is efficient key management scheme. Trusted server schemes use key management server. Because there is usually no trusted infrastructure it is not very suitable for sensor networks. In this paper, we have proposed Mobile Agent (MA) Based Key Distribution (MAKD). In MAKD, Mobile Agents are used for dissemination of public keys and update of shared keys. Each sensor node constructs different symmetric keys with its neighbors, and communication security is achieved by data encryption and mutual authentication with these keys. Simulation results show that MAKD is scalable and with less communication overhead.
Soybean (Glycine max (L) MERR.) is recognized as a potent food allergen causing one of the most frequent food allergies worldwide. The effect of high pressure processing (HPP) prior to and during enzymatic hydrolysis using the enzyme preparation Flavourzyme on the degree of hydrolysis (DH), molecular weight distribution (SDSPAGE) and beta-conglycinin (Gly m5) immunoreactivity of soy protein isolate (SPI) was studied. Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) and HPP (100-600 MPa) at 50 degrees C for 15 min. Pressures higher than 300 MPa enhanced the degradation of Gly m5, which was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and LC-MS/MS analyses. The immunoreactivity of the samples was assessed by in vitro sandwich ELISA using mouse monoclonal anti-Gly m5 antibodies. Depending on the antibody tested, the residual immunoreactivity was completely inhibited or significantly impaired up to 99.5% applying HPP during hydrolysis at 400 and 500 MPa. By means of principal component analysis, the beany and green off-flavors characteristic for unprocessed SPI could be reduced by pressure enhanced hydrolysis at 400-500 MPa. The resulting hydrolysates possessed improved protein solubility, foaming activities and oil-binding capacities, which were improved by 45%, 66%, and 210%, respectively. HPP prior to and during enzymatic hydrolysis at 400-500 MPa constitutes an innovative approach for the production of low-allergen food ingredients that combine good taste and enhanced functional properties. Industrial relevance: Food allergy has emerged in the last years as the incidence and prevalence are rising dramatically. Up to now, enzymatic hydrolysis is the only feasible method to mitigate soy allergy. However, the major drawback associated with enzymatic hydrolysis is the incomplete destruction of allergenic epitopes and the formation of a strong bitter taste. This research activity demonstrates that high pressure assisted enzymatic hydrolysis using the enzyme preparation Flavourzyme effectively reduces the immunoreactivity of soy proteins. Degree of hydrolysis analysis, SDS-PAGE, mass spectrometry as well as sandwich ELISA with mouse monoclonal anti-Gly m5 antibodies have been applied to analyze the destruction of allergenic proteins as well as to determine the residual immunoreactivity. This study provides preliminary evidence that this innovative combination process of high pressure and enzymatic hydrolysis has great potential to produce tasty low-allergen soy-based food ingredients with good physicochemical properties, i.e. protein solubility and foamability. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In 2014, a (t, n) electronic lottery protocol was proposed to achieve a series of functional properties including the correctness, fairness, randomness, traceability, unforgeability, robustness, practicability and efficiency. However, a weakness that destroys the fairness and randomness is often ignored, i.e., if at least t + 1 players collude, they can control the generation of a specific winning result to obtain the prize. Using the oblivious transfer based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), this paper presents an improved lottery protocol, which not only inherits the previous merits, but also resists against the collusion attack from the participants such that the fairness and the randomness are really achieved. Furthermore, the improved protocol is more efficient than the previous version due to the feature of ECC.
Research linking religion to prejudice suggests that highly religious individuals, and religious fundamentalists specifically, may be especially susceptible to expressing prejudice toward dissimilar others, whereas people who are less religious and fundamentalist do not show the same effect. The selective prejudice hypothesis predicts that this pattern of results occurs because the cognitive and motivational styles or particular values associated with fundamentalism exacerbate prejudice. In 3 studies, using 4 data sets (N = 6,047), we test this selective prejudice hypothesis against the religious values conflict hypothesis, which predicts that both people with high and low levels of fundamentalism will be prejudiced toward those with dissimilar beliefs to protect the validity and vitality of people's belief systems. Consistent with the religious values conflict hypothesis, we found that people both high and low in fundamentalism were prejudiced toward dissimilar others (Study 1) and these differences were primarily due to differences in the content of religious belief rather than the style of belief (Study 2). In Study 3, we expanded these findings to additional measures of prejudice, found that multiple measures of threat were potential mediators, and explored the possibility of an integrative perspective. In total, these results suggest that people with both relatively high and low levels of fundamentalism are susceptible to prejudice and in some cases the size of this religious intergroup bias may be higher among people with high levels of fundamentalism.
In this study, an encryption algorithm that uses chaos based S-BOX is developed for secure and speed image encryption. First of all, a new chaotic system is developed for creating S-Box and image encryption algorithm. Chaos based random number generator is designed with the help of the new chaotic system. Then, NIST tests are run on generated random numbers to verify randomness. A new S-Box design algorithm is developed to create the chaos based S-Box to be utilized in encryption algorithm and performance tests are made. As the next step, the new developed S-Box based image encryption algorithm is introduced in detail. Finally, image encryption application is carried out. To show the quality and strong of the encryption process, security analysis are performed. Proposed algorithm is compared with the AES and chaos algorithms. According to tests results, the proposed image encryption algorithm is secure and speed for image encryption application. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: To search in the scientific literature for nursing diagnoses identified in adult/elderly patients undergoing antineoplastic chemotherapy in an outpatient setting. Methods: Review of studies published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish which were searched in five electronic databases in March 2016, using the descriptors nursing process, nursing diagnosis, neoplasms, drug therapy and hospital outpatient clinic. Results: In the four studies selected for review, 40 nursing diagnoses were identified, namely unbalanced nutrition, less than body requirements, risk of deficient fluid volume, diarrhoea, fatigue, impaired home maintenance, deficient knowledge, disturbed body image, interrupted family processes, ineffective sexuality pattern, anxiety, powerlessness, fear, readiness for enhanced religiosity, risk of infection, impaired dentition, risk of impaired skin integrity, acute pain, and nausea. Conclusions: The nursing diagnoses identified can support the selection of interventions and the creation of nursing guidelines in outpatient oncology services.
Since 1990, Yahtse Glacier in southern Alaska has advanced at an average rate of similar to 100 m year(-1) despite a negative mass balance, widespread thinning in its accumulation area, and a low accumulation-area ratio. To better understand the interannual and seasonal changes at Yahtse and the processes driving these changes, we construct velocity and ice surface elevation time series spanning the years 1985-2016 and 2000-2014, respectively, using satellite optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations. We find contrasting seasonal dynamics above and below a steep (up to 35% slope) icefall located approximately 6 km from the terminus. Above the icefall, velocities peak in May and reach their minima in October synchronous with the development of a small embayment at the calving terminus. The up-glacier minimum speeds, embayment, and plume of turbid water that emerges from the embayment are consistent with an efficient, channelized subglacial drainage system that lowers basal water pressures and leads to focused submarine melt in the calving embayment. However, velocities near the terminus are fastest in the winter, following terminus retreat, possibly off of a terminal moraine that results in decreased backstress. Between 1996 and 2016 the terminus decelerated by similar to 40% at an average rate of similar to 0.4 m day(-1) year(-1), transitioned from tensile to compressive longitudinal strain rates, and dynamically thickened at rates of 1-6 m year(-1), which we hypothesize is in response to the development and advance of a terminal moraine. The described interannual changes decay significantly upstream of the icefall, indicating that the icefall may inhibit the upstream transmission of stress perturbations. We suggest that diminished stress transmission across the icefall could allow moraine-enabled terminus advance despite mass loss in Yahtse's upper basin. Our work highlights the importance of glacier geometry in controlling tidewater glacier re-advance, particularly in a climate favoring increasing equilibrium line altitudes.
Laboratory sessions are designed to develop the experimental skills and the acquaintance with instruments that may contribute to a successful career in Biochemistry and associated fields. This study is a report on improving a traditional Biochemistry course by devising the laboratory sessions as an inquiry-based environment to develop the students' autonomy to plan, perform, and interpret experiments. We reformulated our Biochemistry laboratory to have three activities that sequentially increase regarding autonomy. We used an autonomy support structure consisting of varying levels of engagement by the student in such aspects as Organizational, Procedural, and Cognitive, gradually transferring to students the responsibility for their decisions within the laboratory. Our results show that students performed better on the less instructed worksheet activities, characterized by a more complex autonomy support, as compared to the activities tightly controlled by worksheet directions. A review of the group lab reports suggests that students showed skills required to work with different levels of autonomy. Thus, this approach has positively supported the students' autonomy, not only mapping their progress through the activities proposed but also encouraging them to make decisions during their experiments and stimulating their ability to think and to plan experiments themselves.
The complex pathology of spinal cord injury (SCI), involving a cascade of secondary events and the formation of inhibitory barriers, hampers regeneration across the lesion site and often results in irreversible loss of motor function. The limited regenerative capacity of endogenous cells after SCI has led to a focus on the development of cell therapies that can confer both neuroprotective and neuroregenerative benefits. Stem cells have emerged as a candidate cell source because of their ability to self-renew and differentiate into a multitude of specialized cell types. While ethical and safety concerns impeded the use of stem cells in the past, advances in isolation and differentiation methods have largely mitigated these issues. A confluence of work in stem cell biology, genetics, and developmental neurobiology has informed the directed differentiation of specific spinal cell types. After transplantation, these stem cell-derived populations can replace lost cells, provide trophic support, remyelinate surviving axons, and form relay circuits that contribute to functional recovery. Further refinement of stem cell differentiation and transplantation methods, including combinatorial strategies that involve biomaterial scaffolds and drug delivery, is critical as stem cell-based treatments enter clinical trials. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 245-259. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The detection of single amino-acid variants (SAVs) usually depends on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) database. Here, we describe a novel method that discovers SAVs at proteome level independent of SNPs data. Using mass spectrometry-based de novo sequencing algorithm, peptide-candidates are identified and compared with theoretical protein database to generate SAVs under pairing strategy, which is followed by database re-searching to control false discovery rate. In human brain tissues, we can confidently identify known and novel protein variants with diverse origins. Combined with DNA/RNA sequencing, we verify SAVs derived from DNA mutations, RNA alternative splicing, and unknown post-transcriptional mechanisms. Furthermore, quantitative analysis in human brain tissues reveals several tissue-specific differential expressions of SAVs. This approach provides a novel access to high-throughput detection of protein variants, which may offer the potential for clinical biomarker discovery and mechanistic research.
The finite element method has been employed in the machine design, as well as to study the dynamic behavior of the coffee plant or its parts. The objective of this study was to determine the geometric, physical and mechanical properties of coffee fruit-stem-branch system. The dimensions were determined by image processing, the masses and volumes measured using weighing-machine and graduated cylinder, respectively. The modulus of elasticity was determined by compression, tension and bending mechanical tests for fruits, stems and branches, respectively. The Poisson's ratio was determined using the longitudinal and transversal deformation of the fruits and stems. The damping ratio was determined by the decay curves using the logarithmic decrement method. It was concluded that the fruit dimensions and mass showed a tendency to increase with mature stage evolution. The modulus of elasticity for fruit and stems in green (cherry) stage was higher than the values for the mature stage.
The idea of taking inspiration from nature, and in particular from living systems, in the design of technological systems is fairly widespread and originated much research work. However, while in the field of materials this approach allowed the construction of systems of high complexity but at the same time inexpensive and able to be mass produced, the idea that, in a wider context, natural systems are necessarily optimized seems not to be justified. Optimization must not be confused with evolution: after Darwin we understand that there is no finalism in evolutionary processes, and that the mechanism producing the design' of living organisms cannot result in optimal designs to fulfil any given task, but can only cause a continuous adaptation to the environment. Similarly unfounded seems to be the idea that machines and devices, necessarily better that those obtained by using the traditional design approach, can be designed by taking inspiration from nature. The trial-and-error approach, supported by the principles of bionics, represents a setback with respect to the application of scientific principles to technology which so much contributed to the technological advancement in the modern world.
Small satellites have limited payload and their attitudes are sometimes difficult to determine from the limited onboard sensors alone. Wrong attitudes lead to inaccurate map projections and measurements that require post-processing correction. In this study, we propose an automated and robust scheme that derives the satellite attitude from its observation images and known satellite position by matching land features from an observed image and from well-registered base-map images. The scheme combines computer vision algorithms (i.e., feature detection, and robust optimization) and geometrical constraints of the satellite observation. Applying the proposed method to UNIFORM-1 observations, which is a 50 kg class small satellite, satellite attitudes were determined with an accuracy of 0.02 degrees, comparable to that of star trackers, if the satellite position is accurately determined. Map-projected images can be generated based on the accurate attitudes. Errors in the satellite position can add systematic errors to derived attitudes. The proposed scheme focuses on determining satellite attitude with feature detection algorithms applying to raw satellite images, unlike image registration studies which register already map-projected images. By delivering accurate attitude determination and map projection, the proposed method can improve the image geometries of small satellites, and thus reveal fine-scale information about the Earth.
Recent approaches to network functions virtualization (NFV) have shown that commodity network stacks and drivers struggle to keep up with increasing hardware speed. Despite this, popular cloud networking services still rely on commodity operating systems (OSs) and device drivers. Taking into account the hardware underlying of commodity servers, we built an NFV profiler that tracks the movement of packets across the system's memory hierarchy by collecting key hardware and OS-level performance counters. Leveraging the profiler's data, our Service Chain Coordinator's (SCC) run-time accelerates user-space NFV service chains, based on commodity drivers. To do so, SCC combines multiplexing of system calls with scheduling strategies, taking time, priority, and processing load into account. By granting longer time quanta to chained network functions (NFs), combined with I/O multiplexing, SCC reduces unnecessary scheduling and I/O overheads, resulting in three-fold latency reduction due to cache and main memory utilization improvements. More importantly, SCC reduces the latency variance of NFV service chains by up to 40x compared to standard FastClick chains by making the average case for an NFV chain to perform as well as the best case. These improvements are possible because of our profiler's accuracy. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a low grade systemic inflammatory disease in which many inflammatory mediators are known to be elevated in the peripheric blood. Blood platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) are accepted as novel markers in many of the systemic inflammatory disorders, but have not been investigated in synovitis-free radiographic OA yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of blood PLR and MPV in radiographic hip OA. A total of 880 patients were evaluated retrospectively and after certain exclusion criteria, 237 of them who have primary hip OA were included. Age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), PLR, and MPV levels were recorded, Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grading of the hip joints were performed. Patients were then divided into 2 groups as KL grades 1 to 2 (mild-moderate) and KL grades 3 to 4 (severe) hip OA. Mean age, mean neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, mean MPV, mean PLR, and mean ESR were statistically significantly different between mild/moderate hip OA group and severe hip OA group. In univariate analysis, older age and higher MPV, PLR, and ESR were severely associated with severe hip OA. In multiple logistic regression analysis, MPV, PLR, and ESR emerged as independent predictors of severe hip OA. The results of the present study, for the first time in the literature, suggest blood PLR and MPV as novel inflammatory markers predicting the radiographic severity of hip OA in the daily practice.
Figure-ground segmentation is a crucial preprocessing step for many image processing and computer vision tasks. Since different object classes need specific segmentation rules, the top-down approach, which learns from the object information, is more suitable to solve segmentation problems than the bottom-up approach. A problem faced by most existing top-down methods is that they require much human work/intervention, meanwhile introducing human bias. As genetic programming (GP) does not require users to specify the structure of solutions, we apply it to evolve segmentors that can conduct the figure-ground segmentation automatically and accurately. This paper aims to determine what kind of image information is necessary for GP to evolve capable segmentors (especially for images with high variations, e.g. varied object shapes or cluttered backgrounds). Therefore, seven different terminal sets are exploited to evolve segmentors, and images from four datasets (bitmap, Brodatz texture, Weizmann and Pascal databases), which are increasingly difficult for segmentation tasks, are selected for testing. Results show that the proposed GP based method can be successfully applied to diverse types of images. In addition, intensity based features are not sufficient for complex images, whereas features containing spectral and statistical information are necessary. Compared with four widely-used segmentation techniques, our method obtains consistently better segmentation performance. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Three-dimensional (3D) culture, which can simulate in vivo microenvironments, has been increasingly used to study tumor cell biology. Since most preclinical anti-glioma drug tests still rely on conventional 2D cell culture, we established a collagen scaffold for 3D glioma cell culture. Glioma cells cultured on these 3D scaffolds showed greater degree of dedifferentiation and quiescence than cells in 2D culture. 3D-cultured cells also exhibited enhanced resistance to chemotherapeutic alkylating agents, with a much higher proportion of glioma stem cells and upregulation of O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). Importantly, tumor cells in 3D culture showed chemotherapy resistance patterns similar to those observed in glioma patients. Our results suggest that 3D collagen scaffolds are promising in vitro research platforms for screening new anti-glioma therapeutics.
A subtype of microglia is defined by the morphological appearance of the cells as rod shaped. Little is known about this intriguing cell type, as there are only a few case reports describing rod-shaped microglia in the neuropathological literature. Rod-shaped microglia were shown recently to account for a substantial proportion of the microglia cells in the hippocampus of both demented and cognitively intact aged individuals. We hypothesized that aging could be a defining feature in the occurrence of rodshaped microglia. To test this hypothesis, 2 independent series of autopsy cases (total n 168 cases), which covered the adult lifespan from 20 to 100_ years old, were included in the study. The presence or absence of rod-shaped microglia was scored on IBA1 immunohistochemically stained slides for the hippocampus and cortex. We found that age was one of the strongest determinants for the presence of rod-shaped microglia in the hippocampus and the cortex. We found no association with the presence of rod-shaped microglia and a self-reported history of a TBI. Alzheimer's diseaseerelated pathology was found to influence the presence of rod-shaped microglia, but only in the parietal cortex and not in the hippocampus or temporal cortex. Future studies are warranted to determine the functional relevance of rod-shaped microglia in supporting the health of neurons in the aged brain, and the signaling processes that regulate the formation of rod-shaped microglia. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Data produced by wearable sensors is key in contexts such as performance enhancement and training help for sports and fitness, continuous monitoring for aging people and for chronic disease management, and in gaming and entertainment. Unfortunately, wearable devices currently in the market are either incapable of complex functionality or severely impaired by short battery lifetime. In this work, we present a smartwatch platform based on an ultralow-power (ULP) heterogeneous system composed of a TI MSP430 microcontroller, the PULP programmable parallel accelerator, and a set of ULP sensors, including a camera. The embedded PULP accelerator enables state-of-the-art context classification based on convolutional neural networks to be applied within a sub-10-mW system power envelope. Our methodology enables to reach high accuracy in context classification over five classes (up to 84%, with three classes over five reaching more than 90% accuracy), while consuming 2.2 mJ per classification, or an ultralow energy consumption of less than 91 mu J per classification with an accuracy of 64%-3.2xbetter than chance. Our results suggest that the proposed heterogeneous platform can provide up to 500x speedup with respect to the MSP430 within a similar power envelope, which would enable complex computer vision algorithms to be executed in highly power-constrained scenarios.
Background: Time-lapse microscopy is an essential tool for capturing and correlating bacterial morphology and gene expression dynamics at single-cell resolution. However state-of-the-art computational methods are limited in terms of the complexity of cell movies that they can analyze and lack of automation. The proposed Bacterial image analysis driven Single Cell Analytics (BaSCA) computational pipeline addresses these limitations thus enabling high throughput systems microbiology. Results: BaSCA can segment and track multiple bacterial colonies and single-cells, as they grow and divide over time (cell segmentation and lineage tree construction) to give rise to dense communities with thousands of interacting cells in the field of view. It combines advanced image processing and machine learning methods to deliver very accurate bacterial cell segmentation and tracking (F-measure over 95%) even when processing images of imperfect quality with several overcrowded colonies in the field of view. In addition, BaSCA extracts on the fly a plethora of single-cell properties, which get organized into a database summarizing the analysis of the cell movie. We present alternative ways to analyze and visually explore the spatiotemporal evolution of single-cell properties in order to understand trends and epigenetic effects across cell generations. The robustness of BaSCA is demonstrated across different imaging modalities and microscopy types. Conclusions: BaSCA can be used to analyze accurately and efficiently cell movies both at a high resolution (single-cell level) and at a large scale (communities with many dense colonies) as needed to shed light on e.g. how bacterial community effects and epigenetic information transfer play a role on important phenomena for human health, such as biofilm formation, persisters' emergence etc. Moreover, it enables studying the role of single-cell stochasticity without losing sight of community effects that may drive it.
Volcanosedimentary boron deposits are formed in specific volcano and lake facies deposition environment in Neogene period, and the characteristic of the boron bearing stratum is the containing boron lacustrine sedimentary rocks and tuff and andesite volcanic rocks interbedded cyclically and composed binary sedimentary structure. As the borate mineral deposition occurred in the late deposition period, usually associated with tuff and clay and limestone, so the formed boron deposits had the characteristics of low density, low electrical resistivity. According to the characteristic of the boron deposits, we employ comprehensive geophysical technology in the exploration. We firstly conducted the 1 : 50000 high-precision gravity survey in the Xiongba area, Tibet, and obtain the Bouguer gravity anomalies. Through the processing and analysis of the gravity data, we got access to the fault structures development and gravity anomaly changes in the study area, deduced the spatial variation characteristics of underground lithology and delineated the favorable mining area of volcanosedimentary boron deposits; based on that, the 1 :5000 audio magnetotelluric sounding is carried out on the favorable area and the electrical structure characteristics of the underground strata in the study area are obtained. Combining the seismic-electric fitting of the electrical data, the joint inversion of gravity and electricity data and the geological data in the study area, we further analyzed stratum structure, fracture system and the distribution of sedimentary rocks and their relation to the volcanosedimentary boron deposits. Then we predicted the distribution of the volcanosedimentary boron deposits, the drilling test results are basically consistent with the predicted results.
Component-based approaches are prevalent in software development for robotic applications due to their reusability and productivity. In this article, we present an Embedded modular Software framework for a networked roBoTic system (EmSBoT) targeting resource-constrained devices such as microcontroller-based robots. EmSBoT is primarily built upon mu COS-III with real-time support. However, its operating system abstraction layer makes it available for various operating systems. It employs a unified port-based communication mechanism to achieve message passing while hiding the heterogeneous distributed environment from applications, which also endows the framework with fault-tolerant capabilities. We describe the design and core features of the EmSBoT framework in this article. The implementation and experimental evaluation show its availability with small footprint size, effectiveness, and OS independence.
Multifunction RF systems which can operate with different RF functions like radar, communication and electronic warfare offer a variety of benefits beyond the well-known AESA (Active Electronically Steerable Antenna) features. To reach a sufficient technology maturity to start product development a series of challenges most stemming from the large required operation bandwidth have to be resolved. Dual-polarised low-loss apertures with array grids designed for a grating lobe and scan blindness free 60 conical Field of View (FoV) at the highest operational frequency have to be considered. The active components of the AESA and especially the T/R-M are required to be power efficient over the whole multifunction bandwidth and they shall be miniaturised to fit the array grid. RF functions like high speed datalink require linear high power amplification with low harmonics generation and interference suppression in receive is essential in order to maintain performance. Enablers for such broadband AESA are the GaN technology for T/R-M front-end components and SiCe BiCMOS technology for core chip and digital control of the T/R-M. The paper shows the state-of-the-art technology in Europe for multifunction RF Systems.
As one of the candidate tritium breeding blankets for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket has recently been proposed. The neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical characteristics of the blanket directly affect its tritium breeding and safety performance. Therefore, neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling analyses are of vital importance for a reliable blanket design. In this work, first, three-dimensional neutronics analysis and optimization of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No. 12) were performed for the comprehensive optimal scheme. Then, thermal and fluid dynamic analyses of the scheme under both normal and critical conditions were performed and coupled with the previous neutronic calculation results. With thermal-hydraulic boundaries, thermo-mechanical analyses of the structure materials under normal, critical and blanket over-pressurization conditions were carried out. In addition, several parametric sensitivity studies were also conducted to investigate the influences of the main parameters on the blanket temperature distributions. In this paper, the coupled analyses verify the reasonability of the optimized conceptual design preliminarily and can provide an important reference for the further analysis and optimization design of the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket. (C)CFETR 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A major challenge in urban water management is the identification of cost-effective and future-proof strategies that can cope with the rapid urbanization and changing environmental conditions. Water quantity modelling forms a key-element in the development of such strategies. Conventional detailed hydrodynamic models are not well suited for use in decision support systems due to several important drawbacks. Therefore, this paper presents a novel and computationally efficient conceptual modelling approach for sewer water quantity simulations. A modular framework is considered that combines well-established model structures with machine learning techniques. This flexible framework ensures that even complex flow dynamics can be emulated accurately. An accompanying software tool was developed to facilitate model configuration. As an example, a full hydrodynamic sewer model of a city in Belgium was transformed into a conceptual model. This model delivered precise results, while the calculation time was 10(6) times shorter than the detailed model.
Designing lightweight security protocols for cloud-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications for battery-limited mobile devices, such as smart phones and laptops, is a topic of recent focus. Ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) is a viable solution, particularly for cloud deployment, as an encryptor can write the access policy so that only authorized users can decrypt and have access to the data. However, most existing CP-ABE schemes are based on the costly bilinear maps, and require long decryption keys, ciphertexts and incur significant computation costs in the encryption and decryption (e.g. costs is at least linear to the number of attributes involved in the access policy). These design drawbacks prevent the deployment of CP-ABE schemes on battery-limited mobile devices. In this paper, we propose a new RSA-based CP-ABE scheme with constant size secret keys and ciphertexts (CSKC) and has O(1) time complexity for each decryption and encryption. Our scheme is then shown to be secure against a chosen-ciphertext adversary, as well as been an efficient solution with the expressive AND gate access structures (in comparison to other related existing schemes). Thus, the proposed scheme is suitable for deployment on battery-limited mobile devices.
Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) are being increasingly recognized for their ectodermal differentiation potential. Previously, we demonstrated that when WJMSC were seeded onto an acellular matrix material derived from Wharton's jelly and cultured in osteogenic induction media, generated CK19 positive cells and hair-like structures indicative of ectodermal differentiation of WJMSCs. In this manuscript, we examine the underlying mechanism behind this observation using a variety of microscopy and molecular biology techniques such as western blotting and qPCR. We demonstrate that these hair-like structures are associated with live cells that are positive for epithelial and mesenchymal markers such as cytokeratin-19 and alpha-smooth muscle actin, respectively. We also show that up regulation of beta-catenin and noggin, along with the expression of TGF-beta and SMAD and inhibition of BMP4 could be the mechanism behind this ectodermal differentiation and hair-like structure formation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study focused on designing a cost-effective heat exchanger for a 20-MW FLiNaK-SCO2 Secondary Heat Exchanger in Fluoride salt-cooled High-temperature Reactors. Specific Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger geometries were investigated for those cases where Fanning factor and Nusselt number correlations were available. Straight, S-shape, Offset Strip Fin, and zigzag 52 channels were considered for the SCO2 side while straight, zigzag 15, rectangle OSF 7.565 mm, and rectangle OSF 2.40 mm channels were considered for the FLiNaK side. Thermal-hydraulics, mechanical aspects, and corrosion rate were taken into account. A cost analysis was performed to combine the effects of heat transfer performance and pressure drop in heat exchangers. Single banking and double banking were also considered. Finally, the best PCHE channel configurations on SCO2 and FLiNaK sides were proposed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of unofficial out-of-pocket payments on satisfaction with education in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. Linear IV indicates that out-of-pocket payments weaken satisfaction by a factor of -0.98, while biprobit indicates that out-of-pocket payments lessen satisfaction by 0.29 percentage points. At the same time, the interaction model demonstrates that the negative impact of paying unofficial out-of-pocket payments declines as quality of education improves. As quality of education deteriorates, the negative impact of paying unofficial out-of-pocket payments grows considerably. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Does the Irinotecan metabolite 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecan (SN38) damage the gonads of male and female prepubertal mice? The Irinotecan metabolite SN38 reduces germ cell numbers within the seminiferous tubules of mouse testes at concentrations that are relevant to cancer patients, while in contrast it has little if any effect on the female germ cell population. Little is known about the role of the chemotherapeutic agent Irinotecan on female fertility, with only one article to date reporting menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal women treated with Irinotecan, while no data are available either on adult male fertility or on the impact of Irinotecan on the subsequent fertility of prepubertal cancer patients, female or male. Male and female gonads were obtained from postnatal day 5 C57BL/6 mice and exposed in vitro to a range of concentrations of the Irinotecan metabolite SN38: 0.002, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 or 1 A mu g ml(-1) for the testis and 0.1, 1, 2.5 or 5 A mu g ml(-1) for the ovary, with treated gonads compared to control gonads not exposed to SN38. SN38 was dissolved in 0.5% dimethyl sulfoxide, with controls exposed to the same concentration of diluent. The number of testis fragments used for each analysis ranged between 3 and 9 per treatment group, while the number of ovaries used for each analysis ranged between 4 and 12 per treatment group. Neonatal mouse gonads were developed in vitro, with tissue analysed at the end of the 4-6 day culture period, following immunofluorescence or hematoxylin and eosin staining. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post-hoc test for normally distributed data and Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunns post-test for non-parametric data. Abnormal testis morphology was observed when tissues were exposed to SN38, with a smaller seminiferous tubule diameter at the highest concentration of SN38 (1 A mu g ml(-1), p < 0.001 versus control) and increased number of Sertoli cell-only tubules at the two highest concentrations of SN38 (0.1 A mu g ml(-1), p < 0.001; 1 A mu g ml(-1), p < 0.0001, both versus control). Within seminiferous tubules, a dose response decrease was observed in both germ cell number (mouse vasa homologue (MVH)-positive cells) and in proliferating cell number (bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cells), with significance reached at the two highest concentrations of SN38 (0.1 A mu g ml(-1), p < 0.01 for both; 1 A mu g ml(-1), p < 0.001-MVH, p < 0.01-BrdU; all versus control). No change was seen in protein expression of the apoptotic marker cleaved caspase 3. Double immunofluorescence showed that occasional proliferating germ cells were present in treated testes, even after exposure to the highest drug concentration. When prepubertal ovaries were treated with SN38, no effect was seen on germ cell number, apoptosis or cell proliferation, even after exposure to the highest drug concentrations. As with any study using in vitro experiments with an experimental animal model, caution is required when extrapolating the present findings to humans. Differences between human and mouse spermatogonial development also need to be considered when assessing the effect of chemotherapeutic exposure. However, the prepubertal testes and ovaries used in the present studies contain germ cell populations that are representative of those found in prepubertal patients, and experimental tissues were exposed to drug concentrations within the range found in patient plasma. Our findings demonstrate that the prepubertal mouse ovary is relatively insensitive to exposure to the Irinotecan metabolite SN38, while it induces a marked dose-dependent sensitivity in the testicular germ cell population. The study identifies the importance of further investigation to identify the risk of infertility in young male cancer patients treated with Irinotecan. None. Work supported by Medical Research Grant (MRC) grant G1002118 and Children with Cancer UK grant 15-198. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could prejudice the impartiality of the present research.
Background: Gitelman syndrome (GS) is a rare autosomal recessively inherited salt-wasting tubulopathy associated with mutations in the SLC12A3 gene, which encodes for NaCl cotransporter (NCC) in the kidney. Case presentation: In this report, we describe two siblings from a Sri Lankan non-consanguineous family presenting with hypokalaemia associated with renal potassium wasting, hypomagnesemia, hypocalciuria and hypereninemic hyperaldosteronism with normal blood pressure. Genetic testing showed that both were homozygotes for a novel missense mutation in exon 10 of the SLC12A3 gene [NM_000339.2, c.1276A >T; p.N426Y], which has not previously been reported in the literature in association with GS. Their mother was a heterozygous carrier for the same mutation. The father was not alive at the time of testing. This novel mutation extends the spectrum of known SLC12A3 gene mutations and further supports the allelic heterogeneity of GS. Interestingly both siblings had young onset Diabetes with strong family history. Conclusion: These findings have implications in providing appropriate genetic counseling to the family with regard to the risk associated with inbreeding, the detection of carrier/presymptomatic relatives. It further expands the known spectrum of genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of Gitelman syndrome.
AimThe effect of health depreciation in older people on medical care demand is not well understood. We tried to assess the medical care demand with length of hospitalization and their impact on profits as a result of health depreciation. MethodsAll participants who underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment were from a prospective cohort study at a tertiary hospital. A total of 1191 cases between September 2008 to October 2012 were investigated. Three sets of qualitative response models were constructed to estimate the impact of older adults' health depreciation on multidisciplinary geriatric care services. Furthermore, we analyzed the factors affecting the composite end-point of rehospitalization within 14days, re-admission to the emergency department within 3days and patient death. ResultsGreater health depreciation in elderly patients was positively correlated with greater medical care demand. Three major components were defined as health depreciation: elderly adaptation function, geriatric syndromes and multiple chronic diseases. On admission, the better the basic living functions, the shorter the length of hospitalization (coefficient=-0.35, P<0.001 in Poisson regression; coefficient=-0.33, P<0.001 in order choice profit model; coefficient=-0.29, P<0.001 in binary choice profit model). The major determinants for poor outcome were male sex, middle old age and length of hospitalization. However, factors that correlated with relatively good outcome were functional improvement after medical care services and level of disease education. ConclusionsAn optimal allocation system for selection of cases into multidisciplinary geriatric care is required because of limited resources. Outcomes will improve with health promotion and preventive care services. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 645-652.
This paper presents a nonlinear control technique based on feedback Relay systems for photovoltaics applications in converters and inverters. Describes the design of the control law from the state equations of Buck converter, the analysis of limit cycles, stability of the systems to obtain digital control law for further simulation and implementation in programmable logic devices (PLD). We performed the programming of the control technique in hardware description language (VHDL), later we implement in a CPLD and development the prototype of a Buck converter. Finally simulations and tests to the prototype were realized, obtaining optimal results of performance.
The responses of sand columns internally reinforced with horizontal geotextile layers are studied using a numerical method. The sand in the column is modeled using a non-associated plasticity flow rule. The numerical results are validated through laboratory triaxial compression tests carried out on sand columns 70 mm in diameter and reinforced with 4,6 and 8 layers of geotextile. Numerical and experimental results are compared for deviatoric stresses and volumetric strains. The numerical analysis also provides an insight into the reinforcement mechanism. The factors affecting the reinforced column response and the advantage of horizontal reinforcement are outlined. Parametric studies on the influences of reinforcement properties, reinforcing layer spacing and specimen diameter as to the response of reinforced sand columns are examined. The numerical results show reinforcement has a significant influence from the edge toward the center of the column. The boundary makes a constant inclination angle with the reinforcement. For the reinforced column with low spacing/diameter ratio, the stresses in the influenced areas developed from the two consecutive reinforcements overlapping and the effects compounded. The lower the spacing/diameter ratio the greater the column reinforcement strength improved. An advantage of horizontal reinforcement is reinforcement rupture or soil-reinforcement interfacial slippage will not cause dramatic collapse of the entire column. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper is devoted to the outlines of a research project under a European Union Seventh Framework Programme grant. The Venus European project is working on developing an axial flux electrical machine for an electrical vehicle. Between different possible topologies a switched reluctance topology has been chosen. In order to validate the design tools for this uncommon topology a comparison between 2D and 3D finite element analyse together with a experimental validation has been performed. The results of this comparison is summarized in this paper.
In the present research, vibration and instability analysis of a viscoelastic Y-shaped single-walled carbon nanotube conveying fluid is carried out. The surrounding viscoelastic medium is simulated by various models such as Kelvin-Voigt, Maxwell, standard linear solid Reissner, and nonlocal models. The size effects are considered based on modified couple stress theory. In order to achieve more accurate results, fourth-order beam theory is utilized. Surface stress effects are considered based on Gurtin-Murdoch theory. In addition, effects of the asymmetry of Y-shaped single-walled carbon nanotube are also taken into account. Regarding fluid-structure interaction, the equations of motion as well as boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton's principle and solved by means of hybrid analytical-numerical method. Regarding the temperature changes on visco-Pasternak foundation, the effects of different surrounding medium models are discussed in detail. The overall results indicated that the stability and vibration characteristics of Y-shaped single-walled carbon nanotube conveying fluid are strongly dependent on damping coefficient. The results of this work are hoped to be useful in design and manufacturing of nanodevices where Y-shaped nanotubes act as a basic element.
Culverts are built at locations where a waterway crosses a road or railway and creates a limitation to flow passage. Furthermore, blockage commonly occurs during flood events with accumulation of debris at the culvert inlet. The inlet blockage changes the flow structure at the outlet and may result in culvert failure. Despite this, the impacts of blockage on culvert hydraulics and downstream waterways have not received consideration in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to mitigate this deficiency by reporting on an investigation into scouring at the outlet of partially blocked culverts. Experimental tests were conducted under steady flow to investigate a relationship between the maximum scour depth, blockage ratio of the culvert and the flow characteristics. Both non-blocked and partially blocked conditions were considered. Consideration of the results obtained showed that the scoured area and maximum scour depth increased with partially blocked culverts conditions compared with equivalent non-blocked culverts.
Digital micro-controllers/processors enable the costeffective control of grid-connected power converter systems in terms of system monitoring, signal processing (e.g., grid synchronization), control (e.g., grid current and voltage control), etc. Normally, the control is implemented in a micro-controller/processor with a fixed sampling rate considering the cost and complexity, where the number of unit delays that have been adopted should be an integer. For instance, in conventional digital control systems, a single-phase T/4 Delay Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) system takes 50 unit delays (i.e., in a 50-Hz system with a sampling frequency of 10-kHz) to create a 90 degrees-lagging voltage in order to achieve the grid synchronization with the orthogonal voltage system. However, in practice, the grid frequency is a time-variant parameter due to various eventualities, and thus rounding the number of the unit delays for the T/4 Delay PLL system should be done in its implementation. This process will result in performance degradation in the digital control system, as the exactly required number of delays is not realized. Hence, in this paper, a Virtual Unit Delay (VUD) has been proposed to address such challenges to the digital T/4 Delay PLL system. The proposed VUD adopts linear interpolation polynomial to approximate the fractional delay induced by the varying grid frequency in such a way that the control performance is enhanced. The proposed VUD has been demonstrated on a digitally controlled T/4 Delay PLL system. Experimental results have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposal.
The neurobiological mechanisms that underlie facial affect recognition deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have not yet been identified. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), study aims were to 1) determine if there are differences in brain activation during facial affect processing in people with TBI who have facial affect recognition impairments (TBI-I) relative to people with TBI and healthy controls who do not have facial affect recognition impairments (TBI-N and HC, respectively); and 2) identify relationships between neural activity and facial affect recognition performance. A facial affect recognition screening task performed outside the scanner was used to determine group classification; TBI patients who performed greater than one standard deviation below normal performance scores were classified as TBI-I, while TBI patients with normal scores were classified as TBI-N. An fMRI facial recognition paradigm was then performed within the 3T environment. Results from 35 participants are reported (TBI-I=11, TBI-N=12, and HC=12). For the fMRI task, TBI-I and TBI-N groups scored significantly lower than the HC group. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals for facial affect recognition compared to a baseline condition of viewing a scrambled face, revealed lower neural activation in the right fusiform gyrus (FG) in the TBI-I group than the HC group. Right fusiform gyrus activity correlated with accuracy on the facial affect recognition tasks (both within and outside the scanner). Decreased FG activity suggests facial affect recognition deficits after TBI may be the result of impaired holistic face processing. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.
Research in recent years has extensively investigated the therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells in regenerative medicine for many neurodegenerative diseases at preclinical and clinical stages. However, the success rate of stem cell therapy remains less at translational phase. Lack of relevant animal models that potentially simulate the molecular etiology of human pathological symptoms might be a reason behind such poor clinical outcomes associated with stem cell therapy. Apparently, self-renewal and differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells may help to study the early developmental signaling pathways connected with the diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), etc., at in vitro level. Cannabidiol, a non-psychotrophic cannabinoid, has been demonstrated as a potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent in neurological preclinical models. In the present study, we investigated the modulatory role of cannabidiol on genes associated with ALS using human gingiva-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hGMSCs) as an in vitro model system. Next generation transcriptomic sequencing analysis demonstrated considerable modifications in the expression of genes connected with ALS pathology, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and excitotoxicity in hGMSCs treated with cannabidiol. Our results suggest the efficacy of cannabidiol to delineate the unknown molecular pathways, which may underlie ALS pathology at an early stage using hGMSCs as a compelling in vitro system. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper presents the results of triaxial tests conducted for the investigation of the influence of geotextiles on stress-strain and volumetric change behaviour of reinforced sandy soil. Tests were carried out on loose sandy soil. The experimental program includes drained compression tests on samples reinforced with different values of both geotextiles layers (Ng) and confining pressure (sigma'(c)). Two methods of preparation were used: air pluviation (AP) and moist tamping (MT). Test results show that the geotextiles induce a quasi-linear increase in the stress deviator (q) and volume contraction in the reinforced sand. Method of preparation significantly affects the shear strength; samples prepared by the air pluviation method and mobilized deviator stresses are significantly higher than those prepared by moist tamping method. Geotextiles restrict the dilation of reinforced sandy soil and consequently the contraction increases. The mobilized friction angle increases with increasing number of layers and decreases with increasing initial confining pressure. Samples prepared by moist tamping present mobilized friction angles significantly lower than those prepared by air pluviation method. For samples prepared by the air pluviation method, the secant modulus at epsilon(1)=1% and 5% decreases with increasing geotextile layers; those prepared by the moist tamping method, secant modulus at epsilon(1)=1% and 5% increases with increasing number of geotextile layer sand confining pressure. From 10% axial strain, secant modulus increases with increasing inclusions of geotextile layers.
Timely and accurate estimation of winter wheat yield at a regional scale is crucial for national food policy and security assessments. Near-infrared reflectance is not sensitive to the leaf area index (LAI) and biomass of winter wheat at medium to high canopy cover (CC), and most of the vegetation indices displayed saturation phenomenon. However, LAI and biomass at medium to high CC can be efficiently estimated using imaging data from radar with stronger penetration, such as RADARSAT-2. This study had the following three objectives: (i) to combine vegetation indices based on our previous studies for estimating CC and biomass for winter wheat using HJ-1A/B and RADARSAT-2 imaging data; (ii) to combine HJ-1A/B and RADARSAT-2 imaging data with the AquaCrop model using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to estimate winter wheat yield; and (iii) to compare the results from the assimilation of HJ-1A/B + RADARSAT-2 imaging data, HJ-1A/13 imaging data, and RADARSAT-2 imaging data into the AquaCrop model using the PSO algorithm. Remote sensing data and concurrent LAI, biomass, and yield of sample fields were acquired in Yangling District, Shaanxi, China, during the 2014 winter wheat growing season. The PSO optimization algorithm was used to integrate the AquaCrop model and remote sensing data for yield estimation. The modified triangular vegetation index 2 (MTVI2) x radar vegetation index (RVI) and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) x RVI had good relationships with CC and biomass, respectively. The results indicated that the predicted and measured yield (R-2 = 0.31 and RMSE = 0.94 ton/ha) had agreement when the estimated CC from the HJ-1A/B and RADARSAT-2 data was used as the dynamic input variable for the AquaCrop model. When the estimated biomass from the HJ-1A/B and RADARSAT-2 data was used as the dynamic input variable for the AquaCrop model, the predicted yield showed agreement with the measured yield (R-2 = 0.42 and RMSE = 0.81 ton/ha). These results show that using the biomass as the dynamic input variable provides a better yield estimation than using the CC as the dynamic variable. The predicted biomass and yield were more accurately estimated by combining the HJ-1A/B and RADARSAT-2 data with the AquaCrop model than by combining the only HJ-1A/B or RADARSAT-2 data with the AquaCrop model using the PSO algorithm. The results indicated that the PSO-based assimilation method could be used to estimate the winter wheat yield from the spot to the regional scale. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we investigate how Cognitive Radio as a means of communication can be utilized to serve a smart grid deployment end to end, from a home area network to power generation. We show how Cognitive Radio can be mapped to integrate the possible different communication networks within a smart grid large scale deployment. In addition, various applications in smart grid are defined and discussed showing how Cognitive Radio can be used to fulfill their communication requirements. Moreover, information security issues pertained to the use of Cognitive Radio in a smart grid environment at different levels and layers are discussed and mitigation techniques are suggested. Finally, the well-known Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is integrated with the Cognitive Radio part of a smart grid communication network to protect against unauthorized access to customer's data and to the network at large.
A series of superconducting insert coils (ICs) made of different materials has been tested since 2000 at JAEA Naka in the bore of the central solenoid model coil at fields up to 13 T and currents up to several tens of kA, fully representative of the ITER operating conditions. Here we focus on the 2015 test of the presently last IC of the series, the central solenoid (CS) insert coil, which was aimed at confirming the performance and properties of the Nb3Sn conductor, manufactured in Japan and used to wind the ITER CS modules in the US. As typical for these large scale applications, the cooldown (CD) from ambient to supercritical He temperature may take a long time, of the order of several weeks, so that it should be useful, also in the perspective of future IC tests, to optimize it. To that purpose, a comprehensive CD model implemented in the 4C code is developed and presented in this paper. The model is validated against the experimental data of an actual CD scenario, showing a very good agreement between simulation and measurements, from 300 to 4.5 K. The maximum temperature difference across the coil, which can only be roughly estimated from the measurements, is then extracted from the results of the simulation and shown to be much larger than the maximum value of 50 K, prescribed on the basis of the allowable thermal stress on the materials. An optimized CD scenario is finally designed using the model for the initial phase of the CD between 300 and 80 K, which allows reducing the needed time by similar to 20%, while still satisfying the major constraints. Recommendations are also given for a better location/choice of the thermometers to be used for the monitoring of the maximum temperature difference across the coil.
Metabolomics, which targets at the extensive characterization and quantitation of global metabolites from both endogenous and exogenous sources, has emerged as a novel technological avenue to advance the field of precision medicine principally driven by genomics-oriented approaches. In particular, metabolomics has revealed the cardinal roles that the environment exerts in driving the progression of major diseases threatening public health. Herein, the existent and potential applications of metabolomics in two key areas of precision cardiovascular medicine will be critically discussed: 1) the use of metabolomics in unveiling novel disease biomarkers and pathological pathways; 2) the contribution of metabolomics in cardiovascular drug development. Major issues concerning the statistical handling of big data generated by metabolomics, as well as its interpretation, will be briefly addressed. Finally, the need for integration of various omics branches and adopting a multi-omics approach to precision medicine will be discussed. Copyright (C) 2017, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science Press. All rights reserved.
Achieving efficient security solutions for wireless sensor networks (WSN) is a daring challenge due to vulnerable nature of wireless medium. Routing is a major threat to security. An adversary can inject bogus routing to en-route nodes causing false decision and drain the sensors energy in the network system. To identify and prune the adversaries, pruning route modifiers (PRM) algorithm based on the collaborative authentication system has been proposed. The algorithm considers the random deployment of sensor nodes. Based on the collaborative authentication scheme, the PRM algorithm can save energy by pruning the malicious nodes at early stage. The simulation results and theoretical analysis reveals that PRM algorithm is effective in terms of efficient and secure routing. This algorithm reduces the consumption of energy by pruning and establishes the shortest path that leads to efficient network and enables security.
User interface (UI) design patterns for mobile applications provide a solution to design problems and can improve the usage experience for users. However, there is a lack of research categorizing the uses of design patterns according to users' hand dominance in a learning-based mobile UI. We classified the main design patterns for mobile applications and investigated their relationships with major learning tasks. Students' use of different patterns was compared with respect to hand dominance. A questionnaire on 71 patterns was administered to 92 participants, and the number of patterns they used was analyzed. UI design patterns for mobile learning significantly differed between left- and right-hand-dominant participants. We also performed a cluster analysis to explore possible theme sets among participants with regard to hand dominance in learning. The results revealed three-cluster solutions for both the left- and right-hand-dominant groups. We profiled these solutions based on insights obtained from structured interviews. Our findings provide evidence that pattern use differs between right- and left-hand-dominant users with regard to reading, information retrieval, and information-browsing tasks. These findings will facilitate further development of suitable UIs for educational mobile applications.
One-class classification belongs to the one of the novel and very promising topics in contemporary machine learning. In recent years ensemble approaches have gained significant attention due to increasing robustness to unknown outliers and reducing the complexity of the learning process. In our previous works, we proposed a highly efficient one-class classifier ensemble, based on input data clustering and training weighted one-class classifiers on clustered subsets. However, the main drawback of this approach lied in difficult and time consuming selection of a number of competence areas which indirectly affects a number of members in the ensemble. In this paper, we investigate ten different methodologies for an automatic determination of the optimal number of competence areas for the proposed ensemble. They have roots in model selection for clustering, but can be also effectively applied to the classification task. In order to select the most useful technique, we investigate their performance in a number of one-class and multi-class problems. Numerous experimental results, backed-up with statistical testing, allows us to propose an efficient and fully automatic method for tuning the one-class clustering-based ensembles.
The 2015 Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks not only caused huge damage with severe loss of life and property, also induced many geohazards with the major type of landslide which should bring continuous threats to the affected region. To gain a better understanding of the landslides induced by this earthquake, we proposed a pixel-based change detection method for postearthquake landslide mapping by using bitemporal Landsat-8 remote sensing data [May 29, 2014 (pre-earthquake) and June 1, 2015 (postearthquake)]. Two river valleys (Trishuli river valley and Sun Koshi river valley) that contain important economic arteries linking Nepal and China were selected as the study areas. Validation of the mapping results with postearthquake high-resolution images from Google Earth shows that the pixel-based landslide mapping method is able to identify landslides with relatively high accuracy, and it also approves the applicability of Landsat-8 satellite for landslide mapping with its multispectral information. The spatial distribution analysis indicates that both river valleys are substantially affected by landslides, and the situation is even more serious in the high mountain areas. Landslides are generally found in areas of high elevation and large surface slopes, with mean values above 1600 m and 30 degrees, respectively. These findings suggest that these areas suffer greatly from these geohazards, and the threat will continue for the next few years.
Background. Rubber additives constitute an important group of contact allergens, particularly in certain occupations. Objectives. To collect information regarding the current practice of using a 'rubber series' in Europe, and discuss this against the background of evidence concerning the prevalence of allergy in order to derive a recommendation for a 'European rubber series'. Methods. The following were performed: (i) a survey targeting all members of the COST action 'StanDerm' consortium, (ii) analysis of rubber contact allergy data in the database of the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies, and (iii) a literature review. Results. Information from 13 countries was available, from one or several departments of dermatology, and occasionally occupational health. Apart from some substances tested only in single departments, a broad overlap regarding important allergens was evident, but considerable variation existed between departments. Conclusions. An up-to-date 'European rubber series' is recommended, with the exclusion of substances only of historical concern. A 'supplementary rubber series' containing allergens of less proven importance, requiring further analysis, is recommended for departments specializing in occupational contact allergy. These should be continually updated as new evidence emerges.
Aim To investigate whether morphological variation in a continental radiation of lizards (Chamaeleonidae) was driven by ecological opportunity. Location KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods Chameleons from all morphotypes were genotyped (n=279) using 10 microsatellite and one mitochondrial marker (n=130). Genetic spatial structure was examined in a Bayesian framework and compared to ecomorphological forms, to identify distinct chameleon groups using a total evidence approach. Ecological niche modelling projected back to the Last Glacial Maximum and the Last Interglacial was used to make inferences regarding the processes that may have facilitated diversification through ecological opportunity. Results For the three inland groups, genetic and morphological evidence were in agreement suggesting these are candidate species. However, there was discordance in evidence for populations from coastal regions, although the different time-scales of the data allow us to make some inferences regarding this disparity. The microsatellite data suggest at least three independent origins of coastal chameleons, although all three clusters show the same ecomorph, which indicates convergence of phenotype in a similar environment. The species distribution models revealed high niche stability among inland groups, suggesting the presence of refugia for these chameleons; whereas the coastal niche is more dynamic and likely resulted in recent origins of these groups. Main Conclusions A dynamic climatic niche and corresponding vegetation shifts are likely to have shaped contrasting ecomorphological and genetic patterns within this continental radiation by creating ecological opportunity for the coastal chamleons. In contrast, inland groups are in climatically stable regions, and show concordance between lines of evidence, suggesting that niche stability has allowed for these chameleons to diverge genetically and phenotypically.
Self-determination theory introduces a multidimensional view of motivation and explains how the different types of motivation can be promoted or hindered. Following Gagne et al. (2014), the purpose of this study was to create an abbreviated version of the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) and to study the psychometric properties of the instrument using data from 1,035 workers from three Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy, and Spain). Factorial analyses indicated that the 18-item scale has the same factor structure across the three Mediterranean languages, reflecting common cultural idiosyncrasies and influences. Convergent and discriminant validity indicated that intrinsic and integrated forms of autonomous motivation had a positive relationship with job satisfaction, affective and normative commitment, prosocial behavior, perceived organizational support, job autonomy, and leader-member exchange. Controlled forms of motivation (e.g., social and material) were unrelated or negatively related to most of the variables examined, with the exception of continuance commitment (positive association). Lastly, amotivation was negatively related to all employee-related variables, except for continuance commitment. Practical implications and suggestions for the development of future research based on self-determination theory are discussed.
Conventional MRI protocols are an integral part of routine clinical imaging in pediatric patients. The advent of several newer MRI techniques provides crucial insight into the structural integrity and functional aspects of the developing brain, especially with the introduction of 3T MRI systems in clinical practice. The field of pediatric neuroimaging continues to evolve, with greater emphasis on high spatial resolution, faster scan time, as well as a quest for visualization of the functional aspects of the human brain. MR vendors are increasingly focusing on optimizing MR technology to make it suitable for children, in whom as compared to adults the head size is usually smaller and demonstrates inherent neuroanatomical differences relating to brain development. The eventual goal of these advances would be to evolve as potential biomarkers for predicting neurodevelopment outcomes and prognostication, in addition to their utility in routine diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making. Advanced MR techniques like diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI, MR perfusion, spectroscopy, volumetric imaging and arterial spin labeling add to our understanding of normal brain development and pathophysiology of various neurological disease processes. This review is primarily focused on outlining advanced MR techniques and their current and potential pediatric neuroimaging applications as well as providing a brief overview of advances in hardware and machine design.
Cyclic processes, in particular the cell cycle, are of great importance in cell biology. Continued improvement in cell population analysis methods like fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, CyTOF or single-cell omits made mathematical methods based on ergodic principles a powerful tool in studying these processes. In this paper, we establish the relationship between cell cycle analysis with ergodic principles and age structured population models. To this end, we describe the progression of a single cell through the cell cycle by a stochastic differential equation on a one dimensional manifold in the high dimensional dataspace of cell cycle markers. Given the assumption that the cell population is in a steady state, we derive transformation rules which transform the number density on the manifold to the steady state number density of age structured population models. Our theory facilitates the study of cell cycle dependent processes including local molecular events, cell death and cell division from high dimensional snapshot data. Ergodic analysis can in general be applied to every process that exhibits a steady state distribution. By combining ergodic analysis with age structured population models we furthermore provide the theoretic basis for extensions of ergodic principles to distribution that deviate from their steady state.
Recurrent pneumonia with cavitation leading to pneumatoceles, secondary fungal infections, and hemoptysis are major causes of mortality and morbidity in patients with hyper-IgE syndrome. Prevention and aggressive treatment of pneumonia in these patients are essential to prevent further lung damage, but treatment may be delayed because the classic signs/symptoms of infection such as fever, chills, or rigors may be lacking. Early imaging to identify infection is essential for diagnosis and treatment. The mainstay of therapy is continuous, full-dose daily trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and commonly fungal coverage. Because hyper-IgE syndrome is a progressive disease, patients' condition may worsen despite compliance with prophylactic therapy. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The kinetic equivalency of propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), derived from propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), as well as the parent compound (PGME) following intravenous administration to Fischer 344 rats was evaluated. In addition, in vitro hydrolysis rates of PGMEA in blood and liver tissue from rats and humans were determined. The blood kinetics were determined following iv administration to rats of PGME and PGMEA of low [10 and 14.7 mg/kg body weight (bw)] or high (100 and 147 mg/kg) equimolar dosages of PGME and PGMEA, respectively. The blood time courses of PGME elimination for both dosages of both compounds were identical. Half-lives of PGMEA elimination following iv administration of 14.7 or 147 mg PGMEA/kg bw were calculated to be 1.6 and 2.3 min, respectively. Rat and human in vitro hydrolysis rates of PGMEA were determined by incubation of 5 or 50 mug PGMEA/ml in whole blood or liver homogenate. The rate of loss of PGMEA was more rapid in rat blood than in human blood, with hydrolysis half-lives of 36 and 34 min in human blood and 16 and 15 min in rat blood for the 5 and 50 mug/ml concentrations of PGMEA, respectively. In contrast the rate of loss of PGMEA in human and rat liver homogenate incubations was similar, 27-30 min and 34 min, respectively. These data demonstrate the rapid hydrolysis of PGMEA in vivo to its parent glycol ether, PGME and that, once hydrolyzed, the kinetics for PGME derived from PGMEA are identical to that for PGME. This study supports the use of the toxicological database on PGME as a surrogate for PGMEA.
Decentralized punishment can maintain contributions to a public good at a high level. This positive effect holds even for situations involving inequality in punishment power, meaning that the relative costs for punishment differ between persons. We extend this line of research by examining the additional influence of instability of and thus potential competition for punishment power in public good experiments. As in previous research, inequality is operationalized by assigning the role of a 'strong player' to one group member, who can punish others at a reduced cost compared to other players. Instability is operationalized by the fact that the role assignment can change across rounds and is contingent on behavior in previous rounds. Three experiments show that under unequal, unstable (punishment-) power, individuals behave more competitively and engage in a race for power resulting in detrimental effects for the group. Specifically, we find that (i) unstable power goes along with a disproportionate use of punishment; (ii) not inequality by itself but rather the combination of instability and inequality causes this effect; and (iii) this excessive use of punishment is found not only when the role of the strong player is assigned to individuals who previously behaved rather selfishly but also when prosocial behavior leads to the top, speaking for a generalizability of our findings. Implications for organizational settings are discussed. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Treatment of cancer patients involves a multidisciplinary approach including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Traditionally, patients with metastatic disease are treated with combination chemotherapies or targeted agents. These cytotoxic agents have good response rates and achieve palliation; however, complete responses are rarely seen. The field of cancer immunology has made rapid advances in the past 20 years. Recently, a number of agents and vaccines, which modulate the immune system to allow it to detect and target cancer cells, are being developed. The benefit of these agents is twofold, it enhances the ability the body's own immune system to fight cancer, thus has a lower incidence of side effects compared to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Secondly, a small but substantial number of patients with metastatic disease are cured by immunotherapy or achieve durable responses lasting for a number of years. In this article, we review the FDA-approved immunotherapy agents in the field of genitourinary malignancies. We also summarize new immunotherapy agents being evaluated in clinical studies either as single agents or as a combination.
BackgroundClinical efficacy of pollen allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been broadly documented in randomized controlled trials. The underlying clinical endpoints are analysed in seasonal time periods predefined based on the background pollen concentration. However, any validated or generally accepted definition from academia or regulatory authorities for this relevant pollen exposure intensity or period of time (season) is currently not available. Therefore, this Task Force initiative of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) aimed to propose definitions based on expert consensus. MethodsA Task Force of the Immunotherapy and Aerobiology and Pollution Interest Groups of the EAACI reviewed the literature on pollen exposure in the context of defining relevant time intervals for evaluation of efficacy in AIT trials. Underlying principles in measuring pollen exposure and associated methodological problems and limitations were considered to achieve a consensus. ResultsThe Task Force achieved a comprehensive position in defining pollen exposure times for different pollen types. Definitions are presented for pollen season', high pollen season' (or peak pollen period') and high pollen days'. ConclusionThis EAACI position paper provides definitions of pollen exposures for different pollen types for use in AIT trials. Their validity as standards remains to be tested in future studies.
Background: There is considerable evidence that outcome expectations may predict psychotherapy outcomes. However, little is known about the long-term outcome expectations following the end of the treatment.Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' long-term outcome expectations after trauma-focused post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) psychotherapy in a single group effectiveness study.Methods: Twenty participants with various traumatic experiences who completed the Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (BEPP) and all the assessments were included into the study. Self-report measures were used to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up. Subjective Units of Distress Scale was used to measure long-term outcome expectations at post-treatment, asking participants to measure the expected distress in 6 months following the treatment. Assessments at 6-month follow-up were used to estimate the accuracy of patients' expectations of their distress at previous post-treatment assessment.Results: Significant decline of PTSD symptoms at post-treatment with large effect sizes was observed. At post-treatment assessment participants expected significant improvement of their condition in 6 months after the treatment. However, therapeutic effects remained stable at the 6-month follow-up.Conclusion: It is concluded that the PTSD patients, even after successful trauma-focused treatment, tend to expect further significant positive changes. However, therapeutic effects were stable half a year after the psychotherapy, and patients tend to have false expectations about further improvement of their condition.
In this paper, we discuss the development of an ambient intelligent-based system for the monitoring of dementia patients living in their own homes. Within this system groups of unobtrusive wireless sensor devices can be deployed at specific locations within a patient's home and accessed via standardized interfaces provided through an open middleware platform. For each sensor group intelligent agents are used to learn fuzzy rules, which model the patient's habitual behaviours in the environment. An online rule adaptation technique is applied to facilitate short-term tuning of the learnt behaviours, and long-term tracking of behaviour changes which could be due to the effects of cognitive decline caused from dementia. The proposed system reports macro level behaviour changes and micro level perception drift to care providers to enable them to make better-informed assessments of the patient's cognitive abilities and changing care needs. We demonstrate experiments in a real pervasive computing environment, in which our intelligent agent approach can learn to model the user's behaviours and allow online adaptation of its model to better approximate the learnt behaviours and identify long-term macro-level behaviour changes, which could be attributed to cognitive decline. We also show an example of how the user's perceptions for thermal comfort may be captured and visualised to provide a means by which micro-level perception changes can be monitored.
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of game-based learning in supporting IT education particularly in network security topics. To attain this objective, the post-test was administered to the participant. This study adopted the Quasi-experimental research design involving 91 participants. The finding from this study suggested that participants who participated in game-based learning outperformed the participants in the control group.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Tobacco use remains the single most important preventable cause of cancer and is responsible for 80% of all cases of lung cancer. Implementation of tobacco control measures, including preventing initiation and treating dependence, are pivotal to address the lung cancer epidemic. New evidence continues to emerge on the significant positive impact of incorporating tobacco dependence treatment within all lung cancer treatment protocols. Evidence and guidelines on how to implement these strategies exist and present an opportunity for nurses to make a difference in reducing suffering and preventing deaths from lung cancer.
In many wild animal populations, hosts are at risk of parasites and malnutrition and resource costs of defence may be difficult to afford. We postulate that proteins, important in homeostasis and immunity, play a complex but central role in condition dependence and resource costs of mammalian immune defence. To test this, we measured plasma concentrations of albumin, total proteins. Self-reactive antibodies and parasite-specific IgG in female Soay sheep. Using a principal component analysis, we found a new metric of condition reflecting individual variation in acquisition, assimilation and/or recycling of plasma proteins that predicted overwinter survival. Controlling for this metric, an age-dependent trade-off between antibody titres and protein reserves emerged, indicating costs of mounting an antibody response: younger individuals survived best when prioritising immunity while older individuals fared better when maintaining high-protein nutritional plane. These findings suggest fascinating roles for protein acquisition and allocation in influencing survival in wild animal populations.
The human factor is a key variable in the efficiency of the product-process development system. The ability to be able to predict the influence of this factor in the process is a significant challenge in manufacturing engineering, as well as the consequences that the process designed has on this factor. All ergonomic considerations have traditionally been evaluated without using 3D product design. Nowadays, 3D process design technologies and simulation tools allow us the opportunity from the earliest stages of the design process. They can also be used to improve current processes in order to increase human comfort, productivity and safety. This paper describes a methodology using 3D design and simulation tools to improve industrial and service processes. This methodology has as an objective the detection, evaluation and control of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs).
Emergency physicians are regularly confronted with ear nose and throat (ENT) emergencies. The main symptoms are bleeding, dyspnea, dysphagia and swelling. The causes can be foreign body ingestion, injuries, infections, neoplasms and allergies. The origin, localization and the time interval for essential diagnostic and therapeutic measures have to be estimated in the emergency management of bleeding and dyspnea. The main triggers of acute respiratory distress are inflammation, abscesses, anaphylactic reactions and angioedema. Croup and epiglottitis are typical causes of dyspnea in children. Injuries of the larynx and trachea require specific considerations with respect to intubation or tracheotomy.
In the present article we report europium-doped strontium ortho-silicates, namely Sr2SiO4:xEu(3+) (x=1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 or 3.0mol%) phosphors, prepared by solid state reaction method. The crystal structures of the sintered phosphors were consistent with orthorhombic crystallography with a Pmna space group. The chemical compositions of the sintered phosphors were confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Thermoluminescence (TL) kinetic parameters such as activation energy, order of kinetics and frequency factors were calculated by the peak shape method. Orange-red emission originating from the D-5(0)-F-7(J) (J=0, 1, 2, 3) transitions of Eu3+ ions could clearly be observed after samples were excited at 395nm. The combination of these emissions constituted orange-red light as indicated on the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity diagram. Mechanoluminescence (ML) intensity of the prepared phosphor increased linearly with increasing impact velocity of the moving piston that suggests that these phosphors can also be used as sensors to detect the stress of an object. Thus, the present investigation indicates that the piezo-electricity was responsible for producing ML in the prepared phosphor.
Mentalization research focuses on different aspects of this topic, highlighting individual differences in mentalizing and proposing programs of intervention for children and adults to increase this ability. The Thought in Mind Project (TiM Project) provides training targeted to adults teachers or parents to increase their mentalization and, consequently, to obtain mentalization improvement in children. The present research aimed to explore for the first time ever the potential of training for teachers based on the TiM Project, regarding the enhancement of mentalizing of an adult who would have interacted as a teacher with children. For this reason, two teachers similar for meta cognitive and meta-emotional skills - and their classes (N = 46) were randomly assigned to the training or control condition. In the first case, the teacher participated in training on the implementation of promotion of mentalizing in everyday school teaching strategies; in the second case the teacher participated in a control activity, similar to training for scheduling and methods, but without promoting the implementation of mentalization (in both conditions two meetings lasting about 3 h at the beginning of the school year and two supervisions during the school year were conducted). The children were tested by tasks assessing several aspects of mentalization (second and third-order false belief understanding, Strange Stories, Reading the mind in the Eyes, Mentalizing Task) both before and after the teacher participate in the TiM or control training (i.e., at the beginning and at the end of the school year). The results showed that, although some measured components of mentalization progressed over time, only the TiM Project training group significantly improved in third order false belief understanding and changed - in a greater way compared to the control group in two of the three components of the Mentalizing Task. These evidences are promising about the idea that the creation of a mentalizing community promotes the mentalization abilities of its members.
This paper presents an observational study conducted at the public environment investigating children's engagement with a social robot within a pretend play scenario. A pretend play system was designed in order to address the challenges of evaluating child-robot interaction by exploiting the advantages of ubiquitous robotics and ambient intelligence of multimodal, multi-sensory perception. The system performed successfully at a children's play centre where a humanoid NAO robot was able to dynamically adapt its gender by changing its gendered voice to match the gender of the child. By analyzing the free play of children, the results obtained confirm the hypothesis of gender segregation within child-robot interaction. These findings are important and ought to be considered when designing robotic applications for children in order to increase robot's perceived likeability, acceptance and engagement.
Background: Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and animals, that is needed for a broad variety of physiological functions including thyroid hormone metabolism, protection against oxidative stress, and immunity associated functions. Human nutritional Se deficiencies are associated with neuropsychiatric diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, obsessive -compulsive disorder, stroke, epilepsy as well as depressive behaviours. In this study we examined antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activity of Se in the inorganic form of sodium selenite and investigated whether Se influence on the locomotor activity in mice. Methods: The antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like activity of Se was assessed using forced swim test (FST) and elevated plus-maze test (EPM), respectively. Spontaneous locomotor activity was measured using photoresistor actimeters. Results: Sodium selenite administered at the doses of 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg, ip reduced immobility time in the FST exerting antidepressant-like activity. In the EPM test, sodium selenite at the same doses, produced anxiolytic-like effect; the doses active in both tests did not affect locomotor activity, indicating that these effects of Se are specific. Conclusions: These potential antidepressant-and anxiolytic-like effects of Se require more detailed experimental study using animal models to approach a clear conclusion regarding the potential mechanism of the observed effect. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. on behalf of Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Ethanol, as other drugs of abuse, is able to activate the ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTA-DA) neurons leading to positively motivational alcohol-seeking behavior and use, and, ultimately to ethanol addiction. In the last decades, the involvement of brain-derived acetaldehyde (ACD) in the ethanol actions in the mesolimbic pathway has been widely demonstrated. Consistent published results have provided a mechanistic support to the use of ACD inactivating agents to block the motivational and reinforcing properties of ethanol. Hence, in the last years, several pre-clinical studies have been performed in order to analyze the effects of the sequestering ACD agents in the prevention of ethanol relapse-like drinking behavior as well as in chronic alcohol consumption. In this sense, one of the most explored interventions has been the administration of D-Penicillamine (DP). These pre-clinical studies, that we critically summarize in this article, are considered a critical step for the potential development of a novel pharmacotherapeutic strategy for alcohol addiction treatment that could improve the outcomes of current ones. Thus, on one hand, several experimental findings provide the rationale for using DP as a novel therapeutic intervention alone and/or in combination to prevent relapse into alcohol seeking and consumption. On the other hand, its effectiveness in reducing voluntary ethanol consumption in long-term experienced animals still remains unclear. Finally, this drug offers the additional advantage that has already been approved for use in humans, hence it could be easily implemented as a new therapeutic intervention for relapse prevention in alcoholism.
Biometrics deals with authenticating a person's identity based on the physiological or behavioral characteristics. Visual cryptography (VC) is a promising information security technique that allows the secret sharing of images without any cryptographic computations. Various existing schemes were introduced for securing the raw biometric data and template in the database using the VC technique. The complexity of encryption plays a vital role in security improvement. In order to overwhelm the above limitations, a secure authentication management for polar iris templates is presented using VC technique. The collaborative splitting of pixels in all directions presented in this paper was done in order to improve security. At first, the input image was segmented using the Canny edge detection and Hough transform. Subsequently, the normalization module transformed the iris texture from the Cartesian to polar-coordinates. The polar iris image was further separated into two shares, namely, share 1 and share 2, using VC technique. To accomplish more security than the existing methods, both 2-discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and advanced encryption standard (AES) shifting techniques were introduced in VC, termed as transform based AES (TAES). After receiving the encrypted image, the feature extraction is carried out by multi-scale local binary pattern (MLBP). The share 1 images are stored in the user database, whereas the share 2 images are stored in the server database. K-NN classifier is employed to recognize and retrieve the share 2 from the user database on the basis of features. Finally, reconstruction was performed from recognized share 1 and share 2 images by using the inverse process of TAES. The experimental results exhibit better peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), mean square error (MSE) and normalized correlation (NC), false acceptance rate (FAR), false rejection rate (FRR), and equal error rate (EER) than the other existing methods.
We consider an algorithm for constructing asymptotic solutions regularized in the sense of Lomov (see [1], [2]). We show that such problems can be reduced to integro-differential equations with inverse time. But in contrast to known papers devoted to this topic (see, for example, [3]), in this paper we study a fundamentally new case, which is characterized by the absence, in the differential part, of a linear operator that isolates, in the asymptotics of the solution, constituents described by boundary functions and by the fact that the integral operator has kernel with diagonal degeneration of high order. Furthermore, the spectrum of the regularization operator A(t) (see below) may contain purely imaginary eigenvalues, which causes difficulties in the application of the methods of construction of asymptotic solutions proposed in the monograph [3]. Based on an analysis of the principal term of the asymptotics, we isolate a class of inhomogeneities and initial data for which the exact solution of the original problem tends to the limit solution (as epsilon ->+ 0) on the entire time interval under consideration, also including a boundary-layer zone (that is, we solve the so-called initialization problem). The paper is of a theoretical nature and is designed to lead to a greater understanding of the problems in the theory of singular perturbations. There may be applications in various applied areas where models described by integro-differential equations are used (for example, in elasticity theory, the theory of electrical circuits, and so on).
This paper is dedicated to the acceptance rate of the various forms of electronic communication from the perspective of specific segment (students) communicating on the Internet. The theoretical part deals with the definitions of communication, which consists of verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as various forms of electronic communication, which is an interactive, non-interactive and combined communication. Main part of paper includes implementation of quantitative marketing research to gather information on the frequency of communication on the Internet and preferences of various forms of electronic communication form student's point of view. In the conclusions we will determine the degree of acceptance of various forms of electronic communication that is used by the specific segment - students.
In this study, an in vitro device that mimics the oral phase of swallowing is calibrated using in vivo measurements. The oral flow behavior of different Newtonian and non-Newtonian solutions is then investigated in vitro, revealing that shear-thinning thickeners used in the treatment of dysphagia behave very similar to low-viscosity Newtonian liquids during active swallowing, but provide better control of the bolus before the swallow is initiated. A theoretical model is used to interpret the experimental results and enables the identification of two dynamical regimes for the flow of the bolus: first, an inertial regime of constant acceleration dependent on the applied force and system inertia, possibly followed by a viscous regime in which the viscosity governs the constant velocity of the bolus. This mechanistic understanding provides a plausible explanation for similarities and differences in swallowing performance of shear-thinning and Newtonian liquids. Finally, the physiological implications of the model and experimental results are discussed. In vitro and theoretical results suggest that individuals with poor tongue strength are more sensitive to overly thickened boluses. The model also suggests that while the effects of system inertia are significant, the density of the bolus itself plays a negligible role in its dynamics. This is confirmed by experiments on a high density contrast agent used for videofluoroscopy, revealing that Theologically matched contrast agents and thickener solutions flow very similarly. In vitro experiments and theoretical insights can help designing novel thickener formulations before clinical evaluations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Impairment in daily functioning still represents a major treatment issue in schizophrenia and a more in-depth knowledge of underlying constructs is crucial for interventions to translate into better outcomes. This study aims to model factors influencing both functional capacity and real-life behaviour in a sample of outpatients with chronic schizophrenia, through a comprehensive assessment including evaluations of psychopathology, cognitive and social cognitive abilities, premorbid adjustment, family environment and early childhood experiences. No significant correlation was observed between functional capacity and real-life behaviour. Functional capacity was significantly predicted by IQ, while real-life behaviour was significantly predicted by empathy, affect recognition and symptoms. Functional capacity seems mainly related to neurocognition, whereas real-life behaviour appears more complex, requiring the integration of different factors including symptoms, with a major role of empathy. Results thus support a divergence between the two constructs of functioning and their underlying components and highlight the need to target both dimensions through individualized sequential rehabilitation programs in order to optimize functional outcome.
A series of 2-arylethenyl-N-methylquinolinium derivatives were designed and synthesized based on our previous research of 2-arylethenylquinoline analogues as multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2015, 89, 349e361). The results of in vitro biological activity evaluation, including beta-amyloid (A beta) aggregation inhibition, cholinesterase inhibition, and antioxidant activity, showed that introduction of N-methyl in quinoline ring significantly improved the anti-AD potential of compounds. The optimal compound, compound a12, dramatically attenuated the cell death of glutamate-induced HT22 cells by preventing the generation of ROS and increasing the level of GSH. Most importantly, intragastric administration of a12 circle HAc was well tolerated at doses up to 2000 mg/kg and could traverse blood-brain barrier. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Security and privacy of data are one of the prime concerns in today's Internet of Things (IoT). Conventional security techniques like signature-based detection of malware and regular updates of a signature database are not feasible solutions as they cannot secure such systems effectively, having limited resources. Programming languages permitting immediate memory accesses through pointers often result in applications having memory-related errors, which may lead to unpredictable failures and security vulnerabilities. Furthermore, energy efficient IoT devices running on batteries cannot afford the implementation of cryptography algorithms as such techniques have significant impact on the system power consumption. Therefore, in order to operate IoT in a secure manner, the system must be able to detect and prevent any kind of intrusions before the network (i.e., sensor nodes and base station) is destabilised by the attackers. In this article, we have presented an intrusion detection and prevention mechanism by implementing an intelligent security architecture using random neural networks (RNNs). The application's source code is also instrumented at compile time in order to detect out-of-bound memory accesses. It is based on creating tags, to be coupled with each memory allocation and then placing additional tag checking instructions for each access made to the memory. To validate the feasibility of the proposed security solution, it is implemented for an existing IoT system and its functionality is practically demonstrated by successfully detecting the presence of any suspicious sensor node within the system operating range and anomalous activity in the base station with an accuracy of 97.23%. Overall, the proposed security solution has presented a minimal performance overhead.
Restoration of an adequate water supply in spring is a prerequisite for survival of angiosperm trees in temperate regions. Trees must re-establish access to soil water and recover xylem functionality. We thus hypothesized that prolonged soil frost impairs recovery and affects hydraulics and phenology of Malus domestica var. 'Golden Delicious.' To test this hypothesis, over two consecutive winters the soil around some trees was insulated to prolong soil frosting, From mid-winter to early summer, the level of native embolism, the water and starch contents of wood, bark and buds were quantified at regular intervals and findings correlated with various phenological parameters, xylogenesis and fine root growth. The findings confirm that prolonged soil frost affects tree hydraulics and phenology but the severity of the effect depends on the climatic conditions. In both study years, percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC) decreased from about 70% at the end of winter to about 10% in May. Thereby, xylem refilling strongly coincided with a decrease of starch in wood and bark. Also treated trees were able to restore their hydraulic system by May but, in the warm spring of 2012, xylem refilling, the increases in water content and starch depolymerization were delayed. In contrast, in the cold spring of 2013 only small differences between control and treated trees were observed. Prolongation of soil frost also led to a delay in phenology, xylogenesis, and fine root growth. We conclude that reduced water uptake from frozen or cold soils impairs refilling and thus negatively impacts tree hydraulics and growth of apple trees in spring. Under unfavorable circumstances, this may cause severe winter damage or even dieback.
In recent years, the disposal of former industrial sites has widely become a key subject of interest in terms of remediation in order to promote their different use for the community. The use of biological processes, such as phytoremediation, has been worldwide discussed with varying success. In this study, we applied an Integrated Phytoremediation System (IPS), which represents a cost-effective system, environmentally friendly, socially accepted for the removal of the risks associated with the contamination of heavy metal (As, Cd, Pb and Zn) of unsaturated soils. The combination of suitable agronomic soil management and biostimulation of plant growth by inoculation of rhizosphere microbes allowed to increase biomass production of selected plant species (Acacia saligna and Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in very stressful conditions and, consequently, promote the phytoremediation of contaminants. The experimental study in situ revealed a significant positive aptitude of selected plant species to keep PTEs (Potential Toxic Elements) in their root system, with a restricted translocation to the aboveground parts. The plant-fungi-bacteria system in rhizosphere level showed, also, strong ability to remove the bioavailable fraction of contaminants with a considerable reduction of the risks associated to the contamination. This study reveals that the application of an Integrated Phytoremediation System (IPS) permits to reach the soil remediation in few years with economically, socially and environmentally sustainable costs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a new chaos-based partial image encryption scheme based on Substitution-boxes (S-box) constructed by chaotic system and Linear Fractional Transform (LFT) is proposed. It encrypts only the requisite parts of the sensitive information in Lifting-Wavelet Transform own frequency domain based on hybrid of chaotic maps and a new S-box. In the proposed encryption scheme, the characteristics of confusion and diffusion are accomplished in three phases: block permutation, substitution, and diffusion. Then, we used dynamic keys instead of fixed keys used in other approaches, to control the encryption process and make any attack impossible. The new S-box was constructed by mixing of chaotic map and LFT to insure the high confidentiality in the inner encryption of the proposed approach. In addition, the hybrid compound of S-box and chaotic systems strengthened the whole encryption performance and enlarged the key space required to resist the brute force attacks. Extensive experiments were conducted to evaluate the security and efficiency of the proposed approach. In comparison with previous schemes, the proposed cryptosystem scheme showed high performances and great potential for prominent prevalence in cryptographic applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Context awareness and activity recognition are becoming a hot research topic in ambient intelligence (AmI) and ubiquitous robotics, due to the latest advances in wireless sensor network research which provides a richer set of context data and allows a wide coverage of AmI environments. However, using raw sensor data for activity recognition is subject to different constraints and makes activity recognition inaccurate and uncertain. The Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, known as belief functions, gives a convenient mathematical framework to handle uncertainty issues in sensor information fusion and facilitates decision making for the activity recognition process. Dempster-Shafer theory is more and more applied to represent and manipulate contextual information under uncertainty in a wide range of activity-aware systems. However, using this theory needs to solve the mapping issue of sensor data into high-level activity knowledge. The present paper contributes new ways to apply the Dempster-Shafer theory using binary discrete sensor information for activity recognition under uncertainty. We propose an efficient mapping technique that allows converting and aggregating the raw data captured, using a wireless senor network, into high-level activity knowledge. In addition, we propose a conflict resolution technique to optimize decision making in the presence of conflicting activities. For the validation of our approach, we have used a real dataset captured using sensors deployed in a smart home. Our results demonstrate that the improvement of activity recognition provided by our approaches is up to of 79 %. These results demonstrate also that the accuracy of activity recognition using the Dempster-Shafer theory with the proposed mappings outperforms both na < ve Bayes classifier and J48 decision tree.
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems in youth, and faulty interpretation bias has been positively linked to anxiety severity, even within anxiety-disordered youth. Quick, reliable assessment of interpretation bias may be useful in identifying youth with certain types of anxiety or assessing changes on cognitive bias during intervention. This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Self-report of Ambiguous Social Situations for Youth (SASSY) scale, a self-report measure developed to assess interpretation bias in youth. Participants (N = 488, age 7-17) met diagnostic criteria for social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or separation anxiety disorder. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on baseline data from youth participating in a large randomized clinical trial. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two factors (accusation/blame, social rejection). The SASSY full scale and social rejection factor demonstrated adequate internal consistency, convergent validity with social anxiety, and discriminant validity as evidenced by non-significant correlations with measures of non-social anxiety. Further, the SASSY social rejection factor accurately distinguished children and adolescents with social phobia from those with other anxiety disorders, supporting its criterion validity, and revealed sensitivity to changes with treatment. Given the relevance to youth with social phobia, pre- and post-intervention data were examined for youth social phobia to test sensitivity to treatment effects; results suggested that SASSY scores reduced for treatment responders. Findings suggest the potential utility of the SASSY social rejection factor as a quick, reliable, and efficient way of assessing interpretation bias in anxious youth, particularly as related to social concerns, in research and clinical settings. ClinicalTrials.gov Number NCT00052078.
The paper presents an SMPM multi-n-phase electric drive for traction application. The whole drive, motor structure, converter structure and a PWM control strategy is proposed. In particular the drive control and the DC-link advantage of a multi-phase structure is investigated in a specific machine design. The possibility to strongly reduce the DC-link capacitor stress is presented thanks to a phase shift in the PWM carriers of different converters. A comparison analysis is given for the same motor wounded and supplied in three different ways also considering fault conditions.
In variable-speed pumped-storage power plants, a promising solution is to connect the synchronous hydrogenerator to the grid via a full-rated frequency converter. In this case, the nominal frequency of the hydrogenerator can be chosen independently from the grid. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the nominal frequency affects generator efficiency using the converter-fed synchronous machine topology. The nominal speed of rotation is varied between 275 rpm and 600 rpm, while the nominal frequency used is between 20 and 85 Hz. An analytical model of the salient pole synchronous generator is used. The weight of active materials, iron losses, copper losses and mechanical losses are calculated for the different nominal frequencies and speeds of rotation. Based on this, generator efficiency curves are calculated and presented.
Human Nonverbal Communication Computing aims to investigate how people exploit nonverbal aspects of their communication to coordinate their activities and social relationships. Nonverbal behavior plays important roles in message production and processing, relational communication, social interaction and networks, deception and impression management, and emotional expression. This is a fundamental yet challenging research topic. To effectively analyze Nonverbal Communication Computing, motion analysis methods have been widely investigated and employed. In this paper, we introduce the concept and applications of Nonverbal Communication Computing and also review some of the motion analysis methods employed in this area. They include face tracking, expression recognition, body reconstruction, and group activity analysis. In addition, we also discuss some open problems and the future directions of this area. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major health concern in the United States (ACOG 2013). The World Health Organization (WHO) describes IPV as any physical, sexual, psychological harm by a current or former intimate partner (WHO 2016). Due to the psychosocial depth and nature of discussions within genetic counseling sessions, patients may disclose and/or discuss IPV as it relates to sexual well-being, reproductive and overall health. This study aims to assess the role for IPV screening, counseling and intervention in genetic counseling practice by investigating the incidence, experiences and attitudes about IPV among genetic counseling patients. Patients receiving genetic counseling at an urban metropolitan hospital were anonymously surveyed about experiences and perspectives on IPV as a topic of discussion during genetic counseling sessions. Among 60 eligible patients, 50 completed the survey (49 females, 1 male, of which, 5 identified as LGBT) ages 20 to 66. The incidence of IPV in this group was 16.0 % (n = 8). Majority of participants had never been asked about IPV by a healthcare provider (n = 32; 64.0%), would have felt comfortable answering questions about IPV by their healthcare provider (n = 34; 68.0%), and would have felt comfortable answering questions about IPV by their genetic counselor (n = 39; 78.0%). Perspectives from all participants, notably those with IPV history, provided insights to the role of genetic counselors in areas for IPV screening and counseling training.
To assess the differences in patient-reported, catheter-specific satisfaction and quality of life with either suprapubic or transurethral postoperative bladder drainage following reconstructive pelvic surgery. This was a prospective study of all eligible women who were scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery requiring bladder drainage during the study period November 2013 to March 2015. Women who did not undergo the planned procedure(s) or did not require bladder drainage were excluded. The primary outcome was patient-reported quality of life using catheter-specific instruments including the Catheter-related Quality of Life (CIQOL) instrument, and a modified version of the Intermittent Self-Catheterization Questionnaire (ISC-Q), designed to evaluate aspects of catheter-related quality of life and satisfaction specific to the needs of the individual. A total of 178 women were analyzed, 108 in the transurethral catheter group and 70 in the suprapubic group. Women with suprapubic bladder drainage had higher quality of life and satisfaction scores than women with transurethral bladder drainage as measured by the ISC-Q (68.31 +/- 16.87 vs. 54.04 +/- 16.95, mean difference 14.27, 95 % CI 9.15 - 19.39). There was no difference in quality of life by the CIQOL. After regression analysis, women with suprapubic bladder drainage were more satisfied with their catheter-specific needs despite longer duration of catheter use, more concurrent continence surgery, and higher trait anxiety. Differences in catheter-specific quality of life and patient satisfaction scores favoring suprapubic bladder drainage support its continued use in appropriately selected women for treatment of temporary postoperative urinary retention after reconstructive pelvic surgery.
Previously, we created an 8-h limited-access dual bottle drinking paradigm to deliver methylphenidate (MP) to rats at two dosages that result in a pharmacokinetic profile similar to patients treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Chronic treatment resulted in altered behavior, with some effects persisting beyond treatment. In the current study, adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were split into three groups at four weeks of age: control (water), low-dose MP (LD), and high-dose MP (HD). Briefly, 4 mg/kg (low dose; LD) or 30 mg/kg (high dose; HD) MP was consumed during the first hour, and 10 mg/kg (LD) or 60 mg/kg (HD) MP during hours two through eight. Following three months of treatment, half of the rats in each group (n = 8-9/group) were euthanized, and remaining rats went through a 1-month abstinence period, then euthanized. In vitro receptor autoradiography was performed to quantify binding levels of dopamine transporter (DAT), dopamine type 1 (D1R)-like receptors, and dopamine type 2 (D2R)-like receptors using [H-3] WIN35,428, [H-3] SCH23390, and [H-3] Spiperone, respectively. Immediately following treatment, HD MP-treated rats had increased DAT and D1R-like binding in several subregions of the basal ganglia, particularly more caudal portions of the caudate putamen, which correlated with some previously reported behavioral changes. There were no differences between treatment groups in any measure following abstinence. These findings suggest that chronic treatment with a clinically relevant high dose of MP results in reversible changes in dopamine neurochemistry, which may underlie some effects on behavior.
Condit Dam is one of the largest hydroelectric dams ever removed in the USA. Breached in a single explosive event in October 2011, hundreds-of-thousands of cubic metres of sediment washed down the White Salmon River onto spawning grounds of a threatened species, Columbia River tule fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. We investigated over a 3-year period (2010-2012) how dam breaching affected channel morphology, river hydraulics, sediment composition and tule fall Chinook salmon (hereafter tule salmon') spawning habitat in the lower 1.7km of the White Salmon River (project area). As expected, dam breaching dramatically affected channel morphology and spawning habitat due to a large load of sediment released from Northwestern Lake. Forty-two per cent of the project area that was previously covered in water was converted into islands or new shoreline, while a large pool near the mouth filled with sediments and a delta formed at the mouth. A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model revealed that pool area decreased 68.7% in the project area, while glides and riffles increased 659% and 530%, respectively. A spatially explicit habitat model found the mean probability of spawning habitat increased 46.2% after dam breaching due to an increase in glides and riffles. Shifting channels and bank instability continue to negatively affect some spawning habitat as sediments continue to wash downstream from former Northwestern Lake, but 300m of new spawning habitat (river kilometre 0.6 to 0.9) that formed immediately post-breach has persisted into 2015. Less than 10% of tule salmon have spawned upstream of the former dam site to date, but the run sizes appear healthy and stable. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Facial landmark detection is an important issue in many computer vision applications about faces. It is very challenging as human faces in wild conditions often present large variations in shape due to different poses, occlusions or expressions. Deep neural networks have been applied to learn the map from face images to face shapes. To the best of our knowledge, Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) has not been used in this issue yet. In this paper, we propose a method which utilizes RNN and Deep Neural Network (DNN) to learn the face shape. First, we build a global network using Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) architecture of RNN to get the initial landmark estimation of faces. Then, we use feed-forward neural networks for local search where a component-based searching method is explored. By using LSTM-RNN, the initial estimation is more reliable which makes the following component-based search feasible and accurate. Experiments show that the global network using LSTM-RNN gets better results than previous networks in both videos and single image. Our method outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms especially in terms of fine estimation of landmarks. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Drug addiction is a complex neurological dysfunction induced by recurring drug intoxication. Strategies to prevent and treat drug addiction constitute a topic of research interest. Early-stage romantic love is characterized by some characteristics of addiction, which gradually disappear as the love relationship progresses. Therefore, comparison of the concordance and discordance between romantic love and drug addiction may elucidate potential treatments for addiction. This focused review uses the evidences from our recent studies to compare the neural alterations between romantic love and drug addiction, moreover we also compare the behavioral and neurochemical alterations between romantic love and drug addiction. From the behavioral comparisons we find that there are many similarities between the early stage of romantic love and drug addiction, and this stage romantic love is considered as a behavioral addiction, while significant differences exist between the later stage of romantic love and drug addiction, and this stage of romantic love eventually developed into a prosocial behavior. The neuroimaging comparisons suggest that romantic love and drug addiction both display the functional enhancement in reward and emotion regulation network. Except the similar neural changes, romantic love display special function enhancement in social cognition network, while drug addiction display special dysfunction in cognitive control network. The neurochemical comparisons show that there are many similarities in the dopamine (DA) system, while significant differences in oxytocin (OT) system for romantic love and drug addiction. These findings indicate that the functional alterations in reward and emotion regulation network and the DA system may be the neurophysiological basis of romantic love as a behavioral addiction, and the functional alterations in social cognition network and the OT system may be the neurophysiological basis of romantic love as a prosocial behavior. It seems that the OT system is a critical factor for the development of addiction. So we then discuss strategies to treat drug addiction with OT, and suggest that future research should further investigate OT system interventions aiming to improve cognitive control and/or social cognition functions, in order to develop strategies designed to more effectively treat drug addiction.
In this paper a new type of hybrid reluctance actuator is presented. This linear hybrid reluctance actuator is a two phase double sided actuator in which the stator is composed by four normalized U cores, each with a coil wrapped around the yoke connecting the two arms of the core or with two coils wound on each of the arms and a permanent magnet placed near the air gap between and in contact with both arms. The mover is comprised of rectangular poles without connecting iron pieces between them but mechanically joined by non-magnetic mounting parts. The magnets are arranged so that their flux is in parallel to the flux created when the coils are energized, both fluxes are added and the total reinforced flux links the stator and the mover. But when no currents flow through the coils no flux crosses the air gap, and the flux of the magnets is closed through the back iron that supports them. An analysis and simulation of the motor using 2 D finite element and MATLAB Simulink is carried out. Finally, a comparison of this type of actuator with respect a linear reluctance stepper motor of the same size is shown.
Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are the most lethal threat from volcanoes. While there are two main types of PDCs (fully turbulent, fully dilute pyroclastic surges and more concentrated pyroclastic flows encompassing non-turbulent to turbulent transport) pyroclastic flows, which are the subject of the present study, are far more complex than dilute pyroclastic surges and remain the least understood type despite their far greater hazard, greater runout length and ability to transport vast quantities of material across the Earth's surface. Here we present large-scale experiments of natural volcanic material and gas in order to provide the missing quantitative view of the internal structure and gas-particle transport mechanisms in pyroclastic flows. We show that the outer flow structure with head, body and wake regions broadly resembles current PDC analogues of dilute gravity currents. However, the internal structure, in which lower levels consist of a concentrated granular fluid and upper levels are more dilute, contrasts significantly with the internal structure of fully dilute gravity currents. This bipartite vertical structure shows strong analogy to current conceptual models of high-density turbidity currents, which are responsible for the distribution of coarse sediment in marine basins and of great interest to the hydrocarbon industry. The lower concentrated and non-turbulent levels of the PDC (granular-fluid basal flow) act as a fast flowing carrier for the more dilute and turbulent upper levels of the current (ash-cloud surge). Strong kinematic coupling between these flow parts reduces viscous dissipation and entrainment of ambient air into the lower part of the ash-cloud surge. This leads to a state of forced super-criticality whereby fast and destructive PDCs can endure even at large distances from volcanoes. Importantly, the basal flow/ash-cloud surge coupling yields a characteristically smooth rheological boundary across the non-turbulent/turbulent interface, as well as vertical velocity and density profiles in the ash-cloud surge, which strongly differ from current theoretical predictions. Observed generation of successive pulses of high dynamic pressure within the upper dilute levels of the PDC may be important to understand the destructive potential of PDCs. The experiments further show that a wide range in the degree of coupling between particle and gas phases is critical to the vertical and longitudinal segregation of the currents into reaches that have starkly contrasting sediment transport capacities. In particular, the formation of mesoscale turbulence clusters under strong particle-gas feedback controls vertical stratification inside the turbulent upper levels of the current (ash-cloud surge) and triggers significant transfers of mass and momentum from the ash-cloud surge onto the granular-fluid basal flow. These results open up new pathways to advance current computational PDC hazard models and to describe and interpret PDCs as well as other types of high-density gravity currents transported across the surfaces of Earth and other planets and across marine basins. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is mainly composed of adipocytes, it is highly vascularized and innervated, and can be activated in adult humans. Brown adipocytes are responsible for performing non-shivering thermogenesis, which is exclusively mediated by uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 (a protein found in the inner mitochondrial membrane), the hallmark of BAT, responsible for the uncoupling of the proton leakage from the ATP production, therefore, generating heat (i.e. thermogenesis). Besides UCP1, other compounds are essential not only to thermogenesis, but also to the proliferation and differentiation of BAT, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family, PPARgamma coactivator 1 (PGC1)-alpha, and PRD1-BF-1-RIZ1 homologous domain protein containing protein (PRDM)-16. The sympathetic nervous system centrally regulates thermogenesis through norepinephrine, which acts on the adrenergic receptors of BAT. This bound leads to the initialization of the many pathways that may activate thermogenesis in acute and/or chronic ways. In summary, this mini-review aims to demonstrate the latest advances in the knowledge of BAT. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pneumocystis jirovecii prophylaxis is standard in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT), sometimes with pentamidine at a low dose inhaled monthly. Human metabolism of pentamidine depends on cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19). The frequency of mutant CYP2C19 forms with decreased function (from 2% of Caucasians to 30% of Asians and 79% of certain Polynesians), together with common use of CYP2C19 inhibitors in the alloSCT process, creates risk for impaired pentamidine clearance resulting in toxicity ordinarily expected only with high doses given for active infection. We examined the charts of 32 consecutive pentamidine-prophylaxed alloSCT patients at our center. We assessed hospital charges for the management of toxicities unexplained at the time but likely attributable, in retrospect, to pentamidine. Twenty-eight percent experienced significant toxicities (incurring added charges of at least US$5000). Thirteen percent suffered major toxicity (incurring added charges of at least US$25 000; median added charge $351 701) and shorter survival (326 vs. 622 d for all pentamidine recipients), including 6% who died of pentamidine toxicities [one proven postmortem to have a (non-functional) homozygous CYP2C19*2 mutation]. Charges for care attributable to pentamidine toxicity exceeded what preemptive genotyping would have cost by 73-fold. These findings encourage routine use of preemptive CYP2C19 genotyping in alloSCT patients considered for pentamidine.
Since the small inter-electrode gap (IEG), high current density applied, high heat generated and redundant reaction product, the convection of electrolyte in LEG becomes an important factor for the stability of electrochemical micro-machining (EMM) in manufacturing engineering. In this paper, a novel structure of cathode used in EMM is presented. The proper experimental parameters are established from the simulated results. The hollow cathode, which is much more conductive to the flow, has been designed and fabricated on the basis of non-silicon surface micro-machining technology. The experimental test showed the improvement of current stability, and is consistent with the numerical simulations.
The studies reported analyze the factorial structure of Facebook Addiction Italian Questionnaire (FAIQ), a variant of 20-item Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). In Study 1, we tested FAIQ psychometric properties using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In Study 2, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify the FAIQ factorial structure identified through EFA. Results from CFA confirm the presence of a four-factor model accounting for 58 percent of total variance, plus a general higher order factor that best fits the data. Further relationships between FAIQ factor scores, personality, and Facebook usage have been explored.
Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators can be integrated with a pulley system to provide mechanical advantage and to reduce packaging space; however, there appears to be no formal investigation of the effect of a pulley system on SMA structural or functional fatigue. In this work, cyclic testing was conducted on nickel-titanium (NiTi) SMA actuators on a pulley system and a control experiment (without pulley). Both structural and functional fatigues were monitored until fracture, or a maximum of 1E5 cycles were achieved for each experimental condition. The Taguchi method and analysis of the variance (ANOVA) were used to optimise the SMA-pulley system configurations. In general, one-way ANOVA at the 95% confidence level showed no significant difference between the structural or functional fatigue of SMA-pulley actuators and SMA actuators without pulley. Within the sample of SMA-pulley actuators, the effect of activation duration had the greatest significance for both structural and functional fatigue, and the pulley configuration (angle of wrap and sheave diameter) had a greater statistical significance than load magnitude for functional fatigue. This work identified that structural and functional fatigue performance of SMA-pulley systems is optimised by maximising sheave diameter and using an intermediate wrap-angle, with minimal load and activation duration. However, these parameters may not be compatible with commercial imperatives. A test was completed for a commercially optimal SMA-pulley configuration. This novel observation will be applicable to many areas of SMA-pulley system applications development.
The immune response to heparin is one of the most common drug-induced allergies, and yet, atypical for a drug hypersensitivity reaction. Whereas most drug-induced allergies are rare, idiosyncratic and lifelong, the allergic response to heparin is common, predictable in certain clinical settings and transient. Advances in the last decade with regards to structural characterisation of the PF4/heparin antigenic complex, contributions of innate immunity and development of animal models have provided insights into the distinctive features of the HIT immune response. Recent descriptions of the crystal structure of the PF4/heparin complex, alongside other biophysical studies, have clarified the structural requirements for immunogenicity and heparin-dependency of antibody formation. Studies of interactions of PF4 with bacterial cell walls as well as epidemiologic associations of anti-PF4/heparin antibody formation and infection suggest a role for immune priming and explain the rapid evolution of an isotype-switched immune response in sensitised patients. Murine models have greatly facilitated investigations of cellular basis of the HIT response and identified a major role for T-cells and marginal zone B-cells, but key findings have yet to be validated in human disease. This chapter will summarise recent investigations of the HIT immune response in the context of major pathways of immune activation and identify areas of uncertainty.
We analytically construct solutions for the mean first-passage time and splitting probabilities for the escape problem of a particle moving with continuous Brownian motion in a confining planar disc with an arbitrary distribution (i.e., of any number, size and spacing) of exit holes/absorbing sections along its boundary. The governing equations for these quantities are Poisson's equation with a (non-zero) constant forcing term and Laplace's equation, respectively, and both are subject to a mixture of homogeneous Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions. Our solutions are expressed as explicit closed formulae written in terms of a parameterising variable via a conformal map, using special transcendental functions that are defined in terms of an associated Schottky group. They are derived by exploiting recent results for a related problem of fluid mechanics that describes a unidirectional flow over no-slip/no-shear surfaces, as well as results from potential theory, all of which were themselves derived using the same theory of Schottky groups. They are exact up to the determination of a finite set of mapping parameters, which is performed numerically. Their evaluation also requires the numerical inversion of the parameterising conformal map. Computations for a series of illustrative examples are also presented.
The emerging use of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSNs) and communication facilities have increased the need for network security measures to protect different types of multimedia data either real time or non-real time during the transmission period. A lot of researchers are becoming more interested on secure WMSNs due to the broad application necessities which can be range over smart environment, security surveillance and smart health-care; so requirements on secure aggregation of multimedia data, Quality of Service (QoS) and privacy should be satisfied. Current technologies vs. proposed security techniques in WMSNs and its pros and cons from a security point of view are explored in details. In addition to promising future trends of this research area by giving more attention for new challenging problems including secure routing protocol, fault tolerant, robustness and recovery process. We believe that this paper will add significantly a valuable discussion among the researchers and promote them to fetch new research ideas to design approximately best model by combining the most important security issues in order to reach secure WMSNs.
Purpose: In spite of the fact that the addictive potential of benzodiazepine (BDZ) drugs has been known for a long time, benzodiazepine addiction remains a common problem for psychiatry to deal with. The etiology of benzodiazepine addiction is very complex. Among the risk factors, the course of the treatment, demographic status and psychological features of a patient seem to play an important role. The aim of this study was to investigate both psychological and genetic factors differentiating benzodiazepine addicts from non-addicted users. Method: We analysed a cohort of 120 individuals treated with benzodiazepines divided into two groups: benzodiazepine addicts and non-addicted benzodiazepine users (the control group). In both groups we measured genetic polymorphisms of GABA A2 and MAOA. In both groups some psychometric measurements were performed - we investigated the level of depression, anxiety as a state and as a trait, personality features and the dominant coping style using the Beck Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Five-Factor Personality Inventory NEO-FFI and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations [4,10,17,36,41,44]. Results: There are some psychological and situational risk factors for benzodiazepine addiction such as high neuroticism, introversion and lack of the ability to release tension through interpersonal contacts, dominance of emotional coping style and high accumulation of critical life events during both childhood and adulthood. The genetic background still remains a field for further exploration. Conclusions: The genetic background for BDZ addiction remains a field for further exploration.
Region-of-interest (ROI) detection techniques are of great importance in the analysis of remote sensing images, especially in target detection, since the size of the image to be dealt with grows substantially with the improvement of spatial resolution. Most of current studies are not aiming at the specific type of object area detection, and the processed images are rather small compared to the size of the raw data acquired by high-resolution satellite. In this letter, a hierarchical task-driven ROI detection method, based on saliency and density, is proposed to address the detection of the potential object areas in large-scale remote sensing images. The proposed saliency and density-based detection method (SDBD) integrates bottom-up and top-down strategies, where the saliency-based multilevel histogram contrast is presented in the bottom-up phase to obtain the preliminary regions, while the centroid density distribution index (CDDI) is defined in the top-down scheme to refine the previous results. Specifically, superpixel segmentation is introduced in this letter to narrow down the ROI candidates. SDBD is capable of extracting ROI of different objects by adjusting the threshold of CDDI. The experiments are conducted on two data sets to extract ROIs of storage tanks and residence. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective in identifying ROI in large-scale data.
Introduction: Allophilia may be defined as the positive attitudes toward different out-groups. The aim of this study is to translate and validate the Allophilia Scale to Spanish population. Method: Participants were 960 individuals from all over Spain. Questionnaires to measure prejudice toward North African people, stress and empathy were used to analyze the convergent and divergent validity of the Allophilia scale. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the items of the questionnaire fit a model with five factors, corresponding to the dimensions proposed by the original authors (Affection, Comfort, Kinship, Engagement, Enthusiasm), and that they were inter-related. Cronbach's alpha of the Allophilia scale and the five factors were high. In addition, it has been found that the different sub scales of the Allophilia scale were related with other variables such as prejudice toward North African people (cognitive, emotions and behaviours), stress (interaction, resources, identity) and empathy. Discussion: In light of these results, we conclude that the questionnaire is methodologically valid and can be used by the scientific community to measure cooperative and participatory intergroup behaviour as a complement to traditional measures of prejudice and negative intergroup behaviours.
By focusing on the case of the Jarso and the Girhi in eastern Ethiopia, this article seeks to contribute to comparative studies on the social, territorial and relational effects of the effort at political and administrative decentralization in multi-ethnic settings. The article analyses the political and social implications of the elements that constitute impediments to social cohesion and socio-economic interaction in the study area. The data required for the study were collected through fieldwork that involved interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. On the basis of the analysis, the article recommends what should be done to create a relational politics of place in which places and spaces that connect people remain open, discontinuous, relational and internally diverse.
A new method is implemented in designing of self-oscillating loop for driving piezoelectric transformers. The implemented method is based on combining both analog and digital control systems. Digitized delay, or digitized phase shift through the self-oscillating loop results in a very precise frequency control and ensures an optimum operation of the piezoelectric transformer in terms of voltage gain and efficiency. In this work, additional time delay is implemented digitally for the first time through 16 bit digital-to-analog converter to the self-oscillating loop. Delay control setpoints updates at a rate of 417 kHz. This allows the control loop to dynamically follow frequency changes of the transformer in each resonant cycle. The operation principle behind self-oscillating is discussed in this paper. Moreover, experimental results are reported.
Indications for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy include focal, multifocal epilepsy, drop attacks (tonic/atonic seizures), Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-related multifocal epilepsy, and unsuccessful resective surgery. Surgical outcome is about 50-60% for seizures control, and may also improve mood, cognition, and memory. On this basis, VNS has also been proposed for the treatment of major depression and Alzheimer's' disease. The vagus nerve stimulator must be implanted with blunt technique on the left side to avoid cardiac side effects through the classic approach for anterior cervical discectomy. The actual device is composed of a wire with three helical contacts (two active contacts, one anchoring) and a one-pin battery. VNS is usually started 2 weeks after implantation with recommended settings of stimulation (1.0-2.0mA; 500s pulse width; 20-30Hz; 30s ON, 5min OFF). The complications of VNS therapy are early (related to surgery) and late (related to the device and to stimulation of the vagus nerve). Early complications include the following: intraoperative bradycardia and asystole during lead impedance testing, peritracheal hematoma, infections (3-8%), and vagus nerve injury followed by hoarseness, dyspnea, and dysphagia because of left vocal cord paralysis. Delayed morbidity due to the device includes late infections or problems in wound healing; other more rare events are due to late injury of the nerve. Late complications due to nerve stimulation include delayed arrhythmias, laryngopharyngeal dysfunction (hoarseness, dyspnea, and coughing), obstructive sleep apnea, stimulation of phrenic nerve, tonsillar pain mimicking glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and vocal cord damage during prolonged endotracheal intubation. The laryngopharyngeal dysfunction occurs in about 66% of patients and is usually transitory and due to the stimulation of the inferior (recurrent) laryngeal nerve. A true late paralysis of the left vocal cord is often partial and rare (1-2.7%), and usually transitory, and may be caused by previous surgical trauma (i.e., damage of nerve fibers and/or of their blood supply) or to a supposed chronic denervation during stimulation. Surgery for complete removal or revision and replacement of the device is to be considered in cases of device malfunction (4-16.8%), failure of VNS therapy, intolerable side effects, or because of patient's specific request. As described in the literature, the surgical techniques of lead revision and replacement are two: sharp and blunt dissection of helical electrodes and replacement; and blunt dissection combined with ultrasharp low-voltage cautery dissection. The incidence of left vocal cord palsy after vagus nerve stimulator replacement/revision is slightly higher than that of first implantation (4.9% vs. 3.8%). A de novo implantation in a naive segment of the left or right vagus nerve may be considered in specific cases; the use of the right vagus nerve is a rare exception that may be chosen with an acceptable result.
The notion Internet of Things (IoT) means all things in the global network can be interconnected and accessed. Wireless sensor network (WSN) is one of the most important applications of the notion and is widely used in nearly all scopes. In 2014, Hsieh et al. presented an improved authentication scheme for WSNs. But it has several weaknesses, including no session key, lack of mutual authentication and under the insider attack, the off-line guessing attack, the user forgery attack and the sensor capture attack. To avoid the weaknesses, we present a new authentication scheme which is also for WSNs. Then we employ the random oracle model to show the formal proof, and use the protocol analyzing tool Proverif to list the formal verification process. Compared with some recent schemes for WSNs via the aspects of security properties, the proposed scheme overcomes the common problems and fits for the security properties of IoT.
Owing to the ubiquity of web applications in modern computing, the server software that delivers these applications is an attractive attack vector for would-be malicious actors in cyberspace. Recently, Moving Target Defense (MTD) strategies have grown in popularity in the computer security community because of their ability to enhance resilience and force attackers into uncharacteristic behavior. The MTD prototype discussed in this paper acts as a proactive defense strategy that offers increased protection against an attacker's ability to probe for and exploit vulnerable web server software. The testing shows that web server diversity in an MTD reduces the ability to exploit vulnerabilities in a web server, reduces impacts of successfully exploited vulnerabilities, and increases the resilience of the protected application.
Geosynthetics, including geogrids and geotextiles, have been extensively used for stabilisation and soil reinforcement in several geotechnical structures, such as foundations, abutments, walls and slopes. In these applications, soil-geosynthetic interaction plays a determinant role. This paper describes an experimental study carried out using a large-scale pullout test apparatus, aiming to investigate the pullout behaviour of different geosynthetics embedded in a granite residual soil. The study involved two geogrids (one biaxial and the other uniaxial), one geocomposite reinforcement (high-strength geotextile) and one geotextile. The soil was compacted to different relative densities. Test results have revealed that soil-geosynthetic interaction under pullout loading conditions is highly influenced by the geosynthetic properties and soil density. Regardless of soil density, the biaxial geogrid exhibited higher pullout resistance than the other geosynthetics. At maximum pullout force, the deformation along the length of the geotextiles was considerably more pronounced than that along the geogrids. For the conditions adopted in this study, the soil-geosynthetic pullout interaction coefficients ranged from .25 to .52. In general, the values of the scale effect correction factor obtained for the geotextiles were slightly lower than the value recommended by the Federal Highway Administration in the absence of test data.
Food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureus is a result of ingestion of Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by this bacterium and is a major source of foodborne illness. Staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED) is one of the predominant enterotoxins recovered in Staphylococcal food poisoning incidences, including a recent outbreak in Guam affecting 300 children. Current immunology methods for SED detection cannot distinguish between the biologically active form of the toxin, which poses a threat, from the inactive form, which poses no threat. In vivo bioassays that measure emetic activity in kitten and monkeys have been used, but these methods rely upon expensive procedures using live animals and raising ethical concerns. A rapid (5 h) quantitative bioluminescence assay, using a genetically engineered T-cell Jurkat cell line expressing luciferase under regulation of nuclear factor of activated T cells response elements, in combination with the lymphoblastoid B-cell line Raji for antigen presentation, was developed. In this assay, the detection limit of biologically active SED is 100 ng/mL, which is 10 times more sensitive than the splenocyte proliferation assay, and 105 times more sensitive than monkey or kitten bioassay. Pasteurization or repeated freeze-thaw cycles had no effect on SED activity, but reduction in SED activity was shown with heat treatment at 100 degrees C for 5 min. It was also shown that milk exhibits a protective effect on SED. This bioluminescence assay may also be used to rapidly evaluate antibodies to SED for potential therapeutic application as a measurement of neutralizing biological effects of SED.
As a major application domain of vascular ultrasound, the carotid artery has long been the subject of anthropomorphic phantom design. It is nevertheless not trivial to develop walled carotid phantoms that are compatible for use in integrative imaging of carotid wall motion and flow dynamics. In this paper, we present a novel phantom design protocol that can enable efficient fabrication of walled carotid bifurcation phantoms with: 1) high acoustic compatibility; 2) artery-like vessel elasticity; and 3) stenotic narrowing feature. Our protocol first involved direct fabrication of the vessel core and an outer mold using computer-aided design tools and 3-D printing technology; these built parts were then used to construct an elastic vessel tube through investment casting of a polyvinyl alcohol containing mixture, and an agar-gelatin tissue mimicking slab was formed around the vessel tube. For demonstration, we applied our protocol to develop a set of healthy and stenosed (25%, 50%, and 75%) carotid bifurcation phantoms. Plane wave imaging experiments were performed on these phantoms using an ultrasound scanner with channel-level configurability. Results show that the wall motion dynamics of our phantoms agreed with pulse wave propagation in an elastic vessel (pulse wave velocity of 4.67 +/- 0.71 m/s measured at the common carotid artery), and their flow dynamics matched the expected ones in healthy and stenosed bifurcation (recirculation and flow jet formation observed). Integrative imaging of vessel wall motion and blood flow dynamics in our phantoms was also demonstrated, from which we observed fluid-structure interaction differences between healthy and diseased bifurcation phantoms. These findings show that the walled bifurcation phantoms developed with our new protocol are useful in vascular imaging studies that individually or jointly assess wall motion and flow dynamics.
Introduction: People with disabilities often identify professionals' stigmatic views as significant barriers to accessing mainstream services. This study aimed to examine differences in stigmatic attitudes held by social workers toward individuals with intellectual disabilities ( ID), mental illness ( MI), or dual diagnosis ( DD) of ID and MI. Methods: One hundred and fifty-eight social workers responded to three versions of a structured questionnaire. Participants were provided, in random order, with vignettes describing an individual with ID, MI, and DD, after which they completed the Attribution Questionnaire. Results: Results revealed a significant effect of disability type, so that individuals with MI were perceived to be more responsible for their condition than were individuals with ID or DD. Individuals with MI and DD were perceived as more dangerous than those with ID, and social workers endorsed more coercive and segregating behaviors toward individuals with MI and DD than toward those with ID. No differences were found in helping and avoidant behaviors in relation to disability type, and correlations between stigma constructs were found across all three disabilities. Conclusions: Findings are discussed in light of social workers' obligation to assist individuals to realize their rights to full social and civil inclusion. Given these obligations, they are expected to set aside their personal views and provide help to all their clients regardless of their diagnosis.
Political and economical changes from the few past years had significant influence over almost all countries economical life. High-developed countries react after these changes in marketing by using high-performance working methods and by raising investments in researching fields. The world competitive manufactures attention in the last years is on the competitive and environment-friendly products development. For that there has been adopted the concept of integrated manufacturing as a strategy, for achieving shorter time to market, reduced development costs, and high quality products. Manufacturing Engineering Department from T U of Cluj-Napoca started in 1994 to introduce this concept in university and in the Romanian industry. This paper presents our steps and achievements in this field of competitive product development.
This work aims at giving some guidelines to assess the impact of performance indicators on organisations. Performance measurement systems are usually introduced into organisations in order to monitor goal achievement, to allocate resources and to implement a strategy. However, the implementation of performance indicators may generate an alteration in the rational behaviour of the monitored structure. The risk of this impact is always present, and must be considered very carefully in order to preserve the organisation from a counter-productive effect. In the present analytical work, a reference model is proposed as a first step. This model considers all the organisational dimensions on which an indicator may exert its influence. The method makes use of the four Kaplan and Norton's balanced scorecard perspectives in order to identify the dimensions on which an indicator may exert its impact. Previous works reported in scientific literature do not provide operational models for impact analysis, whereas, the proposed model is linked to an operative procedure in order to support management to make this analysis. The aim is to make the impact analysis less complex by structuring it in a sequence of predefined steps. The proposal is supported by some practical examples.
Arctigenin was previously proven to inhibit Th17 cell differentiation and thereby attenuate colitis in mice by down-regulating the activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The present study was performed to address its underlying mechanism in view of estrogen receptor (ER). The specific antagonist PHTPP or siRNA of ER beta largely diminished the inhibitory effect of arctigenin on the mTORC1 activation in T cell lines and primary CD4(+) T cells under Th17-polarization condition, suggesting that arctigenin functioned in an ER beta-dependent manner. Moreover, arctigenin was recognized to be an agonist of ER beta, which could bind to ER beta with a moderate affinity, promote dissociation of ER beta/HSP90 complex and nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of ER beta, and increase the transcription activity. Following activation of ER beta, arctigenin inhibited the activity of mTORC1 by disruption of ER beta-raptor-mTOR complex assembly. Deficiency of ER beta markedly abolished arctigenin-mediated inhibition of Th17 cell differentiation. In colitis mice, the activation of ER beta, inhibition of mTORC1 activation and Th17 response by arctigenin were abolished by PHTPP treatment. In conclusion, ER beta might be the target protein of arctigenin responsible for inhibition of mTORC1 activation and resultant prevention of Th17 cell differentiation and colitis development.
anomaly detection is playing an increasingly important role in network security, and the ability to detect and process anomalies for big data in real-time is a difficult task. In this conditions, this paper presents a model which combine cloud computing with machine learning. Hadoop is a widely used open source cloud computing framework to big data. The traffic data stored in HDFS and processed by MapReduce. Besides these, machine learning module selected best performance algorithm from multiple algorithms by called Weka interface. Moreover, naive Bayes, decision tree and SVM are used to validate the accuracy and efficiency. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that this method has a good performance in detection with above 90% of accuracy.
Control applications are often implemented on highly cost-sensitive and resource-constrained embedded platforms, such as microcontrollers with a small on-chip memory. Typically, control algorithms are designed using model-based approaches, where the details of the implementation platform are completely ignored. As a result, optimizations that integrate platform-level characteristics into the control algorithms design are largely missing. With the emergence of cyber-physical systems (CPS)-oriented thinking, there has lately been a strong interest in co-design of control algorithms and their implementation platforms, leading to work on networked control systems and computation-aware control algorithms design. However, there has so far been no work on integrating the characteristics of a memory architecture into the design of control algorithms. In this paper we, for the first time, show that accounting for the impact of on-chip memory (or cache) reuse on the performance of control applications motivates new techniques for control algorithms design. This leads to significant improvement in quality of control for given resource availability, or more efficient implementations of embedded control applications. We believe that this paper opens up a variety of possibilities for memory-related optimizations of embedded control systems, that will be pursued by researchers working on computer-aided design for CPS.
The present study examined two measures of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity as moderators of the indirect path from permissive parenting to deviant peer affiliations to delinquency among a community sample of adolescents. Participants included 252 adolescents (M = 15.79 years; 53 % boys; 66 % European American, 34 % African American). A multi-method design was employed to address the research questions. Two indicators of SNS reactivity, skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR) and cardiac pre-ejection period reactivity (PEPR) were examined. SNS activity was measured during a baseline period and a problem-solving task (star-tracing); reactivity was computed as the difference between the task and baseline periods. Adolescents reported on permissive parenting, deviant peer affiliations, externalizing behaviors, and substance use (alcohol, marijuana). Analyses revealed indirect effects between permissive parenting and delinquency via affiliation with deviant peers. Additionally, links between permissive parenting to affiliation with deviant peers and affiliation with deviant peers to delinquency was moderated by SNS reactivity. Less SNS reactivity (less PEPR and/or less SCLR) were risk factors for externalizing problems and alcohol use. Findings highlight the moderating role of SNS reactivity in parenting and peer pathways that may contribute to adolescent delinquency and point to possibilities of targeted interventions for vulnerable youth.
Latterly, many problems arising in different fields of science and engineering can be reduced, by applying some appropriate discretization, to a series of time-fractional partial differential equations. Unlike the normal case derivative, the differential order in such equations is with a fractional order, which will lead to new challenges for numerical simulation. The purpose of this analysis is to introduce the reproducing kernel Hilbert space method for treating classes of time-fractional partial differential equations subject to Neumann boundary conditions with parameters derivative arising in fluid -mechanics, chemical reactions, elasticity, anomalous diffusion, and population growth models. The method provides appropriate representation of the solutions in convergent series formula with accurately computable components. Numerical experiments with different order derivatives degree are performed to support the theoretical analyses which are acquired by interrupting the n-term of the exact solutions. Finally, the obtained outcomes showed that the proposed method is competitive in terms of the quality of the solutions found and is very valid for solving such time-fractional Neumann problems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Existing research shows that appeals to self-interest sometimes increase and sometimes decrease prosocial behavior. We propose that this inconsistency is in part due to the framings of these appeals. Different framings generate different salient reference points, leading to different assessments of the appeal. Study 1 demonstrates that buying an item with the proceeds going to charity evokes a different set of alternative behaviors than donating and receiving an item in return. Studies 2 and 3a-g establish that people are more willing to act, and give more when they do, when reading the former framing than the latter. Study 4 establishes ecological validity by replicating the effect in a field experiment assessing participants' actual charitable contributions. Finally, Study 5 provides additional process evidence via moderation for the proposed mechanism. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings and suggest avenues for future research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate homophobic attitudes in three European countries: Italy, Albania, and Ukraine. One thousand and forty-eight students were recruited in Italian (n = 766), Albanian (n = 180), and Ukrainian (n = 102) university centers. Methods A socio-demographic questionnaire and Homophobia Scale (HS) were administered by our staff. Results Cross-cultural and significant differences among Italian, Albanian, and Ukrainian students were found on the Homophobia Scale (HS; Italy: mean = 22.26 +/- 16.73; Albania: mean = 38.15 +/- 17.28; Ukraine: mean = 59.18 +/- 16.23). The analysis of sociodemographic characteristics revealed that the male gender emerged as main predictor of homophobic attitude in all the three countries, although also a conservative political orientation and the religious belief predict higher homophobia levels in Italy and Albania, particularly. Conclusions This study revealed that in these European countries assessed, attitudes toward homosexuality are different. Ukrainians display higher levels of homophobia than Albanians and Italians, confirming the central role of cultural differences in homophobic attitudes. Nevertheless, some socio-demographic aspects such as identification as male have a similar influence on homophobic attitudes in all assessed populations.
Residual carbon and ammonium in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) tail water lead fouling, and prejudice the operation and life time of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. In this study, a new combined treatment system of ozone oyster shells fix-bed bioreactor (OFBR)-membrane bioreactor (MBR) was developed and pilot scale was tested for 110 days to intensify the removal of residual carbon and ammonium in WWTP tail water. This results showed that the mean maximum COD, ammonium and TP removal efficiencies were achieved by 73%, 99% and 43%, under the optimum ozone dosage of 70 mg L-1 and HRT of 25 h. The single contribution of OFBR and MBR was 62% and 38% to COD removal, 94% and 6% to ammonium removal, 63% and 37% to TP removal, respectively. High throughput sequencing data showed that there were rich bacterial populations (>2800 species), and Deinococcus-Thermus, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Planctomyctes were dominant in both reactors. After addition of ozone, Deinococcus-Thermus and Planctomyctes species bacteria increased significantly in OFBR, and Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Planctomyctes species bacteria increased remarkably in MBR, which might mainly contribute to carbon removal in OFBR and MBR, respectively. Aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and denitrifying bacteria were all existed in both reactors, which might be the main reasons for high removal efficiency of ammonium in OFBR-MBR system. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PurposeThe aim of this study was to give an overview of the prevalence of contact allergy to active ingredients and excipients of topical medications across Europe. MethodsRetrospective analysis of data collected by the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies () with substances applied to consecutively patch tested patients, 2009-2012, in 54 departments in 12 European countries. ResultsIn view of the varying composition of the baseline series used in the previously mentioned departments and countries, between 58833 (lanolin alcohols) and 16498 patients (sodium metabisulfite) were patch tested with the topical agents covered in this study. Among these, positive (allergic) reactions were most commonly observed to sodium metabisulfite (3.12% positive), followed by propolis (2.48%), Compositae mix (1.73%), lanolin alcohols (1.65%) and caine mix III (benzocaine, cinchocaine and tetracaine; 1.27%). ConclusionsSeveral of the substances warrant routine screening for contact allergy, i.e. patch testing in a baseline series. However, in view of a vast number of other topical agents, additional patch testing with the suspect topical drug preparations (including natural remedies and cosmetics) is warranted. In the event of a positive test to the (pharmaceutical) product, single ingredients should be tested individually to precisely identify the hapten(s). Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We aimed to identify whether the use of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) impacts outcomes for multiple myeloma patients with gains of chromosome 1q (+1q). We retrospectively identified 95 patients, 21% having+1q. For patients with+1q, the overall response rate to induction was 85%, with 40% havingVGPR and 20% achieving a CR, similar to non+1q patients (p=.64). The median PFS from diagnosis with+1q was 2.1 years (95% CI: 1.2-not reached (NR)) vs 4.3 years (95% CI: 3.3 yrs-NR) without+1q (p=.003). Median OS from diagnosis was 4.4 years (95% CI: 2.9-NR) vs not reached, respectively (p=.005). On molecular analysis using the Foundation One Heme assay, the most common mutations seen in+1q patients included TP53 (38%) and KRAS (25%). Overall, gain of 1q portends worse PFS and OS which was not negated by auto HCT. Such patients will likely require additional therapy to improve their survival.
Metabolomic analysis of feces can provide useful insight on the metabolic status, the health/disease state of the human/animal and the symbiosis with the gut microbiome. As a result, recently there is increased interest on the application of holistic analysis of feces for biomarker discovery. For metabolomics applications, the sample preparation process used prior to the analysis of fecal samples is of high importance, as it greatly affects the obtained metabolic profile, especially since feces, as matrix are diversifying in their physicochemical characteristics and molecular content. However there is still little information in the literature and lack of a universal approach on sample treatment for fecal metabolic profiling. The scope of the present work was to study the conditions for sample preparation of rat feces with the ultimate goal of the acquisition of comprehensive metabolic profiles either untargeted by NMR spectroscopy and GC MS or targeted by HILIC-MS/MS. A fecal sample pooled from male and female Wistar rats was extracted under various conditions by modifying the pH value, the nature of the organic solvent and the sample weight to solvent volume ratio. It was found that the 1/2 (wt./vs) ratio provided the highest number of metabolites under neutral and basic conditions in both untargeted profiling techniques. Concerning LC MS profiles, neutral acetonitrile and propanol provided higher signals and wide metabolite coverage, though extraction efficiency is metabolite dependent. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The increase in installed capacity of renewable energy sources (RES) has a positive effect on the development of smart grids and demand side management (DSM). The reason for this is the intermittent nature of renewable energy, which is directly related to the problem of balancing the production and consumption of power within the power system. By using the DSM, the power consumption in the system comprising RES can be easier adjusted to the power production. The paper proposes an improved concept of DSM through the spatial and temporal DSM. The optimal spatial and temporal DSM aims at determining the power diagram of each individual load bus in order to achieve the optimal state in the whole system. The optimal state of the system can be quantified through the minimum daily energy losses or minimum daily operating costs. A mathematical definition of the optimal spatial and temporal DSM problem is presented as well as the algorithm for its solution. The proposed methodology has been tested by three test networks. The results confirm the overall system performance improvements that include: reduction of energy losses in the system, reduction of the operating costs and the increase of the voltage quality within the system. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Estrogen and progesterone are potent breast mitogens. In addition to steroid hormones, multiple signaling pathways input to estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) actions via posttranslational events. Protein kinases commonly activated in breast cancers phosphorylate steroid hormone receptors (SRs) and profoundly impact their activities. Methods: To better understand the role of modified PRs in breast cancer, we measured total and phospho-Ser294 PRs in 209 human breast tumors represented on 2754 individual tissue spots within a tissue microarray and assayed the regulation of this site in human tumor explants cultured ex vivo. To complement this analysis, we assayed PR target gene regulation in T47D luminal breast cancer models following treatment with progestin (promegestone; R5020) and antiprogestins (mifepristone, onapristone, or aglepristone) in conditions under which the receptor is regulated by Lys388 SUMOylation (K388 intact) or is SUMO-deficient (via K388R mutation to mimic persistent Ser294 phosphorylation). Selected phospho-PR-driven target genes were validated by qRT-PCR and following RUNX2 shRNA knockdown in breast cancer cell lines. Primary and secondary mammosphere assays were performed to implicate phospho-Ser294 PRs, epidermal growth factor signaling, and RUNX2 in breast cancer stem cell biology. Results: Phospho-Ser294 PR species were abundant in a majority (54%) of luminal breast tumors, and PR promoter selectivity was exquisitely sensitive to posttranslational modifications. Phospho-PR expression and target gene programs were significantly associated with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Consistent with our finding that activated phospho-PRs undergo rapid ligand-dependent turnover, unique phospho-PR gene signatures were most prevalent in breast tumors clinically designated as PR-low to PR-null (luminal B) and included gene sets associated with cancer stem cell biology (HER2, PAX2, AHR, AR, RUNX). Validation studies demonstrated a requirement for RUNX2 in the regulation of selected phospho-PR target genes (SLC37A2). In vitro mammosphere formation assays support a role for phospho-Ser294-PRs via growth factor (EGF) signaling as well as RUNX2 as potent drivers of breast cancer stem cell fate. Conclusions: We conclude that PR Ser294 phosphorylation is a common event in breast cancer progression that is required to maintain breast cancer stem cell fate, in part via cooperation with growth factor-initiated signaling pathways and key phospho-PR target genes including SLC37A2 and RUNX2. Clinical measurement of phosphorylated PRs should be considered a useful marker of breast tumor stem cell potential. Alternatively, unique phospho-PR target gene sets may provide useful tools with which to identify patients likely to respond to selective PR modulators that block PR Ser294 phosphorylation as part of rational combination (i. e., with antiestrogens) endocrine therapies designed to durably block breast cancer recurrence.
An attempt is made in the first part of this paper to review the history of reactor safety and draw conclusions about trends that could be avoided and directions that could lead to robust reactor designs that would not be susceptible to severe accidents. In the second part, progress in reactor thermal hydraulics is observed by reviewing the list of conference sessions. Finally, a report is made on some recent work on two computational problems: the prediction of departure from nucleate boiling and the potential spatial coupling of computational multifluid dynamics methods to achieve multiscale, high-resolution simulations.
Aim: To review the literature on the oral health status of the population, evidence-based understanding of epigenetic mechanisms, and its significant role in diseases occurring in the oral cavity. Background: Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that does not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. In other words, it is a change in phenotype without a change in genotype, which in turn affects the way cells read genes. Epigenetic change is a regular and natural occurrence but can also be influenced by several factors including age, the environment/lifestyle, and disease state. The field of epigenetics is quickly growing, and it is believed that both the environment and lifestyle can interact with the genome to influence epigenetic change. These changes may be reflected at various stages throughout a person's life and even in later generations. Conclusion: Epigenetic codes help us understand the biological phenotype that arises from the interaction of the human genome with the environment in health and in disease. Epigenetics is a major turn away from molecular biology. Current epigenetics not only offers new insights into gene regulation and heredity, but also it challenges the way we think about evolution, genetics, and development. Most interestingly, it suggests testable mechanisms whereby environmental factors (ranging from stress to infection) can influence genetic expression.
This paper presents a flexible and low-power Read-Out Circuit (ROC) with tunable sensitivity, designed to interface a wide range of commercial resistive pressure sensors for robotic applications. The ROC provides contact detection, monitoring small capacitance variations at low pressure (<100 mbar), and encodes pressure measurement on 8 bit, evaluating resistive variations. Two all-digital circuits implement the conversion of the input resistance and capacitance-to-frequency, exploiting an on-chip ring oscillator as timing reference. A 130 nm RFCMOS prototype (with an active area of 428 x 159 mu m(2)) has a power consumption of 27.2 mu W, for VDD 1 V. Using digital control inputs, the ROC allows a wide range tuning of measurement sensitivity (6.7-46.4 mbar/LSB) and adjustable acquisition time (226.6-461.7 mu s and 648-890 mu s, for contact detection and pressure evaluation, respectively). The read-out time of similar to 1 ms is compatible with human response after touch.
Background: Lipoma preferred partner (LPP) and T-cell activation Rho GTPase activating protein (TAGAP) polymorphisms might influence the susceptibility to celiac disease. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis by identifying relevant studies to estimate the risks of these polymorphisms on celiac disease. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched (up to October 2016) for LPP rs1464510 and TAGAP rs1738074 polymorphisms. Results: This meta-analysis included the same 7 studies for LPP rs1464510 and TAGAP rs1738074. The minor risk A allele at both rs1464510 and rs1738074 carried risks (odds ratios) of 1.26 (95% CI: 1.22-1.30) and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.14-1.21), respectively, which contributed to increased risks in all celiac disease patients by 10.72% and 6.59%, respectively. The estimated lambdas were 0.512 and 0.496, respectively, suggesting that a co-dominant model would be suitable for both gene effects. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides robust estimates that polymorphisms in LPP and TAGAP genes are potential risk factors for celiac disease in European and American. Prospective studies and more genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are needed to confirm these findings, and some corresponding molecular biology experiments should be carried out to clarify the pathogenic mechanisms of celiac disease.
While higher education is associated with healthy lifestyles and health literacy, it remains unclear whether education shapes reactions to varying levels of genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, participants (N = 701) in the National Genetic Risk Survey Experiment (NGRISE) received a hypothetical genetic risk assessment for AD (ranging from 20 to 80% lifetime risk) and then completed items on their cognitive (perceived threat to health), emotional (general negative affect), and anticipated behavioral (seek information, improve health behaviors, engage in public or private civic action) reactions to this risk. Individuals with a college education showed reactions to increasing genetic risk approximately twice or several times as strong relative to those of individuals with lower (high school, HS) education. In fact, behavioral reactions do not significantly increase with AD risk among those with HS education. Some educational differences in risk response widen at older ages. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The development of trust has its origin in parenting. However, it can be misleading to lump together all types of trust and to suppose that they are formed through similar developmental processes. Therefore, this research examined different developmental pathways of adolescents' trust in individuals close to them (peers in this study) and those that are distant (politicians in this study). The study used longitudinal data collected from Czech adolescents (N = 904; 50 % of the participants were females). When adolescents were 13 years old, they and their parents reported parental warmth. Adolescents rated their trust in their parents and their beliefs in a just world at age 15 as well as their trust in peers and politicians at age 17. Both maternal and paternal warmth predicted adolescents' trust in their parents, which in turn led to later trust in peers but not to later trust in politicians. However, maternal and paternal warmth only predicted their trust in politicians through the mediation of their personal belief in a just world. Our findings highlighted that although parents are important in the development of adolescents' trust, mediating pathways differ depending on the types of relationships involved.
We experimentally investigate the effect of social identification and information feedback on individual behavior in contests. In all treatments, we find significant overexpenditure of effort relative to the standard theoretical predictions. Identifying subjects through photo display decreases wasteful effort. Providing information feedback about others' effort does not affect the aggregate effort, but it decreases the heterogeneity of effort and significantly affects the dynamics of individual behavior. A behavioral model that incorporates a nonmonetary utility of winning and relative payoff maximization explains significant overexpenditure of effort. It also suggests that decrease in social distance between group members through social identification promotes prosocial behavior and decreases overexpenditure of effort, while improved information feedback decreases the heterogeneity of effort.
The baseline design of the European Extremely Large Telescope features a telescope with a 39-meter-class primary mirror (M1), consisting of 798 hexagonal segments. A measurement machine design is presented based on a non-contact single-point scanning technique, capable of measuring the form error of each segment with nanometer uncertainty, fast, and with low operational costs. The implementation of a tactile precision probe eliminates the need for the CMM in the earlier segment manufacturing process. Preliminary assessment show nanometer-level uncertainty after calibration.
A model that accurately predicts, at the time of admission, the Length of Stay (LOS) for hospitalized patients could be an effective tool for healthcare providers. It could enable early interventions to prevent complications, enabling more efficient utilization of manpower and facilities in hospitals. In this study, we apply a regression tree (Cubist) model for predicting the LOS, based on static inputs, that is, values that are known at the time of admission and that do not change during patient's hospital stay. The model was trained and validated on de-identified administrative data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals in Pittsburgh, PA. We chose to use a Cubist model because it produced more accurate predictions than did alternative techniques. In addition, tree models enable us to examine the classification rules learned from the data, in order to better understand the factors that are most correlated with hospital LOS. Cubist recursively partitions the data set as it estimates linear regressions for each partition, and the error level differs for different partitions, so that it is possible to deduce what are the characteristics of patients whose LOS can be accurately predicted at admission, and what are the characteristics of patients for whom the LOS estimate at that point in time is more highly uncertain. For example, our model indicates that the prediction error is greater for patients who had more admissions in the recent past, and for those who had longer previous hospital stays. Our approach suggests that mapping the cases into a higher dimensional space, using a Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel, helps to separate them by their level of Cubist error, using a Support Vector Machine (SVM). (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Identification of fungi in dermatological samples using PCR is reliable and provides significantly improved results in comparison with cultures. It is possible to identify the infectious agent when negative results are obtained from cultures. In addition, identification of the infectious agent can be obtained in 1 day. Conventional and real-time PCR methods used for direct fungus identification in collected samples vary by DNA extraction methods, targeted DNA and primers, and the way of analysing the PCR products. The choice of a unique method in a laboratory is complicated because the results expected from skin and hair sample analysis are different from those expected in cases of onychomycosis. In skin and hair samples, one dermatophyte among about a dozen possible species has to be identified. In onychomycosis, the infectious agents are mainly Trichophyton rubrum and, to a lesser extent, Trichophyton interdigitale, but also moulds insensitive to oral treatments used for dermatophytes, which renders fungal identification mandatory. The benefits obtained with the use of PCR methods for routine analysis of dermatological samples have to be put in balance with the relative importance of getting a result in a short time, the price of molecular biology reagents and equipment, and especially the time spent conducting laboratory manipulations.
Forest harvesting operations may have a significant impact on soil physical properties by reducing its porosity and organic functions. Soil variations, in particular bulk density and total porosity, caused by external perturbations as soil becomes compacted due to machinery passes, can lead to changes in biogeochemical cycles that have consequences on soil ecosystems. This study investigated how the impact of forest operations and the elapsed time from harvest can influence: (1) the physical-chemical characteristics of soil and (2) the nitrogen-fixing and nitrifying microbial communities. The study area is located inside the Regional Park of Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli (Pisa, Italy). In the study area, the soil has been classified as recent sands with sandy loam texture and slightly calcareous (USDA Soil Taxonomy classification). Soil samples were collected in patchy cut areas (strip cut) of Pinus pinea stand that was harvested in two steps: half area in 2006 and the rest in 2011. Soil samples were collected also in a control area (not harvested) with similar stand and soil characteristics. Statistical analysis was preceded by a test of normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) and a variance homogeneity test (Levene's test). Considering the dependence of the variables studied (physical and chemical soil characteristics), a MANOVA test and a post hoc Tukey HSD test were applied to determine statistical difference among the three treatments: harvested 2006, harvested 2011 and not harvested. The results did not indicate significant variations to the parameters of shear and penetration resistance, though soil bulk density and total porosity were significantly altered in the short period since forestry operations occurred. These physical changes induced qualitative (presence/absence and number of species) and quantitative (abundance and spatial evenness of the species) variations in the nitrogen-fixing and nitrifying microbial communities.
This paper investigates the challenges of bodily communication during video-based clinical consultations. While previous works describe the lack of eye contact and gestures over video, it is unclear how these limitations impact the course of a clinical consultation, particularly in a domain like physiotherapy where the focus is on improving body movements and functioning. To contribute to this understanding, we conducted observations of 10 naturally occurring video and face-to-face consultations for physiotherapy. We found that clinicians rely on a variety of incidental bodily cues and fine-details of body movements to assess and examine the patient. These bodily cues were noticeable during face-to-face consultations; however, a variety of bodily cues got missed over video. Consequently, video consultations became conversational where the clinicians used verbal conduct to get a fair understanding of the patient's health. To guide design of future video consultation systems, we reflect on our understanding as 4 design sensitivities: Visual Acuity, Field-of-view, Clinical Asymmetries, and Time Sequence.
People perceive that if their memories and moral beliefs changed, they would change. We investigated why individuals respond this way. In Study 1, participants judged that identity would change more after changes to memories and widely shared moral beliefs (e.g., about murder) versus preferences and controversial moral beliefs (e.g., about abortion). The extent to which participants judged that changes would affect their relationships predicted identity change (Study 2) and mediated the relationship between type of moral belief and perceived identity change (Study 3). We discuss the role that social relationships play in judgments of identity and highlight implications for psychology and philosophy.
Three-dimensional (3D) tissue models are invaluable tools that can closely reflect the in vivo physiological environment. However, they are usually difficult to develop, have a low throughput and are often costly; limiting their utility to most laboratories. The recent availability of inexpensive additive manufacturing printers and open source 3D design software offers us the possibility to easily create affordable 3D cell culture platforms. To demonstrate this, we established a simple, inexpensive and robust method for producing arrays of free-floating epithelial micro-tissues. Using a combination of 3D computer aided design and 3D printing, hydrogelmicro-moulding and collagen cell encapsulation we engineered microenvironments that consistently direct the growth of micro-tissue arrays. We described the adaptability of this technique by testing several immortalised epithelial cell lines (MDCK, A549, Caco-2) and by generating branching morphology and micron to millimetre scaled micro-tissues. We established by fluorescence and electron microscopy that micro-tissues are polarised, have cell type specific differentiated phenotypes and regain native in vivo tissue qualities. Finally, using Salmonella typhimurium we show micro-tissues display a more physiologically relevant infection response compared to epithelial monolayers grown on permeable filter supports. In summary, we have developed a robust and adaptable technique for producing arrays of epithelial micro-tissues. This in vitro model has the potential to be a valuable tool for studying epithelial cell and tissue function/architecture in a physiologically relevant context.
Computer mouse-tracking is a relatively recently developed behavioral methodology that can contribute unique insight into a wide variety of psychological phenomena. By recording mouse movements en route to specific responses on a screen, researchers glean continuous information about tentative commitments to multiple response alternatives over time. This approach yields a richness of data that can be fully explored with a variety of sophisticated analytic techniques, but these approaches are relatively underutilized and can be difficult to adopt. Here we describe several techniques for researchers to examine the onset and timing of evolving decision processes; test the degree of response competition at different time points; assess trajectory complexity with spatial disorder analyses; identify qualitatively distinct psychological processes during response generation; and finally to distill unique and meaningful components from mouse-tracking data for subsequent analysis. With this guide, we hope researchers can address novel hypotheses otherwise inaccessible with more traditional methods.
Background: In the interests of patient health outcomes, it is important for medical students to develop clinical communication skills. We previously proposed a telehealth communication skills training platform (EQClinic) with automated nonverbal behavior feedback for medical students, and it was able to improve medical students' awareness of their nonverbal communication. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EQClinic to improve clinical communication skills of medical students. Methods: We conducted a 2-group randomized crossover trial between February and June 2016. Participants were second-year medical students enrolled in a clinical communication skills course at an Australian university. Students were randomly allocated to complete online EQClinic training during weeks 1-5 (group A) or to complete EQClinic training during weeks 8-11 (group B). EQClinic delivered an automated visual presentation of students' nonverbal behavior coupled with human feedback from a standardized patient (SP). All students were offered two opportunities to complete face-to-face consultations with SPs. The two face-to-face consultations were conducted in weeks 6-7 and 12-13 for both groups, and were rated by tutors who were blinded to group allocation. Student-Patient Observed Communication Assessment (SOCA) was collected by blinded assessors (n=28) at 2 time points and also by an SP (n=83). Tutor-rated clinical communications skill in face-to-face consultations was the primary outcome and was assessed with the SOCA. We used t tests to examine the students' performance during face-to-face consultations pre-and postexposure to EQClinic. Results: We randomly allocated 268 medical students to the 2 groups (group A: n=133; group B: n=135). SOCA communication skills measures (score range 4-16) from the first face-to-face consultation were significantly higher for students in group A who had completed EQClinic training and reviewed the nonverbal behavior feedback, compared with group B, who had completed only the course curriculum components (P=.04). Furthermore, at the second face-to-face assessment, the group that completed a teleconsultation between the two face-to-face consultations (group B) showed improved communication skills (P=.005), and the one that had teleconsultations before the first face-to-face consultation (group A) did not show improvement. Conclusions: The EQClinic is a useful tool for medical students' clinical communication skills training that can be applied to university settings to improve students clinical communication skills development.
We use remote sensing of the proton aurora with the IMAGE-FUV SI12 (Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration-Far Ultraviolet-Spectrographic Imaging at 121.8 nm) instrument and radar measurements of the ionospheric convection from the SuperDARN (Super Dual Aurora Radar Network) facility to estimate the open magnetic flux in the Earth's magnetosphere and the reconnection rates at the dayside magnetopause and in the magnetotail during intervals of steady magnetospheric convection (SMC). We find that SMC intervals occur with relatively high open magnetic flux (average similar to 0.745 GWb, standard deviation similar to 0.16 GWb), which is often found to be nearly steady, when the magnetic flux opening and closure rates approximately balance around 55 kV on average, with a standard deviation of 21 kV. We find that the residence timescale of open magnetic flux, defined as the ratio between the open magnetospheric flux and the flux closure rate, is roughly 4 h during SMCs. Interestingly, this number is approximately what can be deduced from the discussion of the length of the tail published by Dungey (1965), assuming a solar wind speed of similar to 450 km s(-1). We also infer an enhanced convection velocity in the tail, driving open magnetic flux to the nightside reconnection site. We compare our results with previously published studies in order to identify different magnetospheric modes. These are ordered by increasing open magnetic flux and reconnection rate as quiet conditions, SMCs, substorms (with an important overlap between these last two) and sawtooth intervals.
In comparison to other sources of water supply, rainwater harvesting (RWH) has the typical advantages of being cheaper and easier to operate and maintain. This study aimed at assessing the hydrologic rainwater harvesting potential of rural schools in South Africa by obtaining RWH storage capacity (level of supply) reliability relationships of representative schools. Thirty-two schools located in three rural areas that have varied rainfall characteristics were selected for the analysis. For each school, a daily time-step behaviour analysis of the rainwater harvesting system with a specified storage was carried out for a period of 101 years (over which rainfall data was available) and the number of days that the school's daily water demand was met in each year obtained. Using the Weibull plotting position formula, the expected number of days that the demand can be met per year was then obtained for 85, 90 and 95% reliability. For the two summer rainfall regions where a large proportion of rain falls during school holidays, the expected number of days of supply per year improved up to a storage capacity of 25 m(3). For the winter rainfall region where the rainfall periods and school learning times have more co-incidence, a tank volume of 5 m(3) obtained similar supply levels as larger capacities. At 90% reliability, the supply levels for different schools in the summer rainfall area with a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 800-1000 mm/year ranged from 60 to 120 days per year, while the summer rainfall region with a lower MAP (500-600 mm) gave supply levels ranging from 40 to 70 days per year. The winter rainfall area had a MAP of 500-600 mm and obtained supply levels ranging from 60 to 80 days at 90% reliability.
Three educational institutions in South Dakota are collaborating to develop pre-engineering courses to increase the enrollment and success of students transferring from Oglala Lakota College (OLC) to 4-year bachelor degree programs in science and engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) and South Dakota State University through a grant from the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). Activities of this grant have led to a partnership with the native-led Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (TVCDC) and have provided significant opportunities for students at OLC and SDSMT in the areas of civil engineering and sustainability. The most recent opportunity includes incorporating TVCDC's plans for an 800-person net-zero regenerative community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation into the Capstone Design course at SDSMT. The project includes sustainable design objectives in wastewater treatment, rainwater harvesting, and the use of straw bale and compressed earth walls as renewable building materials for phase I of the planned community. Four teams of students working on the regenerative community and four teams of students working on a more traditional capstone design project completed proposals and their first progress reports during the Fall 2012 semester. The Comprehensive Assessment of Team-Member Effectiveness (CATME) instrument was administered twice during the semester to evaluate team functioning. A comparison of the data for the two capstone projects is presented. Results from these surveys indicate students working on the regenerative community project were more positive and consistent with the behavioral and satisfaction categories within the peer evaluation survey.
Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is highly heritable. Neuroimaging studies comparing unaffected youth at high familial risk for BD (i.e., those with a first-degree relative with the disorder; termed high-risk [HR]) to low-risk (LR) youth (i.e., those without a first-degree relative with BD) and to patients with BD may help identify potential brain-based markers associated with risk (i.e., regions where BR+BD not equal LR), resilience (HR not equal BD+LR), or illness (BD not equal HR+LR). Method: During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 99 youths (i.e., adolescents and young adults) aged 9.8 to 24.8 years (36 BD, 22 HR, 41 LR) performed a task probing face emotion labeling, previously shown to be impaired behaviorally in youth with BD and HR youth. Results: We found three patterns of results. Candidate risk endophenotypes (i.e., where BD and HR shared deficits) included dysfunction in higher-order face processing regions (e.g., middle temporal gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Candidate resilience markers and disorder sequelae (where HR and BD, respectively, show unique alterations relative to the other two groups) included different patterns of neural responses across other regions mediating face processing (e.g., fusiform), executive function (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus), and social cognition (e.g., default network, superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction). Conclusion: If replicated in longitudinal studies and with additional populations, neural patterns suggesting risk endophenotypes could be used to identify individuals at risk for BD who may benefit from prevention measures. Moreover, information about risk and resilience markers could be used to develop novel treatments that recruit neural markers of resilience and attenuate neural patterns associated with risk.
Objective To evaluate the patients' characteristics associated with the clinical decision to request SI-MRI and/or HLA-B27 in patients with SpA in daily practice. Methods Patients referred to a rheumatology outpatient-clinic in a national referral-centre were selected. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of SpA according to the rheumatologist were included. SI-MRI and HLA-B27 was available for patients in whom the rheumatologists Had ordered these tests. Characteristics associated with ordering S1-MRI or HLA-B27 were identified with univariable analyses. Variables with p-value80% completeness were selected for further analysis. A multi variable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the determinants related with the decision to perform Sl-MRI and/or HLA-B27 and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results In total, 581 patients with SpA were included in the cohort, 72% were men, mean age 34.6 +/- 12.1 and disease duration 7.3 +/- 9.7 years. Of these patients, 24% (n=137) had SI-MRI and 77% (n=441) had HLA-B27 tests ordered. Independently predictive factors for ordering a SI-MRI were the presence of IBP (012=1.81), enthesitis (OR=1.57) and the number of initial-symptoms at presentation (OR=1.27 per additional symptom present). Independently predictive factors of HLA-B27 testing were the number of initial-symptoms (OR=1.45 per symptom) and.uveitis (OR=3.19). Conclusion This study strongly suggests that rheumatologists use certain clinical clues to decide if they order expensive and scarce tests in the diagnostic work-up of SpA patients. These manifestations may increase the efficiency of these tests in clinical practice and suggest that clinical reasoning follows principles of Bayesian theory.
We derive the John-Sclavounos equations, describing the motion of a fluid particle on the sea surface, from first principles using Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms applied to the motion of a frictionless particle constrained on an unsteady surface. This framework leads to a number of new insights into the particle kinematics. The main result is that vorticity generated on a stress-free surface vanishes at a wave crest when the horizontal particle velocity equals the crest propagation speed, which is the kinematic criterion for wave breaking. If this holds for the largest crest, then the symplectic two-form associated with the Hamiltonian dynamics reduces instantaneously to that associated with the motion of a particle in free flight, as if the surface did not exist. Further, exploiting the conservation of the Hamiltonian function for steady surfaces and travelling waves, we show that particle velocities remain bounded at all times, ruling out the possibility of the finite-time blowup of solutions.
Given that volunteers perform a diverse range of behaviors aimed at helping distinct causes, a more nuanced understanding of how types of volunteer behaviors are similar and different would enrich both basic and applied perspectives on volunteerism. We created and validated an inventory of individuals' interests in eight different types of volunteering: administrative volunteering, helping animals, interpersonal helping (autonomy or dependency), donating, physical volunteering (built or natural environments), and political volunteering. Grouping these eight types of positions into two general categories (interpersonal and skills-based volunteer positions), we also examined convergent and discriminant validity, linking interest in these positions to constructs from the volunteerism literature (i.e., prosocial personality, volunteer motivations, and volunteer satisfaction). This research demonstrates that volunteer behaviors can be classified into types, certain individuals are interested in different types of volunteer behaviors, and volunteers engaged in behaviors that match their interests express greater volunteer satisfaction.
Technical advancements in manufacturing engineering have led to the development of advanced materials with improved mechanical properties. These materials are required to perform consistently in aggressive atmospheres without premature failure. To ensure reliable performance during their service life, materials are subjected to different nondestructive tests (NDT) to ensure that the materials are free from discontinuities and that their dimensions are less than critical discontinuity size. Though conventional film radiography is still used in the NDT industry, advanced radiologic techniques are being explored as an alternative to film radiography. Phosphor image plate based computed radiography is the latest development in this direction. The image produced using such a system is in a digital format, which can be processed to extract more information. This paper describes weld testing using an image plate based computed radiography system and the use of image processing for further evaluation.
In modern operating systems, thread is the only primitive to exploit the concurrency provided by multiple processors, which allows programmers to write sequential code that can be executed in parallel. However, these operating systems are known to be inefficient when the number of threads comes to the magnitude of 103. Therefore server developers have to avoid the use of naive threading when they need to handle thousands of simultaneous client sessions. In this paper, we propose a highly scalable user-level threading library mu Thread. It enables programmer to write heavily concurrent threaded code without losing performance. Our framework achieves the M:N threading model, which hosts M user-level threads on top of N kernel-level threads. To demonstrate the usefulness of this framework, we provide a proof-of-concept implementation of a web server application. According to our experiments, mu Thread provides good performance and great scalability. The web server based on mu Thread becomes the best performance user-mode web server under Windows.
Today DNS servers run on many different applications and operating systems what means there are many options how to protect DNS server. Each regular application has implemented security mechanisms that protect the system from standard attacks. DNS service works on application layer, however it is possible to prevent many threats already on lower layers. This paper deals about DNS security mechanisms applicable on transport a network layer. The proposed protection technique is based on traffic shaping, flow filtering and prioritization. The presented experiments were performed in subarea of real campus network that is used by students and university staff. Because of implemented security mechanisms the performance of DNS service for internal users has not been affected.
One key limiting factor to groundwater remediation is contaminant sequestered in pores whose contents do not mix well with the bulk flow. Mixing between well-connected (pores whose volume is flushed as water flows through the aquifer) and poorly connected pores (pores whose volume does not exchange readily when water flows through the aquifer) is of primary concern. Under steady flow, contaminants are effectively trapped in the poorly connected pores and are transferred only by molecular diffusion. This slow mixing process between pore types is a bottleneck to remediation. We present a novel rapidly pulsed pumping method that increases the mixing between these pore types. We do it in the context of pump-and-treat remediation because it is the most common remediation practice. In rapidly pulsed pumping, the increase in flow causes a deep sweep, which pushes the flow into poorly connected pores and sweeps out sequestered contaminants. The decrease in flow causes a vortex ejection, which causes the vortex within the poorly connected pore to emerge with contaminant. These actions are modeled with computational fluid mechanics to elucidate the individual mechanisms and determine how they function and interact. Cleanup of single and multiple poorly connected pore systems were simulated and show the acceleration possible. This technique can decrease the time and cost needed to remediate contaminated aquifers, which in the United States has been estimated to exceed $1 trillion. Since our rapidly pulsed pumping method enhances mixing between well-connected and poorly connected pores, it can be applied to other remediation schemes such as in situ methods.
A previous article published in Prevention Science 3 years ago (Heinrichs et al. 2014) presented the results of a randomized controlled trial of the Triple P group program 4 years (FU4) after administration as a universal prevention approach in preschools. The present addendum resolves inconsistencies in outcome reporting (e.g., total scores of scales versus subscale scores) and provides information on measures that were additionally available to analyze further potential effects of the intervention. Effects in secondary outcome domains not reported in Heinrichs et al. (2014) are furthermore analyzed and reported. The original data analyses were varied using a different statistical model in this addendum. Re-analyses supported the original results, including changes in self-reported maternal and paternal positive parenting, in maternal dysfunctional parenting behavior as well as in maternal reports of child behavior. In addition, when analyzing the externalizing and internalizing dimensions, analysis revealed a statistically significant change in externalizing but not internalizing child symptoms. No significant intervention effects were found for secondary outcome domains. Considering important limitations in the study design [such as baseline differences at pre-assessment with mothers from intervention preschools reporting more child behavioral problems prior to introducing the intervention and predominantly non-significant effects from (a) fathers perspective, (b) teacher ratings at 1-year follow up (FU1), and (c) behavioral observations at FU1], we believe that this trial alone cannot be taken as sufficient evidence for a significant and meaningful change in child behavioral problems, which is the ultimate goal of child prevention programs. Therefore, future studies need to replicate and extend upon these results by including larger sample sizes and overcome the discussed limitations.
The paper presents the design and some results for an experimental platform aimed to control the air pressure inside a small tank. The basic idea is to allow to the control algorithm to select an appropriate characteristic of the controller driving the air compressor, from an available set. In this first approach, the goal is to make functional the hardware circuits and to design the software support inside an Integrated Development Environment with a Very High Level Programming Language. After some functional tests, future work is intended to implement artificial intelligent based algorithms in order to exploit the multicharacteristics features with a fuzzy decisions set for selecting an optimal control. The main parts of the controller are an industrial pressure sensor, a PIC (TM) 16F877 microcontroller from Microchip (TM) and the air pressure part consisting, mainly, from a car compressor and a small tank. Additional elements make the operation safe. The solution with the microcontroller is put in operation in parallel with another one, using an industrial digital controller from Honeywell (TM). The platform is intended both for research activities, dealing with all kind of control algorithms implemented in software, associated with pneumatic systems, and for academic purpose, joining in an unique structure sensors, microelectronics, interface techniques, industrial controllers, motors, pneumatic elements and software.
Anolyte acidification is a drawback restricting the electricity generation performance of the buffer-free microbial fuel cells (MFC). In this paper, a small amount of alkali-treated anion exchange resin (AER) was placed in front of the anode in the KCl mediated single-chamber MFC to slowly release hydroxyl ions (OH-) and neutralize the H+ ions that are generated by the anodic reaction in two running cycles. This short-term alkaline intervention to the KCl anolyte has promoted the proliferation of electroactive Geobacter sp. and enhanced the self-buffering capacity of the KCl-AER-MFC. The pH of the KCl anolyte in the KCl-AER-MFC increased and became more Stable in each running cycle compared with that of the KCl-MFC after the short-term alkaline intervention. The maximum power density (P-max) of the KCl-AER-MFC increased from 307.5 mW.m(-2) to 542.8 mW.m(-2), slightly lower than that of the PBS-MFC (640.7 mW.m(-2)). The coulombic efficiency (CE) of the KCl-AER-MFC increased from 54.1% to 61.2% which is already very close to that of the PBS-MFC (61.9%). The results in this paper indicate that short-term alkaline intervention to the anolyte is an effective strategy to further promote the performance of buffer-free MFCs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Wind power is a clean and renewable resource, and it is rapidly becoming an important component of sustainable development and resource transfer. However, the construction of wind farms impacts the environment and has been the subject of considerable research. In this study, we verified whether China's GF-2 HD satellite (GF-2) could be used to monitor the 10 million kilowatt wind power grassland construction area in Jiuquan City, Gansu Province. Monitoring was performed by comparing the imaging results from the Landsat 8 OLI and China's GF-1 HD satellite (GF-1). We performed an interactive interpretation of the remote sensing images and verified the accuracy of these interpretations using measured field data. We evaluated 354 pieces of wind turbine equipment with an average construction density of 0.31 km(2) per device. The construction of a single wind turbine was found to damage nearly 3000 m(2) of grassland. The average area of grassland damaged by 3 MW and 1.5 MW turbines was 5757 m(2) and 2496 m(2), respectively. Approximately 2.44 km(2) of farmland was occupied by wind power construction and accounted for approximately 2.2% of the study area. Roads covered 60.6% of the farmland occupied by wind power construction. The average difference between the measured and calculated GF-2 image data was 0.09, and the overall interpretation accuracy was approximately 84%. Therefore, the use of comprehensive imaging analyses and GF-2 image data are feasible for monitoring grasslands under construction for wind power. In addition, the impacts of wind farm construction on vegetation destruction and soil erosion are discussed. In this study, grassland wind farms are explored using remote sensing tools to guide decision making with regards to the rational use of grassland resources and their sustainable development. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A higher kinematic pair that converts rotary motion into helical motion is presented as an alternative to the screw joint (a lower kinematic pair). First, the existence of a rolling transmission pair for a rotary-to-helical motion conversion is proven. Then, the corresponding pair of rolling surfaces (pitch surfaces) and their relative position is defined for any set of kinematic transmission parameters. Some calculated.examples are presented. A method for gear-tooth forming from the pitch surfaces using Boolean operations with a computer-aided design (CAD) program is proposed. Finally, applying this methodology, a pair of gears for rotary into helical transmission has been obtained using a 3D printer. The prototype presents negligible clearances and backlash, high reversibility, as well as continuous gearing without interference. The meshing equation for a simple generating surface is also provided.
Elliptic curve cryptosystems proved to be well suited for securing systems with constrained resources like embedded and portable devices. In a fault-based attack, errors are induced during the computation of a cryptographic primitive, and the results are collected to derive information about the secret key safely stored in the device. We introduce a novel attack methodology to recover the secret key employed in implementations of the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm. Our attack exploits the information leakage induced when altering the execution of the modular arithmetic operations used in the signature primitive and does not rely on the underlying elliptic curve mathematical structure, thus being applicable to all standardized curves. We provide both a validation of the feasibility of the attack, even employing common off-the-shelf hardware to perform the required computations, and a low-cost countermeasure to counteract it.
Hemispheric low-grade gliomas account for the second most common location in pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) after the cerebellum. The pathological spectrum includes gangliogliomas, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs), diffuse astrocytomas, pilocytic astrocytomas, and pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (PXAs), among others. Clinically, hemispheric PLGGs represent a well-recognized cause of intractable epilepsy in children and adolescents. With an excellent long-term outcome, surgery remains the cornerstone and patients with gross total resection typically do not need any further therapies. The recent literature about hemispheric PLGGs was reviewed to provide an up-to-date overview of the molecular and cell biology of these tumors. Hemispheric PLGGs can harbor multiple alterations involving BRAFV600E, FGFR, NTRK, MYB/MYBL1, IDH, and BRAF-KIAA1549 fusions. However, the clinical significance of most of these alterations is still to be defined. The role of RAS/MAPK mutations and other alterations in hemispheric PLGGs is of interest from diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic perspectives. Molecular testing for these tumors should be encouraged, since the findings can have an important impact not only in prognosis but also in therapeutic strategies.
Self-healing capacities of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) have been investigated using laboratory leakage rate tests. Two types of GCL were tested. The first type was a geomembrane supported GCL (GM-GCL) and the second type was geotextile encased GCL (GT-GCL). The diameters of the defects investigated ranged from 5 to 50 mm. Overburden stress (sigma) varied over the range 0-200 kPa. Tap water, a solution of 10 g/l of NaCl in tap water and a solution of 100 ml/l ethanol in tap water were used as the liquid permeants. The test results indicate that for both GM-GCL and GT-GCL, defects with diameters less than 30 mm can be self-healed providing the liquid is tap water or the ethanol and tap water solution. Factors that tend to reduce the thickness of the diffusive double layer around particles of bentonite tend to reduce the self-healing capacity of a GCL, and the free swelling index of bentonite used in a GCL can be used to evaluate the self-healing capacity. The applied stress has two possible effects on self-healing capacity. One is the squeezing of hydrated bentonite into the damage hole and another is limiting the amount of hydration-induced expansion of the bentonite. For the conditions tested, the self-healing capacity increased with increasing applied stress. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Despite post-racial rhetoric, stereotypes remain salient for American youth. We surveyed 150 elementary and middle schoolers in Northern California and conducted case studies of 12 students. Findings showed that (a) students hold school-related stereotypes that get stronger in middle school, (b) African American and Latino students experience greater divergence between stereotype awareness about their group and endorsement than other students, and (c) students who eschewed the applicability of stereotypes to them demonstrated higher engagement and achievement in math. This study has implications for studying race in schools and mathematics, and the need for urban educators to facilitate racialized counter-narratives.
Modern Movement architecture employed new materials to deal with social challenges and industrial production. Today environmental problems are the challenge. Resilience to natural hazards, including climate change, is such one. Geotextiles are employed in large landscape (ash/garbage deposits, river sides), but planting on building surfaces is possible. We focus on green walls/roofs for emergency housing, including reshaping of temporary propping systems. Green walls allow integrating parcels remaining empty after the collapse of buildings through Pocket Parks. The earthquake impact becomes urban restructuration occasion. A special support skeleton for the earth&seeds&geotextile in green wall installations will be designed, and later pattented.
Humans use multiple senses to navigate the social world, and the sense of smell is arguably the most underestimated one. An intriguing aspect of the sense of smell is its social communicative function. Research has shown that human odors convey information about a range of states (e.g., emotions, sickness) and traits (e.g., individuality, gender). Yet, what underlies the communicability of these states and traits via smell? We fill this explanatory gap with a framework that highlights the dynamic and flexible aspects of human olfactory communication. In particular, we explain how chemical profiles, associative learning (i.e., the systematic co-occurrence of chemical profiles with state-or trait-related information), and top-down contextual influences could interact to shape human odor perception. Our model not only helps to integrate past research on human olfactory communication but it also opens new avenues for future research on this fascinating, yet to date poorly understood, field.
Lignocellulosic biomass gasification followed by the Fischer-Tropsch (Fe) synthesis is becoming a promising pathway to produce synthetic biofuels, having the potential of being coupled with combined-cycle strategies in order to coproduce electricity. In this work, the thermodynamic performance of this type of bioenergy system is evaluated through exergy analysis. A base-case process combining biomass gasification, FT synthesis and a combined cycle is defined. Furthermore, two alternative configurations modifying the base-case process are considered: (i) autothermal reforming (ATR) of a fraction of the FT tail gas to increase the fuel yield, and (ii) combustion of a fraction of the conditioned biosyngas to increase electricity production. The biomass conversion plants are simulated using Aspen Plus (R) to obtain the data required for the assessment. The indirect gasifier and the gas combustor are identified as the main sources of irreversibility within the three process configurations, with exergy destruction ratios of 21% and 5-7%, respectively. The gasification subsystem is found to contribute over 50% to the overall exergy destruction, showing 68% efficiency. The power generation subsystem also shows a high contribution to the overall exergy destruction (19-28%) due to high fuel consumption and the significant thermodynamic irreversibility of the cycle. Depending on the plant configuration, overall exergetic efficiencies of 24-27% are attained. The ATR case leads to a higher yield of biofuels, at the expense of lower electricity production. This configuration enhances the exergetic efficiency of the system and thus its thermodynamic performance, in contrast to the alternative configuration for increased power generation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Solar energy has an enormous potential to solve society energy needs in a sustainable way. Notably, photovoltaic systems (PV) permit to obtain electricity based on solar energy. However, some issues must be addressed to establish PV as a reliable source of electrical power, for example, its low energy density. One of the approaches to improve the performance of PV systems is to utilize the solar spectrum in solar cells efficiently. Downconversion (DC) is a process where a high energy photon is converted into two or more photons with lower energy. Trough downconversion is possible to use a wider portion of the solar spectrum raising the efficiency in different kinds of solar cells. The present paper reviews the state of the art of materials and methods used to take advantage of downconversion processes in solar cells. Here we discuss some of the pros and cons of different designs in solar cells as well as the main characteristics of the materials utilized.
Background. The different patterns of Emotional Intelligence (EI) deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder are are not yet well understood. This study compares EI levels among these groups and highlights the potential impact of non-social cognition on EI. Method. Fifty-eight schizophrenia and 60 bipolar outpatients were investigated using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Analyses of covariance were performed with adjustment for the BACS composite score. Results. Compared to bipolar subjects, schizophrenia patients showed significantly lower levels in both EI and nonsocial cognition. After adjustment for the BACS composite score, the difference in EI was lost. The mediation analysis revealed that differences between schizophrenia and bipolar patients in strategic EI are almost fully attributable to the mediating effect of non-social cognition. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that in both schizophrenia and bipolar patients EI is strongly influenced by nonsocial cognitive functioning. This has to be taken into account when interpreting MSCEIT data in comparative studies in serious mental illness and emphasizes the importance of cognitive remediation.
MicroRNAs control developmental pathways and effector functions in immune cells. Previous studies have studied the role of microRNAs in natural killer (NK) cells. However, the mouse models of microRNA depletion used were nonNK-specific and only partially depleting, hampering the interpretation of the data obtained. To clarify the role of microRNAs in murine NK cells, we deleted the RNase III enzyme Dicer1 in NKp46-expressing cells. We observed a drastic decrease in several microRNAs specifically in NK cells. Furthermore, the overall size of the NK-cell pool was severely decreased, a phenotype associated with compromised survival. Moreover, performing a broad flow cytometry profiling, we show that Dicer1-deficient NK cells failed to complete their differentiation program. In particular, several integrins were inappropriately expressed in mature NK cells. These defects coincided with decreased response to IL-15, a cytokine responsible for NK-cell maturation and survival. In addition, Dicer1 deletion impaired key NK-cell functions: target cell killing and production of IFN-gamma, leading to defective control of metastasis. Dicer1 deletion thus affects NK-cell biology in a cell intrinsic manner at several distinct stages.
This article proposes a parallel kinematic solar tracker designed for driving high-concentration photovoltaic modules. This kind of module produces energy only if they are oriented with misalignment errors lower than 0.4 degrees. Generally, a parallel kinematic structure provides high stiffness and precision in positioning, so these features make this mechanism fit for the purpose. This article describes the work carried out to design a suitable parallel machine: an already existing architecture was chosen, and the geometrical parameters of the system were defined in order to obtain a workspace consistent with the requirements for sun tracking. Besides, an analysis of the singularities of the system was carried out. The method used for the singularity analysis revealed the existence of singularities which had not been previously identified for this kind of mechanism. From the analysis of the mechanism developed, very low nominal energy consumption and elevated stiffness were found. A small-scale prototype of the system was constructed for the first time. A control algorithm was also developed, implemented, and tested. Finally, experimental tests were carried out in order to verify the capability of the system of ensuring precise pointing. The tests have been considered passed as the system showed an orientation error lower than 0.4 degrees during sun tracking.
This paper proposes a predictive control algorithm that includes conduction-mode detection for power factor correction (PFC) converter. In PFC converters, the line current is usually distorted because of the characteristics of the proportional-integral (PI) current controller. To improve the quality of the current, the PI current controller requires additional circuits or algorithms. However, because of the optimal duty cycle determined by estimating the next-state current in both the continuous-conduction mode and the discontinuous-conduction mode, the proposed predictive control method has a fast dynamic response and accuracy compared to the PI current-control method. Moreover, the proposed algorithm can detect the conduction mode without any additional circuitry or mode-detection algorithm using the characteristic of the optimal duty cycle calculated by the predictive control. These advantages of the proposed algorithm improve the quality of the line current for PFC converters. We verify the proposed method by performing experiment using a 1.5-kW PFC converter.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tolerance Tendency Enhancement Program (TTEP) which was prepared to enhance tolerance tendency and reduce bullying level of the fifth grade students. Pretest, posttest, follow up test, control and placebo group experimental design has been used in this research. This study was carried out with a sample of 42 fifth grade students (14 for experimental group, 14 for placebo group, and 14 for control group). The data used in this study was obtained through the Tolerance Tendency Scale (TTS) and Peer Bullying Scale (PBS). Wilcoxon Signed Ranks, Kruskal-Wallis H Tests were used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed that there was a significant change between post-tests of the placebo, control and experimental groups in favor of the experimental group. It can be said that the TTEP enhance tolerance tendency and reduce bullying level of the experimental group. Besides, the TTEP applied on the experimental group was understood to have permanent effects on tolerance tendency. Conclusion part of the study, some suggestions and recommendations were provided for the counseling practices and researchers in the light of findings.
Social cognitive deficits are common in neuropsychiatric disorders. Given the proximity of social cognition (SC) to everyday functioning, many intervention studies (including targeted, comprehensive, and broad-based approaches) have focussed on SC. The aim of this paper was to quantitatively meta-analyse the efficacy of SC interventions in adult neuropsychiatric patients. Databases Pubmed, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, and Embase were searched for controlled SC intervention studies published between 01-01-2003 and 01-01-2016. Forty-one studies, comprising 1,508 patients with schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, or acquired brain injury were included. Outcome measures evaluated emotion perception (EP), social perception (SP), Theory of Mind (ToM), and social functioning (SF). The meta-analyses showed that interventions were effective in improving SC (Cohen's d = .71). Interventions targeting one specific SC function were found to be most effective (d = .89), followed by broad-based interventions, targeting non-SC domains in addition to SC (d = .65), and comprehensive interventions, that target multiple SC processes (d = .61). Targeted interventions were especially effective in improving EP and ToM. Comprehensive interventions were able to ameliorate EP, ToM, and SF. Broad-based interventions were especially effective in improving SF, but also showed effects on EP and ToM.
This article examines the challenges associated with rainwater harvesting and usage in peri-urban Accra. Data collected from 357 heads of household reveal that rainwater harvesting has the potential to supplement existing water sources in peri-urban Accra. However, high investment costs for rainwater harvesting facilities, short-term tenancy arrangements, the perception that rainwater is not clean, and the unique dry climate of the Accra Plains emerge as key challenges limiting domestic use of rainwater. Public education for house owners to invest in rainwater harvesting facilities and governmental support will be needed to increase investment in rainwater harvesting, purification and usage.
In boost converters and other indirect energy transfer topologies, the fastest transient response usually does not coincide with the minimum possible output voltage deviation. This paper introduces a practical mixed-signal current programmed mode (CPM) controller that, compared to time-optimal solutions, provides a smaller deviation, lower current stress, and simpler controller implementation. To recover from transients, the controller passes through two phases. In the first phase, the inductor current is set in the proximity of its steady-state value, so that the initial transient-caused capacitor charging/discharging process is reversed. In the second phase, the voltage is gradually recovered. The controller implements a simple algorithm for setting up the inductor current and the output voltage peak/valley values during transients, based on the output current estimate, which is obtained through a self-tuning procedure. The operation of the controller is verified both through simulations and experimentally, with a boost-based 12 to 48 V, 100-W prototype, operating at 100-kHz switching frequency. A comparison with a time-optimal controller shows that the introduced programmable-deviation system results in up to 1.9 times smaller voltage deviation while limiting component stress.
Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) are the major effector cells of mucosal immunity, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) ASCs are also associated with mucosal immunity. This study aimed to explore the distribution of these 2 ASC populations in the palatine tonsils of Bactrian camels of different ages. Eighteen Bactrian camels were divided into the following three age groups: pubertal (3-5 years), middle-aged (6-16 years) and old (17-20 years). SIgA and IgG ASCs within different sites of the palatine tonsils were observed through histological and immunohistochemical techniques, and their densities were analyzed using statistical methods. The results from all age groups showed that both the SIgA and IgG ASCs were primarily distributed in the subepithelial compartments of the reticulated crypt epithelium and secondarily distributed in the subepithelial compartments of the stratified surface squamous epithelium, with a few ASCs located in the extrafollicular region. Their densities in these three areas were significantly decreased in turn (P<0.05). However, the densities of SIgA ASCs were significantly higher than IgG ASCs in the same regions (P<0.05), and the densities of both ASC populations decreased with age. The results confirmed that Bactrian camel palatine tonsils are the primary mucosal immune organ producing SIgA ASCs, and the subepithelial compartment of the reticulated crypt epithelium is the primary region for the colonization and functional activity of SIgA and IgG ASCs.
Clogging refers to a reduction of riverbed hydraulic conductivity. Due to difficulties in determining the thickness of the clogging layer, the leakage coefficient (L) is introduced and used to quantify the recoverable portion of bank filtrate. L was determined at several riverbank filtration (RBF) sites in field tests and using an analytical solution. Results were compared with data from similar experiments in the early 1970s and 1991-1993. In the 1980s, severe river water pollution in conjunction with high water abstraction led to partly unsaturated conditions beneath the riverbed. A leakage coefficient L of 5 x 10(-7) s(-1) was determined. After water quality improvement, L increased to 1-1.5 x 10(-6) s(-1). An alternative, cost and time efficient method is presented to estimate accurate leakage coefficients. The analytical solution is based on groundwater level monitoring data from observation wells next to the river, which can later feed into numerical models. The analytical approach was able to reflect long-term changes as well as seasonal variations. Recommendations for its application are given based on experience.
Introduction: Family carers of people with dementia are their most important support in practical, personal, and economic terms. Carers are vital to maintaining the quality of life (QOL) of people with dementia. This review aims to identify factors related to the QOL of family carers of people with dementia. Methods: Searches on terms including carers, dementia, family, and quality of life in research databases. Findings were synthesized inductively, grouping factors associated with carer QOL into themes. Results: A total of 909 abstracts were identified. Following screening, lateral searches, and quality appraisal, 41 studies (n = 5539) were included for synthesis. A total of 10 themes were identified: demographics; carer-patient relationship; dementia characteristics; demands of caring; carer health; carer emotional well-being; support received; carer independence; carer self-efficacy; and future. Discussion: The quality and level of evidence supporting each theme varied. We need further research on what factors predict carer QOL in dementia and how to measure it. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.
Background: As an important outcome measure among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, functional disability may contribute to unemployment, loss of work productivity, and impaired quality of life. However, little is known about the risk factors of functional disability in Chinese RA patients. This study aimed (1) to examine the prevalence of functional disability in Chinese RA patients; (2) to explore factors associated with the health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI). Methods: A total of 101 RA patients in this cross-sectional study underwent standardized laboratory examinations and responded to the questionnaire for demographic data, the HAQ-DI for functional disability, the Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR) for medication adherence, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological status, and the Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) for quality of life. Pain, grip/pinch strength, disease activity, and large joint mobility were recorded. Independent samples t-tests, chi-square analyses, and logistic regression modeling were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean +/- SD age of RA patients was 54.9 +/- 11.9 years. Approximately 15.8% RA patients in mainland China experience functional disability (defined as a HAQ-DI score >= 1). Long disease duration, pain, high disease activity, a larger number of tender and swollen joints, high C-reactive protein (CRP) level, decreased grip strength, and limitation of shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle motion were associated with the HAQ-DI. Participants with functional disability tended to have more severe depressive symptoms and a lower quality of life compared with individuals without functional disability. Stepwise logistic regression analyses found that limitation of wrist extension (P = 0.001) and lower body pain (BP) score (P = 0.001) explained higher HAQ-DI score. Conclusions: The present study reported that functional disability was common in Chinese RA patients. A low quality of life and limitation of joint mobility had great impacts on functional disability in Chinese RA patients. Targeted and culturally sensitive interventions should be strengthened to delay the onset of disabilities of this population.
Disclosure of a sexual or gender minority status has been associated with both positive and negative effects on wellbeing. Few studies have explored the disclosure and concealment process in young people. Interviews were conducted with 10 sexual and/or gender minority individuals, aged 18-22years, of male birth sex. Data were analyzed qualitatively, yielding determinants and effects of disclosure and concealment. Determinants of disclosure included holding positive attitudes about one's identity and an implicit devaluation of acceptance by society. Coming out was shown to have both positive and negative effects on communication and social support and was associated with both increases and decreases in experiences of stigma. Determinants of concealment included lack of comfort with one's identity and various motivations to avoid discrimination. Concealment was also related to hypervigilance and unique strategies of accessing social support. Results are discussed in light of their clinical implications.
This study investigates the influence of (1) viewing situations (solovs. group-viewing) and (2) interpersonal communication in a group-viewing situation on television entertainment. In a field study combining a survey and video observation, (1) entertainment of participants watching television alone or in a group, and (2) entertainment between different groups was compared. To assess interpersonal communication while watching television, group verbal and nonverbal communication behavior was recorded. Results suggest that the presence of others did not influence viewers' core enjoyment. Further, while the amount of nonverbal communication behavior did not affect viewers' core enjoyment, particular topics of conversation influenced specific enjoyment qualities, with conversations indicating involvement in the television show intensifying viewers' empathy, and conversations indicating emotional experiences while watching television decreasing viewers' suspense. Results are discussed regarding nonverbal and verbal mechanisms that underlie entertainment in different social conditions.
Prior research finds that sexually permissive individuals are judged more negatively than nonpermissive peers, placing them at risk of social isolation. Based on the positive assortment principle (i.e., preferences for similarity in attributes in close relationships), we examined whether participants' own permissiveness mitigated negative judgments of permissive others in the same-sex friendship context. College students (N=751) evaluated a hypothetical same-sex target with either 2 (nonpermissive) or 20 (permissive) past sex partners on 10 friendship-relevant outcomes. Participant permissiveness attenuated some negative evaluations. However, preferences were rarely reversed, and no moderation was found in five outcomes, suggesting the role of permissiveness-based positive assortment is limited, and evolutionary concerns may take precedence. Partial support for the sexual double standard was also found.
Background: Implicit biases involve associations outside conscious awareness that lead to a negative evaluation of a person on the basis of irrelevant characteristics such as race or gender. This review examines the evidence that healthcare professionals display implicit biases towards patients. Methods: PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLE and CINAHL were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 1st March 2003 and 31st March 2013. Two reviewers assessed the eligibility of the identified papers based on precise content and quality criteria. The references of eligible papers were examined to identify further eligible studies. Results: Forty two articles were identified as eligible. Seventeen used an implicit measure (Implicit Association Test in fifteen and subliminal priming in two), to test the biases of healthcare professionals. Twenty five articles employed a between-subjects design, using vignettes to examine the influence of patient characteristics on healthcare professionals' attitudes, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. The second method was included although it does not isolate implicit attitudes because it is recognised by psychologists who specialise in implicit cognition as a way of detecting the possible presence of implicit bias. Twenty seven studies examined racial/ ethnic biases; ten other biases were investigated, including gender, age and weight. Thirty five articles found evidence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all the studies that investigated correlations found a significant positive relationship between level of implicit bias and lower quality of care. Discussion: The evidence indicates that healthcare professionals exhibit the same levels of implicit bias as the wider population. The interactions between multiple patient characteristics and between healthcare professional and patient characteristics reveal the complexity of the phenomenon of implicit bias and its influence on clinician-patient interaction. The most convincing studies from our review are those that combine the IAT and a method measuring the quality of treatment in the actual world. Correlational evidence indicates that biases are likely to influence diagnosis and treatment decisions and levels of care in some circumstances and need to be further investigated. Our review also indicates that there may sometimes be a gap between the norm of impartiality and the extent to which it is embraced by healthcare professionals for some of the tested characteristics. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for the healthcare profession to address the role of implicit biases in disparities in healthcare. More research in actual care settings and a greater homogeneity in methods employed to test implicit biases in healthcare is needed.
The dynamics of two coupled, dissipatively perturbed, near-integrable Hamiltonian, double-well Duffing oscillators has been studied. We give numerical and experimental (circuit implementation) evidence that in the case of small positive or negative damping there exist two different types of transient chaos. After the decay of the transient chaos in the neighborhood of chaotic saddle we observe the transient chaos in the neighborhood of unstable tori. We argue that our results are robust and they exist in the wide range of system parameters. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
The rise and fall of artificial neural networks is well documented in the scientific literature of both computer science and computational chemistry. Yet almost two decades later, we are now seeing a resurgence of interest in deep learning, a machine learning algorithm based on multilayer neural networks. Within the last few years, we have seen the transformative impact of deep learning in many domains, particularly in speech recognition and computer vision, to the extent that the majority of expert practitioners in those field are now regularly eschewing prior established models in favor of deep learning models. In this review, we provide an introductory overview into the theory of deep neural networks and their unique properties that distinguish them from traditional machine learning algorithms used in cheminformatics. By providing an overview of the variety of emerging applications of deep neural networks, we highlight its ubiquity and broad applicability to a wide range of challenges in the field, including quantitative structure activity relationship, virtual screening, protein structure prediction, quantum chemistry, materials design, and property prediction. In reviewing the performance of deep neural networks, we observed a consistent outperformance against non-neural networks state-of-the-art models across disparate research topics, and deep neural network-based models often exceeded the glass ceiling expectations of their respective tasks. Coupled with the maturity of GPU-accelerated computing for training deep neural networks and the exponential growth of chemical data on which to train these networks on, we anticipate that deep learning algorithms will be a valuable tool for computational chemistry. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper is aimed towards studying, compiling, and analyzing the recent advances and risks of the current ambient technology that is present in modern day cars. The progression of sophisticated technologies inside cars make them an even more comfortable and entertaining place to be in especially during commutes to work, but recent security threats and distractions have been uncovered with the upsurge usage of new technologies. This study also includes a survey that senses the people's use of car technologies when driving. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
PurposeEpidemiological studies of asthma in adolescence commonly rely on self-reports. This study aimed to compare adolescent and parent reports regarding the presence of asthma and asthma symptoms in two ethnic groups, Jews and Arabs, living in the same country. MethodsEighth-grade pupils attending five schools in Tel Aviv and four schools in two Arab cities in Israel were asked to complete the self-report International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire in the classroom. Their parents were interviewed by telephone using the parental ISAAC questionnaire. We assessed prevalence rates of asthma and asthma symptoms according to adolescent and parent responses. Agreement between adolescents and parents was assessed by Cohen's kappa coefficient. ResultsAdolescents reported more asthma and asthma symptoms than their parents in both the Jewish (327 adolescent-parent pairs) and the Arab (335 adolescent-parent pairs) groups. Both groups showed moderate adolescent-parent chance-corrected agreement for current asthma (kappa 0.59 in Jews, 0.52 in Arabs, P=0.60) and lifetime asthma (kappa 0.53 Jews, 0.44 in Arabs, P=0.33); and slight to fair chance-corrected agreement for asthma symptoms. There were no statistically significant differences between the Jewish and Arab populations in chance-corrected agreement for any of the parameters assessed. ConclusionsJewish and Arab adolescents more often report asthma and asthma symptoms than do their parents. This seems to be a cross-cultural phenomenon. Therefore, particular attention should be paid to the source of information when comparing prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms across studies. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:154-159. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The goal of this study is to examine waste water of leather plants within the province of Usak city. We conducted analyses during morning and evening hours during the summer and following the greater eid during which volume of waste water from Usak Leather Organized Industry is low and high, respectively. Analyses were carried out using waste water from 4 different sections of the facility. Waste water analysis was conducted using waste water from treatment center entrance, after chemical treatment, using waste water subjected to biological treatment and waste water exiting the facility. Suspended solid matter, chemical oxygen requirement, color, total nitrogen, phosphate phosphorus, total chrome, pH, turbidity and grease content of waste water from those sections were analyzed. When comparing waste water exiting and entering the facility based on discharge standards stated in water pollution control regulations, it has been determined that the facility enabled lower numbers in pollution during both low and high intensity periods and values were lower compared to facility entrance after chemical and biological treatment. As a result, it is evident that treatment facilities are necessary for protecting natural water resources and health from negative effects of the leather industry and that the facility minimizes the effect of leather industry waste on nature thereby preventing any disruption on the ecosystem.
Recent large-scale remote sensing studies have shown that glacier mass loss in south-eastern Tibet, specifically in the eastern Nyainqentanglha Range exceeds the average in High Asia. However, detailed studies at individual glaciers are scarce and the drivers behind the observed changes are poorly constrained to date. Employing feature tracking techniques on TerraSAR-X data for the periods 2008/2009, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 we found measurable surface velocities through to the glacier terminus positions of five debris-covered glacier tongues. This is contrary to debris-covered glaciers in other parts of High Asia, where stagnant glacier tongues are common. Our feature tracking results for the 2013/2014 period suggest an average deceleration of 51% when compared with published Landsat velocities for the period 1999/2003. Further, we estimated surface elevation changes for the five glaciers from recently released one arc second resolution elevation data obtained during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission in 2000 and an interferometrical derived TanDEM-X elevation model for the year 2014. With an average rate of -0.83 +/- 0.57ma(-1) we confirm strong surface lowering in the region, despite the widely discussed insulation effect of debris cover. Beside the influence of thermokarst processes and delayed response times of debris-covered glaciers, we highlight that abundant monsoonal summer rainfall might contribute significantly to the pronounced negative mass balances in the study region. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An intelligent electrical circuit for controlling the operation of quartz metal halide discharge (QMH) lamps is proposed. The lamp can be operated steadily at high-frequency by integrating the microcontroller ATmega128. With the application of pattern recognition, the control system enables the lamp to be turned on and off automatically according to the environment condition and maintain high-performance constant power. The results show that the efficiency of the driving circuit can approach 94.3%. The proposed model will provide opportunities to design reliable and cost-effective QMH lamps.
Compelling research over the past decade identified a fundamental role of the intestinal microbiome on human health. Compositional and functional changes of this microbial ecosystem are correlated with a variety of human pathologies. Metagenomic resolution and bioinformatic tools considerably improved, allowing even strain-level analysis. However, the search for microbial risk patterns in human cohorts is often confounded by environmental factors (eg, medication) and host status (eg, disease relapse), questioning the prognostic and therapeutic value of the currently available information. In addition to a better stratification of human phenotypes, the implementation of standardized protocols for sampling and analysis is needed to improve the reproducibility and comparability of microbiome signatures at a meaningful taxonomic resolution. At the level of mechanistic understanding, the molecular integration of pleiotropic signals coming from this complex and dynamically changing ecosystem is one of the biggest challenges in this field. The first successful attempts to apply reverse genetics based on the available metagenomic information yielded identification of small molecules and metabolites with functional relevance for microbe-host interactions. Further expansion on the isolation of bacteria from the unculturable biomass will help characterize microbiome signatures in model systems, finally aiming at the development of clinically relevant synthetic consortia with safe and functionally well-defined strains. In conclusion and beyond reasonable enthusiasm, the mechanistic implementation and clinical relevance of microbiome alterations on disease susceptibility is still in its infancy, but the integration of all the above-mentioned strategies will help overcome the correlation era in microbiome research and lead to a rational evaluation of clinical strategies relevant for targeted microbial intervention.
This paper is concerned with constructing nodal radial solutions for generalized quasilinear Schrodinger equations in RN with critical growth which arise from plasma physics, fluid mechanics, as well as the self-channeling of a high-power ultashort laser in matter. We find the critical exponents for a generalized quasilinear Schrodinger equations and obtain the existence of sign-changing solution with k nodes for any given integer k >= 0.
We examined whether two interpersonal processes, self-disclosure and affirmation of ideal self, mediated the relationship between cross-ethnic friendships and psychological well-being and academic outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 484 secondary school children (243 White European, 241 South Asian British; M-age=11.10, 220 boys, 264 girls) recruited from 35 multiethnic classrooms. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling revealed mediational effects of self-disclosure between cross-ethnic friendships and psychological well-being for only South Asian children. Affirmation also mediated the association between cross-ethnic friendships and both psychological well-being and academic outcomes for South Asian children. For White European children, affirmation mediated the association between cross-ethnic friendships and psychological well-being. Further analyses demonstrated that self-disclosure resulting from cross-ethnic friendship quality facilitated affirmation, which in turn promoted both sets of outcomes. Findings demonstrate that cross-ethnic friendships in multiethnic settings contribute to well-being through the generation of positive interpersonal processes.
Objective: By primary cultivation of clinical specimens of human cervical cancer, the main and side population cells were isolated and their biological characteristics were analyzed. Methods: Clinical specimens of human cervical tissue were cultured to get the primary cells. After staining by Hoechst33342, flow cytometry was used for sorting to get the main and side population cells. Their molecular biology, morphology and tumorigenicity were compared with that of Hela cells. Results: The primary cervical cancer and side population cells were isolated successfully, and the two cells have obvious tumor cell morphology. CK17, CK19, P63 and beta 1-integrin and other related markers were expressed. Tumorigenicity of side population cells was significantly higher than the main group of cells. Distribution of the cytoskeleton and expression associated tumor markers were not affected before and after tumorigenesis of the two cells. Conclusion: Side population cells which were cultured and isolated from clinical specimens of human cervical cancer have the characteristics of tumor stem cell, which can be used for further study of targeted therapy for cervical cancer.
Important energy reductions can be achieved in the building sector by providing occupants with feedback about their energy-consumption levels. Recent studies link the success of energy-feedback methods to the level of occupant engagement with people in their social circles and the resulting peer pressure to conform to certain social norms. Despite promising results, the literature remains limited in scope to individual rather than groups of buildings. This has limited the design of feedback initiatives leveraging social connections that exist, or that can be induced, within and between buildings. The current paper addresses the identified gap by proposing a multilayer agent-based model that serves as a test bed to simulate and optimize feedback methods applied on any building stock (e.g.,community and city). Monte Carlo and sensitivity analyses show that connecting occupants of different buildings, while increasing their engagement with the feedback mechanism, can lead to energy reductions exceeding 10%. The findings confirm the role of social networks in energy-conservation diffusion, setting the stage for large-scale and socially engaging energy-conservation initiatives. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Background: Research supports the beneficial role of prosocial behaviors on children's adjustment and successful youth development. Empirical studies point to reciprocal relations between negative parenting and children's maladjustment, but reciprocal relations between positive parenting and children's prosocial behavior are understudied. In this study reciprocal relations between two different dimensions of positive parenting (quality of the mother-child relationship and the use of balanced positive discipline) and children's prosocial behavior were examined in Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Methods: Mother-child dyads (N = 1105) provided data over 2 years in two waves (Mage of child in wave 1 = 9.31 years, SD = 0.73; 50% female). Results: A model of reciprocal relations between parenting dimensions, but not among parenting and children's prosocial behavior, emerged. In particular, children with higher levels of prosocial behavior at age 9 elicited higher levels of mother-child relationship quality in the following year. Conclusions: Findings yielded similar relations across countries, evidencing that being prosocial in late childhood contributes to some degree to the enhancement of a nurturing and involved mother-child relationship in countries that vary widely on sociodemographic profiles and psychological characteristics. Policy and intervention implications of this study are discussed.
The microenvironment influences the pathogenesis of solid tumors and plays an outsized role in some. Our understanding of the stromal response to cancers, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, has evolved from that of host defense to tumor offense. We know that most, although not all, of the factors and processes in the microenvironment support tumor epithelial cells. This reappraisal of the roles of stromal elements has also revealed potential vulnerabilities and therapeutic opportunities to exploit. The high concentration in the stroma of the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, together with the large gel-fluid phase and pressures it generates, were recently identified as primary sources of treatment resistance in pancreas cancer. Whereas the relatively minor role of free interstitial fluid in the fluid mechanics and perfusion of tumors has been long appreciated, the less mobile, gel-fluid phase has been largely ignored for historical and technical reasons. The inability of classic methods of fluid pressure measurement to capture the gel-fluid phase, together with a dependence on xenograft and allograft systems that inaccurately model tumor vascular biology, has led to an undue emphasis on the role of free fluid in impeding perfusion and drug delivery and an almost complete oversight of the predominant role of the gel-fluid phase. We propose that a hyaluronan-rich, relatively immobile gel-fluid phase induces vascular collapse and hypoperfusion as a primary mechanism of treatment resistance in pancreas cancers. Similar properties may be operant in other solid tumors as well, so revisiting and characterizing fluid mechanics with modern techniques in other autochthonous cancers may be warranted.
This study applies an integrated moral obligation model to examine the role of environmental and cultural values, and beliefs in the activation of landowner conservation norms. Data for this study were collected through a self-administered survey of riparian landowners in two Minnesota watersheds: Sand Creek and Vermillion River watersheds. Study findings suggest that collectivistic and biospheric-altruistic values form the bases for the activation of personal norms. Further, beliefs about local responsibility and ability to act influence personal norms to protect water resources. Findings suggest that landowners' personal norms of water conservation are more likely to be activated by conservation strategies that appeal to biospheric-altruistic and collectivistic values, emphasize adverse consequences of water pollution, highlight water resource protection as a local responsibility, and provide the resources needed to protect water resources.
The studies described in this article explore the influence of an under-emphasized determinant of cooperative behavior in social dilemmas: affected third parties. Two experiments examined the effect of characteristics of third parties on individual cooperative behavior in social dilemmas, and identified mechanisms associated with these relationships. Study 1 demonstrated that third-party need affects individual cooperative behavior, and tested prosocial motivation and intra-group trust as mediators of this relationship. Study 2 provided further elaboration by demonstrating that individual cooperative behavior was reduced when a needy third party was low on reliability, and by showing that prosocial motivation and intra-group trust mediated this relationship. This research connects the literatures on individual cooperation in social dilemmas and relational job design, and demonstrates why third parties influence individuals' cooperative behavior.
Plant strategies to cope with future droughts may be enhanced by associations between roots and soil microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. But how AM fungi affect crop growth and yield, together with plant physiology and soil carbon (C) dynamics, under water stress in actual field conditions is not well understood. The well-characterized mycorrhizal tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotype 76R (referred to as MYC+) and the mutant nonmycorrhizal tomato genotype rmc were grown in an organic farm with a deficit irrigation regime and control regime that replaced evapotranspiration. AM increased marketable tomato yields by similar to 25% in both irrigation regimes but did not affect shoot biomass. In both irrigation regimes, MYC+ plants had higher plant nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations (e.g. 5 and 24% higher N and P concentrations in leaves at fruit set, respectively), 8% higher stomatal conductance (g(s)), 7% higher photosynthetic rates (P-n), and greater fruit set. Stem water potential and leaf relative water content were similar in both genotypes within each irrigation regime. Three-fold higher rates of root sap exudation in detopped MYC+ plants suggest greater capacity for water uptake through osmotic driven flow, especially in the deficit irrigation regime in which root sap exudation in rmc was nearly absent. Soil with MYC+ plants also had slightly higher soil extractable organic C and microbial biomass C at anthesis but no changes in soil CO2 emissions, although the latter were 23% lower under deficit irrigation. This study provides novel, field-based evidence for how indigenous AM fungi increase crop yield and crop water use efficiency during a season-long deficit irrigation and thus play an important role in coping with increasingly limited water availability in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Functional connectivity (FC) alterations represent a key feature in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and provide a useful tool to characterize and predict the course of the disease. Those alterations have been also described in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a prodromal stage of AD. There is a growing interest in detecting AD pathology in the brain in the very early stages of the disorder. Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) could represent a preclinical asymptomatic stage of AD but very little is known about this population. In the present work we assessed whether FC disruptions are already present in this stage, and if they share any spatial distribution properties with MCI alterations (a condition known to be highly related to AD). To this end, we measured electromagnetic spontaneous activity with MEG in 39 healthy control elders, 41 elders with SCD and 51 MCI patients. The results showed FC alterations in both SCD and MCI compared to the healthy control group. Interestingly, both groups exhibited a very similar spatial pattern of altered links: a hyper-synchronized anterior network and a posterior network characterized by a decrease in FC. This decrease was more pronounced in the MCI group. These results highlight that elders with SCD present FC alterations. More importantly, those disruptions affected AD typically related areas and showed great overlap with the alterations exhibited by MCI patients. These results support the consideration of SCD as a preclinical stage of AD and may indicate that FC alterations appear very early in the course of the disease.
The formation of soluble oligomers of amyloid beta 42 and 40 (A beta 42, A beta 40) is the initial event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on previous systematic proline replacement and solid-state NMR, we proposed a toxic dimer structure of A beta 42, a highly aggregative alloform, with a turn at positions 22 and 23, and a hydrophobic core in the C-terminal region. However, in addition to A beta 42, A beta 40 dimers can also contribute to AD progression because of the more abundance of A beta 40 monomer in biological fluids. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of three dimer models of the toxic-conformation constrained E22P-A beta 40 using L,L-2,6-diaminopimeric acid (DAP) or L,L-2,8diaminoazelaic acid (DAZ) linker at position 30, which is incorporated into the intermolecular parallel beta-sheet region, and DAP at position 38 in the C-terminal hydrophobic core. E22P-A3ODAP-A beta 40 dimer (1) and E22P-A3ODAZ-A beta 40 dimer (2) existed mainly in oligomeric states even after 2 weeks incubation without forming fibrils, unlike the corresponding monomer. Their neurotoxicity toward SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was very weak. In contrast, E22P-G38DAP-A beta 40 dimer (3) formed beta-sheet rich oligomeric aggregates, and exhibited more potent neurotoxicity than the corresponding monomer. Ion mobility mass spectrometry suggested that high molecular-weight oligomers (12-24-mer) of 3 form, but not for 1 and 2 after 4 h incubation. These findings indicate that formation of the hydrophobic core at the C-terminus, rather than intermolecular parallel beta-sheet, triggers the formation of toxic A beta oligomers. Compound 3 may be a suitable model for studying the etiology of Alzheimer's disease.
Link prediction is a fundamental task in social networks, with the goal of estimating the likelihood of a link between each node pair. It can be applied in many situations, such as friend discovery on social media platforms or co-author recommendations in collaboration networks. Compared to the numerous traditional methods, this paper introduces utility analysis to the link prediction method by considering that individual preferences are the main reason behind the decision to form links, and meanwhile it also focuses on the meeting process that is a latent variable during the process of forming links. Accordingly, the link prediction problem is formulated as a machine learning process with latent variables; therefore, an Expectation Maximization (EM, for short) algorithm is adopted and further developed to cope with the estimation problem. The performance of the present method is tested both on synthetic networks and on real-world datasets from social media networks and collaboration networks. All of the computational results illustrate that the proposed method yields more satisfying link prediction results than the selected benchmarks, and in particular, logistic regression, as a special case of the proposed method, provides the lower boundary of the likelihood function. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In pediatric age and particularly in newborn infants the drug efficacy and safety are influenced by the growth and development on drug Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME). Thanks to the fast development of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, the drug therapy promises to be adapted to the genetic profile of the individual, reducing considerably the side effects of drugs and increasing their efficacy. Interindividual variability in drug response is well known in both adults and children. Such a variability is multifactorial considering both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Drug distribution in the neonate is influenced by a variety of age-dependent factors as a total body water content and distribution variations, role of drug transporters, blood/tissue protein binding, blood and tissue pH and perfusion. The development of enzymes involved in human metabolism were classified in 3 categories: 1) those expressed during the whole or part of the fetal period, but silenced or expressed at low levels within 1-2 years after birth; 2) those expressed at relatively constant levels throughout fetal development, but increased to some extent postnatally; and 3) those whose onset of expression can occur in the third trimester, but substantial increase is noted in the first 1-2 years after birth. Besides this intrinsic aspects influencing pharmacokinetics during the neonatal period there are other important events such as inborn or acquired diseases, environment and finally pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics. Thousands of deaths every years are caused by fatal drug reactions; among the potential causes there are not only the severity of the disease being treated, drug interactions, nutritional status, renal and liver functions, but also the inherited differences in drug metabolism and genetic polymorphism. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among pediatric patients have been shown to be three times more frequent than in adults. On August 2010 The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) addressed patient safety issues in the NICU, recognizing that to understand and prevent adverse events, systematic research and education in safety issues needed. From all these concepts in terms of ADME, pharmacogenetics (relative to a single gene) and pharmacogenomics (relative to many genes) it is becoming more evident the perspective of the new concept of individualized medicine. The goal of this should be to identify which group of patients responds positively, which patients are nonresponders and who experiences adverse reaction for the same drug and dose. The interindividual variability in response to any drug is mostly dependent on DNA sequence variations across the human genome, the haplotype map (HAPMAP). At present there is still a big distance beween the knowledge in genetic and the practical application to model the drug profile to the genetic/genomic profile of the single patient. In the neonatal period the effects of growth in the pharmacodynamic, processes can help optimizing the dosage of neonatal frequently used medicines, thereby, minimizing their toxicity and increasing their efficacy. It should be useful to create accurate dosage adjustments according to the week of development.
Soil moisture distributions with high spatio-temporal resolution are scarce but beneficial for understanding ecohydrological processes and closing the water cycle at the basin scale. Sensor networks are innovative in their ability to capture the spatio-temporal heterogeneity and dynamics of soil moisture; however, they cannot be used to directly derive spatially continuous soil moisture distributions. A Bayesian-based upscaling algorithm that utilizes MODIS-derived apparent thermal inertia is used to map daily soil moisture spatial patterns with a resolution of 1 km in the Babao River Basin, China. The 2-4 cm soil moisture observations from seven automatic meteorological stations located in different elevation zones from 3000 m to 3500 m are employed to validate the mapping algorithm. The correlation coefficient and unbiased root-mean-square error (RMSE) averaged 0.880 and 0.031 cm(3)/cm(3), respectively, which indicate satisfactory estimation accuracy. The 1 km resolution soil moisture products are re-sampled to a resolution of 25 km and then compared to the level 3 Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity Mission (SMOS) soil moisture product. The results show that both products exhibit strong temporal consistency; however, due to complex topography, the SMOS soil moisture is generally lower than that of the upscaling results. Semivariograms and an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis are used to analyze the space-time heterogeneities of soil moisture at the 1 km scale. In the summer, rainfall results in soil moisture with low spatial variability and a complex spatial structure. After the rainy season, the spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture is affected by other factors, such as soil texture, evapotranspiration and topography. From the perspective of temporal variation, the upscaled soil moisture shows a well-defined seasonal cycle, which represents the effects of decreased rainfall from August to October. Because more rain falls in the summer due to the mountain microclimate, the oscillation in soil moisture is more pronounced over 20% of the area compared to that in other regions. Based on a validation analysis of the mapping results, the upscaling method is proven feasible, and the upscaled soil moisture can be used to analyze eco-hydrological processes and validate remote sensing products. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we study the Navier-Stokes equations with Navier boundary conditions in a bounded domain of R-3. We prove the existence ofweak solution in W-1,W-p(Omega) x L-p(Omega) for 3/2 < p < infinity by using fixed point theorem for the case 3/2 < p < 2. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Due to the low residual flux density of ferrite magnets, flux-focusing and multi-layer configurations have been deployed to harness both the permanent magnet torque and reluctance torque. Here, a new configuration featuring a V-spoke rotor structure embracing a combined configuration of the conventional V- and spoke-shaped interior permanent magnet (IPM) machines is proposed for its superior torque density over equivalent counterparts. The magnetic open-circuit characteristic of the V- spoke machine is first analysed and compared with that of the equivalent V- and spoke-shaped machines. Then finite element analysis (FEA) simulations are performed for on-load conditions to confirm the superior performance of the proposed design. The frozen permeability method is carried out to provide further insights into the torque production mechanism. Operating efficiency, torque profiles and power-speed performance are also be investigated and evaluated to confirm the utility of the proposed ferrite machine design.
The wild pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) has a great economic importance having a meat quality higher than that of breeding salmons; however, the consumption of wild pink salmons is a public health concern due to the high risk of infection with the third-stage nematode larvae (L3) of the family Anisakidae. Only L3 of Anisakis and Pseudoterranova genera are the causative agents of anisakidosis and allergies, which can be even fatal. The aims of the present work were to investigate the infection prevalence and species identity of Anisakidae larvae in fillets of North Pacific wild pink salmons. A total of 244 samples of frozen fillets, collected between 2009 and 2013, were examined by the artificial digestion method. L3 were detected in 177 (72.5%) fillets. Out of 708 recovered L3, 705 were identified as Anisakis type I and 3 as Pseudoterranova sp. by morphological examination; of these, one L3 from each infected fish, was identified as Anisakis simplex sensu stricto (#174) or as Pseudoterranova decipiens (#3) by PCR-RFLP. Despite the risk of acquiring human anisakidosis is efficiently prevented by fish fillet freezing, our findings highlight how the high prevalence of Anisakidae larvae in frozen fillets of pink salmon, may be the source of allergic reactions in sensitized persons. The increased interest of consumers in the pink salmon may pose considerable food safety problems that merits to be systematically investigated. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Computational prediction yields efficient and scalable initial assessments of how variants of unknown significance may affect human health. However, when discrepancies between these predictions and direct experimental measurements of functional impact arise, inaccurate computational predictions are frequently assumed as the source. Here, we present a methodological analysis indicating that shortcomings in both computational and biological data can contribute to these disagreements. We demonstrate that incomplete assaying of multifunctional proteins can affect the strength of correlations between prediction and experiments; a variant's full impact on function is better quantified by considering multiple assays that probe an ensemble of protein functions. Additionally, many variants predictions are sensitive to protein alignment construction and can be customized to maximize relevance of predictions to a specific experimental question. We conclude that inconsistencies between computation and experiment can often be attributed to the fact that they do not test identical hypotheses. Aligning the design of the computational input with the design of the experimental output will require cooperation between computational and biological scientists, but will also lead to improved estimations of computational prediction accuracy and a better understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationship.
Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the prevalence of ASCA in spondyloarthrites (SpA) patients and to investigate the association between ASCA status and disease phenotype. Methods: We performed a case-control study including SpA individuals fulfilling the ESSG SpA criteria. The following data were collected for analysis: gender, age, disease duration, clinical or associated features of SpA, treatments, HLAB27 and ASCA status. A control group of patients without SpA was also analyzed. Results: A total of 235 patients with SpA and 54 control patients were studied. The median age of SpA patients (53.6% of male patients, 52.2% of HLAB27) was 46.0 [IQR 35.0-57.0] years old. Disease duration was 60.0 [IQR 24.0-156.0] months. Inflammatory bowel diseases were observed in 11% of SpA patients. ASCA positivity was significantly higher in SpA patients than in control patients (25.5% [95% CI 20.1-31.6] (IgG: 9.8%; IgA: 21.7%) vs. 7.4% [95% CI 2.1-17.9], P=0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that ASCA positivity was associated with peripheral involvement (OR: 3.30 [1.26-8.62], P = 0.015), presence of IBD (OR: 3.43 [1.15-10.20], P= 0.026), past of present history of uveitis (OR: 4.36 [1.08-17.64], P= 0.039) and arthritis (OR: 3.78 [1.57-9.15], P= 0.003). Conclusion: Our results provided evidence that SpA patients had an increased prevalence of ASCA and that ASCA positivity might be associated with a particular phenotype, notably peripheral involvement and uveitis. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Societe francaise de rhumatologie.
Considering that the world population is aging, health-support issues are in evidence, and many dangerous situations concerning users in their living environment may arise. This paper presents an approach to allow Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) systems to identify and predict situations that may endanger users in their living environment. Elderly people generally have difficulties to perform daily activities as using some electronic device, cooking, dressing among others. This paper offers an alternative to acquire comprehension of a former person's behavioral providing this knowledge when cognitive impairments will occur. This is a significant improvement to traditional expert systems applied to AAL as the handling of the knowledge base is adapted to the failing users' behavior. We consider the user profile dynamics where new and different situations not initially planned in the development of the systems may occur. This approach was developed considering the principles of reactive and proactive behavior and the extensibility capacity of the system. Systems developed following the above-described principles can react to the current situations and anticipate proactively a dangerous situation eliminating it or controlling its impact. The approach is evaluated and verified by a case study where unwanted, dangerous situations were created and subsequently detected. The case study is based on a simulated smart house fulfilled with sensors and appliances. An application was build based on the developed approach, and it was capable of choosing the most appropriate actions to solve the unwanted situations. The main contributions of the present work are the identification and prediction of situations in smart houses, an approach developed with the principles of reactive and proactive behavior validated with a case study and supported by a probabilistic ontology. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The main goal is to map the ability of interrogators to register the manifestations of nonverbal communication in the situation of testimony. Secondary goal is to analyse some aspects of the process of identification of the manifestations of nonverbal communication. The research was aimed at an area that is described in the available literature sources only theoretical. This description is then only in general terms the use of non-verbal communication, and application level research practically not known. Although in reality we confirm that the file records of interrogations do not contain the part where they were described nonverbal expressions from interrogated person. This ability was tested by a presentation of short sequences of nonverbal communication on record and by denoting it on book sheet. In the analytical part of work we offer the results of our examination. This Study is a partial output of research: Methods and Procedure on crime scene - 4/2008, Vysk. 139. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
We propose and explore the applicability of file timestamps as a steganographic channel. We identify an information gap between storage and usage of timestamps in modern operating systems that use high-precision timers. Building on this, we describe a layered design of a steganographic system that offers stealthiness, robustness, and wide applicability. The proposed design is evaluated through theoretical, evidence-based, and experimental analysis for the case of NTFS using datasets comprising millions of files. We report a proof-of-concept implementation and confirm that the embedded information is indistinguishable from that of a normal filesystem use. Finally, we discuss the digital forensics analysis implications of this new information-hiding technique. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The Flickr30k dataset has become a standard benchmark for sentence-based image description. This paper presents Flickr30k Entities, which augments the 158k captions from Flickr30k with 244k coreference chains, linking mentions of the same entities across different captions for the same image, and associating them with 276k manually annotated bounding boxes. Such annotations are essential for continued progress in automatic image description and grounded language understanding. They enable us to define a new benchmark for localization of textual entity mentions in an image. We present a strong baseline for this task that combines an image-text embedding, detectors for common objects, a color classifier, and a bias towards selecting larger objects. While our baseline rivals in accuracy more complex state-of-the-art models, we show that its gains cannot be easily parlayed into improvements on such tasks as image-sentence retrieval, thus underlining the limitations of current methods and the need for further research.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is associated with executive dysfunction and behavioural impairment. Recent studies suggested that social cognitive deficits might also be a prominent feature of ALS. Current meta-analysis aimed to summarize available evidence for deficits in social cognition including theory of mind (ToM) and emotion recognition in ALS. In this meta-analysis of 15 studies, facial emotion recognition and ToM performances of 389 patients with ALS and 471 healthy controls were compared. ALS was associated with significant impairments with medium effect sizes in ToM (d = .65) and facial emotion recognition (d = .69). Among individual emotions recognition of disgust and surprise were particularly impaired. Deficits in perspective taking (d = .73) aspects of ToM (ToM-PT) was more pronounced in comparison to decoding (d = .28) aspects of ToM (ToM-decoding). The severity of social cognitive impairment was similar to level of executive dysfunction and there was a significant relationship between social cognition and executive dysfunction. Deficits in social cognition are part of the cognitive phenotype of ALS. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The flow in a downward divergent channel turns out to be an interesting experimental setup for the observation of upward floating bubbles that appear to be levitating in view of the observer. A more detailed analysis of this flow and its characteristic parameters is necessary for better understanding of this phenomenon. The boundary layer theory was used to derive the velocity field for the experimental setup. The actual flow of a liquid in the presence of a bubble was studied experimentally by measuring the position of the bubble; the data were then statistically processed by an image analysis. Observation of the bubble positions distribution showed that it is reasonable to assume a flat velocity profile of the liquid in the channel and that the bubbles do not tend to move into the boundary layer. In our experiments, volume of the air bubbles floating in water was 200 mm(3) and of that of bubbles floating in aqueous glycerin was 300 mm(3). Thus, the experiment used in this work is suitable for reliable determination of instantaneous and average bubble rising velocities as well as of those of horizontal and vertical oscillations. (C) 2016 Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Numerical morphological modeling of braided rivers, using a physics-based approach, is increasingly used as a technique to explore controls on river pattern and, from an applied perspective, to simulate the impact of channel modifications. This paper assesses a depth-averaged nonuniform sediment model (Delft3D) to predict the morphodynamics of a 2.5 km long reach of the braided Rees River, New Zealand, during a single high-flow event. Evaluation of model performance primarily focused upon using high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) of Difference, derived from a fusion of terrestrial laser scanning and optical empirical bathymetric mapping, to compare observed and predicted patterns of erosion and deposition and reach-scale sediment budgets. For the calibrated model, this was supplemented with planform metrics (e.g., braiding intensity). Extensive sensitivity analysis of model functions and parameters was executed, including consideration of numerical scheme for bed load component calculations, hydraulics, bed composition, bed load transport and bed slope effects, bank erosion, and frequency of calculations. Total predicted volumes of erosion and deposition corresponded well to those observed. The difference between predicted and observed volumes of erosion was less than the factor of two that characterizes the accuracy of the Gaeuman et al. bed load transport formula. Grain size distributions were best represented using two intervals. For unsteady flows, results were sensitive to the morphological time scale factor. The approach of comparing observed and predicted morphological sediment budgets shows the value of using natural experiment data sets for model testing. Sensitivity results are transferable to guide Delft3D applications to other rivers.
This paper discusses the design synthesis of a permanent-magnet brushless dc (PMBLDC) machine using a finite-element (FE) model. This work differentiates itself from the past studies by following a synthesis approach, in which many designs that satisfy the performance criteria are considered instead of a unique solution. The designer can later select a design, based on comparing parameters of the designs, which are critical to the application that the motor will be used for. The presented approach makes it easier to define constraints for a design synthesis problem. A detailed description of the setting up of an FE-based design synthesis problem, starting from the definition of design variables, the FE model of the machine, how the design synthesis is carried out, and to how a design is finalized from a set of designs that satisfy the performance criteria, is included in this paper. The proposed synthesis program is demonstrated by designing a segmented axial torus PMBLDC motor for an electric two-wheeler.
Currently the Ambient Assisted Living and the Ambient Intelligence areas are very prolific. There is a demand of security and comfort that should be ensured at people's homes. The AAL4ALL (ambient assisted living for all) project aims to develop a unified ecosystem and a certification process, allowing the development of fully compatible devices and services. The UserAccess emerges from the AAL4ALL project, being a demonstration of its validity. The UserAccess architecture, implementation, interfaces and test scenario are presented, along with the sensor platform specially developed for the AAL4ALL project.
This paper assesses how different levels of geographical disaggregation of wind and photovoltaic energy resources could affect the outcomes of an energy system model by 2020 and 2050. Energy system models used for policy making typically have high technology detail but little spatial detail. However, the generation potential and integration costs of variable renewable energy sources and their time profile of production depend on geographic characteristics and infrastructure in place. For a case study for Austria we generate spatially highly resolved synthetic time series for potential production locations of wind power and PV. There are regional differences in the costs for wind turbines but not for PV. However, they are smaller than the cost reductions induced by technological learning from one modelled decade to the other. The wind availability shows significant regional differences where mainly the differences for summer days and winter nights are important. The solar availability for PV installations is more homogenous. We introduce these wind and PV data into the energy system model JRC-EU-TIMES with different levels of regional disaggregation. Results show that up to the point that the maximum potential is reached disaggregating wind regions significantly affects results causing lower electricity generation from wind and PV. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
To meet the specific requirements of the standard of training and the knowledge capability of excellence engineers of the mechanical design, manufacturing and automation major, advanced concepts including the farther training of professional ability and project teaching is adopted to construct some systems such as the core professional knowledge module, theory teaching course system, practical teaching system, cultural and professional quality training systems, the whole framework of curriculum system and the corresponding credit requirements, etc. Then substituted post exercitation training plan for senior and the specific requirements of the graduation design are stated. Finally, in order to cultivate abundant advanced manufacturing technology and high ranking engineering technology talents having the awareness of project, the effective approaches to organize the teaching team of double teacher structure are analyzed.
In this paper, wool yarns and the slenderized wool yarns were used as raw materials, and knitted under the same process parameter, many methods of testing were applied to analysis the wearing characteristics, An series of experiments show that there was a significantly improvement in the anti-pilling performance and air permeability, and the stiffness of the sample became smaller, increasing soft and comfort, but it had little effect on crease- resistance. The slenderizing not only improved the spinning count, but also enhanced the knitted properties by the structural transformation, was a good choice to develop the high-grade wool knitwear.
The MHC class I and II antigen processing and presentation pathways display peptides to circulating CD8(+) cytotoxic and CD4(+) helper T cells respectively to enable pathogens and transformed cells to be identified. Once detected, T cells become activated and either directly kill the infected /transformed cells (CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes) or orchestrate the activation of the adaptive immune response (CD4(+) T cells). The immune surveillance of transformed/tumour cells drives alteration of the antigen processing and presentation pathways to evade detection and hence the immune response. Evasion of the immune response is a significant event tumour development and considered one of the hallmarks of cancer. To avoid immune recognition, tumours employ a multitude of strategies with most resulting in a down-regulation of the MHC class I expression at the cell surface, significantly impairing the ability of CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes to recognize the tumour. Alteration of the expression of key players in antigen processing not only affects MHC class I expression but also significantly alters the repertoire of peptides being presented. These modified peptide repertoires may serve to further reduce the presentation of tumour-specific/associated antigenic epitopes to aid immune evasion and tumour progression. Here we review the modifications to the antigen processing and presentation pathway in tumours and how it affects the anti-tumour immune response, considering the role of tumour-infiltrating cell populations and highlighting possible future therapeutic targets.
Random number generators are essential in modern cryptography. The security of a cryptographic scheme can be achieved under the assumption that the system uses ideal random numbers to produce sensitive security parameters such as encryption keys and initial vectors. The weakness of the random number generator makes the entire cryptographic system insecure. In particular, the lack of entropy sources leads to predictable output random bits so that secret information can be guessed by malicious attackers. Therefore, it is important to collect sufficient entropy from physical noise sources. In this paper, we consider graphics processing units (GPUs) as an entropy source. From the race conditions in the parallel computations on a GPU, we can harvest sufficient entropy for cryptography. Using the entropy estimations in NIST SP 800-90B, the amount of entropy is estimated and compared with other physical sources.
The aim of this work is to propose a methodology that seeks to discover how, when and as the increased performance of the algorithms and how the configuration parameters can influence each other, and finally, discover using statistical methods which settings of virtual environment achieve the best results on average. The experimental design is a preestablished set of tests using scientific and statistical criteria mainly, in order to determine the influence of various factors on the results (metric) of a system or process, identifying and observing the reasons that led to change in the expected value. The planning that was used is factorial planning 3(4), where each factor (core, memory, operating system and virtual machine) were varied in three levels. Tested operating systems were Ubuntu 14.04 64bit, CentOS 7.0 64bit and Windows 8.0 64bit; and virtual machines were tested KVM, Xen and VMware. Data were collected and analyzed using analysis of variance. The results show that the major analyzed factors changes the algorithm performance, but they cannot be analyzed separately because there are also significant interactions belonging to these factors. At a 5% significance level, analysis of variance showed that the core interactions: memory, memory with OS, memory with VM and OS with VM, all these factors impact the runtime of the analyzed algorithm.
When a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model is shared in cloud for collaboration, it is a challenge to encrypt the confidential design features of the model for effective knowledge protection. This paper presents a novel encryption approach, which is based on geometric transformation encryption mechanisms on feature-based CAD models in supporting cloud-enabled collaboration. The innovation of the approach is centered on an Enhanced Encryption Transformation Matrix (EETM), which is characterized parametric, randomized and self-adaptive for feature encryption. Controllable parameters for transforming features in terms of zoom and deformation are defined in the EETM to facilitate users to conduct encryption transformation flexibly. A random probability mechanism is embedded into the parameters of the EETM in order to guarantee the security of the encrypted model. Furthermore, the parameters in the EETM are further enhanced to be self-adaptive to ensure the geometric validity of the encrypted model. The approach has been validated via a number of complex models to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness for industrial applications.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective loss of upper and lower motor neurons. Despite intensive research, the origin and progression of ALS remain largely unknown, suggesting that the traditional clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies might not be adequate to completely capture the molecular complexity underlying the disease. In our previous work, comprehensive genomic profiling of 41 motor cortex samples enabled to discriminate control from sporadic ALS patients and segregated these latter into two distinct subgroups, each associated with different deregulated genes and pathways. Interestingly, some deregulated genes in sporadic ALS were previously associated with familiar ALS, indicating shared pathogenic mechanisms between the two forms of disease. In this, we performed cluster analysis on the same whole-genome expression profiles using a restricted (203) subset of genes extensively implicated in monogenic forms of ALS. Surprisingly, this short and unbiased gene list was sufficiently representative to allow the accurate separation of SALS patients from controls and the stratification of SALS patients into two molecularly distinct subgroups. Overall, our findings support the existence of a molecular taxonomy for ALS and represent a further step toward the establishment of a molecular-based diagnosis and patient-tailored therapies.
Axial flux electrical machines (AFEM) with shaped disk structure increases the power-to-weight ratio using HTS materials. The introduction of permanent magnets on rotor disk and of superconducting coils on stator disk, instead of conventional field and armature winding, respectively, allows the development of lighter, more compact, and more performing AFEM. In this paper, we report the electromagnetic properties of an HTS coil in a double pancake configuration measured at LN2 temperature. Also, simulation studies by means of finite element and constant lumped models are reported. Commercial grade ReBa2Cu3O7-x (Re=Y or rare earths, ReBCO) tape and epoxy resin have been used for coil winding. The combination of experimental and simulation results allow ac losses, in the HTS coils used in an all-superconducting machine design, to be estimated.
Understanding the need for improvement in efficiency of an electric vehicle drivetrain system, this paper exclusively discusses various design aspects of a permanent magnet machine drive for direct-drive electric vehicles (EV). Firstly, the motivation to employ a direct-drive configuration in EV is discussed. Thereafter, initial electric machine rating design considerations for a typical Supermini or B-segment EV employing a direct-drive configuration is discussed. Furthermore, employing an existing stator, investigations are performed through analytical equations and designed machines to understand different permanent magnet machine design aspects with regards to selection of: number of poles, type of permanent magnet rotor, stator winding configuration and number of phases. The study performed here will assist in providing decision points on various structural design indices of the machine before venturing into the FEA based permanent magnet machine design and assessment for the direct-drive EV application.
Objectives: Synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SPA) are autoimmune diseases of unknown etiology, which share some clinical manifestations in common. Previous family-based investigations support genetic contributions to the susceptibility of these diseases. The current study evaluated whether three previously reported AS-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs6908425 T>C in CDKAL1, rs11584383 T>C near KIF21B, and rs11175593 C>T near LRRK2/MUC19, have any genetic overlap across multiple autoimmune diseases including SAPHO syndrome, RA, AS, and SPA. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA was obtained from 71 SAPHO, 125 RA, 67 AS, and 35 SPA Han Chinese patients, as well as 104 healthy controls. SNPs were genotyped by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Genotype and allele frequencies were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results: rs6908425 T>C in CDKAL1 was significantly different between SAPHO cases and healthy controls (odds ratios = 2.056, 95% confidence intervals: 1.211-3.490; p = 0.007), but no SNPs were associated with the risk of developing RA, AS, or SPA (p >0.05). Analysis of genotype distributions showed similar results. A significant difference was only found in the genotype frequency of rs6908425 in SAPHO cases (p = 0.004); no significant differences were detected among patients with RA, AS, and SPA (p >0.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that rs6908425 in CDKAL1 is associated with the risk of developing SAPHO in Han Chinese populations. People who carry the risk allele T of rs6908425 might be more prone to developing SAPHO syndrome.
Children make many decisions about whether and how to disclose their performance to peers, teachers, parents and others. Previous research has found that children's disclosure declines with age and that older children and teenagers preferentially choose a peer audience for performance disclosure based on similar achievement. This research examines younger children's choice of a disclosure audience: whether young children predict that people will distinguish between peers at different achievement levels, and whether or not younger children expect preferential selections between those peers for their performance disclosure. One hundred and thirty-nine children, aged 3 to 6years, were asked about a character's disclosure of classroom performance information. At least until the age of 6years, children predicted significantly greater disclosure of failure to a high achieving peer who had been successful. When asked to predict the disclosure of success, however, children in all age groups did not discriminate between disclosing to the high-achieving or low-achieving peer. This evidence suggests that very young children may not show the same valence-matching preferences as older children and that early school ages are a critical time when children begin to adopt social norms around disclosure that impinge on possible help-seeking. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oily wastewater have caused serious water pollution. The development of effective and cheap oil/water separation materials is urgent for treating this problem. Herein, inspired by superhydrophobic typical plant leaves such as lotus, red rose and marigold, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic stainless steel meshes with excellent oil-water separation efficiency were successfully fabricated by a facile immersion process and then surface modification with stearic acid. The simple immersion process, in which surface roughness and low-surface-energy coating are the two dominant factors of superhydrophobicity, could be accomplished sequentially. It was found that the as-prepared surface is both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic, with the static water angle (WCA) as high as 153 +/- 3 degrees and oil contact angle (OCA) of 0 degrees. Furthermore, as-prepared meshes can be applied to separate an oil-and-water mixture bidirectionally and exhibited excellent oil-water separation efficiency including petroleum, toluene, hexane, gasoline and diesel, even after being recycled ten times. Compared with previously reported strategies, this strategy is much easier to carry out and, in the meantime, allows the collection of oil in a continuous manner. This study provides a simple, fast, low cost and environmentally friendly route to fabricate oil-water separation materials as far as large scale manufacturing is considered, which has prospective application in industrial fields such as water treatment and petroleum refining. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Precision medicine (PM) can be defined as a predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory healthcare service delivery model. Recent developments in molecular biology and information technology make PM a reality today through the use of massive amounts of genetic, 'omics', clinical, environmental, and lifestyle data. With cancer being one of the most prominent public health threats in developed countries, both the research community and governments have been investing significant time, money, and efforts in precision cancer medicine (PCM). Although PCM research is extremely promising, a number of hurdles still remain on the road to an optimal integration of standardized and evidence-based use of PCM in healthcare systems. Indeed, PCM raises a number of technical, organizational, ethical, legal, social, and economic challenges that have to be taken into account in the development of an appropriate health policy framework. Here, we highlight some of the more salient issues regarding the standards needed for integration of PCM into healthcare systems, and we identify fields where more research is needed before policy can be implemented. Key challenges include, but are not limited to, the creation of new standards for the collection, analysis, and sharing of samples and data from cancer patients, and the creation of new clinical trial designs with renewed endpoints. We believe that these issues need to be addressed as a matter of priority by public health policymakers in the coming years for a better integration of PCM into healthcare.
The non-linear velocity-dependent rolling friction coefficient between a rigid ball and soft surface was determined by instrumenting the ball with a triaxial gyroscope and converting the spin rate to translational velocity. The latter was differentiated numerically and the resulting translational acceleration was normalised to the gravitational acceleration in order to obtain the rolling friction coefficient. The rolling friction coefficient between a rigid sphere and a foam surface increased with velocity and consisted of three components: a sharp increase in friction coefficient at slow velocities, starting at the static rolling friction coefficient; a constant coefficient at medium velocities; and a coefficient increasing with velocity squared at higher velocities. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Network servers and applications commonly use static IP addresses and communication ports, making themselves easy targets for network reconnaissances and attacks. Moving target defense (MTD) is an innovatory and promising proactive defense technique. In this paper, we develop a novel MTD mechanism, called Random Port and Address Hopping (RPAH). The goal of RPAH is to hide network servers and applications and resist network reconnaissances and attacks by constantly changing their IP addresses and ports. In order to enhance the unpredictability, RPAH integrates source identity, service identity and temporal parameter in the hopping to provide three hopping frequencies, i.e., source hopping, service hopping and temporal hopping. RPAH provides high unpredictability and the maximum hopping diversities by introducing port and address demultiplexing mechanism, and provides a convenient attack detection mechanism with which the messages from attackers using invalid or inactive addresses/ports will be conveniently detected and denied. Our experiments and evaluation on campus network and PlanetLab show that RPAH is effective in resisting various network reconnaissance and attack models such as network scanning and worm propagation, while introducing an acceptable operation overhead.
The relative age effect (RAE) is a well-established phenomenon in education and sports. Coaches have been assumed to be important social agents of RAE via biased selection decisions in favour of children with maturation advantages. In the present research, we used the Implicit Association Test to investigate automatic associations between body size and a player's domain-specific giftedness amongst youth baseball (N= 18) and youth soccer coaches (N= 34). We found medium to strong automatic associations between body size and player giftedness (baseball: M-D= 0.62; soccer: M-D= 0.51). Specifically, taller players were associated with positive performance-related attributes, whereas smaller players were associated with negative attributes. The results are in line with theories of grounded cognition by showing that the abstract concept of sport giftedness is partly grounded in the perception of physical height amongst youth sports coaches. We argue that this grounded cognition has the potential to influence coaches' selection decisions and in turn account for RAE as coaches are biased towards physically more matured players, even when no apparent performance advantage is evident.
Reinforcements can change the mechanical characteristics and liquefaction resistance of soils. The main purpose of this study is to realise the behaviour of static liquefaction of saturated silty sand reinforced by different arrangements of geotextile layers. Several series of undrained triaxial tests were conducted on reinforced and unreinforced saturated sand and sand mixed with varying amounts of silt (0-50%). Factors such as the silt content, arrangement and number of geotextile layers are discussed in this paper. The results indicate that by increasing the silt content up to about 35%, the static liquefaction resistance decreases in reinforced and unreinforced silty sand. With further increases in silt content from 35 to 50%, the liquefaction resistance increases. Also, it was found that geotextile inclusion increases the liquefaction resistance of saturated sand for all silt contents examined. The results of this study are limited to the use of sand and silty sand reinforced with one type of nonwoven geotextile.
Hookah tobacco smoking (HTS) has been increasing, particularly among young adults and has similar health effects compared to cigarette smoking. The link between HTS and poly-tobacco use is well documented, but fewer show an association between HTS and alcohol use. It is essential to identify factors that increase the risk for or addictiveness and consequences of HTS, given its growing prevalence. This study examined whether the association between HTS and poly-tobacco use differed as a function of age and alcohol consumption within in a sample of 1223 adult cigarette smokers. Approximately 20% of participants reported HTS. Compared to non-users, hookah users were more likely to be male, highly educated, and to report drug and alcohol use, binge drinking, and poly-tobacco use but were less likely to be heavy smokers (>= 10 cigarettes per day). Regression analyses predicting number of tobacco products used (excluding cigarettes and HTS) indicated a three-way interaction of HTS, frequency of alcohol use, and age such that the association between HIS and number of tobacco products used was strongest for younger respondents who consumed alcohol more frequently. As observed in previous studies, alcohol is an important risk factor in the relationship between HTS and poly-tobacco use, particularly among younger cigarette smokers. The links between alcohol, HTS, and poly-tobacco use should be considered when developing HTS education and prevention materials directed toward younger cigarette smokers. Findings provide information relevant to FDA's interest in the addiction potential of HTS and its link to poly-tobacco use. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The ac impedance spectroscopy measurements are predominantly taken by using impedance analyzers based on analog auto-balancing bridge. However, those bench-top analyzers are generally complicated, bulky and expensive, thus limiting their usage in industrial field applications. This paper presents the development of a compact wideband precision measurement system based on digital auto-balancing bridge. The methods of digital auto-balancing bridge and digital lock-in amplifier are analyzed theoretically. The overall design and several key sections including null detector, direct digital synthesizer-based sampling clock, and digital control unit are introduced in detail. The results show that the system achieves a basic measurement accuracy of 0.05% with a frequency range of 20 Hz-2 MHz. The advantages of versatile measurement capacity, fast measurement speed, small size and low cost make it quite suitable for industrial field applications. It is demonstrated that this system is practical and effective by applying in determining the impedance-temperature characteristic of a motor starter PTC thermistor.
BackgroundThe liver is the major site for alcohol metabolism in the body and therefore the primary target organ for ethanol (EtOH)-induced toxicity. In this study, we investigated the invitro response of human liver cells to different EtOH concentrations in a perfused bioartificial liver device that mimics the complex architecture of the natural organ. MethodsPrimary human liver cells were cultured in the bioartificial liver device and treated for 24hours with medium containing 150mM (low), 300mM (medium), or 600mM (high) EtOH, while a control culture was kept untreated. Gene expression patterns for each EtOH concentration were monitored using Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST Gene chips. Scaled expression profiles of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were clustered using Fuzzy c-means algorithm. In addition, functional classification methods, KEGG pathway mapping and also a machine learning approach (Random Forest) were utilized. ResultsA number of 966 (150mM EtOH), 1,334 (300mM EtOH), or 4,132 (600mM EtOH) genes were found to be differentially expressed. Dose-response relationships of the identified clusters of co-expressed genes showed a monotonic, threshold, or nonmonotonic (hormetic) behavior. Functional classification of DEGs revealed that low or medium EtOH concentrations operate adaptation processes, while alterations observed for the high EtOH concentration reflect the response to cellular damage. The genes displaying a hormetic response were functionally characterized by overrepresented cellular ketone metabolism and carboxylic acid metabolism. Altered expression of the genes BAHD1 and H3F3B was identified as sufficient to classify the samples according to the applied EtOH doses. ConclusionsDifferent pathways of metabolic and epigenetic regulation are affected by EtOH exposition and partly undergo hormetic regulation in the bioartificial liver device. Gene expression changes observed at high EtOH concentrations reflect in some aspects the situation of alcoholic hepatitis in humans.
with the rapid advancement of technology today, smartphones become more and more powerful and attract a huge amount of users with new features provided by mobile device operating systems such as Android. However, due to its security vulnerability, hackers and cybercriminals constantly attack Android mobile devices. Thus, research on effective and efficient mobile threat analysis becomes an emerging and important topic in cybersecurity research area, using various security analysis and evaluation strategies such as static analysis and dynamic analysis. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach which aggregates the static and dynamic analysis for detecting security threat and attack in mobile app. In our approach, we implement the unification of data states and software execution on the critical test path. Our approach has two phases. We first perform the static analysis to identify the possible attack critical path based on Android API and the existing attack patterns, next we perform the dynamic analysis which follows the path to execute the program in a limited and focused scope, and detect the attack possibility by checking conformance of detected path with the existing attack patterns. In the second phase of runtime dynamic analysis, dynamic inspection will report the type of attack scenarios with respect to the type of confidential data leakage, such as web browser cookie, without accessing any real critical and protected data sources in mobile devices.
the past, the Entity-Component-System (ECS) pattern has become a major design pattern used in modern architectures for Realtime Interactive Systems (RIS). In this paper we introduce high performance wait-free hash maps for the System access of Components within the ECS pattern. This allows non-locking read and write operations, leading to a highly responsive low-latency data access while maintaining a consistent data state. Furthermore, we present centralized as well as decentralized approaches for reducing the memory demand of these memory-intensive wait-free hash maps for diverse RIS applications. Our approaches gain their efficiency by Component-wise queues which use atomic markup operations for fast memory deletion. We have implemented our new method in a current RIS and the results show that our approach is able to efficiently reduce the memory usage of wait-free hash maps very effectively by more than a factor of ten while still maintaining their high performance. Furthermore, we derive best practices from our numerical results for different use cases of wait-free hash map memory management in diverse RIS applications.
A method for modeling fluid-solid interactions in saturated porous media is proposed. The main challenge is the combination of the material and spatial descriptions. The deformation of the solid, which serves as a container to the fluid, is studied by following the motion of its material particles, i.e., in Lagrangian description. On the other hand, the motion of the fluid is described in spatial form, i.e., by using a Eulerian approach. However, the solid deforms and this implies a certain difference regarding the standard formulation used in spatial description of fluid mechanics where a fixed grid dissects space into elementary volumes. Here the grid is no longer fixed, and the elementary volumes will follow the deformation of the solid. Moreover, for the solid as well as for the fluid the balance equations are formulated in the current configuration, where interaction forces and couples are taken into account. By using Zhilin's approach, entropy and temperature are incorporated in the system of equations. Constitutive equations are constructed for both elastic and inelastic components of force and couple stress tensors and interaction force and couple. The constitutive equations for elastic components are found on the basis of the energy balance equation; the constitutive equations for the inelastic components are proposed in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. Particular emphasis is placed on the constitutive equations of the interaction force and couple, which result in a symmetric form only because of the hybrid approach combining the Lagrangian with the Eulerian description. Three possible examples of application of the theory have been presented. For each example, all required assumptions were first stated and discussed and then the complete set of the corresponding equations was presented.
Angiogenesis is an important component of the process of atherosclerosis. It has recently been demonstrated that VEGF, a potent angiogenic growth factor, increases the rate of atherosclerosis in animal models. There is a significant body of literature concerned with the ability of polyphenols to alter VEGF signaling and angiogenesis. However, the potential for polyphenols to influence atherosclerosis as a result of inhibiting VEGF signaling and VEGF-dependent angiogenesis has not been considered. This chapter summarizes and reviews the existing literature concerning the effects of polyphenols on VEGF signaling, angiogenesis, and atherosclerosis. The data suggest that some polyphenols can inhibit VEGF signaling, as well as angiogenesis and atherosclerosis, via a variety of mechanisms and, in some cases, at physiologically relevant concentrations. However, there is a lack of published data from studies with polyphenol metabolites, and the majority of reports are from studies using aglycones at supraphysiological concentrations. Data from epidemiological studies show there is a positive correlation between polyphenol consumption and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, but the role of specific compounds is difficult to determine from these. Future research should focus on establishing whether or not the reported antiatherosclerotic effects of polyphenol-rich foods and extracts are due to the polyphenols inhibiting VEGF signaling. Further research is required to elucidate the influence of bioavailability, metabolism, and combinations of polyphenols found in foods on VEGF signaling.
Introduction: Individuals rate opposite sex faces as more attractive after consuming or being primed with alcohol. However, other traits such as intelligence and likeability have not been examined and might vary as a function of information about one's drinking habits. We expected social drinkers to be rated more positively than heavy drinkers, abstainers, or recovering alcoholics. We further hypothesized that faces with similar drinking habits to participants would be rated as more appealing. Methods: Five hundred ninety-four undergraduates viewed 25 opposite sex faces randomly paired with drinking information, and rated each face on perceived appeal. Results: Hierarchical linear models revealed that social drinkers were rated as most appealing, as expected. Unexpectedly, recovering alcoholics were rated as the next most appealing, followed by abstainers, then heavy drinkers. The interaction between drinker type and participants' own drinking predicting ratings indicated that the heavier the participant drinks, the more favorably they rated heavy drinkers compared to other types of drinkers. Thus, as expected, ratings varied as a function of participants' own drinking; however, ratings did not vary as a function of participants' alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Findings support hypotheses in that social drinkers were generally perceived as appealing compared to other drinker types, and ratings tended to be influenced by participants' own drinking. Individuals' prototypes and norms regarding drinking may influence how they perceive others when others' drinking habits are known. This might be especially important to consider with heavy drinkers who may seek out others who drink similarly, which could reinforce problematic drinking. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
An important issue in Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is the massive deployment of intelligent agents embedded in the environment which are adaptive to the users' profiles, preferences and needs. This is why, the use of agent-oriented methodologies and frameworks is almost mandatory to easily develop software for AmI scenarios. ICARO is a software framework that promotes the use of different organizational and behavioral patterns to implement multi-agent systems (MAS). Its extensive use in several projects demonstrates a substantial increase in software productivity. Also, in order to reduce the coding effort it is usual to design MAS at a higher level. In this sense, code generation from MAS specifications into ICARO framework has been performed. INGENIAS Development Kit (IDK) supports both the specification of MAS models, including any feature required to implement MAS with ICARO, and a set of facilities for code generation. This paper describes the development of AmI applications thanks to the integration of ICARO and IDK. Two IDK modules have been developed, namely a code generation and a code update support module.
The fact that the security facilities within a system are closely coupled and the security facilities between systems are unconnected results in an isolated protection structure for systems, and gives rise to a serious challenge to system security integrations and system controls. Also, the need for diversified services and flexible extensions of network security asks for more considerations and contributions from the perspective of software engineering in the process of designing and constructing security systems. Based on the essence of the virtualization technique and the idea of software-defined networks, we in this paper propose a novel software-defined security architecture for systems. By abstracting the traditional security facilities and techniques, the proposed security architecture provides a new, simple, effective, and programmable framework in which security operations and security controls can be decoupled, and thereby reduces the software module sizes, decreases the intensity of software developments, and improves the security extensibility of systems.
In recent years, model order reduction (MOR) of interconnect system has become an important technique to reduce the computation complexity and improve the verification efficiency in the nanometer VLSI design. The Krylov subspaces techniques in existing MOR methods are efficient, and have become the methods of choice for generating small-scale macro-models of the large-scale multi-port RCL networks that arise in VLSI interconnect analysis. Although the Krylov subspace projection-based MOR methods have been widely studied over the past decade in the electrical computer-aided design community, all of them do not provide a best optimal solution in a given order. In this paper, a minimum norm least-squares solution for MOR by Krylov subspace methods is proposed. The method is based on generalized inverse (or pseudo inverse) theory. This enables a new criterion for MOR-based Krylov subspace projection methods. Two numerical examples are used to test the PRIMA method based on the method proposed in this paper as a standard model.
Botnets are one of the leading threats to network security nowadays and are used to conduct a wide variety of malicious activities, including information theft, phishing, spam mail distribution, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Among the various forms of botnet, DGA-based botnets, which utilize a Domain Generation Algorithm (DGA) to avoid detection, are one of the most disruptive and difficult to detect. In such botnets, the DGA is used to generate a huge list of candidate Command and Control (C&C) server domains, and the bot then attempts to connect to an active C&C server by querying each DNS server in turn. DGA-based botnets are highly elusive and difficult to detect using traditional defensive mechanisms and therefore have a high survivability. Accordingly, this study proposes a DGA-based botnet detection scheme designated as DBod based on an analysis of the query behavior of the DNS traffic. The proposed scheme exploits the fact that hosts compromised by the same DGA-based malware query the same sets of domains in the domain list and most of these queries fail since only a very limited number of the domains are actually associated with an active C&C. The feasibility of the proposed method is evaluated using the DNS data collected from an education network environment over a period of 26 months. The results show that DBod provides an accurate and effective means of detecting both existing and new DGA-based botnet patterns in real-world networks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The present study examined relations between prosocial tendencies (dispositional sympathy and prosocial behavior) and psychological adjustment using a multi-method and multi-informant approach in a socioeconomically diverse sample of first- and second-generation Chinese American children from immigrant families (N=238, M age=9.2 years). We tested the concurrent associations between: (a) children's dispositional sympathy (rated by parents, teachers, and children, and observed prosocial behavior), (b) psychological adjustment (parent- and teacher-reported externalizing problems and social competence); and (c) cultural and socio-demographic factors (children's Chinese and American orientations, family Socioeconomic Status (SES), only child status, and children's age, sex, and social desirability). Results from correlations and structural equation modeling suggested that different measures of prosocial tendencies related differently to children's psychological adjustment. Parent- and teacher-rated sympathy were associated with higher child social competence and lower externalizing problems within, but not across, reporter. By contrast, child-rated sympathy was associated with higher teacher-rated social competence, and observed prize donation was associated with lower teacher-rated externalizing problems. Different measures of prosocial tendencies also showed different relations to cultural and socio-demographic factors. These findings suggest that prosocial tendencies are not a unitary construct in Chinese American immigrant children: the manifestations of prosocial tendencies and their adjustment implications might depend on the context and/or targets of these tendencies.
There has been a growing demand of using multi-function inverters for grid-connected systems applied to nonconventional energy sources, such as solar, wind and so on. In addition to power quality conditioning, the inverter can also be used for bidirectional active power exchange with a three-phase four-wire grid. Therefore, the inverter acts as a multi-function compensator. The functions of the proposed inverter system include active power injection, rectification and active power filtering (APF) (including phase power balancing). This paper presents design and implementation of a three-leg split-capacitor shunt multi-function inverter with division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control. The adopted D-Sigma digital control can accommodate filter inductance variation, reducing core size significantly, and its control laws can be derived directly to cancel the variation effects of dc-bus voltage, switching period and filter inductance. An average power method is adopted in this paper for determining fundamental currents at the source side. In the design and implementation, the inductances corresponding to various inductor currents were estimated at the startup and stored in the microcontroller for scheduling loop gain cycle by cycle, which can insure system stability. Measured results from a three-phase four-wire inverter have confirmed the analysis and discussion.
We studied three hybrid poplar plantations in Quebec (Canada) established on sites with varying soil and environmental characteristics to investigate the effects of logging residues on the water potential, carbon isotope ratio and foliar nutrients of planted trees. On each site, four treatments representing different residue loads, as well as treatments aimed at manipulating specific factors of the environment (Herbicide, Geotextile) were applied to test their effects on seedling water potential, carbon isotope ratio and foliar nutrients. Along with analyses of variance, we used structural equation modelling to infer causal relationships of logging residues on height, basal diameter and foliar nutrition of trees through their effects on soil temperature, soil water content and competing vegetation cover. Logging residues decreased soil temperature at all sites and woody plants cover at one site out of three. Height, basal diameter and unit leaf mass were strongly related to each other. Foliar delta C-13, N concentration and unit leaf mass increased with decreasing cover of woody plants suggesting an important role of competition for resources. Overall, logging residues had no direct influence on hybrid poplar dimensions after two growing seasons: their effects on the microenvironment of this resource demanding tree species were either cancelling out each other, or were not significant enough to have a significant impact on the growth drivers measured. For example, presence of logging residues might reduce soil temperature, impeding overall seedling performance. Our study highlights the fact that any given silvicultural method aimed at manipulating logging residues has a complex influence involving the interaction of multiple environmental drivers and that the net effect on tree productivity will depend on species and site specific conditions.
Purpose of Review The rapid development of remote sensing technology hasmade dense 3D data available from airborne laser scanning and recently also photogrammetric point clouds. This paper reviews methods for extraction of individual trees from 3D data and their applications in forestry and ecology. Recent Findings Methods for analysis of 3D data at tree level have been developed since the turn of the century. The first algorithms were based on 2D surface models of the upper contours of tree crowns. These methods are robust and provide information about the trees in the top-most canopy. There are also methods that use the complete 3D data. However, development of these 3D methods is still needed to include use of geometric properties. To detect a large fraction of the tallest trees, a surface model method generally gives the best results, but detection of smaller trees below the top-most canopy requires methods utilizing the whole point cloud. Several new sensors are now available with capability to describe the upper part of the canopy, which can be used to frequently update vegetation maps. Highly sensitive laser photo detectors have become available for civilian applications, which will enable acquisition of high-resolution 3D laser data for large areas to much lower costs. Summary Methods for ITC delineation from 3D data provide information about a large fraction of the trees, but there is still a challenge to make optimal use of the information from whole point cloud. Newly developed sensors might make ITC methods cheaper and feasible for large areas.
Cities in developed countries have increasingly adopted rainwater tanks as an alternative water source over the last 15 years. The rapid uptake of rainwater tanks has been driven by the need to reduce demand for centralised water services that are under pressure to adapt to population growth and climate change impacts. Rainwater tanks are part of integrated urban water management approach that considers the whole water cycle to provide water services on a fit for purpose basis that minimises the impact on the local environment and receiving waters. Rainwater tanks are typically applied at the household scale for non-potable water source uses such as toilet flushing and garden irrigation. However, this paper reports on a communal approach to rainwater harvesting, where the water is treated for potable use. A communal approach to rainwater harvesting can offer benefits, such as: economies of scale for capital costs, reduced land footprint, centralised disinfection and flexibility in matching supply and demand for different households. The analysis showed that the communal approach could provide a reliable potable water source to a small urban development. However, there was an energy penalty associated with this water source compared to centralised systems that could be addressed through more appropriate pump sizing. The outputs from this monitoring and modelling study demonstrated rainwater harvesting can be expanded beyond the current mainstream practices of household systems for non-potable use in certain development contexts. The analysis contained in this paper can be used for the improved planning and design of communal approaches to rainwater harvesting.
Performances of chloramphenicol (CAP) degradation by direct ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, persulfate (PS) oxidation alone and UV irradiation-activated persulfate process (UV/PS) were systematically studied. UV/PS oxidation was superior over direct UV irradiation or PS oxidation alone. Both SO4-center dot and HO center dot were existing in UV/PS system, and SO4-center dot was proved to be the primary radical species through the scavenging tests. The secondary order reaction rate constant between CAP and SO4-center dot was estimated to be 1.33 x 10(10)M(-1) s(-1). The CAP degradation fitted the pseudo-first-order kinetics well (R-2>0.95) in tests. Higher PS dosage, lower initial CAP concentration and acid pH promoted the CAP degradation. A maximum TOC removal of 31.7% was observed in 120 min at conditions of [CAP](o) = 0.03 mM and [PS](o) = 1.0 mM. At last, the electrical energy per order (EE/O) value in system was demonstrated to be 16.76 kWh/m(3)/order. Results: indicated that the UV/PS system is potential alternative to control water pollution caused by emerging contaminants such as CAP. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Human metabolism is influenced by dietary factors and lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors; thus, men who exclude some or all animal products from their diet might have different metabolic profiles than meat eaters. Objective: We aimed to investigate differences in concentrations of 118 circulating metabolites, including acylcarnitines, amino acids, biogenic amines, glycerophospholipids, hexose, and sphingolipids related to lipid, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism between male meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans from the Oxford arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Design: In this cross-sectional study, concentrations of metabolites were measured by mass spectrometry in plasma from 379 men categorized according to their diet group. Differences in mean metabolite concentrations across diet groups were tested by using ANOVA, and a false discovery rate-controlling procedure was used to account for multiple testing. Principal component analysis was used to investigate patterns in metabolic profiles. Results: Concentrations of 79% of metabolites differed significantly by diet group. In the vast majority of these cases, vegans had the lowest concentration, whereas meat eaters most often had the highest concentrations of the acylcarnitines, glycerophospholipids, and sphingolipids, and fish eaters or vegetarians most often had the highest concentrations of the amino acids and a biogenic amine. A clear separation between patterns in the metabolic profiles of the 4 diet groups was seen, with vegans being noticeably different from the other groups because of lower concentrations of some glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Conclusions: Metabolic profiles in plasma could effectively differentiate between men from different habitual diet groups, especially vegan men compared with men who consume animal products. The difference in metabolic profiles was mainly explained by the lower concentrations of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids in vegans.
This paper presents a digital motion controller of an electric wheelchair by using a low-cost real-time microcontroller unit (MCU) and an own developed power electronic drive. The speed control of the wheels is implemented through a digital pulse-width modulation technique which is varying with the reference generated by a low-cost joystick. Voltage regulators and power converters are implemented to supply correct voltage levels to control cards and to the DC motors from batteries. Experimental results which have been obtained by using the MCU, the mechanical structure of a used electric wheelchair and the developed electronic drive demonstrate that the proposed digital controller meets the user requirements in terms of reliability, good driving and fair economic cost.
Background: Basophil activation tests (BATs) have promise for research and for clinical monitoring of patients with allergies. However, BAT protocols vary in blood anticoagulant used and temperature and time of storage before testing, complicating comparisons of results from various studies. Objective: We attempted to establish a BAT protocol that would permit analysis of blood within 24 hours of obtaining the sample. Methods: Blood from 46 healthy donors and 120 patients with peanut allergy was collected into EDTA or heparin tubes, and samples were stored at 4 degrees C or room temperature for 4 or 24 hours before performing BATs. Results: Stimulation with anti-IgE or IL-3 resulted in strong upregulation of basophil CD203c in samples collected in EDTA or heparin, stored at 4 degrees C, and analyzed 24 hours after sample collection. However, a CD63(hi) population of basophils was not observed in any conditions in EDTA-treated samples unless exogenous calcium/magnesium was added at the time of antiIgE stimulation. By contrast, blood samples collected in heparin tubes were adequate for quantification of upregulation of basophil CD203c and identification of a population of CD63 hi basophils, irrespective of whether the specimens were analyzed by means of conventional flow cytometry or cytometry by time-of- flight mass spectrometry, and such tests could be performed after blood was stored for 24 hours at 4 degrees C. Conclusion: BATs to measure upregulation of basophil CD203c and induction of a CD63 hi basophil population can be conducted with blood obtained in heparin tubes and stored at 4 degrees C for 24 hours.
Classification and numeric estimation are the two most common types of data mining. The goal of classification is to predict the discrete type of output values whereas estimation is aimed at finding the continuous type of output values. Predictive data mining is generally achieved by using only one specific statistical or machine learning technique to construct a prediction model. Related studies have shown that prediction performance by this kind of single flat model can be improved by the utilization of some hierarchical structures. Hierarchical estimation approaches, usually a combination of multiple estimation models, have been proposed for solving some specific domain problems. However, in the literature, there is no generic hierarchical approach for estimation and no hybrid based solution that combines classification and estimation techniques hierarchically. Therefore, we introduce a generic hierarchical architecture, namely hierarchical classification and regression (HCR), suitable for various estimation problems. Simply speaking, the first level of HCR involves pre-processing a given training set by classifying it into k classes, leading to k subsets. Three approaches are used to perform this task in this study: hard classification (HC); fuzzy c-means (FCM); and genetic algorithms (GA). Then, each training data containing its associated class label is used to train a support vector machine (SVM) classifier for classification. Next, for the second level of HCR, k regression (or estimation) models are trained based on their corresponding subsets for final prediction. The experiments based on 8 different UCI datasets show that most hierarchical prediction models developed with the HCR architecture significantly outperform three well-known single fiat prediction models, i.e., linear regression (LR), multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks, and support vector regression (SVR) in terms of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) rates. In addition, it is found that using the GA-based data pre-processing approach to classify the training set into 4 subsets is the best threshold (i.e., k=4) and the 4-class SVM+MLP outperforms three baseline hierarchical regression models.
In an ambient intelligence (AmI) environment, electronic devices that comprise the Internet of things (IoT) network work together seamlessly to provide a wide variety of applications and intelligent services to users. Computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT), a widely used application in the traditional Internet environment that corrects user's pronunciation, is a promising service for transition to the AmI environment. However, the migration of the CAPT to the AmI environment is challenging due to its high computational requirements that is at odds with the low computational capacity of IoT members. In this paper, we propose a smartphone-assisted pronunciation learning technique based on a lightweight word recommendation method that exploits built-in functions supported by IoT members and a computationally moderate word selection method. The experimental evaluation of the proposed method demonstrates that the user pronunciation is significantly improved without incurring unacceptable computational costs for a smartphone platform.
An important aim of bone regenerative medicine is to design biomaterials with controlled chemical and topographical features to guide stem cell fate towards osteoblasts without addition of specific osteogenic factors. Herein, we find that sprayed bioactive and biocompatible calcium phosphate substrates (CaP) with controlled topography induce, in a well-orchestrated manner, Wharton's jelly stem cells (WJ-SCs) differentiation into osteoblastic lineage without any osteogenic supplements. The resulting WJ-SCs commitment exhibits features of native bone, through the formation of three-dimensional bone-like nodule with osteocyte-like cells embedded into a mineralized type I collagen. To our knowledge, these results present the first observation of a whole differentiation process from stem cell to osteocyteslike on a synthetic material. This suggests a great potential of sprayed CaP and WJ-SCs in bone tissue engineering. These unique features may facilitate the transition from bench to bedside and the development of successful engineered bone. Statement of Significance Designing materials to direct stem cell fate has a relevant impact on stem cell biology and provides insights facilitating their clinical application in regenerative medicine. Inspired by natural bone compositions, a friendly automated spray-assisted system was used to build calcium phosphate substrate (CaP). Sprayed biomimetic solutions using mild conditions led to the formation of CaP with controlled physical properties, good bioactivity and biocompatibility. Herein, we show that via optimization of physical properties, CaP substrate induce osteogenic differentiation of Wharton's jelly stem cells (WJ-SCs) without adding osteogenic supplement factors. These results suggest a great potential of sprayed CaP and WJ-SCs in bone tissue engineering and may facilitate the transition from bench to beside and the development of clinically successful engineered bone. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP- PRRSV) continues to pose one of the greatest threats to the swine industry. M protein is the most conserved and important structural protein of PRRSV. However, information about the host cellular proteins that interact with M protein remains limited. Methods: Host cellular proteins that interact with the M protein of HP- PRRSV were immunoprecipitated from MARC145 cells infected with PRRSV HuN4-F112 using the M monoclonal antibody (mAb). The differentially expressed proteins were identified by LC-MS/MS. The screened proteins were used for bioinformatics analysis including Gene Ontology, the interaction network, and the enriched KEGG pathways. Some interested cellular proteins were validated to interact with M protein by CO-IP. Results: The PRRSV HuN4-F112 infection group had 10 bands compared with the control group. The bands included 219 non-redundant cellular proteins that interact with M protein, which were identified by LC-MS/MS with high confidence. The gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway bioinformatic analyses indicated that the identified proteins could be assigned to several different subcellular locations and functional classes. Functional analysis of the interactome profile highlighted cellular pathways associated with protein translation, infectious disease, and signal transduction. Two interested cellular proteins-nuclear factor of activated T cells 45 kDa (NF45) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-that could interact with M protein were validated by Co-IP and confocal analyses. Conclusions: The interactome data between PRRSV M protein and cellular proteins were identified and contribute to the understanding of the roles of M protein in the replication and pathogenesis of PRRSV. The interactome of M protein will aid studies of virus/host interactions and provide means to decrease the threat of PRRSV to the swine industry in the future.
One of the first steps in numerous computer vision tasks is the extraction of keypoints in images. Despite the large number of works proposing image keypoint detectors, only a few methodologies are able to efficiently use both visual and geometrical information. In this work we introduce KVD (Keypoints from Visual and Depth Data), a novel keypoint detector which is scale invariant and combines intensity and geometrical data using a decision tree. We present results from several experiments showing that the detector created with our methodology outperforms state-of-the-art methods, both in repeatability scores for rotations, translations and scale changes, as well as in robustness to corrupted visual or geometric data. Additionally, as far as processing time is concerned, KVD yields the best time performance among the methods that also use depth and visual data. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the article, the solution of a problem of increasing efficiency of a drilling bit at the stage of its manufacture is proposed. The method of solving this task offered by authors consists in integration automatic contactless and contact stylus method of control elements of pairs leg/cutter of the drilling bit in production conditions. The authors give detailed justification of the offered automatic control methods in the form of special devices. Schemes and descriptions of the work of devices and also calculations of the main characteristics of construction of the device for contact stylus control are provided. The algorithm, excluding time costs of calculations, to determine the group of received size of the roller way leg/cutter is developed by authors for managing sorting devices. The solutions proposed by the authors can be used in the manufacturing engineering, and also in modernization of acting facilities, on which there is a requirement for receiving and selection of couple parts of the roller way.
When determining the dimensions of a geosynthetic lining system, it is important to have knowledge of the behaviour of the anchorage of the geotextile sheets. In order to optimise the geometry of the structures in question and then reduce the area taken up by the anchorage, anchorage solutions using trenches of varying forms are sometimes used. This paper focuses on two types of anchors (simple run-out and wrap around). The first author has previously performed some pull-out tests using an anchorage bench under controlled conditions using three types of geosynthetics and two types of soil. The results obtained from that study showed that there is an optimum length for the upper part of the geosynthetic for the wrap around anchorage. A more detailed analysis which describes the behaviour of a geosynthetic for the wrap around anchorage, the influence of the geosynthetic and of the soil types is presented herein.
The paper draws upon the controversy over the use of indigenous-related sports emblems that has recently sparked a series of protests across the United States against the Washington Redsk*ns name and imagery. It focuses on the visual aspect of the debate, tracing the white-supremacist foundations of the Washington team's insignia to the institutional construction of Native identity through popular Indian head pennies, gold coins, and buffalo nickels in the period between 1859 and 1938. Pointing at the seemingly paradoxical discrepancy between the minted messages and the systematic political, legal, and military invasion on American Indian sovereignty in that period, it proceeds to deconstruct the paradox by exposing the numismatic pictorial language as a manifestation of the same ideological project and the configurations of power that have remained unchanged to this day. The continued circulation of indigenous-based iconography in the contemporary American context shows that the same cultural imagination continues to serve not only as a powerful rationale for European America's historical, national, and political narrative but also as a form of anti-conquest that both obscures and enacts the established formulas of colonial domination and control. Observing the alterations of the Washington Redsk*ns logo design across some of the key socio-historical moments of the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the analysis explores how various forms of national anxiety transcend into identity through the politics of representation. In that light, it regards recent activism against mass-mediated symbolization of indigenous identity as an important arena in which centuries-old hegemonic discourses are contested against new venues of self-determination and internal decolonization.
Education & Learning Process at Manufacturing Engineering subjects requires the use, at every educational level, of resources and technologies that improve professor educative practice and student contents and competences acquisition. In this work it is showed the use of a 3D simulation tool for virtual models creation, carried out by National Distance University of Spain and the Salesianos - Atocha School at Madrid, Spain, within the practical part of several subjects of their manufacture engineering studies and professional formative. It is analyzed and discussed the development of a virtual model that simulates a lathe gearbox manufacturing project in the classroom. A 3D CAD geometry is used as a base for the calculation and design of all the gearbox components (main spindle, chuck's joints, gears, change of feed, etc.). This methodology, used with every lathe component, permits the presentation of the machine as a whole and the analysis of the gearbox development in it. Human factors, assembly time, workplaces development and 3D lines design are studied and analyzed within the proposed model. The programs which have been used to develop this work are: Inventor 2009, Adobe Premier and 3D Studio Max R6. The final results can be displayed into several digital formats which help with the pedagogical model promotion.
The enzymatic cleavage of C-C bonds in beta-diketones is, comparatively, a little studied biochemical process, but one that has important relevance to human metabolism, bioremediation and preparative biocatalysis. In recent studies, four types of enzymes have come to light that cleave C-C bonds in the beta-diketone functionality using different chemical mechanisms. OPH [oxidized poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrolase from Pseudomonas sp. strain VM15C], which cleaves nonane-4,6-dione to butyrate and pentan-2-one is a serine-triad hydrolase. Dke1 (diketone-cleaving enzyme from Acinetobacter johnsonii) is a dioxygenase, cleaving acetylacetone to methylglyoxal and acetate. Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase cleaves fumarylacetoacetate to fumarate and acetoacetate using a water molecule, activated by a catalytic His/Asp dyad, aided by a calcium ion that both chelates the enol acid form of the substrate and indirectly positions the water for nucleophilic attack at a carbonyl group. 6-Oxocamphor hydrolase cleaves nonenolizable cyclic beta-diketones and is a homologue of the crotonase superfamily, employing a catalytic His/Asp dyad to activate a water molecule for nucleophilic attack at a carbonyl group on one prochiral face of the diketone substrate, effecting desymmetrizations of symmetrical substrates.
The purpose of this study is to understand the children's expression with verbal and nonverbal communication in the Autistic spectrum. We study the emotional readiness and the music therapeutic activities which exploit the elements of music. The method followed focused on the research field of special needs education. Assumptions on the parameters investigated in relation to communication: (a) the spontaneous interest to the other and (b) facilitating the access to music and games - cooperation activities with others in the classroom, in the school yard and with extension to family members. In the results, we found that communication in Accession elementary special education school can be significantly improved while the music therapeutic activities and the pedagogical practice recording high levels of interest in musical dance games. The conclusions showed that the content of personalised music therapist activities aimed Emotional Organisation can support communication techniques in children have little verbal communication.
The present study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure 5- to 6-month-old infants' hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to visual stimuli differing in saliency and social value. Nineteen Japanese 5- to 6-month-old infants watched video clips of Peek-a-Boo (social signal) performed by an anime character (AC) or a human, and hand movements without social signal performed by an AC. The PFC activity of infants was measured by 22-channel fNIRS, while behaviors including looking time were recorded simultaneously. NIRS data showed that infants hemodynamic responses in the PFC generally decreased due to these stimuli, and the decrease was most prominent in the frontopolar (FP), covering medial PFC (MPFC), when infants were viewing Peek-a-Boo performed by an AC. Moreover, the decrease was more pronounced in the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) when infants were viewing Peek-a-Boo performed by an AC than by a human. Accordingly, behavioral data revealed significantly longer looking times when Peek-a-Boo was performed by an AC than by a human. No significant difference between Peek-a-Boo and non-Peek-a-Boo conditions was observed in either measure. These findings indicate that infants at this age may prefer stimuli with more salient features, which may be more effective in attracting their attentions. In conjunction with our previous findings on responses to self-name calling in infants of similar age, we hypothesize that the dynamic function of the MPFC and its vicinity (as part of default mode network (DMN): enhanced by self-focused stimuli, attenuated by externally focused stimuli), which is consistently observed in adults, may have already emerged in 5- to 6-month-old infants.
Purpose: To investigate a model of language development for nonverbal preschool-age children learning to communicate with augmentative or alternative communication. Method: Ninety-three preschool children with intellectual disabilities were assessed at Time 1, and 82 of these children were assessed 1 year later, at Time 2. The outcome variable was the number of different words the children produced (with speech, sign, or speech-generating devices). Children's intrinsic predictor for language was modeled as a latent variable consisting of cognitive development, comprehension, play, and nonverbal communication complexity. Adult input at school and home, and amount of augmentative or alternative communication instruction, were proposed mediators of vocabulary acquisition. Results: A confirmatory factor analysis revealed that measures converged as a coherent construct, and a structural equation model indicated that the intrinsic child predictor construct predicted different words children produced. The amount of input received at home, but not at school, was a significant mediator. Conclusions: The hypothesized model accurately reflects a latent construct of Intrinsic Symbolic Factor (ISF). Children who evidenced higher initial levels of ISF and more adult input at home produced more words 1 year later. The findings support the need to assess multiple child variables and suggest interventions directed to the indicators of ISF and input.
Previous research has demonstrated that the way adults interact with children with autism can have a great impact on their spontaneous communication. However, to date, few studies have focused on modifying adults' behaviour and even fewer have been conducted in school settings which actively involve teaching staff in designing the intervention. The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to explore the extent to which staff were able to build on their good practice and alter their interactive style and (2) to then assess the effects of this change on children's communication. The study used an action research methodology and involved three members of staff and six children with autism. The staff and the researcher developed an Adult Interactive Style Intervention (AISI) in partnership. This was based on two theoretical models of child development and disability. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention and at follow-up (12 months after the end of the main study) to measure change. The results showed that staff considerably increased the number of times they used AISI principles post-intervention and that this change had a significant impact on the children's spontaneous communication. All three staff took an active participatory role in the study which was considered a very positive and empowering experience.
The standard derivation of Kirchhoff's voltage law is based on the assumption that the first law of thermodynamics (sum of products of applied EMF's and corresponding currents = heat dissipation) is satisfied within each loop. In contrast, we start from the fact that first law of thermodynamics applies globally to the electric circuit as a whole. It is then shown that Kirchhoff's voltage law may be derived as an extremum of the system entropy production constrained by the first law applied globally, and that the extremum is a maximum. Thus the stationary distribution of currents in a linear electric circuit is governed by the principle of maximum entropy production.
Understanding how genetics influences inter-individual variation of antibody titers in response to measles vaccination is vital to understanding possible sources of vaccine failure as well as improved vaccine development. Although it is recognized that both the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes and the immunoglobulin allotype genes play significant roles in immune response, there is significant variation in antibody titers that is not explained by these genes. To obtain a more complete estimate of the role of the entire genome, we used a large panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms to estimate the heritability of antibody response to measles vaccine. Based on 935 subjects with European ancestry, we estimated the heritability to be 49% (standard error 0.17). We also estimated the heritability attributable to each chromosome, and found a large range in chromosome-specific heritabilities. Notably, chromosome 1 had the largest estimate (28%), while chromosome 6, which harbors HLA, had an estimated heritability of 13%. Compared with a prior study of twins in the same community, which resulted in a heritability estimate of 88.5%, our study suggests there are either many rare genetic variants, or many common genetic variants of small effect sizes that contribute to variations of antibody titers in response to measles vaccine. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Network security with encryption and decryption technology to complete the application layer, but this technology will bring computing resources and a waste of energy, particularly in these two resources are limited wireless communication system for this problem, we use a large-scale multi-antenna technology, using beamforming algorithm in power and spectrum limited conditions, to maximize the mutual information system security, the simulation results demonstrate the ability to secure transmission algorithms can effectively improve the system.
The present research examined how messages advocating different intergroup ideologies affect outcomes relevant to minority group members' ability to exert power in exchanges with dominant group members. We expected that salient multiculturalism would have positive implications for minority group members' feelings of power by virtue of highlighting essential contributions they make to society, and that no such empowering effect would be evident for them in connection with alternative ideologies such as color-blindness or for dominant group members. Results across four studies involving different participant populations, operationalizations of ideology, ethnic minority groups, and experimental settings were consistent with these hypotheses and further indicated that the effects of salient multiculturalism on feelings of power had downstream implications for expectations of control in an ostensibly upcoming intergroup interaction and general goal-directed cognition.
Fatigue, especially in its mental form, is one of the most worrying health problems nowadays. It affects not only health but also motivation, emotions and feelings and has an impact both at the individual and organizational level. Fatigue monitoring and management assumes thus, in this century, an increased importance, that should be promoted by private organizations and governments alike. While traditional approaches are mostly based on questionnaires, in this paper we present an alternative one that relies on the observation of the individual's interaction with the computer. We show that this interaction changes with the onset of fatigue and that these changes are significant enough to support the training of a neural network that can classify mental fatigue in real time. The main outcome of this work is the development of non-invasive systems for the continuous classification of mental fatigue that can support effective and efficient fatigue management initiatives, especially in the context of desk jobs. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study was a randomized effectiveness trial of the use of incentives to improve treatment retention and post-treatment outcomes among parolees in community treatment. Parolees entering community treatment were randomized to incentives (N = 104) or brief education (N = 98). It was hypothesized that the use of incentives to increase treatment retention would result in improved post-treatment outcomes (i.e., arrest, employment, and drug use), but at 18 months post-intake, there were no group differences for any outcome. In secondary analyses, rearrest by 18 months post-intake was predicted by substance use, greater number or severity of psychological symptoms, treatment non-completion, unemployment, and younger age. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that participants who received incentives for attendance had arrest, employment, and drug use outcomes similar to those who received a brief education session. Our findings, in concert with those of several other researchers, suggest that there may be certain populations or settings where incentives may not be effective.
Using the Developmental Play Assessment, this preliminary study described the categories and levels of play with objects produced by 10 young boys with diagnoses of full mutation fragile X syndrome, the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability. Additionally, the study examined concurrent associations between child characteristics and three different summary level variables representing object play skills. Presentation Combinations (i.e., recreating structured configurations of objects) was the highest play level emerging or mastered for all participants. The number of toys touched during the play sample, an index of object interest, was positively related to standardized measures of receptive and expressive language while the number of different actions produced, an index of play diversity, was negatively related to autism symptom severity. Both variables were significantly related to the number of nonverbal communication acts children produced while interacting with their mothers in play. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. Learning outcomes: Readers will be able to: (1) define a framework for categorizing developmental levels of play; (2) discuss the constructs represented by three different summary level metrics of play with objects; (3) describe the relationship between object-play skills and child characteristics for young males with FXS. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
For the thermal hydraulics analysis of nuclear reactor components of LWRs (Light Water Reactors) such as reactor vessel, steam generator, containment, a multi-dimensional two-phase flow code, named CUPID, has been being developed. The CUPID code pursues a capability of multi-physics and multi scale thermal hydraulics analysis. In the present study, multi-scale simulation was performed by coupling with system-scale code, MARS. The coupled code was assessed to visualize the flow behavior of the steam generator of the Advanced Power Reactor (APR1400). The primary side of the steam generator and remaining Reactor Coolant System (RCS) is modeled by MARS and secondary side is by CUPID. For the secondary side simulation by the CUPID part, a porous media approach was adopted to two-fluid model and conductor model to simplify the complicated geometry of the steam generator. In order to obtain a porosity of a given computing cell, a special algorithm was employed to directly calculate volume ratio by mapping the 3D CAD file onto the grid system. Besides, the proper constitutive relationships for U-tubes are considered further. To treat the complex thermo-hydraulic phenomena on the shell side of a steam generator, a set of constitutive models available in the literature for a two-phase flow map, interfacial heat and mass transfer, interfacial drag, wall friction, wall heating, and heat partitioning in flows over tube bundles were applied to close the numerical model. This paper presents the description of the coupling method, porous media approach to simplify the steam generator, and the simulation results using the coupled code. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bone marrow transplant (BMT) units are stressful work environments with high staff burnout, anxiety, and turnover. A qualitative study was undertaken to better understand care for nurses within the context of their clinical practice on a pediatric BMT unit. Understanding care practices for BMT nurses will allow us to design interventions and provide appropriate support for this subspecialty of nurses. Focus groups were held with 24 nurses as key participants, and 2 focus groups with general participants: unit management (N = 2) and caregivers of inpatients (N = 7). Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Data were transcribed verbatim and coded to consensus by members of the research team. Five themes emerged from the data: (a) experiencing stressful situations that impede care, (b) growing and developing personally and professionally, (c) providing trustworthy and respectful care, (d) acquiring meaningful coping skills, and (e) sharing with others versus isolation. Stress management, professional development, and interdisciplinary communication were areas that emerged for potential intervention.
Peptide-major histocompatibility complex class I (pMHC-I) tetramers have been an invaluable tool to study CD8(+) T-cell responses. Because these reagents directly bind to T-cell receptors on the surface of CD8(+) T-lymphocytes, fluorochrome-labeled pMHC-I tetramers enable the accurate detection of antigen (Ag)-specific CD8(+) T-cells without the need for in vitro re-stimulation. Moreover, when combined with multi-color flow cytometry, pMHC-I tetramer staining can reveal key aspects of Ag-specific CD8(+) T-cells, including differentiation stage, memory phenotype, and activation status. These types of analyses have been especially useful in the field of HIV immunology where CD8(+) T-cells can affect progression to AIDS. Experimental infection of rhesus macaques with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) provides an invaluable tool to study cellular immunity against the AIDS virus. As a result, considerable progress has been made in defining and characterizing T-cell responses in this animal model. Here we present an optimized protocol for enumerating SIV-specific CD8(+) T-cells in rhesus macaques by pMHC-I tetramer staining. Our assay permits the simultaneous quantification and memory phenotyping of two pMHC-I tetramer+ CD8(+) T-cell populations per test, which might be useful for tracking SIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses generated by vaccination or SIV infection. Considering the relevance of nonhuman primates in biomedical research, this methodology is applicable for studying CD8(+) T-cell responses in multiple disease settings.
Recent studies provided evidence for an impact of social relations on preschool children's sharing behavior. Children have been shown to be more generous towards friends than nonfriends or strangers. As evidence comes largely from studies with western children, little is known about cross-cultural differences and commonalities in this pattern. Here, we show that preschool and elementary school aged Ugandan children show high levels of generosity independent of the social relationships with the recipient. This finding points to societal differences in early sharing. The results are discussed in terms of a formative impact of cultural traditions on the early development of sharing in the preschool years.
We examined the relationship between contact of police officers with citizens, their (meta-)stereotypes about citizens, and their work-related well-being. Ninety-three police officers from 4 police stations in low- and high-crime regions in France completed the questionnaire. As expected, negative well-being of police officers is predicted by negative contact with citizens and their belief that police officers are stereotyped negatively by citizens. Moreover, the relationship between negative contact and negative well-being was mediated by police officers' beliefs that police officers are perceived negatively by citizens, whereas their perceptions of citizens did not mediate this relationship. Interestingly, level of crime did not influence these relationships. Together, this research shows the important role of beliefs about how one's group is stereotyped when in contact with another group as it may have consequences for people's well-being.
Water shortages are widely prevalent in developing countries, affecting lives of people including schoolchildren, who miss classes while fetching water for daily use. A typical case was that of Mnyundo Primary School in Tanzania, East Africa. A rainwater harvesting (RWH) system was then constructed because of easy adaptability of the technology. The purpose of this study is sustainability evaluation. The evaluation considered construction details, level of water supply service, potential for sustainability and replication. Coarse screen, first flush tank, and sedimentation tank were included for maintaining drinkable water quality through particle load reduction. The water level gauge incorporated enables easy monitoring of water usage, while the provided training and operational manual are a practical guide on system management for the users. Local labor, material and techniques used, are recommended for capacity building, sense of ownership, and cost reduction. Companies' involvement is encouraged by providing financial support to the schools as their corporate social responsibility. RWH is thus suggested as a sustainable alternative for drinking water supply.
Movement of fluids in the unsaturated zone plays an important role in many geoenvironrnental engineering problems. Examples include cover and basal liner systems for waste containment facilities where geosynthetics are widely used, amongst many other examples. This paper highlights the importance of assessing the unsaturated characteristics of geosynthetics and their influence on the behaviour of engineered systems where soils and geosynthetics interact under unsaturated conditions. It includes information on the water retention curve and hydraulic conductivity function of geosynthetics such as geotextiles and geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) with particular focus on capillary barriers, liner performance under elevated temperatures, and interface friction respectively. Mechanisms involved in the development of capillary barriers are evaluated to explain the storage of water at the interface between materials with contrasting hydraulic conductivity (e.g. a fine-grained soil and a nonwoven geotextile). Potential desiccation of GCLs is explained in the light of an application in a liquid waste impoundment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We tend to express more positive judgments and behaviors toward individuals belonging to our own group compared to other (out-) groups. In this study, we assessed the role of the cerebellum and of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) - two regions critically implicated in social cognition processes - in mediating implicit valenced attitudes toward in-group and out-group individuals. To this aim, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in combination with a standard attitude priming task, in which Caucasian participants had to categorize the valence of a series of adjectives primed by either an in-group or an out-group face. In two behavioral experiments, we found an in-group bias (i.e. faster categorization of positive adjectives when preceded by in-group faces) but no evidence of an out-group bias. Interestingly, TMS over both the dmPFC and over the (right) cerebellum significantly interfered with the modulation exerted by group membership on adjective valence classification, abolishing the in-group bias observed at baseline. Overall, our data suggest that both the dmPFC and the cerebellum play a causal role in mediating implicit social attitudes.
The design and test of Multi-Processor System-on-Chips (MPSoCs) and development of distributed applications and/or operating systems executed on those hardware platforms is one of the biggest challenges in today's system design. This applies in particular when short time-to-market constraints impose serious limitations on the exploration of the design space. The use of virtual platforms can help in decreasing the development and test cycles. In this paper, we present a cloud-based environment supporting the user in designing heterogeneous MPSoCs and developing distributed applications. Therefore, the design environment generates virtual platforms automatically allowing fast prototyping cycles especially in the software development process, and exports the design to a hardware flow synthesizing compatible FPGA designs. The extension of the peripheral models with debug information supports the developer during test and debug cycles and avoids the need of adding special debug codes in the application. This improves the readability, portability and maintainability of produced software. Additionally, this paper presents the benefits of using cloud-based design environments in engineers' trainings and educations. Therefore, the framework supports testing the system including complex software stacks with prerecorded data or testbenches.
Partitioning operating systems (POSs) have been widely applied in safety-critical domains from aerospace to automotive. In order to improve the safety and the certification process of POSs, the ARINC 653 standard has been developed and complied with by the mainstream POSs. Rigorous formalization of ARINC 653 can reveal hidden errors in this standard and provide a necessary foundation for formal verification of POSs and ARINC 653 applications. For the purpose of reusability and efficiency, a novel methodology by integrating ontology and refinement is proposed to formally specify and analyze POSs in this paper. An ontology of POSs is developed as an intermediate model between informal descriptions of ARINC 653 and the formal specification in Event-B. A semiautomatic translation from the ontology and ARINC 653 into Event-B is implemented, which leads to a complete Event-B specification for ARINC 653 compliant POSs. During the formal analysis, six hidden errors in ARINC 653 have been discovered and fixed in the Event-B specification. We also validate the existence of these errors in two open-source POSs, i. e., XtratuM and POK. By introducing the ontology, the degree of automatic verification of the Event-B specification reaches a higher level.
Chemokines are a family of small cytokines that share a typical key structure that is stabilized by disulfide bonds between the cysteine residues at the NH2-terminal of the protein, and they are secreted by a great variety of cells in several different conditions. Their function is directly dependent on their interactions with their receptors. Chemokines are involved in cell maturation and differentiation, infection, autoimmunity, cancer, and, in general, in any situation where immune components are involved. However, their role in postfracture inflammation and fracture healing is not yet well established. In this article, we will discuss the response of chemokines to bone fracture and their potential roles in postfracture inflammation and healing based on data from our studies and from other previously published studies.
The success of pervasive smart environments lies in the capacity to involve visitors to interact with them. It is essential for retail stores. In this paper we describe the setting-up of a low cost system for the indoor localization and customer interaction, developed with a complex infrastructure of wireless embedded sensors. The creation of a responsive store allows customers to connect the real world to their smart devices and will overcome the lack of ubiquity in public spaces; furthermore, from in-venue analytics and proximity sensor it is possible to customize the user experience. First of all we describe the whole sensor network. We go in deep into the active beacon technology adopted for this study. Then, thanks to the analytics, we present a data evaluation with the aim of determining the best sensor arrangement, according to several user tests. Beside the strong enhancement of human interaction, the results of our essay demonstrate how embedded localization systems could be a useful source for data collection beside the strong enhancement of human interaction. This paper is focused to help retailers and insiders for many purposes such as products development or improvement, segmentation strategies and human behaviour analyses into such stores where the embedded computing augment the environment.
This paper introduces a CMOS vision sensor chip in a standard 0.18 mu m CMOS technology for Gaussian pyramid extraction. The Gaussian pyramid provides computer vision algorithms with scale invariance, which permits having the same response regardless of the distance of the scene to the camera. The chip comprises 176x120 photosensors arranged into 88x60 processing elements (PEs). The Gaussian pyramid is generated with a double-Euler switched capacitor (SC) network. Every PE comprises four photodiodes, one 8 b single-slope analog-to-digital converter, one correlated double sampling circuit, and four state capacitors with their corresponding switches to implement the double-Euler SC network. Every PE occupies 44 x 44 mu m(2). Measurements from the chip are presented to assess the accuracy of the generated Gaussian pyramid for visual tracking applications. Error levels are below 2% full-scale output, thus making the chip feasible for these applications. Also, energy cost is 26.5 nJ/px at 2.64 Mpx/s, thus outperforming conventional solutions of imager plus microprocessor unit.
With the advanced materials industry, makes this especially machinery manufacturing industry has witnessed rapid development and become one of the very important part, therefore, material engineering colleges focus on the development has also become one of the disciplines. Train and improve their practical ability to adapt to the needs of society has become an important part of college students training, this thesis explores the materials engineering students' professional training system establishment, the students presented material class materials processing skills training methods Manufacturing engineering training through high students' practical ability and engineering sense.
Transient hydraulics always characterizes the circulating flow during managed pressure drilling. Therefore, the application of the Godunov scheme to oil-well drilling hydraulics is presented. The numerical model developed describes the treatment process of the initial and boundary conditions from the well geometry and true operational conditions. The well-known finite-volume method and Riemann problem are utilized for building the set of discrete equations. The account of Godunov's simulation describes the profiles of transient pressure and transient flow rate along the well. For attending the oil-field engineering concerns, the drilling parameters discussed are as follows: choke pressure, pumping pressure, bottom-hole pressure, and circulating flow rate. After the comparison between computed and well data, the results show a small difference of less than 7 and 1 % for pumping and bottom-hole pressures, respectively. The main engineering contribution of this work is the solution and application of the first-order Godunov scheme to analyze the transient hydraulics during actual oil-well drilling and also the analysis and interpretation of the pressure wave behavior traveling along the well. The Godunov scheme has high-potential engineering applications for modeling the transient drilling hydraulics, i.e., controlled flow, underbalanced drilling, and foam cementing, as well.
Leakage current reduction of the single-phase transformerless cascaded H-bridge PV inverter is investigated in this paper. The high-frequency common-mode loop model of a typical single-phase cascaded H-bridge PV system is established. Based on the model, the main factors that affect the leakage current are discussed. The reason why the typical single-phase cascaded H-bridge inverter fails to reduce the leakage current is explained. In order to solve the problem, a cascaded topology based on the H5 inverter is presented, along with a new modulation strategy, which can ensure that the stray capacitor voltage is free of high-frequency components. In this way, the leakage current can be effectively reduced. Finally, a prototype with TMS320F28335DSP+XC3S400FPGA digital control is built. The performance tests of cascaded H-bridge and the proposed topologies are carried out. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Theoretical impedance relationships in a limiting process with non-steady-state surface diffusion were derived based on the interfacial conductivity concept at the interface between an oxygen ion conductor and a metallic electrode. While the non-steady-state surface diffusion of adsorbed neutral oxygen on the metallic electrode could be described by Fick's second law, approximated and equivalent equations to the Warburg impedance and Gerischer impedance were derived according to the boundary conditions and occurrence of dissipation by the chemical reaction. The diffusion related to the electrochemical impedance signal is not the diffusion of the oxygen ions. In addition, it is not necessary to assume an electrochemical potential gradient or profile of the free electrons in the metallic electrode. The relationships obtained in this paper indicate that electrochemical potential measured by an instrument is clearly defined by the electrochemical potential of free electrons at the triple phase boundary. The meaning of the equivalent electrical circuits corresponding to the impedance spectra is reconsidered from the view points of the interfacial conductivity concept. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This research examines the implications of consumers' belief in karma-the belief that the universe bestows rewards for doing right and exacts punishments for doing wrong-in the context of prosocial behavior. Although intuitively, believing in karma should result in greater intentions to do right by supporting a charity, karmic beliefs are found to facilitate prosocial behavior only in contexts not associated with selfgains. A series of experiments shows that those with strong (vs. weak) beliefs in karma actually respond less favorably to charitable appeals that rely on common marketing tools meant to enhance consumer responses but that also cue self-gains by offering incentives or by highlighting self-benefits. However, these effects are only obtained for donations of time, which represent a means to enhance social connections, but not for donations of money. Consistent with the proposition that prosocial behaviors motivated by self-gains do not engender karmic rewards, lower intentions to do right among those with strong karmic beliefs are driven by a shift from other-focused to self-focused attention following appeals that cue self-gains, as compared to appeals that do not. Results imply that marketers need to take into account consumers' karmic beliefs when seeking to incentivize prosocial behavior.
The increasing requirements on technical products represent a growing challenge for the manufacturing engineering. This challenge will be met by the development of a new manufacturing technology called sheet-bulk metal forming. For the early consideration of the full potential of sheet-bulk metal forming in a design process, a design engineer has to know the process limitations as soon as possible. Hence, the objective has to be to acquire design-relevant knowledge already in the early phases of process development and to maintain this knowledge simultaneously to the further development of the process. These are the declared aims of the self-learning engineering assistance system that will carry out the acquisition and maintenance of knowledge owing to its self-learning aspect. In this article, within an evaluation of knowledge acquisition methodologies, data mining was identified as a possibility for the realization of the self-learning aptitude. The potential of data mining was shown by its application on simulation data to acquire design-relevant knowledge.
Nowadays, information technologies play an important role in education. In education, mobile and TV applications can be considered a support tool in the teaching - learning process, however, relevant and appropriate mobile and TV applications are not always available; teachers can only judge applications by reviews or anecdotes instead of testing them. These reasons lead to the needs and benefits for creating one's own mobile application for teaching and learning. In this work, we present a cloud-based platform for multi-device educational software generation (smartphones, tablets, Web, Android-based TV boxes, and smart TV devices) called AthenaCloud. It is important to mention that an open cloud-based platform allows teachers to create their own multi-device software by using a personal computer with Internet access. The goal of this platform is to provide a software tool to help educators upload their electronic contents or use existing contents in an open repository and package them in the desired setup file for one of the supported devices and operating systems.
Shore zones are transition areas (ecotones) between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their function in the environment is crucial because they serve as buffer zones that capture pollutants and slow down erosion of reservoir and watercourse banks provided that they are managed properly. Research on a shore zone was conducted at the Msciwojow retention reservoir with an innovative water self-purification system. After several years of its operation, an increased phosphate concentration in the main part of the reservoir was reported. The mapping of the terrain's surface and modeling of hydrological processes in the direct catchment area of the said reservoir were done using the digital elevation model (DEM). The DEM was created from LiDAR data obtained in 2012 by airborne laser scanning. Analyses of the surface runoff led to identification of surface runoff transport pathways, along which the eroded material from cultivated fields is discharged directly to the reservoir. Surface runoff transport pathways gather the eroded material from a maximum area of 45,000 m(2) in the western part of the direct catchment and 40,000 m(2) in the eastern part of it. Due to the reservoir management negligence, the riparian zone designed for the Msciwojow Reservoir no longer exists. The percentage of the natural shore that undergoes erosion processes is over 54. The said processes and fluctuations of the water level in the reservoir, as well as degradation of the shore zone caused by human activity, bring about limited plant development in the littoral zone, which in turn lowers the reservoir's resistance to degradation.
Conversion of mechanical forces, vibrations and sound which have energy in the range of milli- to tens of watts (also referred to as small kinetic energies in this paper) into electricity has received global attention owing to the potential in powering electronic devices. However, most of the small kinetic energy generators can only generate electric power below 1 mu W/cm(3). As a result, an energy storage device is required to accumulate the energy generated until it reaches a sufficient level. Herein, we report the exceptionally-high acoustoelectric conversion ability of randomly-orientated electrospun poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) nanofiber nonwoven webs. The optimized device under sound is able to generate peak voltage and current of 14.5 V and 28.5 mu A with a volume power density output of 306.5 mu W/cm(3) (5.9 mW/cm(3) based on nanofiber web thickness). Without accumulation in any energy storage unit, the electricity generated by the nanofiber device is sufficient to light up tens of commercial LEDs, run electrochemical reactions and protect metals from corrosion. Such a novel acoustoelectric generator may offer an effective solution to recycling noise pollution into usable electricity.
Images and photometric data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Cameras (NACs) are used to investigate regions of the Moon inferred from previous remote sensing compositional studies to be associated with nonmare, silicic volcanics. Specifically, LROC NAC imagery, with photometry normalized to account for local slopes using NAC Digital Terrain Models (DTM5), was used to investigate the exposed areas associated with the Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex (CBVC), Hansteen Alpha Volcanic Complex (HAVC), Lassell Massif (LM), Gruithuisen Domes (GD), and ejecta of Aristarchus Crater (AC). Photometric studies of spacecraft landing sites, for which ground-truth compositional data exist, allow us to study the relationship between photometric properties of soils and their mineralogical and chemical compositions. The silicic regions have high reflectance and single scattering albedos that are consistent with different proportions of highly reflective minerals including alkali feldspar and quartz, and low concentrations of mafic minerals. Of the silicic sites studied, the CBVC has the highest reflectance values and single scattering albedos. Silicic pyroclastic deposits may also occur at the CBVC, and we present evidence from laboratory spectra that an addition of up to similar to 20 wt% glassy silicic materials to a highlands-type regolith simulant can account for the increased reflectance of these volcanic regions. Reflectance variations across and within the sites can be explained by mixing of felsic mineral components, evolved-to-intermediate silicic compositions, andior silicic pyroclastic deposits. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We present GPUrdma, a GPU-side library for performing Remote Direct Memory Accesses (RDMA) across the network directly from GPU kernels. The library executes no code on CPU, directly accessing the Host Channel Adapter (HCA) Infiniband hardware for both control and data. Slow single-thread GPU performance and the intricacies of the GPU-to-network adapter interaction pose a significant challenge. We describe several design options and analyze their performance implications in detail. We achieve 5 mu sec one-way communication latency and up to 50Gbit/sec transfer bandwidth for messages from 16KB and larger between K40c NVIDIA GPUs across the network. Moreover, GPUrdma outperforms the CPU RDMA for smaller packets ranging from 2 to 1024 bytes by factor of 4.5x thanks to greater parallelism of transfer requests enabled by highly parallel GPU hardware. We use GPUrdma to implement a subset of the global address space programming interface (GPI) for point-to-point asynchronous RDMA messaging. We demonstrate our preliminary results using two simple applications - ping-pong and a multi-matrix-vector product with constant matrix and multiple vectors each running on two different machines connected by Infiniband. Our basic ping-pong implementation achieves 5% higher performance than the baseline using GPI-2. The improved ping-pong implementation with per-threadblock communication overlap enables further 20% improvement. The multi-matrix-vector product is up to 4.5 x faster thanks to higher throughput for small messages and the ability to keep the matrix in fast GPU shared memory while receiving new inputs. GPUrdma prototype is not yet suitable for production systems due to hardware constraints in the current generation of NVIDIA GPUs which we discuss in detail. However, our results highlight the great potential of GPU-side native networking, and encourage further research toward scalable, high-performance, heterogeneous networking infrastructure.
New Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for teaching is an enabling technology with a possibility for increased learning outcome in engineering education. The paper identifies some possible factors that enable or inhibit teachers' use of ICT in their teaching practice. The results are based on seven semi-structured interviews conducted amongst teachers at manufacturing engineering education, the analytical framework derived from the main research study; an international education monitoring project. The study was framed by the use of actor-network theory. The study shows that leadership /administration has had great influence on what tools were selected for aiding teaching processes, and that this has led to both increased use and non-use of ICT in their teaching practice. Controlling students do also seem like an encouraging factor for using technology in teaching. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Species of genus Garcinia belonging to family Clusiaceae are traditionally known for the treatment of ulcer, gonorrhea, leucorrhoea and abdominal pain. This genus is also reported to be a rich source of xanthones, benzophenones, flavonoids, biflavonoids and triterpenes showing significant pharmacological activities. Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen) and Garcinia hombroniana Pierre (seashore mangosteen) are evergreen tropical trees grown in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and other tropical countries. The fruits of G. mangostana (queen of fruits), and roots and leaves decoction of G. hombroniana are commonly used for skin allergies, infections after childbirth, trauma and diarrhea. This study aimed to evaluate the bark and fruit extracts of G. mangostana and G. hombroniana for phytochemicals analysis, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic and antituberculosis activities. Total phenolic contents were evaluated by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent colorimetric method. For antioxidant activities, radical scavenging assays of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2'-azino-bis-3-ethyl benzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were used. Antihyperglycemic activity was determined using a-glucosidase and a-amylase enzymes. In quantitative phytochemical analysis, the extracts of G. mangostana showed significantly higher content of phenolics [3498.7 mu M GAE/g (gallic acid equivalent per gram), ethyl acetate; bark], carbohydrates (14.2 g/100g, aqueous; fruit) and reducing sugars (13.9 g/100g, aqueous; fruit). Also, in antioxidant activities, G. mangostana showed comparatively high activities with the ethyl acetate extract as the most potent showing IC50 2.78 mu g/ml in DPPH, 1.19 mu g/ml in ABTS, and 8742.7 mu M TE/g in FRAP assays. G. mangostana was also more potent in anti-hyperglycemic properties (IC50 182.9 mu g/ml, alpha-glucosidase, 247.8 mu g/ml, alpha-amylase) compared to G. hombroniana. In antituberculosis study, the ethyl acetate extracts of both plants showed equipotent activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62.5 mu g/ml. Based on the results, it was concluded that the presence of bioactive phytochemicals may be responsible for their traditional uses for treatment of diseases.
Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have established themselves as one of the preferred digital implementation platforms in a plethora of current industrial applications, and extensions and improvements are still continuously being included in the devices. This paper reviews recent advancements in FPGA technology, emphasizing the novel features that may significantly contribute to the development of more efficient digital systems for industrial applications. Special attention is paid to the design paradigm shift caused by the availability of increasingly powerful embedded (and soft) processors, which transformed FPGAs from hardware accelerators to very powerful system-on-chip (SoC) platforms. New analog resources, floating-point operators, and hard memory controllers are also described, because of the great advantages they provide to designers. Software tools are being strongly influenced by the design paradigm shift, which requires fromthem a much better support for software developers. Focusing mainly on this issue, recent advancements in software resources [intellectual property (IP) cores and design tools] are also reviewed. The impact of new FPGA features in industrial applications is analyzed in detail in three main areas, namely digital real-time simulation, advanced control techniques, and electronic instrumentation, with focus on mechatronics, robotics, and power systems design. The way digital systems are being currently designed in these areas is comprehensively reviewed, and a critical analysis of how they could significantly benefit from new FPGA features is presented.
BACKGROUND: Variation in the CYP2A6 gene alters the rate of nicotine metabolic inactivation and is associated with smoking behaviors and cessation success rates. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms of this genetic influence are unknown. METHODS: Intrinsic functional connectivity strength, a whole- brain, data- driven, graph theory- based method, was applied to resting- state functional magnetic resonance imaging data in 66 smokers and 92 nonsmokers. A subset of subjects (n = 23/ 20; smokers/ nonsmokers) performed the monetary incentive delay task, probing reward anticipation, and a go/no-go task, probing response inhibition, on two occasions, in the presence and absence of a nicotine patch. RESULTS: A significant CYP2A6 genotype 3 smoking effect was found in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and ventral striatum, such that the normal (vs. slow) genotype individuals showed greater functional connectivity strength among smokers but not nonsmokers. Functional connectivity strength was negatively associated with severity of nicotine dependence in slow metabolizers. Both hubs were biased by inputs from the insula identified from seed-based connectivity. Similar gene 3 environment interactions were seen in ventral striatum during smoking abstinence when subjects performed the monetary incentive delay task and in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex when they performed the go/no-go task; both reductions were  normalized in smokers (and increased in nonsmokers) after acute nicotine administration. CONCLUSIONS: Because the CYP2A6 effect was seen only in smokers, these data suggest that the rate of nicotine metabolism- and thus the concentration of nicotine presented to the brain over the course of nicotine addiction-shapes brain circuits that, among other functions, compute reward and impulsivity processes.
To harness a heterogeneous memory hierarchy, it is advantageous to integrate application knowledge in guiding frequent memory move, i.e., replicating or migrating virtual memory regions. To this end, we present memif, a protected OS service for asynchronous, hardware-accelerated memory move. Compared to the state of the art - page migration in Linux, memif incurs low overhead and low latency; in order to do so, it not only redefines the semantics of kernel interface but also overhauls the underlying mechanisms, including request/completion management, race handling, and DMA engine configuration. We implement memif in Linux for a server-class system-on- chip that features heterogeneous memories. Compared to the current Linux page migration, memif reduces CPU usage by up to 15% for small pages and by up to 38x for large pages; in continuously serving requests, memif has no need for request batching and reduces latency by up to 63%. By crafting a small runtime atop memif, we improve the throughputs for a set of streaming workloads by up to 33%. Overall, memif has opened the door to software management of heterogeneous memory.
Information security and customers' privacy in smart grid are significant concerns. Existing security and privacy preserving schemes consider that the consumption reports for electricity consumption aggregation and billing purposes are sent periodically. These periodic messages increase the computation and communication burden on restricted-capabilities smart meters. In this paper, we propose a lightweight security and privacy preserving scheme that is based on forecasting the electricity demand for a cluster of houses in the same residential area; it limits the cluster's connection with electricity utility only when the cluster needs to adjust its total demand. The scheme efficiently satisfies the security and privacy requirements in customer-side networks, i.e., communication between customers and power utility. At the same time, it significantly reduces the communication and computation overhead. Moreover, the proposed scheme utilizes NTRU cryptosystem to further reduce the computation complexity.
The objective of this paper is to present a fusion model of an odor sensor and highly advanced optical sensor to evaluate total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content in chicken meat. Here, the aroma or the odor data variables obtained from the odor sensor i.e. colorimetric sensor and the spectral as well as textural data variables obtained from the optical sensor i.e. HSI, were fused together for further data processing. 36 odor variables obtained via the low-level data abstraction (LLA) were simply concatenated with the 30 texture feature variables obtained by middle/intermediate level data abstraction (ILA) totaling to a 66 variables' dataset. This approach of multiple level data fusion (MLF) produced the better PCA-BPANN prediction results than either of the individual system did, with the higher R-p of 0.8659, lower RMSEP of 4.587 mg/100 g along with the increased calibration model efficacy. Furthermore, the prediction level escalated with R-p of 0.8819 and RMSEP of 4.3137 mg/100 g when the data fusion technique was improved by applying Pearson's correlation analysis and uncorrelated data variables were removed from each of the dataset at the statistical level of significance. This step reduced the data variables but not the original information. Therefore, the results highly encourage multiple sensor fusion and the improved MLF technique for better model performance to evaluate chicken meat's freshness. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes execute the killing of insulin-producing beta cells during onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). The research community has come far in dissecting the major events in the development of this disease, but still the trigger and high-resolved information of the immunological events leading up to beta cell loss are missing. During the past decades, intravital imaging of immune responses has led to significant scientific breakthroughs in diverse models of disease, including T1D. Dynamic imaging of immune cells at the pancreatic islets during T1D onset has been made possible through the development of both advanced microscopes, and animal models that allow long-term immobilization of the pancreas. The use of these modalities has revealed a milling microenvironment at the pancreatic islets during disease onset with a plethora of active players. Clues to answering the remaining questions in this disease may lie in intravital imaging, including how key immune cells traffic to and from the pancreas, and how cells interact at this target tissue. This review highlights and discusses recent studies, models, and techniques focused to understand the immune responses during T1D onset through intravital imaging.
Trust in the oncologist is crucial for breast cancer patients. It reduces worry, enhances decision making, and stimulates adherence. Optimal nonverbal communication by the oncologist, particularly eye contact, body posture, and smiling, presumably benefits patients' trust. We were the first to experimentally examine (1) how the oncologist's nonverbal behavior influences trust, and (2) individual differences in breast cancer patients' trust. Analogue patients (APs) viewed one out of eight versions of a video vignette displaying a consultation about chemotherapy treatment. All eight versions varied only in the oncologist's amount of eye contact (consistent vs. inconsistent), body posture (forward leaning vs. varying), and smiling (occasional smiling vs. no smiling). Primary outcome was trust in the observed oncologist (Trust in Oncologist Scale). 214 APs participated. Consistent eye contact led to stronger trust (beta = -.13, p = .04). This effect was largely explained by lower educated patients, for whom the effect of consistent eye contact was stronger than for higher educated patients (beta = .18, p = .01). A forward leaning body posture did not influence trust, nor did smiling. However, if the oncologist smiled more, he was perceived as more friendly (r (s) = .31, p < .001) and caring (r (s) = .18, p = .01). Older (beta = .17, p = .01) and lower educated APs (beta = -.25, p < .001) were more trusting. Trust was weaker for more avoidantly attached APs (beta = -.16, p = .03). We experimentally demonstrated the importance of maintaining consistent eye contact for breast cancer patients' trust, especially among lower educated patients. These findings need to be translated into training for oncologists in how to optimize their nonverbal communication with breast cancer patients while simultaneously managing increased time pressure and computer use during the consultation.
Software-defined network structure of the network fundamental changes, its network equipment to achieve the hardware and software isolation and virtualization technology underlying hardware, so as to further development of the network provides a platform. This is due to the hardware and software isolation, making the network more vulnerable to attack, thus changing the topology and business information. To solve this problem, the paper depending on the traffic data and the corresponding topology, the method gives security software-defined network, combined with business process model of cloud computing, network security algorithm optimization. Simulation results show that the proposed method is robust to a variety of business, and can effectively prevent network attacks.
With the development of network technology, computer software is developing from the two story structure model to a multi-layer structure. In the multilayer structure, middleware is the key layer of application layer, application software development has become a new technology, and with databases, operating systems form the basis of computer software. With the computer software application environment increasingly complex, design multi-layered architecture, use software layering and modularity that allows software process become clearer and easier to maintain and extend, enhance the flexibility of computer software development and adaptability, thus stratification technology has been widely used in modern computer software development.
The number of portable and wearable devices has been increasing in the population of most developed countries. Meanwhile, the capacity to monitor and register not only data about people's habits and locations but also more complex data such as intensity and strength of movements has created an opportunity to their contribution to the general wealth and sustainability of environments. Ambient Intelligence and Intelligent Decision Making processes can benefit from the knowledge gathered by these devices to improve decisions on everyday tasks such as planning navigation routes by car, bicycle or other means of transportation and avoiding route perils. Current applications in this area demonstrate the usefulness of real time system that inform the user of conditions in the surrounding area. Nevertheless, the approach in this work aims to describe models and approaches to automatically identify current states of traffic inside cities and relate such information with knowledge obtained from historical data recovered by ubiquitous and pervasive devices. Such objective is delivered by analysing real time contributions from those devices and identifying hazardous situations and problematic sites under defined criteria that has significant influence towards user well-being, economic and environmental aspects, as defined is the sustainability definition.
The Internet of Things is a natural continuity of the Ambient Intelligence where smart and ambient environments are built by integrating a large number of interconnected smart objects with heterogeneous capabilities abstracted as software services. The aim is to design cross-domain applications that compose and select most relevant services, which best match user requirements and closely meet the specified quality-of-service level. However, semantic description and representation of such smart devices, including their hosted services and their provided real world data, is still a challenging issue. Semantic Web technologies are seen as a promising tool for this purpose. Indeed, applying these technologies in the Internet of Things enables smart objects to efficiently share their data, exchange their services and cooperate to better satisfy both functional and non-functional user requirements. In this paper, we propose a new semantic model for smart objects description and users request resolution using ontological techniques combined with description logics. Such a model facilitates intelligent functions, including reasoning over service data and semantic interoperability enabling among devices. A case study for smart environment monitoring has been proposed to illustrate the effectiveness and usability of our approach. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Nanoscale spacing between the plasma membrane and the underlying cortical actin cytoskeleton profoundly modulates cellular morphology, mechanics, and function. Measuring this distance has been a key challenge in cell biology. Current methods for dissecting the nanoscale spacing either limit themselves to complex survey design using fixed samples or rely on diffraction-limited fluorescence imaging whose spatial resolution is insufficient to quantify distances on the nanoscale. Using dual-color super-resolution STED (stimulated-emission-depletion) microscopy, we here overcome this challenge and accurately measure the density distribution of the cortical actin cytoskeleton and the distance between the actin cortex and the membrane in live Jurkat T-cells. We found an asymmetric cortical actin density distribution with a mean width of 230 (+105/-125) nm. The spatial distances measured between the maximum density peaks of the cortex and the membrane were bi-modally distributed with mean values of 50 +/- 15 nm and 120 +/- 40 nm, respectively. Taken together with the finite width of the cortex, our results suggest that in some regions the cortical actin is closer than 10 nm to the membrane and a maximum of 20 nm in others.
Twitter spam has become a critical problem nowadays. Recent works focus on applying machine learning techniques for Twitter spam detection, which make use of the statistical features of tweets. In our labeled tweets data set, however, we observe that the statistical properties of spam tweets vary over time, and thus, the performance of existing machine learning-based classifiers decreases. This issue is referred to as Twitter Spam Drift. In order to tackle this problem, we first carry out a deep analysis on the statistical features of one million spam tweets and one million non-spam tweets, and then propose a novel Lfun scheme. The proposed scheme can discover changed spam tweets from unlabeled tweets and incorporate them into classifier's training process. A number of experiments are performed to evaluate the proposed scheme. The results show that our proposed Lfun scheme can significantly improve the spam detection accuracy in real-world scenarios.
Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) has been established in parallel with the development of percutaneous catheter technology for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases. It was developed in the early 1960 s in Japan by Drs. Konno, Sakakibara and Sekiguchi of Tokyo Women's Medical University. EMB is a valuable and useful, but invasive, modality for making a definite diagnosis in diseases such as myocarditis and secondary cardiomyopathies, which are often difficult to diagnose by imaging modality alone. In the field of heart transplantation, the histology of EMB helps monitor rejection to allografts. In cases of chronic heart failure, fibrosis and degeneration of cardiomyocytes are very important findings of heart remodeling. Recently, molecular biology technology has been applied to EMB specimens to get more detailed information. However, we must also recognize that EMB is an invasive examination that should not be performed without skillful cardiac catheterization experience to avoid complications. In this review as a message from pathologists, we present key cardiac histopathology using EMB, in a way that allows one to imagine whole cardiac pathological conditions. We also describe the current role of EMB and its significance in order to encourage young cardiologists to perform EMB to see another world of pathology.
The aim of this paper is to analyze what proportion of variance of prosociality and aggressiveness predicts positive emotions (joy and gratitude, serenity and personal satisfaction), empathy (perspective taking and empathic concern), and social self-efficacy. Since there is abundant research showing that there are significant differences in prosocial behavior and aggression by sex it is that these separate analyzes were performed on children. The sample consisted of 221 children of both sexes (42.2 % males), 10 to 13 years (M = 11.45, DT = .80), middle class, who attended primary schools in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The results indicate that both empathy and positive emotions are involved in predicting prosocial behavior in both boys and girls. However, it seems clear that in the case of boy's empathy has greater predictive power that positive emotions, unlike girls where both variables seem to share similar power. On the other hand, social self-efficacy predicts prosocial behavior only in girls. Finally, the results indicated that both empathy and positive emotions inhibit aggressive behavior in girls only.
As with the first televised debates in 1960, the 2012 US presidential debates accentuated the importance of nonverbal behavior in political competition, with President Obama receiving widespread criticism for his disengaged and arguably inappropriate communication style in the first debate. To investigate the perceptual impact of such nonverbal expectancy violations, this study first employs an experimental design to examine the consequence of inappropriate leader displays, operationalized as nonverbal behaviors that are incongruent with the rhetorical setting. Theoretical explanations about the evaluative consequences of inappropriate leader displays are described in light of expectancy violations theory. Results of a repeated measures eye-tracking experiment find support for the prediction that inappropriate facial expressions increase visual attention on the source of violation, prompt critical scrutiny, and elicit negative evaluations. These findings are further explored with qualitative analysis of focus group responses to key moments from the first and third presidential debates. The discussion considers the broader implications of nonverbal communication in politics and how expressive leader displays serve as meaningful cues for citizens when making sense of televised political encounters.
Background and Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, representing the primary cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. Cognitive dysfunction can affect patients at any time during the disease process and might alter the six core functional domains. Social cognition is a multi-component construct that includes the theory of mind, empathy and social perception of emotions from facial, bodily and vocal cues. Deficits in this cognitive faculty might have a drastic impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life (QoL). Although exhaustive data exist for non-social cognitive functions in MS, only a little attention has been paid for social cognition. The objectives of the present work are to reappraise the definition and anatomy of social cognition and evaluate the integrity of this domain across MS studies. We will put special emphasis on neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies concerning social cognitive performance in MS. Methods:Studies were selected in conformity with PRISMA guidelines. We looked for computerized databases (PubMed, Medline, and Scopus) that index peer-reviewed journals to identify published reports in English and French languages that mention social cognition and multiple sclerosis, regardless of publication year. We combined keywords as follows: (facial emotion or facial expression or emotional facial expressions or theory of mind or social cognition or empathy or affective prosody) AND multiple sclerosis AND (MRI or functional MRI or positron emission tomography or functional imaging or structural imaging). We also scanned references from articles aiming to get additional relevant studies. Results: In total, 26 studies matched the abovementioned criteria (26 neuropsychological studies including five neuroimaging studies). Available data support the presence of social cognitive deficits even at early stages of MS. The increase in disease burden along with the multiple disconnection syndrome resulting from gray and white matters pathology might exceed the threshold for cerebral tolerance and can manifest as deficits in social cognition. Admitting the impact of the latter on patients' social functioning, a thorough screening for such deficits is crucial to improving patients' QoL.
Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is one of the most widely spread Prunus species cultivated in the temperate zones and it is an important source of vitamins, sugars, and organic acids. Apricots also contain some phytochemicals that have beneficial effects on human metabolism. However, a little is known about the quality characteristics of important Moroccan local clones. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of twelve local clones and, therefore, to identify those that presenting important and interesting quality traits. Some quality parameters such as Soluble Solids content (SS), pH value, Total Acidity (TA) and the ratio (SS/TA) were evaluated and major carboxylic acid components of apricot fruits were detected and quantified. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to study correlation between fruit quality parameters and to evaluate maturity stage and clone effects which are considered as decisive factors in the quality of apricots fruits. The clones were analyzed during three maturity stages: semi-ripe (M1), commercially ripe (M2), and tree ripe (M3). The results showed that malic and citric acids were the predominant organic acids in all apricots. Among different maturity stages, it is found that malic acid ranged from 7.02 to 22.86 g/kg of fresh weights (FW) while citric acid varied from 6.36 to 23.28 g/kg FW. Quinic, fumaric, and ascorbic acids were also quantified in the apricot fruits. Significant levels of vitamin C ranged from 0.001 to 0.150 g/kg FW were detected in the analyzed apricots and a remarkable variation was observed in all quality parameters. Moreover, significant correlations were found between the variables pH, SS, SS/TA ratio and organic acids mainly citric and malic acids. A genetic diversity was found between apricots clones according to their quality characteristics. This variability can be an asset in the apricots sector development in the region of Marrakesh either for fresh consumption or their processing into different products. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this study, we develop a novel system to recover the waste heat from the exhaust of a passenger car. A heat exchanger is therefore placed after the exhaust manifold of the vehicle. Thermoelectric generators (TEG) are installed on all pipes of the heat exchanger to generate electricity by the temperature difference between hot and cold sides of the TEG. The heat transfer of the TEG is analyzed numerically. Two configurations of TEG units are investigated for various exhaust flow rates and temperatures. The overall heat transfer rates from the exhaust gas to the TEG, the power capacity of the system and the overall heat transfer coefficients of the system are calculated. It is observed that the power capacity of the system is directly related to the inlet temperature and mass flow rate of the exhaust gas entering the system. The power generated by the system can be improved by 90% with an increase of the mass flow rate and temperature of the exhaust gas. Increasing the size of the TEG system by 66.7% rises the overall heat transfer rate of the system by 33.8%. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research aim: Impairment of nonverbal communication in persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a specific and dominant symptom of this disorder's clinical picture. It becomes a diagnostic criterion as well as differential diagnostic criterion. It predicts its development, and at the same time, is a striking determinant of socialization of persons with a given impairment. The range of impairments for this form of communication is variable, and manifested differently in each individual with ASD. Our paper will primarily focus on the area of non-verbal communication, associated with deficits, and related to the reception and expression of facial expressions. The theoretical basis - the initial part of the given paper, will subsequently be supplemented with research investigation, carried out at the Institute of Special Education Studies at the Faculty of Education, Palacky University in Olomouc (Communication deficits in selected forms of impaired communication ability, with focus on assessment of sub-determinants of verbal and nonverbal element of communication in special education practice; Faculty of Education UP, PdF_2012_021, 2013/2014). Objectives: The given research investigation is differentiated into two parts focused on the reflection of impaired nonverbal communication in persons with ASD from the perspective of speech and language therapists, working in health-care and education facilities, and on the analysis of impaired nonverbal communication in a selected group of pre-school aged children with ASD. Methodology: The first research method was a questionnaire distributed to speech and language therapists working in the health-care facilities and in the set-up of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Another research method was longitudinal observation within the time period March 2013 to June 2013. In order to assess nonverbal communication in persons with autism spectrum disorders, Diagnosis of impaired communication ability was applied - specifically its part Diagnosis of nonverbal communication, created by Rihova and Vitaskova (2012). Results and conclusions: It is clear from the results of research investigation that impairment of nonverbal communication in persons with ASD is a very evident symptom, while difference in the extent of impairment of individual forms of nonverbal communication are specific. They reflect individual abilities and dispositions of a child, as well as especially the specific type of ASD diagnosis. If we look at the specific results, acquired from questionnaires distributed to speech and language therapists in the Czech Republic, it is evident that in persons with ASD, the addressed specialists most frequently record deficits pertaining to visual contact and facial expressions. What we perceive as negative is a fact that 55.56 % of speech and language therapists do not prefer the development of nonverbal communication as part of speech and language intervention in persons with ASD. The presented results could be an incentive to reflect the over significance of deeper diagnosis of impaired nonverbal communication in persons with ASD, which can not only form an important diagnostic tool, but also a significant intra-phenomenon differentially diagnostic marker.
Geosynthetic tubes inflated with water, clay slurry or sand have been widely used for large dike construction in land reclamation projects. In this paper, analytical solutions for geosynthetic tube resting on rigid foundation is presented by adopting an approach similar to that presented by Leshchinsky et al. (1996). The proposed method allows a quick preliminary design to be made for using a closed-form solution. To simplify the analysis, relationships between geometrical parameters and pumping pressure are established using numerical method. The analytical solutions were compared with several existing solutions and good agreements were achieved.
Anti-fat bias in healthcare providers and medical students has serious implications for quality of care of higher-weight patients. Studies of interventions aimed at reducing anti-fat attitudes in medical students have generally been disappointing, with little enduring effect. It is possible that some students may be more receptive to prejudice-reducing influences than others, due to underlying differences in their personal characteristics. It is also possible that attitudes toward patients, specifically, may differ from anti-fat attitudes in general, and prejudice-reduction effectiveness on patient-specific attitudes has not yet been evaluated. The present study explored the effect on general and patient-specific anti-fat attitudes of (1) contact with higher-weight individuals prior to and during medical school; and (2) training designed to increase medical students' empathy toward patients by encouraging them to take the patient's perspective during clinical encounters. The moderating role of individual difference factors on effectiveness of contact and student-reported hours of empathy training on patient-specific attitudes was assessed. A total of 3,576 students enrolled across 49 US medical schools completed an online survey at the start of their first year of medical school and at the end of their fourth year. Favorable contact experience with higher-weight patients predicted improved attitudes toward heavier patients after 4 years of medical school, and appeared sufficient to partially offset the effects of dislike of higher-weight individuals at baseline. The impact of favorable contact on general anti-fat attitudes was less strong, highlighting the importance of using target-specific outcome measures. The positive effects of favorable contact on attitudes toward higher-weight patients did not differ based on students' baseline levels of social dominance orientation, dispositional empathy, or need for cognitive closure. In contrast, the effectiveness of training did vary by student characteristics, generally being more effective in students who were more egalitarian and empathic at baseline, with little effect, or even adverse effects in students low in these traits. Overall, however, perspective-taking training produced only small improvements in attitudes toward higher-weight patients.
Water pollution is a cause for serious concern in today's world. A major contributor to water pollution is industrial effluents containing dyes and other organic molecules. Waste water treatment has become a priority area in today's applied scientific research as it seeks to minimize the toxicity of the effluents being discharged and increase the possibility of water recycling. An efficient and eco-friendly way of degrading toxic molecules is to use nano metal-oxide photocatalysts. The present study aims at enhancing the photocatalytic activity of a semiconductor metal oxide by doping it with nitrogen. A sol gel cum combustion method was employed to synthesize the catalyst. The prepared catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, UV-DRS, FESEM and AFM techniques. UV-DRS result showed the catalyst to possess band gap energy of 2.97 eV, thus making it active in the UV region of the spectrum. Its photo catalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of a model pollutant-Orange G dye, under UV light irradiation. Preliminary experiments were carried out to study the effects of pH, catalyst dosage and initial dye concentration on the extent of dye degradation. Kinetic studies revealed that the reaction followed pseudo first order kinetics. The effect of electrolytes on catalyst efficiency was also studied. The progress of the reaction was monitored by absorption studies and measuring the reduction in COD. The catalyst thus prepared was seen to have a high photocatalytic efficiency. The use of this catalyst is a promising means of waste water treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a rapidly emerging field in wastewater treatment (WWT), with application to almost all unit processes. This paper provides an overview of CFD applied to a wide range of unit processes in water and WWT from hydraulic elements like flow splitting to physical, chemical and biological processes like suspended growth nutrient removal and anaerobic digestion. The paper's focus is on articulating the state of practice and research and development needs. The level of CFD's capability varies between different process units, with a high frequency of application in the areas of final sedimentation, activated sludge basin modelling and disinfection, and greater needs in primary sedimentation and anaerobic digestion. While approaches are comprehensive, generally capable of incorporating non-Newtonian fluids, multiphase systems and biokinetics, they are not broad, and further work should be done to address the diversity of process designs. Many units have not been addressed to date. Further needs are identified throughout, but common requirements include improved particle aggregation and breakup (flocculation), and improved coupling of biology and hydraulics.
Plants are ideal systems to teach core biology concepts due to their unique physiological and developmental features. Advances in DNA sequencing technology and genomics have allowed scientists to generate genome sequences and transcriptomics data for numerous model plant species. This information is publicly available and presents a valuable tool to introduce undergraduate students to the fundamental concepts of gene expression in the context of modern quantitative biology and bioinformatics. Modern biology classrooms must provide authentic research experiences to allow developing core competencies such as scientific inquiry, critical interpretation of experimental results, and quantitative analyses of large dataset using computational approaches. Recent educational research has shown that undergraduate students struggle when connecting gene expression concepts to classic genetics, phenotypic analyses, and overall flow of biological information in living organisms, suggesting that novel approaches are necessary to enhance learning of gene expression and regulation. This review describes different strategies and resources available to instructors willing to incorporate authentic research experiences, genomic tools, and bioinformatics analyses when teaching transcriptional regulation and gene expression in undergraduate courses. A variety of laboratory exercises and pedagogy materials developed to teach gene expression using plants are discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Networks, edited by Dr. Erich Grotewold and Dr. Nathan Springer. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scaling laws are used when the size of a certain machine design with known performance needs to be adjusted for a new application with known requirements, or when a machine design is geometrically scaled and one needs to determine its performance. Scaling laws derived in this study allow one to quickly and accurately recalculate parameters of a geometrically scaled permanent magnet machine. They basically consist of two separate important scaling procedures: axial scaling and radial scaling. The third and inevitable scaling procedure is rewinding, which is used to adjust the winding for a required voltage level. Exact but simple analytical equations for the various parameters (torque, power, losses, mass, resistance, inductance, efficiency etc.) of the machine are derived using three independent scaling factors, one for each scaling procedure. Special attention is given to the inclusion of end-winding influence and three-dimensional permanent magnet loss effects. Algorithms for fast determination of winding parameters for a given voltage and fast determination of scaling factors for scaling based on the torque requirement with stack length limitation are presented. All derived scaling equations are numerically validated using two state-of-the-art motor design software packages with automated extraction of parameters based on finite-element calculations.
The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) is a low-affinity receptor that is capable of binding neurotrophins. Two different p75NTR knockout mouse lines are available either with a deletion in Exon III (p75NTR(ExIII-/-)) or in Exon IV (p75NTR(ExIV-/-)). In p75NTR(ExIII) knockout mice, only the full-length p75NTR is deleted, whereas in p75NTR(ExIV) knockout mice, the full-length as well as the truncated isoform of the receptor is deleted. Deletion of p75NTR has been shown to affect, among others, the septohippocampal cholinergic innervation pattern and neuronal plasticity within the hippocampus. We hypothesize that deletion of p75NTR also alters the morphology and physiology of a further key structure of the limbic system, the amygdala. Our results indicate that deletion of p75NTR also increases cholinergic innervation in the basolateral amygdala in adult as well as aged p75NTR(ExIII-/-) and p75NTR(ExIV-/-) mice. The p75NTR(ExIV-/-) mice did not display altered long-term potentiation (LTP) in the basolateral amygdala as compared to age-matched control littermates. However, p75NTR(ExIII-/-) mice display stronger LTP in the basolateral amygdala compared to age-matched controls. Bath-application of K252a (a trk antagonist) did not inhibit the induction of LTP in the basolateral amygdala, but reduced the level of LTP in p75NTR(ExIII-/-) mice to levels seen in respective controls. Moreover, p75NTR(ExIII-/-) mice display altered behavior in the dark/light box. Thus, deletion of p75NTR in mice leads to physiological and morphological changes in the amygdala and altered behavior that is linked to the limbic system.
This paper presents the implementation of an automated roll-to-roll fluidic self-assembly system based on the surface tension driven self-assembly with applications in the field of macroelectronics. The reported system incorporates automated agitation, web motion, component dispensing, and recycling. The process enables the assembly and electrical connection of semiconductor dieschips in a continuous and parallel fashion over wide area substrates. At present, the method achieves an assembly rate of 15 000 chips per hour and an assembly yield exceeding 99%, testing assembly of standard square-shaped dies, 300-1000 mu m size. Scaling the system to any desired throughput is possible due to the parallel manner of self-assembly. The identification and the modeling of the relationship between process parameters and forces have been studied and experimentally verified by testing the effect of the web angle, agitation on assembly, and detachment rates. As an application, we demonstrate the realization of a solid-state lighting module. This particular application requires the assembly of a conductive multilayer sandwich structure, which is achieved by combining the introduced assembly process with a novel lamination step. [2015-0105]
Event sequences estimation is an important issue for fault diagnosis of Discrete event systems, so far as fault events cannot directly be measured. This paper is about event sequences estimation with Petri net models. Events are assumed to be represented with transitions, and firing sequences are estimated from measurements of the marking variation. Estimation with and without measurement errors are discussed in n-dimensional vector space over alphabet Z(3) = {-1, 0, 1}. Sufficient conditions and estimation algorithms are provided. Performance is evaluated, and the efficiency of the approach is illustrated on two examples from manufacturing engineering.
The inflammatory arthropathies share in common their tendency to produce marked alterations in skeletal remodelling and architecture. This review will focus on RA and the seronegative spondyloarthopathies (SpA), which share common features with respect to their tendency to produce localized bone destruction at sites of articular and peri-articular inflammation. However, there are significant differences in the skeletal pathology in these conditions, which include the unique involvement of the axial skeleton and the presence of inflammation in the extra-articular entheses in SpA. There also are differences in the pattern of bone formation and repair associated with the articular and peri-articular inflammation. This review will highlight the molecular and cellular processes that are involved in the pathogenesis of the skeletal pathology in these two forms of inflammatory arthritis with specific focus on the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the differential patterns of bone formation and repair.
Although, previous studies show overwhelming evidence that loneliness is negatively correlated with prosocial behavior, some theories and research have implied that under certain situations, loneliness plays a positive role in an individual's social functioning. The two studies reported in this article examined loneliness and its associations with prosocial behavior in Chinese adults using subjective reporting and experimental design. Study 1 examined 305 Chinese adults (175 males) using the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults and the Prosocial Tendencies Measure to evaluate their loneliness and prosocial tendencies. The results showed that loneliness was negatively associated with all prosocial tendencies except the public prosocial tendency. Study 2 examined 177 Chinese adults (61 males) using an experimental design and found that only lonely women in public situations expressed a greater willingness to help. The results also suggest that loneliness may play a positive role in the social functioning of individuals under certain conditions. The function of loneliness and the implications of the association between loneliness and prosocial behavior are discussed.
Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) is widely used in infrastructure projects such as retaining wall and road/railway subgrade for technical and economical reasons. Despite of the worldwide usage, the basic mechanism of such reinforcement remains obscure, owing to its discontinuous and heterogeneous nature. Instead of being layered by planar geosynthetic sheets, soil can be wrapped entirely in geosynthetic containers as soilbags, which improves bearing capacity and contains the dilatancy of soil. To gain insights into soilbag reinforcement mechanisms and facilitate the development of soilbag's constitutive relation, the authors numerically investigated the micromechanical behavior of the GRS inside a woven geotextile soilbag under simple shear, by using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Global and local stress states and fabric anisotropies in the GRS were investigated. With sustained shear, the global stress path first approaches the critical state line of the GRS and then turns to soilbag's compression line. Meanwhile, local loading-unloading stress paths are experienced, which may account for high damping of soilbags in cyclic shear. The reducing fabric anisotropies of normal and tangential force chains suggest greater confinement from the lateral sides of the geotextile container during simple shear. With new findings in the stress states and the fabric anisotropies of the wrapped GRS, the confinement mechanism of soilbag is better understood.
One of the current challenges of persimmon postharvest research is the development of non-destructive methods that allow determination of the internal properties of the fruit, such as maturity, flesh firmness and astringency. This study evaluates the usefulness of hyperspectral imaging in the 460-1020 nm range as a non-destructive tool to achieve these aims in Persimmon cv. 'Rojo Brillante' which is an astringent cultivar. Fruit were harvested at three different stages of commercial maturity and exposed to different treatments of CO2 (95% CO2 - 20 degrees C - from 0 to 24 h) in order to obtain fruit with different levels of astringency. Partial Least Square (PLS) based methods were used to classify persimmon fruits by maturity and to predict flesh firmness from the average spectrum of each fruit. The results showed a 97.9% rate of correct maturity classification and an R(2)p of 0.80 for firmness prediction with only five selected wavelengths. For astringency assessment, as our results showed that the soluble tannins that remain after CO2 treatments are distributed irregularly inside the flesh, a model based on PLS was built using the spectrum of every pixel in the fruit. The model obtained an R(2)p of 0.91 which allowed the creation of the predicted distribution maps of the tannins in the flesh of the fruit, thereby pointing to hyperspectral systems as a promising technology to assess the effectiveness of the deastringency treatments that are usually applied before commercialising persimmons from astringent cultivars. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rationale Environmental challenges during adolescence, such as drug exposure, can cause enduring behavioral and molecular changes that contribute to life-long maladaptive behaviors, including addiction. Selectively bred highresponder (bHR) and low-responder (bLR) rats represent a unique model for assessing the long-termimpact of adolescent environmental manipulations, as they inherently differ on a number of addiction-related traits. bHR rats are consideredBaddiction-prone, whereas bLR rats are Baddictionresilient, at least under baseline conditions. Moreover, relative to bLRs, bHR rats are more likely to attribute incentive motivational value to reward cues, or to Bsign-track. Objectives We utilized bHR and bLR rats to determine whether adolescent cocaine exposure can alter their inborn behavioral and neurobiological profiles, with a specific focus on Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior (i.e., sign-vs. goal-tracking) and hippocampal neurogenesis. Methods bHR and bLR rats were administered cocaine (15 mg/kg) or saline for 7 days during adolescence (postnatal day, PND 33-39) and subsequently tested for Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior in adulthood (PND 62-75), wherein an illuminated lever (conditioned stimulus) was followed by the response-independent delivery of a food pellet (unconditioned stimulus). Behaviors directed toward the lever and the food cup were recorded as sign-and goal-tracking, respectively. Hippocampal cell genesis was evaluated on PND 77 by immunohistochemistry. Results Adolescent cocaine exposure impaired hippocampal cell genesis (proliferation and survival) and enhanced the inherent propensity to goal-track in adult bLR, but not bHR, rats. Conclusions Adolescent cocaine exposure elicits long-lasting changes in stimulus-reward learning and enduring deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis selectively in adult bLR rats. Conclusions Adolescent cocaine exposure elicits long-lasting changes in stimulus-reward learning and enduring deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis selectively in adult bLR rats.
The Thermal hydraulics, Aerosols and Iodine (ThAI) facility, located in Eschborn, Germany, is a 60-m(3) steel test vessel designed to simulate operational and accident conditions in a nuclear containment structure. The ThAI facility provides experimental data used for validation of thermal-hydraulic codes. The test performed at this facility has been modeled using the GOTHIC 8.1(QA) software package for the purpose of validating both physical models and modeling techniques. The test analyzed is from step 2 of the International Standard Problem 47 test performed at the ThAI facility. This test consisted of three injection ports for steam and helium to enter the vessel off-axis. The off-axis injection locations along with the compartmented geometry of the facility provide a complex coupling of physics that would be present in an accident transient inside the containment of a typical light water reactor. Key considerations of this analysis are stratification of the steam and helium, condensation deposition, and flow patterns within the vessel.
Feedback indicating how well students are performing during a learning task can be very stimulating. In this study with a pre- and post-test design, the effects of two types of performance feedback on learning results were compared: feedback during a learning task was either stated in terms of how well the students were performing relative to other students (social comparison feedback) or relative to an absolute criterion (criterion-based feedback). Thirty-four students in secondary vocational engineering education were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In both conditions, students worked together in small groups. All groups completed a math learning task, during which they received either social comparison feedback or criterion-based performance feedback. The findings showed that the type of feedback had a strong effect on learning outcomes: the post-test scores and gains of students in the social comparison condition were significantly higher than those of students in the criterion-based feedback condition.
Water mismanagement in India causes great havoc. In many areas that receive abundant monsoonal rainfall, adequate water for domestic uses in other seasons is not available. At the same time, the intense urbanization in the country presents an opportunity for landscape architects and urban designers to actively address water security. This study discusses water use as a determining metric for undisturbed sites, or 'greenfield' developments, that have an abundance of water during the monsoons and water scarcity in other seasons. The article uses projective design for a greenfield city-Naya Raipur-in central India, to argue for rainfall metrics to calculate population density and water harvesting bylaws, in order to meet all per capita domestic water requirements. The proposed use of a mandatory per capita water harvesting area is an easily applicable solution for water scarcity, which can provide autonomy to households for water management and control the density of a city based on the availability of water in the region.
Geomorphic units are the elementary spatial physical features of the river mosaic at the reach scale that are nested within the overall hydromorphological structure of a river and its catchment. Geomorphic units also constitute the template of physical habitats for the biota. The assessment of river hydromorphological conditions is required by the European Water Framework Directive 2000/60 (WFD) for the classification and monitoring of water bodies and is useful for establishing links between their physical and biological conditions. The spatial scale of geomorphic units, incorporating their component elements and hydraulic patches, is the most appropriate to assess these links. Given the weakness of existing methods for the characterisation and assessment of geomorphic units and physical habitats (e.g., lack of a well-defined spatiotemporal framework, terminology issues, etc.), a new system for the survey and characterisation of river geomorphic units is needed that fits within a geomorphologically meaningful framework. This paper presents a system for the survey and classification of geomorphic units (GUS, geomorphic units survey and classification system) aimed at characterising physical habitats and stream morphology. The method is embedded into a multiscale, hierarchical framework for the analysis of river hydromorphological conditions. Three scales of geomorphic units are considered (i.e., macro-units, units, sub-units), organised within two spatial domains (i.e., bankfull channel and floodplain). Different levels of characterisation can be applied, depending on the aims of the survey: broad, basic, and detailed level. At each level, different, complementary information is collected. The method is applied by combining remote sensing analysis and field survey, according to the spatial scale and the level of description required. The method is applicable to most of fluvial conditions, and has been designed to be flexible and adaptable according to the objectives (e.g., reach characterisation, assessment, monitoring) and available data (e.g., image resolution). The method supports integrated hydromorphological assessment at the reach scale (e.g., the Morphological Quality Index, MQI) and therefore contributes to better establishing links between hydromorphological conditions at the reach scale, characteristic geomorphic units, and related biological conditions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Adipokines, pleiotropic molecules produced by white adipose tissue (WAT) have attracted the attention of scientists since 1994. The role of adipokines in metabolic syndrome is known and fixed. Adipokines exerting a variety of metabolic activities have contributed to the ethiopathogenesis and the consequences of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, adipokines are involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes and autoimmunity in the light of pathogenesis of connective tissue diseases. Given some evidence for the influence of adipokines in metabolic syndrome, there may be a link between CVDs and rheumatic diseases. This review provides an overview of the literature focusing on the role of adipokines in rheumatic diseases by putting special emphasis on the potential role of leptin, resistin, adiponectin, chemerin, visfatin and novel adipokines in connective tissue diseases.
This paper addresses electricity transmission planning under the new industry and institutional structure of the Mexican electricity market, which has engaged in a deep reform process after decades of a state-owned vertically -integrated-non-competitive-closed industry. Under this new structure, characterized by a nodal pricing system and an independent system operator (ISO), we analyze welfare-optimal network expansion with two modeling strategies. In a first model, we propose the use of an incentive price-cap mechanism to promote the expansion of Mexican networks. In a second model, we study centrally-planned grid expansion in Mexico by an ISO within a power-flow model. We carry out comparisons of these models which provide us with hints to evaluate the actual transmission planning process proposed by Mexican authorities (PRODESEN). We obtain that the PRODESEN plan appears to be a convergent welfare-optimal planning process.
Objectives: The aim of the present study is to investigate the organization of Armstrong's nonverbal behavior in deceptive statements and in those statements in which deception is not proven. The final aim of this study is to show that T-pattern methodology can be a useful tool in research about doping behavior. Design: In this observational study we focused on Armstrong's micro-expressions (action units, gaze movements, head movements) drawing observational material from different videos excerpts where Armstrong made doping-related statements. A baseline of Armstrong's deceptive behavior was established by selecting three video samples from 2005 in which he fully denied ever having taken performance-enhancing drugs. They were compared to the interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey in January 2013, in which he admitted doping but denied the specific charges of bullying and corruption. Method: Our approach is based on the detection of statistically significant hierarchical sequences of behaviors in time, called T-patterns (temporal patterns). The algorithm, implemented in Theme software, determines whether apparently arbitrary events sequentially repeat, within a specified time interval, at a rate greater than that expected by chance. Results: Data analyses allowed identifying distinctive patterns for each of the two conditions. The baseline showed a very limited number of patterns, highlighting low level of complexity and the presence of stereotyped behaviors. In the Oprah video samples, the number and complexity of distinctive patterns was significantly higher, and most of them included gaze shifting behaviors. Conclusions: T-pattern methodology might be an effective strategy to detect nonverbal features of deception, integrated with more traditional and established practice, in order to improve anti-doping measures and fight this spreading phenomenon. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) weaken the antitumor immune response through the inhibition of effector T cell activity and the production of immunosuppressive factors in pathological sites. It is well established that interleukin-17A (IL-17A) has a remarkable role on the promotion of inflammation and tumor formation, and IL-17 has been implicated in the enhancement of immunosuppression of MDSCs, which consequently promotes tumor progression. A detailed study of this relationship remains elusive. In our study, we not only confirmed the promotion of IL-17 on Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) development but also surprisingly showed that IL-17 could extend the fate and enhance the immunosuppressive effect of MDSCs through activating ERK1/2. Additionally, the effect of IL-17 on MDSCs was reversed, even in tumors by blocking ERK1/2. Interdicting the signaling molecule ERK1/2 could increase the apoptosis of MDSCs and weaken the suppressive activity of MDSCs, so that thereafter, the antitumor immunity could be restored partly. Therefore, these findings offer new insights into the importance of IL-17 and the downstream signaling factor ERK1/2 for MDSCs.
Ambient Intelligence is a new paradigm in information technology to empower people. Such a paradigm that highlights human interaction with machines makes smart technologies a good candidate for development of various real-life solutions in the field of health care, including human activity recognition in smart homes. Since the description of user activity plays an important role in a smart environment, recognition and tracking user activities of daily living can provide unprecedented opportunities for health monitoring, applications, and assistive life utilities, particularly for the elderly, disabled, and people with dementia or Alzheimer disease. Due to sensor data nature with different sampling rates and complex correlations, significant challenges arise due to storage, presentation, exchange and manipulate of this data category. One rational solution to solve such challenges is to use techniques which are based on Semantic Web and Ontology. Recently there have been large varieties of proposed approaches in which they use such techniques. The vast amount of human activity recognition in smart home while using Ontological approaches has made it difficult to make adequate comparisons and accurate assessment. This article presents a framework for analyzing each of the approaches proposed in this regard. Using the proposed SOnAr framework for Ontology-based activity recognition approaches can be effective in analyzing and evaluating different methods in different application areas and dealing with various challenges.
In the Genii River Basin (southern Spain), agriculture is the greatest pressure on freshwater demand. Furthermore, water degradation caused by soil erosion is becoming a key environmental concern. This study aims to assess the water-related impacts of agriculture combining the use of an ecohydrological model (SWAT) with a spatiotemporal water footprint assessment to evaluate the current status of streamflow (blue water), soil water (green water) and the assimilability of sediments by streamflow (grey water footprint). The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) requires farmers to adopt certain agricultural practices that are beneficial for the environment. Such practices could affect the conditions of available land and water resources. Because of the importance of applying the best land management practices for the maintenance of sustainable water resources, the study also infers probable water availability and water pollution level changes under different post-2013 CAP scenarios. The Genii streamflow is highly regulated, and, as a result, it is hard to discern significant changes (p < 0.05) under the proposed scenarios. However, there is a shift with afforestation measures from unproductive (i.e., direct soil evaporation) to productive water (i.e., evapotranspired water from agricultural and natural areas, excluding non-growing periods) consumption. The probability of annual evapotranspiration from natural areas being greater in afforestation scenarios than in the baseline scenario is 0.70 to 0.88, whereas the likelihood of soil water evaporation being lower is 0.60. Evapotranspiration in natural areas increases by about 521% from September to May under afforestation measures compared with the baseline scenario, whereas soil water evaporation decreases by 30% in winter. The grey water footprint and water pollution level decrease by 19% and 9%, respectively, with the highest streamflow conditions under afforestation as opposed to current conditions. However, water pollution levels of suspended solids greater than 1 indicate that the river flow is not capable of assimilating the existing sediment loads. Since land use changes and agricultural practices have a major impact on water resources, the post-2013 CAP reform can provide environmental benefits for water allocation and mitigation of water pollution. However, further efforts are required to better align the policy goals of the CAP and the Water Framework Directive. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Energy, CO2 and Water are most important issues that environmental impact in buildings and cities. These are related each other very closely. This study has attempted to analyze CO2 emission by water usages, sewage wastes and also water saving strategies like installation water saving devices, rainwater harvesting and gray water system in office buildings. To assess from the early design stage, should be developed regional water amount and regional CO2 emission factor by water. Consequently, estimated one sample office project in Korea and suggested effective CO2 emission reduction plan in the water sector. Total amount of CO2 emission in the water sector in sample office building is 188.25 t center dot CO(2)eq/yr.
Purpose - Research has consistently shown that organizational constraints lead to deviant behavioral reactions. Although many studies have investigated personality variables as moderators of such predictors of deviance, considerably less research has considered cross-level moderators of these effects. The purpose of this paper is to draw on several related theories to test team civility climate as a cross-level moderator of the organizational constraints - interpersonal deviance relationship. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected using paper-and-pencil surveys from 239 employees nested within 68 work teams. Teams were employed in various industries including healthcare, insurance, manufacturing/engineering, and financial services. Findings - Results from hierarchical linear modeling analyses demonstrated that the effect of organizational constraints on interpersonal deviance varied significantly across teams. In addition, the positive relationship between organizational constraints and interpersonal deviance was attenuated in teams with a high civility climate. Practical implications - Organizational constraints may be difficult to eliminate in many workplaces. However, results suggest that by developing a positive civility climate, teams can help prevent deviant behaviors that may be associated with experienced constraints. Originality/value - This is one of the first studies to examine civility climate as a shared property of the team and as a cross-level moderator. Findings from this research contribute to theories of deviant organizational behavior by highlighting the critical role of variables emanating from levels of analysis beyond the individual.
The success or failure of operating a rainwater harvesting system (RWH) depends on both technological and non-technological factors. The importance of non-technological factors in attaining sustainable RWH operation is rarely emphasized. This study aims to assess the contribution of non-technological factors through determining decisive factors involved in the use of RWHs for agriculture irrigation in Beijing. The RWHs for agriculture irrigation in Beijing are not operating as well as expected. If the decisive factors are identified to be non-technological, the significance of non-technological factors will be highlighted. Firstly, 10 impact factors comprising non-technological and technological factors are selected according to both a literature review and interviews with RWH managers. Following this, through an artificial data mining method, rough set analysis, the decisive factors are identified. Results show that two non-technological factors, doubts about rainwater quality and the availability of groundwater determine whether these systems will continue or cease RWH operation in Beijing. It is, thus, considered necessary to improve public confidence in and motivation on using rainwater for agriculture irrigation, as this is the main obstacle in the sustainable and successful operation of RWHs. Through a case study of RWHs in Beijing, the study verifies the importance of acknowledging non-technological factors to achieve sustainable water management and considers that such factors should receive more attention by decision makers and researchers.
A new data encryption scheme is proposed based on the position substitution, shuffling and a diffusion process. The algorithm searches for the position of a text symbol in randomly generated 3-D matrix and subsequently replaces the symbol. The positions in matrix are shuffled in a retraceable manner depending upon the encryption key. Further, the substituted positions are diffused so that all the cipher text get affected even if a single symbol is changed. The system uses a Logistic map for matrix generation and position shuffling. The algorithm also checks the integrity of cipher text by including its parity in encrypted form. As the system includes substitution, permutation and diffusion, high level of cryptographic complexity is achieved in cipher text. The proposed method is key sensitive output cipher text is random in nature and has avalanche effect. The key length chosen is sufficient to resist a brute force attack. The cryptographic model as a whole demonstrate remarkable resistance to statistical attacks which is a key feature. Detailed runtime comparison with different known cryptographic systems is given. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
One of the most important methods for reusing treated wastewater is soil aquifer treatment (SAT). For simulation of SAT pounds, three columns of 30cm in diameter and 250cm in height were filled with sandy loam soil and used to assess the removal of chemical and biochemical oxygen demands (COD and BOD), nitrogen, phosphate, total dissolved solid, total coliform, and fecal coliform from treated wastewater. The soil surfaces of columns were covered by different materials; one by geotextile, another by coarse structural debris, and the third one remained bare. These columns were saturated by treated wastewater from Mahdasht-Karaj treatment plant. All of the experiments were conducted under permanent saturated soil condition. The removal percentages of geotextile soil column were 84.7, 77, 67.7, 99.5, 99.7, and 79.9 for BOD, COD, TSS, coliform, fecal coliform, and phosphate, respectively, and low efficiency for nitrate removal in all columns. Also it was observed that more waterlogging time leads to a decrease in pollutant removal. Using geotextile and structural debris as soil surface covers will lead to a reduction in pollutants transfer and help in stabilizing the soil system as a filter.
Throughout history, natural ventilation has remained the preferred choice for the majority of residential buildings, while, in commercial buildings, natural ventilation went from being the single option to somewhat of a lost art as mechanical ventilation systems and air conditioning became the standard during the second half of the twentieth century. Recently, as a result of environmental concerns, in particular the greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, interest in natural ventilation in commercial buildings has seen a resurgence. Unfortunately, the hiatus in natural ventilation use in these buildings has resulted in the loss of existing design know-how and consequently limited new developments in a period during which comfort and indoor air quality performance standards have continuously risen. Nevertheless, the past 25 years has seen significant advances in our understanding of the fluid mechanics of natural ventilation and Architectural Fluid Mechanics has developed as a new subject. In response to these new scientific advances and in an attempt to restore confidence in the applicability of natural ventilation in practice, this paper presents ten questions about building natural ventilation that span the different scales of the problem, from an urban context down to the neighbourhood and the building itself. These questions are commonly asked when a designer is considering natural ventilation as the preferred means of cooling a non-domestic building, and the answers are intended to provide succinct links to the latest knowledge, identify areas that require additional research and assist designers in making appropriate decisions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Synthetic binding proteins are constructed using nonantibody molecular scaffolds. Over the last two decades, in-depth structural and functional analyses of synthetic binding proteins have improved combinatorial library designs and selection strategies, which have resulted in potent platforms that consistently generate binding proteins to diverse targets with affinity and specificity that rival those of antibodies. Favorable attributes of synthetic binding proteins, such as small size, freedom from disulfide bond formation and ease of making fusion proteins, have enabled their unique applications in protein science, cell biology and beyond. Here, we review recent studies that illustrate how synthetic binding proteins are powerful probes that can directly link structure and function, often leading to new mechanistic insights. We propose that synthetic proteins will become powerful standard tools in diverse areas of protein science, biotechnology and medicine.
Age, race, and sex are linked to social cognitive performance among healthy individuals, but whether similar effects are evident in schizophrenia is unknown. Data from 170 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 98 healthy controls were used to examine relations between these demographic factors and performance across multiple domains and measures of social cognition. Sex was not related to performance on any domain, but older age was related to poorer emotion recognition from dynamic stimuli in both patients and controls. In patients, older age was also associated with better abilities to decipher hints. Both Caucasian patients and controls performed better than African American individuals on emotion recognition and mental state attribution tasks that use only Caucasian individuals as visual stimuli. Findings suggest rather limited influences of demographic factors but do demonstrate normative age and race effects among patients. Findings also highlight important methodological considerations for measurement of social cognition.
The hippocampus is one of the most interesting and studied brain regions because of its involvement in memory functions and its vulnerability in pathological conditions, such as neurodegenerative processes. In the recent years, the increasing availability of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners that operate at ultra-high field (UHF), that is, with static magnetic field strength 7T, has opened new research perspectives. Compared to conventional high-field scanners, these systems can provide new contrasts, increased signal-to-noise ratio and higher spatial resolution, thus they may improve the visualization of very small structures of the brain, such as the hippocampal subfields. Studying the morphometry of the hippocampus is crucial in neuroimaging research because changes in volume and thickness of hippocampal subregions may be relevant in the early assessment of pathological cognitive decline and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The present review provides an overview of the manual, semi-automated and fully automated methods that allow the assessment of hippocampal subfield morphometry at UHF MRI, focusing on the different hippocampal segmentation produced. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A great deal of attention in manufacturing engineering has been focused on finishing operations of hard and brittle materials in recent years. This paper reports an experimental work on the analysis of surface roughness and material removal using design of experiment (DOE) method in magnetic abrasive finishing, (MAF) of flat surfaces. Change in surface roughness and material removal were found to increase with an increase in weight percentage of abrasive particles in magnetic abrasive brush, lubricant volume and decrease in working gap. Also, any decrease in the relative size of the abrasive particles vis-a-vis the iron particles would result into an increase of the surface roughness and decrease in material removal. It was observed that the work piece hardness had no considerable effect on the process results. The optimum parameter levels which lead into the best surface finish and highest material removal were also derived from these experimentations. Optimum levels included weight percentage of abrasive particles of 40%, Lubricant volume of 1 ml, working gap of 3 mm, relative size of abrasive particles vis-a-vis the iron particles of 0.22, and work piece hardness of 82-87 HBN. Disk type test pieces were selected from Al 7075 and their two side surfaces were under experiments. Experiments were made using a milling machine spindle as magnetic pole holder, and its table as fixture holder for work pieces.
In developed countries, public health systems are under pressure due to the increasing percentage of population over 65. In this context, homecare based on ambient intelligence technology seems to be a suitable solution to allow elderly people to continue to enjoy the comforts of home and help optimize medical resources. Thus, current technological developments make it possible to build complex homecare applications that demand, among others, flexibility mechanisms for being able to evolve as context does (adaptability), as well as avoiding service disruptions in the case of node failure (availability). The solution proposed in this paper copes with these flexibility requirements through the whole life-cycle of the target applications: from design phase to runtime. The proposed domain modeling approach allows medical staff to design customized applications, taking into account the adaptability needs. It also guides software developers during system implementation. The application execution is managed by a multi-agent based middleware, making it possible to meet adaptation requirements, assuring at the same time the availability of the system even for stateful applications.
The paper presents a transformation of nonlinear electric circuit into linear one through changing coordinates (local diffeomorphism) with the use of closed feedback loop. The necessary conditions that must be fulfilled by nonlinear system to enable carrying out linearizing procedures are presented. Numerical solutions of state equations for the nonlinear system and equivalent linearized system are included.
In deregulated electricity markets the independent system operator (ISO) oversees the power system and manages the supply and demand balancing process. In a typical day the ISO announces the electricity demand forecast for the next day and gives participants an option to prepare offers to meet the demand. In order to have a reliable power system and successful market operation, it is crucial to estimate the electricity demand accurately. In this paper, we develop an hourly demand forecasting method on annual, weekly and daily horizons, using a linear model that takes into account the harmonics of these variations and the modulation of diurnal periodic variations by seasonal variations. The electricity demand exhibits cyclic behavior with different seasonal characteristics. Our model is based solely on sinusoidal variations and predicts hourly variations, without using any climatic or econometric information. The method is applied to the Turkish power market on data for the period 2012-2014 and predicts the demand over daily and weekly horizons within a 3% error margin in the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) norm. We also discuss the week day/weekend/holiday consumption profiles to infer the proportion of industrial and domestic electricity consumption. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tryptophan (TRP), the precursor of serotonin (5-HT), is one of the most investigated amino-acids. TRP supplementation can increase 5-HT levels in the brain and for this reason numerous studies have investigated whether administration of TRP can positively influence social behavior that relies on serotonergic function. Here we review the available studies on TRP, to clarify if and under what circumstances TRP supplementation might modulate social behavior. TRP supplementation seems to improve control over social behavior in patients and individuals suffering from disorders or behaviors associated with dysfunctions in serotonergic functioning. In contrast, in healthy humans TRP supplementation seems to promote social behavior. Although more research is needed to disentangle and understand the relations between individual differences, TRP effectivity, 5-HT functioning, social interactions, and context, we conclude TRP can be a promising tool for modulating social behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS), we demonstrated in four experiments that affective information extracted from unseen faces influences both affective and personality judgments of neutral faces. In four experiments, participants judged neutral faces as more pleasant or unpleasant (Studies 1 and 2) or as more or less trustworthy, likable, and attractive (Study 3) or as more or less competent or interpersonally warm (Study 4) when paired with unseen smiling or scowling faces compared to when paired with unseen neutral faces. These findings suggest that affective influences are a normal part of everyday experience and provide evidence for the affective foundations consciousness. Affective misattribution arises even when affective changes occur after a neutral stimulus is presented, demonstrating that these affective influences cannot be explained as a simple semantic priming effect. These findings have implications for understanding the constructive nature of experience, as well as the role of affect in social impressions.
Social cognition is a topic of enormous interest and much research, but we are far from having an agreed taxonomy or factor structure of relevant processes. The aim of this review is to outline briefly what is known about the structure of social cognition and to suggest how further progress can be made to delineate the in(ter)dependence of core sociocognitive processes. We focus in particular on several processes that have been discussed and tested together in typical and atypical (notably autism spectrum disorder) groups: imitation, biological motion, empathy, and theory of mind. We consider the domain specificity/generality of core processes in social learning, reward, and attention, and we highlight the potential relevance of dual-process theories that distinguish systems for fast/automatic and slow/effortful processing. We conclude with methodological and conceptual suggestions for future progress in uncovering the structure of social cognition.
Although a lot of research attention has already been devoted to the personality and emotional basis of right-wing attitudes and racial prejudice, the relationships between trait Emotional Intelligence (El) and the latter variables have been largely neglected. In the present study conducted in a heterogeneous sample of adults (N = 419), we aim to fill this gap in the literature. It was revealed that trait El is negatively related to Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, and subtle racial prejudice. These relationships can be partly explained by empathy, and more specifically the component of perspective taking. Trait El is negatively related to the ability to take the perspective of others, which in turn is associated with increased right-wing attitudes and subtle racial prejudice. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper discusses diffusion of a pulsed magnetic field into a resistive element fabricated from a low-carbon steel. The developed numerical model shows that the process of the magnetic field diffusion into the steel at the leading edge of the pulse can be conventionally described by three stages: initial stage extending up to saturation of the steel surface layers, stage of saturation when the discharge current diffuses into the bulk of the steel, and stage of conduction when the discharge current is distributed practically uniformly in the steel. Approximate analytical relations describing the voltage drop across the resistive element are derived for each of the three stages. These relations are used for estimation of the effect of the ferromagnetic properties of the steel on transients in electrical circuits with the resistive element. Experiments prove the validity of the obtained analytical results.
Psana (Photon Science Analysis) is a software package that is used to analyze data produced by the Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray free-electron laser at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The project began in 2011, is written primarily in C++ with some Python, and provides user interfaces in both C++ and Python. Most users use the Python interface. The same code can be run in real time while data are being taken as well as offline, executing on many nodes/cores using MPI for parallelization. It is publicly available and installable on the RHEL5/6/7 operating systems.
Prosocial behaviors are susceptible to individuals' preferences regarding payoffs and social context. In the present study, we combined individual differences with social influence and attempted to discover the effect of social value orientation (SVO) and social influence on prosocial behavior in a trust game and a dictator game. Prosocial behavior in the trust game could be motivated by strategic considerations whereas individuals' decisions in the dictator game could be associated with their social preference. In the trust game, prosocials were less likely than proselfs to conform to the behavior of other group members when the majority of group members distrusted the trustee. In the dictator game, the results of the three-way ANOVA indicated that, irrespective of the type of offer, in contrast to proselfs, prosocials were influenced more by others' generous choices than their selfish choices, even if the selfish choices were beneficial to themselves. The overall results demonstrated that the effect of social influence appears to depend on individuals' SVO: that is, prosocials tend to conform to prosocial rather than proself behaviors.
Violent media consumption is often thought to lead to more aggression and violence, especially in juveniles. Social cognitive theories assume a pivotal role for cognitive functions, such as normative beliefs, in the explanation of human behaviour (including violence) and see violent media as a possible and potent learning environment. Although many studies have analysed the relationship between violent media consumption and violence, only a few are longitudinal and apparently no study has analysed mediator effects of violence-approving normative beliefs with data from a Western country at more than two points in time. Some researchers assume that violent media consumption can only aggravate an already existing disposition for violence due to other experiences such as parental maltreatment (double-dose or intensifier effect, which is methodologically described as a moderator effect). Both assumptions - mediation and moderation - are tested with structural equation models using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a German panel study. Results show that interaction effects between parental behaviour and violent media consumption are surprisingly weak, whereas both influence the approval of violence to a remarkable extent and mediated by this eventually, to a smaller extent, violent behaviour.
This paper introduces a smart assistant for professional volleyball training based on machine-learning techniques (SAETA). SAETA addresses two main aspects of elite sports coaching: 1) technical-tactical effort control, which aims at controlling exercise effort and fatigue levels and 2) exercise quality training, which complements the former by analyzing the execution of player movements. SAETA relies on a sensing infrastructure that monitors both players and their environment, and produces real-time data that is analyzed by different modules of a decision engine. Technical-tactical effort control is based on a dynamic programming model, which selects the best activity and rest durations in interval training, with the goal of maximizing effort while preventing fatigue. Exercise quality control consists of two stages. In the first stage, movements are detected by means of a k-nearest neighbors classifier and in the second stage, movement intensity is classified according to recent statistical data from the player being analyzed. These analyses are reported to coaches and players in real-time. SAETA has been developed in close collaboration with the Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia volleyball team, which competes in the Spanish women's premier league. Data gathered during training sessions has provided a knowledge base for the algorithms developed, and has been used for the validation of results.
The opportunities and challenges related to Internet use continue to grow, as well as the social concern around problematic Internet use (PIU), online risky behaviors, and the intensive use of Internet, mainly among adolescents. The aim of this study was to conduct a general screening of PIU in a large sample of school-based adolescents in Spain (n=40,955), providing updated prevalence data of PIU and different online risky practices, as well as rates of Internet and social network use. Differences between problematic and nonproblematic users were explored in terms of demographics, parental control, and motivations for using. The association between PIU and the involvement in other online risky behaviors was also analyzed, as well as the role of intensive use. The findings show that the global prevalence of PIU among Spanish adolescents is 16.3 percent although this is higher among females, those in their late teens, intensive users, and those without parental control. Logistic regression confirmed that both PIU and intensive use are risk factors for being involved in any online risky behavior. A tentative explanation could be that there is a common deficit of personal and social skills underlying PIU, intensive use, and most online risky practices. From our perspective, value-based education and life skills training are the best way to reach responsible and sensible use of Internet among adolescents. Parents, schools, institutions, and adolescents themselves are called upon to actively engage in facing this problem.
Analyses of alternating electrical circuits in electrical engineering are usually based on assumption that currents and voltages are sinusoidal values. Such assumption allows analysis of electrical networks by symbolic mathematical calculation. It also allows the application of vector diagrams in representing relationship of the analyzed electrical values. In practice, periodic non sinusoidal values are sometimes found. For solving such values symbolic mathematical calculation and vector diagrams cannot be used. In this paper is shown how such non sinusoidal periodic values can be separated, by applying Fourier series, into infinite series which contains a constant term and infinitely many harmonic components. That way allows all the acquired knowledge and methods for solving sinusoidal periodic values to still be used.
This study was performed to evaluate the levels of metals in the fish caught from Wadi Hanifa's main basin over four seasons, determine the potential fitness of the fish for human consumption, and evaluate the overall water quality after enforcement of local standards. The physical and chemical parameters from a total of 192 water samples were tested using standard methods. Additionally, a total of 48 fish samples were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations. Mean values for basic water quality parameters of COD, PO4 (-3), NH3 (-)-N, and NO3 (-)-N exceeded Saudi standards in all seasons. Mean metal concentrations in water were consistently at their highest concentrations in samples collected during the summer, and the lowest in samples collected during the winter. Mean metal concentrations in fish muscle tissue exceeded Saudi standards for As and Cd, and United Nations FAO standards for Cr, Ni, Zn, Fe and Mn. Statistical analysis showed highly significant positive correlations between metal concentrations in water and metal concentrations in fish muscle for As-Fe, Pb-Cr, Pb-Ni, Cr-Cu, and Cu-Fe. This study highlights the urgent need for monitoring and controlling wastewater discharge in Wadi Hanifa to ensure public safety.
Objective: Extracellular deposition of the beta-amyloid (A beta) peptide, which is the main finding in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), leads to oxidative damage and apoptosis in neurons. Melissa officinalis (M. officinalis) is a medicinal plant from the Lamiaceae family that has neuroprotective activity. In the present study we have investigated the protective effect of the acidic fraction of M. officinalis on A beta-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGN). Additionally, we investigated a possible role of the nicotinic receptor. Materials and Methods: This study was an in vitro experimental study performed on mice cultured CGNs. CGNs were pre-incubated with different concentrations of the acidic fraction of M. officinalis for 24 hours, followed by incubation with A beta for an additional 48 hours. CGNs were also pre-incubated with the acidic fraction of M. officinalis and mecamylamin, followed by incubation with A beta. We used the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to measure cell viability. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lipidperoxidation, and caspase-3 activity were measured after incubation. Hochst/annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) staining was performed to detect apoptotic cells. Results: The acidic fraction could protect CGNs from A beta-induced cytotoxicity. Mecamylamine did not abolish the protective effect of the acidic fraction. AChE activity, ROS production, lipid peroxidation, and caspase-3 activity increased after A beta incubation. Preincubation with the acidic fraction of M. officinalis ameliorated these factors and decreased the number of apoptotic cells. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the protective effect of the acidic fraction of M. officinalis was not mediated through nicotinic receptors. This fraction could protect CGNs through antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities.
In multimedia forensics, the detection of forgery on joint photographic experts group (JPEG) images is an interesting and challenging work. JPEG double compression, one of common operations that may occur in the tampering manipulation, has been widely studied. While the quality of the second compression is higher than the quality of the first compression, most approaches have obtained effective detection results, however, it still falls short of accurately detecting the down-recompression that the second compression quality is lower than the first compression quality. Seam carving was originally designed for content-aware image resizing. While it is widely used in computer vision and multimedia processing for legitimate applications, it is also being used for forgery manipulation. Although several methods have been proposed to detect seam carving-based forgery, to this date, the detection of the seam carving forgery under recompression in JPEG images has not been well explored. To address the highly challenging detection problems described above, we proposed a large feature mining based approach. Over one hundred thousand features from the spatial domain and from the DCT transform domain are developed. Ensemble learning is used to deal with the high dimensionality and to avoid overfitting that may occur with some traditional learning classifier for the detection. Our study demonstrates the efficacy of proposed approach to discriminating JPEG down-recompression and exposing the seam-carving forgery from the same quality and low quality JPEG recompression. And hence, it fills a gap in image forensics.
PurposeThe inappropriate immune response to harmless foreign and self-antigens is a common feature of allergy, atopy and autoimmune disease. The influence of environmental factors in the initiation of autoimmunity is not well understood. It is conceivable that immune responses to allergens may also serve as a trigger of bystander immune reactions, including autoimmunity such as uveitis. Therefore, we wanted to investigate the prevalence of allergies and atopy in patients with different types of uveitis in comparison to a control cohort. MethodsIn total, 530 consecutive patients with new-onset anterior, intermediate, posterior and panuveitis were compared to a non-uveitis control cohort consisting of 1.060 consecutive new-referral patients who attended our specialized outpatient clinics for other reasons than uveitis. Allergy and atopy status as well as demographic data (age, gender and ethnicity) were obtained by standardized interviewer-assisted questionnaires. ResultsUveitis case cohort and control cohort did not differ significantly in the allergy status (p=0.910), such as the history of pollen allergy (p=0.671), history of drug allergy (p=0.920), history of food allergy (p=0.941), history of house dust mite allergy (p=0.197) or history of other allergens (p=0.593), nor in the atopy status (p=0.802), such as the history of atopic dermatitis (p=0.365), history of asthma (p=0.430) or history of allergic rhinitis (p=0.115). ConclusionsOur results argue against a substantial influence of allergies and atopy on the onset of uveitis.
Spatial structure can decisively influence the way evolutionary processes unfold. To date, several methods have been used to study evolution in spatial systems, including population genetics, quantitative genetics, moment-closure approximations, and individual-based models. Here we extend the study of spatial evolutionary dynamics to eco-evolutionary models based on reaction-diffusion equations and adaptive dynamics. Specifically, we derive expressions for the strength of directional and stabilizing/disruptive selection that apply both in continuous space and to metacommunities with symmetrical dispersal between patches. For directional selection on a quantitative trait, this yields a way to integrate local directional selection across space and determine whether the trait value will increase or decrease. The robustness of this prediction is validated against quantitative genetics. For stabilizing/disruptive selection, we show that spatial heterogeneity always contributes to disruptive selection and hence always promotes evolutionary branching. The expression for directional selection is numerically very efficient and hence lends itself to simulation studies of evolutionary community assembly. We illustrate the application and utility of the expressions for this purpose with two examples of the evolution of resource utilization. Finally, we outline the domain of applicability of reaction-diffusion equations as a modeling framework and discuss their limitations.
Purpose: In immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRDs), persistence to treatment may be used as a surrogate marker for long-term treatment success. In previous comparisons of persistence to tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (TNFis), a paucity of data for subcutaneous (SC) golimumab was identified. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of persistence to SC golimumab in clinical practice and contextualize these data with five-year persistence estimates from long-term open-label extension (OLE) trials of SC TNFis in IMRDs. Patients and methods: PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and conference proceedings from European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) were searched. All studies on patients treated with SC golimumab for IMRD were included if they reported data on the persistence to golimumab. Results: Of 376 available references identified through the searches, 12 studies with a total of 4,910 patients met the inclusion criteria. Furthermore, nine OLE trials were available. Among the included studies from clinical practice, at six months, one year, two years, and three years, the proportion of patients persistent to treatment ranged from 63% to 91%, 47% to 80%, 40% to 77%, and 32% to 67%, respectively. In the four studies that included comparisons to other biologics, golimumab was either statistically noninferior or statistically superior to other treatments, an observation that was supported by indirect comparisons of unadjusted point estimates of OLE trials. Conclusion: The data reviewed in this study indicate that golimumab may have higher persistence than other TNFis, a notion that is supported by indirect comparisons of persistence data from OLEs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Furthermore, the study suggests that persistence may be lower in biologic-experienced compared with biologic-naive patients and higher in axial spondyloarthritis compared with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
Background: Since the introduction of anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] therapy in inflammatory diseases, paradoxical reactions are increasingly being reported. One of these paradoxical reactions is the development of sarcoidosis-like lesions. This presentation is paradoxical since anti-TNF therapy can also be therapeutic in refractory cases of sarcoidosis. Methods: We report two cases of sarcoidosis-like lesions under anti-TNF therapy. Both were patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], treated successfully with adalimumab. Next, we reviewed the literature for similar cases. Medical subject heading terms 'adalimumab', 'infliximab', 'etanercept', 'golimumab' or 'certolizumab', and 'sarcoidosis' were used to perform key word searches of the PubMed database. Results: We identified 90 reported cases of sarcoidosis-like lesions, which developed during anti-TNF therapy. In most cases, the anti-TNF drug involved was etanercept. The median age was 43 years and there was a predominance of female patients. The underlying disease was rheumatoid arthritis in most cases, followed by ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasiform arthritis. In six cases, the underlying disease was IBD. In 71 cases there was at least a partial resolution by discontinuation of the anti-TNF treatment, initiation of steroids or both. Re-initiation of anti-TNF therapy gave relapse in seven out of 20 cases. Conclusion: Sarcoidosis-like lesions are increasingly reported during anti-TNF treatment. Vigilance is appropriate when patients present with symptoms compatible with sarcoidosis.
Background: Current development of sequencing technologies is towards generating longer and noisier reads. Evidently, accurate alignment of these reads play an important role in any downstream analysis. Similarly, reducing the overall cost of sequencing is related to the time consumption of the aligner. The tradeoff between accuracy and speed is the main challenge in designing long read aligners. Results: We propose Meta-aligner which aligns long and very long reads to the reference genome very efficiently and accurately. Meta-aligner incorporates available short/ long aligners as subcomponents and uses statistics from the reference genome to increase the performance. Meta-aligner estimates statistics from reads and the reference genome automatically. Meta-aligner is implemented in C++ and runs in popular POSIX-like operating systems such as Linux. Conclusions: Meta-aligner achieves high recall rates and precisions especially for long reads and high error rates. Also, it improves performance of alignment in the case of PacBio long-reads in comparison with traditional schemes.
The aim of this work is to model the behavior verbal and nonverbal behavior of a Pedagogical Agent (PA) can be integrated into an Intelligent Tutoring System. The following research questions were posed: what is the nonverbal component of an educational communication? How to study this component for a computational model of plausible behavior of a virtual agent? What correlations between educational actions and the direction of gaze of a human agent? To carry out exploratory work, a methodological approach based on multi-modal video corpus study was adopted. Within a multidisciplinary team consisting of computer scientists and didactics of mathematics, an educational situation in which a virtual pedagogical agent is likely was developed. Dyadic interactions between teachers and learners late second early third (15-16 years) in a skills assessment interview in mathematics following the resolution of exercises by students with a mathematics software was filmed. A multi-level annotation scheme to annotate the observed behavior was proposed. The multidisciplinary research subject (ITS, Human-Machine Interfaces, Educational sciences, educational, linguistic etc.) due to the development of the coding scheme a delicate but important work given the wealth of knowledge from different disciplines. After a portion of the collected work annotation corpus statistical measures derived from annotations carried out suggest different strategies for teachers in terms of gaze direction depending on the learner profile and pedagogical actions. These measures have enabled to extract rules to control the nonverbal behavior of a PA.
Privacy in image and video data has become an important subject since cameras are being installed in an increasing number of public and private spaces. Specifically, in assisted living, intelligent monitoring based on computer vision can allow one to provide risk detection and support services that increase people's autonomy at home. In the present work, a level-based visualisation scheme is proposed to provide visual privacy when human intervention is necessary, such as at telerehabilitation and safety assessment applications. Visualisation levels are dynamically selected based on the previously modelled context. In this way, different levels of protection can be provided, maintaining the necessary intelligibility required for the applications. Furthermore, a case study of a living room, where a top-view camera is installed, is presented. Finally, the performed survey-based evaluation indicates the degree of protection provided by the different visualisation models, as well as the personal privacy preferences and valuations of the users.
The output performance of a reluctance synchronous machine strongly depends on a well-designed machine draft. Since there are many different requirements concerning the output capability, the machine design has to be done considering all specifications and demands also determined by the field of application. However the machine design and optimization by genetic algorithm is a simple and comparatively fast method to achieve adequate results and is therefore presented within this publication. The outcome of the optimization of course depends on the algorithm provided design variables as well as the calculation model concealed behind. In this case an analytical model based on a simplified magnetic circuit analysis is used for fitness value computation. The calculation method provides good results regarding some major parameters like d- and q-axis inductances as well as d- and q-axis currents. Within the genetic algorithm optimization a flexible design of reluctance synchronous machines in terms of the specific requirements is easily accessible. As a result important conclusions regarding the stator and rotor geometry can be achieved.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women. However, the discovery of several oncogenic driver mutations and the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors resulted in improved clinical outcomes for most patients. Although activating KRAS mutations are the most common recurring molecular events in lung adenocarcinoma, little progress has been made during the past decades with no new agents being approved for this indication. The elucidation of the underlying biology of this diverse patient subgroup offers great potential and renewed hope regarding the rational development, rigorous evaluation and subsequent approval of novel targeted agents and combinations which will effectively suppress compensatory escape routes and the emergence of resistance, issues that have plagued previous attempts. Here, we review in a structured manner all aspects of KRAS positive non small cell lung cancer, including the molecular biology, clinicopathologic characteristics, the prognostic and predictive value of KRAS mutations, as well as previous and contemporary approaches towards the treatment of this elusive target. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The article introduces Theory of Constraints to supply chain of manufacturing engineering field and establishes a FMCG supply chain fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model, then use a practical research to support the research result. Through FMCG profit model, comparing TOC model and non-TOC model FMCG supply chain performance, demonstrate the advantage introducing TOC model in FMCG supply chain performance management field.
The remote sensing image data is so vast that it requires compression by low-complexity algorithm on space-borne equipment. Binary tree coding with adaptive scanning order (BTCA) is an effective algorithm for the mission. However, for large-scale remote sensing images, BTCA requires a lot of memory, and does not provide random access property. In this paper, we propose a new coding method based on BTCA and optimize truncation. The wavelet image is first divided into several blocks which are encoded individually by BTCA. According the property of BTCA, we select the valid truncation points for each block carefully to optimize the ratio of rate-distortion, so that a higher compression ratio, lower memory requirement and random access property are attained. Without any entropy coding, the proposed method is simple and fast, which is very suitable for space-borne equipment. Experiments are conducted on three remote sensing image sets, and the results show that it can significantly improve PSNR, SSIM and VIF, as well as subjective visual experience. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Microteaching has gained considerable attention for its effectiveness in rapid and contextual training in professional development programs. However, the interpretive quality of the teaching demonstration and peer feedback may influence individuals' attribution and self-correction, leading to ineffective learning. In this study, a microteaching workshop in a professional development program for 78 elementary school science teachers was investigated. The results showed that the effectiveness of microteaching was negatively affected by participants' perception bias due to social categorization. Moreover, it was indicated that the participants' perception of the in-group and out-group, classified by the degree of the individuals' science knowledge, fostered social categorization. Participants tended to experience perception conflicts caused by their inability to see personal faults, and a typical perception bias of seeing one's own strengths and seeing others' shortcomings was more frequently recognized in the out-group. These results converge to highlight the importance of social categorization in perception bias relevant to microteaching.
This paper presents a methodology to generate manufacturing routes and operations using rules of precedence to provide logical approach in their dimensioning and chaining. The rules of precedence order and prioritize the knowledge of various manufacturing processes, taking into account the theories of machining, forging, assembly, and heat treatments; also, utilizes the theories of accumulation of tolerance and process capability, between others. The proposed methodology requires development of manufacturing data bases of manufacturing process, tolerances and capabilities, deviations of the machine tool - cutting tool - fixture device and work piece. The rules of precedence make viable the generation of manufacturing routings and operations, through the usage of structured knowledge, instead of tacit one. This approach allows the structured development of manufacturing routes, which can be deployed to engineers working in the areas of manufacturing engineering.
Public key infrastructure (PKI) is the most widely used security mechanism for securing communications over the network. However, there are known performance issues, making it unsuitable for use in vehicular networks. In this paper, we propose a secure and authenticated key management protocol (SAKMP) to overcome the shortcomings of the PKI. The SA-KMP scheme distributes repository containing the bindings of the entity's identity and its corresponding public key to each vehicle and road side unit. By doing so, certificate exchanges and certificate revocation lists are eliminated. Furthermore, the SA-KMP scheme uses symmetric keys derived based on a 3-D-matrix-based key agreement scheme to reduce the high computational costs of using asymmetric cryptography. We demonstrate the efficiency of the SA-KMP through performance evaluations in terms of transmission and storage overhead, network latency, and key generation time. Analytical results show that the SA-KMP is more scalable and outperforms the certificate-based PKI. Simulation results indicate that the key generation time of the SA-KMP scheme is less than that of the existing Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman and Diffie-Hellman protocols. In addition, we use Proverif to prove that the SA-KMP scheme is secure against an active attacker under the Dolev and Yao model and further show that the SA-KMP scheme is secure against denial of service, collusion attacks, and a wide range of other malicious attacks.
This paper extends the capabilities of the 3-D Smith chart for representing positive and negative differential-phase group delay and the associated loaded resonator quality factor, displayed simultaneously with scattering (S)-parameters. Here, mathematical concepts, inspired from elementary differential geometry and topology, are used to implement 3-D projections. It is shown that a condition for a circuit to exploit negative differential-phase group delay is that its S-parameter winding number should be >= 0 (relative to its origin). Finally, exemplar network responses that exhibit both positive and negative differential-phase group delay and loaded resonator quality factor are shown with the 3-D Smith chart. The convenience of being able to simultaneously display a wider range of parameters on one visualization platform, with the 3-D Smith chart, may help to speed-up the design and analysis of microwave circuits by the user.
This paper deals with the inertial cavitation of a single gas bubble in a liquid submitted to an ultrasonic wave. The aim was to calculate accurately the pressure and temperature at the bubble wall and in the liquid adjacent to the wall just before and just after the collapse. Two different approaches were proposed for modeling the heat transfer between the ambient liquid and the gas: the simplified approach (A) with liquid acting as perfect heat sink, the rigorous approach (B) with liquid acting as a normal heat conducting medium. The time profiles of the bubble radius, gas temperature, interface temperature and pressure corresponding to the above models were compared and important differences were observed excepted for the bubble size. The exact pressure and temperature distributions in the liquid corresponding to the second model (B) were also presented. These profiles are necessary for the prediction of any physical phenomena occurring around the cavitation bubble, with possible applications to sono-crystallization. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The stress distribution of a known rotating flow near the ground in fluid mechanics indicates that the horizontal aerodynamic entrainment of particles within dust devils is attributed to friction force rather than pressure force. The expression of dust emission rate on Earth was theoretically discussed based on simulated flow field and our current understanding of the physics of aeolian dust. It seems that transition flow is vital to dust devils on Mars. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Big data are widely recognized as being one of the most powerful drivers to promote productivity, improve efficiency, and support innovation. It is highly expected to explore the power of big data and turn big data into big values. To answer the interesting question whether there are inherent correlations between the two tendencies of big data and green challenges, a recent study has investigated the issues on greening the whole life cycle of big data systems. This paper would like to discover the relations between the trend of big data era and that of the new generation green revolution through a comprehensive and panoramic literature survey in big data technologies toward various green objectives and a discussion on relevant challenges and future directions.
Composite penalties have been widely used for inducing structured properties in the empirical risk minimization (ERM) framework in machine learning. Such composite regularizers, despite their superior performance in grasping structural sparsity properties, are often nonsmooth and even nonconvex, which makes the problem difficult to optimize. Proximal average (PA) is a recently proposed approximation technique targeting these regularizers, which features the tractability of implementation and theoretical analysis. However, current PA-based methods, notwithstanding the promising performance of handling composite penalties against traditional techniques, are either slow in convergence or do not scale well to large datasets. To make PA an ideal technique for optimizing ERM with composite penalties, this paper proposes a new PA-based algorithm called IncrePA by incorporating PA approximation into an incremental gradient framework. The proposed method is a more optimal PA-based method that features lower per-iteration cost, a faster convergence rate for convex composite penalties, and guaranteed convergence for even nonconvex composite penalties. Experiments on both synthetic and real datasets demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method in optimizing convex and nonconvex ERM with composite penalties.
TiNi shape memory alloys (SMAs), used as long-term implant materials, have a disadvantage. Ni-ion release from the alloys may trigger allergies in the human body. Micro-arc oxidation has been utilized to modify the surface of the TiNi SMA for improving its corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, there are very few reports investigating the essential adhesive strength between the micro-arc oxidized film and TiNi SMA. Two primary goals were attained by this study. First, Ti50Ni48.5Mo1.5 SMA having a phase transformation temperature (A(f)) less than body temperature and good shape recovery were prepared. Next, the Ti50Ni50 and Ti50Ni48.5Mo1.(5) SMA surfaces were modified by micro-arc oxidation in phosphoric acid by applying relatively low voltages to maintain the adhesive strength. The results indicated that the pore size, film thickness, and P content increased with applied voltage. The micro-arc oxidized film, comprising Ti oxides, Ni oxide, and phosphate compounds, exhibited a glassy amorphous structure. The outmost surface of the micro-arc oxidized film contained a large amount of P (>12 at%) but only a trace of Ni (<5 at%). The adhesive strengths of all the micro-arc oxidized films exceeded the requirements of ISO 13779. Furthermore, Mo addition into TiNi SMAs was found to be favorable for improving the adhesive strength of the micro-arc oxidized film. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The water situation of the Pusey district in St Catherine parish of Jamaica is acute because of the district's hilly terrains which made connections to centralised public water supply difficult. Residents depend on rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to meet potable needs, like many other catchments across Jamaica. Rainwater collecting practices and water use habits of the residents were surveyed and the present and future RWH capacity was evaluated using the available 18 years (1996 to 2013) rainfall data and downscaled PRECIS model A2 and B2 climate change scenarios. In addition, the effect of El Nino episodes on rainfall patterns was evaluated. The coefficients of variations for annual rainfall were found to be higher for the El Nino years than in normal years. In two of the El Nino years (1997 and 2009), rainwater harvesting capacity is negatively impacted as rainfall annual total is (42 % and 34 %) lesser than the average annual rainfall. The ability of RWH to meet potable needs in 2030s and 2050s will be reduced based on predicted shorter intense showers and frequent dry spells. A storage tank of 2.5 to 4.0 m(3) per household (4 persons) is proposed to meet water demand during the maximum consecutive dry days, and January and February water shortage periods. Design of efficient RWH systems and provision of government subsidy on storage tanks will enable the residents to capture more rainwater to meet their daily domestic needs.
As part of the development of a whole-of-coast strategy for coastal protection on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, the structural integrity of the so-called A-Line Seawall has been investigated and a review of the design of the wall has been undertaken. The seawall is located along the 1967-74 erosion scarps and extends for much of the length of the developed shoreline of the Gold Coast. In combination with beach nourishment these terminal seawalls are an integral part of the long-term management of Gold Coast beaches. The standard seawall design and alignment were adopted by the City in the early 1970s with the only structural design change in over 40 years being an option in the 1980's replacing the clay / shale tertiary layer with geotextile. The status investigations were aimed at evaluating the present condition and damage modes of the existing seawalls after long term service. Methods included potholing, Ground Penetrating Radar and excavation / peel back of the armour layers. The review found that the standard seawall designs conformed to present standards but upgrading in the future would be required. Future exposure levels and design conditions were developed along the coastline. It has been concluded that upgrading and completion of a continuous seawall will be required for the future security of Gold Coast beachfront assets. With the uncertainty regarding the rate and extent of changes to sea levels and design wave heights, a staged approach is practical.
This study examined whether victimization is associated with negatively distorted social cognition (bias), or with a specific increased sensitivity to social negative cues, by assessing the perception of social exclusion and the consequences for psychological wellbeing (moods and fundamental needs). Both self-reported and peer-reported victimization of 564 participants (M-age = 9.9 years, SD = 1.04; 49.1% girls) were measured, and social exclusion was manipulated through inclusion versus exclusion in a virtual ball tossing game (Cyberball). Children's perceptions and psychological well-being were in general more negative after exclusion than after inclusion. Moreover, self-reported but not peer-reported victimi zation was associated with the perception of being excluded more and receiving the ball less, as well as more negative moods and less fulfillment of fundamental needs, regardless of being excluded or included during the Cyberball game. In contrast, peer-reported victimization was associated with more negative mood and lower need fulfillment in the exclusion condition only. Together, these results suggest that children who themselves indicate being victimized have negatively distorted social cognition, whereas children who are being victimized according to their peers experience increased sensitivity to negative social situations. The results stress the importance of distinguishing between self-reported and peer-reported victimization and have implications for interventions aimed at victimized children's social cognition. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
By conceptualizing customers' organizational citizenship behavior as a communication cue, a customer evaluation criterion, and a sales performance facilitator in a relational selling context, the authors empirically demonstrate the effect of salespeople's perceptions of their customers' voluntary, prosocial behavior on three components of sales performance. The authors first hypothesize and confirm that salespeople can perceive their customers to exhibit organizational citizenship behavior, and that this important customer cue can serve as a customer evaluation criterion. The authors then demonstrate how salespeople can respond to their perceptions of customers' organizational citizenship behavior in performance-enhancing ways. Results from a sample of 628 business-to-business salespeople suggest that customer-involved sales performance fully mediates the relationship between customers' organizational citizenship behavior and salesperson behavioral performance, and that salesperson behavioral performance partially mediates the relationship between customer-involved sales performance and salesperson outcome productivity. These findings highlight the important role customer-involved sales performance plays as an antecedent to a salesperson's individual performance. Support for the notion that salespeople's perceptions and interpretations of their customers' organizational citizenship behavior can facilitate personal selling and augment sales performance has implications for sales training, salesperson evaluation, and customer evaluation. The authors discuss these and other implications for B2B researchers and practitioners. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a very promising way to remove organic pollutants. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a widely used agricultural pesticide. In this study, single-chamber and membrane-less soil MFCs were constructed. The HCB was degraded to pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), tetrachlorobenzene (TeCB), and trichlorobenzene (TCB) in sequence by a reductive dechlorination process in soil MFCs. The influences of the external resistance, concentration of phosphate buffer, and electrode spacing in soil MFCs on the degradation rate and removal efficiency of HCB were analyzed. The results showed that the degradation rate and removal efficiency of HCB were increased when the external resistance decreased from 2000 to 20 (1, and also when the concentration of phosphate buffer increased. The anode area played a significant role in dechlorination of HCB. Altering the spacing of the reducing electrode resulted in a lower ohmic resistance in the soil MFCs. The ohmic resistance was negatively correlated with the removal efficiency and degradation rate (P < 0.05). In conclusion, HCB removal efficiency could be enhanced by soil MFCs, the performance of which was improved by a decrease in external resistance and internal resistance, and an increase in phosphate buffer concentration, rather than just by shortening the electrode spacing.
Load demand forecasting is a critical process in the planning of electric utilities. An ensemble method composed of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) algorithm and deep learning approach is presented in this work. For this purpose, the load demand series were first decomposed into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then a Deep Belief Network (DBN) including two restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs) was used to model each of the extracted IMFs, so that the tendencies of these IMFs can be accurately predicted. Finally, the prediction results of all IMFs can be combined by either unbiased or weighted summation to obtain an aggregated output for load demand. The electricity load demand data sets from Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) are used to test the effectiveness of the proposed EMD-based DBN approach. Simulation results demonstrated attractiveness of the proposed method compared with nine forecasting methods. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Current underground mining scenario is inclining towards mechanized drilling and blasting since it proves advantageous in many ways like controlled excavation profile, limited ground vibrations and better ground control, higher rates of advance, enhanced mine development rates besides maintaining a balance in overall economics of the project. Considering the challenges posed by varied geological conditionsencountered in mining and civil engineering excavations, application of mechanized drilling and blasting technique still dominates. In order to meet the existing mineral demands, the development rates need to be maximized. To attain such development rates, there is an increased drill requirement which calls for an uninterrupted, consistent and a reliable drill system in place. Drilling is further affected by uncontrollable parameters like geological properties, rock structure and in-situ stresses, and controllable parameters like thrust, rpm, feed, flushing, operator's skill, working conditions, etc. Different rock drillability models have been reviewed in this paper to understand the influence of various key parameters influencing drill rates. However, it is interesting to note that not many of the drillability models consider the geology, rock drillability, machine (design and operational), bit parameters, in-situ stresses and working conditions all together. A case study of an underground hard rock mine is presented describing a mechanized drilling system for a development heading with a dimension of 3.6 m in width and 3.0 m in height using a rotary percussive electro-hydraulic drill jumbo. In order to meet a development rate of 3,600 meters per annum in a single mine, drill bits alone costs around Rs. 31.5 Lacs apart from other drilling expenses which is in fact a huge capital investment for any industry. This stresses on detailed research in this area and development of a comprehensive generalized model accounting for the key influencing variables.
Phosphorylation and ubiquitination are pervasive post-translational modifications that impact all processes inside eukaryotic cells. The role of each modification has been studied for decades, and functional interplay between the two has long been demonstrated and even more widely postulated. However, our understanding of the molecular features that allow phosphorylation to control protein ubiquitination and ubiquitin to control phosphorylation has only recently begun to build. Here, we review examples of regulation between ubiquitination and phosphorylation, aiming to describe mechanisms at the molecular level. In general, these examples illustrate phosphorylation as a versatile switch throughout ubiquitination pathways, and ubiquitination primarily impacting kinase signalling in a more emphatic manner through scaffolding or degradation. Examples of regulation between these two processes are likely to grow even further as advances in molecular biology, proteomics, and computation allow a system-level understanding of signalling. Many new cases could involve similar principles to those described here, but the extensive co-regulation of these two systems leaves no doubt that they still have many surprises in store. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sexual harassment and coercion have mainly been considered from a sex difference perspective. While traditional social science theories have explained harassment as male dominance of females, the evolutionary perspective has suggested that sex differences in the desire for sex are a better explanation. This study attempts to address individual differences associated with harassment from an evolutionary perspective. Considering previous research that has found links between sociosexual orientation inventory (SOT) and harassment, we consider whether this association can be replicated in a large, representative sample of high school students (N=1199) from a highly egalitarian culture. Expanding the previous studies which mainly focused on male perpetrators and female victims, we also examine females and males as both perpetrators and as victims. We believe that unrestricted sociosexuality motivates people to test whether others are interested in short-term sexual relations in ways that sometimes might be defined as harassment. Furthermore, unrestricted individuals signal their sociosexual orientation, and while they do not desire all individuals that react to these signals with sexual advances, they attract much more sexual advances than individuals with restricted sociosexual orientations, especially from other unrestricted members of the opposite sex. This more or less unconscious signaling thus makes them exploitable, i.e., harassable. We find that SOT is a predictor for sexual harassment and coercion among high school students. The paper concludes that, as expected, unrestricted sociosexuality predicts being both a perpetrator and a victim of both same-sex and opposite-sex harassment. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Traction motor design significantly differs from industrial machine design. The starting point is the load cycle instead of the steady-state rated operation point. The speed of the motor varies from zero to very high speeds. At low speeds, heavy overloading is used for starting, and the field-weakening region also plays an important role. Finding a suitable field-weakening point is one of the important design targets. At the lowest speeds, a high torque output is desired, and all current reserves of the supplying converter unit are used to achieve the torque. In this paper, a 110-kW 2.5-p.u. starting torque and a maximum 2.5-p.u. speed permanent-magnet traction motor will be studied. The field-weakening point is altered by varying the number of winding turns of machine. One design is selected for prototyping. Theoretical results are verified by measurements.
Systems with counterclockwise input-output dynamics (or negative imaginary transfer functions) arise in various applications such as the modeling of flexible mechanical structures or electrical circuits when certain kinds of measurements are taken. In this paper we introduce descriptor systems with such an additional structure. We state various of their properties and prove algebraic characterizations of negative imaginariness in terms of spectral conditions of certain structured matrix pencils. For this purpose we also analyze particular boundary cases which are characterized by properties of a structured Kronecker canonical form. Finally, we describe a method which can be used to restore the negative imaginary property in case that it is lost. This happens, e.g., when a system with theoretically negative imaginary transfer function is obtained by, e.g., model order reduction methods, linearization, or other approximations. The method is illustrated by numerical examples. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Context. Patient and family dissatisfaction may result when they are not satisfied with the physician/patient interaction, although the physician may feel he/she worked hard to provide information to the patient and family. New approaches to visual analysis can 1) identify significant insights from physicians' personal and clinical experiences in providing compassionate palliative care and end-of-life care and 2) provide an effective and practical vehicle for communicating with patients, their families, and other professional caregivers. Objectives. To elucidate palliative physicians' core experiences with their patients' dying and death. Methods. A qualitative visual analysis was conducted on 75 images created by physicians completing a one year palliative medicine fellowship. These images are part of a larger personal reflections narratives database of images, text, and auditory projects prepared by students, interns, and fellows completing training in palliative care at a large hospice provider. Participation in the personal reflections project is a required part of the training program, with the goal of blending clinical competencies with lived experiences of caring for the dying. Results. Two categories of visual metaphors underlying the images were identified, with both expressing the relationship and transitional dynamics of life and death: portraits (n = 30, 40%) and nature (n = 45, 60%). Conventional images representing anxiety, pain, or other dimensions of suffering commonly associated with death and dying were virtually absent (n = 2, 0.03%). Conclusion. We propose the communication of positive, hopeful, even peaceful perceptions of death and dying was likely the result of effective personal and professional skills gained through physicians' clinical experiences during the fellowship. (C) 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to synthesize equivalent circuit obtained from reduced order model of large scale inductive PEEC circuits. Design/methodology/approach - This paper describes an original approach for reducing and synthesizing large parasitic RLM electrical circuits coming from inductive Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (PEEC) models. The proposed technique enables the re - use of the reduced order model in the time domain circuit simulation context. Findings - The paper shows how to use a synthesis method to realize an equivalent circuit issued from compressed PEEC circuits. Originality/value - The coupling between methods PEEC and a compressed method as Fast Multipole Method in order to reduce time and space consuming are well known. The innovation here is to realize a smaller circuit equivalent with the original large scale PEEC circuits to use in temporal simulation tools. Moreover, this synthesis method reduces time and memories for modelling industrial application while maintaining high accuracy.
One of the primary goals of applied proteomics is the development of new computational methods for modeling the properties of the proteins from the primary structure. In this work, we used the concept of semi-supervised learning, which is relatively new machine learning philosophy that combines labeled and unlabeled instances simultaneously, to perform classification of protein mutants according to their physical properties. Unlike more traditional methods, it does not demand the specification of the class labels of every sample. This is particularly useful when many exemplars are available but the actual class membership is only available for only a marginal subset. In spite of its desirable properties, semi-supervised learning has been seldom applied in molecular biology. In the recent years, a novel algorithm capable of performing semi-supervised learning has been proposed. This algorithm, namely the TTOSOM, is a tree-based neural network inspired in the well-known Self Organizing Maps. In this paper, we use the TTOSOM to predict the stability of human lysozyme mutants. Since it plays a central role in the immunologic system, prediction of its structural stability is of primary importance for molecular biology. Our experimental results show that it is possible to predict the stability with accuracy above 64%, outperforming two well-known classifiers. This prediction is only based on historical data, i.e., without the necessity of expensive chemical substances and human resources.
People can reliably distinguish the sex of faces across age groups. Rates of accuracy are lower for infants, however, likely because they lack the pronounced sexually dimorphic features that develop during puberty. Given that previous research has shown that perceivers categorize adult sex automatically, we wondered whether this would extend to the faces of infants for whom sex is less legible. We tested this using a semantic priming paradigm in which infant faces preceded the categorization of stereotypically male and female names. Results showed that participants categorized the sex of male names significantly faster following perceptions of male versus female infant faces (though female faces did not significantly facilitate the processing of female names). The asymmetry in interference for male but not female faces supports evidence for a male default in conceptions of sex among infants previously found for adults. Individuals may therefore process sex automatically in the absence of overt cues (e.g., post-pubertal sexually dimorphic features or stereotypical clothing), providing additional evidence for the depth and flexibility of social categorization.
Non-malleable coding, introduced by Dziembowski et al. (ICS 2010), aims for protecting the integrity of information against tampering attacks in situations where error detection is impossible. Intuitively, information encoded by a non-malleable code either decodes to the original message or, in presence of any tampering, to an unrelated message. Non-malleable coding is possible against any class of adversaries of bounded size. In particular, Dziembowski et al. show that such codes exist and may achieve positive rates for any class of tampering functions of size at most , for any constant . However, this result is existential and has thus attracted a great deal of subsequent research on explicit constructions of non-malleable codes against natural classes of adversaries. In this work, we consider constructions of coding schemes against two well-studied classes of tampering functions; namely, bit-wise tampering functions (where the adversary tampers each bit of the encoding independently) and the much more general class of split-state adversaries (where two independent adversaries arbitrarily tamper each half of the encoded sequence). We obtain the following results for these models. (1) For bit-tampering adversaries, we obtain explicit and efficiently encodable and decodable non-malleable codes of length n achieving rate and error (also known as exact security) . Alternatively, it is possible to improve the error to at the cost of making the construction Monte Carlo with success probability (while still allowing a compact description of the code). Previously, the best known construction of bit-tampering coding schemes was due to Dziembowski et al. (ICS 2010), which is a Monte Carlo construction achieving rate close to .1887. (2) We initiate the study of seedless non-malleable extractors as a natural variation of the notion of non-malleable extractors introduced by Dodis and Wichs (STOC 2009). We show that construction of non-malleable codes for the split-state model reduces to construction of non-malleable two-source extractors. We prove a general result on existence of seedless non-malleable extractors, which implies that codes obtained from our reduction can achieve rates arbitrarily close to 1 / 5 and exponentially small error. In a separate recent work, the authors show that the optimal rate in this model is 1 / 2. Currently, the best known explicit construction of split-state coding schemes is due to Aggarwal, Dodis and Lovett (ECCC TR13-081) which only achieves vanishing (polynomially small) rate.
The smart-grid concept takes the communications from the enclosed and protected environment of a substation to the wider city or nationwide area. In this environment, cyber security takes a key role in order to secure the communications. The challenge is to be able to secure the grid without impacting the latency while, at the same time, maintaining compatibility with older devices and non secure services. At the lower level, added security must not interfere with the redundancy and the latency required for the real-time substation automation communications. This paper studies how to integrate IEEE MAC Security standard (MACsec) in the substation environment, especially when used in substation system communications that have stringent response time requirements and zero recovery time as defined in IEC 62439-3.
Proanthocyanidins have been suggested as an effective antibiotic alternative, however their mechanisms are still unknown. The present study investigated the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins on gut microbiota and mucosal barrier using a weaned piglet model in comparison with colistin. Piglets weaned at 28 day were randomly assigned to four groups treated with a control ration, or supplemented with 250 mg/kg proanthocyanidins, kitasamycin/colistin, or 250 mg/kg proanthocyanidins and half-dose antibiotics, respectively. On day 28, the gut chyme and tissue samples were collected to test intestinal microbiota and barrier function, respectively. Proanthocyanidins treated piglets had better growth performance and reduced diarrhea incidence (P < 0.05), accompanied with decreased intestinal permeability and improved mucosal morphology. Gene sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA revealed that dietary proanthocyanidins improved the microbial diversity in ileal and colonic digesta, and the most abundant OTUs belong to Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes spp.. Proanthocyanidins treatment decreased the abundance of Lactobacillaceae, and increased the abundance of Clostridiaceae in both ileal and colonic lumen, which suggests that proanthocyanidins treatment changed the bacterial composition and distribution. Administration of proanthocyanidins increased the concentration of propionic acid and butyric acid in the ileum and colon, which may activate the expression of GPR41. In addition, dietary proanthocyanidins improved the antioxidant indices in serum and intestinal mucosa, accompanied with increasing expression of barrier occludin. Our findings indicated that proanthocyanidins with half-dose colistin was equivalent to the antibiotic treatment and assisted weaned animals in resisting intestinal oxidative stress by increasing diversity and improving balance of gut microbes.
Oxygen imaging of biological cells and tissues is becoming increasingly important in cell biology and in the pathophysiology of various hypoxia-related diseases. The optical oxygen-sensing method using luminescent probes provides very useful, high spatial resolution information regarding oxygen distribution in living cells and tissues. This review focuses on recent advances in biological oxygen measurements based on the phosphorescence quenching of probe molecules by oxygen, and on hypoxia-sensitive fluorescent probes. Special attention is devoted to metal complex probes, Pt(II)- and Pd(II)-porphyrins, Ru(II) complexes, and Ir(III) complexes. Current knowledge regarding the mechanism of phosphorescence quenching of metal complexes by oxygen is described in relation to the oxygen sensitivity of the probes, and recent advances in optical oxygen probes and detection techniques for intracellular and tissue oxygen measurements are reviewed, emphasizing the usefulness of chemical modifications for improving probe properties. Tissue oxygen imaging and hypoxic tumor imaging using these metal complex probes demonstrate the vast potential of optical oxygen-sensing methods using luminescent probes. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Investigations of environmental microbial communities are crucial for the discovery of populations capable of degrading hazardous compounds and may lead to improved bioremediation strategies. The goal of this study was to identify microorganisms responsible for aerobic benzene degradation in coal tarcontaminated groundwater. Benzene degradation was monitored in laboratory incubations of well waters using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Stable isotope probing (SIP) experiments using [C-13] benzene enabled us to obtain (13)Clabled community DNA. From this, 16S rRNA clone libraries identified Gammaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria as the active benzene-metabolizing microbial populations. Subsequent cultivation experiments yielded nine bacterial isolates that grew in the presence of benzene; five were confirmed in laboratory cultures to grow on benzene. The isolated benzene-degrading organisms were genotypically similar (>97% 16S rRNA gene nucleotide identities) to the organisms identified in SIP experiments. One isolate, Variovorax MAK3, was further investigated for the expression of a putative aromatic ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase (RHD) hypothesized to be involved in benzene degradation. Microcosm experiments using Variovorax MAK3 revealed a 10-fold increase in RHD (Vapar_5383) expression, establishing a link between this gene and benzene degradation. Furthermore, the addition of Variovorax MAK3 to microcosms prepared from site waters accelerated community benzene degradation and correspondingly increased RHD gene expression. In microcosms using uninoculated groundwater, quantitative (q) PCR assays (with 16S rRNA and RDH genes) showed that Variovorax was present and responsive to added benzene. These data demonstrate how the convergence of cultivation-dependent and -independent techniques can boost understandings of active populations and functional genes in complex benzene-degrading microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Benzene is a human carcinogen whose presence in contaminated groundwater drives environmental cleanup efforts. Although the aerobic biodegradation of benzene has long been established, knowledge of the identity of the microorganisms in complex naturally occurring microbial communities responsible for benzene biodegradation has evaded scientific inquiry for many decades. Here, we applied a molecular biology technique known as stable isotope probing (SIP) to the microbial communities residing in contaminated groundwater samples to identify the community members active in benzene biodegradation. We complemented this approach by isolating and growing in the laboratory a bacterium representative of the bacteria found using SIP. Further characterization of the isolated bacterium enabled us to track the expression of a key gene that attacks benzene both in pure cultures of the bacterium and in the naturally occurring groundwater microbial community. This work advances information regarding the documentation of microbial processes, especially the populations and genes that contribute to bioremediation.
The effect of geosynthetic layers on moisture distribution and plastic deformation of paved and unpaved road sections is studied using numerical simulations. The geosynthetic layers consisted of, from top to bottom, a transport layer, a geonet, and a nonwoven geotextile (referred to as a geocomposite capillary barrier drain by previous researchers). Two geotextile types were modeled as the transport layer: woven fiberglass and nonwoven polypropylene. The numerical models were verified against published results obtained from a soil-geotextile column. Inclusion of the geosynthetic layers at the interface of the aggregate base course (ABC) and subgrade increased suction in the subgrade and decreased it in the ABC during a simulated rainfall event. The woven fiberglass geotextile led to higher suctions in the ABC compared with the nonwoven polypropylene geotextile. The geosynthetic layers decreased the plastic deformation in both paved and unpaved road sections through combined mechanistic and hydraulic actions. Increasing the thickness of the asphalt and ABC layers decreased the reinforcement effect of the geotextile while increasing its beneficial hydraulic effect in term of the suction level. In sections with a thinner asphalt layer, the woven fiberglass, functioning as a transport layer, decreased the plastic deformation of the profile by up to 20% compared with the profile with the-nonwoven polypropylene geotextile. Increasing the thickness of the asphalt layer, however, reduced this difference to approximately 4%. In unpaved sections, the inclusion of the woven fiberglass layer decreased the plastic deformation by approximately 24% more than the profile with nonwoven polypropylene geotextrile, regardless of the aggregate base course thickness used in the analysis. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Past research has shown that individuals low in prejudice think more carefully when information is from or about stigmatized individuals than non-stigmatized individuals. One explanation for this effect is that the heightened scrutiny stems from a motivation to guard against potential prejudice toward stigmatized others (i.e. watchdog motivation). The present research tested a variation of the watchdog hypothesis based on the idea of implicit ambivalence. Specifically, we argue that among individuals low in explicit (i.e., deliberative) prejudice, it is those who are also relatively high in implicit (i.e., automatic) prejudice who will do the most processing in prejudice relevant contexts. The implicit ambivalence framework also makes a novel prediction that individuals who are relatively high in explicit prejudice but low in implicit prejudice would also engage in enhanced information processing. As predicted, people with racial implicit-explicit attitude discrepancies, regardless of the direction of discrepancy, were found to engage in greater of scrutiny of a message about the hiring of Black faculty (study 1), a message about a Black job candidate (study 2), and even when the Black concept was merely primed subliminally prior to reading a race-irrelevant message (study 3). (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Electrical circuits are difficult to understand. Novices tend to have inadequate understandings of what happens at the level of atoms and electrons, leading to difficulty predicting the outcomes of electrical circuits at the level of wires, resistors, and light bulbs. In this paper, we argue that integrating micro and macro representations of an electrical circuit can provide students with a better understanding of fundamental concepts of electricity. We then introduce Spark, an interactive multi-level simulation environment that enables learners to interact with representations of electrical circuit at both levels. The primary goal of our design is to familiarize students with electrical current, resistance, and potential difference in a circuit. We conducted a study with 17 university students that shows the ability of our design to improve novice understanding of electrical circuits. Our study offers evidence that learners are able to develop better understandings of fundamental concepts of electricity drawing on both micro-level and macro-level representations of an electrical circuit.
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is recognised by industry and academia for its benefits including preparing students for the workforce, allowing for extra resources on projects and opportunity to trial potential recruits for industry. Since 2013 the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering developed a suite of WIL options and introduced mandatory 12 weeks of industry experience for all undergraduate students. Changes were introduced to increase student employability and decrease the skills gap. The success can be attributed to the employment of a WIL Coordinator, implementation of streamlined processes and increased brand awareness of flexible WIL options. There is great potential in this new approach as we are able to diversify relationships by offering flexible options for students to undertake placements/projects and for industry to be involved in educating future generations of engineers.
The cloning of APP and genetic analysis of families with Alzheimer's disease were both reported in 1987 and much present work on the disease is based upon the foundations laid at that time. Progress was not smooth, however, and many errors were made. In this memoir, I lay out both the progress and the errors.
The human left inferior parietal lobule (LIPL) plays a pivotal role in many cognitive functions and is an important node in the default mode network (DMN). Although many previous studies have proposed different parcellation schemes for the LIPL, the detailed functional organization of the LIPL and the exact correspondence between the DMN and LIPL subregions remain unclear. Mounting evidence indicates that spontaneous fluctuations in the brain are strongly associated with cognitive performance at the behavioral level. However, whether a consistent functional topographic organization of the LIPL during rest and under task can be revealed remains unknown. Here, they used resting- state functional connectivity (RSFC) and task- related coactivation patterns separately to parcellate the LIPL and identified seven subregions. Four subregions were located in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and three subregions were located in the angular gyrus (AG). The subregion- specific networks and functional characterization revealed that the four anterior subregions were found to be primarily involved in sensorimotor processing, movement imagination and inhibitory control, audition perception and speech processing, and social cognition, whereas the three posterior subregions were mainly involved in episodic memory, semantic processing, and spatial cognition. The results revealed a detailed functional organization of the LIPL and suggested that the LIPL is a functionally heterogeneous area. In addition, the present study demonstrated that the functional architecture of the LIPL during rest corresponds with that found in task processing. (C) 2017Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The explosive growth of the location-enabled devices coupled with the increasing use of Internet services has led to an increasing awareness of the importance and usage of geospatial information in many applications. The mobile navigation apps (often called Maps), use a variety of available data sources to calculate and predict the travel time for different modes. This paper evaluates the pedestrian mode of Maps apps in three major smartphone operating systems (Android, iOS and Windows Phone). We will demonstrate that the Maps apps on iOS, Android and Windows Phone in pedestrian mode, predict travel time without learning from the individual's movement profile. Then, we will exemplify that those apps suffer from a specific data quality issue (the absence of information about location and type of pedestrian crossings). Finally, we will illustrate learning from movement profile of individuals using predictive analytics models to improve the accuracy of travel time estimation for each user (personalization).
Flow around a circular cylinder is a classic scenario which invariably draws the attention of the fluid mechanics circle, because its relevant studies are of both theoretical and practical significances. However, most experiments are conducted below transcritical Reynolds number (Re) regime (Re < 3.5 x 10(6)) due to the limitations of the wind tunnel modeling technique, which makes the obtained results inapplicable to some full-scale conditions. To this end, the field measurements for wind-induced pressures on a 167-meter high large cooling tower are conducted at Re = 6.5 9 x 10(7) to enrich the experimental results of flow past a circular cylinder in transcritical Re regime. Besides, the wind effects at low Re (Re = 2.1 x 10(5)-4.19 x 10(5)) are also obtained by tests on a 1 : 200 rigid cooling tower model in a wind tunnel with considering 4 types of wind speeds, 8 types of surface roughness, and 2 flow fields. Employing the data obtained from both field measurements and wind tunnel model tests, the variations of static/dynamic flow characteristics with Re increasing are studied. It is found that 1) with the increase of Re, the drag coefficient for the smooth-walled tower in the uniform flow field decreases dramatically in the critical Re regime and increases slowly in the supercritical regime, which accord with Roshko's and Achenbach's results; 2) for smooth-walled tower, both the base pressure coefficient and pressure coefficient increase significantly with the increase of Re in critical and supercritical regimes, which qualitatively accord with Shih's results; and 3) the finding of the Strouhal number is supportive to Shih's result (i.e., shedding from the rough cylinder persists throughout the Re range tested). More importantly, special attention is paid to the R e-independence phenomenon of fluid flow, which is a typical phenomenon occurring in transcritical Re regime. Results indicate that the R e-independence exists in an Re range from 2 x 10(5) to 1 x 10(8) for a circular cylinder with a relative roughness greater than 0.01, and the increased free-stream turbulence can also induce Re-independence which probably exists in a narrow low Re range. Considering the flow mechanism, a reasonable explanation can be found for the Re-independence phenomenon, i.e., the critical and supercritical regimes narrow and move to lower Re range with the increase of surface roughness or the increase of free-stream turbulence, so R e independence can occur at a very low Re.d
Covert channels provide means to conceal information transfer between hosts and bypass security barriers in communication networks. Hidden communication is of paramount concern for governments and companies, because it can conceal data leakage and malware communication, which are crucial building blocks used in cyber crime. We propose detectors based on descriptive analytics of traffic (DAT) to facilitate revealing network and transport layer covert channels originated from a wide spectrum of published data-hiding techniques. DAT detectors transform communication data into flexible feature vectors that represent traffic by a set of extracted calculations and estimations. For the case of covert channels, the core of the detection is performed by the combined application of autocorrelation calculations and multimodality measures built upon kernel density estimations and Pareto charts. DAT detectors are devised to be embedded as extensions of network intrusion detection systems, being able to perform fast, lightweight analysis of numerous flows. The present paper focuses specifically on TCP/IP traffic and provides suitable classifications of TCP/IP fields and related covert channel techniques from the perspective of the statistical detection. The proposed methodology is evaluated with public traffic datasets as well as covert channels generated according to main techniques described in the related literature. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design, fabrication and testing of a student competition based racing car are presented in this paper. The competition will encourage students to compete and demonstrate their practical abilities to develop a mini race car. The design guideline is based on the specifications set by the organizer, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTeM) Formula Varsity Car, 2008. Design of the car was carried out using CATIA solid modelling system. The car was fabricated in one of the laboratory in mechanical and manufacturing engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia. The car has been tested for its performance. Two types of test were conducted which were Static Test and Track Test.
Aim: Amyloid-beta (A beta)-mediated neurotoxicity plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which induces oxidative stress and apoptosis. Linalool (LI) is a volatile monoterpene showing positive effect in AD treatment. This study was designed to research the protective effect of LI against neurotoxicity and cognitive deficits induced by A beta(1-40) in mice. Main methods: A beta(1-40) (4 mu g) solution was injected in the bilateral hippocampus to induce cognitive deficits of mice. The protective effects of LI were evaluated by behavioral tests and the related mechanism was further explored by observing the apoptosis and oxidative stress changes in the hippocampus of mice. Key findings: LI (100 mg/kg, i.p.) administration significantly improved the cognitive performance of model mice in Morris water maze test and step-through test. Meanwhile, LI effectively reversed the A beta(1-40) induced hippocampal cell injury in histological examination, apoptosis in TUNEL assay, changes of oxidative stress indicators (SOD, GPX, AChE). Besides, the activated cleaved caspase (caspase-3, caspase-9) was suppressed and Nrf2, HO-1 expression was elevated by LI treatment. Significance: LI could attenuate cognitive deficits induced by A beta, and the neuroprotective effect of LI might be mediated by alleviation of apoptosis, oxidative stress depending on activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. We could assume that LI has the potential to be a neuroprotective substance for AD therapy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Appropriately merging visual words are an effective dimension reduction method for the bag-of-visual-words model in image classification. The approach of hierarchically merging visual words has been extensively employed, because it gives a fully determined merging hierarchy. Existing supervised hierarchical merging methods take different approaches and realize the merging process with various formulations. In this paper, we propose a unified hierarchical merging approach built upon the graph-embedding framework. Our approach is able to merge visual words for any scenario, where a preferred structure and an undesired structure are defined, and, therefore, can effectively attend to all kinds of requirements for the word-merging process. In terms of computational efficiency, we show that our algorithm can seamlessly integrate a fast search strategy developed in our previous work and, thus, well maintain the state-of-the-art merging speed. To the best of our survey, the proposed approach is the first one that addresses the hierarchical visual word mergence in such a flexible and unified manner. As demonstrated, it can maintain excellent image classification performance even after a significant dimension reduction, and outperform all the existing comparable visual word-merging methods. In a broad sense, our work provides an open platform for applying, evaluating, and developing new criteria for hierarchical word-merging tasks.
This paper evaluates the existing policy frameworks for mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) in England and China. With reference to a conceptual model of the process of policy transfer or international lesson drawing, and possible constraints to this, it assesses whether and how China can draw lessons to improve current policy from the supra-national and national provisions of the EU and a member state that by 2016 had comprehensively implemented EU agricultural and environmental policy. DWPA is first analysed as a public policy challenge to inform specification of a generic framework for its mitigation. The current policy frameworks for mitigation of DWPA in England and China are evaluated, and their potential for improvement is assessed. A number of barriers to lesson drawing for regulation, incentive payments schemes and advice provision are diagnosed. These barriers are potentially least in relation to advice provision and its use to promote voluntary action by farmers. Given its structure and capabilities the public agricultural extension system in China is also recognised as a key resource. A focus on three policy approaches to mitigate DWPA in China is recommended: i) targeted regulation to a 'reference level' of large intensive livestock, and ultimately other large commercial farms; ii) strategic use of incentive payment schemes to protect water resources from DWPA; and iii) re-orientation of the ethos and modalities of operation of the extension system, informed by international lesson drawing, with the aim of rebalancing farm productivity and environmental protection. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a fast and novel method to determine the optimal capacity of a battery and a hydrogen system for a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system based on the required grid dependency (GD) and the minimum Levelized Cost of Energy (LCE). The GD is calculated from the weather data at 9 locations throughout Japan during 25 years considering different sizing of PV, battery, and hydrogen system. Based on the results, the relationship between the GD and the capacities of the devices and the weather parameter is established. The results show that the GD depends on the annual total solar insolation and the devices' capacities as well. The empirical GD formula is then examined at a different location in Japan. The proposed GD calculation agrees well with the GD obtained from the real 25 - year weather data and shows great advantages over the conventional method in the simplicity and calculation time. In addition, the optimal capacity of the system can be obtained directly from the GD formula and the objective function of the LCE. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Interferon beta (IFNb) preparations are commonly used as first-line therapy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). They are, however, characterized by limited efficacy, partly due to the formation of anti-IFNb antibodies in patients. In this pilot study, we assessed with the ELISA method the presence of the binding antibodies (BAbs) against interferon beta after 2 years of therapy with subcutaneous interferon beta 1a (Rebif) in 49 RRMS patients. Antibody levels were established again within 1 year after treatment withdrawal. We used 3 interferons that are commercially available for MS therapy, namely Avonex (Biogen Idec Limited), Rebif (Merck Serono), and Betaferon (Bayer Pharma AG), as antigens. BAbs reacting with Rebif were found in 24.4% to 55% of patients, depending on the units of their expression. The levels of anti-ebif antibodies remained high in 8 patients and in 4 patients they dropped significantly. Strong correlations were obtained in all assays (anti-Rebif-anti-Avonex, anti-Rebif-anti-Betaferon, and anti-Betaferon-anti-Avonex) and the existence of cross-reactivity in the formation of antibodies against all the tested formulations of interferon beta was confirmed. The levels of BAbs remain significant in the clinical context, and their assessment is the first choice screening; however, methods of BAbs evaluation can be crucial for further decisions. More studies are needed to confirm our results; specifically it would be of interest to evaluate methods of neutralizing antibodies identification, as we only assessed the binding antibodies. Nevertheless, our results support the concept that in interferon nonresponders, that are positive for binding antibodies, switching the therapy to alternative disease-modifying agent (for example glatiramer acetate, fingolimod, or natalizumab) is justified, whereas the switch to another interferon formulation will probably be of no benefit.
Developing the factory of the future is an objective of the Graduate School of Excellence advanced Manufacturing Engineering (GSaME) in Stuttgart. To achieve this goal several research areas concerning the factory of the future exist. For example, strategies and factories development, information and communication for manufacturing, material and process engineering, or management of global manufacturing networks. One specific research project within the area management of global manufacturing networks is global manufacturing networks as software-intensive service providers, which started in December 2012. This research project deals with the questions, how the factory of the future is able to satisfy its increasing need of information and communication technology (ICT) in the future, and how to compose different ICT-services, which should be integrated in the existing global manufacturing network in a second step. The contribution in hand considers the motivation, relevance, and research objective of this research project.
ObjectiveDesire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process involving verbal and imaginal elaboration of a desired target. Recent research has revealed that desire thinking may play a significant role in the escalation of craving. The goal of this study was to explore the effect of a desire thinking induction on craving in a sample of patients with alcohol use disorder. MethodsTen patients with alcohol use disorder were exposed to a brief exposure to alcohol-related thoughts plus desire thinking induction versus brief exposure to alcohol-related thoughts plus distraction. ResultsThe induction of desire thinking led to a significant increase in distress and urge to use alcohol when compared to a behavioural assessment test and a distraction task. The clinical implications for the treatment of alcohol use disorder are discussed. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tool Condition Monitoring is very fundamental part of the Manufacturing industry similar to the automation and hence has a great importance in research based on manufacturing engineering. Many of the people those concern with the manufacturing industries are interestedly study the TCM as successful unmanned automation in production is only possible if there is presence of good tool wear monitor and tool breakage detection system. So that reliability of the production system can be increased significantly. The tool wear can also affect the quality of surface finish of work piece and dimension of the manufactured parts which further decides the quality of final product. This need has raised quite a large interest among researchers and frequent users and learners. Tool Condition is done by employing various methods but all are not able to give successful result due to complexity in parameter variation in the machining process. Only few of them are globally accepted, studied and used worldwide. This paper concerns about some useful and efficient methods of TCM (Tool Condition Monitoring). An integrated approach of tool condition monitoring and control together with the data acquisition of different parameters is proposed. And to inspect tool wear condition different sensors are used for signal measurement.
To develop novel analgesics with no side effects or less side effects than traditional opioids is highly demanded to treat opioid receptor mediated,pain and addiction issues. Recently, K-opioid receptor (KOR) has been established as an attractive target, although its selective agonists could bear heterogeneous pharmacological activities. In this study, we designed and synthesized two new series of nepenthone derivatives by inserting a spacer (carbonyl) between 6 alpha,14 alpha-endo-ethenylthebaine and the 7 alpha-phenyl substitution of the skeleton and by substituting the 17-N-methyl group with a cyclopropylmethyl group. We performed in vitro tests (binding and functional assays) and molecular docking operations on our newly designed compounds. The results of wet-experimental measures and modeled binding structures demonstrate that these new compounds are selective KOR agonists with nanomolar level affinities. Compound 4 from these new derivatives showed the highest affinity (K-i = 0.4 +/- 0.1 nM) and the highest selectivity (mu/kappa = 339, delta/kappa = 2034) toward KOR The in vivo tests revealed that compound 4 is able to induce stronger (ED50 = 2.1 mg/kg) and much longer antinociceptive effect than that of the typical KOR agonist U50488H (ED50 = 4.4 mg/kg). Therefore, compound 4 can be used as a perfect lead compound for future design of potent analgesics acting through KOR
Since the European Union enforced the ban on antibiotic growth promoters in 2006, the research has been focused on natural feed additives which would have a proven positive impact on both production and animal health. Inulin is both the most commonly used and the most effective probiotic additive. The mechanism of inulin interactions with the avian body is complex, multidirectional and not fully understood. Despite a number of unresolved issues, many authors have demonstrated the positive impact of inulin on the host organism. Dietary supplementation of poultry feeding with inulin contributes to the modulation of intestinal microbiota through favouring a quick proliferation of beneficial Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains and inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microbes. There are indications that inulin-provoked changes in the host gut microbiota in poultry may alter the structure and histomorphology of the intestinal mucosa and improve its absorption capacity in poultry. It has also been demonstrated that inulin may affect the immune system and the systemic metabolism of minerals and lipids. The reports on inulin effects on the body and performance of poultry are often contradictory, as the effectiveness of this prebiotic is strongly dependent on the type and dose used, and the duration of its administration.
This article deals with the professional identity of teachers and how the arts can contribute to its development. We analyze the professional competences of teachers and the importance of communication, emphasizing the relevance of reflective practice and significant learning in a collaborative environmentthat take into account social interaction and negotiation of knowledge. The arts disciplines promote social tools that allow people to build their identities, such as verbal and nonverbal communication, critical thinking and the exchange of experiences.
Recent forecasts suggest that African countries must triple their current electricity generation by 2030. Our multicriteria assessment of wind and solar potential for large regions of Africa shows how economically competitive and low-environmental-impact renewable resources can significantly contribute to meeting this demand. We created the Multicriteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) framework to map and characterize solar and wind energy zones in 21 countries in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and find that potential is several times greater than demand in many countries. Significant fractions of demand can be quickly served with no-regrets options-or zones that are low-cost, low-environmental impact, and highly accessible. Because no-regrets options are spatially heterogeneous, international interconnections are necessary to help achieve low-carbon development for the region as a whole, and interconnections that support the best renewable options may differ from those planned for hydropower expansion. Additionally, interconnections and selecting wind sites to match demand reduce the need for SAPP-wide conventional generation capacity by 9.5% in a high-wind scenario, resulting in a 6-20% cost savings, depending on the avoided conventional technology. Strategic selection of low-impact and accessible zones is more cost effective with interconnections compared with solutions without interconnections. Overall results are robust to multiple load growth scenarios. Together, results show that multicriteria site selection and deliberate planning of interconnections may significantly increase the economic and environmental competitiveness of renewable alternatives relative to conventional generation.
Introduction: Endodontics uses cell therapy strategies to treat pulpal and periapical diseases. During these therapies, surgeons aim to reconstruct the natural microenvironments that regulate the activity of dental stem cells. Methods: We searched for more than 400 articles in PubMed using key words from regenerative endodontics and dental stem cell biology. In 268 articles, we reviewed what factors may influence histologic results after preclinical dental treatments that use regenerative endodontic procedures after pulpectomy. Results: Several factors, such as the origin of stem cells, the biomimicry of scaffolds used, and the size of lesions, are considered to influence the histologic appearance of the regenerated pulp-dentin complex after treatments. Information is accumulating on transcription factors that generate the pulp-dentin complex and survival/trophic factors that would benefit niche recovery and histologic results. Conclusions: In this article, we discuss the noninterchangeability of stem cells, the influence of dentin-entrapped molecule release on pulp regeneration and survival of stem cells, and the need of positional markers to assess treatments histologically. The ex vivo amplification of appropriate dental stem cells, the search for scaffolds storing the molecular diversity entrapped in the dentin, and the use of positional transcription factors as histologic markers are necessary to improve future preclinical experiments.
Online role-playing video games provide opportunities to connect socially and can enhance self-esteem. For some players, however, overuse fosters dependency leading to negative psychosocial and health consequences. Per the American Psychiatric Association, criteria for diagnosis of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) follow an addiction model, and include characteristics such as preoccupation, tolerance, and withdrawal. Though useful, this approach lacks a focus on underlying motivations that may partially explain vulnerability to IGD. This study explored relationships among IGD symptoms and two potential risk factors: social phobia and player-avatar identification. Participants (N = 394; 50% female) were recruited from game-related internet forums and surveyed online. We tested a model in which a positive relationship between social phobia and IGD symptoms was partially mediated by stronger avatar identification. Social phobia, avatar identification, and IGD symptoms were strongly positively related, and we found modest support for mediation as proposed. Accordingly, we suggest that fundamental needs for social connection and approval are potent motivators to play, particularly for socially phobic players uncomfortable with face-to-face contact. Vicarious interactions through a gaming avatar may fulfill these needs, reinforcing stronger self-identification with the avatar, which in turn can offer players a stronger and more positive sense of self. Such influences may work synergistically to motivate increasing intensity of and preoccupation with gameplay, contributing to IGD. These results support the use of player-avatar identification in assessing risk for IGD, developing treatment options, and reaching a better understanding of how socialization and identity can be influenced by virtual interactions and accomplishments. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Inter-basin water transfer projects might cause complex hydro-chemical and biological variation in the receiving aquatic ecosystems. Whether machine learning models can be used to predict changes in phytoplankton community composition caused by water transfer projects have rarely been studied. In the present study, we used machine learning models to predict the total algal cell densities and changes in phytoplankton community composition in Miyun reservoir caused by the middle route of the South to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP). The model performances of four machine learning models, including regression trees (RT), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN) were evaluated and the best model was selected for further prediction. The results showed that the predictive accuracies (Pearson's correlation coefficient) of the models were RF (0.974), ANN (0.951), SVM (0.860), and RT (0.817) in the training step and RF (0.806), ANN (0.734), SVM (0.730), and RT (0.692) in the testing step. Therefore, the RF model was the best method for estimating total algal cell densities. Furthermore, the predicted accuracies of the RF model for dominant phytoplankton phyla (Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, and Bacillariophyta) in Miyun reservoir ranged from 0.824 to 0.869 in the testing step. The predicted proportions with water transfer of the different phytoplankton phyla ranged from -8.88% to 9.93%, and the predicted dominant phyla with water transfer in each season remained unchanged compared to the phytoplankton succession without water transfer. The results of the present study provide a useful tool for predicting the changes in phytoplankton community caused by water transfer. The method is transferrable to other locations via establishment of models with relevant data to a particular area. Our findings help better understanding the possible changes in aquatic ecosystems influenced by inter-basin water transfer. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The standard virus classification scheme for arenaviruses and bunyaviruses shifted dramatically when several groups reported the detection and isolation of divergent groups of viruses in a variety of insect collections. Although these viral families can differ in terms of morphology, structure and genetics, recent findings indicate these viruses may have a shared evolutionary origin. To determine the phylogenetic relations among these families, we inferred phylogenetic trees using three methods. The Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian trees were rooted as suggested by the (molecular clock-rooted) BEAST tree. Our results highlight a noteworthy relation among these viral supergroups of different genome organizations. Our study suggests that the best scenario is the existence of at least three monophyletic supergroups, all of them well supported. The recent data indicate that these viruses are evolutionarily and genetically interconnected. While these supergroups appear to be closely related in our phylogenetic analysis, other viruses should be investigated in future research. In sum, our results also provide insights into the classification scheme, thereby providing a new perspective about the fundamental questions of family origins, diversity and genome evolution. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Impaired interpretation of nonverbal emotional cues in patients with schizophrenia has been reported in several studies and a clinical relevance of these deficits for social functioning has been assumed. However, it is unclear to what extent the impairments depend on specific emotions or specific channels of nonverbal communication. Methods: Here, the effect of cue modality and emotional categories on accuracy of emotion recognition was evaluated in 21 patients with schizophrenia and compared to a healthy control group (n = 21). To this end, dynamic stimuli comprising speakers of both genders in three different sensory modalities (auditory, visual and audiovisual) and five emotional categories (happy, alluring, neutral, angry and disgusted) were used. Results: Patients with schizophrenia were found to be impaired in emotion recognition in comparison to the control group across all stimuli. Considering specific emotions more severe deficits were revealed in the recognition of alluring stimuli and less severe deficits in the recognition of disgusted stimuli as compared to all other emotions. Regarding cue modality the extent of the impairment in emotional recognition did not significantly differ between auditory and visual cues across all emotional categories. However, patients with schizophrenia showed significantly more severe disturbances for vocal as compared to facial cues when sexual interest is expressed (alluring stimuli), whereas more severe disturbances for facial as compared to vocal cues were observed when happiness or anger is expressed. Conclusion: Our results confirmed that perceptual impairments can be observed for vocal as well as facial cues conveying various social and emotional connotations. The observed differences in severity of impairments with most severe deficits for alluring expressions might be related to specific difficulties in recognizing the complex social emotional information of interpersonal intentions as compared to basic emotional states. Therefore, future studies evaluating perception of nonverbal cues should consider a broader range of social and emotional signals beyond basic emotions including attitudes and interpersonal intentions. Identifying specific domains of social perception particularly prone for misunderstandings in patients with schizophrenia might allow for a refinement of interventions aiming at improving social functioning.
The view prevailed in the 1950s to 70s that cancer was primarily caused by synthetic substances in the environment, especially in food. Even low concentrations of substances recognized as carcinogenic in high-dose feeding studies were to be avoided in foodstuffs. The no-threshold-concept of carcinogens became dogma. In the meantime, high-dose animal feeding studies have shown about half of all tested natural substances to be carcinogens. Due to improved analytical methods, ever more carcinogens were detected in food, such as lately acrylamide. Nowadays, the search for anticarcinogenic food constituents is more interesting in research than the screening for yet another carcinogen. Why do we not all die of cancer in our youth, although we are continually exposed to potentially carcinogenic compounds, predominantly of natural origin and largely produced in normal human metabolism? Very recently, threshold doses have been shown unequivocally to exist for genotoxic carcinogens.
Replacing mouse Cyp1a with human CYP1A enables the humanized CYP1A mice to mimic human metabolism of the dietary carcinogen, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), by N-2-hydroxylation to a proximate carcinogen. Our previous study demonstrated that PhIP, combined with the dextrin sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, induces colon carcinogenesis in hCYP1A mice. Here, we employed whole exome sequencing and found multiple gene mutations in PhIP/DSS-induced colon tumors. Mutations in the exon 3 of Ctnnb1/-catenin, however, were the predominant events. We further sequenced the key fragments of Apc, Ctnnb1, and Kras, because mutations of these genes in the humans are commonly found as the drivers of colorectal cancer. Mutations on either codon 32 or 34 in the exon 3 of Ctnnb1 were found in 39 out of 42 tumors, but no mutation was found in either Apc or Kras. The sequence context of codons 32 and 34 suggests that PhIP targets +3G in a TGGA motif of Ctnnb1. Since mutations that activate Wnt signal is a major driving force for human colorectal cancers, we conclude that the mutated -catenin is the driver in PhIP/DSS-induced colon carcinogenesis. This result suggests that the colon tumors in hCYP1A mice mimic human colorectal carcinogenesis not only in the dietary etiology involving PhIP, but also in the aberrant activation of the Wnt signaling pathway as the driving force. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tuberculosis is one of the main etiologies to evoke in the context of lymphocyte pleurisy. However, diagnosis is difficult and is based on mycobac-teriology that is not enough sensitive and time-consuming, or on histology that requires invasive biopsy gesture. This literature review, carried out from Med-line, summarizes the main meta-analyzes, reviews, and originator publications in English on biomarkers, classic and more innovative, studied for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. Among the immuno-biochemical markers, interferon- gamma (IFN-gamma), isoenzyme of adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) and total adenosine deaminase (ADA) seem the most relevant with respective sensitivities of 89% (87-91), 97.2% (95 to 98.7) and 92% (90-93) and specificities of 97% (96-98), 94.2% (91.8 to 96) and 90% (89-91). About molecular biology, PCR Xpert MTB/RIF has a sensitivity of 46.4% (26.3 to 67.8), which is much higher than the direct examination, while providing rapid diagnostic confirmation, with a specificity of 99.1% (95.2 to 99.8), and a resistance to rifampicin screening. The release assay of interferon-gamma (IGRA) is less effective with a sensitivity of 75% (69-81) and a specificity of 82% (75-88) in blood and a sensitivity of 80% (74-86%) and a specificity of 72% (64-80) in pleural fluid. Other biomarkers (including several cytokines) might have an interest but are still under evaluation. These innovative methods, particularly the determination of ADA and the use of PCR Xpert MTB/RIF should find their place in the diagnostic algorithm of TB pleurisy.
GCA is a common primary systemic vasculitis that results in granulomatous inflammation of medium to large arteries. Both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms combine to drive intimal hyperplasia, luminal stenosis and ultimately occlusion. While the pathogenesis of GCA is incompletely understood, the activation of resident adventitial dendritic cells via toll like receptors (TLRs) appears to be a crucial inciting event. Here we explore the role of TLRs in the pathogenesis of GCA, including their effects on dendritic cell and T cell activation and recruitment, putative infectious triggers for GCA and the potential of TLR inhibition as a novel therapeutic strategy in GCA.
As family structures diversify, attitudes towards nontraditional families (e.g., same-sex-parent and cross-race families) appear to be becoming more favorable. Despite more favorable attitudes, we propose that explicitly and implicitly people view nontraditional families as less family-like than traditional (i.e., heterosexual, same-race) families. We also propose that people will hold the behavior of nontraditional (vs. traditional) families to higher standards. In Study 1, participants explicitly rated nontraditional (vs. traditional) family photos as less family-like and as less loving. In Study 2, using a reaction-time measure, participants took longer to correctly categorize nontraditional (vs. traditional) families into the family category, suggesting that at an implicit level people have greater difficulty recognizing nontraditional families as family. In Studies 3 and 4, ambiguous (i.e., positive and negative) behavior licensed more harsh evaluations of a nontraditional familybut did not affect evaluations of a traditional familyrelative to learning only positive family behavior. Despite survey data that suggest that people's views of nontraditional families are becoming more favorable, our evidence indicates that people nonetheless harbor prejudice against certain family structures. Beyond documenting two biases against nontraditional families, this work highlights the need for prejudice researchers to examine meaningful levels of social identity, such as family units, that are intermediate between individuals and broad social classes.
In this paper, we present a complete overview of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) focused in its applications, considering the involved domain and technologies. The applications include AmI at home, care of elderly and people with disabilities, healthcare, education, business, public services, leisure and entertainment. The aim of this survey of AmI's applications is to show its socials and ethical implications and specially privacy issues. Intelligent Environments (IE) collect and process a massive amount of person-related and sensitive data. These data must ensure privacy of the users. An important concern in AmI's applications is privacy. Addressing design by privacy, an important challenge to consider is the development of an architecture that includes the different privacy policies and how can we fusion them in a specific application domain. Ensuring privacy in Intelligent Environments is a difficult problem to solve, as there are different perceptions of privacy and its role in computing for each user. In the so called 'design by privacy' we have to identify the relevant design issues that should be addressed for its developing. Here we present an approach to the dimensions to consider, in order to provide privacy in the design of Ambient Intelligence's applications.
Newcastle disease virus (NDV), strain R2B is a mesogenic vaccine strain used for booster vaccination in chickens against Newcastle disease in India and many south East Asian countries. A full-length cDNA clone of the virus was generated by ligating eight overlapping fragments generated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction having unique restriction enzyme sites within them. This full-length cDNA clone was flanked by hammerhead ribozyme and hepatitis delta virus ribozyme sequences. Defined genetic markers were introduced into the NDV genome to differentiate the rescued virus from the parent virus. A gene cassette containing the reporter gene, green fluorescent protein flanked by NDV gene-start and gene-end signals was generated by PCR and introduced into the full-length clone of NDV between the P and M genes. Recombinant NDV encoding the GFP gene was rescued having precise termini when transfected into permissive Vero cells along with support plasmids harbouring the nucleoprotein, phosphoprotein and polymerase genes. The recombinant virus had similar growth kinetics as that of the parent virus with a moderate reduction in the virulence. The generation of reverse genetics system for NDV strain R2B will help in the development of multivalent vaccines against viral diseases of livestock and poultry.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the most deadly diseases in the world. The only available vaccine against tuberculosis is the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which does not ensure full protection in adults. There is a global urgency for the development of an effective vaccine for preventing disease transmission, and it requires novel approaches. We are exploring the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a vector for antigen delivery to mucosal sites. Here, we demonstrate the successful expression and surface display of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion antigen (comprising Ag85B and ESAT-6, referred to as AgE6) on Lactobacillus plantarum. The AgE6 fusion antigen was targeted to the bacterial surface using two different anchors, a lipoprotein anchor directing the protein to the cell membrane and a covalent cell wall anchor. AgE6-producing L. plantarum strains using each of the two anchors induced antigen-specific proliferative responses in lymphocytes purified from TB-positive donors. Similarly, both strains induced immune responses in mice after nasal or oral immunization. The impact of the anchoring strategies was reflected in dissimilarities in the immune responses generated by the two L. plantarum strains in vivo. The present study comprises an initial step toward the development of L. plantarum as a vector for M. tuberculosis antigen delivery. IMPORTANCE This work presents the development of Lactobacillus plantarum as a candidate mucosal vaccine against tuberculosis. Tuberculosis remains one of the top infectious diseases worldwide, and the only available vaccine, bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), fails to protect adults and adolescents. Direct antigen delivery to mucosal sites is a promising strategy in tuberculosis vaccine development, and lactic acid bacteria potentially provide easy, safe, and low-cost delivery vehicles for mucosal immunization. We have engineered L. plantarum strains to produce a Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion antigen and to anchor this antigen to the bacterial cell wall or to the cell membrane. The recombinant strains elicited proliferative antigenspecific T-cell responses in white blood cells from tuberculosis-positive humans and induced specific immune responses after nasal and oral administrations in mice.
Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, which can result in coronary artery stenosis, acute coronary artery occlusion, and eventually myocardial infarction, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Non-invasive characterization of coronary blood flow is important to improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of this disease. Computational simulations can now produce clinically relevant hemodynamic quantities using only non-invasive measurements, combining detailed three dimensional fluid mechanics with physiological models in a multi-scale framework. These models, however, require specification of numerous input parameters and are typically tuned manually without accounting for uncertainty in the clinical data, hindering their application to large clinical studies. We propose an automatic, Bayesian, approach to parameter estimation based. on adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling that assimilates non-invasive quantities commonly acquired in routine clinical care, quantifies the uncertainty in the estimated parameters and computes the confidence in local predicted hemodynamic indicators. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A dicyanoisophorone-based probe with two-photon absorption and NIR emission was developed for the in vivo fluorescence imaging of amyloid-beta plaques, which exhibited high selectivity toward A beta aggregates over other intracellular proteins. The detection limit was calculated to be as low as 109 nM. In vivo imaging studies indicated that the probe could penetrate the blood brain barrier and label A beta plaques in the living transgenic mice, and its specific binding to cerebral A beta plaques was further confirmed by one and two-photon ex vivo fluorescence imaging. All these results featured its promising application prospects for amyloid-beta sensing in basic research and biomedical research. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a systematic method to allocate the power flow and loss for deregulated transmission systems. The proposed method is developed based on the basic circuit theories, equivalent current injection and equivalent impedance. Four steps are used to trace the voltages, currents, power flows, and losses contributed by each generator sequentially. Using this method, the real and reactive power on each transmission lines and their sources and destinations can be calculated. The loss allocation of each line, which is produced by each generator, can also be obtained. Test results show that the proposed method can satisfy the power flow equation, the power balance equation and the basic circuit theories. Comparisons with previous methods are also provided to demonstrate the contributions of the proposed method. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All fights reserved.
Breakthroughs in genetics and molecular biology in the 1970s and 1980s were heralded as a major technological revolution in medicine that would yield a wave of new drug discoveries. However, some forty years later the expected benefits have not materialized. I question the narrative of biotechnology as a Schumpeterian revolution by comparing it to the academic research paradigm that preceded it, clinical research in hospitals. I analyze these as distinct research paradigms that involve different epistemologies, practices, and institutional loci. I develop the claim that the complexity of biological systems means that clinical research was well adapted to medical innovation, and that the genetics/molecular biology paradigm imposed a predictive logic to search that was less effective at finding new drugs. The paper describes how drug discovery unfolds in each paradigm: in clinical research, discovery originates with observations of human subjects and proceeds through feedback-based learning, whereas in the genetics model,discovery originates with a precisely-defined molecular target; feedback from patients enters late in the process. The paper reviews the post-War institutional history that witnessed the relative decline of clinical research and the rise of genetics and molecular science in the United States bio-medical research landscape. The history provides a contextual narrative to illustrate that, in contrast to the framing of biotechnology as a Schumpeterian revolution, the adoption of biotechnology as a core drug discovery platform was propelled by institutional changes that were largely disconnected from processes of scientific or technological selection. Implications for current medical policy initiatives and translational science are discussed. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Theoretical knowledge and theoretically oriented study materials are always great advantage of education at universities. However, access to learning materials and know-how used in industrial practice is very limited. With regard to this issue the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia has launched a project in which example projects from practice are worked on. The outputs of each of the projects are e-learning pdf files. These study materials contain all important information which the designer normally comes into contact with in practice. There are tender dossiers, interactive 3D models, drawings, processes (welding, machining, assembly...). One of these projects is focused on a curing press, which will be used for a closer examination of the developed study materials. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Yield stress fluid flows occur in a great many operations and unit processes within the oil and gas industry. This paper reviews this usage within reservoir flows of heavy oil, drilling fluids and operations, wellbore cementing, hydraulic fracturing and some open-hole completions, sealing/remedial operations, e.g., squeeze cementing, lost circulation, and waxy crude oils and flow assurance, both wax deposition and restart issues. We outline both rheological aspects and relevant fluid mechanics issues, focusing primarily on yield stress fluids and related phenomena.
In this paper, we consider the balancing problem in a hierarchical market-based structure for smart energy grids that is based on the Universal Smart Energy Framework. The large-scale introduction of renewable, intermittent energy sources in the power system can create a mismatch between the forecasted (day ahead) and the actual supply and demand. Without a proper control strategy, this deviation could lead to network overloads and commercial losses. We present a multilevel distributed optimal control formulation to the problem, in which the appliances of prosumers that can provide flexibility are optimally dispatched based on local information. The control strategy takes the capacity limitations of the distribution network into account. We provide example simulation results, obtained by distributed model predictive control.
Common mode and differential mode impedances are crucial for EMC networks modeling and filter design in particular. In this paper, we propose an original analytical model of common mode and differential mode input impedances of a DC-DC converter, including major parasitical elements. This model has been synthesized using basic laws of electrical circuits. The analysis of the converter circuit is achieved through a switching function modeling its nonlinear behavior. To assess the model performance, PSpice online simulations of common mode and differential mode input impedances are achieved while the devices are operating. The results obtained agree with the analytical model in a wide EMC regulation frequency range (CISPR 22). Furthermore, we have carried out an online experimental test bench by means of a capacitive injection technique. The results obtained confirm the validity of the analytical model. To highlight the impedance switching effect, an offline measurement has also been conducted, using the impedance analyzer (Agilent 4294A).
In this research work it is presented a preliminary prototype for an ambient intelligence scenario based on cyber-physical systems for improving learning tasks. The system proposed is composed of a cyberglove, a worktable (both with RFID and NFC detection zones) and a AmI software application for modeling and workflow guidance. The authors carried out a case study where 12 mentally handicapped people and 3 trainers were involved executing workflows creation and performing and controlling tasks. The results obtained indicate that this kind of solutions are feasible, but due to the problem complexity and to the fact that the proposed solution is a preliminary version, we have found many issues to be solved in next versions. This research helped us to uncover these issues and design a better system.
With the increase of the types and numbers of the household appliances, electrical appliances' standby energy consumption has attracted more and more people's concern. To reduce the energy waste of the household appliances, a method for the energy-saving control of the standby household appliances is presented in this paper. The presented method divides the indoor electrical circuits into two parts, one of which is the circuit that can be powered down while the other can not be turned off. An algorithm that fuses the detected current information and the pyroelectric infrared sensor information is put forward to assure that the circuit will be cut off when the household appliances in the circuit that can be powered down are at the standby states and nobody is at home. Also, the software and hardware design schemes are given in detail, and the energy-saving control devices for the standby appliances are developed. At last, experiments are made. From the experimental results, we can observe that the developed system is reliable and has great importance on energy conservation.
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits designate an important subgroup of antisocial individuals at risk for early-starting, severe, and persistent conduct problems, but this construct has received limited attention among young children. The current study evaluated the factor structure, psychometric properties, and validity of scores on a comprehensive measure of CU traits, the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU), in relation to measures of antisocial/prosocial behavior and emotional processing, administered to preschool children. The sample included 214 boys (52 %) and girls (48 %, M age = 4.7, SD = 0.69) recruited from mainstream and high-risk preschools. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor structure including callous and uncaring dimensions from 12 of the 24 original ICU items. Scores on the parent- and teacher-reported ICU were internally consistent and combined CU scores showed expected associations with an alternate measure of CU traits and measures of empathy, prosocial behavior, conduct problems, and aggression. Preschool children high on CU traits were less accurate, relative to children scoring low, in recognizing facial expressions. They were also less attentionally engaged by images of others in distress when co-occurring conduct problems presented. Findings extend the literature by supporting the psychometric properties of the ICU among young children, and open several avenues for studying early precursors to this severe personality disturbance.
Background. Functional decline among patients with mental illness is not unique to individuals with psychotic disorders. Despite this, research on early predictors of functional outcome mainly focused on individuals thought to have an 'at risk mental state' (ARMS) for psychosis. There is evidence suggesting that certain early vulnerability markers, such as neurological soft signs (NSS), may explain variability in functional outcomes independent of the level of psychosis risk and the traditional diagnostic classification. Method. Structural equation modeling was applied to baseline data from a prospective longitudinal study of 138 young individuals in treatment with secondary services for non-psychotic disorders. We evaluated theoretically based models of pathways to functional outcome starting from NSS. The intervening variables were established according to previous evidence and drawn from two general categories: cognition (neuro-and social-) and negative symptoms (expressive and experiential). Results. A final trimmed model was a single path running from NSS to neurocognition to experiential negative symptoms to outcome. It could not be improved by adding or dropping connections that would change the single path to multiple paths. The indirect effect from NSS to outcome was significant. The validity of the model was independent of the ARMS status and the psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusions. Our results provide evidence for a single pathway model in which the starting and intervening variables represent modifiable trans-diagnostic therapeutic targets to improve functional trajectories in young individuals with a recent-onset psychiatric diagnosis and different levels of psychosis risk.
Bluetooth Low Energy emitters used as beacons have gained a lot of traction in the last few years. The technology is continuously improving and it is now possible for consumers to buy highly durable beacons for a reasonable price. The main use of these beacons is to be harnessed by context-aware software, as such, applications requiring localization can benefit from beacon technology. However, the reliability and accuracy of the location information is rather crucial when used for ambient intelligence in healthcare domain. Most systems currently rely only on received signal strength indication (RSSI) that may not be highly reliable in that they are highly susceptible to diffraction, multipath propagation, angle-of-arrival, lack of line-of-sight and absorption by human body. In this paper, we propose to investigate the use of two features in addition to mean RSSI. The new algorithm presented in the paper improve the localization accuracy from 6.2% to 9.14% over simple proximity localization.
This paper reviews recent developments in power loss analysis applicable, but not limited to, the thermal design of permanent-magnet machines. Accurate and computationally efficient loss prediction is an essential element in the thermal analysis of electrical machines and has become an increasingly important part of the machine design process. The continuous drive toward more electric technologies has resulted in a need for a more comprehensive and detailed design approach, where various multiphysics and multidisciplinary effects are accounted for. This design for application methodology relies strongly on the advancements and evolution of the existing theoretical and experimental design techniques to satisfy the evermore-demanding machine design requirements. The thermal behavior and efficiency of the power conversion are essential performance measures in the design for application approach. An overview of the challenges and limitations regarding power loss analysis in the context of the thermal design of electrical machines is provided in this paper. All of the major loss components associated with the active parts of a machine assembly are discussed.
Arterial tortuosity syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disease characterized by elongation, tortuosity, and aneurysmal formation of the large and middle-sized arteries sometimes associated with stenosis of the pulmonary arteries and/or aorta. We present three cases of severe arterial tortuosity with different manifestations. In two cases, the aortic arch was involved. Angiography showed a very tortuous aortic arch, with many loops and twists and a normal descending aorta. One required operation. The third case presented multiple severe stenoses of both pulmonary arteries with many tortuous segments. Surgical repair consisted of pulmonary artery augmentation utilizing a bovine pericardial patch from hilum to hilum.
Traditionally, digital forensics focused on artifacts located on the storage devices of computer systems, mobile phones, digital cameras, and other electronic devices. In the past decade, however, researchers have created a number of powerful memory forensics tools that expand the scope of digital forensics to include the examination of volatile memory as well. While memory forensic techniques have evolved from simple string searches to deep, structured analysis of application and kernel data structures for a number of platforms and operating systems, much research remains to be done. This paper surveys the state-of-the-art in memory forensics, provide critical analysis of current-generation techniques, describe important changes in operating systems design that impact memory forensics, and sketches important areas for further research. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Environmental pollution specifically water pollution is alarming both in the developed and developing countries. Heavy metal contamination of water resources is a critical issue which adversely affects humans, plants and animals. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective remediation technology which able to treat heavy metal polluted sites. This environmental friendly method has been successfully implemented in constructed wetland (CWs) which is able to restore the aquatic biosystem naturally. Nowadays, many aquatic plant species are being investigated to determine their potential and effectiveness for phytoremediation application, especially high growth rate plants i.e. macrophytes. Based on the findings, phytofiltration (rhizofiltration) is the sole method which defined as heavy metals removal from water by aquatic plants. Due to specific morphology and higher growth rate, free-floating plants were more efficient to uptake heavy metals in comparison with submerged and emergent plants. In this review, the potential of wide range of aquatic plant species with main focus on four well known species (hyper accumulators): Pistia stratiotes, Eicchornia spp., Lemna spp. and Salvinia spp. was investigated. Moreover, we discussed about the history, methods and future prospects in phytoremediation of heavy metals by aquatic plants comprehensively. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Aspects of language, such as accent, play a crucial role in the formation and categorization of one's cultural identity. Recent work on accent emphasizes the role of accent in person perception and social categorization, demonstrating that accent also serves as a meaningful indicator of an ethnic category. In this article, we investigate whether the accent of an interaction partner, as a marker for culture, can induce cultural frame-shifts in biculturals. We report the results of three experiments, performed among bicultural and monocultural individuals, in which we test the above hypothesis. Our results demonstrate that accent alone can affect people's cognition.
In many research universities, mechanical engineering (ME) curriculum does not include courses that teach ME students essential professional knowledge needed to become a design engineer. Professional know-how is not regarded as an academic topic, although a mechanical designer who will get a job in industry will need to apply this knowledge from his first day. Topics such as selecting mechanical elements (motors, bearings, seals etc.) from a catalog or selecting a proper material or coating for a designed part, are rarely taught even in machine design courses. We believe that mechanical engineering students should learn practical skills and get basic design experience. To close this gap, we introduced a new Design and Manufacture Laboratory for senior ME undergraduate students. The paper describes the laboratory course, students' activities and design projects. The design projects performed in the lab, follow the learned design methodology and include design reviews and appropriate documentation. The designed systems are produced, assembled and tested by each team. In addition to the learned technical skills, soft skills are taught in the lab related to mechanical design that include: team work, self-management, time management, communication skills and presentation skills. These soft skills are an essential tool for every mechanical engineer who starts to work in the global and changing industrial world. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Nutritional systems biology may be defined as the ultimate goal of molecular nutrition research, where all relevant aspects of regulation of metabolism in health and disease states at all levels of its complexity are taken into account to describe the molecular physiology of nutritional processes. The complexity spans from intracellular to inter-organ dynamics, and involves iterations between mathematical modelling and analysis employing all profiling methods and other biological read-outs. On the basis of such dynamic models we should be enabled to better understand how the nutritional status and nutritional challenges affect human metabolism and health. Although the achievement of this proposition may currently sound unrealistic, many initiatives in theoretical biology and biomedical sciences work on parts of the solution. This review provides examples and some recommendations for the molecular nutrition research arena to move onto the systems level.
In this work, an InAs-based gate-all-around (GAA) arch-shaped tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET) was designed and analyzed using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations. To progress the DC/RF characteristics of GAA arch-shaped TFET, InAs, a highly attractive III-V compound material, is adopted as a channel material. Owing to the GAA arch-shaped structure of TFET, the tunneling region under the gate area is extended, and the on-state current (I-on) and subthreshold-swing (S) are improved. However, it has some performance limitations that are related to the height of the source region (H-source) and the epitaxially grown thickness of the channel (t(epi)). Thus, we performed a design optimization of the InAs-based GAA arch-shaped TFET with the variables H-source and t(epi). After the optimization process, RF characteristics such as gate capacitance, transconductance (g(m)), cutoff frequency (f(T)), and maximum oscillation frequency (f(max)) were extracted and analyzed by small-signal RF modeling. Finally, the designed InAs-based GAA arch-shaped TFET demonstrated an I-on of 10.6 mA/mu m, S of 6.5 mV/dec, f(T) of 2.3 THz, and f(max) of 20 THz.
The article reports on a small-scale study that examined the impact of examining the indispensable role of nonverbal communication in the overall communicative process of the English language learning (L2), at the Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan, for second year student on specialty Foreign Languages: two foreign languages over 7 weeks. Components of nonverbal communication play a key role, especially at the subconscious level, in speech discourse and an awareness of it and how it can vary from culture to culture. Moreover, it can be particularly important in helping students to develop their ability to understand in a real environment. In the first theoretical part of our research we defined the mostly widely spread components of nonverbal communication such as eye contact, facial expression, proximity and gesture. Additionally the article begins with comparing and identifying differences in the foreign and target languages. In fact, Kazakhstan is multilingual and multicultural country, that's why we investigate different components of nonverbal communication in native and foreign languages. Besides the features of nonverbal communication take a key role in L2 communicative competence, so more our attention has been given to practical teaching techniques that will help English language teachers incorporate this essential element into their multicultural classrooms. It considers the interplay of gesture, facial expression and gaze behaviour among interlocutors and gives special consideration to the second language learner and the obstacles that can be encountered in communicating cross culturally. Thus, the second practical part of the study investigates how L2 learners use eye contact, facial expression, proximity and gesture to communicate in conversational settings, and whether their gesturing in these settings facilitates L2 acquisition beyond the immediate context. Subsequently, we conducted 7 lessons implementing specific activities through video, project work, digital storytelling, and interviews. Hence in producing our own classroom activities we stimulate creativity so that to raise students' awareness of implementing different gestures, signs, facial expressions and customs around them that significantly contributes to the successful dialogue of cultures. Research suggests that listening activities are part of the comprehension experience and components of nonverbal communication form a large part of how we communicate our message, even if at times L2 students are unaware of it. Furthermore, comprehension of eye contact, facial expression, proximity and gesture may not help them when it comes to expressing themselves, but surprisingly just how much students understand without ever hearing a word. The results reveal that components of nonverbal communication effectively facilitate all of the cognitive processes of L2 students and vividly promote foreign language learning. Overall, the findings indicate that eye contact, facial expression, proximity and gesture can serve as productive intellectual aids for L2 learning in conversational and task-based settings.
Purpose: Condylar reconstruction and replacement using alloplastic materials currently attracts much surgical interest. The major challenge is to functionally reconstruct the anatomical region; this is crucial in terms of correct mandibular function. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of and complications experienced by a series of oncological patients who underwent computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) condylar reconstruction following resection-disarticulation of the mandible. Materials and methods: We included nine patients who underwent disarticulation resection surgery to treat benign and malignant mandibular tumors involving the condylar region. All resections preserved the articular meniscus and featured placement of a CAD/CAM reconstructive plate supporting a fibular, microvascular free flap. The head of the prosthetic condyle reproduced the anatomical morphology of the native condyle. Patients were clinically evaluated in terms of occlusion stability, mandibular functional recovery, static and dynamic pain, and preservation of the normal mandibular contour. Planning and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were superimposed to assess the accuracy of reconstruction. Results: No patient experienced plate exposure and, on direct clinical examination, no patient complained of joint pain. No patient developed plate loosening. No resorption of the glenoid fossa was evident when pre- and postoperative bone thicknesses were compared by CE Preoperative occlusion was preserved in all dentate patients. One patient exhibited condylar displacement. In terms of reconstructive accuracy, the average postoperative deviation of the condyle from the preoperative position was 3.8 mm (range: 13-6.7 mm). Conclusions: The clinical outcomes of our series of oncological patients who underwent reconstruction using CAD/CAM plates including condyles were encouraging. The utility of our protocol needs to be confirmed in larger patient series. (c) 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Medicine Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. Concerning inhalant allergens, the safety of SLIT is overall superior to that of subcutaneous immunotherapy in terms of systemic adverse events. No fatality has been ever reported, and episodes of anaphylaxis were described only exceptionally. Looking at the historical and recent trials, most (>90%) adverse events are local and confined to the site of administration. For this reason, a specific grading system has been developed by the World Allergy Organization to classify and describe local adverse events. There is an increasing amount of literature concerning oral desensitization for food allergens, referred to as oral immunotherapy. Also, in this case, local side effects are predominant, although systemic adverse events are more frequent than with inhalant allergens. We review herein the description of local side effects due to SLIT, with a special focus on large trials having a declared sample size calculation. The use of the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities nomenclature for adverse events is mentioned in this context, as recommended by regulatory agencies. It is expected that a uniform classification/grading of local adverse events will improve and harmonize the surveillance and reporting on the safety of SLIT. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:13-21)
This study aims to compare in-vitro the fitting accuracy of implant-supported metal frameworks used for full-arch orthodontic restoration. The hypotheses tested were as follows: (1) for a fixed implant morphology, strains developed within the framework depend on how the framework had been fabricated and (2) stresses transferred to the implant-bone interface are related to the amount of framework misfit. Metal frameworks were fabricated using four different manufacturing techniques: conventional lost-wax casting, resin cement luting, electrospark erosion, and computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing milling. Each framework was instrumented with three strain gauges to measure strains developed because of prosthetic misfit, while quantitative photoelastic analysis was used to assess the effect of misfit at the implant-resin interface. All the tested frameworks presented stress polarization around the fixtures. After screw tightening, significantly greater strains were observed in the lost-wax superstructure, while the lowest strains were observed in the luted framework, demonstrating consistent adaptation and passive fitting. No significant difference in stress distribution and marginal fit was found for bars fabricated by either computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing or spark erosion. This study suggested that, in spite of known limitations of in-vitro testing, direct luting of mesostructures and abutments should be the first clinical option for the treatment of complete edentulism, ensuring consistent passive fitting and effective cost-benefit ratio.
This review explores the prevalence and factors associated with disturbed sleep for patients with ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in order to clarify consistent findings in this otherwise disparate research field. The association of physical, demographic and psychological factors correlating with poor sleep was explored, and the effectiveness of interventions assessed. Ten electronic databases were searched: AMED, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, OpenGrey and BASE. Following application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 29 articles were critically assessed on the basis of methodology, experimental design, ethics and quality of sleep data, leading to the selection of 15 studies for final review. Poor sleep was reported in 35-90% of patients with axial spondyloarthritis and is more prevalent within this clinical population compared to healthy control subjects. Disturbed sleep is an important aspect of disease for patients and reflects the severity of disease activity, pain, fatigue and functional disability. However, the direction of this relationship is undetermined. Associations with age, gender, years spent in education, quality of life and depression have also been demonstrated. Anti-TNF medication is effective in reducing poor sleep, and exercise has also produced beneficial results. Future research into poor sleep should take account of its multifactorial nature. There is also a current lack of research investigating non-pharmacological interventions or combination therapies. A standardised, validated measurement of poor sleep, appropriate for regular patient screening, would be a useful first step for future research.
Background and objectives: Young people with social anxiety display poor social functioning but it is unclear whether this is underscored by difficulties in key social cognitive abilities, such as perspective taking. Here, we examined whether increased social anxiety is associated with reduced accuracy on a perspective taking task and whether this relationship is stronger at particular periods within adolescence. Methods: Fifty-nine adolescents aged 11-19 years completed the computerised Director Task (DT) and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescence. In the DT, participants virtually move objects by following either instructions given by the 'Director' (who can see only some objects), or a simple rule to ignore certain objects. Results: Participants who scored above the clinical cut-off for social anxiety (n = 17) were less accurate when they had to take the perspective of the Director into account than those scoring below cut-off, yet performed similarly on control trials. Preliminary analysis indicated that poorer performance was most strongly associated with social anxiety in mid-adolescence (14-16.5 years). Limitations: The DT has been used previously to measure online perspective taking but the underlying cognitive mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Extending these findings using additional measures of perspective taking would be valuable. Conclusions: Adolescents with higher social anxiety were less accurate at taking the perspective of a computerised character, with some suggestion that this relationship is strongest during mid adolescence. If replicated, these findings highlight the importance of addressing specific social cognitive abilities in the assessment and treatment of adolescent social anxiety. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Singular value decomposition (SVD) is a tool widely used in data denoising, matrix approximation, recommendation system, text mining and computer vision. A majority of applications prefer sparse singular vectors to capture inherent structures and patterns of the input data so that the results are interpretable. We present a novel penalty for SVD to achieve sparsity. Comparing with the traditional penalties, the proposed penalty is scale, dimensional insensitive and bounded between 0 and 1, which are in favor of controlling sparsity. Regulated by the penalty, we provide an efficient algorithm to project a vector onto a given sparse level in O(n) expected time. The efficient projection algorithm serve as a drudge for sparse SVD (SSVD). In experiments, SSVD is efficient and could capture the latent structures and patterns of the input data.
Food intake is reduced by estrogenic hormones, levels of which vary throughout life and fluctuate throughout the ovarian cycle in females. However, estrogens have also been shown to increase reward derived from drugs of abuse, where motivational properties of drugs and progression to addiction are potentiated by estrogens. Whether reward derived from food, and specifically motivational properties of food, are altered by estrogens remains unknown. Here we investigated the effect of the estrous cycle on food reward behavior and show estrous cycle dictated variability in food motivation, measured by progressive ratio operant conditioning, in female rats. Reward behavior was lowest on days associated with high estrogen signaling. We therefore also examined the actions of subcutaneously administered (3estradiol on food reward and found thatp-estradiol reduced food reward behavior. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a crucial node of the neurocircuitry underlying motivated behavior and estrogen receptors are expressed in this nucleus. Thus, we examined whether the effects of estrogens on reward were exerted directly at the level of the VTA. Intra-VTA microinjection of p-estradiol led to a significant reduction in food -motivated behavior. Interestingly, this effect was not accompanied by a reduction in chow intake or body weight, nor did it alter locomotor activity. Importantly, removal of the ovaries produced a potent and lasting elevation in food reward and food -seeking behavior, suggesting that ovarian sex steroids are critical for maintenance of normal Mod reward behavior. These data reveal a novel role for estrogens in the control of food reward behavior. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Though hundreds to thousands of reports have described the distribution of B chromosomes among diverse eukaryote groups, a comprehensive theory of their biological role has not yet clearly emerged. B chromosomes are classically understood as a sea of repetitive DNA sequences that are poor in genes and are maintained by a parasitic-drive mechanism during cell division. Recent developments in high-throughput DNA/RNA analyses have increased the resolution of B chromosome biology beyond those of classical and molecular cytogenetic methods; B chromosomes contain many transcriptionally active sequences, including genes, and can modulate the activity of autosomal genes. Furthermore, the most recent knowledge obtained from omics analyses, which is associated with a systemic view, has demonstrated that B chromosomes can influence cell biology in a complex way, possibly favoring their own maintenance and perpetuation.
Smart meter, as a key part of the smart grid, is responsible for collecting the user characteristics in the advanced metering infrastructure. As more and more applications have been upgraded to the IPv6 protocol, 6LoWPAN can potentially replace the ZigBee as the standard protocol in the Internet of Things area. Representing an application of IPv6 technology in the smart metering, this article introduces the design of an electricity information acquisition module. With STM32 microprocessor and SI4432 RF transmitter/receiver embedded in this module, a LAN has been set up for the data transmission based on the 6LoWPAN. The individual and system tests of this advanced module have shown its robustness, interference immunity, high network stability and lower power consumption comparing with other modules with different hardware and operating systems.
Design and implementation of a current controlled single stage single phase integrated AC/DC isolated Power Factor Correction (PFC) converter is -presented in this paper. With the integrated topology reduces the number control switches. The proposed converter has the advantage of low bulk capacitor voltage and only single control switch hence reduce in complexity in control and cost. Sub-harmonic oscillations which are produced in conventional current controller. By adding an external compensating signal effect of oscillations are reduced and performance of the converter is improved. The proposed scheme is implemented in real time by TMS320F2812 digital signal processor (DSP) board. The performance of converter is verified both experimentally and by simulation at different load and line conditions. The proposed converter is designed for 90-230 V, 50 Hz AC input, 48 V DC output and operating at 100 kHz switching frequency. The Experimental results shows that the DSP-based fuzzy controlled single phase single switch integrated PFC converter achieve high power factor and satisfies IEC-61000-3-2 and other European input current harmonic limits for Class-C & Class-D applications.
The influence of wetlands on basin hydrology and channel hydraulics has been investigated for a small Canadian basin using the MIKE 11/NAM model of the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI). The Black Creek basin has an area of 93.58 km(2), 15.6% of which consists of wetlands. The methodology involved long-term continuous simulation of the basin with and without the wetlands. The present analysis shows that on an annual basis, wetlands reduce the total runoff by less than 1% and increase the evapotranspiration by about the same amount. Overland flow decreases 21% and base flow increases by 15% due to wetland presence. Groundwater recharge also increases by 15%. During individual runoff events, wetlands reduce runoff by about 5% and 1% in terms of peak and volume, respectively. The 1: 100-year flood under current conditions would become a 1: 35-year flood if wetlands were removed. Wetlands can suppress the snow-melt-generated flood peaks by about 15-20% during spring freshet and summer floods by 1-5%. Wetlands also reduce the water level by 3-5 cm and 5-8 cm during spring freshet and summer storms respectively. Channel flow, water level, and velocity are influenced by the wetlands only during rare flood events. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This paper introduces a fast algorithm for randomized computation of a low-rank Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) of a matrix. Here we consider this matrix to represent the development of a spatial grid through time e.g. data from a static video source. DMD was originally introduced in the fluid mechanics community, but is also suitable for motion detection in video streams and its use for background subtraction has received little previous investigation. In this study we present a comprehensive evaluation of background subtraction, using the randomized DMD and compare the results with leading robust principal component analysis algorithms. The results are convincing and show the random DMD is an efficient and powerful approach for background modeling, allowing processing of high resolution videos in real-time. Supplementary materials include implementations of the algorithms in Python. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterised by chronic inflammatory airways, and is affected by several immunological factors. One of the most discussed and researched hypotheses is the relationship between vitamin D serum levels with asthma. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D serum levels with asthma and pulmonary functions in children in Kurdistan province, Iran. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, 120 children ranging from 6 to 18 years were referred in summer for investigation. Participants were divided into two groups: asthma group, N=60; and control group, N=60. After serum separation, samples were analysed using vitamin D ELISA kit. Additionally, pulmonary function test and serum IgE levels were measured in both groups. Data were analysed using Chi-square test and multiple regression analysis in SPSS15. Results: No difference was shown between the groups in terms of gender composition (male: 57.5; female: 42.5) (P>0.05). Average Vitamin D serum level in the case group (17.98 +/- 8.68) was less than in control group (22.35 +/- 6.26) (P<0.01). In addition, the difference of vitamin D deficiency in level of suboptimal between the asthma (17.77 +/- 6.41) and the control group (24.9 +/- 3.18) was statistically significant (P<0.0001). Positive correlation existed between vitamin D levels with FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. Multiple regression analysis showed a reverse relationship between vitamin D levels with IgE serum levels; this remained after adjustment for potential confounders (e.g. age, sex, BMI, FEV1, and FVC). Conclusion: The results showed that serum levels of vitamin D in asthma patients were less than in healthy people, and also reduced lung function in these patients. So, the serum levels of vitamin D in asthma patients must be checked continuously. (C) 2016 SEICAP Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Globalization enables the transfer of impacts on water availability. We argue that the threat should be evaluated not only by decrease of quantity, but more importantly by the degradation of water quality in exporting countries. Grouping the world into fourteen regions, this paper establishes a multi-region input-output framework to calculate the nitrogen-related grey water footprint and a water quality-induced scarcity index caused by pollution, for the period of 1995 to 2009. It is discovered that grey water embodied in international trade has been growing faster than total grey water footprint. China, the USA and India were the three top grey water exporters which accounted for more than half the total traded grey water. Dilemma rose when China and India were facing highest grey water scarcity. The EU and the USA were biggest grey water importers that alleviated their water stress by outsourcing water pollution. A structural decomposition analysis is conducted to study the drivers to the evolution of virtual flows of grey water under globalization during the period of 1995 to 2009. The results show that despite the technical progress that offset the growth of traded grey water, structural effects under globalization including both evolution in the globalized economic system and consumption structure, together with consumption volume made a positive contribution. It is found that the structural effect intensified the pollution-induced water scarcity of exporters as it generally increased all nations' imported grey water while resulting in increases in only a few nations' exported grey water, such as Brazil, China and Indonesia. At last, drawing from the 'cap-and-trade' and 'boarder-tax-adjustment' schemes, we propose policy recommendations that ensure water security and achieve environmentally sustainable trade from both the sides of production and consumption.
Humans can detect whether athletes are leading or trailing based on thin slices of athletes' nonverbal behavior, presumably because communicating and interpreting status has evolved to be highly beneficial for humans. The goal of the present research was to examine this evolutionary perspective on nonverbal behavior in sports. First, in Experiment 1 (N = 40), we investigated if leading athletes are rated higher on dimensions related to social status than are trailing athletes. Experiment 1 showed that perceivers rated leading athletes as more dominant, more proud, and more confident than trailing athletes, without being aware of the actual score. Second, we were interested in the role of head-related versus body-related information and in the role of dynamic versus static information. In Experiment 2, 120 participants watched short videos from basketball matches and rated whether athletes were leading or trailing. We occluded either athletes' faces, athletes' bodies, or showed both faces and bodies. Experiments 2 and 3 (N = 160) showed that very scarce information was sufficient for differentiating between leading and trailing athletes, even when faces or bodies were occluded. These findings are in line with ecological approaches to person perception and evolutionary accounts of nonverbal behavior.
The treatment of articular and extra-articular manifestations associated with HLA-B27 has undergone dramatic changes over the past two decades, mainly as a consequence of the introduction of biologic agents and in particular anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF alpha) agents. Uveitis is known to be the most frequent extra-articular feature in HLA-B27-associated spondyloarthritides. Topical corticosteroids and cycloplegic agents remain the cornerstones of treatment. However, biologic therapy may be effective in the management of refractory or recurrent forms of uveitis. This review gives an update on the management of HLA-B27-associated ocular disorders with biologics, including anti-TNF alpha agents and non-anti-TNF alpha biologic modifier drugs. There is an emerging role for newer biologics targeting interleukin-12/23 and interleukin-17 for the treatment of spondyloarthritides but data on their efficacy on anterior uveitis are sparse.
Abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits seed germination and the regulation of ABA biosynthesis has a role in maintenance of seed dormancy. The key rate-limiting step in ABA biosynthesis is catalyzed by 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED). Two hydroxamic acid inhibitors of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD), D4 and D7, previously found to inhibit CCD and NCED in vitro, are shown to have the novel property of decreasing mean germination time of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seeds constitutively overexpressing LeNCED1. Post-germination, D4 exhibited no negative effects on tomato seedling growth in terms of height, dry weight, and fresh weight. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) seeds containing a tetracycline-inducible LeNCED1 transgene were used to show that germination could be negatively and positively controlled through the chemical induction of gene expression and the chemical inhibition of the NCED protein: application of tetracycline increased mean germination time and delayed hypocotyl emergence in a similar manner to that observed when exogenous ABA was applied and this was reversed by D4 when NCED expression was induced at intermediate levels. D4 also improved germination in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds under thermoinhibitory temperatures and in tomato seeds imbibed in high osmolarity solutions of polyethylene glycol. D4 reduced ABA and dihydrophaseic acid accumulation in tomato seeds overexpressing LeNCED1 and reduced ABA accumulation in wild type tomato seeds imbibed on polyethylene glycol. The evidence supports a mode of action of D4 through NCED inhibition, and this molecule provides a lead compound for the design of NCED inhibitors with greater specificity and potency.
As a development country, Malaysia facing the challenge to develop their economic liked others. Economic changing from agriculture to manufacturing drastic change need people also adapt to that situation. Now days, changing become issues, such as changing of work life from agriculture to manufacturing, changing of technologies, changing of people thinking, etc. From previous studies found that major issues that majority graduate not enough employability skills. This is day by day issues and keep challenges all of Malaysian not only government also students and institutions. As previous study we found that PBL can be alternative to overcome this. Changing of delivery should be applied to applied subjects that taken by applied mathematics students to facing this problem. Applied mathematics students and subjects can be more attractive using PBL as alternative methodologies to facing now day and future issues. In this research, we study effectiveness of PBL as an alternative tool in enhancing employability skills among graduates. This study adopts a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data shall be collected using documents analysis. Students sample of the quasi-experimental study comprise manufacturing engineering undergraduates from several public institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. This result shows that student can be enhanced employability skills through PBL. Furthermore, student be more competitive and become more relevance with what industries need on employability skills. This is shown that applied mathematics with helping by PBL also valuable for become major function to catalyst employability skills. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of black and green tea consumption on human metabolism. Seventeen healthy male volunteers consumed black tea, green tea, or caffeine in a randomized crossover study. Twenty-four-hour urine and blood plasma samples were analyzed by NMR-based metabonomics, that is, high-resolution H-1 NMR metabolic profiling combined with multivariate statistics. Green and black tea consumption resulted in similar increases in urinary excretion of hippuric acid and 1,3-dihydroxyphenyl-2-O-sulfate, both of which are end products of tea flavonoid degradation by colonic bacteria. Several unidentified aromatic metabolites were detected in urine specifically after green tea intake. Interestingly, green and black tea intake also had a different impact on endogenous metabolites in urine and plasma. Green tea intake caused a stronger increase in urinary excretion of several citric acid cycle intermediates, which suggests an effect of green tea flavanols on human oxidative energy metabolism and/or biosynthetic pathways.
Human responses to android and humanoid robots have become an important topic to social scientists due to the increasing prevalence of social and service robots in everyday life. The present research connects work on the effects of lateral (sideward) head tilts, an eminent feature of nonverbal human behavior, to the experience of android and humanoid robots. In two experiments (N= 402; N= 253) the influence of lateral head tilts on user perceptions of android and humanoid robots were examined. Photo portrayals of three different robots (Asimo, Kojiro, Telenoid) were manipulated. The stimuli included head tilts of -20 degrees, -10 degrees (left tilt), +10 degrees, +20 degrees (right tilt) and 0 degrees (upright position). Compared to an upright head posture, we found higher scores for attributed human likeness, cuteness, and spine-tinglingness when the identical robots conveyed a head tilt. Results for perceived warmth, eeriness, attractiveness, and dominance varied with the robot or head tilts yielded no effects. Implications for the development and marketing of android and humanoid robots are discussed. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Ubiquitous computing (UBICOMP) is a term used for human interaction with computers in virtually everything we do and almost everywhere we go. It is embedding computers in our daily lives to create an active and intelligent environment [1]. This is future phase of computers, which is beyond the desktop and notebook environment, where we are currently in and we are progressively heading deeper inside this new phase. In Ubiquitous Computing we mainly focus on computer being integral part of human such that we are unaware of their presence. Computer scientists are focusing hard on ways how the interaction between human and computer can be simplified. We can think of an era where we are surrounded with over hundreds of computers each doing a unique task irrespective of location and time and keeping human unaware. In this article we explore about the evolution of ubiquitous computing from its origin and history, its architecture, role of privacy and integration of privacy in system design, its Features and Technical Challenges. Ubiquitous computing is the third wave in computing, which has begun just now. Ubicomp is a field where we require considerable efforts to match up the current technological developments. According to the view of Computer Scientists and Engineers in future we will be having such a technological advancement in this field that will amaze the world.
The two-stage core analysis method is widely used for BWR core analysis. The purpose of this study is to develop a core analysis model coupled with subchannel analysis within the two-stage calculation scheme using an assembly-based thermal-hydraulics calculation in the core analysis. The model changes the 2D lattice physics scheme, and couples with 3D subchahnel analysis which evaluates the thermal-hydraulics characteristics within the coolant flow area divided as some subchannel regions. In order to Couple with these two analyses, some BWR fuel assembly parameters are assumed and verified. The developed model is evaluated for the heterogeneous problem with and without a control rod. The present model is especially effective for the control rod inserted condition. The present model can incorporate the subchannel effect into the current two-stage core calculation method. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study investigates the effects of media frames on attitudes toward video games, perceptions of their users, and consequences. Prior research has shown that gaming is a controversial issue, with media coverage focusing on either risks or opportunities. To examine the effects of these portrayals, the present study used a 2 x 2 experimental design and exposed participants (N = 360) to a news article that framed gaming in terms of risk or opportunity on the journalistic level and on the level of a corresponding expert statement. By examining the perceived negative effects of games, this study extends previous research by combining framing and third-person research. Results showed that framing gaming indeed had an effect on participants' attitudes. This framing effect was moderated by individual video game use. Despite identifying a traditional third-person perception regarding negative video game effects, we found framing to have no significant influence on third-person perceptions.
The hemodynamic alteration in the cerebral circulation caused by the geometric variations in the cerebral circulation arterial network of the circle of Wills (CoW) can lead to fatal ischemic attacks in the brain. The geometric variations due to impairment in the arterial network result in incomplete cerebral arterial structure of CoW and inadequate blood supply to the brain. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the hemodynamics of the CoW, for efficiently and precisely evaluating the status of blood supply to the brain. In this paper, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics of the main CoW vasculature coupled with zero-dimensional lumped parameter model boundary condition for the CoW outflow boundaries is developed for analysis of the blood flow distribution in the incomplete CoW cerebral arterial structures. The geometric models in our study cover the arterial segments from the aorta to the cerebral arteries, which can allow us to take into account the innate patient-specific resistance of the arterial trees. Numerical simulations of the governing fluid mechanics are performed to determine the CoW arterial structural hemodynamics, for illustrating the redistribution of the blood flow in CoW due to the structural variations. We have evaluated our coupling methodology in five patient-specific cases that were diagnosed with the absence of efferent vessels or impairment in the connective arteries in their CoWs. The velocity profiles calculated by our approach in the segments of the patient-specific arterial structures are found to be very close to the Doppler ultrasound measurements. The accuracy and consistency of our hemodynamic results have been improved (to 16.1 +/- 18.5%) compared to that of the pure-resistance boundary conditions (of 43.5 +/- 28 %). Based on our grouping of the five cases according to the occurrence of unilateral occlusion in vertebral arteries, the inter-comparison has shown that (i) the flow reduction in posterior cerebral arteries is the consequence of the unilateral vertebral arterial occlusion, and (ii) the flow rate in the anterior cerebral arteries is correlated with the posterior structural variations. This study shows that our coupling approach is capable of providing comprehensive information of the hemodynamic alterations in the pathological CoW arterial structures. The information generated by our methodology can enable evaluation of both the functional and structural status of the clinically significant symptoms, for assisting the treatment decision-making.
One-component materials with unidirectional fibrous structure are a new class of structural materials that are mechanically similar to biological ones. These contain channel cracks (CC) and weak interfaces in the structure, which are the result of production technologies. Effect of the CC size and the shear strength of contacts between fibers were investigated in the three-dimensional analysis of the elastic and inelastic shear extensions at the interface of the cracked fiber in the bundle of undamaged fibers under tension. The fiber stacking in the bundle is hexagonal. The fiber cross-sections are regular hexagons. It is found that the energy dissipation at the interface of the cracked fiber, the stress intensity factor and the crack opening displacement for the crack in the fiber and the length of the interface with the non-zero shear stresses are determined by the product of the contact cohesive shear strength and the contact width. At the optimal cohesive shear strength of the interfaces, the channel cracks shall not prejudice to the basic strength characteristics of the material.
Women are still underrepresented in management and men hold the majority of higher positions. Nonetheless, one often-heard claim in popular media is that female people-centered leadership skills (empathy, communication, etc.) are a better match for the business world - especially in the future. Furthermore, a related idea is that women may use this advantage to take over men's dominant position in leadership. Four studies show that such claims paradoxically maintain gender inequality, by undermining support for affirmative action to reduce female underrepresentation in leadership. Where earlier research shows that positive stereotypes can hurt women by suggesting that they are unqualified for leadership, the current findings show that even positive stereotypes that claim that women are particularly well qualified for leadership can hurt women in their chances for gaining leadership positions. Although it is good to highlight the advantages of female leadership, exaggerated and sensationalist claims contribute to a perpetuation of gender inequality.
A recent upsurge of investment in photovoltaic (PV) industry in China has made outstanding contributions to the adjustment of energy structure. In order to further promote the investment and construction of PV projects, the state has published many fiscal subsidy policies. In addition to unified national subsidy standard, local standards have been developed according to local fiscal revenue. They either have greatly improved return on investment (ROI) or have no significant effect as a result of too many impact factors. This paper utilizes multi dimensional big dates of distributed PV projects to obtain the weight of factors influencing the ROI from the calculation equation of ROI, which is fitted with innovative big data mining method of LSSVM-PSO. Results show that construction cost, sunshine duration, retail electricity tariff and subsidy have the greatest impacts. This study provides decision makers with quantitative basis for more comprehensive understanding on economic aspect of the distributed PV projects. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Printed carbon graphite materials are the primary common component in the majority of screen printed sensors. Screen printing allows a scalable manufacturing solution, accelerating the means by which novel sensing materials can make the transition from laboratory material to commercial product. A common bottleneck in any thick film printing process is the controlled drying of the carbon paste material. A study has been undertaken which examines the interaction between material solvent, printed film conductivity and process consistency. The study illustrates that it is possible to reduce the solvent boiling point to significantly increase process productivity while maintaining process consistency. The lower boiling point solvent also has a beneficial effect on the conductivity of the film, reducing the sheet resistance. It is proposed that this is a result of greater film stressing increasing charge percolation through greater inter particle contact. Simulations of material performance and drying illustrate that a multi layered printing provides a more time efficient manufacturing method. The findings have implications for the volume manufacturing of the carbon sensor electrodes but also have implications for other applications where conductive carbon is used, such as electrical circuits and photovoltaic devices.
Authentication schemes have been widely deployed access control and mobility management in various communication networks. Especially, the schemes that are based on multifactor authentication such as on password and smart card come to be more practical. One of the standard authentication schemes that have been widely used for secure communication over the Internet is session initiation protocol (SIP). The original authentication scheme proposed for SIP was vulnerable to some crucial security weaknesses. To overcome the security problems, various improved authentication schemes have been developed, especially based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). Very recently, Zhang et al. proposed an improved authentication scheme for SIP based on ECC using smart cards to overcome the security flaws of the related protocols. Zhang et al. claimed that their protocol is secure against all known security attacks. However, this paper indicates that Zhang et al. protocol is still insecure against impersonation attack. We show that an active attacker can easily masquerade as a legal server to fool users. As a remedy, we also improve Zhang et al. protocol by imposing a little extra computation cost. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diversity training is challenging and can evoke strong emotional responses from participants including resistance, shame, confusion, powerlessness, defensiveness, and anger. These responses create complex situations for both presenters and other learners. We observed 3 experienced presenters as they implemented 41 gender bias literacy workshops for 376 faculty from 42 STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine) departments at one Midwestern university. We recorded questions and answers as well as participants' non-verbal activity during each 2.5-hour workshop. Employing content analysis and critical incident technique, we identified content that elicited heightened activity and challenging dialogues among presenters and faculty. Results from analysis of this observational data found three important findings: (1) presenters continually reinforced the idea that implicit bias is ordinary and pervasive, thus avoiding participant alienation by allowing participants to protect their self-worth and integrity; (2) difficult dialogues were managed calmly without verbal sparring or relinquishing control; (3) the presenters created an environment where individuals were more likely to accept threatening information.
Introduction: The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) has continued development and standardization of methodologies for biomarkers and has provided an increased depth and breadth of data available to qualified researchers. This review summarizes the over 400 publications using ADNI data during 2014 and 2015. Methods: We used standard searches to find publications using ADNI data. Results: (1) Structural and functional changes, including subtle changes to hippocampal shape and texture, atrophy in areas outside of hippocampus, and disruption to functional networks, are detectable in presymptomatic subjects before hippocampal atrophy; (2) In subjects with abnormal beta-amyloid deposition (A beta+), biomarkers become abnormal in the order predicted by the amyloid cascade hypothesis; (3) Cognitive decline is more closely linked to tau than A beta deposition; (4) Cerebrovascular risk factors may interact with A beta to increase white-matter (WM) abnormalities which may accelerate Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression in conjunction with tau abnormalities; (5) Different patterns of atrophy are associated with impairment of memory and executive function and may underlie psychiatric symptoms; (6) Structural, functional, and metabolic network connectivities are disrupted as AD progresses. Models of prion-like spreading of A beta pathology along WM tracts predict known patterns of cortical A beta deposition and declines in glucose metabolism; (7) New AD risk and protective gene loci have been identified using biologically informed approaches; (8) Cognitively normal and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects are heterogeneous and include groups typified not only by classic AD pathology but also by normal biomarkers, accelerated decline, and suspected non-Alzheimer's pathology; (9) Selection of subjects at risk of imminent decline on the basis of one or more pathologies improves the power of clinical trials; (10) Sensitivity of cognitive outcome measures to early changes in cognition has been improved and surrogate outcome measures using longitudinal structural magnetic resonance imaging may further reduce clinical trial cost and duration; (11) Advances in machine learning techniques such as neural networks have improved diagnostic and prognostic accuracy especially in challenges involving MCI subjects; and (12) Network connectivity measures and genetic variants show promise in multimodal classification and some classifiers using single modalities are rivaling multimodal classifiers. Discussion: Taken together, these studies fundamentally deepen our understanding of AD progression and its underlying genetic basis, which in turn informs and improves clinical trial design. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.
Prosocial behavior is crucial for functioning societies. However, its reliable scientific assessment and the understanding of its underlying structure are still a challenge. We integrated 14 paradigms from diverse disciplines to identify reliable and method-independent subcomponents of human prosociality; 329 participants performed game theoretical paradigms and hypothetical distribution tasks commonly used in behavioral economics and completed interactive computer tasks and self-reports typically employed in psychology. Four subcomponents of prosociality were identified by exploratory factor analysis and verified by confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample: altruistically motivated prosocial behavior, norm motivated prosocial behavior, strategically motivated prosocial behavior, and self-reported prosocial behavior. Altruistically motivated behavior was related to gender, to enhanced cognitive skills, and to reduced negative affect. Our study provides a crucial step toward an overarching framework on prosocial behavior that will benefit future research on predictors, neural underpinnings, and plasticity of human cooperation and prosociality.
Concerning the problems that assessment scope of present network security situation is limited, time and space complexity are high with single source information and low accuracy, a framework of comprehensive factor weighted assessment for network security situation is proposed. It fully considers the information fusion of multi-information sources and multi-level heterogeneous, dynamically displaying network current security situation overall, that reflects the network security situation accurately and quantitatively. Finally, taking full use of the instance data of local network, the proposed method of weighted factors for network security situation assessment and algorithm are verified, that the experimental results show correctness of this method.
Purpose: Youth sport has the potential to be one of the healthiest and most beneficial activities in which children can partake. Participation in a combination of adult-led and peer-led sport structures appears to lead to favorable outcomes such as enhanced physical fitness, as well as social and emotional development. The purpose of the present study was to examine the subjective and objective experiences of 27 recreational male soccer players aged 10 to 12 years old (M=10.11 years, SD=0.32) across adult-led and peer-led sport structures. Method: Direct video observation and experience-rating scales were utilized in an effort to shed light on the impact of adult-led and peer-led sport structures on the same athletes. Results: In the adult-led structures, youth experienced high levels of effort and concentration while spending more time physically or mentally engaged. Meanwhile, youth experienced high rates of prosocial behaviors, sport-related communication, and general communication during the peer-led structures. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate that rather than one approach being superior to the other, both adult- and peer-led sport structures have the potential to yield unique benefits toward children's positive experiences in sport.
We report for the first time electroretinographic (ERG) evidence of progressive retinal abnormalities in a girl who presented in infancy with ocular features of albinism and gradually developed choroidal sclerosis and patchy retinal atrophy leading to a diagnosis of Knobloch syndrome (KS, OMIM 267750, COL18A1). At age 2 months, nystagmus and esotropia prompted ophthalmic evaluation. The appearance of choroidal sclerosis and atrophic retinal patches led to further evaluation at age 8 years. Genetics consultation was obtained in infancy and again at age 8 years as retinal findings evolved. Full field ERG responses in both scotopic and photopic conditions were recorded at both ages and compared to those in healthy control subjects. At age 2 months ERG response parameters were within normal limits for age and tyrosinase (TYR) gene sequencing revealed one novel mutation, p.S466F, and the temperature-sensitive polymorphism, p.R402Q, suggesting the diagnosis of oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1). At age 8 years, there was significant attenuation of both scotopic and photopic ERG responses. Genetic re-analysis led to the identification of a homozygous mutation, c.3213dupC, in the COL18A1 gene, thus confirming the diagnosis of Knobloch syndrome. Our patient with Knobloch syndrome developed abnormal ERG responses similar to those found in col18a1 knockout mice. Thus, we have documented progressive attenuation of the scotopic and photopic responses in KS.
This paper focuses on the development of a distributed surface machining system. Traditional manufacturing engineering activity analysis has been conducted in developing the proposed system structure. The advantages of a distributed system structure such as easy to manage, high expandability and flexibility will enhance the efficiency of an integral system operation, and achieve the goal of networked manufacture. The IDEF0 was used to describe each stage of the traditional surface machining activities, and then UML ( Unified Modeling Language) technology was adopted to verify the feasibility and accuracy of the established integrated system. The developed distributed system structure and sub-functional modules (CAD/CAM/CAPP) haze been implemented based on the proposed systematic approach; and a freeform surface has been used as an example for verification. The proposed approach has been successfully implemented and could be adopted to assist engineers in integrating machining activities that are located in dispersed places; and various domains experts also can exchange their expertise among themselves. Thus, the development time of a product machining processes can be shortened and so is its enhancement on the competitive advantages. In addition I this distributed system has also integrated multi-functional ontology and service agent to facilitate the selection and reconfiguration in manufacturing customization. The proposed system has presented the feasibility in incorporating the agent-based technology in a distributed freeform surface machining environment. Service agents communicate via pre-defined performatives underlying knowledge query and manipulation language (KQML) for the surface machining capability. The developed system has then successfully demonstrated the feasibility in implementing the agent-based technology into a distributed surface machining system.
This paper presents a novel control method based on predictions of a neural network in coordination with a conventional PID control to improve transient characteristics of digitally controlled switching dc-dc converters. Power supplies in communication systems require to achieve a superior operation for electronic equipment installed to them. Especially, it is important to improve transient characteristics in any required conditions since they affect to the operation of power supplies. Therefore, dc-dc converters in power supplies need a superior control method which can suppress transient undershoot and overshoot of output voltage. In the presented method, the neural network is trained to predict the output voltage and is adopted to modify the reference value in the PID control to reduce the difference between the output voltage and its desired one in the transient state. The transient characteristics are gradually improved as the training procedure of the neural network is proceeded repetitively. Furthermore, the timing and duration of neural network control are also investigated and devised since the time delay, which is one of the main issue in digital control methods, affects to the improvement of transient characteristics. The repetitive training and duration adjustment of the neural network are performed simultaneously to obtain more improvement of the transient characteristics. From simulated and experimental results, it is confirmed that the presented method realizes superior transient characteristics compared to the conventional PID control.
Deformable-part-based model (DPM) has shown great success in object detection in recent years. However, its performance will degrade on partially occluded objects and is even worse on largely occluded objects in real remote sensing applications. To address this problem, a novel partial configuration object model (PCM) is developed in this paper. Compared to conventional single-layer DPMs, an extra partial configuration layer, which is composed of partial configurations defined according to possible occlusion patterns, is introduced in PCM to block the transmission of occlusion impact. During detection, each hypothesis from a partial configuration layer will infer the entire object based on spatial interrelationship and final detection results are obtained from the fusion of these possible entire objects using a weighted continuous clustering method. As PCM makes a better compromise between the deformation modeling flexibility of small parts and the discriminative shape-capturing capability of large DPM, its performance on occluded object detection will be improved. Moreover, occlusion states of detected objects can be inferred with the intermediate results of our model. Experimental results on multiple high-resolution remote sensing image datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Contemporary discourse on the changing modes of production by Autonomist Marxist theorists such as Paolo Virno, Franco Berardi, Antonio Negri, Michael Hardt and Maurizio Lazzarato provides insights into the ongoing shift from an economy based on the material labour of producing physical goods, to one served increasingly by immaterial labour. In light of these texts, this paper revisits a point of origin of Autonomist political thought at the Olivetti factory in Italy during the 1960s, where the problems of a programmed, cybernetic human/machine assembly line were first observed. It endeavours to examine both the objects that were created as a result of immaterial labour practices as well as the machines which may have actually played a key role in forming contemporary modes of immaterial labour. This is accomplished by examining case studies that demonstrate the various iterations of an idea essential to the concept of immaterial labour-the practice of programming. Featuring a unique constellation of Olivetti products from the 1960s, the purpose of this text is to add historical relevance and theoretical rigour to these seemingly disparate series of objects, and to present a potential genealogy of immaterial labour brought about by the design and making of Olivetti machines.
In this paper, we propose a computational fluid-structure interaction (FSI) framework for the simulations of the interaction between free-surface flow and floating structures, such as offshore wind turbines. The framework is based on a suitable combination of the finite element method (FEM) and isogeometric analysis (IGA), and has good efficiency, accuracy and robustness characteristics. The free-surface phenomena are modeled using the Navier-Stokes equations of incompressible two-fluid flow in conjunction with the level set method. The FEM-based moving-domain ALE-VMS technique is employed to discretize the fluid mechanics equations, while the IGA-based rotation-free shell and beam/cable formulation is employed to model the mechanics of floating structures. The kinematic and traction compatibility at the fluid structure interface is handled by means of a recently-developed augmented Lagrangian FSI formulation with formal elimination of the Lagrange multiplier variable. A quasi-direct coupling strategy is adopted to handle the large added mass, and implemented by means of a matrix-free technique. The mathematical formulation of the FSI problem and its algorithmic implementation are described in detail, and two numerical test cases are presented. The first case is a free-surface-flow benchmark example of a solitary wave impacting a fixed, rigid platform. The second case is a set of full-scale free-surface-FSI simulations of the OC3-Hywind floating wind turbine design subjected to wave action. The computational results are compared with experimental and simulation data, with good agreement achieved in all cases where such data was available. Wind-turbine computations in the regime of high-amplitude waves are also presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are an integral part of peripheral tolerance, suppressing immune reactions against self-structures and thus preventing autoimmune diseases. Clinical approaches to adoptively transfer Tregs, or to deplete Tregs in cancer, are underway with promising first outcomes. Because the number of naturally occurring Tregs (nTregs) is very limited, studying certain Treg features using in vitro induced Tregs (iTregs) can be advantageous. To date, the best although not absolutely specific protein marker to delineate Tregs is the transcription factor FOXP3. Despite the importance of Tregs including non-redundant roles of peripherally induced Tregs, the protocols to generate iTregs are currently controversial, particularly for human cells. This protocol therefore describes the in vitro differentiation of human CD4+FOXP3+ iTregs from human naive T cells using a range of Treg-inducing factors (TGF-beta plus IL-2 only, or their combination with retinoic acid, rapamycin or butyrate) in parallel. It also describes the phenotyping of these cells by flow cytometry and qRT-PCR. These protocols result in reproducible expression of FOXP3 and other Treg signature genes and enable the study of general FOXP3-regulatory mechanisms as well as protocol-specific effects to delineate the impact of certain factors. iTregs can be utilized to study various phenotypic aspects as well as molecular mechanisms of Treg induction. Detailed molecular studies are facilitated by relatively large cell numbers that can be obtained. A limitation for the application of iTregs is the relative instability of FOXP3 expression in these cells compared to nTregs. iTregs generated by these protocols can also be used for functional assays such as studying their suppressive function, in which iTregs induced by TGF-beta plus retinoic acid and rapamycin display superior suppressive activity. However, the suppressive capacity of iTregs can differ from nTregs and the use of appropriate controls is crucial.
Background: Theory of mind concerns the sociocognitive ability to infer others' thoughts. It has been theorized to be impaired in substance use and abuse, as its alterations might explain negative social and interpersonal outcomes noted in the course of disorders. In addition, the brain structures involved in Theory of Mind (ToM) have been found to be disrupted in drug use conditions. Objective: We undertook a systematic review of ToM functioning in drug use conditions. Methods: Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Embase) were searched to find studies that have addressed ToM and conditions related to actual or previous drug use. Results: The search found 147 papers, of which 14 fulfilled our review eligibility criteria. Different methods were used, but overall, results indicated that drugs are related to ToM deficits, particularly related to alcohol and amphetamines use. These impairments correlate with other clinical and cognitive functions. Conclusion: Despite the lack of studies and the methodological limitations of the existing ones Theory of Mind seems to play a role in drug use conditions, which requires further investigation.
Oleuropein, a well-known olive polyphenol, has been shown to mediate neuroprotection in Alzheimer's disease and cerebral ischemia. We investigated the effects of oleuropein on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in male NMRI mice, with diazepam as the standard drug. We also examined the possible involvement of opioidergic/nitrergic pathways in the probable effects of oleuropein. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of different doses of oleuropein (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg) significantly increased the seizure threshold 60 min prior to induction of seizure, in a dose-dependent manner. Administration of naltrexone (10 mg/kg, i.p.), an opioid receptor antagonist, completely reversed the anticonvulsant effects of oleuropein (10 mg/kg). On the other hand, the anticonvulsant effect of oleuropein (10 mg/kg) was blocked by a non-effective dose of nonspecific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), L-NAME (1 and 10 mg/kg, i.p) and a selective inhibitor of neuronal NOS, 7-nitroindazole (30 mg/kg, i.p.). However, the nitric oxide precursor, l-arginine (30 and 60 mg/kg, i.p.) potentiated the anticonvulsant activity of oleuropein (10 mg/kg). A selective inducible NOS inhibitor, aminoguanidine (100 mg/kg, i.p.) did not change the anticonvulsant activity of oleuropein. It seems that the opioidergic system and constitutive neuronal NOS may be involved in the anticonvulsant properties of oleuropein.
This article presents basic concepts and recent research directions about the stability of sampled-data systems with aperiodic sampling. We focus mainly on the stability problem for systems with arbitrary time-varying sampling intervals which has been addressed in several areas of research in Control Theory. Systems with aperiodic sampling can be seen as time-delay systems, hybrid systems, Input/Output interconnections, discrete-time systems with time-varying parameters, etc. The goal of the article is to provide a structural overview of the progress made on the stability analysis problem. Without being exhaustive, which would be neither possible nor useful, we try to bring together results from diverse communities and present them in a unified manner. For each of the existing approaches, the basic concepts, fundamental results, converse stability theorems (when available), and relations with the other approaches are discussed in detail. Results concerning extensions of Lyapunov and frequency domain methods for systems with aperiodic sampling are recalled, as they allow to derive constructive stability conditions. Furthermore, numerical criteria are presented while indicating the sources of conservatism, the problems that remain open and the possible directions of improvement. At last, some emerging research directions, such as the design of stabilizing sampling sequences, are briefly discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents descriptions and results of multi-scale pullout and interface shear tests on a woven polypropylene (PP) geotextile reinforcement material in a marginal quality soil. A main objective of these tests was to develop a moisture reduction factor (MRF) for the pullout resistance equation in the currently available design guidelines. The tests were carried out at different overburden pressure and gravimetric water content (GWC) values. The differences in the soil-geotextile interface strength among the cases with different GWC values were used to determine the corresponding MRF values. Results of the study indicate that the reinforcement interface strength and pullout resistance could decrease significantly as a result of the loss in the matric suction (e.g. by 42% between the cases of 2% dry and 2% wet of the soil optimum moisture content). It is concluded that wetting of the soil-geotextile interface during construction or service life of a reinforced soil structure can measurably reduce the interface strength and pullout resistance of the geotextile reinforcement which needs to be accounted for in design. Results of the study will be also useful to estimate the difference in the pullout capacity of geotextile reinforcement in a marginal soil when placed at different GWC values during construction. The methodology described in the paper could be used to expand the database of MRF results to include a wider range of soil types and geotextile reinforcement for practical applications. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This work studies the effect of tensile strain on the pore size and the flow capability of needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles. Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the variations of pore size, thickness, porosity and mean discharge velocity of water through geotextile samples (permittivity) while under different uniaxial and biaxial tensile strains ranging from 0 to 20%. Comparison of test and predicted results suggests the values of the shape factor beta, describing path tortuosity and the dimensionless parameter. to account for the evaluations of permeability and filtration opening size for needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles under various tensile strains. The experimental data collected from three needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles show that strained geotextiles exhibit smaller pore size than unstrained geotextiles. The mean discharge velocity of water through strained geotextiles tends to decrease initially, with an increase in tensile strain for geotextiles in low strain regions, but this decreasing trend of mean discharge velocity then reverses for the same geotextiles submitted to higher strain.
State of the art Engineering Education is crucial for Research and Innovation according to the European Union's growth strategy. This paper contributes with more knowledge of how Universities and Industry can facilitate collaborative learning environments and create efficient working methods. A group of students accepted the challenge from an industrial company to examine robotic assembly of their products. The students built a robot cell prototype in the company's design department, to promote knowledge about design for robot manufacturing. The setting of this learning environment enabled knowledge creation with significant learning outcomes for the university, the Industrial Company and other partners. The project motivated the teachers to collaborate across Faculties at the University, and gave new insight in formulation of objectives for this type of projects. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A sizing comparison among Axial Flux Permanent Magnet (AFPM) motors is presented. The adopted procedure, implementing traditional sizing equations, is simple and quick; it is aimed to reduce the free design parameters, in a basic parametric analysis, to obtain an improved design. The procedure, already applied to the design of wind energy AFPM Synchronous Generators, is used here to size an AFPM Synchronous Motor (SM) for automotive application: the rotor disposition is a single stage Axial Flux Interior Rotor (AFIR) structure, also called Kaman type machine; the two stators consist of a laminated core with concentrated coil windings.
Understanding how people form impressions of others is a key goal of social cognition research. Past theories have posited that two fundamental dimensionswarmth and competenceunderlie impression formation. However, these models conflate morality with warmth and fail to capture the full role that moral character plays in impression formation. An emerging perspective separates moral character (or morality) from warmth on both theoretical and empirical grounds. When morality is pitted against warmth, morality is clearly a more important driver of impression formation, as revealed by correlational, experimental, and archival studies. Yet social warmth remains important and conveys distinct information that morality does not. Alongside competence, both factors matter not only for person perception but also for other aspects of social cognition, including group perception. Important unanswered questions remain regarding the perceived structure of moral character and the way it is appraised in everyday life.
In this work, three different-diameter energy harvesters driven by turbulent air flow and rainwater are designed. Experiments are conducted first on the air-driven harvesters to gain insight on the energy conversion process. Unlike conventional blade-involved systems, the present setup involves using a number of co-rotating compact discs. They are closely spaced and attached to a central shaft, on which a magnet is attached. As the air flow excitations are set to 4 different levels, the harvester performances are measured in both open- and closed-loop electrical circuits. The results show that approximately 0.3 W electricity is produced. Parametric analysis is then conducted to highlight the effect of the system parameters, such as disc diameter, number, exhaust flow rates and inter-disc distance on its performance and to gain insight on its optimum design. Numerical simulations are then conducted to understand the flow physics. Finally, a 40 mm harvester is used to harness energy from rainwater. Compared with the same size air-driven harvester, the rainwater-driven one is working more efficiently in terms of the overall energy conversion efficiency. The maximum electric current is about 4.5 mA. A practical demonstration is then conducted by using the electricity generated to power a red light-emitting diode (LED). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
New water resources management methodologies are needed to address increasing demands and future uncertainty for urban water resources. Adaptive water demand management strategies provide an approach to improve the efficiency of water system operations and meet water demands by adapting flexibility to increasing stresses, such as droughts. This study simulates adaptive water demand management through the development of a complex adaptive system modeling framework, which couples cellular automata modeling, agentbased modeling, and hydrologic modeling to simulate land-use change, consumer behaviors, management decisions, the rainfall-runoff process, and reservoir storage. The model is applied to simulate the effect of demand management strategies on reductions in municipal water demands and on the sustained storage in a surface water supply reservoir. Historic and projected climate change hydroclimatic time series are used to assess the effectiveness of domestic water restrictions, including outdoor watering restrictions, a rainwater harvesting rebate program, and a high-density land-use change policy. Strategies are adaptively implemented based on the amount of water storage available. The framework is applied to evaluate strategies for the Arlington, Texas, metropolitan area that historically suffers from severe droughts. The framework provides an approach to evaluate a combination of multiple strategies for effectively managing the increasing stresses caused by urbanization, population growth, and climate change. Results demonstrate that adaptive demand management strategies that respond to water shortages result in long-term per capita demand reductions. For climate projections that forecast severe water shortages, development density strategies are more effective than rainwater harvesting strategies, and a combination of strategies can reduce the need for interbasin transfers and maintain reservoir volumes. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
People derive considerable amounts of information about each other from minimal nonverbal cues. Apart from characteristics typically regarded as obvious when encountering another person (e.g., age, race, and sex), perceivers can identify many other qualities about a person that are typically rather subtle. One such feature is sexual orientation. Here, I review the literature documenting the accurate perception of sexual orientation from nonverbal cues related to one's adornment, acoustics, actions, and appearance. In addition to chronicling studies that have demonstrated how people express and extract sexual orientation in each of these domains, I discuss some of the basic cognitive and perceptual processes that support these judgments, including how cues to sexual orientation manifest in behavioral (e.g., clothing choices) and structural (e.g., facial morphology) signals. Finally, I attend to boundary conditions in the accurate perception of sexual orientation, such as the states, traits, and group memberships that moderate individuals' ability to reliably decipher others' sexual orientation.
The problem of existence of Metzler matrices with given spectra is addressed for positive stable continuous-time linear systems and electrical circuits. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the Metzler matrices are established. It is shown that positive and stable electrical circuits have real eigenvalues. An open problem for positive electrical circuits is formulated. The considerations are illustrated by numerical examples of linear systems and positive electrical circuits.
Objectives/HypothesisThis study aimed to investigate and measure airway dynamics in anatomical regions where laryngeal cancer was most common in comparison to other regions of the larynx, thereby determining the effect of airway dynamics on the development of laryngeal cancer. Study Design and MethodsPulmonary function test airflow data and larynx anatomy measurement data obtained by three-dimensional computed tomography. A healthy male adult was modeled by simulation using the ANSYS program. Analysis of air flow rates, pressure, and force were also made. ResultsThe supraglottic region average pressure was higher when compared to the subglottic region and clearly lower when compared to the glottic region. The subglottic had the lowest pressure and force levels. The glottic region was the first ranked location for laryngeal cancer; the supraglottic region was the second; and the frequency of laryngeal cancer was much lower in the subglottic region. Our data suggests that the high pressure and force contribute to an increased amount of contact and interaction between toxic particles and mucosa and to increased diffusion of the particles, leading to an increased carcinogenic effect and frequency of cancer. ConclusionLaryngeal cancer was found more frequently in regions with an increased pressure and force stress and reduced air velocity, with a subsequent increase in penetration of the inhaled toxic agents. These findings demonstrate the importance of basic physical fluid mechanics in cancer pathogenesis. Level of EvidenceNA. Laryngoscope, 126:1136-1142, 2016
People with Down syndrome (DS) have a neurodevelopmentally distinct brain and invariably developed amyloid neuropathology by age 50. This cross-sectional study aimed to provide a detailed account of DS brain morphology and the changes occuring with amyloid neuropathology. Forty-six adults with DS underwent structural and amyloid imagingdthe latter using Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) to stratify the cohort into PIB-positive (n = 19) and PIB-negative (n = 27). Age-matched controls (n = 30) underwent structural imaging. Group differences in deep gray matter volumetry and cortical thickness were studied. PIB-negative people with DS have neurodevelopmentally atypical brain, characterized by disproportionately thicker frontal and occipitoparietal cortex and thinner motor cortex and temporal pole with larger putamina and smaller hippocampi than controls. In the presence of amyloid neuropathology, the DS brains demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of posterior dominant cortical thinning and subcortical atrophy in the hippocampus, thalamus, and striatum, to that observed in non-DS Alzheimer's disease. Care must be taken to avoid underestimating amyloid-associated morphologic changes in DS due to disproportionate size of some subcortical structures and thickness of the cortex. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
Background and Aims Root hydraulic limitations (i.e. intra-plant restrictions to water movement) may be related to crop performance under drought, and groupings in the hydraulic function of drought-tolerant and drought-susceptible rice (Oryza sativa) varieties have been previously reported. This study aimed to better understand the environmental and physiological relationships with rice root hydraulics under drought. Methods Xylem sap bleeding rates in the field (g(sap) g(shoot)(-1)) were measured on seasonal and diurnal time frames, during which time environmental conditions were monitored and physiological measurements were conducted. Complementary experiments on the effects of vapour pressure deficit (VPD) on root hydraulic conductivity and on transpiration rates of de-rooted tillers were conducted in growth chambers. Key Results The diurnal effects on bleeding rate were more closely related to irradiance than VPD, and VPD effects on root hydraulic conductivity measured on 21-day-old plants were due to effects on plant growth including root surface area, maximum root depth and root: shoot ratio. Leaf osmotic potential was related to the grouping of drought-tolerant and drought-susceptible varieties in rice root hydraulics, and these groupings were independent of differences in phenology. Low single-tiller bleeding rates were observed under high evapo-transpirational demand, higher bleeding rates were observed at more negative leaf osmotic potentials in drought-susceptible varieties, and drought-tolerant and susceptible varieties differed in the VPD-induced increase in transpiration rates of de-rooted tillers. Low root suberin amounts in some of the drought-susceptible varieties may have resulted in higher ion transport, as evidenced by higher sap K+ concentration and higher bleeding rates in those varieties. Conclusions These results provide evidence of the environmental effects on shoots that can influence root hydraulics. The consistent groupings of drought-tolerant and susceptible varieties suggest that traits affecting plant osmotic status may regulate root hydraulic response to drought in rice.
The Gangweigou floodway, across the Quiren and Rende districts in Tainan, Taiwan, was designed to bypass partial discharge in the Gangweigou River during heavy rainfall events for the purpose of flood control. This flood way was an excavated open channel supported by single or double rows of precast RC cantilever pile walls on each side of its banks; these piles were installed by the jetting-assisted method. Twenty days after the completion of the floodway, it was put to work for the first time during a heavy rainfall. Unexpectedly, the cantilever pile walls in several sections failed and caused the collapse of the slope behind the walls. This paper explores the failure mechanism and the real causes of failure in this case. Based on the conditions of hydrology and hydraulics, failure processes and the results of stability analyses, it was concluded that ignoring a possible bed incision or bank erosion was likely the primary problem with the improper design. The most critical condition was when the water level in the floodway quickly dropped, which resulted in rapid drawdown. The failure of the case could have been avoided if both the rapid drawdown condition and the potential of the channel bed incision were considered. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Sociological, social psychological and economic research on the nexus between socioeconomic status and prosociality has so far provided contradictory findings. Some studies suggest that actors with a high socioeconomic status act more egoistically than actors with a lower socioeconomic status. Other studies find the opposite to be true. In contrast to previous research, which has worked with one-dimensional measures for socioeconomic status, this study examines prosocial behavior among occupational groups that have regular real-life contact in their workspace. About 150 hospital employees (physicians, nursing staff and nursing students) participated in experiments on altruistic giving in dictator games. The findings are surprisingly strong and clear-cut: Actors with higher social status act more prosocial than low-status actors. Furthermore, we find hardly any in-group effects, which have been repeatedly postulated. Our findings support the claim that high status promotes prosocial behavior. Also, they indicate that the inconclusive and in part contradictory findings provided by previous research stem to a considerable degree from deficient measures of social status and problematic experimental designs.
In this paper, we propose the first provable secure certificate-based proxy signature (CBPS) with message recovery without bilinear pairing. In 2003, Gentry introduced the concept of certificate-based cryptography to solve certificate management and key escrow problems in public key infrastructure and identity-based cryptosystems, respectively. Because the overall cost of pairing computation is higher than scalar multiplication (e.g., over elliptic curve group), consequently, the CBPS schemes without pairings would be more efficient. According to the available research in this regard, our scheme is the first provable secure CBPS scheme with message recovery that is based on the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem. We prove the security of the presented scheme in the random oracle model against existential forgery under adaptive chosen message and ID attacks. Moreover, the paper will also show how it would be possible to convert this scheme to the CBPS scheme without message recovery. This scheme has more applications in cases with constrain power and restricted bandwidth. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In assessing the distribution and metabolism of toxic compounds in the body, measurements are not always feasible for ethical or technical reasons. Computer modeling offers a reasonable alternative, but the variability and complexity of biological systems pose unique challenges in model building and adjustment. Recent tools from population pharmacokinetics, Bayesian statistical inference, and physiological modeling can be brought together to solve these problems. As an example, we modeled the distribution and metabolism of tetrachloroethylene (PERC) in humans. We derive statistical distributions for the parameters of a physiological model of PERC, on the basis of data from Monster et al. (1979). The model adequately fits both prior physiological information and experimental data. An estimate of the relationship between PERC exposure and fraction metabolized is obtained. Our median population estimate for the fraction of inhaled tetrachloroethylene that is metabolized, at exposure levels exceeding current occupational standards, is 1.5% [95% confidence interval (0.52%, 4.1%)]. At levels approaching ambient inhalation exposure (0.001 ppm), the median estimate of the fraction metabolized is much higher, at 36% [95% confidence interval (15%, 58%)]. This disproportionality should be taken into account when deriving safe exposure limits for tetrachloroethylene and deserves to be verified by further experiments.
Purpose of review We review the pathways, cytokines, and concepts important to the pathogenesis of bone resorption and formation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). Recent findings Research in bone biology has shed light on the pathogenesis of the joint destruction that occurs in RA and in peripheral SpA. However, understanding the mechanisms behind the bone formation seen in peripheral and axial SpA has been challenging. Mouse models have been used to gain an understanding of key signaling pathways, cytokines and cells regulating inflammation in these diseases. Biologic therapies directed against these targets have been developed to control both inflammation and effects on bone. Summary Although biologic therapies improve joint inflammation in both RA and SpA, leading to a decrease in pain and improving quality of life for patients, the long-term effects of such therapies must also be evaluated by assessing their impact on structural progression. Inhibition of radiographic progression in both RA and peripheral SpA has been easier to demonstrate than in axial SpA. Here, we discuss the similarities and differences among biologic therapies as they pertain to radiographic progression.
We extend a recently proposed 2D depth-integrated Finite Volume solver for the nonlinear shallow water equations with non-hydrostatic pressure distribution. The proposed model is aimed at simulating both nonlinear and dispersive shallow water processes. We split the total pressure into its hydrostatic and dynamic components and solve a hydrostatic problem and a non-hydrostatic problem sequentially, in the framework of a fractional time step procedure. The dispersive properties are achieved by incorporating the non-hydrostatic pressure component in the governing equations. The governing equations are the depth-integrated continuity equation and the depth-integrated momentum equations along the x, y and z directions. Unlike the previous non-hydrostatic shallow water solver, in the z momentum equation, we retain both the vertical local and convective acceleration terms. In the former solver, we keep only the local vertical acceleration term. In this paper, we investigate the effects of these convective terms and the possible improvements of the computed solution when these terms are not neglected in the governing equations, especially in strongly nonlinear processes. The presence of the convective terms in the vertical momentum equation leads to a numerical solution procedure, which is quite different from the one of the previous solver, in both the hydrostatic and dynamic steps. We discretize the spatial domain using unstructured triangular meshes satisfying the Generalized Delaunay property. The numerical solver is shock capturing and easily addresses wetting/drying problems, without any additional equation to solve at wet/dry interfaces. We present several numerical applications for challenging flooding processes encountered in practical aspects over irregular topography, including a new set of experiments carried out at the Hydraulics Laboratory of the University of Palermo. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience marked challenges with social function by definition, but few modifiable predictors of social functioning in ASD have been identified in extant research. This study hypothesized that deficits in social cognition and motor function may help to explain poor social functioning in individuals with ASD. Method: Cross-sectional data from 108 individuals with ASD and without intellectual disability ages 9 through 27.5 were used to assess the relationship between social cognition and motor function, and social functioning. Results: Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that greater social cognition, but not motor function, was significantly associated with better social functioning when controlling for sex, age, and intelligence quotient. Post-hoc analyses revealed that better performance on second-order false belief tasks was associated with higher levels of socially adaptive behavior and lower levels of social problems. Conclusions: Our findings support the development and testing of interventions that target social cognition in order to improve social functioning in individuals with ASD. Interventions that teach generalizable skills to help people with ASD better understand social situations and develop competency in advanced perspective taking have the potential to create more durable change because their effects can be applied to a wide and varied set of situations and not simply a prescribed set of rehearsed situations. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Objective: Given the significant costs of reduced productivity (presenteeism) in comparison to absenteeism, and overall societal costs, presenteeism has a potentially important role to play in economic evaluations. However, these costs are often excluded. The objective of this study is to review applied cost of illness studies and economic evaluations to identify valuation methods used for, and impact of including presenteeism costs in practice. Methods: A structured systematic review was carried out to explore (i) the extent to which presenteeism has been applied in cost of illness studies and economic evaluations and (ii) the overall impact of including presenteeism on overall costs and outcomes. Potential articles were identified by searching Medline, PsycINFO and NHS EED databases. A standard template was developed and used to extract information from economic evaluations and cost of illness studies incorporating presenteeism costs. Results: A total of 28 studies were included in the systematic review which also demonstrated that presenteeism costs are rarely included in full economic evaluations. Estimation and monetisation methods differed between the instruments. The impact of disease on presenteeism whilst in paid work is high. Conclusions: The potential impact of presenteeism costs needs to be highlighted and greater consideration should be given to including these in economic evaluations and cost of illness studies. The importance of including presenteeism costs when conducting economic evaluation from a societal perspective should be emphasised in national economic guidelines and more methodological work is required to improve the practical application of presenteeism instruments to generate productivity cost estimates.
Cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is a classic amphidiploid, and hybrids between this cultivated species and closely related diploid Nicotiana relatives often exhibit heterotic effects for growth rate and yield. Crosses between N. tabacum and synthetic tobaccos, 4x(Nicotiana sylvestris x Nicotiana otophora) or 4x(N. sylvestris x Nicotiana tomentosiformis), may provide superior routes for genome-wide introgression from diploid relatives and allow increased potential to capitalize on heterotic effects in tobacco. Significant levels of mid-parent heterosis were observed for yield and growth rate in F-1 hybrids between synthetic tobaccos and a standard tobacco cultivar. Microsatellitemarker genotyping of an F-2 population derived from a K326 x [4x(N. sylvestris x N. otophora)] cross was carried out to preliminarily investigate the relative importance of different types of gene action on observed heterosis in the original interspecific cross. Results suggested a role for both partial dominance and overdominance. Marker genotyping also indicated an overall reduced level of recombination in the N. tabacum x synthetic tobacco cross relative to a N. tabacum x N. tabacum cross but no evidence of genomic regions with severely restricted levels of recombination. Results suggest that populations derived from N. tabacum x synthetic tobacco crosses may be more efficient for introgressing germplasm from diploid relatives, as compared to populations derived from crosses between N. tabacum and diploid forms where preferential pairing between N. tabacum homologues can reduce the potential for introgression of alien chromatin. Such materials may be useful as sources of favorable alleles influencing quantitative characters in tobacco.
Functional abilities in the CDKL5 disorder have been described as severely impaired, yet some individuals are able to run and use phrases for speech. Our study investigated gross motor, hand function, and expressive communication abilities in individuals with the CDKL5 disorder. Data for 108 females and 16 males registered with the International CDKL5 disorder database and with a pathogenic CDKL5 mutation were analyzed. Relationships between functional abilities, age, genotype, and gender were analyzed using regression models. Over half of the females could sit on the floor and nearly a quarter could walk 10 steps. Fewer males could complete these tasks although one boy was able to sit, walk, and run. Most females and few males were able to pick up a large object. Females mostly used gestures to communicate while males mostly used other forms of nonverbal communication. Compared to those with no functional CDKL5 protein, individuals with truncating variants after aa 781 were more likely to be able to stand (OR 5.7, 95% CI 1.2, 26.6) or walk independently (4.3, 95% CI 0.9, 20.5), and use more advanced communication methods such as words (OR 6.1, 95% CI 1.5-24.2). Although abilities were markedly impaired for the majority with the CDKL5 disorder, some females and a few males had better functional abilities. This variability may be related to underlying gene variants, with females with a late truncating variant having better levels of ability than those with no functional protein. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has numerous applications and has gained much interest in the medical world. The constantly improving quality of 3D-printing applications has contributed to their increased use on patients. This paper summarizes the literature on surgical 3D-printing applications used on patients, with a focus on reported clinical and economic outcomes. Methods: Three major literature databases were screened for case series (more than three cases described in the same study) and trials of surgical applications of 3D printing in humans. Results: 227 surgical papers were analyzed and summarized using an evidence table. The papers described the use of 3D printing for surgical guides, anatomical models, and custom implants. 3D printing is used in multiple surgical domains, such as orthopedics, maxillofacial surgery, cranial surgery, and spinal surgery. In general, the advantages of 3D-printed parts are said to include reduced surgical time, improved medical outcome, and decreased radiation exposure. The costs of printing and additional scans generally increase the overall cost of the procedure. Conclusion: 3D printing is well integrated in surgical practice and research. Applications vary from anatomical models mainly intended for surgical planning to surgical guides and implants. Our research suggests that there are several advantages to 3D- printed applications, but that further research is needed to determine whether the increased intervention costs can be balanced with the observable advantages of this new technology. There is a need for a formal cost-effectiveness analysis.
In the field of ambient assisted living, the best results are achieved with systems that are less intrusive and more intelligent, that can easily integrate both formal and informal caregivers and that can easily adapt to the changes in the situation of the elderly or disabled person. This paper presents a graph-based representation for context information and a simple and intuitive method for situation recognition. Both the input and the results are easy to visualize, understand and use. Experiments have been performed on several AAL-specific scenarios.
The remnants of rockslide dams are widespread in the deeply incised river valleys of the northwest Himalayas and adjacent Pamir Mountains of Central Asia. In January 2010 a major rockslide (estimated volume similar to 55 Mm(3)) dammed the Hunza River (NW Pakistan) and a rockslide-dammed lake (Lake Gojal) immediately began to form. The lake overtopped the rockslide dam 145 days later through a spillway excavated in the surface of the debris by Pakistan authorities. Lake Gojal successively reduced in volume in response to spillway widening and deepening in engineering works up to May 2013; on August 28, 2015 (Day 2063 of impoundment) a remnant lake still remains. Using SRTM 3-arc-second digital terrain data and ten high-resolution satellite images from the period March 2010-August 2015, we document the river-damming environment of the Attabad rockslide, track and quantify the development of rockslide-dammed Lake Gojal and calculate lake areas and volumes at various stages of filling, stable overtopping, and partial draining to a final stable configuration. We introduce a method of delimiting lake shorelines by a pixel method which produces a mean elevation surface in the SRTM DEM; this technique results in accurate estimates of shoreline elevation and corresponding lake areas and volumes. We estimate the maximum volume reached by Lake Gojal, 51 days after overtopping, to have been approximately 455 Mm(3). Using this data we also evaluate the mitigation works carried out by Pakistan authorities and find that i) they achieved an initial reduction of about 26% in the maximum possible volume of Like Gojal that would have been reached without engineering intervention, and ii) as of August 28, 2015, in drawing down the lake by similar to 40 m, they had achieved a 72% reduction in the maximum volume reached by Lake Gojal after overtopping without a catastrophic release taking place. The emplacement of rockslide dams and the behaviour of their impounded lakes are critical hazards to communities and the development of infrastructure, including hydroelectric facilities, in this region of Central Asia We show that a combination of high-resolution optical satellite imagery and SRTM 3-arc-second digital topography is very effective in producing key first-order data on rockslide-dammed lakes for geomorphic and hydrological analysis as well as the evaluation of engineering mitigation. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Objective: Biomarkers are defined as anatomical, biochemical or physiological traits that are specific to certain disorders or syndromes. The objective of this paper is to summarise the current knowledge of biomarkers for anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Methods: Findings in biomarker research were reviewed by a task force of international experts in the field, consisting of members of the World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry Task Force on Biological Markers and of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Anxiety Disorders Research Network.Results: The present article (Part II) summarises findings on potential biomarkers in neurochemistry (neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine or GABA, neuropeptides such as cholecystokinin, neurokinins, atrial natriuretic peptide, or oxytocin, the HPA axis, neurotrophic factors such as NGF and BDNF, immunology and CO2 hypersensitivity), neurophysiology (EEG, heart rate variability) and neurocognition. The accompanying paper (Part I) focuses on neuroimaging and genetics.Conclusions: Although at present, none of the putative biomarkers is sufficient and specific as a diagnostic tool, an abundance of high quality research has accumulated that should improve our understanding of the neurobiological causes of anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD.
Across three studies, we examined the relationship between narcissism, prosocial behaviors, and the reasons why people engaged in them. Specifically, we examined how narcissistic people engaged in charitable donations, taking advantage of a naturally occurring mass charitable donation campaign, the ALS ice bucket challenge (Study 1). We also examined how narcissism was related to volunteering and other types of prosocial behaviors (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, we compared and contrasted the prosocial responses of more empathic versus more narcissistic people (Studies 2 and 3). This paper can help scholars and practitioners to determine under which circumstances, and for which reasons, narcissistic people may exhibit prosocial behaviors.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common hallmark in aging. In the female, reproductive senescence is characterized by loss of ovarian hormones, many of whose neuroprotective effects converge upon mitochondria. The functional integrity of mitochondria is dependent on membrane fatty acid and phospholipid composition, which are also affected during aging. The effect of long-term ovarian hormone deprivation upon mitochondrial function and its putative association with changes in mitochondrial membrane lipid profile in the hippocampus, an area primarily affected during aging and highly responsive to ovarian hormones, is unknown. To this aim, Wistar adult female rats were ovariectomized or sham-operated. Twelve weeks later, different parameters of mitochondrial function (02 uptake, ATP production, membrane potential and respiratory complex activities) as well as membrane phospholipid content and composition were evaluated in hippocampal mitochondria. Chronic ovariectomy reduced mitochondrial 02 uptake and ATP production rates and induced membrane depolarization during active respiration without altering the activity of respiratory complexes. Mitochondria' membrane lipid profile showed no changes in cholesterol levels but higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids and a higher peroxidizability index in mitochondria from ovariectomized rats. Interestingly, ovariectomy also reduced cardiolipin content and altered cardiolipin fatty acid profile leading to a lower peroxidizability index. In conclusion, chronic ovarian hormone deprivation induces mitochondrial dysfunction and changes in the mitochondrial membrane lipid profile comparable to an aging phenotype. Our study provides insights into ovarian hormone loss-induced early lipidomic changes with bioenergetic deficits in the hippocampus that may contribute to the increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and other age-associated disorders observed in postmenopause.
Glaciers' changes are an important indicator of global warming, and the interpretation of satellite images offers a good source of information for such a monitoring. It is important to select areas of interest for the detection of glaciers bodies and in particular to capture also the part covered with debris, which is an open issue in remote sensing of the glaciers. We use enhancing features with a physical meaning and we provide a coarse segmentation of the image of the Lys glacier belonging to the Monte Rosa district in the Alps. The image data correspond to electromagnetic sensing of sunlight as reflected in band of the visible red spectral range, T M3, and in two infrared bands T M4 and T M5, as operated from the thematic mapper (TM) sensor aboard the Landsat satellite in clear sunny days. (C) 2016 International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (IMACS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
BackgroundMultidimensional family therapy (MDFT) is a well-established treatment for adolescents showing both substance abuse and/or antisocial behavior. MethodThe effectiveness of MDFT in reducing adolescents' substance abuse, delinquency, externalizing and internalizing psychopathology, and family malfunctioning was examined by means of a (three-level) meta-analysis, summarizing 61 effect sizes from 19 manuscripts (N=1,488 participants). ResultsCompared with other therapies, the overall effect size of MDFT was significant, albeit small in magnitude (d=0.24, p<.001), and similar across intervention outcome categories. Moderator analysis revealed that adolescents with high severity problems, including severe substance abuse and disruptive behavior disorder, benefited more from MDFT than adolescents with less severe conditions. ConclusionsIt can be concluded that MDFT is effective for adolescents with substance abuse, delinquency, and comorbid behavior problems. Subsequently, it is important to match specific characteristics of the adolescents, such as extent of impairment, with MDFT.
Optimization of process parameters is an important aspect in manufacturing engineering. Multi-objective optimization of process parameters is a complex process. Pareto-optimal solution methodologies are widely used now-a-days. The present investigation focuses on the three objective multiple performance optimization of drilling parameters in drilling of composite drilling process. The objective of this research is to optimize the drilling parameters in drilling such as spindle speed, feed speed and drill diameter on maximizing material removal rate and minimizing thrust force and surface roughness in drilling of composites. The experiments are conducted on computer numeric control (CNC) drilling machine with carbide drill bit. Second order regressions are developed for responses. Based on the equations non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to optimize the drilling conditions. A non-dominated solution set has been obtained and presented in this study.
This article empirically examines the postulated effects of at least a single terrorist attack on the measure of monthly international arrivals. The study uses the tsoutliers R package to detect outliers in time series data following terrorist attacks in five destinations. The contribution of this paper is found in the methodological approach that was implemented consistently across all five destinations. The findings suggest that there is no evidence to support the view that there is a consistent disturbance from a well-fitted time series (a data fingerprint') created by a terrorist attack across the five different destinations or even, in at least one case, in the same destination, at different times. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Radical right political parties are usually heavily male-dominated; accordingly, previous research has concentrated on the perspective of men. The present study aims to enhance the understanding of the worldview of women within radical right parties. Taking a critical discursive psychological approach, the study looks at how female populist radical right politicians in Sweden and Finland discursively negotiate the tension between the Nordic societal norm of gender equality, on the one hand, and the patriarchal ideology of populist radical right parties, on the other. The analysis suggests that the female populist radical right politicians' discourse is indeed highly ambivalent. The discursive tension between gender equality and a patriarchal politics is heavily intertwined with two further tensions: first, that of a societal norm against prejudice versus a politics based on xenophobia; and second, that of a culture that cherishes individualism versus a political pressure to homogenize the political or cultural Other'. The study compares the discourse of female populist radical right politicians in the two country contexts. Moreover, it discusses the differences and similarities between this discourse, on the one hand, and that of male populist radical right politicians, on the other. Finally, it analyses the gendered and racialized categorizations accomplished by the discursive patterns, and elaborates on their societal implications.
The effectiveness of the convolutional neural network (CNN) has already been demonstrated in many challenging tasks of computer vision, such as image retrieval, action recognition, and object classification. This paper specifically exploits CNN to design local descriptors for content-based retrieval of complete or nearly complete three-dimensional (3-D) vessel replicas. Based on vector quantization, the designed descriptors are clustered to form a shape vocabulary. Then, each 3-D object is associated to a set of clusters (words) in that vocabulary. Finally, a weighted vector counting the occurrences of every word is computed. The reported experimental results on the 3-D pottery benchmark show the superior performance of the proposed method. (C) 2016 SPIE and IS&T
Image registration has become a crucial step in a wide range of imaging domains, from computer vision to computer graphics. The core of image registration consists of determining the transformation that induces the best mapping between two images. This problem is ill-posed; it is also difficult to handle, due to the high size of the images and the high dimension of the transformation parameter spaces. Computing an actually optimal solution is practically impossible when transformations are assumed continuous (i.e., defined on R-n. In this article, we initiate the exploration of a new way of considering image registration. Since digital images are basically defined in a discrete framework (i.e., in Z(n)), the transformation spaces - despite a potentially high complexity - actually remain finite, allowing for the development of explicit exploration of the parameter space via discrete optimization schemes. We propose an analysis of the very basis of registration, by considering rigid registration between 2D images. We show, in particular, how this problem can be handled in a fully discrete fashion, by computing locally the combinatorial structure of the parameter space of discrete rigid transformations, and by navigating on-the-flight within this space via gradient descent paradigms. This registration framework is applied in real imaging cases, emphasizing the relevance of our approach, and the potential usefulness of its further extension to higher dimension images and richer transformations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Crowds arise in a variety of situations, such as public concerts and sporting matches. In typical conditions, the crowd moves in an orderly manner, but panic situations may lead to catastrophic results. We propose a computer vision method to identify motion pattern changes in human crowds that can be related to an unusual event. The proposed approach can identify global changes, by evaluating 2D motion histograms in time, and also local effects, by identifying clusters that present similar spatial locations and velocity vectors. The method is tested both on publicly available data sets involving crowded scenarios and on synthetic data produced by a crowd simulation algorithm, which allows the creation of controlled environments with known motion patterns that are particularly suitable for multicamera scenarios.
Segmentation and classification of objects in images is one of the most important and yet one of the most complex problems in computer vision. In this work we propose a new model for natural image object classification using contextual information at the level of image segments. Context modeling is largely independent of appearance-based classification and proposed model enables simple upgrade of existing systems with information from global and/or local context. Context modeling is based on non-parametric use of appearance-based classification results which is a novel approach compared to previous systems that model context on a limited number of rules expressed with a fixed set of parameters. Model implementation resulted in a system that, in our simulations, showed stable improvement of the appearance-based object classification.
Reliability integration into tillage machine design process is a new strategy to overcome the drawbacks of classical design approaches and to achieve designs with a required reliability level. Furthermore, design optimization of soil tillage equipments under uncertainty seeks to design structures which should be both economic and reliable. The originality of this research is to develop an efficient methodology that controls the reliability levels for complex statistical distribution cases of random tillage forces. This developed strategy is based on design sensitivity concepts in order to determine the influence of each random parameter. The application of this method consists in taking into account the uncertainties on the soil tillage forces. The tillage forces are calculated in accordance with analytical model of McKyes and Ali with some modifications to include the effect of both soil-metal adhesion and tool speed. The different developments and applications show the importance of the developed method to improve the performance of the soil tillage equipments considering both random geometry and loading parameters. The developed method so-called OSF (Optimum Safety Factor) can satisfy a required reliability level without additional computing time relative to the deterministic design optimization study. Since the agricultural equipment parameters are extremely nonlinear, we extended the OSF approach to several nonlinear probabilistic distributions such as lognormal, uniform, Weibull and Gumbel probabilistic distribution laws. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Endothelial cells (ECs) line the interior of blood and lymphatic vessels and experience spatially varying wall shear stress (WSS) as an intrinsic part of their physiological function. How ECs, and mammalian cells generally, sense spatially varying WSS remains poorly understood, due in part to a lack of convenient tools for exposing cells to spatially varying flow patterns. We built a multiplexed device, termed a 6-well impinging flow chamber, that imparts controlled WSS gradients to a six-well tissue culture plate. Using this device, we investigated the migratory response of lymphatic microvascular ECs, umbilical vein ECs, primary fibroblasts, and epithelial cells to WSS gradients on hours to days timescales. We observed that lymphatic microvascular ECs migrate upstream, against the direction of flow, a response that was unique among all the cells types investigated here. Time-lapse, live cell imaging revealed that the microtubule organizing center relocated to the upstream side of the nucleus in response to the applied WSS gradient. To further demonstrate the utility of our device, we screened for the involvement of canonical signaling pathways in mediating this upstream migratory response. These data highlight the importance of WSS magnitude and WSS spatial gradients in dictating the cellular response to fluid flow.
Purpose: Sexual orientation affects individuals' health histories and is fundamental to providers' understanding of patients as a whole. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GB-MSM) are vulnerable to certain health conditions, including HIV. The aim of this exploratory analysis was to examine factors associated with sexual orientation disclosure and communication with providers about GB-MSM health issues and to discuss implications. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional internet survey of GB-MSM (n = 202) in London-Middlesex, Ontario, Canada; analyses were limited to those with a regular primary care provider (n = 173). Blockwise regression models explored demographic, psychosocial, and healthcare-related factors associated with sexual orientation disclosure and physician-patient communication about GB-MSM-related health. Results: Just over seventy-one percent (71.1%) of participants reported that their primary care provider (PCP) knew their sexual orientation, and 44.5% had talked to them about GB-MSM health. Overt negative comments or being refused care based on sexual orientation occurred infrequently, although 26.6% reported their provider had assumed they were heterosexual. Being married to or living common-law with another man, more frequent experiences of homosexual prejudice, and higher quality assessment of provider's communication skills were associated with the PCP knowing respondents' sexual orientation. Greater internalized homonegativity was associated with not talking to a PCP about GB-MSM-related health issues. More frequent experiences of homosexual prejudice, higher assessment of provider communication, and having prior negative experiences with a PCP were significantly associated with talking to a PCP about GB-MSM health. Conclusion: The majority of our sample disclosed their sexual orientation; however, not all patients voluntarily disclose. Medical training and education in Canada, where specific rights protections exist for sexual orientation minority populations, should emphasize awareness of essential patient health information. Training should include information about GB-MSM health and building a foundation on how to speak with GB-MSM patients nonjudgmentally.
The plastid genome of plants is the smallest and most gene-rich of the three genomes in each cell and the one generally present in the highest copy number. As a result, obtaining plastid DNA sequence is a particularly cost-effective way of discovering genetic information about a plant. Until recently, the sequence information gathered in this way was generally limited to small portions of the genome amplified by polymerase chain reaction, but recent advances in sequencing technology have stimulated a substantial rate of increase in the sequencing of complete plastid genomes. Within the last year, the number of complete plastid genomes accessible in public sequence repositories has exceeded 1000. This sudden flood of data raises numerous challenges in data analysis and interpretation, but also offers the keys to potential insights across large swathes of plant biology. We examine what has been learnt so far, what more could be learnt if we look at the data in the right way, and what we might gain from the tens of thousands more genome sequences that will surely arrive in the next few years. The most exciting new discoveries are likely to be made at the interdisciplinary interfaces between molecular biology and ecology.
Rebirth is a revolutionary and decisive time for the arts and literature and society in general, is a good example of the pinnacle of human creativity. In that time, prominent individual geniuses left samples of impressive achievements, including Leonardo da Vinci stands out as one of the most fascinating figures of the Renaissance and one of the creators that has led to a greater number of myths about him. It is considered the paradigm of Renaissance homo universalis, dabbled in such varied fields as aerodynamics, hydraulics, anatomy, botany, painting and architecture, among others. His legacy has been as impressive as the magnitude of his myth and managed to develop and shape the Renaissance ideal of beauty.
Although objectification theory suggests that women frequently experience the objectifying gaze with many adverse consequences, there is scant research examining the nature and causes of the objectifying gaze for perceivers. The main purpose of this work was to examine the objectifying gaze toward women via eye tracking technology. A secondary purpose was to examine the impact of body shape on this objectifying gaze. To elicit the gaze, we asked participants (29 women, 36 men from a large Midwestern University in the U.S.), to focus on the appearance (vs. personality) of women and presented women with body shapes that fit cultural ideals of feminine attractiveness to varying degrees, including high ideal (i.e., hourglass-shaped women with large breasts and small waist-to-hip ratios), average ideal (with average breasts and average waist-to-hip ratios), and low ideal (i.e., with small breasts and large waist-to-hip ratios). Consistent with our main hypothesis, we found that participants focused on women's chests and waists more and faces less when they were appearance-focused (vs. personality-focused). Moreover, we found that this effect was particularly pronounced for women with high (vs. average and low) ideal body shapes in line with hypotheses. Finally, compared to female participants, male participants showed an increased tendency to initially exhibit the objectifying gaze and they regarded women with high (vs. average and low) ideal body shapes more positively, regardless of whether they were appearance-focused or personality-focused. Implications for objectification and person perception theories are discussed.
The use of caffeine, nicotine and some major metabolites was investigated by wastewater analysis in 13 sewage treatment plants (STPs) across Italy, and their suitability was tested as qualitative and quantitative biomarkers for assessing population size and dynamics. A specific analytical method based on mass spectrometry was developed and validated in raw urban wastewater, and included two caffeine metabolites, 1-methylxanthine and 7-methylxanthine, never reported in wastewater before. All these compounds were found widely at the mu g/L level. Mass loads, calculated by multiplying concentrations by the wastewater daily flow rate and normalized to the population served by each plant, were used to compare the profiles from different cities. Some regional differences were observed in the mass loads, especially for nicotine metabolites, which were significantly higher in the south than in the center and north of Italy, reflecting smoking prevalences from population surveys. There were no significant weekly trends, although the mean mass loads of caffeine and its metabolites were slightly lower during the weekend. Most caffeine and nicotine metabolites fulfilled the requirements for an ideal biomarker for the assessment of population size, i.e. being easily detectable in wastewater, stable in sewage and during sampling, and reflecting human metabolism. Nicotine metabolites were tested as quantitative biomarkers to estimate population size and the results agreed well with census data. Caffeine and its metabolites were confirmed as good qualitative biomarkers, but additional information is needed on the caffeine metabolism in relation to the multiple sources of its main metabolites. This exploratory study opens the way to the routine use of nicotine metabolites for estimating population size and dynamics. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket concept is one of the DEMO (Demonstration Power Plant) blanket concepts running for the final DEMO design selection. In this paper, transient analyses on the cooling channels of the FW are carried out by means of CFD simulations for the selected accidental scenarios loss-of-coolant-accident (LOCA) and loss-of-flow-accident (LOFA). ANSYS-CFX is used for the simulations. The simulation results help to understand how fast the temperature of the FW can increase and what is the time window that is available until the temperature of the structural material reaches the design limit in order to be able to define a suitable protection strategy for the system. In view of later developments of the models, the heat transfer coefficients calculated with CFD are compared with the values predicted by two widely used correlations for turbulent pipe flows. (C) 2016 EURATOM. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose: Recent studies linked adolescents' media use to a variety of physical, psychological and social impairments. However, research neglected that adolescents' media use is complex and includes various combinations of activities such as mobile internet browsing, calling, online gaming or use of social network sites. Methods: The aim of this study is to use latent class analysis in a sample 895 Swiss adolescents to classify different media usage types based on eleven media use variables. Subsequently, associations of these classes with health related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire were assessed using multivariable regression models adjusted for relevant confounding factors. Results: Five distinct media use classes could be identified: Low Use, Medium Use, Gaming, Call Preference and High Social Use. The Low Use class reported highest and the High Social Use class lowest HRQoL on the KIDSCREEN scales Moods and Emotions (mean adjusted scores: 55.1 (95%Cl: 53.8; 57.0) vs. 49.1 (47.5; 50.7)), Self-Perception (51.8 (50.3; 53.3) vs. 48.0 (46.7; 49.28), Parents and Home Life (53.3 (51.7; 54.9) vs. 48.6 (47.2; 50.0)) and School Environment (52.7 (51.3; 54.0) vs. 49.3 (48.2; 50.7)). On the subscale Social Support and Peers the pattern was reversed. The Low Use class indicated least and the High Social Use class most well-being (48.5 (47.0; 50.0) vs. 53.8 (52.4; 55.3)). Conclusions: Latent class analyses is a fruitful approach to differentiate between various media usage types and is expected to better characterize and evaluate potential causal associations between media use and HRQoL. 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
There is no universally accepted grading system to classify the severity of systemic allergic reactions (SARs), including anaphylaxis. Although a consensus definition for anaphylaxis was established in 2005, the signs and symptoms required to define a reaction as anaphylaxis are inconsistently applied in research and clinical practice. As a result, it is difficult to compare and evaluate safety outcomes in surveys, clinical practice and trials, and pharmacovigilance data. In 2010, the World Allergy Organization (WAO) proposed a uniform grading system to classify allergen immunotherapy SARs. The basis of the grading system is the organ system(s) involved and reaction severity. The final grade is determined by the physician/health care professional after the event is over. Although the 2010 WAO grading system was developed to classify allergen immunotherapy SARs, with appropriate modifications, it can be used to classify SARs from any cause. The purpose of this Rostrum is to present a proposed modification of the 2010 WAO SAR grading system that will make it applicable to all SARs due to any cause. The modified grading system allows for classification of less severe SARs, which may be underreported or overreported in clinical trials and surveillance studies, depending on the criteria specified for adverse event reporting. The universal use of the proposed modified SAR grading system will allow for better safety comparisons across different venues and treatment protocols. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:58-62)
The water footprint (WF) has been developed within the water resources research community as a volumetric measure of freshwater appropriation. The concept is used to assess water use along supply chains, sustainability of water use within river basins, efficiency of water use, equitability of water allocation and dependency on water in the supply chain. With the purpose of integrating the WF in life cycle assessment of products, LCA scholars have proposed to weight the original volumetric WF by the water scarcity in the catchment where the WF is located, thus obtaining a water-scarcity weighted WF that reflects the potential local environmental impact of water consumption. This paper provides an elaborate critique on this proposal. The main points are: (1) counting litres of water use differently based on the level of local water scarcity obscures the actual debate about water scarcity, which is about allocating water resources to competing uses and depletion at a global scale; (2) the neglect of green water consumption ignores the fact that green water is scarce as well; (3) since water scarcity in a catchment increases with growing overall water consumption in the catchment, multiplication of the consumptive water use of a specific process or activity with water scarcity implies that the resultant weighted WF of a process or activity will be affected by the WFs of other processes or activities, which cannot be the purpose of an environmental performance indicator; (4) the LCA treatment of the WF is inconsistent with how other environmental footprints are defined; and (5) the Water Stress Index, the most cited water scarcity metric in the LCA community, lacks meaningful physical interpretation. It is proposed to incorporate the topic of freshwater scarcity in LCA as a natural resource depletion category, considering depletion from a global perspective. Since global freshwater demand is growing while global freshwater availability is limited, it is key to measure the comparative claim of different products on the globe's limited accessible and usable freshwater flows. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Empathy is an essential ability for prosocial behavior. Previous imaging studies identified a number of brain regions implicated in affective and cognitive aspects of empathy. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of empathy from a network perspective using graph theory and beta-series correlations. Two independent data sets were acquired using the same paradigm that elicited empathic responses to socioaffective stimuli. One data set was used to define the network nodes and modular structure, the other data set was used to investigate the effects of emotional versus neutral stimuli on network connectivity. Emotional relative to neutral stimuli increased connectivity between 74 nodes belonging to different networks. Most of these nodes belonged to an extended default mode network (eDMN). The other nodes belonged to a cognitive control network or visual networks. Within the eDMN, posterior STG/TPJ regions were identified as provincial hubs. The eDMN also showed stronger connectivity to the cognitive control network encompassing lateral PFC regions. Connector hubs between the two networks were posterior cingulate cortex and ventrolateral PFC. This stresses the advantage of a network approach as regions similarly modulated by task conditions can be dissociated into distinct networks and regions crucial for network integration can be identified.
Root system analysis is a complex task, often performed with fully automated image analysis pipelines. However, the outcome is rarely verified by ground-truth data, which might lead to underestimated biases. We have used a root model, ArchiSimple, to create a large and diverse library of ground-truth root system images (10,000). For each image, three levels of noise were created. This library was used to evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of several image descriptors classically used in root image analysis softwares. Our analysis highlighted that the accuracy of the different traits is strongly dependent on the quality of the images and the type, size, and complexity of the root systems analyzed. Our study also demonstrated that machine learning algorithms can be trained on a synthetic library to improve the estimation of several root system traits. Overall, our analysis is a call to caution when using automatic root image analysis tools. If a thorough calibration is not performed on the dataset of interest, unexpected errors might arise, especially for large and complex root images. To facilitate such calibration, both the image library and the different codes used in the study have been made available to the community.
Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis of a full-scale hydraulic arresting gear used to retard the forward motion of an aircraft landing on an aircraft-carrier deck is performed. The simulations make use of the recently developed core and special-purpose FSI techniques for other problem classes, specialized to the present application. A recently proposed interactive geometry modeling and parametric design platform for isogeometric analysis (IGA) is directly employed to create the arresting gear model, and illustrates a natural application of IGA to this problem class. The fluid mechanics and FSI simulation results are reported in terms of the arresting-gear rotor loads and blade structural deformation and vibration. Excellent agreement is achieved with the experimental results for the arresting gear design simulated in this work. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As one of the most important tasks in computer vision, online object tracking plays a critical role in numerous lines of research, which has drawn a lot of researchers' attention and be of many realistic applications. This paper develops a novel tracking algorithm based on the bag-of-local-patches representation with the discriminative learning scheme. In the first frame, a codebook is learned by applying the Kmeans algorithm to a set of densely sampled local patches of the tracked object, and then used to represent the template and candidate samples. During the tracking process, the similarities between the coding coefficients of the candidates and template are chosen as the likelihood values of these candidates. In addition, we propose effective model updating and discriminative learning schemes to capture the appearance change of the tracked object and incorporate the discriminative information to achieve a robust matching. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations on some challenging image sequences demonstrate that the proposed tracker performs better than other state-of-the-art tracking methods.
Background: Evidence on the burden of depression, internet addiction and poor sleep quality in undergraduate students from Nepal is virtually non-existent. While the interaction between sleep quality, internet addiction and depressive symptoms is frequently assessed in studies, it is not well explored if sleep quality or internet addiction statistically mediates the association between the other two variables. Methods: We enrolled 984 students from 27 undergraduate campuses of Chitwan and Kathmandu, Nepal. We assessed sleep quality, internet addiction and depressive symptoms in these students using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Young's Internet Addiction Test and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 respectively. We included responses from 937 students in the data analysis after removing questionnaires with five percent or more fields missing. Via bootstrap approach, we assessed the mediating role of internet addiction in the association between sleep quality and depressive symptoms, and that of sleep quality in the association between internet addiction and depressive symptoms. Results: Overall, 35.4%, 35.4% and 21.2% of students scored above validated cutoff scores for poor sleep quality, internet addiction and depression respectively. Poorer sleep quality was associated with having lower age, not being alcohol user, being a Hindu, being sexually active and having failed in previous year's board examination. Higher internet addiction was associated with having lower age, being sexually inactive and having failed in previous year's board examination. Depressive symptoms were higher for students having higher age, being sexually inactive, having failed in previous year's board examination and lower years of study. Internet addiction statistically mediated 16.5% of the indirect effect of sleep quality on depressive symptoms. Sleep quality, on the other hand, statistically mediated 30.9% of the indirect effect of internet addiction on depressive symptoms. Conclusions: In the current study, a great proportion of students met criteria for poor sleep quality, internet addiction and depression. Internet addiction and sleep quality both mediated a significant proportion of the indirect effect on depressive symptoms. However, the cross-sectional nature of this study limits causal interpretation of the findings. Future longitudinal study, where the measurement of internet addiction or sleep quality precedes that of depressive symptoms, are necessary to build upon our understanding of the development of depressive symptoms in students.
Structured-light (SL) depth sensors are widely used because of their simplicity in design and ability to process depth data with minimal computational expense. Certain SL light coding methods can, however, lead to a loss of information, as well as inhomogeneous depth errors that depend on the composition and properties of the scene. This results in a reduction of potential accuracy for model-based pose estimation methods that operate on the depth images or subsequently transformed three-dimensional point clouds, such as the popular class of point set registration (PSR) methods. We therefore formulate an asymptotically optimal maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method that operates directly on the raw SL infrared (IR) images. The proposed SLIR-MLE method maximizes the likelihood of the measured IR image over the pose region given the object model, sensor model, and calibrated speckle and thermal noise distributions. We also formulate a method to compute the Fisher information contained in the IR image and resulting Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) of any unbiased pose estimator for unique SL sensor measurement data. SLIR-MLE is shown to nearly achieve the calculated CRB for the Kinect sensor by operating on the more informative raw IR images. Furthermore, our method is shown to outperform two cutting edge PSR methods by an order of magnitude in the respective mean square errors.
Prior research shows that people feel authentic when they express themselves. In this research, we examined how people from different cultures make inferences about a target person's authenticity based on information about that person's self-expression. Our cultural-fit hypothesis proposes that acts of self-expression enhance perceptions of authenticity when they are congruent with the culturally prevalent self-expression norms. In an experiment with Germans and Chinese reading scenarios and making inferences about a hypothetical person, we found that authenticity judgments were the highest, when the target person's self-expression matched the culturally valued self-expression style-that is, expressing both likes and dislikes in Germany, and expressing only likes but no dislikes in China. Moreover, we found that the interactive effect of self-expression and culture had downstream effects on information processing, such that in the case of counter-cultural self-expression practices participants were more likely to seek information that would compensate for this cultural incongruence.
The continuous technical progress of the smartphone built-in modules and embedded sensing techniques has created chances for context-aware automation and decision support in home environments. Studies in this area mainly focus on feasibility demonstrations of the emerging techniques and system architecture design that are applicable to the different use cases. It lacks service customization strategies tailoring the computing service to proactively satisfy users' expectations. This investigation aims to chart the challenges to take advantage of the dynamic varying context information, and provide solutions to customize the computing service to the contextual situations. This work presents a rule-based service customization strategy which employs a semantic distance-based rule matching method for context-aware service decision making and a Rough Set Theory-based rule generation method to supervise the service customization. The simulation study reveals the trend of the algorithms in time complexity with the number of rules and context items. A prototype smart home system is implemented based on smartphones and commercially available low-cost sensors and embedded electronics. Results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed strategy in handling the heterogeneous context for decision making and dealing with history context to discover the underlying rules. It shows great potential in employing the proposed strategy for context-aware automation and decision support in smart home applications.
Over a distinguished career, Regents Professor Karsten Schwan has made significant contributions across a diverse array of topics in computer systems, including operating systems for multi-core platforms, virtualization technologies, enterprise middleware, and high-performance computing. In this paper, we summarize his legacy of key research contributions in general-purpose GPU computing. His vision encompassed the conceptualization, implementation, and demonstration of systems abstractions and runtime methods to elevate GPUs into first-class citizens in today's and future heterogeneous computing environments. To this end, his contributions include novel scheduling and resource management abstractions, runtime specialization, and novel data management techniques to support scalable, distributed GPU frameworks.
In this work we consider optical flow on evolving Riemannian 2-manifolds which can be parametrised from the 2-sphere. Our main motivation is to estimate cell motion in time-lapse volumetric microscopy images depicting fluorescently labelled cells of a live zebrafish embryo. We exploit the fact that the recorded cells float on the surface of the embryo and allow for the extraction of an image sequence together with a sphere-like surface. We solve the resulting variational problem by means of a Galerkin method based on vector spherical harmonics and present numerical results computed from the aforementioned microscopy data.
Representing human knowledge plays an important role in artificial intelligence science. Nowadays, there are many effective methods for representing knowledge such as semantic networks, conceptual graphs, computational networks. Computational Objects Knowledge Base (COKB) can be used to represent knowledge in many kinds of knowledge domain, such as Linear Algebra, Analytic Geometry, Direct Current Electrical Circuits. However, COKB model cannot be used to represent knowledge and solve problems about chemical elements efficiently. In this paper, we propose a variation of COKB model called Che-COKB which is the useful tool to represent knowledge about chemical elements and solve some kinds of problems in this knowledge domain. Furthermore, the algorithms for solving problems on model have been built up. In addition, the proposed model and algorithms were also applied to construct an application for solving some problems about chemical elements on mobile devices.
Under the one-child policy and with the economic development, there has been an annual rise in both anxious emotions and behavioral problems among students with learning difficulties. In order to evaluate the relationship between anxious emotions and behavioral problems, this study adopted a quantitative approach to randomly select 6000 elementary school students in Jiangsu Province of China, then screened 714 anxious children with learning disabilities. The conclusions of this research were as follows: for children with learning difficulties, their anxious emotions and behavioral problems were above average, notably their social phobia and learning problems; behavioral problems of children with learning difficulties varied due to demographic variables, and there was a significant interaction effect of rearing styles and family atmospheres on children's behavioral problems; separation anxiety, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, family atmosphere (harmony), rearing style (democracy), parental expectation (self-sufficiency) and somatization/panic disorder of children with learning difficulties could predict their behavioral problems. Based on the results, this study proposed a few suggestions for educators and future researchers.
GUI testing is essential to provide validity and quality of system response, but applying it to a development is not straightforward: it is time consuming, requires specialized personnel, and involves complex activities that sometimes are implemented manually. GUI testing tools help supporting these processes. However, integrating them into software projects may be troublesome, mainly due to the diversity of GUI platforms and operating systems in use. This work presents the design and implementation of Open HMI Tester (OHT), an application framework for the automation of testing processes based on GUI introspection. It is cross-platform, and provides an adaptable design aimed at supporting major event-based GUI platforms. It can also be integrated into ongoing and legacy developments using dynamic library preloading. OHT provides a robust and extensible basis to implement GUI testing tools. A capture and replay approach has been implemented as proof of concept. Introspection is used to capture essential GUI and interaction data. It is used also to simulate real human interaction in order to increase robustness and tolerance to changes between testing iterations. OHT is being actively developed by the Open-source Community and, as shown in this paper, it is ready to be used in current software projects.
Scarcity of drinking water in the coastal area of Bangladesh compels the inhabitants to be highly dependent on alternative water supply options like rainwater harvesting system (RWHS), pond sand filter (PSF), and rain-feed ponds. Susceptibility of these alternative water supply options to microbial contamination demands a low-cost water treatment technology. This study evaluates the effectiveness of solar disinfection (SODIS) to treat drinking water from available sources in the southwest coastal area of Bangladesh. A total of 50 households from Dacope upazila in Khulna district were selected to investigate the performance of SODIS. Data were collected in two rounds to examine fecal coliform (FC) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination of drinking water at the household water storage containers and SODIS bottles, and thereby determined the effectiveness of SODIS in reducing fecal contamination. All water samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity and salinity. SODIS significantly reduced FC and E. coli contamination under household conditions. The median health risk reduction by SODIS was more than 96 and 90% for pond and RWHS, respectively. Besides, turbidity of the treated water was found to be less than 5 NTU, except pond water. Only 34% of the participating households routinely adopted SODIS during the study.
Linux operating system (LOS) is a sophisticated man-made system and one of the most ubiquitous operating systems. However, there is little research on the structure and functionality evolution of LOS from the prospective of networks. In this paper, we investigate the evolution of the LOS network. 62 major releases of LOS ranging from versions 1.0 to 4.1 are modeled as directed networks in which functions are denoted by nodes and function calls are denoted by edges. It is found that the size of the LOS network grows almost linearly, while clustering coefficient monotonically decays. The degree distributions are almost the same: the out-degree follows an exponential distribution while both in-degree and undirected degree follow power-law distributions. We further explore the functionality evolution of the LOS network. It is observed that the evolution of functional modules is shown as a sequence of seven events (changes) succeeding each other, including continuing, growth, contraction, birth, splitting, death and merging events. By means of a statistical analysis of these events in the top 4 largest components (i.e., arch, drivers, fs and net), it is shown that continuing, growth and contraction events occupy more than 95% events. Our work exemplifies a better understanding and describing of the dynamics of LOS evolution. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Extant studies indicate persons with autism have difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, and poor ability to generalize learned skills. Obesity has also been identified as significantly affecting children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Negative experience in physical education (PE) may be the antecedent behavior to lack of activities that are mediators to sedentary lifestyles and contributors to the chronic illnesses associated with overweight and obesity. Students with ASD often cannot perform required activities to meet required PE standards. It is imperative school nurses be aware of the many challenges students with ASD bring into a PE class. School nurses provide education for the members of the school community, including the Individualized Education Plan team, regarding the need for attention to limitations, including physical activity, of students with ASD.
A rapid prototyping methodology for digital controllers is presented in this paper. Its main application is in the development, debugging, and test of microgrid inverter controllers. To fulfill the application requirements, these systems are characterized by complex multilayer architectures, extending from pulse width modulation (PWM) and current control loops up to global optimization and high level communication functions. The complexity and the wide variability of the different layer implementations make digital control mandatory. However, developing so complex digital controllers on conventional hardware platforms, like digital signal processors (DSPs) or even FPGAs, is not the most practical choice. This paper shows how multiplatform control devices, where software configurable DSP functions and programmable logic circuits are efficiently combined, represent the optimal solution for this field of application. Furthermore, this paper proposes hardware-in-the-loop real-time simulation as an effective means of developing and debugging complex hardware and software codesigned controllers. A case study is presented and used to illustrate the different design and test phases, from initial concept and numerical simulation to final experimental verification.
Efficient power management in smart grids requires obtaining power consumption data from each resident. However, data concerning user's electricity consumption might reveal sensitive information, such as living habits and lifestyles. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a privacy-preserving cube-data aggregation scheme for electricity consumption. In our scheme, a data item is described as a multi-dimensional data structure (l-dimensional), and users form and live in multiple residential areas (m areas, and at most n users in each area). Based on Horner's Rule, for each user, we construct a user-level polynomial to store dimensional values in a single data space by using the first Horner parameter. After embedding the second Horner parameter into the polynomial, the polynomial is hidden by using Paillier cryptosystem. By aggregating data from m areas, we hide the area-level polynomial into the final output. Moreover, we propose a batch verification scheme in multi-dimensional data to reduce authentication cost. Finally, our analysis shows that the proposed scheme is efficient in terms of computation and communication costs, suitable for massive user groups, and supports the flexible and rapid growth of residential scales in smart grids.
Five years have passed since the Japanese Pediatric Guideline for Food Allergy (JPGFA) was first revised in 2011 from its original version. As many scientific papers related to food allergy have been published during the last 5 years, the second major revision of the JPGFA was carried out in 2016. In this guideline, food allergies are generally classified into four clinical types: (1) neonatal and infantile gastrointestinal allergy, (2) infantile atopic dermatitis associated with food allergy, (3) immediate-type of food allergy (urticaria, anaphylaxis, etc.), and (4) special forms of immediate-type of food allergy such as food dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis and oral allergy syndrome (OAS). Much of this guideline covers the immediate-type of food allergy that is seen during childhood to adolescence. Infantile atopic dermatitis associated with food allergy type is especially important as the onset of most food allergies occurs during infancy. We have discussed the neonatal and infantile gastrointestinal allergy and special forms of immediate type food allergy types separately. Diagnostic procedures are highlighted, such as probability curves and component-resolved diagnosis, including the recent advancement utilizing antigen-specific IgE. The oral food challenge using a stepwise approach is recommended to avoid complete elimination of causative foods. Although oral immunotherapy (OIT) has not been approved as a routine treatment by nationwide insurance, we included a chapter for OIT, focusing on efficacy and problems. Prevention of food allergy is currently the focus of interest, and many changes were made based on recent evidence. Finally, the contraindication between adrenaline and antipsychotic drugs in Japan was discussed among related medical societies, and we reached an agreement that the use of adrenaline can be allowed based on the physician's discretion. In conclusion, this guideline encourages physicians to follow the principle to let patients consume causative foods in any way and as early as possible. Copyright (C) 2017, Japanese Society of Allergology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is an aggressive malignancy associated with unfavorable prognosis and for which no effective treatments are available. Its molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood. Genome-wide sequencing and high-throughput technologies have provided critical insights into the molecular basis of ICC while sparking a heated debate on the cellular origin. Cancer exhibits variabilities in origin, progression and cell biology. Recent evidence suggests that ICC has multiple cellular origins, including differentiated hepatocytes; intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells (IBECs)/cholangiocytes; pluripotent stem cells, such as hepatic stem/progenitor cells (HPCs) and biliary tree stem/progenitor cells (BTSCs); and peribiliary gland (PBG). However, both somatic mutagenesis and epigenomic features are highly cell type-specific. Multiple cellular origins may have profoundly different genomic landscapes and key signaling pathways, driving phenotypic variation and thereby posing significant challenges to personalized medicine in terms of achieving the optimal drug response and patient outcome. Considering this information, we have summarized the latest experimental evidence and relevant literature to provide an up-to-date view of the cellular origin of ICC, which will contribute to establishment of a hierarchical model of carcinogenesis and allow for improvement of the anatomical-based classification of ICC. These new insights have important implications for both the diagnosis and treatment of ICC patients. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A compelling, innovative approach to teaching gross anatomy is the use of computer-aided holographic models. They allow for clean, time-saving dissection, manipulation of structures and appreciation of anatomical relationships, and potential elimination of the need for cadavers. The present study tests the hypothesis that using holographic models improves mastery of anatomical information. First-year medical students were taught gross anatomy using the dissection of donor cadavers, manipulation of digitized 3-dimensional holographic renderings, and examination of plastinated specimens. The effectiveness of these approaches was assessed by comparing students' performance on identification questions on cadavers (qC), holographic models (qH), and plastinated specimens (qP). Students in the top quintile of the class performed strongly on qC, qH, and qP. In contrast, performance by students in the bottom quintile was uneven; they scored best on qH. Performance on the qP was relatively non-discriminating. Students in the top quintile scored higher on the biological sciences section of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) than students in the lowest quintile, whereas students in the lowest quintile had higher scores on the verbal section of their MCATs. The availability of different approaches for presenting gross anatomy improves the success of students in mastering the material, particularly for students struggling with the information. The use of holographic models apparently reaches students who may be challenged to learn the material using traditional approaches. This may be linked to potentially predictive information gleaned through performance on the MCAT. Clin. Anat. 29:917-924, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The physiology of cells cultured in vitro depends obviously on the external conditions, including the nutrients present in the culture medium. In order to test the influence of this parameter, J774 macrophages grown either in RPMI or in DMEM were compared by a combination of targeted analyses and a proteomic approach. The two media differ in their glucose, amino acids, and vitamins concentrations, but there were no significant differences in the cell cycle or in the percentage of phagocytic cells in both media, although the phagocytic capacity (i.e. the number of phagocytized particles) was higher in DMEM. Conversely, we found that J774 cells grown in RPMI produced more nitric oxide in response to lipopolysaccharide. The proteomic study highlighted differences affecting the central metabolism and nucleotide metabolism, cytoskeleton, protein degradation, and cell signaling. Furthermore, proteomics showed that J774 cells grown in RPMI or in DMEM and exposed to copper oxide nanoparticles respond rather differently, with only a few proteins similarly modulated between cells grown in both media. Taken together, our results show that the basal state of cells grown in two different media is different, and this may affect the way they respond to an external stimulus or stress.
This study was conducted to determine the secretion rate and composition of lipoproteins secreted by HepG2 cells as influenced by the type of fatty acid present in the incubation medium. Cells were preincubated for 24 h with palmitic, oleic, elaidic, linoleic or conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and the lipoproteins secreted during a subsequent incubation period of 24 h were collected for analysis. The secretion rate of apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB) was significantly greater in HepG2 cells preincubated with elaidic acid compared with those preincubated with palmitic or oleic acid; apoB secretion was greater in cells preincubated with CLA compared with those preincubated with linoleic acid. The lipid composition of secreted lipoproteins was also influenced by fatty acid treatment, resulting in significantly smaller lipoprotein particles secreted by cells preincubated with elaidic acid and CLA compared with those secreted by cells treated with oleic acid and linoleic acid, respectively. Our results are relevant to human metabolism for the following reasons: (1) the size of plasma low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) is determined, at least in part, by the composition of apoB-containing lipoproteins secreted by the liver; (2) small plasma LDL particles are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease; and (3) specific dietary fatty acids can affect the composition and size of plasma LDLs, thereby imparting a relative atherogenicity to plasma LDLs independent of LDL cholesterol concentration. The present study therefore suggests that elaidic acid and CLA promote the hepatic secretion of small apoB-containing lipoproteins, which could lead to an increased production of small plasma LDL particles. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Dolphins exhibit prosocial behavior across several different contexts. However, only a few experimental studies have investigated the psychological mechanisms underlying this behavior. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying prosociality in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). In the experiments, water shower devices, developed as environmental enrichment items, were used. Two paradigms were used to measure prosociality. The first was the prosocial choice task, involving the subject typically being offered one choice between two options. The first option provided a reward (take a shower) to both the subject and partner (prosocial choice). The second option provided a reward only to the subject (selfish choice). The second paradigm was the giving assistance task, involving the subject being provided a choice between providing instrumental help to the partner (prosocial choice) or doing nothing. It was observed that the subjects chose the prosocial choices in both paradigms. In these experiments, prosocial choices were spontaneously taken without requests from the partners. These results indicated that the dolphins show preference for other-regarding behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Many-core architectures trade single-thread performance for a larger number of cores. Scalable throughput can be attained only by a high degree of parallelism and minimized synchronization. Whilst this is achievable for many applications, the operating system still introduces bottlenecks through non-local sharing, synchronization, and message passing. A particular challenge for highly dynamic applications, for example invasive HPC applications and elastic compute clouds, is the management of short-living application threads and processes. This paper discusses OS architecture choices based on microkernel, multikernel and distributed systems designs and our development experience in the context of the MyThOS project. Initial experiments show a much faster thread creation and activation compared to monolithic systems like Linux while providing a more flexible protection and threading model that is better suited for dynamic scenarios. However, despite significant progress in the overall domain of operating systems, the design space for scalable many-core operating systems is yet to be fully explored.
Gastrokine 1 (GKN1) is highly expressed in gastric tissue and is secreted into the stomach but is not expressed in gastric cancer. GKN1 belongs to the BRICHOS domain family and plays a major role in maintaining gastric mucosa integrity. We previously demonstrated that a recombinant human GKN1 protein was able to interact with the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and was endowed with an antiamyloidogenic property because it inhibited polymerization of the A beta(1-40) peptide released from APP upon its partial hydrolysis. Here, we report that GKN1 can act as a physiological suppressor of A beta production in gastric cancer cells. GKN1 blocked the access of gamma-secretase to APP, thereby facilitating the cleavage of APP by alpha- and beta-secretases. GKN1 directly interacted with APP C-terminal fragments, C83 and C99. In addition, it did not affect gamma-secretase activity in gastric cancer cells because it did not alter Notchl processing. GKN1-mediated inhibition of APP processing might represent a new approach for the prevention and therapy of Alzheimer's disease (AD). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Societe Francaise de Biochimie et Biologie Moleculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.
A high degree of uncertainty associated with the emission inventory for China tends to degrade the performance of chemical transport models in predicting PM2.5 concentrations especially on a daily basis. In this study a novel machine learning algorithm, Geographically -Weighted Gradient Boosting Machine (GW-GBM), was developed by improving GBM through building spatial smoothing kernels to weigh the loss function. This modification addressed the spatial nonstationarity of the relationships between PM2.5 concentrations and predictor variables such as aerosol optical depth (AOD) and meteorological conditions. GW-GBM also overcame the estimation bias of PM2.5 concentrations due to missing AOD retrievals, and thus potentially improved subsequent exposure analyses. GW-GBM showed good performance in predicting daily PM2.5 concentrations (R-2 = 0.76, RMSE = 23.0 g/m(3)) even with partially missing AOD data, which was better than the original GBM model (R-2 = 0.71, RMSE = 25.3 g/m(3)). On the basis of the continuous spatiotemporal prediction of PM2.5 concentrations, it was predicted that 95% of the population lived in areas where the estimated annual mean PM2.5 concentration was higher than 35 g/m(3), and 45% of the population was exposed to PM2.5 >75 g/m(3) for over 100 days in 2014. GW-GBM accurately predicted continuous daily PM2.5 concentrations in China for assessing acute human health effects. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pathogenesis in tauopathies involves the accumulation of tau in the brain and progressive synapse loss accompanied by cognitive decline. Pathological tau is found at synapses, and it promotes synaptic dysfunction and memory deficits. The specific role of toxic tau in disrupting the molecular networks that regulate synaptic strength has been elusive. A novel mechanistic link between tau toxicity and synaptic plasticity involves the acetylation of two lysines on tau, K274, and K281, which are associated with dementia in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We propose that an increase in tau acetylated on these lysines blocks the expression of long-term potentiation at hippocampal synapses leading to impaired memory in AD. Acetylated tau could inhibit the activity-dependent recruitment of postsynaptic AMPA-type glutamate receptors required for plasticity by interfering with the postsynaptic localization of KIBRA, a memoryassociated protein. Strategies that reduce the acetylation of tau may lead to effective treatments for cognitive decline in AD.
This analyzes the effect of submersion in the formation of ochre biofilm in geotextile filters used in drainage systems. The chemical microbiological aspects involved in ochre formation and clogging of drainage systems are discussed. Clogging by ochre may be considered a major threat in the performance of filters and drainage systems. This process has been observed in the field and demonstrated in laboratory tests under well-controlled conditions. Oxygen is needed for ochre formation and is available at the water air interface of the filters. If the filters are submerged, oxygen may also be available dissolved in the water, with higher concentrations close to the surface due to the diffusion process. Column filter tests with the introduction of iron bacteria under three different filter submersion conditions were carried out. Woven geotextile filters were used in all tests. Biofilm formation on the geotextile filters were evaluated through the analysis of EDS (Energy Dispersive X-ray detector) and scanning electron microscopy. Ochre formation was verified in all tests, confirming that ochre formation can occur even under submerged conditions. The formation of ochre biofilm decreased with the depth of the geotextile filter in relation to the water surface, following the expected reduction of available oxygen below the water surface. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Loudspeakers line arrays are very common reproduction sound systems used in real environments (e.g., theaters, stadiums, cinemas, and conference halls) for synthesizing the directivity characteristics of a linear source. The sound field emitted by a vertical line array can be pointed in a particular direction by using digital signal processing techniques and avoiding any mechanical movements. The approach proposed in this paper to obtain the desired directivity behavior takes advantage of the reproduction of a virtual source with frequency-independent directivity characteristics using wave field synthesis theory and introducing a computational complexity reduction. A full investigation on the performance of the technique has been carried out making comparisons with other approaches proposed in the literature thus providing an overview of the results achievable with digital steering of line arrays. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water scarcity is one of the major concerns that people are facing worldwide. Although the liquid is absolutely abundant through the globe, its availability poses too much problems specifically to each region. Those problems can result in one or a combination of three basic situations: declining water (drought), overabundance of surface water (floods) or degradation of the quality of water (pollution). All these situations are reflected in the scarcity of good quality water. Arid regions are particularly concerned. In such areas where groundwater contained in aquifers is usually perceived as providence, any project of groundwater exploration and exploitation must be preceded by prior careful and meticulous investigation, in order to avoid early and premature drying. This investigation is likely to predict the future behaviour of aquifers and to improve the groundwater resources management. Beside fundamental properties as hydraulic conductivity, the present paper that addresses the water sector in the semi-arid region of northern Cameroon emphasizes the importance of porosity on aquifer productivity and consequently on the groundwater resources management. The porosity of the local aquifer has then been determined using the Waxman and Smits model which establishes a reliable relationship between the apparent and corrected formation factors, F-a and F-c, taking the clay effects into consideration. This approach can be applied in other similar semi-arid regions through the world.
In this paper a novel set of indicators is presented for arc faults detection in electrical circuits. The indicators are defined starting from an experimental characterization of the arc fault phenomenon and the study of the arcing current in several test conditions, which were chosen in accordance with the UL 1699 Standard requirements. The proposed parameters are measured by means of a high resolution low frequency spectral analysis of the arcing current, which allows to achieve a good spectral resolution even with short observation windows.
The increasing share of variable renewable energy sources and the improving requirements on system security and reliability are calling for important changes in our energy systems. The synergies between energy supply networks are of great importance to satisfy the development of the integrated energy system (IES). Hence this paper presents the study of the coordinated scheduling strategy (CSS), in which, the models of the electricity network and gas network are developed in detail, and the operation constraints of the networks are fully considered. The purpose of the CSS is to optimize the conflicting benefits of the electricity network arid gas network for daily operation of the IES, while satisfying the operation constraints. In the CSS, a multi-objective optimization algorithm is applied to obtain a Pareto-optimal solution set, and a multiple attribute decision analysis (MADA) using interval evidential reasoning (IER) is developed to determine a final optimal daily operation solution for the IES. Simulation studies are conducted on an IES consisting of a modified IEEE 30-bus electricity network and a 15-node gas network to verify the effectiveness of the CSS, and to evaluate the interdependency between the electricity network and gas network. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Although motion estimation (ME) approaches for fluid flows have been widely studied in computer vision domain, most existing ME algorithms cannot accurately deal with regions with both slight and drastic brightness changes. To address this issue, this paper introduces a novel data structure called brightness distribution matrix (BDM) which can be used to accurately model regional brightness. Based on our proposed consistency constraints and energy function, we can obtain motion vectors from image sequences with high accuracy. Since the BDM-based ME approach requires a large number of computations when dealing with complex fluid scenarios, to reduce the overall ME time, a parallelized version of our approach is developed based on graphics processing unit (GPU). Experimental results show that our GPU-based approach not only can be used to improve the ME quality for complex fluid images, but also can reduce the overall ME processing time (up to 7.06 times improvement).
This article aims to extend third-person effect research into a cross-cultural context. How and why the third-person perception (perceptual gaps between media effect on self and others) has dissimilar association with the willingness to support regulation of media content in the United States and South Korea is investigated. The survey results demonstrate a larger third-person perception among U.S. respondents than among Korean respondents. Regression and mediation analyses reveal that the different levels of third-person perception mainly result from the direct influence of nationality, while cultural values were not statistically significant in accounting for the third-person perception. In contrast, Koreans show a greater level of support for the censorship of violent video games than Americans. The national difference in behavioral intention is the direct effect of nationality on the intention to support regulation and by the indirect effect of cultural values such as collectivism. In addition, gender, age, religiosity, negative prejudice against violent video games, collectivism, and the presumption of media effects on others contributed to support for preemptive behavioral measures such as censorship. However, more frequent playing of violent video games decreases support for regulation. In addition, the implications for research on third-person perception and the intention to support media content regulation are discussed.
Heightened concentrations of CO2 in inhaled air provoke temporary acidification of the brain, followed by compensatory hyperventilation and increased arousal/anxiety. These responses are likely to map a basic, latent general alarm/avoidance system that is largely shared across mammals, and are sources of individual differences. By showing paroxysmal respiratory and emotional responses to CO2 challenges, humans with panic and separation anxiety disorders lie at one extreme of the distribution for CO2 sensitivity. This is also a developmental trait, sensitive to interference with parental cares. By sharing CO2 sensitivity with humans, rodents constitute a valuable resource to model panic and separation anxiety in the laboratory. Advantages of modeling CO2 sensitivity in rodents include non-inferential measurements (e.g. respiratory readouts) as proxies for human conditions, unbiased investigation of gene-environment interplays, and flexible availability of tissues for mechanistic studies. Data in humans and animals such as those reported in this issue of Neuroscience begin to reveal that CO2-driven behavioral responses stem from anatomo-physiological systems that are relatively separated from those subserving general dispositions to anxiety. This supports the notion that sensitivity to suffocative stimuli and ensuing human panic are significantly independent from trait/cognitive anxiety, and corroborates newer conceptualizations that distinguish between fear and anxiety circuitries. (C) 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the development of computer network technology, more closely the relationship between people and network. The current network security problem has also been gradually into the public's field of vision, actively carried out on the network intrusion detection becomes an important direction of the development of the network security technology. On the basis of the original BP neural network, this paper puts forward an improved algorithm, and applied to network intrusion detection. After the test, the method is better than traditional convergence, better performance.
The paper analyzes the difference between useful signal and noise signal in dissemination characteristic inside wavelet space in manufacturing engineering, and then puts forward a search algorithm based on wavelet decorrelation white noise testing and involved with the parameters in a parametric equation. The algorithm can select wavelet transform to realize the best noise reduction effect in a self-adaptive way according to the characteristic of signal containing noise and signal to noise ratio. At last, simulation experiment and engineering application are made, and their results are compared with the decomposition result of Daubechies wavelet. It's concluded that self-adaptive wavelet basis can more adequately separate useful information from signal.
Iron loss modeling is crucial for electric machine design. However, current models feature severe drawbacks. They are 1) very complex, and thus, can hardly be applied, 2) require very high effort for measuring and computation, and/or 3) are not very accurate. In this paper, a newmodeling technique is introduced for calculating the instantaneous power loss in ferromagnetic materials without taking the magnetization history into account. A standard measurement setup and specimen shape is used. The considered approach comprises the required measurements, the nonlinear loss modeling by itself, and an extensive verification for different flux density waveforms and frequencies. In addition, a detailed qualitative comparison to well-known iron loss models is given. The presented technique gives very accurate results, while obtaining the model is comparably easy. Moreover, as the calculation of the instantaneous losses is not based on the previous magnetization state of the material, a modeling error for a particular instant of time has no impact on the subsequently calculated characteristics. In the future, this model should ensure a more accurate iron loss calculation for electric machine designs.
Ovis ammon darwini: has been listed as a nearthreatened species by IUCN-World Conservation Union due to over-hunting and poaching, competition with domestic livestock, and habitat destruction. Study on molecular biology research provides the scientific basis for the protection and sustainable utilization of key endangered species. Mitochondrial genome is very useful for researches in ecology, systematics and conservation biology. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of O. a. darwini was determined by next-generation sequencing data, which is 16,618 bp in length and contains 13 proteincoding genes(PCGs), 2 rRNAs genes, 22 tRNAs genes and a non-coding control region. Base composition of genome is A(33.7 %), C(25.8 %), G(13.1 %), T(27.4 %) with an A + T content of 61.1 %. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the systematic status of O. a. darwini was more closed related to O. a. hodgsoni clustered with O. ammon. The mitogenome of O. a. darwini offered significant information for molecular genetic research of O. ammon.
This paper discusses the implementation of a burnup dependent fuel thermal conductivity model within the Reactor Dynamics and Fuel Modeling Group (RDFMG) version of the subchannel thermal-hydraulics code COBRA-TF (CTF). The model takes into account the degradation of fuel thermal conductivity at high burnups and its dependence on the Gadolinium content for both UO2 (uranium dioxide) and MOX (mixed oxide) nuclear fuel rods. The modified Nuclear Fuel Industries (NFI) model for UO2 rods and the Duriez/Modified NFI model for MOX rods were incorporated in CTF. To validate the models, the fuel centerline temperatures predicted with CTF were compared to Halden reactor experimental data and to high fidelity FRAPCON-3.4 calculations. Halden test cases for UO2 fuel rods at the beginning of life (BOL), through lifetime with and without Gd2O3; and for MOX fuel rods were simulated with CTF. It was demonstrated that CTF with the new burnup dependent fuel thermal conductivity model predicts the fuel centerline temperature with less than a 5% error as compared to the Halden measurements. CTF calculations were performed for fifty-eight (58) data points. Statistical analyses of the dimensionless predicted-to-measured fuel centerline temperature ratios had confirmed the advantage of the new model - the mean value of the predicted-to-measured temperature ratios was increased from 0.8920 to 1.0082 and the standard deviation was decreased from 0.0693 to 0.0382. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A simplified method for the design of impermeable geosynthetic tubes inflated using liquid is proposed in this paper. Adopting a computer program for an existing theoretical model, relationships between pumping pressure and geometric parameters for geosynthetic tubes can be established. A set of simplified dimensionless design equations are then derived using the Chapman-Richard curve fitting method. The validity of this simplified method was verified using other established methods and laboratory model tests. The proposed simplified method can thus be used for routine or preliminary design. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Advanced science and technology based on carbon-based nanomaterials is experiencing a rapid rate of change in the performance capabilities to substitute or serve as alternative approaches for the existing technologies. One of the major environmental concerns is the water pollution by the heavy metals. Heavy metals in water are the main preoccupation for many years because of the toxicity towards aquatic-life, human beings and also the environment. In the context of water and wastewater treatment, significant numbers of breakthroughs have been achieved to drive accelerated change for ceaseless capability improvements. In this contribution, the unique features of promising carbon-based nanomaterials that have generated tremendous interest among the material researchers are described along with their potential applications in water and wastewater treatment. Carbon-based nanomaterials stand out to be one of the highly efficient nanomaterials due to it is a vast availability and lower production cost compared to other nanomaterials. This paper critically reviewed the application of different type of carbon-based nanomaterials in water and wastewater treatment. The carbon nanomaterials role in adsorption, disinfection and membrane separation mechanisms that enable the applications are discussed. Advantages and limitations as well as barriers and research needs are highlighted. Challenges include technical hurdles, high cost, and environmental and health risk. (C) 2017 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study aimed at investigating the genetic diversity of a panel of Candida africana strains recovered from vaginal samples in different countries. All fungal strains were heterozygous at the mating-type-like locus and belonged to the genotype A of Candida albicans. Moreover, all examined C. africana strains lack N-acetylglucosamine assimilation and sequence analysis of the HXK1 gene showed a distinctive polymorphism that impair the utilization of this amino sugar in this yeast. Multi-locus sequencing of seven housekeeping genes revealed a substantial genetic homogeneity among the strains, except for the CaMPIb, SYA1 and VPS13 loci which contributed significantly to the classification of our set of C. africana strains into six existing diploid sequence types. Amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprint analysis yielded greater genotypic heterogeneity among the C. africana strains. Overall the data reported here show that in C. africana genetic diversity occurs and the existence of this intriguing group of C. albicans strains with specific phenotypes associated could be useful for future comparative studies in order to better understand the genetics and evolution of this important human pathogen.
The aim of this study was to identify specific cognitive abilities that predict functional outcome in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to clarify the contribution of those abilities and their relationships. In total, 41 adults with ASD performed cognitive tasks in a broad range of neuro- and social cognitive domains, and information concerning functional outcomes was obtained. Regression analyses revealed that emotion perception and verbal generativity predicted adaptive functioning directly, and the former mediated between the other two. These findings provide the first evidence of a triadic relationship among neuro- and social cognition and functional outcome in this population. Our results suggest that psychosocial interventions targeting these cognitive abilities could benefit social adaptation in adults with ASD.
To assess the risk of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) following cataract surgery in patients with allergies and/or atopic disorders. Medical records of 3,850 consecutive eyes that underwent cataract surgery were retrospectively reviewed for prevalence of allergies and atopic status and development of PCME. Patients with any known risk factors for PCME were excluded. Macular examination was performed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) before and at 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 36 weeks after surgery. If both eyes in one patient underwent cataract surgery, one eye was randomly selected. Odds ratios and confidence intervals were estimated. Out of 240 patients enrolled in this series, 65 patients (27.1 %) showed positive allergic status, 19 patients (7.9 %) suffered from atopic syndromes, and 11 (4.6 %) showed both (allergies and atopic diseases). PCME occurred in eight patients (12.3 %) of the allergy cohort, whereas no patient (0 %) of the atopy cohort developed PCME. The risk of PCME was comparable in patients with allergies or atopic diseases to patients without allergies or atopy (allergy: p = 0.635; odds ratio (OR) 1.303, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.461-3.398; atopy: p = 0.234; OR 0.000, 95 % CI 0-1.815). Positive status of allergy or atopy does not seem to increase the risk of PCME. Therefore, postoperative treatment after cataract surgery does not have to be modified in allergic or atopic patients.
Eicosanoids derive from essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and play crucial roles in immunity, development, and reproduction. However, potential links between dietary PUFA supply and eicosanoid biosynthesis are poorly understood, especially in invertebrates. Using Daphnia magna and its bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa as model system, we studied the expression of genes coding for key enzymes in eicosanoid biosynthesis and of genes related to oogenesis in response to dietary arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in parasite exposed and non-exposed animals. Gene expression related to cyclooxygenase activity was especially responsive to the dietary PUFA supply and parasite challenge, indicating a role for prostanoid eicosanoids in immunity and reproduction. Vitellogenin gene expression was induced upon parasite exposure in all food treatments, suggesting infection-related interference with the host's reproductive system. Our findings highlight the potential of dietary PUFA to modulate the expression of key enzymes involved in eicosanoid biosynthesis and reproduction and thus underpin the idea that the dietary PUFA supply can influence invertebrate immune functions and host-parasite interactions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Genetically engineered crops with insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been planted in the world for two decades, aiming to control some major insect pests. While the Bt-crop strategy has been generally successful, a potential risk is the evolution of insect resistance to Bt crops. Modeling has been one of the main approaches to assessing the risk. To date, however, the importance of spatial heterogeneity in small-holder farm systems has not been adequately addressed. To address the question we developed and analyzed a spatially explicit model of insect population dynamics and genetics in which the proportion of Bt crops (PBt) is spatially heterogeneous (HD) or homogeneous (UD). We found that in both single- and two-locus models, the time it takes for insect to evolve regional resistance (TTR) varies among different HD patterns. The TTR could differ considerably between the case of HD and that of UD, depending on both spatial and non-spatial conditions. Under some conditions, regional evolution of resistance was much faster in the case of HD than in the case of UD. The difference between the two cases was caused by gene spread from hotspots of resistant alleles where the local PBt is much higher than average. Our results suggest that the spatial heterogeneity of PBt may significantly affect the speed of regional resistance and therefore is an important factor that should be taken into account for quantitative predictions as well as for design of resistance management strategies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Implicit evaluations reflect people's gut response toward an attitude object and are based on associative processes. They are the starting ground for more reflective processes and subsequent explicit evaluations. The present research examined determinants and consequences of implicit evaluations in a rape case. Situational (i.e. specifics of the rape case) and personal factors (i.e. rape myth acceptance) were demonstrated to influence both explicit and implicit judgments of the rape case. Moreover, sex of participant influenced participants' implicit evaluations but affected explicit judgments only indirectly via the implicit evaluation. People's gut response was shown to affect their explicit judgment of the case, and this effect was particularly pronounced for people with a low need for cognition (i.e. people who do not like to engage in effortful processing). The discussion focuses on the role of implicit cognition and implicit biases in judicial decision-making.
This paper examines the pattern and extent of energy development in steppe landscapes of northeast Colorado, United States. We compare the landscape disturbance created by oil and gas production to that of wind energy inside the Pawnee National Grasslands eastern side. This high-steppe landscape consists of a mosaic of federal, state, and private lands where dominant economic activities include ranching, agriculture, tourism, oil and gas extraction, and wind energy generation. Utilizing field surveys, remote sensing data and geographic information systems techniques, we quantify and map the footprint of energy development at the landscape level. Findings suggest that while oil and gas and wind energy development have resulted in a relatively small amount of habitat loss within the study area, the footprint stretches across the entire zone, fragmenting this mostly grassland habitat. Futhermore, a third feature of this landscape, the non-energy transportation network, was also found to have a significant impact. Combined, these three features fragment the entire Pawnee National Grasslands eastern side, leaving very few large intact core, or roadless areas. The primary objective of this ongoing work is to create a series of quantifiable and replicable surface disturbance indicators linked to energy production in semi-arid grassland environments. Based on these, and future results, we aim to work with industry and regulators to shape energy policy as it relates to environmental performance, with the aim of reducing the footprint and thus increasing the sustainability of these extractive activities.
Cognitive flexibility has traditionally been considered a frontal lobe function. However, converging evidence suggests involvement of a larger brain circuit which includes the cerebellum. Reciprocal pathways connecting the cerebellum to the prefrontal cortex provide a biological substrate through which the cerebellum may modulate higher cognitive functions, and it has been observed that cognitive inflexibility and cerebellar pathology co-occur in psychiatric disorders (e.g., autism, schizophrenia, addiction). However, the degree to which the cerebellum contributes to distinct forms of cognitive flexibility and rule learning is unknown. We tested lurcherwildtype aggregation chimeras which lose 0-100% of cerebellar Purkinje cells during development on a touchscreen-mediated attentional set-shifting task to assess the contribution of the cerebellum to higher and lower order rule learning and cognitive flexibility. Purkinje cells, the sole output of the cerebellar cortex, ranged from 0 to 108,390 in tested mice. Reversal learning and extradimensional set-shifting were impaired in mice >= 95% Purkinje cell loss. Cognitive deficits were unrelated to motor deficits in ataxic mice. Acquisition of a simple visual discrimination and an attentional-set were unrelated to Purkinje cells. A positive relationship was observed between Purkinje cells and errors when exemplars from a novel, non-relevant dimension were introduced. Collectively, these data suggest that the cerebellum contributes to higher order cognitive flexibility, lower order cognitive flexibility, and attention to novel stimuli, but not the acquisition of higher and lower order rules. These data indicate that the cerebellar pathology observed in psychiatric disorders may underlie deficits involving cognitive flexibility and attention to novel stimuli.
Maximum consensus is one of the most popular criteria for robust estimation in computer vision. Despite its widespread use, optimising the criterion is still customarily done by randomised sample-and-test techniques, which do not guarantee optimality of the result. Several globally optimal algorithms exist, but they are too slow to challenge the dominance of randomised methods. Our work aims to change this state of affairs by proposing an efficient algorithm for global maximisation of consensus. Under the framework of LP-type methods, we show how consensus maximisation for a wide variety of vision tasks can be posed as a tree search problem. This insight leads to a novel algorithm based on A* search. We propose efficient heuristic and support set updating routines that enable A* search to efficiently find globally optimal results. On common estimation problems, our algorithm is much faster than previous exact methods. Our work identifies a promising direction for globally optimal consensus maximisation.
IgE-mediated Cannabis (C. sativa, marihuana) allergy seems to be on the rise. Both active and passive exposure to cannabis allergens may trigger a C. sativa sensitization and/or allergy. The clinical presentation of a C. sativa allergy varies from mild to life-threatening reactions and often seems to depend on the route of exposure. In addition, sensitization to cannabis allergens can result in various cross-allergies, mostly for plant foods. This clinical entity, designated as the 'cannabis-fruit/vegetable syndrome', might also imply cross-reactivity with tobacco, natural latex and plant-food-derived alcoholic beverages. Hitherto, these cross allergies are predominantly reported in Europe and appear mainly to rely upon cross-reactivity between nonspecific lipid transfer proteins or thaumatin-like proteins present in C. sativa and their homologues, ubiquitously distributed throughout plant kingdom. At present, diagnosis of cannabis-related allergies predominantly rests upon a thorough history completed with skin testing using native extracts from crushed buds and leaves. However, quantification of specific IgE antibodies and basophil activation tests can also be helpful to establish correct diagnosis. In the absence of a cure, treatment comprises absolute avoidance measures. Whether avoidance of further use will halt the extension of related cross-allergies remains uncertain.
Sleep disturbances in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exist worldwide, but little is known about this issue in non-Western cultures. This study aimed to characterize sleep disturbances in Chinese children with ASD and to examine associated sociodemographic factors and emotional/behavioral problems. Parents of 60 Chinese children with ASD (aged 6-17 years) from Shenzhen, China completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Sleep disturbances were severe and common, with rates of 70.0 % for overall disturbances and 15.0 % (daytime sleepiness) to 40.0 % (sleep duration) for specific domains. The severity and rate of sleep disturbances were higher compared to previous studies in typically developing children from the same region of China and American children with ASD, respectively. Further, there were significant correlations between most CSHQ and SDQ domains. Female gender, older parental age, higher hyperactivity, and poorer prosocial behavior were associated with increased overall sleep disturbances.
This study presents the design and performance evaluation of the digital control adapted to an LLC series resonant dc-to-dc converter operating with wide input and load variations. The proposed control design correctly incorporates the wide-varying power stage dynamics and variable small-signal gain of a digitally controlled oscillator, thereby offering satisfactory converter performance for all the operational conditions. The proposed digital controller adopts the push-pull mode control scheme, which executes the control action two times in one switching period, to minimise the time delay and enhance the performance. Using a 150 W experimental converter, the performance of the proposed push-pull mode digital control is demonstrated in comparison with that of the conventional complementary mode digital control, which performs the control action only once in one switching period.
A method to estimate line parameter of power grid based on innovation graph is proposed. This method identifies network parameter error location according to feature that the innovation values of the branch with parameter error and the correlated branches are larger than other branches in the network, and then estimates the real parameter value based on the Kirchhoff's voltage Law by using PMU measurements. This method can identify and estimate network parameter errors quickly, simply and effectively. The calculation of the example in IEEE-5 bus system demonstrates that this method can estimate network parameter errors exactly, and this example shows that this method is also effective when network parameter errors, bad data and topology errors take place at the same time.
The granular flow of pebbles in a pebble bed reactor (PBR) under the influence of gravity is a dense granular flow with long-lasting frictional contacts. The basic governing physics is not fully understood and hence the dynamic core of a PBR and non-idealities associated with pebbles flow inside the reactor core are of non-trivial significance from the point of view of safety analyses, licensing, and thermal hydraulics. In the current study, overall and zonal pebbles residence time investigation is carried out by implementing noninvasive radioisotope-based flow visualization measurement techniques such as residence time distribution (RTD) and radioactive particle tracking (RPT). The characteristics of overall pebble residence time/transient number, zonal residence time, and the z-component of average zonal velocities at different initial seeding positions of a tracer particle have been summarized. It is found that the overall pebbles residence time/transient number increases (the z-component of average zonal velocities decreases) from the center towards the reactor wall. Also, pebbles' zonal residence time results (the whole core is divided into three zones) which provide more insight and understanding about PBR core dynamics have been reported. The benchmark data provided could be used for assessment of commercial/in-house computational methodologies related to granular flow investigations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: To assess the accuracy of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and brain volumetry in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to predict conversion to probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Forty-eight patients fulfilling the criteria of amnestic MCI who underwent a conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) followed by MRS, and T1-3D on 1.5 Tesla MR unit. At baseline the patients underwent neuropsychological examination. 1H-MRS of the brain was carried out by exploring the left medial occipital lobe and ventral posterior cingulated cortex (vPCC) using the LCModel software. A high resolution T1-3D sequence was acquired to carry out the volumetric measurement. A cortical and subcortical parcellation strategy was used to obtain the volumes of each area within the brain. The patients were followed up to detect conversion to probable AD. Results: After a 3-year follow-up, 15 (31.2%) patients converted to AD. The myo-inositol in the occipital cortex and glutamate + glutamine (Glx) in the posterior cingulate cortex predicted conversion to probable AD at 46.1% sensitivity and 90.6% specificity. The positive predictive value was 66.7%, and the negative predictive value was 80.6%, with an overall cross-validated classification accuracy of 77.8%. The volume of the third ventricle, the total white matter and entorhinal cortex predict conversion to probable AD at 46.7% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity. The positive predictive value was 70%, and the negative predictive value was 78.9%, with an overall cross validated classification accuracy of 77.1%. Combining volumetric measures in addition to the MRS measures the prediction to probable AD has a 38.5% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity, with a positive predictive value of 55.6%, a negative predictive value of 77.8% and an overall accuracy of 733%. Conclusion: Either MRS or brain volumetric measures are markers separately of cognitive decline and may serve as a noninvasive tool to monitor cognitive changes and progression to dementia in patients with amnestic MCI, but the results do not support the routine use in the clinical settings. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Three experiments examined whether people spontaneously generate evaluations of target individuals under circumstances in which they are also known to generate spontaneous trait inferences (STIs). The first experiment used a standard savings-in-relearning paradigm to explore whether exposure to trait-implicative behavior descriptions facilitates the learning of evaluatively-congruent, as well as behaviorimplied, personality traits. Evidence for the facilitated learning of evaluatively-congruent traits was not obtained. This led to a second experiment in which the savings-in-relearning paradigm was altered to directly assess participants' relearning of evaluative words (good/bad). The results demonstrated that the same trait-implicative behavioral stimuli can produce both spontaneous trait inferences and spontaneous evaluations when both are measured correctly. Both of these outcomes were replicated in a third study using a false recognition paradigm. The implications of these findings for impression formation processes and for the possible independence of semantic information and evaluative information are discussed.
Preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a relatively recent concept describing an entity characterized by the presence of a pathophysiological biomarker signature characteristic for AD in the absence of specific clinical symptoms. There is rising interest in the scientific community to define such an early target population mainly because of failures of all recent clinical trials despite evidence of biological effects on brain amyloidosis for some compounds. A conceptual framework has recently been proposed for this preclinical phase of AD. However, few data exist on this silent stage of AD. We performed a systematic review to investigate how the concept is defined across studies. The review highlights the substantial heterogeneity concerning the three main determinants of preclinical AD: normal cognition, cognitive decline, and AD pathophysiological signature. We emphasize the need for a harmonized nomenclature of the preclinical AD concept and standardized population-based and case-control studies using unified operationalized criteria. (C) 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
For some, facing a prosocial request feels like being trapped between a rock and a hard place, requiring either a resource (e.g., money) or psychological (e.g., self-reproach) cost. Because both outcomes are dissatisfying, we propose that these people are motivated to avoid prosocial requests, even when they face these requests in private, anonymous contexts. In two experiments, in which participants' anonymity and privacy was assured, participants avoided facing prosocial requests and were willing to do so at a personal cost. This was true both for people who would have otherwise complied with the request and those who would have otherwise refused the request. This suggests that anticipatory self-reproach motivates people to avoid prosocial requests, regardless of whether or not this self-reproach would have been strong enough to cause them to comply with a direct request. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for prosocial behavior and the maintenance of moral self-regard. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
In the present article, we investigate the influence of sociocultural stereotypes on the impression formation of basketball players and coaches. In Experiment 1 (n=32), participants were shown a picture of a black or white basketball player prior to observation of a point-light video of a player executing a basketball free throw. The participant was informed that the player depicted in the picture was executing the free throw. Results indicated that ethnicity of the target player significantly influenced participant evaluations, demonstrating specific stereotypes about black and white basketball players when evaluating performance. In Experiment 2 (n=30), results derived from the Implicit Association Test indicated that black players are implicitly associated with athletic player attributes. The results are in line with social schema theory and demonstrate that - similar to findings that have been reported in the United States - a subpopulation of German basketball players and coaches hold specific stereotypes about the abilities of black and white basketball athletes. These stereotypes bias impression formation when coaches and players make assessments of basketball performance.
Since Eutrophication has become a serious water pollution problem on urban lake in China. Therefore, more accurate and efficient methods are necessary for water quality assessment. Although Bayesian methods are widely used in water quality modelling and uncertainty analyses, the algorithm efficiency often limits their application in multi-parameter eutrophication models. In this study, a genetic algorithm was integrated into a Bayesian method to improve sampling performance during the parameter calibration process. An eutrophication model of an urban lake in north China (Tianjin) is established based on biological processes and external loads. A Markov chain Monte Carlo method coupled with a genetic algorithm (MCMC-GA) is developed to sample the posterior parameter distributions and calculate the simulation results. Then, the performances of the MCMC-GA and classical MCMC are compared and analyzed. Finally, a water quality assessment is conducted for eutrophication management. The results are as follows: (1) the MCMC-GA displays a better convergence efficiency during parameter sampling, higher Markov chain quality, and narrower 95% upper and lower confidence intervals than the classical MCMC method; and (2) rainwater runoff nutrient loading must be controlled for urban lake restoration. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The static and dynamic characteristics of the EDM machine as the main machining unit directly influence the machining accuracy and stability. For a particular type of the EDM machine, the three-dimensional model was built with SolidWorks and the finite element method was employed with the ANSYS workbench to analyze the static and dynamic characteristics of the machine. The results show that the stiffness of the ram and vertical guide (Z-axis) in the Y and Z directions is the weak side of the machine. The analytical method is proved to be effective for the optimization of the machine design.
This paper presents research results of the German-Namibian joint research project CuveWaters in which different technologies for small-scale rain- and floodwater harvesting were introduced as pilot plants in central-northern Namibia as part of a broader Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach. Central-northern Namibia has semi-arid climate conditions with clearly distinctive dry and wet seasons. Rain-and floodwater harvesting for irrigation purposes are intended to increase resilience in agricultural production by building buffers for interseasonal dry spells and to make irrigation farming possible during the dry season. This is intended to improve availability of vegetables in rural parts of Namibia and to derive income on local markets. Besides raising temperatures, climate change in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to increase rainfall variability. Therefore, these adaptations also present a precondition for adapting to future climate change. Within the project, different organisational approaches such as harvesting of rainwater at the household as well as at the communal level were tested, as well as different locally available tank construction materials. All technologies were developed in cooperation with the local communities and framed by capacity development measures which yielded very good results and enabled a diffusion of the technology in the region. Based on 5 years of research the construction of ferrocement tanks on the household level and ponds covered with shade nets on the communal level can be recommended. Due to high evaporation rates all gardens irrigated with harvested rainwater were equipped with water saving drip irrigation systems. In combination with capacity development focusing on water management this enabled the users to irrigate their gardens throughout the dry season.
Agriculture has been recognized as a major anthropogenic source of surplus loads of nitrogen in the environment. Losses of nitrate via subsurface pathways are severely threatening groundwater and surface waters. This study explored the capability of a coupled hydro-biogeochemical spatially explicit model, simulating nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils and the associated fate of excess nitrate subjected to vertical and lateral displacement towards water bodies. Different vegetated buffer strips (VBS) were tested for their nitrate retention capability and impacts on N2O and N-2 emissions. The effectiveness of a VBS to remove nitrate by denitrification strongly depends on soil characteristics and hydrological flow paths. Simulated N2 emissions from VBS with high soil moisture were up to twenty-fold compared to VBS where groundwater levels were low. Simulated sneamwater nitrate concentrations without VBS were 3.7 mg NO3(-) 1(-1) and showed a decrease to 0.1 mg NO3- 1(-1) for a 20 m VBS. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP) encoded by the Slc11a1 gene is a membrane-associated transporter of divalent metal ions. Murine Slc11a1 has two known alleles, a functional Slc11a1(Gly169), which is found in DBA2/J, NOD/LtJ, and 129p3/J and related mouse strains, and a non-functional Slc11a1(Asp169), that is found in C56Bl/6J (B6) and BALB/cJ mice. B6 mice congenic for Slc11a1(Gly169) (B6-Slc11a1(G169)) are markedly resistant to the intracellular pathogens Salmonella, Leishmania, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We examined the host cell response and replication of Francisella in B6-Slc11a1(G169) mice. Bone marrow-derived macrophages from either B6-Slc11a1(G169) or B6 mice were both effectively invaded by Francisella live vaccine strain (LVS). However, at 16 hours post-infection (hpi), the number of LVS bacteria recovered from B6 macrophages had increased roughly 100-fold, while in B6-Slc11a1(G169) mice the number decreased 10-fold. When the mice were challenged intranasally (i.n.) B6 mice lost significant amounts (similar to 15%) of weight, where as B6-Slc11a1(G169) mice lost no weight. Three days after infection in B6-Slc11a1(G169) mice, we failed to recover viable Francisella from the lungs, livers, or spleens. By contrast, B6 mice had bacterial burdens approaching 1x10(6) CFU/organ in all three organs. To further examine the degree of resistance imparted by Slc11a1(Gly169) expression, we challenged mice deficient in TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9, but expressing the functional Slc11a1 (B6-Slc11a1(G169) Tlr2/4/9(-/-)). Surprisingly, B6-Slc11a1(G169) Tlr2/4/9(-/-)mice had no notable weight loss. Eighty percent of B6-Slc11a1(G169) Tlr2/4/9(-/-)mice yielded no detectable Francisella in any organ tested. Additionally, Slc11a1(G169) produced little detectable cytokine either in the lung or serum compared to B6 mice. Mice expressing Slc11a1(Gly169) survived even high doses (similar to 80 LD50) of LVS inoculation. These data taken together serve to highlight that functional Slc11a1(Gly169) can compensate the lack of TLR2/4/9. Thus Slc11a1 is a critical player in murine resistance to pulmonary Francisella infection, but not footpad infection.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems exploit the laws of quantum mechanics to generate secure keying material for cryptographic purposes. To date, several commercially viable decoy state enabled QKD systems have been successfully demonstrated and show promise for high-security applications such as banking, government, and military environments. In this work, a detailed performance analysis of decoy state enabled QKD systems is conducted through model and simulation of several common decoy state configurations. The results of this study uniquely demonstrate that the decoy state protocol can ensure Photon Number Splitting (PNS) attacks are detected with high confidence, while maximizing the system's quantum throughput at no additional cost. Additionally, implementation security guidance is provided for QKD system developers and users.
BACKGROUND: Severe uncontrolled asthma (SUA) is associated with increased asthma exacerbations. Whether high blood eosinophil counts are related to this burden is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship of blood eosinophil counts to asthma exacerbations, utilization, and cost in patients with SUA. METHODS: Patients with persistent asthma (age >= 12 years) were identified administratively with SUA in phase I by evidencing (1) 2 or more asthma exacerbations; (2) 6 or more medium-or high-dose dispensed canisters of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) as monotherapy or with long-acting beta(2)-agonist; and (3) 3 or more dispensed non-ICS controllers. Of the 541 patients with SUA invited to participate in the prospective phase II follow-up study, 261 (48.2%) had blood tests (index date) to determine eosinophil count and other atopic biomarkers. The relationship of blood eosinophil cutoff points to asthma exacerbations and direct costs 1 year after the index date were determined by multivariable regression. RESULTS: A blood eosinophil cutoff point of greater than or equal to 400 cells/mm(3) compared with less than 400 cells/mm(3), but not 150 cells/mm(3) or 300 cells/mm(3), was a risk factor in the outcome year in adjusted analyses for 2 or more asthma exacerbations (risk ratio, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.02-2.35; P = .04) and any asthma emergency department visit or hospitalization (risk ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.16-4.55; P = .02), but not for rate of asthma exacerbations or incremental total direct asthma costs per patient ($ 202; 95% CI, -286 to 691). CONCLUSIONS: A high blood eosinophil count was an independent risk factor for 2 or more asthma exacerbations or any asthma emergency department visit or hospitalization, but not direct costs in patients with SUA, possibly constrained by limited power. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
People give widely varying estimates for the amount of genetic overlap that exists between humans. While some laypeople believe that humans are highly genetically similar to one another, others believe that humans share very little genetic overlap. These studies examine how beliefs about genetic overlap affect neural and evaluative reactions to racially-ambiguous and biracial targets. In Study 1, we found that lower genetic overlap estimates predicted a stronger neural avoidance response to biracial compared to monoracial targets. In Study 2, we found that lower genetic overlap estimates predicted longer response times to classify biracial (vs. monoracial) faces into racial categories. In Study 3, we manipulated genetic overlap beliefs and found that participants in the low overlap condition explicitly rated biracial targets more negatively than those in the high overlap condition. Taken together, these data suggest that genetic overlap beliefs influence perceivers' processing fluency and evaluation of biracial and racially-ambiguous individuals.
This paper presents a design philosophy to design an induction machine drive with minimized torque ripples. An induction motor model has been derived to incorporate the effect of machine design parameter as a ripple producing cause in the torque response. Harmonics in the flux density wave, due to distribution of winding around air gap periphery and due to slot permeance effect have been considered together and modeled as ripple producing cause in the torque response. Classical approach of induction machine modeling through mutual inductance calculation has been adopted. Large ripples have been identified in the torque response derived from model simulation. In order to minimize these torque ripples model has been subjected to a heuristic based optimization technique. Optimization for torque ripple minimization has suggested the new values for some of the design parameters. Next the feasibility condition for the design parameters have been checked and the optimized design parameters have been rounded off to the nearest feasible design values. Induction machine model response for the feasible design values has been determined through model simulation. Torque ripple has been reduced to a negligible value in the optimized machine model.
Recent reports show that there is a 40-200 millisecond delay for sound playback in Android devices. At the same time there is no such reports and identified problem for other platforms. Research focuses on unresolved audio playback latency problems in devices with Android operating systems. Examination of possible problems, application of audio playback latency recording and measuring methods and audio playback latency decreasing methods are used to achieve a smallest possible audio playback delay. As a result with a proposed solution audio playback delay was reduced to 9ms using OpenSL EU API application and uncoded audio data with a device that support digitization and most high performance. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
For the Green Village at the campus of Delft University of Technology, an autarkic water circuit was developed. The aim was to avoid connections to the public water supply system, the sewerage, the electricity grid and cable systems. It should produce its own drinking water and electricity, and clean its organic waste streams in a sustainable way. Due to the strict Dutch drinking water regulations, only one water quality will be supplied: drinking water. Drinking water will be produced from greywater (53%) supplemented with rainwater (47%). In the treatment scheme, the multiple barrier approach will be used to comply with the Dutch drinking water quality standards. For greywater treatment, a triple barrier is suggested: ozonation - ultrafiltration - UV disinfection. For rainwater treatment a dual barrier is suggested: ultrafiltration - UV disinfection. By separating wastewater streams at the point of origin into greywater and blackwater, and by replacing conventional toilets with low water consumption vacuum systems as part of the water conservation measures, it will be possible to collect a concentrated blackwater stream suitable for recovery energy. For this purpose the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor is suggested. The proposed water circuit results in an autarkic water management, but not in an autarkic energy management.
satellite cells, which are resident in hypoxic niches in the tissue. Hypoxia has been recognized as a key factor to maintain stem cells in an undifferentiated state. Herein we report that hypoxia plays a fundamental role also in activating myogenesis. In particular, we found that the activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha under hypoxia, in murine skeletal myoblasts, leads to activation of MyoD through the noncanonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Moreover, chemical inhibition of HIF-1 alpha activity significantly reduces differentiation, thus confirming its crucial role in the process. Furthermore, hypoxia-preconditioned myoblasts, once induced to differentiate under normoxic conditions, tend to form hypertrophic myotubes. These results support the notion that hypoxia plays a pivotal role in activating the regeneration process by directly inducing myogenesis through HIF-1 alpha. Although preliminary, these findings may suggest new perspective for novel therapeutic targets in the treatment of several muscle diseases.-Cirillo, F., Resmini, G., Ghiroldi, A., Piccoli, M., Bergante, S., Tettamanti, G., Anastasia, L. Activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha promotes myogenesis through the noncanonical Wnt pathway, leading to hypertrophic myotubes.
Microglia have undergone extensive characterization and have been shown to present distinct phenotypes, such as the M1 or M2 phenotypes, depending on their stimuli. As a highly specific neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) can be used to further our understanding of the immune response in Parkinson's disease (PD). Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a centrally selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, performs very well as an anti-anxiety medication, sedative and analgesic. In the present study, we investigated the effects of DEX on 6-OHDA-induced microglial polarization. Our results indicate that treatment with 6-OHDA promotes microglial polarization toward the M1 state in BV2 microglia cells by increasing the release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 beta, or tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which can be prevented by pretreatment with DEX. In addition, we found that 6-OHDA blocked IL-4-mediated microglial M2 polarization by suppressing expression of the microglial M2 markers arginase-1 (Arg-1), resistin-like alpha (Retnla/Fizz1), and chitinase 3-like 3 (Chi3l3/Ym1), which could be ameliorated by pretreatment with DEX. Notably, the inhibitory effects of 6-OHDA on IL-4-mediated induction of the anti-inflammatory marker genes IL-10, IL-13, and transforming growth factor-beta 2 could be significantly alleviated by pretreatment with DEX in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). Mechanistically, alternations in the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 were involved in this process. These findings suggest that administration of DEX has the potential to interrupt the process of microgliosis in PD.
Introduction: Depressive symptoms are very common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and have a significant impact on the quality of life. Methods: The present study analyzed the correlations between over-time changes in depressive symptoms and gray matter parameters of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes in non-demented PD patients. Results: A significant correlation was observed, between increased scores for depression over time and lower cortical thickness over time in the right temporo-parietal junction, right occipital medial region, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right posterior cingulate region, left middle temporal as well as left supplementary motor area. Furthermore, the presence of depressive symptoms at baseline predicted increased cortical thinning over time in the left middle temporal, left anterior cingulate, right posterior cingulate and right parahippocampal cortices. Finally, a statistically significant negative correlation has been revealed between the thalamus' volume changes over time and the change in depressive symptoms scores. All other analyzed subcortical structures didn't reveal any significant correlations. Conclusion: These results suggest that depressive symptoms in PD patients are associated with gray matter cortical thinning and thalamus volume shrinkage over time and higher scores of depressive symptoms at baseline correlate with a higher rate of cortical thinning longitudinally. The present study highlights the importance of addressing depressive symptoms in PD patients early in the disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Building on psychological research linking essentialist beliefs about human differences with prejudice, we test whether lay belief in the biological basis of political ideology is associated with political intolerance and social avoidance. In two studies of American adults (Study 1: N = 288, Study 2: N = 164), we find that belief in the biological basis of political views is associated with greater intolerance and social avoidance of ideologically dissimilar others. The association is substantively large and robust to demographic, religious, and political control variables. These findings stand in contrast to some theoretical expectations that biological attributions for political ideology are associated with tolerance. We conclude that biological lay theories are especially likely to be correlated with prejudice in the political arena, where social identities tend to be salient and linked to intergroup competition and animosity.
This study explored the salience of ethnic public and private collective self-esteem among South African students contrasting by race. Participants were 89 black and 55 white undergraduate students (93 females, 51 males; mean age: 20 years). They completed two subscales of the collective self-esteem scale; measuring ethnic private and public collective self-esteem. Logistic regression with bootstrapping and t-tests were applied to examine differences in public and private collective self-esteem between and within race. Findings suggest white students to report higher public collective self-esteem and lower private collective self-esteem when compared to black students. The expression of collective self-esteem may be tied to private rather than public images among black South African students from exposure to intergenerational marginalization consequent from the apartheid legacy.
Ambient Intelligence promises to transform current spaces into electronic environments that are responsive, assistive and sensitive to human presence. Those electronic environments will be fully populated with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of connected devices that share information and thus become intelligent. That massive wave of electronic devices will also invade everyday objects, turning them into smart entities, keeping their native features and characteristics while seamlessly promoting them to a new class of thinking and reasoning everyday objects. Although there are strong expectations that most of the users' needs can be fulfilled without their intervention, there are still situations where interaction is required. This paper presents work being done in the field of human-computer interaction, focusing on smart home environments, while being a part of a larger project called Aging Inside a Smart Home. This initiative arose as a way to deal with a large scourge of our country, where lots of elderly persons live alone in their homes, often with limited or no physical mobility. The project relies on the mobile agent computing paradigm in order to create a Virtual Butler that provides the interface between the elderly and the smart home infrastructure. The Virtual Butler is receptive to user questions, answering them according to the context and knowledge of the AISH. It is also capable of interacting with the user whenever it senses that something has gone wrong, notifying next of kin and/or medical services, etc. The Virtual Butler is aware of the user location and moves to the computing device which is closest to the user, in order to be always present. Its avatar can also run in handheld devices keeping its main functionality in order to track user when s/he goes out. According to the evaluation carried out, the Virtual Butler is assessed as a very interesting and loved digital friend, filling the gap between the user and the smart home. The evaluation also showed that the Virtual Butler concept can be easily ported to other types of possible smart and assistive environments like airports, hospitals, shopping malls, offices, etc.
Digital image correlation (DIC) is one of the most widely used non-invasive methods for measuring full-field surface strains in a wide variety of applications. The DIC method has been used by numerous researchers for measuring strains during the plastic range of deformation where the strains are relatively large. The estimation of the amount of background strain error in the measurements is of prime importance for determining the applicability of this method for measuring small strains (such as the elastic strains in metals, ceramics, bone samples, etc.). In this study, the strain errors in 2D-DIC measurements associated with different types of imaging systems were investigated. In-plane rigid-body-translation, experiments were used to estimate the overall amount of error in DIC displacement and strain measurements. Different types of cameras having different types of sensors and different spatial resolutions were used in the study. Also, for the same type of camera, different types of lenses were used. Results show that the DIC measurement accuracy depends on the magnitude of image displacement and that different error estimation parameters can be used for quantifying the accuracy of the measurements. Also, the effect of the lens on measurement accuracy is more pronounced than that of the camera. Furthermore, imaging conditions such as image sharpness and camera gain also affect the accuracy. Further still, the measurement accuracy was found to be influenced by the direction of translation. The results indicate that measurement error can be reduced by orienting the camera such that the major displacement direction is parallel to the width direction of the image. The experimental approach used in this study can be used for quantitatively assessing the quality of the different types of cameras and lenses and to determine their suitability for use in experimental techniques that depend on image analysis such as DIC and particle image velocimetry (PIV).
Two experiments with preschoolers (36 to 78 months) and 8-year-old children (Experiment 1, N = 173; Experiment 2, N = 132) investigated the development of children's resource distribution in dominance contexts. On the basis of the distributive justice literature, 2 opposite predictions were tested. Children could match resource allocation with the unequal social setting they observe and thus favor a dominant individual over a subordinate 1. Alternatively, children could choose to compensate the subordinate if they consider that the dominance asymmetry should be counteracted. Two experiments using a giving task (Experiment 1) and a taking task (Experiment 2) led to the same results. In both experiments, children took dominance into account when allocating resources. Moreover, their distributive decisions were similarly affected by age: Although 3- and 4-year-old children favored the dominant individual, 5-year-old children showed no preference and 8-year-old children strongly favored the subordinate. Several mechanisms accounting for this developmental pattern are discussed.
Introduction: Rapid cognitive decline (RCD) occurs in dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Literature review, consensus meetings, and a retrospective chart review of patients with probable AD were conducted. Results: Literature review showed that RCD definitions varied. Mini-Mental State Examination scores <20 at treatment onset, vascular risk factors, age= 3 points/year) is more common in moderate (43.2%) than in mild patients (20.1%; P<.001). Rapid and slow decliners had similar age, gender, and education levels at baseline. Discussion: RCD is sufficiently common to interfere with randomized clinical trials. We propose a 6-month prerandomization determination of the decline rate or use of an RCD risk score to ensure balanced allocation among treatment groups. (C) 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The lateral septum (LS), a brain structure implicated in addictive behaviours, regulates the activation of dopaminergic neurones in the ventral tegmental area. Vasopressinergic projections from the extended amygdala to the LS, which are sexually dimorphic, could be responsible for the vulnerability to addiction in a sex-dependent manner. The present study aimed to investigate the modulatory effects of amphetamine (AMPH) on the expression of vasopressin (AVP) in the vasopressinergic extra-hypothalamic system in sensitised male and female rats. Adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent an AMPH-locomotor sensitisation protocol. Acute AMPH increased AVP mRNA expression in the medial amygdala (MeA), whereas AMPH-induced sensitisation increased AVP mRNA expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) only in females. Interestingly, the increase in AVP expression in BNST was higher in oestrus females compared to dioestrus females and acute AMPH resulted in a decrease in AVP levels in the LS, only in males. Thus, there are complex and region-specific interactions between AMPH and the extra-hypothalamic vasopressinergic system in the brain, underlying possible alterations in different behaviours caused by acute and chronic AMPH exposure.
The correspondence bias (CB) refers to the idea that people sometimes give undue weight to dispositional rather than situational factors when explaining behaviours and attitudes. Three experiments examined whether mindfulness, a non-judgmental focus on the present moment, could reduce the CB. Participants engaged in a brief mindfulness exercise (the raisin task), a control task, or an attention to detail task before completing a typical CB measure involving an attitude-attribution paradigm. The results indicated that participants in the mindfulness condition experienced a significant reduction in the CB compared to participants in the control or attention to detail conditions. These results suggest that mindfulness training can play a unique role in reducing social biases related to person perception.
In recent decades, biological therapy has enabled disease activity control and improved quality of life in patients with autoimmune diseases. These therapies that are involved in immune response modifications and change multiple immunological pathways induce an incremental risk for certain infectious diseases. Though there have been recent advances in risk assessment for biological therapy, there is a lack of data and recommendati ons for assessing risks in populations with high prevalence of infectious diseases, such as those located in tropical areas and developing countries. We performed a review on infections with biological therapy as well strategies for risk minimization in areas with a high prevalence of tropical diseases.
The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) family of transcription factors directs a coordinated cellular response to hypoxia that includes the transcriptional regulation of a number of metabolic enzymes. Chuvash polycythemia (CP) is an autosomal recessive human disorder in which the regulatory degradation of HIF is impaired, resulting in elevated levels of HIF at normal oxygen tensions. Apart from the polycythemia, CP patients have marked abnormalities of cardiopulmonary function. No studies of integrated metabolic function have been reported. Here we describe the response of these patients to a series of metabolic stresses: exercise of a large muscle mass on a cycle ergometer, exercise of a small muscle mass (calf muscle) which allowed noninvasive in vivo assessments of muscle metabolism using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and a standard meal tolerance test. During exercise, CP patients had early and marked phosphocreatine depletion and acidosis in skeletal muscle, greater accumulation of lactate in blood, and reduced maximum exercise capacities. Muscle biopsy specimens from CP patients showed elevated levels of transcript for pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, phosphofructokinase, and muscle pyruvate kinase. In cell culture, a range of experimental manipulations have been used to study the effects of HIF on cellular metabolism. However, these approaches provide no potential to investigate integrated responses at the level of the whole organism. Although CP is relatively subtle disorder, our study now reveals a striking regulatory role for HIF on metabolism during exercise in humans. These findings have significant implications for the development of therapeutic approaches targeting the HIF pathway.
There is so far a paucity of data about allergen component-resolved diagnosis, and the prevalence of grass pollen allergen components in China, in contrast to those from western countries. Even in this country, allergies to grass pollen allergen components in the vast south are inadequately described. This study aimed to determine the major sensitizing grass pollens in Guangzhou, the largest city in Guangdong province of southern China. Included in this study were 258 patients having allergic rhinitis with or without asthma and 88 healthy controls. ImmunoCap100 was used to examine the serum samples for sIgE to Bermuda, Timothy, and Humulus scandens. Subjects who tested positive were further examined for sIgE to Bermuda antigen Cyn d 1, Timothy antigens Phl p 1/4/5/6/7/11/12, and CCD. The relationship of grass pollen allergy to specific antigen sensitization was assessed. As a result, 22.5% of patients with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma were positive for Bermuda-sIgE, 13.6% for Timothy-sIgE, and 7.0% for Humulus scandens-sIgE. These patients were more likely to be sensitized compared with controls (P < 0.001). Of the Bermuda-sIgE positive patients, 53.4% were Cyn d 1 positive and 60.3% were Timothy-sIgE positive. Of the Timothy positive patients, 100% were positive for Phl p 4, 17.1% were positive for Phl p 1 and 8.6% tested positive for Phl p 5/6/7/11/12. Patients with high Bermuda-sIgE levels were more likely to be positive for other grasses. In 41.4% of Bermuda grass positive patients, CCD-sIgE was also positive. Sensitization to Phl p 4 was significantly correlated with CCD (r(S) = 0.928) ln summary, we found that these southern Chinese patients with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma tested positive for Bermuda, Timothy, and Humulus scandens IgE. A high Bermuda-sIgE level may predict sensitization to other grasses. Correlations between sensitization to CCD and grass pollen allergens suggested a likelihood of cross-reactivity. Further in vitro inhibition assays are required to confirm this relationship. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article juxtaposes results from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) survey conducted to determine land relief. The determination of terrain relief is a task that requires precision in order to, for example, map natural and anthropogenic uplifts and subsidences of the land surface. One of the problems encountered when using either method to determine relief is the impact of any vegetation covering the given site on the determination of the height of the site's surface. In the discussed case, the site was covered mostly in low vegetation (grass). In one part, it had been mowed, whereas in the other it was 30-40 cm high. An attempt was made to filter point clouds in such a way as to leave only those points that represented the land surface and to eliminate those whose height was substantially affected by the surrounding vegetation. The reference land surface was determined from dense measurements obtained by means of a tacheometer and a rod-mounted reflector. This method ensures that the impact of vegetation is minimized. A comparison of the obtained accuracy levels, costs and effort related to each method leads to the conclusion that it is more efficient to use UAV than to use TLS for dense land relief modeling. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The last year has seen great progress in the understanding of upper airway disease and in its management. For allergic rhinitis, authors focused on the prediction of and effect on the natural course of disease. New evidence was published for the disease-modifying effect of allergen immunotherapy in terms of avoidance of new sensitizations and prevention of asthma in either randomized or real-life studies. Specifically, for patients with house dust mite allergies, which are often underestimated and difficult to diagnose, the efficacy of SQ house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy tablets has been demonstrated in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma. For the first time, allergen immunotherapy significantly reduced asthma exacerbations. In patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, a novel endotyping approach purely based on T helper cell biomarkers has been developed and has shown clinical relevance through associations with asthma comorbidity and recurrence after surgery. Severe nasal polyposis with high risk for asthma comorbidity and disease recurrence is characterized by type 2 inflammatory patterns, including IgE antibodies to staphylococcal superantigens; several studies using biologic agents have targeted exactly this spectrum of mediators. This goes in parallel with new knowledge on even more type 2 mediators derived from epithelial cells, which will expand the number of possible candidates for innovative intervention.
We developed a 2.5x6.6 mm(2) 2-D array transducer with integrated transmit/receive application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for real-time 3-D intracardiac echocardiography (4-D ICE) applications. The ASIC and transducer design were optimized so that the high-voltage transmit, low-voltage time-gain control and preamp, subaperture beamformer, and digital control circuits for each transducer element all fit within the 0.019-mm(2) area of the element. The transducer assembly was deployed in a 10-Fr (3.3-mm diameter) catheter, integrated with a GE Vivid E9 ultrasound imaging system, and evaluated in three preclinical studies. The 2-D image quality and imaging modes were comparable to commercial 2-D ICE catheters. The 4-D field of view was at least 90 degrees x 60 degrees x 8 cm and could be imaged at 30 vol/s, sufficient to visualize cardiac anatomy and other diagnostic and therapy catheters. 4-D ICE should significantly reduce X-ray fluoroscopy use and dose during electrophysiology ablation procedures. 4-D ICE may be able to replace transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and the associated risks and costs of general anesthesia, for guidance of some structural heart procedures.
Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. is commonly known as colocynth. The fruit pulp of colocynth has medicinal properties while the seeds have nutritive qualities. C. colosynthis is resistant to high temperatures and grows in the desert regions of North Africa, the Middle East and Western Asia. C. colocynthis likely carries genes of interest that could be explored for inducing abiotic stress resistance in transgenic plants. Although the tissue culture and molecular biology of this species have been explored, the latter has been primarily used to resolve taxonomic relationships with other members of the Citrullus genus and curcubits. Genetic mining of the plant is scarce while genetic transformation protocols are also rare. The aim of the present review is to present a brief overview of the biotechnological perspectives of C. colocynthis.
Mathematical modeling is a powerful tool for predicting and investigating cardiovascular (CV) diseases. It has been shown that the lumped-parameter model can draw on an analogy between electrical circuits and fluid flow to provide a simple but effective method for modeling the human cardiovascular system. In order to build a patient-specific CV model, it is not practically feasible to estimate numerous model parameters (electrical and structural) from patient-specific data (measurements). However, estimation may be possible if optimal measurement locations are identified for important model parameters with complementary optimal time regions. Thus, sensitivity analysis can be used to identify important parameters as well as the optimal measurement locations and optimal time regions in the pressure and flow waves. In this study, we applied parametric local sensitivity analysis to a linear elastic lumped parameter model of the arm arteries (with and without anastomosis) to identify important electrical and structural parameters. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide guidance for experimentalists about what to measure (pressure and flow) and where (network locations) in order to estimate the key CV model parameters, which are the first steps required to build a patient-specific CV model. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In recent years, there is an increasing interest in adopting synchronous reluctance machines for several applications. This is due to two main factors. The first is the increasing and highly variable cost of rare-earth permanent-magnet (PM), such as NdFeB and SmCo. The second is the requirement for more efficient machines with respect to induction machines in general applications. However, a drawback of the synchronous reluctance machine is the low power factor. Such a drawback is compensated by assisting the machine by means of a proper volume of PM material, generally ferrite, which is introduced in the rotor flux barriers. The PM flux saturates the rotor iron bridges, increases the power factor of the machine (which corresponds to a decrease of the volt-ampere ratings of the inverter), and adds a PM flux torque component. This paper investigates how to select the amount of ferrite magnet in a PM-assisted reluctance machine, adopting a model that considers the machine operation at low speed with both a current and a flux linkage limit. It is shown that, by means of the aforementioned analysis, the machine performance at low speed can be improved by means of a proper choice of the PM flux linkage.
A three-party scheme for secure quantum communication, namely controlled quantum dialogue ( CQD), is analyzed under the influence of non-Markovian channels. By comparing with the corresponding Markovian cases, it is seen that the average fidelity can be maintained for relatively longer periods of time. Interestingly, a number of facets of quantum cryptography, such as quantum secure direct communication, deterministic secure quantum communication and their controlled counterparts, quantum dialogue, quantum key distribution, quantum key agreement, can be reduced from the CQD scheme. Therefore, the CQD scheme is analyzed under the influence of damping, dephasing and depolarizing non-Markovian channels, and subsequently, the effect of these non-Markovian channels on the other schemes of secure quantum communication is deduced from the results obtained for CQD. The damped non-Markovian channel causes a periodic revival in the fidelity, while fidelity is observed to be sustained under the influence of the dephasing non-Markovian channel.
Here we present an overview of what is known about endogenous plant compounds that act as inhibitors of hormonal transport processes in plants, about their identity and mechanism of action. We have also summarized commonly and less commonly used compounds of non-plant origin and synthetic drugs that show at least partial 'specificity' to transport or transporters of particular phytohormones. Our main attention is focused on the inhibitors of auxin transport. The urgent need to understand precisely the molecular mechanism of action of these inhibitors is highlighted.
This paper presents results of a simulation of electrical circuits for microwave oscillators conducted within the 'Microwave Office' RF design software suite. The purpose of the simulation and optimization is to minimize the phase noise of a millimetre wave frequency synthesizer and to find optimal designs for reference oscillators and voltage controlled oscillator circuits. The effects of incorporating bipolar and field-effect transistor circuits on the phase noise, various circuits supplying bias voltage to the base and gate of the transistor, methods of incorporating quartz crystals and frequency tuning methods of voltage controlled oscillator circuits have been studied. The low phase noise reference oscillator and millimetre wave voltage controlled oscillator circuits are presented in this article.
Wireless sensor networks are already employed in numerous applications including military, industry, and health. Among the several inherent limitations in wireless sensor network, security is a critical concern. The declared security functions of wireless devices should be well verified. In this study, a security testing method based on security levels is proposed for wireless sensor networks. In addition, an experimental security testing platform for WIA-PA-based wireless sensor networks is implemented. The test results show that the platform is a feasible platform for assessing device security levels in wireless sensor networks.
Flapping wings are important in many biological and bioinspired systems. Here, we investigate the fluid mechanics of flapping wings that possess a single flexible hinge allowing passive wing pitch rotation under load. We perform experiments on an insect-scale (approximate to 1 cm wing span) robotic flapper and compare the results with a quasi-steady dynamical model and a coupled fluid-structure computational fluid dynamics model. In experiments we measure the time varying kinematics, lift force and two-dimensional velocity fields of the induced flow from particle image velocimetry. We find that increasing hinge stiffness leads to advanced wing pitching, which is beneficial towards lift force production. The classical quasi-steady model gives an accurate prediction of passive wing pitching if the relative phase difference between the wing stroke and the pitch kinematics, delta, is small. However, the quasi-steady model cannot account for the effect of delta on leading edge vortex (LEV) growth and lift generation. We further explore the relationships between LEV, lift force, drag force and wing kinematics through experiments and numerical simulations. We show that the wing kinematics and flapping efficiency depend on the stiffness of a passive compliant hinge. Our dual approach of running at-scale experiments and numerical simulations gives useful guidelines for choosing wing hinge stiffnesses that lead to efficient flapping.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new design optimization technique for a surface mounted permanent magnet (SMPM) machine to increase sensorless performance at high loadings by compromising with torque capability. Design/methodology/approach - An SMPM parametric machine model was created and analysed by finite element analysis (FEA) software by means of the Matlab environment. Eight geometric parameters of the machine were optimized using genetic algorithms (GAs). The outer volume of the machine, namely copper loss per volume, was kept constant. In order to prevent sensorless performance loss at high loading, an optimization process was realized using two loading stages: maximum torque with minimum ripple at nominal load and maximum self-sensing capability at twice load. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique, the obtained results were compared with the classical one-stage optimization realized for each loading condition separately. Findings - With the proposed technique, fairly good performance results of the optimization were obtained when compared with the one-stage optimizations. Using the proposed technique, sensorless performance of the motor was highly increased by compromising torque capability for high loading. Additionally, this paper shows that the self-sensing properties of a SMPM machine should be considered at the design stage of the machine. Originality/value - In related literature, design optimization studies for the sensorless capability of SMPM motor are very few. By increasing optimization performance, new proposed technique provides to achieve good result at high load for sensorless performance compromising torque capability.
The article introduces an innovative PWM current-mode technique to control the switched-mode power supplies for regulating the output of the power supply. The proposed technique can be used to control the most common offline power supply topologies and to control any dc-dc converter. Using the new methodology, it is possible to greatly simplify the internal architecture of any integrated IC controller, reducing its complexity and costs and greatly simplifying the overall system's design process.
The failure of the Barlin Dam in Taiwan, China offers an important case study for evaluating concepts in modeling the rapid erosion and channel recovery following intentional and unplanned dam removals. We present a modeling effort that applied a 1D and quasi-2D uncoupled hydraulics and sediment model (NETSTARS) to evaluate how discretization and parameterization influence thefitofbed elevationpredictions to observations following dam failure. Our analysis evaluated the model sensitivity to sediment transport function, active layer thickness, and number of stream tubes used to define the cross-section. Results indicate that a) the model is more sensitive to active layer thickness and sediment transport function than to the number of stream tubes, b) development of dam removal models are likely to benefit from varying the active layer thickness in time, and c) increased lateral discretization does not appear to improve model fit in the steep and rapidly changing river environment at our site. We conclude with discussion on differences between, identifying the need for, and general use of 1D, quasi-2D, and fully 2D models in dam removal and failure analysis. (C) 2015 International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation/the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research. Published by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems monitor and control industrial systems of national importance, including but not limited to the electric power grid, oil and gas refineries, water supply and sewage systems, and gas pipelines. They are an integral part of a nation's critical infrastructure. As such, the reliability and availability of these systems are extremely important. Once SCADA systems are running reliably, changes to the hardware or software are typically avoided. As a result, many of these systems rely upon hardware and software systems that are years or even decades in age. Over time and for the purpose of cost optimization, SCADA systems have become increasingly reliant upon commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products. Many of these products have known vulnerabilities that are expected to be patched or replaced quite often to mitigate potential attacks. However, frequent patches and updates are often unfeasible in a SCADA system. The requirements of reliability and availability may outweigh the potential benefits. An additional security issue is that in order to enable remote system management, SCADA systems are becoming increasingly connected directly to corporate networks as well as the Internet thus making it easier for an adversary to connect to a system in order to exploit known vulnerabilities. Moving Target Defense (MTD) is a security approach used in many common computer systems to help make them less easily compromised. A MTD seeks to provide additional protection to all protected programs even if those programs have known vulnerabilities. It does not seek to fix any particular software vulnerability but, instead, seeks to make any such vulnerability more difficult to exploit. Other security solutions elaborated for our common computer systems and networks, such as frequent software patching, might not be applicable for SCADA systems due to their specific requirements and constraints. However, there has not been much academic discussion of applying Moving Target Defenses to SCADA systems. We analysed several different MTD techniques for their suitability as defense of various components of SCADA systems. Our determination is that there are several MTD approaches that are feasible for use in SCADA systems.
The role of affect has become increasingly important in ambient intelligence applications. Developers require means for using multiple tools that support emotion detection and interpretation, which can be used jointly to provide meaningful system responses for the user in varied situations. We introduce Vikara, an extensible software platform that provides developers with uniform interfaces and services so their applications can access the results from existing (or newly implemented) tools for emotion sensing and interpretation. Vikara also provides components that make it possible for platform managers to visually monitor affective states as they are sensed by the various available tools. We have experimented with our platform via the development of applications for emotion detection by using (1) the well-known Facial Action Coding System and a Kinect sensor; and (2) a self-reporting interface for Android-based mobile devices. We report on the initial results of using our platform and discuss ambient intelligence scenarios in which we see potential applications, including user experience and usability evaluation, marketing, distance education and inter-personal communication.
This paper concerns automatic welding system with digital control and is directed to the improvement of certain drive and guide means for a relatively freely carried welding of wheel rim and wheel spider for continuous welding of a part resting on a freely rotatable table. The drive and guide means are carried on the welding head and impart drive to the part while maintaining the welding head properly positioned relative to the part. The system presented is a slightly simplified version of a real automobile wheel-welding system. Although system operation is explained in terms of wheel welding, the design of the system has much in common with other welding operations utilizing the basic industrial automatic welding sequence of Squeeze, Weld, Hold, Release, and Standby with digital control.
Background: The Andean cultivar Paloma is resistant to Mesoamerican and Andean races of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the fungal pathogen that causes the destructive anthracnose disease in common bean. Remarkably, Paloma is resistant to Mesoamerican races 2047 and 3481, which are among the most virulent races of the anthracnose pathogen. Most genes conferring anthracnose resistance in common bean are overcome by these races. The genetic mapping and the relationship between the resistant Co-Pa gene of Paloma and previously characterized anthracnose resistance genes can be a great contribution for breeding programs. Results: The inheritance of resistance studies for Paloma was performed in F-2 population from the cross Paloma (resistant) x Cornell 49-242 (susceptible) inoculated with race 2047, and in F2 and F2: 3 generations from the cross Paloma (resistant) x PI 207262 (susceptible) inoculated with race 3481. The results of these studies demonstrated that a single dominant gene confers the resistance in Paloma. Allelism tests performed with multiple races of C. lindemuthianum showed that the resistance gene in Paloma, provisionally named Co-Pa, is independent from the anthracnose resistance genes Co-1, Co-2, Co-3, Co-4, Co-5, Co-6, Co-12, Co-13, Co-14, Co-15 and Co-16. Bulk segregant analysis using the SNP chip BARCBean6K_3 positioned the approximate location of Co-Pa in the lower arm of chromosome Pv01. Further mapping analysis located the Co-Pa gene at a 390 kb region of Pv01 flanked by SNP markers SS82 and SS83 at a distance of 1.3 and 2.1 cM, respectively. Conclusions: The results presented here showed that Paloma cultivar has a new dominant gene conferring resistance to anthracnose, which is independent from those genes previously described. The linkage between the Co-Pa gene and the SS82 and SS83 SNP markers will be extremely important for marker-assisted introgression of the gene into elite cultivars in order to enhance resistance.
Aggregation of proteins is a physiological process which contributes to the pathophysiology of several maladies including diabetes mellitus, Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease. In this study we have reported that aloe emodin (AE), an anthroquinone, which is one of the active components of the Aloe vera plant, acts as an inhibitor of hemoglobin (Hb) aggregation. Hb was thermally aggregated at 60 degrees C for four days as evident by increased thioflavin T and ANS fluorescence, shifted congo red absorbance, appearance of beta sheet structure, increase in turbidity and presence of oligomeric aggregates. Increasing concentration of AE partially reverses the aggregation of the model heme protein (hemoglobin). The maximum effect of AE was observed at 100 mu M followed by saturation at 125 mu M. The results were confirmed by UV-visible spectrometry, intrinsic fluorescence, ThT, ANS, congo red assay as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These results were also supported by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD) which shows the disappearance of beta sheet structure and appearance of a helices. This study will serve as baseline for translatory research and the development of AE based therapeutics for diseases attributed to protein aggregation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Airborne laser scanning (ALS) based stand level forest inventory has been used in Finland and other Nordic countries for several years. In the Russian Federation, ALS is not extensively used for forest inventory purposes, despite a long history of research into the use of lasers for forest measurement that dates back to the 1970s. Furthermore, there is also no generally accepted ALS-based methodology that meets the official inventory requirements of the Russian Federation. In this paper, a method developed for Finnish forest conditions is applied to ALS-based forest inventory in the Perm region of Russia. Sparse Bayesian regression is used with ALS data, SPOT satellite images and field reference data to estimate five forest parameters for three species groups (pine, spruce, deciduous): total mean volume, basal area, mean tree diameter, mean tree height, and number of stems per hectare. Parameter estimates are validated at both the plot level and stand level, and the validation results are compared to results published for three Finnish test areas. Overall, relative root mean square errors (RMSE) were higher for forest parameters in the Perm region than for the Finnish sites at both the plot and stand level. At the stand level, relative RMSE generally decreased with increasing stand size and was lower when considered overall than for individual species groups.
We consider the L-2-contraction up to a shift for viscous shocks of scalar viscous conservation laws with strictly convex fluxes in one space dimension. In the case of a flux which is a small perturbation of the quadratic Burgers flux, we show that any viscous shock induces a contraction in L-2, up to a shift. That is, the L-2 norm of the difference of any solution of the viscous conservation law, with an appropriate shift of the shock wave, does not increase in time. If, in addition, the difference between the initial value of the solution and the shock wave is also bounded in L-1, the L-2 norm of the difference converges at the optimal rate t(-1/4). Both results do not involve any smallness condition on the initial value, nor on the size of the shock. In this context of small perturbations of the quadratic Burgers flux, the result improves the Choi and Vasseur's result in [7]. However, we show that the L-2-contraction up to a shift does not hold for every convex flux. We construct a smooth strictly convex flux, for which the L-2-contraction does not hold any more even along any Lipschitz shift. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
In spite of reduction of rejection rates and improvement in short-term survival post-kidney transplantation, modest progress has occurred in long-term graft attrition over the years. Timely identification of molecular events that precede clinical and histopathological changes might help in early intervention and thereby increase the graft half-life. Evolution of omics tools has enabled systemic investigation of the influence of the whole genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome and microbiome on transplant function and survival. In this omics era, systemic approaches, in-depth clinical phenotyping and use of strict validation methods are the key for further understanding the complex mechanisms associated with graft function. Systems biology is an interdisciplinary holistic approach that focuses on complex and dynamic interactions within biological systems. The complexity of the human kidney transplant is unlikely to be captured by a reductionist approach. It appears essential to integrate multi-omics data that can elucidate the multidimensional and multilayered regulation of the underlying heterogeneous and complex kidney transplant model. Herein, we discuss studies that focus on genetic biomarkers, emerging technologies and systems biology approaches, which should increase the ability to discover biomarkers, understand mechanisms and stratify patients and responses post-kidney transplantation. This review focuses on the importance of a multi-omics integration approach and its advantages over the reductionist and one-dimensional omics approaches for better mechanistic understanding and diagnosis of kidney graft outcomes.
Revetment is a protective structure for a shoreline with stony material, usually natural stone or concrete, with a thickness of only one layer of elements and of which the elements are placed in a pattern. Various conditions of designing and implementing coastal protection structures such as implementation speed and construction cost; cause the use of Articulated Concrete Block Mattress (ACB Mat). ACB mattresses have an appropriate flexibility that can be installed on different conditions of slope revetments. ACB mat system includes a filter layer that allows infiltration and exfiltration to occur while providing particle retention of the soil subgrade. To determine the extent of the effect of hydrodynamic, structural and non-structural factors as well as presenting dimensionless relations and design charts of ACB Mats, experimental data are needed which can be achieved by an appropriate laboratory scale model (lambda = 1 : 10). In the present study, the effect of various parameters was investigated to improve existing formula by adding effects of mattress length, construction slope, filter layer, ACB mat thickness and friction coefficient. Accordingly, new modified equation was obtained by adding parameters; stability shifting factor, stability course factor and stability shape factor which can be presented as 1.8 < a < 5.4, 7 < b < 12 and c approximate to 1 respectively. At the end, six design charts will be presented which can be helpful to determine minimum length of mattress for different wave's characteristics and construction's slope on two type of filter layer. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Develop This (DevThis) is a research and development module in the Media Technology Bachelor which tries to teach third year students to do scientific research and introduce them to the technological, design and scientific developments in the area of Ubiquitous Computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), such as context sensitivity, location-based services, co-design, and the use of emergent design practices. Ambient en Pervasive Design (AmbiPerv) is a second-year course following a practice-oriented vision on Human-Centered Creative Technology to educating Internet of Things techniques. In AmbiPerv, students learn to work with sensors and effectors in IoT applications. The paper evaluates the research versus the practice-oriented approach to educating Creative Technology for the Internet of Things and compares the results in terms of research opportunities, student motivation and effort versus outcomes to make recommendation about how to teach Creative Technology for the Internet of Things.
Chemical cross-linking and the high molecular weight of superabsorbent copolymers (SAPs) are the two main causes of their resistance to biodegradation. However, SAP particles are colonized by microorganisms. For the purposes of this study, the dry technical copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate containing 5.28 % of unpolymerized monomers was wrapped in a geotextile and incubated in unsterile Haplic Luvisol soil as a water absorbing geocomposite. The highest number of soil bacteria that colonized the hydrated SAP and utilized it as the sole carbon and energy source was found after the first month of incubation in soil. It was equal to 7.21-7.49 log(10) cfu g(-1) of water absorbed by the SAP and decreased by 1.35-1.61 log(10) units within the next 8 months. During this time, the initial SAP water holding capacity of 1665.8 g has decreased by 24.40 %. Moreover, the 5 g of SAP dry mass has declined by 31.70 %. Two bacteria, Rhizobium radiobacter 28SG and Bacillus aryabhattai 31SG isolated from the watered SAP were found to be able to biodegrade this SAP in pure cultures. They destroyed 25.07 and 41.85 mg of 300 mg of the technical SAP during the 60-day growth in mineral Burk's salt medium, and biodegradation activity was equal to 2.95 and 6.72 mu g of SAP mu g(-1) of protein, respectively. B. aryabhattai 31SG and R. radiobacter 28SG were also able to degrade 9.99 and 29.70 mg of 82 mg of the ultra-pure SAP in synthetic root exudate medium during the 30-day growth, respectively.
As direct-drive actuators, permanent-magnet linear synchronous motors (PMLSMs) are widely used in high velocity and high precision applications. The detent force, however, can deteriorate the performance and even excite the mechanical resonance. This paper focuses on a novel detent force compensation scheme for PMLSM systems through a combination of structural design and control method. First, due to the bandwidth constraint of the control system, eliminating high frequency ripples is unfeasible; skewed permanent magnets (PMs) considering an optimal skewing length are designed to suppress high order harmonic components. Second, based on the model of PMLSM with skewed PMs, a linearization observer is derived and applied independently to the velocity controller for further diminishing low-order harmonic components. To facilitate implementation in the digital control system, a discretization method taking account of estimated errors is designed. Through the online calculation, the estimated detent force is injected to the control system in a feedforward way. To tune the proposed scheme properly, the convergence of the algorithm is analyzed by utilizing Lyapunov stability theory. Simulation studies are performed to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method, and experiments are provided to confirm the theoretical analysis and simulation results.
This paper presents a design procedure for tangentially magnetized variable flux machines that aims to reduce the machine inverter rating. The proposed design can achieve high torque density at low speeds, and high efficiency at an extended speed range, as armature d-axis current pulses are applied at high speeds to reduce the magnet flux. In order to regain the full torque capability when the motor slows down, a magnetizing current pulse has to be applied. The amplitude of the magnetizing current is usually larger than the machine rated current. Therefore, the machine may require an oversized inverter in order to be able to remagnetize the magnets. The impact of different machine design parameters on the magnetization current requirement is investigated in order to reduce the inverter cost. The proposed machine design procedure is validated by experimental measurements on a variable flux machine prototype.
Metabolic network reconstructions define metabolic information within a target organism and can therefore be used to address incomplete metabolic information. In the present study we used a computational approach to identify human metabolites whose metabolism is incomplete on the basis of their detection in humans but exclusion from the human metabolic network reconstruction RECON 1. Candidate solutions, composed of metabolic reactions capable of explaining the metabolism of these compounds, were then identified computationally from a global biochemical reaction database. Solutions were characterized with respect to how metabolites were incorporated into RECON 1 and their biological relevance. Through detailed case studies we show that biologically plausible non-intuitive hypotheses regarding the metabolism of these compounds can be proposed in a semi-automated manner, in an approach that is similar to de novo network reconstruction. We subsequently experimentally validated one of the proposed hypotheses and report that C9orf103, previously identified as a candidate tumour suppressor gene, encodes a functional human gluconokinase. The results of the present study demonstrate how semi-automatic gap filling can be used to refine and extend metabolic reconstructions, thereby increasing their biological scope. Furthermore, we illustrate how incomplete human metabolic knowledge can be coupled with gene annotation in order to prioritize and confirm gene functions.
The RV-M I Movernaster from Mitsubishi Electric is an excellent educational robot for students as they learn to program automated tasks and simulate manufacturing processes. Because it was publicly introduced in 1991, the RV-MI utilizes the DOS-based OBASIC computer code as the primary interface language with the robotic drive unit. Today's students, however, often face great frustration when they work with the unfamiliar OBASIC language and the even more unfamiliar DOS operating system. To address these shortcomings, the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department at Miami University introduced MATLAB as an alternative Window-based interface language to better reflect the current educational experience of students and to increase the functionality of the RV-MI robotic arms. MATLAB successfully overcomes the limitations of the OBASIC/DOS environment and augments the capability of the RV-M I. Examples of the extended capability include the use of graphical user interfaces to facilitate student interaction with the robotic arm and the ability to move the robot along contoured paths. With MATLAB, instructors can develop projects that enhance the student experience with the RV-MI and give them greater insight into robotic applications. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Research indicates that affect influences whether people focus on categorical or behavioral information during impression formation. One explanation is that affect confers its value on whatever cognitive inclinations are most accessible in a given situation. Three studies tested this malleable mood effects hypothesis, predicting that happy moods should maintain and unhappy moods should inhibit situationally dominant thinking styles. Participants completed an impression formation task that included categorical and behavioral information. Consistent with the proposed hypothesis, no fixed relation between mood and processing emerged. Whether happy moods led to judgments reflecting category-level or behavior-level information depended on whether participants were led to focus on the their immediate psychological state (i.e., current affective experience; Studies 1 and 2) or physical environment (i.e., an unexpected odor; Study 3). Consistent with research on socially situated cognition, these results demonstrate that the same affective state can trigger entirely different thinking styles depending on the context.
Background: Biologicals directed against tumour necrosis factor (TNF) have proven their efficacy in the treatment of spondyloarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. We present a radiolabelling method for certolizumab pegol (CZP), a commercially available humanized Fab'-fragment directed against TNF. A biodistribution and dosimetry study was conducted. Tc-S-HYNIC CZP was synthesized. The in vitro TNF neutralizing activity was tested by exposing L929s-cells to various concentrations 99mTc-S-HYNIC CZP and measuring TNF-induced cytotoxicity. For biodistribution and dosimetry, WB images and blood and urine sampling were performed up to 24 h pi. Cumulative activities were estimated using mono-exponential fitting, and organ doses were estimated using OLINDA/EXM. The effective dose was calculated using the International Commission on Radiological Protection 103 recommendations. The uptake of the tracer in the peripheral joints was assessed visually and semiquantitatively. Results: In vitro tests showed blocking of TNF cytotoxicity by the Tc-99m-S-HYNIC CZP formulation comparable to the effect obtained with the unlabelled CZP with or without the HYNIC linker. We analysed eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis. The highest mean absorbed organ doses were recorded for kidneys, spleen, and liver: 56 (SD 7), 34 (SD 6), and 33 (SD 7) mu Gy/MBq. The effective dose was 6.1 (SD 0.9) mSv for a mean injected activity of 690 (SD 35) MBq. The urinary excretion was 15.1% (SD 8.1) of the IA at 22.5 h. Blood analysis yielded a distribution half-life of 1.2 h (SD 1.5) and an elimination half-life of 26.9 h (SD 2.7). Visual analysis of the scans revealed marked tracer accumulation in the clinically affected peripheral joints. In addition, there was a statistically significant higher uptake of the tracer in the swollen joints (median uptake ratio compared to background of 3.3 in rheumatoid arthritis and 2.4 in peripheral spondyloarthritis) compared to clinically negative joints (respectively 1.3 and 1.6). Conclusions: We present a radiolabelling technique for CZP, a Fab'-fragment directed against TNF and currently used as a therapeutic agent in rheumatology. An effective dose of 6.1 mSv (SD 0.9) was estimated. We confirmed the uptake of this new radiopharmaceutical in clinically affected peripheral joints.
Engineered T cells are currently in clinical trials to treat patients with cancer, solid organ transplants, and autoimmune diseases. However, the field is still in its infancy. The design, and manufacturing, of T cell therapies is not standardized and is performed mostly in academic settings by competing groups. Reliable methods to define dose and pharmacokinetics of T cell therapies need to be developed. As of mid-2016, there are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved T cell therapeutics on the market, and FDA regulations are only slowly adapting to the new technologies. Further development of engineered T cell therapies requires advances in immunology, synthetic biology, manufacturing processes, and government regulation. In this review, we outline some of these challenges and discuss the contributions that pathologists can make to this emerging field.
The existence of a local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) specific to the hematopoietic bone marrow (BM) microenvironment had been proposed two decades ago. Most of the RAS molecules including ACE, ACE2, AGT, AGTR1, AGTR2, AKR1C4, AKR1D1, ANPEP, ATP6AP2, CMA1, CPA3, CTSA, CTSD, CTSG, CYP11A1, CYP11B1, CYP11B2, CYP17A1, CYP21A2, DPP3, EGFR, ENPEP, GPER, HSD11B1, HSD11B2, IGF2R, KLK1, LNPEP, MAS1, MME, NR3C1, NR3C2, PREP, REN, RNPEP, and THOP1 are locally present in the BM microenvironment. Local BM RAS peptides control the hematopoietic niche, myelopoiesis, erythropoiesis, thrombopoiesis and the development of other cellular lineages. Local BM RAS is important in hematopoietic stem cell biology and microenvironment. Angiotensin II regulates the proliferation, differentiation, and engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells. Activation of Mas receptor or ACE2 promotes proliferation of CD34+ cells. BM contains a progenitor that expresses renin throughout development. Angiotensin II attenuates the migration and proliferation of CD34+ Cells and promotes the adhesion of both MNCs and CD34+ cells. Renin cells in hematopoietic organs are precursor B cells. The renin cell requires RBP-J to differentiate. Mutant renin-expressing hematopoietic precursors can cause leukemia. Deletion of RBP-J in the renin-expressing progenitors enriches the precursor B-cell gene programme. Mutant cells undergo a neoplastic transformation, and mice develop a highly penetrant B-cell leukemia with multi-organ infiltration and early death. Many biological conditions during the development and function of blood cells are mediated by RAS, such as apoptosis, cellular proliferation, intracellular signaling, mobilization, angiogenesis, and fibrosis. The aim of this paper is to review recent developments regarding the actions of local BM RAS in the genesis of leukemia and other malignancies molecules.
Risk analysis of security threats in computer networks is one of the most challenging fields in network management. Security risk analysis is usually done by security experts. Although they utilize analysis tools such as scanners and analyzers, the need for expert is still inevitable. To reduce the need of security expertise for network administrator, yet performing security risk management, this paper proposes UML models to represent expert's security information. We propose a UML class diagram which is built up of necessary classes for security analysis of networks. These classes are the building blocks needed for estimation of probability and effects of security threats. This model is created once and represents the security information needed for analysis. To analyze any network, the needed objects should be instantiated from the provided classes. These objects form the security model of the network with all the threats and their risks specified in. To instantiate the objects of network security model, its information is needed. This information is usually available in documents of a network or is obtainable via automated scanners. We show the applicability of the proposed model on a test network. As the result, the security model of the network which contains its security threats and also their risks are obtained.
BackgroundResearch has led to improvements in the effectiveness of interventions for substance use disorders (SUD), but for the most part progress has been modest, particularly with regard to longer-term outcomes. Moreover, most individuals with SUD do not seek out treatment. Argument/analysisThis paper presents two recommendations on how to improve treatment engagement and long-term outcomes for those with SUD. First, treatments should go beyond a focus on reducing or eliminating substance use to target greater access to and more time spent in experiences that will be enjoyable or otherwise rewarding to clients. Secondly, there must be sufficient incentives in the environment to justify the effort needed to sustain long-term abstinence for individuals who often have limited access to such incentives. ConclusionsTo increase rates of long-term recovery from substance misuse, treatments should link clients to reinforcers that will make continued abstinence more appealing. This work needs to extend beyond interventions focused on the individual or family to include the local community and national policy in an effort to incentivize longer-term recoveries more strongly.
In this paper, we explore the different minimal solutions for egomotion estimation of a camera based on homography knowing the gravity vector between calibrated images. These solutions depend on the prior knowledge about the reference plane used by the homography. We then demonstrate that the number of matched points can vary from two to three and that a direct closed-form solution or a Grobner basis based solution can be derived according to this plane. Many experimental results on synthetic and real sequences in indoor and outdoor environments show the efficiency and the robustness of our approach compared to standard methods.
This paper provides the fundamentals of integrated motor-drive system design knowledge which could be used as a basis to change the existing machine design approach from being a separate machine design tool to a more advanced engineering package. Various user's preferences including motor performances at transient, rated and flux weakening operations along with the inverter quality are studied by means of a competent co-simulation process which utilizes FEM, MATIAB and SIMULINK packages to build the framework based on which magnetic, electric and electronic devices and quantities are modeled, simulated and post processed. A case study of an interior permanent magnet motor connected to a field oriented controlled drive is investigated and the design process concepts are developed by means of a comprehensive statistical analysis. The initial goal is to reduce the search space of the optimal region. It is shown that incorporating the inverter effects into the design process changes the idea of an optimum motor design and not only the design parameters but also the expectations from motor performance have to be revised. In fact, an integrated motor drive system design process regarding the best motor operations in the transient, rated and flux weakening modes is targeted as the ultimate goal. A set of practical solutions are proposed to fulfill any motor operations requirement while keeping the inverter efficiency at the highest possible level.
Identifying flow processes in multi-aquifer flow systems is a considerable challenge, especially if substantial abstraction occurs. The Rajshahi Barind groundwater flow system in Bangladesh provides an example of the manner in which flow processes can change with time. At some locations there has been a decrease with time in groundwater heads and also in the magnitude of the seasonal fluctuations. This report describes the important stages in a detailed field and modelling study at a specific location in this groundwater flow system. To understand more about the changing conditions, piezometers were constructed in 2015 at different depths but the same location; water levels in these piezometers indicate the formation of an additional water table. Conceptual models are described which show how conditions have changed between the years 2000 and 2015. Following the formation of the additional water table, the aquifer system is conceptualised as two units. A pumping test is described with data collected during both the pumping and recovery phases. Pumping test data for the Lower Unit are analysed using a computational model with estimates of the aquifer parameters; the model also provided estimates of the quantity of water moving from the ground surface, through the Upper Unit, to provide an input to the Lower Unit. The reasons for the substantial changes in the groundwater heads are identified; monitoring of the recently formed additional water table provides a means of testing whether over-abstraction is occurring.
The costs of current genotyping methods limit their application to personalized therapy. The authors describe an alternative approach for the detection of single-point-polymorphisms using recombinant polymerase amplification as an allele-specific technique. The use of short and chemically modified primers and locked nucleic acids allowed for a selective isothermal amplification of wild-type or mutant variants at 37 A degrees C within 40 min. An amplification chip platform containing 100 wells was manufactured with a 3D printer and using thermoplastic polylactic acid. The platform reduces reagent consumption and allows parallelization. As a proof of concept, the method was applied to the genotyping of four SNPs that are related to the treatment of tobacco addiction. The target polymorphisms included rs4680 (COMT gene), rs1799971 (OPRM1 gene), rs1800497 (ANKK1 gene), and rs16969968 (CHRNA5 gene). The genotype populations can be well discriminated.
Chronic neuroinflammation is thought to potentiate medial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy and memory decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has become increasingly important to find novel immunological biomarkers of neuroinflammation or other processes that can track AD development and progression. Our study explored which pro- or anti-inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers best predicted AD neuropathology over 24 months. Using Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative data (N = 285), CSF inflammatory biomarkers from mass spectrometry and multiplex panels were screened using step-wise regression, followed up with 50%/50% model retests for validation. Neuronal Pentraxin 2 (NPTX2) and Chitinase-3-like-protein-1 (C3LP1), biomarkers of glutamatergic synaptic plasticity and microglial activation respectively, were the only consistently significant biomarkers selected. Once these biomarlcers were selected, linear mixed models were used to analyze their baseline and longitudinal associations with bilateral MTL volume, memory decline, global cognition, and established AD biomarkers including CSF amyloid and tau. Higher baseline NPTX2 levels corresponded to less MTL atrophy [R-2 = 0.287, p < 0.001] and substantially less memory decline [R-2 = 0.560, p < 0.001] by month 24. Conversely, higher C3LP1 modestly predicted more MTL atrophy [R-2 = 0.083, p < 0.001], yet did not significantly track memory decline over time. In conclusion, NPTX2 is a novel pro -inflammatory cytokine that predicts AD-related outcomes better than any immunological biomarker to date, substantially accounting for brain atrophy and especially memory decline. C3LP1 as the microglial biomarker, by contrast, performed modestly and did not predict longitudinal memory decline. This research may advance the current understanding of AD etiopathogenesis, while expanding early diagnostic techniques through the use of novel pro -inflammatory biomarkers, such as NPTX2. Future studies should also see if NPTX2 causally affects MTL morphometry and memory performance. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Treatment for children with clinically aggressive, high-risk neuroblastoma remains challenging. Less than 50% of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma will survive long-term with current therapies, and survivors are at risk for serious treatment-related late toxicities. Here, we review new and evolving treatments that may ultimately improve outcome for children with high-risk neuroblastoma with decreased potential for late adverse events.Areas covered: New strategies for treating high-risk neuroblastoma are reviewed including: radiotherapy, targeted cytotoxics, biologics, immunotherapy, and molecularly targeted agents. Recently completed and ongoing neuroblastoma clinical trials testing these novel treatments are highlighted. In addition, we discuss ongoing clinical trials designed to evaluate precision medicine approaches that target actionable somatic mutations and oncogenic cellular pathways.Expert opinion: Advances in genomic medicine and molecular biology have led to the development of early phase studies testing biologically rational therapies targeting aberrantly activated cellular pathways. Because many of these drugs have a wider therapeutic index than standard chemotherapeutic agents, these treatments may be more effective and less toxic than current strategies. However, to effectively integrate these targeted strategies, robust predictive biomarkers must be developed that will identify patients who will benefit from these approaches and rapidly match treatments to patients at diagnosis.
Recent studies indicate that transient memory errors (soft errors) have become a relevant source of system failures. This paper presents a generic software-based fault-tolerance mechanism that transparently recovers from memory errors in object-oriented program data structures. The main benefits are the flexibility to choose from an extensible toolbox of easily pluggable error detection and correction schemes, such as Hamming and CRC codes. This is achieved by a combination of aspect-oriented and generative programming techniques. Furthermore, we present a wait-free synchronization algorithm for error detection in data structures that are used concurrently by multiple threads of control. We give a formal correctness proof and show the excellent scalability of our approach in a multiprocessor environment. In a case study, we present our experiences with selectively hardening the eCos operating system and its benchmark suite. We explore the trade-off between resiliency and performance by choosing only the most vulnerable data structures for error recovery. Thereby, the total number of system failures, manifesting as silent data corruptions and crashes, is reduced by 69.14 percent at a negligible runtime overhead of 0.36 percent.
Change points are abrupt variations in time series data. Such abrupt changes may represent transitions that occur between states. Detection of change points is useful in modelling and prediction of time series and is found in application areas such as medical condition monitoring, climate change detection, speech and image analysis, and human activity analysis. This survey article enumerates, categorizes, and compares many of the methods that have been proposed to detect change points in time series. The methods examined include both supervised and unsupervised algorithms that have been introduced and evaluated. We introduce several criteria to compare the algorithms. Finally, we present some grand challenges for the community to consider.
Purpose: Much like sexism, ageism is a multifaceted prejudice; it involves benevolent and hostile attitudes toward older adults. There are many scales designed to measure hostile ageism, yet none dedicated to measuring benevolent ageism. In the current studies, we developed and validated a 13-item measure: the Ambivalent Ageism Scale (AAS). Design and Methods: We employed four stages of scale development and validation. In Stage 1, we created 41 benevolent ageist items adapted from existing ageism measures. In Stages 2 and 3, we further refined the pool of items through additional testing and factor analysis and retained nine items loading strongly on two factors related to benevolent ageism: cognitive assistance/physical protection and unwanted help. In order to enable researchers to contrast benevolent and hostile attitudes, we then added four hostile ageist items. In Stage 4, we assessed the test-retest reliability of the 13-item scale. Results: The AAS had good test-retest reliability (r =.80) and good internal consistency (alpha = .91). As predicted, the benevolent and hostile ageism subscales differentially predicted attitudes toward older adults: higher scores on the hostile subscale predicted lower competence and warmth ratings, whereas higher scores on the benevolent subscale predicted higher warmth perceptions. Implications: The AAS is a useful tool for researchers to assess hostile and benevolent ageism. This measure serves as an important first step in designing interventions to reduce the harmful effects of both hostile and benevolent ageism.
This paper summarizes the main characteristics of and differences between the influence of mechanical and laser cutting on the magnetic properties of electrical steel sheets. Quasi-static measurements as well as measurements at higher frequencies (50 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz) are reported on three different ferromagnetic materials commonly used in electric machines. Subsequently, a method to consider the effect of cutting in the modeling process is reviewed. This method is based on measurement data obtained by the standardized, wide-spread and fast-to-perform Epstein frame method, eliminates the need of knowing the exact deterioration depth and is applicable to different cutting techniques.
In 2007, a study carried out by Hamlin, Wynn, and Bloom provided concrete evidence that infants as young as 6 months were capable of social evaluation, displaying an early preference for agents performing a prosocial behavior. Since then the development of early social abilities to judge other's behavior has been the topic of a growing body of research. The present paper reviews studies conducted between 2007 and 2015 that experimentally examined infants' social evaluation abilities by testing their preference for agents acting prosocially. We performed a detailed analysis of a corpus of 16 research studies including 59 experimental results, scrutinizing their methods and findings, and identifying their convergent and divergent features. This analysis showed that a preference for agents who perform prosocial behaviors (as opposed to antisocial or neutral) was present in a majority of infants, but some conflicting results have also been reported. The rich interpretation that infants are endowed with mature socio-moral evaluation abilities has not really been sufficiently discussed. In order to deepen this debate, we assessed other studies that have further explored infants' understanding of the social value of behaviors. Many of the studies provide evidence that young infants manage to identify and prefer the prosocial agent by taking into account the context and agents' mental states beyond the behavior itself. In this study two specific areas are assessed: (1) studies that have previously explored social evaluation abilities beyond a basic preference for prosocial behavior and (2) current theories which attempt to explain how and why such preferences could exist so early in infancy. Future directions for research on social evaluation abilities in infants are also discussed as well as a review of the literature. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Curriculum integration and multidisciplinary studies have become key issues in improving engineering education. This paper presents the design and implementation of laboratory material, based on active and collaborative learning, which integrates three traditionally independent courses in the industrial engineering curriculum: Manufacturing Engineering, Ergonomics, and Simulation, utilizing an experiential assembly system. This collaborative project incorporates a team-based learn-by-doing approach to the theoretical knowledge in these subject areas. These components are implemented in a dynamic and reconfigurable environment in which the students are given the opportunity to contrast their design against the working reality. The preliminary results of this project are discussed along with the impact on the curriculum.
Osmoprimed seeds increased the abundance of pGlcT proteins. Osmopriming together with heat shock increased the abundance of RBR proteins. NAD-ME increased when osmoprimed and heat-shocked seeds were imbibed at low temperature. The purpose of seed priming is to accelerate and synchronize germination and to increase stress tolerance through the activation of genes that function when seeds are exposed to unfavorable conditions. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the effects of osmopriming and heat-shock treatment on the germination of Eucalyptus urophylla seeds at different temperatures and (2) to analyze the seed proteome to elucidate the mechanisms of tolerance to thermal stress in primed and unprimed seeds. Untreated (control) seeds, osmoprimed (polyethylene glycol for 3 days) and redried seeds, and osmoprimed/heat-shocked (45 A degrees C for 1 h) and redried seeds were germinated for 14 days under constant light (2 x 40 W fluorescent daylight tubes) at 9, 16, 22, 24, or 31 A degrees C. Osmopriming, with or without heat-shock, led to a significant increase in the germination percentage at 9 A degrees C and induced the highest germination speed index at 31 A degrees C. According to proteomic analysis, osmoprimed seeds exhibited an increased abundance of several proteins, including sugar transport proteins, and this may have influenced the metabolic rate during germination. Osmopriming together with heat-shock treatment increased the abundance of proteins associated with regulation of the cell cycle suggesting that such proteins may be involved in protection against thermal stress. The Krebs cycle enzyme was increased when osmoprimed and heat-shocked seeds were imbibed at low temperature, possibly signifying increased synthesis of adenosine triphosphate. The results reported herein serve to explain some of the benefits of osmopriming/heat-shock treatment.
The quest of developing realistic facial animation is ever-growing. The emergence of sophisticated algorithms, new graphical user interfaces, laser scans and advanced 3D tools imparted further impetus towards the rapid advancement of complex virtual human facialmodel. Face-to-face communication being the most natural way of human interaction, the facial animation systems became more attractive in the information technology era for sundry applications. The production of computer-animated movies using synthetic actors are still challenging issues. Proposed facial expression carries the signature of happiness, sadness, angry or cheerful, etc. The mood of a particular person in the midst of a large group can immediately be identified via very subtle changes in facial expressions. Facial expressions being very complex as well as important nonverbal communication channel are tricky to synthesize realistically using computer graphics. Computer synthesis of practical facial expressions must deal with the geometric representation of the human face and the control of the facial animation. We developed a new approach by integrating blend shape interpolation (BSI) and facial action coding system(FACS) to create a realistic and expressive computer facial animation design. The BSI is used to generate the natural face while the FACS is employed to reflect the exact facial muscle movements for four basic natural emotional expressions such as angry, happy, sad and fear with high fidelity. The results in perceiving the realistic facial expression for virtual human emotions based on facial skin color and texture may contribute towards the development of virtual reality and game environment of computer aided graphics animation systems. Graphical Abstract Realistic facial expressions of avatar. [GRAPHICS]
The use of composite materials in industry applications is constantly growing. However, fault detection and prediction on these materials is not as simple as in traditional materials. Thus, the development of a methodology for fault detection is strictly necessary to ensure the integrity of a structure. This paper proposes a pattern recognition system that implements an Artificial Neural Network classifier to detect and classify damage on composite beams. Classifiers were trained and tested using acoustic signals emitted by healthy and damaged beams after an impulsive load was applied to them. Singular Value Decomposition was used to filter the acoustic signals whereas Principal Component Analysis was implemented to extract relevant information from the filtered signal. The extracted information was used as inputs to the classifier that was able to predict four different levels of damage on glass fiber and carbon fiber beams with more than 97% accuracy. These results suggest that the proposed methodology can be further investigated to develop a robust system for automatic detection of damage on composite structures. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has drawn the attention of computer vision research community over the last few years. Several attempts have been made to adapt pattern recognition approaches to specific neuroimaging data such as Structural MRI (sMRI) for early AD diagnosis. One strategy is to boost the discrimination power of such approaches by integrating complementary imaging modalities in a single learning framework. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a new and promising modality giving complementary information to the anatomical MRI. However, including relevant DTI information from such modality is a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose to extract local image-derived biomarkers from DTI and sMRI to construct multimodal AD signatures. To assess the relevance of such modalities as well as to optimize the classifier, we integrate complementary information using a Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) framework for AD subjects recognition. To evaluate our method, we perform experiments on a subset from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Both T1-weighted MRI and Mean Diffusivity (MD) maps from the DTI modality of 45 AD patients, 52 Normal Control (NC) and 58 Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) subjects have been used. The obtained results indicate that our multimodal approach yields significant improvement in accuracy over using each single modality independently. The classification accuracies obtained by the proposed method are 90.2%, 79.42% and 76.63% for respectively AD vs. NC, MCI vs. NC and AD vs. MCI binary classification problems. For the MCI classification problem, the proposed fusion framework leads to an average increase about at least 9% for the accuracy, 5% for the specificity and 15% for the sensitivity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
For humans, fish consumption is the major source of mercury (Hg) exposure. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Hg in the peacock blenny Salaria pavo, a species of the family of blennies that was used as indicator of water pollution. We performed a sublethal contamination of fish to 66 mu g HgCl2 L-1 during 1, 4, 10 and 15 days but Hg concentration measured in the experimental water was much lower than the nominal concentration. Hg was also measured in both gill and liver tissues and displays a significant increase of its concentration in gills after 1 day of exposure followed by a decrease throughout the experiment. In the liver, Hg burden reaches its maximum at day 4 followed also by a decrease. Partial-length cDNA of mt1, mt2, gpx, cat, mnsod and cuznsod was characterized. Results from mRNA expression levels displayed an up-regulation of mt1, gpx and mnsod while a downregulation of cat was observed. Several biomarker activities were determined in gills and liver and exposure to Hg affected all antioxidant enzymes in gills. EROD, GST and GPx significantly decreased, while CAT levels increased from 4 days of Hg exposure. No lipid peroxidation (LPO) induction was observed in gills of exposed fish. Regarding the liver, the activity of all enzymes increased significantly from the beginning of the experiment. LPO induction was, however, induced after 4 days only. The histological analysis also performed indicated that fish exhibited several damages in gills and liver, mainly in relation to circulatory disturbances in the gills and regressive changes in the liver. All biomarkers assessed showed that peacock blennies are able to detoxify Hg from gill and liver tissues by developing various defense mechanisms.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory condition that most commonly affects the axial skeleton. The most common cardiac manifestation in patients with AS is the aortic root and valve disease, followed by conduction and rhythm abnormalities, decreased coronary flow reserve, myocardial infarction, and diastolic dysfunction. However, the presence of systolic dysfunction has been less described in patients with AS. Herein we present two cases of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in patients with AS. These patients were noted to have an improvement of their ejection fraction following treatment of AS. Clinical and echocardiographic improvement on anti-inflammatory treatment might be a clue to the inflammatory nature of this myocardial problem, and further investigations to study the issue is required.
The physical and physiological changes in elderly people make difficult to perform and control basic house works; people lose progressively autonomy and independence. Moreover, the probability of total or partial abandonment is increasingly high, limiting an adequate monitoring of the person's health, which could prevent many of the problems typical of aging by generating alerts and/r appropriate actions. In order to mitigate these problems, in this work a solution based on ambience intelligence is proposed; the idea is to provide assistance to elderly people in everyday actions. The system includes the automation of home processes, and the use of the information gathered during the daily activities of the person in order to operate a multi agent system. The central intelligent component, utilizes the registered information, to make decisions oriented to the wellbeing of the person based on the analysis of behavior patterns.
To develop pH responsive hydrogels, N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) has been grafted on to chitosan by free radical initiation method using azoisobutrylnitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. The optimum grafting conditions were worked out for grafting of NIPAM onto 1 g of chitosan by varying one reaction parameter at a time and keeping all other parameters constant. Binary monomers were grafted for five different concentrations of comonomers acrylic acid (AAc), acrylamide (AAm) and acrylonitrile (AN) at optimum grafting conditions evaluated for GMA alone onto chitosan. The grafted copolymers were analyzed by FTIR, TGA/DTA, XRD and SEM. The swelling studies for the grafted samples were performed at various pH in order to explore their end use in sorption of Cr(VI), Fe(II) and Cu(II) ions from water system. Metal ion sorption behaviour of polymeric samples was studied as function of time, temperature and pH. Various metal ion sorption parameters such as percent uptake (P-u), partition coefficient (K-d) and retention capacity (Q(r)) were discussed. Chitosan grafted with binary monomers NIPAM-co-AAc and NIPAM-co-AAm showed best results for sorption of all three metal ions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
With the network scales rapidly and new network applications emerge frequently, bandwidth supply for today's Internet could not catch up with the rapid increasing requirements. Unfortunately, irrational using of network sources makes things worse. Actual network deploys single-next-hop optimization paths for data transmission, but such best effort model leads to the imbalance use of network resources and usually leads to local congestion. On the other hand Multi-path routing can use the aggregation bandwidth of multi paths efficiently and improve the robustness of network, security, load balancing and quality of service. As a result, multi-path has attracted much attention in the routing and switching research fields and many important ideas and solutions have been proposed. This paper focuses on implementing the parallel transmission of multi next-hop data, balancing the network traffic and reducing the congestion. It aimed at exploring the key technologies of the multi-path communication network, which could provide a feasible academic support for subsequent applications of multi-path communication networking. It proposed a novel multi-path algorithm based on node potential in the network. And the algorithm can fully use of the network link resource and effectively balance network link resource utilization.
The weak separation between user-and kernel-space in modern operating systems facilitates several forms of privilege escalation. This paper provides a survey of protection techniques, both cutting-edge and time-tested, used to prevent common privilege escalation attacks. The techniques are compared against each other in terms of their effectiveness, their performance impact, the complexity of their implementation, and their impact on diversification techniques such as ASLR. Overall the literature provides a litany of disjoint techniques, each of which trades some performance cost for effectiveness against a particular isolated threat. No single technique was found to effectively mitigate all known and potential attack vectors with reasonable performance cost overhead.
Background The peach non-specific lipid transfer protein, Pru p 3, is the primary sensitizer in fruits and responsible for severe reactions in the Mediterranean area. Peach allergy is frequently associated with other allergies such as peanut. Therefore, it is important to assess how specific immunotherapy to Pru p 3 could affect both peach and peanut tolerance. Objectives To evaluate peach and peanut desensitization and immunological changes after 1 year of Pru p 3 sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in patients with systemic allergic reactions to peach and/or peanut. Methods Forty-eight peach allergic patients, 36 treated with SLIT and 12 non-treated, were monitored for 12 months. Treated patients were subclassified as peanut allergic (Group A), sensitized (Group B) or tolerant (Group C). SLIT effect was evaluated by skin prick test (SPT) reactivity and food challenge. Immunological changes were evaluated by monitoring sIgE and sIgG4 levels and basophil reactivity. Results After 1 year of SLIT, the weal area in SPT significantly decreased and a significant increase in peach threshold in treated patients was observed (P < 0.001). Patients in Group A showed a significant decrease in peanut SPT weal area and an increase in peanut threshold (P < 0.001). Immunological changes were observed in treated patients only, with a significant decrease in sIgE and a parallel increase in sIgG4, sIgG4/sIgE and basophil reactivity for both Pru p 3 and Ara h 9. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance After 1 year, Pru p 3 SLIT induces both desensitization and immunological changes not only for peach but also for other food allergens relevant in the induction of severe reactions such as peanut.
This study investigated the human gastrointestinal uptake (f(1)) and subsequent whole-body retention of orally administered inorganic radioactive cobalt. Of eight adult volunteers aged between 24 and 68 years, seven were given solutions of Co-57 (T-1/2 = 272 d) containing a stable cobalt carrier, and six were given carrier-free Co-58 (T-1/2 = 71 d). The administered activities ranged between 25 and 103 kBq. The observed mean A, based on 6 days accumulated urinary excretion sampling and whole-body counting, was 0.028 +/- 0.0048 for carrier-free Co-58, and 0.016 +/- 0.0021 for carrier-associated Co-57. These values were in reasonable agreement with values reported from previous studies involving a single intake of inorganic cobalt. The time pattern of the total retention (including residual cobalt in the GI tract) included a short-term component with a biological half-time of 0.71 +/- 0.03 d (average +/- 1 standard error of the mean for the two nuclides), an intermediate component with a mean half-time of 32 +/- 8.5 d, and a long-term component (observed in two volunteers) with half-times ranging from 80 to 720 d for the two isotopes. From the present data we conclude that for the short-lived Co-57 and Co-58, more than 95% of the internal absorbed dose was delivered within 7 days following oral intake; with a high individual variation influenced by the transit time of the unabsorbed cobalt through the gastro-intestinal tract. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The European Spallation Source (ESS), currently under construction in Lund, Sweden, will be the world's most powerful source of neutrons. The goal is to deliver neutrons to users in 2019 and reach full power sometime in the middle of the following decade. One of the key issues for ESS is to develop a strategy, along with the proper innovative tools, to efficiently communicate and smoothly collaborate between divisions and groups inside ESS and with its outside collaborators, so-called In-Kind Contributors (IKC). Technical requirements related to the scope to be delivered are among the most important technical information to be exchanged. This information exchange is facilitated by using a commercial requirements management database that is accessible through the web. The physics multidisciplinary needs are linked with the engineering integration through LinacLego, which is a tool that provides all updated lattice data for the accelerator. The lattice information is then gathered and utilized to control the physical positioning of the mechanical engineering components for the accelerator. The precision for this operation is provided by a dedicated mechanical design skeleton in a Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment. Finally, the realization of all these steps is supervised in detail and continuously evaluated. In this way the required ESS machine design can be delivered, both in terms of the engineering and the physics aspects.
We evaluated the underlying causes of differences between latent heat (LE) fluxes measured with two enclosed-path eddy covariance systems (EC) at two measurement levels and independent estimates in an open oak-tree grass savannah over almost one year. Estimates of LE of the well-stablished underlying grass by replicated weighable tension-controlled lysimiters (LELye) provided a robust baseline against which to compare EC LE measured at 1.6 m above ground (LE_1.6). Similarly and at the ecosystem level, LE up-scaled using independent measurements (LEupscaled =sap flow+ lysimeter) was benchmarked with 3 EC-derived LE estimates: 1) LE measured by a EC tower at 15 m above ground (LE-1.6), 2) LE-1.5 adjusted to close the energy balance by using the Bowen ratio method (LEBowen = (Rn - G)/(1 + beta)) and 3) LE derived from the energy budget residual (LEresidual = R-n - G - H-1.5). The sensitivity of EC LE to the correction method applied (i.e. corrections for low-pass filtering effects on water vapor fluctuations and the so-called angle-of-attack correction) and its impact on the energy balance closure (EBC) were also evaluated. Comparison of EC LE between 1.6 m- and 15m-heights showed that grass dominated annual evaporative loss from 69 to 87% depending upon the spectral correction method applied. Results revealed substantial underestimation of LE-1.6 (up to 35%) compared to LELys, which mostly occurred during the growing season. However those differences were remarkably lower when likening LE-1.5 versus LEupscaled (14%) suggesting that the dampening of the water vapor fluctuations due to low-pass filtering effects is more pronounced near the surface. Interestingly, a diagnostic evaluation of the errors with a random forest model showed that differences followed quite structured patterns and were associated with certain atmospheric conditions: turbulent mixing deficiencies and or stable atmospheric stratification. In addition, the model showed that differences increased with increasing relative humidity (RH) and soil moisture. Our results revealed that the degree of EBC is highly sensitive to the flux correction method applied, in particular when correcting for flow distortion effects. Typically, turbulent fluxes fell below the measured available energy (slope 0.92) but the slope switched abruptly when the angle-of-attack correction was applied (slope 1.07). Consistent with the EBC, independent LE estimates matched well with LEBowen and the EBC gap decreased when LEupscaIed was used (slope 0.96). The use of independent estimates of LE together with machine learning methods are proposed as a powerful means to diagnose the complexity behind LE errors and give insights into the energy imbalance problem. In addition to inherent randomness of EC LE data, accounting for uncertainties associated with the appropriateness of the correction method applied is highly recommended. 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an experimental characterization of the arc fault phenomenon, for both AC and DC systems, focusing the attention on series arcs. The aim of the study is to find some current characteristics, which can be significant for the purpose of arc detection. The arcing current signal is analyzed in both time and frequency domain. For the AC analysis, the test conditions are chosen in accordance with the unwanted tripping tests and the operation inhibition tests reported in the Standard UL 1699. The DC study is carried out on the currents waveforms acquired during some on-field tests on a PV plant. Starting from the study herein presented, the authors have found that is it possible to suitably detect the arc faults, in both AC and DC systems, by using an high resolution low frequency harmonic current analysis.
Vitamins are essential micronutrients whose deficiencies are widespread particularly among the underprivileged. They play key roles in human metabolism. Prevention of vitamin deficits is best solved by ingesting a wide range of good quality foods, or through use of appropriately fortified foods. Vitamin supplementation is an option which must be used cautiously to minimize risks of toxicity and other adverse effects resulting from interactions with medications, health status, age, life style factors and complications emanating from genetic background. Ideally, clinical evaluation of a subject should precede judicious use of vitamin supplements.
Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk calculators developed for the general population have been shown to inaccurately predict CVD events in patients with inflammatory joint disease (IJD). European guidelines for CVD prevention recognize the presence of carotid plaques (CP) as a very high CVD risk factor, equivalent of coronary artery disease. Patients with IJD have a high prevalence of CP. We evaluated if CP resulted in reclassification of patients with IJD into a more appropriate CVD risk class and recommended lipid lowering treatment. Methods: CVD risk evaluation was performed in patients with IJD using SCORE and ACC/AHA risk calculators to predict CVD events. Results: Of the 335 IJD patients evaluated (including rheumatoid arthritis n = 201, ankylosing spondylitis n = 85 and psoriatic arthritis n = 49), 183 and 159 IJD patients had a calculated CVD risk by SCORE and ACC/AHA <5%, indicating no need of lipid lowering treatment (LLT). However, of patients with low to moderate risk calculated by SCORE and ACC/AHA, 67 (36.6%) and 48 (30.2%) had CP and should according to guidelines receive intensive LLT. For patients with high risk, in the LLT considered group, 54.9% and 58.1% were reclassified to correct treatment when adding information on the presence of CP. Our results reveal a considerable reclassification into correct CVD risk category when adding CP in female patients. Conclusion: The high frequency of asymptomatic atherosclerosis in patients with IJD has a notable impact on CVD risk stratification. Identification of CP will reclassify patients into recommended CVD preventive treatment group, which may be clinically important. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The tyrosine based electrochemical analysis of the Zn(II)- and Cu(II)-induced aggregation of A beta 42 - the amyloid-beta peptide implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis - and its isoforms with D7H and H6R familial mutations or the naturally occurring Ser-8 phosphorylation was carried out by square wave voltammetry on carbon screen printed electrodes. The electrooxidation peak current was directly compared with the size (determined by dynamic light scattering, DLS) of A beta 42 aggregates formed in the analyzed samples in the presence of Zn(II) or Cu(II) ions (Me(II)) and the amount of peptide in the 'soluble' (resistant to sedimentation upon application of centrifugal force) fraction. It was demonstrated that at substoichiometric Me(II) ion concentrations, the decrease of the electrooxidation current with the Me(II) ion concentration may be attributed to depletion of a peptide pool constituting the 'soluble' fraction. Above the stoichiometric Me(II) ion concentration, the contribution to the peak current from the large sedimentation-prone A beta 42 aggregates starts to progressively dominate. The relative values of the peak current can potentially serve as an estimate of the relative number of 'soluble' peptide in A beta 42 preparation. The application of direct electrochemistry to the Me(II)-induced aggregation of A beta 42 isoforms concurrently with DLS has allowed to reveal some specific features of the aggregation process, determined by the presence of mutations and the modification. The direct electrochemistry appears to present itself as a method complementary to methods for monitoring the Me(II)-induced A beta aggregation based on aggregate detection. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, the influence of magnetic material degradation on the optimal design parameters of electromagnetic devices is presented. The investigation is carried out by incorporating the mechanical stress in the constitutive laws of the magnetic material, i.e., single-valued B-H and iron loss characteristics, by means of a parametric magneto-mechanical model. Then, an optimization problem can be formulated for redesigning the electromagnetic device to reach the predefined target performance. As an application, a widely used electromagnetic device, a surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine, is studied. The presented results depict that the electromagnetic device can be easily redesigned by adapting the values of some flexible design parameters to compensate the effect of magnetic material degradation and to achieve the target performance. This paper can help the designers of electrical machines to improve the quality of the machine design.
Human parvovirus B19 (B19) is harmful during pregnancy since it can be vertically transmitted to the developing fetus. In addition, the anti-B19 antibodies induced by B19 infection are believed to have a cytopathic role in B19 transmission; however, knowledge regarding the effects of anti-B19 antibodies during pregnancy is limited. To investigate the possible roles of anti-B19 antibodies during pregnancy, the present study examined the effects of anti-B19-VP1 unique region (VP1u), anti-B19-VP2 and anti-B19-nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies on BeWo trophoblasts. Briefly, BeWo trophoblasts were incubated with purified IgG against B19-VP1u, B19-VP2 and B19-NS1. Subsequently, the expression of surface proteins and apoptotic molecules were assessed in BeWo trophoblasts using flow cytometry, ELISA and western blotting. The expression levels of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G were significantly increased on BeWo trophoblasts treated with rabbit anti-B19-VP1u IgG, and were unchanged in those treated with rabbit anti-B19-NS1 and anti-B19-VP2 IgG, as compared with the control group. Furthermore, the expression levels of globoside (P blood group antigen) and cluster of differentiation (CD) 29 (beta 1 integrin) were significantly increased in BeWo trophoblasts treated with rabbit anti-B19-NS1 and anti-B19-VP2 IgG, whereas only CD29 was also significantly increased in cells treated with anti-B19-VP1u IgG. In addition, the number of cells at sub-G(1) phase; caspase-3 activity; and the expression of intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic molecules, including Fas-associated death domain protein, activated caspase-8, activated caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein, cytochrome c, apoptotic peptidase activating factor 1 and activated caspase-9, were significantly increased in BeWo trophoblasts treated with anti-B19-VP1u and anti-B19-NS1 IgG. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that antibodies against B19 may have a crucial role in pathological processes during pregnancy. These findings may help to elucidate the mechanisms underlying transmission of the B19 virus during pregnancy.
Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are a group of rare genetic diseases resulting in the impairment of one or more functions of the human immune system. Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is one of the most prevalent PIDs, yet despite extensive genetic analysis, most patients do not have a monogenetic diagnosis. This has led to the theory that CVID must be a polygenetic condition. An alternative theory to a monogenetic or polygenetic underlying cause of CVID is that it is epigenetic phenomena that are causal in the majority of CVID patients. I will briefly discuss epigenetic regulation in B-cell biology and development, current examples of epigenetic diseases causing CVID-like primary antibody deficiencies, and how these observations may guide future investigation into the role of epigenetics in CVID.
Sustainable or green building practices have been adopted by most higher education institutions for their new campus buildings, major renovations and daily operations. This paper provides a synthesis of opinions and existing practices related to water conservation in institutional green buildings of member institutions of APPA (formerly the Association of Physical Plant Administrators). A specific focus regarding waterless urinals and their operation was attempted. A web-based survey and follow-up one-to-one interviews were utilized to extract information and data from these industry professionals. The survey evaluated the institution's use of policy related to sustainable building practices and focused on their approaches to water conservation. Regional preferences are provided and barriers to some water conservation practices and approaches have been identified. Operational challenges are evident, particularly as they relate to waterless urinals. It is clear that higher education institutions are engaging in water conservation practices across Canada and the United States. This work contributes to a foundation for future research and analysis related to best-management practices for water conservation in the higher education sector.
Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder in which psychiatric symptoms are classified into two general subgroups positive and negative symptoms. Current antipsychotic drugs are effective for treating positive symptoms, whereas negative symptoms are less responsive. Since the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to mediate social behavior in animals and humans, it has been used as an experimental therapeutic for treating schizophrenia and in particular negative symptoms which includes social deficits. Through eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three meta-analyses, evidence for an effect of intranasal OT (IN-OT) has been inconsistent. We therefore conducted an updated meta-analysis that offers several advantages when compared to those done previously: (1) We used a multivariate analysis which allows for comparisons between symptoms and accounts for correlations between symptoms; (2) We controlled for baseline scores; (3) We used a fully Bayesian framework that allows for assessment of evidence in favor of the null hypothesis using Bayes factors; and (4) We addressed inconsistencies in the primary studies and previous meta-analyses. Eight RCTs (n = 238) were included in the present study and we found that oxytocin did not improve any aspect of symptomology in schizophrenic patients and there was moderate evidence in favor of the null (no effect of oxytocin) for negative symptoms. Multivariate comparisons between symptom types revealed that oxytocin was not especially beneficial for treating negative symptoms. The effect size estimates were not moderated, publication bias was absent, and our estimates were robust to sensitivity analyses. These results suggest that IN-OT is not an effective therapeutic for schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study was accomplished using 26 locations in the major ecological zones of Nigeria as well as different classes of residential buildings and different levels of water consumption. For each location, house dwelling class and level of water consumption, a water balance approach was used to assess the proportion of water demand that can be met by rainwater. Results obtained indicate that for all the locations in the rainforest zone and some parts in the guinea savanna zone, over eighty percent (80 %) of water demand of those living in bungalows can be met by rainwater. Rainwater harvesting potential was found to be a power function of rainfall coefficient of variation, with coefficient alpha and exponent beta. High correlation coefficients (0.881 a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand R (2) a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand 1) were obtained between coefficient alpha and roof area per capita. Also, high correlation coefficients (0.847 a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand R (2) a parts per thousand currency signaEuro parts per thousand 0.992) were obtained between exponent beta and roof area per capita.
Repeat surgery for restenosis after initial nonsyndromic craniosynostosis intervention is sometimes needed. Calvarial vault reconstruction through a healed surgical bed adds a level of intraoperative complexity and may benefit from preoperative and intraoperative definitions of biometric and aesthetic norms. Computer-assisted design and manufacturing using 3D imaging allows the precise formulation of operative plans in anticipation of surgical intervention. 3D printing turns virtual plans into anatomical replicas, templates, or customized implants by using a variety of materials. The authors present a technical note illustrating the use of this technology: a repeat calvarial vault reconstruction that was planned and executed using computer-assisted design and 3D printed intraoperative guides.
Contrary to the known benefits fromamoderate dietary reduction during adulthood on life span and health, maternal nutrient reduction during pregnancy is supposed to affect the developing brain, probably resulting in impaired brain structure and function throughout life. Decreased fetal nutrition delivery is widespread in both developing and developed countries, caused by poverty and natural disasters, but also due to maternal dieting, teenage pregnancy, pregnancy in women over 35 years of age, placental insufficiency, or multiples. Compromised development of fetal cerebral structures was already shown in our baboon model of moderate maternal nutrient reduction. The present study was designed to follow-up and evaluate the effects of moderate maternal nutrient reduction on individual brain aging in the baboon during young adulthood (4-7 years; human equivalent 14-24 years), applying a novel, non-invasive neuroimaging aging biomarker. The study reveals premature brain aging of + 2.7 years (p < 0.01) in the female baboon exposed to fetal undernutrition. The effects of moderate maternal nutrient reduction on individual brain aging occurred in the absence of fetal growth restriction or marked maternal weight reduction at birth, which stresses the significance of early nutritional conditions in life-long developmental programming. This non-invasive MRI biomarker allows further longitudinal in vivo tracking of individual brain aging trajectories to assess the life-long effects of developmental and environmental influences in programming paradigms, aiding preventive and curative treatments on cerebral atrophy in experimental animal models and humans.
Programmable Network like SDN allows administrators to program network infrastructure according to service demand and custom-defined policies. Network policies are interpreted by the centralized controller to define actions and rules to process the network traffic on devices that belong to a single domain. However, actual networks are multi-domain where several domains are interconnected. Then, because SDN controllers in a domain cannot define nor monitor policies in other domains, network administrators cannot ensure that their own policies, origin policies are being enforced by the domains not directly managed by them (i.e. foreign domains). We present AudiT, a multi-domain SDN policy verifier that identifies whether an origin policy is enforced by foreign domains. AudiT comprises (1) model for network topology, policies, and flows, (2) an Audit protocol to gather information about the actions performed by network devices to carry the flows of interest, and (3) a validation engine that takes that information and detects security policy violations, and (4) an extension to the OpenFlow protocol to enable external auditing. This paper presents our approach and illustrates its application using an example considering multiple SDN networks.
Mycobacteria grow and divide asymmetrically, creating variability in growth pole age, growth properties, and antibiotic susceptibilities. Here, we investigate the importance of growth pole age and other growth properties in determining the spectrum of responses of Mycobacterium smegmatis to challenge with rifampicin. We used a combination of live-cell microscopy and modeling to prospectively identify subpopulations with altered rifampicin susceptibility. We found two subpopulations that had increased susceptibility. At the initiation of treatment, susceptible cells were either small and at early stages of the cell cycle, or large and in later stages of their cell cycle. In contrast to this temporal window of susceptibility, tolerance was associated with factors inherited at division: long birth length and mature growth poles. Thus, rifampicin response is complex and due to a combination of differences established from both asymmetric division and the timing of treatment relative to cell birth.
Manufacturing engineering is supposed to provide analyses related to various aspects of manufacturing and production in order to maximise technological, energy, and economic gains in relevant production processes. The present paper gives a recapitulation of several publications by present authors, presenting considerations of the energy efficiency of biofuel production. The energy efficiency is understood as the ratio of energy obtained from biofuels produced basing on crops from a particular area to the energy required to satisfy needs of all subsidiary processes assuring correct functioning of the production system, starting from operations aimed to obtain agricultural crops, and ending with the conversion of the crops onto biofuels. Derived by the present authors, the mathematical model of energy efficiency of biofuel production is extended to a more general form, and applied to the analysis of quantitative relations between energy efficiency of sc. energy plantations, and further elements of biofuel production system converting harvested biomass into biofuel. Investigations are aimed towards the determination of the role of biomass as a source of energy.
Mechanical properties of needled nonwoven geotextile materials depend on their structural solutions, as well as on the technological conditions in the production. Thereby, structural and physical-mechanical properties of fibers, surface mass of geotextiles and the needling process parameters have the most important function. The paper presents the results of the analysis of mechanical characteristics of nonwoven geotextile material made of virgin PES fibers and recycled PES fibers with surface masses of 150 g/m2, 200 g/m2, 250 g/m2, 300 g/m2 and 500 g/m2. Also, the elastic limits of deformation of needled geotextile materials are determined, which define permitted loads that geotextile materials can be subjected to, without disturbing their structure. Force intensities and work under these forces are determined at elastic limits of the geotextiles and their relationship with appropriate breaking parameters is presented. The proposed method and the results can be used to predict the permitted loads, which a non-woven geotextile material may be subjected to during exploitation.
The results of numerical simulation of the sodium coolant flow in the fuel assembly with partial blocking of its cross section are presented. A comparison of the results obtained with experimental data confirmed the operability of the AP Mod module intended for simulating heat exchange processes in cores and heat exchange equipment of promising nuclear reactors.
Polymer brush is a soft material unit tethered covalently on the surface of scaffolds. It can induce functional and structural modification of a substrate's properties. Such surface coating approach has attracted special attentions in the fields of stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine due to facile fabrication, usability of various polymers, extracellular matrix (ECM)-like structural features, and in vivo stability. Here, we summarized polymer brush-based grafting approaches comparing self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based coating method, in addition to physico-chemical characterization techniques for surfaces such as wettability, stiffness/ elasticity, roughness, and chemical composition that can affect cell adhesion, differentiation, and proliferation. We also reviewed recent advancements in cell biological applications of polymer brushes by focusing on stem cell differentiation and 3D supports/implants for tissue formation. Understanding cell behaviors on polymer brushes in the scale of nanometer length can contribute to systematic understandings of cellular responses at the interface of polymers and scaffolds and their simultaneous effects on cell behaviors for promising platform designs.
Large tumours of the mandible need immediate reconstruction to provide continuity of the mandible, satisfactory function of the jaw, as well as an acceptable aesthetic outcome. In this prospective study we described the immediate reconstruction of the mandible using computer aided design and 15 rapid prototyped patient specific implants (PSI) in 14 patients suffering from benign or malignant tumours demanding continuity resection of the mandible. The scaffold PSI was filled with beta-tricalcium phosphate granules and autologous bone. Microvascular reconstruction was additionally needed in 12/15 cases. The clinical follow up was on average 33 months and the radiological follow up was on average 21 months. In nine cases the healing was uneventful. One patient lost the microvascular flap during the first postoperative week and one patient needed a revision due to perforation of the mucosa at the site of the PSI. Four patients had a major complication due to perforation of the mucosa leading to infection, which resulted in the total or partial removal of the PSI. The PSI seems to be a promising solution for treatment of patients demanding large reconstruction after mandible resection. The benefits are decreased rate of donor site complications and more accurate and prompt surgical procedure. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.
The power of local borders to resist and prevent transnational mobilities in education has received little attention in comparative education. In this article we explore the motif of border immunology' with reference to new history, a mobile paradigm of history teaching, and Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot history textbooks as types of local borders that have been impermeable to new history. The overall argument we explore here is that ethnonational forms of collective identities that are imagined to be constitutive of textbook borders account for immunity to mobility and change.
Microbial habitation in the human body begins immediately after birth, and adults are colonized by microbes outnumbering human cells by a factor of ten. Especially, intestinal track is a living space for diverse microbial species that have coevolved symbiotically. A principal function of the gut microbiota is to protect the host from harmful bacteria and to provide benefits for the host through several mechanisms, including direct competition for limited nutrients, training of host immune systems to recognize specifically foreign materials and conversion of otherwise indigestible food into energy and absorbable nutrients. Therefore, gut dysbiosis, a bacterial imbalance state, is related with the pathogenesis of various host diseases including autoimmune diseases. In the current review, we highlight the importance of gut microbiota in the normal health and autoimmune diseases. We also discuss regulation of gut dysbiosis and future direction for potential clinical applications, including treatment and diagnostics of autoimmune diseases.
In our previous studies we have shown that seeing another person live with a direct vs. averted gaze results in enhanced skin conductance responses (SCRs) indicating autonomic arousal and in greater relative left-sided frontal activity in the electroencephalography (asymmetry in the alpha-band power), associated with approach motivation. In our studies, however, the stimulus persons had a neutral expression. In real-life social interaction, eye contact is often associated with a smile, which is another signal of the sender's approach-related motivation. A smile could, therefore, enhance the affective-motivational responses to eye contact. In the present study, we investigated whether the facial expression (neutral vs. social smile) would modulate autonomic arousal and frontal EEG alpha-band asymmetry to seeing a direct vs. an averted gaze in faces presented live through a liquid crystal (LC) shutter. The results showed that the SCRs were greater for the direct than the averted gaze and that the effect of gaze direction was more pronounced for a smiling than a neutral face. However, in this study, gaze direction and facial expression did not affect the frontal EEG asymmetry, although, for gaze direction, we found a marginally significant correlation between the degree of an overall bias for asymmetric frontal activity and the degree to which direct gaze elicited stronger left-sided frontal activity than did averted gaze.
Past research has shown that exposure to aggression is associated with more negative responses toward others and also toward the self. In the present research, we argue that aggressive priming not only influences the content of thoughts (primary cognition) but also can influence how people think about their thoughts (secondary or meta-cognition) under some circumstances. Two experiments showed that the effect of the direction of thoughts (positive vs. negative) on self-evaluation was greater after receiving an aggressive (vs. control) priming induction. Among participants listing negative self-attributes, those in the aggressive (vs. control) prime condition reported more negative self-attitudes. However, among participants listing positive traits, the aggressive (vs. neutral) primes led to more favorable self-attitudes, reversing traditional effects of aggression on self-evaluation.
Melanson EL, Ingebrigtsen JP, Bergouignan A, Ohkawara K, Kohrt WM, Lighton JRB. A new approach for flow-through respirometry measurements in humans. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 298: R1571-R1579, 2010. First published March 3, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00055.2010.-Indirect whole room calorimetry is commonly used in studies of human metabolism. These calorimeters can be configured as either push or pull systems. A major obstacle to accurately calculating gas exchange rates in a pull system is that the excurrent flow rate is increased above the incurrent flow rate, because the organism produces water vapor, which also dilutes the concentrations of respiratory gasses in the excurrent sample. A common approach to this problem is to dry the excurrent gasses prior to measurement, but if drying is incomplete, large errors in the calculated oxygen consumption will result. The other major potential source of error is fluctuations in the concentration of O(2) and CO(2) in the incurrent airstream. We describe a novel approach to measuring gas exchange using a pull-type whole room indirect calorimeter. Relative humidity and temperature of the incurrent and excurrent airstreams are measured continuously using high-precision, relative humidity and temperature sensors, permitting accurate measurement of water vapor pressure. The excurrent flow rates are then adjusted to eliminate the flow contribution from water vapor, and respiratory gas concentrations are adjusted to eliminate the effect of water vapor dilution. In addition, a novel switching approach is used that permits constant, uninterrupted measurement of the excurrent airstream while allowing frequent measurements of the incurrent airstream. To demonstrate the accuracy of this approach, we present the results of validation trials compared with our existing system and metabolic carts, as well as the results of standard propane combustion tests.
This account of the beginnings and later applications of the use of nuclear magnetic resonance for noninvasive medical diagnosis was presented at a Symposium held in Oxford, UK, during September 13-15, 2000 to mark the centenary of the birth of Hans Krebs, on August 25, 1900.
This research explored the variation of bond-breaking effect with variety of bond-breaking layers installed between the concrete pavement surface slabs and the lean concrete (LCB) base, in order to offer parameters for structure analysis of pavements with bond-breaking layers and to optimize the selection of bond-breaking layers for the practical road engineering projects. This research tested the bonding stresses and the frictional forces at slab-base interface of pavements under different bond-breaking condition, as well as the anti-erosion performance of base course, via the anti-erosion tests in laboratory and the field tests for mechanical performance of slab-base interface treated with different bond-breaking layers in some highway projects of Hunan and Guangdong Provinces. Bond-breaking media applied in this research include the 3cm asphalt concrete (AC), 1 cm emulsified asphalt slurry seal (EASS), geotextile and emulsion wax curing agent (EWCA). The findings from the field tests for bonding stress between slab-base layers indicated that EASS and EWCA did better than geotextile in reducing friction or bonding stress between slab-base layers. And the findings from the anti-erosion tests indicated that: under the same conditions, specimens covered with geotextile did far better than specimens brushed with asphalt on the surface in resisting erosion, and specimens covered with geotextile or brushed with asphalt did far better than no bond-breaking layer in resisting erosion. The mechanical performance of slab-base interface with different bond-breaking media derived from this research offers scientific reference to pavement design and construction control in the practical road engineering projects.
An engineering design process consists of a sequence of creative, innovative and routine design tasks. Routine tasks address well-known procedures and add limited value to the technical improvement of a product. even if they may require a lot of work. In order to focus designers work on added value tasks, the present work aims at supporting a routine task with a Design Archetype (DA). A DA captures, stores and reuses the design knowledge with a tool embedded in a CAD software. The DA algorithms drive the designer in selecting the most effective design concept to deliver the project requirements and then embody the concept through configuring a CAD model. Finally, a case study on the definition of a DA tool for gear design demonstrates the effectiveness of the DA tool.
A piezoelectric single pole single throw (SPST) switch has been developed, since there is no satisfying commercial low resistance, high current DC contact RF switch available which is operable at 4.2 K and in a high magnetic field of at least 0.5 T. This piezoelectric switch shows very low insertion loss of less than -0.1 dB within a bandwidth of 100 MHz when operated at 4.2 K. The switch could also be used to mechanically disconnect and connect electrodes or electrical circuits from one another. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The explosion of data grows at a rate of roughly five trillion bits a second, giving rise to greater urgency in conceptualizing the infosphere (Floridi 2011) and understanding its implications for knowledge and public policy. Philosophers of technology and information technologists alike who wrestle with ontological and epistemological questions of digital information tend to emphasize, as Floridi does, information as our new ecosystem and human beings as interconnected informational organisms, inforgs at home in ambient intelligence. But the linguistic and conceptual representations of Big Data-the massive volume of both structured and unstructured data-and the real world practice of data-mining for patterns and meaningful interpretation of evidence reveal tension and ambiguity in the bold promise of data analytics. This paper explores the tacit epistemology of the rhetoric and representation of Big Data and suggests a richer account of its ambiguities and the paradox of its real world materiality. We argue that Big Data should be recognized as manifesting multiple and conflicting trajectories that reflect human intentionality and particular patterns of power and authority. Such patterns require attentive exploration and moral appraisal if we are to resist simplistic informationist ontologies of Big Data, and the subtle forms of control in the political ecology of Big Data that undermine its promise as transformational knowledge.
Objective. Assess 5-year golimumab (GOL) safety in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods. Subcutaneous (SC) GOL (50 mg or 100 mg every 4 weeks) was evaluated in phase 3 trials of patients with active RA, PsA, and AS. Safety data through Year 5 were pooled across 3 RA trials [1 each evaluating methotrexate (MTX)-naive, MTX-experienced, and antitumor necrosis factor (TNF)-experienced patients], 1 PsA trial, and 1 AS trial. Data summarized was derived from both placebo-controlled (through weeks 24-52) and uncontrolled study periods. For adverse events (AE) of special interest [serious infections (SI), opportunistic infections (OI), deaths, malignancies, demyelination, tuberculosis (TB)], incidence per 100 patient-years (pt-yrs) was determined. Results. Across all trials, 639 patients received placebo and 2228 received SC GOL 50 mg only (n = 671), 50 mg and 100 mg (n = 765), or 100 mg only (n = 792). Safety followup extended for averages of 28.5 and 203.2 weeks for placebo and GOL, respectively. Respective placebo and GOL AE incidence/100 pt-yrs (95% CI) through Year 5 were 4.86 (2.83-7.78) and 3.29 (2.92-3.69) for SI, 0.00 (0.00-0.86) and 0.23 (0.14-0.35) for TB, 0.00 (0.00-0.86) and 0.22 (0.13-0.34) for OI, 0.00 (0.00-0.86) and 0.10 (0.05-0.20) for lymphoma, 0.00 (0.00-0.86) and 0.08 (0.03-0.17) for demyelination, and 0.29 (0.01-1.59) and 0.41 (0.29-0.57) for death. TB, OI, lymphoma, and demyelination incidence appeared to be higher among patients receiving GOL 100 mg only. Conclusion. SC GOL safety through Year 5 remained consistent with previously reported Year 3 findings and with other TNF antagonists. Numerically higher incidences of TB, OI, lymphoma, and demyelination were observed with 100 mg versus 50 mg. Clinicaltrials. gov identifiers: NCT00264537 (GO-BEFORE), NCT00264550 (GO-FORWARD), NCT00299546 (GO-AFTER), NCT00265096 (GO-REVEAL), and NCT00265083 (GO-RAISE).
Nowadays, complex hybrid systems, whose behavior combines continuous and discrete event dynamics, are applied in many engineering applications, from electrical circuits to aircraft systems. However, diagnosis of hybrid system, which is composed of components involving multiple modes, demands unfordable computation due to high complexity and its exponential behaviors caused by combinational explosion. The complexity of the hybrid system makes the online fault diagnosis challenging. Typical traditional model-based approaches for hybrid systems make use of global, monolithic system models for online analysis, which result in a loss of scalability and efficiency. To tackle this problem, this paper proposes a Possible Conflicts (PC) based distributed diagnosis method which 1) models hybrid system with Concurrent Probabilistic Hybrid Automation (cPHA) guaranteeing the robustness; 2) decomposes original system by PC so as to diagnose subsystems concurrently; and 3) employs Focused Hybrid Estimation (FHE) to estimate the most likely hybrid states (including discrete mode and continuous state) for each subsystem. In conclusion, we combine PC, cPHA and FHE in our distributed diagnosis method, which is an accurate and timely online fault diagnosis approach for state estimation of hybrid system. Finally, by using the method in a three-tank system, the advantage of such method is verified by the experimental results.
Food allergy can result in life-threatening anaphylaxis. Atopic dermatitis (AD) causes intense itching and impaired quality of life. Previous studies have shown that patients with classical early-onset AD tend to develop food allergy and that 10% of adults with food allergies have concomitant AD. However, it is not known whether late-onset food allergy leads to adult-onset AD, a recently recognized disease entity. Using an initial cohort of one-million subjects, this study retrospectively followed-up 2851 patients with food allergy (age >12 years) for 14 years and compared them with 11,404 matched controls. While 2.8% (81) of the 2851 food allergy patients developed AD, only 2.0% (227) of the 11,404 controls developed AD. Multivariate regression analysis showed that food allergy patients were more likely to develop AD (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.49, p= 3 and < 3 food allergy claims, respectively) of developing adult-onset AD. This is the first study to describe the chronological and dose-dependent associations between food allergy in adolescence and the development of adult-onset AD.
Gut microbiota-produced short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) play an important role in the normal human metabolism and physiology. Although the gradients of SCFAs from the large intestine, where they are largely produced, to the peripheral blood as well as the main routes of SOFA metabolism by different organs are known well for the healthy state, there is a paucity of information regarding how these are affected in disease. In particular, how the inflammation caused by infection or autoinflammatory disease affect the concentration of SCFAs in the peripheral venous blood. In this work, we revealed that diseases caused either by infectious agents (two Salmonella enterica serovars, S. Enteritidis, and S. Typhimurium) or by the exacerbation of an autoinflammatory disease, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), both result in a significantly elevated systemic concentration of SCFAs. In the case of salmonellosis the concentration of SCFAs in peripheral blood was significantly and consistently higher, from 5- to 20-fold, compared to control. In the case of FMF, however, a significant increase of SCFAs in the peripheral venous blood was detected only in the acute phase of the disease, with a lesser impact in remission. It seems counterintuitive that the dysbiotic conditions, with a reduced number of gut microorganisms, produce such an effect. This phenomenon, however, must be appraised within the context of how the inflammatory diseases affect the normal physiology. We discuss a number of factors that may contribute to the leak and persistence of gut-produced SCFAs into the systemic circulation in infectious and autoinflammatory diseases.
Background: Gesture is often used as a modality to promote recovery of communication in aphasia, both as a compensation device and as a facilitator of language recovery. To date, there has been no systematic analysis of the quantitative effects of gesture training for aphasia in light of the quality of the research methods undertaken.Aims: The aim of the current project was to systematically evaluate the scientific evidence for the effects of symbolic and nonsymbolic gestural training in post-stroke aphasia. Specifically, we aimed to evaluate the effects of gesture treatment for measures of verbal and nonverbal communication.Methods & Procedures: A systematic search of the literature was conducted between August and September 2012, on relevant electronic databases utilising 16 search terms. Study characteristics were summarised. The methodological quality of the studies was independently rated by the first two authors, using the PEDro and SCED scales for group and single-case experimental designs (SCEDs), respectively. Effect sizes were calculated where none was provided by the original manuscript.Results: This initial search yielded 177 citations, of which 23 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria: 4 group designs and 19 SCEDs. Of the 134 individuals who participated in these studies, the majority had nonfluent moderatesevere chronic aphasia. Methodological rigour was weak in the group studies, but 11 of the 19 SCEDs achieved high-quality scores of 8 or higher out of 10. Gesture training alone had nonsignificant effects on verbal production. Combined gesture+verbal training showed positive effects for verbal production of nouns and verbs for over 50% of participants, with a mixed pattern of generalisation to untrained words and contexts. Gesture+verbal training paradigms had limited advantage over those with verbal training alone. Significant gains in gesture production were reported for trained gestures only following gesture training protocols. Few studies have examined generalisation to discourse. The effects of training with nonsymbolic gestures were less conclusive.Conclusions: Comparative effect sizes support a benefit of combined gesture+verbal treatment for noun and verb production for some individuals with aphasia. Whether that benefit surpasses the results of verbal treatment alone is not well established. Symbolic gestures can be acquired by individuals with aphasia, although their communicative effectiveness requires further study. Overall, gestural training in aphasia, while generating some positive outcomes, is relatively understudied. There is a need for large-scale investigation taking into account the considerable participant variability.
In recent years, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as important parts of deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved great successes in the field of computer vision. However, Convolution always takes much computation time in the DNNs. In order to improve the efficiency of CNNs, many solutions focusing on training algorithms and parallelism strategies have been proposed. In this paper, different from traditional GPU-based algorithms, a novel algorithm based on look-up table is proposed to speed up the CNNs with small filters by applying GPU. By transforming complex matrix multiplications operations in the convolution computation to some table-based simple summation operations, the overhead of convolution computation can be considerably reduced. The process of creating a table and looking up values in the table is very appropriate for parallelization on a GPU. The experimental results show that the proposed approach can improve the speed of convolution computation by 20-30 %, compared with existing state-of-the-art works with less accuracy loss.
Research on the interaction of emotional expressions with social category cues in face processing has focused on whether specific emotions are associated with single-category identities, thus overlooking the influence of intersectional identities. Instead, we examined how quickly people categorise intersectional targets by their race, gender, or emotional expression. In Experiment 1, participants categorised Black and White faces displaying angry, happy, or neutral expressions by either race or gender. Emotion influenced responses to men versus women only when gender was made salient by the task. Similarly, emotion influenced responses to Black versus White targets only when participants categorised by race. In Experiment 2, participants categorised faces by emotion so that neither category was more salient. As predicted, responses to Black women differed from those to both Black men and White women. Thus, examining race and gender separately is insufficient to understanding how emotion and social category cues are processed.
Clouds play a pivotal role in the surface energy budget of the polar regions. Here we use two largely independent data sets of cloud and surface downwelling radiation observations derived by satellite remote sensing (2007-2010) to evaluate simulated clouds and radiation over both polar ice sheets and oceans in state-of-the-art atmospheric reanalyses (ERA-Interim and Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications-2) and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate model ensemble. First, we show that, compared to Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System-Energy Balanced and Filled, CloudSat-CALIPSO better represents cloud liquid and ice water path over high latitudes, owing to its recent explicit determination of cloud phase that will be part of its new R05 release. The reanalyses and climate models disagree widely on the amount of cloud liquid and ice in the polar regions. Compared to the observations, we find significant but inconsistent biases in the model simulations of cloud liquid and ice water, as well as in the downwelling radiation components. The CMIP5 models display a wide range of cloud characteristics of the polar regions, especially with regard to cloud liquid water, limiting the representativeness of the multimodel mean. A few CMIP5 models (CNRM, GISS, GFDL, and IPSL_CM5b) clearly outperform the others, which enhances credibility in their projected future cloud and radiation changes over high latitudes. Given the rapid changes in polar regions and global feedbacks involved, future climate model developments should target improved representation of polar clouds. To that end, remote sensing observations are crucial, in spite of large remaining observational uncertainties, which is evidenced by the substantial differences between the two data sets.
Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) show substantial overlap. It has been suggested that a subgroup of patients might contribute to these overlapping features. This study employed a cross diagnostic cluster analysis to identify subgroups of individuals with shared cognitive phenotypes. Method: 143 participants (68 BD patients, 39 SZ patients and 36 healthy controls) completed a battery of EEG and performance assessments on perception, nonsocial cognition and social cognition. A K-means cluster analysis was conducted with all participants across diagnostic groups. Clinical symptoms, functional capacity, and functional outcome were assessed in patients. Results: A two-cluster solution across 3 groups was the most stable. One cluster including 44 BD patients, 31 controls and 5 SZ patients showed better cognition (High cluster) than the other cluster with 24 BD patients, 35 SZ patients and 5 controls (Low cluster). BD patients in the High cluster performed better than BD patients in the Low cluster across cognitive domains. Within each cluster, participants with different clinical diagnoses showed different profiles across cognitive domains. Limitations: All patients are in the chronic phase and out of mood episode at the time of assessment and most of the assessment were behavioral measures. Conclusions: This study identified two clusters with shared cognitive phenotype profiles that were not proxies for clinical diagnoses. The finding of better social cognitive performance of BD patients than SZ patients in the Lowe cluster suggest that relatively preserved social cognition may be important to identify disease process distinct to each disorder.
Recently, the existence of significant deposits of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in human adults was confirmed. Its role in the human metabolism is unknown but could be substantial. Inhibition of the cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) by the antagonist rimonabant (SR141716) has been associated with activation of BAT thermogenesis and weight loss in mice and rats. The role of peripheral and central CB1 in the activation of BAT merits further investigation. Here we developed a technique for quantifying CB1 in BAT by PET. Methods: Sections of rat BAT and subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) were stained for CB1 and uncoupling protein-1 by immunofluorescent staining. Binding of the radiolabeled CB1 antagonist (3R,5R)-5-(3-(18F-fluoromethoxy)phenyl)-3-(((R)-1-phenylethyl)amino)-1-(4-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one (F-18-FMPEP-d(2)) to BAT in vivo and in vitro was assessed in rats by PET. Results: We found that CB1 was colocalized with uncoupling protein-1 in BAT, but neither protein was found in WAT. Binding of the radiotracer to BAT sections (but not WAT) in vitro was high and displaceable by pretreatment with rimonabant. Deposits of BAT in rats had significant binding of F-18-FMPEP-d(2) in vivo, indicating high CB1 density. WAT deposits were negative for F-18-FMPEP-d(2), consistent with the immunofluorescent staining and in vitro results. Conclusion: F-18-FMPEP-d(2) PET can quantify CB1 density noninvasively in vivo in rats. CB1 is therefore a promising surrogate imaging biomarker for assessing the presence of BAT deposits as well as for elucidating the mechanism of CB1 antagonist-mediated weight loss.
Within the policies of an organization is possible find not to allow users to access sites on the Internet for entertainment or social networks, as in the case of production organizations and educational therefore a firewall that is used implemented certain rules based on the policies of the organization, blocks access to certain defined sites while you let others free. However there is no implemented rules to block proxies of Avoidance Internet Censorship Systems, the user can access easily to those proxies. The addresses of these proxies change very frequently, so it is almost impossible to block them all, and eventually they appear more. The proposed solution is to create a firewall that uses dynamic rules, these rules are created for the dynamic firewall. A test of each address to a destination is made and if it finds that the destination is a proxy of one of these evation systems; the firewall creates a new rule and automatically implemented. In this way the user will lose access to the proxy.
In this study, the quality of collected rainwater at a downtown middle school rainwater harvesting system was evaluated by measuring physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), NO3, PO4, total coliform (TC), Escherichia coli, and some metals (i. e. Al, Cr, Mn, Zn, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) (2003 to 2011). The analysis shows that the collected water quality is poor, which presents health, considering the high levels of bacterial indicators detected in the harvested rainwater, i. e. turbidity (1.4 to 15.5 NTU) and E. coli (120 and 35 CFU/100 mL in 2007 to 210 and 60 CFU/100 mL in 2011). This study shows that deteriorating water quality was caused by system contamination due to the absence of maintenance. Based on this study, proper operation and maintenance are generally the simplest and most effective ways of maintaining water quality.
Soil evaporation is an important component of the water balance in irrigated agriculture. Mulching can be an effective technique to reduce soil evaporation but its efficiency depends on meteorological conditions and the characteristics of the different mulching materials The objective of this work was to assess the effectiveness of inorganic (plastic) and organic (pine bark, vine pruning residues, geotextile, and wheat straw) mulching materials for soil evaporation control during the energy-limited and falling-rate evaporation stages. Soil evaporation rates (ER) were quantified through consecutive weighings of initially wet soils placed in trays in the laboratory and in microlysimeters in the field. ER depended on meteorological and experimental conditions, stage of evaporation and type of mulching material. In the falling-rate stage, ERs decreased linearly (p < 0.001) with decreases in GWC, and for long drying periods the ERs were low and similar among treatments, implying that soil mulching will be ineffective for soil evaporation control in low-frequency irrigation systems. In the energy-limited stage, all mulching materials decreased the ERs in relation to the bare soil, but the plastic, vine residues and pine bark materials had lower ERs than the rest of mulching materials. These materials will be therefore recommended for soil evaporation control in high-frequency irrigation systems where the soil surface remains wet most of the time. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The dynamic response of bearing under load and speed often determine the performance limitations of the machines and it is necessary to be able to predict bearing dynamic performance as an integral part of machine design analysis. In this paper, a mathematical model has been developed to investigate a nonlinear dynamic behavior of a rotor-bearing system due to localized defects of inner race and outer race. In the mathematical formulation, the contacts between rolling elements and inner/outer race is considered as nonlinear springs whose stiffness is obtaining using Hertz contact stress theory. Here nonlinear damping is also taken into consideration for cylindrical roller bearing. The governing equations of motion are formulated by using energy approach. Contact force and contact stiffness having nonlinearity and is calculated by using Newton-Raphson method for n-unknown nonlinear simultaneous equation. The new mark implicit integration technique is coupled with the Newton-Raphson method to solve the differential equations. A computer program is developed to simulate the defect on inner race and outer race and all the results are represented in the time and frequency domain. Equations of motions are solved by using Newmark-beta method for phase plot/Poincare map. The proposed mathematical model is also compared with experimental results having radial and axial load condition. From the results obtained from the predicted model for frequency spectrum and phase plot at various speeds, the mathematical modeling and experimental results are found quite similar.
Patients who did not receive preferred beta-lactam therapy due to reported beta-lactam allergy had an increased number of adverse events compared with patients without reported history of beta-lactam allergy.Methods.aEuro integral We conducted a trainee-led prospective cohort study to determine the burden and clinical impact of reported beta-lactam allergy on patients seen by infectious diseases consultation services at 3 academic hospitals. The primary outcome was a composite measure of readmission for the same infection, acute kidney injury, Clostridium difficile infection, or drug-related adverse reactions requiring discontinuation. Predictors of interest were history of beta-lactam allergy and receipt of preferred beta-lactam therapy. Results.aEuro integral Among 507 patients, 95 (19%) reported beta-lactam allergy; preferred therapy was a beta-lactam in 72 (76%). When beta-lactam therapy was preferred, 25 (35%) did not receive preferred therapy due to their report of allergy even though 13 (52%) reported non-severe prior reactions. After adjustment for confounders, patients who did not receive preferred beta-lactam therapy were at greater risk of adverse events (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-7.89) compared with those without reported allergy. In contrast, patients who received preferred beta-lactam therapy had a similar risk of adverse events compared with patients not reporting allergy (aOR, 1.33; 95% CI, .62-2.87). Conclusions.aEuro integral Avoidance of preferred beta-lactam therapy in patients who report allergy is associated with an increased risk of adverse events. Development of inpatient programs aimed at accurately identifying beta-lactam allergies to safely promote beta-lactam administration among these patients is warranted.
Background and aims: The ratio of the second and fourth fingers (2D:4D ratio) is a sexually dimorphic trait, with men tending to have lower values than women. This ratio has been related to prenatal testosterone concentrations and addictive behaviors including problematic video-gaming. We aimed to investigate the possible association between 2D: 4D ratios and Internet addiction and whether such a relationship would be independent of impulsivity. Methods: A total of 652 university students (369 women, 283 men), aged 17-27 years, were enrolled in the study. Problematic and pathological Internet use (PPIU) was assessed using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The participants also completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (version 11; BIS-11) and had their 2D: 4D ratios measured. Results: 2D: 4D ratios were not significantly different in women with PPIU and in those with adaptive Internet use (AIU). Men with PPIU exhibited lower 2D: 4D ratios on both hands when compared with those with AIU. Correlation analysis revealed that 2D: 4D ratios on both hands were negatively correlated with IAT scores among men, but not among women. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age, duration of weekly Internet use, impulsiveness, and 2D: 4D ratios on the right hand were independently associated with IAT scores among men, and impulsivity did not mediate the relationship between 2D: 4D ratios and PPIU. Conclusions: For men, 2D: 4D ratios on the right hand were inversely correlated with Internet addiction severity even after controlling for individual differences in impulsivity. These findings suggest that high prenatal testosterone levels may contribute to the occurrence of PPIU among men.
This paper proposes a new approach of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) controlled digital implementation of shunt active power filter (SAPF) under steady state and dynamic operations. Typical implementations of SAPF uses microprocessor and digital signal processor (DSP) but it limited for complex algorithm structure, absence of feedback loop delays and their cost can be exceed the benefit they bring. In this paper, the hardware resources of an FPGA are configured and implemented in order to overcome conventional microcontroller or digital signal processor implementations. This proposed FPGA digital implementation scheme has very less execution time and boosts the overall performance of the system. The FPGA controller integrates the entire control algorithm of an SAPF, including synchronous reference frame transformation, phase locked loop, low pass filter and inverter current controller etc. All these required algorithms are implemented with a single all-on chip FPGA module which provides freedom to reconfigure for any other applications. The entire algorithm is coded, processed and simulated using Xilinx 12.1 ISE suite to estimate the advantages of the proposed system. The coded algorithm is also defused on a single all-on-chip Xilinx Spartan 3A DSP-XC3SD1800 laboratory prototype and experimental results thus obtained match with simulated counterparts under the dynamic state and steady state operating conditions.
We report a case of rapidly evolving neurological disease in a patient with neuropathological lesions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), chronic subcortical vascular encephalopathy and meningothelial meningioma. The coexistence of severe multiple pathologies in a single patient strengthens the need to perform accurate clinical differential diagnoses in rapidly progressive dementias.
The abilities to stabilize the focus of attention, notice attention lapses, and return attention to an intended object following lapses are precursors for mindfulness. Individuals diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are deficient in the attentional and self-control skills that characterize mindfulness. The present study assessed the relationship between mindfulness and ADHD in young adults using the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), a computerized Go/No-Go task (the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA)), the World Health Organization Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS), a tool used as an adult ADHD screen, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). We recruited 151 adult volunteers (ages 18 to 40); 100 with confirmed ADHD diagnoses and 51 control participants. Overall, participants with prior diagnoses of ADHD scored lower on the MAAS than controls and ASRS scores were strongly negatively correlated MAAS scores. Attention performance index, response time, and response-time variability subscales of the TOVA were positively correlated with MAAS scores and negatively correlated with ASRS scores. Intrasubject response-time variability on the TOVA, a parameter associated with attention lapses, was also strongly negatively correlated with MAAS scores. Overall, participants' self-reported mindfulness, as measured by the MAAS, was strongly related to self-reports on a clinical measure of attention disorders, anxiety, depression, and multiple indices of concentration and mind wandering on a standardized Go/No-Go task, the TOVA.
People regularly take prosocial actions, making individual sacrifices for the greater good. Similarly, people generally avoid causing harm to others. These twin desires to do good and avoid harm often align, but sometimes they can diverge, creating situations of moral conflict. Here, we examined this moral conflict using a modified dictator game. Participants chose how much money to allocate away from a recipient who was designated as an orphan, creating a sense of harm. This money was then reallocated to either the participant or a charity. People were strongly prosocial: they allocated more money away from the orphan for charity than for themselves. Furthermore, people left more money with the orphan when the harm was framed as a means (taking) than as a side effect (splitting). As is predicted by dual-process theories of moral decision making, response times were longer with the take action and were positively correlated with the amount taken from the orphan. We concluded that just as people take positive actions for the greater good, they are similarly more willing to cause harm when it benefits others rather than themselves.
Rapid vehicle and powertrain development has become essential to for the design and implementation of vehicles that meet and exceed the fuel efficiency, cost, and performance targets expected by today's consumer while keeping pace with reduced development cycle and More frequent product releases. Recently, advances in large-scale additive manufacturing have provided the means to bridge hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experimentation and preproduction mule chassis evaluation. This paper details the accelerated development of a printed range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, by paralleling hardware-in-the-loop development of the powertrain with rapid chassis prototyping using big area additive manufacturing (BAAM). BAAM's ability to accelerate the mule vehicle development from computer-aided design to vehicle build is explored. The use of a hardware-in the-loop laboratory is described as it is applied to the design of a range-extended electric powertrain to be installed in a printed prototype vehicle. The integration of the powertrain and the opportunities and challenges it presents are described in this work. A comparison of offline simulation, HIL and chassis rolls results is presented to validate the development process. Chassis dynamometer results for battery electric and range extender operation are analyzed to show the benefits of the architecture. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.orgflicenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Satellite remote sensing platforms can collect measurements on a global scale within a few days, which provides an unprecedented opportunity to characterize and understand the spatio-temporal variability of environmental variables. Because of the additional challenges of making precise and accurate measurements from space, it is essential to validate satellite remote sensing datasets with highly precise and accurate ground-based measurements. The focus of this article is on two sets of measurements: Atmospheric column-averaged carbon dioxide (CO2) collected by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission in its target mode of operation; and ground-based data used for validation from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). The current statistical modeling of the relationship between the less-precise OCO-2 satellite data (17) and the more-precise TCCON ground -based data (X) assumes a linear regression and heteroscedattic measurement errors that reside in both the OCO-2 data and the TCCON data. To obtain consistent estimates of the regression coefficients, it is critical to determine the error variance of each datum in the regression. In this article, a rigorous statistical procedure is presented for obtaining these error variances through modeling the spatial and/or temporal dependence structure in the OCO-2 and TCCON datasets. Numerical results for analyzing data at the Lamont TCCON station and the corresponding OCO-2 target-mode data (orbit number 3590) illustrate our procedure.
Empathy is fundamental for interpersonal relationships, and therapy. There is some theoretical dissensus about its underlying process. This study investigated the lived experience of understanding another person through an innovative combination of qualitative methods. The design involved making video recordings of interpersonal interactions between pairs of volunteers. The recordings were then used for a same-day cued-recall interview. During the interview, both volunteers were asked to discuss their interaction experiences. Four in-depth case studies, involving eight participants, were conducted using this technique. The interviews were then subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The results illuminate the multi-dimensional characteristics of interpersonal understanding. Namely, understanding another person was experienced as a phenomenon with three main aspects to it: 1) intuitive; 2) shared/sympathetic; and 3) imaginative/ intellectual. Interestingly, shared/sympathetic and imaginative/intellectual understandings were more strongly connected with insights accessed via verbal communication, and with more self-based understandings. On the other hand, intuitive understandings were typically linked to the nonverbal communication domain, and with more other-based, intersubjective or pre-reflective forms of understanding. We argue that intuitive understandings have been under-represented in the empathy literature, and should be acknowledged as an important experiential component of this phenomenon, to be distinguished from intellectual and sympathetic understandings.
Light use efficiency (LUE) models offer an effective way for regional gross primary productivity (GPP) estimation. However, LUE is not easily determined at the landscape level due to its complexity and dependence on various environmental factors. One possible strategy to avoid the requirement for assessing environmental stressors is using the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) to determine LUE via the epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle. Integration of such measurements into GPP models could lead to more realistic GPP estimates of landscape level. Conventional, one-leaf LUE models, however, seem less suitable for integration of such remote sensing observations, as optically derived estimates are dependent on the shadow fraction viewed at a given time. Here, we utilize the two-leaf LUE (TL-LUE) model to parameterize LUE from multiangle PRI observations and compare it with MOD17 approach. Significant relationships were found between LUE (LUE, LUEsun, and LUEshaded) and PRI (PRI, PRIsun, and PRIshaded) over 8- and 16-day time steps. Similarly, R-2 values for the relationships between modeled GPP and observed GPP (EC derived measurements of GPP) were 0.87 (TL-LUE) and 0.81 (MOD17) at deciduous forest and 0.54 (TL-LUE) and 0.46 (MOD17) at evergreen forest for eight-day periods, as well as 0.84 (TL-LUE) and 0.74 (MOD17) at deciduous forest and 0.49 (TL-LUE) and 0.46 (MOD17) at evergreen forest for 16-day periods. Our results are relevant when planning potential future satellite missions to help constrain existing GPP models using remotely sensed data, as such observations will likely be affected by canopy shading effects at the time of observation.
This paper proposes a fault-location algorithm for ultra-high-voltage untransposed parallel transmission lines that only use the voltages and currents at the local end. The proposed algorithm uses the voltage equation for the faulted phase of the faulted line. The equation contains the fault distance, fault resistance, and fault current. To obtain the fault current, Kirchhoff's voltage law is applied on the loops of three phases consisting of the faulted line and the adjacent parallel line. The fault current can be represented in terms of the fault distance. Inserting the fault current into the voltage equation results in an equation that contains only two parameters (i.e., the fault distance and fault resistance). The fault distance is estimated by solving the equation. Test results indicated that the algorithm accurately estimates the fault distance regardless of the fault resistance and mutual coupling effects.
Objective. LN is a severe complication of SLE. Non-invasive biomarkers are needed for identifying patients at risk of a renal flare, for differentiating proliferative from non-proliferative forms and for assessing prognoses for LN. Methods. We assessed the link between blood transcriptional signatures and LN using blood samples from patients with biopsy-proven LN, extra-renal SLE flares or quiescent SLE. Healthy controls, and control patients with glomerular diseases or bacterial sepsis were included. Modular repertoire analyses from microarray data were confirmed by PCR. Results. A modular neutrophil signature (upregulation of module M5.15) was present in 65% of SLE patients and was strongly associated with LN. M5.15 activity was stronger in LN than in extra-renal flares (88 vs 17%). M5.15 was neither correlated to IFN modules, nor to SLEDAI or anti-dsDNA antibodies, but moderately to CS dose. M5.15 activity was associated with severity of LN, was stronger when proliferative, and decreased in patients responding to treatment. M5.15 activation was not caused by higher CS dose because it correlated only moderately to neutrophil count and was also observed among quiescent patients. Among quiescent patients, those with a past history of LN had higher M5.15 activity (50 vs 8%). M5.15 activation was present in patients with bacterial sepsis or ANCA-associated vasculitis, but not in patients with other glomerular diseases. Overall, M5.15 activation was associated with past, present or future flares of LN. Conclusion. Modular neutrophil signature could be a biomarker for stratifying LN risk and for monitoring its response to treatment.
The technology of Smart Homes (SH), as an instance of ambient assisted living technologies, is designed to assist the homes' residents accomplishing their daily-living activities and thus having a better quality of life while preserving their privacy. A SH system is usually equipped with a collection of inter-related software and hardware components to monitor the living space by capturing the behaviour of the resident and understanding his activities. By doing so the system can inform about risky situations and take actions on behalf of the resident to his satisfaction. The present survey will address technologies and analysis methods and bring examples of the state of the art research studies in order to provide background for the research community. In particular, the survey will expose infrastructure technologies such as sensors and communication platforms along with artificial intelligence techniques used for modeling and recognizing activities. A brief overview of approaches used to develop Human-Computer interfaces for SH systems is given. The survey also highlights the challenges and research trends in this area.
We present the ToMenovela, a stimulus set that has been developed to provide a set of normatively rated socio-emotional stimuli showing varying amount of characters in emotionally laden interactions for experimental investigations of (i) cognitive and (ii) affective Theory of Mind (ToM), (iii) emotional reactivity, and (iv) complex emotion judgment with respect to Ekman's basic emotions (happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise, Ekman and Friesen, 19(5). Stimuli were generated with focus on ecological validity and consist of 190 scenes depicting daily-life situations. Two or more of eight main characters with distinct biographies and personalities are depicted on each scene picture. To obtain an initial evaluation of the stimulus set and to pave the way for future studies in clinical populations, normative data on each stimulus of the set was obtained from a sample of 61 neurologically and psychiatrically healthy participants (31 female, 30 male; mean age 26.74 +/- 5.84), including a visual analog scale rating of Ekman's basic emotions (happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise) and free text descriptions of the content of each scene. The ToMenovela is being developed to provide standardized material of social scenes that are available to researchers in the study of social cognition. It should facilitate experimental control while keeping ecological validity high.
With the advancement of power electronics, new materials and novel bearing technologies, there has been an active development of high speed machines in recent years. The simple rotor structure makes switched reluctance machines (SRM) candidates for high speed operation. This paper has presents the design of a low power, 50,000 RPM 6/4 SRM having a toroidally wound stator. Finite element analysis (FEA) shows an equivalence to conventionally wound SRMs in terms of torque capability. With the conventional asymmetric converter and classic angular control, this toroidal-winding SRM (TSRM) is able to produce 233.20 W mechanical power with an efficiency of 75% at the FEA stage. Considering the enhanced cooling capability as the winding is directly exposed to air, the toroidal winding is a good option for high-speed SRM.
This article proposes the analysis of Spanish modern literature, specifically excerpts from novels by Almudena Grandes, to broaden pragmatic understanding in students of Spanish as a foreign language in a non-immersion context. It presents a series of activities for students from an A2 level, exploring cultural aspects defining pragmatic meanings. These include elements of verbal and nonverbal communication, beyond the use of voice, kinesthetic and proxemics, such as the use of space.
The rise in the affordability of quality video production equipment has resulted in increased interest in video-mediated tests of foreign language listening comprehension. Although research on such tests has continued fairly steadily since the early 1980s, studies have relied on analyses of raw scores, despite the growing prevalence of item response theory in the field of language testing as a whole. The present study addresses this gap by comparing data from identical, counter-balanced multiple-choice listening test forms employing three text types (monologue, conversation, and lecture) administered to 164 university students of English in Japan. Data were analyzed via many-facet Rasch modeling to compare the difficulties of the audio and video formats; to investigate interactions between format and text-type, and format and proficiency level; and to identify specific items biased toward one or the other format. Finally, items displaying such differences were subjected to differential distractor functioning analyses. No interactions between format and text-type, or format and proficiency level, were observed. Four items were discovered displaying format-based differences in difficulty, two of which were found to correspond to possible acting anomalies in the videos. The author argues for further work focusing on item-level interactions with test format.
The objective is to examine the prevalence and health-care costs associated with asthma, epilepsy, hypertension, food allergies, and diabetes in children aged 0-18 years. Prevalence was calculated using 2005-2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data, a population-based, nationally representative sample. Using MEPS, two-part models estimated the cost of each condition for all children while controlling for sociodemographic categories. Prevalence rates varied by race and ethnicity across conditions. Females had higher prevalence of all chronic conditions, except epilepsy. An additional US$1,377.60-US$9,059.49 annually were spent on medical expenses for children aged 0-18 years, with asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy compared to children without these conditions. This is the first study to examine the costs and prevalence of chronic health conditions in children and adolescents using a single data set. Understanding the odds of having a condition by sociodemographic categories highlights disparities that can potentially inform school nurses on the best allocation of resources to serve students.
Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is accompanied by various non-motor symptoms including depression and anxiety, which may precede the onset of motor symptoms. Selegiline is an irreversible monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor, and is widely used in the treatment of PD and major depression. However, there are few reports about the effects of selegiline on non- motor symptoms in PD. The aim of this study was to explore the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of selegiline, using CD157/BST1 knockout (CD157 KO) mouse, a PD-related genetic model displaying depression and anxiety, compared with other antiparkinsonian drugs and an antidepressant, and was to investigate the effects of selegiline on biochemical parameters in emotion-related brain regions. A single administration of selegiline (1-10 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST) in CD157 KO mice, but not C57BL/6N wild-type (WT) mice. At 10 mg/kg, but not 3 mg/kg, selegiline significantly increased climbing time in CD157 KO mice. A single administration of the antiparkinsonian drugs pramipexole (a dopamine (DA) D2/D3 receptor agonist) or rasagiline (another MAO-B inhibitor), and repeated injections of a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA), mirtazapine, also decreased immobility time, but did not increase climbing time, in CD157 KO mice. The antidepressant-like effects of 10 mg/kg selegiline were comparable to those of 10 mg/kg rasagiline, and tended to be stronger than those of 1 mg/kg rasagiline. After the FST, CD157 KO mice showed decreases in striatal and hippocampal serotonin (5-HT) content, cortical norepinephrine (NE) content, and plasma corticosterone concentration. A single administration of selegiline at 10 mg/kg returned striatal 5-HT, cortical NE, and plasma corticosterone levels to those observed in WT mice. In the open field test (OFT), repeated administration of mirtazapine had anxiolytic effects, and selegiline nonsignificantly ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors in CD157 KO mice. In the social interaction and preference tests, repeated mirtazapine ameliorated the high anxiety and low sociability of CD157 KO mice, whereas selegiline did not. These results indicate that selegiline has antidepressant and mild anxiolytic effects in CD157 KO mice, and suggest that it is an effective antiparkinsonian drug for depressive and anxiety symptoms in PD patients with a CD157 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP).
Objective: The main objective was to determine the prediction level of alexithymia and difficulties in emotion regulation on pathological gambling. Secondly, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation on the relationship between alexithymia and pathological gambling. Method: The sample was consisted of 246 male gamblers. The average age was 33.30 with a standard deviation of 11.62. In addition to sociodemographic form, The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) were used to collect data. Results: Regression analyses revealed that amount of money bet, total score of TAS-20 and DERS significantly predicted pathological gambling. In addition to these, difficulties in emotion regulation have a partial mediator role in the relationship between alexithymia and pathological gambling. Conclusion: It is argued that individuals high in alexithymia become prone to addiction behavior through emotion dysregulation. In addition to the alexithymia level, difficulties in emotion regulation are seen to play an important role in pathological gambling. In this context, this study contributes to the relevant literature by discussing alexithymia, emotion regulation and pathological gambling together.
The point-inclusion problem is an important secure multi-party computation that it involves two parties, where one has a private point and the other has a private area, and they want to determine whether the point is inside the area without revealing their respective private information. All previously proposed point-inclusion protocols are only suitable for a specific area, such as circle, rectangle and convex polygon. In this paper, we present a novel privacy-preserving point-inclusion quantum protocol for an arbitrary area, which is surrounded by any plane geometric figure. Compared to the classical related protocols, our protocol has the advantages of the higher security and the lower communication complexity.
A fission reactor utilizing low-enriched uranium cermet fuel and supercritical carbon dioxide as coolant was designed to provide electrical power for a manned Mars base. The reactor was designed to generate 1.67 MWth for a fifteen year operational lifetime, with an electric output of 333 kWe. The core has alternating rows of fuel elements and a breeder blanket, with nineteen coolant channels in the fuel element and a single coolant channel in the breeder blanket. The design uses 15% isotopic enriched U-235 based cermet fuel, and uranium dioxide fuelled blankets. S-CO2 is used as a coolant, which converts the heat generated by the reactor to electricity using a closed Brayton cycle. Cermet fuel is used in the form of hexagonal shaped elements with 19 coolant channels and a zirconium hydride neutron moderator. The reactor uses B4C based control drums for control and safety. ZrC is used as thermal insulator, and ensures that the ZrH moderator does not reach an unacceptably high temperature. The coolant channels have a cladding of tungsten to prevent the release of fission gas from the fuel into the coolant. Beryllium reflectors are used to moderate and reflect neutrons back into the active core. The active core has a bull's eye configuration, in which there are alternate fuel and blanket circular rows. Nuclear reactor modeling, neutronics, and depletion analysis were done using MCNP6. The neutronics analysis found the maximum peaking factor that would occur in the core. This was used to determine the greatest amount of thermal power that the core's fuel elements and breeder blanket would experience. This provided the basis for the thermal hydraulics, which sought to determine the maximum inlet and outlet temperatures of the S-CO2 that could be obtained while also keeping all of the reactor materials within an acceptable temperature range. Maximizing these temperatures would provide the highest performance for a power conversion system. Finding the coolant conditions that kept this section of the core below the maximum permissible temperature would ensure that the rest of the core would also remain within an acceptable temperature limit. Simulations were conducted at the different power levels the fuel element and breeder blanket would generate throughout the reactor's fifteen-year lifecycle. The thermal hydraulics which was done using COMSOL Multiphysics. This research presents a very viable reactor design that uses materials currently tested on other types of reactors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the design of a novel electronic voting machine using microcontroller. Voter's information facility has also been incorporated in the machine design. The information about the number of voters present at the polling place is stored in a register, which is later used to do various analyses. Infrared sensors have been used for determining the voter's information. The design proposed here has a special option of vote rejection which is not present in the conventional systems. The simulation of the system is done on Proteus Professional Software v8.0. Multiple vote casting has been avoided by using software coding techniques. The design presented in this paper is appropriate and the simulation is working properly under normal conditions.
Wireless body area network (WBAN) provide a mechanism of transmitting a persons physiological data to application providers e.g. hospital. Given the limited range of connectivity associated with WBAN, an intermediate portable device e.g. smartphone, placed within WBAN's connectivity, forwards the data to a remote server. This data, if not protected from an unauthorized access and modification may be lead to poor diagnosis. In order to ensure security and privacy between WBAN and a server at the application provider, several authentication schemes have been proposed. Recently, Wang and Zhang proposed an authentication scheme for WBAN using bilinear pairing. However, in their scheme, an application provider could easily impersonate a client. In order to overcome this weakness, we propose an efficient remote authentication scheme for WBAN. In terms of performance, our scheme can not only provide a malicious insider security, but also reduce running time of WBAN (client) by 51 % as compared to Wang and Zhang scheme.
The use of the category of race in science (in relation to humans) remains controversial. During the last few years there has been a lively debate on this topic in the field of a relatively young neuroscience discipline called cultural neuroscience. The main focus of cultural neuroscience is on biocultural conditions of the development of different dimensions of human perceptive activity, both cognitive or emotional. These dimensions are analysed through the comparison of representatives of different social and ethnic groups. In my article, I present arguments supporting these two hypotheses: (1) the other-race effect understood as an individual, distinct effect does not exist. It is rather an exemplification of a much broader phenomenon which I call the unfamiliarity homogeneity effect. It includes not only problems with differentiation and recognition of faces of representatives of other ethnic groups, but also covers similar recognitional difficulties (e.g. recognition of members of other- social groups, other languages or even certain sounds and objects); (2) The race-based terminology and categories are used in cultural neuroscience research in a vague and inconsistent manner. Such an approach distorts the science both in empirically and conceptually significant respects. The unfamiliarity homogeneity effect is an example of such a situation: narrowing it to the other-race effect makes it difficult to analyse in a wider context crucial for its understanding.
An electrical methodology has been developed to monitor crack advance during ballistic impact. Velocities of radial cracks can be measured and information about development of the crack pattern can be obtained. This is done via a grid of thin gold tracks, printed onto the front or back surfaces of the sample. These elements were incorporated into an electrical circuit and high speed data acquisition was carried out during impact. The fracture behaviour of two grades of alumina has been examined. Hard spherical projectiles were used, with a range of impact velocities. An increase in radial crack velocity was detected with increasing impact velocity, within this range. Differences in crack velocities were also noted between the two types of alumina. Crack speed values are in good agreement with data reported previously for similar systems, obtained using high speed photography. The methodology proposed here looks to be reliable, convenient and economically attractive. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Most IPv6 security issues are still the same as IPv4; IPv6 has its own unique design characteristics that have additional impact to system and network security, as well as the potential impact on policies and procedures. Address autoconfiguration is a key feature of the IPv6 protocol stack that allow hosts to generate own addresses using a confluence of information from other hosts and information from router advertisement. Duplicate Address Detection (DAD) is a process that is part of address autoconfiguration that is used to check if the addresses generated has already been configured. Nevertheless, the design of DAD process is vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) attack leaving hosts unconfigured. For example, any host can reply to Neighbor Solicitations (NS) for a temporary address, causing the other host to consider it as a duplicate and eventually reject the address. Various mechanisms such as SeND and SAVI has been introduced to address such attacks, but these techniques were not very effective as there were still possibilities of DoS attacks to be carried out. As such, a new mechanism is needed to more effectively prevent DoS attacks on DAD process. In this paper, we present a detailed design and development of a novel mechanism that can address the shortfalls of existing prevention techniques.
Drought-induced xylem embolism is a serious threat to plant survival under future climate scenarios. Hence, accurate quantification of species-specific vulnerability to xylem embolism is a key to predict the impact of climate change on vegetation. Low-cost hydraulic measurements of embolism rate have been suggested to be prone to artefacts, thus requiring validation by direct visualization of the functional status of xylem conduits using nondestructive imaging techniques, such as X-ray microtomography (microCT). We measured the percentage loss of conductance (PLC) of excised stems of Laurus nobilis (laurel) dehydrated to different xylem pressures, and compared results with direct observation of gas-filled vs water-filled conduits at a synchrotron-based microCT facility using a phase contrast imaging modality. Theoretical PLC calculated on the basis of microCT observations in stems of laurel dehydrated to different xylem pressures overall were in agreement with hydraulic measurements, revealing that this species suffers a 50% loss of xylem hydraulic conductance at xylem pressures averaging -3.5MPa. Our data support the validity of estimates of xylem vulnerability to embolism based on classical hydraulic techniques. We discuss possible causes of discrepancies between data gathered in this study and those of recent independent reports on laurel hydraulics.
Solar Tower Technology is a promising way to generate sustainable electricity from concentrated solar radiation. In one of the most effective variants of this technology, a so called volumetric air receiver is used to convert concentrated radiation into heat. This component consists of a high temperature resistant cellular material which absorbs radiation and transfers the heat to an air flow which is fed from the ambient and from recirculated air. It is called volumetric, because the radiation may penetrate into the volume of the receiver through the open, permeable cells of the material. In this way a larger amount of heat transfer surface supports the solid to gaseous heat transfer in comparison to a tubular closed receiver. Finally the heated air is directed to the steam generator of a conventional steam turbine system. In this study an advanced cellular metal honeycomb structure has been designed, manufactured and tested for use as an open volumetric receiver. It consists of winded pairs of flat and corrugated metal foils. The technology is based on a one which has been primarily developed for the treatment of combustion engine exhaust gases. A number of variations of the pure linear honeycomb structure have been introduced to increase local turbulence and radial flow. Firstly, a set of samples has been tested in laboratory scale experiments to determine effective properties and the solar-to-thermal efficiency. After that, results have been compared with theoretical predictions. Finally, the three most promising materials have been used for a 500 kW test on the research platform of the Solar Tower Julich. Air outlet temperatures of more than 800 degrees C have been achieved with efficiencies of about 80%, which is about 5% more than the state-of-the-art technology, which is currently used at the main receiver of the Solar Tower. Next to this, lifetime models will be developed to increase the overall reliability of the technology. (C)2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Whenever we interact with others, we judge them and whenever we make such judgments, we compare them with ourselves, other people, or internalized standards. Countless social psychological experiments have shown that comparative thinking plays a ubiquitous role in person perception and social cognition as a whole. The topic of social comparison has recently aroused the interest of social neuroscientists, who have begun to investigate its neural underpinnings. The present article provides an overview of these neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies. We discuss recent findings on the consequences of social comparison on the brain processing of outcomes and highlight the role of the brain's reward system. Moreover, we analyze the relationship between the brain networks involved in social comparisons and those active during other forms of cognitive and perceptual comparison. Finally, we discuss potential future questions that research on the neural correlates of social comparison could address. (c) 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Four CreER lines that are commonly used in the auditory field to label cochlear supporting cells (SCs) are expressed in multiple SC subtypes, with some lines also showing reporter expression in hair cells (HCs). We hypothesized that altering the tamoxifen dose would modify CreER expression and target subsets of SCs. We also used two different reporter lines, ROSA26 (tdTomato) and CAG-eGFP, to achieve the same goal. Our results confirm previous reports that Sox2 (CreERT2) and Fgfr3-iCreER (T2) are not only expressed in neonatal SCs but also in HCs. Decreasing the tamoxifen dose did not reduce HC expression for Sox2 (CreERT2) , but changing to the CAG-eGFP reporter decreased reporter-positive HCs sevenfold. However, there was also a significant decrease in the number of reporter-positive SCs. In contrast, there was a large reduction in reporter-positive HCs in Fgfr3-iCreER (T2) mice with the lowest tamoxifen dose tested yet only limited reduction in SC labeling. The targeting of reporter expression to inner phalangeal and border cells was increased when Plp-CreER (T2) was paired with the CAG-eGFP reporter; however, the total number of labeled cells decreased. Changes to the tamoxifen dose or reporter line with Prox1 (CreERT2) caused minimal changes. Our data demonstrate that modifications to the tamoxifen dose or the use of different reporter lines may be successful in narrowing the numbers and/or types of cells labeled, but each CreER line responded differently. When the ROSA26 (tdTomato) reporter was combined with any of the four CreER lines, there was no difference in the number of tdTomato-positive cells after one or two injections of tamoxifen given at birth. Thus, tamoxifen-mediated toxicity could be reduced by only giving one injection. While the CAG-eGFP reporter consistently labeled fewer cells, both reporter lines are valuable depending on the goal of the study.
Currently, in many European countries public protests, opinion polls, election forecasts and election results create concerns regarding a radicalization of the political culture. Again and again, it seems as if patterns of arguments appear which are particularly directed against one religion - Islam. This paper examines the question whether in Europe a general tendency of skepticism and defense towards Islam and its members is predominant and what reasons for such an attitude in populations might be. Considering socio-psychological approaches to determine the mechanisms for the development of islamophobic attitudes a comparative picture of the situation is drawn. The results reveal that primarily a wide existing feeling of threat to the own identity leads to a fear of many citizens against Islam and Muslims. An essential role for this similarity and levelling are para-social-contacts via media. The result is an increased conflict potential in societies, which in the medium term can lead to a significant threat to social cohesion as well as to a radicalization of political opinions.
In this paper the application of machine learning techniques for the development of constitutive material models is being investigated. A flow stress model, for strain rates ranging from 10(-4) to 10(12) (quasi-static to highly dynamic), and temperatures ranging from room temperature to over 1000 K, is obtained by beginning directly with experimental stress-strain data for Copper. An incrementally objective and fully implicit time integration scheme is employed to integrate the hypo-elastic constitutive model, which is then implemented into a finite element code for evaluation. Accuracy and performance of the flow stress models derived from symbolic regression are assessed by comparison to Taylor anvil impact data. The results obtained with the free-form constitutive material model are compared to well-established strength models such as the Preston-Tonks-Wallace (PTW) model and the Mechanical Threshold Stress (MTS) model. Preliminary results show candidate free-form models comparing well with data in regions of stress-strain space with sufficient experimental data, pointing to a potential means for both rapid prototyping in future model development, as well as the use of machine learning in capturing more data as a guide for more advanced model development. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
According to French standards, constructed wetlands for combined sewer overflow treatment (CSO CWs) are vertical flow filters with detention basin and outflow rate limitation. Their purpose is to treat rapid loads of wastewater with stochastic volumes, concentrations and periodicity. The first full-scale CSO CW has been monitored for three years, involving online equipment. This provided in-depth understanding of hydraulics and nitrogen dynamics. The saturation of the filter was visualized along a longitudinal section to follow hydraulics at filling. Tracer tests showed that short-circuiting effects, which are adverse, weaken during the process. This was confirmed by the decreasing NH4-N concentrations in the outflow. As such, short-circuiting can be addressed by minimizing filling time. As for nitrogen dynamics, NH4-N adsorption capacities were identical for the applied sand-zeolite mixture and pozzolana materials. To calculate inter-event nitrification of adsorbed masses, an equation was fitted to temperature and mass measurements. The rate doubled with every 5.7 degrees C. Finally, nitrate was found to get washed out by low hydraulic loads (median: 0.95 m(3)/m(2)), highlighting the possibility of developing a second filter stage for denitrification. The results helped to calibrate the design-support software Orage. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Organic claims can influence how a product is perceived in dimensions that are unrelated with the food production method (e.g., organic food is perceived as more healthful and less caloric than conventional food). Such claims can also bias how the consumers of organic food are perceived and how other people judge their behavior. Schuldt and Schwarz (2010) have shown that individuals evaluating a target with a weight-loss goal are more lenient in judging the target forgoing exercise when the target had an organic (vs. conventional) dessert. This impact of organic claims on leniency judgments has been interpreted either as a halo or a licensing effect. In the current research we aim to replicate and extend Schuldt and Schwarz's (2010) results by examining the mechanisms that are more likely to explain the observed leniency judgments. In Experiment 1, we observed that leniency towards a target that has consumed an organic meal is only observed when the target intentionally chooses such organic meal (vs. choice determined by the situation). These findings suggest that the impact of organic claims on leniency judgments is not merely based on a halo effect. Instead, a licensing account emerges as the most probable mechanism. In Experiment 2, we further found that stronger (vs. weaker) motives for forgoing exercise influenced leniency judgments to the same extent as having had an organic meal. Understanding the mechanisms that shape consumers' decisions may have important implications to prevent bias in their judgments about food and exercise. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex, competent vectors for West Nile virus (WNV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) are widely targeted by insecticide treatments. The intensive application of chemical insecticides led to the development of resistance in many insects including Culex pipiens mosquitoes. The absence of data on resistance mechanisms in Morocco allow us to assess the levels of lambda-cyhalothrin resistance and the frequency of the mutated gene L1014F kdr in different forms of Cx. pipiens complex from three regions of Morocco. Methods: Mosquito adults were reared from immature stages collected in three different regions in Morocco (Tangier, Casablanca and Marrakech). Standard WHO insecticide susceptibility tests were conducted on adults emerged from collected larvae. Specimens were identified as belonging to the Culex pipiens complex using a multiplex PCR assay with diagnostic primers designed from the flanking region of microsatellite CQ11. Identified mosquitoes were then tested for the presence of the L1014F kdr mutation using PCR assay. Results: Our results showed that 21% of the tested population has a resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin. The molecular identification of survivors shows that 43% belonged to the Cx. pipiens pipiens and only 9.5% to the Cx. pipiens molestus form. On the other hand, 416 specimens were screened for the L1014F kdr mutation. L1014F mutation was detected in different forms of Cx. pipiens in different sites. The frequency of L1014F mutation was similar between the Cx. pipiens pipiens form and hybrid form, while it was lower in the Cx. pipiens molestus form. The presence of the L1014F kdr allele was significantly associated with resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin in Cx. pipiens pipiens (P < 0.0001) and hybrid form (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin of Cx. pipiens populations appears to be largely due to the L1014F kdr mutation. To our knowledge, the frequencies of L1014F kdr mutation are examined for the first time in natural populations of the Culex pipiens complex in Morocco. These findings will provide important information to propose more adapted vector control measures towards this mosquito species, potential vector of arboviruses.
Background: Despite increasing evidence on the relationship between exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A with allergies and asthma, reports on atopic dermatitis (AD) with these chemicals are few. We assessed the association between AD symptoms and the exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A and in children. Methods: We surveyed 18 boys with AD (age 3-7 years) in a day care center in Seoul between May 2009 and April 2010. AD symptoms were recorded by using a daily symptom diary. We collected 460 series of pooled urine twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, over 230 working days and measured the concentrations of mono-2-ethyl-5oxohexyl phthalate (5-oxo-MEHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (5-OH-MEHP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MnBP) and bisphenol A glucuronide (BPAG) in the pooled urine. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. Results: Most phthalate metabolite levels were higher in the morning than in the afternoon (p < 0.0001). There was seasonal variation in the levels of phthalates and bisphenol A metabolites. Levels of 5-OH-MEHP, MnBP, and BPAG were highest in summer (p < 0.0001). Manifestation of AD symptoms was associated with an increase in urinary levels of MnBP (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.12-7.26 per 1 mu g/L of MnBP) and BPAG (aOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 0.91-3.52 per 1 mu g/L BPAG) on the same day. The levels of MnBP and BPAG in the previous day increased AD symptoms (aOR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.21-6.20, for 1 mu g/L of MnBP and aOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.08-3.74 for 1 mu g/L BPAG). Conclusion: Our results suggest that exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A is associated with aggravation of AD symptoms in children.
To take up the challenge of global distributed companies, Manufacturing Engineering has to be accomplished in a worldwide collaborative way. Design and development of production processes and their execution are nowadays spread all over the world. To ensure quality standards and to create synergies between spatially distributed entities, distance collaboration tools must be provided to allow cooperation even over large distances. The Virtual Reality (VR) is thereby offering beneficial capabilities to exchange current planning stages, identify problems and solve them cooperatively. This paper introduces a new approach for distance collaboration, which enables users to work in a joint virtual space, nearly as if they were working together in the same place. Therefore two full-immersive CAVE-like systems are interconnected using the VirCA (Virtual Collaboration Arena) platform. The paper describes the requirements of Mechanical Engineers towards distance collaboration tools and the technical challenges solved with the enhanced VirCA framework. This working prototype is one premier application in the field of VR-enhanced spatially distributed collaboration. A typical use case scenario is provided to highlight the interaction and cooperation capabilities offered by VirCA NET.
Accurate repositioning of the maxillary and mandibular segment is essential to improve esthetics and function in orthognathic surgery. With the improvement of three-dimensional imaging technology and computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques, various computer-aided design and manufacturing templates have been developed as alternatives to the traditional error-prone and time-consuming intermediate splint. However, the majority of previously developed templates still use an intermediate splint or the structures connected to occlusal surface and transferred the preoperative virtual plan to the real operation field indirectly.Here, the authors introduce a technical note regarding maxillary surgical templates adjusted only by the maxillary surface configuration. These templates consist of osteotomy and repositioning guide templates that provide information about the osteotomy line, bony interference, and planned position and eliminate the need for an intermediate splint. Using these templates, the maxillomandibular complex can be successfully repositioned without using an intermediate splint. Further studies are needed to determine the accuracy and stability of maxillary templates.
Silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe HBT) models are used in technology computer aided design (TCAD) to investigate single event transients induced by heavy-ion broadbeam and pulsed-laser two-photon absorption sources. A comparison between transient waveforms is provided, the proper extraction of heavy-ion broadbeam transients is discussed (along with circuit implications), and basic laser strike profiles are implemented in TCAD to provide insight into future design practices for simulation software to be used to describe laser-induced upsets in terms of an effective linear energy transfer (LET).
Both face-to-face communication and communication in online environments convey information beyond the actual verbal message. In a traditional face-to-face conversation, paralanguage, or the ancillary meaning- and emotion-laden aspects of speech that are not actual verbal prose, gives contextual information that allows interactors to more appropriately understand the message being conveyed. In this paper, we conceptualize textual paralanguage (TPL), which we define as written manifestations of nonverbal audible, tactile, and visual elements that supplement or replace written language and that can be expressed through words, symbols, images, punctuation, demarcations, or any combination of these elements. We develop a typology of textual paralanguage using data from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We present a conceptual framework of antecedents and consequences of brands' use of textual paralanguage. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Society for Consumer Psychology.
The Web was first used as a telecontrol medium in 1994. In recent times, Web-based telecontrol is being used as an educational option, providing students with remote access to laboratory hardware. The literature reporting the initial studies into telelaboratories speaks of encouraging responses from students, but very little literature actually addresses the quality of learning outcomes from this alternative access mode. A recent comparative study at the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, randomly allocated a cohort of third-year students to one of three separate access modes-proximal, Web-based remote, or simulation-to perform the same laboratory class. A range of tools were used to measure the students' learning outcomes and their perceptions of the class. Statistically significant differences were found between the groups in their learning outcomes, students' perceptions of the laboratory class, and the ways in which they engage the learning experience.
RGB-D data has turned out to be a very useful representation of an indoor scene for solving fundamental computer vision problems. It takes the advantages of the color image that provides appearance information of an object and also the depth image that is immune to the variations in color, illumination, rotation angle and scale. With the invention of the low-cost Microsoft Kinect sensor, which was initially used for gaming and later became a popular device for computer vision, high quality RGB-D data can be acquired easily. In recent years, more and more RGB-D image/video datasets dedicated to various applications have become available, which are of great importance to benchmark the state-of-the-art. In this paper, we systematically survey popular RGB-D datasets for different applications including object recognition, scene classification, hand gesture recognition, 3D-simultaneous localization and mapping, and pose estimation. We provide the insights into the characteristics of each important dataset, and compare the popularity and the difficulty of those datasets. Overall, the main goal of this survey is to give a comprehensive description about the available RGB-D datasets and thus to guide researchers in the selection of suitable datasets for evaluating their algorithms.
Imagine an agent that performs tasks according to different strategies. The goal of Behavioral Recognition (BR) is to identify which of the available strategies is the one being used by the agent, by simply observing the agent's actions and the environmental conditions during a certain period of time. The goal of Behavioral Cloning (BC) is more ambitious. In this last case, the learner must be able to build a model of the behavior of the agent. In both settings, the only assumption is that the learner has access to a training set that contains instances of observed behavioral traces for each available strategy. This paper studies a machine learning approach based on Probabilistic Finite Automata (PFAs), capable of achieving both the recognition and cloning tasks. We evaluate the performance of PFAs in the context of a simulated learning environment (in this case, a virtual Roomba vacuum cleaner robot), and compare it with a collection of other machine learning approaches.
We demonstrate a Model Order Reduction technique for a system of nonlinear equations arising from the Finite Element Method (FEM) discretization of the three-dimensional quasistatic equilibrium equation equipped with a Perzyna viscoplasticity constitutive model. The procedure employs the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition-Galerkin (POD-G) in conjunction with the Discrete Empirical Interpolation Method (DEIM). For this purpose, we collect samples from a standard full order FEM analysis in the offline phase and cluster them using a novel k-means clustering algorithm. The POD and the DEIM algorithms are then employed to construct a corresponding reduced order model. In the online phase, a sample from the current state of the system is passed, at each time step, to a nearest neighbor classifier in which the cluster that best describes it is identified. The force vector and its derivative with respect to the displacement vector are approximated using DEIM, and the system of nonlinear equations is projected onto a lower dimensional subspace using the POD-G. The constructed reduced order model is applied to two typical solid mechanics problems showing strain-localization (a tensile bar and a wall under compression) and a three-dimensional squarefooting problem. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Geotextiles have been increasingly applied as reinforcement in road embankments on soft soil. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimum tensile strength of geotextile as the reinforcement in road embankment considering the allowable factor of safety and displacement. The stability analysis of the road embankment has been done by finite element method using PLAXIS 2D. In this study, three types of sequence modeling were conducted. First, the stability of road embankment without any reinforcement was analyzed. Second modeling was to determine the length of geotextile reinforcement considering the stability of the model road embankment. The last sequence was to investigate the stability of the model reinforced embankment with various tensile strength of geotextiles reinforcement. The result of this study showed that the optimum tensile strength of geotextiles was strongly influenced by the factor of safety. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Allergies and indigestion problems have increased in our society with increasing wheat consumption. Among wheat proteins, omega-5 gliadins (omega 5-gliadins) and high molecular weight (HMW)-glutenin are known to be some of the major factors responsible for an allergic response and indigestion. Certain low molecular weight (LMW)-glutenin subunits are also able to promote local inflammation, and share common epitopes with omega 5-gliadins. It is known that different wheat cultivars have different combinations of HMW- and LMW-glutenins. We investigated the relationship between the composition of LMW-glutenins and the degree of allergic response or indigestion. The extent of allergic reaction and indigestion characteristics in response to six different wheat cultivars were compared. Patterns of the change of blood glucose level with time, which were employed to measure the indigestion, were quite different, depending on the type of wheat cultivars. The extent of allergic response, as measured with the histamine and IgE levels, was also quite different, depending on the type of wheat cultivars. In addition, the extents were not correlated with patterns of LMW-glutenin DNA and HMW/LMW glutenin protein of various wheat cultivars. The results from the present study suggest that some more other factors, together with factors studied above, need to be considered to better explain the physiological phenomena of variation in blood glucose level and allergic response.
Previous research has suggested that the expectancy eating is rewarding is one pathway driving the relationship between trait reward sensitivity and externally-driven eating. The aim of the current study was to extend previous research by examining the conditions under which the indirect effect of reward sensitivity and external eating via this eating expectancy occurs. Using a conditional indirect effects approach we tested the moderating effect of exposure to food cues (e.g., images) relative to non-food cues on the association between reward sensitivity and external eating, via eating expectancies. Participants (N = 119, M = 18.67 years of age, SD = 2.40) were university women who completed a computerised food expectancies task(E-TASK) in which they were randomly assigned to either an appetitive food cue condition or non-food cue condition and then responded to a series of eating expectancy statements or self-description personality statements. Participants also completed self-report trait measures of reward sensitivity in addition to measures of eating expectancies (i.e., endorsement of the belief that eating is a rewarding experience). Results revealed higher reward sensitivity was associated with faster reaction times to the eating expectancies statement. This was moderated by cue-condition such that the association between reward sensitivity and faster reaction time was only found in the food cue condition. Faster endorsement of this belief (i.e., reaction time) was also associated with greater external eating. These results provide additional support for the proposal that individuals high in reward sensitivity form implicit associations with positive beliefs about eating when exposed to food cues. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose: To investigate the utility ofwhole-exome sequencing (WES) to define a molecular diagnosis for patients clinically diagnosed with congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). Methods: WES was performed in 62 families with CAKUT. WES data were analyzed for single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in 35 known CAKUT genes, putatively deleterious sequence changes in new candidate genes, and potentially disease-associated copy-number variants (CNVs). Results: In approximately 5% of families, pathogenic SNVs were identified in PAX2, HNFIB, and EYA I. Observed phenotypes in these families expand the current understanding about the role of these genes in CAKUT. Four pathogenic CNVs were also identified using two CNV detection tools. In addition, we found one deleterious de novo SNV in FOXPI among the 62 families with CAKUT. The clinical database of the Baylor Miraca Genetics laboratory was queried and seven additional unrelated individuals with novel de novo SNVs in FOXPI were identified. Six of these eight individuals with FOXPI SNVs have syndromic urinary tract defects, implicating this gene in urinary tract development. Conclusion: We conclude that WES can be used to identify molecular etiology (SNVs, CNVs) in a subset of individuals with CAKUT. WES can also help identify novel CAKUT genes.
The internal shear strength of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) can be evaluated through direct shear testing in accordance with ASTM D6243 under a specific set of boundary conditions for a given normal stress. In order to prevent slippage at the GCL gripping system interface and ensure an internal shear failure of the GCL, a gripping surface made of spikes 1 to 2 mm tall mounted on a rigid substrate is recommended in the standard method and has been commonly used. It is recognized that certain boundary effects exist as a result of the aggressive gripping system. To improve the hydraulic performance and/or protect the bentonite core, a multi-component GCL is designed to have a thin membrane or film laminated or glued to one of the carrier geotextiles. It is necessary to investigate the boundary effect on the multi-component GCL internal shear strength tests, because the film or membrane geotextile interface is more prone to interference from the rough gripping surface recommended by the current standard. A series of internal shear strength tests were conducted on the same multi-component GCL product under different gripping conditions. It was found that tests using the aggressive gripping system yield a significantly higher peak shear strength of the multi-component GCL and a lower residual shear strength at large displacements.
Social bonds are at the center of our daily living and are an essential determinant of our quality of life. In people with epilepsy, numerous factors can impede cognitive and affective functions necessary for smooth social interactions. Psychological and psychiatric complications are common in epilepsy and may hinder the processing of social information. In addition, neuropsychological deficits such as slowed processing speed, memory loss or attentional difficulties may interfere with enjoyable reciprocity of social interactions. We consider societal, psychological, and neuropsychological aspects of social life with particular emphasis on socio-cognitive functions in temporal lobe epilepsy. Deficits in emotion recognition and theory of mind, two main aspects of social cognition, are frequently observed in individuals with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Results from behavioural studies targeting these functions will be presented with a focus on their relevance for patients' daily life. Furthermore, we will broach the issue of pitfalls in current diagnostic tools and potential directions for future research. By giving a broad overview of individual and interpersonal determinants of social functioning in epilepsy, we hope to provide a basis for future research to establish social cognition as a key component in the comprehensive assessment and care of those with epilepsy. (C) 2016 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Currently, mankind is afflicted with diversified health issues, allergies being a common, yet little understood malady. Allergies, the outcome of a baffled immune system encompasses myriad allergens and causes an array of health consequences, ranging from transient to recurrent and mild to fatal. Indoor allergy is a serious hypersensitivity in genetically predisposed people, triggered by ingestion, inhalation or mere contact of allergens, of which mite and cockroaches are one of the most-represented constituents. Arduous to eliminate, these aeroallergens pose constant health challenges, mostly manifested as respiratory and dermatological inflammations, leading to further aggravations if unrestrained. Recent times have seen an unprecedented endeavour to understand the conformation of these allergens, their immune manipulative ploys and other underlying causes of pathogenesis, most importantly therapies. Yet a large section of vulnerable people is ignorant of these innocuous-looking immune irritants, prevailing around them, and continues to suffer. This review aims to expedite this field by a concise, informative account of seminal findings in the past few years, with particular emphasis on leading frontiers like genome-wide association studies (GWAS), epitope mapping, metabolomics etc. Drawbacks linked to current approaches and solutions to overcome them have been proposed. (C) 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
When designing and implementing agri-environmental policies to reduce nutrient loss, action programmes may falsely address areas where the nutrient issue from agricultural activity is not currently important and is not likely to become so in the future (a false positive), or may fail to address areas where the agricultural nutrient issue is currently important or may likely become so in the future (a false negative). Based on a case study of the Louros watershed in Greece, this work identifies database and modelling sources of false positives and negatives and proposes a decision making process aimed at minimizing the possibility of committing such errors. The baseline is well simulated and shows that the Louro's watershed falls behind a Good Environmental Status, at least marginally. Simulated mitigation measures show that the river's status can be upgraded to Good, at least as concerns nitrates and ammonium. Simulated climate change does not seem to exert an important positive or negative effect. Land use changes forecasting considerably less cultivated area have a significant effect on Total Phosphorous but not on nitrates or ammonium concentrations. The non-linearity between nutrient disposition (inputs) and nutrient concentration in downstream water bodies (output) and the many factors that affect the nutrient disposition-transportation-concentration chain, highlights the importance of simulating the effects of mitigation actions and of future climate and land use changes before adopting and establishing agri-environmental measures. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Despite their nutritional value, population-level nut consumption remains low. Studies suggest that individuals would eat more nuts on their doctor's advice, making health professionals potentially important for promoting nut consumption. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the perceptions and knowledge of nuts and the predictors of nut promotion among health professionals in New Zealand. Dietitians, general practitioners (GPs), and practice nurses were identified from the Electoral Roll and invited to complete a questionnaire (n = 318, 292, and 149 respondents respectively). Over one-fifth of GPs and practice nurses believed that eating nuts could increase blood cholesterol concentrations and cause weight gain. The most common perceptions overall were that nuts are healthy; high in protein, fat, and calories; and are satiating. Nut consumption was recommended for reasons relating to these perceptions and because of nuts' selenium content. Conversely, reasons for suggesting the consumption of fewer nuts included that they were high in calories and fat, would cause weight gain, and concerns regarding allergies and cost. All groups of health professionals were more likely to promote nut consumption if they perceived nuts to reduce the risk of diabetes (all p <= 0.034). Education could improve health professionals' knowledge regarding the effects of nut consumption on blood cholesterol and body weight, alongside other health benefits, which should improve the advice given to patients and may thereby increase nut consumption.
Polybenzoxazine coatings have been applied by spin coating of a solution, prepared from a laboratory synthesized phenol, para-phenylenediamine benzoxazine (P-pPDA), on 1050 aluminum alloy. A heat treatment was performed on the coating to polymerize the benzoxazine monomer by a ring opening mechanism attested for by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and followed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Dielectric Analysis (DEA) showed curing to proceed at a temperature range up to 230 degrees C, without thermal decomposition taking place, as has already been reported in the literature for commercial bisphenol-a benzoxazines (Ba-A). The barrier protection has been evaluated by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) for 30 days in a sodium chloride solution (0.1 M). The results were fitted with equivalent electrical circuits in order to understand the electrochemical behavior of such a system. The initial barrier properties of both precursor and polymerized coatings appear to be excellent for coatings having a thickness of only 5 mu m. Though delamination occurs in the polymerized coating during saline tests after several days of immersion, such kind of coatings have remarkable properties with respect to epoxy coatings as they show a high geometrical stability during curing and a very low water uptake during saline tests. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Super-simple designs can be used to provide samples with maximum intersection as small as possible in statistical planning of experiments and can be also applied to cryptography and codes. In this paper, super-simple pairwise balanced designs with block sizes 3 and 4 are investigated and it is proved that the necessary conditions for the existence of a super-simple (nu,{3, 4}, lambda)-PBD for 2 <= lambda <= 6 are sufficient with three possible exceptions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Under the background of pubic entrepreneurship, people innovation, in order to speed up the implementation of innovation driven development strategy, it is imperative to deepen the innovation of colleges and universities entrepreneurship education reform. After one system with multivariate training mode reform, the comprehensive ability of the students of machine design manufacture and automation professional was promoted and the school innovation system of campus culture innovation reform was strengthened. In the long run it can effectively improve the quality of graduates and graduate employment competitiveness of colleges and universities. Aiming at the problems in the process of implementing the author puts forward some countermeasures and Suggestions.
In Alzheimer's disease, the microtubule-associated protein tau forms intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). A critical step in the formation of NFTs is the conversion of soluble tau into insoluble filaments. Accordingly, a current therapeutic strategy in clinical trials is aimed at preventing tau aggregation. Here, we assessed altenusin, a bioactive polyphenolic compound, for its potential to inhibit tau aggregation. Altenusin inhibits aggregation of tau protein into paired helical filaments in vitro. This was associated with stabilization of, tau dimers and other oligomers into globular structures as revealed by atomic force microscopy. Moreover, altenusin reduced tau phosphorylation in cells expressing pathogenic tau, and prevented neuritic tau pathology induced by incubation of primary neurons with tau fibrils. However, treatment of tau transgenic mice did not improve neuropathology and functional deficits. Taken together, altenusin prevents tau fibrillization in vitro and induced tau pathology in neurons.
In recent years, image encryption algorithms have been developed rapidly in order to ensure the security of image transmission. With the assistance of our previous work, this paper proposes a novel chaotic image encryption algorithm based on self-adaptive model and feedback mechanism to enhance the security and improve the efficiency. Different from other existing methods where the permutation is performed by the self-adaptive model, the initial values of iteration are generated in a novel way to make the distribution of initial values more uniform. Unlike the other schemes which is on the strength of the feedback mechanism in the stage of diffusion, the piecewise linear chaotic map is first introduced to produce the intermediate values for the sake of resisting the differential attack. The security and efficiency analysis has been performed. We measure our scheme through comprehensive simulations, considering key sensitivity, key space, encryption speed, and resistance to common attacks, especially differential attack.
Despite advances in women's equality, and perhaps as a result of it, sexist humor is prevalent in society. Research on this topic has lacked realism in the way the humor is conveyed to participants, and has not examined perceptions of both men and women who use sexist humor. We embedded jokes in printed Facebook profiles to present sexist humor to participants. We manipulated the gender of the individual in the profile (man or woman), and the type of joke presented (anti-men, anti-women, neutral) in a 2 x 3 between-groups design. We found that both men and women rated anti-women jokes as more sexist than neutral humor, and women also rated anti-men jokes as sexist. We also found that men who displayed anti-women humor were perceived less positively than men displaying anti-men humor, or women displaying either type of humor. These findings suggest that there may be different gender norms in place for joke tellers regarding who is an acceptable target of sexist humor.
This paper introduces a new electric machine for Front-End Accessory Drive (FEAD) of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). The novelty of the electric machine lies in its ability to perform multitasking. Besides the independent motor or independent generator operation like any other electric machine, the proposed machine is able to run as motor and generator simultaneously. A dual winding electric machine forms the core part of the proposed system. Windings of the electric machine are concentrated type so that electrical and magnetic isolation is maintained. This allows simultaneous motoring and generating operation in the single housing of electric machine. Design considerations of the proposed electric machine have been outlined in the paper. Comparison between proposed and conventional approaches has been made to highlight potential benefits of the new approach. Thermal analyses have been performed to show the suitability and limits of the multitasked electric machine in the HEV applications. Overall performance of the proposed machine is presented by experimental results. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is one of the most popular public key cryptosystems in recent years due to its higher security strength and lower resource consumption. However, the noninvasive side-channel attacks (SCAs) have been proved to be a big threat to ECC systems in many previous researches. In this paper, we propose a low-area-time-product ECC coprocessor for GF(2(m)) with the ability to resist most of the existing noninvasive SCAs. The basic countermeasures are relied on the underlying finite field arithmetics in randomized Montgomery domain, which can blind the intermediate value in the iterations of scalar multiplication to prevent the adversaries from cracking the private key by statistical methods. Meanwhile, we optimize the modular division and modular multiplication algorithms to fix the operating time to resist some certain timing attacks, and the Montgomery Ladder algorithm makes the coprocessor immune against simple SCAs. To efficiently implement our coprocessor, we present a hybrid operation sequence which merely needs one multiplication module and one division module to complete the entire operations. The synthesis results indicate that our design is superior to other related works in area-time product (ATP) and the extra overhead paid for the countermeasures is less than 5%.
The diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis ( HLH) can be a difficult one, and the distinction between primary versus secondary HLH can be particularly challenging during the early stages of diagnosis. This distinction is important to make as primary HLH requires allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for a definitive cure. Flow cytometric screening tests for many of the genetic forms of HLH are available. However, not all patients with primary HLH are captured by these screening tests, due to the fact that no screening test is 100% sensitive, and additionally, some patients with primary forms of HLH may have mutations in genes which are yet to be discovered. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Ammann et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2017. 47: 364-373] compare T-cell phenotype patterns among patients with primary and secondary HLH, and find that assessment of T-cell activation and differentiation may assist with the diagnosis of HLH. Furthermore, this phenotypic analysis has the potential to help make the important distinction between primary and secondary HLH.
Shallow flows can play a significant role in sediment management for dam reservoirs (e.g. sedimentation in shallow reservoirs and free-flow flushing operation). When shallow flow emerges with symmetric or asymmetric patterns, the flow domain exhibits complex three-dimensional (3D) features (e.g. helical flows). This study focuses on the numerical modelling of the velocity field in shallow reservoirs with varying geometries and also varying bed conditions (i.e. flat and misshaped beds). A fully 3D numerical model using the finite-volume method was utilised to reproduce the 3D flow velocity field. The experimentally measured surface velocity in all cases and velocity profiles in one case were used to validate the model. The numerical results showed that a slight disturbance in the inflow boundary condition results in a steady asymmetric flow pattern in reservoirs with a higher defined shape factor, but does not affect the flow pattern in reservoirs with a lower defined shape factor. Nonetheless, the simulated and measured flow velocity fields are reasonably consistent in all cases. These results can be used to optimise the design of sand traps or water storage facilities, and also to optimise sediment management in existing reservoirs.
Internet Addiction has become a public health issue that cannot be neglected. In Jordan, there is a need to investigate this issue among school students. This descriptive correlational study aimed to assess the prevalence of Internet Addition and associated risk factors in Jordanian school students. The participants (N = 716) aged 12-18 years were selected randomly from ten public schools in Amman Governorate in Jordan. Socio-demographical data, patterns of Internet usage, the Young's Internet Addiction Tool (YIAT), the Symptom Checklist-anxiety scale (SCL-anxiety), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) were used. The findings showed that the prevalence of severe Internet Addiction was 6.3%. The highest prevalence of Internet Addiction was among students with family monthly income >1400$/, their fathers completed elementary education and mothers completed university and higher education, and their academic performance was poor. The friend's home was the favorite place among Internet addicted students. Chatting was the highest reason for Internet Addiction. The students were experiencing anxiety and depression symptoms had the highest prevalence of Internet Addiction (10.3%, 8.2%, respectively). There was a statistically significant relationship between the age, school grade, family income, academic performance, average hours of Internet daily usage during school days and holidays, anxiety, depression, and Internet Addiction. These findings emphasize the importance of developing and implementing interventions such as preventive measures and early diagnosis of Internet Addiction among school students. Furthermore, counseling programs are recommended to increase the awareness of families regarding Internet Addiction and their responsibilities in providing guidance and support for their children. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Repeated intermittent exposure to cocaine results in the neurochemical sensitization of dopamine (DA) transmission within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Indeed, the excitability of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is enhanced within hours of initial psychostimulant exposure. However, it is not known if this is accompanied by a comparably rapid change in the ability of cocaine to increase extracellular DA concentrations in the ventral striatum. To address this question we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in awake-behaving rats to measure DA responses in the NAc shell following an initial intravenous cocaine injection, and then again 2-h later. Both injections quickly elevated DA levels in the NAc shell, but the second cocaine infusion produced a greater effect than the first, indicating sensitization. This suggests that a single injection of cocaine induces sensitization-related plasticity very rapidly within the mesolimbic DA system.(C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent advances in power generation from renewable resources necessitate conversion of electricity to chemicals and fuels in an efficient manner. Electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the most powerful and widespread technologies. The development of highly efficient, inexpensive, flexible, and versatile water electrolysis devices is desired. This review discusses the significance and impact of the electrolyte on electrocatalytic performance. Depending on the circumstances under which the water splitting reaction is conducted, the required solution conditions, such as the identity and molarity of ions, may significantly differ. Quantitative understanding of such electrolyte properties on electrolysis performance is effective to facilitate the development of efficient electrocatalytic systems. The electrolyte can directly participate in reaction schemes (kinetics), affect electrode stability, and/or indirectly impact the performance by influencing the concentration overpotential (mass transport). This review aims to guide fine-tuning of the electrolyte properties, or electrolyte engineering, for (photo)electrochemical water splitting reactions.
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been exploited to study the metabolic characteristics (phenotype) of genetic disorders by taking advantage of some unique characteristics of the technique. The first application, metabolic profiling for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in vitro, demonstrates the exceptional diversity of metabolites detected by NMR, and has resulted in new interest in significant metabolites largely ignored previously because other techniques do not detect them, e. g. betaine and creatine. Moreover, previously 'unknown' genetic disorders have been detected and characterised The same NMR technique can be effectively exploited for metabolic profiling of mutation models in yeast and mice, leading to a prominent role in the development of large scale metabolomic profiling to link genomic information with phenotype. The second application, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), exploits the unique possibility of studying human metabolism in vivo, which permits intracellular rather than extracellular metabolic profiling. When it is possible to detect the precise diagnostic metabolites in vivo, investigators have been able to link clinical status with cellular biochemistry, sometimes questioning the clinical value of extracellular (plasma) metabolite measurements. Thus, claims have been made that brain phenylalanine concentrations match more closely the clinical status of patients with phenylketonuria. These studies in vivo have also led to new diagnoses e.g. the disorders of creatine synthesis and transport, highlighting a new category of brain syndromes. Future applications of NMR are cautiously considered as they are critically dependent on continued improvement in resolution and sensitivity in turn generated by developments in magnet design and higher fields.
We have analyzed 24 loci including autosomal and Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), Y-indel, and sex-determining marker in a sample of 267 unrelated individuals from the Mongolian population using the GlobalFiler (TM) PCR Amplification Kit to provide an expanded and more reliable forensic database. Khalkh among 15 Mongolian minor-groups accounts for about 80% of the entire Mongolian population. A total of 267 different DNA profiles were found in this work. The highest gene diversity was observed in the SE33 (0.9376) locus, and the lowest value was found in the TPOX (0.6142) locus. Although individual power of discrimination estimates varied at the studied loci, combined probability of match from the 21 STR loci was estimated to be 1.139 x 10(-24), which is highly informative. Based on the results of pair-wise F-ST genetic distances and multi-dimensional scaling plot showed that Mongolians were clustered into Europeans and Asians, although Mongolia is geographically located in Northeastern Asia. Thus, the present survey of the Mongolian population may help establish a comprehensive reference database for forensic and population genetic analyses.
The trait and social cognitive perspectives are considered disparate approaches to understanding personality. We suggest an integrative view in which three elements derived from the social cognitive perspective (i.e., situations, behaviors, and explanations [SBEs]) form the basis of personality traits. Study 1 demonstrated strong associations between traits and SBEs across the Big Five dimensions. Studies 2 through 7 tested the discriminative validity, internal structure, and unique contributions of the individual components of SBEs. Studies 8 and 9 demonstrated that the strong associations between traits and SBEs generalize to different cultures. The present work suggests that SBEs may be a universal folk psychological mechanism underlying personality traits.
Berberine is traditionally used to treat gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders. The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are the pacemaker cells of the gastrointestinal tract, which are responsible for the production of gut movements. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of berberine on pacemaker potentials (PPs) in cultured ICC clusters from the mouse small intestine, and sought to identify the receptors involved and the underlying mechanisms of action. All experiments were performed on cultured ICCs, and a whole-cell patch-clamp configuration was used to record PPs from ICC clusters (current clamp mode). Under current clamp mode, berberine was shown to decrease the amplitude and frequency of PPs. However, these effects were suppressed by treatment with glibenclamide, a specific ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker. Nor-binaltorphimine dihydrochloride (a kappa opioid receptor antagonist) did not suppress berberine-induced PP inhibition, whereas ICI 174,864 (a delta opioid receptor antagonist) and CTOP (a mu opioid receptor antagonist) did suppress the inhibitory effects of berberine. Pretreatment with SQ-22536 (an adenylate cyclase inhibitor) or with KT-5720 (a protein kinase A inhibitor) did not suppress the effects of berberine; however, pretreatment with 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo [4,3-a] quinoxalin-1-one (a guanylate cyclase inhibitor) or KT-5823 [a protein kinase G (PKG) inhibitor] did. In addition, berberine stimulated cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production in ICCs. These observations indicate that berberine may inhibit the pacemaker activity of ICC clusters via ATP-sensitive K+ channels and the cGMP-PKG-dependent pathway by stimulating mu and delta opioid receptors. Therefore, berberine may provide a basis for the development of novel agents for the treatment of GI motility dysfunction.
Background: The capacity for emotion recognition and understanding is crucial for daily social functioning. We examined to what extent this capacity is impaired in young children with a Language Impairment (LI). In typical development, children learn to recognize emotions in faces and situations through social experiences and social learning. Children with LI have less access to these experiences and are therefore expected to fall behind their peers without LI. Method: In this study, 89 preschool children with LI and 202 children without LI (mean age 3 years and 10 months in both groups) were tested on three indices for facial emotion recognition (discrimination, identification, and attribution in emotion evoking situations). Parents reported on their children's emotion vocabulary and ability to talk about their own emotions. Results: Preschoolers with and without LI performed similarly on the non-verbal task for emotion discrimination. Children with LI fell behind their peers without LI on both other tasks for emotion recognition that involved labelling the four basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, fear). The outcomes of these two tasks were also related to children's level of emotion language. Implications: These outcomes emphasize the importance of 'emotion talk' at the youngest age possible for children with LI. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the vision of a future pervaded by Ambient Intelligence (AmI), innovative solutions are required in order to facilitate the development of applications able to fulfill the real needs of the users. In using agents for building AmI applications, there is a lack of platforms and languages that strike a good balance between flexibility and power of expression, on the one hand, and ease of use and quick deployment, on the other hand. We introduce the tATAmI platform, which together with the S-CLAIM AOP language presents a suitable solution for these issues. This paper presents the architecture of tATAmI together with a brief description of two scenarios that were implemented using the platform and some other important technical aspects concerning it. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Objectives: In this proof-of-concept trial, we examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of Understanding Social Situations (USS), a new social cognitive intervention that targets higher level social cognitive skills using methods common to neurocognitive remediation, including drill and practice and hierarchically structured training, which may compensate for the negative effects of cognitive impairment on learning. Method: Thirty-eight individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders completed the same baseline assessment of cognitive and social cognitive functioning twice over a 1-month period to minimize later practice effects, then received 7-10 sessions of USS training, and then completed the same assessment again at posttreatment. Results: USS training was well tolerated and received high treatment satisfaction ratings. Large improvements on the USS Skills Test, which contained items similar to but not identical to training stimuli, suggest that we were effective in teaching specific training content. Content gains generalized to improvements on some of the social cognitive tasks, including select measures of attributional bias and theory of mind. Importantly, baseline neurocognition did not impact the amount of learning during USS (as indexed by the USS Skills Test) or the amount of improvement on social cognitive measures. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: USS shows promise as a treatment for higher level social cognitive skills. Given the lack of relationship between baseline cognition and treatment effects, it may be particularly appropriate for individuals with lower range cognitive function.
Gender and sexual orientation are expressed in heterosexual, lesbian (L), gay (G), bisexual (B), transgender (T), or queer (Q) interests and behavior. Compared with heterosexual persons, LGBTQ persons seem to experience more antisocial behavior, including negative discrimination and violence. To assess differences in LGBTQ-related discrimination in schools, the question for this research is Do the degrees of violence experienced and feeling unsafe of LGBTQ students and staff in a school differ from those of non-LGBTQ students and staff in the same school? Secondary analysis was carried out on data from a Dutch national digital monitor survey on safety in secondary schools. In 2006, 2008, and 2010, participation amounted to 570 schools, 18,300 teaching and support staff, and 216,000 students. Four indicators were constructed at the school level: two Mokken Scale means assessing severity of violence experienced and two Alpha Scale means assessing feeling unsafe. Analysis of mean differences showed that LGB students experienced more violence and felt less safe than non-LGB students; LGB staff felt less safe in school than non-LGB staff. When LGB students experienced more violence at school than non-LGB students, LGB students also felt less safe than non-LGB students for all 3 years. No such relationships existed for LGB staff, or between LGB staff and LGB students. No significant relationships were found between the four LGB school indicators and contextual school variables. The outcomes and uniqueness of the study are discussed. Recommendations are made to improve assessment and promote prosocial behavior of students and staff in schools.
Pipe faults, such as leakage and blockage, commonly exist in water pipeline systems. It is essential to identify and fix these failures appropriately in order to reduce the risk of water pollution and enhance the security of water supply. Recently, transient-based detection methods have been developed for their advantages of non-intrusion, efficiency and economics compared to traditional methods. However, this method is so far limited mainly to simple pipelines with a single known type of pipe fault in the system. This paper aims to extend the transient-based method to multiple-fault detection in water pipelines. For this purpose, this study introduced an efficient and robust method for transient pressure signal analysis - a combination of the empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert transform - in order to better identify and detect different anomalies (leakage, blockage and junction) in pipelines. To validate the proposed transient-based time-frequency analysis method, laboratory experimental tests were conducted in this study for a simple pipeline system with multiple unknown types of pipe faults including leakages, blockages and junctions. The preliminary test results and analysis indicate that multiple pipe faults in simple pipelines can be efficiently identified and accurately located by the proposed method.
Scope: Flavanol-rich foods are known to exert beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. The biological effects depend on bioavailability of flavanols which may be influenced by food matrix and dose ingested. We compared the bioavailability and dose-response of epicatechin from whole apple and an epicatechin-rich extract, and the effects on plasma and urinary nitric oxide (NO) metabolites. Methods and results: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, subjects consumed drinks containing 70 and 140 mg epicatechin from an apple extract and an apple puree containing 70 mg epicatechin. Blood and urine samples were collected for 24 h post ingestion. Maximum plasma concentration, AUC((0-24 h)), absorption and urinary excretion were all significantly higher after ingestion of both epicatechin drinks compared with apple puree (p < 0.05). Time to maximum plasma concentration was significantly later for the puree compared with the drinks (p2-fold higher after ingestion of the 140 mg epicatechin drink compared to the 70 mg epicatechin drink (p < 0.05). Excretion of NO metabolites was higher for all test products compared with placebo, which was significant for the high dose drink (p = 0.016). Conclusions: Oral bioavailability of apple epicatechin increases at higher doses, is reduced by whole apple matrix and has the potential to increase NO bioavailability.
A system of generating tunable orbital angular momentum (OAM) radio beams and a method of measuring the OAM states are proposed and experimentally investigated. The OAM beams, which are generated by a uniform circular array, can be dynamically configured by controlling the digital signals in the baseband. A 2-D near-field scanning platform is built to measure the OAM states of the system. The platform can provide multiple feed ports for the transmitting array. Iteration is used to calibrate the amplitude and phase of each feed port. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methods on generating and measuring tunable OAM beams.
Tissue or nerve injury induces widespread plastic changes from the periphery and spinal cord up to the cortex, resulting in chronic pain. Although many clinicians and researchers have extensively studied altered nociceptive signaling and neural circuit plasticity at the spinal cord level, effective treatments to ameliorate chronic pain are still insufficient. For about the last two decades, the rapid development in macroscopic brain imaging studies on humans and animal models have revealed maladaptive plastic changes in the 'pain matrix' brain regions, which may subsequently contribute to chronic pain. Among these brain regions, our group has concentrated for many years on the primary somatosensory (S1) cortex with a help of advanced imaging techniques and has found the functional and structural changes in neurons/glia as well as individual synapses in the S1 cortex during chronic pain. Taken together, it is now believed that such S1 plasticity is one of the causes for chronic pain, not a simple and passive epiphenomenon following tissue/nerve injury as previously thought. In this small review, we discuss the relation of plasticity in the S1 cortex with chronic pain, based on clinical trials and experimental studies conducted on this field.
BACKGROUND CONTEXT: More than half of the perforations reported with usage of cervical pedicle screws (CPS) are lateral perforations, endangering the vertebral artery. The medial cortical pedicle screw (MCPS) technique with partial drilling of the medial cortex shifts the trajectory of pedicle screws medially, decreasing the lateral perforations. PURPOSE: To evaluate the decrease in lateral perforations of CPS with use of MCPS technique, in relation to medial angulation. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Retrospective analysis and technical report of the MCPS technique and its safety. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 58 patients operated on between December 2011 and May 2015 with insertion of pedicle screws from C3 to C7 were included in the study. OUTCOME MEASURES: Axial reconstructed computed tomography (CT) scan images of the inserted screws were evaluated for placement, perforations, and transverse plane angulations using the Surgimap software (Surgimap Spine 1.1.2.271 Intl. 2009 Nemaris LLC). The angulations of screws were analyzed by the type and level of placement through unpaired t test and analysis of variance test. METHODS: A total of 58 patients operated on between December 2011 and May 2015 with insertion of pedicle screws from C3 to C7 were included in the study. There were 49 males and 9 females. Thirty-seven patients had cervical trauma, 17 had cervical spondylotic myelopathy, two had tumors, and two had ankylosing spondylitis. The average age was 49 years (range 18 to 80 years). The screws were inserted using the MCPS technique. All patients underwent postoperative CT scans with GE Optima CT540 16 slice CT scanner (GE Healthcare Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK). Axial reconstructed images along the axis of the inserted screws were evaluated for placement and perforations. Further, all the screws were evaluated for transverse plane angulations using the Surgimap software. The angulations of screw were analyzed by the type and level of placement through unpaired t test and analysis of variance test. No funds were received by any of the authors for the purpose of the present study. RESULTS: A total of 324 screws were assessed with postoperative CT scans. Two hundred fifty-six were found to be placed within the pedicle and 68 (20.98%) screws were found to have perforations. Forty screws (12.34%) had grade I medial perforations, 14 screws (4.32%) had grade I lateral perforations, 10 screws (3.08%) had grade II medial perforations, and 4 screws (1.23%) had grade II lateral perforations. The average angulation of the nonperforated screws (n=256) was 28.6 degrees (43 degrees-17 degrees), that of laterally perforated screws was 20.33 degrees (13 degrees-24 degrees), and that of the medially perforated screws was 34.94 degrees (45 degrees-20 degrees). On statistical analysis with each series, the 99% CI range for the in-screw angles was 27.91 degrees to 29.34 degrees; for the laterally perforated screw series, it was 18.42 degrees to 22.23 degrees; and that for the medially perforated screw series was 32.97 degrees to 36.9 degrees. CONCLUSIONS: The MCPS technique represents a shift in the concept of placement of CPS from the cancellous core to the medial cortex, avoiding screw deflection laterally by the thick proximal medial cortex. The present study shows that the lateral perforations can be consistently avoided, with a medial angulation of more than 27.91 degrees, which is the primary concern with the use of pedicle screws in lower cervical spine. Further, the MCPS technique reduces the lateral perforations at a lesser insertion angle, which is technically desirable. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Population growth has made the probability of incidents at large-scale crowd events higher than ever. In the past decades, automated crowd scene analysis done by computer vision has attracted attention. However, severe occlusions and complex crowd behaviors make such analysis a challenge. As a key aspect of crowd scene analysis, a number of works dealing with dense crowd anomaly detection based on computer vision have been presented. This work is a survey of computer vision techniques for analyzing dense crowd scenes. It covers two aspects: crowd density estimation and abnormal event detection. Some problems and perspectives are discussed at the end.
In the present project it has been possible to prove the relationship existing between internal personality variables such as self-concept or pro-sociality and distal variables like physical activity and academic achievement, within the school context. Promoting physical activity both as a sport and also a means for teenagers to learn personal and social competence allows us to offer an educational tool to develop pro-social behavior. This is a descriptive project, whose sample is made up of 115 secondary school students. A socio-demographic questionnaire has been used, the self-concept questionnaire(AF-5), the scale of pro-sociality in teenagers and adults, the Cantoblanco scale of socialization difficulties(SOC) and different school qualifications. Among the results obtained, it is confirmed that by doing physical activity ones physical self-concept improves and this, in turn, leads to better social perception thus integrating the teenager into peer groups and resulting in better academic results.
Explicit tests of social cognition have revealed pervasive deficits in schizophrenia. Less is known of automatic social cognition in schizophrenia. We used a spatial orienting task to investigate automatic shifts of attention cued by another person's eye gaze in 29 patients and 28 controls. Central photographic images of a face with eyes shifted left or right, or looking straight ahead, preceded targets that appeared left or right of the cue. To examine automatic effects, cue direction was non-predictive of target location. Cue-target intervals were 100, 300, and 800 ms. In non-social control trials, arrows replaced eye-gaze cues. Both groups showed automatic attentional orienting indexed by faster reaction times (RTs) when arrows were congruent with target location across all cue-target intervals. Similar congruency effects were seen for eye-shift cues at 300 and 800 ms intervals, but patients showed significantly larger congruency effects at 800 ms, which were driven by delayed responses to incongruent target locations. At short 100-ms cue-target intervals, neither group showed faster RTs for congruent than for incongruent eyeshift cues, but patients were significantly slower to detect targets after direct-gaze cues. These findings conflict with previous studies using schematic line drawings of eye-shifts that have found automatic attentional orienting to be reduced in schizophrenia. Instead, our data indicate that patients display abnormalities in responding to gaze direction at various stages of gaze processing-reflected by a stronger preferential capture of attention by another person's direct eye contact at initial stages of gaze processing and difficulties disengaging from a gazed-at location once shared attention is established.
Titan is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere, the only other thick N-2 atmosphere besides Earth's, the site of extraordinarily complex atmospheric chemistry that far surpasses any other solar system atmosphere, and the only other solar system body with stable liquid currently on its surface. The connection between Titan's surface and atmosphere is also unique in our solar system; atmospheric chemistry produces materials that are deposited on the surface and subsequently altered by surface-atmosphere interactions such as aeolian and fluvial processes resulting in the formation of extensive dune fields and expansive lakes and seas. Titan's atmosphere is favorable for organic haze formation, which combined with the presence of some oxygen-bearing molecules indicates that Titan's atmosphere may produce molecules of prebiotic interest. The combination of organics and liquid, in the form of water in a subsurface ocean and methane/ethane in the surface lakes and seas, means that Titan may be the ideal place in the solar system to test ideas about habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and the ubiquity and diversity of life in the universe. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system has provided a wealth of new information allowing for study of Titan as a complex system. Here I review our current understanding of Titan's atmosphere and climate forged from the powerful combination of Earth-based observations, remote sensing and in situ spacecraft measurements, laboratory experiments, and models. I conclude with some of our remaining unanswered questions as the incredible era of exploration with Cassini-Huygens comes to an end. Plain Language Summary Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is unique in our solar system. It is the only moon with a dense atmosphere and the only other thick nitrogen atmosphere besides that of Earth. In the atmosphere very complicated chemistry, started by sunlight, forms molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen (sometimes called organic molecules); these molecules end up on the surface where they are moved by wind and rain to form dunes, lakes, and seas. It is the only world besides Earth that has lakes and seas presently on its surface, although they are made of liquid methane and ethane instead of water. The conditions in Titan's atmosphere are ideal for creation of smog-like particles called haze, which may have molecules that are important for the origin of life. The combination of liquid and organics means that Titan may be the best place in the solar system to test ideas about how life begins and how common it is in the universe. The Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system has provided a wealth of new information allowing us to study Titan as a system. Here I review our current understanding of Titan's atmosphere and climate forged from the powerful combination of Earth-based observations, measurements from spacecraft, laboratory experiments, and computer models. I conclude with some of our remaining unanswered questions as the incredible era of exploration with Cassini-Huygens comes to an end.
There is an increasing incidence of dementia in our aging population, and consequently an urgent need to develop treatments and activities that may alleviate the symptoms of dementia. Accumulating evidence shows that persons with dementia enjoy music, and their ability to respond to music is potentially preserved even in the late or severe stages of dementia when verbal communication may have ceased. Media interest in this topic has contributed to the public perception that music abilities are an island of preservation in an otherwise cognitively impaired person with dementia. In this chapter, we review the current literature on music cognition in dementia and show that there has been very scarce rigorous scientific investigation of this issue, and that various types of music memory exist and are differentially impaired in the different types of dementia. Furthermore, we discuss the recent development of music activities as a nonpharmacological treatment for dementia and highlight the methodological limitations of the current literature on this topic. While it has been reported that music activities can improve behavior, (particularly agitation), mood, and cognition in persons with dementia, recent large-scale randomized control studies have questioned the specificity of the effect of music and found that it is no more beneficial than other pleasant activities. Nevertheless, music is unique in its powerful ability to elicit both memories and emotions. This can provide an important link to individual's past and a means of nonverbal communication with carers, which make it an ideal stimulus for persons with dementia.
Major Axis-I disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), anxiety disorder, and schizophrenia are associated with a host of aberrations in the way social stimuli are processed. Face perception tasks are often used in neuroimaging research of emotion processing in both healthy and patient populations, and to date, there exists a mounting body of evidence, both behavioral and within the brain, indicating that emotional faces compared to neutral faces are processed abnormally by those with Axis-I disorders relative to healthy control (HC) groups. The use of neutral faces as a baseline control condition is predicated on the assumption that neutral faces are processed in the same way HCs and individuals with major Axis-I disorders. In this paper, existing fMRI studies examining the way neutral faces are processed in groups with Axis-I disorders involving socioaffective perception are reviewed. In reviewing available studies, a consistent pattern of results demonstrated that these disorders are associated with abnormal frontolimbic activity in response to neutral faces and in particular within the amygdala and prefrontal regions such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared to HC groups. Specifically, increased amygdala activation was consistently reported in response to neutral faces in anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Abnormal medial PFC activity was reported in patients with MDD, and patients with BD exhibit decreased activity in the DLPFC and ACC relative to HCs. In addition, specific suggestions to overcome these obstacles with new research and additional analyses are discussed.
Laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2) is a key component of RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs). However, the lack of the caspase recruitment domains (CARDs) results in its controversial functional performance as a negative or positive regulator in antiviral responses. Especially, no sufficient evidence uncovers the functional mechanisms of LGP2 in RLR signaling pathways in teleost. Here, negative regulation mechanism of LGP2 in certain situations in retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation -associated gene 5 (MDA5)-mediated antiviral responses was identified in Ctenopharyngoclon iclella kidney cells. LGP2 overexpression inhibits synthesis and phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor 3/7 (IRF3/7), and mRNA levels and promoter activities of IFNs and NF-kappa Bs in resting state and early phase of grass carp reovirus (GCRV) infection. Knockdown of LGP2 obtains opposite effects. Luciferase report assay indicates that LGP2 works at the upstream of RIG-I and MDA5. LGP2 binds to RIG-I and MDA5 with diverse domain preference and which is independent of GCRV infection. Furthermore, LGP2 restrains K63-linked ubiquitination of RIG-I and MDA5 in various degrees. These differences result in disparate repressive mechanisms of LGP2 to RIG-I- and MDA5-mediated signal activations of IFN-beta promoter stimulator 1 and mediator of IRF3 activation. Interestingly, LGP2 also inhibits K48-linked RIG-I and MDA5 ubiquitination to suppress proteins degradation, which guarantees the basal protein levels for subsequently rapid signal activation. All these results reveal a mechanism that LGP2 functions as a suppressor in RLR signaling pathways to maintain cellular homeostasis in resting state and early phase during GCRV infection.
The small modular reactor (SMR) offers many feasible pathways for the construction of more nuclear power plants. A physics model of a near term deployable SMR of the integral pressurized water reactor (IPWR) design is developed. Fuel depletion simulations are performed to optimize the active fuel length, fuel enrichment and core loading pattern in order to achieve a uniform core power distribution. The optimized core can produce 500 MW of thermal power with a four year core life-time at a capacity factor of 87%. The core consists of 69 uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel assemblies; 5 assemblies at 4.4 at% U-235 enrichment and 64 assemblies at 4.95 at% U-235 enrichment. The active fuel length is 200 cm and the core diameter is 194.55 cm for an active core height-to-diameter ratio of 1.03. As part of the study the active fuel length is increased to 240 cm resulting in an increased capacity factor of 95% at 530 MW of thermal power output for an active core height-to-diameter ratio of 1.23. Rod cluster control assemblies (RCCAs) are placed strategically to reduce the overall core power peaking factor to 1.3. Estimated reactor kinetics parameters such as the delayed neutron fraction and mean neutron generation time are typical of existing larger pressurized water reactors (PWRs) from which much of the IPWR based SMR design is derived. This study showed that Doppler, moderator temperature, void and power reactivity coefficients are all negative over the core life-time of four years indicating the possibility of safe reactor operation. A semi-analytical thermal hydraulics analysis reveals acceptable radial and axial fuel element temperature profiles with significant safety margin from industry standards on peak fuel and clad surface temperature limits. The critical heat flux (CHF) is calculated and is not exceeded even in 10% overpower conditions. In addition the nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR) is calculated and found to be above 4.8 for the entirety of the active core region. These parameters further engender confidence in the safety of the SMR design. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the results of the investigation of the performance efficiencies of silt fence fabrics in turbidity and sediment concentration removal, and the determination of flow-through-rate on simulated construction sites in real time. Two silt fence fabrics, (1) a woven type and (2) a nonwoven type, were subjected to material index property tests and a series of field-scale tests. The fabrics were tested for removal efficiency by varying the rainfall intensities and events for different embankment slopes on a tilting test-bed. Collected influent and effluent samples were analyzed for sediment concentration and turbidity, and the flow-through-rate for each fabric was evaluated. Test results revealed that the woven and nonwoven silt fence achieved 14 and 52 percent average turbidity reduction efficiency, and 23 and 56 percent average sediment concentration removal efficiency, respectively. Evaluation of sediment concentration reduction based on percent removal does not correctly account for the sediment concentration transported and deposited downstream. Fabric flowrates were functions of the rainfall intensity, embankment slope and field conditions, and fluctuates with every rainfall event. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose - Mortality is a salient factor during capital sentencing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role death plays in jurors' decisions when sentencing a severely mentally ill defendant who is subject to possible discrimination in a capital trial because of that status. Design/methodology/approach - The current experiment measured venire jurors' (n = 133) mental illness dangerousness beliefs, and then experimentally manipulated type of mortality salience (dual-focused: participants who contemplated their own mortality and were exposed to trial-related death references vs trial focused: only exposed to death references) and the type of defendant (severely mentally ill vs neutral) accused of a capital offense. Findings - Mock jurors perceived mental illness to be an important mitigating factor when dual (i.e. self) focused mortality (DFM) salience was induced, whereas participants only exposed to trial-related death references considered mental illness to be an aggravating factor in sentencing and were more likely to evidence stereotype adherence toward the defendant. Practical implications - The implications of the authors' findings are problematic for the current legal system. During the majority of capital sentencing, jurors will only be exposed to trial-related death references, as individuals in the trial-focused mortality condition were. The findings suggest that these jurors are likely to engage in discriminatory stereotypes that do not consider fair process when making sentencing decisions. This research also suggests that mortality salience may be able to increase jurors' attention to such concerns in a trial scenario even when negative mental illness stereotypes are present. Originality/value - Research builds on existing terror management theory and offers a more nuanced perspective of how focusing on one's own death can affect jurors' reliance on stereotypes and lead to inappropriate decisions. Mortality salience can lead to decisions based upon procedural fairness when stereotypes and mortality salience are both present.
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is uncommon in Chinese population and its biology, genetics and treatment outcome in Chinese patients have not been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we studied the clinicopathological features and outcome of 212 Chinese patients with newly diagnosed CLL in Hong Kong and Singapore. The median age at diagnosis was 64 years. The majority of patients presented with early-stage disease (Binet stage A, 56.1%). Del(13) (q14) was the most frequent abnormality (41.7%) detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Del(17p) and TP53 gene mutations were detected in 7.8% and 8.2% of patients, respectively. MYD88 mutations were found at a higher frequency (11.5%) than expected. CLL with unmutated variable region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain genes (IGHV) occurred in only 31.2% of cases, and was associated with advanced-stage disease (p < 0.01) and adverse FISH abnormalities (p<0.01). With a median follow-up of 39 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 108 months. The presence of del(17p) or TP53 mutations was associated with a significantly shorter time to first treatment and an inferior OS (p < 0.01). Unmutated IGHV was also associated with a significantly shorter time to treatment (p <0.01). Among patients who required treatment, the median OS and progression-free survival (PFS) were 107 and 23 months, respectively. The presence of del(17p) was associated with a significantly inferior OS and PFS (p <0.01). In summary, Chinese CLL patients had similar genetic aberrations at diagnosis compared with those of Western populations. FISH abnormalities are major factors affecting outcome.
This review article covers English-written and PubMed-listed review articles and original studies published between January 2015 and April 2016 dealing with the toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics of new psychoactive substances. Compounds covered include stimulants and entactogens, synthetic cannabinoids, tryptamines, NBOMes, phencyclidine-like drugs, benzodiazepines, and opioids. First, an overview and discussion is provided on timely review articles followed by an overview and discussion on recent original studies. Both sections are then concluded by an opinion on these latest developments. This review shows that the NPS market is still highly dynamic and that the data published on their toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics can hardly keep pace with the appearance of new entities. However, data available are very helpful to understand and predict how NPS may behave in severe intoxication. The currently best-documented parameter is the in vitro metabolism of NPS, a prerequisite to allow detection of NPS in biological matrices in cases of acute intoxications or chronic consumption. However, additional data such as their chronic toxicity are still lacking.
Aims/hypothesis: We investigated the effects of rosiglitazone on NEFA and triglyceride metabolism in type 2 diabetes. Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of rosiglitazone in diet-treated type 2 diabetic subjects, we measured arteriovenous differences and tissue blood flow in forearm muscle and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, used stable isotope techniques, and analysed gene expression. Responses to a mixed meal containing [ 1,1,1- C-13] tripalmitin were assessed. Results: Rosiglitazone induced insulin sensitisation without altering fasting NEFA concentrations (- 6.6%, p= 0.16). Postprandial NEFA concentrations were lowered by rosiglitazone compared with placebo (- 21%, p= 0.04). Adipose tissue NEFA release was not decreased in the fasting state by rosiglitazone treatment (+ 24%, p= 0.17) and was associated with an increased fasting hormone-sensitive lipase rate of action (+ 118%, p= 0.01). Postprandial triglyceride concentrations were decreased by rosiglitazone treatment (- 26%, p< 0.01) despite unchanged fasting concentrations. Rosiglitazone did not change concentrations of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnants. Adipose tissue blood flow increased with rosiglitazone (+ 32%, p= 0.03). Postprandial triglyceride [C-13] palmitic acid concentrations were unchanged, whilst NEFA [C-13] palmitic acid concentrations were decreased (p= 0.04). In muscle, hexokinase II mRNA expression was increased by rosiglitazone (+ 166%, p= 0.001) whilst the expression of genes involved in insulin signalling was unchanged. Adipose tissue expression of FABP4, LPL and FAT/CD36 was increased. Conclusions/interpretation: Rosiglitazone decreases postprandial NEFA and triglyceride concentrations. This may represent decreased spillover of NEFAs from adipose tissue depots. Decreased delivery of NEFAs to the liver may lead to lowered postprandial triglyceride concentrations. Upregulation of hexokinase II expression in muscle may contribute to insulin sensitisation by rosiglitazone.
Salinity gradient solar ponds act as an integrated thermal solar energy collector and storage system. The temperature difference between the upper convective zone and the lower convective zone of a salinity gradient solar pond can be in the range of 40-60A degrees C. The temperature at the bottom of the pond can reach up to 90A degrees C. Low-grade heat (< 100A degrees C) from solar ponds is currently converted into electricity by organic Rankine cycle engines. Thermoelectric generators can operate at very low temperature differences and can be a good candidate to replace organic Rankine cycle engines for power generation from salinity gradient solar ponds. The temperature difference in a solar pond can be used to power thermoelectric generators for electricity production. This paper presents an experimental investigation of a thermoelectric generators heat exchanger system designed to be powered by the hot water from the lower convective zone of a solar pond, and cold water from the upper convective zone of a solar pond. The results obtained have indicated significant prospects of such a system to generate power from low-grade heat for remote area power supply systems.
Significant progress has been made in characterizing the biological changes occurring in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cognitive dysfunction has been viewed, however, as a late-stage phenomenon, despite increasing evidence that changes may be detected in the decades preceding dementia. In the absence of comprehensive evidence-based guidelines for preclinical cognitive assessment, longitudinal cohort and neuroimaging studies have been reviewed to determine the temporal order and brain biomarker correlates of specific cognitive functions. Episodic memory decline was observed to be the most salient cognitive function, correlating with high levels of amyloid deposition and hypoconnectivity across large-scale brain networks. Prospective studies point to early decline in both episodic and semantic memory processing as well as executive functions in the predementia period. The cognitive tests have, however, been principally those used to diagnose dementia. New procedures are required which target more finely the medial temporal lobe subregions first affected by clinically silent AD pathology. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Although delirium shares clinical characteristics with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), there is limited information regarding the relationship between delirium and Lewy body pathology. Here, we report an 89year-old Japanese woman with an episode of delirium who was pathologically confirmed to have limbic-type Lewy body disease (LBD). Although she exhibited transient visual hallucinations during the delirium, she had no overt dementia. She developed no core clinical features of DLB and died of pneumonia at the age of 90 years. This autopsied case suggests that delirium may be one of the clinical phenotypes of LBD prior to the onset of dementia.
A new concept is proposed for the full-wave computer-aided design of microwave filters. The method consists of two stages and operates on the zeros and poles of the transfer function and their derivatives. These quantities are evaluated from the response computed by a full-wave electromagnetic solver with two levels of accuracy. The two stages make use of different models that are optimized using a low-accuracy electromagnetic solver. The design involves one coarse-level optimization in the first stage and a few iterations in the second stage, each requiring a single computation of a high-accuracy response. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is demonstrated with two examples, in which design closure was achieved with just three evaluations of the high-accuracy full-wave solutions irrespective of the quality of the initial design.
This review represents the Southern Ocean community's satellite data needs for the coming decade. Developed through widespread engagement and incorporating perspectives from a range of stakeholders (both research and operational), it is designed as an important community-driven strategy paper that provides the rationale and information required for future planning and investment. The Southern Ocean is vast but globally connected, and the communities that require satellite-derived data in the region are diverse. This review includes many observable variables, including sea ice properties, sea surface temperature, sea surface height, atmospheric parameters, marine biology (both micro and macro) and related activities, terrestrial cryospheric connections, sea surface salinity, and a discussion of coincident and in situ data collection. Recommendations include commitment to data continuity, increases in particular capabilities (sensor types, spatial, temporal), improvements in dissemination of data/products/uncertainties, and innovation in calibration/validation capabilities. Full recommendations are detailed by variable as well as summarized. This review provides a starting point for scientists to understand more about Southern Ocean processes and their global roles, for funders to understand the desires of the community, for commercial operators to safely conduct their activities in the Southern Ocean, and for space agencies to gain greater impact from Southern Ocean-related acquisitions and missions.
Internet technology today is not free from many problems or security holes. This security holes could be exploited by an unauthorized person to steal important data. The case of the attacks occurred because the party that was attacked also did not realize the importance of network security to be applied to the system. Honeypot is a system that is designed to resemble the original production system and is made with the intention to be attacked or compromised. In this research, Cubieboard implemented using low interaction honeypot as a decoy to attract attackers. The result of this research is a low interaction honeypot implemented on embedded system with the form of Cubieboard that can emulates security vulnerabilities such as directory buster brute force, LFI, and RFI with 100% success rate, but still could not emulates SQL Injection vulnerability. One of the result of stress test with 773 samples, obtained average time of 5275 ms, deviation 2067 ms, sample throughput 367.012 per minute, and with median 5381 ms. The stress test is conducted with 50 threads and 10 ramp-ups per second.
This paper proposes a novel rotation invariant feature for object recognition. Firstly, the local Fourier transform features of pixels in the described region are encoded by Fisher Vectors. Then, the encoded vectors are aggregated into a final representation by ordinal pyramid pooling, which hierarchically partitions the described region into sub-regions based on the orders of its pixels' rotation invariants. Since both the encoded Fisher Vectors and the ordinal pyramid pooling strategy are rotation invariant, the extracted feature is rotation invariant by nature. Two kinds of rotation invariants are investigated in this framework, one is the Radial Gradient Orientation and the other is the Radial Gradient Angle. Experiments on handwritten digit recognition and airplane/car detection in aerial images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which outperforms the state of the art. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Aims: The study was carried out to isolate and identify the spontaneously growing populations of bacteria and fungi on the surface of biologically recovered polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymer, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)]. Methodology and results: Large-scale PHA biosynthesis was carried out using 300 L fermenter and a biological methodology developed in our laboratory was utilized for PHA recovery. Using standard microbiological and molecular biology techniques the naturally growing microbial populations on the surface of biologically recovered PHA were identified. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the identified bacterial (Bacillus cereus and Burkholderia cepacia) and fungal isolates (Aspergillus niger, Byssochlamys nivea, Penicillium citrinum and Penicillium griseofulvum) were able to grow on and degrade the P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: This is the first report on biologically recovered PHA pellet addressing the occurrence of microorganisms that grew spontaneously on it during storage under laboratory conditions. Fungi appeared to be dominant over bacteria in their ability to colonize the biologically recovered PHA.
In this paper, we introduce a real-time face recognition (and announcement) system targeted at aiding the blind and low-vision people. The system uses a Microsoft Kinect sensor as a wearable device, performs face detection, and uses temporal coherence along with a simple biometric procedure to generate a sound associated with the identified person, virtualized at his/her estimated 3-D location. Our approach uses a variation of the K-nearest neighbors algorithm over histogram of oriented gradient descriptors dimensionally reduced by principal component analysis. The results show that our approach, on average, outperforms traditional face recognition methods while requiring much less computational resources (memory, processing power, and battery life) when compared with existing techniques in the literature, deeming it suitable for the wearable hardware constraints. We also show the performance of the system in the dark, using depth-only information acquired with Kinect's infrared camera. The validation uses a new dataset available for download, with 600 videos of 30 people, containing variation of illumination, background, and movement patterns. Experiments with existing datasets in the literature are also considered. Finally, we conducted user experience evaluations on both blindfolded and visually impaired users, showing encouraging results.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) proposes an alternative model for personality disorders, which includes maladaptive-level personality traits. These traits can be operationalized by the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5). Although there has been extensive research on genetic and environmental influences on normative level personality, the heritability of the DSM-5 traits remains understudied. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by assessing traits indexed by the PID-5 and the International Personality Item Pool NEO (IPIP-NEO) in adult twins (N = 1,812 individuals). Research aims include (a) replicating past findings of the heritability of normative level personality as measured by the IPIP-NEO as a benchmark for studying maladaptive level traits, (b) ascertaining univariate heritability estimates of maladaptive level traits as measured by the PID-5, (c) establishing how much variation in personality pathology can be attributed to the same genetic components affecting variation in normative level personality, and (d) determining residual variance in personality pathology domains after variance attributable to genetic and environmental components of general personality has been removed. Results revealed that PID-5 traits reflect similar levels of heritability to that of IPIP-NEO traits. Further, maladaptive and normative level traits that correlate at the phenotypic level also correlate at the genotypic level, indicating overlapping genetic components contribute to variance in both. Nevertheless, we also found evidence for genetic and environmental components unique to maladaptive level personality traits, not shared with normative level traits.
A method for post-processing the velocity after a pressure projection is developed that helps to maintain stability in an under-resolved, inviscid, discontinuous element-based simulation for use in environmental fluid mechanics process studies. The post-processing method is needed because of spurious divergence growth at element interfaces due to the discontinuous nature of the discretization used. This spurious divergence eventually leads to a numerical instability. Previous work has shown that a discontinuous element-local projection onto the space of divergence-free basis functions is capable of stabilizing the projection method, but the discontinuity inherent in this technique may lead to instability in under-resolved simulations. By enforcing inter-element discontinuity and requiring a divergence-free result in the weak sense only, a new post-processing technique is developed that simultaneously improves smoothness and reduces divergence in the pressure-projected velocity field at the same time. When compared against a non-post-processed velocity field, the post-processed velocity field remains stable far longer and exhibits better smoothness and conservation properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Efficiency in a light load dc-dc converter is improved by reducing the switching frequency with the load current. Further, a bifrequency operation (BFO) using pulse train (PT) control can achieve spread spectrum. Using discrete-time models, this paper shows that a stable periodic BFO is generally not achievable in existing PT control methods. Thereafter, a unified multimode digital control technique is proposed, in which a voltage-mode digital pulse-width-modulator (DPWM) is used to control a predefined periodic BFO. Beside the fixed-frequency DPWM, an extra multiplexer is considered for real-time configuration to: 1) bifrequency pulse frequency modulation; 2) PT control; or 3) pulse regulation control; or 4) pulse skipping control with smooth transition. Analysis and design methods are discussed to ensure periodic BFO and to customize the power spectrum with predictable ripple parameters. A buck converter prototype is made, and the proposed control is implemented using an FPGA device.
Realizing long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) in fiber channel where classical optical communications and quantum signals are multiplexed by their different wavelengths has attracted considerable attentions. The achievable secure distance of commonly-used Bennet-Brassard 1984 (BB84) protocol is lowered severely due to inevitable crosstalk from classical optical pulses. Unlike conventional quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, round-robin differential-phase-shift (RRDPS) QKD protocol has a high tolerance for noise, since the potential information leakage in this protocol can be bounded without monitoring signal disturbance. Thus, it may be a promising protocol under noisy channel. In this work, we investigate the performance, e.g., achievable secure distance of RRPDS protocol, when crosstalk from classical communication is considered. Surprisingly, we find that RRPDS only has quite limited advantage over BB84 protocol when optical misalignment of QKD system is serious. If misalignment is trivial, BB84 can even outperform RRDPS protocol.
The measurement of the morphologic characteristics of evolving sediment beds around hydraulic structures is crucial for the understanding of the physical processes that drive scour. Although there has been significant progress towards the experimental characterization of the flow field in setups with complex geometries, little has been done with respect to the quantitative investigation of dynamic sediment bed geometry, mainly due to the limited capabilities of conventional instrumentation. Here, a recently developed computer vision technique is applied to obtain high-resolution topographic measurements of the evolving bed at the base of a cylinder during clear water scour, without interrupting the experiment. The topographic data is processed to derive the morphologic characteristics of the bed such as the excavated volume and the slopes of the bed. Subsequently, the rates of scour and the bathymetry at multiple locations are statistically investigated. The results of this investigation are compared with existing flow measurements from previous studies to describe the physical processes that take place inside a developing scour hole. Two distinct temporal phases (initial and development) as well as three spatial regions (front, side and wake) are defined and expressions for the statistical modelling of the bed features are derived.
Transgender people often face prejudice and discrimination in school, employment, housing, and health care, and this can affect their psychological well-being. Although the literature on prejudice toward transgender people is growing, there is limited research that has examined differences in attitudes toward trans women and trans men separately. Specifically, the current study examined the role of physical appearance in the acceptance of transgender women and men in gendered spaces, including bathrooms, locker rooms, residence halls, and sorority and fraternity organizations. Participants viewed masculine-appearing and feminine-appearing images of a transwoman and transman. Measurements of overall transacceptance and gendered-space acceptance were assessed. Results indicated that, in general, trans women were less accepted than trans men. The masculineappearing transwomanwas less accepted in the gendered spaces compared to the feminine-appearing trans woman and both images of the trans men. Also, female participants were generally more accepting of transgender people thanmale participants were. These findings suggest that, compared to trans men, discrimination of trans women is more likely, especially when the trans woman's physical appearance transgresses traditional gender expectations.
Forest fire is known as an important natural hazard in many countries which causes financial damages and human losses; thus, it is necessary to investigate different aspects of this phenomenon. In this study, performance of four models of linear and quadratic discriminant analysis (LDA and QDA), frequency ratio (FR), and weights-of-evidence (WofE) was investigated to model forest fire susceptibility in the Yihuang area, China. For this purpose, firstly, a forest fire locations map was prepared implementing MODIS satellite images and field surveys. Then, it was classified into two groups including training (70%) and validation (30%) by a random algorithm. In addition, 13 forest fire effective factors were prepared and used such as slope degree, slope aspect, altitude, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), plan curvature, land use, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), annual rainfall, distance from roads and rivers, wind effect, annual temperature, and soil texture. Using the training dataset and effective factors, LDA, QDA, FR, and WofE models were applied and forest fire susceptibility maps were prepared. Finally, area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) was implemented for investigating the performance of the models. The results depicted that WofE had the best performance (AUC=82.2%), followed by FR (AUC=80.9%), QDA(AUC=78.3%), and LDA(AUC=78%), respectively. The results of this study showed the high contribution of altitude, slope degree, and temperature. On the other hand, it was seen that slope aspect and soil had the lowest importance in forest fire susceptibility mapping. From the AUC results, it can be concluded that FR, WofE, LDA, and QDA had acceptable performance and could be used for forest fire susceptibility mapping at the regional scale.
ARM servers are becoming increasingly common, making server technologies such as virtualization for ARM of growing importance. We present the first study of ARM virtualization performance on server hardware, including multi-core measurements of two popular ARM and x86 hypervisors, KVM and Xen. We show how ARM hardware support for virtualization can enable much faster transitions between VMs and the hypervisor, a key hypervisor operation. However, current hypervisor designs, including both Type 1 hypervisors such as Xen and Type 2 hypervisors such as KVM, are not able to leverage this performance benefit for real application workloads. We discuss the reasons why and show that other factors related to hypervisor software design and implementation have a larger role in overall performance. Based on our measurements, we discuss changes to ARM's hardware virtualization support that can potentially bridge the gap to bring its faster VM-to-hypervisor transition mechanism to modern Type 2 hypervisors running real applications. These changes have been incorporated into the latest ARM architecture.
Image registration deals with establishing correspondences between images of the same scene or object. An image registration algorithm should handle the variations introduced by the imaging system capturing the scene. Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) is an image registration algorithm based on local features in an image. Compared to the previous registration algorithms, SIFT is more robust to variations caused by changes in size, illumination, rotation, and viewpoint of the images. Owing to its performance, the algorithm is widely studied, modified, and successfully applied in many image and video based applications, in the domains such as medicine, industry, and defense. This paper is an outcome of extensive study on the state-of-art image registration algorithms based on SIFT. Around 20 algorithms based on the SIFT algorithm is discussed. A classification is made based on the objective with which the basic algorithm is modified. A comparative study on the performance, methodology of each technique is presented along with their applicability to various image processing applications and domains.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a most serious age-related neurodegenerative disorder accompanied with significant memory impairments in this world. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be invlolved in the pathophysiology of AD. Previous studies have shown that miRNA-206 (miR-206) is implicated in the pathogenesis of AD via suppressing the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain. Here, we examined the miR-206-3p and miR-206-5p expression in the hippocampus and cortex of Abeta precursor protein (APP)/presenilin-1 (PS1) transgenic mice treated with donepezil, a drug approved for treating AD in clinic. We found that the expression of miR-206-3p was significantly up-regulated in the hippocampus and cortex of APP/PS1 mice, while donepezil administration significantly reversed this dysfunction. In addition, enhancing the miR-206-3p level by the usage of AgomiR-206-3p significantly attenuated the anti-dementia effects of donepezil in APP/PS1 mice. Together, these results suggested that miR-206-3p is involved in the anti-dementia effects of donepezil, and could be a novel pharmacological target for treating AD.
Data-driven low-order modelling has been enjoying rapid advances in fluid mechanics. Arguably, Sirovich (Q. Appl. Maths, vol. XLV, 1987, pp. 561-571) started these developments with snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition, a particularly simple method. The resulting reduced-order models provide valuable insights into flow physics, allow inexpensive explorations of dynamics and operating conditions, and enable model-based control design. A winning argument for proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is the optimality property, i.e. the guarantee of the least residual for a given number of modes. The price is unpleasant frequency mixing in the modes which complicates their physical interpretation. In contrast, temporal Fourier modes and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) provide pure frequency dynamics but lose the orthonormality and optimality property of POD. Sieber et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 792, 2016, pp. 798-828) bridge the least residual and pure frequency behaviour with an ingenious interpolation, called spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD). This article puts the achievement of the TU Berlin authors in perspective, illustrating the potential of SPOD and the challenges ahead.
Eosinophils constitute an important component of helminth immunity and are not only associated with various allergies but are also linked to autoinflammatory disorders, including the skin disease psoriasis. Here we demonstrate the functional relationship between eosinophils and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) as related to skin diseases. We previously showed that pDCs colocalize with neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in psoriatic skin. Here we demonstrate that eosinophils are found in psoriatic skin near neutrophils and NETs, suggesting that pDC responses can be regulated by eosinophils. Eosinophils inhibited pDC function in vitro through a mechanism that did not involve cell contact but depended on soluble factors. In pDCs stimulated by specific NET components, eosinophil-conditioned media attenuated the production of interferon a (IFN alpha) but did not affect the maturation of pDCs as evidenced by the unaltered expression of the costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86. As pDCs and IFN alpha play a key role in autoimmune skin inflammation, these data suggest that eosinophils may influence autoinflammatory responses through their impact on the production of IFN alpha a by pDCs.
Children's knowledge of food allergies and their self-management is developmentally based, and is essential for their safe transition to school. Despite a growing number of children with food allergies starting school globally, to date, little is known about young children's knowledge of food allergy or their capacity to manage it, or their feelings and perspectives about starting school. Addressing this gap, this pilot study interviewed six children-aged four-to six-years in their family homes in Sydney, Australia about their food allergy and starting school. Data from Photo Elicitation Interviews utilising photos as prompts were analysed thematically. The results of this pilot study suggest that a child's knowledge of food allergy, their self-control to resist temptation and their ability to communicate the need for help may help them to stay safe at school, and therefore are vital in their transition to school. The implications of this pilot study for further research are discussed.
To investigate the reflective crack-propagation behavior and provide control techniques for asphalt pavements widening, the finite-element models were built to simulate the widened asphalt pavement with a latent joint. The developed finite-element model considered the influence factors, including the loading modes (i.e., the symmetrical and unsymmetrical loading modes), the thickness and modulus of the asphalt concrete surface, the modulus of the new and existing stabilized bases, and the sheet stiffness of the reinforced geosynthetic. The finite-element simulation results show that increasing the thickness or reducing the modulus of the asphalt concrete surface effectively delays the propagation speed of the reflective cracks. The cracking potential reaches the minimum when the new and existing bases have a uniform modulus. Additionally, geosynthetic reinforcement across the joints significantly reduces the stress concentration around the crack tip and slows down the propagation of the reflective cracks. These benefits become greater when increasing the sheet stiffness of the geosynthetic. Finally, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the influence of the types of the asphalt overlay and the geosynthetic reinforcement on the reflective crack-propagation behavior. The experimental results indicate that the geosynthetic-reinforced structure with a lower modulus of the asphalt concrete surface significantly increases the fatigue life of widened pavements, and the polypropylene geotextile performs better than the glass-fiber grid in terms of the extension of the fatigue life.
The aim of this paper is to present an overcurrent limitation for the digital peak current mode dc-dc converter. The proposed method can detect the overcurrent in real time and it also maintains arbitrary current in the overcurrent limitation mode. It is expected to provide an effective function to protect the renewable energy system. The effectiveness of proposed method is confirmed from both simulated and experimental results.
While weeds in sugar beet farming reduce crop yield and quality, they also lead to higher labor and material losses. In recent years, in order to eliminate or reduce the damage caused by weeds in sugar beet farming, weed control has gained importance. To this end, various studies have been conducted on robotic weed control by detecting weeds using image processing algorithms and hoeing or spraying the weeds. In this study, weeds in sugar beet fields were detected by the image processing algorithm and were sprayed with a liquid. When height of spraying nozzle above the ground was 30 cm and 50 cm, measurements of spraying robot were carried out for 8 different speeds. The weed surface covering area of spraying liquid was evaluated by two different methods. A decrease of 40% in nozzle height of smart spraying robot caused a decrease of about 12.18% at 4 different weeds surface covering area (cm(2)) of spraying liquid and a decrease of 16.70% at weed surface covering area (pixels) of spraying liquid.
Introduction: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-) antagonists have been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions. The use of anti-TNF agents, combined with improved diagnosis, aggressive regimens and regular monitoring, have substantially improved patient outcomes. However, all biological agents are immunogenic, resulting in the formation of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), which can neutralize drug activity leading to loss of response and potential relapse. In addition, ADAs can also cause serious adverse events such as infusion hypersensitivity reactions. Areas covered: This narrative review of studies investigating the immunogenicity and clinical safety implications of TNF antagonists confirms that structural and pharmacological differences between agents results in differences in the probabilities and outcomes of immunogenicity. Expert opinion: Anti-TNF therapies have been shown to trigger auto-immune responses such as a lupus-like syndrome. Despite the fact that all biological agents have the potential for immunogenic reactions and a number of predisposing factors have been identified, the mechanisms remain to be completely clarified and the assessment of immunogenicity and its clinical relevance is matter of discussion. There are many questions regarding immunogenicity that still need answering to better optimize anti-TNF treatment in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease.
Objective: This paper describes a new congestive heart failure (CHF) treatment performance measure information extraction system-CHIEF-developed as part of the Automated Data Acquisition for Heart Failure project, a Veterans Health Administration project aiming at improving the detection of patients not receiving recommended care for CHF. Design: CHIEF is based on the Apache Unstructured Information Management Architecture framework, and uses a combination of rules, dictionaries, and machine learning methods to extract left ventricular function mentions and values, CHF medications, and documented reasons for a patient not receiving these medications. Measurements: The training and evaluation of CHIEF were based on subsets of a reference standard of various clinical notes from 1083 Veterans Health Administration patients. Domain experts manually annotated these notes to create our reference standard. Metrics used included recall, precision, and the F1-measure. Results: In general, CHIEF extracted CHF medications with high recall (>0.990) and good precision (0.960-0.978). Mentions of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction were also extracted with high recall (0.978-0.986) and precision (0.986-0.994), and quantitative values of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction were found with 0.910-0.945 recall and with high precision (0.939-0.976). Reasons for not prescribing CHF medications were more difficult to extract, only reaching fair accuracy with about 0.310-0.400 recall and 0.250-0.320 precision. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that applying natural language processing to unlock the rich and detailed clinical information found in clinical narrative text notes makes fast and scalable quality improvement approaches possible, eventually improvingmanagement and outpatient treatment of patients suffering from CHF.
Milling is a crucial step in producing restorations using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. In this study the trueness of currently available milling devices was evaluated. Thirty clinical cases (ten inlays, ten crowns, ten onlays) were milled from ceramic blocks using four different milling approaches: five axis with IMES CORiTEC 450i, four axis with CEREC MCXL, four axis with CEREC MCXL-EF and five axis with inLab MCX5. The milled restorations were scanned and the occlusal and inner surfaces compared to the originally calculated 3D surface using difference analysis software. The (90-10 %) / 2 percentile of the distances were calculated and analysed using one-way ANOVA with the post hoc Scheff, test (alpha = 0.05). Chipping of marginal areas were visually examined and analysed using one-way ANOVA with a post hoc Tamhane test (alpha = 0.05). At inner surfaces, the milling trueness of IMES (33.9 +/- 16.3 mu m), X5 (32.3 +/- 9.7 mu m) and MCXL-EF (34.4 +/- 7.5 mu m) was significantly better (p < 0.001) than that of MCXL (62.1 +/- 17.1 mu m). At occlusal surfaces, MCXL-EF (25.7 +/- 9.3 mu m) showed significant higher accuracy (p < 0.001) than MCXL (48.7 +/- 23.3 mu m) and X5 (40.9 +/- 20.4 mu m). IMES produced the most chipping (p < 0.001). Five-axis milling devices yield high trueness. MCXL-EF is competitive and may allow chairside fabrication with good milling results. Accurate milling is required for well-fitting restorations and thereby requires fewer manual finishing steps, yields smaller marginal gaps, resistance to secondary caries and longevity of restorations.
Background and objective: Phytoestrogens (weak estrogens found in plants or derived from plant precursors by human metabolism) have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of a number of cancers. However, epidemiologic studies addressing this issue are hampered by the lack of a comprehensive phytoestrogen database for quantifying exposure. The purpose of this research was to develop such a database for use with food-frequency questionnaires in large epidemiologic studies. Methods: The database is based on consumption patterns derived from semistructured interviews with 118 African-American, Latina, and white women residing in California's San Francisco Bay Area. HPLC-mass spectrometry was used to determine the content of seven specific phytoestrogenic compounds (i.e. the isoflavones: genistein, daidzein, biochanin A, and formononetin; the coumestan: coumestrol; and the plant lignans: matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol) in each of 112 food items/groups. Results: Traditional soy-based foods were found to contain high levels of genistein and daidzein, as expected, as well as substantial amounts of coumestrol. A wide variety of hidden sources of soy (that is, soy protein isolate, soy concentrate, or soy flour added to foods) was observed. Several other foods (such as various types of sprouts and dried fruits, garbanzo beans, asparagus, garlic, and licorice) were also found to be substantial contributors of one or more of the phytoestrogens analyzed. Conclusions: Databases, such as the one described here, are important in assessing the relationship between phytoestrogen exposure and cancer risk in epidemiologic studies. Agencies, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), that routinely provide data on food composition, on which epidemiologic investigations into dietary health effects are based, should consider instituting programs for the analysis of phytochemicals, including the phytoestrogens.
Forest structure at stand level plays a key role for sustainable forest management, since the biodiversity, productivity, growth and stability of the forest can be positively influenced by managing its structural diversity. In contrast to field-based measurements, remote sensing techniques offer a cost-efficient opportunity to collect area-wide information about forest stand structure with high spatial and temporal resolution. Especially Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), which facilitates worldwide acquisition of 3d information independent from weather conditions and illumination, is convenient to capture forest stand structure. This study purposes an unsupervised two-stage clustering approach for forest structure classification based on height information derived from interferometric X-band SAR data which was performed in complex temperate forest stands of Traunstein forest (South Germany). In particular, a four dimensional input data set composed of first-order height statistics was non-linearly projected on a two-dimensional Self-Organizing Map, spatially ordered according to similarity (based on the Euclidean-distance) in the first stage and classified using the k-means algorithm in the second stage. The study demonstrated that X-band InSAR data exhibits considerable capabilities for forest structure classification. Moreover, the unsupervised classification approach achieved meaningful and reasonable results by means of comparison to aerial imagery and LiDAR data. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Behaviors involving the interaction of multiple individuals are complex and frequently crucial for an animal's survival. These interactions, ranging across sensory modalities, length scales, and time scales, are often subtle and difficult to characterize. Contextual effects on the frequency of behaviors become even more difficult to quantify when physical interaction between animals interferes with conventional data analysis, e.g. due to visual occlusion. We introduce a method for quantifying behavior in fruit fly interaction that combines high-throughput video acquisition and tracking of individuals with recent unsupervised methods for capturing an animal's entire behavioral repertoire. We find behavioral differences between solitary flies and those paired with an individual of the opposite sex, identifying specific behaviors that are affected by social and spatial context. Our pipeline allows for a comprehensive description of the interaction between two individuals using unsupervised machine learning methods, and will be used to answer questions about the depth of complexity and variance in fruit fly courtship.
Contradictory results are found in the literature concerning fungi, bacteria, and pet exposure and the risk of developing asthma. All these allergens have been thoroughly studied separately in cohort studies, and a variety of sampling and analytical methods are used. It is already possible to characterize fungi, mites, and bacteria by QPCR. The aim of our study is to evaluate QPCR systems to quantify the presence of cats and dogs in homes. Twenty-four houses were sampled with an Electrostatic Dust Collector which was analyzed by QPCR. Questionnaires on the presence of pets in homes were completed. The results from QPCR were correlated for real presence of cats and dogs, and highlighted indirect exposure. This study provides a useful screening tool that will be used in future large cohort studies, such as the ELFE cohort study.
In this letter, we have investigated the down-coupling phenomenon (DCP) of inhibited channel potential in 3D NAND flash memory. The inhibited channel in the 3D NAND flash structure can easily be in the floating state, because its channel is not directly connected to its body. This floating channel behavior can adversely affect memory operation. Specifically, during program and verify operation, the DCP reduces the boosting potential of the inhibit string. Consequently, the insufficient channel potential leads to a large program disturbance and deterioration of the cell-distribution characteristics. Using computer-aided design simulations, we analyzed this phenomenon and proposed an operation method to alleviate this phenomenon.
The development of an Android app for the study of four-link mechanism with the same number of revolute joints is presented. The created app requires a complete study of planar kinematics: position, velocity and acceleration, setting one of the grounded joints as the input. Besides calculating the position, velocity and acceleration of the moving elements, the application also classifies the mechanism, according to the Grashof Law. The feedback received from the students that have already taken courses related to the application topic was used in order to quantify the app performance. The results of the app calculations were validated through comparison against results of widely known textbook problems, and with similar computer running tools as well.
With the amount of Internet traffic increasing substantially, measuring per-flow traffic accurately is an important task. Because of the nature of high-speed routers, a measurement algorithm should be fast enough to process every packet going through them, and should be executable with only a limited amount of memory, as well. In this paper, we use two techniques to solve memory/speed constraints: (1) recycling a memory block by resetting it (for memory constraint), and (2) confinement of virtual vectors to one word (for speed constraint). These techniques allow our measurement algorithm, called a recyclable counter with confinement (RCC), to accurately measure all individual flow sizes with a small amount of memory. In terms of encoding speed, it uses about one memory access and one hash computation. Unlike other previously proposed schemes, RCC decodes very quickly, demanding about three memory accesses and two hash calculations. This fast decoding enables real-time detection of a high uploader/downloader. Finally, RCC's data structure includes flow labels for large flows, so it is possible to quickly retrieve a list of large-flow names and sizes.
Carrying out bilingual teaching in professional courses for graduate students is an inevitable trend of education development and reform, and also an important measure to make the domestic higher education connect international education. On the basis of clarifying the concept of bilingual teaching, the necessity and feasibility to develop bilingual teaching in the course- Advanced Manufacturing Engineering were analyzed in detail. Based on the bilingual teaching practice for several years, several instruction methods were proposed. Furthermore, these issues, such as teacher-student interactive teaching, the proportions of using English in bilingual teaching, and the application of multi-media courseware in bilingual teaching, were discussed and researched comprehensively with a view to making students master professional knowledge and improve English skill.
One main concern related to the performance of unsaturated soils during the construction and service life of earthen structures is loss of matric suction due to the seasonal variations of gravimetric water content (GWC), ground water infiltration and possible development of excess pore water pressure. In addition to reducing the soil shear strength, loss of matric suction as a result of wetting could also reduce the soil-reinforcement interface shear strength in comparison with the as-built value at a lower GWC. This paper presents the results of small-scale pullout and interface tests on a woven geotextile reinforcement material in different marginal soils in order to quantify the difference in the soil-geotextile interface shear strength as a function of GWC for practical applications. A moisture reduction factor [MRF = mu(omega)] is used to account for the reduction in the soil-geotextile interface shear strength as a function of matric suction over a range of GWC values that includes the dry and wet sides of the soil optimum gravimetric water content (GWC(opt)) or optimum moisture content (OMC). It was observed that the interface shear strength of geotextile reinforcement in marginal soils could be significantly lower (e.g. by as much 50%) at only 2% wet of optimum (i.e. OMC+2%) in comparison with OMC-2%, which is assumed to represent the as-built condition.
China has suffered various water source pollution incidents in the past decades, which have resulted in severe threats to the safety of the water supply for millions of residents. From the aspects of quantity fluctuation, temporal volatility, regional inequality, pollutant category variation, and accident type differences, this study first characterizes the current status of water source contaminations in China by analyzing 340 pollution events for the period spanning from 1985 to 2013. The results show a general increase in the number of accidents during the period 1985-2006 and then a rapid decline starting in 2007. Spring and summer are high-incidence seasons for pollution, and the accident rate in developed southeastern coastal areas is far higher than that in the northwestern regions. Hazardous chemicals and petroleum are the most frequently occurring pollutants, whereas heavy metals and tailings are becoming emerging contaminants during occasional pollutions. Most of the accidents that occurred before 2005 were blamed on illegal emissions or traffic accidents; however, leakage in production has gradually become a major accident type in the past decade. Then, in combination with government actions and policy constraints, this paper explores the deep inducements and offers valuable insight into measures that should be taken to ensure future prevention and mitigation of emergent source water pollution.
Background: In vitro and animal studies have linked neuroinflammation to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Studies on markers of inflammation in subjects with mild cognitive impairment or AD dementia provided inconsistent results. We hypothesized that distinct blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inflammatory markers are associated with biomarkers of amyloid and tau pathology in older adults without cognitive impairment or with beginning cognitive decline. Objective: To identify blood-based and CSF neuroinflammation marker signatures associated with AD pathology (i.e. an AD CSF biomarker profile) and to investigate associations of inflammation markers with CSF biomarkers of amyloid, tau pathology, and neuronal injury. Design/methods: Cross-sectional analysis was performed on data from 120 older community-dwelling adults with normal cognition (n = 48) or with cognitive impairment (n = 72). CSF AI31-42, tau and ptau181, and a panel of 37 neuroinflammatory markers in both CSF and serum were quantified. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to determine a reference model that best predicts an AD CSF biomarker profile defined a priori as p-tau181/A beta 1-42 ratio >0.0779. It was then compared to a second model that included the inflammatory markers from either serum or CSF. In addition, the correlations between inflammatory markers and CSF A beta 1-42, tau and p-tau181 levels were assessed. Results: Forty-two subjects met criteria for having an AD CSF biomarker profile. The best predictive models included 8 serum or 3 CSF neuroinflammatory markers related to cytokine mediated inflammation, vascular injury, and angiogenesis. Both models improved the accuracy to predict an AD biomarker profile when compared to the reference model. In analyses separately performed in the subgroup of participants with cognitive impairment, adding the serum or the CSF neuroinflammation markers also improved the accuracy of the diagnosis of AD pathology. Results: None of the inflammatory markers correlated with the CSF A beta 1-42 levels. Six CSF markers (IL 15, MCP-1, VEGFR-1, sICAM1, sVCAM-1, and VEGF-D) correlated with the CSF tau and p-tau181 levels, and these associations remained significant after controlling for age, sex, cognitive impairment, and APOE epsilon 4 status. Conclusions: The identified serum and CSF neuroinflammation biomarker signatures improve the accuracy of classification for AD pathology in older adults. Our results suggest that inflammation, vascular injury, and angiogenesis as reflected by CSF markers are closely related to cerebral tau pathology. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
BackgroundPrior work shows that Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) predicts an increased risk of preterm birth, but the causal pathway(s) are uncertain. We evaluate the associations between PTSD and antepartum complications to explore how PTSD's pathophysiology impacts pregnancy. MethodsThis retrospective cohort analysis of all Veterans Health Administration (VA)-covered deliveries from 2000-12 used the data of VA clinical and administration. Mothers with current PTSD were identified using the ICD-9 diagnostic codes (i.e. code present during the antepartum year), as were those with historical PTSD. Medical and administrative data were used to identify the relevant obstetric diagnoses, demographics and health, and military deployment history. We used Poisson regression with robust error variance to derive the adjusted relative risk estimates (RR) for the association of PTSD with five clinically relevant antepartum complications [gestational diabetes (GDM), preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, growth restriction, and abruption]. Secondary outcomes included proxies for obstetric complexity (repeat hospitalisation, prolonged delivery hospitalisation, and caesarean delivery). ResultsOf the 15 986 singleton deliveries, 2977 (19%) were in mothers with PTSD diagnoses (1880 (12%) current PTSD). Mothers with the complication GDM were 4.9% and those with preeclampsia were 4.6% of all births. After adjustment, a current PTSD diagnosis (reference = no PTSD) was associated with an increased risk of GDM (RR 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 1.7) and preeclampsia (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1, 1.6). PTSD also predicted prolonged (>4 day) delivery hospitalisation (RR 1.2, 95% CI 1.01, 1.4), and repeat hospitalisations (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2, 1.6), but not caesarean delivery. ConclusionsThe observed association of PTSD with GDM and preeclampsia is consistent with our nascent understanding of PTSD as a disruptor of neuroendocrine and cardiovascular health.
In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of three survey studies of disease prestige in medical culture. The studies were conducted in 1990, 2002 and 2014 using the same research design. In each of the three rounds, a sample of Norwegian physicians was asked to rate a set of 38 diseases on a scale from 1 to 9 according to the prestige they believed health personnel in general would award them. The results show a remarkable stability in the prestige rank order over 25 years. The top three diseases in all three surveys were leukaemia, brain tumour and myocardial infarction. The four lowest ranked were fibromyalgia, depressive neurosis, anxiety neurosis and hepatocirrhosis. The most notable change concerns apoplexy (brain stroke), which moved from a rank of 33 to 29 and then to 23 over the three rounds. We argue that the stable pattern, as well as this change, substantiate the interpretation of previous research, i.e. that the prestige of a disease is affected by the localization of the affected organ or body part, the effect and style of its typical treatment, and the social attributes of the typical patient. Analysing physicians' shared evaluations of different diseases, the paper contributes to the cultural understanding of disease conceptions in medicine. Understanding these conceptions is important because disease prestige may influence decision-making in the healthcare sector. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The employment of embedded cameras in navigation and guidance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) has attracted the focus of many academic researches. In particular, for the multirotor UAV, the camera is widely employed for applications performed in indoor environments, where the GNSS signal is often unreliable and electromagnetic interference can be a concern. In the literature, images are mostly adopted for position and velocity estimation, rather than attitude estimation. This paper proposes an attitude determination method for multirotor aerial vehicles using pairs of vector measurements taken from a downward-facing strapdown camera. The method is composed of three modules. The first one detects and identifies the visible landmarks by processing the images. The second module computes the vector measurements related to the direction from the camera to the landmarks. The third module estimates attitude from the vector measurements. In the last module, a version of the Multiplicative Extended Kalman Filter (MEKF) with sequential update is proposed as estimation method. The overall method is evaluated via Monte Carlo simulations, showing that it is effective in determining the vehicle's attitude and revealing its properties.
The K Nearest Neighbor (kNN) method has widely been used in the applications of data mining and machine learning due to its simple implementation and distinguished performance. However, setting all test data with the same k value in the previous kNN methods has been proven to make these methods impractical in real applications. This article proposes to learn a correlation matrix to reconstruct test data points by training data to assign different k values to different test data points, referred to as the Correlation Matrix kNN (CM-kNN for short) classification. Specifically, the least-squares loss function is employed to minimize the reconstruction error to reconstruct each test data point by all training data points. Then, a graph Laplacian regularizer is advocated to preserve the local structure of the data in the reconstruction process. Moreover, an l(1)-norm regularizer and an l(2,1)-norm regularizer are applied to learn different k values for different test data and to result in low sparsity to remove the redundant/noisy feature from the reconstruction process, respectively. Besides for classification tasks, the kNN methods (including our proposed CM-kNN method) are further utilized to regression and missing data imputation. We conducted sets of experiments for illustrating the efficiency, and experimental results showed that the proposed method was more accurate and efficient than existing kNN methods in data-mining applications, such as classification, regression, and missing data imputation.
Non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergic disorders (non-IgE-GI-FA) including food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), food protein-induced enteropathy (FPE), and food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis (FPIAP) are relatively uncommon in infants and young children, but are likely under-diagnosed. Non-IgEGI- FA have a favorable prognosis, with majority resolving by age 3-5 years. Diagnosis relies on the recognition of symptoms pattern in FPIAP and FPIES and biopsy in FPE. Further studies are needed for a better understanding of the pathomechanism, which will lead eventually to the development of diagnostic tests and treatments. Limited evidence supports the role of food allergens in subsets of constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and colic. The immunologic pathomechanism is not fully understood and empiric prolonged avoidance of food allergens should be limited to minimize nutrient deficiency and feeding disorders/food aversions in infants.
The Export Coefficient Model (ECM) has been widely used to estimate nonpoint source (NPS) pollution loads due to its ease of application. Accurate pollution export coefficients are crucial for reducing uncertainties in load estimation. By integrating artificial simulated rainfall experiments with field survey data, we have developed a new method that estimates regional pollution export coefficients. Results showed that the export coefficients calculated using this new method accurately express the regional rainfall-runoff characteristics, as the simulation precision of this method had grown by 30% than the results with traditional ECM and export coefficients which surveyed from the literature. Based on the calculated regional pollutant export coefficient, the annual loads of TN and TP in the plains area of the Baiyangdian basin in 2010 were 25,967.13 t and 4349.29 t, respectively. Among different types of sources, rural livestock had the greatest contribution (over 60%), whereas rural domestic waste represented the smallest contribution (approximately 10%). Of the different sources, pigs contributed almost half of all NPS pollution from livestock, rural residential areas were the main land use pollution source, and rural living garbage was the main source of rural domestic waste. Spatially, NPS was mainly distributed in the Zhulong and Juma watersheds. Other watersheds only contributed approximately 5% NPS per watershed. However, the per-area loads of these lower load watersheds were larger or nearly equal to that of the Zhulong watershed. Therefore, the lower load watersheds should be addressed for the control of NPS pollution.
Classic theories of emotion posit that awareness of one's internal bodily states (interoception) is a key component of emotional experience. This view has been indirectly supported by data demonstrating similar patterns of brain activity - most importantly, in the anterior insula - during both interoception and emotion elicitation. However, no study has directly compared these two phenomena within participants, leaving it unclear whether interoception and emotional experience truly share the same functional neural architecture. The current study addressed this gap in knowledge by examining the neural convergence of these two phenomena within the same population. In one task, participants monitored their own heartbeat: in another task they watched emotional video clips and rated their own emotional responses to the videos. Consistent with prior research, heartbeat monitoring engaged a circumscribed area spanning insular cortex and adjacent inferior frontal operculum. Critically, this interoception-related cluster also was engaged when participants rated their own emotion, and activity here correlated with the trial-by-trial intensity of participants' emotional experience. These findings held across both group-level and individual participant-level approaches to localizing interoceptive cortex. Together, these data further clarify the functional role of the anterior insula and provide novel insights about the connection between bodily awareness and emotion. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an on-chip thermal flow sensor, patterned in Ni on the outside of a polymer microfluidic channel. The sensor is a low power (low T), no-hysteresis device, with excellent resolution (<30 nl min(-1)) and built-in calibration, covering a wide range of typical Lab on a Chip flow rates. These features, together with the compatibility of the approach with current printing and roll-to-roll techniques, prove a realistic mass-producible solution for direct monitoring of microfluidic protocols inside Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) devices. In contrast with commercially available flow sensors, its low price allows its use in disposable devices. Functionality of the microsensor is tested over 20 h in a microfluidic cell culture application, where nutrients flow rate had to be monitored and controlled. The results indicate successful performance of the sensor in this highly sensitive environment. Overall, this on-chip sensor approach offers significant improvements over existing sensor devices, both for the academic and commercial applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether there is a negative impact as a result of psoriatic arthritis disease of the inner ear function. Methods: Twenty-four successive patients and 38 healthy volunteers, younger than 60 years of age, who were followed up for at least for one year in the outpatient clinics of physical therapy and rehabilitation with the diagnosis of PsA according to CASPAR criteria (17) and who did not complain of any hearing impairment were included in the study. Distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) values between 1 kHz and 4 kHz, tympanometric examination results, stapes reflex values, speech reception threshold (SRT) and speech discrimination (SD) values, pure-tone values between 250 and 8000 Hz and high-frequency values between 10,000, 12,500 and 16,000 Hz were analyzed. Statistical comparisons between both groups were performed using chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. p < 0.05 was accepted as the level of statistical significance. Results: Our study population consisted of 24 [9 male (37.5%) and 15 female (62.5%)] patients with a mean age of 47.21 +/- 11.28 (range, 28-59) years and 38 [16 male (42.1%) and 22 female (57.9%)] healthy volunteers with a mean age of 44.39 +/- 8.12 (range, 29-59) years as the control group. Mean duration of arthritis was 7.62 +/- 4.88 years. In the evaluation of hearing frequencies of the patients between 4000 and 6000 Hz, a statistically significant difference was found relative to the control group (p < 005). DPOAE values of the patients were analyzed within the 1000-4000 Hz interval. When compared with the control group, a statistically significant difference was found at 3000 and 4000 Hz (p < 005). Conclusion: Our study provides strong evidence suggesting the necessity of monitorization of these patients regarding sensorineural hearing loss so as to take measures against the development of hearing loss during early stage, which may be another disability in patients with PsA, which is itself a potential cause of severe disability. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Forest stands are the basic units for forest inventory and mapping. Stands are defined as large forested areas (e.g., >= 2 ha) of homogeneous tree species composition and age. Their accurate delineation is usually performed by human operators through visual analysis of very high resolution (VHR) infra-red images. This task is tedious, highly time consuming, and should be automated for scalability and efficient updating purposes. In this paper, a method based on the fusion of airborne lidar data and VHR multispectral images is proposed for the automatic delineation of forest stands containing one dominant species (purity superior to 75%). This is the key preliminary task for forest land-cover database update. The multispectral images give information about the tree species whereas 3D lidar point clouds provide geometric information on the trees and allow their individual extraction. Multi-modal features are computed, both at pixel and object levels: the objects are individual trees extracted from lidar data. A supervised classification is then performed at the object level in order to coarsely discriminate the existing tree species in each area of interest. The classification results are further processed to obtain homogeneous areas with smooth borders by employing an energy minimum framework, where additional constraints are joined to form the energy function. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides very satisfactory results both in terms of stand labeling and delineation (overall accuracy ranges between 84% and 99%). (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Certain drugs are nitroaromatic compounds, which are potentially toxic. As such, it is of practical importance to assess and predict their mutagenic potency in the process of drug discovery. A classical quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model was developed using the linear partial least square (PLS) scheme to understand the underline mutagenic mechanism and a non -classical QSAR model was derived using the machine learning -based hierarchical support vector regression (HSVR) to predict the mutagenicity of nitroaromatic compounds based on a series of mutagenicity data (TA98 - S9). It was observed that HSVR performed better than PLS as manifested by the predictions of the samples in the training set, test set, and outlier set as well as various statistical validations. A mock test designated to mimic real challenges also confirmed the better performance of HSVR. Furthermore, HSVR exhibited superiority in predictivity, generalization capabilities, consistent performance, and robustness when compared with various 'published predictive models. PLS, conversely, revealed some mechanistically interpretable relationships between descriptors and mutagenicity. Thus, this two-QSAR approach using the predictive HSVR and interpretable PIS models in a synergistic fashion can be adopted to facilitate drug discovery and development by designing safer drug candidates with nitroaromatic moiety. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A large group of small Rab GTPases which mediate secretory and endosomal membrane transport, as well as autophagosome biogenesis, are essential components of vesicle trafficking machinery. Specific Rab protein together with the cognate effectors coordinates the dynamics of trafficking pathway and determines the cargo proteins destination. Functional impairments of Rab proteins by mutations or post-translational modifications disrupting the regulatory network of vesicle trafficking have been implicated in tumorigenesis. Therefore, the vesicle transport regulators play essential roles in the mediation of cancer cell biology, including uncontrolled cell growth, invasion and metastasis. The context-dependent role of the same Rab to act as either an oncoprotein or tumor suppressor in different cancers is found. Such discrepancies may be due in part to the interaction of specific Rab protein with different effectors or cargos in various tumors. Here, we review recent advances in the roles of Rab GTPases in communicating with other effectors in tumor progression. In this review, we also emphasize dysregulation of Rab-mediated membrane delivery shifting normal cell behaviors toward malignancy. Thus, recovery of the dysregulated vesicle trafficking systems in cancer cells may provide future directions for potential strategy to restrain tumor progression.
Psoriatic arthritis is a part of the family of diseases referred to as spondyloarthropathies, a diverse group of chronic inflammatory disorders with common clinical, radiographic, and genetic features. Peripheral arthritis is the most common symptom of psoriatic arthritis and patients also frequently experience involvement of the entheses, spine, skin, and nails. Due to the diverse clinical spectrum of disease severity, tissues affected, and associated comorbidities, the treatment of psoriatic arthritis can be challenging and it is necessary to mitigate risks associated with both the disease and its treatment. These risks include disease-specific, treatment-related, and psychological risks. Disease-specific risks include those associated with disease progression that can limit functional status and be mitigated through early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Risks also arise from comorbidities that are associated with psoriatic arthritis such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and gastrointestinal inflammation. Patient outcomes can be affected by the treatment strategy employed and the pharmacologic agents administered. Additionally, it is important for physicians to be aware of risks specific to each therapeutic option. The impact of psoriatic arthritis is not limited to the skin and joints and it is common for patients to experience quality-of-life impairment. Patients are also more likely to have depression, anxiety, and alcoholism. This article reviews the many risks associated with psoriatic arthritis and provides guidance on mitigating these risks.
Network big data is an important driving force for the upgrading of information technology, and network data has brought great opportunities to the economic survey. The openness and freedom of the network also produced the possibility of private information and data to be destroyed or violated, and the security of the Internet is becoming more and more important. In this paper, the author analyzes the impact of fiscal expenditure on the new urbanization and income gap by using data mining technology. The result shows that the public expenditure increase 1% will lead urbanization rate increase 0.0462%; also, the effect of public finance expenditure on urbanization has a certain time lag, and the effect will be more obvious in the long term. At the same time, public expenditure will help to narrow the income gap in the long term, public expenditure at lag 2 increase 1% will lead income gap decrease 0.758%. So that, increasing public expenditure is an important way to promote the equalization of basic public services between urban and rural areas.
Model-based feedback control of vortex shedding at low Reynolds numbers is considered. The feedback signal is provided by velocity measurements in the wake, and actuation is achieved using blowing and suction on the cylinder's surface. Using two-dimensional direct numerical simulations and reduced-order modelling techniques, linear models of the wake are formed at Reynolds numbers between 45 and 110. These models are used to design feedback controllers using loop-shaping. Complete suppression of shedding is demonstrated up to Re 110-both for a single-sensor arrangement and for a three-sensor arrangement. The robustness of the feedback controllers is also investigated by applying them over a range of off-design Reynolds numbers, and good robustness properties are seen. It is also observed that it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve acceptable control performance-measured in a suitable way-as Reynolds number increases.
Aim: Aim of the present study is to evaluate the risk of residual neoplastic foci, in patients treated with breast conservative surgery, based on duct carcinoma in situ (DCIS) grading. Materials and methods: The study is based on a retrospective analysis of 419 resection specimens relative to 161 patients. All these patients underwent surgical re-excision when the first specimen had shown one or more margins involved by DCIS. Margins were oriented and the side of margin involved was recorded. Clonal analysis, using the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) technique, was obtained in selected cases. Results: Residual neoplastic foci were found in 145 out of 419 (34.6%) re-excised specimens. Specifically, residual foci of DCIS grade 2 and 3 were found more frequently in the margin facing the nipple (33.3% and 51.6%, respectively). On the contrary foci of DCIS grade 1 did not show any specific distribution. Clonal mt DNA analysis evidenced that DCIS grade 3 foci present in the re-excision specimens were genetically similar to the tumor removed in the first specimen, while DCIS grade 1 foci were not clonally related each other. Conclusions: The present data further confirm that DCIS grade 3 is characterized by a circumscribed neoplastic process extending along the large ducts probably of a single mammary lobe. On the contrary DCIS grade 1 is characterized by multiple independent neoplastic foci,, dispersed through several lobes indicating a field where multiple independent foci of cancer harbor. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd, BASO similar to The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.
While an understanding of the structure and function of a generically described immune system is essential in contemporary biomedicine, it is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach applied across multiple species is fraught with contradictions and inconsistencies. Nevertheless, the breakthroughs achieved in immunology following the application of observations in murine systems to that of man have been pivotal in the advancement of biology and human medicine. However, as additional species have been used to further address biologic and safety assessment questions relative to the structure and function of the immune system, it has become clear that there are differences across species, gender, age and strain that must be considered. The meaningfulness of these differences must be determined on a case-by-case basis. This review article attempts to collect, consolidate and discuss some of these species differences thereby aiding in the accurate placement of new observations in a proper immunobiological and immunopathological perspective.
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) systems based on sensor technologies are seen as key enablers to an ageing society. However, most approaches in this space do not provide a truly generic ambient space - one that is not only capable of assisting people with diverse medical conditions, but can also recognise the habits of healthy habitants, as well as those with developing medical conditions. The recognition of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) is key to the understanding and provisioning of appropriate and efficient care. However, ADL recognition is particularly difficult to achieve in multi-resident spaces; especially with single-mode (albeit carefully crafted) solutions, which only have limited capabilities. To address these limitations we propose a multi-modal system architecture for AAL remote healthcare monitoring in the home, gathering information from multiple, diverse (sensor) data sources. In this paper we report on developments made to-date in various technical areas with respect to critical issues such as cost, power consumption, scalability, interoperability and privacy.
In this work, the WRF meteorological model is run in three different modes to estimate the wind energy potential in the Bay of Biscay for the 1990-2001 period. The first simulation (NODA) involves a typical use of the WRF model and it does not use data assimilation. The second one (12hDA) performs 3DVAR data assimilation at 00 UTC and 12 UTC. Finally, 6hDA uses 3DVAR data assimilation at 00 UTC, 06 UTC, 12 UTC and 18 UTC. Verification for the three simulations has been carried out at a preliminary stage using wind data from buoys, and then a spatially distributed analysis has been conducted of surface wind based on satellite data from the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP). To that purpose, the spatial correlation and error patterns over our study area have been used as statistical indicators. The results indicate that the wind values obtained with data assimilation every six hours (6hDA) yield the best verification scores at a 95% confidence level, thereby being the most accurate at reproducing wind observations in the area. Regarding the estimation of wind energy potential, at a second stage, we tested the calculation's sensitivity to the use of data assimilation. The most reliable simulation with data assimilation (6hDA) estimates 21% less energy potential than the simulation without data assimilation. In the absence of historical wind observation records of the sea with sufficient time and space resolution, meteorological models such as WRF provide an estimation of the wind values in tentative areas for offshore wind farms. In this line, our study highlights the need to use meteorological models with data assimilation, as future wind energy production can then be more realistically estimated beforehand. This may also contribute to a more accurate economic and technical evaluation of the risks and benefits for future investments in offshore wind energy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A separation method is described for rapidly removing zinc from interfering matrix components, such as chloride, from digested biological samples prior to measurement of zinc stable isotopes by ICP-MS. The method employs chelation of the zinc with trifluoroacetylacetone (TFA), extraction of the chelate with hexane, destruction of the chelate and dissolution of the zinc into nitric acid for determination. Complete separation of the zinc from matrix salts is achieved, and the method does not employ chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents as used in earlier, similar schemes. Cerium from borosilicate glass tubes used in sample digestion was found to be a potential problem when measuring Zn-70, owing to the presence of Ce-140(2+). This potential problem can be avoided by using quartz digestion tubes and/or correcting for any cerium by monitoring m/z 140. Accuracy was verified by an independent method, and examples of the use of stable isotopes of zinc as metabolic tracers in human metabolism are given. The detection limit for the ID method (3s of blank) was 0.7 mu g Zn. An in-house urine pool was found to contain 1.18 +/- 0.005 mu g g(-1) of Zn (n = 3) by ID and 1.17 +/- 0.006 mu g g(-1) of Zn (n = 3) by AAS.
MDSplus is a data acquisition and analysis system used worldwide predominantly in the fusion research community. Development began 29 years ago on the OpenVMS operating system. Since that time there have been many new features added and the code has been ported to many different operating systems. There have been contributions to the MDSplus development from the fusion community in the way of feature suggestions, feature implementations, documentation and porting to different operating systems. The bulk of the development and support of MDSplus, however, has been provided by a relatively small core developer group of three or four members. Given the size of the development team and the large number of users much more effort was focused on providing new features for the community than on keeping the underlying code and documentation up to date with the evolving software development standards. To ensure that MDSplus will continue to provide the needs of the community in the future, the MDSplus development team along with other members of the MDSplus user community has commenced on a major quality improvement project. The planned improvements include changes to software build scripts to better use GNU Autoconf and Automake tools, refactoring many of the source code modules using new language features available in modern compilers, using GNU MinGW-w64 to create MS Windows distributions, migrating to a more modern source code management system, improvement of source documentation as well as improvements to the www.mdsplus.org web site documentation and layout, and the addition of more comprehensive test suites to apply to MDSplus code builds prior to releasing installation kits to the community. This work should lead to a much more robust product and establish a framework to maintain stability as more enhancements and features are added. This paper will describe these efforts that are either in progress or planned for the near future. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nuclear energy has been considered an important part of the long-term energy mixture in China. Accompanying the development of the nuclear power program, extensive research and development (R&D) activities were initiated. Nuclear thermal hydraulics has been recognized as a key subject in the development of nuclear technology because the target of nuclear thermal hydraulics is to remove heat safely from the fuel. The thermal hydraulics activities in China cover three main areas, namely, reactor core thermal hydraulics, safety-related thermal hydraulics, and fundamental thermal hydraulics. This paper gives a brief summary of the ongoing R&D activities in these three areas with a focus on a few selected topics: (1) transversal mixing and nonuniform heat transfer distribution in fuel assemblies, (2) two-phase distribution at external reactor vessel cooling conditions, and (3) heat transfer of supercritical fluids. The state-of-the-art ongoing works and challenging aspects are presented and discussed.
Introduction: Eosinophilic colitis, which is a rare form of eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, occurs as primary and secondary allergic eosinophilic colitis of the gastrointestinal tract infection, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and vasculitis. The diagnosis is based on a significant amount of eosinophils in the inflammatory infiltrate of the colon wall. Aim: To analyze the clinical picture taking into account comorbidities and endoscopic picture in children with eosinophilic colitis. Material and methods: The test group consisted of 43 children, the average age 12.1 years diagnosed with eosinophilic colitis (according to the Whitington scale) hospitalized in the Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Pediatrics of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. Testing for food allergies, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic diseases was performed in the group of children and the analysis concerned the intensity of eosinophilic infiltration of the colon mucosa with the severity of clinical symptoms, endoscopic picture, the presence of inflammatory bowel disease, and food allergy. Results: Half of the tested children suffered from isolated eosinophilic colitis but the rest of them had eosinophilic infiltrate with inflammatory bowel disease more often, however, the Crohn's disease. The endoscopic image was uncharacteristic, and grade III in the Whitington scale was predominant in the histopathological examination, in most cases located in the entire large intestine. The higher level of total IgE was found in less than half of the patients and it did not correlate with the severity of eosinophilic infiltration. It was shown that the severity of eosinophilic infiltration correlated with exacerbation of clinical symptoms, endoscopic image, and the presence of inflammatory bowel disease. The higher level of antibodies of ASCA and ANCA was found in approximately 20% of the children with isolated eosinophilic colitis and 63% of children with Crohn's disease. Conclusions: The higher concentration of total IgE in less than half of the patients with eosinophilic colitis indicates the need for improving allergy diagnosis also in terms of IgE-independent allergy. The presence of higher levels of antibodies of ASCA and ANCA in some of the patients with isolated eosinophilic colitis indicates the need for further observation for the occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease.
Background: Rescue after a maritime disaster remains a great challenge in emergency medicine. Objective: We performed an overview of rescue efforts among the victims in the sunken cruise ship Eastern Star in the 2015 Changjiang River marine disaster, as well as possible preventive measures in maritime transport situations. Methods: The rescue records of 454 victims of the sunken ship were analyzed retrospectively. Their demographic data, rescue effects, accident inducement, and injury disposition were reviewed. A thorough analysis from the point of view of maritime traffic safety was also performed. Results: Of the 454 victims, 442 (97.36%) were killed and only 12 (2.64%) survived. The survivors were classified based on their gender, rescue type, and rescue spot as follows: male (91.67%), female (8.33%); tourists (50.00%), and ship staff (50.00%), after the breakdown of the rescue spot in Jianli, Hubei province, China. The survivors were saved only during the initial 17 h after the disaster. The survivors suffering from somato-and psychotrauma were urgently treated for limb injuries, infections of the upper respiratory tract and lungs, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, and acute traumatic stress. This incident was the most severe maritime disaster since the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, due to the large number of elderly victims, fast overturning speed, and severe weather. Conclusions: Emergency rescue requires more automated and intelligent systems for maritime safety. An increased focus must be placed on public welfare and ethics, with the goal of influencing more prosocial behavior rather than the pursuit of profit. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the electrical characteristics of the gallium nitride (GaN) current aperture vertical electron transistor (CAVET) by using two-dimensional (2-D) technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations. The CAVETs are considered as the alternative device due to their high breakdown voltage and high integration density in the high-power applications. The optimized design for the CAVET focused on the electrical performances according to the different gate-source length (L-GS) and aperture length (L-AP). We analyze DC and RF parameters inducing on-state current (I-on), threshold voltage (V-t), breakdown voltage (V-B), transconductance (g(m)), gate capacitance (C-gg) cut-off frequency (f(T)), and maximum oscillation frequency (f(max)).
The intestine displays an architecture of repetitive crypt structures consisting of different types of epithelial cells, lamina propia containing immune cells, and stroma. All of these heterogeneous cells contribute to intestinal homeostasis and participate in antimicrobial host defense. Therefore, identifying a surrogate model for studying immune response and antimicrobial activity of the intestine in an in vitro setting is extremely challenging. In vitro studies using immortalized intestinal epithelial cell lines or even primary crypt organoid culture do not represent the exact physiology of normal intestine and its microenvironment. Here, we discuss a method of culturing mouse colon tissue in a culture dish and how this ex vivo organ culture system can be implemented in studies related to antimicrobial host defense responses. In representative experiments, we showed that colons in organ culture express antimicrobial peptides in response to exogenous IL-1 beta and IL-18. Further, the antimicrobial effector molecules produced by the colon tissues in the organ culture efficiently kill Escherichia coli in vitro. This approach, therefore, can be utilized to dissect the role of pathogen-and danger-associated molecular patterns and their cellular receptors in regulating intestinal innate immune responses and antimicrobial host defense responses.
A beta peptides, the main protein components of Alzheimer's disease (AD) plaques, derive from a proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein. Due to heterogeneous cleavage sites, a series of A beta peptides, including the major and widely studied species A beta 1-40 (A beta 40) and A beta 1-42 (A beta 42), are produced. In addition to the C-terminal heterogeneity of A beta peptides, significant amounts of N-terminal truncated (A beta 3-42) and pyroglutamate-modified amyloid-beta peptides (A beta pE3-42) have been identified in AD affected brains and shown to be more cytotoxic than unmodified A beta peptides. Little is known about the properties of their mixtures with A beta 42. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy is here employed to investigate the interaction of N-truncated peptides with A beta 42 at different molar ratios. We highlight the critical concentration of N-truncated forms influencing the aggregation kinetics of A beta 42. We provide evidence, at residue level, that the C-terminal region of A beta 42 is the locus of transient specific interactions with highly aggregation prone N-truncated alloforms.
This paper discusses various aspects and models of how Boothroyd Dewhurst's Design-For-Assembly (DFA) methodology can be integrated into product development and design curriculum. The DFA methodology involves a team that includes all the concurrent engineering disciplines and the stakeholders in the success of the product design phase. Manufacturing engineers usually play a vital role in the conceptual design phase. In order to educate the next generation of manufacturing engineers, we introduced and integrated the DFA methodology into our Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MET) curricula at Minnesota State University-Mankato (MSU). A detailed description of this model, including advantages and disadvantages, future directions and recommendations, are included in this paper.
Research in social psychology has the potential to address real-world issues involving racial stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Literature on confrontation suggests that addressing racism can be seen as a persuasive act that will allow for more effective interpersonal interactions. In this article, we explore the persuasive communication literature in the context of classroom education on the pervasiveness of racial bias. We examine some of the challenges instructors might face from students. Finally, we suggest strategies that might allow for a more effective classroom experience.
We report an experiment investigating whether dancing to the same music enhances recall of person-related memory targets. The experiment used 40 dancers (all of whom were unaware of the experiment's aim), two-channel silent-disco radio headphones, a marked-up dance floor, two types of music, and memory targets (sash colors and symbols). In each trial, 10 dancers wore radio headphones and one of four different colored sashes, half of which carried cat symbols. Using silent-disco technology, one type of music was surreptitiously transmitted to half the dancers, while music at a different tempo was transmitted to the remaining dancers. Pre-experiment, the dancers' faces were photographed. Post-experiment, each dancer was presented with the photographs of the other dancers and asked to recall their memory targets. Results showed that same-music dancing significantly enhanced memory for sash color and sash symbol. Our findings are discussed in light of recent eye-movement research that showed significantly increased gaze durations for people observing music-dance synchrony versus music-dance asynchrony, and in relation to current literature on interpersonal entrainment, group cohesion, and social bonding.
Hydrodynamic parameters should be identified firstly for predicting soil and water loss with specific issues and objectives. The laboratory simulation scouring experiments were conducted with different gravel contents, flow discharges and slopes based on the field investigation, which achieved the most suitable parameter for predicting soil and water loss on simulation landslide deposit slope in Wenchuan earthquake area, China. The results showed that the gravel content of 25% always was the threshold that controlled the flow shear stress (tau) and stream power (omega) increased or decreased under different flow discharges. The unit stream power (UP) and unit flow energy (E) both decreased when gravel contents increased. The ratio of Manning coefficient to flow depth (n/h) was higher in fine sediments with gravels than that without gravels. The flow discharge had the consistent effects on hydrodynamics which was ordered as 4<8<12 L min(-1). The tau was the most suitable parameter for predicting soil and water loss by considering the degree of reliability, even though the omega also had significant positive power function with soil and water loss. The n/h could describe the hydrodynamics and soil and water loss and be the alternative parameter for predicting soil and water loss. The results provide useful information for soil and water loss prediction in landslide deposits.
The north-western part of Bangladesh especially the Barind region is considered as a drought-prone area. The objective of this paper is to find out the adaptation measures practised by farmers to cope with climate change and agricultural drought in two drought-prone villages of the north-western Bangladesh. The primary data for this study were collected from a structured questionnaire survey conducted on 130 households selected from 192 through simple random sampling. The present study finds that agriculture of this area is recurrently disrupted by frequent drought events. Moreover, the climate change will increase both frequency and magnitude of extreme drought events in this region. This paper identifies that the impacts of drought on agriculture are difficulties in irrigation, disruption in cropping pattern, depletion of ground water table, problem in fish cultivation and so on. On the other hand, analyses unveil that respondents practised a range of adjustment strategies to combat adverse impacts of drought such as adoptions of drought-tolerant crop varieties, rainwater harvesting, mango and jujube intercropping with rice, kitchen gardening, weed control and reducing water loss, constructing water control structures, irrigation and cultivation of fast-growing fish species. Therefore, the present study recommends proper drought early warning system, reserving surface water, managing supplemental irrigation, tree plantation, re-excavation of canals and traditional ponds, credit support to the farmers, preparedness and awareness rising to ensure the future sustainable agricultural development in the study areas.
Recent research on community involvement points to the importance of both agentic (advancing the self) and communal motives (serving others) as key predictors, though few studies have examined both simultaneously. At the same time, research has identified generativity, defined as concern for future generations as a legacy of the self, as particularly relevant for community involvement. Moreover, generativity involves both agentic and communal motives, meaning that advancing personal goals and caring for others are integrated in this construct. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how individual differences in attributes pertaining to self and to others-specifically, self-esteem, initiative, and empathy-related to both generativity and community involvement. A sample of adolescents (N = 160; 64% female, Mage = 17) and a sample of young adults (N = 237; 84% female, Mage = 20) completed a survey including measures of community involvement and generativity. Generative concern fully mediated the associations between individual differences (self-esteem, initiative, and empathy) and community involvement, suggesting that the early generativity has a role in fostering capacities and contribution in youth. These developmental indicators pertaining to self and others link to actions that benefit the community through a desire to benefit future generations.
High rates of relapse following substance misuse treatment highlight an urgent need for effective therapies. Although the number of empirical studies investigating effects of mindfulness treatment for substance misuse has increased dramatically in recent years, few reviews have examined findings of mindfulness studies. Thus, this systematic review examined methodological characteristics and substantive findings of studies evaluating mindfulness treatments for substance misuse published by 2015. The review also includes the first meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of mindfulness treatments for substance misuse. Comprehensive bibliographic searches in PubMed, Psyclnfo, and Web of Science, identified 42 pertinent studies. Meta-analytic results revealed significant small-to-large effects of mindfulness treatments in reducing the frequency and severity of substance misuse, intensity of craving for psychoactive substances, and severity of stress. Mindfulness treatments were also effective in increasing rates of posttreatment abstinence from cigarette smoking compared to alternative treatments. Mindfulness treatment for substance misuse is a promising intervention for substance misuse, although more research is needed examining the mechanisms by which mindfulness interventions exert their effects and the effectiveness of mindfulness treatments in diverse treatment settings. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights
Cloud-based mobile networks are foreseen to be a technological enabler for the next generation of mobile networks. Their design requires substantial research as they pose unique challenges, especially from the point of view of additional delays in the fronthaul network. Commonly used network protocols should therefore be adjusted to cope with the peculiarities of these networks. In this paper, we investigate an optimized design of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), as it plays a central role in all-IP mobile networks to ensure optimal performances for application-layer services. TCP implementations of 3 popular operating systems are investigated in our network model. The results on the most influential parameters are used to design an optimized TCP for cloud-based mobile networks.
Geotextile tubes made of woven geotextile materials have been widely applied to dewater waste sludge such as digested bio-solids, sewage sludge, dredged materials, industrial solid wastes, fly ash and coal slurry. However, the dewatering process of single geotextile tubes is time consuming. Two methods to accelerate the dewatering process of slurry in geosynthetic tubes were studied using laboratory model tests. The first method was to stack one tube on top of another and use the weight of the top tube to preload the bottom one. The second method was the vacuum method proposed in this paper to use vacuum pressure to consolidate the slurry in the geosynthetic tube. A 2.0-mm-thick woven polypropylene geosynthetic sheet was selected for the geotextile tubes. The deformation, pore water pressure and tensile forces monitored during the model tests against time are presented and analysed in this paper. The properties of the soil after consolidation were also measured and compared. The model test data showed that the vacuum method resulted in a lower water content and higher deformation rate than the two-layer stacking geotextile tube method. Compared with the stacking method, the vacuum method could reduce the risk to the geotextile sheet from explosion.
A survey was conducted to determine the geometry, operating parameters, and other key features of large circular or octagonal culture tanks used to produce Atlantic salmon smolt and post-smolt at six major Norwegian Atlantic salmon production companies. A total of 55 large tanks were reported at seven land based hatchery locations, i.e., averaging 7.9 (range of 4-12) large tanks per land-based site. In addition, one 21,000 m(3) floating fiberglass tank in sea was reported. Culture volume ranged from 500 to 1300 m3 for each land-based tank. Most tanks were circular, but one site used octagonal tanks. Land-based tank diameters ranged from 14.5 to 20 m diameter, whereas the floating tank was 40 m diameter. Maximum tank depths ranged from 3.5 to 4.5 mat land-based facilities, which produced diameter-to-average-depth ratios of 3.6:1 to 5.5:1 m:m. The floating tank was much deeper at 20 m, with a diameter-to-average-depth ratio of only 2.4:1 m:m. All land-based tanks had floors sloping at 4.0-6.5% toward the tank center and various pipe configurations that penetrated the culture tank water volume at tank center. These pipes and sloping floors were used to reduce labor when removing dead fish and harvesting fish. Maximum flow ranged from 3 to 19 m(3)/min per land-based tank, with 400 m(3)/min at the floating tank, but tank flow was adjustable at most facilities. Land-based tanks were flushed at a mean hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 35-170 min. Maximum feed load on each land-based tank ranged from 525 to 850 kg/day, but the floating tank reached 3700 kg/day. Almost half of the large tanks reported in this survey were installed or renovated since 2013, including the three tank systems with the highest flow rate per tank (greater than 17.6 m(3)/min). These more recent tanks were operated at more rapid tank HRT's, from 34.8 to 52.5 min, than the 67-170 min HRT typical of the large tanks built before 2013. In addition, flow per unit of feed load in land-based tanks that began operating before 2010 were lower (19-30 m(3) flow/kg feed) than in tanks that began operating later (33-40 m(3) flow/kg feed). In comparison, the floating tank operates at a maximum daily tank flow to feed load of 160 m(3) flow/kg feed, which is the least intensive of all tanks surveyed. Survey results suggest that the recently built tanks have been designed to operate at a reduced metabolic loading per unit of flow, a tendency that would improve water quality throughout the culture tank, all else equal. This trend is possible due to the ever increasing application of water recirculating systems. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
As a consequence of its position and functions, the ITER blanket system will be subjected to significant heat loads under nominal reference conditions. Therefore, the design of its cooling system is particularly demanding. Coolant water is distributed individually to the 440 blanket modules (BMs) through manifold piping, which makes it a highly parallelized system. The mass flow rate distribution is finely tuned to meet all operation constraints: adequate margin to burn out in the plasma facing components, even distribution of water flow among the so-called plasma-facing fingers of the Blanket First Wall panels, high enough water flow rate to avoid excessive water temperature in the outlet pipes, maximum allowable water velocity lower than 7 m/s in manifold pipes. Furthermore the overall pressure drop and flow rate in each BM shall be within the fixed specified design limit to avoid an unduly unbalance of cooling among the 440 modules. Analyses have to be carried out following a computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) approach based on the finite volume method and adopting a CFD commercial code to assess the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of each single circuit of the ITER blanket cooling system. This paper describes the code benchmarking needed to determine the best method to get reliable and timely results. Since experimental tests are available in ITER Organization on full scale prototypes of Shield Blocks #08 and #14, CFD analyses have been performed to investigate their fluid-dynamic behaviour under steady state conditions and compare the numerical and experimental results. Results obtained are presented and critically discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background For prevention of sudden cardiac death, the transvenously implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy (tv-ICD) is well accepted. The subcutaneous system (S-ICD (R)) is promising in terms of reducing ICD complications. Nevertheless, the impact of the novel generator position on patients' quality of life (QoL) is yet unknown. Objective This study aimed at comparing QoL and posttraumatic stress with both systems. Methods 60 S-ICD (R) and 60 case-controlled tv single-chamber ICD patients were asked to respond to three standardized questionnaires. PDS [screening for posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD)] and PHQ-D (detection of the most predominant psychological disorders) were used to screen for potential mental comorbidities. The SF-12 questionnaire was used to evaluate physical and mental well-being. Groups were compared in terms of QoL and PTSD. Results n = 42 (70%) pairs were analyzed (n = 30 male, mean age 44.6 +/- 12.2 years). Prior appropriate (p = 0.06) or inappropriate episodes (p = 0.24), ejection fraction (p = 0.28), or underlying cardiac disease did not differ significantly between groups. PDS revealed a PTSD in n = 6 tv-ICD and n = 6 S-ICD (R) patients (14.3%) equally. In the PHQ-D questionnaire, n = 4 tv-ICD and n = 2 S-ICD (R) patients fulfilled criteria for a major depression (p = 0.68). Panic disorders (n = 2 tv, n = 0 S-ICD (R), p = 0.5), and anxiety disorders (n = 3 S-ICD (R), n = 0 tv-ICD, p = 0.24) did not differ between groups. The physical well-being score was 39.9 +/- 12.5 in patients with a tv-ICD compared to 46.6 +/- 9.9 in S-ICD (R) patients (p = 0.01). The mental well-being score was comparable in both groups (tv-ICD 51.8 +/- 10.8 vs. S-ICD (R) 51.9 +/- 10.4, p = 0.95). Conclusions Our case-control study revealed equal or even better physical well-being of patients with the S-ICD (R). PTSD occurred in almost 15% of ICD patients irrespective of the type of system.
The restoration of mandibular bone defects after cancer can be facilitated by computer-assisted preoperative planning. The aim of this study was to assess an in-house manufacturing approach to customized cutting guides for use in the reconstruction of the mandible with osteocutaneous free flaps. A retrospective cohort study was performed, involving 18 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with a fibula free flap at three institutions during the period July 2012 to March 2015. A single surgeon designed and manufactured fibula and mandible cutting guides using a computer-aided design process and three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. The oncological outcomes, production parameters, and quality of the reconstructions performed for each patient were recorded. Computed tomography scans were acquired after surgery, and these were compared with the preoperative 3D models. Eighteen consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinoma underwent surgery and then reconstruction using this customized in-house surgical approach. The lengths of the fibula bone segments and the angle measurements in the simulations were similar to those of the postoperative volume rendering (P = 0.61). The ease of access to 3D printing technology has enabled the computer-aided design and manufacturing of customized cutting guides for oral cancer treatment without the need for input from external laboratories.
Lead lithium cooled ceramic breeder (LLCB) TBM is the Indian DEMO relevant blanket module, which will be tested in one-half of a designated ITER port from day 1 operation of ITER. LLCB TBM will be tested in various ITER operational phases. Different TBM may be tested corresponding to the four different phases of plasma operation. The paper present a review of thermal analyses based on the various heat loads on the LLCB TBM obtained from neutronics calculations to confirm heat removal and structural integrity under different ITER operational conditions. This includes the normal plasma operation, fusion power excursions, surface heat flux due to MARFES, disruption heat loads during thermal and current quench etc., in inductive and non-inductive plasma operations. Transient events, like plasma disruption, vertical displacement events (VDEs) and edge localized modes (ELMs) deliver considerable heat flux (high power densities) for short durations onto the first wall of TBM. Detailed thermal-hydraulic simulation studies have been performed using ANSYS. These analyses, therefore, will provide important information about the temperature distribution in different materials used in TBM and their temperature-time histories. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Applying pesticides to crops is one of the causes of water pollution by surface runoff, and chlorpyrifos, trifluralin and chlorothalonil are used respectively as insecticide, herbicide and fungicide for crop plants widely. To explore effects of three pesticides on aquatic organisms, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities were determined after 24 h and 48 h exposure of D. magna with ages of 6-24 h to several low concentrations of chlorpyrifos (0.36, 0.72, 1.43, 2.86, 5.72 mu g.L-1), trifluralin (0.17, 0.33, 0.66, 1.33, 2.65 mg.L-1) and chlorothalonil (0.09, 0.18, 0.36, 0.72, 1.43 mg.L-1) respectively. Main reproductive parameters including first pregnancy time, first brood time, the number of first brood and total fecundity after 21 d exposures at the same concentrations of pesticides as described above were also measured. The results showed that the activities of GST increased in lower concentrations and decreased in higher concentrations after 24 h exposure to three pesticides, respectively. The activities of SOD showed the same changes after 48 h exposure. With the time prolonged, the activities of GST decreased while the activities of SOD increased. After 21 d exposure, the first pregnancy time and first brood time were delayed, while the number of the first brood and total fecundity per female decreased with increasing concentrations. These results corroborated that GST activity was more sensitive to those pesticides than SOD activity, and there was a significant relationship between total fecundity and pesticides-dose(r>0.94, n=6), GST activity after 48 h exposure and total fecundity after 21 d exposure (r>0.92, n=6).
We analyse velocity fluctuations inside coherent vortices generated as a result of the inverse cascade in the two-dimensional (2-D) turbulence in a finite box. As we demonstrated in Kolokolov & Lebedev (Phys. Rev E, vol. 93, 2016, 033104), the universal velocity profile, established in Laurie et al. (Phys. Rev. Len., vol. 113, 2014, 254503), corresponds to the passive regime of the flow fluctuations. This property enables one to calculate correlation functions of the velocity fluctuations in the universal region. We present the results of the calculations that demonstrate a non-trivial scaling of the structure function. In addition the calculations reveal strong anisotropy of the structure function.
The current study explored how individual differences in endorsement of aggressive behaviors and thoughts relate to individual levels of tolerance and prejudice toward immigrants and established prejudice correlates such as social dominance orientation (SDO) and ethnic out-groups ratings among adolescents. Participants (N = 141; Age M = 16.08, 68% girls) completed the Readiness for Interpersonal Aggression Inventory, the Tolerance and Prejudice Questionnaire, and measures of SDO and ethnic out-groups ratings. Results indicated that higher individual endorsement of aggression was related to higher prejudice and SDO and lower tolerance and ethnic out-groups ratings. Patterns of endorsement of aggression related to habitual and socially determined aggressive acts or stable needs to hurt others as a source of satisfaction were significantly correlated with prejudice. Conversely, the relationship between prejudice and endorsement of impulsive actions lacking of emotional control resulted was less marked. The results highlight how in the cognitive spectrum of prejudice, individual levels of endorsement of aggression may play a significant triggering role during adolescence. These findings may have implications for future studies and interventions aimed at reducing prejudice already in young ages.
beta-lapachone (1) has entered phases I and II clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors and the therapeutic efficacy of beta-lapachone is closely related to its metabolic process. In order to contribute to a better understanding of human metabolism of beta-lapachone, Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 10028b was used as a microbial model of mammalian metabolism to biotransform beta-lapachone and two new glycosylated derivatives were produced. The chemical structures were elucidated as 6-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran-5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) and 5-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran-6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3) by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, HMBC, HMQC, COSY and HRMS analyses. The major derivative (3) displayed a lower activity against breast cancer cell line SKBR-3 (IC50 = 312.5 mu M) than beta-lapachone (IC50 = 5.6 mu M), but did not show cytotoxicity against normal fibroblasts cell line GM07492-A, whereas beta-lapachone was highly toxic (IC50 = 7.25 mu M). These metabolites were reported here for the first time and are similar to those that occur in phase II of human metabolism (C) 2013 Phytochemical Society of Europe. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Flexible geotextile structures are widely used in coastal engineering, such as geotextile mattress used in bottom protection engineering and sand-filled geotextile tube used in reclamation project. This kind of structure can adapt to varying bathymetry condition quite well and has significant engineering effect, but when the sediment under the structure was eroded and cavity occurs, this geotextile material may be ripped at continuous wave action, especially in the shallow water zone. However, the failure mechanism is still not clear. The dynamic response of geotextile structure in regular waves was firstly studied. In order to study tensile stress in the geotextile structures caused by wave, a series of 2-D physical models were designed. Under a selected geotextile structure condition, numbers of tensile force sensor were addicted around the edge of the geotextile material, and then fixed at the bottom of the wave flume. By changing wave parameter and water depth, the relationship between tensile stress and wave parameters were obtained and discussed. It turns out that the tensile force detected in the experiment is much less than the upper limit of material's tensile strength, which means that the geotextile may not be easily damaged just by the tensile stress caused by waves. It is suggested that the structure may break out due to abrasion between the structure and the internal material. Details of the discussion on the experimental data will be presented. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Trial comprising fifty lentil genotypes was conducted at three locations in India during year 2013-2014 for estimation of grain Fe and Zn concentrations and to analyze G x E interactions by employing the additive main effect and multiplication interaction model. The study revealed significant effects for genotype, environment and genotype by environment interaction for both grain Fe and Zn concentration. In this model genotypes with the IPCA score of nearly zero and mean greater than grand mean are considered as adaptable to the studied environments. For grain Fe concentration genotypes P13143, P13135, ILL2581, P2130, LL147, L4603, PL101 and Globe mutant and for grain Zn concentration genotypes P13122, P2239, P3204 and L11-245 were found stable. The diversity analysis using 20 genomic and 54 EST-SSR markers indicated that the studied genotypes were diverse. The EST-SSRs revealed lower polymorphism as compare to genomic SSRs. Two major clusters were identified with 37 % similarity. Indigenous genotypes were grouped in cluster I and all exotic accessions were grouped in cluster II indicating the role of geographic origin in diversity. Based on multi location evaluation for grain Fe and Zn concentrations and molecular characterization crosses are proposed for development of grain Fe and Zn rich varieties (P3220 x L4649 and VL103 x P2130) and development of mapping populations (P13122 x L11-287 and LL931 x P3220) for study of genetics and mapping of QTLs/gene(s).
Fastener assembly is a tedious and time-consuming work because operators have to check assembly manuals and find right fastener for each hole. Hence, this paper aims to develop a three-dimensional (3-D) projection system that projects assembly instruction onto the work piece surface directly to guide operators to assemble. However, in order to project the instruction accurately, the corresponding part of the computer-aided design model of the physical scanned area needs to be attained through the rapid and accurate registration. In order to achieve this goal, first, a high-accuracy and rapid 3-D measurement system is developed; second, a fast registration method based on local multiscale geometric feature vector is proposed to accelerate the registration speed and improve the registration reliability. Experimental results demonstrate the measurement accuracy of the developed system, and verify the feasibility of the proposed registration method. Hence, the proposed method can lead to improved assembly efficiency and decreased error probability, making great contributions to large-scale structure assembly.
The aim of this article is the design and implementation of intelligent irrigation devices using the Arduino microcontroller. The control interface of the irrigation system was created as a mobile application. The currently existing various similar solutions are all from the perspective of money unprofitable. The present solution is very cheap and effective especially for home usage. Following the extension it can also be applied on a larger scale e.g. for buildings greenhouse, intelligent garden and others. We used these hardware components for realization: the microcontroller Arduino Yun, real-time clock DS1302, two humidity sensors, relays and solenoid valves. The application for controlling irrigation device using mobile technology was created in the programming language Java. This easy smart irrigation system can be controlled by smart-phone or tablet with operating systems Android 4 and above. Reactions and all functions of proposed intelligent system were verified with statistical surveyes. The results were evaluated by using technics of explorating analysis and non parametric Levene's test. By analysis we can determine the reliability of the irrigation equipment and so clarify the behavior of the system for the existence of systematic and random errors.
Characterizing plant responses to past, present and future changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) is critical for understanding and predicting the consequences of global change over evolutionary and ecological timescales. Previous CO2 studies have provided great insights into the effects of rising [CO2] on leaf-level gas exchange, carbohydrate dynamics and plant growth. However, scaling CO2 effects across biological levels, especially in field settings, has proved challenging. Moreover, many questions remain about the fundamental molecular mechanisms driving plant responses to [CO2] and other global change factors. Here we discuss three examples of topics in which significant questions in CO2 research remain unresolved: (1) mechanisms of CO2 effects on plant developmental transitions; (2) implications of rising [CO2] for integrated plant-water dynamics and drought tolerance; and (3) CO2 effects on symbiotic interactions and eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Addressing these and other key questions in CO2 research will require collaborations across scientific disciplines and new approaches that link molecular mechanisms to complex physiological and ecological interactions across spatiotemporal scales.
Background: Evidence indicates that substance-related cognitive biases (attentional, memory, and approach bias) contribute to the maintenance and development of substance misuse. Impulsivity has been suggested to influence how cognitive biases contribute to substance misuse, possibly by biasing incentive salience attribution processes. However, the strength and moderators of the relationship between impulsivity and substance-related cognitive biases has yet to be empirically examined. Methods: A meta-analysis using random-effects models was completed assessing 19 studies that reported a quantitative relationship between an impulsivity measure and a substance-related cognitive bias. Two-component conceptualisation of impulsivity, impulsivity measurement type, gender, and age were assessed as moderators. Results: A small, significant positive relationship (r=0.10) was observed between impulsivity and substance-related attentional, memory, and approach biases. No moderators examined had a significant influence on this relationship. Conclusions: Results are consistent with incentive sensitisation theories of addiction and suggests a weak synergistic relationship between impulsivity and substance-related cognitive biases. This relationship holds across different measures and components of impulsivity. Results provide some support for the viability of impulsivity and cognitive bias interaction models which may warrant further investigation of these factors in relation to predicting addiction treatment outcomes. Crown Copyright (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All lights reserved.
Recently, Vernier permanent magnet (VPM) machines, one special case of magnetic flux-modulated (MFM) machines, benefiting from their compact, simple construction and low-speed/high-torque characteristics, have been receiving increasing interest. In this paper, the Vernier structure is integrated with an axial-flux PM machine to obtain the magnetic gear effect and produce an improved torque density for direct-drive wind power generation application. Another advantage of the proposed machine is that the stator flux rotating speed can be relatively high when the shaft speed is low. With this benefit, sensorless control strategy can be easily implemented in a wide speed range. In this paper, an improved sliding mode observer (SMO) is proposed to estimate the rotor position and the speed of the proposed machine. With the estimated shaft speeds, the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control strategy is applied to maximize the wind power extraction. The machine design and the sensorless MPPT control strategy are verified by finite element analysis and experimental verification.
Population-genomic analyses are essential to understanding factors shaping genomic variation and lineage-specific sequence constraints. The dearth of such analyses for unicellular eukaryotes prompted us to assess genomic variation in Paramecium, one of the most well-studied ciliate genera. The Paramecium aurelia complex consists of similar to 15 morphologically indistinguishable species that diverged subsequent to two rounds of whole-genome duplications (WGDs, as long as 320 MYA) and possess extremely streamlined genomes. We examine patterns of both nuclear and mitochondrial polymorphism, by sequencing whole genomes of 10-13 worldwide isolates of each of three species belonging to the P. aurelia complex: P. tetraurelia, P. biaurelia, P. sexaurelia, as well as two outgroup species that do not share the WGDs: P. caudatum and P. multimicronucleatum. An apparent absence of global geographic population structure suggests continuous or recent dispersal of Paramecium over long distances. Intergenic regions are highly constrained relative to coding sequences, especially in P. caudatum and P. multimicronucleatum that have shorter intergenic distances. Sequence diversity and divergence are reduced up to similar to 100-150 bp both upstream and downstream of genes, suggesting strong constraints imposed by the presence of densely packed regulatory modules. In addition, comparison of sequence variation at non-synonymous and synonymous sites suggests similar recent selective pressures on paralogs within and orthologs across the deeply diverging species. This study presents the first genome-wide population-genomic analysis in ciliates and provides a valuable resource for future studies in evolutionary and functional genetics in Paramecium.
Ambient Intelligence systems require a natural and personalized experience in interacting with services provided by the environment. In this view, the interaction may happen either in a pervasive way, through a combination of devices embedded in the environment, or using a conversational interface acting as an environment concierge. In the latter case, the interface can be embodied in a conversational agent able to involve users in a human-like conversation and to establish a social relation with them. Developing such an Ambient Conversational System (ACS) requires a model of the user that considers not only the cognitive ingredients of his mental state, but also extra-rational factors such as affect, engagement, attitudes. This paper describes a multimodal framework for recognizing the social attitude of users during the interaction with an embodied agent in a smart environment. In particular, we started from the analysis and annotation of advisory dialogs between humans and then we used the annotated corpus to build a framework for recognizing the social attitude in multimodal dialogs with an ACS. Results of the study show an acceptable performance of the framework in recognizing and monitoring the social attitude during the dialog with anACS. We also compared results of the analysis of human-human interactions with respect to the human-ACS interaction and, even if the level of initiative of subjects during the dialog was lower in this lattermodality, the difference in the average number of social moves was not significant, thus showing that subjects probably were keen to establish a social relation with the conversational agent.
Genomics-assisted breeding methods have been rapidly developed with novel technologies such as next-generation sequencing, genomic selection and genomewide association study. However, phenotyping is still time consuming and is a serious bottleneck in genomics-assisted breeding. In this study, we established a highthroughput phenotyping system for sorghum plant height and its response to nitrogen availability; this system relies on the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing with either an RGB or near-infrared, green and blue (NIR-GB) camera. We evaluated the potential of remote sensing to provide phenotype training data in a genomic prediction model. UAV remote sensing with the NIR-GB camera and the 50th percentile of digital surface model, which is an indicator of height, performed well. The correlation coefficient between plant height measured by UAV remote sensing (PHUAV) and plant height measured with a ruler (PHR) was 0.523. Because PHUAV was overestimated (probably because of the presence of taller plants on adjacent plots), the correlation coefficient between PHUAV and PHR was increased to 0.678 by using one of the two replications (that with the lower PHUAV value). Genomic prediction modeling performed well under the low-fertilization condition, probably because PHUAV overestimation was smaller under this condition due to a lower plant height. The predicted values of PHUAV and PHR were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.842). This result suggests that the genomic prediction models generated with PHUAV were almost identical and that the performance of UAV remote sensing was similar to that of traditional measurements in genomic prediction modeling. UAV remote sensing has a high potential to increase the throughput of phenotyping and decrease its cost. UAV remote sensing will be an important and indispensable tool for high-throughput genomics-assisted plant breeding.
This study explored the extent to which there are the neural correlates of the affective personality influence on face processing using event-related potentials (ERPs). In the learning phase, participants viewed a target individual's face (expression neutral or faint smile) paired with either negative, neutral or positive sentences describing previous typical behavior of the target. In the following EEG testing phase, participants completed gender judgments of the learned faces. Statistical analyses were conducted on measures of neural activity during the gender judgment task. Repeated measures ANOVA of FRP data showed that faces described as having a negative personality elicited larger N170 than did those with a neutral or positive description. The early posterior negativity (EPN) showed the same result pattern, with larger amplitudes for faces paired with negative personality than for others. The size of the late positive potential was larger for faces paired with positive personality than for those with neutral and negative personality. The current study indicates that affective personality information is associated with an automatic, top down modulation on face processing.
The role of symmetric division in stem cell biology is ambiguous. It is necessary after injuries, but if symmetric divisions occur too often, the appearance of tumours is more likely. To explore the role of symmetric and asymmetric division in cell populations, we propose a mathematical model of competition of populations, in which the stem cell expansion is controlled by fully differentiated cells. We show that there is an optimal fraction of symmetric stem cell division, which maximises the long-term survival probability of the organism. Moreover, we show the optimal number of stem cells in a tissue, and we show that number has to be small enough to reduce the probability of the appearance of advantageous malignant cells, and large enough to assure that the population will not be suppressed by stochastic fluctuations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Binary tree traversal algorithm can be applied in many aspects, such as information encryption, Network, operating systems, cluster computing and so on. We have already proposed a useful method to verify the correctness of algorithmic programs based on Isabelle proof assistant and Dijkstra's weakness precondition theory, and have manually derived and verified binary tree traversal non-recursive algorithms in our previous work. In order to ensure the security of the non-recursive algorithms, the focus of this paper is to construct a unified recurrence-relations expression about preorder, in-order, and post-order binary tree traversal non-recursive algorithms. The recurrence-relations expression make it easier to derive the loop invariants of three algorithms. Meanwhile, we automatically verify the correctness of three kinds of non-recursive algorithms by using a generic proof assistant Isabelle. This work realizes mechanically automatic-verification and overcomes the intricacies and weakness of manual verification, improves the verification efficiency, and ensures the trustworthiness and reliability of the algorithm program.
Introduction: Substance use among elderly is an emerging mental health problem and requires modification in management approaches. Systematic literature on natural opiates especially among elderly in India has been rather limited. Materials and methods: This retrospective chart review included 24 elderly subjects (aged 60 and above) seeking outpatient treatment at a tertiary care de-addiction center in North India. Information pertaining to socio-demographic profile, clinical characteristics, and treatment seeking was extracted from the records. Results: All the subjects were male with a mean age of 64.3 (5.0) years. Most common substance used was doda (poppy husk) with a mean duration of dependence of 33.1 (+/- 11.8) years. Six subjects (25.0%) had used other forms apart from natural forms of opiates. Most common reason for initiation of opiate use was to increase work efficiency (n = 9, 37.5%). Dependence on another substance (apart from opiate and tobacco) was present in seven subjects (29.2%). Majority of patients never sought any treatment previously despite using the substance for long duration. Conclusion: Natural opioid use among elderly has a distinct profile, especially in Indian setting where its use has sociocultural sanction. There is a need for research on management of elderly natural opioid users which may pose an important clinical challenge in the future.
In this paper, two techniques based on Q-learning and action dependent heuristic dynamic programming (ADHDP) are demonstrated for the demand-side management of domestic electric water heaters (DEWHs). The problem is modeled as a dynamic programming problem, with the state space defined by the temperature of output water, the instantaneous hot water consumption rate, and the estimated grid load. According to simulation, Q-learning and ADHDP reduce the cost of energy consumed by DEWHs by approximately 26% and 21%, respectively. The simulation results also indicate that these techniques will minimize the energy consumed during load peak periods. As a result, the customers saved about $466 and $367 annually by using Q-learning and ADHDP techniques to control their DEWHs (100 gallons tank size) operation, which is better than the cost reduction that resulted from using the state-of-the-art ($246) control technique under the same simulation parameters. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work that uses the approximate dynamic programming techniques to solve the DEWH's load management problem.
This review provides a synopsis for genetic counselors of the major concepts of lymphoma predisposition: genomic instability, immune deficiency, inappropriate lymphoproliferation, and chronic antigen stimulation. We discuss syndromes typifying each of these mechanisms. Importantly, our review of the genetic counseling literature reveals sparse discussion of genetically-based immune-mediated lymphoma predisposition, which we address in depth here. We aim to increase awareness among genetic counselors and colleagues in oncology about familial susceptibility and facilitate critical thinking about lymphoma risk assessment. Clinical application of this knowledge is aided by recommendations for collection of personal and family history to guide risk assessment and testing. Lastly, we include a special discussion of genetic counseling issues including perceptions of the context, nature, and magnitude of lymphoma risk, as well as coping with awareness of susceptibility to lymphoma.
To enable important scientific discoveries, ESO has defined a new ground-based telescope: the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). The baseline design features a telescope with a 39-m-class primary mirror (M1), making it the largest and most powerful telescope in the world. The M1 consists of 798 hexagonal segments, each about 1.4 m wide, but only 50 mm thick. In the last stages of the manufacturing process of these M1 segments, a nanometre-accurate metrology method is required for the M1 to be within specifications. The segments have to be measured on their whiffle-tree support structures with a nanometre-level uncertainty, with a total budget on form accuracy of 50 nm RMS for any segment assembly. In this paper a measurement machine design is presented based on a non-contact single-point scanning technique, capable of measuring with nanometre accuracy, being universal, fast and with low operational costs, providing suitable metrology for M1 segments. A tactile precision probe is implemented to be able to use the machine in earlier stages of the segment manufacturing process. In particular, this paper describes the design of the air-bearing motion system and the separate metrology system based on a moving Sintered Silicon Carbide tube, a fixed Zerodur metrology frame and an interferometric system for a direct and short metrology loop. Preliminary calculations show nanometre-level measurement uncertainty after calibration. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Information on distribution of forest types and land cover classes is essential for decision making and significant in climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, and societal issues. An approach for the combination of advanced polarimetric decompositions and textures of Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar full polarimetric data for the purpose of forest type classification is proposed. Using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, we classified forest types over a selected Indian region. Further, we tested the classification performance of the Wishart method for the same forest types. The classified results were assessed with confusion matrix-based statistics. The results suggest that incorporation of various polarimetric decompositions features into gray-level co-occurrence matrix textures refines the SVM classification overall accuracy (OA) from 73.82% (k = 0.69) to 76.34% (k = 0.72). The Wishart supervised classification algorithm has the OA of 73.38% (kappa = 0.68). We observed that integration of polarimetric information with textures can give complimentary information in forest type discrimination and produce high accuracy maps. Further, this approach overcomes the limitations of optical remote sensing data in continuous cloud coverage areas. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).
The elongation of styles and stigma (silks) of maize (Zea mays) flowers is rapid (1-3mmh(-1)), occurs over a short period and plays a pivotal role in reproductive success in adverse environments. Silk elongation rate was measured using displacement transducers in 350 plants of eight genotypes during eight experiments with varying evaporative demand and soil water status. Measured time courses revealed that silk elongation rate closely followed changes in soil water status and evaporative demand, with day-night alternations similar to those in leaves. Day-night alternations were steeper with high than with low plant transpiration rate, manipulated via evaporative demand or by covering part of the leaf area. Half times of changes in silk elongation rate upon changes in evaporative demand or soil water status were 10-30min, similar to those in leaves. The sensitivity of silk elongation rate to xylem water potential was genetically linked to that of leaf elongation rate. Lines greatly differed for these sensitivities. These results are consistent with a common hydraulic control of expansive growth in vegetative and reproductive structures upon changes in environmental conditions via a close connection with the xylem water potential. They have important implications for breeding, modelling and phenotyping.
In a world facing rapid environmental changes, anticipating their impacts on biodiversity is of utmost relevance. Remotely-sensed Ecosystem Functional Attributes (EFAs) are promising predictors for Species Distribution Models (SDMs) by offering an early and integrative response of vegetation performance to environmental drivers. Species of high conservation concern would benefit the most from a better ability to anticipate changes in habitat suitability. Here we illustrate how yearly projections from SDMs based on EFAs could reveal short-term changes in potential habitat suitability, anticipating mid-term shifts predicted by climate-change-scenario models. We fitted two sets of SDM5 for 41 plant species of conservation concern in the Iberian Peninsula: one calibrated with climate variables for baseline conditions and projected under two climate-change-scenarios (future conditions); and the other calibrated with EFAs for 2001 and projected annually from 2001 to 2013. Range shifts predicted by climate-based models for future conditions were compared to the 2001-2013 trends from EFAs-based models. Projections of EFAs-based models estimated changes (mostly contractions) in habitat suitability that anticipated, for the majority (up to 64%) of species, the mid-term shifts projected by traditional climate-change scenario forecasting, and showed greater agreement with the business-as-usual scenario than with the sustainable-development one. This study shows how satellite-derived EFAs can be used as meaningful essential biodiversity variables in SDM5 to provide early-warnings of range shifts and predictions of short-term fluctuations in suitable conditions for multiple species. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Models are crucial in the engineering design process because they can be used for both the optimization of design parameters and the prediction of performance. Thus, models can significantly reduce design, development and optimization costs. This paper proposes a novel equivalent electrical model for Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbines (DTVAWTs). The proposed model was built from the mechanical description given by the Paraschivoiu double-multiple streamtube model and is based on the analogy between mechanical and electrical circuits. This work addresses the physical concepts and theoretical formulations underpinning the development of the model. After highlighting the working principle of the DTVAWT, the step-by-step development of the model is presented. For assessment purposes, simulations of aerodynamic characteristics and those of corresponding electrical components are performed and compared.
People interpret behavior by making inferences about agents' intentionality, mind, and personality. Past research studied such inferences I at a time; in real life, people make these inferences simultaneously. The present studies therefore examined whether 4 major inferences (intentionality, desire, belief, and personality), elicited simultaneously in response to an observed behavior, might be ordered in a hierarchy of likelihood and speed. To achieve generalizability, the studies included a wide range of stimulus behaviors, presented them verbally and as dynamic videos, and assessed inferences both in a retrieval paradigm (measuring the likelihood and speed of accessing inferences immediately after they were made) and in an online processing paradigm (measuring the speed of forming inferences during behavior observation). Five studies provide evidence for a hierarchy of social inferences from intentionality and desire to belief to personality that is stable across verbal and visual presentations and that parallels the order found in developmental and primate research.
Since the publication of Premack and Woodruff's classic paper introducing the notion of a 'theory of mind' (Premack and Woodruff in Behav Brain Sci 1(4):515-526, 1978), interdisciplinary research in social cognition has witnessed the development of theory-theory, simulation theory, hybrid approaches, and most recently interactionist and perceptual accounts of other minds. The challenges that these various approaches present for each other and for research in social cognition range from adequately defining central concepts to designing experimental paradigms for testing empirical hypotheses. But is there any approach that promises to dominate future interdisciplinary research in social cognition? Is social cognition witnessing a gradual paradigm shift where hitherto grounding notions such as theory of mind are no longer viewed as explanatorily necessary? Or have we simply lost our way in attempting to devise adequate experimental setups that could sway the debate in favour of one of the contending accounts? This special issue addresses these questions in an attempt to discover what the future holds for interdisciplinary research in social cognition.
The mechanism of tacrine as a precognitive drug has been considered to be complex and not fully understood. It has been reported to involve a wide spectrum of targets involving cholinergic, gabaergic, nitrinergic and glutamatergic pathways. Here, we review the effect of tacrine and its derivatives on the NMDA receptors (NMDAR) with a focus on the mechanism of action and biological consequences related to the Alzheimer's disease treatment. Our findings indicate that effect of tacrine on glutamatergic neurons is both direct and indirect. Direct NMDAR antagonistic effect is often reported by in vitro studies; however, it is achieved by high tacrine concentrations which are not likely to occur under clinical conditions. The impact on memory and behavioral testing can be ascribed to indirect effects of tacrine caused by influencing the NMDAR-mediated currents via Ml receptor activation, which leads to inhibition of Ca2+-activated potassium channels. Such inhibition prevents membrane re polarization leading to prolonged NMDAR activation and subsequently to long term potentiation. Considering these findings, we can conclude that tacrine-derivatives with dual cholinesterase and NMDARs modulating activity may represent a promising approach in the drug development for diseases associated with cognitive dysfunction, such as the Alzheimer disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Achieving security in distributed systems of constrained devices (like Wireless Sensor Networks) requires methods that can be performed while very limited computational, memory and communication resources are available. Moreover, while designing security protocols one needs take into account the adversary that can eavesdrop communication or compromise some of the devices. To achieve some level of security, two communicating devices need to establish a communication key. In the setting of severely constrained devices traditional methods are infeasible due to resource limitations, and one has to incorporate other security providing methods. One of the first such protocols has been introduced in Eschenauer and Gligor [24 The paper followed by dozens of others relies on probabilistic key sharing among the nodes before deployment (key predistribution) in the Ad Hoc environment. In our paper, we show that regular protocols of key predistribution designed primarily for providing confidentiality of communication do not provide privacy in many natural scenarios. More precisely, even a weak adversary may link transmissions of the same nodes. In particular even a passive adversary that is eavesdropping the communication can easily recognize whether the same devices start communication several times. Such information not only breaches nodes' privacy but also can be a starting point for an more advanced attacks and can give significant information about network's activity. We define several models of adversary and introduce some general methods that can be used for addressing this issue. For the model with weaker adversary we show how to fully secure the privacy in an efficient manner. For the case of stronger adversary, we propose a method based on local key exchange allowing mitigation of the privacy threat. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
As the scale of investment on projects increases, manufacturing project integrated risk management becomes more important. The content and relationship of the integrated risk manufacturing management framework are discussed in the paper. The framework is composed of five parts which are the integration of risk management targets, total life cycle, processes and methods, organization and information system. In the different phase of total life cycle, depending on the risk management information system, project risk management organization who is in the form of virtue team promotes the risk management loop which is composed of the risk identification, risk evaluation, risk handling and risk monitoring (IEHM), to achieve the project targets. The integrated risk management framework is presented by the systematic method. The framework provides the basis for further development of integrated risk management.
In this study, a methodology is presented and demonstrated for combined estimation of regional specific yield and distributed recharge using double water-table fluctuation (DWTF) technique and geographical information system (GIS) in a hard-rock aquifer system of semi-arid regions. The study area was divided into 25 zones and groundwater budget components were computed for both wet and dry seasons using 11-year period (1996-2006) data. In each zone, the regional specific yield was estimated by applying the WTF technique for dry seasons and the rainfall recharge was estimated by applying the WTF technique for wet seasons. Zone-wise rainfall recharge relationships were established using regression technique. Thereafter, the specific yield and recharge estimates were used with GIS to generate their maps. Surface-water bodies were found to significantly contribute to groundwater recharge. This finding underscores the need for adopting rainwater harvesting in the study area to enhance recharge. The regional specific yields were found to range from 0.038 to 0.002, whereas the mean rainfall recharge was found to vary from 0.5 to 10.9 cm. The box whisker plots of z-scale transformed specific yield revealed the greatest spatial variation. The spatial and temporal variations of the rainfall recharge in the study area are statistically significant (p30%). The developed rainfall recharge relationships were found to be 'highly significant' (r(2) >= 0.54,pr(2) >= 0.36,p < 0.01) in ten zones and 'insignificant' (r(2) < 0.36) in the remaining zones. (C) 2014 International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research, Asia Pacific Division. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water scarcity is a current problem for many urban areas in the Mediterranean region due to the increasing water demand related to the population growth and the expansion of urban and industrialized areas. Climate change will intensify the pressure on water resources. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) may be an effective alternative water supply solution to face water scarcity. It has recently become a particularly important option in arid and semi-arid areas, mostly because of its many benefits and relative low costs. The present study aims to analyse the reliability of a RWH system installed to supply water for toilet flushing purpose with reference to a single-family house in a residential area of Sicily (Southern Italy). Historical water consumption data were analysed to obtain a flushing water demand pattern. A water balance simulation of the rainwater storage tank was performed, and the yield-after spillage algorithm was used to define the tank release rule. The model's performance was evaluated using data from more than 100 different sites located throughout the Sicilian territory. This regional analysis provided results having practical applications, e.g. the identification of the optimal rainwater tank size and the annual system reliability curves as a function of mean annual precipitation. The uncertainty related to the regional model predictions was also assessed. Results showed that RWH systems can provide environmental and economic advantages in Sicily over traditional water supply methods. In particular, the regional analysis identified areas where the application of this system would be most effective. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Zebrafish have become a popular animal model for studying the development of alcohol addiction. Several behavioral paradigms for studying alcohol addiction have been developed for zebrafish, including conditioned place preference, alcohol-induced tolerance, and withdrawal. However, alcohol choice preference tasks have not been established in zebrafish as of yet. The ability of zebrafish to detect alcohol in their environment is required in alcohol choice or preference tasks. To our knowledge, it is currently unknown whether zebrafish are able to detect alcohol in their environment immediately following bath immersion. In the current study, we analyzed the time course of alcohol-induced behavioral changes of zebrafish while being immersed in alcohol solution in a 1.5 L tank. We recorded each trial in high-definition and quantified behavioral responses using automated video tracking-based and manual observation-based methods to quantify temporal changes in alcohol-induced behaviors. As alcohol is known to require several minutes of bath immersion to reach the brain in zebrafish, we argued that behavioral responses before this time point would prove zebrafish's ability to detect this substance in the water. Our results show that a 60-min exposure to 1% alcohol alters behavioral responses in a time-dependent manner. Notably, alcohol exposure significantly increased absolute turn angle, decreased distance to bottom, and variance of distance to bottom within the first 3 min immediately following exposure, a response that occurred before alcohol could reach the brain of the subjects in measurable amounts. These results imply that zebrafish are able to detect alcohol in their environment immediately following immersion into the drug solution.
Autism is considered today a neurological development disorder which appears in early infancy and is characterized by social interaction difficulties, communication problems and reduced and repetitive behavioral patterns, interests and activities. This paper presents a bibliographic review about the different treatments that currently deal with communication difficulties in children with this disorder, on a two-axis conceptual basis: approaching modalities and underlying theoretical perspectives. On the one hand, two different ways of approach are defined according to the objectives pursued in practice: the educative and the therapeutic modalities. On the other hand, the same practices according to the theoretical framework that support them are presented: those related to the cognitive behavioral theory and those based on psychoanalysis which introduces the importance of the subject and social ties. The objective of this article is to analyze the contributions and limitations of each of the different theoretical approaches here presented, detailing the scope they have achieved regarding the aforementioned diagnosis.
Background: Numerous diseases have been related with free radicals overproduction and oxidative stress. Botanical preparations possess a multitude of bioactive properties, including antioxidant potential, which has been mainly related with the presence of phenolic compounds. However, the mechanisms of action of these phytochemicals, in vivo effects, bioavailability and bio-efficacy still need research. Scope and approach: The present report aims to provide a critical review on the aspects related with the in vivo antioxidant activity of phenolic extracts and compounds from plant origin. Key findings: Biological functions beyond the human metabolism were discussed, comparing in vivo vs. in vitro studies, as also focusing the conditioning factors for phenolic compounds bioavailability and bioefficacy. Furthermore, an upcoming perspective about the use of phytochemicals as life expectancy promoters and anti-aging factors in human individuals was provided. Conclusions: Overall, and despite all of those advances, the study of the biological potential of numerous natural matrices still remains a hot topic among the scientific community. In fact, the available knowledge about the responsible phytochemicals for the biological potential, their mechanisms of action, the establishment of therapeutic and prophylactic doses, and even the occurrence of biochemical interrelations, is considerable scarce. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Chromosome 3 amplification affecting the 3q26 region is a common genomic alteration in cervical cancer, typically marking the transition of precancerous intraepithelial lesions to an invasive phenotype. Though potential 3q encoded target genes of this amplification have been identified, a functional correlation of potential oncogenic function is still missing. In this study, we investigated copy number changes and the expression level of SEC62 encoded at 3q26.2 as a new potential 3q oncogene in dysplastic cervical lesions and analyzed its role in cervical cancer cell biology. Methods: Expression levels of Sec62 and vimentin were analyzed in liquid based cytology specimens from 107 women with varying grades of cervical dysplasia ranging from normal cases to cancer by immunofluorescence cytology. Additionally, a subset of 20 representative cases was used for FISH analyses targeting SEC62. To further explore the functional role of Sec62 in cervical cancer, HeLa cells were transfected with a SEC62 plasmid or SEC62 siRNA and analyzed for their proliferation and migration potential using real-time monitoring and trans-well systems as well as changes in the expression of EMT markers. Results: FISH analyses of the swabbed cells showed a rising number of SEC62 gains and amplifications correlating to the grade of dysplasia with the highest incidence in high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and squamous cell carcinomas. When analyzing the expression level of Sec62 and vimentin, we found a gradually increasing expression level of both proteins according to the severity of the dysplasia. In functional analyses, SEC62 silencing inhibited and SEC62 overexpression stimulated the migration of HeLa cells with only marginal effects on cell proliferation, the expression level of EMT markers and the cytoskeleton structure. Conclusions: Our study suggests SEC62 as a target gene of 3q26 amplification and a stimulator of cellular migration in dysplastic cervical lesions. Hence, SEC62 could serve as a potential marker for 3q amplification, providing useful information about the dignity and biology of dysplastic cervical lesions.
This paper proposes a light-weight online classification method to detect smarthpone user's postural actions, such as sitting, standing, walking, and running. These actions are named as user states since they are inferred after the analysis of data acquired from the smartphones equipped accelerometer sensors. To differentiate one user state from another, many studies can be found in the literature. However, this study differs from all others by offering a computational lightweight and online classification method without knowing any priori information. Moreover, the proposed method not only provides a standalone solution in differentiation of user states, but also it assists other widely used offline supervised classification methods by automatically generating training data classes and/or input system matrices. Furthermore, we improve these existing methods for the purpose of online processing by reducing the required computational burden. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed method makes a solid differentiation in user states even when the sensor is being operated under slower sampling frequencies.
Despite a wealth of knowledge about the neural mechanisms behind emotional facial expression processing, little is known about how they relate to individual differences in social cognition abilities. We studied individual differences in the event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by dynamic facial expressions. First, we assessed the latent structure of the ERPs, reflecting structural face processing in the N170, and the allocation of processing resources and reflexive attention to emotionally salient stimuli, in the early posterior negativity (EPN) and the late positive complex (LPC). Then we estimated brain-behavior relationships between the ERP factors and behavioral indicators of facial identity and emotion-processing abilities. Structural models revealed that the participants who formed faster structural representations of neutral faces (i.e., shorter N170 latencies) performed better at face perception (r = -.51) and memory (r = -.42). The N170 amplitude was not related to individual differences in face cognition or emotion processing. The latent EPN factor correlated with emotion perception (r = .47) and memory (r = .32), and also with face perception abilities (r = .41). Interestingly, the latent factor representing the difference in EPN amplitudes between the two neutral control conditions (chewing and blinking movements) also correlated with emotion perception (r = .51), highlighting the importance of tracking facial changes in the perception of emotional facial expressions. The LPC factor for negative expressions correlated with the memory for emotional facial expressions. The links revealed between the latency and strength of activations of brain systems and individual differences in processing socio-emotional information provide new insights into the brain mechanisms involved in social communication.
The purpose of this white paper is to call for research on the intersection of dress, type 1 diabetes (T1D), and adolescent development. Management of T1D requires frequent blood glucose monitoring, and the individual is dependent on regular delivery of insulin through injections or an insulin pump. Much of the literature on T1D focuses on fostering healthy habits. The role of dress and identity is rarely addressed. The example of an adolescent teen with T1D is employed to demonstrate how equipment for blood glucose control fulfills the definition of dress. A review of literature reveals a body of knowledge on dress and identity, T1D and adolescent development, and T1D and identity. Interdisciplinary research on the intersection of these three factors is needed. At a point in life when most teens want to look unique but not too different from friends, managing the gear that maintains health and communicates diabetic identity must be better understood to support the patient.
Grey water constitutes the largest fraction of domestic wastewater. It causes environmental sanitation and pollution problems if it is not managed well. If treated, grey water can be a resource for a variety of uses. A pilot system was constructed in February 2013 to treat grey water from a four-member household for sub-surface irrigation of local vegetables. A hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 60 L m(-2)d(-1) and an organic loading rate (OLR) of 519-1,580 g BOD(5)m(-2)d(-1) were implemented on a multi-media filter of gravel, charcoal, geotextile and mulch (charcoal being the predominant layer) operated as a batched type-system, with a 36-hour retention time. The system was operated for 3 months, during which it showed remarkable removal efficiencies of 90.8 +/- 5.4 and 96.1 +/- 3.0% after 36 hours for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), respectively, and 95 +/- 3.1% for faecal coliforms (FC). The removal efficiencies at 36 hours, of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (Tot-P), total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS) were 39.0, 30.1, 85.2 and 78.6%, respectively. Plant response to sub-surface irrigation with treated grey water was largely masked by rainy season and the effluent had a limited effect on the soil.
Agricultural diffuse water pollution remains a notable global pressure on water quality, posing risks to aquatic ecosystems, human health and water resources and as a result legislation has been introduced in many parts of the world to protect water bodies. Due to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness, water quality models have been increasingly applied to catchments as Decision Support Tools (DSTs) to identify mitigation options that can be introduced to reduce agricultural diffuse water pollution and improve water quality. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to the River Wensum catchment in eastern England with the aim of quantifying the long-term impacts of potential changes to agricultural management practices on river water quality. Calibration and validation were successfully performed at a daily time-step against observations of discharge, nitrate and total phosphorus obtained from high-frequency water quality monitoring within the Blackwater sub-catchment, covering an area of 19.6 km(2). A variety of mitigation options were identified and modelled, both singly and in combination, and their long-term effects on nitrate and total phosphorus losses were quantified together with the 95% uncertainty range of model predictions. Results showed that introducing a red clover cover crop to the crop rotation scheme applied within the catchment reduced nitrate losses by 19.6%. Buffer strips of 2 m and 6 m width represented the most effective options to reduce total phosphorus losses, achieving reductions of 12.2% and 16.9%, respectively. This is one of the first studies to quantify the impacts of agricultural mitigation options on long-term water quality for nitrate and total phosphorus at a daily resolution, in addition to providing an estimate of the uncertainties of those impacts. The results highlighted the need to consider multiple pollutants, the degree of uncertainty associated with model predictions and the risk of unintended pollutant impacts when evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation options, and showed that high-frequency water quality datasets can be applied to robustly calibrate water quality models, creating DSTs that are more effective and reliable. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
One key aspect of synthetic biology is the development and characterization of modular biological building blocks that can be assembled to construct integrated cell-based circuits performing computational functions. Likewise, the idea of extracting biological modules from the cellular context has led to the development of in vitro operating systems. This principle has attracted substantial interest to extend the repertoire of functional materials by connecting them with modules derived from synthetic biology. In this respect, synthetic biological switches and sensors, as well as biological targeting or structure modules, have been employed to upgrade functions of polymers and solid inorganic material. The resulting systems hold great promise for a variety of applications in diagnosis, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. This review reflects on the most recent developments and critically discusses challenges concerning in vivo functionality and tolerance that must be addressed to allow the future translation of such synthetic biology-upgraded materials from the bench to the bedside. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The immune system maintains a critically organized network to defend against foreign particles, while evading self-reactivity simultaneously. T lymphocytes function as effectors and play an important regulatory role to orchestrate the immune signals. Although central tolerance mechanism results in the removal of the most of the autoreactive T cells during thymic selection, a fraction of self-reactive lymphocytes escapes to the periphery and pose a threat to cause autoimmunity. The immune system evolved various mechanisms to constrain such autoreactive T cells and maintain peripheral tolerance, including T cell anergy, deletion, and suppression by regulatory T cells (T-Regs). These effects are regulated by a complex network of stimulatory and inhibitory receptors expressed on T cells and their ligands, which deliver cell-to-cell signals that dictate the outcome of T cell encountering with cognate antigens. Among the inhibitory immune mediators, the pathway consisting of the programed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor (CD279) and its ligands PD-L1 (B7-H1, CD274) and PD-L2 (B7-DC, CD273) plays an important role in the induction and maintenance of peripheral tolerance and for the maintenance of the stability and the integrity of T cells. However, the PD-1: PD-L1/L2 pathway also mediates potent inhibitory signals to hinder the proliferation and function of T effector cells and have inimical effects on antiviral and antitumor immunity. Therapeutic targeting of this pathway has resulted in successful enhancement of T cell immunity against viral pathogens and tumors. Here, we will provide a brief overview on the properties of the components of the PD-1 pathway, the signaling events regulated by PD-1 engagement, and their consequences on the function of T effector cells.
The complexity increase in the software and hardware necessary to support more and more advanced applications for Wireless Sensor Networks conspicuously contribute to render them susceptible to security attacks. The nodes of most complex WSN applications sport desktop-level operating systems and this reliance on software make them ideal prey for traditional threats, like viruses and general malware. To address these problems, in this paper we devise a system for a dedicated mobile node to locate, track, access and cure the infected elements of a WSN, threatened by a proximity malware infection. In parallel, we provide a mathematical formulation for the aforementioned operations. We perform extended simulations, comparing our proposal against classic solutions in different network scenarios and we use the results of the mathematical formulation as a benchmark. Furthermore, we introduce a variation of our proposal, capable to support the concurrent operation of multiple mobile nodes and implement cooperation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A sample of a nanomaterial contains a distribution of nanoparticles of various shapes and/or sizes. A scanning electron microscopy image of such a sample often captures only a fragment of the morphological variety present in the sample. In order to quantitatively analyse the sample using scanning electron microscope digital images, and, in particular, to derive numerical representations of the sample morphology, image content has to be assessed. In this work, we present a framework for extracting morphological information contained in scanning electron microscopy images using computer vision algorithms, and for converting them into numerical particle descriptors. We explore the concept of image representativeness and provide a set of protocols for selecting optimal scanning electron microscopy images as well as determining the smallest representative image set for each of the morphological features. We demonstrate the practical aspects of our methodology by investigating tricalcium phosphate, Ca-3(PO4)(2), and calcium hydroxyphosphate, Ca-5(PO4)(3)(OH), both naturally occurring minerals with a wide range of biomedical applications. Lay description A typical sample of a nanomaterial contains a distribution of nanoparticles of various shapes and/or sizes. A single scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of such a sample often captures only a fragment of the sample, and therefore only a fragment of the morphological variety present in the sample. In order to obtain more complete information about the true sample morphology, one needs to asses the content of a series of SEM images. In our article, we present a framework for extracting morphological information contained in SEM images using computer vision algorithms, and for converting them into numerical particle descriptors representing the particle morphology. We then explore the concept of image representativeness and provide a set of protocols for selecting optimal SEM images as well as determining the smallest representative image set for each of the morphological features. We demonstrate the practical aspects of our methodology by investigating SEM images of a tricalcium phosphate sample, a naturally occurring mineral with a wide range of biomedical applications.
New Zealand farming relies heavily on grazed pasture for feeding livestock; therefore it is important to provide high quality palatable grass in order to maintain profitable and sustainable grassland management. The presence of non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) such as dead vegetation in pastures severely limits the quality and productivity of pastures. Quantifying the fraction of dead vegetation in mixed pastures is a great challenge even with remote sensing approaches. In this study, a high spatial resolution with pixel resolution of 1 m and spectral resolUtion of 3.5-5.6 nm imaging spectroscopy data from AisaFENIX (380-2500 nm) was used to assess the fraction of dead vegetation component in mixed pastures on a hill country farm in New Zealand. We used different methods to retrieve dead vegetation fraction from the spectra; narrow band vegetation indices, full spectrum based partial least squares (PIS) regression and feature selection based PLS regression. Among all approaches, feature selection based PLS model exhibited better performance in terms of prediction accuracy (R(2)cv = 0.73, RMSEcv = 6.05, RPDcv = 2.25). The results were consistent with validation data, and also performed well on the external test data (R-2 = 0.62, RMSE = 8.06, RPD = 2.06). In addition, statistical tests were conducted to ascertain the effect of topographical variables such as slope and aspect on the accumulation of the dead vegetation fraction. Steep slopes (>25 degrees) had a significantly (p<0.05) higher amount of dead vegetation. In contrast, aspect showed nonsignificant impact on dead vegetation accumulation. The results from the study indicate that AisaFENIX imaging spectroscopy data could be a useful tool for mapping the dead vegetation fraction accurately. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We present a novel numerical method to simulate crack growth in 3D, directly from the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) geometry of the component, without any mesh generation. The method is an isogeometric boundary element method (IGABEM) based on non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS). NURBS basis functions are used for the domain and crack representation as well as to approximate the physical quantities involved in the simulations. A stable quadrature scheme for singular integration is proposed to enhance the robustness of the method in dealing with highly distorted elements. Convergence studies in the crack opening displacement is performed for a penny-shaped crack and an elliptical crack. Two approaches to extract stress intensity factors (SIFs): the contour M integral and the virtual crack closure integral are compared using dual integral equations. The results show remarkable accuracy in the computed SIFs, leading to smooth crack paths and reliable fatigue lives, without requiring the generation of any mesh from the CAD model of the component under consideration. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Implantable cardiac pacemakers play a vital role in extending the lives of patients with cardiovascular diseases. The technique of wireless power transfer (WPT) via magnetic coupling resonance (MCR) makes it possible to wirelessly and uninterruptedly supply electricity for pacemakers from external. However, the eddy current in the metallic pacemaker shell seriously impacts the electric energy receiving by receiving coils, making the WPT system operate at low efficiency. To decrease eddy current effect and increase WPT efficiency, the precise implant position of receiving coils is theoretically and experimentally investigated in this paper. The electromagnetic model of pacemaker WPT system is built and the analytical solution of induced voltage across receiving coils is derived, which is verified by experiments. Accordingly, the minimum distance between the receiving coil and the pacemaker shell is reversely calculated for enough induced voltage. Experimental results show that supplied by a power source of 5.66 V/300 kHz, the pacemaker charging system successfully charged Lithium-ion battery from 3.98 (80% residual capacity) to 4.2 V within 30 min by a 0.15 mm thickness receiving coil implanted into 4 mm subcutaneously. On the safety of charging system, electromagnetic and thermal simulation results show that the maximum SAR and temperature rise in tissues are 36.8 W/kg and 0.66. degrees C, respectively. The results provide a theoretical and practical support for design of a wireless charging system.
Carbon-based denitrification bioreactors are designed to intercept tile drainage and are a promising technology for reducing NO3- export to surface water. While these systems have been tested extensively in the laboratory, the ability to study in-field bioreactors under controlled conditions with statistical replicates has been limited. Nine pilot-scale bioreactors (5.79 x 1.05 x 1.07 m) were designed and installed for systematic field testing, allowing for variation in retention time, fill material, and influent water quality parameters. Each bioreactor is constructed from a concrete trench in-line with influent flow control, dosing port, flow diffusion, and effluent water level control. Sampling ports are installed at two points in each bioreactor for access to water samples or fill materials. A potassium bromide (KBr) tracer study was conducted and Morrill Dispersion Index (MDI) values averaged 2.8 +/- 0.3, indicating plug flow characteristics. The average tracer residence time (t) was 2.3 +/- 0.3 h, in close agreement with the estimated hydraulic retention time (HRT) value of 2.1 +/- 0.3 h, which was calculated using a porosity value of 0.70. Hydraulic efficiency was good (lambda = 0.78 +/- 0.03) and there was no evidence of short circuiting (S = 0.73 +/- 0.03). This system is expected to provide useful insight regarding design for improved field performance of denitrification bioreactors.
We investigated the racial content of perceivers' mental images of different socioeconomic categories. We selected participants who were either high or low in prejudice toward the poor. These participants saw 400 pairs of visually noisy face images. Depending on condition, participants chose the face that looked like a poor person, a middle income person, or a rich person. We averaged the faces selected to create composite images of each social class. A second group of participants rated the stereotypical Blackness of these images. They also rated the face images on a variety of psychological traits. Participants high in economic prejudice produced strongly class-differentiated mental images. They imagined the poor to be Blacker than middle income and wealthy people. They also imagined them to have less positive psychological characteristics. Participants low in economic prejudice also possessed images of the wealthy that were relatively White, but they represented poor and middle class people in a less racially differentiated way. We discuss implications for understanding the intersections of race and class in social perception.
By proposing a three-hierarchy meta-frontier data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper first decomposes CO2-emissions efficiency and the potential for emissions reduction into the following three components: structural, technical, and management. Based on these components, we then conduct an empirical analysis of China's total-factor CO2-emissions efficiency, its potential for CO2-emissions reduction, and its corresponding implementation path. The results show that CO2-emissions efficiency in Mainland China is relatively low because of structural inefficiency, technical inefficiency, and management inefficiency. The Chinese government is expected to realize a large quantity of CO2-emissions reduction potential (nearly 40% of the current total CO2-emissions) through adjusting the industrial structure, narrowing the technology gap among regions, promoting the reform of marketization, and strengthening environmental regulation. The causes of CO2-emissions inefficiency and the distribution of potential reductions in emissions show a distinct spatial difference characteristic. Therefore, this paper also formulates emissions-reduction strategies for China's 30 provinces according to their specific situations, noting the direction of the industrial structure adjustment and the path to improving CO2-emissions efficiency.
Group dynamics play an important role in the social interactions of both children and adults. A large amount of research has shown that merely being allocated to arbitrarily defined groups can evoke disproportionately positive attitudes toward one's in-group and negative attitudes toward out-groups, and that these biases emerge in early childhood. This prompts important empirical questions with far-reaching theoretical and applied significance. How robust are these inter-group biases'? Can biases be mitigated by behaviors known to bond individuals and groups together? How can bonds be forged across existing group divides? To explore these questions, we examined the bonding effects of interpersonal synchrony on minimally constructed groups in a controlled experiment. In-group and out-group bonding were assessed using questionnaires administered before and after a task in which groups performed movements either synchronously or non-synchronously in a between-participants design. We also developed an implicit behavioral measure, the Island Game, in which physical proximity was used as an indirect measure of interpersonal closeness. Self-report and behavioral measures showed increased bonding between groups after synchronous movement. Bonding with the out-group was significantly higher in the condition in which movements were performed synchronously than when movements were performed non-synchronously between groups. The findings are discussed in terms of their importance for the developmental social psychology of group dynamics as well as their implications for applied intervention programs.
Wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) have become pervasive and are used in many embedded and intelligent systems. However, the complexity of applications based on these networks is limited due to lack of tools for designing distributed systems on top of WSANs. In this paper, we present how a system-level programming language, SystemJ, is used to develop a middleware-free Ambient Intelligence (AmI) system. The system consists of a combination of Internet-enabled stationary and mobile WSAN nodes, which resembles an Internet of Things scenario. A distributed warehouse monitoring and control scenario with collaborating stationary and mobile WSAN nodes is used as a motivating example designed and implemented in SystemJ. This example demonstrates the capabilities of SystemJ for designing distributed AmI systems with inherent support for reactivity and composition of concurrent behaviors based on a formal model of computation, without the need for any additional middleware. The approach is compared with existing software agent, robotic and WSAN middleware approaches in designing the same type of systems.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses continue to circulate in nature and threaten public health. Although several viral determinants and host factors that influence the virulence of HPAI H5N1 viruses in mammals have been identified, the detailed molecular mechanism remains poorly defined and requires further clarification. In our previous studies, we characterized two naturally isolated HPAI H5N1 viruses that had similar viral genomes but differed substantially in their lethality in mice. In this study, we explored the molecular determinants and potential mechanism for this difference in virulence. By using reverse genetics, we found that a single amino acid at position 158 of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein substantially affected the systemic replication and pathogenicity of these H5N1 influenza viruses in mice. We further found that the G158N mutation introduced an N-linked glycosylation at positions 158 to 160 of the HA protein and that this N-linked glycosylation enhanced viral productivity in infected mammalian cells and induced stronger host immune and inflammatory responses to viral infection. These findings further our understanding of the determinants of pathogenicity of H5N1 viruses in mammals. IMPORTANCE Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses continue to evolve in nature and threaten human health. Key mutations in the virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein or reassortment with other pandemic viruses endow HPAI H5N1 viruses with the potential for aerosol transmissibility in mammals. A thorough understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of these viruses will help us to develop more effective control strategies; however, such mechanisms and virulent determinants for H5N1 influenza viruses have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we identified glycosylation at positions 158 to 160 of the HA protein of two naturally occurring H5N1 viruses as an important virulence determinant. This glycosylation event enhanced viral productivity, exacerbated the host response, and thereby contributed to the high pathogenicity of H5N1 virus in mice.
This article suggests a theme for future nitrogen studies, involving the functioning and evolution of the biosphere, together with certain aspects of human biology. It is hoped that this theme could be developed into a multi-authored book at some point in the future, although numerous new case studies may be required. The biosphere can be considered to be a single interactive system, comprised of numerous component parts, including the atmosphere, rain, rivers. lakes, oceans, continental ecosystems, marine ecosystems, soils and sediments. In order to study the internal complexity of each of the components, and the relationships that exist between them, one can choose a common theme. The author believes that nitrogen is a good prospect because of its ubiquitous nature and complex chemistry. The burial of sedimentary volatiles in the continental crust has contributed to the long-term chemical evolution of the exterior environments of the Earth. The most marked effects, notably the accumulation of atmospheric oxygen, have been due to the burial of reduced carbon. An understanding of the passage of sedimentary volatiles through the crust will provide important constraints on the evolution of the biosphere, and may lead to a more meaningful comparative planetology. Carbon is difficult to trace through crustal processes because its high temperature form (graphite) is incompatible with the crystal structures of silicate minerals. However, the high temperature form of sedimentary nitrogen (ammonium) readily enters into potassic minerals, and it can be easily traced through crustal processes. Herein, the fate of sedimentary nitrogen is traced from wet sediments, through metamorphic rocks, into granites and other crustal melts. Without the trapping of nitrogen in the crust, and the liberation of oxygen that is a consequence of biological nitrogen fixation, the N-2/O-2 of the atmosphere may have been about 82.9% to 16.3%, and the total atmospheric pressure about 1.2 atm. Most of the changes in the oxygen content is due to dilution by nitrogen, with only about 5% of the present atmospheric oxygen being a consequence of nitrogen fixation. The ancient continental surfaces would have been volcanic deserts containing little (<1 ppm) or no nitrogen. Today, nitrogen-rich soils support continental ecosystems. One can use nitrogen as a 'window' to speculate on the colonisation of the continents by land plants. Herein, nitrogen fixation by legumes is considered in detail, and by drawing analogies with the present day, the author speculates on the colonisation of the continents by land plants. Having speculated on the co-evolution of the atmosphere, soils and continental ecosystems, one can place a human being in the centre of a tropical forest, and begin to examine how they relate to the modern biosphere. The chosen example is the metabolism of plant protein. and the roles of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), vitamin B-2, and flavin mononucleotide (FMN). The realisation of this theme would imply numerous new case studies, notably those concerning the continental crust, where nitrogen studies were linked to mineralogy. petrology and other geochemical tracers, including Sr, O, Al, and K, and where the short-range order of delta N-15 were taken into consideration. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
We model the unsteady evolution of turbulent buoyant plumes following temporal changes to the source conditions. The integral model is derived from radial integration of the governing equations expressing the evolution of mass, axial momentum and buoyancy in the plume. The non-uniform radial profiles of the axial velocity and density deficit in the plume are explicitly captured by shape factors in the integral equations; the commonly assumed top-hat profiles lead to shape factors equal to unity. The resultant model for unsteady plumes is hyperbolic when the momentum shape factor, determined from the radial profile of the mean axial velocity in the plume, differs from unity. The solutions of the model when source conditions are maintained at constant values are shown to retain the form of the well-established steady plume solutions. We demonstrate through a linear stability analysis of these steady solutions that the inclusion of a momentum shape factor in the governing equations that differs from unity leads to a well-posed integral model. Therefore, our model does not exhibit the mathematical pathologies that appear in previously proposed unsteady integral models of turbulent plumes. A stability threshold for the value of the shape factor is also identified, resulting in a range of its values where the amplitudes of small perturbations to the steady solutions decay with distance from the source. The hyperbolic character of the system of equations allows the formation of discontinuities in the fields describing the plume properties during the unsteady evolution, and we compute numerical solutions to illustrate the transient development of a plume following an abrupt change in the source conditions. The adjustment of the plume to the new source conditions occurs through the propagation of a pulse of fluid through the plume. The dynamics of this pulse is described by a similarity solution and, through the construction of this new similarity solution, we identify three regimes in which the evolution of the transient pulse following adjustment of the source qualitatively differs.
Background: The gut microbiota plays an important role in human metabolism; previous studies suggest that the imbalance can cause a metabolic endotoxemia that may be linked to weight gain and insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the gut microbiota composition, the lipopolysaccharide levels and the metabolic profile in obese and normal-weight young subjects. Methods: We studied 32 obese (BMI >= 30 kg/m(2)) and 32 normal-weight subjects (BMI = 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), aged 18-25 years. Quantification of intestinal bacteria was performed by real-time PCR. Endotoxin units were determined with the test QCL-1000, and biochemical profile was performed under a standard protocol of Spinreact. Results: Obese individuals had a BMI of 34.5 (32.9-36.45) kg/m(2), increased triglycerides (123 vs. 70 mg/dl), total cholesterol (168 vs. 142 mg/dl), and LDL-cholesterol (114 vs. 96.5 mg/dl). In obese subjects body temperature was higher than in normal-weight subjects. We found a greater number of Clostridum leptum and Lactobacillus (p < 0.001) and lower numbers of Prevotella and Escherichia coli (p < 0.001) in the obese group. A decrease of E. coli was associated with an increased risk of lipopolysaccharide levels ranging from 1 to 1.3 EU/ml. A positive correlation was found between serum lipopolysaccharides and BMI (r = 0.46, p = 0.008), triglyceride levels (r = 0.44, p = 0.011) as well as waist circumference (r = 0.34, p = 0.040), being more evident in young obese females. Conclusion: Subclinical metabolic endotoxemia determined by serum concentration of lipopolysaccharides was related to the smallest amount of E. coli, high triglyceride levels, and central adiposity in obese young persons. (C) 2016 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg
1. Leaf economics and hydraulic traits strongly influence photosynthesis. While the level of coordination among these traits can differ between sets of species, leaf functional trait coordination within species remains poorly understood. Furthermore, elevated concentrations of atmospheric CO2 commonly influence the expression of leaf photosynthetic, economics and hydraulic traits in contrasting ways, yet the effect of variable concentrations of atmospheric CO2 on patterns of trait coordination within species remains largely untested. 2. We examined the relationships among key leaf photosynthetic (e. g. net photosynthesis and photosynthetic biochemistry), economics and water-use (e. g. leaf mass per unit area and stomatal conductance) and hydraulic traits (e. g. vein density) in 14 genotypes of Eucalyptus camaldulensis grown in ambient (aCO(2)) and elevated (eCO(2)) [CO2]. We examined the level of coordination among leaf traits in aCO(2) and then assessed whether growth in eCO(2) altered that coordination. 3. We found that leaf traits related to photosynthetic capacity, economics and water-use, and hydraulics were decoupled among genotypes grown in aCO(2), yet strong relationships were generally observed among suites of traits within each 'functional group'. 4. Significant responses to growth in eCO(2) were observed for most leaf photosynthetic and economics and water-use traits, with the magnitude and direction of the response varying among traits. In contrast, leaf hydraulics traits were unaffected by variable growth CO2. Despite this, growth in eCO(2) did not substantially alter patterns of leaf trait coordination observed in aCO(2). 5. These results suggest suites of leaf traits associated with photosynthetic capacity, economics and water-use and hydraulics, respectively, can form independent axes of variation among genotypes of a single species, regardless of growth CO2. Although growth in eCO(2) did not substantially alter patterns of trait coordination, decoupling of leaf functional traits among genotypes may allow genetically distinct populations to produce novel combinations of traits that may be adaptive in response to changes in their local environment.
Data, which lie in the space P-m, of m x m symmetric positive definite matrices, (sometimes called tensor data), play a fundamental role in applications, including medical imaging, computer vision, and radar signal processing. An open challenge, for these applications, is to find a class of probability distributions, which is able to capture the statistical properties of data in Pm, as they arise in real-world situations. The present paper meets this challenge by introducing Riemannian Gaussian distributions on Pm. Distributions of this kind were first considered by Pennec in 2006. However, the present paper gives an exact expression of their probability density function for the first time in existing literature. This leads to two original contributions. First, a detailed study of statistical inference for Riemannian Gaussian distributions, uncovering the connection between the maximum likelihood estimation and the concept of Riemannian centre of mass, widely used in applications. Second, the derivation and the implementation of an expectation-maximisation algorithm, for the estimation of mixtures of Riemannian Gaussian distributions. The paper applies this new algorithm, to the classification of data in Pm, (concretely, to the problem of texture classification, in computer vision), showing that it yields significantly better performance, in comparison to recent approaches.
Some of the activities of the Project Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Engineering (PC-NAE) in manufacturing engineering are reported, focusing onto some recent trends and developments in advanced manufacturing of advanced materials, in the important engineering topics from industrial, research and academic point of view: nanotechnology/nanostructured materials, ultraprecision engineering, net shape manufacturing, mainly powder processing under shock loading and their applications in various fields of science and engineering e.g. machine tool industry, biomedicines, energy conservation and transport, namely automotive and aircraft industry, etc.
Shallow coastal areas of oceans, seas and lakes pose significant remote sensing and navigational challenges due to the transient nature of bathymetric features that characterize these areas (e.g., shoals and shoaling). Seabed data/ maps often represent these areas as white ribbon zones, where sparse data coverage presents a particular challenge to defining and enforcing sustainable use of marine resources. Given the lengthy perimeter of coastlines, there is a need for cost-efficient methods for producing high resolution maps of shallow areas. The research described here compares airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) with shipboard acoustic surveys around the Kvarken Archipelago of the northern Baltic Sea. The Kvarken Archipelago includes a unique, brackish shallow water marine environment with a number of moraines. The landscape of the area is characterised by fields of ridged, washboard-like De Geer moraines. The moraines combined with an ongoing glacio-isostatic uplift typical of the area, lead into succession of the elevated structures from the seafloor to land, where present seabed structures will rise on land in future. The ongoing modification of the environment by both climatic and geologic forces contributes to complex geomorphic and ecological feedback systems operating on a range of spatial and temporal scales. Airborne LiDAR can provide high resolution remote sensing data on shallow coastal areas. The technology is especially effective in areas with very shoal waters, like those found along the Finnish coast. LiDAR enables continuous detection of topographic (elevation) and bathymetric (depth) data and can thus generate continuous maps of transition zones between continental and marine areas. Environmental conditions such as water clarity and ice cover can affect LiDAR depth detection capabilities: these conditions require complementary accuracy assessment strategies. As LiDAR cannot determine detailed information on seafloor surface substrate, and anything on subsurface substrate type, geological conditions are determined through the application of acoustic-seismic. methods, sediment sampling and underwater video. Data from LiDAR surveys provide a detailed topographic and bathymetric map of the study area up to water depths of 14 m. The seabed bathymetry model shows a series of elevated, narrow, elongate features that appear throughout the study area. These parallel ridges represent the uppermost geomorphic features of the seafloor. Interpretation of acoustic bathymetric surveys indicates that these ridges are De Geer moraines. The general orientation of these moraines differs from that associated with older features of the northern Kvarken Archipelago. Eroded remnants of older De Geer moraines are overprinted at a high angle by the younger landforms. De Geer moraines in the study area thus represent two phases of deglaciation and finally the eastward ice-sheet/ice edge retreat. The combined approach of using LiDAR and acoustic bathymetric data provides new insights into past glacial dynamics of the Kvarken Archipelago and the Gulf of Bothnia. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The physics of combusting flows consists of a complex interaction between chemical reactions, fluid mechanics and radiation. Temperature is one of the most important parameters for the processes. Laser-based imaging techniques are frequently used to assess temperature information from reactive systems without perturbing the system under study. To verify the feasibility of the temperature measurement of UV tunable absorption spectroscopy technology the methane/air premix flat flame was selected as the target of test because of the combustion stability of this kind of flame. Before the temperature measurement the distribution of OH radical in the premix flat flame under different operating conditions were obtained by using planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF). At the low equivalence ratio the OH radicals distribute uniformly in the flame for the adequate oxygen in the premix gas. The condition with uniform distribution of OH in the flame was selected for the UV tunable absorption spectroscopy measurement. For the selection of absorption lines of the measurement the spectrum of OH A-X(0,0) band have been simulated by LIFBASE. Considering the slope sensitivity and SNR of the test the transitions P1(2) and Q1(8) were suitable for the temperature measurement of the flame. A dye laser pumped by a frequency doubled Nd: YAG laser was used to generated the UV laser. The dye laser was operated with the mixed dye of DCM and PM580 for high conversion efficiency at 310 nm. To investigate the transitions of Q1(8) and P1(2) of OH A-X(0, 0) the laser was tuned from 309. 225 similar to 309.255 and 308. 625 similar to 308.655 nm separately with the step of 0.4 pm, 30 pulses were recorded at each step. The laser pulses reflected by the beam splitter were collected by detector A, and the pulses passed the flame were collected by detector B. The signal of these two detectors were recorded by the oscilloscope and acquired by the computer automatically. The line shape of these transitions can be obtained after fitting the experimental data with the Voigt function. The integral ratio between the fitting results of these two lines was calculated. Then temperature of the flame could be deduced by the integral ratio. The temperatures of different positions above the surface of burner and varied heights of the flame center were obtained by measuring the integrated absorption ratio of these two transitions. The test results of this method are compared with the report in reference, in which temperature of the burner with the same structure was measured by other ways. The results of these two tests agree well. It shows that this method has the potential to be a calibration for the two-dimension thermometry in flame such as two-line PLIF.
In this paper, an optimal lightweight foamed mortar mix suitable is proposed for facilitating tunnel drainage carried out using the composite lining method. A physical performance evaluation and pore structure analysis is provided in order to assess the performance of different lightweight foamed mortar mix proportions with various void fractions and foam solution concentrations. Furthermore, on the basis of an in-plane permeability test that simulated the permeation of fines of soil leaking with underground water, the formation and distribution of open-cell foams by measuring the outflow characteristics and outflow volume for each mix of the nonwoven geotextile and lightweight foamed mortar, which are the existing tunnel drainage materials was examined. Consequently, a mix employing a foaming agent with a dilution rate of 2% (#1) showed a better drain performance than all the other mixes, because it had the most appropriately formed and distributed open-cell foams, the key component for tunnel drainage. In other words, the mix of dilution rate of 2% was thought to have achieved stable closed-cell foams because of the decline in the surface tension of the foams, as well as the optimal formation and distribution of open-cell foams that possess excellent permeability because of the cohesiveness between the foams. Moreover, the thickness (drainage space) of it was approximately 17 times that of the nonwoven geotextile, and because the closed-cell and open-cell foams were connected like a spider web, it could be expected to reduce the blocking of drainage caused by the fines of soil. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of digital forensic applications is to determine the flow of events as they unfold, before, during or after the alleged incident occurred. The need to identify the cause of an incident, the flow of events preceding the incident as well as prove the consistency of potential evidence recovered from the alleged incident demands a proactive approach to the designing of digital forensic applications employed in the investigation of such incidents. In the field of digital forensics, applications are used to unravel the cause of incidents, especially during acquisition, analysis or examination of potential digital evidence. The frequent updating of digital devices that are susceptible to involvement in digital crime incidents is a huge challenge to digital forensic investigations. To proactively overcome this challenge, this paper proposes an architectural requirement engineering specifications (ARES) process for the design of digital forensic (DF) applications. The proposed ARES process outlines the design process of DF applications using the online neighbourhood watch (ONW) system for its case study. The result shows that in employing the ARES process in designing DF applications, modifiability, pluggability and maintainability features and changes in legal requirements are achieved, thereby accommodating the constant upgrade/changes associated with electronic devices operating systems (OS) or hardware which may sometimes be involved in DF investigations.
What narrative is deemed most compelling to justify anti-immigrant sentiments when a country's economy is not a cause for concern? We predicted that flourishing economies constrain the viability of realistic threat arguments. We found support for this prediction in an experiment in which participants were asked to take on the role of speechwriter for a leader with an anti-immigrant message (N = 75). As predicted, a greater percentage of realistic threat arguments and fewer symbolic threat arguments were generated in a condition in which the economy was expected to decline than when it was expected to grow or a baseline condition. Perhaps more interesting, in the economic growth condition, the percentage realistic entitlements and symbolic threat arguments generated were higher than when the economy was declining. We conclude that threat narratives to provide a legitimizing discourse for anti-immigrant sentiments are tailored to the economic context.
The female reproductive tract (FRT) mucosal immune system serves as the first line of defense. Better knowledge of the genital mucosa is therefore essential for understanding pathogenicity of different pathogens including HIV. Gamma delta (GD) T cells are the prototype of 'unconventional' T cells and represent a relatively small subset of T cells defined by their expression of heterodimeric T-cell receptors (TCRs) composed of gamma and delta chains. This sets them apart from the classical and much better known CD4(+) helper T cells and CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells that are defined by alpha-beta TCRs. GD T cells often show tissue-specific localization and are enriched in epithelium. GD T cells orchestrate immune responses in inflammation, tumor surveillance, infectious disease, and autoimmunity. Here, we present a method to reproducibly isolate and analyze human endocervical intraepithelial GD T lymphocytes. We have used endocervical cytobrush samples from women participating in the Women's Interagency HIV Infection Study (WIHS). Knowledge about GD T cells interactions during conditions in which there is an insult to the vaginal mucosal could be applied to any clinical study in which mucosal vulnerability is addressed, including the development of vaginal microbicides. In addition, knowledge about mucosal GD T cell responses has potential for application of GD T cell-based immune therapy in treating infectious diseases.
A triangle method has been frequently used for a regional evapotranspiration (ET) or evaporative fraction (EF) estimation using the relationship between a vegetation index and surface temperature. A simple histogram based on an on-orbit EF estimation algorithm is developed to determine hot and cold edges in the triangle distribution using only remotely sensed data. A new histogram based on an EF estimation algorithm is developed and compared with different options of existing hot and cold edge algorithms. The selected algorithms are applied to 5-year Terra MODIS data products, and the on-orbit EF estimations are validated using ground truth data from southern Great Plains. Using numerous iterations among the tested EF algorithms with the triangle method, the histogram-based hot edge and newly proposed cold edge algorithm combinations provide an excellent performance between the ground truth and on-orbit EF estimations. It is shown that the histogram-based EF algorithm has enhanced correlation and mean bias values of 0.74 and 0.087, respectively, providing excellent accuracy for the regional on-orbit EF estimations. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).
AimsThe main purpose was to verify the potent capacity of Neurotropin (R) against neuronal damage in hippocampus and to explore its underlying mechanisms. MethodsHT22 cells were treated with 40mol/L A(25-35) in the presence of various concentrations of Neurotropin (R) or in its absence. The cell viability was assessed with a CCK-8 assay, and flow cytometry was used to measure cell apoptosis, intracellular ROS levels, and mitochondrial membrane potential. A plaques were examined by Bielschowsky silver staining, and the activities of antioxidants were detected in hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice after Neurotropin (R) treatment. The expression of proteins, including HIF-1, Bcl-2, Bax, and MAPKs signaling molecules was evaluated by Western blot. ResultsNeurotropin (R) significantly reversed the cell injury induced by A(25-35) through increasing cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential, decreasing intracellular ROS and cell apoptosis of HT22 cells (P<.05). Furthermore, Neurotropin (R) markedly reduced the formation of A plaques and upregulated the activities of antioxidants (P<.05). Additionally, the protein expression of HIF-1, p-ERK1/2, p-JNK, and p-P38 was significantly inhibited in hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. ConclusionsNeurotropin (R) exhibited a potent neuroprotective effect on inhibiting A-induced oxidative damage and alleviating A deposition in hippocampus via modulation of HIF-1/MAPK signaling pathway.
The genus Roseburia consists of obligate Gram-positive anaerobic bacteria that are slightly curved, rod-shaped and motile by means of multiple subterminal flagella. It includes five species: Roseburia intestinalis, R. hominis, R. inulinivorans, R. faecis and R. cecicola. Gut Roseburia spp. metabolize dietary components that stimulate their proliferation and metabolic activities. They are part of commensal bacteria producing short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, affecting colonic motility, immunity maintenance and anti-inflammatory properties. Modification in Roseburia spp. representation may affect various metabolic pathways and is associated with several diseases (including irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, nervous system conditions and allergies). Roseburia spp. could also serve as biomarkers for symptomatic pathologies (e.g., gallstone formation) or as probiotics for restoration of beneficial flora.
BACKGROUND: Cocaine addiction is characterized by patterns of compulsive drug-taking, including preoccupation with obtaining cocaine and loss of control over drug intake. The lateral hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) system has been implicated in drug-taking and the reinstatement of drug-seeking. Evidence suggests that HCRT may drive drug-seeking through activation of specific brain regions implicated in stress system dysfunction, including the central amygdala (CeA). The role of HCRT in the persistence of compulsive-like cocaine-taking has yet to be fully elucidated. METHODS: Systemic and intra-CeA microinfusions of the HCRT-receptor 1 antagonist, SB-334867, were administered to rats allowed either short (1 hour; ShA) or long (6 hours; LgA) access to cocaine self-administration. Animals were tested for fixed and progressive ratio responding for cocaine and stress-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking. In addition, using electrophysiological techniques on in vitro slices, we investigated gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) neurotransmission in the medial CeA and the sensitivity of GABAergic synapses to modulation of the HCRT system in ShA or LgA rats. RESULTS: We found systemic administration of SB-334867 (0, 7.5, 15, 30 mg/kg) dose dependently decreased cocaine intake specifically in LgA rats but not in ShA rats. Microinjections of SB-334867 (20 nmol) bilaterally into the CeA significantly reduced cocaine intake in LgA rats. We also observed a significant attenuation of yohimbine-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking after intra-CeA SB-334867 (10 nmol) administration. Finally, electrophysiological data indicated enhanced GABAergic neurotransmission within the medial CeA in LgA rats, which was blocked with SB-334867(10 mu mol/L). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that HCRT neurotransmission within the CeA is implicated in compulsive-like cocaine-seeking.
The ability to present effectively is essential for professionals; therefore, oral communication courses have become part of the curricula for higher education studies. However, speaking in public is still a challenge for many graduates. To tackle this problem, driven by the recent advances in computer vision techniques and prosody analysis, multimodal tools have been designed to support the development of public speaking skills. One of these tools is the Presentation Trainer, a research prototype able to provide learners with real-time feedback on a set of nonverbal communication aspects. Despite initial positive evaluations, the application still lacks grounding in a valid assessment model for nonverbal communication aspects in the context of presentations. To come up with such a model, we conducted semi-structured interviews with experts in the public speaking domain. Furthermore, the objective of these interviews was also to have a formative evaluation of the Presentation Trainer, analysing how it suits with common practices for teaching and learning public speaking skills. The results of this study identify 131 nonverbal communication practices that affect the quality of a presentation and summarize experts' points of view regarding multimodal public speaker instructors.
Pharmaceutical cognitive enhancement (PCE) represents the non-medical use of prescribed medication for the improvement of cognitive functioning and academic performance. Although there are some studies about PCE prevalence, it is less clear how users and non-users of PCE substances differ with respect to their positive and negative student experiences (e.g. academic burnout and engagement with studies) and in social cognitive variables that relate to decision-making and self-regulation of PCE use. The present study assessed whether students with different experiences of PCE substance use displayed differences in academic burnout, study engagement, and social cognitive variables relevant to PCE use. Three hundred and forty-seven university students (mean age (M) = 22.15years, SD = 1.69; 54% females) completed a battery of anonymous questionnaires on academic burnout, engagement with studies, social cognitive variables relevant to PCE use, and self-reported use of PCE substances and non-prescribed nutritional supplements. Three user groups emerged, namely non-users (51.9%, n = 180), single users of non-prescribed dietary supplements (25.4%, n = 88), and dual users of both non-prescribed dietary supplements and PCE (22.8%, n = 79). Multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant differences among the three user groups in intentions, attitudes, social norms, and anticipated regret toward PCE use. No significant differences were observed with respect to academic burnout and work engagement. The findings show that university students may engage in PCE use independent of their student experiences. Rather, a chemically assisted performance enhancement mindset seems to differentiate users from non-users of PCE substances.
Declaring and thinking about heroes are common human preoccupations but surprisingly aspects of heroism that reinforce these behaviors are not well-understood. In four thematically consistent studies, we attempt to identify lay perspectives about the psychological functions served by heroes. In Study 1, participants (n = 189) freely generated open-ended descriptions of hero functions, which were then sorted by independent coders into 14 categories (e.g., instill hope, guide others). In Study 2, in an attempt to identify the most important functions associated with heroes, participants (n = 249) rated how each function corresponded with their personal views about heroes. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis suggested that a three-factor model of hero functions fit the data well: participants thought that heroes enhanced the lives of others, promoted morals, and protected individuals from threats. In Study 3 (n = 242), participants rated heroes as more likely to fulfill a protecting function than either leaders or role models. In Studies 4A (n = 38) and 4B (n = 102), participants indicated that thinking about a hero (relative to a leader or an acquaintance) during psychological threat fulfilled personal enhancement, moral modeling, and protection needs. In all, these findings provide an empirical basis to spur additional research about the social and psychological functions that heroes offer.
Purpose: The primary objective was to use isotemporal substitution models to estimate whether replacing time spent in sedentary video games (SVGs) and active outdoor play (AOP) with active video games (AVGs) would be associated with changes in youth's mental health. Methods: A representative sample of 20,122 Canadian youth in Grades 6-10 was studied. The exposure variables were average hours/day spent playing AVGs, SVGs, and AOP. The outcomes consisted of a negative and internalizing mental health indicator (emotional problems), a positive and internalizing mental health indicator (life satisfaction), and a positive and externalizing mental health indicator (prosocial behavior). Isotemporal substitution models estimated the extent to which replacing time spent in SVGs and AOP with an equivalent amount of time in AVGs had on the mental health indicators. Results: Replacing 1 hour/day of SVGs with 1 hour/day of AVGs was associated with a 6% (95% confidence interval: 3%-9%) reduced probability of high emotional problems, a 4% (2%-7%) increased probability of high life satisfaction, and a 13% (9%-16%) increased probability of high prosocial behavior. Replacing 1 hour/day of AOP with 1 hour/day of AVGs was associated with a 7% (3%-11%) increased probability of high emotional problems, a 3% (1%-5%) reduced probability of high life satisfaction, and a 6% (2%-9%) reduced probability of high prosocial behavior. Conclusions: Replacing SVGs with AVGs was associated with more preferable mental health indicators. Conversely, replacing AOP with AVGs was associated with more deleterious mental health indicators. (C) 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.
The Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is one of the five sensors on the NASA's Terra satellite on orbit since December 1999. ASTER consists of three radiometers, the Visible and Near InfraRed (VNIR), the Short-Wave InfraRed (SWIR) and Thermal InfraRed (TIR) whose spatial resolutions are 15 m, 30 m and 90 m, respectively. Unfortunately the SWIR image data are saturated since April 2008 due to the offset rise caused by the cooler temperature rise, but the VNIR and the TIR are taking Earth images of good quality. The VNIR and the TIR experienced responsivity degradation while the SWIR showed little change. From the lamp calibration, Band 1 decreased the most among three VNIR bands and 31 % in thirteen years. The VNIR has the electrical calibration mode to check the healthiness of the electrical circuits through the charge coupled device (CCD). Four voltage levels from Line 1 to Line 4, which are from 2.78 V to 3.10 V, are input to the CCD in the onboard calibration sequence and the output digital numbers (DNs) are detected in the images. These input voltages are monitored as telemetry data and have been stable up to now. From the electrical calibration we can check stabilities of the offset, gain ratio and gain stability of the electric circuit. The output level of the Line1 input is close to the offset level which is measured while observing the earth at night. The trend of the Line 1 output is compared to the offset level. They are similar but are not exactly the same. The trend of the even pixel and odd pixel is the same so the saturated offset levels of the odd pixel is corrected by using the even pixel trend. The gain ratio trend shows that the ratio is stable. But the ratio values are different from those measured before launch. The difference comes up to 10 % for the Band 2. The correct gain ratio should be applied to the vicarious calibration result because the onboard calibration is measured with the Normal gain whereas the vicarious calibration often measures with the High gain. The cause of the VNIR responsivity degradation is not known but one of the causes might be the change of the electric circuit. The band 3 gain shows 16 % decrease whereas the gain changes of the band 1 and band 2 are 5 % to 8 %. The responsivity decrease after 1000 days since launch might be controlled by the electric circuit change.
Acrylamide (AA) is a food-borne toxicant suspected to be carcinogenic to humans. It is formed in the heating process of starch-containing food. Currently, there is a great discussion about the possible human health risks connected with the dietary uptake of acrylamide. Haemoglobin adducts of acrylamide and its oxidative metabolite glycidamide are both markers of biochemical effect. However, because glycidamide has a higher carcinogenic potency than acrylamide itself, the glycidamide adduct might mirror the genotoxicity better than acrylamide adducts. In order to gain more information about the human metabolism of acrylamide, we investigated a small group of persons for the effective internal doses of acrylamide and glycidamide using haemoglobin adducts as parameters of biochemical effect. The collective was subdivided into non-smokers (n = 13) and smokers (n = 16) by determining the smoking-specific acrylonitrile haemoglobin adduct (N-cyanoethylvaline, CEV). The mean values for the adducts of acrylamide (N-2-carbamoylethylvaline, AAVal) and glycidamide (N-(R,S)-2-hydroxy-2-carbamoylethylvaline, GAVal) in nonsmokers was 19 pmol/g globin AAVal (range 7 - 31 pmol/g globin) and 1.7 pmol/g globin GAVal (range 9 23 pmol/g globin). For smokers mean levels of AAVal were 80 pmol/g globin (range: 25 199 pmol/g globin) and those of GAVal were 53 pmol/g globin (range: 22 - 119 pmol/g globin). Metabolism to glycidamide turned out to be significantly more effective in nonsmokers than in the higher exposed smokers. Compared with studies in rats, the metabolic conversion of acrylamide to glycidamide as measured by haemoglobin adducts seems to occur to a similar extent in humans as in rats. Risk estimations on acrylamide based on experimental data obtained in rats obviously did not overestimate the cancer risk for the general population. Furthermore, our results might indicate that the dose-response curve for acrylamide is not linear. This would be in line with the results of animal experiments on rodents.
Intrachromosomal triplications are complex chromosomal rearrangements which arise during meiosis or mitosis and lead to a tetrasomic dose of the affected genomic regions. We describe a female patient harboring an intrachromosomal triplication who presented to the Genetics clinic with dysmorphic features, including telecanthus, flat facial profile, and prognathism, short stature, widely spaced nipples, multiple allergy complaints, loose bowel movements, and mild speech delay. Microarray analysis showed a copy number gain of a 22.37 Mb region of chromosome 11 between bands 11q14.1 and 11q22.1. This region contains 95 genes and seven microRNAs, none of which have been implicated in a disease resulting from increased gene dosage. FISH analysis using a probe targeted to the middle of the segment of the copy number gain yielded a pattern indicative of a tetrasomy via an intrachromosomal triplication, with three signals on the long arm of one homologue of chromosome 11 and the fourth on the other homologue. Subsequent FISH analysis showed that the middle triplicated fragment was positioned in an inverted orientation relative to the outer fragments. To investigate the mechanism by which the intrachromosomal triplication occurred, SNP microarray analysis was performed. These results were consistent with the presence of multiple haplotypes in the tetrasomic region and suggest that the intrachromosomal triplication in our patient arose in one parent during meiosis. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Synthetic glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in the variety of dosages for treatment of premature infants with chronic lung disease, respiratory distress syndrome, allergies, asthma, and other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Yet, adverse effects such as glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and growth retardation are recognized. Conversely, 2-oxoglutarate (2-Ox), a precursor of glutamine, glutamate, and collagen amino acids, exerts protective effects on bone development. Our aim was to elucidate the effect of dietary administered 2-Ox on bone loss caused by neonatal treatment with clinically relevant maximal therapeutic dexamethasone (Dex) dose. Long bones of neonatal female piglets receiving Dex, Dex+2-Ox, or untreated were examined through measurements of mechanical properties, density, mineralization, geometry, histomorphometry, and histology. Selected hormones, bone turnover, and growth markers were also analyzed. Neonatal administration of clinically relevant maximal dose of Dex alone led to over 30% decrease in bone mass and the ultimate strength (P<0.001 for all). The length (13 and 7% for femur and humerus, respectively) and other geometrical parameters (13-45%) decreased compared to the control (P<0.001 for all). Dex impaired bone growth and caused hormonal imbalance. Dietary 2-Ox prevented Dex influence and vast majority of assessed bone parameters were restored almost to the control level. Piglets receiving 2-Ox had heavier, denser, and stronger bones; higher levels of growth hormone and osteocalcin concentration; and preserved microarchitecture of trabecular bone compared to the Dex group. 2-Ox administered postnatally had a potential to maintain bone structure of animals simultaneously treated with maximal therapeutic doses of Dex, which, in our opinion, may open up a new opportunity in developing combined treatment for children treated with GCs. Impact statement The present study has showed, for the first time, that dietary 2-oxoglutarate (2-Ox) administered postnatally has a potential to improve/maintain bone structure of animals simultaneously treated with maximal therapeutic doses of dexamethasone (Dex). It may open the new direction in searching and developing combined treatment for children treated with glucocorticoids (GCs) since growing group of children is exposed to synthetic GCs and adverse effects such as glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and growth retardation are recognized. Currently proposed combined therapies have numerous side effects. Thus, this study proposed a new direction in combined therapies utilizing dietary supplementation with glutamine derivative. Impairment caused by Dex in presented long bones animal model was prevented by dietary supplementation with 2-Ox and vast majority of assessed bone parameters were restored almost to the control level. These results support previous thesis on the regulatory mechanism of nutrient utilization regulated by glutamine derivatives and enrich the nutritional science.
Game science has become a research field, which attracts industry attention due to a worldwide rich sell-market. To understand the player experience, concepts like flow or boredom mental states require formalization and empirical investigation, taking advantage of the objective data that psychophysiological methods like electroencephalography (EEG) can provide. This work studies the affective ludology and shows two different game levels for Neverwinter Nights 2 developed with the aim to manipulate emotions; two sets of affective design guidelines are presented, with a rigorous formalization that considers the characteristics of role-playing genre and its specific gameplay. An empirical investigation with a brain-computer interface headset has been conducted: by extracting numerical data features, machine learning techniques classify the different activities of the gaming sessions (task and events) to verify if their design differentiation coincides with the affective one. The observed results, also supported by subjective questionnaires data, confirm the goodness of the proposed guidelines, suggesting that this evaluation methodology could be extended to other evaluation tasks.
Background: Analysis of residual gene expression of the nuclear factor of activated T cell (NFAT)-regulated genes has been developed as a pharmacodynamic biomarker to monitor therapy with calcineurin inhibitors. The availability of commercial primer sets (Search-LC) and the well-established assay protocol makes this biomarker a promising candidate to be used clinically in different laboratories. However, implementation of the method in routine practice requires analytical robustness and comparable results across laboratories. Therefore, a protocol originally established at the Institute of Immunology, Heidelberg was verified at the Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Klinikum Stuttgart, and a comparison study was conducted between the 2 laboratories. Methods: For the analytical verification, whole blood samples of healthy individuals were incubated with tacrolimus in vitro. Linearity, imprecision, and limit of quantification, as well as sample stability, were investigated. For interlaboratory comparison, samples of patients under cyclosporine A therapy were analyzed in Heidelberg and then reanalyzed in Stuttgart within 24 hours. Results: Tacrolimus (6.25-50 mcg/L) decreased the expression of NFAT-regulated genes in vitro dose dependently (15%-89%). Within-and between-assay coefficient of variations (n = 6 each) were <17%. The limit of quantification was,200 cDNA copies for each of the interleukin-2, interferon-g, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor genes. Samples were stable for 24 hours. Interlaboratory comparison using patient samples correlated well (r = 0.951) but showed an inconsistent bias depending on the magnitude of residual gene expression. Conclusions: The assay can be set up with a satisfactory analytical performance in a routine molecular biological laboratory and shows comparable results between laboratories. The reproducibility of the NFAT-regulated gene expression assay across laboratories can facilitate the implementation of this assay for pharmacodynamic routine monitoring of calcineurin inhibitors in different centers.
This paper proposes a real options model for estimating the optimal subsidy for renewable energy power generation project by using stochastic process to describe the market price of electricity, CO2 price and investment cost. Two indicators, i.e., project value and threshold value, are used to derive the optimal subsidy. The least squares Monte Carlo simulation method is used to solve the model. The proposed model is used to empirically evaluate the optimal level of subsidy for solar photovoltaic power generation in China. The results show that carbon emission trading scheme helps reduce subsidy. Unit generating capacity, market price of electricity, CO2 price and the volatility of investment cost are negatively related with subsidy, whereas investment cost and the volatility of electricity price and CO2 price are positively related with subsidy. It is suggested that Chinese governments take some measures, e.g., promoting technological progress, establishing a nationwide carbon emission trading market, promoting the competition in renewable energy industry as well as maintaining the stability of CO2 price and electricity price, to reduce the required subsidy.
The principle and structural configuration of an active controlled microfluidic valve with annular boundary driven by a circular piezoelectric unimorph actuator is presented in this article. Its active controlled flowrate is modeled using the classical laminated plate theory and the extended Bernoulli equation in fluid mechanics. According to the established mathematical model, we simulate and analyze the influence of the voltage applied to the circular piezoelectric unimorph actuator and the structural parameters on the flow characteristics. The prototypes of the active controlled microfluidic valves with annular boundaries of three different combinations of the inner and outer radii are fabricated and tested. The experimental results show that the active controlled microfluidic valves with annular boundaries possess the on/off switching capability and the continuous control capability of the fluid with simple structure and easy fabrication processing; the maximum flowrate of the active controlled microfluidic valve with the annular boundary with the inner and outer radii of 1.5 and 3.5mm, respectively, is 0.14mL/s when the differential pressure of the inlet and outlet of the active controlled microfluidic valve is 1000Pa and the voltage applied to circular piezoelectric unimorph actuator is 100V; and the established flowrate model can accurately predict the controlled flowrate of the active controlled microfluidic valves with the maximum relative error of 6.7%.
In these days, three degree of freedom (3DOF) cranes are considered as backbone in most of industries. It is mostly used for picking and placing of heavy objects from one place to another place. The common part in mostly cranes is jib system. Two main tasks of jib system are movement of the trolley and loading/unloading of the payload. The safety of crane mostly depends upon these sub tasks. In most cases, number of unwanted vibrations due to undesirable initial jerks of trolley results uneven operation of crane. These jerks are usually happened during acceleration in the start and deceleration in the end of crane operation. So, it is desirable to develop a control technique that tries to reduce theses initial trolley jerks by providing a reasonable input to the trolley. Moreover, reduction of jerks reduce the payload vibrations. So, it results smooth operation of crane. In this research work, we have implemented PD control technique for payload vibration and trolley position control of jib system of three 3DOF crane. The gains of PD controllers have been found through two methods namely LQR and pole placement. The performance of controllers have been investigated on Matlab/Simulink. The results shows the effectiveness of PD tune by LQR as compared to PD tune by pole placement in context of settling time and rise time of both trolley position and payload vibrations. The former technique is also helpful in reduction of payload vibrations or payload load anti-swing. It has also improved the overshoot of the trolley.
Online hosts and networks are easy targets of network attacks due to their static nature, which creates an information asymmetry and makes them easy to attack and hard to defend. To break the asymmetry, Moving Target Defense was proposed to bring uncertainties to computer systems. It can be applied to all levels of protections, covering applications, system software, operating systems, and networks. In this paper, we present, Sniffer Reflector, a new method to practice Moving Target Defense against network reconnaissance, which is usually considered as the very first step of most attacks. Sniffer Reflector employs Software-Defined Networking to disturb network reconnaissance. We use virtualization to provide an obfuscated reconnaissance result for attackers. Our method can be easily combined with existing security tools for network forensics as well. We have developed a prototype in a virtual local area network. Our experiment results show that Sniffer Reflector is effective and efficient in blurring various network reconnaissance.
Twenty-three Y-STR loci (DYS576, DYS389I, DYS389 II, DYS448, DYS19, DYS391, DYS481, DYS549, DYS533, DYS438, DYS437, DYS570, DYS635, DYS390, DYS439, DYS392, DYS393, DYS458DYS456, DYS643, YGATA-H4, and DYS385a/b) included in the next-generation PowerPlex (R) Y23 System were first investigated in 311 unrelated, healthy male individuals from the Yi minority population residing in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China. A total of 179 alleles and 297 haplotypes were discovered in the Yi group. In total, 285 haplotypes among them were unique, and the remaining 12 haplotypes were observed in two or three individuals. Haplotype discrimination capacity and haplotype diversity were 0.9550 and 0.9989, respectively. Genetic diversity ranged from 0.4550 (DYS437) to 0.9556 (DYS385a/b). Population comparisons between the Yi minority group and 10 Asian meta-populations comprising 58 individual populations were performed. Both multidimensional scaling plots and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the genetic structure of the Chinese Yi ethnicity was extremely different compared to Taiwan indigenous inhabitants among 10 Asian meta-populations. Additionally, the genetic structure resemblance of the Yi group was obtained from a geographically close population (Xuanwei Han) or similar language family groups (Thai populations). Besides, our study has demonstrated that the PowerPlex (R) Y23 System has high polymorphism in a Chinese Yi ethnic population and high discriminatory power for forensic purposes. Population data of the 23 Y-STR obtained from a Yi ethnic population has enriched the Chinese ethnic genetic information.
We present a generalization of the Bode integral formula for discrete-time linear periodic systems. It is shown that similar to the classical Bode integral formula, the sensitivity integral for a discrete-time linear periodic system depends only on the open-loop dynamics of the system; in particular, on the open-loop characteristic multipliers outside the unit circle in the complex plane. The integral is derived by using an asymptotic eigenvalue distribution theorem for block Toeplitz matrices, which does not require the open loop system to be stable or the disturbance to be Gaussian. The result is demonstrated through application to a class of multi-rate sampled data systems with commensurate rates.
The similarity differential equation f'''+ f f'' + beta f' (f'- 1) - 0 with beta >0 is considered. This differential equation appears in the study of mixed convection boundary-layer flows over a vertical surface embedded in a porous medium. In order to prove the existence of solutions satisfying the boundary conditions f (0) = a >= 0, f' (0) = b >= 0 and f' (+ infinity) = 0 or 1, we use shooting and consider the initial value problem consisting of the differential equation and the initial conditions f (0) = a, f' (0) = b and f'' ( 0) = c. For 0 < beta1, we give only partial results and show some differences with the previous case.
AIM To assess the rate of matrix Gla-protein carboxylation in patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and to decipher its association with subclinical atherosclerosis. METHODS Patients with suspected SIBO who presented with a low risk for cardiovascular disease and showed no evidence of atherosclerotic plaques were included in the study. A glucose breath test was performed in order to confirm the diagnosis of SIBO and vascular assessment was carried out by ultrasound examination. Plasma levels of the inactive form of MGP (dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein) were quantified by ELISA and vitamin K2 intake was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS Thirty-nine patients were included in the study. SIBO was confirmed in 12/39 (30.8%) patients who also presented with a higher concentration of dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein (9.5 mu g/L vs 4.2 mu g/L; p = 0.004). Arterial stiffness was elevated in the SIBO group (pulse-wave velocity 10.25 m/s vs 7.68 m/s; p = 0.002) and this phenomenon was observed to correlate linearly with the levels of dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated matrix Gla-protein (beta = 0.220, R-2 = 0.366, p = 0.03). Carotid intima-media thickness and arterial calcifications were not observed to be significantly elevated as compared to controls. CONCLUSION SIBO is associated with reduced matrix Gla-protein activation as well as arterial stiffening. Both these observations are regarded as important indicators of subclinical atherosclerosis. Hence, screening for SIBO, intestinal decontamination and supplementation with vitamin K2 has the potential to be incorporated into clinical practice as additional preventive measures.
Alarm management is a fast-growing and important aspect in the petroleum operation domain. Alarm devices have become very cheap leading petroleum equipment manufacturers to overuse them transferring safety responsibility to operators. Not rarely, accident reports cite poor operators understanding of the actual plant status due to too many active alarms. Typical alarms for a process plant could average over fourteen thousand per day so, there is mandatory to have a filtering process to distinguish expected from non-expected behavior during emergency scenarios. Ambient Intelligence contributes by enriching the petroleum plant environment with technology (mainly sensors and devices interconnected through a network) and built a system to help plant operators to make decisions based on real-time information gathered and historical data accumulated. Ambient Intelligence puts together all these resources to provide flexible and intelligent services to users acting in their environment. Inspired by the distributed and encapsulated aspect of the process plant artifact physical model, we proposed a multi-agent-based alarm management system to synthesize the process plant situation during emergency situations and assisting operators to make sense of alarm avalanche scenarios.
Remote sensing has shown an immense capability for large-scale estimation of air temperature (T-air), one of the most important environmental state variables, using land surface temperature (LST) data. Following recent investigations on the T-air-LST relationship, in this article, we propose an advanced statistical approach to this realm. We tested the approach for estimation of T-air in eastern part of Iran using MODIS daytime and nighttime LST products and 11 auxiliary variables including Julian day, solar zenith angle, extraterrestrial solar radiation, latitude, altitude, reflectance at various visible and infrared bands and vegetation indices. Fourteen statistical models constructed through a stepwise regression analysis were evaluated along a 5-year period (2000-2004) using MODIS and meteorological station data. Results of this study indicated that the statistical approach performed reasonably well, where our final proposed model could estimate average T-air with validation mean absolute error of 2.3 and 1.8 degrees C at daily and weekly scales, respectively. Nighttime LST, Julian day, altitude and solar zenith angle indicated to be the most effective variables capturing most variations of T-air in the study region. Variables influenced by land surface and land cover properties including reflectance at different bands and vegetation indices showed a negligible effect on the T-air-LST relationship within the study area. It was indicated that the proposed models generally performed better for lower altitude regions.
Why do people defend the institution of marriage and related beliefs about committed romantic relationships? Why do they sometimes stereotype and discriminate against single people? In this article, I review research that provides some answers. I center on the role of a set of commonly held beliefs about romantic relationshipscommitted relationship ideology. In particular, I focus on how system and individual-level factors can help explain people's motivated defense of these consequential beliefs.
Individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) have high rates of chronic illness and readmission, yet few are engaged in addiction treatment. Hospitalization may be a reachable moment for initiating and coordinating addiction care, but little is known about motivation for change in the inpatient setting. To explore the experiences of hospitalized adults with SUD and to better understand patient and system level factors impacting readiness for change. We performed a qualitative study using individual interviews. The study was nested within a larger mixed-methods needs assessment. Hospitalized adults admitted to medical or surgical units at an urban academic medical center who reported high-risk alcohol or drug use on AUDIT-C or single-item drug use screener. We conducted a thematic analysis, using an inductive approach at a semantic level. Thirty-two patients participated. The mean age was 43 years; 75% were men, and 68% identified as white. Participants reported moderate to high-risk alcohol (39%), amphetamine (46%), and opioid (65%) use. Emergent themes highlight the influence of hospitalization at the patient, provider, and health system levels. Many patients experienced hospitalization as a wake-up call, where mortality was motivation for change and hospitalization disrupted substance use. However, many participants voiced complex narratives of social chaos, trauma, homelessness, and chronic pain. Participants valued providers who understood SUD and the importance of treatment choice. Patient experience suggests the importance of peers in the hospital setting, access to medication-assisted treatment, and coordinated care post-discharge. This study supports that hospitalization offers an opportunity to initiate and coordinate addiction care, and provides insights into patient, provider, and health system factors which can leverage the reachability of this moment.
The Radio Frequency Spectrometer (RFS) is a two-channel digital receiver and spectrometer, which will make remote sensing observations of radio waves and in situ measurements of electrostatic and electromagnetic fluctuations in the solar wind. A part of the FIELDS suite for Solar Probe Plus (SPP), the RFS is optimized for measurements in the inner heliosphere, where solar radio bursts are more intense and the plasma frequency is higher compared to previous measurements at distances of 1 AU or greater. The inputs to the RFS receiver are the four electric antennas mounted near the front of the SPP spacecraft and a single axis of the SPP search coil magnetometer (SCM). Each RFS channel selects a monopole or dipole antenna input, or the SCM input, via multiplexers. The primary data products from the RFS are autospectra and cross spectra from the selected inputs. The spectra are calculated using a polyphase filter bank, which enables the measurement of low amplitude signals of interest in the presence of high-amplitude narrowband noise generated by spacecraft systems. We discuss the science signals of interest driving the RFS measurement objectives, describe the RFS analog design and digital signal processing, and show examples of current performance. Plain Language Summary Solar Probe Plus (SPP) is a NASA mission which will travel much closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft. The FIELDS experiment on SPP is composed of sensors (antennas and magnetometers) and receivers which will measure the electric and magnetic fields in this unexplored region. This paper describes the Radio Frequency Spectrometer (RFS), a receiver which will measure radio waves up to 19.2 MHz. We describe the types of radio signal sources present in interplanetary space close to the Sun, show how the design of the RFS makes it possible to measure these sources, and demonstrate the current performance of the receiver.
Two assumptions guide the current research. First, people's desire to see themselves as moral disposes them to make attributions that enhance or protect their moral self-image: When approached with a prosocial request, people are inclined to attribute their own noncompliance to external factors, while attributing their own compliance to internal factors. Second, these attributions can backfire when put to a material test. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that people who attribute their refusal of a prosocial request to an external factor (e.g., having an appointment), but then have that excuse removed, are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior than those who were never given an excuse to begin with. Study 3 shows that people view it as more morally reprehensible to no longer honor the acceptance of a prosocial request if an accompanying external incentive is removed than to refuse a request unaccompanied by an external incentive. Study 4 extends this finding and suggests that people who attribute the derision to behave prosocially to an internal factor despite the presence of an external incentive are more likely to continue to behave prosocially once the external incentive is removed than are those for whom no external incentive was ever offered. This research contributes to an understanding of the dynamics underlying the perpetuation of moral self-regard and suggests interventions to increase prosocial behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
With the increasing concern about the long-term effects of concussive and sub-concussive head accelerations in sport, this research applies two technologies initially developed for team-based sports to snowsports to understand the characteristics of snowsport head acceleration. Results indicate that pediatric snowsports participants regularly achieved speeds over 23 km/h; snowsport head accelerations are rare and that when they do occur they are generally of low magnitude; and those most at risk were make snowboarders. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
This study was aimed to test the association between perceived stress and problematic social networking site (SNS) usage, and to figure out whether psychological resilience moderated this relationship. The Perceived Stress Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire were administered to 499 Chinese college students. The results showed that (1) perceived stress was positively associated with problematic SNS usage; (2) psychological resilience was negatively related with problematic SNS usage; and (3) psychological resilience moderated the relationship between perceived stress and problematic SNS usage. Specifically, the relationship between perceived stress and problematic SNS usage was statistically significant for students with a lower level of psychological resilience, while no significant association was found for those with a higher level of psychological resilience. The findings emphasize the importance of enhancing psychological resilience to decrease the likelihood of college students who experience higher level of stress from using SNS problematically. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A more profound investigation about the responses in activity levels following pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with COPD is needed. We aimed to describe groups of patients with COPD according to patterns of change in physical activity and sedentary behaviour following PR. 90 patients with COPD (60% male; mean age 67 +/- 8; median FEV1 47 (32-62) % pred) completed a comprehensive PR programme. A triaxial accelerometer was used to assess the time in sedentary behaviour, light activities and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Additionally, exercise capacity, quality of life, and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed before and after PR. Six groups with different patterns of change in physical activity and sedentary behaviour were identified. The two most prevalent patterns were represented by good responders (increase in physical activity and reduction in sedentary behaviour, 34%) and poor responders (decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behaviour, 30%). Good responders had greater improvements in six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and symptoms of depression than poor responders (P < 0.05 for all). Strong correlation was found between changes in sedentary behaviour and changes in light activities (r(s) = -0.89; P < 0.0001). Changes in 6MWD correlated fairly with changes in sedentary behaviour (r(s) = -0.26), light activities (r(s) = 0.25), and MVPA (r(s) = 0.24); P < 0.05 for all. Different patterns of change in activity levels following PR can be found in patients with COPD. Focusing on light physical activities might be a potential strategy to make patients less sedentary, but for this to be achieved prior (or at least parallel) improvements in functional capacity seem to be necessary. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Participating in undergraduate research can be a pivotal experience for students in life science disciplines. Development of critical thinking skills, in addition to conveying scientific ideas in oral and written formats, is essential to ensuring that students develop a greater understanding of basic scientific knowledge and the research process. Modernizing the current life sciences research environment to accommodate the growing demand by students for experiential learning is needed. By developing and implementing a structured, theory-based approach to undergraduate research in the life sciences, specifically biochemistry, it has been successfully shown that more students can be provided with a high-quality, high-impact research experience. The structure of this approach allowed students to develop novel, independent projects in a computational molecular modeling lab. Students engaged in an experience in which career goals, problem-solving skills, time management skills, and independence in a research lab were developed. After experiencing this approach to undergraduate research, students reported feeling challenged to think critically and prepared for future career paths. The approach allowed for a progressive learning environment where more undergraduate students could participate in publishable research. Future areas for development include implementation in a bench-top lab and extension to disciplines beyond biochemistry. In this study, it has been shown that utilizing the structured approach to undergraduate research could allow for more students to experience undergraduate research and develop into more confident, independent life scientists well prepared for graduate schools and professional research environments. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Material flow analysis is an essential engineering task for effective production and requires a large amount of information that is related to products, processes, resources, and plants. Due to the lack of a systematic framework and supporting system between engineers and related manufacturing information resources, many simulation engineers have actually wasted time and cost with redundant tasks for simulation. A P3R-driven modeling and simulation system in PLM is suggested and implemented in this paper. For this purpose, a P3R data structure is defined for simulation-model generation, and a middleware application is developed based on the P3R object-oriented model. Finally, a concurrent material flow analysis system is developed and applied for area and flow analysis. As a case study, the developed methodology and systems of P3R-driven modeling and simulation are practically applied to automotive press shops. Based on the results, the proposed methodology and systems in this paper are very useful in terms of reducing time and cost in material flow analysis via simulations. Also, it is possible to perform more effective engineering tasks such as simulation for material flow analysis via integrated environment, because relevant data for simulation can be extracted from PLM system automatically and that data is compatible with actual or planned shop floor. This will lead to seamless implementation of manufacturing engineering processes with more effective decision making processes. Furthermore, concurrent material flow analysis is possible from the early stages of product development and production. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The effective elements of 12-Step largely align with principles of professional treatment and with recovery models. Professional addiction workers should review their own barriers to promoting Alcoholics Anonymous to clients.
Rare events, especially those that could potentially negatively impact society, often require humans' decision-making responses. Detecting rare events can be viewed as a prediction task in data mining and machine learning communities. As these events are rarely observed in daily life, the prediction task suffers from a lack of balanced data. In this paper, we provide an in depth review of rare event detection from an imbalanced learning perspective. Five hundred and seventeen related papers that have been published in the past decade were collected for the study. The initial statistics suggested that rare events detection and imbalanced learning are concerned across a wide range of research areas from management science to engineering. We reviewed all collected papers from both a technical and a practical point of view. Modeling methods discussed include techniques such as data preprocessing, classification algorithms and model evaluation. For applications, we first provide a comprehensive taxonomy of the existing application domains of imbalanced learning, and then we detail the applications for each category. Finally, some suggestions from, the reviewed papers are incorporated with our experiences and judgments to offer further research directions for the imbalanced learning and rare event detection fields. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The convertible authentication encryption (CAE) scheme, enables the signatory to send a secret message and its associated signature to a designated receiver. If some dispute happens, then the receiver has the ability to get ordinary signature by converting the ciphertext signature. The receiver can solely perform this signature conversion without any extra computational costs. The recipient of the signature can prove himself that he/she is the actual designated recipient. We incorporate self - certified public key (SCPK) systems into a CAE scheme to propose our CAE scheme with authentication and computationally indistinguishable. Our CAE scheme provide robust security and apply it to different online financial applications. The security analysis reflects that, our CAE scheme satisfies all the security requirements. Moreover, it does not require additional certificate verification because the public key authentication and signature verification can be done in single logical step. Finally, from the result of performance analysis shows, that the presented CAE scheme is cost efficient than the existing Wu et al.'s scheme.
This paper is a study on the real-time implementation of a position-control based electric elevator drive. The information contained within this paper serves as a framework to expand the usefulness of electric drives through the addition of digital control systems and switching power supplies. The tangible example of an elevator driven by a permanent-magnet DC motor with position control is used to relate to the work and apply it to various mechanical systems. The tasks to be accomplished to achieve an electric elevator drive with position control are as follows: determining the parameters of the motor, designing a control system to direct the motor as desired, and verifying the performance of the system through the use of computer simulations and real-time Hardware-In-The-Loop (HIL) experimental testing.
Power production of four hydraulically connected microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was compared with the reactors operated using individual electrical circuits (individual), and when four anodes were wired together and connected to four cathodes all wired together (combined), in fed-batch or continuous flow conditions. Power production under these different conditions could not be made based on a single resistance, but instead required polarization tests to assess individual performance relative to the combined MFCs. Based on the power curves, power produced by the combined MFCs (2.12 +/- 0.03 mW, 200 Omega) was the same as the summed power (2.13 mW, 50 Omega) produced by the four individual reactors in fed-batch mode. With continuous flow through the four MFCs, the maximum power (0.59 +/- 0.01 mW) produced by the combined MFCs was slightly lower than the summed maximum power of the four individual reactors (0.68 +/- 0.02 mW). There was a small parasitic current flow from adjacent anodes and cathodes, but overall performance was relatively unaffected. These findings demonstrate that optimal power production by reactors hydraulically and electrically connected can be predicted from performance by individual reactors. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the field of manufacturing engineering, process designers conduct numerical simulation experiments to observe the impact of varying input parameters on certain outputs of the production process. The disadvantage of these simulations is that they are very time consuming and their results do not help to fully understand the underlying process. For instance, a common problem in planning processes is the choice of an appropriate machine parameter set that results in desirable process outputs. One way to overcome this problem is to use data mining techniques that extract previously unknown but valuable knowledge from simulation results. This paper presents a hybrid machine learning approach for applying clustering and classification techniques in a laser cutting planning process. In a first step, a clustering algorithm is used to divide large parts of the simulation data into groups of similar performance values and select those groups that are of major interest (e.g. high cut quality results). Next, classification trees are used to identify regions in the multidimensional parameter space that are related to the found groups. The evaluation shows that the models accurately identify multidimensional relationships between the input parameters and the output values of the process. In addition to that, a combination of appropriate visualization techniques for clustering with interpretable classification trees allows designers to gain valuable insights into the laser cutting process with the aim of optimizing it through visual exploration.
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), which encompasses ankylosing spondylitis, is a complex genetic disease. Aberrant bone formation is a key feature of pathogenesis that can lead to ankylosis of the spine. Our objective is to determine, whether genes whose variants confer susceptibility to AS are expressed in bone progenitors like mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Since MSCs from bone marrow is difficult to obtain, we first examined, whether MSCs can be derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Dermal fibroblasts of two axSpA patients and one healthy control were reprogrammed into iPSCs using a Sendai virus vector encoding pluripotency genes. Pluripotency of iPSCs was examined by embryoid body formation and by testing for stem cell specific gene and protein expression using RT-PCR and immuno fluorescence. iPSCs were differentiated into MSCs by a TGF inhibitor. MSCs were characterized by flow cytometry using lineage specific antibodies and by their capacity to develop into chondrocytes, adipocytes, and osteoblasts in lineage-specific medium. RNA-seq was applied to determine genome-wide gene expression patterns in MSCs, iPSCs, and blood. We show for the first time, that expression levels of several AS susceptibility genes (EDIL3, ANO6, HAPLN1, ANTXR2) involved in bone formation are significantly elevated in MSCs (2-15-fold; p <= 0.05) compared to blood or iPSCs and demonstrate that iPSC-derived MSCs can be differentiated into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. We conclude, MSCs generated from patient fibroblast-derived iPSC lines are useful tools for studying functional genomics of risk genes associated with bone formation in AS pathogenesis.
A series of bearing capacity tests were conducted with an eccentrically (e/B = 0, 1/12, 1/6, 1/3) loaded model surface (D-f/B = 0) and shallow (D-f/B = 0.25) strip footings (B = 80 mm) resting close to reinforced finite sand slopes to investigate ultimate loads, failure surfaces, load-displacement curves, rotation of footing, etc. The experimental set-up used to run the tests consists of a tank, model footing, sand, and a loading mechanism. A single woven geotextile strip sheet was placed horizontally below the footing's base at a depth of half of the footing's width. Ultimate loads decreased with increasing eccentricity. This decrease is due to a combination of eccentricity and slope. The use of geotextile reinforcement increased ultimate loads in comparison with unreinforced cases. Failure surfaces were not symmetrical, primary failure surfaces developed on the eccentricity (slope) side, and secondary failure surfaces developed on the other side. Lengths of failure surfaces decreased with increasing eccentricity. Prior to failure, footings always rotated towards the eccentricity (slope) side a few degrees.
Empathy is highly relevant for social behavior and can be verbally expressed by voicing sympathy and concern (emotional empathy) as well as by paraphrasing or stating that one can mentally reconstruct and understand another person's thoughts and feelings (cognitive empathy). In this study, we investigated the emotional effects and neural correlates of receiving empathic social responses after negative performance feedback and compared the effects of emotionally vs. cognitively empathic comments. 20 participants (10 male) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while receiving negative performance feedback for a cognitive task. Performance feedback was followed by verbal comments either expressing cognitive and emotional empathy or demonstrating a lack of empathy. Empathic comments in general led to less negative self-reported feelings and calmer breathing. At the neural level, empathic comments induced activity in regions associated with social cognition and emotion processing, specifically in right postcentral gyrus and left cerebellum (cognitively empathic comments), right precentral gyrus, the opercular part of left inferior frontal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus (emotionally empathic comments), as well as the orbital part of the left middle frontal gyrus and left superior parietal gyrus (emotionally empathic vs. unempathic comments). The study shows that cognitively and emotionally empathic comments appear to be processed in partially separable neural systems. Furthermore, confirming and expanding on another study on the same subject, the present results demonstrate that the social display of cognitive empathy exerts almost as positive effects on the recipient's feelings and emotions in states of distress as emotionally empathic response does. This can be relevant for professional settings in which strong negative emotions need to be de-escalated while maintaining professional impartiality, which may allow the display of cognitive but not emotional empathy. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective: To examine a possible association between maternal-request caesarean section (CS) and two intrapsychic psychoanalytic personality variables: object relations (OR) and unconscious defences.Background: While maternal-request CS is a growing phenomenon, studies are lacking regarding personality variables that may be associated with it.Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted in one delivery ward. During 2009, 59 primigravida, healthy women were recruited; 28 who had requested and delivered by CS without an obstetrical indication and 31 who opted for a spontaneous vaginal delivery. Due to missing data for some measures, only 27 participants were analysed in each group. All women completed the fear of childbirth (FOC) questionnaire, and the object relations (SCORS) and unconscious defences (DMM) measures of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), as well as questionnaires assessing background variables. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and a logistic hierarchical multiple regression were performed.Results: Preliminary MANOVA showed significant differences between groups in age, FOC and use of the defence mechanism projection. Hence, these variables entered as predictors of maternal-request CS to a logistic hierarchical multiple regression model. The model was found to have a good fit [(2)((4)) = 38.19, p<0.001]. Age, FOC and projection defence were found to be significant factors associated with maternal-request CS.Conclusion: Maternal-request CS was found to be strongly associated with age and FOC. Except for unconscious defence of projection, intrapsychic variables were not found to be associated with maternal-request CS. Possible implications are discussed.
In double-lined tunnels, geotextiles are installed between shotcrete and concrete linings to drain ground water that is in the circumferential boundary of the tunnels. During the concrete lining placement, the geotextile often experiences pressures from young concrete on the curved and rough shotcrete surfaces. The pressures are transferred through a waterproof membrane, and act in the normal direction to the curved shotcrete face. The geotextile flow behavior under these conditions cannot be represented by standard geotextile permeability tests. Instead, it requires specially designed performance tests that consider field conditions. A new device to evaluate the permeability of the geotextile in pressurized curved flow channels is proposed; it adopts a flexible loading system and a curved and rough model plate. Testing of geotextiles used for tunnel drainage systems, using the proposed arrangement, shows that the effects of the tortuousity of the flow in pressurized channels affects significantly the geotextile permeability.
Globally, water pollution is mainly caused by the presence of heavy metals and metalloids such as arsenic. The majority of the techniques employed in the removal are of low efficiency and high cost. Therefore, in this work it is presented the adsorption processes of arsenic (As III and V) ions employing magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) synthesized by the aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) process. The adsorption efficiency was determined at different times and concentrations. The remaining As concentration in the solutions was analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The adsorbed As ions on the surface of the NMPs was analyzed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results showed an overall removal efficiency of 87% for As+3 and 98% for As+5, in a contact time of 15 minutes. Results suggested the use of NMPs as a promising alternative in the removal of As ions in water.
This study explores a new security problem existing in various state-ofthe- art quantum private comparison (QPC) protocols, where a malicious third-party (TP) announces fake comparison (or intermediate) results. In this case, the participants could eventually be led to a wrong direction and the QPC will become fraudulent. In order to resolve this problem, a new QPC protocol is proposed, where a second TP is introduced to monitor the first one. Once a TP announces a fake comparison (or intermediate) result, participants can detect the fraud immediately. Besides, due to the introduction of the second TP, the proposed protocol allows strangers to compare their secrets privately, whereas the state-of-the-art QPCs require the involved clients to know each other before running the protocol.
This paper examines how income-induced environmental policy differences and damage heterogeneity interact to determine the comparative advantage in a polluting activity. In a non-cooperative framework, North and South regulate two types of pollution, local pollution (e.g., air and water pollution) and global pollution (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions), each of which induces heterogeneous damages for consumers. I find that (1) North or South can have the comparative advantage in the dirty sector; (2) whatever the region with this comparative advantage, the worldwide level of global pollution can either increase or decrease with trade; (3) local and global emissions evolve symmetrically in each region with trade, even though pollution regulations may be asymmetric.
Methods are described to create more accurate sub sets of user data by introducing dead bands into data clusters. User data is collected and then mined. That produces clusters of data. Dead bands are then generated to delineate and describe the data in the clusters more accurately. This is accomplished by classifying data inside the newly created dead bands as NOT being in either of two or more clusters. For example, three clusters are generated from two. If the two were YES and NO then another set of DON'T KNOW is introduced. The new set improves the precision of choices made using data in the YES and the NO clusters. Dead bands are introduced by establishing a radius from the corners of 2-D shapes containing the clusters or by establishing a horizontal or vertical line in parallel with the edges. Each radius or edge encompasses 80% of user data nearest to the corner or edge of the data set. 20% are outside and excluded from their original set. If lines do not overlap, then a dead-band is created to contain user data that is not as confident. That increases the likelihood of accurate decisions being made about the new sets of user data. Case studies are described to demonstrate that.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic autoimmune disease mainly affecting the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints, and exhibits peripheral inflammatory arthropathy. More than 25 loci have been identified as associated with AS. Because both AS and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are autoimmune diseases that may share some common genetic factors, we therefore examined if the newly identified RA genetic polymorphisms were associated with AS in a Taiwanese population. In this study, we enrolled 475 AS patients and 11,301 healthy subjects from a Taiwanese biobank as controls. Although none of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with the susceptibility to AS, the AS disease index Bath AS Global (BAS-G) clinical phenotype was observed as significantly correlated to the AA genotype of rs657075 (CSF2). The significance remains after gender/age/disease duration adjustment and after group categorization by human leukocyte antigen-B 27 (HLA-B27) genotype. We further investigated the possible functions of rs657075 through bioinformatics approaches. Results revealed that polymorphism of rs657075 is able to influence the expression of acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 6 (ACSL6). In conclusion, our study indicated that rs657075 (CSF2) is strongly associated with the AS disease index Bath AS Global (BAS-G) clinical phenotype.
The main focus of this paper is to select an economically suitable sustainable standalone power supply system for a remote off-grid town in Western Australia. Existing power systems of such remote towns in Australia have adverse environmental impacts and contribute to global warming due to the utilization of fossil fuels, especially diesel and gas. The possible electricity supply systems for such towns can vary from a diesel/gas generator towards a hybrid system composed of a generator, Wind turbine, photovoltaic system, and battery energy storage. In order to limit the cost of the system and to propose the most economically feasible solution, various combinations of supply systems are considered. These systems are analyzed in this paper by the help of HOMER software to determine the optimal architecture and the control strategy of the supply system. This study has used real demand data of the town, as well as the prices of different electrical components in the Australian market. The scenario which yields the minimum cost of energy is defined and suggested. Also, a decision-making based technique is proposed to help the local electricity utility in finding the suitable solution in the case of budget limits on the investment and annual operation and maintenance. Another aim of this analysis is to investigate and illustrate the impact of a small annual load growth on the size of the selected components for the selected power system, as well as the total net present cost and the cost of electricity. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to analyze the impact of uncertainties of some of the parameters in the outcome of the study to obtain the optimized cost of the selected system. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In an Ambient Intelligence system for humans, devices in the environment perform actions to improve the quality of the daily living of a person. Research in normative systems could be applied to regulate the operation of this kind of systems. Nevertheless, determining the right norms is not trivial. This contribution discusses the case of a Parkinson's Disease patient. In particular, the paper studies a TV watching scenario where the right moment to assist the patient is the subject of discussion. Results are obtained from the SociAAL project, whose aim is the integration of social sciences concerns into the development of this kind of systems and the reduction of their production cost.
Allergies in animals are multifactorial and complex diseases and the symptoms vary highly between species, as well as between different types of allergic disorders. The pathogenesis is, as far as is known, similar to that in humans. In contrast to the deep knowledge in human allergology, the veterinary field lags far behind. However, there is a rising field of interest in comparative and veterinary allergology. While in humans big data are available, no central databases are accessible for animal allergies, which is the biggest limitation in the veterinary field. No big cohort studies are published allowing conclusions on the impact of the gender, breed, or regional differences on the disease. Another aspect to be noted is sterilization surgery in pet animals, which is regularly done in dogs and cats, as well as in male horses. This may explain why there isless impact of sexual hormones on allergies, but this impact is difficult to analyze. In this review article, the few interesting findings regarding gender aspects in companion animals were extracted from current literature. This could be of potential interest for animal owners, as well as for allergic patients who are interested in human-animal comparisons.. To summarize, however, there is still a lack of studies investigating gender predisposition for allergies in cats, dogs or horses.
Modern drives consist of alternating current electric motors, and the field-oriented control (FOC) of such motors enables fast, precise, and robust regulation of a drive's mechanical variables such as torque, speed, and position. The control algorithm, implemented in a microprocessor, requires feedback from motor currents, and the quality of this feedback is essential to a drive's control properties. Motor phase currents are sampled and processed in order to extract their mean over a digital control interval. Afterwards, the mean phase currents are transformed into a rotating field-oriented reference frame to enable controlling the mechanical variables. The field-oriented frame rotates continuously, but in practice the transformation is carried out using a discrete angular position. This paper investigates how the discretization impacts the computed field-oriented currents in high speed drives, where the rotor displacement during a control interval is substantial. A continuous-time model of field-oriented currents is indicated as a reference to quantify errors. An original approach to normalize variables and to solve the model analytically is proposed in order to investigate how the errors related to rotor position discretization are influenced by drive operating conditions. The analytical solution is validated by computer simulation. The results show that the currently applied methodology of computing field-oriented current components, due to an invalid assumption, introduces errors of a few percent when a drive operates at high speed. These errors can be compensated using the presented solution. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Narcissists, relative to non-narcissists, seem to regard their own narcissistic traits (e.g., rudeness and arrogance) more positively and are more motivated to cultivate such traits. That said, should we expect narcissists to regard others' narcissistic traits more positively too? In this study, participants (N = 463) completed a survey in which they responded on a measure of trait narcissism, rated the likeability of people who possessed various narcissistic traits (e.g., arrogant, rude, self-centered), and then indicated the extent to which they possessed the same narcissistic traits. Interestingly, narcissists - who are generally disagreeable and harsh individuals - rated others who possessed narcissistic traits more positively than non-narcissists. Furthermore, a mediation analysis revealed that this effect of narcissism on ratings was mediated by narcissists' self-reports of possessing the narcissistic traits. Thus, this study provides initial evidence that narcissists are more accepting of others' narcissistic traits, and this study has implications for understanding the interpersonal and intrapersonal consequences of narcissism. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
During the last two decades, hyper-immunoglobulin (Ig) E syndromes have been characterized clinically and molecularly in patients with genetically determined primary immunodeficiencies. However, the detection of low IgE levels, defined here as below detection limit in the routine clinical immunology laboratory, has received little attention. We analysed the association of serum IgA, IgM and IgG levels (including IgG subclasses) with low, normal or high serum IgE levels in patients evaluated in a singlecentre out-patient immunodeficiency and allergy clinic. The correlation of serum IgE levels with IgG subclasses depended on the clinical phenotype. In patients with immunodeficiencies, IgE correlated with IgG2 and IgG4 but not with IgG3. In contrast, in patients referred for signs of allergy, IgE correlated with IgG3 but not with IgG2. A low IgE result was associated with low IgG3 and IgG4 in allergy referrals, while immunodeficiency referrals with a low IgE result had significantly lower IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4 levels. Hierarchical clustering of non-IgE immunoglobulin profiles (IgM, IgA, IgG, IgG1-4) validated that non-IgE immunoglobulin levels predict the clinic referral, i.e. phenotype, of low-IgE patients. These results suggesto guide the clinical management of patients with low serum IgE levels.
Global manufacturing companies must implement manufacturing engineering with proper consideration given to the manufacturing process and resources that are appropriate for the particularities of each manufacturing site. Particularly for effective enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation under a global manufacturing environment, the product data management (PDM) integration for product data is one of the important keys to success. For such product data integration, engineering bill of materials (EBOM) needs to be transformed to manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM), but the MBOM transformation must be done in such a way as to fit the particularities of each manufacturing site. In this process, a methodology appropriate for integration and transformation is required. This paper proposes digital manufacturing as the key tool of data integration between PDM and ERP. Digital manufacturing, as a technology possessing the physical and logical computer modeling and simulation technique for actual manufacturing, provides the methodology for transforming EBOM to MBOM that fits the particularities of each manufacturing site, based on the process and resource models which reflect the particularities of each manufacturing site. It also provides the methodology for MBOM verification and the process and resource model integration. Using such method, the MBOM and the process and resource data, verified and appropriate for each manufacturing site, can be sent to the ERP system.
Stem cells residing in the epidermis and skin appendages are imperative for skin homeostasis and regeneration. These stem cells also participate in the repair of the epidermis after injuries, inducing restoration of tissue integrity and function of damaged tissue. Unlike epidermis-derived stem cells, comprehensive knowledge about skin appendage-derived stem cells remains limited. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of skin appendage-derived stem cells, including their fundamental characteristics, their preferentially expressed biomarkers, and their potential contribution involved in wound repair. Finally, we will also discuss current strategies, future applications, and limitations of these stem cells, attempting to provide some perspectives on optimizing the available therapy in cutaneous repair and regeneration.
Purpose of Review This publication updates an earlier review on the ever increasing knowledge about genetic polymorphism of HLA-B*27 and discusses its clinical relevance. Recent Findings As of January 1, 2017, there are 213 known alleles of HLA-B*27 at nucleotide sequence level, while at the translated protein level, there are 160 known subtypes based on one or more amino acid sequence differences. Some of these subtypes exhibit differential association with ankylosing spondylitis, and there may even be some level of hierarchy in this regard. On the other hand, HLA-B*27 has a protective effect against HCV, and this effect is also influenced by some of the subtypes of HLA-B*27. This may have important implications for designing anti-viral vaccines for global population and also for developing individualized treatments and vaccines. Summary Disease association and disease protective roles of HLA-B*27 suggest a common ground, i.e., promoting a more pronounced immune/inflammatory response for effective clearance of some pathogens, but that might, on the other hand, lead to autoimmunity and tissue injury in some circumstances.
We study the exponential behaviour and stabilizability of the following abstract nonlinear stochastic evolution equation partial derivative tu(t) + Au(t) + B(u(t), u(t)) + Ru(t) = f + sigma(t, u)W(t), where sigma(t, u)W is a multiplicative white noise in time with spatial correlation. Applications to concrete models in fluid mechanics are also given.
The aim of this study was to investigate effects of two dietary medicinal herbs, Rose hip (Rosa canina) and Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) supplementation on growth performance, haematological, biochemical parameters and innate immune response of in juvenile beluga, Huso huso. Fish (263 +/- 0.4 g) were allocated into 15 tanks (20 fish per tank) and triplicate groups were fed a control diet or diets containing 1% and 2% of medicinal herbs, respectively. Feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and condition factor (CF) did not show significant differences (P >0.05) in fish given herbal diets. Significant differences were observed in number of white blood cells (WBC) and haemoglobin (Hb) values among the dietary treatments. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly lower in supplemented diet groups compared with the control. Innate immune responses (lysozyme activity and ACH(50)) were significantly higher in 2% Safflower-fed fish compared with other groups (P < 0.05). These results indicate that medicinal herbs in diets can be considered as a beneficial dietary supplement for improving the physiological parameters and enhance the immune response of Persian sturgeon. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the recent years the number of mobile device have significantly increase and the high bandwidth have led to the demand for Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET). The network offers mobile access to users with minimal configuration to operate. Nonetheless, such salient feature requires flexibility and cooperation between users, which increases the network's vulnerability to the Black hole attack. Therefore, an improved security approach is needed to maintain optimal network performance. The Black hole attack can severely threaten the network by exploiting the vulnerability of Route Request (RREQ) discovery process in the routing protocols such as Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV). The intruders are able to utilise the loophole and carry out the malicious behaviours because the RREQ process is an essential mechanism within AODV. As a result, genuine RREQ packets are exploited and erroneously relayed to a false node(s). The on demand routing protocols, which act as the binding element in the networks, are a common target to such security attack. This paper presents a review of the Black hole attack on mobile nodes and subsequently proposes a new mechanism to alleviate the issue. The AODV routing protocol is chosen as the base protocol because it is inherently similar to other types of on demand routing protocol e. g. DSDV, DSR. In fact, any routing protocol which follows the request-reply method may utilise the scheme to mitigate the issue. It includes the proactive routing protocol such as OLSR. In the proposed scheme, each node is capable to detect and isolate the malicious node in their local region with appropriate implementation.
Tradition, in its broadest sense, is the total of the knowledge, customs and the behaviors passed down from generation to generation. It is widely known that the cultural heritage, the knowledge based on experience, the customs and the behaviors are archived in oral tradition. This knowledge is passed down through rituals, signs and communication which are comprised of codes. The transmission of the customs, knowledge, rituals, signs and symbols in Turkish folksongs are realized through the repetition of the text along with a melody. Turkish folksongs have the characteristics of a musical archive and it is possible to achieve data on the areas of folklore thanks to this archive. The text of the folksong Dunur Aga can be considered as a guide to the wedding customs and rituals of Catalzeytin district of Kastamonu province. In this study, the content of Dunur Aga folksong will be analyzed through its text and performance and its contribution to the cultural transmission function [education] with its content through signs, representations and symbols will be evaluated. Although the origins of the folksong is unknown, it is thought that both financial and emotional difficulties of the marriage in Kastamonu at Catalzeytin and the need for a communication resulting from the difficulties of giving sons in marriage are effective in the creation of the folksong.
One of the main problems of Ambient Intelligence systems is that developers have to design and implement different user interfaces for each combination of user and environmental characteristics. This paper deals with alleviating this problem through the implementation of a UI development framework, called Dandelion, which postpones until run-time the implementation of the UI for a specific scenario. In particular, we address the autonomous evaluation of the adequateness of interaction devices for the scenario in order to facilitate the final automatic generation of an adapted UI.
Environmental challenges such as soil salinity and drought are serious threats to global food security and biodiversity, making the selection or development of stress-tolerant genotypes of crops and native plants necessary. Certain biochemical compounds synthesized by plants are directly involved in ameliorating the effects of environmental stress in characteristic ways. Further, the biochemical composition of edible parts of crops is directly related to human health, deficiencies of certain nutrients being associated with major health conditions and healthcare costs, and public awareness of functional foods also increasing. Interestingly, the unique biochemical properties of some biomolecules involved in plant stress tolerance are also associated with significant roles in human metabolism and health. This work summarises the biochemical properties and functions of four selected biomolecules with such dual significance, i.e., abscisic acid (a key hormone with roles in plant development and abiotic stress response), glycine betaine (a quaternary ammonium compound which functions as an osmoprotectant), vitamin E components (antioxidants), and phenolic compounds (antioxidants), all four also having significant nutraceutical effects.
Eyes have been shown to play a key role during human social interactions. However, to date, no comprehensive cross-discipline model has provided a framework that can account for uniquely human responses to eye cues. In this review, I present a framework that brings together work on the phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and neural bases of perceiving and responding to eyes. Specifically, I argue for a two-process model: a first process that ensures privileged attention to information encoded in the eyes and is important for the detection of other minds and a second process that permits the decoding of information contained in the eyes concerning another person's emotional and mental states. To some degree, these processes are unique to humans, emerge during different times in infant development, can be mapped onto distinct but interconnected brain regions, and likely serve critical functions in facilitating cooperative interactions in humans. I also present evidence to show that oxytocin is a key modulator of sensitive responding to eye cues. Viewing eyes as windows into other minds can therefore be considered a hallmark feature of human social functioning deeply rooted in our biology.
Nitrogen (N) runoff from paddy fields serves as one of the main sources of water pollution. Our aim was to reduce N runoff from paddy fields by fertilizer management and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In northeast China, Shuangcheng city in Heilongjiang province, a field experiment was conducted, using rice provided with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the local norm of fertilization (including N, phosphorus and potassium), with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae. The volume, concentrations of total N (TN), dissolved N (DN) and particulate N (PN) of runoff water were measured. We found that the local norm of fertilization led to 18.9 kg/ha of N runoff during rice growing season, with DN accounting for 60%-70%. We also found that reduction in fertilization by 20% cut down TN runoff by 8.2% while AMF inoculation decreased N runoff at each fertilizer level and this effect was inhibited by high fertilization. The combination of inoculation with AMF and 80% of the local norm of fertilization was observed to reduce N runoff by 27.2%. Conclusively, we suggested that the contribution of AMF inoculation combined with decreasing fertilization should get more attention to slow down water eutrophication by reducing N runoff from paddy fields. (C) 2016 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Background: Asparaginase is an important component of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy. Unfortunately, this treatment is hampered by hypersensitivity reactions. In general, allergies - regardless of severity - cause complete inactivation of the drug. However, we report atypical allergic reactions without inactivation of asparaginase, here called allergic-like reactions. Procedure: Patients with an allergic-like reaction, who were treated according to the Dutch-Childhood Oncology Group ALL-11 or the CoALL 08-09 protocol, were described. The reactions were identified by continual measurement of asparaginase activity levels. Characteristics, including timing of occurrence, symptoms, grade, and the presence of antiasparaginase antibodies, were compared to those of real allergies. Results: Fourteen allergic-like reactions occurred in nine patients. Five reactions were to PEGas-paraginase and nine to Erwinia asparaginase. Allergic-like reactions occurred relatively late after the start of infusion compared to real allergies. Antibodies were absent in all but one patient with an allergic-like reaction, while they were detected in all patients with a real allergy. Symptoms and grade did not differ between the groups. Asparaginase was continued with the same formulation in six patients of whom four finished treatment with adequate activity levels. Conclusions: In conclusion, allergic-like reactions occur relatively late after the start of infusion and without antibodies. Despite these clinical differences, allergic-like reactions can only be distinguished from real allergies by continually measuring asparaginase activity levels. If clinically tolerated, formulations should not be switched in case of allergic-like reactions. Moreover, failure to recognize these reactions may lead to a less favorable prognosis if asparaginase therapy is terminated unnecessarily.
Reinforced soil is a composite material in which elements of high tensile resistance are implemented to increase the tensile resistance of the soil. Geotextiles are one of the major groups of geosynthetic products that are used for soil reinforcement. This paper deals with the effects of using nonwoven geotextile to improve the ultimate bearing capacity of footings resting on sand with medium density. The plate load tests were performed using 27 cm x 27 cm and 35 cm x 35 cm square plates, and the effects of the depth of the first layer of geotextile, vertical spacing as well as the number of geotextile layers on the ultimate bearing capacity of the footings were studied. Moreover, the impact of plate size and sample size was examined numerically by performing 3-D finite element analyses with different sizes of the square plate. The experimental results showed that the maximum bearing capacity is achieved for the system with four geotextile layers, vertical spacing of 0.3B between geotextile layers and geotextile width of 4B, where B is the width of the plate. The numerical analyses indicated that with increasing the size of the plate up to 65 cm, the values of the bearing capacity ratio (BCR) gradually decrease; however, additional increase in the size of the plate has a little impact on BCR values.
This study considers linear precoding for secure transmission in a multiuser peer-to-peer relay network with finite alphabet input. Under the assumption that the global channel-state-information is available, the achievable secrecy rate is derived. However, the computational complexity to evaluate the achievable secrecy rate grows exponentially with respect to the number of pair users. To reduce the computational complexity caused by the multiuser interference, an accurate approximation of the achievable secrecy rate is derived. Based on Karush-Kuhn-Tucker analysis, necessary conditions for the optimal precoder which maximises the approximated achievable secrecy rate are presented. In light of this, an iterative gradient method is developed to find the optimal precoder. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves significant gains in terms of the secrecy rate over schemes designed for Gaussian input.
Recent studies experienced the use of advanced tools for smart aircraft maintenance and inspection. These tools often require the use of computer-vision based technologies to recognize and track a given aircraft mechanical part in order to make it possible to show additional information to a technician on a suitable display. In this paper we propose a visual recognition module of aircraft mechanical parts that has been included in a prototype system designed for the smart maintenance of the Alenia-Aermacchi M346. The evaluation, carried out on real aircrafts, considers different kind of maintenance operations that require the recognition of 20 different mechanical parts. The visual recognition module has been tested under different imaging conditions and varying the scale and the orientation of the parts of interest. The results confirm the feasibility of our proposal also in such a very challenging and realistic condition. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Text detection in a natural environment plays an important role in many computer vision applications. While existing text detection methods are focused on English characters, there are strong application demands on text detection in other languages, such as Chinese. In this paper, we present a novel text detection algorithm for Chinese characters based on a specific designed convolutional neural network (CNN). The CNN contains a text structure component detector layer, a spatial pyramid layer, and a multi-input-layer deep belief network (DBN). The CNN is pre-trained via a convolutional sparse auto-encoder, specifically designed for extracting complex features from Chinese characters. In particular, the text structure component detectors enhance the accuracy and uniqueness of feature descriptors by extracting multiple text structure components in various ways. The spatial pyramid layer enhances the scale invariability of the CNN for detecting texts in multiple scales. Finally, the multi-input-layer DBN replaces the fully connected layers in the CNN to ensure features from multiple scales are comparable. A multilingual text detection dataset, in which texts in Chinese, English, and digits are labeled separately, is set up to evaluate the proposed text detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm shows a significant performance improvement over the baseline CNN algorithms. In addition the proposed algorithm is evaluated over a public multilingual benchmark and achieves state-of-the-art result under multiple languages. Furthermore, a simplified version of the proposed algorithm with only general components is evaluated on the ICDAR 2011 and 2013 datasets, showing comparable detection performance to the existing general text detection algorithms.
We propose multi-party quantum summation protocols based on single particles, in which participants are allowed to compute the summation of their inputs without the help of a trusted third party and preserve the privacy of their inputs. Only one participant who generates the source particles needs to perform unitary operations and only single particles are needed in the beginning of the protocols.
This paper has been proposed to present a simple approach for load flow analysis of a radial distribution network using parallel programming in Computationally Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). The proposed approach applies Breadth First Search to evaluate the nodes in the network and Kirchhoff's current law (KCL) as well as Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) for evaluating the current and voltages at each of the network nodes. The procedure is repeated till the convergence criterion is achieved. The paper demonstrates the working of Breadth First Search using CUDA. The efficiency of load flow algorithm has been enhanced by utilizing parallel computational power of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). This approach has been tested for 33-nodes as well as for 69-nodes radial distribution systems and comparison has been done between the performances of sequential approach over CPU and parallel approach on GPU. The results show that introducing CUDA to load flow analysis speeds up the performance of the system by faster executions and gives accurate desired results as compared to sequential approach.
What sorts of trait information do people most care about when forming impressions of others? Recent research in social cognition suggests that warmth, broadly construed, should be of prime importance in impression formation. Yet, some prior research suggests that information about others' specifically moral traits-their moral character-may be a primary dimension. Although warmth and character have sometimes been conceived of as interchangeable, we argue that they are separable, and that across a wide variety of contexts, character is usually more important than warmth in impression formation. We first showed that moral character and social warmth traits are indeed separable (Studies 1 and 2). Further studies that used correlational and experimental methods showed that, as predicted, in most contexts, moral character information is more important in impression formation than is warmth information (Studies 2-6). Character information was also more important than warmth information with respect to judgments of traits' perceived fundamentalness to identity, their uniquely human quality, their context-independence, and their controllability (Study 2). Finally, Study 7 used an archival method to show that moral character information appears more prominently than warmth information in obituaries, and more strongly determines the impressions people form of the individuals described in those obituaries. We discuss implications for current theories of person perception and social cognition.
Sleep disorders are among the most common clinical problems and possess a significant concern for the geriatric population. More importantly, while around 40% of elderly adults have sleep-related complaints, sleep disorders are more frequently associated with co-morbidities including age-related neurodegenerative diseases and mild cognitive impairment. Recently, increasing evidence has indicated that disturbed sleep may not only serve as the consequence of brain atrophy, but also contribute to the pathogenesis of dementia and, therefore, significantly increase dementia risk. Since the current therapeutic interventions lack efficacies to prevent, delay or reverse the pathological progress of dementia, a better understanding of underlying mechanisms by which sleep disorders interact with the pathogenesis of dementia will provide possible targets for the prevention and treatment of dementia. In this review, we briefly describe the physiological roles of sleep in learning/memory, and specifically update the recent research evidence demonstrating the association between sleep disorders and dementia. Plausible mechanisms are further discussed. Moreover, we also evaluate the possibility of sleep therapy as a potential intervention for dementia.
One of the main challenges on Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is to reach an appropriate acceptance level of the assistive systems, as well as to analyze and monitor end user tasks in a feasible and efficient way. The development and evaluation of AAL solutions based on user-centered perspective help to achive these goals. In this work, we have designed a methodology to integrate and develop analytics user-centered tools into assistive systems. An analysis software tool gathers information of end users from adapted psychological questionnaires and naturalistic observation of their own context. The aim is to enable an in-deep analysis focused on improving the life quality of elderly people and their caregivers.
One of the main public concerns is the aquatic habitat and its corresponding issues because of the incessant contamination of the ecological water systems. In recent years, research attention has been focused on processes that lead to an improved oxidative degradation of organic pollutants. Therefore, semiconductor photocatalysis technology has aroused scientists' interest in environmental remediation. Although several semiconductors have proven to be ideal candidates for the treatment of water pollution, the efficient separation and recycling of this fine-powdered photocatalyst is still a scientific problem when applied in practice, including separation process, selectivity, and dispersion. A photocatalyst with magnetic properties allows the use of the technique of magnetic separation, which is one of the most effective and simple methods for removing suspended solids from wastewater without the need for further separation processes. The magnetic photocatalyst allows its use as a suspended material, providing the advantage to have a high surface area for reaction. This review highlights the advantages and disadvantages of current photocatalyst systems. Moreover, it focuses on hybrid magnetic photocatalysts, including metals and nonmetals, metal oxides, carbon-based materials, and ceramics.
The paper continues the idea of the previous work: Knowledge models in Engineering Technology and Manufacturing were knowledge models, data models and the knowledge components explicit, implicit, tacit and surface knowledge were presented. The present paper is regarding a specific example of knowledge model: Optimum semi-finished part choosing for straight axes design. The main stages in knowledge model construction will be presented. Also, the solution it will take the shape of a concept map which will be also analyzed from construction. Both knowledge models and concept maps will be treated at two levels: a general one and a particular on the proposed example.
A network traffic detection model based on swarm intelligent optimization neural network algorithm is proposed in this paper. QAPSO algorithm is used to optimize the basis function center and base function width of RBF neural network, and the connection weights of the output layer and the hidden layer as well. This paper analyzes the detection model studied in this paper by an example, and use the collected data to train the network traffic identification system and test its performance. The comparison between the proposed method and the conventional PSO algorithm based on the HPSO algorithm shows that the proposed method has faster recognition speed and better recognition accuracy, and avoids the problem of falling into the local optimal solution. Situation.
This research investigated the relationship among perception of ingroup threats (realistic and symbolic), conservative ideologies (social dominance orientation [SDO] and right-wing authoritarianism [RWA]), and prejudice against immigrants. Data were collected with a cross-sectional design in two samples: non-student Italian adults (n = 223) and healthcare professionals (n = 679). Results were similar in both samples and indicated that symbolic and realistic threats, as well as SDO and RWA, positively and significantly predicted anti-immigrant prejudice. Moreover, the model considering SDO and RWA as mediators of threats' effects on prejudice showed a better fit than the model in which ingroup threats mediated the effects of SDO and RWA on prejudice against immigrants. Accordingly, SDO and RWA partially mediated the effect of both symbolic and realistic threats, which maintained a significant effect on prejudice against immigrants, however.
Human population in the XXI century is struggling with the increasing incidence of such diseases as obesity, diabetes, cancers, food allergies and many others. Recent studies have shown that oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species and free radicals, may underlie the occurrence of many diseases. Probiotics are known for their beneficial effects on health and are established as dietary adjuncts. Researchers are trying to find potential probiotic strains which can exhibit antioxidant properties along other health benefits. In vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that probiotics exhibit antioxidant potential. Also, many studies have shown that consumption of probiotics as dietary supplements, may reduce oxidative damage and modify activity of crucial antioxidative enzymes in human cells. Incorporation of probiotics in foods can provide a good strategy to supply dietary antioxidants, but more studies are needed to standardize the methods and evaluate antioxidant properties of probiotics before they can be recommended for their antioxidant potential. This paper presents the latest news related to probiotics and their antioxidative potential.
Mushroom production is one of the biggest solid state fermentation industries in the world. The success in mushroom planting depends on how the control temperature, humidity and CO2 parameters. This paper presents a novel method for modeling an environment of mushrooms growth to comparing the performance of two controlling methods (fuzzy logic and digital (ON/OFF) control) for controlling mentioned parameters on production rate. The Controllers and other equipment were developed to data collection and analysis of these parameters was performed by using Simulink part of MATLAB software. Precise control of the parameters involved in the growth of mushrooms caused to improve product quality and reduced energy consumption. The results of tests and mean value obtained on two different methods showed that the fuzzy controlling with having least standard deviation, variance and error, is better than digital controlling. Fuzzy controlling system had the lowest fluctuation and lowest band pass. According to gradient of graph, maximum and minimum of results, can conclude that the fuzzy controlling has shown better response in controlling the process. Based on the number of actuators mode changing on both systems, it can be understood that in digital control system, downtime, and depreciation and energy consumption would be higher than the fuzzy control system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The feasibility of using a thermomagnetically pumped ferrofluid to enhance the performance of a natural convection cooling loop is investigated. First, a simplified analytical estimate for the thermomagnetic pumping action is derived, and then design rules for optimal solenoid and ferrofluid are presented. The design rules are used to set up a medium-scale (1 m, 10-1000 W) case study, which is modeled using a previously published and validated model (Aursand et al. [1]). The results show that the thermomagnetic driving force is significant compared to the natural convection driving force, and may in some cases greatly surpass it. The results also indicate that cooling performance can be increased by factors up to 4 and 2 in the single-phase and two-phase regimes, respectively, even when taking into the account the added heat from the solenoid. The performance increases can alternatively be used to obtain a reduction in heat-sink size by up to 75%. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The rational design of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) has been a major contributor to their reputation as plastic antibodies - high affinity robust synthetic receptors which can be optimally designed, and produced for a much reduced cost than their biological equivalents. Computational design has become a routine procedure in the production of MIPs, and has led to major advances in functional monomer screening, selection of cross-linker and solvent, optimisation of monomer(s)-template ratio and selectivity analysis. In this review the various computational methods will be discussed with reference to all the published relevant literature since the end of 2013, with each article described by the target molecule, the computational approach applied (whether molecular mechanics/molecular dynamics, semi-empirical quantum mechanics, ab initio quantum mechanics (Hartree-Fock, Moller-Plesset, etc.) or DFT) and the purpose for which they were used. Detailed analysis is given to novel techniques including analysis of polymer binding sites, the use of novel screening programs and simulations of MIP polymerisation reaction. The further advances in molecular modelling and computational design of synthetic receptors in particular will have serious impact on the future of nanotechnology and biotechnology, permitting the further translation of MIPs into the realms of analytics and medical technology. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We experimentally test the social motives behind individual participation in intergroup conflict by manipulating the perceived target of threat-groups or individuals-and the symmetry of conflict. We find that behavior in conflict depends on whether one is harmed by actions perpetrated by the out-group, but not on one's own influence on the outcome of the out-group. The perceived target of threat dramatically alters decisions to participate in conflict. When people perceive their group to be under threat, they are mobilized to do what is good for the group and contribute to the conflict. On the other hand, if people perceive to be personally under threat, they are driven to do what is good for themselves and withhold their contribution. The first phenomenon is attributed to group identity, possibly combined with a concern for social welfare. The second phenomenon is attributed to a novel victim effect. Another social motive-reciprocity-is ruled out by the data. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Since the cost of rare-earth permanent magnets (PMs), such as NdFeB and SmCo, is more and more increasing, there is a great interest in designing PM machines without adopting such rare-earth PMs, i.e., replacing them with cheaper ferrite magnets. Referring to the interior PM (IPM) machines, the expected performance reduction is limited owing to the anisotropic structure: The reluctance (REL) torque component compensates for the use of low-energy PMs. This paper investigates the convenience of adopting ferrite magnets in an IPM machine (sometimes also referred to as PM-assisted synchronous REL machine), instead of a rare-earth surface-mounted PM machine. It is shown that, even though a lengthening of the stack length is required, the anisotropic PM machine that adopts ferrite magnets may represent a valid competitor of a surface PM machine with rare-earth PMs.
The development and manufacturing of gear pairs is determined by a system combining the kinematic basis of the relative motions between workpiece and tool with the necessary production technology. This system unites the two subsystems of theory and technology. Via a multitude of parameters, gears can be assigned to different classes according to the range of existence. The paper describes a mathematical model for determining the range of existence for the general kinematic scheme of gear shaping. This model is based on an analysis of the existing kinematic schemes of theoretical and real shaping. Based on a morphological approach, individual kinematic shaping schemes are classified, and their mathematical models are developed. The shaping schemes, as well as the necessary translational and rotational motion matrices, are exemplarily presented for a gear manufacturing machine using the shaping principle. The modern approaches to the principles of designing equipment and instrumentation systems for gear manufacturing are presented. Methodical basics for selecting the optimal machine configuration depending on the technical and economic requirements for the machining and form of a gear's tooth profile are stated. The system for theoretical and technological optimization synthesis of instrumentation systems for gear manufacturing is presented.
After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in March 2011 (Fukushima accident), several investigation committees in Japan issued reports with lessons learned from the accident, including some recommendations on severe accident research. The review of specific severe accident research issues began after the Fukushima accident in the Atomic Energy Society of Japan (AESJ). AESJ has recently developed a new Thermal Hydraulics Safety Evaluation Fundamental Technology Enhancement Strategy Roadmap (TH-RM) for light water reactor safety improvement and development after the Fukushima accident by thoroughly revising the first version of the Roadmap (TH-RM-1) prepared in 2009. The revision was made by considering the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident. At the same time, the Research Expert Committee on Evaluation of Severe Accident, which was established by AESJ in 2012, has published phenomena identification and ranking tables (PIRTs) for both thermal hydraulics and source term issues in severe accidents based on findings from the Fukushima accident utilizing PIRT methodologies. The present paper reviews severe accident research before the Fukushima accident, lessons learned about severe accident research from the Fukushima accident, severe accident research issues reviewed after the Fukushima accident by AESJ, and current severe accident research activities mostly based on the two above-mentioned AESJ reviews after the Fukushima accident in Japan.
Current ambitions to limit climate change to no more than 1.5 degrees C-2 degrees C by the end of the 21st century rely heavily on the availability of negative emissions technologies (NETs)-bioenergy with CO2 capture and storage (BECCS) and direct air capture in particular. In this context, these NETs are providing a specific service by removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and therefore investors would expect an appropriate risk-adjusted rate of return, varying as a function of the quantity of public money involved. Uniquely, BECCS facilities have the possibility to generate both low carbon power and remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but in an energy system characterised by high penetration of intermittent renewable energy such as wind and solar power plants, the dispatch load factor of such BECCS facilities may be small relative to their capacity. This has the potential to significantly under utilise these assets for their primary purpose of removing CO2 from the atmosphere. In this study, we present a techno-economic environmental evaluation of BECCS plants with a range of operating efficiencies, considering their full-and part-load operation relative to a national-scale annual CO2 removal target. We find that in all cases, a lower capital cost, lower efficiency BECCS plant is superior to a higher cost, higher efficiency facility from both environmental and economic perspectives. We show that it may be preferable to operate the BECCS facility in base-load fashion, constantly removing CO2 from the atmosphere and dispatching electricity on an as-needed basis. We show that the use of this 'spare capacity' to produce hydrogen for, e.g. injection to a natural gas system for the provision of low carbon heating can add to the overall environmental and economic benefit of such a system. The only point where this hypothesis appears to break down is where the CO2 emissions associated with the biomass supply chain are sufficiently large so as to eliminate the service of CO2 removal.
Background: Pertussis infection can be severe in unvaccinated infants. A case-control study was conducted to investigate the potential role of breast-feeding in protecting young, unvaccinated infants from pertussis. Methods: Hospitalized infants <6 months of age with positive real time polymerase chain reaction for pertussis on nasopharyngeal aspirate were enrolled as cases; healthy controls were enrolled among patients admitted for ultrasound screening. Vaccinated infants were excluded. Socio-demographic, clinical and feeding information were collected. The effect of breastfeeding on pertussis was investigated through multivariable analysis. Breast milk and blood samples were obtained from mothers of patients. IgA and bacterial binding against Bordetella pertussis and other bacteria were tested in breast milk. IgG against pertussis toxin (PT) was tested in serum. Results: We enrolled 296 patients (61 cases and 235 controls). Exclusive breastfeeding was not associated with pertussis compared with partial breastfeeding/artificial feeding [odds ratio: 1.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.31-4.67]. Children with siblings were at higher risk for pertussis (odds ratio: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.21-5.35). IgA against pertussis antigens were not higher in cases (IgA anti-PT median = 0.24 optical density) compared with controls (IgA anti-PT median = 0.21 optical density). Though bacterial binding to B. pertussis, measured in breast milk, was higher in cases (median = 4.35%) compared with controls (median = 2.8%; P = 0.004), bacterial binding to B. pertussis was low compared with other pathogens. IgG titers were higher in mothers of cases, but no correlation was found between serum IgG and breast milk IgA. Conclusion: Breastfeeding remains a mainstay of prevention for numerous diseases, though it does not seem to play a role against pertussis. Alternative strategies to protect unvaccinated infants from pertussis should be considered.
Background: Default mode network (DMN) is vulnerable to the effects of APOE genotype. Given the reduced brain volumes and APOE epsilon 4-related brain changes in elderly carriers, it is less known that whether these changes would influence the functional connectivity and to what extent. This study aimed to examine the functional connectivity within DMN, and its diagnostic value with age-related morphometric alterations considered. Methods: Whole brain and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis were conducted in cognitively normal APOE epsilon 4 carriers and matched non-carriers (N=38). The absolute values of mean correlation coefficients (z-values) were used as a measure of functional connectivity strength (FCS) between DMN subregions, which were also used to estimate their diagnostic value by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: APOE epsilon 4 carriers demonstrated decreased interhemispheric FCS, particularly between right hippocampal formation (R.HF) and left inferior parietal lobular (L.IPL) (t=3.487, p<0.001). ROC analysis showed that the FCS of R.HF and L.IPL could differentiate APOE epsilon 4 carriers from healthy counterparts (AUC value=0.734, p=0.025). Moreover, after adjusting the impact of morphometry, the differentiated value of FCS of R.HF and L.IPL was markedly improved (AUC value=0.828, p=0.002). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that APOE epsilon 4 allele affects the functional connectivity within posterior DMN, particularly the atrophy-corrected interhemispheric FCS before the clinical expression of neurodegenerative disease.
Regeneration has long fascinated humanity, and its documentation has progressed from simple descriptive observations to the intense molecular and cellular investigations of today. The overarching goal of this work is to make the key methods and tools being used in modern regeneration and stem cell biology research accessible to docents and students in the classroom. We have designed a series of experimental activities with accompanying protocols using four inexpensive, commercially available planarian species indigenous to North America: Girardia sp., Dugesia dorotocephala, Phagocata morgani, and Phagocata gracilis. These planarians are fast and robust regenerators, and can easily be maintained in the classroom. The activities presented here can be used to guide students through hypothesis-driven experiments, and range from simple manipulations aimed at high school students (e.g., planarian husbandry, feeding, and cutting experiments) to gene expression and protein function analyses suitable for college students. Regeneration time courses, the more complex whole worm in situ hybridizations, and RNA interference for gene knock-down experiments are described for each of the four species. Cumulatively, the suggested methods and experiments will facilitate the exploration of animal regeneration biology and promote curiosity-driven, hands-on application of the scientific method.
There is little consensus regarding how verticality (social power, dominance, and status) is related to accurate interpersonal perception. The relation could be either positive or negative, and there could be many causal processes at play. The present article discusses the theoretical possibilities and presents a meta-analysis of this question. In studies using a standard test of interpersonal accuracy, higher socioeconomic status (SES) predicted higher accuracy defined as accurate inference about the meanings of cues; also, higher experimentally manipulated vertical position predicted higher accuracy defined as accurate recall of others' words. In addition, although personality dominance did not predict accurate inference overall, the type of personality dominance did, such that empathic/responsible dominance had a positive relation and egoistic/aggressive dominance had a negative relation to accuracy. In studies involving live interaction, higher experimentally manipulated vertical position produced lower accuracy defined as accurate inference about cues; however, methodological problems place this result in doubt.
Cryptography has an important role in data security against known attacks and decreases or limits the risks of hacking information, especially with rapid growth in communication techniques. In the recent years, we have noticed an increasing requirement to implement cryptographic algorithms in fast rising high-speed network applications. In this paper, we present high throughput efficient hardware implementations of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptographic algorithm. We have adopted pipeline technique in order to increase the speed and the maximum operating frequency. Therefore, registers are inserted in optimal placements. Furthermore, we have proposed 5-stage pipeline S-box design using combinational logic to reach further speed. In addition, efficient key expansion architecture suitable for our proposed design is also presented. In order to secure the hardware implementation against side-channel attacks, masked S-box is introduced. The implementations had been successfully done by virtex-6 (xc6vlx240t) Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device using Xilinx ISE 14.7. Our proposed unmasked and masked architectures are very fast, they achieve a throughput of 93.73 Gbps and 58.57 Gbps, respectively. The obtained results are competitive in comparison with the implementations reported in the literature.
In this paper, a fundamentally new approach to computer-aided design and simulation of electrical circuits based on a use of lambda-calculus for circuit device model representation and dynamic sizeable containers for sparse matrix simulation indexation indices is presented. This approach differs from traditional procedure where the entire simulation was performed over the matrix or matrix system assembled by modified nodal analysis (MNA). Turning device model definitions using lambda-calculus to functionals allowed to reduce an effort required for their specification and opened new possibilities for simulation evaluation. Considering MNA matrix as second-order tensor system holding the functional definition of original sparse matrix entries allows to imagine these dependencies as chains with respect to a model definition and global dependencies between their defining inner functions. In this particular case, standard indexing methods would be a waste of memory during a computation, this problem occurs when huge sparse matrices enter the simulation. Therefore, new optimized indexing technique for non-zero matrix entries and variable size container types for those indexation vectors is proposed.
We are working to understand possible human health effects from exposure to heterocyclic amines that are formed in meat during cooking. Laboratory-cooked beef, pork, and chicken are capable of producing tens of nanograms of MeIQx, IFP, and PhIP per gram of meat and smaller amounts of other heteroyclic amines. Well-done restaurant-cooked beef, pork, and chicken may contain PhIP and IFP at concentrations as high as tens of nanograms per gram and MeIQx at levels up to 3 ng/g. Although well-done chicken breast prepared in the laboratory may contain large amounts of PhIP, a survey of flame-grilled meat samples cooked in private homes showed PhIP levels in beef steak and chicken breast are not significantly different (P = 0.36). The extremely high PhIP levels reported in some studies of grilled chicken are not seen in home-cooked samples. Many studies suggest individuals may have varying susceptibility to carcinogens and that diet may influence metabolism, thus affecting cancer susceptibility. To understand the human metabolism of PhIP, we examined urinary metabolites of PhIP in volunteers following a single well-done meat exposure. Using solid-phase extraction and LC/MS/MS, we quantified four major PhIP metabolites in human urine. In addition to investigating individual variation, we examined the interaction of PhIP with a potentially chemopreventive food. In a preliminary study of the effect of broccoli on PhIP metabolism, we fed chicken to six volunteers before and after eating steamed broccoli daily for 3 days. Preliminary results suggest that broccoli, which contains isothiocyanates shown to induce Phases I and II metabolism in vitro, may affect both the rate of metabolite excretion and the metabolic products of a dietary carcinogen. This newly developed methodology will allow us to assess prevention strategies that reduce the possible risks associated with PhIP exposure. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Spatial patterns of land use change due to urbanization and its impact on the landscape are the subject of ongoing research. Urban growth scenario simulation is a powerful tool for exploring these impacts and empowering planners to make informed decisions. We present FUTURES (FUTure Urban - Regional Environment Simulation) - a patch-based, stochastic, multi-level land change modeling framework as a case showing how what was once a closed and inaccessible model benefited from integration with open source GIS. We will describe our motivation for releasing this project as open source and the advantages of integrating it with GRASS GIS, a free, libre and open source GIS and research platform for the geospatial domain. GRASS GIS provides efficient libraries for FUTURES model development as well as standard GIS tools and graphical user interface for model users. Releasing FUTURES as a GRASS GIS add-on simplifies the distribution of FUTURES across all main operating systems and ensures the maintainability of our project in the future. We will describe FUTURES integration into GRASS GIS and demonstrate its usage on a case study in Asheville, North Carolina. The developed dataset and tutorial for this case study enable researchers to experiment with the model, explore its potential or even modify the model for their applications.
Across a series of studies, we investigated cultural differences in children's responses to ostracism situations. Working with the children of farmers and herders, we focused on how painful children estimate ostracism to be. Study 1a showed that 4- to 8-year-old children from a socially interdependent farming community estimated ostracism to be less painful than did children from an independent herding community. Study 1b showed that this cultural difference was specific to social pain and did not apply to physical pain. Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1a and showed that individual differences in parents' level of social interdependence mediated the relationship between cultural group and how painful children estimate ostracism to be. Study 3 replicated this effect again and showed that children's tendency to recommend seeking social support following ostracism mediated the relationship between cultural group and the perceived pain of being excluded. Finally, Study 4 investigated cultural differences in moral responses to ostracism and showed that children from the farming community punished an individual who ostracized someone else less harshly than did children from the independent herding community. Thus different economic cultures are associated with striking differences in social interdependence and responses to ostracism from early in development.
Background: Here we integrate verified signals from previous genetic association studies with gene expression and pathway analysis for discovery of new candidate genes and signaling networks, relevant for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method: RNA-sequencing-(RNA-seq)-based expression analysis of 377 genes from previously verified RA-associated loci was performed in blood cells from 5 newly diagnosed, non-treated patients with RA, 7 patients with treated RA and 12 healthy controls. Differentially expressed genes sharing a similar expression pattern in treated and untreated RA sub-groups were selected for pathway analysis. A set of connector genes derived from pathway analysis was tested for differential expression in the initial discovery cohort and validated in blood cells from 73 patients with RA and in 35 healthy controls. Results: There were 11 qualifying genes selected for pathway analysis and these were grouped into two evidence-based functional networks, containing 29 and 27 additional connector molecules. The expression of genes, corresponding to connector molecules was then tested in the initial RNA-seq data. Differences in the expression of ERBB2, TP53 and THOP1 were similar in both treated and non-treated patients with RA and an additional nine genes were differentially expressed in at least one group of patients compared to healthy controls. The ERBB2, TP53. THOP1 expression profile was successfully replicated in RNA-seq data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy controls and non-treated patients with RA, in an independent collection of samples. Conclusion: Integration of RNA-seq data with findings from association studies, and consequent pathway analysis implicate new candidate genes, ERBB2, TP53 and THOP1 in the pathogenesis of RA.
Some techniques can be used in order to promote the recovery of degraded areas like riverine ecosystems, and those with low impacts present a fast regeneration, through an ecological succession with no need for human intervention. It is necessary to study the use of techniques that contribute to the recovery of these ecosystems, such as soil bioengineering, which involves the use of biologically active elements working on soil stabilization, combined with inert elements such as concrete, wood, polymers, and geotextiles made with synthetic material or plant fibers. This work was carried out in order to evaluate planted species development and endemic species in the ecological succession, along the Paramopama river margin, located at the municipality of Sao Cristcvao, in Sergipe State, submitted to soil bioengineering techniques. Two types of geotextiles (Fibrax and Syntemax and 400 TF) arranged in two blocks and three treatments were tested, and the behavior of the vegetation and efficiency of geotextiles were observed for a period of 11 months monitored by the floristic survey. The abundance of the species Crotalaria spectabilis and Calopogonium muconoides was studied, and subsequently classified according to vegetation succession stage. The study revealed that the use of geotextile Syntemax 400 TF on the left bank promoted the greatest abundance of species, resulting in a greater vegetation cover, and consequently better protection of the slope. The geotextile Syntemax 400 TF was the most appropriate among the tested types, to promote the floristic recovery in the studied area and probably in those with similar soil-climatic conditions.
The Noheda archaeological site is unique and exceptional for its size, and the quality and conservation condition of the Roman mosaic pavement covering its urban pars. In 2008 a tent was installed as protection from rain and sun. Being of interest to characterise the microclimate of the remains, six probes with relative humidity and temperature sensors were installed in 2013 for this purpose. Microclimate monitoring allowed us to check relative humidity differences resulting from the groundwater level, as well as inner sensors reaching maximum temperatures higher than the outdoors ones as a consequence of the non-ventilated tent covering the archaeological site. Microclimatic conditions in the archaeological site were deemed detrimental for the conservation of the mosaics. Thus, in summer 2013, expanded clay and geotextile were installed over the mosaics as a corrective action. The outcomes of this study have proven the effectiveness of this solution to control temperature and relative humidity, helping to configure a more stable microclimate suitable for preservation of the mosaic.
This note analyzes the relationship between economic crises and tourism performance in Spain during the period 1970-2013 using machine learning techniques. Specifically, a regression tree is estimated to confirm that, although the dynamics of Spanish tourism performance is influenced by the general variables established by the literature, the crisis periods disrupt the natural functioning of these dynamics, provoking disturbances that affect the tourism market position of destinations to a greater extent than expected. Conversely, to other econometric techniques, machine learning approach allows us to achieve greater flexibility and enriches the information, estimating the interrelations and thresholds operating in this context.
The railroad track is one of the few geosynthetic applications in which a geosynthetic is used for multiple functions, namely, reinforcement, separation, filtration and drainage. In the present study, static and cyclic tests were performed on full-panel railway track models laid on compacted soil subgrades. Tests were performed on model tracks with two different thicknesses of subballast layers and laid on two different subgrade soils, namely, Dhanaury clay and Delhi silt. Model tracks were adequately instrumented to record induced stresses and displacements in the track. Model tracks were reinforced with a geogrid or a geotextile or both at suitable interfaces. Track conditions after heavy rainfall were simulated. The model tracks reinforced with a geogrid at the ballast subballast interface were more effective in reducing the tie displacements, ballast and subballast strains and subgrade displacements compared to the model tracks reinforced with a geotextile at the subballast subgrade interface when Dhanaury clay was used as the subgrade soil. Conversely, the model tracks reinforced with a geotextile performed better with respect to reduced tie displacement, subgrade displacement and subballast strain compared to the model tracks reinforced with a geogrid when Delhi silt was used as the subgrade soil. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by impairment in social interactions, in verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and stereotyped patterns of interest and behavior within the first 3 years of life. Pharmacologic interventions may be needed for the treatment of temper tantrums, aggression, hyperactivity, and stereotypes in children with ASD. The approval of aripiprazole by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the treatment of temper tantrums in children and adolescents with ASD has gained increased interest for the use in these patients. Aripiprazole is a partial agonist for the dopamine D2, serotonin 5-HT1A receptors, and an antagonist for 5HT2A receptors. Because aripiprazole is a partial agonist, it has been is speculated that aripiprazole has a protective effect for extrapyramidal side effects, movement disorders, and metabolic problems. But the increased use in children and adolescents is associated with an increase in the number of case reports related with such problems. Nevertheless, our review of the literature uncovered limited data regarding the association between acute dystonia and aripiprazole use in ASD children under five years of age is. In this paper, we present two cases of autistic spectrum disorder children with ages under 5 years that developed acute dystonia taking aripiprazole.
Previous research has provided qualitative evidence for overlap in a number of brain regions across the subjective value network (SVN) and the default mode network (DMN). In order to quantitatively assess this overlap, we conducted a series of coordinate-based meta-analyses (CBMA) of results from 466 functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments on task-negative or subjective value-related activations in the human brain. In these analyses, we first identified significant overlaps and dissociations across activation foci related to SVN and DMN. Second, we investigated whether these overlapping subregions also showed similar patterns of functional connectivity, suggesting a shared functional subnetwork. We find considerable overlap between SVN and DMN in subregions of central ventromedial prefrontal cortex (cVMPFC) and dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (dPCC). Further, our findings show that similar patterns of bidirectional functional connectivity between cVMPFC and dPCC are present in both networks. We discuss ways in which our understanding of how subjective value (SV) is computed and represented in the brain can be synthesized with what we know about the DMN, mind-wandering, and self-referential processing in light of our findings.
In Semantic Web applications, reasoning engines that are data intensive commonly materialise inferences to speed up processing at query time. However, in evolving systems, such as smart environments, semantic-based context aware systems (SCAS) [6] or social software with user-generated data, knowledge does not grow monotonically: newer facts may contradict older ones, knowledge may be deprecated, discarded or updated such that knowledge must sometimes be retracted. We are describing a technique to retract explicit and inferred statements, when some information becomes obsolete, as well as retracting any statement that would lead to get back the removed explicit statements. This technique is based on OWL justifications and is triggered whenever a knowledge base becomes inconsistent, such that the system stays in a consistent state all the time, in spite of uncontrolled evolution. We prove termination and correctness of the algorithm, and describe the implementation and evaluation of the proposal.
Astrocyte dysfunction emerges early in Alzheimer's disease ( AD) and may contribute to its pathology and progression. Recently, the voltage gated potassium channel K(V)3.4 subunit, which underlies the fast-inactivating K+ currents, has been recognized to be relevant for AD pathogenesis and is emerging as a new target candidate for AD. In the present study, we investigated both in in vitro and in vivo models of AD the expression and functional activity of K(V)3.4 potassium channel subunits in astrocytes. In primary astrocytes our biochemical, immunohistochemical, and electrophysiological studies demonstrated a time-dependent upregulation of K(V)3.4 expression and functional activity after exposure to amyloid-beta (Ab) oligomers. Consistently, astrocytic K(V)3.4 expression was upregulated in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of 6-month-old Tg2576 mice. Further, confocal triple labeling studies revealed that in 6-month- old Tg2576 mice, K(V)3.4 was intensely coexpressed with A beta in nonplaque associated astrocytes. Interestingly, in the cortical and hippocampal regions of 12-month-old Tg2576 mice, plaque-associated astrocytes much more intensely expressed K(V)3.4 subunits, but not A beta. More important, we evidenced that the selective knockdown of K(V)3.4 expression significantly downregulated both glial fibrillary acidic protein levels and A beta trimers in the brain of 6-month-old Tg2576 mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the expression and function of K(V)3.4 channel subunits are precociously upregulated in cultured astrocytes exposed to A beta oligomers and in reactive astrocytes of AD Tg2576 mice. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Fluvial dynamics in riverine borders can play an important role in political relationships between countries. Rivers move and evolve under the influence of natural processes and external drivers (e.g. land use change in river catchments). The Hirmand River is an important riverine border between Iran and Afghanistan. The present study shows the evolution and lateral shifting of the Hirmand River along the international border (25.6 km) over a period of 6 decades (1955-2015). Seven data series of aerial photos, topographic maps and Landsat images were used to analyze land cover and channel changes in the study reach. The land cover has changed dramatically on both sides of the border during the last 6 decades, especially in the Afghan part. Overall, 49% of all land surface changed its cover type, especially the area of agriculture and residential land contributed to that, with an increase in surface area of about 4931 ha and 561 ha, respectively. On the other hand, the natural cover and water bodies decreased to 38% and 63%, respectively. The impact of these land use changes on the morphological evolution of Hirmand River was investigated in 5 sub-reaches. We found an average decrease of the active channel width of 53% during 60 years and the average River Network Change Index for the whole study reach during 60 years was -1.25 m/year. Deposition and narrowing turned out to be the main processes occurring within the study reach. Furthermore, due to natural riverine processes the Hirmand River has moved towards Afghanistan (37 m on average) and lateral shifting was found to be up to 1900m in some sections. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Children and adolescents in the United States spend many hours in school. Students with chronic health conditions (CHCs) may face lower academic achievement, increased disability, fewer job opportunities, and limited community interactions as they enter adulthood. School health services provide safe and effective management of CHCs, often for students with limited access to health care. A systematic review to assess the role of school health services in addressing CHCs among students in Grades K-12 was completed using primary, peer-reviewed literature published from 2000 to 2015, on selected conditions: asthma, food allergies, diabetes, seizure disorders, and poor oral health. Thirty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria and results were synthesized; however, 38 were on asthma. Direct access to school nursing and other health services, as well as disease-specific education, improved health and academic outcomes among students with CHCs. Future research needs to include standardized definitions and data collection methods for students with CHCs.
Cullin-RING ligase 4 (CRL4), a complex of Cul4 and DDB1, regulates the cell cycle, DNA damage repair, and chromatin replication by targeting a variety of substrates for ubiquitination. CRL4 is also hijacked by viral proteins or thalidomide-derived compounds to degrade host restriction factors. Here we report that the c-Abl non-receptor kinase phosphorylates DDB1 at residue Tyr-316 to recruit a small regulatory protein, DDA1, leading to increased substrate ubiquitination. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of the Abl-DDB1-DDA1 axis decreases the ubiquitination of CRL4 substrates, including IKZF1 and IKZF3, in lenalidomide-treated multiple myeloma cells. Importantly, panobinostat, a recently approved anti-myeloma drug, and dexamethasone enhance lenalidomide-induced substrate degradation and cytotoxicity by activating c-Abl, therefore providing a mechanism underlying their combination with lenalidomide to treat multiple myeloma.
Micro-catchment water harvesting systems are systems by which runoff is collected from a contributing area, stored in an adjacent infiltration basin, and support tree growth during the dry season. Increase of the efficiency of such systems can be achieved by minimizing non-productive water losses, which mainly occur from the impounding area during the period during which free water is available and from the wet soil surface thereafter. Designing the infiltration basin as a trench can potentially meet this goal. The main driver for water loss through evaporation is the flux of short wave radiation that reaches the wetted surface. The first step in developing a comprehensive model to this effect, and the objective of the work reported herein is to model the short wave radiative fluxes for different trench geometries. The model computes the radiation reaching the floor of a trench at each point across the trench width accounting for the direct, diffuse, and reflected components. Model validation indicated that the model accurately depicts the diurnal course of radiation reaching the trench floor in both north-south and east west orientated trenches in both summer and winter. Simulations for the Negev Desert revealed distinct differences in the diurnal course of mean solar radiation reaching the trench floor between north-south and east-west orientations. During the rainy season (November through March) radiation load was found to be greater in the north-south orientation. Thus, aiming to reduce evaporative losses from trench-like runoff harvesting systems in the Negev, east-west orientated trenches are advantageous. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Helper T cell development and function must be tightly regulated to induce an appropriate immune response that eliminates specific pathogens yet prevents autoimmunity. Many approaches involving different model organisms have been utilized to understand the mechanisms controlling helper T cell development and function. However, studies using mouse models have proven to be highly informative due to the availability of genetic, cellular, and biochemical systems. One genetic approach in mice used by many labs involves retroviral transduction of primary helper T cells. This is a powerful approach due to its relative ease, making it accessible to almost any laboratory with basic skills in molecular biology and immunology. Therefore, multiple genes in wild type or mutant forms can readily be tested for function in helper T cells to understand their importance and mechanisms of action. We have optimized this approach and describe here the protocols for production of high titer retroviruses, isolation of primary murine helper T cells, and their transduction by retroviruses and differentiation toward the different helper subsets. Finally, the use of this approach is described in uncovering mechanisms utilized by microRNAs (miRNAs) to regulate pathways controlling helper T cell development and function.
How growth, microtubule dynamics, and cell-cycle progression are coordinated is one of the unsolved mysteries of cell biology. A maize mutant, tangled1, with known defects in growth and proper division plane orientation, and a recently characterized cell-cycle delay identified by time-lapse imaging, was used to clarify the relationship between growth, cell cycle, and proper division plane orientation. The tangled1 mutant was fully rescued by introduction of cortical division site localized TANGLED1-YFP. A CYCLIN1B destruction box was fused to TANGLED1-YFP to generate a line that mostly rescued the division plane defect but still showed cell-cycle delays when expressed in the tangled1 mutant. Although an intermediate growth phenotype between wild-type and the tangled1 mutant was expected, these partially rescued plants grew as well as wild-type siblings, indicating that mitotic progression delays alone do not alter overall growth. These data indicate that division plane orientation, together with proper cell-cycle progression, is critical for plant growth.
On product design the use of composite materials has been steadily growing on aircraft industry, driven primarily by weight lost on structural components, which leads to better efficiency on fuel consumption, closely linked to economic issues and sustainability. On manufacturing planning the use of lean concepts has helped aircraft manufacturers to better manage its production resources leading also to more efficient and sustainable ways to fabricate and assemble aircraft structures. This paper describes how Embraer is combining these two philosophies for the development of the vertical and horizontal stabilizers of its latest product, the Legacy 500, and the planning and construction of its new composites assembly line in Evora. It first analysis how automated composites fabrication methods like ATL help to reduce parts thus reducing weight and assembly hours. It also analysis solutions developed to guarantee design for assembly and design for automation concepts. Going from product design to manufacturing planning the line presents a layout of monorail, which allows to assembly both stabilizers on the determined rates and is flexible enough to be used for new products and to absorb rate changes. Highly flexible automation with robots is used to panel drilling and fastening. A zero-gravity system is applied to lift heavy components from monorails to working benches. All these applications result on high quality products and very efficient production methods which ultimately generate a more sustainable way to manufacture aircraft components.
Online social networking sites (SNSs) have gained increasing popularity in the last decade, with individuals engaging in SNSs to connect with others who share similar interests. The perceived need to be online may result in compulsive use of SNSs, which in extreme cases may result in symptoms and consequences traditionally associated with substance-related addictions. In order to present new insights into online social networking and addiction, in this paper, 10 lessons learned concerning online social networking sites and addiction based on the insights derived from recent empirical research will be presented. These are: (i) social networking and social media use are not the same; (ii) social networking is eclectic; (iii) social networking is a way of being; (iv) individuals can become addicted to using social networking sites; (v) Facebook addiction is only one example of SNS addiction; (vi) fear of missing out (FOMO) may be part of SNS addiction; (vii) smartphone addiction may be part of SNS addiction; (viii) nomophobia may be part of SNS addiction; (ix) there are sociodemographic differences in SNS addiction; and (x) there are methodological problems with research to date. These are discussed in turn. Recommendations for research and clinical applications are provided.
With respect to automotive safety, the driver plays a crucial role. Stress level, tiredness, and distraction of the driver are therefore of high interest. In this paper, a driver state detection system based on cellular neural networks (CNNs) to monitor the driver's stress level is presented. We propose to include a capacitive-based wireless hand detection (position and touch) sensor for a steering wheel utilizing ink-jet printed sensor mats as an input sensor in order to improve the performance. A driving simulator platform providing a realistic virtual traffic environment is utilized to conduct a study with 22 participants for the evaluation of the proposed system. Each participant is driving in two different scenarios, each representing one of the two no-stress/stress driver states. A threefold cross validation is applied to evaluate our concept. The subject dependence is considered carefully by separating the training and testing data. Furthermore, the CNN approach is benchmarked against other state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. The results show a significant improvement combining sensor inputs from different driver inherent domains, giving a total related detection accuracy of 92%. Besides that, this paper shows that in case of including the capacitive hand detection sensor, the accuracy increases by 10%. These findings indicate that adding a subject-independent sensor, such as the proposed capacitive hand detection sensor, can significantly improve the detection performance.
Previous studies have demonstrated that targeting bradykinin receptors is a promising strategy to counteract the cognitive impairment related with aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The hippocampus is critical for cognition, and abnormalities in this brain region are linked to the decline in mental ability. Nevertheless, the impact of bradykinin signaling on hippocampal function is unknown. Therefore, we sought to determine the role of hippocampal bradykinin receptors B1R and B2R on the cognitive decline of middle-aged rats. Twelve-month-old rats exhibited impaired ability to acquire and retrieve spatial information in the Morris water maze task. A single intra-hippocampal injection of the selective B1R antagonist des-Arg(9)-[Leu(8)]-bradykinin (DALBK, 3 nmol), but not the selective B2R antagonist D-Arg-[Hyp(3),Thi(5),D-Tic(7),Oic(8)]-BK (Hoe 140, 3 nmol), reversed the spatial learning and memory deficits on these animals. However, both drugs did not affect the cognitive function in 3-month-old rats, suggesting absence of nootropic properties. Molecular biology analysis revealed an up-regulation of B1R expression in the hippocampal CA1 sub-region and in the pre-frontal cortex of 12-month-old rats, whereas no changes in the B2R expression were observed in middle-aged rats. These findings provide new evidence that inappropriate hippocampal B1R expression and activation exert a critical role on the spatial learning and memory deficits in middle-aged rats. Therefore, selective B1R antagonists, especially orally active non-peptide antagonists, may represent drugs of potential interest to counteract the age-related cognitive decline. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A mathematical model of the propagation in flooded mine lightweight contaminant due to allocation of groundwater is considered. Mathematical model was based on an analysis of experimental data and using concept and methods from reactive media mechanics. The boundary-value problem is solved numerically using the finite volume method. The distribution of fields of velocities and concentration of impurity particles in a flooded mine have been obtained at different times. These results can be used to analyze mining water treatment process due to environment and evaluate its further possible improvements.
This paper discusses the implementation of deformable ring gears in Multi-Body-Simulation-Models (MBS-Models) of planetary gearboxes using the example of a Wind Turbine (WT). For this purpose an add-on to the MBS-Software SIMPACK was developed and tested by the project partners BOSCH REXROTH and the INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE ELEMENTS AND MACHINE DESIGN at RWTH-AACHEN UNIVERSITY (IME). The presented research includes a measurement campaign on a test rig owned by BOSCH REXROTH to obtain data for a validation of the newly developed add-on.
Although dysregulation of the dopaminergic mesolimbic system is generally considered central to addiction, the involvement of other circuits is increasingly being appreciated. An interaction between locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons and the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA) dopaminergic system, in the processing of drug-triggered reward, has been suggested, but not demonstrated in behaving animals. Herein, we try to tease out the precise role of noradrenergic neurons in the LC-VTA circuit in mediating reward and reinforcement behavior associated with ethanol. In the standard two-lever (active/inactive) operant paradigm, the rats were trained to self-administer ethanol in pVTA and subjected to pharmacological intervention. Intra-pVTA administration of phenylephrine (alpha-1 adrenoceptor agonist) increased ethanol self-administration, while prazosin and disulfiram (agents that reduce noradrenergic tone) produced opposite effects. While degeneration [N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2bromobenzylamine hydrochloride, DSP-4, intraperitoneal route] or silencing (lidocaine or muscimol, both via intra-LC route) of the LC noradrenergic neurons decreased, phenylephrine via the intra-LC route reinstated ethanol self-administration. Furthermore, lidocaine reduced ethanol self-administration, but the effect was fully attenuated by noradrenaline given directly in the pVTA. This suggests that the feedback signals from LC to pVTA are necessary to sustain the ethanol self-infusion activity. Ethanol self-administration significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in pVTA and LC; the response was blocked by DSP-4 pre-treatment. While dopamine D1, but not D2, receptors were localized on noradrenergic LC neurons, pre-treatment with SCH-23390 (intra-LC) dampened the lever press activity. We suggest that two-way communications between VTA and LC regions is essential for ethanol-triggered reinforcement behavior.
In digitally controlled circuits for power electronic circuits, sampling data are important because the digital control circuit is operated on the basis of these data. If the sampled values have been affected by switching noise from the power circuit, the control stability of the circuit would be disturbed. This paper proposes a noiseless sampling method that can sample a value without being affected by the switching noise. The synchronous sampling method may be affected by the switching noise depending on the duty ratio of the circuit. The noiseless sampling method does not obtain data immediately after turn-on and turn-off switching. The control circuit can avoid the switching noise by using noiseless sampling, which leads to a disturbance in the control circuit and enhances the robustness of the circuit when applying the multisampling method. Experimental results are presented to verify that the current control of the proposed sampling method is not disturbed by the switching noise even in the absence of a noise filter.
Previous studies exploring the link between social status and behavior have predominantly utilized measures that do not provide information regarding toward whom aggression or prosocial behavior is directed. Using a contextualized target-specific approach, this study examined whether high-and low-status adolescents behave differently toward peers of varying levels of status. Participants, aged 11-15 (N = 426, 53 % females), completed measures assessing aggression and prosocial behavior toward each same-sex grademate. A distinct pattern of findings emerged regarding the likeability, popularity, and dominance status of adolescents and their peer targets. Popular adolescents reported more direct aggression, indirect aggression, and prosocial behavior toward popular peers than did unpopular adolescents. Well-accepted adolescents reported more prosocial behavior toward a wider variety of peers than did rejected adolescents. Finally, compared to subordinate adolescents, dominant adolescents reported greater direct and indirect aggression toward dominant than subordinate peers. The results highlight the importance of studying target-specific behavior to better understand the status-behavior link.
Purpose of the Review Progressive ankylosis is a feared consequence of long-standing axial spondyloarthritis. We aim to critically review current insights into the effect of therapy, the molecular pathways involved in this process, and to present a model explaining the sequence of events. Recent Findings Long-term follow-up data suggest that successful control of inflammation may slow down radiographic progression of disease in axial spondyloarthritis. Structural effects of new therapies such as interleukin-17 targeting need to be further studied. Bone loss and architectural changes could act as driver for the tissue remodeling process trying to maintain spinal stability in the presence of inflammation. Summary Despite some progress, the nature and mechanisms of new bone formation in axial spondyloarthritis still remain incompletely understood. However, long-term control of inflammation appears critical to avoid progressive disability due to structural damage.
The development of reliable and precise indoor localization systems would considerably improve the ability to investigate shopper movements and behavior inside retail environments. Previous approaches used either computer vision technologies or the analysis of signals emitted by communication devices (beacons). While computer vision approaches provide higher level of accuracy, beacons cover a wider operational area. In this paper, we propose a sensor fusion approach between active radio beacons and RGB-D cameras. This system, used in an intelligent retail environment where cameras are already installed for other purposes, allows an affordable environment set-up and a low operational costs for customer indoor localization and tracking. We adopted a Kalman filter to fuse localization data from radio signals emitted by beacons are used to track users' mobile devices and RGB-D cameras used to refine position estimations. By combing coarse localization datasets from active beacons and RGB-D data from sparse cameras, we demonstrate that the indoor position estimation is strongly enhanced. The aim of this general framework is to provide retailers with useful information by analyzing consumer activities inside the store. To prove the robustness of our approach, several tests were conducted into a real indoor showroom by analyzing real customers behavior with encouraging results. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Early efforts to establish dietary recommendations were focused on defining minimum intakes of nutrients needed to prevent deficiency diseases. Although these early recommendations have proven to be successful in preventing frank deficiency diseases, new knowledge regarding the functions of nutrients at the biochemical, physiological, and gene levels has shifted the emphasis to defining the kinds and amounts of nutrients needed to optimize physiological and mental functions and to prevent or minimize the development of degenerative diseases that now are dominant public health concerns. Several challenges must be faced in producing recommendations based on this new knowledge. It must be recognized that nutrients are not consumed in isolation from one another, and interactions between a single nutrient and other nutrients and nonnutrients in foods will need to be taken into account when making dietary recommendations for that nutrient. Another factor that will influence dietary recommendations is the genetic variation of humans. New knowledge regarding the effects of genetic variability on human metabolism will ultimately lead to the development of dietary recommendations that address genetic influences on the nutritional needs of specific segments of our population.
Method for grinding by adding rubber pad between LED sapphire substrate and ceramic supporting is proposed though the ANSYS finite element analysis, which obtains high flatness of the surface of a substrate efficiently. The experimental results also confirmed that after grinding the 2-inch sapphire substrate in the cushion, the total thickness of the error (TTV) <4 microns and the BOW <3 microns. Therefore, the upholstered film is one of the efficient, economic and highly automated ways to grind sapphire substrate.
This paper proposes an induction motor drive control method which uses a minimal number of sensors, providing only DC-link current as a feedback signal. The improved DC-link current sampling scheme and modified asymmetrical switching pattern cancel the characteristic waveform errors which exist in all three reconstructed motor line-currents. Motor line-current harmonic content is reduced to an acceptable level, eliminating torque and speed oscillations which were inherent for conventional single sensor drives. Consequently, the use of single current sensor and line-current reconstruction technique is no longer acceptable only for low and medium performance drives, but also for the drives where obtaining a highly accurate, stable, and fast response is the priority. The proposed control algorithm is validated using induction motor drive hardware prototype based on TMS320F2812 digital signal processor.
This paper presents an analysis of the implications of some recent studies performed to characterize uranium products from modern uranium recovery facilities important for worker protection. Assumptions about the solubility (related to the molecular species being produced) of these materials in humans are critical to properly assess radiation dose from intakes, understand chemotoxic implications, and establish protective exposure standards (airborne concentrations, limits on intake, etc.). Recent studies, as well as information in the historical professional literature, were reviewed that address the issue of solubility and related characteristics. These data are important for the design of programs for assessment of both chemical and radiological aspects of worker exposure to the products of modern uranium recovery plants (conventional uranium mills and in situ recovery plants; i.e., ISRs). The data suggest strongly that the oxide form produced by these facilities (and therefore, product solubility) is related to precipitation chemistry and thermal exposure (dryer temperature). Given the peroxide precipitation and low temperature drying methods being used at many modern uranium recovery facilities in the U. S. today, very soluble products are being produced. The dosimetric impacts of these products to the pulmonary system (except perhaps in case of an extreme acute insult) would be small, and any residual pulmonary retention beyond a month or two would most likely be too small to measure by traditional urinalysis sampling or the current state-of-the-art of natural uranium in vivo lung counting techniques. Uranium recovery plants should revisit the adequacy of current bioassay programs in the context of their process and product specifics. Workers potentially exposed to these very soluble yellowcake concentrates should have urine specimens submitted for uranium analysis on an approximately weekly basis, including analysis for the biomarkers associated with potential renal injury [e.g., glucose, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and protein albumen]. Additionally, implications for compliance with current U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations (e.g., 10 CFR20) are discussed. NRC, the applicable Agreement State agencies, and licensees need to recognize the importance of the uranium chemotoxicity versus dose relationship in the interest of worker protection.
This paper develops a unified analysis of stagnation flow heat and mass transport, considering both semi infinite domains and finite gaps, with and without rotation of the stagnation surface. An important objective is to derive Nusselt- and Sherwood-number correlations that represent heat and mass transport at the stagnation surface. The approach is based on computationally solving the governing conservation equations in similarity form as a boundary-value problem. The formulation considers ideal gases and incompressible fluids. The correlated results depend on fluid properties in terms of Prandtl, Schmidt, and Damkohler numbers. Heterogeneous chemistry at the stagnation surface is represented as a single first-order reaction. A composite Reynolds number represents the combination of stagnation flows with and without stagnation-surface rotation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Identifying genes and pathways that contribute to differences in neurobehavioural traits is a key goal in psychiatric research. Despite considerable success in identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with behaviour in laboratory rodents, pinpointing the causal variants and genes is more challenging. For a long time, the main obstacle was the size of QTLs, which could encompass tens if not hundreds of genes. However, recent studies have exploited mouse and rat resources that allow mapping of phenotypes to narrow intervals, encompassing only a few genes. Here, we review these studies, showcase the rodent resources they have used and highlight the insights into neurobehavioural traits provided to date. We discuss what we see as the biggest challenge in the field-translating QTLs into biological knowledge by experimentally validating and functionally characterizing candidate genes-and propose that the CRISPR/Cas genome-editing system holds the key to overcoming this obstacle. Finally, we challenge traditional views on inbred versus outbred resources in the light of recent resource and technology developments.
Glioma is a rare brain tumour with a very poor prognosis and the search for modifiable factors is intense. We reviewed the literature concerning risk factors for glioma obtained in case-control designed epidemiological studies in order to discuss the influence of this methodology on the observed results. When reviewing the association between three exposures, medical radiation, exogenous hormone use and allergy, we critically appraised the evidence from both case-control and cohort studies. For medical radiation and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), questionnaire-based case-control studies appeared to show an inverse association, whereas nested case-control and cohort studies showed no association. For allergies, the inverse association was observed irrespective of study design. We recommend that the questionnaire-based case-control design be placed lower in the hierarchy of studies for establishing cause-and-effect for diseases such as glioma. We suggest that a state-of-the-art case-control study should, as a minimum, be accompanied by extensive validation of the exposure assessment methods and the representativeness of the study sample with regard to the exposures of interest. Otherwise, such studies cannot be regarded as 'hypothesis testing' but only 'hypothesis generating'. We consider that this holds true for all questionnaire-based case-control studies on cancer and other chronic diseases, although perhaps not to the same extent for each exposure-outcome combination.
Vaccine development against extracellular bacteria has been important for the sustainability of the aquaculture industry. In contrast, infections with intracellular pathogens remain largely an unresolved problem. Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium that causes the disease francisellosis in fish. Francisellosis is commonly characterized as a chronic granulomatous disease with high morbidity and can result in high mortality depending on the host. In this study, we explored the potential of bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) as a vaccine agent against F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis. Bacterial MVs are spherical structures naturally released from the membrane of bacteria and are often enriched with selected bacterial components such as toxins and signaling molecules. MVs were isolated from broth-cultured F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis in the present work, and proteomic analysis by mass spectrometry revealed that MVs contained a variety of immunogenic factors, including the intracellular growth proteins lgIC and lgIB, known to be part of a Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI), as well as outer membrane protein OmpA, chaperonin GroEL, and chaperone ClpB. By using flow cytometry and electron microscopy, we observed that F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis mainly infects myelomonocytic cells, both in vivo and in vitro. Immunization with MVs isolated from F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis protects zebrafish from subsequent challenge with a lethal dose of F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis. To determine if MVs induce a typical acute inflammatory response, mRNA expression levels were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of tnfa, il1b, and ifng, as well as mhcii, mpeg1.1, and ighm, was upregulated, thus confirming the immunogenic properties of F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis-derived MVs.
Children and adults respond negatively to inequity. Traditional accounts of inequity aversion suggest that as children mature into adults, they become less likely to endorse all forms of inequity. We challenge the idea that children have a unified concern with inequity that simply becomes stronger with age. Instead, we argue that the developmental trajectory of inequity aversion depends on whether the inequity is seen as fair or unfair. In three studies (N = 501), 7- to 8-year-olds were more likely than 4- to 6-year-olds to create inequity that disadvantaged themselvesa fair type of inequity. In findings consistent with our theory, 7- to 8-year-olds were not more likely than 4- to 6-year-olds to endorse advantageous inequity (Study 1) or inequity created by third parties (Studies 2 and 3)unfair types of inequity. We discuss how these results expand on recent accounts of children's developing concerns with generosity and partiality.
Design of an agricultural machine is a highly complex process due to interactions between the operator, machine, and environment. Mountain coffee plantations constitute an economic sector that requires huge investments for the development of agricultural machinery to improve the harvesting and post-harvesting processes and to overcome the scarcity of work forces in the fields. The aim of this study was to develop a preliminary design for a virtual prototype of a coffee fruit harvester. In this study, a project methodology was applied and adapted for the development of the following steps: project planning, informational design, conceptual design, and preliminary design. The construction of a morphological matrix made it possible to obtain a list of different mechanisms with specific functions. The union between these mechanisms resulted in variants, which were weighed to attribute scores for each selected criterion. From each designated proposal, two variants with the best scores were selected and this permitted the preparation of the preliminary design of both variants. The archetype was divided in two parts, namely the hydraulically articulated arms and the harvesting system that consisted of the vibration mechanism and the detachment mechanism. The proposed innovation involves the use of parallel rods, which were fixed in a plane and rectangular metal sheet. In this step, dimensions including a maximum length of 4.7 m, a minimum length of 3.3 m, and a total height of 2.15 m were identified based on the functioning of the harvester in relation to the coupling point of the tractor.
Vibration exists everywhere especially in the public railway operation system. The vibration acceleration is the key factor to monitor and evaluate the structure health of the railway equipment. In this paper, a kind of self-powered triboelectric nano vibration accelerometer (TEVA) is presented. A low frequency spring mass vibration model is built to calculate the vibration sensitive performance and the electric output of the TEVA. The prototype of the TEVA is demonstrated and characterized through the railway vibration simulation platform. It has been testified that TEVA can successfully harvest the low frequency vibration energy and convert it to electrical power to achieve the self-powered vibration acceleration monitoring system. The output current and voltage of TEVA are also sensitive to the vibration acceleration from 1.07 m/s(2) to 1.25 m/s(2) linearly. Hence it can be used as a self-powered nano vibration accelerator for the fault diagnosis. In addition, the generated electricity is used for charging the lithium battery (from 1.5V to 3.1 V) which supplies power to the ZigBee module. The experiment shows that the charged battery through TEVA can support the wireless communication between ZigBee modules, with temperature and humidity sensors embedded on it. The temperature and humidity on the train are 22 degrees C and 35% RH respectively. Therefore, the vibration energy can be harvested and stored for the power supply of wireless sensor network nodes in the near future.
Methylation at histone 3, lysine 36 (H3K36) is a conserved epigenetic mark regulating gene transcription, alternative splicing and DNA repair. Genes encoding H3K36 methyltransferases (KMTases) are commonly overexpressed, mutated or involved in chromosomal translocations in cancer. Molecular biology studies have demonstrated that H3K36 KMTases regulate oncogenic transcriptional programs. Structural studies of the catalytic SET domain of H3K36 KMTases have revealed intriguing opportunities for design of small molecule inhibitors. Nevertheless, potent inhibitors for most H3K36 KMTases have not yet been developed, underlining the challenges associated with this target class. As we now have strong evidence linking H3K36 KMTases to cancer, drug development efforts are predicted to yield novel compounds in the near future.
The microbial populations in the activated sludge of two Polish wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were identified and quantified using Illumina sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA amplicons over a 2-year period. Their dynamics over time were compared to Danish WWTPs (data collected in previous studies by Center for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University). The bacterial communities in Polish and Danish WWTPs were similar to each other, but the microbial diversity in Polish WWTPs was lower. The dominant genera in Polish WWTPs were more abundant than in Danish WWTPs; 30 of them constituted more than half the of activated sludge community. Polish WWTPs showed a higher abundance of bacteria involved in nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand removal (Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes), while polyphosphate-acculumating bacteria were the dominant bacterial group in Danish plants. The microbial community structures in the examined Polish WWTPs were relatively similar to each other and showed strong seasonal variations which are not normally observed in Danish WWTPs.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of amino acid metabolism with an autosomal recessive inheritance caused in most cases by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene. PKU has wide allelic heterogeneity. Here we report a novel heterozygous substitution (c.1223G>T (p.Arg408Leu)) in the PAH gene in an Iranian PKU family. The patient was 19-yr-old female with diagnosis of moderate PKU referred to Department of Medical Genetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran for genetic counseling/analysis in April 2015. We used PCR-Sequencing to identify any sequence variations in the PAH gene.
A method has been developed to determine the fat content in different cold meat products by image processing using the camera of a mobile phone. Salchichon, chorizo, salami and cured ham pictures were taken with a Meizu M2 Mini mobile phone camera under fixed lighting conditions of the light emitting diode flash of the mobile phone. Images were treated with Matlab to obtain the mean pixels of average red, green and blue camera values colours (RGB) of the pixels and different data pretreatments were taken into account to correlate colour parameters with fat content values determined in a series of commercially available samples by the Soxhlet method. RGB values were used as input variable and its correlation with fat content of samples was studied using Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The best correlation between fat content and RGB colour descriptors was found in salchichon and salami samples using SVM, with relative errors of calibration, cross-validation and prediction of 18%, 20% and 16%, respectively. So, the use of a Smartphone camera provides an easy, low-cost, eco-friendly and rapid method for fat content determination in cold meat products. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Reports point to an increase in problematic uses of social networking sites that may include swearing, interpersonally deviant and disadvantageous online behaviors. The etiology of such behaviors, though, is still unknown. Relying on models borrowed from the offline problematic behavior (e.g., gambling, substance abuse) and neurocognitive literatures, we theorize that such behaviors are driven, in part, by elevated motor impulsivity and poor sleep quality, which is also a growing concern in modern society; and that poor sleep quality strengthens the effects of motor impulsivity on the examined range of problematic behaviors, after accounting for stress effects. To test this model we conducted a time -lagged study involving 384 young adults from the US who use social networking sites. Findings based on structural equation modeling analyses reveal that (1) motor impulsivity drives some problematic online behaviors, (2) poor sleep quality (at normative levels) does not directly influence these behaviors, and (3) poor sleep quality augments the effect of motor impulsivity on swearing, interpersonally deviant, and disadvantageous online behaviors, after accounting for stress effects. The results point to possible etiological underpinnings of problematic online behaviors and can serve as a springboard for the development of interventions that target such factors. (C) 2016 Elsevier'Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper deals with torque ripple minimization using a degree of liberty offered when the Doubly Fed Induction Machine is employed in Electrical Naval Propulsion. Various strategies have been carried out on the analysis and the reduction of torques ripples. The torque ripples can be reduced by either the machine design or control methods. The authors introduce a new technique to decrease its torque ripples using the control strategy. Simulation results and experimental tests are presented and discussed.
OBJECTIVE: Children often present to the pediatric emergency department (ED) with a reported penicillin allergy. The true incidence of pediatric penicillin allergy is low, and patients may be inappropriately denied first-line antibiotics. We hypothesized that more than 70% of reported penicillin allergies in the pediatric ED are low risk for true allergy. M METHODS: Parents of children presenting to the pediatric ED with parent-reported penicillin allergy completed an allergy questionnaire. The questionnaire included age at allergy diagnosis, symptoms of allergy, and time to allergic reaction from first dose. The allergy symptoms were dichotomized into high and low risk in consultation with a pediatric allergist before questionnaire implementation. RESULTS: A total of 605 parents were approached; 500 (82.6%) completed the survey. The median (interquartile range) age of the children at diagnosis was 1 year (7 months, 2 years); 75% were diagnosed before their third birthday. Overall, 380 (76%) (95% confidence interval 72.3, 79.7) children had exclusively low-risk symptoms. The most commonly reported symptoms were rash (466, 92.8%) and itching (203, 40.6%). Of the 120 children with one or more high-risk symptom, facial swelling (50, 10%) was the most common. Overall, 354 children (71%) were diagnosed after their first exposure to penicillin. Symptom onset within 24 hours of medication administration occurred in 274 children (54.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Seventy-six percent of patients with parent reported penicillin allergy have symptoms unlikely to be consistent with true allergy. Determination of true penicillin allergy in patients with low-risk symptoms may permit the increased use of first-line penicillin antibiotics.
High levels of worry are a common phenomenon in undergraduate populations, with 28 to 40% of undergraduates in introductory psychology courses classified as high worriers. Worry is characterized by a pervasive neglect of the present moment and persistent thoughts about the future. Various methods of increasing present moment focus have been devised. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two brief present moment awareness training paradigms-Mindfulness Meditation and Present Moment Joy-in high worriers. Although both paradigms seek to increase present moment awareness, the processes by which each does so are different and potentially contradictory. Prior studies have not compared these two paradigms, and the field has yet to examine Present Moment Joy as an independent technique. Ninety-seven high worriers completed two, 20-minute training sessions across 2 days of either Mindfulness Meditation or Present Moment Joy. Participants rated levels of state mindfulness (curiosity and decentering), affect, and anxiety before and after each session. Both conditions increased curiosity and decentering, but Mindfulness Meditation led to greater decentering changes on day 2 than did Present Moment Joy. Both conditions decreased anxiety and negative affect. Only Present Moment Joy increased positive affect. Results suggest that, although Mindfulness Meditation and Present Moment Joy operate via different mechanisms, both increase present moment awareness and reduce anxiety and negative affect; however, when one's goal is also to increase positive affect, Present Moment Joy may be the more effective intervention.
Background. Preoperative disinfection with povidone-iodine results in a significant reduction of the risk for postoperative endophthalmitis and secondary irreversible vision loss in intraocular surgeries and intravitreal injections. Nevertheless, this important measure is often omitted if so-called iodine allergy is suspected. We analyze the physiological and allergological basis for the construct of iodine allergy. Methods. This article is based on a selective literature review using the search term allergy in combination with iodine, povidone, indocyanine green, or seafood. Results. Iodine is a chemical element and an essential component of the human body. Scientific proof for the existence of an antibody-mediated allergic reaction (type I reaction) and in particular an immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated anaphylaxis against iodine is lacking. Chemical irritations and contact allergies (type IV reaction) induced by iodine-containing disinfectants are not antibody-mediated and do not cause anaphylaxis (type I reaction). The uncommon antibody-mediated allergies against iodine-containing disinfectants, fluorescent dyes, radiocontrast media, or seafood are not directed against the contained iodine itself but against other components of the respective formulation. Thus, allergic cross-reactivities between these different substance groups are not to be expected. Conclusion. So-called iodine allergy is a medical myth lacking a scientific basis and should not result in increased patient risks due to omitted preoperative disinfection.
The growing competitiveness in the commercial space market has raised the interest in operating small spacecraft at very low altitudes. To make this feasible, the space industry has started developing propulsion options tailored specifically to these platforms. This paper presents a review of emerging micropropulsion technologies and evaluates their applicability to microsatellite missions in the altitude range 250-500 km. The results of the proposed analysis are demonstrated on two different remote sensing applications.
Jute based geotextile as a substitute to synthetic geotextiles has been reviewed in this study. The importance, advantage and disadvantage of Jute based geotextile have been highlighted. Geotextiles are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain. The degrading condition of the environment and presence of non-biodegradable residues of geotexties as a pollutant has caught attention of scientific researchers. Ecological sustainability and environment has become one of the prime issues in the modem developmental strategy Jute fibre has been found to be an alternate and potential geotextile material. Studies have shown that lifespan and engineering properties of jute based geotextiles can be suitably modified to suit its intended use.
We previously reported the successful induction of complete spermatogenesis of mice in neonatal testis tissues cultured on agarose gel, with the culture medium supplemented with a bovine serum albumin product, AlbuMAX. This method, however, has not been examined for fetal testis tissues. In this report, we tested the culture method for fetal testes of the Acrosin (Acr)-Gfp transgenic mouse, whose testicular germ cells express GFP from the midmeiotic phase onward, using Albu-MAX-containing medium. The fetal testis, from 19.5 days postcoitum (dpc) back to 14.5 dpc, showed spermatogenic progression and produced haploid cells in culture. On the other hand, testes of 13.5 dpc or earlier did not show the meiotic sign of Acr-Gfp expression. Regardless of the fetal age, tissue masses enlarged during the culture period because of the elongation and thickening of the seminiferous tubules. This simple culture method could be a useful experimental system to investigate fetal testicular development and germ cell biology.
Rationale: Research suggests that, among Whites, racial bias predicts negative ingroup health outcomes. However, little is known about whether racial bias predicts ingroup health outcomes among minority populations. Objective: The aim of the current research was to understand whether racial bias predicts negative ingroup health outcomes for Blacks. Method: We compiled racial bias responses from 250,665 Blacks and 1,391,632 Whites to generate county-level estimates of Blacks' and Whites' implicit and explicit biases towards each other. We then examined the degree to which these biases predicted ingroup death rate from circulatory-related diseases. Results: In counties where Blacks harbored more implicit bias towards Whites, Blacks died at a higher rate. Additionally, consistent with previous research, in counties where Whites harbored more explicit bias towards Blacks, Whites died at a higher rate. These links between racial bias and ingroup death rate were independent of county-level socio-demographic characteristics, and racial biases from the out-group in the same county. Conclusion: Findings indicate that racial bias is related to negative ingroup health outcomes for both Blacks and Whites, though this relationship is driven by implicit bias for Blacks, and explicit bias for Whites. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Much attention has been paid to burden shifting of CO2 emissions from developed regions to developing regions through trade. However, less discussed is that trade also acts as a mechanism enabling wealthy consumers to shift water quantity and quality stress to their trading partners. In this study, we investigate how Shanghai, the largest megacity in China, draws water resources from all over China and outsources its pollution through virtual quantity and quality water flows associated with trade. The results show that Shanghai's consumption of goods and services in 2007 led to 11.6 billion m(3) of freshwater consumption, 796 thousand tons of COD, and 16.2 thousand tons of NH3-N in discharged wastewater. Of this, 79% of freshwater consumption, 82.9% of COD and 82.5% of NH3-N occurred in other Chinese Provinces which provide goods and services to Shanghai. Thirteen Provinces with severe and extreme water quantity stress accounted for 60% of net virtual water import to Shanghai, while 19 Provinces experiencing water quality stress endured 79% of net COD outsourcing and 75.5% of net NH3-N outsourcing from Shanghai. In accordance with the three redlines recently put forward by the Chinese central government to control water pollution and cap total water use in all provinces, we suggest that Shanghai should share its responsibility for reducing water quantity and quality stress in its trading partners through taking measures at provincial, industrial, and consumer levels. In the meantime, Shanghai needs to enhance demand side management by promoting low water intensity consumption.
This paper presents a novel framework, called Bean, which aims to monitor, evaluate and enhance pre-school children's skills and abilities through playing in Ambient Intelligence environments. The framework includes: (i) a model of children development based on the ICF-CY model and the Denver - II assessment tool, aiming at early detection of children's potential developmental issues to be further investigated and addressed if necessary; (ii) a reasoning mechanism for the automated extraction of child development knowledge, based on interaction monitoring, targeted to model relevant aspects of child's developmental stage, maturity level and skills; (iii) content editing tools and reporting facilities for parents and therapists. The framework has been implemented in the context of an AmI environment for supporting children play in AmI, deploying a collection of augmented artifacts, as well as a collection of digital reproductions of popular games.
In this study, we prepared a multi-functional thin-film thermoelectric device for small-scale energy harvesting and self-powered light sensing. A comprehensive optimization was conducted in terms of thermoelectric material, device, and system integration. The thermoelectric thin films in the device were prepared using the sputtering method together with a post-annealing process. A Fresnel lens was incorporated into the thin-film thermoelectric device for energy concentration. In addition, a simulation procedure was used to facilitate the optimization of the heat sink, which can provide fast heat dissipation and mechanical support for the thin-film thermoelectric device. The electricity generation and light sensing performance was then characterized under solar irradiation, followed by a feasibility study for sensor application. The results indicate that our thin-film thermoelectric device exhibits high voltage output and greatly enhanced responsivity. This work presents a significant progress toward an integrated design of an applicable and multifunctional thin-film thermoelectric sensor for detecting sunlight intensity.
In the framework of storm water management, Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH) systems are recently recognized as source control solutions according to LID principles. In order to assess the impact of these systems in storm water runoff control, a simple methodological approach is proposed. The hydrologic-hydraulic modelling is undertaken using EPA SWMM; the DRWH is implemented in the model by using a storage unit linked to the building water supply system and to the drainage network. The proposed methodology has been implemented for a residential urban block located in Genoa (Italy). Continuous simulations are performed by using the high-resolution rainfall data series for the do nothing and DRWH scenarios. The latter includes the installation of a DRWH system for each building of the urban block. Referring to the test site, the peak and volume reduction rate evaluated for the 2125 rainfall events are respectively equal to 33 and 26 percent, on average (with maximum values of 65 percent for peak and 51 percent for volume). In general, the adopted methodology indicates that the hydrologic performance of the storm water drainage network equipped with DRWH systems is noticeable even for the design storm event (T = 10 years) and the rainfall depth seems to affect the hydrologic performance at least when the total depth exceeds 20 mm. 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The aim of this study was to assess the environmental impact of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) implerriented in constructed wetlands (CWs). To this aim a life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out comparing three scenarios: 1) a conventional CW system (without MFC implementation); 2) a CW system coupled with a gravel-based anode MFC, and 3) a CW system coupled with a graphite-based anode MFC. All systems served a population equivalent of 1500 p.e. They were designed to meet the same effluent quality. Since MFCs implemented in CWs improve treatment efficiency, the CWs coupled with MFCs had lower specific area requirement compared to the conventional CW system. The functional unit was 1 m(3) of wastewater. The LCA was performed with the software SimaPro (R) 8, using the CML-IA baseline method. The three scenarios considered showed similar environmental performance in all the categories considered, with the exception of Abiotic Depletion Potential. In this impact category, the potential environmental impact of the CW system coupled with a gravel-based anode MFC was around 2 times higher than that generated by the conventional CW system and the CW system coupled with a graphite based anode MFC. It was attributed to the large amount of less environmentally friendly materials (e.g. metals, graphite) for MFCs implementation, especially in the case of gravel-based anode MFCs. Therefore, the CW system coupled with graphite-based anode MFC appeared as the most environmentally friendly solution which can replace conventional CWs reducing system footprint by up to 20%. An economic assessment showed that this system was around 1.5 times more expensive than the conventional CW system. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Device-free positioning allows to localize and track passive targets (i.e., not carrying any electronic device) moving in an area monitored by a dense network of low-power and battery-operated wireless sensors. The technology is promising for a wide number of applications, ranging from ambient intelligence in smart spaces, intrusion detection, emergency and rescue operations in critical areas. In this paper, a new approach is proposed where both the average path-loss and the fluctuations of the received signal strength induced by the moving target are jointly modeled based on the theory of diffraction. A novel stochastic model is derived and used for the evaluation of fundamental performance limits. The model is proved to be tight enough to be adopted for real-time estimation of the target location. The proposed localization system is validated by extensive experimental studies in both indoor and outdoor environments. The model calibration is addressed in practical scenarios to compare the performance of different Bayesian online localization methods. The test-bed system supports efficient and flexible target tracking, without requiring any action from the end-users. In addition, the technology is proven to be readily applicable over the existing IEEE 802.15.4 compliant PHY layer standard, by adapting the low-level MAC firmware.
This paper uses pragmatic findings and lessons learned from three case studies to deduce that community-based rainwater harvesting (CB-RWH) is an innovative solution to develop sustainable drinking water supply systems in developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia. Taking advantage of traditional community-based activities in African and Asian villages, the water supply system can be significantly improved with the introduction and implementation of CB-RWH systems. Furthermore, sustainable, safe water sources in Africa and Asia can be brought to fruition when transparent self-regulatory management systems are supported through comprehensive design and maintenance guidelines and funded from private and public sources. To this end, the potential for CB-RWH to lead toward greater resilience and sustainability was investigated. Based on case studies of three successful demonstration projects in Africa and Asia, this paper identifies 14 innovative solutions resolving technical, economic, and social problems which have been barriers preventing the wide implementation of CB-RWH in developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia. It also recommends strategies to promote CB-RWH in African and Asian villages, which include the following: implementation of more pilot projects at local levels; promotion of and education in rainwater preservation and harvesting at all levels of the education system; and innovation in micro-funding systems in cooperation with corporate social responsibility activities. These strategies will promote the implementation of CB-RWH as a mainstream and high-priority technique for national, regional, and global water strategies.
Purpose Manifestation of allergic disease depends on genetic predisposition, diet and commensal microbiota. Genetic polymorphism of mothers determines their breast milk glycan composition. One major determinant is the fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2, secretor gene) that was shown to be linked to commensal microbiota establishment. We studied whether FUT2-dependent breast milk oligosaccharides are associated with allergic disease in breast-fed infants later in life. Methods We analyzed FUT2-dependent oligosaccharides in breast milk samples of mothers (n = 266) from the placebo group of a randomized placebo-controlled trial of prebiotics and probiotics as preventive against allergic disease in infants with high allergy risk (trial registry number: NCT00298337). Using logistic regression models, we studied associations between FUT2-dependent breast milk oligosaccharides and incidence of allergic disease at 2 and 5 years of age. Results At 2 years, but not at 5 years of age, we observed a presumed lower incidence (p < 0.1) for IgE-associated eczema manifestation in C-section-born infants who were fed breast milk containing FUT2-dependent oligosaccharides. By logistic regression, we observed a similar relation (p < 0.1) between presence of FUT2-dependent breast milk oligosaccharides and IgE-associated disease and IgE-associated eczema in C-section-born infants only. When testing with the levels of breast milk oligosaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose as proxy for FUT2 activity, we observed significant (p < 0.05) associations in the C-section-born infants with 'any allergic disease,' IgE-associated disease, eczema and IgE-associated eczema. Conclusion The data indicate that infants born by C-section and having a high hereditary risk for allergies might have a lower risk to manifest IgE-associated eczema at 2 years, but not 5 years of age, when fed breast milk with FUT2-dependent milk oligosaccharides. Further studies with larger cohorts and especially randomized controlled intervention trials are required to build on these preliminary observations.
Jensen, Weibel and Vitus's article critically discusses contemporary Danish policies aimed at the elimination of ethnoracial discrimination, drawing on policy analyses and qualitative interviews with local and national authorities in Denmark. It illustrates how questions of discrimination and racism are marginalized and de-legitimized within the dominant integration discourse, resulting in the marginalization of anti-racism in policymaking. The side-stepping of racism is being naturalized in public policies through strategies of denial and by addressing discrimination as a product of ignorance and individual prejudice rather than as embedded in social structures. The authors examine how immigration, integration and (anti-)racism as concepts and phenomena are understood and addressed in Danish public policies and discourses. Despite denials of racism in Denmark, Jensen, Weibel and Vitus show that, based on re-definitions of identities and relations, it continues to exist and is evident in public debates and policies on immigration and integration.
Recent developments in understanding the role of bile acids (BAs) as signalling molecules in human metabolism and inflammation have opened new avenues in the field of hepatology research. BAs are no longer considered as simple molecules helping in fat digestion but as agents with real therapeutic value in treating complex autoimmune and metabolic liver diseases. BAs and their receptors such as farnesoid X receptor, transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor 5 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor have been identified as novel targets for drug development. Some of these novel pharmaceuticals are already in clinical evaluation with the most advanced drugs having reached phase III trials. Chronic liver diseases such as primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, for which there is no or limited pharmacotherapy, are most likely to gain from these developments. In this review we discuss recent and the most relevant basic and clinical research findings related to BAs and their implications for novel therapy for chronic liver diseases.
Although phosphorus (P) is an essential element needed for all lives, excess P can be harmful to the environment. The objective of this study aims to determine P flows in the fisheries sector of Thailand consisting of both sea and freshwater activities of captures and cultures. Currently, the annual fisheries catch averages 3.44 +/- 0.50 Mt. Most comes from marine capture 1.95 +/- 0.46 Mt, followed by coastal aquaculture 0.78 +/- 0.09 Mt, freshwater aquaculture 0.49 +/- 0.05 Mt, and inland capture 0.22 +/- 0.01 Mt. Of this total, about 11% is contained in fresh products directly sold in local markets for consumption, while 89% is sent to processing factories prior to being sold in local markets and exported. The quantities of P entering the fisheries sector come from captures, import of fisheries products and feed produced from agriculture. This P input to the fisheries sector is found to average 28,506 t P.y(-1) based on the past ten-year records. Of this total, P input from captures accounts for 76%; while, 11% represents aquatic feeds from agriculture and animal manures. About 13% is obtained from the imports of fishery products. Coastal and freshwater aquacultures are found to be P consumers because their feeds are almost all produced from agricultural crops grown inland. Moreover, these activities cause most of P losses, approximately 10,188 t P.y(-1), which account for 89% of the total P loss from the fisheries sector. Overall, P in the fisheries sector is found to mobilize through three channels: (a) 44% is consumed within the country; (b) about 16% is exported; and, (c) 40% is lost from the ecosystem. Based on the results of this work it is recommended that future research be directed on ways to minimize P loss and maximize P recycle in Thailand's fisheries sector as to enhance its food security and curtail water pollution. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the increasingly frequent intercultural communication, the influence of intercultural Pragmatic failures more and more clearly revealed. Currently, many researchers and language teachers at home and abroad conducted researches on verbal conduct pragmatic failure, but they often overlooked the nonverbal communication pragmatic failure. This paper focuses on the types and causes of nonverbal pragmatic failure in intercultural communication, and then puts forward the strategy to avoid or reduce pragmatic failures in order to provide some useful reference for people engaging in intercultural communication.
Objective. Aim of this study was to develop a prototype for an innovative, burr-hole mounted device, for stabilizing endoscopes during intracranial surgery. The objective was an easily maneuverable device, freeing one hand without compromising flexibility and safety. This could avoid the need for a second surgeon or a bulky holder, thus improving coordination. Methods. The initial concept arose from the observation that intraventricular endoscopy is often performed by 2 surgeons, 1 navigating the endoscope and 1 inserting/handling instruments through the working channel. A specification analysis was performed. Desired properties were specified through a literature review, as well as informal interviews with surgeons and engineers. Tools used for the design included blueprints, 3-dimensional computer aided-design and cooperating with engineers. The final prototype was 3D-printed and the toruses were produced with molding. Results. A prototype named BuESta (Burr hole Endoscope Stabililizer) was produced. This consists of 2 half hollow sphere parts and interchangeable toruses and has the following features: easy to produce, inexpensive, not prolonging surgical time, semirigid, variable fixation, easy to fix/release, safe, no bulky articulated arms, mimicking basic concepts of second hand fixation (index finger/thumb fixation, hand resting/stabilizing on skull). Conclusions. This work represents a feasibility study including specification analysis, design and prototyping of a novel Burr hole endoscope stabilizing device. The device offers variable support for the endoscope, from complete free-hand to semirigid to rigid, thus freeing one hand which is often used to stabilize the endoscope. It can potentially help achieve solo surgery.
This paper presents the design and implementation of a digital control system for modular multilevel converters, based on digital signal processors. To achieve higher system control reliability and multi-functionality, the proposed architecture has been built with an effective split of the control tasks involved between a master controller and six slave controllers, one for each of the six arms of the converter. The master controller handles energy flow within the converter and user communication using Ethernet and universal serial bus. Each slave controller handles capacitors voltages balancing within the arm. Intercommunication between the different boards is achieved mainly through optical fiber and inter integrated circuit bus. Experiments have been carried out to verify the effectiveness of this architecture.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is predominantly grown as a commercial crop in river basins of lower Krishna, Telangana, South India. A long-term crop water balance analysis for maize in two sowing windows (normal sowing: 20 June; late sowing: 25 July) was done for A1b climate change scenario using the down-scaled climate data from the GCM model ECHAM5. The crop water balance parameters such as rainfall, effective rainfall, crop evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation requirements of maize during the two sowing windows were estimated using the CROPWAT model for the base period (1961-90) and long-term period (2011-50; mid-century). In the normal sowing window of maize, there was significant variation in the decadal crop ET (24% to 28%) and irrigation requirements (-7% to 26%) having increasing trend during 2011-2050 over base period. The amount of average decadal rainfall and effective rainfall decreased during 2011-2050 in the range 6% to -23% and 10% to -7% respectively, over the base period. The decadal average rainfall and effective rainfall showed increasing trends of 147-151% and 96-110% respectively, over base period in late sowing window. Also, the crop ET and irrigation requirements exhibited a decreasing trend. The study indicates a shift in the seasonal rainfall in normal sowing window during June to July and it extends up to October and November after the season, indicating more rainfall in late sowing window of maize and scope for rainwater harvesting in the lower Krishna river basin for sustaining maize production.
Endolichenic fungi are diverse groups of predominantly filamentous fungi that reside asymptomatically in the interior of lichen thalli. Natural products from endolichenic fungi, isolated from a variety of different lichen species, have been attracting increased attention for their potential to produce bioactive metabolites possessing new structures and representing different structural classes. This is evident from the steady increase of publications devoted to endolichenic fungal metabolites over the past decade, since the first report of endolichenic secondary metabolites. The bioactive metabolites produced by endolichenic fungi originate from multiple biosynthetic pathways and occupy different chemical structure classes, including steroids, quinones, terpenoids, peptides, xanthones, sulfur-containing chromenones, etc. Endolichenic fungal metabolites possess a diverse array of bioactivities, such as anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-Alzheimer's disease. This review provides the first thorough assessment of endolichenic fungi, their biodiversity, secondary metabolites, and associated bioactivity. This review will highlight the bioactive metabolites reported in recent years from endolichenic fungi, as well as discussing the potential of these symbiotic fungi as sources of new, diverse natural products with varying bioactivities.
Background: During the last fifteen years, the possibility of delivering psychoeducation programs through Internet-based platforms have been explored. Studies evaluating those programs have shown good to acceptable retention rates. In this context, we developed a smartphone application (SIMPLe) collecting information about mood symptoms and offering personalized psychoeducation messages. The main aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and satisfaction of the smartphone application. Methods: The study was conducted from March to August 2015. Participation in the study was proposed to a consecutive sample of adult patients attending an outpatient mental health clinic. Sociodemographic data, clinical and functional assessments alongside smartphone ownership and uses were collected at baseline and at 3 months' follow-up. A 5 item Likert-scale satisfaction questionnaire was also employed. Results: 51 participants were initially enrolled in the study, 36 (74%) remained actively using the application after 3 months. The whole sample interacted with the application a mean of 77 days (SD= 26.2). During these days they completed 88% of the daily tests. Over 86% of the participants agreed that the experience using the application was satisfactory. Limitations: The diversity of smartphones operating systems led to a moderate, although representative, sample number. Additionally, the subjective data reporting, narrow time frame of use and stability of the patients could have affected the results. Conclusions: The results confirm that this particular intervention is feasible and represent a satisfactory and acceptable instrument for the self-management of bipolar disorder as an add-on to the usual treatment but future clinical trials must still probe its efficacy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Restoration of native head-shaft angle (HSA) is critical for treatment of proximal humerus fracture. However, HSA has not been properly investigated according to the humeral rotation. This study was designed to analyze the relationship between the humeral rotation and the HSA at 1 increments, and clarify its serial changing pattern according to the humeral rotation. Hypothesis: The angulation of HSA would be undervalued when the humerus is being rotated externally and it would be overvalued when it is being rotated internally. Materials and methods: Eight dried cadaveric normal humeri were CT scanned. They were analyzed using computer-aided design with a standardized neutral position. HSA was the angle between the humeral shaft axis (SA) and the humeral head axis (HA). SA and HA were the best-fit lines through center of all the best-fitting circles in every cross section along the humeral shaft and within the humeral head, respectively. Each 3D model was rotated 30 degrees internally and 45 degrees externally relatives to the SA at 1 degrees increments with the camera was fixed at antero-posterior view of neutral position. Angulation of HSA in every rotational degree was documented as ratio relatives to the angulation of HSA in neutral position. Results: The average HSA at neutral position was 133 +/- 1.93 degrees HSA was underestimated by 8 +/- 1.9% and it was overestimated by 20 +/- 5.1% at the maximum external rotation (ER) and internal rotation (IR), respectively. HSA was underestimated by 1% in every 5.8 degrees of ER and overestimated by 1% in every 1.5 degrees of IR. Rotational misalignments within 10 degrees of IR and 18 degrees of ER could be tolerated (P >.05). Conclusions: HSA was underestimated at ER and was overestimated at IR. This information could be useful for surgeons in restoring the native HSA for treatment of proximal humerus fracture.
In this paper we show two applications for a generalization of the Lambert W function. Explicit calculations are given for the inverse Langevin function that plays an important role in the study of paramagnetic materials, and for the dispersion equations for water waves. After these examples we provide some additional knowledge on the generalized Lambert function as well as a review of former studies made towards this direction by other authors.
Conventional Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs) using ambient air as their coolant cannot fully utilize the greater temperature differential available to them during the colder months. However, changing the working fluid composition so its boiling temperature matches the ambient temperature as it changes has been shown to have potential to increase year-round electricity generation. Previous research has assumed that the cycle pressure ratio is able to vary without a major loss in the isentropic efficiency of the turbine. This paper investigates if small scale ORC systems that normally use positive-displacement expanders with fixed expansion ratios could also benefit from this new concept. A numerical model was firstly established, based on which a comprehensive analysis was then conducted. The results showed that it can be applied to systems with positive-displacement expanders and improve their year-round electricity generation. However, such an improvement is less than that of the systems using turbine expanders with variable expansion ratios. Furthermore, such an improvement relies on heat recovery via the recuperator. This is because expanders with a fixed expansion ratio have a relatively constant pressure ratio between their inlet and outlet. The increase of pressure ratio between the evaporator and condenser by tuning the condensing temperature to match colder ambient condition in winter cannot be utilised by such expanders. However, with the recuperator in place, the higher discharging temperature of the expander could increase the heat recovery and consequently reduce the heat input at the evaporator, increasing the thermal efficiency and the specific power. The higher the amount of heat energy transferred in the recuperator, the higher the efficiency improvement.
Based on Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotion, we explored the role of school affect (i.e., positive affect in school and negative affect in school) in connecting gratitude, prosocial behavior, and school satisfaction among a sample of 324 (176 males) elementary school students in grades 4 to 6 by using structural equation modeling. The participants completed a packet of questionnaires, including the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), the Elementary School Students' Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (ESSSWBSS), and the Primary School Upper Grade Students' Prosocial Behaviors Questionnaire (PSUGSPBQ). The results showed that elementary school students' (1) positive affect in school and negative affect in school significantly related to school satisfaction; (2) prosocial behavior fully mediated the relation between gratitude and school satisfaction; (3) gratitude related to school satisfaction indirectly through positive affect in school and negative affect in school. As hypothesized, the effect was stronger for positive affect in school. Limitations and practical applications of the study were discussed.
Steady free-surface flows can produce sudden changes in height and velocity, namely standing jumps, which demarcate supercritical from subcritical flows. Standing jumps have traditionally been observed and studied experimentally with water in order to mimic various hydraulic configurations, for instance in the vicinity of energy dissipators. More recently, some studies have emerged that investigate standing jumps formed in flows of dry granular materials, which are relevant to the design of protection dams against avalanches. In the present paper, we present a new explicit relation for the prediction of the height of standing jumps. We demonstrate the robustness of the new relation proposed by revisiting and cross-comparing a great number of data sets on standing jumps formed in water flows on horizontal and inclined smooth beds, in water flows on horizontal rough beds, and in flows of dry granular materials down smooth inclines. Our study reveals the limits of the traditional one-to-one relation between the sequent depth ratio of the jump and the Froude number of the incoming supercritical flow, namely the Belanger equation. The latter is a Rankine-Hugoniot relation which does not take into account the gravitational and frictional forces acting within the jump volume, over the jump length, as well as the possible density change across the jump when the incoming fluid is compressible. The newly proposed relation, which is exact for grains and a reasonable approximation for water, can solve all of these issues. However, this relation can predict the height of the standing jump only if another length scale, namely the length of the jump, is known. We conclude our study by discussing empirical but simple closure relations to get a reasonable estimate of the jump length for water flows and dry granular flows. These closure relations can be used to feed the general jump relation and then predict with accuracy the heights of the jumps in a number of situations, provided that well-calibrated friction laws - described in the present study - are considered.
The impressive functions of brain circuits have inspired many scientists to attempt in designing neuron analogues by using artificial molecular systems or electronic devices. However, the study of molecular neuron has not produced an equal variety of models. Here, using UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, and resonance light scattering spectroscopies for pH sensing with a common indicator Congo red dye, we show how Congo red molecules can be used to construct molecular neuron and exhibit neuron-like behavior. Our molecular neural model uses molecular groups as 'dendrites' which receive and sense environmental stimuli inputs (pH), molecular matrix as 'soma' which acts as the summation function, and the change in optical characteristics as 'axon' which represents outputs. Our approach allows us to utilize simple sensing molecules as McCulloch-Pitts neuron for experimental implementation of large-scale logic computation in batch mode and to use extraordinary information density inherent in molecular neuron for alphanumeric information encoding and molecular cryptography. Our results suggest that molecules could be used as universal artificial neurons with the capability of sensing analytes or environmental stimuli, remembering patterns of molecular events, and making decisions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society Health Index (ASAS HI) is an inclusive questionnaire, able to describe the total impairments and restrictions due to axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Considering the relationship between ASAS HI and the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-CRP, the aim of this study is to establish the ASAS HI cut-off values for functioning categories employing the ASDAS-CRP disease activity states in axSpA patients. ASAS HI and ASDAS-CPR were obtained from 140 consecutive axSpA patients, divided in the four ASDAS-CRP disease activity categories. High and very high disease activity were considered together. The ASAS HI cut-offs were obtained from the arithmetic mean, rounded off to the closest whole number, of the 75th percentile mean value of a lower rank and the 25th percentile mean value of the adjacent higher rank. This approach was applied in the transition from inactive disease and moderate disease activity, and in the transition from moderate disease activity and high/very high disease activity. Twenty-three patients were classified as having inactive disease, 36 were classified as having moderate disease activity, and 81 were in a high/very high disease activity state. Using the approach of the 75th-25th percentile mean values of adjacent disease activity states, the ASAS HI cut-offs resulted: ae4 to dinstinguish a normal functioning, >4 and ae8 to distinguish a moderate impairment of functioning, and >8 to distinguish a severe impairment of functioning. ASAS HI seems a reliable tool to define functioning categories in patients with axSpA.
The technique of system simulation has gained wide acceptability during the last three decades and has become an important tool of the modern decision making science. The main reason for the fast development of this branch of decision science is the rapid growth of digital computers. At present, system simulation finds an important place in the manufacturing engineering and has been extensively employed as an aid, in analysis and optimization of manufacturing systems, design of new production facilities and layout generation for warehouses and distribution systems. Evaluating and selecting software packages that meet an organization's requirements is a difficult decision making process. Selection of a wrong software package can turn out to be costly and adversely affect business processes. The aim of this paper is to provide a basis to improve the process of evaluation and selection of the software packages, because there are a variety of simulation tools for manufacturing system. The current research will focus on the study and overview of the available simulation software and an attempt has been made to build some criteria for selecting simulation software for manufacturing system. The current approach when appropriately applied should result in more effective simulation software selection and application.
A diversity of synthetic cathinones has flooded the recreational drug marketplace worldwide. This variety is often a response to legal control actions for one specific compound (e.g. methcathinone) which has resulted in the emergence of closely related replacement. Based on recent trends, the nitrogen atom is one of the sites in the cathinone molecule being explored by designer type modifications. In this study, we designed and synthesized two new synthetic cathinones, (1) alpha-piperidinopropiophenone (PIPP) and (2) alpha-piperidinopentiothiophenone (PIVT), which have piperidine ring substituent on their nitrogen atom. Thereafter, we evaluated whether these two compounds have an abuse potential through the conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice and self-administration (SA) in rats. We also investigated whether the substances can induce locomotor sensitization in mice following 7 days daily injection and challenge. qRT-PCR analyses were conducted to determine their effects on dopamine-related genes in the striatum. PIPP (10 and 30 mg/kg) induced CPP in mice, but not PIVT. However, both synthetic cathinones were not self-administered by the rats and did not induce locomotor sensitization in mice. qRT-PCR analyses showed that PIPP, but not PIVT, reduced dopamine transporter gene expression in the striatum. These data indicate that PIPP, but not PIVT, has rewarding effects, which may be attributed to its ability to affect dopamine transporter gene expression. Altogether, this study suggests that PIPP may have abuse potential. Careful monitoring of this type of cathinone and related drugs are advocated.
AIM To characterize the formation and urinary elimination of metabolites of S-(+) and R-(-) methamphetamine (MA) in humans. METHODS In this 12-subject, six-session, double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced, crossover design study, the formation of the MA metabolites para hydroxymethamphetamine (pOH-MA) and amphetamine (AMP) were determined in urine after intravenous doses of S-(+)-MA 0.25 and 0.5 mg kg(-1), R-(-)-MA 0.25 and 0.5 mg kg(-1), racemic MA 0.5 mg kg(-1), or placebo. Parent drug and metabolite levels in urine and plasma were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental models using WinNonlin. RESULTS An approximately threefold enantioselectivity difference in elimination was observed for AMP, with 7% of the dose converted to S-(+)-AMP vs. 2% to R-(-)-AMP (P < 0.001). Furthermore, less R-(-)-pOH-MA was excreted in the urine compared with S-(+)-pOH-MA (8% vs. 11%, P = 0.02). Correspondingly, S-(+)-MA excretion was less than R-(-)-MA (42% vs. 52%; P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS The metabolism of MA is enantioselective, with formation of AMP having the highest isomer selectivity. A greater percentage of MA is converted to pOH-MA (8-11%) than AMP (2-7%). The formation of pOH-MA was less affected by the MA enantiomer administered, suggesting that urine pOH-MA may be a more stable biomarker of MA metabolism.
Extensive studies have reported cognitive abnormalities in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Another line of evidence suggests that stress also affects cognitive functions. In this study, we investigated whether there were associations between stress hormones and cognitive functions in ASD and typically developing (TD) children. Cognitive functions in ASD and TD children were evaluated with a battery of psychological tests for working memory, behavioral flexibility, and social cognition for emotional assessments of others. ASD children exhibited higher hair and salivary cortisol, which reflects chronic and acute stress hormone levels of subjects, respectively, than TD children. Autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) was positively correlated with hair cortisol and the scores of Spence Children's Anxiety Scale in ASD children. In addition, a negative correlation was present between spatial working memory performance and hair cortisol in ASD, but not in TD, children. These results suggest that chronic stress hormone elevation may have relationships with some aspects of cognitive dysfunction in ASD subjects. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IBRO.
In large cities, rainwater tanks are used to save mains water, but in peri-urban and rural areas, rainwater tanks are used as a sole water supply for many households, as these regions often do not have any other means of water supply. This paper investigates the performance of a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) in peri-urban regions of Greater Sydney, Australia. Considering the daily rainfall data over the entire period of record at ten different locations, it has been found that a 5 kL tank can meet 96% to 99% of the demand for toilet and laundry use depending on the location in Greater Sydney regions. However, in the driest year, a 5 kL tank can meet 69% to 99% of toilet and laundry demand depending on the location. Based on the results of life cycle cost analysis, it has been found that a 5 kL tank has the highest benefit-cost ratio (ranging from 0.86 to 0.97) among the eight possible tank sizes examined in this study. Interestingly, for a 5 kL tank, with a combined use (i.e., toilet, laundry and irrigation), the current water price in Sydney needs to be increased by 3% to 16% to achieve a benefit-cost ratio exceeding one. A set of regression equations are developed which can be used to estimate reliability using the average annual rainfall data at any arbitrary location in the peri-urban regions of Greater Sydney. The method presented in this paper can also be applied to other Australian states and other countries to estimate water savings and reliability of a RWHS using daily rainfall data.
Engaging in mentalizing, i.e., reflecting on others' thoughts, beliefs and feelings, is known to facilitate later empathy and prosocial behavior. Activation in dorsomedial prefrontal (dmPFC) areas during mentalizing has been shown to predict the extent of prosocial behavior. It is unclear, however, what cognitive process drives these effects: a simulation process in which the own mental states are used as a proxy for those of others (self-projection) or an effortful other-enhancement process in which one's own perspective is overridden. In this fMRI study we examined the effects of mentalizing with similar and dissimilar others on behavioral and brain measures of empathy and prosocial behavior, to assess which cognitive process mediates the facilitative effects of mentalizing. Participants had to mentalize with two fictitious target persons, one of whom was manipulated to have similar thoughts and beliefs as the participant, while the other had dissimilar mental states. We then assessed participants' behavioral and neural responses during an empathy for pain task and a prosocial behavior task. Similarity between participant and target person increased empathy and affiliation ratings, and mentalizing with dissimilar persons evoked increased activation in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the extent of which was inversely related with bias towards the similar person in empathy. Responses in two dmPFC regions were also predictive of later variations in subsequent empathy and prosocial behavior, either predicting overall prosociality and empathic concern (lateral dmPFC), or predicting reduced empathic bias towards the similar person and a lower response to self-related stressors in pain matrix areas (medial dmPFC). This pattern of results suggests that generating and enhancing other-related representations while overcoming one's own perspective, rather than enhanced recruitment of self-projection processes, is driving the facilitative effects of mentalizing on later empathic and prosocial responses. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Under certain conditions traction machines with short axial length and relatively large diameter are required. If the space constraints do not allow for a conventional machine design with a low number of poles and a distributed winding, a machine with a higher number of poles and a tooth coil winding can be a possible solution. As a consequence also the lamination steel, the winding copper and the skewing of the machine have to be adapted. Taking account of the special properties of this type of machine a traction generator with short axial length and high power density was built.
Adipose tissue plays an important role in tumor progression, because it provides nutrients and adipokines to proliferating cells. Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a key adipokine for fatty acid transport. In metabolic pathologies, plasma levels of FABP4 are increased. However, the role of this circulating protein is unknown. Recent studies have demonstrated that FABP4 might have a role in tumor progression, but the molecular mechanisms involved are still unclear. In this study, we analysed the role of eFABP4 (exogenous FABP4) in breast cancer progression. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells did not express substantial levels of FABP4 protein, but intracellular FABP4 levels increased after eFABP4 incubation. Moreover, eFABP4 enhanced the proliferation of these breast cancer cells but did not have any effect on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell migration. Additionally, eFABP4 induced the AKT and MAPK signaling cascades in breast cancer cells, and the inhibition of these pathways reduced the eFBAP4-mediated cell proliferation. Interestingly, eFABP4 treatment in MCF-7 cells increased levels of the transcription factor FoxM1 and the fatty acid transport proteins CD36 and FABP5. In summary, we showed that eFABP4 plays a key role in tumor proliferation and activates the expression of fatty acid transport proteins in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rainfed agriculture with nearly 58% of the cultivated area is home to about 40% of human and 60% of livestock population in India and contributes 40% of the country's food production. Even after full realizing the full irrigation potential of the country, half of the cultivated area will continue to be under rainfed farming which highly dependent on monsoon rainfall. It is widely believed that increasing rainfall variability is likely to affect the livelihoods of millions of small and marginal farmers in the years to come. The National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was initiated in 2011 to primarily strengthen research to address climate change and to demonstrate proven resilient practices in most climate vulnerable parts of the country. Farmer participatory technology demonstrations are being carried out since 2011-12 in 100 vulnerable districts prone to recurrent drought, floods, and extreme weather events like cyclone, heat and cold wave. Interventions broadly fall into four modules related to natural resource management (NRM), crop, livestock and fisheries production systems and capacity building. During these three years, rainfall variability such as delayed onset and prolonged breaks in monsoon was experienced in several parts of the country. A total of 1259 NRM interventions to impact resilience through in situ soil moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and efficient recycling were demonstrated, which resulted in a significant increase in crop yields by about 20-40% even under variable rainfall situations. Short duration, drought and flood tolerant varieties in paddy, pulses and oilseeds crops were demonstrated in about 2700 ha covering 7831 farmers with adaptation gains ranging from 10 to 31% [1, 2]. Some of the climate resilient practices and technologies which have been found promising are being mainstreamed into the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), a flagship government initiative for enhancing productivity and resilience of Indian agriculture in accordance with the stated aim of the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC). (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of sperm motility enhancers and different IVF times on cleavage, polyspermy, blastocyst formation, embryo quality and hatching ability. In Experiment 1, sex-sorted X chromosome-bearing Bos taurus spermatozoa were incubated for 30min before 18h fertilisation with hyperactivating factors, namely 10mM caffeine (CA), 5mM theophylline (TH), 10mM caffeine and 5mM theophylline (CA+TH); and untreated spermatozoa (control). In Experiment 2, matured B. taurus oocytes were fertilised using a short (8h) or standard (18h) fertilisation length, comparing two different fertilisation media, namely synthetic oviducal fluid (SOF) fertilisation medium (SOF-FERT) and M199 fertilisation medium (M199-FERT). Cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were significantly higher in the CA+TH group (77% and 27%, respectively) compared with the control group (71% and 21%, respectively). Cleavage rates and blastocyst formation were significantly lower for the shortest fertilisation time (8h) in M199-FERT medium (42% and 12%, respectively). The SOF-FERT medium with an 8h fertilisation time resulted in the highest cleavage rates and blastocyst formation (74% and 29%, respectively). The SOF-FERT medium produced the highest embryo quality (50% Grade 1) and hatching rate (66%). Motility enhancers did not affect polyspermy rates, whereas polyspermy was affected when fertilisation length was extended from 8h (3%) to 18h (9%) and in M199-FERT (14%) compared with SOF-FERT (6%). We conclude that adding the motility enhancers CA and TH to sex sorted spermatozoa and Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (TALP)-Sperm can improve cleavage and embryo development rates without increasing polyspermy. In addition, shortening the oocyte-sperm coincubation time (8h) resulted in similar overall embryo performance rates compared with the prolonged (18h) interval.
Contact behaviours such as touch, have been shown to be influential channels of nonverbal communication between mothers and infants. While existing research has examined the communicative roles of maternal or infant touch in isolation, mutual touch, whereby touching behaviours occur simultaneously between mothers and their infants, has yet to be examined. The present study was designed to investigate mutual touch during face-to-face interactions between mothers and their 51/2-month-old fullterm (n = 40), very low birth weight/preterm (VLBW/preterm; n = 40) infants, and infants at psychosocial risk (n = 41). Objectives were to examine: (1) how the quantitative and qualitative aspects of touch employed by mothers and their infants varied across the normal periods of the still-face (SF) procedure, and (2) how these were associated with risk status. Mutual touch was systematically coded using the mother-infant touch scale. Interactions were found to largely consist of mutual touch and one-sided touch plus movement, highlighting that active touching is pervasive during mother-infant interactions. Consistent with the literature, while the SF period did not negatively affect the amount of mutual touch engaged in for mothers and their fullterm infants and mothers and their infants at psychosocial risk, it did for mothers and their VLBW/preterm infants. Together, results illuminate how both mothers and infants participate in shaping and co-regulating their interactions through the use of touch and underscore the contribution of examining the influence of birth status on mutual touch. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Facial images embed age, gender, and other rich information that is implicitly related to occupation. In this work, we advocate that occupation prediction from a single facial image is a doable computer vision problem. We extract multilevel hand-crafted features associated with locality-constrained linear coding and convolutional neural network features as image occupation descriptors. To avoid the curse of dimensionality and over-fitting, a boost strategy called multichannel SVM is used to integrate features from face and body. Intra- and interclass visual variations are Jointly considered in the boosting framework to further improve performance. In the evaluation, we verify the effectiveness of predicting occupation from face and demonstrate promising performance obtained by combining face and body information. More importantly, our work further integrates deep features into the multichannel SVM framework and shows significantly better performance over the state of the art.
In order to improve the safe level of network security, the fuzzy neutral network is applied in optimal attack and defense decision. Firstly, the theory model of attack and defense decision system for network security based on game theory is constructed, the game model of attack and defense model and the dynamical game model of incomplete information are deduced respectively. Secondly, the basic theory of fuzzy neutral network is analyzed, the framework of diagram of fuzzy neutral network is confirmed, and the model of fuzzy membership function is constructed.. Thirdly, the training algorithm of fuzzy neutral network based on improved genetic algorithm is designed, and computing method in every step is given in detail. And the Evaluation of suspicious person and system is carried out. Finally, simulation experiments are carried out, and results show that system profit and response efficiency is improved, then fuzzy neutral network can obtain higher system profit and response efficiency.
Objectives To determine whether treating conditions having medically unexplained symptoms is associated with lower physician satisfaction and higher ascribed patient responsibility, and to determine whether higher ascribed patient responsibility is associated with lower physician satisfaction in treating a given condition. Methods We surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1504 US primary care physicians. Respondents were asked how responsible patients are for two conditions with more-developed medical explanations (depression and anxiety) and two conditions with less-developed medical explanations (chronic back pain and fibromyalgia), and how much satisfaction they experienced in treating each condition. We used Wald tests to compare mean satisfaction and ascribed patient responsibility between medically explained conditions and medically unexplained conditions. We conducted single-level and multilevel ordinal logistic models to test the relation between ascribed patient responsibility and physician satisfaction. Results Treating medically unexplained conditions elicited less satisfaction than treating medically explained conditions (Wald P < 0.001). Physicians attribute significantly more patient responsibility to the former (Wald P < 0.005), although the magnitude of the difference is small. Across all four conditions, physicians reported experiencing less satisfaction when treating symptoms that result from choices for which patients are responsible (multilevel odds ratio 0.57, P = 0.000). Conclusions Physicians experience less satisfaction in treating conditions characterized by medically unexplained conditions and in treating conditions for which they believe the patient is responsible.
Anthropomorphism in impressions of animals is commonplace, and this generalization from humans to animals is one example of a broader tendency to generalize from adaptively significant categories when judging specific exemplars. Although anthropomorphism may lead to unlikely or incorrect judgments, it fostered accurate sex-differentiation of macaque faces due to an appropriate generalization from the sexually dimorphic cues that distinguish human male and female faces to macaques. As predicted, Koreans performed better than Caucasians in sex-differentiating macaque faces, a difference mediated by Koreans' greater use of sexually dimorphic eye height cues. These results extend and disambiguate evidence of East Asian superiority in sex-differentiating human faces. Whereas an own-race advantage might explain the previous but not the present findings, both can be explained by East Asians' keener sensitivity to sexually dimorphic cues, perhaps owing to the greater subtlety of such cues in East Asian faces. Implications of this sensitivity for other cultural differences in person perception are discussed. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Agriculture intensification through the use of chemical nitrogen fertilizers is contributing substantially to the tremendous increases in global food production. However, eutrophication of downstream waters associated with excess nitrate pollutant runoff has become a major environmental concern in agricultural areas. Reservoirs used for irrigation are well-positioned to intercept substantial fertilizer runoff from upslope agricultural fields. The authors hypothesized that such reservoirs can be used to influence the quality of downstream surface water. A Markov decision process was formulated to find optimal operating policies for controlling stochastic agrochemical pollutant loads in reservoirs for irrigation. The model was applied to an irrigation reservoir in Japan that is prone to nitrate pollution from upslope green tea plantations. The computational results reveal that, in all nitrate-nitrogen states in which the reservoir storage state is below 10%, the optimal policy is to introduce cleaner water supplements from the upstream reservoir. When the reservoir storage volume exceeds 35% of active capacity and when the nitrate-nitrogen concentration is less than 3 mg/L, the optimal policy would be only to release the irrigation water. When the reservoir storage volume exceeds 35% of active capacity and when the nitrate nitrogen concentration exceeds 5 mg/L, the optimal operation decision is to first release irrigation water from the reservoir before introducing cleaner water supplements. Therefore, the operation of irrigation reservoirs can be optimized to control intercepted agro-fertilizer pollutants from intensive agricultural areas. The developed method for reservoir irrigation operation has the potential to support decision making processes to provide greater protection of the water environment from agrochemical pollution while sustaining the productivity in the intensive agricultural areas. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The paper presents a real-time open software simulation framework, dedicated to the analysis of control systems deployed over distributed execution resources and wireless links. It is able to consistently simulate in parallel the numerical devices (real-time tasks and communication links) and the evolution of the controlled continuous time plant. It is applied to foresee future enhancements of a Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) system used in therapy for rehabilitation or substitution for disabled people. It is a distributed control system using electrodes to interface a digital control system with livings. Hence the whole system gathers continuous-time (muscles and nerves) and discrete-time (controllers and wireless links) components. During the design process, realistic simulation remains a precious tool ahead of real experiments to check without danger that the implementation matches the functional and safety requirements. The simulation tool is especially devoted to the joint design and analysis of control loops and real-time features.
Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used widely in medicine and health care sector. In machine learning, the classification or prediction is a major field of AI. Today, the study of existing predictive models based on machine learning methods is extremely active. Doctors need accurate predictions for the outcomes of their patients' diseases. In addition, for accurate predictions, timing is another significant factor that influences treatment decisions. In this paper, existing predictive models in medicine and health care have critically reviewed. Furthermore, the most famous machine learning methods have explained, and the confusion between a statistical approach and machine learning has clarified. A review of related literature reveals that the predictions of existing predictive models differ even when the same dataset is used. Therefore, existing predictive models are essential, and current methods must be improved.
In this paper, indirect combustion noise generated by the acceleration of entropy perturbations through a supercritical nozzle is investigated in the nonlinear regime and in the low-frequency limit (quasi-static hypothesis). This work completes the study of Huet and Giauque (Journal of Fluid Mechanics 733 (2013) 268-301) for nonlinear noise generation in nozzle flows without shock and particularly focuses on shocked flow regimes. It is based on the analytical model of Marble and Candel for compact nozzles (Journal of Sound and Vibration 55 (1977) 225-243), initially developed for excitations in the linear regime and rederived here for nonlinear perturbations. Full nonlinear analytical solutions are provided in the absence of shock as well as second-order analytical expressions when a shock is present in the diffuser. An analytical evaluation of the shock displacement inside the nozzle caused by the forcing is proposed and maximum possible forcings to avoid unchoke and 'over-choke' are discussed. The accuracy of the second-order model and the nonlinear contributions to the generated waves are then addressed. This model is found to be very accurate for the generated entropy wave with negligible nonlinear contributions. Nonlinearities are more visible, but still limited, for the downstream acoustic wave for large inlet Mach numbers. Analytical developments are validated thanks to comparisons with numerical simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
There has been sustained interest from both environmental regulators and livestock associations to expand the use of anaerobic digester (AD) technology to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, the generally profitable practice of codigesting off-farm organic waste could increase nitrogen and phosphorus content to the farm and exacerbate nutrient over-application concerns near large animal operations. We examine the economic feasibility of a broad set of dairy waste management systems composed of two technology groups that mitigate air and water pollution: an AD system that includes either animal waste input or combination animal/off-farm organic waste codigestion input and either compressed natural gas (CNG) or combined heat and power (CHP) output; and a filtration system that includes fiber separation, nutrient separation, and/or water recovery. We conclude that AD setups without codigestion are only economically feasible under limited conditions, but scenarios which use codigestion have the potential to contribute to nutrient over-application without nutrient separation technology. Trends for CNG and CHP match closely. Net present value (NPV) is greatest for AD with CNG scenarios. Estimated NPV for AD with CNG and environmental credits is $1.8 million and $39.7 million for dairies with 1600 and 15,000 wet cow equivalents, respectively. For these firm sizes, the addition of codigestion contributes $4.8 million and $47.3 million, respectively, to estimated NPV. Nutrient separation and water recovery both lead to decreases in scenario NPV with codigestion, but with the right policies, dairy owners may be willing to adopt AD with nutrient separation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Decisions involving charitable giving often occur under the shadow of risk. A common finding is that potential donors give less when there is greater risk that their donation will have less impact. While this behaviour could be fully rationalized by standard economic models, this article shows that an additional mechanism is relevant: the use of risk as an excuse not to give. In a laboratory study, participants evaluate risky payoffs for themselves and risky payoffs for a charity. When their decisions do not involve tradeoffs between money for themselves and the charity, they respond very similarly to self risk and charity risk. By contrast, when their decisions force tradeoffs between money for themselves and the charity, participants act more averse to charity risk and less averse to self risk. These altered responses to risk bias participants towards choosing payoffs for themselves more often, consistent with excuse-driven responses to risk. Additional results support the existence of excuse-driven types.
Reverse correlation (RC) techniques provide a data-driven approach to model internal representations in an unconstrained way. Here, we used this approach to model social perception of faces. In the RC task, participants repeatedly selected from two face images-created by superimposing randomly generated noise masks on the same face-the face that looked most trustworthy (or, in other conditions: untrustworthy, dominant, or submissive). We calculated classification images (CIs) by averaging all selected images. Trait judgments of independent participants, as well as objective metrics, showed that the CIs visualized the intended traits well. Furthermore, tests of pixel clusters showed that diagnostic information resided mostly in mouth, eye, eyebrow, and hair regions. The current work shows that RC provides an excellent tool to extract psychologically meaningful images that map onto social perception.
Under investigation in this paper is a fifth-order Korteweg de Vries type (fKdV-type) equation with time-dependent coefficients, which can be used to describe many nonlinear phenomena in fluid mechanics, ocean dynamics and plasma physics. The binary Bell polynomials are employed to find its Hirota's bilinear formalism with an extra auxiliary variable, based on which its N-soliton solutions can be also directly derived. Furthermore, by considering multi-dimensional Riemann theta function, a lucid and straightforward generalization of the Hirota Riemann method is presented to explicitly construct the multiperiodic wave solutions of the equation. Finally, the asymptotic properties of these periodic wave solutions are strictly analyzed to reveal the relationships between periodic wave solutions and soliton solutions.
Astrocytes play crucial roles in brain homeostasis and are emerging as regulatory elements of neuronal and synaptic physiology by responding to neurotransmitters with Ca2+ elevations and releasing gliotransmitters that activate neuronal receptors. Aging involves neuronal and astrocytic alterations, being considered risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Most evidence of the astrocyte-neuron signaling is derived from studies with young animals; however, the features of astrocyte-neuron signaling in adult and aging brain remain largely unknown. We have investigated the existence and properties of astrocyte-neuron signaling in physiologically and pathologically aging mouse hippocampal and cortical slices at different lifetime points ( 0.5 to 20 month-old animals). We found that astrocytes preserved their ability to express spontaneous and neurotransmitter-dependent intracellular Ca2+ signals from juvenile to aging brains. Likewise, resting levels of gliotransmission, assessed by neuronal NMDAR activation by glutamate released from astrocytes, were largely preserved with similar properties in all tested age groups, but DHPG-induced gliotransmission was reduced in aged mice. In contrast, gliotransmission was enhanced in the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, indicating a dysregulation of astrocyte-neuron signaling in pathological conditions. Disruption of the astrocytic IP(3)R2 mediated-signaling, which is required for neurotransmitter-induced astrocyte Ca2+ signals and gliotransmission, boosted the progression of amyloid plaque deposits and synaptic plasticity impairments in APP/PS1 mice at early stages of the disease. Therefore, astrocyte-neuron interaction is a fundamental signaling, largely conserved in the adult and aging brain of healthy animals, but it is altered in Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that dysfunctions of astrocyte Ca2+ physiology may contribute to this neurodegenerative disease.
Geotextile-reinforced embankments over deep cement mixed (DCM) columns are widely used for the construction of highway embankments over soft clay with low shear strength and high compressibility. Numerical modeling based on the FEM is widely used to investigate the behavior of these embankments during construction and serviceability, incorporating consolidation of the foundation soil over time. However, not much attention has been paid to the strain-softening behavior of DCM columns beyond yield, which is essential in ultimate limit-state computations to determine the stability of embankments during the failure of columns. This paper presents a constitutive model, which is an extension of the Mohr-Coulomb model, for the simulations of strain-softening behavior of cement admixed clays. The model is validated using triaxial test data found in the literature for cement admixed Singapore and Hong Kong marine clays and Ariake clay. A two-dimensional (2D) coupled mechanical and hydraulic numerical implementation of a geotextile-reinforced DCM column-supported (GRCS) embankment constructed over a very soft soil in Finland is carried out incorporating strain-softening behavior of DCM columns. Even though the isolated columns and overlapped column walls used in this embankment do not yield significantly under the service loads, the model simulations show good agreement with field data, confirming the capability of the 2D plane strain finite-element model in predicting the GRCS embankment behavior. Finally, the finite-element model with strain-softening DCM columns is used to investigate the progressive failure of a typical hypothetical GRCS embankment with isolated columns in a square pattern. Results clearly illustrate the bending failure mode caused by progressive softening of the DCM columns, including the plastic hinge development within the columns. (c) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Compared to our understanding of neurocognitive processes involved producing mimicry, the downstream consequences of being mimicked are less clear. A wide variety of positive consequences of mimicry, such as liking and helping, have been reported in behavioural research. However, an in-depth review suggests the link from mimicry to liking and other positive outcomes may be fragile. Positive responses to mimicry can break down due to individual factors and social situations where mimicry may be unexpected. It remains unclear how the complex behavioural effects of mimicry relate to neural systems which respond to being mimicked. Mimicry activates regions associated with mirror properties, self-other processing and reward. In this review, we outline three potential models linking these regions with cognitive consequences of being mimicked. The models suggest that positive downstream consequences of mimicry may depend upon self-other overlap, detection of contingency or low prediction error. Finally, we highlight limitations with traditional research designs and suggest alternative methods for achieving highly ecological validity and experimental control. We also highlight unanswered questions which may guide future research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Studies have revealed that upward social comparison on social network sites (SNSs) was a risk factor for depressive symptoms, however, little is known about the underlying processes that may mediate or moderate this relationship. This study extended prior research by examining the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of optimism in this relationship. A sample of 1205 Chinese undergraduate students completed measures of upward social comparison on SNSs, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and optimism. Results showed that self-esteem partially mediated the relation between upward social comparison on SNSs and depressive symptoms. In addition, the direct effect of upward social comparison on SNSs on depressive symptoms and the mediating effect of self-esteem were both moderated by optimism. The two effects were more potent for individuals with low optimism than for those with high optimism. The present study contributes to a better understanding of how and when upward social comparison on SNSs increases the risk of depressive symptoms. Limitations and implications of this study are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose of review Wasting diseases are characterized by progressive deterioration of nutritional status that negatively influences patients' outcome. The better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of wasting may lead to effective therapies. Tryptophan metabolism has unique features suggesting a critical role in influencing human metabolism under normal and pathological conditions. Recent findings During disease, inflammatory response favours the local depletion of the essential amino acid tryptophan, thereby inhibiting cellular proliferation. Tryptophan depletion may also mediate immunotolerance to foreign antigens. In contrast, brain accumulation of tryptophan contributes to wasting by increasing oxidative stress and hypothalamic serotonin neurotransmission, and thereby triggering the onset of sickness behaviour followed by depressive-like behaviour. Summary Tryptophan metabolism is critical in mediating a number of important biological responses. Restoring tryptophan metabolism may well result in enhanced recovery from disease.
The overall performance of an electric machine is closely linked to the thermal design of the machine and there is a trend to include more thermal analysis into the machine design procedure in academic literature. Thus, there is also a motivation to prototype experimental machines for accurate validations of the thermal analysis. One of the challenges is to measure rotor temperatures online while the machine is in operation. This paper presents some of the experience from designing an online temperature monitoring system for an experimental IPMSM. In total, 32 sensors was successfully placed inside the 3.4 liter volume of the small IPMSM and temperature data was transmitted from the rotor in the end of the shaft, using infrared light. It was found that the online temperature monitoring system was very reliable. Both the used analog and digital sensors exhibit equal results and EMI immunity, when placed inside the electromagnetically noisy environment inside the machine.
In this paper, two efficient cryptosystem schemes in the form of permutation-substitution based on chaotic systems are proposed. Firstly, a simple and efficient S-box method is introduced in order to use this S-box designed scheme in secure color image encryption technique. The major advantage of the proposed strategy is the dynamic aspect of keys used by chaotic map to generate strong S-boxes. Secondly, an efficient color encryption scheme based on chaotic maps and S-boxes in the form of permutation-substitution network is developed. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes. The suggested cryptosystems have superior performance and great potential for prominent prevalence in cryptographic applications compared to previous schemes.
Background: Helicobacter pylori colonizes the gastric mucosa of more than half of the world's population. There is increasing evidence H. pylori protects against the development of obesity and childhood asthma/allergies in which the development of these diseases coincide with transient dysbiosis. However, the mechanism underlying the association of H. pylori eradication with human metabolic and immunological disorders is not well-established. In this study, we aimed to investigate the local and systemic effects of H. pylon eradication through untargeted fecal lipidomics and plasma metabolomics approaches by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Results: Our study revealed that eradication of H. pylori eradication (i.e.,loss of H. pylori and/or H. pylori eradication therapy) changed many global metabolite/lipid features, with the majority being down-regulated. Our findings primarily show that H. pylori eradication affects the host energy and lipid metabolism which may eventually lead to the development of metabolic disorders. Conclusion: These predictive metabolic signatures of metabolic and immunological disorders following H. pylori eradication can provide insights into dynamic local and systemic metabolism related to H. pylori eradication in modulating human health.
Late-life depression (LLD) is thought to be multifactorial in etiology, including a significant genetic component. While a number of candidate gene studies have been carried out, results remain inconclusive. We undertook a systematic review of all genetic association studies of depression or depressive symptoms in late life published before February 2016, and performed meta-analyses on polymorphisms investigated in three or more independent studies. A total of 46 candidate gene studies examining 56 polymorphisms in 23 genes as well as a genome-wide association study (GWAS) were included. Meta-analyses were conducted for four polymorphisms using random effects models, of which three (APOE, BDNF, SLC6A4) were associated with LLD. These genes are implicated in hippocampal plasticity and stress reactivity, suggesting that dysregulation of these pathways may contribute to LLD. Despite using a large sample, the only GWAS published to date identified only one genome-wide significant locus in the 5q21 region. In the future, larger genetic studies specifically examining LLD, including non-hypothesis-driven GWAS, are required to further identify genetic determinants of LLD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Both an accurate machine design and an adequate metrology loop definition are critical factors when precision positioning represents a key issue for the final system performance. This article discusses the error budget methodology as an advantageous technique to improve the measurement accuracy of a 2D-long range stage during its design phase. The nanopositioning platform NanoPla is here presented. Its specifications, e.g., XY-travel range of 50 mm x 50 mm and sub-micrometric accuracy; and some novel designed solutions, e.g., a three-layer and two-stage architecture are described. Once defined the prototype, an error analysis is performed to propose improvement design features. Then, the metrology loop of the system is mathematically modelled to define the propagation of the different sources. Several simplifications and design hypothesis are justified and validated, including the assumption of rigid body behavior, which is demonstrated after a finite element analysis verification. The different error sources and their estimated contributions are enumerated in order to conclude with the final error values obtained from the error budget. The measurement deviations obtained demonstrate the important influence of the working environmental conditions, the flatness error of the plane mirror reflectors and the accurate manufacture and assembly of the components forming the metrological loop. Thus, a temperature control of +/- 0.1 degrees C results in an acceptable maximum positioning error for the developed NanoPla stage, i.e., 41 nm, 36 nm and 48 nm in X-, Y- and Z-axis, respectively.
BackgroundIncreasing evidence supports that mentalization deficits may have a role in the genesis of young age depression; however, few studies examined this issue in clinical populations. MethodsOutpatients aged 14-21, suffering from various psychiatric disorders, were assessed using the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), using data from age-matched healthy students for comparison. The relationship between CTQ, MZQ, and BDI scores was examined at the cross-sectional level, including mediation analyses, and longitudinally, in a subsample who underwent a psychotherapy intervention. ResultsOf 83 subjects, 33 (39.8%) had mentalization levels that were 1 standard deviation below those of comparison subjects. In the whole sample, the levels of mentalization were inversely associated with BDI (r=-.68, p<.001) and CTQ scores (r=-.30, p=.006). Moreover, MZQ scores mediated a large part of the effect of childhood trauma on depression (total effect: 10.6, 95% CI: 5.3, 15.9; direct effect: 6.5, 95% CI: 2.1, 10.8; indirect effect: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 7.4). This effect was almost entirely explained by the Affect Regulation subscale. In patients re-evaluated after four sessions (n=37), the decrease in BDI scores correlated with the increase in MZQ scores (r=.40, p=.02). ConclusionsIn a juvenile clinical sample, deficits of mentalization abilities were associated with the severity of depression and explained part of the depressogenic effects of childhood trauma.
In cryptography one needs large families of binary sequences with strong pseudorandom properties. In the last decades many families of this type have been constructed. However, in many applications it is not enough if our family of good sequences is large, it is more important to know that it has a rich, complex structure, and the sequences in the family are independent, and they are far apart. Thus various measures have been introduced and applied for studying pseudorandomness of families of binary sequences: family complexity, collision, distance minimum, avalanche effect and cross-correlation measure. In this paper a survey of all these definitions and results will be presented. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: The science of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) plays a critical role in supporting the selection of potent, selective leads that retain the appropriate physicochemical properties to ensure distribution from the site of administration into the tissue or target of interest. Historically, Discovery DMPK has bridged the gap between the disciplines of biology and medicinal chemistry thereby ensuring a clinical focus during the discovery and early development phases. Objective: Here we discuss the fundamentals of DMPK screening in drug discovery from a historical perspective, highlighting DMPK's part in improving the chances of success for novel drug candidates and suggesting new and exciting areas for future development. Conclusions: Such a broad remit has resulted in the development of a wide variety of assays, both in vitro and in vivo, focused on assessing the developability risks associated with a molecule's progression into clinical development, such as likely bioavailability in humans, the potential for drug-drug interactions, human metabolism, interactions with transporters and the potential for metabolism-mediated idiosyncratic toxicity. Arguably DMPK has already adopted many of the concepts now of interest in translational medicine and quantitative pharmacology while scientific and regulatory pressures continue to drive the subject towards better and more integrated approaches, such as systems thinking.
Linear buffer strips (BS) along watercourses are commonly adopted to reduce run-off, accumulation of bank-top sediments and the leaking of pesticides into fresh-waters, which strongly increase water pollution. However, the monitoring of their conditions is a difficult task because they are scattered over wide rural areas. This work demonstrates the benefits of using a standard data layer and Augmented Reality (AR) in watershed control and outlines the guideline of a novel approach for the health-check of linear BS. We designed a mobile environmental monitoring system for smart maintenance of riverbanks by embedding the AR technology within a Geographical Information System (GIS). From the technological point of view, the system's architecture consists of a cloud-based service for data sharing, using a standard data layer, and of a mobile device provided with a GPS based AR engine for augmented data visualization. The proposed solution aims to ease the overall inspection process by reducing the time required to run a survey. Indeed, ordinary operational survey conditions are usually performed basing the fieldwork on just classical digitized maps. Our application proposes to enrich inspections by superimposing information on the device screen with the same point of view of the camera, providing an intuitive visualization of buffer strip location. This way, the inspection officer can quickly and dynamically access relevant information overlaying geographic features, comments and other contents in real time. The solution has been tested in fieldwork to prove at what extent this cutting-edge technology contributes to an effective monitoring over large territorial settings. The aim is to encourage officers, land managers and practitioners toward more effective monitoring and management practices. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The paper presents the theoretical background and implementation details of a multi-domain symbolic analysis program developed with the emphasis on linearized hybrid systems combining classical electrical circuits, controllers, electro-mechanical converters and mechanical parts of electric drives. The systems analyzed can be composed of both basic elements and more complex behavioral blocks (regulators, converters, drives, etc.). All models are defined in an easily extensible library. Implemented algorithms for equation/matrix-based symbolic simplification allow obtaining symbolic expressions of acceptable complexity even for larger systems.
A number of measures to increase the quality of data recorded with an improved Balzers Eldigraph KD-G2 gas-phase electron diffractometer are discussed. The beam-stop has been decoupled from the sector enabling us recording the current of the primary beam and scattered electrons during the experiment. Different beam-stops were tested for use in the present setup. Modifications of the nozzle tip of an earlier described medium temperature nozzle are reported. The measures lead to reduced exposure times and reduced amount of sample necessary for complete data collection.
BackgroundSeveral reports found a relationship between increased serum lead levels and the risk for essential tremor (ET), especially in carriers of the minor allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1800435 in the aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALAD) gene, which is involved in the synthesis of haem groups. Our group reported decreased risk for ET in carriers of the minor alleles of the rs2071746 and rs1051308 SNPs in the haem-oxygenases 1 and 2 (HMOX1 and HMOX2), respectively, involved in haem metabolism. We analysed whether ALAD rs1800435 alone and their interactions with the four common SNPs in the HMOX1 and HMOX2 genes are associated with the risk for ET. Materials and methodsWe analysed the genotype and allele variants frequencies of ALAD rs1800435 in 202 patients with familial ET and 218 healthy controls using a TaqMan method. We also analysed the role of the interaction between ALAD rs1800435 and the HMOX1 rs2071746, HMOX1 rs2071747, HMOX2 rs2270363 and HMOX2 rs1051308 with the risk of developing ET. ResultsThe frequencies of genotype and allelic variants of ALAD rs1800435 did not differ significantly between patients with ET and controls, and were not influenced by gender. Subjects carrying the ALAD rs1800435CC genotype (wild-type) and the HMOX2 rs1051308GG genotype or the HMOX2 rs1051308G allele had significantly decreased risk for ET. ConclusionsThese results suggest that the ALAD rs1800435 SNP is not related with the risk for ET, but its interaction with the HMOX2 rs1051308 SNP could be weakly associated with the risk for this disease.
The MHC class II (MHCII) processing pathway presents peptides derived from exogenous or membrane-bound proteins to CD4+ T cells. Several studies have shown that glycopeptides are necessary to modulate CD4+ T cell recognition, though glycopeptide structures in these cases are generally unknown. Here, we present a total of 93 glycopeptides from three melanoma cell lines and one matched EBV-transformed line with most found only in the melanoma cell lines. The glycosylation we detected was diverse and comprised 17 different glycoforms. We then used molecular modeling to demonstrate that complex glycopeptides are capable of binding the MHC and may interact with complementarity determining regions. Finally, we present the first evidence of disulfide-bonded peptides presented by MI-ICIL This is the first large scale study to sequence glyco- and disulfide bonded MHCII peptides from the surface of cancer cells and could represent a novel avenue of tumor activation and/or immunoevasion.
We examined the association between nostalgia proneness and prejudice. In four correlational studies, we assessed nostalgia proneness, empathy, motivation to control prejudiced reactions, and blatant as well as subtle prejudice expression. The more prone to nostalgia participants were, the more likely they were to be motivated to control prejudice against an outgroup (African-Americans; Studies 1-4). Further, motivation to control prejudice mediated the relation between nostalgia proneness and reduced blatant/subtle prejudice expression (Studies 2-4). Finally, the stronger motivation to control prejudice and subsequent prejudice expression reduction was mediated by empathy that accompanied higher levels of nostalgia proneness (Studies 3-4). Nostalgia has implications for intergroup perception, and specifically prejudicial attitudes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective C-11-Pittsburgh compound-B (C-11-PIB) positron emission tomography (PET) is used to visualize and quantify amyloid deposition in the brain cortex in pathological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Intense C-11-PIB retention is also observed in the white matter (WM) of both healthy individuals and AD patients. However, the clinical implications of this retention in brain WM have not been clarified. We investigated the relationship between the extent of white matter lesions (WMLs) and the binding potential of C-11-PIB (BPND) in the WM in patients with hypertensive small vessel disease. We further examined the relationship between the extent of WMLs and BPND in WML and in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). Methods Twenty-one hypertensive vasculopathy patients, without AD and major cerebral arterial stenosis and/or occlusion, were enrolled (9 women, 68 +/- 7 years). Regions of WML and NAWM were extracted using magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery of magnetic resonance images. Volumes of interest (VOIs) were set in the cortex-subcortex, basal ganglia, and centrum semiovale (CS). BPND in the cortex-subcortex, basal ganglia, CS, WML, and NAWM were estimated on C-11-PIB PET using Logan graphical analysis with cerebellar regions as references. The relationships between WML volume and BPND in each region were examined by linear regression analysis. Reults BPND was higher in the CS and basal ganglia than in the cortex-subcortex regions. WML volume had a significant inverse correlation with BPND in the CS (Slope = -0.0042, R (2) = 0.44, P < 0.01). For intra WM comparison, BPND in NAWM was significantly higher than that in WML. In addition, although there were no correlations between WML volume and BPND in WML, WML volume was significantly correlated inversely with BPND in NAWM (Slope = -0.0017, R (2) = 0.26, P = 0.02). Conclusion C-11-PIB could be a marker of not only cortical amyloid-beta deposition but also WM injury accompanying the development of WMLs in hypertensive small vessel disease.
None of the proposed mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) fully explains the distribution patterns of the neuropathological changes at the cellular and regional levels, and their clinical correlates. One aspect of this problem lies in the complex genetic, epigenetic, and environmental landscape of AD: early-onset AD is often familial with autosomal dominant inheritance, while the vast majority of AD cases are late-onset, with the epsilon 4 variant of the gene encoding apolipoprotein E (APOE) known to confer a 5-20 fold increased risk with partial penetrance. Mechanisms by which genetic variants and environmental factors influence the development of AD pathological changes, especially neurofibrillary degeneration, are not yet known. Here we review current knowledge of the involvement of the monoaminergic systems in AD. The changes in the serotonergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic, histaminergic, and melatonergic systems in AD are briefly described. We also summarize the possibilities for monoamine-based treatment in AD. Besides neuropathologic AD criteria that include the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC), special emphasis is given to the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Both of these brainstem nuclei are among the first to be affected by tau protein abnormalities in the course of sporadic AD, causing behavioral and cognitive symptoms of variable severity. The possibility that most of the tangle-bearing neurons of the LC and DRN may release amyloid beta as well as soluble monomeric or oligomeric tau protein trans-synaptically by their diffuse projections to the cerebral cortex emphasizes their selective vulnerability and warrants further investigations of the monoaminergic systems in AD. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Automatic computation of surface correspondence via harmonic map is an active research field in computer vision, computer graphics and computational geometry. It may help document and understand physical and biological phenomena and also has broad applications in biometrics, medical imaging and motion capture industries. Although numerous studies have been devoted to harmonic map research, limited progress has been made to compute a diffeomorphic harmonic map on general topology surfaces with landmark constraints. This work conquers this problem by changing the Riemannian metric on the target surface to a hyperbolic metric so that the harmonic mapping is guaranteed to be a diffeomorphism under landmark constraints. The computational algorithms are based on Ricci flow and nonlinear heat diffusion methods. The approach is general and robust. We employ our algorithm to study the constrained surface registration problem which applies to both computer vision and medical imaging applications. Experimental results demonstrate that, by changing the Riemannian metric, the registrations are always diffeomorphic and achieve relatively high performance when evaluated with some popular surface registration evaluation standards.
Nowadays, tremendous growth of Internet of Things (IoT) applications is seen in smart environments such as medical remote care applications which are crucial due to the general aging of the population. With the recent advancements in IoT-based healthcare technologies, activity recognition can be used as the key part of the intelligent healthcare systems to monitor elderly people to live independently at homes and promote a better care. Recently, the evidence theory and its derivates approaches began to take place in the fields of activity recognition in these smart systems. However, these approaches are generally inconsistent with the probability calculus due to the lower and upper probability bounds considering the combined evidences. To overcome these challenges and to get more precisely the reconcilement between the evidence theory with the frequentist approach of probability calculus, this work proposes a new methodology for combining beliefs, addressing some of the disadvantages exhibited by the evidence theory and its derivatives. This methodology merges the non-normalized conjunctive and the majority rules. The proposed rule is evaluated in numerical simulation case studies involving the activity recognition in a smart home environment. The results show that this strategy produces intuitive results in favor of the more committed hypothesis.
Stick balancing on the fingertip is a complex voluntary motor task that requires the stabilization of an unstable system. For seated expert stick balancers, the time delay is 0.23 s, the shortest stick that can be balanced for 240 s is 0.32 m and there is a approximate to 0.8 degrees dead zone for the estimation of the vertical displacement angle in the saggital plane. These observations motivate a switching-type, pendulum-cart model for balance control which uses an internal model to compensate for the time delay by predicting the sensory consequences of the stick's movements. Numerical simulations using the semi-discretization method suggest that the feedback gains are tuned near the edge of stability. For these choices of the feedback gains, the cost function which takes into account the position of the fingertip and the corrective forces is minimized. Thus, expert stick balancers optimize control with a combination of quick manoeuvrability and minimum energy expenditures.
Adolescents' participation in intergroup conflicts comprises an imminent global risk, and understanding its neural underpinnings may open new perspectives. We assessed Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Palestinian adolescents for brain response to the pain of ingroup/outgroup protagonists using magnetoencephalography (MEG), one-on-one positive and conflictual interactions with an outgroup member, attitudes toward the regional conflict, and oxytocin levels. A neural marker of ingroup bias emerged, expressed via alpha modulations in the somatosensory cortex (S1) that characterized an automatic response to the pain of all protagonists followed by rebound/enhancement to ingroup pain only. Adolescents' hostile social interactions with outgroup members and uncompromising attitudes toward the conflict influenced this neural marker. Furthermore, higher oxytocin levels in the Jewish-Israeli majority and tighter brain-to-brain synchrony among group members in the Arab-Palestinian minority enhanced the neural ingroup bias. Findings suggest that in cases of intractable intergroup conflict, top-down control mechanisms may block the brain's evolutionary-ancient resonance to outgroup pain, pinpointing adolescents' interpersonal and sociocognitive processes as potential targets for intervention.
Needle valve response to input signal is controlled apart from the dynamics of the driving mechanical actuator - by interaction of fluidic and mechanic aspects. Despite the long history and ubiquitous use of needle valves, their aerodynamics has never been really systematically investigated. Recent uses for extreme conditions, such as those in the new field of additive manufacturing, put great relevance on accumulating aerodynamic research data. This third part of a trilogy presents results of pressure measurements on internal walls in configurations characterised by rounded needle tip and/or entrance into the exit channel. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to present an ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patient with fracture-dislocation of C7/T1, who got reduction and fixation successfully by surgical treatment. Methods: A 36-year-old Chinese male with 22-years history of AS was admitted to our Emergency Department (ED) complaining about sensory and motor disturbance for 12 hours due to the fall at home. AS and fracture-dislocation of C7/T1 were diagnosed by personal history, neurological examination and X-ray, CT and MRI. Results: Posterior cervical instrumentation and fusion from C5 to T3 (lateral mass screws of C5, C6 and pedicle screws of C7, T2, T3). Meanwhile, satellite rod was placed in C7-T2 to disperse stress. The lamina and ossified ligamentum flavum of both C7 and T1 were removed for decompression; no extra-dural hematoma was observed. Given the patient's longstanding history of AS, the fracture-dislocation site was highly unstable, combined anterior and posterior fixation was performed. Then, the patient underwent open reduction, internal fixation of C7-T1 fracture and anterior cervical plating with iliac crest autogenous bone grafting. The patient did well postoperatively, his neurological state recovered to Frankel D, with muscle strength of 3 of 5 in the upper extremities and 3+ of 5 in the lower extremities. Although neurological improvement was minor, his motivation increased, and pain from his neck disappeared. Conclusion: Surgical treatment of AS patients with subaxial unstable fracture-dislocation can be performed successfully.
Stab damage is a common failure mode for textile products, especially for the geotextiles and geotextile-related products which are widely used in the road, airport, pipeline, and so on. In this paper, an ancient Chinese algorithm is applied to predict the stab area and stab energy of woven fabrics under stabbing load according to the load-displacement performance of the single yarn. This research proposes a novel method to analyze the stab property of the textile products.
Background and Objective: Various digital pathology tools have been developed to aid in analyzing tissues and improving cancer pathology. The multi-resolution nature of cancer pathology, however, has not been fully analyzed and utilized. Here, we develop an automated, cooperative, and multi-resolution method for improving prostate cancer diagnosis. Methods: Digitized tissue specimen images are obtained from 5 tissue microarrays (TMAs). The TMAs include 70 benign and 135 cancer samples (TMA1), 74 benign and 89 cancer samples (TMA2), 70 benign and 115 cancer samples (TMA3), 79 benign and 82 cancer samples (TMA4), and 72 benign and 86 cancer samples (TMA5). The tissue specimen images are segmented using intensity- and texture-based features. Using the segmentation results, a number of morphological features from lumens and epithelial nuclei are computed to characterize tissues at different resolutions. Applying a multiview boosting algorithm, tissue characteristics, obtained from differing resolutions, are cooperatively combined to achieve accurate cancer detection. Results: In segmenting prostate tissues, the multiview boosting method achieved >= 0.97 AUC using TMA1. For detecting cancers, the multiview boosting method achieved an AUC of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97-0.99) as trained on TMA2 and tested on TMA3, TMA4, and TMA5. The proposed method was superior to single view approaches, utilizing features from a single resolution or merging features from all the resolutions. Moreover, the performance of the proposed method was insensitive to the choice of the training dataset. Trained on TMA3, TMA4, and TMA5, the proposed method obtained an AUC of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.96-0.98), 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-0.99), and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.96-0.98), respectively. Conclusions: The multiview boosting method is capable of integrating information from multiple resolutions in an effective and efficient fashion and identifying cancers with high accuracy. The multiview boosting method holds a great potential for improving digital pathology tools and research. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Envelope tracking (ET) and envelope elimination and restoration (EER) are techniques that have gained in importance in the last decade in order to obtain highly efficient radio frequency power amplifier that transmits signals with high peak-to-average power ratio. In this study, a multilevel multiphase buck converter is presented as a solution for the envelope amplifier used in ET and EER. The presented multiphase buck converter generates multilevel voltage using node duty cycles and nonlinear control. In this way, the multilevel is implemented using only one simple power stage. However, the complexity of the multilevel converter implementation has been shifted from complicated power topologies to complicated digital control. Detailed discussion regarding the influence of the design parameters (switching frequency, output filter, and time resolution of the digital control) on the performance of the proposed envelope amplifier is presented. The design of the output filter is conducted fulfilling the constraints of the envelope slew rate and minimum driver pulse that can be reproduced. In the cases when these two constraints cannot be fulfilled, they may be relieved by the modified control that is presented and experimentally validated. Finally, in order to validate the concept, a prototype has been designed and integrated with a nonlinear class F amplifier. Efficiency measurements showed that by employing EER, it is possible to save up to 15% of power losses, comparing to the case when it is supplied by a constant voltage. Additionally, adjacent channel power ratio has been measured. The obtained results showed the value higher than 30 dB for signals up to 5 MHz of bandwidth, without using a predistortion technique.
Five species of whale with matrilineal social systems (daughters remain with mothers) have remarkably low levels of mitochondrial DNA diversity. Non-heritable matriline-level demography could reduce genetic diversity but the required conditions are not consistent with the natural histories of the matrilineal whales. The diversity of nuclear microsatellites is little reduced in the matrilineal whales arguing against bottlenecks. Selective sweeps of the mitochondrial genome are feasible causes but it is not clear why these only occurred in the matrilineal species. Cultural hitchhiking (cultural selection reducing diversity at neutral genetic loci transmitted in parallel to the culture) is supported in sperm whales which possess suitable matrilineal socio-cultural groups (coda clans). Killer whales are delineated into ecotypes which likely originated culturally. Culture, bottlenecks and selection, as well as their interactions, operating between- or within-ecotypes, may have reduced their mitochondrial diversity. The societies, cultures and genetics of false killer and two pilot whale species are insufficiently known to assess drivers of low mitochondrial diversity.
Particle accelerators consist of an enormous number of components and many of them operate with pulse voltage or current. Such accelerator components require precise voltage or current to keep the beams very stable. For this reason, many pulse power supplies used for accelerators have own subsystems to improve their performances. One example is a power supply for the scanning magnets of a pencil beam proton therapy. They use not only high-voltage inverters for the high-speed ramping but also low-voltage inverters for the precise current control. However, the use of intelligent digital controllers possibly simplifies such precise power supplies. We propose a method for precise current control using a digital control system. Our previous work has successfully controlled the pulse current of power supplies for synchrotron main magnets. In the next step, we have modified our previous method for faster power supplies such as ones for scanning magnets. In addition, we developed a control board using a high-performance FPGA so that our method can be implemented in the board. In this paper, we describe the details of our proposed method, and the experiments using a small-scale power supply and the developed control board.
A significant association exists between adults' expressivity and facial attractiveness, but it is unclear whether the association is linear or significant only at the extremes of attractiveness. It is also unclear whether attractive persons actually display more positive expressivity than unattractive persons (target effects) or whether high or low attractiveness influences expressivity valence judgments (perceiver effects). Experiment 1 demonstrated that adult ratings of attractiveness were predictive of expressivity valence only for high and low attractive females and medium attractive males. Experiment 2 showed that low attractive females actually display more negative expressivity than medium and high attractive females, but there were no target effects for males. Also, attractiveness influenced expressivity valence judgments (perceiver effects) for both females and males. Our findings demonstrate that low attractive females are at a particular disadvantage during social interactions due to their low attractiveness, actual displays of negative expressivity, and perceptions of their negative expressivity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Although organizations use a variety of interventions to improve group functioning, getting people to work effectively with each other remains challenging. Because the presence of a dog has been shown to have positive effects on mood and dyadic interaction, we expected that the presence of a companion dog would also have positive effects on people in work groups. One reason for this is that a companion dog is likely to elevate positive emotions, which often promote prosocial behavior. In study 1 (n = 120) and study 2 (n = 120), participants were randomly assigned to either a dogpresent or dog-absent four-person group. Three friendly companion dogs were randomly assigned to the dog-present groups; only one dog at a time was used during any given experimental session. In study 1, groups worked on an interactive problem-solving task; participants in the dog-present group displayed more verbal cohesion, physical intimacy, and cooperation. Study 2 was identical except that participants worked on a decision-making task requiring less interaction; participants in the dog-present condition displayed more verbal cohesion and physical intimacy and gave higher ratings of trustworthiness to fellow group members. In study 3, we examined behavioral indicators of positive emotions in dog-present and dog-absent groups. Naive observers (n = 160) rated silent, 40-second video clips of interaction in groups where either a dog was (1) present but not visible or (2) not present. Behavior in dog-present groups was rated as more cooperative, comfortable, friendly, active, enthusiastic, and attentive. We discuss areas for future research and implications of our findings for work and educational settings.
Elections casts an ennobling influence on the minds of people and forms the prominent feature of our country-India, in which every individual participates vigilantly and the populace remains the sovereign power. The world has been experimenting with diverse technologies to conduct controversy free elections, to fulfill the elementary needs of the people. It should be taken into account that no elector should be disenfranchised from their voting rights. Our main objective is to design a model to provide equitable elections. In this project, the baseline information stored in the RFID tag provides topical reference data that mediate intensive computational prerequisite; it also provides easy match-on-card sui generis feature and meet the constraint that only eligible voters can cast their vote. Moreover, added tier of security is enforced as bio-metrics. It is seen that there is a noticeable diminution in the turnout rate of voters, especially the youth. To foster participation among all demographic groups, our design looks into the multiple dimensions and notes all security requirements and provides an inexpensive solution based on RFID, GSM and fingerprint module in quest for election legitimacy.
Inherited genetic factors may modulate clinical outcome in melanoma. Some low-to-medium risk genes in melanoma susceptibility play a role in melanoma outcome. Our aim was to assess the role of the functional IRF4 SNP rs12203592 in melanoma prognosis in two independent sets (Barcelona, N5493 and Essen, N5438). Genotype association analyses showed that the IRF4 rs12203592 T allele increased the risk of dying from melanoma in both sets (Barcelona: odds ratio [OR] 5 6.53, 95% CI 1.38-30.87, Adj p = 0.032; Essen: OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.04-2.72, Adj p = 0.035). Survival analyses only showed significance for the Barcelona set (hazard ratio = 4.58, 95% CI 1.11-18.92, Adj p = 0.036). This SNP was also associated with tumour localization, increasing the risk of developing melanoma in head or neck (OR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.07-2.98, Adj p = 0.032) and protecting from developing melanoma in the trunk (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.41-0.85, Adj p = 0.004). These findings suggest for the first time that IRF4 rs12203592 plays a role in the modulation of melanoma outcome and confirms its contribution to the localization of the primary tumour.
Decentralization can improve service delivery, but it can also generate externalities across jurisdictional boundaries. We examine the nature and size of water pollution externalities as rivers flow across jurisdictions. Panel data on water pollution in Brazilian rivers coupled with county splits that change the locations of borders allow us to identify the spatial patterns of pollution as rivers approach and cross borders, controlling for fixed effects and trends specific to each location. The theory of externalities predicts that pollution should increase at an increasing rate as the river approaches the downstream exit border, that there should be a structural break in the slope of the pollution function at the border, and that a larger number of managing jurisdictions should exacerbate pollution externalities. We find support for all four predictions in the data. Satellite data on growth in night-time lights along rivers show that local authorities allow more settlements to develop close to rivers in the downstream portions of counties, which is the likely underlying mechanism. The border effects on pollution are not as pronounced when the cost of inter-jurisdictional coordination is lower.
Post-fire forest regeneration is strongly influenced by abiotic and biotic heterogeneity in the pre- and post-fire environments, including fire regimes, species characteristics, landforms, hydrology, regional climate, and soil properties. Assessing these drivers is key to understanding the long-term effects of fire disturbances on forest succession. We evaluated multiple factors influencing patterns of variability in a post-fire boreal Larch (Larix sibirica) forest in Siberia. A time-series of remote sensing images was analyzed to estimate post-fire recovery as a response variable across the burned area in 1996. Our results suggested that burn severity and water content were primary controllers of both Larch forest recruitment and green vegetation cover as defined by the forest recovery index (FRI) and the fractional vegetation cover (FVC), respectively. We found a high rate of Larch forest recruitment in sites of moderate burn severity, while a more severe burn was the preferable condition for quick occupation by vegetation that included early seral communities of shrubs, grasses, conifers and broadleaf trees. Sites close to water and that received higher solar energy during the summer months showed a higher rate of both recovery types, defined by the FRI and FVC, dependent on burn severity. In addition to these factors, topographic variables and pre-fire condition were important predictors of post-fire forest patterns. These results have direct implications for the post-fire forest management in the Siberian boreal Larch region.
Smart environments SmE are a growing combination of various computing frameworks (ubiquitous, pervasive etc.), devices, control algorithms, and a complex web of interactions. It is at the core of user facilitation in a number of industrial, domestic, and public areas. On the basis of their application areas, SmE may be critical in terms of correctness, reliability, safety, security, etc. To achieve error-free and requirement-compliant implementation, these systems are designed by resorting to various modeling approaches including ontology and statecharts. This paper attempts to consider correctness, reliability, safety, and security in the design process of SmE and their related components by proposing a design time modeling and formal verification methodology. The proposed methodology covers various design features related to modeling and formal verification of SmE (focusing on users, devices, environment, control algorithms, and their interaction) against the set of the requirements through model checking. A realistic case study of a Bank Door Security Booth System (BDSB) is tested. The results show the successful verification of the properties related to the safety, security, and desired reliable behavior of BDSB. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pressure-retarded osmosis is a renewable method of power production from salinity gradients which has generated significant academic and commercial interest but, to date, has not been successfully implemented on a large scale. In this work, we investigate lower bound cost scenarios for power generation with PRO to evaluate its economic viability. We build a comprehensive economic model for PRO with assumptions that minimize the cost of power production, thereby conclusively identifying the operating conditions that are not economically viable. With the current state-of-the art PRO membranes, we estimate the minimum levelized cost of electricity for PRO of US$1.2/kWh for seawater and river water pairing, $0.44/kWh for reverse osmosis brine and wastewater, and $0.066/kWh for nearly saturated water (26% wt) and river water, all for a 2 MW production system. Only a pairing of extremely high salinity (greater than 18%) water and freshwater has the potential to compete with wind power currently at $0.074/kWh. We show two methods for reducing this cost via economies of scale and reducing the membrane structural parameter. We find that the latter method reduces the levelized cost of electricity significantly more than increasing the membrane permeability coefficient. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The pillars of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) curriculum are Data Structures, Database management systems, languages, operating systems and algorithms. This article explains the relationship and connectivity of these core courses. Authors follow the pedagogy technique to teach the Data Structures (DS) by considering its evolution. The article focus on the method of providing connectivity between the building blocks of DS like Data Containers, Container Iterators, Algorithms and Functors. Each data structure is explained by considering its property, iterations, problems and applications. The three fold method is followed to teach DS, which includes think, build and discuss phases. The pedagogy techniques practiced by authors are revealed many mysteries, which are not discussed in most of the DS text books.
The development of water-saving cultivation techniques has been attracting increased attention worldwide. A rainwater harvesting system known as ridge-furrow with plastic film mulching (RFPFM) has gradually become a promising cultivation method in semiarid rain-fed ecosystems in China. However, it is not well documented, whether this system can be practiced in a semi-humid region where irrigation is available. Field studies comparing three cultivation patterns (rainfed flat planting as CK, RFPFM, and well-irrigated planting pattern: WI) across two different nitrogen (N) rates and two cultivars were conducted for two consecutive years to assess the potential role of RFPFM in improving the water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat in a dry semi-humid region of northwest China. The high soil moisture and favourable temperature during the seedling establishing period in the topsoil under RFPFM practice contributed to the emergence of the seedlings 2 days earlier than for CK. Its superiority, also resulted in longer growth duration but also resulting in earlier spikelet and spike differentiation, thereby increasing the grain number per spike, spike number per m(-2) and wheat yield under RFPFM practice compared with CK. The highest yield of 9.7 t ha(-1) was achieved in WI combined with a higher N application condition. RFPFM practice resulted in up to approximately 74% of the yield of WI treatment with higher N application, while increasing WUE by 53.7% and 46.3% compared with CK and WI practices, respectively. In addition, RFPFM practice, in comparison with CK, increased the N fertilizer productivity and N uptake efficiency by 52.5% and 44.2%, respectively, averaged across others treatment and years. We highly recommend RFPFM practices with the N rate of 75 kg ha(-1) as a water-saving technology and a promising strategy to increase wheat yield and WUE in the current agro-ecosystem of northwest China. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects a large number of individuals and diffusion tensor imaging can be used to investigate microstructural integrity of brain tissue after mTBI. However, results have varied considerably between studies and gray matter (GM) integrity has been largely neglected in these investigations. Given impaired working memory processing after mTBI and its possible association with Alzheimer's disease, we investigated hippocampal integrity and parcellated this structure into five subregions: subiculum, cornu ammonis (CA) 1, CA 2/3, CA 4/dentate gyrus, and stratum radiatum/ lacunosum-moleculare. We also employed shape analysis of bilateral hippocampi to explore whether morphological changes had occurred due to the traumatic injury and conducted neuropsychological memory tests. The sample comprised 15 subjects with mTBI (18-55 years, nine female) and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (19-57 years, nine female). Voxelwise analyses showed significantly increased mean diffusivity in patients, compared with controls, in the right hippocampus and three of its five subregions (family-wise error corrected p < 0.05). Additionally, results from probabilistic tractography indicated impaired CA 1 connectivity after mTBI (Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate [FDR] corrected p0.05). Subjects with mTBI reported more symptoms and performed worse in a non-standard verbal working memory task. Based on these preliminary findings, we were able to demonstrate altered diffusivity of hippocampal subregions following mTBI, indicating impaired GM microstructural integrity. These differences highlight the potential of diffusion imaging for investigation of subtle yet relevant changes in GM microstructure not detected otherwise following mTBI.
Young individuals better memorize initially seen faces with emotional rather than neutral expressions. Healthy older participants and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients show better memory for faces with positive expressions. The socioemotional selectivity theory postulates that this positivity effect in memory reflects a general age-related preference for positive stimuli, subserving emotion regulation. Another explanation might be that older participants use compensatory strategies, often considering happy faces as previously seen. The question about the existence of this effect in tasks not permitting such compensatory strategies is still open. Thus, we compared the performance of healthy participants and AD patients for positive, neutral, and negative faces in such tasks. Healthy older participants and AD patients showed a positivity effect in memory, but there was no difference between emotional and neutral faces in young participants. Our results suggest that the positivity effect in memory is not entirely due to the sense of familiarity for smiling faces.
Beliefs surrounding the practice of eating animals are widely held, and have been argued to constitute an ideology named carnism (Joy, 2009). We developed and validated the novel Carnism Inventory to measure two positively related components of carnistic beliefs: carnistic defense and carnistic domination. We anticipated that carnistic defense would legitimate the practice of eating animals, while carnistic domination would support the killing of animals for their meat. The Carnism Inventory showed the hypothesized two-dimensional structure as well as good internal consistencies and stability (N = 302, Study 1). We also demonstrated the convergent and discriminant validity of the Carnism Inventory (N = 781, Study 2a). As expected, carnistic defense predicted meat consumption, while carnistic domination was a significant predictor of having slaughtered an animal (N = 478, Study 2b). Both scales were significantly related to sociopolitical beliefs, including right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, but only carnistic domination was related to symbolic racism and sexism (N = 373, Study 3). Taken together, our findings highlight the utility of the two-dimensional conceptualization and measurement of carnistic beliefs and offer new insights into one of the most common human behaviors: Eating animals is not only a gustatory behavior, as widely believed, but also an ideological one. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Online video games afford co-play and social interaction, often anonymous, among players from around the world. As predicted by the social identity model of deindividuation effects, undesirable behavior is not uncommon in online gaming environments, and online harassment has become a pervasive issue in the gaming community. In this study, we sought to determine what personality traits and game-related variables predicted two types of online aggression in video games: general harassment (e.g., skill-based taunting, insulting others' intelligence) and sexual harassment (e.g., sexist comments, rape threats). Men who play online video games (N=425) participated in an anonymous online survey. Social dominance orientation and hostile sexism predicted higher levels of both sexual harassment and general harassment in online games. Game involvement and hours of weekly gameplay were additional predictors of general harassment. We discuss implications of online social aggression and online sexual harassment for online gaming. We also apply our findings to the broader understanding of online harassment, cyberaggression, cyberbullying, and other forms of online hostility in computer-mediated communication contexts. Aggr. Behav. 42:513-521, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Recently, we are in the epoque of sophisticated Ambient Intelligence (AmI) applications, mainly based on utilisation of wide sensor networks together with advanced AmI approaches. If we concentrate on environmental (that is, open space or outdoor) applications, there is just a few of them, although basically focused on environmental monitoring, that enable more functionalities than just collecting environmentally related data and passing them to further elaboration. In our paper we intend to go further on with the ideas how environmentally oriented wireless sensor networks used in large-scale throughout the open natural environment could be enhanced using some recent AmI approaches in order to be beneficial in preventing primarily environmentally related problems, if not even disasters. We focus our attention on the area of water management with accent on two critical water related problems: floods management and drought-stricken periods. We suggest a concept of an approach how to solve a particular water management problem in Czech Republic using large-scale ambient intelligence approach enhancing thus wireless sensor network focused on environmental monitoring.
Objective. Neck pain is common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We investigated the correlation of bone marrow edema (BME) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in RA and AS and its association with clinical complaints of neck pain. Methods. Cervical spine short-tau inversion recovery-MRI and T1w-MRI of 34 patients with RA and 6 patients with AS complaining about neck pain were obtained. Clinical and laboratory data were available. BME was scored by 2 blinded readers using a modification of a published score, including various cervical sites. Degenerative changes were also quantified. Results. Patients were predominantly women (82.5%), and mean +/- SD age was 57.5 +/- 11.8 years, C-reactive protein (CRP) was 0.8 +/- 1.3 mg/dl, and pain score was 46.0 +/- 17.5. BME was detected in 24/40 patients (60%) involving the atlantoaxial region (21%), vertebral bodies (75%), facet joints (29%), and spinous processes (46%). Degenerative changes were identified in 21/40 patients (52.5%), 13 (62%) of whom also had BME in vertebral bodies. No differences were found between patients with versus without cervical BME for clinical assessments: numeric rating scale pain (median +/- interquartile range) 5.5 +/- 3.0 vs 6.0 +/- 4.0 (p = 0.69), Funktionsfragebogen Hannover 68.2 +/- 41.0 vs 42.0 +/- 55.5 (p = 0.19), Northwick pain score 44.4 +/- 21.8 vs 47.2 +/- 27.0 (p = 0.83), or CRP 0.40 +/- 0.80 vs 0.60 +/- 0.66 (p = 0.94). For patients with degenerative changes, symptom duration was longer than for patients without (10 +/- 12.5 vs 5.0 +/- 18.0 yrs, p = 0.73). Conclusion. In this small study of patients with RA and AS complaining about neck pain, BME was found in many different cervical sites, including the facet joints and the spinous processes. However, the occurrence and severity of BME did not correlate with the severity of neck pain.
Prototyping and evaluation are imperative phases of the present product design and development process. Although digital modeling and analysis methods are widely employed at various product development stages, still, building a physical prototype makes the present typical process expensive and time consuming. Therefore, it is necessary to implement new technologies, such as virtual prototyping, which can enable industry to have a rapid and more controlled decision making process. Virtual prototyping has come a long way in recent years, where current environments enable stereoscopic visuals, surround sound and ample interaction with the generated models. It is also important to evaluate how representative the developed virtual prototype is when compared to the real-world counterpart and the sense of presence reported by users of the virtual prototype. This paper describes the systematic procedure to develop a virtual prototype of Gazal-1 (i.e., the first car prototype designed by Saudi engineers) in a semi-immersive virtual environment. The steps to develop a virtual prototype from CAD (computer-aided design) models are explained in detail. Various issues involved in the different phases for the development of the virtual prototype are also discussed comprehensively. The paper further describes the results of the subjective assessment of a developed virtual prototype of a Saudi Arabian-designed automobile. User's feedback is recorded using a presence questionnaire. Based on the user-based study, it is revealed that the virtual prototype is representative of the real Saudi Arabian car and offers a flexible environment to analyze design features when compared against its physical prototype. The capabilities of the virtual environment are validated with the application of the car prototype. Finally, vital requirements and directions for future research are also presented.
Demand response, defined as the shifting of electricity demand, is generally believed to have value both for the grid and for the market: by matching demand more closely to supply, consumers could profit from lower prices, while in a smart grid environment, more renewable electricity can be used and less grid capacity may be needed. However, the introduction of residential demand response programmes to support the development of smart grids that includes renewable generation is hampered by a number of barriers. This paper reviews these barriers and categorises them for different demand programmes and market players. The case study for the Netherlands shows that barriers can be country specific. Two types of demand response programmes have been identified as being the most promising options for households in smart grids: price-based demand response and direct load control, while they may not be beneficial for market players or distribution system operators. (C) 2016 The Authors. International Journal of Energy Research Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Utilization of the spectrum simulation in many important fields widely, it has made the target spectral simulation technique to be an important development trends. With the rapid development of the application of the LED technology, the LED have the merits of long serving life, high lighting efficiency, rapid responding time, and high wide selection of light band. Consequently, taking the demands of designing for the target spectral scene reproduction systems into consideration, LED with variable light bands as the light source, and performs Gauss Curve calculation to fit spectra in scene via Matlab software, and therefore serving as the criteria to selection of LED. Meanwhile, the system of driving a light source applies high performance embedded MCU as the main data processor. The chip for LED is a specific driver chip which was made in TI Corporation. Through analyzing the data collected from the target spectra in scene, then the processor transfers the calculated results to the driver IC ( integrated circuit) of LED. The spectrum in scene is reproduced basing on the results. Moreover, this design method can also combine with spectrometer directly to realize the real-time capability of reproduction of the spectra in scene. It has a great potential application in the future.
In this study, the aim was to construct a significant structural measurement model comparing students' affective characteristics with their mathematic achievement. According to this model, the aim was to test the measurement invariances between gender sub-groups hierarchically. This study was conducted as basic and descriptive research. Secondary level analyses were conducted on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 Turkish student questionnaire data. The sample consisted of 4,848 fifteen-year-old students from 170 schools and 12 statistical territories. For analysis techniques, regression analysis, exploratory, and confirmatory factor analyses were executed in order to construct a significant initial measurement model. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was executed to analyse the invariance between gender sub-groups. According to the results, taking into consideration the limitations of the model which was constructed in this study, it was observed that strong invariance between gender sub-groups was provided. This finding indicates that there are similarities of affective characteristics for fifteen-year-old Turkish students across gender sub-groups. The results can be evaluated as evidence that the possibility of bias or prejudice in students' affective characteristics toward mathematics is not high.
Background:Many patients with dizziness complain about >1 type of dizziness and therefore there may be 2 coexisting diagnoses.Objective:To determine how often a second or third diagnosis is present in a patient with dizziness and to establish what are the most common combinations of diagnoses.Study Design:Prospective, observational study in a tertiary center.Results:A consecutive cohort of 621 patients was included in the study. In 187 patients (30.1%) a second diagnosis was present. Within this group a third diagnosis was present in 35 (5.6%) patients. The most common second diagnosis was an anxiety disorder (50.1%).Conclusions:Patients with dizziness frequently present themselves with >1 type of dizziness caused by 2 or 3 different diseases. In our study 30% of patients with dizziness have >1 diagnosis. Anxiety disorder is the most common second diagnosis.
Phylogeny is often used to compare entire families of genes/proteins. We previously showed that classification of Caenorhabditis elegans Rho GTPases on the basis of their enzymatic properties was significantly different from sequence alignments. To further develop this concept, we have developed an integrated approach to classify C. elegans small GTPases based on functional data comprising affinity for GTP, sub-cellular localization, tissue distribution and silencing impact. This analysis led to establish a novel functional classification for small GTPases. To test the relevance of this classification in mammals, we focused our attention on the human orthologs of small GTPases from a specific group comprising arf- 1.2, evl-20, arl-1, Y54E10BR. 2, unc-108 and rab-7. We then tested their involvement in protein secretion and membrane traffic in mammalian systems. Using this approach we identify a novel network containing 18 GTPases, and 23 functionally interacting proteins, conserved between C. elegans and mammals, which is involved in membrane traffic and protein secretion.
BACKGROUND: Adding a long-acting beta(2)-agonist (LABA) to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) using a fixed-dose combination (FDC) inhaler is the UK guideline recommendation for children aged more than 4 years with uncontrolled asthma. The evidence of benefit of adding an FDC inhaler over a separate LABA inhaler is limited. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a LABA added as an FDC inhaler, and as a separate inhaler, in children with uncontrolled asthma. METHODS: Two UK primary care databases were used to create a matched cohort study with a 2-year follow-up period. We included children prescribed their first step-up from ICS monotherapy. Two cohorts were formed for children receiving an add-on LABA as an FDC inhaler, or a separate LABA inhaler. Matching variables and confounders were identified by comparing characteristics during a baseline year of follow-up. Outcomes were examined during the subsequent year. The primary outcome was an adjusted odds ratio for overall asthma control (defined as follows: no asthma-related hospital admission or emergency room visit, prescription for oral corticosteroids or antibiotic with evidence of respiratory consultation, and <= 2 puffs of short-acting bagonist daily). RESULTS: The final study consisted of 1330 children in each cohort (mean age 9 years; 59% male). In the separate ICSDLABA cohort, the odds of achieving overall asthma control were lower (adjusted odds ratio, 0.77 [95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.91]; P =.001) compared with the FDC cohort. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates a small but significant benefit in achieving asthma control from an add-on LABA as an FDC, compared with a separate inhaler and this supports current guideline recommendations. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
This paper presents a method for touch-based gesture recognition that can be used in human-centered interfaces for ambient intelligence applications. Gestures are associated with shapes and they are represented using Fourier coefficients. Neural Networks, Decision Trees, Naive Bayes and a set of classifiers (based on Linear Discriminant Analysis) are tested for gesture recognition. All these methods are evaluated based on accuracy, training and recognition time. Also an application controlled by user using touch-based gestures is implemented.
Microfluidics is an enabling technology for both cell biology and chemical analysis. We combine these attributes with a microfluidic device for on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of secreted metabolites from living cells in culture on the chip. The device was constructed with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and contains a reversibly sealed chamber for perfusing cells. A multilayer design allowed a series of valves to control an on-chip 7.5 mu L injection loop downstream of the cell chamber with operation similar to a six-port valve. The valve collects sample and then diverts it to a packed SPE bed that was connected in-line to treat samples prior to MS analysis. The valve allows samples to be collected and injected onto the SPE bed while preventing exposure of cells to added back pressure from the SPE bed and organic solvents needed to elute collected chemicals. Here, cultured murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes were loaded into the cell chamber and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) that were secreted by the cells were monitored by SPE-MS at 30 min intervals. The limit of detection for a palmitoleic acid standard was 1.4 mu M. Due to the multiplexed detection capabilities of MS, a variety of NEFAs were detected. Upon stimulation with isoproterenol and forskolin, secretion of select NEFAs was elevated an average of 1.5-fold compared to basal levels. Despite the 30-min delay between sample injections, this device is a step towards a miniaturized system that allows automated monitoring and identification of a variety of molecules in the extracellular environment.
The deployment of AmI technologies in large facilities sets new challenges due to the difficulty to perform experiments in physical large settings, with high number of users. We propose a framework for such domain using simulations that combine social simulation techniques, specialized in assessing large population behaviors, along with experience in AmI systems simulations, specialized in considering sensor and actuator networks embedded in a physical environment. The framework will allow the configuration of simulation features and options according to user and device models defined by domain experts, as well as the interaction between the proposed simulator and a context generated by external sources (other simulators or AmI infrastructures). This paper also proposes the first steps towards an implementation of this architecture through contributions on known simulators.
In recent years, an increasing number of researchers have become involved in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and cloud computing. However, integrating WSN and cloud computing technology to monitor the environment is still an open issue. In this paper, we propose a WSN and a mobile-device-based environmental monitor based on SaaS (Software as a Service) of cloud computing architecture. In the first scheme, we provide a spare two-tier data aggregation of WSNs which can automatically report event data (such as flood and fire events) to cloud servers. We also use a NS2 simulation tool to implement and prove that our automatic report model will outperform other schemes. The second model is a mobile-device-based event reporting scheme. In an environmental monitoring system since there are some events (such as structural damage to dams and bridges) that cannot be reported automatically, we propose using a mobile device to report such events. The proposed second scheme can defend against Denial of Service (DoS) and man-in-the-middle attacks, achieve mutual authentication, ensure data security and address network security issues.
Creating a sense of interpersonal similarity of attitudes and values is associated with increased attraction and liking. Applying these findings in an intergroup setting, though, has yielded mixed support. Theorizing from a social identity perspective suggests that highlighting intergroup similarity may lead to increased antipathy to the extent that it is perceived as a threat to one's unique social identity. To circumvent this process, we examine the influence of emotional similarity, rather than attitudinal or value similarity, with the expectation that the short-term nature of emotions may evoke less threat to one's social identity. Moreover, given the importance of emotions in intergroup humanization processes, we expected that emotional similarity would be associated with greater conciliatory attitudes due to an increase in humanization of the outgroup. We report results from two studies supporting these predictions. Following exposure to an anger-eliciting news story, Jewish Israeli participants were given information that their own emotional reaction to the story was similar (or not) to an individual member of the outgroup (Study 1: Palestinian citizen of Israel) or the outgroup as a whole (Study 2: Palestinians of the West Bank). As predicted, emotional similarity was associated with increased humanization of the outgroup, and a subsequent increase in one's willingness to support conciliatory political policies toward the outgroup. We conclude that emotional similarity may be a productive avenue for future intergroup interventions, particularly between groups where differences in attitudes and values are foundational to the intergroup conflict.
Rainwater harvesting and its utilization have a very important role to play in harnessing the production potential within dryland systems. This study assesses the performance of small rainwater harvesting structures (farm-ponds) in 5 major rainfed states of India over the period 2009-2011 using data from multiple sources and stakeholders. Rainwater which is harvested using structures of varying types and sizes was used for either supplemental irrigation or recharging open-wells. In many cases, the farm level rainwater harvesting structures were highly effective for rainfed farming and had a multiplier effect on farm income. In some situations however, it was viewed by farmers as a waste of productive land. The use of farm ponds in Maharashtra, for example, resulted in a significant increase in farm productivity (12-72%), cropping intensity and consequently farm income. In the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, farm pond water was profitably used for supplemental irrigation to mango plantations, vegetables or other crops and animal enterprises with net returns estimated to be between US$ 120 and 320 structure(-1) annum(-1). Despite such examples, the adoption of the farm ponds was low, except in Maharashtra. A functional analysis of the reasons for high adoption of water harvesting structures indicated that factors such as technical support, customized design, level of farmer participation, age, existing ownership of open wells, annual rainfall and household assets were the major determinants of performance of farm-level rainwater harvesting structures. Based on this countrywide analysis, different policy and institutional options are proposed for promoting farm-level rainwater-harvesting for dryland agriculture. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper reports an investigation into the deformation response of geosynthetic-reinforced soil layers to evaluate the level of strain required to mobilize reinforcement mechanisms during surface loading. Specifically, an assessment of data from previous studies reporting surface settlements of reinforced and unreinforced soil layers during monotonic or cyclic loading to failure is complemented with new dynamic tests performed at small-and medium-strain magnitudes. A series of test sections with and without geosynthetic reinforcement were characterized using a Vibroseis shaker truck as a dynamic loading source. The behavior of uniform sand layers under relatively small strain magnitudes (shear strain magnitudes less than 0.2%) were characterized using embedded geophones. Shear and normal strain distributions within the test sections were measured as a function of depth during application of surface shear loading. The presence of geosynthetic reinforcement (either geogrid or geotextile) at a depth of 254 mm below the surface of the sand layer does not significantly alter the distributions of shear strain or vertical normal strain relative to an unreinforced control section for the magnitudes of shear and compressive strains applied to the soil surface. The behavior of aggregate base layers overlying sand layers under medium strain magnitudes (surface deflections up to 25 mm) were characterized using an array of LVDTs on the soil surface. Surface deflection basins were measured during application of several thousand cycles of compressive loading. The presence of a geogrid within the aggregate base layer or a woven geotextile beneath the aggregate base layer were observed not to lead to a change in the surface deflection basins up to a maximum deflection of 25 mm. These observations, together with results from the literature, indicate that reinforcement mechanisms such as lateral restraint and the tensioned-membrane effect may not be mobilized until reaching relatively large displacements in some soil layers.
Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is a very effective method for high dimensional data analysis, which has been widely used in computer vision. It can capture the underlying structure of image in the low dimensional space using its parts-based representations. However, nonnegative entries are usually required for the data matrix in NMF, which limits its application. Besides, it is actually an unsupervised method without making use of prior information of data. In this paper, we propose a novel method called Pairwise constrained Graph Regularized Convex Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (PGCNMF), which not only allows the processing of mixed-sign data matrix but also incorporates pairwise constraints generated among all labeled data into Convex NMF framework. We expect that images which have the same class label will have very similar representations in the low dimensional space as much as possible, while images with different class labels will have dissimilar representations as much as possible. Clustering experiments on nonnegative and mixed-sign real-world image datasets are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Advances in optical microscopy, biosensors and cell culturing technologies have transformed live cell imaging. Thanks to these advances live cell imaging plays an increasingly important role in basic biology research as well as at all stages of drug development. Image analysis methods are needed to extract quantitative information from these vast and complex data sets. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of available image analysis methods for live cell imaging, in particular required preprocessing image segmentation, cell tracking and data visualisation methods. The potential opportunities recent advances in machine learning, especially deep learning, and computer vision provide are being discussed. This review includes overview of the different available software packages and toolkits. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
This report deals with the loading of the geomembrane during the construction phase of the inner shell of a tunnel. In a systematic parameter analysis at the institute for underground construction at FH Munster the geomembrane and the geotextile were tested under different realistic conditions. Laboratory testing showed a dependence on the seal support surface of the shotcrete and on the characteristics of the geotextile. The deformations of the membranes due to fresh concrete pressure are significantly smaller than the permitted values in the technical regulations. The main results of the investigations are described below.
Although traditional economic models posit that money is fungible, psychological research abounds with examples that deviate from this assumption. Across eight experiments, we provide evidence that people construe physical currency as carrying traces of its moral history. In Experiments 1 and 2, people report being less likely to want money with negative moral history (i.e., stolen money). Experiments 3-5 provide evidence against an alternative account that people's judgments merely reflect beliefs about the consequences of accepting stolen money rather than moral sensitivity. Experiment 6 examines whether an aversion to stolen money may reflect contamination concerns, and Experiment 7 indicates that people report they would donate stolen money, thereby counteracting its negative history with a positive act. Finally, Experiment 8 demonstrates that, even in their recall of actual events, people report a reduced tendency to accept tainted money. Altogether, these findings suggest a robust tendency to evaluate money based on its moral history, even though it is designed to participate in exchanges that effectively erase its origins.
An edaphic-landscape restoration was performed in two anthracite coal mine spoil heaps located in NW Spain as a demonstration and pilot program for the restoration of coal mine spoils. Terrestrial arthropods were used to monitor the process as an alternative to the use of secondary succession of plants or physico-chemical indicators of soils. This study analyzes the usefulness of the terrestrial arthropods at different taxonomic levels (orders of Arthropoda, families of Coleoptera, and species of Carabidae) as restoration indicators in the initial restoration stages. The terrestrial arthropods respond rapidly to restoration, and the results may be explained by short-term increase in abiotic factors resulting from the applied techniques, mainly the animal origin of the organic matter added and the biodegradable coconut geotextile. Carabidae is of relatively low value as a short-term restoration indicator at a specific level. Coleoptera provided the best information for interpreting the ecological results over the short term and had the best relationship with the cost of identification. Likewise, the results showed that the edaphic-landscape restoration leads to an abnormal arthropod assemblage in the short term because of an excessive abundance of isopods and polydesmids. No clear convergence appeared toward any of the terrestrial arthropod communities present in the grassland, scrubland, or woodland semi-natural areas, which were used as reference end point. The restoration indicator value produced by the higher taxonomic levels of the studied terrestrial arthropods may be useful and cost-effective for assessing short-term changes caused by environmental restorations performed to recover ecosystems affected by mining activities. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MOVING IN SYNCHRONY WITH OTHERS ENCOURAGES prosocial behavior. Adults who walk, sing, or tap together are later more likely to be cooperative, helpful, and rate each other as likeable. Our previous studies demonstrated that interpersonal synchrony encourages helpfulness even in 14-month-old infants. However, in those studies, infants always experienced interpersonal synchrony in a musical context. Here we investigated whether synchronous movement in a nonmusical context has similar effects on infant helpfulness. Fourteen-month-olds were bounced gently while the experimenter faced the infant and bounced with them either in- or out-of-synchrony. In contrast to our previous studies, instead of listening to music during this interpersonal movement phase while being bounced, infants listened to nonrhythmic nature sounds. We then tested infant prosociality directed toward the experimenter. Results showed that synchronous bouncing still encouraged more prosociality than asynchronous bouncing, despite the absence of music. However, helping was more delayed and fussiness rates were much higher than in our previous studies with music. Thus music may not be necessary for interpersonal synchrony to influence infant helpfulness, but the presence of music may act as a mood regulator or distractor to help keep infants happy and allow them to fully experience the effects of synchronous movement.
Although the role of social cognition in leadership perception has been emphasized frequently in recent years, research using this approach in an organizational context is rare. This study investigated subordinates' perceptions of their managers as leaders (that is, to what extent they perceive their manager as a leader) as a potential mediating factor explaining the relationship between managers' self-monitoring and their subordinates' attitudes toward their organizations. The study was carried out with middle-level managers (N=64) and their subordinates (N=210) from various business organizations in Turkey. Results indicate that subordinates' leadership perceptions of their managers mediate the relationship between managers' self-monitoring and their subordinates' affective and normative organizational commitment. These results provide insight into some of the antecedents and outcomes of leadership perception.
Clinicians make a variety of assessments about their clients, from judging personality traits to making diagnoses, and a variety of methods are available to do so, ranging from observations to structured interviews. A large body of work demonstrates that from a brief glimpse of another's nonverbal behavior, a variety of traits and inner states can be accurately perceived. Additionally, from these thin slices of behavior, even future outcomes can be predicted with some accuracy. Certain clinical disorders such as Parkinson's disease and facial paralysis disrupt nonverbal behavior and may impair clinicians' ability to make accurate judgments. In certain contexts, personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicide attempts and outcomes can be detected from others' nonverbal behavior. Additionally, thin slices can predict psychological adjustment to divorce, bereavement, sexual abuse, and wellbeing throughout life. Thus, for certain traits and disorders, judgments from a thin slice could provide a complementary tool for the clinician's toolbox.
Generally speaking, most Confucian study in philosophy sphere concerns about its thoughts and notions nowadays and often neglects the empirical foundations of those notions. However, this is a bias from modern sight, and this prejudice will probably lead to a kind of reductionism, for example they will see some sacred feelings of Confucians' as some other levels, as a result, they will reduce the sacred dimension in Confucian tradition to another kind such as merely a morality. In this sense, it is necessary to explore the Confucian historical experiences from the viewpoint of religious study, for it will play an important role to understand the Confucian spirituality. A methodological reflection will be made in this article about how to study Confucian's ritual experience from the viewpoint of religious study, and through the example of Chu Hsi's experiences in sacrificing Confucius, an approach to the personal life experience in Confucian history will be highlighted.
Background: Severe aphasia is a chronic condition and can have a big effect on how people with severe aphasia (PWSA) succeed in their communication. The communication partner's support for the person with aphasia has been shown to be essential in achieving successful communication. However, interventions combining training both the partner and the PWSA to use hierarchical strategies in nonverbal communication are still needed.Aims: The aim of the present paper is to describe a new intervention (APPUTE) where both the person with aphasia and the partner receive therapy equally and practise finding functional communication strategies to convey everyday messages or more complicated ones. The data collection during the APPUTE intervention is also presented.Methods & Procedures: The data were collected during a development project including an evaluation period, two rehabilitation periods and follow-up measurement. Thirty-four PWSA and their partners participated. The linguistic functions and communication efficiency of PWSA were evaluated three times during the rehabilitation. The communication skills of the partner were also assessed, along with the success of the mutual communication.Outcomes & Results: The communication skills and communication efficiency of the PWSA and their partners improved significantly during the rehabilitation period, and the acquired skills were retained for 6 months after the intervention. The linguistic skills of the PWSA also improved. The advanced age of the partner explained both the variance of the partner's communication skills and the success in the mutual communication. The amount of earlier outpatient speech therapy explained the variance of the communication efficiency of PWSA as evaluated by the partners. Regarding success in mutual communication, all of the couples were able to communicate at least simple issues at the end of the rehabilitation period. The more demanding the tasks, the more difficult it became for them to succeed, especially for older PWSA with severe motor paralysis. Both the people with aphasia and their partners mainly experienced benefits from the APPUTE intervention and for the most part, the benefits were retained during follow-up.Conclusions: The APPUTE method appears to improve the communication skills of PWSA and their partners, as well as the linguistic skills of PWSA.
The optimal design of electric machines requires a significant amount of computation time, since the design is usually performed based on finite-element analysis (FEA) for better accuracy. For this reason, the development of an optimization algorithm is regarded as a prerequisite to reduce the number of objective function call, which is directly related to computation time. The local search algorithm does not guarantee that the global optimum solution can be searched effectively. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce the novel optimization method, search region management (SRM), to improve the efficiency of the local search algorithm. SRM uses a guided random bit generation based on Gray code for the region selection when the local search iterates the optimum search process for a multi-start. In addition, the SRM saves and manages the information of previous searched points to prevent overlapping calculation and to increase the effectiveness of the local search during every iteration process. To clarify the effectiveness of the proposed method for electric machine design, it is applied to the optimal design of brushless dc motor coupled with FEA minimizing torque ripple.
The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China and the subsequent impoundment of the Yangtze River have induced a major land use change in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, which fosters increased inputs of sediment and nutrients from diffuse sources into the water bodies. Several government programs have been implemented to mitigate high sediment and nutrient loads to the reservoir. However, institutional weaknesses and a focus on economic development have so far widely counteracted the effectiveness of these programs. In this study, the eco-hydrological model soil and water assessment tool is used to assess the effects of changes in fertilizer amounts and the conditions of bench terraces in the Xiangxi catchment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region on diffuse matter releases. With this, the study aims at identifying efficient management measures, which should have priority. The results show that a reduction of fertilizer amounts cannot reduce phosphorus loads considerably without inhibiting crop productivity. The condition of terraces in the catchment has a strong impact on soil erosion and phosphorus releases from agricultural areas. Hence, if economically feasible, programmes focusing on the construction and maintenance of terraces in the region should be implemented. Additionally, intercropping on corn fields as well as more efficient fertilization schemes for agricultural land were identified as potential instruments to reduce diffuse matter loads further. While the study was carried out in the Three Gorges Region, its findings may also beneficial for the reduction of water pollution in other mountainous areas with strong agricultural use.
This paper seeks to investigate the impact of foreign direct investments (FDIs) on industrial pollution ( and BOD emissions) on a large sample of highly heterogeneous countries. By using panel data on manufacturing FDIs from France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom between 1995 and 2008, and by developing an empirical model with first and second order interaction terms, we investigate the existence and the conditionality of the most controversial FDI-induced effects on industrial emissions, i.e., Pollution Haven, Factor Endowments and Pollution Halo hypotheses. The paper has three main findings: (1) the central hypotheses linking pollution to FDI are found to act simultaneously, with opposing effects; (2) FDIs are associated with pollution reduction, i.e., predominating pollution halo induced effect, in countries with low to average capital-to-labour ratio but not too lax environmental regulation; (3) FDIs are found to increase pollution, i.e., prevailing pollution haven and/or factor endowments induced effects, in countries with average capital endowments and lax environmental regulations, as well as in all the capital abundant countries, though with a smaller magnitude in countries having strict environmental regulations and/or a high-skilled labour force. Some specific and interesting findings are discussed regarding different FDI-origin countries and FDI-host country groups.
We present THE-WIZZ, an open source and user-friendly software for estimating the redshift distributions of photometric galaxies with unknown redshifts by spatially cross-correlating them against a reference sample with known redshifts. The main benefit of THE-WIZZ is in separating the angular pair finding and correlation estimation from the computation of the output clustering redshifts allowing anyone to create a clustering redshift for their sample without the intervention of an 'expert'. It allows the end user of a given survey to select any subsample of photometric galaxies with unknown redshifts, match this sample's catalogue indices into a value-added data file and produce a clustering redshift estimation for this sample in a fraction of the time it would take to run all the angular correlations needed to produce a clustering redshift. We show results with this software using photometric data from the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS) and spectroscopic redshifts from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The results we present for KiDS are consistent with the redshift distributions used in a recent cosmic shear analysis from the survey. We also present results using a hybrid machine learning-clustering redshift analysis that enables the estimation of clustering redshifts for individual galaxies. THE-WIZZ can be downloaded at http://github.com/morriscb/The-wiZZ/.
This research examines the positive role of consumer education in diffusing innovative, sustainable products (ISPs). To enhance the effectiveness of a consumer education campaign, this study explores the type of message framing that can best facilitate product adoption among three different approaches: positive, negative, and hybrid framing. This study also investigates consumer traits and retailer attributes that facilitate or deter product adoption. The empirical application using biofuels shows that a negatively framed educational message highlighting the negative impact of gasoline (versus biofuels) is most effective in leveraging the social desirability of product adoption against its economic disadvantages. Consumertraits positively associated with the adoption of biobutanol are environmental consciousness, prosocial behavior, and openness to new experiences, whereas vertical individualism discourages such adoption. Furthermore, retailer choice attributes of location and payment convenience facilitate adoption, while retailer choice attributes based on price and servicescape cleanliness discourage such adoption. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Research in social interaction and nonverbal communication among individuals with severe developmental disabilities also includes the study of body movements. Advances in analytical technology give new possibilities for measuring body movements more accurately and reliably. One such advance is the Qualisys Motion Capture System (QMCS), which utilizes optical markers to capture body movements. The aim of this study was to explore the practicality of measuring body movements in the nonverbal communication of a child with severe developmental disabilities. A preliminary case study has been undertaken. The social interaction between a boy with developmental disabilities and his teacher was analyzed (1) using observer ratings on psychological aspects of the social interaction and (2) measuring body positions, velocity, and angles of body movements using the QMCS. Associations between observer ratings and measured body movements were examined. This preliminary case study has indicated that emotional response and attention level during the social interaction corresponded with local, synchronized movements and face-to-face orientation. Measurement of motor behavior is suggested as being a potentially useful methodological approach to studying social interaction and communication development.
Over the last three decades, scientists have uncovered the extent of human impacts on the earth's operating systems with increasing clarity and precision. These findings have prompted scientific claims that we have transitioned out of the Holocene and into the Anthropocene epoch in the earth's geological history (Crutzen & Stoermer, 2000). At the same time, the traditional humanist underpinnings of the university have been eroded by the ongoing digitisation, massification, and decentralisation of higher education. This article argues that higher education has a crucial role to play in responding to the Anthropocene thesis, which at the same time provides a powerful impetus for reimagining the university through posthumanist concepts. In developing this analysis, conceptual distinctions are drawn between visions of hope and disaster, the local and the regional, dwelling and construction, and emplacement and displacement in the context of university learning environments. The learning environment is specifically addressed throughout as a fluid and transitional space for experimenting with concepts and practices that operate outside of humanist constructs and disciplinary boundaries. As the very idea of the university campus' threatens to become an anachronism, the author concludes with a speculative proposition for the reimagining of the university in the Anthropocene era.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a viral pathogen transmitted primarily via fecal-oral route. In humans, HEV mainly causes acute hepatitis and is responsible for large outbreaks of hepatitis across the world. The case fatality rate of HEV-induced hepatitis ranges from 0.5 to 3% in young adults and up to 30% in infected pregnant women. HEV strains infecting humans are classified into four genotypes. HEV strains from genotypes 3 and 4 are zoonotic, whereas those from genotypes 1 and 2 have no known animal reservoirs. Recently, notable progress has been accomplished for better understanding of HEV biology and infection, such as chronic HEV infection, in vitro cell culture system, quasi enveloped HEV virions, functions of the HEV proteins, mechanism of HEV antagonizing host innate immunity, HEV pathogenesis and vaccine development. However, further investigation on the cross-species HEV infection, host tropism, vaccine efficacy, and HEV-specific antiviral strategy is still needed. This review mainly focuses on molecular biology and infection of HEV and offers perspective new insight of this enigmatic virus.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) is a widely used software application for performing one-dimensional and two-dimensional steady and unsteady flow river hydraulics calculations, sediment transport-mobile bed modeling, and water quality analysis. User's of HEC-RAS have often unique applications including the coupling with other software to perform system analysis such as optimization of flooding structures and multi-objective reservoir operation under uncertainty. One state-of-the-art environment for integrating software is MATLAB, which integrates computation, visualization, and programming in an easy-to-use environment. This paper presents a set of MATLAB scripts to write input files, read output files, make plots, execute parallel computations, and perform fully-automated functions of HEC-RAS. Examples of procedures are presented throughout the paper and they are illustrated using a river-reservoir network that involves ten inline structures (e.g., dams) with operation of gates at each of these dams. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study, large-size direct shear tests were conducted to determine the interfacial shear characteristics of sand geotextile under three different normal stresses. The geotextiles used in the present study were hybrid needlepunched nonwovens containing defined weight proportions of jute and polypropylene fibers. Subsequently, the interfacial shear characteristics of hybrid and that of a nonwoven geotextile consisting of solely polypropylene fibers with sand were compared and analyzed under different normal stresses. Initial higher shear stiffness of sand-polypropylene geotextiles was observed corresponding to sand-hybrid geotextiles specifically under higher normal stresses. Nevertheless, the contact efficiency of sand-hybrid nonwovens was similar to that of sand-polypropylene geotextiles. The surface morphology of sand particles has been investigated based on the images obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitatively analyzed by means of Wadell roundness and degree of angularity methods. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the ever-growing prevalence of dementia, nursing costs are increasing, while the ability to live independently vanishes. Dem@Home is an ambient assisted living framework to support independent living while receiving intelligent clinical care. Dem@Home integrates a variety of ambient and wearable sensors together with sophisticated, interdisciplinary methods of image and semantic analysis. Semantic Web technologies, such as OWL 2, are extensively employed to represent sensor observations and application domain specifics as well as to implement hybrid activity recognition and problem detection. Complete with tailored user interfaces, clinicians are provided with accurate monitoring of multiple life aspects, such as physical activity, sleep, complex daily tasks and clinical problems, leading to adaptive non-pharmaceutical interventions. The method has been already validated for both recognition performance and improvement on a clinical level, in four home pilots.
Having knowledge about social interactions as a basis for informed decision support in situations of conflict can be determinant. However, lower attention is given to the social network interpretation process in conflict management approaches. The main objective of the work presented here is to identify how the parties' social networks correlate to their negotiation performance and how this can be formalized. Therefore, an experiment was set up in which was tried to streamline all the relevant aspects of the interaction between the individual and its environment that occur in a rich sensory environment (where the contextual modalities were monitored). This research explicitly focuses on the idea that an Ambient Intelligence system can create scenarios that augment the possibilities of reaching a positive outcome taking into account the role of contextualized social relationships in various conflict management strategies.
Harvesting rainwater is a common practice worldwide, particularly in areas with no access to a public water supply or insufficient groundwater reserves. More than two million people living in semiarid regions of Brazil consume rainwater stored in cisterns, and little information is available regarding the water quality. Despite the initial good quality of the rainwater, its harvest and storage can introduce contaminants that must be eliminated before consumption. To evaluate the influence of handling, cistern age and precipitation on the quality of harvested rainwater, we monitored seven cisterns in the semiarid Brazilian Northeast over 4 years. Microbial and physicochemical parameters were monitored once a month, and denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was performed at the end of the monitoring period. Coliform bacteria were detected in 100% of samples, while Escherichia coli were observed in 73.8%. The alkalinity and conductivity were the highest for the recently built cisterns due to the dissolution of construction materials. The DGGE of the 16S r DNA did not reveal the presence of E. coli. Instead, DGGE bands sequencing indicated that species primarily affiliated with Alphaproteobacteria were present in all cisterns, indicating the presence of microbial ecosystems capable of purifying and stabilizing the stored rainwater.
Water quality early warning system is mainly used to detect deliberate or accidental water pollution events in water distribution systems. Identifying the types of pollutants is necessary after detecting the presence of pollutants to provide warning information about pollutant characteristics and emergency solutions. Thus, a real-time contaminant classification methodology, which uses the multi-classification support vector machine (SVM), is proposed in this study to obtain the probability for contaminants belonging to a category. The SVM-based model selected samples with indistinct feature, which were mostly low-concentration samples as the support vectors, thereby reducing the influence of the concentration of contaminants in the building process of a pattern library. The new sample points were classified into corresponding regions after constructing the classification boundaries with the support vector. Experimental results show that the multi-classification SVM-based approach is less affected by the concentration of contaminants when establishing a pattern library compared with the cosine distance classification method. Moreover, the proposed approach avoids making a single decision when classification features are unclear in the initial phase of injecting contaminants.
Complex traffic networks include a number of controlled intersections, and, commonly, multiple districts or municipalities. The result is that the overall traffic control problem is extremely complex computationally. Moreover, given that different municipalities may have distinct, non-aligned, interests, traffic light controller design is inherently decentralized, a consideration that is almost entirely absent from related literature. Both complexity and decentralization have great bearing both on the quality of the traffic network overall, as well as on its security. We consider both of these issues in a dynamic traffic network. First, we propose an effective local search algorithm to efficiently design system-wide control logic for a collection of intersections. Second, we propose a game theoretic (Stackelberg game) model of traffic network security in which an attacker can deploy denial-of-service attacks on sensors, and develop a resilient control algorithm to mitigate such threats. Finally, we propose a game theoretic model of decentralization, and investigate this model both in the context of baseline traffic network design, as well as resilient design accounting for attacks. Our methods are implemented and evaluated using a simple traffic network scenario in SUMO.
Network and computer systems administrators are facing a serious problem of the big network traffic data analysis. It became difficult work of administrators to extract and analysis the abnormal and normal patterns from large amounts of the network traffic data. Currently, traditional relational database management systems (RDBMS) are unsuitable to store a large amount of data because they are designed for storing and processing the structured data. Hive is a data warehouse tool built on top of Hadoop for storing, processing, querying, and analysis the large amount of data. Hive stores the data in a table similar the relational database management system. In this paper, we propose a Hadoop-based traffic querying and analyzing system that handles the TCP, ICMP, and UDP analysis of the big network traffic data. The system consists of six modules: Data Collection Module, Transferring and Storing Information Module, Convertor Module, Data Mining Process Module, DM2SC Module, and Report Module. We also performed complex search queries and compared the query response times of MySQL against Hive in Hadoop environment. As the result, in some scenario, MySQL outperform a cluster of four Hive nodes on querying the ICMP protocol information, nevertheless, MySQL database that stored more than the network traffic data about 45 million records cannot be query the TCP protocol information. Moreover, we observed that the average query response times of Hive in Hadoop cluster that reduce continuously be scale up node into the cluster.
Defending against return-oriented programing (ROP) attacks is extremely challenging for modem operating systems. As the most popular mobile OS running on ARM, Android is even more vulnerable to ROP attacks due to its weak implementation of ASLR and the absence of effective control-flow integrity enforcement. In this paper, leveraging specific ARM features, an instruction randomization strategy to mitigate ROP attacks in Android even with the threat of single pointer leakage vulnerabilities is proposed. By popping out more registers in functions' epilogue instructions and reallocating registers in function scopes, branch targets in all (direct and indirect) branch instructions potential to be ROP gadgets are changed randomly. Without the knowledge of binaries' runtime instructions layout, adversary's repeated control flow transfer in ROP exploits will be subverted. Furthermore, this instruction randomization idea has been implemented in both Android Dalvik runtime and ART. Corresponding evaluations proved it is capable to introduce enough randomness for more than 99% discovered functions and thwart about 95% ROP gadgets in application's shared libraries and oat file compiled from Dalvik bytecode. Besides, evaluations on real-world exploits also confirmed its effectiveness on mitigating ROP attacks within acceptable performance overhead.
One avenue substantially researched and supported in early childhood research is the importance and the cultivation of self-regulation skills in the classroom. Most educational research on self-regulation skills has illustrated the importance between the enhancement of these skills and long-term academic success. Notwithstanding, there is little empirical research in early childhood that links the advancement of self-regulation skills to other contributing educational components, such as the cultivation of children's pro-social skills.This review seeks to establish a link between children's self-regulation and pro-social skills and discusses implications for future research and practice.
Research into leadership emergence typically focuses on the attributes of the emergent leader. By considering also the attributes of perceivers and the passage of time, we develop a more complete theory of leadership emergence in short-lived groups. Using expectation states theory as an overarching theoretical framework, and integrating it with the surface- and deep-level diversity literature and with theories of self-serving biases, we examine the predictors of leadership emergence in short timeframes. We conduct a field study in a military assessment boot camp ( a pilot study, n = 60; and a main study, n = 89). We use cross-sectional and longitudinal exponential random graph models to analyze data on participants' abilities and on their perceptions of who, in their respective groups, were leaders. We find that the criteria by which people perceive leadership in others change over time, from easily noticeable attributes to covert leadership-relevant attributes, and that people also rely on leadership-relevant attributes that they possess at high levels to inform their perceptions of leadership in others. The integration of expectation states theory, attribute salience over time and theories of self-serving bias is needed for a full understanding of leadership emergence in groups, because perceivers' own abilities are instrumental in shaping their perceptions of emergent leadership over time. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
This paper presents a reliable machine vision system to automatically detect inserts and determine if they are broken. Unlike the machining operations studied in the literature, we are dealing with edge milling head tools for aggressive machining of thick plates (up to 12 centimetres) in a single pass. The studied cutting head tool is characterised by its relatively high number of inserts (up to 30) which makes the localisation of inserts a key aspect. The identification of broken inserts is critical for a proper tool monitoring system. In the method that we propose, we first localise the screws of the inserts and then we determine the expected position and orientation of the cutting edge by applying some geometrical operations. We compute the deviations from the expected cutting edge to the real edge of the inserts to determine if an insert is broken. We evaluated the proposed method on a new dataset that we acquired and made public. The obtained result (a harmonic mean of precision and recall 91.43%) shows that the machine vision system that we present is effective and suitable for the identification of broken inserts in machining head tools and ready to be installed in an on-line system.
With introducing demand response aggregator (DRA) in smart paradigm, small customers can actively participate in price and incentive-based demand response programs. This new matter can significantly affect many factors of power system such as transmission network security. Accordingly, it is notably useful to define an adjusted framework for transmission expansion planning in smart environment. A long-term market simulation is performed using a tri-level iterative framework to find the best expansion decisions for transmission company (TransCo) in a pool-based market. The TransCo's investment decisions are made by a merchant approach consistent with transmission network security and smart environment. The effects of smart environment on future network configuration, strategic bidding of generators in the market operation, and contingency analysis are considered during planning process. The effectiveness of proposed method is examined on the IEEE 24-bus system with one DRA, one TransCo, and two generation companies under the independent system operator's supervision. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The objective of this study was to examine age-dependent changes in both T-1-weighted and T-2-weighted image contrasts and spin-echo T-2 relaxation time in the human brain during healthy ageing. A total of 37 participants between the ages of 49 and 87 years old were scanned with a 3 Tesla system, using T-1-weighted, T-2 weighted and quantitative spin-echo T-2 imaging. Contrast between image intensities and T-2 values was calculated for various regions, including between individual hippocampal subfields. The T-1 contrast-to-noise (CNR) and gray:white signal intensity ratio (GWR) did not change in the hippocampus, but it declined in the cingulate cortex with age. In contrast, T-2 CNR and GWR declined in both brain regions. T-2 relaxation time was almost constant in gray matter and most (but not all) hippocampal subfields, but increased substantially in white matter, pointing to an age effect on water relaxation in white matter. Changes in T-1 and T-2 MR characteristics influence the appearance of brain images in later life and should be considered in image analyses of aged subjects. It is speculated that alterations at the cell biology level, with concomitant alterations to the local magnetic environment, reduce dephasing and subsequently prolong spin-echo T-2 through reduced diffusion effects in later life.
Adult influence on children's altruistic behavior may differ between cultural communities. We used an experimental approach to assess the influence of adult models on children's altruistic giving in a city in the United States and rural villages in India. Children between 3 and 8 years of age were tested with their parents in the United States (n =163) and India (n = 154). Parents modeled either a generous or stingy donation; children then performed a similar task in private. Children in both communities were influenced by the stingy model, but only children in India increased their giving after viewing a generous model. The model's influence also increased with age in India. Results of a questionnaire revealed that parents in both communities believed that children learned sharing behavior from them. We consider these results in light of differences between these societies, including different socialization goals, cultural values, and content biases that may affect altruistic giving. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Wireless power transfer (WPT) or wireless energy transmission is the transmission of electrical power from a power source to a consuming device without using solid wires or conductors. In this paper we describe the implementation of the concept of wireless power transfer to transmit power from mobile phones to mobile phones. In our design we use simple inductive coupling and basic electrical circuits to implement this technology.
Aim: The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) in an adolescent population. Methods: The investigation was performed among Swedish students aged 13-15 years (n = 817; 58% girls). The SHIS was assessed for respondent acceptability, and its psychometric properties were evaluated according to classical test theory (regarding unidimensionality, targeting, reliability, and external construct validity). Results: The adolescents found it easy to complete the questionnaire, which was completed in an average of 4 minutes. Exploratory factor analysis, which is based on polychoric correlations, identified one factor, supporting the instrument's unidimensionality. Floor/ceiling effects were 3.3%. Reliability estimates yielded a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.93; the test-retest reliability (n = 50; 2-week interval) coefficients were 0.89 for the total SHIS score and 0.52-0.79 for item scores. Spearman correlations with other variables were based on a priori expectations (self-rated general health, 0.595; depressive symptoms, -0.773; anxiety, -0.577; and sleep problems, 0.519). Conclusions: Our observations support both the acceptability and the psychometric properties of the SHIS as a brief, unidimensional assessment tool for salutogenic health in adolescents. Further studies using modern test theory are needed to better understand the measurement properties of the SHIS, including the functioning of its response categories and its comparability between adolescents and adults.
1. Species distribution modelling can be useful for the conservation of rare and endangered species. Freshwater mussel declines have thinned species ranges producing spatially fragmented distributions across large areas. Spatial fragmentation in combination with a complex life history and heterogeneous environment makes predictive modelling difficult. 2. A machine learning approach (maximum entropy) was used to model occurrences and suitable habitat for the federally endangered dwarf wedgemussel, Alasmidonta heterodon, in Maryland's Coastal Plain catchments. Landscape- scale predictors (e. g. land cover, land use, soil characteristics, geology, flow characteristics, and climate) were used to predict the suitability of individual stream segments for A. heterodon. 3. The best model contained variables at three scales: minimum elevation (segment scale), percentage Tertiary deposits, low intensity development, and woody wetlands (sub- catchment), and percentage low intensity development, pasture/ hay agriculture, and average depth to the water table (catchment). Despite a very small sample size owing to the rarity of A. heterodon, cross- validated prediction accuracy was 91%. 4. Most predicted suitable segments occur in catchments not known to contain A. heterodon, which provides opportunities for new discoveries or population restoration. These model predictions can guide surveys toward the streams with the best chance of containing the species or, alternatively, away from those streams with little chance of containing A. heterodon. 5. Developed reaches had low predicted suitability for A. heterodon in the Coastal Plain. Urban and exurban sprawl continues to modify stream ecosystems in the region, underscoring the need to preserve existing populations and to discover and protect new populations. Copyright # 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: Recent experiments regarding Ndc80/Hec1 in force generation at kinetochores for chromosome motions have prompted speculation about possible models for interactions between positively charged molecules at kinetochores and negative charge at and near the plus ends of microtubules. Discussion: A clear picture of how kinetochores and centrosomes establish and maintain a dynamic coupling to microtubules for force generation during the complex motions of mitosis remains elusive. The current paradigm of molecular cell biology requires that specific molecules, or molecular geometries, for force generation be identified. However, it is possible to explain several different mitotic motions-including poleward force production at kinetochores-within a classical electrostatics approach in terms of experimentally known charge distributions, modeled as surface and volume bound charges interacting over nanometer distances. Conclusion: We propose here that implicating Ndc80/Hec1 as a bound volume positive charge distribution in electrostatic generation of poleward force at kinetochores is most consistent with a wide range of experimental observations on mitotic motions, including polar production of poleward force and chromosome congression.
Wavelength stabilization for a pulsed laser presents more challenges than that of continuous wave laser. We have developed a simple and efficient long-term wavelength drifts compensation technique for tunable pulsed dye lasers (PDL) applied in sodium detection lidar system. Wavelength calibration and locking are implemented by using optogalvanic (OG) spectroscopy in a Na hollow cathode lamp (HCL) in conjunction with a digital control software. Optimization of OG signals for better laser wavelength discrimination and feedback control is performed. Test results indicate that locking the multimode broadband PDL to the Na atomic transition corresponding to 589.158 nm is well achieved although the temperature in the laboratory is unstable. Through active compensation, the maximum wavelength drift is reduced from over 5 pm to 0.42 pm in 10 h and the maximum wavelength drift rate of the PDL is improved from 3.3 pm/h to 0.3 pm/h It has been used to efficient sodium resonance fluorescence lidar detection. This technique is economical and easy to implement, and it provides flexible wavelength control and allows generalization for some other applications which require the wavelength of tunable pulsed lasers to be fixed at an atomic resonance transition references. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,
We introduce a heuristic called pseudocontingencies (PCs) as an alternative account of various stereotyping phenomena. PCs give rise to the expectation that attributes are correlated based solely on asymmetries in attribute base rates. Attributes that are encountered frequently and attributes that are encountered rarely are perceived to be correlated with each other. Such differences in information densities are typical of many stereotyped targets, including the self vs. others, the in-group vs. out-groups and majority vs. minority groups. Evidence is reviewed for PCs underlying illusory correlations, confirmation biases, gender stereotypes, Simpson's paradox, and in procedures used for implicit stereotype measurement. PCs are shown to predict specific patterns of self-enhancement and self-depreciation, the effects of intergroup contact on in-group biases and the readiness to infer stereotypes from aggregated big-data. Although PCs can lead to seriously flawed stereotypic expectations, they afford an efficient and possibly adaptive inference strategy.
The aim of this paper was to contribute to the elaboration of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis framework by testing eight hypotheses addressing the direct impact of gross motor coordination problems in elementary-school on selected physical, behavioral and psychosocial outcomes in adolescence. Results are based on a longitudinal sample of 940 participants who were (i) recruited as part of a population-based representative survey on health, physical fitness and physical activity in childhood and adolescence, (ii) assessed twice within 6 years, between the ages of 6 and 10 years old as well as between the ages of 12 and 16 years old (Response Rate: 55.9%) and (iii) classified as having gross motor coordination problems (N = 115) or having no gross motor coordination problems (N = 825) at baseline. Motor tests from the Korperkoordinationstest, measures of weight and height, a validated physical activity questionnaire as well as the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire were conducted. Data were analyzed by use of binary logistic regressions. Results indicated that elementary-school children with gross motor coordination problems show a higher risk of persistent gross motor coordination problems (OR = 7.99, p < 0.001), avoiding organized physical activities (OR = 1.53, p < 0.05), an elevated body mass (OR = 1.78, p < 0.05), bonding with sedentary peers (OR = 1.84, p < 0.01) as well as emotional (OR = 1.73, p < 0.05) and conduct (OR = 1.79, p < 0.05) problems in adolescence in comparison to elementary-school children without gross motor coordination problems. However, elementary-school children with gross motor coordination problems did not show a significantly higher risk of peer problems (OR = 1.35, p = 0.164) or diminished prosocial behavior (OR = 1.90, p = 0.168) in adolescence, respectively in comparison to elementary-school children without gross motor coordination problems. This study is the first to provide population-based longitudinal data ranging from childhood to adolescence in the context of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis which can be considered a substantial methodological progress. In summary, gross motor coordination problems represent a serious issue for a healthy transition from childhood to adolescence which substantiates respective early movement interventions.
CASE: Chase is a 51/2-year-old boy whom you have followed in your primary care practice since age 26 months. He was born full-term vaginal delivery weighing 6 pounds 15 ounces. His biological mother used heroin, tobacco, and cocaine during pregnancy. From 8 weeks to 18 months, he spent time in a foster home where he was provided limited attention and nurturing. At age 18 months, he entered a loving foster home; at 26 months, he was adopted. There is maternal history of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disability, depression, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse but no history of autism or cognitive disability. Chase received early intervention before adoption. Specific concerns are unknown. At the time of his adoption, he had delays in gross motor and fine motor skills, nonverbal communication, and speech production. Familiar listeners find Chase to be 100% intelligible but unfamiliar listeners understand about 70% of what Chase says. He enjoys being with his adopted mother and imitating her. He has demonstrated significant anxiety during his play therapy. He has difficulty in paying attention to multistep directions. Chase can point and wave but has difficulty following someone's eyes to see where another person is looking. Chase enjoys a variety of interests but has a special fixation on Toy Story characters. Chase does initiate social interactions but can be aggressive toward his siblings and oppositional toward his parents. He is not aggressive at school. Teachers note hyperactivity and impulsivity. Chase is bothered by bright lights and by others making loud noises but has no difficulty with crowds. Chase is reported to have difficulty in transitioning between activities. At his 5-year-old visit, you as well as his mother and therapists note that he has trouble following with his eyes so he is referred to a neuro-ophthalmologist. Evaluation showed Chase was able to fix on and follow objects and light, his peripheral vision was normal, his pupils were equal and reactive without afferent pupillary defect, and normal visual tracking as assessed through pursuit and saccades. There were some head jerking motions observed which were not thought to be part of Chase's attempts to view objects. Gaze impersistence was noted, although it was not clear if this was due to a lack of attention or a true inability to maintain a gaze in the direction instructed. On review of the school's speech and language report, they state that he is >90% intelligible. He has occasional lip trills. Testing with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals shows mild delays in receptive language, especially those that require visual attention. Verbal Motor Production Assessment for Children reveals focal oromotor control and sequencing skills that are below average, with groping when asked to imitate single oromotor nonspeech movements and sequenced double oromotor nonspeech movements. At 51/2 years, he returns for follow-up, and he is outgoing and imaginative, eager to play and socialize. He makes eye contact but does not always maintain it. He asks and responds to questions appropriately, and he is able to follow verbal directions and verbal redirection. He is very interested in Toy Story characters but willing to share them and plays with other toys. Chase's speech has predictable, easy to decode sound substitutions. On interview with him, you feel that he has borderline cognitive abilities. He also demonstrates good eye contact but lack of visual gaze maintenance; this is the opposite of the pattern you are accustomed to in patients with autism spectrum disorder. What do you do next?
Dependable complex systems often operate under variable and non-stationary conditions, which requires efficient and extensive monitoring and error detection solutions. Among the many, the paper focuses on anomaly detection techniques, which monitor the evolution of some specific indicators through time to identify anomalies, i.e. deviations from the expected operational behavior. The timely identification of anomalies in dependable, fault tolerant systems allows to timely detect errors in the services and react appropriately. In this paper, we investigate the possibility to monitor the evolution of indicators through time using the random walk model on indicators belonging to Operating Systems, specifically in our study the Linux Red Hat EL5. The approach is based on the experimental evaluation of a large set of heterogeneous indicators, which are acquired under different operating conditions, both in terms of workload and faultload, on an air traffic management target system. The statistical analysis is based on a best-fitting approach aiming to minimize the integral distance between the empirical data distribution and some reference distributions. The outcomes of the analysis show that the idea of adopting a random walk model for the development of an anomaly detection monitor for critical systems that operates at Operating System level is promising. Moreover, standard distributions such as Laplace and Cauchy, rather than Normal, should be used for setting up the thresholds of the monitor. Further studies that involve a new application, a different Operating System and a new layer (an Application Server) will allow verifying the generalization of the approach to other fault tolerant systems, monitored layers and set of indicators. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Compressed air energy storage technologies can improve the supply capacity and stability of the electricity grid, particularly when fluctuating renewable energies are massively connected. While incorporating the combined cooling, heating and power systems into compressed air energy storage could achieve stable operation as well as efficient energy utilization. In this paper, a novel combined cooling, heating and power based compressed air energy storage system is proposed. The system combines a gas engine, supplemental heat exchangers and an ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system. The design tradeoff between the thermodynamic and economic objectives, i.e., the overall exergy efficiency and the total specific cost of product, is investigated by an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm for the proposed combined system. It is found that, with an increase in the exergy efficiency, the total product unit cost is less affected in the beginning, while rises substantially afterwards. The best trade-off solution is selected with an overall exergy efficiency of 53.04% and a total product unit cost of 20.54 cent/kWh, respectively. The variation of decision variables with the exergy efficiency indicates that the compressor, turbine and heat exchanger preheating the inlet air of turbine are the key equipment to cost-effectively pursuit a higher exergy efficiency. It is also revealed by an exergoeconomic analysis that, for the best trade-off solution, the investment costs of the compressor and the two heat exchangers recovering compression heat and heating up compressed air for expansion should be reduced (particularly the latter), while the thermodynamic performance of the gas engine need to be improved significantly. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper discusses contradictory imperatives in contemporary Australian pedagogy - the notions of controversy' and diversity' as they relate the subjects of genders and sexualities. It is a common view that both gender and sexuality are important organising features of identity, society and politics. Consistent effort is made in the Australian educational context to combat discrimination, prejudice against sexually, and gender diverse' people. However, the state's commitment to diversity policies must be balanced with a secondary focus on appeasing those who are hostile to non-heteronormative expression, or who view such expression as inherently political' in nature and therefore inappropriate for the school setting. Australia has arguably demonstrated this dilemma recently in two notable controversies: an intervention in planned school screenings of Gayby Baby, a documentary exploring the experience of children in same-sex families, and media furore over the trans-positive All of Us teaching kit. Using these case studies, this paper explores the competing imperatives of controversy and diversity, commenting on the tendency for the lives and experiences of LGBTIQ people becoming consequently politicised. To do so, is arguably detrimental to the meaningful participation of LGBTIQ people as social citizens.
The spatio-temporal variation in black carbon (BC) mass concentration and total aerosol optical properties simulated from regional climate model RegCM Versions 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 are investigated and compared with in situ and remote sensing measurements. Higher BC mass concentrations (>3 mu g m(-3)) are found over the Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB) in all versions. BC mass in RegCM 4.4 and 4.5 are closer to observations. BC mass estimated from RegCM 4.4 and 4.5 is found to agree within 20% with respect to observation during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. The differences in observed and simulated mass are >50% during winter over all locations and during winter and post-monsoon over western India, which suggests the need of improvement in emission inventory over the region, as emissions from the biofuel and crop residue burning in agriculture are very low in the emission inventories. RegCM 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5-simulated aerosol optical depths (AODs) are found to have more than 40% underestimation during winter and the post-monsoon over Kanpur, while 4.3 overestimates AOD during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons over Kanpur, and during all seasons except winter over Gandhi College. Single scattering albedo (SSA) values range from 0.75 to 0.95 in 4.4 and 4.5. Lower SSA values are found over the IGB where anthropogenic emissions dominate. SSA simulated by RegCM 4.4 and 4.5 are lowered by 2-10% with respect to aerosol robotic network (AERONET)-derived SSA. Moreover, during winter such differences are higher (>10%). The RegCM 4.4 and 4.5-simulated BC mass concentrations are nearer to observations, while for columnar optical properties, RegCM 4.3 is more close to measurement. BC mass is 10-30% closer to observations when model for ozone and related chemical tracers-chemical transport model chemical boundary condition are utilized in addition to CAM + EC-EARTH.
This paper presents the control method of an LCL filter implemented for a three-phase, voltage-source, grid-connected inverter for not only offering better attenuation of switching harmonics but also for highly damping the resonance. A discrete-time deadbeat current controller with tuned state-feedback gains is proposed to realize the time optimum responses with high control accuracy. In addition, the influences of different grid inductances and switching frequencies of the three-level T-type inverter on the controller gains are discussed. The analytical design of the three dimensional deadbeat controller dealing with the instantaneous space vectors is examined under varying grid inductance. The effectiveness of the optimum feedback gains on the control performance is validated experimentally. The deadbeat controller can provide the fastest response and damp the resonance of the LCL filter at relatively low switching frequency in comparison with the filter size.
Objective: Although most people will experience a traumatic event at some point in their life, only some will develop significant psychological symptoms in the aftermath. In the current study, we use a preexisting longitudinal study located in Long Island to examine the impact of Hurricane Sandy on internalizing symptoms in a large sample of children, We focused on temperamental fear and a biomarker of risk for anxiety, the error-related negativity (ERN). The ERN is a negative deflection in the event-related potential (ERP) occurring when individuals make mistakes and is increased in anxious individuals. Method: The final sample consisted of 223 children who had undergone an observational assessment of fear at age 3 years and an electroencephalogram assessment of the ERN at age 6 years. At the age 9 year assessment, internalizing symptoms were assessed, and then again after the hurricane (-65 weeks later). Results: A significant three-way interaction among fearfulness, hurricane stressors, and the ERN in predicting posthurricane increases in internalizing symptoms suggested that children who were high in fear at age 3 years and experienced elevated hurricane stressors were characterized by subsequent increases in internalizing symptoms, but only when they were also characterized by an increased ERN at age 6 years. Conclusion: These findings support a diathesis stress model, suggesting that early temperament and prestressor biological markers confer risk for increased psychological symptoms following environmental stressors.
Through a discussion of drone warfare, and in particular the massacre of 23 people in the Uruzgan province in Afghanistan in 2010, I argue that drone warfare is both embodied and embodying. Drawing from posthuman feminist theorists such as Donna Haraway and N Katherine Hayles, I understand the turn toward data and machine intelligence not as an other-than-human process of decisionmaking that deprives humans of sovereignty, but as a form of embodiment that reworks and undermines essentialist notions of culture and nature, biology and technology. Through the intermediation of algorithmic, visual, and affective modes of embodiment, drone warfare reproduces gendered and racialized bodies that enable a necropolitics of massacre. Finally, the category of gender demonstrates a flaw in the supposed perfectibility of the algorithm in removing issues of identity or prejudice from security practices, as well as the perceptions of drone assemblages as comprising sublime technologies of perfect analysis and vision. Gender as both a mode of embodiment and a category of analysis is not removed by algorithmic war, but rather is put into the service of the violence it enables.
The number of protein structures in the PDB database has been increasing more than 15-fold since 1999. The creation of computational models predicting enzymatic function is of major importance since such models provide the means to better understand the behavior of newly discovered enzymes when catalyzing chemical reactions. Until now, single-label classification has been widely performed for predicting enzymatic function limiting the application to enzymes performing unique reactions and introducing errors when multi-functional enzymes are examined. Indeed, some enzymes may be performing different reactions and can hence be directly associated with multiple enzymatic functions. In the present work, we propose a multi-label enzymatic function classification scheme that combines structural and amino acid sequence information. We investigate two fusion approaches (in the feature level and decision level) and assess the methodology for general enzymatic function prediction indicated by the first digit of the enzyme commission (EC) code (six main classes) on 40,034 enzymes from the PDB database. The proposed single-label and multi-label models predict correctly the actual functional activities in 97.8% and 95.5% (based on Hamming-loss) of the cases, respectively. Also the multi-label model predicts all possible enzymatic reactions in 85.4% of the multi-labeled enzymes when the number of reactions is unknown.
This paper presents an innovative variable regulated high voltage power supply (VRHVPS). It has an output voltage ranging from 0V to 500V, for a maximum current of 0.25A. It consists of a switched mode power supply (SMPS) followed by a linear regulator with a power supply rejection ratio (PSSR) of 58dB. The digital control module consists of an 8bit microcontroller, a small digital display, an isolated inter-integrated-circuit ((IC)-C-2) interface with an isolated hall sensor as a current sensor and 12-bit analog to digital converters (ADC) to read the output voltage and current, also a 12bit digital to analog converter (DAC) which controls the linear regulator's output voltage.
Previous studies have reported that life satisfaction (LS) is positively associated with time perspective (TP) and mindfulness and that mindfulness may provide a holistic TP that integrates and helps to balance different time frames. However, studies performed to date have only been conducted in Eastern and Central Europe. Given the important cultural differences in time management between these regions and Mediterranean countries, the purpose of the present study was to replicate those studies to assess the association between mindfulness, TP, and LS in a sample of young adults living in the province of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). A total of 377 undergraduate university students (65.25% women) were recruited and completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Results show significant positive relationships between LS, mindfulness, and past positive, as well as negative associations between LS, past negative, and an unbalanced TP. Mindfulness also correlated inversely with an unbalanced TP. Regression analyses showed that 27% of variance in LS could be explained by the past negative and past positive ZTPI measures together with the MAAS. These results confirm the conclusions of previous studies conducted in culturally different populations and reinforce the hypothesis that mindfulness provides a holistic TP that intrinsically balances TP and increases LS. These findings suggest that a mindful attitude might be a key component of TP regulation that transcends different European cultural backgrounds.
A social information processing (SIP) theory of parenting risk posits that social-cognitive and neuro-cognitive incapacities characterize at-risk parents, and that these cognitive difficulties operate across relational domains. This study focused on highly disadvantaged mothers of preschoolers and compared mothers with histories of perpetrating child neglect (n = 69) to demographically similar mothers without such histories (n = 76). Participants completed measures of unrealistic expectations for children and other adults, social problem-solving in parenting and nonparenting situations, executive functioning (EF), and attributions for children and other adults. As predicted, associations among these measures were found within and across relational domains. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two distinct clusters that distinguished the two groups. The first included measures of expectations and attributions (for both children and other adults) and the second included problem-solving difficulties and EF. When group differences were examined on individual variables, mothers with histories of perpetrating neglect exhibited more unrealistic expectations of children and other adults, more hostile attributions toward children and other adults, and poorer performance on tests of EF than comparisons. Only interpersonal problem-solving (in both parenting and nonparenting situations) failed to differentiate the neglect group from comparisons. In regression analyses, both parenting and nonparenting social cognition and EF contributed significantly to child neglect. These findings provide some support for this cognitive model of parenting risk and suggest widespread disturbances in parenting and nonparenting social cognition and neurocognition, may play a role in child neglect.
The objectives of the nuclear fusion power plant DEMO, to be built after the ITER experimental reactor, are usually understood to lie somewhere between those of ITER and a 'first of a kind' commercial plant. Hence, in DEMO the issues related to efficiency and RAMI (reliability, availability, maintainability and inspectability) are among the most important drivers for the design, as the cost of the electricity produced by this power plant will strongly depend on these aspects. In the framework of the EUROfusion Work Package Heating and Current Drive within the Power Plant Physics and Development activities, a conceptual design of the neutral beam injector (NBI) for the DEMO fusion reactor has been developed by Consorzio RFX in collaboration with other European research institutes. In order to improve efficiency and RAMI aspects, several innovative solutions have been introduced in comparison to the ITER NBI, mainly regarding the beam source, neutralizer and vacuum pumping systems.
A smart camera is a vision system capable of extracting application-specific information from the captured images. The paper proposes a decentralized and efficient solution for visual parking lot occupancy detection based on a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) specifically designed for smart cameras. This solution is compared with state-of-the-art approaches using two visual datasets: PKLot, already existing in literature, and CNRParlc-EXT. The former is an existing dataset, that allowed us to exhaustively compare with previous works. The latter dataset has been created in the context of this research, accumulating data across various seasons of the year, to test our approach in particularly challenging situations, exhibiting occlusions, and diverse and difficult viewpoints. This dataset is public available to the scientific community and is another contribution of our research. Our experiments show that our solution outperforms and generalizes the best performing approaches on both datasets. The performance of our proposed CNN architecture on the parking lot occupancy detection task, is comparable to the well-known AlexNet, which is three orders of magnitude larger. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Steganography is a technique of dissimulating information in digital media. In contrast to cryptography, it is not just to keep the non intended recipients from knowing the hidden information but it is to keep in secret even the existence of a hidden information. In this paper we propose a new image steganography method based on Haar discrete wavelet transform, data is hidden in the frequency domain since it is the most robust area. The embedding is performed in the integer part of the coefficients of the transform to prevent the loss of data coming from the floating point; in such a way that increases both the imperceptibility and the capacity of hiding. To test the performance of the proposed method, experiments on variety of images were accomplished. The results show better image quality and a high imperceptibility and payload in comparison with prior works. The security was strengthened using a random key that chooses randomly the location where to hide data.
This study extends the boundary conditions of mediated contact theory by (a) differentiating between mediated contact quantity and quality, (b) examining whether mediated contact exerts effects above and beyond direct contact, and (c) offering causal and generalizable evidence on the effects of exposure to numerous individual outgroup members in news media. We match individual-level data from a representative panel survey with data on the amount of coverage about members from two outgroups and with the results from validated sentiment analysis. Mediated contact, and especially its quantity, improved outgroup attitudes independently of direct contact. These findings emerged for both outgroups and across two outcome measures.
This article describes the computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) accuracy of dental drill guides for application in guided surgery. Today, the availability of three-dimensional (3D) desktop printers allows for the cost-effective production of drill guides by dental laboratories. Our investigations show the accuracy of produced guides by eliminating influencing factors that exist in the guided surgery workflow. To investigate this accuracy, a method was developed to evaluate the CAD/CAM production technology apart from sources of error from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans, intraoral scans, software or human error. By using a CAD/CAM-milled idealized reference model, as well as CAD data from a scanned dental model with integrated reference spheres, drill guides with different offset values were designed using the coDiagnostiX r implant-planning software. The Bone Level Roxolid r SLActive r implant system (length 8 mm, diameter 3.3 mm) was chosen. The virtual position in relation to both the drill guide and the reference model was determined based on the planning data and exported STL files, respectively. Virtual and physical measurements were performed through the center coordinates of the used drill sleeves (T-sleeve: 5 mm), by applying a defined reference coordinate system (RCS) of the dental model. Drill guide templates were printed using a FotoDent r guide on a dental desktop printer (D30), based on a defined digital workflow. After insertion of the respective drill sleeves, surgical guides were secured on the reference models using quadrangular fixation, thus allowing a tactile measurement by applying a coordinate measurement device for determination of physical position relation. Through the central points of the drill sleeves, both the coronal and apical points of the planned implant drilling as well as angular deviation were calculated and reviewed against the CAD measurements. On average, a deviation of 0.25 degrees of the planned implant was detected.
Droughts, typically caused by the deficiencies of precipitation and soil moisture, affect water resources and agriculture. As soil moisture is of key importance in understanding the interaction between the atmosphere and Earth's surface, it can be used to monitor droughts. In this study, a High resolution Soil Moisture Drought Index (HSMDI) was proposed and evaluated for meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological droughts. HSMDI was developed using the 1 km downscaled soil moisture data produced from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) from 2003 to 2011 (March to November) over the Korean peninsula. Seven products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite sensors were used to downscale AMSR-E soil moisture based on random forest machine learning. The downscaled 1 km soil moisture was correlated well with both in situ and AMSR-E soil moisture with the mean coefficient of determination (R-2) of 0.29 and 0.59, respectively. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) with time scales from I to 12 months, crop yields (for sesame, highland radish, and highland napa cabbage) and streamflow data were used to validate HSMDI for various types of droughts. The results showed that HSMDI depicted meteorological drought well, especially during the dry season, with a similar pattern with the 3-month SPI. However, the performance fluctuated a bit during the wet season possibly due to the limited availability of optical sensor data and heterogeneous land covers around the stations. HSMDI also showed high correlation with crop yield data, in particular the highland radish and napa cabbage cultivated in non-irrigated regions with a mean R-2 of 0.77. However, HSMDI did not monitor streamflow well for hydrological drought presenting a various range of correlations with streamflow data (from 0.03 to 0.83). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We used a seemingly unrelated partially linear model (SUPLM) to address a potential correlation between pollutants (nitrogen, phosphorous, dissolved oxygen and mercury) in an environmental Kuznets curve study. Simulation studies show that the SUPLM performs well to address potential correlation among pollutants. We find that the relationship between income and pollution follows an inverted U-shaped curve for nitrogen and dissolved oxygen and a cubic shaped curve for mercury. Model specification tests suggest that a SUPLM is better specified compared to a parametric model to study the income-pollution relationship. Results suggest a need to continually assess policy effectiveness of pollution reduction as income increases.
Purpose: This article describes the protocol for a randomized effectiveness trial of a method to link alcohol use disordered women who are in pretrial jail detention with post-release 12-step mutual help groups. Background: Jails serve 15 times more people per year than do prisons and have very short stays, posing few opportunities for treatment or treatment planning. Alcohol use is associated with poor post-jail psychosocial and health outcomes including sexually transmitted diseases and HIV, especially for women. At least weekly 12 step self-help group attendance in the months after release from jail has been associated with improvements in alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. Linkage strategies improve 12-step attendance and alcohol outcomes among outpatients, but have not previously been tested in criminal justice populations. Design: In the intervention condition, a 12-step volunteer meets once individually with an incarcerated woman while she is in jail and arranges to be in contact after release to accompany her to 12-step meetings. The control condition provides schedules for local 12-step meetings. Outcomes include percent days abstinent from alcohol (primary), 12-step meeting involvement, and fewer unprotected sexual occasions (secondary) after release from jail. We hypothesize that (Minton, 2015) 12-step involvement Will mediate the intervention's effect on alcohol use, and (O'Brien, 2001) percent days abstinent will mediate the intervention's effect on STI/HIV risk-taking outcomes. Research methods accommodate logistical and philosophical hurdles including rapid turnover of commitments and unpredictable release times at the jail, possible post-randomization ineligibility due to sentencing, 12 step principles such as Nonaffiliation, and use of volunteers as interventionists. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recent years have witnessed the increasing emphasis on human aspects in software engineering research and practices. Our survey of existing studies on human aspects in software engineering shows that screen-captured videos have been widely used to record developers' behavior and study software engineering practices. The screen-captured videos provide direct information about which software tools the developers interact with and which content they access or generate during the task. Such Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) data can help researchers and practitioners understand and improve software engineering practices from human perspective. However, extracting time-series HCI data from screen-captured task videos requires manual transcribing and coding of videos, which is tedious and error-prone. In this paper we report a formative study to understand the challenges in manually transcribing screen-captured videos into time-series HCI data. We then present a computer-vision based video scraping technique to automatically extract time-series HCI data from screen-captured videos. We also present a case study of our scvRipper tool that implements the video scraping technique using 29-hours of task videos of 20 developers in two development tasks. The case study not only evaluates the runtime performance and robustness of the tool, but also performs a detailed quantitative analysis of the tool's ability to extract time-series HCI data from screen-captured task videos. We also study the developer's micro-level behavior patterns in software development from the quantitative analysis.
Nowadays, mobility grants for undergraduate students are leading to increase the number of foreign students enrolled in many Universities. Normally, European students receive an Erasmus grant provided by the European Commission, which contributes to exchange students between European countries. Many times, the receiving (host) university does not offer the chance to attend lectures in English, and the same goes for labs. Usually, foreign students just have individual tutorial sessions and assessments in English. In the present paper we show a methodology to conduct lab sessions when teaching a multilingual group of engineering students. The group under consideration consists of Spanish students and some non-Spanish speaking students. Lab lectures are taught in Spanish, but the methodology proposed allows teaching the aforementioned foreign students. This methodology is based on performing a previous homework, which will prepare students to fulfill successfully laboratory activities. Video lessons have been recorded in order to show step by step how to perform each lab, and English subtitles have been added. Videos are enough well explained so that students that demonstrate a basic level of English can easily understand the activities proposed. Several videos have been recorded and some of them included in this work to illustrate the teaching process. These videos show typical practice lessons taught in various subjects at the mechanical faculty of the University of Jaen: thermodynamics, metrology and manufacturing engineering. One of the reasons why this methodology has been proposed is to unify the bilingual teaching methodology for several subjects. Another one is related to students whose mother tongue is not English. Currently, those students must acquire skills that allow them to work in a multilingual group. So we will propose activities to integrate Spanish and foreign students. Finally an opinion survey is developed in order to determine improvements in the learning process.
Communion and agency are fundamental dimensions of social perception and judgment. Previous research revealed a primacy of communion in social information processing. The present research investigates whether there is a similar asymmetry in the density of communion and agency. We test whether communal content is more densely clustered in memory than agentic content, that is, more similar to other communal content than agentic content is similar to other agentic content. Three multidimensional scaling studies address this question and suggest an interaction with valence: While negative communal content is more densely clustered than negative agentic content, we find no differences in density between positive communal and positive agentic content. In addition to enhancing our understanding of the fundamental dimensions and their structural representation, this research might open a new perspective on old questions regarding person perception and implicit personality theories.
The present research investigated whether enhanced perceptions of moral purity drive the effects of intergroup cross-group friendships on the intentions to interact with homosexuals. High-school students (N=639) reported their direct and extended cross-group friendships with homosexuals as well as their beliefs regarding the moral character of the sexual minority. Participants further reported their desire to interact with homosexuals in the future. Results showed that both face-to-face encounters and extended contact with homosexuals increased their perceived moral purity, which in turn fostered more positive behavioral intentions. Results further revealed the specific role of moral purity in this sense, as differential perceptions along other moral domains (autonomy and community) had no mediation effects on behavioral tendencies toward homosexuals. The importance of these findings for improving intergroup relations is discussed, together with the importance of integrating research on intergroup contact and morality.
With the rise of restrictions imposed by law for gases emission, several technologies both for petrodiesel (PD) or diesel engines are been applied, such as the sulfur reduction and the injection electronic command, followed of gases recirculation and/or after-treatment. The utilization of biofuels is considered as an interesting option for pollutants reduction. In this study was evaluated the performance on short duration tests (minor period than the factory indication of the lubricant lifespan) of the Diesel engine fueled with four vegetable oils. With the aim to select the most interesting oils for future evaluations in long duration tests. The analyzed variables were fuel consumption, power relative loss and opacity, for oils of linseed, crambe, rapseed, jatropha, with 100 degrees C preheating and engine work temperature (60 degrees C) comparing those with the PD. It was verified that the vegetable oils, on average, present a lower consumption than the PD for the cases of working without load, however with load, they presented higher consumption. In addiction were observed that the oils show a higher relative power loss in relation of PD and provides lower emission of particulate matter. Crambe and canola presented the best performance among the evaluated oils.
Achieving sustainable energy systems involves complex decision-making processes. This article addresses the combination of life-cycle (LC) approaches and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for the sustainability assessment of energy systems. Through a literature survey of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) tools for sustainability assessment of energy systems, the most commonly used criteria, data sources and tools are identified. Moreover, a review of the LC + DEA approaches available to date is performed in order to check their convenience to assess energy systems in terms of sustainability. In this sense, the central focus of the article is to explore and elucidate potentials of these combined approaches within sustainability-oriented MCDA in the field of energy. These potentials are mainly associated with the usefulness of sustainability benchmarks for decision-makers and the wide availability of DEA models and life-cycle approaches. Given the growing role of MCDA tools in energy scenario analysis and the innovative trends found in LC + DEA, a novel methodological framework is proposed: enriched energy systems modelling through (i) endogenous integration of life-cycle indicators and (ii) ranking and benchmarking of energy scenarios according to sustainability criteria using dynamic DEA. The LC + DEA concept emerges as a promising methodology to evaluate and rank prospective scenarios in energy planning, thus facilitating decision-making processes towards a sustainable energy future. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Instream wood promotes habitat heterogeneity through its influence on flow hydraulics and channel geomorphology. Within the Columbia River Basin, USA, wood is vital for the creation and maintenance of habitat for threatened salmonids. However, our understanding of the relative roles of the climatic, geomorphic, and ecological processes that source wood to streams is limited, making it difficult to identify baseline predictions of instream wood and create targets for stream restoration. Here, we investigate how instream wood frequency and volume differ between seven sub-basins of the interior Columbia River Basin and what processes shape these differences within these sub-basins. We collected data on wood volume and frequency, discharge and stream power, and riparian and watershed forest structure for use in modelling wood volume and frequency. Using random forest models, we found that mean annual precipitation, riparian tree cover, and the individual watershed were the most important predictors of wood volume and frequency. Within sub-basins, we used linear models, finding that some basins had unique predictors of wood. Discharge, watershed area, or precipitation often combined with forest cover, riparian conifer, and/or large tree cover in models of instream large wood volume and frequency. In many sub-basins, models showed at least one hydrologic variable, indicative of transport competence and one ecological variable, indicative of the reach or upstream watershed's capability to grow measurable instream wood. We conclude that basin-specific models yield important insights into the hydrologic and ecological processes that influence wood loads, creating tractable hypotheses for building predictive models of instream wood. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In this paper, for the first time, we developed an analytical model for the surface potential of the double-gate p-n-p-n tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) considering the effect of localized charges at the Si-SiO2 interface near the source-channel junction. From the surface potential model, the minimum tunneling width is then evaluated and is used to extract the threshold voltage using the constant-current method. The model can be applied to study the effect of localized charges on the threshold voltage of the p-n-p-n TFETs as it captures the shift in the threshold voltage due to the change in the localized charge region length, localized charge density, and polarity. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified using 2-D Technology Computer-Aided Design simulations.
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a multifactorial disease. The pathogenesis of CRSwNP remains unclear. This study was designed to investigate the role of inflammation and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin (SE) in this disease. The study included a total of 74 patients with CRSwNP and 6 controls. A serum Phadiatop assay was conducted to detect atopy status, and serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and total immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels were determined using ELISA. SEA, SEB, total IgE, ECP and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels in nasal tissue supernatant were measured using ELISA. The results indicated that 15 (22.1%) patients had systemic allergies. On the basis of the ECP/MPO ratio, the patients were divided into an eosinophilic CRSwNP group (n=18) and a non-eosinophilic CRSwNP group (n=56). The total ECP/MPO ratio was 0.572, with a notable bias toward neutrophilic inflammation. The supernatant ECP and MPO levels were elevated in the CRSwNP group compared with the control group, but no significant difference in the serum total IgE and ECP levels were observed between the CRSwNP and control groups. In addition, the non-eosinophilic and eosinophilic CRSwNP groups showed significant elevations in supernatant total IgE, SEA and SEB levels compared with the control group. Thus, it may be concluded that allergy is a common pathogenesis of CRSwNP, and neutrophilic inflammation is present in most Chinese CRSwNP patients. Additionally, local indicators reflect the inflammatory status more accurately than do serum indicators. SEs may act as an infection factor rather than as a superantigen in Chinese non-eosinophilic CRSwNP patients. Thus, long-term antibiotic therapy may be an option for Chinese non-eosinophilic CRSwNP patients.
The impedance-based model of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) systems, including the rotor part (rotor side converter (RSC) and induction machine), and the grid part (grid side converter (GSC) and its output filter), has been developed for analysis and mitigation of the subsynchronous resonance (SSR). However, the high-frequency resonance (HFR) of DFIG systems due to the impedance interaction between the DFIG system and parallel compensated weak network is often overlooked. This paper, thus, investigates the impedance characteristics of DFIG systems for the analysis of HFR. The influences of the rotor speed variation, the machine mutual inductance and the digital control delay are evaluated. Two resonances phenomena are revealed, i.e., 1) the series HFR between the DFIG system and weak power grid; 2) the parallel HFR between the rotor part and the grid part of DFIG system. The impedance modeling of DFIG system and weak grid network, as well as the series HFR between DFIG system and parallel compensated weak network has been validated by experimental results.
Background: The year 2015 marked the end of United Nations Millennium Development Goals which was aimed at halting and reversing worldwide tuberculosis (TB). The emergence of drug resistance is a major challenge for worldwide TB control. The aim of this study was to give a bibliometric overview of publications on multi-, extensively, and totally drug-resistant TB. Methods: Scopus database was used to retrieve articles on multidrug resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and totally drug-resistant (TDR) tuberculosis for the study period (2006-2015). The number of publications, top productive countries and institutions, citation analysis, co-authorships, international collaboration, active authors, and active journals were retrieved and analyzed. Results: A total of 2260 journal articles were retrieved. The mean +/- SD citations per article was 7.04 +/- 16.0. The h-index of retrieved data was 76. The number of publications showed a three - fold increase over the study period compared with less than two - fold increase in tuberculosis research during the same study period. Stratified by number of publications, the United States of America ranked first while Switzerland ranked first in productivity per 100 million people, and South Africa ranked first in productivity stratified per one trillion Gross Domestic Product. Three of the High Burden Countries (HBC) MDR-TB (India, China, and South Africa) were present in top productive countries. High percentage of international collaboration was seen among most HBC MDR-TB. Except for Plos One journal, most active journals in publishing articles on MDR, XDR, TDR-TB were in infection - related fields and in general medicine. Top 20 cited articles were published in prestigious journal such as Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. The themes in top 20 cited articles were diverse, ranging from molecular biology, diagnostic tools, co-infection with HIV, and results of new anti-TB drugs. Conclusion: Publications on MDR, XDR and TDR - TB are increasing in the past decade. International collaboration was common. Many low resourced African and Asian countries will benefit from research leading to new diagnostic and screening technology of TB. The exchange of expertise, ideas and technology is of paramount importance in this field.
User performance is highly correlated with design variables of a system. Such association can be described as display-control relationship. In this study, a neural network-based methodology is proposed to identify and quantify the association among design variables (inputs) and to compute their relative influences (RIs) on the two performance measures (outputs) of user response time and response accuracy, using artificial neural network, generalised regression neural network, support vector regression (SVR), multiple linear regression and response surface model. Based on the results of the comparison, it is found that neural network-based methods are more reliable than SVR-based methods in computing the RI of design variables. As a result of our analysis, the best option for optimising each of the measures is suggested. Some useful observations about the design of man-machine systems are also presented, discussed and visualised. In the study of man-machine systems, quantitative methods are seldom adopted for examining the mappings between various displays and controls under a variety of operating conditions. The major contribution of this study is to provide some insights into the usefulness of quantitative methods in evaluating man-machine design in terms of display-control compatibility and to extract explanatory information from renowned black box systems such as neural networks.
With rapid growth in population, it becomes difficult to control the huge amount of residual materials generated from enormous industrial activities. The residuals that are not recycled, reclaimed or reused constitute the wastes only to get released to the environment. As some of the wastes cannot be assimilated by the environment, those can become hazardous for the environment quality and ensure pollution. This paper expresses the concern on two such industrial wastes, used plastic water bottles and fly ash. The present study emphasizes on the reuse of used waste plastic water bottles in the Civil Engineering applications and in this regard, it discusses the previous work by Dutta and Mandal (2013). Two different type plastic water bottles, having different diameter and tensile stiffness, were chosen to prepare perforated cells of different heights wrapped with jute geotextile from inner side so that fine infill materials cannot escape from the perforations. Laboratory strain controlled compression tests were carried out on the cells rested over a rigid base and filled with compacted fly ash or stone aggregates. Test results showed significant load carrying capacity of the composite cells with fly ash as infill material. Though fine fly ash appeared to be an effective infill material, use of coarse stone aggregates as infill material produced better load carrying capacity of the composite cells. It was also observed that with reduction in cell height over the rigid base, load carrying capacity of the composite cells got increased. The study confirmed that plastic bottles with suitable infill material can act as an ideal compression member. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Emotions play an important role in human interactions. They can be integrated into the computer system to make human-computer interaction (HCI) more effective. Affective computing is an innovative computational modeling and detecting user's emotions to optimize system responses in HCI. However, there is a trade-off between recognition accuracy and real-time performance in some of the methods such as processing the facial expressions, human voice and body gestures. Other methods lack efficiency and usability in real-world applications such as natural language processing and electroencephalography signals. To accomplish a reliable, usable and high-performance system, this paper proposes an intelligent hybrid approach to recognize users' emotions by using easily accessible and low computational cost input devices including keyboard, mouse (touch pad: single touch) and touch screen display (single touch). Using the proposed approach, the system is developed and trained in a supervised mode by artificial neural network and support vector machine (SVM) techniques. The result shows an increase in accuracy of 6 % (93.20 %) by SVM in comparison with the currently existing methods. It is a significant contribution to show new directions of future research in emotion recognition, user modeling and emotional intelligence.
In recent years, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) has attracted increased attention within the advanced technology industry in an effort to modernize and develop a more intelligent and reliable information system. Technologies to detect a specific object in images are expected to further expand to wide range of applications, such as car detection functions for intelligent transport system and other systems. Computer vision and pattern recognition are emerging fast and will continue to grow together with local feature detection methods. In this paper, we used the Deep Neural Network (DNN) for object category recognition by extracting and learning the object. We applied deep learning to vegetable object recognition, and explored the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). From the evaluation results, we found that for vegetable recognition learning process with CNN, 3 million iterations were suitable. The results of learning rate was 99.14% and recognition rate was 97.58%, respectively.
Introduction Worldwide the transport sector faces several issues related to the rising of traffic demand such as congestion, energy consumption, noise, pollution, safety, etc. Trying to stem the problem, the European Commission is encouraging a modal shift towards railway, considered as one of the key factors for the development of a more sustainable European transport system. The coveted increase in railway share of transport demand for the next decades and the attempt to open up the rail market (for freight, international and recently also local services) strengthen the attention to capacity usage of the system. This contribution proposes a synthetic methodology for the capacity and utilisation analysis of complex interconnected rail networks; the procedure has a dual scope since it allows both a theoretically robust examination of suburban rail systems and a solid approach to be applied, with few additional and consistent assumptions, for feasibility or strategic analysis of wide networks (by efficiently exploiting the use of Big Data and/or available Open Databases). Method In particular the approach proposes a schematization of typical elements of a rail network (stations and line segments) to be applied in case of lack of more detailed data; in the authors' opinion the strength points of the presented procedure stem from the flexibility of the applied synthetic methods and from the joint analysis of nodes and lines. The article, after building a quasiautomatic model to carry out several analyses by changing the border conditions or assumptions, even presents some general abacuses showing the variability of capacity/utilization of the network's elements in function of basic parameters. Results This has helped in both the presented case studies: one focuses on a detailed analysis of the Naples' suburban node, while the other tries to broaden the horizon by examining the whole European rail network with a more specific zoom on the Belgium area. The first application shows how the procedure can be applied in case of availability of fine-grained data and for metropolitan/regional analysis, allowing a precise detection of possible bottlenecks in the system and the individuation of possible interventions to relieve the high usage rate of these elements. The second application represents an on-going attempt to provide a broad analysis of capacity and related parameters for the entire European railway system. It explores the potentiality of the approach and the possible exploitation of different 'Open and Big Data' sources, but the outcomes underline the necessity to rely on proper and adequate information; the accuracy of the results significantly depend on the design and precision of the input database. Conclusion In conclusion, the proposed methodology aims to evaluate capacity and utilisation rates of rail systems at different geographical scales and according to data availability; the outcomes might provide valuable information to allow efficient exploitation and deployment of railway infrastructure, better supporting policy (e.g. investment prioritization, rail infrastructure access charges) and helping to minimize costs for users. The presented case studies show that the method allows indicative evaluations on the use of the system and comparative analysis between different elementary components, providing a first identification of 'weak' links or nodes for which, then, specific and detailed analyses should be carried out, taking into account more in depth their actual configuration, the technical characteristics and the real composition of the traffic (i.e. other elements influencing the rail capacity, such as: the adopted operating systems, the station traffic/route control & safety system, the elastic release of routes, the overlap of block sections, etc.).
Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic and often severe bilateral conjunctivitis. VKC etiology still remains unclear although endocrine, genetic, neurogenic and environmental factors have been implicated. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble prohormone whose main function is the regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum vitamin D in children affected by VKC compared to the healthy children and investigate the relationship between its levels and disease severity. Methods: A total of 110 children, 47 affected by VKC, aged between 5 and 12 years were enrolled at the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Sapienza University of Rome. Used as controls were 63 healthy children with negative skin prick test (SPT), without allergic, ocular and systemic disease. Serum samples were obtained in April from all the children included in the study. Vitamin D dosage was repeated in October in 20 patients after therapy and in 20 controls. A conjunctival scraping was performed in all children affected by VKC. Results: Children affected by VKC had lower vitamin D levels compared to healthy controls and we found an increase in vitamin D levels after therapy with cyclosporine eye drops 1% although this increase was lower than that of healthy controls. Moreover we found significant correlations between vitamin D level and the severity of the disease. Conclusions: The study shows that children affected by VKC have lower vitamin D levels when compared to healthy controls and highlights a significant correlation between its levels and disease severity.
In bacteria, the control of mRNA stability is crucial to allow rapid adaptation to changing conditions. In most bacteria, RNA degradation is catalyzed by the RNA degradosome, a protein complex composed of endo- and exoribonucleases, RNA helicases, and accessory proteins. In the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis, the existence of a RNA degradosome assembled around the membrane-bound endoribonuclease RNase Y has been proposed. Here, we have studied the intracellular localization of the protein that have been implicated in the potential B. subtilis RNA degradosome, i.e., polynucleotide phosphorylase, the exoribonucleases J1 and J2, the DEAD-box RNA helicase CshA, and the glycolytic enzymes enolase and phosphofructokinase. Our data suggests that the bulk of these enzymes is located in the cytoplasm. The RNases J1 and J2 as well as the RNA helicase CshA were mainly localized in the peripheral regions of the cell where also the bulk of messenger RNA is localized. We were able to demonstrate active exclusion of these proteins from the transcribing nucleoid. Taken together, our findings suggest that the interactions of the enzymes involved in RNA degradation in B. subtilis are rather transient.
Many efforts today aim to energy saving, promoting the user's awareness and virtuous behavior in a sustainability perspective. Our houses, appliances, energy meters and devices are becoming smarter and connected, domotics is increasing possibilities in house automation and control, and ambient intelligence and assisted living are bringing attention onto people's needs from different viewpoints. Our assumption is that considering these aspects together allows for novel intriguing possibilities. To this end, in this paper we combine home energy management with domotics, coordination technologies, intelligent agents, ambient intelligence, ubiquitous technologies and gamification to devise novel scenarios, where energy monitoring and management is just the basic brick of a much wider and comprehensive home management system. The aim is to control home appliances well beyond energy consumption, combining home comfort, appliance scheduling, safety constraints, etc. with dynamically-changeable users' preferences, goals and priorities. At the same time, usability and attractiveness are seen as key success factors: so, the intriguing technologies available in most houses and smart devices are exploited to make the system configuration and use simpler, entertaining and attractive for users. These aspects are also integrated with ubiquitous and pervasive technologies, geo-localization, social networks and communities to provide enhanced functionalities and support smarter application scenarios, hereby further strengthening technology acceptation and diffusion. Accordingly, we first analyse the system requirements and define a reference multi-layer architectural model - the Butlers architecture - that specifies seven layers of functionalities, correlating the requirements, the corresponding technologies and the consequent value-added for users in each layer. Then, we outline a set of notable scenarios of increasing functionalities and complexity, discuss the structure of the corresponding system patterns in terms of the proposed architecture, and make this concrete by presenting some comprehensive interaction examples as comic strip stories. Next, we discuss the implementation requirements and how they can be met with the available technologies, discuss a possible architecture, refine it in the concrete case of the TuCSoN coordination technology, present a subsystem prototype and discuss its properties in the Butlers perspective.
Golimumab (GLM) is the latest anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) that gained its marketing license. Thanks to the PURSUIT induction and maintenance trials, it was approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) in 2013. The other anti-TNF drugs available are infliximab and adalimumab. These two drugs have validated algorithms concerning prescription and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) but little is known about GLM. The available data on GLM's exposure-response relationship in UC are from the PURSUIT trials and are recently published. The data reveal all the factors that may impact the pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters: dosage, body weight (BW), concomitant drugs, the presence of anti-drug antibodies (ADAbs), sex and age. In addition, the GLM trough level at steady-state appears to be correlated with the patient's improvement which may make it a precious indicator to predict the clinical response. There is, however, no consensus on a possible therapeutic level or cutoff associated with clinical response, remission, or any other outcome measure such as endoscopic healing in UC. This lack of a threshold value, and its validation with different assay techniques, makes it difficult to use GLM TDM in clinical practice. As with other anti-TNF agents, GLM is associated with development of ADAbs, of which the prevalence and effects are still insufficiently described. The objective of this review is to describe current data and understanding of the PK of GLM including serum concentrations of GLM and ADAbs in UC patients. Better understanding of these parameters could lead to improved patient care with GLM.
One of the backbones of the Indian economy is agriculture, which is conditioned by the poor soil fertility. In this study we use chemical soil measurements to classify many relevant soil parameters: village-wise fertility indices of organic carbon (OC), phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe); soil pH and type; soil nutrients nitrous oxide (N2O), P2O5 and potassium oxide (K2O), in order to recommend suitable amounts of fertilizers; and preferable crop. To classify these soil parameters allows to save time of specialized technicians developing expensive chemical analysis. These ten classification problems are solved using a collection of twenty very diverse classifiers, selected by their high performances, of families bagging, boosting, decision trees, nearest neighbors, neural networks, random forests (RF), rule based and support vector machines (SVM). The RF achieves the best performance for six of ten problems, overcoming 90% of the maximum performance in all the cases, followed by adaboost, SVM and Gaussian extreme learning machine. Although for some problems (pH,N2O,P2O5 and K2O) the performance is moderate, some classifiers (e.g. for fertility indices of P2O5, Mn and Fe) trained in one region revealed valid for other Indian regions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The potential impacts of climate change on the food security of subsistence farmers is a serious concern. This article explores the food security situations of two categories of subsistence farm households, vegetable- and cereal-based farming systems, in the Makwanpur district of Nepal in the context of climate change. Local climate data for the past 30 years were analyzed. Interviews with local farmers and key informants, and focus group discussions were carried out to collect the primary data. Empirical data showed that changes in climate variables for the study period were in line with farmers' perceptions and that farming communities were negatively impacted. Perceived impacts were erratic rainfall, increased frequency of floods and droughts, soil degradation and insect pests, weeds and diseases. Farmers have modified traditional cropping patterns and calendar, changed crop varieties and increased fertilizer and pesticide applications in order to maintain crop yields. They have also sought off-farm employment. However, agricultural productivity in the area is declining and only one third of all households in the area were food secure. Household food insecurity was at mild to moderate levels, but vegetable-based households were more secure than cereal-based ones. At the household level, locally successful adaptive measures, such as rainwater harvesting, mulching, planting date adjustments, off-farm opportunities, including infrastructure and extension support, could increase production and contribute to reversing the impact of increased risk attributed to climate change.
A seamless and secure handover is always one of the important design goals of the cellular networks. The handover scheme of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks is complex due to the presence of two possible different types of base stations. In LTE communication systems, a normal base station is referred to as an eNodeB (eNB). What increases the level of complexity of the system is the fact that the other kind of base stations, namely, Home eNodeB (HeNB), cannot directly communicate with eNB. In the LTE networks, the handover scenarios involving a HeNB could result in a complicated handover procedure. Besides, since key chains have been used in the handover processes, it is found to be lack of backward security. Therefore, in order to handle the handover involving a HeNB efficiently with security provisioning, in this paper, a proxy signature based handover scheme is proposed. The proposed scheme works based on the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) algorithm, which makes the computational cost of the handover process smaller compared to other handover schemes.
Many university-level electrical engineering courses continue to use textbooks as curriculum scaffolds, prescribed texts, and/or reference volumes. Textbook reliance is even more pronounced in courses that teach foundational principles of the discipline, such as introductory circuit theory. This paper reports on the conceptual coverage of introductory electric circuit theory as presented in textbooks. More specifically, a comparative study of six texts was performed using an analytic framework based on prior research on conceptual understanding and organized around multiple criteria. The ideas of conceptual framework and conceptual links are used to identify potential conceptual gaps in each textbook. This analysis reveals that the majority of the books are missing many important conceptual features. Findings from this study can be beneficial for authors as they develop new editions of books, and for instructors as they evaluate and select texts for use in their courses. This study can also inform ongoing efforts to both develop more effective instructional materials and investigate how textbooks affect conceptual understanding.
Binge drinking is associated with impaired cognitive functioning, but the relationship of cognitive impairments and white matter integrity is less known. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the relationships of binge drinking, whole brain white matter integrity and cognitive performance during young adulthood (18 to 25years), a period of continued brain development in two sessions 1year apart. Binge drinkers (n=20) and non-binge drinkers (n=20) underwent DTI and completed measures of spatial working memory and motor impulsivity. Fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure derived from DTI, was estimated from whole brain and from five segments of the corpus callosum (CC): prefrontal, premotor/supplementary motor, motor, (SMA) sensory and parietal/temporal/occipital (PTO). FA was lower for binge than for non-binge men but not women at Session 1 and 2 for all measurements except for FA in the motor segment, which was significantly increased from Session 1 to Session 2. Lower FA in the prefrontal and PTO CC segments was associated with higher binge score, whereas lower FA in all five segments was associated with greater drug use in men and worse spatial working memory both in men and women. These findings extend the literature by showing that in early adulthood, binge drinking and drug use are linked with degradations in neural white matter and that compromised white matter at this period of brain development is linked with impaired cognitive functioning.
The social relationships graph i.e. sociogram allows a transparent view of people in their surroundings to whom we have a certain relationship. Such options have already depicted many tools. They generally use data from social networks, e.g. Facebook or Google+. Certainly, not every such a graph is entirely transparent and usable. A sociogram contains a large number of vertices and edges when there are a larger number of people in their surroundings. Then it is not possible to simply work with the graph and subsequently describe it. In this article, we introduce options that will make the sociogram transparent, thus offering easier work with it. We work with a software tool from the IHMC company, called CmapTools, which normally operates on desktop operating systems. In our case, we are working with a version for the Android OS, which has been externally developed for the company for a long time, but has not yet been publicly introduced.
This paper reviews key advances in understanding the hydrodynamics of the forming section of papermaking during the years 1950 to 2000. Over this period papermaking advanced from rather slow-speed Fourdrinier machines to modern high-speed twin-wire formers. The advances are described in the context of technical problems faced at the time to increase machine speeds and improve paper properties. The scientific work and advances in machine design contributed greatly to the marvel of modern papermaking, which now includes machines 10 m wide operating at speeds over 100 km/h.
Extracellular vesicles or exosomes constitute an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of intercellular signaling. Exosomes are gaining an increasing amount of attention due to their role in pathologies, including malignancy, their importance as prognostic and diagnostic markers, and their potential as a therapeutic tool. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive form of skin cancer with a poor prognosis. Because an effective systemic treatment for this cancer type is currently not available, an exosome-based therapy was proposed. However, comprehensive secretome profiling has not been performed for MCC. To help unveil the putative contribution of exosomes in MCC, we studied the protein content of MCC-derived exosomes. Since approximately 80% of all MCC cases contain Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), the secretomes of two MCPyV-negative and two MCPyV-positive MCC cell lines were compared. We identified with high confidence 164 exosome-derived proteins common for all four cell lines that were annotated in ExoCarta and Vesiclepedia databases. These include proteins implicated in motility, metastasis and tumor progression, such as integrins and tetraspanins, intracellular signaling molecules, chaperones, proteasomal proteins, and translation factors. Additional virus-negative and virus-positive MCC cell lines should be examined to identify highly representative exosomal proteins that may provide reliable prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as targets for treatment in the future. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD004198.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with an increased risk of tobacco dependence, the leading addictive substance worldwide. Toll-like receptor 4, a sensor of pathogens and of products of cellular stress and damage, is a major innate immune molecule and logical candidate gene for tobacco dependence in BD because (i) the involvement of TLR4 molecules in several substance use disorders has been suggested, (ii) and the association between the TLR4 gene and BD. We analysed herein the potential association between six TLR4 polymorphisms and lifetime tobacco smoking in 514 BD patients. Significant association between tobacco smoking and rs10759932 was found (genotype, Cochrane Armitage trend test, p = 0.008, p(corrected) = 0.040 and alleles, p = 0.008; p(corrected) = 0.040), where the C minor allele is associated with a protective effect, even after adjusting for confounding factors (OR = 1.54 [1.04-2.30], p = 0.03). Our results suggest that TLR4 gene polymorphism may act as an intermediate factor for the association between tobacco smoking addiction and BD. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a natural language processing (NLP) system in classifying a database of free-text knee MRI reports at two separate academic radiology practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS. An NLP system that uses terms and patterns in manually classified narrative knee MRI reports was constructed. The NLP system was trained and tested on expert-classified knee MRI reports from two major health care organizations. Radiology reports were modeled in the training set as vectors, and a support vector machine framework was used to train the classifier. A separate test set from each organization was used to evaluate the performance of the system. We evaluated the performance of the system both within and across organizations. Standard evaluation metrics, such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score (i.e., the weighted average of the precision and recall), and their respective 95% CIs were used to measure the efficacy of our classification system. RESULTS. The accuracy for radiology reports that belonged to the model's clinically significant concept classes after training data from the same institution was good, yielding an F1 score greater than 90% (95% CI, 84.6-97.3%). Performance of the classifier on cross-institutional application without institution-specific training data yielded F1 scores of 77.6% (95% CI, 69.5-85.7%) and 90.2% (95% CI, 84.5-95.9%) at the two organizations studied. CONCLUSION. The results show excellent accuracy by the NLP machine learning classifier in classifying free-text knee MRI reports, supporting the institution-independent reproducibility of knee MRI report classification. Furthermore, the machine learning classifier performed well on free-text knee MRI reports from another institution. These data support the feasibility of multiinstitutional classification of radiologic imaging text reports with a single machine learning classifier without requiring institution-specific training data.
This study proposes a novel method to eliminate the limit cycle caused by low resolution analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) in digitally controlled DC-DC converter. The reduced state Kalman filter is proposed to get the optimum estimate of the output voltage from the noisy measurement provided by the low resolution ADC. The proposed scheme is simulated with 6 bit resolution of ADC and the validation is performed with different resolutions using a prototype model which is implemented in16 bit digital signal processor. The results show that the proposed scheme eliminates limit cycle oscillation completely and is computationally more efficient.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience internalizing and externalizing problems at higher rates than typically developing children, which could worsen social impairment. The present study compared impairment scores (social responsiveness scale, 2nd edition; SRS-2 scores) in 57 children (3-17 years, 82.5% male) with ASD, either with or without heightened levels of anxiety or ADHD symptoms, all per parent report. Children with heightened anxiety problems showed higher scores on four SRS-2 subscales (Social Cognition, Social Communication, Social Motivation, and Restricted Interests and Repetitive Behavior). Children with heightened ADHD traits showed higher scores on two subscales (Social Communication and Social Awareness). These findings suggest similarities and differences in how social deficits in ASD may worsen with anxiety or ADHD symptoms.
Most of the electrical machines design studies found in literature lie on the concept that the design under investigation (and optimization) focuses mainly on the geometrical aspects of the machine and thus takes into account only a certain ferromagnetic material (i.e. iron) for its parts. These studies, give little or no information about the influence of material alternatives on the same (and optimized) design. From a manufacturers' point of view though, this information is crucial especially nowadays that there are a lot of commercially available materials in the market. In this context, this paper presents the results of a research project in the design stage of an energy efficient three phase squirrel cage induction motor (SCIM), by investigating the effects of several soft magnetic materials (adopted for its stator and/or its rotor parts) on multiple quantities of primary concern such as: efficiency, power factor, output torque, losses, weight and cost. After a brief proposed design procedure, a total of twenty-two different materials from recent manufacturers' data were examined. Also, the main electromagnetic analysis was performed through commercial analysis software. Simple ranking methods are also proposed here for different application areas and the results obtained are then thoroughly discussed and commented.
Power is a critical resource for organizational actors. Given the profound importance of power to individual functioning, it is essential to understand how some individuals acquire power when others do not, why some individuals retain their power once they have attained it, and why others fall from their lofty positions in spite of the political advantages power provides. In this review, we conceptualize power as a process that unfolds over time and review research that speaks to three distinct but related dynamics: the acquisition, maintenance, and loss of power. We address and attempt to reconcile a burgeoning set of findings that appear to conflict with each other, especially findings vis-a-vis the maintenance and loss of power. We conclude by addressing overlooked topics and areas for future research.
This study examines the factorial invariance of the Scale on Beliefs About Children's Adjustment in Same-Sex Families (SBCASSF) across countries in three samples: Chilean, Spanish, and Hispanic university students. The scale analyzes attitudes toward the consequences of the rearing and education of children by parents with a homosexual sexual orientation. The instrument consists of two subscales: Individual Opposition and Normative Opposition. The Spanish sample is composed of 199 university students, the Chilean sample is made up of 279 students, and the Hispanic sample consists of 114 students. The results provide empirical evidence for the reliability of the SBCASSF in the samples from the countries and its factorial invariance (strict invariance). Results are also provided about differences between countries and by sex. The SBCASSF could be a potentially useful measure for educators, psychologists, and other mental health professionals who wish to study beliefs about the child-rearing practices of same-sex parents.
The majority of studies that have investigated empathic responsiveness of individuals with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have used heterogeneous groups in terms of age, cognitive level and gender which significantly impact the results. Our aim in this study was to explore responsiveness of a more homogenous sample of 21 children with ASD and 17 typically developing controls, aged 8-12 years to both overt (or expressed) and anticipated distress. In the anticipated distress task, groups were not differentiated in their response towards the experimenter who had her drawing torn. In the expressed distress task, groups were again similar in expressing concern and acting prosocially towards an experimenter who pretended to lose her watch. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
To evaluate the efficacy of golimumab on severe and frequent recurrent anterior uveitis in patients with HLA-B27-positive ankylosing spondylitis. In this study, 15 eyes of 12 HLA-B27-positive AS patients with resistant anterior uveitis who received 50 mg of subcutaneous golimumab (Gol) per month due to frequent uveitis recurrences were analyzed retrospectively between May 2013 and October 2015. Assessment criteria were uveitis activity, the number of recurrence of uveitis, visual acuity, systemic corticosteroid, or other drug requirement for maintenance of remission of AU. Twelve patients (15 eyes) with HLA-B27-positive ankylosing spondylitis and anterior uveitis have been treated with golimumab 50 mg/month. Remission of uveitis was observed in 12 eyes out of 15. Malign hypertension developed in one subject after the second dose of golimumab therefore the treatment was stopped and this subject was excluded from the study. Median follow-up time was 11 months (interquartile range: 8-18). No uveitic reaction was seen except in the patient who stopped treatment. No topical or systemic steroid necessity was needed except in two cases with oral 4 mg systemic maintenance. Visual acuity was significantly increased (p = 0.002). Golimumab may be a new and effective choice for maintaining remission and the prevention of recurrences of severe, resistant anterior uveitis in patients with HLA-B27-positive ankylosing spondylitis.
Although 12-step literature posits inconsiderate behaviors to characterize alcoholics and addicts, there is little data to support this association among adolescent populations. Using a matched-pair study design with 579 youths ages 14 to 18 (52% female, 30% minority), a significant, dose-response relationship was found between greater alcohol and drug use severity and increased likelihood of driving under the influence, having unprotected sex with and without a history of sexually transmitted incidence, and low volunteerism among boys. Findings suggest that alcohol and drug use severity is associated with poor awareness of the impact of behaviors on others.
This paper deals with the problem of robust stability analysis of grid-connected converters with LCL filters controlled through a digital signal processor and subject to uncertain grid inductance. To model the uncertain continuous-time plant and the digital control gain, a discretization procedure, described in terms of a Taylor series expansion, is employed to determine an accurate discrete-timemodel. Then, a linear matrix inequality-based condition is proposed to assess the robust stability of the polynomial discrete-time augmented system that includes the filter state variables, the states of resonant controllers and the delay from the digital control implementation. By means of a parameterdependent Lyapunov function, the proposed strategy has as main advantage to provide theoretical certification of stability of the uncertain continuous-time closed-loop system, circumventing the main disadvantages of previous approaches that employ approximate discretized models, neglecting the errors. Numerical simulations illustrate the benefits of the discretization technique and experimental results validate the proposed approach.
As a result of the integration of different methodological tools (life cycle assessment and dynamics simulation) and studies to evaluate the economic cost and the potential environmental impact of alternative water supplies (rainwater and greywater) for urban use, the software program Plugrisost (pluvials, greys and sustainability) has been developed. This modelling tool aims to contribute to urban water planning for smart city development. Plugrisost is a simulation model that facilitates the evaluation of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and greywater systems at different scales of urban planning, It is the only tool known thus far to integrate structural elements such as the sizing of storage tanks, estimated cost and quantitative environmental analysis. Plugrisost can be an adequate tool in the design stage because it provides environmental and economic information related to rainwater tank sizing and its estimates are more conservative than those of other tools. Plugrisost contributes to the design of urban infrastructure of low environmental impact, such as infrastructure that incorporates the use of rainwater, and the self-sufficiency analysis of water in cities. Using Plugrisost, we have found that on the singlehouse scale, the economic viability of an RWH system would be possible if the price of water is greater than 4 Euros/m(3); and the environmental analysis would be favourable to tanks with less than 5 m(3) of storage capacity. On the apartment-building scale, the results are 1.4 Euros/m(3) and 33 m(3), respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fresh water, a renewable but limited resource, is scarce in many areas of the developing world. This paper proposes a dual water supply consisting of both rainwater and groundwater to provide sustainable water for an arsenic contaminated area. In this paper, a novel model has been developed based on rainfall variance. A rainwater harvesting (RWH) system can obtain optimal performance by changing the demand for water use according to rainfall. This model was then used to design a RWH system for Cukhe village. Using rainwater for potable purposes on dry days and for all purposes on rainy days is recommended. The cost of RWH systems is also analyzed. In order to achieve 100% reliability for a four-member household, a RWH system should have a roof area of 100 m(2). Additionally, a tank size of 2 m(3) is recommended for overall cost efficiency. From the yearly water supply chart, it is recommended that rainwater be supplied for potable purposes only in January-April and October-December, while it should be supplied for all purposes in May-September.
Recently interest towards electrostatic actuators and machinery has increased for use in MEMS, mechatronics and renewable energy applications. Effective electromechanical power conversion using electrostatics requires dielectric liquids whose permittivity and breakdown field strength can facilitate adequate electric shear stress and pressure beyond the capabilities of media such as air or vacuum. This paper discusses design points for practical electrostatic force production and evaluates available off-the-shelf dielectric liquids in terms of electric pressure capability. Key dielectric properties including pressure, breakdown field strength, relative permittivity, and conductivity are measured. A custom test stand measures the attractive force between two electrodes mounted on load cells inside a tank filled with the liquid under test. Measurements demonstrate liquids capable of reaching several psi of electric pressure while correlating with analytical and finite element (FE) models, ultimately forming a basis for electrostatic actuator/machine design. The best liquid candidate, Vertrel XF, was poured into a proof of concept macro scale electrostatic machine demonstrating 0.9 N-m torque and 0.126 N-m/kg. Torque measurements verify the capability of Vertrel XF and the correlation between the electric pressure and shear stress in a rotating machine.
In this two-part paper, we propose a general algorithmic framework for the minimization of a nonconvex smooth function subject to nonconvex smooth constraints, and also consider extensions to some structured, nonsmooth problems. The algorithm solves a sequence of (separable) strongly convex problems and maintains feasibility at each iteration. Convergence to a stationary solution of the original nonconvex optimization is established. Our framework is very general and flexible and unifies several existing successive convex approximation (SCA)-based algorithms. More importantly, and differently from current SCA approaches, it naturally leads to distributed and parallelizable implementations for a large class of nonconvex problems. This Part I is devoted to the description of the framework in its generality. In Part II, we customize our general methods to several (multiagent) optimization problems in communications, networking, and machine learning; the result is a new class of centralized and distributed algorithms that compare favorably to existing ad-hoc (centralized) schemes.
The tensile response of the ultra-high performance fibre reinforced cementitious composite (UHPFRC) placed in a given structural element is strongly dependent on the final fibre distribution and orientation with respect to the stress direction. In the present paper, an NDT method based on the magnetic properties of the steel fibres is developed for the in-situ detection of these two quantities in UHPFRC layers. A magnetic probe was designed for performing inductance measurements and the equations relating the inductance with the fibre content and orientation are derived based on an analogy between the magnetic and electrical circuits and on a simplified physical model of the composite material. The performance of the method has been validated on UHPFRC specimens produced with varying matrix formulation, fibre length, fibre content and orientation. Based on the theoretical formulation and supported by the collected experimental evidence, two reliable indicators of the fibre content and orientation are proposed which require only two inductance measurements on each zone. The relevance of this method for quality control and for the design with UHPFRC is highlighted. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study examined infants' early visual attention (at 1 month of age) and social engagement (4 months) as predictors of their later joint attention (12 and 18 months). The sample (n = 325), drawn from the Maternal Lifestyle Study, a longitudinal multicenter project conducted at 4 centers of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network, included high-risk (cocaine-exposed) and matched noncocaine-exposed infants. Hierarchical regressions revealed that infants' attention orienting at 1 month significantly predicted more frequent initiating joint attention at 12 (but not 18) months of age. Social engagement at 4 months predicted initiating joint attention at 18 months. Results provide the first empirical evidence for the role of visual attention and social engagement behaviors as developmental precursors for later joint attention outcome.
A longitudinal harvested rainwater quality monitoring study was undertaken at 6 sites within Selangor, Malaysia over a period of 8 months. Overall, harvested rainwater is of good quality, falling within the Malaysian recreational water quality Class BB standards with exceptions for pH (18/92), ammonia (1/92), phosphates (3/92), and total coliforms (8/92). A large number of samples tested positive for Escherichia coli (22/92), total coliforms (64/92) and Chromobacterium violaceum (7/92), showing that disinfection of harvested rainwater is mandatory prior to reuse. 2/37 harvested rainwater samples exceeded lead limits in Malaysian drinking water standards, showing that consuming rainwater without additional treatment may pose a health risk. Mixing harvested rainwater with groundwater resulted in higher phosphates and total coliforms. Rainwater collected during the wet seasons have higher concentrations of suspended solids, turbidity, and Escherichia coli than dry seasons due to the antecedent dry period. Last but not least, both principal component analysis and positive matrix factorisation were conducted on 37 samples to apportion pollutant sources in harvested rainwater. 7 principal components were identified, namely: industrial dust, steel, roadside dust, faeces, organic decay, fertilisers, and plumbing. The results from principal component analysis and positive matrix factorisation were in agreement, although the latter identified mains water top-up as an additional factor responsible for dissolved solids. Both techniques are effective at apportioning pollutant sources in harvested rainwater, and show that a rainwater harvesting system should be designed carefully to reduce contributions from steel, plumbing, organic decay, bird faeces, industrial dust and roadside dust. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Low-impact development (LID) technologies, such as bioretention areas, rooftop rainwater harvesting, and xeriscaping can control stormwater runoff, supply non-potable water, and landscape open space. This study examines a hybrid system (HS) that combines LID technologies with a centralized water system to lessen the burden on a conventional system (CS). CS is defined as the stormwater collection and water supply infrastructure, and the conventional landscaping choices in the City of Atlanta. The study scope is limited to five single-family residential zones (SFZs), classified R-1 through R-5, and four multi-family residential zones (MFZs), classified RG-2 through RG-5. Population density increases from 0.4 (R-1) to 62.2 (RG-5) persons per 1,000 m(2). We performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparison of CS and HS using TRACI 2.1 to simulate impacts on the ecosystem, human health, and natural resources. We quantified the impact of freshwater consumption using the freshwater ecosystem impact (FEI) indicator. Test results indicate that HS has a higher LCA single score than CS in zones with a low population density; however, the difference becomes negligible as population density increases. Incorporating LID in SFZs and MFZs can reduce potable water use by an average of 50% and 25%, respectively; however, water savings are negligible in zones with high population density (i.e., RG-5) due to the diminished surface area per capita available for LID technologies. The results demonstrate that LID technologies effectively reduce outdoor water demand and therefore would be a good choice to decrease the water consumption impact in the City of Atlanta. (C) Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
The turbulent wake of a generic space launcher wind tunnel model with an underexpanded nozzle jet is investigated experimentally and numerically to gain insight into the variation of intricate wake flow phenomena of space vehicles at higher stages of the flight trajectory with increasing Mach number. The experiments are carried out at M-infinity = 3 and M-infinity = 6 in the Ludwieg tube test facility at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics at the Technische Universitat Braunschweig, while the corresponding time-resolved computations are performed by the Institute of Aerodynamics at RWTH Aachen University using a zonal RANS-LES approach. A strong alteration of the wake topology with increasing Mach number due to the changing pressure ratio at the nozzle exit is found. At M-infinity = 3 the moderate underexpansion rate of p(e)/p(infinity) approximate to 5 leads to a formation of a recirculation region with an elongated triangular cross-section reaching to the nozzle exit. At M-infinity = 6 a substantially stronger afterexpansion of the jet plume (p(e)/p(infinity) approximate to 100) causes the formation of a cavity region with a quadrangular cross-section. The stronger deflection towards the nozzle at M-infinity = 3 results in lower mean and rms wall pressure ratios than at M-infinity = 6. However, due to the higher freestream pressure value at the lower Mach number the relation of absolute values is reciprocal, making the lower supersonic regime more critical with respect to dynamic structural loads. This observation is confirmed by an overall good agreement between numerical and experimental data at characteristic positions on the base and nozzle wall. Furthermore, it was shown that undesired effects of the strut support in the wake are present along the whole circumference. For M-infinity = 3 the strut influence is found to be particularly intense. The spectral analysis of wall pressure fluctuations reveals fundamental differences in the dynamic behavior of the two investigated wake flow regimes. At M-infinity = 3, a dominant frequency range around Sr-D approximate to 0.2 associated with the inner dynamics of the recirculation bubble is found at the base, while on the nozzle a broad-band low-frequency content of substantially higher amplitudes is detected, which is a footprint of the graduate realignment of the turbulent shear layer along the nozzle wall. The spectra at M-infinity = 6 are characterized by several high-frequency sharp peaks at Sr-D >= 0.8. A strong correlation between the supported wind tunnel configuration and the axisymmetric free-flight case is found for the peaks at Sr-D approximate to 0.85 known to be caused by the radial flapping motion of the shear layer along the cavity.
This paper presents an integrated system used for ultra-precision machine tool (UPMT) design in conceptual and fundamental design stage. This system is based on the dynamic, thermodynamic, and error budget theories. The candidate configurations of the machine tool are first selected from the configuration library or a novel configuration designed by the user, according to the functions of the machine tool expected to realize. Then, the appropriate configuration is given by comparing the stiffness chain, dynamic performance, thermal performance, and the error budget of each candidate configuration. Consequently, the integrated design system enables the conceptual and fundamental of the UPMT to be designed efficiently with a theoretical foundation. The proposed system was used for several UPMT designs, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the integrated design system.
Polyalanine (poly(A)) diseases are caused by the expansion of translated GCN triplet nucleotide sequences encoding poly(A) tracts in proteins. To date, nine human disorders have been found to be associated with poly(A) tract expansions, including congenital central hypoventilation syndrome and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. Previous studies have demonstrated that unexpanded wild-type poly(A)-containing proteins localize to the cell nucleus, whereas expanded poly(A)-containing proteins primarily localize to the cytoplasm. Because most of these poly(A) disease proteins are transcription factors, this mislocalization causes cellular transcriptional dysregulation leading to cellular dysfunction. Correcting this faulty localization could potentially point to strategies to treat the aforementioned disorders, so there is a pressing need to identify the mechanisms underlying the mislocalization of expanded poly(A) protein. Here, we performed a glutathione S-transferase pulldown assay followed by mass spectrometry and identified eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 1 (eEF1A1) as an interacting partner with expanded poly(A)-containing proteins. Strikingly, knockdown of eEF1A1 expression partially corrected the mislocalization of the expanded poly(A) proteins in the cytoplasm and restored their functions in the nucleus. We further demonstrated that the expanded poly(A) domain itself can serve as a nuclear export signal. Taken together, this study demonstrates that eEF1A1 regulates the subcellular location of expanded poly(A) proteins and is therefore a potential therapeutic target for combating the pathogenesis of poly(A) diseases.
This paper proposes a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) self-heating method, in which EVs can be operated independently of external power source at low temperature, with a lithium-ion battery (LIB) pack discharging electricity to provide PTC material with power. Three comparative heating experiments have been carried out respectively. With charge/discharge tests implemented, results demonstrate the superiority of the self-heating method, proving that the discharge capability, especially the discharge capacity of the self-heated pack is better than that of the external power heated pack. In order to evaluate the heating effect of this method, further studies are conducted on temperature distribution uniformity in the heated pack. Firstly, a geometric model is established, and heat-generation rate of PTC materials and LIB are calculated. Then, thermal characteristics of the self-heating experiment processes are numerically simulated, validating the accuracy of our modeling and confirming that temperature distributions inside the pack after heating are kept in good uniformity. Therefore, the PTC self-heating method is verified to have a significant effect on the improvement of performance of LIB at low temperature.
Background: Spondyloarthritis often affects young people, typically in their working years. The aim of our study was to investigate work productivity and its relationship with disease activity and physical functioning in Italian patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) with chronic back pain (CBP) for >= 3 months and <= 2 years, and onset < 45 years of age. Methods: Baseline absenteeism, presenteeism, work productivity loss (assessed by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI)), and disease activity (assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI)/Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)) and functional ability (assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Functional Index (BASFI)) of patients with axSpA (rheumatologist's diagnosis) included in the Italian section of the Spondyloarthritis Caught Early (SPACE) cohort were collected. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between work productivity and disease activity/physical functioning. Results: Absenteeism in 51 patients with axSpA was low (8.3 %). A decrease in work productivity was related to an increase in disease activity. Disease activity was strongly correlated with absenteeism (p < 0.01), presenteeism (p < 0.01) and work productivity loss (p < 0.001). In addition, decreased work productivity was related to a decrease in functional ability. Physical functioning was correlated with absenteeism (p < 0.001), presenteeism (p < 0.05) and work productivity loss (p= 3 months and <= 2 years, with onset < 45 years of age.
FinFET technologies are becoming the mainstream process as technology scales down. Based on 28-nm bulk-Si FinFETs and planar transistors, three-dimensional technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations are performed to investigate the charge collection mechanisms and single-event transient (SET) pulse widths for nanoscale devices. Simulation results show that charge collection and SET pulse widths for FinFETs are smaller than those of the planar device. An overall analysis indicates that for P-hits, the reduced charge collection in p-FinFET is induced mainly by the narrow sensitivity drain volumes when ion linear energy transfer (LETs) less than 20 MeV cm(2)/mg; however, the parasitic bipolar amplification effect presents an important effect on the charge reduction for higher ion LETs. An in-depth analysis shows that the reduced bipolar amplification effect in p-FinFET is owing to the conduction channel (fin body) rather than source/drain region. Due to a parasitic reversed bipolar effect, the single-event response for N-hit is less sensitive than that for P-hit. Moreover, comparisons of the temperature dependence of SET pulse width in both FinFETs and planar devices is carried out, which indicate that the SET pulse width in PMOS shows stronger temperature dependence than that in p-FinFET. This gives a new insight into the single-event effects (SEE) in FinFETs, which can provide guidelines for future radiation-hardened applications of FinFET-based circuits.
A crucial element of navigating group conflict is how group members manage stigma imposed on them by other groups. Across three experiments, we propose that group identification is a cause and consequence of self-labeling with stigmatizing group labels, a practice known to reduce stigma. Experiment 1 found that group identification increased self-labeling with a stigmatizing group label. In Experiment 2, individuals who self-labeled with a stigmatizing group label felt more identified with their group, which reduced the label's perceived negativity; they also persisted longer on an in-group helping task, an effect that was partially mediated by group identification. In Experiment 3, observers perceived self-labelers as more identified with their group and as viewing the label less negatively; perceived group identification mediated the relationship. Group identification is a critical component in reappropriating stigmatizing labels and provides insight into how highly identified members can navigate group conflict by negotiating their group's identity.
Rationale: Emphysema has considerable variability in the severity and distribution of parenchymal destruction throughout the lungs. Upper lobe predominant emphysema has emerged as an important predictor of response to lung volume reduction surgery. Yet, aside from alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, the genetic determinants of emphysema distribution remain largely unknown. Objectives: To identify the genetic influences of emphysema distribution in non alpha-1 antitrypsin deficient smokers. Methods: A total of 11,532 subjects with complete genotype and 'computed tomography densitometry data in the COPDGene (Genetic Epidemiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD]; non-Hispanic white and African American), ECLIPSE (Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints), and GenKOLS (Genetics of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) studies were analyzed. Two computed tomography scan emphysema distribution measures (difference between upper-third and lower-third emphysema; ratio of upper-third to lower-third emphysema) were tested for genetic associations in all study subjects. Separate analyses in each study population were followed by a fixed effect metaanalysis. Single nucleotide polymorphism, gene-, and pathway-based approaches were used. In silico functional evaluation was also performed. Measurements and Main Results: We identified five loci associated with emphysema distribution at genome-wide significance. These loci included two previously reported associations with COPD susceptibility (4q31 near HHIP and 15q25 near CHRNA5) and three new associations near SOWAHB, TRAPPC9, and KIAAI462. Gene set analysis and in silico functional evaluation revealed pathways and cell types that may potentially contribute to the pathogenesis of emphysema distribution. Conclusions: This multicohort genome-wide association study identified new genomic loci associated with differential emphysematous destruction throughout the lungs. These findings may point to new biologic pathways on which to expand diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Optimization of cutting parameters is very important issues in manufacturing engineering. For slender bar turning operations, drum-shaped error is one of the most important product quality characteristics. In this work, an artificial neural network model was developed firstly to describe the relationship between cutting parameters and drum-shaped error in slender bar turning process. Based on the obtained model, cutting parameter was optimized to satisfy the specified drum-shaped error and economics criterion in multi-pass turning of slender bar. Due to the high complexity of the machining optimization problem, genetic algorithm was employed to resolve this problem. Experimental results show that the proposed optimization method is both effective and efficient for slender bar turning operations.
Telecare is a healthcare resource based on new technologies that, through the services offered, attempt to help elderly people to continue living in their homes. In this sense, first-generation telecare services have quickly developed in Europe. The aim of this work was to define the profile, pattern of medication consumption and disease frequencies of elderly users of a telecare service. The cross-sectional study involved 742 Spanish community-dwelling elders (85.3% of the total users aged 65 years and over who used a telecare service before the end of the data collection period). Data were collected between March and September 2012. Subjects' mean age was 83.3 (SD 6.6) years, and the majority lived alone (78.3%) and were female (85.8%). The mean Charlson comorbidity index score was 1.13 (SD 1.1), and the mean number of prescribed medications per day was 5.6 (SD 3.0). The most frequent diseases were hypertension (51.1%) and rheumatic disorders (44%); and the most consumed medications were those for the cardiovascular (75%) and nervous (65.2%) systems. For the total sample, the three main determinants of polymedication (five or more medications) were hypertension, anxiety-depressive symptoms and coronary heart disease. Regardless of the social elements contributing to the implementation of telecare services, specific health characteristics of potential users, such as morbidity and polypharmacy, should be carefully considered when implementing telecare services in the coming years.
In current industrial practice, thousands of industrial alarms generating millions of alarm events, are built into digital control systems typically found in power generation facilities, power grid and communication networks, oil refineries, petrochemical plants, and other manufacturing plants. Given the increasing complexity of such systems, an effective approach to managing alarms and the stream of data they generate becomes imperative. Hitherto, much of alarm management techniques are mostly rule-based with intensive engineering domain expertise requiring an understanding of the underlying physical processes and special skills on the part of the plant operator. This paper describes a novel graph-based data mining approach that can be used to analyze industrial alarm data. Our method leverages the availability of large timestamped historical alarm events datasets. Using these historical datasets, we developed a graph analytics model that identifies redundant alarms and the series of alarms associated with or leading to critical events. Our experiments using real-world (a power generation station and an oil refinery) industrial alarm datasets demonstrate that our proposed method is both scalable and efficient.
Entity resolution (ER), an important and common data cleaning problem, is about detecting data duplicate representations for the same external entities, and merging them into single representations. Relatively recently, declarative rules called matching dependencies (MDs) have been proposed for specifying similarity conditions under which attribute values in database records are merged. In this work we show the process and the benefits of integrating four components of ER: (a) Building a classifier for duplicate/non-duplicate record pairs built using machine learning (ML) techniques; (b) Use of MDs for supporting the blocking phase of ML; (c) Record merging on the basis of the classifier results; and (d) The use of the declarative language LogiQL-an extended form of Datalog supported by the LogicBlox platform-for all activities related to data processing, and the specification and enforcement of MDs. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Recent advances in our basic knowledge of the tissue damage and regeneration pathology have combined with a remarkable progress in stem cell biology so the prospect of clinical tissue repair strategies is a tangible reality. We tried to describe a better view about mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) mechanisms in wound healing and tissue regeneration, sending any ideas for next advanced therapies. CONTENT: Sustaining injury, whether minor or major, is part of every organism life. Therefore, efficient response mechanisms to damage have developed. Wound healing is a perplexing multi-step processes which can be divided into three major phases: inflammation, proliferation, and scar formation/remodeling. Though the compartementalization of this process into discrete stages give the illusion of simplicity, but in reality it is much more complicated. So that efficient healing can occur, complex interactions between multiple cell types, soluble factors and extracellular matrix components are required to rebuild the tissue. Even under optimal conditions, the healing process drives to fibrosis or scar. The latest technology that makes a huge difference in the wound healing process is stem cell therapy, which offers a novel approach to many diseases. SUMMARY: Wound healing therapies continue to rapidly evolve, with advances in basic science and engineering research heralding the development of new therapies, as well as ways to modify existing treatments. Stem cell-based therapy is one of the most promising therapeutic concepts for wound healing. Advances in stem cell biology have enabled researchers and clinicians alike with access to cells capable of actively modulating the healing response.
Apply machine learning principles to predict hip fractures and estimate predictor importance in Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-scanned men and women. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry data from two Danish regions between 1996 and 2006 were combined with national Danish patient data to comprise 4722 women and 717 men with 5 years of follow-up time (original cohort n = 6606 men and women). Twenty-four statistical models were built on 75% of data points through k-5, 5-repeat cross-validation, and then validated on the remaining 25% of data points to calculate area under the curve (AUC) and calibrate probability estimates. The best models were retrained with restricted predictor subsets to estimate the best subsets. For women, bootstrap aggregated flexible discriminant analysis (bagFDA) performed best with a test AUC of 0.92 [0.89; 0.94] and well-calibrated probabilities following Na < ve Bayes adjustments. A bagFDA model limited to 11 predictors (among them bone mineral densities (BMD), biochemical glucose measurements, general practitioner and dentist use) achieved a test AUC of 0.91 [0.88; 0.93]. For men, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (xgbTree) performed best with a test AUC of 0.89 [0.82; 0.95], but with poor calibration in higher probabilities. A ten predictor subset (BMD, biochemical cholesterol and liver function tests, penicillin use and osteoarthritis diagnoses) achieved a test AUC of 0.86 [0.78; 0.94] using an xgbTree model. Machine learning can improve hip fracture prediction beyond logistic regression using ensemble models. Compiling data from international cohorts of longer follow-up and performing similar machine learning procedures has the potential to further improve discrimination and calibration.
Intelligent cameras, or smart cameras as they are often referred to, appear ubiquitously in our everyday lives, both at home and at work. In our pockets, bags, cars and homes we are now experiencing and interacting with a new generation of smart cameras that far surpass the ability to merely capture images - they can provide high-level descriptions of the environment and analyse what they see. Recently, researchers at De Montfort University have developed a low-cost, low-power intelligent camera system that incorporates a 2.8 touchscreen and a fisheye lens, is capable of capturing visual environment data, performing algorithms to extract metrics and wirelessly transmit them to the cloud for further analysis. Having the advantage of a short focal length and wide field of view, our fisheye camera system can provide information for a multidisciplinary audience including image processing, camera technology and embedded systems, and support a wide variety of applications such as surveillance, home monitoring, motion analysis, facial identification and intelligent transportation systems. This paper describes a first generation prototype camera system that gathers luminance data by capturing High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery that is comparable to the data acquired with costly and cumbersome research equipment. The paper also explores the requirements for, benefits of, and challenges faced when developing an even smarter intelligent camera system.
Background: The world's top three cereals, based on their monetary value, are rice, wheat, and corn. In cereal crops, DNA extraction is difficult owing to rigid non-cellulose components in the cell wall of leaves and high starch and protein content in grains. The advanced techniques in molecular biology require pure and quick extraction of DNA. The majority of existing DNA extraction methods rely on long incubation and multiple precipitations or commercially available kits to produce contaminant-free high molecular weight DNA. Results: In this study, we compared three different methods used for the isolation of high-quality genomic DNA from the grains of cereal crop, Zea mays, with minor modifications. The DNA from the grains of two maize hybrids, M10 and M321, was extracted using extraction methods DNeasy Qiagen Plant Mini Kit, CTAB-method (with/ without 1% PVP) and modified Mericon extraction. Genes coding for 45S ribosomal RNA are organized in tandem arrays of up to several thousand copies and contain codes for 18S, 5.8S and 26S rRNA units separated by internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2. While the rRNA units are evolutionary conserved, ITS regions show high level of interspecific divergence and have been used frequently in genetic diversity and phylogenetic studies. In this study, the genomic DNA was then amplified with PCR using primers specific for ITS gene. PCR products were then visualized on agarose gel. Conclusion: The modified Mericon extraction method was found to be the most efficient DNA extraction method, capable to provide high DNA yields with better quality, affordable cost and less time.
Autoantibodies of the IgG subclass are pathogenic in a number of autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythomatosus. The presence of circulating IgE autoantibodies in autoimmune patients has also been known for almost 40 years. Despite their role in allergies, IgE autoantibodies are not associated with a higher rate of atopy in these patients. However, recently they have been recognized as active drivers of autoimmunity through mechanisms involving the secretion of Type I interferons by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), the recruitment of basophils to lymph nodes, and the activation of adaptive immune responses through B and T cells. Here, we will review the formation, prevalence, affinity, and roles of the IgE autoantibodies that have been described in autoimmunity. We also present novel evidence supporting that triggering of IgE receptors in pDC induces LC3-associated phagocytosis, a cellular process also known as LAP that is associated with interferon responses. The activation of pDC with immune complexes formed by DNA-specific IgE antibodies also induce potent B-cell differentiation and plasma cell formation, which further define IgE's role in autoimmune humoral responses.
Introduction. Empathy is a sub-process of social cognition that is defined as the capacity to understand and share another person's thoughts, wishes and feelings, and is crucial in many forms of adaptive social interaction. It is a contextual, flexible and multidimensional phenomenon that is related with different neuronal networks and processes. Aims. To assess empathy in a sample of subjects diagnosed with conditions belonging to the category of severe mental disorders who were under treatment in a psychosocial rehabilitation programme. Subjects and methods. The sample consisted of 22 persons with severe mental disorders receiving treatment consisting in a psychosocial rehabilitation programme, and 22 healthy controls. A battery of tests, including the empathy quotient, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and the interpersonal reactivity index, was administered to each subject. Results. In the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the experimental group scored significantly lower than the control group (t = 2.8; p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found on the other variables. Conclusions. Persons with a severe mental disorder do not display a generalised deficit of empathy. They do, however, have difficulty when it comes to recognising emotional states by looking, which suggests they process information about faces in a different way to subjects in the normal population.
The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small, semiaquatic mammal endemic to the Pyrenean Mountains and the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula where it lives in cold and well-oxygenated flowing mountain streams. This species is currently classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and has been undergoing habitat loss and fragmentation for decades, inevitably impacting its distribution. A recent genetic study, based on mitochondrial and intronic sequences, showed that the genetic variability of the Pyrenean desman is very low in the Pyrenees. In this study, we investigated the potential existence of genetic structure and gene flow at a smaller scale using 24 polymorphic microsatellite loci. As the Pyrenean desman is a very elusive species, we supplemented our tissue sample collection with samples of feces collected in the French range of this species. We successfully identified 70 individuals based on 355 fecal samples. Bayesian analyses revealed 3 genetic and geographic clusters (1 eastern, 1 central, and 1 western, including 3 genetic subclusters), with origins tracing back only 200 years. These clusters were characterized by low levels of genetic diversity and high inbreeding coefficients. Although gene flow among clusters appeared to be limited, populations seem to have exchanged alleles recently. Therefore, connectivity between watersheds should be enhanced to maintain genetic diversity and potentially improve the long-term survival of the Pyrenean desman in France.
Surprisingly minimal appearance cues lead perceivers to accurately judge others' personality, status, or politics. We investigated people's precision in judging characteristics of an unknown person, based solely on the shoes he or she wears most often. Participants provided photographs of their shoes, and during a separate session completed self-report measures. Coders rated the shoes on various dimensions, and these ratings were found to correlate with the owners' personal characteristics. A new group of participants accurately judged the age, gender, income, and attachment anxiety of shoe owners based solely on the pictures. Shoes can indeed be used to evaluate others, at least in some domains. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Aim Less than 6% of the worlds described plant species have been assessed on the IUCN Red List, leaving many species invisible to conservation prioritization. Large-scale Red List assessment of plant species is a challenge, as most species' ranges have only been resolved to a coarse scale. As geographic distribution is a key assessment criterion on the IUCN Red List, we evaluate the use of coarse-scale distribution data in predictive models to assess the global scale and drivers of extinction risk in an economically important plant group, the bulbous monocotyledons. Location Global. Methods Using coarse-scale species distribution data, we train a machine learning model on biological and environmental variables for 148 species assessed on the IUCN Red List in order to identify correlates of extinction risk. We predict the extinction risk of 6439 'bulbous monocot' species with the best of 13 models and map our predictions to identify potential hotspots of threat. Results Our model achieved 91% classification accuracy, with 88% of threatened species and 93% of non-threatened species accurately predicted. The model predicted 35% of bulbous monocots presently 'Not Evaluated' under IUCN criteria to be threatened and human impacts were a key correlate of threat. Spatial analysis identified some hotspots of threat where no bulbous monocots are yet on the IUCN Red List, for example central Chile. Main conclusions This is the first time a machine learning model has been used to determine extinction risk at a global scale in a species-rich plant group. As coarse-scale distribution data exist for many plant groups, our methods can be replicated to provide extinction risk predictions across the plant kingdom. Our approach can be used as a low-cost prioritization tool for targeting field based assessments.
Patient: A 69-year-old Japanese male visited Nihon University Dental Hospital for refabrication of his mandibular implant-supported complete fixed prosthesis (ISCFPD) and maxillary complete denture, which had been fabricated 15 years previously. In this case, Ce-TZP/Al2O3 nanocomposite (Ce-TZP/A) was applied to the framework of the mandibular ISCFPD and maxillary complete denture. Three years after deliver of the framework, no particularly notable biological or prosthetic complications were observed, and a high level of patient satisfaction had been achieved. Discussion: Conventional ISCFPD frameworks were fabricated by casting gold alloys; however, with the recent advancement of CAD/CAM technology, titanium (Ti) or yttria tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) frameworks have become more common. In contrast, the main fabrication method for Ti or Co-Cr frameworks of removable dental prostheses has shifted from the conventional casting method to CAD/CAM fabrication. Ce-TZP/A, which was chosen as the framework material this time, shows higher strength and greater toughness than Y-TZP. However, since it has a low light-transmitting property and exhibits an opaque white color, the range of its application in fixed prostheses, particularly in the esthetic area, is limited. Conclusion: We described a case in which Ce-TZP/A was applied to the frameworks of a mandibular ISCFPD and a maxillary complete denture. No particularly notable biological or prosthetic complications were observed in the mandibular ISCFPD or the maxillary complete denture, and a high level of patient satisfaction was achieved. Medium- and long-term observations with a greater number of cases are essential to obtain information concerning various phenomena related to this procedure. (C) 2016 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We investigated the human metabolism of AA to the mercapturic acids N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) and N-(R/S)-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (GAMA) which are derived from AA itself and from its oxidative genotoxic metabolite glycidamide (GA), respectively. A healthy male volunteer received a single dose of about 1 mg deuterium-labelled acrylamide (d(3)-AA), representing 13 mu g/kg body weight, in drinking water. Urine samples before dosing and within 46 h after the dose were analysed for d(3)-AAMA and d(3)-GAMA by LC-ESI-MS/MS. A first phase of increase in urinary concentration was found to last 18 h with a broad plateau between 8 and 18 h for AAMA, and 22 h for GAMA. Elimination half-lives of both AAMA and GAMA were estimated to be approximately 3.5 h for the first phase and more than 10 h up to few days for the second phase. Total recovery in urine after 24 h was about 51% as the sum of AAMA and GAMA and hereby well in accordance with former studies in rats. After 2 days AAMA, accounting for altogether 52% of the total AA dose, was the major metabolite of AA in humans. GAMA, accounting for 5%, appeared as a minor metabolite of AA. In humans we found a urinary ratio of 0.1 for GAMA/AAMA compared to previously reported values of 0.2 for rats and 0.5 for mice. Therefore, the metabolic fate of AA in humans was more similar to that in rats than in mice as already demonstrated in terms of the haemoglobin adducts. Consequently a genotoxic potency of AA mediated by GA could be supposed to be comparable in rats and humans.
This paper describes ImAtHome, an iOS application for smart home configuration and management. This application has been built over the framework HomeKit, made available in iOS, for communicating with and controlling home automation accessories. Attention has been put on the design of the interaction with such an application, in order to make the interaction style as much coherent as possible with iOS apps and supporting users without programming skills to unwittingly create event-condition action rules that, in other similar systems, are usually defined through if-then constructs. The results of a user test demonstrate that ImAtHome is easy to use and well accepted by end users of different age and background.
A new type of mechanically stabilised earth structure composed of geosynthetic tubes filled with expanded clay lightweight aggregate and backfill with geosynthetic reinforcement is introduced. The results of the study demonstrate that alternative solutions such as expanded clay lightweight aggregates can be used in interaction with geosynthetics in comparison to classical soil. The new type of geosynthetic tubes filled dynamically with expanded clay lightweight aggregate was tested in situ under compressive loading. The geosynthetic tube was instrumented with load cell transducers and the characteristic cross-section was obtained from three-dimensional scanner measurements after loading. Next, a simplified engineering formulation for geosynthetic tubes under compressive loading and unloading was evaluated including the influence of volume variation of the tube. It is based on the classical approach from soil mechanics and it produces the required design tensile force of the tube dependent on geosynthetic stiffness. The experimental results of compressive loading tests were compared with analytical equations. The results are discussed and show the influence of the geosynthetic stiffness on the behaviour of the tube in terms of loading capacity, volume variation and cross-section of the tube. The agreement between theoretical analyses and experimental results was reasonably good and can be formally accepted for a given volume variation of the geosynthetic tube.
The design of flow machines is still a difficult task, mainly due to the large number of free geometrical parameters involved. Thus, design optimization techniques can be applied to obtain optimized designs of these machines. This work deals with optimization of radial flow machine rotors (pumps and turbine), where a novel methodology for the propeller design is proposed based on the topology optimization method which distributes fluid or solid in a design domain to extremize a defined objective function subjected to some constraints. The design objective is to optimize the shape of the channel between two blades of the rotor to minimize the energy dissipation and vorticity, and minimize or maximize the power in the case of a pump or turbine, respectively. These objective functions are combined in a multi-objective function. A two-dimensional finite element is derived in a rotating frame for modelling the rotor flow behaviour. The modelling predicts the flow field between relative two blades of a rotor without considering the influence of the volute. It is assumed that the fluid is flowing in an idealized porous medium subjected to a friction force, which is proportional to the fluid velocity and the inverse local permeability. A porous flow model is introduced with a continuous (grey) permeability design variable for each element that defines the local permeability of the medium and allows the transition between fluid and solid property. The design optimization problem is solved by using the method of moving asymptotes (MMA). Numerical examples are presented to illustrate this methodology. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ambient Intelligence is one of the research area where wireless sensor devices are commonly used. Main idea of these applications is to monitor and recognize people's indoor or outdoor activities. In this study, we focus on one of the major problem of WSN which is energy consumption in a different way from the existing approaches in the literature. With the proposed approach, it is shown that it is possible to create a dynamic sleep scheduling mechanism for each recognized activity. In contrast to previous studies found in the literature review, in our perspective, a holistic approach which takes component and application level into account is proposed, therefore energy consumption and the ways for improving lifetime of node and the network are handled. Main aim is to find a suitable region where application can work with tolerable performance degradation meanwhile lifetime of the sensor is extended by decreasing energy consumption. Proposed approach is tested on accelerometer signal of walking activity. It is shown that it exists a region where application performance and energy gain are suitable.
Normative and technical documents from Germany, United Kingdom and Portugal recommend the use of detailed methods to size storage tanks in rainwater harvesting systems. These methods are based on daily simulations of the system's operation using daily rainfall data and non-potable demand. However, scarce information is provided by these documents regarding the most appropriate criteria to obtain the rainwater storage tank when making the daily simulations. In this study, six different calculation methods are described and analyzed, including simplified procedures and detailed approaches with different criteria. To apply these methods, two cases of rainwater harvesting systems were used: a dwelling and a public building. Results show that methods based on the Maximum Rainwater Use and 100% Efficiency criteria result in very large storage volumes and very long payback periods. It appears that, amongst the analyzed criterions, the most appropriate to size a rainwater harvesting system through a daily simulation is the 80% Efficiency criteria, once it has the best ratio Economical savings/Installation cost. It was also concluded that Rippl method and the 80% Efficiency criteria lead to similar storage volumes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The continued increase in the production scale of chicken industry have led to increased use of chicken manure as fertilizers or landfill disposal which leads to land and water pollution by eutrophication from landfills. Thus, although chicken manure is rich in ash and moisture content, thermochemical waste to energy techniques such as gasification of chicken manure makes it an efficient alternative energy source with clean waste management. The role of oxygen addition to steam gasification of chicken manure at different concentrations was examined and evolutionary behavior of the gases evolved with time were analyzed using gas chromatography. Isothermal conditions were maintained in a semi-batch reactor at a temperature of 1173 K while the oxygen concentration was increased from 0% to 12% (dry basis). From the oxygen concentrations examined, the addition of oxygen decreased the reaction duration by 50% while improving the syngas characteristics and energy yield on short periods. The reduction in energy yield was limited to minimal amounts that varied from 4% to 15% with reduction directly proportional to oxygen content in the gasifying agent. Accumulative yield of carbon monoxide was maximum for oxygen concentration of 9% (dry basis) above which extra oxygen concentration caused further oxidation of the syngas components to decrease the energy content of syngas yield. The results revealed reduction in net energy requirements by decreasing the reaction time by up to 70% (for oxygen content of 12%) with minimal reduction in energy content from syngas yield and improved carbon conversion. These results provide improved design strategies for better waste to energy technique by addition of oxygen to steam during gasification of chicken manure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Plasma gelsolin (pGSN) is a multifunctional protein involved mainly in severing and clearing of actin filaments. Its level correlates with inflammation and several diseases making it a potential biomarker of diagnostic and prognostic values. The pGSN level in groups of treated and untreated HIV-1-infected Indian patients is investigated in this study. This study aims at investigating the levels of pGSN in HIV-1-infected patients across different age, sex, severity of disease, and treatment status. Blood samples of 213 patients were analyzed for CD4 counts by flow cytometry and pGSN was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The level of pGSN is significantly increased in HIV-1 infected patients (227.2 +/- 54.3g/ml) compared to healthy volunteers (167.9 +/- 61.8g/ml). The level correlates with CD4 cell counts as patients with lower CD4 counts showed higher pGSN levels and vice versa. Gender does not affect pGSN level; however, antiretroviral (ARV) treatment reduces pGSN toward normal. Within low CD4 cell count group, the untreated patients have 52% higher pGSN than healthy volunteers, whereas with treatment, the difference reduces to 24%. Similarly, high CD4 cell count (>350 cells/mm(3)) group of patients showed 44% increase in pGSN in untreated patients compared to 21% increase in treated patients. There is an upregulation of pGSN in HIV-1 infection and it is inversely correlated with CD4 cell counts. Treatment with ARV drugs decreases pGSN levels toward normal. The monitoring of pGSN level in HIV-1-infected patients could be an important indicator of severity of disease and recovery during treatment.
With the increasing concern about the serious global energy crisis and high energy consumption during high content solid wastes (HCSWs) treatment, microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been recognized as a promising resource utilization approach for HCSW stabilization with simultaneous electrical energy recovery. In contrast to the conventional HCSW stabilization processes, MFC has its unique advantages such as direct bio-energy conversion in a single step and mild reaction conditions (viz., ambient temperature, normal pressure, and neutral pH). This review mainly introduces some important aspects of electricity generation from HCSW and its stabilization in MFC, focusing on: (1) MFCs with different fundamentals and configurations designed and constructed to produce electricity from HCSW; (2) performance of wastes degradation and electricity generation; (3) prospect and deficiency posed by MFCs with HCSW as substrates. To date, the major drawback of MFCs fueled by HCSW is the lower power output than those using simple substrates. HCSW hydrolysis and decomposition would be a major tool to improve the performance of MFCs. The optimization of parameters is needed to push the progress of MFCs with HCSW as fuel. (C) Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017
At present, users can utilize an authenticated key agreement protocol in a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) to securely obtain desired information, and numerous studies have investigated authentication techniques to construct efficient, robust WSNs. Chang et al. recently presented an authenticated key agreement mechanism for WSNs and claimed that their authentication mechanism can both prevent various types of attacks, as well as preserve security properties. However, we have discovered that Chang et al's method possesses some security weaknesses. First, their mechanism cannot guarantee protection against a password guessing attack, user impersonation attack or session key compromise. Second, the mechanism results in a high load on the gateway node because the gateway node should always maintain the verifier tables. Third, there is no session key verification process in the authentication phase. To this end, we describe how the previously-stated weaknesses occur and propose a security-enhanced version for WSNs. We present a detailed analysis of the security and performance of our authenticated key agreement mechanism, which not only enhances security compared to that of related schemes, but also takes efficiency into consideration.
Anti-fat bias by professors in physical education departments may interfere with the training provided to pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of professors in physical education departments toward obese individuals. Professors from randomly selected institutions across all four US regions participated in the study (N = 94). Participants took the Implicit Association Test and answered the Anti-Fat Attitude Scale and two questions specifically designed to measure their attitudes toward physical education teachers and majors who are obese. The participants exhibited implicit good-bad (p < .001) and lazy-motivated (p < .001) anti-fat biases. Professors favored accepting majors who are obese (p < .001), but they strongly disapproved of obese physical education teachers as role models to their students (p < .001). Explicit anti-fat bias was associated with a stronger disapproval of physical education teachers who are obese as role models to students (p < .001) and accepting majors who are obese (p < .001). Implicit good-bad anti-fat bias was associated with a stronger disapproval of obese physical education teachers as role models to students (p = .047). The anti-fat bias demonstrated by the professors may negatively affect the training of pre-service physical education teachers to work with students of all body sizes. Awareness programs may be necessary to diminish anti-fat bias among professors in physical education teacher education programs.
Reduced-scale shaking table testing is a useful tool for understanding the seismic behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls. This paper presents the results from a series of reduced-scale shaking table tests on eight different configurations. The effects of change in peak ground acceleration, reinforcement length and spacing, model scale, treatment of the top two facing block layers on the accelerations on a wall face, maximum displacements of the wall face during shaking, permanent displacements, and strains in reinforcement are investigated. Maximum accelerations measured on the wall face during shaking increased from bottom to top. Geotextile length and spacing did not affect the maximum accelerations and face displacements when the geotextile length met the minimum requirements of established design procedures. No significant permanent displacements were observed. Decreasing the geotextile length and increasing the geotextile spacing increased the geotextile strains when the geotextile was long enough to provide anchorage beyond the potential failure surface. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Sediment concentration is fundamental for determining sediment transport in open channels. The Rouse equation, one of several methods for computing sediment concentration, has been derived using deterministic hydraulic principles. This study derives the Rouse equation using the Shannon entropy theory. The derivation requires a hypothesis on the cumulative probability distribution function of sediment concentration in terms of flow depth which is formulated in a general form and can specialize in several specific forms reported in the literature. The advantage of using the entropy theory is that it permits quantification of uncertainty associated with concentration and determination of parameters in terms of specified information, such as mean concentration. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Volumetric atrophy and microstructural alterations in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures of the hippocampus have been reported in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, no study to date has jointly investigated concomitant microstructural and volumetric changes of the hippocampus in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Methods: A total of 84 subjects (23 MCI, 17 DLB, 14 AD, and 30 healthy controls) were recruited for a multi-modal imaging (3T MRI and DTI) study that included neuropsychological evaluation. Freesurfer was used to segment the total hippocampus and delineate its subfields. The hippocampal segmentations were coregistered to the mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps obtained from the DTI images. Results: Both AD and MCI groups showed significantly smaller hippocampal volumes compared to DLB and controls, predominantly in the CA1 and subiculum subfields. Compared to controls, hippocampal MD was elevated in AD, but not in MCI. DLB was characterized by both volumetric and microstructural preservation of the hippocampus. InMCI, higher hippocampalMDwas associated with greater atrophy of the hippocampus and CA1 region. Hippocampal volume was a stronger predictor of memory scores compared to MD within the MCI group. Conclusions: Through a multi-modal integration, we report novel evidence that the hippocampus in DLB is characterized by both macrostructural and microstructural preservation. Contrary to recent suggestions, our findings do not support the view that DTI measurements of the hippocampus are superior to volumetric changes in characterizing group differences, particularly between MCI and controls.
Urban water systems throughout the world are under recurring and increasing water scarcity, given demand growth, aging infrastructure, variability and uncertainty imposed by climate change. Rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) represent a promising alternative to increase flexibility and robustness of water supply systems. Given the importance of the tank size in establishing a reliable RWHS, we propose an implicit stochastic approach to assess performance and aid designers. The main objective of this study is to simulate common non-potable water demand and roof area typologies and verify how the demand and roof area affect the efficiency of the RWHS. To highlight the usefulness of the model to aid in the definition of tank sizes, we have also performed an economic assessment. Results are specific to the study region's climate and might vary under different climate. However, we have chosen a rather unfavourable climate, with poor rainfall distribution along the year. Under such conditions, results are likely closer to lower bound benefits. This indicates potential water savings benefits of a RWHS even for unfavourable scenarios. The RWHS indicated to be more efficient at meeting demands with smaller Demand-Roof Area ratios. Furthermore, it was possible to determine the efficiency of the RWHS under various scenarios, identifying the minimum and maximum likely benefits. Several scenarios were compared directly allowing for the establishment of a general maximum tank size per unit roof area in a given region of interest, beyond which no significant benefits are likely. The economic assessment indicates positive net present values for investing in RWHS, especially for large rooftop areas and small Demand-Roof Area ratios. Under such conditions, investing in a RWHS has very low risk and will most likely have short payback times. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sharing materials is a complex social behavior that may lead to longterm development of friendships and concomitant increases in related prosocial behaviors. Given the complexities of sharing behaviors, children with social delays or deficits may not recognize when, how, and with whom to share. Because children with social delays or deficits, especially those with disabilities, may not engage in typical sharing behaviors, and because these behaviors are important, identifying interventions for sharing and related social behaviors are crucial. The purpose of this review was to identify sharing interventions, evaluate methodological rigor, and assess intervention effectiveness. Twenty single-case designs published in 11 articles were included. Some studies reported variable results and had considerable methodological limitations. Results of high-quality studies are promising and provide a foundation for future research on sharing behaviors.
While therapies targeting the co-inhibitory or immune checkpoint receptors PD-1 and CTLA-4 have shown remarkable success in many cancers, not all patients benefit from these therapies. This has catalyzed enormous interest in the targeting of other immune checkpoint receptors. In this regard, TIGIT and CD96 have recently entered the limelight as novel immune checkpoint receptor targets. TIGIT and CD96 together with the co-stimulatory receptor CD226 form a pathway that is analogous to the CD28/CTLA-4 pathway, in which shared ligands and differential receptor: ligand affinities fine-tune the immune response. Although the roles of TIGIT and CD96 as immune checkpoint receptors in T cell and natural killer cell biology are just beginning to be uncovered, accumulating data support the targeting of these receptors for improving anti-tumor immune responses. A clear understanding of the immune cell populations regulated by TIGIT and CD96 is key to the design of immunotherapies that target these receptors in combination with other existing immune checkpoint blockade therapies.
In the present research, we investigated whether the red-attraction relation that has been observed for men viewing women may also be observed with regard to women's facial redness. We manipulated facial redness by slightly increasing or decreasing the redness on the faces of baseline pictures of target women, and then had men judge the attractiveness of the women. We also examined healthiness perceptions as a mediator of the redness-attraction relation, along with several other candidate mediator variables. A series of experiments showed that increased redness led to increased ratings of attractiveness, and decreased redness led to decreased ratings of attractiveness. Perceived healthiness was documented as a mediator of the influence of female facial redness on male perceptions of attractiveness, and this mediation was independent of other candidate mediator variables. The findings highlight the importance of attending to facial coloration as an attraction-relevant cue and point to interesting areas for subsequent research.
An ergodic semi-Markov process with the structure represented by the full graph with loops, which simulates a digital control algorithm that generated transactions onto an object, is investigated. Elementary simplifications for reduction of semi-Markov processes are defined. Recursive procedure for reduction of initial semi-Markov process structure till the model, which includes selected states with its links only, is proposed. Formulae for recalculation of probabilities, weighted densities and expectations of time of switching to linked states are obtained. It is shown that recursive procedure may be used also for calculation of time expectation of return the process to one of selected states that simplified the task of evaluation of time intervals between transactions in polling procedure.
Humans cannot help but attribute human emotions to non-human animals. Although such attributions are often regarded as gratuitous anthropomorphisms and held apart from the attributions humans make about each other's internal states, they may be the product of a general mechanism for flexibly interpreting adaptive behavior. To examine this, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans to compare the neural mechanisms associated with attributing emotions to humans and non-human animal behavior. Although undergoing fMRI, participants first passively observed the facial displays of human, non-human primate and domestic dogs, and subsequently judged the acceptability of emotional (e.g. 'annoyed') and facial descriptions (e.g. 'baring teeth') for the same images. For all targets, emotion attributions selectively activated regions in prefrontal and anterior temporal cortices associated with causal explanation in prior studies. These regions were similarly activated by both human and non-human targets even during the passive observation task; moreover, the degree of neural similarity was dependent on participants' self-reported beliefs in the mental capacities of non-human animals. These results encourage a non-anthropocentric view of emotion understanding, one that treats the idea that animals have emotions as no more gratuitous than the idea that humans other than ourselves do.
Objective: The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on the resorption activity of osteoclast cell cultures. Design: RAW 264.7 cells were cultured and seeded over plates that were pre-coated with a synthetic carbonate apatite, and marked with fluoresceinamine-labeled sodium chondroitin polysulfate. Plates were randomly divided into 4 groups according to the treatment assigned to each one of them: NO RANKL (no RANK-L addition and no ultrasound application), NO LIPUS (addition of RANK-L and no ultrasound application), LIPUS 10 (addition of RANK-L and 10 min of ultrasound application per day), and LIPUS 20 (addition of RANK-L and 20 min of ultrasound application per day). The ultrasound device produced 1.5 MHz pulses with a repetition rate of 1 kHz and intensity of 30 mW/cm(2). The experiment extended for one week and afterwards, resorption activity was evaluated according to the fluorescence intensity analysis and pit resorption measurements (number of pits and mean area). Results: Our experiment consistently demonstrated that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound application enhanced osteoclasts resorptive activity. In addition, it was demonstrated that when daily ultrasound application lasted longer (20 min) the resorption was the highest. Results obtained from both evaluation methods were reasonably coherent. Conclusions: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound increases osteoclast resorptive activity in the absence of osteoblasts. This effect seems to be influenced by ultrasound treatment time. Future research might be directed to investigate osteoclast response to different ultrasound application protocols (frequencies and intensities) and potential cellular mechanisms. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We propose an efficient entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) for nonlocal three-atom systems in an arbitrary unknown less-entangled W state, resorting to the Faraday rotation of photonic polarization in cavity quantum electrodynamics and the systematic concentration method. In the first step of the present ECP, one party in quantum communication performs a parity-check measurement on her two atoms in two three-atom systems for dividing the composite six-atom systems into two groups. In the first group, the three parties will obtain some three-atom systems in a less-entangled state with two unknown coefficients. In the second group, they will obtain some less-entangled two-atom systems. In the second step of the ECP, the three parties can obtain a subset of three-atom systems in the standard maximally entangled W state by exploiting the above three-atom and two-atom systems. Moreover, the preserved systems in the failed instances can be used as the resource for the entanglement concentration in the next round. The total success probability of the ECP can therefore be largely increased by iterating the entanglement concentration process several rounds. The distinct feature of our ECP is that we can concentrate arbitrary unknown atomic entangled W states via photonic Faraday rotation, and thus it may be universal and useful for entanglement concentration in future quantum communication network.
Advanced modern processors support single instruction, multiple data instructions (e.g., Intel-AVX and ARM-NEON) and a massive body of research on vector-parallel implementations of modular arithmetic, which are crucial components for modern public-key cryptography ranging from Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman (RSA), ElGamal, Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA), and elliptic curve cryptography, have been conducted. In this paper, we introduce a novel double operand scanning method to speed up multi-precision squaring with non-redundant representations on single instruction, multiple data architecture where the part of the operands are doubled to compute the squaring operation without read-after-write dependencies between source and destination variables. Afterwards, Karatsuba algorithm is applied to both multiplication and squaring operations. For modular multiplication, separated Montgomery algorithm is chosen. Finally, the Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman (RSA) implementations outperform the best-known results on the ARM-NEON platforms. Copyright (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel micro-coordinate measurement machine (micro-CMM) is introduced as a viable device to be used with high precision and high accuracy measurement of part dimensions in micron scale. This design considers eliminating Abb, error, and is intended to achieve submicron accuracy for a work envelope of at least (100 Au 100 Au 100) mm. In this study, a prototype of the new micro-CMM was built; a mathematical measuring model to explicitly define the coordinate of the probe in x, y and z directions have been represented. An algorithm to find the workspace was implemented. The error model of the machine was created and the effect of structural errors on probe position was studied analytically. The significance of each geometric parameter was studied in order to minimize the measuring error and achieve the best machine design. Finally, the results of the analytical error model were confirmed through a Monte Carlo analysis. Moreover, the real measurements of the micro-CMM were compared with the error model.
Oxidation and the production of free radicals are an integral part of human metabolism, and oxidative stress is related to many diseases, including cancer and heart disease. The use of biomarkers for oxidative stress may provide further evidence of a causal relationship between oxidative damage to macromolecules (DNA, lipids, and proteins) and cancer. A wide variety of functional assays, both in vivo and ex vivo, include various measures of DNA oxidation (oxidized DNA bases such as 8-OHdG, autoantibodies to oxidized DNA, modified comet assay), lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, exhaled pentane/ethane, low-density lipoprotein resistance to oxidation, isoprostanes), and protein oxidation (protein carbonyls). The objective of this review is to discuss characteristics and methodologic issues for studies involving biomarkers of exposure to antioxidant nutrients and of oxidative stress status. This paper provides an overview on the current knowledge of oxidative DNA, lipid, and protein damage and cancer incidence. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
It is very difficult to measure human metabolism ability directly. According to thermoregulation system, inner metabolic information could be send to outer to induce the temperature of the skin surface to change. The change includes metabolic heat-generation and heat-transfer of blood perfusion. Based on infrared thermograph this paper analyzes temperature curves of different population, using Independent Component Analysis(ICA) to improve identification of the body metabolic characteristics. We access to the numerical assessment of metabolic parameters.
The impact of simulated embodied agent emotion has been explored in short-term studies, but no work to date has examined its impact in longer interactions that involve multiple interactions with agents. We present an embodied agent (Rachael) that simulates a health professional and attempts to help people improve their fruit and vegetable consumption. Emotional and unemotional versions of the agent were developed to examine how user perceptions of the agent changed over an intervention period of 49 days and in turn how this influenced fruit and vegetable consumption. Results found that whilst participants consumed more daily portions of fruit and vegetables over the intervention period and reduced their consumption gains post-intervention, there was no significant difference in consumption gains over time between those who interacted with the emotional or unemotional agents. Qualitative feedback, however, highlighted a strong preference for the emotional agent. A novelty effect was also observed where the agents were perceived more positively initially and less so over time.
We report two experiments supporting the theory that children's understanding of ownership rights is related to their notions of body rights. Experiment 1 investigated 4- to 7-year-olds' (N = 123) developing sensitivity to physical contact in their judgments about the acceptability of behaving in relation to owned objects and body parts. Experiment 2 used a simpler design to investigate this in 3- and 4-year-olds (N = 112). Findings confirmed two predictions of the theory. First, in both experiments, children's judgments about ownership and body rights were similarly affected by physical contact. Second, judgments about both kinds of rights were yoked in development; age-related changes in judgments about ownership rights were paralleled by changes in judgments about body rights. Our findings have additional import for theories of ownership rights because they suggest that physical contact may be a crucial factor in whether behaviors targeting property are judged to be permissible. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Transgenic pigs failed to accord milk yield curve to lactate rhFIX-a vitamin K (VK) dependent protein even fed with VK enriched to 8 times higher than nutritional requirement. A further higher VK supplementation may be required. Homozygous transgenic sows (n = 4, 200 kg) at their 3rd nursing were divided into control and treatment groups and respectively received VK enriched and further menadione (soluble VK) supplemented diet (220 mg/kg VK enriched diet) for 33 days. At next lactation, control sows than received treatment and previous treated were fed on control diet. Results revealed that menadione treatment increased milk bioactivity of rhFIX from the 7th day of 73 to the 21st day of 153 IU/mL; it gradually decreased to 96 IU/mL on 35th day of lactation. Under control feeding, bioactivity remained relatively unchanged. However, milk rhFIX concentration and ratio of activated rhFIX responded little to the treatment. The menadione-induced bioactivity curve agrees with the known lactation pattern of sow means rhFIX secretion is still galactopoietic but requires high VK intake to show. The ineffectual VK spend on lactational carboxylation might be common in other mammary VK dependent expression system but can be effectively overcome by a high supplementation of menadione with a 5-folds improvement in quality.
Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare salivary cortisol and -amylase levels and psychological profiles in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and healthy subjects. Methods and Materials: Spitting method was used to collect unstimulated salivary. Salivary cortisol and -amylase levels were determined using ELISA and the Caraway starch-iodine technique. SLC-90 questionnaire was used to determine the psychological profiles. Results: The difference between mean of salivary cortisol levels in patients with BMS and in healthy subjects was not significant (4.50 3.68 ng/mL vs. 3.69 +/- 3.07 ng/mL, p = 0.377). The difference between mean of -amylase levels in the BMS patients and healthy subjects was significant (351.68 +/- 142.5 and 146.22 +/- 130.4, p = 0.001). Note that, 83.4% and 18% of the patients in the case and control groups had psychological problems (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The results showed higher salivary levels of cortisol and -amylase in patients with BMS compared to healthy individuals. Psychological problem was prevalent in patients.
This study examines the appearance of self-modulation in nonlinear electrical circuits presenting the jump resonance phenomenon and variable inertial damping. The oscillations envelope is a slow forced oscillation, periodic or non-periodic, its character being determined by the environmental influence on the damping factor. The results of this experimental study were obtained by numerical simulation and experiment and confirm the initial theoretical considerations. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Different aspects related to rainwater demand and supplies for non-potable uses at Sao Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, Brazil were analyzed. For this, it was investigated different demand stratum and defined the intended uses. Subsequently, the supply and reservoir volume were evaluated. The daily balance for one year was evaluated for distinct scenarios, considering different arbitrated volumes and demands. The results indicated that rainwater could supply 44% of the airport's cold water central (air conditioning system) demand. Considering the maximum daily demand identified (118 m(3).dia(-1)) and the higher water cost scenario, reservoir volumes from 500 to 3,732 m(3) presented efficiencies close to 60% and payback between 3.5 and 7.5 years. For the lower water cost scenario, volumes from 500 to 1,700 m(3) showed payback between 7 and 10 years, also considering the maximum daily demand.
Slotted liners are flow control devices widely used in both injection and production wells for thermal oil sands recovery operations such as Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage. In these devices, slots are cut into the well at regular intervals around and along the well. The dimensions tend to be from fractions to several millimeters in gap and a few to about twenty centimeters long along the pipe. The key benefits offered by slotted liners are that they are among the most economical solutions for sand control and well bore stability as well as manufacturing. Slotted liners have several design parameters including the slot density, pattern, slot opening size and shape that must be chosen to provide optimum inflow and outflow performance in the reservoir. Due to the complexity in deriving these parameters analytically or experimentally, we have examined the impact of design parameters on steam injection by using a realizable k-epsilon turbulence computational fluid dynamic model of a 5 m slotted liner section coupled to a reservoir flow domain outside of the well governed by a modified Darcy's law that accounts for inertial effects. The results reveal that slot open area affects the flow distribution in the reservoir. The role of drive forces changes through the flow with viscous and pressure forces dominant in the slot and upstream area an(d) inertial forces just downstream of the slot and pressure and viscous forces in the reservoir. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Although there has been considerable research investigating the ability to identify sexual orientation from static images, or gaydar, few studies have considered the role of female sexual orientation or sexual interest (for example, sociosexual orientation) in judgment accuracy. In two studies, we investigated the sexuality detection ability, and masculinity and femininity as cues used in judgment. In Study 1, we recruited heterosexual (N = 55) and homosexual (N = 71) women to rate the sexual orientation of homosexual and heterosexual male and female targets (N = 80: 20 heterosexual men, 20 homosexual men, 20 heterosexual women, and 20 homosexual women). We found that detection accuracy was better than chance levels for both male and female targets and that male targets were more likely to be falsely labeled as homosexual than female targets were. Overall, female faces were more accurately identified as heterosexual or homosexual than male faces and homosexual female raters were biased towards labeling targets as homosexual. Sociosexuality did not influence the accuracy with which targets were identified as heterosexual or homosexual. In Study 2, 100 heterosexual and 20 homosexual women rated the stimulus for masculinity and femininity. Heterosexual women were rated as more feminine and less masculine than homosexual women and homosexual men were rated as more feminine and less masculine than heterosexual men. Sexual orientation of the judges did not affect the ratings. The results were discussed with a reference to evolutionary and cultural influences affecting sexual orientation judgment accuracy.
In this study, physical layer security techniques are studied for multi-user peer-to-peer relay networks using amplify-and-forward protocol in the presence of an eavesdropper. Two system designs are considered: the minimum achievable secrecy rate maximisation and the total transmit power minimisation. First, considering user fairness, the authors study the max-min achievable secrecy rate problem subject to a total transmit power constraint. Mathematically, the optimisation problem is non-linear and non-convex. They propose a polynomial time algorithm based on the bisection technique to solve it. Second, they study the total transmit power minimisation problem which aims at minimising the total transmit power at relays such that individual secrecy rate for each user is satisfied. The total power optimisation problem is also non-convex, so they use the relaxation technique to transform it into a convex problem which can be efficiently solved by the gradient-based algorithms. Numerical evaluation of the obtained secrecy rate and transmit power results shows that the proposed designs can significantly improve the performance of secure wireless communications.
A cooperative organizational climate is often argued to promote knowledge-sharing behaviors among employees. However, research indicates that managerial interventions aimed at shaping the organizational climate can be difficult to execute. We develop and test a contingency model of intrinsic motivation and job autonomy as moderators of this relationship. We find that the social climate for cooperation better predicts knowledge sharing when employees show low levels of intrinsic motivation and have high levels of job autonomy. This suggests that a cooperative climate and intrinsic motivation are substitutes with respect to their impact on knowledge-sharing behaviors, while climate and job autonomy are complements. We find support for these ideas in data gathered from a sample of 170 employees of a knowledge-intensive firm. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fibular Grafting and Impaction Bone Grafting (FAIBG) is a type of minimally invasive hip preserving procedure with stable clinical curative effects and a standard operation procedure. However, FAIBG requires a difficult technique and a series of complex procedures. Therefore, the discovery of a new methodology for surgical guidance that could lead to accurate, safe, easily performed surgeries will play a crucial role in the promotion and application of FAIBG. From September 2013 to July 2014, one surgeon performed FAIBG on 10 patients (4 males and 6 females) with an average age of 40 years (range, 35-50 years) using patient-specific surgical guides. All patients underwent preoperative X-ray examinations and CT and MRI scans. Before surgery, we performed preoperative planning with patient-specific surgical guides by Computer Aided Design (CAD), and the length of the bone tunnel; bone mass, percentage by volume, and percentage by surface area were measured. After surgery, ten fibular allografts and screws were placed in 10 patients diagnosed with ARCO II FHN. All implants were successfully placed using patient-specific surgical guides. After the application of the patient-specific surgical guide, the operating times were 53-75 min (average: 68.6 min), the blood loss volumes were 90-150 ml (average 120 ml), the operative incision sizes were 5-7 cm (average 6.4 cm), and the mean hospital stay was 13.2 d. All cases were followed up for 12 to 30 months (average: 20.4 months). In conclusions, patient-specific surgical guidance may enable more intuitive and precise preoperative planning for hip-preserving procedures.
Dinoflagellates are algae of tremendous importance to ecosystems and to public health. The cell biology and genome organization of dinoflagellate species is highly unusual. For example, the plastid genomes of peridinin-containing dinoflagellates encode only a minimal number of genes arranged on small elements termed minicircles. Previous studies of peridinin plastid genes have found evidence for divergent sequence evolution, including extensive substitutions, novel insertions and deletions, and use of alternative translation initiation codons. Understanding the extent of this divergent evolution has been hampered by the lack of characterized peridinin plastid sequences. We have identified over 300 previously unannotated peridinin plastid mRNAs from published transcriptome projects, vastly increasing the number of sequences available. Using these data, we have produced a well-resolved phylogeny of peridinin plastid lineages, which uncovers several novel relationships within the dinoflagellates. This enables us to define changes to plastid sequences that occurred early in dinoflagellate evolution, and that have contributed to the subsequent diversification of individual dinoflagellate clades. We find that the origin of the peridinin dinoflagellates was specifically accompanied by elevations both in the overall number of substitutions that occurred on plastid sequences, and in the Ka/Ks ratio associated with plastid sequences, consistent with changes in selective pressure. These substitutions, alongside other changes, have accumulated progressively in individual peridinin plastid lineages. Throughout our entire dataset, we identify a persistent bias toward non-synonymous substitutions occurring on sequences encoding photosystem I subunits and stromal regions of peridinin plastid proteins, which may have underpinned the evolution of this unusual organelle.
Patients with breast cancer commonly use complementary and integrative therapies as supportive care during cancer treatment and to manage treatment-related side effects. However, evidence supporting the use of such therapies in the oncology setting is limited. This report provides updated clinical practice guidelines from the Society for Integrative Oncology on the use of integrative therapies for specific clinical indications during and after breast cancer treatment, including anxiety/stress, depression/mood disorders, fatigue, quality of life/physical functioning, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, lymphedema, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, pain, and sleep disturbance. Clinical practice guidelines are based on a systematic literature review from 1990 through 2015. Music therapy, meditation, stress management, and yoga are recommended for anxiety/stress reduction. Meditation, relaxation, yoga, massage, and music therapy are recommended for depression/mood disorders. Meditation and yoga are recommended to improve quality of life. Acupressure and acupuncture are recommended for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Acetyl-L-carnitine is not recommended to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy due to a possibility of harm. No strong evidence supports the use of ingested dietary supplements to manage breast cancer treatment-related side effects. In summary, there is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of integrative therapies, especially mind-body therapies, as effective supportive care strategies during breast cancer treatment. Many integrative practices, however, remain understudied, with insufficient evidence to be definitively recommended or avoided. (C) 2017 American Cancer Society.
The high energy demands of the poorly myelinated long axon hippocampal and cortical neurons render these neurons selectively vulnerable to degeneration in Alzheimer's disease. However, pathology engages all of the major elements of the neurovascular unit of the mature Alzheimer brain, the neurons, glia and blood vessels. Neurons present with retrograde degeneration of the axodendritic tree, capillaries with stringvessels and markedly reduced densities and glia with signs of inflammatory activation. The neurons, capillaries and astrocytes of the mature Alzheimer brain harbor structurally defective mitochondria. Clinically, reduced glucose utilization, decades before cognitive deterioration, betrays ongoing energy insufficiency. beta-hydroxybutyrate and gamma-hydroxybutyrate can both provide energy to the brain when glucose utilization is blocked. Early work in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease demonstrate their ability to reverse the pathological changes in the Alzheimer brain and initial clinical trials reveal their ability to improve cognition and every day function. Supplying the brain with energy holds great promise for delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease and slowing its progress. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As the increasing demands of military detection, wireless communication and remote sensing make the spectrum even more crowded, radar sequence design meeting spectral compatibility requirement is a challenging and urgent problem. This study is devoted to designing optimised phase-coded sequences which keep spectral-compatible with the overlaid electromagnetic radiators and at the same time optimise the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). First, an intelligent dynamic spectrum information around the radar system is achieved by a radio environmental map. The information is introduced to form a constrained optimisation process aimed at improving the spectral compatibility and the radar detection performance. Second, the unimodularity requirement is necessary to make full use of transmit power and a similarity constraint is enforced to keep desired ambiguity function feature. Third, to resolve the resulting non-convex optimisation quadratically constrained quadratic problem, a relaxation and a randomisation procedure are applied. Therefore, the technique behaves a polynomial computational complexity. Finally, the performance analysis is given to show its effectiveness in terms of the SINR, the spectral shape, and the resulting auto-correlation function.
An optimization technique that utilizes a genetic algorithm is used to minimize the electrical power produced by the conducting disks in resistive Bitter magnets. The resulting values from the optimization give the conditional design parameters necessary for a preliminary magnet design. This precursor design method can be employed for either split or single solenoid nested designs. This method is used to design a 10 T, 10 s magnet at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for plasma physics research. The design parameters from the optimization are used to generate computer-aided design models that are examined with finite element analysis software to verify safety and performance of the design. The magnet design then progresses to a series of thermal and mechanical tests to ensure safe operating conditions.
We describe a model for understanding interpersonal attraction in which attraction can be understood as a product of the initial evaluations we make about others. The model posits that targets are evaluated on two basic dimensions, capacity and willingness, such that affective and behavioral attraction result from evaluations of (a) a target's capacity to facilitate the perceiver's goals/needs and (b) a target's potential willingness to facilitate those goals/needs. The plausibility of the two-dimensional model of attraction is evaluated vis-a-vis the extant literature on various attraction phenomena including the reciprocity of liking effect, pratfall effect, matching hypothesis, arousal effects, and similarity effect. We conclude that considerable evidence across a wide range of phenomena supports the idea that interpersonal attraction is principally determined by inferences about the target's capacity and willingness.
Tupaia belangeri (tree shrew), an animal species whose genome has significantly higher similarity to primates than rodents, has been used in biomedical research. To generate animal models that reproduce the human tumors more faithfully than rodents, we present the first report of a cancer model mimicking human tumor genetics in tree shrew. By engineering a lentiviral system for the transduction of mutant H- Ras and a shRNA against tree shrew p53, we successfully generated malignant glioma in tree shrew. The tree shrew glioma exhibited aggressive behavior and a relatively short latency, and markedly reduced animal survival. Remarkably, the biological features of human high- grade glioma (necrosis, microvascular proliferation, pseudopalisading) were all present in tree shrew glioma. Furthermore, genetic analysis of tree shrew glioma revealed that the tumors were clustered within the mesenchymal subgroup of human glioblastoma multiforme. Compared with the corresponding mouse glioma, tree shrew gliomas were markedly more similar to human glioblastoma at gene expression profile. The tree shrew glioma model provides colleagues working in the field of gliomas and cancer in general with a more accurate animal model.
With the development of agriculture, industry and urbanization, land-use and land-cover (LULC) change has resulted in significant deterioration of water quality and severe eutrophication in most of the lakes in China. Plateau lake ecosystem in China is very vulnerable and especially sensitive to environmental change and human disturbance, due to its strong closeness, species simplification, oligotrophy and simple food chain. This research focuses on evaluating the quantitative and spatial relationships of land use pattern and water quality of rivers inflowing to Fuxian Lake, Chinas largest deep freshwater lake in plateau. To investigate the influence of spatial variation in land-use structures and topography on rivers water quality, the distributions of land-use types in the lakes drainage basin were obtained from satellite images, and the correlations between land-use types and inflow water quality indicators were examined by applying statistical analysis and spatial analytical function of Geographic Information System. Subarea-level analysis reveals that a land-use type could exert different effects on water quality in plains and mountains, and the effects had a connection with topographic and hydrologic factors, its mixture with other land-use types, weather conditions during field measurements, as well as its scale. In addition, a comparison of correlation coefficient data for buffer regions of different scales indicated that the effect of land-use type on inflow water quality peaked in buffer regions with a radius between 100 and 200 m. On the whole, the regions within 200 m of river banks were the key regions that affected river water quality, and thus the construction and preservation of a riparian buffer zone in these regions can provide considerable protection from the inputs of non-point source pollutants and nutrients, and important function such as water and soil conservation. Based on these, a pollution control zoning was constructed from two key pollution control zones in the north and south, a phosphate rock pollution control zone in the northeast, a water loss and soil erosion control zone in the east, and a tourism pollution control zone in the west. This research also offers valuable insights into how to carry out subarea-level prevention and control of water pollution and regional development, according to natural environment, land use pattern and characteristics of pollution sources in different pollution control zones. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper reviews sixty-nine (69) field failures involving geotextile filters which performed unsatisfgctorily and are categorized herein as failures. They are grouped into four categories; inadequate design, atypical soils, unusual permeants, and improper installation. In the first category are poor fabric selection, poor fabric design, socked drainage pipe and reversing flow conditions. In the second category are fine grained soils, gap-graded soils, dispersive clays and ochre. In the third category are sludges, turbid water, alkaline water, leachates and agricultural waste liquids. In the fourth category are lack of intimate contact and completely adhesive clogging of surfaces. While not the topic of the paper, it should be noted that, most of these same conditions are known to be troublesome to sand filters as well as to geotextile filters. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Psychological warmth serves as a fundamental dimension of human social cognition. From impressions of strangers to appraisals of groups, assessments of warmth (vs. coldness) comprise an elemental building block of social perception. Using embodiment as a guiding framework, research has demonstrated that perceptions of others along the warm-cold dimension can be elicited by sensory experiences (e.g., physical warmth). Here we show that effects of this kind can also be triggered by mentally simulating physical temperature, but only under certain theoretically important imagery conditions. Specifically, impressions of a target were impacted by imagined warmth or coldness (i.e., thinking about holding a cup of hot/iced coffee) only when an event was simulated from an egocentric (i.e., first-person) perspective. No such effect emerged when an allocentric (i.e., third-person) orientation was adopted. This finding underscores the functional nature of mental simulation and identifies spatial visual perspective as a critical boundary condition of embodied cognition. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
One of the important prerequisites for efficient design optimization of microwave structures is availability of fast yet reliable replacement models (surrogates) so that multiple evaluations of the structure at hand can be executed in reasonable timeframe. Direct utilization of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations for handling optimization-related tasks is often prohibitive. A popular approach to construction of fast surrogates is data-driven modeling. Unfortunately, it normally requires a large number of training samples, and it is virtually infeasible for structures that exhibit highly nonlinear responses (e.g. filters or couplers). In this work, a design-oriented modeling technique is proposed where good accuracy is achieved by careful non-uniform design space sampling that accounts for nonlinear relationship between the operating frequency of the structure and its geometry parameters, as well as carrying out the modeling process only for selected characteristic points of the structure responses (those that determine satisfaction/violation of given design specifications). Our approach is demonstrated using a miniaturized microstrip rat-race coupler modeled in a wide range of geometry parameters and compared to conventional data-driven modeling using kriging interpolation. Design optimization examples are also provided. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The ability to save the state of a running virtual machine (VM) for later restoration is an important tool for home, server, and virtual desktop cloud (VDC) environments in order to achieve optimal and balanced hardware utilization. With guest memory sizes of four to eight gigabytes being the norm the time-and space-overhead of storing VM checkpoints still prevents an effective use of the technique. This work presents a method for fast and space-efficient checkpointing of VMs. Based on the observation that operating systems cache disk blocks in memory, the proposed technique transparently intercepts I/O operations and maintains an up-to-date mapping of memory pages and disk blocks containing identical data. At a checkpoint, those memory pages are excluded from the checkpoint image leading to a significant reduction of both the time and space required to take a checkpoint of a running VM. The broad applicability and good performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by an extensive set of experiments. We have implemented the technique for para-virtualized (PV), PVHVM, and fully-virtualized (HVM) guests in the Xen hypervisor. In comparison with an unmodified Xen hypervisor, experiments with Linux and Windows guests, on average, achieve a 86, 76, 53, and 47 percent reduction in the stored data and a 73, 62, 47, and 38 percent shorter time required to take a checkpoint for PV, PVHVM, HVM Linux, and HVM Windows guests, respectively.
Nowadays, the most important study to provide confidentiality is digital image encryption. More and more proposals have been committed to inquire about Visual Secret Sharing (VSS) techniques. Traditional scheme was mainly focused on binary images and later investigations were extended to grayscale and color images. Visual cryptography encodes the secret information into n shares and distribute among of group of participants. Qualified participants can reconstruct the original image by superimposing the collected share images. Regrettably, the previous schemes still have weakness during the construction of secret shares and reconstruction on secret image. In this paper we present a reversible visual cryptography technique for color images using Galois field theory. A secret image is split up into two sub images and shared by the cover image to construct the stego images. Additionally Galois field theory is applied to construct brother stego images for effective transmission. Individual stego and brother stego images reveal nothing. The Galois field inverse operation of exponential is employed to reveal the secret image and pair of pixels in the brother stego images reveals cover images.
Science and engineering intermingle in the area of construction. Engineering works, often of great dimensions and design life cycle of many decades, have to be designed on a scientific basis since the safety of hundreds of users depends on their design. The task of scientific institutions is to define the construction performance within categories that correspond to the contemporary level of knowledge and technology. A construction appraiser who speaks out in a way that ensures unquestionable competence about the performance of elements and buildings (existing and under construction), should be convinced of the scientific basis of his opinions. A comparison of construction sections vs. basic requirements presents an archetype of the science of construction. A matrix of the science of construction reveals its multi-faceted nature; if related to time-the issue of durability has to be considered, and if related to the scale-the complexity. Defining the construction performance in terms of technical features is a constant search for a relationship between the material model and the usability model of a building. The construction industry uses a lot of rules of thumb, more than any other sector of technology. In the era of computer-aided design, CAD, and building information modelling (BIM), those rules of thumb remain invaluable verification tools.
Effective interpersonal coordination is fundamental to robust social interaction, and the ability to anticipate a coactor's behavior is essential for achieving this coordination. However, coordination research has focused on the behavioral synchrony that occurs between the simple periodic movements of coactors and, thus, little is known about the anticipation that occurs during complex, everyday interaction. Research on the dynamics of coupled neurons, human motor control, electrical circuits, and laser semiconductors universally demonstrates that small temporal feedback delays are necessary for the anticipation of chaotic events. We therefore investigated whether similar feedback delays would promote anticipatory behavior during social interaction. Results revealed that coactors were not only able to anticipate others' chaotic movements when experiencing small perceptual-motor delays, but also exhibited movement patterns of equivalent complexity. This suggests that such delays, including those within the human nervous system, may enhance, rather than hinder, the anticipatory processes that underlie successful social interaction.
Today's disposable diapers are high-performance and well-tested products, designed to keep skin dry and healthy. They are primarily made of biologically inert polymers, commonly used in fabrics and other materials that are in contact with skin, and in foods and cosmetics. Still, product safety and ingredients in everyday products can be a source of anxiety for new parents. This article provides the facts behind some commonly asked questions from consumers about diaper ingredients and safety, including myths and facts related to chlorine, latex, dyes, and chemical additives.
Are racially-motivated hate crimes, non-criminal bias incidents, and general forms of crime associated with the same structural factors? If so, then social disorganization, a powerful structural correlate of general crime, should predict rates of hate incidents. However, tests of social disorganization's effects on racially-motivated hate crime yield inconsistent results. This study uses data from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) to explore such inconsistencies. Specifically, we assess the effects of social disorganization across contexts and types of bias motivation using bias incidents over 12years. The results suggest that (a) social disorganization, particularly residential instability, is robustly correlated with rates of both hate crime and other prejudicial conduct, and that (b) the interactive effects of social disorganization help explain variations in incident rates by motivation type. Specifically, anti-black incidents are most frequent in unstable, homogeneous (i.e. white) and advantaged communities, while anti-white incidents are most frequent in unstable, disadvantaged communities.
In understanding the dynamics that lead to the restriction of human rights, social psychology research has mainly focused on the concept of the banality of evil and of obedience to destructive and immoral orders. However, some authors have also underlined the relevant role of by standing and, in general, of indifference in supporting authoritarian policies on a par with the obedience to authority. The aim of this research was to study the notion of intergroup indifference, defined as being uninterested in problems affecting other social groups. The hypothesis was that indifferent people should be characterized by subtle modalities of obedience to authority and prejudicial attitudes, by exclusive attitudes and by conformist and traditional positions. Results showed that participants who respond with an indifferent stance to some parliamentary bills related to arbitrary policies towards minorities appear to be characterized by similar scores on subtle prejudice, submission to authority, conventionalism, willingness to protest, conservative values and moral exclusion attitudes to those people who openly support such policies. Instead, these two groups differ as concerns more overt hostile attitudes. These data suggest that indifferent people have a role in supporting arbitrary policies. As a theoretical implication, future research should consider that intergroup dynamics do not involve just people who obey or disobey authority. People who apparently do not take up any stance before an authority's policies should be considered as well.
China's Central government has released an ambitious plan to tackle the nation's water pollution crisis. However, this is inhibited by a lack of data, particularly for groundwater. We compiled and analyzed water quality classification data from publicly available government sources, further revealing the scale and extent of the crisis. We also compiled nitrate data in shallow and deep groundwater from a range of literature sources, covering 52 of China's groundwater systems; the most comprehensive national-scale assessment yet. Nitrate pollution at levels exceeding the US EPA's maximum contaminant level (10 mg/L NO3-N) occurs at the 90th percentile in 25 of 36 shallow aquifers and 10 out of 37 deep or karst aquifers. Isotopic compositions of groundwater nitrate (delta N-15 and delta O-18(NO3) values ranging from -14.9 parts per thousand to 35.5 parts per thousand and -8.1 parts per thousand to 51.0 parts per thousand, respectively) indicate many nitrate sources including soil nitrogen, agricultural fertilizers, untreated wastewater and/or manure, and locally show evidence of de-nitrification. From these data, it is clear that contaminated groundwater is ubiquitous in deep aquifers as well as shallow groundwater (and surface water). Deep aquifers contain water recharged tens of thousands of years before present, long before widespread anthropogenic nitrate contamination. This groundwater has therefore likely been contaminated due to rapid bypass flow along wells or other conduits. Addressing the issue of well condition is urgently needed to stop further pollution of China's deep aquifers, which are some of China's most important drinking water sources. China's new 10-point Water Pollution Plan addresses previous shortcomings, however, control and remediation of deep groundwater pollution will take decades of sustained effort. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
We present a vision system design for landing an unmanned aerial vehicle on a ship's flight deck autonomously. The edge information from the international landing target is used to perform line segment detection, feature point mapping and clustering. Then a cascade filtering scheme is applied for target recognition. Meanwhile, the 4DoF pose of the vehicle with respect to the target is estimated. The vision system has been implemented on the Asctec Pelican quadrotor in conjunction with a state estimator to perform real-time target recognition and tracking. An onboard controller is designed to close the control loop. Experiments show that the vision system is accurate, robust, and capable of dealing with an incomplete landing target, whilst the overall implementation shows the practicability of real-time onboard target tracking and closed-loop control.
In this paper we propose a SoPC-based multiprocessor embedded system for controlling ambiental parameters in an Intelligent Inhabited Environment. The intelligent features are achieved by means of a Neuro-Fuzzy system which has the ability to learn from samples, reason and adapt itself to changes in the environment or in user preferences. In particular, a modified version of the well known ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System) scheme is used, which allows the development of very efficient implementations. The architecture proposed here is based on two soft-core microprocessors: one microprocessor is dedicated to the learning and adaptive procedures, whereas the other is dedicated to the online response. This second microprocessor is endowed with 4 efficient ad hoc hardware modules intended to accelerate the neuro-fuzzy algorithms. The implementation has been carried out on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA and obtained results show that a very high performance system is achieved. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Efficient control of irrigation systems depends on attaining representative water status data for an irrigated field. The spatial variability of soil hydraulic properties and root growth patterns, hamper the use of single-value representations. This work proposes a two-pronged approach designed for determining optimal sensor location for irrigation water management. It combines experimental results, which offer a method of pre-determining root growth patterns, with modeling analysis in which the effect of tensiometer location on coefficient of variation (CV) of matric head measurements and irrigation system operation was investigated. In the experimental part, the effect of a geotextile material, wrapped around the drippers along the drip line to create a Geotextile Drip Interface (GDI), on root growth patterns in the field was evaluated. The results showed higher root density around the GDI vs. regular buried drippers, with well-defined peak root density in the former vs. no one location with peak root density in the latter. Genetic root architecture had smaller effect on root distribution under the GDI treatment. The modeling part consisted of HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations of high-frequency subsurface drip irrigation in heterogeneous soils with GDI root distribution as observed in the experiment. The simulations explored different locations for tensiometer placement which will result in low variability of system operation. HYDRUS 2D/3D simulations showed that the optimal location for tensiometer placement is near the subsurface dripper, resulting in low CV of matric head measurements and applied irrigation water, high sensitivity to irrigation, and lower drainage below the root zone. Overall, the results show that measuring soil water status with tensiometers located close to drippers in GDI volume, improve control of high frequency irrigation systems and allow greater water application efficiency in drip irrigated fields. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
For more flexibility of environmental perception by artificial intelligence it is needed to exist the supporting software modules, which will be able to automate the creation of specific language syntax and to make a further analysis for relevant decisions based on semantic functions. According of our proposed approach, of which implementation it is possible to create the couples of formal rules of given sentences (in case of natural languages) or statements (in case of special languages) by helping of computer vision, speech recognition or editable text conversion system for further automatic improvement. In other words, we have developed an approach, by which it can be achieved to significantly improve the training process automation of artificial intelligence, which as a result will give us a higher level of self-developing skills independently from us (from users). At the base of our approach we have developed a software demo version, which includes the algorithm and software code for the entire above mentioned component's implementation (computer vision, speech recognition and editable text conversion system). The program has the ability to work in a multi - stream mode and simultaneously create a syntax based on receiving information from several sources.
BACKGROUND: Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening systemic allergic reaction. Studies suggest that the incidence of anaphylaxis is increasing; however, recent trends in emergency department (ED) visits for anaphylaxis in the United States have not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in the incidence and rates of anaphylaxis-related ED visits from 2005 through 2014. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from a national administrative claims database including commercially insured and Medicare Advantage patients. We identified all ED visits for anaphylaxis and calculated rates as number of anaphylaxis-related ED visits per 100,000 enrollees. Rates were compared over time and by age and trigger. RESULTS: During the 10-year time period, 56,212 ED visits for anaphylaxis were identified. The median (interquartile range) age was 36 (17-52 years) years, and 58% were female. Most cases (57%) were due to unspecified triggers, 27% were associated with food, 12% were medication related, and 4% were due to insect venom. The overall rate of anaphylaxis per 100,000 enrollees increased by 101%, from 14.2 in 2005 to 28.6 in 2014 (P<.001). Rates of ED visits for anaphylaxis increased in all age groups, but the greatest increase was in children aged 5 to 17 years (196% increase; P<.001). The rate of food-related anaphylaxis increased by 124% (P<.001), and the rate of medication-related anaphylaxis increased by 212% (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: ED visits for anaphylaxis increased between 2005 and 2014. Increases in ED visits were greatest among children. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Tick-borne infectious diseases and allergies are a growing problem worldwide. Tick bite allergy has been associated with the direct effect of immunoglobulin E (IgE) response to tick salivary antigens, or secondary to the induction of allergy to red meat consumption through IgE antibodies against the carbohydrate alpha-Gal (Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-(3) 4GlcNAc-R). However, despite the growing burden of this pathology, the proteins associated with anaphylaxis to tick bite have not been characterized. To address this question, a comparative proteomics approach was used to characterize tick proteins producing an IgE antibody response in a healthy individual with record of tick bites, which had not resulted in any allergic reactions, and two patients with anaphylactic reactions to Rhipicephalus bursa or Hyalomma marginatum tick bites. Both patients and the healthy individual were red meat tolerant. The results supported a patient-specific IgE antibody response to tick species responsible for the anaphylaxis to tick bite. Both patients and the healthy individual serologically recognized tick proteins with and without alpha-Gal modifications, with proteins differentially recognized by patients but not control sera. These proteins could be used as potential antigens for diagnostics, treatment and prevention of tick bite-induced allergies.
Investigating the raindrop size distributions (DSDs) for different cloud types is essential for the rain characterization and understanding different microphysical processes within the cloud system. In this study, the simultaneous measurements from the Micro-Rain Radar (MRR) and Joss-Waldvogel Disdrometer (JWD) are used to investigate the DSDs of different precipitation categories during the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) season (June-September) for the period 2012-2015. Both the instruments deployed at Mahabaleshwar (17.92 degrees N, 73.6 degrees E, similar to 1.4 km AMSL), which is located in the complex mountain terrain of the Western Ghats (WGs), India. From the MRR reflectivity factor and fall-velocity profiles, the observed precipitation systems are classified into four categories: shallow-convective, convective, stratiform and mixed convective-stratiform. In terms of rain occurrence frequency, it is found that the rain over Mahabaleshwar is mostly contributed by the shallow-convective (similar to 89%) system while the stratiform system contribution is about 9% and the convective and the mixed convective-stratiform systems contributes <2%. For different precipitation categories, the rain microphysical parameters such as median volume diameter, rain liquid water content and normalized intercept parameter are estimated using the moment method (second, third and fourth moment) of the observed DSDs. The reflectivity-rainfall (Z-R) relation of the form Z = aR(b) is estimated for each precipitation categories. Studies of systematic and comprehensive classification of precipitation types in terms of their rain microphysical parameters and Z-R relationships over a region is important as it would improve the understanding on rain microphysics and rainfall estimation from active and passive remote sensing devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Discovering kinship relations from face images in the wild has become an interesting and important problem in multimedia and computer vision. Despite the rapid advances in face analysis in unconstrained environment, kinship verification still remains a challenging problem as the subtle kinship relation is difficult to discover and changes in pose and lighting condition further complicate this task. In this paper, we propose a kinship verification approach based on multi-linear coherent space learning. Local image patches at different scales are independently projected into their corresponding coherent spaces learned by robust canonical correlation analysis such that patch pairs with kinship relations have improved correlation. In addition, most discriminative patches for verification are selected via constrained linear programming. Experimental results on two widely used kinship verification datasets show that the proposed method can effectively identify different kinship relations in image pairs. Compared to state-of-the-art techniques, the proposed method achieves very competitive performance with the use of simple feature descriptors.
This paper presents a method for estimating pulsating flow parameters in partially open pipes, such as pipelines, internal combustion engine inlets, exhaust pipes and piston compressors. The procedure is based on the method of characteristics, and employs a combination of measurements and simulations. An experimental test rig is described, which enables pressure, temperature and mass flow rate to be measured within a defined cross section. The second part of the paper discusses the main assumptions of a simulation algorithm elaborated in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The simulation results are shown as 3D plots in the space-time domain, and compared with proposed models of phenomena relating to wave propagation, boundary conditions, acoustics and fluid mechanics. The simulation results are finally compared with acoustic phenomena, with an emphasis on the identification of resonant frequencies.
This study examines aspects of prediction of suicide and death of undetermined intent. We investigated all consecutive, autopsied patients between 1993 and 1997 who had been in contact with the Addiction Centre in Malmo from 1968 onwards. The staff was asked, shortly after autopsy but before they knew of the manner of death, if they thought the patient had committed suicide. The case records were blindly evaluated, and toxicological autopsy findings for alcohol in blood samples investigated. The specificity of prediction was 83% and significantly more often correct than the sensitivity, which was only 45% for suicide and for suicide/death of undetermined intent (93% versus 39%). Suicidal communication was more often considered non-serious before death of undetermined intent than before suicide. The former could be predicted by ideation but not by suicide attempt reported in case records, unlike suicide, which was predicted by both. The undetermined group also showed higher levels of alcohol in the blood at autopsy. We concluded that more serious clinical investigation of suicidal feelings, which may be hidden and not taken seriously, and treatment of alcohol use disorders with active follow-up appear urgent in the efforts to prevent suicide.
To achieve proper bonding between the pavement layers it is necessary to spread the precise amount of tack coat. In several laboratory tests, effectiveness of a newly designed device to control the tack coat dosage applied on site is studied, in which the most influential variables are surface macro-texture and amount of tack coat applied, with a negligible influence of the emulsion type. According to the results obtained, the geotextile absorbs higher percentages of emulsion for samples of bituminous mixtures with lower surface macro-texture values, e.g. AC16D, while the lowest percentages of absorbed emulsion are obtained for samples with higher surface macro-texture values, e.g. BBTM11A. The emulsion percentage absorbed by the geotextile is directly related with the quantity of emulsion in charge of the bond between layers. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We present Assemble!, a program greatly simplifying the preparation of molecular dynamics simulations of polymeric systems. The program is controlled either via command line or an intuitive Graphical User Interface, and runs on all major operating systems. Assemble! allows the creation of a desired system of polymer chains from constituent monomers, packs the chains into a box according to the required concentration and returns all the files needed for simulation with Gromacs. We illustrate the capabilities of Assemble (by demonstrating the easy preparation of a 300 monomers-long polyisoprene in hexane, and a heterogeneous mixture of polybutadiene. Program summary Program title: Assemble! Catalogue identifier: AEZE_v1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEZE_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License, version 3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 504242 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 55078538 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Python 2.7.X. Computer: Workstations. Operating system: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X. RAM: Depending on molecule database size and final system size: 10-20 Mb in console mode, 30-150 Mb using the GUI Classification: 16.11. External routines: numpy, wxpython (if using the GUI) Nature of problem: Preparation of complex polymeric systems for molecular dynamics simulations with Gromacs. Solution method: Creation of polymers collections using monomer units and a Gromacs-compatible force field. Packing multiple polymer copies in a box according to desired concentration. Additional comments: User manual and tutorial with necessary input files are distributed with the program !!!!! The distribution file for this program is over 55 Mbytes and therefore is not delivered directly when download or Email is requested. Instead a html file giving details of how the program can be obtained is sent. !!!!! Running time: System dependent, but typically less than 5 seconds (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Stress and coping in couples have received increased research attention during the past two decades, particularly with regard to how couples cope with stress. Dyadic coping has emerged as a strong predictor of relationship satisfaction. Less research has focused on the effects of dyadic coping on other outcomes or family members. In the present study, the authors addressed this gap by examining parents' dyadic coping as a predictor of children's internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and prosocial behavior in three independent studies. In Studies 1 and 2 self-report data were used to assess parents' dyadic coping through the parents' and the children's perspective, and Study 3 included observational data on dyadic coping. Parental dyadic coping was related to children's externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, and prosocial behavior, although results for the latter two outcomes were not consistent across the three studies. The findings suggest that parents' dyadic coping deserves greater consideration within the context of child development.
The article acquaints with the means of dramatherapeutic intervention in two addictions departments - the Centre for secondary prevention and addiction treatment at the Military Hospital in Olomouc and the toxicorehabilitation department at the Psychiatric Hospital in Kromeriz. The first department runs a detoxification and short-term (one month) intervention programme while in Mandala, a medium-term (as long as half a year) dramatherapeutic programme is being implemented. The second part of the text presents the results of an enquiry focused on tracing the differences (connections) between the clients' perception of benefits and overall concept of the dramatherapeutic intervention at the above said departments. The implementation of a questionnaire method did not reveal differences between evaluations of the clients of both departments.
Human liver microsomes (HLMs) are used to simulate human xenobiotic metabolism in vitro. In forensic and clinical toxicology, HLMs are popularly used to study the metabolism of new designer drugs for example. In this work, we present an automated online extraction system we developed for HLM experiments, which was compared to a classical offline approach. Furthermore, we present studies on the metabolism of 11 cathinones; for eight of these, the metabolism has not previously been reported. Metabolites were identified based on MS2 and MS3 scans. Fifty-three substances encompassing various classes of drugs were employed to compare the established offline and the new online methods. The metabolism of each of the following 11 cathinones was studied using the new method: 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-benzylcathinone, benzedrone, butylone, dimethylcathinone, ethylone, flephedrone, methedrone, methylone, methylethylcathinone, naphyrone, and pentylone. The agreement between the offline and the online methods was good; a total of 158 metabolites were identified. Using only the offline method, 156 (98.7%) metabolites were identified, while 151 (95.6%) were identified using only the online method. The metabolic pathways identified for the 11 cathinones included the reduction of the keto group, desalkylation, hydroxylation, and desmethylenation in cathinones containing a methylenedioxy moiety. Our method provides a straightforward approach to identifying metabolites which can then be added to the library utilized by our clinical toxicological screening method. The performance of our method compares well with that of an established offline HLM procedure, but is as automated as possible.
Purpose of review The review critically evaluates recent claims that infants have innate knowledge of morality and examines the sources of moral norms. Recent findings Many studies show that toddlers readily help adults with daily tasks. A more contentious set of studies suggests that young infants prefer actors who help others to those who hinder them. Some researchers have interpreted these findings as indicating that morality is innately present in humans. Others look to alternative explanations in developmental systems theory. Summary Explaining the emergence of morality as innate, or wholly socialized, is problematic; instead morality could emerge in a developmental system in which children's early capacities are shaped by interpersonal engagement. Children's improving ability to coordinate with others at a practical level is later transformed through language and reflective thought, as children gain the ability to talk about what was previously implicit in interaction. Throughout, parents and caregivers have many opportunities to foster children's moral development in daily interactions.
Background: Recent evidence suggests that the aberrant activation of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling by Gli transcription factors is characteristic of a variety of aggressive human carcinomas, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) controls the expression of a number of cell cycle regulatory proteins, and FoxM1 expression is elevated in a broad range of human malignancies, which suggests that it plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying FoxM1 expression are not fully understood. Here, we aim to further investigate the molecular mechanism by which Gli1 regulates FoxM1 in CRC. Methods: Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to evaluate FoxM1 and Gli1 protein expression, respectively, in CRC tissues and matched adjacent normal mucosa. BrdU (5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine) and clone formation assays were used to clarify the influence of FoxM1 on CRC cell growth and proliferation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase experiments were performed to explore the potential mechanisms by which Gli1 regulates FoxM1. Additionally, the protein and mRNA expression levels of Gli1 and FoxM1 in six CRC cell lines were measured using Western blotting and real-time PCR. Finally, the effect of Hh signaling on the expression of FoxM1 was studied in cell biology experiments, and the effects of Hh signaling activation and FoxM1 inhibition on the distribution of CRC cells among cell cycle phases was assessed by flow cytometry. Results: Gli1 and FoxM1 were abnormally elevated in human CRC tissues compared with matched adjacent normal mucosa samples, and FoxM1 is a downstream target gene of the transcription factor Gli1 in CRC and promoted CRC cell growth and proliferation. Moreover, the aberrant activation of Hh signaling promoted CRC cell proliferation by directly binding to the promoter of FoxM1 and transactivating the activity of FoxM1 in CRC cells. Conclusion: The dysregulation of the Hh-Gli1-FoxM1 axis is essential for the proliferation and growth of human CRC cells and offers a potent target for therapeutic intervention in CRC.
We propose a fuzzy ontology for human activity representation, which allows us to model and reason about vague, incomplete, and uncertain knowledge. Some relevant subdomains found to be missing in previous proposed ontologies for this domain were modelled as well. The resulting fuzzy OWL 2 ontology is able to model uncertain knowledge and represent temporal relationships between activities using an underlying fuzzy state machine representation. We provide a proof of concept of the approach in work scenarios such as the office domain, and also make experiments to emphasize the benefits of our approach with respect to crisp ontologies. As a result, we demonstrate that the inclusion of fuzzy concepts and relations in the ontology provide benefits during the recognition process with respect to crisp approaches. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We described the phylogenetic affiliation, development in cultures and ultrastructural features of a trypanosome of Leptodacylus chaquensis from the Pantanal biome of Brazil. In the inferred phylogeny, this trypanosome nested into the Anura clade of the basal Aquatic clade of Trypanosoma, but was separate from all known species within this clade. This finding enabled us to describe it as Trypanosoma herthameyeri n. sp., which also infects other Leptodacylus species from the Pantanal and Caatinga biomes. Trypanosoma herthameyeri multiplies as small rounded forms clumped together and evolving into multiple-fission forms and rosettes of epimastigotes released as long forms with long flagella; scarce trypomastigotes and glove-like forms are common in stationary-phase cultures. For the first time, a trypanosome from an amphibian was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, revealing a cytostome opening, well-developed flagellar lamella, and many grooves in pumpkin-like forms. Transmission electron microscopy showed highly developed Golgi complexes, relaxed catenation of KDNA, and a rich set of spongiome tubules in a regular parallel arrangement to the flagellar pocket as confirmed by electron tomography. Considering the basal position in the phylogenetic tree, developmental and ultrastructural data of T. herthameyeri are valuable for evolutionary studies of trypanosome architecture and cell biology.
A fully digital, nonlinear, wide-bandwidth current controller for dc-ac and dc-dc voltage source converters is presented in this paper. Exploiting over-sampling, the controller mimics an analog hysteresis current controller, but it does not employ analog comparators, digital-to-analog converters, or any other analog signal pre- or postprocessing circuitry. Indeed, it fully virtualizes the hysteresis controller's operation and, based only on a nonlinear, efficient current error processing algorithm, drives the power converter at almost constant switching frequency. Overall, it offers the same excellent dynamic performance of the analog hysteresis controller and, at the same time, solves most of the related problems. Because the current error sample processing algorithm is inherently parallel in structure, the controller is suited for VHDL synthesis and field-programmable gate-array implementation, which guarantees flexibility and low cost, together with minimum computation and signal conversion delays. Its intended application areas include active filters, uninterruptible power supplies, microgrid distributed energy resource controllers, laboratory battery testers, and welding machines.
Crime victims may respond emotionally to victimization in a multitude of ways. However, little is known about how people use victims' emotional expressions to draw inferences about their psychological status and needs. In two experiments (total N = 340), participants were presented with a victim who reacted to a crime with either anger or sadness. Additionally, victim gender (Experiment 1) and presentation modality (text, video, or audio; Experiment 2) were manipulated. Male, but not female, victims were perceived to have a stronger need for social support when expressing sadness as opposed to anger. The effect was mediated by the fact that victims expressing sadness (vs. anger) were perceived as warmer. Moreover, the effect was consistent across presentation modalities. The results show that victim gender and differences between distinct emotions need to be taken into account to understand the social consequences of victims' emotional expressions.
Physiological functions of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) vary depending on wall shear stress (WSS) magnitude, and the functional change affects the pathologies of various cardiovascular systems. Several in vitro and in vivo models have been used to investigate the functions of ECs under different WSS conditions. However, these models have technical limitations in precisely mimicking the physiological environments of ECs and monitoring temporal variations of ECs in detail. Although zebrafish (Danio rerio) has several strategies to overcome these technical limitations, zebrafish cannot be used as a perfect animal model because applying various WSS conditions on blood vessels of zebrafish is difficult. This study proposes a new zebrafish model in which various WSS can be applied to the caudal vein. The WSS magnitude is controlled by blocking some parts of blood-vessel networks. The accuracy and reproducibility of the proposed method are validated using an equivalent circuit model of blood vessels in zebrafish. The proposed method is applied to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated zebrafish as a typical application. The proposed zebrafish model can be used as an in vivo animal model to investigate the relationship between WSS and EC physiology or WSS-induced cardiovascular diseases.
In order to explore the optimal relationship between eccentricity and mud-cement density difference in cement displacement process, the flow characteristics for non-Newtonian fluids involved in the laminar displacement inside an eccentric annulus are analyzed with fluid mechanics theory. An optimal density difference criterion is established based on the Herschel-Bulkley fluid model, which can be used to theoretically determine the optimum density difference yielding an optimal cement displacement performance. Numerical simulations are performed with a CFD software to investigate the influence of mud cement density difference on displacement performance under different eccentricities in highly deviated wells. The results indicate that there is an optimal density difference which can provide the best displacement efficiency at given inclination and eccentricity under laminar flow conditions. The good agreement, between the optimal density differences calculated by the optimal density difference formula and CFD numerical simulations, confirms the validity of the optimal density difference criterion for determining the optimal density difference in highly deviated wells. The research results can provide a practical guide on how to design the cement slurry density and how to install centralizers at highly deviated wells under laminar flow conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Change detection is one of the most important applications of remote sensing technology. It is a challenging task due to the obvious variations in the radiometric value of spectral signature and the limited capability of utilizing spectral information. In this paper, an improved sparse coding method for change detection is proposed. The intuition of the proposed method is that unchanged pixels in different images can be well reconstructed by the joint dictionary, which corresponds to knowledge of unchanged pixels, while changed pixels cannot. First, a query image pair is projected onto the joint dictionary to constitute the knowledge of unchanged pixels. Then reconstruction error is obtained to discriminate between the changed and unchanged pixels in the different images. To select the proper thresholds for determining changed regions, an automatic threshold selection strategy is presented by minimizing the reconstruction errors of the changed pixels. Adequate experiments on multispectral data have been tested, and the experimental results compared with the state- of- the- art methods prove the superiority of the proposed method. Contributions of the proposed method can be summarized as follows: 1) joint dictionary learning is proposed to explore the intrinsic information of different images for change detection. In this case, change detection can be transformed as a sparse representation problem. To the authors' knowledge, few publications utilize joint learning dictionary in change detection; 2) an automatic threshold selection strategy is presented, which minimizes the reconstruction errors of the changed pixels without the prior assumption of the spectral signature. As a result, the threshold value provided by the proposed method can adapt to different data due to the characteristic of joint dictionary learning; and 3) the proposed method makes no prior assumption of the modeling and the handling of the spectral signature, which can be adapted to different data.
The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) Central Solenoid Model Coil (CSMC) was tested at the National Fusion Research Center (NFRC) to verify the design and manufacturing engineering and to ensure reliable operation. The CSMC reached 8.6 T at 20 kA DC operation successfully. We also assessed the AC loss of the CSMC by means of both a sinusoidal wave with a DC offset as well as a triangular pulse. We derived a friction factor correlation of CSMC at room temperature and at cryogenic temperature (4 similar to 6 K). We also investigated the variation of the friction factor during current charging. The KSTAR PF coil simulation code was validated with inlet and outlet helium temperature, mass flow rate, and pressure drop from the experimental results. The operation temperature margin of the CS1 coil of KSTAR was calculated with the revised KSTAR PF coil simulation coil.
BackgroundOpioid misuse is a large public health problem in the United States. Residents of rural areas and American Indian (AI) reservation/trust lands represent traditionally underserved populations with regard to substance-use disorder therapy. PurposeAssess differences in the number of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) facilities and physicians with Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) waivers for rural versus urban, and AI reservation/trust land versus non-AI reservation/trust land areas in Washington State. MethodsThe unit of analysis was the ZIP code. The dependent variables were the number of OAT facilities and DATA-waivered physicians in a region per 10,000 residents aged 18-64 in a ZIP code. A region was defined as a ZIP code and its contiguous ZIP codes. The independent variables were binary measures of whether a ZIP code was classified as rural versus urban, or AI reservation/trust land versus non-AI reservation/trust land. Zero-inflated negative binomial regressions with robust standard errors were estimated. ResultsThe number of OAT clinics in a region per 10,000 ZIP-code residents was significantly lower in rural versus urban areas (P = .002). This did not differ significantly between AI reservation/trust land and non-AI reservation/trust land areas (P = .79). DATA-waivered physicians in a region per 10,000 ZIP-code residents was not significantly different between rural and urban (P = .08), or AI reservation/trust land versus non-AI reservation/trust land areas (P = .21). ConclusionsIt appears that the potential for Washington State residents of rural and AI reservation areas to receive OAT is similar to that of residents outside of those areas; however, difficulties in accessing therapy may remain, highlighting the importance of expanding health care insurance and providing support for DATA-waivered physicians.
Background and objectives: Safety behavior (SB) is detrimental to the beneficial effects of exposure, because it prevents patients from obtaining evidence that disconfirms their excessive threat beliefs. However, previous studies showed that cleaning SB during exposure to a contaminant does not prevent a reduction in feelings of contamination, fear of contamination, danger, and disgust (CFDD). We aimed to directly examine the effect of SB during exposure to a contaminant on threat beliefs associated with CFDD. Method: Healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: repeated exposure to a contaminant whilst abstaining from SB (exposure plus response prevention; E + RP); with the use of disinfectant wipes after each instance of exposure (exposure plus SB; E + SB); or no exposure or safety behavior (control condition). Participants identified their threat belief associated with the contaminant and rated CFDD and the degree to which they believed their threat belief at the pre- and post-test. Results: The E + RP and E + SB condition resulted in a larger decrease of CFDD and threat belief ratings than the control condition, whereas these reductions did not differ between the E + RP and E + SB condition. Limitations: Results were obtained from a nonclinical sample, and with a single session of exposure. Conclusion: Cleaning SB did not impede the beneficial effects of exposure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The present research analyzed whether or not emoticons could be exploited as proxies for nonverbal behavior when inserted into online discussions. Specifically, prior research has recommended that women who are more communal and concentrated on forming interpersonal bonds may not be able to form such bonds effortlessly when communicating via email because of the lack of nonverbal cues (cf. Guadagno and Cialdini, 2002; 2007). It was anticipated that by inserting emoticons into a persuasive online communication, women would be more exposed to persuasion compared to women who saw no emoticons, whereas it was not expected to matter for men. A total of 100 (47 men, 53 women) completed the study. In contrast to predictions, results specified that exploiting a verbal equivalent of the emoticon in an online discussion essentially produced more favorability towards the message for both men and women. Furthermore, results revealed that individuals' level of femininity foreseen attitude towards the topic. Similarly, the verbal equivalent proxy influenced positive mood, which may also help clarify the results. Implications for persuasion vial online devices will be discussed.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) is co-factor for three pivotal enzymes for glycolytic metabolism: pyruvate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and transketolase. Thiamine deficiency leads to neurodegeneration of several brain regions, especially the cerebellum. In addition, several neurodegenerative diseases are associated with impairments of glycolytic metabolism, including Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, understanding the link between dysfunction of the glycolytic pathway and neuronal death will be an important step to comprehend the mechanism and progression of neuronal degeneration as well as the development of new treatment for neurodegenerative states. Here, using an in vitro model to study the effects of thiamine deficiency on cerebellum granule neurons, we show an increase in Ca2+ current density and Ca(V)1.2 expression. These results indicate a link between alterations in glycolytic metabolism and changes to Ca2+ dynamics, two factors that have been implicated in neurodegeneration.
Using structural MRI, we investigated the brain substrates of both affective and cognitive theory of mind (ToM) in 19 patients with semantic dementia. We also ran intrinsic connectivity analyses to identify the networks to which the substrates belong and whether they are functionally disturbed in semantic dementia. In line with previous studies, we observed a ToM impairment in patients with semantic dementia even when semantic memory was regressed out. Our results also highlighted different neural bases according to the nature (affective or cognitive) of the representations being inferred. The affective ToM deficit was associated with atrophy in the amygdala, suggesting the involvement of emotion-processing deficits in this impairment. By contrast, cognitive ToM performances were correlated with the volume of medial prefrontal and parietal regions, as well as the right frontal operculum. Intrinsic connectivity analyses revealed decreased functional connectivity, mainly between midline cortical regions and temporal regions. They also showed that left medial temporal regions were functionally isolated, a further possible hindrance to normal social cognitive functioning in semantic dementia. Overall, this study addressed for the first time the neuroanatomical substrates of both cognitive and affective ToM disruption in semantic dementia, highlighting disturbed connectivity within the networks that sustain these abilities.
Stationary modes and their possible bifurcations in nonautonomous electrical circuits with nonlinear resistive elements, the voltage-current characteristic of which cannot be satisfied to known conditions of convergence, are investigated. The main result of this article is description of current modes in a single and three-phase circuit with asymmetric voltage-current characteristics. The most interesting result of investigation of these transient and steady current modes in nonlinear electrical circuits is the possibility of the quasi-periodical process with low-frequency component, values and significance of which can be modulated by modification of amplitude of external high-frequency three-phase voltage.
There are many industrial applications where precise delivery of fluid required such as ratio blending, delivery system, etc. One of such application is petroleum product delivery system. As the price of these petroleum products is increasing day by day, it is important to deliver the exact demanded quantity of product to the customer. For such delivery systems the digital control valve is used. This paper deals with the simulation of the digital control valve. The motivation behind this is, if we know the behavior of the digital control valve then we can develop different control strategies so that the fluid delivery can be done with accuracy and precision.
Background: We aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of the Leadership and Coaching for Health (LEACH) program on physical activity (PA), dietary habits, and distress management in cancer survivors. Methods: We randomly assigned 248 cancer survivors with an allocation ratio of two-to-one to the LEACH program (LP) group, coached by long-term survivors, or the usual care (UC) group. At baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months, we used PA scores, the intake of vegetables and fruits (VF), and the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) as primary outcomes and, for secondary outcomes, the Ten Rules for Highly Effective Health Behavior adhered to and quality of life (QOL), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Results: For primary outcomes, the two groups did not significantly differ in PA scores or VF intake but differed marginally in PTGI. For secondary outcomes, the LP group showed a significantly greater improvement in the HADS anxiety score, the social functioning score, and the appetite loss and financial difficulties scores of the EORTC QLQ-C30 scales from baseline to 3 months. From baseline to 12 months, the LP group showed a significantly greater decrease in the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue score and a significantly greater increase in the number of the Ten Rules for Highly Effective Health Behavior. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the LEACH program, coached by long-term survivors, can provide effective management of the QOL of cancer survivors but not of their PA or dietary habits.
This article describes the creation and application of e-learning study material at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Machine Design. This project specifically deals with description, design, calculation and construction of a universal center lathe. The study materials meet standards used in modern engineering practice and they are also appropriately structured for better understanding. All documents are created with the help of experts in this field. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
An overview is given on the work of the Laboratory of Nuclear Energy Systems at ETH, Zurich (ETHZ) and of the Laboratory of Thermal Hydraulics at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland on tight-lattice bundles. Two-phase flow in subchannels of a tight triangular lattice was studied experimentally and by computational fluid dynamics simulations. Two adiabatic facilities were used: (1) a vertical channel modeling a pair of neighboring sub channels; and (2) an arrangement of four subchannels with one subchannel in the center. The first geometry was equipped with two electrical film sensors placed on opposing rod surfaces forming the subchannel gap. They recorded 2D liquid film thickness distributions on a domain of 16 x 64 measuring points each, with a time resolution of 10 kHz. In the bubbly and slug flow regime, information on the bubble size, shape, and velocity and the residual liquid film thickness underneath the bubbles were obtained. The second channel was investigated using cold neutron tomography, which allowed the measurement of average liquid film profiles showing the effect of spacer grids with vanes. The results were reproduced by large eddy simulation + volume of fluid. In the outlook, a novel nonadiabatic subchannel experiment is introduced that can be driven to steady-state dryout. A refrigerant is heated by a heavy water circuit, which allows the application of cold neutron tomography. Copyright (C) 2016, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC on behalf of Korean Nuclear Society.
Watermarking protocols are designed for tracing illegal distributors when unauthorized copies are found. So far, most of the proposed schemes set up two or more watermarks embedded to a copy by the seller before it was sold. The main potential concerns of multiple watermarking are the image quality would be damaged and any earlier embedded watermarks would be destroyed as well. Thanks to visual cryptography which encodes the secret image into two shares, and recovers the secret by collecting these two shares. Therefore, a new buyer-seller watermarking protocol is proposed in this paper by applying the technique of visual cryptography to Lei et al.'s scheme so as to free from the disadvantages of multiple-watermarking insertion.
This paper introduces a new multiconnponent geocomposite, the geosynthetic concrete composite mat (GCCM). Unlike traditional geosynthetic clay layer (GCL) materials that possess a bentonite clay layer as the interlayer, this GCCM has a formulated dry concrete mix impregnated in a three-dimensional geotextile fiber matrix, which hardens upon hydration to a concrete shell. This dual distinction multicomponent material is unique. This paper also provides a summary of some of the basic properties of the uncured material (before hydration), followed by an introduction to some important characteristics of the cured material. Mechanical properties are presented for both uncured and cured phases to illustrate the property transformation from the uncured to the cured state and demonstrate the contribution of both the fibrous geotextile phase and the cured concrete phase to the product properties. ASTM Committee D35 GCL test methods were applied as appropriate for this GCCM material, followed by concrete testing of the cured material. Finally, because a number of the applications for this material involve durable protection of soil from erosion under high-flow regimes, hydraulic property test results and some endurance test results are presented. The hydraulic results are from a channel testing arrangement subjecting the installed and cured material to high-velocity water flow.
Background: The role of environmental exposures in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remains unclear. In particular, two types of exposures have been suspected to play a role: mechanical stress and infections. The objective of this case-control study was to determine if childhood infections are associated with later development of AS. Methods: The cases with AS were identified through the Swedish national outpatient specialised-care register, based on having been given at least one AS diagnosis in the register between 2001 and 2010. Five controls per case were identified in the Swedish population register, matched at the time-point of the index case's first spondyloarthritis diagnosis on sex, birth year, and county. All cases/controls matched prior to the age of 17 years were excluded, as well as all cases/controls given a diagnosis of reactive arthritis or juvenile arthritis at any time point, or any other diagnosis of a rheumatic disease, psoriasis, iridocyclitis, or inflammatory bowel disease before the time-point of matching. All events of hospitalisation with an infection before the age of 17 years were retrieved from the register, and categorised according to the focus of the infection. Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were determined through conditional logistic regression analyses. Results: Of the 2453 cases with AS and 10,257 controls, 17.4 % of the cases and 16.3 % of the controls had been hospitalised with an infection before the age of 17 years (OR 1.08, 95 % CI 0.96-1.22). Appendicitis (1.5 % cases; 2.5 % controls; OR 0.59, 95 % CI 0.41-0.83), respiratory tract infections (cases 11.2 %; controls 9.2 %; OR 1.24, 95 % CI 1.07-1.44) and, in particular, tonsillitis (cases 3.7 %; controls 2.8 %; OR 1.31, 95 % CI 1.03-1.67) were associated with AS. There were no associations between AS and any other type of infection, and the point estimates were similar in several sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Childhood appendicitis was associated with a decreased risk, whereas respiratory tract infections were associated with an increased risk for later development of AS. These findings support a possible relationship between childhood infections and later development of AS, although the study is limited to infections resulting in inpatient care.
Adequate elimination diet is recommended as the mainstay of food allergy management. Patients with food allergies should be treated by a dietician specialized in allergies and long-term elimination diet. Patients will receive information regarding allergy labeling (according to the Food Information Regulations) and will learn about possible pitfalls in the system. Essential foods that are deleted from the menu, due to allergic reactions, must be replaced by other suitable and equivalent foods. Allergic patients should be re-provoked in regularly intervals, in order to determine whether the patient has outgrown the allergy or if new allergies have emerged.
The impact of intercultural workplace relationships on local employees has been scarcely investigated in hospitality. This paper adopts the contact hypothesis perspective in order to explore the ways in which intercultural encounters between foreign and local hospitality employees influence the latter, in sociocultural and organizational terms. A conceptual model is developed, tested within the Cypriot hospitality industry, and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings support the contact hypothesis, in that prior attitudes towards the ethnically different other influence the development of intercultural workplace relationships, which in turn influence local employees' wider attitudes towards foreigners. Furthermore, the importance of fair treatment and respect at work are stressed, as they mediate the relationship between intercultural workplace relationships and affective commitment. Implications for hospitality organizations are derived and suggestions are provided.(C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The PLAGL1 gene encodes a homonymous zinc finger protein that promotes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through multiple pathways. The protein has been implicated in metabolic, genetic, and neoplastic illnesses, but the molecular mechanisms by which the protein PLAGL1 participates in such diverse processes remains to be elucidated. In this review, we focus mainly on the molecular biology of PLAGL1 and the relevance of its abnormalities to several pathological processes.
In this paper, we proposed various methods to extract parasitic capacitance components for nanowire FET using a 3D Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. First, parasitic capacitance components were extracted by ideal method using the structure without spacer. The extracted results and calculated values were almost identical. Next, non-ideal methods with varying spacer length and dielectric constant of spacer were used to extract parasitic capacitance components. The method using spacer length accompanies structural change that relatively large error occurred when extracting outer fringing capacitances. However, the method with varying dielectric constant of spacer does not has any structural change. This method showed much smaller error than the method with varying spacer length. Also, it was found to show almost same results extracted by the ideal method.
Hypersexuality, or extreme normophilic sexual urges and behaviors, is a controversial construct that was recently considered as a candidate disorder for the DSM-5 and was rejected. It was also rejected for inclusion in Section III (Conditions for Further Study). Nonetheless, it has been found to be an important predictor of recidivism among sex offenders, and it continues to be discussed widely in the literature. In the present study, we investigated the developmental roots of this construct in a sample of 529 adult male sexual offenders, who were administered the Multidimensional Assessment of Sex and Aggression. Physical, psychological, and sexual abuse experiences were estimated using several scales of early development. Psychological abuse in childhood and adolescence, especially by a father, was found to be the most prominent predictor of sub sequent hypersexual thoughts and behaviors. The accumulation of abuse types, however, was also associated with a monotonic increase in the latent trait of hyper sexuality. The consequences of these results for conceptualizations of the construct are discussed.
From the interdisciplinary universe that involves legal incentives for sustainable urban construction and architectural principles that are traditionally used in construction, this research aims to go the normative framework of eleven municipalities (Americana/SP, Campos do Jordao/SP, Tiete/SP, Araraquara/SP, Barretos/SP, Ipatinga/MG, Guarulhos/SP, Sao Vicente/SP, Goiania/GO, Camboriu/SP e Seropedica/RJ) to identify how these incentives are being regulated and what parameters sustainability are being contemplated. The research has qualitative and quantitative approach and the procedure for data collection was the documentary research. After such surveys it was found that some sustainability parameters are more present in the legal incentives, such as natural lighting, green roof, rainwater harvesting and solar heating system. Finally, it was concluded on the importance of legal incentives for more sustainable construction parameters are entered in architectural projects that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
This paper presents estimates of the monetary value of the impact of eutrophication (algae) on commercial agriculture in two different catchments in South Africa. A production function approach is applied to estimate the monetary value of the impact of filamentous green algae on commercial agriculture in the Dwars River, Western Cape and the Loskop irrigation area, Groblersdal, in South Africa. The main emphasis was on the impacts of algal growth on farm profitability, which relied on detailed information on the impact, and the extent of the impact, of algae on farming practice. The paper presents the study areas, methodological approach, surveyed pollution impacts and the calculated monetary value of the impacts of such pollution. A short conclusion discusses some potential applications of the results. Initial results point towards a value of R1 887 per hectare per year for the Dwars River area and R2 890 per hectare per year for the Loskop irrigation area. The information can not only be used to compare different eutrophication mitigation strategies within the study areas and, to a lesser extent, similar areas outside these areas, but can also inform a process focusing on assessing the market potential for tradable pollution permits as a mitigation practice to manage water pollution in both catchments.
The elaborated-intrusion theory of desire proposes that craving is a two-stage process whereby initial intrusions about a desired target are subsequently elaborated with mental imagery. The present study tested whether the craving reduction strategies of cognitive defusion and guided imagery could differentially target the intrusion and elaboration stages, respectively, and thus differentially impact the craving process. Participants were randomly assigned to a cognitive defusion, a guided imagery or a mind-wandering control condition. Pre- and post-intervention chocolate-related thoughts, intrusiveness of thoughts, vividness of imagery, craving intensity, and chocolate consumption were compared. Experiment 1 recruited a general sample of young women (n = 94), whereas Experiment 2 recruited a sample of chocolate cravers who wanted to reduce their chocolate consumption (n = 97). Across both experiments, cognitive defusion lowered intrusiveness of thoughts, vividness of imagery and craving intensity. Guided imagery reduced chocolate-related thoughts, intrusiveness, vividness and craving intensity for chocolate cravers (Experiment 2), but not for the general sample (Experiment 1). There were no group differences in chocolate consumption in either experiment. Results add to existing evidence supporting the elaborated-intrusion theory of desire in the food domain, and suggest that acceptance and imagery-based techniques have potential for use in combatting problematic cravings. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study, cyclic behavior and dynamic properties of Renusagar pond ash samples reinforced with geotextiles have been studied. Pond ash samples were collected from the upstream side of the pond ash embankment. Laboratory tests have been carried out to obtain the material properties of the pond ash. Strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests have been carried out on reconstituted pond ash samples with and without geotextiles, at varying confining pressures (70, 100, and 150kPa), loading frequencies (1 and 0.5Hz), and cyclic shear-strain amplitudes (0.5, 0.8, and 1.05%). The woven geotextiles were used as reinforcing materials, which were placed in the pond ash samples in one and three layers. Results show that the pond ash samples reinforced with geotextiles exhibit better friction angle, drainage properties, and liquefaction resistance. It may be concluded that pond ash reinforced with geotextiles can be used effectively as embankment construction material. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This study explores the relationship between the Bar-on EQ-I and the Occupational Personality Questionnaire OPQ32i to determine if there is a link between self- and other-reported Emotional Intelligence and personality traits. Data was obtained from 329 managers working in the IT and Finance sectors and included multi-source (360) measures of Emotional Intelligence. Results indicated construct overlap and correlations between some elements of Emotional Intelligence and the OPQ32i with a stronger relationship between 360 measures of Emotional Intelligence and personality. On both the self-report measure of EQ-I and the 360 measure the mood scale showed a strongest link with personality factors. Measures of Emotional Intelligence which include a 360 component may thus provide a more useful indicator of an individual's ability to manage their own feelings and those of others.
This paper presents an integrated maximum power point tracking system for use with a thermophotovoltaic portable power generator. The design, implemented in 0.35-mu m CMOS technology, consists of a low-power control stage and a dc-dc boost power stage with soft-switching capability. With a nominal input voltage of 1 V, and an output voltage of 4 V, we demonstrate a peak conversion efficiency under nominal conditions of over 94% (overall peak efficiency over 95%), at a power level of 300 mW. The control stage uses lossless current sensing together with a custom low-power time-based analogto- digital converter to minimize control losses. The converter employs a fully integrated digital implementation of a peak power-tracking algorithm, and achieves a measured tracking efficiency above 98%. A detailed study of achievable efficiency versus inductor size is also presented, with the calculated and measured results.
Dysfunction of iron metabolism, which includes its uptake, storage, and release, plays a key role in neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease. Understanding how iron accumulates in the substantia nigra (SN) and why it specifically targets dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons is particularly warranted for PD, as this knowledge may provide new therapeutic avenues for a more targeted neurotherapeutic strategy for this disease. In this review, we begin with a brief introduction describing brain iron metabolism and its regulation. We then provide a detailed description of how iron accumulates specifically in the SN and why DAergic neurons are especially vulnerable to iron in PD. Furthermore, we focus on the possible mechanisms involved in iron-induced cell death of DAergic neurons in the SN. Finally, we present evidence in support that iron chelation represents a plausable therapeutic strategy for PD.
Even though drought is one of the most common features affecting rainfed agriculture, it is necessary to consider it as an extreme climatological event that requires different types of alleviating strategies for overcoming it. The risk involved in successful cultivation of crops depends on the nature of drought (chronic and contingent), its probable duration, and frequency of occurrence within the season. These aberrations are expected to further increase in future. A significant fall in food production is often noticed with increase in intensity or extension in duration of drought prevalence. Drought affects not only the food production at farm level but also the national economy and overall food security. Location-specific rainfed technologies are available to cope with different drought situations. Much of the research done in rainfed agriculture in India relates to conservation of soil & rainwater and to drought proofing. The key technologies for drought mitigation are in situ moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting and recycling, resilient crops and cropping systems including contingency crop plans, foliar sprays, and integrated farming systems. However, drought preparedness and real time implementation of contingency measures at field level needs well structured institutional support for farmers with strong government policy and convergence among various institutions. Ministry, of Agriculture, Government of India, needs to facilitate the convergence process of various government schemes such as MGNREGA, RKVY, Mega Seed Project, NFSM, NHM, IWMP, Soil health schemes etc. for drought preparedness. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), one among the missions under the Prime Minister National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) may take a lead role in implementation of contingency, by inclusion of this activity in State Action Plans (SAP) with a dedicated Nodal Institution/officers and budget provision.
Although potent androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) improve overall survival of metastatic prostate cancer patients, treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-NEPC) as a consequence of the selection pressures of ARPI is becoming a more common clinical issue. Improved understanding of the molecular biology of t-NEPC is essential for the development of new effective management approaches for t-NEPC. In this study, we identify a splice variant of the MYST/Esa1-associated factor 6 (MEAF6) gene, MEAF6-1, that is highly expressed in both t-NEPC tumor biopsies and neuroendocrine cell lines of prostate and lung cancers. We show that MEAF6-1 splicing is stimulated by neuronal RNA splicing factor SRRM4. Rather than inducing neuroendocrine trans-differentiation of cells in prostate adenocarcinoma, MEAF6-1 upregulation stimulates cell proliferation, anchorage-independent cell growth, invasion and xenograft tumor growth. Gene microarray identifies that these MEAF6-1 actions are in part mediated by the ID1 and ID3 genes. These findings suggest that the MEAF6-1 variant does not induce neuroendocrine differentiation of prostate cancer cells, but rather facilitates t-NEPC progression by increasing the proliferation rate of cells that have acquired neuroendocrine phenotypes.
This study examines whether the perception of peripersonal action-space and interpersonal social-space is modified in patients with restrictive-type anorexia in two experimental conditions using videos. First, participants stopped the video of an approaching stimulus when they felt the distance to be comfortable for interacting with it (first-person perspective). Second, participants stopped the video when an observed individual approaching a stimulus, or being approached by it, was at a comfortable distance (third-person perspective). In the first-person perspective, the results showed an estimation of peripersonal space that did not differ from controls when an object was approaching and an increase in interpersonal space compared with controls when a male or female individual was approaching. In the third-person perspective, both individual-object and individual-individual distances were larger in anorexic patients. These results indicate a specific deficit in adjusting interpersonal distances in both the first-person and third-person perspectives. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Data-dependent operations (DDOs) that were introduced by Moldovyan in 2003 (Moldovyan in MMM-ACNS 2003, LNCS, 2776: 316-327, Springer, Heidelberg, 5; Moldovyan et al. in Int J Netw Secur 2(2):114-225, 6, in Proceedings of CCCT04, VII:123-128, 7), have been proposed as a primitive suitable for designing efficient ciphers with simple key scheduling. DDOs solve problems arising due to the weaknesses in key change process, and also the DDO-based ciphers provide a better performance with smaller hardware requirement for implementation. Along with Eagle-64 (Moldovyan et al. 7), Eagle-128 (Moldovyan et al. 6), MD-64 (Minh et al. in Int J Comput Sci Netw Secur 10(3):54-60, 15), KT-64 (Minh et al. in IJCSNS 19(1):10-18, 13) aEuro broken vertical bar block ciphers are being designed, XO-64 (Minh et al. in Advanced Technologies for Communications, ATC, 409-412, 1) is a block cipher of this type which is better in terms of applicability, flexibility in fast and efficient wireless system, as well as security against known attack methods, such as slide attack and differential attack. In this paper, by applying a way of related-key attacks, we present the possibility to break the XO-64 cipher with high probability. We propose a related-key amplified boomerang attack using the differential characteristics on a 7-round reduced XO-64, requiring complexities of 2(44) in data, 2(47) bytes in memory, and 2(65) in computational time. This study can be considered as the first cryptographic result on XO-64.
Dibromoacetonitrile (DBAN) is a disinfection by-product classified as a potential human and animal carcinogen. This study aimed at investigating the ability of myeloperoxidase (MPO) to oxidize DBAN to cyanide (CN-) in vitro. Detection of CN- served as a marker for the possible generation of free radical intermediates implicated in DBAN-induced toxicity. Optimum conditions for the oxidation of DBAN to CN- were characterized with respect to pH, temperature, and time of incubation as well as DBAN, MPO, potassium chloride, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations in incubation mixtures. Maximum reaction velocity and Michaelis-Menten constant were assessed. Addition of sodium hypochlorite to the reaction mixtures significantly enhanced the rate of the reaction. Addition of the MPO inhibitors, sodium azide, 4-amino benzoic acid hydrazine, or indomethacin to the reaction mixtures significantly decreased the rate of DBAN oxidation. Inclusion of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase in the incubation mixtures significantly decreased the rate of reaction. Inclusion of the sulfhydryl compounds as reduced glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, d-penicillamine, or l-cysteine enhanced the rate of DBAN oxidation. These results demonstrate the ability of MPO/H2O2/chloride ion system to oxidize DBAN to CN- and provide insight for the elucidation of DBAN chronic toxicity.
The pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) parameters of ONO-4641 in humans were estimated using preclinical data in order to provide essential information to better design future clinical studies. The characterization of PK/PD was measured in terms of decreased lymphocyte counts in blood after administration of ONO-4641, a sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulator. Using a two-compartment model, human PK parameters were estimated from preclinical PK data of cynomolgus monkey and in vitro human metabolism data. To estimate human PD parameters, the relationship between lymphocyte counts and plasma concentrations of ONO-4641 in cynomolgus monkeys was determined. The relationship between lymphocyte counts and plasma concentrations of ONO-4641 was described by an indirect-response model. The indirect-response model had an I(max) value of 0.828 and an IC(50) value of 1.29 ng/ml based on the cynomolgus monkey data. These parameters were used to represent human PD parameters for the simulation of lymphocyte counts. Other human PD parameters such as input and output rate constants for lymphocytes were obtained from the literature. Based on these estimated human PK and PD parameters, human lymphocyte counts after administration of ONO-4641 were simulated. In conclusion, the simulation of human lymphocyte counts based on preclinical data led to the acquisition of useful information for designing future clinical studies. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper is focused on the task of elicitation and structuring of knowledge related to selection of inspection resources. The final goal is to obtain an informal model of knowledge oriented to the inspection planning in coordinate measuring machines. In the first tasks, where knowledge is captured, it is necessary to use tools that make easier the analysis and structuring of knowledge, so that rules of selection can be easily stated to configure the inspection resources. In order to store the knowledge a so-called Onto-Process ontology has been developed. This ontology may be of application to diverse processes in manufacturing engineering. This paper describes the decomposition of the ontology in terms of general units of knowledge and others more specific for selection of sensor assemblies in inspection planning with touch sensors.
In computer vision, training a model that performs classification effectively is highly dependent on the extracted features, and the number of training instances. Conventionally, feature detection and extraction are performed by a domain expert who, in many cases, is expensive to employ and hard to find. Therefore, image descriptors have emerged to automate these tasks. However, designing an image descriptor still requires domain-expert intervention. Moreover, the majority of machine learning algorithms require a large number of training examples to perform well. However, labeled data is not always available or easy to acquire, and dealing with a large dataset can dramatically slow down the training process. In this paper, we propose a novel genetic programming-based method that automatically synthesises a descriptor using only two training instances per class. The proposed method combines arithmetic operators to evolve a model that takes an image and generates a feature vector. The performance of the proposed method is assessed using six datasets for texture classification with different degrees of rotation and is compared with seven domain-expert designed descriptors. The results show that the proposed method is robust to rotation and has significantly outperformed, or achieved a comparable performance to, the baseline methods.
Home and building automation (HBA) trends toward the Ambient Intelligence paradigm, which aims to autonomously coordinate and control appliances and subsystems in a given environment. Nevertheless, HBA is based on an explicit user-home interaction and basically enables static and predetermined scenarios. This paper proposes a more flexible multi-agent approach, leveraging semantic-based resource discovery and orchestration for HBA applications. Backward-compatible enhancements to EIB/KNX domotic standard allow to support the semantic characterization of user profiles and device functionalities, thus enabling: 1) negotiation of the most suitable home services/functionalities according to implicit and explicit user needs and 2) device-driven interaction for adapting the environment to context evolution. A power-management problem in HBA is presented as a case study to better clarify the proposal and assess its effectiveness.
The ridge furrow rainwater harvesting (RFRH) system with different ridge covering materials as mulch for collecting runoff water is a valuable technique for enhancing seed filling rates and maize productivity. Therefore, a field experiments were conducted during 2 consecutive years in 2014-15, under large mobile rain-proof shelter at the Institute of Water Saving Agriculture in Semi-Arid Areas of China. Objectives of this study were enhancing soil water storage, promoting seed filling and yield of maize, with following two planting models: (i) traditional flat planting (CK); (ii) ridges covered with different mulching material (plastic film (PM), biodegradable film (BM), soil crust ridges (SC)); and two simulated rainfall levels: 320 mm and 430 mm rainfall. Results of this work revealed that mulching material on ridges had distinct effect on soil water storage in the 200 cm depth of soil at the middle of furrows and in the order of PM430 approximate to BM430 >SC430 >PM320 >BM320 >SC320, compared to CK320 and CK430, respectively. The average seed yield increased by 27%, 23% and 17% for PM320, BM320, and SC320, compared to CK320, and increased by 30%, 25% and 12% for PM430, BM430 and SC430 as compared to CK430 over 2 consecutive years, respectively. Average WUE significantly improved by (P < 0.05) in PM430 and PM320. BM430, BM320, SC320, and SC430 were 32.8%, 29.7%, 24.8%, 24.2%, 17.6% and 8.5% over 2 years compared to CK320 and CK430, respectively. The effect of RFRH system on maize seed filling was significantly related to the simulated rainfall levels and the position of the seeds on the ear. Both PM320 and BM320 significantly (P <0.05) promoted the seed filling rates of the superior, middle and inferior seeds. Seed-filling rates of the superior, middle and inferior seeds at the PM430 were also significantly increased. Our results suggested that PM430 and BM430 both significantly increased the SWS during the seed-filling process; which resulted higher grain yield and might have potential for reducing maize productivity risk under dry-land farming system. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
This study proposes the application and implementation of a new power factor correction (PFC) with a variable slope ramp for a small wind power system without any input voltage sensing circuits or external control components in the current shaping loop. The hardware description of the variable slope ramp simplifies the complexity of integrated circuit realization with low resolution analog-to-digital converters, and achieves a high power factor for multi and three-phase AC/DC converters such as wind power systems. Up to 1 kW small wind power system is tested to verify the performance of the proposed PFC control. The highest achieved power factor reaches 99.5%.
Both normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been associated with a reduction in functional brain connectivity. It is unknown how connectivity patterns due to aging and AD compare. Here, we investigate functional brain connectivity in 12 young adults (mean age 22.8 +/- 2.8), 12 older adults (mean age 73.1 +/- 5.2) and 12 AD patients (mean age 74.0 +/- 5.2; mean MMSE 22.3 +/- 2.5). Participants were scanned during 6 different sessions with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI), resulting in 72 scans per group. Voxelwise connectivity with 10 functional networks was compared between groups (p < 0.05, corrected). Normal aging was characterized by widespread decreases in connectivity with multiple brain networks, whereas AD only affected connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and precuneus. The preponderance of effects was associated with regional gray matter volume. Our findings indicate that aging has amajor effect on functional brain interactions throughout the entire brain, whereas AD is distinguished by additional diminished posterior DMN-precuneus coherence.
The society is changing towards a new paradigm in which an increasing number of old adults live alone. In parallel, the incidence of conditions that affect mobility and independence is also rising as a consequence of a longer life expectancy. In this paper, the specific problem of falls of old adults is addressed by devising a technological solution for monitoring these users. Video cameras, accelerometers and GPS sensors are combined in a multi-modal approach to monitor humans inside and outside the domestic environment. Machine learning techniques are used to detect falls and classify activities from accelerometer data. Video feeds and GPS are used to provide location inside and outside the domestic environment. It results in a monitoring solution that does not imply the confinement of the users to a closed environment.
Sub-harmonic mixers are the core element of terahertz room temperature, high spectral resolution heterodyne receivers for planetary science, and remote sensing. Here, terahertz sub-harmonic mixer up to 400 GHz using discrete Schottky diode is presented. Measured performance is in agreement with results from the linear and nonlinear co-simulations, and this methodology shows its practicability for the discrete planar GaAs Schottky diode-based terahertz core circuit design.
Demographic aging is a worldwide phenomenon, cognitive and behavioral impairment is becoming global burden of nerve damage. However, the effect of pharmacological treatment is not satisfying. Therefore, we analyzed the efficacy of music therapy in elderly dementia patients, and if so, whether music therapy can be used as first-line non-pharmacological treatment. A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, EMbase and the Cochrane Library from inception to September 2016. A total of 34 studies (42 analyses, 1757 subjects) were included; all of them had an acceptable quality based on the PEDro and CASP scale scores. Studies based on any type of dementia patient were combined and analyzed by subgroup. The standardized mean difference was -0.42 (-0.74 to -0.11) for disruptive behavior and 0.20 (-0.09 to 0.49) for cognitive function as primary outcomes in random effect models using controls as the comparator; the secondary outcomes were depressive score, anxiety and quality of life. No evidence of publication bias was found based on Begg's and Egger's test. The meta-analysis confirmed that the baseline differences between the two groups were balanced. Subgroup analyses showed that disease sub-type, intervention method, comparator, subject location, trial design, trial period and outcome measure instrument made little difference in outcomes. The meta-regression may have identified the causes of heterogeneity as the intervention method, comparator and trial design. Music therapy was effective when patients received interactive therapy with a compared group. There was positive evidence to support the use of music therapy to treat disruptive behavior and anxiety; there were positive trends supporting the use of music therapy for the treatment of cognitive function, depression and quality of life. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents finite-control-set modelpredictive control (FCS-MPC) for a three-phase quasi-Zsource (qZS) four-leg inverter under unbalanced load condition. The key novelty of the proposed control approach is eliminating the double-line frequency ripple in the inductor current with a simple and effective approach. The proposed four-leg qZS inverter with an output LC filter can handle buck/boost and dc/ac conversion features in a single stage. Furthermore, the FCS-MPC-based control algorithm helps in maintaining balanced point of common coupling voltages for stand-alone unbalanced loads. The behavior of the predictive controller has been investigated under different operating conditions, and its robustness with the qZS network and the LC filter parameter variations are also studied. Furthermore, the effect of double-line frequency ripple and its relation with the inductor current constraint have been tackled comprehensively. To verify the performance of the proposed approach, simulation and experimental studies were performed for balanced and unbalanced loads.
Lamellomphalus manusensis new genus, new species is described from a hydrothermal vent site of the Manus Back Arc Basin. The familial assignment is based on morphologies of shell and external anatomy. The new taxon is superficially similar to some members of Peltospiridae McLean, 1989 in general shell shape, but differs from all peltospirids in having sex dimorphism and presence of a copulatory organ. Lamellomphalus manusensis is characterized by possessing haliotiform shell with some degree of coiling, which could be considered as an intermediate form in the family Neomphalidae McLean, 1981, between species with regularly coiled shells (Cyathermia Waren and Bouchet, 1989; Lacunoides Waren and Bouchet, 1989; Planorbidella Waren and Bouchet, 1993, and Solutigyra Waren and Bouchet, 1989) and limpet-like shells (Neomphalus McLean, 1981 and Symmetromphalus McLeah, 1990). This feature thus distinguishes the new taxon from other neomphalids. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI) also supports its placement within Neomphalidae.
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used as an antimicrobial agent in various consumer products. Silver release from these products occurs during use, washing and disposal at varying rates, into the wastewater system and eventually into aquatic ecosystems. Constructed wetlands (wetlands designed for water pollution control) represent a unique type of water treatment system which are beginning to receive growing amounts of influent AgNP loadings. In order to examine potential impacts to the health and ongoing utility of constructed wetlands we evaluated the susceptibility and the developed resistence of constructed wetland microbial communities to two types of AgNPs (citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated), and ionic Ag (Ag+). Microcosms representing an unplanted batch-fed subsurface flow constructed wetland were exposed to an AgNP contaminated (100 mu g/l) simulated wastewater for 28 days. Experiments were triplicated and included unexposed controls. Analysis of total Ag in the interstitial water and biofilm matrix via inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed the majority (>98%) of AgNPs partitioned from the interstitial water and accumulated in the biofilm and presumably the sediment matrix. No significant alteration to the microbial community function (assessed via community-level physiological profiling, CLPP) or structure (using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, DGGE) was observed following the initial 28 day exposure. Subsequent ex-situ dose-response testing over a wide concentration range (0-5 mu g/l) provided some evidence for increased resistance to Ag toxicity in the previously exposed microbial communities when compared to the controls. The ex-situ evaluated susceptibility of the microbial communities to AgNPs varied between treatments with significant reductions in catabolic activity observed at 0.5 mg/l for ionic Ag, 1 mg/l for citrate coated AgNPs and 5 mg/l for PVP coated AgNPs. These findings suggest that wetland microbial communities can tolerate and develop resistance to lower levels of in-situ AgNP exposure in a relatively short time, however ex-situ toxicity is observed past certain threshold concentrations and this threshold varies depending on the original form of the AgNP. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Outreach to K-12 schools is important for attracting students to electrical engineering. Circuits kits provide K-12 students hands-on interactions with electrical circuits. The goal of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of two types of electrical circuit element representations on the self-reported perceptions of the outreach activity and learning of elementary and high school students. In the abstract representation type, the circuit elements were marked with the standard engineering symbols. In the concrete representation type, the circuit elements, such as batteries and light bulbs, were familiar to the students. Perceived student enjoyment, understanding, and cognitive load were assessed through surveys. Student learning was measured with a post-test. The impacts of student gender and developmental level were also analyzed. Results indicate that for elementary school students, the concrete representation led to higher understanding ratings and lower cognitive load ratings than the abstract representation, while there was no difference in student learning between the two representation conditions. For high school students, there were no significant differences in student perceptions or learning between the two representation conditions. However, male high school students gave significantly higher interest and understanding ratings as well as lower cognitive load ratings than their female counterparts, even though there was no significant difference in student learning between the genders. Elementary school students reported higher enjoyment for the circuits kit activity and higher cognitive load than the high school students.
Doppler lidars with a high pulse repetition frequency are susceptible to range ambiguities from clouds and other distant targets with large backscatter. These range ambiguities degrade the quality of wind profiles and other calculated or retrieved variables. Here, a technique to detect and remove range-folded returns from the moment observations is proposed and described. A simplified method of removing erroneous wind observations from range-folded returns is also detailed. Through detection and removal of range-folded echoes, the quality and accuracy of wind profiles are shown to improve.
Fatal anaphylaxis in humans is rare and unpredictable. We note a trend to provide allergic individuals with care plans that recommend immediate use of epinephrine autoinjectors if allergen ingestion is suspected, even in the absence of any allergic symptoms, without any supporting evidence base. Instructions to use an autoinjector device, irrespective of reaction severity and especially when symptoms are actually absent, are likely to add to parental and patient anxiety. Of greater concern is the possibility of epinephrine being administered too early to treat initial, mild symptoms that then progress to severe anaphylaxis. It is not hard to visualize a scenario where one or both epinephrine autoinjectors have been deployed for mild symptoms, yet the reaction progresses to a severe reaction and no further epinephrine is available for administration. Epinephrine needs to be available as a rescue treatment for anaphylaxis, potentially buying valuable minutes while emergency medical services are activated to attend. Food-allergic individuals and their carers need to be provided with more constructive strategies and support than merely being told to use your pen. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
Children must sometimes decide between conforming to peer behavior and doing what is right. While research shows that children have a strong inclination to act prosocially and to help conspecifics in need, many studies also demonstrate that children tend to adopt peer behavior. In two studies (N = 96), we investigated whether children would conform to an antisocial majority or, whether they would do the right thing even under peer pressure. Results show that if a recipient is in need, 5-year-old children act prosocially in two different contexts even when there is a strong selfish incentive not to. However, once the severity of the recipient's need is reduced, children conform to the antisocial group. The current studies suggest that children's prosocial motivation sometimes wins out against more selfish drives. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVES: Orbital surgery is a challenging procedure because of its complex anatomy. Training could especially benefit from dedicated study models. The currently available devices lack sufficient anatomical representation and realistic soft tissue properties. Hence, we developed a 3D-printed simulation device for orbital surgery with tactual (haptic) correct simulation of all relevant anatomical structures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Based on computed tomography scans collected from patients treated in a third referral center, the hard and soft tissue were segmented and virtually processed to generate a 3D-model of the orbit. Hard tissue was then physically realized by 3D printing. The soft tissue was manufactured by a composite silicone model of the nucleus and the surrounding tissue over a negative mold model also generated by 3D-printing. The final model was evaluated by a group of 5 trainees in oral and maxillofacial surgery (1) and a group of 5 consultants (2). All participants were asked to reconstruct an isolated orbital floor defect with a titanium implant. A stereotactic navigation system was available to all participants. Their experience was evaluated for haptic realism, correct representation of surgical approach, general handling of model, insertion of implant into the orbit, placement and fixation of implant, and usability of navigated control. The items were evaluated via nonparametric statistics (1 [poor]-5 [good]). RESULTS: Group 1 gave an average mark of 4.0 (+/- 0.9) versus 4.6 (+/- 0.6) by group 2. The haptics were rated as 3.6 (+/- 1.1) [1] and 4.2 (+/- 0.8) [2]. The surgical approach was graded 3.7 (+/- 1.2) [1] and 4.0 (+/- 1.0) [2]. Handling of the models was rated 3.5 (+/- 1.1) [1] and 4 (+/- 0.7) [2]. The insertion of the implants was marked as 3.7 (+/- 0.8) [1] and 4.2 (+/- 0.8) [2]. Fixation of the implants was also perceived to be,realistic with 3.6 (+/- 0.9) [1] and 4.2 (+/- 0.45) [2]. Lastly, surgical navigation was rated 3.8 (+/- 0.8) [1] and 4.6 (+/- 0.56) [2]. CONCLUSION: In this project, all relevant hard and soft tissue characteristics of orbital anatomy could be realized. Moreover, it was possible to demonstrate that the entire workflow of an orbital procedure may be simulated. Hence, using this model training expenses may be reduced and patient security could be enhanced. ((C) 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
In the emerging world of human-robot interaction, people and robots will work together to achieve joint objectives. This paper discusses the design and validation of a general scheme for creating emotionally expressive behaviours for robots, in order that people might better interpret how a robot collaborator is succeeding or failing in its work. It exemplifies a unified approach to creating robot behaviours for two very different robot forms, based on combinations of four groups of design parameters (approach/avoidance, energy, intensity and frequency). 59 people rated video clips of robots performing expressive behaviours both for emotional expressivity on Valence-Arousal-Dominance dimensions, and their judgement of the successfulness of the robots' work. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of expressive behaviour for facilitating human understanding of robot intentions and the design of cues for basic emotional states.
Aim: This study investigated whether allergies among schoolchildren increased in Sweden between 1979 and 2007 and whether the geographical differences observed in previous studies remained. Methods: We collected questionnaire data on asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) and eczema in children aged seven to eight years from Molndal, Gothenburg, in south-western Sweden and Kiruna in northern Sweden in 1979 (n = 4682), 1991 (n = 2481) and 2007 (n = 1029). The same regions and questions were used in all three studies, and extra questions on food allergy or intolerance were added in 2007. Results: In 1979, 1991 and 2007, the total prevalence of asthma was 2.5%, 5.7% and 7.1%, ARC was 5.5%, 8.1% and 11.1% and eczema was 7.1%, 18.3% and 19.7%, respectively. Asthma prevalence remained higher in Kiruna, but no significant regional differences were seen for ARC and eczema. Almost 20% reported a history of food allergy or intolerance, with a higher prevalence in Kiruna. The allergy risk was reduced if both parents were born outside Sweden. Conclusion: The prevalence of ARC continued to increase between 1991 and 2007, but increases in asthma and eczema started to level off in 1991. Some geographical differences remained, but total allergy rates were similar in Kiruna and Molndal in 2007.
The application and development of computer technology have driven and promoted the change of information technology. The computer and information technology have a wide range of penetration and affinity, which influences the world economy and social development in all aspects. In twenty-first Century, the human life will be more closely linked to the Internet, and more closely related, such as electronic commerce, information platform, etc. However, all kinds of problems arise, for example, there are many threats and attacks existing in the Internet, making the network security damaged, which can cause the disclosure of information, and the system platform and the network resources are under attack. In consequence, in terms of how to ensure the information is sent and received truly, completely, effectively and legally, the issue of network security has become a current research hot-spot. This paper, in allusion to this problem, introduces and analyzes several typical computer network security technologies, including firewall technology, virus protection technology, and virtual private network technology, also called VPN technology.
Glycosylation of many proteins has been revealed to be closely related with food allergies, and screening and structural analysis of related glycoproteins and glycoallergens are essential for studies in this field. Herein, we describe detailed N-glycoform analysis of all glycoprotein fractions of soybean protein isolate (SPI) separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to disclose structural features of the glycan moieties of more soybean glycoproteins. SPI was fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and the generated protein bands were recovered and subjected to in-gel N-glycan release and labeling using a one-pot method newly developed by our group, followed by detailed analysis by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and online hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-ESI-MS/MS). As a result, we found seven bands mainly containing oligomannose-type glycans; two mainly contain core alpha 1,3-facosylated glycans, and six have no glycans. This study is the first report that discovers core alpha 1,3-fucosylated N-glycans in bands 1, 2, and 6 and discloses bands 3, 4, 5, and 7 as glycoproteins and their N-glycoforms. Therefore, it can expand our knowledge about soybean protein glycosylation and provide significant structural reference for research of soybean allergens.
Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl is an herbaceous wild plant native to Iran which is traditionally used in Iranian folk medicine as a mild sedative tea for reducing anxiety and for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Our previous study on ethyl acetate extract of S. lavandulifolia proved anti-anxiolytic activity and so the present study was designed to determine chemical components of this biologically active fraction. The extract was prepared using maceration method. Column chromatography and medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) was used respectively to separate the fractions. Finally, some evaluated fractions were used for high pressure liquid (HPLC) and peak shaving recycle technique to achieve more purification. Separated compounds were determined using NMR analysis and mass spectroscopy. Six compounds have been isolated from ethylacetate extract of aerial parts of S. lavandulifolia including four flavonoids (apigenin, kumatakenin, penduletin and 4 ', 7-dihyroxy-3, 5, 6-trimethoxy flavone), a labdan diterpenoid (labda-13-en-8, 15-diol), and an iridoid.
Across two studies we test the prediction that multicultural experiences reduce intercultural prejudice by increasing Openness to Experience. In Study 1, frequency of self-reported multicultural experiences was associated with greater openness and less ethnic prejudice, and openness explained the relationship between multicultural experiences and ethnic prejudice. In Study 2, we experimentally manipulated a multicultural experience. Compared to those in a control condition, participants exposed to the cultural members and elements of foreign cultures reported being higher in Openness to Experience and expressed less prejudice toward these cultural groups. There was also some evidence that multicultural exposure, through openness, caused secondary transfer effects in prejudice reduction. Our findings suggest that exposure to multicultural environments can improve intercultural attitudes by personality shifts in Openness to Experience.
Channel morphology step-pool represents a morphodynamic complex influenced by large woody debris and litter-fall. The aim of this paper is to determine the impact of litter-fall on the channel morphology step-pool. General conclusions regarding the influence of litter-fall on channel morphology step-pool were based on results of geomorphological analyses. The study showed differences between river segments with or without foliaged steps. The pools following foliaged steps have a finer grain size composition of sediment. They are also larger, shallower and have a higher retention capacity. Foliaged steps help to decrease potential energy of water more effectively. If the litter-fall is permanently preserved at the step, it makes it more resistant to extreme water flows. As a result, it enables the development of a fully functional channel morphology step-pool.
We provide an overview of selected crypto-hardware devices, with a special reference to the lightweight electronic implementation of encryption/decryption schemes, hash functions, and true random number generators. In detail, we discuss the hardware implementation of the chief algorithms used in private-key cryptography, public-key cryptography, and hash functions, discussing some important security issues in electronic crypto-devices, related to side-channel attacks (SCAs), fault injection attacks, and the corresponding design countermeasures that can be taken. Finally, we present an overview about the hardware implementation of true random number generators, discussing the chief electronic sources of randomness and the types of post-processing techniques used to improve the statistical characteristics of the generated random sequences. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cognitive biases may play a significant role in disorders of decision making such as pathological gambling and addiction. Understanding the neurobiology of these biases could lead to more effective pharmacological and therapeutic treatments for disorders in which aberrant decision making is prominent. The rodent Betting Task (rBT) was designed to measure one commonly observed decision-making heuristic in rodents, namely escalation of commitment in which subjects become more risk averse as the stakes increase, even if the odds of success remain constant. In the rodent task, the animal is presented with a choice between two options of equivalent expected value, such that reward on one option is guaranteed while the other has a 50% chance of double the prize or nothing. Past work has shown that a subset of animals (termed wager sensitive) adopt an irrationally risk averse choice preference in which they shift their choice away from the uncertain option as the bet size grows larger. In the current study, the orbitofrontal (OFC), prelimbic (PrL), and infralimbic cortex (IL) were inactivated to evaluate the contributions made by these regions to choice behavior on the rBT. Inactivation of the OFC (but not the IL or the PrL) selectively ameliorated the risk averse choice pattern characteristic of wager-sensitive animals. This finding suggests that the OFC may have a relatively unique role in promoting this type of non normative decision-making under uncertainty, an effect that is potentially related to its role in representing the subjective value of reinforcing outcomes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognitive Flexibility. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of IBRO.
This paper presents a study of televised political debates based on an integrated model that simultaneously examines verbal and nonverbal communication and their interconnections. An integrative approach yields better explanatory power than a separate analysis of each of these modalities. This model was used to analyze televised debates from Israeli election campaigns and identify consistent discrepancy and nondiscrepancy patterns of behavior of winners and losers. The model also sheds light on gender differences and similarities in a novel perspective of discrepant and nondiscrepant communication styles. A set of propositions on the kinds of behaviors that might be beneficial or detrimental for contenders in a televised debate is provided.
Based on comprehensive analysis of the structure and the potential safety problem of oil and gas SCADA(Supervisor control and data acquisition) network, aiming at the shortcomings of traditional evaluation methods, combining factor state space and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, a new network security risk evaluation method of oil and gas SCADA is proposed. First of all, formal description of factor state space and its complete mathematical definition were presented; secondly, factor fuzzy evaluation steps were discussed; then, using analytic hierarchy method, evaluation index system for oil and gas SCADA system was established, the index weights of all factors were determined by two-two comparisons; structure design of three layers in reasoning machine was completed. Experiments and tests show that the proposed method is accurate, reliable and practical. Research results provide the template and the new method for the other industries. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biologic therapy, such as those that target tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling, has proven to be an efficacious method of treatment for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with regards to symptom management and mucosal healing. However, the rising prevalence of IBD worldwide and the ever-increasing burden of biologic pharmaceuticals in the health care industry is alarming for insurance companies, clinicians, and patients. The impending patent expiry and the relatively high costs of biologics, particularly anti-TNF agents, have paved the way for biosimilar development for IBD. The United States Food and Drug Administration defines a biosimilar as a biological product that is highly similar to its reference medicinal product, with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, and potency. The hope with biosimilars is that their entry into the market will be able to drive competition between pharmaceutical companies to reduce prices like that of the generic market, and that access to appropriate biologic treatments for IBD patients is increased in the long-term. Yet, there are challenging issues such as indication extrapolation and interchangeability that are still being debated in the field of IBD and must be addressed in future issued guidance. This review will discuss the issues and implications concerning the use of biosimilar therapy for IBD.
The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) area is in constant evolution, providing new technologies to users and enhancing the level of security and comfort that is ensured by house platforms. The Ambient Assisted Living for All (AAL4ALL) project aims to develop a new AAL concept, supported on a unified ecosystem and certification process that enables a heterogeneous environment. The concepts of Intelligent Environments, Ambient Intelligence, and the foundations of the Ambient Assisted Living are all presented in the framework of this project. In this work, we consider a specific platform developed in the scope of AAL4ALL, called UserAccess. The architecture of the platform and its role within the overall AAL4ALL concept, the implementation of the platform, and the available interfaces are presented. In addition, its feasibility is validated through a series of tests.
Joint sparse representation (JSR) has shown great potential in various image processing and computer vision tasks. Nevertheless, the conventional JSR is fragile to outliers. In this paper, we propose a weighted JSR (WJSR) model to simultaneously encode a set of data samples that are drawn from the same subspace but corrupted with noise and out-liers. Our model is desirable to exploit the common information shared by these data samples while reducing the influence of outliers. To solve the WJSR model, we further introduce a greedy algorithm called weighted simultaneous orthogonal matching pursuit to efficiently approximate the global optimal solution. Then, we apply the WJSR for mixed noise removal by jointly coding the grouped nonlocal similar image patches. The denoising performance is further improved by incorporating it with the global prior and the sparse errors into a unified framework. Experimental results show that our denoising method is superior to several state-of-the-art mixed noise removal methods.
Objective: To evaluate whether climacteric symptoms are related to pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in postmenopausal women. Study design: A cross-sectional investigation was performed on 1382 postmenopausal women attending an outpatient service for menopause at a university hospital. Main outcome measures: Data regarding climacteric symptoms, as captured by the Greene Climacteric Scale, and objective POP were retrieved from an electronic database. Additional data retrieved were age, anthropometric measures, personal and reproductive history, use of medication or drugs, coffee, smoking, state of anxiety (STAI scale score) and depression (Zung scale score). Results: The score of Greene Climacteric Scale was higher (p = 0.02) in women with (n = 538) than in those without (n=844) POP (29.6 +/- 13.6 vs. 27.8 +/- 13.; p = 0.02). In multiple logistic regression models, the score was independently related to POP as a whole (OR 1.012; 95%CI 1.003,1.022; p = 0.009), and to bladder prolapse (OR 1.011; 95%CI 1.007,1.07; p = 0.02) or to uterus prolapse (OR 1.003; 95%CI 0.99,1.016; p = 0.63) or rectum prolapse (rectocele) (OR 1.004; 95%CI 0.988,1.02; p = 0.62). Conclusions: In postmenopausal women, a higher burden of climacteric symptoms, is associated with POP. Underlying mechanisms were not assessed and deserve further investigation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To date there is one proven hydrocarbon accumulation on the Ashmore Platform, Bonaparte Basin, Australia, with hydrocarbon charge remaining a key exploration risk. To the south, the neighbouring Browse Basin has proven lateral migration of generated hydrocarbons to the basin bounding highs, as evidenced by seeps located on the Yampi Shelf. This paper describes the findings of a natural seeps study carried out to establish if migrating subsurface hydrocarbons reach the southern flanks of the Ashmore Platform basement high. The integrated study combined remote sensing, geophysical, acoustic, photographic and geochemical techniques and has identified three areas of seepage; one area characteristic of persistent seepage and two areas of interpreted episodic leakage. Geochemical data collected from samples at one of these sites demonstrates the presence of thermogenic liquid hydrocarbons, with isotopic compositions falling within the range of values exhibited by oils sourced by the Lower Cretaceous Echuca Shoals Formation. The identification of active natural seepage along the southern flank of the Ashmore Platform provides evidence that hydrocarbons generated within the Caswell Sub-basin are able to laterally migrate onto the flanks of the Ashmore Platform structural high. As such, these findings reduce charge risk for the Ashmore Platform and regional exploration risks in the northern Browse Basin. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Current trends in manufacturing engineering activities show the direction spreading from system-level to multiple-system-level design, for instance, from product-level optimality to optimality for the portfolio of products, from one SME to a network of cooperating SMEs, etc. The objective of the current study is to analyze the product lifecycle and quotation generation processes in different enterprises as well as to find out their weaknesses and strengths in different processes. There will be created a concept of web based module for collecting the client's data and requests enabling to classify the product BOM and manufacturing route. Finally it allows calculation of the product's optimal price levels and making the automatic offers through the web. The proposed module increases the cooperative enterprises effectiveness, sales volumes and profitability.
We evaluated the accuracy of peer ratings of roommates' personality characteristics, against roommate self-ratings, as a function of rating domain observability. Instead of the usual ratings of broad personality traits, however, our domains represented peer ratings of narrow exemplars of personality traits. Specifically, we compared roommate ratings on (a) observable trait-related behaviors with (b) unobservable trait-related attitudes or beliefs. We observed greater self-peer agreement in rating behaviors, in general, than in rating beliefs. We also observed greater tendency of raters to adopt an assumed similarity heuristic when judging their roommates' attitudes and beliefs than their behaviors. We discuss the contribution of these findings to understanding the determinants of accuracy in personality judgments and developing best practices for personality assessment. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Scholars have argued that opposition to welfare is, in part, driven by stereotypes of African Americans. This argument assumes that when individuals think about welfare, they spontaneously think about Black recipients. We investigated people's mental representations of welfare recipients. In Studies 1 and 2, we used a perceptual task to visually estimate participants' mental representations of welfare recipients. Compared with the average non-welfare-recipient image, the average welfare-recipient image was perceived (by a separate sample) as more African American and more representative of stereotypes associated with welfare recipients and African Americans. In Study 3, participants were asked to determine whether they supported giving welfare benefits to the people pictured in the average welfare-recipient and non-welfare-recipient images generated in Study 2. Participants were less supportive of giving welfare benefits to the person shown in the welfare-recipient image than to the person shown in the non-welfare-recipient image. The results suggest that mental images of welfare recipients may bias attitudes toward welfare policies.
Differential susceptibility theory proposes that a subset of individuals exist who display enhanced susceptibility to both negative (risk-promoting) and positive (development-enhancing) environments. This experiment represents the first attempt to directly test this assumption by exposing children in the experimental group to both negative and positive feedback using puppet role-plays. It thereby serves as an empirical test as well as a methodological primer for testing differential susceptibility. Dutch children (N = 190, 45.3% girls) between the ages of 4 and 6 years participated. We examined whether negative and positive feedback would differentially affect changes in positive and negative affect, in prosocial and antisocial intentions and behavior, depending on children's negative emotionality. Results show that on hearing negative feedback, children in the experimental group increased in negative affect and decreased in positive affect more strongly than children in the control group. On hearing positive feedback, children in the experimental group tended to increase in positive affect and decrease in prosocial behavior. However, changes in response to negative or positive feedback did not depend on children's negative emotionality. Moreover, using reliable change scores, we found support for a subset of vulnerable children but not for a subset of susceptible children. The findings offer suggestions to guide future differential susceptibility experiments. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ascospores are frequently found as airborne fungal spores and recognized in various areas as an important cause of respiratory allergies. The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between airborne ascospores and meteorological parameters using multivariate canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and Spearman correlation. The aerobiological monitoring of fungal spores was performed over 5 years (2009-2013) using a Burkard volumetric spore traps. Seven main types of ascospores were identified: Leptosphaeria, Pleospora, Venturia, Diatrype, Chaetomium, Sporormiella and Ascobolus. The CCA results showed that all applied variables accounted for 27.4 % of the total variance in the spore data in the 5 years. The largest contribution to the total variance was explained in this period by the maximum air temperature (10.3 %). The effect of meteorological factors varied among years. The highest values of the total variance in the spore data, explained by the statistically significant variables, were observed in 2012 (28.6 %), with the highest contribution to minimum relative humidity (8.0 %). Most ascospores showed positive and statistically significant correlation with relative humidity and rainfall. In contrast, ascospores of Chaetomium were negatively correlated with precipitation and the relative humidity and positively with temperature. Based on these results, epidemiological and allergological studies must deserve more attention to estimate the allergenic potential of the ascospores.
The Internet of Things is the natural continuity of the Ambient Intelligence where smart and ambient environments are built mainly by integrating a large number of interconnected smart objects (sensors, actuators, Smartphone, appliances, etc.) with heterogeneous capabilities abstracted as software services. These services can be composed on the fly and provided, all the time and everywhere, to assist users in their daily activities. A key issue in user-centered services composition is to intelligently and effectively discover and select the most relevant services that best match the users' requirements and closely meet the specified quality-of-service level. Monitoring seamlessly the provided services and enhancing their quality, is still a challenging issue due mainly to the dynamicity and uncertainty characterizing ambient environments. In this paper, we propose a new service-oriented, user-centered and event-aware Framework capable of performing services monitoring to handle automatically events that may occur in ambient environments. This monitoring is based on a dynamic services discovery and selection process to enhance self-adaptation to unpredicted changes, and ensure services continuity with best quality. The overall proposed Framework has been implemented and validated through a scenario dedicated to daily activity recognition in an Ambient-Assisted Living environment. In addition, the obtained performances from extensive tests show clearly the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed approach in the case of a large-scale environment.
In Asia, enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) is the most frequent category of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. ERA has a strong association with human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 and subclinical gut inflammation. In an HLA-B27 transgenic rat model, the presence of Bacteroides bacteria in the gut appears to cause spondyloarthropathy (SpA). Thus, we studied gut microbiota in children with ERA. Stool specimens from 33 patients with ERA and 14 age-matched healthy controls were studied; none had any gastrointestinal symptom, or had received a drug known to affect gut motility or microbiota in the preceding 6 weeks. From each specimen, a cDNA library for the V3 region of bacterial 16S rRNA was subjected to high-throughput, massively parallel sequencing. Relationship of the specimens was studied using principal co-ordinate analysis (PCoA), and abundances of various bacterial taxa and alpha diversity were compared between groups. In eight patients, a repeat faecal specimen was studied after 12 weeks of probiotic therapy. The 55 specimens yielded a median (range) of 397 315 ( 102 093-1 502 380) high-quality reads each. In PCoA, gut microbiota from ERA showed a wider dispersion than those from controls. In patients, families Bacteroidaceae and Enterobacteriaceae were more abundant and Prevotellaceae were less abundant than in controls. Also, genera Bacteroides, Entercoccus and Klebsiella were over-represented and genus Prevotella was under-represented in ERA patients. Probiotic therapy led to a non-significant increase in Prevotellaceae. Patients with ERA have a dysbiosis in the gut, with increased abundance of Bacteroides and reduction of Prevotella. Probiotic supplementation in a subset of patients did not reverse these changes significantly.
Preference learning is the branch of machine learning in charge of inducing preference models from data. In this paper we focus on the task known as label ranking problem, whose goal is to predict a ranking among the different labels the class variable can take. Our contribution is twofold: (i) taking as basis the tree-based algorithm LRT described in [1], we design weaker tree-based models which can be learnt more efficiently; and (ii) we show that bagging these weak learners improves not only the LRT algorithm, but also the state-of-the-art one (IBLR [I]). Furthermore, the bagging algorithm which takes the weak LRT-based models as base classifiers is competitive in time with respect to LRT and IBLR methods. To check the goodness of our proposal, we conduct a broad experimental study over the standard benchmark used in the label ranking problem literature. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study employed homogeneous and heterogeneous panel methods to examine the relationship between renewable and non-renewable electricity consumption and economic development in three transition economies in the Baltic region, namely, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for the period of 1992-2011. The study put forward four hypotheses to examine the renewable electricity-development nexus. The findings indicated that there existed a unidirectional causality from the economic development to renewable electricity consumption. Thus, the results obtained from the statistical analyses have provided empirical evidence in support of the conservation hypothesis that postulates that economic development causes the expansion of renewable electricity consumption, but not vice versa.
How can a firm develop, distribute, and use knowledge more effectively and efficiently in ways that increase its ability to pursue an ambidextrous orientation? Synthesizing insights from social cognition and upper-echelons perspectives, we offer a new theoretical vantage point that brings the role of top management teams' cognitive structure to the fore and, in particular, the enabling influence of transactive memory systems. We argue that transactive memory provides a top management team with a system for generating, distributing, and integrating knowledge based on members' specific areas of expertise in ways that increase its ability to both differentiate and integrate strategic agendas for ambidexterity. From a multisource study of top management teams in a sample of technology-based small-to-medium-sized firms, we find that while top management teams with well-developed transactive memory systems are able to pursue an ambidextrous orientation, the impact of transactive memory is also shaped by diverse organizational experience and functional expertise within these teams. We discuss the scope and significance of these findings for theory, future research, and managerial practice.
Using newly-released and globally available high-resolution remote sensing data on forest loss, we update the assessment of the cross-country determinants of deforestation in developing countries. We validate most of the major determinants found in the previous literature, generally based on earlier time-periods, except for the role of institutional quality. Agricultural trade, hitherto relatively neglected, is found to be one of the main factors causing deforestation. Focusing on the effect of international trade, we show that countries with different levels of relative forest cover react differently to a shock in agricultural exports' value. We also emphasize that taking countries' development into account may be critical in assessing global deforestation trends. The impact of trade is high in countries still endowed with a large proportion of forest cover while it is lower in countries with smaller remaining forest cover. We finally estimate, through a simple calibration exercise, the requirements for a cost-effective REDD+ policy for compensating trade losses in an open economy exporting agricultural commodities and endowed with tropical forests. We conclude that, in a world with increasing global demand, it might be costly to compensate totally and thus to offer the right incentives for developing countries to limit deforestation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Artificial Intelligence provides a rich set of methods and tools for implementing the Ambient Intelligence vision, i.e. to transform our environments into smart spaces assisting as with our everyday tasks in an intelligent, seamless and non-obtrusive way. Among them, Semantic Web technologies, such as RDF, ontology languages and others, can be used to address several of the challenges that come with this vision, mainly with respect to modelling, sharing and reasoning with context information. This thematic issue demonstrates their capabilities by presenting three different Semantic Web-based solutions for mobile and computing environments.
Previous research has demonstrated that athletes displaying dominant nonverbal behavior (NVB) are perceived to possess more favorable performance characteristics and are expected to perform better than athletes showing submissive NVB. In the present study we used point light videos of a baseball pitcher displaying dominant, submissive, and neutral NVBs to show that this effect is mainly driven by the submissive condition. No difference between the neutral and the dominant condition was evident, suggesting that it is more important to avoid displaying submissive NVB instead of showing dominant NVB as neutral NVB already seems to lead to the impression that the athlete can handle the situation. The results show that NVBs expressing dominance and submissiveness are important early cues that affect the impression formation process in sport and the expectancy of success of the athlete observing this NVB. In addition, the results indicate, that further information about the ability level of the athlete might diminish this effect. Performance consequences of the effect of NVB are discussed.
With newer complex multi-core systems, it is important to understand an application's runtime behavior to be able to debug its execution, detect possible problems and bottlenecks and finally identify potential root causes. Execution traces usually contain precise data about an application execution. Their analysis and abstraction at multiple levels can provide valuable information and insights about an application's runtime behavior. However, with multiple abstraction levels, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the exact location of detected performance or security problems. Tracing tools provide various analysis views to help users to understand their application problems. However, these pre-defined views are often not sufficient to reveal all analysis aspects of the underlying application. A declarative approach that enables users to specify and build their own custom analysis and views based on their knowledge, requirements and problems can be more useful and effective. In this paper, we propose a generic declarative trace analysis framework to analyze, comprehend and visualize execution traces. This enhanced framework builds custom analyses based on a specified modeled state, extracted from a system execution trace and stored in a special purpose database. The proposed solution enables users to first define their different analysis models based on their application and requirements, then visualize these models in many alternate representations (Gantt chart, XY chart, etc.), and finally filter the data to get some highlights or detect some potential patterns. Several sample applications with different operating systems are shown, using trace events gathered from Linux and Windows, at the kernel and user-space levels.
Tracing allows the analysis of task interactions with each other and with the operating system. Locating performance problems in a trace is not trivial because of their large size. Furthermore, deep knowledge of all components of the observed system is required to decide whether observed behavior is normal. We introduce TraceCompare, a framework that automatically identifies differences between groups of executions of the same task at the user space and kernel levels. Many performance problems manifest themselves as variations that are easily identified by our framework. Our comparison algorithm takes into account all threads that affect the completion time of analyzed executions. Differences are correlated with application code to facilitate the correction of identified problems. Performance characteristics of task executions are represented by a new data structure called enhanced calling context tree (ECCT). We demonstrate the efficiency of our approach by presenting four case studies in which TraceCompare was used to uncover serious performance problems in enterprise and open source applications, without any prior knowledge of their codebase. We also show that the overhead of our tracing solution is between 0.2 and 9 percent depending on the type of application.
In this paper, we introduce a simple; but an effective algorithm to detect and image the precise location of moving targets behind obstacles based on one-transmitter and two-receiver configuration. The problem geometry together with the formulation details of the algorithm are given. The performance of the algorithm is first evaluated by synthesizing a numerical scenario that is simulated by moving ideal scatterers. Then, the success and the validity of the algorithm are being assessed by an error analysis study that calculates the error associated by the approximations. The algorithm is tested with measured data obtained by an experimental set-up for detecting a human movement behind the wall. Resultant two-dimensional consecutive images indicate that this algorithm can be effectively used for pinpointing the moving targets in TWR or similar through-the-obstacle radar applications with good fidelity. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In this report, we aim to add to the existing body of evidence regarding a link between anti- tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) treatment and demyelination leading to neurological disorders, specifically Guillain Barr, syndrome (GBS), and treatment with an interleukin-17A (IL17A) antagonist as a safe alternative for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A literature review was carried out of current research concerning anti-TNF-alpha and induced GBS. Only papers published in English were reviewed and only peer-reviewed journals searched. Papers published up to September 2016 were included. Animal studies were excluded. Data bases searched for publications online included: Pub Med, Google Scholar, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Searched terms include anti-TNF and Guillain Barr,, IL17 Ankylosing Spondylitis, Secukinumab and TNF-alpha, adalimumab, infliximab, and etanercept. All combinations and outcomes were used, and from these searches, a provisional reference list was constructed. The short-listed articles were read and their reference lists were reviewed. The electromyogram done for the patient showed demyelination, the MRI of the brain showed no pathologies, and the MRI of the spine was consistent with ankylosing spondylitis without myelopathy. The lumbar puncture results showed albuminocytological dissociation that was consistent with GBS. TNF has a proinflammatory action, and various immunoregulatory actions that, together, seem to promote the development of peripheral neuropathies syndromes in the organism. However, there is no clear mechanism of why or how anti-TNF-alpha treatment can induce a demyelinating event in a patient. In the case presented, it was found that the patient developed GBS due to treatment with etanercept, an anti-TNF agent. The treatment was stopped immediately. Two years later, he was switched to secukinumab and has been well controlled for the last 8 months with no neurological findings.
In Germany, high prevalence rates for problematic alcohol use and problematic Internet use in adolescents were reported. The objective of the present study was to identify psychopathological factors associated with these two behavior patterns. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation assessing psychopathological factors for both problematic alcohol and problematic Internet use in the same sample of adolescents. We surveyed a sample of 1444 adolescents in Germany regarding problematic alcohol use, problematic Internet use, psychopathology and psychological well-being. We conducted binary logistic regression analyses. 5.6% of the sample showed problematic alcohol use, 4.8% problematic Internet use, and 0.8% both problematic alcohol and problematic Internet use. Problematic alcohol use was higher in adolescents with problematic Internet use compared to those without problematic Internet use. Conduct problems and depressive symptoms were statistically significant associated with both problematic alcohol and problematic Internet use. Prosocial behavior was related to problematic Internet use. Male gender and less peer problems were associated with problematic alcohol use. For the first time associations between adolescent problematic alcohol and problematic Internet use due to common psychopathological factors were identified. However, in addition to shared factors, we found also specific psychopathological correlates associated with these two behavior patterns. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: There is anecdotal clinical evidence that transgender people use the online world - such as forums and online video gaming - for the purpose of experiencing their gender identity in a safe, non-threatening, non-alienating, non-stigmatizing, and non-critical environment. Aims: To describe gaming behavior, degree of problematic gaming behavior and associated factors with problematic gaming in a comparatively large group of transgender people accessing transgender health services. Methods: Every individual referred to a national transgender health service in the United Kingdom during a 12-month period was invited to complete a series of questionnaires to measure gaming behavior, interpersonal functioning, severity of autistic features, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: A total of 245 people agreed to participate in the study with 154 (62.9%) describing themselves as current gamers. Gaming behavior in the transgender population attending transgender health services was prevalent, but less than 1% of them presented with clinical scores for Internet Gaming Disorder, with no differences according to gender. Problematic gaming behavior was associated with general interpersonal problems, depression, and young age. Discussion and conclusions: Transgender people who engage in problematic gaming behavior are younger, and present with high interpersonal problems, and depression, which can affect a successful transition. In view of the high levels of gaming activity in this population games that are designed to address these psychological problems may be well received by transgender people.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are widely existed in human genome and associated with many diseases. Traditional PCR-based methods for SNP genotyping require protein enzyme, precise control of temperature and removal of resultant products, making the whole process labor intensive and time consuming. Although G-quadruplex DNAzyme-based assays provide many advantages over traditional approaches, the relatively low catalytic activity of DNAzyme becomes an unfavorable factor in its application process. Therefore, amplification of DNAzyme for further determination is of great desire in bioanalysis. In this work, we have developed an enzyme-free and non-label DNAzyme sensor for SNP genotyping based on target-catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) for DNAzyme amplification. The proposed sensor, carried out on microfluidic chemiluminescence (CL) assay, can sensitively discriminate rs242557 hotspot-SNP, the A/G single-nucleotide variation on human chromosome associated with Alzheimer's disease, with an absolute detection limit of 0.3 fmol.
In this note, we propose symbolic models for networks of discrete-time nonlinear control systems. If each subsystem composing the network admits an incremental input-to-state stable Lyapunov function and if some small gain theorem-type conditions are satisfied, a network of symbolicmodels, each one associated with each subsystem composing the network, is proposed and shown to be approximately bisimilar to the original network with any desired accuracy.
A simple optoelectronic regenerator for differential quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) signals is demonstrated. The regenerator consists of two parallel delay interferometers followed by balanced detectors, limiting and driving amplifiers, and a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator that regenerates noise-suppressed optical QPSK signals. We experimentally show that the regenerator improves the receiver sensitivity by about 8 dB at an input optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of 19 dB at a signal speed of 10 Gbaud. Numerical simulation is conducted for higher speed operation at 56 Gbaud to study the impact of the bandwidth of electrical circuits inside the regenerator on the regenerator performance. Electrical power consumption of the regenerator is assessed, and it is shown that the optoelectronic regenerator consumes a similar amount of electrical power as that consumed by an all-optical version of the regenerator using semiconductor optical amplifiers as a nonlinear element.
Verbal mimicry research claims that repeating words spoken by another makes people more eager to comply with requests made by the mimicker (e.g., fulfilling a request to donate to charity). Instead, another mechanism might explain these results. Recent studies found that when a request was preceded by engaging a participant in dialogue (defined as a short conversation), the participant was more willing to fulfill the request. Thus, verbal mimicry might be perceived in the same way as dialogue. If this is the case, a theoretical confound would be revealed. To test whether the mechanisms are different of the same, two field studies were conducted using a 2 (dialogue: yes/no) x 2 (mimicry: yes/no) design. The study results revealed two main effects and no interaction effects, which means that verbal mimicry and dialogue are two distinct mechanisms. Interestingly, additive effects for these mechanisms were found.
Supervised and unsupervised satellite image classifications have progressed greatly in recent years. However, discrimination difficulties still remain among classes that directly affecting data extraction and surface mapping accuracy. The Ouargla region in southeastern Algeria is intersected by wadis, where direct communication between the shallow groundwater table and these dry, overlying ephemeral stream beds exists. Underflowing groundwater exfiltrates into low-lying aeolian blowouts or endorheic basins forming oases, chotts, and sebkhas, commonly known as saline wetlands. These wetlands are becoming increasingly vulnerable to anthropogenic stress, resulting in significant water degradation. Wetland microclimates are very important to arid regions, as they promote oasis ecosystem sustainability and preservation. High water salinity in these ecosystems, however, directly affects flourishing habitat and undermines successful desert oasis development. The objective of this work is to choose the best classification method to identify saline wetlands by comparison between the different results of land use mapping within the Ouargla basin. Landsat ETM+ (2000) satellite imagery, using visual analysis with colored compositions, has identified various forms of saline wetlands in the Ouargla region desert environment in southeast Algeria. The results show that supervised classification is validated in the identification of Saharan saline wetlands, and that support vector machine (SVM) algorithm presents the best overall accuracy.
BackgroundMultiple allergic sensitizations are common in persistent childhood asthma, and thorough assessment of allergy is crucial for optimal care of these children. Microarray testing offers opportunities for improved sIgE characterization, which has been projected to be useful in the management of multisensitized patients. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy and information obtained by two microarray platforms applied on a well-characterized pediatric asthma cohort. MethodsSeventy-one children were recruited from a nationwide Swedish study on severe childhood asthma. Severe (n = 40) and controlled (n = 31) asthmatics were assessed for allergic sensitization by two microarray systems (Microtest and ISAC) and by two standard diagnostic methods (ImmunoCAP and skin prick test). Data on clinical history, physical examination, spirometry, asthma control test, and doctor's diagnosis were collected. Results from the four diagnostic methods were analyzed and compared. ResultsA high prevalence of allergic sensitization was observed in this cohort. The pairwise concordance between two methods was 90-92% independently of methods compared. The sensitivity of the four methods against doctor's diagnosis was 0.77-0.88, and the specificity was 0.97-0.99. Microarray methods provided new information in 47% of the sensitized children in comparison with results obtained by standard diagnostic methods. ConclusionThe high prevalence of food and respiratory sensitization supports the clinical guideline recommendation that allergies should be evaluated in all children with suspected asthma. The microarray platforms studied here demonstrated acceptable accuracy and provided refined IgE characterization in 47% of the patients compared to standard extract-based methods.
Channel deepening may result from channel incision or river metamorphosis changing a wide and shallow channel to a narrow and deep one. As only the first type of channel change leads to increased flow capacity of the channel, a lowering of water stage associated with a given discharge rather than a lowering of river bed should be used to identify channel incision. A lowering of minimum annual stage at gauging stations is typically used to assess the relative importance of channel incision along a river or within a particular region. Rivers of the Polish Carpathians incised by 0.5-3.8 m over the twentieth century, with the amount of incision being greater in their lower and middle courses than in the upper ones. Variability in the hydraulic importance of channel incision with increasing river size is analysed by comparing changes in the frequency of valley floor inundation at gauging stations located along the seventh-order Dunajec River. Despite a lower absolute amount of channel incision in the upper river course, here incision has increased channel conveyance and reduced the frequency of valley floor inundation considerably more than in the lower course. Hydraulic effects of channel incision depend also on lateral stability of an incising river. Low-energy rivers from the eastern part of the Polish Carpathians remained laterally stable during channel incision. This has resulted in substantial lowering of stages for low flood discharges and markedly smaller one for high-magnitude floods, whereas velocity of the flows conveyed over the highly elevated floodplains has decreased considerably. In high-energy rivers from the western part of the Polish Carpathians, alternation of incision and lateral channel migration has led to the formation of incised meander belts, with substantially lowered stages for all flood discharges and increased velocity of the flows conveyed over the newly-formed, low-lying floodplains. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent studies of marsh hydraulics have focused on tide-induced pore water circulation as the main drive for solute transport in the marsh soil and exchange with coastal water. Our study revealed another important mechanism provided by unstable fingering flow, which largely modified solute transport paths. In the marsh interior, downward penetration of salt fingers forced ambient pore water and solute plumes to move upward and exit the marsh soil through marsh platform at relatively high concentrations, up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than exit solute concentrations at the tidal creek bed. The mixing of solute with ambient pore water in the marsh interior was intensified greatly by fingering flow. A critical distance to the creek was determined based on a field-scale model simulation to distinguish tidal circulation-dominated and fingering flow-dominated solute transport zones. The new transport mechanism has implications for understanding the fate of solutes in particularly salt marshes of low creek densities.
Fast and accurate estimation of rice yield plays a role in forecasting rice productivity for ensuring regional or national food security. Microwave synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data has been proved to have a great potential for rice monitoring and parameters retrieval. In this study, a rice canopy scattering model (RCSM) was revised and then was applied to simulate the backscatter of rice cahopy. The combination of RCSM and genetic algorithm (GA) was proposed for retrieving two important rice parameters relating to grain yield, ear length and ear number density, from a C-band, dual-polarization (HH and HV) Radarsat-2 SAR data. The stability of retrieved results of GA inversion was also evaluated by changing various parameter configurations. Results show that RCSM can effectively simulate backscattering coefficients of rice canopy at HH and HV mode with an error of <1 dB. Reasonable selection of GA's parameters is essential for stability and efficiency of rice parameter retrieval. Two rice parameters are retrieved by the proposed RCSM-GA technology with better accuracy. The rice ear length are estimated with error of <1.5 cm, and ear number density with error of <23 #/m(2). Rice grain yields are effectively estimated and mapped by the retrieved ear length and number density via a simple yield regression equation. This study further illustrates the capability of C-band Radarsat-2 SAR data on retrieval of rice ear parameters and the practicability of radar remote sensing technology for operational yield estimation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
McEliece and Goldreich-Goldwasser-Halevi (GGH) cryptosystems are two instances of code and lattice-based cryptosystems whose security are based on the hardness of coding theoretic and lattice problems, respectively. However, such cryptosystems have a number of drawbacks which make them inefficient in practice. On the other hand, low density lattice codes (LDLCs) are practical lattice codes which can achieve capacity over additive white Gaussian noise channel and also can be encoded and decoded efficiently. This paper introduces a public key cryptosystem based on Latin square LDLCs, by which a relationship can be attained between code and lattice-based cryptography. In this way, we can exploit the efficient properties of codes and lattices, simultaneously to improve the security and efficiency of the proposed scheme. For instance, the security of this scheme is based on the hard problems related to lattices, i.e., closest vector problem and shortest basis problem, which in turn lead to increase the security level. On the other hand, we exploit the low complexity decoding algorithm of LDLCs to reduce the computational complexity. Moreover, this property allows using the larger values of the codeword length. Also, we use the special Gaussian vector, whose variance is upper bounded by Poltyrev bound, as the perturbation (error) vector. These strategies make the proposed scheme to be secure against the conventional cryptanalytic attacks.
The possibilities of remote sensing techniques in the field of the Earth surface monitoring and protection specifically for the problems caused by petroleum contaminations, for the mapping of insufficiently plugged and abandoned old oil wells and for the analysis of onshore oil seeps are described. Explained is the methodology for analyzing and detection of potential hydrocarbon contaminations using the Earth observation in the area of interest in Slovakia (Korna) and in Czech Republic (Nesyt), mainly building and calibrating the spectral library for oil seeps. The acquisition of the in-situ field data (ASD, Cropscan spectroradiometers) for this purpose, the successful building and verification of hydrocarbon spectral library, the application of hydrocarbon indexes and use of shift in red-edge part of electromagnetic spectra, the spectral analysis of input data are clarified in the paper. Described is approach which could innovate the routine methods for investigating the occurrence of hydrocarbons and can assist during the mapping and locating the potential oil seep sites. Important outcome is the successful establishment of a spectral library (database with calibration data) suitable for further application in data classification for identifying the occurrence of hydrocarbons.
It has long been debated whether attitudinal ambivalence elicits negative affect and evidence for such a link is inconclusive. Using facial EMG, we tested the idea that affective responses to ambivalence are dependent on the inconsistency of evaluations in the current situation. In a person perception task, participants were presented with positive (e.g., friendly, intelligent), negative (e.g., jealous, dominant), or positive and negative information (e.g., intelligent, dominant) about different target persons. When participants were only exposed to the information without having to respond, ambivalent information elicited the same affective response as positive stimuli, participants showed more zygomaticus (positive affect) and less corrugator activation (negative affect) than to negative stimuli (task 1). When participants had to make a choice, ambivalent information elicited the same affective response as negative information (task 2). This was qualified by the possibility to resolve the inconsistency between evaluations. Specifically, ambivalence only led to a relative decrease in positive affect when evaluative context did not help resolve the inconsistency between ambivalent evaluations and created a choice conflict (e.g., Bob is intelligent and dominant. Do you think Bob is a good collaborator?). When the same ambivalent information (e.g. Bob is intelligent and dominant) was presented in a context in which the opposing evaluations were not inconsistent (e.g., Do you think Bob can write a good research paper?), participants reported to experience lower levels of conflict and displayed more positive affect (i.e., more zygomaticus activation). The current data contribute to the reconciliation of previously inconclusive results on affective responses to attitudinal ambivalence. The results suggest that ambivalence only leads to relatively more negative affect (i.e., a decrease in positive affect) when ambivalent information is inconsistent in a current situation and thus creates conflict Implications of these findings are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
In this work the electromagnetic characterization of composite materials reinforced with carbon and metallic nanoparticles is presented. In particular, the electric permittivity and the magnetic permeability as a function of the frequency are used to evaluate the electromagnetic absorption capability of the nanocomposites. The aim is the study of possible applications in advanced coaling able to tune the electromagnetic reflectivity of satellite surfaces in specific frequency ranges, in a special way for those surfaces that for some reason could be exposed to the antenna radiation pattern. In fact, the interference caused by the spurious electromagnetic multipath due to good electric conductive satellite surface components could in turn affect the main radiation lobe of TLC and Telemetry antennas, thus modifying its main propagation directions and finally increasing the microwave channel pathloss. The work reports the analysis of different nanostructured materials in the 2-10 GHz frequency range. The employed nanopowders are of carbon nanotubes, cobalt, argent, titanium, nickel, zinc, copper, iron, boron, bismuth, hafnium, in different weight percentages versus the hosting polymeric matrix. The materials are classified as a function of their electromagnetic losses capability by taking into account of both electric and magnetic properties. The possibility to design multi-layered structures optimized to provide specific microwave response is finally analyzed by the aid of swam intelligence algorithm. This novel technique is in general interesting for metrological purpose and remote sensing purposes, and can be effectively used in aerospace field for frequency selective materials design, in order to reduce the aircraft/spacecraft radar observability at certain frequencies.
Port scans are typically at the begin of a chain of events that will lead to the attack and exploitation of a host over a network. Since building an effective defense relies on information what kind of threat an organization is facing, threat intelligence outlining an actor's modus operandi is a critical ingredient for network security. In this paper, we describe characteristic patterns in port scan packets that can be used to identify the tool chain used by an adversary. In an empirical analysis of scan traffic received by two /16 networks, we find that common open source port scan tools are adopted differently by communities across the globe, and that groups specializing to use a particular tool have also specialized to exploit particular services.
In recent years, distributed and zero-day attacks have emerged as one of the most serious security threats. The incomplete knowledge and information of a stand-alone intrusion detection system (IDS) is one of the main reasons for the success of these attacks. Collaborative IDS (CIDS) is one solution to address this problem. IDSs in this framework share their knowledge and consult with each other. Having access to a larger number of detection libraries for IDS configuration, along with the possibility of more cooperation with other participants in this collaborative system can lead to improved overall performance. However, a larger number of libraries and more collaborative activities increase resource consumption and communication overhead, which may in turn reduce system performance. There are a large number of papers in the literature that have utilized game theory to describe the optimal configuration of standalone or networked IDSs. In this paper, those works have been extended and the interactions between the attackers and IDSs in a CIDS framework have been modeled with a nonzero-sum stochastic game. In this regard, the solution concept of stationary Nash equilibrium has been applied to this game to describe the optimal configuration of each IDS in a CIDS and the expected behavior of attackers.
The evolution of consumer electronics, telecommunications and computing has empowered ambient intelligence into an emerging field of research bringing new possible solutions to many problems of human life. One of them is the technological assistance of elders who are suffering from a cognitive deficit with the execution of their everyday life activities inside what is called a smart home. To enable this technology, the first challenge to overcome is the recognition of the resident's activities of daily living (ADLs). This problem consists of inferring the minimal set of possible ongoing ADLs using templates (plans) of activities defined in a library. To successfully achieve that goal, we must exploit constraints of different natures (logical, temporal, etc.) in order to reject a maximal number of hypotheses. However, only a minority of works exploited the elementary spatial aspects related to objects and to their relations in the smart environment. In this paper, we propose a novel recognition model exploiting the fundamental qualitative spatial reasoning approach of Egenhofer to discriminate implausible ongoing activities. Furthermore, the model is validated through extensive testing of realistic scenarios based on clinical trials conducted at our laboratory with both normal and impaired subjects.
Article deals the issue of connecting modules in modular structures applied in robotics, manufacturing engineering and technology in general. Themselves joining motion module is implemented interconnecting interfaces, which are placed stringent requirements of strength, stiffness, weight and the possibility of transporting energy and data flow through the interface. On the market can be founds similar solutions. However, these solutions are mostly designed for output stages of industrial robots. Primarily, these solutions focus on the end effector exchange systems in robotics. To determine the total track modular machine was necessary to design a new model for connecting interface that meets all the requirements placed on it.
Every day, we primarily experience actions as agents, by having a concrete perspective on our actions, their means and goals. This peculiar perspective is what allows us to successfully plan and execute our actions in a dense social environment. Nevertheless, in this environment actions are also perceived from an observer's perspective. Adopting such a perspective helps us to understand and respond to other's people actions and their outcomes. Importantly, similar experiences of being agent and observer occur also when actions are not physically acted/perceived but are merely linguistically shared. In this paper we present two exploratory studies, one in Italian and one in German, in which we applied a direct comparison of three singular perspectives in combination with different verb categories. First, second and third person pronouns were combined with action and interaction verbs, i.e., verbs implying an interaction with an object e.g., grasp-or an interaction with an object and another person -e.g., give. By means of kinematics recording, we analyzed participants' reaching-grasping responses to a mouse while they were presented with the different combinations of linguistic stimuli (pronouns and verb type). Results of Experiment 1 on reaching show that, when they are preceded by YOU, interaction verbs reached the velocity peak earlier than action verbs, since a further motor act will follow. Thus pronouns influence perspective taking and while comprehending language we are sensitive to the motor chain organization of verbs. The absence of the same effects in Experiment 2 is likely due to the fact that, being the pronoun in German mandatory, it is perceived as less salient than in Italian. Overall our result supports the idea that language is grounded in the motor system in a flexible way, and highlights the need for cross- linguistic studies in the field of embodied language processing.
In this paper, we propose a secured OpenFlowbased switch architecture. The architecture is a combination of OpenFlow Processing that routes packets according to the OpenFlow protocol and Security Processing that defends against network attacks. Therefore, the proposed switch can work not only as a OpenFlow-based forwarding device but also as a network protection system. We implement our prototype switch on a Xilinx Virtex 5 xc5vtx240t FPGA device. In this prototype version, we integrate two different DDoS countermeasure techniques, the Hop-Count filtering and Port Ingress/Egress filtering. The experimental results show that the switch achieves packet processing throughput by up to 19.7 Gbps while a 100% DDoS detection rate with up to a 2.9% false positive rate and a 0% false negative rate is obtained. Our prototype system uses up to 36% Look-Up Tables, 38% Registers, and 62% Block RAM of the FPGA device.
We examined how different kinds of rating formats, and their interaction with purposes of rating (administrative vs. developmental), induced different performance rating processes and their consequences for rating accuracy. In two experiments, participants rated seven targets presented via videotapes using modes of rating giving access to (a) descriptive knowledge (rating scales were a target's observable behaviors: Descriptive Behavior-DB), (b) evaluative knowledge (rating scales were others' behaviors that the target tended to afford: Evaluative Behavior-EB), or (c) a mix of the two knowledge types (rating scales were traits). Indexes of discriminability (within- and between-ratee discriminability) and of accuracy (differential elevation and differential accuracy) were collected. The results showed that EB rating scales led to higher between-ratee discriminability and differential elevation than other modes of rating, whereas DB rating scales led to higher within-ratee discriminability than the other modes. Our results indicate that EB rating scales are more suited to comparing different ratees (e.g., an administrative purpose for rating), whereas DB scales are more suited to identifying strengths and weaknesses of a particular ratee (e.g., a developmental purpose). Our experiments are the first to apply dual-knowledge (descriptive vs. evaluative) theory to a performance appraisal context and to examine rating purpose in interaction with these two forms of person knowledge. The results, consistent with theoretical predictions, indicate that using rating scales with different types of content as a function of the rating purpose will produce more appropriate performance ratings.
Background: Th9 cells are a newly discovered CD4(+) T helper cell subtype, characterized by high interleukin (IL)-9 secretion. Growing evidences suggest that Th9 cells are involved in the pathogenic mechanism of multiple sclerosis (MS). Mast cells are multifunctional innate immune cells, which are perhaps best known for their role as dominant effector cells in allergies and asthma. Several lines of evidence point to an important role for mast cells in MS and its animal models. Simultaneously, there is dynamic cross-talk between Th9 and mast cells. The aim of the present study was to examine the IL-9-mast cell axis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and determine its interaction after neutralizing anti-IL-9 antibody treatment. Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups (n = 5 in each group): mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced EAE (EAE group), EAE mice treated with anti-IL-9 antibody (anti-IL-9 Abs group), and EAE mice treated with IgG isotype control (IgG group). EAE clinical score was evaluated. Mast cells from central nervous system (CNS) were detected by flow cytometry. The production of chemokine recruiting mast cells in the CNS was explored by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In mice with MOG-induced EAE, the expression of IL-9 receptor (IL-9R) complexes in CNS and spleen mast cells was also explored by RT-PCR, and then was repeating validated by immunocytochemistry. In vitro, spleen cells from EAE mice were cultured with anti-IL-9 antibody, and quantity of mast cells was counted by flow cytometry after co-culture. Results: Compared with IgG group, IL-9 blockade delayed clinical disease onset and ameliorated EAE severity (t = -2.217, P = 0.031), accompany with mast cells infiltration decreases (day 5: t = -8.005, P < 0.001; day 15: t = -11.857, P < 0.001; day 20: t = -5.243, P = 0.001) in anti-IL-9 Abs group. The messenger RNA expressions of C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (t = -5.932, P = 0.003) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (t = -4.029, P = 0.004) were significantly decreased after IL-9 neutralization in anti-IL-9 Abs group, compared with IgG group. In MOG-induced EAE, the IL-9R complexes were expressed in CNS and spleen mast cells. In vitro, splenocytes cultured with anti-IL-9 antibody showed significantly lower levels of mast cells in a dose-dependent manner, compared with splenocytes cultured with anti-mouse IgG (5 mu g/ml: t = -0.894, P = 0.397; 10 mu g/ml: t = -3.348, P = 0.019; 20 mu g/ml: t = -7.639, P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study revealed that IL-9 neutralization reduced mast cell infiltration in CNS and ameliorated EAE, which might be relate to the interaction between IL-9 and mast cells.
Ignition of a cloud of dry powder is a major concern in the field of industrial process safety. The different types of discharges are already defined (spark discharges, brush discharges, propagating discharges, cone discharges, corona discharges) such as their ignition properties in a gas or a dust atmosphere. For example, it is known that a classic brush discharge cannot ignite a cloud of dry flammable dust [6,13]. Glor and Schwenzfeuer performed direct ignition tests using brush discharges and defined that even if the energy released by this kind of discharge equaled the one of a spark, the power released by the brush discharge is too low to trigger an ignition. However, some doubts remained for super brush discharges. A brush discharge as a super brush discharge occurs between a charged insulating object and a conductive electrode. The main difference lies in the surface charge density reached on the insulator that is much higher for a super brush discharge than for a brush discharge. A high charge density can be reached for example using pipes of polyethylene individually charged by tribo-charging piled one above another. Such a configuration was evocated by Liittgens [12] and tested by Larsen [11] who performed direct ignition tests in oxygen enriched atmospheres. This study is relevant with the actual safety problems since pharmaceutical and chemical powders are well known to generate electrostatic charges during their transport or handling and since the same configuration of independent polyethylene fibers can be found in flexible bulk containers that are one of the most common solutions to package this kind of powder. This paper presents the experimental set-up and the results of direct ignition tests performed with a polyethylene wax whose MIE is lower than 1 mJ at ambient conditions. The electric field reached at 1 m and the charge transfer were also registered and are described. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to define the original surface charge density in order to help to understand the phenomenology of this discharge and its frequency of occurrence in industry. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Dietary composition has been shown to influence metabolism and to impact on the prevalence and risk for certain diseases, but hitherto, there have been no systematic studies on the effects of dietary modulation of human metabolic phenotype (metabotype). Here, we have applied H-1 NMR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate statistical analysis to characterize the effects of three diets: vegetarian, low meat, and high meat on the metabotype signature of human participants. Twelve healthy male participants (age range of 25-74 years) consumed each of these diets, in a randomized order, for continuous 15-day-periods with an intervening washout period between each diet of 7 days duration. Each participant provided three consecutive 24-hour urine collections on days 13, 14, and 15 of each dietary period, and H-1 NMR spectra were acquired on all samples. Pattern recognition analysis allowed differentiation of the characteristic metabolic signatures of the diets with creatine, carnitine, acetylcarnitine, and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) being elevated in the high-meat consumption period. Application of orthogonal projection to latent structure discriminant analysis (O-PLS-DA) allowed the low-meat diet and vegetarian diet signatures to be characterized, and p-hydroxyphenylacetate (a microbial mammalian cometabolite) was higher in the vegetarian than meat diet samples, signaling an alteration of the bacterial composition or metabolism in response to diet. This work shows the potential for the routine use of metabonomics in nutritional and epidemiological studies, in characterizing and predicting the metabolic effects and the influence of diet on human metabotypes.
This paper introduces a high-frequency soft-switching pulse-width modulation DC-DC power converter with secondary active rectifier tested as a DC current source for arc welding applications. The soft-switching DC-DC converter consists of a high-frequency full-bridge inverter, high-frequency power transformer, and a controlled output rectifier with new secondary energy recovery turn-off snubber. Circulating currents in the converter are reduced by using active rectifier, and RMS values of the currents in primary and secondary switches are decreased by utilizing a novel control algorithm. The experimental results of a 4.5kW DC-DC converter working at switching frequency of 100kHz are presented.
Combined with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), a mathematical hybrid method for accurately computing the lightning current flowing along the grounding grid buried in multilayered earth model has been developed in this paper. In the hybrid method, electrical circuits consist with T typical elementary element. To accelerate the calculation, both dynamic state and quasi-static complex image methods, and closed form of Green's function were introduced into this model. The model can be used for study performance of transient lightning response to grounding grid.
The semiconductor industry demands for pumps which handle aggressive fluids at very high temperatures, as this is an important step towards higher process speeds and increased yield in semiconductor etching applications. This paper presents the thermal, electrical and mechanical design of a bearingless pump for operating temperatures of up to 250 degrees C without active cooling. A detailed thermal analysis of the machine is presented which allows for the prediction of the thermal stress of critical components. The machine design is based on the prediction of the internal temperatures and hydraulic specifications of the pump. Furthermore, a hallsensorless, observer-based, control of the rotor angle is presented. The necessity for this control scheme arises from the high temperatures that prevent the usage of conventional angle measurement systems.
Groundwater recharge processes, water-rock interaction and the hydraulic connectivity between aquifers of the Galilee and Eromanga Basins in central Queensland, Australia, were investigated using stable (delta H-2, delta C-18 and (87)sr/Sr-86) and radiogenic ((CI)-C-36) isotopes and dissolved methane concentrations, complemented by major ion chemistry. The central Eromanga and the upper sequence of the Galilee basins are both sub-basins of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), and the coal seams of the Galilee Basin are currently explored for their potential as commercial coal seam gas deposits. In order to understand the potential influence of depressurisation of coal seams required to release the gas on adjacent aquifers, a detailed understanding of recharge processes and groundwater hydraulics of these basins prior to any development is required. Each of the different isotope systems were used in this study to provide different information on specific processes. For example, the assessment of delta C-13 and Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios suggested that carbonate dissolution is one of the major processes controlling the water chemistry within some aquifers. In addition, the combined assessment of delta H-2, delta O-18 and major ion chemistry indicates that transpiration is the primary process controlling the solute concentration in the GAB recharge area, whereas evaporation appears to be less significant. Groundwaters in the Galilee Basin recharge area (outside the limits of the GAB) are different to any groundwater within the GAB units. This difference is attributed to the dissolution of potassium-bearing micas, which are absent in the GAB. Groundwater age estimates based on Cl-36/Cl ratios suggest that there is a steady increase along the flow paths, and this lack of anomalous age estimates from the recharge areas to the deeper parts of the basin indicates that there is no evidence for regional inter-aquifer mixing based in isotopes only. However, dissolved methane concentrations and groundwater chemistry near faults indicates the potential mix of gas and/or water from the coal seams into the GAB groundwaters, suggesting that there may be local influence of faults as gas/water conduits. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In arid and semi-arid regions it is quite often to encounter granular soils of high hydraulic conductivity. Loss of irrigation water occurs due to seepage as well as evaporation. Excess water resulting from irrigation of green yards in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia was found to seep down into ground or flow towards uncontrolled directions. Sand clay liners reinforced with geotextile materials can be designed to act as a smart barrier and used to harvest excess irrigation water. Engineering properties and hydraulic conductivity of the sand clay liners were investigated. The conditions for yielding optimum output were introduced based on the outcome of laboratory test results carried out for mixtures of Al Qatif clay material and fine dune sand. The study presents a framework for landscape designers to benefit from the idea and select the appropriate proportions that suit the intended liners. The collected water can be examined and used again in irrigation.
A pilot study was conducted for human biomonitoring of the suspected carcinogen 2-chloroprene. For this purpose, urine samples of 14 individuals occupationally exposed to 2-chloroprene (exposed group) and of 30 individuals without occupational exposure to alkylating substances (control group) were analysed for six potential mercapturic acids of 2-chloroprene: 4-chloro-3-oxobutyl mercapturic acid (Cl-MA-I), 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyl mercapturic acid (Cl-MA-II), 3-chloro-2-hydroxy-3-butenyl mercapturic acid (Cl-MA-III), 4-hydroxy-3-oxobutyl mercapturic acid (HOBMA), 3,4-dihydroxybutyl mercapturic acid (DHBMA) and 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl mercapturic acid (MHBMA). In direct comparison with the control group, elevated levels of the mercapturic acids Cl-MA-III, MHBMA, HOBMA and DHBMA were found in the urine samples of the exposed group. Cl-MA-I and Cl-MA-II were not detected in any of the samples, whereas HOBMA and DHBMA were found in all analysed urine samples. Thus, for the first time, it was possible to detect HOBMA and Cl-MA-III in human urine. The mercapturic acid Cl-MA-III could be confirmed as a specific metabolite of 2-chloroprene in humans providing evidence for the intermediate formation of a reactive epoxide during biotransformation. The main metabolite, however, was found to be DHBMA showing a distinct and significant correlation with the urinary Cl-MA-III levels in the exposed group. The obtained results give new scientific insight into the course of biotransformation of 2-chloroprene in humans.
While chronic cocaine use is associated with abnormalities in both brain structure and function within and interactions between regions, previous studies have been limited to interrogating structure and function independently, and the detected neural differences have not been applied to independent samples to assess the clinical relevance of results. We investigated consequences of structural differences on resting-state functional connectivity in cocaine addiction and tested whether resting-state functional connectivity of the identified circuits predict relapse in an independent cohort. Subjects included 64 non-treatment-seeking cocaine users (NTSCUs) and 67 healthy control subjects and an independent treatment-completed cohort (n = 45) of cocaine-dependent individuals scanned at the end of a 30-day residential treatment programme. Differences in cortical thickness and related resting-state functional connectivity between NTSCUs and healthy control subjects were identified. Survival analysis, applying cortical thickness of the identified regions, resting-state functional connectivity of the identified circuits and clinical characteristics to the treatment cohort, was used to predict relapse. Lower cortical thickness in bilateral insula and higher thickness in bilateral temporal pole were found in NTSCUs versus healthy control subjects. Whole brain resting-state functional connectivity analyses with these four different anatomical regions as seeds revealed eight weaker circuits including within the salience network (insula seeds) and between temporal pole and elements of the default mode network in NTSCUs. Applying these circuits and clinical characteristics to the independent cocaine-dependent treatment cohort, functional connectivity between right temporal pole and medial prefrontal cortex, combined with years of education, predicted relapse status at 150 days with 88% accuracy. Deficits in the salience network suggest an impaired ability to process physiologically salient events, while abnormalities in a temporal pole-medial prefrontal cortex circuit might speak to the social-emotional functional alterations in cocaine addiction. The involvement of the temporal pole-medial prefrontal cortex circuit in a model highly predictive of relapse highlights the importance of social-emotional functions in cocaine dependence, and provides a potential underlying neural target for therapeutic interventions, and for identifying those at high risk of relapse.
Background: Atlantoaxial posterior pedicle screw fixation has been widely used for treatment of atlantoaxial instability (AAI). However, precise and safe insertion of atlantoaxial pedicle screws remains challenging. This study presents a modified drill guide template based on a previous template for atlantoaxial pedicle screw placement. Material/Methods: Our study included 54 patients (34 males and 20 females) with AAI. All the patients underwent posterior atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation: 25 patients underwent surgery with the use of a modified drill guide template (template group) and 29 patients underwent surgery via the conventional method (conventional group). In the template group, a modified drill guide template was designed for each patient. The modified drill guide template and intraoperative fluoroscopy were used for surgery in the template group, while only intraoperative fluoroscopy was used in the conventional group. Results: Of the 54 patients, 52 (96.3%) completed the follow-up for more than 12 months. The template group had significantly lower intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency (p0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it is feasible to use the modified drill guide template for atlantoaxial pedicle screw placement. Using the template can significantly lower the screw malposition rate and the frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy.
In the framework of the EU-FP7 SCOUT project, RECOVER is a subsystem that enables a satellite infrastructure, and more specifically the ground control segment, with traffic control capabilities. Basically, RECOVER applies rules (forward, drop, re-route) to traffic flows. In this paper, we discuss the preliminary architecture of the RECOVER subsystem. The design is based on SDN, a novel approach for computer networking that allows network administrators to manage network services through the abstraction of higher-level functionalities. The core of the subsystem is a new traffic control application that provides policy-based secure routing, i.e., the ability to take on routing decisions driven by physical or network security targets.
Deficits in behavioral and cognitive regulation are prevalent in children reared in poverty relative to more affluent children due to the effects of adverse conditions on the developmental underpinnings of these skills. Despite evidence to suggest that these emergent processes are susceptible to environmental inputs, research documenting short-term intervention program influences on these regulatory domains in young impoverished children is limited. We sought to determine the proximal effects of a universal school-based intervention (the PATHS Curriculum) on social, emotional, relational, and cognitive outcomes in urban poor kindergarten children. Four schools in high-poverty neighborhoods with similar demographic characteristics were randomly assigned to either PATHS or an attentional control. Teacher-reported measures of behavior (e.g., attention, concentration, aggression), peer nominations (e.g., likability, aggression, acceptance), and tasks gauging inhibitory control were administered in the fall of kindergarten and again in the spring after one academic year (about 6 months) of PATHS. Children who received PATHS exhibited significantly greater improvements than control students across all teacher-rated behavioral measures of social competence (i.e., emotion regulation, prosocial behavior, peer relations) and behavioral problems (i.e., aggression, internalizing behaviors, impulsivity and hyperactivity) at post-test as well as improvements in motor inhibition. This line of research constitutes an important frontier for prevention research given the implications for improving ultimate outcomes for otherwise disadvantaged children.
Nowadays, the incidence of bone disorders has steeply ascended and it is expected to double in the next decade, especially due to the ageing of the worldwide population. Bone defects and fractures lead to reduced patient's quality of life. Autografts, allografts and xenografts have been used to overcome different types of bone injuries, although limited availability, immune rejection or implant failure demand the development of new bone replacements. Moreover, the bacterial colonization of bone substitutes is the main cause of implant rejection. To vanquish these drawbacks, researchers from tissue engineering area are currently using computer-aided design models or medical data to produce 3D scaffolds by Rapid Prototyping (RP). Herein, Tricalcium phosphate (TCP)/Sodium Alginate (SA) scaffolds were produced using RP and subsequently functionalized with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through two different incorporation methods. The obtained results revealed that the composite scaffolds produced by direct incorporation of AgNPs are the most suitable for being used in bone tissue regeneration since they present appropriate mechanical properties, biocompatibility and bactericidal activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Secondary metabolites of fungi can be responsible for allergies; therefore, the identification of compounds produced by these organisms is very important. Fungi produce large amounts of secondary metabolites, which belong to groups of chemicals such as: dicarboxylic acids, hydroxy acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, esters, fatty acids, sterols, amino acids and mycotoxins. The presence of all these compounds in human proximity contributes to many diseases. Therefore, the aim of the study was a qualitative and quantitative analysis of hydroxy and dicarboxylic acids produced by fungi occurring in student hostel in Poland, in the province of Pomerania. The following species of fungi were subjected to extraction: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus candidus, Rhizopus sp., Geotrichum candidum, and Penicillium chrysogenum. A mixture of ethyl acetate and methanol was used for the extraction. The obtained extracts were further analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In all samples of fungi, the presence of a total of 22 acids, including 13 dicarboxylic and 9 hydroxy acids, was confirmed. Most acids (17 different acids) were identified in A. fumigatus. Only 10 acids were identified in the mycelium of G. candidum and A. niger. Acids which were identified in all samples of the mycelium were 22-hydroxydocosanoic acid, 24-hydroxytetracosanoic acid and adipic acid. The most abundant compounds were 22-hydroxydocosanoic acid in A. fumigatus, A. candidus, Rhizopus sp., G. candidum and P. chrysogenum, and succinic acid in A. niger. More experiments are needed to understand the physiological role of hydroxy and dicarboxylic acids. We hope that our results are an important contribution to further studies on the human health.
Background: Dogmatism and prejudice are strongly related. We hypothesized that bias against disconfirmatory evidence (BADE) might explain a portion of this relationship unique from that explained by constructs including Political Orientation. BADE (measured by the BADE task) comprises two facets, Evidence Integration Impairment and Positive Response Bias. Only Evidence Integration Impairment was expected to partially explain the prejudice-dogmatism relationship because in prior research it alone was associated with group differences in inflexible beliefs. Method: 254 MTurk participants completed measures of dogmatism, racial prejudice, BADE (Evidence Integration Impairment and Positive Response Bias), and Political Orientation. The hypothesized mediation effect was examined using a bootstrapping procedure. Results: Dogmatism predicted racial prejudice [b = 024, t(249) = 4.92, p < .001]; this relationship weakened in the presence of the above measures [b = 0.05, t(246) = 0.91, p = .363]. The 95% confidence interval for the size of the indirect effect of dogmatism on racial prejudice via Evidence Integration Impairment did not include zero [0.151, 0331], confirming the hypothesized mediation effect. Conclusions: Evidence Integration Impairment accounts for a unique portion of the relationship between dogmatism and racial prejudice, suggesting that belief revision failures in ambiguous social situations may support prejudice in dogmatic individuals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose The presence of activated brown adipose tissue (ABAT) has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity in adults. We aimed to investigate whether the presence of ABAT in patients undergoing F-18-FDG PET/CT examinations was related to blood lipid profiles, liver function, and the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods We retrospectively and prospectively analysed the F-18-FDG PET/CT scans from 5,907 consecutive patients who were referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Marmara University School of Medicine from outpatient oncology clinics between July 2008 and June 2014 for a variety of diagnostic reasons. Attenuation coefficients for the liver and spleen were determined for at least five different areas. Blood samples were obtained before PET/CT to assess the blood lipid profiles and liver function. Results A total of 25 of the 5,907 screened individuals fulfilling the inclusion criteria for the study demonstrated brown fat tissue uptake [ABAT(+) subjects]. After adjustment for potential confounders, 75 individuals without evidence of ABAT on PET [ABAT(-) subjects] were enrolled for comparison purposes. The ABAT(+) group had lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase levels (p < 0.01), whereas we found no significant differences in the serum triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels between the two groups. The prevalence of NAFLD was significantly lower in ABAT(+) than in ABAT(-) subjects (p < 0.01). Conclusion Our study showed that the presence of ABAT in adults had a positive effect on their blood lipid profiles and liver function and was associated with reduced prevalence of NAFLD. Thus, our data suggest that activating brown adipose tissue may be a potential target for preventing and treating dyslipidaemia and NAFLD.
Multiferroic Tb1-xAlxMnO3 (x=0, 0.1, 0.2) was prepared using the standard solid-state reaction. The dielectric properties of these samples were investigated over wide ranges of frequencies and temperatures (T >= 300 K) by means of complex impedance spectroscopy. The isovalent substitution of Al3+ for Tb3+ distinctly influences the structural and dielectric properties of the parent TbMnO3. The conductivity data of the undoped and Al-doped samples fit well to Jonscher's law sigma(ac)(omega)=sigma(dc)+A omega(n). The resulting fitting parameters indicated that the hopping process occured between neighboring sites. The conductivity in the dc regime followed an Arrhenius relation with activation energies of 0.26 and 0.12 eV for undoped and Al-doped (x=0.1) samples, respectively. In turn, the ac conductivity was well described by the small polaron hopping model, with energies of 0.2 and 0.14 eV for undoped and Al-doped (x=0.1) samples, respectively. The real part of the dielectric permittivity (epsilon') increased with increasing temperature and lowering frequency. The value of epsilon' also increased with the Al doping. The occurrence of a non-Debye-type relaxation was verified for the studied samples. The relaxation dynamics of charge carriers in the samples was examined within the electric modulus formalism, which allowed determining the most probable relaxation time and the respective activation energy for the dielectric relaxation. In the temperature range 300-425 K, the activation energy for the dielectric relaxation was calculated as 0.25 eV and 0.16 eV for undoped and Al-doped (x=0.1) samples, respectively. The imperfect overlapping of the reduced plots of the modulus curves on a single master curve, particularly at higher frequencies, for all the temperatures and Al concentrations considered, suggests that the behavior of the dynamic processes is slightly temperature- and Al-content-dependent. Finally, the impedance spectra, characterized by the appearance of semicircle arcs, were well modeled in terms of equivalent electrical circuits. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.
Background: There is a known high prevalence of genetic and clinical syndrome diagnoses in the paediatric cardiac population. These disorders often have multisystem effects, which may have an important impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Taken together, these facts suggest that patients and families may benefit from consultation by genetic specialists in a cardiac neurodevelopmental clinic. Objective: This study assessed the burden of genetic disorders and utility of genetics evaluation in a cardiac neurodevelopmental clinic. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients evaluated in a cardiac neurodevelopmental clinic from 6 December, 2011 to 16 April, 2013. All patients were seen by a cardiovascular geneticist with genetic counselling support. Results: A total of 214 patients were included in this study; 64 of these patients had a pre-existing genetic or syndromic diagnosis. Following genetics evaluation, an additional 19 were given a new clinical or laboratory-confirmed genetic diagnosis including environmental such as teratogenic exposures, malformation associations, chromosomal disorders, and single-gene disorders. Genetic testing was recommended for 112 patients; radiological imaging to screen for congenital anomalies for 17 patients; subspecialist medical referrals for 73 patients; and non-genetic clinical laboratory testing for 14 patients. Syndrome-specific guidelines were available and followed for 25 patients with known diagnosis. American Academy of Pediatrics Red Book asplenia guideline recommendations were given for five heterotaxy patients, and family-based cardiac screening was recommended for 23 families affected by left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Conclusion: Genetics involvement in a cardiac neurodevelopmental clinic is helpful in identifying new unifying diagnoses and providing syndrome-specific care, which may impact the patient's overall health status and neurodevelopmental outcome.
This paper describes the successful application of a pilot with sensors in a groyne alongside the Yellow River near Dayulan. The aim of this innovative application of the sensors is to create a real time monitoring system. The used monitoring system was designed based on the knowledge gained in the Dutch IJkdijk project (IJkdijk is the Dutch word for Calibration levee). The deployed sensors are tri - axialy MEMS (Micro - Electrical - Mechanical Systems) and an optical glass fibre system in a geotextile. The management system, ReadyMIND, links the sensor output to a dike stability analysis model and provides a GIS based interface offering continuous status information on the dike stability. This system also provides sophisticated simulation capability, and operational support, offering benefits in areas of emergency response planning and crisis management.
Studying brain abnormalities in behavioral addiction including GD enables us to exclude possible confounding effects of exposure to neurotoxic substances, which should provide important insight that can lead to a better understanding of addiction per se. There have been a few brain structural magnetic resonance imaging studies for GD, although the results have been inconsistent. On the other hand, GD was suggested to be a heterogeneous disorder in terms of risk attitude. We aimed to examine the heterogeneity of GD by combining a behavioral economics task and voxel-based morphometry. Thirty-six male GD patients and 36 healthy male control subjects underwent a task for estimation of loss aversion, which can assess risk attitude in real-life decision-making. The GD patients were divided into two groups based on their level of loss aversion, low and high. While both groups showed common gray matter volume reduction in the left supramarginal gyrus and bilateral posterior cerebellum, high loss-aversion GD showed pronounced reduction in the left posterior cerebellum and additional reduction in the bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortex. Our study suggests that the heterogeneity of GD is underpinned at the brain structural level. This result might be useful for understanding neurobiological mechanisms and for the establishment of precise treatment strategies for GD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The outcome of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is largely influenced by the host-pathogen interaction in which both the human host and the MTB genetic backgrounds play an important role. Whether this interaction also influences the selection and expansion of drug-resistant MTB strains is the primary focus of this review. We first outline the main and recent findings regarding MTB determinants implicated in the development of drug resistance. Second, we examine data regarding human genetic factors that may play a role in TB drug resistance. We highlight interesting openings for TB research and therapy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.
The anticoagulant drug warfarin occurs as a pair of enantiomers that are differentially metabolized by human cytochromes P450 (CYP). R-warfarin is metabolized primarily by CYP1A2 to 6 and 8-hydroxywarfarin, by CYP3A4 to 10-hydroxywarfarin, and by carbonyl reductases to diastereoisomeric alcohols. S-warfarin is metabolized primarily by CYP2C9 to 7-hydroxywarfarin. Potential warfarin-drug interactions could occur with any of a very wide range of drugs that are metabolized by these P450s, and a number of such interactions have been reported. The efficacy of warfarin is affected primarily when metabolism of S-warfarin is altered. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.
Saving water saves energy. Consequently, implementing integrated water management (IWM) measures that reduce potable water consumption, stormwater runoff, and wastewater generation can potentially translate into significant energy savings. In this paper, the energy savings associated with IWM measures of rainwater harvesting and gray-water reuse are estimated, both at national and local utility scales using published data. At the national scale, it is estimated in this paper that up to 3.8 billion kWh and $270 million can potentially be saved annually by replacing landscape irrigation and other outdoor water uses through rainwater harvesting alone, and up to 14 billion kWh and $950 million in combination with gray-water reuse. Similarly, in Charlotte, North Carolina, the local water utility can potentially save up to 31 million kWh and $1.8 million annually. However, annual energy and associated cost savings per household are low at either scale, ranging between 1 and 120 kWh with associated cost savings of less than $10. These results are discussed in terms of energy savings' role in IWM policy considerations and promotion of sustainable water use in urban areas. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Introduction: Brain imaging with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) positron emission tomography or Tc-99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (Tc-99m-HMPAO) SPECT is widely used for the evaluation of Alzheimer's dementia (AD); we aim to assess superiority of one method over the other. Methods: Twenty four patients with clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease underwent F-18-FDG PET and Tc-99m-HMPAO SPECT in order to assess the zones of hypo metabolism & hypoperfusion specific for Alzheimer's disease. Results: F-18-FDG PET showed specific zones of hypometabolism in 19 patients (79.1%) while SPECT was positive in 15 cases (62.5%) with statistically significant difference (P=0.027). Conclusion: F-18-FDG PET was significantly superior to HMPAO SPECT and F-18-FDG PET could replace the classic role of perfusion SPECT in diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
In the present article, we analyze polymorphous prejudice against lesbians and gays according to a sample of Portuguese heterosexual individuals. We tested the differential importance of demographic-, ideological-, and psychological-level variables to predicting this phenomenon. Our results show that male, Catholic, right-wing respondents with fewer lesbian and gay (LG) friends prove the group exhibiting the highest levels of polymorphous prejudice. Furthermore, the introduction of psychological-level variables into the regression models increased the explained variance in polymorphous prejudice, above and beyond the remaining predictors. Additionally, we report different patterns of results when deploying regression analyses at the level of the sub-scales of polymorphous prejudice. We discuss our results within the light of contemporary sexual prejudice frameworks before reviewing the utility of results to interventions targeting discriminated LG individuals.
A permeability measurement method based on perturbed pressure decay between a source and a sink communicating through a porous medium is formulated. Nonideality of gas as well as corrections due to adsorption are considered. The method allows us to infer permeability at a given rock and fluid state. The accuracy of the method may be evaluated through comparison with theoretical decay characteristics and its modal amplitudes. A quantitative evaluation of the experimental inference is therefore possible. Based on the pressure decay theory, an apparatus built in our laboratory for measuring permeability is presented. As a secondary output, data analysis also provides porosity. The lowest permeability that the present apparatus is capable of characterizing is about 0.3 nm(2), and with additional improvements, capability down to 0.05 nm(2) is anticipated. Where a steady-state permeameter is pragmatic, excellent agreement between the two measurements is showed, validating the method. Measurements in synthetic samples also show that the method is accurate. Porosity data from a standard helium pycnometer confirm the porosity obtained from the decay method. (c) 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 1278-1293, 2016
The recent advancements in computation based on two-phase microfluidics bring into light the possibility that the use of bubbles in microfluidic devices can carry on-chip process control. In this paper, four computational models implementing two different AND-OR logic gates, one logic NOT, and a Flip-Flop are presented. More specifically, the numerical approach used combines the Navier-Stokes equation with the phase-field method. All reported models are based on generally accepted and already experimentally tested chip designs. A parametric T-junction model has been designed to be connected to the logic gate models as a droplet generator. The wider framework on the logic gate behavior in different operating conditions reveals the relevance of these models in the microfluidics chip design. Moreover, the advantage of using a simulation platform for the investigation of electrical circuits equivalent of microfluidic processes is illustrated. In this context, the focus of this paper was not only the definition of CFD models of logic gates, but the attempt to establish a workbench easily accessible for the study of the two-phase microfluidic processes.
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS; or best management practices) are increasingly being used as ecological engineering techniques to prevent the contamination of receiving watercourses and groundwater. Permeable paving is a SuDS technique, which is commonplace in car parks, driveways and minor roads where one of their functions is to improve the quality of urban runoff. However, little is known about the water quality benefits of incorporating an upper geotextile within the paving structure. The review focuses on five different categories of pollutants: organic matter, nutrients, heavy metals, motor oils, suspended solids originating from street dust, and chloride. The paper critically assesses results from previous international tests and draws conclusions on the scientific rigour and significance of the data. Findings indicate that only very few studies have been undertaken to address the role of geotextiles directly. All indications are that the presence of a geotextile leads only to minor water quality improvements. For example, suspended solids are being held back by the geotextile and these solids sometimes contain organic matter, nutrients and heavy metals. However, most studies were inconclusive and data were often unsuitable for further statistical analysis. Further long-term research on industry-relevant, and statistically and scientifically sound, experimental set-ups is recommended.
Cocaine addiction is chronic and persistent, and has become a major social and health problem in many countries. Existing studies have shown that cocaine addicts often undergo episodic periods of addiction to, moderate dependence on, or swearing off cocaine. Given its reversible feature, cocaine use can be formulated as a stochastic process that transits from one state to another, while the impacts of various factors, such as treatment received and individuals' psychological problems on cocaine use, may vary across states. This article develops a hidden Markov latent variable model to study multivariate longitudinal data concerning cocaine use from a California Civil Addict Program. The proposed model generalizes conventional latent variable models to allow bidirectional transition between cocaine-addiction states and conventional hidden Markov models to allow latent variables and their dynamic interrelationship. We develop a maximum-likelihood approach, along with a Monte Carlo expectation conditional maximization (MCECM) algorithm, to conduct parameter estimation. The asymptotic properties of the parameter estimates and statistics for testing the heterogeneity of model parameters are investigated. The finite sample performance of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by simulation studies. The application to cocaine use study provides insights into the prevention of cocaine use.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of vilazodone on sexual functioning in healthy, sexually active adults and assess the impact of medication nonadherence in this type of trial. Participants were randomized to vilazodone (20 or 40 mg/day), paroxetine (20 mg/day), or placebo for 5 weeks of double-blind treatment. The primary endpoint was change from baseline to day 35 in Change in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) total score in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Post-hoc analyses were carried out in modified intent-to-treat (mITT) populations that excluded participants in the active-treatment groups with undetectable plasma drug concentrations at all visits (mITT-I) or at least one visit (mITT-II). In the ITT population (N=199), there were no statistically significant differences between any treatment groups for CSFQ total score change: placebo, -1.0; vilazodone 20 mg/day, -1.4; vilazodone 40 mg/day, -1.9; and paroxetine, -3.5. In mITT-I (N=197) and mITT-II (N=159), CSFQ total score change was not significantly different between vilazodone (either dose) versus placebo; the CSFQ total score decreased significantly (P<0.05) with paroxetine versus both placebo and vilazodone 20 mg/day, but not versus vilazodone 40 mg/day. Vilazodone exerted no significant effect on sexual functioning in healthy adults. Medication nonadherence can alter study results and may be an important consideration in trials with volunteer participants. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Corrosion behaviour of 304 austenitic stainless steel in simulated oilfield produced water at similar to 25 degrees C was investigated. The electrochemical properties of 304 stainless steel were assessed experimentally employing potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The corrosion mechanism of 304 stainless steel in simulated oilfield produced water along with appropriate modelling equivalent electrical circuits were deducted. Results showed that the corrosion rate is reduced with time. This behaviour does not indicate protection of 304 stainless steel. Instead, pits were formed on the surface of the specimens, and their evolution continued with time.
Location-aware services (LAS) are special context-aware services that recommend suitable services to a user based on the user's location. However, considerable uncertainty exists when detecting a user's location. Previous studies have rarely discussed such uncertainty, or emphasized the timeliness and efficiency of such systems. Therefore, a fuzzy collaborative problem solving strategy was used to enhance the performance of a ubiquitous LAS system, measured according to the timeliness of a service and the efficiency of the recommendation process. The uncertainty of detecting a user's location using GPS is first considered by modeling the location and speed of the user with fuzzy numbers. After considering these uncertain parameters, a fuzzy mixed-integer programming problem is formulated to determine the timely service location and path for each user. However, the fuzzy mixed-integer programming problem is not easy to solve. Therefore, a fuzzy collaborative problem solving strategy is used to decompose the fuzzy mixed-integer programming problem into smaller pieces that can be handled by separate processing modules. The most favorable path to a user also leads the user to a region with multiple service locations instead of a single service, to maximize total timeliness. To elaborate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, an experiment was conducted in downtown Taichung City, Taiwan. Based on the experimental results, the proposed methodology was able to be used to determine a timely service location for a specific user, as revealed by the reduced average waiting time. The proposed methodology also reduced the time necessary to find a timely location and path, which contributed to its enhanced efficiency. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The development of the control system for a tokamak demonstration fusion reactor (DEMO) faces unprecedented challenges. First, the requirements for control reliability and accuracy are more stringent than on existing fusion devices: any loss of plasma control on DEMO may result in a disruption which could damage the inner wall of the machine, while operating the device with larger margins against the operational limits would lead to a reduction of the electrical output power. Second, the performance of DEMO control is limited by space restrictions for the implementation of components (optimization of the tritium breeding rate), by lifetime issues for the front-end parts (neutron and gamma radiation, erosion and deposition acting on all components) and by slow, weak and indirect action of the available actuators (plasma shaping, heating and fuelling). The European DEMO conceptual design studies include the development of a reliable control system, since the details of the achievable plasma scenario and the machine design may depend on the actual performance of the control system. In the first phase of development, an initial understanding of the prime choices of diagnostic methods applicable to DEMO, implementation and performance issues, the interrelation with the plasma scenario definition, and the planning of necessary future R&D have been obtained. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.
External Difference families (EDFs) are a new type of combinatorial designs originated from cryptography. In this paper, some constructions of EDFs are presented by using Gauss sums. Several classes of EDFs and related combinatorial designs are obtained.
With the 1812 Constitution Spain entered the official history of liberal constitutionalism, being one of its proclamations the equality of all citizens of all Spanish dominions. However, this idea of an equality apparently within reach of all habitants of its territories, did not go beyond its formal character. Its contents did not correct the various forms of exclusion as, for instance, the exclusion for racial motives. The debates at the Cortes de Cadiz reflect the influences of the racial theories then dominating science and, thus, the development of constitutional principles. The idea of citizenship as embodied in the 1812 Constitution was limited by the racial prejudice that impregnated 19th century law and, in present-day law, still exists.
This paper analyzes first the stability of single-loop digital voltage control scheme for the LC-filtered voltage source inverters. It turns out that the phase lag, caused by the time delay of digital control system and by the use of integral controller, can stabilize the voltage loop without damping of LC-filter resonance. The stability regions are then identified with alternative voltage controller synthesized. For further widening the stability region, an active damping approach is proposed and co-designed with the voltage controller in the discrete z-domain. Simulations and experimental results of both 50-Hz and 400-Hz systems validate the theoretical analyses and the performance of the approach.
In the last decade, the validity and relevance of the dominance model was regularly put into question regarding relationships between canids like dogs and wolves, and consequently, human dog relationships as well. The concept underlying this model, scientifically defined as an intervening variable reflecting status difference between individuals, is applicable when formal status signals symbolize the long-term relationship between individuals, resulting in a formalized dominance hierarchy. This article reviews the basics underlying the concept of dominance and reflects on the value and importance of some new quantitative studies on the applicability of the concept of dominance in domestic dogs. The conclusions are, first, that formal dominance is present in the domestic dog, expressed by context-independent unidirectional formal status signals. Consequently, formal dominance (e.g., submission) plays an important role in assessing status in dog dog relationships. Second, that nonverbal status related communication in humans resembles that in dogs to a considerable degree, and hence dogs may be well able to interpret this human status related nonverbal communication from their perspective. Dominance is therefore also likely to play a role in human dog relationships. Hence, the dominance concept might be useful to explain the development of certain problems in dog dog and dog human relationships. However, enforcing a dominant status by a human may entail considerable risks and should therefore be avoided. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All right's reserved.
The broad range of cellular functions governed by ion channels represents an attractive target for viral manipulation. Indeed, modulation of host cell ion channel activity by viral proteins is being increasingly identified as an important virus-host interaction. Recent examples have demonstrated that virion entry, virus egress and the maintenance of a cellular environment conducive to virus persistence are, in part, dependent on virus manipulation of ion channel activity. Most excitingly, evidence has emerged that targeting ion channels pharmacologically can impede virus life cycles. Here, we discuss current examples of virus-ion channel interactions and the potential of targeting ion channel function as a new, pharmacologically safe and broad-ranging anti-viral therapeutic strategy.
Prostate cancer (PCa) has become the second leading cause of male cancer-related mortality in the United States. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to migrate to tumor tissues, and are thus considered to be novel antitumor carriers. However, due to their immunosuppressive nature, the application of MSCs in PCa therapy remains limited. In this study, we investigated the effect of MSCs overexpressing an NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin 1 (MSCs-Sirt1) on prostate tumor growth, and we analyzed the underlying mechanisms. Our results show that MSCs accelerate prostate tumor growth, whereas MSCs-Sirt1 significantly suppresses tumor growth. Natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages are the prominent antitumor effectors of the MSCs-Sirt1-induced antitumor activity. IFN-gamma and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) are highly expressed in MSCs-Sirt1 mice. The antitumor effect of MSCs-Sirt1 is weakened when CXCL10 and IFN-gamma are inhibited. These results show that MSCs-Sirt1 can effectively inhibit prostate cancer growth recruiting NK cells and macrophages in a tumor inflammatory microenvironment.
Boron has been recognized since 1923 as an essential micronutrient element for higher plants. Over the years, many roles for boron in plants have been proposed, including functions in sugar transport, cell wall synthesis and lignification, cell wall structure, carbohydrate metabolism, RNA metabolism. respiration, indole acetic acid metabolism, phenol metabolism and membrane transport. However, the mechanism of boron involvement in each case remains unclear. Recent work has Focused on two major plant-cell components: cell walls and membranes. In both, boron could play a structural role by bridging hydroxyl groups. In membranes, it could also be involved in ion transport and redox reactions by stimulating enzymes like nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and reduced (NADH) oxidase. There is a very narrow window between the levels of boron required by and toxic to plants. The mechanisms of boron toxicity are also unknown. In nitrogen-fixing leguminous plants, foliarly applied boron causes up to a 1000% increase in the concentration of allantoic acid in leaves. in vitro studies show that boron inhibits the manganese-dependent allantoate amidohydrolase, and foliar application of manganese prior to application of boron eliminates allantoic acid accumulation in leaves. Interaction between berate and divalent cations like manganese may alter metabolic pathways, which could explain why higher concentrations of boron can be toxic to plants.
Background: The essential metals, chromium (Cr), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn), are necessary for many metabolic processes and their homeostasis is crucial for life. The toxic metals, cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), have no beneficial role in human metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of Cd, Cr, Mg, Mn, Pb, and Zn in scalp hair samples of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients of both genders, ages ranging from 30 to 50 y, and belong to urban areas of Ireland and Pakistan. For comparison purposes, age matched non-diabetic subjects of both countries were selected as referents. Methods: The concentrations of metals in scalp hair samples were measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometer and atomic absorption spectrophotometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of the methodology were checked by conventional wet-acid-digestion method and using certified reference materials. Results: The mean values of Cd and Pb were significantly higher in scalp hair samples of both Pakistani and Irish diabetic patients as compared to referents of both countries (P < 0.001). In contrast, lower Cr, Mg, Mn, and Zn (P < 0.01) concentrations were detected in scalp hair derived from patients with type 2 diabetes versus healthy subjects of both countries. Conclusion: This study showed that, increased toxic elements and decreased essential elements are associated with diabetes mellitus. Therefore, these elements may play a role in the development and pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Intramembrane proteases comprise a number of different membrane proteins with different types of catalytic sites. Their common denominator is cleavage within the plane of the membrane, which usually results in peptide bond scission within the transmembrane helices of their substrates. Despite recent progress in the determination of high-resolution structures, as illustrated here for the gamma-secretase complex and its substrate C99, it is still unknown how these enzymes function and how they distinguish between substrates and non-substrates. In principle, substrate/non-substrate discrimination could occur at the level of substrate binding and/or cleavage. Focusing on the gamma-secretase/C99 pair, we will discuss recent observations suggesting that global motions within a substrate transmembrane helix may be much more important for defining a substrate than local unraveling at cleavage sites.
This paper deals with a novel type of hybrid motion system for construction machines based on a common pressure rail shared between a hydromechanical power-split transmission and secondary controlled work hydraulics. A construction machine with driveline and work functions is a complex coupled motion system and the design of an effective hybrid system needs to take both subsystems into account. Studies on energy efficient hybrid systems for construction machines have hitherto principally focused on one subsystem at a time -work hydraulics or driveline. The paper demonstrates a use case with a specific transmission concept proposal for a medium-sized wheel loader. The system is modelled and simulated using an optimal energy management strategy based on dynamic programming. The results show the benefits of a throttle-free bidirectional link between the machine's subsystems and the energy storage, while taking advantage of the complex power flows of the power-split transmission.
Objective: Research findings have indicated that mothers of children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses can be at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSS), with African American mothers being especially vulnerable because of evidence suggesting higher rates of PTSD among both African Americans and women. Race/ethnicity, past trauma exposure and the interaction of these variables were evaluated as risk factors for PTSS, depression, and state and trait anxiety among African American and Caucasian mothers of chronically ill children. Method: Mothers of children (N = 91) diagnosed with a life-threatening illness (i.e., cancer or Type-I diabetes mellitus [T1DM]) completed standardized measures and provided a salivary cortisol sample while attending medical appointments for their ill children. Results: A MANCOVA revealed that mothers of children diagnosed with T1DM had higher cortisol levels than mothers of children with cancer. There was no racial or ethnic disparity in the risk of PTSS among the mothers. Conclusion: These findings suggest that mothers of children with T1DM may be vulnerable to stress reactions, as reflected by cortisol, a biological marker. Clinicians and researchers might consider illness-specific features when evaluating the risk of stress reactions among mothers of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Neutral beam injection (NBI) is a high-power auxiliary heating system for the EAST device. We present a thermal shield (TS) structure to protect the neck pipe of the EAST equatorial port to avoid damage from the NBI beam. Since the EAST port has a big trumpet structure, a straight section, and a small trumpet structure, to accommodate the port structure, a TS concept is put forward including its cooling system. The cooling loops and the sub-branches were designed with interfaces between the inner cooling branches. The heat removal capability is verified by a thermal hydraulics analysis based on ANSYS code. In particular, fabrication is addressed with technical processing technology, especially for the embedded cooling pipes in the heat sinks. The pipes are checked for leaks after bending and the embedding processing. The assembly activities are demonstrated in the spatial space zones of the port before the engineering installation. It is confirmed that the TS structure is safe and will run feasibly in the EAST discharge. It is indicated that the TS structure can provide thermal shielding and remove heat for the NBI device in the port region.
This paper presents an alternative to existing techniques based on Nodal Analysis designed specifically to suit implementation in matrix-oriented programming languages, keeping the simplicity of original Nodal Analysis and bringing improvements to make virtually all circuit topologies solvable through it, dealing with potential singularities, hence the name Singular Nodal Analysis (SNA). Two variants of this novel algorithm are described. Their validity is proven and their applicability is shown through two practical examples.
A variety of operating systems and application programs on the internet have weak points in terms of security. Intelligent attacks on such weak points have been spreading rapidly, causing a lot of damage. In particular, the files downloaded use Application Programming Interface, an intermediate interface between operating systems and application programs, for their running. At that time, attacks on weak points of the application programs are made. In such a principle, users are infected with the malicious codes disguised in the process of updating security patches. Therefore, this work tries to propose a system for integrity security patch updating using PM-FTS (Patch Management-File Transfer System).
A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation method based on 3-D Navier-Stokes equation and Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is presented to analyze the grooved slipper performance of piston pump. The moving domain of grooved slipper is transformed into a fixed reference domain by the ALE method, which makes it convenient to take the effects of rotate speed, body force, temperature, and oil viscosity into account. A geometric model to express the complex structure, which covers the orifice of piston and slipper, vented groove and the oil film, is constructed. Corresponding to different oil film thicknesses calculated in light of hydrostatic equilibrium theory and boundary conditions, a set of simulations is conducted in COMSOL to analyze the pump characteristics and effects of geometry (groove width and radius, orifice size) on these characteristics. Furthermore, the mechanics and hydraulics analyses are employed to validate the CFD model, and there is an excellent agreement between simulation and analytical results. The simulation results show that the sealing land radius, orifice size and groove width all dramatically affect the slipper behavior, and an optimum tradeoff among these factors is conducive to optimizing the pump design. (C) 2015 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Missense variants represent a significant proportion of variants identified in clinical genetic testing. In the absence of strong clinical or functional evidence, the American College of Medical Genetics recommends that these findings be classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS). VUSs may be reclassified to better inform patient care when new evidence is available. It is critical that the methods used for reclassification are robust in order to prevent inappropriate medical management strategies and unnecessary, life-altering surgeries. In an effort to provide evidence for classification, several in silico algorithms have been developed that attempt to predict the functional impact of missense variants through amino acid sequence conservation analysis. We report an analysis comparing internally derived, evidence-based classifications with the results obtained from six commonly used algorithms. We compiled a dataset of 1118 variants in BRCA1, BRCA2, MLH1, and MSH2 previously classified by our laboratory's evidence-based variant classification program. We compared internally derived classifications with those obtained from the following in silico tools: Align-GVGD, CONDEL, Grantham Analysis, MAPP-MMR, PolyPhen-2, and SIFT. Despite being based on similar underlying principles, all algorithms displayed marked divergence in accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. Overall, accuracy ranged from 58.7 to 90.8% while the Matthews Correlation Coefficient ranged from 0.26-0.65. CONDEL, a weighted average of multiple algorithms, did not perform significantly better than its individual components evaluated here. These results suggest that the in silico algorithms evaluated here do not provide reliable evidence regarding the clinical significance of missense variants in genes associated with hereditary cancer.
Background and Purpose In sensory hyperreactivity (SHR), patients have symptoms from the airways and the chest induced by environmental irritants like scenting products and cigarette smoke. They are characterized by increased cough reaction to inhaled capsaicin compared with healthy controls. Lung function tests are normal, and asthma medications have no or little effect. In a recent published article, patients with SHR were found to have impaired chest mobility and increased pain sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a physiotherapeutic intervention can increase chest mobility in SHR, influence these patients' symptoms and reduce capsaicin cough sensitivity. Methods Forty-one SHR patients were initially randomized in to groups, one for training and one for symptom registration in this controlled training study. It consisted of a daily training programme containing simple movements to increase the flexibility of the chest, a breathing exercise and a relaxation session as well as symptom registration. Chest expansion was measured with a measuring tape and thoracic and abdominal movement with light sensors. Pain sensitivity was assessed using pressure algometry and a standardized capsaicin inhalation threshold provocation-evaluated cough sensitivity. Results Twenty seven patients were left for analyses after 12weeks and 26 patients after 24 weeks. Chest mobility and upper thoracic respiratory movements improved (p<0.01), feeling of chest pressure and the capsaicin cough sensitivity decreased (p<0.01). The patients also showed of significantly lowered pain pressure thresholds measured with algometry, compared with healthy controls (p<0.001). Conclusion Improvement of chest mobility after physiotherapeutic intervention indicates that these patients may have acquired a dysfunctional breathing pattern. The regular use of a training programme and structural breathing instructions can be used to improve chest mobility, chest symptoms and capsaicin cough sensitivity in patients with SHR and signs of dysfunctional breathing. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper studied the surface quality (damage, morphology, and phase transformation) of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) in CAD/CAM milling, and subsequent polishing, sintering and sandblasting,processes applied in dental restorations. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to scan all processed surfaces to determine phase transformations and analyse surface damage morphology, respectively. The average surface roughness (R-a) and maximum roughness (R-z) for all processed surfaces were measured using desk-top SEM-assisted morphology analytical software. X-ray diffraction patterns prove the sintering-induced monoclinic-tetragonal phase transformation while the sandblasting-induced phase transformation was not detected. The CAD/CAM milling of pre-sintered Y-TZP produced very rough surfaces with extensive fractures and cracks. Simply polishing or sintering of milled pre-sintered surfaces did not significantly improve their surface roughness (ANOVA, p >0.05). Neither sintering-polishing of the milled surfaces could effectively improve the surface roughness (ANOVA, p >0.05). The best surface morphology was produced in the milling-polishing sintering process, achieving R-a=0.21 +/- 0.03 mu m and R-z=1.73 +/- 0.04 mu m, which meets the threshold for bacterial retention. Sandblasting of intaglios with smaller abrasives was recommended as larger abrasive produced visible surface defects. This study provides technical insights into process selection for Y-TZP to achieve the improved restorative quality. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article deals with Chua's circuit characterization from the point of view of a filter based on the concept of piecewise linear functions. Furthermore, experiments are developed for teaching electronic systems that can be used for novel filtering concepts. The frequency range in which they are tested is from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, due to the audio spectrum comprised in this frequency range. The node associated with the capacitor and Chua's diode is used as input, and the node for another capacitor and the coil is used as output, thereby establishing one input-output relationship for each system case given by the piecewise linear functions. The experimental result shows that Chua's circuit behaves as a bandpass filter-amplifier, with a maximum frequency around 3 kHz and bandwidth between 1.5 kHz and 5.5 kHz. The results presented in this paper can motivate engineering students to pursue applications of novel electrical circuits based on topics that are of potential interest in their future research studies.
Resources scarcity and electricity demand have been dramatically increasing. Wastewater is recognized as one of resources for water, energy and plant fertilizing nutrients. Nevertheless, current wastewater treatment technologies have limitations due principally to their energy- and cost-intensive for achieving the conversion target of wastewater recovery. It is desired to develop a new technology to generate alternatives to conventional energy sources in a sustainable manner. An innovative technology based on the use of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been proved as a critical pathway for bioconversion processes towards electricity generation, then for addressing energy and environmental problems. Three special features including energy saving, less sludge production and less energy production make MFCs outstanding compared with the existing technologies. Multiform wastewaters could be efficiently degraded through advancing MFCs alone or integrating MFCs with other processing units. However, the low power density and the high operating cost of MFCs have greatly limited their applications on large-scale problems, and then result in some debates and doubts about their development and applications. Therefore, this paper objectively discussed the problems and applications of MFCs in wastewater treatment. Moreover, the integration of MFCs with other treatment processes was presented to verify the practicality and effectiveness of MFCs in contaminants removal. Furthermore, the primary challenges and opportunities for scaling-up and future applications of MFCs in wastewater were analyzed.
This study examined the effects of acculturation on anxiety and stress in Latino and non-Latino white parents of children undergoing outpatient surgery. Participants included 686 parent-child dyads from four major children's hospitals in the United States. Latino parents who grew up in the U.S. reported higher levels of anxiety (p = 0.009) and stress (p < 0.001) compared to parents who grew up in a Latin American country. Additionally, English-speaking Latino parents reported higher anxiety and stress compared to both Spanish-speaking Latino and non-Latino white parents (p's < 0.05), whereas Spanish-speaking Latino and non-Latino white parents reported similar levels of stress and anxiety. Results of the current study were consistent with the immigrant health paradox in that more acculturated Latino parents reported higher levels of anxiety and stress than less acculturated Latino and non-Latino white parents, supporting the need for culturally tailored interventions in the perioperative environment.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff) Boerl, is a well-known folk medicinal plant in Indonesia. Traditionally, P. macrocarpa has been used to control cancer, impotency, hemorrhoids, diabetes mellitus, allergies, liver and hearth disease, kidney disorders, blood diseases, acne, stroke, migraine, and various skin diseases. Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to determine the in situ cytotoxicity effect P. macrocarpa fruit ethyl acetate fraction (PMEAF) and the underlying molecular mechanism of cell death. Materials and methods: MDA-MB-231 cells were incubated with PMEAF for 24 h. Cell cycle and viability were examined using flow cytometry analysis. Apoptosis was determined using the Annexin V assay and also by fluorescence microscopy. Apoptosis protein profiling was detected by RayBio Human Apoptosis Array. Results: The AO/PI staining and flow cytometric analysis of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with PMEAF were showed apoptotic cell death. The cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry analysis revealed that the accumulation of PMEAF treated MDA-MB-231 cells in Go/G1 and G2/M-phase of the cell cycle. Moreover, the PMEAF exert cytotoxicity by increased the ROS production in MDA-MB-231 cells consistently stimulated the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Awm) and induced apoptosis cell death by activation of numerous signalling proteins. The results from apoptosis protein profiling array evidenced that PMEAF stimulated the expression of 9 pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bid, caspase 3, caspase 8, cytochrome c, p21, p27, p53 and SMAC) and suppressed the 4 anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-w, XIAP and survivin) in MDA-MB-231 cells. Conclusion: The results indicated that PMEAF treatment induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells through intrinsic mitochondrial related pathway with the participation of pro and anti-apoptotic proteins, caspases, Go/ G1 and G2/M-phases cell cycle arrest by p53-mediated mechanism.
Obesity and insulin resistance have been recognised as leading causes of major health issues, particularly diabetes type 2 and metabolic syndrome. Although obesity, defined as excess body fat, is frequently accompanied by insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, the molecular basis for the link between obesity and those diseases has not yet been clarified. Adipose tissue expresses various secretory proteins, including leptin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and adiponectin, which may be involved in the regulation of energy expenditure, lipid metabolism and insulin resistance. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the metabolic alterations occurring in insulin resistance as well as to review the biological roles of adiponectin, particularly in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation and insulin action. Adiponectin is the most abundant gene product in adipose tissue and accounts for 0.01% of total plasma protein. Plasma adiponectin level is decreased in obesity, both in children and adults, and it is negatively associated to plasma insulin and positively associated to plasma triglycerides. Low levels of adiponectin decreases fatty acid oxidation in muscle. Recent data have demonstrated that adiponectin effects are mediated by the interaction with muscle and hepatic receptors through activation of AMP kinase, the cellular fuel gauge, which in turn inhibits acetyl CoA carboxylase and increases fatty acid beta-oxidation. Since there is no available recombinant adiponectin for human use, its direct effects on human metabolism remain unknown, but this hormone appears to be promising in the treatment of obesity an related metabolic disorders. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article reviews the evolution of the diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) since its discovery in 1832. The morphological, phenotypic and molecular characteristics of both nodular lymphocyte-predominant HL and classical HL are revised in the light of recent molecular information and possible impact on the identification of risk groups as well as the use of targeted therapies. The seminal contribution of Gianni Bonadonna to developing new treatment strategies for both advanced and early-stage HL is highlighted.
Organisms are believed to have evolved circadian clocks as adaptations to deal with cyclic environmental changes, and therefore it has been hypothesized that evolution in constant environments would lead to regression of such clocks. However, previous studies have yielded mixed results, and evolution of circadian clocks under constant conditions has remained an unsettled topic of debate in circadian biology. In continuation of our previous studies, which reported persistence of circadian rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster populations evolving under constant light, here we intended to examine whether circadian clocks and the associated properties evolve differently under constant light and constant darkness. In this regard, we assayed activity-rest, adult emergence and oviposition rhythms of D. melanogaster populations which have been maintained for over 19 years (similar to 330 generations) under three different light regimes - constant light (LL), light-dark cycles of 12:12 h (LD) and constant darkness (DD). We observed that while circadian rhythms in all the three behaviors persist in both LL and DD stocks with no differences in circadian period, they differed in certain aspects of the entrained rhythms when compared to controls reared in rhythmic environment (LD). Interestingly, we also observed that DD stocks have evolved significantly higher robustness or power of free-running activity-rest and adult emergence rhythms compared to LL stocks. Thus, our study, in addition to corroborating previous results of circadian clock evolution in constant light, also highlights that, contrary to the expected regression of circadian clocks, rearing in constant darkness leads to the evolution of more robust circadian clocks which may be attributed to an intrinsic adaptive advantage of circadian clocks and/or pleiotropic functions of clock genes in other traits.
Despite marked progress over the past several decades, convective storm nowcasting remains a challenge because most nowcasting systems are based on linear extrapolation of radar reflectivity without much consideration for other meteorological fields. The variational Doppler radar analysis system (VDRAS) is an advanced convective-scale analysis system capable of providing analysis of 3-D wind, temperature, and humidity by assimilating Doppler radar observations. Although potentially useful, it is still an open question as to how to use these fields to improve nowcasting. In this study, we present results from our first attempt at developing a support vector machine (SVM) box-based nowcasting (SBOW) method under the machine learning framework using VDRAS analysis data. The key design points of SBOW are as follows: (1) The study domain is divided into many position-fixed small boxes, and the nowcasting problem is transformed into one question, i.e., will a radar echo >35dBZ appear in a box in 30min? (2) Box-based temporal and spatial features, which include time trends and surrounding environmental information, are constructed. (3) And the box-based constructed features are used to first train the SVM classifier, and then the trained classifier is used to make predictions. Compared with complicated and expensive expert systems, the above design of SBOW allows the system to be small, compact, straightforward, and easy to maintain and expand at low cost. The experimental results show that although no complicated tracking algorithm is used, SBOW can predict the storm movement trend and storm growth with reasonable skill.
The primate prefrontal cortex represents both past and future goals. To investigate its role in representing the goals of other agents, we designed a nonmatch-to-goal task that involved a human-monkey (H-M) interaction. During each trial, 2 of 4 potential goal objects were presented randomly to the left or right part of a display screen, and the monkey's (or human's) task was to choose the one that did not match the object goal previously chosen. Human and monkey trials were intermixed, and each agent, when acting as observer, was required to monitor the other actor's choice to switch the object goal choice in case it became the actor on the subsequent trial. We found neurons encoding the actor, either the monkey itself or the human, neurons encoding the agent future goal position and neurons encoding the agent previous goal position. In the category of neurons encoding the human future goal, we differentiated between those encoding the future goal of both agents and those encoding only the human agent future goal. While the first one might represent a covert mental simulation in the human trials, the other one could represent a prediction signal of the other's agent choice.
The importance of conceptualizing the dynamics of storage-driven saturation area connectivity in runoff generation has been central to the development of TOPMODEL and similar low parameterized rainfall-runoff models. In this contribution, we show how we developed a 40-year hydrometric data base to simulate storage-discharge relationships in the Girnock catchment in the Scottish Highlands using a simple conceptual model. The catchment is a unique fisheries reference site where Atlantic salmon populations have been monitored since 1966. The modelling allowed us to track storage dynamics in hillslopes, the riparian zone and groundwater, and explicitly link non-linear changes of streamflows to landscape storage and connectivity dynamics. This provides a fundamental basis for understanding how the landscape and riverscape are hydrologically connected and how this regulates in-stream hydraulic conditions that directly influence salmonids. We use the model to simulate storage and discharge dynamics over the 40-year period of fisheries records. The modelled storage-driven connectivity provides an ecohydological context for understanding the dynamics in stream flow generation which determine habitat hydraulics for different life stages of salmon population. This new, long-term modelling now sets this variability in the riverscape in a more fundamental context of the inter-relationships between storage in the landscape and stream flow generation. This provides a simple, robust framework for future ecohydrological modelling at this site, which is an alternative to more increasingly popular but highly parameterized and uncertain commercial ecohydrological models. It also provides a wider, novel context that is a prerequisite for any model-based scenario assessment of likely impacts resulting from climate or land use change. Copyright (c) 2016 The Authors Hydrological Processes Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Copyright (c) 2016 The Authors Hydrological Processes Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Background: Various studies have shown that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) especially diabetes and hypertension are prevalent among older women living in South African urban areas, placing a heavy burden on the healthcare system. This study aimed to understand the health-seeking behaviour, healthcare practices and prevalence of traditional herbal medicine (THM) use among older women self-reporting NCDs from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study (PURE). Method: A homogenous purposive sampling of PURE participants was used to recruit women who were 50 years or older (n = 250). Descriptive statistics were used to examine the number of NCDs reported by the study sample, health seeking behaviour and practices as well as THM use. Logistic regression was also employed to investigate possible associations between reported conditions and THM use or medical pluralism. Results: Within the study sample, 72 % self-reported an NCD. Of those with self-reported NCDs, 46 % had one, and 54 % had two or more NCDs. Those with NCDs usually visited public clinics (80 %), relied on doctors (90 %) and nurses (85 %) for health information, and mostly used conventional medicine (CM) to manage high blood pressure (81 %). About 30 % of those with NCDs indicated using THM, of whom 29 (53 %) reported practicing medical pluralism. Participants with dental problems (OR: 3.24, 95 % CI: 1.30-8.20), headaches (OR: 2.42, 95 % CI: 1.24-4.94), heart burn (OR: 2.30, 95 % CI: 1.18-4.48) and severe tiredness (OR: 2.05, 95 % CI: 1.08-3.99) were more likely to use THM. Anxiety and allergies increased the likelihood to practise medical pluralism by five and 20 times, respectively. Conclusion: Self-reported NCD with co-morbidities was prevalent among the participants in the study. Most of the study participants utilized state-owned clinics and hospitals for the management of their chronic conditions. THM use was not very common. However, among those who used THM, medical pluralism was prevalent. Family history was the most common reason for THM use, with many THM patrons utilizing these for treatment of a health condition. Older black women with anxiety and allergies were more likely to practise medical pluralism.
This paper introduces a novel methodology for automated detection of buildings from single high-resolution optical images with only visible red, green, and blue bands of data. In particular, we first investigate the shadowevidence to focus on building regions. Then, a novel Markov random field (MRF)-based region growing segmentation technique is proposed. Image is oversegmented into smaller homogeneous regions that can be used to replace the rigid structure of the pixel grid. An iterative classification merging is then applied over this set of regions. At each iteration, regions are classified using a region-level MRF model, then, according to the position of shadows, regions having the same class are merged to produce new regions whose shapes are appropriate to rectangles. The final buildings are determined using a recursive minimum bounding rectangle. The experimental results prove that the proposedmethod is applicable in various areas (high dense urban, suburban, and rural) and is highly robust and reliable.
The aim of this paper is to prove global existence of weak solutions to the angiogenesis model proposed by Tosin et al. (Bull Math Biol 68(7):1819-1836, 2006). The model consists of compressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled with a reaction-diffusion equation describing the concentration of a chemical solution responsible of endothelial cells migration and blood vessels formation. Proofs are based on the control of the entropy term associated with the entropy solution of the hyperbolic mass conservation equation and the adaptation of the results of Feireisl (Dynamics of viscous compressible fluids, Oxford University Press, 2003), Lions (Mathematical topics in fluid mechanics, vol 2, compressible models. Oxford Lecture Series in Mathematics and its Applications, 1998) and Novotny and Straskhaba (Introduction to the theory of compressible flow, Oxford University Press, 2004), are inevitable for all models dealing with compressible Navier-Stokes equations. We use the vanishing artificial viscosity method to prove existence of a solution; the main difficulty for passing to the limit is the lack of compactness due to hyperbolic equation, which usually induces resonance phenomenon. This is overcome by using the concept of the compactness of effective viscous pressure combined with suitable renormalized solutions to the hyperbolic mass conservation equation.
Background: Mast cells are a critical component of allergic responses in humans, and animal models that allow the in vivo investigation of their contribution to allergy and evaluation of new human-specific therapeutics are urgently needed. Objective: To develop a new humanized mouse model that supports human mast cell engraftment and human IgE-dependent allergic responses. Methods: This model is based on the NOD-scid IL2rg(null) SCF/GM-CSF/IL3 (NSG-SGM3) strain of mice engrafted with human thymus, liver, and hematopoietic stem cells (termed Bone marrow, Liver, Thymus [BLT]). Results: Large numbers of human mast cells develop in NSG-SGM3 BLT mice and populate the immune system, peritoneal cavity, and peripheral tissues. The human mast cells in NSG-SGM3 BLT mice are phenotypically similar to primary human mast cells and express CD117, tryptase, and Fc epsilon RI. These mast cells undergo degranulation in an IgE-dependent and -independent manner, and can be readily cultured in vitro for additional studies. Intradermal priming of engrafted NSG-SGM3 mice with a chimeric IgE containing human constant regions resulted in the development of a robust passive cutaneous anaphylaxis response. Moreover, we describe the first report of a human mast cell antigen-dependent passive systemic anaphylaxis response in primed mice. Conclusions: NSG-SGM3 BLT mice provide a readily available source of human mast cells for investigation of mast cell biology and a preclinical model of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and passive systemic anaphylaxis that can be used to investigate the pathogenesis of human allergic responses and to test new therapeutics before their advancement to the clinic.
Most of approaches to salient object detection focused on two-dimensional images, while rare attention was attached to the light field which can provide exclusive visual information for salient object detection and other computer vision applications. An effective algorithm of salient object detection is proposed for light field data. First, boundary connectivity is calculated on all-focus image. Then, background probability based on boundary connectivity is achieved by computing geodesic distance. Second, the authors rank the similarity of the superpixels of both all-focus image and depth map via graph-based manifold ranking to carry out two initial saliency maps. Third, weighted by background probability, the two initial saliency maps are fused to produce final saliency results, integrated by objectness cue. The authors also exploit how to integrate effectively objectness with other visual features, and compare two fusion strategies: linear fusion and Bayesian integration. Experiments show that light field features are helpful for saliency detection, and Bayesian integration framework is the better choice than linear fusion method. Meanwhile, the way how to combine multiple features is crucial. The proposed algorithm handles challenging natural scenarios such as cluttered background, similar foreground and background, and so on, and produces visual favourable results in comparison with the eight state-of-the-art methods.
Disruption of neuronal morphology contributes to the pathology of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show that postnatal deletion of Cdh1, a cofactor of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase in neurons [Cdh1 conditional knockout (cKO)], disrupts dendrite arborization and causes dendritic spine and synapse loss in the cortex and hippocampus, concomitant with memory impairment and neurodegeneration, in adult mice. We found that the dendrite destabilizer Rho protein kinase 2 (Rock2), which accumulates in the brain of AD patients, is an APC/C-Cdh1 substrate in vivo and that Rock2 protein and activity increased in the cortex and hippocampus of Cdh1 cKO mice. In these animals, inhibition of Rock activity, using the clinically approved drug fasudil, prevented dendritic network disorganization, memory loss, and neurodegeneration. Thus, APC/C-Cdh1-mediated degradation of Rock2 maintains the dendritic network, memory formation, and neuronal survival, suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of aberrantly accumulated Rock2 may be a suitable therapeutic strategy against neurodegeneration.
Research has shown that personality can be accurately perceived at zero-acquaintance. Although most of this work has focused on physical appearance, a growing number of studies has suggested that personality may be perceptible from other sources of information. In the current meta-analysis, we examined studies that reported accuracy and consensus effects for the perception of the Big Five traits from text-based media and online social network websites. We found substantial consensus for all five traits. Moreover, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were perceived accurately. Importantly, we provide the aggregate effect sizes that researchers might expect when examining similar phenomena to help guide future studies and discuss several potential avenues for valuable additional research in personality and person perception. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Classifying 3D measurement data has become a core problem in photogrammetry and 3D computer vision, since the rise of modern multiview geometry techniques, combined with affordable range sensors. We introduce a Markov Random Field-based approach for segmenting textured meshes generated via multi-view stereo into urban classes of interest. The input mesh is first partitioned into small clusters, referred to as superfacets, from which geometric and photometric features are computed. A random forest is then trained to predict the class of each superfacet as well as its similarity with the neighboring superfacets. Similarity is used to assign the weights of the Markov Random Field pairwise-potential and to account for contextual information between the classes. The experimental results illustrate the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed framework. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS).
A new hydraulic circuit is introduced, packaged as a singular component and referred to as a multifunctional flow control (MFC) valve, for usage in conjunction with self-circulating hydraulic cylinders. Unlike conventional check valves, whose directional flow restrictions are permanent, the restriction on the flow direction in the MFC valve can be changed. In addition to being able to act as a check valve in either direction, this valve can allow free flow or no flow of the fluid when required, that is, a total of four positions. The proposed circuit for the MFC valve can effectively be represented as a two-way four-position valve. Furthermore, the design for the valve is validated through experimentation. Additionally, an aerospace application for this valve is presented and discussed herein.
This paper presents an industrial application of topology optimization for combined conductive and convective heat transfer problems. The solution is based on a synergy of computer aided design and engineering software tools from Dassault SystSmes. The considered physical problem of steady-state heat transfer under convection is simulated using SIMULIA-Abaqus. A corresponding topology optimization feature is provided by SIMULIA-Tosca. By following a standard workflow of design optimization, the proposed solution is able to accommodate practical design scenarios and results in efficient conceptual design proposals. Several design examples with verification results are presented to demonstrate the applicability.
Men and women who violate traditional expectations with regard to professional status are perceived negatively by others, and can face negative outcomes in the workplace. Here we examine whether these negative perceptions extend to observers' evaluations of status violators' intimate relationships. We employed a fictional scenario depicting a heterosexual married couple, manipulating the professional status of each character while holding all other information constant. Participants (N = 396) projected lower relationship satisfaction onto the husband when he had lower professional status than his wife (nontraditional condition). Participants in this condition also liked and sympathized with the wife less, and perceived her as having more power in the relationship than her husband. Finally, these effects were mediated by ratings of the characters on perceived normative masculinity/femininity. These findings contribute to existing research on the penalties that both male and female gender role violators face, suggesting additional consequences for outsiders' perceptions of their intimate relationships.
Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) combines the features of mobile computing, cloud computing, and wireless networks to create the healthy computational resources to mobile cloud users. The aim of MCC is to execute the highly attractive mobile applications on a plethora of mobile cellular telephones, with highly rich user experience. From the perspective of mobile computing, Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning depends on the efficiency of the handoff process. Thus, it is highly important to introduce an energy efficient and secure handoff process to improve the performance. In this paper, we propose a Secure Seamless Fast Handoff (SSFH) scheme to improve the energy efficiency and the QoS in the MCC. The proposed scheme consists of four layers: application layer, service layer, infrastructure layer, and media layer. These four layers collectively handle the security, energy-efficiency, and the QoS. Existing service-oriented architectures designed for the MCC are based on the symmetric encryption protocols to support the application layer. However, it is much easier for an adversary to expose the symmetric key and gain access to the confidential data. The application layer is secured using a combination of both attribute-based encryption and an asymmetric encryption cryptography. To extend the mobile lifetime, energy detection (ED) model is deployed at the infrastructure layer to detect the energy level of the mobile devices prior to the pre-registration process. Furthermore, a dual authentication process is performed on the service and at the application layer to minimize the possibility of identity high jacked or impersonation attack. The media layer supports the secure handoff process using policy enforcement module that allows only legitimate users to complete the re registration process after initiating the handoff. Thus, a significant amount of the bandwidth and energy could be preserved. Finally, the secure service-oriented architecture is programmed using C++ platform and the results are compared with other well-known existing service-oriented architectures. The experimental results confirm the validity and the effectiveness of our proposed architecture. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research on similarity constructs (e.g., dyadic similarity, personality stability, judgment agreement and accuracy) frequently find them to be associated with positive outcomes. However, a methodological pitfall associated with common overall similarity indices, which we term the normative-desirability confound (NDC), will regularly result in similarity constructs apparently having more positive effects than they do in reality. In essence, when an individual is estimated to be similar to another person by common indices, this will strongly indicate that the individual has desirable characteristics. Consequently, the correlates of overall similarity indices can often be interpreted as indicating the beneficial effects of having desirable characteristics, without needing to attribute any additional salutary effect to similarity. We show that this confound is present in overall similarity estimates for a wide range of constructs (e.g., personality traits, attitudes, emotions, behaviors, values), how it can be accounted for, and discuss larger implications for our understanding of similarity constructs.
Connexins (Cxs) are integral membrane proteins that form high-conductance plasma membrane channels, allowing communication from cell to cell (via gap junctions) and from cells to the extracellular environment (via hemichannels). Initially described for their role in joining excitable cells (nerve and muscle), gap junctions (GJs) are found between virtually all cells in solid tissues and are essential for functional coordination by enabling the direct transfer of small signalling molecules, metabolites, ions, and electrical signals from cell to cell. Several studies have revealed diverse channel-independent functions of Cxs, which include the control of cell growth and tumourigenicity. Connexin43 (Cx43) is the most widespread Cx in the human body. The myriad roles of Cx43 and its implication in the development of disorders such as cancer, inflammation, osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease have given rise to many novel questions. Several RNA- and DNA-binding motifs were predicted in the Cx43 and Cx26 sequences using different computational methods. This review provides insights into new, groundbreaking functions of Cxs, highlighting important areas for future work such as transfer of genetic information through extracellular vesicles. We discuss the implication of potential RNA- and DNA-binding domains in the Cx43 and Cx26 sequences in the cellular communication and control of signalling pathways. (C) 2017 The Author(s).
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease with a characteristic BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase (TK) fusion protein. Despite the clinical efficacy accomplished by TKIs therapies, disease progression may affect patient response rate to these inhibitors due to a multitude of factors that could lead to development of a mechanism known as multidrug resistance (MDR). 7-Ketocholesterol (7KC) is an oxidized cholesterol derivative that has been extensively reported to cause cell death in a variety of cancer models. In this study, we showed the in vitro efficacy of 7KC against MDR leukemia cell line, Lucena. 7KC treatment induced reduction in cell viability, together with apoptosis-mediated cell death. Moreover, downregulation of MDR protein caused intracellular drug accumulation and 7KC co-incubation with either Daunorubicin or Vincristine reduced cell viability compared to the use of each drug alone. Additionally, quantitative label-free mass spectrometry-based protein quantification showed alteration of different molecular pathways involved in cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis and misfolded protein response. Conclusively, this study highlights the effect of 7KC as a sensitizing agent of multi drug resistance CML and elucidates its molecular mechanisms. Significance: CML patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have showed a 5-year estimated overall survival of 89%, with cumulative complete cytogenetic response of 87%. However, development of drug resistance is a common feature of the disease progression. This study aimed at showing the effect of 7KC as a cytotoxic and sensitizing agent of multidrug resistance CML cell lines. The cellular and molecular basis of this compound were elucidated using a comprehensive strategy based on quantitative proteomic and cell biology assays. We showed that 7KC induced cell death and overcomes drug resistance in CML through mechanisms that go beyond the classical MDR1 pathways. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
According to recent theories, social cognition is based on two different types of information-processing; an implicit or action-based one and an explicit or verbal one. The present study examined whether implicit and explicit social-cognitive information processing interact with each other by investigating young children's and adults' use of verbal (i.e., explicit) information to predict others' actions. Employing eye tracking to measure anticipatory eye-movements as a measure of implicit processing, Experiment 1 presented 1.5-, 2.5-, and 3.5-year-old children as well as adults with agents who announced to move to either of two possible targets. The results show that only the 3.5-year-old children and adults, but not the 1.5-and 2.5-year-old children were able to use verbal information to correctly anticipate others' actions. Yet, Experiments 2 and 3 showed that 2.5-year-old children were able to use explicit information to give a correct explicit answer (Experiment 2) and that they were able to use statistical information to anticipate the other's actions (Experiment 3). Overall, the study is in line with theoretical claims that two types of information-processing underlie human social cognition. It shows that these two inform each other by 3 years of age.(C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background and aims: Smartphones are ubiquitous. As smartphones increased in popularity, researchers realized that people were becoming dependent on their smartphones. The purpose here was to provide a better understanding of the factors related to problematic smartphone use (PSPU). Methods: The participants were 100 undergraduates (25 males, 75 females) whose ages ranged from 18 to 23 (mean age = 20 years). The participants completed questionnaires to assess gender, ethnicity, year in college, father's education level, mother's education level, family income, age, family history of alcoholism, and PSPU. The Family Tree Questionnaire assessed family history of alcoholism. The Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS) and the Adapted Cell Phone Addiction Test (ACPAT) were used to determine the degree of PSPU. Whereas the MPPUS measures tolerance, escape from other problems, withdrawal, craving, and negative life consequences, the ACPAT measures preoccupation (salience), excessive use, neglecting work, anticipation, lack of control, and neglecting social life. Results: Family history of alcoholism and father's education level together explained 26% of the variance in the MPPUS scores and 25% of the variance in the ACPAT scores. The inclusion of mother's education level, ethnicity, family income, age, year in college, and gender did not significantly increase the proportion of variance explained for either MPPUS or ACPAT scores. Discussion and conclusions: Family history of alcoholism and father's education level are good predictors of PSPU. As 74%-75% of the variance in PSPU scale scores was not explained, future studies should aim to explain this variance.
The development process of complex production machines requires an intense collaboration of different technical disciplines. In this context, the interdisciplinary development. team often lacks a common and continuously updated system model of the machine, which can consequently lead to high communication effort and delays the overall development process. For a more efficient and effective production machine design process, an interdisciplinary modeling language is required that follows a generic design approach. Therefore, we analyzed existing modeling languages and identified drawbacks concerning their application to machine design. Based on our findings, we developed the Interdisciplinary Modeling Language (IML), combining the benefits of existing languages with further extensions. IML includes three diagram types: Functional Structure (FS), Interaction Structure (IS) and Sequential Behavior Diagram (SBD). Furthermore, we propose how these diagrams can be integrated into the general machine development process and demonstrate the utilization of IMI, on the basis of a use case.
Indoor evacuation systems are needed for rescue and safety management. One of the challenges is to provide users with personalized evacuation routes in real time. To this end, this project aims at exploring the possibilities of Google Glass technology for participatory multiagent indoor evacuation simulations. Participatory multiagent simulation combines scenario-guided agents and humans equipped with Google Glass that coexist in a shared virtual space and jointly perform simulations. The paper proposes an architecture for participatory multiagent simulation in order to combine devices (Google Glass and/or smartphones) with an agent-based social simulator and indoor tracking services.
The dideoxynucleoside triphosphates (ddNTPs) terminate the bio-polymerization of DNA and become essential chemical component of DNA sequencing technology which is now basic tool for molecular biology research. In this method the radiolabeled or fluorescent dye labeled ddNTP analogues are being used for DNA sequencing by detection of the terminated DNA fragment after single labeled ddNTP incorporation into DNA under PCR conditions. This report describes the syntheses of rationally designed novel amino-functionalized ddNTP analogue such as Pyrrolidine nucleoside triphosphates (prNTPs), and their polymerase activities with DNA polymerase by LC-MS and Gel-electrophoretic techniques. The Mass and PAGE analyses strongly support the incorporation of prNTPs into DNA oligonucleotide with Therminator DNA polymerase as like control substrate ddNTP. As resultant the DNA oligonucleotide are functionalized as amine group by prNTP incorporation with polymerase. Hence prNTPs provide opportunities to prepare demandable conjugated DNA with other biomolecules/dyes/fluorescence molecule without modifying nucleobase structure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The strategy games have been traditionally applied in the teaching of subjects related with decisions making, principally in the university studies related with the company. Nevertheless, the potential of this methodology makes also applicable to studies that lead to applicable practices in companies or factories, like happens with the technical educations. So, the present paper shows the methodology applied in the teaching of Engineering Plant, inside the Official Master of Manufacturing Engineering in the University of Cadiz, circumscribing it in a context of a material forming machine shop by chip removal. During the experience, distributions by process and by product have been simulated, determining the fictitious domain to pass from one to another. This was preceded by the determination of the. Finally, the discussion has driven to emphasize the importance of the reduction of dead-times due to the movements.
An experimental program of large-scale direct shear tests has indicated that shear displacement of a gravel drainage layer and nonwoven geotextile protection layer over a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane under moderate to high normal stress conditions can cause much greater damage to the geomembrane than static pressure alone. Essentially, no damage was observed at low normal stress. The greatest damage occurred at high normal stress (1,389 kPa) using a lightweight geotextile (335 g/m(2)) and yielded an average of 31 holes/m(2), with a maximum hole size of 29 mm. Surprisingly, geomembrane damage measured using a lightweight geotextile was greater than that measured using no geotextile due to a change in failure surface location. For the same conditions, shear-induced damage was slightly less for a geomembrane placed on a compacted sand subgrade than on a compacted clay subgrade. Interface shear strength increased significantly with decreasing geotextile mass/area due to greater out-of-plane deformation of the geomembrane. The findings suggest that the placement of a gravel drainage layer on top of a HDPE geomembrane, even with a protection nonwoven geotextile, should be viewed with caution for landfill bottom liner systems and other moderate-to high-stress applications. If there is a reasonable expectation for interface shear displacement, project-specific direct shear tests should be conducted to determine the potential for shear-induced geomembrane damage. Recommendations are provided for the performance of such tests and for design options when damage mitigation is necessary. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The intensity distribution is inhomogeneous in the interference pattern received with CCD because of the processing errors and agglutination errors produced during researching and processing of the spatial heterodyne spectrometer, which reduces the accuracy of the transform spectrum. An inhomogeneous correction method to interference pattern is proposed through analyzing producing mechanism and characteristics of the inhomogeneity existed in interference pattern intensity of spatial heterodyne spectrometer. According to the method, actual interference pattern was decomposed monotonously, piecewise normalized and recombined to solve light intensity distribution function; then the transform spectrum was convolved with Fourier transform result of the reverse light intensity distribution function to obtain inhomogenous correction spectrum; lastly the inverse Fourier transform was implemented to corrected spectrum to realize inhomogenous correction of interference pattern. The correction method could be used in measured monochromatic interference pattern of near infrared light in spatial heterodyne spectrometer. The results show that the method could effectively improve the homogeneity of interference pattern intensity distribution and inhibit edge frequency signal of transform spectrum. Compared with the simulated ideal spectrum, the noise in 1 571 nm spectrum reduces 40. 7% while the noise in 1 572 nm spectrum reduces 24% with signal to noise and accuracy of the spectrum being increased.
Two experiments examined how individuals respond to a restriction presented within an approach versus an avoidance frame. In Study 1, working on a problem-solving task, participants were initially free to choose their strategy, but for a second task were told to change their strategy. The message to change was embedded in either an approach or avoidance frame. When confronted with an avoidance compared to an approach frame, the participants' reactance toward the request was greater and, in turn, led to impaired performance. The role of reactance as a response to threat to freedom was explicitly examined in Study 2, in which participants evaluated a potential change in policy affecting their program of study herein explicitly varying whether a restriction was present or absent and whether the message was embedded in an approach versus avoidance frame. When communicated with an avoidance frame and as a restriction, participants showed the highest resistance in terms of reactance, message agreement and evaluation of the communicator. The difference in agreement with the change was mediated by reactance only when a restriction was present. Overall, avoidance goal frames were associated with more resistance to change on different levels of experience (reactance, performance, and person perception). Reactance mediated the effect of goal frame on other outcomes only when a restriction was present.
We designed a delivery system to obtain an efficient and optimal nose-to-brain transport of BACE1 siRNA, potentially useful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We selected a cell-penetrating peptide, the short peptide derived from rabies virus glycoprotein known as RVG-9R, to increase the transcellular pathway in neuronal cells. The optimal molar ratio between RVG-9R and BACE1 siRNA was elucidated. The complex between the two was then encapsulated. We propose chitosan-coated and uncoated solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) as a nasal delivery system capable of exploiting both olfactory and trigeminal nerve pathways. The coating process had an effect on the zeta potential, obtaining positively-charged nanoparticles, and on siRNA protection. The positive charge of the coating formulation ensured mucoadhesiveness to the particles and also prolonged residence time in the nasal cavity. We studied the cellular transport of siRNA released from the SLNs using Caco-2 as a model of epithelial-like phenotypes. We found that siRNA permeates the monolayer to a greater extent when released from any of the studied formulations than from bare siRNA, and primarily from chitosan-coated SLNs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The unavailability of site-specific allometric equations to estimate forest biomass has promoted the use of general equations in tropical moist forests which may result to errors in the estimates. The aim of this study was to develop site-specific allometric equations to estimate biomass of trees in tropical moist forests of Cameroon. For this study, 237 trees (1 <= D <= 121 cm) obtained by destructive method were used to develop allometric equations for the estimation of aboveground biomass. Allometric equations to estimate belowground and total biomasses were developed with 25 trees and 13 trees respectively. Trunk and crown biomass estimators were also developed in this study using 96 sample trees. Predictor variables considered were diameter, tree height, wood density and crown diameter. 237 and 235 trees were also used to develop regressions equations to estimate tree height and crown diameter respectively. For remote sensing applications, this study developed allometric equations to estimate aboveground biomass using crown diameter as predictor variable. Comparison of our biomass data to existing models showed that the equation of Djomo et al. (2016) provided the best estimator of total and mean biomass. Our study contributes to site-specific allometric equations and to the knowledge of belowground, above, trunk, crown and total biomass, which lack in most of the biomass data in tropical moist forests. Also, adding allometric equations with application to remote sensing, this study is a significant input for the implementation of REDD+ in Central Africa. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the last few years, an ecosystem of devices and heterogeneous services has emerged with a huge variety of capacities and characteristics. These new devices, along with applications and services, must be used to enhance the quality of life, making the users daily activities easier, as well as increasing their personal autonomy. In this sense, there is a clear need for creating interfaces that adapt themselves taking into account characteristics of the user, context, application and device. One of the aspects to consider when adapting interfaces is the set of preferences of the user. When using different applications or devices, each user has different preferences, mainly related to their limitations. For that, we have developed a system that discovers users preferences related to different devices and applications. The system discovers set-up parameters, as well as normal performance parameters.
Recent energy policy has favored a massive introduction of Renewable Energy Sources on electricity markets, which has greatly impacted their performance. First, the electricity price has decreased as a consequence of the so-called merit-order effect. Another relevant effect is associated to the intermittent nature of Renewable Energy, which has increased the cost of ancillary services. A third and important aspect, less addressed in the literature, is the induced change in the strategic behavior of the conventional electricity producers. In principle, the entry of new generators in a concentrated market would make it more competitive and change the strategic behavior of the incumbents. We test this hypothesis for the Spanish wholesale market. While we find no significant change in behavior for Nuclear, Hydropower and Coal, a change is observed in Combined Cycle bidding strategies after the entry of renewable generators. Our analysis shows that the massive entry of Renewable Energy Sources made other generators' behavior more competitive in the short run, but the effect was not persistent.
Recent advances in the basic medical sciences, particularly cell biology and genomics, have great promise for the future development of all aspects of haematological practice. They will also impinge on the hitherto neglected fields of haematology, including haematology involving the care of the rapidly increasing number of elderly patients and the complex problems of haematological practice in the developing countries. To obtain the maximum benefit from these new developments it will be necessary to review the patterns of training of haematologists of the future at every level. In short, it will be important to try to design and develop various career pathways for training haematologists including those who wish to work full time in basic research, combine research with clinical practice, or commit all their time to clinical work and teaching.
One of the hypotheses about the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the dysfunction of serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. While certain 5-HT receptor subtypes are likely critical for the symptoms of PTSD, few studies have examined the role of 5-HT3 receptor in the development of PTSD, even though 5-HT3 receptor is critical for contextual fear extinction and anxiety-like behavior. Therefore, we hypothesized that stimulation of 5-HT3 receptor in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) could prevent hippocampal autophagy and the development of PTSD-like behavior in animals. To this end, we infused SR57227, selective 5-HT3 agonist, into the DH after a single prolonged stress (SPS) treatment in rats. Three weeks later, we evaluated the effects of this pharmacological treatment on anxiety-related behaviors and extinction of contextual fear memory. We also accessed hippocampal autophagy and the expression of 5-HT3A subunit, Beclin-1, LC3-I, and LC3-II in the DH. We found that SPS treatment did not alter anxiety-related behaviors but prolonged the extinction of contextual fear memory, and such a behavioral phenomenon was correlated with increased hippocampal autophagy, decreased 5-HT3A expression, and increased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the DH. Furthermore, intraDH infusions of SR57227 dose-dependently promoted the extinction of contextual fear memory, prevented hippocampal autophagy, and decreased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the DH. These results indicated that 5-HT3 receptor in the hippocampus may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of hippocampal autophagy, and is likely involved in the pathophysiology of PTSD.
Structural systems are subject to uncertainties due to variability in many hard-to-control noise factors, which include external loads, material properties, and construction workmanship. Traditional structural design methodologies, although clearly recognizing the presence of uncertainty, omit robustness against the effects of uncertainty in the design process. First, if the actual uncertainties in the design process are underestimated, the design may fail to satisfy safety requirements. Second, to guarantee safety in the presence of high variability of the system response, the structural designer may be forced to choose an overly conservative, thus inefficient and costly design. When robustness against uncertainty is not treated as one of the design objectives, the trade-off between over-design for safety and under-design for cost-savings is exacerbated. This manuscript demonstrates that safe and cost-effective structural engineering designs maybe achieved by implementing Robust Design concepts originally developed in manufacturing engineering to consider robustness against uncertainty. This manuscript presents an optimization-based methodology for the application of Robust Design principles to structural design and demonstrates its application on an academic problem involving design of a reinforced-concrete frame. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Network security systems inspect packet payloads for signatures of attacks. These systems use regular expression matching at their core. Many techniques for implementing regular expression matching at line rate have been proposed. Solutions differ in the type of automaton used (i.e., deterministic versus non-deterministic) and in the configuration of implementation-specific parameters. While each solution has been shown to perform well on specific rule sets and traffic patterns, there has been no systematic comparison across a large set of solutions, rule sets and traffic patterns. Thus, it is extremely challenging for a practitioner to make an informed decision within the plethora of existing algorithmic and architectural proposals. Moreover, as multi-core processors are becoming popular, many parameters need to be tuned to maximize the multi-core potential. To address this problem, we present a comprehensive evaluation of a broad set of regular expression matching techniques. We consider both algorithmic and architectural aspects. Specifically, we explore the performance, area requirements, and power consumption of implementations targeting multi-core processors and FPGAs using rule sets of practical size and complexity. We present detailed performance results and specific guidelines for determining optimal configurations based on a simple evaluation of the rule set. These guidelines can help significantlywhen implementing regular expression matching systems in practice.
This meta-analysis investigates the extent to which people's leisure reading may produce better social-cognitive abilities. Researchers have hypothesized that experiences of fiction (more so than nonfiction) will improve readers' empathy and theory of mind. To capture the size of this effect, we aggregated correlations between measures of lifetime reading habits for both fiction and nonfiction with measures of empathy and theory of mind. Consistent with previous evidence, fiction reading had a larger correlation with the social-cognitive measures compared to nonfiction reading. However, the effects were small in magnitude. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that the effect sizes were consistent across studies. We also examined gender, publication status, and design as moderators. However, none of the moderators reached significance. We suggest that the results of this meta-analysis sanction a shift in research agenda toward understanding causal mechanisms.
The study presents a selection of numerical and experimental results of producing hollow stepped shafts. The first part of this study describes the advantages of using hollow parts in machine design and discusses the main fields of their applications. Next, an innovative rotary compression method for producing stepped axes and shafts is proposed. In order to estimate the technological potential of rotary compression, we performed comprehensive numerical and experimental analyses of producing hollow stepped shafts by this new technique. First, the rotary compression process for hollow parts was modeled numerically by the finite element method. The 3D modeling was made using the Simufact Forming software. The numerical results were then verified by experimental tests conducted under laboratory conditions. The experiments were performed using a machine designed by the authors of the present study. The following variables were investigated in the experiments: the effect of billet wall thickness on the process, the quality and geometry of products, and variations in loads and torques. The experimental results confirmthat rotary compression can be used to produce hollow stepped shafts with a wide range of thicknesses.
Implementing cloud computing empowers numerous paths for Web-based service offerings to meet diverse needs. However, the data security and privacy has become a critical issue that restricts many cloud applications. One of the major concerns in security and privacy is caused by the fact that cloud operators have chances to reach the sensitive data. This concern dramatically increases users' anxiety and reduces the adoptability of cloud computing in many fields, such as the financial industry and governmental agencies. This paper focuses on this issue and proposes an intelligent cryptography approach, by which the cloud service operators cannot directly reach partial data. The proposed approach divides the file and separately stores the data in the distributed cloud servers. An alternative approach is designed to determine whether the data packets need a split in order to shorten the operation time. The proposed scheme is entitled Security-Aware Efficient Distributed Storage (SA-EDS) model, which is mainly supported by our proposed algorithms, including Alternative Data Distribution (ADZ) Algorithm, Secure Efficient Data Distributions (SED2) Algorithm and Efficient Data Conflation (EDCon) Algorithm. Our experimental evaluations have assessed both security and efficiency performances and the experimental results depict that our approach can effectively defend main threats from clouds and requires with an acceptable computation time. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Computational models of cardiovascular physiology can inform clinical decision-making, providing a physically consistent framework to assess vascular pressures and flow distributions, and aiding in treatment planning. In particular, lumped parameter network (LPN) models that make an analogy to electrical circuits offer a fast and surprisingly realistic method to reproduce the circulatory physiology. The complexity of LPN models can vary significantly to account, for example, for cardiac and valve function, respiration, autoregulation, and time-dependent hemodynamics. More complex models provide insight into detailed physiological mechanisms, but their utility is maximized if one can quickly identify patient specific parameters. The clinical utility of LPN models with many parameters will be greatly enhanced by automated parameter identification, particularly if parameter tuning can match non-invasively obtained clinical data. We present a framework for automated tuning of 0D lumped model parameters to match clinical data. We demonstrate the utility of this framework through application to single ventricle pediatric patients with Norwood physiology. Through a combination of local identifiability, Bayesian estimation and maximum a posteriori simplex optimization, we show the ability to automatically determine physiologically consistent point estimates of the parameters and to quantify uncertainty induced by errors and assumptions in the collected clinical data. We show that multi-level estimation, that is, updating the parameter prior information through sub-model analysis, can lead to a significant reduction in the parameter marginal posterior variance. We first consider virtual patient conditions, with clinical targets generated through model solutions, and second application to a cohort of four single-ventricle patients with Norwood physiology. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The transformation of polyp into medusa is one of the most interesting processes in the life cycle of cnidarians. In the polyps of the class Scyphozoa this transformation occurs in the form of strobilation, which is the transverse fission of polyps with the formation of discoidal ephyrae. At present, the endogenous regulation of strobilation in one of scyphozoans, Aurelia aurita, is being investigated by the methods of molecular biology (Fuchs et al., 2014). However, it is still unclear which key environmental factors induce this process. The main purposes of this review are to summarize the literature data on the conditions in which strobilation in A. aurita occurs in nature and in the laboratory and to try to identify the environmental factors that are most likely to play a signaling role in strobilation.
A correlation, based on fluid mechanics, has been investigated for the mean particle diameter of crosslinked dextran microgels (CDMs) prepared via a water/oil emulsification methodology conducted in a single-stirred vessel. To this end, non-dimensional correlations were developed to predict the mean particle size of CDMs as a function of Weber number, Reynolds number and viscosity number similar to ones introduced for liquid-liquid dispersions. Moreover, a Rosin-Rammler distribution function has been successfully applied to the microgel particle size distributions. The correlations were validated using experimentally obtained mean particle sizes for CDMs prepared at different stirring conditions. The validated correlation is especially applicable to medical and pharmaceutical applications where strict control on the mean particle size and size distribution of CDMs are extremely essential.
The role of sexual reproduction in magnifying genetic diversity in clonally propagated crops is now well documented. But whereas many studies have emphasized the importance of perceptual distinctiveness and its role in arousing farmers' curiosity towards plants with unusual morphological traits, few have considered its corollary, perceptual indistinctiveness. In this study, we investigated which factors influence farmers' behaviours towards selfsown 'volunteer' seedlings of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in a cross-cultural survey in Gabon, Central Africa. Interviews revealed that farmers were seven times more likely to spare seedlings that resembled a named landrace compared to those that did not. Similarly, farmers were more likely to relax weeding pressures on cassava volunteers if they believed that volunteers were resurgences from old cuttings. The model fit significantly improved when cultural factors were accounted for, suggesting strong culture-dependent differences among communities in their perception of and attitudes towards cassava volunteers. An analysis of the structure of genetic diversity of cassava landrace populations at the community level showed that most landraces included singleton genotypes, even in villages where farmers imposed the strongest weeding pressures, suggesting that there is always some background incorporation of cassava seedlings. We show that by channelling the selective incorporation of cassava seedlings that are morphologically indistinguishable from familiar landraces, perceptual selection favors the recruitment, sometimes deliberate but more often unconscious, of new genotypes from plants germinating from seeds and contributes to balancing the disadvantages of strictly clonal propagation, while maintaining landraces within consensual combinations of perceptually distinct traits.
This study assessed the extent to which high fat diet (HFD)-induced beta-amyloid accumulation and cognitive decline in APP/PSEN1 mice are reversible through control of fat intake. Ten months of HFD (60% calories from fat) led to significant deficits in a 2-trial Y maze task, and nest building assay, and decreased voluntary locomotor activity. The HFD induced an inflammatory response, indicated by increased expression of several inflammatory markers. Substituting a low fat diet led to pronounced weight loss and correction of glucose intolerance, decreases in the inflammatory response, and improved performance on behavioral tasks in both wild-type and APP/PSEN1 transgenic mice. Insoluble beta-amyloid levels, and extent of tau phosphorylation were also lower following dietary reversal in APP/PSEN1 mice compared to high fat-fed animals, indicating that the inflammatory response may have contributed to key pathogenic pathways in the Alzheimer's disease model. The data suggest that weight loss can be a vital strategy for cognitive protection, but also highlight potential mechanisms for intervention when sustained weight loss is not possible. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We explore the potential for using a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) quadcopter to collect long-dwell imagery of the nearshore from which important measurements can be made at low cost and with flexibility. This paper extends the existing topographic imaging approaches that rely on having plentiful ground control spread across the image, to the nearshore case where the bulk of the image is water with no control point and vehicle metadata must be used. The UAV autopilot was found to be capable of excellent station-keeping with the positional errors of 0.20 and 0.53 m (horizontal and vertical) and the viewing angle errors of 0.25 degrees (tilt and roll) and 0.38 degrees (azimuth). The ground position of imaged objects could be found with 0.21-m accuracy. Metadata returned by the UAV on camera position was accurate at 5 m, and the camera roll could be assumed to be 0 degrees, reducing the ground control requirements to two, or even one location. Even under this extreme simplification, ground position errors averaged only 10 m but were worse for cases when only control points near to the UAV were used. A model for the visual contrast of waves when viewed from different angles found that large tilts are important but, in contrast to theory, that there was little dependence on the viewing azimuthal angle. Derived Argus products agreed well with the same products collected using a traditional fixed Argus station. UAVs appear to be a very promising alternate to fixed camera systems if limited duration sampling is adequate.
This paper introduces a Smart Energy Management System capable of controlling energy and smart home devices to optimize the power consumption of several buildings individually and smooth consumption peaks by means of a central system. The proposed model consists of two main systems; the Energy Storage Units and the Central Energy Management System. The first ones are able to store energy, communicate with X10 devices and transmit information regarding household consumption. Finally, the Central System is in charge of controlling the Energy Storage Units, analyzing the information provided through data mining techniques and deciding the best operation strategy for each unit, so that they can smooth their load curves. The strategy consists of a set of semantic rules, based on sequential patterns, which aim to avoid peaks by shutting down low-priority X10 devices and using properly the energy stored.
Epidemiological studies have shown that patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are often affected by numerous comorbidities that carry significant morbidity and mortality. Reported comorbidities include diabetes mellitus, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune eye disease, non- alcoholic fatty liver disease, depression, and fibromyalgia. All health care providers for patients with PsA should recognize and monitor those comorbidities, as well as understand their effect on patient management to ensure an optimal clinical outcome.
A fast technique for the full-wave optimization of transmission or reflection properties of general linear time-invariant high-frequency components is proposed. The method is based on the zeros and poles of the rational function representing the scattering parameters of the device being designed and it is the generalization of the technique developed for the design by optimization of microwave filters. The performance of the proposed technique is demonstrated with two examples: a patch antenna and a branchline coupler. Fast convergence was observed for all examples, regardless of the quality of the starting point.
In order to get a thorough understanding of the total digital silicon micro-gyroscope, a novel system-level model with details of both the sense and circuit is presented in this paper. Unlike the traditional structures of the digital part of the digital gyroscope, a structure with programmable delay units (PDUs) instead of DPLLs gives a brief and robust character of the whole system. And the PDUs coordinating with the FIR filter could lead to a removal of the IF filters of the sigma delta DAC for feedback, which saves a lot of consumption. Two MASH sigma delta ADCs are designed to convert the output of the charge voltage converters to digital signals, which also bring a better stability. The ADCs achieve an SNR of 102.5 dB with a 10 kHz bandwidth. The stabilization of the closed drive mode has also been analyzed including how the noise caused by the quantization of the digital circuit is affecting the stabilization of both the amplitude and frequency of the driving signals. In the end, a final result of simulation of the gyroscope shows the correctness and accuracy of the whole model of the gyroscope.
Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCA) are formed upon frying of poultry, fish or meat and have been shown to induce tumours in rodent bioassays. We investigated the transforming activity of HCA in an in vitro assay using the M2/C3H mouse fibroblast cell line. An external metabolic activation system (rat liver homogenate) was required in order to observe any HCA-induced cytotoxic effects or cell transforming activity. Trp-P-1 and Trp-P-2 are shown to be among the most potent transforming HCA that have been detected in food, Metabolic activation of HCA has been shown to proceed via N-hydroxylation of the exocyclic amino group. Therefore, we tested 2-hydroxyamino-1-methyl6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b] pyridine (N-2-OH-PhIP) the activated metabolite of 2-anino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5h]pyridine. N-2-OH-PhIP proved to be one of the most powerful compounds with transforming activity observable at a concentration as low as 30 nM. Since 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is the most abundant HCA formed in fried and grilled food and N-hydroxylation appears to be the predominant pathway of human metabolism, these data support the hypothesis that HCA are involved in the aetiology of human cancer. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Large Electric Dispersal Barriers were constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) to prevent the transfer of invasive fish species between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes Basin while simultaneously allowing the passage of commercial barge traffic. We investigated the potential for entrainment, retention, and transport of freely swimming fish within large gaps (>50 m(3)) created at junction points between barges. Modified mark and capture trials were employed to assess fish entrainment, retention, and transport by barge tows. A multi-beam sonar system enabled estimation of fish abundance within barge junction gaps. Barges were also instrumented with acoustic Doppler velocity meters to map the velocity distribution in the water surrounding the barge and in the gap formed at the junction of two barges. Results indicate that the water inside the gap can move upstream with a barge tow at speeds near the barge tow travel speed. Water within 1 m to the side of the barge junction gaps was observed to move upstream with the barge tow. Observed transverse and vertical water velocities suggest pathways by which fish may potentially be entrained into barge junction gaps. Results of mark and capture trials provide direct evidence that small fish can become entrained by barges, retained within junction gaps, and transported over distances of at least 15.5 km. Fish entrained within the barge junction gap were retained in that space as the barge tow transited through locks and the Electric Dispersal Barriers, which would be expected to impede fish movement upstream. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of International Association for Great Lakes Research.
This article advocates the use of new architectural features commonly found in many-cores to replace the machine model underlying Unix-like operating systems. We present a general Abstract Many-core Machine Model (AM(3)), a proof-of-concept implementation and first evaluation results in the context of an emerging many-core, hardware multi-threaded architecture without support for interrupts. Our proposed approach makes it possible to reuse off-the-shelf multithreaded/multiprocess software on massively parallel architectures, without need to change code to use custom programming models like CUDA or OpenCL. Benefits include higher hardware utilization, higher performance and higher energy efficiency for workloads common to general-purpose platforms, such as in datacenters and clouds. The benefits also include simpler software control over the hardware platform, an enabling factor for the further evolution of parallel programming languages.
Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) is a catabolic cellular self-eating process by which unwanted organelles or proteins are delivered to lysosomes for degradation through autophagosomes. Although the role of autophagy in cancer has been shown to be context-dependent, the role of autophagy in tumor cell survival has attracted great interest in targeting autophagy for cancer therapy. One family of potential autophagy blockers is the quinoline-derived antimalarial family, including chloroquine (CQ). However, the molecular basis for tumor cell response to CQ remains poorly understood. We show here that in both squamous cell carcinoma cells and melanoma tumor cells, CQ induced NF-B activation and the expression of its target genes HIF-1, IL-8, BCL-2, and BCL-XL through the accumulation of autophagosomes, p62, and JNK signaling. The activation of NF-B further increased p62 gene expression. Either genetic knockdown of p62 or inhibition of NF-B sensitized tumor cells to CQ, resulting in increased apoptotic cell death following treatment. Our findings provide new molecular insights into the CQ response in tumor cells and CQ resistance in cancer therapy. These findings may facilitate development of improved therapeutic strategies by targeting the p62/NF-B pathway.
U.S. discourse on low-income mothers frames them as social problems and this presumption of deficiency is reflected in studies of parenting logics and practices. Scholars often underestimate the sophistication of low-income mothers' parenting logic and do not recognize that these mothers work as hard as and use (appropriately) different parenting logics than those of middle-class mothers. I investigate parenting logics of African American and White low-income mothers. These women demonstrate a logic that follows many of the same premises of middle-class parenting strategies but additionally seeks to address obstacles that prevent low-income youth from reaching goals: addiction, drug dealing, pregnancy, and the street. This logic leads to strategies that may appear to be inexpensive adaptations of middle-class practices, however, analysis of mothers' narratives reveals they are not derivative but are intended to prepare children to avoid perils of their social context. This study illuminates a previously misunderstood version of intensive mothering.
Recently the political, economic and educational contacts between the People's Republic of China and the Slovak Republic have been intensified. Chinese language has been taught at the Slovak University of Agriculture since 2014. In order to overcome the cultural limits in the international business negotiations we will concentrate attention on the cross-cultural communication between Chinese and Slovak managers as the successful negotiations require the careful consideration of cultural differences and business etiquette. This article will focus on the behaviour at meetings, verbal and nonverbal communication including some useful suggestions to Slovak and Chinese negotiators involved in the intercultural business negotiations.
The channel in Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FDSOI) transistors is completely isolated from the substrate via buried oxide (BOX) and from the sides by shallow trench isolations, which results in high thermal resistance (R-th). Further, R-th increases with reduction in channel length (L-g). In this paper, we have proposed a compact model for the geometry and temperature dependence of R-th in FDSOI transistors. The model is validated against experimental and Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) data. The proposed model is implemented in the independent multi-gate model (BSIM-IMG) for FDSOI transistors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A study was carried out to estimate the actual evapotranspiration (ET) over a 1074 km(2) of the humid area of Perak State (Malaysia), where water and evaporation cycle deeply influences the climate, natural resources and human living aspects. Images from both Terra and Aqua platforms of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor were used for ET estimation by employing the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) model. As a part of the accuracy assessment process, in-situ measurements on soil temperature and reference ET (ET0) were recorded at the time of satellite overpass. In order to enhance the accuracy of the generated ET maps, MODIS images were subjected to sub-pixel analysis by assigning weights for different land surface cover (urban, agriculture and multi-surface areas) reflections. The weighting process was achieved by integrating ET from pure pixels with the respective site-specific ET0 of each land cover. The enhanced SEBAL model estimated ET exhibited a good correlation with the in-situ measured Penman-Montieth ET0, with R-2 values for the Aqua and the Terra platforms of 0.67 and 0.73, respectively. However, the correlation of the non-enhanced ET maps resulted in R-2 values of 0.61 and 0.68 for the Aqua and the Terra platforms, respectively. Hence, the results of this study revealed the feasibility of employing the sub-pixel analysis method for an accurate estimation of ET over large areas.
In recent years, multimorbidity in rheumatic conditions has gained increasing attention. Rheumatologist care for an aging patient population with multiple diseases, therefore multimorbidity is the rule, not the exception. Owing to the high prevalence and the potential interaction of coexisting diseases, multimorbidity needs to be taken into account when treating patients with chronic inflammatory conditions. In this review we address the most prevalent comorbidities in patients with rheumatic conditions and their impact on important outcomes, such as physical function, quality of life, and mortality.
One of major ideas to design a multivariate public key cryptosystem (MPKC) is to generate its quadratic forms by a polynomial map over an extension field. In fact, Matsumoto-Imai's scheme (1988), HFE (Patarin, 1996), MFE (Wang et al., 2006) and multi-HFE (Chen et al., 2008) are constructed in this way and Sflash (Akkar et al., 2003), Quartz (Patarin et al., 2001), Gui (Petzoldt et al, 2015) are variants of these schemes. An advantage of such extension field type MPKCs is to reduce the numbers of variables and equations to be solved in the decryption process. In the present paper, we study the security of MPKCs whose quadratic forms are derived from a quadratic map over an extension field and propose a new attack on such MPKCs. Our attack recovers partial information of the secret affine maps in polynomial time when the field is of odd characteristic. Once such partial information is recovered, the attacker can find the plain-text for a given cipher-text by solving a system of quadratic equations over the extension field whose numbers of variables and equations are same to those of the system of quadratic equations used in the decryption process.
Wu, Sheppard, and Mitchell (Br. J. Psychol., 2016; 107, 1-22) provide interesting data on the perception of empathy. Their focus on cue validity could usefully be expanded to look at what cues are used, whether they have multimodal properties, and how the perception of empathy relates to other first impressions.
Background: Asthma, wheeze and eczema are common in early childhood and cause considerable morbidity. Generally rates of these conditions are higher in high income compared to low income countries. Rates in developed nations are generally higher than in less developed countries. After migration to Western countries, differences in risks of developing these conditions may between migrant and non-migrant may diminish. Methods: A convenience sample of 1648 children of White British, Pakistani or Other ethnicity aged between 4 and 5 years were recruited from the main Born in Bradford cohort. Children's parents or guardians were asked to report on a range of potential risk factors and their associations with wheeze, asthma and eczema. Relationships between ethnicity and disease outcomes were examined using logistic regression after adjustment for other relevant risk factors and confounders. Results: Ethnic differences in doctor diagnosed asthma were evident, with children of other ethnic Origin being less likely and children of Pakistani origin more likely to have a diagnosis than White British or other origin children, although after adjustment for other risk factors this difference only remained significant for the Other Ethnic group. Ethnic differences were not observed in other outcomes including wheeze in the past 12 months, severe wheeze and taking medications for breathing problems. Conclusions: In UK born children, traditional risk factors such as gender, family history, socio-economic status and child's medical history may be stronger risk factors than ethnicity or familial migration patterns. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An instructive software was developed and programmed as an educational aid for design of distillation tower and tray hydraulics using visual basic language. This user-friendly software can be used as an educational aid for undergraduate Chemical Engineering courses. This tool allows students to study the behavior of the distillation tower and explore the different mass transfer and unit operation features. The students will be able to perform many simulation exercises including the tower overall and interior design and predict the behavior of undesired phenomena such as weeping and flooding. The software environment facilitates students' learning by providing a step-by-step procedure and instructions that are consistent with standard course books. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 24:577-585, 2016; View this article online at ; DOI
The integration of renewable energy sources increases the complexity in maintaining the power grid. In particular, the highly dynamic nature of generation and consumption demands for a better utilization of energy resources, which seen the cost of storage infrastructure, can only be achieved through demand-response. Accordingly, the availability of energy and potential overload situations can be reflected using a price signal. The effectiveness of this mechanism arises from the flexibility of device operation, which is nevertheless heavily reliant on the exchange of information between the grid and its consumers. In this paper, we investigate the capability of an interactive energy management system to timely inform users on energy usage, in order to promote an optimal use of local resources. In particular, we analyze data being collected in several households in Italy and Austria to gain insights into usage behavior and drive the design of more effective systems. The outcome is the formulation of energy efficiency policies for residential buildings, as well as the design of an energy management system, consisting of hardware measurement units and a management software. The Mjolnir framework, which we release for open use, provides a platform where various feedback concepts can be implemented and assessed. This includes widgets displaying disaggregated and aggregated consumption information, as well as daily production and tailored advices. The formulated policies were implemented as an advisor widget able to autonomously analyze usage and provide tailored energy feedback. The advisor is estimated leading to a potential of 34% of savings using measurement data from the GREEND dataset.
This article addresses mainly questions about the roles of fluid systems, in particular of digital ones, in an Industrie 4.0 (I4.0) environment. There are three roles: the general machines' subsystems/components' role in machines of an I4.0 production system, the role of subsystems/components of machines which are produced under I4.0 conditions, and the manufacturing of fluid systems' components in an I4.0 setting. These roles are discussed and examples of digital hydraulic solutions which fulfill these roles excellently are presented. They feature simplicity and robustness of hardware components and transfer of functionality to software. It is concluded that components and subsystems can support the successful realization of I4.0-type production systems decisively.
Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) are a family of zinc-finger transcription factors that are found in many species. Recent studies have shown that KLFs play a fundamental role in regulating diverse biological processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, development and regeneration. Of note, several KLFs are also crucial for maintaining pluripotency and, hence, have been linked to reprogramming and regenerative medicine approaches. Here, we review the crucial functions of KLFs in mammalian embryogenesis, stem cell biology and regeneration, as revealed by studies of animal models. We also highlight how KLFs have been implicated in human diseases and outline potential avenues for future research.
Recent reports on tree mortality associated with anomalous drought and heat have raised interest into processes underlying tree resistance/resilience to water stress. Hydraulic failure and carbon starvation have been proposed as main causes of tree decline, with recent theories treating water and carbon metabolism as interconnected processes. We subjected young plants of two native (Quercus pubescens [Qp] and Prunus mahaleb [Pm]) and two invasive (Robinia pseudoacacia [Rp] and Ailanthus altissima [Aa]) woody angiosperms to a prolonged drought leading to stomatal closure and xylem embolism, to induce carbon starvation and hydraulic failure. At the end of the treatment, plants were measured for embolism rates and NSC content, and re-irrigated to monitor recovery of xylem hydraulics. Data highlight different hydraulic strategies in native vs invasive species under water stress, and provide physiological explanations for species-specific impacts of recent severe droughts. Drought-sensitive species (Qp and Rp) suffered high embolism rates and were unable to completely refill xylem conduits upon restoration of water availability. Species that better survived recent droughts were able to limit embolism build-up (Pm) or efficiently restored hydraulic functionality after irrigation (Aa). Species-specific capacity to reverse xylem embolism correlated to stem-level concentration of soluble carbohydrates, but not to starch content. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
A novel low voltage high power multi-phase inverter is presented. Based on an already designed ISCAD machine the specification of an electrical power up to 240 kW at a dc-link voltage below 60 V has to be achieved. For spreading the high currents and the corresponding power losses a 60 phase machine is built up. Each phase is connected with one dedicated half-Bridge, which includes power components and the driver circuit. The requirements on electrical circuits and components are investigated to ensure a safe operation of the system against voltage transients. Further simulations show the electrical and thermal behavior of the printed circuit boards. Experimental results validate the simulations and show the system boundaries.
To determine whether green teen polyphenol ( GTP) ameliorated the premature senescent and osteoporosis phenotype of Bmi-1(-/)-mice, we paired with littermates Bmi-1(+/)-between male and female mice, taken from the littermate mice. In vivo, the mice were divided into 3 groups and treated as following: 1) wild type ( WT) mice with normal diet; 2) Bmi1(-/)-( BKO) mice with normal diet; 3) Bmi1-/-mice with GTP-supplemented diet ( BKO+GTP) ( 400 mg/kg body weight/ day in the drinking water). Analysis of their phenotypic differences from the whole, X-ray, morphology, protein, histochemistry and cell biology respectively, to elucidate the roles and mechanisms of GTP in premature aging and osteoporosis phenotype of Bmi-1(-/)-mice. Our results demonstrated that Bmi-1 deficiency resulted in growth retardation, premature aging and osteoporosis. We also demonstrated that these typical aging and osteoporosis phenotypes in Bmi-1-deficient mice were largely rescued by GTP through increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis, promoted skeletal growth and development, increased osteoblastic bone formation, decreased osteoclastic bone resorption and senescence-associated molecules, down-regulating oxidative stress of multiple organs, expressing antioxidase in Bmi-1(-/)-mice. These findings implied that green tea will be a novel therapeutic way to delay aging and prevent aging-associated osteoporosis.
Opportunities and challenges in the petrochemical industry and the emergence of massive disruptive technologies have triggered a new revolution that has the power to fundamentally change industrial processes including manufacturing, engineering, materials, supply chains, lifecycle management. Recently, the newly arisen smart factory adopted a disruptive manufacturing methodology and has become a key part of the petrochemical industry. The smart factory, which is different from the original production systems used in the petrochemical industry, needs to assess and position its future research agenda including its definition, intension, framework, and technology. Systems thinking and systems problem solving for the smart factory must be prioritized. Based on an analysis of the driving force for smart factory development, this paper proposes a lifecycle blueprint and consensus-based operating and technology roadmap. The definition and features of a smart factory in the petrochemical industry are presented. Furthermore, a summary of the technical systems and future-proof research field of the smart petrochemical factory from an academic and industrial viewpoint is presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background. The use of electronic health records (EHRs) in dental care and their effect on dental care provider-patient interaction have not been studied sufficiently. The authors conducted a study to explore dental care providers' interactions with EHRs during patient visits, how these interactions influence dental care provider-patient communication, and the providers' and patients' perception of EHR use in the dental clinic setting during patient visits. Methods. The authors collected survey and interview data from patients and providers at three dental clinics in a health care system. The authors used qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze data obtained from patients and dental care providers. Results. The provider survey results showed significant differences in perceptions of EHR use in patient visits across dental care provider groups (dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants). Patient survey results indicated that some patients experienced a certain level of frustration and distraction because of providers' use of EHRs during the visit. Conclusions. The provider survey results indicated that there are different perceptions across provider groups about EHRs and the effect of computer use on communication with patients. Dental assistants generally reported more negative effects on communication with patients owing to computer use. Interview results also indicated that dental care providers may not feel comfortable interacting with the EHR without having any verbal or eye contact with patients during the patient's dental visit. Practical Implications. A new design for dental operatories and locations of computer screens within the operatories should be undertaken to prevent negative nonverbal communication such as loss of eye contact or forcing the provider and patient to sit back to back, as well as to enhance patient education and information sharing.
The current study examined the influence that parental warmth/support and verbal hostility had on adolescents' prosocial behavior toward multiple targets (stranger, friend, family) using multiple reporters (self, parent, observations). Data were taken from Times 2 and 3 of a longitudinal project and included 500 adolescents and their parents (M age of child at Time 2 = 12.34). Structural equation models suggested that mother warmth was associated with prosocial behavior toward family, while father warmth was associated with prosocial behavior toward friends. Findings also suggested that adolescents' prosocial behavior was more consistently influenced by father hostility than it was by father warmth. Finally, observational reports of father hostility were associated with adolescent prosocial behavior more consistently than self-or child-reported parenting. The discussion focuses on the importance of considering target of prosocial behavior, the differences between mothers and fathers, and the role of self-reports compared to observations.
Experimental studies find a strong influence of nonverbal signals on the evaluation of political candidates when raters are asked to judge unknown candidates from short-duration exposures. Yet when viewers are exposed to candidates' verbal and nonverbal communication in a more naturally occurring context, the presence of verbal communication can make the influence of nonverbal communication seem attenuated. To link these findings, the present study uses continuous response measurement to uncover the relative influence of verbal and nonverbal communication on political opinion formation during a debate clip lasting about 9 minutes. The analysis suggests that nonverbal communication influences candidate evaluations especially during the beginning of the presentation. Verbal communication seems influential for the remaining time. Consistent with this trend, study participants' post-exposure opinions were influenced by both verbal and nonverbal communication.
The textile industry is one of the largest sectors globally, representing up to 20% of industrial water pollution. However, there is limited insight into how fluvial ecosystems respond and recover from this impact. From summer 2012 to spring 2013, we examined water quality and ecological status upstream and 1.5 km downstream the input of a textile industry wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Ripoll River, NE Spain. The ecological status was determined via diversity measures and 10 biotic indices based on diatoms, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish. Our results showed that the WWTP severely deteriorated water quality and biological communities at the discharge site, but that they improved at 15 km downstream. Severity also varied across taxa and seasons, being fish the most affected taxa and spring the season with the best ecological status. The strong correlation amongst water quality variables and many biotic indices across taxa indicated that this is a chronic pollution event affecting multiple trophic levels. Thus, this study suggests that there is an urgent need to invest in wastewater treatment in this industry to preserve the ecological integrity of Ripoll River and especially its fish fauna. Likewise, it illustrates the diagnostic power of biotic indices based on diatoms, macroinvertebrates and fish, as driven by the European Water Framework Directive. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective. Hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) are frequently reported in patients rechallenged with carboplatin for recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) and represent a critical issue, since discontinuation of the platinum-based therapy could affect prognosis. Several strategies to allow platinum rechallenge have been described, with controversial outcomes. The aim of this study is to illustrate a 10-year experience with cisplatin in patients with a previous HSR to carboplatin or at risk for allergy. Methods. A retrospective review of all patients with platinum sensitive ROC retreated with carboplatin was performed between January 2007 and May 2016 at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Fondazione G, Pascale, Naples. Results. Among 183 patients, 49 (26.8%) presented HSR to carboplatin, mainly during second line therapy. Mean number of cycles before HSR was 8 (range 3-17). G2, G3 and G4 reaction were detected in 83%, 15% and 2% of patients, respectively. In a multivariate analysis including age, hystotype, BRCA status, previous known HSR, and combination drug administered, only the type of carboplatin-based doublet used as 2nd line therapy was found to significantly affect HSR development, with a protective effect of PLD (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin) (p = 0.014, OR = 0.027). Thirty seven patients (77%) with a previous HSR to carboplatin were rechallenged with cisplatin. Treatment was generally well tolerated. 5 patients (13.1%) experienced mild HSR to cisplatin, successfully managed in all cases. 14 patients were treated with cisplatin even without a carboplatin-related HSR due to other allergies, Among these, only one developed HSR (7.1%), Conclusions. Cisplatin rechallenge is a feasible approach in patients experiencing I-JSR to carboplatin to maintain the beneficial effect of platinum while reducing hypersensitivity-related risks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The population genetic structure of freshwater organisms depends upon the arrangement of streams, the extent and connectivity of ponds and marshes, as well as terrestrial dispersal capability. We assessed the population genetic structure and patterns of gene flow for a total of 324 European pond turtles Emys orbicularis sampled in ponds along the Strymon River, northern Greece. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences and nuclear DNA species-specific microsatellite loci recorded a high level of genetic diversity and suggested gene flow following a recent history of colonization. This pattern was advocated by an overall low-level nuclear DNA differentiation, limited but significant sequence divergence among mtDNA haplotypes, a significant level of genomic admixture across central ponds, and high proportions of individual turtle genomes from downstream and upstream ponds belonging to the same genetic cluster as defined by Bayesian analysis. Male-mediated gene flow emphasized the role of the Strymon River in turtle dispersal but did not rule out short-distance terrestrial movements. This work contributes to fine-scale population structure studies of freshwater organisms in habitats affected by human activities and provides information to help devise management and conservation plans for E. orbicularis in the Lake Kerkini National Park wetlands system.
This paper presents the design and development of a 190 GHz Schottky-diode frequency doubler (x2 multiplier) which can handle up to 260 mW input power. In order to increase the power handling capability, a modeling approach incorporating computer-aided design (CAD) load-pull techniques to characterize the diode performance is proposed. By the use of this approach, effects of several critical diode parameters on the power handling issue are quantitatively investigated and based on the analysis, a discrete diode chip is designed for the doubler. To ensure rapid heat sink in the doubler circuitry, low cost aluminum nitride ceramic (AlN) is selected as the dielectric material of the circuit substrate, which has significantly better thermal conductivity compared with currently widely-used fused quartz. The doubler circuitry is based on a balanced configuration, which brings a merit of avoiding the use of a filter for the input and output signal isolation. The doubler circuit is optimized by co-simulation using ANSYS's HFSS and Keysight's ADS. The measurements show that the doubler can handle up to 260 mW input power with a power conversion efficiency of nearly 8%, resulting in 20 mW output power at 193 GHz.
A theoretical concern in addressing the unconscious perception of emotion is the extent to which participants can access experiential properties of masked facial stimuli. Performance on a two alternative forced choice (2AFC) task as a measure of objective awareness was compared with a new measure developed to access experiential phenomena of the target-mask transition, the perceptual contrast-change sensitivity (PCCS) measure in a backward-masking paradigm with angry, happy and neutral facial expressions. Whilst 2AFC performance indicated that the targets were successfully masked, PCCS values were significantly higher in the happy-neutral face condition than in the angry-neutral face and the neutral neutral face conditions (Experiment 1). Furthermore, objective measures of awareness were more readily displayed by individuals with high trait anxiety, whereas individuals with low trait anxiety showed greater access to the experiential quality of happy faces (Experiment 2). These findings provide important insights into the methodological considerations involved in the study of non-conscious processing of emotions, both with respect to individual differences in anxiety and the extent to which certain expressions can be successfully masked relative to others. Furthermore, our results may be informative to work investigating the neural correlates of conscious versus unconscious perception of emotion. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Recent droughts and the profound effects they have on ecosystems, agriculture, and forests in California highlighted a critical need to understand drought impacts and develop remote sensing-based methods for drought monitoring. The objectives of this work were to evaluate drought-affected areas of northern and central California using remote sensing and aid in drought mitigation and prediction efforts for sustainable forest resource management and planning. Remote sensing provides direct measurement of spectral properties at moderate spatial resolution (30m with Landsat) as compared to modeled environmental variables at 800m spatial resolution, scaled to 270m. Modified Perpendicular Drought Index derived from Landsat data and long term Climatic Water Deficit (CWD) data for the year 2014 were analyzed. MPDI was strongly correlated with CWD, precipitation and temperature data for various forest types with coefficient of determination in the range of 0.60-0.80. Our results demonstrate that MPDI is an effective and direct method to monitor vegetation stress and forest declines at landscape scale, thereby providing land managers and stakeholders guidance in forest management and planning.
A simplified method for measuring the fluidic resistance (R-fluidic) of microfluidic channels is presented, in which the electrical resistance (R-elec) of a channel filled with a conductivity standard solution can be measured and directly correlated to R-fluidic using a simple equation. Although a slight correction factor could be applied in this system to improve accuracy, results showed that a standard voltage meter could be used without calibration to determine R-fluidic to within 12% error. Results accurate to within 2% were obtained when a geometric correction factor was applied using these particular channels. When compared to standard flow rate measurements, such as meniscus tracking in outlet tubing, this approach provided a more straightforward alternative and resulted in lower measurement error. The method was validated using 9 different fluidic resistance values (from similar to 40 to 600 kPa s mm(-3)) and over 30 separately fabricated microfluidic devices. Furthermore, since the method is analogous to resistance measurements with a voltage meter in electrical circuits, dynamic R-fluidic measurements were possible in more complex microfluidic designs. Microchannel R-elec was shown to dynamically mimic pressure waveforms applied to a membrane in a variable microfluidic resistor. The variable resistor was then used to dynamically control aqueous-in-oil droplet sizes and spacing, providing a unique and convenient control system for droplet-generating devices. This conductivity-based method for fluidic resistance measurement is thus a useful tool for static or real-time characterization of microfluidic systems. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective To investigate the usefulness of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) by comparing with clinical features, blood parameters and traditional short tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequence in detecting spinal and sacroiliac (SI) joint inflammation in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients. Methods One hundred and ten axSpA patients were recruited. Clinical, radiological and blood parameters were recorded. DWI and STIR MRI were performed simultaneously and results were scored according to the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) for comparison. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were also calculated. Results DWI did not correlate with clinical parameters or blood parameters. It also had lowered sensitivity. When compared with STIR sequence, it correlated well with STIR sequence at the SI joint level (CC 0.76, p< 0.001), but weakly at the spinal level (CC 0.23, p=0.02). At the SI joint level, the presence of inflammation on both STIR sequence and DWI was associated with an increase in maximum (B=0.24, p=0.02 in STIR; B=0.37, p< 0.001 in DWI) and mean ADC values (B=0.17, p=0.003 in STIR; B=0.15, p=0.01 in DWI). Maximum (B=0.19, p=0.04) and mean spinal ADC values (B=0.18, p=0.01) were also positively associated with DWI detected spinal inflammation. Presence of Modic lesions showed positive correlation with STIR sequence (B=7.12, p=0.01) but not spinal ADC values. Conclusion Despite DWI correlates with STIR sequence, it has lower sensitivity. However, ADC values appear to be independent of Modic lesions and may supplement STIR sequence to differentiate degeneration.
The use of 3D design software Inventor, established the mechanical structure and the finite element model of laser anti-counterfeit platform focusing mechanism in production manufacturing engineering. Through doing the modal analysis and static analysis of the mechanism, we found the natural frequency and Vibration modes of the structure of focusing mechanism, and proved the mechanism design was reliable and stable to avoid the failure of focusing caused by mechanical resonance and which provided the basis for further optimization design for production manufacturing engineering.
Filament growth and breakup are investigated in the context of ceramic inkjet printing. Several inks were formulated and ejected on a printer dedicated to ceramic materials. They consisted of six colloidal inks, four simple fluids and two graphic inks. For each, stroboscopic snapshots were acquired and the filament shape was extracted and analysed, for different nozzle actuation pulses. The filament length and the thread minimum radius were measured during the ejection process. A scaling of the breakup time with the Rayleigh number was obtained, as well as a general behaviour for the filament growth rate during the ejection process. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Semistability is the property whereby the solutions of a dynamical system converge to a Lyapunov stable equilibrium point determined by the system initial conditions. We extend the theory of semistability to a class of first-order evolution variational inequalities, and study the finite-time semistability. These results are Lyapunov-based and are obtained without any assumptions of sign definiteness on the Lyapunov function. Our results are supported by some examples from unilateral mechanics and electrical circuits involving nonsmooth elements such as Coulomb's friction forces and diodes.
This paper presents and evaluates an advance hybrid key management architecture for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks (HSKMA), which supports all three types of communications: unicast, multicast, and broadcast. The HSKMA is based on the elliptic curve cryptography and symmetric cryptography. While the elliptic curve cryptography is used for communication between master station unit (MSU) and sub-MSUs, the symmetric cryptographic algorithm is used for communication between sub-MSUs and slave stations that have limited computational resources. Our analysis shows that the HSKMA has the following distinctive advantages: 1) it supports the security requirement such as availability, forward security, and backward security, 2) it supports the required speed in the MODBUS implementation, and 3) it is suitable for the environments that have limited computational resources. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment is the basic way to evaluate and improve the teaching. The traditional assessment method usually is single classroom examination, and is not conducive to the improvement of students' comprehensive quality. In order to realize the cultivation of various abilities of students, we have reformed the teaching and assessment methods of the metal cutting machine design course. The project teaching model of the course is constructed based on CDIO teaching idea, and the content of the project is to implement the virtual simulation design of machine tool transmission system. The project, experiment, attendance, classroom comprehensive performance, small test, homework are all included in the course evaluation index system. Practice shows that the teaching reform effect is obvious, and the students' active learning and ability training are achieved.
Fine-scale population distribution data at the building level play an essential role in numerous fields, for example urban planning and disaster prevention. The rapid technological development of remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) in recent decades has benefited numerous population distribution mapping studies. However, most of these studies focused on global population and environmental changes; few considered fine-scale population mapping at the local scale, largely because of a lack of reliable data and models. As geospatial big data booms, Internet-collected volunteered geographic information (VGI) can now be used to solve this problem. This article establishes a novel framework to map urban population distributions at the building scale by integrating multisource geospatial big data, which is essential for the fine-scale mapping of population distributions. First, Baidu points-of-interest (POIs) and real-time Tencent user densities (RTUD) are analyzed by using a random forest algorithm to down-scale the street-level population distribution to the grid level. Then, we design an effective iterative building-population gravity model to map population distributions at the building level. Meanwhile, we introduce a densely inhabited index (DII), generated by the proposed gravity model, which can be used to estimate the degree of residential crowding. According to a comparison with official community-level census data and the results of previous population mapping methods, our method exhibits the best accuracy (Pearson R=.8615, RMSE=663.3250, p<.0001). The produced fine-scale population map can offer a more thorough understanding of inner city population distributions, which can thus help policy makers optimize the allocation of resources.
This paper describes a computationally efficient approach for mapping rotor power loss in permanent magnet (PM) machines. The PM loss mapping methodology discussed here utilizes a small number of time-step finite-element analyses (FEAs) to determine the parameters of a functional representation of loss variation with speed (frequency) and stator current and is intended for a rapid evaluation of machine performance over the entire torque-speed envelope. The research focus is placed on field-oriented-controlled brushless AC PM machines with surface-mounted PM rotor construction, although the method could be adapted for other rotor formats. The loss mapping procedure accounts for the axial segmentation of the PM array through the use of an equivalent electrical resistivity of the segmented PM array, which is obtained from three-dimensional (3-D) FEA. The PM loss can be accurately mapped across the full operational envelope, including the field-weakened mode, through a single 3-D and four two-dimensional time-step FEAs. The proposed methodology is validated on an 18-slot 16-pole surface-mounted brushless AC PM machine design. The loss mapping procedure results closely agree with the computationally demanding alternative of direct 3-D finite-element prediction of the PM power loss undertaken at each of the machine's operating points.
Intelligent environments aim to provide context-sensitive services to humans in the physical spaces in which they work and live. While the ethical dimensions of these systems have been considered, this is an aspect which requires further analysis. A literature review shows that these approaches are disconnected from each other, and that they are making little impact on real systems being built. This article provides a solution to both of these problems. It synthesises the ethical issues addressed by previous work and highlights other important concerns which have been overlooked so far. Furthermore, it proposes an alternative, more holistic approach that can be used to guide the development of intelligent environments. The validity of the framework is demonstrated by its integration into an actual project.
The mental well-being of the world's adolescents has decreased in the last 20-30 years. Such a trend is visible also in Sweden, a country otherwise considered a positive example in terms of child well-being. In Sweden, students in lower secondary school are especially exposed. From a salutogenic orientation, this study qualitatively explored 200 Swedish students' (grades 5-9) perceptions of the role of happiness in school. Students perceived happiness as both promoting and being promoted by five aspects: learning, school engagement, appreciation of subjects or lesson content, others' happiness, and prosocial behavior. Hence, five perceived bidirectional crossovers of subjective well-being were found. These were compared to the findings of previous research about the determinants and effects of happiness. The students' perceptions both add new direction for future research and align in several respects with decades of earlier research.
The delineation of exercise biochemistry by utilizing metabolic fingerprinting has become an established strategy. We present a combined RP-UPLC-MS and H-1 NMR strategy, supplemented by photometric assays, to monitor the response of the human urinary metabolome to short maximal exercise. Seventeen male volunteers performed two identical sprint sessions on separate days, consisting of three 80 m maximal runs. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, we followed the fluctuation of 37 metabolites at 1, 1.5, and 2 h postexercise. 2-Hydroxyisovalerate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, 2-oxoisocaproate, 3-methyl-2-oxovalerate, 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, 2-oxoisovalerate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, alanine, pyruvate, and fumarate increased 1 h postexercise and then returned toward baseline. Lactate and acetate were higher than baseline at 1 and 1.5 h. Hypoxanthine and inosine remained above baseline throughout the postexercise period. Urate decreased at 1 h and increased at 1.5 h before returning to baseline. Valine, isoleucine, succinate, citrate, trimethylamine, trimethylamine N-oxide, tyrosine, and formate decreased at 1 h and/or 1.5 h postexercise and then returned to baseline. Creatinine gradually decreased over the sampling period. Glycine, 4-aminohippurate, and hippurate remained below baseline throughout the postexercise period. Our findings show that even one-half minute of maximal exercise elicited major perturbations in human metabolism, several of which persisted for at least 2 h.
Utility sector reform spread across the developing world in the 1980s and 1990s. In Egypt, as in many cases, the pace and nature of reform has been challenged by a state-owned national incumbent. However, in the Egyptian telecommunications sector, rapid growth in the cellular market has overtaken the archaic fixed-line system. Hence, the national monopoly provider, Telecom Egypt (TE), has been stripped of its market power as the market diversified. The implemented public sector reform and privatization placed efficiency pressures on TE resulting in improved outcomes for a range of stakeholders, consumers, workers, and the government, including reduced prices, increased access, and improved service quality. This experience offers lessons for policy makers and researchers about liberalization in the face of entrenched state interests. However, there are nuances in the findings relating to market type, that is, fixed-line versus cellular, residential versus non-residential, and national versus international. Despite attempted improvements, direct competition in its retail market has led to deterioration in TE's financial performance, although this has been partially offset by its monopoly supply of an essential input and a degree of protection provided by the regulator sympathetic to TE. The evidence from this case study supports the concept of a staggered introduction of competition. However, protecting inefficient market insiders, be it firms or workers, is always at the expense of potentially more efficient outsiders. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Alzheimer's disease is a multifactorial and fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by decline of cholinergic function, deregulation of other neurotransmitter systems, beta-amyloid fibril deposition, and beta-amyloid oligomers formation. Based on the involvement of a relevant number of biological systems in Alzheimer's disease progression, multitarget compounds may enable therapeutic efficacy. Accordingly, compounds possessing, besides anticholinergic activity and beta-amyloid aggregation inhibition properties, metal chelating and/or nitric oxide releasing properties with additional antioxidant capacity were developed. Other targets relevant to Alzheimer's disease have also been considered in the last years for producing multitarget compounds such as beta-secretase, monoamino oxidases, serotonin receptors and sigma 1 receptors. The purpose of this review will be to highlight recent reports on the development of multitarget compounds for Alzheimer's disease published within the last years focusing on multifunctional ligands characterized by tacrine-like and donepezil-like structures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aims. Adults who experienced the 1992 and 2008 armed conflicts in the Republic of Georgia were exposed to multiple traumatic events and stressors over many years. The aim was to investigate what coping strategies are used by conflict-affected persons in Georgia and their association with mental disorders. Method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 3600 adults, representing internally displaced persons (IDPs) from conflicts in the 1990s (n = 1200) and 2008 (n = 1200) and former IDPs who returned to their homes after the 2008 conflict (n = 1200). Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and coping strategies were measured using the Trauma Screening Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalised Anxiety and adapted version of the Brief Coping Inventory, respectively. Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses were used. Results. Coping strategies such as use of humour, emotional support, active coping, acceptance and religion were significantly associated with better mental health outcomes. Coping strategies of behavioural and mental disengagement, denial, venting emotions, substance abuse and gambling were significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes. The reported use of coping strategies varied significantly between men and women for 8 of the 15 strategies addressed. Conclusions. Many conflict-affected persons in Georgia are still suffering mental health problems years after the conflicts. A number of specific coping strategies appear to be associated with better mental health and should be encouraged and supported where possible.
This article addresses a classical fluid mechanics problem where the effect of capillary action on a column of viscous liquid is analyzed by quantifying its time-dependent penetrated length in a narrow channel. Despite several past studies, a rigorous mathematical formulation of this inherently unsteady process is still unavailable, because these existing works resort to a crucial assumption only valid for mildly transient systems. The approximate theories use an integral approach where the penetration is described by equating total force acting on the domain to rate of change of total momentum. However, while doing so, the viscous resistance under temporally varying condition is assumed to be same as the resistance created by a quasi-steady velocity profile. Thus, leading order error appears due to such approximation which can only be true when the variation in time is not strong enough causing negligible transient deviation in the hydrodynamic quantities. The present paper proposes a new way to solve this problem by considering the unsteady field itself as an unknown variable. Accordingly, the analysis applies an eigenfunction expansion of the flow with unknown time-dependent amplitudes which along with the unsteady intrusion length are calculated from a system of ordinary differential equations. A comparative exploration identifies the situation for which the integral approach and the rigorous technique based on eigenfunction expansion deviate from each other. It also reveals that the two methods differ substantially in short-time dynamics at the initial stage. Then, an asymptotic perturbation shows how the two sets of results should coincide in their long-time behavior. In this way, the findings will provide a comprehensive understanding of the physics behind the transport phenomenon.
This research focuses on using analytical fluid mechanics to determine whether or not a mitral regurgitation (MR) patient's Echocardiogram reading can be trusted, to assess the severity of his Mitral Regurgitation (MR). MR occurs when the mitral valve inlet, separating the left atrium and the left ventricle does not fully close during ventricular systole, allowing regurgitant blood to flow backwards from the left ventricle into the left atrium. For clinicians, knowing the severity of this hack-flow is important in preventing eventual heart failure. The Coanda Effect phenomenon in a particular patient is believed to cause discrepancies in echocardiogram results, leading clinicians to sometimes incorrectly diagnose a patient's MR severity. We propose to generate a tool for reading undebatable solid geometries in an echocardiogram and using these to judge the prevalence of wall effect to distort a fluid jet being read. Using control volume analysis for a regurgitant jet in the mitral valve, an analytical solution for the expected flow profile, based on wall effects around the regurgitant jet is derived. Using a turbulent 3D ANSYS model, detailed velocity and momentum mappings of the blood flowing backwards from the mitral valve into the left atrium are obtained. We believe these are first steps towards understanding wall effects in MR and determining the level of trustworthiness of any echocardiogram reading of MR severity.
The aim of this work was to introduce a computer-aided design (CAD) tool that enables the design of large skull defect (>100 ) implants. Functional and aesthetically correct custom implants are extremely important for patients with large cranial defects. For these cases, preoperative fabrication of implants is recommended to avoid problems of donor site morbidity, sufficiency of donor material and quality. Finally, crafting the correct shape is a non-trivial task increasingly complicated by defect size. We present a CAD tool to design such implants for the neurocranium. A combination of geometric morphometrics and radial basis functions, namely thin-plate splines, allows semiautomatic implant generation. The method uses symmetry and the best fitting shape to estimate missing data directly within the radiologic volume data. In addition, this approach delivers correct implant fitting via a boundary fitting approach. This method generates a smooth implant surface, free of sharp edges that follows the main contours of the boundary, enabling accurate implant placement in the defect site intraoperatively. The present approach is evaluated and compared to existing methods. A mean error of 89.29 % (72.64-100 %) missing landmarks with an error less or equal to 1 mm was obtained. In conclusion, the results show that our CAD tool can generate patient-specific implants with high accuracy.
Two well-known problems are recognizing faces in the presence of facial expression variation and in the presence of occlusion. Humans depict their feelings through facial expressions, and this is an effective way of nonverbal communication. Facial expressions are dynamic, and recognizing faces under varying facial expressions thus are the challenging task. The ability to recognize human affective state through an intelligent machine will empower to interpret, understand, and respond to human emotions, moods, and possibly intentions which is similar with one person to another. On the other hand, occlusion in an image refers to obstructions in the view of an object. Face recognition systems in real-world applications need to manage an extensive variety of obstructions, and faces can occluded by facial accessories (e.g., sunglasses, scarf, cap, cloak), objects before the face (e.g., hand, food, cellular telephone), extreme illumination (e.g., shadow), self-occlusion (e.g., non-frontal pose), or poor picture quality (e.g., blurring). In this paper, we perform a comparative study on various state of the art techniques to recognize faces under varying facial expressions and in the presence of occlusion.
The human microbiome consists of all microorganisms occupying the skin, mucous membranes and intestinal tract of the human body. The contact of the mucosal immune system with the human microbiome is a balanced interplay between defence mechanisms of the immune system and symbiotic or pathogenic microbial factors, such as microbial antigens and metabolites. In systemic autoimmune diseases (SADs) such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome, the immune system is deranged to a chronic inflammatory state and autoantibodies are an important hallmark. Specific bacteria and/or a dysbiosis in the human microbiome can lead to local mucosal inflammation and increased intestinal permeability. Proinflammatory lymphocytes and cytokines can spread to the systemic circulation and increase the risk of inflammation at distant anatomical sites, such as the joints or salivary glands. Increased intestinal permeability increases antigen exposure and the risk of autoantibody production. If the human microbiome indeed plays such a critical role in SADs, this finding holds a great promise for new therapeutic strategies, such as diet interventions and probiotics and prebiotics. This review provides a background on the human microbiome and mucosal immunity in the gut and oral cavity and gives a summary of the current knowledge on the microbiome-SADs connection.
The hierarchial aminated polyacrylonitrile(AOPAN)@ Mg(OH)(2) composite nanofibrous membrane was obtained by electrospinning technique and surface modification with hydroxylamine chloride prior to hydro-thermal method. The composite nanofibrous membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and transmission electron microscope(TEM) to confirm the formation of Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles on the AOPAN nanofibers. The results revealed that 40 degrees C/7 h was the best hydrothermal condition and Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles were effectively load. ed on the surface of AOPAN nanofibrous membrane. The adsorption process showed pH dependence and the maximum Cr(VI) adsorption occurred at pH = 2. The Langmuir adsorption model described well the experimental adsorption data and estimated a maximum loading capacity of 123.5 mg/g. This is mainly due to the protonation of -NH2 groups and Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles under the acid condition, which is benefit for adsorbing HCrO4-. The kinetics studies indicated that the adsorption equilibrium was attained after 5 h and the experimental data followed the pseudo. second order model. Meanwhile, the AOPAN@ Mg(OH)(2) composite nanofibrous membrane can be easily separated from liquid solutions and shows excellent cyclic utilization per. formance. The composite membrane maintained over 50% removal rate after rinsing with dilute NaOH solution by four cycles. Therefore, the AOPAN@ Mg(OH)(2) composite nanofibrous membrane could be a good candi. date for removing Cr(VI) from wastewater, and the study provides a simple and effective route for the develop. ment of new environmental remediation nanomaterials.
The lungs are constantly exposed to the external environment, which in addition to harmless particles, also contains pathogens, allergens, and toxins. In order to maintain tolerance or to induce an immune response, the immune system must appropriately handle inhaled antigens. Lung dendritic cells (DCs) are essential in maintaining a delicate balance to initiate immunity when required without causing collateral damage to the lungs due to an exaggerated inflammatory response. While there is a detailed understanding of the phenotype and function of immune cells such as DCs in human blood, the knowledge of these cells in less accessible tissues, such as the lungs, is much more limited, since studies of human lung tissue samples, especially from healthy individuals, are scarce. This work presents a strategy to generate detailed spatial and phenotypic characterization of lung tissue resident DCs in healthy humans that undergo a bronchoscopy for the sampling of endobronchial biopsies. Several small biopsies can be collected from each individual and can be subsequently embedded for ultrafine sectioning or enzymatically digested for advanced flow cytometric analysis. The outlined protocols have been optimized to yield maximum information from small tissue samples that, under steady-state conditions, contain only a low frequency of DCs. While the present work focuses on DCs, the methods described can directly be expanded to include other (immune) cells of interest found in mucosal lung tissue. Furthermore, the protocols are also directly applicable to samples obtained from patients suffering from pulmonary diseases where bronchoscopy is part of establishing the diagnosis, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sarcoidosis, or lung cancer.
As an interesting and emerging topic, co-saliency detection aims at simultaneously extracting common salient objects from a group of images. On one hand, traditional co-saliency detection approaches rely heavily on human knowledge for designing hand-crafted metrics to possibly reflect the faithful properties of the co-salient regions. Such strategies, however, always suffer from poor generalization capability to flexibly adapt various scenarios in real applications. On the other hand, most current methods pursue co-saliency detection in unsupervised fashions. This, however, tends to weaken their performance in real complex scenarios because they are lack of robust learning mechanism to make full use of the weak labels of each image. To alleviate these two problems, this paper proposes a new SP-MIL framework for co-saliency detection, which integrates both multiple instance learning (MIL) and self-paced learning (SPL) into a unified learning framework. Specifically, for the first problem, we formulate the co-saliency detection problem as a MIL paradigm to learn the discriminative classifiers to detect the co-saliency object in the instance-level. The formulated MIL component facilitates our method capable of automatically producing the proper metrics to measure the intra-image contrast and the inter-image consistency for detecting co-saliency in a purely self-learning way. For the second problem, the embedded SPL paradigm is able to alleviate the data ambiguity under the weak supervision of co-saliency detection and guide a robust learning manner in complex scenarios. Experiments on benchmark datasets together with multiple extended computer vision applications demonstrate the superiority of the proposed framework beyond the state-of-the-arts.
We have developed a family of synthetic biodegradable polymers that are composed of structural units endogenous to the human metabolism, designated poly(polyol sebacate) (PPS) polymers. Material properties of PPS polymers can be tuned by altering the polyol monomer and reacting stiochiometric ratio of sebacic acid. These thermoset networks exhibited tensile Young's modiali ranging from 0.37 +/- 0.08 to 378 +/- 33 MPa with maximum elongations at break from 10.90 +/- 1.37% to 205.16 +/- 55.76%, and glass transition temperatures ranging from similar to 7-46 degrees C. In vitro degradation under physiological conditions was slower than in vivo degradation rates observed for some PPS polymers. PPS polymers demonstrated similar in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility compared to poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The role of hyaline hairs on the thallus of brown algae in the genus Fucus is long debated and several functions have been proposed. We used a novel motorized set-up for two-dimensional and three-dimensional mapping with O-2 microsensors to investigate the spatial heterogeneity of the diffusive boundary layer (DBL) and O-2 flux around single and multiple tufts of hyaline hairs on the thallus of Fucus vesiculosus. Flow was a major determinant of DBL thickness, where higher flow decreased DBL thickness and increased O-2 flux between the algal thallus and the surrounding seawater. However, the topography of the DBL varied and did not directly follow the contour of the underlying thallus. Areas around single tufts of hyaline hairs exhibited a more complex mass-transfer boundary layer, showing both increased and decreased thickness when compared with areas over smooth thallus surfaces. Over thallus areas with several hyaline hair tufts, the overall effect was an apparent increase in the boundary layer thickness. We also found indications for advective O-2 transport driven by pressure gradients or vortex shedding downstream from dense tufts of hyaline hairs that could alleviate local mass-transfer resistances. Mass-transfer dynamics around hyaline hair tufts are thus more complex than hitherto assumed and may have important implications for algal physiology and plant-microbe interactions.
Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells has been adapted by investigators for treatment of cancer. This technology is becoming popular in the aspects of cell in vitro preparation and T cell proliferation. In addition, it also does well in enhancing immunity effect and reducing cytotoxicity. A major advantage for this adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) is its ability to efficiently endow patient's T cells with reactivity for tumor antigens through stable or regulated introduction of genes that encode high affinity tumor-targeting T-cell receptors (TCRs) or synthetic chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). To overcome issues of immune tolerance which limit the endogenous adaptive immune response to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), robust systems for genetic modification and characterization of T cells that express the chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for redirecting their specificity have been produced. More and more cases have indicated that the CAR-T cells are excellent in cancer treatment. However, they still have many limitations in the treatment of solid malignancies. In addition, the toxicity of CARs T cells is also a serious problem in the CAR therapy as well. At present, the CAR therapy has been developed through four generations. This review thus focuses on the opportunities and challenges facing the CAR-T cells.
Fluid dynamics are important in processes that grow large crystals from a liquid phase. This paper presents a primer on fluid mechanics and convection, followed by a discussion of the physics and scaling of flows in such processes. Specific examples of fluid flows in crystal growth systems are presented and classified according to their impact on outcomes, good or bad. Turbulence in crystal growth is discussed within the limited extent of our understanding, which is incomplete, or ugly. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Since drinking water can be a vehicle for the transmission of pathogens, the detection of enteric viruses in these water samples is essential to establish the appropriate measures to control and prevent associated diseases. Objective: To analyze the results obtained for enteric viruses in water samples for human consumption received at the Colombian Instituto Nacional de Salud and establish their association with the data on water quality in Colombian municipalities. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive-retrospective analysis of the results obtained in the detection of rotavirus, enterovirus, hepatitis A virus and adenovirus in water samples received for complementary studies of enteric hepatitis, acute diarrheal disease and foodborne diseases. Data were correlated with the results of water quality surveillance determined by the national human consumption water quality index (IRCA). Results: Of the 288 samples processed from 102 Colombian municipalities, 50.7% were positive for viruses: 26.73% for hepatitis A virus, 20.48% for enterovirus and rotavirus and 18.05% for adenovirus. Viruses were detected in 48.26% of non-treated water samples and in 45.83% of treated water samples. The IRCA index showed no correlation with the presence of viruses. Conclusions: The presence of viruses in water represents a public health risk and, therefore, the prevention of virus transmission through water requires appropriate policies to reinforce water supply systems and improve epidemiological surveillance.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Via autoimmune mediators, AS can damage the auditory system similar to other systems. Otoacoustic emission studies in AS patients showed that the damage that causes hearing loss was in the outer hair cells. The medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex is used to evaluate the MOC efferent system (MOES), which includes the outer hair cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of subclinical damage in the inner ear with the aid of the MOC reflex test in AS patients with no hearing complaints. Thirty-four patients with AS and a control group of 30 healthy volunteers with similar demographic characteristics were evaluated in the study. Otoacoustic emission responses, MOC reflex results, and frequency-specific and total suppression findings were compared between the groups. The relationship between clinical and laboratory findings for the AS patients, and the MOC reflex data were also investigated. Reduced MOC reflex response (p = 0.04) and suppression (p = 0.019) were detected in AS patients. When the clinical and laboratory findings for the AS patients and the MOC reflex test results were compared, a significant correlation was found only between the MOC reflex and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The results showed that AS can damage the inner ear, especially the MOES, and can reduce the MOC reflex response without clinical hearing loss.
This paper designs and implements an embedded security gateway based on double-homed structure which composed of software and hardware parts. The core of hardware platform is based on two S3C6410 processors and one EP1C18F4620 FPGA. The software is based on reduced Linux kernel 3.0.1. The gateway uses Net-filter/IP-tables firewall, IPSec VPN and Network isolation technologies. And it can effectively reduce the risk of transmitting information by public network and improve the defensive capability. So it can be applied to the business with high security level.
This paper presents a methodology based on a decision support system (DSS) that employs remote sensing and field survey data and geographic information system (GIS) to identify potential rainwater harvesting areas (RWH). This DSS was implemented to obtain suitability maps and to evaluate the existing RWH structures in the study area. The DSS inputs comprised maps of rainfall surplus, slope, potential runoff coefficient, land cover/use, and soil texture. On the basis of an analytical hierarchy process analysis taking into account five layers, the spatial extents of RWH suitability areas were identified by multi-factor evaluation. The spatial distribution of the classes in the suitability map showed that the excellent and good areas are mainly located in the southern and western parts of the study area. On average, 12.2% and 22.2% of the study area are classified as excellent and good for RWH, respectively, while 34.7% and 30.9% of the area are classified as moderately suitable and poorly suited and unsuitable, respectively. Most of the existing RWH structures that are categorized as successful were within the good (72% of the structures) areas followed by moderately suitable (24% of the structures) and excellent areas (4% of the structures).
A passive rainwater harvesting technique was used to design a sustainable landscape for a residential lot located in the desert. The design was adapted to the Desert Southwest region of the United States based on thirty years of daily historical climate data including precipitation and reference evapotranspiration (ET0). Four cities including El Paso, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, and Pahrump, NV, were selected to represent the area. The residential lot was broken up into micro-watersheds reflecting the runoff of water from each separate portion of the house roof, driveway, and lawn area. The paper explains in detail the design steps for one of the micro-watersheds where water retention and infiltration structures were distributed throughout the soil area to capture stormwater runoff close to its source. A passive rainwater capture landscape was obtained by using the stormwater captured in the infiltration structures and stored in the surrounding soil. Native vegetation (shrubs and trees) will use this water exclusively for growth. These plants will not require watering once their root establishment period has passed, except in extreme droughts. Meanwhile, stormwater discharge from the lot will decrease and the groundwater recharge will increase. Results indicate that the current urban water budget can be made sustainable by replacing watering of landscape by municipal water with harvested stormwater. This results in a relatively lush and shady environment even in desert climates. The success is an artifact of the tendency of urban watersheds to increase the volume of stormwater relative to pre-development conditions.
Background: The complement system has been implicated in pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The goal of the present study was to evaluate improved complement biomarkers in SSc. Methods: The presence of C4d, reflecting activation of the classical/ lectin pathways, C3bBbP corresponding to activation of the alternative pathway, and soluble terminal complement complexes (all complement pathways), was measured in plasma samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and correlated to clinical parameters. The study included 81 patients with limited cutaneous SSc and 41 with diffuse cutaneous SSc, as well as 47 matched healthy controls and 81 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 22 with psoriatic arthritis and 20 with ankylosing spondylitis. Skin and kidney biopsies of selected patients were stained to detect deposited C3b as a marker of local complement activation. Results: Biomarkers of activation of all complement pathways were increased in SSc compared with healthy controls and were similar to those in other rheumatic diseases. When patients with SSc were divided into subgroups, a distinct pattern of complement markers was observed in individuals with scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). By functional assay, we confirmed a significant decrease in complement haemolytic activity in SRC vs. non-SRC patients, indicating complement consumption. Further, we detected glomerular deposits of C3b in some patients with SRC. Conclusions: The data indicate that complement activation is an important feature of SRC.
Sizing of the lined on-farm pond (OFP) for various crop substitution ratios (CSR) in rainfed uplands of eastern India was addressed in the present study. Cross laminated polyethylene tarpaulin of 120 g m(-2) was used for lining of the OFP. Root-zone water balance model was used to simulate the water harvesting potential of maize and rice fields under various CSR (ratio of maize and rice areas) such as 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, and 30:70. Daily variations in soil moisture storage in crop root zone, supplemental irrigation (SI) requirement during critical growth stages, and water balance in the lined OFP (using volume balance approach) were simulated for 30 years using soil, crop and meteorological data of the study area. Optimal size of the lined OFP for 60:40 CSR was found to be 8% of the farm area to meet the SI requirement of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in rainy season and black gram (Vigna mungo L.) and mustard (Brassica campestris) in winter. Among the inflow components to the lined OFP, the direct rainfall contribution was 67.72 and 73.90% (major contributor) and surface runoff from the field was 32.16 and 26.17% during the year 2007 and 2008, respectively. Among the outflow components from the lined OFP, the SI demand of the crops was found to be 78.84 and 46.73% of the storage during 2008 and 2009, respectively. The optimal size of the lined OFP incur initial investment of Rs. 13742 (1 US Dollar = 53 Indian rupees, Rs.); net profit of Rs. 14012; the benefit-cost ratio as 1.54; the internal rate of return as 11.06%; and the payback period as 4 years.
In May 2011 in Turkana County, north-western Kenya, tissue samples were collected from goats suspected of having died of peste des petits ruminant (PPR) disease, an acute viral disease of small ruminants. The samples were processed and tested by reverse transcriptase PCR for the presence of PPR viral RNA. The positive samples were sequenced and identified as belonging to peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) lineage III. Full-genome analysis of one of the positive samples revealed that the virus causing disease in Kenya in 2011 was 95.7% identical to the full genome of a virus isolated in Uganda in 2012 and that a segment of the viral fusion gene was 100% identical to that of a virus circulating in Tanzania in 2013. These data strongly indicate transboundary movement of lineage III viruses between Eastern Africa countries and have significant implications for surveillance and control of this important disease as it moves southwards in Africa.
This letter describes the continued optimization of M-5 NAM ML375 (VU0483253). While a valuable in vivo tool compound, ML375 has an excessively long elimination half-life in rat (t(1/2) = 80 h), which can be problematic in certain rodent addiction paradigms (e.g., reinstatement). Thus, we required an M-5 NAM of comparable potency to ML375, but with a rat t(1/2) of less than 4 h. Steep SAR plagued this chemotype, and here we detail aniline replacements that offered some improvements over ML375, but failed to advance. Ultimately, incorporation of a single methyl group to the 9b-phenyl ring acted as a metabolic shunt, providing (S)-11 (VU6008667), an equipotent M-5 NAM, with high CNS penetration, excellent selectivity versus M1-4 and the desired short half-life (t(1/2) = 2.3 h) in rat. (C)2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vitamin-B(12) is a generic term for corrinoid compounds that exhibit the biological activity of cyanocobalamin and are collectively referred to as cobalamins. Methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin are the active cobalamins in human metabolism. Cobalamin plays a crucial role in the maintenance of homocysteine and methylmalonyl-CoA homeostasis and is required for erythrocyte formation and DNA synthesis. Data from human and animal studies indicate that cobalamin deficiency impairs neuronal function; a process that is thought to contribute to age-related cognitive decline and dementia. Cobalamin deficiency also results in dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system; among other disorders. Although there is a detailed understanding of the biochemical pathways that are perturbed in cobalamin deficiency, the mechanisms underlying age-related dyshomeostasis in such pathways remain to be addressed. Because cobalamin utilization is dependent on its efficient transit through lysosomes, and mounting evidence indicates that lysosomal function deteriorates in aging long-lived post-mitotic cells such as neurons, in the present article we review published data that supports the proposition that impaired lysosomal processing of cobalamin may play a significant role in age-related (neuro) degenerative diseases.
This paper addresses dynamical behaviors of switching van der Pol circuits by investigating stability issues of autonomous nonlinear dynamical systems. Firstly, a kind of nonlinear dynamical systems, i.e., a piecewise/ switching autonomous nonlinear system, is used to formulate a class of van der Pol circuits that are composed of at least two alternative electrical sub-circuits. Secondly, based on the concept of system stability in the sense of Lyapunov and continuously positive definite functions, this paper proposes two new necessary and sufficient conditions of stability/ asymptotic stability for autonomous nonlinear systems. Thirdly, based on the new stability results obtained in this paper, we present several criteria for globally asymptotical stability and local instability of the unique zero equilibrium of such kind of electrical circuits. Meanwhile, the existence and uniqueness of a stable limit cycle are also given for the switching van der Pol circuit. These novel results obtained in this paper show that switching actions involved in van der Pol circuits may vanish the classical nonlinear dynamical phenomena of relaxation oscillations. Finally, numerical simulations of several nonlinear systems and a switching van der Pol circuit illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of our new results.
The effect of cooling water discharge from Skawina coal-fired power station on the quality of the Skawinka river water was presented in the paper. Hydrochemical research of both river and cooling water was conducted in 2012. Water for analyses was sampled from the river in 3 measurement points: 50 m above, 100 and 1000 m below cooling water discharge from the power plant. On the same dates cooling water samples were collected from the discharge channel. Selected physicochemical indices assessed in them comprised: the temperature, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, degree of oxygen saturation, electrolytic conductivity, total dissolved substances, pH, SO42-, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, PO43-, N-NH4+, N-NO2-, N-NO3-, Fe and Mn. The analyses revealed that cooling water discharge from the power station caused an increase in electrolytic conductivity and concentrations of dissolved substances and chlorides in the Skawinka water to the level exceeding border values for waters of purity class II. It affected a worsening of chemical state of the river from very good to good. Moreover, cooling water discharge raised water temperature and decreased dissolved oxygen content in the Skawinka river water, therefore worsening the cyprinid fish habitat condition. Statistical analysis showed that the discharge statistically significantly increased concentrations of all analysed salinity indices and nitrite nitrogen in the Skawinka water. However, it did not result from cooling water pollution by power generating technology applied by the power station, but was the effect of cooling the power station appliances with polluted water taken from the Vistula River, which after use is drained to the Skawinka.
Two-person neuroscience, a perspective in understanding human social cognition and interaction, involves designing immersive social interaction experiments as well as simultaneously recording brain activity of two or more subjects, a process termed hyperscanning. Using newly developed imaging techniques, the interbrain connectivity or hyperlink of various types of social interaction has been revealed. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-hyperscanning provides a more naturalistic environment for experimental paradigms of social interaction and has recently drawn much attention. However, most fNIRS-hyperscanning studies have computed hyperlinks using sensor data directly while ignoring the fact that the sensor-level signals contain confounding noises, which may lead to a loss of sensitivity and specificity in hyperlink analysis. In this study, on the basis of independent component analysis (ICA), a source-level analysis framework is proposed to investigate the hyperlinks in a fNIRS two-person neuroscience study. The performance of five widely used ICA algorithms in extracting sources of interaction was compared in simulative datasets, and increased sensitivity and specificity of hyperlink analysis by our proposed method were demonstrated in both simulative and real two-person experiments. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The Kundu-Eckhaus equation and the derivative nonlinear Schrodinger equation describe various physical processes in nonlinear optics, plasma physics, fluid mechanics, magneto-hydrodynamic equation in the presence of the Hall Effect. Thus, closed form solutions of these equations are very important to realize the obscurity of the phenomena. The modified simple equation (MSE) method is highly effective and competent mathematical tool to examine closed form wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs) arising in mathematical physics, applied mathematics and engineering. In this article, the MSE method is suggested and executed to construct closed form wave solutions of the above-mentioned equations involving parameters. When the parameters receive special values, impressive solitary wave solutions are derived from the exact solutions.
Inadequate treatment of pain for children in the emergency department is a persistent problem. Health care professionals are bound by ethical principles to provide adequate pain management; in children, this may be challenging owing to cognitive and developmental differences, lack of knowledge regarding best practices, and other barriers. Studies have concluded that immediate assessment, treatment, and reassessment of pain after an intervention are essential. Self-report and behavioral scales are available. Appropriate management includes pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. Specific diagnoses (eg, abdominal pain or traumatic injuries) have been well-studied and guidance is available to maximize efforts in managing the associated pain.
This paper presents three case histories on retaining earth structure failures in Indonesia and how to remedy it. The triggering problem will be analyzed and discussed. Finally, design procedure and its remedial structure of reinforced slope using geosynthetic are discussed and simple guidelines are proposed with a selection of geosynthetic reinforcement types and system. The first case is on a river side slope, located in Bali. A retaining earth structure of 12 m height was constructed using soldier piles. During the rainy season, the river in front of structure flooded and increased the pore water pressure behind it. The rapid draw down process of river water then collapsed the soldier pile structure. A solution combining high strength composite geotextile reinforcement and gabion facing was chosen and successfully executed. The second case is also on a river side slope, located in South Sumatra. The previous structure was sheetpile. After a while, the sheetpiles were pushed before filling work was even carried out. A solution using polyester geogrid was analyzed and proposed. The geogrid elements were installed behind the existing sheetpile without removing them and/or change to geogrid reinforced gabion. The remedial work was successful and this system was applied to solve other problems of similar nature in the same project. The third case is on a cutting slope, located in West Java. The existing area is almost flat with a 20m height difference to the surrounding area and consists of expansive soil and/or clay shale. For development purposes, the area was then cut leaving 10m slope to be strengthened by woven PP geotextile. Unfortunately, several weeks after the project completion, it failed. A proposed solution using the same material is submitted by considering several additional technical aspects. Based on the studies, it is concluded that retaining earth structures can be done with several different materials and approaches as long as they are applied in the right conditions bearing in mind the different influential factor involved.
Construction and Demolition Wastes (C&DW) are increasingly being reused in civil engineering applications, mainly in concrete production and base layers of roadway infrastructures. However, frequently the fine grain portion of these recycled aggregates is not considered suitable for those applications being landfilled instead of recycled. Moreover, the value-added utilisation of recycled C&DW in the construction of geosynthetic reinforced structures (steep slopes and retaining walls) is almost an unexplored field. This research assesses the feasibility of using fine-grain recycled C&DW as filling material of geosynthetic reinforced structures (GRS), appraising the physical, mechanical and environmental characterization of the construction and demolition material (C&DM), as well as, the direct shear and pullout behaviour of the interfaces between this material and three distinct geosynthetics (two geogrids and one geocomposite reinforcement or high strength geotextile). Direct shear tests results have shown that fine-grain recycled C&DW, properly compacted, exhibit similar shear strength to natural soils used commonly in the construction of GRS. The potential contamination of groundwater by these recycled C&DW was evaluated through laboratory leaching tests and, excepting the values of sulphate and total dissolved solids (TDS), this recycled C&DW complies with the provisions of European Council Decision 2003/33/EC for inert materials. High values of coefficients of interaction for C&DW/geosynthetic interfaces, a parameter of utmost importance in the design and performance of GRS, were achieved. The results herein presented support the viability of using these recycled C&DW as filling material for GRS construction. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Psychological research on prejudice against homosexuals distinguishes between old-fashioned (traditional) and modern (contemporary) homonegativity, which differ with regard to their content, correlates, and consequences. The current research offers evidence for the validity of old-fashioned versus modern homonegativity distinction in the post-communist, East European context. In Studies 1 and 2 (Ns = 295 and 327, respectively) the Polish adaptations of the non-gendered and gendered Homonegativity Scale (Morrison, Parriag, & Morrison, 1999) and the Modern Homonegativity Scale (Morrison & Morrison, 2003) were developed. Furthermore, divergent (discriminant) validity of traditional and contemporary anti-homosexual prejudice was demonstrated. Old-fashioned and modern homonegativity exhibited differential relationships with social distance and support for same-sex couples' relational rights.
In the study of engineering, experimentation plays a great role in understanding the concepts. Teaching in engineering is always challenging as theoretical study should be augmented with experiments so that students get a feel of the real life applications of the concepts they study. Automation and control laboratory is an area where students can not verify the ladder diagrams; they develop for various applications, unless they have a Programmable Logic Controller, PLC in the lab. But the new concept of virtual lab has enabled us to teach the concepts of ladder diagrams and development of control systems using PLC very easily. Students could develop ladder diagrams and design digital control systems using the simulation environment given in the virtual lab platform and implement the logics developed by them. Study carried out at institute and the exit surveys shows that the students are more convinced about the results, as they could test them on a platform.
Water reuse systems have been widely implemented across the globe as a solution to water shortage and freshwater contamination. Ongoing controversies regarding supposedly high energy cost and the lack of sufficient data to support benefits of water reuse are delaying further expansion of implementation of water reuse systems in South Korea. In order to clarify the ambiguity regarding the energy demand and provide an unbiased comparison between the water reuse alternatives and the conventional water supply system, energy consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions in operation phases of different water reuse facilities and the conventional water supply system were examined. The average total energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emission of the conventional process were calculated to be 0.511 kWh/m3 and 0.43 kgCO2e/m3, respectively. Centralized wastewater reuse systems had prohibitively high energy consumptions (1.224-1.914 kWh/m3) and greenhouse gas emissions (0.72-0.83 kgCO2e/ m3). The decentralized wastewater reuse systems, greywater reuse and rainwater harvesting systems, all used for non-potable purposes, had comparable or higher energy demands than the conventional process (0.246-0.970 kWh/m3 after adjustment), although estimated greenhouse gas emissions from these processes were lower than the conventional process (0-0.33 kgCO2e/m3 after adjustment). Considering the hidden environmental benefit (0.357 kWh/m3) from reduction of contaminant release, the energy demand of greywater reuse drops far below that of the conventional system, suggesting that decentralized water reuse is the key to an energy-efficient water management with minimal impact on climate change. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This pilot study investigated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an Internet Support Group (ISG) for parents of children with NF1. Eligible parents were recruited by email and completed baseline questionnaires assessing social support, self-efficacy, depression, and anxiety. The ISG involved eight weekly 90-min chat sessions and a discussion forum open 24 h/day for 8 weeks. Follow-up measures were completed immediately post-intervention and 3 months later. Parents from 33 families (29 mothers, 4 fathers) completed baseline measures. Over half of parents (52 %) rated their child's disease severity as mild, 33 % moderate, and 15 % severe. Among 21 parents who completed post-intervention measures, ratings of perceived emotional (p = .0008) and informational (p = .0003) support increased. There were no significant changes in self-efficacy, depression, or anxiety (ps >.05). The mean satisfaction rating was moderately high (7.6/10; range 4-10). Some parents commented that the chat sessions were at inconvenient times, which may have limited participation. Preliminary evidence in this small sample of parents suggests that ISGs may be a feasible and potentially efficacious method of providing support to parents of children with NF1. Having multiple weekly chat sessions held at various days and times may improve accessibility and participation. Clinicians are encouraged to help parents access online support resources.
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of long-term antipsychotic (AP) use in community-dwelling patients with dementia considering hospitalization periods as AP exposure or not. A retrospective study was carried out from 2009 to 2012 on a PACA-Alzheimer cohort (which included 31 963 patients in 2009 and 36 442 in 2012 from 5 million inhabitants). Three groups of patients were identified according to the longest exposure to APs without interruption: nonusers, short-term users (<= 3 successive months without discontinuation), and long-term users. Sensitivity analyses on hospitalization periods were carried out. The percentage of patients with at least one AP dispensing was stable over the study period (25.6% in 2009 vs. 26.5% in 2012). In 2012, 27.6% were AP long-term users. This increased to 46.7% when hospitalization periods were counted as AP exposure. In comparison with nonusers, AP users took more benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Short-term users were men [odds ratio (OR)= 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.1-1.3)] older than 85 years old [OR= 1.2, 95% CI (1.1-1.2)]. Long-term users were more exposed to benzodiazepines [OR= 1.2, 95% CI (1.1-1.4)]. This study showed that long-term use of AP remained frequent in community-dwelling patients with dementia. It also showed that the prevalence of long-term users almost doubled when hospitalization periods were counted as AP exposure. This underlines the need to consider hospitalization periods when assessing medication exposure in populations with frequent periods of hospitalization. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we focus on interconnected trajectory optimization of two sets of solenoid actuated butterfly valves dynamically coupled in series. The system undergoes different approach angles of a pipe contraction as a typical profile of the so-called Smart Valves network containing tens of actuated valves. A high fidelity interconnected mathematical modeling process is derived to reveal the expected complexity of such a multiphysics system dealing with electromagnetics, fluid mechanics, and nonlinear dynamic effects. A coupled operational optimization scheme is formulated in order to seek the most efficient trajectories of the interconnected valves minimizing the energy consumed enforcing stability and physical constraints. We examine various global optimizationmethods including Particle Swarm, Simulated Annealing, Genetic, and Gradient based algorithms to avoid being trapped in several possible local minima. The effect of the approach angles of the pipeline contraction on the amount of energy saved is discussed in detail. The results indicate that a substantial amount of energy can be saved by an intelligent operation that uses flow torques to augment the closing efforts.
Since in situ preservation of archaeological material has become more widespread (European Union, 1992) the need to stop an active attack of Teredo navalis, a wood-boring mollusc, on waterlogged archaeological wood has become more urgent. The aim of current study is to examine the ability of two plastic materials (TERRAM4000 and a plastic membrane) to stop both initial attack by T navalis and their effects on wood with active woodborer degradation. Blocks of pinewood were submerged in the southern part of the Kattegat in Denmark, where shipworm is known to be prolific. After settling and attack had been confirmed, the blocks were removed and wrapped in either TERRAM4000 (polypropylene and polyethylene) or a proprietary plastic membrane (polyethylene), normally used on fishing piles or piers, as a protection against shipworm in Denmark. An optical oxygen sensor was packed together with each block to measure the amount of available oxygen around the wood. After one week the oxygen level around the test blocks wrapped in the plastic membrane had dropped drastically and lead to the death of all shipworms within the test blocks after one-four weeks. Although no new shipworm attacked the wood wrapped in TERRAM4000, the geotextile did not impede the passage of oxygenated seawater, as living individuals were found in the blocks after 46 weeks of wrapping and submersion. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mechanical and manufacturing engineering (MME) organizations commonly recognize the value of their knowledge resources, yet most fail effectively to exploit these assets. Knowledge management (KM) solutions should provide the means for appropriate exploitation of the resources, but there are very few published KM implementations in MME contexts compared with the wealth of KM solutions published in other sectors. This paper demonstrates a methodology for the creation of a KM solution space based on the review, analysis, and characterization of 157 sources, including examples of KM problems within 55 companies from 16 different industry sectors. The example KM solution set can be used to identify appropriate tools to solve KM-related problems in many MME contexts.
Utilization of wind turbines to produce energy has been increasing in recent years, due to technology advancement, cost stability and environmental issues. In this paper, the wind resource and economic feasibility have been studied to avoid investment risk in cites of Zabol, Zahak, Zahedan and Mirjaveh in Sistan and Balouchestan province of Iran. The Weibull distribution function has been applied to estimate the wind power and energy density, using meteorological data. Determination of coefficient, root mean square error, mean bias error and mean bias absolute error are also calculated to ensure the accuracy of the statistical analysis of fitted distribution. Windographer software has been employed to investigate the prevailing wind direction. The estimated annual energy densities are 2495.36, 2355.69, 126524 and 1214.01 kWh/m(2)/year, and the annual mean power densities are 284.97, 269.02, 144.49 and 138.64 W/m(2). It is found that Zabol and Zahedan are suitable for large scale power generation. The results indicate that using DW61-900 kW wind turbines are highly beneficial for Zabol and Zahak, while for Zahedan, DW52/54-250 kW wind turbine is more appropriate for generating electricity. However, Mirjaveh is suitable for off-grid applications. It should be noted that in this analysis, monetary units are presented in 2016 U.S. dollar. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of TNF antagonists (TNFa) on the total cholesterol and triglycerides on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In this single-centre observational study of AS and PsA patients, differences in triglyceride and total cholesterol levels and frequency of hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia at 3 and 6 months were analysed in patients treated and not treated with TNFa. General estimation equations and linear regression analysis were used to investigate associations between disease activity and lipid levels and to identify predictors of change. One hundred fifty-seven patients treated, and 157 not treated with TNFa, were included in the study. A transient increase in cholesterol level from baseline to 3 months in TNFa-treated patients was the only statistically significant effect (P < 0.001). Persistent percentages of hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia from baseline were significantly higher in not treated than in TNFa-treated patients (P = 0.009 and P = 0.001, respectively). Inverse associations between changes in cholesterol level and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (P = 0.011) and CRP (P < 0.001), but not Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints (P = 0.095) were found in the whole group. In AS and PsA patients treated with TNFa, mild and transient changes in cholesterol but not in triglyceride levels were associated with changes in disease activity.
Immunoglobulin therapy is a key element in the management of most patients with primary immunodeficiency disease. Allergist/immunologists should be familiar with the appropriate evaluation of candidates for immunoglobulin, the characteristics of immunoglobulin products, and how to use them to provide the best care to their patients. Available immunoglobulin products appear to be equally efficacious, but they are not interchangeable. Minimizing the risk of serious adverse events and controlling minor side effects is important to ideal patient care. Immunoglobulin may be administered intravenously or subcutaneously. Individualizing the choice of immunoglobulin product, mode of administration, and site of care can optimize the clinical outcome and minimize the burden of care. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The prevalence of developmentally vulnerable children living with parental mental illness has been well documented, however due to stigmatised attitudes and prejudice these children may be 'hidden' and not identified as requiring additional assistance in early childhood settings. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences and workforce needs of centre-based child care staff working with families living with parental mental illness. Eight staff (four child care workers and four child care directors) who worked in centre-based child care were interviewed using a semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using an Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis framework. The findings of the present study highlighted four central themes: child development issues, tension around referral and worker anxiety, inadequate knowledge and training about parental mental illness and sensitivity when working with families. While these participants knowingly prioritized the importance of working with families in their daily work, they described feeling stressed and anxious about discussing referral options with these parents, and often worried about 'making things worse' for the child and the parent. The present study has contributed knowledge in regard to an important segment of the early childhood workforce; such information can inform the development of tailored professional training and resources that provide information about referral procedures and support programs for these families. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The availability is an important issue of software-defined networking (SDN). In this paper, the experiments based on a SDN testbed showed that the resource utilization of the data plane and control plane changed drastically when DDoS attacks happened. This is mainly because the DDoS attacks send a large number of fake flows to network in a short time. Based on the observation and analysis, a DDoS defense mechanism based on legitimate source and destination IP address database is proposed in this paper. Firstly, each flow is abstracted as a source-destination IP address pair and a legitimate source-destination IP address pair database (LSDIAD) is established by historical normal traffic trace. Then the proportion of new source-destination IP address pair in the traffic per unit time is cumulated by non-parametric cumulative sum (CUSUM) algorithm to detect the DDoS attacks quickly and accurately. Based on the alarm from the non-parametric CUSUM, the attack flows will be filtered and redirected to a middle box network for deep analysis via south-bound API of SDN. An on-line updating policy is adopted to keep the LSDIAD timely and accurate. This mechanism is mainly implemented in the controller and the simulation results show that this mechanism can achieve a good performance in protecting SDN from DDoS attacks.
In this study, we investigated the utility of hyperspectral remote sensing data for estimating green percent vegetation cover (PVC) for a study site in the Canadian High Arctic. A field experiment was conducted on Sabine Peninsula (76 degrees 27' N, 108 degrees 33' W), Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada to collect field spectra and PVC for five vegetation types, i.e., polar semi-desert (PD), dry mesic tundra (DMT), mesic tundra (MT), wet mesic tundra (WMT) and wet sedge/moss (WSM). Based on field spectra, two types of 2-band hyperspectral (i.e., Hyperion) and multi spectral (i.e., WorldView-3) vegetation indices (VIs) were derived using all possible band combinations. Optimal spectral bands were identified based on their correlations with green PVC. In addition, VIs designed for other landscapes were examined for their ability to estimate green PVC in an Arctic environment. The results indicate that PVC and spectral features for Arctic vegetation types were related to moisture content: (1) vegetation types with dry to intermediate soil moisture (e.g., PD, DMT and MT) possessed large amounts of bare soil and exhibited spectral properties similar to bare soil; and (2) vegetation types with high moisture content (e.g., WMT and WSM) exhibited spectra similar to senescent vegetation given the substantial proportion of senescent vegetation in these vegetation types. The optimal Hyperion spectral bands for estimating green PVC were located at the absorption features observed in Arctic vegetation spectra, including 681.20 nm (leaf pigment absorption); 721.90 nm and 732.07 nm (along the red-edge slope); 1174.77 nm and 1184.87 nm (leaf water absorption); and 1447.14 nm, 1457.23 nm, 2072.65 nm and 2102.94 nm (leaf cellulose and lignin absorption). Narrowband Vls exhibited a stronger correlation with green PVC than broadband Vls due to the finer spectral features sampled by hyperspectral data. Further, VIs designed to estimate leaf pigment and dry matter content (e.g., lignin and cellulose) showed strong correlations with green PVC. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Micrometeorological measurements were used to evaluate heat and water vapor to describe the transpiration (Ev) and soil evaporation (Es) processes for wide and narrow runoff strips under in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) system. The resulting sigmoid-shaped water vapor (ea) in wide and narrow runoff strips varied in lower and upper parts of the maize canopy. In wide runoff strips, lapse conditions of ea extended from lowest measurement level (LP) to the upper middle section (MU) and inversion was apparent at the top of the canopy. The virtual potential temperature (theta v) profile showed no difference in middle section, but the lower and upper portion (UP) had lower theta(v) in narrow, compared to wide, strips, and LP-UP changes of 0.6 K and 1.2 K were observed, respectively. The Ev and Es within the canopy increased the ea concentration as determined by the wind order of magnitude. The ea concentration reached peak at about 1.6 kPa at a range of wind speed value of 1.4-1.8 m.s(-1) and 2.0-2.4 m.s(-1) for wide and narrow treatments, respectively. The sparse maize canopy of the wide strips could supply more drying power of the air in response to atmospheric evaporative demand compared to narrow strips. This is due to the variation in air flow in wide and narrow runoff strips that change gradients in ea for evapotranspiration processes.
In this paper three groove semi kinematic mounting has been designed and analyzed its the stability in micro milling operational conditions, employed in a specific modular reconfigurable micro factory test bed developed at authors group. While various kinds of kinematic couplings, which are popular for their high repeatability and interchangeability, are considered for the modular machine design, Gothic arch and Maxwell coupling designs were compared. In this evaluation process, first the maximum preload, which can resist the induced contact stresses, is determined. Then the static stiffness matrices are evaluated for each case and compared as a measure of their relative stability. Maxwell coupling which was found to be best was adopted for the machine stage and experiments were performed to know the coupling stability with varying load.
Semantic technologies are currently spreading across several application domains as a reliable and consistent mean to address challenges related to organization, manipulation, visualization and exchange of data and knowledge. Different roles are actually played by these techniques depending on the application domain, on the timing constraints, on the distributed nature of applications, and so on. This paper provides an overview of the roles played by semantic technologies in the domain of smart grids and smart environments, with a particular focus on changes brought by such technologies in the adopted architectures, programming techniques and tools. Motivations driving the adoption of semantics in these different, but strictly intertwined, fields are introduced using a strong application-driven perspective. Two real-world case studies in smart grids and smart environments are presented to exemplify the roles covered by such technologies and the changes they fostered in software engineering processes. Learned lessons are then distilled and future adoption scenarios discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a new electrically controlled magnetic variable-speed gearing (EC-MVSG) machine, which is capable of providing controllable gear ratios for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications. The key design feature involves the adoption of a magnetic gearing structure and acceptance of the memory machine flux-mnemonic concept. Hence, the proposed machine can not only offer a gear-shifting mechanism for torque and speed transmission, but also provide variable gear ratios for torque and speed variation. The electromagnetic design is studied and discussed. The finite-element method is developed with the hysteresis model to verify the validity of the machine design.
In the Mekong Delta (MD) in Vietnam, piped-water supply stations are being intensively built to reach the millennium development goal (MDG) to provide safe and clean drinking water resources to communities. However, studies focusing on the effectiveness of supply stations in reaching these goals are scarce to date. Water samples from 41 water supply stations in the MD were collected between June and October 2012. Water samples were analyzed for general parameters, salinity, nutrients, metal(loid)s and microbial indicator bacteria and compared with World Health Organization (WHO) and Vietnamese drinking water guidelines. In addition, 542 household interviews were conducted to investigate the connection rate to piped-water and people's perceptions regarding piped-water supplies. The results show that water guidelines were exceeded for pH (min. 6.2), turbidity (max. 10 FTU), Cl (max. 1,576 mg.L-1), NH4 (max. 7.92 mg.L-1), Fe (431.1 mu g.L-1), Hg (11.9 mu g.L-1), and microbial indicator bacteria (max. total coliform 50,000 CFU 100 mL(-1)). Moreover, more than half of the interviewed households with access to a piped-water supply did not use this supply as a source of drinking water due to (i) high connection fees; (ii) preference for other water sources; and (iii) perceived poor quality/quantity. Our study shows that the maintenance and distribution of water supply stations should significantly improve in order for piped-water to become a reliable drinking water source. Additionally, alternatives, such as rainwater harvesting and decentralized treatment facilities, should also be considered.
This paper presents a mathematical programming model for the optimal design of water networks in the agriculture. The proposed model is based on a new superstructure that includes all configurations in terms of use, reuse and regeneration of water in a field constituted by a number of croplands. The model also includes the allocation of pipelines, pumps and storage tanks in different irrigation periods. The objective function consists in maximizing the annual profit that is formed by the economic incomes owing to the crop sell minus the costs for fresh water, fertilizer, storage tanks, treatment units, piping and pumping. The proposed multi-period optimization problem is formulated as a mixed integer non-linear programming formulation, which was applied to a case study to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social benefits that can be obtained. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Passive removal of stone fragments in the irrigation stream is one of the characteristics in continuous-flow PCNL instruments. So far the physical principle of this so-called vacuum cleaner effect has not been fully understood yet. The aim of the study was to empirically prove the existence of the vacuum cleaner effect and to develop a physical hypothesis and generate a mathematical model for this phenomenon. In an empiric approach, common low-pressure PCNL instruments and conventional PCNL sheaths were tested using an in vitro model. Flow characteristics were visualized by coloring of irrigation fluid. Influence of irrigation pressure, sheath diameter, sheath design, nephroscope design and position of the nephroscope was assessed. Experiments were digitally recorded for further slow-motion analysis to deduce a physical model. In each tested nephroscope design, we could observe the vacuum cleaner effect. Increase in irrigation pressure and reduction in cross section of sheath sustained the effect. Slow-motion analysis of colored flow revealed a synergism of two effects causing suction and transportation of the stone. For the first time, our model showed a flow reversal in the sheath as an integral part of the origin of the stone transportation during vacuum cleaner effect. The application of Bernoulli's equation provided the explanation of these effects and confirmed our experimental results. We widen the understanding of PCNL with a conclusive physical model, which explains fluid mechanics of the vacuum cleaner effect.
Disposal of red mud (RM) poses serious environmental problems such as wind erosion, air and water pollution. To overcome these problems, effective restoration of the disposal land through naturally growing vegetation is a sustainable and economical approach. The present study involved estimation of frequency (F), density (D), abundance (Ab), and important value index (IVI) of natural flora on abandoned RM sites in order to assess their metal toxicity tolerance capacity. Based on visual observations and highest IVI, S. Asper and S. punicea were identified as effective ecological tools for the restoration of barren RM sites. From the study, remarkable differences were observed between non-rhizospheric and rhizospheric RM of both species. These rhizospheric RM analyses confirm the ability of S. asper and S. punicea for enhancing the biological activities of abandoned RM. Translocation factor (TF) of iron was maximum (2.58) in S. asper, and bioconcentration factor (BCF) was found maximum (1.25) in S. punicea, but both TF (2.58) and BCF (1.35) were high in S. asper. Therefore, this plant could be reported as an iron hyperaccumulator plant. These results suggest that these plant species can be exploited for effective restoration of RM deposited land without any inputs or maintenance.
BACKGROUND: The food addiction model proposes that obesity overlaps with addiction in terms of neurobiological alterations in the striatum and related clinical manifestations (i. e., craving and persistence of unhealthy habits). Therefore, we aimed to examine the functional connectivity of the striatum in excess-weight versus normal-weight subjects and to determine the extent of the association between striatum connectivity and individual differences in food craving and changes in body mass index (BMI). METHODS: Forty-two excess-weight participants (BMI. 25) and 39 normal-weight participants enrolled in the study. Functional connectivity in the ventral and dorsal striatum was indicated by seed-based analyses on restingstate data. Food craving was indicated with subjective ratings of visual cues of high-calorie food. Changes in BMI between baseline and 12 weeks follow-up were assessed in 28 excess-weight participants. Measures of connectivity in the ventral striatum and dorsal striatum were compared between groups and correlated with craving and BMI change. RESULTS: Participants with excess weight displayed increased functional connectivity between the ventral striatum and the medial prefrontal and parietal cortices and between the dorsal striatum and the somatosensory cortex. Dorsal striatum connectivity correlated with food craving and predicted BMI gains. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is linked to alterations in the functional connectivity of dorsal striatal networks relevant to food craving and weight gain. These neural alterations are associated with habit learning and thus compatible with the food addiction model of obesity.
The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is best known for its role in polarizing epithelial cells within the plane of a tissue but it also plays a role in a range of cell migration events during development. The mechanism by which the PCP pathway polarizes stationary epithelial cells is well characterized, but how PCP signaling functions to regulate more dynamic cell behaviors during directed cell migration is much less understood. Here, we review recent discoveries regarding the localization of PCP proteins in migrating cells and their impact on the cell biology of collective and individual cell migratory behaviors.
The aim of this study was to determine if the Amazon river prawn [Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862)] population structure is affected by habitat heterogeneity. An experiment was conducted in mesocosms to emulate conditions from a natural aquatic environment. Twelve rectangular earthen ponds of similar to 100 m(2) each were used as mesocosins. Each mesocosm was stocked with 22 juveniles/m(2) of Amazon river prawn in three different treatments: GB: mesocosm with substrate made. of geotextile blanket, BB: mesocosm with substrate made from bamboo, and WS: mesocosm without substrate. The prawns were sampled monthly for 5 mo to analyze the male morphotypes, incidence of eggs in female pleopods, ovarian stage, body mass, and sex ratio. Both geotextile blanket (GB) and bamboo (BB) substrates increased frequency of the Cinnamon Claw morphotype, accelerated the appearance of Green Claw 1 and 2 morphotypes, and decreased the frequency of the Translucent Claw morphotype at the 5ffi mo. The substrates also increased the size of both sexes of prawn and increased the frequency of ovigerous females and females with ovarian stages IV and V. The effect was more pronounced with the presence of the GB, which imitates natural substrates with large and fiat surfaces such as leaves and stones. Sex ratio did not differ significantly between treatments. Data showed that the presence and the type of substrate in the environment can play an important role in M. amozonicum population development, supporting the hypothesis that the population structure of M. amazonicum depends on the habitat characteristics.
To probe the inconsistent link between education and attitude change toward minority social groups, we conducted a field study that focused on audience characteristics and education about lesbian, gay, and transgender (LGT) targets. Participants enrolled in a sexuality course were compared to those in a neurology course, both taught by the same professor. Multiple regression analyses predicted attitude change toward LGT targets from social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), ratings of professor's characteristics, SDO by course interaction, and RWA by course interaction. Only the SDO by course interaction significantly predicted attitude change. Simple slopes analyses indicated that high-SDO participants in the sexuality course showed the most positive attitude change. These findings suggest that education may reduce prejudice for certain audience characteristics.
The progressive growth and spread of tumour cells in the form of metastases requires an interaction of healthy host cells, such as endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and other cells of mesenchymal origin with immune cells taking part in innate and adaptive responses within the tumour lesion and entire body. The host cells interact with tumour cells to create a dynamic tumour microenvironment, in which healthy cells can both positively and negatively influence the growth and spread of the tumour. The balance of cellular homeostasis and the effect of substances they secrete on the tumour microenvironment determine whether the tumour has a tendency to grow or disappear, and whether the cells remain within the lesion or are capable of metastasis to other regions of the body. Intercellular interactions also determine the tumour's susceptibility to radiation or other types of cancer treatment. They may also be a rational explanation for differences in treatment outcomes, in which some metastases regress and others progress in response to the same treatment method.
In arid and semi-arid areas, artificial recharge is a key technology in groundwater resources management, and a reliable estimate of artificial recharge is necessary to its sustainable development. Several methods are available to estimate the artificial recharge; however, most of them require field data or model parameters, thus limiting their applications. To overcome this limitation, we presented an analytical method to estimate the artificial recharge through monitoring the water release by piezometer and analysing the controlling factors of the artificial recharge from a hill dam in Tunisia. A total of 97 measurements of water flow in the streambed recorded from 4 gauging stations were analysed. Results indicated that the average infiltration velocity ranged from 0.043 to 0.127 m/d and the infiltration index varied from 7.6 to 11.8 L/(s.km). Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis shows that the infiltration index, the stream gradient, the thickness of unsaturated zone, the number of infiltration pond, the stream geometry, and the water flow rate were found to be the main factors in determining the infiltration. The high correlation coefficients (0.908 for the number of infiltration pond and 0.999 for the stream geometry) mean that the number of infiltration pond and the stream geometry are the most influential factors. Time variations of groundwater level were used to analyze the recharge effects on the piezometry of aquifer. The analysis showed that during the artificial recharge, the water table increased at a rate of 5 mm/d and that the increase was limited to the area surrounding the recharge site. Based on the results of the study, building infiltration ponds along streambed and improving the potential of rainwater harvesting over the study area are recommended.
Pervious pavements offer a solution for rainwater runoff treatment in urban areas, combining storm-water management with water reuse purposes when the sub-bases become rainwater reservoirs. Furthermore, the thermal behaviour research into these systems has demonstrated their contribution to palliating the urban heat island effect in the hottest season and to delaying freezing during the coldest season. Recent investigations related to pervious pavements and their sub-bases have enabled the use of these structures combined with Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) in addition to the other well-known applications. The aim of this field study is to investigate the temperature response observations of the water stored in the sub-bases of different pervious pavements under specific conditions, in order to evaluate the possibility of introducing GSHP technology. The base and sub-base temperatures of different types of pervious pavements were monitored during one year and the results obtained show the differences in pervious pavements temperature compared to air temperature over the period of study; and demonstrate that the sub-base is less affected by the air temperature than the base, due to the insulating capacity of pervious pavements. On the other hand, water samples were taken from the different pervious pavement sub-bases in order to assess the water quality deterioration due to the temperatures reached in the sub-base, focused on investigating the presence of Legionella in this particular aquatic environment.
There is already a lack of qualified engineers in technical fields in the Czech Republic, even in the coming years a slump in the number of engineering graduates is expected. For this reason at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Machine Design new innovative study materials interconnected with technical practice are being created. These learning materials should make the field of machine design at our Faculty more attractive and it should also enhance the quality of our former students. This paper gives an account of the formation and application of e-learning materials based on the entire design process of a universal center lathe. In this paper the entire structure of the study materials and all of its parts are explained and described with illustrations. All educational materials were created in consultation with experts in the design of machine tools and other technical fields such as the foundry industry, welding engineering and FEM calculation engineering for achieving the best connection with modern mechanical engineering practice.
Introduction: Emotion recognition, a social cognition domain, is impaired in people with schizophrenia and contributes to social dysfunction. Whether impaired emotion recognition emerges as a manifestation of illness or predates symptoms is unclear. Findings from studies of emotion recognition impairments in first-degree relatives of people with schizophrenia are mixed and, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the link between emotion recognition and social functioning in that population.Methods: This study examined facial affect recognition and social skills in 16 offspring of parents with schizophrenia (familial high-risk/FHR) compared to 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC), ages 7-19.Results: As hypothesised, FHR children exhibited impaired overall accuracy, accuracy in identifying fearful faces, and overall recognition speed relative to controls. Age-adjusted facial affect recognition accuracy scores predicted parent's overall rating of their child's social skills for both groups.Conclusions: This study supports the presence of facial affect recognition deficits in FHR children. Importantly, as the first known study to suggest the presence of these deficits in young, asymptomatic FHR children, it extends findings to a developmental stage predating symptoms. Further, findings point to a relationship between early emotion recognition and social skills. Improved characterisation of deficits in FHR children could inform early intervention.
Storage insects may cause occupational allergies in humans. The identification of the prevalence of IgE reactions were measured from protein fractions prepared from multiple life stage of granary weevil Sitophilus granarius [SG] is reported. Sera of 30 patients from a suburban population of Upper Silesia (South Poland) were tested for the presence of IgE antibodies to antigens from larvae, pupae and adults of both sexes of the beetle. To identify protein fractions containing potential allergens, proteins collected from four life stages of granary weevil were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and probed with anti-human, anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies. The proteins were fractionated by SDS PAGE and identified by Western blot. The patients' antibodies against particular antigens were identified using anti-human anti-IgE monoclonal antibody. The conducted immunological analysis showed the existence of many protein fractions for each life stage of SG which give positive reactions with IgE antibodies. The largest number of allergenic potential fractions was shown in pupae (60 protein fractions) while the smallest amount was shown in larvae (44 protein fractions). Summarizing, the obtained results suggest the existence of many protein fractions with an allergenic potential multiple life stages of SG. This indicates that all developmental stages of SG may be a serious source of antigens and potential risk factors for the exposed persons. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years, the field of neuroimaging has undergone dramatic development. Specifically, of importance for clinicians and researchers managing patients with epilepsies, new methods of brain imaging in search of the seizure-producing abnormalities have been implemented, and older methods have undergone additional refinement. Methodology to predict seizure freedom and cognitive outcome has also rapidly progressed. In general, the image data processing methods are very different and more complicated than even a decade ago. In this review, we identify the recent developments in neuroimaging that are aimed at improved management of epilepsy patients. Advances in structural imaging, diffusion imaging, fMRI, structural and functional connectivity, hybrid imaging methods, quantitative neuroimaging, and machine-learning are discussed. We also briefly summarize the potential new developments that may shape the field of neuroimaging in the near future and may advance not only our understanding of epileptic networks as the source of treatment-resistant seizures but also better define the areas that need to be treated in order to provide the patients with better long-term outcomes.
Using data from three national surveys, the present research investigates among the native Dutch (Studies 1 to 3) and three immigrant-origin groups (Study 3) the endorsement of a shared sense of national belonging across cultural differences. The endorsement is examined in relation to political orientation and education, and sociocultural (deprovincialization) and egalitarian (autochthony) beliefs. In all three studies, a more right-wing orientation and lower education were associated with lower endorsement of common national belonging. Furthermore, deprovincialization and autochthony were independent mediating beliefs in these associations. The findings were similar for native majority members and immigrants, with the exception of the role of autochthony belief. The results are discussed in relation to future research on cultural diversity and the societal importance of developing a shared sense of belonging despite group differences.
This paper proposes the use of an autonomous assistant mobile robot in order to monitor the environmental conditions of a large indoor area and develop an ambient intelligence application. The mobile robot uses single high performance embedded sensors in order to collect and geo-reference environmental information such as ambient temperature, air velocity and orientation and gas concentration. The data collected with the assistant mobile robot is analyzed in order to detect unusual measurements or discrepancies and develop focused corrective ambient actions. This paper shows an example of the measurements performed in a research facility which have enabled the detection and location of an uncomfortable temperature profile inside an office of the research facility. The ambient intelligent application has been developed by performing some localized ambient measurements that have been analyzed in order to propose some ambient actuations to correct the uncomfortable temperature profile.
This study was designed to compare the kicking motion between female and male soccer players to determine the mechanical and technical characteristics of the kick by female players. A motion capture system ( 250 Hz) was used to compare ball velocity, foot velocity, mean peak knee joint torques, angle of the thigh and shank, and mean thigh-to-shank energy ratio between female and male soccer players to elucidate the mechanical and technical characteristics of the kick by female players before ball impact. The values for ball velocity, foot velocity immediately before impact, mean peak knee joint torques, and mean thigh-to-shank energy ratio were smaller for the female players than for the male players (p < 0.05). (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Nonconscious mimicry is a salient behaviour in many social interactions, such as the imitation of accent over the phone or the tendency to return a smile from another smiling person. However, existing research has yet to consider the importance of individuals social intentions when entering into a social interaction in a customer service setting. This paper extends current managerial leadership theory into the novel setting of nonconscious mimicry to explain the critical role of social intentions in relationship building in customer service encounters. This research consists of a 3 x 2 between-subjects factorial design to evaluate the hypothesised relationships between nonconscious mimicry, social intentions, and product choice behaviour. The findings indicate that social intentions play a critical role influencing the relationship between nonconscious mimicry and product consumption, purchase intentions, and product liking in service encounters. Further, it is suggested that individuals identified as task-oriented should not be behaviourally imitated, as this will not positively increase product liking, purchase intentions, or product consumption. Instead, consumers should be primed to be relationship-oriented prior to nonconscious mimicry. (C) 2017 Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The aim of the present study is to investigate the lineaments of Kolli hills of Tamil Nadu State for which CARTOSAT-1 satellite's DEM output has been made use of. The extracted lineaments were analysed using ArcGIS and Rockworks software. The total number and length of lineaments are 523 and 943.81 km, respectively. Shorter lineaments constitute about 3/4th of the total number of lineaments. The density of the lineaments varies from 0 to 7.41 km/km(2), and areas of very high to high density are restricted to the south central, central and north eastern parts, and these areas reflect the high degree of rock fracturing and shearing which makes these areas unsuitable for the construction of dams and reservoirs. However, these areas could be targeted for groundwater exploitation as they possess higher groundwater potential. The lineaments are oriented in diverse directions. However, those orienting in ENEWSW, NE-SW and NW-SE are predominating followed by those oriented in sub E-W and sub N-S directions. These orientations corroborate with results of previous regional studies and with orientations of prominent geological structures and features of the study area. Distinct variation in the predominant orientations of lineaments of varied sizes is observed, while the shorter ones are oriented in either NW-SE or NNW-SSE directions, the longer ones are oriented in either NE-SW or ENE-WSW. A comparative analysis of lineament datasets of the eight azimuth angles and the final lineament map underlines the need to extract lineaments from various azimuth angles to get a reliable picture about the lineaments.
This paper presents a laboratory evaluation of purely frictionally connected geotextile and concrete facing block of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall (MSEW) systems. The study focuses on investigating the governing failure mechanism along the wall face, as determined from the pullout of reinforcement in between the facing blocks (herein referred as pullout mechanism) and sliding of the blocks over the geotextile, where the reinforcement stays stationery (herein referred as direct shear mechanism). A total of seventy-two tests were performed to investigate the effect of laboratory specimen size, difference in geotextile reinforcement, and repeatability of the test results. Overall, the results showed that at lower normal loads, sliding of the blocks over the geotextile reinforcement along the wall face is more likely to occur before the pullout of the geotextile in between the blocks. At higher normal loads, this order is reversed and pullout of the geotextile appears to occur first. The test results also indicated that the size of the specimen tested in the laboratory frictional connection evaluation has an effect on the measured connection strength. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Here we report on a potential catalytic process for efficient clean-up of plastic pollution in waters, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). Detailed catalytic mechanisms of RuO2 during supercritical water gasification of common polyolefin plastics including low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PP) have been investigated in a batch reactor at 450 degrees C for 60 min. All four plastics gave very high carbon gasification efficiencies (CGE) and hydrogen gasification efficiencies (HGE). Methane was the highest gas component, with a yield of up to 37 mol kg(-1) LDPE using the 20 wt% RuO2 catalyst. Evaluation of the gas yields, CGE and HGE revealed that the conversion of PS involved thermal degradation, steam reforming and methanation; whereas hydrogenolysis was a possible additional mechanism during the conversion of aliphatic plastics. The process has the benefits of producing a clean-pressurized methane rich fuel gas as well as cleaning up hydrocarbons-polluted waters. (C) 2016 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cytokines and chemokines play a crucial role in regulating the immune system. Understanding how these molecules are co-regulated is important to understand general immunology, and particularly their role in clinical applications such as development and evaluation of novel drug therapies. Cytokines are today widely used as therapeutic targets and as biomarkers to monitor effects of drug therapies and for prog-nosis and diagnosis of diseases. Therapies that target a specific cytokine are also likely to affect the pro-duction of other cytokines due to their cross-regulatory functions and because the cytokines are produced by common cell types. In this study, we have perturbated the production of 17 different cyto-kines in a preclinical rat model of autoimmune arthritis, using 55 commercially available immunomodula-tory drugs and clinical candidates. The majority of the studied drugs was selected for their anti-inflammatory role and was confirmed to inhibit the production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma in this model but was also found to increase the production of other cytokines compared to the untreated control. Correlation analysis identified 58 significant pairwise correlations between the cytokines. The strongest correlations found in this study were between IL-2 and IFN-gamma (r = 0.87) and between IL-18 and EPO (r = 0.84). Cluster analysis identified two robust clusters: (1) IL-7, IL-18 and EPO, and (2) IL-2, IL-17 and IFN-gamma. The results show that cytokines are highly co-regulated, which provide valuable information for how a therapeutic drug might affect clusters of cytokines. In addition, a cytokine that is used as a ther-apeutic biomarker could be combined with its related cytokines into a biomarker panel to improve diag-nostic accuracy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
How do young children negotiate conflicts with peers that result in mutually beneficial resolution and peaceful interaction after conflict? A few studies suggest that when children use conciliatory strategies in conflict, socially adaptive outcomes are more likely to be achieved. The present study explores the relative associations of types of children's conciliatory conflict resolution strategies (i.e., prosocial, compliance-oriented, solution-oriented, and verbal clarification/apology) with conflict outcomes to contribute to knowledge of the discrete behaviors that might have salience for conflict resolution training. Socially adaptive conflict outcomes were expected to strongly relate to children's resolution strategies of a prosocial nature as well as to teacher or peer interventions encouraging prosocial behavior or empathy. Sampled conflicts (N=521) were collected through field observations of 107 ethnically/racially and socioeconomically diverse four-to seven-year-old children. Logistic regression analyses with bootstrap-based inference suggested that children's prosocial behaviors in conflict were most strongly tied to mutually beneficial resolution and peaceful postconflict interaction, when controlling for relevant covariates. Other conciliatory strategies varied in their association with socially adaptive outcomes. The hypothesis regarding third-party interventions encouraging prosociability or empathy could not be examined due to infrequent occurrence. Insights for future research on children's socially adaptive conflict negotiations are discussed.
Network security management is a big challenge for network administrators due to increasing vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are the weakness of the network and allow malicious attackers access to resources controlled by an organization. To keep networks secure network administrators should be aware of all vulnerabilities through which an attacker can gain access. In this paper, we have considered the attack graph which describes how an attacker can compromise with the security of a network. To generate the attack graph, Multihost Multistage Vulnerability Analysis (MulVAL) tool is used. The generated graphs by this tool are logical attack graphs. These graphs are based on logical programming and based on dependencies among attack goal and configuration information. We have taken two security metrics, namely, exploitability metric and impact metric to analyze the risk associated with the network. Our preliminary results suggest that the size of the network has an impact on the vulnerability of a network.
This paper presents an integrated model for risk management of electricity traders. It integrates the Unit Commitment (UC) problem, which provides the power generation units' dispatch and the electricity price forecasting of a power system, with artificial neural network (ANN) models, which provide electricity price forecasting of a neighbouring power system by incorporating a clustering algorithm. The integrated model is further extended to estimate the traders' profitability and risk, incorporating risk provisions. The integrated model is applied in bi-directional trading between the Italian and Greek day-ahead electricity markets. The UC and neural network models provide forecasts of the wholesale electricity price in Greece and Italy respectively. The model attributes a confidence level of the price forecasts, depending on the data clustering and the forecasting performance of each model. The integrated model identifies periods with high price margins for trading for each power flow, aligned with a forecasting confidence and a risk level. The integrated model can provide price signals on the profitability of traders and useful insights into the risk of traders. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We previously showed that microglial keratan sulfate (KS) was induced in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, the functional roles of the glycan and its synthetic enzyme in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive disorder, are unclear. In our study, KS modified with sialic acids having a molecular mass of 125-220 kDa and the carbohydrate sulfotransferase GlcNAc6ST1 were up-regulated in the brains of two transgenic mouse models (J20 and Tg2576) and the brains of patients with AD. GlcNAc6ST1-deficient J20 (J20/GlcNAc6ST1(-/-)) mice demonstrated a complete absence of the microglial sialylated KS. J20/GlcNAc6ST1(-/-) primary microglia showed an increased level of amyloid-beta phagocytosis and were hyperresponsive to interleukin 4, a potent antiinflammatory cytokine. Moreover, J20/GlcNAc6ST1(-/-) mice manifested reduced cerebral amyloid-beta deposition. GlcNAc6ST1-synthesizing sialylated KS thus modulates AD pathology. Inhibition of KS synthesis by targeting GlcNAc6ST1 may therefore be beneficial for controlling AD pathogenesis.
Humane education is a long-standing field of education that endeavors to nurture kindness, compassion, and concern for nonhuman animals, people, and the environment. Despite its long history, however, few randomized control studies have evaluated its effectiveness to promote the development of relevant outcomes. The current study sought to address this dearth by investigating the effects of a humane education program on not only participating students' attitudes, but also their behaviors. Classes of under-served, fourth-grade students in two major US cities were randomly assigned to participate in either a school-based humane education program or a chess club (the control group); all students participated in their respective activity during the same period once a week for 11 weeks. Data were collected on the attitudes (n = 236) and behaviors (n = 167) of participating students exactly one week before and exactly one week after these programs were conducted. Students self-reported their attitudes about the treatment of animals and the environment via the Intermediate Attitude Scale. Teachers rated each students' prosocial and disruptive behaviors through sub-scales of the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Checklist. Nested multilevel models of change found that the development of prosocial behaviors and self-reported attitudes significantly interacted with group assignment: Students who participated in the humane education program showed stronger growth in both of these outcomes compared with students in the control group. Changes in disruptive behaviors, how-ever, were not found to differ between groups. The results support the effectiveness of a humane education program to teach a relatively large and diverse group of upper elementary students to learn about animal welfare issues and to improve their prosocial behaviors. Effects appeared strongest on attitudes; behavioral effects were found to be largely limited to behaviors directly addressed by the humane education program.
In this paper, we illustrate a proposed method for control that combines the outputs of several individual controllers to improve global control of complex nonlinear plants. In the first part of this paper, we illustrate the proposed method that consists of two levels, where in the top level a fuzzy system represents a superior control that is designed for adjusting the behavior of the individual fuzzy controllers at the lower level. To test the approach, we consider the problem of flight control because it requires several individual controllers. Also a comparison is performed, where the hierarchical control strategy is compared with a simple control approach using the t student test. In this paper, we show that the proposed method outperforms the conventional fuzzy control approach. In the optimal design of the proposed control architecture a genetic algorithm was also applied to tune the parameters of the fuzzy systems in an optimal fashion. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Population growth, urbanisation and climate change represent significant pressures on urban water resources, requiring water managers to consider a wider array of management options that account for economic, social and environmental factors. The Dynamic Urban Water Simulation Model (DUWSiM) developed in this study links urban water balance concepts with the land use dynamics model MOLAND and the climate model LARS-WG, providing a platform for long term planning of urban water supply and water demand by analysing the effects of urbanisation scenarios and climatic changes on the urban water cycle. Based on potential urbanisation scenarios and their effects on a city's water cycle, DUWSiM provides the functionality for assessing the feasibility of centralised and decentralised water supply and water demand management options based on forecasted water demand, stormwater and wastewater generation, whole life cost and energy and potential for water recycling. DUWSiM has been tested using data from Dublin, the capital of Ireland, and it has been shown that the model is able to satisfactorily predict water demand and stormwater runoff. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: To determine the opinion of nursing faculty and a researcher on the effectiveness of non-verbal communication in the classroom. Methods: This descriptive study included 11 nursing professors filmed for 220 minutes. Fourteen aspects of non-verbal communication were evaluated. Opinions about the effectiveness of non-verbal communication are expressed as simple frequencies. Results: Professors identified 71.43% of postures (as coherent, good, effective, and adequate), 62.5% of facial expressions (efficient, positive, and reinforcing/following the speech), 83.33% of voice rhythms (effective, good, and adequate speed), 61.11% of physical energy levels (good rhythm, active, attentive, effective, adequate, and alert), and 78.95% of body postures (kept moving, standing, remaining on feet, using hand movements to illustrate points, attention focused on students, position close to students' desks). A less frequent inefficient non-verbal communication was seen among. Conclusion: Nursing professors' opinions on non-verbal communication in the classroom were general and non-specific, indicating inadequate application of non-verbal communication. Professors identified inefficient non-verbal communication behavior less often than did one of the current researchers.
The Wiener-Hopf factorization of a complex function arises in a variety of fields in applied mathematics such as probability, finance, insurance, queuing theory, radio engineering and fluid mechanics. The factorization fully characterizes the distribution of functionals of a random walk or a Levy process, such as the maximum, the minimum and hitting times. Here we propose a constructive procedure for the computation of the Wiener-Hopf factors, valid for both single and double barriers, based on the combined use of the Hilbert and the z-transform. The numerical implementation can be simply performed via the fast Fourier transform and the Euler summation. Given that the information in the Wiener-Hopf factors is strictly related to the distributions of the first passage times, as a concrete application in mathematical finance we consider the pricing of discretely monitored exotic options, such as lookback and barrier options, when the underlying price evolves according to an exponential Levy process. We show that the computational cost of our procedure is independent of the number of monitoring dates and the error decays exponentially with the number of grid points. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study was carried out in a popular tourist destination located in Italy, where short-term pollution posed the problem of low quality status of bathing waters (according to European Directive) owing to the fecal contamination caused by drainage ditches. Our goal was to,understand the role of meteorological conditions on freshwater and seawater bacterial indicator levels, and the impact of polluted streams on seawater contamination. To this aim, results from surface waters were analyzed during five bathing seasons, from 2011 to 2015. Our results demonstrated a relationship between bacterial densities and rainfall amount and a time-dependent dilution effect of the sea between the two halves of each bathing season. This analytical survey confirmed the strategic role of meteorological variables in bathing waters quality, and it could be a support for generation and development of predicting models of indicator levels for bathing area. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cultural practices socialize people to relate to others in different ways. One critical way in which these interpersonal bonds are formed and maintained is via empathy, our emotional reactivity toward others' experiences. However, the extent to which individuals from different cultures vary in their dispositional empathy, and the correlates of these differences, are relatively unknown. Thus, the current study explored cultural variation in empathy, and how this variation is related to psychological characteristics and prosocial behavior across cultures. Evidence from an original sample of 104,365 adults across 63 countries reveals that higher empathy countries also have higher levels of collectivism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, self-esteem, emotionality, subjective well-being, and prosocial behavior. These findings reveal that empathy is situated within a broader nomological network of other psychological characteristics, emotional expression and experiences, and prosocial behavior across cultures. The current study expands our understanding about how psychological characteristics vary across cultures and how these characteristics can manifest in broader national indicators of prosocial behavior.
The ability of a region to provide clean water relates to many aspects of the physical and economic elements. We use natural and social indicators to evaluate this feature. To measure the ability of a region to provide clean water to meet the needs of its population, water demand and supply index (WDSI) is defined as the ratio of the amount of water demand and water supply. Obviously, if the index >1, the region is suffering from water scarcity. Water demand includes industrial water, agricultural water and domestic water. Water supply consists of surface water, groundwater and other clean water. To evaluate this model, we select six countries spreading in five Water stress indicator interval in the UN water scarcity map and calculate their WSDI from 1988 to 2002. Then we apply the cluster analysis to divide the countries into five classes. The test result fits water stress indicator interval showed by the UN water scarcity map perfectly. We choose Beijing for our further investigation where water is heavily overloaded. Considering the dynamic nature of the factors, we adopt the supply and demand balance theory and GM (1,1) to predict the development trend of water supply and demand separately. According to the forecast, water shortage in Beijing will be more serious in the next 15 years. Industrial water will increase gradually. Sewage reuse, rainwater harvesting project and water desalination projects will make great progress, which will provide a large proportion of the water supply in the future.
Replacement of conventional energy sources with renewables such as solar panels and wind turbines requires adequate land. Impact assessments should be conducted to identify sites exhibiting least conflict with current and future land-uses and corresponding ecosystem services. We assessed the electricity potential and geographical distribution of wind turbines and solar panels for current land-use and under three Swiss land-change scenarios. The future scenario A2 with limited construction regulations, a liberalized market and more building surfaces increases the electricity potential of solar panels by 69% from 16.6 TWh (potential under current land-use and regulations) to a future 28.2 TWh. An increase of approximately 26% electricity potential from solar panels is expected for scenario B2 (regionalized economy) and the trend scenario. Wind-electricity potential could increase by 61% from 93 to 150 TWh under A2, and 29% under a B2 or trend scenario. The electricity potential for solar panels remains largely unaffected by conflicts with ecosystem services, but electricity production from wind could be reduced by as much as 98% due to conflicts with ecosystem services. Depending on the scenario used, low-conflict sites for solar panels and wind turbines could contribute between 85% (trend and B2 scenario) and >100% (A2 scenario) to the Swiss energy target of generating 25 TWh from new renewable energy sources by 2050. This includes expected technological developments. Positive impacts of sustainable energy production on regional economies are moderate and will not lead to strong changes in regional-economic development.
In this paper, we discuss four types of electrical network circuits have been used for modeling amino acid sequences at the gross molecular level. The standard 20 amino acids have been partitioned into mutually exclusive partitions based on their chemical and structural properties and each partition is assigned a distinct electrical circuit. This enables the construction of electrical networks for representing any amino acid sequence. These networks have been analyzed to establish putative relationships between a network's electrical response and known behavior of protein sequences. To aid in the analysis of circuit response, we have also developed a unique visualization technique. Similar circuits have been used to model DNA/RNA sequences as well as non-biological strings which have applications in message encryption and computer security.
This paper presents the results of a pilot scale study consisting of pre-treatment with a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter followed by membrane filtration. Detailed characterisation of rainwater tanks has highlighted that turbidity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and heavy metals, in particular lead, were not compliant with the 2004 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). Further, organic matter present in the water causes membrane fouling and leads to carcinogenic compounds upon chlorination. A GAC filter was used as a first step to remove dissolved organic matter (measured in terms of DOC) in particular and also to reduce the concentration, of turbidity and lead. Membrane filtration can remove any remaining solids reducing the concentrations of turbidity and microorganisms. In this study a pilot scale rainwater treatment system consisting of a gravity fed GAC filter and membrane filter (Ultra Flo) was operated for a period of 120 days. The performance of this system was assessed in terms of membrane flux and improvement in water quality measured against the 2004 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Determination of the flux especially in the later stages of membrane operation was important to be able to size the filters in a manner that meets the expected demand. The treatment system of GAC filter and membrane filter was effective in reducing the turbidity, DOC and heavy metals. The system reduced the turbidity to levels of 0.3-0.4 NTU, below the ADWG limit of 1 NTU. The concentration of DOC was reduced to below the 2004 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines limit of 0.2 mg/L. The concentration of lead was reduced to less than 0.005 mg/L, and below the ADWD limit of 0.01 mg/L. The concentrations of all other heavy metals were well within the ADWG limits. Further, the GAC filter removed a majority of the organic substances from raw rainwater collected from the roof. After the initial flux decline, the stable flux achieved was 0.47 L/m(2)/h consistently over the final 60 days of the experiment.
BACKGROUND: The prescribing pattern of epinephrine over time is an indicator of the secular trend of anaphylaxis. However, it is not well known in a population level in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the trend of prescriptions for epinephrine autoinjectors in Olmsted County, Minn, residents. METHODS: Outpatient prescriptions for epinephrine were identified among residents of Olmsted County, Minn, between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010. We used the first prescription per patient per year, and the first prescription per patient during the study period to calculate incidence rates. Incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were calculated using patients prescribed epinephrine per year as the numerator and age-and sex-specific counts of the population of Olmsted County as the denominator. The relationships of age group, sex, and year of prescription with incidence rates were assessed by fitting Poisson regression models using the SAS procedure GENMOD. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate of epinephrine autoinjector prescriptions during the study period was 757 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 740-774). The prescription rates per patient per year increased over time, with an annual rate of increase of 8% (P < .001), but the rates per patient remained stable (P = .077). For each year, incidence rates overall were higher in women compared with men (P < .001). From ages 0 to 19, incidence rates were higher in boys compared with girls. At age 20 and above, incidence rates were higher in women compared with men. CONCLUSIONS: The overall rate of epinephrine autoinjector prescriptions increased, but the rate of first-time prescriptions was stable from 2005 to 2010. In childhood, boys were more likely to receive a prescription than girls, but this reversed in later ages. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
The aim of this study is to present a method, using 3 computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) surgical guides, to accurately obtain the desired bone reduction followed by immediate implant placements and loading for patients diagnosed with terminal dentition. Patients who had bone reduction, implants placed, and immediate loading using Anatomage Invivo 5 CAD/CAM surgical guides between the period 2013 and 2015 were evaluated retrospectively. Patients diagnosed with terminal dentition and treated using the 3-guide technique were identified. Pre-and postsurgical images were superimposed to evaluate deviations of the bone reduction and deviations at the crest, apex, and angle of implants placed. Twenty-six implants placed in 5 patients were included in this study. The overall deviation means measured for bone reduction was 1.98 mm. The overall deviation means measured for implant placement at the crest, apex, and angle were 1.43 mm, 1.90 mm, and 4.14 degrees, respectively. The CAD/CAM surgical guide fabrication is an emerging tool that may facilitate the surgical process and aid in safe and predictable execution of bone reduction and immediate implant placement. Using 3 CAD/CAM surgical guides, a method is presented to obtain the desired bone reduction followed by immediate implant placement and loading for patients diagnosed with terminal dentition. This method may improve guide stability for patients with terminal dentition undergoing complete implant-supported treatment by taking advantage of the teeth to be extracted.
Based on social projection research, four studies investigated whether people rely on their own regulatory focus when making predictions about others. Chronic (Study 1) and induced (Study 2) regulatory focus shaped estimations of others' strategic promotion or prevention inclinations and choices between enriched (fitting promotion) and impoverished options (fitting prevention). Providing indirect process evidence via boundary conditions, participants only relied on their induced regulatory focus in predictions of others' inclinations to seek romantic alternatives to the extent that this did not run counter to stereotypic gender beliefs (Study 3). In addition, participants only relied on their induced regulatory focus in preference predictions concerning promotion and prevention products when they lacked idiosyncratic target knowledge (Study 4). These effects were not mediated by mood, judgment-certainty, perceived task-enjoyment, or task-difficulty. Implications of these findings for social projection research as well as possible interpersonal consequences are delineated.
Nonheterosexual individuals are half as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to report a religious identity. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer (GLBQ) emerging adults who maintain a religious identity and affiliation throughout their adolescent and young adult years challenge dominant narratives of sexuality and religion (Pew, 2012, 2013). This study contextualizes these demographic findings and considers their impact on family life and sexual identity. The authors present data from 11 qualitative interviews with GLBQ individuals between the ages of 20 and 25. Results are presented in a model describing how participants constructed a GLBQ Christian identity, and how they perceive the acceptance of their identities in both their families and church communities.
This paper proposes a linear variable machine equipped with a set of field winding which is capable for adjusting the air-gap flux. As conventional variable reluctance machines, the proposed machine has a doubly salient structure and no permanent magnets or windings on the mover. The distinct feature of the proposed machine is that there are both the ac armature winding and the de field winding in the stator. By inviting the dc field winding, the proposed machine not only has the flux control capability, but also realizes the bipolar operation. In this paper, the proposed machine design and its operating principle are presented and discussed. Then, a two-phase machine in modular design is dimensioned. By using the three-dimensional finite element analysis, both the steady and transient performances are quantitatively analyzed and evaluated.
This paper discusses the most important policies and regulations supporting the decentralized management, harvesting and utilization of rainwater in Germany, where such measures have been increasingly applied during the last few decades. The development and implementation of specific policies and regulations contributed significantly to that trend. They also work as incentives for the development of advanced technologies and businesses as well as the widespread and growing implementation of measures for decentralized rainwater management, harvesting and utilization by public and private actors. This development can generally be associated with environmental and economic concerns related with required adaptation to changes in climate, demographic structures and infrastructures as well as climate resilience including flood control and drought resistance. The addressed and supported measures can be assigned to the two focus areas 'Decentralized rainwater harvesting and utilization', aiming for saving of precious fresh water resources and centrally supplied drinking water, as well as 'decentralized rainwater retention and management', aiming for flood control and protection of existing infrastructures and ecosystems. The decentralized management of rainwater and its separation from combined sewer systems at the source is generally regarded as the state of the art and basic condition for sustainable municipal wastewater management.
Based on the qualitative research of elite interviews and narrative analysis of Hungarian documents, the main aim of this article is twofold: (1) to elucidate the transformation of Jobbik from a marginal extra-parliamentary youth focused movement to an influential parliamentary party; (2) to discuss the impact of Jobbik's ascension on the main centre right Fidesz only as a pre-conclusion. It argues that the rise of Jobbik is not a protest phenomenon that simply demonstrates a social disenchantment with the transitional economy. Jobbik's transformation is a unique post-Communist political development that is rooted in elements of Hungarian nationalism. These national elements include underlying social prejudice against Roma and Jews, a preference for paternalistic economic systems, and even attraction to the historical narrative of mythic Turanism in the debate over the origins of Hungarian national identity. Jobbik manipulates all of these national elements for the transformation of its own party identity, emerging as a main challenger to the Fidesz. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Regents of the University of California.
Silicon photonics which is compatible with mature complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication process has been extensively demonstrated for monolithic integration of photonic and electrical circuits. We show that an integrated silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) may be used for advanced modulation formats despite the nonlinear dependence of refractive index change with applied voltage in the free-carrier depletion modulator. We experimentally demonstrated the use of a silicon MZM for direct detection optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DDO-OFDM) modulation with advanced data formats of quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), 8 phase-shift keying (8PSK) and 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM). The measured bit error rate performance of the back-to-back and 50 km single mode fiber transmission of each format is well below the forward error correction limit.
The application of geosynthetics in hydrotechnical engineering requires an appropriate selection with respect to soil properties and operational conditions of the structures. The paper presents the case of the slope failure of a deep drainage channel caused by the geotextile clogging phenomenon resulting from selecting an inappropriate material with respect to soil parameters. Due to rapid changes of water level in the channel, which will occur during operation, it was required to protect the slope from periodically occurring seepage forces. The slope reinforcement was performed by placing the draining gravel layer between geotextile on the cohesive soil. On the top the openwork concrete plates were laid. Despite the reinforcement, during intense rainfall even before the channel was filled, a long section of the slope slid down and destroyed the ecological reinforcement of channel bottom. In the paper this phenomenon was explained by the analysis of slope equilibrium conditions, along with the laboratory tests of water permeability and the clogging process of the applied geotextile.
The changing manufacturing environment characterized by aggressive competition on a global scale and rapid changes in manufacturing processes and related technologies requires creation of education systems that are easily upgradable and into which new syllabi and functions can be readily integrated, according to a report on next-generation manufacturing. This new environment calls for hands-on experiences in laboratories that have modularity, integrability, customization, and open architecture as key features. There is also an emphasis on teamwork, innovation, and leadership as a part of new curricula in manufacturing engineering education. This paper discusses these concepts and presents ideas for the design of courses and labs to support new curricula.
It is an important part of the Nanchang Hangkong University's professionals training with aviation feature to constructing the characteristic major of aircraft manufacturing engineering, for meeting the need of the development of the aviation manufacturing industry and the regional economy. This paper introduces the construction of the provincial characteristic major of aircraft manufacturing engineering. Firstly, the constructing goal of characteristic major was proposed for professional curriculum, practice teaching, and teacher team. Subsequently, the detail measures of constructing characteristic major were described, such as establishing the special opening professional curriculum, setting aviation feature practice teaching platform, and cultivating interactive teaching and research teacher team. Finally, a brief account of both the quality and the evaluation of personnel training was given.
Background: According to international guidelines, treatment of inflammatory arthritis should be based on a shared decision between patient and rheumatologist. Furthermore, patients with inflammatory arthritis have high need of information and want to be more actively involved in medical decision-making. To facilitate shared decision-making and support patients in choosing between disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), a web-based patient decision aid (PtDA) was developed. This study evaluated use, appreciation and effect of this PtDA. Methods: A post-test only study with a historical comparison group was conducted. In a two-year period, all patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, who were deciding whether to start a (different) DMARD were invited to participate. In the first year, patients received standard information (comparison group). In the second year, patients were referred to the PtDA (intervention group). In both groups, a questionnaire was sent four weeks after consulting the rheumatologist. Patient characteristics included sociodemographic, health-related and preference-related variables. Process measures were for use and appraisal of the PtDA (intervention group only). The primary outcome measure was patients' perceived role in medical decision-making. Secondary outcome measures comprised satisfaction with the decision-making process and the decision, beliefs about medication, adherence to medication and trust in the physician. Results: We received 158/232 questionnaires (68 %) from the comparison group and 123/200 (61 %) from the intervention group. The PtDA was used by 69/123 patients (57 %) in the intervention group. Patients who used the PtDA highly appreciated it and perceived it as easy to use and helpful. Relative to the comparison group, patients in the intervention group perceived a more active role in medical decision-making and decisions were more in line with patients' personal preferences. Other outcomes showed no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: The web-based PtDA was highly appreciated and perceived as helpful for decision-making. Implementation of the PtDA in rheumatology practice was associated with a significantly larger proportion of patients perceiving an active role in medical decision-making and decisions were more in line with patients' personal preferences. The PtDA can be a valuable aid in improving patient participation in decision-making about DMARDs.
Geosynthetics have been proposed for use as a method of increasing the bearing capacity of a soil medium below a footing, and of reducing settlement. In this study, load-settlement behaviour of strip footings was investigated experimentally and numerically. The ultimate load of centrally and eccentrically loaded model strip footings resting on reinforced and unreinforced sand were determined under plane strain conditions. Sand was placed in a tank at a relative density of 0.74 to obtain general shear failure. Numerical simulation of the experimental set-up was carried out using Plaxis 2D software. Woven geotextile was used as the soil reinforcement. The Mohr-Coulomb material model was utilised to model the sand and load-settlement curves were obtained numerically. Using the reinforcement caused an increase in ultimate load in both numerical simulations and laboratory tests. The effect of changes in ultimate bearing capacity due to load eccentricity was investigated using both numerical and analytical methods.
Background: Unconfirmed beta-lactam allergy is a significant public health problem because of the limitations it imposes in drug selection. In this study, we aimed to evaluate patients referred for beta-lactam allergy to determine the frequency of confirmed beta-lactam allergy and identify some risk factors. Methods: In a prospective cohort study, all referred patients to Immunology, Asthma and Allergy Research Institute in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (between 2007 2009) who suspected to have beta-lactam allergy were entered into this study based on having the inclusion criteria. Follow-up was performed 6 8 years after the final diagnosis. Diagnosis of beta-lactam allergy relies on thorough history and specific IgE measurements (ImmunoCAP), skin prick testing (SPT), intradermal testing (IDT), patch testing, and oral drug challenge test. Results: Fifty-one patients with mean age of 24.5 (+/- 18.5) years were enrolled in this study. Based on workups, beta-Iactam allergy was confirmed in 16 (31.4%) patients, suspicious in 22 (43.1%) patients and ruled out in 13 (25.5%) patients. During the follow-up, 3 patients with suspicious drug allergy consumed the culprit drug with no reaction so allergy was finally ruled out in 16 (31.4%) patients. Age, sex, atopy and family history of drug allergies were not significantly different between the patients with confirmed or ruled-out diagnosis of penicillin and amoxicillin allergy. Conclusion: At least up to one-third of patients with a history of beta-lactam allergy are proven to be safe using the drug. Also, a clear protocol consists of serum sIgE assay and SPT can be helpful to the physicians in the health care system.
Steam injector (SI) is known as passive jet pump and heat exchanging device which operates without external power source or mechanical machineries. It utilizes direct contact condensation heat transfer between steam and water-jet as a driving mechanism of the operation and is capable of discharging sub cooled water at higher pressure than the inlet fluids pressure. In addition, it has an excellent heat transfer capability, more than 1000 times that of shell and tube heat exchanger. In the present study, thermal hydraulics characteristics of the water-jet-centered supersonic SI system were investigated from both experimental and analytical approaches. The SI body was manufactured with stainless steel equipped with overflow port. The water injection nozzle was designed with shaft-driving mechanism to freely adjust the axial location of the water nozzle and steam inlet cross sectional area. High pressure steam was supplied to the SI from once-through boiler, which is capable of supplying saturated steam at the maximum pressure of 0.63 MPa for the current test facility. Water jet was injected at mass flow rate of 0.4-0.8 kg/s. Pressure and temperature measurements were conducted at inlet and outlet of the steam injector system as well as at the overflow port to investigate the operation characteristics of the SI. Results showed the water-jet centered SI's promising functionality as a passive coolant injection in view of its quick-start up, operable condition limits, discharge pressure and heat transfer capabilities at current inlet conditions. In addition, obtained experimental results were compared with analytical model to assess the predictive capability of discharge pressure value and reasonable agreement was obtained. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the field of network security, researchers have implemented different models to secure the network. Intrusion Detection System is also one of them and Snort is an open source tool for Intrusion Detection and Prevention System. Today intrusion Detection System is a growing technology in network security and mostly researchers have focused in this field, some of them used signature or rule-based technique and some are anomaly based techniques to improve security of network. In this paper we propose a rule-base Intrusion Detection System with our self generated new Efficient Port Scan Detection Rules (EPSDR). These rules will be used to detect naive port scan attacks in real time network using Snort and Basic Analysis Security Engine (BASE). BASE is used to view the snort results in font-end web page because Snort has no graphic user interface. In This rule-based Intrusion Detection System we will match the signature with our Efficient Port Scan Detection Rules (EPSDR) from captured packet. As a definition of signature based IDS this new EPSDR based IDS will be useful to reduce the false positive alarm.
We examined 261 5-, 7-, and 10-year-olds' (147 in Hong Kong, 114 in the USA) evaluations of hypothetical scenarios where mothers sought to control personal domain events by prohibiting, persuading, or shaming the child. The scenarios also varied in their description of personal events as either essential or peripheral to the self. Compliance was endorsed least (and emotions attributed to actors were most positive) when mothers gently persuaded and endorsed most (with emotion attributions most negative) when mothers prohibited personal choices. Evaluations of compliance and associated emotions for shaming fell in-between. When mothers were described as gently persuading, young children (and Chinese children) gave priority to personal choices more when acts were described as essential rather than peripheral to the self, based on personal reasons. When mothers were described as shaming, noncompliance increased with age, along with pragmatic justifications for choices, particularly when events were essentialized. Positive emotions in response to shaming also increased with age, but differentially for Chinese and American children.
Power is thought to increase discrimination toward subordinate groups, yet its effect on different forms of implicit bias remains unclear. We tested whether power enhances implicit racial stereotyping, in addition to implicit prejudice (i.e., evaluative associations), and examined the effect of power on the automatic processing of faces during implicit tasks. Study 1 showed that manipulated high power increased both forms of implicit bias, relative to low power. Using a neural index of visual face processing (the N170 component of the ERP), Study 2 revealed that power affected the encoding of White ingroup vs. Black outgroup faces. Whereas high power increased the relative processing of outgroup faces during evaluative judgments in the prejudice task, it decreased the relative processing of outgroup faces during stereotype trait judgments. An indirect effect of power on implicit prejudice through enhanced processing of outgroup versus ingroup faces suggested a potential link between face processing and implicit bias. Together, these findings demonstrate that power can affect implicit prejudice and stereotyping as well as early processing of racial ingroup and outgroup faces.
Prior studies have documented how people in general respond to others' narcissism, but existing research offers few clues about whether and how evaluator narcissism influences judgments of traits associated with narcissism. Participants completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and then evaluated hypothetical target persons. Target narcissism was conveyed through a single trait description (Study 1), a list of traits (Study 2), or Facebook content (Study 3). Narcissistic qualities were reliably viewed unfavorably, but narcissistic participants were comparatively less bothered by target narcissism and less positive in their judgments of targets without narcissistic qualities. In each study, symptoms of the presence or absence of narcissism had less impact on the social judgments of participants who were narcissistic.
Xylem embolism is one of the main processes involved in drought-related plant mortality. Although its consequences for plant physiology are already well described, embolism formation and spread are poorly evaluated and modelled, especially for tracheid-based species. The aim of this study was to assess the embolism formation and spread in Pinus sylvestris as a case study using X-ray microtomography and hydraulics methods. We also evaluated the potential effects of cavitation fatigue on vulnerability to embolism and the micro-morphology of the bordered pits using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to test for possible links between xylem anatomy and embolism spread. Finally, a novel model was developed to simulate the spread of embolism in a 2D anisotropic cellular structure. Results showed a large variability in the formation and spread of embolism within a ring despite no differences being observed in intertracheid pit membrane anatomical traits. Simulations from the model showed a highly anisotropic tracheid-to-tracheid embolism spreading pattern, which confirms the major role of tracheid-to-tracheid air seeding to explain how embolism spreads in Scots pine. The results also showed that prior embolism removal from the samples reduced the resistance to embolism of the xylem and could result in overestimates of vulnerability to embolism.
In this paper, an interactive web-based circuit simulator tool (CirSim) is presented to enhance students learning skills and assist them to grasp the basic concepts of the preliminary electrical engineering courses by providing innovative methods for interactive teaching and testing. The project aims to achieve the following goals: 1) Develop enhanced problem solving skills using the internet as a portable platform for the education environment. 2) Develop design skills and sharpen critical thinking. 3) Develop global and comprehensive teaching circuit tools which can be adopted nationally for educational purposes. Students can use the online circuit simulator to carry out circuit simulation on the web and access it virtually from any place. The proposed simulator provides a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) which has the capability to allow students to conduct DC and AC circuit simulation analysis and provide the option to plot the circuit responses graphically. Finally, a preliminary study has been done on a group of students to show the effectiveness of the e-learning using the proposed web-based circuit solver on the achievement of students. The results show a great feedback from students and improved performance in learning the basic electrical engineering concepts.
Research on bullying has highlighted the role of morality in explaining the different behavior of students during bullying episodes. However, the research has been limited to the analysis of explicit measures of moral characteristics and moral reasoning, whereas implicit measures have yet to be fully considered. To overcome this limitation, this study investigated the association between bullying and defending, on one hand, and both explicit (moral disengagement, self-importance of moral values) and implicit (immediate affect toward moral stimuli [IAMS]) moral components, on the other hand. Young adolescents (N = 279, mean age = 11 years, 9 months, 44.4% girls) completed a series of self-report scales and individually performed a computer task investigating the IAMS. Two hierarchical regressions (bootstrapping method) were performed. Results showed that moral disengagement was associated with bullying and defending behavior at high levels of IAMS, however not when IAMS was low. In contrast, self-importance of moral values was not significantly associated to the two behaviors when IAMS was high whereas both associations were significant at low levels of IAMS. These results significantly expand previous knowledge about the role of morality in bullying and defending behavior. In particular, they highlight the role of the interaction between explicit and implicit moral dimensions in predicting bullying and defending behaviors. (C) 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We give an optimal-size representation for the elements of the trace zero subgroup of the Picard group of an elliptic or hyperelliptic curve of any genus, with respect to a field extension of any prime degree. The representation is via the coefficients of a rational function, and it is compatible with scalar multiplication of points. We provide efficient compression and decompression algorithms, and complement them with implementation results. We discuss in detail the practically relevant cases of small genus and extension degree, and compare with the other known compression methods.
Urban geological hazards involving ground instability can be costly, dangerous, and affect many people, yet there is little information about the extent or distribution of geohazards within Europe's urban areas. A reason for this is the impracticality of measuring ground instability associated with the many geohazard processes that are often hidden beneath buildings and are imperceptible to conventional geological survey detection techniques. Satellite radar interferometry, or InSAR, offers a remote sensing technique to map mm-scale grotind deformation over wide areas given an archive of suitable multi-temporal data. The EC FP7 Space project named PanGeo (2011-2014), used InSAR to map areas of unstable ground in 52 of Europe's cities, representing similar to 45% of the EU population. In partnership with Europe's national geological surveys, the PanGeo project developed a standardised geohazard-mapping methodology and recorded 1286 instances of 19 types of geohazard covering 18,000 km(2). Presented here is an analysis of the results of the PanGeo-project output data, which provides insights into the distribution of European urban geohazards, their frequency and probability of occurrence. Merging PanGeo data with Eurostat's GeoStat data provides a systematic estimate of population exposures. Satellite radar interferometry is shown to be as a valuable tool for the systematic detection and mapping of urban geohazard phenomena. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The structural design of a compressor pump with gas damper and the pneumohydraulic and electrical circuits of a testing unit for studying a compressor pump are presented. A comparison of the indicator diagrams of the compressor and pump chambers along with integral characteristics obtained experimentally and in mathematical modeling are presented.
Background: Work with families and families at risk within the field of music therapy have been developing for the last decade. To diminish risk for unhealthy child development, families with emotionally neglected children need help to improve their emotional communication and develop healthy parent-child interactions. While some researchers have investigated the effect of music therapy on either the parent or the child, no study has investigated the effect of music therapy on the observed interaction between the parent and child within the field of child protection. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a dyadic music therapy intervention on observed parent-child interaction (mutual attunement, nonverbal communication, emotional parental response), self-reported parenting stress, and self-reported parent-child relationship in families at risk and families with emotionally neglected children, ages 5-12 years. Method: This was a randomized controlled trial study conducted at a family care center in Denmark. Eighteen parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to receive 10 weekly music therapy sessions with a credentialed music therapist (n = 9) or treatment as usual (n = 9). Observational measures for parent-child interaction, self-reported measures for parenting stress and parent-child relationship were completed at baseline and 4 months post-baseline assessment. Results: Results of the study showed that dyads who received music therapy intervention significantly improved their nonverbal communication and mutual attunement. Similarly, parents who participated in dyadic music therapy reported themselves to be significantly less stressed by the mood of the child and to significantly improve their parent-child relationship in terms of being better at talking to and understanding their children than parents who did not receive music therapy. Both groups significantly improved in terms of increased positive and decreased negative emotional parental response, parenting stress and stress in general. There were no significant between group differences in self-perceived autonomy, attachment, and parental competence. Conclusions: The dyadic music therapy intervention examined in this study improved emotional communication between parent and child and interaction after 6 to 10 sessions and can be considered as a viable treatment alternative or supplement for families at risk and families with emotionally neglected children.
Play has been proposed as an indicator of positive emotions and welfare in higher vertebrates. This study investigated playfulness in male rats by exploring its consistency across motivational states (with/without prior short social isolation) and two age points at early and late adolescence. Twenty-four male Lister Hooded rats housed in cages of four underwent two play tests: conspecific Play-in-Pairs and Tickling by the experimenter, which were compared with play in the home cage and basal anxiety levels. Play-in-Pairs measures were consistent across age and motivational states, and were independent from anxiety. Positively valenced vocalizations in the Tickling test were also consistent across age, yet were negatively related to anxiety. Play-in-Pairs and Tickling play contexts, as well as social and solitary play types, were unrelated. Therefore, this study supports the existence of consistent individual differences in playfulness in rats, and suggests that different play contexts and types represent motivationally distinct systems.
An optimal design strategy based on genetic algorithms (GA) is proposed for nonlinear hysteretic control devices that prevent pounding damage and achieve the best results in seismic response mitigation of two adjacent structures. An integrated fuzzy controller is used in order to provide the interactive relationships between damper forces and input voltages for MR dampers based on the modified Bouc-Wen model. Furthermore, Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and H-2/LQG (Linear Quadratic Gaussian) controllers based on clipped voltage law (CVL) are also used to compare the results obtained by fuzzy controller. This study employs the main objectives of the optimal design that are not only to reduce the seismic responses but also to minimize the total cost of the damper system. A set of Pareto optimal solutions is also conducted with the corresponding results obtained from the optimal surface of Pareto solutions in this study. As a result, decreasing the number of dampers does necessarily increase the efficiency of the system. In fact, reducing the number of dampers for the dynamic response of the system can contribute more than increasing the number of dampers. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Today's modern world requires a digital watermarking technique that takes the redundancy of an image into consideration for embedding a watermark. The novel algorithm used in this paper takes into consideration the redundancies of spatial domain and wavelet domain for embedding a watermark. Also, the cryptography-based secret key makes the algorithm difficult to hack and help protect ownership. Watermarking is blind, as it does not require the original image. Few coefficient matrices and secret keys are essential to retrieve the original watermark, which makes it redundant to various intentional attacks. The proposed technique resolves the challenge of optimizing transparency and robustness using a Canny-based edge detector technique. Improvements in the transparency of the cover image can be seen in the computed PSNR value, which is 44.20 dB.
Airway exposure of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is shown to regulate type I and type II helper T cell induced asthma. While high doses of LPS derive Th1- or Th17-immune responses, low LPS levels lead to Th2 responses. In this paper, we analyze a mathematical model of Thl/Th2/Th17 asthma regulation suggested by Lee et al. (S. Lee, H.T. Hwang, and Y. Kim, Modeling the role of TGF-8 in regulation of the Th17 phenotype in the LPS-driven immune system, Bull Math Biol., 76 (5), 1045-1080, 2014) and show that the system can undergo a Hopf bifurcation at a steady state of the Th17 phenotype for high LPS levels in the presence of time delays in inhibition pathways of two key regulators: IL-4/Th2 activities (H) and TCF-beta levels (G). The time delays affect the phenotypic switches among the Thl, Th2, and Th17 phenotypes in response to time-dependent LPS doses via nonlinear crosstalk between H and G. An extended reaction-diffusion model also predicts coexistence of these phenotypes under various biochemical and bio-mechanical conditions in the heterogeneous microenvironment.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 targets access to water and sanitation for all people in the next 15 years. However, for developing countries such as Nepal, it is more challenging to achieve this goal given its poor infrastructure and high population growth. To assess the water crisis in the most developed and populated area of Nepal, the Kathmandu Valley, we estimated available water resources and domestic water demand in the valley. We estimated a supply deficit of 102 million liters per day (MLD) in 2016, after completion of the first phase of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP). If the MWSP is completed within the specified timeframe, and sufficient treatment and distribution infrastructure is developed, then there would be no water deficit by 2023-2025. This indicates that the MWSP will make a significant contribution to the valley's water security. However, emphasis must be given to utilizing all of the water available from the MWSP by developing sufficient water treatment and distribution infrastructure. Alternate mitigation options, such as planning land use for potential recharge, introducing micro- to macro-level rainwater harvesting structures, conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources, and water demand-side management, would also be helpful.
Wearable healthcare devices with monitoring, treating and protecting applications can provide reliable and newfangled interactive service for people. Herein, a bi-functional smart face mask based on electrospun polyetherimide (PEI) electret nonwoven is developed. By virtue of the surplus charges maintained steadily in the PEI nonwoven, the smart face mask possesses bi-functions of removing the particulate matter and generating electricity. Moreover, the unique applications for dynamically monitoring the particulate matter removal ability and human's respiratory rates are demonstrated. Besides offering an unique air filter, this study will promisingly promote the progress of self-powered wearable electronics.
In this paper we present an analysis of the stability of a two-degree-of-freedom system, modeling a robotic arm connected to the actuator through an elastic joint and subject to digital position control. The system consists of two lumped masses connected to each other through a spring and a damper. In the model there is only one actuator, so the system is underactuated in a certain sense; two cases are considered, referring to a collocated and a noncollocated configuration. Stability analysis is presented using both a continuous and a discrete time approach. The discrete time approach is related to the case of a digital controller, typical in real applications. This samples the position and the velocity signals at discrete time intervals and, therefore, it generates a piecewise constant control force, introducing a delay in the control system as well. The stability charts are presented in the parameter space of the sampling time and the control gains. Their differences highlight the role played by the resonances between the finite sampling frequency and the natural frequency of the system in achieving robust stability with respect to parameter variations.
Classic and contemporary research on person perception has demonstrated the paramount importance of interpersonal warmth. Recent research on embodied cognition has shown that feelings of social warmth or coldness can be induced by experiences of physical warmth or coldness, and vice versa. Here we show that people tend to self-regulate their feelings of social warmth through applications of physical warmth, apparently without explicit awareness of doing so. In Study 1, higher scores on a measure of chronic loneliness (social coldness) were associated with an increased tendency to take warm baths or showers. In Study 2, a physical coldness manipulation significantly increased feelings of loneliness. In Study 3, needs for social affiliation and for emotion regulation, triggered by recall of a past rejection experience, were subsequently eliminated by an interpolated physical warmth experience. Study 4 provided evidence that people are not explicitly aware of the relationship between physical and social warmth (coldness), as they do not consider a target person who often bathes to be any lonelier than one who does not, with all else being equal. Together, these findings suggest that physical and social warmth are to some extent substitutable in daily life and that this substitution reflects an unconscious self-regulatory mechanism.
MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by repressing translation of target cellular transcripts. Increasing evidences indicate that miRNAs have different expression profiles and play crucial roles in numerous cellular processes. Delivery and expression of transgenes for cancer therapy must be specific for tumors to avoid killing of healthy tissues. Many investigators have shown that transgene expression can be suppressed in normal cells using vectors that are responsive to microRNA regulation. To overcome this problem, miR-145 that exhibits downregulation in many types of cancer cells was chosen for posttranscriptional regulatory systems mediated by microRNAs. In this study, a psiCHECK-145T vector carrying four tandem copies of target sequences of miR-145 into 3'-UTR of the Renilla luciferase gene was constructed. Renilla luciferase activity from the psiCHECK-145T vector was 57% lower in MCF10A cells with high miR-145 expression as compared to a control condition. Additionally, overexpression of miR-145 in MCF-7 cells with low expression level of miR-145 showed more than 76% reduction in the Renilla luciferase activity from the psiCHECK-145T vector. Inclusion of miR-145 target sequences into the 3'-UTR of the Renilla luciferase gene is a feasible strategy for restricting transgene expression in a breast cancer cell line while sparing a breast normal cell line. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Easily perceived identities (e.g., race) may interact with perceptually ambiguous identities (e.g., sexual orientation) in meaningful but elusive ways. Here, we investigated how intersecting identities impact impressions of leadership. People perceived gay Black men as better leaders than members of either single-minority group (i.e., gay or Black). Yet, different traits supported judgments of the leadership abilities of Black and White targets; for instance, warmth positively predicted leadership judgments for Black men but dominance positively predicted leadership judgments for White men. These differences partly occurred because of different perceptions of masculinity across the intersection of race and sexual orientation. Indeed, both categorical (race and sex) and noncategorical (trait) social information contributed to leadership judgments. These findings highlight differences in the traits associated with leadership in Black and White men, as well as the importance of considering how intersecting cues associated with obvious and ambiguous groups moderate perceptions.
Recent research has demonstrated impairments in social cognition associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present work asks whether these impairments are associated with atypical moral judgment. Specifically, we assessed whether MS patients are able to integrate information about intentions and outcomes for moral judgment (i.e., appropriateness and punishment judgments) in the case of third-party acts. We found a complex pattern of moral judgments in MS patients: although their moral judgments were comparable to controls' for specific types of acts (e.g., accidental or intentional harms), they nevertheless judged behaviors to be less appropriate and endorsed more severe punishment across the board, and they were also more likely to report that others' responses would be congruent with theirs. Further analyses suggested that elevated levels of externally oriented cognition in MS (due to co-occurring alexithymia) explain these effects. Additionally, we found that the distinction between appropriateness and punishment judgments, whereby harmful outcomes influence punishment judgments to a greater extent than appropriateness judgments, was preserved in MS despite the observed disruptions in the affective and motivational components of empathy. The current results inform the two-process model for intent-based moral judgments as well as possible strategies for improving the quality of life in MS patients.
Critical heat flux (CHF) is important to thermal-hydraulics design and safety analysis. In the purpose to validate the CHF data acquired from LS-THTF of NPIC, experimental investigation on repeatability of the CHF data is carried out with full length non-uniform axial heat flux distribution rod bundle. The repeatability of the CHF data from LS-THTF itself is examined by comparing the data from the same run but different time and data from different runs. The rod bundle powers of CHF data acquired under well controlled parameters are directly compared with reference measured data from HTRF of Columbia University. The rod bundle power ratio of CHF data is employed to describe the repeatability of CHF data from LS-THTF to HTRF, and the variations of power ratio with inlet and outlet parameters show a reasonable trend. The point to point differences of CHF power between the two facilities of every single point are found to be within 5%. The result demonstrates good repeatability between data from LS-THTF and data from HTRF. LS-THTF is capable of acquiring reliable and repeatable CHF data to verifying thermal-hydraulics performance of PWR fuel assemblies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Internet provides a convenient environment for data collection in psychology. Modern Web programming languages, such as JavaScript or Flash (ActionScript), facilitate complex experiments without the necessity of experimenter presence. Yet there is always a question of how much noise is added due to the differences between the setups used by participants and whether it is compensated for by increased ecological validity and larger sample sizes. This is especially a problem for experiments that measure response times (RTs), because they are more sensitive (and hence more susceptible to noise) than, for example, choices per se. We used a simple visual search task with different set sizes to compare laboratory performance with Web performance. The results suggest that although the locations (means) of RT distributions are different, other distribution parameters are not. Furthermore, the effect of experiment setting does not depend on set size, suggesting that task difficulty is not important in the choice of a data collection method. We also collected an additional online sample to investigate the effects of hardware and software diversity on the accuracy of RT data. We found that the high diversity of browsers, operating systems, and CPU performance may have a detrimental effect, though it can partly be compensated for by increased sample sizes and trial numbers. In sum, the findings show that Web-based experiments are an acceptable source of RT data, comparable to a common keyboard-based setup in the laboratory.
Objective: To compare the outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in immunocompromised patients with those of PCNL in healthy population. Patients and Methods: A matched case-control study was performed from January 2009 through December 2014 using our prospectively collected kidney stone database. Patients with positive serology to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C (cellular immune dysfunction), and patients on high dose of immunosuppressive drugs for treatment of autoimmune diseases composed the case group. Control group included patients with kidney stones and no other comorbidity. Patients were randomly matched based on Guy's score as a surrogate of case complexity. Results: Sixty-two patients were enrolled in this study, 21 cases and 42 controls. There were no significant differences in age, gender, and body mass index between groups. Regarding PCNL technique, there were no differences in patient positioning, number of accesses, and operative time. Complication rate was higher in the case group (38.1% vs 14.3%; p = 0.032); however, major complications, defined by Clavien score >= 3, were not statistically different (4.8% vs 2.4%; p = 0.611). There was a tendency of more postoperative urinary tract infection in the case group (19% vs 4.8%; p = 0.069). Mean decrease in hemoglobin level (3.3 vs 2.4 mg/dL; p = 0.037) and blood transfusion rate (23.8% vs 4.8%; p = 0.036) was significantly higher in the case group. Immunocompromised patients had a 2.8-fold increased risk of complications (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01, 7.74) and a 5.8-fold increased risk of blood transfusion (OR = 5.8, 95% CI 1.29, 26.55). There were no differences in stone-free rate, nephrostomy tube time, and length of hospital stay. Conclusion: Immunocompromised patients are at higher risk for complications such as bleeding after PCNL.
In 2020 electricity production from wind power should constitute nearly 50% of electricity demand in Denmark. In this paper we look at optimal expansion of the transmission network in order to integrate 50% wind power in the system, while minimizing total fixed investment cost and expected cost of power generation. We allow for active switching of transmission elements to reduce congestion effects caused by Kirchhoff's voltage law. Results show that actively switching transmission lines may yield a better utilization of transmission networks with large-scale wind power and increase wind power penetration. Furthermore, it is shown that transmission switching is likely to affect the optimal line capacity expansion plan.
An electrical or an electronic circuit often contains special combinations of circuit symbols in the form of sub-circuits. Identification and analysis of these sub-circuits can substantially simplify the underlying topology of a circuit. This paper explains our maiden attempt towards topological simplification of a circuit by identifying two important classes of sub-circuits-one formed by symbols connected in series and another by symbols connected in parallel. Although a sub-circuit is usually formed with the same type of circuit symbols, our method can handle any combination, irrespective of the symbol types. The method, in general, is based on a novel histogram analysis, mathematical morphology, and geometric features during the symbol identification phase, and a set of adjacency lists representing the connectivity matrix during the analysis phase. The idea may be extended to match topologically similar but spatially different circuits using graph isomorphism. It may also be used for vectorization of circuit drawings utilizing the information on the segmented circuit elements and their connectivity matrices. We have tested the proposed method on a dataset containing 83 scanned images of a variety of electronic and electrical drawings. Some of the results are presented here to demonstrate its efficacy and robustness.
BACKGROUNDIn general, rain-fed agriculture is practised in many areas in western Sudan. Therefore, it is imperative to adopt appropriate rainwater harvesting and reuse technique(s) by promoting soil and water management research to sustain crop productivity. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a primary stable crop of Sudan. Extensive field experiments were conducted to study the effect of water harvesting techniques (WHTs) and supplemental irrigation (SI) on infiltration rate (IR), soil moisture content (SMC), growth and productivity of sorghum during two rainy seasons (2012 and 2013). RESULTSThe results showed that the WHTs and SI affected the soil physical properties, growth and productivity parameters of sorghum. The results indicated that the tied-ridging with SI (TRwSI) produced the highest values of accumulative IR, SMC and sorghum productivity (115mm, 13% and 4000kgh(-1), in season 2012, respectively, whereas in season 2013 the values were 145mm, 10% and 5000kgh(-1), for accumulative IR, SMC and sorghum productivity, respectively. Basin with SI (BwSI) ranked second, next to TRwSI in the both seasons. CONCLUSIONHence, water harvesting and SI are expected to play a significant role in terms of sustainable agricultural and socio-economic development in western Sudan and similar areas. (c) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Dioscorea zingiberensis is the main plant source of diosgenin, a precursor for the production of steroid hormones used in the pharmaceutical industry. The extraction process of diosgenin from D. zingiberensis can generate high-acid and high-strength wastewater on a large scale and can threaten the environment. Bioengineering microorganisms to produce diosgenin is an effective way to avoid pollution. However, little is known about the genes that are involved in the biosynthesis of diosgenin. We obtained 85,010 unigenes (average length of 1142 bases) from the D. zingiberensis transcriptome through RNA-seq. A large number of unigenes (59,368; 69.83%) were annotated, and 2488 unigenes were assigned to 27 secondary-metabolite pathways. In our database, 66 unigenes encoding up to 40 key enzymes were found to be present in diosgenin biosynthesis pathways. In addition, we found 203 unigenes encoding CYP450 proteins and 47 unigenes encoding UGT proteins that may be involved in modifications of a downstream pathway. The expression patterns of key diosgenin biosynthesis genes were studied to identify the most important members of the enzyme family. These results add to the available genetic data of D. zingiberensis and lay the foundation for the further production of diosgenin using genetic engineering.
This paper presents a technique to reduce torque ripple in a fractional-slot PM brushless machine. A 12-slot/10-pole machine equipped with various stators design is the subject of investigation. A better torque performance at rated condition is desirable when additional permanent magnets are inserted on the stator part. The design optimization process on motor topology is performed in order to obtain the best torque performance. It is shown that significant reduction of torque ripple is achieved without losing the desired average torque. The influences of the proposed stator design on the back-EMF, output torque and cogging torque are analysed and compared with the initial machine design.
One important feature of the major opportunistic human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is its extraordinary ability to rapidly acquire resistance to antibiotics. Genomic studies reveal that S. aureus carries many virulence and resistance genes located in mobile genetic elements, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a critical role in S. aureus evolution. However, a full and detailed description of the methodology used to study HGT in S. aureus is still lacking, especially regarding natural transformation, which has been recently reported in this bacterium. This work describes three protocols that are useful for the in vitro investigation of HGT in S. aureus: conjugation, phage transduction, and natural transformation. To this aim, the cfr gene (chloramphenicol/florfenicol resistance), which confers the Phenicols, Lincosamides, Oxazolidinones, Pleuromutilins, and Streptogramin A (PhLOPSA)-resistance phenotype, was used. Understanding the mechanisms through which S. aureus transfers genetic materials to other strains is essential to comprehending the rapid acquisition of resistance and helps to clarify the modes of dissemination reported in surveillance programs or to further predict the spreading mode in the future.
The purposes of this study are to develop a simulator generating a ski board vibration in actual skiing and to perform the basic construction for clarifying the ski sliding mechanism, which still has not been clarified completely. In the simulator developed in this study, the surface on the bottom of the ski was assumed as to be a snowy slope and a mass of snow (snow pack) assuming a skier had slid on this ski bottom surface. A ball vibrator connected to a large-sized compressor was installed onto the ski panel in order to vibrate a ski board. The compressed air from the compressor rotated a steel ball in the vibrator at high speed, causing vibration on the ski. A dynamic friction force (F) was detected by the digital force gauge when the snow pack was sliding from the top of the ski to the tail on the surface formed by the bottom of the ski. A coefficient of kinetic friction (mu k) was calculated using this dynamic friction force. Furthermore, the velocity and acceleration of the snow pack were measured by two high speeded cameras. The experiment for confirming the validity of this simulator was carried out in the temperature conditions of -5 degrees C. The velocity and acceleration of the snow pack with vibration were higher than without vibration. On the other hand, the coefficient of kinetic friction (mu k) with vibration was lower than without vibration. From these results, the simulator is suitable for studying the role of vibration in ski sliding and for clarifying the ski sliding mechanism. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Partitioning of bisphenol A (BPA) to geotextile (GTX), and geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) is investigated. BPA distribution coefficients range from 3.3 to 5.0 mL/g for the geotextile component of the GCL and 10-16 mL/g for the entire GCL. The diffusion of BPA through the GCL is also investigated and the diffusion coefficient is estimated to be 1.5 x 10(-10) m(2)/s at a bulk void ratio of 4.4. The estimated parameters are used to study the potential mass transfer of BPA through a composite liner of a municipal solid waste landfill for a number of scenarios. The results show that HDPE geomembrane is an excellent diffusive barrier for BPA but the advective transfer of BPA through the composite liner needs to be limited by minimizing the number of holes and length of the wrinkles in the geomembrane. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose: The physiological flow dynamics within the Valsalva sinuses, in terms of global and local parameters, are still not fully understood. This study attempts to identify the physiological conditions as closely as possible, and to give an explanation of the different and sometime contradictory results in literature. Methods: An in vitro approach was implemented for testing porcine bio-prosthetic valves operating within different aortic root configurations. All tests were performed on a pulse duplicator, under physiological pressure and flow conditions. The fluid dynamics established in the various cases were analysed by means of 2D Particle Image Velocimetry, and related with the achieved hydrodynamic performance. Results: Each configuration is associated with substantially different flow dynamics, which significantly affects the valve performance. The configuration most closely replicating healthy native anatomy was characterised by the best hemodynamic performance, and any mismatch in size and position between the valve and the root produced substantial modification of the fluid dynamics downstream of the valve, hindering the hydrodynamic performance of the system. The worst conditions were observed for a configuration characterised by the total absence of the Valsalva sinuses. Conclusion: This study provides an explanation for the different vortical structures described in the literature downstream of bioprosthetic valves, enlightening the experimental complications in valve testing. Most importantly, the results clearly identify the fluid mechanisms promoted by the Valsalva sinuses to enhance the ejection and closing phases, and this study exposes the importance of an optimal integration of the valve and root, to operate as a single system. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Forest roads are a necessary element for accessing forestry resources, but their impact on the environment can be significant. Forest roads can cause a variety of impacts on local wildlife that may lead to extirpation: facilitating the spread of invasive organisms, causing death or harm by vehicle strikes, and changing the behavior of animals to their detriment. Roads create improved access to forests, which can increase predation rates from hunters. Animals may move to avoid traffic noise, increasing their vulnerability to predation by other animals. One of the most significant impacts of forest roads is on water quality, through both catastrophic and chronic sources of water pollution, primarily from sediment. While it is not the case that every road will cause any or all of these impacts, for those that do, mitigation measures can be used to lessen these negative effects. These mitigation measures must begin during the location phase of the road and should continue through construction, use, and maintenance of the roads. Application of these mitigation measures allows forest managers to minimize the impacts from their forest roads when necessary.
Dimension reduction is a crucial technique in machine learning and data mining, which is widely used in areas of medicine, bioinformatics and genetics. In this paper, we propose a two-stage local dimension reduction approach for classification on microarray data. In first stage, a new Li-regularized feature selection method is defined to remove irrelevant and redundant features and to select the important features (biomarkers). In the next stage, PLS-based feature extraction is implemented on the selected features to extract synthesis features that best reflect discriminating characteristics for classification. The suitability of the proposal is demonstrated in an empirical study done with ten widely used microarray datasets, and the results show its effectiveness and competitiveness compared with four state-of-the-art methods. The experimental results on St Jude dataset shows that our method can be effectively applied to microarray data analysis for subtype prediction and the discovery of gene coexpression. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and is usually diagnosed in higher age groups. The goal was to survey how patient age influences the development of glaucoma. A web-based search on aging of the visual system and its influence on glaucoma was performed and the most important results are summarized. The prevalence of glaucoma rises with age. Aging processes of the trabecular meshwork and the uveoscleral outflow pathway lead to a rise in the intraocular pressure. Chronically elevated intraocular pressure leads to remodelling of the lamina cribrosa and narrowing of its pores through which ganglion cell axons leave the eye. Age-dependent glia cell, mitochondria and immune system alterations are discussed to influence glaucoma. Patient age and further age-related nonophthalmological systemic diseases also influence adherence and persistence to the prescribed therapy. Aging is an important risk factor for developing glaucoma and is a main factor which influences therapy and course of the disease. At this point in time it remains unclear to which extent additional factors determine the development of glaucoma.
Communicators, motivated by strategic self-presentation, selectively underreport negative content in describing their impressions of individuals and stereotypes of groups, particularly for targets whom they view ambivalently with respect to warmth and competence. Communicators avoid overtly inaccurate descriptions, preferring to omit negative information and emphasize positive information about mixed individual targets (Study 1). With more public audiences, communicators increasingly prefer negativity omission to complete accuracy (Study 2), a process driven by self-presentation concerns (Study 3) and moderated by bidimensional ambivalence. Similarly, in an extension of the Princeton Trilogy studies, reported stereotypes of ethnic and national outgroups systematically omitted negative dimensions over 75 years as anti-prejudice norms intensified-while neutral and positive stereotype dimensions remained constant (Study 4). Multiple assessment methods confirm this stereotyping-by-omission phenomenon (Study 5). Implications of negativity omission for innuendo and stereotype stagnation are discussed.
Commercial anti-virus software traditionally memorizes specific byte sequences (known as signatures) in the file contents of previously encountered malware. However, malware authors can evade signature based detection in many ways; for instance, by using obfuscation techniques such as packing (encryption or compression) to hide snippets of malicious code; by writing metamorphic malware; or by tampering with existing malware. We hypothesize that certain evasion techniques can leave traces in the file's entropy signal, revealing either similarities to known malware or the presence of tampering per se. To this end, we present SUSPEND (SUSPicious ENtropy signal Detector), an expert system which evaluates the suspiciousness of an executable file's entropy signal in order to subserve malware classification. Whereas traditionally, entropy analysis has been used for the goal of packer detection (and therefore entropy-based features often merely comprise mean entropy or the entropy of a few file subcomponents), SUSPEND applies non-stationary time series modeling to aid in malware detection. In particular, SUSPEND (a) quantifies the amount of structure in the entropy signal (through detrended fluctuation analysis), (b) finds the location and size of sudden jumps in entropy (through mean change point modeling), and (c) computes the distribution of entropic variation across multiple spatial scales (through wavelet decomposition). In addition, SUSPEND (d) summarizes the entropy signal's empirical probability distribution. Because SUSPEND's run time can be made to scale linearly in file size, it is well-suited for large-scale malware analysis. We apply SUSPEND to a large-scale malware detection task with 500,000 heterogeneous real-world samples and over 1 million features. We find that SUSPEND boosts the predictive performance of traditional entropy analysis (as found in packer detectors) from 77.02% to 96.62%. Moreover, SUSPEND's focus on entropy signals makes it a natural candidate for combining with other types of features; for instance, combining SUSPEND with a strings-based feature set boosts predictive accuracy from 97.18% to 98.62%. Thus, whereas traditionally, entropy analysis has focused on detecting that a file is packed, SUSPEND's more comprehensive representation of the entropy signal helps to determine that a file is malicious. We illustrate the application of SUSPEND by studying 18 pieces of VirRansom, a family of viral ransomware which could cost millions to large organizations. SUSPEND is able to detect 100% of the studied files with over 99% confidence, whereas a more traditional strings-based model was very close to undecided and represents the entire family with a single string. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper tallies the links between fluid mechanics and quantum mechanics, and attempts to show whether those links can aid in beginning to build a formal template which is usable in economics models where time is (a) symmetric and memory is absent or present. An objective of this paper is to contemplate whether those formalisms can allow us to model information in economics in a novel way.
The flow of viscous fluid in the cochlea induces shear forces, which could provide benefit in clinical practice, for example to guide cochlear implant insertion or produce static pressure to the cochlear partition or wall. From a research standpoint, studying the effects of a viscous fluid in the cochlea provides data for better understanding cochlear fluid mechanics. However, cochlear perfusion with a viscous fluid may damage the cochlea. In this work we studied the physiological and anatomical effects of perfusing the cochlea with a viscous fluid. Gerbil cochleae were perfused at a rate of 2.4 mu L/min with artificial perilymph (AP) and sodium hyaluronate (Healon, HA) in four different concentrations (0.0625%, 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%). The different HA concentrations were applied either sequentially in the same cochlea or individually in different cochleae. The perfusion fluid entered from the round window and was withdrawn from basal scala vestibuli, in order to perfuse the entire perilymphatic space. Compound action potentials (CAP) were measured after each perfusion. After perfusion with increasing concentrations of HA in the order of increasing viscosity, the CAP thresholds generally increased. The threshold elevation after AP and 0.0625% HA perfusion was small or almost zero, and the 0.125% HA was a borderline case, while the higher concentrations significantly elevated CAP thresholds. Histology of the cochleae perfused with the 0.0625% HA showed an intact Reissner's membrane (RM), while in cochleae perfused with 0.125% and 0.25% HA RM was torn. Thus, the CAP threshold elevation was likely due to the broken RM, likely caused by the shear stress produced by the flow of the viscous fluid. Our results and analysis indicate that the cochlea can sustain, without a significant CAP threshold shift, up to a 1.5 Pa shear stress. Beside these finding, in the 0.125% and 0.25% HA perfusion cases, a temporary CAP threshold shift was observed, perhaps due to the presence and then clearance of viscous fluid within the cochlea, or to a temporary position shift of the Organ of Corti. After 0.5% HA perfusion, a short latency positive peak (P0) appeared in the CAP waveform. This P0 might be due to a change in the cochlea's traveling-wave pattern, or distortion in the cochlear microphonic. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Flux switching permanent magnet machines provide many advantages. Due to their superior behavior associated with sinusoidal Back-EMF and low torque ripple, topologies featuring 12 stator teeth and 10 rotor poles (12/10) are favored. However, this follows that for a given mechanical rotor speed, the required electric fundamental frequency is ten times to that of a conventional two pole PM machine imposing challenging requirements are set on the power electronics. In this paper, a 6/4 FSPM machine design is investigated since it has the lowest feasible slot-pole combination. The conventional 6/4 FSPM machine design is not a viable design due to the presence of dominant second order harmonic component of flux linkage and high torque ripple. Thus, a split magnet design is introduced which allows achieving better performance by significantly reducing the second harmonic component. A multi-objective optimization scenario is carried out utilizing an evolutionary algorithm and performing massively distributed finite element simulations on a computer cluster. The selected machine design and its particular torque characteristics are analyzed. The achieved results reveal that by considering split magnet topologies, the low slot-pole FSPM machine configurations can unlock their potential for high-speed operation.
Theorists of post capitalism have recently argued for a more or less inevitable end to capitalism. They assume that private accumulation is systematically blocked by the inability of capitalist corporations to create revenues by setting prices as they lose control over the reproduction of their commodities and that in this process, capitalist labour will eventually disappear. Drawing on a case study of Amazon and thoughts on the policies of other leading digital corporations, we challenge these assumptions. Key corporate players of digitization are trying to become powerful monopolies and have partly succeeded in doing so, using the network effects and scaling opportunities of digital goods and building socio-technical ecosystems. These strategies have led to the development of in part isomorphic structures, hence creating a situation of oligopolistic market competition. We draw on basic assumptions of monopoly capital theory to argue that in this situation labour process rationalization becomes key to the corporation's competitive strategies. We see the expansion of digital control and the organizational structures applied by key corporate players of the digital economy as evidence for the expansion of capitalist labour, not its reduction.
The disciplinary structure of research on complex problems related to human activities is supported by the fundaments of the social, life, and hard sciences. In this work, we looked at the development of scientific research in the field of biofuels, as a sustainable source of energy, searching for references regarding its scientific roots and social relevance. Scientific communications on biofuels published between 1998 and 2007 were analyzed using a combination of bibliometric methods and text mining techniques. This field of research was characterized as interdisciplinary, with marked social relevance. Our bibliometric analysis shows that, in this research subject, 132 different, interacting fields of knowledge overlap, with dominance of Chemistry, Engineering and Agricultural Sciences. Through the use of text mining techniques, this field was configured into three groups of Disciplinary Dimensions. The first and most influential group includes the Agricultural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Environmental Sciences. The second group, which gives the field its technological basis, includes Chemistry, Engineering, and Microbiology. The third group includes disciplines with emerging involvement in the field of biofuels: Biology and Biochemistry, Animal and Plant Sciences, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Economics, Material Sciences, Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, Geosciences, Physics, Humanities, Multidisciplinary Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Sciences. This study suggests that the first group of Disciplinary Dimensions conforms to the elements that socially validate the progress of research in the field of biofuels. This study also proposes a metric that can be used to measure the interdisciplinarity and the social framing of any other research field.
Schizothorax prenanti (S. prenanti), one of the important endemic commercial fish in China, is mainly distributing in the upstream of the River Yangtze and the tributaries. The wild population is facing serious challenges of germplasm degeneration due to the overfishing, water pollution and construction of hydropower stations; therefore, it is very urgent to develop genetic resource of S. prenanti to protect the wild population. In this study, we used Illumina Hiseq2500 sequencing to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in S. prenanti. From 37,785 unigenes with functional annotation, 857,535 putative SNPs were identified. Among them, 33 SNPs from immune-related genes were randomly selected and 20 loci exhibited significant polymorphisms in genotyping by Sequenom MassARRAY. As far as our best knowledge, this is the first report about the SNP markers development in S. prenanti based on Illumina RNA sequencing. These SNP markers should not only be useful for population conversation, but also for construction of genetic linkage map and economic performance improvement of S. prenanti.
The concatenated Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (C-GHZ) state is a new type of multipartite entangled state, which has potential application in future quantum information. In this paper, we propose a protocol of constructing arbitrary C-GHZ entangled state approximatively. Different from previous protocols, each logic qubit is encoded in the coherent state. This protocol is based on the linear optics, which is feasible in experimental technology. This protocol may be useful in quantum information based on the C-GHZ state.
Richard, A.E., I.E. Scheffer and S.J. Wilson. Features of the broader autism phenotype in people with epilepsy support shared mechanisms between epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV 21(1) XXX-XXX, 2016. To inform on mechanisms underlying the comorbidity of epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we conducted meta-analyses to test whether impaired facial emotion recognition (FER) and theory of mind (ToM), key phenotypic traits of ASD, are more common in people with epilepsy (PWE) than controls. We contrasted these findings with those of relatives of individuals with ASD (ASD-relatives) compared to controls. Furthermore, we examined the relationship of demographic (age, IQ, sex) and epilepsy-related factors (epilepsy onset age, duration, seizure laterality and origin) to FER and ToM. Thirty-one eligible studies of PWE (including 1449 individuals: 77% with temporal lobe epilepsy), and 22 of ASD-relatives (N=1295) were identified by a systematic database search. Analyses revealed reduced FER and ToM in PWE compared to controls (p < 0.001), but only reduced ToM in ASD-relatives (p < 0.001). ToM was poorer in PWE than ASD-relatives. Only weak associations were found between FER and ToM and epilepsy-related factors. These findings suggest shared mechanisms between epilepsy and ASD, independent of intellectual disability. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The low water availability in several regions of southeastern Hellas and particularly in several islands, such as Crete, has resulted in the construction of various types of water reservoir for collection and storage of rainwater, since their very early habitation. Since then, technologies for the construction and use of several types of cisterns have been developed. In Crete during the Minoan era, water cisterns were very well practiced as a basic means for water supply in several settlements. The Minoan water cistern technologies were further developed, mainly by enlargement of the scale of water systems, at subsequent stages of the Hellenic civilizations. Furthermore, more advanced water cistern technologies were invented, with a peak during the Hellenistic period which followed Alexander the Great, during which time they spread over a geographical area from Hellas to the west and to the east. The Romans inherited the cistern technologies and further developed them mainly by changing their application scale from small to large. Characteristic paradigms of Cretan cisterns are considered which justify the significance of that technology for water supply in areas with low water availability during the whole Cretan history. Herein, nowadays climatic conditions and water resources management in Crete are presented and discussed.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: As a group of important medicine plants, Boschniakia rossica (Cham. et Schltdl) Fedtsch. and B. himalaica Hook. f. et Thorns, which are the only two species in the genus Boschniakia (Orobanchaceae), have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for their multiple therapeutic uses related to enhanced renal function, erectile dysfunction, defaecate and hepatoprotective. Additionally, the two species are also used as dietary supplements in wine, cosmetics, and other healthy food. Aim of the review: By providing comprehensive information and data of genus Boschniakia on botany, traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological research and toxicology, this review aims to summary the group of natural compounds from Boschniakia discovered so far. The other aims are to reference research findings of their biological activities and functions in medicine, physiology, and cell biology to highlight the compound candidates which can be used for further drug discovery in several pharmaceutical areas including antioxidation, anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-senile, and immunology. Materials and methods: All of the available information on B. rossica and B. himalaica was collected from the electronic resources (such as PubMed, SciFinder Scholar, CNKI, TPL (www.theplantlist.org), Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, and Web of Science). Results: After a comprehensive analysis of the literatures from available online sources, the results show that both species of genus Boschniakia are valuable and popular herbal medicines with potentials to cure various ailments. The phytochemical studies revealed that the chemical compositions of this genus were mainly iridoid glycosides and phenylpropanoid glycosides. To date, 112 compounds have been isolated from the genus, while their crude extracts and purified compounds have been found to possess a wide range of biological activities including anti-senile, antitumor and anticancer, anti-inflammatory, protecting liver, boost memory, anti oxidation, anti-lipid peroxidative, and antiviral activities. Conclusions: The existing traditional uses of the genus Boschniakia have been evaluated, and the properties of the genus are summarized based on botany, phytochemistry, pharmacological research, and toxicology. This review aims to introduce the utilization and application of the genus Boschniakia to modern drug discovery, traditional medicinal plant utilization, herbal species conservation, and the development of medicinal and health-maintaining products.
Dishevelled (Dvl) not only links the canonical Wnt and non-canonical Wnt pathways but can also crosstalk with other pathways. As there is no systematic study to date on Dvl in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we explored the impact of Dvl2 on proliferation and inflammatory cytokine secretion in RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). Expression of Dvl2 in RA synovial tissue and RA-FLSs was measured. Dvl2 was overexpressed in collagen-induced arthritis rats and human RA-FLSs,. the apoptosis and secretion of inflammatory cytokines were observed. Genetic changes and corresponding mechanisms caused by overexpressing Dvl2 in RA-FLSs were assessed. Dvl2 was found to be overexpressed in RA synovial tissue and RA-FLSs. Overexpression of Dvl2 increased apoptosis and inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion by RA-FLSs in vivo and in vitro, and Dvl2 inhibited expression of antiapoptotic and inflammatory genes. One possible mechanism is that Dvl2 decreases the nuclear translocation of P65 and inhibits its ability to bind to the promoters of NF-kappa B target genes. Our findings reveal an underappreciated role of Dvl2 in regulating inflammation and RA-FLS apoptosis and provide insight into crosstalk between the Wnt and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) pathways.
Wrapping granular soils in geosynthetic containers, such as soilbags, results in a considerable increase in the bearing capacity due to the effective restraint on the dilatancy of the soil. This paper numerically investigates the stress states and fabric anisotropies in the wrapped soil using the discrete element method, providing a novel perspective for new insights into the reinforcement mechanisms and the development of constitutive relations for soilbags. The two most anticipated loading conditions, namely, unconfined compression and simple shear, are considered, and numerical predictions are compared to experimental results. During unconfined compression, both global and local p q stress paths evolve linearly, having the same slope until the global failure of the wrapping geosynthetic. Under simple shear, the global stress path approaches the critical state line first and then turns to the compression line of the wrapped soil. Some local loading unloading stress paths are observed, which may account for the high damping of soilbags during cyclic shear. The reduced fabric anisotropies of the normal and tangential force chains suggest greater confinement from the lateral sides of the geosynthetic container in either loading course. The performance and mechanisms of the soilbag earth reinforcement method, i.e., confinement and interlocking, can be better understood based on these new findings on the stress states and fabric anisotropies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems are collections of interconnected services that use heterogeneous devices to integrate smoothly in the everyday environment of their users. Engineering these systems is a challenging task, where designers need to deal with issues such as information management, users' profiles and activities, privacy, distribution, or continuous availability. The application of the multi-agent paradigm to develop these systems has been one of the most active lines of research in the area. Its abstractions of intentional and social agents are useful to analyze AmI systems with an integrated view of people and the services working for them. Moreover, this paradigm already offers solutions to deal with many of the key aspects of AmI. This special issue highlights some state-of-the-art works in this line. It presents contributions regarding agent-oriented architectures and development processes for AmI, as well as illustrative industrial systems built under this approach.
Fairly recently, it was recognized that human ribosomopathiesdevelopmental defects caused by mutations in ribosome biogenesis proteinscan exhibit tissue-specific defects rather than the expected global defects. This apparent anomalythat seemingly ubiquitously expressed and required ribosomal proteins can have distinct functions in cell and tissue differentiationhas spurred new areas of research focused on better understanding translational mechanisms, biogenesis, and function in diverse cell types. This renewed appreciation for, and need to better understand, roles for ribosomal proteins in human development and disease has identified surprising similarities and differences in a variety of human ribosomopathies. Here, we discuss ribosomal protein functions in health and disease, focusing on the ribosome biogenesis protein Utp5/WDR43. New and exciting research in this field is anticipated to provide insight into a variety of previously understudied craniofacial dysostoses and result in significantly improved knowledge and understanding of roles for translational machinery in human craniofacial development and disease.
Rainwater harvesting gains more and more ground as a modern, relatively inexpensive and simple water-saving technology, and as a sustainable water management practice, which saves water, and reduces stormwater runoff and peaks and non-point source pollution. In this paper, in order to determine the optimal size of rainwater harvesting tanks, two methods, the daily water balance method and the dry period demand method, are used in 75 regions of Greece to meet 30, 40 and 50 % of total water demands of households of 3 to 5 residents. The daily water balance method was developed based on a heuristic algorithm which uses the daily rainfall data, the rainfall collection area, the runoff coefficient, the available storage volume and the water demands, allowing excess water to overflow and setting public water supply to zero. The dry period demand method is based on meeting demand for the longest annual average dry period. According to the daily water balance method, in the majority of the 75 regions studied, tank sizes up to 50 m(3) can meet a 240 L/day demand (40 % of total daily demand of 4 residents) with roof area not exceeding 300 m(2). More than 50 m(3) tank size is needed to meet demands of 300 L/day (40 % of 5 or 50 % of 4 residents) or 375 L/day (50 % of 5 residents). Results demonstrate that the tank size is strongly affected by the dry period length; small dry periods lead to small tanks, with the exception of low rainfall-high demand (300-375 L/day) case, where low rainfall increases sizes, having the dominant role. Comparison among the dry period demand and the daily water balance methods showed that in all cases, the dry period demand method calculates smaller tanks, with the exception of areas with medium-high rainfall and high dry period or low-medium demand (135-225 L/day) and high roof areas (more than 300 m(2)). Therefore, the main conclusion is that the rainwater harvesting tank capacity is strongly affected by various local variables and cannot be formulated. However, the method presented here can be programmed in a spreadsheet with no much effort, making harvesting tank computations easy.
'Run of the river' (ROR) hydropower schemes have undergone a recent resurgence in Europe, and with legislation requiring the protection and enhancement of the physical and ecological condition of European rivers, there is a need to understand the impacts of these schemes. This paper presents an assessment of the eco-hydraulic impact of a ROR hydropower scheme in the Peak District National Park, UK. Due to the ponded nature of the depleted stretch at the study site, this paper focuses on the characterization of the hydraulic impact of water abstraction for a ROR scheme at the hydropower outlet and samples microhabitats of benthic macroinvertebrates within the hydraulically affected zones. Measurement of hydraulic transects shows that the scheme's operation notably alters river channel hydraulics at 60% of water depth, whilst impacts are much less distinct in close proximity to the river bed. We identify eco-hydraulic relationships between benthic macroinvertebrate communities and localized near-bed velocity and turbulence conditions, thus indicating the potential for water abstraction by ROR schemes to impact lower trophic levels of riverine ecosystems. However, spatial patch-scale (10-100 m(2)) meso-habitat comparisons of invertebrate communities around the hydropower outlet showed only subtle differences, suggesting that in this case benthic communities are only minimally impacted by the ROR scheme. (C) 2015 The Authors. River Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Zinc plays a very important role in animal and human metabolism. Nowadays, it is one of the most extensively studied trace element, since its sphere of action has been demonstrated to be very broad. From the biochemical standpoint, it controls more than 300 different enzymes, many of them involved with intermediary metabolism, DNA and RNA synthesis, gene expression, and immunocompetence. It also plays a significant role in hormonal homeostasis, since it can interact with almost all hormones. Zn2+ is closely related to the thyroid and steroid hormones, insulin, parathormone, and pituitary hormones, particularly prolactin (PRL). Zn2+ can inhibit PRL secretion within a range of physiologically and pharmacologically relevant concentrations. This property has raised the possibility of clinical applications of zinc. In this article, we review the Literature on the subject in an attempt to provide a comprehensible general view.
A generalized partial-element equivalent-circuit (PEEC) method is proposed for modeling a planar circuit with a thin narrow slot on the ground. The approach is based on the coupled mixed potential integral equations for a problem with mixed electric and magnetic currents. The coupled integral equations are converted into a lumped-element circuit network using Kirchhoff's voltage law and Kirchhoff's current law of the circuit theory. The full-wave Green's functions for a grounded dielectric substrate problem are used. The interactions between electric current on a microstrip line and magnetic current on a slot are taken into account by introducing two kinds of controlled sources. This generalized PEEC model will be very useful in signal-integrity analysis for multilayered circuits. To validate the generalized model, three numerical examples consisting of microstrip lines and slots on the ground are presented. The results obtained by the proposed generalized PEEC model are compared with those obtained by commercial electromagnetic simulation software and published experimental results. Good agreement is obtained.
We created a novel laminar-flow based microbial fuel cell (MFC) array to be an integrable and scalable power sourcefor portable lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. The microfluidic MFC enabled the laminar flow of anolyte and catholyte streams in a microchannel without any physical membranes while the device harvested electricity by utilizing ion transfers through the laminar interface which acts as a virtual membrane. The array prototype incorporated four series-connected fuel cells and was operated with two common inlets for the continuous introduction of the anolyte and catholyte. In the anodic flow region, microorganisms oxidized organic media and completed respiration by transferring the electrons to the anodes. The protons generated by the anodic reactions passed through the liquid-liquid interfaces and traveled to the cathodic streams. The electrons then moved across the external resistors to the cathodes where they combined with the protons and reduced oxidant (i.e. catholyte). The array generated a maximum power output of 60.5,W/cm(2) using a 100 kg(2) load, which outperformed a single laminar flow MFC unit by a factor of approximately 4. The series or parallel application of this array structure, using microfluidic MFCs integrated into a single LOC device, can offer the potential for on-chip power generation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The present article reviews the biotechnological research in Zingiber montanum (Koenig) Link ex A. Dietr. (cassumunar ginger). Studies on biotechnological interventions in this plant were focused mainly on the application of tissue culture techniques. Recently, attentions are being drawn towards the genomic studies which mostly aimed at establishing the genetic relationship of different gene pools. The present review summarizes the various aspects of tissue culture protocol for in vitro micropropagation, in vitro microrhizome induction, in vitro conservation technology and molecular biology studies of this medicinal plant. This review will help in further research of this plant in areas related to tissue culture for propagation and increased production of important secondary metabolites, phylogenetic analysis and genetic engineering. Moreover, it will offer an insight into crop improvement and breeding programs of this important underutilized medicinal plant for improved yield and quality of secondary metabolites.
The aim of the publication is to brief on a safe and cost-effective security solution cost and time estimation tool for small to medium size enterprises since most of these either do not have a budget for cyber security or are miniscule in general. Evaluation tool will be used to determine approximate time and costs a small company might face implementing a comprehensive security solution. Analyzing ISO/IEC 27002:2013 standards, additional security guidelines and several recommendations was necessary to creates the IT security implementation evaluation tool. The resulting product is a tool that allows any member of an enterprise to carry out a small test to determine the necessary resources and time for security implementation.
The paper describes the development and validation of a coupling methodology between the best estimate system thermal-hydraulic code RELAP5-3D and the CFD code FLUENT, conceived for high fidelity plant-scale safety analyses of pool-type reactors. The computational tool is developed to assess the impact of three-dimensional phenomena occurring in accidental transients such as loss of flow (LOF) in the research reactor MYRRHA, currently in the design phase at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK.CEN. A partitioned, implicit domain decomposition coupling algorithm is implemented, in which the coupled domains exchange thermal-hydraulics variables at coupling boundary interfaces. Numerical stability and interface convergence rates are improved by a novel interface Quasi-Newton algorithm, which is compared in this paper with previously tested numerical schemes. The developed computational method has been assessed for validation purposes against the experiment performed at the test facility TALL-3D, operated by the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden. This paper details the results of the simulation of a loss of forced convection test, showing the capability of the developed methodology to predict transients influenced by local three-dimensional phenomena. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The critical involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in both physiological and pathological processes in cell biology makes their detection and assessment a fundamental topic in biomedical research. Established methodologies to study ROS in cell biology take advantage of oxidation reactions between the ROS and a reduced probe. After reacting the probe reveals the presence of ROS either by the appearance of colour (chromogenic reaction) or fluorescence (fluorogenic reaction). However current methodologies rarely allow for a site-specific detection of ROS production. Here we propose a colorimetric reaction driven by the oxidation of 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) by photodynamically-produced ROS that allows for fine detection of the ROS production site. The introduced methodology is fast, easy to implement and permits cellular resolution at the submicrometric level. Although the basic protocol is proved in a photodynamic model of ROS generation, the principle is applicable to many different scenarios of intracellular ROS production. As a consequence this proposed methodology should greatly complement other techniques aiming at establishing a precise subcellular localization of ROS generation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a spaceborne tool allowing near real-time imagery over large ground footprints of areas hundreds of kilometres wide. SAR also allows persistent observations of the process of oil discharges, benefiting from (1) day and night observations, (2) independence of cloud cover and (3) high revisiting frequencies. The interpretation of 82 SAR scenes over the Lower Congo Basin for the 1994-2012 period allowed the recognition of 1400 natural seepage slicks associated with 102 individual seep sites. We acquired an additional SAR data set with a short revisit time over a selected prolific area. The data set consisted of 22 SAR scenes acquired over a 10-day period, meaning a maximum revisiting period of 12 h between subsequent SAR acquisitions. The short-term approach shows that seepage slicks were detected with wind speeds between 1.5 and 6.5 m/s (2.91 to 12.63 knots). Both long-term and short-term monitoring evidences that seepage events are intermittent, with the occurrence rate of oil release ranging from 5 to 80%. Short-term monitoring shows that the seepage pace is independent between seep sites, suggesting contrasted controlling factors. It also shows that the residence time of seepage slicks is systematically shorter than 12 h, which is far below reported values. Understanding the seepage slick residence time is essential to provide an accurate estimation of the fluid flow and to compute the volumetric outflow. The integration of in-situ mooring points measuring the current velocity 10 m below the sea surface, in addition to local wind field and slick length, allowed us to more accurately estimate the residence time of oil slicks at the sea surface before vanishing. The results show that the sea surface residence time of oil slicks is limited to a few hours, with a median value of 3 h 15 min. These new residence time estimations allowed us to propose a quantification of the regional oil output in the Lower Congo Basin, estimated at 4380 m(3)/year. This area may therefore be considered as the world's third biggest oil-supplying province from natural leakages. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Understanding the spatial and temporal characteristics of water flux into or out of shallow aquifers is imperative for water resources management and eco-environmental conservation. In this study, the spatial variability in the vertical specific fluxes and hydraulic conductivities in a streambed were evaluated by integrating distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data and vertical hydraulic gradients into an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and smoother (EnKS) and an empirical thermal-mixing model. The formulation of the EnKF/EnKS assimilation scheme is based on a discretized 1D advection-conduction equation of heat transfer in the streambed. We first systematically tested a synthetic case and performed quantitative and statistical analyses to evaluate the performance of the assimilation schemes. Then a real-world case was evaluated to calculate assimilated specific flux. An initial estimate of the spatial distributions of the vertical hydraulic gradients was obtained from an empirical thermal-mixing model under steady-state conditions using a constant vertical hydraulic conductivity. Then, this initial estimate was updated by repeatedly dividing the assimilated specific flux by estimates of the vertical hydraulic gradients to obtain a refined spatial distribution of vertical hydraulic gradients and vertical hydraulic conductivities. Our results indicate that optimal parameters can be derived with fewer iterations but greater simulation effort using the EnKS compared with the EnKF. For the field application in a stream segment of the Heihe River Basin in northwest China, the average vertical hydraulic conductivities in the streambed varied over three orders of magnitude (5 x 10(-1) to 5 x 10(2) m/d). The specific fluxes ranged from near zero (q(z)<0.05 m/d) to 1.0 m/d, while the vertical hydraulic gradients were within the range of -0.2 to 0.15 m/m. The highest and most variable fluxes occurred adjacent to a debris-dam and bridge pier. This phenomenon is very likely the result of heterogeneous streambed hydraulic characteristics in these areas. Our results have significant implications for hyporheic micro-habitats, fish spawning and other wildlife incubation, regional flow and hyporheic solute transport models in the Heihe River Basin, as well as in other similar hydrologic settings.
Scope: Xanthohumol (XN) is a bioactive prenylflavonoid from hops. A single-dose pharmacokinetic (PK) study was conducted in men (n = 24) and women (n = 24) to determine dose-concentration relationships. Methods and results: Subjects received a single oral dose of 20, 60, or 180 mg XN. Blood was collected at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. Plasma levels of XN and its metabolites, isoxanthohumol (IX), 8-prenylnaringenin (8PN), and 6-prenylnaringenin (6PN) were measured by LC-MS/MS. Xanthohumol (XN) and IX conjugates were dominant circulating flavonoids among all subjects. Levels of 8PN and 6PN were undetectable in most subjects. The XN PK profile showed peak concentrations around 1 h and between 4-5 h after ingestion. The maximum XN concentrations (C-max) were 33 +/- 7 mg/L, 48 +/- 11 mg/L, and 120 +/- 24 mg/L for the 20, 60, and 180 mg dose, respectively. Using noncompartmental modeling, the area under the curves (AUC(0 ->infinity)) for XN were 92 +/- 68 h x mu g/L, 323 +/- 160 h x mu g/L, and 863 +/- 388 h x mu g/L for the 20, 60, and 180 mg dose, respectively. The mean half-life of XN was 20 h for the 60 and 18 h for the 180 mg dose. Conclusion: XN has a distinct biphasic absorption pattern with XN and IX conjugates being the major circulating metabolites.
Cardiomyocytes are prone to variations of the cell cycle, such as endoreduplication (continuing rounds of DNA synthesis without karyokinesis and cytokinesis) and acytokinetic mitosis (karyokinesis but no cytokinesis). Such atypical cell cycle variations result in polyploid and multinucleated cells rather than in cell division. Therefore, to determine cardiac turnover and regeneration, it is of crucial importance to correctly identify cardiomyocyte nuclei, the number of nuclei per cell, and their cell cycle status. This is especially true for the use of nuclear markers for identifying cell cycle activity, such as thymidine analogues Ki-67, PCNA, or pHH3. Here, we present methods for recognizing cardiomyocytes and their nuclearity and for determining their cell cycle activity. We use two published transgenic systems: the Myh6-H2B-mCh transgenic mouse line, for the unequivocal identification of cardiomyocyte nuclei, and the CAG-eGFP-anillin mouse line, for distinguishing cell division from cell cycle variations. Combined together, these two systems ease the study of cardiac regeneration and plasticity.
WBAN (Wireless Body Area Network) is a growing technology, preferred in medical science. WBAN sensors are now used to monitor postures of a person. Posture, playing a crucial role in a person's life can provide a significant amount of important information on nonverbal communication and emotional cues. In recent trend of research, BAN sensors are used to identify different postures of a person to correctly classify the health condition, as postures could potentially provide valuable clues about a person's health. This class of interaction poses new challenge in classifying both static and dynamic postures. Triaxial accelerometer is required to find the tilt of a person with respect to the line passing through the centre of gravity. Based on the tilt, the posture is classified. This paper aims at uniquely distinguishing both static and dynamic postures. Fall can also be detected at the same time. A detailed deployment scenario, system architecture and a suitable algorithm are presented to illustrate the working of the proposed system.
Dr. Louis Dehner has contributed significantly to our understanding of testicular germ cell tumors in children. This review article considers the molecular biology, clinical attributes, pathologic findings, and prognosis of those lesions. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Generating discriminative input features is a key requirement for achieving highly accurate classifiers. The process of generating features from raw data is known as feature engineering and it can take significant manual effort. In this paper we propose automated feature engineering to derive a suite of additional features from a given set of basic features with the aim of both improving classifier accuracy through discriminative features, and to assist data scientists through automation. Our implementation is specific to HTTP computer network traffic. To measure the effectiveness of our proposal, we compare the performance of a supervised machine learning classifier built with automated feature engineering versus one using human-guided features. The classifier addresses a problem in computer network security, namely the detection of HTTP tunnels. We use Bro to process network traffic into base features and then apply automated feature engineering to calculate a larger set of derived features. The derived features are calculated without favour to any base feature and include entropy, length and N-grams for all string features, and counts and averages over time for all numeric features. Feature selection is then used to find the most relevant subset of these features. Testing showed that both classifiers achieved a detection rate above 99.93% at a false positive rate below 0.01%. For our datasets, we conclude that automated feature engineering can provide the advantages of increasing classifier development speed and reducing development technical difficulties through the removal of manual feature engineering. These are achieved while also maintaining classification accuracy. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the development and preliminary evaluation of an integrated group cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for comorbid mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. The 12-session, manualized treatment was developed collaboratively by a mental health program in a teaching hospital and a community-based addictions service and administered in both settings. Results from an uncontrolled effectiveness trial of 29 treatment completers suggest that integrated group CBT may reduce stress and alcohol use symptoms and improve substance refusal self-efficacy. Changes in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and drug use were not significant, although the effect size for anxiety reduction was in the medium range. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of treatment effects on mood, anxiety, and substance use symptoms was modest. Changes in coping skills and quality of life were not significant, although medium-to-large effects were observed for changes in several coping skills. Participants reported being highly satisfied with treatment, found the treatment strategies to be useful, and noted an improvement in their functioning, particularly socially. Methodological and sample size limitations warrant more rigorous follow-up investigations of this treatment. Results are considered in the context of the current literature on integrated psychological treatments for these common comorbidities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Optimal static output feedback (OSOF) control is used to obtain the control force desired from a magnetorheological (MR) damper fitted between ground and first storey of a three-storey building model. The modified BoucWen model is considered for obtaining damper response. This exhibits a non-linear relationship between damper force and input-voltage/states, and hence obtaining the input voltage to realize a desired control force is a non-trivial task. Two voltage control laws are proposed, i.e. inverse quadratic voltage law (IQVL) and inverse Onoff voltage law (IOOVL), both based on the MR constraint filter. These are implemented in addition to the existing clipped voltage law (CVL). Results for controlled response of the building are obtained in terms of peak and RMS values of response quantities (Interstorey Drift, Displacement, Acceleration). These are compared with existing results obtained via linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control using CVL, and via passive-on control with constant (saturation) voltage applied. A reduction in the maximum peak interstorey drift, maximum RMS interstorey drift, and performance index is obtained when using OSOF-IOOVL/CVL control as compared with passive-on control. These quantities as well as RMS storey displacements are attenuated when comparing OSOF-IOOVL/CVL control with LQG-CVL control, with the exception of maximum peak interstorey drift for which the attenuation occurs for IOOVL only. The peak and RMS values of accelerations are reduced via OSOF compared with passive-on/LQG-CVL control, except when considering first-storey accelerations using passive-on control. The peak value of the applied damper force is least when using OSOF control. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conventional phase leading input current (PLIC) compensation techniques have focused on a continuous conduction mode (CCM) boost power factor corrector (PFC). In precedent studies, the causes of the PLIC have been investigated by analyzing the current control loop and the input impedance of a boost PFC. However, in a boundary conduction mode (BCM) boost PFC, the current flowing through the input filter capacitor becomes a main cause due to its large ripple current. Despite that, there has not been any effort to compensate the current in the input filter capacitor (IFC) in a BCM boost PFC. In this paper, a new digital control method is proposed to compensate PLIC in a BCM boost PFC, by minimizing the effect of the IFC. The proposed method uses only the derivative of the input voltage, without any additional component. Also, the proposed method improves the displacement factor, but does not affect the distortion factor, resulting in a high power quality in the entire input and output conditions. The derivation of the proposed method is presented based on time-domain analysis, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is experimentally verified with a 60-Hz, 90-230 V-rms input and 395-V/0.5-A output prototype.
Automatic, fast and efficient estimation of some physical characteristics such as mass and volume in agricultural products, improves some postharvest processes such as sorting and storage. This document presents a computer vision system to automatically estimate these characteristics in passion fruit. The visible aspects in digital images: color, texture, size and shape are correlated with the actual measurement, defining a model for estimating mass and volume. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and LDA (Linear Discriminant Analysis) are used like statistical data analysis and ANN (Artificial Neural Network) as estimation tool. The above methods are applied to a sample set consisting of 100 images of passion fruit, used 80 as training and 20 as validation. The results are greater than 80% in terms of the correlation coefficient (R), with a typical error of less than 20% compared to the sample standard deviation, in the two variables.
Background: Increasing age is the biggest risk factor for dementia, of which Alzheimer's disease is the commonest cause. The pathological changes underpinning Alzheimer's disease are thought to develop at least a decade prior to the onset of symptoms. Molecular positron emission tomography and multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging allow key pathological processes underpinning cognitive impairment -including a-amyloid depostion, vascular disease, network breakdown and atrophy -to be assessed repeatedly and non-invasively. This enables potential determinants of dementia to be delineated earlier, and therefore opens a pre-symptomatic window where intervention may prevent the onset of cognitive symptoms. Methods/design: This paper outlines the clinical, cognitive and imaging protocol of Insight 46, a neuroscience sub-study of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. This is one of the oldest British birth cohort studies and has followed 5362 individuals since their birth in England, Scotland and Wales during one week in March 1946. These individuals have been tracked in 24 waves of data collection incorporating a wide range of health and functional measures, including repeat measures of cognitive function. Now aged 71 years, a small fraction have overt dementia, but estimates suggest that similar to 1/3 of individuals in this age group may be in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease. Insight 46 is recruiting 500 study members selected at random from those who attended a clinical visit at 60-64 years and on whom relevant lifecourse data are available. We describe the sub-study design and protocol which involves a prospective two time-point (0, 24 month) data collection covering clinical, neuropsychological, beta-amyloid positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, biomarker and genetic information. Data collection started in 2015 (age 69) and aims to be completed in 2019 (age 73). Discussion: Through the integration of data on the socioeconomic environment and on physical, psychological and cognitive function from 0 to 69 years, coupled with genetics, structural and molecular imaging, and intensive cognitive and neurological phenotyping, Insight 46 aims to identify lifetime factors which influence brain health and cognitive ageing, with particular focus on Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease. This will provide an evidence base for the rational design of disease-modifying trials.
Objectives: Emotion recognition impairments have been demonstrated in schizophrenia (Sz), but are less consistent and lesser in magnitude in bipolar disorder (BD). This may be related to the extent to which different face processing strategies are engaged during emotion recognition in each of these disorders. We recently showed that Sz patients had impairments in the use of both featural and configural face processing strategies, whereas BD patients were impaired only in the use of the latter. Here we examine the influence that these impairments have on facial emotion recognition in these cohorts. Methods: Twenty-eight individuals with Sz, 28 individuals with BD, and 28 healthy controls completed a facial emotion labeling task with two conditions designed to separate the use of featural and configural face processing strategies; part-based and whole-face emotion recognition. Results: Sz patients performed worse than controls on both conditions, and worse than BD patients on the whole-face condition. BD patients performed worse than controls on the whole-face condition only. Conclusions: Configural processing deficits appear to influence the recognition of facial emotions in BD, whereas both configural and featural processing abnormalities impair emotion recognition in Sz. This may explain discrepancies in the profiles of emotion recognition between the disorders.
The Levantine basin in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea is subject to spatial and seasonal variations in primary production and physical-chemical properties both on a short and long-term basis. In this study, the monthly means of daily MODIS product images were averaged between 2002 and 2015, and used to characterize the phytoplankton blooms in different bioregions of the Levantine basin. The selected products were the sea surface temperature (SST), the chlorophyll-alpha concentration (Chl-alpha), the diffuse attenuation coefficient for down welling irradiance at 490 nm (Kd_490) and the colored dissolved organic matter index (CDO-M_index). Our results showed that phytoplankton blooms were spatially and temporally variable. They occurred in late autumn at the Nile Delta, in early spring and late summer at the eastern coastline, and in spring at the northeastern coastline. The northern coastline and the open water had a common bloom occurring in winter. The Nile Delta was found to be the most productive area of the Levantine basin showing high Chl-alpha. Kd_490 and Chl-alpha present a parallel co-variation indicating a dominance of Case 1 waters in the Levantine basin. The CDOM_index shows a phase shift with the Chl-alpha fluctuation. A strong inverse correlation was observed between both Chl-alpha and CDOM_index with SST, connoting an indirect relation represented by a depression of CDOM in summer by photobleaching, and a suppression of the chlorophyll-alpha concentration due to water stratification, together with nutrient stress. An overestimation of the Chl-alpha values had been signaled by the use of the CDOM_index, suggesting a correction plan in a latter study. (C) 2017 Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Sp. z o.o.
Under increasing penetration of distributed resources, regulators and electricity distribution utilities face greater uncertainty regarding the evolution of network uses and efficient system costs. This uncertainty can threaten revenue adequacy and challenges both cost of service/rate of return and incentive/performance-based approaches to the remuneration of distribution utilities. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel methodology to establish allowed utility revenues over a multi-year regulatory period. This method combines several state of the art regulatory tools designed to overcome information asymmetries, manage uncertainty, and align incentives for utilities to cost-effectively integrate distributed energy resources while taking advantage of opportunities to reduce system costs and improve performance. We use a reference network model to simulate a large-scale urban distribution network, demonstrate the practical application of this regulatory method, and illustrate its performance in the face of both benchmark and forecast errors.
In this paper a newly developed thermal hydraulics (TH) code coupled with the state-of-the-art neutronics deterministic code AGENT (Arbitrary Geometry Neutron Transport) is presented. This coupled system is called the AGENT-TH scheme. The neutronics AGENT code uniquely combines the method of characteristics (MOC) and R-function geometrical modeling to solve the 2D/3D neutron transport in nuclear reactors of current or future designs. Commonly, the cross sections are prepared using the SCALE code system. The implementation of the TH code with AGENT enables coupled thermal-hydraulic and neutronics analysis in providing the average reactor fuel temperatures. This allows for an accurate overall power profiling within the reactor system, which affects reactor coolant temperature, neutron flux, and other associated reactor parameters. The two main types of LWRs are boiling water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The BWRs operate at lower pressures than PWRs, which results in a higher void fraction, or fraction of coolant flow which is vapor versus liquid. Performances of PWRs, with a higher operating pressure, may be obtained using the homogeneous equilibrium mixture (HEM) model, which assumes a slip relation equal to one between the coolant liquid and vapor phases. To account for the higher void fraction in the BWR coolant, the BWRs properties are assessed based on the drift flux model. The thermal hydraulics drift flux model is developed as a part of the TH code, to address the two-phase flow associated with two-phase heat transfer (including subcooled nucleation and saturated boiling) as found in BWR systems. This is accomplished based on the drift flux equations in 1D steady-state conditions, which permits fast computation times without sacrificing final accuracy. The TH code is benchmarked against the reactor simulation code TRACE for a single pin to assess the thermal-hydraulics capabilities of the drift flux model for the fluid void fraction, flow quality, pressure, saturation temperature, and mixture temperature along the axial height of the pin. The drift flux thermal hydraulics module is coupled with AGENT using a radial heat transfer model taking into account heat transfer from the fuel centerline to the bulk fluid. Fuel temperatures calculated in the TH code are used to update cross sections from the SCALE code system to account for thermal feedback. Reasonable agreements are obtained between the AGENT-TH and TRACE for the presented benchmark examples. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We developed a novel computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system that uses feature-ranking and a genetic algorithm to analyze structural magnetic resonance imaging data; using this system, we can predict conversion of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)-to-Alzheimer's disease (AD) at between one and three years before clinical diagnosis. The CAD system was developed in four stages. First, we used a voxel-based morphometry technique to investigate global and local gray matter (GM) atrophy in an AD group compared with healthy controls (HCs). Regions with significant GM volume reduction were segmented as volumes of interest (VOIs). Second, these VOIs were used to extract voxel values from the respective atrophy regions in AD, HC, stable MCI (sMCI) and progressive MCI (pMCI) patient groups. The voxel values were then extracted into a feature vector. Third, at the feature-selection stage, all features were ranked according to their respective t-test scores and a genetic algorithm designed to find the optimal feature subset. The Fisher criterion was used as part of the objective function in the genetic algorithm. Finally, the classification was carried out using a support vector machine (SVM) with 10-fold cross validation. We evaluated the proposed automatic CAD system by applying it to baseline values from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset (160 AD, 162 HC, 65 sMCI and 71 pMCI subjects). The experimental results indicated that the proposed system is capable of distinguishing between sMCI and pMCI patients, and would be appropriate for practical use in a clinical setting.
Numerical modelling of thin structures combined with history-dependent material under large deformation is challenging for the traditional methods of analysis. The material point method (MPM), in which the continuum is represented by material points, is a Lagrangian-Eulerian procedure suited for granular material and geomechanical simulations. The releasing process of geocontainers within a barge is simulated, in which the split barge is modelled via boundary particles with prescribed angular velocity. Various frictional contact coefficients between the barge and geotextile material are considered. Moreover, the influence of adding wrinkles to the bottom of the container that follows practice is evaluated and the predictions are compared to that of a non-slack geotextile. The effect of soil properties on the geotextile forces are also examined. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water saving and stormwater retention benefits from Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) tanks can be evaluated by the use of behavioural models able to simulate the long-term water balance of the rainwater tank. However, simulation results may be affected by the computational time step, that is normally chosen according to the aim of the analysis and to the available data. The objective of the paper is to analyse the influence of the time-step on the evaluation of the performance of RWH systems. Results of the investigation may help modellers deriving indications to select the appropriate time scale resolution when evaluating water saving and retention efficiencies of rainwater tanks. The analysis was carried with reference to a household case study in the south of Italy. High resolution rainfall data were used to run the water balance simulation of the tank at different daily and sub-daily time steps. In parallel, event-based data of toilet flushes collected during the field monitoring of the household residential water demands were used to derive long-term toilet water demand patterns at the different time scales of aggregation. Simulations of the tank showed that the daily time step may be reliably chosen for accurate evaluation of both the water saving and the volumetric stormwater retention efficiency of the rainwater tank with the exception for small tanks and high water demand values for which inaccuracies may occur unless higher time resolution are adopted. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the CCWI2013 Committee
Understanding temporal and spatial dimensions of land cover dynamics is a critical factor to link ecosystem transformation to land and environmental management. The trajectory of land cover change is not a simple difference between two conditions, but a continuous process. Therefore, there is a need to integrate multiple time periods to identify slow and rapid transformations over time. We mapped land cover composition and configuration changes using time series of Landsat TM/ETM+ images (1985-2011) in Southern Chile to understand the transformation process of a temperate rainforest relict and biodiversity hotspot. Our analysis builds on 28 Landsat scenes from 1985 to 2011 that have been classified using a random forests approach. Base on the high temporal data set we quantify land cover change and fragmentation indices to fully understand landscape transformation in this area. Our results show a high deforestation process for old growth forest strongest at the beginning of the study period (1985-1986-1998-1999) followed by a progressive slowdown until 2011. Within different study periods deforestation rates were much larger than the average rate over the complete study period (0.65%), with the highest annual deforestation rate of 1.2% in 1998-1999. The deforestation resulted in a low connectivity between native forest patches. Old-growth forest was less fragmented, but was concentrated mainly in two large regions (the Andes and Coastal mountain range) with almost no connection in between. Secondary forest located in more intensively used areas was highly fragmented. Exotic forest plantation areas, one of the most important economic activities in the area, increased sevenfold (from 12,836 to 103,540 ha), especially during the first periods at the expense of shrubland, secondary forest, grassland/arable land and old grown forest. Our analysis underlines the importance of expanding temporal resolution in land cover/use change studies to guide sustainable ecosystem management strategies as increase landscape connectivity and integrate landscape planning to economic activities. The study is highlighting the key role of remote sensing in the sustainable management of human influenced ecosystems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Utilizing as a lens the interpersonal implications of physical interpersonal distances in social contexts (a set of variables present during the professional discourse during the 1960s and 1970s, to then fade away), this article explores interactive process displayed by the protagonic couple in Bela Bartok's opera Bluebeard Castle, an exercise aimed at underlining the value of maintaining proxemics as an explicit level of observation for clinical practice and interpersonal research.
During development, neural crest (NC) cells are induced by signaling events at the neural plate border of all vertebrate embryos. Initially arising within the central nervous system, NC cells subsequently undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition to migrate into the periphery, where they differentiate into diverse cell types. Here we provide evidence that postnatal human epidermal keratinocytes (KC), in response to fibroblast growth factor 2 and insulin like growth factor 1 signals, can be reprogrammed toward a NC fate. Genome-wide transcriptome analyses show that keratinocyte-derived NC cells are similar to those derived from human embryonic stem cells. Moreover, they give rise in vitro and in vivo to NC derivatives such as peripheral neurons, melanocytes, Schwann cells and mesenchymal cells (osteocytes, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and smooth muscle cells). By demonstrating that human keratin-14+ KC can form NC cells, even from clones of single cells, our results have important implications in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Stem Cells2017;35:1402-1415
A secure and safe authentication on a vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) is essential for network security. A safe data transmission requires integrity, availability and privacy protection features as well as efficient communication in diverse settings. Recently proposed security protocols for vehicular communication cannot authenticate in a complex way in areas of heavy traffic due to the increasing number of messages in proportion to the number of vehicles. For efficient communication, data volume need be reduced and communication should be safe against a range of attacks. Hence, the present paper proposes a protocol that accelerates message processing by sending a low data volume for communication in areas of heavy traffic and that blocks replay attacks by checking timestamps. In addition, CASPER/FDR (Lowe in Casper: a compiler for the analysis of security protocols. User Manual and Tutorial, Version 1.12, 2009; Formal Systems (Europe) Ltd in Failures-Divergence Renement. FDR2 user manual, 2010) is used to verify the proposed protocol for its security and efficiency against any security vulnerabilities.
PB-22 (1-pentyl-8-quinolinyl ester-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid) and 5F-PB-22 (1-(5-fluoropentyl)-8-quinolinyl ester-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid) are new synthetic cannabinoids with a quinoline substructure and the first marketed substances with an ester bond linkage. No human metabolism data are currently available, making it difficult to document PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 intake from urine analysis, and complicating assessment of the drugs' pharmacodynamic and toxicological properties. We incubated 10 mu mol/l PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 with pooled cryopreserved human hepatocytes up to 3 h and analyzed samples on a TripleTOF 5600+ high-resolution mass spectrometer. Data were acquired via TOF scan, followed by information-dependent acquisition triggered product ion scans with mass defect filtering (MDF). The accurate mass full scan MS and MS/MS metabolite datasets were analyzed with multiple data processing techniques, including MDF, neutral loss and product ion filtering. The predominant metabolic pathway for PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 was ester hydrolysis yielding a wide variety of (5-fluoro)pentylindole-3-carboxylic acid metabolites. Twenty metabolites for PB-22 and 22 metabolites for 5F-PB-22 were identified, with the majority generated by oxidation with or without glucuronidation. For 5F-PB-22, oxidative defluorination occurred forming PB-22 metabolites. Both compounds underwent epoxide formation followed by internal hydrolysis and also produced a cysteine conjugate. Human hepatic metabolic profiles were generated for PB-22 and 5F-PB-22. Pentylindole-3-carboxylic acid, hydroxypentyl-PB-22 and PB-22 pentanoic acid for PB-22, and 5'-fluoropentylindole-3-carboxylic acid, PB-22 pentanoic acid and the hydroxy-5F-PB-22 metabolite with oxidation at the quinoline system for 5F-PB-22 are likely the best targets to incorporate into analytical methods for urine to document PB-22 and 5F-PB-22 intake.
Leprosy triggers a complex relationship between the pathogen and host immune response. Endothelium plays an important role in this immune response by directly influencing cell migration to infected tissues. The objective of this work is to investigate the possible role of endothelium in M. leprae infection, correlating the characteristics of endothelial markers with the expression pattern of cytokines. Thirty-six skin biopsy samples were cut into 5-mu m thick sections and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Ziehl-Neelsen for morphological analysis and then submitted to immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies against ICAM-1, ICAM-2, VCAM-1, and VLA-4. Immunostaining for ICAM-1 showed a significantly larger number of stained endothelial cells in the tuberculoid leprosy (9.92 +/- 1.11 cells/mm(2)) when compared to lepromatous samples (5.87 +/- 1.01 cells/mm(2)) and ICAM-2 revealed no significant difference in the number of endothelial cells expressing this marker between the tuberculoid (13.21 +/- 1.27 cells/mm(2)) and lepromatous leprosy (14.3 +/- 1.02 cells/mm(2)). VCAM-1-immunostained showed 18.28 1.46/mm(2) cells in tuberculoid leprosy and 10.67 +/- 1.25 cells/mm(2) in the lepromatous leprosy. VLA-4 exhibited 22.46 +/- 1.38 cells/mm(2) in the tuberculoid leprosy 16.04 +/- 1.56 cells/mm(2) in the lepromatous leprosy. Samples with characteristics of the tuberculoid leprosy exhibited a larger number of cells stained with ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and VLA-4, demonstrating the importance of these molecules in the migration and selection of cells that reach the inflamed tissue. (C)2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Patients with superior canal dehiscence (SCD) suffer from events of dizziness and vertigo in response to sound, also known as Tullio phenomenon (TP). The present work seeks to explain the fluid-dynamical mechanisms behind TP. In accordance with the so-called third window theory, we developed a computational model for the vestibular signal pathway between stapes and SCD. It is based on first principles and accounts for fluid-structure interactions arising between endolymph, perilymph, and membranous labyrinth. The simulation results reveal a wave propagation phenomenon in the membranous canal, leading to two flow phenomena within the endolymph which are in close interaction. First, the periodic deformation of the membranous labyrinth causes oscillating endolymph flow which forces the cupula to oscillate in phase with the sound stimulus. Second, these primary oscillations of the endolymph induce a steady flow component by a phenomenon known as steady streaming. We find that this steady flow of the endolymph is typically in ampullofugal direction. This flow leads to a quasi-steady deflection of the cupula which increases until the driving forces of the steady streaming are balanced by the elastic reaction forces of the cupula, such that the cupula attains a constant deflection amplitude which lasts as long as the sound stimulus. Both response types have been observed in the literature. In a sensitivity study, we obtain an analytical fit which very well matches our simulation results in a relevant parameter range. Finally, we correlate the corresponding eye response (vestibulo-ocular reflex) with the fluid dynamics by a simplified model of lumped system constants. The results reveal a sweet spot for TP within the audible sound spectrum. We find that the underlying mechanisms which lead to TP originate primarily from Reynolds stresses in the fluid, which are weaker at lower sound frequencies.
Positive contact predicts reduced prejudice, but negative contact may increase prejudice at a stronger rate. The current project builds on this work in four ways: establishing an understanding of contact that is grounded in subjective experience, examining the affective mediators involved in the negative contact-prejudice relationship, extending research on the effects of positive and negative contact to minority groups, and examining the contact asymmetry experimentally. Study 1 introduced anger as a mediator of the relationships between positive and negative contact and prejudice among White Americans (N = 371), using a contact measure that reflected the frequency and intensity of a wide range of experiences. Study 2 found a contact asymmetry among Black and Hispanic Americans (N = 365). Study 3 found initial experimental evidence of a contact asymmetry (N = 309). We conclude by calling for a more nuanced understanding of intergroup contact that recognizes its multifaceted and subjective nature.
The method of the inhibitor-containing coatings formation with self-healing properties on the surface of magnesium alloys has been developed. The obtained experimental results indicate that the protective properties of the samples with inhibitor-containing coating were increased in comparison with the samples without coating and the base coating obtained by plasma electrolytic oxidation method (PEO). Electrochemical parameters of the porous and poreless layers on the surface of the samples have been calculated before and after polarization due to experimental impedance data modeling by means of the equivalent electrical circuits. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tissue regeneration could offer therapeutic advantages for individuals experiencing organ or tissue damage. Recently, advances in nanotechnology have provided various nanomaterials, with a wide range of applications, for modulating stem cell behavior and for further therapeutic applications in tissue regeneration. Defects in cell proliferation and differentiation, a low mechanical strength of scaffolds, and inefficient production of factors that are essential for stem cell differentiation are the current challenges in tissue regeneration. This review provides a brief explanation about the link between nanotechnology and tissue engineering, highlighting the current literature about the interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) and stem cells, the promotional effect of NPs on stem cell differentiation into various lineages, and their possible therapeutic applications. We also tried to describe the mechanism through which NPs regulate the spatial-temporal release and kinetics of vital growth and differentiation factors, enhance stem cell differentiation, and improve culture conditions for in vivo tissue regeneration. The field of nanotechnology is promising and provides novel nanomaterials and methods with valuable clinical applications in the regenerative medicine. Understanding the mechanism, as well as the toxic effects of NPs in stem cell biology will undoubtedly provide valuable insight into their clinical application in the regenerative medicine.
Anomalous pitting sensitivity of titanium in ammonium bromide solutions was detected. Under saturation conditions pitting was not observed visually after anodic polarization and positive hysteresis loop was not recorded. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows an increase in resistance with time without an inductive element in the equivalent electrical circuits. This anomalous behavior may be related to changes in the molecular structure of the OH-bonds under saturation. In dilute ammonium bromide solutions, a pitting attack was observed visually after anodic polarization and cyclic polarization had shown a positive hysteresis loop. EIS shows an inductive loop related to the active pits that exist on the anodic surface.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from different ethnic groups present elevated levels of antibodies against Proteus mirabilis. This finding implicates P. mirabilis in the development of RA. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of P. mirabilis in the etiopathogenesis of RA in Greek RA patients. In this study, 63 patients with RA and 38 healthy controls were included. Class-specific antibodies IgM, IgG, and IgA against three human cross-reactive and non-cross-reactive synthetic peptides from P. mirabilis-hemolysin (HpmB), urease C (UreC), and urease F (UreF)-were performed in all subjects, using the ELISA method. RA patients had elevated levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies against HpmB and UreC Proteus peptide which are significantly different compared to healthy controls: p = 0.005, p < 0.001, and p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, p = 0.002, and p < 0.001, correspondingly. Also, elevated levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies against the UreF Proteus peptide-which are non-cross-reactive with human tissue antigens-were observed and their significant difference compared to healthy controls (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Anti-peptide antibodies in RA patients showed a significant correlation with rheumatoid factors (Rf), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP), especially when patients were divided into subgroups according to the receiving treatment. Greek RA patients present elevated levels of antibodies against P. mirabilis antigenic epitopes, such as in North European populations, albeit Greek RA patients presenting the cross-reaction antigen in a low percentage. These results indicate that P. mirabilis through the molecular mimicry mechanism leads to inflammation and damage of the joints in RA.
Bacteriophages are the source of many valuable tools for molecular biology and genetic manipulation. In Streptomyces, most DNA cloning vectors are based on serine integrase site-specific DNA recombination systems derived from phage. Because of their efficiency and simplicity, serine integrases are also used for diverse synthetic biology applications. Here, we present the genome of a new Streptomyces phage, phi Joe, and investigate the conditions for integration and excision of the phi Joe genome. phi Joe belongs to the largest Streptomyces phage cluster (R4-like) and encodes a serine integrase. The attB site from Streptomyces venezuelae was used efficiently by an integrating plasmid, pCMF92, constructed using the phi Joe int-attP locus. The attB site for phi Joe integrase was occupied in several Streptomyces genomes, including that of S. coelicolor, by a mobile element that varies in gene content and size between host species. Serine integrases require a phage-encoded recombination directionality factor (RDF) to activate the excision reaction. The phi Joe RDF was identified, and its function was confirmed in vivo. Both the integrase and RDF were active in in vitro recombination assays. The phi Joe site-specific recombination system is likely to be an important addition to the synthetic biology and genome engineering toolbox. IMPORTANCE Streptomyces spp. are prolific producers of secondary metabolites, including many clinically useful antibiotics. Bacteriophage-derived integrases are important tools for genetic engineering, as they enable integration of heterologous DNA into the Streptomyces chromosome with ease and high efficiency. Recently, researchers have been applying phage integrases for a variety of applications in synthetic biology, including rapid assembly of novel combinations of genes, biosensors, and biocomputing. An important requirement for optimal experimental design and predictability when using integrases, however, is the need for multiple enzymes with different specificities for their integration sites. In order to provide a broad platform of integrases, we identified and validated the integrase from a newly isolated Streptomyces phage, phi Joe. phi Joe integrase is active in vitro and in vivo. The specific recognition site for integration is present in a wide range of different actinobacteria, including Streptomyces venezuelae, an emerging model bacterium in Streptomyces research.
Background: Early research has documented that young children show an increased interest toward objects that are verbally labeled by an adult, compared to objects that are presented without a label. It is unclear whether the same phenomenon occurs in neurodevelopmental disorders affecting social development, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Williams syndrome (WS). Methods: The present study used a novel eye-tracking paradigm to determine whether hearing a verbal label increases the salience of novel objects in 35 preschoolers with ASD, 18 preschoolers with WS, and 20 typically developing peers. Results: We found that typically developing children and those with WS, but not those with ASD, spent significantly more time looking at objects that are verbally labeled by an adult, compared to objects that are presented without a label. Conclusions: In children without ASD, information accompanied by the speaker's verbal label is accorded a special status, and it is more likely to be attended to. In contrast, children with ASD do not appear to attribute a special salience to labeled objects compared to non-labeled objects. This result is consistent with the notion that reduced responsivity to pedagogical cues hinders social learning in young children with ASD.
The increasing complexity of the new breed of distributed intelligent systems, such as the Internet of Things, which require a diversity of languages and protocols, can only be tamed with design and programming best practices. Interest is also growing for including the human factor, as advocated by the ambient intelligence (AmI) research field, whose focus is on transparently and intelligently supporting people. These new design methodologies are increasingly needed in the tool-box of new electronic and computer engineers, and teaching strategies should be devised that allow students to acquire a systems-level view instead of getting lost in technology-oriented approaches. This paper describes a study carried out over two academic years, in a course in AmI at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. In the course, a project-based learning approach was adopted, in which students design and prototype an AmI system, and their progress is closely monitored throughout the semester. This paper presents the learning goals and teaching strategies, analyzes the learning outcomes from the qualitative and quantitative points of view, and highlights the lessons learned in the process.
The interaction of cells with their natural environment influences a large variety of cellular phenomena, including cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration. The complex extracellular matrix network has challenged the attempts to replicate in vitro the heterogeneity of the cell environment and has threatened, in general, the relevance of in vitro studies. In this work, we describe a new and extremely versatile approach to generate native-like extracellular matrices with controlled morphologies for the in vitro study of cellular processes. This general approach combines the confluent culture of fibroblasts with microfabricated guiding templates to direct the three-dimensional growth of well-defined extracellular networks which recapitulate the structural and biomolecular complexity of features typically found in vivo. To evaluate its performance, we studied fundamental cellular processes, including cell cytoskeleton organization, cell-matrix adhesion, proliferation, and protrusions morphodynamics. In all cases, we found striking differences depending on matrix architecture and, in particular, when compared to standard two-dimensional environments. We also assessed whether the engineered matrix networks influenced cell migration dynamics and locomotion strategy, finding enhanced migration efficiency for cells seeded on aligned matrices. Altogether, our methodology paves the way to the development of high-performance models of the extracellular matrix for potential applications in tissue engineering, diagnosis, or stem-cell biology.
Unexpected faults occurring in certain conditions on renewable energy sources connected to the power grid may result in severe damages, if capacitive load exists and consequently inductive power factor correction is applied with shunt coils. The paper presents some investigations on a case study.
Buildings need energy including heat and electricity, and both of them can be provided by the solar systems. Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems absorb the solar energy and can supply the heat and electricity for buildings, respectively. However, for the urban residential buildings, the limited available area makes installation of the solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic modules together impossible. A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system can simultaneously generate heat and electricity, which is deemed to be quite suitable for the urban residential buildings application. And yet, for a rural house of China, the available area for installation of the solar collectors is large but daily domestic hot water demand of a rural family is generally not exceeded 300 L If only the hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors are installed on the whole available area, this will lead to an overproduction of the thermal energy, especially in summer. Moreover, buildings requiring for the heat and electricity are different in different regions and different seasons. In this paper, simulation models of the solar thermal, photovoltaic and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems are presented, and experiments are also performed to validate the simulation results. Using the validated models, performances of the three solar systems for residential applications were predicted. And energy comparison between the three solar systems used in Hongkong, Lhasa, Shanghai and Beijing of China, respectively, were also studied. Results show that, for the urban residential building with limited available installation space, a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system may have the largest potential for reducing the energy consumption among the solar thermal, photovoltaic and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems. And for a rural house with large available area, system with photovoltaic and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal modules can obtained the most net annual electricity output, and the installation area of the hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors mainly depended on the hot water load of the building. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a detailed approach to provide improved cooling and heat spreading in electric machine rotors using centrifugally-pumped revolving thermosiphons. Design concepts are discussed that offer the following advantages: (1) high thermal performance across a wide range of operating points; (2) low-impedance heat paths; (3) excellent opportunities for integration with electric machine design for improved electromagnetic performance and structural design, as well as practical, cost-effective manufacturing. It takes advantage of centrifugal force to provide effective inertial pumping over a wide range of operating conditions. In addition, the new thermosiphon design is compatible, with existing standard electric machine manufacturing techniques and cooling needs. A condenser section fin and ramp structure provides consistently high condensation performance. Surface texture design to promote effective nucleate boiling at high speeds is discussed, and fluid fill factor is analyzed. Applications include induction and PM synchronous machines. Benefits of these thermosiphons include increased steady-state power and torque density, increased and more consistent efficiency, and reduced permanent magnet volume and cost in PM synchronous machines. Other applications may include centrifugal gas compression, chemical processes, and machine tools.
Schadenfreude occurs when people feel pleasure at others' misfortunes. Previous research suggested that individuals feel such a malicious pleasure when the misfortune befalls social targets perceived as highly competent but lacking human warmth. Two experiments explored whether the two components of warmth (i.e., sociability and morality) have distinct roles in driving schadenfreude. Study 1 (N = 128) compared a competent but immoral individual to a competent but unsociable person and found that people felt more schadenfreude when a misfortune befell an individual lacking morality. Study 2 (N = 199) confirmed the primary role of morality in driving schadenfreude by manipulating not only morality and sociability, but also competence. Moreover, both experiments showed that social targets lacking moral qualities elicited higher levels of schadenfreude because their misfortunes were perceived as deserved. Overall, our findings suggest that morality has a primary role over other basic dimensions of person perception (i.e., sociability and competence) in driving schadenfreude.
The field of emotion understanding is replete with measures, yet lacks an integrated conceptual organizing structure. To identify and organize skills associated with the recognition and knowledge of emotions, and to highlight the focus of emotion understanding as localized in the self, in specific others, and in generalized others, we introduce the conceptual framework of Emotion Understanding in Recognition and Knowledge Abilities (EUReKA). We then categorize 56 existing methods of emotion understanding within this framework to highlight current gaps and future opportunities in assessing emotion understanding across the lifespan. We hope the EUReKA model provides a systematic and integrated framework for conceptualizing and measuring emotion understanding for future research.
Background/Aim: Gesturing plays an important role in social behavior and social learning. Deficits are frequent in schizophrenia and may contribute to impaired social functioning. Information about deficits during the course of the disease and presence of severity and patterns of impairment in first-episode patients is missing. Hence, we aimed to investigate gesturing in first - compared to multiple-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Methods: In 14 first-episode patients, 14 multiple-episode patients and 16 healthy controls matched for age, gender and education, gesturing was assessed by the comprehensive Test of Upper Limb Apraxia. Performance in two domains of gesturing imitation and pantomime - was recorded on video. Raters of gesture performance were blinded. Results: Patients with multiple episodes had severe gestural deficits. For almost all gesture categories, performance was worse in multiple-than in first-episode patients. First-episode patients demonstrated subtle deficits with a comparable pattern. Conclusions: Subjects with multiple psychotic episodes have severe deficits in gesturing, while only mild impairments were found in first-episode patients independent of age, gender, education and negative symptoms. The results indicate that gesturing is impaired at the onset of disease and likely to further deteriorate during its course. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel
An accurate charge-based compact MOSFET model is developed using the third order Hermite interpolation polynomial to approximate the relation between surface potential and inversion charge in the channel. This new formulation of the drain current retains the same simplicity of the most advanced charge-based compact MOSFET models such as BSIM, ACM and EKV, but it is developed without requiring the crude linearization of the inversion charge. Hence, the asymmetry and the non-linearity in the channel are accurately accounted for. Nevertheless, the expression of the drain current can be worked out to be analytically equivalent to BSIM, ACM and EKV. Furthermore, thanks to this new mathematical approach the slope factor is rigorously defined in all regions of operation and no empirical assumption is required. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease and characterized by chronic inflammatory arthritis. Tumor necrosis factor a induced protein-8 like-2 (TIPE2) is responsible for maintaining immune homeostasis by inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in the condition of inflammation. However, whether TIPE2 participates in the development of AS remains unknown. In this study, we measured the mRNA expression of TIPE2 and TIPE1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 45 AS patients and 40 healthy controls by qRT-PCR. The results showed TIPE2 expression was significantly increased in AS patients compared with controls (P=0.0066), while there was no significant difference for TIPE1 between two groups (P=0.2302). Moreover, the expression of TIPE2 mRNA in AS patients were decreased after treatment with TNF-alpha blocker (P < 0.001). In addition, we found that TNF-a or plasma from AS patients induced TIPE2 expression in THP-1 cells in vitro. More importantly, the TIPE2 mRNA expression levels were negatively correlated with TNF-alpha, hsCRP and bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) (r = 0.3574, P = 0.0159; r = 0.3174, P = 0.0336; r = 0.6000, P < 0.0001; respectively) in the AS patients. These results indicated that TIPE2 contributes to the pathogenesis of AS. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics.
This paper presents an investigation on the performance characterization of viscous fan clutch with double grooves including thermal behaviors. A detailed mathematical model of the fan clutch is established by taking into account the viscosity variation of the viscous fluid with shear radius and temperature, and an iterative algorithm is proposed to calculate the performances of the fan clutch. Laboratory experiments are then carried out on a performance measurement setup for viscous clutch, for validating the proposed mathematical model and calculation method. Based on the verified model and calculation algorithm and the experimental setup, the performances of six alternative viscous fan clutch designs are studied. The combined analytical/experimental results suggest that the clutch performances degrade with the increase of the input speed, and the proposed model and calculate method are valid and can be successfully employed to facilitate the design of new viscous fan clutches as well as control system development, for saving cost and shortening development period.
Wave overtopping is one of the key parameters for designing coastal structures: the crest level is usually determined using admissible overtopping discharges. Several formulae already exist for wave overtopping assessment that predict the average overtopping discharge per meter width of the coastal defence, generally for deep or intermediate water depths at the toe of the dike. However, the process of wave overtopping on sea dikes with shallow and very shallow foreshore is not yet fully understood, Gentle foreshores in combination with (very) shallow water conditions lead to heavy wave breaking and a significant change of the wave spectra from offshore to the toe of the dike. The wave steepness is assumed as one of the main criteria to identify cases of severe wave breaking on shallow and very shallow foreshores. For these conditions, Van Gent's formula, generally used for wave overtopping with shallow foreshores, has been implemented and validated against experimental data. It is the purpose of this paper to show that Van Gent's formula overestimates the average overtopping discharge for cases of very shallow foreshores. Moreover the existing formula cannot be applied to cases with an emergent toe. The present work therefore introduces a new equivalent slope concept to obtain an estimation of average wave overtopping discharges on sea dikes with shallow and very shallow foreshores. This study uses data from CLASH database and experimental campaigns, specifically carried out at Flanders Hydraulics Research (Belgium), in order to validate this approach. Results indicate that this concept shows better performance compared to other empirical formulae, which suggests that the influence of the very shallow foreshore on the average wave overtopping discharge should be included. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a gravity heat pipe exchanger used for cooling the communication base station to replace the traditional air conditioning system during winter and transition seasons. Tests were conducted on a commercial available gravity heat pipe exchanger. The experiment was performed to study the effects of the air flow rate and temperature on the cooling capacity, the heat transfer unit number (NTU) and cooling efficiency of the heat pipe exchanger. The results showed that the larger the air flow rate, the smaller the NTU and the larger the cooling capacity. Based on the analysis of the experimental data, it proved that the gravity heat pipe exchanger could reduce running time and operating cost of air conditioning system. According to the practical applications, the yearly cooling loads of a typical communication base station were further calculated for five typical cities which represent the five climatic zones of China. The results validated that the energy saving by using the gravity heat pipe exchanger is significant. The highest annual electricity-saving rate is achieved by Kunming, about 48.6%, while the lowest annual electricity-saving rate is obtained in Guangzhou, about 18.7% among the five climatic zones. The fitted correlation of cooling capacity in term of outdoor temperature is generic to evaluate approximately the performance of applying the gravity heat pipe exchanger in the actual applications subject to various outdoor temperatures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
User authentication in wireless sensor network (WSN) plays a very important role in which a legal registered user is allowed to access the real-time sensing information from the sensor nodes inside WSN. To allow such access, a user needs to be authenticated by the accessed sensor nodes as well as gateway nodes inside WSNs. Because of resource limitations and vulnerability to physical capture of some sensor nodes by an attacker, design of a secure user authentication in WSN continues to be an important and challenging research area in recent years. In this paper, we propose a new three-factor user authentication scheme based on the multi-gateway WSN architecture. Through the widely-accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham logic, we prove that our scheme provides the secure mutual authentication. We then present the formal security verification of our proposed scheme using AVISPA tool, which is a powerful validation tool for network security applications, and show that our scheme is secure. In addition, the rigorous informal security analysis shows that our scheme is also secure against possible other known attacks including the sensor node capture attack. Furthermore, we present the additional functionality features that our scheme offers, which are efficient in communication and computation. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pharmaceutical opioid (PO) use and harms are increasing dramatically. Treatment related stigma may present as a treatment barrier for people who use PO. Additionally, differences in social support between PO and other opioid treatment populations may positively influence treatment outcomes. A scoping methodology was utilised to map current knowledge, with searches performed in Medline, PsycINFO and Embase. Eligibility criteria required articles related to stigma and social support in treatment for PO use. The search identified 44 relevant articles. Stigma themes included individual perceptions of opioid dependence, community perceptions of opioid dependence, blame as a stigmatising factor, language surrounding opioid use, and treatment experience. Social support themes included family as support, web-based support, friends as support, partners as support and social network therapy. Limited literature was found focussing specifically on stigma and social support in people who use PO, highlighting that this is an important area for future work.
Wireless networks have gained immense popularity in recent years. Though wireless networks have innumerous advantages over conventional wired networks, the borderless nature of wireless networks makes it prone to various felonious activities. In the context of network security, one of the most crucial vulnerabilities which have caused a serious global concern is the MAC Address Spoofing. MAC address spoofing facilitates launching of other attacks such as Denial-of-service, Man-in-the-middle, SYN flooding etc. In this paper we propose a methodology for the detection of spoofing attacks in IEEE 802.11 networks that involve performance of cluster analysis on RSS patterns of 802.11 transmitters which not only detect presence of a spoofing attack but also determine number of attackers. Further for localizing the adversaries, we propose a discriminant-adaptive neural network (DANN) based localization system.
Background: Obesity is a multifactorial condition influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Objective: We investigated whether the association of a validated genetic profile risk score for obesity (GPRS-obesity) with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) was modified by sleep characteristics. Design: This study included cross-sectional data from 119,859 white European adults, aged 37-73 y, participating in the UK Biobank. Interactions of GPRS-obesity and sleep characteristics (sleep duration, chronotype, day napping, and shift work) with their effects on BMI and WC were investigated. Results: beta Values are expressed as the change in BMI (in kg/m(2)) or WC per 1-SD increase in GPRS-obesity. The GPRS-obesity was associated with BMI (beta: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.60; P = 6.3 x 10(-2207)) and WC (1.21 cm; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.28 cm; P = 4.2 x 10(-2289)). There were significant interactions of GPRS-obesity and a variety of sleep characteristics with their relation with BMI (P-interaction, 0.05). In participants who slept,7 or >9 h daily, the effect of GPRS-obesity on BMI was stronger (beta: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.65 and b: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.97, respectively) than in normal-length sleepers (7-9 h; beta: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.55). A similar pattern was observed for shift workers (beta: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.77 compared with beta: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.58 for non-shift workers) and for night-shift workers (beta: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.56, 0.82 compared with beta: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.58 for non-night-shift workers), for those taking naps during the day (beta: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.78 compared with beta: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.55 for those who never or rarely had naps), and for those with a self-reported evening chronotype (beta: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.82 compared with beta: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.57 for morning chronotype). Similar findings were obtained by using WC as the outcome. Conclusion: This study shows that the association between genetic risk for obesity and phenotypic adiposity measures is exacerbated by adverse sleeping characteristics.
The bacterial ribosome has many functional ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sites. We have computationally analyzed the rRNA regions involved in the interactions between the 30S and 50S subunits. Various properties of rRNA such as solvent accessibility, opening energy, hydrogen bonding pattern, van der Waals energy, thermodynamic stability were determined. Based on these properties we selected rRNA targets for hybridization with complementary 2 '-O-methyl oligoribonucleotides (2 '-OMe RNAs). Further, the inhibition efficiencies of the designed ribosome-interfering 20OMe RNAs were tested using a beta-galactosidase assay in a translation system based on the E. coli extract. Several of the oligonucleotides displayed IC50 values below 1 mu M, which were in a similar range as those determined for known ribosome inhibitors, tetracycline and pactamycin. The calculated opening and van der Waals stacking energies of the rRNA targets correlated best with the inhibitory efficiencies of 2 '-OMe RNAs. Moreover, the binding affinities of several oligonucleotides to both 70S ribosomes and isolated 30S and 50S subunits were measured using a doublefilter retention assay. Further, we applied heat-shock chemical transformation to introduce 2 '-OMe RNAs to E. coli cells and verify inhibition of bacterial growth. We observed high correlation between IC50 in the cell-free extract and bacterial growth inhibition. Overall, the results suggest that the computational analysis of potential rRNA targets within the conformationally dynamic regions of inter-subunit bridges can help design efficient antisense oligomers to probe the ribosome function.
The analysis of erythrocyte morphology is an important determinant in the diagnosis of many diseases. The development of more reliable and automated image analysis techniques for Red Blood Cells (RBCs) image remains an important goal in computational molecular biology. Due to the characteristic of RBCs image which captured by electron microscope (EM), a novel cascading red blood cells segmentation method is proposed. Firstly the feasibility of threshold segmentation has been analyzed and a method based on the number of connected component for coarse segmentation is put forward, successfully extracts the RBCs areas from the images with accuracy 97.52%. Then an marked watershed algorithm bases on random Hough circle detection and Mathematical Morphology is proposed for overlapped RBCs in original image. Compared to the widely used method, the accuracy of this method has improved obviously. The experimental results show that the proposed method is robust to different RBCs images in automatically separating RBCs, the extraction rate reached 82.17%. At the same time, the automatic counting accuracy up to 96.24%.
Background: Asperger's Syndrome (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. Difficulties with respect to pragmatic speech, reading emotional and social cues, differentiating between fact and fiction, and taking into account the influence of context on a statement are commonly described features. However, hitherto established questionnaires did not focus on these symptoms. Methods: In this study we present a short (11 questions) questionnaire which focuses on self-rated pragmatic speech abilities, the Freiburg Questionnaire of linguistic pragmatics (FQLP). Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were explored in a sample of 57 patients with Asperger's Syndrome, 66 patients with other psychiatric disorders, and a convenience sample of 56 people. Results: Reliability analysis showed a high Cronbach's a. Strong correlations could be demonstrated for the FQLP with the Autism Quotient and the Empathy Quotient. Concerning divergent validity a moderate correlation was found between the FQLP and self-rated symptoms of personality disorders. No significant correlation was found between the FQLP and the vocabulary skills. The receiver operating characteristics curve showed an excellent diagnostic accuracy of the FQLP (. 97). Conclusions: As the control group consisted of people without mental disorder and patients with different psychiatric disorders, the results indicate that the construct examined by the FQLP is quite specific to the peculiarities of AS. The FQLP is a reliable, brief and valid instrument. First results regarding sensitivity and specificity are highly promising.
Receiving an average 3000mm of rainfall depth with high intensity, Malaysia is known as a tropical climate country. Currently, Malaysia proactively promotes the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Syatem (SUDS) as indicated in the Malaysian's Stormwater Management Manual namely the Urban Stormwater Management Manual of Malaysia (MSMA) 1st and 2nd version. The manual is promoting the implementation of SUDS facilities whether as a single facility or integrated ones which is a combination of two or more SUDS facilities. However green roof is not included in this manual. Thus the objectives of this paper are to share the preliminary study of intensive green roof tested under high intensity rainfall (159mm/hr) using rainfall simulator and four intensive green roof test bed with different vegetations. Three species selected for each test bed namely Kalanchoe pinnata (K. pinnata), Axonopus compressus (A. compressus) and Arachis pintoi (A. pintoi). Another test bed is to leave in a baren condition without vegetation as a control unit. Media or substrate use for these test beds are similar which consists of drainage cells, geotextile, river sand and top soils. Parameters studied are potassium (K), Total Phosphate (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN). Results show that K. pinnata performed well in the reduction of TP (37.50% - 89%) and AN (68.90% - 95.34%) followed by A. pintoi(TP: 36.68% - 82.50%, AN: 59.92% - 92.68%) and A. compressus (TP: 20.11% - 80.15%, AN: 89.52% - 93.44%). Another studied parameters (K and TN) show leaching in outflow of test bed. It is believed due to the fertilizer used for plant growth. In term of quantity control, all test beds showed reduction percentage of runoff hydrograph in the range of 9% to 67.
We present a new method for the computation of hydraulic axial thrust of Francis hydro-turbine. This approach combines the computation of axial thrust on the crown, band and blade by using the numerical simulation and calculation of the pressure distribution outside the crown and band based on the theory of fluid mechanics. The axial thrusts are calculated for different flow conditions with various suction head and flow rate. The calculated results are consistent with that of experimental test on the prototype hydro-turbine, and this combination is proven to be an effective way to assess the magnitude of hydraulic axial thrust for hydro-turbine. Also, the suction head of the turbine is shown to have significant influence on the hydraulic axial thrust.
Polycomb group proteins regulate chromatin structure and have an important regulatory role on gene expression in various cell types. Two polycomb group complexes (Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and 2 (PRC2)) have been identified in mammalian cells. Both PRC1 and PRC2 compact chromatin, and also catalyze histone modifications. PRC1 mediates monoubiquitination of histone H2A, whereas PRC2 catalyzes methylation of histone H3 on lysine 27. These alterations of histones can lead to altered gene expression patterns by regulating chromatin structure. Numerous studies have highlighted the role of the PRC2 catalytic component enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in neoplastic development and progression, and EZH2 mutations have been identified in various malignancies. Through modulating the expression of critical genes, EZH2 is actively involved in fundamental cellular processes such as cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In addition to cancer cells, EZH2 also has a decisive role in the differentiation and function of T effector and T regulatory cells. In this review we summarize the recent progress regarding the role of EZH2 in human malignancies, highlight the molecular mechanisms by which EZH2 aberrations promote the pathogenesis of cancer, and discuss the anti-tumor effects of EZH2 targeting via activating direct anti-cancer mechanisms and anti-tumor immunity.
Chromatin remodeling is important for the epigenetic reprogramming of human primordial germ cells. However, the comprehensive chromatin state has not yet been analyzed for human fetal germ cells (FGCs). Here we use nucleosome occupancy and methylation sequencing method to analyze both the genome-wide chromatin accessibility and DNA methylome at a series of crucial time points during fetal germ cell development in both human and mouse. We find 116 887 and 137 557 nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs) in human and mouse FGCs, covering a large set of germline-specific and highly dynamic regulatory genomic elements, such as enhancers. Moreover, we find that the distal NDRs are enriched specifically for binding motifs of the pluripotency and germ cell master regulators such as NANOG, SOX17, AP2 gamma and OCT4 in human FGCs, indicating the existence of a delicate regulatory balance between pluripotency-related genes and germ cell-specific genes in human FGCs, and the functional significance of these genes for germ cell development in vivo. Our work offers a comprehensive and high-resolution roadmap for dissecting chromatin state transition dynamics during the epigenomic reprogramming of human and mouse FGCs.
The kinetics of trap generation during negativebias temperature instability (NBTI) stress in pMOSFETs, as governed by the double interface H-H-2 reaction-diffusion (RD) model, is incorporated for the first time in a commercial technology computer-aided design (TCAD) software, and used for simulating degradation in various device architectures. The calibrated TCAD framework is shown to successfully explain the measured impact of interface trap generation (Delta N-IT) in bulk silicon FinFETs for wide range of stress bias and temperature. The impact of device design on NBTI degradation is explored by comparing the simulated trap generation kinetics in bulk FinFET, silicon on insulator FinFET, and gate all around nanowire FET devices having different geometries. The simulated predictions agree well with the experimental observations reported in the literature. The proposed TCAD framework would enable performance-reliability co-optimization during device design for advanced technology nodes.
Feature extraction is one of the most important steps in computer vision tasks such as object recognition, image retrieval and image classification. It describes an image by a set of descriptors where the best one gives a high quality description and a low computation. In this study, the authors propose a novel descriptor called histogram of local and global features using speeded up robust feature (SURF) descriptor (HLG(SURF)) based on a combination of local features obtained by computation of Bag of words of SURF and global features issued from a novel operator called upper and lower local binary pattern (ULLBP) that encodes the texture analysis associated with wavelet transform. To enhance the effectiveness of the descriptor, the authors used the colour information. To evaluate the proposed method, the authors carried out experiments in different applications such as image retrieval and image classification. The performance of the suggested descriptor was evaluated by calculating both precision and recall values using the challenging Corel and COIL-100 datasets for image retrieval. For image classification, the performance was measured by the classification rate using the challenging Corel and MIT scene datasets. The experimental results showed that the proposed descriptor outperforms the existing state of the art results.
A novel Permanent-magnet Machine with Counterrotating Dual Rotors (PMCDR) is proposed in order to improve operation performance of underwater vehicle anti-rotation propulsion system. It can be substantially simplify system structure, decrease volume, reduce mass and cost, moreover, improve reliability without brush and slip-ring. The idea and principle of electromagnetic design are provided in order to meet power angle characteristic corresponding to uniform or similar between Inner Rotor Permanent-magnet Machine Unit (IRPMU) and Outer Rotor Permanent-magnet Machine Unit (ORPMU). Magnetic field, Stator yoke flux density, air gap flux density, inductance, no-load back-EMF and torque angle characteristic are obtained through the finite element method. A prototype has been designed, built, and tested. The method of detecting no-load back-EMF with search coils is proposed. The validity is verified by FEA results and experimental measurements.
Continued improvements in Next-Generation DNA/RNA sequencing coupled with advances in gene annotation have provided researchers access to a plethora of annotated genomes. Subsequent analyses of orthologous gene structures have identified numerous intron gain and loss events that have occurred both recently and in the very distant past. This research has afforded exceptional insight into the temporal and lineage-specific rates of intron gain and loss among various species throughout evolution. Numerous studies have also attempted to identify the molecular mechanisms of intron gain and loss. However, even after considerable effort, very little is known about these processes. In particular, the mechanism(s) of intron gain have proven exceptionally enigmatic and remain topics of considerable debate. Currently, there exists no definitive consensus as to what mechanism(s) may generate introns. Because many introns are known to affect gene expression, it is necessary to understand the molecular process(es) by which introns may be gained. Here we review the seven most commonly purported mechanisms of intron gain and, when possible, summarize molecular evidence for or against the occurrence of each of these mechanisms. Furthermore, we catalogue indirect evidence that supports the occurrence of each mechanism. Finally, because these proposed mechanisms fail to explain the mechanistic origin of many recently gained introns, we also look at trends that may aid researchers in identifying other potential mechanism(s) of intron gain.
Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) are essential to most biological processes and play a critical role in most cellular functions. With the development of high-throughput biological techniques and in si/ico methods, a large number of PPI data have been generated for various organisms, but many problems remain unsolved. These factors promoted the development of the in silico methods based on machine learning to predict PPIs. In this study, we propose a novel method by combining ensemble Rotation Forest (RF) classifier and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) algorithm to predict the interactions among proteins. Specifically, the protein amino acids sequence is transformed into Position-Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM) containing biological evolution information, and then the feature vector is extracted to present protein evolutionary information using DCT algorithm; finally, the ensemble rotation forest model is used to predict whether a given protein pair is interacting or not. When performed on Yeast and H. pylori data sets, the proposed method achieved excellent results with an average accuracy of 98.54% and 88.27%. In addition, we achieved good prediction accuracy of 98.08%, 92.75%, 98.87% and 98.72% on independent data sets (C.elegans, E.coli, Hsapiens and M.muscu/us). In order to further evaluate the performance of our method, we compare it with the state-of-the-art Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier and get good results.
The bivalve mollusks are among the aquatic bioindicators that are commonly used in monitoring water pollution studies, thanks to their behavior and metabolism. They are directly affected by the level of pollution in a given site. During this research, the study of the biological response in gills, hepatopancreas and muscles of indigenous mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were used for monitoring, emissary's pollution in four polluted sites in the coastal environment of Casablanca. Seasonal variations of the activity of antioxidant defence enzymes, catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), as well as lipid peroxidation (LP) were measured as biomarkers within a one year period and compared to mussels from an unpolluted sampling site. This study was completed by analysing a series of abiotic factors (temperature, pH and conductivity) and chemicals (heavy metals; Hg, Pb, Cu) into seawater. Our result showed that the availability of metallic contamination and the environmental stress conditions causes relatively an oxidative stress in this species at each station studied. While the pollution's level clearly varies according to the sampling campaign. Furthermore, they revealed a significant increase in GST activities and LP concentrations and significant decrease in CAT activities in mussels collected in sites with industrial contamination. This negative correlation suggested that the organisms at this location are exposed to a relatively higher level of oxidative stress. This first study in the area confirm that variations of antioxidant defence enzymes activities and LP concentrations in mussels could be used as prospective biomarkers of toxicity in environmental monitoring programs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The present study examined how Big Five personality ratings of the same target individuals differ as a function of the power relation between the target and the judge. Our targets were 37 employees with leadership duties from two large organizations. The targets' subordinates (N = 352), peers (N = 186), and superiors (N = 62) constituted our groups of judges. The targets and judges also provided self-reports of personality. Subordinate judges showed higher consensus but not higher self-other agreement than peer or superior judges. Furthermore, the targets were judged as more extraverted, more emotionally stable, less agreeable, and less open to experience by their subordinates than by their superiors. The results suggest that (i) observer consensus, but not self-other agreement or assumed similarity varies as a function of real-life power; (ii) the effects of power on mean trait scores are mostly congruent with the previously observed effects of power on behaviour and on stereotypes. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This research introduces the concept of feeling known- or the belief that others have developed accurate opinions of one's traits and characteristics-to the team literature. Various theoretical streams posit that acquiring a sense of being known and understood is a central human motivation that leads to positive outcomes for individuals. The present research links team member's sense of feeling known with team member's reports of interpersonal trust, personal learning, and project satisfaction in a large sample of project teams. Using a longitudinal study design, this research finds that feeling known is indeed a strong predictor of proximal and distal team member outcomes. Additional analyses reveal that team members' sense of feeling known plays a role in predicting outcomes for both face-to-face and virtual team members, despite the fact that virtual team members report feeling less known than face-to-face team members. The practical significance of these results is discussed.
Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology has attracted great interest because it can provide a promising solution of future radar and short-range broadband wireless communications. The generation of millimeter-wave UWB signals using photonic approaches can reduce the high cost of the millimeter-wave electrical circuits. Moreover, it is well compatible with fiber transmission, which can effectively extend its signal coverage. In this paper, a novel approach to the photonic generation of millimeter-wave UWB signals with dual-band operation consideration is proposed. The proposed scheme can simultaneously generate millimeter-wave UWB signals in both 24 GHz and 60 GHz millimeter band, and can efficiently exploit the spectrum limit allowed by the FCC mask by using the linear combination pulse design concept. A model describing the proposed system is developed and the generation of 24/60 GHz millimeter-wave UWB signals is demonstrated via computer simulations.
Opisthorchis viverrini is a major public health concern in Southeast Asia. Various reports have suggested that this parasite may represent a species complex, with genetic structure in the region perhaps being dictated by geographical factors and different species of intermediate hosts. We used four microsatellite loci to analyze O. viverrini adult worms originating from six species of cyprinid fish in Thailand and Lao PDR. Two distinct O. viverrini populations were observed. In Ban Phai, Thailand, only one subgroup occurred, hosted by two different fish species. Both subgroups occurred in fish from That Luang, Lao PDR, but were represented to very different degrees among the fish hosts there. Our data suggest that, although geographical separation is more important than fish host specificity in influencing genetic structure, it is possible that two species of Opisthorchis, with little interbreeding, are present near Vientiane in Lao PDR.
As labor markets become increasingly global, competition among industrialized nations to attract highly skilled workers from abroad has intensified. Spurred by concerns over future economic needs caused by the demographic challenges of an aging population, both Japan and Sweden have joined this global competition. This article examines Japanese and Swedish immigration policies for highly skilled migrants and compares the highly skilled migrants' experiences in the two countries through interviews with these migrants. Despite Japan and Sweden's completely different approaches to immigration itself, both countries' policies, as well as the experiences of the skilled migrants, are strikingly similar. Highly skilled migrants experience language barriers and prejudice in both countries, making it difficult to build social networks with natives. Career development seems to be perceived as a common problem, although less so in Sweden, where labor markets are more flexible. Overall, these issues reduce both Japan's and Sweden's ability to retain skilled migrants. While they share similarities, Sweden's famed work-life balance and gender equality give it an edge in the competition for skilled migrants, which Japan does not share. This comparison identifies which social conditions facilitate or impede skilled migrant settlement.
Cross-sectional visualization of anatomical structures in DICOM viewers is usually presented in parallel slices. For visualizing the inner ear, this concept is unfavourable due to the spiral shape of the cochlea. Radial slicing through its central axis (known as midmodiolar view) is advantageous. Therefore, a custom DICOM viewer was developed, which allows the visualization of the cochlea in a midmodiolar slice plane that rotates around the central axis of the cochlea, always cutting the latter radially. The program was written in C++ using the open-source libraries ITK, VTK, GDCM and Qt. The rotation axis is defined by placing two points in the modiolus within a conventional slice visualization of the dataset. A midmodiolar visualization is calculated based on this axis. Scrolling the mouse wheel rotates slice plane around the axis, displaying midmodiolar slices at variable angles. Measurement options are provided as well as interactive placement of marker points whose coordinates can be exported for post-processing in other programs. The program can be used in multiple applications including the determination of cochlear dimensions, especially its length, and post-operative positions of cochlear implant (CI) electrode carriers. Computer-aided design models of the cochlea can be generated from exported marker points. The proposed DICOM viewer directly focuses on the needs of cochlear visualization, thus making it a valuable tool in CI related research. The ease of use facilitates future clinical use, e.g. for pre-operative selection of optimal CI electrode carrier length based on the patient's cochlear length.
The current economy downfall has showed that European countries need new entrepreneurs starting with small and medium-sized technology-based enterprises. To find solutions manufacturing enterprise surveys are realised. As a result an action oriented model is proposed leading to the development of entrepreneurial skills and attitudes in universities. The essential stages are defining and implementing of a training/mentoring course that will support the business ideas of the trainees; incubation in the Science & Technology Parks of the best business plans; and individual accompaniment throughout the enterprise forming stage by an international pool of experts. The elaborated model is realised in four countries as a concurrent e-course.
The paper proposes two mathematical models of a photo-voltaic (PV) cellthe complete model and the simplified modelwhich can be used also for modeling a PV module or a PV string under any environmental condition. Both of them are based on the well-known five-parameters model, while the approach allows to write a new descriptive equation, whose terms are functions of the information always available in the modern datasheet of a PV module's manufacturer. This implies that no pre-processing of the datasheet parameters is needed to use the proposed model, whichever the solar irradiance and the cell/module temperature are. Moreover, these models are interpreted from a circuital point of view, providing the electrical circuits constituted only by basic electrical components. Particularly, in order to take into account the variability of the environment parameters, several variable resistors and voltage-controlled sources are used. The proposed models are tested with the datasheet parameters of commercial PV modules.
Two experimental studies were conducted that aimed at testing whether the activation of positive meta-stereotypes among high-status group members involved in conflictual relationships with the low-status group is beneficial for intergroup relations. Results revealed that the activation of positive meta-stereotypes led Italian high-school students (high-status group) to anticipate greater enjoyment of an upcoming interaction with an African immigrant (low-status group) by increasing positive feelings about contact and concerns about being accepted. Initial prejudice emerged as the moderator, with the effects of positive meta-stereotypes present among those with average-to high-levels of prejudice. This study represents the first experimental demonstration that positive meta-stereotypes have beneficial effects for intergroup relations among high-status members. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
We introduce different high order time discretization schemes for backward semi-Lagrangian methods. These schemes are based on multi-step schemes like Adams-Moulton and Adams-Bashforth schemes combined with backward finite difference schemes. We apply these methods to transport equations for plasma physics applications and for the numerical simulation of instabilities in fluid mechanics. In the context of backward semi-Lagrangian methods, this time discretization strategy is particularly efficient and accurate when the spatial error discretization becomes negligible and allows to use large time steps. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM)-based search engines generally need a priority encoder (PE) to select the highest priority match entry for resolving the multiple match problem due to the don't care (X) features of TCAM. In contemporary network security, TCAM-based search engines are widely used in regular expression matching across multiple packets to protect against attacks, such as by viruses and spam. However, the use of PE results in increased energy consumption for pattern updates and search operations. Instead of using PEs to determine the match, our solution is a three-phase search operation that utilizes the length information of the matched patterns to decide the longest pattern match data. This paper proposes a promising memory technology called priority-decision in memory (PDM), which eliminates the need for PEs and removes restrictions on ordering, implying that patterns can be stored in an arbitrary order without sorting their lengths. Moreover, we present a sequential input-state (SIS) scheme to disable the mass of redundant search operations in state segments on the basis of an analysis distribution of hex signatures in a virus database. Experimental results demonstrate that the PDM-based technology can improve update energy consumption of nonvolatile TCAM (nvTCAM) search engines by 36%-67%, because most of the energy in these search engines is used to reorder. By adopting the SIS-based method to avoid unnecessary search operations in a TCAM array, the search energy reduction is around 64% of nvTCAM search engines.
Current methods of monitoring insulin in culture are limited to soluble insulin (secretions or lysates) or synthetic gene reporter analyses. We present an insulin-specific cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cell-ELISA) to assess relative intracellular insulin protein content of adherent cultures, normalized to cell density with further immunocytochemical verification of insulin-expressing cells within identical cultures. The protocol was optimized and validated using an insulin-expressing cell line (INS-1) by confirming direct relations between intracellular insulin content and insulin-expressing cell density, in a glucose exposure-dependent manner. Utility was demonstrated by identifying multiple INS-1 clones lowly expressing insulin following lentiviral particle delivery of interference RNA intended to down regulate one of the insulin gene-directed transcription factors, MafA. The cell-ELISA was also applied to monitor insulin content within partially dissociated primary mouse islet cultures. This technique allows for the first time routine analysis of intracellular insulin protein in vitro suitable for investigating islet cell biology by means of multiple parameter screening. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this study, a perceptual encryption algorithm is proposed for H.264/AVC video to enhance the scrambling effect and encryption space. Six new scan orders are designed for H.264/AVC encoder by analysing the energy distribution of discrete cosine transform coefficients. They are proven to have similar performance as the conventional zigzag scan order and its symmetrical scan order. These six new scan orders are combined with two existing scan orders to design a scan-order based perceptual encryption algorithm. Specifically, video encryption is achieved more specifically by randomly selecting one scan order from the eight scan orders with a security key, and the sign bit flipping of DC coefficients is also incorporated to further increase the encryption space. Experimental results show that the proposed approach has the advantages of both low bitrate increase and low computational cost. Furthermore, it is more flexible and has stronger security than the existing scan-order based video encryption schemes.
Objectives: This investigation was conducted to determine whether contesting orientations add predictive utility for prosocial behavior, both in and out of sports, beyond other variables related to the component processes of moral action. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Intercollegiate US athletes (n = 2380; 56.4% male), from both individual and team sports, completed measures of contesting orientation, three moral variables (moral attentiveness, moral identity, integrity), three sport-specific variables (athletic identity, goal orientation, and fear of failure), and three outcome variables (sportspersonship, academic honesty, and prosocial helping). Data was analyzed using both correlational and regression analyses. Results: Regression analyses demonstrated that contesting orientations were the best predictors of sportspersonship, but were insignificant predictors of nonsport forms of prosocial behavior. Conclusions: Consistent with contesting theory, contesting orientation are salient and potent predictors of sportspersonship, but do not predict behavior outside of contest situations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The channel width-to-length ratio is an important transistor parameter for integrated circuit design. Contact diffusion into the channel during fabrication or operation alters the channel width and this important parameter. A novel methodology combining atomic force microscopy and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) with self-consistent modeling is developed for the nondestructive detection of contact diffusion on active devices. Scans of the surface potential are modeled using physically based Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulations when the transistor terminals are grounded and under biased conditions. The simulations also incorporate the tip geometry to investigate its effect on the measurements due to electrostatic tip-sample interactions. The method is particularly useful for semiconductor- and metal-semiconductor interfaces where the potential contrast resulting from dopant diffusion is below that usually detectable with scanning probe microscopy.
The work of product designers has to evolve in phase with the improvements made to technology and changes in regulations. They have to work on different aspects of a product such as its technological, legal, environmental and occupational safety implications. European directive 2006/42/CE promulgates safe machine design principles to prevent professional risks. These principles guide machine designers to reduce residual risks as much as the technological state of the art permits. Special machine designers are by definition confronted by a lack of specific standards relating to a priori risk analysis. The aim of this paper is to present an original approach to help them to identify hazards upstream and also throughout the design process. This approach is based on the fact that hazards are linked to the presence of energies. Hazard identification can be done through the detection of parameters linked to energy sources and flows. The approach then feeds back information to designers about potential contacts between energies and workers, to highlight the need to add preventive measures. We use the Functional-Structural Model is used to represent the machine energy architecture through the different steps of its lifecycle. Thus it is possible to identify every interface through which energies circulate. These interfaces are defined by two kinds of parameter: energetic parameters (linked to energy properties), and other design parameters. This paper first presents a detailed classification of energetic parameters that are also indicators of the hazards present in the machine. We then present logical rules for processing these energetic parameters and others, in order to increase the accuracy of the hazard identification performed. To conclude, the results obtained from using this approach during the industrial design of a supply line is detailed to validate the pertinence of its application from the earliest design stages, with improved accuracy during the subsequent design stages. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A Citizen Science approach was implemented in the laboratory practices of Genetics at the University of Oviedo, related with the engaging topic of Food Control. Real samples of food products consumed by students at home (students as samplers) were employed as teaching material in three different courses of Genetics during the academic year 2014-2015: Experimental Methods in Food Production (MBTA) (Master level), and Applied Molecular Biology (BMA) and Conservation Genetics and Breeding (COMGE) (Bachelor/Degree level). Molecular genetics based on PCR amplification of DNA markers was employed for species identification of 22 seafood products in COMGE and MBTA, and for detection of genetically modified (GM) maize from nine products in BMA. In total six seafood products incorrectly labeled (27%), and two undeclared GM maize (22%) were found. A postLaboratory survey was applied for assessing the efficacy of the approach for improving motivation in the Laboratory Practices of Genetics. Results confirmed that students that worked on their own samples from local markets were significantly more motivated and better evaluated their Genetic laboratory practices than control students (chi(2) = 12.11 p=0.033). Our results suggest that citizen science approaches could not be only useful for improving teaching of Genetics in universities but also to incorporate students and citizens as active agents in food control. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Objective. - To explore the clinical and allergologic characteristics of pediatric asthma, in Lambarene (Gabon). Patients and methods. - A descriptive cohort study consisted of children with wheezing respiratory disease, included consecutively from January to July 2014. Clinical evaluation, skin tests, functional capacity measurements and environmental characterization have been achieved. Results. - Seventy-three patients aged from 2 to 18 years were included. The diagnosis of asthma was retained in 58 children. Rhinitis and eczema symptom were frequent (77.6 % and 32.7 %). Clinical scores showed 3.4 % of severe persistent asthma, 5.2 % of moderate asthma, 25.8 % of mild persistent asthma and 65.5 % of intermittent asthma. The presence of domestic animals (35 %) or smokers (26 %) were uncommon. Only 15.5 % of asthmatics have sporadically received a prolonged treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. The functional tests showed 4 severe obstructive syndromes, including 3 reversible, 24 moderate obstructive syndromes, including 7 reversible. Sixty-one percent of the tested patients have positive prick test to at least one allergen. A percentage of 51.7 of asthmatic patients were sensitized to dust mites, 26 % to cockroaches, 13.8 % to dog, 13,8 % to grasses, 13.8 % to peanuts, and 6 % to Alternaria. House dust samples have revealed small amounts of dermatophagoides. Conclusion. - Asthma is a medical condition affecting the pediatric population in semi-rural areas in Gabon, the number of severe asthma is however low. In two thirds of cases, sensitization to allergens from the home environment are observed. This should lead to better overall care, including optimization of allergen avoidance, drug therapy and development of therapeutic patient education. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Al Jabal Al Akhdar, an arid mountain region in northern Oman, has experienced rapid development over the last decades, resulting in the deterioration of water resources. This paper applies the driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework as an integrated environmental assessment tool to illustrate the cause-and-effect relationships for sustainable management of water resources in the area. The research aimed to examine social and ecological aspects of mountain water to explore optimal approaches for sustainable use and management. The water resources are affected by increasing drivers of population growth and socio-economic development, through agriculture, tourism, and urbanization, exerting pressures through overconsumption of water, coupled with the exogenous pressure of climate change. The decreased rainfall and increased water demand have resulted in the degradation of water quantity and quality. The declining state of the water resources and reduced area of cultivation have resulted in considerable losses in agricultural income. The Omani government has adopted some responses, including water development projects, acting to reduce pressures as well as to improve the state of water resources. The DPSIR analysis indicates that trade-offs should be made between economic development and the continued supply of water for the agro-ecological system; choices could be in the prioritization of drivers. A dependence on desalinated water will introduce a reliance on a non-renewable external energy supply and is unlikely to ensure water supply at the multi-century timescale of the social-ecological system. In addition, tourism is predominantly based around the disappearing agro-ecosystems which in turn are dependent on the supply of water. Therefore, efforts should be directed towards improving water-use efficiency through installing modern irrigation technology, water conservation methods, use of greywater and treated wastewater, and rainwater harvesting as well as integrated water resources management, and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
Soil heavy metal pollution is the driving force to various health problems as well as reprehensible soil quality. Landfill leachates are one of the focal sources of soil and underground water pollution. A total number of 120 soil samples were taken from three different soil horizons and tested for heavy metal content, and their physical and chemical properties were measured. Approximately, 1,500m(3) of leachates were released into the main local stream and pour to an area of 800ha used for agriculture practices and olive cultivation. The designated area is located in the municipality of Thermi, Prefecture of Thessaloniki, Greece. Total extractable concentrations of seven different heavy metals were detected using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AS, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Ni)and were elucidated to be slightly above the average of the universal allowable concentrations. Inverse distance weighting interpolator was implemented, and weighted linear combination was used to assess the overall pollution risk. Different multivariate analyses were implemented to point out the relationship between the experimented heavy metals. The risk of having soil heavy metal pollution at Tagarades is incontestable; nevertheless, the underground water of Tagarades in the meantime is not under jeopardy but the underground water pollution threat constantly exists.
Using machine-learning methodologies to analyze EEG signals becomes increasingly attractive for recognizing human emotions because of the objectivity of physiological data and the capability of the learning principles on modeling emotion classifiers from heterogeneous features. However, the conventional subject-specific classifiers may induce additional burdens to each subject for preparing multiple-session EEG data as training sets. To this end, we developed a new EEG feature selection approach, transfer recursive feature elimination (T-RFE), to determine a set of the most robust EEG indicators with stable geometrical distribution across a group of training subjects and a specific testing subject. A validating set is introduced to independently determine the optimal hyper-parameter and the feature ranking of the T-RFE model aiming at controlling the overfitting. The effectiveness of the T-RFE algorithmfor such cross-subject emotion classification paradigmhas been validated by DEAP database. With a linear least square support vector machine classifier implemented, the performance of the T-RFE is compared against several conventional feature selection schemes and the statistical significant improvement has been found. The classification rate and F-score achieve 0.7867, 0.7526, 0.7875, and 0.8077 for arousal and valence dimensions, respectively, and outperform several recent reported works on the same database. In the end, the T-RFE based classifier is compared against two subject-generic classifiers in the literature. The investigation of the computational time for all classifiers indicates the accuracy improvement of the T-RFE is at the cost of the longer training time.
Objectives:Delays in diagnosis occur with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We define and prospectively demonstrate that novel bedside tests measuring body perception disruption can identify patients with CRPS postfracture.Methods:The objectives of our study were to define and validate 4 bedside tests, to identify the prevalence of positive tests in patients with CRPS and other chronic pain conditions, and to assess the clinical utility (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value) for identifying CRPS within a Fracture cohort. This was a single UK teaching hospital prospective cohort study with 313 recruits from pain-free volunteers and patients with chronic pain conditions.Four novel tests were Finger Perception (FP), Hand Laterality identification (HL), Astereognosis (AS), and Body Scheme (BS) report. Five questionnaires (Brief Pain Inventory, Upper Extremity Functional Index, Lower Extremity Functional Index, Neglect-like Symptom Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score) assessed the multidimensional pain experience.Results:FP and BS were the best performing tests. Prospective monitoring of fracture patients showed that out of 7 fracture patients (total n=47) who had both finger misperception and abnormal BS report at initial testing, 3 developed persistent pain with 1 having a formal diagnosis of CRPS.Discussion:Novel signs are reliable, easy to perform, and present in chronic pain patients. FP and BS have significant clinical utility in predicting persistent pain in a fracture group thereby allowing targeted early intervention.
Objective: Superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1, OMIM: 147450) is one of the major antioxidant enzymes, which plays a vital role in clearance of reactive oxygen species. A genetic polymorphism of 50 bp insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) in the promoter region of the SOD1 was reported. The aims of the present study are to evaluate the influence of this polymorphism on the SOD1 mRNA levels in human peripheral blood cells and its association with risk of heroin dependency. Methods: The present study consisted of 47 healthy students of Shiraz University (south-west Iran) for investigating the association between the Ins/Del polymorphism on expression level of SOD1, also a total of 442 heroin dependent and 799 healthy controls were included in a case-control study investigating the association between the study polymorphism and risk of dependency to heroin. The quantitative SOD1 mRNA expression levels were investigated using quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between the study genotypes (t = 5.17; df = 45; P < 0.001). The Del allele of the study polymorphism decreased approximately 33% of the SOD1 mRNA levels of the gene in the heterozygote individuals. Statistical analysis indicating that in both genders, neither the Ins/Del nor the Del/Del genotypes was associated with the risk of heroin addiction. Conclusions: The present study indicating that although the Ins/Del polymorphism of SOD1 is associated with the SOD1 expression levels, this polymorphism is not associated with the risk of dependency to heroin.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been shown to be a valid and reliable diagnosis in adolescents and associated with a decrease in both general and social functioning. With evidence linking BPD in adolescents to poor prognosis, it is important to develop a better understanding of factors and mechanisms contributing to the development of BPD. This could potentially enhance our knowledge and facilitate the design of novel treatment programs and interventions for this group. In this paper, we outline a theoretical model of BPD in adolescents linking the original mentalization-based theory of BPD, with recent extensions of the theory that focuses on hypermentalizing and epistemic trust. We then provide clinical case vignettes to illustrate this extended theoretical model of BPD. Furthermore, we suggest a treatment approach to BPD in adolescents that focuses on the reduction of hypermentalizing and epistemic mistrust. We conclude with an integration of theory and practice in the final section of the paper and make recommendations for future work in this area.
Objective: The objective of this study was to report the EEG features of text messaging using smartphones. Methods: One hundred twenty-nine patients were prospectively evaluated during video-EEG monitoring (VEM) over 16 months. A reproducible texting rhythm (TR) present during active text messaging with a smartphone was compared with passive and forced audio telephone use, thumb/finger movements, cognitive testing/calculation, scanning eye movements, and speech/language tasks in patients with and without epilepsy. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Twenty-seven patients with a TR were identified from a cohort of 129 (93 female, mean age: 36; range: 18-71) unselected VEM patients. Fifty-three out of 129 patients had epileptic seizures (ES), 74/129 had nonepileptic seizures (NES), and 2/129 were dual-diagnosed. A reproducible TR was present in 27/129 (20.9%) specific to text messaging (p < 0.0001) and present in 28% of patients with ES and 16% of patients with NES (p = NS). The TR was absent during independent tasks and audio cellular telephone use (p < 0.0001). Age, gender, epilepsy type, MRI results, and EEG lateralization in patients with focal seizureswere unrelated (p=NS). Conclusions: Our results suggest that the TR on scalp EEG represents a novel technology-specific neurophysiological alteration of brain networks. We propose that cortical processing in the contemporary brain is uniquely activated by the use of PEDs. Significance: These findings have practical implications that could impact industry and research in nonverbal communication. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Children's early emerging intuitive theories are specialized for different conceptual domains. Recently attention has turned to children's concepts of social groups, finding that children believe that many social groups mark uniquely social information such as allegiances and obligations. But another critical component of intuitive theories, the causal beliefs that underlie category membership, has received less attention. We propose that children believe membership in these groups is constituted by mutual intentions: i.e., all group members (including the individual) intend for an individual to be a member and all group members (including the individual) have common knowledge of these intentions. Children in a broad age range (4-9) applied a mutual-intentional framework to newly encountered social groups early in development (Experiment 1, 2, 4). Further, they deploy this mutual-intentional framework selectively, withholding it from essentialized social categories such as gender (Experiment 3). Mutual intentionality appears to be a vital aspect of children's naive sociology. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of sustainable energy production. As more wind turbines are coming into operation, the best locations are already becoming occupied by turbines, and wind-farm developers have to look for new and still available areas-locations that may not be ideal such as complex terrain landscapes. In these locations, turbulence and wind shear are higher, and in general wind conditions are harder to predict. Also, the modelling of the wakes behind the turbines is more complicated, which makes energy-yield estimates more uncertain than under ideal conditions. This theme issue includes 10 research papers devoted to various fluid-mechanics aspects of using wind energy in complex terrains and illustrates recent progress and future developments in this important field. This article is part of the themed issue 'Wind energy in complex terrains'.
A fuzzy improved water pollution index was proposed based on fuzzy inference systemand water pollution index. This method can not only give a comprehensive water quality rank, but also describe the water quality situation with a quantitative value, which is convenient for the water quality comparison between the same ranks. This proposed method is used to assess water quality of Qu River in Sichuan, China. Data used in the assessment were collected from four monitoring stations from 2006 to 2010. The assessment results show that Qu River water quality presents a downward trend and the overall water quality in 2010 is the worst. The spatial variation indicates that water quality of Nanbashequ section is the pessimal. For the sake of comparison, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and grey relational method were also employed to assess water quality of Qu River. The comparisons of these three approaches' assessment results show that the proposed method is reliable. (C) 2016 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Depending on the two-dimensional structure of woven geotextiles, analytical solutions have been proposed to predict the pore size characteristics of woven slit-film geotextiles under certain uniaxial tensile strains. The strained per cent open area (POA) and equivalent pore size have been expressed as functions of tensile strain. The physical properties of woven geotextiles, such as the mass per unit area of a geotextile and the density and size of slit films, have been used in predicting the strained pore size characteristics of woven slit-film geotextiles. The influence of uniaxial tensile strain on pore size characteristics of two woven slit-film polypropylene geotextiles was evaluated by image analysis. Several pore size parameters corresponding to different strains were measured, including POA, pore size distribution (PSD), and O-95. A comparison has been made between the analytical and experimental results, and the experimental data of previous studies have been used to confirm the validity of the analytical solution. In addition, the image analysis results show that the POA and O-95 increase with the uniaxial tensile strain. The PSDs move towards the direction of the large open sizes with increasing levels of stain. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background/aim: An in-depth understanding of the early phase of type 1 diabetes (TID) pathogenesis is important for targeting primary prevention. We examined if 14 preselected mediators of immune responses differed in neonates that later developed TID compared to control neonates. Methods: The study is a case-control study with a 1:2 matching. The individuals were born between 1981 through 2002. Cases were validated using the National Patient Register and the Danish Childhood Diabetes Register. Interleukin(1)-1 beta, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta I (active form), leptin, adiponectin, c-reactive protein, mannose-binding lectin and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 were measured by using a flowmetric Luminex xMAP (R) technology. We tested two models both including a number of possible confounders. In the first model (model 1) we also adjusted for HLA-DQ beta 1) genotype. A total of 1930 groups of assay-matched cases and controls (4746 individuals) were included in the statistical analyses. Results: Adiponectin was negatively associated with later risk of TID in both models (relative change (RC), model 1: 0.95, P = 0.046 and model 2: 0.95, P = 0.006). IL-10 and IL-12 were both positively associated with T1D risk in the model 2 (RC, 1.19, P = 0.006 and 1.07, P = 0.02, respectively) these results were borderline significant in model 1, but showed the same direction as the results from model 2. Conclusions: Our results indicate that specific immunological signatures are already present at time of birth in children developing T1D before the age of 18 years. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The study examined the social skills of 92 Russian children (males = 64) adopted by Italian families. The children, aged between 8 and 14 years, were compared with a control group of children who grew up with the biological family. Evaluation by both parents and children of the children's social competence were investigated. The results showed that, according to the parents' reports, the adopted children had more problems in social functioning than peers in the control group, along with a greater propensity to use maladaptive behaviors such as Oppositive Behavior, Rule-Breaking Behavior, Aggressive Behavior and Externalization. By contrast, according to the children's assessments, the adopted children were less aggressive and used prosocial behaviors to a greater extent than children raised in the biological family. The views of the parents and the children about the children's aggressive behavior were mutually conflicting. Finally, the influence of adoption related variables on the social competence of children was examined. Contrary to our expectations, there were no significant relationships between social competence and age of adoption, the duration of institutionalization and the time spent in the adoptive family. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study evaluated whether common self-report measures of television and game violence exposure represent reliable and valid measurement tools. Three self-report measuresdirect estimates, user-rated favorites, and agency-rated favoriteswere assessed in terms of test-retest reliability, criterion validity (their relationship with coded media diaries), and construct validity (their relationship with aggression and gender). A total of 238 adolescents participated in a two-wave survey and completed two media diaries. For game violence, the three self-report measures were reliable and valid. For television violence, only direct estimates achieved test-retest reliability and construct validity. Criterion validity could not be established for the television violence measures because the media diary was not a valid criterion for television violence. Our findings indicate that both direct estimates and favorites are valid measures for game violence, whereas for television violence, only direct estimates are valid. We conclude with a discussion about ways to further improve upon and reconceptualize media violence exposure measurement.
Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the most important components of the hydrological cycle, but it is often the most difficult variable to determine at basin scale. Traditionally, ET is estimated using pointbased measurements collected at meteorological stations, but the non-spatial nature of these measurements often leads to significant errors when utilized at watershed scale. In this study, the METRIC (mapping evapotranspiration at high resolution with internalized calibration) approach was evaluated using remotely sensed observations from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer sensor and data from meteorological stations in the lower catchment of the Buyuk Menderes Basin in western Turkey in the form of actual ET maps at daily and monthly intervals between 1st April and 30th September 2010. The energy fluxes and daily ET maps resulting from METRIC were compared with ET data estimated with the help of meteorological parameters. These results were found to be compatible with the ground-based estimations which suggest considerable potential for the METRIC model for estimating spatially distributed actual ET values with little ground-based weather data.
Objectives: To assess gender related differences in a cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).Methods: Consecutively recruited patients were included and underwent clinical, radiological and laboratory evaluation by using standardized protocol and case report forms.Results: Women (n=115) with PsA had higher symptom duration and body mass index (BMI), tender and swollen joint counts, disease activity score-28 joints (DAS28), Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and poorer physical activity and fatigue than men (n=72) with PsA. Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) were higher in male patients. However quality of life (SF36 physical and mental component scores), articular pattern, extra-articular features (including uveitis, iritis) and family history for psoriasis, spondyloarthritis (SpA) (PsA and ankylosing spondylitis [AS]) were quite similar between men and women.Conclusions: Some of the clinical and laboratory variables tend to be different between men and women with PsA. The extent of quality of life and articular pattern seem to be similar in both genders. Men with PsA are more likely to have higher PASI scores and longer duration to develop arthritis after the onset of psoriasis, while women are more likely to have higher disease activity and report more fatigue and physical activity limitations.
Background: Many placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated that allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is an effective therapy for treating allergies. Both commonly used routes, subcutaneous (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), require high patient adherence to be successful. In the literature, numbers describing adherence vary widely; this investigation compares these two routes of therapy directly. Methods: All data were retrieved from the patient data management system of a center for dermatology, specific allergology, and environmental medicine in Germany. All 330 patients (aged 13-89 years) included in this study had commenced AIT between 2003 and 2011, thus allowing a full 3-year AIT cycle to be considered for each investigated patient. Results: In this specific center, SCIT was prescribed to 62.7% and SLIT to 37.3% of all included patients. The total dropout rate of the whole patient cohort was 34.8%. Overall, SLIT patients showed a higher dropout rate (39.0%) than did SCIT patients (32.4%); however, the difference between these groups was not significant. Also, no significant difference between the overall dropout rates for men and for women was observed. A Kaplan-Meier curve of the patient collective showed a remarkably high dropout rate for the first year of therapy. Conclusion: The analysis presented in this single-center study shows that most patients who discontinue AIT do so during the first year of therapy. Patients seem likely to finish the 3-year therapy cycle if they manage to adhere to treatment throughout the first year. Strategies for preventing nonadherence in AIT, therefore, need to be developed and standardized in future investigations.
Cooperation plays an important role in distributed reasoning systems in Ambient Environment. In such systems, ambient entities with diverse perception and capabilities have to cooperate during the reasoning process by sharing parts of their local knowledge to achieve a set of common goals. Nevertheless, previous work in distributed reasoning assumed that ambient entities keep their local knowledge private and reason in a top-down manner to reach these goals. Such approaches do not fit with the features of Ambient Environment. This paper presents a more tailored distributed peer-to-peer approach for modeling and reasoning with context information using cooperation in Ambient Environment. Ambient entities cooperate by sharing parts of their local context information and reason in a bottom-up manner. We propose an operational model and present a prototype implementation for the proposed approach.
The treatment efficiency of constructed wetlands (CWs) is highly dependent on the stability of the hydraulic flow patterns. To date, general technologies used to study hydraulic flow patterns of CWs mainly include tracer method, model simulation and velocity measurement, which are either expensive, empirical, or having secondary pollution. In this study, a new technology, which was based on the isotopic composition variation in CWs, was applied to detect the hydraulic flow patterns of two different CWs. Results showed that the hydraulic flow patterns of the two studied wetlands could be detected effectively by using hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. Furthermore, the locations of stagnant areas (SAS) and preferential flow areas (PFAs) were also determined. Significant regional difference in isotopic composition existed inside each CW, and two wetland design suggestions are proposed after hydraulic analysis. One is that the influent of CWs is supposed to be distributed uniformly, and another piece of advice is that the vegetation in the direction perpendicular to water flow should be maintained at the same types and density. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Building upon previously published life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, we conducted an LCA of a commercial rainwater harvesting (RWH) system and compared it to a municipal water supply (MWS) system adapted to Washington, D.C. Eleven life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) indicators were assessed, with a functional unit of 1 m(3) of rainwater and municipal water delivery system for toilets and urinals in a four-story commercial building with 1000 employees. Our assessment shows that the benchmark commercial RWH system outperforms the MWS system in all categories except Ozone Depletion. Sensitivity and performance analyses revealed pump and pumping energy to be key components for most categories, which further guides LCIA tradeoff analysis with respect to energy intensities. Tradeoff analysis revealed that commercial RWH performed better than MWS in Ozone Depletion if RWH's energy intensity was less than that of MWS by at least 0.86 kWh/m(3) (249% of the benchmark MWS energy usage at 0.35 kWh/m(3)). RWH also outperformed MWS in Metal Depletion and Freshwater Withdrawal, regardless of energy intensities, up to 5.51 kWh/m(3). An auxiliary commercial RWH system with 50% MWS reduced Ozone Depletion by 19% but showed an increase in all other impacts, which were still lower than benchmark MWS system impacts. Current models are transferrable to commercial RWH installations at other locations. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Environmental conservation and management policy first emphasized on water pollution control in Japan. However, this kind of passive conservation policy is gradually being shifted to an active approach such as Satoumi, which includes the restoration of biodiversity, biological productivity, habitat and a well-balanced nutrient cycle between land and sea. Many Satoumi creation activities were also characterized by activities which promote interactions between land and sea. In this paper, a case study of Ago Bay in Shima City, Mie Prefecture, Japan, is introduced in which land-sea interaction at two sites was improved by promoting water exchange across dikes constructed for land development and land reclamation. Tidal flat restoration experiments conducted in Ago Bay clearly showed that the promotion of tidal exchange between the sea and wetland area on the inner side of dikes improved both deteriorated sediment quality and macro-benthos conditions. Along with the results of this case study, future tidal flat restoration in Japan is also discussed. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Comprehensive results from cyclic plate loading at a diameter of 300 mm supported by layers of geocell are presented. The plate load tests were performed in a test pit measuring 2000 x 2000 mm in plane and 700 mm in depth. To simulate half and full traffic loadings, fifteen loading and unloading cycles were applied to the loading plate with amplitudes of 400 and 800 kPa. The optimum embedded depth of the first layer of geocell beneath the loading plate and the optimum vertical spacing of geocell layers, based on plate settlement, are both approximately 0.2 times loading plate diameter. The results show that installation of the geocell layers in the foundation bed, increase the resilient behavior in addition to reduction of accumulated plastic and total settlement of pavement system. Efficiency of geocell reinforcement was decreased by increasing the number of the geocell layers for all applied stress levels and number of cycles of applied loading. The results of the testing reveal the ability of the multiple layers of geocell reinforcement to `shakedown' to a fully resilient behavior after a period of plastic settlement except when there is little or no reinforcement and the applied cyclic pressure are large. When shakedown response is observed, then both the accumulated plastic settlement prior to a steady-state response being obtained and the resilient settlements thereafter are reduced. The use of four layers of geocell respectively decreases the total and residual plastic settlements about 53% and 63% and increases the resilient settlement 145% compared with the unreinforced case. The inclusion of the geocell layers also reduces the vertical stress transferred down through the pavement by distributing the load over a wider area. For example, at the end of the load cycle of the applied pressure of 800 kPa, the transferred pressure at the depth of 510 mm is reduced about 21.4%, 43.9%, 56.1% for the reinforced bases with one, two, and three layers of geocell, respectively, compared to the stress in the unreinforced bed.
This article describes the methods of calculation for the slopes fortified with geotextile in the framework of plastic systems marginal analysis. Continuous anisotropic medium of shift resistance is taken for experiments. Theoretical values of bearing capability are compared to the experimental values obtained in tray modeling experiments. Bearing capability calculating algorithm of artificial reinforced embankment is presented with a computer software and an example. During tray experiments the similarity conditions were maintained. Geosynthetics modeling material characteristics were defined through experiments; medium-grained sand was used as a base in its air-dry state. Experimental values of load limit correspond to estimated load values gained for the sample. The results of this work can be used in engineering practice to calculate artificial earthwork structures reinforced with geosynthetics by the first limiting state (Ultimate Limit States). (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Remote sensing-based retrieval of the concentrations of water components relies largely on the accuracy of the atmospheric correction. Although a variety of atmospheric correction algorithms have been developed for turbid waters, the water-leaving reflectance is still underestimated in extremely turbid waters, such as in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary and the adjacent coast. To address this issue, this paper proposes an improved algorithm that is based on a spectral optimization algorithm (ESOA) with a coupled water-atmosphere model. The model combines an aerosol model that is constructed from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observation data and a simple semi-empirical radiative transfer (SERT) model (Shen et al. 2010) for water component retrieval. Four unknown parameters are involved in the coupled model: the relative humidity (RH), fine-mode fraction (FMF), aerosol optical thickness in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength tau(a)(lambda(0)) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration (C-spm). These parameters are estimated by a global optimization approach that is based on a genetic algorithm (GA) without any initial inputs. Validation results of the atmospherically corrected remote sensing reflectance R-rs(lambda) from matchups between Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) data and in situ data show that the algorithm has satisfactory accuracy. The root mean square error (RMSE) and the absolute percentage difference (APD) are 0.0089 and 35.12, respectively. By contrast, the R-rs(lambda) values retrieved from the same matchups using the GOCI data processing system (GDPS) have higher RMSE and APD of 0.0104 and 69.15, respectively. The ESOA method can be implemented conveniently within the open source code of SeaDAS (v7.1) as an alternative and operational tool for atmospheric correction of ocean color data, including GOCI, MERIS and MODIS, over highly turbid estuarine and coastal regions, such as the Yangtze estuary, the Hangzhou Bay and most of the coastal ocean in Eastern China. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The U. S. construction industry is a diverse, fast paced and enormous division of the economy. It both directly and indirectly causes a considerable amount of the annual environmental damage. Timber is a material that is in high demand and plays a major role in the U. S. construction industry. In fact, the U. S. leads the world in soft wood consumption and production. Timber currently takes 10-50 years for both soft and hard woods to reach a harvesting age. As a result of this time frame, humans are consuming timber faster than it is being renewed. Due to the rapid expansion of cities and suburban growth, agricultural and forestry land is becoming too valuable to remain off limits to growth pressures. One solution for this problem is an alternative construction material that is more sustainable and can be grown rapidly and manufactured locally. Bamboo has many positive construction properties, such as high flexibility, low weight, high strength and a low purchasing cost. In addition bamboo also has many positive sustainable properties, including fast growth rate, rotated annual harvest, the ability to generate more oxygen than trees, water control barrier qualities, the ability to grow on marginal agricultural land and has the capability to restore eroded lands. With these qualities bamboo has the potential to assimilate and has a large impact on the timber and construction industry. However, a complete system of growing, processing, and using bamboo as a building material does not exist in the U. S. This paper reports results of a study that focuses on the possibility of bamboo to be used in the United States construction industry as a sustainable and cost effective material, primarily on flooring. This paper also compares the production, manufacturing and transportation costs/benefits of bamboo as a flooring material produced in the black belt region of the Southeastern United States vs. produced and imported from Asia.
Energy use efficiency and energy consumption rates by center-pivot irrigation systems have been of utmost importance to the scientific community. Numerous studies have addressed different approaches to achieve the greatest energy use efficiency, but each encountered problems due to lack of detailed field information. This study introduces an approach to reduce energy consumption for center-pivot irrigation by varying the pump power supply speed using variable-frequency drive (VFD) technology. By varying the frequency of the power supply, the minimum required pivot point pressure can be provided at any required flow rate and position in a field. The model was developed using high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) datasets and geographic information system (GIS) to simulate the minimum pressure required by 100 standard equipped and randomly selected pivots located in ten Nebraska counties. The variable topography within an individual field played an important role in determining the required pressure and thus energy consumption. The resulting energy reduction using a variable-speed motor approach was calculated for each center-pivot irrigated field. On average, the pivots in Cedar County showed the largest potential for energy reduction (9.6%) and also contained the largest elevation difference (13.6 m) between the pivot point and the highest point traversed by a pivot tower. In contrast, the pivots in Hamilton County showed low potential for energy reduction and contained the smallest average elevation difference (3.5 m). To determine the potential economic benefit from the variable-speed motor approach, annual monetary savings were calculated for each installation and county. The pivots in Custer County would gain the greatest annual returns ($457 average) due to relatively long hours of operation, whereas the pivots in Hamilton County would achieve negligible savings due to gentle topography and few hours of operation. The county-average payback period for the capital cost of a VFD was found to exceed the economic life of the VFD in all ten counties.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) in the liver plays an important role in primary and metastatic liver tumor formation and tumor growth promotion. Cellular and non-cellular components of the TME significantly influence tumor development, growth, metastatic spread, anti-tumor immunity and response to tumor therapy. The cellular components of the TME in the liver not only consist of infiltrating immune cells, but also of liver-resident cells such as liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) and hepatic stellate cells (HSC), which promote tumor growth by negatively regulating tumor-associated immune responses. In this review, we characterize cells of the TME with pro-and anti-tumor function in primary and metastatic liver tumors. Furthermore, we summarize mechanisms that permit growth of hepatic tumors despite the occurrence of spontaneous anti-tumor immune responses and how novel therapeutic approaches targeting the TME could unleash tumor-specific immune responses to improve survival of liver cancer patients. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Acting as a focus of network security field, Intrusion Detection Technology (IDT) plays a very important role in different conditions. Feature selection methods for intrusion detection directly affect the efficiency of Intrusion Detect System. In this paper, feature selection algorithm based on Relief and Relief Sequential Backward Search (Relief-SBS) is proposed under considering statistical correlation of Relief and Relief-SBS. The improved algorithm eliminates a feature after each round of iteration, and adopts the result of Relief algorithm as the assessment criteria for feature. Simulation results show that the proposed feature selection algorithm improves the efficiency of intrusion detection; moreover, it provides correlation technique support for IDT.
Aim and objectives: The research was focused on the analysis of orofacial motor skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used a special speech and language therapy software programme to evaluate the quality of orofacial movements in children with ASD. The research strategy was based on the relations between motor dyspraxia problems and disturbed nonverbal communication patterns generally, which could be influenced even more in children with ASD. The main focus of the research emerged from our wider focus to the assessment of pragmatic language level, which represents one of the most deficit area in persons with ASD. We believe that the ability of production of facial expression gestures represents one of the most important part of pragmatic, nonverbal communication activities. Methodology: We assessed the orofacial motor abilities of children with ASD in the initial and final phase of the examination. We used a selected part of the software programme FONO 2, a multimedia programme for therapy of clients with impaired communication ability. For the evaluation of the progress, stagnation or regress of the child, we used the observational numerical scale evaluation. Subsequently we compared the difference between the phases after longitudinal observation. Conclusions: The results proved the possibility of achieving at least some partial positive results based on application systematic speech and language therapeutic approach based on using speech
Addressing the global challenges to water security requires a better understanding of humanity's use of water, especially the agricultural sector that accounts for 70% of global withdrawals. This study combined high resolution-data with a GIS system to analyze the impact of agricultural practices, crop type, and spatial factors such as drainage basins, climate, and soil type on the Water Footprint (WF) of agricultural crops. The area of the study, the northern Lower Jordan Valley, covers 1121 ha in which three main plantation crops are grown: banana (cultivated in open-fields or net-houses), avocado and palm-dates. High-resolution data sources included GIS layers of the cultivated crops and a drainage pipe-system installed in the study area; meteorological data (2000-2013); and crop parameters (yield and irrigation recommendations). First, the study compared the WF of the different crops on the basis of yield and energy produced as well as a comparison to global values and local irrigation recommendations. The results showed that net-house banana has the lowest WF based on all different criteria. However, while palm dates showed the highest WF for the yield criteria, it had the second lowest WF for energy produced, emphasizing the importance of using multiple parameters for low and high yield crop comparisons. Next, the regional WF of each drainage basin in the study area was calculated, demonstrating the strong influence of the Gray WF, an indication of the amount of freshwater required for pollution assimilation. Finally, the benefits of integrating GIS and WF were demonstrated by computing the effect of adopting net house cultivation throughout the area of study with a result a reduction of 1.3 MOM irrigation water per year. Integrating the WF methodology and local high-resolution data using GIS can therefore promote and help quantify the benefits of adopting site appropriate crops and agricultural practices that lower the WF by increasing yield, reducing water consumption, and minimizing negative environmental impacts.
This research aims to investigate whether individuals use categories of objects to classify cues inside a bedroom and to find relations between those clusters and occupants' personality traits. Three studies were conducted. A list of the most significant belongings inside residents' bedrooms was obtained from the pilot study. The second study (N = 81) indicated the existence of two categories of objects: Functional and Symbolic. The third study (N = 277) showed that the dimensions of Competence and Warmth, proposed by the Stereotype Content Model, were associated to the functional and symbolic categories of the objects respectively. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Nonverbal communication is an integral element of classroom teachers' pedagogy. Whether accompanying, extending, or replacing the verbal, nonverbal communication holds the potential to dramatically influence the classroom environment. This essay explores how classroom instructors' nonverbal communication behaviors associated with immediacy may be understood as important factors for engendering a positive, supportive learning environment.
Culture of origin decisively influences not only the speakers' cognitive world, but also the communicative patterns that come into play in face-to-face interactions. One of these patterns is the tendency to solve situations through direct or indirect interactions, which also depends on the degree of familiarity between the interlocutors. The goal of the activities suggested here is to avoid any misunderstandings that may arise in these circumstances and to encourage communicative success. This is why they have been designed to develop all four elements that take part in this interaction: intercultural strategies that the student possesses, variability of the communicative pattern depending on the cultures of origin, formal linguistic resources and nonverbal communication.
Recent neuroimaging work has identified a network of regions that work in concert to update impressions of other people, particularly in response to inconsistent behavior. However, the specific functional contributions of these regions to the updating process remain unclear. Using fMRI, we tested whether increases in activity triggered by inconsistent behavior reflect changes in the stored representations of other people in response to behavioral inconsistency, or merely a response to the inconsistency itself. Participants encountered a series of individuals whose behavior either changed in an attributionally meaningful fashion or was merely inconsistent with the immediately preceding behavior. We observed that left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were preferentially recruited in response to unexpected, immoral behavior, whereas a separate set of regions (including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and temporoparietal junction/inferior parietal lobule) was preferentially recruited in response to more mundane inconsistencies in behavior. These results shed light on the distributed systems supporting impression updating. Specifically, while many regions supporting updating may primarily respond to moment-to-moment changes in behavior, a subset of regions (e.g. vlPFC and IFG) may contribute to updating person representations in response to trait-relevant changes in behavior.
The aim of this research was to examine the pathway to intergroup forgiveness in postconflict contexts from the framework of improved intergroup relations and with an emphasis on identifying context-specific variables. Two studies investigated the relationship between intergroup contact and ingroup contact norms, and postconflict forgiveness. In the context of Anglo-German post-WWII relations, Study 1 provided evidence that intergroup anxiety and common ingroup identity were significantly predicted by positive intergroup contact and ingroup norms, which then predicted forgiveness of the German outgroup for wartime actions. Accordingly, focusing on Greek and Turkish Cypriot relations in Cyprus the results of Study 2 showed that positive contact with Greek Cypriots and ingroup contact norms were related to decreased intergroup anxiety and dehumanization, which in turn were associated with increased forgiveness. The results are discussed in the context of intergroup relations and postconflict resolution.
This paper presents a mathematical model for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) taking into account the basic electrochemical equations but including the boost power converter. This approaching is suitable for design and simulation of power electronics systems with embedded FCs as power supplies. The simplified model uses the Kirchoff's Voltage Law (KVL) applied to the conventional electric equivalent model of PEMFCs. This work is fully implemented in PSim (TM) as a general mathematical model and referred to literature data including the Boost converter, mostly used as the power interface for FCs. In this way, the model is fully evaluated by viewing the interface just as a power converter.
We present a case of pleural tuberculosis (TB) in a patient on infliximab for ankylosing spondylitis. A 36-year-old male presented to our hospital with low back ache of inflammatory type along with multiple symmetric inflammatory type ofjoint pain. Further clinical examination, laboratory and radiological investigations were suggestive of ankylosing spondylitis. He was initially treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs but citing poor response it was decided to initiate biologic therapy using infliximab (antitumor necrosis factor-alpha). Mantoux test and chest radiograph were done before the therapy to rule out TB. Following three doses of infliximab, patient came with complaints of fever and cough for 1 week. On investigation, it was found to be a case of pulmonary TB. This shows the importance of close monitoring of patient for TB among patients on infliximab even though the screening test has come out to be negative.
Advances in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology have facilitated the detection of Motor Imagery (MI) from electroencephalography (EEG). First, we present three strategies of using BCI to detect MI from EEG: operant conditioning that employed a fixed model, machine learning that employed a subject-specific model computed from calibration, and adaptive strategy that continuously compute the subject-specific model. Second, we review prevailing works that employed the operant conditioning and machine learning strategies. Third, we present our past work on six stroke patients who underwent a BCI rehabilitation clinical trial with averaged accuracies of 79.8% during calibration and 69.5% across 18 online feedback sessions. Finally, we perform an offline study in this paper on our work employing the adaptive strategy. The results yielded significant improvements of 12% (p < 0.001) and 9% (p < 0.001) using all the data and using limited preceding data respectively in the feedback accuracies. The results showed an increase in the amount of training data yielded improvements. Nevertheless, results of using limited preceding data showed a larger part of the improvement was due to the adaptive strategy and changing subject-specific models did not deteriorate the accuracies. Hence the adaptive strategy is effective in addressing the non-stationarity between calibration and feedback sessions.
S100A1 is a member of the S100 family of Ca2+-binding proteins and regulates several cellular processes, including those involved in Ca2+ signaling and cardiac and skeletal muscle function. In Alzheimer's disease, brain S100A1 is overexpressed and gives rise to disease pathologies, making it a potential therapeutic target. The 2.25 angstrom resolution crystal structure of Ca2+-S100A1 is solved here and is compared with the structures of other S100 proteins, most notably S100B, which is a highly homologous S100-family member that is implicated in the progression of malignant melanoma. The observed structural differences in S100A1 versus S100B provide insights regarding target proteinbinding specificity and for targeting these two S100 proteins in human diseases using structure-based drug-design approaches.
It goes without saying that the use of FIDO based services, especially financial areas is becoming more and more widespread these days. FIDO services are adapting a variety of service areas such as easy payment, money transfer, ATM withdrawal/savings, and single sign-on, etc. Because FIDO service uses standard public key cryptography techniques to provide stronger authentication and securely saves a users bio-information in the smartphone. But when registered, FIDO only confirms the match between preenrolled fingerprints and the one on the registration process. In other words, FIDO is not able to verify the persons identity. The user has to register his/her biometric information in each sites. It is our purpose to solve these problems by implementing FIDO and PKI technologies adapted in current FIDO service and accredited certification system. The proposed secure biometric authentication framework provides the centralized biometric authentication framework in Fintech environment that a variety of services need the interoperability of users biometric information in order to protect users privacy and increase convenience of customers.
The structure of the universal micromodule, which is the base for a variety of electrical circuits of the integrating scanning frequency converter (ISFC), is offered. The universal micromodule performed of frameless operational amplifiers and other individually attached components can create a number of secondary resistive sensors with an output frequency signal. This is provided by a certain set of elements arranged in the housing of the universal micromodule, and the communication between the elements of its structure. A generalized block diagram of the ISFC is presented, and its component units are described. The structure of the developed universal ISFC module is shown. The schemes of inclusion, conversion functions, and output characteristics of the converter, which can be realized on the basis of the universal ISFC micromodule, are given. The results of the ISFC computer schematic modeling are presented. The work of the device is explained by the formulas and graphs of dependences of the output signal frequency of the measured parameters, and illustrated by the timing diagrams. The recommendations for the creating of the secondary converter sensors of physical quantities (temperature, pressure, force, acceleration, humidity, etc.) with the use of the ISFC universal micromodule are given.
Background: SERPINA1 gene has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while smoking is a known risk factor for COPD. Little is known on the effect of SERPINA1 gene and its interaction with smoking in the Chinese population. In this study, the effect of SERPINA1 gene polymorphisms on COPD risk and its interaction with smoking status has been investigated. Method: A total of 120 COPD patients and 481 healthy controls were recruited at The Armed Police Corps Hospital. Data on demographic variables, smoking status, history of occupational dust exposure, and allergies were collected. Genotyping for single nucleotide polymorphism's (SNP) rs1243160, rs2854254, and rs8004738 was performed in all participants. Results: SNP rs8004738 genotype was associated with a significantly higher risk for COPD (odds ratio (OR) = 1.835, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002-3.360), whereas SNPs rs1243160 and rs2854254 did not exhibit such an association. Smoking habit also significantly increased the risk for COPD (OR = 2.306, 95% CI: 1.537-3.459). On stepwise logistic regression analysis, advanced age, smoking, and SNP rs8004738 variant were associated with increased risk for COPD, while female gender and higher educational status decreased the risk. On additive interaction analysis, a significant interactive effect of SNP rs8004738 and smoking was observed in this population (relative excess risk due to interaction =0.478; attributable proportion due tointeraction (AP) =0.123; S=1.197). Conclusion: SNP rs8004738 of SERPINA1 gene significantly interacted with smoking status and was associated with a higher risk for COPD in the Chinese population.
Although the consensus view is that Agreeableness originates from childhood difficultness and regulatory deficits, few studies have investigated such assumptions longitudinally. In this study, we examined this issue by assessing enduring and mediating effects of self-regulation as well as the impact of parenting behaviors on the development of Agreeableness from preschool to late adolescence. Longitudinal data from 965 Norwegian families following children from 1.5 years to 16.5 years were used. Path analyses revealed childhood difficultness at age 4 to be related to Agreeableness at age 16.5; this effect was mediated through emotion regulation in late childhood. However, such mediation effects were primarily found when parents used punitive practices towards their children. Our findings point to personality coherence throughout development. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Increased expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and MET proto-oncogene (c-MET) is associated with poor prognosis in various cancer types. Recently, it was reported that the expression of HGF induces resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting epidermal growth factor receptor, human epidermal receptor receptor 2, and b-raf proto-oncogene. Here, we investigated the effects of HGF overexpression in gastric cancer cells in the absence or presence of c-MET TKIs. Materials and Methods: The effects of c-MET TKIs in gastric cancer cells with and without c-MET overexpression were determined in gastric cancer cell lines with various cell biology methods. Results: Compared to the control, cells with induced expression of HGF showed increase in anchorage-independent colony formation (p< 0.001). The c-MET TKIs inhibited HGF/c-MET downstream signaling, cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and triggered cell-cycle arrest in Hs746T cells. However, HGFtransfected cells were less affected. Conclusion: c-MET TKIs had inhibitory effects only on cells overexpressing c-MET. Furthermore, overexpression of HGF resulted in resistance to cMET TKIs through an autocrine manner in gastric cancer cells.
This paper presents a new driving method for a sulfur plasma lamp in low-power applications. The newly developed magnetron power supply (MPS) is a series-resonance type with a full-bridge topology controlled by the phase shift to track the beam current of the magnetron. To drive the sulfur plasma lamp optimally, the MPS should: 1) provide peak power above a discharge condition to excite the sulfur plasma lamp, and 2) allow average power control of the light dimmer while satisfying condition 1. The newly developed driving method uses the burst mode, which enables both peak and average power controls to satisfy these conditions. Furthermore, a magnetizing current offset balancer is developed; it guarantees zero-voltage switching of all field-effect transistors, although the MPS operates in the burst mode. Thus, the proposed method provides easy lighting and relighting under optimized conditions with high efficiency. The power of the MPS delivered by the proposed method reached 1.6 kW with variable average power of 200 similar to 400 W by adjusting burst-on time proportionally. Experimental results proved the feasibility of the proposed driving method.
Thirteen percent of individuals of African ancestry express two variant copies of the gene encoding apolipoprotein 1 (APOL1) that has been associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the general population. Limited studies suggest that the survival of transplanted kidneys from donors expressing two APOL1 risk alleles is inferior to that of kidneys from donors with zero or one risk allele. In living kidney donation, two case reports describe donors expressing two APOL1 risk alleles who developed ESRD. Given the potential impact of APOL1 variants on the utility and safety of kidney transplantation and living kidney donation, the American Society of Transplantation convened a meeting with the goals of summarizing the current state of knowledge with respect to transplantation and APOL1, identifying knowledge gaps and studies to address these gaps, and considering approaches to integrating APOL1 into clinical practice. The authors recognize that current data are not sufficient to support traditional evidence-based guidelines but also recognize that it may require several years to generate the necessary data. Thus, approaches as to how APOL1 might currently be integrated into the clinical decision-making process were considered. This report summarizes the group's deliberations.
The quantity of Potential for Potable Water Savings (PPWS) made using rainwater harvesting differs between municipalities within the same region. Three main parameters contribute to this difference: roof area, the number of inhabitants and rainwater use scenarios. This article proposes a spatial and numerical analysis of how these parameters influence PPWS across municipalities in the Paris agglomeration. A comparison between the location of the municipalities, the PPWS value and the values for the previous parameters was used to understand the observed difference. The spatial analysis shows that municipalities (districts) in the Paris have the highest PPWS values, on the contrary, the peripheral municipalities in the outer suburbs have the lowest PPWS values and the results for the intermediary municipalitiesin the inner suburbsare contrasting. The numerical analysis demonstrates a strong correlation between the main parameters influencing the PPWS value; where a high value for the roof area means a high value for the number of inhabitants and a good mix of rainwater use scenarios, and vice-versa. In conclusion, the planning and design of the municipalitybuilding density, types of buildings, number of inhabitants, the city's vocationare key factors in defining the level of PPWS made using rainwater harvesting.
The traditional approach of map accuracy assessment based on an error matrix does not capture the spatial variation in classification accuracy. Here, per-pixel accuracy prediction methods are proposed based on interpolating accuracy values from a test sample in which the reference class of each sampled pixel has been determined. Different accuracy prediction methods were developed based on four factors: predictive domain (spatial versus spectral), interpolation function (constant, linear, Gaussian, and logistic), incorporation of class information (interpolating each class separately versus grouping them together), and sample size. Developing accuracy maps using the spectral domain is a new approach in contrast to previous efforts based on the spatial domain. Performance of the prediction methods was evaluated using 26 test blocks, with 10 km x 10 km dimensions, dispersed throughout the United States. Each block had complete coverage reference data manually extracted by interpreters and a land-cover map produced from Landsat imagery using a decision tree classification. The full scene maps were then compared to the corresponding reference maps to produce complete coverage accuracy information for each block. The predicted accuracy maps were produced from a sample of the reference data (i.e., the test dataset). The performance of the sample-based accuracy predictions was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic. Relative to existing accuracy prediction methods, our proposed methods resulted in improvements of AUC of 0.15 or greater. Evaluation of the four factors comprising the accuracy prediction methods demonstrated that: i) interpolations should be done separately for each class instead of grouping all classes together; ii) if an all-classes approach is used, the spectral domain will result in substantially greater AUC than the spatial domain; iii) for the smaller sample size and per-class predictions, the spectral and spatial domain yielded similar AUC; iv) for the larger sample size (i.e., very dense spatial sample) and per-class predictions, the spatial domain yielded larger AUC; v) increasing the sample size improved accuracy predictions with a greater benefit accruing to the spatial domain; and vi) the function used for interpolation had the smallest effect on AUC. To conclude, the ability to produce per-pixel accuracy predictions yielding simple to understand accuracy maps opens up new possibilities for error propagation of remotely sensed products in a variety of disciplines. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Academic research and technological innovation associated with rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in the UK has seen a shift of emphasis in recent years. Traditional design approaches use whole life cost assessments that prioritise financial savings associated with the provision of an alternative water supply. However, researchers and practitioners are increasingly recognising broader benefits associated with rainwater reuse, such as stormwater attenuation benefits. This paper identifies and describes a set of novel RWH system configurations that have potential for deployment in UK houses. Conceptual schematics are provided to define these innovations alongside traditional configurations. Discussion of the drivers supporting these configurations illustrates the opportunities for RWH deployment in a wide range of settings. A quantitative multi criteria analysis was used to evaluate and score the configurations under a range of emerging criteria. The work identifies several RWH system configurations that can outperform traditional ones in terms of specified cost and benefits. Selection of a specific RWH technology is shown to be highly dependent on user priorities. It is proposed that the system configurations highlighted could enable RWH to be cost-effectively installed in a broad set of contexts that have experienced minimal exploitation to date.
Network intrusion detection systems are widely used in present-day public and private networks to successfully detect cyber intrusions. In recent times, a plethora of readily available hacking tools have widened the adversarial attack surface to launch advanced malicious attacks. This entails the need to devise and deploy stronger security solutions including countermeasures that prevent, detect, and deter such attacks. The need for an efficient and effective mechanism for detecting network intrusions in real-time cannot be understated. Distributed pattern matching through information sharing between intrusion detection agents is one such approach towards identifying anomalous activity in a network. In this paper, a novel distributed pattern matching approach is proposed for detecting malicious network activities through first analyzing network traffic by detector agents, and subsequently exchanging information (subpattern) among detector agents in order to holistically identify anomalous network activities. The detection effectiveness of the proposed approach is studied using simulation conducted considering different pattern exchange hierarchies. Simulation results show that our approach yields high accuracies in intrusion detection with low false alarm rates.
This paper presents a new hybrid-structure machine, which possesses the distinct merit of multimode fault-tolerant operation for driving Mars Rover. Namely, the proposed machine is designed with three operation modes, including Mode I for the normal operation, Mode II for the remedial field-excited operation, and Mode III for the remedial rotor operation. To obtain these operation modes, the machine design adopts the outer rotor structure with a segmented-iron ring and a special teeth-split inner stator. In this way, the proposed machine is capable of providing the desired torque output at low speeds under the normal or fault situations. Both the machine design principle and the corresponding results are given to verify the validity of the idea. Furthermore, the different combinations of the torque outputs under different operation modes for four-wheel motors of Mars Rover are analyzed and discussed.
In this paper we provide an exploration and analysis of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation in Dutch manufacturing/engineering small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Critical success factors (CSFs) and impeding factors are identified and analysed. Exploratory empirical evidence about LSS implementation in Dutch SMEs was collected from a survey study on Dutch SMEs. Statistical testing was applied to validate the ranking of the CSFs. To deepen insight in how organizations translate CSFs into practice and cope with impeding factors, additional in-depth qualitative information was gathered from six case studies. Linking to customer, vision and plan statement, communication and management involvement and participation are the highest ranked CSFs. Internal resistance, the availability of resources, changing business focus and lack of leadership are the strongest impeding factors. The case studies confirmed the importance of the CSFs and revealed three new CSFs: personal LSS-experience of Top management, development of the project leader's soft skills and supply chain focus. SMEs in the Netherlands make no distinct separation between lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, but rather apply both approaches intertwined. Journal of the Operational Research Society (2012) 63, 339-353. doi:10.1057/jors.2011.47 Published online 18 May 2011
The objective of this study is to find the optimal combination of factors used in the process of wastewater treatment to collect the suspended rubber content from the disc cleaning process. The factors include the amount of GRASS2 and the waiting time required for the rubber to coagulate. The study was conducted using two sets of experiments. One is to find the deterministic optimal amount of GRASS2 and waiting time, and the other one is to find whether it is practical to use the fiber optic sensor as a tool to indicate the sufficient amount of GRASS2 required. The results from the experiments show that using the fiber optic sensor requires a greater amount of GRASS2 than the deterministic method since the objective function of the sensor model was to maximize light intensity in the wastewater, while the objective function of the deterministic model was to maximize the percentage of the achieved rubber contents.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are two of the most common diseases of aging around the world. Given the frequency with which T2D and AD occur, the notion that people with T2D may be at increased risk for AD has large societal consequences, and understanding the mechanistic links between these diseases is imperative for the development of effective AD prevention and treatment strategies. Apart from being an accelerator of AD, T2D is associated with a progressive cognitive decline. Impaired insulin signaling, inflammation, the accumulation of advanced glycation end-products and oxidative stress all play an essential role in the pathogenesis of both AD and diabetic complications. Therefore, it is reasonable to postulate that these pathways are involved in the increased risk of dementia that occurs in the T2D population. The early diagnosis of cognitive impairment and the identification of the subset of patients at a higher risk of developing AD is a challenge for healthcare providers, and meeting it will permit us to implement a personalized medicine, which is an essential issue in diabetes care with significant therapeutic implications. The main gaps that should be filled to achieve this objective are examined.
In this paper, multi-source (geophysical, geochemical, geological and remote sensing) datasets were used to construct multi-scale (district-, deposit-, and orebody-scale) 3D geological models and extract 3D exploration criteria for subsurface Mo-polymetallic exploration targeting in the Luanchuan district in China. The results indicate that (i) a series of region-/district-scale NW-trending thrusts controlled main Mo-polymetallic forming, and they were formed by regional Indosinian Qinling orogenic events, the secondary NW-trending district-scale folds and NE-trending faults and the intrusive stock structure are produced based on thrust structure in Caledonian-Indosinian orogenic events; they are ore-bearing zones and ore-forming structures; (ii) the NW-trending district-scale and NE-trending deposit-scale normal faults were crossed and controlled by the Jurassic granite stocks in 3D space, they are associated with the magma-skarn Mo polymetallic mineralization (the 3D buffer distance of ore-forming granite stocks is 600 m) and the NW-trending hydrothermal Pb-Zn deposits which are surrounded by the Jurassic granite stocks and constrained by NW-trending or NE-trending faults (the 3D buffer distance of ore-forming fault is 700 m); and (iii) nine Mo polymetallic and four Pb-Zn targets were identified in the subsurface of the Luanchuan district. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs) are used worldwide for wastewater treatment, and throughout their operation require periodic sludge surveys. Sludge accumulation in WSPs can impact performance by reducing the effective volume of the pond, and altering the pond hydraulics and wastewater treatment efficiency. Traditionally, sludge heights, and thus sludge volume, have been measured using low-resolution and labour intensive methods such as 'sludge judge' and the 'white towel test'. A sonar device, a readily available technology, fitted to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was shown to improve the spatial resolution and accuracy of sludge height measurements, as well as reduce labour and safety requirements. Coupled with a dedicated software package, the profiling of several WSPs has shown that the ROV with autonomous sonar device is capable of providing sludge bathymetry with greatly increased spatial resolution in a greatly reduced profiling time, leading to a better understanding of the role played by sludge accumulation in hydraulic performance of WSPs. The high-resolution bathymetry collected was used to support a much more detailed hydrodynamic assessment of systems with low, medium and high accumulations of sludge. The results of the modelling show that hydraulic performance is not only influenced by the sludge accumulation, but also that the spatial distribution of sludge plays a critical role in reducing the treatment capacity of these systems. In a range of ponds modelled, the reduction in residence time ranged from 33% in a pond with a uniform sludge distribution to a reduction of up to 60% in a pond with highly channelized flow. The combination of high-resolution measurement of sludge accumulation and hydrodynamic modelling will help in the development of frameworks for wastewater sludge management, including the development of more reliable computer models, and could potentially have wider application in the monitoring of other small to medium water bodies, such as channels, recreational water bodies, and commercial ports. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study proposes high-performance voltage controller design that employs a capacitor current control model for single-phase stand-alone inverters. The single-phase stand-alone inverter is analyzed via modeling, which is then used to design the controller. A design methodology is proposed to maximize the bandwidth of the feedback controller. Subsequently, to compensate for the problems caused by the bandwidth limitations of the controller, an error transfer function that includes the feedback controller is derived, and the stability of the repetitive control scheme is evaluated using the error transfer function. The digital repetitive controller is then implemented. The simulation and experimental results show that the performance of the proposed controller is high in a 1.5 kW single-phase stand-alone inverter prototype.
The humanized bone marrow-liver-thymus (BLT) mouse model harbors a nearly complete human immune system, therefore providing a powerful tool to study human immunology and immunotherapy. However, its application is greatly limited by the restricted supply of human CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells and fetal thymus tissues that are needed to generate these mice. The restriction is especially significant for the study of human immune systems with special genetic traits, such as certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes or monogene deficiencies. To circumvent this critical limitation, we have developed a method to quickly propagate established BLT mice. Through secondary transfer of bone marrow cells and human thymus implants from BLT mice into NSG (NOD/SCID/IL-2R gamma(-/-)) recipient mice, we were able to expand one primary BLT mouse into a colony of 4-5 proBLT (propagated BLT) mice in 6-8 weeks. These proBLT mice reconstituted human immune cells, including T cells, at levels comparable to those of their primary BLT donor mouse. They also faithfully inherited the human immune cell genetic traits from their donor BLT mouse, such as the HLA-A2 haplotype that is of special interest for studying HLA-A2-restricted human T cell immunotherapies. Moreover, an EGFP reporter gene engineered into the human immune system was stably passed from BLT to proBLT mice, making proBLT mice suitable for studying human immune cell gene therapy. This method provides an opportunity to overcome a critical hurdle to utilizing the BLT humanized mouse model and enables its more widespread use as a valuable preclinical research tool.
Research of the past two decades has proved the relevance of single cell biology in basic research and translational medicine. Successful detection and isolation of specific subsets is the key to understand their functional heterogeneity. Antibodies are conventionally used for this purpose, but their relevance in certain contexts is limited. In this review, we discuss some of these contexts, posing bottle neck for different fields of biology including biomedical research. With the advancement of chemistry, several methods have been introduced to overcome these problems. Even though microfluidics and microraft array are newer techniques exploited for single cell biology, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) remains the gold standard technique for isolation of cells for many biomedical applications, like stem cell therapy. Here, we present a comprehensive and comparative account of some of the probes that are useful in FACS. Further, we illustrate how these techniques could be applied in biomedical research. It is postulated that intracellular molecular markers like nucleostemin (GNL3), alkaline phosphatase (ALPL) and HIRA can be used for improving the outcome of cardiac as well as bone regeneration. Another field that could utilize intracellular markers is diagnostics, and we propose the use of specific peptide nucleic acid probes (PNPs) against certain miRNAs for cancer surgical margin prediction. The newer techniques for single cell biology, based on intracellular molecules, will immensely enhance the repertoire of possible markers for the isolation of cell types useful in biomedical research.
Prostatic hyperplasia (PH) is a common urologic disease that affects mostly elderly men. PH can be classified as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or prostate cancer (PCa) based on its severity. Oxidative stress (OS) is known to influence the activities of inflammatory mediators and other cellular processes involved in the initiation, promotion and progression of human neoplasms including prostate cancer. Scientific evidence also suggests that micronutrient supplementation may restore the antioxidant status and hence improve the clinical outcomes for patients with BPH and PCa. This review highlights the recent studies on prostate hyperplasia and carcinogenesis, and examines the role of OS on the molecular pathology of prostate cancer progression and treatment.
The domain name system (DNS) is a core Internet infrastructure that translates names to machine-readable information, such as IP addresses. Security flaws in DNS led to a major overhaul, with the introduction of the DNS security (DNSSEC) extensions. DNSSEC adds integrity and authenticity to the DNS using digital signatures. DNSSEC, however, has its own concerns. It suffers from availability problems due to packet fragmentation and is a potent source of distributed denial-of-service attacks. In earlier work, we argued that many issues with DNSSEC stem from the choice of RSA as default signature algorithm. A switch to alternatives based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) can resolve these issues. Yet switching to ECC introduces a new problem: ECC signature validation is much slower than RSA validation. Thus, switching DNSSEC to ECC imposes a significant additional burden on DNS resolvers, pushing load toward the edges of the network. Therefore, in this paper, we study the question: will switching DNSSEC to ECC lead to problems for DNS resolvers, or can they handle the extra load? To answer this question, we developed a model that accurately predicts how many signature validations DNS resolvers have to perform. This allows us to calculate the additional CPU load ECC imposes on a resolver. Using real-world measurements from four DNS resolvers and with two open-source DNS implementations, we evaluate future scenarios where DNSSEC is universally deployed. Our results conclusively show that switching DNSSEC to ECC signature schemes does not impose an insurmountable load on DNS resolvers, even in worst case scenarios.
Research on rainwater harvesting mainly focuses on a building scale. Scant information is available about its performance on a large scale. This study aims to determine the potential for, and economic viability of meeting non-potable water demand by rainwater harvesting for a large scale case (21.5 km(2)): Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. A dynamic model was developed to analyse scenarios of varying rainfall, catchment surfaces and storage capacity. Four potential system configurations of catchments and non-potable uses were analysed for their economic performance with different water prices and storage options. This study found that, given sufficient storage and catchment size, all non-potable water demand of Schiphol can be supplied, reducing drinking water demand by up to 58%. Diminishing returns for adding storage and catchment to the system make full supply inefficient. Current water charges make most large scale system configurations not viable due to high investment costs for supply networks and storage infrastructure.
We present new connections between quantum information and the field of classical cryptography. In particular, we provide examples where Simon's algorithm can be used to show insecurity of commonly used cryptographic symmetric-key primitives. Specifically, these examples consist of a quantum distinguisher for the 3-round Feistel network and a forgery attack on CBC-MAC which forges a tag for a chosen-prefix message querying only other messages (of the same length). We assume that an adversary has quantum-oracle access to the respective classical primitives. Similar results have been achieved recently in independent work by Kaplan et al. [KLLNP16]. Our findings shed new light on the post-quantum security of cryptographic schemes and underline that classical security proofs of cryptographic constructions need to be revisited in light of quantum attackers.
This paper presents an investigation of current state practice of the Manufacturing Engineering discipline for concurrent manufacturing planning. The research adopted a case study approach and has been conducted at a globally operating manufacturer of aerospace products. The investigation establishes how information systems and the cross-functional teaming enable integrated processes for planning the manufacturing method to progress simultaneously with design in a lean and efficient manner. It applies value stream analysis to understand where value and non-value is added in these transactional processes.
Although studies based on satellite gravimetry (2003 2010) and laser altimetry (2003-2009) measurements have achieved region-wide glacier mass change for the Tien Shan, the dynamic process of glacier yet to be closely monitored and understood so that its impact can be assessed accurately. In this study, we investigated region wide glacier thickness change in the Central Tien Shan (CTS) during 2000-2012 by differencing the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) with a newly constructed DEM from 27 TanDEM-X images. For a total glacier area of 7239.8 +/- 527.2 km(2), an average glacier thickness change rate of -0.24 +/- 0.22 m/a was derived. This result agrees well with the result based on satellite laser altimetry measurements reported earlier (-0.31 +/- 0.41 m/a). With temporal synchronization, a fine spatial resolution and wide coverage, our measurements are able to reveal abundant glacier change features and dependencies in the CTS. Firstly, the lower mountains have seen a more severe glacier decline, and the glaciers facing the prevailing wind (westerlies) have experienced a greater decline because of the stronger evaporation. Furthermore, those glaciers lying along the extremely high Meridian mountain range have obviously gained mass in their upper reaches, because the air current from the west is blocked and lifted by the Meridian mountain range. Secondly, for the entire glacier body, the theoretical hyperbolic dependence between debris thickness and ice decline was very difficult to establish. Some huge glaciers covered by heavy debris have still experienced a severe decline. However, even though the heavy debris did not prevent the ablation, its attenuating effects were considerable. Thirdly, for the glaciers that surged before 2000, the mass gain in the restoring zones has not been enough to cover the mass loss in ablation zones. Some large glaciers surged again during 2000-2012; however, with much lower magnitudes than in previous surges. In general, the surge glaciers have experienced a greater decline than the non-surge glaciers. Fourthly, due to the ice front calving and subglacial thermal erosion, glaciers connected to proglacial lakes have receded and thinned much more rapidly than the land-terminated glaciers. Overall, the glaciers in the CTS are more stable than those in other parts of the Tien Shan. However, the glacier state there is still alarming. A moderate average thinning rate was derived because the drastic thinning in the ablation zones was balanced by the slight thinning in the broad accumulation zones. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The objectives of the present study are the following ones: 1) to study the use of drugs, the prosocial behaviour and the problem-solving skills with respect to age and gender, and 2) to analyze the association of both the prosocial behaviour and the problem-solving skills with the use of drugs. An descriptive cross-sectional study was performed, amongst a sample of 567 students in Spanish Compulsory Secondary Education (48.14% males) with an age range from 14 to 17 years (M = 14.92; SD = .90). Statistically significant differences were found concerning alcohol use and the prosocial behaviour with respect to gender, as well as concerning alcohol and cannabis use with respect to age. When we controlled the effect of age and sex in the regression models, the variable that best predicted alcohol and cannabis use was prosocial behavior. The results from this study enhance the importance of tailored interventions based on the promotion of prosocial behaviours as fundamental protective factor for substances use such as alcohol and cannabis amongst adolescents.
Starting with a computational analysis of brightness matching, we develop a novel variational framework able to model perceptual context-driven effects that may be extended to non-physical judgments as well. The most important feature of the variational framework is the description of these phenomena as a suitable balance between contrast and dispersion. The optimal balance is defined through the simultaneous minimization of functionals characterized by two terms in opposition to each other. When the minimum is reached, the equilibrium between contrast and dispersion is attained. To show the flexibility of the proposed framework, we discuss several examples of such functionals in the field of color perception and cognition which show adherence between theoretical predictions and empirical results. With regard to social cognition theories, the simultaneous occurrence of contrast and dispersion conflicts with sequential models, thus supporting the idea of a concurrent presence of both effects in each judgment. The variational framework can serve as a view from above on perceptual and cognitive phenomena that may help in deriving new constraints for disambiguating alternative theories. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Seronegative joint diseases are characterized by a lack of well-defined biomarkers since autoantibodies are not elevated. Calprotectin (S100A8/A9) is a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) which is released by activated phagocytes, and high levels are found in seronegative arthritides. In this study, we investigated the biomarker potential of systemic and local levels of these S100 proteins to assess joint inflammation and joint destruction in an experimental model for seronegative arthritis. Methods: Serum levels of S100A8/A9 and various cytokines were monitored during disease development in interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra)(-/-) mice using ELISA and multiplex bead-based immunoassay, and were correlated to macroscopic and microscopic parameters for joint inflammation, bone erosion, and cartilage damage. Local expression of S100A8 and S100A9 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-mediated cartilage damage in the ankle joints were investigated by immunohistochemistry. In addition, local S100A8 and activated MMPs were monitored in vivo by optical imaging using anti-S100A8-Cy7 and AF489-Cy5.5, a specific tracer for activated MMPs. Results: Serum levels of S100A8/A9 were significantly increased in IL-1Ra(-/-) mice and correlated with macroscopic joint swelling and histological inflammation, while serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines did not correlate with joint swelling. In addition, early serum S100A8/A9 levels were prognostic for disease outcome at a later stage. The increased serum S100A8/A9 levels were reflected by an increased expression of S100A8 and S100A9 within the ankle joint, as visualized by molecular imaging. Next to inflammatory processes, serum S100A8/A9 also correlated with histological parameters for bone erosion and cartilage damage. In addition, arthritic IL-1Ra(-/-) mice with increased synovial S100A8 and S100A9 expression showed increased cartilage damage that coincided with MMP-mediated neoepitope expression and in vivo imaging of activated MMPs. Conclusions: Expression of S100A8 and S100A9 in IL-1Ra(-/-) mice strongly correlates with synovial inflammation, bone erosion, and cartilage damage, underlining the potential of S100A8/A9 as a systemic and local biomarker in seronegative arthritis not only for assessing inflammation but also for assessing severity of inflammatory joint destruction.
This paper presents a three-phase transformerless uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) based division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control. A transformerless UPS controls the power flow between dc link and utility grid, as well as tracks the ac reference voltage. The proposed control law derived with D-Sigma digital approach takes into account the effects of dc-link voltage fluctuation, grid-voltage distortion and inductance variation due to different current levels. Thus, distortion of input current and filter inductor core size can be reduced significantly. However, circulating current may flow through the common ground between the input power factor corrector (PFC) and the output three-phase four-wire inverter. The derived control law based on SPWM can suppress this circulating current and regulate output voltages tightly. Experimental results measured from a three-phase transformerless UPS have confirmed the analysis and discussion of the proposed control approach.
Adverse conditions during fetal life have been associated to both structural and functional changes in neurodevelopment from the neonatal period to adolescence. In this study, connectomics was used to assess the evolution of brain networks from infancy to early adolescence. Brain network reorganization over time in subjects who had suffered adverse perinatal conditions is characterized and related to neurodevelopment and cognition. Three cohorts of prematurely born infants and children (between 28 and 35 weeks of gestational age), including individuals with a birth weight appropriated for gestational age and with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), were evaluated at 1, 6, and 10 years of age, respectively. A common developmental trajectory of brain networks was identified in both control and IUGR groups: network efficiencies of the fractional anisotropy (FA)-weighted and normalized connectomes increase with age, which can be related to maturation and myelination of fiber connections while the number of connections decreases, which can be associated to an axonal pruning process and reorganization. Comparing subjects with or without IUGR, a similar pattern of network differences between groups was observed in the three developmental stages, mainly characterized by IUGR group having reduced brain network efficiencies in binary and FA-weighted connectomes and increased efficiencies in the connectome normalized by its total connection strength (FA). Associations between brain networks and neurobehavioral impairments were also evaluated showing a relationship between different network metrics and specific social cognition-related scores, as well as a higher risk of inattention/hyperactivity and/or executive functional disorders in IUGR children.
Background: Asthma is a global problem. Prevalence varies among different countries and cities. We aimed to obtain the prevalence, describe the characteristics, and discover factors that may relate to asthma in Hangzhou. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Hangzhou. The subjects were children aged 14 years and younger. A control group of non-asthma children that matched in age and sex with each asthmatic patient was also randomly selected and interviewed. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood and National Epidemiology study of Asthma and Allergies in China questionnaires were used in this survey. Results: We have questionnaired 13,877 children, and 665 (4.8 %) children were diagnosed asthma. The guardians regarded the cost of asthma management affordable in 49.4 %, tolerable in 46.9 %, and intolerable in 3.7 %. Both guardians and children have been absent from work or school due to children's asthma. Respiratory tract infection was the most common trigger of asthma attacks (85.1 %). Other common causes included cold air, house dust, exercise, fish and shrimp, pollen, and et al. Interestingly, we also found in children 6 years and older, some triggers happened more than that in children 5 years and younger. Those factors included exercise, emotional changes, house dust, pollen, renovation works in the home, mosquito-repellent incense and pets (all the p values were <0.05). We compared some factors may relate to asthma development. Higher percentage of family history of asthma, personal history of allergy (atopic dermatitis, drug allergy and food allergy), comorbidities (allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, adenoidal hypertrophy, and urticaria), caesarean birth and complications ever happened during pregnancy were discovered in asthma children than in non-asthma children (all the p values were <0.05). Exclusive breastfeeding within first 6 months and keeping animals had higher percentage in non-asthma children than in asthma (both the p values were <0.05). Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/ICS + long-acting beta2 agonists (LABA) was applied to 46.2 % of patients. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was used in 44.2 % of asthma children, while leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) was used in 36.4 % of them. The adherence scored higher in TCM than in ICS/ICS + LABA (P = 0.003) and LTRA. Conclusions: In conclusion, we conducted an epidemiology study in Hangzhou. The prevalence of childhood asthma was 4.8 %. Asthma was an economic and social burden to both children and guardians. Risk factors of asthma development may include caesarean birth, personal history of allergy and concomitant allergic diseases. Exclusive breastfeeding within first 6 months and keeping animals might be protecting factors. TCM was really popular in China besides ICS/ICS + LABA and LTRA.
While onsite measurement of air permeability provides a useful approach to assess the service life of concrete structures, the combined use of onsite and laboratory measurement of air permeability is useful to anticipate whether the target service life is to be achieved. This investigation was developed within the aim of founding the application of an air permeability test (Torrent method), based on the experimental observation of specimen geometry and surface influence on air permeability results. An experimental program was developed considering three specimen geometries, two types of surface, and twelve concrete mixes. The results were analysed and no significant influence of the tested specimens geometry and surfaces was detected. Therefore, the use of any of the surfaces or specimens geometry in mix approval or in compliance control processes is possible without correction of the results. This work constitutes a contribution to further understanding of the test method in particular and of concrete air permeability assessment in general.
Accessible mind maps tools are, due to their visual nature hardly available and, if available, they focus on rendering the structure, not considering nonverbal communication elements in ongoing discussions. In this paper, we describe the need for this type of communication as well as a mind map tool that is capable of processing the respective information, coming from a Leap tracking system attached to the interactive surface.
Excessive plastic waste and river water pollution are both never ending environmental problems faced by every country around the world. In this paper, polymeric membrane was synthesized from plastic waste of high density polyethylene (HDPE) type to treat contaminated river water. The plastic waste was grinded into powder of different particle sizes before synthesizing the membrane by sintering method. The membranes were synthesized both with and without the addition of solvents. The heating temperature during membrane synthesis was also being study for membrane performance in terms of percentage of permeate rejection and permeate flux. HDPE membrane produced from average particle size of 270.7 +/- 178.6 mu m achieved the highest permeate rejection and has highest heating temperature (180 degrees C). Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopic (FESEM) analysis showed that the sintered membranes exhibit a porous asymmetric structure. Meanwhile, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis denote the HDPE membranes in grouped as alkanes and aromatics compounds. (C) 2017 Penerbit UTM Press. All rights reserved
The present research finds that anthropomorphism, or attributing human characteristics to nonhuman objects, increases consumers' preference for products with superior appearance. This effect occurs because consumers apply the belief of beautiful is good, a pervasive stereotype in person perception, to the judgment of anthropomorphized products. Seven experiments test the propositions. The results show that product anthropomorphism (vs. nonanthropomorphism) leads consumers to spend more time and money searching for information about appearance attributes (experiments 1 and 2), to indicate greater preference for products with superior appearance (experiments 4, 6, and 7), and to purchase products with superior appearance (experiments 3 and 5). The experiments also show that the effect of anthropomorphism on consumer preference is mediated by consumers' conviction of beautiful is good in person perception. This effect is alleviated when consumers' beliefs about the association between the attractive physical appearance of a person and the positive personal traits of this person are challenged. These results are robust across a wide range of product categories and consumers. Theoretical contributions and marketing implications are discussed.
The aim of this article is to present the findings of an analytical framework we have designed to monitor discriminatory political discourse on immigration. Through the understanding of how some of the most relevant studies in three disciplines (political science, social psychology and linguistics) have framed racism, we try to infer how such racism may manifest in discourse through particular discriminatory tendencies. The combination of these tendencies has contributed to the designing of the proposed analytical framework that aims, by means of 12 standards, to systematically certify political discourse as discriminatory, quantify how much discriminatory discourse is and assess how such discrimination is legitimised or justified. By implementing such a framework within the context of Catalonia, this pilot study offers a global picture of how Catalan political discourse on immigration is constructed and how each of the standards appears (or does not appear) in discourse. Once the viability of this framework is proven, we conclude it could be the basis of comparative research in other contexts.
The aim of this research is to determine the effects of 7E model to ensure misconceptions towards to scientific ideas and the effect of this change on the persistence about simple electrical circuits. The research was carried out on three different groups of the 11th grade students of Mamak Cagribey Anatolian High School in Ankara. In the research, to which pre and post-test with control group quasi-experimental design were applied, misconception test which consisting of three-tier questions was used as data collection tools. The lesson has been taught using 7E model based on constructivist approach in experimental group by the researcher, in control-I group, the course has been taught using direct instruction and question-answer method by the researcher and in control-II group the course has been taught using direct instruction and question-answer method by another physics teacher. According to the findings of the study, it is shown that 7E model has a significantly contribution to the to conceptual change and retention.
In recent years, machine learning research has gained momentum: new developments in the field of deep learning allow for multiple levels of abstraction and are starting to supersede well-known and powerful tree-based techniques mainly operating on the original feature space. All these methods can be applied to various fields, including finance. This paper implements and analyzes the effectiveness of deep neural networks (DNN), gradient-boosted-trees (GBT), random forests (RAF), and several ensembles of these methods in the context of statistical arbitrage. Each model is trained on lagged returns of all stocks in the S&P 500, after elimination of survivor bias. From 1992 to 2015, daily one-day-ahead trading signals are generated based on the probability forecast of a stock to outperform the general market. The highest k probabilities are converted into long and the lowest k probabilities into short positions, thus censoring the less certain middle part of the ranking. Empirical findings are promising. A simple, equal-weighted ensemble (ENS1) consisting of one deep neural network, one gradient-boosted tree, and one random forest produces out-of-sample returns exceeding 0.45 percent per day for k = 10, prior to transaction costs. Irrespective of the fact that profits are declining in recent years, our findings pose a severe challenge to the semi-strong form of market efficiency. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a feedback GUI to improve the motor skills of a subject performing a golf putt. In this paper inertial sensors (gyroscopes) and video were used to capture the swing. Feedback was provided by a graphical user interface created in Matlab and displayed the video of the putt and quantitative values such as the putt tempo (ratio Backswing duration : Downswing duration) and score which gives an indication of how close the putt tempo is to the ideal rato of (2:1). A zero-crossing method was used to determine the swing phases and durations from the rotational velocity. The effectiveness of the feedback GUI was tested using 10 participants (4 experienced and 6 inexperienced). Each participant executed two sets of 15 putts over distances of 3m, 6m and 9m on an artificial turf putting surface with feedback provided by the GUI between the two sets of putts. The results indicated that overall tempo ratio of experienced and inexperienced participants became closer to 2:1 after the feedback. The standard deviation also decreased which meant that participants also improved their putting consistency. The results indicate that the participants were able to improve their skill in terms of putting performance indicators after using the feedback GUI. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Some individuals in long-term marriages report intensities of romantic love comparable to individuals newly in love. How common is this? Are correlates of long-term romantic love consistent with theoretical models of love? In a random sample of 274 U. S. married individuals, 40% of those married over 10 years reported being Very intensely in love. Importantly, correlates of long-term intense love, as predicted by theory, were thinking positively about the partner and thinking about the partner when apart, affectionate behaviors and sexual intercourse, shared novel and challenging activities, and general life happiness. Wanting to know where the partner is at all times correlated significantly with intense love for men but not women. For women, but not men, passion about nonrelationship factors significantly correlated with intense love. In a random New York (NY) sample of 322 individuals married over 10 years, 29% reported being very intensely in love and our predicted correlates cross validated.
Construction site induced water pollution could negatively affect the environment as well as the economic and social well-being of people. The underlying problem that has initiated this study is the current management approach that segregates the mitigation based site water pollution practices with construction planning, consequently isolating the production and environmental variable. This study intents to improve the current practice by integrating site water pollution practices into construction planning by grounding it to prevention based concepts in order to simultaneously address the production and environmental aspects of construction. The exploratory nature of this study has warrant the use of research methods that involve systematic review, integrative literature review and also verification through semi-structured interview with the industry players. The research findings suggest that the distinctive elements of site water pollution preventive practices and construction planning (schedule, method and site layout) could be integrated and applied simultaneously. Construction schedule is found to be the most prominent element of the established integration and should be the initial target for practical implementation of this framework. This study is a pioneer work that acts as a bridge that connects the practical and industry aspects of preventing site water pollution through its linkage with construction planning elements. Consequently, the findings of this study fills the gap of knowledge in both sectors that would enable a concurrent management of both the production and environmental dimensions in construction. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Riemerella anatipestifer is a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae and a major causative agent of duck serositis. Little is known about its genetics and pathogenesis. Several bacteria are competent for natural transformation; however, whether R. anatipestifer is also competent for natural transformation has not been investigated. Here, we showed that R. anatipestifer strain ATCC 11845 can uptake the chromosomal DNA of R. anatipestifer strain RA-CH-1 in all growth phases. Subsequently, a natural transformation-based knockout method was established for R. anatipestifer ATCC 11845. Targeted mutagenesis gave transformation frequencies of similar to 10(-5) transformants. Competition assay experiments showed that R. anatipestifer ATCC 11845 preferentially took up its own DNA rather than heterogeneous DNA, such as Escherichia coli DNA. Transformation was less efficient with the shuttle plasmid pLMF03 (transformation frequencies of similar to 10(-9) transformants). However, the efficiency of transformation was increased approximately 100-fold using pLMF03 derivatives containing R. anatipestifer DNA fragments (transformation frequencies of similar to 10(-7) transformants). Finally, we found that the R. anatipestifer RA-CH-1 strain was also naturally transformable, suggesting that natural competence is widely applicable for this species. The findings described here provide important tools for the genetic manipulation of R. anatipestifer. IMPORTANCE Riemerella anatipestifer is an important duck pathogen that belongs to the family Flavobacteriaceae. At least 21 different serotypes have been identified. Genetic diversity has been demonstrated among these serotypes. The genetic and pathogenic mechanisms of R. anatipestifer remain largely unknown because no genetic tools are available for this bacterium. At present, natural transformation has been found in some bacteria but not in R. anatipestifer. For the first time, we showed that natural transformation occurred in R. anatipestifer ATCC 11845 and R. anatipestifer RA-CH-1. Then, we established an easy gene knockout method in R. anatipestifer based on natural transformation. This information is important for further studies of the genetic diversity and pathogenesis in R. anatipestifer.
From a geoinformation science perspective real estate portals apply non-spatial methods to analyse and visualise rental price data. Their approach shows considerable shortcomings. Portal operators neglect real estate agents' mantra that exactly three things are important in real estates: location, location and location (Stroisch, 2010). Although real estate portals retacord the spatial reference of their listed apartments, geocoded address data is used insufficiently for analyses and visualisation, and in many cases the data is just used to pin map the listings. To date geoinformation science, spatial statistics and geovisualization play a minor role for real estate portals in analysing and visualising their housing data. This contribution discusses the analytical and geovisual status quo of real estate portals and addresses the most serious deficits of the employed non-spatial methods. Alternative analysing approaches from geostatistics, machine learning and geovisualization demonstrate potentials to optimise real estate portals' analysing and visualisation capacities.
Compared to the conventional order of hypocritical actionssaying one thing and then doing anothermerely reversing the order of these actions can mitigate whether an individual is judged to be a hypocrite (Barden, Rucker, & Petty, 2005). The present research examines how factors extraneous to a target's own actionsspecifically, group membershipinfluence hypocrisy judgments. Three experiments provided consistent evidence that reversing the order of statement and behavior mitigated hypocrisy judgments to a greater extent when observers judged ingroup targets compared to outgroup targets. This pattern was observed across two distinct groups (i.e., gender and political party). In addition, mediational evidence suggested that the greater mitigation for ingroup targets stemmed from the observer's greater tendency to make attributions that ingroup targets had genuinely changed for the better.
Chronic diarrhoea is a common presenting symptom in both primary care medicine and in specialized gastroenterology clinics. It is estimated that >5% of the population has chronic diarrhoea and nearly 40% of these patients are older than 60 years. Clinicians often need to select the best diagnostic approach to these patients and choose between the multiple diagnostic tests available. In 2014 the Catalan Society of Gastroenterology formed a working group with the main objective of creating diagnostic algorithms based on clinical practice and to evaluate diagnostic tests and the scientific evidence available for their use. The GRADE system was used to classify scientific evidence and strength of recommendations. The consensus document contains 28 recommendations and 6 diagnostic algorithms. The document also describes criteria for referral from primary to specialized care. (C) 2015 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U., AEEH y AEG. All rights reserved.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are developmental disorders characterized by behavioral deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication as well as social interactions, and are accompanied by repetitive or stereotyped behaviors and interests. Numerous studies over the last forty years have recognized altered immune responses in individuals with ASD; concurrently basic research has highlighted the myriad of neuroimmune interactions and the cross talk that occurs between nervous and immune systems. Neuroinflammation, particularly in the cerebellum, has been found in post mortem brain tissues from individuals with ASD and is characterized by the presence of profound glia activation processes. This and altered gene expression profiles indicating perturbed immune suggest a contributing role for immunological systems in the pathology of ASD. Peripheral immune abnormalities have also been found; shifts in both direction of Th1 and Th2 skewing have been reported as well as autoantibody production, increased NK cell activation, T cell responses and monocyte cell function overwhelmingly suggesting the presence of immune dysfunction in individuals with ASD. Many of these findings are associated with worsening behavioral scores, suggesting treatment of immune function could be useful in alleviating symptoms associated with ASD. Immune activation in utero is also associated with an increased risk of the child for having a diagnosis of ASD, where increased cytokine production in the offspring is directly linked to changes in offspring behavior. In addition to peripheral changes, brain and CSF immune variations in ASD are reported as well as an increase in gastrointestinal/mucosal dysfunction which has led to an increased interest in exploring the gut-brain-immune connections and its role in ASD. Further research in neuroimmune interactions may bring further insight and elicit new therapeutic tools for ASD.
In this paper, the authors discussed in detail about the framework of integrating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) with Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies. The proposed framework can be used in the computer-aided design, manufacturing, engineering, and installation processes. In specific, this paper explained how to use RFID technology for structural steel components, such as a steel beam or column. The paper discussed the framework of the decision support system to transmit data read from RFID, retrieve the requested information, integrate the information in analysis process, and update the BIM project model when a decision is reached. The suggested result would have great potential of saving installation time, decrease cost, improve safety record, or achieve better quality in the end of the construction process.
We outline an evolutionary-embodied-epistemological (EEE) account of intellectual arrogance (IA), proposing that people psychologically experience their important beliefs as valued possessions - mental materialism - that they must fight to keep - ideological territoriality - thereby disposing them toward IA. Nonetheless, IA should still vary, being higher among people taking a hostile and domineering epistemic stance (rejecting reality, resisting evidence) than among those taking an open and deferential one (embracing reality, respecting evidence). Such variations can be predicted from people's standing on the communion-agency circumplex at multiple levels of analysis (i.e. from their social inclusion and status; dispositional warmth and competence; and behavioral amiability and assertiveness). Using pre-validated indices of mental materialism and ideological territoriality, and an argument evaluation task permitting the quantification of rational objectivity and egotistical bias, we obtained consistent correlational evidence that, as hypothesized, IA is the highest when agency is high and communion low, validating the EEE account.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed a huge increase in construction during the last two decades. However, many projects experienced time delays, cost overruns and the generation of massive amounts of waste. To address these challenges, lean construction has been introduced into the Saudi construction industry; however, it is still in its infancy. This study therefore investigates the current state of lean construction implementation in the construction industry in the KSA. The objectives are to identify: the types of construction waste, level of use of tools that support the implementation of lean construction, stages of application of lean methods, and the benefits of lean construction. To achieve these objectives, a structured questionnaire survey of 282 construction professionals was carried out. After the analysis of the collected data using mean score and Anova test, the following conclusions were made. In the construction industry in the KSA, waiting is the most common type of waste, while Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the conventional tool supporting the implementation of lean construction. Furthermore, the data suggests that lean construction is most commonly used in the construction stage of projects while customer satisfaction is the main benefit derived from lean construction practices. This study concludes that the level of implementation of lean construction in the KSA construction industry is increasing. The results will help benchmark the current state of lean construction implementation, which will enable the construction industry to identify strategies to implement lean construction in Saudi Arabia in accordance with their needs and project goals, to achieve better productivity.
The depletion of the global IPv4 address pool made the deployment of IPv6, the new version of the Internet Protocol, inevitable. In this paper, the transition mechanisms for the first phase of IPv6 deployment are surveyed and the DNS64 plus NAT64 solution is found appropriate. The most important free and open source DNS64 implementations are selected: BIND, TOTD, Unbound and PowerDNS. The test environment and the testing method are described. The first three of the selected DNS64 implementations are tested under Linux, OpenBSD and FreeBSD whereas PowerDNS is tested only under Linux. Their performance characteristics (response time, number of answered requests per second, CPU and memory consumption) are measured and compared. The effect of the hardware architecture of the test computer is also examined by using single-core, dual-core and quad-core test computers. The stability of all the tested DNS64 solutions are analyzed under overload conditions to test if they may be used in production environments with strong response time requirements. Our measurement results show significant differences in the performance of the tested DNS64 implementations, e.g. Unbound served four times more requests per second than PowerDNS (when executed by a single-core CPU under Linux and load was generated by eight clients). However, no absolute order can be determined, because it is influenced by different factors such as the architecture of the hardware, especially the number of cores, because BIND and PowerDNS are multithreaded (therefore they can profit from the multiple cores) but TOTD and Unbound are not. Also the operating system of the DNS64 server has significant influence on the performance of the DNS64 implementations under certain conditions. All the details of our measurements are disclosed and all the results are presented in the paper. An easy-to-use implementation selection guide is also provided as a short summary of our high number of results.
The dual active bridge (DAB) converter has been widely used in the distributed power systems and the energy storage devices. However, the inherent nonlinearity of the DAB converter can cause serious stability problem. In this paper, the dynamics of a digital controlled DAB converter with output voltage closed loop control is studied. Firstly, to accurately study the nonlinear dynamics and stability in a DAB converter, a full discrete-time model for the DAB converter is established. The model considers the ESR of the output capacitor and also considers the digital control delay and sample-and-hold process. Using this model, the stability of the DAB converter versus the parameter of the proportional controller is analyzed and the stability boundary is accurately predicted. Further, this paper also points out that the ESR of the output capacitor can bring a great effect to the stability of the system. Finally, simulation and experimental results verify the theoretical analysis.
In this paper, for the first time, we report a nonmonotonic dependence of the snapback voltage (V-sb) on the buried oxide thickness (t(BOX)) in silicon-on-insulator laterally double-diffused MOS (SOI-LDMOS) transistors. Step-by-step analysis of this effect is carried out by decoupling the self-heating and impact-ionization effects that cause the turning ON of the parasitic bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and subsequently the snapback effect. It is observed that for LDMOS transistors with low t(BOX), V-sb increases with increase in t(BOX) due to reduction in drain current density as well as reduced impact ionization at higher lattice temperature. On the other hand, for high t(BOX), V-sb reduces with the increase in t(BOX) due to early switching ON of the parasitic BJT at higher temperature. Therefore, it is possible to find an optimum value of t(BOX) to obtain the highest V-sb for an SOI-LDMOS transistor. An interesting observation is that with proper choice of t(BOX), the safe operating area in SOI-LDMOS can be more than that of the corresponding bulk-LDMOS. A physics-based compact model is developed and implemented in Verilog-A. When compared with the Technology Computer Aided Design simulated results, our model exhibits high level of accuracy.
This paper introduces a nonlinear control scheme based on the differential flatness approach for controlling the speed/torque of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive. The differential flatness estimation is a model based approach. Then, two state-observers are proposed to estimate a load torque disturbance and a stator resistance (represent losses in an inverter and PMSM) by means of its voltage drop. It can help to improve the PMSM drive system and the efficiency. Using the flatness property, we propose simple solutions to dynamics and stabilization problems. The design controller parameters are autonomous of the operating point; moreover, high dynamics in disturbance rejection is achieved. To validate the proposed method, a hardware system is realized in a laboratory, and digital estimation is accomplished with a dSPACE controller DSll04 platform. Simulation and experimental results with a small-scale PMSM of 1000 W, 3000 rpm in a laboratory corroborate the excellent control scheme during a motor-drive cycles.
Extensive green-roof systems are expected to have a synergetic effect in mitigating urban runoff, decreasing temperature and supplying water to a building. Mitigation of runoff through rainwater retention requires the effective design of a green-roof catchment. This study identified how to improve building runoff mitigation through quantitative analysis of an extensive green-roof system. Quantitative analysis of green-roof runoff characteristics indicated that the extensive green roof has a high water-retaining capacity response to rainfall of less than 20 mm/h. As the rainfall intensity increased, the water-retaining capacity decreased. The catchment efficiency of an extensive green roof ranged from 0.44 to 0.52, indicating reduced runoff comparing with efficiency of 0.9 for a concrete roof. Therefore, extensive green roofs are an effective storm water best-management practice and the proposed parameters can be applied to an algorithm for rainwater-harvesting tank design. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The aims of this study were (1) to describe and compare the performance of illiterate and low-educated older adults, without evidence of cognitive impairment, on different versions of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) original, Brazilian adapted, abbreviated 30-item (even and odd) and 15-item from the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) battery; (2) to compare performance on the original versus adapted versions of the BNT. Methods: A total of 180 healthy older adults (60 years or older) were stratified according to educational level (0, 1-2, and 3-4 years), and age (60-69, 70-79, and 80 years). The protocol comprised the following instruments: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB), Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the BNT. Results: The illiterate participants had poorer performance than the educated participants. The performance of the two educated groups was similar on all versions of the BNT. A higher number of correct responses were observed on the adapted BNT than on the original BNT in all three education groups. Conclusions: The adapted BNT appears to be the most suitable for use in the low-educated Brazilian population. The present study provided normative data for low-educated elderly on several different versions of the BNT, which may be helpful in diagnosing naming deficits among elderly in these strata of the population.
Dryland vegetation developed morphological and physiological strategies to cope with drought. However, as aridity increases, vascular plant coverage gets sparse and microbially-dominated surface communities (MSC), comprising cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with heterotropic bacteria, archaea and fungi, gain relevance. Nevertheless, the relevance of MSC net primary prodtictivity has only rarely been considered in ecosystem scale studies, and detailed information on their contribution to the total photosynthetic biomass reservoir is largely missing. In this study, we mapped the spatial distribution of two different MSC (biological soil crusts and quartz fields hosting hypolithic crusts) at two different sites within the South African Succulent Karoo (Soebatsfontein and Knersvlakte). Then we characterized both types of MSC in terms of chlorophyll content, and combining these data with the biocrust and quartz field maps, we estimated total biomass values of MSCs and their spatial patterns within the two different ecosystems. Our results revealed that MSC are important vegetation components of the South African Karoo biome, revealing clear differences between the two sites, At Soebatsfontein, MSC occurred as biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which covered about one third of the landscape reaching an overall biomass value of similar to 480 g ha(-1) of chlorophyll a+b at the landscape scale. In the Knersvlakte, which is characterized by harsher environmental conditions (i.e. higher solar radiation and potential evapotranspiration), MSC occurred as biocrusts, but also formed hypolithic crusts growing on the lower soil-immersed parts of translucent quartz pebbles. Whereas chlorophyll concentrations of biocrusts and hypolithic crusts where insignificantly lower in the Knersvlakte, the overall MSC biomass reservoir was by far larger with similar to 780 g ha(-1) of chlorophyll a+b. Thus, the complementary microbially-dominated surface communities promoted biomass formation within the environmentally harsh Knersvlakte ecosystem. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The starting point in choosing this theme was the belief that in the specific physical education instructive activity the dominant form of communication is the nonverbal communication in the teacher-pupils relationship. The study consisted in a sociological approach through an inquiry conducted on a middle school group of 150 pupils. The questionnaire comprised 13 items with prefigured and open answers to facilitate the research in the middle school pupils. A dominant form of expressing in the physical education lesson is represented by body movements as an expression of energy and information through posture, movement and indices and a psycho-somatic connection (body-soul).
Chronic exposure to arsenic affects more than 200 million people worldwide, and has been associated with many adverse health effects, including cancer in several organs. There is accumulating evidence that arsenic biotransformation, a step in the elimination of arsenic from the human body, can induce changes at a genetic and epigenetic level, leading to carcinogenesis. At the genetic level, arsenic interferes with key cellular processes such as DNA damage-repair and chromosomal structure, leading to genomic instability. At the epigenetic level, arsenic places a high demand on the cellular methyl pool, leading to global hypomethylation and hypermethylation of specific gene promoters. These arsenic-associated DNA alterations result in the deregulation of both oncogenic and tumour-suppressive genes. Furthermore, recent reports have implicated aberrant expression of non-coding RNAs and the consequential disruption of signaling pathways in the context of arsenic-induced carcinogenesis. This article provides an overview of the oncogenomic anomalies associated with arsenic exposure and conveys the importance of non-coding RNAs in the arsenic-induced carcinogenic process.
Gasification is a promising alternative for polymeric waste valorization when mechanical recycling is unfeasible on account of its heterogeneity or partial contamination, or simply when it yields a product of lower quality than what the market requires. Apart from its application for electricity generation, the waste-derived syngas shows a great potential for chemical waste recycling for the synthesis of hydrogen, methane, natural gas or methanol. In spite of the effort devoted so far to the experimental demonstration of these processes to enable this technology to access commercial stage, it is still necessary to develop detailed models of the process that allow a precise prediction of the resulting syngas composition, as well as tar formation and global efficiency of the process. This research work presents the development of a polyolefin gasification model for fluidized bed reactors. The model details the behaviour of primary pyrolysis and homogeneous reactions of oxidation, steam reforming, aromatization and thermal cracking. To accomplish this, it adopts new modelling strategies for the definition of primary tar species in order to reflect their twofold nature (aliphatic and aromatic), as well as to describe kinetics and stoichiometry involved in thermal cracking processes of tar species. The model is able to successfully predict the generation, volume composition and heating value of the syngas, final tar generation and global efficiency of the process. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Alzheimer's screening tests are commonly used by doctors to diagnose the patient's condition and stage as early as possible. Most of these tests are based on pen-paper interaction and do not embrace the advantages provided by new technologies. This paper proposes novel Alzheimer's screening tests based on virtual environments and game principles using new immersive technologies combined with advanced Human Computer Interaction (HCI) systems. These new tests are focused on the immersion of the patient in a virtual room, in order to Mislead and deceive the patient's mind. In addition, we propose two novel variations of Turing Test proposed by Alan Turing as a method to detect dementia. As a result, four tests are introduced demonstrating the wide range of screening mechanisms that could be designed using virtual environments and game concepts. The proposed tests are focused on the evaluation of memory loss related to common objects, recent conversations and events; the diagnosis of problems in expressing and understanding language; the ability to recognize abnormalities; and to differentiate between virtual worlds and reality, or humans and machines. The proposed screening tests were evaluated and tested using both patients and healthy adults in a comparative study with state-of-the-art Alzheimer's screening tests. The results show the capacity of the new tests to distinguish healthy people from Alzheimer's patients. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The accurate and reliable identification of damage in modern engineered structures is essential for timely corrective measures. Vibration-based damage prediction has been studied extensively by virtue of its global damage detection ability and simplicity in practical implementation. However, due to noise and damping effects, the accuracy of this method is inhibited when direct peak detection (DPD) is utilized to determine resonant frequency shifts. This research investigates an alternative method to detect frequency shifts caused by structural damage based on the utilization of strongly nonlinear bifurcation phenomena in bistable electrical circuits coupled with piezoelectric transducers integrated with the structure. It is shown that frequency shift predictions by the proposed approach are significantly less susceptible to error than DPD when realistic noise and damping levels distort the shifting resonance peaks. As implemented alongside adaptive piezoelectric circuitry with tunable inductance, the new method yields damage location and severity identification that is significantly more robust and accurate than results obtained following the DPD approach.
The interleaved multilevel DC-DC converters have advantages of low voltage stress of the switches and diodes and reduction of filter size. Particularly series input parallel output (ISOP) configuration is well suited for high output voltage and large output current application but input series output series (ISOS) configuration enable the utilization of low voltage rating switches in high voltage input and high voltage output applications that require galvanic isolation. The series connection of the isolated DC-DC converters at the input side also can be used for higher voltage application. While multilevel topology offers many new features, it also necessitates a balance control of the input capacitors. The paper describes the operating principles of the balancing circuit, analyzes the fundamental relationships, introduces principles of the operation of the circuit. The paper shows experimental results based on a few practical application examples. The paper discusses design of the transformer with balancing winding for ISOP, ISOS and parallel connection of the DC-DC converters to provide independent voltage balancing of input capacitors.
Although frontal presentations of Alzheimer's disease (fv-AD) have already been described in the literature, we still know little about patients' social cognitive abilities, especially their theory of mind (ToM). We report the case of FT, a 61-year-old woman who was diagnosed with fv-AD. Two assessments of social cognition, using a false-belief task, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, and a task probing knowledge of social norms, were performed one year apart. FT exhibited cognitive ToM and social knowledge deficits from the onset. Affective ToM was initially preserved, but deteriorated as the disease progressed.
A novel driving method implemented with high frequency electromagnetic isolation is proposed in this paper. And the hardware designing schematic diagram and the software configuration method are presented. Then the corresponding operating principle is analyzed in detail based on digital control chip and analog circuits. The proposed driving method can be applied to real-time varying pulse width of the control signal and the duty-cycle ratio of this control pulse can be regulated in the range of 0-100 %. This novel driving method can achieve not only the advantages of high insulation and high common-mode suppression, but also the merits of low cost and fast dynamic response speed, and it is suitable for the isolation and amplification of high frequency switching control pulse signal. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed driving method in this paper is effective.
In the last decades increasing attention to environmental issues has come to the fore due to the looming issue of climate change. The growing demand for energy, coupled with the increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, have forced the study and development of energy plants that use renewable energy sources (RES), as electricity generation is one of the major contributors to anthropogenic emissions. Small hydropower plants are of particular interest as their potential is assumed to be high. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts of small hydropower plants (SHPs) using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The main parameter set for our simplified LCA model was the weight of the components used to construct and operate the plant: concrete, aggregates and steel. Through LCA, air pollutant externalities were associated with the life cycle of SHPs. This was accomplished by applying the NEEDS framework. The results are given per impact type (human health, loss of biodiversity, crop yield, material damage and climate change). The spearhead of the study is that the environmental cost must be a parameter of the total investment cost, which may affect the indexes of the financial evaluation of the project.
A new facultative anaerobic exoelectrogenic strain LZ-1, belonging to Citrobacter freundii, has been isolated. This strain can produce current densities of 843.9 and 865.6 mu A cm(-2) using citrate or acetate as carbon source in a three-electrode configuration. The electricity generation performance was also analyzed in a dual-chamber MFC system, reaching a maximum power density of 1233 mW m(-2). In addition to acetate and citrate, other carbon sources such as pyruvate, formate, acetate, citrate and fumarate could also be utilized to produce current by strain LZ-1. Data supports the presence of electroacfive c-type cytochromes in C. freundii sp. when grown on ITO electrodes, by linking spectroscopy and electrochemistry in situ. Since facultative strains possess many desirable properties compared to anaerobic strains, strain LZ-1 represents a promising exoelectrogenic species in engineering of biological catalysts for microbial electrochemistry.
Modern operating systems, such as Linux, are capable of executing multiple parallel applications concurrently on many-core platforms. Different applications may have different characteristics with regard to how they exercise the computation and memory resources in these platforms. This paper aims to investigate the impact of such differences on the overall energy consumption and performance trade offs. To analyze these tradeoffs, three PARSEC benchmark applications are chosen with different characteristics-memory-intensive, CPU-intensive and a mixture of both. These applications are then concurrently executed in various combinations in experiments, which also help establish optimized run-time controls in terms of dynamic voltage/frequency scaling (DVFS) and thread-to-core allocations at run-time. Such controls are based on state-space models derived through linear regression using the feedback from hardware performance counters. Using the benchmark applications, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method, which shows up to 23% improvement in power normalized performance expressed as the ratio between instructions per second (IPS) and power consumption (Watt).
Water supply reliability is expected to be affected by both precipitation amount and distribution changes under recent and future climate change. We compare historical (1951-2010) changes in annual-mean and annual-maximum daily precipitation in the global set of station observations from Global Historical Climatology Network and climate models from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP), and develop the study to 2011-2099 for model projections under high radiative forcing scenario (RCP8.5). We develop a simple rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) model and drive it with observational and modeled precipitation. We study the changes in mean and maximum precipitation along with changes in the reliability of the model RWHS as tools to assess the impact of changes in precipitation amount and distribution on reliability of precipitation-fed water supplies. Results show faster increase in observed maximum precipitation (10.14% per K global warming) than mean precipitation (7.64% per K), and increased reliability of the model RWHS driven by observed precipitation by an average of 0.2% per decade. The ISI-MIP models show even faster increase in maximum precipitation compared to mean precipitation. However, they imply decreases in mean reliability, for an average 0.15% per decade. Compared to observations, climate models underestimate the increasing trends in mean and maximum precipitation and show the opposite direction of change in reliability of a model water supply system.
Flexibility, resource efficiency, and time-to-market are key success factors for industrial enterprises. Essential settings are set during early phases of product development as well as manufacturing. In later product lifecycle phases, the responses from the market (e.g. complains or the amount of damage cases) show the maturity stage of the products. Quality methods like TQM or EFQM pursue the goal to permanently learn from this information. Therefore it is necessary to have an adequate information supply. This article focuses on this problem in the context of maturity stage management in manufacturing engineering. The research therefore first identifies a huge gap between the theoretically discussed information supply, based on encompassing data bases, and the real existing heterogeneous IT landscapes, which have grown in history. On basis of empirical findings, industrial businesses lack in concepts that put them in a position of adequate information supply. Therefore, a generic Business Intelligence concept, developed through research activities, seems to be a promising approach. It is thus possible to combine information from product features and manufacturing information with the traditional dimensions of managerial analysis, in order to identify impacts of engineering decisions on the product lifecycle. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This study analyzes temperamental and social correlates of 18-month-olds' (N = 58) instrumental helping (i.e., handing over out-of-reach objects) and comforting (i.e., alleviating experimenter's distress). While out-of-reach helping as a basic type of prosocial behavior was not associated with any of the social and temperamental variables, comforting was associated with maternal responsible parenting, day care attendance, and temperamental fear, accounting for 34% of the total variance in a corresponding regression model. The data of the present study suggest that, while simple instrumental helping seems to be a robust developmental phenomenon, comforting is associated with specific social experiences and child temperament that constitute interindividual differences and thereby help to explain the domain-specific development of prosociality. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Several powerful trends are contributing to an aging of much of the world's population, especially in economically developed countries. To mitigate the negative effects of rapidly ageing populations, societies must act early to plan for the welfare, medical care and residential arrangements of their senior citizens, and for the manpower and associated training needed to execute these plans. This paper describes the development of an Ambient Intelligent Community Care Platform (AICCP), which creates an environment of Ambient Intelligence through the use of sensor network and mobile agent (MA) technologies. The AICCP allows caregivers to quickly and accurately locate their charges; access, update and share critical treatment and wellness data; and automatically archive all records. The AICCP presented in this paper is expected to enable caregivers and communities to offer pervasive, accurate and context-aware care services.
Background: Current obesity theories suggest that the repeated intake of highly palatable high-sugar foods causes adaptions in the striatum, parietal lobe, and prefrontal and visual cortices in the brain that may serve to perpetuate consumption in a feed-forward manner. However, the data for humans are cross-sectional and observational, leaving little ability to determine the temporal precedence of repeated consumption on brain response. Objective: We tested the impact of regular sugar-sweetened beverage intake on brain and behavioral responses to beverage stimuli. Design: We performed an experiment with 20 healthy-weight individuals who were randomly assigned to consume 1 of 2 sugar-sweetened beverages daily for 21 d, underwent 2 functional MRI sessions, and completed behavioral and explicit hedonic assessments. Results: Consistent with preclinical experiments, daily beverage consumption resulted in decreases in dorsal striatal response during receipt of the consumed beverage (r = -0.46) and decreased ventromedial prefrontal response during logo-elicited anticipation (r = -0.44). This decrease in the prefrontal response correlated with increases in behavioral disinhibition toward the logo of the consumed beverage (r = 0.54; P = 0.02). Daily beverage consumption also increased precuneus response to both juice logos compared with a tasteless control (r = 0.45), suggesting a more generalized effect toward beverage cues. Last, the repeated consumption of 1 beverage resulted in an explicit hedonic devaluation of a similar nonconsumed beverage (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Analogous to previous reports, these initial results provide convergent data for a role of regular sugar-sweetened beverage intake in altering neurobehavioral responses to the regularly consumed beverage that may also extend to other beverage stimuli. Future research is required to provide evidence of replication in a larger sample and to establish whether the neurobehavioral adaptations observed herein are specific to high-sugar and/or nonnutritive-sweetened beverages or more generally related to the repeated consumption of any type of food.
This paper describes a new method of deriving greater torques per unit volume from Permanent magnet (PM) machine configurations. The method involves splitting of the stator teeth in order to introduce a magnetic gear ratio in to the torque equation. Also some of the theory and mathematical equations behind the design of the new split teeth machine have been shown and descried. Two different initial designs of the new machine topology have been developed using two dimension (2D) finite element (FE) simulations and compared to a convectional brushless DC Machine of the same dimensions. Gains of output torques of all three machines designed were shown for the purpose of comparison.
Introduction. - Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) constitute 10-15% of all brain tumors in the pediatric population; currently prognosis remains poor, with an overall survival of 7-14 months. Recently the indication of DIPG biopsy has been enlarged due to the development of molecular biology and various ongoing clinical and therapeutic trials. Classically a biopsy is performed using a stereotactic frame assisted procedure but the workflow may sometimes be heavy and more complex especially in children. In this study the authors present their experience with frameless robotic-guided biopsy of DIPG in a pediatric population. Patients and methods. - Retrospective study on a series of five consecutive pediatric patients harboring DIPG treated over a 4-year period. All patients underwent frameless robotic-guided biopsy via a transcerebellar approach. Results. - Among the 5 patients studied 3 were male and 2 female with a median age of 8.6 years [range 5 to 13 years]. Clinical presentation included ataxia, hemiparesis and cranial nerve palsy in all patients. MRI imaging of the lesion showed typical DIPG features (3 of them located in the pons) with hypo-intensity on T1 and hyper-intensity signal on T2 sequences and diffuse gadolinium enhancement. The mean procedure time was 56 minutes (range 45 to 67 minutes). No new postoperative neurological deficits were recorded. Histological diagnosis was achieved in all cases as follows: two anaplastic astrocytomas (grade III), two glioblastomas, and one diffuse astrocytoma (grade III). Conclusion. - Frameless robotic assisted biopsy of DIPG in pediatric population is an easier, effective, safe and highly accurate method to achieve diagnosis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
The goal of tissue engineering is to mitigate the critical shortage of donor organs via in vitro fabrication of functional biological structures. Tissue engineering is one of the most prominent examples of interdisciplinary fields, where scientists with different backgrounds work together to boost the quality of life by addressing critical health issues. Many different fields, such as developmental and molecular biology, as well as technologies, such as micro-and nanotechnologies and additive manufacturing, have been integral for advancing the field of tissue engineering. Over the past 20 years, spectacular advancements have been achieved to harness nature's ability to cure diseased tissues and organs. Patients have received laboratory-grown tissues and organs made out of their own cells, thus eliminating the risk of rejection. However, challenges remain when addressing more complex solid organs such as the heart, liver, and kidney. Herein, we review recent accomplishments as well as challenges that must be addressed in the field of tissue engineering and provide a perspective regarding strategies in further development.
The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of subclinical ankle involvement by ultrasound in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study was conducted on 216 patients with RA and 200 healthy sex- and age-matched controls. Patients with no history or clinical evidence of ankle involvement underwent US examination. For each ankle, tibio-talar (TT) joint, tibialis anterior (TA) tendon, extensor halux (EH) and extensor common (EC) tendons, tibialis posterior (TP) tendon, flexor common (FC) tendon and flexor hallux (FH) tendon, peroneous brevis (PB) and longus (PL) tendons, Achilles tendon (AT) and plantar fascia (PF) were assessed. The following abnormalities were recorded: synovitis, tenosynovitis, bursitis, enthesopathy and rupture. BMI, DAS28, RF ESR and CRP were also obtained. A total of 432 ankles of patients with RA and 400 ankles of healthy controls were assessed. In 188 (87%) patients with RA, US showed ankle abnormalities whereas, in control group, US found abnormalities in 57 (28.5 %) subjects (p = 0.01). The most frequent US abnormality in RA patients was TP tenosynovits (69/216) (31.9 %), followed by PL tenosynovitis (58/216) (26.9 %), TT synovitis (54/216) (25 %), PB tenosynovitis (51/216) (23.6 %), AT enthesopathy (41/216) (19 %) and AT bursitis (22/216) (10.2 %). In 118 RA patients out of 216 (54.6%), a positive PD was found. No statistically significant correlation was found between the US findings and age, disease duration, BMI, DAS28, RF, ESR and CRP. The present study provides evidence of the higher prevalence of subclinical ankle involvement in RA patients than in age- and gender-matched healthy controls identified by US.
Commercial buildings are central to cities and contribute significantly to the urban demand for natural resources, including freshwater. Green building benchmarking tools include more efficient water use as key indicator of sustainability. This paper explores options for substituting mains drinking water with an alternative, non-potable water source on a fit for purpose basis. The research findings are based on a monitoring study of a commercial building in Brisbane, Australia that is harvesting rainwater for meeting non-potable water demand. The results demonstrated that the system is only achieving moderate reliability in meeting demand due to operational problems. The case study analysis has highlighted the need to include validation and monitoring to ensure the system is operating as per design intent. The paper also investigates the potential of other local, non-potable water sources for high-rise commercial buildings, in particular air conditioning condensate and groundwater inflow to a basement wet well. The paper concludes by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different local water sources which highlights the need to undertake a site specific investigation to identify a suitable alternative water source, which considers O&M complexity and the capacity of facilities management. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective. To determine the reproducibility of evaluation of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) radiographs among readers with varying levels of experience, and to identify potential drivers of disagreement in classification among 5 predefined radiographic lesion types. Methods. The study sample consisted of 104 consecutive patients aged 18-40 with low back pain >= 3 months of duration who met the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) definition for a positive SIJ magnetic resonance image, or were HLA-B27-positive and had >= 1 spondyloarthritis (SpA)-related clinical/laboratory feature according to the ASAS classification criteria for axial SpA. Seven blinded readers (2 musculoskeletal radiologists, 5 rheumatologists) classified pelvic radiographs according to the modified New York criteria (mNY) and recorded presence/absence of 5 lesion types in both SIJ: erosion, sclerosis, ankylosis, joint space widening, and joint space narrowing. Reproducibility of mNY classification among 21 reader pairs was assessed and potential drivers of disagreement were identified among 5 lesion types. A generalized linear mixed logistic regression model served to analyze to what extent discordance in lesion type was associated with discrepant mNY classification. Results. Mean kappa values (percent concordance) were 0.39 (84.1%) for mNY classification over 21 reader pairs, 0.46 (79.8%) between 2 musculoskeletal radiologists, and 0.55 (86.5%) and 0.36 (77.9%) between the most experienced rheumatologist and the 2 radiologists. Erosion showed the lowest agreement (25%) among patients with discordant classification and gave the highest OR of 13.5 for disagreement. Conclusion. Reproducibility of radiographic SIJ classification in an SpA inception cohort was only fair to at best moderate among 7 readers with varying levels of experience, questioning the applicability of mNY in early SpA.
Environmentally conscious manufacturing process (ECMP) has become an obligation to the environment and to the society itself, enforced primarily by governmental regulations and customer perspective on environmental issues. ECMP involves integrating environmental thinking into new product development. This is especially true in the computer-aided design (CAD) phase which is the last phase in the design process. At this stage, more than 80 % of choices are done. Feature technology (FT), the core of the CAD phase, is then used to integrate environmental aspects. Also, integrations realized on CAD systems, such as computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided process plan (CAPP), and product life management (PLM), are explored to eco-design products. This paper presents a new methodology for the selection of a green manufacturing process based on CAD features and CAD/CAM/CAPP/PLM integrations. Firstly, we present an overview of works using FT in the CAD phase to reduce the environmental impacts of a manufacturing process. Secondly, we propose an approach based on FT for selecting an ECMP to promote a new simple eco-design tool which helps inexperienced eco-designers. Finally, a case study is considered to validate the proposed approach and results are commented.
Endoribonuclease (NendoU) is unique and conserved as a major genetic marker in nidoviruses that infect vertebrate hosts. Arterivirus nonstructural protein 11 (nsp11) was shown to have NendoU activity and play essential roles in the viral life cycle. Here, we report three crystal structures of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and equine arteritis virus (EAV) nsp11 mutants. The structures of arterivirus nsp11 contain two conserved compact domains: the N-terminal domain (NTD) and C-terminal domain (CTD). The structures of PRRSV and EAV endoribonucleases are similar and conserved in the arterivirus, but they are greatly different from that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses (CoV), representing important human pathogens in the Nidovirales order. The catalytic center of NendoU activity is located in the CTD, where a positively charged groove is next to the key catalytic residues conserved in nidoviruses. Although the NTD is nearly identical, the catalytic region of the arterivirus nsp11 family proteins is remarkably flexible, and the oligomerization may be concentration dependent. In summary, our structures provide new insight into this key multifunctional NendoU family of proteins and lay a foundation for better understanding of the molecular mechanism and antiviral drug development. IMPORTANCE Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and equine arteritis virus are two major members of the arterivirus family. PRRSV, a leading swine pathogen, causes reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in young pigs. Due to the lack of a suitable vaccine or effective drug treatment and the quick spread of these viruses, infected animals either die quickly or must be culled. PRRSV costs the swine industry around $ 644 million annually in the United States and almost (sic)1.5 billion in Europe every year. To find a way to combat these viruses, we focused on the essential viral nonstructural protein 11 (nsp11). nsp11 is associated with multiple functions, such as RNA processing and suppression of the infected host innate immunity system. The three structures solved in this study provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of this crucial protein family and will benefit the development of new treatments against these deadly viruses.
Background: Designing evidence-based interventions to address socioeconomic disparities in health and health behaviours requires a better understanding of the specific explanatory mechanisms. We aimed to investigate a comprehensive range of potential theoretical mediators of physical activity (PA) and screen time in different socioeconomic status (SES) groups: a high SES group of high school students, and a low SES group of vocational school students. The COM-B system, including the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), was used as a heuristic framework to synthesise different theoretical determinants in this exploratory study. Methods: Finnish vocational and high school students (N = 659) aged 16-19, responded to a survey assessing psychological, social and environmental determinants of activity (PA and screen time). These determinants are mappable into the COM-B domains: capability, opportunity and motivation. The outcome measures were validated self-report measures for PA and screen time. The statistical analyses included a bootstrapping-based mediation procedure. Results: Regarding PA, there were SES differences in all of the COM-B domains. For example, vocational school students reported using less self-monitoring of PA, weaker injunctive norms to engage in regular PA, and fewer intentions than high school students. Mediation analyses identified potential mediators of the SES-PA relationship in all of three domains: The most important candidates included self-monitoring (CI95 for b: 0.19-0.47), identity (0.04-0.25) and material resources available (0.01-0.16). However, SES was not related to most determinants of screentime, where there were mainly gender differences. Most determinants were similarly related with both behaviours in both SES groups, indicating no major moderation effect of SES on these relationships. Conclusions: This study revealed that already in the first years of educational differentiation, levels of key PA determinants differ, contributing to socioeconomic differences in PA. The analyses identified the strongest mediators of the SES-PA association, but additional investigation utilising longitudinal and experimental designs are needed. This study demonstrates the usefulness of combining constructs from various theoretical approaches to better understand the role of distinct mechanisms that underpin socioeconomic health behaviour disparities.
Leaf Optical Properties (LOPs) convey information relating to temporally dynamic photosynthetic activity and biochemistry. LOPs are also sensitive to variability in anatomically related traits such as Specific Leaf Area (SLA), via the interplay of intra-leaf light scattering and absorption processes. Therefore, variability in such traits, which may demonstrate little plasticity over time, potentially disrupts remote sensing estimates of photosynthesis or biochemistry across space. To help to disentangle the various factors that contribute to the variability of LOPs, we defined baseline variation as variation in LOPs that occurs across space, but not time. Next we hypothesized that there were two main controls of potentially disruptive baseline spatial variability of photosynthetically-related LOPs at our boreal forest site: light environment and species. We measured photosynthetically-related LOPs in conjunction with morphological, biochemical, and photosynthetic leaf traits during summer and across selected boreal tree species and vertical gradients in light environment. We then conducted a detailed correlation analysis to disentangle the spatial factors that control baseline variability of leaf traits and, resultantly, LOPs. Baseline spatial variability of the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) was strongly influenced by species and to a lesser extent light environment. Baseline variability of spectral fluorescence derived LOPs was less influenced by species; however at longer near-infrared wavelengths, light environment was an important control. In summary, remote sensing of chlorophyll fluorescence has good potential to detect variation in photosynthetic performance across space in boreal forests given reduced sensitivity to species related baseline variability in comparison to the PRI. Our results also imply that spatially coarse remote sensing observations are potentially unrepresentative of the full scope of natural variation that occurs within a boreal forest.
This paper presents a design approach for interior permanent-magnet (IPM) machines with variable-flux characteristics using low-coercive-force magnets for improved efficiency and extended operating speed range. A flux-intensifying IPM type with L-d >L-q is used in the design due to positive I-d operation and reduced loaded I-q effects. Design considerations of machine structures and variable-flux machine attributes are discussed. In addition, leakage flux in a rotor is particularly designed to also obtain another flux-varying capability. Evaluation of the designed machine is provided by finite-element analysis simulations and experiments on a proof-of-principle machine. The designed machine shows benefits in increasing efficiency and speed range in a low-torque region when variable magnetization control of the low-coercive-force magnets or the design of the leakage flux proposed in this paper is implemented.
A digital dual-mode linear quadratic regulator (LQR) with feedforward optimal controller is presented, which allows voltage control of a boost converter for wide-load-range condition, whether in continuous conduction mode (CCM) or in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). Based on the conventional LQR method, the proposed controller is designed and makes the following two improvements. First, in order to eliminate the phase error caused by right-half-phase zero emerged in non-minimum phase boost converter, a feedforward controller is implemented by zero phase error tracking control technique because the inverse of non-minimum phase system is unstable. Second, since the models of DC-DC converter in CCM or DCM are different, the proposed control strategy allows boost converter to autonomously operate in CCM or DCM controller by utilising a mode detector. The proposed mode detector greatly enhances the control performance in both operating modes. Finally, the proposed controller has been implemented for voltage control of a boost converter. The simulation and experimental results show the proposed controller offers better performance in both transient response and frequency response than the conventional LQR controller.
This paper presents a monitor assistant system for detection of dangerous events and health diagnostics for patients with dementia. The proposed framework brings together three different types of ambient intelligence: (i) sensors for detecting life-threatening events that can occur at home, like falls and anomalies in vital signs predicting risk of myocardial infarction; (ii) sensors placed under bed-posts for detecting unhealthy poor movement while patients are lying on the bed which can cause bedsores (decubitus); and (iii) analysis of the current cognitive state of patients with dementia by means of serious computer games. This paper presents the framework, methods and sensors used by our system to assist patients with dementia by triggering different type of alarm signals informing which patient needs what and how some help could be provided.
Objective: Very preterm (VP) children are at risk for social difficulties, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used eye tracking to determine viewing behaviors that may reflect these difficulties. Design: The gaze patterns of 47 VP (mean gestational age: 28 weeks, mean birth weight: 948 g, and mean chronological age: 49 months) were assessed while viewing dynamic social scenes and compared with those of 25 typically developing (TD) and 25 children with ASD. The temporo-spatial gaze patterns were summarized on a two-dimensional plane using multidimensional scaling (MDS) and the median of the TD children was used to characterize the gazes of the VP children. Time spent viewing the face was also compared. Results: The VP children formed two clusters: one had a mean MDS distance comparable to that of TD group (n = 32; VP small), and the other had a larger mean distance comparable to that of ASD group (n = 15; VP -large). The VP -large were similar to the ASD group by spending significantly less time viewing the face. Their performance was comparable to the TD during the initial 1 s, but they could not remain focused on the face thereafter. Conclusions: The VP children were objectively classified into two groups based on gaze behaviors. One group was comparable to TD children, whereas the other had difficulty maintaining attention and exhibited atypical viewing behaviors similar to those of the ASD group. Our method may be useful in identifying VP children at higher risk for experiencing social difficulties. (C) 2016 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: The presence of multiple allergies has been correlated with worse outcomes for patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty, but the effect of allergies has not yet been elucidated with respect to shoulder arthroplasty. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study is to identify any discrepancies in shoulder arthroplasty outcomes with respect to reported drug allergies. We hypothesized that patients with multiple drug allergies would have inferior outcomes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Included in the analysis were a single surgeon's cases between 2009 and 2014 of primary total shoulder arthroplasty with a minimum of 180 days of follow-up. Cases with fracture as the indication were excluded. Preoperative and postoperative metrics included visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, forward flexion range of motion, and Simple Shoulder Test (SST) results, and postoperative patient satisfaction scores were also collected. Chi-square and 1-way analysis of variance with Tukey post hoc analyses were performed when appropriate. Results: A total of 98 patients were included (no allergies, n = 51; single allergy, n = 21; multiple allergies, n = 26). The proportion of females was greater with increasing number of allergies (no allergies, 31%; single allergies, 47%; multiple allergies, 88%; Pearson chi(2) = 22.5; P <.0001). Both preoperatively and postoperatively, no difference was found between cohorts with respect to SST score, VAS score, or forward flexion. There was also no difference in postoperative satisfaction between cohorts. No difference between cohorts was identified when comparing the pre- to postoperative change in SST scores, VAS scores, or forward flexion. Conclusion: The presence of single or multiple allergies is not correlated with worse outcomes after primary anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty.
The foreign real-time operating systems were widely used for the last years in Russia-developed aircraft as well as in the Russian Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) research projects. But presently the question of their substitution with Russian analogues has arisen. This article provides the requirements of the operating system should satisfy in order to be used in the civil aviation, the analysis of existing foreign and domestic RTOS and some aspects of the operating system development process.(C)2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Nowadays ICT is becoming a key factor to enhance the energy optimization in our cities. At district level, real-time information can be accessed to monitor and control the energy distribution network. Moreover, the fine grain monitoring and control done at building level can provide additional information to develop more efficient control policies for energy distribution in the district. In this paper we present a distributed software infrastructure for district energy management, which aims to provide a digital archive of the city in which energetic information is available. Such information is considered as the input for a decision system, which aims to increase the energy efficiency by promoting local balancing and shaving peak loads. As case study, we integrated in our proposed cloud the heating distribution network in Turin and we present exploitable options based on real-world environmental data to increase the energy efficiency and minimize the peak request.
Geomembrane tubes are sometimes stacked in layers to form higher flood-control dykes or other types of geotechnical structures. In this study, an analytical solution for two-layer stacked geomembrane tubes is proposed and evaluated using large-scale laboratory model tests. The geometries of the three geomembrane tube models are 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 m in width, and 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0 m in length, respectively. The cross-sections of the two-layer geomembrane tubes obtained from the analytical solutions agree well with those obtained from model tests. The tensile forces measured from the model tests are scattered but show a trend similar to that indicated by the analytical solutions. Parametric studies are also carried out to investigate the major factors that influence the design of geomembrane tubes. Several charts are also produced for the design of two-layer impermeable geomembrane tubes resting on a rigid foundation.
The understanding of cyclic and post-cyclic behaviours of the soil-geosynthetic interface is essential for the design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures under repeated loads, such as those induced by traffic, earthquakes and compaction. In this paper, a series of monotonic direct shear tests and cyclic direct shear integrating monotonic direct shear tests were conducted by using a large-scale direct shear testing device. The effect of normal stresses, cyclic shear amplitude and cycle number on the post-cyclic behaviour of the interface are investigated. In addition, the influence of cyclic shear on interface direct shear behaviour was discussed in detail. The test results indicated that both the peak and residual shear stresses of the interface during the post-cyclic shear phase increased linearly with normal stress and the number of cycles. The volume contraction, which was induced by the direct shear, decreased with the increase in normal stress. The interface apparent adhesion and friction angle increased with the cyclic shear.
Food supply and consumption are critical for sustaining, urban system functions, and are key determinants of the quantity and pathways of nutrient flow in cities. Nutrient elements from urban food consumption are becoming major pollutant sources in urban environments. Therefore, understanding flow magnitude and pathways, the role of a growing population, and changing dietary structure and technology in future nutrient metabolism are essential to understand cities as ecosystems and urban environmental management. Taking the city of Xiamen, a rapid urbanizing area of Southeast China as a case study, we simulated urban metabolism of three major food-sourced nutrient elements (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus or CNP) over 1991-2010 and environmental emissions. Impacts of future population growth, dietary habit change, and waste treatment improvement on various environments were forecast by scenario analysis. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to test how different waste treatment technologies affect environmental emissions from food-sourced nutrients. Our results show that the food-sourced CNP had various metabolic fluxes through urban systems, with carbon mostly emitted into the air and nitrogen and phosphorus mostly discharged into landfills and water. Population growth and dietary structure change will accelerate increases of nutrient emissions to the environment, whereas enhancing current waste treatment technology can just alter emissions to different environments. Based on the results, we discuss how food-sourced nutrient metabolism can be better managed, to enhance connectivity between cities and their hinterlands and maintain environmental emissions within the carrying capacity of the cities. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This article explores the relationship between racial prejudice towards blacks and the black-white self-employment rate gap and provides the first direct empirical evidence that racial prejudice negatively impacts black self-employment, particularly in high start-up cost industries. To perform this analysis, I construct a measure of prejudicial attitudes using responses from the General Social Survey and estimate the relationship between self-employment and this index using the American Community Survey. I find that an amount of prejudice equal to the difference in least and most prejudiced census divisions increases the black-white self-employment rate gap in high start-up cost industries by 10.4-16.8%, depending upon whether parental self-employment is controlled for, and represents the entire impact of racial prejudice on the black-white selfemployment rate gap. Additionally, racial prejudice widens the black-white self-employment income gap by between 6.4% and 8.2% in my full specification, dependent upon how income is measured. Evidence indicates that racial prejudice is causing blacks difficulty in financing their businesses. The results presented are robust to various modelling and data assumptions.
The power factor correction (PFC) converter is commonly used in many applications nowadays. For high power applications, boost PFC converter operated in continuous conduction mode is usually employed. However, at high-line light-load condition, the converter operates in discontinuous conduction mode. This leads to erroneous input current sampling which results in low power factor (PF) and high total harmonic distortion (THD). Moreover, the effect of EMI filter capacitor causes the displacement between the input current and input voltage. This paper proposes a digital control method to improve PF and reduce THD by using the current sample correction algorithm, duty ratio feed forward for current controller and EMI filter capacitance current injection algorithm. The increase of PF and reduction of THD are demonstrated by experiments on a 400W boost PFC converter.
Theories that explain the governance of water, such as integrated river basin management and multilevel water governance, point to scalar configurations of power as critical determinants of success (or failure). This article explains how the scalar configurations of power in water governance mirror those of the Chinese State, and influence water governance in powerful ways. We use the case of the Yangtze River and Shanghai, a megacity in the Yangtze estuary, as examples, showing how a local jurisdiction exercises its regulatory measures against different types of transjurisdictional water pollution and how these regulatory measures mirror the fluidity (or rigidity) of power configurations in hydropolitics in China. China's evolving water resource management institutions are as yet unable to address the scalar configurations of power in water governance.
How do varying levels of inter-group contact affect voter preferences in connection with ethnically radical political candidates and parties? Two competing hypotheses have emerged in the last 60 years: the first, known as the group threat hypothesis, argues that voters from an ethnic or religious group in more ethnically or racially heterogeneous districts will exhibit stronger preferences for ethnically radical political candidates. The contact hypothesis argues that groups living in mixed localities are actually less likely to support ethnic radicals. Both perspectives have found empirical support, but no previous study has offered a theoretical explanation for two seemingly contradictory conclusions. We specify just such a theory, arguing that the effect of district level integration is conditioned by the direction of a group's share of the national population. We test this theory quantitatively using electoral data from Northern Ireland between 1983 and 2010.
This paper presents an experimental study of the structural dynamics and the wake vortex modes of a lightly damped, elastically mounted cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibration (VIV) in the transverse direction. The cylinder is neutrally buoyant with the mass ratio m* = 1.0, and has a low damping coefficient zeta=0.0173. The influence of variation in the free-stream velocity (corresponding to the reduced velocity range 1.53 <= U* <= 6.62, or the Reynolds number range 3000 <= Re <= 13,000) on the structural dynamics of the cylinder is examined, in conjunction with detailed flow measurements around the cylinder using digital Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The cylinder is stationary at U*= 3.05 (or in synchronization regime). The vibrating cylinder exhibits the so-called soft synchronization phenomenon that the vortex shedding frequency is synchronbus with the structural vibration frequency (or response frequency) of the cylinder, rather than with the natural frequency of the system. The measured data for the cylinder undergoing VIV fall within the initial branch and the upper branches, and agree well with published data on free vibrating cylinders at similar low mass and damping. The transition from initial-to upper-branch is characterized by a switch of vortex formation mode from the classical 2S mode to the newly-discovered 2P(O) mode by Morse and Williamson (2009, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 634, pp. 5-39) based on a forced vibrating cylinder. The distinction between the 2S and 2P(O) modes is vivid in terms of length- and velocity-scales of the shed vortices, and is also reflected by quantitative characterization of near-wake flow statistics, including the mean and turbulence properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The immune function of the chicken spleen depends on its different compartments of red and white pulps, but little is known about the mechanism underlying lymphocyte homing towards the different compartments. In the present study, the role of lymphocyte homing in the chicken spleen was investigated during lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Morphological analysis demonstrated the cuboidal endothelial cells of the splenic sheathed capillary facilitated the passage of lymphocyte homing to the chicken spleen. The tissue-specific adhesion molecules-vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MADCAM-1) expressed on the sheathed capillary, which suggested the high endothelial venule (HEV)-like vessels of the chicken spleen. Electron microscope analysis showed LPS activated the endothelium of the sheathed capillary and recruited lymphocytes to the chicken spleen. Transferring of 5, 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester (CFSE) labeled lymphocytes depicted the rout of lymphocyte homing to the compartments of the chicken spleen was from the white pulp to the red pulp. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of adhesion molecular integrin beta 1 and VCAM-1 increased after LPS stimulation. The mechanism underlying the integrin beta 1 and VCAM-1 during LPS stimulation might be associated with the integrin linked kinase (ILK)-dependent regulation of protein kinase B (PKB/AKT). This study firstly shows lymphocyte homing in the chicken spleen after LPS-induced inflammation. These results contribute to our knowledge of comparative immunology and provide a better means for investigating the pharmacological strategies concerning the possible role of lymphocyte homing in inflammation and immunological reactions in infectious disease.
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) relies on open programmability of network devices, which is achieved by defining new communication interfaces, network operating systems, and changing the traditional decision-making logic of regular TCP/IP networks. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), in turn, permits virtualizing network functions that are traditionally performed by physical middleboxes (e.g., firewalling and intrusion detection/prevention). Although SDN and NFV improve the flexibility of the management of computer networks, SDN remains vulnerable to major network security problems, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks typically result in the disruption of network services and resources. In this paper, we introduce ANSwer, an architecture that combines NFV and SDN features to create sophisticated network resilience strategies. ANSwer relies on a feedback control-loop which explores SDN features to monitor and analyze the behavior of the network infrastructure, indicating whether parts of an existing resilience strategy can be reconfigured to achieve more satisfactory results, or if an entire resilience strategy needs to be added or replaced. Our experiments demonstrate that ANSwer can rapidly identify and handle distinct anomalies in different scenarios, indicating that the reconfiguration and deployment of resilience strategies can be performed in real-time.
Wheeled vehicles are responsible for a substantial portion of dissipated energy while the share of tire-ground interface is among the most role playing elements in this regard. The vibrations and kinetics of a traversing wheel over an obstacle is a paradigm that can serve as a functional example for energy dissipation of wheeled vehicles. This paper communicates the analysis of the dissipated energy for a traveling wheel at collision time with obstacles while a controlled laboratory condition of the soil bin facility equipped with a single wheel-tester rig was utilized to carry out the experiments. The tests were conducted as affected by wheel load, obstacle height, obstacle geometry, slippage and speed. It was inferred that the increment of collision speed, obstacle height and tire slippage lead to the increase of the dissipated energy; however, the complexity lies in the contradictory effect of wheel load. This can be attributed to the nonlinear wheel dynamics and the vibration attenuation process. It has to be emphasized that the outcome of this study would serve as a functional catalyst for the extensive researches concerned with the machine design industry and the heavy vehicle trafficking management. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Satellite remote sensing image often suffers from haze degradation, which deteriorates significantly the effect of data intelligibility and interpretability. Hence, haze removal technique is essential for inferring high quality images with clear visibility to improve the application value of the satellite images. Thin haze removal is a challenging task since the estimation of haze component is easily affected by ground features. To solve the problem, this paper develops an effective haze removal method for a single visible remote sensing image. Firstly, haze is considered as an additive contamination and can be represented by a haze thickness map (HTM). A ground radiance suppressed HTM (GRS-HTM) is then proposed for a more precise estimation of haze distribution. The haze component for each band is calculated via GRS-HTM and can be removed to recover the clear image. Several visible satellite images with different resolutions were tested to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The evaluation results with qualitative and quantitative assessments demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the traditional methods, and can recover a haze-free image with high quality. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A designed nontoxic, nonhemolytiC 11-residue peptide, NF11 (NAVRWSLMRPF), not only inhibits the aggregation of amyloid beta (A beta 40) protein but also,disaggregates the preformed oligomers and mature A beta fibrils, thereby reducing associated-toxicity. NMR experiments provide evidence of NF11's ability to inhibit fibril formation, primarily through interaction with the N-terminus region as well as the central hydrophobic cluster of A beta 40. NF11 has micromolar binding affinity toward both monomeric and aggregated species for efficient clearance of toxic aggregates. From these in vitro results, the future development of a next generation peptidomimetic therapeutic agent for amyloid disease may be possible.
The novel generalized perturbation (n, M)-fold Darboux transformations (DTs) are reported for the (2 + 1)-dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation and its extension by using the Taylor expansion of the Darboux matrix. The generalized perturbation (1, N - 1) fold DTs are used to find their higher-order rational solitons and rogue wave solutions in terms of determinants. The dynamics behaviors of these rogue waves are discussed in detail for different parameters and time, which display the interesting RW and soliton structures including the triangle, pentagon, heptagon profiles, etc. Moreover, we find that a new phenomenon that the parameter (a) can control the wave structures of the KP equation from the higher-order rogue waves (a not equal 0) into higher-order rational solitons (a = 0) in (x, t)-space with y = const. These results may predict the corresponding dynamical phenomena in the models of fluid mechanics and other physically relevant systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A new enveloped following (EF) method based on high-order Obreshkov integration formula is presented. The new method is suitable for transient analysis of highly oscillatory circuits with widely separated time-scales. In addition, the proposed algorithm is capable of producing high-order numerically stable approximation of the transient response. The use of high-order formulas leads to a significant reduction in the computational time compared to low-order EF methods because it allows taking large steps in time while keeping the same accuracy.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) abnormalities at entheseal sites in patients with early psoriatic arthritis (PsA) na < ve to traditional and biologic DMARDs and to compare the PDUS findings with clinical examination. PsA patients with early disease and na < ve to traditional and biologic DMARDs were consecutively enrolled in this study. Patients underwent PDUS examination of the following bilateral entheseal sites: common extensor tendon at its insertion at the lateral humeral epicondyle; quadriceps tendon at its insertion at the superior pole of the patella; patellar tendon at its insertion at the tibial tuberosity; medial collateral ligament at its proximal insertion and Achilles tendon at its insertion at the calcaneus. The Leeds enthesitis index (LEI) was used to assess clinical entheseal involvement. Twenty-one early PsA patients completed the clinical and PDUS examinations. Clinical entheseal involvement was found in 9 (42.9 %) and PDUS abnormalities in 20 (95.5 %) of the 21 early PsA patients. Achilles tendon insertion was the site with the major entheseal abnormalities. Active (power Doppler positive) entheseal lesions were found in 4.7, 9.5, 14.3 and 14.3 % of patients at the lateral humeral epicondyle; quadriceps tendon, patellar tendon insertions, and Achilles tendon insertions, respectively. Concordance between clinical (LEI) and PDUS was poor. The present study confirms that PDUS allows detecting structural and inflammatory abnormalities of enthesis in early PsA patients. Our study shows that, in early disease, active abnormalities seem to have a low prevalence.
Water pollution is a major environmental problem in the United States. To improve the surface water quality of the 2,493 ha (6,160 ac) Coulee Baton watershed in Louisiana, a collaborative nonpoint source pollution control study was initiated in 2004. Conservation measures and best management practices (BMPs) including cross-fencing of pasturelands (726.9 m [2,385 ft]), irrigation land leveling (12.9 ha [32 ac]), grade stabilization structures (two), irrigation water pipeline (975.4 m [3,200 ft]), and a livestock well covering a total of 92.7 ha (229 ac) of agricultural land, and repair or replacement of 80 septic systems in the watershed were voluntarily implemented by landowners and homeowners. Water samples were collected from seven monitoring sites for 66 rain events from September 24, 2009, to August 9, 2011. Laboratory determinations of water samples included total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), nitrate/nitrite-nitrogen (NO3/NO2-N), soluble reactive phosphate (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), total Kjeldahl N (TKN), chloride (Cl), fluoride (Fl), sulfate (SO4), and fecal coliform counts. Surface water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, conductivity, and pH were determined in the field using YSI Sonde (YSI Incorporated, Yellow Springs, Ohio). For the watershed, DO, BOD5, and TS concentrations and fecal coliform count ranged, respectively, between 1.2 and 14.1 mg L-1 (ppm), 2 and 40.1 mg L-1, 35 and 5,719 mg L-1, and 400 x 10(6) and 17 x 10(6) most probable number (MPN) per 100 mL. The months of March, April, June, and September showed, on average, higher concentrations of TS and TDS, fecal coliform count, NO3/NO2-N, and SRP and TP, respectively. As compared to the ongoing BMPs, the post-BMPs, TSS, NO3/NO2-N, SRP, and BOD5 concentrations, on average, were lower by 56.2%, 23.1%, 82.5%, and 27.4%, respectively. Developed land use types and the failed septic systems were identified as major sources of fecal coliform pollution. These results suggest comprehensive strategies are necessary for effective nonpoint source pollution control in agricultural watersheds.
Objectives: Prejudice against Native Americans as an overall group generally polarizes into positive and negative stereotypic extremes, but distinct subgroups may explain this variability. Method: Using college student samples (Study 1), a preliminary study identified common Native American subgroups and then a main study (N = 153, 74% women, 73% White, mean age = 19 years) had participants rate these subgroups on basic dimensions of stereotype content (i.e., warmth and competence), elicited emotions (e.g., admiration, contempt), and elicited behaviors (e.g., facilitation, harm). In Study 2, these preliminary study and main study procedures were replicated using nationwide samples (main study: N = 139, 51% women, 78% White, mean age = 35 years). Results: For the most part, similar Native American subgroups emerged in both samples. Using the stereotype content model (SCM; Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002), the subgroups were found to vary along a competence-by-warmth space. The majority of subgroups (e.g., alcoholics, lazy) were judged low in both competence and warmth. Additional subgroups (e.g., casino operators, warriors) were ambivalently judged as high on competence but low on warmth. Subgroups perceived as high in both competence and warmth elicited more admiration, those low in both competence and warmth elicited more contempt, those high in competence elicited more passive facilitation and less passive harm, and those high in warmth elicited more active facilitation and less active harm. Conclusions: Native American stereotypes are apparently characterized by both noble and ignoble subgroups, highlighting the importance of studying stereotypes at the subgroup level.
A networking laboratory is an essential tool for teaching communications engineering. However, the effort and cost invested in creating a networking laboratory with physical equipment are significantly high, especially if the students are to work on realistic scenarios. By substituting physical networking devices by virtualized ones, virtualization technologies may contribute to simplify the laboratory management tasks and allow the creation of affordable and more complex network scenarios. In this way, students can work and experiment on realistic network scenarios, so that their learning experience is greatly improved. In this paper a detailed description of a virtualization-based networking laboratory model, evolved over the last 10 years of authors experience in teaching computer networking, is provided. This laboratory model is implemented using Virtual Networks over linuX (VNX), an open source tool specifically designed and developed to define, build, deploy and manage networking scenarios taking full advantage of virtualization, and supporting hybrid virtual/physical scenarios and heterogeneous operating systems. The features of the VNX tool, illustrated with an example of a complex network scenario used by more than 300 students, are described. A survey-based assessment of the usage experience of VNX is included in the paper, showing the validity and efficacy of the proposed laboratory model and of the VNX tool for teaching computer networking in laboratory assignments.
This paper presents the results of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model study of the hydraulics of groundwater flow and porous pipe underdrains. The study was conducted using a three-dimensional CFD model built in ANSYS Fluent. The model was validated by replicating previous experimental results of saturated subsurface flow (water surface level above the aggregate) for a 10.2-cm perforated pipe shrouded in loose laid aggregate. The CFD model consistently overpredicted the flow rate for a given head and aggregate depth by an average of 11%. After considering the effect of pipe perforation blockage due to aggregate, the average overprediction decreased to only 6%. The discharge coefficient for the perforated pipe computed using the CFD model was 0.54 compared with 0.49 from experiments. It was also found that the discharge was quite small at the upstream end of the pipe, with the bulk of the water entering the pipe in the vicinity of the outlet. Finally, the computational results showed that, for saturated flow conditions, the flow was predominantly in the vertical direction within the aggregate whereas it was mainly horizontal when the water surface level was below the top of the aggregate level (unsaturated condition). The losses associated with the two flow scenarios were explored. The results obtained have practical applications in the design and analysis of porous pipe underdrains.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate high-speed machine design enabled through the use of silicon-carbide based power electronic inverters. Silicon carbide based switching devices have superior properties compared to silicon based devices, and they are able to change the paradigm for high-speed machine design. High-speed machines with a higher number of poles are shown to reduce the machine weight and volume compared to low-pole number machines. Silicon carbide inverters can readily provide the high fundamental frequency requirement of high-pole number machines due to its MOSFET characteristics. From a system level optimization perspective, research results presented in this paper indicate that control laws that optimize the high-speed machine can be given higher priorities than designs that optimize the inverter, because the penalties of oversizing and loss aspects from the inverter are much less prominent by using silicon carbide devices than silicon devices.
In a city there are numerous items, many of them unnoticed but essential; this is the case of the signals. Signals are considered objects with reduced technological interest, but in this paper we prove that making them smart and integrating in the IoT (Internet of Things) could be a relevant contribution to the Smart City. This paper presents the concept of Smart Signal, as a device conscious of its context, with communication skills, able to offer the best message to the user, and as a ubiquitous element that contributes with information to the city. We present the design considerations and a real implementation and validation of the system in one of the most challenging environments that may exist in a city: a tunnel. The main advantages of the Smart Signal are the improvement of the actual functionality of the signal providing new interaction capabilities with users and a new sensory mechanism of the Smart City.
Purpose Unintentional injuries occur frequently and many of the accident survivors suffer from temporary or permanent disabilities. Although most accident victims recover quickly, a significant fraction of them shows a complicated recovery process and accounts for the majority of disability costs. Thus, early identification of vulnerable persons may be beneficial for compensation schemes, government bodies, as well as for the worker themselves. Here we present the Work and Health Questionnaire (WHQ), a screening tool that is already implemented in the case management process of the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva). Moreover, we demonstrate its prognostic value for identifying workers at risk of a complicated recovery process. Methods A total of 1963 injured workers answered the WHQ within the first 3 months after their accident. All of them had minor to moderate accidental injuries; severely injured workers were excluded from the analyses. The anonymized individual-level data were extracted from insurance databases. We examined construct validity by factorial analyses, and prognostic validity by hierarchical multiple regression analyses on days of work disability. Further, we evaluated well-being and job satisfaction 18 months post-injury in a subsample of 192 injured workers (9.8 %) Results Factor analyses supported five underlying factors (Job Design, Work Support, Job Strain, Somatic Condition/Pain, and Anxiety/Worries). These subscales were moderately correlated, thus indicating that different subscales measured different aspects of work and health-related risk factors of injured workers. Item analysis and reliability analysis showed accurate psychometric properties. Each subscale was predictive at least for one of the evaluated outcomes 18 months post-injury. Conclusion The WHQ shows good psychometric qualities with high clinical utility to identify injured persons with multiple psychosocial risk factors. Thus, the questionnaire appears to be suitable for exploring different rehabilitation needs among minor to moderate injured workers.
The primary hypothesis stated by this paper is that the use of social choice theory in Ambient Intelligence systems can improve significantly users' satisfaction when accessing shared resources. A research methodology based on agent based social simulations is employed to support this hypothesis and to evaluate these benefits. The result is a sixfold contribution summarized as follows. Firstly, several considerable differences between this application case and the most prominent social choice application, political elections, have been found and described. Secondly, given these differences, a number of metrics to evaluate different voting systems in this scope have been proposed and formalized. Thirdly, given the presented application and the metrics proposed, the performance of a number of well known electoral systems is compared. Fourthly, as a result of the performance study, a novel voting algorithm capable of obtaining the best balance between the metrics reviewed is introduced. Fifthly, to improve the social welfare in the experiments, the voting methods are combined with cluster analysis techniques. Finally, the article is complemented by a free and open-source tool, VoteSim, which ensures not only the reproducibility of the experimental results presented, but also allows the interested reader to adapt the case study presented to different environments. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
It is well known that emotions intersect with obvious social categories (e.g., race), influencing both how targets are categorized and the emotions that are read from their faces. Here, we examined the influence of emotional expression on the perception of less obvious group memberships for which, in the absence of obvious and stable physical markers, emotion may serve as a major avenue for group categorization and identification. Specifically, we examined whether emotions are embedded in the mental representations of sexual orientation and political affiliation, and whether people may use emotional expressions to communicate these group memberships to others. Using reverse correlation methods, we found that mental representations of gay and liberal faces were characterized by more positive facial expressions than mental representations of straight and conservative faces (Study 1). Furthermore, participants were evaluated as expressing more positive emotions when enacting self-defined gay and liberal versus straight and conservative facial expressions in the lab (Study 2). In addition, neutral faces morphed with happiness were perceived as more gay than when morphed with anger, and when compared to unmorphed controls (Study 3). Finally, we found that affect facilitated perceptions of sexual orientation and political affiliation in naturalistic settings (Study 4). Together, these studies suggest that emotion is a defining characteristic of person construal that people tend to use both when signaling their group memberships and when receiving those signals to categorize others.
Effectively analyzing and then treating energy-related air pollution requires examining every factor, from the pollution source to the end of treatment. This paper applies index decomposition analysis and a whole process treatment perspective to identify the factors facilitating air pollution reduction across three stages: source prevention, process control, and end-of-pipe treatment. Empirical research using data from China's Jiangsu Province and its 13 cities reveals differences in local approaches to pollution prevention. At the provincial level, end-of-pipe treatment remains the primary approach to control air pollution emissions, indicating that the pattern of pollute first, govern later has not yet been fundamentally reversed. At the city level, 13 cities can be divided into four types, based on their approach to air pollution treatment: the leading type, process-dependent type, end-dependent type, and lagging type. Of these, 7 cities are using multiple control approaches, reflecting the comprehensive effect of whole process treatment. The Jiangsu Province should consider further strengthening effective whole process air pollution treatment models, by transitioning to pollution control, adjusting industrial structure, promoting technological progress, and consuming clean energy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We present a frame-invariant method for detecting coherent structures from Lagrangian flow trajectories that can he sparse in number, as is the case in many fluid mechanics applications of practical interest. 'The method, based on principles used in graph colouring and spectral graph drawing algorithms, examines a measure of the kinematic dissimilarity of all pairs of fluid trajectories, measured either experimentally, e.g. using particle tracking velocimetry, or numerically, by advecting fluid particles in the Eulerian velocity field. Coherence is assigned to groups of particles whose kinematics remain similar throughout the time interval for which trajectory data are available, regardless of their physical proximity to one another. Through the use of several analytical and experimental validation cases, this algorithm is shown to robustly detect coherent structures using significantly less flow data than are required by existing spectral graph theory methods.
This paper is concerned with the sampling-interval-dependent stability of linear sampled-data systems with non-uniform sampling. A new Lyapunov-like functional is constructed to derive sampling-interval-dependent stability results. The Lyapunov-like functional has three features. First, it depends on time explicitly. Second, it may be discontinuous at the sampling instants. Third, it is not required to be positive definite between sampling instants. Moreover, the new Lyapunov-like functional can make use of the information fully of the sampled-data system, including that of both ends of the sampling interval. By making a new proposition for the Lyapunov-like functional, a sampling-interval-dependent stability criterion with reduced conservatism is derived. The new sampling-interval-dependent stability criterion is further extended to linear sampled-data systems with polytopic uncertainties. Finally, examples are given to illustrate the reduced conservatism of the stability criteria.
Recently, by changing security requirements of computer networks, many public key schemes are introduced. One major shortcoming of identity-based cryptosystems is key screw. Certificateless public key cryptosystems were introduced to solve this problem. In this paper, a certificateless, public-key, multiple-key-agreement scheme will be offered which has some significant security properties such as perfect forward secrecy, strong security, and zero-knowledge proof. This scheme produces far more shared hidden keys per session in comparison with many existing schemes. In this paper, the security and the efficiency of the proposed scheme will be compared with some well-known current schemes.
Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology will enable next generation radars achieve better jamming resistance capability and low probability of intercept by spreading their emissions over a wide frequency range. These radars systems consist of a large number of transmit/receive modules (TRMs) which are electronically scanned in a tight time-synchronized manner. This requires digital control to move closer to the radio front end on the antennas. Other emerging technologies, such as cognitive radars and MIMO radars, will continue to drive the need for complex timing, synchronization, and high mix RF and digital measurement requirements. To meet these challenges, radar engineers will need a platform based approach which delivers capabilities such as multi-channel phase aligned measurements over wide bandwidths and high-throughput streaming. This paper discusses the fundamentals of AESA radars and trends in radar systems. It analyzes the impact of these trends on test system architecture and explains how the advances in PXI modular instrumentation can meet these challenging requirements.
The genetic changes responsible for evolutionary transitions from generalist to specialist phenotypes are poorly understood. Here we examine the genetic basis of craniofacial traits enabling novel trophic specialization in a sympatric radiation of Cyprinodon pupfishes endemic to San Salvador Island, Bahamas. This recent radiation consists of a generalist species and two novel specialists: a small-jawed snail-eater and a large-jawed scale-eater. We genotyped 12 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by whole-genome resequencing of 37 individuals of all three species from nine populations and integrated genome-wide divergence scans with association mapping to identify divergent regions containing putatively causal SNPs affecting jaw size-the most rapidly diversifying trait in this radiation. A mere 22 fixed variants accompanied extreme ecological divergence between generalist and scale-eater species. We identified 31 regions (20 kb) containing variants fixed between specialists that were significantly associated with variation in jaw size which contained 11 genes annotated for skeletal system effects and 18 novel candidate genes never previously associated with craniofacial phenotypes. Six of these 31 regions showed robust signs of hard selective sweeps after accounting for demographic history. Our data are consistent with predictions based on quantitative genetic models of adaptation, suggesting that the effect sizes of regions influencing jaw phenotypes are positively correlated with distance between fitness peaks on a complex adaptive landscape.
In underground mining, machine design is predominantly dictated by mine conditions and individual customer desires. In partnership with Foresight Energy, J. H. Fletcher & Company was tasked to design and manufacture a new roof bolting machine with six independent drilling apparatus on board capable of drilling and bolting the roof and ribs with material handling. The objective was to produce a machine capable of drilling and installing six bolts simultaneously with a limited number of operators. The goal of the mine is to decrease the time to bolt a cut to improve the safety level of the current roof bolting method, improve efficiency and to improve the bottom line cost of entry development. The customer wanted four drills at the front of the machine dedicated to installing roof bolts and then another two drills behind them dedicated to rib bolts. This dictated the requirement of latched controls, which would allow the operator to start drilling one hole and then latch the controls to be able to move on to the next. The result of the design is a machine with a single platform and six independent masts with drillheads: four masts strictly for drilling and installing roof bolts on the front of the platform and two masts on the back of the platform for rib bolts. The controls at each operator's station include a latch control for drilling. The six-head roof bolter allows fewer operators to drill and install roof and rib bolts, which in turn lowers the miners' roof exposure per cut. This design reduces the operator's exposure from the inherent pinch points and rotary hazards once he has engaged the latch drilling. Therefore, the machine will help to decrease the time to bolt a cut, improving productivity while enhancing the ability to operate the machine safely. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of China University of Mining & Technology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This paper presents a new hybrid desalination approach comprising of evacuated solar water heater, jut geotextile and solar still. An evacuated solar water heater is integrated with the desalination stills to evaluate the continuity production of distillate. Two identical portable solar wick and one basin solar stills were designed to evaluate the systems performance. Jut linen woven fabrics were stitched to the plane wick (lengthwise and crosswise) and integrated with solar still. The jut fabrics were used to reduce the rate of water flow to the appropriate rate. The following variables are studied: Single and double layers wick; plane wick, lengthwise and crosswise linen; feeding hot water during night and two base slope angles of wick still (20 and 30 degrees). Theoretical analysis is verified through experiments. Water productivity is increased by 114% over conventional still for double layer square wick (DLSW) solar still at 30 degrees base slope angle. The daily average efficiency of DLSW was 71.5%. During experimentation, the distillate water productivity increased by 215% when hot brackish water was fed during night time. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recently, many researchers have attempted to classify Facial Attributes (FAs) by representing characteristics of FAs such as attractiveness, age, smiling and so on. In this context, recent studies have demonstrated that visual FAs are a strong background for many applications such as face verification, face search and so on. However, Facial Attribute Classification (FAC) in a wide range of attributes based on the regression representation-predicting of FAs as real-valued labels- is still a significant challenge in computer vision and psychology. In this paper, a regression model formulation is proposed for FAC in a wide range of FAs (e.g. 73 FAs). The proposed method accommodates real-valued scores to the probability of what percentage of the given FAs is present in the input image. To this end, two simultaneous dictionary learning methods are proposed to learn the regression and identity feature dictionaries simultaneously. Accordingly, a multi-level feature extraction is proposed for FAC. Then, four regression classification methods are proposed using a regression model formulated based on dictionary learning, SRC and CRC. Convincing results are acquired to handle a wide range of FAs and represent the probability of FAs on the PubFig, LFW, Groups and 10k US Adult Faces databases compared to several state-of-the-art methods. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
IPv6 was designed to solve the issue of adopting IPv4 addresses by presenting a large number of address spaces. Currently, many networking devices consider IPv6 as a supportive IPv6-enabled device that includes routers, notebooks, personal computers, and mobile phones. Security has increasingly become a significant issue in exploiting networks and obtaining the benefits of IPv6. One of the important protocols in IPv6 implementation that is used for neighbor and router discovery is ICMPv6. However, this protocol can be used by attackers to deny network services through ICMPv6 DDoS flooding attacks that decrease the network performance. To solve this problem, this study proposes an intelligent ICMPv6 DDoS flooding-attack detection framework using back-propagation neural network (v6IIDS) in IPv6 networks. This study also explores and analyzes the detection accuracy of the proposed v6IIDS framework. The effectiveness of the v6IIDS framework is demonstrated by using real data-sets obtained from an NAv6 laboratory. The data-set traffic is based on a test-bed environment created on the basis of certain parameters used as inputs to generate a new data-set. The results prove that the proposed framework is capable of detecting ICMPv6 DDoS flood attacks with a detection accuracy rate of 98.3%.
Anthropological studies based on the highly polymorphic gene, human leukocyte antigen (HLA), provide useful information for bone marrow donor registry, forensic medicine, disease association studies, as well as infertility treatment, designing peptide vaccines against tumors, and infectious or autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to determine HLA-A and HLA-B allele frequencies in 100 unrelated Lak/laek/individuals from Lorestan province of Iran. Finally, we compared the resultswith that previously described in Iranian population. Commercial HLA-Type kits from BAG (Lich, Germany) company were used for determination of the HLA-A and HLA-B allele frequencies in genomic DNA, based on polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) assay. The differences between the populations in distribution of HLA-A and HLA-B alleles were estimated by chi-squared test with Yate's correction. The most frequent HLA-A alleles were *24 (20%), *02 (18%), *03 (12%) and *11 (10%), and the most frequent HLA-B alleles were *35 (24%), *51 (16%), *18 (6%) and *38 (6%) in Lak population. HLA-A*66 (1%), *74(1%) and HLA-B*48 (1%), *55(1%) were the least observed frequencies in Lak population. Our results based on HLA-A and HLA-B allele frequencies showed that Lak population possesses the previously reported general features of Iranians but still with unique. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Random Forest (RF) is a widely used classifier to show a good performance of hyperspectral data classification. However, such performance could be improved by increasing the diversity that characterizes the ensemble architecture. In this paper, we propose a novel ensemble approach, namely rotation random forest via kernel principal component analysis (RoRF-KPCA). In particular, the original feature space is first randomly split into several subsets, and KPCA is performed on each subset to extract high order statistics. The obtained feature sets are merged and used as input to an RF classifier. Finally, the results achieved at each step are fused by a majority vote. Experimental analysis is conducted using real hyperspectral remote sensing images to evaluate the performance of the proposed method in comparison with RF, rotation forest, support vector machines, and RoRF-PCA. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
We consider how to privately determine whether a private set owned by Bob is a subset of another private set owned by Alice. This problem has many applications in online collaboration. We first propose an encoding method to encode a set to a vector, which can reduce a set computation problem to a vector computation. Based on this encoding scheme and two different homomorphic encryption schemes, we present two efficient protocols for private subset problem in case where both private sets are subsets of a known universal set. These protocols are secure both in the semi-honest model and in the malicious model. We then show how to use these protocols to privately determine whether a private number is a factor of another private number. (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Though present in low numbers, dendritic cells (DCs) are recognized as major players in the control of cancer by adaptive immunity. The roles of cytotoxic CD8(+) T-cells and Th1 helper CD4(+) T-cells are well-documented in murine models of cancer and associated with a profound prognostic impact when infiltrating human tumors, but less information is known about how these T-cells gain access to the tumor or how they are primed to become tumor-specific. Here, we highlight recent findings that demonstrate a vital role of CD103(+) DCs, which have been shown to be experts in cross-priming and the induction of anti-tumor immunity. We also focus on two different mediators that impair the function of tumor-associated DCs: prostaglandin E-2 and beta-catenin. Both of these mediators seem to be important for the exclusion of T-cells in the tumor microenvironment and may represent key pathways to target in optimized treatment regimens against cancer.
Infants at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have difficulty integrating smiles into initiating joint attention (IJA) bids. A specific IJA pattern, anticipatory smiling, may communicate preexisting positive affect when an infant smiles at an object and then turns the smile toward the social partner. We compared the development of anticipatory smiling at 8, 10, and 12 months in infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk siblings) and without ASD (low-risk siblings). High-risk siblings produced less anticipatory smiling than low-risk siblings, suggesting early differences in communicating preexisting positive affect. While early anticipatory smiling distinguished the risk groups, IJA not accompanied by smiling best predicted later severity of ASD-related behavioral characteristics among high-risk siblings. High-risk infants appear to show lower levels of motivation to share positive affect with others. However, facility with initiating joint attention in the absence of a clear index of positive affective motivation appears to be central to the prediction of ASD symptoms.
Clustering plays an important role in data mining, pattern recognition, and machine learning. Then, single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs) can describe and handle indeterminate and inconsistent information, while fuzzy sets and intuitionistic fuzzy sets cannot describe and deal with it. To cluster the information represented by single-valued neutrosophic data, this paper proposes single-valued neutrosophic clustering algorithms based on similarity measures of SVNSs. Firstly, we introduce a similarity measure between SVNSs based on the min and max operators and propose another new similarity measure between SVNSs. Then, we present clustering algorithms based on the similarity measures of SVNSs for the clustering analysis of single-valued neutrosophic data. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the single-valued neutrosophic clustering algorithms.
The Chinese Mapping Satellite 1-02 (MS1-02) was launched on May 6, 2012, and can provide wide-swath remote sensing images through stitching together subimages acquired by a panchromatic sensor (PAN). However, the limited stitching precision caused by the particular configuration of the PAN reduces the geometric quality of images, which restricts their application. In this letter, we propose a new image-space stitching approach based on the differential recursion optimal estimation filter for PAN images and describe it in detail. To validate the correctness and advantages of our method, experiments were run on several sets of matching points with different characteristics and images with different geographic conditions. The results show that images with seamless visual effect and subpixel-level stitching precision can be obtained.
Direct research on gut microbiota for understanding its role as 'an important organ' in human individuals is difficult owing to its vast diversity and host specificity as well as ethical concerns. Transplantation of human gut microbiota into surrogate hosts can significantly facilitate the research of human gut ecology, metabolism and immunity but rodents-based model provides results with low relevance to humans. A new human flora-associated ( HFA) piglet model was hereby established taking advantage of the high similarity between pigs and humans with respect to the anatomy, physiology and metabolism of the digestive system. Piglets were delivered via cesarean section into a SPF-level barrier system and were inoculated orally with a whole fecal suspension from one healthy 10-year-old boy. The establishment and composition of the intestinal microbiota of the HFA piglets were analyzed and compared with that of the human donor using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence-PCR fingerprinting-based community DNA hybridization, group-specific PCR-temperature gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time PCR. Molecular profiling demonstrated that transplantation of gut microbiota from a human to germfree piglets produced a donor-like microbial community with minimal individual variation. And the microbial succession with aging of those ex-germfree piglets was also similar to that observed in humans. This HFA model provides a significantly improved system for research on gut ecology in human metabolism, nutrition and drug discovery.
The presence of micropollutants in the environment has triggered research on quantifying and predicting their fate in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Since the removal of micropollutants is highly related to conventional pollutant removal and affected by hydraulics, aeration, biomass composition and solids concentration, the fate of these conventional pollutants and characteristics must be well predicted before tackling models to predict the fate of micropollutants. In light of this, the current paper presents the dynamic modelling of conventional pollutants undergoing activated sludge treatment using a limited set of additional daily composite data besides the routine data collected at a WWTP over one year. Results showed that as a basis for modelling, the removal of micropollutants, the Burger-Diehl settler model was found to capture the actual effluent total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations more efficiently than the Takacs model by explicitly modelling the overflow boundary. Results also demonstrated that particular attention must be given to characterizing incoming TSS to obtain a representative solids balance in the presence of a chemically enhanced primary treatment, which is key to predict the fate of micropollutants.
This paper describes the construction and testing of six 1-m-high model embankments constructed at three different gravimetric water content (GWC) values to study their performance and to validate a set of moisture reduction factors (MRFs) introduced by the authors in their recent studies. The earlier MRF values were obtained from a series of pullout and interface shear tests on the same soil and reinforcement materials. The MRF in this study is defined as the ratio of soil-reinforcement interface shear strength at an increased GWC value [e.g., optimum moisture content (OMC) + 2%] to the shear strength at OMC - 2% representing construction conditions. Therefore, MRF values can be used to account for an anticipated reduction in the shear strength of the soil-geotextile reinforcement interface caused by wetting in the stability analysis and design of reinforced soil structures constructed with marginal soils. The embankment models were built using a lean clay (CL) at the GWC values ranging between OMC - 2% and OMC + 2%, which included a single-reinforcement layer near the top of the embankment. This provided a horizontal soil-reinforcement interface subjected to shear sliding of an overriding block of soil caused by surcharge loading of the embankment. Two different woven polypropylene geotextile products were used to build the six model embankments. Each model was instrumented with a total of 67 sensors to measure the soil GWC, matric suction and excess pore pressure, reinforcement strains, earth pressure, and deformations of the embankment model and the test box during the test. Results from the embankment tests in this study indicate that the change in the matric suction and GWC could have a significant influence on the soil-geotextile reinforcement interface strength. Wetting of the soil and the soil-geotextile interface during construction or service life of reinforced soil slopes could considerably reduce their shear strength, resulting in lower factors of safety for their stability. The results of the study showed that within the range of GWC values examined (i.e., OMC +/- 2%), the embankment model constructed at OMC - 2% yielded the greatest shear strength and stability when subjected to a strip footing load. The MRF values for the model embankments constructed at OMC + 2% were found to be as low as 0.74-0.79 for models that were reinforced with different woven geotextiles of comparable apparent opening size (AOS) but different ultimate strength values. The MRF results presented in this study, although obtained from soils with different as-compacted GWC values, indicate that the loss of soil-reinforcement interface shear capacity as a result of wetting in reinforced soil structures involving marginal fills could be significant and deserve proper attention in the design of these systems. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Crop simulation models are valuable tools for quantifying crop yield response to water, and for devising strategies to improve agricultural water management. However, applicability of the majority of crop models is limited greatly by a failure to provide open-access to model source code. In this study, we present an open-source version of the FAO AquaCrop model, which simulates efficiently water-limited crop production across diverse environmental and agronomic conditions. Our model, called AquaCrop-OpenSource (AquaCrop-OS), can be run in multiple programming languages and operating systems. Support for parallel execution reduces significantly simulation times when applying the model in large geospatial frameworks, for long-run policy analysis, or for uncertainty assessment. Furthermore, AquaCrop-OS is compliant with the Open Modelling Interface standard facilitating linkage to other disciplinary models, for example to guide integrated water resources planning. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
This paper presents a novel predictive digital control method for boundary conduction mode PFC converters without the need for detecting the inductor current. In the proposed method, the inductor current is predicted by analytical equations instead of being detected by a sensing-resistor. The predicted zero-crossing point of the inductor current is determined by the values of the input voltage, output voltage and predicted inductor current. Importantly, the prediction of zero-crossing point is achieved in just a single switching cycle. Therefore, the errors in predictive calculation caused by parameter variations can be compensated. The prediction of the zero-crossing point with the proposed method has been shown to have good accuracy. The proposed method also shows high stability towards variations in both the inductance and output power. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed predictive digital control method for PFC converters.
Many breast cancer deaths result from tumors acquiring resistance to available therapies. Thus, new therapeutic agents are needed for targeting drug-resistant breast cancers. Drug-refractory breast cancers include HER2+ tumors that have acquired resistance to HER2-targeted antibodies and kinase inhibitors, and triple-Negative Breast Cancers (TNBCs) that lack the therapeutic targets Estrogen Receptor, Progesterone Receptor, and HER2. A significant fraction of TNBCs overexpress the HER2 family member Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). Thus agents that selectively kill EGFR+ and HER2+ tumors would provide new options for breast cancer therapy. We previously identified a class of compounds we termed Disulfide bond Disrupting Agents (DDAs) that selectively kill EGFR+ and HER2+ breast cancer cells in vitro and blocked the growth of HER2+ breast tumors in an animal model. DDA-dependent cytotoxicity was found to correlate with downregulation of HER1-3 and Akt dephosphorylation. Here we demonstrate that DDAs activate the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and that this plays a role in their ability to kill EGFR+ and HER2+ cancer cells. The use of breast cancer cell lines ectopically expressing EGFR or HER2 and pharmacological probes of UPR revealed all three DDA responses: HER1-3 downregulation, Akt dephosphorylation, and UPR activation, contribute to DDA-mediated cytotoxicity. Significantly, EGFR overexpression potentiates each of these responses. Combination studies with DDAs suggest that they may be complementary with EGFR/HER2-specific receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors and mTORC1 inhibitors to overcome drug resistance.
To better understand the interactions of the pathways of activation and detoxification on the metabolism of the putative carcinogen, PhIP, we administered a dose of 70-84 mu g [2-C-14] PhIP (17.5 mu Ci C-14) 48-72 h before scheduled colon surgery. Blood and urine collected for the next 48-72 h was evaluated by linear accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) and scintillation counting LC-MS to identify specific PhIP metabolites. The thermostable phenol sulfotransferase (SULT1A1) phenotype was correlated with the 4'-PhIP-SO4 levels in the urine at 0-4 h (R = 0.86, P = 0.059). The CYP1A2 activity had a negative correlation with PhIP serum levels at 1 h (R = 0.94, P = 0.06) and a positive correlation with urine N-OH-PhIP levels at 0-4 h (R = 0.85, P = 0.15). This low level radioisotope method of determining the influence of phenotype on metabolism will significantly improve our understanding of the interrelationships of these pathways and provide a critical foundation for the development of individual risk assessment. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Ambient Intelligence (AmI) technologies have the potential to create intelligent environments with new generation of assistive services, enhanced with ubiquitous robots. These environments have the ability to be anticipatory, responsive and intelligent providers of assistive services anytime and anywhere. These services can assist frail persons effectively in their daily tasks. One of the main challenging research problems in assistive robotics is to endow ubiquitous robots with ability to pro-actively taking on some tasks to help humans in performing complex activities, by participating with them just as other humans do, in normal societies or organizations. In this paper, we propose a collective intelligence framework based on narrative reasoning and natural language processing. In the proposed approach, we propose a hybrid model that bridges together the Narrative Knowledge Representation Language (NKRL), from natural language processing field, and the HARMS (Humans, software Agents, Robots, Machines and Sensors) model, from multi-agent systems engineering field. This model is able to (i) drive the dialogues between humans, robots and smart devices, (ii) understand a complex situation, and (iii) trigger reactive actions, in the ubiquitous environment, according to given contexts. Two scenarios dedicated to the assistance of a frail person in a smart home equipped with a companion robot and smart objects are implemented and discussed for validation purposes of the proposed framework. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Almost 40% of cancers are attributable to preventable cancer risk factors related to behavior. Health professionals must take into account the respective weight of the different causes of cancer to enforce effective cancer prevention. Their involvement is needed on several levels. In primary prevention, not only for vaccinations, detection and support the withdrawal of addiction, but also by a greater consideration in their patients of all cancer risk behavioral factors. This involvement is essential in the care and monitoring of patients with cancer. Thus, enhancing patient compliance with cancer prevention tips (stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, practice physical activity, physical inactivity reduction, reduction of overweight, adopting a diversified and balanced diet) appears as a new challenge of personalized care in oncology that not only aims to reduce the incidence of cancer but also to reduce the risks of morbidity and long-term mortality.
Salvador Dali's relationship with science is one of the most important aspects of his artistic production, spanning disciplines such as physics, mathematics and biology. Considering his interest in the different sciences, the aim of this paper is to explore the special relationship between the painter and molecular biology, establishing a catalogue of works permitting the identification of its importance within Dali's career. We will try to demonstrate that the so-called DNA period encompasses a broader chronology than the one traditionally proposed, extending it from 1957 until the 1980s. That would place Dali as the pioneer in the incorporation of molecular biology into art history.
Manufacturing engineering refers to design the production process for a product including all considerations pertaining to the process of production. Along with the rapid development of global economic integration, manufacturing enterprises in our country are under increasing pressure. In today's ever-changing competitive environment, taking initiative innovation is an important way to improve competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises. Staffs innovation behavior is the most important factor in an organization in innovation. Data from samples of 715 subjects were analyzed through the software of SPSS16.0 and AMOS17.0. The samples are from different regions and industry in our country. It reveals the generation mechanism of individual innovation behavior (JIB) such as to develop new materials and new energy in manufacturing enterprises. In a favorable organizational innovation climate, it is effective to improve innovation management by encouraging affective commitment (AC) of staff.
This paper investigates the effect of two soft magnetic materials on a high-speed machine design, namely, 6.5% silicon steel and cobalt-iron alloy. The effect of design parameters on the machine performance as an aircraft starter-generator is analyzed. The material properties which include B-H characteristics and the losses are obtained at different frequencies under an experiment and used to predict the machine performance accurately. In the investigation presented in this paper, it is shown that machines designed with 6.5% silicon steel at a high core flux density has lower weight and lower losses than the cobaltiron alloy designs. This is mainly due to the extra weight contributed by the copper content especially in the end-windings. Due to the high operating frequencies, the core losses in the cobalt-iron machine designs are found to outweigh the copper losses incurred in the silicon steel machines. It is also shown that change in stack length/number of turns has a considerable effect on the copper losses at starting, however has no significant advantage on rated efficiency which happens to be in a field-weakening operating point. It is also shown that the performance of the machine designs depends significantly on material selection and the operating point of the core. The implications of the variation of design parameters on the machine performance is discussed and provide insight into the influence of parameters that effect overall power density.
Chronic social behavior problems after pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly contribute to poor quality of life for survivors. Using a well-characterized mouse model of early childhood TBI, we have previously demonstrated that young brain-injured mice develop social deficits by adulthood. As biological sex may influence both normal and aberrant social development, we here evaluated potential sex differences in post-TBI psychosocial deficits by comparing the behavior of male and female mice at adulthood (8 weeks post-injury). Secondly, we hypothesized that pediatric TBI would influence neuronal morphology identified by Golgi-Cox staining in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, regions involved in social cognition and behavior, before the onset of social problems (3 weeks post-injury). Morphological analysis of pyramidal neurons in the ipsilateral prefrontal cortex and granule cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus revealed a reduction in dendritic complexity after pediatric TBI. This was most apparent in TBI males, whereas neurons from females were less affected. At adulthood, consistent with previous studies, TBI males showed deficits in sociability and social recognition. TBI females also showed a reduction in sociability, but intact social recognition and increased sociosexual avoidance. Together, these findings indicate that sex is a determinant of regional neuroplasticity and social outcomes after pediatric TBI. Reduced neuronal complexity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, several weeks after injury in male mice, appears to precede the subsequent emergence of social deficits. Sex-specific alterations in the social brain network are thus implicated as an underlying mechanism of social dysfunction after pediatric TBI. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rice stripe virus (RSV) is an insect-borne tenuivirus of economical significance. It is endemic to the rice growing regions of East Asia and exhibits more genetic diversity in Yunnan Province of China. To gain more insights into the molecular epidemiology and evolution of RSV, recombination analyses were conducted and potential events were detected in each of the four RNA segments of RSV. Bayesian coalescent method was then applied to the time-stamped coding sequences of the CP gene. The nucleotide substitution rate and the divergence time were estimated. Age calculations suggested that the first diversification event of the RSV isolates analyzed might take place in the early 20th century, and RSV has existed in Yunnan long before notice. Surveys of codon usage variation showed that the RSV genes had influences other than mutational bias. In codon choice, RSV conformed to neither vector small brown planthopper nor host rice, although the former exerted a more dominant influence on shaping codon usage pattern of RSV. In addition, CpG dinucleotide deficiency was observed in RSV. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents field measurements in which dye solute was injected into coastal sand to investigate contaminant advection in intertidal beach sand. The measurements show the pathways of a contaminated plume in the unsaturated zone during both the flood and ebb tides. A prescribed amount of dye tracer solution was directly injected through the topsoil, with average porosity 0.3521 +/- 0.01, at predetermined locations of the River Mersey's outer estuarial beach during ebb-tide. The injected dye was monitored, sampled and photographed over several tidal cycles. The distinctive features of the plume (full two dimensional cross-sections), sediments and water-table depth were sampled in-situ, close to the injection point (differing from previous contaminant monitoring tests in aquifers). The advective movement is attributed to tidal impact which is different from contaminant transport in aquifers. The experimental results show that plumes have significantly large spatial variability, diverging upwards and converging downwards, with a conical geometric shape which is different from the usual spherical/elliptical shape reported in literature. The mean vertical motion of the plume reaches three times the top-width within ten tidal cycles, exceeding the narrow bottom-width by a factor of order 2. The observed transport features of the plume within the beach sand have significant relevance to saltwater intrusion, surface water and groundwater quality. The field observations are unique and can serve as a valuable benchmark database for relevant numerical studies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Gnathostomiasis is a foodborne zoonotic parasitosis caused by Gnathostoma nematodes. It has caused significant public problems worldwide, but its molecular biology is limited. The purpose of this study was to decode the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of Gnathostoma nipponicum and Gnathostoma sp., and compare their mt sequences with other Gnathostoma species. The complete mt genome sequences were amplified by long-range PCR and determined by subsequent primer walking. The complete mt genomes of G. nipponicum and Gnathostoma sp. were 14,093 bp and 14,391 bp, respectively. Both of the two mt genomes contain 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes. The gene order and transcription direction are the same as G. spinigerum and G. doloresi. The sequence difference across the entire mt genomes varied from 14.4% to 18.2% between G. nipponicum, Gnathostoma sp., G. spinigerum and G. doloresi of Japan and China isolates. Phylogenetic analyses by Bayesian inference (BI) using concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 PCGs showed that G. nipponicum and Gnathostoma sp. are two distinctive species of Gnathostoma, and G. nipponicum are more closely related to Gnathostoma sp. than to G. spinigerum. The mtDNA datasets provide abundant resources of novel markers, which can be used for the studies of molecular epidemiology and diagnosis of Gnathostoma spp. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Synaesthetic projection with augmented reality is a cropping up futuristic display technology that empowers advance human interaction with high-quality projected images in free space. In order to make such ubiquitous displays more attainable, conspicuous and low-cost user tracking solutions are required. This novel walk through design allows the users to literally get their hands into the immaterial display, to interact with the augmented world. In this proposed system, an android operating system based mobile phone device is connected wirelessly with immaterial screen device in creating an optical see through display in free space with advanced user interactions, thereby creating an ambient intelligence, produced through augmenting physical world around us with the digital information.
This paper documents the utility of the online tool rainwater harvesting and demand simulation forwarded by URL http://gettanked.orgi, and categorizes performance variability with respect to KOppen-Geiger climatic classifications of the Australian continent. This is a novel tool because it dynamically calculates the irrigation and evaporative cooling demands in addition to any particular per diem allocation of potable water. The analysis may be either from a finite storage tank of specified capacity, or drawn from water mains, but the present paper is focused on the design of secure off-grid rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS). The nominal consumption target of 155 L per diem per capita must be reduced by varying degrees depending on the locality. Higher demand can be met if sufficient catchment and capacity are provided, or if regular tanker deliveries are readily available. Alternatively, demand restrictions are tabulated as guidance to avoid running dry within the constraints of a nominal 10,000 L capacity storage with 100 m2 catchment-defining the sustainable load per diem (SLPD) during a worst case epoch-this is the break-point for off-grid security. SLPD varies from 86 to 124 L/d among most temperate maritime climate stations, and between 35 and 42 Lid at most desert climate stations. The supporting on-line operating manual includes tabulations of demand for evaporative cooling and irrigation together with the sustainable yield of a rainwater harvest system at 128 locations throughout Australia. Dynamics of non-potable demands should be resolved before using the GetTanked design tool for any particular dwelling or workplace. Indoor and potable water demand must be disaggregated from irrigation, pool evaporation, and evaporative cooling in order to fully exploit the GetTanked tool. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Monitoring human metabolism is of crucial importance for personalized medicine. The aim of the present work is to design an interface circuit to realize an integrated platform for the detection of endogenous and exogenous metabolites for implantable applications. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry are the most common methods for metabolite detection. We propose a CMOS circuit to implement these two methods in a multi- target detection scheme.
This study introduced the sound transmission mechanisms, current situation of application and selective criteria about musical instruments materials, and summarized the major problems of musical instrument-manufacturing engineering, as well as the feasibility of artificial board materials as a alternative material of the musical instruments, and the application prospect of artificial board materials widely as a musical instrument manufacturing materials was elaborated. This study aimed at providing a scientific theory for the musical instrument-manufacturing engineering.
This work develops a two-dimensional hydro-morphological model which can be used to simulate river hydraulics and morphology with various vegetation covers. The model system consists of five modules, including a hydrodynamic model, a sediment transport model, a vegetation model, a bank failure model and a bed deformation model. The secondary flow effects are incorporated through additional dispersion terms. The core components of the model system solve the full shallow water equations; this is coupled with a non-equilibrium sediment transport model. The new integrated model system is validated against a number of laboratory-scale test cases and then applied to a natural river. The satisfactory simulation results confirm the model's capability in reproducing both stream hydraulics and channel morphological changes with vegetation. Several hypothetical simulations indicate that the model can be used not only to predict flooding and morphological evolution with vegetation, but also to assess river restoration involving vegetation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction. Our aim was to investigate the rate of vascular dementia and dementia in women with previous hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, since white matter lesions of the brain and cardiovascular disease are linked both to dementia and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Material and methods. Prospective population-based registry study on all women giving birth in Sweden between 1973 and 1975 (284 598). Women with and without hypertensive disorders in pregnancy were identified by means of the Swedish Medical Birth Register and linked to the National Patient Register, where data on somatic disease later in life were obtained. International classification of disease was used. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate hazard ratios for both groups and adjusted for possible confounders. Main outcome measures were in-hospital diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, vascular dementia and dementia. Results. No increased risks were seen for vascular dementia or dementia after any hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. If broken down in specific diagnoses for hypertensive disease in pregnancy, adjusted risks for vascular dementia after hypertension and proteinuria during pregnancy the hazard ratio was 6.27 (95% CI 1.65-27.44). Higher risks for cardiovascular disease were confirmed. Conclusions. Because of the very low absolute risk, the wide confidence interval and risk of misclassification, our results on vascular dementia could be questioned. Considering the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, the findings of brain lesions and the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, the possibly increased risk for all kinds of dementia must be investigated in larger and more well-defined cohorts.
For many simulation models, it can be prohibitively expensive or physically infeasible to obtain a complete set of experimental data to calibrate model parameters. In such cases, one can alternatively employ validated higher-fidelity codes to generate simulated data, which can be used to calibrate the lower-fidelity code. In this paper, we employ an information-theoretic framework to determine the reduction in parameter uncertainty that is obtained by evaluating the high-fidelity code at a specific set of design conditions. These conditions are chosen sequentially, based on the amount of information that they contribute to the low-fidelity model parameters. The goal is to employ Bayesian experimental design techniques to minimize the number of high-fidelity code evaluations required to accurately calibrate the low-fidelity model. We illustrate the performance of this framework using heat and diffusion examples, a 1-D kinetic neutron diffusion equation, and a particle transport model, and include initial results from the integration of the high-fidelity thermal-hydraulics code Hydra-TH with a low-fidelity exponential model for the friction correlation factor. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The paper proposes a robust optimization algorithm, enabling global optimum tracking and construction uncertainty factors handling, for high speed permanent magnet motor design. A new robustness criterion is introduced considering effectively the impact of the construction tooling uncertainties in the design variables in all the objective functions. An Adaptive-Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) is developed acting as a surrogate for the time consuming finite element analyses and resulting in computationally acceptable electric machine design procedure.
Randall Collins's interaction ritual (IR) theory suggests social solidarity as hardwired in the human neurological capacity for rhythmic entrainment. Yet, this article suggests that IR theory may benefit from being tied more firmly to recent neurobiological research, specifically Stephen W. Porges's polyvagal theory that proposes autonomic nervous system functioning as a basis for emotions and social behavior. In this perspective, IR theory does not sufficiently acknowledge the human nervous system as a system involving a phylogenetically ordered response hierarchy, of which only one subsystem supports prosocial behavior. The ritual ingredients of mutual attention and shared mood may, moreover, be specified as part of a social engagement system, neurally regulating attention and emotional arousal via a face-heart connection. The article suggests that this social engagement system provides part of the neural basis for rhythmic entrainment. The polyvagal theory furthermore challenges IR theory to reconsider the importance of individual biological differences-ritual success may not merely be ascribed to interactional effects, but also to reciprocal causality between situations and neurobiological properties of ritual participants.
Emoticons are new visual or nonverbal communication cues used in digital interaction. Can elders recognize and discriminate emotional states from emoticons as well as young people can? This study uses emoticons to investigate recognizable emotional differences between thirty older and thirty younger adults. A total of 32 representative emoticons were used as stimuli, consisting of 24 realistic facial expressions, 8 abstract facial expressions, 11 positive emotions, 11 neutral emotions, and 10 negative emotions. Four questions, including emotional state, imitative level, preference, and understanding of emoticons, were applied in the questionnaire. The results showed older adults to have a more positive response toward perceived emoticons than younger adults. The two age ranges have different cognition of the design appearances of realistic and abstract emoticons. Older adults showed less preference toward all emoticons than younger adults. The result also denotes older adults can analogize between realistic faces and emoticons.
Water infrastructure is essential for the functioning of modern cities. This paper analyses conventional models of water infrastructure provision and emerging alternatives in order to identify points of reform and resistance in the relationship between people, technology and water in cities. It begins with a review of recent academic contributions to understanding the relationships between people, technology and nature in cities through the analysis of urban infrastructure. The work of Andrew Feenberg, a critical philosopher of technology, is presented as the basis for analysing both the technical and discursive elements of infrastructure. Feenberg's concept of 'the technical code' is used to synthesise key insights from the analysis of urban infrastructure and technology, to devise a series of critical categories for comparing changes currently underway in urban water infrastructure provision. This 'technical discourse of water infrastructure' is used to analyse developments in desalination, wastewater reuse, decentralised non-potable supply, domestic water efficiency, water sensitive urban design and ecological sanitation. Planners, designers and policy makers concerned about sustainability should be wary of the technical inevitability of desalination, potable recycling and other systems which reinstate conventional codes of domination and control of nature and separation of public concern from technical rationality. Decentralised water systems embody assumptions about the limits to water resources, but can also be problematic as high users of energy and reinforcing a private right to water. Improving the efficiency of domestic water using technologies and appliances is unarguably important in achieving sustainability. Moving beyond water efficiency to open up discussions about water using practices and cultural norms holds greater potential for transforming water consumption. Water Sensitive Urban Design is widely championed by designers and planners as exemplifying a sustainable approach to urban nature, providing a useful foundation for moving beyond drainage into water supply and wastewater technology and discourse. Ecological sanitation is filling a basic necessity in developing cities and may be part of a longer term transition to sustainability in developed cities in the future. Eliminating water from sanitation and recovering resources from waste holds the potential to radically reorder relationships between bodies, urban spaces and nature. Relationships between cities, technologies and water are shifting. The extent to which this balance falls in favour of sustainability over coming decades will be determined by political discourse as well as technical innovation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
For the association analysis of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) studies, we propose an efficient and fast spatial-clustering algorithm. Compared to existing analysis approaches for WGS data, that define the tested regions either by sliding or consecutive windows of fixed sizes along variants, a meaningful grouping of nearby variants into consecutive regions has the advantage that, compared to sliding window approaches, the number of tested regions is likely to be smaller. In comparison to consecutive, fixed-window approaches, our approach is likely to group nearby variants together. Given existing biological evidence that disease-associated mutations tend to physically cluster in specific regions along the chromosome, the identification of meaningful groups of nearby located variants could thus lead to a potential power gain for association analysis. Our algorithm defines consecutive genomic regions based on the physical positions of the variants, assuming an inhomogeneous Poisson process and groups together nearby variants. As parameters are estimated locally, the algorithm takes the differing variant density along the chromosome into account and provides locally optimal partitioning of variants into consecutive regions. An R-implementation of the algorithm is provided. We discuss the theoretical advances of our algorithm compared to existing, window-based approaches and show the performance and advantage of our introduced algorithm in a simulation study and by an application to Alzheimer's disease WGS data. Our analysis identifies a region in the ITGB3 gene that potentially harbors disease susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease. The region-based association signal of ITGB3 replicates in an independent data set and achieves formally genome-wide significance. Software Implementation: An implementation of the algorithm in R is available at: .
In the last two decades adiponectin, member of the adipokines family, gained attention because of its unique antidiabetic effects. However, the presence in the brain of adiponectin receptors and adiponectin itself raised interest because of the possible association with neuropsychiatric diseases. Indeed, clinical studies found altered concentration of adiponectin both in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in several pathologies including depression, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer ' s disease and stroke. Moreover, recent preclinical studies also suggest its involvement in different physiological functions. Despite this evidence very few studies attempted to elucidate the functional role of adiponectin at the synapse. To address this question, here we investigated the effect of Adiporon, an agonist of both adiponectin receptors on synaptic transmission and LTP at Schaffer-collateral CA1 pathway. Surprisingly, increasing concentration of Adiporon correlated with lower CA1-LTP levels and paired-pulse ratio, whereas basal transmission was always preserved. Collectively, our data show that the adiponectin system, beyond its involvement in metabolic diseases, plays also a critical role in synaptic activity thereby representing a putative target for the treatment of synaptic pathologies.
Associations have been found among sexting, attachment insecurity, emotional dysregulation, and sexual and risky sexual behavior in young adults. In a sample of 92 young adult women in romantic relationships, this study aimed to examine whether emotional regulation might constitute an indirect pathway linking attachment and sexting, and the potential implications for engaging in condomless sex. Findings revealed that in young adult women in romantic relationships, attachment anxiety was associated with sexting through difficulty controlling impulses during moments of emotional distress. Also, sexting directly predicted condomless sex. Attachment avoidance and anxiety were both associated with sexting in the bivariate correlations. Findings highlight the role of digital technology in understanding how people's negotiation of needs for attachment and emotional regulation might lead to risky sexual behavior. Interventions targeting the interplay of attachment, emotional regulation and technology use may positively impact relational and behavioral health outcomes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Although, overwhelmingly, behavior is similar in males and females, and, correspondingly, the brains are similar, sex differences permeate both brain and behavioral measures, and these differences have been the focus of increasing scrutiny by neuroscientists. This Review describes milestones from more than 3 decades of research in brain and behavior. This research was necessarily bound by available methodology, and we began with indirect behavioral indicators of brain function such as handedness. We proceeded to the use of neuropsychological batteries and then to structural and functional neuroimaging that provided the foundations of a cognitive neuroscience-based computerized neurocognitive battery. Sex differences were apparent and consistent in neurocognitive measures, with females performing better on memory and social cognition tasks and males on spatial processing and motor speed. Sex differences were also prominent in all major brain parameters, including higher rates of cerebral blood flow, higher percentage of gray matter tissue, and higher interhemispheric connectivity in females, compared with higher percentage of white matter and greater intrahemispheric connectivity as well as higher glucose metabolism in limbic regions in males. Many of these differences are present in childhood, but they become more prominent with adolescence, perhaps linked to puberty. Overall, they indicate complementarity between the sexes that would result in greater adaptive diversity. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Background: The early postnatal period is critical for immunity, and feeding docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been demonstrated to affect immune development. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the importance of feeding DHA during suckling and/or weaning on immune function and oral tolerance (OT). Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 nutritionally adequate diets throughout lactation (21 d): a control (n = 12, 0% DHA) diet or a DHA (n = 8, 0.9% DHA) diet. At 11 d, suckled pups from each dam were randomly assigned to a mucosal OT challenge: placebo or ovalbumin. At week 5, all pups systemically received ovalbumin + adjuvant to induce systemic immunization. At 21 d, pups from each dam were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 diets for 21 d in a factorial design after which immune function and OT were assessed. Results: Feeding dams DHA during lactation resulted in a 40-60% higher splenocyte production of interleukin (IL)-10 when stimulated with concanavalin A, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or ovalbumin and a 100% higher production of interferon (IFN)-gamma with LPS (P< 0.05) than feeding the control diet to the pups. In comparison with pups fed the control diet, feeding DHA at weaning resulted in a 25% lower type 1 T helper (IL-1 beta) and type 2 T helper (IL-6) response by splenocytes after LPS stimulation and a 33% lower plasma concentration of ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G (P < 0.05). Pups that did not receive additional DHA during the study had a 70% higher plasma concentration of ovalbumin-specific IgE than did the pups that received DHA at suckling and/or weaning (P< 0.05). Conclusions: Feeding additional DHA during suckling had a beneficial programming effect on the ability of immune cells to produce IFN-gamma and IL-10, and feeding DHA during weaning resulted in a lower inflammatory response. Providing no dietary DHA in either of the critical periods of immune development prevented the establishment of OT in female rat offspring.
Alzheimer's disease is a multifactoial disorder caused by the interaction of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. The formation of cytotoxic oligomers consisting of A beta peptide is widely accepted as being one of the main key events triggering the development of Alzheimer's disease. A beta peptide production results from the specific proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Deciphering the factors governing the activity of the secretases responsible for the cleavage of APP is still a critical issue. Kits available commercially measure the enzymatic activity of the secretases from cells lysates, in vitro. By contrast, we have developed a prototypal rapid bioassay that provides visible information on the proteolytic processing of APP directly in living cells. APP was fused to a monomeric variant of the green fluorescent protein and a monomeric variant of the red fluorescent protein at the C-terminal and N-terminal (mChAPPmGFP), respectively. Changes in the proteolytic processing rate in transfected human neuroblastoma and rat neuronal cells were imaged with confocal microscopy as changes in the red/green fluorescence intensity ratio. The significant decrease in the mean red/green ratio observed in cells over-expressing the beta-secretase BACE1, or the alpha-secretase ADAM10, fused to a monomeric blue fluorescent protein confirms that the proteolytic site is still accessible. Specific siRNA was used to evaluate the contribution of endogenous BACE. Interestingly, we found that the degree of proteolytic processing of APP is not completely homogeneous within the same single cell, and that there is a high degree of variability between cells of the same type. We were also able to follow with a fluorescence spectrometer the changes in the red emission intensity of the extracellular medium when BACE1 was overexpressed. This represents a complementary approach to fluorescence microscopy for rapidly detecting changes in the proteolytic processing of APP in real time. In order to allow the discrimination between the alpha- and the beta-secretase activity, we have created la variant of mChAPPmGFP with la mutation that inhibits the alpha-secretase cleavage without perturbing the beta-secretase processing. Moreover, we obtained a quantitatively robust estimate of the changes in the red/green ratio for the above conditions by using a flow cytometer able to simultaneously excite and measure the red and green fluorescence. Our novel approach lay the foundation for a bioassay suitable to study the effect of drugs or particular conditions, to investigate in an unbiased way the the, proteolytic processing of APP in single living cells in order, and to elucidate the causes of the variability and the factors driving the processing of APP.
Recognizing construction assets (e.g.,materials, equipment, labor) from point cloud data of construction environments provides essential information for engineering and management applications including progress monitoring, safety management, supply-chain management, and quality control. This study introduces a novel principal axes descriptor (PAD) for construction-equipment classification from point cloud data. Scattered as-is point clouds are first processed with downsampling, segmentation, and clustering steps to obtain individual instances of construction equipment. A geometric descriptor consisting of dimensional variation, occupancy distribution, shape profile, and plane counting features is then calculated to encode three-dimensional (3D) characteristics of each equipment category. Using the derived features, machine learning methods such as k-nearest neighbors and support vector machine are employed to determine class membership among major construction-equipment categories such as backhoe loader, bulldozer, dump truck, excavator, and front loader. Construction-equipment classification with the proposed PAD was validated using computer-aided design (CAD)-generated point clouds as training data and laser-scanned point clouds from an equipment yard as testing data. The recognition performance was further evaluated using point clouds from a construction site as well as a pose variation data set. PAD was shown to achieve a higher recall rate and lower computation time compared to competing 3D descriptors. The results indicate that the proposed descriptor is a viable solution for construction-equipment classification from point cloud data. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
A growing body of research points to the role social norms may play in both maintaining carbon intensive lifestyles and soliciting changes towards more sustainable ways of living. However, despite highlighting the importance of pro-environmental social norms, such literature has said far less about the processes by which such norms might develop. We present a new approach to conceptualising social norms that focuses on understanding their dynamics within social interaction, by positioning interpersonal confrontation as a potential mechanism of change. We examine the normative dynamics of environmentalism by comparing the costs of interpersonally confronting climate change disregard with those associated with confronting racism. In two experimental studies, we presented participants with scenarios describing a person confronting (versus not confronting) contentious comments in each domain. We identified social costs to interpersonal confrontation of climate change disregard but not racism, as indicated by reduced ratings of perceived warmth of and closeness to the confronter (Study 1), and this effect was mediated by the perceived morality of the issue in question (Study 2). Our findings highlight how wider social constructions of (im)morality around climate change impact upon social interactions in ways that have important implications for processes of social (and ultimately environmental) change. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The use of the ligninolytic fungi Trametes versicolor for the degradation of micropollutants has been widely studied. However, few studies have addressed the treatment of real wastewater containing pharmaceutically active compounds (PhAC) under non-sterile conditions. The main drawback of performing such treatments is the difficulty for the inoculated fungus to successfully compete with the other microorganisms growing in the bioreactor. Id the present study, several fungal treatments were performed under non-sterile conditions in continuous operational mode with two types of real wastewater effluent, namely, a reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from a wastewater treatment plant and a veterinary hospital wastewater (VHW). In all cases, the setup consisted of two parallel reactors: one inoculated with T. versicolor and one non-inoculated, which was used as the control. The main objective of this work was to correlate the operational conditions and traditional monitoring parameters, such as laccase activity, with PhAC removal and the composition of the microbial communities developed inside the bioreactors. For that purpose a variety of biochemical and molecular biology analyses were performed: phospholipid fatty acids analysis (PLFA), quantitative PCR (qPCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) followed by sequencing. The results show that many indigenous fungi (and not only bacteria, which were the focus of the majority of previously published research) can successfully compete with the inoculated fungi (i.e., Trichoderma asperellum overtook T. versicolor in the ROC treatment). We also showed that the wastewater origin and the operational conditions had a stronger impact on the diversity of microbial communities developed in the bioreactors than the inoculation or not with T. versicolor. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All. rights reserved.
This paper deals with the problem of securing the configuration phase of an Internet of Things ( IoT) system. The main drawbacks of current approaches are the focus on specific techniques and methods, and the lack of a cross layer vision of the problem. In a smart environment, each IoT device has limited resources and is often battery operated with limited capabilities ( e. g., no keyboard). As a consequence, network security must be carefully analyzed in order to prevent security and privacy issues. In this paper, we will analyze the IoT threats, we will propose a security framework for the device initialization and we will show how physical layer security can effectively boost the security of IoT systems.
thermal behavior such as temperature rise is the most important index of an electrical machine, especially in the motor for electrical vehicle. A 7-element thermal circuit model of electrical machine has been proposed in the companion paper of this paper. Each thermal resistant in the proposed model has been derived in detail. In this paper, a prototype machine is introduced to verify the accuracy of the proposed model. The items that may cause the calculation error are analysis. The result shows that, the model presented in the companion paper is suitable to use in machine design with certain accuracy.
Recent approaches to the in vitro experimental study of cardiac fluid mechanics involve the use of whole biological structures to investigate in the lab novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of heart pathologies. To enhance reliability and repeatability, the influence of the actuation strategy of the experimental apparatuses on the biomechanics of biological structures needs to be assessed. Using echography and intracardiac high-speed imaging, we compared the mitral valve (MV) anatomo-functional features (coaptation areas/lengths, papillary muscles-valvular plane distances) in two passive beating-heart mock loops with internal (IPML) or external (EPML) pressurization of the ventricular chamber. Both apparatuses showed fluid dynamic conditions that closely resembled the physiology. The MVs analyzed in the EPML presented coaptation areas and lengths that were systematically higher, and exhibited greater variability from early-to peak-systole, as compared to those in the IPML. Moreover, in the EPML, the MV leaflets exhibited a convexity with high curvature toward the atrium. With the IPML, MV coaptadon lengths ranged similar to available clinical data and the papillary muscles-valve plane distances were more stable throughout systole. In conclusion, both the apparatuses allow for reproducing in vitro the left heart hemodynamics, in terms of flow rates and pressures, with proper mitral valve continence. Results suggest that the IPML is more suitable for replicating the physiological MV functioning, while the EPML may have more potential as a model for the study of MV pathologies. (C) 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Improving the water footprint (WFP) of crops through the implementation of water harvesting techniques (WHT) can help save water and enhance crop production. This study investigated the impact of different WHTs on the green, blue and total WFP components of sorghum production in Western Sudan. Water harvesting was used as a tool for reducing water consumption and minimizing the WFP in two consecutive rainy seasons in 2012 and 2013. The average WFP for sorghum was estimated to be 1100 m(3) ton(-1), with the green component providing the highest contribution. According to WFP analysis there were significant differences between WHT treatments (p <= 0.05) with tide ridging providing the greatest reduction (79%) compared to other treatments including ridging (71%) and basin (58%), respectively. A similar trend was found regarding soil moisture, fresh, dry matter and productivity (yield). The blue water component has an important impact on the total WFP for sorghum production.
The goal of the present research was to test whether score-related changes in opponents' nonverbal behavior influence athletes' confidence in beating their opponents. In an experiment, 40 participants who were experienced basketball players watched brief video clips depicting athletes' nonverbal behavior. Video clips were not artificially created, but showed naturally occurring behavior. Participants indicated how confident they were in beating the presented athletes in a hypothetical scenario. Results indicated that participants' confidence estimations were influenced by opponents' score-related nonverbal behavior. Participants were less confident about beating a leading team and more confident about beating a trailing team, although they were unaware of the actual score during the depicted scenes. The present research is the first to show that in-game variations of naturally occurring nonverbal behavior can influence athletes' confidence. This finding highlights the importance of research into nonverbal behavior in sports, particularly in relation to athletes' confidence.
Using online comments posted on news stories as the context, this research used two experiments to assess the influence of online comments on people's emotions as well as on their perceptions of others' emotions. Study 1 (N = 301) showed that people perceived uncivil disagreement comments posted on news stories as having a greater effect on negative emotions than civil disagreement comments. In addition, it found that people perceived uncivil comments as having a greater effect on the negative emotions of others, compared to the self, suggesting support for an emotional third-person perception (TPP). Study 2 (N = 565) showed that people perceived agreement comments as having a greater effect on positive emotions than uncivil disagreement comments. Findings also showed that people perceived agreement comments as having an equal effect on the positive emotions of the self, compared to others. This supports an emotional first-person perception (FPP). (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research criteria for Alzheimer's disease recommend the use of biomarkers for diagnosis, but whether biomarkers improve the diagnosis in clinical routine has not been systematically assessed. The aim is to evaluate the evidence for use of medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease at the mild cognitive impairment stage in routine clinical practice, with an adapted version of the 5-phase oncology framework for biomarker development. A literature review on visual assessment of MTA and hippocampal volumetry was conducted with other biomarkers addressed in parallel reviews. Ample evidence is available for phase 1 (rationale for use) and phase 2 (discriminative ability between diseased and control subjects). Phase 3 (early detection ability) is partly achieved: most evidence is derived from research cohorts or clinical populations with short follow-up, but validation in clinical mild cognitive impairment cohorts is required. In phase 4, only the practical feasibility has been addressed for visual rating of MTA. The rest of phase 4 and phase 5 have not yet been addressed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this review paper, the ill effects of pharmaceuticals (PhAs) on the environment and their adsorption on graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide-based (GO-based) nanomaterials have been summarised and discussed. The adsorption of prominent PhAs discussed herein includes beta-blockers (atenolol and propranolol), antibiotics (tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole), pharmaceutically active compounds (carbamazepine) and analgesics such as diclofenac. The adsorption of PhAs strictly depends upon the experimental conditions such as pH, adsorbent and adsorbate concentrations, temperature, ionic strength, etc. To understand the adsorption mechanism and feasibility of the adsorption process, the adsorption isotherms, thermodynamics and kinetic studies were also considered. Except for some cases, GO and its derivatives show excellent adsorption capacities for PhAs, which is crucial for their applications in the environmental pollution cleanup.
A prototype bio-catalyzed electrogenic system integrated with a biological treatment process (SBR-BET) was evaluated to study specific function of anoxic condition on the electrogenic activity. A multiphasic approach was employed, where the influence of DO on bio-electrogenic activity was optimized initially, later optimal anode to cathode inter-electrode distance was enumerated. Amongst the four electrode distances evaluated, 2 cm showed higher power output. Bioelectrokinetics analysis was used to validate the system performance with the experimental variation studied. The redox behavior showed an increase in cathodic catalytic activity with an increase in the inter-electrode distance. Spatiometabolic distribution depicted the microbial stratification on the anode. Electrochemically active bacteria present on the anode surface (inner and outer layers of biofilms) showed relatively uniform diversity compared with the suspension culture. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a fully digital-control soft start mechanism with coefficients Ki optimization for DC-DC power converters. During the soft start phase, a ladder reference voltage steps up gradually to make inductor current ramp up smoothly and overshoot voltage is minimized with the proposed coefficients Ki distribution. Simulation results show that massive inductor current can be well avoided during the soft start process with the proposed soft start mechanism, which only occupies a chip area of 300umx120um.
This paper proposes a probabilistic optimization method that produces optimal bidding curves to be submitted by an aggregator to the day-ahead electricity market and the intraday market, considering the flexible demand of his customers (based in time dependent resources such as batteries and shiftable demand) and taking into account the possible imbalance costs as well as the uncertainty of forecasts (market prices, demand, and renewable energy sources (RES) generation). The optimization strategy aims to minimize the total cost of the traded energy over a whole day, taking into account the intertemporal constraints. The proposed formulation leads to the solution of different linear optimization problems, following the natural temporal sequence of electricity spot markets. Intertemporal constraints regarding time dependent resources are fulfilled through a scheduling process performed after the day-ahead market clearing. Each of the different problems is of moderate dimension and requires short computation times. The benefits of the proposed strategy are assessed comparing the payments done by an aggregator over a sample period of one year following different deterministic and probabilistic strategies. Results show that probabilistic strategy reports better benefits for aggregators participating in power markets.
This paper deals with the influence of the piping material thermal and geometrical properties on the dynamic stability of single-phase natural circulation loops. To this purpose, a semi-analytical approach is developed by adopting the tools provided by the linear analysis. By considering a generic natural circulation loop configuration with a localized heat flux and a homogenously distributed Internal Heat Generation (IHG), the governing equations (mass, momentum and energy balance) are linearized around a steady-state solution of the system and treated by means of the Fourier transform to obtain dimensionless stability maps. Moreover, in order to verify the linear analysis methodology, a numerical strategy is adopted to solve the nonlinear governing equations and to investigate the natural circulation dynamics in the time domain. In principle, both the developed approaches can be applied to any natural circulation loop configuration. In the present work, the linear and the nonlinear analyses are applied to a specific natural circulation loop geometry, namely the Horizontal Heater Horizontal Cooler (HHHC) one. In this regard, an Object-Oriented (O-O) one-dimensional model of the HHHC loop is developed. For the assessment of the O-O model, the obtained results are compared with RELAP5 and Computational-Fluid-Dynamics (CFD) time-dependent simulations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article details the preliminary findings from Porn Laid Bare, a collaborative research project between the University of Sussex and the Terrence Higgins Trust, Brighton. We explore the multidimensional relationship that respondents identified as having formed with pornographic material, together with its role within gay male subculture. We then consider how interview respondents understood and conceptualised bareback pornography. Our findings reveal consistent contradictions between general discussions of gay pornography and specific discussions of bareback representations. Utilising Dean's (2009) work on bareback subculture and the ambivalent gift', we develop a critical reading of these contradictions in order to identify the methods by which the anxieties and pleasures of bareback pornography were handled by respondents.
Objective. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of radiographic spinal progression and disease activity on function and spinal mobility in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors for up to 10 years. Methods. Patients with AS who participated in 2 longterm open-label extensions of clinical trials with TNF-alpha inhibitors (43 receiving infliximab and 17 receiving etanercept) were included in this analysis based on the availability of spinal radiographs performed at baseline and at a later timepoint (yr 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) during followup. Spinal radiographs were scored according to the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS). Function was assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), spinal mobility by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), and disease activity by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Results. After the initial improvement, BASFI and BASMI remained remarkably stable at low levels over up to 10 years despite radiographic spinal progression. In the generalized mixed effects model analysis, no association between the mSASSS and the BASFI change (beta = 0.0, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.03) was found, while there was some effect of mSASSS changes on BASMI changes over time (beta = 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.09). BASDAI showed a strong association with function (beta = 0.64, 95% CI 0.54-0.73) and to a lesser extent, with spinal mobility (beta = 0.14, 95% CI 0.01-0.26). Conclusion. Functional status and spinal mobility of patients with established AS remained stable during longterm anti-TNF-alpha therapy despite radiographic progression. This indicates that reduction and continuous control of inflammation might be able to outweigh the functional effect of structural damage progression in AS.
Land use land cover is an important determinant of ecohydrologic processes in watershed systems. Continued urbanization changes the very nature of ecohydrological regimes of watersheds and increases their vulnerability to flooding, soil loss, and water pollution. To integrate hydrologic risk and suitability analysis into land use decisions, we used an ecohydrologic risk criteria for land use impacts on water quality and quantity in the Riva Creek watershed located to the east of Istanbul, Turkey. Hydrological risks are modeled for each sub-watershed using a spatial analysis. A spatial quantitative assessment is used to rank sub-factors for evaluating suitability for agricultural, residential and forest operations. An expert focus group is used to quantify weights. The results revealed that about 58% of the watershed is prone to hydrologic risk in medium to severe levels. We concluded that ecohydrological evaluations should form the background of landscape assessments in watersheds. An integrated approach and.spatial results can provide the basis for long-term planning. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Previous research has shown that hyperactivation in ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VmPFC) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and high cortisol to corticotrophin ratio (cort:ACTH ratio) during neutral-relaxed states predict relapse in alcohol-dependent (AD) patients. Other studies have shown that VmPFC/rACC deactivation and blunted cortisol release to stress and alcohol cues are predictive of time to relapse and relapse severity. However, no previous study has assessed the relationship between these markers of central and peripheral nervous system dysfunction in AD participants and their potential joint effects on relapse risk. Forty early abstinent, treatment engaged AD patients underwent a laboratory experiment with exposure to neutral, alcohol and stress cues and a separate functional magnetic resonance imaging scan with similar cue exposure. Neutral-relaxed state cort:ACTH ratio was significantly associated with VmPFC hyperreactivity to neutral-relaxing cues, and also with hypoactivation in response to alcohol and stress cues in AD patients. Basal heart rate, neutral cort:ACTH ratio and neutral VmPFC hyperreactivty were each associated with risk of relapse. However, abnormal VmPFC activation and elevated cort:ACTH ratio overlap in predicting risk for relapse, and dysfunctional VmPFC response was the sole significant predictor of odds of relapse in a joint model of relapse risk. These findings suggest that the cort:ACTH ratio may serve as a peripheral marker of VmPFC brain dysfunction, while aberrant VmPFC responses need further evaluation as a potential biomarker of alcohol relapse risk in clinical outcome studies.
This study explores whether object relations (OR) functioning improves over the course of psychodynamic psychotherapy, and whether this improvement is related to symptom decrease as well as therapist technique. The sample consisted of 75 outpatients engaged in short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy at a university-based psychological service clinic. OR functioning was assessed pre- and post-treatment by independent raters using the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale from in-session patient relational narratives. The Comparative Psychotherapy Process Scale was used to assess therapist activity and psychotherapy techniques early in treatment. Independent clinical ratings of global OR and psychotherapy techniques were conducted, and rater agreement was found to be in the excellent range. Regarding the results, global OR (overall quality and level of interpersonal functioning) significantly improved with large effect size after psychodynamic therapy. Change in global OR functioning was significantly and positively related to the incidence of psychodynamic techniques in early sessions, as were number of psychotherapy sessions attended. Patient self-reported reliable change in symptomatology and reliable change in global OR were significantly related as well. Multilevel model analyses confirmed pairwise correlations accounting for therapist effects on a variety of process-outcome measures, number of sessions attended, initial levels of psychiatric symptoms, employment of therapeutic techniques as well overall OR functioning at outcome. Limitations of the present study, future research directions and implications for clinical practice are also discussed. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Cnidaria have more symbiotic copepods than any other group of invertebrates, and the greatest numbers of these associates occur on hard corals. A review of the scattered literature on the diversity and taxonomic composition of scleractinian-associated copepods and their hosts revealed a total of 148 coral species, representing 66 genera and 15 families that serve as hosts to copepods. At present, 363 copepod species, representing 99 genera, 19 families and three orders, have been recorded as associates of scleractinian corals. The total included 288 cyclopoids, 68 siphonostomatoids and seven harpacticoids. Within the Cyclopoida the representation of species varied greatly among the 13 families, with a disproportionate number of species belonging to the Anchimolgidae (141 species) and Xarifiidae (92 species). Data on host utilization and geographical distribution of all copepods living symbiotically with hard corals is synthesized and host specificity patterns are highlighted. The prevalence, intensity, density, and biodiversity of copepod infection of 480 colonies of the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) from Nanwan Bay, southern Taiwan were documented between July 2007 and November 2008. It was hypothesized that certain environmental factors and physiological coral traits, such as the density of Symbiodinium, could influence these infection parameters. Analysis revealed that ectoparasitic copepods were the most likely to infect P. damicornis, and that Asteropontius minutus Kim, 2003 accounted for more than 50% of total copepod density in July-September 2007 when temperatures were high and bleaching occurred in similar to 75% of the sampled colonies. The data further showed that copepod virulence may be related to their life history strategies, as well as to Symbiodinium density, surface area of the host coral colonies, and concentration of nitrate and chlorophyll-a in the surrounding seawater. By tracking the abundance, diversity, and performance of infectious copepods prior, throughout, and after a natural bleaching event, the potential to use these parasites as bioindicators for predicting the future physiological performance of P. damicornis in response to environmental change, particularly bleaching events, may ultimately be further explored, developed and maximized. Humesimyzon Kim, 2010, previously placed in the Asterocheridae, is tentatively transferred to the recently resurrected family Coralliomyzontidae. The authorship and spelling of Pseudanthessius thorellii (Brady, 1880) are corrected.
This paper presents a weakly coupled formulation for the electromagnetic and thermal fields by applying the backward differentiation formula (BDF) and the Theta algorithm for the adaptive time-stepping and variable order 2D finite-element discretization. A coupling of the electromagnetic diffusion equation (EDE) and the electrical circuit equations is also included. A minimum time step criterion is adopted and an algorithm for the time-step size and order selection is implemented. The proposed model was programmed in C language. An example is presented to show the application of the formulation.
Tree-rings are precious natural archives to assess ecosystem variability over time. Xylem anatomy in woody tissue is a promising source of information in tree-rings since it is closely linked to tree hydraulics and carbon fixation. However, despite the rising interest for cell anatomy in dendrochronology, still little is known about the interpretation of the variability of cell anatomical responses observed across different environments and species. Here we analyze cell anatomical responses to increasing summer drought on 18 trees from 3 conifer species (Picea obovata, Pinus sylvestris, and Larix sibirica) growing in the transition zone between forest and steppe in the Republic of Khakassia (Russia). Analyses include the comparison of tracheid size distributions along climatic gradients and contrasting micro-topography from 1986 to 2008. Results indicate an overall decrease of earlywood tracheid lumen and cell wall thickness to high temperature and drought regardless of species and site conditions. In particular an increase of one degree Celsius during the summer caused up to 5% reduction of earlywood cell lumen and wall thickness. These anatomical shifts suggest that a downscaling of hydraulic efficiency is not paralleled by increased hydraulic safety, presumably due to carbon limitation. Based on the results of this case study, we suggest that increasing drought stress might hamper the formation of a functional xylem structure, thus being a possible trigger for a miss-acclimation causing long-term decline and higher exposure to hydraulic failures. Despite the promising study approach, more studies including more data (trees, years) and broader climatic gradients would be needed to further improve our mechanistic understanding. (C) 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Background: Alloimmunization against human platelet antigens (HPAs) can occur prenatally and induce fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). The aim of this study was to identify placental histological features associated with platelet alloimmunization and their clinical significance. Methods: This study examined 21 placentas from FNAIT-affected pregnancies and 42 age-matched control cases, all collected from pathology departments in the Rhone-Alpes region. Clinical and laboratory findings were collected for each FNAIT case. Two pathologists reviewed the placental slides of each FNAIT and control case. Histological features, with special emphasis on chronic inflammatory lesions, were evaluated. Differences between the two groups were calculated with odds ratios (ORs) and assessed with Wald's chi-square. Results: FNAIT was associated with a significantly higher frequency of chronic chorioamnionitis (CC) (OR 14, 95%Cl 1.7-113.8), basal chronic villitis (BCV) (OR 17, 95%CI 2-145.6) and chronic intervillositis (CIV). Chronic villitis (CV) (OR 3.7, 95%CI 0.9-15.2) and chronic deciduitis (CD) (OR 4.7, 95%CI 0.79-28.2) were also more frequent in the FNAIT than the control group, but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: FNAIT is significantly associated with CC, BCV, and CIV. This chronic inflammatory reaction is preferentially localized on the maternofetal interface. Anti-HPA alloimmunization may trigger an immunological conflict similar to graft-versus-host disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Monocytes of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) overexpression on their monocytes. Myeloid-related protein (MRP) 8/14 protein complexes are calcium-binding proteins, which act as endogenous ligands to TLR4. Thus, we studied the levels of MRP8/14 in adult AS patients. MRP8/14 levels were assessed in 99 adult AS patients satisfying Assessments in Ankylosing Spondylitis International Society 2010 criteria and 71 healthy controls by ELISA. Patient disease parameters like patient and physician global assessment, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), swollen and tender joint count, entheseal count by Maastricht enthesitis index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were also recorded. Levels were reassessed in 23 patients after 2-5 months of treatment with NSAIDs. All values are in median (IQR). The serum MRP8/14 levels in patients [34.1 (17.94-264.58) mu g/ml] were significantly higher than in healthy controls [4.94 (IQR 3.01-8.32) mu g/ml (p < 0.0001)]. Patients with peripheral arthritis (n = 50) had higher levels than those with pure axial disease (n = 49) [40.63 (IQR 28.41-73.15) mu g/ml vs. 23.72 (11.04-61.55) mu g/ml; p = 0.012]. Levels of MRP8/14 correlated with AS Disease Activity Score (DAS)-CRP (r = 0.23, 95%CI = 0.038-0.422, p = 0.02) and CRP (r = 0.28, 95%CI = 0.081-0.45, p = 0.01), and the correlation was better in early disease [<= 5 years disease duration; r = 0.40, p = 0.007 and r = 0.57, p = < 0.0001, respectively]. Baseline levels were higher in treatment responders than in non-responders [51.17 vs. 32.22 mu g/ml; p = 0.02]. Change in MRP8/14 levels correlated with change in BASDAI and ASDAS-CRP (r = 0.489, p = 0.018 and r = 0.498, p = 0.016, respectively). MRP8/14 levels may be used as a biomarker for activity, peripheral arthritis, and response to therapy.
Aluminium matrix composites find wide applications in the present industrial scenario due to their desirable properties. Study of the effect of process parameters on machinability of aluminium matrix composites is of paramount importance in the field of manufacturing engineering. Machining of a composite depends on the properties and relative content of the reinforcement and the matrix materials as well as on its response to the machining process. In this article, investigations on the machinability aspects of aluminium-silicon carbide and aluminium-graphite composites are presented. Experiments have been carried out through the Design of Experiments technique and regression machinability models have been developed, which express the degree to which the resultant force depends upon the cutting parameters and the percentage of reinforcement present in the aluminium matrix composites machined. A comparative study of the effect of cutting parameters on the resultant force has been presented.
There has been increasing interest in developing more powerful and flexible statistical tests to detect genetic associations with multiple traits, as arising from neuroimaging genetic studies. Most of existing methods treat a single trait or multiple traits as response while treating an SNP as a predictor coded under an additive inheritance mode. In this paper, we follow an earlier approach in treating an SNP as an ordinal response while treating traits as predictors in a proportional odds model (POM). In this way, it is not only easier to handle mixed types of traits, e.g., some quantitative and some binary, but it is also potentially more robust to the commonly adopted additive inheritance mode. More importantly, we develop an adaptive test in a POM so that it can maintain high power across many possible situations. Compared to the existing methods treating multiple traits as responses, e.g., in a generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach, the proposed method can be applied to a high dimensional setting where the number of phenotypes (p) can be larger than the sample size (n), in addition to a usual small P setting. The promising performance of the proposed method was demonstrated with applications to the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data, in which either structural MRI driven phenotypes or resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) derived brain functional connectivity measures were used as phenotypes. The applications led to the identification of several top SNPs of biological interest. Furthermore, simulation studies showed competitive performance of the new method, especially for p>n.
Psychiatric symptoms in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are highly prevalent and may complicate clinical management of these patients. Purpose of the present article is to present and discuss available data about the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric symptoms in patients with FTD. A research in the main database sources has been conducted to obtain an overview of the pharmacological management of psychiatric symptoms in patients with FTD. The search strategy included the following termsFTD and psychiatry, FTD and behavioural disturbances, and FTD and treatment. Pathophysiology of psychiatric symptoms in FTD is different from other types of dementia. Although drugs for Alzheimer disease appear to be ineffective for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms of FTD, preliminary evidence supports a possible usefulness of serotonergic antidepressants for these patients. Data are too scanty to draw definitive conclusions, but antidepressant treatment, particularly with serotonergic compounds, may improve psychiatric symptoms in patients with FTD. Large observational studies are needed to confirm this preliminary evidence, and a lot of effort and collaboration between neurologists and psychiatrists will be definitely crucial for future research of effective treatments for FTD.
One of the challenging issues in high-resolution remote sensing images is classifying land-use scenes with high quality and accuracy. An effective feature extractor and classifier can boost classification accuracy in scene classification. This letter proposes a deep-learning-based classification method, which combines convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and extreme learning machine (ELM) to improve classification performance. A pretrained CNN is initially used to learn deep and robust features. However, the generalization ability is finite and suboptimal, because the traditional CNN adopts fully connected layers as classifier. We use an ELM classifier with the CNN-learned features instead of the fully connected layers of CNN to obtain excellent results. The effectiveness of the proposed method is tested on the UC-Merced data set that has 2100 remotely sensed land-use-scene images with 21 categories. Experimental results show that the proposed CNN-ELM classification method achieves satisfactory results.
Automatic segmentation of subtitles is a novel research field which has not been studied extensively to date. However, quality automatic subtitling is a real need for broadcasters which seek for automatic solutions given the demanding European audiovisual legislation. In this article, a method based on Conditional Random Field is presented to deal with the automatic subtitling segmentation. This is a continuation of a previous work in the field, which proposed a method based on Support Vector Machine classifier to generate possible candidates for breaks. For this study, two corpora in Basque and Spanish were used for experiments, and the performance of the current method was tested and compared with the previous solution and two rule-based systems through several evaluation metrics. Finally, an experiment with human evaluators was carried out with the aim of measuring the productivity gain in post-editing automatic subtitles generated with the new method presented. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The phosphorylated fullerene/sulfonated polyvinyl alcohol (PFSP) cation exchange membrane was prepared, characterized and its applications were studied in microbial fuel cell (MFC) for copper removal along with the power generation. The phosphorylation of fullerene was confirmed by UV and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The composite membrane was prepared by solution casting method and characterized by FTIR, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) methods. The proton conductivity, water uptake and ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the prepared membrane were observed to be 11.7 x 10(-2) S/cm, 120% and 1.67 meq/g respectively. Open circuit voltage (OCV) and power density obtained were 801 mV and 499.1 mW/m(2) respectively for the composite membrane. The maximum Cu++ removal was 73.2% as compared to 63.2% for Ultrex CMI 7000; a commercial membrane. This prepared membrane is expected to offer vital and constructive properties for its application in fuel cell technology and to remove copper ions from wastewater. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Globalization brings new cultural experiences and choices. Not only can people choose musical, culinary, and literary activities from other cultures, but they also can choose experiences that mix cultures together. We propose that preference for culturally mixed experiences hinges on preconceptions about cultural differences, or diversity ideologies, namely colorblindness, multiculturalism, and polyculturalism. In Study 1, we measured participants' endorsement of these three diversity ideologies and their preferences for culturally unitary versus mixed experiences. Results showed that polyculturalism (the mindset that cultures interact and contribute to each other) was positively associated with liking of culturally mixed experiences. In Study 2, we experimentally induced these three mindsets and found that the polycultural mindset heightened preferences for culturally mixed experiences. In Study 3, we replicated the positive effect of polyculturalism on preference for cultural mixes but not other kinds of mixes. Further, the effect of polyculturalism on people's choice of cultural mixes was mediated by purity concerns. We discuss implications for the psychology of globalization. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a new approximated integer delayed modeling and control technique for Continuous-time Fractional Delay Differential Equations (CFDDEs). Using the impulse response sequences of the CFDDE and the balanced model-reduction method, a delay-free discrete-time state-space model is constructed. Then, an equivalent Discrete-time Integer Delay Difference Equation (DIDDE) is obtained by transforming the obtained discrete-time state-space model into a controller-type block companion form. Furthermore, based on the obtained DIDDE, an equivalent Continuous-time Integer Delay Differential Equation (CIDDE) is determined by means of the newly developed Chebyshev's bilinear approximation method. For digital control of the CFDDE, an optimal Discrete-time Integer Delayed Control Law (DIDCL) is designed using the conventional discrete-time LQR approach together with the obtained delay-free discrete-time state-space model. On the other hand, for continuous-time control of the CFDDE, a Continuous-time Integer Delayed Control Law (CIDCL) is determined from the designed DIDCL by means of the inverse Chebyshev's bilinear approximation method. Finally, digital and analog integer delayed observers are constructed for the implementations of the developed DIDCL and CIDCL, respectively. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Over the last decade the interest in the technology of tissue engineering (TE) has grown enormously, especially with respect to reparative techniques. New methods and therapeutic tools have been designed; various cell types used and novel drugs and growth factors applied for the repair of lesions in numerous tissues, in particular bone and cartilage, resulting from injuries or degenerative changes due to aging of the population. The TE requires the application of various methods, including sophisticated surgical procedures supported by techniques of cell biology and biotechnology. The latter techniques are required for choosing appropriate cell types for transplantation, elaborating optimal cell culture conditions, designing scaffolds for cell delivery, affixing temporary implantable devices in the lesion site and supplying drugs and growth factors. In the present review we describe and discuss various TE techniques used in bone and cartilage repair including: recently applied principal cell sources, and the application of nanotube-based scaffolds in the regeneration of joint cartilage.
Event sequences estimation is an important issue for fault diagnosis of DES, so far as fault events cannot be directly measured. This work is about event sequences estimation with Petri net models. Events are assumed to be represented with transitions and firing sequences are estimated from measurements of the marking variation. Estimation with and without measurement errors are discussed in n - dimensional vector space over alphabet Z(3) = {-1, 0, 1}. Sufficient conditions and estimation algorithms are provided. Performance is evaluated and the efficiency of the approach is illustrated on two examples from manufacturing engineering.
Sixteen novel derivatives of 1,1,1-tris (salicylaldiminomethyl)ethane have been synthesized for the purpose of encapsulating Tc-99m(IV) ions and generating new Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals. Two methods for the preparation of the Tc-99g(IV) analog complexes are presented; one utilizes SnCl2 reduction on (TcO4-)-Tc-99g and the other a direct substitution route starting with [(TcCl6)-Tc-99g](2-). Free ligands (H(3)L) are characterized by melting points, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, mass spectroscopy, TLC, and/or elemental analyses. [(99g)TcL](+) complexes are characterized by FAB-ms, UV-VIS, IR and/or CV. An X-ray structural analysis was performed on a crystal of [M(6,6'-[[2-[[((4-Methoxy-2-hydroxyphenyl)methylene)-amino]methyl]-2-methyl-1,3-propanediyl]bis(nitrilomethylidyne)]-bis-3-methoxyphenol)] tetraphenylborate, where M represents a 1/3 isomorphous mixture of Tc-99g/Sn as determined by SEM. The metal coordination site is 6-coordinate, composed of N3O3 donor atoms, and intermediate between octahedral and trigonal prismatic geometry. The [(99m)TcL](+) complexes were prepared in a stannous environment; equivalence of the Tc-99m and Tc-99g complexes is demonstrated by HPLC techniques. The [SnL](+) complex was prepared for comparison purposes. An unusual ligand oxidation occurs for one series of ligands in which in situ amine -->imine conversion is observed during the complexation reaction in reducing media. Guinea pig, rat, dog, and human metabolism studies are reported for selected [(99m)TcL](+) complexes, the myocardial uptake of which approaches 2% of the injected dose.
With the ever-growing geriatric population, research on brain diseases such as dementia is more imperative now than ever. The most prevalent of all dementias is Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that presents with deficits in memory, cognition, motor skills, and a general decline in the quality of life. The social and economic burden associated with Alzheimer's disease is tremendous and is projected to grow even greater over the coming years. There is a specific need to elucidate and improve the treatments available, not only to alleviate the symptoms related to dementias such as Alzheimer's but also to prevent the formation of the disease. This is an effort that can be expedited and made more efficient by utilizing an animal model such as the zebrafish. This paper reviews the utility of zebrafish in Alzheimer's research by examining research on a sampling of the treatments available for the disease, specifically donepezil, memantine, and methylene blue. The human model and the shortcomings of the rodent model are also discussed. (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
The present study is concerned with impression formation in a context in which the information about others is limited and at the same time private by its very nature. We examined the accuracy of judges' ratings of target individuals' basic personality traits, affective traits, and assertive self-presentation tactics based on the natural stream of thought of the latter. Furthermore, we explored the moderating role of self-presentation in accurate evaluations of others. A group of 86 participants recorded their natural stream of thought, which then served as the basis for the judges' ratings. The participants also completed self-report measures of basic personality traits, affective traits, and assertive self-presentation tactics. The results partially confirmed that it is possible for judges to form an accurate impression of target individuals' personalities in a context in which the judges possess a small amount of relatively private information about the target individuals. It was even possible for the judges to detect the target individuals' self-presentation tactics, particularly self-promotion. In addition, individuals who use self-promotion and exemplification in a private context are often viewed differently than those who do so less often.
Diversity in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes can be correlated with the level of immunological fitness of an individual or group of individuals. This study tested published primer sets designed to amplify fragments of the MHC Class II DAB and DBB genes to amplify the equivalent gene fragments in red-tailed phascogales (Phascogale calura). Seventeen genomic DNA samples extracted from phascogale muscle tissue were used to amplify the initial DAB and DBB fragments; however, only DAB PCR proved successful. The fragments were 172 bp in length between the primers and had a high level of identity to other known marsupial MHC Class II DAB gene sequences (89-98%), including those of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), commonbrushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and several wallaby species. Multiple sequence alignment revealed limited variability of MHC Class II genes between the individuals, but eight individual sequences in total. Genomic DNA was subsequently extracted from three fresh red-tailed phascogale scat samples and DAB fragments successfully amplified. The technique will allow for red-tailed phascogales to be sampled non-invasively in the wild and to determine the level of MHC diversity among individuals in the population.
A new high-performance capillary electrophoresis assay for aminothiols in human blood, including homocysteine, a marker of several human metabolism disorders, has been developed. Sample preparation involves conversion of disulfides to free thiols with triphenylphosphine, precipitation of proteins with sulfosalicylic acid, and conjugation of the thiols with monobromobimane. Derivatized thiols were separated in a sodium phosphate buffer using a fused-silica capillary (65 cmx50 mum I.D.) at 30 degreesC. With the electric field of 250 V cm(-1), separation of homocysteine, glutathione and cysteine occurred at less than 10 min. Detection at 250 or 234 nm was used to confirm the monobimane-thiols peaks. The detection Limit was similar to5 nmol/ml for all labeled aminothiols. The proposed method for these compounds' analysis included simple sample preparation, high selectivity, good linearity (r(2)>0.999), high reproducibility (within-run precision for derivatized aminothiol peaks area RSD<5% for three times consequently injected sample); high reliability and the small volumes required for analysis made it suitable for clinical studies. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The isoquinoline alkaloid berberine possesses many pharmacological activities including antibacterial infection. Although the direct bactericidal effect of berberine has been documented, its influence on the antibacterial functions of macrophages is largely unknown. As inflammasome activation in macrophages is important for the defense against bacterial infection, we aimed to investigate the influence of berberine on inflammasome activation in murine macrophages. Our results showed that berberine significantly increased ATP-induced inflammasome activation as reflected by enhanced pyroptosis as well as increased release of caspase-1p10 and mature interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in macrophages. Such effects of berberine could be suppressed by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C or by knockdown of AMPKa expression, indicating the involvement of AMPK signaling in this process. In line with increased IL-1 beta release, the ability of macrophages to kill engulfed bacteria was also intensified by berberine. This was corroborated by the in vivo finding that the peritoneal live bacterial load was decreased by berberine treatment. Moreover, berberine administration significantly improved survival of bacterial infected mice, concomitant with increased IL-1 beta levels and elevated neutrophil recruitment in the peritoneal cavity. Collectively, these data suggested that berberine could enhance bacterial killing by augmenting inflammasome activation in macrophages through AMPK signaling.
Introduction: The overall goal of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is to validate biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials. ADNI-3, which began on August 1, 2016, is a 5-year renewal of the current ADNI-2 study. Methods: ADNI-3 will follow current and additional subjects with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and AD using innovative technologies such as tau imaging, magnetic resonance imaging sequences for connectivity analyses, and a highly automated immunoassay platform and mass spectroscopy approach for cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis. A Systems Biology/pathway approach will be used to identify genetic factors for subject selection/enrichment. Amyloid positron emission tomography scanning will be standardized using the Centiloid method. The Brain Health Registry will help recruit subjects and monitor subject cognition. Results: Multimodal analyses will provide insight into AD pathophysiology and disease progression. Discussion: ADNI-3 will aim to inform AD treatment trials and facilitate development of AD disease-modifying treatments. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Media violence research has mainly focused on aggression effects so far. But are audiences' thoughts about violent portrayals actually confined to aggressive fantasies? This study examines more complex thought processes about violent portrayals that involve reflection, meaning-making, and truth-seeking about violence as a fact of social reality. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 39 participants from different backgrounds, including professions at risk for exposure to violence, media professionals, and interviewees from the general population. The interviews revealed three main categories of reflective thoughts about violent media content, including thoughts about (a) the truth value, (b) the life-world relevance, and (c) the psychological and moral implications of the violence depicted. Participants also discussed unrealistic content features that interfered with meaning-making.
When it comes to the pursuit of happiness, popular culture encourages a focus on oneself. By contrast, substantial evidence suggests that what consistently makes people happy is focusing prosocially on others. In the current study, we contrasted the mood-and well-being-boosting effects of prosocial behavior (i.e., doing acts of kindness for others or for the world) and self-oriented behavior (i.e., doing acts of kindness for oneself) in a 6-week longitudinal experiment. Across a diverse sample of participants (N = 473), we found that the 2 types of prosocial behavior led to greater increases in psychological flourishing than did self-focused and neutral behavior. In addition, we provide evidence for mechanisms explaining the relative improvements in flourishing among those prompted to do acts of kindness-namely, increases in positive emotions and decreases in negative emotions. Those assigned to engage in self-focused behavior did not report improved psychological flourishing, positive emotions, or negative emotions relative to controls. The results of this study contribute to a growing literature supporting the benefits of prosocial behavior and challenge the popular perception that focusing on oneself is an optimal strategy to boost one's mood. People striving for happiness may be tempted to treat themselves. Our results, however, suggest that they may be more successful if they opt to treat someone else instead.
Although a considerable body of research has examined the impact of student attractiveness on instructors, little attention has been given to the influence of instructor attractiveness on students. This study tested the hypothesis that persons would perform significantly better on a learning task when they perceived their instructor to be high in physical attractiveness. To test the hypothesis, participants listened to an audio lecture while viewing a photograph of instructor. The photograph depicted either a physically attractive instructor or a less attractive instructor. Following the lecture, participants completed a forced choice recognition task covering material from the lecture. Consistent with the predictions; attractive instructors were associated with more learning. Finally, we replicated previous findings demonstrating the role attractiveness plays in person perception.
Purpose of review The rise in the prevalence of food allergy over the past decades has focused attention of factors that may impact disease development, most notably the gut microbiota. The gut microbial communities play a crucial role in promoting oral tolerance. Their alteration by such factors as Cesarean section delivery, diet and antibiotics may influence disease development. This review highlights recent progress in our understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in the development of food allergy. Recent findings Food allergy is associated with alterations in the gut microbiota or dysbiosis early in life that may be predictive of disease persistence versus tolerance acquisition. Evidence for the benefits of adjunct therapy with probiotics for the prevention of food allergies and for potentiating oral immunotherapy remains circumstantial, with further studies needed to validate its use. Studies in murine models of food allergy suggest that microbial therapy with protolerogenic bacteria such as certain Clostridial species holds promise in future applications for prevention or therapy of food allergy. Summary Progress in understanding the role of dysbiosis in food allergy and the factors that promote its development, such as antibiotic therapy, diet, modes of infant delivery, and environmental exposures, offer windows of opportunity for both preventive and therapeutic interventions to stem the rising tide of the food allergy epidemic.
Iron is an essential nutrient, acting as a catalyst for metabolic reactions that are fundamental to cell survival and proliferation. Iron complexed to transferrin is delivered to the metabolism after endocytosis via the CD71 surface receptor. We found that transformed cells from a murine PTEN-deficient T-cell lymphoma model and from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/T-LL) cell lines overexpress CD71. As a consequence, the cells developed an addiction toward iron whose chelation by deferoxamine (DFO) dramatically affected their survival to induce apoptosis. Interestingly, DFO displayed synergistic activity with three ALL-specific drugs: dexamethasone, doxorubicin, and L-asparaginase. DFO appeared to act through a reactive oxygen species-dependent DNA damage response and potentiated the action of an inhibitor of the PARP pathway of DNA repair. Our results demonstrate that targeting iron metabolism could be an interesting adjuvant therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Norway experienced internet voting in 2011 and 2013 for municipal and parliamentary elections, respectively. Its security depends on the assumptions that the involving organizations are completely independent, reliable, and the receipt codes are securely sent to the voters. In this paper, we point out the following aspects: The vote privacy of the Norwegian scheme is violated if Ballot Box and Receipt Generator cooperate because the private key of Decryption Service can be obtained by the two former players. We propose a solution to avoid this issue without adding new players. To assure the correctness, the receipt codes are sent to the voters over a pre-channel (postal service) and a post-channel (Short Message Service [SMS]). However, by holding both SMS and the postal receipt code, a voter can reveal his vote even after the elections. Albeit revoting is a fairly well solution for coercion or concealment, intentional vote revealing is still a problem. We suggest SMS only for notification of vote submission. In case the codes are falsely generated or the pre-channel is not secure, a vote can be counted for a different candidate without detection. We propose a solution in which voters verify the integrity of the postal receipt codes. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Property-level stormwater drainage systems consist of roof drainage systems and those systems that connect buildings and their surrounding ground surfaces to main sewer networks, on-site rainwater harvesting or other capture systems. The design of these local systems has traditionally been based on simplistic approaches that fail to account for performance and integration. Given the extra demands associated with climate change, these limitations will take on increasing importance due to the potential for site-level flooding or water damage. To address the concerns, new tools are needed to describe and assess performance as well as to enable a more integrated approach. Research is presented on the development of an integrated property-level drainage simulation model and associated whole-life costing model. Application of the model illustrates the importance of accounting for flow interactions in order to assess the hydraulic effectiveness of different adaptation schemes. Similarly, the whole-life cost model can determine the through-life costs of adaptation strategies, hence enabling the assessment of the cost effectiveness of integrated designs.
An integrated electronic-photonic phase-locked loop (PLL) modulates the frequency of a tunable laser for use in frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) lidar 3D imaging. The proposed lidar can perform 180k range measurements per second. The rms depth precision is 8 mu m at distances of +/- 5 cm from the range baseline. The range window is 1.4 m, with a precision of 4.2 mm at the edges of the window. Optical circuitry, including input light couplers, waveguides, and photodiodes, is realized on a 3 mm x 3 mm silicon-photonic chip. The 0.18-mu m CMOS ASIC of the same area comprises the frontend transimpedance amplifier, analog electro-optical PLL, and digital control circuitry consuming 1.7 mA from a 1.8 V supply and 14.1 mA from a 5-V supply. The latter includes 12.5-mA bias current for the distributed Bragg reflector section of the tunable laser. The two chips are integrated using through-silicon-vias implemented in the silicon-photonic chip.
The creep curve of geosynthetic assays requires very long time, socalled conventional tests. To reduce this time can be used the SIM teste (Stepped Isothermal Method) known as accelerated test. This paper presents the results of accelerated and conventional tests to assess the creep of geotextile non-woven polyester with short fiber. Compared to the literature, the results showed less variability of the temporal range of the accelerated creep curves.
Why do people vote? We design a field experiment to estimate a model of voting because others will ask. The expectation of being asked motivates turnout if individuals derive pride from telling others that they voted, or feel shame from admitting that they did not vote, provided that lying is costly. In a door-to-door survey about election turnout, we experimentally vary (1) the informational content and use of a flyer pre-announcing the survey, (2) the duration and payment for the survey, and (3) the incentives to lie about past voting. The experimental results indicate significant social image concerns. For the 2010 Congressional election, we estimate a value of voting to tell others of about $ 15, contributing 2 percentage points to turnout. Finally, we evaluate a get-out-the-vote intervention in which we tell potential voters that we will ask if they voted.
The aim of this case report was to describe an innovative orthodontic treatment method that combined surgical and orthodontic techniques. The novel method was used to achieve a positive result in a case of moderate crowding by employing a computer-guided piezocision procedure followed by the use of clear aligners. A 23-year-old woman had a malocclusion with moderate crowding. Her periodontal indices, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and treatment time were evaluated. The treatment included interproximal corticotomy cuts extending through the entire thickness of the cortical layer, without a full thickness flap reflection. This was achieved with a three-dimensionally printed surgical guide using computer-aided, design and computer-aided manufacturing. Orthodontic force was applied to the teeth immediately after surgery by using clear appliances for better control of tooth movement. The total treatment time was 8 months. The periodontal indices improved after crowding correction, but the oral health impact profile showed a slight deterioration of OHRQoL during the 3 days.following surgery. At the 2-year retention follow-up, the stability of treatment was excellent. The reduction in surgical time and patient discomfort, increased periodontal safety and patient acceptability, and accurate control of orthodontic movement without the risk of losing anchorage may encourage the use of this combined technique in appropriate cases.
A system has been developed to fulfill the entire coupled multiphysics analysis cycle for the design and analysis of complex fusion reactor components. It provides advanced modeling capability for converting computer-aided-design geometries to Monte Carlo (MC) geometries by employing constructive solid geometries and unstructured meshes. It also realizes the generic multiphysics coupling of the MC neutronics, computational fluid dynamics, and finite element thermal and structural analyses. This system is a seamless, extensible, and generic system that has been intensively verified for fusion applications.
Considering its role in prosocial behaviors, oxytocin (OT) has been suggested to diminish levels of aggression. Nevertheless, recent findings indicate that oxytocin may have a broader influence on increasing the salience of social stimuli and may therefore, under certain circumstances, increase antisocial behaviors such as aggression. This controversy led to the following speculations: If indeed oxytocin promotes primarily prosocial behavior, administration of OT is expected to diminish levels of aggression. However, if oxytocin mainly acts to increase the salience of social stimuli, it is expected to elevate levels of aggression following provocation. In order to test this assumption we used the Social Orientation Paradigm (SOP), a monetary game played against a fictitious partner that allows measuring three types of responses in the context of provocation: an aggressive response reducing a point from the fictitious partner, an individualistic response - adding a point to oneself, and a collaborative response - adding half a point to the partner and half a point to oneself. In the current double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study design, 45 participants completed the SOP task following the administration of oxytocin or placebo. The results indicated that among subjects naive to the procedure oxytocin increased aggressive responses in comparison with placebo. These results support the saliency hypothesis of oxytocin and suggest that oxytocin plays a complex role in the modulation of human behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Sexism as a variety of prejudice is widely addressed as a severe social problem for society owing to its quality of establishing various forms of inequality. However, sexism is a rather neglected issue in geography especially concerning the global South. The postcolonial island state of Mauritius, agrarian oriented and socially conservative but well integrated in global value chains, shows the unique combination of a strong paternalistic form of inward ethnic orientation, characteristic for most postcolonial states, combined with a minor tendency for metropolisation, which makes the island state worthwhile for the further development of generic theories of sexism in general. The paper analyses relevant predictors of sexism in Mauritius that can be useful in informing approaches that focus especially north/south differences of gender inequality. It becomes apparent that mechanisms of sexism in Mauritius are in most dimensions the same as the mechanisms found in the global North. Communalism and absent metropolisation remain significant, yet other important predictors are sex, life satisfaction, withholding citizen rights to foreign wives of Mauritian men, and xenophobic attitudes. These results point in the direction of the necessity to think in new ways about attitudinal differences of societies in the global North/South especially in postcolonial contexts. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Food quality and safety have been a significant and pressing issue in recent years. In light of the FAO's definition of food security the physical, social and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food - food safety plays a fundamental role. Animal feed and feeding is pivotal to the livestock industry, but the use of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) and synthetic growth promoters (SGP) diminishes the sustainability of the diets and. can cause an accumulation of residues in animals (meat, milk and eggs) and the environment (water and soil pollution). Wastewater systems are another major pathway through which antibiotics and hormones can enter the environment, with negative consequences. In order to protect the planet through more sustainable feeding, the reduction of antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters is a key aim, in particular with the goal of reducing antibiotic resistance and allergies. Analytical methods play a crucial role in food analysis, to determine the presence of antibiotics and other additives. Recent methods are based on liquid chromatography with ultraviolet, fluorescence, or mass spectrophotometry detection, which is recognized as an essential technique in food analysis, able to identify more than 300 compounds in feed samples. In general, a monitoring program put in place to educate the population on the hazards of residues in animal products is necessary, in conjunction with a continuous decrease in the use of antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters in animal diets. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Researchers of different fields have been involved in human behavior analysis during the last years. The successful recognition of human activities from video analysis is still a challenging problem. Within this context, applications targeting elderly care are of considerable interest both for public and industrial bodies, especially considering the aging society we are living in. Ambient intelligence (AmI) technologies, intended as the possibility of automatically detecting and reacting to the status of the environment and of the persons, is probably the major enabling factor. AmI technologies require suitable networks of sensors and actuators, as well as adequate processing and communication technologies. In this paper we propose an innovative solution based on a real time analysis of video with application in the field of elderly care. The system performs anomaly detection and proposes the automatic reconfiguration of the camera network for better monitoring of the ongoing event. The developed framework is tested on a publicly available dataset and has also been deployed and evaluated in a real environment.
Mobile adhoc network is dynamic in nature and it operates completely in an infrastructure-less environment. It discovers the way routes dynamically to reach the destination. Securing a dynamic way route, which is not known before establishing communication, is always a challenge in the mobile ad hoc network. Most of the existing secure routing protocols target to evade specific type of attacks or malicious behaviour of the nodes or networks. We propose a novel secure way routing protocol for securing the dynamic way routes in MANET. It provides a unique session key for each route to secure the data communication. Moreover, it authenticates the data packets using asymmetric cryptography and secures the routing field message using two-way asymmetric cryptography. The proposal is implemented and tested for assessing the protocol's performance. We have also compared the protocol with the other secure routing protocols for evaluating its performance.
Background. The discovery of novel biomarkers that predict treatment response in advanced cancer patients requires acquisition of high-quality tumor samples. As cancer evolves over time, tissue is ideally obtained before the start of each treatment. Preferably, samples are freshly frozen to allow analysis by next-generation DNA/ RNA sequencing (NGS) but also for making other emerging systematic techniques such as proteomics and metabolomics possible. Here, we describe the first 469 image-guided biopsies collected in a large collaboration in The Netherlands (Center for Personalized Cancer Treatment) and show the utility of these specimens for NGS analysis. Patients and Methods. Image-guided tumor biopsies were performed in advanced cancer patients. Samples were fresh frozen, vital tumor cellularity was estimated, and DNA was isolated after macrodissection of tumor-rich areas. Safety of the image-guided biopsy procedures was assessed by reporting of serious adverse events within 14 days after the biopsy procedure. Results. Biopsy procedures were generally well tolerated. Major complications occurred in 2.1%, most frequently consisting of pain. In 7.3% of the percutaneous lung biopsies, pneumothorax requiring drainage occurred. The majority of samples (81%) contained a vital tumor percentage of at least 30%, from which at least 500 ng DNA could be isolated in 91%. Given our preset criteria, 74% of samples were of sufficient quality for biomarker discovery. The NGS results in this cohort were in line with those in other groups. Conclusion. Image-guided biopsy procedures for biomarker discovery to enable personalized cancer treatment are safe and feasible and yield a highly valuable biobank. Implications for Practice: This study shows that it is safe to perform image-guided biopsy procedures to obtain fresh frozen tumor samples and that it is feasible to use these biopsies for biomarker discovery purposes in a Dutch multicenter collaboration. From the majority of the samples, sufficient DNA could be yielded to perform next-generation sequencing. These results indicate that the way is paved for consortia to prospectively collect fresh frozen tumor tissue.
We investigated when young children become sensitive to one evolutionary important signal of honest affiliative and cooperative intent: a genuine (Duchenne) smile. Altogether, we tested 168 children between 2 and 5 years of age in a series of studies aimed at mapping the development of children's ability to discriminate genuine from fake smiles, their preference for genuine smiles, and their understanding of how genuine smiles are linked with prosocial behavior. Studies 1-4 showed that children's ability to discriminate, and answer questions about, the different types of smiles gradually improves between the ages of 2 and 4 years: from implicitly discriminating the smiles in their gaze behavior (at age 3), to being able to identify genuine smiles explicitly in a verbal task (at age 4). Study 5 showed that 4- to 5-year-old children expect people displaying genuine smiles to be more prosocial than those displaying fake smiles. These results demonstrate that the origins of this evolutionarily important form of partner choice appear early in development. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Culture-based pathogen identification in skull base osteomyelitis, particularly for fungi, is often inaccurate. We report the case of patient with fungal skull base osteomyelitis cured by sustained antifungal therapy after 16 months of debilitating illness. Due to medical complications, a strong clinical rationale was needed to justify long-term antifungal therapy. The offending fungus was identified by experimental molecular technology (Ibis T5000 universal biosensor); invasive fungal disease was corroborated by biochemical assays. Our discussion will help familiarize the otolaryngologist with existing biochemical and molecular diagnostics for invasive fungal disease. We encourage future investigators to study their application in cases of skull base osteomyelitis.
Amino acids present a great potential for heavy metals sorption, thanks to their active chemical groups. Tyrosine is an amino acid containing amine, carboxylate and phenol groups and thus is a potential candidate for heavy metals remediation. However, this biomolecule is water soluble, and so it is difficult to remove tyrosine-metal complexes from the water. A potential solution would consist in grafting this biomolecule onto a material to ensure a good separation between heavy metals, trapped by tyrosine-grafted-material, and the water medium. Thus, the grafting of tyrosine onto a polypropylene (PP) nonwoven was carried out. Evidence of the grafting of tyrosine was given by several characterization techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A 3.2% tyrosine grafting rate was obtained. Then, the sorption efficiency of the tyrosine-functionalized material was evaluated by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. At 20 degrees C and for pH 4.5, approximately 48 mg of copper per gram of PP were trapped, confirming the good efficiency of tyrosine. The most interesting result of this study is the constant sorption capacity whatever the sodium chloride concentration in the copper sulfate solution. This result, specific to tyrosine, allows considering the possibility of the use of such material for marine wastewaters and sediments depollution. This article contains supporting information that will be made available online once the issue is published.
Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are inherited diseases characterized by lysosomal dysfunction and often showing a neurodegenerative course. There is no cure to treat the central nervous system in LSDs. Moreover, the mechanisms driving neuronal degeneration in these pathological conditions remain largely unknown. By studying mouse models of LSDs, we found that neurodegeneration develops progressively with profound alterations in presynaptic structure and function. In these models, impaired lysosomal activity causes massive perikaryal accumulation of insoluble -synuclein and increased proteasomal degradation of cysteine string protein (CSP). As a result, the availability of both -synuclein and CSP at nerve terminals strongly decreases, thus inhibiting soluble NSF attachment receptor (SNARE) complex assembly and synaptic vesicle recycling. Aberrant presynaptic SNARE phenotype is recapitulated in mice with genetic ablation of one allele of both CSP and -synuclein. The overexpression of CSP in the brain of a mouse model of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA, a severe form of LSD, efficiently re-established SNARE complex assembly, thereby ameliorating presynaptic function, attenuating neurodegenerative signs, and prolonging survival. Our data show that neurodegenerative processes associated with lysosomal dysfunction may be presynaptically initiated by a concomitant reduction in -synuclein and CSP levels at nerve terminals. They also demonstrate that neurodegeneration in LSDs can be slowed down by re-establishing presynaptic functions, thus identifying synapse maintenance as a novel potentially druggable target for brain treatment in LSDs.
This paper introduces a new voltage regulator module (VRM) that merges a highly efficient switched-inductor converter as the main unit with a load-side switched-capacitor-based converter to assist during load transient events. The resulting hybrid-VRM exhibits improved dynamic performance for both loading and unloading transient events, while maintaining a compact design with reduced output capacitance and lower components stress. The hybrid controller that has been developed allows operation that is based on output voltage measurement alone, further reducing the circuit complexity. A power processing efficiency analysis that has been carried out shows efficiency improvement in favor of the hybrid-VRM when compared to time-optimal control under varying load conditions. The operation of the VRM is verified on a 20-W, 12V-to-1.5-V prototype with peak power conversion efficiency of 93%, demonstrating near-ideal transient recovery.
After critically reviewing the divisions of imitation as proposed by Dryden and Genette, among others, the author discusses the evolution of this concept, from its origins to its latest development in modern England. His aim is to build an objective model for analyzing imitation as a form of translation. He then analyzes a case study from East Asia: Japanese manga imitations of the Chinese novel The Journey to the West, in particular Minekura Kazuya's 1997-2002 Journey to the Extreme (Gens (o) over bar maden Saiy (u) over bar ki). The author seeks to show how the changes made by the manga artists to the plot and characters exemplify ways in which imitations function in a new context. The article ends with some historical reflections on the position of imitation in translation theory and practice, while relating it to the contemporary context. It is hoped that the discussion will contribute to dispelling the misunderstandings and prejudice towards imitation, at the same time encouraging renewed attention to this old concept.
Two studies examine the relationship between naturally occurring levels of circulating testosterone and empathic accuracy. In Study 1, the authors find that higher endogenous levels of testosterone are negatively related to the accuracy with which people infer the thoughts and feelings of others. In Study 2, the authors use 360 data collected in the field to show that individuals with higher levels of endogenous testosterone are evaluated by their real-world professional colleagues as functioning with lower levels of empathic accuracy. Furthermore, the authors report evidence that this negative relationship between testosterone and perceived empathic accuracy has downstream consequences for perceptions of one's leadership skills and abilities.
Background: Cognitive empathy is supported by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC), insula (INS), supplementary motor area (SMA), right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), and precuneus (PREC). In healthy controls, cortical thickness in these regions has been linked to cognitive empathy. As cognitive empathy is impaired in schizophrenia, we examined whether reduced cortical thickness in these regions was associated with poorer cognitive empathy in this population. Methods: 41 clinically-stable community-dwelling individuals with schizophrenia and 46 healthy controls group-matched on demographic variables completed self-report empathy questionnaires, a cognitive empathy task, and structural magnetic resonance imaging. We examined between-group differences in study variables using t-tests and analyses of variance. Next, we used Pearson correlations to evaluate the relationship between cognitive empathy and cortical thickness in the mPFC, IFG, aMCC, INS, SMA, TPJ, and PREC in both groups. Results: Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrated cortical thinning in the IFG, INS, SMA, TPJ, and PREC (all p < 0.05) and impaired cognitive empathy across all measures (all p < 0.01) relative to controls. While cortical thickness in the mPFC, IFC, aMCC, and INS (all p0.10). Conclusions: Individuals with schizophrenia have reduced cortical thickness in empathy-related neural regions and significant impairments in cognitive empathy. Interestingly, cortical thickness was related to cognitive empathy in controls but not in the schizophrenia group. We discuss other mechanisms that may account for cognitive empathy impairment in schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction:Mycobacterium abscessus is an emerging mycobacteria that is responsible for lung diseases and healthcare-associated extrapulmonary infections. Recent findings support its taxonomic status as a single species comprising 3 subspecies designated abscessus, bolletii and massiliense. We performed a review of English-language publications investigating all three of these subspecies.Areas covered: Worldwide, human infections are often attributable to environmental contamination, although the isolation of M. abscessus in this reservoir is very rare. Basic research has demonstrated an association between virulence and cell wall components and cording, and genome analysis has identified gene transfer from other bacteria. The bacteriological diagnosis of M. abscessus is based on innovative tools combining molecular biology and mass spectrometry. Genotypic and phenotypic susceptibility testing are required to predict the success of macrolide (clarithromycin or azithromycin)-based therapeutic regimens. Genotyping methods are helpful to assess relapse and cross-transmission and to search for a common source. Treatment is not standardised, and outcomes are often unsatisfactory.Expert commentary:M. abscessus is still an open field in terms of clinical and bacteriological research. Further knowledge of its ecology and transmission routes, as well as host-pathogen interactions, is required. Because the number of human cases is increasing, it is also necessary to identify more active treatments and perform clinical trials to assess standard effective regimens.
This paper presents a research that is investigating the application(s) of technology to collaborative decision making in the distributed manufacturing engineering projects. A system frame work for collaborative project management and interaction between the identified agents is presented and discussed.
Systematic studies of micronutrients during brain formation are hindered by restrictions to animal models and adult post-mortem tissues. Recently, advances in stem cell biology have enabled recapitulation of the early stages of human telencephalon development in vitro. In the present work, we analyzed cerebral organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence in order to measure biologically valuable micronutrients incorporated and distributed into the exogenously developing brain. Our findings indicate that elemental inclusion in organoids is consistent with human brain tissue and involves P, S, K, Ca, Fe and Zn. Occurrence of different concentration gradients also suggests active regulation of elemental transmembrane transport. Finally, the analysis of pairs of elements shows interesting elemental interaction patterns that change from 30 to 45 days of development, suggesting short- or long-term associations, such as storage in similar compartments or relevance for time-dependent biological processes. These findings shed light on which trace elements are important during human brain development and will support studies aimed to unravel the consequences of disrupted metal homeostasis for neurodevelopmental diseases, including those manifested in adulthood.
We sought to validate and extend the findings of a 282 psoriatic arthritis patient cohort from Dublin using a 219 patient cohort from Bath. The central finding of this study was that several structurally unrelated HLA alleles, including B*08:01:01, B*18:01:01, B*27:05:02, B*55:01:01 and C*06:02:01, were found to be significantly associated with particular phenotypic features of psoriatic arthritis, implying that the clinical diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis designates a genetically heterogeneous subset of individuals. Radiographic sacroiliitis was associated with either B*08:01:01, or B*27:05:02 with implications about the role of MHC molecules in an adaptive immune response. There are also implications for psoriatic arthritis diagnostic criteria since some disease features used in the criteria are under genetic control. These findings have important implications for understanding the role of MHC alleles in directing the adaptive immune response to mediate the inflammation responsible for psoriatic arthritis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The metabolic fate of the organophosphorothioate-type insecticide chlorpyrifos (CP) in an acutely intoxicated 59 years old female was investigated by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis of urine samples. Fifteen metabolites of CP and its bioactivated intermediate chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO), respectively, of which only three have been described in man so far, were identified on the basis of characteristic MS/MS transitions, precursor/product ion and/or neutral loss scans, chlorine isotopomer patterns, and partly by synthesis of reference compounds and subsequent structure confirmation. Three distinct biotransformation routes of CP are proposed: (1) cleavage reactions at the aromatic phosphoester bond, (2) cleavage reactions at the alkyl phosphoester bonds, and (3) glutathione (GSH) dependent nucleophilic substitution of the 6-chlorine at the aromatic moiety. Route (2) has not been reported in humans before and (3) is a hitherto completely unknown scheme of CP metabolism. Urinary markers of the latter were chiefly cysteine S-conjugates of mono-dechlorinated CP, CPO, mono-O-deethyl CP, and mono-O-deethyl CPO as well as the 6-mercapturic acid conjugate of 3,5-dichloro-2-pyridinol. The presence of 3,5-dichloro-6-methylthio-2-pyridinol as well as its O-glucuronide suggests further a cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyase mediated degradation. In addition to the qualitative LC-MS/MS screening the renal elimination profiles of the primary products of scheme (1), i.e. diethyl thiophosphate (DETP), diethyl phosphate (DEP), and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), were monitored over 14 days (n = 21). A biphasic first-order excretion mechanism with half-lives of 21.5 h (initial fast excretion phase) and 119.5 h (terminal phase) for the Sum of free DETP and DEP was found. TCP was hardly eliminated in its free form (O-glucuronide identified as phase II conjugate) and half-lives calculated for the total amount of TCP (acidic hydrolysis of urine samples) were 40.8 and 150.7 h. The present study gives a more detailed view on the biotransformation of CP and together with the obtained kinetic data adds novel aspects to the limited knowledge of human metabolism of this xenobiotic, in particular at high dosage. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Step-pool systems occur naturally in steep mountain streams and as man-made structures in steep channel sections where they serve as energy dissipating structures. Three different flow regimes may occur. The dominant flow regime is the cascading nappe flow regime. At higher discharges the skimming flow regime develops with an almost plane water surface. In between these flow regimes a transition flow regime occurs. A physical model was used to measure the pressure distribution around a single step for a particular step-pool geometry and for different flow regimes (nappe/transition/skimming). To achieve this, 14 simultaneously recording piezoresistive pressure transducers were distributed around the step. The results showed that the regime change from nappe to transition flow is associated with a discontinuity of the average Froude number of a step-pool unit as well as drops in pressures and water depth. Relative instantaneous drag forces reached a maximum for this regime change. This implies that the regime change from nappe to transition flow is a critical loading case with respect to the stability of the steps. On the other hand, the mean drag forces showed little systematic variation as the flow rate changed with a large spread in results for measurements repeated at the same flow. Thus, for the nappe and transition flow regimes, the mean drag force is not a good criterion to use to predict step stability. The occurrence of the different flow regimes could be related to the average Froude number of a step-pool unit. The results have practical implications for the design of step-pool systems.
Since decades, cross-cultural psychology examines moral values using data from standardized surveys, assuming that values guide human behavior. We add to this literature by studying the link between moral values and various forms of prosocial behavior, using data from respondents of the sixth World Values Survey in Germany who participated in an online behavioral experiment. The experiment consists of a series of incentivized tasks and allows us to elaborate the association between survey-measured values and three facets of observed prosocial behavior. The evidence boils down to three findings. While (a) emancipative values relate to higher common pool contributions and (b) higher donations to charitable organizations, (c) secular values are linked with more productive and less protective investments. As these results conform to key theories and reach empirical significance in a major postindustrial nation, we conclude that we have important evidence at hand highlighting the potential of combined survey-experiment methods to establish value-behavior links that are otherwise inexplorable.
Network traffic classification is elementary to network security and management. Recent research tends to apply machine learning techniques to flow statistical feature based classification methods. The Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) based on the correlation of flows has exhibited superior classification performance. It also has several important advantages, such as robust to distributional assumptions and adaption to any cluster shape. However, the performance of GMM can be severely affected by the number of clusters. In this paper, we propose the minimum description length (MDL) criterion which can balance the accuracy and complexity of the classification model effectively by evaluating the optimal number of clusters. We establish a new classification model and analyze its performance. A large number of experiments are carried out on two real-world traffic data sets to validate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate the efficiency of our approach.
Aims and objectivesTo understand taxi drivers' successful experiences of quitting betel nut chewing. BackgroundPrevious studies verified that betel nut chewing significantly increases the risk of oral cancer. In Taiwan, taxi drivers work for approximately 10-13hours per day, and 317-80% of them choose to chew betel nuts for their invigorating qualities, which enable them to work more hours and receive more income. DesignA qualitative research design was used. MethodsThis study used the grounded theory method with purposive sampling to perform in-depth interviews with male taxi drivers who had successfully quit betel nut chewing for more than six months. ResultsThe interviewed participants were 25 taxi drivers aged 45-67 who had chewed betel nuts for an average of 309years. A constant comparative analysis of the 25 interviews revealed six categories, namely the first experience of chewing betel nuts, a part of work and life, perceiving the impact of betel nuts, trying to change, acting to quit betel nut chewing and starting a new life. ConclusionsDuring the cessation process, taxi drivers tended to be affected by their addiction to chewing betel nuts and the temptation of friends' invitations to chew betel nuts. However, their recognition of the physical effects of betel nut chewing and their sense of responsibility and commitment to family were the critical factors affecting their determination to quit betel nut chewing. Their willpower to not to chew betel nuts and the source of their motivation to exercise self-control also contributed to their success. Relevance to clinical practiceHealthcare personnel should understand the experiences and perceptions of betel nut chewers, strengthen their understanding of the effects of betel nut chewing on physical health during the cessation period and support their self-efficacy and quitting behaviours with the assistance of significant others.
A number of methods exist for the transformation of B lymphocytes by the Epstein Barr virus in vitro into immortalized cell lines. We have developed a new method with a powerful and simple strategy for the establishment of B-LCLs, the red blood cell lysis method. This method simplified the PBMC separation procedure with red blood cell removal, and used as little as 0.5 mL of whole blood for establishing EBV-immortalized cell lines, which can proliferate to large cell numbers in a relatively short amount time with a 100% success rate. The method is simple, reliable, time saving, and applicable to treating a large number of the clinical samples.
With new advances in computer hardware and software, users now have widespread accessibility to multicore devices inside personal computers making it feasible for fast indoor airflow simulations. Some exciting preliminary results of a cross-platform parallel computing framework OpenCL using specific hardware were reported. However, those results are largely based on two hypotheses: 1. OpenCL code on all devices will generate the same results; 2. On the same device, running in parallel with multiple processors will be faster than running in sequential with a single processor. This study attempted to evaluate these two hypotheses by systematically studying the accuracy and computing speed of OpenCL for indoor airflow simulations. A Fast Fluid Dynamics (FFD) code was selected as an exemplar indoor airflow simulation program. To compare the cross-platform ability of OpenCL, the evaluation was performed using four Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and five Central Processing Units (CPUs) from three manufacturers, with different degrees of computing capability and mounted on two operating systems. The test subjects were evaluated using four case studies consisting of various indoor airflows. A sequential FFD code programmed in C and a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program were first used to perform the case studies and generate numerical benchmarks. The comparison of the numerical simulation results with experimental data showed that CFD and FFD can predict the studied flows with averaged relative errors of 9.99% and 11.30%, respectively. Afterwards, the accuracy and speedup of the OpenCL code was compared with numerical benchmarks. Although the OpenCL code on the CPUs generated identical numerical results, the OpenCL results from the GPUs were slightly dissimilar. This is likely due to varying interpretations, by the manufactures, of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard. Depending on the hardware, the speedups of the OpenCL code varied from 0.7 to 4.2 times on the CPUs and 5.1-129.3 times on the GPUs. The slowdown of computing speed happened when running OpenCL on a two-core CPU in a Windows Operating System using the Boot Camp on a Mac computer. Finally, a separate study on the relationship between speedup and global work size showed that a speedup of 1139 can be achieved when using an AMD FirePro W8100 GPU.
Saliency detection has been widely studied to predict human fixations, with various applications in computer vision and image processing. For saliency detection, we argue in this paper that the state-of-the-art High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard can be used to generate the useful features in compressed domain. Therefore, this paper proposes to learn the video saliency model, with regard to HEVC features. First, we establish an eye tracking database for video saliency detection, which can be downloaded from https://github. com/remega/video database. Through the statistical analysis on our eye tracking database, we find out that human fixations tend to fall into the regions with large-valued HEVC features on splitting depth, bit allocation, and motion vector (MV). In addition, three observations are obtained with the further analysis on our eye tracking database. Accordingly, several features in HEVC domain are proposed on the basis of splitting depth, bit allocation, and MV. Next, a kind of support vector machine is learned to integrate those HEVC features together, for video saliency detection. Since almost all video data are stored in the compressed form, our method is able to avoid both the computational cost on decoding and the storage cost on raw data. More importantly, experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to other stateof- the-art saliency detection methods, either in compressed or uncompressed domain.
Cornhusk, corncob, and stigma maydis were extracted with water, aqueous ethanol, aqueous methanol, and ethyl acetate, respectively. The total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), total ketosteroid contents (TKC), and antioxidant activities [2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,4,6-tri(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TPTZ) radical-scavenging activity, reducing power, and ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP)] of the above extracts were investigated. Their main antioxidant components were further determined and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results revealed that the aqueous ethanol and aqueous methanol were more efficient in extracting antioxidant constituents from cornhusk, corncob, and stigma maydis. Eight main antioxidant components were detected from above three by-products, and the contents of four main antioxidant components were determined. The present work revealed that the cornhusk and corncob showed similar high TPC, TFC, TKC, and antioxidant activities with stigma maydis, and could be used as potential candidates for the prevention of diseases related to various oxidant by-products of human metabolism.
Wide bandgap semiconductors have been increasingly adopted to enhance the efficiency and reduce the volume of power converters, as these devices are able to switch at dozens of megahertz or even 100 megahertz with lower power losses. However, such a high frequency operation may impose a challenge to the digital control system, and the required clock frequency should be up to 100 gigahertz in high precision applications, which is difficult to realize in low-cost microprocessors such as field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Instead of using hardware-dependent high frequency clocks, an alternative solution is to utilize digital pulse-width-modulated (DPWM) dither techniques to enhance the DPWM resolution. Unfortunately, this is achieved at the expense of introducing low frequency harmonics, which may complicate the output filter and system controller design. In this paper, an optimal dither technique is proposed to enhance the resolution of DPWM power converters. The concepts of positive dither and negative dither are first proposed in this paper. Furthermore, vector diagram-based analysis indicates that with the combination of positive dithers, negative dithers and a carefully selected dither sequence, the lowest order harmonics can be completely eliminated when the dither period is multiples of six switching periods. In other cases, the proposed optimal dither technique can produce minimized lowest order harmonics. Finally, experimental results obtained from a synchronous buck converter validate the feasibility of the proposed technique.
This research integrates self-determination theory and the social identity approach to investigate the notion of collective (group level) self-determination, and to test how the agent of intergroup help (helping initiated by a group representative versus group members) shapes group members' motives and support for intergroup helping. Study 1 (N = 432) demonstrates that collective self-determination predicts support for intergroup helping, group pride, and well-being, over and above individual-level self-determined motivation. Study 2 (N = 216) confirmed that helping by group members was seen as more collectively self-determined than helping by a group representative, producing effects on pride, well-being, and support. Study 3 (N = 124) explores a qualifier of these effects: People who identify more strongly with the leader who is providing the help also experience representative helping as more collectively self-determined, thereby promoting well-being, group pride, and support. Findings highlight the value of integrating self-determination theory with intergroup theories to consider collective aspects of self-determination.
The interest for permanent magnet (PM) synchronous machines equipped with fractional-slot concentrated winding is more and more increasing in recent years. Among the others the Surface Mounted PM machines (SPM) have been widely selected from motor manufacturers. Particularly attractive are the spoke-type interior PM (IPM) machines. Nowadays, PM machines are often selected for variable speed applications without precise positioning requirements taking the advantage of sensorless control algorithms. Nevertheless the capability to detect the electrical rotor position without sensor also at zero speed, by means of techniques based on high-frequency signal injection, is an enhancing feature that requires a proper machine design. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of both rotor and stator modifications taking a commercial motor as a reference geometry. The analysis of two rotor structures, SPM and IPM, as well as stator tooth geometry variations pointed out how the machine response due the injection of an high frequency voltage is significantly affected by the stator iron saturation. Finite elements simulations have been confirmed by test on two IPM motors manufactured with different stator design.
A conceptual model is proposed that explains how gene environment correlations and the multiplier effect function in the context of social development in individuals with autism. The review discusses the current state of autism genetic research, including its challenges, such as the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of the disorder, and its limitations, such as the lack of interdisciplinary work between geneticists and social scientists. We discuss literature on gene environment correlations in the context of social development and draw implications for individuals with autism. The review expands upon genes, behaviors, types of environmental exposure, and exogenous variables relevant to social development in individuals on the autism spectrum, and explains these factors in the context of the conceptual model to provide a more in-depth understanding of how the effects of certain genetic variants can be multiplied by the environment to cause largely phenotypic individual differences. Using the knowledge gathered from gene environment correlations and the multiplier effect, we outline novel intervention directions and implications.
The ergonomic principles integration into manufacturing engineering processes design and development is becoming a common practice in companies. In this regard muscle-skeletal injuries have an important impact in workplaces. The evaluation and measurement of risk factors is an important step towards workplace Excellency. In this work they are described the evaluation methods most commonly used, and it is showed the application of RULA Rapid Upper Limb Assessment and REBA Rapid Entire Body Assessment methods in a metal sector company with the help of virtual simulation tool in which arc integrated both methods via external programming. The entire production process is evaluated and improvements suggested in order to eliminate those ergonomic risks and to improve the production system. It is the objective of this paper to show the advantages of using these tools, as well as to implement, an adequate observation method in this field.
Objective. Obesity can be a factor that affects response to anti-TNF drugs. However, studies on patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are rare. We aimed to determine whether obesity affects serum levels of adalimumab (ADL), and immunogenicity and clinical efficacy of the drug in patients with AS. Methods. A cross-sectional study on 57 patients with axial AS receiving ADL was conducted. They received DMARD per standard of care at their rheumatologist's discretion. Patients' body mass index (BMI) was obtained when ADL treatment began. Clinical response was evaluated using the Spanish versions of the BASDAI index and the ASDAS ESR index. Serum concentrations of free ADL (trough level) and anti-ADL antibodies were measured using Promonitor-ADL and Promonitor Anti-ADL ELISA kits (Progenika Grifols SA, Spain), just prior to the next subcutaneous injection of ADL. Results. Patients with BMI >30 kgl nt2 (obese) as opposed to BMI <25 kg1 m2 (normal), presented lower blood ADL levels [5.0 (5.52) vs. 9.14 (4.3), p=0.032.1, increased ASDAS scores (2.58 [0.79] vs. 1.9 [0.83], p=0.03), and shorter ADL treatment time: 1.01 [0.84] vs. (1.85 [1.65]; p=0.081), and increased BASDAI results (5.04 [2.5] vs. 3.5 [1.88]; p=0.06). Obese patients showed a lower probability of 'clinical response to ADL versus non-obese patients with regard to achieving BASDAI 54 (OR.- 3.5, 95%Cl: 0.84-17.19; p=0.05) or ASDAS.s2.1 (OR: 4.64, 95%Cl: 1.02-24.13; p=0.02). Conclusion. Of the AS patients receiving treatment with ADL, those that are obese had significantly lower serum ADL levels and decreased clinical response without an increase in immunogenicity.
A fluid flow along a semi-infinite plate with small periodic irregularities on the surface is considered for large Reynolds numbers. The boundary layer has a double-deck structure: a thin boundary layer (lower deck) and a classical Prandtl boundary layer (upper deck). The aim of this paper is to prove the existence and uniqueness of the stationary solution of a Rayleigh-type equation, which describes oscillations of the vertical velocity component in the classical boundary layer.
The demands of tissue engineering have driven a tremendous amount of research effort in 3D tissue culture technology and, more recently, in 3D printing. The need to use 3D tissue culture techniques more broadly in all of cell biology is well-recognized, but the transition to 3D has been impeded by the convenience, effectiveness, and ubiquity of 2D culture materials, assays, and protocols, as well as the lack of 3D counterparts of these tools. Interestingly, progress and discoveries in 3D bioprinting research may provide the technical support needed to grow the practice of 3D culture. Here we investigate an integrated approach for 3D printing multicellular structures while using the same platform for 3D cell culture, experimentation, and assay development. We employ a liquid-like solid (LLS) material made from packed granular-scale microgels, which locally and temporarily fluidizes under the focused application of stress and spontaneously solidifies after the applied stress is removed. These rheological properties enable 3D printing of multicellular structures as well as the growth and expansion of cellular structures or dispersed cells. The transport properties of LLS allow molecular diffusion for the delivery of nutrients or small molecules for fluorescence-based assays. Here, we measure viability of 11 different cell types in the LLS medium, we 3D print numerous structures using several of these cell types, and we explore the transport properties in molecular time-release assays.
Dopamine levels in the brain influence emotional experiences and empathic responses to others' misfortune. Inspired by roles of Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in dopamine degradation and the link between moral judgment and empathic responses, this study investigated to what extent the Va1158Met polymorphism of COMTgene contributes to individual differences in moral permissibility and empathic dispositions. One thousand two hundred and seventy-two Chinese Han college students, who were differentiated with the COMT Va1158Met (rs4680) polymorphism, rated permissibility of harm in moral dilemmas and scored their empathic dispositions with Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The results showed a significant association between COMTVa1158Met and the moral permissibility of committing harm. Individuals with the Val/Val genotype, which is associated with lower levels of dopamine, endorsed impersonal harm as more impermissible than those with the Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes. Results also showed that individuals with the Val/Val genotype showed higher empathic concern for others' misfortune. The findings provide the first evidence for the link between COMT gene and the moral permissibility, highlighting the roles of dopamine in social cognition. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with significant negative outcomes for patients and their caregivers. Agitation, one of the most distressing NPS, lacks safe and effective long term interventions. Nonpharmacological interventions are suggested as first-line treatment, but aren't effective for every patient, resulting in pharmacological interventions for some patients, consisting of off-label use of antipsychotics, sedative/hypnotics, anxiolytics, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, and antidepressants; where efficacy doesn't necessarily outweigh associated risks.Areas covered: Gains in understanding neurobiological mechanisms underlying agitation have fueled several recent clinical trials. This article updates our review published in 2014. Comprehensive literature search for published articles from January 2014 to December 2016 evaluating pharmacologic interventions for agitation in AD was done. A review of several clinical trials was completed: dextromethorphan/quinidine, scyllo-inositol, brexpiprazole, prazosin, cannabinoids, citalopram, escitalopram, pimavanserin, ITI-007, ORM-12741 show promise in treating agitation.Expert opinion: Neurobiological findings, innovative trials designs, statistical approaches, and preliminary paths for regulatory agency acceptance have re-ignited the area of pharmacological treatment of NPS. Though further research is needed to fully determine the safety, tolerability and efficacy of these treatments, the mission to find effective treatments for neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation in patients with dementia is well underway.
While serving a vital role in the undergraduate curriculum, capstone design courses face a variety of challenges. These challenges include lack of student value & utilization of course objectives & assessment tools, sponsor retention & funding issues, and large instructional demands. Many of these challenges may be addressed by placing a larger and more genuine emphasis on assessing the product of the design project, not only the process by which the design occurs. Oregon State University's (OSU) Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering capstone course currently organizes, manages, and evaluates capstone projects using the House of Quality (HoQ). In general, the HoQ is a tool used to relate project requirements to design performance specifications. Additionally, at OSU the HoQ serves as (i) a contract between students, sponsors, course instructors, and faculty advisers detailing exactly what is required from the design project, (ii) a guiding tool to allow students to self-monitor their progress throughout the course, and (iii) an objective means of evaluating the students' performance in terms of the product produced by their capstone design projects. This paper describes the OSU course, introduces the HoQ, and presents a time-line of the implementation of product assessment at OSU. Key changes are shown during the move from a purely process based assessment framework to the current state where 50% of total points in the design implementation term of the capstone course are awarded based on the student design team accomplishing design product metrics per sponsor defined design requirements. In addition, the authors report on the course instructor's perception regarding the effect of implementing the HoQ in the OSU capstone course. Finally, conclusions and implications of the work are presented.
With the widespread utilization of multicore processors, operating systems face new challenges on scalability. The lock mechanism used by current monolithic OSs makes some critical modules encounter performance bottlenecks caused by lock contention. The contention in Linux process lifecycle management results in process Creation, execution and termination (CET) scaling poorly with core count increasing. Differing from the centralized fashion of Linux, this paper presents a Distributed process management model (DPMM) on micro kernel for better scalability. The kernel functions are distributed into message passing servers running on different cores. DPMM splits the shared data including Process control blocks (PCBs), page pools and buffer caches into these cooperating servers. The actions including PCB creation/deletion, page allocation/freeing, executable loading and scheduling can be parallelized without locking. Our micro-benchmarks show that DPMM achieves nearly linear performance growth on process CET and outperforms Linux and Minix3 on a 32-Core machine.
Since its initial report in 2009, the intestinal enteroid culture system has been a powerful tool used to study stem cell biology and development in the gastrointestinal tract. However, a major question is whether enteroids retain intestinal function and physiology. There have been significant contributions describing ion transport physiology of human intestinal organoid cultures, as well as physiology of gastric organoids, but critical studies on dietary fat absorption and chylomicron synthesis in primary intestinal enteroids have not been undertaken. Here we report that primary murine enteroid cultures recapitulate in vivo intestinal lipoprotein synthesis and secretion, and reflect key aspects of the physiology of intact intestine in regard to dietary fat absorption. We also show that enteroids can be used to elucidate intestinal mechanisms behind CVD risk factors, including tissue-specific apolipoprotein functions. Using enteroids, we show that intestinal apoC-III overexpression results in the secretion of smaller, less dense chylomicron particles along with reduced triacylglycerol secretion from the intestine.(jlr) This model significantly expands our ability to test how specific genes or genetic polymorphisms function in dietary fat absorption and the precise intestinal mechanisms that are critical in the etiology of metabolic disease.
The act-and-wait concept is a recently developed type of controller, which is receiving growing interest because of its promising features with respect to the control of systems with feedback delay. Although most of its advantages have been widely discussed and verified experimentally, a detailed analysis of the nonlinear behavior of this type of controller is still missing. In this paper, we apply the act-and-wait controller to the digital position control of a single-degree-of-freedom system. The analysis shows both the linear stability and the post-bifurcation behavior of the system, comparing the system with a regular proportional-differential controller and with the act-and-wait controller. The performed investigation confirms most of the advantages of the act-and-wait controller, already known in the literature, regarding the enlargement of the stable region and the possibility of achieving deadbeat control, also in the presence of delay. On the other hand it shows some drawbacks of this controller, related to the post-bifurcation behavior, which presents unbounded motions, and to the robustness of the stability, which appears to be limited.
Using 3-D technology computer aided design simulation, we investigated the impact of equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) on threshold voltage (V-TH) variation induced by work-function variation (WFV) in multigate devices. The WFV-induced VTH variation in multigate devices does not significantly vary with the dielectric constant of the gate dielectric material, but increases with decreasingphysicaloxide thickness(T-OX). As T-OX becomes thinner, electric field tends to be locally concentrated, causing a large variation of electrostatic potential in channel. The slope of the ratio of average grain size to gate area (RGG) plot is observed with various oxide thicknesses. It is confirmed that we can alleviate the WFV-induced VTH variation without significant performance degradation if gate dielectric layer becomes thicker with appropriately adopted higher-k engineering. In addition, the impact of EOT (including interface layer) on the WFV-induced VTH variation is studied.
Background: Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) have serious socio-behavioral problems and often rely on socially abnormal, aggressive, and manipulative forms of communication. Little is known, however, about the influence of teachers on the socio-behavioral development of children with symptoms of RAD. Aims: This longitudinal study examined the influence of teacher sensitivity on the socio-behavioral development of children with symptoms of RAD across one school year. Method: The sample included 85 Belgian children and 70 teachers from special education schools. In the previous school year, teachers rated Inhibited and Disinhibited RAD symptoms. In the next school year, teacher Sensitivity was observed in interactions with individual children in the first trimester. Teacher-rated Overt aggression, Relational aggression, and Prosocial behavior was assessed in the first, second, and third trimester. Results: We found no effects of Sensitivity on Prosocial behavior. Also, no effects were found for children with Disinhibited RAD symptoms. For children with Inhibited RAD symptoms, increases in Overt and Relational aggression were observed when Sensitivity was low, whereas decreases were observed when Sensitivity was high. Conclusions and implications: The results suggest that teacher sensitivity is associated with the socio-behavioral development of children with Inhibited RAD symptoms but not with the socio-behavioral development of children with Disinhibited RAD symptoms. What this paper adds: Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) exhibit socio-behavioral problems that hinder their school adjustment. These socio-behavioral problems appear relatively stable and it is not known what influence special education teachers might have on the development of these problems across a school year. This study suggests that teacher sensitivity is associated with changes in the socio-behavioral development of children with Inhibited RAD symptoms. Whereas high sensitivity was associated with improvements, low sensitivity appeared to exaggerate the socio-behavioral problems of these children. As children with Inhibited RAD symptoms have difficulties communicating their needs and wishes in socially adaptive ways, it may not be easy for teachers to understand these children. Teachers may misinterpret a child's behavior and consequently will fail to respond to the child's underlying needs. This may reinforce the child's socio-behavioral problems and increase the child's reliance on egocentric and aggressive means in interactions with others. This study therefore highlights the need to support teachers in interactions with children with Inhibited RAD symptoms in order to help them understand how the children's observable behaviors in the classroom may convey their underlying socio-emotional needs and how they can respond to these needs. Importantly, teacher sensitivity was not associated with the socio-behavioral development of children with Disinhibited RAD symptoms (e.g., indiscriminate friendliness). Consistent with previous research, this study suggests that children with Inhibited RAD symptoms are more susceptible to the quality of the caregiving environment than children with Disinhibited RAD symptoms and extends this finding to the school context. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of the study was to compare and analyze the effects of two instructional methods-instructor-led and simulation-based instructions-on engineering students' achievements anti course interests in a manufacturing engineering class. Twenty-nine undergraduate students participated in the study, anti repeated measures were employed to collect multiple sets of data. The study showed no significant differences in the means of achievement anti interests. The results are discussed in conjunction with the data tables.
Bearingless permanent magnet synchronous motors (BPMSMs) have been received more and more attention during the past few decades. To realize the high-performance control for rotation and levitation, we will first need to obtain the accurate suspension force model of a BPMSM. In this work, different from conventional suspension force models, a modeling scheme for the suspension force of a BPMSM is presented by taking into account rotor eccentricity with the Maxwell stress tensor modeling scheme. The theoretical value of a suspension force model is compared by the two-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis, and calculation results reveal that the theoretical value closely agree with the FE computed one. Furthermore, the digital control system is devised by taking advantage of TMS320F2812, and a test platform for experiments is then set up. In accordance with the corresponding findings of the experiments, the rotor stabilization with magnetic levitation can be achieved. The results lay a theoretical and experimental foundation for further study of the BPMSM.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the relationship between a leader's use of nonverbal immediacy (specific hand gestures) and followers' attraction to the leader. This study provides initial evidence that certain hand gestures are more effective than others at creating immediacy between leaders and followers. Design/methodology/approach - In an experimental study, participants (male = 89; female = 121) were shown one of three videos of an actor, as leader, using three positive hand gestures, three defensive hand gestures, and no hand gestures, which have not been previously operationalized (and were grouped arbitrarily by the experimenter). Three hypotheses were tested using a 3 x 2 ANOVA (by group and gender) for main and interactional effects. Findings - The independent variable, positive hand gestures (M = 2.4), was perceived by participants as more immediate than the other two independent variables, defensive hand gestures (M = -19.2) or no hand gestures (M = -21.6). Analysis of data indicate that participants perceived leaders with no hand gestures and defensive hand gestures to be distant or non-immediate and the leader with positive hand gestures to be more immediate or attractive. Research limitations/implications - This study is limited as a pilot study establishing differences between specific hand gestures for the first time. Practical implications - The research provides initial evidence that the hand gestures arbitrarily defined as positive create more immediacy between the followers and the leader than usage of negative gestures and no gestures. Social implications - The current research can act as a motivator for leaders to fast forward relationships with followers through the use of specific hand gestures. Originality/value - The results suggest the possibility that some hand gestures are more effective than others.
This paper presents a generic functional design modelling methodology applied in the computer-aided design (CAD) environment to associate functional considerations and physical models of the design. Function concept modelling represents the engineering design purposes of the product elements and is usually considered to be interdependent from the detailed geometric solutions. Although CAD is prevailing in modelling geometry of the design artefacts, functional considerations, or design intents, are often not represented systematically and explicitly. The gaps between functional and geometrical representations of the design models require an extensive research to unveil their associations and interactions. Functional feature, and the corresponding semantic representation with the built-in mechanisms, is proposed in this paper to support a CAD methodology that models the interrelations between functional and physical considerations of the design and drives the design through functional perspective. Abstract geometry features are used as functional concept carriers with certain geometries to link functional design considerations in the detailed design model. A case study of a designed product that is used in the oil extraction process from oil sands in Canada is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology.
Water pollution can occur with a variety of reasons such as the change in water colour, the presence of harmful bacteria and toxic waste spills. This paper presents an application of an optical tomography system based on artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the turbidity level of water sample. The system made use of the independent component analysis algorithm to calculate the K value, which indicates the attenuation value of the water turbidity level. The K value then is utilized by ANN to estimate the turbidity level. The optical tomography system can be used to evaluate the water turbidity level in the pipeline without disturbing the flow process. Evaluation of the mean square error (MSE), sum square error (SSE) and regression analysis (R) also enabled us to determine the network performance which demonstrated that the neural network is effective in inspecting the water turbidity level. The best neurone structure is revealed when two hidden layers with 20 and 10 neurones in the first and the second layer, respectively, are used. The training result shows 9.7147 x 10(-7) forMSE, 0.1432 for SSE and 0.99911 for regression. For the testing part, the result for the neurone structure is 8.1473 x 10(-5) for MSE, 0.7509 for SSE and 0.98525 for regression. The results revealed that the performance of ANN demonstrated a good prediction capability when the turbidity level changed. Thus, an optical tomography system with ANN proved to be an efficient tool to classify the water quality level and is beneficial to the water industry.
Geotextile filters can be used in several geotechnical and geoenvironmental applications. Regarding the protection of banks or slopes against erosion caused by the action of waves, these materials can be employed under revetments and armour layers. This paper presents results of large scale tests on armoured slopes where geotextile and granular filters were employed. A wave flume was used in the tests and three types of nonwoven geotextiles and a conventional granular layer were employed as filters between the armour layer and the base soil slope. The armoured slope was subjected to the impacts of waves produced by a wave generator opposite to the channel slope. Pore pressures in the soil slope were measured during the tests and soil particles that piped though the filters and that were entrapped in the geotextile were collected for total mass and particle diameter measurements. The results obtained showed that the geotextile and the granular filters presented similar performance. In addition, retention criteria available for this type of geotextile filter application provided very conservative results. The findings highlight the importance of the development of more accurate testing techniques and filter criteria for designing armoured slopes with geotextile filters. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Synchronization with the utility voltage is naturally carried out by a diode bridge stage in single-phase active rectifiers, while an active synchronization is included in the control algorithms applied to modern bridgeless topologies. Sensorless line current rebuilding algorithms also need synchronization with the line voltage to compensate at least for part of the current estimation error. The phase-locked-loop (PLL) circuits employed in single-phase ac-dc converters are reviewed and a new digital PLL algorithm, based on the synchronous reference frame, is proposed. It is implemented in a field-programmable gate array to utilize the parallelism and superior time resolution. Considering a restricted frequency variation of the line voltage around the central frequency, the orthogonal signal is obtained by a discrete differential operator designed to ensure unity gain at the central frequency. Its performance, including the memory and computational cost, versus previously consolidated algorithms implemented in the same device is analyzed. Simulations and experimental results prove its suitable behavior in steady state at different line frequencies and under line voltage and frequency transients.
Effective rainfall, which is used in paddy fields under farmers' current water management practices, was monitored during the 2008-2012 period in southern Korea. The two paddy fields (HY and JS) studied have an area of 13.69 and 8.06 ha, respectively and are composed of several paddy plots separated by irrigation canals and drains. At the HY site, the effective rainfall ranged from 446 to 794 mm and averaged 567 mm. At the JS site, effective rainfall ranged from 288 to 553 mm and averaged 426 mm. Approximately 64 and 45% of the rainfall for HY and JS, respectively, was used for crop growing in the paddy fields. These amounts were less than the recommended rainwater harvesting criteria in Korea. Since the height of the bund for each paddy plot is approximately 100-300 mm, the plots have sufficient space to hold rainfall; despite this, the field data indicate that rainfall was not used efficiently. This study confirms that farmers have little incentive to use rainfall effectively for rice paddy culture because they can use irrigation water at no charge. Some measures, such as water pricing, incentives for rainwater harvesting, improvement of drainage facilities, and further monitoring of water-use practices need to be adopted to improve water management efficiency. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Organization members who engage in moral objection by taking a principled stand against ethically questionable activities help to prevent such activities from persisting. Unfortunately, research suggests that they also may be perceived as less warm (i.e., pleasant, nice) than members who comply with ethically questionable procedures. In this article, we draw on role theory to explore how legitimate power influences observers' responses to moral objection. We argue that individuals expect those high in legitimate power to engage in moral objection, but expect those low in legitimate power to comply with ethically questionable practices. We further propose that these contrasting role expectations influence the extent to which moral objectors are perceived as warm and subjected to social sanctions (i.e., insults, pressure, unfriendly behavior). We test our predictions with 3 experiments. Study 1, which draws on participants' prior workplace experiences, supports the first section of our mediated moderation model in which the negative association between an actor's moral objection (vs. compliance) and observers' warmth perceptions is weaker when the actor is high rather than low in legitimate power and this effect is mediated by observers' met role expectations. Study 2, an online experiment featuring a biased hiring task, reveals that the warmth perceptions fostered by the Behavior x Legitimate Power interaction influence observers' social sanctioning intentions. Finally, Study 3, a laboratory experiment which exposes participants to unethical behavior in a virtual team task, replicates Study 2's findings and extends the results to actual as well as intended social sanctions.
This pilot study examined the status of the master iron regulatory peptide, hepcidin, and peripheral related iron parameters in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment patients, and evaluated the relationship between iron dyshomeostasis and amyloid-beta (A beta), cognitive assessment tests, neuroimaging and clinical data. Frozen serum samples from the Oregon Tissue Bank were used to measure serum levels of hepcidin, ferritin, A beta 40, A beta 42 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum transferrin levels were determined indirectly as total iron binding capacity, serum iron was measured and the percent saturation of transferrin calculated. The study variables were correlated with the patients' existing cognitive assessment tests, neuroimaging, and clinical data. Hepcidin, and iron-related proteins tended to be higher in AD patients than controls, reaching statistical significance for ferritin, whereas A beta 40, A beta 42 serum levels tended to be lower. Patients with pure AD had three times higher serum hepcidin levels than controls; gender differences in hepcidin and iron-related proteins were observed. Patient stratification based on clinical dementia rating-sum of boxes revealed significantly higher levels of iron and iron-related proteins in AD patients in the upper 50% as compared to controls, suggesting that iron dyshomeostasis worsens as cognitive impairment increases. Unlike A beta peptides, iron and iron-related proteins showed significant association with cognitive assessment tests, neuroimaging, and clinical data. Hepcidin and iron-related proteins comprise a group of serum biomarkers that relate to AD diagnosis and AD disease progression. Future studies should determine whether strategies targeted to diminishing hepcidin synthesis/secretion and improving iron homeostasis could have a beneficial impact on AD progression.
In violent video games, players engage in virtual aggressive behaviors. Exposure to virtual aggressive behavior induces short-term changes in players' behavior. In a previous study, a violence-related version of the racing game Carmageddon TDR2000 increased aggressive affects, cognitions, and behaviors compared to its non-violence-related version. This study investigates the differences in neural network activity during the playing of both versions of the video game. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recorded ongoing brain activity of 18 young men playing the violence-related and the non-violence-related version of the video game Carmageddon. Image time series were decomposed into functional connectivity (FC) patterns using independent component analysis (ICA) and template-matching yielded a mapping to established functional brain networks. The FC patterns revealed a decrease in connectivity within 6 brain networks during the violence-related compared to the non-violence-related condition: three sensory-motor networks, the reward network, the default mode network (DMN), and the right-lateralized frontoparietal network. Playing violent racing games may change functional brain connectivity, in particular and even after controlling for event frequency, in the reward network and the DMN. These changes may underlie the short-term increase of aggressive affects, cognitions, and behaviors as observed after playing violent video games. (C) 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Studies on social perception reveal that on many dimensions, smiling individuals are perceived more positively in comparison with non-smiling individuals. The experiment carried out in seven countries (China, Germany, Iran, Norway, Poland, USA, and the Republic of South Africa) showed that in some cultures, smiling individuals may be perceived less favorably than non-smiling individuals. We compared ratings of intelligence made by participants viewing photos of smiling and non-smiling people. The results showed that smiling individuals were perceived as more intelligent in Germany and in China; smiling individuals were perceived as less intelligent than the (same) non-smiling individuals in Iran. We suggest that the obtained effects can be explained by the cultural diversity within the dimension of uncertainty avoidance described in the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) project by House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, and Gupta.
Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 (FIC-INCO) updates, simplifies, harmonises and improves information and understanding with regards to food labelling in Europe. It applies to everyone in the food industry, including school canteens. The regulation improves visibility and legibility concerning the 14 allergenic foods that must necessarily be labelled when present in a product. Allergen information on non-prepacked foods must also be made available to consumers. This regulation is designed to facilitate management of children with food allergies attending school, although the readability of the allergen list requires further improvement and use of precautionary labelling must be more clearly circumscribed. Therapeutic education programs for food allergy patients should take into account the information set out in the regulation. It is vital that the public authorities ensure that these provisions are followed in reality and that canteen staff receive training on the correct implementation of the regulation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Most mental health services throughout the world currently regard evidence-based psychological treatments as best practice for the treatment of mental disorders. The aim of this study was to analyze evidence-based treatments drawn from RCTs, reviews, meta-analyses, guides, and lists provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), Cochrane and the Australian Psychological Society (APS) in relation to mental disorders in adults. A total of 135 treatments were analyzed for 23 mental disorders and compared to determine the level of agreement among the organizations. The results indicate that, in most cases, there is little agreement among organizations and that there are several discrepancies within certain disorders. These results require reflection on the meaning attributed to evidence-based practice with regard to psychological treatments. The possible reasons for these differences are discussed. Based on these findings, proposals to unify the criteria that reconcile the realities of clinical practice with a scientific perspective were analyzed.
Electronic countermeasure (ECM) attack has been an emerging threat to radar network in recent years. It is necessary to design a secured radar network against ECM attack. In this paper, we prove that the radar network with conventional measurement fusion schemes is insecure to deceptive ECM (DECM) attack. Then, a new measurement fusion scheme is proposed, which shows better security performance when DECM attack happens. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed measurement fusion scheme. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression and addiction are often comorbid brain pathologies thought to share common mechanistic biology. As part of the cortico-limbic circuit, the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) plays a fundamental role in integrating information in the circuit, such that modulation of NAcSh circuitry alters anxiety, depression, and addiction-related behaviors. Intracellular kinase cascades in the NAcSh have proven important mediators of behavior. To investigate glycogensynthase kinase 3 (GSK3) beta signaling in the NAcSh in vivo we knocked down GSK3beta expression with a novel adeno-associated viral vector (AAV2) and assessed changes in anxiety-and depression-like behavior and cocaine self-administration in GSK3beta knockdown rats. GSK3beta knockdown reduced anxiety-like behavior while increasing depression-like behavior and cocaine self-administration. Correlative electrophysiological recordings in acute brain slices were used to assess the effect of AAV-shGSK3beta on spontaneous firing and intrinsic excitability of tonically active interneurons (TANs), cells required for input and output signal integration in the NAcSh and for processing reward-related behaviors. Loose-patch recordings showed that TANs transduced by AAV-shGSK3beta exhibited reduction in tonic firing and increased spike half width. When assessed by whole-cell patch clamp recordings these changes were mirrored by reduction in action potential firing and accompanied by decreased hyperpolarization-induced depolarizing sag potentials, increased action potential current threshold, and decreased maximum rise time. These results suggest that silencing of GSK3beta in the NAcSh increasesdepression-and addiction-related behavior, possibly by decreasing intrinsic excitability of TANs. However, this study does not rule out contributions from other neuronal sub-types. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the classical secret-key generation model, common randomness is generated by two terminals based on the observation of correlated components of a common source, while keeping it secret from a non-legitimate observer. It is assumed that the statistics of the source are known to all participants. In this paper, the secret-key generation based on a compound source is studied where the realization of the source statistic is unknown. The protocol should guarantee the security and reliability of the generated secret-key, simultaneously for all possible realizations of the compound source. A single-letter lower-bound of the secret-key capacity for a finite compound source is derived as a function of the public communication rate constraint. A multi-letter capacity formula is further computed for a finite compound source for the case in which the public communication is unconstrained. Finally, a single-letter capacity formula is derived for a degraded compound source with an arbitrary (possibly infinite) set of source states and a finite set of marginal states.
Automated computer vision-based fire detection has gained popularity in recent years, as every fire detection needs to be fast and accurate. In this paper, a new fire detection method using image processing techniques is proposed. We explore how to create a fire flame-based colour space via a linear multiplication of a conversion matrix and colour features of a sample image. We show how the matrix multiplication can result in a differentiating colour space, in which the fire part is highlighted and the non-fire part is dimmed. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and sample pixels from an image are used to obtain the weights of the colour-differentiating conversion matrix, and K-medoids provides a fitness metric for the PSO procedure. The obtained conversion matrix can be used for fire detection on different fire images without performing the PSO procedure. This allows a fast and easy implementable fire detection system. The empirical results indicate that the proposed method provides both qualitatively and quantitatively better results when compared to some of the conventional and state-of-the-art algorithms. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The cytochrome enzyme P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is thought to play a role in the human metabolism of fluvoxamine. Levomepromazine is a potent inhibitor of CYP2D6. We coadministered a low dosage of levomepromazine and fluvoxamine in 15 patients and found that the low dosage of levomepromazine was effective in counteracting the fluvoxamine-induced insomnia and did not increase plasma fluvoxamine levels. These results suggest that the inhibition of CYP2D6 by levomepromazine has little effect on fluvoxamine metabolism. Therefore, a low dosage of levomepromazine, used as a hypnotic agent, appears to be effective and safe when coadministered with fluvoxamine. Since this was a pilot study without a placebo control, a double-blind placebo-controlled study is needed to confirm our preliminary findings. int Clin Psychopharmocol 15:233-235 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Background: Expression of host microRNAs (miRNAs) changes markedly during influenza A virus (IAV) infection of natural and adaptive hosts, but their role in genetically determined host susceptibility to IAV infection has not been explored. We, therefore, compared pulmonary miRNA expression during IAV infection in two inbred mouse strains with differential susceptibility to IAV infection. results: miRNA expression profiles were determined in lungs of the more susceptible strain DBA/2J and the less susceptible strain C57BL/6J within 120 h post infection (hpi) with IAV (H1N1)PR8. Even the miRNomes of uninfected lungs differed substantially between the two strains. After a period of relative quiescence, major miRNome reprogramming was detected in both strains by 48 hpi and increased through 120 hpi. Distinct groups of miRNAs regulated by IAV infection could be defined: (1) miRNAs (n = 39) whose expression correlated with hemagglutinin (HA) mRNA expression and represented the general response to IAV infection independent of host genetic background; (2) miRNAs (n = 20) whose expression correlated with HA mRNA expression but differed between the two strains; and (3) remarkably, miR-147-3p, miR-208b-3p, miR-3096a- 5p, miR-3069b-3p, and the miR-467 family, whose abundance even in uninfected lungs differentiated nearly perfectly (area under the ROC curve >0.99) between the two strains throughout the time course, suggesting a particularly strong association with the differential susceptibility of the two mouse strains. Expression of subsets of miRNAs correlated significantly with peripheral blood granulocyte and monocyte numbers, particularly in DBA/2J mice; miR-223-3p, miR-142-3p, and miR-20b-5p correlated most positively with these cell types in both mouse strains. Higher abundance of antiapoptotic (e.g., miR-467 family) and lower abundance of proapoptotic miRNAs (e.g., miR-34 family) and those regulating the PI3K-Akt pathway (e.g., miR-31-5p) were associated with the more susceptible DBA/2J strain. conclusion: Substantial differences in pulmonary miRNA expression between the two differentially susceptible mouse strains were evident even before infection, but evolved further throughout infection and could in part be attributed to differences in peripheral blood leukocyte populations. Thus, pulmonary miRNA expression both before and during IAV infection is in part determined genetically and contributes to susceptibility to IAV infection in this murine host, and likely in humans.
This paper presents a novel double-stator permanent-magnet machine integrated with a triple rotor magnetic gear structure, which is proposed to address problems of mechanical geared generators for low-speed applications. Torque transmission is based on three rotors consisting of prime permanent-magnet (PM) poles in the middle rotor and field PM poles in the inner and outer rotors. The proposed machine combines the functions of magnetic gearing and electrical power generation. The operating principles of the magnetic gear and generator are discussed and the torque distribution characteristics of the integrated machine are analysed using the 2D finite-element method (2D FEM). Also the power, torque, and speed characteristics are reported. A prototype is fabricated and tested experimentally. The predicted and measured results validate the proposed machine design.
Water crisis is one of the supreme challenges worldwide as clean water is the ultimate need for human civilization and all other life on earth. In the present study, continuous adsorption experiments were carried out in an adsorption column to survey the efficiency of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for removal of pollutants from water/wastewater in terms of physicochemical parameters, such as electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC), by using both single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Sample solutions were allowed to flow in down-flow mode through the fixed-bed of CNTs. The CNTs column showed a reduction efficiency of electrical conductivity 80 % from effluent treatment plant (ETP) treated water sample, 69.23 % from raw effluent sample, and 53.33 % from the synthetic salt water sample. Similarly, the efficiency of TDS reduction was 78.61 % from raw effluent sample, 66.86 % from ETP treated water sample, and 62.02 % from the synthetic salt water sample. COD also reduced 84.71 % from raw effluent sample and 39.58 % from the ETP treated water sample. In case of TOC, the column showed a reduction efficiency of 85.88 % from the ETP treated water sample and 70.79 % from the raw effluent sample. These findings suggested that CNTs present a great potential in removal of pollutants in terms of physicochemical parameters from water/wastewater.
Psychopathological symptoms and cognitive impairment are related to psychosocial functioning. However, the nature of the association of cognitive impairment with psychosocial functioning still remains under scrutiny. We aimed to examine the relationships of premorbid adjustment, lifetime psychopathological dimensions, and cognitive performance with the typical level of psychosocial functioning during the previous year. We assessed ninety patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and affective disorders with psychotic symptoms to collect data on premorbid adjustment, lifetime psychopathological dimensions, cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning. Sixty-five healthy volunteers were included as controls. Pearson's correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were performed to ascertain to what extent the aforementioned variables predicted psychosocial functioning. Functional domains were significantly correlated with most of the premorbid features, lifetime psychopathological dimensions and cognitive domains. However, lifetime negative symptoms were the best predictors of psychosocial functioning in the hierarchical regression analyses (explaining between 47 and 64% of the variance). For psychosocial outcome in patients with psychoses, lifetime negative symptoms showed a stronger predictive validity than cognitive impairment or premorbid adjustment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Learning objectives: After participating in this activity, learners should be better able to: Evaluate the evolution of social cognitive abilities as a developmental process Assess the evidence regarding social cognition difficulties in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit a broad range of difficulties, including impaired social cognition, which may represent a target for early identification and intervention. Several studies have examined various domains of social cognition in CHR individuals. Most focus on adolescent and young adult populations, but given the accumulating evidence that impairment exists before the onset of psychotic disorders, it is critically important to begin to look for these risk markers in younger children. The present article reviews 25 studies on CHR that examine any of the following four domains of social cognition: emotion processing, theory of mind, social perception, or attribution bias. Eligible studies were identified through a comprehensive literature search, conducted using electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO, and combinations of key social-cognition and CHR search terms. Despite some mixed results, the existing literature establishes that CHR individuals display social-cognitive impairment, though it remains unclear as to how and when that impairment develops. Thus, by using the literature on social cognition in typically developing children as a model and reference, and by looking at the evolution of social-cognitive abilities as a developmental process, our review presents a valuable new perspective that indicates the necessity of further investigation in younger, at-risk populations. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.
Dipyrone (metamizole), a powerful drug, is widely used as an analgesic and antipyretic; however, the safety of its use during lactation and the potential impact on the offspring are not well established. This study aimed to determine the effect of maternal dipyrone treatment during lactation on offspring development and emotional behavior and on the dam's maternal behavior. Hence, on postnatal day (PND) 2, drinking water only or drinking water containing dipyrone at doses of 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg/day, were offered to lactating mothers up to PND9. Thereafter, all mice were provided regular drinking water. On PND2, all litters were culled to 8 pups (4 males and 4 females). Maternal behavior was evaluated at PND3, 6, 9, and 12, and at PND7 we evaluated locomotor activity in the open field. Reflex parameters and physical development of offspring were evaluated during lactation. At PND7, analysis of ultrasonic vocalization (USV) was performed. When the animals reached adolescence, we evaluated their performance in the open field, elevated plus maze (EPM), and marble burying. Our data demonstrated that maternal dipyrone treatment during lactation not only altered maternal behavior and the onset of physical and neurodevelopmental landmarks but also had an impact on anxiety-like behavior in offspring. (C) 2017 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The ammonothermal crystal growth technique is one of the most effective methods used for growing Gallium Nitride (GaN) crystals in terms of the final product quality and manufacturing efficiency. Popular applications of GaN crystals include light emitting diodes (LEDs) and high-frequency electronic devices. A laterally-heated cylindrical enclosure with a top to bottom temperature gradient is considered in this study to investigate the fluid mechanics and heat transfer in an ammonothermal crystal growth reactor. Three-dimensional (3D) large eddy simulations (LES) results of natural convection in a laterally heated cylindrical reactor, using the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, ANSYS FLUENT, are presented in this paper for a Rayleigh number (Ra) of 8.8 x 106. The Ra is defined based on a length scale that is equal to the ratio of volume to the lateral area of the cylinder (R/2). In addition, an experiment of a geometrically- and dynamically-similar geometry is developed, and particle image velocimetry (PIV)-based flow visualizations are carried out for the purpose of validating the numerical model. Comparisons between experiments and numerical simulations showed that flow patterns were qualitatively similar, and Fourier transforms of velocity magnitudes at selected points in the domain matched reasonably well. An added interesting observation in the simulation was the existence of temperature inversion, which has potential implications on the choice of mineralizer (acidic/basic). (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Background: Empathy is a personality feature that can play a major role in predicting the emotional and social functioning of adolescents (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006). Recent research confirms the existence of two fundamental dimensions embedded within this construct, Affective Empathy (experiencing a congruent emotional response with another person) and Cognitive Empathy (understanding rationally the emotions of another person). The Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006) is an up-to-date instrument which has been reported to satisfactorily measure these two dimensions. Method: We used a sample of 752 adolescents (339 males, 413 females) aged 14-25 who completed the Spanish adaptation of BES. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Spanish adaptation of the scale had the same bi-factorial structure as the original (CFI = .93). This adaptation also showed both satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient >.92) and discriminant and convergent validity with regard to measurements of Narcissism, Psychoticism and Agreeableness. Females were found to have higher scores than males both in Affective and Cognitive Empathy. Both subscales show a direct significant correlation with age. Conclusions: The evidence suggested that this revised scale possessed good psychometric properties for evaluating empathy in Spanish young people.
The purpose of the present review was to provide a comprehensive picture of the efficacy of the different tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibiting agents in the treatment of acute anterior uveitis (AAU), the most common extra-articular manifestation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). AS related, AAU may lead to severe visual impairment, due to frequent flare recurrences, anterior, and posterior segment complications and traditional treatment side effects. Considerably higher levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) have been assessed in the aqueous humor and inflamed joints of patients with AS. Anti-TNF drugs have shown efficacy in preventing relapses of rheumatological manifestations of spondyloarthropathies. Several studies have underlined the sustained efficacy of the monoclonal anti-TNF antibodies also in reducing the recurrence of anterior chamber flares in patients with AS-related AAU. On the other hand, retrospective studies and observational reports have indicated lower effectiveness and some paradoxical occurrence of uveitis following treatment with the soluble receptor agent etanercept. Growing evidence suggests that a prophylactic strategy could be advocated in subjects with frequent and recalcitrant attacks of AS-AAU. In this regard, the administration of monoclonal anti-TNF antibodies such as adalimumab (ADA) has been shown to significantly reduce the rate of AAU recurrences. Indeed, during ADA treatment about 90 % of patients have shown to remain completely free of attacks for the entire follow-up period, in most studies. Further studies are needed to confirm the long-term efficacy of TNF inhibitors in AS related AAU and also their role in preventing ocular complications and visual impairment.
Safety and reliability are major issues for the ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) pulsed power supply systems. To avoid long downtimes during an experimental campaign, fault-prone components have to be identified and treated early. This becomes even more important due to the AUG participation in the EUROfusion Medium Sized Tokamak (MST) program. Operating equipment which is up to 40 years old adds additional complications. This contribution describes one such example where a 35 year old flywheel generator at AUG was identified as fault-prone and pre-emptively upgraded with a new drive converter with integrated control. Most challenging was to adapt a modern converter, originally designed for wind turbines, toward a drive system for a flywheel-motor-generator system. To identify the layout of the controller and the control parameters, accurate modeling and comprehensive simulations were performed. This effort paid off during commissioning and measuring results verified the calculated design values. Finally, the system shows good performance during AUG plasma experiments. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The past researches on the gas leakage through the clearance seal were studied mainly by the analytical model or numerical simulations using CFD method based on the classical fluid mechanics theory in the conditions of steady laminar flow, incompressible, constant temperature, constant viscosity, and no relative sliding between the inner and outer wall. However, it is widely known that the CFD theory may not be applicable to the micro-size flow. In this paper, the molecular mechanism of the gas leak through the clearance seal was investigated by MD (molecular dynamics) simulations. The Johnson potential model was used for Fe-Fe atomic interactions and the UFF (Universal Force Field) potential model was used for the atomic interactions between Fe He and He He. The gap thickness was varied from 2000 A to 5000 A. The pressure difference over the ends of the gap was from 0.2 MPa to 1.0 MPa. The simulation results show that the leakage rate was proportional to the pressure difference and the gap thickness. During the process of the leakage, the sticky layers were formed on the gap walls. The number density of the atoms in the sticky layer was much larger than that of the central region. And the density of the gas flow of the leakage was much smaller than that of the gas reservoir. The leakage mechanism was mainly due to the diffusion motions of the atoms through the sticky layers although the moving speed of the sticky layers was very slow. The leakage flow rate from the MD simulation was quite consistent with that from the analytical calculation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI), based on modifications in the management practices for rice cultivation, is being utilized in many countries, although not without some controversy. One reason cited for non-adoption or disadoption of SRI is difficulties with water management under rainfed conditions with unreliable or aberrant rainfall distribution, which causes either flooding or long dry spells, or both. These constraints could be dealt with by tapping groundwater resources or by capture and use of rainwater runoff and/or by diversification of the farming system. A 2-year field experiment was conducted in Odisha, India to evaluate SRI under rainfed conditions and also to explore options for enhancing the economic productivity of land and water under such conditions. Four rice cropping systems were evaluated: (i) conventional rice cultivation under rainfed conditions, (ii) SRI methods as adapted to rainfed cultivation, (iii) rainfed SRI methods with drainage facilities and supplementary pump-irrigation, and (iv) integrated SRI (ISRI) where rainwater runoff was harvested and stored for aquaculture and horticulture crops while also providing supplementary irrigation for the rice crop. The rice crop grown with adapted SRI practices under rainfed condition showed significant improvements in the plants' morphology and physiology. Phenotypic changes included: greater plant height and tillering, more number of leaves, and expanded root systems. These changes were accompanied by changes in plants' physiological functions like greater xylem exudation rate and more light interception by the canopy, increased chlorophyll content in the leaves, and higher light utilization and photosynthetic rates during flowering. These factors were responsible for improved yield-contributing characteristics and for higher grain yield (52%) as compared with crops grown by conventional production methods. Comparing yield from rainfed conventional vs. SRI methods between drought and normal-rainfall years indicated that the latter methods are more drought-tolerant and productive; greatly expanded and active root systems with SRI have been important contributing factors. Introducing drainage and supplementary irrigation improved both the grain yield (by 29%) and water productivity for rainfed SRI. Further, integrating aquaculture and horticulture with SRI management and rainwater harvesting increased the rice yield further (by 8%) and the net water productivity. This integrated system was found to raise the net income per unit of water by more than 60-fold compared to conventional rainfed rice cultivation. This option looks promising for improving food security for smallholders under erratic or diminished rainfall conditions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study is to explore the link between political affinity and source credibility perception through the cases of Fox News and NPR. Based on the third-person perception framework, this study combines the Q methodology and focus group interviews to investigate the interaction of audience and source in shaping the credibility of a media source. Results confirmed the third-person perception in that audiences tend to perceive a politically aligned news channel as being trustworthy, but fails to attain the social impact it deserves. In contrast, audiences perceive a hostile news channel as having social impact although not being trustworthy.
Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) therapy has been widely used for the management of rheumatologic diseases. The most frequent adverse effects of anti-TNF-alpha therapy are infections and malignancies while sarcoidosis is a rare condition. On the other hand, anti-TNF-alpha therapy has been used in the treatment of sarcoidosis. Elucidation of this paradoxical issue is unclear. In this article, we report an ankylosing spondylitis patient who was diagnosed as sarcoidosis during the period of etanercept usage. Sarcoidosis as a possible adverse effect should be kept in mind during anti-TNF-alpha therapy.
Emerging evidence indicates that accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in human tissues may contribute to cell injury, inflammation and apoptosis through induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Human metabolism relies on ER homeostasis for the coordinated response of all metabolic organs by controlling the synthesis and catabolism of various nutrients. In vitro studies have demonstrated AGE-induced enhancement of unfolded protein response (UPR) in different cell types including endothelial, neuronal, pancreatic cells and podocytes, suggesting this crosstalk as an underlying pathological mechanism that contributes to metabolic diseases. In this minireview, we describe in vivo studies undertaken by our group and others that demonstrate the diverse systemic effects of AGEs in ER stress induction in major metabolic tissues such as brain, kidney, liver and pancreas of normal mice. Administration of high-AGEs content diet to normal mice for the period of 4 weeks upergulates the mRNA and protein levels of ER chaperone Bip (GRP78) indicative of UPR initiation in all major metabolic organs and induces activation of the pivotal transcription factor XBP1 that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, animals with genetic ablation of UPR-activated transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein CHOP allocated in high-AGEs diet, exhibited relative resistance to UPR induction (BiP levels) and XBP1 activation in major metabolic organs. Since CHOP presents a critical mediator that links accumulation and aggregation of unfolded proteins with induction of oxidative stress and ER stress-related apoptosis, it is revealed as an important molecular target for the management of metabolic diseases.
Background and AimsDysfunction in brain regions underlying impulse control, reward processing and executive function have been associated previously with adolescent alcohol misuse. However, identifying pre-existing neurobiological risk factors, as distinct from changes arising from early alcohol-use, is difficult. Here, we outline how neuroimaging data can identify the neural predictors of adolescent alcohol-use initiation and misuse by using prospective longitudinal studies to follow initially alcohol-naive individuals over time and by neuroimaging adolescents with inherited risk factors for alcohol misuse. MethodA comprehensive narrative of the literature regarding neuroimaging studies published between 2010 and 2016 focusing on predictors of adolescent alcohol use initiation and misuse. FindingsProspective, longitudinal neuroimaging studies have identified pre-existing differences between adolescents who remained alcohol-naive and those who transitioned subsequently to alcohol use. Both functional and structural grey matter differences were observed in temporal and frontal regions, including reduced brain activity in the superior frontal gyrus and temporal lobe, and thinner temporal cortices of future alcohol users. Interactions between brain function and genetic predispositions have been identified, including significant association found between the Ras protein-specific guanine nucleotide releasing factor 2 (RASGRF2) gene and reward-related striatal functioning. ConclusionsNeuroimaging predictors of alcohol use have shown modest utility to date. Future research should use out-of-sample performance as a quantitative measure of a predictor's utility. Neuroimaging data should be combined across multiple modalities, including structural information such as volumetrics and cortical thickness, in conjunction with white-matter tractography. A number of relevant neurocognitive systems should be assayed; particularly, inhibitory control, reward processing and executive functioning. Combining a rich magnetic resonance imaging data set could permit the generation of neuroimaging risk scores, which could potentially yield targeted interventions.
Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the application of mucous membrane keratinocyte cultures on amniotic membrane and on poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) Purasorb PL38 to cover tissue loss in the oral cavity. Developments in molecular biology techniques and tissue engineering allow the culturing and identification of cells that can be anchored in the wound to achieve integrity of the tissue. Transplantation of tissues obtained from the patient's own cells is superior to allogenous transplantation where there is a possibility of transfection, rejection and the need for long-term immunosuppression. Methods: In 9 patients (15 procedures) keratinocytes cultured on amniotic membrane and PLLA were transplanted to cover antro-oral fistulas and bone loss after osteoradionecrosis. Results: In all 6 patients with outlasting antro-oral fistulas, the defects were healed. In 3 patients with 5 cases of tissue loss after osteoradionecrosis, we obtained healing of the wound in only 1 case. Histological examination of the cultures indicated that cultured cells formed well-differentiated layers, very similar to the keratinocytes of mucous membranes, although those seeded on amniotic membrane formed a single layer of cells, while those seeded on the PLLA scaffold were arranged on 2 or more layers: these differences were shown to be statistically significant with a morphometric analysis. Conclusions: Autologous transplants of epithelium cultured on amniotic membrane and PLLA constitute a new and effective way of covering nonhealing tissue loss in the oral cavity in chosen cases, using modern methods of tissue engineering.
A task force of experts was convened by the American Psychological Association (APA) to update the knowledge and policy about the impact of violent video game use on potential adverse outcomes. This APA Task Force on Media Violence examined the existing literature, including the meta-analyses in the field, since the last APA report on media violence in 2005. Because the most recent meta-analyses were published in 2010 and reflected work through 2009, the task force conducted a search of the published studies from 2009-2013. These recently published articles were scored and assessed by a systematic evidentiary review, followed by a meta-analysis of the high utility studies, as documented in the evidentiary review. Consistent with the literature that we reviewed, we found that violent video game exposure was associated with: an increased composite aggression score; increased aggressive behavior; increased aggressive cognitions; increased aggressive affect, increased desensitization, and decreased empathy; and increased physiological arousal. The size of the effects was similar to that in prior meta-analyses, suggesting a stable result. Our task force concluded that violent video game use is a risk factor for adverse outcomes, but found insufficient studies to examine any potential link between violent video game use and delinquency or criminal behavior. Our technical report is the basis of this article.
An Omega-3 chicken egg is a chicken egg produced through food engineering technology. It is produced by hen fed with high omega-3 fatty acids. So, it has fifteen times nutrient content of omega-3 higher than Leghorn's. Visually, its shell has the same shape and colour as Leghorn's. Each egg can be distinguished by breaking the egg's shell and testing the egg yolk's nutrient content in a laboratory. But, those methods were proven not effective and efficient. Observing this problem, the purpose of this research is to make an application to detect the type of omega-3 chicken egg by using a mobile-based computer vision. This application was built in OpenCV computer vision library to support Android Operating System. This experiment required some chicken egg images taken using an egg candling box. We used 60 omega-3 chicken and Leghorn eggs as samples. Then, using an Android smartphone, image acquisition of the egg was obtained. After that, we applied several steps using image processing methods such as Grab Cut, convert RGB image to eight bit grayscale, median filter, P-Tile segmentation, and morphology technique in this research. The next steps were feature extraction which was used to extract feature values via mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis from each image. Finally, using digital image measurement, some chicken egg images were classified. The result showed that omega-3 chicken egg and Leghorn egg had different values. This system is able to provide accurate reading around of 91%.
Initiatives in intercultural education have frequently involved the promotion of contact between members of different groups as a means of improving intergroup relations. Experience from Northern Ireland suggests, however, that such schemes have often been organised and delivered in such a way that opportunities for sustained, high-quality contact are limited. This paper considers processes of contact in one relatively recent initiative, shared education, which involves collaboration between separate schools to deliver classes to Catholic and Protestant pupils in mixed groups. Employing qualitative methods of observation and interviewing to capture participants' experiences of contact, the research explores the influences on the quality and frequency of cross-group interaction in the shared class. With findings highlighting the subject and pedagogy, teacher's approach and classroom arrangement as key factors, the study offers suggestions for policy and practice to enhance opportunities for contact and relationship-building in mixed classes.
Major technological innovations over the past decade have transformed our ability to extract quantitative data from biological systems at an unprecedented scale and resolution. These quantitative methods and associated large datasets should lead to an exciting new phase of discovery across many areas of biology. However, there is a clear threat: will we drown in these rivers of data? On 18th July 2016, stem cell biologists gathered in Cambridge for the 5th annual Cambridge Stem Cell Symposium to discuss 'Quantitative stem cell biology: from molecules to models'. This Meeting Review provides a summary of the data presented by each speaker, with a focus on quantitative techniques and the new biological insights that are emerging.
Hyperspectral signatures can provide abundant information regarding health status of crops; however it is difficult to discriminate between biotic and abiotic stress. In this study, the case of simultaneous occurrence of yellow rust disease symptoms and nitrogen stress was investigated by using hyperspectral features from a ground based hyperspectral imaging system. Hyperspectral images of healthy and diseased plant canopies were taken at Rothamsted Research, UK by a Specim V10 spectrograph. Five wavebands of 20 nm width were utilized for accurate identification of each of the stress and healthy plant conditions. The technique that was developed used a hybrid classification scheme consisting of hierarchical self organizing classifiers. Three different architectures were considered: counter-propagation artificial neural networks, supervised Kohonen networks (SKNs) and XY-fusion. A total of 12 120 spectra were collected. From these 3 062 (25.3%) were used for testing. The results of biotic and abiotic stress identification appear to be promising, reaching more than 95% for all three architectures. The proposed approach aimed at sensor based detection of diseased and stressed plants so that can be treated site specifically contributing to a more effective and precise application of fertilizers and fungicides according to specific plant's needs.
In this paper, we propose a novel fuzzy inference system on picture fuzzy set called picture inference system (PIS) to enhance inference performance of the traditional fuzzy inference system. In PIS, the positive, neutral and negative degrees of the picture fuzzy set are computed using the membership graph that is the combination of three Gaussian functions with a common center and different widths expressing a visual view of degrees. Then, the positive and negative defuzzification values, synthesized from three degrees of the picture fuzzy set, are used to generate crisp outputs. Learning in PIS including training centers, widths, scales and defuzzification parameters is also discussed. The system is adapted for all architectures such as the Mamdani, the Sugeno and the Tsukamoto fuzzy inferences. Experimental results on benchmark UCI Machine Learning Repository datasets and an example in control theory - the Lorenz system are examined to verify the advantages of PIS.
The growth of beach tourism has increased the need for acceptable, practical and sustainable policies. Overcrowding, sand loss, habitat destruction, littering, water pollution, among others problems, are commonly documented arising from booming beach activities. The objective of this paper was to identify management priorities and estimate carrying capacity of a high-use beach from tourists' perspectives. In this way, managers can make informed decisions, leading to enhanced beach quality. Specific procedures to fulfill this objective were progressively established to identify potential actions that address the concerns facing the beach environment. A body of data was collected by means of questionnaires. Results showed that beach cleanliness, safety, information provision, sediment and habitat management, and overcrowding were considered important by tourists, reflecting the areas of priority for actions. If a policy is set to avoid tourists overcrowding, the carrying capacity limit was estimated to be 680 people at one time and 2040 people on a daily basis. In this scenario, a tourist enjoys on average 22.06 square meters of the beach space. Results from focus group discussion suggest a list of potential actions targeting these management priorities. This helps to build a participative policy approach to sustainable beach development. Finally, taking special care in putting the management priorities into practice was discussed to facilitate beach management.
Kawasaki disease is a multisystemic vasculitis that can result in coronary artery lesions. It predominantly affects young children and is characterized by prolonged fever, diffuse mucosal inflammation, indurative oedema of the hands and feet, a polymorphous skin rash and non-suppurative lymphadenopathy. Coronary artery involvement is the most important complication of Kawasaki disease and may cause significant coronary stenosis resulting in ischemic heart disease. The introduction of intravenous immunoglobulin decreases the incidence of coronary artery lesions to less than 5%. The etiopathogenesis of this disease remains unclear. Several lines of evidence suggest that an interplay between a microbial infection and a genetic predisposition could take place in the development of the disease. In this review, we summarize the state of the art of pathogenetic mechanisms of Kawasaki disease underscoring the relevance of haematological features as a novel field of investigation.
BACKGROUND: The incidence of spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is estimated to be 1 per 1,000,000 patients per year; SEH can be classified as idiopathic, spontaneous, and secondary. The cause of spontaneous SEH is uncertain but it may be associated with minor trauma. SEH can compress surrounding structures, shown by clinical symptoms and signs that affect the spinal cord or nerve roots. Surgical treatment may be considered if medical treatment fails. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 26-year-old man presented with lower back pain and significant radicular symptoms on the left side for a week. He denied previous lumbar trauma or the use of anticoagulation drugs. We used the full-endoscopic transforaminal approach (extraforaminal technique) to remove the SEH under local anesthesia. The patient was discharged home 2 days after surgery and the radicular pain disappeared completely. Three months later, follow-up magnetic resonance imaging showed that the dark-brown lesion had been totally removed. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous SEHs are uncommon. Although lumbar laminectomy is the mainstream treatment in those with neurologic deficits caused by epidural hematomas, the percutaneous full-endoscopic transforaminal approach may be an option for certain SEHs.
Conventional planar transistor shows shrinking substrate bias effect at scaled technology. On the other hand, epitaxial delta-doped channel (EDC) transistor shows substantial amount of substrate bias effect even at 16-nm channel length. This paper unveils the physics behind the substrate bias effect of an n-channel EDC transistor through Technology Computer Aided Design simulation with analytical justifications. The depletion width for an EDC transistor very weakly depends upon the applied substrate bias, and with scaling down of channel length, the depletion width insignificantly gets widened. The substrate control over the channel is high so that significant amount of substrate depletion charge terminates on the gate, instead of on the source and the drain. The degradation of threshold voltage roll off and drain-induced barrier lowering coefficient with the increase of substrate bias, is less for the EDC transistor, compared to that of a conventional halo free transistor. The dependence of the substrate bias sensitivity on the thickness of the low-doped epitaxial layer and concentration of the high-doped layer is explored. The effects of reverse substrate bias on leakage power dissipation and intrinsic delay of EDC and conventional transistors are discussed.
During the past decade, researchers from humanities, design, science and engineering, have been collectively working towards the realization of the Ambient Intelligence vision. This thematic issue records the evolution of the field and fosters scientific debate on research issues and reflection on the progress of Ambient Intelligence and its future.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most rampant causes of death around the world and was deemed as a major illness in Middle and Old ages. Coronary artery disease, in particular, is a widespread cardiovascular malady entailing high mortality rates. Angiography is, more often than not, regarded as the best method for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease; on the other hand, it is associated with high costs and major side effects. Much research has, therefore, been conducted using machine learning and data mining so as to seek alternative modalities. Accordingly, we herein propose a highly accurate hybrid method for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. As a matter of fact, the proposed method is able to increase the performance of neural network by approximately 10% through enhancing its initial weights using genetic algorithm which suggests better weights for neural network. Making use of such methodology, we achieved accuracy, sensitivity and specificity rates of 93.85%, 97% and 92% respectively, on Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We address the particular cyber attack technique known as stack buffer overflow in GNU/Linux operating systems, which are widely used in HPC environments. The buffer overflow problem has been around for quite some time and continues to be an ever present issue. We develop a mechanism to successfully detect and react whenever a stack buffer overflow occurs. Our solution requires no compile-time support and so can be applied to any program, including legacy or closed source software for which the source code is not available. This makes it especially useful in HPC environments where given their complexity and scope of the computing system, incidents like overflows might be difficult to detect and react to accordingly. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Secondary osteoporosis is a frequent complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the result of an imbalance of catabolic and anabolic mechanisms of bone metabolism. The effects of serial low-dose radon and hyperthermia (LDRnHT) exposure in a therapeutic adit (12 applications in 3 weeks) on the serum levels of the cytokines osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of NF kappa-B ligand (RANKL), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and also on the RANKL/OPG ratio were investigated in 25 RA patients and an age-matched control of 24 patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Cytokine measurements were performed at baseline and after completion of LDRnHT. Anti-CCP antibodies (ACPA) were measured in RA patients in parallel. Medication in both groups was limited to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and low-dose prednisolone (16 of 24 RA patients) as needed. RA and OA patients showed a significant decrease of TNF-alpha levels (p < 0.001). Both groups showed significantly decreased levels of RANKL (RA: p < 0.001, OA: p < 0.01). Only the RA patients presented a significant increase of OPG (p < 0.01) and decrease of the RANKL/OPG ratio (p < 0.01), and the ACPA levels (p < 0.001). LDRnHT results in a reduction of osteocatabolic and an increase of osteoanabolic cytokines, which represents the molecular basis for inhibiting osteoclastic activity in secondary osteoporosis and explains in part the effect of LDRnHT this physical therapy modality in a key inflammatory disease. Although reduced ACPA levels were observed under the therapy and although this could potentially contribute to an osteoprotective effect, in this case, it is rather uncertain as the reduction was only minor in magnitude.
Motorcycles are one of the most dangerous means of transportation. Its death toll is higher than in others, due to the inherent vulnerability of motorcycle drivers. The latest strategies in Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) are trying to mitigate this problem by applying the advances of modern technologies to the road transport. This paper presents two different approaches on motorcycle protection, based on two of the most modern available technologies in ADAS, i.e. Computer Vision and Vehicle to Vehicle Communication (V2V). The first approach is based on data fusion of Laser Scanner and Computer Vision, providing accurate obstacle detection and localization based on laser scanner, and obstacle classification using computer vision and laser. The second approach is based on ad-hoc V2V technology and provides detection in case of occlusion for visual sensors. Both technologies have been tested in the presented work, and a performance comparison is given. Tests performed in different driving situations allows to measure the performance of every algorithm and the limitations of each of them based on empirical and scientific foundations. The conclusions of the presented work help foster of expert systems in the automotive sector by providing further discussion of the viability and impact from each of these systems in real scenarios. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Geotextile tubes hydraulically or mechanically filled with dredged materials have been successfully applied to hydraulic and coastal engineering in recent years (e.g. shore protection structures, sea dikes, groins, jetties, detached breakwaters). This method is becoming popular and has been widely applied in the developed countries of the world. It is economical as well as useful, and enables us to store and isolate contaminated materials obtained from harbour dredging. In this study, a numerical analysis was performed to investigate the behaviour of geotextile tubes in terms of various properties of the material, shape condition and pumping pressure. The computer program GeoCoPS was employed for this analysis. Also, field tests were conducted in order to identify the construction workability of Saemangeum inner dike when the geotextile tube method is applied. In the field tests, geotextile tubes of 62m in length and 4.0m in diameter were used. The field tests found that geotextile tubes, when filled, did not have the same diameter as the unfilled theoretical one, but might reach approximately 55% of the theoretical diameter. At that time, the effective height of a geotextile tube was about 2.2m. The behaviour during and after construction was measured to confirm the construction method and workability, which ended in successful identification. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
For decades, developing hematopoietic cells have been strictly compartmentalized into a small population of multipotent self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells, multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells that are undergoing commitment to myeloid or lymphoid fates, and unipotent precursor cells that mature towards peripheral blood and immune cells. Recent studies, however, have provided a battery of findings that cannot be explained by this classical hierarchical model for the architecture of hematopoiesis. It is emerging that heterogeneous hematopoietic stem cell populations in the bone marrow coexist, each with distinct, preprogrammed differentiation and proliferation behaviors. Three subsets can be distinguished among them: myeloid-biased (alpha), balanced (beta), and lymphoid-biased (gamma/delta) hematopoietic stem cells. The ratio of these hematopoietic stem cell subsets is developmentally regulated in the foetal liver and hematopoietic stem cells adult bone marrow, and coordinately gives rise to hematopoiesis. Beta- and gamma/delta-hematopoietic stem cells are found predominantly early in the life of an organism, whereas a-hematopoietic stem cells accumulate in aged mice and humans. In addition, new sophisticated genetic experiments in mice have identified a major role of long-lived, committed progenitor cells downstream from hematopoietic stem cells as drivers of normal adult hematopoiesis, and revealed that post-transplantation hematopoiesis differs qualitatively and quantitatively from normal steady-state hematopoiesis. These findings have important implications for understanding in situ the regulation of haematopoiesis in health and disease.
Camera objectives or laser focusing units consist of complex lens systems with multiple lenses. The optical performance of such complex lens systems is dependent on the correct positioning of lenses in the system. Deviations in location or angle within the system directly affect the achievable image quality. To optimize the achievable performance of lens systems, these errors can be corrected by machining the mount of the lens with respect to the optical axis. The Innolite GmbH and Opto Alignment Technology have developed a novel machine for such center turning operation. A confocal laser reflection measurement sensor determines the absolute position of the optical axis with reference to the spindle axis. As a strong advantage compared to autocollimator measurements the utilized Opto Alignment sensor is capable of performing centration and tilt measurements without changing objectives on any radius surface from 2 mm to infinity and lens diameters from 0.5 mm to 300 mm, including cylinder, aspheric, and parabolic surfaces. In addition, it performs significantly better on coated lenses. The optical axis is skewed and offset in reference to the spindle axis as determined by the measurement. Using the information about the mount and all reference surfaces, a machine program for an untrue turning process is calculated from this data in a fully automated manner. Since the optical axis is not collinear with the spindle axis, the diamond tool compensates for these linear and tilt deviations with small correction movements. This results in a simple machine setup where the control system works as an electronic alignment chuck. Remaining eccentricity of <1 mu m and angular errors of < 10 sec are typical alignment results.
In this paper, a new light weight highly secured ciphering engine creation methodology we called On Demand Ciphering Engine (ODCE) was suggested. The main feature of this method is that both, the ciphering engine and the secret key, are kept secrets and created by the user or the system administrator when initiating his transmission, then the involved sides exchange these secrets. The design methodology and structure of this system was described and prototyped using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) as the main building block in the system. Software and hardware implementations of the suggested system were performed to prove its practicability. Also, different experimental tests were achieved to determine the impact of the suggested method on both network delay and system performance.
There is a growing recognition that urban trees provide various valuable benefits and services such as enhanced human wellbeing. However, they also have a cost in terms of public health either directly (allergies) or by harboring species representing health risk for humans. This paper focuses on such a forest insect species, the pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa. Its caterpillars develop gregariously during winter in a conspicuous silk nest in coniferous hosts. When disturbed, the larvae release urticating hairs that cause human or animal serious health problems. The purpose of our survey was to (1) inventory all individual trees belonging to potential host species and estimate the density of T. pityocampa (2) assess the spatial pattern of the insect population at the city scale. We conducted an exhaustive inventory of potential coniferous host trees in five municipalities (ca. 5000 ha) in the north of Orleans, France. Each tree was identified, geo-referenced and the number of moth nests it hosted was counted. A total of 9321 urban trees representing 11 coniferous taxonomic units were investigated. The distribution of T. pityocampa exhibited a marked spatial structure citywide. Geostatistics allowed to draw risk maps revealing strong patchiness. We provide the first estimate of T. pityocampa host tree preference in an urban context and found that Pinus nigra, P. pinaster and P. sylvestris were the most attacked trees. We also report numerous cases of T. pityocampa occurrence on the exotic ornamental Himalayan cedar Cedrus deodara. The management implications of our findings are two-fold: (1) risk maps constitute a useful framework for communication and public information, and can help developing control strategies; (2) some species frequently used for ornamental purposes are poor quality hosts regarding T. pityocampa and should therefore be preferred in public place usually frequented by vulnerable people (schools, nurseries, hospitals). (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier GmbH.
Whether superiors or subordinates are more accurate in assessing the emotions of others (aka emotion recognition accuracy, ERA) is a question that has gained much interest but yielded decidedly mixed empirical results. The present study investigates whether superiors and subordinates who are in an actual hierarchical relationship differ in their ERA. We investigated 142 superiors who each had recruited one of his or her direct subordinates (total N = 284). Superiors and subordinates each took a paper-pencil version of a standardized ERA test. Results showed that superiors were more accurate in assessing the emotions of other persons than subordinates were.
The performance of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) above arsenic-rich gold mine tailings was investigated by the construction of a test cover comprised of three GCL products placed above the tailings at an abandoned gold mine in Nova Scotia, Canada. In parallel research, the performance of the three commercially available GCLs was assessed based on a series of laboratory column experiments. Of the three needle-punched GCLs tested, one has untreated Wyoming bentonite and a woven carrier geotextile; the second has a polymer-enhanced Wyoming bentonite and a scrim-reinforced nonwoven carrier geotextile, and the third has a polymer-enhanced Wyoming bentonite and woven carrier geotextile coated by a thin polypropylene geofilm. After 4 years of exposure in the field and laboratory, the bentonite structure of all exhumed GCLs appeared to be well hydrated with no visible cracks provided that the cover soil thickness was >0.7 m. The GCL with untreated bentonite exhibited the highest reduction in the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP; decreased to 1-3% in field and 4-29% in laboratory) and swell index (decreased to 7-12 ml/ 2 g in both field and laboratory tests). Despite this reduction in the swelling capacity, the maximum measured hydraulic conductivity (k)for this GCL was 1 3 1010 m/s, which is still considered low. The GCLs with polymer-enhanced bentonite experienced less cation exchange (ESP 10-27% in the field and 17-53% in the laboratory) than the GCL with untreated bentonite. The k values of the GCL with polymer-enhanced bentonite and non-coated carrier geotextile (3.6 x 10(-11) to 7.9 x 10(-11) m/s in the field and 1.6 3 10 11 to 6.7 3 10 11 m/s in the laboratory) were lower than those measured for the GCL with untreated bentonite. The lowest measured k values (3.6 3 10(-12) to 9.4 3 1012 m/s) were for the GCL with polymer-enhanced bentonite and geofilm coating the carrier geotextile. All three GCLs prevented the migration of arsenic to the overlying cover soil, even when the GCL was resting directly above the tailings without a foundation layer.
In recent years, the development of network information for the reform and development of education has played a great role in promoting. At present, the mobile Internet, becoming the number one choice of access to information and communication way, the development of mobile Internet information technology for the development of the education sector to provide more opportunities for mobile, fragmented, individualized education, socializing, features a new mobile Internet era of education. Young students as a mainstream mobile Internet user base, but also the direct object of English teaching, the traditional English teaching model can not meet the needs of young students, how to mobile Internet applications to English teaching is currently facing a major college English teaching problem. In this paper, the efficiency of learning in the mobile Internet era, the reform of college English teaching on how to improve college English outside the classroom in depth discussion and research, and put forward the corresponding strategies and methods of reform. First, recognize that the mobile Internet Mobile Internet, mobile communications and the Internet is to combine the two into one. Open and highlight the 4G era of mobile terminal equipment will inject huge amounts of energy for the development of mobile Internet, mobile Internet industry in 2014 will bring an unprecedented leap. Mobile Internet is a smart mobile terminal by using a mobile wireless communications services to obtain business and emerging business, including terminals, software and applications at three levels. Terminal layer including smart phones, tablet PCs, e-books, MID, etc; software including operating systems, middleware, database and security software. Application layer including casual entertainment, media-tools, business finance, culture and education etc. Different applications and services. As of January 2014, the total number of China's mobile Internet users reached 838 million, in the mobile phone user penetration rate of 67.8%; the scale of mobile phone users reached 500 million, more than eighty percent of the total number of Internet users, the phone maintains the first big Internet terminal status. Development of China's mobile Internet era into the universal. According to the Chinese mobile Internet users Research Reports statistics, more than 800 million mobile Internet users, groups of students are the main force, accounting for up to 80% ratio.
Progress in biomaterial science and engineering and increasing knowledge in cell biology have enabled us to develop functional biomaterials providing appropriate biochemical and biophysical cues for tissue regeneration applications. Tissue regeneration is particularly important to treat chronic wounds of people with diabetes. Understanding and controlling the cellular microenvironment of the wound tissue are important to improve the wound healing process. In this study, we review different biochemical (e.g., growth factors, peptides, DNA, and RNA) and biophysical (e.g., topographical guidance, pressure, electrical stimulation, and pulsed electromagnetic field) cues providing a functional and instructive acellular matrix to heal diabetic chronic wounds. The biochemical and biophysical signals generally regulate cell-matrix interactions and cell behavior and function inducing the tissue regeneration for chronic wounds. Some technologies and devices have already been developed and used in the clinic employing biochemical and biophysical cues for wound healing applications. These technologies can be integrated with smart biomaterials to deliver therapeutic agents to the wound tissue in a precise and controllable manner. This review provides useful guidance in understanding molecular mechanisms and signals in the healing of diabetic chronic wounds and in designing instructive biomaterials to treat them.
The reachability of standard and fractional-order continuous-time systems with piecewise constant inputs is addressed. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such piecewise constant inputs that steers the system from zero initial conditions to the given final state in desired time are derived and proved. As examples of such systems the electrical circuits with DC switched voltage sources are presented.
Although cancer outcome results from the interplay between genetics and environment, researchers are making a great effort for applying molecular biology in the prognostication of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Nevertheless, role of molecular characterisation in the prognostic setting of DTC is still nebulous. Among the most common and well-characterised genetic alterations related to DTC, including mutations of BRAF and RAS and RET rearrangements, BRAF(V600E) is the only mutation showing unequivocal association with clinical outcome. Unfortunately, its accuracy is strongly limited by low specificity. Recently, the introduction of next-generation sequencing techniques led to the identification of TERT promoter and TP53 mutations in DTC. These genetic abnormalities may identify a small subgroup of tumours with highly aggressive behaviour, thus improving specificity of molecular prognostication. Although knowledge of prognostic significance of TP53 mutations is still anecdotal, mutations of the TERT promoter have showed clear association with clinical outcome. Nevertheless, this genetic marker needs to be analysed according to a multigenetic model, as its prognostic effect becomes negligible when present in isolation. Given that any genetic alteration has demonstrated, taken alone, enough specificity, the co-occurrence of driving mutations is emerging as an independent genetic signature of aggressiveness, with possible future application in clinical practice. DTC prognostication may be empowered in the near future by non-tissue molecular prognosticators, including circulating BRAF(V600E) and miRNAs. Although promising, use of these markers needs to be refined by the technical sight, and the actual prognostic value is still yet to be validated.
We investigated the interaction between approach behaviours (measured through performance on a resource-gathering task) and self-reported global life stress to predict substance use. Our hypothesis that high levels of approach behaviour in combination with high life stress would predict elevated substance use was guided by the reinforcement sensitivity theory (Gray & McNaughton, ). Ninety-three young adult students (61 women and 32 men) completed a computerized resource-gathering task and questionnaires assessing global life stress and substance use. Consistent with the hypothesis, approach behaviour was positively related to substance use for individuals with high life stress. The findings suggest that person by environment interactions are useful in understanding substance use and we discuss how approach-motivated individuals may arrive at different substance use outcomes as a function of stressful contexts. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In classical earthquake risk assessment, the human behavior is actually not taken into account in risk assessment. Agent-based modeling is a simulation technique that has been applied recently in several fields, such as emergency evacuation. The paper is proposing a methodology that includes in agent-based models the human behavior, considering the anxiety effects generated by the crowd and their influence on the evacuation delays. The proposed model is able to take into account the interdependency between the earthquake evacuation process, and the corresponding damage of structural and non-structural components that is expressed in term of fragility curves. The software REPAST HPC has been used to implement the model, and as a case study, the earthquake evacuation by a mall located in Oakland has been used. The human behavior model has been calibrated through a survey using a miscellaneous sample from different countries. The model can be used to test future scenarios and help local authorities in situations where the human behavior plays a key role. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; high-risk siblings) exhibit lower levels of initiating joint attention (IJA; sharing an object or experience with a social partner through gaze and/or gesture) than low-risk siblings of children without ASD. However, high-risk siblings also exhibit substantial variability in this domain. The neurotransmitter dopamine is linked to brain areas associated with reward, motivation, and attention, and common dopaminergic variants have been associated with attention difficulties. We examined whether these common dopaminergic variants, DRD4 and DRD2, explain variability in IJA in high-risk (n=55) and low-risk (n=38) siblings. IJA was assessed in the first year during a semi-structured interaction with an examiner. DRD4 and DRD2 genotypes were coded according to associated dopaminergic functioning to create a gene score, with higher scores indicating more genotypes associated with less efficient dopaminergic functioning. Higher dopamine gene scores (indicative of less efficient dopaminergic functioning) were associated with lower levels of IJA in the first year for high-risk siblings, while the opposite pattern emerged in low-risk siblings. Findings suggest differential susceptibilityIJA was differentially associated with dopaminergic functioning depending on familial ASD risk. Understanding genes linked to ASD-relevant behaviors in high-risk siblings will aid in early identification of children at greatest risk for difficulties in these behavioral domains, facilitating targeted prevention and intervention. Autism Res2016, 9: 1142-1150. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Flow patterns around bodies undergoing flow-induced vibrations and biomimetic flows have intriguing similarities, and similar flow mechanisms can be used to understand their principal properties and find ways to alter their behavior. The long history and extensive study of flow-structure interaction allowed the rapid development of the new field of biomimetic fluid mechanics. In return, the properties that were revealed and the discoveries that were made through the study of the swimming of fish and cetaceans and of bird flight are now entering the engineering domain, suggesting new ways to control the flow and how to devise new technology as well as invigorating our profession.
We consider an image motion stabilization system embedded into a space telescope for a scanning optoelectronic observation of terrestrial targets. Developed model of this system is presented taking into account physical hysteresis of piezoceramic driver and a time delay at a forming of digital control. We have presented elaborated algorithms for discrete filtering and digital control, obtained results on analysis of the image motion velocity oscillations in the telescope focal plane, and also methods for terrestrial and in-flight verification of the system.
Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to play an important role in the development and progression of diseases. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease and it is hard to be found in early time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of lncRNA-AK001085 in the diagnosis of AS. Material/Methods: The expression of lncRNA-AK001085 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRTPCR) analysis. The relationship between its expression and clinicopathologic characteristics was also analyzed. Meanwhile the correlation between lncRNA-AK001085 expression and diseases activity indexes was estimated. In addition, the value of it in the diagnosis of AS was explored through establishing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Serum lncRNA-AK001085 expression was decreased in patients with AS compared with healthy individuals. And its expression was proved to be influenced by ever cigarette smoker, exercise level and occupational activity level. Besides, the correlation of the expression of lncRNA-AK001085 and disease activity indexes (BASDI, ASDAS, ESR, CRP) were all negative, which suggested that the lncRNA-AK001085 was significantly lower in patients with a high disease activity score. It might showed that the expression of lncRNA-AK001085 affected the activity of AS. Conclusions: LncRNA-AK001085 was down-regulated in AS patients and it could be an independent diagnostic indicator.
While smiling enhances women's facial attractiveness, the findings are inconclusive for men. The present study investigated the effect of smiling on male facial attractiveness for short- and long-term prospective partners using East Asian and European samples. In Experiment 1 (N = 218), where female participants rated male facial attractiveness, the facilitative effect of smiling was present when judging long-term partners but absent for short- term partners. This pattern was observed for East Asians as well as for Europeans. Experiment 2 (N = 71) demonstrated that smiling male faces engendered an impression suitable for long-term partnership (e.g., high ratings of trustworthiness) while neutral faces produced an impression suitable for short- term partnership (e.g., high ratings of masculinity). We discuss these results in terms of opposing evolutionary strategies in mate choice: heritable benefit versus paternal investment.
Aim: To describe treatment pattern, complications, and direct medical costs associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Chinese urban patients. Methods: The 2013 China Health Insurance Research Association (CHIRA) urban insurance claims database was used to identify patients with AS. The identified patients were stratified by AS treatments for the comparisons of well established AS-related complications and direct medical costs. Conventional regression analyses adjusted the collected patient baseline characteristics to confirm the impact of treatments on complications and direct medical costs. Results: Of the identified 1299 patients with AS, 18.0% received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), 11.2% received immunosuppressant, 48.2% received NSAID plus immunosuppressant, 4.6% received biologic agents, and 17.9% received medications without indication for AS. Biologic group was associated with the lowest proportion of AS-related complications (8.3%) that was confirmed by multiple logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 0.200, p=.017). The biologic group was also associated with highest direct medical costs (median: RMB=14,539) that were confirmed by the multiple generalized linear model (coefficient = 1.644, p<.001). Conclusions: Biologics were not commonly used for AS in Chinese patients likely due to their high cost. Future studies are needed to confirm the potential long-term clinical benefits associated biologic treatment for AS.
In this study high-performance and high-speed field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementations of polynomial basis Itoh-Tsujii inversion algorithm (ITA) over GF(2(m)) constructed by irreducible trinomials and pentanomials are presented. The proposed structures are designed by one field multiplier and k-times squarer blocks or exponentiation by 2(k), where k is a small positive integer. The k-times squarer blocks have an efficient tree structure with low critical path delay, and the multiplier is based on a proposed high-speed digit-serial architecture with minimum hardware resources. Furthermore, to reduce the computation time of ITA, the critical path of the circuit is broken to finer path using several registers. The computation times of the structure on Virtex-4 FPGA family are 0.262, 0.192 and 0.271 mu s for GF(2(163)), GF(2(193)) and GF(2(233)), respectively. The comparison results with other implementations of the polynomial basis Itoh-Tsujii inversion algorithm verify the improvement in the proposed architecture in terms of speed and performance.
Lateral flow tests (LFTs) are well-suited for rapid point-of-care testing in low resource settings. The wicking action of the paper strip moves the sample and reagents through the device without a need for pumps, but LFTs are typically limited to tests that can be carried out in a single fluidic step. The materials from LFTs can be reconfigured to create paper networks that automatically carry out multi-step fluidic operations, while retaining the same easy-to-use format as a conventional LFT. Here, we describe basic principles of wicking and system-level behavior of paper networks by analogy to electrical circuits. We describe key design principles for a previously-developed 2D paper network (2DPN) and introduce an alternative linear paper network (Pseudo-1DPN) that takes advantage of system-level behavior to perform clean sequential fluid delivery while reducing device running time.
The same selective forces that give rise to rapid inter- and intraspecific divergence in snake venoms can also favor differences in venoms across life-history stages. Ontogenetic changes in venom composition are well known and widespread in snakes but have not been investigated to the level of unambiguously identifying the specific loci involved. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake was previously shown to undergo an ontogenetic shift in venom composition at sexual maturity, and this shift accounted for more venom variation than (geography. To characterize the genetics underlying the ontogenetic venom compositional change in C. adamanteus, we sequenced adult/juvenile pairs of venom-gland transcriptomes from five populations previously shown to have different adult venom compositions. We identified a total of 59 putative toxin transcripts for C. adamanteus, and 12 of these were involved in the ontogenetic change. Three toxins were downregulated, and nine were upregulated in adults relative to juveniles. Adults and juveniles expressed similar total levels of snake-venom metalloproteinases but differed substantially in their featured paralogs, and adults expressed higher levels of Bradykinin-potentiating and C-type natriuretic peptides, nerve growth factor, and specific paralogs of phospholipases A(2) and snake venom serine proteinases. Juvenile venom was more toxic to mice, indicating that the expression differences resulted in a phenotypically, and therefore potentially ecologically, significant difference in venom function. We also showed that adult and juvenile venom-gland transcriptomes for a species with known ontogenetic venom variation were equally effective at individually providing a full characterization of the venom genes of a species but that any particular individual was likely to lack several toxins in their transcriptome. A full characterization of a species' venom-gene complement therefore requires sequencing more than one individual, although the ages of the individuals are unimportant.
This paper's scope is the shear interaction mechanisms of three critical geosynthetic interfaces (geotextile/geomembrane; drainage geocomposite/geomembrane and soil/geomembrane) typically used for lined containment facilities such as landfills. A large direct shear machine was used to carry out 159 geosynthetic interface tests. The results showed strain softening behaviour, a very small dilatancy, 0.1-1 mm, and non-linear failure envelopes at normal stress range of 25-500 kPa. The three types of interfaces present the same main interaction mechanisms: interlocking and friction. For geotextile/geomembrane and drainage geocomposite/geomembrane interfaces, the higher the asperity height, the higher the interface shear strength. Whereas for soil/geomembrane interfaces, the higher the soil shear strength, the higher the interface shear strength. The drainage geocomposite/geomembrane interface showed the lowest friction angles, followed by the geotextile/geomembrane and the soil/geomembrane interfaces.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) has recently emerged to become one of the promising solutions for the future Internet. With the logical centralization of controllers and a global network overview, SDN brings us a chance to strengthen our network security. However, SDN also brings us a dangerous increase in potential threats. In this paper, we apply a deep learning approach for flow-based anomaly detection in an SDN environment. We build a Deep Neural Network (DNN) model for an intrusion detection system and train the model with the NSL-KDD Dataset. In this work, we just use six basic features (that can be easily obtained in an SDN environment) taken from the fortyone features of NSL-KDD Dataset. Through experiments, we confirm that the deep learning approach shows strong potential to be used for flow-based anomaly detection in SDN environments.
Zernike moments (ZMs) are very useful image descriptors which belong to a family of orthogonal rotation invariant moments. Due to their many attractive characteristics, they have been used in many pattern recognition, image processing and computer vision applications. However, they suffer from very high computation complexity which prohibits their use in many practical problems. The ZMs are computed as a convolution process between the image data and the Zernike kernel functions. In the past, various attempts have been made for the efficient computation of ZMs and considerable success has been achieved using recursive relations and 8-way symmetry/anti-symmetry of Zernike function. In this paper, we propose a new computational flow model for the convolution of the image data with the Zernike kernel functions. The proposed model also takes advantage of the 8-way symmetry/anti-symmetry property of the kernel function and builds up the convolution process which reduces the number of additions/subtractions from 56 to 24 and the number of multiplications from 12 to 8 (refer Table 6 in the text) for each location in an octant of a circular disk on which the moments are computed. Detailed experimental results show that the speed of the ZMs computation increases by a factor varying from 15% to 41% (depending upon the order of moments) for multiple images as compared to the existing fast algorithms available in the literature. When ZMs are computed at each pixel of an image on overlapping blocks, the improvement in computation time varies from 10% to 33%. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Immunoglobulin gamma (IgG) antibodies are key effector proteins of the immune system. They recognize antigens with high specificity and are indispensable for immunological memory following pathogen exposure or vaccination. The constant, crystallizable fragment (Fc) of IgG molecules mediates antibody effector functions such as complement-dependent cytotoxicity, antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis. These functions are regulated by a single N-linked, biantennary glycan of the heavy chain, which resides just below the hinge region, and the presence of specific sugar moieties on the glycan has profound implications on IgG effector functions. Emerging knowledge of how Fc glycans contribute to IgG structure and functions has opened new avenues for the therapeutic exploitation of defined antibody glycoforms in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Here, we review recent advances in understanding proinflammatory IgG effector functions and their regulation by Fc glycans.
Although person perception is central to virtually all human social behavior, it is ordinarily studied in isolated individual perceivers. Conceptualizing it as a socially distributed process opens up a variety of novel issues, which have been addressed in scattered literatures mostly outside of social psychology. This article examines some of these issues using a series of multiagent models. Perceivers can use gossip (information from others about social targets) to improve their ability to detect targets who perform rare negative behaviors. The model suggests that they can simultaneously protect themselves against being influenced by malicious gossip intended to defame specific targets. They can balance these potentially conflicting goals by using specific strategies including disregarding gossip that differs from a personally obtained impression. Multiagent modeling demonstrates the outcomes produced by different combinations of assumptions about gossip, and suggests directions for further research and theoretical development.
Aim: Mental-health-related stigma affects helpseeking behavior and service utilization among young people. Whether mental-health-related stigma is different or correlated between parents and their children is unknown. It is also unknown whether the name change of schizophrenia in 2002 has had long-term effects on reducing stigma for adults in the general population. Methods: We recruited 143 parent-child pairs (mean ages [SD]: 51.5 [3.6] and 21.2 [1.2] years, respectively) to complete self-report questionnaires regarding mental-health-related stigma and experience. We also assessed negative stereotypes for three psychiatric disease names (old and new names of schizophrenia, and depression), and for diabetes mellitus as a physical illness comparison. The questionnaires also asked respondents to identify the old and new names of schizophrenia and dementia, respectively, among 10 names for mental and physical illnesses and conditions. Results: Parents showed lower stigma levels toward mental illness and diabetes mellitus, but similar or greater stigma levels toward schizophrenia, compared with their children. Stigma levels toward mental illness in parents and their children were significantly correlated. The rate of correct identification of the old and new names for schizophrenia was higher in parents than in their children (64.7% vs 41.4%, P < 0.001). Parents who responded correctly endorsed more negative stereotypes toward the new name of schizophrenia compared with those who responded incorrectly (P = 0.049). Conclusion: The present findings suggest that stigma toward mental illness is shared between family members, and the name change of schizophrenia has effectively reduced stigma levels toward this disorder in adults of various ages.
Over the past three decades, insights into the role of the cerebellum in emotional processing have substantially increased. Indeed, methodological refinements in cerebellar lesion studies and major technological advancements in the field of neuroscience are in particular responsible to an exponential growth of knowledge on the topic. It is timely to review the available data and to critically evaluate the current status of the role of the cerebellum in emotion and related domains. The main aim of this article is to present an overview of current facts and ongoing debates relating to clinical, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological findings on the role of the cerebellum in key aspects of emotion. Experts in the field of cerebellar research discuss the range of cerebellar contributions to emotion in nine topics. Topics include the role of the cerebellum in perception and recognition, forwarding and encoding of emotional information, and the experience and regulation of emotional states in relation to motor, cognitive, and social behaviors. In addition, perspectives including cerebellar involvement in emotional learning, pain, emotional aspects of speech, and neuropsychiatric aspects of the cerebellum in mood disorders are briefly discussed. Results of this consensus paper illustrate how theory and empirical research have converged to produce a composite picture of brain topography, physiology, and function that establishes the role of the cerebellum in many aspects of emotional processing.
Gray water recycling and economical use of rainwater can be a valuable alternative source of water, especially for non-potable uses. These sources are seen as the basis of change in waters management, which gives a possibility of protection of still shrinking water resources. Taking into account continuing urbanization and population growth in the world, not only the management of water resources requires a change in attitudes, but also the management and conservation of conventional fuels that energy is generated of, and that are required for the development and functioning of urban areas. Bearing this in mind, some studies have been performed in order to establish the cost-effectiveness of application systems capable of reducing the demand for tap water and electricity used to heat it. A financial analysis with an application of the Life Cycle Cost methodology has been conducted for a multi-family residential building for seven different variants of installation of water and sewage, which assumed the use of the following solutions: gray water harvesting system, rainwater harvesting system and drain water heat recovery units. This analysis showed that the use of these systems in the tested building is financially viable, despite the fact that their implementation is associated with incurring higher investment cost than in the base case (Variant 0). The study was expanded by a sensitivity analysis on the basis of which it was possible to conclude that the project involving the use of alternative sources of pending water and energy in this building is only slightly susceptible to changes in calculation parameters. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The aim of this study was to examine the informational cues that male and female students perceive to be influential when developing initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. University students (n=752) rated the extent to which 30 informational cues influence their initial perceptions of a lecturer. Following exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a five-factor model (i.e. appearance (APP), accessories (ACC), third-party reports (TPR), communication skills (CS) and nationality/ethnicity (NE)) was extracted for male students and a five-factor model (i.e. ACC, TPR, APP, interpersonal skills (IPS) and engagement (ENG)) extracted for female students. Inspection of mean scores identified that male students rated CS (e.g. clarity of voice) and TPR (e.g. qualifications) and female students IPS (e.g. control of class), ENG (e.g. eye contact) and TPR to be influential factors in forming initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. The findings further identify the potential for expectancy effects within student-lecturer interactions.
Background: The multi-site Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Study (POATS), conducted by the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network, was the largest clinical trial yet conducted with patients dependent upon prescription opioids (N = 653). In addition to main trial results, the study yielded numerous secondary analyses, and included a 3.5-year follow-up study, the first of its kind with this population. This paper reviews key findings from POATS and its follow-up study. Methods: The paper summarizes the POATS design, main outcomes, predictors of outcome, subgroup analyses, the predictive power of early treatment response, and the long-term follow-up study. Results: POATS examined combinations of buprenorphine-naloxone of varying duration and counseling of varying intensity. The primary outcome analysis showed no overall benefit to adding drug counseling to buprenorphine-naloxone and weekly medical management. Only 7% of patients achieved a successful outcome (abstinence or near-abstinence from opioids) during a 4-week taper and 8-week follow-up; by comparison, 49% of patients achieved success while subsequently stabilized on buprenorphine-naloxone. Long-term follow-up results were more encouraging, with higher abstinence rates than in the main trial. Patients receiving opioid agonist treatment at the time of follow-up were more likely to have better outcomes, though a sizeable number. of patients succeeded without agonist treatment. Some patients initiated risky use patterns, including heroin use and drug injection. A limitation of the long-term follow-up study was the low follow-up rate. Conclusions: POATS was the first large-scale study of the treatment of prescription opioid dependence; its findings can influence both treatment guidelines and future studies. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
One of the most important challenges of this decade is the Internet of Things (IoT) that pursues the integration of real-world objects in the virtual world of the Internet. One property that characterises IoT systems is that they have to react to variable and continuous changes. This means that IoT systems need to work as self-managed systems to effectively manage context changes. The autonomy property inherent to software agents makes them a suitable choice for developing self-managed IoT systems. By embedding agents in the devices that compose the IoT is possible to realize a decentralized system with self-management capacities. However, in this scenario new problems arise. Firstly, current agent development approaches lack mechanisms to deal with the heterogeneity present in the IoT domain. Secondly, agents must simultaneously deal with potentially conflicting changes in their behaviour, concerning self-management and application goals. In order to afford these challenges we propose to use an approach based on Dynamic Software Product Lines (D-SPL) and preference-based reasoning. The D-SPL provides to the preference-based reasoning of the agent with the necessary information to adapt its behaviour at runtime making a trade-off between the self-management of the system and the accomplishment of its application goals.
Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) based on event-related potentials (ERP) incorporate a decoder to classify recorded brain signals and subsequently select a control signal that drives a computer application. Standard supervised BCI decoders require a tedious calibration procedure prior to every session. Several unsupervised classification methods have been proposed that tune the decoder during actual use and as such omit this calibration. Each of these methods has its own strengths and weaknesses. Our aim is to improve overall accuracy of ERP-based BCIs without calibration. Approach. We consider two approaches for unsupervised classification of ERP signals. Learning from label proportions (LLP) was recently shown to be guaranteed to converge to a supervised decoder when enough data is available. In contrast, the formerly proposed expectation maximization (EM) based decoding for ERP-BCI does not have this guarantee. However, while this decoder has high variance due to random initialization of its parameters, it obtains a higher accuracy faster than LLP when the initialization is good. We introduce a method to optimally combine these two unsupervised decoding methods, letting one method's strengths compensate for the weaknesses of the other and vice versa. The new method is compared to the aforementioned methods in a resimulation of an experiment with a visual speller. Main results. Analysis of the experimental results shows that the new method exceeds the performance of the previous unsupervised classification approaches in terms of ERP classification accuracy and symbol selection accuracy during the spelling experiment. Furthermore, the method shows less dependency on random initialization of model parameters and is consequently more reliable. Significance. Improving the accuracy and subsequent reliability of calibrationless BCIs makes these systems more appealing for frequent use.
Research has shown that jurors are heavily influenced by secondary confessions, and that they may attribute the informant's motives to good character rather than to an incentive. This study investigated the role of race in this context by manipulating both defendant and informant race (Black/White), informant type (jailhouse/civic duty), and whether the informant received an incentive to testify. Participants read a trial transcript and provided a verdict, then answered questions about the informant's reason for testifying (i.e. attributions). We observed that in the absence of informant testimony, participants convicted the White defendant more often. We also discovered an effect of incentive on verdicts when the defendant was White, such that participants voted guilty less often when the informant received an incentive; there was no effect of incentive on verdict when the defendant was Black. Informant race, defendant race, and incentive showed a combined effect on verdict, such that participants were particularly suspicious (i.e. less likely to vote guilty) when a Black informant received an incentive for testifying against a Black defendant. There were no effects of race on attributions. This research sheds light on extralegal factors that can prevent jurors from considering the role of incentives in secondary confessions.
Burullus Lake is the second largest lake along the Mediterranean Sea and represents one of the most subjected lakes to pollution at the delta's coastline. The present study explores the use of Landsat data and GIS for assessing water pollution at Burullus Lake, Egypt. Multi- spectral Landsat- 8 OLI image dated 2015 provided the necessary information to this study. Radiometric and atmospheric corrections were applied to the image. Land use/cover map was obtained to identify natural resources and types of human activities in the area surrounding the Lake. Three previously developed water quality empirical models for BOD, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were applied on the calibrated image. Then, a GIS model was generated to identify areas recording high levels of BOD, TN and TP. Results confirmed that the Lake water is subjected to pollution from multiple sources; particularly domestic and agricultural drains. Shallow water (i. e. Lake Shores), where human activities are influencing, reported high levels of water studied pollutants. The model indicated that south western and north eastern parts of the Lake are the most polluted parts, recording relatively high levels of BOD, TN and TP; >4.46 mg L-1, >18.33 mg L-1 and >15.59 mg L-1, respectively. Results were ascertained based on water quality investigations in relevant research studies on the Lake. It was concluded that Burullus Lake is extensively subjected to interrupting human activities which have a great negative impact on water quality. Also dataobservation techniques and water quality empirical models were successful in assessing and mapping water pollution. (C) 2016 National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B. V. This is an open access article under the CC BY- NC- ND license (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by- ncnd/ 4.0/).
Comparisons of MHC gene content and diversity among closely related species can provide insights into the evolutionary mechanisms shaping immune system variation. After chimpanzees and bonobos, gorillas are humans' closest living relatives; but in contrast, relatively little is known about the structure and variation of gorilla MHC class I genes (Gogo). Here, we combined long-range amplifications and long-read sequencing technology to analyze full-length MHC class I genes in 35 gorillas. We obtained 50 full-length genomic sequences corresponding to 15 Gogo-A alleles, 4 Gogo-Oko alleles, 21 Gogo-B alleles, and 10 Gogo-C alleles including 19 novel coding region sequences. We identified two previously undetected MHC class I genes related to Gogo-A and Gogo-B, respectively, thereby illustrating the potential of this approach for efficient and highly accurate MHC genotyping. Consistent with their phylogenetic position within the hominid family, individual gorilla MHC haplotypes share characteristics with humans and chimpanzees as well as orangutans suggesting a complex history of the MHC class I genes in humans and the great apes. However, the overall MHC class I diversity appears to be low further supporting the hypothesis that gorillas might have experienced a reduction of their MHC repertoire.
Water resources assessment in arid lands is of a particular interest, not only in scientific terms, but also under the concept of sustainable development. The study area (El Ambagi basin), represents a remote arid area with a scarcity of data. The measured effective porosity and permeability revealed high potentialities of the Nubian sandstone and Oligocene sediments. The hydrogeologic setting indicates favorable conditions for groundwater accumulation where there is an opportunity of recharge, and thus, the sustainability of the groundwater. The research approach is based on geological investigations as well as several data layers in the GIS environment including landforms, lithology, slope, soil, morphometric parameters, structural lineaments, and geophysical data. Several specific sites were suggested as targets for future groundwater explorations. The studied basin contains four sub-basins which have an intensive drainage network. The morphometric parameters revealed that they have potential for surface runoff occurrence and also for groundwater recharge. Two of the investigated sub-basins show high hazard degrees and should be protected to avoid flash floods. The estimated runoff volume from a single rainfall event (27 mm) can reach 3316.42 x 10(3) m(3). Hence, management of rainwater harvesting and protection measures against flash floods are necessary. A future water resources management strategy, based on results of the multidisciplinary study, is proposed.
Background: Alcohol use among adolescents is widespread and a growing concern due to long-term behavioral deficits, including altered Pavlovian behavior, that potentially contribute to addiction vulnerability. We tested the hypothesis that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure alters Pavlovian behavior in males and females as measured by a shift from goal-tracking to sign-tracking. Additionally, we investigated GLT-1, an astrocytic glutamate transporter, as a potential contributor to a sign-tracking phenotype. Methods: Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to AIE (5g/kg, intragastric) or water intermittently 2days on and 2days off from postnatal day (P) 25 to 54. Around P70, animals began 20 daily sessions of Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA), where they learned that a cue predicted noncontingent reward delivery. Lever pressing indicated interaction with the cue, or sign-tracking, and receptacle entries indicated approach to the reward delivery location, or goal-tracking. To test for effects of AIE on nucleus accumbens (NAcc) excitatory signaling, we isolated membrane subfractions and measured protein levels of the glutamate transporter GLT-1 after animals completed behavior as a measure of glutamate homeostasis. Results: Females exhibited elevated sign-tracking compared to males with significantly more lever presses, faster latency to first lever press, and greater probability to lever press in a trial. AIE significantly increased lever pressing while blunting goal-tracking, as indicated by fewer cue-evoked receptacle entries, slower latency to receptacle entry, and lower probability to enter the receptacle in a trial. No significant sex-by-exposure interactions were observed in sign- or goal-tracking metrics. Moreover, we found no significant effects of sex or exposure on membrane GLT-1 expression in the NAcc. Conclusions: Females exhibited enhanced sign-tracking compared to males, while AIE decreased goal-tracking compared to control exposure. Our findings support the hypothesis that adolescent binge ethanol can shift conditioned behavior from goal- to cue-directed in PCA, especially in females.
Low permeability engineered landfill barriers often consist of a combination of geosynthetics and mineral layers. Even though numerical modelling software is applied during the landfill design process, a lack of data about mechanical performance of landfill barriers is available to validate and calibrate those models. Instrumentation has been installed on a landfill site to monitor multilayer landfill lining system physical performance. The lining system comprises of a compacted clay layer overlaid by high density polyethylene geomembrane, geotextile and sand. Data recorded on the site includes: geosynthetic displacements (extensometers), strains (fibre optics, Demec strain gauges, extensometers) and stresses imposed on the liner (pressure cells). In addition, temperature readings were collected by a logger installed at the surface of the geomembrane, at the clay surface using pressure cell thermistors and air temperature using a thermometer. This paper presents readings collected throughout a period of three years and compares this measured performance with the corresponding numerical modelling of the lining system for stages during construction. Numerical modelling predictions of lining system behaviour during construction are comparable with the measurements when the geosynthetics are covered soon after placement, however, where the geosynthetics are left exposed to the sun for an extended period of time, in situ behaviour of the geosynthetics cannot be replicated by the numerical analysis. This study highlights the significant influence of the effect of temperature on geosynthetics displacements. A simple thermal analysis of the exposed geosynthetics is used to support the explanation for observed behaviour. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Under the microscope, eukaryotic animal cells can adopt a variety of different shapes and sizes. These cells also move and deform, and the physical mechanisms driving these movements and shape changes are important in fundamental cell biology, tissue mechanics, as well as disease biology. This article reviews some of the basic mechanical concepts in cells, emphasizing continuum mechanics description of cytoskeletal networks and hydrodynamic flows across the cell membrane. We discuss how cells can generate movement and shape changes by controlling mass fluxes at the cell boundary. These mass fluxes can come from polymerization/depolymerization of actin cytoskeleton, as well as osmotic and hydraulic pressure-driven flow of water across the cell membrane. By combining hydraulic pressure control with force balance conditions at the cell surface, we discuss a quantitative mechanism of cell shape and volume control. The broad consequences of this model on cell mechanosensation and tissue mechanics are outlined.
Exoskeleton robots are categorized as rehabilitating and assisting robots which could be applied in other applications such as power augmentation systems, haptic systems, and virtual reality. Considering the increasing number of old people and those who suffer from physical weakness and some kinds of disabilities, the need of exploiting the rehabilitation mechanisms and processes is one of the most important issues in this field. In this paper a simple upper limb exoskeleton with one degree of freedom is studied and developed. The joint torque estimation corresponding to the biological movements as well as safety issues are considered. Kinematic parameters of the upper limb are needed to design the robot, thus a mechanism is designed to derive this set of data. Then a prototype of the exoskeleton is introduced, whose mechanical design, actuation and power transmission method as well as its selection criteria are discussed here. The mechanical design section is followed by electrical circuits and devices. Finally, the performance of robot is evaluated using a test-rig mechanism which examines how the kinematical parameters of arm could be tracked by our approach.
Open architecture provides a sustainable product framework for mass personalised production. Applying personalised modules and common interfaces, an open-architecture product can satisfy changes in the user requirements of an application. Planning product modules for the open-architecture product structure using the existing method is challenging. The quality function deployment is extended in this study to decide the open-architecture product module types. The customer requirements are divided into two parts: basic function needs and changes of the individual customer needs. Based on the axiomatic design, the functional requirements are mapped into design parameters to establish the design matrix. A degree of variety is proposed as a quantitative measure for the component variability of product modules. According to the relationship of components and degree of variety, the product components are clustered into open-architecture product modules. The proposed method is used to design a paper-bag-folding machine to satisfy requirement changes during the machine application.
Research has tried to identify risk factors that increase the likelihood of difficulties with externalizing behavior. The relations between individual or environmental factors and externalizing behavior have been especially documented. Child-oriented and parent-oriented interventions have been designed in order to decrease externalizing behavior in preschoolers. To date, however, research has largely been compartmentalized. It is therefore not known whether child-oriented or parent-oriented intervention is more effective in reducing externalizing behavior. The aim of the current study was to answer this question by comparing two 8-week child with two 8-week parent-oriented group programs sharing a common experimental design. This was done in a pseudo-randomized trial conducted with 73 3-6-year-old children displaying clinically relevant levels of externalizing behavior who were assigned to one of the four interventions and 20 control participants who were allocated to a waiting list. The results indicate that the four programs focusing on a specific target variable, i.e., social cognition, inhibition, parental self-efficacy beliefs, or parental verbal responsiveness, are all effective in reducing externalizing behavior among preschoolers. Their effectiveness was moderated neither by their orientation toward the child or the parent nor by their content, suggesting that several effective solutions exist to improve behavioral adaptation in preschoolers. A second important highlight of this study is that, thanks to comparable effect sizes, brief focused programs appear to be a reasonable alternative to long multimodal programs, and may be more cost-effective for children and their families.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks always remain problematic for the security of Data centers, malicious codes are injected to weaker the network and acquire unauthorized access. As protection the firewalls are initial line of defense to battle with unauthorized access, and help to the flawless transactions. Conventional firewalls rely on predefined policies to control, and policies rely on assumptions and notions. These firewalls are not so much intelligent to take run-time decision by their own at the last minute required. However if the hacker continuously stroke any port of firewall, it will hang-up and slowdown for responding, moreover chance to access the servers and entire network. This survey based on state of the art in data centers, especially DDoS challenges in DCNs, the paper based on some learning processes, which will focus to evaluate and analyse the complexity of secure connections in real-world data centers.
In this study, electrochemically-activated persulfate (EC/PS) is proposed to degrade organic contaminants using oxcarbazepine (OXC) as a model compound. The results showed higher removal rates for OXC compared to persulfate alone, electrocoagulation alone, and the ferrous-activated persulfate (Fe2+/PS) process. A kinetic model regarding all of the reactive species was developed, and the model fitted the experimental data well. The second-order rate constants for OXC reacting with hydroxyl (OH) and sulfate (SO4(-)) radical were calculated to be 2.43 x 10(9) M-1 s(-1) and 3.55 x 10(8) M-1 s(-1), respectively, based on a relative rate technique. Both OH and SO4(-) substantially contributed to OXC degradation, whereas the contribution of SO4(-) was higher than that of OH. When the current density increased, the removal rates of OXC increased at low current densities and then decreased at high current densities. In particular, the degradation of OXC was significantly enhanced with increasing persulfate dosages. The pH affected the speciation of iron in solution, which in turn led to the poorly removal rate under alkaline conditions, whereas natural organic matter (NOM) dramatically inhibited the degradation of OXC by consuming OH and SO4(-) radicals. In addition, the efficient removal rates of para-chlorobenzoic acid, antipyrine, carbamazepine, and tetracycline under similar reaction conditions were also confirmed. Our results show the promising ability of the EC/PS system to control water pollution caused by organic contaminants. (C)2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A systematic method which combines the shape curvature entropy and computational fluid dynamics analyses was proposed in this study for creating automobile shapes. Various automobile shapes were evaluated by the proposed method and the parameters including the curvature entropy and the drag coefficient of each configuration were calculated so as to determine the optimal shape design. First, shapes of commercially available car models were collected and their curvature entropy values were determined by the proposed equation. Meanwhile, the drag coefficient of each car model was determined by computational fluid dynamics simulation. Both values were compared and the results indicated a positive correlation between an automobile shape's curvature entropy value and its drag coefficient. Therefore, the curvature entropy is proven to be a suitable indicator for estimating an automobile shape's aerodynamic performance. For a new automobile shape design, the required number of numerical analyses can be reduced by utilizing the proposed curvature entropy calculation so that the time spent on designing an automobile shape can be greatly reduced.
An in vivo metabolism study in humans was carried out to investigate the toxicokinetics and metabolism of sodium selenate differentiating by the trimethyl-selenium (TMSe) status. Therefore, the changes in blood plasma concentration and the urinary excretion within 24 h of seven healthy subjects after oral administration of a dietary supplement containing sodium selenate (50 mu g selenium) were analyzed. Three subjects belong to the subgroup of TMSe eliminators, and four subjects were related to the non-TMSe eliminators subgroup. The concentrations of total selenium in blood plasma and urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additionally, speciation analysis of urine samples was performed using ICP-MS coupled to a liquid chromatography system. Plasma selenium concentration changed from 82.5 +/- 12.5 mu g Se/L before to 85.1 +/- 12.0 mu g Se/L 2-3 h after supplementation. Considering the individual 24-hour background amounts of renal excreted selenium, the ingestion caused an additional excretion of 15.4 +/- 3.3 mu g Se/24 h ((=) over cap 31.1 +/- 7.6 % of the administered dose) with a maximum elimination already 2 h after exposure. The differentiated analysis revealed that in all subjects, the main elimination product (30.1 +/- 6.9 % of the administered dose) was unmetabolized selenate. TMSe was only detected in the urine of the TMSe eliminators. This subgroup excreted in comparison with the non-TMSe eliminators a significantly lower amount of selenate. Only one subject metabolized selenate to a larger portion to methyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-1-seleno-beta-D-galactopyranoside (SeSug1) and methyl-2-amino-2deoxy-1-seleno-beta-D-galactopyranoside (SeSug3). All other subjects showed only a minor metabolism of selenate to selenium-containing carbohydrates. By individuals, which do not excrete TMSe in urine basically, selenate is metabolized only marginally and is excreted rapidly via urine generally. In contrast, a considerable portion of this inorganic selenium compound is metabolized by individuals, which eliminate TMSe basically. An elevated metabolism may also be provided by individuals, which eliminate high levels of selenium-containing carbohydrates basically. The difference in metabolism may imply a different disposition for pharmacological or toxic effects by exposure to inorganic selenium compounds.
Due to the appearance of some new characteristics of the electric power industry such as widely interconnection, high intelligent, the open and interactive, energy internet architecture put forward more new requirements of the electric information network security prevention and the information security faced a severe challenge. At present, the method of information security is extensive, management model and prevention system exist some weak links. This paper put forward a new model to guide the overall development of information security work through the quantization of risk indicator and fuzzy intelligent analysis.
Night eating syndrome (NES) is commonly assessed using the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), a validated scale of symptom severity, which does not assess all diagnostic criteria. The Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire (NEDQ) assesses all diagnostic criteria, but has not been fully validated. The study purpose was to establish convergent validity for the NEDQ with the NEQ It was also expected that higher NEDQscores would be associated with elevated depression, poorer sleep quality, food addiction, and BMI as in other studies of NES, Students (n = 254) and community members (n = 468) were administered the NEQ NEDQ Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Zung Self-report Depression Scale (SDS), and the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). Convergent validity between the NEDQ and the NEQ was demonstrated; the scores were significantly positively correlated. There was good agreement between the NEDQand the NEQ in diagnosis of NES; 56% of those diagnosed by the NEDQ met the threshold score on the NEQ while the other 44% did not. Only 5 participants out of 33 who met the NEQ threshold score for NES did not meet the NEDQ diagnostic criteria. MANOVA revealed that higher NEDQ was associated with higher SDS and YFAS scores and poorer sleep quality. Full-syndrome NES by the NEDQ was associated with higher BMI in the community group unlike the student group. Scores on all the other questionnaires were higher in the community group. The discrepancies between NEDQ and NEQ diagnosis may be due to differences in construction of the questionnaires and specifically due to the NEDQ being designed for diagnosis. The NEQ provides a convenient global score for NES severity, whereas the NEDQ which shows convergent validity with the NEQ provides clinically useful diagnostic categories. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Groundwater reservoirs are important water resources all over the world. Especially, they are of utmost significance for arid and semi-arid regions, and therefore, a sustainable exploitation of these reservoirs needs to be ensured. The natural and most exclusive water supplier to groundwater reservoirs in Saudi Arabia is rainfall, which is characterized by sporadic and random temporal and spatial distributions, particularly under the impacts of climate change; giving rise to uncertainty in groundwater recharge quantification. Although in Saudi Arabia, intense and frequent rainfall events are rare, but they generate significant flash floods with huge amounts of surface water. Under such circumstances, any simple but effective water storage augmentation facility such as rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures gain vital importance for sustainability of water supply and survivals in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective of this study is to explore the possibility of RWH over a basin in the western province of Saudi Arabia called Wadi Al-Lith under climate change. Climatic data is obtained from the IPCC AR5 GCMs, which is further downscaled using a regional climate model RegCM4 for the Arabian Peninsula domain. The RegCM4 is driven to simulate climatic parameters including rainfall at 25 km grid resolution for the present climate (1971-2000), and future climate (2006-2099) with representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Results indicate that more durable and longer wet durations are expected with increasing surplus rainfall amounts in the far future because of climate change impacts. Consequently, future climate scenarios are expected to enhance floods and flash floods occurrences, which call for progressive measures to harness the RWH opportunity. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the following paper, the novel method for color image encryption has proposed based on high level chaotic maps . We introduced two novel chaotic maps Cosinus-Arcsinus (CA) and Sinus-Power Logistic (SPL), which have better chaotic behaviour against other available chaotic maps. Our scheme like other image encryption schemes has two main phases, which are pixel shuffling and pixel diffusion. We made an efficient chaotic permutation method, which is extremely dependent on plain image. The proposed method compared with other availabale permutation methods in pixel shuffling stage has a better performance with a lower computational overhead. Another advantage of our permutation method is less correlation between adjacent pixels in the permuted image, which causes high confusion levels with lower iterations. In pixel diffusion phase, we introduced coupled map based on SPL map to change each color component distinctly. Moreover, we used CA map to generate three chaotic sequences for deriving initial seeds of coupled map in a random manner. Followed by three chaotic matrix will be created to change pixels color component values. The proposed diffusion phase implies desirable uniformly distributation in color histogram of encrypted image and makes the scheme robust against statistical attacks. In addition, creating secret keys in a large size and high sensitivity to the original pictures leads acceptable results in the average of NPCR (99.67), UACI (33.45), and resistance against brute-force attack. The experimental results reveal that the new image encryption scheme has the charectristics of 'secure encryption algorithm' such as, large key space, high security and high sensitivity.
Indoor positioning techniques are being considered for use within team sports where players are tracked and recorded providing coaching assistance. While Global Positioning System (GPS) is the de facto standard employed to estimate the location of players, this is unsuitable for accurate indoor positioning due to roof and wall signal obstruction. Over a dozen techniques have been suggested for wireless indoor positioning of static and/or moving objects with improved methods for limiting the position estimation errors. For those indoor techniques that rely on radio frequency (RF) signal propagation, propagation statistics are useful in determining path loss and signal degradation. This static indoor propagation knowledge is critical in the design of wireless indoor positioning systems and ultimately the accuracy of the position estimation. Signal path propagation losses and variations produced from shadowing, multipath, fading, scattering or diffraction from objects can hinder the designer's efforts to provide a reliable and accurate positioning system. However, sporting indoor environments generally have an open floor area where play is conducted free from objects apart from the players themselves. At the elite sporting level these indoor play areas are designed and constructed under international specifications. Consequently, static wireless RF signal propagation knowledge obtained from one of these commonly built play areas is applicable to hundreds of other venues around the world. Many of these indoor sporting areas are used for a variety of sports, for example, basketball, volleyball, indoor cricket, indoor soccer, netball and handball. A player positioning installation could potentially be used for all of these sports. This paper reports the wireless RF signal propagation of a 2.4GHz waist mounted beacon for an indoor sporting venue 'play area', which has been designed to international standards. A basketball court constructed of highly polished wood was chosen as the sample 'play area'. Propagation models are discussed and comparisons between predicted and measured results demonstrate the validity of the technique. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
The foundation of Wenzhou shoal project is soft and deep. The stability control issue of building seawalls on the deep soft foundation was solved by using a composite foundation treatment of plastic drainage plates and geotextile, combining with the in-situ monitoring. The in-situ monitoring data of Wenzhou shoal project was analyzed and the settlement prediction analysis was conducted. Basing on the conventional exponential curve fitting method, the settlement prediction model is presented for the classified construction on soft foundation. Considering the non-linear of deformation and soil consolidation with load changes, the model used the settlement deformation characteristics under the last load to predict the settlement development under the next load.
Metabolism is a vital cellular process, and its malfunction is a major contributor to human disease. Metabolic networks are complex and highly interconnected, and thus systems-level computational approaches are required to elucidate and understand metabolic genotype-phenotype relationships. We have manually reconstructed the global human metabolic network based on Build 35 of the genome annotation and a comprehensive evaluation of >50 years of legacy data (i.e., bibliomic data). Herein we describe the reconstruction process and demonstrate how the resulting genome-scale (or global) network can be used (i) for the discovery of missing information, (ii) for the formulation of an in silico model, and (iii) as a structured context for analyzing high-throughput biological data sets. Our comprehensive evaluation of the literature revealed many gaps in the current understanding of human metabolism that require future experimental investigation. Mathematical analysis of network structure elucidated the implications of intracellular compartmentalization and the potential use of correlated reaction sets for alternative drug target identification. Integrated analysis of high-throughput data sets within the context of the reconstruction enabled a global assessment of functional metabolic states. These results highlight some of the applications enabled by the reconstructed human metabolic network. The establishment of this network represents an important step toward genome-scale human systems biology.
This paper presents a shunt active power filter (APF) with division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control and based on a three-phase three-wire inverter configuration. The APF shapes source current by introducing one degree of freedom to compensate load harmonic currents. The adopted D-Sigma digital control approach can accommodate filter-inductance variation, reducing core size significantly, and it can derive control laws directly. An average power method is adopted in this paper for determining the fundamental current at the source side, which can readily be implemented without complex calculation, frame transformation, and extra filter. In the design and implementation, the inductances corresponding to various inductor currents were estimated at the startup and stored in the microcontroller for scheduling loop gain cycle by cycle, which can ensure the system stability. Measured results from a 5-kVA three-phase APF have confirmed the analysis and discussion of the APF.
Accumulation and deposition of amyloid-beta (A beta) in the brain represent an early and perhaps necessary step in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A beta accumulation leads to the formation of A beta aggregates, which may directly and indirectly lead to eventual neurodegeneration. While A beta production is accelerated in many familial forms of early-onset AD, increasing evidence indicates that impaired clearance of A beta is more evident in late-onset AD. To uncover the mechanisms underlying impaired A beta clearance in AD, we examined the role of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) in astrocytes. Although LRP1 has been shown to play critical roles in brain A beta metabolism in neurons and vascular mural cells, its role in astrocytes, the most abundant cell type in the brain responsible for maintaining neuronal homeostasis, remains unclear. Here, we show that astrocytic LRP1 plays a critical role in brain A beta clearance. LRP1 knockdown in primary astrocytes resulted in decreased cellular A beta uptake and degradation. In addition, silencing of LRP1 in astrocytes led to downregulation of several major A beta-degrading enzymes, including matrix metalloproteases MMP2, MMP9, and insulin-degrading enzyme. More important, conditional knock-out of the Lrp1 gene in astrocytes in the background of APP/PS1 mice impaired brain A beta clearance, exacerbated A beta accumulation, and accelerated amyloid plaque deposition without affecting its production. Together, our results demonstrate that astrocytic LRP1 plays an important role in A beta metabolism and that restoring LRP1 expression and function in the brain could be an effective strategy to facilitate A beta clearance and counter amyloid pathology in AD.
We here explore for the very first time how an advanced multiscale mathematical modeling approach may support the design of a provenly successful tissue engineering concept for mandibular bone. The latter employs double-porous, potentially cracked, single millimeter-sized granules packed into an overall conglomerate-type scaffold material, which is then gradually penetrated and partially replaced by newly grown bone tissue. During this process, the newly developing scaffold-bone compound needs to attain the stiffness of mandibular bone under normal physiological conditions. In this context, the question arises how the compound stiffness is driven by the key design parameters of the tissue engineering system: macroporosity, crack density, as well as scaffold resorption/bone formation rates. We here tackle this question by combining the latest state-of-the-art mathematical modeling techniques in the field of multiscale micromechanics, into an unprecedented suite of highly efficient, semi-analytically defined computation steps resolving several levels of hierarchical organization, from the millimeter- down to the nanometer-scale. This includes several types of homogenization schemes, namely such for porous polycrystals with elongated solid elements, for cracked matrix-inclusion composites, as well as for assemblies of coated spherical compounds. Together with the experimentally known stiffnesses of hydroxyapatite crystals and mandibular bone tissue, the new mathematical model suggests that early stiffness recovery (i.e., within several weeks) requires total avoidance of microcracks in the hydroxyapatite scaffolds, while mid-term stiffness recovery (i.e., within several months) is additionally promoted by provision of small granule sizes, in combination with high bone formation and low scaffold resorption rates.
This article reports a mete-analysis of studies examining the predictive validity of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and explicit measures of bias for a wide range of criterion measures of discrimination. The meta-analysis estimates the heterogeneity of effects within and across 2 domains of intergroup bias (interracial and interethnic), 6 criterion categories (interpersonal behavior, person perception, policy preference, microbehavior, response time, and brain activity), 2 versions of the TAT (stereotype and attitude IATs), 3 strategies for measuring explicit bias (feeling thermometers, multi-item explicit measures such as the Modem Racism Scale, and ad hoc measures of intergroup attitudes and stereotypes), and 4 criterion-scoring methods (computed majority-minority difference scores, relative majority-minority ratings, minority-only ratings, and majority-only ratings). IATs were poor predictors of every criterion category other than brain activity, and the IATs performed no better than simple explicit measures. These results have important implications for the construct validity of IATs, for competing theories of prejudice and attitude-behavior relations, and for measuring and modeling prejudice and discrimination.
In this paper, we propose a new stochastic approach for the automatic detection of network structures in raster data. We represent a network as a set of trees with acyclic planar graphs. We embed this model in the probabilistic framework of spatial point processes and determine the most probable configuration of trees by stochastic sampling. That is, different configurations are constructed randomly by modifying the graph parameters and by adding or removing nodes and edges tot from the current trees. Each configuration is evaluated based on the probabilities for these changes and an energy function describing the conformity with a predefined model. By using the Reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler, an approximation of the global optimum of the energy function is iteratively reached. Although our main target application is the extraction of rivers and tidal channels in digital terrain models, experiments with other types of networks in images show the transferability to further applications. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations demonstrate the competitiveness of our approach with respect to existing algorithms. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States-Report of the NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel were developed to build on previous food allergy guidelines after several key studies demonstrated the benefit of early introduction of allergenic foods. These landmark studies including the Learning Early about Peanut ( LEAP), LEAP-On and Enquiring about Tolerance trials created a paradigm shift in food allergy prevention. The take home messages of this guideline include that peanut should be introduced early in the first year of life, and for the majority of infants, peanut can be introduced at home. The only group of infants for which medical assessment is recommended is those with severe eczema, egg allergy or both. Here we summarize the Guideline recommendations, endorsed by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and highlight important aspects relevant to Canadian practitioners.
Research has consistently indicated that higher levels of materialism are associated with reduced wellbeing. Currently, no studies have examined the underlying epistemic or metaphysical factors that may contribute to materialism and wellbeing. The current study used structural equation modelling to investigate the indirect influence of epistemic style and holistic/mechanistic perspectives on wellbeing via materialism and regulation. The first study (n = 397) indicated that an epistemic orientation towards complex (i.e., Intellective Position) rather than expedient, effortless (i.e., Default Position) thinking was directly associated with reduced materialism, which resulted in greater autonomous regulation, and subsequently to increased wellbeing. These findings were replicated in a second study (n = 214), which also suggested that higher levels of holism were indirectly associated with increased wellbeing. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we first follow Ateniese et al.'s work that provides upper bounds of the pixel expansion of visual cryptography schemes(VCSs) for more kinds of graph access structures, in which we require that a subset of parties can determine the secret if they contain an edge of the graph G. The constructive upper bounds are derived by the graph decomposition technique. Then we generalize Ateniese et al.'s method of comparing the optimal pixel expansion of VCSs with two different access structures.
Background: Tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) offer potential to overcome limitations of current approaches for reconstruction in congenital heart disease by providing biodegradable scaffolds on which autologous cells proliferate and provide physiologic functionality. However, current TEVGs do not address the diverse anatomic requirements of individual patients. This study explores the feasibility of creating patient-specific TEVGs by combining 3-dimensional (3D) printing and electrospinning technology. Methods: An electrospinning mandrel was 3D-printed after computer-aided design based on preoperative imaging of the ovine thoracic inferior vena cava (IVC). TEVG scaffolds were then electrospun around the 3D-printed mandrel. Six patient-specific TEVGs were implanted as cell-free IVC interposition conduits in a sheep model and explanted after 6 months for histologic, biochemical, and biomechanical evaluation. Results: All sheep survived without complications, and all grafts were patent without aneurysm formation or ectopic calcification. Serial angiography revealed significant decreases in TEVG pressure gradients between 3 and 6 months as the grafts remodeled. At explant, the nanofiber scaffold was nearly completely resorbed and the TEVG showed similar mechanical properties to that of native IVC. Histological analysis demonstrated an organized smooth muscle cell layer, extracellular matrix deposition, and endothelialization. No significant difference in elastin and collagen content between the TEVG and native IVC was identified. There was a significant positive correlation between wall thickness and CD68(+) macrophage infiltration into the TEVG. Conclusions: Creation of patient-specific nanofiber TEVGs by combining electrospinning and 3D printing is a feasible technology as future clinical option. Further preclinical studies involving more complex anatomical shapes are warranted.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible and highly progressive neurodegenerative disease. Clinically, patients with AD display impairments in episodic and spatial memory. However, the underlying neuronal dysfunctions that result in these impairments remain poorly understood. The hippocampus is crucial for spatial and episodic memory, and thus we tested the hypothesis that abnormal neuronal representations of space in the hippocampus contribute to memory deficits in AD. To test this hypothesis, we recorded spikes from place cells in hippocampal subfield CA1, together with corresponding rhythmic activity in local field potentials, in the 3xTg AD mouse model. We observed disturbances in place cell firing patterns, many of which were consistent with place cell disturbances reported in other rodent models of AD. We found place cell representations of space to be unstable in 3xTg mice compared to control mice. Furthermore, coordination of place cell firing by hippocampal rhythms was disrupted in 3xTg mice. Specifically, a smaller proportion of place cells from 3xTg mice were significantly phase-locked to theta and slow gamma rhythms, and the theta and slow gamma phases at which spikes occurred were also altered. Remarkably, these disturbances were observed at an age before detectable A pathology had developed. Consistencies between these findings in 3xTg mice and previous findings from other AD models suggest that disturbances in place cell firing and hippocampal rhythms are related to AD rather than reflecting peculiarities inherent to a particular transgenic model. Thus, disturbed rhythmic organization of place cell activity may contribute to unstable spatial representations, and related spatial memory deficits, in AD. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
As one of the most reliable technologies, network intrusion detection system (NIDS) allows the monitoring of incoming and outgoing traffic to identify unauthorised usage and mishandling of attackers in computer network systems. To this extent, this paper investigates the experimental performance of Snort-based NIDS (S-NIDS) in a practical network with the latest technology in various network scenarios including high data speed and/or heavy traffic and/or large packet size. An effective testbed is designed based on Snort using different muti-core processors, e.g., i5 and i7, with different operating systems, e.g., Windows 7, Windows Server and Linux. Furthermore, considering an enterprise network consisting of multiple virtual local area networks (VLANs), a centralised parallel S-NIDS (CPS-NIDS) is proposed with the support of a centralised database server to deal with high data speed and heavy traffic. Experimental evaluation is carried out for each network configuration to evaluate the performance of the S-NIDS in different network scenarios as well as validating the effectiveness of the proposed CPS-NIDS. In particular, by analysing packet analysis efficiency, an improved performance of up to 10% is shown to be achieved with Linux over other operating systems, while up to 8% of improved performance can be achieved with i7 over i5 processors.
This paper presents a design for a mixed-signal pulse width modulator (MSPWM) integrated circuit that targets the digital control of high-frequency switched-mode DC DC power supplies (SMPS). Previous designs consider digital pulse width modulators (DPWM) implementations that encounter important design issues, such as power consumption, non-linearity, layout dependency, trimming capability and temperature dependency. This work presents effective solutions, suitable for large-scale production of ICs, since it combines high-precision, high-linearity and temperature-independent standard analog circuits, which are commonly offered by the semiconductor industry, with the simplicity and reuse of digital PID compensation as input. The 8-bit prototype designed for a 0.18-mu m CMOS process operates at switching frequency of 2 MHz, draws only 96.25 mu A from a 1.8 V supply and takes 0.029 mm(2), including the non-overlapping control logic of SMPS power devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Foster care is the preferred alternative for out-of-home care, but not necessarily beneficial for foster children's psychosocial functioning. This dilemma leaves researchers with a challenge to find out more about the factors related to foster children's social and emotional functioning. In a sample of 446 Dutch foster children we examined the extent to which three clusters of characteristics, those akin to the foster child, the foster family, or foster placement, were related to foster children's functioning at the time of research. Multivariate three-step hierarchical regression analyses were performed for three outcome variables: externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and prosocial behavior. We found that all three clusters of foster care characteristics were significantly related to foster children's functioning. Foster placement characteristics, in particular interventions aimed at foster children, explained the largest amount of variance in behavior problems. Children receiving interventions had more externalizing and internalizing problems. A possible explanation is that interventions are indicated for those foster children who are in the highest need of additional support. Prosocial behavior was particularly related to foster family characteristics. The results were mostly in line with international research. Careful screening and monitoring of the social and emotional functioning of foster children may help to identify problems at an early stage. In addition (preventive) support should be offered to those foster children and families who are in need of it. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Program EMTP ATP is a very effective tool for solving and analysis of transients of various electrical circuits. We used this program for analysis energy stored in inductance of induction motor and the influence to starting current. Paper deals with the situation repeating the induction motor starting, that occurs immediately follow each other. During such repeating induction motor starting the influence of already existing magnetic field in the motor is applied. Is is caused by energy stored in main inductance of induction motor. We performed a simulation in EMTP ATP and after that we made measurement.
Meloxicam, a BCS class II drug belonging to the class of NSAIDs is indicated in conditions of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and osteoarthritis in which rapid onset of drug action is desired to reduce inflammation and pain. The objective of the study was to thus develop Self Nanoemulsifying Granules (SNEGs) of Meloxicam (MLX) for enhancement of solubility; and subsequently dissolution rate, thus aiming for a faster onset of action. Preliminary studies along with molecular modeling studies were carried out for selection of appropriate lipids, surfactants and cosurfactants for the development of MLX-loaded Self Nanoemulsifying preconcentrate (SNEP). A charge inducer was incorporated into the formulation so as to increase the solubility of MLX in lipids and hence, drug loading. A three-factor D-optimal mixture design was used for optimization of MLX loaded SNEP. The role of charge inducer in increasing the drug loading of MLX in SNEDDS was studied by molecular dynamics simulation using Desmond. Optimized SNEP was adsorbed onto solid carriers to form SNEGs for improved stability and enhanced flow properties. Physical characterization studies of SNEGs, in vitro release studies, and in vivo evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of the optimized formulation were performed. All the results indicated that MLX SNEGs can be a promising alternative to conventional oral NSAIDs therapy because of enhanced dissolution characteristics and subsequent rapid onset of action.
A fundamental challenge in digital control arises when the controlled plant is subjected to a fast disturbance dynamics but is only equipped with a relatively slow sensor. Such intrinsic difficulties are, however, commonly encountered in many novel applications such as laser- and electron-beam-based additive manufacturing, human-machine interaction, etc. This paper provides a discrete-time regulation scheme for exact sampled-data rejection of disturbances beyond Nyquist frequency. By introducing a model-based multirate predictor and a forward-model disturbance observer, we show that the inter sample disturbances can be fully attenuated despite the limitations in sampling and sensing. The proposed control scheme offers several advantages in stability assurance and lucid design intuitions. Verification of the algorithm is conducted on a motion control platform that shares the general characteristics in several advanced manufacturing systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We present a new concept for designing biomimetic analogs of enzymatic proteins; these analogs are based on the synthetic protein-like copolymers. alpha-Chymotrypsin is used as a prototype of the artificial catalyst. Our experimental study shows that in the course of free radical copolymerization of hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers the target globular nanostructures of a core-shell morphology appear in a selective solvent. Using a mesoscale computer simulation, we show that the protein-like globules can have a large number of catalytic centers located at the hydrophobic core/hydrophilic shell interface. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Chemical and electrochemical formation of oxide films on Nb in aqueous oxalic, sulfuric and nitric acids, at concentrations of 0.1-0.5 M in galvanostatic mode at different current densities and up to certain formation potential values, was studied. The influence of formation potential, applied current density and chemical nature of the involved electrolyte during passivation on the stability and behaviour of oxide film capacitance, were also studied. Experimental data obtained using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique were modeled using corresponding equivalent electrical circuits.
Background Blood parameters such as haematocrit or leucocyte counts are indicators of immune status and health, which can be affected, in a complex way, by exogenous as well as endogenous factors. Additionally, social context is known to be among the most potent stressors in group living individuals, therefore potentially influencing haematological parameters. However, with few exceptions, this potential causal relationship received only moderate scientific attention. Methods In a free-living and individually marked population of the highly social and long-lived Greylag goose, Anser anser, we relate variation in haematocrit (HCT), heterophils to lymphocytes ratio (H/L) and blood leucocyte counts to the following factors: intrinsic (sex, age, raising condition, i.e. goose- or hand-raised), social (pair-bond status, pair-bond duration and parental experience) and environmental (biologically relevant periods, ambient temperature) factors. Blood samples were collected repeatedly from a total of 105 focal birds during three biologically relevant seasons (winter flock, mating season, summer). Results We found significant relationships between haematological parameters and social as well as environmental factors. During the mating season, unpaired individuals had higher HCT compared to paired and family individuals and this pattern reversed in fall. Similarly, H/L ratio was positively related to pair-bond status in a seasonally dependent way, with highest values during mating and successful pairs had higher H/L ratio than unsuccessful ones. Also, absolute number of leucocytes tended to vary depending on raising condition in a seasonally dependent way. Discussion Haematology bears a great potential in ecological and behavioural studies on wild vertebrates. In sum, we found that HTC, H/L ratio and absolute number of leucocytes are modulated by social factors and conclude that they may be considered valid indicators of individual stress load.
Ambient Intelligence is the next wave in computing and communication technology. Nano-sensors, wireless networks and unified intelligent software are the main elements of this issue. Inputs of ambient intelligence are taken from sensors in the environment. Wireless sensor networks consists of small and low cost sensors that collect and report environmental data. Wireless sensors are dispersed in an area that some phenomenon or event should be monitored. When a sensor detects the monitored event (heat, pressure, sound, light, areas having magnetic properties, vibration, etc.), the event is reported to one of the sites. This site performs an appropriate task such as sending a message or local processing based on the type of network, and then provides the appropriate response. One of the major challenges in wireless sensor networks is optimizing the energy consumption. Studies have shown that by clustering network nodes, it is possible to use their energy more efficiently. This study proposes a clustering based routing method to be used in wireless sensor networks. Multi-objective optimization algorithm named as Non dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II is used for clustering and seven objective functions are described. It is aimed to carry out several goals at once by using multi objective algorithm. While communication cost between the objective functions and cluster-head and Sink, and cluster-head and non-cluster-head is tried to be minimized, selection of the cluster heads only from the nodes near Sink is also tried to be prevented and it is also taken into consideration for clusters to include more nodes as much as possible. Each solution of the solution set obtained with Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II points a different network topology. Each solution in solution set is the best solution according to some of objective functions. It is provided that Sink simulate each solution in solution set according to a certain scenario and choose one suitable for the desired criteria. In proposed method, both operating the Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II and, simulation and evaluation of the obtained solutions comes out in Sink which has sufficient operation and power sources. According to the results, the proposed method can make the life span of network five times longer than LEACH, which is the most famous clustering algorithm. Besides, while the proposed method extends the life span of network, it is also seen that it increases the number of the packet reaching Sink two times more than LEACH. The data provided by proposed method includes information about larger areas when compared to LEACH. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Viable bacterial cells and its genetic material can be stably maintained in Arctic permafrost for a long geological time. Because of the seasonal melting of permafrost strata, it cannot be excluded an access to the surface of ancient highly invasive species with increased pathogenicity. Mycoplasmas are very successful pathogens in humans, mammals, birds, insects, and plants, with high genome plasticity and ability to avoid immune response of host organism. The metagenomic approach allowed us to predict mycoplasma diversity in the Arctic permafrost. The number of mycoplasma DNA fragments in soil deposits of comparable age (similar to 30,000 years) and origin (the late Pleistocene Ice Complexes) is not so abundant compared with other microorganisms, but it is enough for a chance in the presence of living mycoplasmal cells in permafrost. DNA fragments of human, animal, insect, and plant pathogens were identified. The ubiquitous mycoplasma Acholeplasma laidlawii is the undisputed leader in the number of identified sequences in all three metagenomes. It may indicate a higher adaptive capacity and more powerful metabolic potential of A. laidlawii among Mollicutes.
Atomic Force microscopy (AFM) is becoming a prevalent tool in cell biology and biomedical studies, especially those focusing on the mechanical properties of cells and tissues. The newest generation of bio-AFMs combine ease of use and seamless integration with live-cell epifluorescence or more advanced optical microscopies. As a unique feature with respect to other bionanotools, AFM provides nanometer-resolution maps for cell topography, stiffness, viscoelasticity, and adhesion, often overlaid with matching optical images of the probed cells. This review is intended for those about to embark in the use of bio-AFMs, and aims to assist them in designing an experiment to measure the mechanical properties of adherent cells. In addition to describing the main steps in a typical cell mechanics protocol and explaining how data is analysed, this review will also discuss some of the relevant contact mechanics models available and how they have been used to characterize specific features of cellular and biological samples.
Properly designed alarm systems can benefit operators in conducting routine and emergency tasks. With the digitization of main control rooms, the alarm interface can be designed in various ways that are different from the traditional alarm tile style. An innovative alarm bar interface is proposed in this paper. A preliminary lab experiment was conducted to compare the traditional alarm tile and the new alarm bar interfaces. Sixteen university students were recruited to participate in the experiment, in which two emergency scenarios, Loss of Coolant Accident and Steam Generator Tube Rupture, were tested. The experiment task included two parts: alarm detection and identification. The subjective ratings supported the innovative alarm bar design for better parameter trend perception. The objective performance measures showed that the simpler design of the alarm tile interface better aided the alarm detection performance, whereas the alarm bar interface had almost the same alarm identification performance as the alarm tile interface. Relevance to industry: An alarm system is critical for a complex industrial system. The experimental results show that design evaluation is more complex than it may seem. Although it has not been proved to be overwhelmingly superior to the tile design, the alarm bar design shows promise for aiding operators and needs to be further validated. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A current goal of molecular biology is to identify transcriptional networks that regulate cell differentiation. However, identifying functional gene regulatory elements has been challenging in the context of developing tissues where material is limited and cell types are mixed. To identify regulatory sites during sex determination, we subjected Sertoli cells from mouse fetal testes to DNaseI-seq and ChIP-seq for H3K27ac. DNaseI-seq identified putative regulatory sites around genes enriched in Sertoli and pregranulosa cells; however, active enhancers marked by H3K27ac were enriched proximal to only Sertoli-enriched genes. Sequence analysis identified putative binding sites of known and novel transcription factors likely controlling Sertoli cell differentiation. As a validation of this approach, we identified a novel Sertoli cell enhancer upstream of Wt1, and used it to drive expression of a transgenic reporter in Sertoli cells. This work furthers our understanding of the complex genetic network that underlies sex determination and identifies regions that potentially harbor non-coding mutations underlying disorders of sexual development.
Objective: The Cool Little Kids parenting group program is an effective intervention for preventing anxiety disorders in young children who are at risk because of inhibited temperament. The program has six group sessions delivered by trained psychologists to parents of 3-to 6 -year -old children. An online adaptation (Cool Little Kids Online) has been developed to overcome barriers to its wide dissemination in the community. This study tested the efficacy of Cool Little Kids Online in a randomized controlled trial. Method: A total of 433 parents of a child aged 3 to 6 years with an inhibited temperament were randomized to the online parenting program or to a 24 -week waitlist. The online program has 8 interactive modules providing strategies that parents can implement with their child to manage their child's avoidant coping, reduce parental overprotection, and encourage child independence. Parents were provided telephone consultation support with a psychologist when requested. Parents completed self report questionnaires at baseline and at 12 and 24 weeks after baseline. Results: The intervention group showed significantly greater improvement over time in child anxiety symptoms compared to the control group (d = 0.38). The intervention group also showed greater reductions in anxiety life interference (ds = 0.33-0.35) and lower rates of anxiety disorders than the control group (40% versus 54%), but there were minimal effects on broader internalizing symptoms or overprotective parenting. Conclusion: Results provide empirical support for the efficacy of online delivery of the Cool Little Kids program. Online dissemination may improve access to an evidence based prevention program for child anxiety disorders.
How evolutionary novelties evolve is a major question in evolutionary biology. It is widely accepted that changes in environmental conditions shift the position of selective optima, and advancements in phylogenetic comparative approaches allow the rigorous testing of such correlated transitions. A longstanding question in vertebrate biology has been the evolution of terrestrial life histories in amphibians and here, by investigating African bufonids, we test whether terrestrial modes of reproduction have evolved as adaptations to particular abiotic habitat parameters. We reconstruct and date the most complete species-level molecular phylogeny and estimate ancestral states for reproductive modes. By correlating continuous habitat measurements from remote sensing data and locality records with life-history transitions, we discover that terrestrial modes of reproduction, including viviparity evolved multiple times in this group, most often directly from fully aquatic modes. Terrestrial modes of reproduction are strongly correlated with steep terrain and low availability of accumulated water sources. Evolutionary transitions to terrestrial modes of reproduction occurred synchronously with or after transitions in habitat, and we, therefore, interpret terrestrial breeding as an adaptation to these abiotic conditions, rather than an exaptation that facilitated the colonization of montane habitats.
The accumulation of amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides in the brain of Alzheimer disease patients is associated to cognitive deficit, increased oxidative stress, and alterations in the circadian rhythms. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Neurogranin (RC3), play an important role in the synaptic plasticity underlying memory and learning. Previously, we observed BDNF and RC3 expression follow a daily rhythmic pattern in the hippocampus of young rats. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v) injection of aggregated All peptide (1-42) on temporal patterns of ApoE protein, Bdnf and Rc3 mRNA, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, in the rat hippocampus. We observed an i.c.v. injection of All aggregates phase shifts daily BDNF and RC3 expression as well as LPO and decreased the mesor of GSH rhythms. ApoE protein levels vary rhythmically throughout the day. ApoE levels increase at ZT 03:39 +/- 00:22 in the hippocampus of control rats and at ZT 06:30 +/- 00:28 in the treated animals. Thus, elevated levels of A beta aggregates, characteristic of AD, altered temporal patterns of cognition related-factors, probably, as a consequence of changes in the daily variation of ApoE-mediated All aggregates clearance as well as in the 24 h rhythms of the cellular redox state. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We examined the association of body mass index (BMI), body weight perception, and weight control behaviors with problematic Internet use in a nationwide sample of Korean adolescents. Cross-sectional data from the 2010 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey collected from 37,041 boys and 33,655 girls in middle-and high-schools (grades 7-12) were analyzed. Participants were classified into groups based on BMI (underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese), body weight perception (underweight, normal weight, and overweight), and weight control behavior (no weight control behavior, appropriate weight control behavior, inappropriate weight control behavior). The risk of problematic Internet use was assessed with the Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale for Youth-Short Form. Both boys and girls with inappropriate weighty control behavior were more likely to have problematic Internet use. Underweight, overweight, and obese boys and girls were more likely to have problematic Internet use. For both boys and girls, subjective perception of underweight and overweight were positively associated with problematic Internet use. Given the negative effect of inappropriate weight control behavior, special attention needs to he given to adolescents' inappropriate weight control behavior, and an educational intervention for adolescents to control their weight in healthy ways is needed.
In aquaculture, fish feeding behavior under culture conditions holds important information for the aquaculturist. In this study, near-infrared imaging was used to observe feeding processes of fish as a novel method for quantifying variations in fish feeding behavior. First, images of the fish feeding activity were collected using a near-infrared industrial camera installed at the top of the tank. A binary image of the fish was obtained following a series of steps such as image enhancement, background subtraction, and target extraction. Moreover, to eliminate the effects of splash and reflection on the result, a reflective frame classification and removal method based on the Support Vector Machine and Gray-Level Gradient Co-occurrence Matrix was proposed. Second, the centroid of the fish was calculated by the order moment, and then, the centroids were used as a vertex in Delaunay Triangulation. Finally, the flocking index of fish feeding behavior (FIFFB) was calculated to quantify the feeding behavior of a fish shoal according to the results of the Delaunay Triangulation, and the FIFFB values of the removed reflective frames were fitted by the Least Squares Polynomial Fitting method. The results show that variations in fish feeding behaviors can be accurately quantified and analyzed using the FIFFB values, for which the linear correlation coefficient versus expert manual scoring reached 0.945. This method provides an effective method to quantify fish behavior, which can be used to guide practice. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recently, the mobile applications have emerged with the uprising smartphone trend. Now-a-days, a huge number of mobile operating systems require more developments, in order to achieve that, Open source cross-platform mobile frameworks came up, in order to allow importing the same code on various operating systems. In this paper, the focus is made on commonly used mobile development methods, and a process that selects the most suitable solution for a particular need is proposed. Eventually, a new framework that helps to choose the appropriate approach and tool respectively is suggested, according to a convenient survey based on binary questions, in addition to certain criteria.
In this paper we presented the electrical circuits LC, RC, RL and RLC using a novel fractional derivative with regular kernel called Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative. The fractional equations in the time domain considers derivatives of order (0; 1], the analysis is performed in the frequency domain and the conversion in the time domain is performed using the numerical inverse Laplace transform algorithm; furthermore, analytical solutions are presented for these circuits considering different source terms introduced in the fractional equation. The numerical results for different values of the fractional order gamma exhibits fluctuations or fractality of time in different scales and the existence of heterogeneities in the electrical components causing irreversible dissipative effects. The classical behaviors are recovered when the order of the temporal derivative is equal to 1 and the system exhibit the Markovian nature.
A 24 kDa protein is one of the important components in Haemonchus contortus (barber pole worm) excretory/secretory products (HcESPs), which was shown to have important antigenic function. However, little is known about the immunomodulatory effects of this protein on host cell. In the present study gene encoding 24kDa excretory/secretory protein (HcES-24) was cloned. The recombinant protein of HcES-24 (rHcES-24) was expressed in a histidine-tagged fusion protein soluble form in Escherichia coli. Binding activity of rHcES-24 to goat PBMCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and its immunomudulatory effect on cytokine secretion, cell proliferation, cell migration and nitric oxide production were observed by co-incubation of rHcES-24. IFA results revealed that rHcES-24 could bind to the PBMCs. The interaction of rHcES-24 increased the production of IL4, IL10, IL17 and cell migration in dose dependent manner. However, rHcES-24 treatment significantly suppressed the production of IFN gamma, proliferation of the PBMC and Nitric oxide (NO) production. Our findings showed that the rHcES-24 played important regulatory effects on the goat PBMCs.
This paper presents the development, implementation and evaluation of an online tool for personalized mobile learning of engineering graphics. The online tool is designed to support the widespread mobile operating systems, such as Android, iOS, Windows 10 Mobile, as well as to be interactive and to enable learning by doing''. The framework for the developed tool includes Dropbox, as the file storage application, and AutoCAD 360, as an interactive CAD application with various tools for drawing. The study was conducted on a sample of 30 undergraduate students. The students were divided into the experimental group, using the developed online tool for personalized mobile learning, and the control group, using traditional learning tools. A statistical analysis of both samples was carried out in order to study the effectiveness of this online tool in the learning process. The results of the final test showed that the students from the experimental group were more successful than the students from the control group. Therefore, the use of the developed online tool for personalized mobile learning of engineering graphics can be considered an improvement in the teaching of engineering graphics.
Conveyor systems allow quick and efficient transportation for a wide variety of materials, which make them very popular in the material handling and packaging industries. Many kinds of conveying systems are available and used according to the various needs of different industries. Adjustable speed drives are used for the operation of the conveyors used in a number of industries. We can use adjustable electric drives in a number of industrial applications. A typical adjustable speed drive consists of an induction motor and a power electronic converter. In most cases, motor speed is commanded so that the control system requires an actual speed signal for closing the speed loop. In industrial applications, speed sensors, as well as sensorless solutions, are used. Due to the possibility of current speed sensor noises and for maintenance and economic aspects, the trend is to substitute speed sensors by computational solutions. Comprehensive reviews of the sensorless drives show that there are still some persistent problems associated with the sensorless control, that needs new solutions. In ASDs, the advanced control approach of IM is the FOC method, used in modern industrial drives. The current stator controller is the integral part of various FOC systems. In the classical FOC solution, PI or hysteresis controllers are generally used. However, PCCs are reported to have better properties. System sensitivity to inaccuracy and changes of motor equivalent circuit parameters are another problem in electrical drives. Almost all of the FOC systems are very sensitive to such inaccuracies; therefore, some parameters should be estimated online, and a robust structure of the control is required. The real-time implementation of the system is an important task even for electric drives or power converters.
Obesity is a major global public health concern. Immune responses implicated in obesity also control certain infections. We investigated the effects of high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) on infection with the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in mice. DIO was associated with systemic suppression of neutrophil- and macrophage-based innate immune responses. These included bacterial uptake and cytokine production, and systemic, progressive impairment of bacterial clearance, and increased carditis severity. B.burgdorferi-infected mice fed normal diet also gained weight at the same rate as uninfected mice fed high-fat diet, toll-like receptor 4 deficiency rescued bacterial clearance defects, which greater in female than male mice, and killing of an unrelated bacterium (Escherichia coli) by bone marrow-derived macrophages from obese, B.burgdorferi-infected mice was also affected. Importantly, innate immune suppression increased with infection duration and depended on cooperative and synergistic interactions between DIO and B.burgdorferi infection. Thus, obesity and B.burgdorferi infection cooperatively and progressively suppressed innate immunity in mice.
In this study, the effect of urbanization and environmental pollution on qualitative (structural) and quantitative changes of the Corylus avellana (hazel) pollen was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and curve-fitting analysis of amide I profile. The obtained spectroscopic results show significant variations in the fraction of proteins in the hazel pollen, which probably depend on various degrees of anthropopression. Our results suggest that alterations in the chemical composition of pollen, induced by urbanization and air pollutants, may intensify the allergenic potential and may cause the increase in the incidence of allergies in people. Mutations in nucleic acids are accompanied by a number of molecular changes leading to the formation of allergenic proteins. It seems that the type of habitat, where the pollen grew, affects the individual differentiation. Indeed, it was found that in the site exhibiting low pollution, the hazel pollen contain a lower amount of proteins than to the ones from a site with high anthropopression. Hence, FTIR spectroscopy and curve-fitting analysis of amide I profile can be successfully applied as tools for identifying quantitative and qualitative changes of proteins in hazel pollen. Anthropogenic factors such as air pollution and urbanization lead to changes in structure and chemical composition of hazel pollen. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gaussian analysis showed structural changes in hazel pollen collected from sites with different absorbance values of individual chemical functional groups and changes in the secondary structure of proteins of the pollen. [GRAPHICS] .
The requirements concerning the technical availability as part of the overall equipment effectiveness increase constantly in production nowadays. Unplanned downtimes have to be prevented via efficient methods. Predictive, condition-based maintenance represents a valuable approach for fulfilling these demands, but precise models for state estimation are missing. From the manufacturers' point of view the challenge consists in wear models with the capability of specifying the correct component's state as well as providing reliable failure forecasts. Unfortunately, nowadays creation of wear models is based on specific stress tests or design of experiments from the manufacturer. The integration of the production phase or even data feedback and user knowledge does not take place. New potential is promised by cross-cutting technologies from ICT like cloud technologies-in general virtual platform concepts-or approaches of machine learning as enabling technologies. The objective of this paper is to adopt existing algorithms to the new application of condition monitoring in order to evaluate the applicability for automated training of robust wear models. In that context the most commonly used algorithms are described and the reader gets an impression what challenges have to be met when dealing with machine learning. A selection of about ten algorithms with 45 variants is evaluated for four different features within a packaging machine. In the outlook the embedding of the trained model in a cloud architecture is presented.
In this study, analysis of variance (ANOVA), cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed in order to evaluate the concentration profile of organic contaminants found in three main river from central Transylvania, Romania. Samples were collected from nine sampling stations, in two different sampling campaigns (wet season and dry season). Water samples were extracted using solid-phase extraction and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Twelve organic pollutants belonging to different classes were used for further interpretations. ANOVA highlighted compounds which distinguished Olt River from Mures River, and compounds that are influenced by increased river flow from the wet season. CA was applied to group the sampling stations. Three clusters were obtained, according to their organic load. PCA extracted five principal components explaining 87.330% from data set variability. Based on these results, a future monitoring study may be optimized by reducing the sampling points and compounds to those that are representative for each river, thereby reducing costs, without any information loss.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a collection of several small and inexpensive battery-powered nodes, commonly used to monitor regions of interests and to collect data from the environment. Several issues exist in routing data packets through WSN, but the most crucial problem is energy. There are a number of routing approaches in WSNs that address the issue of energy by the use of different energy-efficient methods. This paper, presents a brief summary of routing and related issues in WSNs. The most recent energy-efficient data routing approaches are reviewed and categorized based on their aims and methodologies. The traditional battery based energy sources for sensor nodes and the conventional energy harvesting mechanisms that are widely used to in energy replenishment in WSN are reviewed. Then a new emerging energy harvesting technology that uses piezoelectric nanogenerators to supply power to nanosensor; the type of sensors that cannot be charged by conventional energy harvesters are explained. The energy consumption reduction routing strategies in WSN are also discussed. Furthermore, comparisons of the variety of energy harvesting mechanisms and battery power routing protocols that have been discussed are presented, eliciting their advantages, disadvantages and their specific feature. Finally, a highlight of the challenges and future works in this research domain is presented.
Is family structure a cue for stereotyping? Past reviews on the topic of stereotypes and parenthood are divided. To update the current understanding on this important question, this systematic review summarizes and integrates the body of literature published between 2003 and 2013 on stereotypes associated with married, divorced, single, step, same-sex and adoptive parents. Seventeen articles met all of the inclusion criteria. An analysis of the final sample of studies helps main trends pertaining to these six parental types to be identified. Findings revealed that motherhood and fatherhood continue to be conceptualized differently, with stereotypes associated with different types of fathers appearing more positive than those associated with different types of mothers. Married parents also appear to remain the parental type that is the most positively stereotyped and against which other types are compared. These results are compared to past meta-analytic reviews and implications for future research are presented.
Background: Total shoulder arthroplasty for end-stage glenohumeral arthritis with severe glenoid bone loss poses a unique challenge for shoulder surgeons. Current surgical solutions are limited and associated with high complication rates. We hypothesized that a custom-made computer-aided design-computeraided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) total shoulder replacement (TSR; Stanmore Implants Worldwide, Elstree, UK) resembling a total hip prosthesis could offer a reliable alternative for this challenging subset of patients. Methods: Thirty-seven patients with rotator cuff-deficient end-stage glenohumeral arthritis and severe glenoid bone loss (assessed as not amenable to treatment with standard anatomic or reverse total shoulder implants) were treated with the CAD-CAM TSR between 2006 and 2013. Clinical data were collected prospectively and analyzed at a mean follow-up of 5 years. Results: Postoperatively, the pain level with activity decreased from 9.2 +/- 1.7 to 2.4 +/- 2.9 (P <.001). The Oxford Shoulder Score improved from 11 +/- 8 points to 27 +/- 11 points (P <.001), and the Subjective Shoulder Value (on a 0%-100% scale) improved from 23% +/- 14% to 60% +/- 24% (P <.001). Active forward elevation improved from 39 degrees +/- 23 degrees to 63 degrees +/- 38 degrees (P <.001), and external rotation improved from 6 degrees +/- 16 degrees to 15 degrees +/- 17 degrees (P =.001). Component revision was required in 6 of 37 patients (16%) (glenoid loosening in 1, humeral stem loosening in 3, periprosthetic fracture in 1, and prosthesis dislocation in 1). Conclusion: The CAD-CAM TSR offers a reliable alternative for the treatment of end-stage glenohumeral arthritis with severe glenoid deficiency not amenable to standard anatomic or reverse total shoulder implants, with maintenance of significant pain relief and clinical-functional improvement at 5-year postoperative follow-up. (C) 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.
The Mini-RF radar, launched on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, imaged the lunar surface using hybrid-polarimetric, transmitting one circular polarization and receiving linear H and V polarizations. Earth-based radar operating at the same frequency has acquired data of the same terrains using circular-polarized transmit waves and sampling circular polarizations. For lunar targets where the viewing geometry is nearly the same, the polarimetry derived from Mini-RF and the earth-based data should be very similar. However, we have discovered that there is a considerable difference in circular polarization ratio (CPR) values between the two data sets. We investigate possible causes for this discrepancy, including cross-talk between channels, sampling, and the ellipticity of the Mini-RF transmit wave. We find that none of these can reproduce the observed CPR differences, though a nonlinear block adaptive quantization function used to compress the data will significantly distort some other polarimetry products. A comparison between earth-based data sets acquired using two different sampling modes (sampling received linear polarizations and sampling circular polarizations) suggests that the CPR differences may be partially due to sampling the data in a different receive polarimetry bases.
Background: During pregnancy, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) can experience active disease, which might be influenced by adjustment of treatment around conception. The aim of this study was to identify possible risk factors of disease flares during pregnancy and to evaluate the effect of treatment in pregnant patients experiencing a flare. Methods: Pregnant patients with RA and axSpA were prospectively followed before, during, and after pregnancy. Disease activity and flares of disease activity were analyzed in regard to medication. Results: Among 136 pregnant patients, disease flares during pregnancy occurred in 29% of patients with RA and in 25% of patients with axSpA. In both diseases, active disease and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) discontinuation in early pregnancy were identified as risk factors for disease flares during pregnancy. Of 75 patients with RA, 15 patients were on TNFi and discontinued the treatment at the time of the positive pregnancy test. After stopping TNFi, disease activity increased, which was reflected by peaking C-reactive protein levels at the first trimester. The relative risk of flare in patients with RA stopping TNFi was 3.33 (95% CI 1.8-6.1). Initiation of TNFi or glucocorticosteroid (GC) treatment in 60% of these patients resulted in disease improvement at the second and third trimesters. In comparison, patients with RA without TNFi in the preconception period, most of whom had used pregnancy-compatible antirheumatic drugs, showed mild and stable disease activity before and during pregnancy. Of 61 patients with axSpA, 24 patients were on TNFi and discontinued the treatment at the time of the positive pregnancy test. In patients with axSpA stopping TNFi, a disease aggravation at the second trimester could be observed. The relative risk of flare in this group was 3.08 (95% CI 1.2-7.9). In spite of initiated TNFi or GC treatment in 62.5% of these patients, disease activity remained elevated throughout pregnancy. Patients with axSpA without TNFi in the preconception period showed persistent high disease activity from prepregnancy until the postpartum period. Conclusions: On the basis of a risk-benefit analysis, to stabilize disease activity and to prevent a flare during pregnancy in patients with RA and axSpA, tailored medication including TNF inhibitors should be considered beyond conception.
This paper analyses the influence of selected magnet materials on the design of slow-speed permanent magnet synchronous generators for use in wind applications. The design procedure, including setting of the initial design parameters of the machine, calculations of machine dimensions, magnetic flux in the air-gap, and electrical parameters as well as the selection criteria of permanent magnets for the use in the permanent magnet generator is presented. According to the calculations, a generator prototype is constructed with four different rotors, where different magnetic materials are used. The machine is tested using the different rotors and the influence of the different magnetic materials to the output characteristics of the machine is shown. The price to power analysis of the used magnetic materials is provided and conclusions for the possible machine design benefits and drawbacks are presented in the study. The investigations carried out show that NdFeB magnets are the preferred ones in terms of the performance and weight reduction, whereas there are considerable alternatives available, if the design and performance criteria are flexible.
Nowadays, computer network is being universally used in various sectors, which not only brings convenience to these sectors but also changes people's lifestyle. With arrival of the information age, people become increasingly dependent on computer network. Therefore, security of computer network becomes an issue worth of increasing attention. Some advices about how to improve reliability of computer and security of computer network are put forward in this paper. Universal application of computer network represents cultural progress of human society, which brings convenience to people and improves their working efficiency. Degree of people's dependence on computer network has been increasing with improvement of network information technology. Therefore, people have higher requirements on security and anti-interference of computer network. At present, security and anti-interference of computer network are among the most important issues researched by network developers and concerned by a large number of network users. So to speak, reliability of network security has become the most basic requirement of people in using computers, for which how to realize obvious improvement of reliability of computer network and ensure that computers will provide better services to people is of great significance for research.
This paper presents the results of a numerical study on the unsteady three-dimensional natural convection of a power-law fluid in a thick walled vessel being driven by natural heat convection in the surrounding air inside a cubical cavity. Continuity, linear momentum and energy equations for the internal Otswald the Waele shear thinning fluid, with a power index n = 0.4, are used to describe fluid mechanics and natural heat transfer along the conjugate continuity, Navier Stokes and energy equations for the external Newtonian air flow and the transient heat diffusion equation in the walls of the inner fluid container. Unsteady 3D thermal convection of the inner shear-thinning fluid, with n = 0.4, is analyzed in comparison with the fluid mechanics and heat transfer results for the Newtonian fluid, with n = 1, for two values of the Rayleigh number: Ra = 2.09 x 10(4) and 2.09 x 10(6). Thermo-physical properties of the inner fluid are allowed to change with temperature for the two values of the Rayleigh number and for both the Newtonian and the power law non-Newtonian inner fluids. Numerical simulations were carried out by an-in house- Fortran 90 Finite Volume Method parallelized code. Results of the evolution of the fluid mechanics are described in terms of the streamlines and those related to the unsteady convective heat transfer in terms of the isotherms. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Correct diagnosis of cefazolin hypersensitivity is not straightforward, mainly because of the absence of in vitro tests and uncertainties concerning the optimal cefazolin concentration for skin testing. Cross-reactivity studies suggest cefazolin hypersensitivity to be a selective hypersensitivity. OBJECTIVE: The first objective was to confirm that the application of a higher than 2 mg/mL test concentration could increase skin test sensitivity. A second part aimed at investigating the cross-reactivity between cefazolin and other beta-lactam antibiotics. METHODS: A total of 66 patients referred to our clinic after experiencing perioperative anaphylaxis, and exposed to cefazolin, underwent skin testing with cefazolin up to 20 mg/mL. Patients exhibiting a positive skin test with cefazolin had a panel of skin tests with other beta-lactams and, if indicated, graded drug challenges to study cross-reactivity. RESULTS: Increasing skin test concentration from the recommended 2 mg/mL to 20 mg/mL identified an additional 7 of 19 (27%) patients, who would otherwise have displayed negative skin testing. The concentration was proven nonirritating in 30 cefazolin-exposed control individuals in whom an alternative culprit for perioperative anaphylaxis was identified. Graded challenge testing, after negative skin testing, displayed that all patients tolerated alternative beta-lactam antibiotics (ie, amoxicillin, cephalosporins, monobactams, and carbapenems). Of them, 11 individuals also tolerated an alternative cephalosporin, suggesting that cefazolin hypersensitivity (generally) is a selective allergy. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing cefazolin concentration for skin tests up to 20 mg/mL benefits the sensitivity of diagnosis. Furthermore, our data confirm that cefazolin hypersensitivity seems to be a selective allergy with good tolerance to other b-lactam antibiotics. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
In fluid mechanics, there is an essential deficiency of the analytical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations for 3D case of non-stationary flow. We explore the ansatz of derivation of non-stationary solution for the Navier-Stokes equations in the case of incompressible flow, which was suggested earlier. In general case, such a solution should be obtained from the mixed system of 2 Riccati ordinary differential equations (in regard to the time-parameter t). But we find an elegant way to simplify it to the proper analytical presentation via exact solutions. The results are substantiated with illustrative examples, including numerical computations and appropriate figures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Animal studies suggest that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) dependent signalling in limbic and prefrontal regions is critically involved in both cognitive and emotional functions. In humans, ketamine-induced transient, and disorder associated chronic NMDAR hypofunction (i.e. in schizophrenia) has been associated with deficient performance in the domains of memory and higher-order emotional functioning, as well as altered neural activity in the underlying limbic-prefrontal circuits. To model the effects of NMDAR hypofunction on the integration of emotion and cognition the present pharmacological fMRI study applied the NMDAR antagonist ketamine (target plasma level=100 ng/ml) to 21 healthy volunteers in a within-subject placebo controlled crossover design during encoding of neutral, positive and negative pictures. Our results show that irrespective of emotion, ketamine suppressed parahippocampal and medial prefrontal activity. In contrast, ketamine selectively increased amygdala and orbitofrontal activity during successful encoding of negative stimuli. On the network level ketamine generally increased medial prefrontal-parahippocampal coupling while specifically decreasing amygdala-orbitofrontal interplay during encoding of negative stimuli. On the behavioural level, ketamine produced generally decreased memory performance and abolished the emotional enhancement of memory after a wash-out period of 5 days. The present findings suggest that ketamine produces general as well as valence-specific effects during emotional memory formation. The pattern partly overlaps with alterations previously observed in patients with schizophrenia.
The use of anti-TNF agents is associated with an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) and anti-TNF agents are stopped when active TB develops. However, discontinuation of treatment can result in flare of the underlying disease. The charts of 22 patients who developed active TB among a cohort of 2754 patients using anti-TNF agents between 2001 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients restarting biologics during further follow-up were identified. One patient with miliary TB died within 1 month. A biologic agent was restarted in 16 of the remaining 21 patients (76 %). The most frequently re-initiated biologic agent was etanercept (n = 6) followed by rituximab (n = 5) and interferon-alpha (n = 3). Biologic treatment was re-initiated during anti-TB treatment in four patients and after completing TB treatment in 12 patients. The median follow-up after restarting biologics was 53 (IQR: 40-75) months. TB re-occurred in one patient with Beh double dagger et's syndrome, who initially received etanercept due to severe sight-threatening uveitis at the third month of anti-TB treatment followed by canakinumab 15 months later along with methotrexate, cyclosporine and corticosteroids. After a second course of 9 months TB therapy this patient is currently stable on interferon-alpha for 33 months. Restarting of anti-TNF agents and other biologic agents, even during TB treatment, seems to be possible among patients who had previously developed TB under anti-TNF treatment. However, the risk of re-development of TB infection mandates careful follow-up.
Ionic mixtures, measured as specific conductivity, have been increasingly concerned because of their toxicities to aquatic organisms. However, identifying protective values of specific conductivity for aquatic organisms is challenging given that laboratory test systems cannot examine more salt-intolerant species nor effects occurring in streams. Large data sets used for deriving field-based benchmarks are rarely available. In this study, a field-based method for small data sets was used to derive specific conductivity benchmark, which is expected to prevent the extirpation of 95% of local taxa from circum-neutral to alkaline waters dominated by a mixture of SO42- and HCO3- anions and other dissolved ions. To compensate for the smaller sample size, species level analyses were combined with genus level analyses. The benchmark is based on extirpation concentration (XC95) values of specific conductivity for 60 macroinvertebrate genera estimated from 296 sampling sites in the Hun-Tai River Basin. We derived the specific conductivity benchmark by using a 2-point interpolation method, which yielded the benchmark of 249 mu S/cm. Our study tailored the method that was developed by USEPA to derive aquatic life benchmark for specific conductivity for basin scale application, and may provide useful information for water pollution control and management. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The study of hydraulic anatomy and function of trees has a long tradition. Motivated by current and projected changes in water availability, the field of tree hydraulics is experiencing a bout of activity. Significant progress has been made in understanding how water transport in trees is organized, how it integrates with other physiological processes, andwhat it takes for it to malfunction. Many of these advances have been possible, as fields of research that have traditionally been separate aremerging, for example, wood anatomy and plant ecophysiology. These developments have led to the creation of powerful and novel approaches that help to answer longstanding questions relating to fundamental aspects of fluid transport in plants andhowplants survive in the face of environmental stresses such as drought and freezing. The increased capacities to visualize the ultrastructures of wood in ever-greater detail and the ability for in-situ visualization of long- distance fluid transport have contributed to this progress. This review provides an entry point to the vast and continuously increasing knowledge of how water transport in trees is organized. It scales from cells to tissue anatomy to whole-tree physiology and landscape ecology. Known mechanisms and novel conceptual theories aroundhowtrees die aswell as ways to prevent this fate are summarized. High-priority research questions for the coming years are formulated.
This paper aims to find out the critical factors of success in Ready-made Garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh, especially from manufacturing engineering aspects. Basically, garment product must be competitive in terms of quality, cost and time, so the evaluation index system for the product strategic aspects has been constructed in this paper. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) has been used to give evaluation to the product strategic aspects of ready-made garment enterprise of Bangladesh so that the managers can adopt the effective product strategies.
Objective. To assess body composition of patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease and the effect of TNF inhibitors on it. Methods. This was systematic review with meta-analysis of studies consulted on PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE and assessing body composition in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis. We compared i) patients with healthy controls and ii) body components before and after TNF inhibitors. Results. Among the 703 articles reviewed, 19 met the inclusion criteria. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a significant increase in fat mass (+1.85 kg, p=0.02), adiposity (+3.53%, p<0.00001) and android mass (+1.7 kg, p<0.00001) and a significant decrease in lean mass (-3.03 kg, p=0.01), were observed. In patients with spondyloarthritis, a significant but modest increase in fat mass (+0.69 kg, p=0.03) and a significant decrease in lean mass (-3.74 kg, p=0.03) were observed. Nine studies assessed impact of TNF inhibitors on body composition, with an increase of fat mass in the short and long term in all studies. Data on lean mass were controversial. Two studies found an increase in visceral or android mass under TNF inhibitors. Conclusion. Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease have a significant decrease in lean mass and increase in fat mass. The use of TNF inhibitors is associated with a further increase in fat mass including android fat, which could potentially have cardiovascular consequences.
How to control and monitor devices when I'm not at home? It is a question that until the last century did not have an overwhelming answer from the engineering field. The technological development of recent years has allowed us to perform this task by using software and hardware tools: monitoring different devices from our smart phone comes down to simply downloading an app or entering a website. This article presents an application that can be example of how to answer the aforementioned question.
People often favor groups they belong to over those beyond the in-group boundary. Yet, in-group favoritism does not always occur, and people will sometimes favor an out-group over the in-group. We delineate theoretically when in-group favoritism (i.e., self-protection) and out-group favoritism (i.e., benevolence) should occur. In two experiments, groups' relative status and competence stereotypes were manipulated; groups' outcomes were non-contingent in Experiment 1 and contingent in Experiment 2. When allocating reward, members of a low-status group were self-protective, favoring the in-group over the out-group under both non-contingent and contingent outcomes. Those with high status benevolently favored the out-group when outcomes were non-contingent, but were self-protective with contingent outcomes. People were willing to engage in social activities with an out-group member regardless of competence. However, when task collaboration had implications for the self, those with low status preferred competent over less competent out-group members. Traits of high status targets were differentiated by those with low status in both experiments, whereas those with high status differentiated low-status members' traits only when outcomes were contingent. A general principle fits the data: The implications of intergroup responses for the self determine benevolence and self-protection.
A growing body of research suggests that social contextual factors such as desires and goals, affective states and stereotypes can shape early perceptual processes. We suggest that a generative Bayesian approach towards perception provides a powerful theoretical framework to accommodate how such high-level social factors can influence low-level perceptual processes in their earliest stages. We review experimental findings that show how social factors shape the perception and evaluation of people, behaviour, and socially relevant objects or information. Subsequently, we summarize the generative view of perception within the `Bayesian brain', and show how such a framework can account for the pervasive effects of top-down social knowledge on social cognition. Finally, we sketch the theoretical and experimental implications of social predictive perception, indicating new directions for research on the effects and neurocognitive underpinnings of social cognition.(C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mineral forms of iron oxide, such as hematite, goethite and jarosite, are important because they are widely distributed at the Earth's surface and because they are used as indicators for mineral exploration. Iron oxide abundance in rocks containing these minerals can be estimated from the absorption depth at wavelengths of around 900 nm in a reflectance spectrum, but this depth is also affected by extraneous factors such as grain size and topography. This paper investigated the effect of grain size on reflectance spectra and proposed a method for estimating iron oxide abundance in surface rocks by using remotely sensed data with suppression of the effects of grain size and topography. Reflectance spectra were measured in a laboratory from rock powder samples of different grain sizes containing iron oxide minerals. While the reflectance increased with decreasing grain size, the presence of ferric iron caused the absorption depth to be almost constant at around 900 nm, irrespective of the chemical composition of the sample. In addition, the difference between the reflectance at 550 nm and 760 nm (Slope) was a function of grain size. Iron oxide abundance can be estimated accurately by MCR-900D, which is the maximum absorption depth at the absorption center after the effect of grain size and topography was suppressed by Slope and the continuum-removal method, which takes the ratio between the original spectrum and its continuum, respectively. Correlation of MCR-900D results with datasets of actual spectral and chemical iron oxide laboratory measurements revealed that the mineral forms also need to be considered. MCR-900D results were significantly correlated with rock samples classified as containing different forms of iron oxide minerals (hematite, goethite and jarosite). Finally, MCR-900D was applied to an AVIRIS dataset for the Cuprite site in Nevada, USA. The results represented the enrichment zones of iron oxide within hydrothermally altered areas. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recent embodied theories of meaning known as 'simulation semantics' posit that language comprehension engages, or even amounts to, mental simulation. What is meant here by 'language comprehension', however, deviates from the perspectives on interpersonal communication adhered to by researchers in social psychology and interactional linguistics. In this paper, we outline four alternative perspectives on comprehension in spoken interaction, each of which highlights factors that have remained largely outside the current purview of simulation theories. These include perspectives on language comprehension in terms of (i) striving for inter-subjective conformity; (ii) recognition of communicative intentions; (iii) prediction and anticipation in a dynamic environment; and (iv) integration of multimodal cues. By contrasting these views with simulation theories of comprehension, we outline a number of fundamental differences in terms of the kind of process comprehension is assumed to be (passive and event-like versus active and continuous), as well as the kind of stimulus that language is assumed to be (comprising unimodal units versus being multimodal and distributed across conversational turns). Finally, we discuss potential points of connection between simulation semantics and research on spoken interaction, and touch on some methodological implications of an interactive and multimodal reappraisal of simulation semantics.
Ferroxidase activity has been reported to be altered in various biological fluids in neurodegenerative disease, but the sources contributing to the altered activity are uncertain. Here we assay fractions of serum and cerebrospinal fluid with a newly validated triplex ferroxidase assay. Our data indicate that while ceruloplasmin, a multi copper ferroxidase, is the predominant source of serum activity, activity in CSF predominantly derives from a < 10 kDa component, specifically from polyanions such as citrate and phosphate. We confirm that in human biological samples, ceruloplasmin activity in serum is decreased in Alzheimer's disease, but in CSF a reduction of activity in Alzheimer's disease originates from the polyanion component.
Human metabolism of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) was studied after a single oral dose of 48.1 mg to a male volunteer. To avoid interference by background exposure the D4-ring-labelled DEHP analogue was dosed. Excretion of three metabolites, mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)phthalate (5OH-MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)phthalate (5oxo-MEHP) and mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (MEHP), was monitored for 44 h in urine and for 8 h in serum. Peak concentrations of all metabolites were found in serum after 2 h and in urine after 2 h (MEHP) and after 4 h (5OH-MEHP and 5oxo-MEHP). While the major metabolite in serum was MEHP, the major metabolite in urine was 5OH-MEHP, followed by 5oxo-MEHP and MEHP. Excretion in urine followed a multi-phase elimination model. After an absorption and distribution phase of 4 to 8 h, half-life times of excretion in the first elimination phase were approximately 2 h with slightly higher half-life times for 5OH- and 5oxo-MEHP. Half-life times in the second phase-beginning 14 to 18 h post dose-were 5 h for MEHP and 10 h for 5OH-MEHP and 5oxo-MEHP. In the time window 36 to 44 h, no decrease in excreted concentrations of 5OH- and 5oxo-MEHP was observed. In the first elimination phase (8 to 14 h post dose), mean excretion ratios of MEHP to 5oxo-MEHP and MEHP to 5OH-MEHP were 1 to 1.8 and 1 to 3.1. In the second elimination phase up to 24 h post dose mean excretion ratios of MEHP to 5oxo-MEHP to 5OH-MEHP were 1 to 5.0 to 9.3. The excretion ratio of 5OH-MEHP to 5oxo-MEHP remained constant through time at 1.7 in the mean. After 44 h, 47% of the DEHP dose was excreted in urine, comprising MEHP (7.3%), 5OH-MEHP (24.7%) and 5oxo-MEHP (14.9%).
Human-dog interaction relies to a large extent on nonverbal communication, and it is therefore plausible that human sensitivity to nonverbal signals affects interactions between human and dog. Experience with dogs is also likely to influence human-dog interactions, and it has been suggested that it influences human social skills. The present study investigated possible links between human nonverbal sensitivity, experience with dogs, and the quality of human-dog interactions. Two studies are reported. In study 1, 97 veterinary students took a psychometric test assessing human nonverbal sensitivity and answered a questionnaire on their experience with dogs. The data obtained were then used to investigate the relationship between experience with dogs and sensitivity to human nonverbal communication. The results did not indicate that experience with dogs improves human nonverbal sensitivity. In study 2, 16 students with high, and 15 students with low, levels of human nonverbal sensitivity were selected. Each of the 31 students interacted once with an unknown dog in a greeting situation, and these human-dog interactions were videoed. We found that a combined score of dog behaviors relating to insecurity was associated with the students' level of nonverbal sensitivity and experience with dogs: the dog showed more of the insecure behavior when interacting with students with a low level of nonverbal sensitivity and no experience with dogs than it did when interacting with students with a high level of nonverbal sensitivity (irrespective of experience with dogs).
Background: No molecular marker can monitor disease progression and treatment efficacy in multiple sclerosis (MS). Circulating microparticles represent a potential snapshot of disease activity at the blood brain barrier. Objectives and methods: To profile plasma microparticles by flow cytometry in MS and determine how fingolimod could impact endothelial microparticles production. Results: In non-treated MS patients compared to healthy and fingolimod-treated patients, endothelial microparticles were higher, while B-cell-microparticle numbers were lower. Fingolimod dramatically reduced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-induced endothelial microparticle release in vitro. Conclusion: Fingolimod restored dysregulated endothelial and B-cell-microparticle numbers, which could serve as a biomarker in MS.
In an effort to address healthcare disparities in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) populations, many hospitals and clinics institute diversity training meant to increase providers' awareness of and sensitivity to this patient population. Despite these efforts, many healthcare spaces remain inhospitable to LGBTQ patients and their loved ones. Even in the absence of overt forms of discrimination, LGBTQ patients report feeling anxious, unwelcome, ashamed, and distrustful in healthcare encounters. We argue that these negative experiences are produced by a variety of subtle, ostensibly insignificant features of healthcare spaces and interpersonal interactions called microaggressions. Healthcare spaces and providers often convey heteronormative microaggressions, which communicate to LGBTQ-and, we suggest, intersex and asexual (IA)-people that their identities, experiences, and relationships are abnormal, pathological, unexpected, unwelcome, or shameful. We identify heteronormative microaggressions common to healthcare settings and specify how they negatively impact LGBTQIA patients. We argue that standard diversity training cannot sufficiently address heteronormative microaggressions. Despite these challenges, healthcare institutions and providers must take responsibility for heteronormative microaggressions and take steps to reduce their frequency and mitigate their effects on LGBTQIA care. We conclude by offering strategies for problem-solving at the level of medical education, institutional culture and policy, and individual awareness.
This paper deals with a brief history of the most remarkable Euler numbers e, i and gamma in mathematical sciences. Included are many properties of the constants e, i and gamma and their applications in algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry, ecology, business and industry. Special attention is given to the growth and decay phenomena in many real-world problems including stability and instability of their solutions. Some specific and modern applications of logarithms, complex numbers and complex exponential functions to electrical circuits and mechanical systems are presented with examples. Included are the use of complex numbers and complex functions in the description and analysis of chaos and fractals with the aid of modern computer technology. In addition, the phasor method is described with examples of applications in engineering science. The major focus of this paper is to provide basic information through historical approach to mathematics teaching and learning of the fundamental knowledge and skills required for students and teachers at all levels so that they can understand the concepts of mathematics, and mathematics education in science and technology.
Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) application in Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis reduces myocardial inflammation and fibrosis, exerts prominent extra-cardiac immunomodulation, and improves heart function. Although the abovementioned findings demonstrate the benefit of MSC application, the mechanism of the MSC immunomodulatory effects leading to a final cardioprotective outcome in viral myocarditis remains poorly understood. Monocytes are known to be a trigger of myocardial tissue inflammation. The present study aims at investigating the direct effect of MSC on the mobilization and trafficking of monocytes to the heart in CVB3-induced myocarditis. One day post CVB3 infection, C57BL/6 mice were intravenously injected with 1 x 10(6) MSC and sacrificed 6 days later for molecular biology and flow cytometry analysis. MSC application reduced the severity of myocarditis, and heart and blood pro-inflammatory Ly6C(high) and Ly6C(middle) monocytes, while those were retained in the spleen. Anti-inflammatory Ly6C(low) monocytes increased in the blood, heart, and spleen of MSC-treated CVB3 mice. CVB3 infection induced splenic myelopoiesis, while MSC application slightly diminished the spleen myelopoietic activity in CVB3 mice. Left ventricular (LV) mRNA expression of the chemokines monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP)-1, MCP-3, CCL5, the adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6, interleukin-12, tumor necrosis factor-, the pro-fibrotic transforming growth factor1, and circulating MCP-1 and MCP-3 levels decreased in CVB3 MSC mice, while LV stromal cell-derived factor-1 RNA expression and systemic levels of fractalkine were increased in CVB3 MSC mice. MSC application in CVB3-induced myocarditis modulates monocytes trafficking to the heart and could be a promising strategy for the resolution of cardiac inflammation and prevention of the disease progression.
Electromagnetic design of a 1.12-MW, 18 000-r/min high-speed permanent-magnet motor (HSPMM) is carried out based on the analysis of pole number, stator slot number, rotor outer diameter, air-gap length, permanent magnet material, thickness, and pole arc. The no-load and full-load performance of the HSPMM is investigated in this paper by using 2-D finite element method (FEM). In addition, the power losses in the HSPMM including core loss, winding loss, rotor eddy current loss, and air friction loss are predicted. Based on the analysis, a prototype motor is manufactured and experimentally tested to verify the machine design.
Empathy for pain is often described as automatic. Here, we used implicit measurement and multinomial modeling to formally quantify unintentional empathy for pain: empathy that occurs despite intentions to the contrary. We developed the pain identification task (PIT), a sequential priming task wherein participants judge the painfulness of target experiences while trying to avoid the influence of prime experiences. Using multinomial modeling, we distinguished 3 component processes underlying PIT performance: empathy toward target stimuli (Intentional Empathy), empathy toward prime stimuli (Unintentional Empathy), and bias to judge target stimuli as painful (Response Bias). In Experiment 1, imposing a fast (vs. slow) response deadline uniquely reduced Intentional Empathy. In Experiment 2, inducing imagine-self (vs. imagine-other) perspective-taking uniquely increased Unintentional Empathy. In Experiment 3, Intentional and Unintentional Empathy were stronger toward targets with typical (vs. atypical) pain outcomes, suggesting that outcome information matters and that effects on the PIT are not reducible to affective priming. Typicality of pain outcomes more weakly affected task performance when target stimuli were merely categorized rather than judged for painfulness, suggesting that effects on the latter are not reducible to semantic priming. In Experiment 4, Unintentional Empathy was stronger for participants who engaged in costly donation to cancer charities, but this parameter was also high for those who donated to an objectively worse but socially more popular charity, suggesting that overly high empathy may facilitate maladaptive altruism. Theoretical and practical applications of our modeling approach for understanding variation in empathy are discussed.
The machine design and the machine building are closely related, and the relationship between the two is intertwined. In the theory, the condition of the machine building is based on the machine design. In the daily work, to make the machine building smoothly implemented, it must be carried out based on the condition of the machine design. An important part of the machine building is the machine design. In order to improve the performances of the mechanical products and to guarantee the reliability of the quality of the machines, there must be a good design before the production of the mechanical products. So, in the technological theory, the two are the models of production that complement each other and are the preconditions of each other.
Ultraprecision engineering and nanotechnology are considered nowadays as the technologies of the future. Their products find wide applications in various technological fields, replacing traditional manufacturing processing in industry. The new applications and devices that are currently under investigation by the scientists and engineers promise to bring revolution to each field they will be applied. In the field of computer science, new quantum computers are designed. Automotive and aerospace industry have a demand for systems-on-a chip in which miniaturization allows for all electronics systems, like computer memory, guidance, navigation, communication, power, sensors, actuators, to fit on a tiny tip. The potential of high-temperature superconductivity is very high. High-T-c superconductors promise more efficient and powerful devices, increasing the energy efficiency and the amount of electricity that can flow through them, bringing, therefore, greater industrial competitiveness and improving the public's quality of life. These new ceramic materials, manufactured with advanced processing techniques, possess profound advantages compared to conventional conductors, as they can carry much higher currents, create larger magnetic fields, and carry electric current with no energy loss to resistance. In this paper reported are some of the activities of the Laboratory of Manufacturing Technology of the NTUA in manufacturing engineering, focusing onto some recent trends and developments in advanced manufacturing of advanced materials, mainly emphasizing my long-standing Greek - Ukrainian - Russian - Hungarian scientific cooperation, also with international involvement worldwide, in the principal research and very important engineering topics nowadays, from industrial research and academic point of view, mentioned above: ultraprecision engineering and nanotechnology and net-shape manufacturing of high - temperature ceramic superconductors.
The laminar forced convection heat transfer of water-Al2O3 nanofluids through a horizontal rib-microchannel was studied. The middle section of the down wall of microchannel was at a lower temperature compared to the entrance fluid. Simulations were performed for Reynolds numbers 10 and 100 and nanoparticle volume fractions of 0.00 to 0.04, inside a two-dimensional rectangular microchannel with 2.5 mm length and 25 mu m width. The two-dimensional governing equations were discretized using a finite volume method. The effects of rib's hight and position, nanoparticle concentration and Reynolds number on the thermal and hydraulics behavior of nanofluid flow were investigated. The results were portrayed in terms of velocity, temperature and Nusselt number profiles as well as streamlines and isotherm contours. The model predictions were found to be in good agreements with those from previous studies. The results indicate that the normal internal ribs or turbulators, can significantly enhance the convective heat transfer within a microchannel. However, the added high ribs can cause a larger friction factor, compared to that in the corresponding microchannel with a constant height of the ribs. The results also illustrate that by increasing the rib's heights and volume fraction of nanoparticles, friction coefficient, heat transfer rate and average Nusselt number of the ribbed-microchannels tend to augment. In addition, the simulation results confirm that changing the solid volume fraction and the rib's height, cause significant changes in temperature and dimensionless velocity along the centerline of the flow, through the ribbed areas. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Social attachment is a biological and affective need. When this need is not met, people experience loneliness. Loneliness is associated with impaired social cognition, and is a risk factor for broad based morbidity across the adult lifespan even after controlling for multiple factors. However, little is known about loneliness in schizophrenia. Eighty-seven non-depressed individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (including 51 inpatients) and 58 control subjects completed the revised UCLA Loneliness scale. Social cognition was assessed with a self-report questionnaire and a performance-based task. Social trait perception was assessed with a facial task. Comorbid medical diagnoses were available for all inpatients. Patients reported greater loneliness levels than controls, while in- and out-patients did not significantly differ. In patients, loneliness was associated with self-report measures of social cognition. Patients' loneliness scores predicted a diagnosis of drug abuse/dependence, number of drugs used, hypertension and abnormal hemoglobin A1c levels. Patients experienced higher levels of loneliness than controls, independently of their objective social isolation. Loneliness did not rely on the same psychological processes in patients than in controls. Loneliness in schizophrenia is a symptom that deserves more scrutiny, particularly as it relates to the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in this population.
Hemodynamic factors in cardiovascular system are hypothesized to play a significant role in causing structural heart development. It is thus important to improve our understanding of velocity characteristics and parameters. We present such a study on wild-type mouse to characterize the vessel geometry, flow pattern, and wall shear stress in great arteries. Microultrasound imaging for small animals was used to measure blood boundary and velocity of the great arteries. Subsequently, specimens' flow boundary conditions were used for 3-dimensional reconstructions of the great artery and aortic arch dimensions, and blood flow velocity data were input into subject-specific computational fluid dynamics for modeling hemodynamics. Measurement by microultrasound imaging showed that blood velocities in the great artery and aortic arch had strong correlations with vascular sizes, whereas blood pressure had a weak trend in relation to vascular size. Wall shear stress magnitude increased when closer to arterial branches and reduced proximally in the aortic root and distally in the descending aorta, and the parameters were related to the fluid mechanics in branches in some degree. We developed a method to investigate fluid mechanics in mouse arteries, using a combination of microultrasound and computational fluid dynamics, and demonstrated its ability to reveal detailed geometric, kinematic, and fluid mechanics parameters.
In patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in a triple transgenic (3xTgAD) mouse model of AD low glucose metabolism in the brain precedes loss of memory and cognitive decline. The metabolism of ketones in the brain by-passes glycolysis and therefore may correct several deficiencies that are associated with glucose hypometabolism. A dietary supplement composed of an ester of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate and R-1,3 butane diol referred to as ketone ester (KE) was incorporated into a rodent diet and fed to 3xTgAD mice for 8 months. At 16.5 months of age animals were killed and brains dissected. Analyses were carried out on the hippocampus and frontal cortex for glycolytic and TCA (Tricarboxylic Acid) cycle intermediates, amino acids, oxidized lipids and proteins, and enzymes. There were higher concentrations of D-beta-hydroxybutyrate in the hippocampus of KE-fed mice where there were also higher concentrations of TCA cycle and glycolytic intermediates and the energy-linked biomarker, N-acetyl aspartate compared to controls. In the hippocampi of control-fed animals the free mitochondrial [NAD(+)]/[NADH] ratio were highly oxidized, whereas, in KE-fed animals the mitochondria were reduced. Also, the levels of oxidized protein and lipids were lower and the energy of ATP hydrolysis was greater compared to controls. 3xTgAD mice maintained on a KE-supplemented diet had higher concentrations of glycolytic and TCA cycle metabolites, a more reduced mitochondrial redox potential, and lower amounts of oxidized lipids and proteins in their hippocampi compared to controls. The KE offers a potential therapy to counter fundamental metabolic deficits common to patients and transgenic models.
In this paper, a serial-parallel hybrid (SPH) power system formed by a fuel cell (FC), an auxiliary storage device (ASD), and the current-controlled dc-dc converters responsible for the power management are realized by using the digital signal controller (DSC) TMS32F28335. The main energy management goal is to transfer energy from the sources (FC or ASD) to the load while ensuring dc bus voltage regulation and high power conversion efficiency. In addition, a safe and reliable operation of the system has to be achieved. The selected converter and its controller features are noninverting voltage step up and step down, high efficiency, regulation of input and output currents and low ripple values, and the ability to change from input to output current regulation loop, suddenly and smoothly, and vice versa. All these features allow it to be positioned in different FC system localizations and simplify the design of the master control. Simulation and experimental results have been validated on a 48-V 1200-W dc bus.
Field trials were conducted under natural infection and artificial inoculation from 2012 to 2014 at seven sites across the Canadian prairies to determine genetic and management effects on Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat production systems. A system of management, which consisted of (1) a control of no fungicide was compared with (2) the seed treatment (ST) thiamethoxam + difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + S-isomer, (3) an in-crop foliar fungicide (tebuconazole + prothioconazole), or (4) ST + foliar fungicide, was integrated with four wheat cultivars of contrasting growth habits and levels of FHB resistance. Results indicated the cultivars expressing improved FHB resistance, Carberry (spring wheat) and Emerson (winter wheat), were superior over susceptible cultivars, Harvest (spring wheat) and CDC Falcon (winter wheat), in reducing Fusarium-damaged kernel (FDK) and deoxynivalenol (DON) levels, and displayed higher yield under high Fusarium pressure. Winter wheat displayed higher overall yield, with Emerson producing the highest and most stable yields across environments. Application of foliar fungicide, with or without the ST, increased grain yield, seed mass, and test weight; and lowered FDK and DON. Seed treatment alone increased test weight, spring plant density of both winter wheat varieties, and kernel weight in Emerson. A management strategy of foliar fungicide and (or) ST + foliar fungicide generally produced higher yields with greater stability, particularly for susceptible cultivars in high FHB environments. The results of this study reinforce that integration of FHB-resistant cultivars with appropriate cultural practices is required to reduce the risk of FHB and optimize grain yield, and is further enhanced with a winter vs. spring growth habit.
Metal implants for osteosynthesis are nowadays standard in orthopedic and trauma surgery. Steel implants, especially cerclages, bands and wires, can show more corrosion due to friction and lead to encapsulation in connective tissue with fluid borders even without loosening. Corrosion and fluid borders are potentially more susceptible to incompatibility and infections. Titanium implants have the advantage of better allergic compatibility. Problems may occur in material removal, especially with titanium implants because material fractures occur more frequently. Particularly with fixed angle constructions, the blocking of titanium-titanium bonding and/or screws in bone can occur by adhesion and ingrowth. Apart from single case reports there is no evidence that modern steel implants cause more allergic reactions than titanium; therefore, in the treatment by osteosynthesis the stability, risk of loosening, manifestation of allergies and the possibility of material removal must always be considered.
OBJECTIVE. The purposes of this article are to describe concepts that radiologists should understand to evaluate machine learning projects, including common algorithms, supervised as opposed to unsupervised techniques, statistical pitfalls, and data considerations for training and evaluation, and to briefly describe ethical dilemmas and legal risk. CONCLUSION. Machine learning includes a broad class of computer programs that improve with experience. The complexity of creating, training, and monitoring machine learning indicates that the success of the algorithms will require radiologist involvement for years to come, leading to engagement rather than replacement.
Interpersonal deception is a dynamic process in which participating individuals adjust and adapt their behaviors as the deception proceeds. Using THEME, we demonstrate that deceptive communication in group settings is highly patterned. We further examine patterning behavior using the strategy-focused lens of Interpersonal Deception Theory (Buller and Burgoon, Commun Theory 6(3): 203-242, 1996). Correlation and regression analyses suggest that (1) deceivers tend to be strategically assertive as they carry out deception in group settings, and (2) individuals suspicious of deception tend to engage in probing behavior, ostensibly attempting to confirm their suspicions. Our findings demonstrate the value of analyzing deceptive behavior in terms of patterning to gain greater insight into the complex deception process.
Twenty years after the initial description of a tissue engineered construct, 3-dimensional human cardiac tissues of different kinds are now generated routinely in many laboratories. Advances in stem cell biology and engineering allow for the generation of constructs that come close to recapitulating the complex structure of heart muscle and might, therefore, be amenable to industrial (eg, drug screening) and clinical (eg, cardiac repair) applications. Whether the more physiological structure of 3-dimensional constructs provides a relevant advantage over standard 2-dimensional cell culture has yet to be shown in head-to-head-comparisons. The present article gives an overview on current strategies of cardiac tissue engineering with a focus on different hydrogel methods and discusses perspectives and challenges for necessary steps toward the real-life application of cardiac tissue engineering for disease modeling, drug development, and cardiac repair.
Purpose - This paper aims to describe the creation of innovative and intelligent systems to optimise energy efficiency in manufacturing. The systems monitor energy consumption using ambient intelligence (AmI) and knowledge management (KM) technologies. Together they create a decision support system as an innovative add-on to currently used energy management systems. Design/methodology/approach - Energy consumption data (ECD) are processed within a service-oriented architecture-based platform. The platform provides condition-based energy consumption warning, online diagnostics of energy-related problems, support to manufacturing process lines installation and ramp-up phase and continuous improvement/optimisation of energy efficiency. The systems monitor energy consumption using AmI and KM technologies. Together they create a decision support system as an innovative add-on to currently used energy management systems. Findings - The systems produce an improvement in energy efficiency in manufacturing small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The systems provide more comprehensive information about energy use and some knowledge-based support. Research limitations/implications - Prototype systems were trialled in a manufacturing company that produces mooring chains for the offshore oil and gas industry, an energy intensive manufacturing operation. The paper describes a case study involving energy-intensive processes that addressed different manufacturing concepts and involved the manufacture of mooring chains for offshore platforms. The system was developed to support online detection of energy efficiency problems. Practical implications - Energy efficiency can be optimised in assembly and manufacturing processes. The systems produce an improvement in energy efficiency in manufacturing SMEs. The systems provide more comprehensive information about energy use and some knowledge-based support. Social implications - This research addresses two of the most critical problems in energy management in industrial production technologies: how to efficiently and promptly acquire and provide information online for optimising energy consumption and how to effectively use such knowledge to support decision making. Originality/value - This research was inspired by the need for industry to have effective tools for energy efficiency, and that opportunities for industry to take up energy efficiency measures are mostly not carried out. The research combined AmI and KM technologies and involved new uses of sensors, including wireless intelligent sensor networks, to measure environment parameters and conditions as well as to process performance and behaviour aspects, such as material flow using smart tags in highly flexible manufacturing or temperature distribution over machines. The information obtained could be correlated with standard ECD to monitor energy efficiency and identify problems. The new approach can provide effective ways to collect more information to give a new insight into energy consumption within a manufacturing system.
In order to improve the dynamic responses of multimode controlled primary-side regulation flyback converter, a novel digital control method is proposed in this paper. A new DAC sampling method, which can capture the output voltage during dynamic transition, is introduced. Based on it, a dynamic module which can monitor the variation of the output voltage to improve the dynamic performance is proposed. In a 5-V/1-A primary-side regulation flyback converter, the maximum undershoot voltage and overshoot voltage of the proposed control scheme in this study are 0.472 and 0.192 V, respectively. They are much lower compared to 1.296 and 0.584 V in the traditional control scheme. The maximum undershoot and overshoot recovery times are reduced from 10.86 to 1.29 ms and 126.3 to 53.68 ms, respectively. The proposed control scheme was then verified by a FPGA controlled prototype.
Creatine (CR) (methyl guanidine acetic acid), is recommended for application as food (dietary) supplement. It is supposed that human organism uses it for formation of CR phosphate, which is necessary as a source of energy for muscular work. The fate of supplemented CR is not as simple as that. Its molecule is decomposed and reused again in each recipient individually. In our short-term study we have observed changes in the metabolism of two-carbon (2C) units and of thiolic substances 4 to 6 hours after CR supplementation. The level of thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) in urine increased rapidly and then decreased again to the original level. At the same time the pH values of urine increased by 1.5 units. The level of TDGA in urine is a marker of disturbance in metabolic pathways of 2C units and of thiolic compounds. Our long-term CR study, with quantitative evaluation of more than 30 parameters of potential metabolic products revealed that the biochemical pathways, affected by CR application included intrinsic participation of vitamin B-12 and folates. The levels of those two vitamins changed in a mutually reverse way. The men under study can be divided into 4 different groups according to changes of CR levels found in urine, and of levels of folates and vitamin B-12, determined in blood before and after CR administration. The probands of each group utilized CR as donor of 1C and 2C units derived from CR in different metabolic pathways. Differences between initial and terminal TDGA levels indicated that CR disturbed the equilibria of redox processes, catalyzed by folates and vitamin B-12. The levels of homocysteine increased in all but one probands. The amount of creatinine excreted into urine depended on the extent of metabolic disturbances. The observed changes indicated that exogenous application of CR affected metabolic pathways connected with endogenous synthesis as well as with decomposition of CR.
In order to reduce the security risk of commercial aircraft, passengers are not allowed to take certain items in their carry-on baggage. For this reason, human operators are trained to detect prohibited items using a manually-controlled baggage screening process. In this paper, the use of an automated method based on multiple X-ray views is proposed to recognise certain regular objects with highly-defined shapes and sizes. The method consists of two steps: 'monocular analysis', to obtain possible detections in each view of a sequence, and 'multiple view analysis', to recognise the objects of interest using matching in all views. The search for matching candidates is efficiently performed using a look-up table that is computed offline. In order to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, experimental results on recognising regular objects (clips, springs and razor blades) in pencil cases are shown achieving high precision and recall (P-r = 95.7%, R-e = 92.5%) for 120 objects. We believe that it would be possible to design an automated aid in a target detection task using the proposed algorithm.
Objective: Amyloid beta (A) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging helps estimate A neuritic plaque density in patients with cognitive impairment who are under evaluation for Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the A-PET scan as an adjunct to standard diagnostic assessment for diagnosis of AD in France, using florbetapir as an example. Methods: A state-transition probability analysis was developed adopting the French Health Technology Assessment (HTA) perspective per guidance. Parameters included test characteristics, rate of cognitive decline, treatment effect, costs, and quality of life. Additional scenarios assessed the validity of the analytical framework, including: (1) earlier evaluation/treatment; (2) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a comparator; and (3) use of other diagnostic procedures. Outputs included differences in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). All benefits and costs were discounted for time preferences. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of findings and key influencers of outcomes. Results: A-PET used as an adjunct to standard diagnostic assessment increased QALYs by 0.021 years and 10 year costs by Euro470 per patient. The ICER was Euro21,888 per QALY gained compared to standard diagnostic assessment alone. When compared with CSF, A-PET costs Euro24,084 per QALY gained. In other scenarios, A-PET was consistently cost-effective relative to the commonly used affordability threshold (Euro40,000 per QALY). Over 95% of simulations in the sensitivity analysis were cost-effective. Conclusion: A-PET is projected to affordably increase QALYs from the French HTA perspective per guidance over a range of clinical scenarios, comparators, and input parameters.
This research investigated the relevance of four hydrological variables in the performance of a domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) system. The hydrological variables investigated are average annual rainfall (P), precipitation concentration degree (PCD), antecedent dry weather period (ADWP), and ratio of dry days to rainy days (n(D)/n(R)). Principal component analyses are used to group the water-saving efficiency into a select set of variables, and the relevance of the hydrological variables in a water-saving efficiency system was studied using canonical correlation analysis. The P associated with PCD, ADWP, or nD/nR attained a better correlation with water-saving efficiency than single P. We conclude that empirical models that represent a large combinations of roof-surface areas, rainwater-tank sizes, water demands, and rainfall regimes should also consider a variable for precipitation temporal variability, and treat it as an independent variable. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
End-user development is a new trend to provide tailored services to dynamic environments such as hospitals. These services not only facilitate daily work for pharmacy personnel but also improve self-care in elder people that are still related to hospital, such as discharged patients. This paper presents an ambient intelligence (AmI) environment for End-user service provisioning in the pharmacy department of Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid, composed of a drug traceability infrastructure (DP-TraIN) and a ubiquitous application for enabling the pharmacy staff to create and execute their own services for facilitating drug management and dispensing. The authors carried out a case study with various experiments where different roles from the pharmacy department of Gregorio Maranon Hospital were involved in activities such as drug identification, dispensing and medication administering. The authors analyzed the effort required to create services by pharmacy staff, the discharged patients' perception of the AmI environment and the quantifiable benefits in reducing patient waiting time for drug dispensing.
AimIt is predicted that the dispersal and gene flow of ectoparasites with wide host ranges are correlated with the vagilities of their most mobile hosts. To test this, the phylogeographical structure of a widespread generalist tick occurring on large ungulates was determined and compared with previously published host patterns. LocationAfrica. MethodsmtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences were generated for 182 Hyalomma truncatum specimens sampled from 21 Afrotropical localities. A subsample of these was sequenced for the nuclear Histone 3 (H3) and Calreticulin (CRT) regions. Phylogeographical inferences were made by using haplotype networks, a Bayesian analysis of population structure, isolation by distance (IBD) and a Bayesian gene tree. Demographic changes in the populations were determined with Bayesian skyline plots. ResultsTwo highly divergent geographically confined mtDNA clades were detected, and these were partly supported by significant differentiation at nuclear DNA level. The clades differ by 9.88% (0.40%) mtDNA COI sequence divergence. The southern African clade, which expanded approximately 100ka, shows no geographical barriers to dispersal and also no IBD. The northern African clade shows signs of IBD, at least five distinct genetic subgroups and an earlier expansion at 200ka. ConclusionThe phylogeography of the generalist tick is broadly congruent with host vicariance and supports the previously defined African Pleistocene savanna refugia. The magnitude of the sequence divergence between geographically separated genetic lineages suggests that H. truncatum comprises two distinct yet undescribed species. The dispersal of ectoparasites with wide host ranges is dependent on the ability of the various life stages of the parasite to survive in the off-host environment coupled to host movement.
The main goal of radiotherapy is to destroy the tumor while minimizing harm to nearby healthy tissue. Advances in the digital control have enabled planning and performing accurate treatments. However, todays technology is unable to compensate respiration induced motion, and therefore, ensure sufficient precision. One of the tasks in compensating respiratory motion is predicting position of the functional target ( tumor) from an external marker during fraction. Performance of techniques, such as Pearson correlation, Gaussian filters, Fourries transformation, cross correlation, linear interpolation and partial-least squares, still leave plenty space for the improvement. We reports results of work in progress, i.e. experiments of applying different types of regressions to predict motion of functional target from different external markers. Results seem to be promising in most of the cases.
The number of smart devices around us grows more and more every day, and with it the need to interface them in order to share data and activate functions. Each day, new scenarios and new applications emerge to make our lives easier in many different contexts. The race towards realizing a true Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm has already begun, and by now such reality is at hand. The work presented herein aims to offer a practicable, scalable solution for fulfilling many of the promises of the Internet of Things, even in contexts rendered problematic by the continuing presence of closed proprietary systems, lacking any compatibility with Internet protocols, such as the home automation industry. Starting with a major contribution by our laboratory to the field of interoperability among natively incompatible domotic technologies, a software module has been developed to enable any and all home automation devices to interface and interact via the IPv6 network protocol. Each and every home automation device can thereby interact actively with the surrounding world, as it has been made reachable through its own IPv6 address that identifies it uniquely on the Internet. The proposed system thereby advances users' ability to take full advantage of the benefits offered by the new IoT vision of the world.
hybridcheck is a software package to visualize the recombination signal in large DNA sequence data set, and it can be used to analyse recombination, genetic introgression, hybridization and horizontal gene transfer. It can scan large (multiple kb) contigs and whole-genome sequences of three or more individuals. hybridcheck is written in the r software for OS X, Linux and Windows operating systems, and it has a simple graphical user interface. In addition, the r code can be readily incorporated in scripts and analysis pipelines. hybridcheck implements several ABBA-BABA tests and visualizes the effects of hybridization and the resulting mosaic-like genome structure in high-density graphics. The package also reports the following: (i) the breakpoint positions, (ii) the number of mutations in each introgressed block, (iii) the probability that the identified region is not caused by recombination and (iv) the estimated age of each recombination event. The divergence times between the donor and recombinant sequence are calculated using a JC, K80, F81, HKY or GTR correction, and the dating algorithm is exceedingly fast. By estimating the coalescence time of introgressed blocks, it is possible to distinguish between hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting. hybridcheck is libre software and it and its manual are free to download from .
Objective: Long-term prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poor owing to the lack of treatment options for advanced HCC. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are ex vivo expanded T lymphocytes expressing both NK- and T-cell markers. CIK cell therapy alone is insufficient for treating advanced HCC. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether treatment with CIK cells combined with valproic acid (VPA) could provide a synergistic effect to inhibit tumor growth in a mouse model of HCC. Methods: Upregulation of natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) ligands (retinoic acid early inducible 1 [RAE-1], mouse; major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A [MIC-A], human) were evaluated by FACS. VPA concentrations that did not reduce tumor volume were calculated to avoid VPA cytotoxicity in a C3H mouse model of HCC. CIK cells were generated from mouse splenocytes using interferon gamma, a CD3 monoclonal antibody, and interleukin 2. The potential synergistic effect of CIK cells combined with VPA was evaluated in the mouse model and tissue pathology was investigated. Results: After 40h of incubation with VPA, RAE-1 and MIC-A expression were increased in 4 HCC cell lines compared with that in control (2.3-fold in MH-134, 2.4-fold in Huh-7, 3.7-fold in SNU-761, and 6.5-fold in SNU-475). The maximal in vivo VPA dosage that showed no significant cytotoxicity compared with control was 10mg/kg/day. CIK cells were well generated from C3H mouse splenocytes. After 7d of treatment with CIK cells plus VPA, a synergistic effect was observed on relative tumor volume in the mouse model of HCC. While the relative tumor volume in untreated control mice increased to 11.25, that in the combination treatment group increased to only 5.20 (P = 0.047). Conclusions: The VPA-induced increase in NKG2D ligands expression significantly enhanced the effects of CIK cell therapy in a mouse model of HCC.
While rising air and water pollution have become issues of widespread public concern in India, the relationship between spatial distribution of environmental pollution and social disadvantage has received less attention. This lack of attention becomes particularly relevant in the context of industrial pollution, as India continues to pursue industrial development policies without sufficient regard to its adverse social impacts. This letter examines industrial pollution in India from an environmental justice (EJ) perspective by presenting a national scale study of social inequities in the distribution of industrial hazardous waste generation. Our analysis connects district-level data from the 2009 National Inventory of Hazardous Waste Generating Industries with variables representing urbanization, social disadvantage, and socioeconomic status from the 2011 Census of India. Our results indicate that more urbanized and densely populated districts with a higher proportion of socially and economically disadvantaged residents are significantly more likely to generate hazardous waste. The quantity of hazardous waste generated is significantly higher in more urbanized but sparsely populated districts with a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged households, after accounting for other relevant explanatory factors such as literacy and social disadvantage. These findings underscore the growing need to incorporate EJ considerations in future industrial development and waste management in India.
How are accuracy and assumed similarity associated in first impressions of personality? In a large-scale video perception study, accuracy and assumed similarity were strongly negatively associated across traits, consistent with past research (e.g., Beer & Watson, 2008). However, across perceivers and perceiver-target dyads, the ability to perceive others accurately was independent of the tendency to assume similarity with others. Thus, viewing others in general or specific others as overly similar to the self does not imply viewing them inaccurately. In sum, accuracy and assumed similarity are inversely related when examined across traits but are independent across perceivers and dyads. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a comparative optimal design of Permanent Magnet Motors (PMMs) for aerospace actuation applications based on single and double layer Fractional Slot Concentrated Winding (FSCW) topologies with different motor segmentation strategies is undertaken, by means of a combined electromagnetic, fault tolerance and thermal evaluation. Initially, analytical machine equations and 2D Finite Element (FE) analysis are employed for the determination of the motors basic dimensional and operating characteristics. Both configurations considered are in a next step optimized regarding the mean torque, efficiency, torque ripple, induced Electromotive Force (EMF) quality and motor weight. The proposed methodology involves appropriate handling of mean torque and induced EMF as constraints through the application of a particular single-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique accounting also for multiple motor operating conditions. Fault tolerance and thermal robustness of the optimized motors are also examined. Both single layer and double layer FSCW PMM optimal configurations present complementary advantages for this class of applications.
Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1, also known as osteopontin) is expressed in large pyramidal neurons in the primary motor cortex (M1) of certain primate species, including macaque monkeys, but not of rodents. Based on this, we suggested that SPP1 expression may reflect the functional or structural specialization of highly developed corticospinal systems. In the present study, we further characterized SPP1 in the human central nervous system by investigating its expression in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and spinal cord, in addition to M1. Although a small number of SPP1-positive pyramidal neurons were observed in S1, the number was smaller than that in M1. In the cervical segment of the spinal cord, SPP1 was principally expressed in choline acetyltransferase-positive motor neurons in lamina IX. We also examined SPP1 expression in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons. When SPP1 expression was compared in neurons of the same size range, expression in both M1 and the spinal cord of ALS patients was lower than that of subjects without ALS. SPP1 expression was especially reduced in surviving large neurons in both M1 and the spinal cord of ALS patients. The results further support the concept that SPP1 has a role in the specialization of motor projection neurons and suggest that its reduced expression may be implicated in the neurodegeneration seen in ALS.
Accurate image registration is a vital step in many computer vision processes. However, traditional SIFT based methods are not able to obtain satisfactory results in some cases. In this paper, we turn the matching problem into a Markov Random Field (MRF) optimization problem and propose a fast and accurate image registration method based on message passing to screen out mismatches caused by the conventional SIFT-based algorithm. The proposed method comprises three steps. First, a SIFT detector is used to detect key points and then these points are described by Daisy instead of the SIFT detector (to improve efficiency); second, a new geometric constraint with distance and direction terms is designed and incorporated into sequential tree-reweighted message passing (TRW-S) this obtains the coarse matching result; finally, the RANSAC algorithm is adopted to filter out the mismatches and obtain an accurate transformation. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly improves the efficiency and the accuracy of the registration process and secures a desirable result
Two separate geotextile bag systems were evaluated as a means for capturing and dewatering bio-solids in the effluent stream from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Each geotextile bag system used a high molecular weight cationic polyacrylamide (PAM) polymer as a flocculant-aid. The two systems were operated under freshwater and brackish water conditions. A complete analysis including water quality and agronomic sludge analysis was conducted at the North Carolina State University Fish Barn - a large-scale, freshwater RAS demonstration and growout facility. An evaluation of water quality and performance of a similar geotextile bag system was also conducted at the Marine Aquaculture Research Center near Marshallberg, North Carolina, USA, under brackish conditions (15 PPT). Results indicated that performance of each of the systems was similar with TSS, COD, TN, and TP removal greater than 95%, 65%, 50%, and 38%, respectively, for both systems. Analysis of the sludge collected in the freshwater system after 70 days in a dewatering, inactive mode, showed a moisture content (MC) of 86%, or 14% dry matter (DM), indicating the system was effective at passively dewatering the bio-solids. Nutrient removal efficiency may be system specific based on the geotextile bag size and influent flow rate. Geotextile bag systems using flocculant-aids are an efficient means for capturing and dewatering waste solids from RAS effluents. Optimized geotextile bag system designs depend on flow rate, feed rate, and solids dewatering time, and fate of the treated effluent. This evaluation will aid in predicting the expected performance and determining the appropriate size of a geotextile bag system. The type of treatment required downstream from the geotextile bag system used for solids capture in a RAS wastewater treatment system will depend on the intended fate of the treated effluent. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The pioneers of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, including the late William B. Coley and Lloyd J. Old, have championed the potential for immunotherapy for over a century. Finally, advances in our understanding of the fundamentals of tumor immunology are translating into clinical success, with recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of several immunotherapies that improve clinical outcomes across prostate cancer, metastatic melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and lymphocytic leukemia. In tandem with these clinical successes, new technologies such as high-throughput DNA/RNA sequencing, genetic engineering, and streamlined ex vivo cell culturing have paved the way for the next generation of immunotherapies and provided new tools for investigating potential biomarkers of response to existing therapies. During the November 2014 Annual Meeting of the Society of the Immunotherapy of Cancer, leaders in tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy convened at the second annual SITC Primer to review both current knowledge and future directions in the field. Here, we will review the key discussions across a variety of topics, including innate immunity, adaptive immunity, dendritic cells, adoptive T cell therapy, anti-tumor antibodies, cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint blockade, challenges to immunotherapy, monitoring immune responses, and immunotherapy clinical trial design.
Phthalates are widely used as plasticizers in household products. Several studies have reported an association between phthalate exposure and an increased risk of allergies. The present study estimated phthalate exposure in children aged 6-12 years and assessed potential correlations with allergies. House dust samples were collected from floors and multi-surface objects >35 cm above the floor. Urine samples were collected from the first morning void of the day. Daily phthalate intake (DIdust and DI) was estimated using both house dust and urinary metabolite concentrations. Exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in floor dust was associated with parental-reported rhino-conjunctivitis. After stratification by gender, this trend was found to only occur in boys. Furthermore, urinary mono-isobutyl phthalate was inversely associated with parental-reported wheeze in boys. DIdust of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBzP) and DEHP were significantly correlated with DI_BBzP and DI_DEHP, respectively. These correlations were stronger with floor than with multi-surface dust. Our results suggest that, among Japanese children, house dust from low surfaces, such as living room floors, might play a meaningful role in the indoor environmental exposure pathway for BBzP and DEHP. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Local binary pattern (LBP) has proved to be an efficient local image descriptor used in computer vision. LBP operator has successfully been applied in many biometrics applications. Face recognition is one such application where performance degrades due to varying illumination, facial expressions and head pose changes. To address these issues effectively, LBP operator can be used to represent face images during feature extraction. However, due to the limited number of discriminative characteristics, the LBP operator cannot address these issues properly. It seeks more distinctive and well-structured local feature representation. This paper reports a face identification system which makes use of a novel LBP variant called Logically Concatenated LBP in which the basic notion of Modified LBP is exploited and combined with three logical operations, viz. AND, OR and XOR. These logical operations are used to produce three different labeled face patterns from a single face. Further, these patterns are used for face matching and identification. The proposed face identification is tested on FEI, UMIST and Extended Yale Face B databases and identification accuracies have been determined. Experimental results are found to be encouraging and convincing. The experimental results are also compared with some existing local descriptors.
Amyloid-beta (A beta) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Clearance of A beta is a promising therapeutic strategy for AD. We have previously demonstrated that peripheral organs play important roles in the clearance of brain-derived A beta. In the present study, we recruited 46 patients with liver cirrhosis and 46 normal controls and found that plasma A beta 40 and A beta 42 levels were significantly higher in the cirrhosis patients than in the normal controls. Notably, cirrhosis patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection had higher plasma A beta 40 and A beta 42 levels than HBV-negative cirrhosis patients. Besides, cirrhosis patients had significantly higher plasma levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and IL-6. Plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) levels were not significantly different between the groups. Moreover, we found significant correlations of hepatic functions with plasma A beta 40 and A beta 42 levels. Plasma IL-6 levels were also significantly correlated with plasma A beta 40 levels. However, in the linear regression model, we found significant correlation of plasma A beta 40 levels with hepatic functions, but not with plasma IL-6 levels. Our results indicate that the hepatic dysfunctions might result in decreased peripheral A beta clearance by the liver. Protecting hepatic functions might be helpful for the clearance of brain-derived A beta in the blood.
To explore the mechanism of Bushen Qiangji Granule (eyene,3/4a1/4(0)eSe cent uc(2)', BSQJ) in restraining the osteogenic differentiation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) fifibroblasts. Hip joint capsules were obtained from AS patients (n=10) receiving total hip replacement and healthy hip joint capsules from patients with hip fracture (n=10) receiving surgery as a control. Finite fifibroblast lines were established from these tissue samples to observe the effect of BSQJ on suppressing osteogenic differentiation of fifibroblasts. The expression of osteogenic marker gene corebinding factor a1 (Cbfa1) and Smad family proteins were examined by Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The mRNA expression level of Cbfa1 was significantly higher in AS fibroblasts than that in normal fibroblasts and the expression of pSmad1, pSmad5, Smad4 and Cbfa1 in AS fibroblasts was also higher, demonstrating the activation of the BMP/Smads signal pathway in AS fifibroblasts. BSQJ-medicated serum not only restrained the mRNA and protein expression levels of Cbfa1 and inhibited protein expression level of Smad4 but also decreased the expression quantities of pSmad1 and pSmad5. BSQJ can inhibit osteogenic differentiation of AS fifibroblasts in vitro by suppressing the activation of the BMP/Smads signal pathway. This may be the important molecular mechanism of BSQJ in regulating AS ossifification.
The Monte Carlo method was used for quantitative structure-activity relationship modeling of bis-quinolinium and bis-isoquinolinium compounds as acetylcholine esterase inhibitors for a series of 36 compounds. quantitative structure-activity relationship models were calculated with the representation of the molecular structure by the Simplified Molecular Input-Line Entry System. One split into the training and test set was examined. The statistical quality of the developed model was good. The best calculated quantitative structure-activity relationship model had following statistical parameters: r (2) = 0.8097 for the training set and r (2) = 0.9372 for the test set. Structural indicators defined as molecular fragments responsible for increases and decreases in the inhibition activity were calculated. The computer-aided design of new compounds as potential acetylcholine esterase inhibitors with the application of defined structural alerts was presented.
Sulfatases are a highly conserved family of proteins that cleave sulfate esters from a wide range of substrates. The importance of sulfatases in human metabolism is underscored by the presence of at least eight human monogenic diseases caused by the deficiency of individual sulfatases. Sulfatase activity requires a unique posttranslational modification, which is impaired in patients with multiple sulfatase deficiency (MSD) due to a mutation of the sulfatase modifying factor 1 (SUMF1). Here we review current knowledge and future perspectives on the evolution of the sulfatase gene family, on the role of these enzymes in human metabolism, and on new developments in the therapy of sulfatase deficiencies.
Greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector can significantly be reduced by replacing fossil based fuels with green alternatives. Various alternative fuel concepts have been developed differing in used sustainable feedstock, synthesis technology and final fuel characteristics. Whether these fuels can succeed in the market will depend on the fuel net production costs, the expected cost reduction potentials and the political intention to mitigate climate change. Results of previous studies for the techno-economic assessment of alternative fuels are difficult to compare due to significant differences in the applied methodology, level of detail and key assumptions in terms of economic factors and market prices. In this work, a standardized methodology for techno-economic analysis of fuel production processes is presented and exemplarily applied on sustainable fuels from Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. The methodology was adapted from a best practice approach from chemical industry and consists of three main steps: (A) literature survey on feasible production designs, (B) flowsheet simulation and (C) techno-economic assessment with the in-house software tool TEPET (Techno-Economic Process Evaluation Tool). It is shown that the standardized approach enables qualitative and quantitative statements regarding the technical and economic feasibility of fuel synthesis concepts including the identification of the appropriate fuel production concept due to predefined framework conditions. Results from the case study on green FT fuels reveal that Biomass-to-Liquid (BtL) concepts have lowest production costs at high electricity costs, whereas the Power-to-Liquid (PtL) and Power and Biomass-to-Liquid (PBtL) concepts are superior at low electricity prices. Fuel production costs in the range of 1.2 and 2.8 (sic)(2014)/1 were estimated. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The interaction of Deltamethrin (DM) with human serum albumin (HSA) under the condition of simulating human blood pH environment (pH = 7.4) was investigated by fluorescence, UV-Vis absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. It was shown that DM was a static quencher of HSA. The binding constants (Ka) are 3.598 x 10(4) L mol(-1) (25 degrees C); the thermodynamic parameters (Delta H = -3.269 x 10(4) kJ mol(-1), Delta S = -22.81 kJ mol(-1) k(-1), Delta G = 25889.8 kJ mol(-1)) obtained with the thermodynamic equation. The hydrogen bond and Vander Waals were the main driving force. The effect of DM on the conformation of HSA was observed by three-dimensional (3D) fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra, indicating that the interaction between DM and HSA was achieved through the binding of DM with the tryptophan and tyrosine residues of HSA. The study on the interaction of DM and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) was researched and compared. Difference exists in the interactions of with each of the serum albumins. We will verify and supplement that DM residue in animals and human metabolism, toxicology and other mechanisms are different. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Trinidad and Tobago is an oil exporting small island developing state (SIDS) with a 0.12% contribution to global emissions and with important socio-economic challenges. It has producer, electricity and transport fuel subsidies. It is at an interesting juncture in subsidy reform: the government faces the embeddedness of distributive justice norms that are contested by fiscal prudence and environmental stewardship norms. The value of the paper is twofold. First it develops a subsidy intractability framework to explain reform global narratives that highlights: the power of agents, the nature of contested economic, justice and environmental norms and the availability of mechanisms for reform. Second, this framework is used to explain reform narratives and trajectories in Trinidad and Tobago using data from public documents and from a unique elite survey of former and present heads of state, politicians, policy makers and stakeholders. Even in conditions of falling oil prices and national revenue and pressures to reduce emissions, where redistributive justice arguments are heavily embedded in public discourses, those aspects of the subsidy that have developmental or distributive justice goals are more intractable. The results of the study have implications for carbon emission reduction strategies in developing states with fossil fuel reserves.
Increases in woody plant cover in savanna grassland environments have been reported on globally for over 50 years and are generally perceived as a threat to rangeland productivity and biodiversity. Despite this, few attempts have been made to estimate the extent of woodland increase at a national scale, principally due to technical constraints such as availability of appropriate remote sensing products. In this study, we aimed to measure the extent to which woodlands have replaced grasslands in South Africa's grassy biomes. We use multiseason Landsat data in conjunction with satellite L-band radar backscatter data to estimate the extent of woodlands and grasslands in 1990 and 2013. The method employed allows for a unique, nationwide measurement of transitions between grassland and woodland classes in recent decades. We estimate that during the 23-year study period, woodlands have replaced grasslands over similar to 57 000 km(2) and conversely that grasslands have replaced woodlands over similar to 30 000 km(2), a net increase in the extent of woodland of similar to 27 000 km(2) and an annual increase of 0.22%. The changes varied markedly across the country; areas receiving over 500 mm mean annual precipitation showed higher rates of woodland expansion than regions receiving0.19% yr(-1)). The woodland change map presented here provides a unique opportunity to test the numerous models of woody plant encroachment at a national/regional scale.
In this work, we used a sensor-based True Random Number Generator in order to generate keys for a stream cipher based on a recently published hybrid algorithm mixing Skew Tent Map and a Linear Feedback Shift Register. The stream cipher was implemented and tested in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and was able to generate 8-bit width data streams at a clock frequency of 134 MHz, which is fast enough for Gigabit Ethernet applications. An exhaustive cryptanalysis was completed, allowing us to conclude that the system is secure. The stream cipher was compared with other chaotic stream ciphers implemented on similar platforms in terms of area, power consumption, and throughput.
Currently, privatized state-owned Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) has a monopoly over energy production and vertically integrates the electricity market in Taiwan. Because of the geographical environments, economies of scales, social structures, and diverse political ideologies in Taiwan, the electricity market exhibits unique characteristics. To maximize the benefits of electricity liberalization, future market operations must not only involve conventional considerations for economic dispatch; overall social welfare should be included by incorporating the perspectives of fairness, responsibility, and the environment, and key electrical grid operations should be executed appropriately. We responded to the future market liberalization planning by including factors, such as, environmental effects and government policies, in addition to electrical line construction, and operation cost factors involved in the entire operational model planning. On the basis of responsibility sharing, this study used the simulated -responsibility three-phase pricing method. The proposed pricing method is expected to help attain the following policy goals: 1. Achieving reasonable power price allocations; 2. Simultaneously ensuring fair and efficient electric grid operation; 3. Changing the operation orientations of the power plants and electrical grid facilities; and 4. Increasing the rate of renewable energy use.
Weight-related issues (including excess weight, disordered eating and body concerns) are often considered as comprising distinct domains of 'obesity' and 'eating disorders'. In this commentary we argue that the concept of weight bias is an important variable when considering wellbeing across the spectrum of weight-related issues. We make the following six points in support of this argument: i) weight bias is common and has adverse health consequences, ii) shaming individuals for their body weight does not motivate positive behaviour change, iii) internalized weight bias is particularly problematic, iv) public health interventions, if not carefully thought out, can perpetuate weight bias, v) weight bias is a manifestation of social inequity, and vi) action on weight bias requires an upstream, population-level approach. To achieve sustainable reductions in weight bias at a population level, substantive modifications and collaborative efforts in multiple settings must be initiated. We provide several examples of population-level interventions to reduce weight bias.
Intercultural communicative competence training is an important task of English teaching, teachers' cross-cultural communication ability directly influences the training the students' ability of intercultural communication. Based on English teachers' intercultural communication ability could not meet the requirement of the era of quality education, the present situation of the study. With the influence factors of cross-cultural communication ability and English teachers' intercultural communication competence as the foundation, put forward the way to English teachers' intercultural communication ability. Specific include: expanding the global cultural knowledge enhance communication ability, and the combination of various training modes to improve the ability of cross- cultural communication, to strengthen the teaching of college English and the relationship between cross- cultural communication research, promoting the comprehensive cultural quality of English teachers, by nonverbal communication consciousness enhance the sensitivity to cross- cultural communication.
Background. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are syndromes that are predominantly defined by behavioral features such as impaired social interactions, restricted verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive or stereotyped behavior. In the past few decades, the reported prevalence of ASD has increased dramatically. This growth can be partially explained by an increased level of awareness of the problem among professionals and better diagnostic methods. Nevertheless, underpinning causes of ASD have not yet been detailed and explained. It is suggested that rather than having a single causative factor, ASD pathogenesis is influenced by environmental or genetic factors, or a combination of both. The aims of this review are to describe the environmental risk factors associated with ASD so as to provide a reference basis for current and future clinical and experimental work. Materials and methods. On the basis of a PubMed search, we review the existing knowledge on environmental factors associated with ASD. Results. A series of environmental factors have been repeatedly reported as risk factors for ASD in existing studies. Conclusion. Air pollution, organic toxicants, seasonal factors, psychological stress, migration, birth order, and nutrition may have a close relationship with the incidence of ASD.
In emotion regulation research, it is common to distinguish adaptive from maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. However, little is known about their interactional impact (compensational or interfering effects) on adolescents' adjustment. We collected longitudinal, multiple informant questionnaire data from N = 608 adolescents and their parents to examine the prevalence of adolescents' anger regulation profiles using latent profile analysis. We identified five anger regulation profilesan adaptive, a maladaptive, a low, a medium, and an undefined profile. The first three profiles could be replicated 1 year later, as could one additional multiple and another undefined profile. Findings supported the assumption that adaptive strategies compensate for the negative impact of maladaptive strategies, yielding negative psychosocial consequences, particularly for the maladaptive profiles. Moreover, different profiles were divergently related to adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems concurrently and over time. Results highlight the importance of considering both adaptive and maladaptive anger regulation strategies in prevention and psychotherapy.
Labyrinth channels are widely adopted in emitter designs to regulate the water flow. The flow regime and the head loss of labyrinth channels have significant impacts on the hydraulic performance of emitters. In this study, the flow behavior of water passing through an emitter channel is observed using the micro particle image velocimetry (PIV), and the head loss during the flow is analyzed for an emitter with a triangular labyrinth channel. The results show that the flow regime is consistent with the classical theory of hydraulics governing straight channels, even when the cross-sectional area is very small (as small as 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm). The critical Reynolds number from laminar to turbulent flows in a labyrinth channel is approximately in a range between 43 and 94. The local head loss factor decreases as the Reynolds number increases for labyrinth channels with smaller cross-sectional areas, such as 0.5 mmx0.5 mm and 1.0 mmx1.0 mm. The local head loss factor is not related to the Reynolds number and is only a function of the boundary conditions of the labyrinth channel when the Reynolds number exceeds approximately 1 000 (for cross-sectional areas of 1.5 mmx1.5 mm and 2.0 mmx2.0 mm). The ratio of the local head loss to the total head loss (h(j)/h(ftotal)) first increases and then remains nearly constant as the Reynolds number increases in the labyrinth channel. The head loss in the labyrinth channel is almost equal to the local head loss, and (h(j)/h(ftotal)) is approximately 0.95 for cross-sectional areas of greater than 1.0 mmx1.0 mm. These results can be used for optimizing the design of emitter channels.
As part of transmission network expansion planning (TNEP), a technical and economical assessment of several planning alternatives must be performed in order to ensure fulfillment of the network security criteria and to estimate the alternatives' expected operating costs. This task requires performing load flow calculations for different operating points (OPs) of the power system. Due to the high computational burden, considering all possible OPs is simply not possible. As a consequence, only a set of representative OPs is usually taken into account. Mostworks in the TNEP focus on issues related to optimization algorithms and modeling, neglecting the selection process of the representative OPs. Furthermore, most works only consider a few OPs, providing little or no insight about the criteria used in the selection process or about the error made when evaluating planning alternatives using a limited number of OPs. In this work, a novel methodology for selecting representative OPs to consider within the TNEP is presented. The proposal pays special attention to critical situations, where the network security may be endangered. Furthermore, the methodology allows quantifying the error made when evaluating network operation using a limited number of representative OPs.
S-box plays an imperative role in designing a cryptographically strong block cipher. Designing S-box based on chaos has attracted lots of attentions because of its distinct characteristics relevant to cryptography. In this paper, a 4D-4wing hyperchaotic system is investigated. Its sophisticated nonlinear behaviors are used to generate two pseudorandom 8-bit integer sequences, which further drive iterative two-position swap on the identical map on GF(2(8)). According to the indicator of typical evaluation criteria including nonlinearity, differential uniformity, strict avalanche criterion, output bits independence criterion and bijective property, the preferred S-box is obtained from all those batch-generated ones. The comparison with the state-of-the-art chaos-based schemes shows that the obtained S-box achieves better cryptographical performance.
Context: Patients with schizophrenia display abnormalities in pitch discrimination of non-verbal tones as revealed by the Tone-Matching Task (TMT). It may lead to deficits in higher-order cognitive functions and clinical symptoms. Objectives: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis pooling data about TMT score differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, to evaluate the deficit's effect size, and to develop reliable knowledge about pitch processing impairment and its pejorative impact. Method: Relevant publications were identified by a systematic search of PubMed and EMBASE databases. Then, we excluded non-relevant studies for the meta-analysis. Effect size for percent of correct responses to the TMT was expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD). Results: Eighteen of 167 identified studies met eligibility criteria for review, of which 10 were included in the meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis showed that the effect size for the percent of correct response to the TMT between patients (N=371) and controls (N=342) was large: SMD=1.17 [95% CI: 0.926-1.418] (z-value=9.338 and p-value = 0.001). Meta-analysis showed moderate heterogeneity between studies (Q(9)=17.22, p=0.04, I-2=47.74%). The relationship between tone-matching impairment and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia remains heterogeneous across studies. Some authors observed significant correlations between tone-matching performance and a number of higher-order cognitive abilities. Conclusion: This review and meta-analysis highlights a large significant disturbance in tone-matching ability in patients as compared with controls. The study of basic auditory processing opens promising perspectives for pathophysiological modelling of the disorder and therapeutic issues. (C) 2016 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
Fire whirls are powerful, spinning disasters for people and surroundings when they occur in large urban and wildland fires. Whereas fire whirls have been studied for fire-safety applications, previous research has yet to harness their potential burning efficiency for enhanced combustion. This article presents laboratory studies of fire whirls initiated as pool fires, but where the fuel sits on a water surface, suggesting the idea of exploiting the high efficiency of fire whirls for oil-spill remediation. We show the transition from a pool fire, to a fire whirl, and then to a previously unobserved state, a blue whirl. A blue whirl is smaller, very stable, and burns completely blue as a hydrocarbon flame, indicating soot-free burning. The combination of fast mixing, intense swirl, and the water-surface boundary creates the conditions leading to nearly soot-free combustion. With the worldwide need to reduce emissions from both wanted and unwanted combustion, discovery of this state points to possible new pathways for reduced-emission combustion and fuel-spill cleanup. Because current methods to generate a stable vortex are difficult, we also propose that the blue whirl may serve as a research platform for fundamental studies of vortices and vortex breakdown in fluid mechanics.
Background More than 200 opiate overdose deaths occur annually in Ireland. Overdose prevention and management, including naloxone prescription, should be a priority for healthcare services. Naloxone is an effective overdose treatment and is now being considered for wider lay use. Aim To establish GPs' views and experiences of opiate addiction, overdose care, and naloxone provision. Design and setting An anonymous postal survey to GPs affiliated with the Department of Academic General Practice, University College Dublin, Ireland. Method A total of 714 GPs were invited to complete an anonymous postal survey. Results were compared with a parallel GP trainee survey. Results A total of 448/714 (62.7%) GPs responded. Approximately one-third of GPs were based in urban, rural, and mixed areas. Over 75% of GPs who responded had patients who used illicit opiates, and 25% prescribed methadone. Two-thirds of GPs were in favour of increased naloxone availability in the community; almost one-third would take part in such a scheme. A higher proportion of GP trainees had used naloxone to treat opiate overdose than qualified GPs. In addition, a higher proportion of GP trainees were willing to be involved in naloxone distribution than qualified GPs. Intranasal naloxone was much preferred to single (P<0.001) or multiple dose (P<0.001) intramuscular naloxone. Few GPs objected to wider naloxone availability, with 66.1% (n = 292) being in favour. Conclusion GPs report extensive contact with people who have opiate use disorders but provide limited opiate agonist treatment. They support wider availability of naloxone and would participate in its expansion. Development and evaluation of an implementation strategy to support GP-based distribution is urgently needed.
Charophytes are the group of green algae whose ancestral lineage gave rise to land plants in what resulted in a profoundly transformative event in the natural history of the planet. Extant charophytes exhibit many features that are similar to those found in land plants and their relatively simple phenotypes make them efficacious organisms for the study of many fundamental biological phenomena. Several taxa including Micrasterias, Penium, Chara, and Coleochaete are valuable model organisms for the study of cell biology, development, physiology and ecology of plants. New and rapidly expanding molecular studies are increasing the use of charophytes that in turn, will dramatically enhance our understanding of the evolution of plants and the adaptations that allowed for survival on land. The Frontiers in Plant Science series on Charophytes provides an assortment of new research reports and reviews on charophytes and their emerging significance as model plants.
D-limonene has been demonstrated to have important immunomodulatory properties, including antitumor effects, and may alleviate asthma and allergies. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects of D-limonene were investigated in an ulcerative colitis (UC) rat model. Healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, untreated UC, and treatment with 50 or 100 mg/kg D-limonene UC groups. In UC rats, disease activity and colonic mucosa damage were significantly reduced by the anti-inflammatory effects of D-limonene, via suppression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 gene expression. In addition, treatment with D-limonene significantly increased antioxidant, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression levels in UC rats. A decrease in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) gene expression and an increase phosphorylated-extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 expression levelswere observed in UC rats treated with D-limonene. In conclusion, D-limonene reduced MMP-2 and -9 mRNA expression levels via regulation of the iNOS, COX-2, PGE2, TGF-beta and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in a UC rat model, indicating its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
The feedback on the use of submerged structures for beach protection is still scarce, and the shoreline response to structures is still poorly understood at present. Most of the studies presents structures close to the shoreline without significant morphologies on the shoreface that could interact with it. On the Lido of Sete, a narrow coastal barrier facing the Mediterranean Sea, an experimentation of beach protection using a submerged geotextile structure is undertaken. The structure was deployed in 2013, and to analyse nearshore dynamics, an ARGUS video system was installed in 2011. Video-derived shoreline, bar crest position, alongshore currents, swash processes, were used to assess the natural dynamics and to evaluate the evolution after the installation of the 850 m long structure. The monitoring permitted to describe a rapid dynamics of crescentic nearshore bars. Processes of longshore migration, linearization, as well as a strong coupling between bar dynamics and shoreline sinuosities were described. After the deployment of the geotextile, a progressive linearization and rotation of the nearshore bar (parallel to the tube) was observed. This process induced a progressive rotation of the shoreline and an important beach enlargement. The 3D patterns, both in the bar and emerged beach progressively disappeared. With this new beach morphology, storm run-up is more regular alongshore, and only major events can reach the dune front and generate impacts. This field experiment provide an interesting feedback on morphological response following the deployment of a submerged structure on a shoreface characterized by an important nearshore bar dynamics.
(beta-amyloid (A beta) and tau pathology become increasingly prevalent with age, however, the spatial relationship between the two pathologies remains unknown. We examined local (same region) and non-local (different region) associations between these 2 aggregated proteins in 46 normal older adults using [F-18]AV-1451 (for tau) and [C-11]PiB (for A beta) positron emission tomography (PET) and 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. While local voxelwise analyses showed associations between PiB and AV-1451 tracer largely in the temporal lobes, k-means clustering revealed that some of these associations were driven by regions with low tracer retention. We followed this up with a whole-brain region-by-region (local and non-local) partial correlational analysis. We calculated each participant's mean AV-1451 and PiB uptake values within 87 regions of interest (ROI). Pairwise ROI analysis demonstrated many positive PiB AV-1451 associations. Importantly, strong positive partial correlations (controlling for age, sex, and global gray matter fraction, p <.01) were identified between PiB in multiple regions of association cortex and AV-1451 in temporal cortical ROIs. There were also less frequent and weaker positive associations of regional PiB with frontoparietal AV-1451 uptake. Particularly in temporal lobe ROIs, AV-1451 uptake was strongly predicted by NB across multiple ROI locations. These data indicate that A beta and tau pathology show significant local and non-local regional associations among cognitively normal elderly, with increased PiB uptake throughout the cortex correlating with increased temporal lobe AV-1451 uptake. The spatial relationship between A beta and tau accumulation does not appear to be specific to A beta location, suggesting a regional vulnerability of temporal brain regions to tau accumulation regardless of where AP accumulates.
There has been a growing link between a history of cannabis use and neurocognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia. Fewer neurocognitive deficits may be a marker of the superior social cognition needed to obtain illicit substances, or cannabis use may indicate a distinct path to schizophrenia with less neurocognitive vulnerability. This study sought to determine whether the relationship of cannabis use and executive function exists independently of social cognition. Eighty-seven patients with schizophrenia were administered measures of social cognition and executive function. Social cognition was assessed using the Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Test to measure affect recognition, and the Eyes and Hinting Tests to measure theory of mind. Executive function was assessed by the Mental Flexibility component of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functioning Scale. The relations between the variables were examined with structural equation modeling. Cannabis use positively related to executive function, negatively related to affect recognition, and had no relationship with theory of mind. There were no indirect effects of other illicit substances on amount of regular cannabis use. Alcohol use was related to worse affect recognition. The relationship between cannabis use and better executive function was supported and was not explained by superior social cognition
In order to help students and beginners of industrial engineering to learn disciplinal definition of industrial engineering and to choose themselves progressional directions, this paper is to review the developing situation of disciplinal definition of industrial engineering, todevelop disciplinal definition of industrial engineering, to set up course system of industrial engineering, based on the comprehension of industrial engineering and the experience in factories which comes from authors' long-term teaching and practice. Finally, a disciplinal definition of industrial engineering is described as an administrative skill system which adopts engineering viewpoint to plan, form, optimize various schemes of social organization activities, to establish, maintain, improve various system of social organization, to achieve operating targets of social organization, and raise benefit and efficiency incessantly. The disciplinal course system should include human-machinery engineering, manufacturing engineering, administrative engineering, information engineering, specialized engineering.
What is known and ObjectiveBiopharmaceuticals are an important class of drugs for the treatment of autoimmune/inflammatory and oncologic diseases. With patent expiries, biotechnological manufacturers can now develop biosimilar drugs. Due to timeliness of introducing new and more complex biosimilars, the Portuguese Association of Hospital Pharmacists gathered to develop a common positioning on the use of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies. Main issuesThe European pathway to biosimilar approval was developed to improve affordability and access to biological therapies, but it remains a work in progress because unresolved issues remain. Due to the present reality of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, hospital pharmacists must play an important role in ensuring the safe, effective and cost-effective use of biosimilars in health systems; and educating healthcare administrators, providers, legislators, policymakers, payors and patients about these products. What is new and conclusionThe conclusions presented in this work focused on the proposal for optimal biosimilar prescription criteria, the preparation of original biologics and biosimilars in the pharmacy, the management and selection of suppliers, extrapolation issues, the specific role of pharmacovigilance and risk management for the optimal use of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies.
This paper presents a novel, integrated platform for energy monitoring, management and savings in the context of a Smart University Building. Namely, the proposed Smart International Hellenic University (IHU) platform integrates an intelligent, rule-based agent that enforces savings, while a variety of applications offers user interaction with the system and the means for monitoring and management. The application layer is built over a common Web Service middleware, incorporating semantic interoperability. Monitoring applications visualize raw and aggregated sensor readings, such as building energy disaggregation, environmental measurements and data center efficiency. Extensive monitoring capabilities allow users to take immediate action and devise policies towards energy-savings. Such policies are, then, autonomously enforced by the intelligent, hybrid agent, which is capable of both deliberative (long-term) and reactive (immediate) actions. The agent is also integrated with the OpenADR standard for receiving provider instructions in future Smart Grids. A pilot deployment of the agent with expert-formulated policies at the MU premises, has managed to reduce the total daily consumption of a typical university office by approximately 16%.
The efforts for more reliable power conversion systems have been gaining momentum in recent years. The majority of the studies concerning reliability of power switches focus on the package-related failures, mainly caused by the cyclic thermal stress. The basic failure precursor for this type of stress has been identified as increased on-state resistance for power MOSFETs in the recent literature. On-state resistance monitoring during converter operation is a challenging and costly task as it requires current and voltage sensing circuits, which can block the high voltage across the switch during off-state to protect the measurement or control unit. This paper proposes a software frequency response analysis method to determine the health status of high-voltage power MOSFETs with high on-state resistance. This is achieved by analyzing and evaluating the variation in the plant model at double pole frequency using the same DSP that is used for control purposes. The proposed concept is analyzed for boost converter; however, it can be used to detect the on-state resistance variation in other types of converters operating in continuous condition mode (CCM). The proposed algorithm is embedded in a low cost DSP and experimentally verified on a dc/dc boost converter.
The present study examined the impact of reputation information on athletes' behavioral responses to coaches within a naturalistic, field-based setting. Using a between-group design, male soccer players (n=35) were assigned to one of three experimental conditions (i.e., experienced reputation, inexperienced reputation, no reputation) prior to taking part in a coaching session delivered by an unknown coach. Participants' behaviors indicative of attention to coach instruction, effort and persistence, and willingness to participate in demonstrations were video recorded throughout the coaching session. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that participants in the experienced reputation condition exhibited significantly greater attention to coach instruction, and greater effort and persistence during free practice than participants in the inexperienced reputation condition. Results related to participants' willingness to participate in demonstrations failed to yield any significant differences. The results provide further evidence to support the contention that athletes use reputation information as a basis for their initial expectancies of coaches, and such expectancies have the potential to influence athletes' behavior during coach-athlete interactions. The findings also indicate that expectancies based on positive information may be more powerful than negatively framed expectancies, and can be harnessed by coaches as a means of developing effective relationships with their athletes.
Objective: Leptin, the product of the ob gene, is a hormone secreted by adipocytes. This study aimed to measure serum concentrations of leptin in normal - weight subjects (body mass index between 18 and 25) and obese subjects (body mass index greater than or equal to 30). It is designed to support an important role for leptin in human metabolism and obesity, Methods: One hundred lean subjects aged (33.16 +/- 12.47) years and 193 obese subjects aged (38.6 +/- 13.5) years, and 73 obese non-insulin dependent diabetes aged (51.9 +/- 9.6) years were included in the study, where as obesity was defined as a body mass index greater than or equal to 30 serum leptin concentrations were measured using a newly developed radioimmunoassay. Results: The mean +/- SD serum leptin concentrations were 25.99 +/- 15.4 ng per milliliter in the obese subjects and 5.84 +/- 5.27 ng per milliliter in the normal weight subjects (P less than or equal to 0.001). Serum leptin concentrations in specimens from lean and obese adults correlated directly with body mass index (body mass index; Kg/m(2)) (r = 0.74, P less than or equal to 0.001). Correlations were significantly improved by separating results by gender (men r = 0.85, women r = 0.72; P less than or equal to 0.001). Conclusions: These findings showed large differences between leptin concentrations in normal and obese subjects; a progressive increase in leptin concentration with increasing body mass index. These results strongly support an important role for leptin in human metabolism and obesity. Leptin may simply reflect the size of adipose. tissue stores.
Taken individually, Ground Source Heat (GSH) pervious paving systems (PPS) and rainwater harvesting are not new, but in combination, this energy-water blend is relatively recent. Sealed with impermeable geomembrane, PPS becomes a water harvesting tank and by installing GSH collectors in the base, there is the potential to sustainably heat and cool buildings, provide flood resilience and improve water quality. A review of the literature found that Coefficients of Performance suggest that such systems could be considered viable, reaching the value of 2.875 required by the EU Renewable Energy Directive, 2009. Small-scale laboratory-based test rigs of the combined system were able to reduce pollutants by up to 99% for biological oxygen demand and 95% for ammonia-nitrogen, with rare occurrences of potentially pathogenic bacteria e.g. Legionella, and low survival rates of Escherichia coli. Whilst test rigs provide valuable information, field monitoring at the building scale is the only way to validate the technology. Thus, this paper presents previously unpublished results of monitoring a combined system at the building scale which found that there is clear potential to use a clean, renewable and sustainable source of heat at the same time as providing flood resilience, water quality improvements and some amenity in a domestic setting. However, it was also found that seasonal changes and building use affected levels of comfort achievable. Lessons were learnt, such as construction strategies to optimise design, including depth of the heat collectors and the optimal surface area of the PPS available to infiltrate water. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rabbit is the third most commonly used animal model in different fields of scientific research, such as reproductive biology, fertility and embryo transfer studies, and immunology. This animal species, often used in antibodies production, has minority of scientific records about the immunological status of its reproductive organs. The aim of this study was to find histological and immunological changes in rabbit female reproductive tract during different reproductive stages. The study was carried out on female rabbits, divided in three groups, according to the following stages of reproductive cycle: Estrous, ovulation and pregnancy. Histological and immunohistochemical stains for T- and B-cells were performed on tissue samples of cornu uteri and cervix. T lymphocytes were predominant in all anatomical parts of the uterus, in all stages of the cycle. The highest number of those cells was recorded at estrous, while the lowest was recorded at pregnancy. Cervix expressed more immunological activity than cornu uteri. The distribution and the number of immune positive cells in the rabbit female reproductive tract depend on its hormonal status.
We have studied and verified experimentally the enhancement in the anticipation time by cascading Chua's circuits. The experiments have been carried out in a one dimensional array of Chua's circuits (2 to 8) coupled unidirectionally, such that each one acts as a master for the next one. By doing so, it has been observed that the anticipation time increases with an increase in the array size. Moreover, the numerical simulations of an array of eighty Chua's circuits verify the experimental observations. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
With the increasing emergence of ambient intelligence, sensors and wireless network technologies, robotic assistance becomes a very active area of research in autonomous intelligent systems. Robotic systems would be integrated in the environment as physical autonomous entities. These entities will be able to interact independently with the ambient environment and provide services such as assistance to people at homes, offices, buildings and public spaces. Furthermore, robots as cognitive entities will be able to coordinate their activities with other physical or logical entities, to move, to feel and explore the surrounding environment, decide and act to meet the situations they may encounter. These cognitive operations will be part of a smart network which can provide individually or collectively, new features and various support services anywhere and anytime. The aim of this research work is to build a multimodal fusion engine using the semantic web. This multimodal system will be applied on a wheelchair with a manipulated arm to help people with disabilities interact with their main tool of movement and their environment. This work focuses on building a multimodal interaction fusion engine to better understand the multimodal inputs using the concept of ontology. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
In the paper, the wide-spread mathematical models of the deterministic chaos transistor oscillators are considered. These models describe dynamic processes to take place in transistor Colpitts oscillators. Variations of the deterministic chaos transistor oscillator's schemes are presented. Phase portraits, time and spectral diagrams of chaotic oscillation were obtained.
A decision tree is one of the techniques in data mining for prediction. Using this method, hidden information from abundant of data can be taken out and interpret the information into useful knowledge. In this paper the academic performance of the student will be examined from 2002 to 2012 from two faculties; Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering and Faculty of Microelectronic Engineering in University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP). The objectives of this study are to determine and compare the factors that affect the students' academic achievement between the two faculties. The prediction results show there are five attributes that have been considered as factors that influence the students' academic performance.
There is increasing interest in describing different variants and subtypes that characterize the heterogeneity of behavior, problems with the aim of supporting early detection and prevention, as well as facilitating research into etiological differences. This work examines the course of co-occurrence of callous-unemotional traits (CU), anxiety (ANX) and oppositionality (ODD-s) levels in a longitudinal community sample. A sample of 622 3 year-old preschoolers, followed up until age 7, was assessed annually with dimensional measures of callous-unemotional traits, oppositional defiant disorder and anxiety and related psychological constructs answered by parents, teachers and, performed by children. Growth-Mixture-Modeling yielded six trajectories (null 58.9%, ANXincreasing 4.9%, CU + ANX + ODD 2.4%, CU + ODD-decreasing 8.1%, ODD-increasing 16.4%, and ANX-decreasing 9.2%) that represent the variants previously described with older subjects. The specifier ODD with limited prosocial emotion (CU + ODD decreasing and increasing) showed deficits in executive functioning, attention, aggressive behavior and social cognition in comparison with null trajectory. The secondary variant showed a more severe clinical picture and presented more difficulties in executive functioning, worse environmental characteristics, and worse outcomes at age 7. It is possible to identify the heterogeneity of disruptive behavior problems from preschool age. The identification of homogeneous groups in this category of disorders may help to design more suitable treatments with specific components for specific difficulties, and to progress in the etiological research of each class. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) has been an effective tool for simulating floods in urban areas, but has been seldom applied for river systems. In this study, a geographic information system (GIS)-based SWMM model was developed to authenticate the model's viability as a streamflow simulator for modeling floods in the Brahmani river delta. The model was set up using a Shuttle Radar Topography Mission-Digital Elevation Model (SRTM-DEM), National Remote Sensing Centre Landuse/Land Cover (NRSC LU/LC), soil from National Bureau of Soil Survey (NBSS), Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) meteorological forcings, and tuned using India-Water Resource Information System (India-WRIS) streamflow data. The calibration and validation of the model was carried out on a monthly time scale from 1980 to 2012, using a Monte Carlo based auto-calibration technique. In addition, a daily basis calibration-validation was carried out. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency and Percent Bias values were found to lie between 0.616-0.899 and 0.09-14.1%, respectively. Moreover, the root mean square error-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR) values were almost close to zero indicating reasonably good model performance. Subsequently, the model reasonably predicted the maximum flow that should be regulated to prevent any possible inundation in the downstream areas. The developed model can thus be employed as an effective flood modeling tool.
Pollen analyses of spider web samples, collected from the recently planted Tectona grandis (T. grandis, teak)-dominated tropical deciduous forest of Bhulsidih Village, Korba District (Chhattisgarh, central India), shed light on the relationship between the extant vegetation and pollen rain. The study revealed the dominance of pollen of herbs and trees, whereas shrubs, fern spores and algal remains are meagre. Among the tree taxa, Sapotaceae, Syzygium, Holoptelea, Lannea coromandelica, Shorea robusta and Grewia are dominating with moderate to low and intermittent presence of Madhuca indica, Terminalia, Mitragyna, Schleichera, Anacardiaceae, Diospyros, Emblica officinalis and Flacourtia. However, the rest of the forest constituents are either not represented at all despite their presence in the floristics, which could be attributed to their low pollen productivity owing to entomophily as well as their poor pollen preservation pattern. On the other hand, the ground vegetation is represented by the very high frequency of grasses (Poaceae) along with Tubuliflorae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae and Cerealia, however, Artemisia, Xanthium, Malvaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Justicia in moderate to lower values. Ferns, which occur abundantly along the adjoining stream banks, are marked by the sporadic retrieval of trilete spores that could be ascribed to the prevailing damp condition around the sampling provenance. The study, in addition to understanding the pollen-vegetation relationship, could also be helpful in aerobiological study, especially in assessing the allergenicity of various pollen grains/spores in the area of investigation, causing bronchial asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis/pollinosis), naso-bronchial allergy and other respiratory disorders along with conjunctivitis, contact dermatitis, eczema, food allergies and other health disorders.
Sex in symbionts is useful in creating beneficial traits. However, the resultant decrease in genetic relatedness between symbionts can be potentially detrimental for mutualistic interactions such as those between fungus-growing termites and the cultivated fungi in the genus Termitomyces, where the termite host should try to increase intra-nest symbiont relatedness to increase crop productivity. Any parasites of this mutualism such as the fungi in the sub-genus Pseudoxylaria may also use sex to generate variation to counter evolving host defensive mechanisms. Using molecular phylogenetic tools, we found within-nest genetic homogeneity in Termitomyces species but not in Pseudoxylaria species associated with the fungus-growing termite Odontotermes obesus. There was lower OTU but higher genotypic diversity (within the most abundant OTU) in the genus Termitomyces than in the sub-genus Pseudoxylaria. Additionally, population genetics methods suggest a sexual population structure for Termitomyces species and clonal propagation for Pseudoxylaria species. This is the first study to investigate the population genetics of the symbiotic fungi associated with the genus Odontotermes from India. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.
Permanent magnet synchronous machines performance is highly dependent on the permanent magnets (PMs) temperature. However, PM temperature measurement is not easy and is not normally implemented in standard machines. Alternatively, PM temperature can be estimated. PM temperature estimation methods can be divided into three major groups: thermal modelbased methods, BEMF-based methods, and methods based on the injection of some form of high-frequency signal into the stator terminals of the machine. One concern for thermal model-based methods is that the model often needs to be adjusted for each machine design and application, knowledge of the machine geometry, materials, and cooling system being, therefore, required. On the contrary, BEMF methods and methods based on high-frequency signal injection estimate the magnet temperature from measurable electrical variables, knowledge of the geometry or cooling system not being required. Though they use the same type of signals, BEMF and high-frequency signal injection methods present relevant differences. This paper realizes a comparative analysis of both methods. Physical principles, performance, and implementation will be addressed.
Quantum-proof randomness extractors are an important building block for classical and quantum cryptography as well as device independent randomness amplification and expansion. Furthermore, they are also a useful tool in quantum Shannon theory. It is known that some extractor constructions are quantum-proof whereas others are provably not [Gavinsky et al., STOC'07]. We argue that the theory of operator spaces offers a natural framework for studying to what extent extractors are secure against quantum adversaries: we first phrase the definition of extractors as a bounded norm condition between normed spaces, and then show that the presence of quantum adversaries corresponds to a completely bounded norm condition between operator spaces. From this, we show that very high min-entropy extractors as well as extractors with small output are always (approximately) quantum-proof. We also study a generalization of extractors called randomness condensers. We phrase the definition of condensers as a bounded norm condition and the definition of quantum-proof condensers as a completely bounded norm condition. Seeing condensers as bipartite graphs, we then find that the bounded norm condition corresponds to an instance of a well-studied combinatorial problem, called bipartite densest subgraph. Furthermore, using the characterization in terms of operator spaces, we can associate to any condenser a Bell inequality (two-player game), such that classical and quantum strategies are in one-to-one correspondence with classical and quantum attacks on the condenser. Hence, we get for every quantum-proof condenser (which includes in particular quantum-proof extractors) a Bell inequality that cannot be violated by quantum mechanics.
The objective of the paper is to evaluate the potential of tank-based rainwater harvesting systems as source control methods to mitigate runoff flow peaks in urban areas. Water balance simulations of the rainwater tanks at the resolution time scale of 1 minute were carried out for this purpose using both high-resolution rainfall series and toilet water demand data from a previous experimental campaign, which involved six experimental households in southern Italy. Simulations show that significant reduction of the flow peak may be obtained with rainwater tanks depending on the tank size and on the household water demand. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Mast cells (MCs) are long-lived resident cells known for their substantial role in antigen-induced anaphylaxis and other immunoglobulin E-mediated allergic reactions as well as tumor promotion. MCs' activation results in the release of pro-inflammatory factors such as histamine, tryptase, tumor necrosis factor or carboxypeptidase A stored in secretory granules. IgE-dependent hypersensitivity has been thought to be the major pathway mediating degranulation of mast cells, but the P2Y14 nucleotide receptor activated by UDP-glucose (UDPG) may also enhance this process. In this study we identified thymidine 5'-O-monophosphorothioate (TMPS) as a molecule inhibiting UDPG-induced degranulation in a rat mast cell line (RBL-2H3). Additionally, TMPS diminished UDPG-evoked intracellular calcium mobilization in a stable HEK293T cell line overexpressing the P2Y14 receptor. Therefore, we demonstrate that the use of thymidine 5'-O-monophosphorothioate might be a novel anti-inflammatory approach based on preventing mast cell activation.
While all cloud based platforms possess security vulnerabilities, the additional security challenges with container systems stem from the sharing of Host OS among independent containers. If a malicious application was to break into the root of container Daemon, it could gain root access into the host kernel thereby compromising the entire system. It could create Denial-Of-Service attack for other user applications, rejecting service to other applications. In this paper, we propose a quantum network security framework for the cloud. We devise a means by which quantum particles, denoted entangled bell pairs, are routed to network nodes. This enables teleportation of quantum information between source and destination only when root privileges are required by an application. The secure quantum channel works on a use-once only policy, so the key data cannot be easily copied, regenerated or spoofed without detection. A network framework for multiple pre-staged channels is devised and we illustrate that policy for network routing of entangle particles formulated as a multi-tenant teleportation network, capable of disseminating key data to servers hosting Docker container applications. The framework can achieve provably high levels of security and is capable of integration into a cloud data center for securing applications using Docker Containers. We also describe quantum network layer protocols for cloud container security that leverage the unique properties of quantum entanglement. To resolve security concerns, this layer would control access between application and container daemon, thereby facilitating restricted communication with proper authentication.
Modern distributed water-aware technologies (including, for example, greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting) enable water reuse at the scale of household or neighbourhood. Nevertheless, even though these technologies are, in some cases, economically advantageous, they have a significant handicap compared to the centralized urban water management options: it is not easy to estimate a priori the extent and the rate of the technology spread. This disadvantage is amplified in the case of additional uncertainty due to expansion of an urban area. This overall incertitude is one of the basic reasons the stakeholders involved in urban water are sceptical about the distributed technologies, even in the cases where these appear to have lower cost. In this study, we suggest a methodology that attempts to cope with this uncertainty by coupling a cellular automata (CA) and a system dynamics (SD) model. The CA model is used to create scenarios of urban expansion including the suitability of installing water-aware technologies for each new urban area. Then, the SD model is used to estimate the adoption rate of the technologies. Various scenarios based on different economic conditions and water prices are assessed. The suggested methodology is applied to an urban area in Attica, Greece.
This work presents a computer-aided design (CAD) approach for voltage reference circuits by controlling main characteristics, such as temperature coefficient, power consumption, mismatch caused by the manufacturing process, transistor area and output noise. The CAD tool and the proposed methodology allow the designer to obtain accurate and optimum initial circuit sizing, thereby reducing the large number of computer runs usually required in voltage reference circuit designs. An illustrative example was carried out in a 180 nm CMOS process and verified by post layout simulations, whose results were in close agreement with the tool predictions, as shown in this paper. The reference circuit achieves an output voltage of 500 mV, a temperature coefficient of 15.19 ppm/C over the temperature range of -40 C to 100 C, a maximum quiescent current of 5 A, a power supply rejection ratio of -57 dB, and a line regulation of 0.250 % from 1.2 V to 1.8 V supply voltage. The chip occupies an area of 0.072 mm(2).
Finding the critical factors that influence the pressure during pumping of concrete has been investigated for years. From fluid mechanics, the relationship between pressure and flow rate, radius or viscosity is known. In the practical guidelines for pumping of conventional vibrated concrete (CVC) the viscosity term is replaced by the concrete yield stress. However, recently, the influence of viscosity on pumping pressure has been reevaluated for self-consolidating concrete (SCC). In this paper, the influence of concrete rheology, tribology, flow rate and pipe radius on pumping pressure are discussed, based on full-scale pumping tests. The concrete mixtures varied from pumpable CVC to segregating SCC. The influence of flow rate and viscosity on pumping of concrete has been confirmed. It is also shown that with a 20% decrease in pipe radius (from 125 to 100 mm), the pumping pressure can be roughly doubled. An increase in yield stress also increases the pumping pressure, but its influence is only visible when the viscosity is approximately constant. The total flow resistance in the tribometer also appears to correlate well with the pumping pressure, proving that the developed tribometer mimics quite well the flow of concrete in a pipe. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper investigates the relationship between perceived ethnic, age and income diversity and neighbourhood attachment, accounting for measures of objective diversity calculated for small, individualised neighbourhoods. With data from Warsaw in Poland, we examine whether neighbourhood ties with people of different ethnicity, age and income moderate the relationship between perceived diversity and attachment. We also test affective appraisals of the environment (excitement and irritation) as a mediator between perceived diversity and attachment. Perceived ethnic diversity was positively related to neighbourhood attachment, and this link was mediated by the emotion of excitement. Perceived income diversity undermined attachment regardless of the neighbourhood ties, and this link was not mediated by affective appraisals. Perceived age diversity was related to lower neighbourhood attachment only for individuals who had few ties with neighbours of different ages. We argue that the effects of diversity may depend on the socio-cultural context, specifically on the level and meaning of diversity in a given society.
Rotation symmetric Boolean functions have been extensively studied in the recent years because of their applications in cryptography. In this study, a novel method to construct p-variable 1-resilient rotation symmetric functions over GF(p) is proposed based on a Latin square with maximum cycle structure, which is not required to solve any equation system. And a lower bound on the number of p-variable 1-resilient rotation symmetric functions is given. At last, an equivalent characterization of p-variable 1-resilient rotation symmetric functions over GF(p) is demonstrated, as a direct corollary, the number of p-variable 1-resilient rotation symmetric functions is represented by all the solutions of the equation system. (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The impact of violent video games (VVGs) on youth remains unclear given inconsistent results in past literature. Most previous experimental studies have been done with college students, not youth. The current study examined the impact of VVGs in an experimental study of teens (12-18). Participants were randomized to play either a violent or non-violent video game. Teens also reported their levels of stress and hostility both before and after video game play. Hostility levels neither decreased nor increased following violent game play, and Bayesian analyzes confirmed that results are supportive of the null hypothesis. By contrast, VVG exposure increased stress, but only for girls. The impact of VVGs on teen hostility is minimal. However, players unfamiliar with such games may find them unpleasant. These results are put into the context of Uses and Gratifications Theory with suggestions for how medical professionals should address the issue of VVG play with concerned parents.
The cloud computing environment has expanded considerably with the rapid advancement of related technologies. Although cloud computing is convenient for users, detecting and preventing possible security breaches remains an unsolved problem. Security logs are critical data that indicate events in an operating system or other software, and these data are stored through heterogeneous machines such as network security devices, server systems, and database management systems (DBMS). However, existing methods can create problems for efficient analysis because of large-scale heterogeneous security logs in the cloud-computing environment. Therefore, because cloud computing provides various services to users, an efficient integration method of security logs must be developed. This study proposes a NoSQL-based method to collect and integrate security logs using MapReduce. Our study shows that log data were reduced by more than 87% when integrating duplicate large-scale security logs. This proposed method provides faster data storage than conventional DBMS and is more effective.
Purpose - For most practical control system problems, the state variables of a system are not often available or measureable due to technical or economical constraints. In these cases, an observer-based controller design problem, which is involved with using the available information on inputs and outputs to reconstruct the unmeasured states, is desirable, and it has been wide investigated in many practical applications. However, the investigation on a discrete-time singular Markovian jumping system is few so far. This paper aims to consider an observer-based control problem for a discrete-time singular Markovian jumping system and provides a set of easy-used conditions to the proposed control law. Design/methodology/approach - According to the connotation of the separation principle extended from linear systems, a mode-dependent observer and a state-feedback controller is designed and carried out independently via two sets of derived necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Findings - A set of necessary and sufficient conditions for an admissibility analysis problem related to a discrete-time singular Markovian jumping system is derived to be a doctrinal foundation for the proposed design problems. Amode-dependent observer and a controller for such systems could be designed via two sets of strictly LMI-based synthesis conditions. Research limitations/implications - The proposed method can be applied to discrete-time singular Markovian jumping systems with transition probability p(ij) >0 rather than the ones with p(ii) = 0. Practical implications -The formulated problem and proposed methods have extensive applications in various fields such as power systems, electrical circuits, robot systems, chemical systems, networked control systems and interconnected large-scale systems. Take robotic networked control systems for example. It is recognized that the variance phenomena derived from network transmission, such as packets dropout, loss and disorder, are suitable for modeling as a system with Markovian jumping modes, while the dynamics of the robot systems can be described by singular systems. In addition, the packets dropout or loss might result in unreliable transmission signals which motivates an observer-based control problem. Originality/value -Both of the resultant conditions of analysis and synthesis problems for a discrete-time singular Markovian jumping system are necessary and sufficient, and are formed in strict LMIs, which can be used and implemented easily via MATLAB toolbox.
Autoimmune diseases often share common susceptibility genes. Most genetic variants associated with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus are also associated with other autoimmune diseases. The X-linked variant rs2294020 is positioned in exon 7 of the CCDC22 gene. The encoded protein functions in the regulation of NF-kappa B, a master regulator in immune response. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the rs2294020 polymorphism may be a general susceptibility factor for autoimmunity. We evaluated case-control association between the occurrence of rs2294020 and different autoimmune diseases, including new data for systemic lupus erythematosus and previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) (though most did not analyse the X chromosome) of psoriasis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, vitiligo, type-1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Cases from patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and type-2 diabetes were also included in the study. We detected nominal significant associations of rs2294020 with systemic lupus erythematosus (additive model test: p = 0.01), vitiligo (p = 0.016), psoriasis (p = 0.038), and in only one of two studies of multiple sclerosis (p = 0.03). Our results suggest that rs2294020 is associated with the risk of several autoimmune diseases in European populations, specifically with diseases that present themselves, among else, in the skin. (C) 2016 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Research in evolutionary psychology, and life history theory in particular, has yielded important insights into the developmental processes that underpin variation in growth, psychological functioning, and behavioral outcomes across individuals. Yet, there are methodological concerns that limit the ability to draw causal inferences about human development and psychological functioning within a life history framework. The current study used a simulation-based modeling approach to estimate the degree of genetic confounding in tests of a well-researched life history hypothesis: that father absence (X) is associated with earlier age at menarche (Y). The results demonstrate that the genetic correlation between X and Y can confound the phenotypic association between the two variables, even if the genetic correlation is small suggesting that failure to control for the genetic correlation between X and Y could produce a spurious phenotypic correlation. We discuss the implications of these results for research on human life history, and highlight the utility of incorporating genetically sensitive tests into future life history research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Maximum distance separable (MDS) matrices are employed to create diffusion layers in block ciphers and hash functions. MDS matrices are generated by linear codes to reduce the cost for software or hardware implementations. However, linear codes can only generate a limited number of MDS matrices in a finite field. As a consequence, many block ciphers adopt the same matrices. This paper describes the design of a generator to create a large number of different MDS matrices at the same time by changing parameters of the high dimensional Cat Map, named a multi-MDS matrix generator. We identify three types of Cat matrices which can be used to construct a multi-MDS matrix generator. In addition, we prove that the proposed MDS matrices with a small number of both different elements and XOR gates are efficient in terms of implementation performance. Finally, we show that the multi-MDS matrix generator inherits the dynamical properties of the high-dimensional Cat map, improving the resistance of diffusion layers against the powerful techniques of cryptanalysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Background: Children with disabilities are often the target of prejudice from their peers. The effects of prejudice include harmful health consequences. The Contact Hypothesis has previously shown to promote positive attitudes towards a range of social groups. Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of school-based interventions for improving children's attitudes towards disability through contact with people with disabilities. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases. Studies were included if it evaluated an intervention that aimed to improve children's attitudes towards disability and involved either direct (in-person) or indirect (e.g., extended) contact with people with disabilities. Data were synthesised in a meta-analysis. Results: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 11 found significant effects: six used direct contact, two used extended contact, two used parasocial (media-based) contact and one used guided imagined contact. One parasocial contact intervention found no significant effects. Three meta-analyses showed direct contact (d = 0.55, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.90) and extended contact (d = 0.61, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.07) improved children's attitudes; there was no evidence for parasocial contact (d = 0.20, 95% CI -0.01 to 1.40). Conclusions: Direct, extended, and guided imagined contact interventions are effective in improving children's attitudes towards disability; there was no evidence for parasocial contact. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Biomaterial vaccines offer new capabilities that can be exploited for both infectious disease and cancer. We recently developed a novel vaccine platform based on self-assembly of immune signals into immune polyelectrolyte multilayers (iPEMs). These iPEM vaccines are electrostatically assembled from peptide antigens and nucleic acid-based toll-like receptor agonists (TLRas) that serve as molecular adjuvants. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coated with iPEMs stimulate effector cytokine secretion in vitro and expand antigen-specific T cells in mice. Here we investigated how the dose, injection route, and choice of molecular adjuvant impacts the ability of iPEMs to generate T cell immunity and anti-tumor response in mice. Three injection routesintradermal, subcutaneous, and intramuscularand three iPEM dosing levels were employed. Intradermal injection induced the most potent antigen-specific T cell responses and, for all routes, the level of response was dose-dependent. We further discovered that these vaccines generate durable memory, indicated by potent, antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell recall responses in mice challenged with vaccine 49 days after a prime-boost immunization regimen. In a common exogenous antigen melanoma model, iPEM vaccines slowed or stopped tumor growth more effectively than equivalent ad-mixed formulations. Further, iPEMs containing CpGa TLR9awere more potent compared with iPEMs containing polyIC, a TLR3a. These findings demonstrate the ability of iPEMs to enhance response to several different classes of vaccine cargos, supporting iPEMs as a simple vaccine platform that mimics attractive features of other nanoparticles using immune signals that can be self-assembled or coated on substrates. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 423-431. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Papers [1] and [2] focused on governor fundamental speed control basics; the focus of this paper is a fundamental understanding of Automatic Voltage Regulator [3] basics for voltage control and MVAR load sharing. Discussions focus on non-complex, islanding applications for upstream oil and gas and downstream petrochemical facilities, such as, large motor starting, gas turbine step load capability after mechanical tripping of an online generator, load shedding to preserve continued system operation, and electrical protection philosophy basics to maintain system stability.
The techniques of soil reinforcement by geotextile are easy and economic solutions that limit the surface settlements of embankments prone to sinkholes. The design of such structures is based on understanding complex mechanisms, such as the tensile geosynthetic behavior under vertical loading, the frictional interaction between the soil and the reinforcement, the load transfer mechanisms and the arching effect in the soil embankment. Recently, significant progress has been made, allowing for improvement of the design methods by taking into account the frictional and sliding effects of the geosynthetic sheet in the anchorage areas and the local increase of the vertical stresses in the vicinity of the edges of the cavity. Nevertheless, the soil dilatancy, or the load transfer mechanisms in the embankment during the formation of the cavity or under static or cyclic loadings, remains unknown. Additionally, the reinforced, treated soil layer has not been specifically studied. To focus on the soil embankment behavior over a void, experimental studies were conducted as part of the FUI research project GeoInov. Sinkholes are experimentally simulated under granular embankments and treated soil layers, both reinforced by geotextiles. Each void is created by a device that allows the progressive formation of a circular cavity with an increasing diameter of 0.75, 1.25 and 2.2 m. This enables reproduction of the formation of some natural sinkholes. After the void reaches a size of 2.2 m wide, traffic loads are applied on the top surface of the embankment. Then, during both the formation of the cavity and the vehicle traffic loading, a dedicated instrumentation is used to measure the dilatancy and the soil movement, the load transfer, the deformation of the geotextile and the surface settlement. The experimental results are then analyzed and compared with existing analytical methods to improve the existing analytical methods. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hyperphosphorylated tau has a critical role in tauopathies such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, impairing neuronal function and eventually leading to neurodegeneration. A critical role for tau is supported by studies in transgenic mouse models that express the P301L tau mutation found in cases of familial frontotemporal dementia, with the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau in the hippocampus causing reductions in hippocampal long-term potentiation and impairments in spatial learning and memory. However, what has remained unexplored is the role of hyperphosphorylated tau in reducing neuronal excitability. Here, we show in two complementary P301L tau transgenic mouse models that hyperphosphorylated tau induces a more depolarized threshold for action potential initiation and reduces firing in hippocampal CA1 neurons, which was rescued by the suppression of transgenic tau. Furthermore, using mutagenesis and primary hippocampal neuronal cultures, we reveal that this reduction in neuronal excitability results from the relocation of the axon initial segment (AIS) down the axon in a tau phosphorylation-dependent manner. We also demonstrate that this effect is microtubule-dependent. In addition, pharmacological stabilization was found to prevent both the structural and functional deficits caused by tau hyperphosphorylation. Finally, we demonstrate that the AIS of neurons from tau transgenic mice is further down the axon, which correlates with a reduction in excitability. We therefore propose that a reduction in hippocampal excitability due to a tau-mediated distal relocalization of the AIS contributes to the hippocampal dysfunction observed in tauopathies.
A total of 211 water samples were collected from 53 key sampling points from 5-10th July 2013 at four different depths (0 m, 2 m, 4 m, 8 m) and at different sites in the Huaihe River, Anhui, China. These points monitored for 18 parameters (water temperature, pH, TN, TP, TOC, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd, Mn, B, Fe, Al, Mg, and Ba). The spatial variability, contamination sources and health risk of trace elements as well as the river Water quality were investigated. Our results were compared with national (CSEPA) and international (WHO, USEPA) drinking water guidelines, revealing that Zn, Cd and Pb were the dominant pollutants in the water body. Application of different multivariate statistical approaches, including correlation matrix and factor/principal component analysis (FA/PCA), to assess the origins of the elements in the Huaihe River, identified three source types that accounted for 79.31% of the total variance. Anthropogenic activities were considered to contribute Much of the Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, and Mn via industrial waste, coal combustion, and vehicle exhaust; Ba, B, Cr and Cu were controlled by mixed anthropogenic and natural sources, and Mg, Fe and Al had natural origins from weathered rocks and crustal materials. Cluster analysis (CA) was used to classify the 53 sample points into three groups of water pollution, high pollution, moderate pollution, and low pollution, reflecting influences from tributaries, power plants and vehicle exhaust, and agricultural activities, respectively. The results of the water quality index (WO) indicate that Water in the Huaihe River is heavily polluted by trace elements, so approximately 96% of the water in the Huaihe River is unsuitable for drinking. A health risk assessment using the hazard quotient and index (HQ/HI) recommended by the USEPA suggests that Co, Cd and Pb in the river could cause non-carcinogenic harm to human health. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Faculty of Engineering at King Abdulaziz University plans to redesign its undergraduate courses, which is required for students in 14 different programs. These courses have an annual enrolment of about 2,500 students each year. The Operations Research Teaching Area in the Department of Industrial Engineering will be presented as a case study. This area involves two core and three elective courses. The course redesign involves preparing students for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam requirements while coping with the best worldwide practices as benchmark. The FE Exam is a computer based test (CBT). It is closed book with an electronic reference. Examinees have 6 hours to complete the exam, which contains multiple-choice questions. The 6-hour time also includes a tutorial and an optional scheduled break. The exam session is administered in the following seven disciplines: Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Environmental, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical, and Other Disciplines. The top ten USA Universities in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering are used as a benchmark to reliably lead to the desired courses redesign results. Moreover, faculty experience is also utilized to enhance the process.
Much is unknown about adult attachment style formation. We investigate whether negative reinforcement schedules promote hallmark features of secure and anxious attachment styles in a shock threat support-seeking paradigm. Participants ostensibly asked for help from another participant seated in another room. Each time a shock threat signal appeared they were to press a button to indicate their need for help. The supporter could then stop the imminent shock. The reliability of the supporters was varied such that some supporters were consistent (continuous reinforcement) whereas others were inconsistent (variable ratio reinforcement). Results indicated that inconsistently responsive others, reinforcing on a variable ratio schedule, led to heightened approach-related attentional biases toward the supporter, measured by event-related potentials, increased positive attachment associations with the supporter, implicitly measured via a lexical decision task, and more negative explicit evaluations of the supporter.
Detecting surface coal mining areas (SCMAs) using remote sensing data in a timely and an accurate manner is necessary for coal industry management and environmental assessment. We developed an approach to effectively extract SCMAs from remote sensing imagery based on object-oriented decision trees (OODT). This OODT approach involves three main steps: object-oriented segmentation, calculation of spectral characteristics, and extraction of SCMAs. The advantage of this approach lies in its effective integration of the spectral and spatial characteristics of SCMAs so as to distinguish the mining areas (i.e., the extracting areas, stripped areas, and dumping areas) from other areas that exhibit similar spectral features (e.g., bare soils and built-up areas). We implemented this method to extract SCMAs in the eastern part of Ordos City in Inner Mongolia, China. Our results had an overall accuracy of 97.07% and a kappa coefficient of 0.80. As compared with three other spectral information-based methods, our OODT approach is more accurate in quantifying the amount and spatial pattern of SCMAs in dryland regions. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
prosocial behavior refers to voluntary actions intended to help or benefit other individuals or group of individuals. in this article we revise experimental research on prosocial behavior in childhood. The first manifestations of prosocial behavior begin to appear after the first year of life, in simple acts such as helping an adult to reach a pencil that fell on the floor, or pointing to an object the adult is looking for. Later on they become more complex and diverse: children begin to share when another individual is at a resource disadvantage, or to cooperate with others to achieve a common goal. These experimental studies in early and middle childhood, allow to have an overview of prosocial behavior during this stage of life. The most difficult behaviors for children to achieve are those where they have to provide emotional support to someone who is sad or frustrated, or those altruistic acts that would involve a sacrifice for the child such as giving up an object of his own to improve the welfare of the other.
Food allergies have become a global challenge to food safety in industrialized countries in recent years. With governmental monitoring and legislation moving towards the establishment of threshold allergen doses, there is a need for sensitive and quantitative analytical methods for the determination of allergenic food contaminants. Targeted proteomics employing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has emerged as a promising technique that offers increased specificity and reproducibility compared to antibody and DNA-based technologies. As the detection of trace levels of allergenic food contaminants also demands excellent sensitivity, we aimed to significantly increase the analytical performance of LC-MS by utilizing multiple reaction monitoring cubed (MRM3) technology. Following a bottom-up proteomics approach, including a straightforward sample preparation process, 38 MRM3 experiments specific to 18 proteotypic peptides were developed and optimized. This permitted the highly specific identification of peanut, almond, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, and walnut. The analytical performance of the method was assessed for three relevant food matrices with different chemical compositions. Limits of detection were around 1 mu g/g or below in fortified matrix samples, not accounting for the effects of food processing. Compared to an MRM-based approach, the MRM3-based method showed an increase in sensitivity of up to 30-fold. Regression analysis demonstrated high linearity of the MRM3 signal in spiked matrix samples together with robust intersample reproducibility, confirming that the method is highly applicable for quantitative purposes. To the best of our knowledge, we describe here the most sensitive LC-MS multi-method for food allergen detection thus far. In addition, this is the first study that systematically compares MRM3 with MRM for the analysis of complex foods.
In this study, the water quality of the Marreco River in the municipality of Toledo, PR, Brazil was investigated as part of a monitoring program. Conventional water pollution parameters (pH, turbidity, conductivity, COD, DO, ammonia, and total phosphorus) and metal elements were analyzed. Acute toxicity bioassays were conducted by the bacterial bioluminescence method, using the indicator Vibrio fischeri to evaluate the toxic effect of the contaminants. Principal components analysis (PCA) and Pearson's correlation were applied to assess the statistical correlation between the physicochemical parameters and metals in the water samples. There is strong evidence, supported by Pearson and PCA analyses, of the presence of elevated levels of K and Ca associated with anthropogenic activities installed in the river basin.
Research over the last few years in cellular reprogramming has enlightened the magical potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) in changing the cell fate from somatic to pluripotent. Recent investigations on exploring the role(s) of miRNAs in somatic cell reprogramming revealed that they target a wide range of molecules and refine their protein output. This leads to fine tuning of distinct cellular processes including cell cycle, signalling pathways, transcriptional activation/silencing and epigenetic modelling. The concerted actions of miRNA on different pathways simultaneously strengthen the transition from a differentiated to de-differentiated state. Despite the well characterized transcriptional and epigenetic machinery underlying somatic cell reprogramming, the molecular circuitry for miRNA mediated cellular reprogramming is rather fragmented. This review summarizes recent findings addressing the role of miRNAs in inducing or suppressing reprogramming thus uncovering novel potentials of miRNAs as regulators of induced pluripotency maintenance, establishment and associated signalling pathways. Our bioinformatic analysis sheds light on various unexplored biological processes and pathways associated with reprogramming inducing miRNAs, thus helps in identifying roadblocks to full reprogramming. Specifically, the biological significance of highly conserved and most studied miRNA cluster, i.e. miR-302-367, in reprogramming is also highlighted. Further, roles of miRNAs in the differentiation of neurons from iPSCs are discussed. A recent approach of direct conversion or transdifferentiation of differentiated cells into neurons by miRNAs is also elaborated. This approach is now widely gaining impetus for the generation of neurological patient's brain cells directly from his/her somatic cells in an efficient and safe manner. Thus, decoding the intricate circuitry between miRNAs and other gene regulatory networks will not only uncover novel pathways in the direct reprogramming of somatic cells but will also open new avenues in stein cell biology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, semi-analytical and numerical models developed in our previous works to study the dynamic behaviour of natural convection are assessed against the experimental data obtained by means of the L2 Natural Circulation Loop (NCL) of DIME-Tec Labs (University of Genoa). As for the experimental campaign, reference is made to a set of nine experiments performed using water as working fluid and providing a thermal power of 2 kW. This set of data is firstly adopted for the validation of a semi analytical linear analysis tool aimed at studying the asymptotic behaviour of NCLs through the definition of dimensionless stability maps. Then, two different numerical models (adopted in our previous work to confirm the linear analysis) are assessed, namely an Object-Oriented (O-O) one-dimensional model and a three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. In this regard, the O-O model represents a fast tool for the evaluation of the most important quantities, such as the velocity and the temperature fields in the loop along the axial coordinate. On the other hand, the CFD tool, which is intended as a support to the 1D analysis, is characterised by a high computational burden, but allows highlighting interesting 3D spatial effects. The validation of these tools is not secondary with respect to that of the stability maps. Actually, the numerical approach is fundamental to study the time-dependent behaviour of both stable and unstable natural circulation regimes, for which the stability maps do not provide information. As for the achieved results, the developed models are able to catch the behaviour of the experimental data. In particular, this outcome is possible if an accurate modelling of both the heat-exchanger section and the piping thermal inertia is considered. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hot forging processes of a spur gear shaft with three billet sizes are simulated using FEM. The billet with size of Phi 36*60 has the best formability in hot forging the spur gear shaft. The effects of the initial billet temperature and the friction coefficient on the hot forging formability of the spur gear shaft are obtained respectively through simulation. Hot forging experiments are carried out and experimental results show good agreement with those in simulation. At last, the reasonable hot forging parameters of the spur gear shaft for manufacturing engineering are suggested as follows: billet size of Phi 36*60, billet initial temperature of 1050 degrees C and friction coefficient of 0.3.
In two studies based on Stanley Milgram's original pilots, we present the first systematic examination of cyranoids as social psychological research tools. A cyranoid is created by cooperatively joining in real-time the body of one person with speech generated by another via covert speech shadowing. The resulting hybrid persona can subsequently interact with third parties face-to-face. We show that naive interlocutors perceive a cyranoid to be a unified, autonomously communicating person, evidence for a phenomenon Milgram termed the cyranic illusion. We also show that creating cyranoids composed of contrasting identities (a child speaking adult-generated words and vice versa) can be used to study how stereotyping and person perception are mediated by inner (dispositional) vs. outer (physical) identity. Our results establish the cyranoid method as a unique means of obtaining experimental control over inner and outer identities within social interactions rich in mundane realism.
In recent years, the myocardium has been rediscovered under the lenses of immunology, and lymphocytes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathies with different etiologies. Aging is an important risk factor for heart diseases, and it also has impact on the immune system. Thus, we sought to determine whether immunological activity would influence myocardial structure and function in elderly mice. Morphological, functional, and molecular analyses revealed that the age-related myocardial impairment occurs in parallel with shifts in the composition of tissue-resident leukocytes and with an accumulation of activated CD4+ Foxp3(-)(forkhead box P3) IFN-gamma(+) T cells in the heart-draining lymph nodes. A comprehensive characterization of different aged immune-deficient mouse strains revealed that T cells significantly contribute to age-related myocardial inflammation and functional decline. Upon adoptive cell transfer, the T cells isolated from the mediastinal lymph node (med-LN) of aged animals exhibited increased cardiotropism, compared with cells purified from young donors or from other irrelevant sites. Nevertheless, these cells caused rather mild effects on cardiac functionality, indicating that myocardial aging might stem from a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic (immunological) factors. Taken together, the data herein presented indicate that heart-directed immune responses may spontaneously arise in the elderly, even in the absence of a clear tissue damage or concomitant infection. These observations might shed new light on the emerging role of T cells in myocardial diseases, which primarily affect the elderly population.
Logitech made the following statement in 2009: Since the displacements of a mouse would not give any useful information to a hacker, the mouse reports are not encrypted. In this paper, we prove the exact opposite is true-i.e., it is indeed possible to leak sensitive information such as passwords through the displacements of a Bluetooth mouse. Our results can be easily extended to other wireless mice using different radio links. We begin by presenting multiple ways to sniff unencrypted Bluetooth packets containing raw mouse movement data. We then show that such data may reveal text-based passwords entered by clicking on software keyboards. We propose two attacks, the prediction attack and replay attack, which can reconstruct the on-screen cursor trajectories from sniffed mouse movement data. Two inference strategies are used to discover passwords from cursor trajectories. We conducted a holistic study over all popular operating systems and analyzed how mouse acceleration algorithms and packet losses may affect the reconstruction results. Our real-world experiments demonstrate the severity of privacy leakage from unencrypted Bluetooth mice. We also discuss countermeasures to prevent privacy leakage from wireless mice. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to demonstrate privacy leakage from raw mouse data.
In a digital control system, the dependency model between the actions of operators differs from that in a conventional control room because information sharing and the main control room (MCR) operations are team operations. Dependencies between the actions of operators are more common in a digital control system compared with a conventional control room because operators share the same information and MCR operations are directed by team decisions. Therefore, assessing the dependencies between operators is an important aspect of human reliability analysis. In this study, we use a fuzzy logic-based approach to evaluate the dependencies among the actions of operators in the present study. First, the factors that influence the dependency levels among the actions of operators are identified by analyzing the characteristic human factors in a digital control system and an analytical model of the dependencies is then constructed. Second, a method for analyzing the dependencies between the actions of operators is established based on a fuzzy logic approach. This method can simulate vague and uncertain knowledge, but it also provides a clear explanation of the origins of results and their reasoning process by tracing the steps in reasoning. Therefore, traceability and repeatability are characteristics of the proposed method. Third, we present a case study to demonstrate the proposed approach. Finally, we demonstrate that the results obtained are reasonable and that the established model is stable based on validations that involve data comparisons and a sensitivity analysis of the model. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Smart home service market is growing as sensor network technologies are developed and as it makes our life pattern simpler, safer and richer. User identification technologies have been investigated to provide personalized service and floor sensing is the most reasonable way for it because it arises little privacy issues. However, there is an installation cost problem when it is installed on whole floor. In this paper, we propose a novel smart home sensor system with a foot mat-shaped user identification sensor.
Pyrosequencing targeting the V1-V3 hypervariable of the 16S rDNA was used to investigate the bacterial diversity in river and roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) used for potable purposes by rural households in Luthengele village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The phylum Proteobacteria dominated the data set (80.5 % of all reads), while 4.2 % of the reads could not be classified to any of the known phyla at a probability of 0.8 or higher (unclassified bacteria). At class level, the classes; Betaproteobacteria (50.4 % of all reads), Alphaproteobacteria (16.2 %), Verrucomicrobiae (6.6 %), Planctomycetacia (5.7 %), and Sphingobacteria (3 %) dominated the data set in all the samples. Although the class Verrucomicrobiae constituted 6.6 % of all sequences, 88.6 % of the sequences were from the river sample where the class represented 43.7 % of the observed sequences in the sample. The bacteria community structure clearly showed significant similarities between RHRW and differences with the river water control sample, suggesting different levels of contamination and environmental factors affecting the various water sources. Moreover, signatures of potential pathogens including Legionella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Clostridia, Chromobacterium, Yersinia, and Serratia were detected, and the proportions of Legionella were relatively higher suggesting a potential health risk to households using RHRW. This work provides guidance for prioritizing subsequent culturable and quantitative analysis to ensure that potentially significant pathogens are not left out of risk estimations.
Intelligence from a human source, that is falsely thought to be true, is potentially more harmful than a total lack of it. In addition to the collection the veracity assessment of the gathered information is one of the most important phases of the process. Lie detection and veracity assessment methods have been studied widely but a comprehensive analysis of these methods' applicability is lacking. Multi Criteria Analysis was conducted to compare scientifically valid lie detection and veracity assessment methods in terms of accuracy, ease of use, time requirements, need for special equipment and unobtrusiveness. Results of the analysis showed that Studied Features of Discourse and Nonverbal Communication gained the highest ranking. They were assessed to be the easiest and fastest to apply, and to have required temporal and contextual sensitivity. Plausibility and Inner Logic, MACE and CBCA were also found to be useful, but with some limitations.
As there is a few area or topographic factors for landfill site, the slope angle becomes steeper because it makes much disposal capacity. Tensile force in the geotextile is caused by compaction work of disposed waste, and the tensile force is transferred into the liner system by friction, but the tensile force of liner system will change with a change of slope angle, so it is very important to determine the amount of tensile forces creating at the fixed ends of liner system for avoiding the tearing failure of liner system and designing the anchorage. In this paper, FEM analyses, in which the joint element was used to model the interface between the liner system, were conducted to estimate the tensile forces creating at the fixed ends of liner system with a change of slope angle from 1:2.5 to 1:0.2. The analysis results show that the tensile forces creating at the fixed end of liner decrease as the slope angle increases.
Today, privacy is a key concept. It is also one which is rapidly evolving with technological advances, and there is no consensus on a single definition for it. In fact, the concept of privacy has been defined in many different ways, ranging from the right to be left alone to being a commodity that can be bought and sold. In the same time, powerful Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems are being developed, that deploy context-aware, personalised, adaptive and anticipatory services. In such systems personal data is vastly collected, stored, and distributed, making privacy preservation a critical issue. The human-centred focus of AmI systems has prompted the introduction of new kinds of technologies, e.g. Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET), and methodologies, e.g. Privacy by Design (PbD), whereby privacy concerns are included in the design of the system. One particular application field, where privacy preservation is of critical importance is Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). Emerging from the continuous increase of the ageing population, AAL focuses on intelligent systems of assistance for a better, healthier and safer life in their living environment. In this paper, we first build on our previous work, in which we introduced a new tripartite categorisation of privacy as a right, an enabler, and a commodity. Second, we highlight the specific privacy issues raised in AAL. Third, we review and discuss current approaches for privacy preservation. Finally, drawing on lessons learned from AAL, we provide insights on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Part of our methodology is a statistical analysis performed on the IEEE publications database. We illustrate our work with AAL scenarios elaborated in cooperation with the city of Luxembourg.
Current concepts of growth hydraulics in higher plants are critically revisited, and it is concluded that they partly fail to interpret the experimental data adequately, particularly in the case of hydroponics-grown roots. Theoretical considerations indicate that the growth rate in roots is controlled by the extensibility of the cell wall, excluding water availability (i.e. hydraulic conductance) as a major constraint. This is supported by the findings that the growth rate does not scale with turgor, and that no radial nor axial water potential gradients have been observed in the root elongation zone. Nevertheless, a water potential deficit ranging from -0.2 to -0.6 MPa has repeatedly been reported for growing cells that by far exceeds the shallow trans-membrane water potential difference required for the uptake of growth water. Unexpectedly, growth was also shown to depend on the hydraulic conductance (LP) of the plasma membrane of root cells, even though LP should generally be too large to have an impact on growth. For leaves, similar observations have been reported, but the interpretation of the data is less straightforward. Inconsistencies associated with the current model of growth hydraulics prompt the author to suggest a revised model that comprises, in addition to a passive mechanism of water transport across the plasma membrane of growing cells mediated by aquaporins ('leak') a secondary active water transport ('pump'), in analogy to a mechanism previously demonstrated for mammalian epithelia and postulated for xylem parenchyma cells in roots. Water is hypothesised to be secreted against a trans-membrane water potential difference by cotransport with solutes (salts, sugars, and/or amino acids), taking advantage of the free energy released by this transport step. The solute concentration gradient is supposed to be maintained by a subsequent retrieval of the solutes from the apoplast and back-transport at the expense of metabolic energy. Water secretion tends to reduce the turgor pressure and retards growth, but turgor and, in turn, growth can be upregulated very rapidly independent from any adjustment in the osmolyte deposition rate by increasing LP and/or reducing secondary active water transport, e.g. when the root is exposed to mild osmotic stress, as confirmed by experimental studies.
To combine the complementary strengths of human vision (HV) and computer vision (CV) in target image retrieval, we proposed a brain-computer interface framework, Bayesian HV-CV Retrieval (BHCR), which couples HV with CV by a Bayesian method to retrieve target images in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) sequences. To construct a well-suited electroencephalogram (EEG) decoding module for BHCR, we conducted a comparative inspection on the selection of classification algorithms, and adopted linear discriminant analysis and random forests as a feature extraction method and classification algorithm, respectively. We also introduced a CV system based on convolutional neural network (CNN) as a component of BHCR. A Bayesian brain-computer interaction (BBC') module was carefully designed so that for each presented image, a Bayesian model that takes HV insight as prior information and CV insights as sample information is built up to present retrieval results. Unlike existing HV-CV coupled works that usually require extra manual labor, BHCR directly enhanced retrieval performance with the help of CV insights. As an auxiliary work and a natural extension of BHCR, we then proposed a probability propagation scheme that incorporates EEG decoding insights to improve the CV system and a one-shot image database retrieval scheme. We demonstrated the effectiveness of BHCR by extensive experiments and simulations on both the entire framework and its sub-components. The results showed the following: (1) The performance of BHCR was significantly better than the EEG-only mechanism in both receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and classification aspects; (2) The robustness of BHCR was ensured by its process flow and the steady performances of its sub-components. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Vote by ballot is the feature in a democratic society and the process of decision-making, tending to achieve the philosophy of democratic politics by having the public who are eligible to vote for competent candidates or leaders. With the rapid development of technologies and network applications, electronization has been actively promoted globally during the social transformation period that the concept of electronic voting is further derived. The major advantages of electronic voting, comparing with traditional voting, lie in the mobility strength of electronic voting, reducing a large amount of election costs and enhancing the convenience for the public. Electronic voting allows voters completing voting on the Internet that not only are climate and location restrictions overcome, but the voter turnout is also increased and the voting time is reduced for the public. With the development in the past three decades, electronic voting presents outstanding performance theoretically and practically. Nevertheless, it is regrettable that electronic voting schemes still cannot be completely open because of lures by money and threats. People to lure by money and threats would confirm the voters following their instructions through various methods that more factors would appear on election results, affecting the quality and fairness of the election. In this study, this project aims to design an electronic voting scheme which could actually defend voters' free will so that lure of money and threats would fail. Furthermore, an electronic voting system based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography is proposed to ensure the efficiency and security, and Ring Signature and Signcryption are applied to reducing the computing costs. Moreover, this project also focuses on applying voting system to mobile devices. As the system efficiency and security are emphasized, voters do not need to participate in the election, but simply complete voting with smart phones, iPads, and computers. The votes would be automatically calculated and verified the results that the ballots are not necessarily printed, the printing of election mails is reduced, and manual handling is canceled. Such a method would effectively reduce voting costs and enhance the economic efficiency.
Data-driven models can be used as an efficient proxy to model complex concepts in engineering. It is common engineering practice to optimize some controllable input parameters in a model to increase efficiency of operations. Machine Learning can be used to predict the rate of penetration (ROP) during drilling to a great accuracy as shown by Hegde, Wallace, and Gray (2015). This paper illustrates the use of machine learning to predict and increase ROP effectively. The machine learning model is first used to predict ROP with input parameters such as weight on bit (WOB), rotations per minute of the drill bit (RPM), and flow rate of the drilling mud. The input parameters are then modified to increase ROP. This process has been applied to field drilling data from a vertical well consisting of different rocks and formations. The procedure can be used to determine the maximum achievable ROP in each formation, and map out operational guidelines for drilling of pad wells. A post drilling analysis can be conducted for pad wells to cut costs and save time while drilling. This model is very innovative because only surface measured parameters are used, without a priori requirements for geological, laboratory, or drilling data. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Prion diseases, like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson disease, are rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorders caused by mis-folding followed by aggregation and accumulation of protein deposits in neuronal cells. Here we measure intramolecular polypeptide backbone reconfiguration as a way to understand the molecular basis of prion aggregation. Our hypothesis is that when reconfiguration is either much faster or much slower than bimolecular diffusion, biomolecular association is not stable, but as the reconfiguration rate becomes similar to the rate of biomolecular diffusion, the association is more stable and subsequent aggregation is faster. Using the technique of Trp-Cys contact quenching, we investigate the effects of various conditions on reconfiguration dynamics of the Syrian hamster and rabbit prion proteins. This protein exhibits behavior in all three reconfiguration regimes. We conclude that the hamster prion is prone to aggregation at pH 4.4 because its reconfiguration rate is slow enough to expose hydrophobic residues on the same time scale that bimolecular association occurs, whereas the rabbit sequence avoids aggregation by reconfiguring 10 times faster than the hamster sequence.
Energy management strategies (EMSs) are critical for the improvement of fuel economy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However, conventional EMSs hardly consider the influence of uphill terrain on the fuel economy and battery life, leaving vehicles with insufficient battery power for continuous uphill terrains. Hence, in this study, an optimal control strategy for a PHEV based on the road grade information is proposed. The target state of charge (SOC) is estimated based on the road grade information as well as the predicted driving cycle on uphill road obtained from the GPS/GIS system. Furthermore, the trajectory of the SOC is preplanned to ensure sufficient electricity for the uphill terrain in the charge depleting (CD) and charge sustaining (CS) modes. The genetic algorithm is applied to optimize the parameters of the control strategy to maintain the SOC of battery in the CD mode. The pre-charge mode is designed to charge the battery in the CS mode from a reasonable distance before the uphill terrain. Finally, the simulation model of the powertrain system for the PHEV is established using MATLAB/Simulink platform. The results show that the proposed control strategy based on road-grade information helps successfully achieve better fuel economy and longer battery life.
Oxycodone DETERx (R) (Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc, Canton, Massachusetts) is an extended-release, microsphere-in-capsule, abuse-deterrent formulation designed to retain its extended-release properties after tampering (eg, chewing/crushing). This randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled, triple-dummy study evaluated the oral abuse potential of intact and chewed oxycodone DETERx capsules compared with crushed immediate-release oxycodone. Subjects with a history of recreational opioid use who were nondependent/nontolerant to opioids were enrolled. Treatments included intact oxycodone DETERx (high-fat, high-calorie meal and fasted), chewed oxycodone DETERx (high-fat, high-calorie meal and fasted), crushed immediate-release oxycodone (fasted), and placebo (high-fat, high-calorie meal). Plasma samples were collected to determine pharmacokineticparameters. The primary endpoint was drug liking at the moment; other endpoints included drug effects questionnaire scores, Addiction Research Center Inventory/Morphine Benzedrine Group score, pupillometry measurements, and safety. Thirty-eight subjects completed the study. Chewed and intact oxycodone DETERx were bioequivalent, unlike crushed immediate-release oxycodone, which yielded higher peak oxycodone plasma concentrations compared with all methods of oxycodone DETERx administration. The mean maximum (peak) effect (Emax)for drug liking was significantly lower for chewed and intact oxycodone DETERx than for crushed immediate-release oxycodone (P < .01). The time to Emax was significantly longer for chewed and intact oxycodone DETERx than for crushed immediate-release oxycodone (P < .0001). Scores for feeling high and Addiction Research Center Inventory/Morphine Benzedrine Group scores demonstrated lower abuse potential for chewed and intact oxycodone DETERx compared with crushed immediate-release oxycodone. Study treatments were well tolerated; no subjects experienced serious adverse events. These results demonstrate the lower oral abuse potential of chewed and intact oxycodone DETERx than crushed immediate-release oxycodone.
The paradigm the new European Higher Education Area places us together with the teaching/learning guidelines and models. This fact demands the teacher to adapt his/her function considering new methods which locate the students in the centre of this process. In this context the definition of academic curriculum for the future engineers in the field of Manufacturing Engineering at the Bilbao Engineering Faculty (UPV/EHU) is presented. It must be taken into account that metalworking industry is of primary importance in our region, and the University must face the challenge of training engineers at different levels, from those that go into industry with the 3 years-degree up to those who choose research as a career and carry out their Ph.D. Thesis. In the intermediate, the training of specialists for the Machine-Tools industry, and the activities of long-life learning are also present in our Faculty.
Objective. To identify empirical evidence of diagnostic delay in spondyloarthritis (SpA), determine whether sex-related differences persist, and conduct an analysis from that perspective of the possible causes, including the influence of quality research, in this group of inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Methods. A systematic review was done of delay in diagnosis of SpA in MEDLINE and EMBASE and other sources. Study quality was determined in line with the Strengthening The Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. A metaanalysis of 13 papers reporting sex-disaggregated data was performed to evaluate sex-related differences in diagnostic delay. The global effect of diagnostic delay by sex was calculated using means difference (D) through a fixed effects model. Results. The review included 23,883 patients (32.3% women) from 42 papers. No significant differences between the sexes were detected for symptoms at disease onset or during evolution. However, the mean for delay in diagnosis of SpA showed sex-related differences, being 8.8 years (7.4-10.1) for women and 6.5 (5.6-7.4) for men (p = 0.01). Only 40% of papers had high quality. A metaanalysis included 12,073 participants (31.2% women). The mean global effect was D = 0.6 years (0.31-0.89), indicating that men were diagnosed 0.6 year (7 months) before women. Conclusion. Delay in diagnosis of SpA persists, and is longer in women than in men. There are no significant sex-related differences in symptoms that could explain sex-related differences in diagnostic delay. Methodological and possible publication bias could result in sex-biased medical practice.
The purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Child (ASD-DC). Mothers of children with Autism spectrum disorders (N = 333) and mothers of typically developing children (N = 223) ages from 2 to 16 years completed the ASD-DC. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 4-factor structure of the ASD-DC fits the data well, comprising the following factors: nonverbal communication/socialization, verbal communication, social relationships, and insistence of sameness/restricted interests. The ASD-DC was associated with high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The discriminant validity was demonstrated by the mean differences between ASD and control group. High correlations between several subscales of ASD-DC and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) were found, showing concurrent validity. High correlations between several subscales were found. Optimal cutoff scores for Autism, Asperger's disorder, and PDD-NOS were found via ROC curve analysis. Clinical and research implications as well as limitations are discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Two-Dimensional finite element analysis was used to investigate the performance of seawall construction over weak subgrade soil using artificial base layer material consisted of cemented sand cushion comprising geosynthetics materials. Two types of base layer materials pure sand and cemented sand comprising husk rich ash and two types of geosynthetics materials geogrid and geotextile were used. Constitutive models were used to represent different materials in numerical analysis. The competence of two-dimensional numerical analysis was compared with experimental results. Numerical results showed a superior harmony with the experimental results. Finite element analysis model proved to be a great tool to determine the parameters that are difficult to measure in laboratory experiments. In addition, finite element analysis has the benefit of cost and time saving when compared to experimental investigation work. Numerical results showed strain induced in geosynthetics eliminated beyond a distance approximately equal six times of footing width.
Objective: The objective of this study was to describe patient experience with intravenous (IV) biologics for ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or ulcerative colitis. Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted in 405 patients with these autoimmune diseases who were receiving an IV biologic to treat their disease. Results: On a 7-point scale (1= not at all satisfied; 7= very satisfied), mean satisfaction with IV medication was rated 6.1; 77% of patients rated satisfaction as 6 or 7. The most frequently perceived benefits of IV therapy were related to supervision provided by health care professionals. Most patients (82%, n= 332) preferred their IV medication to subcutaneous injection. The three most common reasons for preferring IV were not wanting to self-inject (43%), less frequent dosing (34%), and preference for administration by a health care professional (24%). African-American/black patients had a stronger preference for IV administration than Caucasian/white patients (97% vs 80%, P, 0.05) and a greater dislike of needles/self-injection (71% vs 40%, P, 0.05). Hospital outpatient departments were not rated as well as physician in-office infusion. Only half (49%) of the patients reported that both they and their physician equally influenced the choice to switch from subcutaneous to IV therapy, and only 30% were given a choice of infusion center. Conclusion: Users of IV biologics are highly satisfied with their medications and perceive the opportunity for health care provider interaction at their infusion facilities as an advantage of their regimen. These findings support continued need for IV therapeutic options and shared decision-making between patients and physicians while selecting biologic treatments.
With the popularity of Internet of Things, lots of resource constrained devices equipped with sensors and actuators are pervasively deployed to compose a smart environment, and Big Data are obtainable for a system to do further analytics thus to achieve human-centric purposes. One such human-centric system is a smart home which analyze Big Data to recognize contexts and their corresponding preferences for service configuration thus to provide context-aware services. However, since these Big Data are generated in real-time with huge amount, analytics based on conventional supervised way is not desirable due to the requirement of human efforts. In addition, there are usually multiple inhabitants with multiple combination of contexts in a home environment, and it is difficult to fully collect all these possible context combination as well as their corresponding preferences in advance. Therefore, this paper proposes an unsupervised nonparametric analytics method with a framework for human-centric smart homes to automatically discover contexts and their corresponding service configurations, and the models resulting from the proposed analytics can also be used to determine the preference for a context combination unseen before.
Caveolin-2 (Cav2) is a major protein component of caveolae in membranes of vascular smooth muscle and endothelium, yet its absence alters the ultrastructure of skeletal muscle fibers. To gain insight into Cav2 function in skeletal muscle, we tested the hypothesis that genetic deletion of Cav2 would alter microvascular reactivity and depress contractile function of skeletal muscle in vivo. In the left gluteus maximus muscle (GM) of anesthetized Cav2(-/-) and wild-type (WT) male mice (age, 6 mo), microvascular responses to physiological agonists and to GM contractions were studied at 34 degrees C. For feed arteries (FA), first- (1A), second( 2A) and third-order (3A) arterioles, respective mean diameters at rest (45, 35, 25, 12 mu m) and during maximal dilation (65, 55, 45, 30 mu m) were similar between groups. Cumulative dilations to ACh (10(-9) to 10(-5) M) and constrictions to norepinephrine (10(-9) to 10(-5) M) were also similar between groups, as were steady-state dilations during rhythmic twitch contractions (2 and 4 Hz; 30 s). For single tetanic contractions (100 Hz; 100, 250, and 500 ms), rapid onset vasodilation (ROV) increased with contraction duration throughout networks in GM of both groups but was reduced by nearly half in Cav2(-/-) mice compared with WT mice (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, maximal force during tetanic contraction was similar to 40% greater in GM of Cav2(-/-) vs. WT mice (152 +/- 14 vs. 110 +/- 3 mN per square millimeter, respectively; P < 0.05). Thus, while structural and functional properties of resistance networks are well maintained in the GM of Cav2(-/-) mice, diminished ROV with greater force production reveals novel physiological roles for Cav2 in skeletal muscle.
This paper introduces the architecture of an emotion-aware ambient intelligent and gerontechnological project named Improvement of the Elderly Quality of Life and Care through Smart Emotion Regulation. The objective of the proposal is to find solutions for improving the quality of life and care of the elderly who can or want to continue living at home by using emotion regulation techniques. A series of sensors is used for monitoring the elderlies' facial and gestural expression, activity and behaviour, as well as relevant physiological data. This way the older people's emotions are inferred and recognized. Music, colour and light are the stimulating means to regulate their emotions towards a positive and pleasant mood. Then, the paper proposes a gerontechnological software architecture that enables real-time, continuous monitoring of the elderly and provides the best-tailored reactions of the ambience in order to regulate the older person's emotions towards a positive mood. After describing the benefits of the approach for emotion recognition and regulation in the elderly, the eight levels that compose the architecture are described.
Across this literature review (n = 10), supporting spirituality in the nursing care of older adults with dementia is concerned with supporting religious activity, enabling connections, nurses' reflections on their own spirituality, and nonverbal communication. The benefits from the support of spirituality were seen to be reciprocal and to occur in everyday nursing.
The context and problem of identifying and thereafter representing, analyzing and managing information and knowledge about an organization has always been very crucial to achieve business goals in an efficient and flexible way. Particularly in a PLM context, the issue of information overload is growing in importance. An emergent challenge consists in providing a context-driven access to federated information and knowledge and fostering cross-discipline collaborations between actors to improve quality in product development. This paper highlights key issues for knowledge definition and representation. We propose a bottom-up approach based on the User Story Mapping method (USM). This method is user-centric and leads to the definition of current and/or expected scenarios and processes along with a collaboratively agreed vision. Common concepts and viewpoints are therefore derived and generalized through a process of merging defined roles, activities and usages sequences with a focus on the product content. This bottom-up approach provides a federated and common understanding of information throughout the industrial product and process lifecycle; which combined with appropriate tools and methods, such as questionnaires, standards specifications, knowledge based approaches, etc. results in the definition of the knowledge network and domain and therefore improves capabilities for sharing and reusing this knowledge in collaborative product development. The proposed approach is applied in the context of the FP7 European project LinkedDesign (Linked Knowledge in Manufacturing, Engineering and Design for Next-Generation Production) based on three application scenarios.
Object oriented modeling (OOM) has become an integral part of the design process in construction due to advances in computer software. Despite these advances there remains a tendency for Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) to be used as the medium to assist in the creation, modification, analysis and optimization of Electrical and Instrumentation (E&I) systems within heavy industrial engineering projects. In this paper, a retrospective OOM (i.e., Systems Information Model (SIM)), for the E&I systems of a utility facility, which was constructed for an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor for the purpose of undertaking a construct ability assessment prior to the commencement of construction is presented and discussed. The CAD drawings and cable schedule produced by the EPC were provided to an E&I organization to undertake a constructability assessment; errors, omissions and information redundancy were identified and quantified. The SIM model was then used to examine a tender proposal from a construction subcontractor (CS) of the EPC; discrepancies were identified and it is suggested that differences arose due to the prevailing errors and omissions. The potential use of a SIM during construction as a quality assurance/control (QA/QC) is then examined, as it is suggested that it can be used to ensure the development of an 'As-built' model and provide a realistic representation of the constructed asset, which safeguards its integrity for operations and maintenance. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To face the challenges of urbanization and climate change in Morocco, within the initiative of the Department of Water, we started working recently on the development of rainwater harvesting (RWH). The Bouskoura basin is the pilot site selected, because an integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach may be considered due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, and hosting wide facilities such as airport, highway, many expanding urban areas promotion and including 64% of rural areas. Hydrological modeling was carried out through HEC-HMS model for the reconstitution of theoretical natural hydrograph because of the lack of hydrological measurements and STORM model to study the integrated effect of the water harvesting facilities on the socio-economic and environmental aspects of the basin and its relationships with its environment. Continuous simulations are made based on data from climate models re analysis because of the lack of ground measured climate data. Modeling was used to measure the impact of storm-water on the environment in general and on the hydrological cycle in particular including mitigation of flood magnitudes, the substantial drinking water costs reduction, the impact obtained from watering green spaces, the artificial recharge of the aquifer and the reduction of greenhouse effect gas emissions. We need to put emphasis on the fact that these in situ IWRM developed in this case, can lead to creation of smart spaces from smart projects through smart cities to smart watersheds. The results are promising and show that flood mitigation for the Bouskoura basin is 46% of the peak flow. The other advantages are of useful importance in domestic use, infiltration to the aquifer, etc. The impacts for each unit such as airport, roads, administrative or industrial buildings are measured in this case. We can conclude that if more space is urbanized more the impact is important. The information carried out will provide in the future a decision support system to monitor sustainable urbanization development in the basin.
Dispersed micro- to nano-particle-laden gas flows are common in many engineering and environmental applications. Characterizing both their dispersed and carrier phase using experimental methods is very important for determining their properties and behavior. This paper reviews techniques for measuring the carrier phase, as well as the dispersed particles ranging from the micro- to the nano-scale. We focus not only on the developments of specific techniques over the last 20 years, but also on relationships and comparisons among these techniques. In addition to a systematic description and classification of these methods, we discuss the parameters they measure, such as particle velocity, size, composition and concentration. A more detailed review is provided for several important measurement techniques, including particle image velocimetry, the phase-Doppler particle analyzer and light-scattering intensity measurements for microparticles, as well as the scanning mobility particle sizer, the fast mobility particle sizer and the electrical low pressure impactor for nano-particles. The founding principles, development histories, various applications of these techniques and where they are going are summarized. This article provides a resource for investigators that plan to study micro- or nano-particle-laden gas flows in various contexts.
We model attacks on a cyberphysical system as a game between two players-the attacker and the system. The players may not acquire the complete information about each other, and that leads to an asymmetric information game. Furthermore, the players may have a certain fixed amount of resources, which constrains their strategies across time. Accordingly, we consider a dynamic multiplayer nonzero sum game with asymmetric information in which controllers have total resource constraints. Under certain assumptions on the information structure of the game, we devise an algorithm that computes a subclass of Nash equilibria of the game. We also study a denial-of-service attack on a cyberphysical system, model it as two-player zero-sum games, and apply our algorithm to compute the saddle-point equilibrium strategies of the attacker and the controller.
The gravel-bed Biala River, Polish Carpathians, was heavily affected by channelization and channel incision in the twentieth century. Not only were these impacts detrimental to the ecological state of the river, but they also adversely modified the conditions of floodwater retention and flood wave passage. Therefore, a few years ago an erodible corridor was delimited in two sections of the Biala to enable restoration of the river. In these sections, short, channelized reaches located in the vicinity of bridges alternate with longer, unmanaged channel reaches, which either avoided channelization or in which the channel has widened after the channelization scheme ceased to be maintained. Effects of these alternating channel morphologies on the conditions for flood flows were investigated in a study of 10 pairs of neighbouring river cross sections with constrained and freely developed morphology. Discharges of particular recurrence intervals were determined for each cross section using an empirical formula. The morphology of the cross sections together with data about channel slope and roughness of particular parts of the cross sections were used as input data to the hydraulic modelling performed with the one-dimensional steady-flow HEC-RAS software. The results indicated that freely developed cross sections, usually with multithread morphology, are typified by significantly lower water depth but larger width and cross-sectional flow area at particular discharges than single-thread, channelized cross sections. They also exhibit significantly lower average flow velocity, unit stream power, and bed shear stress. The pattern of differences in the hydraulic parameters of flood flows apparent between the two types of river cross sections varies with the discharges of different frequency, and the contrasts in hydraulic parameters between unmanaged and channelized cross sections are most pronounced at low-frequency, high-magnitude floods. However, because of the deep incision of the river, both cross section types are typified by a similar, low potential for the retention of floodwater in floodplain areas. The study indicated that even though river restoration has only begun here, it already brings beneficial effects for flood risk management, reducing flow energy and shear forces exerted on the bed and banks of the channel in unmanaged river reaches. Only within wide, unmanaged channel reaches can the flows of low frequency, high-magnitude floods be conveyed with relatively low shear forces exerted on the channel boundary. In contrast, in channelized reaches, flow velocity and shear forces are substantially higher, inevitably causing bank erosion and channel incision. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a new enhanced stego block chaining (ESBC) technique for data hiding to address the bandwidth and transmission time issues of simple stego block chaining (SBC). In simple SBC data hiding method, the security of the hidden information is increased by increasing the number of stages, but the addition of each stage decreases the hiding capacity. This increases the size of the data needed to transmit the secret message and thus results in an increase in the required bandwidth and transmission time. The proposed ESBC technique addresses the bandwidth and transmission time issues of the simple SBC method. The output of the ESBC is a high quality stego image with peak signal-to-noise ratio above 40 dB and provides the same additional security as simple SBC but reduces the requirements of the bandwidth and transmission time by one half of that of the simple SBC and, thus, solves the hiding capacity issues of SBC for low bandwidth channels. Copyright (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An attributional life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to provide a comprehensive picture of the environmental burdens associated with cacao production and primary processing in the Philippines. The analysis considered the entire system, from agricultural operations in the field until storage of the dried beans, required to produce and process 1 ton of dried cacao beans. The inputs include fertilizer, pesticides, diesel, electricity and biodegradable plastics while the outputs include the dried beans, emissions of lambda-cyhalothrin, mancozeb, CO2, SO2, CH4, N2O, NO and CO, and solid wastes. The following impacts were found to be associated with the production of 1 ton dried cacao beans-0.163 kg 1,4-DB-eq. (human toxicity), 0.180 kg 1,4-DB-eq. (terrestrial ecotoxicity), 0.796 kg SO2 eq. (atmospheric acidification) and 629.93 kg CO2 eq. (climate change). Transportation, harvesting, pest management, and nutrient management contributed the most to the environmental impact categories considered in the study. As such, it is suggested that improvement measures be focused on the reduction of fossil fuel consumption and judicious application of fertilizers and pesticides to minimize the adverse environmental impacts of cacao production and primary processing. The amount of harmful emissions released and the impact scores of cacao production and primary processing are generally low. This may be an indication of the cleaner production and eco-efficiency of the system. The results of this LCA study serves as a feedback mechanism that will assist the Philippine cacao industry in identifying the options for improving the environmental management of its production and primary processing system.
BACKGROUND: Individuals who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) often have difficulty processing nonverbal communication (Ekman, 1976) The published research in this area has focused on a TBI patient's ability to recognize facial expression, vocal intonation, and postural expression (Croker, 2005; Hopkins, Dywan & Segalowitz, 2002). OBJECTIVE: This study compared the non-verbal processing skills of brain-injured patients versus non-injured controls in all three domains. METHODS: The stimuli were photographs of facial and postural expressions and audio recordings of intonational expressions. RESULTS: The results indicated that persons with TBI have particular difficulty recognizing non-verbal communication resulting from vocal intonations. CONCLUSIONS: The TBI patients had difficulty processing tonality, therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that clinicians, friends, and family members should emphasize the explicit verbal content of spoken language when speaking to a person with TBI.
Background. Interpersonal stress generation is an important maintaining factor in major depression; however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that undermine interpersonal functioning. This study investigated the role of deficits in person perception to this regard. Method. Depressed patients (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) completed a false recognition task that measured participants' tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences (STIs), that is to spontaneously ascribe personality traits to other people. Participants then reported interpersonal daily hassles for one week following the task. Results. Tendencies to make STIs were significantly higher in depressed patients, particularly those with a history of childhood trauma. The degree to which participants made STIs was significantly related to depression severity, and predicted the occurrence of interpersonal daily hassles during follow-up across, but not within groups. Conclusions. The results suggest that depressed patients show characteristic biases in person perception that may contribute to the generation of interpersonal stress.
Introduction: Standardized patients are a beneficial component of modern healthcare education and training, but few studies have explored cognitive factors potentially impacting clinical skills assessment during standardized patient encounters. This study examined the impact of a periodic (vs. traditional postencounter) evaluation approach and the appearance of critical verbal and nonverbal behaviors throughout a standardized patient encounter on scoring accuracy in a video-based scenario. Methods: Forty-nine standardized patients scored either periodically or at only 1 point in time (postencounter) a healthcare provider's verbal and nonverbal clinical performance during a videotaped standardized patient encounter. The healthcare provider portrayed in this study was actually a standardized patient delivering carefully scripted verbal and nonverbal behaviors in their portrayal of an actual physician. The encounter itself was subdivided into 3 distinct segments for the purpose of supporting periodic evaluation, with the expectation that both verbal and nonverbal cues occurring in the middle segment would be more challenging to accurately report for participants in the postscenario evaluation group as a result of working memory decay. Results: Periodic evaluators correctly identified a significantly greater number of critical verbal cues midscenario than postencounter evaluators (P < 0.01) and correctly identified a significantly greater number of critical nonverbal cues than their postscenario counterparts across all 3 scenario segments (P < 0.001). Further, postscenario evaluations exhibited a performance decrement in terms of midscenario correct identifications that periodic evaluators did not (P < 0.01). Also, periodic evaluators exhibited fewer verbal cue false-positives during the first segment of the scenario than postscenario evaluators (P < 0.001), but this effect did not extend to other segments regardless of the cue type (ie, verbal or nonverbal). Discussion: Pausing lengthier standardized patient encounters periodically to allow for more frequent scoring may result in better reporting accuracy for certain clinical behavioral cues. This could enable educators to provide more specific formative feedback to individual learners at the session's conclusion. The most effective encounter design will ultimately depend on the specific goals and training objectives of the exercise itself.
In an ADS injector I, there are five superconducting magnets in each cryomodule. Each superconducting magnet contains a solenoid magnet, a horizontal dipole corrector (HDC), and a vertical dipole corrector (VDC). Six current leads will be required to power the electrical circuits, from room temperature to the 2.1 K liquid helium bath: two leads carry 100 A current for the solenoid magnet while the other four carry 12 A for the HDC and the VDC. This paper presents the principle of current lead optimization, which includes the cooling methods, the choice of material and structure, and the issues for current lead integration.
Multiphase drives are convenient for high power/high current applications as they allow the reduction of the phase current for given rated power and phase voltage. In addition, they possess inherent fault-tolerant capability due to their redundant structure. Therefore, the multiphase drives represent a promising solution for safety-critical applications, such electrical ship propulsion, railway traction, Hybrid/Electrical Vehicles (HEV/EV), wind power generation, More Electric Engine (MEE) and More Electric Aircraft (MEA) applications. Moreover, the additional degrees of freedom can be exploited for integrated battery chargers. Although the literature reports many machine design solutions and control techniques for multiphase drives, the penetration of the multiphase solutions in transportation electrification and energy production is still too limited. For this reason, the paper contains a brief overview of the multiphase solutions for transportation electrification and energy production. In addition, the paper includes a generic modeling approach of multi-three-phase machines that can be used when the multiphase drive is treated as modular independent three-phase units. Experimental results are provided for a reduced scale prototype of a twelve-phase multiphase induction motor drive using a control scheme based on the multi-three phase approach.
beta-Conglycinin (beta-CG) is well known for inducing intestinal allergies and dysfunction in neonates and young pigs. However, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, to clarify the role of autophagy in beta-CG-induced cytotoxicity, we investigated the effects of beta-CG on cell viability and autophagy activity in porcine enterocytes (IPEC-1 cells). The results indicated that the cell viability was decreased with the increasing levels of beta-CG. beta-CG treatment enhanced the eGFP-LC3 puncta per cells and LC3-II/LC3-I, and the latter was further increased in IPEC-1 cells cultured with bafilomycin A1. We conclude that beta-CG enhances autophagy activity in enterocytes.
The fusion of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) sensor and airborne lidar scanner (ALS) data provides promising potential for applications in environmental sciences. Standard fusion approaches use reflectance information from the HSI and distance measurements from the ALS to increase data dimen-sionality and geometric accuracy. However, the potential for data fusion based on the respective intensity information of the complementary active and passive sensor systems is high and not yet fully exploited. Here, an approach for the rigorous illumination correction of HSI data, based on the radiometric cross-calibrated return intensity information of ALS data, is presented. The cross calibration utilizes a ray tracing-based fusion of both sensor measurements by intersecting their particular beam shapes. The developed method is capable of compensating for the drawbacks of passive HSI systems, such as cast and cloud shadowing effects, illumination changes over time, across track illumination, and partly anisotropy effects. During processing, spatial and temporal differences in illumination patterns are detected and corrected over the entire HSI wavelength domain. The improvement in the classification accuracy of urban and vegetation surfaces demonstrates the benefit and potential of the proposed HSI illumination correction. The presented approach is the first step toward the rigorous in-flight fusion of passive and active system characteristics, enabling new capabilities for a variety of applications.
Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), state anxiety (SA), and dominance have consequences for social functioning. The present study assessed how FNE, SA, and a target's dominance-relevant label are related to perceptions of personality. One hundred seventy-eight participants who scored high or low on FNE underwent a laboratory manipulation of SA, viewed a photograph of a target with a high or low dominance-relevant label, and rated the target on the Big Five personality traits and dominance. FNE and SA were unrelated to perceptions, but the high-dominance label was associated with perceptions of higher dominance, conscientiousness, and openness. In conclusion, judges did use information about others when making initial judgments of personality, but these judgments were not impacted by trait or state psychological distress.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common carcinomas among adult males. Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several susceptibility genes of prostate cancer. However, these single locus results can only explain a small proportion of the genetic etiology. In order to understand how multiple genetic variants may contribute to the penetrance of prostate cancer, we conducted a genome-wide SNP-SNP interaction study in four populations, involving 5,269 cases and 5,289 controls. We exhaustively evaluated all pairs of SNP-SNP interactions for 661,658 SNPs that were consensus in all four groups, and then performed a meta-analysis to combine the results. We found multiple variants within region 7p21.3 and 18p11.22 significantly interacted with each other and reached genome-wide significance levels. The most significant epistasis was between rs1105255 (intergenic, near RBSG3) and rs651431 (intergenic, near VAPA) (p = 1.4 x 10(-14)). Notably, VAPA was identified to be the protein-coding transcripts as PTEN competing endogenous RNA in prostate cancer. And PTEN is a critical tumor suppressor gene frequently altered in cancers. In addition, 7p21.3 involves several pseudogenes, whose parental genes are cancer-related. Recently, growing evidence strongly suggests they are of multifaceted involvements in the pathogenesis of cancer. Multiple regulatory elements were found within 7p21.3 and 18p11.22, indicating the variants might regulate the nearby genes and confer risk of disease. Additionally, we also found several other significant epistasis, most of which were near or in cancer-related genes. Drug target enrichment analysis suggested genes in top epistasis significantly overlapped with target genes of FDA-approved drugs for treatment of prostate cancer.
Electrical circuits connect biosensors and actuators in plants and trees. There are many electrochemical components and devices in plants created by nature. Memristors participate in the electrical signal transduction between phytosensors and actuators. Electrical processes play important roles in the physiology of plants, trees, fruits and seeds. Electrical form of energy has no entropy content that can be used to do work, information transfer, computing and analysis. These signals propagate along sophisticated electrical circuitry of plants consisting of many electrical components and cell computing system for decision-making processes. Action potentials are the mediators for intercellular and intracellular communication in response to environmental stresses. [GRAPHICS] .
Prior research has supported the mere presence hypothesis, which suggests that cell phones act as an environmental nuisance that negatively impact the quality of face-to-face interactions. This study conducted an experiment to determine whether cell-phone presence negatively influences conversation satisfaction. Specifically, network member dyads (N = 46) engaged in unstructured conversations where one partner's cell phone was either absent or present. The results revealed that, whereas the mere presence of a cell phone did not influence conversation satisfaction, individuals' recollection of whether or not a cell phone was present did significantly negatively impact their pre-to posttest reports of conversation satisfaction. Implications of these findings for research on the mere presence hypothesis as well as directions for future research are discussed.
The Internet of Things is a paradigm where everyday objects can be equipped with identifying, sensing, networking and processing capabilities that will allow them to communicate with one another and with other devices and services over the Internet to accomplish some objective. Ultimately, IoT devices will be ubiquitous, context-aware and will enable ambient intelligence. This article reports on the current state of research on the Internet of Things by examining the literature, identifying current trends, describing challenges that threaten IoT diffusion, presenting open research questions and future directions and compiling a comprehensive reference list to assist researchers.
The aim was to evaluate the relationship between maternal corticosteroid use during first trimester of pregnancy and risk of orofacial clefts (OC). The overall findings showed a certain association between maternal corticosteroid use and occurrence of OC, compared with non-users (OR= 1.16 [95% CI: 1.01-1.33]). When study type was considered this association was significant only for case-control studies (OR = 1.22 [95% CI: 1.02-1.47]), and not for cohort studies (OR = 1.09 [95% CI: 0.88-1.34]) when there are many confounders (dose, route of application, disease etc.) and biases (re-call, loss-to followup etc.) that still need to be considered. A subgroup analysis based on the type of OC gave an overall OR of 1.41 (95% CI: 1.14-1.74) in the case-control studies for cleft lip with or without palate (CL/P) and 1.09 (95% CI: 0.80-1.48) for cleft palate only (CPO), when comparing maternal corticosteroid users with non-users. However, for cohort studies, the overall OR for CL/P is 1.06 (95% CI: 0.82-1.37) and 1.20 (95% CI: 0.83-1.75) for CPO. The absolute risk of facial cleft after prenatal exposure to corticosteroids, if any, is small. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Scenarios are used as tools in the development of smart home platforms and middleware for aging-in-place. In order to be effective, a set of scenarios that address all required functionalities are needed. The health condition of the majority of an aging population has been described by medical tools, such as WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and local health profiles. However, this has not yet been fully implemented in the development of smart-homes. In this study we develop a Public Health Methodology (PHM) in which we use public health resources for the generation of scenarios. Specific user characteristics are taken from the medical tools. Common daily user activities were supplied by research into common activities as practiced by Dutch end-users. A functional scenario is generated by combining the user characteristics and user activities with the product goal, the physical and non-physical environment, and the product to be developed. Using this method a set of 10 scenarios covered all requirements. The scenarios were used in virtual tests for the validation of smart-home platforms. PHM is a promising tool in the development of smart environments that are more easily adopted by aging populations.
Of 13 thermal printing papers analyzed, 11 contained 8-17 g/kg bisphenol A (BPA). When taking hold of a receipt consisting of thermal printing paper for 5 s, roughly 1 mu g BPA (0.2-6 mu g) was transferred to the forefinger and the middle finger if the skin was rather dry and about ten times more if these fingers were wet or very greasy. This amount transferred to dry skin was neither significantly increased when taking hold of the paper at up to 10 sites, nor reduced when BPA-free paper was contacted afterwards. After 60-90 min, BPA applied to the skin as a solution in ethanol was only partially or no longer at all extractable with ethanol, whereas BPA transferred to the skin by holding thermal printer paper remained largely extractable after 2 h. This suggests that penetration of the skin depends on the conditions. Extractability experiments did not enable us to conclude whether BPA passes through the skin, but indicated that it can enter the skin to such a depth that it can no longer be washed off. If this BPA ends up in the human metabolism, exposure of a person repeatedly touching thermal printer paper for 10 h/day, such as at a cash register, could reach 71 mu g/day, which is 42 times less than the present tolerable daily intake (TDI). However, if more than just the finger pads contact the BPA-containing paper or a hand cream enhances permeability of the skin, this margin might be smaller.
Background Collective cell migration, whereby the cell-cell contacts such as E-cadherin are maintained during migration, has only recently emerged, and its detailed mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, the role of Rab11, which functions in recycling endosomes, and its relationship to E-cadherin in colorectal carcinoma were identified, and the role of Rab11 in the collective cell migration of colon cancer cells was clarified. Materials and methods A total of 107 patients with surgically resected colorectal carcinoma were enrolled in this immunohistochemical study. Relationships between the overexpression of Rab11 and E-cadherin and survival were evaluated. The cell biology of Rab11 overexpression or knock-down in HT-29 colon cells was studied. Results The expression of Rab11 and E-cadherin was not correlated with the stage of cancer or lymph node metastasis. However, the overall survival was poor in the group of 67 patients with duo-positive Rab11 and E-adherin expression compared to the group (40 patients) without dual-positive expression (P = 0.038). Rab11 was demonstrated to have a physical interaction with E-cadherin, and overexpression of Rab11 was found to promote collective cell migration through the increased distribution of E-cadherin, which enhanced cell-cell connections. In addition, Rac1 activation and matrix metalloproteinase-2 expressions were upregulated upon Rab11 expression. Conclusions This study demonstrated that Rab11 and E-cadherin expressions are indicators of poor survival time in colorectal carcinoma, but that Rab11 overexpression may contribute to increased collective cell invasion in colorectal carcinoma.
For decades, increasing intergroup contact has been the preferred method for improving cooperation between groups. However, even proponents of this approach acknowledge that intergroup contact may not be effective in the context of intractable conflicts. One question is whether anything can be done to increase the impact of intergroup contact on cooperation. In the present study, we tested whether changing perceptions of group malleability in a pre-encounter intervention could increase the degree of cooperation during contact encounters. Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli adolescents (N = 141) were randomly assigned either to a condition that taught that groups are malleable or to a coping, control condition. During a subsequent intergroup encounter, we used two behavioral tasks to estimate the levels of cooperation. Results indicated that relative to controls, participants in the group malleability condition showed enhanced cooperation. These findings suggest new avenues for enhancing the impact of contact in the context of intractable conflicts.
Three-dimension (3D) scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration were produced combining three different phases: nanometric hydroxyapatite (HA) was synthesized by precipitation method and the crystals nucleation took place directly within collagen fibrils following a biologically inspired mineralization process; polycaprolactone was employed to give the material a 3D structure. The chemico-physical analysis carried out to test the material's properties and composition revealed a high similarity in composition and morphology with biologically mineralized collagen fibrils and a scaffold degradation pattern suitable for physiological processes. The micro- computerized tomography (micro-CT) showed 53.53% porosity and a 97.86% mean interconnected pores. Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology was used for molding the scaffold's volume (design/shape) and for guiding the surgical procedure (cutting guides). The custom made scaffolds were implanted in sheep mandible using prototyped surgical guides and customized bone plates. After three months healing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the explanted scaffold revealed a massive cell seeding of the scaffold, with cell infiltration within the scaffold's interconnected pores. The micro-CT of the explanted construct showed a good match between the scaffold and the adjacent host's bone, to shield the implant primary stability. Histology confirmed cell penetration and widely documented neoangiogenesis within the entire scaffold's volume. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 723-734, 2017.
Cell-specific restriction of viral replication without concomitant attenuation can benefit vaccine development, gene therapy, oncolytic virotherapy, and understanding the biological properties of viruses. There are several mechanisms for regulating viral tropism, however they tend to be virus class specific and many result in virus attenuation. Additionally, many viruses, including picornaviruses, exhibit size constraints that do not allow for incorporation of large amounts of foreign genetic material required for some targeting methods. MicroRNAs are short, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression in eukaryotic cells by binding complementary target sequences in messenger RNAs, preventing their translation or accelerating their degradation. Different cells exhibit distinct microRNA signatures and many microRNAs serve as biomarkers. These differential expression patterns can be exploited for restricting gene expression in cells that express specific microRNAs while maintaining expression in cells that do not. In regards to regulating viral tropism, sequences complementary to specific microRNAs are incorporated into the viral genome, generally in the 3' non-coding regions, targeting them for destruction in the presence of the cognate microRNAs thus preventing viral gene expression and/or replication. MicroRNA-targeting is a technique that theoretically can be applied to all viral vectors without altering the potency of the virus in the absence of the corresponding microRNAs. Here we describe experimental methods associated with generating a microRNA-targeted picornavirus and evaluating the efficacy and specificity of that targeting in vitro. This protocol is designed for a rapidly replicating virus with a lytic replication cycle, however, modification of the time points analyzed and the specific virus titration readouts used will aid in the adaptation of this protocol to many different viruses.
Three-dimensional virtual worlds (3DVW) have been growing fast in number of users, and are used for the most diverse purposes. In collaboration, 3DVW are used with good results due to features such as immersion, interaction capabilities, use of avatar embodiment, and physical space. In the particular cases of avatar embodiment and physical space, these features support nonverbal communication, but its impact on collaboration is not well known. In this work we present the initial steps for creation of a protocol for case study research, aiming to assert itself as a tool to collect data on how nonverbal communication influences collaboration in 3DVW. We define the propositions and units of analysis, and a pilot case to validate them.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between major personality dimensions and attitudes towards peace and war. Design/methodology/approach - Three samples - two consisting of British psychology students (n = 64 and 121) and one of Israeli students (n = 80), responded to measures of some or all of: five-factor inventory, SYMLOG trait form, general survey including authoritarianism; attitudes towards peace and war; specific attitudes towards peace and war policy. Findings - The general attitude measures were associated with the specific attitudes. Both were associated with authoritarianism but not consistently with other personality dimensions. Research limitations/implications - Descriptive findings might not generalize and need contextualization. Authoritarianism should be measured in any studies of attitudes related to peace, war, conflict, and structural violence. Practical implications - Practitioners of peace education may first need to address high authoritarianism and low integrative complexity. Also, countering structural violence related, for instance, to poverty or prejudice/discrimination may require a comprehensive approach including collaborative work with clinical psychologists applying both implicit and explicit assessment tools. Originality/value - Documenting links (and lack of them) among personality variables and attitudes towards peace and war has practical and theoretical value - and may contribute to organizational schemes shaped by personality structure and bearing implications for negotiations. In terms of a paradigm by Morton Deutsch, our results show individual differences in, and associations among, variables relating to the remediable likelihood of parties being differentially likely to find themselves in negatively vs. positively interdependent situations; and carrying out effective instead of bungling actions.
Physical layer security (PHY-security) takes the advantages of channel randomness nature of transmission media to achieve communication confidentiality and authentication. Wiretap coding and signal processing technologies are expected to play vital roles in this new security mechanism. PHY-security has attracted a lot of attention due to its unique features and the fact that our daily life relies heavily on wireless communications for sensitive and private information transmissions. Compared to conventional cryptography that works to ensure all involved entities to load proper and authenticated cryptographic information, PHY-security technologies perform security functions without considering about how those security protocols are executed. In other words, it does not require to implement any extra security schemes or algorithms on other layers above the physical layer. This survey introduces the fundamental theories of PHY-security, covering confidentiality and authentication, and provides an overview on the state-of-the-art works on PHY-security technologies that can provide secure communications in wireless systems, along with the discussions on challenges and their proposed solutions. Furthermore, at the end of this paper, the open issues are identified as our future research directions.
A bio-electrochemical strategy was developed for constructing a simple and sensitive levofloxacin (LEV) sensor based on a single chamber microbial fuel cell (SC-MFC) using FePO4 nanoparticles (NPs) as the cathode catalyst instead of traditional Pt/C. In this assembled sensor device, FePO4 NPs dramatically promoted the electrooxidation of oxygen on the cathode, which helps to accelerate the voltage output from SC-MFC and can provide a powerful guarantee for LEV detection. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to fully characterize the FePO4 NPs. Under the optimized COD condition (3 mM), the LEV with a concentration range of 0.1-1000 pg/L could be detected successfully, and exhibited the excellent linear interval in the concentration range of 0.1-100 pg/L. During this range of concentrations of LEV, a temporary effect on the anode of exoelectrogenic bacterial in less than 10 min could occur, and then came back to the normal. It exhibited a long-term stability, maintaining the stable electricity production for 14 months of continuous running. Besides, the detection mechanism was investigated by quantum chemical calculation using density functional theory (DFT).
Deterioration models for pavement surface distresses have been developed using probabilistic modelling approaches. The condition data is collected using visual inspection surveys. Distress data used in the modelling include cracking, texture loss and stone loss of different pavement surfacing types. The latter includes dense graded asphalt, open graded asphalt, ultra-thin asphalt, sprayed/chip seal and geotextile seal (chip seal with geotextile underlay). Probabilistic modelling approaches used include logistic regression and Markov chains (MC). The two variables used in the modelling are distress rating and surface age. These models are to be used for network level management. For the network modelled herein, logistic models are found to provide predictions that are comparable with actual average condition data at different age values. It is also observed that predictions of most MC models are higher than predictions of logistic models and actual average data.
The constrict claim that ethnic heterogeneity drives down social trust has been empirically tested across the globe. Meta-analyses suggest that neighbourhood ethnic heterogeneity generally undermines ties within the neighbourhood (such as trust in neighbours), but concurrently has an inconsistent or even positive effect on interethnic ties (such as outgroup trust). While the composition of the living environment thus often seems to matter, when and where remain unclear. We contribute to the literature by: (1) scrutinizing the extent to which ethnic heterogeneity drives down trust in coethnic neighbours, non-coethnic neighbours, unknown neighbours and unknown non-neighbours similarly; (2) comparing effects of heterogeneity aggregated to geographical areas that vary in scale and type of boundary; and (3) assessing whether the impact of heterogeneity of the local area depends on the wider geographic context. We test our hypotheses on the Religion in Dutch Society 2011-2012 dataset, supplemented with uniquely detailed GIS-data of Statistics Netherlands. Our dependent variables are four different so-called wallet-items, which we model through spatial and multilevel regression techniques. We demonstrate that both trust in non-coethnic and coethnic neighbours are lower in heterogeneous environments. Trust in people outside the neighbourhood is not affected by local heterogeneity. Measures of heterogeneity aggregated to relatively large scales, such as, administrative municipalities and egohoods with a 4000 m radius, demonstrate the strongest negative relationships with our trust indicators.
Sexting among teen mobile phone users is on the rise. This study examines adolescent mobile phone users' perceptions of the harmful effect of consensual sexting between two people in a romantic relationship, mass-circulated sexting, and sexting posted on the internet. Results of a survey of 236 US adolescents showed that respondents believed sexting to have a greater harm on others than on themselves. Furthermore, the respondents perceived sexting messages posted to the internet as more harmful than mass-circulated sexting, which in turn were more harmful than consensual sexting between two people. Additionally, we found a gendered effect of the third-person perception of sexting - both males and females believed other females were more harmed by sexting. This perception of girls, not boys, as the victims of sexting predicts willingness to support restrictions on sexting. On the other hand, the more respondents sexted, the less willing they were to support such restrictions.
Wind generation systems require mechanisms that allow optimal adaptation of the generator to varying wind speed and to extract maximum energy from the wind. Robust and affordable high-performance methods are also needed for isolated sites. This paper takes this approach, in which an AC switched reluctance generator is used as a generator with a variable rotor speed. Although the voltage obtained is of insufficient quality to connect the generator directly to the power grid, this kind of generator can be used in isolated sites to charge a battery bank with a simple bridge rectifier. Due to the nonlinear behavior of the machine with the position and current, along with the alternating nature of the current that circulates through its phases, the machine experiences cyclical energy transformations of a mechanical, electrical and magnetic nature. This paper analyzes these transformations for the purpose of providing guidelines for machine design and optimization as a wind turbine in isolated sites.
A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of dietary Lactobacillus plantarum on hemato-immunological parameters and resistance against Streptococcus iniae infection in juvenile Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii. Fish (14.6 +/- 2.3 g) were fed three experimental diets prepared by supplementing a basal diet with L. plantarum at different concentrations [1 x 10(7), 1 x 10(8) and 1 x 10(9) colony-forming units (cfu) g(-1)] and a control (non-supplemented basal) diet for 8 weeks. Innate immune responses (immunoglobulin (Ig), alternative complement activity (ACH50) and lysozyme activity) were significantly higher in fish fed the 1 x 10(8) and 1 x 10(9) cfu g(-1) L. plantarum diet compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, fish fed on various levels of L. plantarum significantly showed higher red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC) and monocyte compared to those of the control group (P < 0.05). At the end of the feeding experiment, some fish were challenged with S. iniae to quantify the level of disease resistance. The mortality after S. iniae challenge was decreased in fish fed a probiotic. These results indicated that dietary supplementation of L. plantarum improved immune response and disease resistance of Siberian sturgeon juvenile.
Apolipoprotein (apo) C-I is a constituent of chylomicrons, very low density lipoprotein, and high density lipoprotein. The role of apo C-I in human metabolism is incompletely defined. We took advantage of a naturally occurring amino acid polymorphism that is present in aboriginal North Americans, namely apo C-I T45S. We assessed the hypothesis that metabolic traits, including obesity-related and lipoprotein-related traits, would differ between carriers and noncarriers of apo C-I T45S. A genotyping assay was developed for APOC1 T45S and genotypes were determined in a sample of 410 Canadian Oji-Cree subjects. The allele frequency of the apo C-I S45 allele was similar to 8% in this sample. We observed the apo C-I S45 allele was significantly associated with 1) lower percent body fat (P < 0.05), 2) lower waist circumference (P = 0.058), 3) lower serum leptin levels (P < 0.05), and 4) lower plasma apo C-I levels (P < 0.0001), using a newly developed ELISA-based method. Taken together, these results suggest that at the whole human phenotype level, apo C-I is associated with the complex metabolic trait of obesity as well as with serum leptin levels.-Lahiry, P., H. Cao, M. R. Ban, R. L. Pollex, M. Mamakeesick, B. Zinman, S. B. Harris, A. J. G. Hanley, M. W. Huff, P. W. Conelly, and R. A. Hegele. APOC1 T45S polymorphism is associated with reduced obesity indices and lower plasma concentrations of leptin and apolipoprotein C-I in aboriginal Canadians. J. Lipid Res. 2010. 51: 843-848.
Objective We aimed to identify the association of carotid atherosclerosis with the traditional risk factors, disease features, cytokine profile, and calprotectin in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). Methods 63 primary pSS patients and 63 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent carotid ultrasound, clinical and laboratory examination. The presence of carotid plaques was taken as carotid atherosclerosis. The covariates of carotid atherosclerosis were identified in univariate and multivariate regressions. Results Patients with pSS had higher prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis (13% vs. 2%, p0.05). In univariate analyses, serum calprotectin, most traditional cardiovascular (age, male sex, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia, and serum creatinine), and some disease-associated risk factors (glucocorticoid or saliva substitute use, constitutional domain of Enlar-Sjogren's syndrome disease activity index - EULAR) were associated with a higher risk for plaque. In a multivariate analysis, having pSS and higher serum calprotectin were associated with carotid atherosclerosis independent of traditional risk factors. Conclusion pSS have a higher prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis, which is associated with higher serum calprotectin level independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Our findings suggest calprotectin as a biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis in pSS.
Background: Representatives of the trematode family Fasciolidae are responsible for major socio-economic losses worldwide. Fascioloides magna is an important pathogenic liver fluke of wild and domestic ungulates. To date, only a limited number of studies concerning the molecular biology of F. magna exist. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome sequence of F. magna, and assess the phylogenetic relationships of this fluke with other trematodes based on the mtDNA dataset. Findings: The complete F. magna mt genome sequence is 14,047 bp. The gene content and arrangement of the F. magna mt genome is similar to those of Fasciola spp., except that trnE is located between trnG and the only non-coding region in F. magna mt genome. Phylogenetic relationships of F. magna with selected trematodes using Bayesian inference (BI) was reconstructed based on the concatenated amino acid sequences for 12 protein-coding genes, which confirmed that the genus Fascioloides is closely related to the genus Fasciola; the intergeneric differences of amino acid composition between the genera Fascioloides and Fasciola ranged 17.97-18.24 %. Conclusions: The determination of F. magna mt genome sequence provides a valuable resource for further investigations of the phylogeny of the family Fasciolidae and other trematodes, and represents a useful platform for designing appropriate molecular markers.
Support vector regression (SVR) is a machine learning technique that continues to receive interest in several domains, including manufacturing, engineering, and medicine. In order to extend its application to problems in which data sets arrive constantly and in which batch processing of the data sets is infeasible or expensive, an accurate online SVR (AOSVR) technique was proposed. The AOSVR technique efficiently updates a trained SVR function whenever a sample is added to or removed from the training set without retraining the entire training data. However, the AOSVR technique assumes that the new samples and the training samples are of the same characteristics; hence, the same value of SVR parameters is used for training and prediction. This assumption is not applicable to data samples that are inherently noisy and nonstationary, such as sensor data. As a result, we propose AOSVR with varying parameters that uses varying SVR parameters rather than fixed SVR parameters and hence accounts for the variability that may exist in the samples. To accomplish this objective, we also propose a generalized weight function to automatically update the weights of SVR parameters in online monitoring applications. The proposed function allows for lower and upper bounds for SVR parameters. We tested our proposed approach and compared results with the conventional AOSVR approach using two benchmark time-series data and sensor data from a nuclear power plant. The results show that using varying SVR parameters is more applicable to time-dependent data.
Hydraulic jump is a phenomenon which usually occurs in rivers and in correspondence with hydraulic structures. It is characterized by a rapid transition from a super- to sub-critical flow conditions, involving a huge energy dissipation. For its characteristics and its relevance in hydraulics, it has been studied since the early years of the last century. Nevertheless, many features still require a further investigation, e.g., scale effects, air entrainment process, effect of bed roughness on conjugate depths, etc. In particular, in the last few decades, the analysis of the main geometric parameters has been further developed. Nevertheless, no studies dealing with D-jump occurring on a rough sloping channel are present in literature. Therefore, the present paper reports the results of experimental investigations, which allowed to develop a semi-theoretical approach in order to evaluate the D-jump conjugate depth in a wide range of channel bed geometric and boundary configurations. (C) 2016 International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research, Asia Pacific Division. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The potency of conventional antivenom (AV) conjugated to soy protein nanoparticles (NPs) (C-AV) was compared with the free AV in neutralizing the systemic toxicity of Naja naja venom. The effective dose (ED50) of AV and C-AV to neutralize the venom-induced toxicity in mice was found to be 19.89 and 9.50 mg, respectively. The histopathological examination of heart, liver, and kidney indicated that the systemic toxicity induced by the venom was effectively neutralized by lower concentrations of C-AV than compared with AV. In addition, C-AV was found to be more effective in neutralizing the edema forming activity of N. naja venom compared with the AV. Thus, the results of this study indicate that the potency of commercially available AV could be improved by conjugating it to soy protein NPs. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 827-833, 2016
The authors describe a method for producing Boolean functions of degree d3 in n=2dk-1 (k=1, 2, ...) variables, such that the functions are plateaued and balanced, have high nonlinearity and have no linear structures. The nonlinearity is 2(n-1)-2((n-1)/2), which is the same as the largest possible nonlinearity for a quadratic function in n (odd) variables (the so-called quadratic bound'). Their theorem uses some new ideas to generalise a theorem, which gave the case d=3, in a 2009 paper by Fengrong Zhang et al. They discuss the cryptographic properties and applications for the functions.
In this paper, we investigate how the presence of a general purpose operating system influences the reliability of modern embedded Systems-on-Chips (SoCs). We experimentally study the difference in the neutron-induced error rate of SoCs when executing the application bare to the metal (i.e., without an underlying operating system) and on top of the Linux kernel. Our analysis demonstrates that Linux presence barely affects the Silent Data Corruption (SDC) rate whereas it greatly increases the system Functional Interruption (SEFI) rate (up to 7.48 times) if no preventive measures are taken. Nevertheless, we experimentally demonstrate that cache conflicts between the operating system and application can be leveraged to significantly reduce the Linux-induced SEFI rate increase. Moreover, we evaluate the OS software stack masking effect and show that the higher the abstraction layer in which an application is implemented, the lower its SDC rate. Furthermore, we analyze system reliability taking into account not only the resulting failure rates, but also the execution (and, thus, exposure) times.
A quantum key distribution protocol with traditional Bob has been proposed recently by Boyer et al. using single-particle state. In this paper, a semi-quantum key distribution protocol is described, in which Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) pairs of particles are utilized to generate a secret key in remote places. This extends the quantum key distribution protocol with traditional Bob where the single-qubit channel is replaced by the entangled EPR-pair channel. And quantum Alice is able to do any quantum operations, preparing quantum states and performing quantum measurement, but traditional Bob is not able to prepare and measure a particle in the computational basis, reflect the particles. Furthermore, entanglement states are used in our protocol. The analysis shows that our protocol is secure, which can avoid the beam splitter attack automatically, and the proposed protocol is more efficient than Boyers scheme.
This article argues that news coverage plays an important role for national identity building in the way that it evaluates the own nation better than foreign nations (in-group/out-group bias). This notion is being transferred to the media as an element of national cultural identity. This article identifies analogies between national identity building through the mass media and the third-person perception, which states that people assume others to be more vulnerable to negative media influences. It is hypothesized that patterns of an international third-person perception occur in news coverage, i.e. the news media should present media influences in the own country to be weaker than in other countries. A first standardized content analysis (N = 2204) of newspaper coverage from the US and Germany on elections in own and other countries supports this hypothesis. Consequences are discussed and directions for future research are pointed out.
BACKGROUND: Blood-injection-injury (B-I-I) phobia is capable of producing inaccurate hypoxic challenge testing results due to anxiety-induced hyperventilation. CASE REPORT: A 69-yr-old woman with a history of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, restrictive spirometry, exercise desaturation requiring supplementary oxygen on mobilizing, reduced DLco, and B-I-I phobia was referred for hypoxic challenge testing (HCT) to assess in-flight oxygen requirements. HCT was performed by breathing a 15% F(I)o(2) gas mixture, simulating the available oxygen in ambient air onboard aircraft pressurized to an equivalent altitude of 8000 ft. S(p)o(2) fell to a nadir value of 81% during HCT, although it rapidly increased to 89% during the first of two attempts at blood gas sampling. A resultant blood gas sample showed an acceptable Po-2 outside the criteria for recommending in-flight oxygen and a reduced Pco(2). Entering the nadir S(p)o(2) value into the Severinghaus equation gives an estimated arterial Po-2 of 6 kPa (45 mmHg), which was felt to be more representative of resting values during HCT, and in-flight oxygen was recommended. DISCUSSION: While hyperventilation is an expected response to hypoxia, transient rises in S(p)o(2) coinciding with threat of injury are likely to be attributable to emotional stress-induced hyperventilation, characteristic of B-I-I specific phobia and expected during the anticipation of exteroceptive threat, even in normal subjects. In summary, should excessive hyperventilation be detected during HCT and coincide with transient increases in S(p)o(2), HCT should be repeated using S(p)o(2) only as a guide to the level of hypoxemia, and Spot maintained using supplementary oxygen in accordance with alternative methods described in guidelines.
Water is a scarce resource in arid regions, and hence water harvesting is critically important in these regions for which many different means are adopted including groundwater and rainwater harvesting. This paper examines the feasibility of rainwater harvesting from roof catchments in arid regions of Australia. For this, ten representative locations in the arid regions of Australia are selected. Also, ten different sizes of rainwater tanks ranging from 5 kL to 50 kL and three different combinations of water uses are considered. A model is developed to simulate the performance of a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system. It is found that the reliability of a RWH system is highly dependent on mean annual rainfall at the location of interest. It is found that a 20 kL tank can provide a reliability of 61%-97% for toilet and laundry use depending on the location within the Australian arid regions. At the current water price, RWH system is not financially viable in the Australian arid regions. The methodology adopted in this paper can be adapted to other similar arid regions of the world. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The basal forebrain (BF) is an important regulator of hippocampal and cortical activity. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is a significant loss and dysfunction of cholinergic neurons within the BF, and also a hypertrophy of fibers containing the neuropeptide galanin. Understanding how galanin interacts with BF circuitry is critical in determining what role galanin overexpression plays in the progression of AD. Here, we examined the location and function of galanin in the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DBB) region of the BF. We show that galanin fibers are located throughout the MS/DBB and intermingled with both cholinergic and GABAergic neurons. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from MS/DBB neurons in acute slices reveal that galanin decreases tetrodotoxin-sensitive spontaneous GABA release and dampens muscarinic receptor-mediated increases in GABA release in the MS/DBB. These effects are not blocked by pre-exposure to beta-amyloid peptide (A beta(1-42)). Optogenetic activation of cholinergic neurons in the MS/DBB increases GABA release back onto cholinergic neurons, forming a functional circuit within the MS/DBB. Galanin disrupts this cholinergic-GABAergic circuit by blocking the cholinergic-induced increase in GABA release. These data suggest that galanin works in the BF to reduce inhibitory input onto cholinergic neurons and to prevent cholinergic-induced increase in inhibitory tone. This disinhibition of cholinergic neurons could serve as a compensatory mechanism to counteract the loss of cholinergic signaling that occurs during the progression of AD.
Modeling electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is usually done using equivalent electrical circuits. These circuits have parameters that need to be estimated properly in order to make possible the simulation of impedance data. Despite the fitting procedure is an optimization problem solved recurrently in the literature, rarely statistical significance of the estimated parameters is evaluated. In this work, the optimization process for the equivalent electrical circuit fitting to the impedance data is detailed. First, a mathematical development regarding the minimization of residual least squares is presented in order to obtain a statistically valid objective function of the complex nonlinear regression problem. Then, the optimization method used in this work is presented, the Differential Evolution, a global search stochastic method. Furthermore, it is shown how a population-based stochastic method like this can be used directly to obtain confidence regions to the estimated parameters. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted. Finally, the equivalent circuit fitting is done to model synthetic experimental data, in order to demonstrate the adopted procedure. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions over the past few decades and research is beginning to focus on the behavioral and cognitive mechanisms that may contribute to the rise of obesity in youth and emerging adults. Based on previous models of obesity and current research on the activation of approach motivational states, we predicted that impulsive individuals and individuals with high body dissatisfaction would demonstrate a narrowing of attentional focus in response to food-cue exposure. Participants (n = 101) completed a task assessing attentional breadth in response to food and non-food cues, followed by measures of eating behaviors and delay discounting (a measure of impulsive decision making). The findings revealed that delay discounting and the interaction between BMI and body dissatisfaction predicted narrowing of attentional scope following the presentation of food cues. Implications for how these findings might account for the link between impulsivity, body dissatisfaction and maladaptive eating are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This research investigated two competing explanations of the similarity effect: Byrne's (1971) reinforcement model and the information processing perspective. A meta-analysis of 240 laboratory-based similarity studies explored moderators important to the similarity effect, including set size, proportion of similarity, centrality of attitudes, and information salience. Results indicated effects for proportion of similarity, centrality of attitudes, and information salience, and were largely consistent with predictions of the information processing perspective. We discuss the implications of these findings for the two perspectives, for other models for the similarity effect, and for the role of affect and cognition in the experience of interpersonal attraction.
Education of nurses in the Republic of Croatia is being developed as a result of compliance with education in the European Union and the implementation of nursing research that leads to the growth of the whole profession. However, prejudice against the nursing profession is still present and therefore it is necessary to explore the attitudes of the general population and the population of nurses in the nursing profession in order to discover the causes of such prejudices and act on them. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to present transcultural adaptation and validation of the Nursing Image Questionnaire, which was created by Toth and associates (1998). The questionnaire, which includes 30 items and measures how an individual looks at the roles, values, and professional activities of nurses, was conducted as part of a preliminary study and was culturally adapted. The final study included 905 students who in 2011 and 2012 enrolled in the first year of full-time and parttime nursing study; the questionnaire was completed by 725 students. Toth and associates assumed that the attitude toward nursing is expressed as the sum of the responses of all the items, which would mean a factor structure with high item intercorrelation, but they also split the questionnaire into five thematic units. Results showed that, contrary to expectations, intercorrelations of items were extremely low and that following the completion of factor analysis, no satisfactory construct validity was established. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that it is not justified to create a latent dimension as established by research of Toth and associates, and the items, although there is a correlation between some of them, should be interpreted and analysed as independent constructs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study develops a general analytical model for describing transient drawdown distribution induced by pumping at a finite-radius well in a radial two-zone confined aquifer of finite areal extent with Robin-type condition at both inner and outer boundaries. This model is also applicable to heat conduction problems for a composite hollow cylinder on the basis of the analogy between heat flow and groundwater flow. The time-domain solution of the model is derived by the methods of Laplace transform, Bromwich integral, and residue theorem. This new solution can reduce to the solution for constant-head test (CHT) or constant-rate test (CRT) problem by specifying appropriate coefficients at the Robin inner boundary condition. The solution describing the flow rate across the wellbore due to CHT is further developed by applying Darcy's law to the new solution. In addition, steady-state solutions for both CHT and CRT are also developed based on the approximation for Bessel functions with very small argument values. Many existing solutions for transient flow in homogeneous or two-zone finite aquifers with Dirichlet or no-flow condition at the outer boundary are shown to be special cases of the present solution. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis is also performed to investigate the behaviors of the wellbore flow due to CHT and the aquifer drawdown induced by CRT in response to the change in each of aquifer parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The libraries collections, specially its rare and special books collections, are a cultural good from a historical and sociological point of view. However, the book and even more libraries are not clearly among the items to be preserved in the Brazilian Constitution and in international organizations. There is a lack of discussion and legal cover as the bibliographic collection as a heritage to be preserved. The absence of an overall view is prejudice to the preservation of library collections. Based on the legal texts dealing with the book and libraries, the paper discusses the role of libraries in the preservation of historical collections within the public institutions.
Surface passivation is an essential step for atomistic simulations. There can be many possible surface passivation results for a given device model, such as semiconductor devices that consist of Si, GaAs, or other materials because the bonding directions of the surface atoms may not be unique. Based on the structure analysis of the given model, a generation method with structure descriptor (SDG) is proposed for surface passivation. Compared with other existing solutions, the SDG method not only provides trimmer results, but also reduces the torsion angle energy of the model, which is preferred in the simulation of atomistic models. The efficiency of this method was validated through test results from several applications.
Three different multicomponent geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) from different manufacturers are tested in a transmissivity cell with a new testing procedure to quantify the flow rate and the interface transmissivity between the coating or attached film presenting a hole and the upper geotextile of the GCL. The testing device was previously used in studies aiming to evaluate the interface transmissivity between a damaged geomembrane (GM) and a regular GCL. Different results are obtained regarding the evolution with the time of the flow rate ranging from 1.73 x 10(-11) m(3)/s to 2.18 x 10(-10) m(3)/s at steady state, which is on average in the range of flow rate results obtained with a GM-GCL composite liner. Additional tests performed by adding a GM on top give lower values of flow rates. This shows the importance of the film or coating rigidity for decreasing flow rate and insuring a better quality contact at the interface.
The experimental study of two kinds of electrical circuits, a domino ladder and a nested ladder, is presented. While the domino ladder is known and already appeared in the theory of fractional-order systems, the nested ladder circuit is presented in this article for the first time. For fitting the measured data, a new approach is suggested, which is based on using the Mittag-Leffler function and which means that the data are fitted by a solution of an initial-value problem for a two-term fractional differential equation. The experiment showed that in the frequency domain the domino ladder behaves as a system of order 0.5 and the nested ladder as a system of order 0.25, which is in perfect agreement with the theory developed for their design. In the time domain, however, the order of the domino ladder is changing from roughly 0.5 to almost 1, and the order of the nested ladder is changing in a similar manner, from roughly 0.25 to almost 1; in both cases, the order 1 is never reached, and both systems remain the systems of non-integer order less than 1. Both studied types of electrical circuits provide the first known examples of circuits, which are made of passive elements only and which exhibit in the time domain the behavior of variable order.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a prototype rheumatoid factor-negative spondyloarthropathy that causes the vertebrae to fuse making the spine less flexible, resulting in a hunched-forward posture. A 47-year-old male who was a known case of ankylosing spondylitis presented with left quadriceps rupture after raising his right foot to lightly hit a football. He was fitted with a knee immobilizer as an emergency measure. The extent of the rupture was not yet established when patient requested leave to go home. The right quadriceps was ruptured as well when he took his immobilizer off to go the bathroom. We report herein an extremely rare case of ankylosing spondylitis with atrophy in the quadriceps to the extent of causing pathological muscle rupture. Prolonged period of immobilization results in muscle wasting which leads to knee joint instability so the muscle should be repaired as soon as possible.
Understanding continuous human actions is a non-trivial but important problem in computer vision. Although there exists a large corpus of work in the recognition of action sequences, most approaches suffer from problems relating to vast variations in motions, action combinations, and scene contexts. In this paper, we introduce a novel method for semantic segmentation and recognition of long and complex manipulation action tasks, such as preparing a breakfast or making a sandwich. We represent manipulations with our recently introduced Semantic Event Chain (SEC) concept, which captures the underlying spatiotemporal structure of an action invariant to motion, velocity, and scene context. Solely based on the spatiotemporal interactions between manipulated objects and hands in the extracted SEC, the framework automatically parses individual manipulation streams performed either sequentially or concurrently. Using event chains, our method further extracts basic primitive elements of each parsed manipulation. Without requiring any prior object knowledge, the proposed framework can also extract object-like scene entities that exhibit the same role in semantically similar manipulations. We conduct extensive experiments on various recent datasets to validate the robustness of the framework.
Recent evidence indicates that the miRNA biogenesis factors DROSHA, DGCR8, and DICER exert non-overlapping functions, and have also roles in miRNA-independent regulatory mechanisms. However, it is currently unknown whether miRNA-independent functions of DGCR8 play any role in the maintenance of neuronal progenitors and during corticogenesis. Here, by phenotypic comparison of cortices from conditional Dgcr8 and Dicer knockout mice, we show that Dgcr8 deletion, in contrast to Dicer depletion, leads to premature differentiation of neural progenitor cells and overproduction of TBR1-positive neurons. Remarkably, depletion of miRNAs upon DCGR8 loss is reduced compared to DICER loss, indicating that these phenotypic differences are mediated by miRNA-independent functions of DGCR8. We show that Dgcr8 mutations induce an earlier and stronger phenotype in the developing nervous system compared to Dicer mutants and that miRNA-independent functions of DGCR8 are critical for corticogenesis. Finally, our data also suggest that the Microprocessor complex, with DROSHA and DGCR8 as core components, directly regulates the Tbr1 transcript, containing evolutionarily conserved hairpins that resemble miRNA precursors, independently of miRNAs.
In personality research, the term blind spot (Luft 82 Ingham, 1955) denotes personality characteristics that people are not aware of, but that are consensually attributed to them by others. Our investigation revealed evidence for (a) a normative blind-spot (i.e., characterizing the average target) and (b) distinctive blind-spots (i.e., characterizing specific targets). The latter finding implies that the average person is not aware of some of the ways in which he or she is uniquely, but consensually, perceived by other people. The respective effect size is substantial, as compared with other effects in the field of person perception (e.g., consensus). Future research should investigate how people may benefit from the knowledge that others - and only others - have about them. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Work on standardising methods in the field of animal species differentiation has been intensified in Germany in recent years, not least due to the horsemeat scandal in 2013. Even though there are now hardly ever any positive findings any more in examinations to detect horse elements in foods such as lasagne, animal species differentiation altogether ranks high in detecting adulteration of foods. This article therefore summarises the current status of analysis techniques in Germany with a focus on standardisation. It has been established by the working group Biochemical and Molecular Biological Analytics of the Lebensmittelchemische Gesellschaft (Food Chemistry Society within the German Chemical Society) with support of experts in the working group Molecular biology techniques for differentiating plant and animal species [ 64 of the German Food and Feed Code - LFGBI and the Immunology and molecular biology task force of the Food hygiene and food of animal origin working group (ALTS), both from Germany.
A contact-free method to obtain the current-voltage characteristics (CVC) of hard superconductors by measuring the relaxation of the magnetization in a perpendicular magnetic field is developed. The relaxation curves obtained for melt-textured YBCO samples are well fitted by curves calculated within the electrodynamic model using a power-law CVC. This procedure uses only two fitting parameters, namely, the critical sheet current J(c) and the exponent tit of the power-law CVC. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The project Managing water scarcity: intelligent tools and cooperative strategies, funded by the European Commission, has aimed at pointing out the potential for increasing water use efficiency in the Yongding River Basin, a sub basin of the Hai River Basin in North East China. It has been implemented over the last 4 years in collaboration with the following partners from China: Foreign Economic Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Environment, Development Research Centre of the Ministry of Water Resources, Tsinghua University and the Tianjin Environmental Protection and Technology Development Centre. this paper presents the main results of this project: the project has studied structural and non structural measures for increasing water use efficiency in 3 sectors (Agriculture, industry and domestic use); Agricultural water use: the project studied the potential and limitations of micro irrigation technologies in the Yongding River Basin, based on case study evaluations. Industrial water use: the project studied the potential for increasing water use efficiency in the most relevant industries in the Yongding River Basin: textile, chemical and power industry. For each industry 1 2 factories were selected and strategies to improve water use efficiency elaborated. Domestic water use: domestic water use is comprised of showers, toilets, washing machines and other uses. In Beijing, the largest water users are showers (34%), followed by toilets (26%) and washing machines (22%). Water saving types are available for each of those and the potential and constraints for mainstreaming the most water saving types have been investigated based on user surveys. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) RWH is considered to have a large potential for the Yongding River Basin, but it has only been applied to a very limited extent. Those studies have shown that water use efficiency can be considerably increased in the Yongding River Basin through implementing water saving technologies in each of the studied sectors. To facilitate their implementation non structural measures such as policy instruments can substantially help. Experiences with such policy instruments have been surveyed and improved policy instruments suggested. Then, those policy instruments have been discussed with various stakeholders in the Yongding River Basin and based on the feedback policy recommendations were elaborated.
Benthic (streambed) biofilms metabolize a substantial fraction of particulate organic matter and nutrient inputs to streams. These microbial communities comprise a significant proportion of overall biomass in headwater streams, and they present a primary control on the transformation and export of labile organic carbon. Biofilm growth has been linked to enhanced fine particle deposition and retention, a feedback that confers a distinct advantage for the acquisition and utilization of energy sources. We quantified the influence of biofilm structure on fine particle deposition and resuspension in experimental stream mesocosms. Biofilms were grown in identical 3 m recirculating flumes over periods of 18-47 days to obtain a range of biofilm characteristics. Fluorescent, 8 mu m particles were introduced to each flume, and their concentrations in the water column were monitored over a 30 min period. We measured particle concentrations using a flow cytometer and mesoscale (10 mu m to 1 cm) biofilm structure using optical coherence tomography. Particle deposition-resuspension dynamics were determined by fitting results to a stochastic mobile-immobile model, which showed that retention timescales for particles within the biofilm-covered streambeds followed a power-law residence time distribution. Particle retention times increased with biofilm areal coverage, biofilm roughness, and mean biofilm height. Our findings suggest that biofilm structural parameters are key predictors of particle retention in streams and rivers.
Grid-to-rod fretting (GTRF) in pressurized water reactors is a flow-induced vibration phenomenon that results in wear and fretting of the cladding material on fuel rods. GTRF is responsible for over 70% of the fuel failures in pressurized water reactors in the United States. Predicting the GTRF wear and concomitant interval between failures is important because of the large costs associated with reactor shutdown and replacement of fuel rod assemblies. The GTRF-induced wear process involves turbulent flow, mechanical vibration, tribology, and time-varying irradiated material properties in complex fuel assembly geometries. This paper presents a new approach for predicting GTRF induced fuel rod wear that uses high-resolution implicit large-eddy simulation to drive nonlinear transient dynamics computations. The GTRF fluid-structure problem is separated into the simulation of the turbulent flow field in the complex-geometry fuel-rod bundles using implicit large-eddy simulation, the calculation of statistics of the resulting fluctuating structural forces, and the nonlinear transient dynamics analysis of the fuel rod. Ultimately, the methods developed here, can be used, in conjunction with operational management, to improve reactor core designs in which fuel rod failures are minimized or potentially eliminated. Robustness of the behavior of both the structural forces computed from the turbulent flow simulations and the results from the transient dynamics analyses highlight the progress made towards achieving a predictive simulation capability for the GTRF problem. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
AimsA longitudinal birth cohort provides an opportunity to study the impact of childhood conditions persisting into adulthood. This study examines the cross-sectional association of asthma with sleep quality and snoring in the adolescent and young adult population and the extent to which asthma, sleep quality and snoring at 14 years independently predict themselves or each other at 21 years. MethodsData from a 21-year follow-up of mothers and their children recruited into the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (n = 7223). Complete asthma and sleep information (questionnaire data) was available for 5015 participants at 14 years and 3527 at 21 years, with 3237 participants at both 14 and 21 years. ResultsPoor sleep quality and snoring were independently associated with asthma at 14 years and 21 years, with stronger associations evident in women. At 21 years, associations were mediated by asthma symptom severity. Asthma, sleep quality and snoring at 14 years each strongly and independently predicted themselves at 21 years. Asthma at 14 years predicted snoring at 21 years, while poor sleep quality and snoring in women predicted asthma at 21 years, the latter partially mediated by body mass index. ConclusionsThe relationship between asthma, sleep quality and snoring varied by gender. Sleep quality and snoring should be considered in the assessment and holistic management of asthma. The predictive relationship seen between 14 and 21 years provides an opportunity to address these issues at a younger age.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important etiological agent of respiratory infections, particularly in children. Much information regarding the immune response to RSV comes from animal models and in vitro studies. Here, we provide a comprehensive description of the human immune response to RSV infection, based on a systematic literature review of research on infected humans. There is an initial strong neutrophil response to RSV infection in humans, which is positively correlated with disease severity and mediated by interleukin-8 (IL- 8). Dendritic cells migrate to the lungs as the primary antigen-presenting cell. An initial systemic T-cell lymphopenia is followed by a pulmonary CD8(+) T-cell response, mediating viral clearance. Humoral immunity to reinfection is incomplete, but RSV IgG and IgA are protective. B-cell-stimulating factors derived from airway epithelium play a major role in protective antibody generation. Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) has a strongly protective role, and a Th2-biased response may be deleterious. Other cytokines (particularly IL-17A), chemokines (particularly CCL-5 and CCL-3), and local innate immune factors (including cathelicidins and IFN-lambda) contribute to pathogenesis. In summary, neutrophilic inflammation is incriminated as a harmful response, whereas CD8(+) T cells and IFN-gamma have protective roles. These may represent important therapeutic targets to modulate the immunopathogenesis of RSV infection.
The division-summation (D-Sigma) current control and one-cycle voltage regulation (OCVR) of a 5-kW surface-mounted permanent-magnet synchronous generator (SPMSG) drive is developed. With the advancement of motor manufacturing, motor design, digital control units and power electronics converters, the permanent-magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) is broadly applied to electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, flywheel energy storage system and wind power generators. Satisfactory current control scheme of a PMSG is significant to achieve desired generating performance. The D-Sigma current control is proposed and derived from the conventional space-vector modulation and two-phase modulation. A simplification of the complex self-and mutual inductances in a PMSG is demonstrated. The proposed current control can achieve the current waveform tracking through the simplification of winding inductances without parameter designing procedure of the feedback controller. The computation time of the microcontroller is reduced via the proposed current control scheme. The processing times of the conventional control and the D-Sigma control are compared. Moreover, the dc-link voltage can be well regulated by the proposed OCVR. This method can reduce the complexity of the voltage controller design. The merits of these two methods are easy to implement and the parameter designing procedure of the feedback controller is unnecessary. In addition, the system stability and the parameter sensitivity are analyzed and evaluated. Some measured waveforms verify the current tracking, torque ripple, dynamic performance and voltage regulation of the SPMSG drive. The reduction of the switching losses is verified by the calculation results.
Generally, rainwater harvesting has been less acceptable as a stable water resource for the countries with large disparities in seasonal rainfall including Korea. In this study, rainwater harvesting system suitable for South Korea was investigated systematically. The simulation method utilizing daily rainfall data collected for the last 10 years was developed to determine the critical size of rainwater tank which could supply harvested rainwater continuously. The estimation of rainwater tank size was further simplified by developing a correlation of volume to area fractions. Extensive simulation was performed to evaluate the feasibility of rainwater harvesting for seven major cities in South Korea. The resulting rainwater tank was too large to be economically feasible, compared to daily harvested rainwater used. Thus, rainwater harvesting system was integrated with alternative water resources such as wastewater reclamation by membrane bioreactor (MBR) to enhance the applicability of rainwater harvesting without compromising continuous water supply.
Background and Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) develops from a complex process, which includes changes in the liver methylome. Betaine plays a pivotal role in the regulation of methylogenesis. We performed a two-stage case-control study, which included patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD to explore circulating levels of betaine and its association with the histological spectrum. We also explored the association between a missense rs1805074, p.Ser646Pro variant in DMGDH (dimethylglycine dehydrogenase mitochondrial) and NAFLD severity (n=390). Results: In the discovery phase (n=48), betaine levels were associated with the disease severity (P=.0030), including liver inflammation (Spearman R:-0.51, P=.001), ballooning degeneration (R:-0.50, P=.01) and fibrosis (R: -0.54, P=.0008). Betaine levels were significantly decreased in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in comparison with nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). Further replication (n=51) showed that betaine levels were associated with advanced NAFLD (P=.0085), and patients with NASH had a 1.26-fold decrease in betaine levels compared with those with NAFL. The rs1805074 was significantly associated with the disease severity (P=.011). Conclusion: NAFLD severity is associated with a state of betaine-insufficiency.
With the aid of theoretical calculations, a series of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were designed and prepared for the recognition of dicyandiamide (DCD) via precipitation polymerization using acetonitrile as the solvent at 333 K. On the basis of the long-range correction method of M062X/6-31G(d,p), we simulated the bonding sites, bonding situations, binding energies, imprinted molar ratios, and the mechanisms of interaction between DCD and the functional monomers. Among acrylamide (AM), N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), itaconic acid (IA), and methacrylic acid (MAA), MAA was confirmed as the best functional monomer, because the strongest interaction (the maximum number of hydrogen bonds and the lowest binding energy) occurs between DCD and MAA, when the optimal molar ratios for DCD to the functional monomers were used, respectively. Additionally, pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) was confirmed to be the best cross-linker among divinylbenzene (DVB), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), trimethylolpropane trimethylacrylate (TRIM), and PETA. This is due to the facts that the weakest interaction (the highest binding energy) occurs between PETA and DCD, and the strongest interaction (the lowest binding energy) occurs between PETA and MAA. Depending on the results of theoretical calculations, a series of MIPs were prepared. Among them, the ones prepared using DCD, MAA, and PETA as the template, the functional monomer, and the cross-linker, respectively, exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for DCD. The apparent maximum absorption quantity of DCD on the MIP was 17.45 mg/g.
Biologic drugs such as infliximab and other anti-tumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibodies have transformed the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]). However, the complex manufacturing processes involved in producing these drugs mean their use in clinical practice is expensive. Recent or impending expiration of patents for several biologics has led to development of biosimilar versions of these drugs, with the aim of providing substantial cost savings and increased accessibility to treatment. Biosimilars undergo an expedited regulatory process. This involves proving structural, functional, and biological biosimilarity to the reference product (RP). It is also expected that clinical equivalency/comparability will be demonstrated in a clinical trial in one (or more) sensitive population. Once these requirements are fulfilled, extrapolation of biosimilar approval to other indications for which the RP is approved is permitted without the need for further clinical trials, as long as this is scientifically justifiable. However, such justification requires that the mechanism(s) of action of the RP in question should be similar across indications and also comparable between the RP and the biosimilar in the clinically tested population(s). Likewise, the pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and safety of the RP should be similar across indications and comparable between the RP and biosimilar in the clinically tested population(s). To date, most anti-tumor necrosis factor biosimilars have been tested in trials recruiting patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Concerns have been raised regarding extrapolation of clinical data obtained in rheumatologic populations to IBD indications. In this review, we discuss the issues surrounding indication extrapolation, with a focus on extrapolation to IBD.
Recent in silico studies suggested that the transcription cofactor LIM-only protein FHL2 is a major transcriptional regulator of mouse natural killer (NK) cells. However, the expression and role of FHL2 in NK cell biology are unknown. Here, we confirm that FHL2 is expressed in both mouse and human NK cells. Using FHL2(-/-) mice, we found that FHL2 controls NK cell development in the bone marrow and maturation in peripheral organs. To evaluate the importance of FHL2 in NK cell activation, FHL2(-/-) mice were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae. FHL2(-/-) mice are highly susceptible to this infection. The activation of lung NK cells is altered in FHL2(-/-) mice, leading to decreased IFN. production and a loss of control of bacterial burden. Collectively, our data reveal that FHL2 is a new transcription cofactor implicated in NK cell development and activation during pulmonary bacterial infection.
Compositionality is a property of natural language which is of prime importance: It enables humans to form and conceptualize potentially novel and complex ideas, by combining words. On the other hand, the symbol grounding problem examines the way meaning is anchored to entities external to language, such as sensory percepts and sensory-motor routines. In this paper we aim towards the exploration of the intersection of compositionality and symbol grounding. We thus propose a methodology for constructing empirically derived models of grounded meaning, which afford composition of grounded semantics. We illustrate our methodology for the case of adjectival modifiers. Grounded models of adjectively modified and unmodified colors are acquired through a specially designed procedure with 134 participants, and then computational models of the modifiers dark and light are derived. The generalization ability of these learnt models is quantitatively evaluated, and their usage is demonstrated in a real-world physical humanoid robot. We regard this as an important step towards extending empirical approaches for symbol grounding so that they can accommodate compositionality: a necessary step towards the deep understanding of natural language for situated embodied agents, such as sensor-enabled ambient intelligence and interactive robots.
Data models or knowledge models? What do we often use in engineering? What does a difference in the technical field? A short presentation: knowledge models offers pre-defined solutions, delivering knowledge about the process we are interested in. Data models put in an accepted format a piece of reality. The purpose of this paper is to underline the difference between the two notions and to sharpen the notion of knowledge components: explicit, implicit and tacit knowledge and the approach consists in a review of the science literature. It will be also presented the notion of surface-knowledge. The examples and all the work will be placed in the context of the manufacturing engineering and technology field.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs for the individual patient and for society. The purpose of this study was to examine welfare costs in patients with RA including their partners before and after initial diagnosis. Data were collected from population-based registers in the period from 1998 to 2009. A total of 25,547 Danish patients with a diagnosis of RA and 15,660 of their partners were identified and compared with 101,755 randomly selected age- and gender-matched controls and 62,681 control partners. The direct and indirect costs were calculated for patients and their partners and compared to matched controls. These included inpatient and outpatient treatment, medication, income from employment and social transfer payments. Patients with RA had statistically significantly more inpatient and outpatient costs than control subjects, i.e., treatment (a,notsign346 vs. a,notsign211), hospitalization (a,notsign1261 vs. a,notsign778), and medication use (a,notsign654 vs. a,notsign393). The costs associated with the patients were present 11 years before diagnosis of RA (a,notsign1592) compared with control subjects (a,notsign1172). Furthermore, income from employment was lower for patients (a,notsign14,023) than for control subjects (a,notsign17,196). Being a partner to a patient with RA was associated with high total welfare costs. This register-based study shows that RA has significant welfare costs for patients, their partners, and society. The differences in total health costs exist up to 11 years before the diagnosis of RA is established.
The current research explores whether momentary changes in power can shift professional interview outcomes. Two experiments manipulated power by asking applicants to recall a time they had or lacked power prior to writing a job application letter (Experiment 1) or being interviewed for admission to business schools (Experiment 2). Independent judges, who were unaware of the applicants' experimental condition or even the existence of the power manipulation, significantly preferred the written and face-to-face interview performance of powerful applicants to that of powerless (Experiments 1 and 2) or power-neutral applicants (Experiment 2). In addition, the judges' preference for power-primed applicants was mediated by perceptions of the applicant's persuasiveness. Overall, merely asking participants to remember a personal experience with power dramatically affected the impressions that interviewers had of them. Our findings illustrate power's far-reaching effects and have potentially important implications for understanding the psychology of job interviews. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved,
Withdrawn/depressed behavior (WD) as defined by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) relates to various outcomes in developmental psychopathology such as depression, pervasive developmental disorders, and suicide. We sought to examine the temperamental characteristics of children who concurrently endorse symptoms of WD. Junior Temperament and Characteristic Inventory (JTCI) and CBCL data were collected from 397 children's parents in a family study in the northeastern United States. Linear mixed models were used to test the relations between WD and temperament dimensions (Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, Persistence) on the JTCI, while controlling for age, sex, item overlap, and co-occurring aggression and attention problems. When controlling for definitional artifact and CBCL aggressive behavior and attention scores, high harm avoidance and low reward dependence were both significant predictors of childhood withdrawn behavior. This study marks the first characterization of a temperamental profile associated with WD in children and adolescents.
This article examines the formalization of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and the implications of new policy trends for water governance. Analysis of 96 RWH policies across the United States indicates three trends: (1) the 'codification' of water through administrative rather than public law; (2) the institutionalization of RWH through market-based tools; and (3) the rise of policies at different spatial scales, resulting in greater institutional complexity, new bureaucratic actors, and potential points of friction. Drawing on the cases of Colorado and Texas, the article argues that states with diverse legal traditions of water enable more successful regulatory environments for downspout alternatives.
Research on personality types has recently received increasing attention in the field of personality and social psychology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between adolescents' personality types and prosocial/aggressive behavior. A sample of 1644 Chinese adolescents was recruited to complete the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Children's Behavior Inventory. Results revealed that there were four personality types in Chinese adolescents: Resilients, Withdrawn, Undercontrollers, and Ordinary. Results of ANOVA showed that resilient adolescents had the highest scores whereas withdrawn adolescents had the lowest scores on the measure of prosocial behavior. Both withdrawn and undercontrolled adolescents had the highest scores and resilient adolescents had the lowest scores on the measure of aggression. This is the first study of Chinese adolescents' personality types and the relationship between Chinese adolescents' personality types and prosocial behavior and aggression. The results have implications for understanding western notions of personality in the Chinese population. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article deals with research of Russian university student attitudes toward drug use. Research was conducted in 2015; and, 150 students from Smolensk universities took part. The sample consists of three age groups of students: 17-18, 19, and 20 years and older. Study results show students view people with addiction in a negative context - weak, stupid, unreliable, and unhappy. Also, attitudes reflect support for extreme punishment of drug traffickers for drug distribution blaming Roma Gypsies. Age of the student respondents was a significant factor affecting attitudes - older students have a more negative attitude about people with addiction and are more inclined to call for harsh punishment. Study results provide usable information for drug policy, education and prevention efforts in Russia.
In grazed dairy pastures, the largest N source for both nitrate (NO3-) leaching and nitrous oxide (N(2)0) emissions is urine-N excreted by the animals. Additional application of N on urine patches as fertilizer may increase these losses. Identification of urine patches could reduce N losses in grazed pastures through more efficient fertilizer application and improved fertilizer N use efficiency (NUE). The aim of this study was to determine if remote sensing using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology could accurately identify urine patches in grazed pastures based on height variation of the grass canopy in close proximity. Synthetic cow urine (7 g N L-1) was applied to two blocks (20 m x 20 m) in a well established pasture in Canterbury, New Zealand, which had no recent exposure to grazing animals or N fertilization. Urine patches were scanned weekly for five weeks. LiDAR based contour maps of the pasture were shown to accurately detect the asymmetric urine patches as well as calculate a percent area of urine based high N as early as one week after a simulated grazing event. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Although much research examines how physicians perceive their patients, here we study how patients perceive physicians. We propose patients consider their physicians like personally emotionless empty vessels: The higher is individuals' need for care, the less they value physicians' traits related to their personal lives (e.g., self-focused emotions), but the more they value physicians' traits related to patients (e.g., patient-focused emotions). In an initial study, participants recalled fewer personal facts (e.g., marital status) about physicians who seemed more important to their health. In subsequent experiments, participants in higher need for care believed physicians have less personal emotions. Although higher need individuals, such as patients in a clinic, perceived their physicians to be personally emotionless, they wanted the clinic to hire physicians who displayed patient-focused emotion. We discuss implications of perceiving physicians as empty vessels for health care.
Stator winding structure and its manufacturing in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM) is the vital part of the whole machine design. It is important to follow particular procedures in order to keep the winding losses at the acceptable level, which include DC resistance loss and additional losses due to alternative magnetic flux within the area of the stator winding. The winding transposition or using of Litz wire, which is effective way of proximity loss suppression, sometimes cannot be implemented due to challenges in assembling or cost aspects (especially in low cost PMSM solutions). In this case it is important to know consequences of using straight (non-twisting) windings in PMSMs with relatively high electrical frequency. This article studies impact of the number of stator winding parallel strands on the additional AC losses distribution in the slot where this winding is located. Also, thermal condition (which impacts the life time of the insulation) of the winding is analyzed with different number of parallel strands. Current and temperature distributions in the slot conductors were attained by finite element method (FEM). The total losses caused by additional AC losses in the winding were compared with the measurements results.
Environmental governance systems are under greater pressure to adapt and to cope with increased social and ecological uncertainty from stressors like climate change. We review principles of social cognition and decision making that shape and constrain how environmental governance systems adapt. We focus primarily on the interplay between key decision makers in society and legal systems. We argue that adaptive governance must overcome three cooperative dilemmas to facilitate adaptation: (1) encouraging collaborative problem solving, (2) garnering social acceptance and commitment, and (3) cultivating a culture of trust and tolerance for change and uncertainty. However, to do so governance systems must cope with biases in people's decision making that cloud their judgment and create conflict. These systems must also satisfy people's fundamental needs for self-determination, fairness, and security, ensuring that changes to environmental governance are perceived as legitimate, trustworthy, and acceptable. We discuss the implications of these principles for common governance solutions (e.g., public participation, enforcement) and conclude with methodological recommendations. We outline how scholars can investigate the social cognitive principles involved in cases of adaptive governance.
Facial expressions constitute a rich source of non-verbal cues in face-to-face communication. They provide interlocutors with resources to express and interpret verbal messages, which may affect their cognitive and emotional processing. Contrarily, computer-mediated communication (CMC), particularly text-based communication, is limited to the use of symbols to convey a message, where facial expressions cannot be transmitted naturally. In this scenario, people use emoticons as paralinguistic cues to convey emotional meaning. Research has shown that emoticons contribute to a greater social presence as a result of the enrichment of text-based communication channels. Additionally, emoticons constitute a valuable resource for language comprehension by providing expressivity to text messages. The latter findings have been supported by studies in neuroscience showing that particular brain regions involved in emotional processing are also activated when people are exposed to emoticons. To reach an integrated understanding of the influence of emoticons in human communication on both socio-cognitive and neural levels, we review the literature on emoticons in three different areas. First, we present relevant literature on emoticons in CMC. Second, we study the influence of emoticons in language comprehension. Finally, we show the incipient research in neuroscience on this topic. This mini review reveals that, while there are plenty of studies on the influence of emoticons in communication from a social psychology perspective, little is known about the neurocognitive basis of the effects of emoticons on communication dynamics.
Online photo sharing is an increasingly popular activity for Internet users. More and more users are now constantly sharing their images in various social media, from social networking sites to online communities, blogs, and content sharing sites. In this article, we present an extensive study exploring privacy and sharing needs of users' uploaded images. We develop learning models to estimate adequate privacy settings for newly uploaded images, based on carefully selected image-specific features. Our study investigates both visual and textual features of images for privacy classification. We consider both basic image-specific features, commonly used for image processing, as well as more sophisticated and abstract visual features. Additionally, we include a visual representation of the sentiment evoked by images. To our knowledge, sentiment has never been used in the context of image classification for privacy purposes. We identify the smallest set of features, that by themselves or combined together with others, can perform well in properly predicting the degree of sensitivity of users' images. We consider both the case of binary privacy settings (i.e., public, private), as well as the case of more complex privacy options, characterized by multiple sharing options. Our results show that with few carefully selected features, one may achieve high accuracy, especially when high-quality tags are available.
The performance of four sections of a full-scale embankment constructed on soft soil is examined using a fully coupled and fully three-dimensional finite element analysis. The four sections had similar embankment loadings but different improvement options (one unimproved, one with pile-support only, one with a single layer geotextile-reinforced platform and pile-support, and one with two layers of geogrid-reinforced platform and pile-support). Like the field data, the numerical results show that the inclusion of piles decreases the settlement at the subsoil surface to 52% of that for the unimproved section, and the addition of a single layer of geotextile reinforcement (J = 800 kN/m) further reduced settlement to only 31% of that of the unimproved section. The effects of geosynthetic reinforcement and multiple layers of reinforcement on the performance of the pile-supported embankment are discussed. The relative load transfer is calculated using eight existing methods and they are compared with the field measurements and numerical results.
Background: Several countries or regions within countries have an effective national asthma strategy resulting in a reduction of the large burden of asthma to individuals and society. There has been no systematic appraisal of the extent of national asthma strategies in the world. Methods: The Global Asthma Network (GAN) undertook an email survey of 276 Principal Investigators of GAN centres in 120 countries, in 2013-2014. One of the questions was: Has a national asthma strategy been developed in your country for the next five years? For children? For adults?. Results: Investigators in 112 (93.3%) countries answered this question. Of these, 26 (23.2%) reported having a national asthma strategy for children and 24 (21.4%) for adults; 22 (19.6%) countries had a strategy for both children and adults; 28 (25%) had a strategy for at least one age group. In countries with a high prevalence of current wheeze, strategies were significantly more common than in low prevalence countries (11/13 (85%) and 7/31 (22.6%) respectively, p < 0.001). Interpretation: In 25% countries a national asthma strategy was reported. A large reduction in the global burden of asthma could be potentially achieved if more countries had an effective asthma strategy. (C) 2017 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Modern data collection and analysis pipelines often involve a sophisticated mix of applications written in general purpose and specialized programming languages. Many formats commonly used to import and export data between different programs or systems, such as CSV or JSON, are verbose, inefficient, not type-safe, or tied to a specific programming language. Protocol Buffers are a popular method of serializing structured data between applications - while remaining independent of programming languages or operating systems. They off er a unique combination of features, performance, and maturity that seems particularly well suited for data-driven applications and numerical computing. The RProtoBuf package provides a complete interface to Protocol Buffers from the R environment for statistical computing. This paper outlines the general class of data serialization requirements for statistical computing, describes the implementation of the RProtoBuf package, and illustrates its use with example applications in large-scale data collection pipelines and web services.
The filter media in polyester is one of the most geotextile materials used in aerosol and drainage filtration, particularly for soil reinforcement in civil engineering due to its appropriate properties and its low cost. However, the current understanding of the durability and stability of this material in real service conditions, especially under severe long-term conditions are completely limited. This work presents an investigation of the chemical aging of a commercial nonwoven polyester membrane under different temperatures and pH environments in relation to its morphology, mechanical properties and molar mass. The results showed a significant reduction of mechanical properties in term of tensile strength, puncture resistance and tearing forces of the membrane after aging process due to the chemical degradation. The molar mass and mechanical properties changes with temperature and pH showed a complex dependence of material properties on environmental conditions. Based on the obtained results, the lifetime of the material at different temperatures was determined by the use of the Arrhenius model. These results provide useful information to a better understanding of phenomena occurring during chemical aging of the polyester nonwoven membranes and may help to predict the service lifetime of this material in conditions of use encounteredin service. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper reports a study on the impact of different usage patterns of an automated blinds system on the energy consumption for heating and cooling in a Dutch office building. A five-month observational field study in 40 offices resulted into a dataset on the blinds usage of four types of blind users. This data was used to simulate the effect of the blinds usage on the energy consumption for heating and cooling. The results of the field study show that a majority of the building occupants switched off the automatic mode of the blinds system permanently. The simulation results indicate that this significantly impacts the energy consumption in the building. The total daily average energy consumption for heating and cooling was significantly lower for occupants using the automatic mode than for the three groups of manual users (871W/day versus 2573W/day; T=-5.98, p=0.000).
Quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes rely on the randomness to exchange secret keys between two parties. A control key to generate the same (pseudo)-randomness for the key exchanging parties increases the key exchange rate. However, the use of pseudo randomness where true randomness is required makes a classical system vulnerable to the known plain-text attack. Contrary to the belief of unavailability of this attack in QKD, we show that this attack is actually possible whenever a control key is employed. In this paper, we show that it is possible to make use of the uncertainty principle to not only avoid this attack, but also remove the hazards of photon-number splitting attack in quantum setting. We define the secrecy of control key based on the guessing probability, and propose a scheme to achieve this defined secrecy. We show the general applicability of our framework on the most common QKD schemes.
With the development of computer network technology, network security issues are also making more and more people pay attention. IPsec protocol as a viable solution to IP communications security was put forward, and many IPsec products were also launched. Therefore, to detect and mine possible vulnerabilities of IPsec-related products is important and necessary. Fuzzing test can help us find these vulnerabilities in these IPsec product implementations. In the current popular Fuzzing tools, Peach is a widely recognized open-source fuzzing framework. However, the current Peach is unable to support IKE protocol. The paper achieved fuzzing test for IKE protocol by extending the framework of the Peach.
Background: Joint pain, including back pain, and arthritis are common conditions in the United States, affecting more than 100 million individuals and costing upwards of $200 billion each year. Although activity limitations associated with these disorders impose a substantial economic burden, this relationship has not been explored in a large U.S. cohort. Methods: In this study, we used the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey to investigate whether functional limitations explain the difference in medical expenditures between patients with arthritis and joint pain and those without. We used sequential explanatory linear models to investigate this relationship and accounted for various covariates. Results: Unadjusted mean expenditures were $10,587 for those with joint pain or arthritis, compared with $3813 for those without. In a fully adjusted model accounting also for functional limitations, those with joint pain or arthritis paid $1638 more than those without, a statistically significant difference. Conclusions: The growing economic and public health burden of arthritis and joint pain, as well as the corresponding complications of functional, activity, and sensory limitations, calls for an interdisciplinary approach and heightened awareness among providers to identify strategies that meet the needs of high-risk patients in order to prevent and delay disease progression.
Tag is a popular children's playground game. It revolves around taggers that chase and then tag runners, upon which their roles switch. There are many variations of the game that aim to keep children engaged by presenting them with challenges and different types of gameplay. We argue that the introduction of sensing and floor projection technology in the playground can aid in providing both variation and challenge. To this end, we need to understand players' behavior in the playground and steer the interactions using projections accordingly. In this paper, we first analyze the behavior of taggers and runners in a traditional tag setting. We focus on behavioral cues that differ between the two roles. Based on these, we present a probabilistic role recognition model. We then move to an interactive setting and evaluate the model on tag sessions in an interactive tag playground. Our model achieves 77.96 % accuracy, which demonstrates the feasibility of our approach. We identify several avenues for improvement. Eventually, these should lead to a more thorough understanding of what happens in the playground, not only regarding player roles but also when the play breaks down, for example when players are bored or cheat.
The curve number (CN) is a hydrologic parameter used to describe the stormwater runoff potential for drainage areas, and it is a function of land use, soil type, and soil moisture. This study was conducted to estimate the potential runoff coefficient (PRC) using geographic information system (GIS) based on the area's hydrologic soil group, land use, and slope and to determine the runoff volume. The soil map for the study area was developed using GPS data carried on to identify the soil texture to be used in building a soil hydrological groups map. Unsupervised and supervised classifications were done to Landsat 5/7 TM/ETM image to generate land-use and land-cover map. This map was reclassified into four main classes (forest, grass and shrub, cropland, and bare soil). Slope map for Al-Baha was generated from a 30-m digital elevation model. The GIS technique was used to combine the previous three maps into one map to generate PRC map. Annual runoff depth is derived based on the annual rainfall surplus and runoff coefficient per pixel using raster calculator tool in ArcGIS. An indication that in the absence of reliable ground measurements of rainfall product, it can satisfactorily be applied to estimate the spatial rainfall distribution based on values of R and R (2) (0.9998) obtained. Annual runoff generation from the study area ranged from 0 to 82 % of the total rainfall. Rainfall distribution in the study area shows the wise use of identifying suitable sites for rainwater harvesting, where most of the constructed dams are located in the higher rainfall areas.
Objective: We investigated the expression and potential roles of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-37, Interferon (IFN)-gamma, and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) in patients with adenomyosis. Materials and methods: This prospective study examined 16 women with histologically proven adenomyosis and 52 women without adenomyosis, all of whom were undergoing a hysterectomy for non-endometrial pathology at the Department of Gynaecology, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China, from December 2011 to September 2012. Serum samples were collected from the patients, and the concentrations of serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-37, IFN-gamma, and TNF were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). We then calculated specificity and sensitivity of cytokines, taking Cancer Antigen (CA) 125 as a reference, distinguishing cases from controls by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The correlation between individual cytokines and CA 125 was also analysed. Results: IL-37 was detectable in 69.2% and the other cytokines in 30.8% of sera samples from the 52 controls. All the eight cytokines were detectable in the sera samples from 16 patients with adenomyosis. Significantly higher levels of serum IL-37 and IL-10 and significantly lower levels of serum IL-17A and TNF were detected in adenomyosis patients when compared with controls (p< 0.05). Conclusions: Serum levels of IL-10, IL-17A, IL-37, and TNF varied significantly between cases and controls, and could be involved in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis.
Over the last few years, several papers have become available in the literature on both the main hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the several intracellular pathways whose alteration is responsible for its onset and progression. The use of transgenic and nontransgenic animal models has played a key role in achieving such a remarkable amount of preclinical data, allowing researchers to dissect the cellular changes occurring in the AD brain. In addition, the huge amount of preclinical evidence arising from these animal models was necessary for the further clinical development of pharmacological agents capable of interfering with most of the impaired neural pathways in AD patients. In this respect, a significant role is played by the dysfunction of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission responsible for the cognitive and behavioral symptoms described in AD patients. The aim of this review is to summarize the main animal models that contributed toward unraveling the pathological changes in neurotransmitter synthesis, release, and receptor binding in AD preclinical studies. The review also provides an updated description of the current pharmacological agents - still under clinical development - acting on the neurotransmitter systems. (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
The migratory phenomenon in Portugal has become one of the main factors for the genetic variability. In the last few years, a new class of autosomal insertion/deletion markers-InDel-has attracted interest in forensic genetics. Since there is no data for InDel markers of Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) immigrants living in Lisboa, our aim is the characterization of those groups of individuals by typing them with at least 30 InDel markers and to compare different groups of individuals/populations. We studied 454 bloodstain samples belonging to immigrant individuals from Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Mozambique. DNA extraction was performed with the Chelex (R) 100 method. After extraction, all samples were typed with the Investigator (R) DIPplex method. Through the obtained results, allelic frequencies show that all markers are at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and we can confirm that those populations show significant genetic distances between themselves, between them, and the host Lisboa population. Because of this, they introduce genetic variability in Lisboa population.
The paper deals with the lack of qualified professionals, especially in the technical branches of industry, and the range of possibilities how to spread knowledge and know-how among students as well as working-age population. The Department of Machine Design of the University of West Bohemia has taken the first step to reach this goal we have created interactive learning materials using 10 projects taken from the real practice that should be primarily used by students of the University of West Bohemia. Currently, the materials are available to full-time students as well as students of hybrid courses. Nevertheless, there is a potential to offer these learning materials to general public and thus support the amount of qualified labour in engineering branches not only in West Bohemian region. There is also a prospect to create more learning materials from different branches (their choice should be made based on demand) which would support the quality of education regardless the original profession, age and handicap.
Ambient assisted living can facilitate optimum health and wellness by aiding physical, mental and social well-being. In this paper, patients' psychiatric symptoms are collected through lightweight biosensors and web-based psychiatric screening scales in a smart home environment and then analyzed through machine learning algorithms to provide ambient intelligence in a psychiatric emergency. The psychiatric states are modeled through a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), and the model parameters are estimated using a Viterbi path counting and scalable Stochastic Variational Inference (SVI)-based training algorithm. The most likely psychiatric state sequence of the corresponding observation sequence is determined, and an emergency psychiatric state is predicted through the proposed algorithm. Moreover, to enable personalized psychiatric emergency care, a service a web of objects-based framework is proposed for a smart-home environment. In this framework, the biosensor observations and the psychiatric rating scales are objectified and virtualized in the web space. Then, the web of objects of sensor observations and psychiatric rating scores are used to assess the dweller's mental health status and to predict an emergency psychiatric state. The proposed psychiatric state prediction algorithm reported 83.03 percent prediction accuracy in an empirical performance study.
Around 65% of primary immunodeficiencies are antibody deficiencies. Functional tests are useful tools to study B-cell functions in vitro. However, no accepted guidelines for performing and evaluating functional tests have been issued yet. Here, we report our experience on the study of B-cell functions in infancy and throughout childhood. We show that T-independent stimulation with CpGmeasures proliferation and differentiation potential of memory B cells. Switched memory B cells respond better than IgM memory B cells. On the other hand, CD40L, a T-dependent stimulus, does not induce plasma cell differentiation, but causes proliferation of naive and memory B cells. During childhood, the production of plasmablasts in response to CpG increases with age mirroring the development of memory B cells. The response to CD40L does not change with age. In patients with selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD), we observed that switched memory B cells are reduced due to the absence of IgA memory B cells. In agreement, IgA plasma cells are not generated in response to CpG. Unexpectedly, B cells from SIgAD patients show a reduced proliferative response to CD40L. Our results demonstrate that functional tests are an important tool to assess the functions of the humoral immune system.
The ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-like (Nedd4L, or Nedd4-2) binds to and regulates stability of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) in salt-absorbing epithelia in the kidney, lung, and other tissues. Its role in the distal colon, which also absorbs salt and fluid and expresses ENaC, is unknown. Using a conditional knock-out approach to knock out Nedd4L in mice intestinal epithelium (Nedd4L(f/f);Vil-Cre(ERT2)) we show here that Nedd4L depletion leads to a higher steady-state short circuit current (Isc) in mouse distal colon tissue relative to controls. This higher Isc was partially reduced by the addition of apical amiloride and strongly reduced by basolateral bumetanide as well as by depletion of basolateral Cl-, suggesting that Na+/K+/2Cl(-) (NKCC1/SLC12A2) co-transporter and ENaC are targets of Nedd4L in the colon. In accordance, NKCC1 (and ENaC) protein abundance in the colon of the Nedd4L knock-out animals was increased, indicating that Nedd4L normally suppresses these proteins. However, we did not observe co-immunoprecipitation between Nedd4L and NKCC1, suggesting that Nedd4L indirectly suppresses NKCC1 expression. Low salt diet resulted in a strong increase in and (but not ) ENaC mRNA and protein expression and ENaC activity. Although salt restriction also increased NKCC1 protein and mRNA abundance, it did not lead to its elevated activity (Isc). These results identify NKCC1 as a novel target for Nedd4L-mediated down-regulation in vivo, which modulates ion and fluid transport in the distal colon together with ENaC.
In this paper, based on the equivalent single diode circuit model of the solar cell, an equivalent circuit diagram for two serial solar cells is drawn. Its equations of current and voltage are derived from Kirchhoff's current and voltage law. First, parameters are obtained from the I-V (current-voltage) curves for typical monocrystalline silicon solar cells (125 mm x 125 mm). Then, by regarding photo-generated current, shunt resistance, serial resistance of the first solar cell, and resistance load as the variables. The properties of shunt currents (I-sh1 and I-sh2), diode currents (I-D1 and I-D2), and load current (I-L) for the whole two serial solar cells are numerically analyzed in these four cases for the first time, and the corresponding physical explanations are made. We find that these parameters have different influences on the internal currents of solar cells. Our results will provide a reference for developing higher efficiency solar cell module and contribute to the better understanding of the reason of efficiency loss of solar cell module.
Our group recently developed a novel covered carotid stent that can prevent emboli while preserving the external carotid artery (ECA) branch blood flow. However, our recent in vitro side-branch ECA flow preservation tests on the covered stents revealed the need for further stent frame design improvements, including the consideration to crimp the stent to a low profile for the delivery of the stent system and having bigger cells. Hence, the current work aims to design new bare metal stents with bigger cell size to improve the crimpability and to accommodate more slits so that the side-branch flow could be further increased. Three new stent designs were analyzed using finite element analysis and benchmarked against two commercially available carotid stents in terms of their mechanical performances such as crimpability, radial strength, and flexibility. Results indicated that the new bare metal stent designs matched well against the commercial stents. Hence our new generation covered stents based on these designs can be expected to perform better in side-branch flow preservation without compromising on their mechanical performances.
Recently, we have reported on a compact microcontroller-based unit developed to accurately synchronize excimer laser pulses (Mingesz et al. 2012 Fluct. Noise Lett. 11, 1240007 (doi:10.1142/S021947751240007X)). We have shown that dithering based on random jitter noise plus pseudorandom numbers can be used in the digital control system to radically reduce the long-term drift of the laser pulse from the trigger and to improve the accuracy of the synchronization. In this update paper, we present our new experimental results obtained by the use of the delay-controller unit to tune the timing of a KrF excimer laser as an addition to our previous numerical simulation results. The hardware was interfaced to the laser using optical signal paths in order to reduce sensitivity to electromagnetic interference and the control algorithm tested by simulations was applied in the experiments. We have found that the system is able to reduce the delay uncertainty very close to the theoretical limit and performs well in real applications. The simple, compact and flexible system is universal enough to also be used in various multidisciplinary applications.
This paper describes a method of determining the first two moments of the response for basic components of electrical circuits, i.e. resistors, inductors and capacitors. The paper goal was to obtain closed form formulae for the moments describing voltage or current stochastic processes. It has been assumed that the element parameters R (resistance), L (inductance) and C (capacitance) could be random variables, deterministic functions or stochastic processes and excitations are second order stochastic processes. Moreover, two cases of dependence between the random parameters and the excitation stochastic processes have been considered. The obtained results enable determination of exact solutions for the first two moments without application of numerical algorithms.
Study Design. A prospective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. Objective. To investigate the change in aortic traversing length in patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis secondary to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) after closing wedge osteotomy (CWO). Summary of Background Data. The CWO has been widely adopted for the correction of thoracolumbar kyphosis caused by AS. During this procedure, the aorta may be elongated in the instrumented area, which implies a potential risk of the aortic injury. To date, no reports have been specifically published using MRI to investigate the alteration in aortic traversing length in patients with AS undergoing CWO. Methods. From June 2013 to July 2015, 24 patients with AS with thoracolumbar kyphosis with a mean age of 38.1 years were recruited in the present study. All patients underwent single-level CWO. MRI examinations were performed before and 2 weeks after surgery. For each subject, the aortic diameter and length were measured on the MRI. Radiographic measurements included the global kyphosis, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, local kyhosis, angle of fusion levels, and anterior height of the osteotomized vertebra. The height of these patients was also recorded. Results. The aortic traversing length significantly increased by an average of 2.0 cm after surgery. Significant changes in height, global kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, local kyphosis, and angle of fusion levels were observed (P0.05). In addition, the correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between the aortic traversing length and changes in global kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, local kyphosis, angle of fusion levels, and height (P<0.01). Conclusion. The stretch of the aorta after CWO for the correction of thoracolumbar kyphosis was quantitatively verified by MRI investigation in the present study. Spine surgeons should be aware of the potential vulnerability of aortic injury in patients with AS undergoing CWO.
Future home networks are expected to become extremely sophisticated, yet only the most technically adept persons are equipped with skills to secure them. In this paper, we provide a novel solution to detect and prevent attacks on home routers based on anomalous power consumption. We developed a means of measuring power consumption that could be used in a wide variety of home networks, although our primary focus on is on profiling Homenet-based residential routers, specifically to detect attacks against homenet routing infrastructure. Several experimental results are presented when the infrastructure is exposed to various types of attacks, which show strong evidence of the feasibility of our approach.
Mobile Cloud Computing is an active research domain to investigate the ways of achieving a federation between mobile computing and cloud computing. Whereas, Ambient Intelligence aims to teach our mobile devices how to behave smart in our environment, narrowing the gap between people, their devices and the environment. These two domains behave as backbone for ubiquitous environment around us where everything is connected by sharing information and resources. Mobile devices use cloud resources to cope with ever-growing computing and storage demands for smart applications. Context provisioning in the cloud and mobile connectivity will give rise to new interactions with cloud infrastructure to effectively manage context information. However, as a lot of contextual information is being sensed and captured by mobile devices, it is not always clear whether it makes sense to upload all the raw sensed data to the cloud and have it processed there. Many resource and performance trade-offs exist for federated deployment of smart mobile applications. In this paper, we present a quality-aware federated framework to overcome the challenges for smart applications and to support the development and deployment of these applications, while opportunistically using cloud computing. The framework highlights the aspects of Quality-of-Context (QoC) provisioning and dynamic adaptability under uncertain context. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A slow-paced persistent attack, such as slow worm or bot, can bewilder the detection system by slowing down their attack. Detecting such attacks based on traditional anomaly detection techniques may yield high false alarm rates. In this paper, we frame our problem as detecting slow-paced persistent attacks from a time series obtained from network trace. We focus on time series spectrum analysis to identify peculiar spectral patterns that may represent the occurrence of a persistent activity in the time domain. We propose a method to adaptively detect slow-paced persistent attacks in a time series and evaluate the proposed method by conducting experiments using both synthesized traffic and real-world traffic. The results show that the proposed method is capable of detecting slow-paced persistent attacks even in a noisy environment mixed with legitimate traffic.
Following the concept of ubiquity further on, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is focused on technologies and approaches for development of intelligent environments aiming at supporting their users. Architectures of these environments are usually modeled by multi-agent systems, facilitating thus investigation of various processes enabling the environments' functionalities. In this scope, it is challenging to study decision processes used by individual components (agents) of the environment in mutual cooperation for creating decisions about ways how and when to support particular users activities adequately. A recent project DE-PIES Decision Processes in Intelligent Environments, supported by the Czech Scientific Foundation in the period of 2015 to 2017, is oriented on investigation of various decision processes that could appear in various types of intelligent environments, modeled by adequate multi-agent architectures. This paper aims at presenting information about the project goals, its methodology and approaches used as well as intended to be used in near future. A special part of the paper is devoted to possibilities of modeling and simulation of decision processes using the AnyLogic multimethod simulation tool.
For modern Automatic Test Equipment, it is not unusual to have multiple computers making up a single system. One issue with having multiple computers is the requirement for each computer to have a disk drive and associated operating system. This becomes an issue in environments that require periods processing, as each system must be cleared prior to moving from one operating state to another. This process can become even more complicated by the fact that some of the computers may be installed in places that are not readily accessible for quick turnaround. In addition, these computers require additional disk drives to support the operation in each mode. In order to reduce the complexity of periods processing, a scheme of diskless operation can be used to allow multiple computers to share a single disk drive off a master computer. This paper will describe a method to handle just such a complex scenario. In this particular instance, several computers are hosted running multiple operating systems off of one main computer's hard drive. This allows for quick and reliable periods processing to be performed while maintaining acceptable performance. With the advent of cheap Solid State Disk drives and fast intelligent managed switches, the performance of the overall system is actually not impacted much at all. Modern operating systems and tools provide the capability to implement diskless nodes in a fairly straightforward manner. While this technology is not new by any means (older ATE used Sun computers in a diskless configuration), modern technology makes this easy to implement and provides a performance close enough to a disk based system to be an effective solution. In addition, by removing the extra disks, not only is the periods processing time reduced, but the margin of error in completing the conversion is reduced to the one drive.
With the continuous expansion of single cell biology, the observation of the behaviour of individual cells over extended durations and with high accuracy has become a problem of central importance. Surprisingly, even for yeast cells that have relatively regular shapes, no solution has been proposed that reaches the high quality required for long-term experiments for segmentation and tracking (S&T) based on brightfield images. Here, we present CellStar, a tool chain designed to achieve good performance in long-term experiments. The key features are the use of a new variant of parametrized active rays for segmentation, a neighbourhood-preserving criterion for tracking, and the use of an iterative approach that incrementally improves S&T quality. A graphical user interface enables manual corrections of S&T errors and their use for the automated correction of other, related errors and for parameter learning. We created a benchmark dataset with manually analysed images and compared CellStar with six other tools, showing its high performance, notably in long-term tracking. As a community effort, we set up a website, the Yeast Image Toolkit, with the benchmark and the Evaluation Platform to gather this and additional information provided by others.
Purpose To date, few studies have addressed attitudes toward transgender individuals. In addition, little is known about health care providers' (HCP) attitudes toward sexual minorities. The aim of the present study is to compare attitudes toward homosexual and transgender individuals between gender dysphoric individuals (GDs), general population controls (C) and HCP. Methods A total of 310 subjects were considered, including 122 GDs (63 transwomen and 59 transmen), 53 heterosexual HCP (26 males and 27 females) and 135 C.Participants completed the Modern Homophobia Scale (MHS) and the Attitudes Toward Transgendered Individuals Scale (ATTI) in order to assess attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women and toward transgender individuals, respectively. In addition, GDs completed the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire (GIDYQ-AA) and ATTI to measure, respectively, gender dysphoria levels and internalized transphobia. Religious attitudes were evaluated by means of the Religious Fundamentalism Scale (RFS), and Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC- 12) was used to measure perceived discrimination.
This paper addresses the effectiveness of geocell mattress prepared with waste plastic bottles with fly ash as a filling material overlying soft clay bed through laboratory model tests. The test beds were subjected to loading by means of a square rigid steel plate as a footing. The effect of height and width of geocell mattress as well as basal bamboo geogrid underneath geocell mattress on overall performance of the system in terms of footing pressure, settlement, and the adjacent surface deformation (heave/settlement) has been systematically studied through a series of tests. Test results indicate around twofold increases in the bearing pressure by placing a jute geotextile separator beneath the unreinforced fly ash bed, whereas reinforcing the fly ash bed with geocell mattress in presence of a basal bamboo geogrid and jute geotextile separator can produce sevenfold increases in the footing pressure. Inclusion of a basal bamboo geogrid improves overall behavior of the reinforced bed. No surface deformation occurred in the unreinforced beds. Inclusion of a geocell mattress improves the footing pressure, but creates surface deformation (heave/settlement). Increase in height as well as width of geocell mattress not only diminishes the surface heaving but also increases the footing pressure. As the present study carries limitation of boundary and scale effects, the quantitative results must be extrapolated by dimensional analysis before use in practical applications or a field study is required. However, the qualitative results encourage the use of waste plastic bottles for soft ground improvement, which in turn may solve the disposal issue to a certain extent. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This work presents a method to determine mechanical transfer functions from forces, acting on the stator teeth of an electrical machine, to surface velocities at sound radiating surfaces. The method allows an efficient analysis of drive trains in their target application and real environment. The determined transfer functions are used in a transient acoustic model for the simulation of electrical drive trains. The proposed model takes care of the nonlinear power electronics, the digital control and sensors, as well as of tolerance afflicted geometries of electrical machines and real and in tolerance deviating material properties. The model is validated by means of vibration measurements. The benefits of a closed simulation in time domain are declared. Exemplary applications of the proposed model are discussed and the potential of the acoustic evaluation during the design process of an electrical machine is illustrated.
Characterizing ubiquitous systems privacy issues by gender and age was our goal. We selected two ubiquitous systems: a wearable system (Google Glass) and an embedded in context system (Smart Office). An online survey, with 400+ participants, which included questions about how people perceive privacy issues related to the use of these two different ubiquitous systems, was conducted. Results show that Google Glass generates a higher degree of concern than the Smart Office. Female participants tend to be more worried than male, independently of the ubiquitous system considered. Finally, the youngest participants (16 to 25 years old) are the most concerned about privacy threats, which was unexpected.
In complex network, security and resilience issue in a network is very important. The breakdown of whole network can be triggered by attack or failure of even only a single node. In this paper, the cascading failure issue in a food supply chain is addressed. In the food supply chain network, all the nodes are interconnected and interdependent. The tight coupling of nodes increases efficiency of food supply chain, however, the association relation between nodes may cause cascading failure of food network. Firstly, a Node Importance Evaluation Method (NIEM) is employed to analyze cascading failure characteristics in the food supply chain network. Then, the critical nodes which may cause cascading failure in the whole network are identified. Subsequently, a Node Importance Evaluation Method is proposed to protect these critical notes. Finally, cascading failure caused by largest connected component is tested using the largest workload tolerance parameter.
Species range limits often fluctuate in space and time in response to variation in environmental factors and to gradual niche evolution due to changes in adaptive traits. We used genome-wide data to investigate evolutionary divergence and species range limits in a generalist and highly dispersive fish species that shows an unusually wide distribution across arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. We generated ddRAD data (18,979 filtered SNPs and 1.725 million bp of sequences) for samples from 27 localities spanning the native range of golden perch, Macquaria ambigua (Teleostei; Percichthyidae). Our analytical framework uses population genomics to assess connectivity and population structure using model based and model-free approaches, phylogenetics to clarify evolutionary relationships, and a coalescent-based Bayesian species delimitation method to assess statistical support of inferred species boundaries. Addressing uncertainties regarding range limits and taxonomy is particularly relevant for this iconic Australian species because of the intensive stocking activities undertaken to support its recreational fishery and its predicted range shifts associated with ongoing climate change. Strong population genomic, phylogenetic, and coalescent species delimitation support was obtained for three separately evolving metapopulation lineages, each lineage should be considered a distinct cryptic species of golden perch. Their range limits match the climate-determined boundaries of main river basins, despite the ability of golden perch to cross drainage divides. We also identified cases suggestive of anthropogenic hybridization between lineages due to stocking of this recreationally important fish, as well as a potential hybrid zone with a temporally stable pattern of admixture. Our work informs on the consequences of aridification in the evolution of aquatic organisms, a topic poorly represented in the literature. It also shows that genome-scale data can substantially improve and rectify inferences about taxonomy, hybridization and conservation management previously proposed by detailed genetic studies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Super-saturated salt solutions are used to control relative humidity (RH) and to infer the hydration (water uptake and loss) behaviour of three needle-punched geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) with respect to time under conditions of both free swell and 20 kPa applied stress. It is shown that RH and applied stress play a key role in the hydration behaviour with time when GCL specimens were in equilibrium with water vapour. It was also observed that water uptake and loss was affected by the bentonite form (powdered or granular) and mineralogy of the bentonite. However, the effect of GCL structure (i. e. difference in geotextiles and bonding of needle-punched fibres to the carrier geotextile) on their hydration behaviour for GCLs with similar form of bentonite was not significant for RH=97.7%. The effect of GCL structure became more apparent at 100% RH (for all GCLs). The results presented in this study can be used to better assess the hydration of GCLs in field applications such as waste containment liners and cover systems at different RH and overburden stress conditions.
Cellular sensing of virus-derived nucleic acids is essential for early defenses against virus infections. In recent years, the discovery of DNA sensing proteins, including cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and gamma-interferon-inducible protein (IFI16), has led to understanding of how cells evoke strong innate immune responses against incoming pathogens carrying DNA genomes. The signaling stimulated by DNA sensors depends on the adaptor protein STING (stimulator of interferon genes), to enable expression of antiviral proteins, including type I interferon. To facilitate efficient infections, viruses have evolved a wide range of evasion strategies, targeting host DNA sensors, adaptor proteins and transcription factors. In this review, the current literature on virus-induced activation of the STING pathway is presented and we discuss recently identified viral evasion mechanisms targeting different steps in this antiviral pathway.
The maximum operational range of continuous variable quantum key distribution protocols has shown to be improved by employing high-efficiency forward error correction codes. Typically, the secret key rate model for such protocols is modified to account for the non-zero word error rate of such codes. In this paper, we demonstrate that this model is incorrect: firstly, we show by example that fixed-rate error correction codes, as currently defined, can exhibit efficiencies greater than unity. Secondly, we show that using this secret key model combined with greater than unity efficiency codes, implies that it is possible to achieve a positive secret key over an entanglement breaking channel-an impossible scenario. We then consider the secret key model from a post-selection perspective, and examine the implications for key rate if we constrain the forward error correction codes to operate at low word error rates.
Alzheimer's disease ( AD) is the most common cause of dementia and currently there are no effective disease-modifying treatments available. Hallmark symptoms of AD include impaired hippocampus-dependent episodic memory and disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms. The pathways connecting these symptoms are of particular interest because it is well established that sleep and circadian disruption can impair hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. In rodents, these procedures also markedly suppress adult hippocampal neurogenesis, a form of brain plasticity that is believed to play an important role in pattern separation, and thus episodic memory. A causal role for sleep disruptions in AD pathophysiology is suggested by evidence for sleep-dependent glymphatic clearance of metabolic waste products from the brain. This review explores a complementary hypothesis that sleep and circadian disruptions in AD contribute to cognitive decline by activating neuroendocrine and neuroinflammatory signaling pathways that suppress hippocampal neurogenesis. Evidence for this hypothesis underscores the promise of sleep, circadian rhythms, and neurogenesis as therapeutic targets for remediation of memory impairment in AD. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Inclined plane test is widely used, especially in Europe, for the friction characterization of geosynthetics liner systems, for example in landfill applications. However, interpretation of the test is more complex and less consensual than for the direct shear test. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of interface behaviour at the Inclined Plane device is presented for a non-woven geotextile on a geomembrane in dry condition. New test procedure are proposed, and the related parameters of friction are defined in order to properly characterise friction behaviour. For the Inclined Plane, the shear strength of a geosynthetic interface cannot be characterised by a single parameter, as the interface behaviour is sensitive to the different kinematic conditions. To this purpose, a comparison is shown with the results of complementary tests carried out using the Shaking Table test. For both test procedures, particular attention was paid to the influence of the relative sliding velocity. Finally, the sensitivity of the interface to mechanical damage caused by large relative displacements was quantified. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The paper addresses some of the most relevant issues concerning the thermal hydraulics and radiation damage of the neutron generation target to be built at the European Spallation Source as recently approved after a critical design review. The target unit consists of a set of Tungsten blocks placed inside a wheel of 2.5 m diameter which rotates at some 0.5 Hz in order to distribute the heat generated from incoming protons which reach the target in the radial direction. The spallation material elements are composed of an array of Tungsten pieces which rest on a rotating steel support (the cassette) and are distributed in a cross-flow configuration. The thermal, mechanical and radiation effects resulting from the impact of a 2 GeV proton pulse are analysed in detail as well as an evaluation of the inventory of spallation products. The current design is found to conform to specifications and found to be robust enough to deal with several accident scenarios.
In this paper, we introduce Software Asset Analyzer (SAA), a system that monitors and detects potentially vulnerable software asset modifications in end devices, and can be used to guide patch management. Software patching is a complex and failure-prone process that, on enterprise networks, requires triage. Accurate inventories of software (applications and operating systems) improve patching efficiency, which is a significant concern for security analysts. By generating asset baselines, the SAA identifies and reports abnormal deviations in individual end-devices, which allows security analysts to identify vulnerable devices and further enforce security patching. This system is also suited for detecting vulnerable software installs and remediation process verification. SAA is a low-cost and efficient method that yields accurate and complete inventories of assets on end-devices, reducing the potential loss from new vulnerabilities.
With rapidly growing Internet traffic, energy efficient operation of IP over WDM networks with sleep enabled routers is of increasing interest. However, for network security and to provide guaranteed communications, it would still be desirable to ensure that a certain fraction of the bandwidth is assured through routers which cannot be put to sleep using software control. This paper presents an energy-minimized IP over WDM network using a mixture of sleep-enabled and non-sleep-enabled router cards where a certain percentage of the network bandwidth is guaranteed to the offered traffic. Such a mixed configuration is also motivated by the fact that there will always be some traffic demand between each node pair at any time even though the traffic between node pairs may fluctuate to very low levels. This implies a need for some non-sleeping router cards at any time. Another motivation for this mixed configuration is because in the course of migration from today's networks with non-sleep-enabled cards to future networks with sleep-enabled cards, the non-sleep-enabled network devices will not be quickly abandoned but will be gradually replaced. This also causes a network situation with the mixed router card types. To design an IP over WDM network where both sleep-enabled and non-sleep-enabled router cards are used, we propose a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model which jointly minimizes the energy consumption of all the router cards while guaranteeing a secured fractional bandwidth for all the node pairs. Modified MILPs with subsequent port-channel association are also proposed along with efficient heuristic algorithms which perform almost as well as the joint MILP approaches. The performance of these approaches is studied through simulations on a wide variety of networks.
Out of several natural agents causing extensive damages to roads, landslides can claim to be a major destroyer. There are several causes for landslides such as hazardous ground conditions, landform configuration adversities, occasionally occurring natural physical forces and anthropogenic impact on the environment. In such vulnerable situations the top soil on hill slopes get disintegrated due to intensive precipitation or shaking due to tremors and eventually flows down rapidly down the slope. The situation deserves the search for a biocover which can reduce the velocity of overland flow and entrap detached soil particles thereby controlling top soil loss. Jute Geotextile (JGT) if properly designed can fulfill the said criteria besides facilitating growth of vegetation. This paper discusses optimization of property parameters of open weave Jute Geotextile in tune with different parameters of design concerning protection of hill slope along with comparative analysis of the results of different tests on one hand and determination of tolerance limit of the prime property parameters of the developed JGT samples, on the other, which have been employed in different case studies to prove their potentiality and technoeconomic viability.
Situation awareness is a computing paradigm which allows applications to sense parameters in the environment, comprehend their meaning and project their status in the next future. In collaborative situation awareness, a challenging area in the field of Ambient Intelligence applications, situation patterns emerge from users' collective behavior. In this paper we introduce a multi-agent system that exploits positioning information coming from mobile devices to detect the occurrence of user's situations related to social events. In the functional view of the system, the first level of information processing is managed by marking agents which leave marks in the environment in correspondence to the users' positions. The accumulation of marks enables a stigmergic cooperation mechanism, generating short-term memory structures in the local environment. Information provided by such structures is granulated by event agents which associate a certainty degree with each event. Finally, an inference level, managed by situation agents, deduces user situations from the underlying events by exploiting fuzzy rules whose parameters are generated automatically by a neuro-fuzzy approach. Fuzziness allows the system to cope with the uncertainty of the events. In the architectural view of the system, we adopt semantic web standards to guarantee structural interoperability in an open application environment. The system has been tested on different real-world scenarios to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
After introduced the composition and function of Highway Network Communication System (HNCS), the HNCS model was established based on the fault tree analysis method. According to the provided impact assessment model, the influence of highway electromechanical system network reliability was analyzed, and subsequently the system reliability of HNCS was evaluated, This paper put forward the strategies to improving the network system reliability of highway electromechanical system, and providing the technical support for the maintenance work of highway network system electromechanical equipments.
Low-power is one of the key driving forces in modern very large scale integration systems. Recent studies show that 3-D integrated circuits (ICs) offer a significant power saving over 2-D ICs. However, these studies are mainly limited to two-tier (2-tier) designs. Thus, in this paper, we extend our target to three-tier (3-tier) 3-D ICs. This paper first shows that the one additional tier available in 3-tier 3-D ICs does offer more power saving compared with their 2-tier 3-D IC counterparts, but more careful floorplanning, through-silicon via management, and block folding considerations are required. Second, we find that the 3-tiers can be bonded in several different ways: 1) face-to-back only; 2) face-to-face and face-to-back combined; and 3) back-to-back and face-to-face combined. This paper shows that these choices pose additional challenges in design optimizations for more power saving. Lastly, we develop effective computer-aided-design solutions that are seamlessly integrated into commercial 2-D IC tools to handle 3-tier 3-D IC power optimization under various bonding style options. With our low-power design methods combined, our 3-tier 3-D ICs provide -14.8% more power reduction over 2-tier 3-D ICs, and -36.0% over 2-D ICs in microprocessor cores under the same performance. In full-chip microprocessors, our 3-tier 3-D ICs provide -27.2% more power reduction over 2-D ICs.
This paper presents a time-dependent simulation of three-phase squirrel cage induction motor using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Simulation was made for constant rotational velocity adjusted to the nominal one of the tested motor. The course of stator currents, currents in rotor bars and in rotor ring and course of motor torque is shown. Finite element method model, external electrical circuits and meshing is also shown. The values of stator current and motor torque are compared to their values from motor catalogue. As will be seen, the simulation results from COMSOL match the catalogue values rather well.
A previous study has demonstrated that Danshui River has almost the highest dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) yield in the world and exports most of the DIN in the form of ammonium unlike the world's large rivers. However, the DIN sources are poorly constrained. In this study, the contributions of major sources in the Taipei metropolitan area to the DIN export in the Danshui River were investigated. It is observed that ammonium is the major DIN species in the downstream reaches, resulting from the ammonium-dominated inputs of the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and rain water pumping stations (RWPS). DIN concentrations in the downstream (urban) reaches are substantially elevated. The upstream tributaries annually discharge similar to 2709 t DIN to the downstream reaches. However, the DIN discharge off the downstream reaches rises to similar to 17,918 t, resulting from the contribution of RWPS-collected water, i.e., similar to 14,632 t, and the effluents of two WWTP, i.e., similar to 577 t. RWPS-collected water inherently contains the contribution of atmospheric deposition, similar to 2937 t DIN. This finding implies that similar to 11,695 t (similar to 66 % of the downstream output) DIN flux off the Danshui River is from urban runoff and can be attributed to human activities in the Taipei metropolitan area. To improve the water quality in the Danshui River, water quality controls in urban runoff are important.
As a measure of how prosocial behavior depends on social distance, social discounting is defined as the decrease in generosity between the decision maker and the recipient as the social distance increases. While risk is a ubiquitous part of modern life, there is limited research on the relationship between risk and prosocial behavior. In the present experiment, we empirically test whether risk has an influence on social discounting. We use the choice titration procedure to examine this effect. Our data show that independent of risk, participants are less eager to forego money and exhibit more selfishness toward a specific person when the social distance increases; these findings are reflected in the hyperbolic model. Interestingly, risk influences the shape of the social discounting function, which is reflected in the notable different discount rates. Individuals who make decisions under risk yield a smaller discount rate than those who make decisions without risk, i.e., under risk subjects reduce less their generosity as a function of the social distance. Furthermore, this distinct type of generosity occurs typically among individuals with 10-distance recipients but not with the closest-and furthest-social-distance recipients.
In the age of increasing digital data transmission through network, the data security measures have become very important and crucial issue. Two main security schemes are used to protect sensitive data: cryptography and steganography. A good imperceptibility and appropriate data capacity are the two important properties that characterize Steganography technique. In this paper, a hybrid technique is proposed that utilizing the Steganography and Cryptography, to hide sensitive patient's data into pixel values of medical colored image. The medical colored image is chosen as a cover image of lossless compression PNG format. The sensitive data; which is the patient's data and the examination data, is firstly encrypted using 'Block Encryption Method' and then embedded in the image. This will make it harder to recognize or interpret it when it is attacked. In embedding algorithm, the pixels of medical cover image are chosen randomly based on the values, which are produced using primitive root numbers. The two least significant bits of the blue and alpha channels are used to hide the encrypted patient's sensitive medical data. The experimental results shows that the quality of stego-image is relatively less distortive, highly imperceptible to human eye, has good data hiding capacity, and assure more security.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) relies on high doses of allergens to treat patients with type I allergies. Although SLIT is commonly performed without any adjuvant or delivery system, allergen(s) could be further formulated with allergen-presentation platforms to better target oral dendritic cells eliciting regulatory immune responses. Improving the availability of allergens to the immune system should enhance SLIT efficacy, while allowing to decrease allergen dosing. Herein, we present an overview of adjuvants and vector systems that have been, or could be, considered as candidate allergen-presentation platforms for the sublingual route. Such platforms encompass adjuvants capable of stimulating allergen-specific T(II)1 and/or regulatory CD4(+) T-cell responses, including 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D-3, glucocorticoids, Toll-like receptor ligands as well as selected bacterial probiotic strains. A limiting factor for SLIT efficacy is the number of dendritic cells capturing the allergens in the upper layers of oral tissues. Thus, adsorption or encapsulation of the allergen(s) within mucoadhesive particulate vector (or delivery) systems also has the potential to significantly enhance SLIT efficacy due to a facilitated allergen uptake by tolerogenic oral dendritic cells. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2017;5:23-31)
Recently, various feature extraction techniques and its variations have been proposed for computer vision. However, most of these techniques are sensitive to the images acquired in uncontrolled environment. The illumination, expression and occlusion for face images result in random error entries in the 2days matrix representing the face. Techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) do not handle these entries explicitly. This paper proposes a (Two-dimensional)(2) whitening reconstruction ((TWR)-W-2) pre-processing step to be coupled with the PCA algorithm. This combined method would process illumination & expression variations better than standalone PCA. This technique has been compared with state-of-the-art Two-dimensional whitening reconstruction (TWR) pre-processing method. The final results clearly indicate the reason for better performance of (TWR)-W-2 over TWR. The histograms plotted for both these algorithms show that (TWR)-W-2 makes for a smoother frequency distribution than TWR. The proposed method indicated increased recognition rate and accuracy with increasing number of training images; up to 93.82 % for 2 images, 94.76 % for 4 images and 97.42 % for 6 training images.
In the present study, a morphometric and geophysical analysis of three major rainwater-harvesting basins in Al-Baha province, Saudi Arabia, has been carried out using geographical information system (GIS) techniques and geophysical analysis. GIS techniques aimed to create a spatial database for three basins, and it was used to determine most of the morphometric parameters and stream attributes. The morphometric analysis revealed that the maximum elevation in the basins upper stream is about 2350, 2230, and 2450 m above sea level for Al-aqiq, Medhas, and Mathalmat basin, respectively. The maximum elevation decreases with steep slopes in the three basins toward the dams' site. The general flow direction of the streams in Al-aqiq basin goes from southwest to northeast following the main direction of the Arabian Shield structure; in Medhas basin, flow goes from south to north with wide flat areas in the downstream portion of the basin and near dam site and from southeast to west for Mathalamt basin. The morphometric parameters of Al-aqiq basin imply that the basin has the largest area with about 309 km(2); the perimeter is about 119 km and the total stream length is about 533 km. Medhas basin comes as a second largest area with 278 km(2); the perimeter is about 110 km and the total stream length is about 477 km. While Mathalamt basin has an area of about 220 km(2), the perimeter is about 104 km and the total stream length is about 374 km. The three basins have medium drainage density with a value of 1.72 km(-1) for Al-aqiq and 1.7 km(-1) for Medhas and Mathalamat basins. A relief ratio of 0.1 in Al-aqiq basin, 0.08 in Medhas basin, and 0.12 in Mathalamt basin was noticed. These ratios indicate a high permeable landscape in Al-aqiq and Mathalamt basins while there is a medium permeable landscape in Medhas basin. Al-aqiq and Mathalamt basins have a similar elongation and circularity of 0.73 and 1.85, and 0.73 and 1.8, respectively, which indicates that the two basins have fairly elongated shape, while elongation and circularity is estimated at 0.62 and 2.56 for Medhas basin, respectively. Drainage pattern of Al-aqiq and Medhas basins has a high dendritic shape, while Mathalamt basin has a simple dendritic shape. The geophysical survey was performed using vertical electrical sounding (VES) resistivity. The geophysical analysis reflected the presence of several different layers of resistance. High resistance was more than 2000 abroken vertical bar at a 2-m depth due to dry river sediments in the dams' location while in other areas because of the presence of the basement rocks and climatic change. These results confirm the output of the geological study and give an indication of the state of recharge and rainwater harvesting in the three basins.
We collected short video clips of speakers and created five types of stimuli: (1) the original videos, (2) the audio tracks only, (3) single pictures only, (4) speech content, and (5) stick-figure animations displaying body motion. Participants rated these stimuli on a brief Big Five personality inventory. We then used ratings of the incomplete information conditions to predict ratings of the original video condition. Impressions in the audio track condition were strong predictors throughout all trait ratings. However, other cues were also non-negligible contributors to an overall impression. People even make sense of parsimonious cues, e.g., an animated stick-figure. Thus, presenters on a public stage are not only judged by what they say but also by how they move. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Background: Ticks are blood-sucking arachnids that feed on all classes of vertebrates, including humans. Ixodes holocyclus, also known as the Australian Paralysis Tick, is capable of causing a myriad of clinical issues in humans and companion animals, including the transmission of infectious agents, toxin-mediated paralysis, allergic and inflammatory reactions, and mammalian meat allergies in humans. The Australian Paralysis Tick is endemic to Australia, and only two other exported cases have been reported in the literature. Case Report: We report the third exported case of tick paralysis caused by I. holocyclus, which was imported on a patient into Singapore. We also discuss the clinical course of the patient, the salient points of management, and the proper removal of this tick species. Why Should An Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?: With increasing air travel, emergency physicians need to be aware of and to identify imported cases of tick paralysis to institute proper management and advice to the patient. We also describe the tick identification features and proper method of removal of this tick species. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A wealth of research over the past 2 decades has expanded our understanding of the impact of early-life adversity on physiological function and, consequently, health and wellbeing in later life. Early-life adversity increases the risk of developing a number of disorders, such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. Although much of the research has examined the impact of physical maltreatment, an increasing number of studies have been published over the past few years examining the effect of childhood psychological stress and trauma on the development of various types of chronic pain conditions. We review the clinical and preclinical data examining the link among early-life psychological stress, altered nociceptive behavior, and chronic pain in later life. Evidence supporting a role for certain key neurobiological substrates, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; monoaminergic, opioidergic, endocannabinoid and immune systems; and epigenetic mechanisms in the association between early-life psychological stress and chronic pain, is provided. Greater understanding of the impact of early-life stress may inform the development of personalized treatments for chronic pain in later life and strategies to prevent its onset in susceptible individuals. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In this paper we describe a novel proposal in the field of smart cities: using an ontology matching algorithm to guarantee the automatic information exchange between the agents and the smart city. A smart city is composed by different types of agents that behave as producers and/or consumers of the information in the smart city. In our proposal, the data from the context is obtained by sensor and device agents while users interact with the smart city by means of user or system agents. The knowledge of each agent, as well as the smart city's knowledge, is semantically represented using different ontologies. To have an open city, that is fully accessible to any agent and therefore to provide enhanced services to the users, there is the need to ensure a seamless communication between agents and the city, regardless of their inner knowledge representations, i.e., ontologies. To meet this goal we use ontology matching techniques, specifically we have defined a new ontology matching algorithm called OntoPhil to be deployed within a smart city, which has never been done before. OntoPhil was tested on the benchmarks provided by the well known evaluation initiative, Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative, and also compared to other matching algorithms, although these algorithms were not specifically designed for smart cities. Additionally, specific tests involving a smart city's ontology and different types of agents were conducted to validate the usefulness of OntoPhil in the smart city environment.
This article analyses the public responses in China to Shanghai's performance in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Based on data obtained from media accounts and other materials published between 2013 and 2016, the research findings show that the responses in China are generally reflective, measured and self-critical. Drawing upon Gadamer's notions of tradition', horizon' and prejudice', this paper contends that the responses reflect the prevailing worldviews in China that perceive Shanghai's education system to be academically rigorous but too exam-oriented and burdensome. It is further argued that Confucian knowledge traditions and structures in China shape the Chinese interpretations of the PISA assessment format, leading them to downplay Shanghai's success. This study introduces the metaphor of triadic eyes' and highlights the mediating effects of the local eyes' of policy actors in an era of global educational governance.
The world runs on networks over which signals communicate sequences of symbols, e.g. numerals. Examining both engineered and natural communications networks reveals an unsuspected order that depends on contact with an unpredictable entity. This order has three roots. The first is a proof within quantum theory that no evidence can ever determine its explanation, so that an agent choosing an explanation must do so unpredictably. The second root is the showing that clocks that step computers do not tell time but serve as self-adjusting symbol-handling agents that regulate logically synchronized motion in response to unpredictable disturbances. Such a clock-agent has a certain independence as well as the capacity to communicate via unpredictable symbols with other clock-agents and to adjust its own tick rate in response to that communication. The third root is the noticing of unpredictable symbol exchange in natural systems, including the transmission of symbols found in molecular biology. We introduce a symbol-handling agent as a role played in some cases by a person, for example a physicist who chooses an explanation of given experimental outcomes, and in other cases by some other biological entity, and in still other cases by an inanimate device, such as a computer-based detector used in physical measurements. While we forbear to try to explain the propensity of agents at all levels from cells to civilizations to form and operate networks of logically synchronized symbol-handling agents, we point to this propensity as an overlooked cosmic order, an order structured by the unpredictability ensuing from the proof. Appreciating the cosmic order leads to a conception of agency that replaces volition by unpredictability and reconceives the notion of objectivity in a way that makes a place for agency in the world as described by physics. Some specific implications for physics are outlined. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has received great attention as a third gaseous signal transmitter, following nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. In particular, H2S plays an important role in the regulation of cancer cell biology. Therefore, the detection of endogenous H2S concentrations within biological systems can be helpful to understand the role of gasotransmitters in pathophysiology. Although a simple and inexpensive method for the detection of H2S has been developed, its direct and precise measurement in living cells remains a challenge. In this study, we introduced a simple, facile, and inexpensive colorimetric system for selective H2S detection in, living cells,using a silver -embedded Nafion/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) membrane. This membrane could be easily applied onto a polystyrene microplate cover. First, we optimized the composition of the coating membrane, such as the PVP/Nafion mixing ratio and AgNO3 concentration, as well as the pH of the Na2S (H2S donor) solution and the reaction time. Next, the in vitro performance of a colorimetric detection assay utilizing the silver/Nafion/PVP membrane was evaluated utilizing a known concentration of Na2S standard solution both at room temperature and at 37 degrees C in a 5% CO2 incubator. As a result, the sensitivity of the colorimetric assay for H2S at 37 C in the incubator (0.0056 Abs./mu M Na2S, R-2 = 0.9948) was similar to that at room temperature (0.0055 Abs./mu NM Na2S, R-2 = 0.9967). Moreover, these assays were less sensitive to interference from compounds such as glutathione, t-cysteine (Cys), and dithiothreitol than to the H2S from Na2S. This assay based on the silver/Nafion/PVP membrane also showed excellent reproducibility (2.8% RSD). Finally, we successfully measured the endogenous H2S concentrations in live C6 glioma cells by s-(5'-adenosyl)-L-methionine stimulation with and without Cys and L-homocysteine, utilizing the silver/Nafion/PVP membrane. In summary, colorimetric assays using silver/Nafion/PVP-coated membranes can be simple, robust, and reliable tools for the detection of H2S that can avoid the complicated and labor-intensive analytical approach used in conventional biology. In addition, we expect that this assay will demonstrate a powerful ability to study pathophysiological pathways that involve H2S. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective and design Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with amyloid plaques (A beta) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein tangles in the brain. We investigated the possible neuroprotective role of flavocoxid, a dual inhibitor of cyclooxygenases-1/2 (COX-1/2) and 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX), in triple-transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice. Subjects Mice were 3 months at the beginning of the study. Treatment Animals received once daily for 3-month saline solution or flavocoxid (20 mg/kg/ip). Methods Morris water maze was used to assess learning and memory. Histology was performed to evidence A beta plaques and neuronal loss, while inflammatory proteins were determined by western blot analysis. Results Saline-treated 3xTg-AD mice showed an impairment in spatial learning and memory (assessed at 6 months of age), and increased expression of inflammatory and apoptotic molecules. Treatment of 3xTg-AD mice with flavocoxid reduced: (1) learning and memory loss; (2) the increased eicosanoid production and the phosphorylation level of amyloid precursor protein (APP-pThr668), A beta 1-42, p-tau (pThr181), pERK, and the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome; (3) A beta plaques; and (4) neuronal loss, compared to saline-treated animals. Conclusions Pharmacological blockade of both COX-1/2 and 5-LOX was able to counteract the progression of AD by targeting pathophysiological mechanisms up- and downstream of A beta and tau.
Although intelligence should theoretically evolve to help animals solve specific types of problems posed by the environment, it is unclear which environmental challenges favour enhanced cognition, or how general intelligence evolves along with domain-specific cognitive abilities. The social intelligence hypothesis posits that big brains and great intelligence have evolved to cope with the labile behaviour of group mates. We have exploited the remarkable convergence in social complexity between cercopithecine primates and spotted hyaenas to test predictions of the social intelligence hypothesis in regard to both cognition and brain size. Behavioural data indicate that there has been considerable convergence between primates and hyaenas with respect to their social cognitive abilities. Moreover, compared with other hyaena species, spotted hyaenas have larger brains and expanded frontal cortex, as predicted by the social intelligence hypothesis. However, broader comparative study suggests that domain-general intelligence in carnivores probably did not evolve in response to selection pressures imposed specifically in the social domain. The cognitive buffer hypothesis, which suggests that general intelligence evolves to help animals cope with novel or changing environments, appears to offer a more robust explanation for general intelligence in carnivores than any hypothesis invoking selection pressures imposed strictly by sociality or foraging demands.
Reinforced soil foundations (RSFs) have been employed in engineering practice to increase the soil bearing capacity and to reduce the potential footing settlement. The aim of this study is to develop analytical solutions for estimating the ultimate bearing capacity of strip footings on RSFs. A general failure mode for RSFs was first proposed based on previous studies conducted by the authors and test results from literature study. A limit equilibrium stability analysis of RSFs was performed based on the proposed failure mechanism. New bearing capacity formulas, which consider both the confinetnent and the membrane effects of reinforcements on the increase in ultimate bearing capacity, were then developed for strip footings on RSFs. Several special cases of RSFs were presented and discussed. The proposed model was verified by the experimental data reported in the published literature. The predicted ultimate bearing capacity was in good agTeement with the results of model tests reported in the literature. The study showed that the depth of the punching shear failure zone (D-P) depends on the relative strength of the reinforced soil layer and the underlying unreinforced soil layer, and is directly related to the reinforced ratio (R-r). (C) 2015 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Relative to the general population, individuals with psychotic disorders have a higher risk of suicide. Suicide risk is also elevated in criminal offenders. Thus, psychotic-disordered individuals with antisocial tendencies may form an especially high-risk group. We built upon prior risk analyses by examining whether neurobehavioral correlates of social cognition were associated with suicidal behavior in criminal offenders with psychotic disorders. We assessed empathic accuracy and brain structure in four groups: (i) incarcerated offenders with psychotic disorders and past suicide attempts, (ii) incarcerated offenders with psychotic disorders and no suicide attempts, (iii) incarcerated offenders without psychotic disorders and (iv) community non-offenders without psychotic disorders. Established suicide risk variables were examined along with empathic accuracy and gray matter in brain regions implicated in social cognition. Relative to the other groups, offenders with psychotic disorders and suicide attempts had lower empathic accuracy and smaller temporal pole volumes. Empathic accuracy and temporal pole volumes were significantly associated with suicide attempts independent of other risk variables. The results indicate that brain and behavioral correlates of social cognition may add incremental value to models of suicide risk.
The religious/spiritual aspect of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) philosophy may present a greater barrier for patients and professionals in Europe than in the United States. As new research suggests clear advantages to some prescribed 12-Step behaviors and practices, clinicians in Europe should be more open to this voluntary recovery resource.
Although Alzheimer's disease criteria promote the use of biomarkers, their maturity in clinical routine still needs to be assessed. In the light of the oncology framework, we conducted a literature review on measures used to assess delayed recall impairment due to medial temporal lobe dysfunction (i. e., free and cued word list recall tests). Ample evidence is available for phases 1 (rationale for use), 2 (discriminative ability), and 3 (early detection ability) for many of the tests in routine use. Evidence about phase 4 (performance in real world) and phase 5 (quantify impact and costs) is yet to come. Administration procedures have been standardized and cutoff scores are well validated in large Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impaired series. Some aspects (e. g., different task formats), however, hamper the comparability of results among different populations and the reproducibility between laboratories. No definite guideline for their use can thus be proposed at the moment. Accordingly, the maturity of such markers is not yet sufficient and requires future investigation to promote the proper use of memory measures in clinical settings. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Some of the best evidence for rapid evolutionary change comes from studies of archipelagos and oceanic islands. City parks are analogous systems as they create geographically isolated green spaces that differ in size, structure and complexity. Very little, however, is known about whether city parks within a single urban centre drive selection and result in the diversification of native species. Here, we provide evidence for the rapid genetic and morphological differentiation of a native lizard (Intellagama lesueurii) at four geographically close yet unconnected parks within one city. Year of establishment of each city park varied from 1855 (oldest) to 2001 (youngest) equating to a generation time range of 32 to three generations. Genetic divergence among city park populations was large despite the small pairwise geographic distances (<5 km) and found to be two to three times higher for microsatellites and three to 33 times higher for mtDNA relative to nonurban populations. Patterns of morphological differentiation were also found to be most extensive among the four city park populations. In contrast to nonurban populations, city park populations showed significant differentiation in relative body size, relative head and limb morphology and relative forelimb and hindlimb length. Crucially, we show that these patterns of differentiation are unlikely to have been caused by founder events and/or drift alone. Our results suggest that city park 'archipelagos' could represent theatres for rapid evolution that may, in time, favour adaptive diversification.
Due to the rapid development of renewable energy and waste energy recovery, absorption energy storage is an important technology with promising future. However, because most researches focus on working fluid flow rather than energy flow used in electric power systems, it is hard to analyze the entire systems as a whole. This contribution introduces the electrical circuit analogy to analyze absorption energy storage systems from the perspective of energy flow. It turns the energy storage and release processes to their corresponding electrical circuits, which are described by Kirchhoff's laws in circuitous philosophy instead of complex component analysis. On this basis, optimization of an absorption energy storage system is converted to a conditional extremum problem, and applying the Lagrange multiplier method offers the optimization equations to directly obtain the optimal structural and operating parameters with the best performance. In this contribution, the optimized results offer 13% and 25% higher power in the storage and release cases, respectively, compared to existing experimental results. Besides, inspired from the batteries connected in parallel and series, the design of a multi-stage absorption energy storage system could store low-grade heat but provide high-grade heat, which further reveals the superior of the newly proposed approach. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The active charge accumulator (ACA) is a pressure converter device in a water-hydraulic system, that is able to increase and decrease pressure without using a pressure-regulating valve. The basic characteristics of ACAs, however, have not yet been sufficiently revealed. In this study, we experimentally examined the basic characteristics of ACAs with focus placed on how ACAs reduce pressure. This examination has revealed that the piston stroke of ACAs depends on the load flow rate as well as the valve switching timing. We theoretically analyzed these phenomena using a mathematical model. With an analytic model built taking into consideration the compressibility of the working fluid, valve performance level, and other elements, we made a comparison between the analytic and experimental results to verify the validity of our analysis. This comparison revealed that the pressure waveforms in the low-pressure and pressure-conversion sections obtained through the analysis agreed with those obtained through the experiments, indicating that the analytic model was valid
A comprehensive assessment on lake water quality was carried out in Shahu Lake, northwest China, to provide valuable information about present lake water quality for decision making. Major ions, general parameters, bacteriological parameters, organics and trace metals monitored monthly in 2014 were considered. Monitored parameters were compared with quality criteria for surface water of China, and overall water quality assessment was carried out using an entropy weighted water quality index (EWQI) based on 20 selected parameters. Lake water quality was also assessed for irrigation purpose. The results show that the lake water is of Cl center dot SO4-Na facies with high salinity and COD. The geochemistry of the lake water is regulated by intense evaporation and human activities. TP, TN and F- are major inorganic contaminants, with over 50% of the water samples polluted by them. Oil, mainly attributed by leaky motor tourist boats, is the major organic pollutants in the lake water, with 10 samples (37.04%) showing higher oil content than the permissible limit. The concentrations of other inorganic and organic contaminants as well as trace metals are well below the permissible limits. The present study indicates that inorganic contamination in the lake water is more severe than organic pollution. The overall lake water quality, assessed by EWQI, is poor and very poor with SO42-, TDS, TH and Cl-being the dominant contributing factors. The lake water is suitable for irrigation in terms of alkalinity, but is unsuitable for irrigation from the salinity point of view. Accelerating the circulation and replenishment of the lake water is an important way of reducing contaminant concentrations. This study is important in providing comprehensive information on lake water quality for decision makers and valuable reference for international lake water researchers.
Digital hemispherical photography is a simple, non-destructive method for estimating canopy biophysical parameters for ecological applications and validation of remote sensing products. Determination of optimum and repeatable acquisition procedures is well documented in the literature but so far this has not focused on evaluating the levelling procedure used to align the camera. In this paper, the standard recommendation that tripod levelling is a necessity is tested by comparing it with a hand-levelled procedure. The results show that the average difference between the two procedures is < 2% for effective plant area index and < 1% for gap fraction at the VALERI plot scale, which generally falls within the variance. Users implementing the hand-levelled technique can expect large reductions in data acquisition time, allowing many more samples to be collected without compromising the overall quality of the data retrieved. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Although nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is well-established as a routine clinical imaging technique (magnetic resonance imaging or MRI), its application as a tool for metabolic investigations in humans is much less widespread in the medical community. To date, very few laboratories have combined the scientific interest, technical expertise (especially in vivo NMR spectroscopy), and facilities required to perform meaningful NMR studies of human metabolism. Among the few published reports of studies using in vivo NMR spectroscopy, diabetes mellitus, or more generally the physiology and pathophysiology of glucose homeostasis, is the dominant topic. This situation is related to the historical role of the Yale MR Center (R.G. Shulman, D.L Rothman) in the development of in vivo NMR, and to the collaboration of NMR methodologists with the Endocrinology Section of the Yale Medical School (G.I. Shulman). Thus, in the field of diabetes and metabolism, in vivo NMR has already contributed significantly to increasing our understanding of basic physiology as well as of pathophysiological mechanisms. This ''practical research note'' first describes the basic principles of in vivo NMR and provides practical information about the use of this technique in metabolic investigations. The metabolic parameters accessible through in vivo NMR are then reviewed and illustrated by a few examples from the literature.
Landslides can have significant and pervasive impacts to life and property around the world. Several attempts have been made to predict the geographic distribution of landslide activity at continental and global scales. These efforts shared common traits such as resolution, modeling approach, and explanatory variables. The lessons learned from prior research have been applied to build a new global susceptibility map from existing and previously unavailable data. Data on slope, faults, geology, forest loss, and road networks were combined using a heuristic fuzzy approach. The map was evaluated with a Global Landslide Catalog developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as several local landslide inventories. Comparisons to similar susceptibility maps suggest that the subjective methods commonly used at this scale are, for the most part, reproducible. However, comparisons of landslide susceptibility across spatial scales must take into account the susceptibility of the local subset relative to the larger study area. The new global landslide susceptibility map is intended for use in disaster planning, situational awareness, and for incorporation into global decision support systems.
The installation of free falling jet grade control structures has become a popular choice for river bed stabilization. However, the formation and development of scour downstream of the structure may lead to failure of the structure itself. The current approaches to scour depth prediction are generally based on studies conducted with the absence of upward seepage. In the present study, the effects of upward seepage on the scour depth were investigated. A total of 78 tests without and with the application of upward seepage were carried out using three different sediment sizes, three different tailwater depths, four different flow discharges, and four different upward seepage flow discharge rates. In some tests, the three-dimensional components of the flow velocity within the scour hole were measured for both the cases with and without upward seepage. The scour depth measured for the no-seepage results compared well with the most accurate relationship found in the literature. It was found that generally the upward seepage reduced the downward velocity components near the bed, which led to a decrease in the maximum scour depth. A maximum scour depth reduction of 49% was found for a minimum tailwater depth, small sediment size, and high flow discharge. A decay of the downward velocity vector within the jet impingement was found due to the upward seepage flow velocity. The well known equation of D'Agostino and Ferro was modified to account for the effect of upward seepage, which satisfactorily predicted the experimental scour depth, with a reasonable average error of 10.7%.
In today's hectic lifestyle, health has been seriously hampered due to sedentary work. This paper represents an idea of walking based wearable piezoelectric device that provides an alternate means for powering mobile phone batteries. Moreover, it simultaneously serves another purpose of providing an emergency torch. Since, the mechanism of the device is based on walking; the device promotes human metabolism as well as physical fitness. Hence, it can be seen as an e-health gadget that encourages walking exercise as a means to power emergency torch and mobile phone batteries. The portable device comprises of a piezoelectric power generator, connectors for charging different mobile phone batteries and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) embedded in shoe for providing emergency torch. Piezoelectric circuit harvests energy from user's trotter movement. This energy is amplified, rectified by using a DC convertor and then regulated to 4.2 volts which is required by a Li ion mobile battery. By using this device, a man weighing 60 Kg can charge a 800mAh capacity battery in 2.6 hours by normal walking.
Several studies have suggested that contingent adult imitation increase nonverbal communication, such as attention and proximity to adults, in children with autism spectrum disorders. However, few studies have shown the effect of contingent imitation on verbal communication. This study examined whether children with autism were able to promote verbal interaction such as vocal imitation, vocalization, and vocal turn-taking via contingent imitation. We used an alternating treatment design composed of the conditions of contingent imitation and control for six children with autism (aged 33-63months). For contingent imitation condition, adults imitated children's vocalization immediately. For control condition, adults did not imitate but gave a vocal response immediately. Results showed that in contingent imitation condition, all children increased the number of vocal imitations and vocal turn-takings compared with control condition. The number of vocalizations increased in both condition for all children. Overall, it is suggested that all children promote verbal interaction via contingent imitation.
Interoceptive awareness is linked to emotional and social cognition, which are impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is unknown how this ability is associated with age in either typical or atypical development. We used a standard test of interoceptive accuracy (IA) to investigate these questions in children and adults with and without ASD. Perceived number of heartbeats over 4 time intervals was compared with actual heart rate to determine IA. Effects of group, age, IQ, heart rate, and mental counting ability on accuracy were assessed using multiple regression. Post hoc correlations were performed to clarify significant interactions. Age was unrelated to IA in both groups when IQ >= 115. When IQ < 115, this relationship was positive in typical development and negative in ASD. These results suggest that cognitive ability moderates the effect of age on IA differently in autism and typical development.
In human metabolism studies we found that after oral application of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) and di(2-propylheptyl) phthalate (DPHP), at least 74, 44 and 34%, respectively, are excreted via urine. In contrast to the short chain phthalates, their oxidized products, not the simple monoesters, were found to be the main metabolites. Based on urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations we estimated in 102 German subjects between 6 and 80 years of age median daily intakes (mu g/kg/day) of 2.7 for DEHP, 2.1 for di-n-butyl phthalate, 1.5 for diisobutyl phthalate, 0.6 for DiNP, and 0.3 for butylbenzyl phthalate. In general, children have higher exposures compared to adults and seem to have a more effective oxidative metabolism of phthalates. For individual phthalates tolerable daily intake (TDI) values have been deduced. However, in rats some phthalates have been shown to act as endocrine disrupters via a common mechanism of action in a dose-additive manner. Therefore, the concept of a cumulative TDI value may be more appropriate for the consideration of the overall exposure and the potential human health risks resulting from everyday and simultaneous exposure to several phthalates.
Imaging genetics is an emerging field for the investigation of neuro-mechanisms linked to genetic variation. Although imaging genetics has recently shown great promise in understanding biological mechanisms for brain development and psychiatric disorders, studying the link between genetic variants and neuroimaging phenotypes remains statistically challenging due to the high-dimensionality of both genetic and neuroimaging data. This becomes even more challenging when studying gene-environment interaction (GxE) on neuroimaging phenotypes. In this study, we proposed a set-based mixed effect model for gene-environment interaction (MixGE) on neuroimaging phenotypes, such as structural volumes and tensor-based morphometry (TBM). MixGE incorporates both fixed and random effects of GxE to investigate homogeneous and heterogeneous contributions of multiple genetic variants and their interaction with environmental risks to phenotypes. We discuss the construction of score statistics for the terms associated with fixed and random effects of GxE to avoid direct parameter estimation in the MixGE model, which would greatly increase computational cost. We also describe how the score statistics can be combined into a single significance value to increase statistical power. We evaluated MixGE using simulated and real Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data, and showed statistical power superior to other burden and variance component methods. We then demonstrated the use of MixGE for exploring the voxelwise effect of GxE on TBM, made feasible by the computational efficiency of MixGE. Through this, we discovered a potential interaction effect of gene ABCA7 and cardiovascular risk on local volume change of the right superior parietal cortex, which warrants further investigation.
Mendae Plain at Abraha Atsbaha (Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia) is an agricultural area, which has been very drought-prone in the past. In the last decade, agricultural development has boosted because of the intensive use of large diameter wells that tap the phreatic aquifer. Pumped water is used for irrigation during the long dry season (October to May). Since 15years, water harvesting measures have been implemented, mainly in the form of infiltration ponds and trenches that enhance local infiltration of rainfall runoff from hillslopes. To investigate the sustainability of the groundwater exploitation and the efficiency of the measures, the different recharge and discharge components of the water balance of data-scarce Mendae Plain have been identified and quantified, using different methods. Diffuse aquifer recharge is calculated from a soil moisture balance, based on meteorological data, and with the chloride mass balance method, based on groundwater analyses. Diffuse recharge is much higher on cultivated land plots than on non-cultivated bare soils. Rainfall infiltration in ponds and trenches is estimated based on the inflow catchment derived from the topography. Groundwater flow to a nearby river is obtained by balancing inflow and outflow by the other components over an 11year period. The balance components are integrated into a lumped parameter model that was run for the period from 2000 to 2010. The results show that infiltration in ponds and trenches contributes between 30 and nearly 50% of total aquifer recharge, with the highest values in dry years. Changes in aquifer storage over time are an indicator for the evolution of groundwater levels in the aquifer and confirm the occurrence of two dry periods in 2002-2005 and 2008-2009. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modern manufacturing and business based on product service systems require software platforms capable of supporting offerings over their lifecycle thus securing long term customer value. Also a function to get and manage feedback from end users, customers and manufacturing is essential for design to build in functionalities and features that best enable efficient use and maintenance. The aim is to integrate the Product Life-Cycle Management (PLM) and Service Life-Cycle Management (SLM) concepts resulting in a coherent and collaborative Product-Service design and manufacturing engineering platform. The concept requirements were collected from four real world use cases and refined and combined to create final set of requirements. In this paper we present the facilitated requirement collection process and the final requirements in relation to engineering collaboration and product-service system characteristics.
Recent research with Western populations has demonstrated that children use imitation flexibly to engage in both instrumental and conventional learning. Evidence for children's imitative flexibility in non-Western populations is limited, however, and has only assessed imitation of instrumental tasks. This study (N = 142, 6- to 8-year-olds) demonstrates both cultural continuity and cultural variation in imitative flexibility. Children engage in higher imitative fidelity for conventional tasks than for instrumental tasks in both an industrialized, Western culture (United States), and a subsistence-based, non-Western culture (Vanuatu). Children in Vanuatu engage in higher imitative fidelity of instrumental tasks than in the United States, a potential consequence of cultural variation in child socialization for conformity.
The white-box attack is a new attack context in which it is assumed that cryptographic software is implemented on an un-trusted platform and all the implementation details are controlled by the attackers. So far, almost all white-box solutions have been broken. In this study, we propose a white-box encryption scheme that is not a variant of obfuscating existing ciphers but a completely new solution. The new scheme is based on the unbalanced Feistel network as well as the ASASASA (where A means affine, and S means substitution) structure. It has an optional input block size and is suitable for saving space compared with other solutions because the space requirement grows slowly (linearly) with the growth of block size. Moreover, our scheme not only has huge white-box diversity and white-box ambiguity but also has a particular construction to bypass public white-box cryptanalysis techniques, including attacks aimed at white-box variants of existing ciphers and attacks specific to the ASASASA structure. More precisely, we present a definition of white-box security with regard to equivalent key, and prove that our scheme satisfies such security requirement.
This paper discusses the development of new winding configuration for six-phase permanent-magnet (PM) machines with 18 slots and 8 poles, which eliminates and/or reduces undesirable space harmonics in the stator magnetomotive force. The proposed configuration improves power/torque density and efficiency with a reduction in eddy-current losses in the rotor permanent magnets and copper losses in end windings. To improve drive train availability for applications in electric vehicles (EVs), this paper proposes the design of a six-phase PM machine as two independent three-phase windings. A number of possible phase shifts between two sets of three-phase windings due to their slot-pole combination and winding configuration are investigated, and the optimum phase shift is selected by analyzing the harmonic distributions and their effect on machine performance, including the rotor eddy-current losses. The machine design is optimized for a given set of specifications for EVs, under electrical, thermal and volumetric constraints, and demonstrated by the experimental measurements on a prototype machine.
A large amount of methane releasing from the residual coal and the surrounding pressure-relieved gas bearing strata may accumulate in the longwall gob of gas-bearing coal seam, which is increasingly exploited as a major source of coalbed methane (CBM) development in coal mining areas. Meanwhile, if the gob methane emits into the working space along with air-leakage flow, they may impair the safety and productivity of underground coal mines. Thus, gob gas drainage is of great significance to both the CBM development and the control of gob gas emission. Currently, there exist two major technologies for gob gas drainage gob gas ventholes (GGVs) drainage and underground drainage (such as high-level suction tunnels, high-located boreholes and buried pipes in the upper-corner). In practical engineering applications, the GGVs. have greater advantage over the traditional underground drainage in the extraction flux of gob gas and the control of gob gas emission, but the theoretical mechanism of GGVs has not yet been revealed in previous studies. Consequently, the characteristics of gob gas flow with GGVs drainage needs further research. In this paper, the numerical simulation of gas flow in gob gas reservoirs and the in-situ assessment of GGVs drainage are carried out to investigate the mechanism of the control of gob gas flow with GGVs drainage. Firstly, based on fluid mechanics in porous media the mathematical model of gob gas transport is developed. Then, the gas pressure distribution, gas flow patterns and methane concentration distribution in the gob under the conditions of no drainage measures, drainage with buried pipe in the upper corner and GGVs in different locations are discussed by conducting numerical simulation, respectively. In addition, the influence of distance between GGV and return airway on the gob methane flow and the strong control scope of GGVs are analyzed in detail. It is found that: 1) GGVs has the flow-interception effect on the gas in the deep zone of the gob and the flow-reversal effect on the gas in the gob close to the longwall face, which accounts for that GGVs drainage advantage over underground drainage. 2) GGVs can be applied to drain the gas in the deep zone of the gob massively and to control the gob gas migration effectively, so they are a top choice for the extraction of gob gas and the control of gob gas emission. Finally, both GGVs drainage and underground drainage are adopted to extract gob gas in east-102 working face in Weijiadi coal mine. The comparison of the extracted and emitted volume of gob gas with two different technologies shows that, GGV can drain the gob gas with greater flux and can better control the gob gas emission, which validated the prediction of numerical stimulation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Polynomials over finite fields play a central role in algorithms for cryptography, error correcting codes, and computer algebra. The complexity of multiplying such polynomials is still a major open problem. Let p be a prime, and let M-p(n) denote the bit complexity of multiplying two polynomials in F-p[X] of degree less than n. For n large compared to p, we establish the bound Mp( n) = O(nlogn8(log*n) log p), where log* n = min{k. epsilon N : log...kx log n <= 1} stands for the iterated logarithm. This improves on the previously best known bound M-p( n) = O( nlogn loglogn log p), which essentially goes back to the 1970s.
Introduction: The gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a possible cause of chronic cough. The laparoscopic fundoplication is well established in the treatment of GERD. In a retrospective study, the effectivity of this operation on the GERD associated cough was examined and possible preoperative predictive factors concerning the post-surgical therapy effect were characterized. Patients and Methods: 85 patients after laparoscopic fundoplication due to GERD treated with proton pump inhibitors without (RS-H: n=31) or with associated cough (RS+H: n=54) were evaluated in a three-month follow-up by data analysis regarding an indication point score from typical symptoms as well as findings (gastroscopy, histology, 24-hour oesophagus pH-metry). Results: For the leading symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation a complete freedom from complaints was reached with 98.8% of all patients postal-surgically. In the group RS+H 70.4% of the patients were free of cough after 3 months, other 22.2% with significant improvement and 7.4% with unchanged irritant cough. Higher values of the typical reflux symptoms and a therapy resistance to proton pump inhibitors (PPI) were clearly seen in the RS-H patients. The RS+H patients showed less reflux complaints with lower PPI resistance, frequent allergies as well as significantly more often an acid or bitter taste and hoarseness. After further subdivision of the RS+H patients into the subgroups RS>H (mainly reflux, n=31) and H>RS (mainly cough), the lowest values for heartburn, regurgitation and PPI resistance were found in subgroup H>RS. Diagnostics did not show any significiant differences between the groups although a trend could be seen towards fewer duodenogastric bile reflux, larger hiatus hernias and higher DeMeester scores in RS+H and H>RS. Also smokers, non-allergic asthmatics and polyallergic sufferers with cough profited from the intervention. Conclusion: Patients with reflux-associated respiratory symptoms present an own entity with good PPI therapy response to heartburn, but not to cough. They should be considered more often for surgery. Since the cough symptoms in more than two-thirds of appropriately selected patients disappear in a short time after surgery, laparoscopic antireflux surgery should also be considered from pneumological aspects. There are no individual predictors for the success of antireflux surgery, only the sum of all relevant individual case history and clinical criteria, as they are combined in the used score, can provide a reliable indication for surgery.
Blood acid-base regulation by specialized epithelia, such as gills and kidney, requires the ability to sense blood acid-base status. Here, we developed primary cultures of ray (Urolophus halleri) gill cells to study mechanisms for acid-base sensing without the interference of whole animal hormonal regulation. Ray gills have abundant base-secreting cells, identified by their noticeable expression of vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (VHA), and also express the evolutionarily conserved acid-base sensor soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC). Exposure of cultured cells to extracellular alkalosis (pH 8.0, 40 mM HCO3-) triggered VHA translocation to the cell membrane, similar to previous reports in live animals experiencing blood alkalosis. VHA translocation was dependent on sAC, as it was blocked by the sAC-specific inhibitor KH7. Ray gill base-secreting cells also express transmembrane adenylyl cyclases (tmACs); however, tmAC inhibition by 2', 5'-dideoxyadenosine did not prevent alkalosis-dependent VHA translocation, and tmAC activation by forskolin reduced the abundance of VHA at the cell membrane. This study demonstrates that sAC is a necessary and sufficient sensor of extracellular alkalosis in ray gill base-secreting cells. In addition, this study indicates that different sources of cAMP differentially modulate cell biology.
The development of computer aided resources in automation of generation of manufacturing routings and operations is being mainly accomplished through the search of similarities between existent ones, resulting standard process routings that are grouped by analysis of similarities between parts or routings. This article proposes the development of manufacturing routings and operations detailment using a methodology which steps will define the initial, intermediate and final operations, starting from the rough piece and going up to the final specifications, that must have binunivocal relationship with the part design specifications. Each step will use the so called rules of precedence to link and chain the routing operations. The rules of precedence order and prioritize the knowledge of various manufacturing processes, taking in account the theories of machining, forging, assembly,and heat treatments; also, utilizes the theories of accumulation of tolerances and process capabilities, between others. It is also reinforced the availability of manufacturing databases related to process tolerances, deviations of machine tool- cutting tool- fixturing devices - workpiece,and process capabilities. The statement and application of rules of precedence, linking and joining manufacturing concepts in a logical and structured way, and their application in the methodology steps will make viable the utilization of structured knowledge instead of tacit one currently available in the manufacturing engineering departments, in the generation of manufacturing routing and operations. Consequently, the development of Computer Aided in Process Planning will be facilitated, due to the structured knowledge applied with this methodology.
Substantial evidence indicates that infants expect agents to move directly to their goals when no obstacles block their paths, but the representations that articulate this expectation and its robustness have not been characterized. Across three experiments (total N = 60), 6-month-old infants responded to a novel, curvilinear action trajectory on the basis of its efficiency, in accord with the expectation that an agent will move to its goal on the least costly path that the environment affords. Infants expected minimally costly action when presented with a novel constraint, and extended this expectation to agents who had previously acted inefficiently. Infants' understanding of goal-directed action cannot be explained alone by sensitivity to specific features of agent's actions (e.g. agents tend to move on straight paths, along supporting surfaces, when facing their goals directly) or extrapolations of agents' past actions to their future ones (e.g. if an agent took the shortest path to an object in the past, it will continue to do so in the future). Instead, infants' reasoning about efficiency accords with the overhypothesis that agents minimize the cost of their actions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The objective of this study was to identify and quantify, through mathematical models, the main factors of production in growing and finishing pig units linked to three Brazilian cooperatives located in Western Region of Parana State that influence the parameters of daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. The records of 216 growing and finishing farms from 2010 to 2013, representing 1,533 batches, and totaling approximately 1,025,000 pigs, were evaluated. Thirty production factors related to the management, health, installations and equipment, nutrition, genetics, and environment were considered. The number of pigs per pen, the feeder model, the origin and sex of the animals, and the initial and final body weights were the factors included in the final models for both dependent variables (daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio) and had a significant impact on these ratios. Approximately, 41 and 55% of the total variance found for daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio, respectively, were explained by the variables included in the final models. Mathematical models could serve as important tools to aid the decision-making in pig production systems.
Interface shear strength is a critical property used by engineers to evaluate the appropriateness of products for their specific applications. Internal shear strength is another critical property for composite products such as geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) where the product can shear internally before the interface shear strength is mobilized. Multi-component GCLs are a newer type of GCL consisting of either a polymeric membrane liner laminated to or a membrane coating applied to one of the geotextile carriers. Direct shear testing was performed on multi-component GCLs to assess the internal shear strengths of the coatings and laminates on the geotextile surface of the GCL. Direct shear testing was performed on multiple coated and laminated GCLs. Fine-grained sand was used as the interface against the GCL to simulate typical field conditions for these products. The testing was performed in accordance with typical parameters from ASTM D6243-09 using two different loading conditions. The direct shear testing protocol, test results, and observations from the tests performed are discussed.
Within the framework in which the Spanish universities are involved, the ECTS credit must be considered as the working hours needed for the students to acquire the subject related knowledge, capabilities and skills. The work presented in this paper consists of analyzing the data obtained by the surveys made by the students registered in manufacturing engineering subjects of the Technical University of Cartagena. This information lets us to estimate the workload needed for the subject adaptation process within the European higher education area framework.
Introduction: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people still face discrimination in healthcare environments and physicians often report lack of knowledge on this population's specific healthcare needs. In fact, recommendations have been put forward to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health in medical curricula. This study aimed to explore factors associated with medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards homosexuality in different years of the medical course. Material and Methods: An anonymous online-based questionnaire was sent to all medical students enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine -University of Porto, Portugal, in December 2015. The questionnaire included socio-demographic questions, the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (27 items) and a Homosexuality Knowledge Questionnaire (17 items). Descriptive statistics, ANOVAs, Chi-square tests and Pearson's correlations were used in the analysis. Results: A total of 489 completed responses was analyzed. Male gender, religiosity and absence of lesbian, gay or bisexual friends were associated with more negative attitudes towards homosexuality. Attitudinal scores did not correlate with advanced years in medical course or contact with lesbian, gay or bisexual patients. Students aiming to pursue technique-oriented specialties presented higher scores in the ` Modern Heterosexism' subscale than students seeking patient-oriented specialties. Although advanced years in medical course correlated significantly with higher knowledge scores, items related with lesbian, gay or bisexual health showed the lowest percentage of correct answers. Conclusion: There seems to be a lack of exploration of medical students' personal attitudes towards lesbians and gay men, and also a lack of knowledge on lesbian, gay or bisexual specific healthcare needs. This study highlights the importance of inclusive undergraduate curriculum development in order to foster quality healthcare.
Adipose tissue is functionally composed of brown adipose tissue and white adipose tissue. The unique thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue results from expression of uncoupling protein 1 in the mitochondrial inner membrane. On the basis of recent findings that adult humans have functionally active brown adipose tissue, it is now recognized as playing a much more important role in human metabolism than was previously thought. More importantly, brown-like adipocytes can be recruited in white adipose tissue upon environmental stimulation and pharmacologic treatment, and this change is associated with increased energy expenditure, contributing to a lean and healthy phenotype. Thus, the promotion of brown-like adipocyte development in white adipose tissue offers novel possibilities for the development of therapeutic strategies to combat obesity and related metabolic diseases. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the recruitment of brown-like adipocyte in white adipose tissue. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Road runoff pollutants are widely recognized as major causes of receiving water pollution. Bioswale serves as an effective storm-water natural purification and disposal technology, which presents important practical value in controlling runoff pollution and stormwater utilization. Multiple bioswale cells with different media are designed and built. Artificial stormwater is synthesized on the basis of the investigated and measured data on the surface runoff pollution in Northwest China, which is used to study the purification effect of bioswale on runoff pollutants from four aspects. Results show that different factors significantly affect water purification process. The removal rate of nitrogen decreases with the increase of inflow concentration for most of media; however, which is contrary for phosphorus and mostly greater than 90%. Blast furnace slag has the best removal of nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy mental Zn under low inflow concentration. The correlation models between the purification effects of total nitrogen, total phosphorus and COD and their influencing factors are established using the multivariate regression method. The Nash-Suttcliffe simulation efficiency coefficients of the models are greater than 0.6. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We consider a general differential inclusion which is parameterized by a parameter. We perform time discretization and present conditions under which the discretized solution map is locally Lipschitz. Further, if the Lipschitzian modulus is bounded in some sense, we show that it is possible to obtain the local Lipschitzian property even for the original (not discretized) solution map. We conclude the paper with an example concerning stability analysis of nonregular electrical circuits with ideal diodes.
Reducing large-scale deforestation in commodity frontiers remains a key challenge for climate change mitigation and the conservation of biodiversity. Public and private anti-deforestation policies have been shown to effectively reduce forest loss, but the conditions under which such policies get adopted are rarely examined. Here we propose a set of conditions that we expect to be associated with the adoption of effective anti-deforestation policies in commodity frontiers. We then examine whether these conditions have influenced policy adoption in South America's major soy-and-cattle frontiers: the Brazilian Amazon, the Cerrado, the Chaco, the Chiquitano, and Paraguay's Atlantic Forest. By collating empirical data from diverse sources, including literature review, extensive expert interviews, and analysis of primary and secondary data, we show that the Cerrado, the Chaco, and the Chiquitano differ from the Brazilian Amazon in multiple ways that might have inhibited adoptions of effective anti-deforestation instruments. These conditions include: a higher importance of the agricultural sector within the respective countries, lower carbon stocks and species richness, higher prevalence of private land tenure, and higher baseline compliance with forest reserve regulations on private lands. We also observe that the adoption of the most effective private anti-deforestation instrument, commodity moratoria, may respond to similar conditions as those influencing the adoption of public instruments. Incentivizing public and private actors to adopt effective anti-deforestation policies in the Cerrado, Chaco, and the Chiquitano will likely be more challenging than it has been in the Brazilian Amazon. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recent research has compared the numerical efficiency of magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) models based upon Kirchhoff's voltage law (mesh equations) and Kirchhoff's current law (nodal equations). For stationary magnetic components, it was shown that mesh-based methods converge in significantly fewer iterations. Although the numerical advantages would seemingly apply to electric machines, two issues have limited the application of mesh-based MEC models to electric machines. With movement, the number of meshes (unlike the number of nodes) is position dependent. Additionally, the loss of an airgap element creates an infinite reluctance. In this paper, both issues are addressed. Specifically, it is first shown that a relatively straightforward algorithm can be used to dynamically update meshes with rotor position. In addition, it is shown that the mesh model remains stable for very large values of tube reluctance. Tube reluctance values that are large enough to cause numerical issues can be easily avoided by excluding a very narrow range of rotor positions. Based upon these results, a mesh-based MEC model of a wound-rotor synchronous machine is developed and is shown to provide a significant advantage over its nodal-based model equivalent.
We present a bit-string quantum oblivious transfer protocol based on single-qubit rotations. Our protocol is built upon a previously proposed quantum public-key protocol and its practical security relies on the laws of Quantum Mechanics. Practical security is reflected in the fact that, due to technological limitations, the receiver (Bob) of the transferred bit-string is restricted to performing only 'few-qubit' coherent measurements. We also present a single-bit oblivious transfer based on the proposed bit-string protocol. The protocol can be implemented with current technology based on optics.
Past research demonstrated that racial prejudice played a significant role in the 2008 presidential election, but relatively less is known about the relationship between prejudice and public opinion throughout the Obama administration. In the present research, we examined not only whether racial attitudes were associated with evaluations of Mr. Obama and his administration, but also whether they may have influenced the development of more general political attitudes during the early years of the Obama administration. We investigated this question using panel data from a nationally representative sample of Americans interviewed between September 2008 and July 2010. Racial attitudes measured prior to the election predicted early disapproval of President Obama's handling of important issues. Early disapproval of President Obama's performance, in turn, predicted later perceptions of whether the state of the nation was improving. Further, the divergence between high-prejudice and low-prejudice individuals in their perceptions of the state of the nation became greater over time, consistent with the idea that racial attitudes were more powerfully expressed in political judgments as time passed.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection occurs frequently in young children, who, when infected, are then a major source of transmission. Oral CMV shedding by 14 infants with primary infection was comprehensively characterized using quantitative polymerase chain reaction weekly for >= 9 months. Three phases of oral shedding were identified: expansion, transition, and clearance. Viral expansion occurred over a median of 7 weeks, with a median doubling time of 3 days. During the transition phase, expansion slowed over a median of 6 weeks before peak viral load was reached. Clearance was slow (22-day median half-life), and shedding did not resolve during observation for any infant. Mathematical modeling demonstrated that prolonged oral CMV expansion is explained by a low within-host reproduction number (median, 1.63) and a delayed immune response that only decreases the infected cell half-life by 44%. Thus, the prolonged oral CMV shedding observed during primary infection can be explained by slow viral expansion and inefficient immunologic control.
Thiocyanate is a C1 compound containing carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. It is a (by) product in a number of natural and industrial processes. Because thiocyanate is toxic to many organisms, including humans, its removal from industrial waste streams is an important problem. Although a number of bacteria can use thiocyanate as a nitrogen source, only a few can use it as an electron donor. There are two distinct pathways to use thiocyanate: (i) the carbonyl sulfide pathway, which has been extensively studied, and (ii) the  cyanate pathway, whose key enzyme, thiocyanate dehydrogenase, was recently purified and studied. Three species of Thioalkalivibrio, a group of haloalkaliphilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated from soda lakes, have been described as thiocyanate oxidizers: (i) Thioalkalivibrio paradoxus (cyanatepathway), (ii) Thioalkalivibrio thiocyanoxidans ( cyanate pathway) and (iii) Thioalkalivibrio thiocyanodenitrificans ( carbonyl sulfide pathway). In this study we provide a comparative genome analysis of these described thiocyanate oxidizers, with genomes ranging in size from 2.5 to 3.8 million base pairs. While focusing on thiocyanate degradation, we also analyzed the differences in sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen metabolism. We found that the thiocyanate dehydrogenase gene is present in 10 different Thioalkalivibrio strains, in two distinct genomic contexts/genotypes. The first genotype is defined by having genes for flavocytochrome c sulfide dehydrogenase upstream from the thiocyanate dehydrogenase operon (present in two strains including the type strain of Tv. paradoxus), whereas in the second genotype these genes are located downstream, together with two additional genes of unknown function (present in eight strains, including the type strains of Tv. thiocyanoxidans). Additionally, we found differences in the presence/absence of genes for various sulfur oxidation pathways, such as sulfide: quinone oxidoreductase, dissimilatory sulfite reductase, and sulfite dehydrogenase. One strain (Tv. thiocyanodenitrificans) lacks genes encoding a carbon concentrating mechanism and none of the investigated genomes were shown to contain known bicarbonate transporters. This study gives insight into the genomic variation of thiocyanate oxidizing bacteria and may lead to improvements in the application of these organisms in the bioremediation of industrial waste streams.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to test causal effects of physicians' nonverbal involvement on medical error disclosure outcomes. Methods: 216 hospital outpatients were randomly assigned to two experimental treatment groups. The first group watched a video vignette of a verbally effective and nonverbally involved error disclosure. The second group was exposed to a verbally effective but nonverbally uninvolved error disclosure. All patients responded to seven outcome measures. Results: Patients in the nonverbally uninvolved error disclosure treatment group perceived the physician's apology as less sincere and remorseful compared to patients in the involved disclosure group. They also rated the implications of the error as more severe, were more likely to ascribe fault to the physician, and indicated a higher intent to change doctors after the disclosure. Conclusion: The results of this study imply that nonverbal involvement during medical error disclosures facilitates more accurate patient understanding and assessment of the medical error and its consequences on their health and quality of life. Practice implications: In the context of disclosing medical errors, nonverbal involvement increases the likelihood that physicians will be able to continue caring for their patient. Thus, providers are advised to consider adopting this communication skill into their medical practice. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Latency jitter is a pressing problem in Virtual Reality (VR) applications. This paper analyzes latency jitter caused by typical interprocess communication (IPC) techniques commonly found in today's computer systems used for VR. Test programs measure the seal ability and latencies for various IPC techniques, where increasing number of threads are performing the same task concurrently. We use four different implementations on a vanilla Linux kernel as well as on a real-time (RT) Linux kernel to further assess if a RT variant of a multiuser multiprocess operating system can prevent latency spikes and how this behavior would apply to different programming languages and IPC techniques. We found that Linux RT can limit the latency jitter at the cost of throughput for certain implementations. Further, coarse grained concurrency should be employed to avoid adding up of scheduler latencies, especially for native system space IPC, while actor systems are found to support a higher degree of concurrency granularity and a higher level of abstraction.
Demand for green energy production is arising all over the world. A lot of emphasis is laid in making the buildings green. Even a small amount of energy savings made contribute to saving the environment. In this study, an idea is proposed and studied to extract power from the high head water in the pipelines of a building. A building of height 15 m is considered for this study. Water flowing in the pipe has sufficient energy to run a micro hydro turbine. The feasibility of producing electrical energy from the energy of pipe water is found. The motivation is to find the feasibility of generating power using a low-cost turbine. The experimental setup consists of micro turbine of 135 mm diameter coupled to a 12-V DC generator; LEDs and resistors are employed to validate the results. The theoretical calculations were presented using the fundamental equations of fluid mechanics. The theoretical results are validated using experimental and numerical results using CFD simulation. In addition, exergy analysis has been carried out to quantify the irreversibilities during the process in the system.
The global increase in cultural and religious diversity has led to calls for toleration of group differences to achieve intergroup harmony. Although much social-psychological research has examined the nature of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, and its impact on targets of these biases, little research has examined the nature and impact of toleration for intergroup relations. Toleration does not require that people give up their objections to out-group norms and practices but rather mutual accommodation. Integrating research from various social sciences, we explore the nature of intergroup tolerance including its three components objection, acceptance, and rejection while drawing out its implications for future social psychological research. We then explore some psychological consequences to social groups that are the object of toleration. By doing so, we consider the complex ways in which intergroup tolerance impacts both majority and minority groups and the dynamic interplay of both in pluralistic societies.
In this paper, a smart classroom system that enables a lecturer to monitor the current level of interest of the audience is presented. The system is based on the Adaboost M1 machine learning algorithm using a training dataset collected from 20 lectures. The system is implemented in Matlab and is capable of recognizing patterns from the sound (i.e. spectral entropy and formant frequency), images (i.e. descriptors of students' motion) and a 3-axis accelerometer (i.e. lecturers' motion descriptors). A system performance is evaluated by 10-fold cross validation. The total average accuracy during the simulation was 92.2%. After the simulation, the system was implemented and its performance evaluated by comparing a real-time annotator (i.e. the students' feedback) with the system output during live lectures. The average accuracy of the system evaluated for three different groups of students was 81.9%; indicating that there is still room for improvement, but that it can be the basis of a novel approach for detecting the level of interest a lecture creates in a classroom environment.
The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical optimal design tool to determine a megawatt-scale yokelss and segmented armature (YASA) machine design that fulfills the application requirements and constraints. This analytical tool considers both electromagnetic and structural designs. Different designs that provide similar performance will have emerged from this analytical process. A design reference map that graphically shows the relationships and tradeoffs between each objective function is introduced. A multicriteria optimization process is applied to determine a design optimum. In the optimization process, the design objectives considered in this study are to minimize the outer diameter, to minimize the structural mass of the machine, to minimize the copper and iron losses, and to minimize the active materials cost. Three variables considered in calculating the objective functions are the air-gap flux density, the ratio of outer-to-inner machine diameter, and the current loading. The optimization method uses a pseudoweight vector to provide the flexibility to prioritize one or more objective functions, dependant on the specific application requirements.
Biomarkers of brain amyloidosis and neurodegeneration/synaptic dysfunction are featured in recent diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease. Several gaps in our knowledge, however, need to be filled before they can be adopted clinically. The aim of this article is to describe a roadmap, developed by a multidisciplinary task force, to rationally implement biomarkers for Italian Memory Clinics. This roadmap is based on a framework comprising 5 sequential phases: identification of leads for potentially useful biomarkers; development of clinical assays for clinical disease; evaluation of detection of early stages; definition of operating characteristics in relevant populations; and estimation of reducing disease-associated mortality, morbidity, and disability. The roadmap was devised by identifying current evidence of validity, still missing evidence, and action needed to collect this missing evidence. With appropriate adaptation to local, country-specific circumstances, the roadmap can be translated to other countries. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Though people report idiosyncratic desires for particular traits in an ideal romantic partner, few studies have examined whether these ideals predict important long-term relationship outcomes. The present 3.5-year longitudinal study of newlywed couples used survival analysis to investigate whether the match between participants' ideal preferences and the traits they perceive in their partner predict the likelihood of divorce. Results depended entirely on whether the match was conceptualized as a match in level (e. g., high ideal preference for a trait with the presence of the trait in the partner) or in pattern (e. g., the within-person correlation of ideals with a partner's traits across all traits). The match between the pattern of ideals and traits negatively predicted divorce with an effect size larger than most established divorce risk factors. However, the match in level was unrelated to divorce, suggesting that perspectives emphasizing ideals for the level of traits may encounter predictive validity problems.
Background: The ultimate ambient-intelligent care room contains numerous sensors and devices to monitor the patient, sense and adjust the environment and support the staff. This sensor-based approach results in a large amount of data, which can be processed by current and future applications, e. g., task management and alerting systems. Today, nurses are responsible for coordinating all these applications and supplied information, which reduces the added value and slows down the adoption rate. The aim of the presented research is the design of a pervasive and scalable framework that is able to optimize continuous care processes by intelligently reasoning on the large amount of heterogeneous care data. Methods: The developed Ontology-based Care Platform (OCarePlatform) consists of modular components that perform a specific reasoning task. Consequently, they can easily be replicated and distributed. Complex reasoning is achieved by combining the results of different components. To ensure that the components only receive information, which is of interest to them at that time, they are able to dynamically generate and register filter rules with a Semantic Communication Bus (SCB). This SCB semantically filters all the heterogeneous care data according to the registered rules by using a continuous care ontology. The SCB can be distributed and a cache can be employed to ensure scalability. Results: A prototype implementation is presented consisting of a new-generation nurse call system supported by a localization and a home automation component. The amount of data that is filtered and the performance of the SCB are evaluated by testing the prototype in a living lab. The delay introduced by processing the filter rules is negligible when 10 or fewer rules are registered. Conclusions: The OCarePlatform allows disseminating relevant care data for the different applications and additionally supports composing complex applications from a set of smaller independent components. This way, the platform significantly reduces the amount of information that needs to be processed by the nurses. The delay resulting from processing the filter rules is linear in the amount of rules. Distributed deployment of the SCB and using a cache allows further improvement of these performance results.
Cell culture is a well-established standard technique and a fundamental tool in biology and medicine. Establishment of a novel culture method by meeting various challenges can sometimes open up new fields of cell biology and medicine. An artificial microenvironment for cultured cells is made up of complicated factors, including cytokines, scaffold material type, cell-cell interactions, and physical stress. To replicate the tissue architecture, cell-cell interactions, and specific physical microenvironment, we previously demonstrated the effectiveness of a three-dimensional culture system, and further established two simple culture systems: air-liquid interface (ALI) and fluid flow stress (FFS). A three-dimensional collagen gel culture system can replicate cell-cell interactions in vitro. As skin is constantly exposed to air, the ALI system closely mimicked the skin microenvironment and maintained the homeostasis of the epidermis and dermis. The ALI culture system also revealed the possibility of skin regeneration through ectopic mesenchymal cell involvement. Fluid streaming and shear stress were recently demonstrated to constitute the critical microenvironment for various cell types. The FFS system demonstrated that fluid streaming induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of mesothelial cells, leading to peritoneal fibrosis. Our novel culture systems will hopefully open up new fields of regenerative medicine and pathological research.
Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) is well-known for its medicinal, industrial and recreational use. However, allergies in relation to Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) are rarely reported. C. sativa is one of the common weeds found in Pakistan and its pollen grains are common in spring and fall season. Although categorized as an aeroallergen, there are limited number of reports regarding allergenic potential in C. sativa. Therefore, the current study is aimed at exploring the IgE-binding potential among the C.sativa pollen in local pollen allergic patients. Initial screening of C. sativa sensitized individuals was carried out by dot blot from the sera of pollen allergic patients. Proteins from the pollen grains were extracted and resolved on 10% gel. Eight bands were visible on gel however only one protein fragment i.e. of 14KDa size was found to bind to IgE as analyzed through protein gel blot analysis. Strong IgE affinity of a 14 kDa protein fragment from C. sativa pollen extract suggests its allergenic potential. Further study is required to find the exact nature of this protein fragment.
Nickel (Ni) is an essential metal for some organisms, but also a common toxic pollutant released into the water. Toxicity of Ni has not been completely established for cyanobacteria; for this reason, we evaluated the effect of sub-inhibitory Ni concentrations on a toxigenic strain of Microcystis aeruginosa and on microcystins production. Population growth, photosynthetic pigments concentration, biomarkers, including antioxidant enzymes (catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], and superoxide dismutase [SOD]), as well as macromolecules (proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) were quantified; SEM and TEM observations were also performed. Population growth was affected starting at 3 mu g L-1, and at 24 mu g L-1 growth was completely inhibited; the 96-h Ni2+ IC50 was 3.7 mu g L-1. Ni exposure increased pigments concentration, augmented all the macromolecules, and increased activities of CAT and GPx; alterations on the internal cell structure were also observed. The integrated biomarker response revealed that Ni2+ augmented the antioxidant response and the macromolecules content. Ni stress also increased microcystins production. M. aeruginosa was affected by Ni at very low concentrations, even lower than those established as safe limit to protect aquatic biota. Aside from the toxic effects produced in this cyanobacterium, stimulation to produce toxins could potentiate the environmental risks associated with water pollution and eutrophication. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Today's trend of replacing manually operated vehicles with automated ones will have an impact not only on machine design, working environment and procedures but also on machine breakdown and maintenance procedures. In the harsh environment of underground mines, the transition from manual to automatic operation is believed to fundamentally change the basis for break downs, maintenance and machine design. In this paper, differences and similarities between manual and automatic underground loading equipment is analysed from a reliability point of view. The analysis is based on a case study performed at a Swedish underground mine. In the contrary of common thoughts, this paper proves that there is a difference between the manual and semi-automatic machines and in particular for the transmission, in favour of the manual one. This paper also shows a path for detailed reliability analysis, and the results may be used for improving maintenance programmes for other types of mobile equipment. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Peroxisomes are thought to have played a key role in the evolution of metabolic networks of photosynthetic organisms by connecting oxidative and biosynthetic routes operating in different compartments. While the various oxidative pathways operating in the peroxisomes of higher plants are fairly well characterized, the reactions present in the primitive peroxisomes ( microbodies) of algae are poorly understood. Screening of a Chlamydomonas insertional mutant library identified a strain strongly impaired in oil remobilization and defective in Cre05.g232002 (CrACX2), a gene encoding a member of the acyl-CoA oxidase/dehydrogenase superfamily. The purified recombinant CrACX2 expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzed the oxidation of fatty acyl-CoAs into trans-2-enoyl-CoA and produced H2O2. This result demonstrated that CrACX2 is a genuine acyl-CoA oxidase, which is responsible for the first step of the peroxisomal fatty acid ( FA) beta-oxidation spiral. A fluorescent protein-tagging study pointed to a peroxisomal location of CrACX2. The importance of peroxisomal FA beta-oxidation in algal physiology was shown by the impact of the mutation on FA turnover during day/night cycles. Moreover, under nitrogen depletion the mutant accumulated 20% more oil than the wild type, illustrating the potential of beta-oxidation mutants for algal biotechnology. This study provides experimental evidence that a plant-type FA beta-oxidation involving H2O2- producing acyl-CoA oxidation activity has already evolved in the microbodies of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
The increase in maritime traffic, particularly the transport of hazardous and noxious substances (HNSs), requires advanced methods of identification and characterization in environmental chemical spills. Knowledge about HNS monitoring using radar remote sensing is not as extensive as for oil spills; however, any progress on this issue would likely advance the monitoring of both chemical and oil-related incidents. To address the need for HNS monitoring, an experiment was conducted in May 2015 over the Mediterranean Sea during which controlled releases of HNS were imaged by a multifrequency radar system. The aim of this experiment was to establish a procedure for collecting evidence of illegal maritime pollution by noxious liquid substances using airborne radar sensors. In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of radar imagery to detect and characterize chemicals at sea. A normalized polarization difference parameter is introduced to quantify both the impacts of released product on the ocean surface and the relative concentration of the substance within the spill. We show that radar imagery can provide knowledge of the involved HNS. In particular, one can distinguish a product that forms a film on the top of the sea surface from another that mixes with seawater, the information that is critical for efficient cleanup operations.
Objectives Acute pancreatitis is characterized by a systemic inflammatory response. We hypothesized that the fundamental inflammatory response observed during the initial stages of all acute pancreatitis is not a Th1 but rather a Th17 response. Methods Seven patients with mild AP presenting within three days of symptom onset were recruited. Peripheral blood was drawn for five consecutive days and plasma Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine levels compared to eleven healthy controls. Plasma cytokine measurements were performed using Th1/ Th2/Th17 Cytokine Bead Array assay and data quantified using FCAP Array software. Results IL-6 levels were significantly elevated in AP patients compared to controls; IL-10 levels were significantly elevated by day 3; IL17A levels increased on day 2 and significantly elevated at day 3 compared to controls declining to non-significant levels by day 4. IFN gamma and TNF alpha levels were low at all time-points. Conclusion IL-17A and IL-10 (an anti-inflammatory cytokine implicated in suppressing Th17 cytokines secreted by macrophages and T cells) were elevated by day 3. In addition IL-6, which helps drive development of Th17 cells, was significantly elevated at all time-points. These preliminary results imply that the underlying AP induced systemic inflammation is polarized to a Th17 rather than a Th1 response.
A wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of sensor nodes and wireless communication. Sensor nodes usually have the features such as tiny size, low cost, low power consumption. They are used for environmental monitoring and transmit sensing data (temperature, humidity, pressure and so on) to sink through wireless networking. To protect sensing data's confidentiality and integrity has presented an intrusion detection system called patrol intrusion detection system (PIDS), which designate a fraction of sensor nodes as roaming patrol nodes to detect malicious sensor nodes. However, those patrol nodes' battery energy will consume rapidly and thus makes the whole WSN to have reduced lifetime. In this paper, the system will collect ambient data and utilize a revised artificial bee colony algorithm to find a low power consumption path for transmitting attack feature packets in PIDS in order to extend the lifetime of a WSN.
Amyloid- (A) precursor protein (APP) metabolism engages neuronal endolysosomal pathways for A processing and secretion. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), dysregulation of APP leads to excess A and neuronal dysfunction; suggesting that neuronal APP/A trafficking can be targeted for therapeutic gain. Cathepsin B (CatB) is a lysosomal cysteine protease that can lower A levels. However, whether CatB-modulation of A improves learning and memory function deficits in AD is not known. To this end, progenitor neurons were infected with recombinant adenovirus expressing CatB and recovered cell lysates subjected to proteomic analyses. The results demonstrated Lamp1 deregulation and linkages between CatB and the neuronal phagosome network. Hippocampal injections of adeno-associated virus expressing CatB reduced A levels, increased Lamp1 and improved learning and memory. The findings were associated with the emergence of c-fos + cells. The results support the idea that CatB can speed A metabolism through lysosomal pathways and as such reduce AD-associated memory deficits.
Background Respiratory illnesses are a leading cause of morbidity and medical discharge in the military. This study aimed to investigate the effects of baseline aerobic fitness on haematological, salivary and mood variables, and simultaneously, in a novel approach, to identify factors precipitating illness and attrition rate in recruits during military training. Methods Thirty-five healthy male recruits from an Army Training Regiment undertaking 12 weeks of training were prospectively investigated. Their 2.4 km run time (RT) was used as a surrogate of baseline aerobic fitness. Saliva and venous blood samples were analysed for secretory IgA, full blood counts and cell cytokine production (interleukin (IL) 6 and IL-8), respectively. Each recruit completed questionnaires on mood profile, and gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tract symptoms (URTS). Results Significant salivary and haematological perturbations were observed and coincided with increased duration of URTS/week and mood disturbance over this military training period. From Start to End: leucocyte count decreased by 28% (p<0.001); neutrophil percentage (%) decreased by 13% (p<0.01); lymphocyte % increased by 17% (p<0.05); the neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio decreased by 22% (p<0.01); eosinophil% increased by 71% (p<0.01). From Start to Mid to End: monocyte% increased by 68% at Mid (p<0.01) but only by 30% at End (p<0.01); IL-6 increased by 39% at Mid (p<0.01) and a further 61% by End. The 2.4km RT was significantly associated with URTS duration (p<0.01). In addition, a 1-min increase in 2.4km RT increased a recruit's risk 9.8-fold of developing URTS lasting, on average, 3.36 days/week. In recruits ranked with high-URTS duration their RT was 48 s slower (p<0.01) than those with low-URTS, and their attrition rate reached 45%. Conclusions The least fit recruits may have found training more physically demanding as reflected in the higher URTS duration, which may have led to a high attrition rate from the Army. It is worth considering that baseline aerobic fitness might be an important factor in illness development and attrition rate in recruits during this type of military training.
The unicellular freshwater alga Micrasterias denticulata is an exceptional organism due to its complex star-shaped, highly symmetric morphology and has thus attracted the interest of researchers for many decades. As a member of the Streptophyta, Micrasterias is not only genetically closely related to higher land plants but shares common features with them in many physiological and cell biological aspects. These facts, together with its considerable cell size of about 200 tom its modest cultivation conditions and the uncomplicated accessibility particularly to any microscopic techniques, make Micrasterias a very well suited cell biological plant model system. The review focuses particularly on cell wall formation and composition, dictyosomal structure and function, cytoskeleton control of growth and morphogenesis as well as on ionic regulation and signal transduction. It has been also shown in the recent years that Micrasterias is a highly sensitive indicator for environmental stress impact such as heavy metals, high salinity, oxidative stress or starvation. Stress induced organelle degradation, autophagy, adaption and detoxification mechanisms have moved in the center of interest and have been investigated with modern microscopic techniques such as 3-D- and analytical electron microscopy as well as with biochemical, physiological and molecular approaches. This review is intended to summarize and discuss the most important results obtained in Micrasterias in the last 20 years and to compare the results to similar processes in higher plant cells.
It is important to manage precise power flows in closed small power networks for their reliable operations. This paper describes a method for managing the instantaneous power flows in a local area power network. In order to provide instantaneous power to a load through a power bus without disturbing the other modules, we adaptively adjust the power flow and keep the balance of the instantaneous power. As a tool of the balancing, we use power flows based on Tellegen's theorem and Kirchhoffs voltage law to determine the network states uniquely.
Research indicates that inducing high-level construal (processing that highlights invariant, essential features) relative to low-level construal (processing that highlights idiosyncratic, peripheral features) promotes self-control (Fujita & Carnevale, 2012). In the present work, we investigate to what extent people recognize the self-control benefits of high-level construal, and explore the consequences of this knowledge. Studies 1 and 2 provide initial evidence that individuals are aware that high-level relative to low-level construal promotes self-control in the dieting domain. Studies 3 and 4 find that individual differences in this knowledge predict self-control success outcomes (i.e., body mass index) among those who are motivated by dieting goals. Examining academics as a domain of self-control, Study 5 demonstrates that those with higher knowledge of construal level's impact on self-control earned higher end-of-semester grades to the extent that they were motivated to do well academically. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
The education system has recently undergone a profound transformation due to the Bologna Process. It has meant a change in the way of organization and presentation of teaching. As for fitting European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to the new system, lectures should be opened to new tools that promote quality improvement of teaching-learning process. A better use of theory and practice lectures may be achieved through a proper organization and presentation of theoretical and practical subject contents. On this regard, continuous improvement Kaizen techniques associated to manufacturing, engineering or business management may help. One of these techniques, known as 5-S, is used to establish and maintain quality environment in an organization, and it can be very useful in the field of education. Most 5-S practitioners consider this technique valuable not just for improving their physical environment but for improving their thinking processes as well. This work deals with the viability analysis of the implementation of this practice to teaching-learning process. This technique implemented to EHEA may be summarized in a continuous application of three elements: classification, organization and clarity of the subject contents. First, it's necessary a classification of the contents to focus on those considered essential. Next, they will be ordered to link them coherently. Finally, these contents should be presented clearly to attain greater understanding. Therefore, it's hoped that this work will serve to explore this technique applied to teaching and learning, and to other fields.
Experiments in the computer teaching process often need to use a number of operating systems, which often destroys the computer room in common operating system. Maintenance of the engine room has brought some difficulties. If the traditional experiments build a virtual experimental platform to complete on the basis of virtual machine technology, it cannot only improve the use of the engine room, but also can release the administrator from the tedious maintenance work. Therefore, it has important practical value.
Theory and research suggests that individuals with greater social capital (i.e., resources and benefits gained from relationships, experiences, and social interactions) may be more likely to be active, prosocial bystanders in bullying situations. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to examine the association of social capital (social support and social skills) with prosocial bystander behavior, and the role of internalizing problems as a potential barrier to this relation among 299 students (45.8% girls, 95% White) in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Results indicate a positive relation between social capital and prosocial bystander behavior. In addition, internalizing problems were a significant risk factor that may hinder youth-particularly girls-from engaging in defending behavior. Prosocial bystanders are an essential component to prevent and reduce bullying and further research is needed to better understand how to foster prosocial behavior in bullying situations, perhaps by utilizing social capital, related to school bullying.
Control of seismic response of a building fitted with magnetorheological dampers is considered using Optimal Static Output Feedback (OSOF) for desired damper forces. The Modified Bouc-Wen damper model is used and two control voltage laws based on the MR constraint filter, i.e., Semi-inverse Quadratic Voltage Law and Semi-inverse On-Off Voltage Law, are proposed. These appear to perform at least as well as an existing Clipped Voltage Law. Comparisons with available results from a robust reliability-based controller show OSOF control to be quite effective. Controlled response using OSOF is compared with Linear Quadratic Guassian (LQG) and passive-on controllers. Moderate to substantial reduction in maximum peak/RMS responses is mostly obtained with base configuration of sensors when using OSOF control, and controller CPU time reduces by two orders of magnitude. Parametric studies regarding sensor configuration and state/control weighting matrices are performed in order to obtain effective control. Effective OSOF control requires drift feedback with drift sensor preferably collocated with damper.
Human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) possess the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts, and they can be utilized as a source for bone regenerative therapy. Osteoinductive pretreatment, which induces the osteoblastic differentiation of hMSCs in vitro, has been widely used for bone tissue engineering prior to cell transplantation. However, the molecular basis of osteoblastic differentiation induced by osteoinductive medium (OIM) is still unknown. Therefore, we used a next-generation sequencer to investigate the changes in gene expression during the osteoblastic differentiation of hMSCs. The hMSCs used in this study possessed both multipotency and self-renewal ability. Whole-transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of zinc finger and BTB domain containing 16 (ZBTB16) was significantly increased during the osteoblastogenesis of hMSCs. ZBTB16 mRNA and protein expression was enhanced by culturing the hMSCs with OIM. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing of ZBTB16 decreased the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP); the expression of osteogenic genes, such as osteocalcin (OCN) and bone sialoprotein (BSP), and the mineralized nodule formation induced by OIM. siRNA-mediated gene silencing of Osterix (Osx), which is known as an essential regulator of osteoblastic differentiation, markedly downregulated the expression of ZBTB16. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that Osx associated with the ZBTB16 promoter region containing the GC-rich canonical Sp1 sequence, which is the specific Osx binding site. These findings suggest that ZBTB16 acts as a downstream transcriptional regulator of Osx and can be useful as a late marker of osteoblastic differentiation. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 2423-2434, 2016. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Organic field-effect transistors based on poly{[N,N0-bis(2-octyldodecyl)- naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,50-(2,20-bithiophene)}, [P(NDI2OD-T2)n], were fabricated and characterized. The effect of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) grafted on to a SiO2 gate dielectric was investigated. A significant improvement of the charge mobility (mu), up to 0.22 cm(2)/V s, was reached thanks to the OTS treatment. Modifying some technological parameters relating to fabrication, such as solvents, was also studied. We have analyzed the electrical properties of these thin-film transistors by using a two-dimensional drift-diffusion simulator, Integrated System Engineering-Technology Computer Aided Design (ISE-TCAD(A (R))). We studied the fixed surface charges at the organic semiconductor/oxide interface and the bulk traps effect. The dependence of the threshold voltage on the density and energy level of the trap states has also been considered. We finally found a good agreement between the output and transfer characteristics for experimental and simulated data.
The increasing popularity of DVFS (dynamic voltage frequency scaling) schemes for portable low power applications demands highly efficient on chip DC-DC converters. The primary aim of this work is to enable increased efficiency of on-chip DC-DC conversion for near-threshold operation of multi-core architectures. The main idea is to supply nominal (high) off-chip voltage to a multi-core processor where cores are then voltage-stacked to generate a near-threshold (low) voltage based on Kirchhoff's voltage law through charge recycling. However this implicit down-conversion can be affected by the current imbalance between the cores. A push-pull switched-capacitor regulator has been designed to keep the mid voltage close to the near-threshold value of half-V-dd. Stacked-voltage domain with its self-regulation capability combined with push-pull based switch capacitor regulator has shown an average efficiency of more than 90% for 2:1 down conversion with workload imbalance varying up to 50% of I-load.
Background: Cortical and subcortical cognitive impairments have been found in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Roughly, they comprise visuoconstructive and executive dysfunction, whereas memory would remain relatively spared. However, the cognitive profile of patients with prodromal DLB remains poorly illustrated to date. Methods: We included 37 patients with prodromal DLB (age 67.2 +/- 8.6 years, 18 men, Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE] score 27.4 +/- 2) and 29 healthy control subjects (HCs; age 68.8 +/- 7.9 years, 15 men, MMSE score 29.0 +/- 0.9). They were presented with an extensive neuropsychological test battery to assess memory; speed of processing; executive function; visuoperceptual, visuospatial and visuoconstructive abilities; language; and social cognition. Results: Compared with HCs, patients had lower scores on a visual recognition memory test (Delayed Matching to Sample-48 items; p <= 0.021) and lower free recall (all p <= 0.035), but not total recall, performance on a verbal episodic memory test (Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test). Short-term memory (p = 0.042) and working memory (p = 0.002) scores were also lower in patients. Assessment of executive function showed no slowing but overall lower performance in patients than in HCs (all p <= 0.049), whereas assessment of instrumental function yielded mixed results. Indeed, patients had lower scores on language tests (p <= 0.022), apraxia for pantomime of tool use (p = 0.002) and imitation of meaningless gesture (p = 0.005), as well as weakened visuospatial abilities (p = 0.047). Visuoconstruction was also impaired in patients. However, visuoperceptual abilities did not differ between groups. Finally, theory of mind abilities were lower in patients than in HCs (p < 0.05), but their emotion recognition abilities were similar. Conclusions: This study presents the cognitive profile in patients with prodromal DLB. In line with the literature on DLB with dementia, our results show lower performance on tests of executive function and visuoconstruction. However, we found, from a prodromal stage of DLB, memory (free recall and visual recognition) and social cognition deficits, as well as weakened visuospatial and praxic abilities.
Amounts of landslide deposits were triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake with magnitude 8.0 on May 12, 2008. The landslide deposits were composed of soil and rock fragments, which play important roles in hydrological and erosion processes in the steep slope of landslide deposits. The mixtures of soil and gravels are common in the top layers of landslide deposits, and its processes are obviously different with the soil without gravels. Based on the data of field investigation, a series of simulated scouring flow experiments with four proportion of gravel (0, 25, 33.3, and 50 %) and three scouring flow rates (4, 8, 12 L/min) under two steep slopes (67.5, 72.7 %) were conducted sequentially to know the effects of proportion of gravel on infiltration capacity, runoff generation, and sediment production in the steep slope of landslide deposit. Results indicated that gravel had promoted or reduced effects on infiltration capacity which could affect further the cumulative runoff volume and cumulative sediment mass increase or decrease. The cumulative infiltration volume in 25 % proportion of gravel was less than those in 0, 33.3, and 50 % proportion of gravel. The cumulative runoff volume was in an order of 25 >0 >33.3 >50 % while cumulative sediment mass ranked as 25 >33.3 >0 >50 % with different proportions of gravel. A significant power relationship was found between scouring time and cumulative runoff volume as well as cumulative sediment mass. The relationship between average soil and water loss rate and proportion of gravel was able to express by quadratic function, with a high degree of reliability. The results have important implications for soil and water conservation and modeling in landslide deposit but also provide useful information for the similar conditions.
Regularization has appeared explicitly in hyperspectral image (HSI) classification community, which serves as a promising paradigm for leveraging labeled and unlabeled information, computer's automation and user's interaction, spectral and spatial information, and so on. Graph-based regularization is capable of modeling the nonlinear structures embedded in high-dimensional space, with the great potential for HSI classification. However, traditional methods exhibit low capacity when facing noisy and large-scale data, thus posing a big challenge for their successful use in this community. In this paper, we present two novel sparse graph regularization methods, SGR and SGR with total variation (TV-SGR). In SGR, the labels of large unknown data are propagated based on the fraction matrix and the prediction function, where the fraction matrix is obtained using an effective sparse representation (SR) algorithm with respect to the dictionary, and the prediction function is estimated by optimizing a typical graph-based regularization problem. In contrast, TV-SGR is an extension of SGR by considering spatial information modeled by total variation in SR. Propagating the prediction function from dictionary to large unknown data using the fraction matrix is the essence of the paradigm. SGR and TV-SGR can be equipped with semisupervised learning, active learning, and spectral-spatial classification with large flexibility. The experimental results with two popular hyperspectral data sets indicate that the proposed methods outperform some state-of-the-art approaches in terms of computational efficacy, classification accuracy, and robustness to noise.
Much of the research on birth order has focused on individual differences in personality traits, with relatively few studies focused on aspects of social behavior other than sibling conflict. However, one would predict that the differences in parental investment and niche differentiation that shape personality differences between siblings would also influence other social relationships. In particular, middleborns may be more likely to prioritize non-kin relationships. This study investigated the impact of birth order on a number of measures of prosocial behavior. Results suggest that birth order has a moderate effect on prosociality such that later birth orders exhibit greater prosociality. However, both the linear and quadratic effects were significant and the quadratic was negative indicating that the greatest increase in prosociality is seen between first and secondborns, the rate of change decelerates as birth order and prosociality increase. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we apply the blind source separation model to the scope of extracting information from a workpiece about the process that made it. Given any manufactured workpiece, we may think about it as the carrier of the information built in the process that made it. Using recent inspection technologies such as stylus profiler, we are able to generate signals from a workpiece. We analyze these signals using independent component analysis (ICA) in its various formulations. In doing this, we develop a convolutive version of ICA to overcome technical and metrological problems arisen. By using this convolutive modification of ICA we are able to demix the recorded signal and to recover the technological fingerprint over it. Simulations on NIST benchmarks are included, as well as a case study on a turned workpiece. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this letter, the use of quantum information as a security enabler for the future driverless vehicle is explored. Specifically, the role combined classical and quantum information can have on the most important characteristic of the driverless vehicle paradigm-the vehicle location is investigated. By using information-theoretic verification frameworks, coupled with emerging quantum-based location-verification procedures, how vehicle positions can be authenticated with a probability of error simply not attainable in classical-only networks is shown. How other quantum applications can be seamlessly encapsulated within the same vehicular communication infrastructure required for location verification is also discussed. The two technology enablers required for the driverless quantum vehicle are an increase in current quantum memory timescales (likely) and wide-scale deployment of classical vehicular communication infrastructure (underway). It is argued that the enhanced safety features delivered by the quantum car mean its eventual deployment is inevitable.
In this paper, an Ambient Intelligence (AmI) architecture for devising and implementing a smart laboratory in a university is presented. The architecture relies on a novel meta-model that abstracts the laboratory ambient using a context model, an adaptation model, an end-user model, and a domain model. Thus, the architecture offers, to the end-users, a set of adaptive AmI services that are supplied by smart agents and wireless sensor networks. The architecture was coded using SQLite, Jade, Protege, and CLIPs and simulated under Oracle's Solarium environment. The latency and scalability of the proposed architecture, as well as its ability to supply effectively the AmI services, were tested using both qualitative and quantitative standard performance metrics.
This study proposes synthesizing high strength polyester (HSPET) fibers and polypropylene (PP) fibers to form HSPET/PP-fasciated yarns, which are tested for tensile strength after they are exposed to UV radiations. The yarns are then made into geogrids, after which the geogrids are tested by administering the single or multi-rib tensile method, and are then evaluated for mass per unit area and installation damage. The test results show that the tensile strength and elongation of the fascinated yarns decrease as a result of their exposure to UV. The geogrids that are composed of fascinated yarns are unable to evenly distribute a force. The installation damage of HSPET/PP geogrids is greater than that of traditional geogrids, as are the cases of other applications. As a result, HSPET/PP geogrids can be reformed to improve their inferior performances.
Endocrine disruption on aquatic wildlife is being increasingly reported, and the changes in gene aromatase expression are used as indicators. However, natural fluctuations in brain and gonadal aromatase expression and physiological indexes have not been previously measured in a fish species (Jenynsia multidentata) throughout a complete reproductive cycle, nor the biological effects of anthropogenic inputs on these responses. Accordingly, males were monthly collected over a year in both, a reference and a contaminated site. Physicochemical analyses of water samples were done and reflected a strong anthropogenic impact. Brain aromatase fluctuates along the reproductive cycle of this species and, noticeably, the increase of brain gene expression begins with a 1 month delay in the contaminated site. This mismatch is also evidenced for testes weight. Hepatosomatic index also revealed adverse effects in the polluted site. In turn, the alterations observed in biological responses could be affecting the reproduction of this fish species.
Social factors, health behaviours and the direct effects of substances contribute to the poor oral health and restricted access to dental services experienced by people who are dependent on drugs and/or alcohol. Admission for inpatient withdrawal management provides an opportunity for intervention to promote oral health but to be effective it must be acceptable to patients. To support intervention design, we examined patients' views about oral health, practices and treatment access, and appropriateness of health-promoting intervention in this context. Given paucity of knowledge in the area we employed a qualitative approach, data were collected in semi-structured interviews with inpatients of a public specialist alcohol and drug unit in Australia in September 2014. Analysis employed the framework approach. All 14 participants wanted 'good teeth' but few diligently attended to oral healthcare; most sought assistance only in emergencies. Participants' knowledge of services was limited and practical and affective barriers hindered access. With none recalling attention to oral health during admission, support was strong for incorporation of oral health in inpatient assessments. Participants wanted information about the impact of substances on oral health and oral hygiene practices provided in various formats, and facilitated referral to non-judgemental, affordable treatment. Patients regarded promotion of oral health in the inpatient context as important, relevant and acceptable. Support should respect the different knowledge, practices and motivations for oral health and recovery, of patients. Addressing practical and affective barriers to dental services will require collaboration between drug and alcohol and dental services, and this should be the focus of further research.
Many of the existing electricity markets are of the mixed type, which has pool auction and bilateral contracts between producers and distributors. In this case, the problem faced by a Generation Company (GenCo) is that of maximizing the revenues from participating in the market through the pool auction while honoring the bilateral contracts agreed, for which the revenue is fixed. The extension to mixed markets of a medium-term model, successfully employed for auction-only markets, is presented. It results in a non-convex expected revenue function to be maximized subject to constraints, for which the currently available direct global-optimization solvers prove not to be efficient enough. A heuristic procedure based on a sequence of solutions by a nonlinear solver is presented, and numerical results obtained with several realistic cases show satisfactory results. The test cases presented have dispatchable and non-dispatchable renewables and consider medium-term pumping together with conventional units by all GenCos participating in the mixed market. The advantages for GenCos of employing medium-term results as those produced by the model presented, include, among others, the evaluation of the expected profitability of their bilateral contracts. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The current study investigates two types of cultural diversity approaches at school, namely (1) fostering equality and (2) promoting cultural pluralism. Adopting a mixed-methods design, this study assesses teachers' (n = 207) and students' (n = 1,644) self-reported perceptions of descriptive norms and evaluates school practices and artefacts in the physical and virtual environment of 22 secondary schools in south-west Germany. Results showed that in all schools under investigation teachers and students perceived descriptive norms fostering mostly equality. A wide variety of practices and artefacts was found, revealing a third distinct cultural approach leaning towards endorsing the majority culture. Different practices and artefacts were linked to an emphasis on equality, cultural pluralism, and endorsing the majority culture. Implications for educational policy, as well as applied diversity research, are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Traditionally, in the context of Alzheimer's disease, the apolipoprotein E epsilon 2 (APOE epsilon 2) allele is a protective factor and the APOE epsilon 4 allele is a destructive factor. However, this inverse relationship has recently been challenged, and the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of APOE genotype on Alzheimer's disease remain unclear. A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study was conducted to investigate the effects of APOE genotype and age on amygdala functional connectivity (AFC) networks in 84 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 124 cognitively normal order adults. The results indicated that the APOE epsilon 2 and APOE epsilon 4 alleles produced convergent effects in the right AFC network but divergent effects in the left AFC network. As age increased, APOE epsilon 2 carriers showed stable AFC, whereas APOE epsilon 4 carriers exhibited decreased AFC in all participants. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that connectivity strength regulates the effects of APOE genotype and age on cognitive function in amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients. Our findings suggest that the APOE epsilon 2 and APOE epsilon 4 alleles produce both convergent and divergent topological effects on brain function. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
LibCoopt is an open-source matlab code library which provides a general and convenient tool to approximately solve the combinatorial optimization problems on the set of partial permutation matrices, which are frequently encountered in computer vision, bioinformatics, social analysis, etc. To use the library, the user needs only to give the objective function and its gradient function associated with the problem. Two typical problems, the subgraph matching problem and the quadratic assignment problem, are employed to illustrate how to use the library and also its flexibility on different types of problems.
Two ring signature schemes over number theory research unit (NTRU) lattices are presented. The first scheme constructed in the random oracle model is an extension of Ducas, Lyubashevsky, and Prest's identity-based encryption scheme over NTRU lattices (in Asiacrypt 2014). Moreover, motivated by Boyen's lattice mixing and vanishing trapdoors (in PKC 2010), the second scheme in the standard model is achieved. Under the chosen-message attack, our new constructions are proved strongly existentially unforgeable, and the security can be reduced to the hardness of NTRU lattices. Compared with the existing lattice-based ring signatures, our schemes are more efficient and with shorter signature length. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Objective Pervasive weight stigma and discrimination have led to ongoing calls for efforts to reduce this bias. Despite increasing research on stigma-reduction strategies, perspectives of individuals who have experienced weight stigma have rarely been included to inform this research. The present study conducted a systematic examination of women with high body weight to assess their perspectives about a broad range of strategies to reduce weight-based stigma. Methods Women with overweight or obesity (N = 461) completed an online survey in which they evaluated the importance, feasibility and potential impact of 35 stigma-reduction strategies in diverse settings. Participants (91.5% who reported experiencing weight stigma) also completed self-report measures assessing experienced and internalized weight stigma. Results Most participants assigned high importance to all stigma-reduction strategies, with school-based and healthcare approaches accruing the highest ratings. Adding weight stigma to existing anti-harassment workplace training was rated as the most impactful and feasible strategy. The family environment was viewed as an important intervention target, regardless of participants' experienced or internalized stigma. Conclusion These findings underscore the importance of including people with stigmatized identities in stigma-reduction research; their insights provide a necessary and valuable contribution that can inform ways to reduce weight-based inequities and prioritize such efforts.
Self-purification is a frequent phenomenon for Suceava River in the homonymous city. Self-purification is documented for N - NH4+, N-2(-), NO2-, N - NO3-, Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorus (TP) and SO42-. During the 2006-2011 time interval, the monthly average self-purification percentages were: 18.7% N - NH4+, 36.3% N - NO2-, 14.4% N - NO3-, 12% TN, 35.4% TR 11.96% SO42- (2 sampling points: upstream and downstream the city). The main factors that contribute to the observed self-purification are: the iron-rich streamwater, the sedimentary and biological retention, the co-treatment of different contaminated waters and the hydraulic jumps. There are seasonal variations in average and maximum monthly self-purification percentages. When the water pollution is higher, the self-purification process is stronger.
BACKGROUND: Protracted Febrile Myalgia is a rare form of vasculitis that is diagnosed in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever. OBJECTIVE: To present a case with Familial Mediterranean and Anklosing Spondylitis on anti-TNF therapy for three years, who developed protracted febrile myalgia syndrome. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 35-year-old woman with known Familial Mediterranean Fever and Anklosing Spondylitis for 3 years presented with fever, diarrhea, intermittent abdominal pain and severe diffuse muscular pain lasting for two weeks. The patient was investigated for any infection focus. The patient was diagnosed as having Protracted Febrile Myalgia four weeks after the onset of the symptoms. Prednisolone 1 mg/kg per day was applied. Her fever and muscle pain resolved within 48 hours. CONCLUSION: The coexisting Ankylosing Spondylitis disease and the use of anti-TNF treatment in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever could be a confounding factor for the investigation of fever. Steroid therapy has a dramatic response.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show significant impairments in social skills and theory of mind (ToM). The aim of this study was to evaluate ToM and social information processing abilities in 52 children with ASD compared to 55 typically developing (TD) children. A mediation analysis evaluated whether social information processing abilities can be mediated by ToM competences. In our results, children with autism showed a deficit in social skills and ToM components. The innovative results of our study applying mediation analysis demonstrate that ToM plays a key role in the development of social abilities, and the lack of ToM competences in children with autism impairs their competent social behavior.
Objective. Behcet's disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder polarised to the Th1 and Th17 immune systems. Allergic diseases are polarised to the Th2 immune system. The aim of the present study is to investigate the prevalence of allergic diseases in patients who have BD. Methods. The study involved a large-scale interview survey of Japanese patients with BD at 21 institutes of ophthalmology; 353 patients (255 males and 98 females) were recruited for this study. We analysed the history of allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), bronchial asthma (BA) and drug/food allergies (FA). Results. Oral aphthous ulcers, ocular lesions, skin lesions, genital ulcers, arthritis, neurological lesions, intestinal lesions, deep vein thrombosis and epididymitis were reported in 95.8%, 98.6%, 72.5%, 44.8%, 13.9%, 6.8%, 6.2%, 3.7% and 1.4% of the patients, respectively. It was also reported that 73 patients (20.7%) had histories of allergic diseases: AD (5 cases, 1.4%), AR (36 cases, 10.2%), BA (19 cases, 5.4%) and FA (30 cases, 8.5%). This percentage was significantly lower than in a survey that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare conducted for healthy population (47.6%) (odds ratio = 0.29, 95% confidence interval = 0.22-0.38, p=4.9 x 10(-22)). Frequencies of posterior/panuveitis, relatively severe ocular findings, and visual prognosis were not affected by a history of allergic diseases in BD. Conclusion. Patients with BD had fewer complications from allergic diseases than did the entire population of Japan.
In this article, we propose a method of generating two-dimensional schematic diagrams from three-dimensional models of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems on computer-aided design software to represent this information in a more traditional, user-friendly format. It can be difficult to grasp the relationships between various mechanical, electrical, and plumbing elements in building information models because they are represented in a visually complex, three-dimensional manner. On the other hand, the relationships between building elements can be easily understood when using traditional schematic diagrams. First, the network of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and a section view are extracted separately from three-dimensional models. Next, these extracted files are displayed as schematic diagrams on computer-aided design software. The expressions of traditional drawings were referenced to generate new diagrams. After schematic diagrams were created, they were evaluated by staff members in the facilities department of a university in Japan.
Uncertainty quantification (UQ) refers to quantitative characterization and reduction of uncertainties present in computer model simulations. It is widely used in engineering and geophysics fields to assess and predict the likelihood of various outcomes. This paper describes a UQ platform called UQ-PyL (Uncertainty Quantification Python Laboratory), a flexible software platform designed to quantify uncertainty of complex dynamical models. UQ-PyL integrates different kinds of UQ methods, including experimental design, statistical analysis, sensitivity analysis, surrogate modeling and parameter optimization. It is written in Python language and runs on all common operating systems. UQ-PyL has a graphical user interface that allows users to enter commands via pull-down menus. It is equipped with a model driver generator that allows any computer model to be linked with the software. We illustrate the different functions of UQ-PyL by applying it to the uncertainty analysis of the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting Model. We will also demonstrate that UQ-PyL can be applied to a wide range of applications. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Over the past years, the Xenopus embryo has emerged as an incredibly useful model organism for studying the formation and function of cilia and ciliated epithelia in vivo. This has led to a variety of findings elucidating the molecular mechanisms of ciliated cell specification, basal body biogenesis, cilia assembly, and ciliary motility. These findings also revealed the deep functional conservation of signaling, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and protein networks employed in the formation and function of vertebrate ciliated cells. Therefore, Xenopus research can contribute crucial insights not only into developmental and cell biology, but also into the molecular mechanisms underlying cilia related diseases (ciliopathies) as well as diseases affecting the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract in humans (e.g., chronic lung diseases). Additionally, systems biology approaches including transcriptomics, genomics, and proteomics have been rapidly adapted for use in Xenopus, and broaden the applications for current and future translational biomedical research. This review aims to present the advantages of using Xenopus for cilia research, highlight some of the evolutionarily conserved key concepts and mechanisms of ciliated cell biology that were elucidated using the Xenopus model, and describe the potential for Xenopus research to address unresolved questions regarding the molecular mechanisms of ciliopathies and airway diseases.
In this paper, we propose a new fuzzy group multi-criteria decision making method and apply it to determine the critical path in a project network. The criteria used here are time (expected duration), cost, risk, and quality of the project activities that are considered critical in project management. As each criterion has its independent level of importance in the critical path selection, the weights of the project criteria are also considered in the analysis. Considering that the information in terms of various project activities and criteria weights are often incomplete and/or uncertain in real-world situations, the essential information in terms of the criteria and project activities are obtained using triangular fuzzy numbers and/or linguistic variables that are mapped to triangular fuzzy numbers, wherever appropriate. The proposed method involves fuzzy evaluation based on the fuzzy information of the possible project paths on each criterion leading to the strength and weakness index scores of the project paths. We define a measure of criticality termed as the total performance score of each project path obtained using its strength and weakness index scores. The path that has the highest measure of criticality is selected as the critical path. A numerical illustration is provided to demonstrate working of the proposed methodology. Further, a case study from manufacturing engineering industry is also presented to better justify the applicability and potentials of the proposed methodology. A comparison with closely related fuzzy multi-criteria decision methods for the critical path selection is done to analyze the performance of the proposed methodology.
Background: Recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) are the most common reason for children's visits to primary care physicians in France; however, little is known about general practitioners' (GPs) opinions and expectations concerning the management and prevention of these common and recurrent pathologies. Purpose: To describe French GPs' daily practice in the management of respiratory infections and the prevention of their recurrence in children. Methods: A sample group of French GPs answered a structured questionnaire on risk factors, RRTI management, antibiotic use and prevention measures. Results: A total of 358 GPs participated in the survey. Rhinopharyngitis, the most frequent respiratory infection, was considered to be recurrent if six or more episodes occurred in a year. Four risk factors were acknowledged as substantial: living in communities, passive smoking, pollution and allergies. Around 63% of GPs said that RRTIs are too often treated with antibiotics. More than 85% thought that prevention of RRTIs is possible. Smoking cessation, vaccination, allergen avoidance and hygiene were identified as the main preventive measures. A large majority of GPs (84%) prescribed products for prevention and similar to 90% would prescribe a product stimulating immunity if the efficacy and tolerability of these agents was proven and confirmed in their daily practice. Conclusions: French GPs are well aware of the health and socioeconomic burdens resulting from RRTIs, as well as the risk of antibiotic overuse. They have a prevention-oriented approach, implement preventive measures when possible and prescribe products for prevention.
This is the first part of a trilogy that reports the results of combined experimental and computational investigations of fluid flows in the active space of needle valves - the configurations of which are characterised by rounded needle tip or exit channel entrance or both. Interest in these rounded shapes arose recently due to planned needle valve applications for very high temperatures and possibility of erosion by aggressive hot fluids, endangering the valve by rapid deterioration. This Part I discusses mainly the geometry of the problem and configurations of the models used in the tests reported in subsequent Parts I and II. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mechanical characteristics of nonwoven geotextile materials depend on their structural and constructional solutions, as well as technological development conditions. In addition, a very important role have the structural and physical-mechanical properties of the fiber, mass per unit area of geotextile and density of needle punching in the production process. This paper presents the results of analysis of mechanical properties of nonwoven geotextile materials with mass per unit area 300 glm(2), intended for road construction. Breaking characteristics of geotextile materials made from regular and recycled polyester fibers are analyzed. Characteristic of breaking strength of geotextile materials was measured on dynamometer ZWIK, the results were analyzed by software testXpert. The obtained results are defined relation between force-elongation and rheological models have been developed which can be used to simulate the behavior of nonwoven geotextile materials of regular and recycled PES fiber during exploitation.
Background: Few studies have evaluated the impact of pre-treatment drug resistance (PDR) on response to combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) in children. The objective of this joint EuroCoord-CHAIN-EPPICC/PENTA project was to assess the prevalence of PDR mutations and their association with virological outcome in the first year of cART in children. Methods: HIV-infected children500 copies/mL after 6 months cART and was assessed by Cox proportional hazards models. All models were adjusted for baseline demographic, clinical, immunology and virology characteristics and calendar period of cART start and initial cART regimen. Results: Of 476 children, 88 % were vertically infected. At cART initiation, median (interquartile range) age was 6.6 years (2.1-10.1), CD4 cell count 297 cells/mm(3) (98-639), and HIV-RNA 5.2 log(10)copies/mL (4.7-5.7). Of 37 children (7.8 %, 95 % confidence interval (CI), 5.5-10.6) harboring a virus with >= 1 PDR mutations, 30 children had a virus resistant to >= 1 of the prescribed drugs. Overall, the cumulative Kaplan-Meier estimate for virological failure was 19.8 % (95 % CI, 16.4-23.9). Cumulative risk for VF tended to be higher among children harboring a virus with PDR and resistant to = 1 drug prescribed than among those receiving fully active cART: 32.1 % (17.2-54.8) versus 19.4 % (15.9-23.6) (P = 0.095). In multivariable analysis, age was associated with a higher risk of VF with a 12 % reduced risk per additional year (HR 0.88; 95 % CI, 0.82-0.95; P < 0.001). Conclusions: PDR was not significantly associated with a higher risk of VF in children in the first year of cART. The risk of VF decreased by 12 % per additional year at treatment initiation which may be due to fading of PDR mutations over time. Lack of appropriate formulations, in particular for the younger age group, may be an important determinant of virological failure.
The development of new products and manufacturing systems is usually performed in the form of projects. Frequently, the conduction of the project takes more time than planned due to inconsistency, incompleteness, and redundancy of data, which delays other project activities influencing the start of production (SOP). This paper proposes a semantic Web framework for cooperation and interoperability within product design and manufacturing engineering projects. Data and knowledge within the manufacturing domain are modelled within ontologies applying rule-based mapping. The framework facilitates the generation of new knowledge through rule based inference that enriches the ontology. This enables a high-level model completeness in the early phase of product design and manufacturing system development, which is a basic prerequisite for the realisation of a proper simulation study and analysis. The simulation results can be integrated into the ontologies as a knowledge that additionally extends the ontology.
Certain medical treatments involve the introduction of exogenous liquids in the lungs. These liquids can form plugs within the airways. The plugs propagate throughout the branching network in the lungs being forced by airflow. They leave a deposited film on the airway walls and split at bifurcations. Understanding the resulting distribution of liquid throughout the lungs is important for the effective administration of the prescribed treatments. In this paper, we investigate numerically the splitting of a liquid plug by a two-dimensional pulmonary bifurcation under the influence of a transverse gravitational field. The splitting is characterized by the splitting ratio, which is the ratio of volume of the liquid plug in the daughter channels and depends on the capillary number and the orientation of the bifurcation plane with respect to a three-dimensional gravitational field. It is observed that gravity induces asymmetry in the splitting, causing the splitting ratio to he reduced. This effect is mitigated as the capillary number is increased. It is also observed that there exists a critical capillary number where the plug will not split and will instead propagate entirely into the gravitationally favoured daughter channel We also compute the wall stresses on the bifurcation walls and observe the locations where stresses and their gradients are the highest in magnitude.
In this paper, a simple implementation for elliptic curve equation on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) will be proposed. As Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) offers a smaller key size without sacrificing security level. A brief survey on applying the main equation of Elliptic Curve (EC) with different values of the coefficients a and b. A comparison between results depended on the correlation coefficient of each value. Value of a and b implemented on FPGA according to correlation results between plaintext image and ciphertext image on MATLAB. This EC equation will be applied to an ultra-wide band (UWB) system to secure transmission of data in a wireless channel. Here, a brief survey on UWB technology has been implemented with software simulation for a secured system based on ECC algorithm.
Neutrophils, the most abundant leukocyte in human circulation are being more and more recognized as part of the immune reaction to cancer. In the last years, the understanding that neutrophils possess a dual role in cancer development has emerged. During tumor progression the number of neutrophils increase, and their phenotype change. In advanced cancer, we can find several sub-populations of circulating neutrophils possessing different characteristics of maturity, tumor cytotoxicity and immune suppression. One important sub-population of circulating neutrophils is the granulocytic myeloid derived suppressor cells (G-MDSC). Differencing G-MDSC from other sub-populations of neutrophils in the circulation is a complex and controversial task, as there are no clear definitions of the differences between these granulocytic sub-populations. Herein we review the differences described thus far between G-MDSC and other circulating neutrophils. We then compare the morphology, surface markers, function and prognostic importance of the different tumor-related circulating neutrophils, as described by us and others, and discuss the possible relations between the different sub-populations, their source and fate. Lastly, we suggest a nomenclature to try and encompass the full range of circulating neutrophils in cancer. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
The efficacy of phenol transport from the aqueous phase to peat soil for assessment of the attenuation capacity for migratory phenol in subsurface water pollution was investigated by the application of multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models. The batch kinetics study was performed, which revealed that the Freundlich isotherm model fits reasonably well with experimental results. A maximum value of 43% phenol removal efficiency was achieved in 200g/L of soil, an initial concentration of phenol of 10mg/L, and an equilibration time of 6 h. A sum total of 270 laboratory batch adsorption tests were conducted, and the results were applied in MLR and ANN models. Some of the influencing factors, such as pH, initial concentration, mass of soil, contact time, and so forth, on removal of sorbate by peat were also investigated in the present research. The experimental results exhibit a reasonable goodness of fit [higher coefficient of determination, R-2, and lower root-mean-square error (RMSE), and mean absolute performance error (MAPE)] of the previous models.
Existing methods of measuring loop gain of digitally controlled DC/DC converters mainly fall into two categories, namely the analog signal disturbance method (ASDM) and the digital signal disturbance method (DSDM). However, the loop gains obtained from these methods do not totally agree with each other. Through rigorous theoretical analysis, this paper has derived the expressions of open-loop gains obtained from these two methods, whose accuracy has been verified by simulation. Also, this paper has put forward that the difference in signal that enters into the sampler results in the variation of the transfer function of the sampler, and further induces the difference between the open-loop gains obtained from the ASDM and the DSDM.
Anthropogenic heat emissions (AHEs) are a contributor to global climate change and may affect the climate and air quality in many ways. To gain a complete picture of AHEs in mainland China and to lay the groundwork for modelling of regional climate and the environment, AHEs from energy consumption and human metabolism were estimated, and an inventory was established with gridded distributions and profiles of temporal variations. This was based on the top-down inventory approach by using officially published statistical data. Results indicated that total AHE of the mainland was 1.2x10(20)Ja(-1), of which industry, transportation, buildings and human metabolism contributed 73.0, 11.6, 10.6 and 4.8%, respectively. Coal and electricity accounted for approximately 74% of the total emissions from energy consumption. The annual average heat flux of the mainland was 0.4W m(-2), with a sharp difference between the eastern and western regions. Fluxes in the eastern regions were mostly between 0.5 and 20W m(-2), and they were between 0 and 0.05W m(-2) in the western regions. In urban or built-up areas of typical cities, the heat fluxes may be much higher than the average for larger areas, typically ranging from 20 to 100W m(-2). Region-specific profiles of temporal variations will improve the inventory in the future, which can be applied to climatic and environmental models to obtain in-depth knowledge of the effects of AHEs.
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) has proved to be the integral part and parcel of any multimedia based application or IP-based telephony service that requires signaling. SIP supports HTTP digest based authentication, and is responsible for creating, maintaining and terminating sessions. To guarantee secure SIP based communication, a number of authentication schemes are proposed, typically most of these are based on smart card due to its temper resistance property. Recently Zhang et al. presented an authenticated key agreement scheme for SIP based on elliptic curve cryptography. However Tu et al. (Peer to Peer Netw. Appl 1-8, 2014) finds their scheme to be insecure against user impersonation attack, furthermore they presented an improved scheme and claimed it to be secure against all known attacks. Very recently Farash (Peer to Peer Netw. Appl 1-10, 2014) points out that Tu et al.'s scheme is vulnerable to server impersonation attack, Farash also proposed an improvement on Tu et al.'s scheme. However, our analysis in this paper shows that Tu et al.'s scheme is insecure against server impersonation attack. Further both Tu et al.'s scheme and Farash's improvement do not protect user's privacy and are vulnerable to replay and denial of services attacks. In order to cope with these limitations, we have proposed a privacy preserving improved authentication scheme based on ECC. The proposed scheme provides mutual authentication as well as resists all known attacks as mentioned by Tu et al. and Farash.
Here we have developed a new model to simulate supplemental irrigation and the hydro-economic potential of a rainwater harvesting system in rainfed agricultural areas. Using the model, soil moisture in rainfed crop land, supplemental irrigation requirements, rainwater storage in an on-farm reservoir (OFR) system, and surface and ground water availability were predicted. In an irrigated system, an OFR was used to harvest rainwater during the rainy season, and stored water was applied to cropland as supplemental irrigation (SI). An economic analysis was performed to calculate the benefits due to an OFR irrigation system, and gains from increased crop yield and downstream water availability in the irrigated OFR system were compared with rainfed system (i.e. no OFR). In addition, we calculated the impacts of dry and wet seasons on total value gains (grain and water gains) for irrigated and rainfed conditions and performed a sensitivity analysis to quantify the impacts of model input parameters on total value gains. Analyses showed that the OFR system can produce crop yields three times greater than rainfed agriculture. During a water stress season, the total water use in the irrigated system was 65 % greater than for the rainfed system. Water use efficiency of the irrigated system was 82 % higher than for the rainfed system. In a dry season, the total value gains due to increased crop yield by supplemental irrigation and downstream water availability of the irrigated system were 74 % greater than for the rainfed system, while in a wet season the total value gain of the irrigated system was 14 % greater than for the rainfed system. A precipitation scenario analysis of wet and dry seasons indicated that the benefits of a rainwater harvesting system can be considerably greater in dry seasons than wet seasons.
This paper describes the use of parallelization techniques to reduce dynamic power consumption in hardware implementations of the Trivium stream cipher. Trivium is a synchronous stream cipher based on a combination of three non-linear feedback shift registers. In 2008, it was chosen as a finalist for the hardware profile of the eSTREAM project. So that their power consumption values can be compared and verified, the proposed low-power Trivium designs were implemented and characterized in 350-nm standard-cell technology with both transistors and gate-level models, in order to permit both electrical and logical simulations. The results show that the two designs decreased average power consumption by between 15% and 25% with virtually no performance loss and only a slight overhead (about 5%) in area. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The performance of three geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) above arsenic-bearing gold mine tailings is examined based on a series of laboratory column experiments conducted over a two year period. The GCLs examined had either untreated or polymer-enhanced sodium bentonite and had different carrier geotextiles (a woven geotextile, a scrim-reinforced nonwoven geotextile, and a woven geotextile laminated with a polypropylene film). After 24 months, the hydraulic conductivity (k) of GCL with untreated sodium bentonite increased by almost an order of magnitude from 3 x 10(-11) m/s to 2 x 10(-10) m/s with the swell index decreasing from 26 mL/2 g to 7-11 mL/2 g and the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) decreasing from 65% to 12-21%. Samples of this GCL exhumed after 9 months of moisture uptake and cation exchange and then subjected to 15 extreme wet dry cycles experienced an increase in k up to 6 x 10(-10) m/s. The GCL with polymer-enhanced bentonite maintained k less than 5 x 10(-11) m/s after 24 months (virgin k = 1 x 10(-11) m/s) and experienced less cation exchange (ESP decreased from 78% to 39-42%) than the GCL with untreated bentonite. For this GCL, 15 extreme wet -dry cycles gave k= 1.0 m of cover soil above the GCL). The GCL with polymer-enhanced bentonite and carrier geotextile laminated with a polypropylene geofilm demonstrated the best performance with k<7 x 10(-12) m/s even with exposure to the extreme wet-dry cycling. In all cases, the GCL prevented arsenic migration into the overlying cover soil over the two year period examined. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Orthognathic surgery is indicated for the treatment of significant skeletal malocclusion and is normally prepared using conventional face bows combined with two-dimensional cephalometric analysis and manually made splints. With recent developments in oral imaging, more orthognathic surgeries are being planned using three-dimensional computer-aided design and manufacturing (3D CAD/CAM) software. The purpose of this study was to present a protocol for the design and 3D printing of final digital occlusal splints based on 3D planning of orthognathic surgery and to validate the accuracy of these splints. The 3D virtual planning was performed in PROPLAN software (Materialise). The required data were then exported into 3-matic software (Materialise) to design the splints, which were 3D printed in biocompatible material using an Objet Connex 350 printer (Stratasys). To validate the accuracy of the splints, the cases of 20 patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were analysed. The splints were assessed clinically and quantitatively by comparing the printed splints to the conventional analogue set-up (clinical standard) and recording the absolute distance errors of three landmarks. The mean absolute distance error was 0.4 mm (standard deviation 0.17 mm), which falls within clinically accepted error margins. The absolute distance error ranged from 0.12 to 0.88 mm.
Five experiments investigated the effects of spatial elevation on person perception in both a computer setup and actual encounters, determining the moderating role of additional verbal information about the target. In accordance with prior findings, spatial elevation increased respect in a computer setting, especially when the target was described as nonachieving. Liking toward the target was not affected. In an actual encounter the results were reversed: When actually facing the target, spatial elevation decreased respect when it was not legitimized by achievements of the target. We discuss the implications of our findings for the elicitation of respect and experimental approaches to investigate it.
This paper focuses on learning about post-processing of composite materials in the current context of Manufacturing Engineering education in Spain. The use of composites has been significantly increased in different sectors in industry during the last decades. The students,taking manufacturing courses in engineering study plans, need basic formation concerning post-processing of composites. Due to the complexity of the process, powerful numerical tools are needed to develop practical models focused on damage prediction. Learning skills include modeling of anisotropic materials and specific concepts of composite such as machining induced damage.
Configuration options are widely used for customizing the behavior and initial settings of software applications, server processes, and operating systems. Their distinctive property is that each option is processed, defined, and described in different parts of a software project - namely in code, in configuration file, and in documentation. This creates a challenge for maintaining project consistency as it evolves. It also promotes inconsistencies leading to misconfiguration issues in production scenarios. We propose an approach for detection of inconsistencies between source code and documentation based on static analysis. Our approach automatically identifies source code locations where options are read, and for each such location retrieves the name of the option. Inconsistencies are then detected by comparing the results against the option names listed in documentation. We evaluated our approach on multiple components of Apache Hadoop, a complex framework with more than 800 options. Our tool ORPLocator was able to successfully locate at least one read point for 93% to 96% of documented options within four Hadoop components. A comparison with a previous state-of-the-art technique shows that our tool produces more accurate results. Moreover, our evaluation has uncovered 4 previously unknown, real-world inconsistencies between documented options and source code.
Previous research has shown that (a) positive intergroup contact with an advantaged group can discourage collective action among disadvantaged-group members and (b) positive intergroup contact can encourage advantaged-group members to take action on behalf of disadvantaged outgroups. Two studies investigated the effects of negative as well as positive intergroup contact. Study 1 (n = 482) found that negative but not positive contact with heterosexual people was associated with sexual-minority students' engagement in collective action (via group identification and perceived discrimination). Among heterosexual students, positive and negative contacts were associated with, respectively, more and less LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) activism. Study 2 (N = 1,469) found that only negative contact (via perceived discrimination) predicted LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) students' collective action intentions longitudinally while only positive contact predicted heterosexual/cisgender students' LGBT activism. Implications for the relationship between intergroup contact, collective action, and social change are discussed.
A novel approach for stem cell generation is the attempt to induce conversion of the adult somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells so called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by introducing specific transcription factors. iPSCs have two essential cell characteristics, they are pluripotent and posses long term cell-renewal capacity. Additionally, iPSCs can be derived from patient-specific somatic cells, thus bypassing ethical and immunological issues. The aim of our study was to reprogram long-term cryopreserved human neonatal fibroblasts by new method using lipid nano-particle technology (Lipofectamine 3000 reagent transfection system) in combination with Epi 5 reprogramming vectors. Obtained iPSCs were characterized by several sophisticated methods of molecular biology and microscopy. Distinct colonies of iPSCs started to appear by day 20 after reprogramming. The presence of iPSCs colonies was proved by alkaline phosphatase (AP) live staining. After manual picking the colonies and their subsequent passaging, they did not lose ability to form embryoid bodies, they were positive for AP, Tra-1-60, and SSEA-5. Moreover, obtained iPSCs expressed pluripotency markers Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog, and the expression levels of chondrogenic, osteogenic and adipogenic markers were significantly higher in comparison to control (p < 0.05). In summary, we have demonstrated that long-term cryopreserved human neonatal fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into iPSCs and after further analysis concerns on their biological safety they may be used as patient-specific cells in regenerative medicine.
While digital control has achieved success in various power electronic applications, data conversion remains a primary challenge and limitation compared to conventional analog methods. In particular, tradeoffs among resolution, switching frequency, and power consumption of digital pulse-width modulation (DPWM) blocks limit performance, particularly in high conversion-ratio applications. Analog-digital conversion is also challenging when line-voltage feedforward techniques are applied as it requires high speed, accuracy, and in some cases exposure to voltages exceeding the rating of deep-submicron CMOS technologies. This work explores tradeoffs in power consumption of counter/delay-line DPWM circuits, implemented in CMOS, and derives an optimization method to segment the bit allocation among the counter and delay line components. A method for line-voltage feedforward is also presented that can instrument and quantize transients on the supply voltage without direct exposure of low voltage devices to the supply. An automotive 48V:7V application is considered.
The succession of archaeological units at Notarchirico offers technical and environmental arguments aimed at the characterization of the variability of the European Ancient Palaeolithic. Analysis shows the presence of distinctive features within the Acheulean assemblage besides the presence of handaxes. Hominins used flint and limestone on the site: a lithological analysis shows a predominance of the same raw materials in every unit and a partial selective exploitation. In unit B, traditionally associated with so-called Mode 2, the knapper principally intended to produce a sharp or convergence of the sharps (choppers or bifacial tools). In the E/E1 units, flaking prevails on the sporadic shaping: the presence of cores with polyhedral forms and the extreme dimensional reduction of objects are other main technical features associated with this core and flake assemblage. The presence or absence of handaxes is not the only element of variability: the presence of micro-tools and other technical elements represent technological innovations in the Lower Pleistocene assemblages common to many Italian sites during the so-called Mode 1-2 transition. The traditional idea of Acheulean as an uniform entity characterized by the presence of handaxes does not seem to be valid. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Objective: With the aim of assessing the response to treatment with conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) used in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), data on methotrexate, sulfasalazine (SSZ), and leflunomide were analyzed from baseline and subsequent follow-up (FU) questionnaires completed by patients with either PsA or other spondyloarthritides (SpAs). Material and Methods: A single-center real-life retrospective analysis was performed by obtaining clinical data via questionnaires administered before and after treatment. The indices used were erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C- reactive protein (CRP) level, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Function Index (BASFI), wellbeing (WB), and treatment effect (TxE). The indices measured at baseline were compared with those measured on one occasion in a FU visit at least 1 year later. Results: A total of 73 patients, 51 with PsA (mean age 49.8 +/- 12.8 years; male-to-female ratio [M: F]= 18: 33) and 22 with other SpAs (mean age 50.6 +/- 16 years; M: F= 2: 20), were studied. BASDAI, BASFI, and WB displayed consistent improvements during FU assessments in both PsA patients and controls in comparison to baseline values. SSZ exhibited better efficacy as confirmed by TxE in both PsA patients and controls. ESR and CRP displayed no differences in either the PsA or the SpA group between the cases before and after treatment. Conclusion: Real-life retrospective analysis of three DMARDs used in PsA (and SpAs other than PsA) demonstrated that all three DMARDs that were used brought about improvements in BASDAI, BASFI, TxE, and WB. However, the greatest improvements at FU were seen with SSZ use in both PsA and control cohorts.
The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the measurement structure of the Perceived Empathic and Social Self-Efficacy Scale amongst 194 individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and (2) to establish construct validity for the Perceived Empathic and Social Self-Efficacy Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a two-factor measurement structure of the Perceived Empathic and Social Self-Efficacy Scale, which was positively associated with insight, social support, and life satisfaction. The Perceived Empathic and Social Self-Efficacy Scale is a useful measure to assess social skills amongst individuals with SMI in rehabilitation counselling.
Many industrial processes are susceptible to biofouling. The thickness and structure of such biofilms are key factors in the design of effective cleaning strategies. A novel method based on fluid dynamic gauging has been developed for measuring the thickness and the shear stress needed for removal of the biofilms formed on cylindrical surfaces. The device operates with the test cylinder immersed in liquid: liquid is withdrawn or ejected from a nozzle located near the biofilm surface. There is no net change of liquid volume, making it ideal for sterile and aseptic operation and for studies using valuable liquids. Biofilm removal may also be tested by using appropriate hydrodynamic conditions. Calibration tests using ejection and suction flows in the laminar regime (Reynolds number around 100) indicated a measurement accuracy of +/- 19 mu m and showed good agreement with computational fluid dynamics simulations. The device was commissioned in tests on Rseudomonas fluorescens biofilms formed on high density polyethylene (HDPE) and stainless steel (SS) cylinders of diameter 25 mm under conditions of mild shear stress (around 2 Pa in these tests). The biofilm thickness was not uniform to the eye and measurements made over the surface of the test cylinders confirmed this: layer thicknesses ranged from effectively 0-300 mu m. The biofilms formed on HDPE were thicker than those formed on SS. (c) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Retinol and alpha-tocopherol are biologically active compounds often monitored in blood samples because of their evident importance in human metabolism. In this study a novel ultra-performance liquid chromatographic (UPLC) method used for determination of both vitamins in human serum has been compared with conventional HPLC with particulate and monolithic C-18 columns. In UPLC a sub-two-micron particle-hybrid C-18 stationary phase was used for separation, in contrast with a five-micron-particle packed column and a monolithic column with a highly porous structure. Methanol, at flow rates of 0.48, 1.5, and 2.5 mL min(-1), respectively, was used as mobile phase for isocratic elution of the compounds in the three methods. Detection was performed at 325 nm and 290 nm, the absorption maxima of retinol and alpha-tocopherol, respectively. Analysis time, sensitivity, mobile-phase consumption, validation data, and cost were critically compared for these different chromatographic systems. Although cost and mobile-phase consumption seem to make UPLC the method of choice, use of the monolithic column resulted in almost the same separation and performance with a slightly shorter analysis time. These methods are alternatives and, in routine laboratory practice, more economical means of analysis of large numbers of biological samples than use of a traditional particulate column.
Pier scour has caused bridge failures with catastrophic consequences. The aim of this study was to develop and verify a mathematical model for pier scour predictions. A new approach is taken that combines shallow-water equations with non-hydrostatic pressure corrections and a non-uniform mesh in the horizontal with terrain-following layers in the vertical. This approach significantly improves computational efficiency from the conventional computational fluid dynamics approach. It is concluded that, emerging from the lateral sides of a pier (cylinder), scour deepens while the patterns migrate upstream towards the pier's upstream nose. On the upstream side, scour continues to grow until the bed slope reaches the angle of repose of sediments. On the downstream side, scour grows until equilibrium is reached. The scour hole is shallower downstream than upstream of the pier. The presence of the pier causes a strong downflow near its upstream nose, a strong vortex at its foot on the upstream side and a weak vortex on the downstream side. The predicted flow velocity and scour depth agree well with measurements. The terrain-following layer feature is particularly useful for scour computations; the high efficiency makes the model practical for field-scale applications, which are highly relevant to improved design of pier foundations and pier scour control.
Background: Multiple factors affect oral mucosal healing, such as the persistence of an inflammatory reaction. The present study evaluates effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-8 on epithelial cells (ECs) and human gingival fibroblasts (GFs) in vitro. Methods: GFs and ECs were seeded in 96-well plates (1 x 10(4) cells/well) in plain culture medium (Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium [DMEM]) containing 1% antibiotic/antimycotic solution and 10% fetal bovine serum, and incubated for 24 hours. Both cell lines were exposed for 24 hours to the following cytokines: 1) TNF-alpha (100 ng/mL); 2) IL-1 beta (1 ng/mL); 3) IL-6 (10 ng/mL); and 4) IL-8 (10 ng/mL). All cytokines were diluted in serum-free DMEM. Control cultures were exposed only to serum-free DMEM. Effects of exposure to inflammatory cytokines were determined by means of: 1) apoptosis (anexin V); 2) cell migration (wound healing assay); 3) inflammatory cytokine synthesis (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests (alpha = 0.05). Results: Increased apoptosis rates were noted when cells were exposed to inflammatory cytokines, except ECs exposed to IL-1 beta. Cell migration was negatively affected by all inflammatory cytokines for both cell lines. ECs and GFs exposed to IL-6 and IL-8 significantly increased synthesis of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta. Conclusions: Demonstrated results indicate negative effects of tested inflammatory cytokines on ECs and GFs, inducing apoptosis and impairing cell migration. These results can justify delayed oral mucosa healing in the presence of inflammatory reaction.
Energy Efficient medical equipment design is the current research trend in medical science. Now, scientists are shifting focus toward energy efficient medical equipment design, ECG machine is the commonly used medical equipment. If any medical equipment is consuming less power than the traditional counterpart, then the whole medical system will be more greener or energy efficient. Finally, it reduces the cost of medical treatment. In this work, we are going to design and implement energy efficient ECG machine using LVDCI (Low Voltage Digitally Control Impedance), SSTL (Stub Series Terminated Logic) and HSTL (High Speed Transistor Logic) I/O standard.
We investigate the fluid mechanics of removing a passive tracer contained in small, thin, viscous drops attached to a flat inclined substrate using thin gravity-driven film flows. We focus on the case where the drop cannot be detached either partially or completely from the surface by the mechanical forces exerted by the cleaning fluid on the drop surface. Instead, a convective mass transfer establishes across the drop film interface and the dilute passive tracer dispersed in the drop diffuses into the film flow, which then transports them away. The Peclet number for the passive tracer in the film phase is very high, whereas the Peclet number in the drop phase varies from Pe(d) approximate to 10(-2) to 1. The characteristic transport time in the drop is much larger than in the film. We model the mass transfer of the passive tracer from the bulk of the drop phase into the film phase using an empirical model based on an analogy with Newton's law of cooling. This simple empirical model is supported by a theoretical model solving the quasi-steady two-dimensional advection diffusion equation in the film, coupled with a time-dependent one-dimensional diffusion equation in the drop. We find excellent agreement between our experimental data and the two models, which predict an exponential decrease in time of the tracer concentration in the drop. The results are valid for all drop and film Peclet numbers studied. The overall transport characteristic time is related to the drop diffusion time scale, as diffusion within the drop is the limiting process. This result remains valid even for Pe(d) approximate to 1. Finally, our theoretical model predicts the well-known relationship between the Sherwood number and the Reynolds number in the case of a well-mixed drop Sh proportional to Re-L(1/3) (gamma L-2/nu(f))(1/3), based on the drop length L, film shear rate gamma and film kinematic viscosity nu(f). We show that this relationship is mathematically equivalent to a more physically intuitive relationship Sh proportional to Re-delta, based on the diffusive boundary layer thickness delta. The model also predicts a correction in the case of a non-uniform drop concentration. The correction depends on Re-delta, the film Schmidt number, the drop aspect ratio and the diffusivity ratio between the two phases. This prediction is in remarkable agreement with experimental data at low drop Peclet number. It continues to agree as Pe(d) approaches 1, although the influence of the Reynolds number increases such that Sh proportional to Re-delta.
Intergroup conflict is evident throughout the history of our species, ubiquitous across human societies, and considered crucial for the evolution of humans' large-scale cooperative nature. Like humans, chimpanzee societies exhibit intragroup coordination and coalitionary support during violent intergroup conflicts. In both species, cooperation among group members is essential for individuals to gain access to benefits from engaging in intergroup conflict. Studies suggest that a contributive mechanism regulating in-group cooperation during intergroup conflicts in humans involves the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin, known to influence trust, coordination, and social cognition, although evidence from natural settings is lacking. Here, applying a noninvasive method, we investigate oxytocinergic system involvement during natural intergroup conflicts in wild chimpanzees. We found that chimpanzees of both sexes had significantly higher urinary oxytocin levels immediately before and during intergroup conflict compared with controls. Also, elevated hormone levels were linked with greater cohesion during intergroup conflicts, rather than with the level of potential threat posed by rival groups, intragroup affiliative social interactions, or coordinated behavior alone. Thus, the oxytocinergic system, potentially engendering cohesion and cooperation when facing an out-group threat, may not be uniquely human but rather a mechanism with evolutionary roots shared by our last common ancestor with chimpanzees, likely expediting fitness gains during intergroup conflict.
Sensory evaluation of garment silhouettes is comprehensive, and it is an important index in evaluating the sense of clothes. In this paper, a behavior experiment was used to collect data instead of questionnaire in traditional research in garment sensory perception. The results show the main effect of silhouette element and interaction effects between elements on sensory perception were quite different. The information integration in garment silhouette sensory perception was differed in different emotional. The integration model and mathematical model constructed in this paper can provide a basis for integrating other perception information such as color and hand feeling in sensory evaluation of garment. Method in the paper will provide a creative idea for studying garment featured-pattern research in computer vision.
This article outlines major developments in knowledge about the human metabolism of ethanol. The results of a large number of controlled experiments aimed at measuring the rate of ethanol elimination from the blood are reported. The factors that influence the rate of ethanol elimination from blood, such as the amount of ethanol ingested, the drinking habits of the subjects, and the effect of food taken together with, or before, drinking were investigated. The slowest rate of ethanol disappearance was observed in a healthy male subject who ingested 0.68 g ethanol/kg body weight after an overnight (8 h) fast; the beta-slope was 9 mg/dL/h. The fastest rate of ethanol disappearance was observed in a male chronic alcoholic during detoxification: the beta-slope was 36 mg/dL/h. This four-fold difference in the rate of ethanol disposal should be considered when the pharmacokinetics of ethanol become an issue in drinking and driving trials, for example. when retrograde estimations are attempted.
Power systems need to have sufficient generation capacity to support the demand at all times. In addition, dispatchable generation resources should be capable of adjusting their power output on a short term basis not only to alleviate uncertainties of nondispatchable generation and load fluctuations but also to correct for forecast errors. This paper presents a long-term planning approach to co-optimize capacities of energy storages and fast-ramping generation. We model and integrate the capability of the storage to provide multiple services for the system. Our formulation takes into account wind generation and demand forecast errors as well as short-term fluctuations. A stochastic optimization problem is formulated consisting of hourly and intrahour time scales. The approach determines the optimal size of newly deployed generation and storage resources to provide adequate generation capacity and ramping needed to support hourly demand. Additionally, our method ensures that the system is capable of following the net load in intrahour time intervals, as well as mitigating the impact of short-term wind power and load fluctuations. In this formulation, power balance, network security, and system ramping capability are stochastic constraints being modeled as chance constraints. A 3-bus and the IEEE 24-bus test systems are studied to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
In intercourse between men, one of the partners typically assumes the role of an insertive partner (top) while the other assumes a receptive role (bottom). Although some research suggests that the perceptions of potential partners' sexual roles in gay men's relationships can affect whether a man will adopt the role of top or bottom during sexual intercourse, it remains unclear whether sexual roles could be perceived accurately by na < ve observers. In Study 1, we found that na < ve observers were able to discern men's sexual roles from photos of their faces with accuracy that was significantly greater than chance guessing. Moreover, in Study 2, we determined that the relationship between men's perceived and actual sexual roles was mediated by perceived masculinity. Together, these results suggest that people rely on perceptions of characteristics relevant to stereotypical male-female gender roles and heterosexual relationships to accurately infer sexual roles in same-sex relationships. Thus, same-sex relationships and sexual behavior may be perceptually framed, understood, and possibly structured in ways similar to stereotypes about opposite-sex relationships, suggesting that people may rely on these inferences to form accurate perceptions.
Collaborative systems will form the warp for smart networked environments wherein humans, organizations, intelligent agents, and devices collaborate. The smart environments of near future will be context sensitive systems within which the physical world is richly and transparently interwoven with sensors, actuators, and computational elements that seamlessly embed everyday objects and interconnect them through networks. Modeling, design, and development of collaborative systems in this context will support a large number of emerging applications including security, care and assistance, transportation, construction, sustainability and energy management, education, government, and manufacturing. In this context, a brief survey of trends and challenges is presented.
Although robots are becoming an ever-growing presence in society, we do not hold the same expectations for robots as we do for humans, nor do we treat them the same. As such, the ability to recognize cues to human animacy is fundamental for guiding social interactions. We review literature that demonstrates cortical networks associated with person perception, action observation and mentalizing are sensitive to human animacy information. In addition, we show that most prior research has explored stimulus properties of artificial agents (humanness of appearance or motion), with less investigation into knowledge cues (whether an agent is believed to have human or artificial origins). Therefore, currently little is known about the relationship between stimulus and knowledge cues to human animacy in terms of cognitive and brain mechanisms. Using fMRI, an elaborate belief manipulation, and human and robot avatars, we found that knowledge cues to human animacy modulate engagement of person perception and mentalizing networks, while stimulus cues to human animacy had less impact on social brain networks. These findings demonstrate that self-other similarities are not only grounded in physical features but are also shaped by prior knowledge. More broadly, as artificial agents fulfil increasingly social roles, a challenge for roboticists will be to manage the impact of pre-conceived beliefs while optimizing human-like design.
This study sought to determine the features of an ideal serve in men's professional tennis. A total of 25,680 first serves executed by 151 male tennis players during Australian Open competition were classified as either aces or returned into play. Spatiotemporal (impact location, speed, projection angles, landing location and relative player locations) and contextual (score) features of each serve were extracted from Hawk-Eye data and used to construct a classification tree model (with decision rules) that predicted serve outcome. k-means clustering was applied to the landing locations to quantify optimal landing locations for aces. The classification tree revealed that (1) serve directionality, relative to the returner; (2) the ball's landing proximity to the nearest service box line and (3) serve speed classified aces with an accuracy of 87.02%. Hitting aces appeared more contingent on accuracy than speed, with serves directed >5.88 degrees from the returner and landing <15.27cm from a service box line most indicative of an ace. k-means clustering revealed four distinct locations (approximate to 0.73m widex2.35m deep) in the corners of the service box that corresponded to aces. These landing locations provide empirically derived target locations for players to adhere to during practice and competition.
Treatment of neuropathic pain using topical formulations is still in its infancy. Only few topical analgesic formulations have become available for clinical use, and among these, analgesic creams are still rare. This is unfortunate because analgesic creams offer a number of advantages over patches, such as convenience, ease of adapting the frequency of application, and dose, and rubbing cream where it hurts involves the patient much more in the therapeutic process compared to patches and other localized treatment modalities. Although the literature supporting the efficacy and safety of analgesic creams (mostly compounded) is growing since the last decade, most pain physicians have not yet noticed and appreciated the therapeutic potential and clinical value of these creams. This is most probably due to a prejudice that topical application should need to act transdermally, more or less as a slow-release formulation, such as in patches delivering opioids. We will discuss this prejudice and show that there are multiple important targets in the skin to be reached by topical analgesic or anti-inflammatory compounds, and that the keratinocyte is one of those targets. By specifically targeting the keratinocyte, analgesia seems possible, effective, and safe, and thus topical analgesic creams may hold promise as a novel treatment modality for neuropathic pain.
Leaf growth will change along with time, so species spectral characteristics will be affected. The researches on spectral changing rule of the same tree leaf under the conditions of different time and spectral characteristics of different tree leaves under the condition of the same time can not only provide theoretical basis for vegetation leaf spectral change rule along with time, but also are the keys of vegetation information accurate identification with hyperspectral remote sensing. Ten kinds of common tree species in Beijing were selected and leaf spectrum of each tree species in different time was observed by using spectrometer. At the same time, the observed spectrum was dealt with first order differential and typical bands analysis. Then spectrum difference of different tree leaves at the same time were contrasted and spectrum change laws of the same species in different time were analyzed, and the effective bands of species identification by hyperspectral remote sensing under the condition of different time were explored. The results showed that the leaf spectrum of different tree species had significant changes along with time but the changing rules were different, and there were significant differences among different tree species leaves spectrum in the same time, so it proved a theoretical basis for high precision tree species identification. This study aims at providing basic data and theoretical support for tree species identification of hyperspectral remote sensing and the building of leaf spectrum base database.
High achievement expectations and academic pressure from parents have been implicated in rising levels of stress and reduced well-being among adolescents. In this study of affluent, middle school youth, we examined how perceptions of parents' emphases on achievement (relative to prosocial behavior) influenced youth's psychological adjustment and school performance, and examined perceived parental criticism as a possible moderator of this association. The data were collected from 506 (50 % female) middle school students from a predominately white, upper middle class community. Students reported their perceptions of parents' values by rank ordering a list of achievement- and prosocial-oriented goals based on what they believed was most valued by their mothers and fathers for them (the child) to achieve. The data also included students' reports of perceived parental criticism, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and self-esteem, as well as school-based data on grade point average and teacher-reported classroom behavior. Person-based analyses revealed six distinct latent classes based on perceptions of both mother and father emphases on achievement. Class comparisons showed a consistent pattern of healthier child functioning, including higher school performance, higher self-esteem, and lower psychological symptoms, in association with low to neutral parental achievement emphasis, whereas poorer child functioning was associated with high parental achievement emphasis. In variable-based analyses, interaction effects showed elevated maladjustment when high maternal achievement emphasis coexisted with high (but not low) perceived parental criticism. Results of the study suggest that to foster early adolescents' well-being in affluent school settings, parents focus on prioritizing intrinsic, prosocial values that promote affiliation and community, at least as much as, or more than, they prioritize academic performance and external achievement; and strive to limit the amount of criticism and pressure they place on their children.
Multiple instance learning (MIL) is a framework wherein training examples are provided in form of labeled bags rather than labeled instances. For visual object tracking, the MIL framework is used to select a few discriminative features from a pool of features by maximizing the bag likelihood. The feature pool consists of computationally efficient Haar-like features. Each feature is used for the construction of weak classifier also called decision stump. A few classifiers with high discriminative power (to separate target from background) are combined to form a strong classifier. The key point is the selection of a few highly discriminative features from a very large pool in small amount of time to ensure fast and accurate tracking. In this paper, we propose a fast online feature selection algorithm based on maximizing the classifier score (CSR). The tracking performance is better than the existing feature selection methods. This paper also introduces kernel trick on Haar-like features for target tracking. Furthermore, we explore use of Haar-features in half target space. To get the actual target size in successive video frames, a scaling strategy is applied. By having the feature matching using kernel, Haar-features in half target spaces and scale adaptation method in a single tracking framework, we obtain better tracking performance as compared to the state-of-the-art trackers.
Sustainable water management is an important global action to alleviate the growing pressure on our water resources and a way to balance both socio-economic and environmental water needs. Irrigation of green roofs and other urban green infrastructures often has a negative connotation in a water management context. This is especially the case in semi-arid regions where both water scarcity during summer and other water needs compromise the public support of urban irrigation systems. However, irrigating green roofs is also beneficial as it improves plant survival and temperature control. Information on green roof irrigation is still very scarce, and this review attempts to draw attention to alternative water sources and water conservation strategies in order to make green roof irrigation practices more sustainable. Suggestions for more sustainable green roof irrigation showed that water can be conserved by adapting irrigation requirements (i.e. by targeting the vegetation or materials), by using alternative irrigation sources (e.g. gray water and rainwater harvesting) or by controlling and monitoring irrigation regimes. Based on the deficit irrigation strategy, irrigation specifications for green roofs in different climates were proposed. It became clear that irrigation is essential during establishment and the first growing season on all types of green roof and in all climates here considered. Afterwards, irrigation is necessary on green roofs in (semi)-arid climates, and advised in small amounts in the other climates. If public awareness of sustainable water consumption is promoted and if green roofs are designed carefully, then irrigation practices can be sustainable in the long term and contribute to better urban life quality. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An anomaly, or outlier, is an object exhibiting differences that suggest it belongs to an as-yet undefined class or category. Early detection of anomalies often proves of great importance because they may correspond to events such as fraud, spam, or device malfunctions. By automating the creation of a ranking or list of deviations, we can save time and decrease the cognitive overload of the individuals or groups responsible for responding to such events. Over the years many anomaly and outlier metrics have been developed. In this paper we propose a clustering-based score ensembling method for outlier detection. Using benchmark datasets we evaluate quantitatively the robustness and accuracy of different ensemble strategies. We find that ensembling strategies offer only limited value for increasing overall performance, but provide robustness by negating the influence of severely underperforming models. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between systemic inflammation and skin microcirculation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: We assessed skin microcirculation flux (laser Doppler flowmetry), classical cardiovascular risk factors, inflammatory markers and disease activity (Disease Activity Score 28, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index) in 75 patients with arthritis with a median disease duration of 4 years, and in 26 healthy subjects. RESULTS: In patients with arthritis inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, fibrinogen) were increased, peak flux velocity after the occlusion at the temperature of 36.6 degrees C and maximal heat flux velocity after the heating were significantly lower. These findings were accompanied by the slower increase in the flux rate during local heating. There were positive correlations between inflammatory markers and microcirculation parameters in patients with RA and AS, but only for RA patients between peak flux velocity and disease activity. There were no significant intergroup differences when the classical cardiovascular risk factors were compared except for the lower HDL cholesterol in arthritis patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic systemic inflammatory arthritis presented altered microvascular function and reduced vasodilator capacity of the forearm skin microcirculation.
Nonwoven geotextiles have been used as filters for over four decades in geotechnical and geoenvironmental works. These products have a complex fibre matrix and their behaviour as filters depends on how this matrix interacts with fluids and soil particles. Therefore, uncertainties still exist regarding prediction of geotextile filter performance under severe and critical situations. This paper investigates how confinement and partial clogging influence the dimensions of openings in nonwoven geotextiles. Bubble point (BBP) tests were carried out on six nonwoven geotextiles under unconfined and confined (equivalent vertical stresses of up to 1000 kPa) conditions with and without partial clogging of the geotextile. The results obtained show significant influences of confinement and partial clogging on geotextile opening dimensions and retention capacity. The results of O-95 from bubble point tests on unconfined and virgin specimens compared well with results from hydrodynamic tests. Comparisons between BBP results and data from filtration tests under confinement are also presented and discussed. The repercussions of reductions in opening size caused by confinement and partial clogging on geotextile clogging potential and filter criteria are discussed.
Neutrophil extracellular traps are networks of DNA, histones and neutrophil proteins released in response to infectious and inflammatory stimuli. Although a component of the innate immune response, NETs are implicated in a range of disease processes including autoimmunity and thrombosis. This protocol describes a simple method for canine neutrophil isolation and quantification of NETs using a microplate fluorescence assay. Blood is collected using conventional venipuncture techniques. Neutrophils are isolated using dextran sedimentation and a density gradient using conditions optimized for dog blood. After allowing time for attachment to the wells of a 96 well plate, neutrophils are treated with NET-inducing agonists such as phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate or platelet activating factor. DNA release is measured by the fluorescence of a cell-impermeable nucleic acid dye. This assay is a simple, inexpensive method for quantifying NET release, but NET formation rather than other causes of cell death must be confirmed with alternative methods.
The geodesic curvature flow is an important concept in Riemannian geometry. The flow with level set formulation has many applications in image processing, computer vision, material sciences, etc. The existing discretizations on triangulated surfaces are based on either finite volume method or finite element method with piecewise linear function space, which are suitable for vertex-based two-phase problems. The contour (zero level set) in existing methods passes through triangles of the mesh. However, in some graphic applications, such as mesh segmentation (to divide a whole mesh into several sub-meshes without ambiguous triangular stripes), the cutting contour is needed to be along the edges of the mesh. Moreover, multi-phase segmentation by a single level set function is a difficult problem for a long time. In this paper, we try to tackle these two problems. We propose a new discretization which has simpler formulation and more sparse coefficient matrix. We prove the existence and uniqueness, regularization behavior and maximum-minimum principle of our discrete flow. Therein the maximum-minimum principal has not been presented before. Lots of experiments show that, the limit of the flow would be a piecewise constant solution with 'discontinuity set' to be the closed geodesics of the surface. We therefore propose a constrained discrete geodesic curvature flow, which is also analyzed theoretically. The linear system of the constrained flow can be equivalently reformulated into a much smaller one (especially in the narrow band algorithm), which dramatically reduces the computation cost. Combined with a narrow band algorithm, the constrained flow with topologically correct initializations (easy to be got by simple existing methods or manual inputs) yields a multi-phase segmentation method by a single level set function. We test our two flows in closed curve evolution and multi-region segmentation applications. The numerical experiments are given to demonstrate the effectiveness.
We investigated whether Black-White biracial individuals are perceived as Black in the domain of evaluation. Previous research has documented that White perceivers' negative evaluation of one Black person leads to a negative implicit evaluation of another Black person belonging to the same minimal group. We built upon this out-group transfer effect by investigating whether perceivers also transferred negative implicit attitudes from one Black person to a novel Black-White biracial person. In three experiments, participants learned about a Black individual who performed undesirable behaviors and were then introduced to a new group member. White perceivers formed negative attitudes toward the original individual and transferred these attitudes to the new group member if she was Black or Biracial, but not if she was White (Experiment 1) or Asian (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 demonstrated that only White participants exhibited transfer to the new Black and Biracial group members; Black participants did not.
Nowadays the smartphone plays an important role in our lives. While it brings us convenience and efficiency, its overuse can cause problems. Although a great number of studies have demonstrated that people affected by substance abuse, pathological gambling, and internet addiction disorder have lower self-control than average, scarcely any study has investigated the decision making of smartphone high users by using a behavioral paradigm. The present study employed an intertemporal task, the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11th version (BIS-11) to explore the decision control of smartphone high users in a sample of 125 college students. Participants were divided into three groups according to their SPAI scores. The upper third (69 or higher), middle third (from 61 to 68) and lower third (60 or lower) of scores were defined as high smartphone users, medium users and low users, respectively. We compared the percentage of small immediate reward/penalty choices in different conditions between the three groups. Relative to the low users group, high users and medium users were more inclined to request an immediate monetary reward. Moreover, for the two dimensions of time and money in intertemporal choice, high users and medium users showed a bias in intertemporal choice task among most of the time points and value magnitude compared to low users. These findings demonstrated that smartphone overuse was associated with problematic decision-making, a pattern similar to that seen in persons affected by a variety of addictions.
The desensitization degree of emulsion explosives (EE) was calculated with the peak pressure of explosion shock waves tested in water. To an explosive, the less the desensitization degree, the better the compression resistance, so the compression resistance of an explosive can be compared and analyzed quantificationally with the desensitization degree. The influence of an emulsifier on the pressure desensitization of EE was studied, including the content and category of emulsifiers. Three kinds of emulsifiers (Span-80, compound emulsifier, and T-152) were used in the tests. The experimental results show that both the content and category of emulsifiers make a great effect oil the pressure desensitization of EE. The desensitization degree of EE reduces with the emulsifier content being increased, but there is an optimal content of an emulsifier for the compression resistance of EE. While the content of Span-80 reaches 4wt%, the desensitization degree of EE becomes a minimal value, and augments somewhat if the emulsifier content is increased more. That is to say, the compression resistance of EE becomes the highest while the content of Span-80 is 4wt%, and the compression resistance will decline if the content of Span-80 is increased more. The compression resistance of the explosive emulsified by compound emulsifier is the hi-hest among all the explosives, when the content of the whole components and manufacturing engineering are kept invariable.
A current fed push pull converters cascaded with a buck pre-regulator is proposed. Voltage stress of the push pull switches is reduced by buck pre regulation. Pulse width modulation is done only to the switch in buck stage. Output voltage and the buck inductor current is controlled using average current mode control. The closed loop simulation of a 20W, 100V, 0.2A cascaded buck push pull converter with analog control circuit is done using PSIM. Closed loop simulation using digital control circuit is done by using a SIMCOUPLER module which couples power electronic circuit in PSIM and digital control circuit in MATLAB. Further, hardware implementation of digital controllers on two platforms is explained. Switching pulses are generated using digital circuit are fed to the converter switches and the converter is tested for the open loop operation.
Modern cryptography increasingly employs random numbers generated from physical sources in lieu of conventional software-based pseudorandom numbers, primarily owing to the great demand of unpredictable, indecipherable cryptographic keys from true random numbers for information security. Thus, far, the sole demonstration of true random numbers has been generated through thermal noise and/or quantum effects, which suffers from expensive and complex equipment. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for self-powered creation of true random numbers by using triboelectric technology to collect random signals from nature. This random number generator based on coupled triboelectric and electrostatic induction effects at the liquid dielectric interface includes an elaborately designed triboelectric generator (TENG) with an irregular grating structure, an electronic optical device, and an optical electronic device. The random characteristics of raindrops are harvested through TENG and consequently transformed and converted by electronic optical device and an optical electronic device with a nonlinear characteristic. The cooperation of the mechanical, electrical, and optical signals ensures that the generator possesses complex nonlinear input output behavior and contributes to increased randomness. The random number sequences are deduced from final electrical signals received by an optical electronic device using a familiar algorithm. These obtained random number sequences exhibit good statistical characteristics, unpredictability, and unrepeatability. Our study supplies a simple, practical, and effective method to generate true random numbers, which can be widely used in cryptographic protocols, digital signatures, authentication, identification, and other information security fields.
Interpersonal coordination, the extent to which social partners coordinate each other's postures and mannerisms, acts as a social glue that serves both individual and social goals, such as producing prosocial behaviors and facilitating harmonious interactions. Research in this area has become prominent in a variety of domains both within and outside of psychology, forming a sizeable literature dedicated to investigating the causes and consequences of interpersonal coordination. We conducted a series of meta-analyses on studies that treated interpersonal coordination as an independent variable, in order to measure its effect on several intrapersonal (e.g., mood, need to belong) and interpersonal (e.g., prosocial behavior) outcomes, as well as several potential moderators (e.g., percentage of female participants) that may affect the strength of the effect. Overall, the results demonstrated that the positive effects of interpersonal coordination are robust, with a few exceptions specific to intrapersonal outcomes. These findings provide a much-needed quantitative summary of the literature on interpersonal coordination, and highlight areas that merit future research.
CHILDREN WITH DEAFBLINDNESS need support to be able to understand the world and to have access to information. The authors analyzed a dyad consisting of a child with congenital deafblindness and a specialized teacher. The study included participant observations and audiovisual recordings. It was found that the child showed attention to the teacher in activities involving music and rhythm. As potential forms of nonverbal communication, the child presented vocalization, touch, body contact, body movements, facial expressions, and tears. The teacher's forms of communication were verbal, touch, visual, rhythm, and sign language. It was concluded that a significant communication partner is essential to identify, interpret, and respond to attention and communicative behaviors. Use of other forms of communication must comply with individual characteristics so that the child with deafblindness can receive information from the environment through these senses and thus be guaranteed access to the world.
In developed country such as Japan, aging has become a serious issue, as there is a disproportionate increasing of elderly population who are no longer able to look after themselves. In order to tackle this issue, we introduce human-friendly robot partner to support the elderly people in their daily life. However, to realize this, it is essential for the robot partner to be able to have a natural communication with the human. This paper proposes a new communication framework between the human and robot partner based on relevance theory as the basis knowledge. The relevance theory is implemented to build mutual cognitive environment between the human and the robot partner, namely as the informationally structured space (ISS). Inside the ISS, robot partner employs both verbal as well as non-verbal communication to understand human. For the verbal communication, Rasmussen's behavior model is implemented as the basis for the conversational system. While for the non-verbal communication, environmental and human state data along with gesture recognition are utilized. These data are used as the perceptual input to compute the robot partner's emotion. Experimental results have shown the effectiveness of our proposed communication framework in establishing natural communication between the human and the robot partner. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the design of a digital control strategy for a dc-dc type Buck converter used as an efficient lead acid battery charger in isolated electric, photovoltaic systems. The strategy is designed to be implemented in a digital signal processor (DSP). The control acts depending on the state of charge of the batteries by regulating the drive duty cycle with the proper combination of incremental conductance MPPT technique and precise control of the battery current according to three charging stages, providing a joint solution which on one hand maximizes the production of solar energy available in the PV array, and on the other ensures a long battery lifetime, both aspects, which are generally investigated independently in technical literature, are treated simultaneously in our approach. The work explains in detail the converter modeling, the project of the compensator, as well as the development of MPPT used. Validation simulations are done via Matlab and experimental results from a prototype low power TMS320F2812 using a DSP from Texas Instruments, are provided and discussed, which show satisfactory performance of the proposed control system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The implementation of virtual practices, to complement traditional practices has turned out to be an efficient tool to solve the classical problems occurring in the teaching of technological subjects, such as the manufacture engineering field. In the current work, the integration of virtual practice sets is analysed by means of an unified platform, as an extra contribution to previous developments, generating the Manufacturing Virtual Laboratory of the Department of Manufacturing Engineering of the University of Malaga.
Introduction: There are scarce studies of time series that analysed the short-term association between emergency hospital admissions due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and environmental factors. The objective is to analyse the effect of heat waves, noise and air pollutants on urgent hospital admissions due to AD in Madrid. Methods: Longitudinal ecological time series study was performed. The dependent variable was the emergency AD hospital admissions occurred in Madrid during the period 2001-2009. Independent variables were: Daily mean concentrations (mu g/m(3)) of air pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10; O3 and NO2); maximum daily temperature (degrees C) and daily and night noise levels (dB(A)). Relative Risk (RR) for an increment in interquartile range, and Attributable Risk (AR) values were calculated through GLM with Poisson link. Results: Our findings indicated that only PM2.5 concentrations at lag 2 with a RR: 1.38 (95% CI: 1.15-1.65); AR 27.5% (95% CI: 13.0-39.4); and heat wave days at lag 3 with a RR: 1.30 (95% CI: 1.12-1.52); AR 23.1% (95% CI: 10.7-34.2) were associated with AD hospital admissions. Conclusion: A reduction in AD patients' exposure levels to PM2.5 and special care of such patients during heat wave periods could result in a decrease in both emergency AD admissions and the related health care costs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The aim of this paper is to provide an alternative and more efficient screening test for allergy with respect to traditional UNICAP and prick skin tests, which are commercially available nowadays. The proposed test is aimed at monitoring the interaction of the IgE protein with the allergen in an allergic subject. The idea relies on the fact that the interaction between the IgE and the corresponding allergen happens through binding mechanisms between the IgE and the allergen structure, changing the ionic content of the serum. This latter can be monitored by impedance measurements and confirmed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) evaluation in leukocyte subpopulations. Therefore, in this paper we propose a novel system for the detection of allergies based on impedance measurements and confirmed by ROS measurements. This type of measurement approach has never been presented in the literature for this purpose. A measurement protocol has been developed to guarantee reproducibility and repeatability of the assay. This paper describes both the instrument-specifically designed for impedance evaluation- and the measurement protocols for both methodologies, defining univocally, in this way, the overall measurement technique.
Biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not yet validated for use in clinical settings. We aim to provide a methodological framework for their systematic validation, by reference to that developed for oncology biomarkers. As for this discipline, the steps for the systematic validation of AD biomarkers need to target analytical validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility. However, the premises are different from oncology: the nature of disease (neurodegeneration vs. cancer), the purpose (improve diagnosis in clinically affected vs. screening preclinical individuals), and the target population (mild cognitive impairment patients referring to memory clinics vs. general population) lead to important differences, influencing both the design of validation studies and the use of selected biomarkers. This framework is applied within a wider initiative to assess the current available evidence on the clinical validity of biomarkers for AD, for the final aim to identify gaps and research priorities, and to inform coordinated research efforts boosting AD biomarkers research. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Invasion into new areas by already widespread pest organisms often occurs through non-obvious routes, with the origins of such invasions difficult to determine. Understanding population structure using multiple datatypes can help untangle past dispersal events and reveal putative contemporary invasion pathways. The tephritid fruit fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of cucurbits and other commercial crops and is considered native to the Indo-Oriental region, but is invasive in both Africa and the Pacific. Here, we combine molecular (microsatellites and COI) and morphological (male genetalia length and wing shape geometric morphometrics) data within an integrative taxonomic framework to test hypotheses concerning levels of Z. cucurbitae population variation observed in Southeast Asia (native range, 10 sites, similar to 200 individuals) versus the West Pacific (invasive range, 4 sites, similar to 80 individuals), and whether single or multiple introductions of Z. cucurbitae have occurred into the West Pacific. We also use this case to explicitly test if using an integrative approach provides more information about hypothesized invasion pathways than either genetic or morphological approaches would do alone. All datasets support Z. cucurbitae as being more variable in Southeast Asia than the West Pacific, and within these regions populations appear to be structured geographically. In particular, mainland and Sundaic Southeast Asian locations formed separate clusters, and New Guinea and Solomon Islands were not closely related to Guam and Hawaii. Evidence supports a separate single origin for New Guinea from the Melanesian arc, the Solomon Islands from Malaysia/Singapore, and Guam from mainland Asia, but multiple introductions into Hawaii from mainland Asia. Taken together, we argue that there is great value in integrating evidence from multiple sources as it can provide finer resolution of population relationships than any single data source alone.
We present a new approach to lightweight intelligent transportation systems. Our approach does not rely on traditional expensive infrastructures, but rather on advanced machine learning algorithms. It takes images from traffic cameras at a limited number of locations and estimates the traffic over the entire road network. Our approach features two main algorithms. The first is a probabilistic vehicle counting algorithm fromlow-quality images that falls into the category of unsupervised learning. The other is a network inference algorithm based on an inverse Markov chain formulation that infers the traffic at arbitrary links from a limited number of observations. We evaluated our approach on two different traffic data sets, one acquired in Nairobi, Kenya, and the other in Kyoto, Japan.
Background: Multicentre trials investigating food allergies by double blind placebo controlled food challenges (DBPCFC) need standardized procedures, challenge meals and evaluation criteria. We aimed at developing a standardized approach for identifying patients with birch related soy allergy by means of DBPCFC to soy, including determination of threshold levels, in a multicentre setting. Methods: Microbiologically stable soy challenge meals were composed of protein isolate with consistent Gly m 4 levels. Patients sensitized to main birch allergen Bet v 1 and concomitant sensitization to its soy homologue Gly m 4 underwent DBPCFC. Outcome was defined according to presence and/or absence of ten objective signs and intensity of eight subjective symptoms as measured by visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: 138 adult subjects (63.8% female, mean age 38 years) underwent DBPCFC. Challenge meals and defined evaluation criteria showed good applicability in all centres involved. 45.7% presented with objective signs and 65.2% with subjective symptoms at soy challenge. Placebo challenge meals elicited non-cardiovascular objective signs in 11.6%. In 82 (59.4%) subjects DBPCFC was judged as positive. 70.7% of DPBCFC+ showed objective signs and 85.4% subjective symptoms at soy challenge. Subjective symptoms to soy challenge meal in DBPCFC+ subjects started at significantly lower dose levels than objective signs (p < 0.001). Median cumulative eliciting doses for first objective signs in DBPCFC+ subjects were 4.7 g [0.7-24.7] and 0.7 g [0.2-4.7] total soy protein for first subjective symptoms (p = 0.01). Conclusions: We present the hitherto largest group of adults with Bet v 1 and Gly m 4 sensitization being investigated by DBPCFC. In this type of food allergy evaluation of DBPCFC outcome should not only include monitoring of objective signs but also scoring of subjective symptoms. Our data may contribute to standardize DBPCFC in pollen-related food allergy in multicentre settings.
Utilizing complex dynamics of chaotic maps and systems in encryption was studied comprehensively in the pas two and a half decades. In 1989, Fridrich's chaotic image encryption scheme was designed by iterating chaotic position permutation and value substitution some rounds, which received intensive attention in the field of chaos-based cryptography. In 2010, Solak et al. proposed a chosen-ciphertext attack on the Fridrich's scheme utilizing influence network between cipher-pixels and the corresponding plain-pixels. Based on their creative work, this paper scrutinized some properties of Fridrich's scheme with concise mathematical language. Then, some minor defects of the real performance of Solak's attack method were given. The work provides some base. for further optimizing attack on the Fridrich's, scheme and its variants.
Public auditing protocol is very significant for implementing secure cloud storage since it can be used to check the integrity of the data stored in the cloud without downloading them. Recently, Zhang and Dong presented an identity-based public auditing (IBPA) protocol using the bilinear pairing and claimed that their protocol is provably secure in the random oracle model. Through proposing two concrete attacks, we demonstrate that the adversary against Zhang-Dong's protocol can break the data integrity without being found by the auditor. The analysis shows that their protocol is not secure for the cloud storage. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We propose that most coefficients of assumed similarity in acquaintance ratings are based on actual similarity between observer and target rather than any bias to project self onto other. We assessed assumed similarity, actual similarity, and rater accuracy in 62 university roommate dyads who rated each other on 74 personality-related variables. Our findings indicate that our roommates (a) were actually alike on many variables, (b) knew this, rather than assumed it, and (c) applied this knowledge to enhance the accuracy of their ratings. We outline a model of judgment that urges three distinct concepts: true assumed similarity, known similarity, and spurious similarity. We conclude that personality ratings among acquaintances reflecting true assumed 'similarity are probably rare. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Compared to people who have never engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), people with a history of NSSI report multiple interpersonal problems. Theories propose that these interpersonal difficulties play a role in prompting and maintaining NSSI. The cross-sectional nature of most studies in this area limits our understanding of how day-to-day interpersonal experiences relate to the global interpersonal impairments observed among individuals with NSSI, and vice versa. This study compared young adults with (n = 60) and without (n = 56) recent, repeated NSSI on baseline and daily measures of interpersonal functioning during a 14-day daily diary study. Groups differed in baseline social anxiety, excessive reassurance seeking, and use of support seeking relative to other coping strategies, but did not differ in self-perceived interpersonal competence. In terms of day-to-day functioning, participants with (vs. without) NSSI had significantly less contact with their families and friends, perceived less support following interactions with friends, and were less likely to seek support to cope, regardless of level of negative affect. With the exception of contact with family members, these group differences in daily interpersonal functioning were accounted for by baseline levels of social anxiety and use of support seeking. Contrary to expectations, participants with NSSI had more frequent contact with their romantic partners, did not differ in perceptions of support in romantic relationships, and did not report more intense negative affect following negative interpersonal interactions. This study provides a novel test of recent interpersonal theories of NSSI using daily reports.
Given immunity's general role in the organism's economy-both in terms of its internal environment as well as mediating its external relations-immune theory has expanded its traditional formulation of preserving individual autonomy to one that includes accounting for nutritional processes and symbiotic relationships that require immune tolerance. When such a full ecological alignment is adopted, the immune system becomes the mediator of both defensive and assimilative environmental intercourse, where a balance of immune rejection and tolerance governs the complex interactions of the organism's ecological relationships. Accordingly, immunology, which historically had affiliated with the biology of individuals, now becomes a science concerned with the biology of communities. With this translocation, the ontological basis of the organism is undergoing a profound change. Indeed, the recent recognition of the ubiquity of symbiosis has challenged the traditional notions of biological individuality and requires a shift in the metaphysics undergirding biology, in which a philosophy of the organism must be characterized by ecological dialectics all-the-way-down..
Pigment-epithelium derived factor (PEDF) is a neurotrophic factor with neuroprotective, anti-tumorigenic, and anti-angiogenic effects. Elevated levels of PEDF have previously been proposed as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. However, the origin of PEDF in CSF, i.e. whether it is derived from the brain or from the systemic circulation, and the specificity of this finding hitherto remained unclear. Here, we analyzed levels of PEDF in paired CSF and serum samples by ELISA in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 12), frontotemporal dementia (FTD, n = 6), vascular dementia (n = 4), bacterial meningitis (n = 8), multiple sclerosis (n = 32), pseudotumor cerebri (n = 36), and diverse non-inflammatory neurological diseases (n = 19). We established CSF/serum quotient diagrams to determine the fraction of intrathecally synthesized PEDF in CSF. We found that PEDF is significantly increased in CSF of patients with AD, FTD, and bacterial meningitis. Remarkably, PEDF concentrations were also significantly elevated in serum of patients with AD. CSF/serum quotient diagrams demonstrated that elevated PEDF concentrations in CSF of patients with AD are mostly due to elevated PEDF concentrations in serum. These findings underscore the importance of relating concentrations of proteins in CSF to their respective concentrations in serum to avoid erroneous interpretations of increased protein concentrations in lumbar CSF. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Increased knowledge of DNA-binding proteins would enhance our understanding of protein functions in cellular biological processes. To handle the explosive growth of protein sequence data, researchers have developed machine learning-based methods that quickly and accurately predict DNA-binding proteins. In recent years, the predictive accuracy of machine learning-based predictors has significantly advanced, but the predictive performance remains unsatisfactory. In this paper, we establish a novel predictor named Local-DPP, which combines the local Pse-PSSM (Pseudo Position-Specific Scoring Matrix) features with the random forest classifier. The proposed features can efficiently capture the local conservation information, together with the sequence-order information, from the evolutionary profiles (PSSMs). We evaluate and compare the Local-DPP predictor with state-of-the-art predictors on two stringent benchmark datasets (one for the jackknife test, the other for an independent test). The proposed Local-DPP significantly improved the accuracy of the existing predictors, from 77.3% to 79.2% and 76.9% to 79.0% in the jackknife and independent tests, respectively. This demonstrates the efficacy and effectiveness of Local-DPP in predicting DNA-binding proteins. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In recent years there has been an international trend towards installing rainwater tanks in an attempt to save water. This study investigates the possibility of simplifying the process of sizing a rainwater tank for optimal results under constant water demand. The required size of a rainwater tank is influenced by the Mean Annual Precipitation, the size of the roof which is being used for harvesting, the water demand, the desired certainty of supply and the rainfall patterns. The study investigates the use of a generalised equation of the form y = a(x - 1)(b) + c, where x is a runoff parameter, y is a storage parameter and a, b and c are constants which differ for each location, depending on rainfall characteristics. Results obtained using the generalised equation are compared to results obtained by simulating tank behaviour over a 16-year period (1994-2009) at three rainfall stations. The results suggest that such an equation can be used to estimate the storage capacity of a rainwater tank.
To solve problems such as climate change, every little push counts. Community energy schemes are a popular policy targeted to reduce a country's carbon emissions but the effect they have on energy use depends on whether people can work together as a community. We often find ourselves caught in a dilemma: if others are not doing their bit, why should I? In our experiment, participants (N = 118) were matched in groups of 10 to play in a collective-risk game framed as a community energy purchase scheme. They made only one decision about energy use for their virtual household a day, while a full round of the game lasted 1 week in real time. All decisions were entered via personal phone or a home computer. If in the end of the week the group exceeded a pre-paid threshold of energy use all group members would share a fine. Each day participants received feedback about decisions of their group partners, and in some groups the feedback was manipulated as high (unfair condition) or low (fair condition) use. High average group use created individual risk for participants to be penalized in the end of the week, even if they did not use much themselves. We found that under the risk of having to pay a fine, participants stayed significantly below the fair-share threshold regardless of unfair behavior of others. On the contrary, they significantly decreased their consumption toward the end of the game. Seeing that others are doing their bit-using a fair-share-encouraged people to take advantage of the situation: those who played against fair confederates did not follow the normative behavior but conversely, increased their consumption over the course of the game. These opportunistic strategies were demonstrated by impulsive participants who were also low in punishment sensitivity. We discuss the findings in the light of policy research as well as literature on cooperation and prosocial behavior.
Cue reactivity (CR) is an important concept for relapse in substance use disorders (SUD). Although cue exposure (CE) therapy is discussed as relapse prevention, current approaches still need improvement considering its efficacy. From a neurobiological perspective, CR is related to an over-activation in sensitized subcortical structures, their projections to motivationally relevant cortical structures (e.g. orbitofrontal cortex, OFC) and deficient prefrontal inhibitory control. Therefore, we analyzed prefrontal cortical activation and its relation to craving during smoking CE. We focused on the OFC-as a projection area of sensitized subcortical structures-due its importance in the processing of reinforcement value and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) based on its importance for behavioral inhibition. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to assess hemodynamics in prefrontal regions during smoking CE in 24 subjects (n = 12 occasional smokers, n = 12 controls). Subjective craving intensity (minimum craving as marker of baseline inhibition, range as marker of inhibition time course) was additionally assessed. Craving ratings indicated that CR was elicited solely in smokers, not controls. Those subjective ratings correlated with hemodynamic activity in OFC (craving range) and dlPFC (minimum craving). OFC activation was found earlier throughout the CE in smokers compared to controls. Connectivity (seed-based correlation) between OFC and dlPFC was increased in smokers. fNIRS can capture prefrontal hemodynamic activity involved in CR elicited during CE and is therefore a promising method to investigate CR and its implications for relapse prevention in SUD.
A Non-Technical Loss (NTL) fraud occurs when a fraudster tampers with a smart meter so that the meter registers less electricity consumption than the actual consumed amount, and therefore the utility becomes the victim who suffers the corresponding economic loss. In the literature, many detection schemes have been proposed to detect NTL frauds. However, some NTL frauds are far more complicated than what the existing schemes expect. We recently discovered a new potential type of frauds, a variant of NTL frauds, called Colluded Non-Technical Loss (CNTL) frauds in the Smart Grid. In a CNTL fraud, multiple fraudsters can co-exist or collaborate to commit the fraud. Existing detection schemes cannot detect CNTL frauds since these methods do not consider the co-existing or collaborating fraudsters, and therefore cannot distinguish one from many fraudsters. In this paper, we propose a CNTL fraud detector to detect CNTL frauds. The proposed method can quickly detect a tampered meter based on recursive least squares. After identifying the tampered meter, the proposed scheme can detect different fraudsters using mathematical models. Our experiments show that our method is effective in detecting CNTL frauds. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The purpose of the present investigation was to assess whether interpersonal closeness facilitates earlier emotion detection as the emotional expression unfolds. Female undergraduate participants were either paired with a close friend or an acquaintance (n = 92 pairs). Participants viewed morphed movies of their partner and a stranger gradually shifting from a neutral to either a sad, angry, or happy expression. As predicted, findings indicate a closeness advantage. Close friends detected the onset of their partners' angry and sad expressions earlier than acquaintances. Additionally, close friends were more accurate than acquaintances in identifying angry and sad expressions at the onset, particularly in non-vignette conditions when these expressions were void of context. These findings suggest that closeness does indeed facilitate emotional perception, particularly in ambiguous situations for negative emotions.
Aims and objectives. To describe how tracheostomised patients in intensive care experience acts of communication and to better understand their experiences in the context of the transitions theory. Background. Waking up in an intensive care unit unable to speak because of mechanical ventilation can be challenging. Communication aids are available, but patients still report difficulties communicating. Investigating how mechanically ventilated patients experience communication in the context of the transitions theory might elucidate new ways of supporting them during their transitions while being ventilated. Design. A qualitative, descriptive design. Methods. Eleven patients who had previously been tracheostomised in an intensive care unit were included in this quality improvement project conducted in a university hospital in Norway. Participants were tracheostomised from 3-27 days. Semistructured interviews were conducted from June 2013-August 2013, 318 months after hospital discharge. Transcripts were analysed using inductive content analysis. Results. Participants reported a great diversity of emotions and experiences attempting to communicate while being tracheostomised. One overarching theme emerging from the analysis was the 'Experience of caring and understanding despite having uncomfortable feelings due to troublesome communication.' The theme consists of three categories. The category 'Emotionally challenging' shows that patients struggled initially. With time, their coping improved, as revealed in the category 'The experience changes with time.' Despite difficulties, participants described positive experiences, as shown in the category 'Successful communication.' Conclusion. The importance of patients experiencing caring and understanding despite their difficult situation constitutes the core finding. The findings suggest that participants went through different transitions. Some reached the end of their transition, experiencing increased stability. Relevance to clinical practice. Despite challenges with communication, participants reported that caring and safety provided by health care professionals were significant experiences. They viewed nonverbal communication as being very important.
The transfer of mass between a slender drop and a liquid in an axisymmetric extensional flow, at zero Peclet numbers, is theoretically studied. We allow the external flow to have a small (but not zero) amount of inertia. The problem is governed by three dimensionless parameters: the capillary number (Can >>1), the viscosity ratio (lambda << 1) and the external Reynolds number (Re << 1). It is shown that the shape of the drop is, at first approximation, a slender spindle suggesting the usage of the bispherical coordinate system. Applying the method presented by Szego and Pyne, for the electrostatic capacity of a spindle, an analytical solution containing tonal functions is obtained. The results show that, as the capillary number or the Reynolds number increase, the drop becomes thinner and longer, the surface area increases, resulting in larger mass transfer rates, with the capillary number being the most influential parameter. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The parasitic weed, Striga gesnerioides, is a major threat to cowpea productivity throughout the savannas of West and Central Africa. The identification of sources of S. gesnerioides resistance and their incorporation into breeding programs would be a beneficial strategy to combat the devastation caused by the parasite in cowpea fields. In this study we examined one hundred and ninety-four (194) accessions, four commercial varieties and two controls collected from a mini core collection of cowpea held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture genebank for resistance to S. gesnerioides race 3 (SG3), the most prevalent race in Nigeria, using phenotypic screening and molecular marker analysis. Our studies identified two cowpea accessions, Tvu-1272 and Tvu-16514, that are resistant to S. gesnerioides SG3. Resistance in these lines is associated with the molecular marker SSR1, known to segregate with the gene conferring resistance to SG3 in the cultivar B301. Phenotypically, resistance in Tvu-1272 and Tvu-16514 is expressed as a hypersensitive response at the site of infection on the roots. Allelism tests indicated that the gene that conferring SG3 resistance in Tvu-1272 is independent of that conferring resistance in B301. Tvu-1272 and Tvu-16514 will provide additional new sources of resistance to Striga and races prevalent in Nigeria.
Given the varied benefits of using the simulation packages such as; cost efficiency, time, risk mitigation, greater insights and user friendliness of systems. It has been extensively used in many application domains such as defense, airports, manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare. Currently, due to the increasing numbers of simulation software packages available in the market, it is often challenging to choose a suitable package that meets users' demands. Researchers have leveraged many assessment methods and techniques to facilitate the evaluation and selection process of the simulation packages. This paper provides a survey corroborated from researcher's contributions to simplify the selection process of simulation packages. Also, discerns the evaluation methods and techniques for simulation packages found in the literature. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A three-year field experiment was conducted to determine how integrating different furrow-applied mulches would influence the yield and water use efficiency (WUE) for corn (Zea mays L.) cultivated under a plastic-covered ridge and furrow rainwater harvesting (PRFRH) system in semi-arid lands of China's Loess Plateau. The effect of the mulching treatments in combination with PRFRH was compared to the conventional flat (control, T-1). The furrow-applied mulching treatments and their designation were: none or bare furrow (T-2); liquid film (T-3); 8% biodegradable film (T-4); 10-cm thick layer of corn stover (T-5); and 0.08mm thick plastic film (T-6). Corn was planted in the furrows on either side of the plastic-covered ridges of the plots for treatments T-2 though T-6. Soil moisture was measured gravimetrically on auger samples taken at 6 locations in each plot at intervals of 20cm from the 0 to 200cm depth. In all years, soil moisture storage at the 0100cm depth was significantly higher (pT-4>T-3>T-2>T-5>T-1, indicating that mulching most likely reduced soil evaporation losses and suggesting that integrated PRFRH+mulch systems has potential to increase crop sustainability in this semiarid region.
Visual perception is a fundamental component for most robotics systems operating in human environments. Specifically, visual recognition is a prerequisite to a large variety of tasks such as tracking, manipulation, human-robot interaction. As a consequence, the lack of successful recognition often becomes a bottleneck for the application of robotics system to real-world situations. In this paper we aim at improving the robot visual perception capabilities in a natural, human-like fashion, with a very limited amount of constraints to the acquisition scenario. In particular our goal is to build and analyze a learning system that can rapidly be re-trained in order to incorporate new evidence if available. To this purpose, we review the state-of-the-art coding-pooling pipelines for visual recognition and propose two modifications which allow us to improve the quality of the representation, while maintaining real-time performances: a coding scheme, Best Code Entries (BCE), and a new pooling operator, Mid-Level Classification Weights (MLCW). The former focuses entirely on sparsity and improves the stability and computational efficiency of the coding phase, the latter increases the discriminability of the visual representation, and therefore the overall recognition accuracy of the system, by exploiting data supervision. The proposed pipeline is assessed from a qualitative perspective on a Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) application on the iCub platform. Quantitative evaluation of the proposed system is performed both on in-house robotics data sets (iCubWorld) and on established computer vision benchmarks (Caltech-256, PASCAL VOC 2007). As a byproduct of this work, we provide for the robotics community an implementation of the proposed visual recognition pipeline which can be used as perceptual layer for more complex robotics applications. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Uric acid is the primary end product from purine derivatives in human metabolism. Excessive production of uric acid may lead to gout, hyperuricemia and kidney disorder: Different analytical methods for uric acid such as Colorimetry, commercial enzyme electrode and commercially available uric acid kit are used widely. The main purpose of this research was to develop,a screen printed electrode based uric acid biosensor using gelatin immobilized uricase enzyme extracted from Comamonas sp. BTUA. The enzyme catalyzed oxidation of uric acid in presence of oxygen, producing allantoin and hydrogen peroxide. The linearity of the standard curve in the concentration ranges from 5.94 x 10(-6) to 4.75 x 10(-4) molar was satisfactory and could be used for the quantitative determination of uric acid in human serum samples. The limit of detection (LOD) was 2.26 mu M and sensitivity was evaluated as 3.31 nA mu M-1 of uric acid. One Modified electrode could be used for six measurements with 95%. accuracy up to 25 days. The developed biosensor was easy to use, inexpensive, sensitive and reliable.
Parabens are used as preservatives in personal care and consumer products, food and pharmaceuticals. Their use is controversial because of possible endocrine disrupting properties. In this study, we investigated metabolism and urinary excretion of methyl paraben (MeP), iso-butyl paraben (iso-BuP) and n-butyl paraben (n-BuP) after oral dosage of deuterium-labeled analogs (10 mg). Each volunteer received one dosage per investigated paraben separately and at least 2 weeks apart. Consecutive urine samples were collected over 48 h. In addition to the parent parabens (free and conjugated) which are already used as biomarkers of internal exposure and the known but non-specific metabolites, p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) and p-hydroxyhippuric acid (PHHA), we identified new, oxidized metabolites with hydroxy groups on the alkyl side chain (3OH-n-BuP and 2OH-iso-BuP) and species with oxidative modifications on the aromatic ring. MeP represented 17.4 % of the dose excreted in urine, while iso-BuP represented only 6.8 % and n-BuP 5.6 %. Additionally, for iso-BuP, about 16 % was excreted as 2OH-iso-BuP and for n-BuP about 6 % as 3OH-n-BuP. Less than 1 % was excreted as ring-hydroxylated metabolites. In all cases, PHHA was identified as the major but non-specific metabolite (57.2-63.8 %). PHBA represented 3.0-7.2 %. For all parabens, the majority of the oral dose captured by the above metabolites was excreted in the first 24 h (80.5-85.3 %). Complementary to the parent parabens excreted in urine, alkyl-chain-oxidized metabolites of the butyl parabens are introduced as valuable and contamination-free biomarkers of exposure.
Purpose of reviewMultiple disease processes, including neoplasia, trauma, and medication side-effects, necessitate segmental resection and subsequent reconstruction of the mandible. As surgical techniques have advanced, several technologies have been developed with the potential to significantly transform a surgeon's approach to the restoration of mandibular continuity. The purpose of this review is to highlight many of these relatively newer tools and discuss their evolving role in mandibular reconstruction.Recent findingsSeveral contemporary studies have documented the application of different approaches and modifications to mandibular reconstruction - including computer-aided design or computer-aided modeling, contemporary plating systems, osseointegrated implants, and various modifications to existing osseocutaneous free tissue transfer options - and have reported relatively high success rates.SummaryIn discussing these reports, we present a survey of current and developing technologies in the field of mandibular reconstruction and aim to provide sufficient context for the gradual integration of these techniques into practice.
The Internet of Things (IoT) makes smart objects the ultimate building blocks in the development of cyber-physical smart pervasive frameworks. The IoT has a variety of application domains, including health care. The IoT revolution is redesigning modern health care with promising technological, economic, and social prospects. This paper surveys advances in IoT-based health care technologies and reviews the state-of-the-art network architectures/platforms, applications, and industrial trends in IoT-based health care solutions. In addition, this paper analyzes distinct IoT security and privacy features, including security requirements, threat models, and attack taxonomies from the health care perspective. Further, this paper proposes an intelligent collaborative security model to minimize security risk; discusses how different innovations such as big data, ambient intelligence, and wearables can be leveraged in a health care context; addresses various IoT and eHealth policies and regulations across the world to determine how they can facilitate economies and societies in terms of sustainable development; and provides some avenues for future research on IoT-based health care based on a set of open issues and challenges.
The influence of the calendaring process of nonwoven geotextiles on the water permeability normal to their planes, including influence of different loads, as well as pore characteristics investigated by two different methods has been studied. Methods of pore characteristics differ in obtaining different pore parameters. Two groups of samples were produced whereas first group is bonded by needle punching, while second group is needle punched samples taken from first group and additionally bonded by calendaring. Mass per unit area for both groups is in range of 150 to 500g/m(2), with increasing by 50g/m(2) for the next sample within groups. Calendaring process decrease water permeability of geotextile, but also decreases interval of geotextile water permeability change due to the applied pressure. Calendared geotextiles have controlled and predictable compressibility, respectively structure which will not significantly change in the practical application.
We analysed the extent of ecological damage of gully and inter-gully erosion in a sub-catchment situated in the drylands (300mmyr(-1)) of the winter rainfall area of South Africa where small-stock farming on rangeland is the main source of income. We applied low-cost measures to revegetate the bare sites of the inter-gully erosion and stabilised gully erosion by loosening soil surfaces and applying geotextile and constructing check dams to reverse gully erosion. We compared vegetation cover, silt accumulation and penetration resistance of the soil upslope of the check dams with the situation downslope of the check dams and untreated gullies as controls. For the treated bare patches, we compared penetration resistance and vegetation cover with untreated controls. Two years after implementation, the restoration measures resulted in increased soil depth and vegetation cover upslope of the check dams and increased vegetation cover on the treated bare patches. We calculated the net present value of the restoration measures based on the financial benefit that a landowner can realistically expect under current economic and governance conditions (i.e. payment for additional livestock and for C sequestration). At the current rates of return for livestock production or carbon sequestration over a 20-year period, rehabilitation of this sort is not financially feasible for private landowners. Either the current payment for carbon sequestration would have to be increased by a magnitude of 40-80, or restoration measures would have to be funded by the public or private sector to make them financially viable for landowners. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reasoning about physical properties of objects such as heaviness by observing others' actions toward them is important and useful for adapting to the environment. In this study, we asked whether domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) can use a human's action to infer a physical property of target objects. In Experiment 1, dogs watched an experimenter opening two differently loaded swinging doors with different corresponding degrees of effort, and then were allowed to open one of the doors. Dogs chose randomly between the two doors. In Experiment 2, we gave new dogs the same test as in Experiment 1, but only after giving them experience of opening the doors by themselves, so that they already knew that the doors could be either light or heavy. In this test the dogs reliably chose the light door. These results indicate that dogs are able to infer physical characteristics of objects from the latters' movement caused by human action, but that this inferential reasoning requires direct own experience of the objects. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common kidney malignancies. An upgraded comprehension of the molecular biology implicated in the development of cancer has stimulated an increase in research and development of innovative antitumor therapies. The aim of the study was to analyze the medical literature for hypertension and renal toxicities as the adverse events of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway inhibitor (anti-VEGF) therapy. Relevant studies were identified in PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. Eligible studies were phase III and IV prospective clinical trials, meta-analyses and retrospective studies that had described events of hypertension or nephrotoxicity for patients who received anti-VEGF therapy. A total of 48 studies were included in the systematic review. The incidence of any grade hypertension ranged from 17% to 49.6%. Proteinuria and increased creatinine levels were ascertained in 8% to 73% and 5% to 65.6% of patients, respectively. These adverse events are most often mild in severity but may sometimes lead to treatment discontinuation. Nephrotoxicity and hypertension are related to multiple mechanisms; however, one of the main disturbances in those patients is VEGF inhibition. There is a significant risk of developing hypertension and renal dysfunction among patients receiving anti-VEGF treatment; however, there is also some evidence that these side effects may be used as biomarkers of response to antiangiogenic agents.
The refractive index is crucial in determining the detailed nature of the propagation of the electromagnetic waves in a medium. There is a growing demand for high resolution measurement of the refractive index because newly synthesized materials are usually small and optical devices and the elements of metamateirals are being miniaturized. In addition, the inhomogeneous broadening effects of organic materials cannot be described by the mathematical dielectric models, which are essential to extract the refractive index from conventional spectroscopic measurements. Here, we present a novel method called surface plasmonometry, which extracts the complex refractive index of a material using surface plasmons without any dielectric models. By changing the length of the nanoslot antennas, various plasmon modes are excited and coupled to the target material, which becomes a unique characteristic of the refractive index. Since the optical parameters can be extracted at each wavelength through a machine learning algorithm, mathematical dielectric models are not necessary. Furthermore, with the table-top Fourier transform infrared source and detector, we achieve 10 000 times enhancement of lateral resolution compared to conventional ellipsometry owing to the extreme locality of the surface plasmon and the normal incidence geometry. We also successfully demonstrate the label-free detection of the protein bilayer by surface plasmonometry, which opens an exciting new biosensing platform.
In the present work, the dynamic behavior of inertial fibers suspended in a turbulent vertical channel flow has been investigated. The three-dimensional turbulent flow field was obtained from the Navier-Stokes equations by means of direct numerical simulation in an Eulerian reference frame. The fibers were modeled as prolate spheroidal particles in a Lagrangian frame and characterized by their inertia and shape. The translation and rotation of the individual fibers were governed by viscous forces and torques as well as by gravity and buoyancy according to Newton's laws of motion. The test matrix comprised four different Stokes numbers (inertia) and three different aspect ratios (shape). The twelve different fiber types were suspended both in a downward and in an upward channel flow. Fiber orientation and velocity statistics were compared with channel flow results in absence of gravity. The results showed that gravity has a negligible effect for fibers with modest inertia, i.e. low Stokes numbers, whereas gravity turned out to have a major impact on the dynamics of highly inertial fibers. Irrespective of the bulk flow direction, a preferential alignment of the inertial fibers with the gravity force was found in the channel center where fibers have been known to orient randomly in absence of gravity. In the downward channel flow, the drift velocity of the fibers towards the walls was substantially higher for fibers than for spheres and also higher than when gravity was neglected. In the upward flow configuration, the modest drift velocity of inertial spheres was totally quenched for all fibers irrespective of shape. The suppressed drift velocity resulted in a more uniform fiber distribution throughout the channel as compared to the distinct near-wall accumulation in downward flow and in absence of gravity. This suggests that an upward flow configuration should be the preferred choice if a uniform fiber distribution is desired, as in a biomass combustion reactor. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model of power spinning 5A06 aluminum alloy cylinder with longitudinal and hoop ribs is established. It reveals the laws of the stress and strain distribution of the longitudinal and hoop ribs in the spinning process, provides a theoretical guidance for the further optimization of process parameters for manufacturing engineering. The 5A06 aluminum alloy cylinder validated testes are through three stages. The first is to study spinning forming of the ten longitudinal ribs. The second is to study spinning forming ten longitudinal ribs and a hoop combined rib. The third is to study spinning forming qualified samples with ten longitudinal ribs and four hoop combined ribs. Optimization aspect of the aluminum alloy reinforced spinning parameters are obtained through simulation analysis and experimental verification, to provide an ideal theoretical guidance for further material application and production.
In addition to the classical exploitation as a means for checking process enactment conformance, process models may be precious for making various kinds of predictions about the process enactment itself (e.g., which activities will be carried out next, or which of a set of candidate processes is actually being executed). These predictions may be much more important, but much more hard to be obtained as well, in less common applications of process mining, such as those related to Ambient Intelligence. Also, the prediction performance may provide indirect indications on the correctness and reliability of a process model. This paper proposes a way to make these kinds of predictions using the WoMan framework for workflow management, that has proved to be able to handle complex processes. Experimental results on different domains suggest that the prediction ability of WoMan is noteworthy and may be useful to support the users in carrying out their processes.
This paper explores the proposal that there is a close link between counterfactual thinking and lying. Both require the imagination of alternatives to reality and we describe four studies which explore this link. In Study 1 we measured individual differences in both abilities and found that individuals with a tendency to generate counterfactual thoughts were also more likely to generate potential lies. Studies 2 and 3 showed that counterfactual availability influences people's ability to come up with lies and the extent to which they expect others to lie. Study 4 used a behaviotiral measure of deception to show that people tend to lie more in situations also known to elicit counterfactual thoughts. Overall, the results show that the imagination of alternatives to the past plays an important role in the generation of lies. We discuss the implications for the fields of counterfactual thinking and deception. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Integrating micro-flood irrigation with in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) was proposed and experiments were conducted in the 2007-2008 production season at Parady's Experimental Farm of the University of the Free State, South Africa. Three water regimes, dryland (DL), supplemental (SPI), and full irrigation (FI), were tested with 1, 2, and 3m runoff strip width (RSW) to determine their effects on soil water balance components for the integrated IRWH. Four blocks with nine subplots were prepared for the 3x3 split plot factorial experimental design. Plots were 30m long with a standard 1m width. Site specific data were used to estimate rainfall-runoff and deep drainage functions. Soil water content (SWC) was measured with a Neutron water meter. Evapo-transpiration (ET) was partitioned into evaporation and transpiration using a beta parameter. Deep drainage was the least significantly affected. Rainfalls not less than 24mm had significantly higher gains on change in SWC for the 2m and 3m RSW. During dry spells these RSWs had significantly higher SWC deficit. For the vegetative and reproductive growth stages evaporation from the 3m RSW constituted not less than 60% of ET compared to less than 40% from 1m RSW. The 1m RSW had significantly higher ET and T, irrespective of water regime with the highest values from irrigation treatments. The 1m RSW can, therefore, be used with either FI or SPI to optimize soil water balance for the integrated IRWH water management.
In Gentry's fully homomorphic encryption scheme, a sparse subset sum problem (SSSP) is used and a big set is included in the public key. In the implementation of a variant, to reduce the size of the public key, Gentry and Halevi used a specific form of a SSSP constructed from geometric progressions. In this study, the authors solve Gentry and Halevi's sparse subset sum challenges for the first time. Owing to the aggressive choice of parameters, the process is fairly easy and can be done by simply modifying their lattice-based attack. Their experiment shows that even a large challenge can be solved within two days. As a second contribution, considering other attacks such as a hybrid attack combining a meet in the middle attack with a lattice-based attack, they provide a new condition for hard instances of the SSSP from geometric progressions.
Background: In clinical practice, laboratory results are often important for making diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic decisions. Interpreting individual results relies on accurate reference intervals and decision limits. Despite the considerable amount of resources in clinical medicine spent on elderly patients, accurate reference intervals for the elderly are rarely available. The SENIORLAB study set out to determine reference intervals in the elderly by investigating a large variety of laboratory parameters in clinical chemistry, hematology, and immunology. Methods/design: The SENIORLAB study is an observational, prospective cohort study. Subjectively healthy residents of Switzerland aged 60 years and older were included for baseline examination (n=1467), where anthropometric measurements were taken, medical history was reviewed, and a fasting blood sample was drawn under optimal preanalytical conditions. More than 110 laboratory parameters were measured, and a biobank was set up. The study participants are followed up every 3 to 5 years for quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. The primary aim is to evaluate different laboratory parameters at age-related reference intervals. The secondary aims of this study include the following: identify associations between different parameters, identify diagnostic characteristics to diagnose different circumstances, identify the prevalence of occult disease in subjectively healthy individuals, and identify the prognostic factors for the investigated outcomes, including mortality. Discussion: To obtain better grounds to justify clinical decisions, specific reference intervals for laboratory parameters of the elderly are needed. Reference intervals are obtained from healthy individuals. A major obstacle when obtaining reference intervals in the elderly is the definition of health in seniors because individuals without any medical condition and any medication are rare in older adulthood. Reference intervals obtained from such individuals cannot be considered representative for seniors in a status of age-specific normal health. In addition to the established methods for determining reference intervals, this longitudinal study utilizes a unique approach, in that survival and long-term well-being are taken as indicators of health in seniors. This approach is expected to provide robust and representative reference intervals that are obtained from an adequate reference population and not a collective of highly selected individuals.
The use of convex relaxations has lately gained considerable interest in Power Systems. These relaxations play a major role in providing quality guarantees for non-convex optimization problems. For the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem, the semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation is known to produce tight lower bounds. Unfortunately, SDP solvers still suffer from a lack of scalability. In this work, we introduce an exact reformulation of the SDP relaxation, formed by a set of polynomial constraints defined in the space of real variables. The new constraints can be seen as cuts, strengthening weaker second-order cone relaxations, and can be generated in a lazy iterative fashion. The new formulation can be handled by standard nonlinear programming solvers, enjoying better stability and computational efficiency. This new approach benefits from recent results on tree-decomposition methods, reducing the dimension of the underlying SDP matrices. As a side result, we present a formulation of Kirchhoff's Voltage Law in the SDP space and reveal the existing link between these cycle constraints and the original SDP relaxation for three dimensional matrices. Preliminary results show a significant gain in computational efficiency compared to a standard SDP solver approach.
In this paper, two quantum key agreement protocols are proposed, which can resist against the collective-dephasing noise and the collective-rotation noise, respectively. These two protocols mainly utilize logical quantum states, the measurement correlation property of multi-particle entangled states and the delayed measurement technique. Moreover, they have no information leakage and are congenitally free from the Trojan horse attacks. The use of the decoy state technology and the delayed measurement technique makes them secure against both participant and outsider attacks. The efficiency analysis shows that the two protocols are very efficient.
Ullrich, Krueger, Brod, and Groschupf (2013)-using a replication of the trait paradigm from Norton, Frost, and Ariely (2007)-suggest that less information does not always equal greater liking. We first ground the current debate in a larger historical debate in social psychology regarding the merits of configural versus algebraic models of person perception. We next review (a) related research that has suggested that more information can in some cases lead to more liking and (b) a large body of real world data-from friendships, daters, married couples, employment, celebrities, and politics-that suggests that more information often leads to less liking. We then provide an additional replication of our less is more effect, using a slight variation of the trait-list paradigm. The existing data suggest a need for further integrative explorations of when familiarity leads to contempt or liking or has no effect.
Spondyloarthritis represents a heterogeneous group of articular inflammatory diseases that share common genetic, clinical and radiological features. Recently, novel insights into the epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment of these diseases have been provided. Herewith, we present an overview of the most significant literature contributions published over the past year.
It is well known that Japan has successfully dealt with severe water pollution that was caused during its rapid economic growth. The lessons learned by Japan, the technological developments that emerged and the policy measures Japan devised to cope with its pollution are shared widely with Asian countries that now face severe water pollution associated with economic growth. However, this information has been basically qualitative in nature. In this paper we discuss the potential of using patent data and perform analyses to substantiate the insights such data can yield in order to provide more quantitative information on historical trends in the development of essential technologies in this field. Specifically, we demonstrate an approach using patent data to verify the historical development of wastewater and sewage sludge treatment technologies over the past 50 years in Japan. We examined relevant patent data from 1961 onward and addressed technological development trends in relation to societal changes and the implementation of governmental policies during that period. As an example of the substantiating analysis, we applied principal component analysis and text mining to review the trends in a systematic manner. We demonstrate that the emergence of such developments can be closely associated with societal background factors such as the adoption of relevant governmental policies. We argue that this kind of patent data analysis, coupled with other essential data, can yield clues to the evolution of relevant technologies in the past, leading to useful implications for environmental management of economically developing nations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Security and privacy issues are magnified by velocity, volume, and variety of big data. User's privacy is an even more sensitive topic attracting most people's attention. While XcodeGhost, a malware of iOS emerging in late 2015, leads to the privacy-leakage of a large number of users, only a few studies have examined XcodeGhost based on its source code. In this paper we describe observations by monitoring the network activities for more than 2.59 million iPhone users in a provincial area across 232 days. Our analysis reveals a number of interesting points. For example, we propose a decay model for the prevalence rate of XcodeGhost and we find that the ratio of the infected devices is more than 60%; that a lot of popular applications, such as Wechat, railway 12306, didi taxi, Youku video are also infected; and that the duration as well as the traffic volume of most XcodeGhost-related HTTP-requests is similar with usual HTTP-request which makes it difficult to be found. Besides, we propose a heuristic model based on fingerprint and its web-knowledge to identify the infected applications. The identifying result shows the efficiency of this model.
Assessment of attack surface is a formidable challenge for the present-day dynamic networks. Essentially, attack surface (of a computer network) is a subset of network configuration and vulnerabilities that an adversary can use to compromise the target network in an incremental fashion. There are a large number of metrics available for network security risk assessment. However, they fail to measure temporal variation in the network attack surface. To overcome this problem, we propose graph distance metrics based on the Maximum Common Subgraph (MCS) and Graph Edit Distance (GED). In particular, we make use of classical graph distance metrics to quantify the distance between a pair of successive attack graphs generated for a dynamic network. Since the attack graph is capable of successfully capturing the attack surface of an underlying network, the distance between a pair of consecutive attack graphs (generated over the observed sampling interval) indicates the change in the network attack surface. To validate the efficacy and usability of graph distance metrics proposed in this study, we have tested 11 different metrics on a set of 3 different network models, viz., Flat, External-Internal, and DMZ. Experimental results show that MCS and GED based graph distance metrics successfully capture the temporal variation in the attack surface and also generate an alert about the security events which are responsible for the change. Using such graph distance metrics, we can pinpoint the events that cause a significant change in the network attack surface, locate most dangerous hosts in the network and the effect of increasing vulnerabilities further on these hosts. The advantage of using these metrics is that they scale polynomially with the graphs size and are independent of the graphs topology. It is also evident from the test results that the performance of MCS and GED based metrics is almost similar and hence the computation of one metric is enough to detect temporal variation in the network attack surface. The MCS and GED based graph distance metrics are oblivious to the AND semantic between the initial conditions in the attack graphs. Thus, there is a scope for improving their performance (sensitivity) by considering the AND semantic. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Capacitor current feedback active damping is extensively used in grid-connected converters with an LCL filter. However, systems tends to become unstable when the digital control delay is taken into account, especially in low switching frequencies. This paper discusses this issue by deriving a discrete model with a digital control delay and by presenting the stable region of an active damping loop from high to low switching frequencies. In order to overcome the disadvantage of capacitor current feedback active damping, this paper proposes a modified approach using grid current and converter current for feedback. This can expand the stable region and provide sufficient active damping whether in high or low switching frequencies. By applying the modified approach, the active damping loop can be simplified from fourth-order into second-order, and the design of the grid current loop can be simplified. The modified approach can work well when the grid impedance varies. Both the active damping performance and the dynamic performance of the current loop are verified by simulations and experimental results.
Public-key infrastructure (PKI) is based on public-key certificates and is the most widely used mechanism for trust and key management. However, standard PKI validation and revocation mechanisms are considered major reasons for its unsuitability for delay/disruption tolerant networking (DTN). DTN requires mechanism to authenticate messages at each node before forwarding it in the network. So, certificate revocation lists (CRLs) being distributed in DTN network will need to be authenticated and validated for issuer certificate authority (CA) at each node. In this study, the authors propose new validation and revocation mechanism which is compliant with DTN semantics and protocols. This study also proposes a new design for CRL in compliance with standard PKI X.509 standard to make the proposed mechanism easy to implement for DTN. The new designed CRL is of reduced size as it contains fewer entries as compared with standard X.509 CRL and also arranges the revocation list in the form of hash table (map) to increase the searching efficiency.
As one of the most classic fields in computer vision, image categorization has attracted widespread interests. Numerous algorithms have been proposed in the community, and many of them have advanced the state-of-the-art. However, most existing algorithms are designed without consideration for the supply of computing resources. Therefore, when dealing with resource constrained tasks, these algorithms will fail to give satisfactory results. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive and in-depth introduction of recent developments of the research in image categorization with resource constraints. While a large portion is based on our own work, we will also give a brief description of other elegant algorithms. Furthermore, we make an investigation into the recent developments of deep neural networks, with a focus on resource constrained deep nets.
Although managing fairness is a critical concern for organizations, not all managers are predisposed to enact high levels of fairness. Emerging empirical evidence suggests that personality characteristics can be an important antecedent of managers' fair behavior. However, relatively little attention has been devoted to understand how to promote fairness among managers who are naturally predisposed to engage in lower levels of fairness. Building upon self-awareness theory, we argue that increasing managers' self-awareness can motivate managers with low trait empathy to engage in greater levels of justice. We test the interactive effects of trait empathy and state self-awareness using an experimental study (N = 76) in which individuals were asked to communicate negative news. In support of our hypothesis, our results indicate that increasing self-awareness through self-focusing situations can help promote interactional justice when communicating negative news for individuals with low trait empathy. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Social categories and correlating stereotypes are acquired over the course of socialization. They influence the person perception, the quality of social relations and therefore also the process of trust building in a significant way. Nevertheless in the context of trust research the influence of the complex confounding individual characteristics and multidimensional categorization processes for social co-operations are widely disregarded. Based on the differential theory of trust the current article captures this research gap, illustrates perspectives and theoretical coherences for further research activities in view of the actual debate on intersectionality. Furthermore, possible practical implications will be elucidated for strategies of diversity management.
The influence of the reaction conditions in the synthesis of HCN polymers in water at low temperature has been analyzed. The thermal stability of the HCN polymers obtained from aqueous solutions and under inert atmosphere was evaluated by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) techniques. In addition, in situ mass spectrometry (MS) was employed to investigate the characteristic functional groups of the decomposition residues at different temperatures. The structural complexity of this polymericsolid is reflected in the DTG curves, hence a peak deconvolution procedure was applied. The deconvolution revealed that the complex thermal decomposition of HCN samples occurs in multiple overlapping processes, not perceptible in the curves of weight loss, which were influenced by the differences in the polymerization conditions. In addition, the great molecular diversity found in this macromolecular system is also maintained in the DSC thermograms. The deconvolution of the DTG curves provided a strong fingerprint of the HCN polymers together with the DSC as a complementary mark. Although the full structures of the HCN polymers are not yet revealed, the deconvolution of the thermal curves provides an excellent signature for comparative purposes. The profile of the DTG and DSC curves can not only help design HCN polymers with specific properties but also help interpret remote-sensing observations of comets, meteorites and samples from different planetary environments. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Numerous papers have been published on the advantage to use ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting enthesitis for diagnosing and managing patients with spondyloarthritis. This paper describes the latest advances in the imaging of enthesitis. A research agenda has also been defined for answering unmet clinical needs.
Longitudinal dispersion coefficient can be determined by experimental procedures in natural streams. Many theoretical and empirical equations that are based on hydraulic and geometric characteristics have been developed from the field experiments of longitudinal dispersion coefficient. Regression analysis, which carries some restrictive, assumptions such as linearity, normality and homoscedasticity, was used to derive some of these equations. Generally speaking, results obtained from regression analyses are not that accurate as these assumptions are often not satisfied completely. In this study, a method called Prediction Map (PM) is developed based on geostatistics to predict longitudinal dispersion coefficient from measured discharge values, shear velocities, and other conventional parameters of the hydraulic variables and normalized velocity with the objective of overcoming the drawbacks indicated above. As part of this method, a new procedure called Iterative Error Training Procedure (IETP) was developed to minimize prediction error. The prediction error level was reduced after implementing the IETP PM was compared with various regression models by taking analyzed errors (average relative error percentage and root mean square error), coefficient of efficiency, coefficient of determination and Scatter Index as performance evaluation criteria. The results of the study indicate that the PM approach can perform very well in predicting longitudinal dispersion coefficient by applying IETP. The presented approach yielded lower average relative error percentage, root mean square error and Scatter Indices, and higher coefficient of efficiency and coefficient of determination values compared to the regression models. One of the important advantages of the PM method is that valuable interpretations and a prediction map can be extracted from the resulting contour maps, and as a result, more accurate predictions can be obtained compared to regression analysis. (C) 2016 International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research, Asia Pacific Division. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this work a classical derivation of fractional order circuits models is presented. Generalised constitutive equations in terms of fractional Riemann-Liouville derivatives are introduced in the Maxwell's equations for each circuit element. Next the Kirchhoff voltage law is applied in a RCL circuit configuration. It is shown that from basic properties of Fractional Calculus, a fractional differential equation model with Caputo derivatives is obtained. Thus standard initial conditions apply. Finally, models for bioimpedance are revisited. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Research was carried out for the appraisal of toxic and anti-enzymetic action of acetone extracts of Datura inoxia and Azadirachta indica against Tribolium castaneum, Trogoderma granarium and Sitophilus granarius in the grain research training and storage management cell of department of entomology and in protein molecular biology laboratory (PMBL) department of biochemistry (UAF) during the year 2014. Various dilution levels viz., 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 and 20.0% of both plants extracts were assessed against test insects. Toxic effect of plant extracts in T. castaneum, T. granarium and S. granarius was observed after an exposure period of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days while inhibition of different enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a-carboxylesterase (alpha-CE), beta-carboxylesterase (beta-CE), acid phosphatases (ACP) and alkaline phosphatases (ALP) were calculated spectrophotometrically in the survivors of toxicity assay. The results evidenced that both plant extracts had lethal effects against three stored grain insect species. Comparison of means of mortality in T. castaneum, T. granarium and S. granarius proved that A. indica extract was more effective, causing maximum 38.41, 24.35 and 28.56% mortality, respectively. D. inoxia resulted in 15.12, 13.52 and 14.07% maximum mortality in T. castaneum, T. granarium and S. granarius, respectively. The results also revealed significant inhibition of AChE, alpha-CE, beta-CE, ACP and ALP upon exposure to various concentrations of tested plants. Plant extract of A. indica proved more efficient for the inhibition of all test enzymes in three stored grain insect pests. The results suggest the ability of using these plants extracts for wheat flour and grains protection as a safe alternative to insecticides.
Ambient intelligence techniques and smart Internet of Things objects are empowering healthcare professionals to provide better services based on improved vitalsigns data enriched with contextual information. In this paper, we provide an overview of current solutions and propose a new taxonomy for ambient and health sensor data, based on three selected metrics. The proposed UNCHAIN architecture provides a ubiquitous communication system designed to grant seamless integration of current sensor solutions, and to maximize two identified limitations: range and autonomy. Finally, the proposed architecture is validated through a hardware implementation, with impressive results in terms of energy efficiency.
Recent scholarship has declared multiculturalism to be in retreat, yet multiculturalist discourses and practices remain salient in many realms of social reproduction. This paper explores multiculturalism in predominantly white churches in the U.S. South, a region that has seen significant demographic transformations due to immigration. Church outreach to immigrants draws on theologies that reject racial prejudice and that call for the accommodation and celebration of cultural differences. Drawing on qualitative research with pastors and congregants, this article explores how multiculturalist practice is both re-working and reinforcing existing social relationships in Christian faith communities. Multiculturalist practices, we show, disrupt racialized hierarchies long embedded in white churches. But they simultaneously leave racialized distinctions and inequalities intact, in part by maintaining separation between immigrants and non-immigrants. This case illustrates the everyday politics of multiculturalism and the ways in which the boundaries of social membership take shape in ordinary, seemingly non-political spaces.
The study of metal bioaccumulation in the gills of European chub (Squalius cephalus) was conducted in September 2009 at the medium-sized rural river Sutla, characterized by agricultural and municipal type of water contamination. The concentration ranges were established for the first time in the soluble, metabolically available fractions of chub gills for 12 metals, which are environmentally extremely relevant and yet only seldom studied, as follows in a decreasing order: K, 225-895 mg L-1; Na, 78-366 mg L-1; Ca, 19-62 mg L-1; Mg, 13-47 mg L-1; Rb, 164-1762 mu g L-1; Sr, 24-81 mu g L-1; Ba, 13-67 mu g L-1; Mo, 1.3-16 mu g L-1; Co, 0.7-2.7 mu g L-1; Li, 0.4-2.2 mu g L-1; Cs, 0.2-1.9 mu g L-1; and V, 0.1-1.8 mu g L-1. The concentrations of Fe (1.6-6.4 mg L-1) and Mn (16-69 mu g L-1) were also determined and were in agreement with previous reports. By application of general linear modelling, the influence of different abiotic (metal exposure level) and biotic parameters (fish sex, age, size and condition) on metal bioaccumulation was tested. It was established that bioaccumulation of many metals in fish depended on various physiological conditions, wherein Ba could be singled out as metal exhibiting the strongest association with one of biotic parameters, being significantly higher in smaller fish. However, it was also undoubtedly demonstrated that the concentrations of three metals can be applied as reliable indicators of metal exposure even in the conditions of low or moderate water contamination, such as observed in the Sutla River, and those were nonessential elements Li and Cs and essential element Fe. The results of our study present an important contribution to maintenance of high ecological status of European freshwaters, through enrichment of knowledge on the bioaccumulation of various metals in gills of European chub as frequently applied bioindicator species in monitoring of water pollution.
In this work, the multimode optical fiber size effects on the performances of the clad-modified fiber with ZnO nanorods relative humidity (RH) sensor were experimentally investigated. Simple and controlled chemical etching method through on line monitoring was used to prepare different fiber waist diameter with long length of 15 mm. More precisely, the competition behavior of sensor performances with varying fiber waist diameter was studied to find appropriate size of maximizing evanescent fields. The obtained results revealed that evanescent wave absorption coefficient (gamma) enhanced more than 10 times compare to bare fiber at the proposed optimum fiber diameter of 28 mu m. Also, high linearity and fast recovery time about 7 s was obtained at the proposed fiber waist diameter. Applicable features of the proposed sensor allow this device to be used for humidity sensing applications, especially to be applied in remote sensing technologies.
This paper discusses the engagement of furniture design with environmental elements and ecological system in design literature. The purpose is to establish a gap in the area of ecological design. A sustained relationship of field study has resulted in two major areas of designs: industrial design (ID) and manufacturing technology design (MT), while one minor field found is business and industrial marketing (IM). The term ID describes the creative thinking involved in industrial cycle methodologies. Instead, aesthetics and ergonomics, it applies manufacturing engineering principles to develop ecological system in forms of design. As for the term MT, structured measures are commonly applied on the manufacturing and industrial technology engineering. Another prominent term is the green design and manufacturing or environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECM), which means the material sources go through processed systems in producing the goods with several operations; large production scale to meet the ecological consumer behaviour, and the materials must be specified in the earliest stages due to the design and production stages. Furthermore, IM remains a minor area that is slightly important since the environmental communication is derived from the ecological system issues. Based on greenhouse gases (GHG) function, this initiative drives business to business communication (B2B) that could be considered as ecological economics player. Normally, the manufacturing sector complies with the national economic transformation agenda for the international intention. Finally, combination of three areas of study may lead to the probable finding of the ecological influence or elements and the extraction of environmental design, standards and theory. Hence, this topic is to focus on the criteria, capability and characteristics (3C) of ecological system with the awareness of producing the recycling product design (forms context) and to help practicing designers identify problems, issues and gaps in relation to ecological concept using suitable methodologies and its applications.
Current scour estimation methods typically over-predict scour, resulting in uneconomical design. This tendency is partly due to the complexity of the scouring process, which indicates that some of its aspects are still not well understood, and can also be attributed to scale effects. Here, experiments are conducted to isolate the influence of relative coarseness (D/d(50)) and flow shallowness (h/D) on scour depth. For the range of D/d(50) in the present study, equilibrium scour depth (d(se)/D) decreases with increasing D/d(50) until a limiting value of D/d(50) = 175, after which d(se)/D approximate to 0.75. Furthermore, d(se)/D is found to depend on h/D when all other scour influencing parameters are held constant. A revised definition of the densimetric Froude number using the velocity along the separating streamline is shown to have an influential role in scour. An improved scour estimation method employing these parameters is presented and compared with current methods.
This paper presents a study on how to accommodate wind power into multiple regions, while simultaneously implementing economic and reliable dispatch for multi-area power system operation. The focus is on quantifying the operational risk brought by wind power uncertainty and at the same time accommodating wind power by coordinating multi-area generation and reserve resources. The reserve requirement of each area is calculated based on two indexes, namely, loss of load probability and wind spillage probability. Then, a generation-reserve cooptimization dispatch model that factors cross-regional wind power accommodation is proposed. The transmission margin and network security constraints of tie-lines are considered to systematically allocate reserve resources for all areas. Finally, optimality condition decomposition is used to decompose the dispatching model to achieve relatively independent regional scheduling, and to get the global optimization result. The reasonableness and effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated by a 6-bus 2-area test system and a 236-bus interconnected system.
Motivated by the reopening mechanics of strongly collapsed airways, we study the steady propagation of an air finger through a collapsed oil-filled channel with a single compliant wall. In a previous study using fully compliant elastic tubes, a 'pointed' air finger was found to propagate at high speed and low pressure, which, if clinically accessible, offers the potential for rapid reopening of highly collapsed airways with minimal tissue damage (Heap & Juel Phys. Fluids, vol. 20 (8), 2008, 081702). The mechanism underlying the selection of that pointed finger, however, remained unexplained. In this paper, we identify the required selection mechanism by conducting an experimental study in a simpler geometry: a rigid rectangular Hele-Shaw channel with an elastic top boundary. The constitutive behaviour of this elasto-rigid channel is nonlinear and broadly similar to that of an elastic tube, but unlike the tube, the channel's cross-section adopts self-similar shapes from the undeformed state to the point of first near wall contact. The ensuing simplification of the vessel geometry enables the systematic investigation of the reopening dynamics in terms of increasing initial collapse. We find that for low levels of initial collapse, a single centred symmetric finger propagates in the channel and its shape is set by the tip curvature. As the level of collapse increases, the channel cross-section develops a central region of near opposite wall contact, and the finger shape evolves smoothly towards a 'flat-tipped' finger whose geometry is set by the strong depth gradient near the channel walls. We show that the flat-tipped mode of reopening is analogous to the pointed finger observed in tubes. Its propagation is sustained by the vessel's extreme cross-sectional profile at high collapse, while vessel compliance is necessary to stabilise it. A simple scaling argument based on the dissipated power reveals that this reopening mode is preferred at higher propagation speeds when it becomes favourable to displace the elastic channel wall rather than the viscous fluid.
Research on Asian Americans' experiences of racism has examined the impact of generation status and ethnicity. This study investigates how phenotypic and physical appearance characteristics are implicated in self-reports of racialization and social anxiety in Asian American college students (n = 170) who completed measures of psychological distress, well-being, and racialization (e.g., Subtle and Blatant Racism Scale; Yoo, Steger, & Lee, 2010). Participants' digital photographs were analyzed to test whether specific physical characteristics correlated with self-reported distress. Results suggest eyeglasses and darker skin tone are strongly associated with greater reports of racialization and psychological distress in Asian American college students.
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is an X-linked recessive disorder of purine metabolism caused by a mutation in Xq26.2-q26.3 (OMIM 308000.0004). The presence of the diagnostic triad, i.e. signs of self-injurious behavior (SIB) and results of pedigree analysis and novel molecular biology & genetic testing, confirms the diagnosis of LNS. With a level of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase 1 (HPRT1) enzyme activity < 2%, patients develop neurological, neurocognitive, and neuromotor symptoms along with SIB. Described here is a case of 4-year-old boy who was diagnosed with LNS. The boy displayed SIB, i.e. biting of the lips and fingers, and he had cerebral venous sinus thrombosis caused by LNS.
Tuberculosis (TB) is still a serious public health problem in various countries. One of the long-elusive but critical questions about TB is what the risk factors are and how they contribute for its seasonality. An ecologic study was conducted to examine the association between the variation of outdoor PM2.5 concentration and the TB seasonality based on the monthly TB notification and PM2.5 concentration data of Hong Kong and Beijing. Both descriptive analysis and Poisson regression analysis suggested that the outdoor PM2.5 concentration could be a potential risk factor for the seasonality of TB disease. The significant relationship between the number of TB cases and PM2.5 concentration was not changed when regression models were adjusted by sunshine duration, a potential confounder. The regression analysis showed that a 10 mu g/m(3) increase in PM2.5 concentrations during winter is significantly associated with a 3% (i.e. 18 and 14 cases for Beijing and Hong Kong, respectively) increase in the number of TB cases notified during the coming spring or summer for both Beijing and Hong Kong. Three potential mechanisms were proposed to explain the significant relationship: (1) increased PM2.5 exposure increases host's susceptibility to TB disease by impairing or modifying the immunology of the human respiratory system; (2) increased indoor activities during high outdoor PM2.5 episodes leads to an increase in human contact and thus the risk of TB transmission; (3) the seasonal change of PM2.5 concentration is correlated with the variation of other potential risk factors of TB seasonality. Preliminary evidence from the analysis of this work favors the first mechanism about the PM2.5 exposure-induced immunity impairment. This work adds new horizons to the explanation of the TB seasonality and improves our understanding of the potential mechanisms affecting TB incidence, which benefits the prevention and control of TB disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Scientific discoveries and technological advancements are inseparable but not always take place in a coherent chronological manner. In the next, we will provide a seemingly unconnected and serendipitous series of scientific facts that, in the whole, converged to unveil DNA and its duplication. We will not cover here the many and fundamental contributions from microbial genetics and in vitro biochemistry. Rather, in this journey, we will emphasize the interplay between microscopy development culminating on super resolution fluorescence microscopy (i.e., nanoscopy) and digital image analysis and its impact on our understanding of DNA duplication. We will interlace the journey with landmark concepts and experiments that have brought the cellular DNA replication field to its present state.
The grey water footprint refers to the volume of water that is required to assimilate polluted water. It reflects the intensity of water pollution caused by water use for human activities. This study aims to address some major shortcomings associated with grey water footprint accounting in the literature and discuss several ways towards its improvement. Global maize production is used for illustration. The study specifically tackles three issues: the appropriate water quality standards for grey water footprint assessment; grey water footprint for multiple pollutants; and the influence of spatial resolution of the assessment on the level of grey water stress. A biophysical crop model is applied to quantify nitrogen and phosphorus losses to water in maize production on a global scale with a 0.5-degree spatial resolution. The study shows that the grey water footprint calculation is highly Sensitive to the water standards applied. The results also suggest that the grey water footprint relating to nitrogen and phosphorus pollution caused by maize production alone has already exceeded their local water availability in many parts of the world. Grey water stress shows a more critical situation at the grid level than at the watershed level for maize cultivation because the former represents the local concentration whereas the latter gives the average situation of the whole watershed. This study highlights the need for standardizing the setting of water quality standards for a consistent grey water footprint assessment taking into consideration the diverse aquatic ecosystems and ambient water quality requirements across regions, as well as the presence of multiple pollutants in water bodies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phasing genotypes to haplotypes is becoming increasingly important due to its applications in the study of diseases, population and evolutionary genetics, imputation, and so on. Several studies have focused on the development of computational methods that infer haplotype phase from population genotype data. The aim of this study was to compare phasing algorithms implemented in Beagle, Findhap, Flmpute, Impute2, and Shapelt2 software using 50k and 777k (HD) genotyping data. Six scenarios were considered: no-parents, sire-progeny pairs, sire-dam-progeny trios, each with and without pedigree information in Holstein cattle. Algorithms were compared with respect to their phasing accuracy and computational efficiency. In the studied population, Beagle and Flmpute were more accurate than other phasing algorithms. Across scenarios, phasing accuracies for Beagle and Flmpute were 99.49-99.90% and 99.44-99.99% for 50k, respectively, and 99.90-99.99% and 99.87-99.99% for HD, respectively. Generally, Flmpute resulted in higher accuracy when genotypic information of at least one parent was available. In the absence of parental genotypes and pedigree information, Beagle and Impute2 (with double the default number of states) were slightly more accurate than Flmpute. Findhap gave high phasing accuracy when parents' genotypes and pedigree information were available. In terms of computing time, Findhap was the fastest algorithm followed by Flmpute. Flmpute was 30 to 131, 87 to 786, and 353 to 1,400 times faster across scenarios than Beagle, Shapelt2, and Impute2, respectively. In summary, Flmpute and Beagle were the most accurate phasing algorithms. Moreover, the low computational requirement of Flmpute makes it an attractive algorithm for phasing genotypes of large livestock populations.
Emetophobia is an under-researched disorder characterized by a specific fear of vomiting. There is a paucity of research on this impairing condition, with extant examinations being largely limited to adult samples and online communities. The present study examined the incidence, phenomenology, and correlates of emetophobia in 305 Salvadorian youths. Caregivers completed a battery of questionnaires regarding the youth's symptoms of emetophobia, internalizing/externalizing symptoms, health anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Approximately 7.5 % of the sample was elevated on emetophobia symptoms, and higher levels of emetophobia symptoms were correlated with higher levels of internalizing, externalizing, health anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and lower levels of adaptive functioning. Youths meeting the cutoff for elevated emetophobia symptoms versus those who did not demonstrated significantly higher levels of externalizing behaviors, as well as general obsessive-compulsive symptoms, especially doubting/checking and neutralizing behaviors. These findings are hoped to help improve the conceptualization and treatment of this poorly understood disorder.
When we communicate face to face, we subconsciously engage our whole body to convey our message. In telecommunication, e.g. during phone calls, this powerful information channel cannot be used. Capturing nonverbal information from body motion and transmitting it to the receiver parallel to speech would make these conversations feel much more natural. This requires a sensing device that is capable of capturing different types of movements, such as the flexion and extension of joints, and the rotation of limbs. In a first embodiment, we developed a sensing glove that is used to control a computer game. Capacitive dielectric elastomer (DE) sensors measure finger positions, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) detects hand roll. These two sensor technologies complement each other, with the IMU allowing the player to move an avatar through a three-dimensional maze, and the DE sensors detecting finger flexion to fire weapons or open doors. After demonstrating the potential of sensor fusion in human-computer interaction, we take this concept to the next level and apply it in nonverbal communication between humans. The current fingerspelling glove prototype uses capacitive DE sensors to detect finger gestures performed by the sending person. These gestures are mapped to corresponding messages and transmitted wirelessly to another person. A concept for integrating an IMU into this system is presented. The fusion of the DE sensor and the IMU combines the strengths of both sensor types, and therefore enables very comprehensive body motion sensing, which makes a large repertoire of gestures available to nonverbal communication over distances.
This paper argues that the research field of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) can benefit from integrating recent technological advances (e.g., wearable devices, big data processing, 3D modelling, 3D printing, ambient intelligence) and design methodologies, such as TORMES, when developing systems that address the psychomotor learning domain. In particular, the acquisition of motor skills could benefit from individualized instruction and support just as cognitive skills learning has over the last decades. To this point, procedural learning has been considered since the earliest days of AIED (dating back to the 1980's). However, AIED developments in motor skills learning have lagged significantly behind. As technology has evolved, and supported by the do-it-yourself and quantified-self movements, it is now possible to integrate emerging interactive technologies in order to provide personal awareness and reflection for behavioural change at low cost and with low intrusion. Many activities exist that would benefit from personalizing motor skills learning, such as playing a musical instrument, handwriting, drawing, training for surgery, improving the technique in sports and martial arts, learning sign language, dancing, etc. In this context, my suggestions for AIED research in the coming 25 years focus on addressing challenges regarding 1) modelling the psychomotor interaction, and 2) providing appropriate personalized psychomotor support.
In the last two decades, a lot of progress has been made in Nanotechnology and Nanoscience, an exploitation of matter on atomic, molecular and supermolecular scale. Nanotechnology because of its size is widely used in such varied fields as surface science, molecular biology, organic chemistry, semi-conductor physics, micro fabrication, medical sciences, electronics, biomaterials, energy production, etc. Using nanotechnology, Researchers have been able to develop new materials with nanoscale dimensions to directly control matter on the atomic or molecular scale. Due to the range of many potential applications, both industrial and military, many governments boast invested billions of dollars in nanotechnology and nanoscience research. This brief review deals with the fundamentals of nanotechnology and nanoscience and its application in various fields. It also discusses the future of nanotechnology and the risks involved in it.
An ultimate goal for those engaged in research to develop implantable medical devices is to develop mechatronic implantable artificial organs such as artificial pancreas. Such devices would comprise at least a sensor module, an actuator module, and a controller module. For the development of optimal mechatronic implantable artificial organs, these modules should be self-powered and autonomously operated. In this study, we aimed to develop a microcontroller using the BioCapacitor principle. A direct electron transfer type glucose dehydrogenase was immobilized onto mesoporous carbon, and then deposited on the surface of a miniaturized Au electrode (7 mm(2)) to prepare a miniaturized enzyme anode. The enzyme fuel cell was connected with a 100 mu F capacitor and a power boost converter as a charge pump. The voltage of the enzyme fuel cell was increased in a stepwise manner by the charge pump from 330 mV to 3.1 V, and the generated electricity was charged into a 100 mu F capacitor. The charge pump circuit was connected to an ultra-low-power microcontroller. Thus prepared BioCapacitor based circuit was able to operate an ultra-low-power microcontroller continuously, by running a program for 17 h that turned on an LED every 60 s. Our success in operating a microcontroller using glucose as the sole energy source indicated the probability of realizing implantable self-powered autonomously operated artificial organs, such as artificial pancreas.
People often perceive themselves as more attractive and likable than others do. Here, we examined how these self-favoring biases manifest in a highly popular novel context that is particularly self-focusedselfies. Specifically, we analyzed selfie-takers' and non-selfie-takers' perceptions of their selfies versus photos taken by others and compared these to the judgments of external perceivers. Although selfie-takers and non-selfie-takers reported equal levels of narcissism, we found that the selfie-takers perceived themselves as more attractive and likable in their selfies than in others' photos, but that non-selfie-takers viewed both photos similarly. Furthermore, external judges rated the targets as less attractive, less likable, and more narcissistic in their selfies than in the photos taken by others. Thus, self-enhancing misperceptions may support selfie-takers' positive evaluations of their selfies, revealing notable biases in self-perception.
The quantitative simulation of forest fire spreading plays an essential role in designing quick risk management and implementing effective suppression policies. As a preferable modelling approach, the cellular automaton (CA) has been used to simulate the complex mechanisms of fire spreading. However, in traditional CA models, comprehensive studies on the physical principles of forest fires are needed to define the local transition rules. Instead of defining transition rules, the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) was applied in this study. By integrating the ELM with the traditional forest fire CA framework, a new cellular automaton modelling approach was proposed. After that, its performance was validated using data collected from five fires in the west of United States. Results show that the ELM performed well in predicting each cell's igniting probability. The impact of wind velocity on fire spreading pattern can be effectively described by the proposed modelling approach. Furthermore, the validation against actual fire behavior observations shows that its simulation performance is acceptable and in most cases is better than that of the previously reported studies.(C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Substantial evidence in social psychology documents that traits predict behavior. Research in behavioral economics establishes prior behavioral informationthe actual behavior of another person in the pastinfluences future decision making, suggestive of the role of traits in guiding future behavior, but agnostic to the specific psychological mechanism. Yet the entire generalization process from past behavior to predicting future behavior has not been fully explored. Additionally, previous paradigms do not adequately dissociate prediction from explanation, and provide participants with trait information, or rely on participants to generate the appropriate trait. Here, we combine literature and experimental approaches in social psychology and behavioral economics to explore the generalization process from prior behavior that guides future decisions. Across three studies utilizing consequential economic game paradigms and online questionnaires, an initial group of participants (employees) played a time estimation game and a charity donations game before a second group of participants (employers) viewed the behavior of the first group, then decided whether to invest in employees in a trust game and rock guessing game. Although participants infer trait warmth and competence from the behavioral information in the first two games, estimates of normative behavior predicted investment decisions on the warmth-relevant games better than trait inferences. These results dissociate generalizations guided by warmth and competence behavioral information, and question the extent to which traits always serve as heuristics to predict behavior. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optogenetics is a technique exploded in the last 10 years, which revolutionized several areas of biological research. The brightest side of this technology is the use of light to modulate non-invasively, with high spatial resolution and millisecond time scale, excitable cells genetically modified to express light-sensitive microbial ion channels (opsins). Neuroscience has first benefited from such fascinating strategy, in intact organisms. By shining light to specific neuronal subpopulations, optogenetics allowed unearth the mechanisms involved in cell-to-cell communication within the context of intact organs, such as the brain, formed by complex neuronal circuits. More recently, scientists looked at optogenetics as a tool to answer some of the questions, remained in the dark, of cardiovascular physiology. In this review, we focus on the application of optogenetics in the study of the heart, a complex multicellular organ, homing different populations of excitable cells, spatially and functionally interconnected. Moving from the first proof-of-principle works, published in 2010, to the present time, we discuss the in vitro and in vivo applications of optogenetics for the study of electrophysiology of the different cardiac cell types, and for the dissection of cellular mechanisms underlying arrhythmias. We also present how molecular biology and technology foster the evolution of cardiac optogenetics, with the aim to further our understanding of fundamental questions in cardiac physiology and pathology. Finally, we confer about the therapeutic potential of such biotechnological strategy for the treatment of heart rhythm disturbances (e.g. cardiac pacing, cardioversion). (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Time-delays (dead time) are found in many processes in industrial practice. Time-delays are mainly caused by the time required to transport mass, energy and information. In many cases time-delay is caused by the effect produced by the accumulation of a large number of low-order systems. One of possibilities of control of such processes is their approximation by lower-order model with time-delay. The contribution is focused on the design of an algorithm for digital control of high order process that is approximated by a second-order model with time-delay. The controller algorithms use the digital modification of the linear quadratic (LQ) Smith predictor (SP). The LQ criterion was combined with pole assignment principle. These algorithms were applied to the control of a set of equal liquid cylinder atmospheric tanks.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which we can recognize destruction of the myelin that is around nerve cells of brain and spinal cord called as oligodendrocytes. Both genetic and environmental factors play roles in MS. One of these genes is the killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) which expressed on surface of natural killer cells (NKs). These genes have loci (not locus) in human genome, so they inherit as haplotypes. The results of previous studies show that different genes of KIR may affect both susceptibility and resistance to such autoimmune disorders that their pathogenesis in MS is still unclear. Since NKs play key roles in immune tolerance, we intend to perform a meta-analysis for the correlation of KIR genes and MS. We used the software comprehensive meta-analysis for data of totally 568 MS patients and 280 controls. Among the 14 genes of KIR in the human genome, lack of KIR2DS1 is accompanied by MS. No KIR gene found to be a risk factor for MS. Further studies on other molecules of NKs like CD94 and NKG2a is suggested. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
This paper is concerned with the numerical solution of the unified first order hyperbolic formulation of continuum mechanics recently proposed by Peshkov and Romenski [110], further denoted as HPR model. In that framework, the viscous stresses are computed from the so-called distortion tensor A, which is one of the primary state variables in the proposed first order system. A very important key feature of the HPR model is its ability to describe at the same time the behavior of inviscid and viscous compressible Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids with heat conduction, as well as the behavior of elastic and visco-plastic solids. Actually, the model treats viscous and inviscid fluids as generalized visco-plastic solids. This is achieved via a stiff source term that accounts for strain relaxation in the evolution equations of A. Also heat conduction is included via a first order hyperbolic system for the thermal impulse, from which the heat flux is computed. The governing PDE system is hyperbolic and fully consistent with the first and the second principle of thermodynamics. It is also fundamentally different from first order Maxwell-Cattaneo-type relaxation models based on extended irreversible thermodynamics. The HPR model represents therefore a novel and unified description of continuum mechanics, which applies at the same time to fluid mechanics and solid mechanics. In this paper, the direct connection between the HPR model and the classical hyperbolic-parabolic Navier-Stokes-Fourier theory is established for the first time via a formal asymptotic analysis in the stiff relaxation limit. From a numerical point of view, the governing partial differential equations are very challenging, since they form a large nonlinear hyperbolic PDE system that includes stiff source terms and non-conservative products. We apply the successful family of one-step ADER-WENO finite volume (FV) and ADER discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element schemes to the HPR model in the stiff relaxation limit, and compare the numerical results with exact or numerical reference solutions obtained for the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Numerical convergence results are also provided. To show the universality of the HPR model, the paper is rounded-off with an application to wave propagation in elastic solids, for which one only needs to switch off the strain relaxation source term in the governing PDE system. We provide various examples showing that for the purpose of flow visualization, the distortion tensor Aseems to be particularly useful. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Cyclic diadenylate monophosphate (c-di-AMP) and P-1,P-5-diadenosine-5' pentaphosphate (Ap5A) have been determined to play important roles in bacterial physiological processes and human metabolism, respectively. However, few, if any, methods have been developed that use fluorescent sensors to sense c-di-AMP and Ap5A in the real world. To address this challenge, this study presents a fast, convenient, selective, and sensitive assay for quantifying c-di-AMP and Ap5A fluorescence based on the competitive binding of diadenosine nucleotides and a polyadenosine probe to coralyne. The designed probe consists of a 20-mer adenosine base (A(20)), a fluorophore unit at the 5'-end, and a quencher unit at the 3'-end. Through A(2)-coralyne-A(2) coordination, coralyne causes a change in the conformation of A(20) from that of a random coil to a folded structure, thus enabling the fluorophore to be close to the quencher. As a result, fluorescence quenching occurs between the two organic dyes. When the A(20).coralyne probe encounters the diadenosine nucleotide, the resulting complex of coralyne and diadenosine nucleotides forces the removal of coralyne from the probe. Such a conformational change in the probe leads to the restoration of fluorescence. Within a short analysis time of 1 min, the proposed probe provides high selectivity toward c-di-AMP and Ap5A over other common nucleotides. The probe's detection limit at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 for both c-di-AMP and Ap5A were estimated to be 0.4 and 4 mu M, respectively. The practicality of the proposed probe was demonstrated by quantifying c-di-AMP in bacteria lysates and Ap5A in human tears.
Minimum energy control problem for the fractional positive electrical circuits with bounded inputs is formulated and solved. Sufficient conditions for the existence of solution to the problem are established. A procedure for solving of the problem is proposed and illustrated by example of fractional positive electrical circuit.
With increased use of forensic memory analysis, the soundness of memory acquisition becomes more important. We therefore present a black box analysis technique in which memory contents are constantly changed via our payload application with a traceable access pattern. This way, given the correctness of a memory acquisition procedure, we can evaluate its atomicity and one aspect of integrity as defined by Vomel and Freiling (2012). We evaluated our approach on several memory acquisition techniques represented by 12 memory acquisition tools using a Windows 7 64-bit operating system running on a i5-2400 with 2 GiB RAM. We found user-mode memory acquisition software (ProcDump, Windows Task Manager), which suspend the process during memory acquisition, to provide perfect atomicity and integrity for snapshots of process memory. Cold-boot attacks (memimage, msramdump), virtualization (VirtualBox) and emulation (QEMU) all deliver perfect atomicity and integrity of full physical system memory snapshots. Kernel level software acquisition tools (FTK Imager, DumpIt, win64dd, WinPmem) exhibit memory smear from concurrent system activity reducing their atomicity. There integrity is reduced by running within the imaged memory space, hence overwriting part of the memory contents to be acquired. The least amount of atomicity is exhibited by a DMA attack (inception using IEEE 1394). Further, even if DMA is performed completely in hardware, integrity violations with respect to the point in time of the acquisition let this method appear inferior to all other methods. Our evaluation methodology is generalizable to examine further memory acquisition procedures on other operating systems and platforms. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of DFRWS.
An Ambient Intelligence platform, NIGHTCare, for remote monitoring and control of overnight living environment is here proposed. The platform, entirely based on RFID passive technology is able to recognize nocturnal behaviors and activities, generates automatic alarms in case of anomalous or pathological events and support diagnostics. The results of a complete test in real scenario are presented, together with a numerical assessment of electromagnetic safety issues. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
We report a pulse width modulation (PWM) buck converter that is able to achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of >80% in light loads (80% efficiency for a wide range of load conditions from 45 mu A to 4.1 mA, while generating 1 V output from 2.5-3.3 V supply. The converter occupies 0.375 mm(2) in 0.18 mu m CMOS processes and requires two external components: 1.2 mu F capacitor and 6.8 mu H inductor.
Architectural heterogeneity has proven to be an effective design paradigm to cope with an ever-increasing demand for computational power within tight energy budgets, in virtually every computing domain. Programmable manycore accelerators are currently widely used not only in high-performance computing systems, but also in embedded devices, in which they operate as coprocessors under the control of a general-purpose CPU (the host processor). Clearly, such powerful hardware architectures are paired with sophisticated and complex software ecosystems, composed of operating systems, programming models plus associated runtime engines, and increasingly complex user applications with related libraries. System modeling has always played a key role in early architectural exploration or software development when the real hardware is not available. The necessity of efficiently coping with the huge HW/SW design space provided by the described heterogeneous Systems on Chip (SoCs) calls for advanced full-system simulation methodologies and tools, capable of assessing variousmetrics for the functional and nonfunctional properties of the target system. In this article, we describe VirtualSoC, a simulation tool targeting the full-system simulation of massively parallel heterogeneous SoCs. We also describe how VirtualSoC has been successfully adopted in several research projects.
In an era of condensed treatment and managed care, three trends are gaining prevalence in some graduate training programs and in some circles of the practicing community, limiting clinicians from utilizing the therapeutic techniques needed to help a client achieve long-standing intrapsychic change, a precondition for maintaining therapeutic gains post treatment. The first trend, the equation of empathy with sympathy, hinders the therapeutic dyad from truly understanding a client's internal experience and implicitly conveys the message that anxiety-provoking material is less welcome in the consulting room. The second trend, prizing cognition over affect, results in a primary focus on secondary thought process, discounting the affective experience that unconsciously steers behavior and thought. This trend is, in large part, due to the widespread dissemination of cognitive-behavioral therapy efficacy research and the belief by some individuals that psychodynamic forms of treatment lack empirical support. The last and most problematic trend, the rigid utilization of treatment manuals, tends to result in a reductionistic approach to treatment, limiting psychotherapy to a set of techniques while also overlooking salient aspects of treatment that can predict positive outcomes. Treatment manuals oversimplify the process of therapy; as a result, the therapeutic dyad is less likely to uncover and discover the multiple origins of one's suffering, contributory factors that are not always readily available to conscious awareness. This paper discusses each trend and the therapeutic implications that result.
We introduce from first principles an analysis of the information content of multivariate distributions as information sources. Specifically, we generalize a balance equation and a visualization device, the Entropy Triangle, for multivariate distributions and find notable differences with similar analyses done on joint distributions as models of information channels. As an example application, we extend a framework for the analysis of classifiers to also encompass the analysis of data sets. With such tools we analyze a handful of UCI machine learning task to start addressing the question of how well do datasets convey the information they are supposed to capture about the phenomena they stand for. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A long-term organic blueberry trial was planted in October 2006 in Aurora, Oregon, USA to investigate the effect of mulch on soil and plant nutrient status, plant growth, berry yield, irrigation requirements, and weed control efficacy. Mulch treatments were applied at planting: 1) weed mat (geotextile), 2) Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) sawdust, and 3) compost + sawdust (compost applied to soil, then covered with sawdust). This paper addresses mulch treatment effects on soil and plant nutrient status during the first two years of the trial, and the first berry harvest in year 2 (2008). Yard-debris compost used in the field experiment had a pH of 7.3 and low soluble salt (EC <1 mS/cm). The yard debris compost + sawdust treatment produced greater berry yields than sawdust alone in the first bearing season. Relative berry yields were 100% for weedmat, 90% for sawdust + compost, and 70% for sawdust mulch. The positive effects of compost on berry yield were observed across two cultivars, flat or raised beds, and for two organic fertilizer sources (fish emulsion or feather meal) applied at two rates (29 and 57 kg .ha(-1) N). Soil pH underlying the mulch was lowest (most acidic) with weed mat and highest under sawdust + compost mulch. After two years, compost increased soil organic matter (OM; 0-20 cm) by 9 g .kg(-1) vs. weedmat, while sawdust mulch did not increase soil OM. In summary, compost maintained soil pH in the optimum range for blueberry, provided plant-available cations, increased soil organic matter, and increased berry yield (relative to sawdust alone). The mechanism(s) behind the compost benefit deserve further investigation.
The paper presents a methodology of optimization of the gating system for sand casting using the genetic algorithm. Software package for computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) was used as the support to the design and verification of the optimized gating system. The geometry of the gating system of sand casting in excavator tooth holder was the subject of optimization. The objective was to maximize filling rate given the constraints posed by both the ingate module and Reynolds number. Mold filling time has been presented as a function of the ingate cross section and casting height. Given the conditions above, as the result of the optimization, a complete geometry of the gating system has been defined. Numerical simulation (software MAGMA 5) has been used to verify the validity of the optimized geometry of the gating system.
This paper deals with the application of fractional derivatives in the modeling of electrical circuits RC, RL, RLC, power electronic devices and nonlinear loads, the equations are obtained by replacing the time derivative by fractional derivatives of type Riemann-Liouville, Grfinwald-Letnikov, Liouville-Caputo and the fractional definition recently introduced by Caputo and Fabrizio. The fractional equations in the time domain considers derivatives in the range of alpha is an element of (0; 1], analytical and numerical results are presented considering different source terms introduced in the fractional equation. The resulting solutions modified the capacitance, inductance, also, the resistance exhibits fluctuations or fractality of time in different scales. Furthermore, the results showed the existence of heterogeneities in the electrical components causing irreversible dissipative effects. The classical models are recovered when the order of the fractional derivatives are equal to 1. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Agricultural intensification has led to the use of high inputs of chemical fertilizers into rice-cultivated lands, and nitrogen and heavy metals in runoff loss from land were a major environmental problem. It is important to mitigate nitrogen and heavy metal pollution for the water body. The nitrogen and heavy metal transformation in the rice field surface water was studied by applied combined organic and inorganic nitrogen fertilizer plus the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) in the sandy loam paddy soil and blue clayey paddy soil. The results showed that, the application of DMPP in the rice field in organic and inorganic fertilizer combined application models decreased the heavy metal average concentration of total Cu, Zn, and Cd by 22.1 to 30.2, 33.1 to 36.9, and 10.9 to 17.5% in surface water, respectively. Furthermore, in the sandy loam paddy soil and blue clayey paddy soil, the nitrate, nitrite, and total inorganic nitrogen concentrations decreased by 44.4 and 59.6, 90.3 and 88.6, and 14.2 and 25.4% in the rice field surface water with the DMPP addition, in the organic and inorganic fertilizer combined application models in the rice field, respectively. DMPP could be used as an effective nitrification inhibitor to decline the potential nitrogen and heavy metals runoff loss in the combined application models of organic and inorganic fertilizers in some rice fields, minimizing the nitrogen and heavy metal transformation risk from agricultural fields to the water body and being beneficial for protecting the ecological environment.
This research explored the relationship between executive functions (working memory and reasoning subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Trail Making and Stroop tests, fluency and planning tasks, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) and emotional intelligence measured by the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test in patients with schizophrenia or borderline personality disorder compared to a control group. As expected, both clinical groups performed worse than the control group in executive functions and emotional intelligence, although the impairment was greater in the borderline personality disorder group. Executive functions significantly correlated with social functioning. Results are discussed in relation to the brain circuits that mediate executive functions and emotional intelligence and the findings obtained with other models of social cognition. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Across six studies, we examine how the magnitude of expressed happiness influences social perception and interpersonal behavior. We find that happiness evokes different judgments when expressed at high levels than when expressed at moderate levels, and that these judgments influence opportunistic behavior. Specifically, people perceive very happy individuals to be more naive than moderately happy individuals. These perceptions reflect the belief that very happy individuals shelter themselves from negative information about the world. As a result of these inferences, very happy people, relative to moderately happy people, are more likely to receive biased advice from advisors with a conflict of interest and are more likely to be chosen as negotiation partners when the opportunity for exploitation is salient. Our findings challenge existing assumptions in organizational behavior and psychology by identifying a significant disadvantage of expressing happiness, and underscore the importance of examining emotional expressions at different magnitudes. We call for future work to explore how the same emotion, experienced or expressed at different levels, influences judgment and behavior. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
The computer input/output (I/O) subsystem and its functioning are very abstract concepts that are difficult for undergraduate freshmen to understand. However, it is important that freshmen assimilate these low-level concepts if they are going to be taught about the operating systems (OS) working over that architecture layer, or working directly with them in embedded systems, real-time systems, or in the area of humancomputer interaction (HCI). This article describes the use of a game console (Nintendo (R) DS, NDS) in a project-based learning (PBL or PjBL) environment in which the design of a game is the basis of the project in order to encourage the students to get more involved with the computer I/O subsystem abstraction. A 4yr experience is reported in which the action research model (planning, acting, observing, and reflecting) has been followed. The general procedure for the 4yr and the specific characteristics and achieved results for each year are reported. The aim of the study was twofold: to assess the learning effectiveness of the active PjBL educational approach and some related factors, and to analyze the motivation toward the subject fostered by the game console. The first aim is analyzed using the scores achieved by the students; the second aim is analyzed via satisfaction questionnaires.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) provides various social, environmental, and economic benefits. It is important to first consider individual preferences and willingness to use harvested water for different purposes in order to encourage a community to use RWH and establish strategies that allow for the introduction of an alternative water supply, and additionally foster water management through sustainable practices. This paper presents the willingness of individuals to use RWH in three localities (Guanajuato, Romita, and Silao) of the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, evaluated through the acceptance of using the collected rainwater found in the results of 504 questionnaires directly applied to owners and dwelling users in urban areas of the localities studied. Other aspects related with RWH were included in the study, such as some characteristics of the population and their dwellings.
Electrocoagulation is an effective electrochemical approach for the treatment of different types of contaminated water and has received considerable attention in recent years due its high efficiency in dealing with numerous stubborn pollutants. It has been successful in dealing with Organic and inorganic contaminants with negligible or almost no generation of by-product wastes. During the past decade, vast amount of research has been devoted to utilizing electrocoagulation for the treatment of several types of wastewater, ranging from polluted groundwater to highly contaminated refinery wastewater. This paper offers a comprehensive review of recent literature that has been dedicated to utilizing electrocoagulation for water treatment, focusing on current successes on specific applications in water and wastewater treatment, as well as potentials for future applications. The paper examines such aspects as theory, potential applications, current challenges, recent developments as well as economical concerns associated with the technology. Most of the recent EC research has been focusing on pollutant-specific evaluation without paying attention to cell design, process modeling or industrial applications. This review attempts to highlight the main achievements in the area and outlines the major shortcomings with recommendations for promising research options that can enhance the technology and broaden its range of applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Accurate measurement of cardiomyocyte contraction is a critical issue for scientists working on cardiac physiology and physiopathology of diseases implying contraction impairment. Cardiomyocytes contraction can be quantified by measuring sarcomere length, but few tools are available for this, and none is freely distributed. We developed a plug-in (SarcOptiM) for the ImageJ/Fiji image analysis platform developed by the National Institutes of Health. SarcOptiM computes sarcomere length via fast Fourier transform analysis of video frames captured or displayed in ImageJ and thus is not tied to a dedicated video camera. It can work in real time or offline, the latter overcoming rotating motion or displacement-related artifacts. SarcOptiM includes a simulator and video generator of cardiomyocyte contraction. Acquisition parameters, such as pixel size and camera frame rate, were tested with both experimental recordings of rat ventricular cardiomyocytes and synthetic videos. It is freely distributed, and its source code is available. It works under Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems. The camera speed is the limiting factor, since the algorithm can compute online sarcomere shortening at frame rates >10 kHz. In conclusion, SarcOptiM is a free and validated user-friendly tool for studying cardiomyocyte contraction in all species, including human.
Theory of Mind (ToM) is thought to play a key role in social information processing as it refers to the ability of individuals to represent the mental states of others (e.g., intentions, desires, beliefs). A provocative hypothesis has been put forward which espouses the existence of two ToM systems: one that is implicit and involves the automatic analysis of the belief states of others and another that is not automatic and is involved in explicitly reasoning about others' mental states. Recently, Phillips et al. (2015) have suggested that there is limited evidence for automatic ToM processing, after identifying a confound in a previous high-profile paper supporting the existence of this cognitive operation in infants and adults (Kovacs, Teglas, & Endress, 2010). Here, we take a broader view of the literature and find, contrary to the conclusions of Phillips et al., that there is a substantial body of literature which demonstrates that adult humans are able to engage in unconscious and unintentional, and thus automatic, analyses of others' mental states. However, whether this ability is best described under a one, two or multiple systems ToM account remains to be determined. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A new data-driven model has been developed to determine 1D/2D particle size distribution (PSD) from measured FBRM chord-length distribution (CLD) data. The structure of the model consists of three steps: first, the measured CLDs are compressed down to a small set of parameters; second, these parameters are correlated with low order moments or a small number of percentiles of the PSD using regression models; third, the PSD low order moments are used as input variables, and a two layer-network sub-model is built to predict the PSD in a form of a histogram. Two key aspects of this modeling strategy are noteworthy, namely the construction of specialized parameterized functions (herein called generating functions) that reduce the number of parameters needed to train the model's two layer network component, as well as its ability to model a 2D size distribution. To demonstrate this paradigm, the model was used to determine the PSD of particles with an elongated morphology. It is shown that even with a limited data set, models could be trained to predict PSD generated by laser diffraction, minor size PSD generated by image analysis, and 2D minor-major PSD measured by image analysis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: With the Minamata Convention the use of mercury will be phased down, and this undoubtedly will have an effect on dental treatment regimens and economic resources. Composite resin restorations are considered viable alternatives to amalgam fillings; however, these will not be covered completely by health insurance systems in many countries. Recently, a high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (hvGIC) processed with a resinous coating (RC) has been introduced, and has been marketed as a restorative material in load-bearing Class I cavities (and in Class II cavities with limited size), thus serving as a possible alternative to amalgam fillings. Objective: To discuss the outcome based on the evaluation presented in Part I of this paper, and to critically appraise the methodologies of the various studies. Results: Two of the included studies were industry-funded, and status of the other clinical trials remained unclear. Quality of study reporting was considered perfectible. The use of a light-cured nanofilled resin coating material would seem advantageous, at least when regarding short-and medium term outcomes. Conclusion: Within the respective indications and cavity geometries, the hvGIC/RC approach would seem promising, could merge the phase-down of mercury and the objectives of minimally invasive treatment to some extent, and might be a restorative alternative for patients suffering from allergies or not willing to afford other sophisticated or expensive techniques. These recommendations are based on studies evaluating EQUIA Fil (GC), but are not transferable to clinical perspectives of the glass hybrid successor product (EQUIA Forte; GC).
Constraints-based modeling is an emergent area in Systems Biology that includes an increasing set of methods for the analysis of metabolic networks. In order to refine its predictions, the development of novel methods integrating high-throughput experimental data is currently a key challenge in the field. In this paper, we present a novel set of constraints that integrate tracer-based metabolomics data from Isotope Labeling Experiments and metabolic fluxes in a linear fashion. These constraints are based on Elementary Carbon Modes (ECMs), a recently developed concept that generalizes Elementary Flux Modes at the carbon level. To illustrate the effect of our ECMs-based constraints, a Flux Variability Analysis approach was applied to a previously published metabolic network involving the main pathways in the metabolism of glucose. The addition of our ECMs-based constraints substantially reduced the under-determination resulting from a standard application of Flux Variability Analysis, which shows a clear progress over the state of the art. In addition, our approach is adjusted to deal with combinatorial explosion of ECMs in genome-scale metabolic networks. This extension was applied to infer the maximum biosynthetic capacity of non-essential amino acids in human metabolism. Finally, as linearity is the hallmark of our approach, its importance is discussed at a methodological, computational and theoretical level and illustrated with a practical application in the field of Isotope Labeling Experiments. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Intrusion detection is the essential part of network security in combating against illegal network access or malicious attacks. Due to constantly evolving nature of network attacks, it has been a technical challenge for an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to recognize unknown attacks or known attacks with inadequate training data. In this work, an innovative fuzzy classifier is proposed for effectively detecting both unknown attacks and known attacks with insufficient or inaccurate training information. A Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) algorithm is firstly employed to softly compute and optimise clustering centers of the training datasets with some degree of fuzziness counting for inaccuracy and ambiguity in the training data. Subsequently, a distance-weighted k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) classifier, combined with the Dempster Shafer Theory (DST) is introduced to assess the belief functions and pignistic probabilities of the incoming data associated with each of known classes. Finally, a two-stage intrusion detection scheme is implemented based on the obtained pignistic probabilities and their entropy function to determine if the input data are normal, one of the known attacks or an unknown attack. The proposed intrusion detection algorithm is evaluated through the application of the KDD'99 datasets and their variants containing known and unknown attacks. The experimental results show that the new algorithm outperforms other intrusion detection algorithms and is especially effective in detecting unknown attacks.
This paper explains the reason for the difference in maximum torque-speed characteristics and power factor of IM between motor and generator modes and investigates the influence of machine design parameters on the difference, such as stator resistance, rotor resistance and iron loss etc. An analytical mathematical model based on the dq reference frame is employed for investigation. It is shown that the difference in torque-speed characteristics between motor and generator modes is mainly caused by the opposite direction of q-axis current and affected by stator resistance value. Finally, analytically calculated torque-speed characteristics of a 12kW IM in motor and generator modes are verified by finite element analyses.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammatory response, oxidative stress and autophagy are involved in amyloid beta (A beta)-induced memory deficits. Silibinin (silybin), a flavonoid derived from the herb milk thistle, is well known for its hepatoprotective activities. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of silibinin on A beta(25-35)-injected rats. Results demonstrated that silibinin significantly attenuated A beta(25-35)-induced memory deficits in Morris water maze and novel object-recognition tests. Silibinin exerted anxiolytic effect in A beta(25-35)-injected rats as determined in elevated plus maze test. Silibinin attenuated the inflammatory responses, increased glutathione (GSH) levels and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and upregulated autophagy levels in the A beta(25-35)-injected rats. In conclusion, silibinin is a potential candidate for AD treatment because of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and autophagy regulating activities.
The people's perception on environmental and socio-economic impacts due to three hydro-electric projects (HEPs; commissioned and under construction) were studied in the north-west Indian Himalaya. Surveys among 140 project-affected people (PAPs) using a checklist of impacts indicate that among the negative impacts, decrease in flora/fauna, agriculture, flow of river, aesthetic beauty; and increase in water pollution, river bed quarrying for sand/stone, human settlement on river banks and social evils; and among the positive impacts, increase in standard of living, road connectivity, means of transport, public amenities, tourism and environmental awareness were related with HEPs. The PAPs tend to forget the negative impacts with the age of the HEPs after it becomes functional, and the positive impacts seem to outweigh the negative impacts. Study concludes that it is difficult to separate the compounding impacts due to HEP construction and other anthropogenic and natural factors, and in the absence of cause-and-effect analyses, it is hard to dispel the prevailing notion that HEPs are undesirable in the study area that led to agitations by the environmentalists and stopped construction of one of these HEPs. To overcome the situation, multi-disciplinary scientific studies involving the PAPs need to be carried out in planning and decision-making to make HEPs environment friendly and sustainable in this region. There is also a need to adopt low carbon electric power technologies and promote a decentralized energy strategy through joint ventures between public and private companies utilizing locally available renewable energy resources.
This case features an adult male with moderate social anxiety disorder and mild depressive symptoms who showed an initial positive response to an earlier experience of cognitive behavior therapy, but then relapsed when he started avoiding social situations again because of continuing beliefs that experiencing anxiety was unacceptable. His treatment at our clinic focused on shifting unhelpful thinking about the likelihood and consequences of becoming anxious and reengaging in avoided social situations so he could learn to tolerate negative affect and uncertainty. The treatment approach draws from cognitive behavioral models of social anxiety and highlights advances in clinical science, especially recent work on the causal role of interpretation biases (the tendency to assign negative or threatening meaning to ambiguous situations) in the maintenance and reduction of anxiety. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The aim of this paper is to assess several pathways of a harmonised European policy framework for supporting renewable electricity (RES-E) in a 2030 horizon according to different criteria. The pathways combine two main dimensions: degrees of harmonisation and instruments and design elements. A quantitative model-based analysis with the Green-X model is provided. The results of the simulations show that there are small differences between the evaluated cases regarding effectiveness. All the policy pathways score similarly with respect to RESE deployment, i.e., with different degrees of harmonisation and whether using a feed-in tariff, a feed-in premium, a quota system with banding or a quota without banding scheme. In contrast, the policy costs clearly differ across the pathways, but the differences can mostly be attributed to the instruments rather than to the degrees of harmonisation. This is also the case with other criteria (static and dynamic efficiency and the socioeconomic and environmental benefits in terms of CO2 emissions and fossil fuels avoided). Both the degree of harmonisation and the choice of instrument influence the distribution of support costs across countries. Finally, our findings suggest that keeping strengthened national support leads to similar results to other policy pathways.
The sleep characteristics of 37 military veterans and active-duty service members (17 with PTSD and 20 without PTSD) of recent wars were analyzed to determine if combat deployment, with its associated sleep restriction, may be an alternative explanation for the sleep complaints found among combat veterans with PTSD (as determined by PTSD Checklist Military Version scores). Over a 1-week period, sleep data were collected using sleep actigraphy and self-report. Across the entire sample, subjective and objective assessment methods of sleep were strongly correlated, although there were some notable within-group differences. Specifically, although sleep duration between groups did not differ based on actigraphy, veterans without PTSD reported sleeping 1 h and 11 min (p = .002) longer than did veterans with PTSD. In an effort to determine why individuals without PTSD might be overreporting sleep, we found that symptoms of emotional arousal (anger, anxiety, and nightmares) were significantly correlated with self-reported sleep duration, suggesting a pattern of higher autonomic arousal found in veterans with PTSD. Thus, although sleeping for 6 h, the higher levels of emotional arousal reported by veterans with PTSD may mean that they do not perceive their sleep as restful. Further research is necessary to determine if the sleep architecture of veterans with PTSD is actually different from that of combat veterans without PTSD and if such differences are actually amenable to standard behavioral treatments for this disorder.
In a previous study we developed a Machine Learning procedure for the automatic identification and classification of spontaneous cord dorsum potentials (CDPs). This study further supported the proposal that in the anesthetized cat, the spontaneous CDPs recorded from different lumbar spinal segments are generated by a distributed network of dorsal horn neurons with structured (non- random) patterns of functional connectivity and that these configurations can be changed to other non- random and stable configurations after the noceptive stimulation produced by the intradermic injection of capsaicin in the anesthetized cat. Here we present a study showing that the sequence of identified forms of the spontaneous CDPs follows a Markov chain of at least order one. That is, the system has memory in the sense that the spontaneous activation of dorsal horn neuronal ensembles producing the CDPs is not independent of the most recent activity. We used this markovian property to build a procedure to identify portions of signals as belonging to a specific functional state of connectivity among the neuronal networks involved in the generation of the CDPs. We have tested this procedure during acute nociceptive stimulation produced by the intradermic injection of capsaicin in intact as well as spinalized preparations. Altogether, our results indicate that CDP sequences cannot be generated by a renewal stochastic process. Moreover, it is possible to describe some functional features of activity in the cord dorsum by modeling the CDP sequences as generated by a Markov order one stochastic process. Finally, these Markov models make possible to determine the functional state which produced a CDP sequence. The proposed identification procedures appear to be useful for the analysis of the sequential behavior of the ongoing CDPs recorded from different spinal segments in response to a variety of experimental procedures including the changes produced by acute nociceptive stimulation. They are envisaged as a useful tool to examine alterations of the patterns of functional connectivity between dorsal horn neurons under normal and different pathological conditions, an issue of potential clinical concern.
Contact resistance between interlaced conductive yarns will under certain circumstances constitute a problem for sensor applications and electrical routing in interactive textile structures. This type of resistance could alter the effective area of the sensor and introduce hot-spots in the routing. This paper presents a technique for measuring contact resistances on fabric samples. The samples used are unit cells of plain weave, that is, two conductive (silver-coated) yarns in the warp direction and two in the weft direction. The numerical values for the contact resistance are of the order of R-c approximate to 0.3. A resistor network made of through-hole film resistors with known values is used for evaluation of the method. The results show that the technique provides values typically within +/- 1% error compared with the known resistor values. Thus, the method can be used in order to calculate the contact resistances of a woven conductive textile.
A number of security protocols have been designed for mobile transactions using Near Field Communication technology in the last few years. However, the component architectures of these protocols are rarely implemented in Java for further evaluation. In this paper, we briefly discuss our previously proposed mobile transaction authentication protocol and extend our work by presenting its Java implementation. This implementation provides a detailed analysis based on a number of factors with respect to the security considerations of the protocol, particularly in its design stage. Thus, it provides a broad verification as well as step-by-step evaluation of the protocol specifications from its implementation point of view.
The aim of this study was to investigate the overall root/shoot allocation of metal contaminants, the amount of metal removal by absorption and adsorption within or on the external root surfaces, the dose-response of water hyacinth metal uptake, and phytotoxicity. This was examined in a single-metal tub trial, using arsenic (As), gold (Au), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), uranium (U), and zinc (Zn). Iron and Mn were also used in low-, medium-, and high-concentration treatments to test their dose effect on water hyacinth's metal uptake. Water hyacinth was generally tolerant to metallotoxicity, except for Cu and Hg. Over 80 % of the total amount of metals removed was accumulated in the roots, of which 30-52 % was adsorbed onto the root surfaces. Furthermore, 73-98 % of the total metal assimilation by water hyacinth was located in the roots. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Cu, Hg, Au, and Zn exceeded the recommended index of 1000, which is used in selection of phytoremediating plants, but those of U, As, and Mn did not. Nevertheless, the BCF for Mn increased with the increase of Mn concentration in water. This suggests that the use of BCF index alone, without the consideration of plant biomass and metal concentration in water, is inadequate to determine the potential of plants for phytoremediation accurately. Thus, this study confirms that water hyacinth holds potential for a broad spectrum of phytoremediation roles. However, knowing whether these metals are adsorbed on or assimilated within the plant tissues as well as knowing their allocation between roots and shoots will inform decisions how to re-treat biomass for metal recovery, or the mode of biomass reduction for safe disposal after phytoremediation.
This paper describes the main characteristics and the performance of a saturated core type fault current limiter (FCL) rated 45MVA(33 kV-800 A) to be provided by ASG Power Systems. The FCL, which has been submitted to preliminary laboratory testing, will be installed at a 275/33 kV substation in the U.K. and will reduce the fault current by 38%. The device is based on an open geometry of the magnetic cores which allows reduced size and the weight. Magnetic saturation of the cores is obtained by means of two magnesium diboride (MgB2) magnets. A numerical model of the FCL has been developed and validated and the interaction of the device with the power grid has been investigated. Details and results of the model are also discussed in the paper.
The 21(st). century as the age of information has emanated with great abilities Of the information flows and information technology in manufacturing systems. Modern manufacturing is seeking of engineering knowledge by model and other virtual means. This research presents the model for integrated consideration of industrial logistics cost inside manufacturing company. It simultaneously applies manufacturing engineering of new product and logistics issues searching minimal cost and delivery time. Managers and engineers often neglect industrial logistics possibilities inside company emphasizing only their endeavors on processes, facilities and tooling. The potential of machinery, however, often is limited, because companies can. not innovate often machine tools and human factor seldom can be used properly. The developed model considers links among machine tools operation manufacturing time, transport means and time, lead time and products inventory in production lines and store. Developed model considers available production alternatives estimating logistics costs in integrated manner with product process parameters and order tasks. The research helps to create the target of manufacturing cost for order wining. In the concluding section the paper discusses the model implementation peculiarities and shows the findings of consistent patterns.
Responsible conduct in learning and research (RCLR) was progressively introduced into the pharmacology curriculum for undergraduate science students at The University of Western Australia. In the second year of this undergraduate curriculum, a lecture introduces students to issues such as the use of animals in teaching and responsible conduct of research. Third year student groups deliver presentations on topics including scientific integrity and the use of human subjects in research. Academic and research staff attending these presentations provide feedback and participate in discussions. Students enrolled in an optional capstone Honours year complete an online course on the responsible conduct of research and participate in an interactive movie. Once RCLR became established in the curriculum, a survey of Likert-scaled and open-ended questions examined student and staff perceptions. Data were expressed as Approval (% of responses represented by Strongly Agree and Agree). RCLR was found to be relevant to the study of pharmacology (69-100% Approval), important for one's future career (62-100% Approval), and stimulated further interest in this area (32-75% Approval). Free entry comments demonstrated the value of RCLR and constructive suggestions for improvement have now been incorporated. RCLR modules were found to be a valuable addition to the pharmacology undergraduate curriculum. This approach may be used to incorporate ethics into any science undergraduate curriculum, with the use of discipline-specific topics. (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):53-59, 2017.
Soil-geosynthetic interface shear strength is an essential parameter for the design and stability analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures. Economic and environmental reasons have led to increasing use of locally available residual soils with a significant percentage of fines and lower draining capacity, when compared with the traditional good-quality backfill materials. This paper describes an extensive laboratory study carried out using a large-scale direct shear test device, in which the influence of soil moisture content, soil density and geosynthetic type on the direct shear behaviour of the soil-geosynthetic interface was evaluated. The study involved a locally available granite residual soil and four geosynthetics: two geogrids (one uniaxial and the other biaxial), one geocomposite reinforcement (high-strength geotextile) and one geotextile. Test results have revealed that the increase in soil moisture content can measurably reduce the soil-geosynthetic interface shear strength. Regardless of soil moisture content, soil density proved to have a remarkable influence on interface shear strength, particularly when geogrids were used. Among the different geosynthetics tested, the biaxial geogrid was found to be the most effective reinforcement for this particular type of soil, concerning the direct shear mechanism. For soil-geogrid interfaces, the coefficients of interaction ranged from 0.71 to 0.99. For soil-geotextile interfaces, the coefficients of interaction varied from 0.54 to 0.85.
Water scarcity, imperfect consumption patterns, rapid global population increase, surpassing consumption ratio, and several further factors overstress the urging necessity to systematically access and utilize supplementary and most importantly renewable water supply resources. Moreover, application of suitably designed and well-maintained rainwater harvesting systems within the context of the built environment while generalizing the focus on diverse building typologies is promoted as a promising resolution to these systemic issues. Despite the numerous positive benefits of utilizing rainwater harvesting as a means of supporting sustainable development and green built environments, there exists a gap in properly integrating these design features to deliver congruent sustainable outcomes. Accurate design and configuration, simulation, localization, and imposing proper maintenance schemes are expected to be followed in order to accomplish the ultimate goal of executing rainwater harvesting systems. Besides the inevitable noteworthy role of governments in educating, providing prospects and supporting these decentralized water supply and consumption systems is encouraged. Ultimately, this paper provides an overview on the contemporary rainwater harvesting systems, the respective implications and systematic configurations, quality assessments, the potential of rightfully merging them with green roofs and green built environment criteria, and eventually manipulated government regulation to provide insights for overcoming the aforementioned intensifying rainwater-related concerns.
Introduction: Anti-TNF drugs have represented an epochal revolution in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis. In the field of axial spondyloarthritis, golimumab, a fully human monoclonal anti-TNFa administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks, has shown significant efficacy and good safety in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. More recently, it was also indicated as an effective treatment for patients suffering from non-radiographic axial spondyloarthitits. Areas covered: A systematic literature search was completed, using the largest electronic databases (Medline, Embase and Cochrane), with the aim to review all data concerning the administration of golimumab in patients suffering from axial spondyloartritis. Expert opinion: In the 16-week GO-AHEAD study, golimumab was effective in patients with non-radiographic spondyloarthritis with high levels of CRP and/or positive MRI findings, but not in subjects with both negative CRP and MRI. This finding allows for the addressing the of anti-TNF treatment more specifically. Preliminary data concerning an open-label extension of the GO-AHEAD study outlined the high retention-rate of the drug at 52 weeks. The production of antibodies against golimumab is rare and it seems to exert scarce influence on the drug performances. In conclusion, golimumab appears as a very useful and well tolerated anti-TNF agent.
Considering the unique nature of online environments, which limit some aspects of nonverbal communication, fostering robust and lasting teacher student relationships in online classes may be challenging. Moreover, the structural features of online settings may create a learning environment where students have minimal knowledge about the instructor. The role of teacher self-disclosure (SD) in e-learning settings rarely has been tested, although decades of instructional communication research demonstrate its significance. Structural Equation Model analysis results suggest that teacher self-disclosure and students' emotional responses toward teacher SD enhance teacher student relationship satisfaction, which in turn increases perceived knowledge gain and class satisfaction. Further, the current study compares teacher SD and its impacts in online and FtF classes by conducting a multiple group comparison analysis. Findings suggest that the effect of teacher SD upon teacher student relationship satisfaction is stronger online compared to FtF classes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Large-scale atmospheric removal of greenhouse gases (GHGs) including methane, nitrous oxide and ozone depleting halocarbons could reduce global warming more quickly than atmospheric removal of CO2. Photo catalysis of methane oxidizes it to CO2, effectively reducing its global warming potential (GWP) by at least 90%. Nitrous oxide can be reduced to nitrogen and oxygen by photocatalysis; meanwhile halocarbons can be mineralized by red-ox photocatalytic reactions to acid halides and CO2. Photocatalysis avoids the need for capture and sequestration of these atmospheric components. Here review an unusual hybrid device combining photocatalysis with carbon-free electricity with no-intermittency based on the solar updraft chimney. Then we review experimental evidence regarding photocatalytic transformations of non-CO2 GHGs. We propose to combine Ti02-photocatalysis with solar chimney power plants (SCPPs) to cleanse the atmosphere of non-CO2 GHGs. Worldwide installation of 50,000 SCPPs, each of capacity 200 MW, would generate a cumulative 34 PWh of renewable electricity by 2050, taking into account construction time. These SCPPs equipped with photocatalyst would process 1 atmospheric volume each 14 16 years, reducing or stopping the atmospheric growth rate of the non-CO2 GHGs and progressively reducing their atmospheric concentrations. Removal of methane, as compared to other GHGs, has enhanced efficacy in reducing radiative forcing because it liberates more-OH radicals to accelerate the cleaning of the troposphere. The overall reduction in non-CO2 GHG concentration would help to limit global temperature rise. By physically linking greenhouse gas removal to renewable electricity generation, the hybrid concept would avoid the moral hazard associated with most other climate engineering proposals. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions seek to provide a satisfactory user experience at the client side when accessing remote desktop applications, even from mobile devices with limited capabilities. This paper presents a new approach, improving on previous work by the authors, in which a combination of Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and streaming protocols allowed efficient remote web access to virtualized applications within a cloud architecture. The new approach simplifies virtual machine templates, from which virtual machine instances are deployed, by centralizing software modules, greatly simplifying their management. Our new contribution consists of an integrated solution with specific WebM video encoding modules in charge of application visual output processing, an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming server, and a VNC server. The solution can be installed in the hypervisor of the host machines instead of replicating the servers and modules throughout the guest (virtual) machines that run the virtualized applications. Consequently, their implementations are unique and independent of the operating system of the virtual machines. In short, it is not necessary to provide different implementations for different operating systems, which reduces the complexity of virtual machine templates and greatly simplies platform management. To demonstrate our solution, we have modified the Quick Emulator (QEMU)-Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor source code accordingly. We also present qualitative and quantitative analyses that demonstrate that the new approach is advantageous in terms of software management and quality of experience, compared with our previous work and other well-known thin clients, contributing to the enhancement of VDI systems. Copyright (c) 2015John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Context: Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) have recently become one of the most abused substances among young population and have caused severe health consequences in our country and worldwide.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate sociodemographic and dermatological findings in SC addicts.Materials and methods: A total of 136 SC users who applied to our hospital's Substance Dependence Center outpatient clinic and diagnosed with drug addiction according to DSM-4 criteria between September 2014 and September 2015 were enrolled to our study. Patients were evaluated by dermatologist and psychiatrist with sociodemographic and clinical data sheets. Data were obtained by direct conversation with patients, clinical examination findings, and laboratory tests, if necessary.Results: Of 136 patients, 12 (8.8%) were female and 124 (91.2%) were male, aged between 17 and 53 with mean age of 25.89.2. Most common use way of SC was smoking and patients majorly used opiates before SC. The majority of the patients enrolled to our study were low-educated and almost 50% did not have a regular job. The most frequent dermatologic complaints were periorbital darkening, hallowed-cheeks and premature aging, hair loss and gray hair, and acnes, whereas most frequent dermatologic examination findings were artifact lesions such as blade scars and tobacco scars-stains, tattoos, and acnes.Discussion and conclusions: Given the increased prevalence of SC use in our country and around the world, dermatologists should continue to familiarize themselves with the common mucocutaneous markers of this substance use. Awareness of signs of SCs use will facilitate earlier diagnose, intervention, and directed treatment.
PID controller has been widely used in many different areas such as power systems, drives control, automotive mechatronics, aerospace, process control, and robotics. Recently, FPGA (field programmable gate array) has become an alternative solution for the realization of digital control algorithm systems. In this paper FPGA-based incremental PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) controller is designed and simulated. After the analysis of PID control algorithm, VerilogHDL language is used to design the software programs. Simulation results show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.
Purpose of review To review the prevalence, clinical features, imaging findings, cytogenetics, and risks and outcomes of choroidal nevus. Recent findings Choroidal nevus is a benign melanocytic tumor, often discovered incidentally on ophthalmic examination. This lesion is generally well circumscribed and pigmented. The prevalence of choroidal nevus in postequatorial region in United States adults (>40 years old) is approximately 5%. Choroidal nevus is associated with higher lifetime unopposed estrogen and greater BMI. In population-based evaluation, the mean nevus basal dimension is approximately 1.25 mm. Giant nevus (basal dimension >10 mm) carries greater risk for malignant transformation. Imaging modalities for evaluation of choroidal nevus include ultrasonography, fundus autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Fluorescein angiography is occasionally employed to detect multifocal pinpoint leaks or choroidal neovascular membrane, Recently, OCT angiography demonstrated nevus with minimal overlying macular microvascular changes compared with melanoma. Cytogenetically, GNA11 or GNAQ mutations have been documented in uveal melanoma in 83% and in some cutaneous nevus subtypes. Further mutations lead to the development of melanoma at a rate of one of 8845 cases. Risk factors for transformation of nevus into melanoma are recalled by the mnemonic 'To find small ocular melanoma using helpful hints daily' representing thickness (T) more than 2 mm, subretinal fluid (F), symptoms (S) of flashes/floaters/blurred vision, orange (O) lipofuscin pigment, margin (M) less than 3 mm from optic disk, ultrasonographic hollowness (UH), halo (H) absence, and drusen (D) absence. The presence of three or more risk factors implies more than 50% chance for transformation to melanoma within 5 years. A new, online ocular oncology reading center can help judge nevus risk. Summary Choroidal nevus is a common intraocular lesion, found predominantly in Whites. This mass carries a small risk (<1%) for malignant transformation. Patients with at least three risk factors should be evaluated for possible melanoma at an experienced ocular oncology center.
Generally, writing about the medicine in the Ancient Egypt, historians adopt an approach rather benevolent than critical, giving to its practice merits that never had. Reading without prejudice the famous twelve papyri-and now one more- we can't less to pronounce a condemnatory sentence, because at the end this medicine looks like a patchwork of ignorance, superstition, magic believes and a pair of grains of knowledge. However, we can rescue its surgical practice, very useful, sometimes efficient, and quite necessary in those centuries of war, slavery and permanent abuse of the weak and the poor people by the high political rulers and priests.
This research aimed to reduce excessive dust concentration in flat chambers and to explore the main factors affecting dust motion. Based on the theory of gas-solid two phase flow and airflow field, a physical model was established. Numerical simulation results of dust concentration distributions in flat chambers, which came from fluent, fluid mechanics computational software, were basically concordant with experimental data. Research results showed the following aspects. (1) The main factors affecting dust motion in flat chambers laid in the jet flow zone and reflux zone. (2) When mean flow velocity in flat chambers ranged from 1.0 m/s similar to 3.0 m/s, increases in the mean flow velocity resulted in decreases in dust concentration. (3) With the increase in distance away from working faces, air flow velocity and dust concentrations undulated and appeared to have a downward trend in cross sections. Circulation between the jet flow and reflux resulted in the elimination of dust in flat chambers.
The Design of Machine Elements course is one of the most difficult and complicated courses in the Mechanical Engineering program. It requires inventive concept generation, the knowledge of geometrical design, and basic knowledge of stress and deformation analyses. On those three elements, the machine elements design philosophy is established and further developed. The course material has to be chosen carefully since the time constrains will allow to cover design of only few essential machine elements. The material is covered by lectures, textbook readings, homework problems, and design projects. In addition to the textbook content the course contains five special elements: Idea Generation, Safety Considerations, Design of the Day (DoD), a Designer's Liability study, and three projects including Final Project Shaft Design. In the Idea Generation project, students generate an idea of machine or mechanical device. The Safety Consideration project is done by inspection and documentation of unsafe elements on campus. The Shaft Design Project had students design a shaft system under given constrains. In DoD students present existing advanced machines chosen using different sources or their own industrial internship experience. The Liability assignment addresses the designer's legal responsibility in case of a defective product that caused an injury or accident. The material taught in the course is larger than conventional machine element design course. The elements added that are beyond the structural analysis bring better understanding of engineering problems during the Senior Design course and later during engineering practice. They allow the students to connect the theory with the real world of engineering challenges. This gives students more satisfaction during the learning process and cognitive benefits during engineering practice. The unconventional inventive design approach of the teaching team (course instructor and GTA) to problem solving is based on many years of instructor's experience in teaching of engineering problem solving and design. The learning pattern in which students work in teams, both in problem solving and in design exercises, also helps to conduct the course. Thanks to all these elements the learning experience of the course is unique and engaging despite the high level of difficulty associated with it.
Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) accumulate and biotransform arsenic (As) to a larger variety of arsenicals than most seafood. Eight volunteers ingested a test meal consisting of 150 g blue mussel (680) mu g As), followed by 72 h with an identical, low As controlled diet and full urine sampling. We provide a complete speciation, with individual patterns, of urinary As excretion. Total As (tAs) urinary excretion was 328 +/- 47 mu g, whereof arsenobetaine (AB) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) accounted for 66% and 21%, respectively. Fifteen minor urinary arsenicals were quantified with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) coupled to reverse-phase, anion and cation-exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Thio-arsenicals and non-thio minor arsenicals (including inorganic As (iAs) and methylarsonate (MA)) contributed 10% and 7% of the total sum of species excretion, respectively, but there were large individual differences in the excretion patterns. Apparently, formation of thio-arsenicals was negatively correlated to AB formation and excretion, possibly indicating a metabolic interrelationship. The results may be of toxicological relevance since DMA and MA have been classified as possibly carcinogenic, and six of the excreted As species were thio-arsenicals which recently have been recognized as toxic, while iAs toxicity is well known. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Individuals with autism have difficulties in social learning domains which typically involve mirror neuron system (MNS) activation. However, the precise role of the MNS in the development of autism and its relevance to treatment remain unclear. In this paper, we argue that three distinct aspects of social learning are critical for advancing knowledge in this area: (i) the mechanisms that allow for the implicit mapping of and learning from others' behaviour, (ii) the motivation to attend to and model conspecifics and (iii) the flexible and selective use of social learning. These factors are key targets of the Early Start Denver Model, an autism treatment approach which emphasizes social imitation, dyadic engagement, verbal and nonverbal communication and affect sharing. Analysis of the developmental processes and treatment-related changes in these different aspects of social learning in autism can shed light on the nature of the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying social learning and positive treatment outcomes in autism. This knowledge in turn may assist in developing more successful pedagogic approaches to autism spectrum disorder. Thus, intervention research can inform the debate on relations among neuropsychology of social learning, the role of the MNS, and educational practice in autism.
We consider the problem of group testing with sum observations and noiseless answers, in which we aim to locate multiple objects by querying the number of objects in each of a sequence of chosen sets. We study a probabilistic setting with entropy loss, in which we assume a joint Bayesian prior density on the locations of the objects and seek to choose the sets queried to minimize the expected entropy of the Bayesian posterior distribution after a fixed number of questions. We present a new non-adaptive policy, called the dyadic policy, show that it is optimal among nonadaptive policies, and is within a factor of two of optimal among adaptive policies. This policy is quick to compute, its nonadaptive nature makes it easy to parallelize, and our bounds show that it performs well even when compared with adaptive policies. We also study an adaptive greedy policy, which maximizes the one-step expected reduction in entropy, and show that it performs at least as well as the dyadic policy, offering greater query efficiency but reduced parallelism. Numerical experiments demonstrate that both procedures outperform a divide-and-conquer benchmark policy from the literature, called sequential bifurcation, and show how these procedures may be applied in a stylized computer vision problem.
Background: GSH has a relevant role in human metabolism as an indicator of disease risks. An amperometric sensor for glutathione (GSH) determination is described as an alternative method featuring simple construction procedure and short time analysis. Method: The developed sensor was used to determine glutathione at low potential using a TTF-TCNQ complex. Results: The sensor exhibits a linear response range from 5 to 340 mu mol/l under applied potential of 200 mV vs. SCE. The sensitivity and detection limit were 90.1 mu A l/mmol cm(2) and 0.3 mu mol/l, respectively. Conclusion: When the sensor was tested in hemolysed erythrocyte samples for GSH determination, a good correlation in results was observed between the sensor and the spectrophotometric method. The sensor showed recovery values between 98% and 102%. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.
Water is a most important element for life. Water pollution is the most common threat concerning to public health in Pakistan. In order to check groundwater quality for drinking purpose, research was conducted in Lyallpur town which is an industrial area of District Faisalabad. The area was divided into four zones for sampling and groundwater quality evaluation. Sixty water samples from existing sources along with coordinates and four soil samples were taken to understand the mobility behavior of contaminants. Paharrang drain passing through research area was expected to be the main source of soil and groundwater contamination. Therefore sampling points for drinking water samples were selected keeping in consideration the relative position from the drain. The collected samples were analyzed for physio-chemical parameters such as pH, EC, TDS, Ca, Mg, Cl, bicarbonates. The results obtained from these samples were compared with WHO guidelines. The values of these results were represented by a mapping of quality parameters using ArcView GIS v9.3 and IDW was used for raster interpolation. The long term trends of all the groundwater quality parameters revealed that there is an increasing effect of contamination with respect to time. Soil analysis of the study area showed sandy loam soil texture overall consequently showing high rates of infiltration through soil. It was concluded that water is partially not fit for drinking specifically due to increased concentration of TDS, Chlorine, and hardness. Direct use of this groundwater for drinking purpose may cause health issues gastrointestinal illness, nausea, eye/nose irritation etc.
In this paper, we present an architecture that demonstrates multimodal fusion and fission using semantic agents and web services that interacts with worldwide-web computers, services and users. This solution extracts the meaning of a situation using the semantic memory of agents to manage the interaction process involved. The fusion of values from different sensors produces an event that needs implementation. The fission process suggests a detailed set of actions that are for implementation. Before such actions are implemented by actuators, these actions are first evaluated in a virtual environment which mimics the real-world environment. If no danger arises from such virtual evaluation, then implementation is feasible. Otherwise, there might be a need to add one or more smaller actions to render the action safe and free from danger. Our work presents the following contributions: (i) a design of agent memory and a model of the world environment using a knowledge representation language that is compatible with the current standards, (ii) creation of a pervasive architecture with several scenarios of composition and adaptation, (iii) presentation of how agents and services interact to provide support in a real-world, and (iv) simulation of an event in a virtual environment to assess the feasibility of the event's implementation. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Wheel-torque control bandwidth in vehicle dynamics model is crucial in evaluating optimal tracking ability of tire slip and in analysis of control system stability. Electric drives' control dynamics are influenced by timing of digital control events, e.g. by sampling instant of motor currents. Reflecting this timing in drive analytical models is therefore important for analysis of vehicle traction systems. The paper considers five various transfer-function models including issues of digital control events timing. The aim of the paper is to compare the accuracy of the models in representing dynamics of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) drive. Bode characteristics of the analytical models are compared to these of a reference model. The comparison is made for three commonly used cases of PMSM current sampling. Applicability of presented models has been discussed and frameworks to use specific models have been indicated.
Choosing the best sweetener for the green tea can face/be a big problem due to several composition changes that the green tea registers during the sweetening process, the level of gained toxicity, the different health level of the consumers (especially those with diabetes, cardiovascular or digestive problems, allergies). The additives management (especially for certain categories such as sweeteners, food coloring or preservatives) a big issue for both technologists and also any treating physicians. By adding some sweeteners, food coloring or preservatives, food products with a higher sensitive quality but also with a higher risk potential for consumers with certain health problems are obtained. This paper presents a personal method to determine the best natural or synthetic sweetener that can be used without any problems when sweetening the green tea from a free contamination area.
Microgrids assisted by renewable energy resources are complex man made systems of various interconnected components. A number of real life scenarios relating to resource management in microgrids are modeled as multi-objective optimization formulations where multiple objectives may or may not conflict with each other. While considering the type of application, input and output of the problem, the nature of optimization problem changes. To address various types of optimization problems relating to microgid design, planning and operation, there exist a number of optimization solution types. We investigate the existing literature to classify different optimization objectives with respect to designing, planning and operation of microgrids. Some mathematical formulations for commonly used objectives relating to resource management in microgrids have been tabulated. We also classified the optimization types being used to address various optimization problems relating to resource management in microgrids. Various types of solution approaches along with the relevant simulation tools are also presented. We also reviewed the multicriteria optimization for different application areas of smart grid. The article can serve as a foundation for further research in the area of multicriteria decision making relating to resource management in micrgorids.
In this study, perception of affect via nonverbal cues was investigated in children with learning disabilities comparing to their peers with typical development. The participants were third, fourth, and fifth graders consisting 120 children in total. The relational method of screening was used in the study. Data were gathered by using the Test of Perception of Affect Via Nonverbal Cues (TPANC) developed by the researchers. The test had four subtests including mimics, posture/gestures, voice, and social stories with each examining perception of nonverbal cues related to six different emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, amazement, and disgust). One-Way-Analysis of Variance was used to analyze the data. Results showed that the performance of children with learning disabilities in perceiving nonverbal cues of affect was significantly lower than their peers with typical developments in all subtests. Significant differences were found between children with learning disabilities and typical development in third and fourth grades. No significant differences were found between the performances of boys and girls with learning disabilities.
Isogeometric analysis has been introduced as an alternative to finite element methods in order to simplify the integration of computer-aided design (CAD) software and the discretization of variational problems of continuum mechanics. In contrast with the finite element case, the basis functions of isogeometric analysis are often not nodal. As a consequence, there are fat interfaces which can easily lead to an increase in the number of interface variables after a decomposition of the parameter space into subdomains. Building on earlier work on the deluxe version of the BDDC (balancing domain decomposition by constraints) family of domain decomposition algorithms, several adaptive algorithms are developed in this paper for scalar elliptic problems in an effort to decrease the dimension of the global, coarse component of these preconditioners. Numerical experiments provide evidence that this work can be successful, yielding scalable and quasi-optimal adaptive BDDC algorithms for isogeometric discretizations.
The migration towards digital control systems creates new security threats that can endanger the safety of industrial infrastructures. Addressing the convergence of safety and security concerns in this context, we provide a comprehensive survey of existing approaches to industrial facility design and risk assessment that consider both safety and security. We also provide a comparative analysis of the different approaches identified in the literature. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This experiment manipulated elite endurance cyclists' implicit beliefs about the nature of decision-making ability and explored subsequent change in performance on a decision-making task under submaximal physiological load. In total, 54 elite-level endurance cyclists (10 women and 44 men) were manipulated to endorse a limited (susceptible to depletion) or nonlimited (unsusceptible to depletion) implicit belief about decision-making ability. Results showed that after the manipulation cyclists assigned to the limited resource condition had higher levels of limited beliefs and lower levels of nonlimited beliefs than those assigned to the nonlimited resource condition. Those in the limited resource condition also showed a decrease in decision-making performance, whereas those in the nonlimited resource condition showed an increase in decision-making performance. Findings suggest that implicit beliefs about decision-making ability can be manipulated in an elite sport sample and that such manipulation can alter performance on a decision-making task under submaximal physiological load.
Studies on the diurnal sleep-wake rhythm of patients with lung cancer have mostly examined patients cross-sectionally, whereas the effects of lung cancer treatment over time have rarely been considered. Through long-term longitudinal tracking of patients with lung cancer, this study examined changes in their sleep-wake rhythm, sleep quality, anxiety, depressive symptoms, fatigue and quality of life (QoL) at various treatment stages. In addition, factors affecting their QoL were explored. Hierarchical linear modeling was adopted to analyze a convenience sample of 82 patients with lung cancer. The changes in their sleep-wake rhythm, sleep, mood (anxiety, depressive symptoms and fatigue) and QoL were observed at five time points: prior to treatment and at weeks 6, 12, 24 and 48 after the start of the treatment. The effects of sex, age, cancer stage, treatment type, comorbidities and time were controlled to determine the predictors of patients' QoL. The results showed that patients' sleep-wake rhythms were poor before treatments. Compared with baseline, the sleep-wake rhythms of the patients significantly improved at week 48, and anxiety significantly improved at weeks 6, 12, 24 and 48. By contrast, their fatigue became exacerbated at weeks 8 and 48. Moreover, QoL improved significantly from week 6 until the end of the treatment period. QoL was negatively affected by poor sleep quality (beta = -0.69, p = 0.00) and depressive symptoms (beta = -2.59, p < 0.001) and positively affected by regular sleep-wake rhythms (beta = 0.23, p = 0.001). Therefore, clinical health-care professionals should focus more attention to the fatigue levels of patients with lung cancer before, during and after treatment. Health-care professionals may also need to provide such patients with health education regarding sleep hygiene and with emotional support to assist them in maintaining regular sleep-wake rhythms in order to improve their QoL.
The granite production chain is high energy and water intensive with low resource efficiency. This paper focus on characterizing the potential for environmental improvement of the granite production chain by promoting the optimization of sawing technology, the implementation of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and the material recovery of wasted granite (sludge). The environmental performance of multi-blade gangsaw (MBGS) and diamond multi-wire saw (DMWS) technologies is compared by mean of life cycle assessment. Results demonstrate that DMWS technology contribute 30% of water savings, 40% of energy savings and 80% of material savings per square meter of polished granite tiles (60 x 40 x 2 cm) production. These resource savings contribute together to reduce the product's environmental footprint by 35% to 80%. The potential for RWH is analyzed using Plugrisost (R) simulation software based on system dynamics. RWH depends on the relationship between rainfall, catchment surface and tank size according to the industrial process's water demand. The results demonstrate major potential to satisfy over 50% of the system g daily water requirements using rainwater stored in rainwater tanks of varying capacity. RWH is a sustainable strategy for industrial water cycle management. A comprehensive review of literature reveals a range of technically feasible alternatives to promote material recovery of granite sludge. The ceramic industry is one promising industrial endpoint with which to avoid waste landfilling and contribute to mineral, energy and water savings. This by-product synergy could also serve as starting point for springboarding exchanges with other industrial agents, becoming a global extension of resource efficiency. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
China's rapid economic development greatly affected not only the global economy but also the entire environment of the Earth. Forecasting China's economic growth has become a popular and essential issue but at present, such forecasts are nearly all conducted at the national scale. In this study, we use nighttime light images and the gridded Landscan population dataset to disaggregate gross domestic product (GDP) reported at the province scale on a per pixel level for 2000-2013. Using the disaggregated GDP time series data and the statistical tool of Holt-Winters smoothing, we predict changes of GDP at each 1kmx1km grid area from 2014 to 2020 and then aggregate the pixel-level GDP to forecast economic growth in 23 major urban agglomerations of China. We elaborate and demonstrate that lit population (brightness of nighttime lightsxpopulation) is a better indicator than brightness of nighttime lights to estimate and disaggregate GDP. We also show that our forecast GDP has high agreement with the National Bureau of Statistics of China's demographic data and the International Monetary Fund's predictions. Finally, we display uncertainties and analyze potential errors of this disaggregation and forecast method.
A nonlinear reactivity model with thermal-hydraulic feedback is presented for analysis of PWR fuel with various cladding materials. The simplified, batch-wise neutronic model requires batch reactivities and migration areas as predetermined functions of burnup, temperature (fuel and coolant), and any design parameters having neutronic significance (e.g., enrichment or cladding composition). Here, such functions are found by using symbolic regression, a unique approach that finds both a functional form and any model coefficients simultaneously. Core thermal-hydraulics are modeled using single-channel, axially-averaged values. The models were implemented in an open-source, Python-based tool, used here to the analyze fuel with Zr-based cladding having outer, protective layers of either FeCrAl or SiC, two materials proposed for use in next-generation, accident-tolerant fuel. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Despite the gargantuan market potential, Printed Electronics-only (PE-only) circuits and systems on flexible substrate remain nascent. There are a number of reasons for this, including the inavailability of Process Development Kits (PDKs) to facilitate PE circuits and systems design and to predict manufacturability (due to the innately high process variations of PE). In this paper, we describe an Open-Platform PDK for our Fully-Additive Low-Temperature All-Air printing process with Very Low Process Variations. Our PDK embodies a novel simple yet accurate transistor model that can not only accurately model the printed transistors depending on their layout and when they are flat (unbent substrate) but also accurately model the process variations when they are bent (bent substrate). This PDK for bending is important for PE circuits and systems whose substrate is adhered to uneven surfaces or bent to fit odd spaces, thereby expanding the applicability of PE circuits and systems. The efficacy of the Open-Platform and the proposed PE transistor model is verified by means of comparisons between simulations and measurements of basic individual printed electronic elements and for several fundamental printed digital and analog circuits. These comparisons include when the substrate is flat and bent, depicting that bending is not only detrimental, but may conversely be advantageously exploited. The proposed PDK is compatible with commercial computer aided design simulation tools.
Individuals' understanding of wealth and power largely determines their use of resources. Moreover, the age range of wealth and power holders is increasing in modern societies. Thus, the current study examines how people of different ages understand wealth and power. As varying future time perspective is related to changes in prioritised life goals, it was tested as a potential mediator of the age differences. A total of 133 participants aged 18-78 years were asked 8 open-ended questions regarding their understanding of the possible use and desired use of wealth and power, after which they reported their future time perspective. Compared with possible use, the participants mentioned relatively more prosocial elements when they talked about their desired use of the resources, especially power. The older adults expressed more prosocial understanding in regard to the desired use of wealth and the possible use of power compared to their younger counterparts. The age differences were fully mediated by future time perspective. The results suggest that age is a critical factor that influences individuals' conceptualisation of wealth and power. Life-span developmental stage and future time perspective are important factors to consider for explaining individual differences in the exercise of wealth and power and for promoting their prosocial usage.
Cysteine is an interesting biomolecule in the heavy metals trapping field, thanks to its amino, thiol and carboxylic groups. This amino acid is indeed present in some natural chelating agents: glutathione, phytochelatins and metallothioneins. However, cysteine has never been used in remediation processes. When immobilized on a polypropylene nonwoven (PP) geotextile, an innovative and eco-friendly material is obtained, with potential use in drainage and filtration of wastewaters and sediments. PP was first functionalized with acrylic acid using a low pressure cold plasma process to bring reactive carboxylic functions onto the surface (PP-g-AA). Cysteine was then covalently grafted on this modified PR The cysteine grafting on PP-g-AA was optimized using response surface methodology, which allowed concluding that the best conditions of immersion without heating consist in: a solution containing 0.229 mol/L of cysteine for 28 h. The materials were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, InfraRed Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: evidence of covalent cysteine grafting was given. Preliminary sorption tests at 20 degrees C and pH = 4.5 with artificially polluted solutions give promising results for divalent heavy metal ions: 95 mg Cu (II) (CuSO4 solution), 104 mg Cu (II) and 135 mg Pb(II) (with NO3- counter-ion) per gram of PP are trapped. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background. This is the second of two review parts aiming at describing the major physiological roles of fatty acids, as well as their applications in specific conditions related to human health. Results. The review included the current literature published in Pubmed up to March 2011. In humans, fatty acids are a principle energy substrate and structural components of cell membranes (phospholipids) and second messengers. Fatty acids are also ligands of nuclear receptors affecting gene expression. Longer-chain (LC) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid are precursors of lipid mediators such as eicosanoids (prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes), resolvins and neuroprotectins. Lipid mediators produced by EPA and DHA (LC n-3 PUFA; mainly found in oily fish) are considered as inflammation-resolving, and thus, fish oil has been characterised as antiinflammatory. Recommendations for EPA plus DHA intake from oily fish vary between 250-450 mg/day. Dietary reference values for fat vary between nutrition bodies, but mainly agree on a low total and saturated fat intake. The existing literature supports the protective effects of LC n-3 PUFA (as opposed to n-6 PUFA and saturated fat) in maternal and offspring health, cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, the metabolic syndrome, cancer, critically ill patients, and immune system disorders. Conclusion. Fatty acids are involved in multiple pathways and play a major role in health. Further investigation and a nutrigenomics approach to the effects of these biocompounds on health and disease development are imperative and highlight the importance of environmental modifications on disease outcome.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of neurodegeneration and dementia in the elderly. Dysregulated, chronic activation of microglia, the brain's resident macrophages, induces the release of excessive amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines which has been implicated in the early stages of AD pathology. Therefore, suppressing the expression of these inflammatory mediators may decrease or delay the progression of AD. Many natural compounds derived from plants have shown anti-inflammatory activity. The naturally occurring 1,2,3,4,6 Penta-O-Galloyl-beta-D-Glucose (PGG), is a polyphenolic compound highly enriched in Rhus chinensis Millplant. It is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that act through the inhibition of many cytokines in different experimental models. In the present study, we investigated the role of PGG as an anti-inflammatory agent in LPS/IFNy activated BV-2 microglia cells. Mouse cytokine antibody arrays were used to assess the effect of PGG on the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and ELISA experiments were performed to validate the results from the arrays. The results obtained from the cytoldne arrays, and ELISA assays showed that PGG decreased the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-5 (MCP-5) 8-fold, and pro-matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Pro MMP-9) 10-fold. Both of these cytokines are upregulated during the inflammatory process and have been shown to be involved in brain injury, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. Therefore, these findings suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of PGG on activated microglia involving the attenuation of MCP-5 and Pro MMP-9 cytokines. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a modified design approach as well as a practical and effective neural network efficiency estimation procedure of a permanent capacitor single-phase induction motor (SPIM). The standard industrial motor frame sizes along with the current design trends of larger lengths and smaller diameters are taken into account, which are not likely presented in literature. In this context, a computer-aided design approach of a SPIM -based mainly on the classical output coefficient- is proposed first. Numerous simulations using Finite Elements Method (FEM) are conducted in order to verify the proposed procedure and investigations regarding the number of stator and rotor slots are performed. Secondly, based on the previous results, a neural network (NN) scheme is proposed in order to estimate the efficiency of SPIMs with various stator/rotor slots combinations and different output power. It is seen that the proposed methodology is verified satisfactorily and could be of great use as an aid tool to industrial SPIM designers.
The sacroiliac joints (SIJs) are one of the most common sites involved in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), and there are few studies on the histopathology of the SIJ in this group of patients. Mononuclear cell infiltrates in the bone marrow and fibrous tissue resembling a pannus formation were the pathological features of early sacroiliitis in our previous study. We undertook a further immunohistological evaluation of these features in patients with axSpA. Biopsy specimens from the SIJ of 6 patients with established ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 13 patients with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) were analyzed. An immunohistological method was performed to examine the macrophages (CD163), T cells (CD3), and B cells (CD20). Mononuclear cell infiltrates in the bone marrow were observed in only 6 patients with nr-axSpA. Fibrous tissue was observed in all patients with established AS and 9 patients with nr-axSpA. Macrophage, T cell, and B cell infiltrates could be detected in both the bone marrow and fibrous tissue. All bone marrow specimens from 6 nr-axSpA patients exhibited CD163+ macrophage infiltrates; of these, 5 exhibited CD20+ B cell infiltrates and 3 exhibited CD3+ T cell infiltrates. Among the fibrous tissue specimens, all exhibited macrophage infiltrates, 9 exhibited B cell infiltrates, and 4 exhibited T cell infiltrates. In addition to macrophages and T cells, B cells are also involved in active sacroiliitis in patients with axSpA.
Early-onset ethanol consumption predicts later development of alcohol use disorders. Age-related differences in reactivity to ethanol's effects may underlie this effect. Adolescent rats are more sensitive and less sensitive than adults to the appetitive and aversive behavioral effects of ethanol, respectively, and more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of experimenter-administered binge doses of ethanol. However, less is known about age-related differences in the neural consequences of self-administered ethanol. Delta FosB is a transcription factor that accumulates after chronic drug exposure and serves as a molecular marker of neural plasticity associated with the transition to addiction. We analyzed the impact of chronic (18 two-bottle choice intake sessions spread across 42 days, session length: 18 h) ethanol [or only vehicle (control group)) self-administration during adolescence or adulthood on the induction of Delta FosB in several brain areas, anxiety-like behavior, and ethanol-induced locomotor activity and conditioned place preference (CPP) in Wistar rats. Adolescent rats exhibited a progressive escalation of ethanol intake and preference, whereas adult rats exhibited a stable pattern of ingestion. Few behavioral differences in the open field or light-dark test were observed after the intake test. Furthermore, ethanol self-administration did not promote the expression of ethanol-induced CPP. There were, however, large age-related differences in the neural consequences of ethanol drinking: a significantly greater number of ethanol-induced Delta FosB-positive cells was found in adolescents vs. adults in the prelimbic cortex, dorsolateral striatum, nucleus accumbens core and shell, and central amygdala nucleus capsular and basolateral amygdala, with sex-related differences found at central amygdala. This greater ethanol-induced Delta FosB induction may represent yet another age-related difference in the sensitivity to ethanol that may put adolescents at higher risk for problematic ethanol use. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Purpose of review Human genetic studies have been successfully used to identify genes and pathways relevant to human biology. Using genetic instruments composed of loci associated with human lipid traits, recent studies have begun to clarify the causal role of major lipid fractions in risk of cardiometabolic disease. Recent findings The causal relationship between LDL cholesterol and coronary disease has been firmly established. Of the remaining two major fractions, recent studies have found that HDL cholesterol is not likely to be a causal particle in atherogenesis, and have instead shifted the causal focus to triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Subsequent results are refining this view to suggest that triglycerides themselves might not be causal, but instead may be a surrogate for the causal cholesterol content within this fraction. Other studies have used a similar approach to address the association between lipid fractions and risk of type 2 diabetes. Beyond genetic variation in the target of statin medications, reduced LDL cholesterol associated with multiple genes encoding current or prospective drug targets associated with increased diabetic risk. In addition, genetically lower HDL cholesterol and genetically lower triglycerides both appear to increase risk of type 2 diabetes. Summary Results of these and future human genetic studies are positioned to provide substantive insights into the causal relationship between lipids and human disease, and should highlight mechanisms with important implications for our understanding of human biology and future lipid-altering therapeutic development.
We review the relatively immature field of automated image analysis for X-ray cargo imagery. There is increasing demand for automated analysis methods that can assist in the inspection and selection of containers, due to the ever-growing volumes of traded cargo and the increasing concerns that customs-and security-related threats are being smuggled across borders by organised crime and terrorist networks. We split the field into the classical pipeline of image preprocessing and image understanding. Preprocessing includes: image manipulation; quality improvement; Threat Image Projection (TIP); and material discrimination and segmentation. Image understanding includes: Automated Threat Detection (ATD); and Automated Contents Verification (ACV). We identify several gaps in the literature that need to be addressed and propose ideas for future research. Where the current literature is sparse we borrow from the single-view, multi-view, and CT X-ray baggage domains, which have some characteristics in common with X-ray cargo.
Background: The microvascular free fibula flap has become the gold standard for reconstruction of complex mandibular defects since its description by Hidalgo in 1989. Prior studies have demonstrated its safety and efficacy in the pediatric population. However, this reconstructive method is often used only as a last resort for correction of congenital mandibular hypoplasia, after failure of bone grafting and distraction osteogenesis. The authors describe our experience using this technique, facilitated by virtual planning and prefabricated cutting jigs, for children with severe congenital mandibular hypoplasia. Methods: All patients with mandibular reconstruction with a fibula flap in children with congenital mandibular hypoplasia between 2009 and 2014 by the senior authors were identified. Each patient underwent preoperative computed tomography scanning and virtual surgical planning to create custom cutting jigs for creation of the mandibular defect and fibular osteotomies. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative medical records were examined in detail. Results: Five patients age 10 to 18 with congenital mandibular hypoplasia and Pruzansky Grade III mandibles underwent microvascular free fibula flap for mandibular reconstruction during this period. Flap success rate was 100%. All patients underwent subsequent revision procedures to improve symmetry or for hardware removal. The 4 patients in our series who required dental implants were able to have them placed into their mandibular reconstruction. Conclusions: Preoperative virtual planning and prefabricated cutting jigs allow for precise complex fibula reconstruction of the mandible in the pediatric population. Additionally, virtual planning facilitates concomitant orthognathic procedures in patients with hemifacial microsomia. Our early success in this patient population leads us to suggest that while the free fibula can be safely and successfully used after multiple prior surgical interventions in the same anatomic region, it can also be a powerful tool for primary correction of congenital mandibular hypoplasia.
This fundamental study of single bubbles rising in confined geometries was motivated by the aeration in membrane bioreactors. The parameters channel depth, bubble size, superimposed liquid velocity and rheology of the liquid (Newtonian, non-Newtonian) were varied. The flow field close to the bubble with a negative wake in the non-Newtonian liquid is discussed and a data presentation is introduced allowing a statistical analysis. Cumulative distribution functions for the velocity magnitude, vorticity, strain and shear stress are extracted from the flow fields for each parameter combination. Except for channel depth, almost all analyzed properties increased with increasing bubble size and superimposed liquid velocity. An influence of the rheology on the results is visible especially for the shear stress.
Until the banking reform in 1936, banks and industrial companies in Italy were strongly intertwined (both in terms of ownership and interlocking directorates). Using Imita.db-a large dataset containing data on over 300,000 directors of Italian joint-stock companies-this paper analyzes what would have happened to the Italian corporate network in the years 1913, 1921, 1927 and 1936 if the German-type universal banks and their directors would have not been there. Our test shows that new centers of the system would have emerged (financial, electricity, and phone companies), confirming the interconnected nature of the Italian capitalism. We also analyze two industries (textiles and iron and steel) characterized by different labor-to-capital intensities to check for sectoral differences. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that local banks were important in funding both industries.
Landslide triggered by earthquake or rainstorm often results in serious property damage and human casualties. It is, therefore, necessary to establish an emergency management system to facilitate the processes of damage assessment and decision-making. This paper has presented an integrated approach for mapping and analyzing spatial features of a landslide from remote sensing images and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Several image interpretation tools have been provided for analyzing the spatial distribution and characteristics of the landslide on different dimensions: (1D) terrain variation analysis along the mass movement direction and (3D) morphological analysis. In addition, the results of image interpretation can be further discussed and adjusted on an online cooperating platform, which was built to improve the coordination of all players involved in different phases of emergency management, e.g., hazard experts, emergency managers, and first response organizations. A mobile-based application has also been developed to enhance the data exchange and on-site investigation. Our pilot study of Guanling landslide shows that the presented approach has the potential to facilitate the phases of landslide monitoring and information management, e.g., hazard assessment, emergency preparedness, planning mitigation, and response.
Older adults are prescribed sedative-hypnotic medications at higher rates than younger adults. These are not recommended for older adults due to risk of sedation, cognitive impairment, and falls. Severe generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a possibly appropriate use of these medications in older people, but little is available on use of sedative-hypnotic medications among older adults with GAD. This study examined the frequency and predictors of sedative-hypnotic medication use among older adults screening positive for anxiety. 25.88% (n=125) of participants reported taking sedative-hypnotics over the past 3 months; 16.36% (n=79) reported taking benzodiazepines, and 12.22% (n=59) reported taking hypnotic sleep medications. Depressive symptoms were more strongly associated with sedative-hypnotic use than insomnia or worry. Major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, but not GAD, predicted sedative-hypnotic use. Other medications and treatments are more appropriate and efficacious for depression, anxiety, and insomnia in this population.
Ecopath with Ecosim (EWE) is a widely applied food web model that is mostly known as desktop software for the Microsoft Windows platform. The freely available Microsoft.NET source code of EwE, however, provides a range of possibilities to use the model in different ways, to customize and extend the model, and to execute the model on different operating systems. We provide an overview of the EwE source code, its philosophy, and its technical capabilities, targeted to model builders and advanced users of the EwE software. We showcase novel scientific applications of the EwE model that have been facilitated because of the modular approach of the system. We also present three additional versions of EwE that have been written in different computer languages for dedicated purposes. Lastly, we provide an entry point for users for obtaining and using the source code for custom purposes. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A primary concern in the psychology of religion is the distinct possibility that responses to empirical assessments of individuals' degree and type of religiosity and spirituality are exaggerated owing to social desirability bias. In spite of increased secularization in American culture and a growing distrust of organized religion, religious involvement, personal religiosity, and spirituality are still viewed as highly desirable characteristics. This study estimates the extent of social desirability biases that affect self-reports of religion and spirituality by utilizing a bogus pipeline procedure. In this procedure, participants are convinced that experimenters can detect disingenuous responses to individual items on questionnaires through the use of physiological measures, although no physiological data are actually collected. If the self-reports of participants in the bogus pipeline condition indicate greater religiosity or spirituality than those in the control condition, self-report bias is indicated. The bogus pipeline procedure has been used in other areas of study to increase veracity of self-reports when social desirability effects are present (such as reporting sexual behaviors or prejudice). The results indicate that social desirability biases influence multiple constructs including religious orientations, religious coping, and daily spiritual experiences. Implications for future research relying on self-reports of religion and spirituality are discussed.
Burgers-Huxley equations and their reduced form are of vital importance in modeling the interaction between reaction mechanisms, convection effects and diffusion transports. In this paper, we applied the reduced form of differential transform method (reduced-DTM), present in previous works (Abazari and Borhanifar, Comput Math Appl 59:2711-2722, 2010; Borhanifar and Abazari, J Appl Math Comput 35:37-51, 2011; Borhanifar and Abazari, Opt Commun 283:2026-2031, 2010; Abazari and Ganji, Int J Comput Math 88(8):1749-1762, 2011; Abazari and Abazari, Commun Nonlinear Sci Numer Simul 17:619629, 2012), to solving Burgers-Huxley equations and their three reduced equations, namely, the Burgers equation, the Huxley equation and the Burgers-Fisher equation. The results obtained employing RDTM are compared with previous semi-analytical methods, such as HPM (He, Appl Math Comput 135:73-79, 2003), HAM (Liao, Beyond perturbation: introduction to the homotopy analysis method. Chapman & Hall/CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2003), DTM (Zhou, Differential transformation and its application for electrical circuits. Huazhong University Press, Wuhan, 1986) and exact solution. As an important result, it is depicted that the RDTM results are more accurate in comparison with those obtained by classic HPM, HAM and DTM. The numerical results reveal that the RDTM is very effective, convenient and quite accurate to time dependance kind of nonlinear equations. It is predicted that the RDTM can be found widely applicable in engineering.
Osteoporotic fractures are a major concern for the health care of elderly and female populations. Early diagnosis of patients with a high risk of osteoporotic fractures can be enhanced by introducing second-order statistical analysis of bone image data using techniques such as variogram analysis. Such analysis is computationally intensive thereby creating an impediment for introduction into imaging machines found in common clinical settings. This paper investigates the fast implementation of the semivariogram algorithm, which has been proven to be effective in modeling bone strength, and should be of interest to readers in the areas of computer-aided diagnosis and quantitative image analysis. The semivariogram is a statistical measure of the spatial distribution of data, and is based on Markov random fields. Semivariogram analysis is a computationally intensive algorithm that has typically seen applications in the geosciences and remote sensing areas. Recently, applications in the area of medical imaging have been investigated, resulting in the need for efficient real-time implementation of the algorithm. A semivariance, gamma(h), is defined as the half of the expected squared differences of pixel values between any two data locations with a lag distance of h. Due to the need to examine each pair of pixels in the image or sub-image being processed, the base algorithm complexity for an image window with n pixels is O(n(2)). Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are an attractive solution for such demanding applications due to their parallel processing capability. FPGAs also tend to operate at relatively modest clock rates measured in a few hundreds of megahertz. This paper presents a technique for the fast computation of the semivariogram using two custom FPGA architectures. A modular architecture approach is chosen to allow for replication of processing units. This allows for high throughput due to concurrent processing of pixel pairs. The current implementation is focused on isotropic semivariogram computations only. The algorithm is benchmarked using VHDL on a Xilinx XUPV5-LX110T development Kit, which utilizes the Virtex5 FPGA. Medical image data from DXA scans are utilized for the experiments. Implementation results show that a significant advantage in computational speed is attained by the architectures with respect to implementation on a personal computer with an Intel i7 multi-core processor.
A novel expert hydro/aero-static spindle design system strategy is presented in this paper. It is based on the comprehensive principles of machine design, machining dynamics and metal cutting mechanics. The transmission and lubrication types of the spindle are decided by a selection system, which utilize a dedicated logical choice algorithm in the light of the specifications of both workpiece material and desired cutting condition. Hydro/aero-static spindles are designed by this system from its dynamics perspective. The chatter vibration of the spindle is automatically improved by optimizing the structural parameters of the spindle. Meanwhile, the predicted Frequency Response Function (FRF) of the spindle based on the rotor dynamics is integrated to the chatter vibration stability law. Consequently, the expert design system enables the structure of machine tools to be designed efficiently with a higher precision. The proposed system was demonstrated through an aerostatic spindle design for micro-array structures machining. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Since the introduction of biologics, many concerns about the increased risk of infections have been reported and, to date, the real impact of infections on the daily practice in the rheumatologic centers is still largely unknown. In this work, we evaluated the infection rates associated with the use of biologics in a large cohort of patients. A prospective study, between January 2010 and December 2013, enrolling 731 rheumatic patients, was performed. Demographic and disease characteristics, therapies, comorbidities, and infectious events were recorded and statistically analyzed by multivariate analysis. Two-hundred thirty-five infectious episodes were observed in 28.4 % of patients. About total infections, bacteria were identified in 70.6 % of total cases and viruses in 18.3 %. The most common site of not-serious infection was the urinary tract. Duration of disease, longer follow-up, concomitant steroid therapy, and comorbidities were significantly associated with not-serious infection. In our cohort, 17 episodes fulfilled the criteria of serious infection and occurred in 17 different patients (2.3 %), the majority involving the lower respiratory tract. Serious infections were associated with the beginning of biologics in older age. Our prospective, observational study showed that, in daily practice, a lesser rate of serious as well as not-serious infections may be observed in rheumatic patients treated with biologics than those reported in previous papers. The most common sites of not-serious infections are both the urinary and the respiratory tracts, and for serious infections, the respiratory tract. When pathogens were isolated, we did not find any multidrug-resistant organism.
Testicular compartment syndrome (TCS) refers to the impairment of microcirculation in the testicle due to either increased venous resistance or extraluminal compression, which leads to hypoxia. TCS releases oxidants through hypoxia and ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). The pathophysiology, etiology, evaluation, and management of TCS are reviewed. Based on the properties of TCS, specific causes, e.g., varicocele, hydrocele, orchitis, cryptorchidism, and scrotal hernia, are suggested and categorized. The oxidant-induced stress from TCS may explain the correlations between these causes and infertility. A chief shortcoming of current imaging modalities is that they detect TCS late after it has progressed to impair the macrocirculation of the testicle. We propose frequent sequential periodic power Doppler ultrasonography to monitoring for earlier detection. Intraoperatively, TCS can be diagnosed by the dull purple appearance of a hypoxic testicle and by tissue pressures above 30 mmHg. When compartment pressure is low, the underlying etiology must be promptly treated. During acute presentation, an incision of the resilient tunica albuginea may be necessary. A great challenge of treating TCS is restoring microcirculation while minimizing IRI; concomitant antioxidant therapy secondary to treatment may be effective and harmless at the least. Because testicular oxidant stress is common in infertility and since TCS can cause such a stress, TCS may be a larger factor in infertility than currently suspected.
Multifunction RF systems which can operate with different RF functions like radar, communication and electronic warfare offer a variety of benefits beyond the well-known AESA (Active Electronically Steerable Antenna) features. To reach a sufficient technology maturity to start product development a series of challenges most stemming from the large required operation bandwidth have to be resolved. Dual-polarised low-loss apertures with array grids designed for a grating lobe and scan blindness free 60 conical Field of View (FoV) at the highest operational frequency have to be considered. The active components of the AESA and especially the T/R-M are required to be power efficient over the whole multifunction bandwidth and they shall be miniaturised to fit the array grid. RF functions like high speed datalink require linear high power amplification with low harmonics generation and interference suppression in receive is essential in order to maintain performance. Enablers for such broadband AESA are the GaN technology for T/R-M front-end components and SiGe BiCMOS technology for core chip and digital control of the T/R-M. The paper shows the state-of-the-art technology in Europe for multifunction RF Systems.
In today's highly demanding customers and aggressive competitors, product development is getting more complex and needs to innovate continuously. On the other hand common direction towards cost savings and shortening of design cycle forces to make the product design process highly efficient at high level of performance. Accordingly, this paper provides a new creative design tool to support robust product development by taking advantage of a creativity-based design process to achieve the goals of innovative product design. It describes a pilot prototype of software system used for computer-aided product development which has been developed based on the characteristics of the product design process, integrating the creative thinking methods, information technologies and computer application technologies (CAD system, LabVIEW, Game Technology, etc.). This new design environment leads to a flexible working flow of designing a product hand in hand with searching a product library that is arranged by geometric properties and allows designers, engineers and other professionals to collaborate with each other on the same platform in the product development process.
Production management should be evaluate in terms of performance, quantity and quality. A balance between different, dynamic and complex indicators of the production is necessary to engineers, production managers in order to capture correct decisions in very short time, according with the actual socio-economic system. For this reason, this paper presents a new approach of the performance indicators of production management, analysing a mechanical manufacturing system. The paper focuses on cross-boundary, involving classical manufacturing engineering and investigational domain, in close proximity the study employ the indicators to evaluate production results, production optimization and performances in this multifaceted field.
The study sought to identify the influential factors of stereotypes, social distance, and prejudice toward racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. We used data from the American General Social Survey (GSS) of 2012, and analysed the data of 4 820 individuals (3 700 Caucasians, 722 African Americans, and 398 others; males = 44.2%, females = 55.8%). Data were analysed using the SPSS 18.0 Statistics Program. In order to test for differences in racial prejudice by demographic characteristics by stereotyping and social distancing, we utilised variance and regression analyses procedures. Results suggest that stereotypes and social distance effects on prejudice toward African Americans vary according to ethnicity, gender, age, education, and income. Specifically, older and less-educated white males were more prejudiced toward African Americans than were individuals from other sociodemographic groupings. There was a direct relationship between the holding of stereotypical views and social distance, in that those who showed higher levels of stereotyping maintained a greater social distance from African Americans and showed greater implicit prejudice toward them. Racism toward African Americans remains a major social concern in the USA, and is largely influenced by sociodemographic factors.
The paper deals with a method for the simulation of stochastic responses at multiconductor transmission lines (MTL) with fluctuating parameters via theory of stochastic differential equations (SDE). The MTL responses are formed by the sets of stochastic trajectories completed by corresponding sample means and confidence intervals. The MTL model is based on a cascade connection of generalized RLCG networks and a state-variable method is used to formulate basic MTL's model equations. The boundary conditions are folded in via a modified nodal analysis (MNA) enabling to consider an MTL as a part of arbitrarily complex lumped-parameter circuits. Finally, a vector stochastic differential-algebraic equation (SDAE) is formulated, and the implicit Euler numerical scheme consistent with the Ito stochastic calculus used. To partly verify the results deterministic responses were stated via other methods and compared with mean values of stochastic ones. All simulations were performed in Matlab (R).
One of the serious challenges in computer vision and image classification is learning an accurate classifier for a new unlabeled image dataset, considering that there is no available labeled training data. Transfer learning and domain adaptation are two outstanding solutions that tackle this challenge by employing available datasets, even with significant difference in distribution and properties, and transfer the knowledge from a related domain to the target domain. The main difference between these two solutions is their primary assumption about change in marginal and conditional distributions where transfer learning emphasizes on problems with same marginal distribution and different conditional distribution, and domain adaptation deals with opposite conditions. Most prior works have exploited these two learning strategies separately for domain shift problem where training and test sets are drawn from different distributions. In this paper, we exploit joint transfer learning and domain adaptation to cope with domain shift problem in which the distribution difference is significantly large, particularly vision datasets. We therefore put forward a novel transfer learning and domain adaptation approach, referred to as visual domain adaptation (VDA). Specifically, VDA reduces the joint marginal and conditional distributions across domains in an unsupervised manner where no label is available in test set. Moreover, VDA constructs condensed domain invariant clusters in the embedding representation to separate various classes alongside the domain transfer. In this work, we employ pseudo target labels refinement to iteratively converge to final solution. Employing an iterative procedure along with a novel optimization problem creates a robust and effective representation for adaptation across domains. Extensive experiments on 16 real vision datasets with different difficulties verify that VDA can significantly outperform state-of-the-art methods in image classification problem.
Silicon RF power amplifiers (PAs) are in various RF front end modules (FEMs) today for handset and WLAN applications. Even though III-V semiconductor-based RF PAs can still offer superior frequency and breakdown performance with higher POUT and power-added-efficiency (PAE) and faster time-to-market, silicon-based RF PAs do have the advantages in offering higher monolithic integration with added functionalities (e.g., on-chip digital control and selection on power level, modulation, frequency band, matching, predistortion, etc.), which can translate to lower cost and smaller sizes attractive for broadband multi-mode multi-band handset transmitters. Therefore, some key techniques for designing high-efficiency 4G/5G/WLAN broadband wireless silicon PAs will be discussed.
When forming impressions and trying to figure out why other people behave the way they do, we should take into account not only dispositional factors (i.e. personality traits) but also situational constraints as potential causes for a behavior. However, in their attributions, people often ignore the importance of situational factors. To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the integration of situational information into attributions, we decomposed the attribution process by separately presenting information about behaviors and about the situational circumstances in which they occur. After reading the information, participants judged whether dispositional or situational causes explained the behavior (attribution), and how much they liked the person described in the scenario (affective evaluation). The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed increased blood oxygenation-level-dependent activation during the encoding of situational information when the resulting attribution was situational, relative to when the attribution was dispositional, potentially reflecting a controlled process that integrates situational information into attributions. Interestingly, attributions were strongly linked to subsequent affective evaluations, with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex emerging as potential substrate of the integration of attributions and affective evaluations. Our findings demonstrate how top-down control processes regulate impression formation when situational information is taken into account to understand others.
Understanding complex problems such as climate change is difficult for most nonaEuroscientists, with serious implications for decision making and policy support. Scientists generate complex computational models of climate systems to describe and understand those systems and to predict the future states of the systems. Non-scientists generate mental models of climate systems, perhaps with the same aims and perhaps with other aims too. Often, the predictions of computational models and of mental models do not correspond with important implications for human decision making, policy support, and behaviour change. Recent research has suggested non-scientists' poor appreciation of the simple foundations of system dynamics is at the root of the lack of correspondence between computational and mental models. We report here a study that uses a simple computational model to 'run' mental models to assess whether a system will evolve according to our aspirations when considering policy choices. We provide novel evidence of a dual-process model: how we believe the system works today is a function of ideology and worldviews; how we believe the system will look in the future is related to other, more general, expectations about the future. The mismatch between these different aspects of cognition may prevent establishing a coherent link between a mental model's assumptions and consequences, between the present and the future, thus potentially limiting decision making, policy support, and other behaviour changes.
The first geosynthetic retaining wall in Brazil was constructed in 1984 as an instrumented 10 m high geotextile-reinforced soil wall with a poorly draining backfill. This structure has been showing excellent performance throughout its service life, even after long periods of rainfall. In the past, the excellent performance of the wall had been attributed to the influence of soil confinement on the geotextile strength properties as well as the comparatively high interface shear strength between the fine soil and the nonwoven geotextile. Now there is also evidence of the beneficial effect of the internal drainage capacity when using nonwoven geotextiles as reinforcements. In order to clarify the understanding of the performance of the pioneer history case wall (SP-123 wall) and the effect of nonwoven geotextiles as reinforcements of fine-grained soils, full-scale laboratory models of geotextile reinforced walls were tested under wetting conditions. Results from the instrumentation have shown no significant positive water pressures and relatively small displacements even after intense periods of precipitation. The consistency between field and laboratory investigations provides strong evidence in support of the use of nonwoven geotextiles to reinforce poorly draining soils.
Residential domestic hot water energy consumption represented 16% of the EU household heating demand in 2013. With the improvement of the building insulation envelope, domestic hot water contribution to energy consumption is expected to increase significantly, with values between 20% and 32% in single family buildings, and between 35% to almost 50% in multifamily buildings. This energy, currently lost to the environment, can be recovered by waste water heat recovery systems inside buildings (in building solutions). While most publications in this field focus on shower heat recovery and on waste water as heat source for heat pumps, the detailed impact of waste water heat recovery at a city scale by aggregating building data has not been addressed yet. Furthermore, waste water heat recovery potential and relevance was not yet quantified as a function of the specific inhabitant and household numbers, end-use occurrence, and building type and age. A method to quantify the building-specific energy cost and energy saving potentials, based on pinch analysis, at the urban scale of in-building waste water heat recovery systems is therefore proposed. A complementary method to spatially allocate and characterise grey water streams as to thermal load and temperature levels in function of the building specificities is also developed. These methods are applied in two case studies, first as retrofitting solution in a city in Luxembourg and, second, as optimisation measure for high efficiency residential buildings. Grey water heat recovery would reduce the residential fuel consumption of the city by 63%. An integrated approach combining grey water heat recovery for hot water preheating and a heat pump yields up to 28% and 41% electricity savings for passive single family houses and multifamily buildings, respectively. With the detailed characterisation of various grey water streams as a function of inhabitant number and end -use occurrence, the quantification of the energy savings and costs through heat recovery is improved. The outcomes of urban energy and cost assessments concerning grey water heat recovery are more specific, as the results at building level are aggregated to the considered geographical scope. The proposed method therefore complements current urban energy and cost assessments with the detailed integration of in -building grey water heat recovery systems. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Previously, we have described N-Bz-L-Glu[ NH-2-(1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl) ethyl]-O-nHex (IQM9.21, L-1) as an interesting multifunctional neuroprotective compound for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we describe new derivatives and different synthetic routes, such as chemoenzymatic and solid-phase synthesis, aiming to improve the previously described route in solution. The lipase-catalysed amidation of L-and D-Glu diesters with N-benzyl-4-(2-aminoethyl) piperidine has been studied, using Candida antarctica and Mucor miehei lipases. In all cases, the alpha-amidated compound was obtained as the main product, pointing out that regioselectivity was independent of the reacting Glu enantiomer and the nature of the lipase. An efficient solid-phase route has been used to produce new donepezil-based L-and D-Glu derivatives, resulting in good yield. At micromolar concentrations, the new compounds inhibited human cholinesterases and protected neurons against toxic insults related to Alzheimer's disease and cerebral ischemia. The CNS-permeable compounds N-Cbz-L-Glu(OEt)-[ NH-2-(1benzylpiperidin-4-yl) ethyl] (L-3) and L-1 blocked the voltage-dependent calcium channels and L-3 protected rat hippocampal slices against oxygen-glucose deprivation, becoming promising antiAlzheimer and anti-stroke lead compounds. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Microcatchment is a technique for collecting, storing and conserving local surface runoff in order to grow trees/shrubs. In this system, runoff water is generated on a plot and stored in the soil during runoff events, and trees/shrubs may utilize this water during the next dry season. Microcatchments have relatively small runoff generation areas (from dozens to hundreds sq. m) and are cheap and simple to implement Their collection area is usually a small depression located nearby the runoff generating area in which one or a few trees/shrubs may be planted Due to the short overland flow path runoff generation is efficient and even short low intensity storms may generate runoff. The drawback is however that due to the small size of the generating area small volumes of water are conveyed to the storage plots. Another drawback is susceptibility of the augmented water to evaporation. The main objective of present research presented hereafter was to estimate the effect the depth of the depression has on the efficiency of the water conservation in the soil profile. In the present study the storage plots were circular pits and the effect their depth had on evaporative losses and water distribution were studied. The results clearly show that the depth of the pit significantly affects evaporative water losses. The losses were separately computed for the soil cylinder whose upper surface is the bottom of the pit and for the surrounding shell. No differences between treatments were evident for losses from the inner cylinder. Significant differences in water losses were however observed for the surrounding shell where the shallow pits losing as much as six times more than the deeper pits. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting through modified contour ridges known as dead level contours has been practiced in Zimbabwe in the last two decades. Studies have shown marginal soil moisture retention benefits for using this technique while results on crop yield benefits are lacking. This paper presents results from a field study for assessing the impact of dead level contours on soil moisture and crop yield carried out from 2009 to 2011 within the Limpopo River Basin. The experiments were carried out on two study sites; one containing silt loam soil and another containing sandy soil. Three treatments constituting dead level contoured plots, non-contoured plots and plots with the traditional graded contours were used on each site. All the three treatments were planted with a maize crop and managed using conventional farming methods. Planting, weeding and fertiliser application in the three treatments were done at the same time. Crop monitoring was carried out on sub plots measuring 4 m by 4 m established in every treatment. The development of the crop was monitored until harvesting time with data on plant height, leaf moisture and crop yield being collected. An analysis of the data shows that in the site with silt loam soil more soil moisture accumulated after heavy rainfall in dead level contour plots compared to the control (no contours) and graded contour plots (P0.05) higher yield in the dead level contoured treatment compared to the non-contoured treatment while a significantly (P0.05) higher than that from the non-contoured treatment. This suggests that adopting dead level contours as an in situ rainwater harvesting technique results in crop yield benefits in fields with soil type conditions that enable runoff generation but is not likely to have benefit in soils with low runoff generation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bryophytes (including mosses, liverworts and hornworts) are a heterogeneous group of terrestrial plants, which comprise over 24,000 species worldwide. Given the various biological activities reported from bryophytes, they have a huge commercial potential. Due to their minute size and rather small biomass in various ecosystems, bryophytes are a seldom part of ethnomedicine and rarely subject to medicinal and chemical analyses. Still, hundreds of novel natural products have been isolated from bryophytes. Bryophytes have been shown to contain numerous potentially useful natural products, including polysaccharides, lipids, rare amino acids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, quinones and many other specialized metabolites. Additionally, different bryophyte extracts and isolated compounds have shown antimicrobial, antiviral, cytotoxic, nematocidal, insecticidal, effects on smooth and non-striated muscles, weight loss, plant growth regulators and allelopathic activities. Bryophytes also cause allergies and contact dermatitis. All these effects highlight bryophytes as potential source for herbal remedies and production of chemicals to be used in various products.
Surface coatings delivering BMP are a promising approach to render biomaterials osteoinductive. In contrast to soluble BMPs which can interact with their receptors at the dorsal side of the cell, BMPs presented as an insoluble cue physically bound to a biomimetic matrix, called here matrix-bound (bBMP-2), are presented to cells by their ventral side. To date, BMP-2 internalization and signaling studies in cell biology have always been performed by adding soluble (sBMP-2) to cells adhered on cell culture plates or glass slides, which will be considered here as a reference condition. However, whether and how matrix-bound BMP-2 can be internalized by cells and its relation to canonical (SMAD) and non canonical signaling (ALP) remain open questions. In this study, we investigated the uptake and processing of BMP-2 by C2C12 myoblasts. This BMP-2 was presented either embedded in polyelectrolyte multilayer films (matrix-bound presentation) or as soluble form. Using fluorescently labeled BMP-2, we showed that the amount of matrix-bound BMP-2 internalized is dependent on the level of crosslinking of the polyelectrolyte films. Cav-1-mediated internalization is related to both SMAD and ALP signaling, while clathrin-mediated is only related to ALP signaling. BMP-2 internalization was independent of the presentation mode (sBMP-2 versus bBMP-2) for low crosslinked films (soft, EDC10) in striking contrast with high crosslinked (stiff, EDC70) films where internalization was much lower and slower for bBMP-2. As anticipated, internalization of sBMP-2 barely depended on the underlying matrix. Taken together, these results indicate that BMP-2 internalization can be tuned by the underlying matrix and activates downstream BMP-2 signaling, which is key for the effective formation of bone tissue. Statement of Significance The presentation of growth factors from material surfaces currently presents significant challenges in academic research, clinics and industry. Being able to deliver efficiently these growth factors by a biomaterial will open new perspectives for regenerative medicine. However, to date, very little is known about how matrix-bound growth factors are delivered to cells, especially whether they are internalized and how they are signaling to drive key differentiation events. These initial steps are crucial as they will guide the subsequent processes leading to tissue regeneration. In this work, we investigate the uptake and processing by cells of BMP-2 ligands embedded in polyelectrolyte multilayer films in comparison to soluble BMP-2. We show that BMP-2 responsive cells can internalize matrix-bound BMP-2 and that internalization is dependent on the cross-linking level of the polyelectrolyte films. In addition, we show that internalization is mediated by both clathrin- and caveolin-dependent pathways. While inhibiting clathrin-dependent endocytosis affects only non-canonical signaling, blocking caveolin-1-dependent endocytosis reduces both canonical and non-canonical BMP signaling. The signaling pathways found for matrix-bound BMP-2 are similar to those found for soluble BMP-2. These results highlight that BMP-2 presented by a biomaterial at the ventral side of the cell can trigger major endocytic and associated signaling pathways leading to bone regeneration. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Stem cell biology has played a pivotal role in the field of disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. The scope of stem cell research has been further extended to address the issues associated with toxicity and biosafety. However, its role in the field of neurotoxicity (NT) and the emerging field of developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is somewhat underrepresented and needs thorough investigation. Several challenges have hindered the progress of NT and DNT studies, and there is a dire need for human-specific high-throughput in vitro system(s) as a tool with better predictivity, reliability, and reproducibility. The unique proliferation and pluripotency of stem cells makes them a tremendous resource for human material, allowing the prediction of drug toxicity and metabolic effects of chemicals. Recognizing the growing importance of NT and DNT and the application of stem cell biology, in this review article, we provide the diversified approaches of stem cell research which can be effectively applied to the NT and DNT studies and provide an update of the recent progress made so far. We further provide a futuristic approach towards novel stem cell-based strategies for NT and DNT testing. We have further discussed the current technologies, role of induced pluripotent stem cells, the application of three-dimensional (3D) cultures and role of stem cell-derived organs in the NT and DNT studies.
Surface-potential-based mathematical models are among the most accurate and physically based compact models of thin-film transistors, and in turn of indium gallium zinc oxide TFTs, available today. However, the need of iterative computations of the surface potential limits their computational efficiency and diffusion in CAD applications. The existing closed-form approximations of the surface potential are based on regional approximations and empirical smoothing functions that could result not accurate enough in particular to model transconductances and transcapacitances. In this work we present an extremely accurate (in the range of nV) and computationally efficient non-iterative approximation of the surface potential that can serve as a basis for advanced surface-potential-based indium gallium zinc oxide TFTs models. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an investigation on high energy rate micro forming (HERMF) of a thin aluminum foil using a high velocity forming (HVF) technique. A model is proposed for the work of deformation and efficiencies involved in every stage of energy transfer. The forming action has been achieved through incident shockwaves, which cause plastic deformation in the blank to take the shape of the die cavity. The shockwaves are generated by a rapid capacitive discharge of energy across a fuse wire inside the water. The paper presents an analysis to predict the amount of energy required for a desired depth of hemispherical deformation, based on the principles of plastic deformation and volume constancy. The energy transferred from the capacitor bank to the fuse wire is modeled using Kirchhoff's voltage law and the Joule heating principle. An indigenous micro-electro-hydro-forming (EHF) setup developed in-house is used to validate the analytical model developed through a set of experiments. Readings are optimized against the number of parameters present in the entire process. Validation for the suggested analytical model is carried out by comparing theoretical and experimentally measured values of the depth of deformation of a 20-mu m thick aluminum foil. The results obtained are encouraging, and the highest error in the predictive ability of our model was found to be 30 %. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at analytically modeling the depth of deformation for a given value of supplied electrical energy in the micro-domain.
The in vivo effect of rifampicin, a potent ligand of PXR, on gene expression of CYP2B22, 3A22, 3A29, 3A46, CAR, PXR and MDR1, MRP1, MRP2, LRP transporters in liver and cortex, cerebellum, midbrain, hippocampus, meninges and brain capillaries of pig was investigated. Animals were treated i.p. with four daily doses of rifampicin (40 mg/kg). The basal mRNA expressions of the individual CYP3As, CYP2B22, CAR, and PXR in various brain regions, except meninges, were about or below 10% of the corresponding hepatic mRNA values, whereas the mRNAs of brain transporters were closer or comparable to those in liver. After pig treatment with rifampicin, the mRNA expression of CYPs and transporters from brain regions did not appear to change, except CYP3A22 and 3A29 in cortex and hippocampus, CYP2B22 in meninges. An enzymatic analysis for CYP3As and CYP2B, in microsomes and mitochondria from liver and brain tissues using the marker activities 7-benzyloxyquinoline O-debenzylase and the anthraldehyde oxidase, showed the lack of rifampicin induction in all the brain regions, unlike liver. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CYP2B22, CYP3As, and MDR1, MRP1, MRP2, and LRP transporters are all expressed, although at different extent, in the brain regions but, despite the presence of PXR and CAR, are resistant to induction indicating that the regulation of these proteins is more complex in brain than in liver. These data obtained in vivo in the brain regions and liver of pig may be of interest to human metabolism in CNS.
Objectives: The impact of wearing lenses on visual and musculoskeletal complaints in VDU workers is currently unknown. The goal of this study was 1) to evaluate the impact of wearing VDU lenses on visual fatigue and self-reported neck pain and disability, compared to progressive lenses, and 2) to measure the effect of both lenses on head inclination and pressure pain thresholds during the performance of a VDU task. Methods: Thirty-five eligible subjects were randomly assigned to wear progressive VDU lenses (VDU group) (n = 18) or progressive lenses (P group) (n = 17). They were enquired about visual complaints (VFQ), self-perceived pain (NRS) and disability (NDI) at baseline (with old lenses), and 1 week, 3 months and 6 months after wearing their new lenses. In addition, Forward Head Angle (FHA) and PPTs were assessed during and after a VDU task before and 6 months after wearing the new lenses. A short questionnaire concerning the satisfaction about the study lenses was completed at the end of the study. Results: In both groups, visual fatigue and neck pain was decreased at 3 and 6 months follow up, compared to baseline. All PPTs were higher during the second VDU task, independent of the type of lenses. The VDU group reported a significantly higher suitability of the lenses for VDU work. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is little difference in effect of the different lenses on visual and musculoskeletal comfort. Lenses should be adjusted to the task-specific needs and habits of the participant.
We present a detailed study of a global bifurcation occuring in a turbulent von Karman swirling flow. In this system, the statistically steady states progressively display hysteretic behaviour when the Reynolds number is increased above the transition to turbulence. We examine in detail this hysteresis using asymmetric forcing conditions-rotating the impellers at different speeds. For very high Reynolds numbers, we study the sensitivity of the hysteresis cycle-using complementary particle image velocimetry and global mechanical measurements-to the forcing nature, imposing either the torque or the speed of the impellers. New mean states, displaying multiple quasi-steady states and negative differential responses, are experimentally observed in torque control. A simple analogy with electrical circuits is performed to understand the link between multi-stability and negative responses. The system is compared to other, similar 'bulk' systems, to understand some relevant ingredients of negative differential responses, and studied in the framework of thermodynamics of long-range interacting systems. The experimental results are eventually compared to the related problem of Rayleigh-Benard turbulence.
Activated B-cells increase T-cell behaviour during autoimmune disease and other infections by means of cytokine production and antigen-presentation. Functional studies in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) indicate that B-cell deficiencies, and a lack of IL10 and IL35 leads to a poor prognosis. We hypothesised that B-cells play a role during tuberculosis. We evaluated B-cell mRNA expression using real-time PCR from healthy community controls, individuals with other lung diseases and newly diagnosed untreated pulmonary TB patients at three different time points (diagnosis, month 2 and 6 of treatment). We show that FASLG, IL5RA, CD38 and IL4 expression was lower in B-cells from TB cases compared to healthy controls. The changes in expression levels of CD38 may be due to a reduced activation of B-cells from TB cases at diagnosis. By month 2 of treatment, there was a significant increase in the expression of APRIL and IL5RA in TB cases. Furthermore, after 6 months of treatment, APRIL, FASLG, IL5RA and CD19 were upregulated in B-cells from TB cases. The increase in the expression of APRIL and CD19 suggests that there may be restored activation of B-cells following anti-TB treatment. The upregulation of FASLG and IL5RA indicates that B-cells expressing regulatory genes may play an important role in the protective immunity against M. tb infection. Our results show that increased activation of B-cells is present following successful TB treatment, and that the expression of FASLG and IL5RA could potentially be utilised as a signature to monitor treatment response.
Some norbenzomorphans exhibit high affinity for sigma 1 and sigma 2 receptors, and varying the position of substituents on the aromatic ring of this scaffold has a significant effect on subtype selectivity. In particular, compounds bearing several different substituents at C7 of the norbenzomorphan ring system exhibit a general preference for the sigma 1 receptor, whereas the corresponding C8-substituted analogues preferentially bind at the sigma 2 receptor. These findings suggest that the norbenzomorphan scaffold may be a unique chemical template that can be easily tuned to prepare small molecules for use as tool compounds to study the specific biological effects arising from preferential binding at either sigma receptor subtype. In the absence of structural characterization data for the sigma 2 receptor, such compounds will be useful toward refining the pharmacophore model of its binding site.
This paper focuses on a new kind of artificial neural networks - the Z-transform artificial neural networks (ZTANNs). It is proposed to use the Z-transform instead of ordinary weights and a linear activation function of an artificial neuron. This extension allows to use artificial neural networks in new areas. The ordinary description of artificial neural networks is a special case of the description proposed in this paper. It also contains a description of the use of the ZTANN for automatic identification of objects in digital control system. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper focuses on our primary goal to achieve the emotional behaviour of the new version of the social robot Probo. The ability to enhance nonverbal communication with children is possible through facial expressions, eye-tracking and face-to-face contact. The new social robot has 21 degrees of freedom (DOF), grouped in five subsystems, named generically: eyes, ears, trunk, mouth and neck. The robotic head is actuated using only servo motors and all the components are manufactured using cheap, flexible and easy technologies. In order to get the social robot head able to express emotions, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed. In this way facial expressions are created through sliders or push buttons. Additionally, we investigated the possibility of controlling the robot with an Arduino board. In this case, using pre-programmed or learned algorithms, the robot is getting a semiautonomous level, based on the usage of various sensors, being able to express six bagic emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. So, based on the feedback provided by the sensors, the robot can react accordingly, enhancing human-robot interaction (HRI).
Quality of the essential commodity, water, is being compromised by contaminants originating from anthropogenic sources, industrial activities, agriculture, etc. Water scarcity and severe droughts in many regions of the world also represent a significant challenge to availability of this resource. Domestic rainwater harvesting, which involves collection and storage of water from rooftops and diverse surfaces, is successfully implemented worldwide as a sustainable water supplement. This review focuses on chemical and microbial qualities of domestic rainwater harvesting, with a particular focus on sources of chemical pollution and major pathogens associated with the water source. Incidences of disease linked to consumption and utilization of harvested rainwater are also discussed. In addition, various procedures and methods used for disinfection and treatment of harvested rainwater, such as implementation of filter systems (activated carbon, slow sand filtration, etc.), heat treatment, and chlorination, among others, are also presented.
In three-phase induction motor drives, addition of certain zero-sequence signal which divides the null vector time equally between the two zero states is known to improve the harmonic performance over sinusoidal modulation. Similarly, in split-phase induction motor (SPIM) drives also, addition of such a zero-sequence signal to each set of three-phase sinusoidal modulating waves leads to reduction in total harmonic distortion (THD) in a motor current. However, the above method known as double zero-sequence injection pulse width modulation (DZIPWM) is significantly inferior to four-dimensional 24-sector space vector pulse width modulation (4D24SEC PWM) in terms of THD. This paper investigates and attempts to determine the zero-sequence signal, if any, whose injection could result in a harmonic performance comparable to that of 4D24SEC PWM. Such a zero-sequence signal is determined and is shown to be quite different from that used in DZIPWM. The analytical findings are used to propose a computationally efficient, carrier-based approach to implement the 4D24SEC PWM, whose implementation is otherwise highly resource intensive. The feasibility, computational efficiency, and accuracy of the proposed approach are demonstrated and validated on a 6-kW split-phase motor drive, controlled from a field programmable gate array platform. This paper enables good harmonic performance of the split-phase drive with low computational effort and resources.
PURPOSE Prostate cancer screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a controversial issue. The present study aimed to explore physician behaviors during an unannounced standardized patient encounter that was part of a randomized controlled trial to educate physicians using a prostate cancer screening, interactive, Web-based module. METHODS Participants included 118 internal medicine and family medicine physicians from 5 health systems in California, in 2007-2008. Control physicians received usual education about prostate cancer screening (brochures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Intervention physicians participated in the prostate cancer screening module. Within 3 months, all physicians saw unannounced standardized patients who prompted prostate cancer screening discussions in clinic. The encounter was audio-recorded, and the recordings were transcribed. Authors analyzed physician behaviors around screening: (1) engagement after prompting, (2) degree of shared decision making, and (3) final recommendations for prostate cancer screening. RESULTS After prompting, 90% of physicians discussed prostate cancer screening. In comparison with control physicians, intervention physicians showed somewhat more shared decision making behaviors (intervention 14 items vs control 11 items, P < .05), were more likely to mention no screening as an option (intervention 63% vs control 26%, P < .05), to encourage patients to consider different screening options (intervention 62% vs control 39%, P < .05) and seeking input from others (intervention 25% vs control 7%, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS A brief Web-based interactive educational intervention can improve shared decision making, neutrality in recommendation, and reduce PSA test ordering. Engaging patients in discussion of the uses and limitations of tests with uncertain value can decrease utilization of the tests.
The environmental impact of major oil spills on marine microorganisms has yet to be thoroughly investigated using molecular biology techniques. The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig explosion of 2010 affected an approximately 176,000 km(2) surface area of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) when an estimated 210 million gallons of oil from the Macondo Prospect spilled into the environment. Pelagic Sargassum, a complex of two surface drifting species (Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans) of marine brown macroalgae and a critically important habitat in the GOM ecosystem, was suffused by Macondo Prospect 252 oil released during the DWH event. Using 16S rRNA PCR and Roche 454 pyrosequencing, the effect of the oil on the bacterial population associated with pelagic Sargassum and contiguous waters was examined by comparing sequence data generated from samples collected from oiled and non-oiled locations in the northern GOM. Sequence data showed similar microbial composition in Sargassum regardless of exposure to oil primarily dominated by five phyla; Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and unclassified bacteria. The microbial composition in water samples was significantly less diverse than for Sargassum and consisted primarily of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Due to the evenly distributed abundance of microbial species on oiled and non-oiled pelagic Sargassum, study findings indicate that DWH spilled oil had minimal effect on the composition and diversity of the microbial community associated with Sargassum and contiguous waters. However, higher abundances of Sulfitobacter and one species of Psychrobacter were found in oiled water samples when compared to non-oiled water samples indicating some effect of DHW oil in the microbial composition of seawater. Though there are a number of marine studies using molecular biology approaches, this is the first molecular examination of the impact of the DWH oil spill on bacterial communities associated with pelagic Sargassum and contiguous waters from the GOM.
The severity and number of attacks on computer networks are rapidly increasing. Most existing security solutions concentrate on resisting one or several attacks. We propose an integrated router security framework, called TrustR. It is able to defend against various types of attacks. TrustR integrates collaborating security primitives including cryptography based security mechanisms, trust management system, and trusted platform module. A simple but efficient method for detecting deceptive routing messages is also proposed. The deployment of TrustR is introduced. Simulation results show that TrustR is effective in resisting attacks and improving network performance.
Cooperation among individuals depends, in large part, on a sense of fairness. Many cooperating nonhuman primates show inequity aversion (i.e. negative responses to unequal outcomes), and these responses towards inequity probably evolved as a means to preserve the advantages of cooperative relationships. However, marmosets (Callithrix spp.) tend to show little or no inequity aversion, despite the high occurrence of prosociality and cooperative breeding in callitrichid monkeys. Oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in a wide variety of social processes, but little is known about whether OXT modulates inequity aversion towards others. We used a tray-pulling task to evaluate whether marmosets would donate superior rewards to their long-term pair mate or an opposite-sex stranger following OXT, OXT antagonist and saline treatments. We found that marmosets show inequity aversion, and that this inequity aversion is socially and sex specific. Male marmosets showed inequity aversion towards their pair mates but not towards strangers, and female marmosets did not show inequity aversion. OXT treatments did not significantly influence inequity aversion in marmosets. While OXT may modulate prosocial preferences, the motivations underlying cooperative relationships, such as inequity aversion, are multifaceted. More research is needed to evaluate the evolutionary origins, biological processes and social contexts that influence complex phenotypes like inequity aversion. Inequity aversion can differ within species in important and distinct ways, including between individuals who do and do not share a cooperative relationship. Overall, these findings support the view that inequity aversion is an important behavioural strategy for the maintenance of cooperative relationships. (C) 2016 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Age estimation from face images is an important yet difficult task in computer vision. Its main difficulty lies in how to design aging features that remain discriminative in spite of large facial appearance variations. Meanwhile, due to the difficulty of collecting and labeling datasets that contain sufficient samples for all possible ages, the age distributions of most benchmark datasets are often imbalanced, which makes this problem more challenge. In this work, we try to solve these difficulties by means of the mainstream deep learning techniques. Specifically, we use a convolutional neural network which can learn discriminative aging features from raw face images without any handcrafting. To combat the sample imbalance problem, we propose a novel cumulative hidden layer which is supervised by a point-wise cumulative signal. With this cumulative hidden layer, our model is learnt indirectly using faces with neighbouring ages and thus alleviate the sample imbalance problem. In order to learn more effective aging features, we further propose a comparative ranking layer which is supervised by a pair-wise comparative signal. This comparative ranking layer facilitates aging feature learning and improves the performance of the main age estimation task. In addition, since one face can be included in many different training pairs, we can make full use of the limited training data. It is noted that both of these two novel layers are differentiable, so our model is end-to-end trainable. Extensive experiments on the two of the largest benchmark datasets show that our deep age estimation model gains notable advantage on accuracy when compared against existing methods.
This paper deals with research into advanced hierarchical graph structures which have been developed for knowledge representation in computer-aided design and robotics. Complex real-life engineering problems still need useful graph-based models. A new approach to represent models preserving the intrinsic nature of problem structures using graphs with many hierarchies is proposed. Different types of hierarchical dependencies (geometrical, functional, etc.) between design parts can be expressed in one structure. Moreover, the possibility of selecting only problem-related hierarchies reduces the number of data to be analysed in the process of reasoning about considered designs. This approach is illustrated by applying multi-hierarchical graph structures to represent complex data used for robot control algorithms. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Infections and malignancies are the expected complications of immunosuppressive therapy, which non-specifically impairs cellular and humoral immune responses in renal transplant recipients. Infections were usually frequent and severe during the early post-transplant period (first year). Recent diagnostic methods (molecular biology) and availability of new antivirals, antifungal and. antibiotic drugs made rapid diagnosis and systematic preventive strategies much easier and this resulted in a significant reduction of infections and infectious death in this population. However, new infectious agents like BK polyomavirus, hepatitis E virus, parvovirus (as well as Chigunkunya, West Nile and others in particular areas) were recently recognized as responsible of aggressive infections in the immunocompromised host. Malignancies are also common after transplantation, due to the intensity and duration of immunosuppression. Skin cancers and lymphoproliferative disorders are the most common and are undoubtedly caused by viral infections, but incidence of non-skin cancers is also increased. After reduction of immunosuppression, treatment is similar to non-transplant patients: Results are usually poor and cancer is now the third cause of death in transplant recipients. Due to their anti-proliferative and anti-tumoral properties, incidence of de novo cancer significantly decreased in patients receiving mTor inhibitors as maintenance immunosuppression; furthermore, in patients already diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma or recurrent skin cancers, introduction of mTor was associated with stabilisation and/or regression of malignant lesions. (C) 2016 Association Societe de nephrologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Solving large-scale sparse linear systems over GF(2) plays a key role in fluid mechanics, simulation and design of materials, petroleum seismic data processing, numerical weather prediction, computational electromagnetics, and numerical simulation of unclear explosions. Therefore, developing algorithms for this issue is a significant research topic. In this paper, we proposed a hyper-scale custom supercomputer architecture that matches specific data features to process the key procedure of block Wiedemann algorithm and its parallel algorithm on the custom machine. To increase the computation, communication, and storage performance, four optimization strategies are proposed. This paper builds a performance model to evaluate the execution performance and power consumption for our custom machine. The model shows that the optimization strategies result in a considerable speedup, even three times faster than the fastest supercomputer, TH2, while consuming less power.
In this paper, a complete sensitivity analysis of the optimal parameters for the axial flux permanent magnet synchronous machines working in the field weakening region is implemented. Thanks to the presence of a parameterized accurate analytical model, it is possible to obtain all the required parameters of the machine. The two goals of the ideal design are to maximize the power density: P-density and the ratio of maximal to rated speed: n(max)/n(r,) which is an inductance related parameter keeping the efficiency at the target speed above 90%. Different slots/poles/phases combinations are studied to reveal the optimum combination for each phase. This paper has studied the effect of the ratio of number of stator slots to number of rotor poles on the P-density and n(max)/n(r). It is shown that a low value of this parameter results in a better P-density and n(max)/n(r). The effect of the outer diameter, and the inner to outer diameter ratio are studied with respect to the two design goals. In addition, a comparison between the finite and the theoretical infinite speed designs is implemented. A complete 3D finite element validation has proven the robustness of the analytical model.
The discharge of iodine-containing wastewater into environment will lead to the water pollution due to the toxicity and radioactivity of iodine and iodine isotopes. A versatile adsorbent which can effectively adsorb the iodine is in high demanded for this issue. In this work, the hierarchically porous bismuth oxide/layered double hydroxide (Bi2O3/LDHs) composites were prepared based on biological template techniques, and the as-prepared composites show enhanced iodine adsorption capacity compared with LDHs fibers. The Mg Al LDHs fibers with hierarchical architectures are synthesized by directly growth of nanoscaled LDHs platelets on Al2O3 fiber surfaces. The Bi2O3/LDHs composites with sponge-like structures are prepared by desorption of Bi2O3 on the surfaces of LDHs fibers. The iodine adsorption behavior on Bi2O3/LDHs composites was examined in sodium iodine aqueous solutions. The appropriate iodine adsorption was obtained at a neutral pH with maximum adsorption capacity of 101.9 mg/g. The Langmuir model successfully describes the iodine adsorption isotherms, while the pseudo-second-order kinetic model is better at describing the iodine adsorption kinetics onto the Bi2O3/LDHs composites. Since the Bi2O3/LDHs composites show near complete removal of iodine ions, the as-prepared Bi2O3/LDHs composites are expected to have practical applications as iodine adsorbent in wastewater treatment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Multi-Context Systems (MCSs) introduced by Brewka and Eiter are a promising way to interlink decentralized and heterogeneous knowledge contexts. In this paper, we propose Preferential Multi-Context Systems (PMCSs), which provide a framework for incorporating preference over contexts in MCSs. In such a PMCS, its contexts are divided into different strata according to the preference such that information flows only from a context to contexts in the same stratum or less preferred strata. Given a positive integer l, the first l preferred strata of a PMCS are able to fully capture information exchange between the contexts of these strata, and thus these contexts form a new PMCS called the l-section of the original PMCS. We generalize the equilibrium semantics for an MCS to l(<=)-equilibria for a PMCS. An l(<=)-equilibrium represents a belief state that is acceptable at least for the l-section of the given PMCS. We also investigate inconsistency analysis in PMCS and related computational complexity issues. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Context: Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inactivates the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide. It can also affect the orexigenic hormone neuropeptide Y (NPY(1-36)) which is truncated by DPP-IV to NPY(3-36), as a consequence NPY's affinity changes from receptor Y1, which mediates the antilipolytic function of NPY, to other NPY receptors. Little is known whether DPP-IV inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients could influence these pathways. Aims: To investigate the in vitro effects of NPY with DPP-IV inhibition in isolated abdominal subcutaneous (AbdSc) adipocytes on fat metabolism, and assessment of NPY receptor and DPP-IV expression in adipose tissue (AT). Methods: Ex vivo human AT was taken from women undergoing elective surgery (body mass index: 27.5 (mean +/- s.d.) +/- 5 kg/m(2), age: 43.7 +/- 10 years, n = 36). Isolated AbdSc adipocytes were treated with human recombinant (rh)NPY (1-100 nM) with and without DPP-IV inhibitor (1 M); glycerol release and tissue distribution of DPP-IV, Y1 and Y5 messenger RNA (mRNA) were measured and compared between lean and obese subjects. Results and conclusion: rhNPY reduced glycerol release, an effect that was further enhanced by co-incubation with a DPP-IV inhibitor [control: 224 (mean +/- s.e.) +/- 37 mu mol/l; NPY, 100 nM: 161 +/- 27 mmol/l**; NPY 100 nM/DPP-IV inhibitor, 1 M: 127 +/- 14 mu mol/l**; **p < 0.01, n = 14]. DPP-IV was expressed in AbdSc AT and omental AT with relative DPP-IV mRNA expression lower in AbdSc AT taken from obese [77 +/- 6 signal units (SU)] vs. lean subjects (186 +/- 29 SU*, n = 10). Y1 was predominantly expressed in fat and present in all fat depots but higher in obese subjects, particularly the AbdSc AT-depot (obese: 1944 +/- 111 SU vs. lean: 711 +/- 112 SU**, n = 10). NPY appears to be regulated by AT-derived DPP-IV. DPP-IV inhibitors augment the antilipolytic effect of NPY in AT. Further studies are required to show whether this explains the lack of weight loss in T2DM patients treated with DPP-IV inhibitors.
There are several commercial financial expert systems that can be used for trading on the stock exchange. However, their predictions are somewhat limited since they primarily rely on time-series analysis of the market. With the rise of the Internet, new forms of collective intelligence (e.g. Google and Wikipedia) have emerged, representing a new generation of crowd-sourced knowledge bases. They collate information on publicly traded companies, while capturing web traffic statistics that reflect the public's collective interest. Google and Wikipedia have become important knowledge bases for investors. In this research, we hypothesize that combining disparate online data sources with traditional time-series and technical indicators for a stock can provide a more effective and intelligent daily trading expert system. Three machine learning models, decision trees, neural networks and support vector machines, serve as the basis for our inference engine. To evaluate the performance of our expert system, we present a case study based on the AAPL (Apple NASDAQ) stock. Our expert system had an 85% accuracy in predicting the next-day AAPL stock movement, which outperforms the reported rates in the literature. Our results suggest that: (a) the knowledge base of financial expert systems can benefit from data captured from nontraditional experts like Google and Wikipedia; (b) diversifying the knowledge base by combining data from disparate sources can help improve the performance of financial expert systems; and (c) the use of simple machine learning models for inference and rule generation is appropriate with our rich knowledge database. Finally, an intelligent decision making tool is provided to assist investors in making trading decisions on any stock, commodity or index. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The clinical importance of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) allergies demands standardized allergen extraction protocols. We determined the effectiveness of common extraction conditions (20 buffers, defatting reagents, extraction time/temperatures, processing, extraction repeats) on crude protein and Ara h 1 and 2 yields. Despite similar 1D-gel profiles, defatting with n-hexane resulted in significantly higher yields of crude protein, Ara h 1, and Ara h 2 than with diethyl ether. The yields were affected by the composition and pH of the extraction buffers and other conditions, but crude protein yield did not always correlate with Ara h 1 and 2 yields. Denaturants, reducing agents, acidic buffers, and thermal processing of peanuts perturbed allergen quantification in ELISAs, probably via exposure of additional epitopes. Allergen detection in 2D-Western blots with PBS resulted in greater sensitivity than with TBS or Tris. We recommend that allergen extraction conditions be selected based on the research question being investigated. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
For more than 20 years, hydrogeomorphological mapping in France has been considered as an efficient method of flood mapping that contributes to sustainable land development by taking into account occurrences of extreme events. The European Floods Directive (2007/60/CE) requires the production of maps showing water depths during extreme flood events. This article provides an overview of the numerical floodplain models (NFM) methodology, which uses hydrogeomorphological observations and LiDAR DEM data to produce water depth mapping. This article focuses on the NFM realised for the Meurthe River, close to the city of Nancy, France. The NFM methodology initially charts the floodplain from hydrogeomorphological mapping, then uses simple hydraulics for validation, and finally produces water depth maps with GIS processing. The resulting NFM shows good agreement with the historic 1947 flood. This methodology is a simple and complementary solution to hydraulics modelling. It provides a better way to communicate information on the extent extreme floods and shows the importance of hydrogeomorphology in flood hazard study and management. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of the present study was to analyze mother-child collaborative play in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) compared to children with Down Syndrome (DS) and typical developing children (TD). Children with ASD are often described as having deficient play skills, particularly in the symbolic domain. Caregivers' involvement in child play activities increases the structural complexity of playing in both typically developing children and children with disabilities. Participants included 75 mothers and their children with ASD (n = 25), with down syndrome (n = 25) and with typical development (n = 25). Mother-child play sessions were analyzed using a coding system for exploratory and symbolic play. Results indicated that children with ASD showed more exploratory play compared to children in the other groups. No significant differences emerged between the three groups for child symbolic play or for mother play. These findings are discussed in relation to the debate about functional and symbolic play in children with ASD and in relation to the importance of setting and age for play assessment.
Industry Corner introduction The recent trend toward more extreme periods of drought has been a shock to the residents of the Pacific Northwest - many of whom have relied upon heavy water-use in the summer months in order to make a living (i.e. producers of grass seed and sod, berries, or nursery crops), or to maintain their landscapes at high levels (i.e. certain homeowners, recreational facilities, or commercial properties). Furthermore, population growth has reached the point where even an average year of precipitation has proven insufficient for urbanities that had not previously experienced issues with water scarcity (McDonald et al., 2011). This modern climate scenario has forced people of the Pacific Northwest, and people from all around the world, to rethink their water-use strategies, as the global trend has shifted toward greater sustainability (Tilman, 2001; McDonald et al., 2011). One potential mitigation strategy for cool-humid regions, such as Oregon's Willamette Valley, is to utilize rainwater-harvesting systems to alleviate freshwater demand (Kinkade-Levario, 2007). Rainwater harvesting is a logical choice for this climate zone because the average annual precipitation (42.7-in for Corvallis, OR) is sufficient for the majority of its crop production, however, this precipitation occurs almost exclusively in a nine-month period spanning from fall to spring (US Climate Data, 1981-2010). Although annual precipitation is adequate, irrigation is still required for at least three months of every year. This study considered rainwater harvesting to be ideally suited for the cool-humid Willamette Valley; the excess rainfall in the wet season that could be stored for use in the summer months, thus decreasing demand for municipal water by an equivalent amount. It should be stated that rainwater harvesting is not a novel idea; there have been studies dating back to the 1980's and earlier that have shown significant watersavings when retrofitting homes with new features like rainwater-harvesting systems (Boers et al., 1982, Karpisack et al., 1990). Even before that, golf courses, sporting complexes, and industrial sites alike were making use of this strategy. However, their methods typically consisted of catching rainwater via surface runoff and storing it in retention ponds (Ferguson, 1998), which is a strategy that is less applicable to the small-acreage homeowner who wants to irrigate their property without having to turn half of their backyard into a pond. Fortunately, there are alternative methods of rainwater harvesting that make a lot more sense in a residential setting, where irrigated land is small in relation to the roof-area for which rain can be easily harvested. This study documents the construction of two distinct rainwater-harvesting systems an above-ground cistern and a below-ground AQUABLOX (TM) matrix storage system), and gives insight into their advantages and disadvantages.
Wireless domestic applications involving high data rates are required to work on millimeter wave band. Signal propagation at this frequency range is affected by walls and oxygen absorption which limits communication distances to few meters in one room. Radio coverage can be extended to other rooms by optical links. Performances of such photonic systems are dependent on optoelectronic devices, electrical driving, and receiver circuits. In this paper, radio-over-fiber (RoF) links based on the intensity modulation and direct detection technique are investigated for transmission of a broadband OFDM signal. Direct and external modulations are exploited to analyze system performances according to the ultra wideband (UWB) millimeter-band standard. To avoid component tolerances at high frequencies, an intermediate frequency modulation of the optical transducers is chosen. Optoelectronic and optical components of RoF links are modeled by equivalent electrical circuits with consideration of noise and nonlinearities. These models are validated in system simulation by error vector magnitude evaluation with a measurement setup according to the UWB centimeter-band standard.
Detention ponds are one type of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) that can be used for the quantity control of stormwater. The pond works by reducing peak discharge downstream through temporary storage and gradual release. In this paper, a new experimental procedure using particle image velocimetry (PIV) is introduced for a two-dimensional study of the hydrodynamic behavior of fine particles in a specially designed sediment basin. The hydrodynamic behavior of fine particles under different hydraulics parameters was achieved by shifting outlet placement, using different particle-size diameters, varying the distance of the inlet from the water surface, and varying the flow rate. The same inlet and outlet level reduced fine-particle dispersion and a lower flow rate assisted with controlling high siltation. Furthermore, smaller spherical particles had more influence on fine particle suspension. Therefore, controlling the hydraulic parameters can decrease the siltation problem level.
Despite successful implantation of St. Jude Medical bileaflet mechanical heart valves, red blood cell lysis and thrombogenic complications associated with these types of valves are yet to be addressed. In our previous study, we proposed an elliptic housing where 10% ovality was applied to the housing of St. Jude Medical valves. Our preliminary results suggested that the overall hemodynamic performance of St. Jude Medical valves improved in both the closing and opening phases. In this study, we evaluated the hemodynamics around the leaflets in the opening phase using a more sophisticated computational platform, computational fluid dynamics. Results suggested both lower shear stress and wall shear stress values and an overall improved hemodynamic performance in the proposed design. This improvement is characterized by lower values of shear stress and wall shear stress in the regions downstream of the leaflets, lower pressure drop across the valve and smaller recirculation zones in the sinuses areas. The proposed design may open a new chapter in the concept of design and hemodynamic improvement of the next generation of mechanical heart valves.
Digital Active EMI Filtering (DAEF) technique is a new direction of conductive EMI suppression technologies for switched-mode power converters. However, the conventional DAEF topology only suppresses EMI to ground on the AC (or DC) ports. It doesn't definitely aim to Common Mode (CM) or Differential Mode (DM) EMI. In this paper, a novel DAEF topology is proposed. It can flexibly suppress CM and DM EMI, and also effectively adjust EMI suppression ability as well as prevent interconversion between CM and DM EMI. On the other hand, because of the parasitic parameters of circuit and the time delay of controlling system, the traditional model of DAEF cannot describe the system behavior accurately. This paper proposes a precise model of DAEF system. The model not only considers the passive device parasitic parameters of sense circuit, injection circuit and decoupling circuit, but also considers the time delay of the digital control system. This model can accurately describe filter performance of DAEF. Finally, simulation and experimental results show that the proposed DAEF effectively suppress CM EMI. Moreover, the precise model can predict the system filter performance accurately.
Current Product Lifecycle Management systems (PLM) have concentrated on product design, not on manufacturing engineering with its development of e.g. Material flows and layouts. This paper proposes an approach to describe how to represent the main required manufacturing process data using ontologies together with generic data standards. This approach makes it possible to develop translations between different software, and also providing users with the meaning of different concepts. It contributes to an efficient management of manufacturing information, with a focus on the material flow information as used in Discrete Event Simulation - DES.
Axial flux PM machines, featured by compact size and high performance, are suitable for powertrains of electric vehicles. This paper studies the design and control of a totally enclosed axial flux PM integrated-starter-generator system. Torque density and volume benefits from large number of pole pairs when designing PM machines. However, the increased pole pair number decreases the switching-frequency-to-electrical-period ratio, and large power drives are troubled with limited switching frequency. To improve this situation, a control strategy named overmodulation technique with variable sampling frequency is proposed to improve the system performance in the nonlinear region. The heat dissipation potential of the inverter is fully utilized and the DC bus voltage utilization ratio is enhanced with this control strategy. Simulation results are carried out in which the current waveform is also improved.
Recent variants of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks leverage the flexibility of application-layer protocols to disguise malicious activities as normal traffic patterns, while concurrently overwhelming the target destination with a large request rate. New countermeasures are necessary, aimed at guaranteeing an early and reliable identification of the compromised network nodes (the botnet). In this work we introduce a formal model for the aforementioned class of attacks, and we devise an inference algorithm that estimates the botnet hidden in the network, converging to the true solution as time progresses. Notably, the analysis is validated over real network traces.
Among available tools for estimating the ecological impacts of discharge alteration, hydraulic habitat models link hydraulic models of streams with biological models that reflect the preferences of organisms for hydraulics. The simplification of habitat models now enables their application at the catchment scale for estimating the impacts on habitats of discharge and abstraction management. In the Seine-Normandie catchment in France, we propose an original linkage of a distributed hydrological model, a fish species distribution model and hydraulic habitat models. We show that groundwater abstraction in the catchment cause a moderate alteration of low flows (median: 4.1%) and a weak alteration of usable habitats for fish (median: 1.6%). However, the spatial distribution of alterations helps to identify regions where impacts are stronger (habitat alteration around 15%), due to strong abstraction and/or the presence of demanding fish species. An uncertainty analysis indicates that our results should be interpreted at the regional scale only; they allow identifying regions that would deserve more detailed analyses. Our results open many perspectives for taking into account habitat issues in quantitative water management at the catchment scale.
This paper focuses on how recently announced modern programmable and smart residential thermostats for smart homes can contribute to better energy usage in households. It explores people's motivation for using these technologies, how they actually use them and how much energy they can save based on the producer's experimental measurements.
QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies is developing and commercializing a revolutionary MEMS-based technology for low power refractive displays. Concurrent with product development and manufacturing engineering in a TFT foundary in Taiwan, there are significant research activities in a state-of-the-art MEMS Research and Innovation Center in San Jose, California, to enable future technology generations. In this paper, we will overview iMoD fundamentals and the current status of the technology as well as discuss some research projects in the areas of advanced materials, processes and concepts for future MEMS displays manufacturing.
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems have become a salient part in controlling critical infrastructures, such as power plants, energy grids, and water distribution systems. In the past decades, these systems were isolated and use proprietary software, operating systems, and protocols. In recent years, SCADA systems have been interfaced with enterprise systems, which therefore exposed them to the vulnerabilities of the Internet and the security threats. Traditional security solutions (e.g., firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems) cannot fully protect SCADA systems, because they have different requirements. This paper presents an innovative intrusion detection approach to detect SCADA tailored attacks. This is based on a data-driven clustering technique of process parameters, which automatically identifies the normal and critical states of a given system. Later, it extracts proximity-based detection rules from the identified states for monitoring purposes. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is tested by conducting experiments on eight data sets that consist of process parameters' values. The empirical results demonstrated an average accuracy of 98% in automatically identifying the critical states, while facilitating the monitoring of the SCADA system.
Across all cultures, humans engage in cooperative activities that can be as simple as preparing a meal or sharing food with others and as complex as playing in an orchestra or donating to charity. Although intraspecific cooperation exists among many other animal species, only humans engage in such a wide array of cooperative interaction and participate in large-scale cooperation that extends beyond kin and even includes strangers.
T he objective of this paper was to study the bearing capacity and loading behavior of strip footings on geosynthetically reinforced loose sand. Laboratory loading tests were conducted on a rigid steel strip footing in a 0.9 by 0.9 by 1.0m sand box. Woven geotextile was used as reinforcement material. A finite difference program was used to simulate the load-settlement behavior of this footing. Two constitutive (Mohr-Coulomb and Double-Yield) models were utilized for the loose sand. Direct shear tests were performed to obtain the parameters needed for numerical simulation. The unreinforced ultimate bearing capacity obtained from this study ranges between theoretical values calculated by assuming general and local shear failure conditions. The bearing capacity predicted by these two soil models match with values obtained from sand box tests. However, the Double-Yield model outperforms the traditional Mohr-Coulomb model in simulating the loading behavior of this strip footing.
Analogical reasoning is an important mechanism for social cognition in typically developing children, and recent evidence suggests that some forms of analogical reasoning may be preserved in autism spectrum disorder. An unanswered question is whether children with autism spectrum disorder can apply analogical reasoning to social information. In all, 92 children with autism spectrum disorder completed a social content analogical reasoning task presented via photographs of real-world social interactions. Autism spectrum disorder participants exhibited performance that was well above chance and was not significantly worse than age- and intelligence quotient-matched typically developing children. Investigating the relationship of social content analogical reasoning performance to age in this cross-sectional dataset indicated similar developmental trajectories in the autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children groups. These findings provide new support for intact analogical reasoning in autism spectrum disorder and have theoretical implications for analogy as a metacognitive skill that may be at least partially dissociable from general deficits in processing social content. As an initial study of social analogical reasoning in children with autism spectrum disorder, this study focused on a basic research question with limited ecological validity. Evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder can apply analogical reasoning ability to social content may have long-range applied implications for exploring how this capacity might be channeled to improve social cognition in daily life.
The number of decease due to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in low and middle-income countries has become a major concern. From a clinical standpoint, electrocardiogram is an useful mechanism to diagnose cardiac diseases. Therefore, electrocardiogram based machine design has taken into consideration to create a framework for building a simple, low cost microcontroller based ECG monitoring system. However, most of the machines in current research has high price with bulky shape which deprives the people of remote area to get benefit from it. Therefore, the paper tries to design a smart economical diagnosis system which can maintain reliable diagnosis with better portability. This system has been implemented by instrumentation amplifier with high common mode rejection ration and right leg circuit to remove 50 Hz noise of ac main. Digital and analog filtering of the system has optimized the signal by removing baseline wandering and power frequency noise. The communication between the hardware and software is interfaced through USB port using microcontroller. The implementation of this system shows greater benefits in domestic health monitoring and rural area's medical camp.
Sludges generated during purification of water for human consumption are produced in large volumes and have high environmental polluting potential. The sludge dewatering technique using geotextile closed systems has been used to reduce the sludge volume for final disposal. It is a system that allows encapsulation, insulation, dewatering and disposal of sludge, which allows control of the input and output variables of the system. Also known as geotextile tubes, geotextile containers and geotextile bags are a function of their size. This work presents a discussion about the main factors influencing this sludge dewatering technique and its applicability for sludges generated in a water treatment plant. The study includes tests with single filling and with refilling the small geotextile bags in equipment constructed to simulate control of operational conditions, such as flow rate and pumping pressure. The evaluated performance of this system according to parameters proposed in the literature is also presented. The results obtained indicate that the efficiency of the dewatering technique depends on both the characteristics of the sludge and the geotextile properties. This study indicates the importance and efficiency of the dewatering technique in geotextile closed systems in reducing the sludge volume for final disposal.
Steam generator (SG) is one of the major components in nuclear power plants, thus, it is crucial to analyze its thermal-hydraulic characteristics for the economical and safe operation. Various analytical codes have formulated for the research of the secondary side of SG. However, due to its complex geometry, the previous analytical codes have certain limitations in accurately predicting the thermal-hydraulic characteristics at secondary side. In this paper, a specialized code named THAC-SG (Thermal-hydraulic Analysis Code-Steam Generator) has been developed after summarizing main feature of widely-used steam generator three-dimensional thermal-hydraulics calculation codes. The finite volume method is used for the computation of two-phase flow and natural circulation at secondary side, and the complex structure was simulated by porous-media model. This paper takes the SG of Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (GNPS) as the verification model. The code can simulate the dynamically varying void fraction, pressure and temperature in the secondary side. The accuracy and reliability of this code has been validated and can be used for thermal-hydraulic analysis of steam generator under various operating conditions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Autonomic dysfunction is implicated in a range of psychological conditions, including depression and anxiety. The fragile X mental retardation-1 (FMR1) premutation is a common genetic mutation that affects similar to 1: 150 women and is associated with psychological vulnerability. This study examined cardiac indicators of autonomic function among women with the FMR1 premutation and control women as potential biomarkers for psychological risk that may be linked to FMR1. Methods: Baseline inter-beat interval and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (a measure of parasympathetic vagal tone) were measured in 35 women with the FMR1 premutation and 28 controls. The women completed anxiety and depression questionnaires. FMR1 genetic indices (i.e., CGG repeat, quantitative FMRP, FMR1 mRNA, activation ratio) were obtained for the premutation group. Results: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia was reduced in the FMR1 premutation group relative to controls. While depression symptoms were associated with reduced respiratory sinus arrhythmia among control women, these variables were unrelated in the FMR1 premutation. Elevated FMR1 mRNA was associated with higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Conclusions: Women with the FMR1 premutation demonstrated autonomic dysregulation characterized by reduced vagal tone. Unlike patterns observed in the general population and in study controls, vagal activity and depression symptoms were decoupled in women with the FMR1 premutation, suggesting independence between autonomic regulation and psychopathological symptoms that is atypical and potentially specific to the FMR1 premutation. The association between vagal tone and mRNA suggests that molecular variation associated with FMR1 plays a role in autonomic regulation.
Purpose. The primary objective of this study was to determine the rate and extent of transdermal absorption for systemic delivery of diclofenac from Pennsaid (Dimethaid Research, Inc.) topical lotion into the systemic circulation after the lotion was applied to human volunteers, in an open treatment, non-blinded, non-vehicle controlled study. In addition, the in vivo metabolism of this topical diclofenac lotion has also been studied. Methods. Human volunteers were dosed with topical [C-14]-diclofenac sodium 1.5% lotion on the knee for 24 h. Sequential time blood and urine samples were taken to determine pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and metabolism. Results. Topical absorption was 6.6% of applied dose. Peak plasma C-14 occurred at 30 h after dosing, and peak urinary C-14 excretion was at 24-48 h. The urinary C-14 excretion pattern exhibits more elimination towards 24 h and beyond, as opposed to early urinary C-14 excretion. This suggests a continuous delivery of [C-14]-diclofenac sodium from the lotion into and through skin which only ceased when the dosing site was washed. Skin surface residue at 24 h was 26 +/-: 9.5% dose (remainder assumed lost to clothing and bedding). Extraction of metabolites from urine amounted to 7.4-22.7% in untreated urine, suggesting substantial diclofenac metabolism to more water soluble metabolites, probably conjugates, which could not be extracted by the method employed. Two Dimensional TLC analysis of untreated urine showed minimal or no diclofenac, again emphasizing the extensive in vivo metabolism of this drug. Treatment of the same urine samples with the enzymes sulfatase and beta-glucuronidase showed a substantial increase in the extractable material. Three spots were consistently present in each sample run, namely diclofenac, 3'hydroxy diclofenac and an intermediate polar metabolite (probably a hydroxylated metabolite). Therefore, there was significant sulfation and glucuronidation of both diclofenac and numerous hydroxy metabolites of diclofenac, but many of the metabolites/conjugates remain unidentified. Conclusions. There was a continuous delivery of diclofenac sodium from the lotion into and through the skin, which ceased after the dosing site was washed. The majority of the material excreted in the urine were conjugates of hydroxylated metabolites, and not the parent chemical, although further identification is required.
The ability of the classic tumour-suppressive let-7 family to inhibit carcinogenesis, tumour progression, recurrence and pluripotency of cancer stem cells has generated significant interest in the field of cancer research. Through suppressing and degrading downstream-targeted mRNAs, let-7 affected most aspects of cell biology. It is perplexing how let-7 affects oncogenesis, as the large influx of new miRNAs and other kinds of non-coding RNAs are continuously defined. In this review, we delineate the complex functions of let-7 and discuss the future direction of let-7 research.
Proffering context awareness facilities to end-users is a long-term objective of Ambient Intelligence (AmI). A context-aware system has to know the context information and understand what exactly is happening in a particular environment in order to build and provide distinct capabilities to the users and the occupants of the environment. However there are multiple challenges in precisely capturing the context or activity details from sensors and actuators deployed in the environment. There are possibilities for aggregating wrong data due to various reasons at different levels (sensor, network, etc.). Several technologies and mathematical concepts are being recommended to substantially enhance the quality of the sensor/actuator data so that the decisions being derived out of the data collected are right. The concept of fuzzy finite automata is used by most of the researchers to solve these issues (trustworthiness and timeliness of the sensor data). But it has turned out to be a complex affair. In this paper, we have empowered Deterministic Finite Automata (DFA) with threading to enable correct decision-making out of data from multiple sensors/devices in any environment. In short, considering the multiplicity and heterogeneity of devices in our personal as well as professional environments, DFA with the parallelization capability is going to be the novelty and game-changer for precision-centric context-aware computing. The suggested method is verified and validated through a freely obtainable data set and the results obtained prove the simplicity and the correctness of our solution approach.
The goal of this study is to address preliminary design and prototyping of a novel 5-phase segment-type switched reluctance motor (SEG-SRM) with 10/8 pole configuration. The proposed SEG-SRM includes a stator having salient poles and a rotor having segmental steel cores which are embedded in aluminum block. The operation of SEG-SRM depends on exciting two adjacent phases respectively at all times by creating mutual coupling, thus leading less eddy current effects on silicon steel sheets of the stator and better efficiency. A quick design methodology covering all geometrical details of SEGSRM is given. This comprehensive method is useful for initial machine design and eliminates the machines with undesired outputs. Besides, the performance characteristics of the designed SEG-SRM are investigated by finite element method (FEM). Finally, a prototype is manufactured and tested in the laboratory based on computed analytical parameters and the operational outcomes of the developed system are presented by verifying finite element studies. It is completely substantiated that this new preliminary design can be used in applications ranging from low speed to medium speed. The comparative study among simulation and experimental studies seeks to address torque production/prediction versus current variation.
In this work, the correlation between the composition of heavy distillation cuts and the corrosion process was analyzed. According to the results of electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR MS), naphthenic acid species were detected in the seven cuts studied, with m/z and DBE values ranging from 100 to 300 and from 2 to 4, respectively. The relative abundance of heavy naphthenic acids increase with distillation cut temperature (from 188 to 315 degrees C). In the residue, naphthenic acids (02 class) and carbazoles (N class) are detected as polar species. The corrosion mechanism for AISI 1020 steel in the heavy oil and distillation cuts was determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The equivalent electrical circuits proposed for the dehydrated oil, its distillation cuts and the residue are based on observations obtained from the Nyquist and Bode diagrams. Resistance values decrease from oil to cuts in function of increasing distillation temperature. The metal film resistance values increase with the distillation cut temperature and are compatible with the formation of passive films. According to the microphotographs, the localized corrosion is characterized as alveolar for cuts 2-5 and pitting for cuts 6-7. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ferguson's (2015a) meta-analysis assessed a very important and controversial topic about children's mental health and video games. In response to the concerns raised by researchers about the appropriateness of the meta-analytical methods used by Ferguson; we decided to reanalyze the data and discuss two major misconceptions about meta-analysis. We argue that partial correlations can (and should) be meta-analyzed instead of zero-order bivariate correlations if the predictors included in the partial correlation represent a similar construct. We also discuss the fallacy by which the conventional meta-analytical model assumes that the studies' effect sizes came into being according to the same random effect construct used by the analysis. Our replication results using partial correlations, standardized (valid and reliable) outcomes, and an improved meta-analytical model (that does not assume a random effect is the mechanism of data generation) confirmed the main results of Ferguson's meta-analysis. There was a significant yet very small effect on aggressive behavior of exposure to both general, r(p) = 0.062, 95% CI [0.012, 0.112], and violent, r(p) = 0.055, 95% CI [0.019, 0.091], video games. A very small effect was seen on reduced prosocial behavior, but this was only in the general video game exposure category, r(p) = 0.072, 95% CI [0.045, 0.100].
This paper proposes a dimmable energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) driver for applications in interior lighting. High efficiency is achieved by an adaptive voltage regulation, which minimizes power losses in the linear current regulator. A digital control mechanism employing a resistive digital-to-analog converter for feeding the analog feedback input of a dc-dc converter is introduced. It is shown that the digital control methodology gives maximum design flexibility and enhances control over regulation speed and stability. In an experimental setup, the proposed concept is verified and evaluated. Operating at an input voltage of 24 V, the LED driver provides a relatively wide output voltage range of 3.5-38 V. Output current is regulated to 700 mA with a steady-state precision of more than 98.8%, whereas pulsewidth modulation dimming with a frequency of 1 kHz and shortest on-time of 4 mu s is employed. A peak efficiency of the complete system of 93.9% is achieved.
This study aimed to identify the cues upon which athletes rely when developing their expectations with regard to the competence of sports officials and to examine the sources of information, which are given priority in different kinds of sport (i.e. team, racquet and fighting sports). A questionnaire - the Athlete Perception of Sports Officials Questionnaire (APSO-Q) - was developed in which athletes (N=472) were asked to indicate the influence of 32 cues on their impressions of sports officials. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) yielded a four-factor model (i.e. static cues, psychological, communicational and performance cues). Athletes mostly rely on psychological and personal communication attributes when evaluating officiating competence. Moreover, team players perceived that static cues were more influential when forming their expectations of sports officials than racquet players and fighting contestants. Such findings may have implications for athlete-official relationships and training of sports officials.
Surge tank is provided in the secondary sodium circuit of Sodium cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) to protect the secondary sodium circuit components from the pressure surges due to sodium water reaction in Steam Generator (SG). The pressurized argon gas inside the surge tank above sodium will act as a cushion and absorb the pressure surges. The entrainment of argon gas into the sodium due to free level fluctuations, turbulence etc. can cause operational difficulties in reactor. It is necessary to develop effective gas entrainment mitigating devices which keeps the sodium free surface calm but the development only through experiments is difficult and time consuming. Therefore a CFD model of surge tank is developed to predict the surge tank hydraulics and it is validated through experiments. Velocity measurement in the model at different directions and different elevations has been carried out using Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP).
Since the 1940s, social psychologists have conducted research testing whether it is possible to accurately identify members of perceptually ambiguous groups. This study quantitatively reviews the research on the perception of ambiguous groups to better understand the human capacity to accurately identify others based on very subtle nonverbal cues. Standard random-effects meta-analytic techniques were used to examine the distinctions between different target groups in terms of their identifiability, as well as to compare rates of accuracy across perceptual modalities (e.g., photographs, audio, video) and other study design differences. Overall, the accuracy of identifying targets was significantly better than chance guessing (i.e., 64.5%). Furthermore, stimulus modality was found to be a moderator of accuracy. Other moderators (e.g., time of exposure, analytic approach) were identified and examined. These data help to document and characterize broad trends in the proliferating and expanding study of the perception and categorization of ambiguous social groups.
Plant three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) models typically consist of logical configuration, equipment specifications and ports, and 3D shapes. Because 3D CAD models are used as master information throughout a plant's entire lifecycle and many stakeholders are involved in such lifecycle, providing a method for sharing plant 3D CAD models among various stakeholders is very important. Standard 15926 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 15926) is a family of standards that is intended to support the sharing and integrating of all information during the life of a process plant. Therefore it is important for ISO 15926 to support plant 3D CAD models. In order to address this issue, this study investigates a standardized method to exchange plant 3D CAD models using ISO 15926. Information requirements regarding plant 3D CAD models are established, and then ISO 15926 reference data (classes, attributes, and templates) are extended to cover information requirements. For demonstration of the proposed method, we developed a prototype platform where plant 3D CAD models in ISO 15926 are loaded and retrieved. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the rapid technological development of various satellite sensors, high-resolution remotely sensed imagery has been an important source of data for change detection in land cover transition. However, it is still a challenging problem to effectively exploit the available spectral information to highlight changes. In this paper, we present a novel change detection framework for high-resolution remote sensing images, which incorporates superpixel-based change feature extraction and hierarchical difference representation learning by neural networks. First, highly homogenous and compact image superpixels are generated using superpixel segmentation, which makes these image blocks adhere well to image boundaries. Second, the change features are extracted to represent the difference information using spectrum, texture, and spatial features between the corresponding superpixels. Third, motivated by the fact that deep neural network has the ability to learn from data sets that have few labeled data, we use it to learn the semantic difference between the changed and unchanged pixels. The labeled data can be selected from the bitemporal multispectral images via a preclassification map generated in advance. And then, a neural network is built to learn the difference and classify the uncertain samples into changed or unchanged ones. Finally, a robust and high-contrast change detection result can be obtained from the network. The experimental results on the real data sets demonstrate its effectiveness, feasibility, and superiority of the proposed technique.
Adaptation produces hard or soft selective sweeps depending on the supply of adaptive genetic polymorphism. The evolution of pesticide resistance in parasites is a striking example of rapid adaptation that can shed light on selection processes. Plasmopara viticola, which causes grapevine downy mildew, forms large populations, in which resistance has rapidly evolved due to excessive fungicide use. We investigated the pathways by which fungicide resistance has evolved in this plant pathogen, to determine whether hard or soft selective sweeps were involved. An analysis of nucleotide polymorphism in 108 field isolates from the Bordeaux region revealed recurrent mutations of cytb and CesA3 conferring resistance to quinone outside inhibiting (QoI) and carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides, respectively. Higher levels of genetic differentiation were observed for nucleotide positions involved in resistance than for neutral microsatellites, consistent with local adaptation of the pathogen to fungicide treatments. No hitchhiking was found between selected sites and neighbouring polymorphisms in cytb and CesA3, confirming multiple origins of resistance alleles. We assessed resistance costs, by evaluating the fitness of the 108 isolates through measurements of multiple quantitative pathogenicity traits under controlled conditions. No significant differences were found between sensitive and resistant isolates, suggesting that fitness costs may be absent or negligible. Our results indicate that the rapid evolution of fungicide resistance in P. viticola has involved a soft sweep.
Self-awareness is often impaired after acquired brain injury (ABI) and this hampers rehabilitation, in general: unrealistic reports by patients about their functioning and poor motivation and compliance with treatment. We evaluated a self-awareness treatment that was part of a treatment protocol on executive dysfunction (Spikman, Boelen, Lamberts, Brouwer, & Fasotti, 2010). A total of 63 patients were included, aged 17-70, suffering non-progressive ABI, and minimum time post-onset of 3 months. Self-awareness was measured by comparing the patient's Dysexecutive Questionnaire (Wilson, Alderman, Burgess, Emslie, & Evans, 1996) score with that of an independent other. As emotion recognition is associated with self-awareness and influences the effect of rehabilitation treatment, we assessed this function using the Facial Expressions of Emotion-Stimuli and Tests (Young, Perrett, Calder, Sprengelmeyer, & Ekman, 2002). Results showed that patients in the experimental treatment group (n = 29) had better self-awareness after training than control patients (n = 34). Moreover, our results confirmed that the level of self-awareness before treatment was related to emotion recognition. Hence, self-awareness can improve after neuropsychological treatment fostering self-monitoring. Since neuropsychological treatment involves social learning, impairments in social cognition should be taken into account before starting and during treatment.
The complexity of products is increasing as more and more functions and structures are included in them, leading to higher requirements on better understand of users' behaviour in term of using the product during the early engineering design phase. Although, industry and academia agree that human aspects are important for the success of the product, there are few methods that support the designers concerning these factors during the synthesis of the design process. The article describes a behaviour design approach (BDA) to be used by industrial engineers, designers and ergonomists for ergonomic analysis and evaluation in product or machine design. This approach has been developed for both expert and non-expert practitioners, who can integrate user behaviour and product behaviour during the design phase for improving product performance.
Sparse representation-based classifier (SRC) and kernel sparse representation-based classifier (KSRC) are founded on combining pattern recognition and compressive sensing methods and provide acceptable results in many machine learning problems. Nevertheless, these classifiers suffer from some shortcomings. For instance, SRC's accuracy drops against samples from same directional classes or KSRC's output declines when data is not normally distributed in kernel space. This paper introduces nonparametric kernel sparse representation-based classifier (NKSRC) as a generalized framework for SRC and KSRC. First, it applies kernel on samples to overcome data directionality and then employs nonparametric discriminant analysis (NDA) to reduce data dimensionality in kernel space alleviating concern about data distribution type. The experimental results of NKSRC demonstrate its superiority over SRC and KSRC-LDA and its equal or superior performance with respect to KSRC-PCA on some synthetic, four well-known face recognition and several UCI datasets. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Non-verbal communication involves encoding, transmission and decoding of non-lexical cues and is realized using vocal (e.g. prosody) or visual (e.g. gaze, body language) channels during conversation. These cues perform the function of maintaining conversational flow, expressing emotions, and marking personality and interpersonal attitude. In particular, non-verbal cues in speech such as paralanguage and non-verbal vocal events (e.g. laughters, sighs, cries) are used to nuance meaning and convey emotions, mood and attitude. For instance, laughters are associated with affective expressions while fillers (e.g. urn, ah, urn) are used to hold floor during a conversation. In this paper we present an automatic non-verbal vocal events detection system focusing on the detect of laughter and fillers. We extend our system presented during Interspeech 2013 Social Signals Sub-challenge (that was the winning entry in the challenge) for frame-wise event detection and test several schemes for incorporating local context during detection. Specifically, we incorporate context at two separate levels in our system: (i) the raw frame-wise features and, (ii) the output decisions. Furthermore, our system processes the output probabilities based on a few heuristic rules in order to reduce erroneous frame-based predictions. Our overall system achieves an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics curve of 95.3% for detecting laughters and 90.4% for fillers on the test set drawn from the data specifications of the Interspeech 2013 Social Signals Sub-challenge. We perform further analysis to understand the interrelation between the features and obtained results. Specifically, we conduct a feature sensitivity analysis and correlate it with each feature's stand alone performance. The observations suggest that the trained system is more sensitive to a feature carrying higher discriminability with implications towards a better system design. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Stream restoration efforts in the United States are increasingly aimed towards water quality improvement, yet little process-based guidance exists to compare pollutant removals from different restoration techniques for variable site conditions. Excess nitrate (NO3-) is a frequent pollutant of concern due to eutrophication in downstream waterbodies such as the Chesapeake Bay. We used MIKE SHE to simulate hydraulics and NO3- removal in a 90 m restored reach of Stroubles Creek, a second-order stream in Blacks-burg, Virginia. Site specific geomorphic, hydrologic, and hydraulic data were used to calibrate the model. We evaluated in-stream structures that induce hyporheic zone denitrification during baseflow and inset floodplains that remove NO3- during storm flows. We varied hydraulic conditions (winter baseflow, summer baseflow, storm flow), biogeochemical parameters (literature hyporheic zone denitrification rates and newly available inset floodplain removal rates) and boundary conditions (upstream NO3- concentration), sediment conditions (hydraulic conductivity), and stream restoration design parameters (inset floodplain length). Our results indicate that NO3- removal rates within the 90m reach were minimal. Structure-induced hyporheic zone denitrification did not exceed 3.1% of mass flowing in from the upstream channel, was achieved only during favorable background groundwater hydraulic conditions (i.e. summer baseflow), and was transport-limited such that non-trivial removal rates were achieved only when the streambed hydraulic conductivity (K) was at least 10(-4) m/s. Inset floodplain nitrogen removal was limited by floodplain residence time and NO3- removal rate, and did not exceed 1% of inflowing mass. Summing these removals for both restoration practices over the course of the year based on the frequency of storm and summer baseflow conditions yielded similar to 2.1% annual removal. Achieving 30% NO3- removal required increasing the length of stream reach restored to 0.9 km-819 km (depending on hydraulic conductivity) and 3.8-46 km (depending on inset floodplain length and nitrogen removal rate) for in-stream structures during baseflow and inset floodplains during storm flow, respectively. In one of the first comparisons of process-based modeling to the Chesapeake Bay Program stream restoration guidance, we found that the guidance overestimated hyporheic NO3- removal for our modeled reach, but correctly estimated inset floodplain removal. Overall, our results indicate that in-stream structures and inset floodplains can improve water quality, but overall required level of effort may be high to achieve desired results. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The objective reality of uneven water resource distribution and imbalanced water demand of the human society makes it inevitable to transfer water. It has been an age-old method to adopt the inter-basin water transfers (IBTs) for alleviating and even resolving the urgent demand of the water-deficient areas. A number of countries have made attempts and have achieved enormous benefits. However, IBTs inevitably involve the redistribution of water resources in relevant basins and may cause changes of the ecological environment in different basins. Such changes are two-sided, namely, the positive impacts, including adding new basins for water-deficient areas, facilitating water cycle, improving meteorological conditions in the recipient basins, mitigating ecological water shortage, repairing the damaged ecological system, and preserving the endangered wild fauna and flora, as well as the negative impacts, including salinization and aridification of the donor basins, damage to the ecological environment of the donor basins and the both sides of the conveying channel system, increase of water consumption in the recipient basins, and spread of diseases, etc. Because IBTs have enormous ecological risk, it is necessary to comprehensively analyze the inter-basin water balance relationship, coordinate the possible conflicts and environmental quality problems between regions, and strengthen the argumentation of the ecological risk of water transfer and eco-compensation measures. In addition, there are some effective alternative measures for IBTs, such as attaching importance to water cycle, improving water use efficiency, developing sea water desalination, and rainwater harvesting technology, etc.
Relying on a quantitative survey (n = 1497) and semi-structured interviews (n = 30) conducted in the U.K., we explore British nationals', Romanian and Turkish migrants' attitudes of tolerance and the factors influencing them in the current socio-political context in the U.K. The quantitative data reveal the role of younger age, diverse networks, higher education, attachment to city/region and supranational identifications in more open attitudes towards diversity. The qualitative findings illustrate how diverse these three groups' attitudes of tolerance can be and how they are affected by their position and status in the U.K. The British' attitudes show their tolerance can reflect diverse forms of acceptance of ethnic and cultural differences but can also draw lines in terms of civic values opposing 'those who contribute to society' versus those who 'live as parasites'. The Turks are in favour of diversity with the expectation of receiving more civic rights and facing less prejudice. The Romanians tend to have a more ambiguous relation to diversity given their position of stigmatised migrants in the U.K. Our analysis reveal how inclusive or exclusive people's (sub- and supra-) national identities can be and how these frame their attitudes of tolerance.
Objective Randomised controlled trials and open-label extension studies have demonstrated the clinical efficacy and safety of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) blocking therapy in pre-selected study patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Our aim was to investigate the 7-year drug survival and clinical effectiveness of etanercept treatment in AS patients in daily clinical practice. Methods Consecutive AS patients from the prospective observational GLAS cohort who started etanercept because of active disease were included and evaluated over 7 years according to a fixed protocol. Continuation of treatment was based on BASDAI improvement and/or expert opinion. Results Of the 89 included AS patients, 45 (51%) were still using etanercept at 7 years of follow-up. Reasons for treatment discontinuation were adverse events (n=22), inefficacy (n=13), or other reasons although good clinical response (n=9). Etanercept treatment resulted in a rapid (after 6 weeks) and sustained improvement in disease activity (BASDAI, ASDAS, CRP, physician GDA), spinal mobility, physical function (BASFI), quality of life (ASQoL), and extra-spinal manifestations (swollen joints, tender joints and tender entheses). Furthermore, concomitant NSAID or DMARD use decreased significantly during follow-up. At 7 years, low disease activity and remission were present in 67-73% and 29-30% of the 45 patients, respectively. Of the patients who discontinued etanercept, 18 switched successfully to a second or third TNF-a blocker during follow-up. Conclusion In a large cohort of AS patients treated with etanercept, approximately 50% continued this treatment for 7 years. Our broad evaluation of clinical endpoints proves the long-term effectiveness of etanercept treatment in daily clinical practice.
China is quickly installing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), which could provide tremendous opportunities in developing and utilizing demand response resources. Demand response may potentially create a profitable industry and contribute to efficiency improvement, cost reduction, and pollution mitigation of the entire electricity sector. However, China lags behind the developed world in utilizing demand response. Institutional barriers, including the lack of competitive electricity market and the resistance by the state grid corporations, are preventing the commercialization of demand response. In order to fully realize the potential of smart grid, China needs to push forward the reforms toward establishing an open access electricity market so the pollution-free demand response resources may compete with power generators on leveled field. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of six maize varieties under four different water harvesting and tillage technologies was undertaken with the aim of determining their effect on the performance of maize genotypes and their effectiveness in improving nutrient and water use efficiency. The work was carried out at Mariakani site (one of the KARI centres) representing the arid and semi-arid lands of coastal Kenya in the long rains and short rains seasons of 2005 and 2006 respectively. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting is not critical when the season is wetter than normal in the arid and semi-arid environments. This was demonstrated by the high yields that were recorded from the maize varieties (Pwani Hybrid 4-PH4, Coast Composite Maize-CCM and the local check-Mdzihana) which usually require relatively high rainfall amounts in order for them to produce better yields. Despite the excellent performance of PH4, CCM and Mdzihana, these maize varieties cannot be recommended for the semi-arid areas since the high yields were realized under above normal rainfall. There is need for further research to identify the maize varieties that would be appropriate for the areas that normally receive low rainfall.
'Gypsy' is a name that conjures up a wide variety of images in peoples' minds. Romanticised for their freedom or reviled for their antisocial behaviour, Roma people have in turns been the subject of both exotic myth and virulent prejudice. Roma are depicted as romantic or criminal outsiders: anything from thieves to talented and artistic people. Exploiting the potentiality of Item Response Theory models, this study aims to assess the level of consolidation of positive and negative stereotypes on Roma people in Italy. In addition, we investigate how socio-demographic covariates affect the degree of acceptance of a cliched depiction of Roma. Results suggest that images and representations of the 'Gypsies', which confirm a distinction between nature and culture, persist in our culture. On the one hand, Roma are perceived as 'free' from societal constrains (nature); on the other hand; they are portrayed as criminals and Untruthful, relational qualities that arise in a societal organised condition (culture). This distinction continues to be misused to delegitimise minority groups, especially Roma. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Our society will enter a comprehensive network era, which is mainly featured with electronic commerce. Our life will be more closely with the computer network. We can say that our life cannot go without computer network. So there is no doubt that network security is very important for us. We can't imagine how to survive in unsafe computer network, and how does the information be transmitted truly, completely, effectively and legally. So here we will discuss the topic of network security. This paper includes the meaning and characteristics of network security, the threats and attacks faced by computer network, security measures safeguarding network; network security technology introduction, classification and relationship; overview of firewall, firewall key technology; examples of firewall application construction; future development tendency of firewall technology and products, etc.
The goal of this study was to demonstrate whether increased 18F-fluoride uptake lesions on positron emission tomography (PET) scan can predict new syndesmophyte development in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In 12 AS patients, 18F-fluoride PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at baseline, and radiography was performed at baseline and the 2-year follow-up. The following data were recorded: the presence of increased 18F-fluoride uptake lesions on PET defined as an uptake greater than the uptake in the adjacent normal vertebral body; acute (type A) and advanced (type B) corner inflammatory lesions (CILs) and fat lesions on MRI; and syndesmophytes on radiography. Of 231 anterior vertebral corners without syndesmophyte at baseline, 13 type A CILs (5.5%), 2 type B CILs (0.9%), and 20 fat lesions (8.7%) on MRI and six increased fluoride uptake lesions (2.6%) on PET were observed. At the 2-year follow-up, 16 new syndesmophytes (6.9%) in eight AS patients (66.7%) occurred. New syndesmophytes developed significantly more frequently in anterior vertebral corners with increased 18F-fluoride uptake lesions (50%) or fat lesions (25%) at baseline than in those without such lesions (5.8 and 5.2%; p = 0.005 and p = 0.007, respectively). After adjusting confounding factors, baseline increased 18F-fluoride uptake lesions was independently associated with new syndesmophytes development (OR 13.8, 95% CI 1.5-124.3, p = 0.019). Fat lesions were also associated with new syndesmophytes formation. Our data suggest that 18F-fluoride PET may be applied to identify AS patients with high risk of future syndesmophyte formation.
The entire Himalayan region is prone to disasters, with many people being vulnerable to hydroclimatic threats such as extreme rainfall-driven floods, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslide lake outburst floods (LLOFs), and landslides triggered by rainfall. Landslides and floods are related, as the former cause the lakes that burst, and floods can undercut slopes and cause landslides. During the past 200 years, landslides and floods caused by LLOFs in the Garhwal Himalaya have occurred in 1894,1970, and 1978; but the most disastrous event, in terms of loss of life and economic impact, occurred in June 2013, which was a result of extreme rainfall in the Higher Himalaya and breaching of a moraine-dammed lake, very short-lived LLOFs, and rainfall-induced runoff and landslides. Outmigration from the area as a result of the 2013 event has caused anxiety about the future of the economy and also concerns about security of a state that has an international border. As a contribution to planning and reconstruction to secure the livelihoods of the local people and to entice migrants to return, this paper identifies zones in the Mandakini valley susceptible to landslides using a 'Weights of Evidence' approach. The roles of climate, geology, and geomorphology of the valley are also given attention to explain the reasons for the disastrous event of June 2013. The results of the research presented here may be an important input to disaster governance. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Prior research has demonstrated the impact of morality (vs. competence) information for impression formation. This study examines behavioral implications of people's initial impressions based on information about their morality vs. competence in a workplace. School teachers and employees (N = 79) were asked to form an impression of a new school manager (i.e. a prospective boss), who was presented as High vs. Low in Morality and High vs. Low in Competence. Results showed that morality information rather than competence information determined initial emotional responses to the new manager, which mediated willingness to help the newcomer adjust in task and social contexts. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are outlined.
In video-surveillance and ambient intelligence applications, head-pose estimation is an important and challenging task. Basically, the problem lies in assessing the pose of the head according to three reference angles, that indicate the head rotation with respect to three orthogonal axes, and are named roll, yaw, and pitch angles. The problem becomes particularly difficult if only 2D video-sequences or still images are available, thus information about the depth of the scene is missing. This makes the computation of the pitch angle very difficult. State-of-the-art methods usually add the information on the pitch angle separately, and this makes them strongly dependent on the hardware used and the scene under surveillance. Moreover, some of them require large training sets with head poses data. Finally, the extraction of several features from the detected face is often necessary. Since head-pose estimation is only a (small) part of a video-surveillance system as a whole, it is necessary to find novel approaches which make the head-pose estimation as simple as possible, in order to allow their use in real-time. In this paper, a novel method for automatic head-pose estimation is presented. This is based on a geometrical model relying on the exploitation of the Vitruvian man's proportions and the related Golden Ratio''. Our approach reduces the number of features extracted, avoiding the need for a training set as well as information on the hardware used or the scene under control. Simple ratios among eyes and nose positions, according to the assumed Golden Ratio'', are used to compute, in particular, the pitch angle. Proposed method performs competitively with respect to state-of-the-art approaches, without requiring their working constraints and assumptions.
Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by societies around the world for thousands of years. Contemporary construction of tall buildings from timber, in whole or in part, suggests a growing interest in the potential for building with wood at a scale not previously attainable. As wood is the only significant building material that is grown, we have a natural inclination that building in wood is good for the environment. But under what conditions is this really the case? The environmental benefits of using timber are not straightforward; although it is a natural product, a large amount of energy is used to dry and process it. Much of this can come from the biomass of the tree itself, but that requires investment in plant, which is not always possible in an industry that is widely distributed among many small producers. And what should we build with wood? Are skyscrapers in timber a good use of this natural resource, or are there other aspects of civil and structural engineering, or large-scale infrastructure, that would be a better use of wood? Here, we consider a holistic picture ranging in scale from the science of the cell wall to the engineering and global policies that could maximise forestry and timber construction as a boon to both people and the planet.
BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether allergen immunotherapy (AIT) can be safely initiated during the pollen season (coseasonal initiation [CSI]) because of a potential increased risk of systemic allergic reactions. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review publications reporting the safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) CSI to validate or invalidate the perception of increased safety risk. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, Literatura Latino Americana em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS), and Cochrane Library databases were searched without limits for studies of any design reporting SCIT or SLIT CSI for pollen allergen. Congress abstracts were included. RESULTS: Nineteen eligible studies were identified: 8 SCIT (n = 947 subjects total; n[340 double-blind placebo-controlled [DBPC]) and 11 SLIT (n = 2668 subjects total; n = 565 DBPC). Study characteristics and safety reporting were heterogeneous. No epinephrine administrations were reported. Discontinuation frequencies were 6% or less and 10% or less with SCIT and SLIT CSI, respectively. In SCIT studies, systemic allergic reaction frequency was 0% to 7% with up to peak season or CSI, 0% to 6% with after peak season or out-of-season initiation, and 0% to 7% with placebo. In SCIT studies, serious treatment-related adverse event (AE) frequency with CSI ranged from 0% to 2%; few severe AEs were reported. In SLIT studies, systemic allergic reaction frequency ranged from 0% to 4% with CSI, 0% with out-of-season initiation, and 0% to 2% with placebo. Overall, 2 serious treatment-related AEs with SLIT CSI were reported. Severe AE frequency in SLIT studies ranged from 0% to 8% with CSI, 0% to 12% with out-of-season initiation, and 0% to 8% with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: No increase in AEs of concern was observed with SCIT or SLIT CSI; however, additional data with standardized regimens and doses are needed. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Large-scale reactor calculations with Monte Carlo (MC), including nonlinear feedback effects, have become a reality in the course of the last decade. In particular, implementations of coupled MC and thermalhydraulic (T-H) calculations have been separately developed by many different groups. Numerous MC codes have been coupled to a variety of T-H codes (system level, subchannel, and computational fluid dynamics). In this work we review the numerical methods that have been used to solve the coupled MC-T-H problem with a particular focus on the formulation of the nonlinear problem, convergence criteria, and relaxation schemes used to ensure stability of the iterative process. We use a simple pressurized water reactor pin cell problem to numerically investigate the stability of commonly used schemes and which problem parameters influence the stability-or lack thereof. We also examine the role that the running strategy used in the MC calculation plays in the convergence of the coupled calculation. Results indicate that the instability in fixed-point iterations is driven by the Doppler feedback effect and that underrelaxation can be used to restore stability. We also observed that a form of underrelaxation could be achieved by performing the coupled iterations without converging the MC fission source each iteration. By performing many iterations of few histories, we observed rapid convergence to the coupled MC-T-H solution in a relatively small number of batches. Numerical results also showed that the presence of instability in the fixed-point iteration is independent of the stochastic noise in the MC simulation.
A novel generic method of silica supported catalyst system generation from a fluid state is presented. The technique is based on the combined flow and radiation (such as microwave, thermal or UV) induced co-assembly of the support and catalyst precursors forming nano-reactors, followed by catalyst precursor decomposition. The transformation from the precursor to supported catalyst oxide state can be controlled from a few seconds to several minutes. The resulting nano-structured micro-porous silica supported catalyst system has a surface area approaching 300 m(2)/g and X-ray Diffraction (XRD)-based catalyst size controlled in the range of 1-10 nm in which the catalyst structure appears as lamellar sheets sandwiched between the catalyst support. These catalyst characteristics are dependent primarily on the processing history as well as the catalyst (Fe, Co and Ni studied) when the catalyst/support molar ratio is typically 0.1-2. In addition, Ca, Mn and Cu were used as co-catalysts with Fe and Co in the evaluation of the mechanism of catalyst generation. Based on extensive XRD, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) studies, the micro-and nano-structure of the catalyst system were evaluated. It was found that the catalyst and silica support form extensive 0.6-2 nm thick lamellar sheets of 10-100 nm planar dimensions. In these lamellae, the alternate silica support and catalyst layer appear in the form of a bar-code structure. When these lamellae structures pack, they form the walls of a micro-porous catalyst system which typically has a density of 0.2 g/cm(3). A tentative mechanism of catalyst nano-structure formation is provided based on the rheology and fluid mechanics of the catalyst/support precursor fluid as well as co-assembly nano-reactor formation during processing. In order to achieve these structures and characteristics, catalyst support must be in the form of silane coated silica nano-particles dispersed in water which also contains the catalyst precursor nitrate salt. This support-catalyst precursor fluid must have a sufficiently low viscosity but high elastic modulus (high extensional viscosity) to form films and bubbles when exposed to processing energy sources such as microwave, thermal, ultra-sound or UV-radiation or their combination. The micro-to-nano structures of the catalyst system are essentially formed at an early stage of energy input. It is shown that the primary particles of silica are transformed to a proto-silica particle state and form lamellar structures with the catalyst precursor. While the nano-structure is forming, water is evaporated leaving a highly porous solid support-catalyst precursor which then undergoes decomposition to form a silica-catalyst oxide system. The final catalyst system is obtained after catalyst oxide reduction. Although the XRD-based catalyst size changes slightly during the subsequent heat treatments, the nano-structure of the catalyst system remains substantially unaltered as evaluated through TEM images. However, if the catalyst preparation is carried out without film formation, the XRD-based catalyst size increases substantially by a factor of 2-8, with no significant alteration in surface area.
In today's Internet-connected world, mobile devices are increasingly used to access cloud storage services, which allow users to access data anywhere, anytime. Mobile devices have, however, been known to be used and/or targeted by cyber criminals to conduct malicious activities, such as data exfiltration, malware, identity theft, piracy, illegal trading, sexual harassment, cyber stalking and cyber terrorism. Consequently, mobile devices are an increasing important source of evidence in digital investigations. In this paper, we examine four popular cloud client apps, namely OneDrive, Box, GoogleDrive, and Dropbox, on both Android and iOS platforms (two of the most popular mobile operating systems). We identify artefacts of forensic interest, such as information generated during login, uploading, downloading, deletion, and the sharing of files. These findings may assist forensic examiners and practitioners in real-world examination of cloud client applications on Android and iOS platforms.
Several epidemiological studies have suggested a possible link between exposure to Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and the development of allergies. These findings remain controversial since there is insufficient scientific evidence to assess the ability of DINP to influence allergic immune responses. In addition, the mechanisms behind DINP-caused allergic diseases have not been fully elucidated. In this study, Balb/c mice were orally exposed to DINP for 3 weeks and were then sensitized with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). We showed that oral exposure to DINP could aggravate allergic-dermatitis-like lesions, indicated by an increase in the number of mast cells, and in increased skin edema in FITC-induced contact hypersensitivity. This deterioration was concomitant with increased total serum immunoglobulin-E and Th2 cytokines. We determined the oxidative damage and the activation of nuclear factor-kb (NF-kB). The data demonstrated that DINP could promote oxidative damage and the activation of NF-kB in the skin. The expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin and the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcriptions 3, 5 and 6 were enhanced concomitant with exacerbated allergic dermatitis effects and the activation of NF-kB induced by DINP. These effects were alleviated by pyrollidine dithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of NF-kB. The results suggest that oral exposure to DINP aggravated allergic contact dermatitis, which was positively regulated via NF-kB.
The conventional Clock Drawing Test (cCDT) is a rapid and inexpensive screening tool for detection of moderate and severe dementia. However, its usage is limited due to poor diagnostic accuracy especially in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The diagnostic value of a newly developed digital Clock Drawing Test (dCDT) was evaluated and compared with the cCDT in 20 patients with early dementia due to AD (eDAT), 30 patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI) and 20 cognitively healthy controls (HCs). Parameters assessed by dCDT were time while transitioning the stylus from one stroke to the next above the surface (i.e., time-in-air), time the stylus produced a visible stroke (i.e., time-on-surface) and total-time during clock drawing. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated and logistic regression analyses have been conducted for statistical analysis. Using dCDT, time-in-air was significantly increased in eDAT (70965.8 ms) compared to aMCI (54073.7 ms; p = 0.027) and HC (32315.6 ms; p < 0.001). In addition, time-in-air was significantly longer in patients with aMCI compared to HC (p = 0.003), even in the aMCI group with normal cCDT score (54141.8 ms; p < 0.001). Time-in-air using dCDT allowed discrimination of patients with aMCI from HCs with a sensitivity of 81.3% and a specificity of 72.2% while cCDT scoring revealed a sensitivity of 62.5% and a specificity of 83.3%. Most interestingly, time-in-air allowed even discrimination of aMCI patients with normal cCDT scores (80% from all aMCI patients) from HCs with a clinically relevant sensitivity of 80.8% and a specificity of 77.8%. A combination of dCDT variables and cCDT scores did not improve the discrimination of patients with aMCI from HC. In conclusion, assessment of time-inair using dCDT yielded a higher diagnostic accuracy for discrimination of aMCI patients from HCs than the use of cCDT even in those aMCI patients with normal cCDT scores. Modern digitizing devices offer the opportunity to measure subtle changes of visuoconstructive demands and executive functions that may be used as a fast and easy to perform screening instrument for the early detection of cognitive impairment in primary care.
First-order phase transition magnetocaloric materials in multi-stage regenerators are attractive for magnetocaloric refrigeration because of their relatively high available power and the potential for the use of low-cost elements such as iron in their production. In this work a model is used to represent the thermodynamic properties of magnetocaloric materials allowing the magnetocaloric materials to be fully parameterized for the first time. A numerical model is used to carry out a large study including the material parameters and the parameters that describe magnetocaloric machines and their operation. A unique method of evaluating material refrigeration capacity is introduced and used to normalize material inputs.The results are analyzed both in terms of the direct impact of the material parameters and the interactions between machine and material parameters on performance. It was found that machine cooling power was maximized for the cases with the largest adiabatic temperature changes. It was also found that many machine parameters and material parameters interact when determining the performance of a machine. This suggests that materials and machine research would benefit from a closer collaboration. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
Dysfunctional memory seems to be a key component of diverse dementias and other neuropsychiatric disorders; unfortunately, no effective treatment exists for this, probably because of the absence of neural biomarkers accompanying it. Diverse neurotransmission systems have been implicated in memory, including serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). There are multiple serotonergic pharmacological tools, well-characterized downstream signaling in mammals' species and neural markers providing new insights into memory functions and dysfunctions. Serotonin in mammal species has multiple neural markers, including receptors (5-HT1-7), serotonin transporter, and volume transmission, which are present in brain areas involved in memory. Memory, amnesia, and forgetting modify serotonergic markers; this influence is bidirectional. Evidence shows insights and therapeutic targets and diverse approaches support the translatability of using neural markers and cerebral functions and dysfunctions, including memory formation and amnesia. For instance, 5-HT2A/2B/2C, 5-HT4,and 5-HT6 receptors are involved in tau protein hyperphosphorylation in Alzheimer's disease. In addition, at least, 5-HT1A, 5-HT4, 5-HT6, and 5-HT7 receptors as well as serotonin transporter seem to be useful neural markers and therapeutic targets. Hence, available evidence supports the notion that several mechanisms cooperate to achieve synaptic plasticity or memory, including changes in the number of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters. Considering that memory is a key component of dementias, hence reversing or reducing memory deficits might positively affect them? (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Today, the development of information and communications technologies have changed the utility landscape dramatically. In particular, electricity distribution networks rely heavily on a multitude of intelligent systems and devices that communicate among each other in much more advanced ways than in the past. As the Smart Grid is becoming nowadays a critical component in the electricity delivery system, it is important to make sure the grid is equipped with adequate security mechanisms that are able to guarantee its reliable operation and real-time information exchange within the power infrastructure. Therefore, in this paper we analyze critical cybersecurity aspects associated with smart grid services, including previous cyber-attack cases on smart grids, potential vulnerabilities/threats, and advanced cybersecurity strategies for smart grids with technical and management measures. Ultimately, while the service providers should continuously enhance the traditional security measures such as authentication, access control, authorization, data encryption, public key infrastructure (PKI), firewalls, log analysis, intrusion detection systems, and network security protocols, we propose that the advanced technical measures should 1) make smart grids survivable even under cyber attacks and internal failures; 2) employ a defense-in-depth approach; 3) employ a defense-in-depth approach; and 4) provide more scalable security measures. Furthermore, we also propose that the advanced management measures should 1) establish a cybersecurity governance strategy; 2) develop a strong incident response plan; 3) cultivate a culture of security; 4) employ a public-private partnership approach; and 5) comply with widely recognized security standards.
A model of the dynamics of self-regulation describes two patterns of commitment or progress that individuals may follow when selecting goal directed behaviors. In the commitment pattern, individuals are more likely to highlight congruent goal behavior choices while in the progress pattern individuals are more likely to balance between incongruent and congruent goal behavior choices. This study set out to test the model in the context of problematic Internet usage. After being primed about problematic Internet usage, a sample of 97 undergraduate university students completed an online survey rating the value of Internet, academic and social-related behaviors across three conditions. The three conditions paired behaviors so that they appeared to complement each other, appeared to compete against each other, and presented them individually. Results showed that Internet behaviors were rated more highly when presented as complementary than when presented as competing, supporting the prediction that presentation format primes progress and commitment frameworks and leads to higher ratings of incongruent goal behavior in the progress condition. While results did not fully support the model's predictions regarding congruent goal behavior, they were in the predicted direction with small to moderate effect sizes. This study may inform clinical interventions by suggesting that individuals experiencing issues with problematic Internet usage would benefit from framing self-regulatory dilemmas in a competing format. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A weighted controller structure for DC-DC converters is proposed to deal with large-signal operations. For wide range variations of input voltage and load conditions of DC-DC converters, we firstly divide the pre-defined global operation space into local subspaces where each local linear compensator is designed for the corresponding subspace, and then all the local linear compensators are weighted into single controller structure. By doing so, the weighted controller can automatically decide which local linear compensator regulates the dynamics of DC-DC converter according to the operation conditions, and thus has the capability of self-adaptation to wide range of operating point variations. Furthermore, the prominent feature underlying the weighted control scheme is also that the nonlinearities of DC-DC converters is easily to be handled by linear compensation approaches that can be easily implemented with analog or digital control circuitries. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this controller structure, a stand-alone DC-DC converter and a cascaded DC-DC converter system are taken as examples by simulation and experimental results.
Hydropower has long been recognized as a renewable power source. Due to economic reasons, high and medium head potentials have been primarily developed. Later, low-head potentials became a feasible solution with the application of modern Bulb generators. Although Bulb generators have been developed and applied since the 1930s, new techniques and materials have been used to overcome technical and design challenges, which are described herein.
Rationale Dopamine (DA) plays a central role in reward processing. Accumulating evidence suggests that social interaction and social stimuli have rewarding properties that activate the DA reward circuits. However, few studies have attempted to investigate how DA is involved in the processing of social stimuli. Objectives In this study, we investigated the effects of pharmacological manipulations of DA D1 and D2 receptors on social vs. nonsocial visual attention preference in macaques. Methods Japanese macaques were subjected to behavioral tests in which visual attention toward social (monkey faces with and without affective expressions) and nonsocial stimuli was examined, with D1 and D2 antagonist administration. Results The macaques exhibited significantly longer durations of gazing toward the images with social cues than did those with nonsocial cues. Both D1 and D2 antagonist administration decreased duration of gazing toward the social images with and without affective valences. In addition, although D1 antagonist administration increased the duration of gazing toward the nonsocial images, D2 antagonism had no effect. Conclusions These results suggest that both D1 and D2 receptors may have roles in the processing of social signals but through separate mechanisms.
The impaired insulin signaling has been recognized as a common pathogenetic mechanism between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the progression of AD, brain is characterized by defective insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and increased oxidative stress. Thymol, a monoterpene phenol isolated from medicinal herbs, has exhibited robust neuroprotective effects. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of thymol on HFD-induced cognitive deficits, and explore the possible mechanisms. C57BL/6 J mice were fed for 12 weeks with either HFD or normal diet. The mice fed with HFD were dosed with metformin (200 mg/kg) or thymol (20, 40 mg/kg) daily. It was observed that thymol treatment significantly reversed the gain of body weight and peripheral insulin resistance induced by HFD. Meanwhile, thymol improved the cognitive impairments in the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test and decreased HFD-induced A beta deposition and tau hyperphosphorylation in the hippocampus, which may be correlated with the inhibition of hippocampal oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition, thymol down-regulated the level of P-Ser307 IRS-1, and hence enhancing the expression of P-Ser473 AKT and P-Ser9 GSK3 beta. We further found that the protective effects of thymol on cognitive impairments were associated with the up-regulation of nuclear respiratory factor (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) pathway. In conclusion, thymol exhibited beneficial effects on HFD-induced cognitive deficits through improving hippocampal insulin resistance, and activating Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.
This paper presents a method for combining domain knowledge and machine learning (CDKML) for classifier generation and online adaptation. The method exploits advantages in domain knowledge and machine learning as complementary information sources. Whereas machine learning may discover patterns in interest domains that are too subtle for humans to detect, domain knowledge may contain information on a domain not present in the available domain dataset. CDKML has three steps. First, prior domain knowledge is enriched with relevant patterns obtained by machine learning to create an initial classifier. Second, genetic algorithms refine the classifier. Third, the classifier is adapted online on the basis of user feedback using the Markov decision process. CDKML was applied in fall detection. Tests showed that the classifiers developed by CDKML have better performance than machine-learning classifiers generated on a training dataset that does not adequately represent all real-life cases of the learned concept. The accuracy of the initial classifier was 10 percentage points higher than the best machine-learning classifier and the refinement added 3 percentage points. The online adaptation improved the accuracy of the refined classifier by an additional 15 percentage points.
Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) may be used to upgrade anaerobic digester biogas by directly converting CO2 to CH4. The objective of this study was to evaluate gas (N-2, CO2, CH4, and H-2) and carbon transport within a methanogenic BES. Four BES configurations were evaluated: abiotic anode with abiotic cathode (AAn-ACa), bioanode with abiotic cathode (BAn-ACa), abiotic anode with biocathode (AAn-BCa), and bioanode with biocathode (BAn-BCa). Transport of N-2, a gas commonly used for flushing anoxic systems, out of the anode headspace ranged from 3.7 to 6.2L/d-atm-m(2), normalized to the proton exchange membrane (PEM) surface area and net driving pressure (NDP). CO2 was transported from the cathode to the anode headspace at rates from 3.7 to 5.4L/d-atm-m(2). The flux of H-2 from cathode to anode headspace was 48% greater when the system had a biocathode (AAn-BCa) than when H-2 was produced at an abiotic cathode (BAn-ACa), even though the abiotic cathode headspace had 75% more H-2 than the AAn-BCa biocathode at the end of 1 day. A 7-day carbon balance of a batch-fed BAn-BCa BES showed transient microbial carbon storage and a net transport of carbon from anode to cathode. After a 7-day batch incubation, the CH4 production in the biocathode was 27% greater on a molar basis than the initial CO2 supplied to the biocathode headspace, indicating conversion of CO2 produced in the anode. This research expands the current understanding of methanogenic BES operation, which may be used in improving the assessment of BES performance and/or in the development of alternative BES designs and mathematical models. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 961-969. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
River discharge is a critical component for understanding hydrological processes and sustainable management of water resources. The importance of discharge observation has increased due to its potential extreme variation resulting from the projected climate change and stronger variability of precipitation and temperature in some large basins. However, inherent difficulties in ground-based observations and decreasing number of gauge stations hinder accurate measurement of global river discharge and its spatio-temporal variations. Various remote sensing methods have been examined as alternatives, however, they require ground measurements to convert their proxy measurements into the actual river discharge. In this study, we estimate the discharge at the Obidos station and the mouth of the Amazon basin using the water storage variations derived from GRACE gravity data without relying on any auxiliary ground observations. We extract the water mass signal along the main stem of the river by applying the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) for water storage variations over the basin. The relative water storage variations along the main stem derived from the EOF decomposition are highly correlated with in-situ discharge at the Obidos. However, in high water season, the GRACE-based discharge is estimated larger than the in-situ observations, and the difference is particularly significant during the 2009 extreme flood season. We argue that the in-situ river discharge in 2009 was underestimated due to the missed water volume for the flow detouring around the Obidos gauge station during the high-flow event. Net river discharge of the Amazon Basin to Atlantic Ocean is also estimated, and its annual discharge is about 23% larger than that of the Obidos. In particular, 2009 river discharge to Atlantic Oceans is estimated as 1050 Gton. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A significant correlation exists between violence and schizophrenia (SCZ). Recent studies matched sonic cognitive deficits like strong risk factors for violence with interesting applications in terms of treatment. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of cognitive remediation (CR) and social cognitive training (SCT) in the management of violent and aggressive behaviors in SCZ. Methods: The electronic databases Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and ScienceDirect were searched in, using combinations of terms relating to SCZ, CR and violence. Studies were selected and data were extracted using a PRISMA statement. Inclusion criteria were adults with SCZ and a documented collection of disruptive and violent behaviors, for whom researchers had used a CR or SCT program. Results: Eleven studies were identified, two related to non-specific CR intervention and nine to codified CR or SCT programs. Results showed that these programs had a positive impact on the control and reduction of global aggressive attitudes and physical assaults. Therapeutic targets were social cognition and executive functions through the improvement of interpersonal relationships and impulsivity feature respectively. Effectiveness was proved at various stages of the illness, in different types of patients and units, with effects persisting for up to 12 months after interruption of CR. Conclusions are limited by some methodological restrictions. Conclusion: Although current evidences need to be completed with further randomized studies, CR and SCI. appear to be promising approaches in the management of violence in SCZ.
Electricity is the basic tool that drives industrialization, technological advancement, engineering transformation and economic growth all over the world. The situation of Nigeria's electricity power sector is one that has defied virtually every effort made to resurrect it from its state of dilapidation. A major concern is can there ever be stable and cost effective electricity in Nigeria? The authors are positive this can be realised, but not without considering other forms of electricity energy resources available in Nigeria other than the conventional sources of electricity which is currently the mainstay. A deliberate transition from conventional sources of electricity energy to renewable and environmental friendly sources is critical for national development, even though recent development show the Nigerian government is backsliding in adopting renewable energy technologies. This paper will be used to highlight the different sources of renewable energy which is critical to solve the lingering problem of electricity generation in Nigeria. Hence, based on the literature, modeled scenarios and field experience, the authors discovered it is much easier for individuals to drive this transition to 100% renewable energy than to continue to depend on government forever.
Several studies suggest that invertebrate abundance and richness are disrupted and reset at confluences. Thus, junctions contribute disproportionately to the overall aquatic biodiversity of the river. In general terms, authors have reported high abundance and diversity due to the major physical heterogeneity at junctions. However, data are still scarce and uncertainties are plentiful. The impact of a great input of fine sediments on the distribution patterns of benthic invertebrates at a river confluence was quantitatively analyzed herein. The junction of the subtropical Bermejo River (high suspended sediment load) with the large Paraguay River is the selected study area to achieve this aim. While diversity increased slightly downstream the junction (from 0.21 to 0.36), density and richness of the macroinvertebrate assemblage significantly diminished downstream the confluence (from 29050 to 410 ind/m(2); p<0.05) due to the input of fine sediment from the Bermejo River (mean fine sediment increased downstream from 6.3 to 10.2 mg/L), causing a negatively impact on invertebrate assemblage. This study highlights the ecological importance of the sediment input effects on benthic invertebrates, a topic still poorly explored in river ecology. It is speculated that the spatial extent of the impact would be dependent upon the hydrological and sedimentological context, highly unequal between both rivers. New hypotheses should be tested through new studies considering different hydrological stages.
Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive disease of the nervous system involving both upper and lower motor neurons. The patterns of structural and metabolic brain alterations are still unclear. Several studies using anatomical MRI yielded a number of discrepancies in their results, and a few PET studies investigated the effect of ALS on cerebral glucose metabolism. The aim of this study was threefold: to highlight the patterns of grey matter (GM) atrophy, hypometabolism and hypermetabolism in patients with ALS, then to understand the neurobehavioral significance of hypermetabolism and, finally, to investigate the regional differences between the morphologic and functional changes in ALS patients, using a specially designed voxel-based method. Thirty-seven patients with ALS and 37 age-and sex-matched healthy individuals underwent both structural MRI and (18)[F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET examinations. PET data were corrected for partial volume effects. Structural and metabolic abnormalities were examined in ALS patients compared with control subjects using two-sample t tests in statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Then, we extracted the metabolic values of clusters presenting hypermetabolism to correlate with selected cognitive scores. Finally, GM atrophy and hypometabolism patterns were directly compared with a one-paired t test in SPM. Results: We found GM atrophy as well as hypometabolism in motor and extra motor regions and hypermetabolism in medial temporal lobe and cerebellum. We observed negative correlations between the metabolism of the right and left parahippocampal gyri and episodic memory and between the metabolism of right temporal pole and cognitive theory of mind. GM atrophy predominated in the temporal pole, left hippocampus and right thalamus, while hypometabolism predominated in a single cluster in the left frontal superior medial cortex. Conclusions: Our findings provide direct evidence of regional variations in the hierarchy and relationships between GM atrophy and hypometabolism in ALS. Moreover, the (18)FDG-PET investigation suggests that cerebral hypermetabolism is deleterious to cognitive function in ALS.
The island nations and territories of the South Pacific are facing a number of pressing environmental concerns, including solid waste management and coastal pollution. Here we provide baseline information on the presence and concentration of heavy metals and selected organic contaminants (pesticides, PAHs, phthalates) in 7 coastal streams and in surface waters adjacent to the Futiga landfill in American Samoa. All sampled stream sediments contained high concentrations of lead, and some of mercury. Several coastal stream waters showed relatively high concentrations of diethyl phthalate and of organophosphate pesticides, above chronic toxicity values for fish and other aquatic organisms. Parathion, which has been banned by the US Environmental Protection Agency since 2006. was detected in several stream sites. Increased monitoring and initiatives to limit non-point source land-based pollution will greatly improve the state of freshwater and coastal resources, as well as reduce risks to human health in American Samoa. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tetris provides a difficult, dynamic task environment within which some people are novices and others, after years of work and practice, become extreme experts. Here we study two core skills; namely, (a) choosing the goal or objective function that will maximize performance and (b)a feature-based analysis of the current game board to determine where to place the currently falling zoid (i.e., Tetris piece) so as to maximize the goal. In Study 1, we build cross-entropy reinforcement learning (CERL) models (Szita & Lorincz, 2006) to determine whether different goals result in different feature weights. Two of these optimization strategies quickly rise to performance plateaus, whereas two others continue toward higher but more jagged (i.e., variable) heights. In Study 2, we compare the zoid placement decisions made by our best CERL models with those made by 67 human players. Across 370,131 human game episodes, two CERL models picked the same zoid placements as our lowest scoring human for 43% of the placements and as our three best scoring experts for 65% of the placements. Our findings suggest that people focus on maximizing points, not number of lines cleared or number of levels reached. They also show that goal choice influences the choice of zoid placements for CERLs and suggest that the same is true of humans. Tetris has a repetitive task structure that makes Tetris more tractable and more like a traditional experimental psychology paradigm than many more complex games or tasks. Hence, although complex, Tetris is not overwhelmingly complex and presents a right-sized challenge to cognitive theories, especially those of integrated cognitive systems.
The performance of four geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) used as a hydraulic barrier below concrete-lined sewage treatment lagoons was examined based on a series of laboratory tests aimed at measuring: (i) the lateral flow of synthetic wastewater through the interface between each GCL product and a 0.1 m thick cast-in-place concrete above the GCL over a 14-month period and, from this data, calculating the concrete/GCL interface transmissivity (theta); and (ii) the hydraulic conductivity (k) of the GCLs below poured concrete when exposed to (iia) synthetic wastewater under isothermal conditions, or (iib) a series of wet-dry and/or cool-heat cycles for up to 12 months. The four GCLs have either sodium or polymer-enhanced sodium bentonite, and either granular or powdered bentonite. When the wastewater head above the GCL was 1.0 m (stress on concrete, sigma = 10 kPa), L for the GCL with granular sodium bentonite was 4 X 10(-11) m(2)/s. For the same GCL, when the head increased to 2.5 m (sigma = 25 kPa), the value of L was reduced by about one order of magnitude to 2 X 10(-12) m(2)/s. For the GCL which has polymer-enhanced granular bentonite, the value of L was similar to (and possibly lower than) that for the GCL with untreated granular bentonite. For the GCL with powdered bentonite and cover geotextile impregnated with 1280 g/m(2) of bentonite, the values of L were 2 X 10(-12) and 4 X 10(-13) m(2)/s at 1.0 and 2.5 m head, respectively. With a reduction in the amount of the impregnated powdered bentonite in the cover geotextile to 840 g/m(2), theta was 1 to 9 X 10(-12) m(2)/s. The lowest k (3.2 X 10(-11) m/s) for a GCL below concrete and exposed to wastewater under isothermal conditions was measured for the GCL with polymer-enhanced granular bentonite, whereas the highest value of k (1.9 X 10(-10) m/s) was for the GCL with standard granular bentonite. Under 0.5 m head and 3 kPa stress, the k of the GCL below concrete and exposed to wet-dry cycles was 1.2-2.6 times the k of the GCL exposed to wastewater under isothermal conditions. Analytical calculations for the leakage through concrete/GCL liners for the four GCLs showed that the leakage was below the allowable limits specified by the Australian, British, and American standards.
Immunodeficient mice engrafted with functional human cells and tissues, that is, humanized mice, have become increasingly important as small, preclinical animal models for the study of human diseases. Since the description of immunodeficient mice bearing mutations in the IL2 receptor common gamma chain (IL2rg(null)) in the early 2000s, investigators have been able to engraft murine recipients with human hematopoietic stem cells that develop into functional human immune systems. These mice can also be engrafted with human tissues such as islets, liver, skin, and most solid and hematologic cancers. Humanized mice are permitting significant progress in studies of human infectious disease, cancer, regenerative medicine, graft-versus-host disease, allergies, and immunity. Ultimately, use of humanized mice may lead to the implementation of truly personalized medicine in the clinic. This review discusses recent progress in the development and use of humanized mice and highlights their utility for the study of human diseases.
The nonideal effects of the comparator and dead time in a synchronous controlled dc-dc converter adversely affect the stability of a four-switch noninverting-buck-boost (NIBB) converter. The pulse-skipping phenomenon occurs in the mode-transition region near the boundary between the step-down and step-up regions, and this phenomenon leads to an unstable output voltage and an unpredictable output voltage ripple. However, these two results may damage the entire power system and application system. This brief proposes an enhanced duty-cycle-overlap control technique for a digitally controlled NIBB converter. The proposed technique offers two duty cycle limitations for various conditions in the mode-transition region and ensures the stability of the digital controller and output voltage. Moreover, this technique involves combining the duty cycles of both step-down and step-upmodes for deriving an accurate value of the output voltage. The experimental results derived from a digital controller implemented through a field-programmable-gate-array-based platform revealed that the output voltage of the NIBB converter was stable throughout the transition region. The observed input voltage of the converter, provided by a Li-ion battery, was 2.5-4.5 V, and the output voltage was typically 3.3 V, which is suitable for communication systems, audio systems, and I/O pad power supplies. The switching frequency was 1 MHz, and the maximum load current was 500 mA.
China's electronics industry has seen a significant development in the last decades. The electronics manufacturing industry has become one of the country's largest industries. Many well-qualified researchers and engineers are needed to meet the demands of the microelectronics industry and research. The fast developing electronics industry challenges the conventional university education. How to innovate the education curriculum to provide qualified engineers for the electronics industry is a challenging task for universities. Education program on microelectronic packaging and assembly has been established at GUET. In this paper, the experiences of establishing the multi-level education program for the microelectronics manufacturing are briefly summarized. A focus is put on the new bachelor's degree program of Microelectronic Manufacturing Engineering. The objective, scope and curriculum structure of the education program are proposed, which is with an emphasis on the sectors of electronic packaging, assembly and test. This proposal is supported by the fact of the existing huge demands for the qualified engineers in these sectors. To achieve the goal, the core courses for the educational curriculum and educational means are proposed and discussed. Further effort to enhance the educational ability is needed.
This work describes the practical implementation of a Floating-Interleaving Boost Converter (FIBC) for fuel cell applications. The paper aims to validate the concept of digitally-controlled from four-phases-FIBC for fuel cell applications. FIBC exhibits interesting performance in terms of magnetics, input, and output current ripple, part count and distributed power losses. A potential field of application is indeed medium and higher power fuel cell front-end converters, where minimizing input current ripple is significant but also redundancy and reliability are crucial. Actually, this approach covers all these aspects since provide module and device redundancy with real-time and flexible digital control reconfiguration. Relevant aspects related to design; modeling, simulation and experimental verification of 100W, Arduino-controlled, 4-phases-FIBC are treated in this paper.
Magnetic properties of silicon steel laminations are important features in power transformer and electrical machine design and manufacture. Conventional testing methods such as Epstein Frame and Single Sheet Tester may only consider one direction or one sheet, which may deviate from the real application, particularly in core loss calculation. A 3-D magnetic properties' testing method is proposed in this paper. By using the designed special surface B-H sensing coils, the dynamic magnetic hysteresis properties of a laminated non-grain-oriented silicon steel sample are accurately measured. The relationship between B and H in alternating, 2-D rotational, and 3-D spherical rotational excitations, from 50 to 200 Hz, is studied and analyzed. In order to control the B waveform better, the harmonics of Bx and By signals are analyzed at 50 Hz. The alternating core losses in the rolling, transverse, and laminated directions and the rotational core losses in the xoy plane of this sample at 50, 100, and 200 Hz are calculated and analyzed. Moreover, the core losses in the three directions are well predicted by means of total core loss separation theory.
Several researchers have observed that environmental enrichment (EE) can be effective in reducing stressful conditions and abnormal behavior and may provide better reproductive performance in rodents. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the reproductive performance of Wistar rats reared in three different housing conditions. Animals were separated into breeding pairs, one pair per cage and pairs randomly assigned to three experimental groups (ten couples per group): control group were provided cages without any environmental enrichment; PVC group with PVC pipe; and cardboard roll group with a commercially available cardboard tube. To compare the reproductive performance of the three groups, the following were evaluated: number of pups/litter; number of litters; parturition interval; occurrence of cannibalism; weight gain of offspring; as well as the quantity and quality of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) obtained after superovulation of the females born from the first, second and last pregnancy in all groups. Moreover, the plasma level of corticosterone in breeding animals was measured. A total of 60 male rats randomly selected from the first- and last-born litters (20 males from each group) were first tested in an elevated plus-maze (EPM) and on the following day, were tested in an open field test (OFT). Significant differences were found in the number and morphological classification of COCs. In the control group, the number of oocytes in grade 4 (unusual shapes and very heterogeneous ooplasm, presenting no layers of surrounding cumulus cells [13]) presented statistically higher rates (225/2535, 8.9%) compared to the other groups, as well as the number of competent oocytes was higher in the enriched groups (p = 0.001). Moreover, we find that the males of cardboard roll group differed significantly in weight gain compared to PVC group (p = 0.008). In addition to this, we did not detect occurrence of cannibalism in this group. Our findings suggest that environmental enrichment provides improvements in reproductive performance of Wistar rats. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we present a novel error measure to compare a computer-generated segmentation of images or volumes against ground truth. This measure, which we call Tolerant Edit Distance (TED), is motivated by two observations that we usually encounter in biomedical image processing: (1) Some errors, like small boundary shifts, are tolerable in practice. Which errors are tolerable is application dependent and should be explicitly expressible in the measure. (2) Non-tolerable errors have to be corrected manually. The effort needed to do so should be reflected by the error measure. Our measure is the minimal weighted sum of split and merge operations to apply to one segmentation such that it resembles another segmentation within specified tolerance bounds. This is in contrast to other commonly used measures like Rand index or variation of information, which integrate small, but tolerable, differences. Additionally, the TED provides intuitive numbers and allows the localization and classification of errors in images or volumes. We demonstrate the applicability of the TED on 3D segmentations of neurons in electron microscopy images where topological correctness is arguable more important than exact boundary locations. Furthermore, we show that the TED is not just limited to evaluation tasks. We use it as the loss function in a max-margin learning framework to find parameters of an automatic neuron segmentation algorithm. We show that training to minimize the TED, i.e., to minimize crucial errors, leads to higher segmentation accuracy compared to other learning methods. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
The laminar boundary layer flow and heat transfer of Casson non-Newtonian fluid from an inclined (solar collector) plate in the presence of thermal and hydrodynamic slip conditions is analysed. The inclined plate surface is maintained at a constant temperature. The boundary layer conservation equations, which are parabolic in nature, are normalized into non-similar form and then solved numerically with the well-tested, efficient, implicit, stable Keller-box finite-difference scheme. Increasing velocity slip induces acceleration in the flow near the inclined plate surface. Increasing velocity slip consistently enhances temperatures throughout the boundary layer regime. An increase in thermal slip parameter strongly decelerates the flow and also reduces temperatures in the boundary layer regime. An increase in Casson rheological parameter acts to elevate considerably the velocity and this effect is pronounced at higher values of tangential coordinate. Temperatures are however very slightly decreased with increasing values of Casson rheological parameter.
Mucosal surfaces line our body cavities and provide the interaction surface between commensal and pathogenic microbiota and the host. The barrier function of the mucosal layer is largely maintained by gel-forming mucin proteins that are secreted by goblet cells. In addition, mucosal epithelial cells express cell-bound mucins that have both barrier and signaling functions. The family of transmembrane mucins consists of diverse members that share a few characteristics. The highly glycosylated extracellular mucin domains inhibit invasion by pathogenic bacteria and can form a tight mesh structure that protects cells in harmful conditions. The intracellular tails of transmembrane mucins can be phosphorylated and connect to signaling pathways that regulate inflammation, cell-cell interactions, differentiation, and apoptosis. Transmembrane mucins play important roles in preventing infection at mucosal surfaces, but are also re-nowned for their contributions to the development, progression, and metastasis of adenocarcinomas. In general, transmembrane mucins seem to have evolved to monitor and repair damaged epithelia, but these functions can be highjacked by cancer cells to yield a survival advantage. This review presents an overview of the current knowledge of the functions of transmembrane mucins in inflammatory processes and carcinogenesis in order to better understand the diverse functions of these multifunctional proteins. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel
In follow-up studies, the disease event time can be subject to left truncation and right censoring. Furthermore, medical advancements have made it possible for patients to be cured of certain types of diseases. In this article, we consider a semiparametric mixture cure model for the regression analysis of left-truncated and right-censored data. The model combines a logistic regression for the probability of event occurrence with the class of transformation models for the time of occurrence. We investigate two techniques for estimating model parameters. The first approach is based on martingale estimating equations (EEs). The second approach is based on the conditional likelihood function given truncation variables. The asymptotic properties of both proposed estimators are established. Simulation studies indicate that the conditional maximum-likelihood estimator (cMLE) performs well while the estimator based on EEs is very unstable even though it is shown to be consistent. This is a special and intriguing phenomenon for the EE approach under cure model. We provide insights into this issue and find that the EE approach can be improved significantly by assigning appropriate weights to the censored observations in the EEs. This finding is useful in overcoming the instability of the EE approach in some more complicated situations, where the likelihood approach is not feasible. We illustrate the proposed estimation procedures by analyzing the age at onset of the occiput-wall distance event for patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Background: Previous studies on patients diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) reported changed patterns of the resting-state functional connectivity network (rs-FCN) between the prefrontal cortices and other prefrontal, amygdalar or striatal regions. Using a graph theory approach, this study explored the modularity based community profile and patterns of inter-/intra-modular communication for the rs-FCN in SAD. Methods: In total, for 28 SAD patients and 27 healthy controls (HC), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired in resting-state and subjected to a graph theory analysis. Results: The within-module degree z-score for a hub region [out of a total of 10 hub regions ranked using the participation coefficient] named left middle temporal gyms was impaired in SAD compared to HC, proportional to the severity of clinician-scored and patient-reported functional impairment in SAD. Limitations: Most of participants included in this study were undergraduate students in their early-to-mid 20's. Conclusions: This study showed the importance of functional communication from the left middle temporal gyros with other opercular-insular-subcortical regions for better objective functioning and lesser subjective disability in SAD.
Large-scale airports such as Incheon International Airport have large-scale terminals, annex buildings, and numerous open spaces. An integrated space management system is required to manage these buildings and spaces efficiently. Thus, Incheon International Airport Corporation developed a three-dimensional computer-aided design-based integrated space management system. The major system development goal was to provide intuitive three-dimensional-based visual information, thereby realizing an integrated space and asset management system that does not require expert knowledge of any specific field, such as architecture. This article discusses the construction of the system and the problems that had to be resolved to achieve this goal.
Familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS), Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS) and chronic infantile neurological, cutaneous and articular syndrome/neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease (CINCA/NOMID) were originally described as three distinct diseases. After the identification of their common genetic origin in 2001 and 2002, they are now perceived as a continuum of one disease entity and labelled cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS). Mutations in the NLRP3 gene on chromosome 1q44 can be detected in many affected patients. These lead to the synthesis of an altered gene product named cryopyrin. This is part of the NLRP3 inflammasome and causes the activation of caspase 1 and an excess production of IL-1 beta, which is the driving force behind the inflammatory reactions observed in CAPS patients. In symptomatic patients, confirmation of a mutation using traditional methods of genetic analysis may not always be successful (up to 40% in the case of CINCA/NOMID phenotypes); however, in many cases somatic mutations can be found using modern methods, such as next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. In contrast, low-penetrance NLRP3 variants may also be identified in healthy family members and are present in low frequencies in the general population. Some of the mutation carriers nevertheless present with typical signs of autoinflammation; however, their phenotype is different compared to the classical CAPS presentation. These patients display unspecific systemic inflammatory signs more frequently but show an organ involvement less often. While the detection of NLRP3 gene mutations may be viewed as confirmatory, CAPS is still predominantly a clinical diagnosis; therefore, recently published diagnostic criteria do not require the demonstration of a mutation.
Ample research demonstrated that empathizing with someone in need promotes helping that person. Two studies examined whether this effect of empathy on helping behavior holds across different emotional reactions expressed by a target in need. Results of Study 1 indicate that perspective taking with a sad needy target increased empathic concern which, in turn, fostered helping the individual. This relation was not found for participants taking the perspective of angry or disgusted needy targets. Study 2 provides further support for the underlying mechanism of the results of Study 1. Perspective taking with a sad needy target increased empathizers' empathic concern because perception of target neediness was increased. Again, this pattern was not found for perspective taking with an angry needy target. The findings correspond to theorizing on the role of emotions in person perception. Hence, the current research provides insights regarding the boundary conditions of the empathy-helping association.
Chinese agriculture has been developing fast towards industrial food production systems that discharge nutrient-rich wastewater into rivers. As a result, nutrient export by rivers has been increasing, resulting in coastal water pollution. We developed a Model to Assess River Inputs of Nutrients to seAs (MARINA) for China. The MARINA Nutrient-Model quantifies river export of nutrients by source at the sub-basin scale as a function of human activities on land. MARINA is a downscaled version for China of the Global NEWS-2 (Nutrient Export from WaterSheds) model with an improved approach for nutrient losses from animal production and population. We use the model to quantify dissolved inorganic and organic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) export by six large rivers draining into the Bohai Gulf (Yellow, Hai, Liao), Yellow Sea (Yangtze, Huai) and South China Sea (Pearl) in 1970, 2000 and 2050. We addressed uncertainties in the MARINA Nutrient model. Between 1970 and 2000 river export of dissolved N and P increased by a factor of 2-8 depending on sea and nutrient form. Thus, the risk for coastal eutrophication increased. Direct losses of manure to rivers contribute to 60-78% of nutrient inputs to the Bohai Gulf and 20-74% of nutrient inputs to the other seas in 2000. Sewage is an important source of dissolved inorganic P, and synthetic fertilizers of dissolved inorganic N. Over half of the nutrients exported by the Yangtze and Pearl rivers originated from human activities in downstream and middlestream sub-basins. The Yellow River exported up to 70% of dissolved inorganic N and P from downstream sub-basins and of dissolved organic N and P from middlestream sub-basins. Rivers draining into the Bohai Gulf are drier, and thus transport fewer nutrients. For the future we calculate further increases in river export of nutrients. The MARINA Nutrient model quantifies the main sources of coastal water pollution for sub-basins. This information can contribute to formulation of effective management options to reduce nutrient pollution of Chinese seas in the future. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B. V.
In this paper, a parallel structure fractional repetitive control (RC) scheme is proposed to improve the performance of pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) inverters in fractional cases where the sampling rate of the digital control system is not an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency. By introducing a correction factor, the new control scheme increases the control gains for all harmonics and locates poles accurately at targeted harmonic frequencies. As a result, the proposed control scheme achieves better tracking and rejection performance than conventional RC. Moreover, the parallel structure fractional repetitive controller requires less data memory. Dynamic response is also improved. The stability and convergence of this method are proved. Experimental results on a single-phase PWM inverter illustrate the advantages of this control scheme.
For many years, the role of interferon (IFN)-I has been characterized primarily in the context of viral infections. However, regulatory functions mediated by IFN-I have also been described against bacterial infections and in tumor immunology. Only recently, the interest in understanding the immune functions mediated by IFN-I has dramatically increased in the field of protozoan infections. In this review, we discuss the discrete role of IFN-I in the immune response against major protozoan infections: Plasmodium, Leishmania, Trypanosoma, and Toxoplasma.
The main concern of this paper is to investigate some stability properties (namely Aubin property and isolated calmness) of a special non-monotone variational inclusion. We provide a characterization of these properties in terms of the problem data and show their importance for the design of electrical circuits involving nonsmooth and non-monotone electronic devices like DIAC (DIode Alternating Current). Circuits with other devices like SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifiers), Zener diodes, thyristors, varactors and transistors can be analyzed in the same way.
A 5.35m high test embankment was constructed on a soft foundation improved by geotextile-encased granular columns (GECs). The embankment construction was performed in four stages over 65days, resulting in a total applied stress of around 150kPa. The soft soil and the encased columns were instrumented to measure surface settlements, excess pore pressure, surface vertical stresses, and radial deformation of the geotextile encasement. Stress concentration and the difference in settlement between the top of the encased columns and the soft soil were studied. Results showed that the differential settlement increased as the embankment height increased and when the excess pore pressure was being dissipated. Due to soil arching, the vertical stress supported by the encased column was over two times greater than the stress transmitted to the soft soil. Also, vertical stress on the encased column increased as consolidation progressed, whereas it did not vary significantly on the soft soil. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
ASTM D6496, Standard Test Method for Determining Average Bonding Peel Strength between the Top and Bottom Layers of Needlepunched Geosynthetic Clay Liners, is used as an index test for quality control in the manufacturing of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and as an acceptance test for the delivery of materials to a project. As its title indicates, it is normally used to measure the peel strength between the top and bottom geotextile layers within a GCL. This paper evaluates the use of this test method to measure the peel strength between the thin film/coating of a laminated GCL and the geotextile it is adhered to. This paper also shows how the moisture content and hydrating conditions affect the peel strength in these products.
Technological advancements and contemporary learning theories have redesigned the school environment to embed ICT technology in many aspects of the learning process. In particular, ICT technology can be exploited to monitor learners' behaviour during learning activities, for example to identify whether a learner is paying attention to the lecture. This poster presents the functional requirements of a visual tool for the smart classroom, which allows teachers to view and customize the attention monitoring subsystem for each individual student and for the classroom as a whole, in order to improve the educational process. Preliminary usability findings regarding its design are reported, as collected through a cognitive walkthrough evaluation with HCI experts.
This paper describes the analysis of EU Project IRMA (Inter-Countries Research for Manufacturing Advancement) results in Lithuania. The research has been focused on a specific field manufacturing engineering. The SWOT analysis in Lithuania manufacturing sector is provided. The connection between manufacturing engineering and higher technical education in Lithuania is considered.
Background: The efficacy of exercise therapy for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is well-documented, but dearth of information is for non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA). Biomarkers like serum calprotectin, interleukins IL-6, IL-17 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha may reflect the disease activity of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). In this study, we investigated clinical and laboratory parameters of both axSpA subgroups in response to intensive physical exercise. Methods: Altogether, 46 patients with axSpA, characterised according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society criteria as having nr-axSpA or AS underwent 6-month exercise programme. Clinical outcomes of disease activity, Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), AS Disease Activity Index (ASDAS-CRP), mobility, Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI) and function, Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI) were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the exercise programme. Serum IL-6 and IL-17, TNF-alpha and calprotectin were measured via ELISA. The clinical and laboratory data of 29 control axSpA patients were used for the evaluation of the results. Results: In all axSpA patients, the ASDAS-CRP (2.10 +/- 0.12 to 1.84 +/- 0.11, p < 0.01) and BASMI (1.28 +/- 0.14 to 0.66 +/- 0.84, p < 0.0001) improved after 6 months of exercise therapy. There was a significant improvement in the ASDAS-CRP in the nr-axSpA subgroup (2.01 +/- 0.19 to 1.73 +/- 0.16, p < 0.05) and in the BASMI in both, the nr-axSpA and the AS subgroups (1.09 +/- 0.12 to 0.47 +/- 0.08, p < 0.0001 and 1.43 +/- 0.24 to 0.82 +/- 0.23, p < 0.0001, respectively). Both, ASDAS-CRP and BASDAI, were significantly improved in the exercise axSpA group compared to the control axSpA group (mean -0.26 vs. -0.13 and -0.49 vs. 0.12, respectively, all p < 0.05). Only calprotectin was significantly reduced after the exercise programme in nr-axSpA and AS patients (from 2379.0 +/- 243.20 to 1779.0 +/- 138.30 mu g/mL and from 2430.0 +/- 269.70 to 1816.0 +/- 148.20 mu g/mL, respectively, all p < 0.01). The change in calprotectin was more profound in the axSpA intervention group (mean -604.56) than in the control axSpA (mean -149.28, p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated similar efficacy for an intensive exercise programme in both nr-axSpA and AS patients. A significant decrease in serum calprotectin levels in both subgroups of axSpA patients after the exercise programme reflected an improvement in the disease activity and spinal mobility.
Purpose of review The discovery of several genetic variants associated with erythroid traits and subsequent elucidation of their functional mechanisms are exemplars of the power of the new genetic and genomic technology. The present review highlights findings from recent genetic studies related to the control of erythropoiesis and dyserythropoiesis, and fetal hemoglobin, an erythroid-related trait. Recent findings Identification of the genetic modulators of erythropoiesis involved two approaches: genome-wide association studies (GWASs) using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays that revealed the common genetic variants associated with erythroid phenotypes (hemoglobin, red cell count, MCV, MCH) and fetal hemoglobin; and massive parallel sequencing such as whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES) that led to the discovery of the rarer variants (GFI1B, SBDS, RPS19, PKLR, EPO, EPOR, KLF1, GATA1). Functional and genomic studies aided by computational approaches and gene editing technology refined the regions encompassing the putative causative SNPs and confirmed their regulatory role at different stages of erythropoiesis. Summary Five meta-analysis of GWASs identified 17 genetic loci associated with erythroid phenotypes, which are potential regulators of erythropoiesis. Some of these loci showed pleiotropy associated with multiple erythroid traits, suggesting undiscovered molecular mechanisms and challenges underlying erythroid biology. Other sequencing strategies (WGS and WES) further elucidated the role of rare variants in dyserythropoiesis. Integration of common and rare variant studies with functional assays involving latest genome-editing technologies will significantly improve our understanding of the genetics underlying erythropoiesis and erythroid disorders.
In widely used mobile operating systems a single vulnerability can threaten the security and privacy of billions of users. Therefore, identifying vulnerabilities and fortifying software systems requires constant attention and effort. However, this is costly and it is almost impossible to analyse an entire code base. Thus, it is necessary to prioritize efforts towards the most likely vulnerable areas. A first step in identifying these areas is to profile vulnerabilities based on previously reported ones. To investigate this, we performed a manual analysis of Android vulnerabilities, as reported in the National Vulnerability Database for the period 2008 to 2014. In our analysis, we identified a comprehensive list of issues leading to Android vulnerabilities. We also point out characteristics of the locations where vulnerabilities reside, the complexity of these locations and the complexity to fix the vulnerabilities. To enable future research, we make available all of our data.
Efficient leaf water supply is fundamental for assimilation processes and tree growth. Renovating the architecture of the xylem transport system requires an increasing carbon investment while growing taller, and any deficiency of carbon availability may result in increasing hydraulic constraints to water flow. Therefore, plants need to coordinate carbon assimilation and biomass allocation to guarantee an efficient and safe long-distance transport system. We tested the hypothesis that reduced branch elongation rates together with carbon-saving adjustments of xylem anatomy hydraulically compensate for the reduction in biomass allocation to xylem. We measured leaf biomass, hydraulic and anatomical properties of wood segments along the main axis of branches in 10 slow growing (SG) and 10 fast growing (FG) Fraxinus ornus L. trees. Branches of SG trees had five times slower branch elongation rate (7 vs 35 cm year(-1)), and produced a higher leaf biomass (P < 0.0001) and thinner xylem rings with fewer but larger vessels (P0.05) and xylem safety (Psi(50) approximate to -3.2 MPa). Slower elongation rate coupled with thinner annual rings and larger vessels allows the reduction of carbon costs associated with growth, while maintaining similar leaf-specific conductivity and xylem safety.
There is a large body of experimental and clinical evidence that complement activation contributes to glomerular injury in multiple different diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms that trigger complement activation vary from disease to disease. Immune complexes activate the classical pathway of complement in many types of glomerulonephritis, whereas the alternative pathway and mannose-binding lectin pathways are directly activated in some diseases. Eculizumab is an inhibitory antibody to C5 that has been approved for the treatment of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, and case reports suggest that it is also effective in other types of glomerulonephritis. Furthermore, new complement-inhibitory drugs are being developed that target additional proteins within the complement cascade, raising the possibility of blocking the specific complement proteins involved in a given disease. This review examines the rationale for targeting different proteins within the complement cascade, the new anti-complement drugs currently in development and some of the challenges that investigators will face in bringing these drugs to the clinic.
Large scale rainwater harvesting (LSRWH) is a promising alternative to address security and flood issues in urban areas. The development and planning of a LSRWH for an eco-community involves comprehensive site-planning, systems planning and design, which includes the rainwater source collection (roof) to the storage tank, the distribution and allocation system. This paper describes a new technique for designing a LSRWH for a community of 200 houses with an average of 4 persons per house and an average total daily water demand of 160 m(3). It was found that the optimal size storage tank for a 20,000 m(2) roof area is 160m(3) with a 60% reliability. The application of this model to the case study revealed a significant water saving up to 58%. The total cost for this system is 443,861 USD over a life-span of 25 years. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we propose a three-party and a multi-party quantum key agreement protocols with single photons in both polarization and spatial-mode degrees of freedom. Based on the defined collective unitary operations, the participants can agree on a secure shared key through encoding their sub-secret keys on the particles. Moreover, the security of our protocols is discussed comprehensively. It is showed that the presented protocols can defend both the outside attacks and participant attacks. The efficiency analysis also shows that our two protocols can achieve high qubit efficiency. Besides, our protocols are feasible since the preparation and themeasurement of singlephoton state in both polarization and spatial-mode degrees of freedom are available with current quantum techniques.
Estimating the positions of a set of moving objects captured from a network of cameras is still an open problem in Computer Vision. In this paper, a distributed and real-time approach for tracking multiple objects on multiple cameras is presented. A quantitative comparison with six state-of-the-art methods has been carried out on the publicly available PETS 2009 data set, demonstrating the effectiveness of the algorithm. Moreover, the proposed method has been tested also on a multi-camera soccer data set, showing its data fusion capabilities.
BACKGROUND: Because the graphical presentation and analysis of motif distribution can provide insights for experimental hypothesis, PISMA aims at identifying motifs on DNA sequences, counting and showing them graphically. The motif length ranges from 2 to 10 bases, and the DNA sequences range up to 10 kb. The motif distribution is shown as a bar-code-like, as a gene-map-like, and as a transcript scheme. RESULTS: We obtained graphical schemes of the CpG site distribution from 91 human papillomavirus genomes. Also, we present 2 analyses: one of DNA motifs associated with either methylation-resistant or methylation-sensitive CpG islands and another analysis of motifs associated with exosome RNA secretion. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: PISMA is developed in Java; it is executable in any type of hardware and in diverse operating systems. PISMA is freely available to noncommercial users. The English version and the User Manual are provided in Supplementary Files 1 and 2, and a Spanish version is available at www.biomedicas.unam.mx/wp-content/software/pisma.zip and www.biomedicas.unam.mx/wp-content/pdf/manual/pisma.pdf.
Wearable electronics bring new challenges for joining technologies, as the electrical connections must fully support the functionality of the product and, at the same time, deliver comfort to the user. The connections should have the durability expected of textile materials: the ability to withstand repeated flexure in wear and the rigours of laundering. However, a decade after the launch of the first commercial product, despite numerous advances in joining technologies, the field should be perceived still as under development.
In tree fruit crop production, amelioration after planting with biological agents is still a contentious topic. The organic material cannot be incorporated in the soil after planting, because it will damage the tree root system. If it is applied on top of the soil, the contribution to soil biology is questionable and has indeed been reported as such by various authors. Nevertheless, we need to improve soil biology to maintain high yields, not sustainable with an ever increasing chemical fertilizer application only approach, and we need to achieve this without major physical interference with the root zone. Our research is aimed at investigating possible effects of biological and an inorganic mulch on top of the soil in an established 'Cripps' Pink' apple orchard on a sandy loam soil. A woven, black poly-geotextile PT110 was chosen as the inorganic mulch. The control received no mulch and the rest of the treatments comprised wood chips, compost, and a thin wood chip layer on top of a thin vermi-compost application. The standard orchard practices for fertilization, irrigation and pest management were followed. The main emphasis was to quantify the effects of the soil biology, soil environment and root distribution on nutrient uptake and distribution in especially the fruit, to improve fruit quality. Soil environment was quantified in terms of micro-and macro-elements and soil temperature. The wood chips increased K and Na, whereas the vermi-compost increased Mg and K. Mulches changed the minimum temperature in the top 50 mm by 1 degrees C, and as much as 5 degrees C for maximum temperature during summer. A destructive root study showed that roots with diameter less than 2 mm comprised the bulk (average 75%) of the total root volume in all treatments. The top 100 mm also contained the highest percentage of roots smaller than 2 mm. Mycorrhiza studies indicate a significant increase in colonization between the control and mulches for the sandy loam site. Preliminary nematode results showed that all organic mulches decreased the percentage of pathogenic nematodes from 2009 to 2010.
Our aim of the project is to demonstrate all the protections and interlocks available in the critical equipments of power station such as Boiler, Turbine, the Alternator, and how these critical equipments are protected from abnormal conditions and parameters. The failure of any one of these equipments will lead to loss of power generation. The cost of these equipments is huge. Boiler has got protection against abnormal drum level, abnormal live steam pressure, abnormal live steam temperature, abnormal furnace pressure. Turbine has got protection against abnormal condenser vacuum, abnormal lubricating oil pressure, abnormal axial shiftand abnormal turbine speed. Similarly the generator has also got the following protections 1.10.5kv earth fault, 220kv earth fault, differential protection, incomplete phase condition, rotor earth fault, stator inter turn fault, over current protection, stator overvoltage, rotor overvoltage. These protections are classified as class a, class b and class c protections. Distributed digital controls and numerical protections relays play vital role in providing protections to critical equipments to demonstrate these protections in real sense in our project kit. However an effort has been made to demonstrate the functioning of these protections with the aid of a programmable logic controller. Also a few suggestions to improve the existing system are also discussed.
In a cropped field, microclimate and thermal stability conditions depend on the canopy structures and the prevailing weather. The main aim of the study therefore was to characterize the vertical profiles of weather variables within and above a maize (Zea mays L.) canopy and to describe the water vapour pressure deficit (VPD) under different atmospheric and soil surface conditions for both wide and narrow runoff strips with the in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) system. Micrometeorological measurements of wind, temperature and relative humidity were performed at eight levels, within canopy (1.8 and 2.1 m), and just above the canopy (2.4, 2.7, 3.0, and 3.3 m) up to reference levels (3.9 and 4.5 m) when the maize reached a maximum height of 2.2 m. Under incomplete canopy cover of the IRWH system, two important factors complicated evapotranspiration estimation, namely the local advection and high temperatures of the bare soil between adjacent plant rows. Diurnal variations of water vapour related to turbulence at each locality and its position in the thermal internal boundary layers. Generally, advection was more pronounced in wide runoff strips than narrow strips. On wide runoff strips the wind was more effective in replacing the air between the rows and maintained a higher driving force for evaporation. The maximum VPD over the narrow strips was observed at reference level during a dry day, at about 2.2 kPa in the afternoon, while wet day VPD reached a maximum of 1.8 kPa. The VPD of the wide runoff strips correlated negatively with wind speed, but showed a fairly positive correlation with some scattered values on wet days after rain. Therefore, profile characteristics within and above plant canopies played a key role in determining the VPD and consequently, could help to explain transpiration rates of crops. Hence, VPD relations enhanced the understanding of the heat energy exchange processes under the heterogeneous nature of maize canopy of the IRWH tillage system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Water pollution from industrial Metro Lodz (ML), Poland, made the Ner River almost fishless in its middle lower course for most of the 19th and 20th century. The new sewage treatment plant of ML and reduction of industry have caused pollution abatement there since the 1990s. As a result, the Ner became repopulated, which was shown by fish samples collected along its course in 2000-2012. Multivariate statistical methods helped distinguish unpolluted (I and II, in the upper course), and recovered (III, IV and V, in the middle-lower course) sections of the river. Historical and present data indicated that section III (downstream of ML) recovered least, both before and during the study. Section V (outflow one) recovered most and its fish fauna (almost exclusively native) now displays high and stable biomass, abundance and species richness, including those of obligatory riverine species. Non-native Prussian carp's dominance followed the river degradation gradient, i.e. was highest in section III, and in section V declined to almost absence. This study shows that the revival of native fish fauna seems to be a method of restricting the dominance of this highly tolerant species. Despite the abatement, storm events are very harmful to fish (mostly in section III), because the Ner discharge may then increase manifold and all storm water is drained by the ML combined sewer system to the Ner in several hours. Other stressors are numerous dams and desorption of pollutants from sediment in the middle Ner, and perhaps pollutant inflow from agriculture or local urban areas. Some moderation of storm impact on water entering the Ner from ML by constructing buffer reservoirs would probably cause further fish recovery in section III. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Financial and prosocial biases in favor of attractive adults have been documented in the labor market, in social transactions in everyday life, and in studies involving experimental economic games. According to the taste-based discrimination model developed by economists, attractiveness-related financial and prosocial biases are the result of preferences or prejudices similar to those displayed toward members of a particular sex, racial, ethnic, or religious group. Other explanations proposed by economists and social psychologists maintain that attractiveness is a marker of personality, intelligence, trustworthiness, professional competence, or productivity. Evolutionary psychologists have argued that attractive adults are favored because they are preferred sexual partners. Evidence that stereotypes about attractive people are causally related to financial or prosocial biases toward them is weak or nonexistent. Consistent with evolutionary explanations, biases in favor of attractive women appear to be more consistent or stronger than those in favor of attractive men, and biases are more consistently reported in interactions between opposite-sex than same-sex individuals. Evolutionary explanations also account for increased prosocial behavior in situations in which attractive individuals are simply bystanders. Finally, evolutionary explanations are consistent with the psychological, physiological, and behavioral changes that occur when individuals are exposed to potential mates, which facilitate the expression of courtship behavior and increase the probability of occurrence of mating. Therefore, multiple lines of evidence suggest that mating motives play a more important role in driving financial and prosocial biases toward attractive adults than previously recognized.
The integration of multibarrel glass capillaries into a microfluidic co-flow configuration is demonstrated for parallel production of nanoliter scale droplets. The multibarrel system supports the generation of a continuous stream of single-phase or dual-phase droplets with digital control over droplet content, enabling the formation of dynamically-programmable and tunable emulsions. The multibarrel capillary method allows simultaneous generation of multiple droplets from parallel droplet generators, with controlled switching between selected dispersed phase or continuous phase compositions. Individual phases emerging from each capillary outlet may be selected to yield merged droplets combining continuous phase emitted from one or more neighboring droplet generators. Because the capillary emitters are configured in a two dimensional array, the multibarrel system provides greater flexibility toward producing controlled interactions between multiple solutions and phases than conventional planar microfluidic droplet generators. Using a 7-barrel capillary configuration, the ability to regulate droplet composition and particle size of individual as well as combined single and merged water-in-oil droplets is explored, together with the use of two-dimensional spatial control within the multibarrel array to generate higher order emulsions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Facial expressions have always attracted considerable attention as a form of nonverbal communication. In visual applications such as movies, games, and animations, people tend to be interested in exaggerated expressions rather than regular expressions since the exaggerated ones deliver more vivid emotions. In this paper, we propose an automatic method for exaggeration of facial expressions from motion-captured data with a certain personality type. The exaggerated facial expressions are generated by using the exaggeration mapping (EM) that transforms facial motions into exaggerated motions. As all individuals do not have identical personalities, a conceptual mapping of the individual's personality type for exaggerating facial expressions needs to be considered. The Myers-Briggs type indicator, which is a popular method for classifying personality types, is employed to define the personality-type-based EM. Further, we have experimentally validated the EM and simulations of facial expressions.
This research examined how and why group membership diminishes the attribution of mind to individuals. We found that mind attribution was inversely related to the size of the group to which an individual belonged (Experiment 1). Mind attribution was affected by group membership rather than the total number of entities perceived at once (Experiment 2). Moreover, mind attribution to an individual varied with the perception that the individual was a group member. Participants attributed more mind to an individual that appeared distinct or distant from other group members than to an individual that was perceived to be similar or proximal to a cohesive group (Experiments 3 and 4). This effect occurred for both human and nonhuman targets, and was driven by the perception of the target as an entitative group member rather than by the knowledge that the target was an entitative group member (Experiment 5). (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Genetic analyses can provide information about human evolutionary history that cannot always be gleaned from other sources. We evaluated evidence of selective pressure due to introduced infectious diseases in the genomes of two indigenous southern African San groups-the double dagger Khomani who had abundant contact with other people migrating into the region and the more isolated Ju vertical bar'hoansi. We used a dual approach to test for increased selection on immune genes compared with the rest of the genome in these groups. First, we calculated summary values of statistics that measure genomic signatures of adaptation to contrast selection signatures in immune genes and all genes. Second, we located regions of the genome with extreme values of three selection statistics and examined these regions for enrichment of immune genes. We found stronger and more abundant signals of selection in immune genes in the double dagger Khomani than in the Ju vertical bar'hoansi. We confirm this finding within each population to avoid effects of different demographic histories of the two populations. We identified eight immune genes that have potentially been targets of strong selection in the double dagger Khomani, whereas in the Juj'hoansi, no immune genes were found in the genomic regions with the strongest signals of selection. We suggest that the more abundant signatures of selection at immune genes in the double dagger Khomani could be explained by their more frequent contact with immigrant groups, which likely led to increased exposure and adaptation to introduced infectious diseases.
The invention of the microscope has been fundamental for the understanding of tissue architecture and subcellular structures. With the advancement of higher magnification microscopes came the development of various molecular biology tools such as Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and in situ proximity ligation assay (in situ PLA) to monitor protein interactions. Microscopy has become a commonly used method for the investigation of molecular events within the cell, for the identification of key players in signaling networks, and the activation of these pathways. Multiple approaches are available for functional analyses in single cells. They provide information not only on the localization of proteins at a given time point, but also on their expression levels and activity states, allowing us to pinpoint hallmarks of different cellular identities within tissues in health and disease. Clever solutions to increase the sensitivity of molecular tools, the possibilities for multiplexing, as well as image resolution have recently been introduced; however, these methods have their pros and cons. Therefore, one needs to carefully consider the biological question of interest along with the nature of the sample before choosing the most suitable method or combination of methods. Herein, we review a few of the most exciting microscopy-based molecular techniques for proteomic analysis and cover the benefits as well as the disadvantages of their use.
Drylands occupy more than 80 % of Kenya's total land mass and contribute immensely to the national economy and society through agriculture, livestock production, tourism, and wild product harvesting. Dryland ecosystems are areas of high climate variability making them vulnerable to the threats of land degradation. Consequently, agropastoralists inhabiting these ecosystems develop mechanisms and technologies to cope with the impacts of climate variability. This study is aimed to; (1) determine what agropastoralists inhabiting a semi-arid ecosystem in Kenya attribute to be the causes and indicators of land degradation, (2) document sustainable land management (SLM) technologies being undertaken to combat land degradation, and (3) identify the factors that influence the choice of these SLM technologies. Vegetation change from preferred indigenous forage grass species to woody vegetation was cited as the main indicator of land degradation. Land degradation was attributed to recurrent droughts and low amounts of rainfall, overgrazing, and unsustainable harvesting of trees for fuelwood production. However, despite the challenges posed by climate variability and recurrent droughts, the local community is engaging in simple SLM technologies including grass reseeding, rainwater harvesting and soil conservation, and dryland agroforestry as a holistic approach combating land degradation and improving their rural livelihoods. The choice of these SLM technologies was mainly driven by their additional benefits to combating land degradation. In conclusion, promoting such simple SLM technologies can help reverse the land degradation trend, improve agricultural production, food security including access to food, and subsequently improve livelihoods of communities inhabiting dryland ecosystems.
Models of first impressions from faces have consistently found two underlying dimensions of trustworthiness and dominance. These dimensions show apparent parallels to social psychological models of inter-group perception that describe dimensions of warmth (cf. trustworthiness) and competence (cf. dominance), and it has been suggested that they reflect universal dimensions of social cognition. We investigated whether the dimensions from face and inter-group social perception models are indeed equivalent by evaluating first impressions of faces. Across four studies with differing methods we consistently found that while perceptions of trustworthiness and warmth were closely related, perceptions of dominance and competence were less strongly related. Taken together, our results demonstrate strong similarity on the first dimension across facial and social models, with less similarity on the second dimension. We suggest that facial impressions of competence and dominance may represent different routes to judging a stranger's capability to help or harm. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
As an important pre-processing stage in many machine learning and pattern recognition domains, feature selection deems to identify the most discriminate features for a compact data representation. As typical feature selection methods, Lasso and its variants using the l(1)-norm based regularization have received much attention in recent years. However, most of existing l(1)-norm based sparse feature selection methods ignore the structure information of data or only consider the pairwise relationships among samples. In this paper, we propose a hypergraph regularized sparse feature learning method, where the high-order relationships among samples are modeled and incorporated into the learning process. Specifically, we first construct a hypergraph with multiple hyperedges to capture the high-order relationships among samples, followed by the computation of a hypergraph Laplacian matrix. Then, we propose a hypergraph regularization term, and a hypergraph regularized Lasso model. We conduct a series of experiments on a number of data sets from UCI machine learning repository, and two real-world neuroimaging based classification tasks. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves promising classification results, compared with several well known feature selection approaches.
Functional neuroimaging studies have suggested the existence of 2 largely distinct social cognition networks, one for theory of mind (taking others' cognitive perspective) and another for empathy (sharing others' affective states). To address whether these networks can also be dissociated at the level of brain structure, we combined behavioral phenotyping across multiple socio-cognitive tasks with 3-Tesla MRI cortical thickness and structural covariance analysis in 270 healthy adults, recruited across 2 sites. Regional thickness mapping only provided partial support for divergent substrates, highlighting that individual differences in empathy relate to left insular-opercular thickness while no correlation between thickness and mentalizing scoreswas found. Conversely, structural covariance analysis showed clearly divergent network modulations by socio-cognitive and -affective phenotypes. Specifically, individual differences in theory of mind related to structural integration between temporo-parietal and dorsomedial prefrontal regions while empathy modulated the strength of dorsal anterior insula networks. Findings were robust across both recruitment sites, suggesting generalizability. At the level of structural network embedding, our study provides a double dissociation between empathy and mentalizing. Moreover, our findings suggest that structural substrates of higher-order social cognition are reflected rather in interregional networks than in the the local anatomical markup of specific regions per se.
Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) originates from follicular helper T-cells and is characterised by a polymorphic infiltrate with the neoplastic T-cells forming small clusters around the follicle and high endothelial venules. Despite the recent advances in its phenotypic characterisation, the genetics and molecular mechanisms underlying AITL are not fully understood. In the present study, we performed whole exome sequencing in 9 cases of AITL from Taiwan (n = 6) and U. K. (n = 3). We confirmed frequent mutations in TET2 (9/9), DNMT3A (3/9), IDH2 (3/9), RHOA (3/9) and PLCG1 (2/9) as recently reported by others. More importantly, we identified mutations in TNFRSF21 (1/9), CCND3 (1/9) and SAMSN1 (1/9), which are not yet seen or strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of AITL. Among the pathogenic mutations identified in AITL, mutations in DNA methylation regulators TET2 and DNMT3A occur early in hematopoietic stem cells as shown by previous studies, and these genetic events enhance the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells, but are unlikely to have any major impact on T-cell differentiation. Mutations in RHOA, PLCG1 and TNFRSF21 (DR6), which encode proteins critical for T-cell biology, most likely promote T-cell differentiation and malignant transformation, consequently generating the malignant phenotype. Our findings extend the molecular insights into the multistage development of AITL.
High quality drinking water exits modern treatment works, yet water quality degradation such as discolouration continues to occur within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Discolouration is observed globally, suggesting a common process despite variations in source, treatment, disinfection and network configurations. The primary cause of discolouration has been identified as mobilisation of particulate material from pipe walls and the verified Prediction of Discolouration in Distribution Systems (PODDS) model uses measurable network hydraulics to simulate this response. In this paper the cohesive properties of discolouration material are explored and it is hypothesised that in simulating the turbidity response, the PODDS model is actually describing the development and cohesive strength behaviour of biofilms. Applying this concept can therefore facilitate a rapid and simple assessment of DWDS biofilm activity. A review of the findings from PODDS studies conducted internationally is presented, focussing on the macro or observable aspects of discolouration. These are compared and contrasted with associated biofilm studies which consider discolouration material at the micro-scale. Combining the results from these (past) studies to improve the understanding of interactions between microbial ecology and discolouration are discussed with a view to DWDS operational strategies that safeguard and optimise drinking water supply.
Several studies on sustainable technologies for the built environment (e.g., green roofs, green walls, etc.) have been carried out. Many of these focus on the technical performance of such technologies. Nonetheless, it also becomes necessary to examine how the public perceives such technologies. This understanding is clearly important to support their widespread use. More specifically, such perception can be incorporated into product design to increase people's acceptance. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, it presents results of a survey examining the perception of people from a small city in the Southern region of Brazil (Feliz, RS) regarding three sustainable technologies: green roofs, green walls, and composting (or dry) toilets. Second, it proposes a set of preliminary design guidelines to improve acceptance of more sustainable technologies based on people's perception: (1) make the technology look good; (2) make visible the benefits provided by the technology; and (3) design the technology to avoid misunderstandings and concerns. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
The availability of some sorts of biological samples which require noninvasive collection methods has led to an even greater interest in applying molecular biology on visceral leishmaniasis (VL) diagnosis, since these samples increase the safety and comfort of both patients and health professionals. In this context, this work aimed to evaluate the suitability of the urine as a specimen for Leishmania infantum kinetoplast DNA detection by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Subsequent to the reproducibility analysis, the detection limit of the qPCR assay was set at 5 fg (similar to 0.025 parasites) per mu L. of urine. From the comparative analysis performed with a set of diagnostic criteria (serological and molecular reference tests), concordance value of 96.08% was obtained (VL-suspected and HIV/AIDS patients, n = 51) (P>0.05). Kappa coefficient (95% CI) indicated a good agreement between the test and the set of diagnostic criteria (k = 0.778 +/- 0.151). The detection of Leishmania DNA in urine by qPCR was possible in untreated individuals, and in those with or without suggestive renal impairment. Fast depletion of the parasite's DNA in urine after treatment (from one dose of meglumine antimoniate) was suggested by negative qPCR results, thus indicating it as a potential alternative specimen to follow up the efficacy of therapeutic approaches. Even when evaluated in a clinically heterogeneous set of patients, the urine showed good prospect as sample for VL diagnosis by qPCR, also indicating a good negative predictive value for untreated suspected patients. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A novel Envelope Following (EF) method is presented for fast and accurate transient simulation of microwave and RF circuits with almost-periodic responses. Targeted circuits contain high-frequency components whose amplitudes vary slowly. The proposed high-order EF method is based on a stable and high-order Obreshkov formula (ObF). Use of high-order formula allows accurate and fast analysis while keeping the same accuracy as the conventional low-order integration methods and is validated by the presented numerical example.
How to develop a trust management model and then to efficiently control and manage nodes is an important issue in the scope of social network security. In this paper, a trust management model based on a cloud model is proposed. The cloud model uses a specific computation operator to achieve the transformation from qualitative concepts to quantitative computation. Additionally, this can also be used to effectively express the fuzziness, randomness and the relationship between them of the subjective trust. The node trust is divided into reputation trust and transaction trust. In addition, evaluation methods are designed, respectively. Firstly, the two-dimension trust cloud evaluation model is designed based on node's comprehensive and trading experience to determine the reputation trust. The expected value reflects the average trust status of nodes. Then, entropy and hyper-entropy are used to describe the uncertainty of trust. Secondly, the calculation methods of the proposed direct transaction trust and the recommendation transaction trust involve comprehensively computation of the transaction trust of each node. Then, the choosing strategies were designed for node to trade based on trust cloud. Finally, the results of a simulation experiment in P2P network file sharing on an experimental platform directly reflect the objectivity, accuracy and robustness of the proposed model, and could also effectively identify the malicious or unreliable service nodes in the system. In addition, this can be used to promote the service reliability of the nodes with high credibility, by which the stability of the whole network is improved.
The ability to differentiate individuals from their group memberships (individuation) is useful in forming impressions when social categorization fails to do so. This method is particularly valuable when encountering incongruent social category conjunctions (e.g., female bricklayer). We tested the notion that individuation is initiated when applying cognitively effortful explanatory, emergent attributes to incongruent conjunctions. Incongruent category conjunctions were more likely to be comprised of emergent attributes and individuation moderated the application of these attributes in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, individuation again moderated emergent attribute application for incongruent conjunctions, but cognitive load attenuated the relationship. Allowing or preventing the generation of attributes did not affect individuation for incongruent conjunctions in Experiment 3. This ruled out the possibility that emergent attributes cause increased individuation, but does not rule out the notion that individuation precedes such explanatory attributes. Together these findings suggest that individuating those whose category memberships clash may be applied in the effortful application of explanatory emergent attributes.
Several researchers around the world have studied gesture recognition, but most of the recent techniques fall in the curse of dimensionality and are not useful in real time environment. This study proposes a system for dynamic gesture recognition and prediction using an innovative feature extraction technique, called the Convexity Approach. The proposed method generates a smaller feature vector to describe the hand shape with a minimal amount of data. For dynamic gesture recognition and prediction, the system implements two independent modules based on Hidden Markov Models and Dynamic Time Warping. Two experiments, one for gesture recognition and another for prediction, are executed in two different datasets, the RPPDI Dynamic Gestures Dataset and the Cambridge Hand Data, and the results are showed and discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
AIM To determine whether oral administration of Bifido-bacterium infantis CGMCC313-2 (B. infantis CGMCC313-2) inhibits allergen-induced airway inflammation and food allergies in a mouse model. METHODS Ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma and beta-lactoglobulin-induced food allergy mouse models were used in this study. Following oral administration of B. infantis CGMCC313-2 during or after allergen sensitization, histopathologic changes in the lung and intestine were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. In the allergic asthma mouse model, we evaluated the proportion of lung-infiltrating inflammatory cells. OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 levels in serum and cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were also assessed. In the food allergy mouse model, the levels of total IgE and cytokines in serum were measured. RESULTS Oral administration of B. infantis CGMCC313-2 during or after allergen sensitization suppressed allergic inflammation in lung and intestinal tissues, while the proportion of infiltrating inflammatory cells was significantly decreased in the BALF of allergic asthma mice. Moreover, B. infantis CGMCC313-2 decreased the serum levels of total IgE in food allergy mice, and reductions in IgE and IgG1 were also observed in OVA-induced allergic asthma mice. The expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 in both serum and BALF was suppressed following the administration of B. infantis CGMCC313-2, while an effect on serum IL-10 levels was not observed. CONCLUSION B. infantis CGMCC313-2 inhibits the secretion of allergen-induced IgE, IL-4 and IL-13, and attenuates allergic inflammation.
The flood protection methods can affect the erosion process of dam-breaking which determines the volume of failure and dam final profile. This article focuses on the experimental models with different protection methods for dam-breaking flood by overtopping. The experiments were conducted in a rectangular tank with an erodible barrier dam made from cohesive sand, including five flood protection methods: diversion trench at the side wall, diversion trench in the middle, wire box, cement protection and geotextile waterproof, to observe and investigate erosion processes. The different water heads between reservoir and downstream of dam over time changing contribute to various inner destructive mechanisms and erosion processes in three directions (vertical, horizontal and backward), which resulted in different erosion volumes. The initial dam-breaking erosion process of barrier dam is related with evacuation of people in downstream area and the final erosion volume is bound up with coverage area of flood as well as the extent of damage. Therefore, we concentrate on the analysis of the initial developmental process and the total erosion value. The results show that the wire box, cement protection and geotextile waterproof can effectively retard the growing larger volume of flood and the diversion trench in the middle can cause the largest erosion volume of dam body. And the erosion processes are determined by the interaction of erosion abilities in three directions. Also, the estimates are presented of the retrogressive erosion velocity, transverse broadening velocity, vertical incision velocity.
RAS signaling is central to many cellular processes and SOS proteins promote RAS activation. To investigate the role of SOS proteins in T cell biology, we crossed Sos1f/ f Sos2-/- mice to CD4-Cre transgenic mice. We previously reported an effect of these mutations on T cell signaling and T cell migration. Unexpectedly, we observed nodules on the joints of greater than 90% of these mutant mice at 5 months of age, especially on the carpal joints. As the mice aged further, some also displayed joint stiffness, hind limb paralysis, and lameness. Histological analysis indicated that the abnormal growth in joints originated from dysplastic chondrocytes. Second harmonic generation imaging of the carpal nodules revealed that nodules were encased by rich collagen fibrous networks. Nodules formed in mice also deficient in RAG2, indicating that conventional T cells, which undergo rearrangement of the T cell antigen receptor, are not required for this phenotype. CD4-Cre expression in a subset of cells, either immune lineage cells (e.g., non-conventional T cells) or non-immune lineage cells (e.g., chondrocytes) likely mediates the dramatic phenotype observed in this study. Disruptions of genes in the RAS signaling pathway are especially likely to cause this phenotype. These results also serve as a cautionary tale to those intending to use CD4-Cre transgenic mice to specifically delete genes in conventional T cells.
We quantify the spatial and temporal aspects of the urban heat-island (UHI) effect for Kanpur, a major city in the humid sub-tropical monsoon climate of the Gangetic basin. Fixed station measurements are used to investigate the diurnality and inter-seasonality in the urban-rural differences in surface temperature () and air temperature () separately. The extent of the spatial variations of the nighttime and is investigated through mobile campaigns and satellite remote sensing respectively. Nighttime values dominate during both the pre-monsoon (maximum of 3.6 ) and the monsoon (maximum of 2.0 ). However, the diurnality in is different, with higher daytime values during the pre-monsoon, but very little diurnality during the monsoon. The nighttime value is mainly associated with differences in the urban-rural incoming longwave radiative flux ( during the pre-monsoon; 0.65 during the monsoon), which, in turn, causes a difference in the outgoing longwave radiative flux. This difference may modulate the nighttime value as suggested by significant correlations ( for the pre-monsoon; 0.50 for the monsoon). The magnitude of may also be modulated by advection, as it is inversely related with the urban wind speed. A combination of in situ, remotely sensed, and model simulation data were used to show that the inter-seasonality in , and, to a lesser extent, in , may be related to the change in the land use of the rural site between the pre-monsoon and the monsoon periods. Results suggest that the degree of coupling of and may be a strong function of land use and land cover.
With the expansion of wireless network technologies and the emergence of novel mobile applications, the 3rd Generation (3G) communication is moving to the 4th Generation (4G) communication. Comparing to preceding versions, one elementary difference is that 4G wireless networks will operate entirely on the TCP/IP, which would cause greater risks in terms of safety and reliability. In this paper, a new high security architecture for Long Term Evolution (LTE) core network server is proposed and designed. There are asynchronous array of simple processors and two physically isolated high-speed system buses in the security architecture, which ensure only one bus can be connected to array of processors at the same time. Experiment results show that the security architecture can effectively prevent external threats from accessing network resources.
Water pollution with large-scale and small-scale plastic litter is an area of growing concern. Macro-plastic litter is a well-known threat to aquatic wildlife; however, the effects of micro-sized and nano-sized plastic particles on the health of organisms are not well understood. Small-scale plastic particles can easily be ingested by various aquatic organisms and potentially interfere with their immune system; therefore, the authors used a freshwater fish species as a model organism for nanoplastic exposure. Characterization of polystyrene (41.0 nm) and polycarbonate (158.7 nm) nanoplastic particles (PSNPs and PCNPs, respectively) in plasma was performed, and the effects of PSNPs and PCNPs on the innate immune system of fathead minnow were investigated. In vitro effects of PSNPs and PCNPs on neutrophil function were determined using a battery of neutrophil function assays. Exposure of neutrophils to PSNPs or PCNPs caused significant increases in degranulation of primary granules and neutrophil extracellular trap release compared to a nontreated control, whereas oxidative burst was less affected. The present study outlines the stress response of the cellular component of fish innate immune system to polystyrene and polycarbonate nanoparticles/aggregates and indicates their potential to interfere with disease resistance in fish populations. (C) 2016 SETAC
When evaluating the smiles of other people (regarding amusement, authenticity, spontaneity, or intensity), perceivers typically rely on Orbicularis oculi activity that causes wrinkles around a target's eyes. But does this so-called Duchenne marker also impact more generalized judgments of person characteristics (e.g., regarding a target's attractiveness, intelligence, dominance, and trustworthiness)? To address this issue, the current study asked participants to provide the above smile evaluations and person judgments for a series of Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles. The results showed that smile evaluations uniformly increased during Duchenne marker presence. The marker's effect on person judgments, in contrast, was judgment dependent. While attractiveness, dominance and intelligence ratings showed the expected enhancement, trustworthiness ratings remained unaffected by the facial cue of interest. The findings suggest that the Duchenne marker's role as a cue of social relevance during target perception depends on the type of person inference under consideration.
Research has suggested that lycopene may be metabolized by eccentric cleavage, catalyzed by beta-carotene oxygenase 2, resulting in the generation of apo-lycopenals. Apo-6'-lycopenal and apo-8'-lycopenal have been reported previously in raw tomato. We now show that several other apo-lycopenals are also present in raw and processed foods, as well as in human plasma. Apo-lycopenal standards were prepared by in vitro oxidation of lycopene, and a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in negative mode was developed to separate and detect the apo-6'-, apo-8-, apo-10'-, apo-12'-, apo-14'-, and apo-15'-lycopenal products formed in the reaction. Hexane/acetone extracts of raw tomato, red grapefruit, watermelon, and processed tomato products were analyzed, as well as plasma of individuals who had consumed tomato juice for 8 weeks. Apo-6'-, apo-8'-, apo-10'-, apo-12'-, and apo-14'-lycopenals were detected and quantified in all food products tested, as well as plasma. The sum of apo-lycopenals was 6.5 mu g/100 g Roma tomato, 73.4 mu g/100 g tomato paste, and 1.9 nmol/L plasma. We conclude that several apo-lycopenals, in addition to apo-6'- and -8'-lycopenal, are present in lycopene-containing foods. In addition, the presence of apo-lycopenals in plasma may derive from the absorption of apo-lycopenals directly from food and/or human metabolism.
Medical additive manufacturing requires standard tessellation language (STL) models. Such models are commonly derived from computed tomography (CT) images using thresholding. Threshold selection can be performed manually or automatically. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of manual and default threshold selection on the reliability and accuracy of skull STL models using different CT technologies. One female and one male human cadaver head were imaged using multi-detector row CT, dual-energy CT, and two cone-beam CT scanners. Four medical engineers manually thresholded the bony structures on all CT images. The lowest and highest selected mean threshold values and the default threshold value were used to generate skull STL models. Geometric variations between all manually thresholded STL models were calculated. Furthermore, in order to calculate the accuracy of the manually and default thresholded STL models, all STL models were superimposed on an optical scan of the dry female and male skulls (gold standard). The intra- and inter-observer variability of the manual threshold selection was good (intra-class correlation coefficients >0.9). All engineers selected grey values closer to soft tissue to compensate for bone voids. Geometric variations between the manually thresholded STL models were 0.13 mm (multi-detector row CT), 0.59 mm (dual-energy CT), and 0.55 mm (cone-beam CT). All STL models demonstrated inaccuracies ranging from -0.8 to +1.1 mm (multi-detector row CT), -0.7 to +2.0 mm (dual-energy CT), and -2.3 to +4.8 mm (cone-beam CT). This study demonstrates that manual threshold selection results in better STL models than default thresholding. The use of dual-energy CT and cone-beam CT technology in its present form does not deliver reliable or accurate STL models for medical additive manufacturing. New approaches are required that are based on pattern recognition and machine learning algorithms.
Varying chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulphate concentrations in substrate were used to determine reaction kinetics and mass balance of organic matter and sulphate transformation in a microbial fuel cell (MFC). MFC with anodic chamber volume of 1 L, fed with wastewater having COD of 500 mg/L and sulphate of 200 mg/L, could harvest power of 54.4 mW/m(2), at a Coulombic efficiency of 14%, with respective COD and sulphate removals of 90 and 95%. Sulphide concentration, even up to 1500 mg/L, did not inhibit anodic biochemical reactions, due to instantaneous abiotic oxidation to sulphur, at high inlet sulphate. Experiments on abiotic oxidation of sulphide to sulphur revealed maximum oxidation taking place at an anodic potential of -200 mV. More than 99% sulphate removal could be achieved in a MFC with inlet COD/sulphate of 0.75, giving around 1.33 kg/m(3) day COD removal. Bioelectrochemical conversion of sulphate facilitating sulphur recovery in a MFC makes it an interesting pollution abatement technique.
Lipid droplets are the universal cellular organelles for the transient or long-term storage of lipids. The number, size and composition of lipid droplets vary greatly within cells in a homogenous population as well as in different cell types. The variability of intracellular lipid-storage organelles reflects the diversification of lipid droplet composition and function. Lipid droplet diversification results, for example, in two cellular lipid droplet populations that are prone to diminish and grow, respectively. The aberrant accumulation or depletion of lipids are hallmarks or causes of various human pathologies. Thus, a better understanding of the origins of lipid droplet diversification is not only a fascinating cell biology question but also potentially serves to improve comprehension of pathologies that entail the accumulation of lipids. This Commentary covers the lipid droplet life cycle and highlights the early steps during lipid droplet biogenesis, which we propose to be the potential driving forces of lipid droplet diversification.
A range of reported methods have been assessed for the synthesis of two coumarin fluorophores containing azides, la and 2, for subsequent click modification. In the case of la reported methods were successfully applied, but the resulting azide proved to be rather unstable and appears more suited to in situ generation and conversion to the click triazole. In the case of 2, reported methods for the synthesis of precursor 5 were ineffective in two cases and resulted in either no bromination a-to the carbonyl or the formation of multiple unwanted side-products, some of which were isolated, 6-13. The use of CuBr2 in excess or Br-2 in 50% HBr in acetic acid did result in the isolation of 5, which could be efficiently converted to 2 using excess NaN3 in THF. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aims/hypothesis MODY can be wrongly diagnosed as type 1 diabetes in children. We aimed to find the prevalence of MODY in a nationwide population-based registry of childhood diabetes. Methods Using next-generation sequencing, we screened the HNF1A, HNF4A, HNF1B, GCK and INS genes in all 469 children (12.1%) negative for both GAD and IA-2 autoantibodies and 469 antibody-positive matched controls selected from the Norwegian Childhood Diabetes Registry (3882 children). Variants were classified using clinical diagnostic criteria for pathogenicity ranging from class 1 (neutral) to class 5 (pathogenic). Results We identified 58 rare exonic and splice variants in cases and controls. Among antibody-negative patients, 6.5% had genetic variants of classes 3-5 (vs 2.4% in controls; p = 0.002). For the stricter classification (classes 4 and 5), the corresponding number was 4.1% (vs 0.2% in controls; p= 1.6x10-5). HNF1A showed the strongest enrichment of class 3-5 variants, with 3.9% among antibody-negative patients (vs 0.4% in controls; p = 0.0002). Antibody-negative carriers of variants in class 3 had a similar phenotype to those carrying variants in classes 4 and 5. Conclusions/interpretation This is the first study screening for MODY in all antibody-negative children in a nationwide population-based registry. Our results suggest that the prevalence of MODY in antibody-negative childhood diabetes may reach 6.5%. One-third of these MODY cases had not been recognised by clinicians. Since a precise diagnosis is important for treatment and genetic counselling, molecular screening of all antibody-negative children should be considered in routine diagnostics.
Traditionally, multi-mission applications in airborne radar are implemented through very expensive phased array architectures. The emerging applications from civilian surveillance, on the other hand, prefer low-cost and low-SWaP (space, weight and power) systems. This study introduces a software-based solution that intends to use low-cost hardware and advanced algorithms/processing backend to meet the remote sensing goals for multi-mission applications. The low-cost airborne radar platform from Garmin International is used as a representative example of the system platform. The focus of this study is the optimal operating mode, data quality and algorithm development in cases of all-weather sense and avoid (SAA) applications. The main challenges for the solution are the resolution limitation due to the small aperture size, limitations from the field-of-view (FOV) and the scan speed from mechanical scanning. We show that the basic operational needs can be satisfied with software processing through various algorithms. The concept and progress of polarimetric airborne radar for dual-function operations at X-band Generation 1 (PARADOX1) based on the platform are also discussed.
This study investigated the relationship between reading comprehension (RC), trait anxiety, and preoccupation with reading disability (RD) in 88 school children in Grades 3 through 5 and in their mothers. Children's trait anxiety had a significant direct negative relationship with RC and also mediated the association between preoccupation with RD and RC. Mothers' preoccupation with their children's RDs had a direct negative association with their children's RC. This association was also mediated through children's trait anxiety. No association was found between mothers' trait anxiety and children's RC. In a final model, RC was explained significantly by children's word reading fluency and trait anxiety as well as by their mothers' preoccupation with their children's RDs. This study extends our understanding of multicomponential models of RC by shedding light on the significant role played by anxiety- and preoccupation-related factors involving both children with RDs and their mothers.
A $600 million nutritional supplements market growing at 30% every year attests to consumer awareness of, and interests in, health benefits attributed to these supplements. For over 80years the importance of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) consumption for human health has been established. The FDA recently approved the use of -3 PUFAs in supplements. Additionally, the market for -3 PUFA ingredients grew by 24.3% last year, which affirms their popularity and public awareness of their benefits. PUFAs are essential for normal human growth; however, only minor quantities of the beneficial -3 PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are synthesized by human metabolism. Rather PUFAs are obtained via dietary or nutritional supplementation and modified into other beneficial metabolites. A vast literature base is available on the health benefits and biological roles of -3 PUFAs and their metabolism; however, information on their dietary sources and palatability of foods incorporated with -3 PUFAs is limited. DHA and EPA are added to many foods that are commercially available, such as infant and pet formulae, and they are also supplemented in animal feed to incorporate them in consumer dairy, meat, and poultry products. The chief sources of EPA and DHA are fish oils or purified preparations from microalgae, which when added to foods, impart a fishy flavor that is considered unacceptable. This fishy flavor is completely eliminated by extensively purifying preparations of n-3 PUFA sources. While n-3 PUFA lipid autoxidation is considered the main cause of fishy flavor, the individual oxidation products identified thus far, such as unsaturated carbonyls, do not appear to contribute to fishy flavor or odor. Alternatively, various compound classes such as free fatty acids and volatile sulfur compounds are known to impart fishy flavor to foods. Identification of the causative compounds to reduce and eventually eliminate fishy flavor is important for consumer acceptance of PUFA-fortified foods.
We propose an approximation of the possible worlds semantics (PWS) of knowledge with support for postdiction - a fundamental inference pattern for diagnostic reasoning and explanation tasks in a wide range of real-world applications such as cognitive robotics, visual perception for cognitive vision, ambient intelligence and smart environments. We present the formal framework, an operational semantics, and an analysis of soundness and completeness results therefrom. The advantage of our approach is that only a linear number of state-variables are required to represent an agent's knowledge state. This is achieved by modeling knowledge as the history of a single approximate state, instead of using an exponential number of possible worlds like in Kripke semantics. That is, we add a temporal dimension to the knowledge representation which facilitates efficient postdiction. Since we consider knowledge histories, we call our theory h-approximation (HPX). Due to the linear number of state variables, HPX features a comparably low computational complexity. Specifically, we show that HPX can solve the projection problem in polynomial (tractable) time. It can solve planning problems in NP, while e.g. for the action language A(k) [48] this is Sigma(P)(2)-complete. In addition to the temporal dimension of knowledge, our theory supports concurrent acting and sensing, and is in this sense more expressive than existing approximations. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is strongly impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In several mouse models of AD, it was shown that adult -born neurons exhibit reduced survival and altered synaptic integration due to a severe lack of dendritic spines. In the present work, using the APPxPS1 mouse model of AD, we reveal that this reduced number of spines is concomitant of a marked deficit in their neuronal mitochondrial content. Remarkably, we show that targeting the overexpression of the pro -neural transcription factor Neurodl into APPxPS1 adult -born neurons restores not only their dendritic spine density, but also their mitochondrial content and the proportion of spines associated with mitochondria. Using primary neurons, a bona fide model of neuronal maturation, we identified that increases of mitochondrial respiration accompany the stimulating effect of Neurodl overexpression on dendritic growth and spine formation. Reciprocally, pharmacologically impairing mitochondria prevented Neurodl-dependent trophic effects. Thus, since overexpression of Neurodl into new neurons of APPxPS1 mice rescues spatial memory, our present data suggest that manipulating the mitochondrial system of adult -born hippocampal neurons provides neuronal plasticity to the AD brain. These findings open new avenues for far-reaching therapeutic implications towards neurodegenerative diseases associated with cognitive impairment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Clinical and animal model studies have implicated inflammation and peripheral immune cell responses in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Peripheral immune cells including T cells circulate in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of healthy adults and are found in the brains of AD patients and AD rodent models. Blocking entry of peripheral macrophages into the CNS was reported to increase amyloid burden in an AD mouse model. To assess inflammation in the 5xFAD (Tg) mouse model, we first quantified central and immune cell profiles in the deep cervical lymph nodes and spleen. In the brains of Tg mice, activated (MHCII+, CD45(high), and Ly6C(high)) myeloid-derived CD11b(+) immune cells are decreased while CD3(+) T cells are increased as a function of age relative to non-Tg mice. These immunological changes along with evidence of increased mRNA levels for several cytokines suggest that immune regulation and trafficking patterns are altered in Tg mice. Levels of soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor (sTNF) modulate blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and are increased in CSF and brain parenchyma post-mortem in AD subjects and Tg mice. We report here that in vivo peripheral administration of XPro1595, a novel biologic that sequesters sTNF into inactive heterotrimers, reduced the age-dependent increase in activated immune cells in Tg mice, while decreasing the overall number of CD4(+) T cells. In addition, XPro1595 treatment in vivo rescued impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) measured in brain slices in association with decreased Ala plaques in the subiculum. Selective targeting of sTNF may modulate brain immune cell infiltration, and prevent or delay neuronal dysfunction in AD. Significance statement: Immune cells and cytokines perform specialized functions inside and outside the brain to maintain optimal brain health; but the extent to which their activities change in response to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration is not well understood. Our findings indicate that neutralization of sTNF reduced the age dependent increase in activated immune cells in Tg mice, while decreasing the overall number of CD4+ T cells. In addition, impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) was rescued by XPro1595 in association with decreased hippocampal Ala plaques. Selective targeting of sTNF holds translational potential to modulate brain immune cell infiltration, dampen neuroinflammation, and prevent or delay neuronal dysfunction in AD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a new high-level approach for optimising field programmable gate array (FPGA) designs. FPGA designs are commonly implemented in low-level hardware description languages (HDLs), which lack the abstractions necessary for identifying opportunities for significant performance improvements. Using a computer vision case study, we show that modelling computation with dataflow abstractions enables substantial restructuring of FPGA designs before lowering to the HDL level, and also improve CPU performance. Using the CPU transformations, runtime is reduced by 43 %. Using the FPGA transformations, clock frequency is increased from 67MHz to 110MHz. Our results outperform commercial low-level HDL optimisations, showcasing dataflow program abstraction as an amenable computation model for highly effective FPGA optimisation.
The Wendelstein 7-X modular advanced stellarator is in the commissioning phase at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany. The focus of the numerical analysis has been shifted from support of the machine design and assembly toward preparation of the commissioning steps, assessment of possible field disturbances under operational loads, and exploration of operational limits. This paper emphasizes on the development, evolution, and realization of new analysis strategies, as well as on implemented numerical approaches for electromagnetic, thermal, and structural analyses. Remarkable results of the first comparisons with measurements from the extended mechanical instrumentation system are presented in detail and cover evacuation/flooding of the cryostat and plasma vessel, the first cooldown of the magnet system (MS), and both the superconducting coil groups and integral MS commissioning. Finally, some lessons learned during the transition phase are highlighted, which might be relevant for other large fusion machines.
Multi-Attribute Value Theory (MAVT) was used to investigate stakeholders' preferences and beliefs in ameliorating a deteriora ting ecosystem, i.e. Vosvozis River and Ismarida Lake in Northeastern Greece. Various monetary and environmental criteria were evaluated with scores and weights by different stakeholder groups and key individuals such as farmers, fishermen, entrepreneurs, residents and ecologists to elicit their preferences concerning alternative protection scenarios. The ultimate objective was to propose policy recommendations for a sustainable water resources management for the case study area. The analysis revealed an overwhelming agreement among stakeholders regarding the dire need for immediate actions in order to preserve and enhance Vosvozis ecosystem. With a two stage evaluation process, the MAVT analysis led to a high consensus among the stakeholders on the alternative that favors water recycling from the wastewater treatment plant combined with small dams for rainwater harvesting. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Investigation of the conversion rates from normal cognition (NC) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is important, as effective early intervention could potentially prevent or substantially delay the onset of dementia. However, reported conversion rates differ across studies and recruitment source. Our study examined predictors of conversion from NC to MCI in a racially and ethnically diverse sample drawn both from community and clinic recruitment sources. Methods: Rates and predictors of conversion were assessed in an ongoing prospective longitudinal study at University of California, Davis, Alzheimer's Disease Center from 2000 to 2015. Participants (n = 254) were recruited through a clinic (5%) and community sample (95%). They were clinically confirmed as cognitively normal at baseline and followed up to seven years. Recruitment source, demographic factors (age, gender, race/ethnicity, year of education, APOE epsilon 4 positive), cognitive measures (SENAS test scores), functional assessments (CDR sum of boxes), and neuroimaging measures (total brain volume, total hippocampal volume, white hyperintensity volume) were assessed as predictors of conversion from cognitively normal to mild cognitive impairment using proportional hazards models. Results: Of 254 participants, 62 (11 clinic, 51 community) progressed to MCI. The clinic-based sample showed an annual conversion rate of 30% (95% CI 17%-54%) per person-year, whereas the community-based sample showed a conversion rate of 5% (95% CI 3%-6%) per person-year. Risk factors for conversion include clinic-based recruitment, being older, lower executive function and worse functional assessment at baseline, and smaller total brain volume. Discussion: Older adults who sought out a clinical evaluation, even when they are found to have normal cognition, have increased risk of subsequent development of MCI. Results are consistent with other studies showing subjective cognitive complaints are a risk for future cognitive impairment, but extend such findings to show that those who seek evaluation for their complaints are at particularly high risk. Moreover, these individuals have subtle, but significant differences in functional and cognitive abilities that, in the presence of concerns and evidence of atrophy on by brain imaging, warrant continued clinical follow-up. These risk factors could also be used as stratification variables for dementia prevention clinical trial design. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Earlier studies have demonstrated strong relationships between manual assembly at high physical load levels and increased amounts of quality defects compared to assembly at low physical load levels. A recent Swedish interview study of engineers in design and manufacturing engineering indicated that assembly complexity factors are of additional importance for the assembly quality. The objective of this study was therefore to examine the significance of high and low complexity criteria and the relationships between assembly ergonomics and assembly complexity and quality failures by analyzing manual assembly tasks in car manufacturing. In total, 47 000 cars were analyzed and the results showed several significant correlations between assembly ergonomics and assembly complexity, assembly time, failures and action costs. The action costs for high complexity tasks were 22.4 times increased per task per car compared to low complexity tasks. Relevance to industry: Assembly ergonomics and assembly complexity factors interact. Both should be proactively considered in order to keep assembly-related failures and action costs as low as possible. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Brain glucose uptake declines during aging and is significantly impaired in Alzheimer's disease. Ketones are the main alternative brain fuel to glucose so they represent a potential approach to compensate for the brain glucose reduction. Caffeine is of interest as a potential ketogenic agent owing to its actions on lipolysis and lipid oxidation but whether it is ketogenic in humans is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the acute ketogenic effect of 2 doses of caffeine (2.5; 5.0 mg/kg) in 10 healthy adults. Caffeine given at breakfast significantly stimulated ketone production in a dose-dependent manner (+88%; +116%) and also raised plasma free fatty acids. Whether caffeine has long-term ketogenic effects or could enhance the ketogenic effect of medium chain triglycerides remains to be determined.
In this paper, we present a novel technique for security of two-dimensional data with the help of cryptography and steganography. The presented approach provides multilayered security of two-dimensional data. First layer security was developed by cryptography and second layer by steganography. The advantage of steganography is that the intended secret message does not attract attention to itself as an object of scrutiny. This paper proposes a novel approach for encryption and decryption of information in the form of Word Data (.doc file), PDF document (.pdf file), Text document, Gray-scale images, and RGB images, etc. by using Vigenere Cipher (VC) associated with Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and then hiding the data behind the RGB image (i.e. steganography). Earlier developed techniques provide security of either PDF data, doc data, text data or image data, but not for all types of two-dimensional data and existing techniques used either cryptography or steganography for security. But proposed approach is suitable for all types of data and designed for security of information by cryptography and steganography. The experimental results for Word Data, PDF document, Text document, Gray-scale images and RGB images support the robustness and appropriateness for secure transmission of these data. The security analysis shows that the presented technique is immune from cryptanalytic. This technique further provides security while decryption as a check on behind which RGB color the information is hidden.
This paper describes the structure of manufacturing engineering data for integrated process and manufacturing resources planning. The recommendations and requirements for data structures integration for effective computerization of manufacturing engineering are presented. Examples of data structure and data base of original integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing Engineering system are provided.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge and carbapenem resistance, in particular, is considered an urgent global health threat. This study was carried out to give a bibliometric overview of literature on carbapenem resistance. In specific, number of publications, top productive countries and institutes, highly cited articles, citation analysis, co-authorships, international collaboration, top active authors, and journals publishing articles on carbapenem resistance were analyzed and discussed. Methods: Specific keywords pertaining to carbapenem resistance were used in Scopus database. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of retrieved data were presented using appropriate bibliometric indicators and visualization maps. Results: A total of 2617 journal articles were retrieved. The average number of citations per article was of 21.47. The growth of publications showed a dramatic increase from 2008 to 2015. Approximately 9 % of retrieved articles on carbapenem resistance were published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal. Retrieved articles were published by 102 different countries. The United States of America (USA) contributed most with 437 (16.70 %) articles followed by China with 257 (9.82 %) articles. When productivity was stratified by population size, Greece ranked first followed by France. Greece also ranked first when data were stratified by gross domestic product (GDP). Asian countries have lesser international collaboration compared with other countries in the top ten list. Five of top ten productive institutes were Europeans (France, the UK, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland) and two were Asians (China and South Korea). Other active institutes included an Israeli and a Brazilian institute. Four of the top ten cited articles were published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal and two were published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Conclusion: There was a dramatic increase in number of publications on carbapenem resistance in the past few years. These publications were produced from different world regions including Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Latin America. International collaboration needs to be encouraged particularly for researchers in Asia. Molecular biology and epidemiology dominated the theme of the top ten cited articles on carbapenem resistance. This bibliometric study will hopefully help health policy makers in planning future research and allocating funds pertaining to carbapenem resistance.
Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare incurable neurodegenerative disease caused by biallelic mutations in the gene for ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM). The lack of a functional ATM kinase leads to a pleiotropic phenotype, and oxidative stress is considered to have a crucial role in the complex physiopathology. Recently, steroids have been shown to reduce the neurological symptoms of the disease, although the molecular mechanism of this effect is largely unknown. In the present study, we have demonstrated that dexamethasone treatment of A-T lymphoblastoid cells increases the content of two of the most abundant antioxidants [glutathione (GSH) and NADPH] by up to 30%. Dexamethasone promoted the nuclear accumulation of the transcription factor nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 to drive expression of antioxidant pathways involved in GSH synthesis and NADPH production. The latter effect was via glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activation, as confirmed by increased enzyme activity and enhancement of the pentose phosphate pathway rate. This evidence indicates that glucocorticoids are able to potentiate antioxidant defenses to counteract oxidative stress in ataxia telangiectasia, and also reveals an unexpected role for dexamethasone in redox homeostasis and cellular antioxidant activity.
It was the aim of this study to ascertain whether xylenes form phenylmercapturic acids via aromatic epoxides in the human metabolism. Aromatic epoxides are suspected to exert mutagenic properties. Therefore we developed an LC/MS/MS procedure for the determination of these mercapturic acids. Using this method we were able to detect dimethylphenylmercapturic acid (DPMA) in urine samples of persons occupationally exposed to xylenes. The unequivocal LC/MS/MS detection of phenylmercapturic acid metabolites of xylene thanks to authentic standards was verified with an independent GC/MS method. Xylene concentrations in the air of the workplaces ranged between 0.7 and 58.1 ppm (median 12.6 ppm). The excretion of methylhippuric acid in the urine samples of the workers (n = 27) ranges from 19.8 to 2332.5 mg/l (median 450.9 mg/l). DPMA was detected in only 9 samples of 27 exposed persons. According to a rough calculation DPMA is only formed in a ratio of 0.0003% respective to the xylene main metabolite MHA. That means that even under occupationally relevant xylene exposure potential mutagenic potencies should be negligible. DPMA in urine is not sensitive enough for general biomonitoring purposes due to the low ratio of excretion. MHA should therefore be used for biomonitoring from now on. Furthermore, our results show that irrespective of the structure of xylene isomers there is no preferences in metabolism.
The authors report preliminary findings on the potential contribution of CYP2C19 isoenzyme to the human metabolism of N-desmethylclobazam (N-CLB), the main active metabolite of clobazam (CLB), a benzodiazepine frequently used as add-on therapy in patients with refractory epilepsy. Two children on CLB treatment showing extremely high plasma concentration/dose ratio (C/D) of N-CLB and metabolite/parent drug ratio (N-CLB/CLB), suggestive of a putative poor metabolizer (PM) phenotype, were tested for CYP2CI9 polymorphisms. Eleven epileptic patients on stable CLB therapy were included for reference values of CLB and N-CLB metabolic variables and tested for possible CYP2CI9 polymorphisms. Detection of the CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3, and CYP2C19*4 mutations was performed in the genomic DNA by PCR amplification and enzyme digestion procedures. In the two presumed CYP2C19 PM patients, the N-CLB/CLB ratio was 10- to 27-fold higher than matched median values of the control epileptic patients. According to CYP2C19 genotyping, one patient was homozygous for CYP2C19*2, while the second presented only one copy of the same mutation, a genotype also found in three control patients. These observations provide further indirect in vivo evidence of CYP2CI9 isoenzyme involvement in the metabolism of the CLB main metabolite. According to genotyping, subjects carrying one or two copies of the defective CYP2C19*2 allele might develop markedly elevated steady-state plasma concentrations of N-CLB and be at higher risk of adverse effects.
Alert intelligent device is an ambient assisted living (AAL) system that allows the evaluation of potentially dangerous situations for elderly people living alone at home. This evaluation is obtained by an ad hoc network of sensor nodes, working in conjunction with an ambient intelligence layer embedded in a personal computer that learns from user behaviour patterns and warns when a detected pattern differs significantly from previously acquired normal patterns. Each new datum read from sensors is processed in the ambient intelligence layer through three processing levels: shallow, intermediate and deep. The shallow processing level focuses on physical data and sensory features. The intermediate level covers information interpretation and its translation into the form required by the third level: the reasoning processing or deep level. In alert intelligent device, energy is a critical issue, so that sensor devices need to be properly designed and managed to achieve significant energy saving. The use of bed/chair occupancy sensors is mandatory for this kind of ubiquitous computing system. A first way to approach this problem relied on the use of pressure mats, but several environmental drawbacks showed them inappropriate as an efficient and reliable solution for large volume deployments. Moreover, solutions based on force-to-resistor transducers entail power consumption budgets that keep them from being integrated on wireless sensor nodes. In this paper, a force-capacitive transducer based sensor has been proposed, implemented and tested. This sensor is based on electromechanical film (EMFi) transducers, which are able to detect force variations in a quasi-passive way. This kind of transducer behaves as capacitors with variable capacitance depending on the force exerted on its surface. We have developed a new technique to carry out the characterization of these transducers, where the detection of a force change is used to trigger an active mechanism that allows us to measure the weight by means of a novel modelling approach. A low-power wireless sensor node prototype that includes this new transducer has been assembled and tested on a wide range of weights. Occupancy detection achieved by this technology has proven to be successful, increasing the total power consumption of the node by less than 15%, which makes it suitable for implementation.
Background: Spasmodic dysphonia is a focal dystonia characterized by involuntary spasms in the laryngeal muscles that occur selectively during speaking. Although hereditary trends have been reported in up to 16% of patients, the causative etiology of spasmodic dysphonia is unclear, and the influences of various phenotypes and genotypes on disorder pathophysiology are poorly understood. In this study, we examined structural alterations in cortical gray matter and white matter integrity in relationship to different phenotypes and putative genotypes of spasmodic dysphonia to elucidate the structural component of its complex pathophysiology. Methods: Eighty-nine patients with spasmodic dysphonia underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging to examine cortical thickness and white matter fractional anisotropy in adductor versus abductor forms (distinct phenotypes) and in sporadic versus familial cases (distinct genotypes). Results: Phenotype-specific abnormalities were localized in the left sensorimotor cortex and angular gyrus and the white matter bundle of the right superior corona radiata. Genotype-specific alterations were found in the left superior temporal gyrus, supplementary motor area, and the arcuate portion of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that phenotypic differences in spasmodic dysphonia arise at the level of the primary and associative areas of motor control, whereas genotype-related pathophysiological mechanisms may be associated with dysfunction of regions regulating phonological and sensory processing. Identification of structural alterations specific to disorder phenotype and putative genotype provides an important step toward future delineation of imaging markers and potential targets for novel therapeutic interventions for spasmodic dysphonia. (C) 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
The degree to which isohydric or anisohydric behaviour extends to the water balance of developing fruits has not previously been explored. Here, we examine the water relations and hydraulic behaviour of Vitis vinifera L. berries during development from two contrasting cultivars that display isohydric (cv. Grenache) or anisohydric (cv. Shiraz) behaviour. Hydraulic resistance normalised to the berry surface area of Grenache clusters was significantly lower and more constant during development, whereas that of Shiraz increased. Lower rachis hydraulic resistance in Grenache compared with Shiraz was inversely related to xylem vessel diameter. Berry transpiration and xylem water uptake measured on detached berries decreased alike during development. From veraison, detached berries of both cultivars showed a transition to a net imbalance between xylem water uptake and transpiration, with Shiraz showing a larger imbalance and berry dehydration towards the end of ripening. In planta, this imbalance must be counterbalanced by a larger phloem water influx in post-veraison berries. Concurrently, the calculated pressure gradients for xylem water uptake showed a decline, which broadly agreed with the measured values. Higher suction for xylem water uptake in pre-veraison berries was mainly generated by transpiration. We conclude that isohydric or anisohydric behaviour is reflected in the contrasting behaviour of fruit hydraulics and that a change from xylem water uptake to phloem import is correlated with the loss of the propensity to generate negative apoplastic pressure in the berry.
In this paper, we propose to develop a Story Generator from hints using a machine learning approach. During the learning phase, the system is fed with stories which are POS tagged and are converted into a Language Relationship model that is represented as a conceptual graph. During the synthesis phase, the input hints which are delimited using hyphen and converted to a conceptual graph. This graph is matched with the conceptual graph of the corpus and probable words, its sequences along with the relationship are determined using three proposed methods namely Randomized selection, Weighted Selection using Bigram Probability of hint phrases and Weighted Selection using product of Bigram Probability of Conceptual Graph and Bigram Probability of hint phrases. Using the words, sequences and relationships, a sentence assembler algorithm is designed to position the words to form a sentence. To make the story complete and readable, suffixes are added using Tamil grammar to the assembled words and a story is generated which is syntactically and semantically correct.
The properties of energy conditioning electrical circuits that are developed for powering additional functional blocks of autonomous RFID transponders working in the HF band have been analyzed and presented in the paper. The concept of autonomy is realized by implementing extra functions in the typical transponder. First of all, the autonomous system should harvest energy, e. g. from the electromagnetic field of read/write devices but also the possibility of gathering information about environment should be available, e. g. by measuring different kind of physical quantities. In such an electrical device, the crucial problem consists in energy conditioning because the output voltage-current characteristic of an front-end (antenna with matching and harvesting circuit) as well as the total and instantaneous power load generated by internal circuits are strongly dependent on a realized function but also on energy and communication conditions in the RFID interface. The properly designed solution should improve harvesting efficiency, current leakage of supply storage, matching between antenna and input circuits, in order to save energy and increase operating time in such a battery-free system. The authors present methods how to increase the autonomous operation time even at advanced measuring algorithms. The measuring system with wide spectrum of sensors dedicated for different quantities (physical, chemical, etc.) has also been presented. The results of model calculations and experimental verifications have been also discussed on the basis of investigations conducted in the unique laboratory stand of object navigation systems.
Skeletal muscles are composed of myofibers, the biggest cells in the mammalian body and one of the few syncytia. How the complex and evolutionarily conserved structures that compose it are assembled remains under investigation. Their size and physiological features often constrain manipulation and imaging applications. The culture of immortalized cell lines is widely used, but it can only replicate the early steps of differentiation. Here, we describe a protocol that enables easy genetic manipulation of myofibers originating from primary mouse myoblasts. After one week of differentiation, the myofibers display contractility, aligned sarcomeres and triads, as well as peripheral nuclei. The entire differentiation process can be followed by live imaging or immunofluorescence. This system combines the advantages of the existing ex vivo and in vitro protocols. The possibility of easy and efficient transfection as well as the ease of access to all differentiation stages broadens the potential applications. Myofibers can subsequently be used not only to address relevant developmental and cell biology questions, but also to reproduce muscle disease phenotypes for clinical applications.
The paper aims to determine the day-ahead market bidding strategies for retailers with flexible demands to maximize the short-term profit. It proposes a short-term planning framework to forecast the load under dynamic tariffs and construct biding curves. Stochastic programming is applied to manage the uncertainties of spot price, regulating price, consumption behaviors, and responsiveness to dynamic tariffs. A case study based on data from Sweden is carried out. It demonstrates that a real-time selling price can affect the aggregate load of a residential consumer group and lead to load shift toward low-price periods. The optimal bidding curves for specific trading periods are illustrated. Through comparing the bidding strategies under different risk factors, the case study shows that a risk-averse retailer tends to adopt the strategies with larger imbalances. The benefit lies in the reduction of low-profit risk. However, the aversion to risk can only be kept in a certain level. A larger imbalance may lead to a quick reduction of profit in all scenarios.
In this study the eco-cultural model of parenting (Keller, H. (2007). Cultures of infancy. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum) was applied to the study of joint attention behavior of children from families with different socio-economic status (SES). It was hypothesized that infants' early communication styles would differ with SES reflecting more independent or interdependent interactions with their caregivers. It was also hypothesized that infants would use the same types of behaviors whether they have declarative or imperative communication goals. The Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS, Mundy et al., 2003) was administered to 103 typically developing infants of 12 months (approximately half of them siblings of children with autism). A factor analysis, yielding four behavioral factors, namely pointing, eye contact, actions and following points, confirmed the hypothesis that infants use behaviors consistently across situations independent of their communicative intent. MANOVAs (comprising parental education and income) revealed that higher SES infants showed actions more frequently in the ESCS whereas lower SES infants followed experimenter's points more frequently. The results are discussed in the context of presumably differing socialization goals for infants and the divergent contribution of parental education and income that seem to have additive contribution to some factors (actions, following points) but divergent contributions to others (pointing, eye contact). (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Two studies tested a model, whereby, identification with the minority group was predicted to impact on acculturation preferences, which in turn were proposed to impact involvement in intragroup friendships with other minority members, intergroup friendships with majority members and stress experienced by minority members. A direct path from minority identification to stress was also included in the model. The model was tested using structural equation modelling on survey data collected from Muslim women (N=250) and from Somali minority members (N=198) in Britain. Results supported predictions and revealed that identification was associated with more culture maintenance preference and less culture adoption preference. Culture maintenance preference was associated with involvement in intragroup friendships, and culture adoption preference was associated with involvement in intergroup friendships and increased stress. Practical applications of the findings are discussed.
The aim of this study was to investigate the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale (SAAS) with Spanish schoolchildren. The participants in Study 1 were 1281 children aged 8-11. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors: worry about calamitous events, fear of abandonment, fear of being alone, and fear of physical illness, which explained 47.77 % of the variance. The participants of Study 2 were 4628 schoolchildren aged 8-11. The four related factors model was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency (alpha = .84) and temporal stability (r = .77) were good. The convergent validity was evident from the pattern of correlations with the measures of separation anxiety, sensitivity to anxiety and school fears. The sensitivity of the scale was 83 %, and its specificity, 93 %. The complementary subscales predicted the diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder. The results support the reliability, validity and clinical utility of the SAAS.
INTRODUCTION This study aimed to determine the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms among schoolchildren with low birth weight (LBW), and to compare the lung function of these children with that of children with normal birth weight. METHODS This was a comparative cross-sectional study. We recruited children aged 8-11 years from eight primary schools in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The children were divided into two groups: those with LBW (= 2,500 g). Parents of the enrolled children were asked to complete a translated version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. Lung function tests, done using a MicroLoop Spirometer, were performed for the children in both groups by a single investigator who was blinded to the children's birth weight. RESULTS The prevalence of 'ever wheezed' among the children with LBW was 12.9%. This value was significantly higher than that of the children with normal birth weight (7.8%). Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second, and forced expiratory flow when 50% and 75% of the FVC had been exhaled were significantly lower among the children with LBW as compared to the children with normal birth weight. CONCLUSION LBW is associated with an increased prevalence of asthma-like symptoms and impaired lung function indices later in life. Children born with LBW may need additional follow-up so that future respiratory problems can be detected early.
We examined the hypothesis that pain increases negative person perception of irrelevant others in both medical and laboratory settings in three studies. Patients perceived a nurse as more negative if the injection they received from the nurse produced more pain (Pilot Study). Patients rated neutral faces as more negative after receiving an injection than before it (Study 1). Participants who performed a painful cold pressor task rated neutral faces as more negative than a control group, but this effect only appeared for those with low perceived social support (Study 2). These findings suggest that one's experience of physical pain may be metaphorically transferred to perceptions of completely irrelevant others, inducing negative interpersonal perception. And perceived social support can ameliorate the negative effect.
BackgroundA functional polymorphism within the -opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene, rs1799971 (A118G), previously has been associated with measures of alcohol use and sensitivity to its effects, but findings have been inconclusive. A recent study suggested that a second nearby variant within OPRM1, rs3778150, is robustly associated with heroin dependence and fully explained a smaller observed association with rs1799971. Given evidence that the rs3778150-C allele is associated with decreased OPRM1 expression levels in the human brain, the current study sought to test the hypothesis that rs3778150 represents a causal variant within OPRM1 that increases risk for a variety of alcohol use phenotypes. MethodsParticipants with genotype and phenotype data from a larger experimental study (N=152) were assessed on measures of subjective response to alcohol and alcohol use. Measures included (i) the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol and the Alcohol Sensitivity Questionnaire, (ii) the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) and ratings of subjective intoxication, and (iii) average number of drinks per week in the past month. ResultsCompared to rs3778150-T homozygous individuals, carriers of the rs3778150-C allele exhibited significantly lower retrospective self-report levels of alcohol sensitivity. Carriers of the rs3778150-C allele also exhibited lower levels of BAES alcohol-related stimulation during an alcohol challenge and reported higher levels of drinking in the last 30days. With the exception of lower levels of BAES alcohol-related sedation, the rs1799971 variant did not show consistent significant association with any of the alcohol phenotypes in the presence of rs3778150. ConclusionsResults suggest that rs3778150 may be causally related to alcohol use phenotypes, and could potentially account for previously observed associations of rs1799971 with substance use phenotypes. Future studies may investigate potential causal relations among genetic variants in OPRM1, subjective response to alcohol, and drinking phenotypes to further delineate the effects of rs3778150.
Over the past ten years, human re-identification has received increased attention from the computer vision research community. However, for the most part, these research papers are divorced from the context of how such algorithms would be used in a real-world system. This paper describes the unique opportunity our group of academic researchers had to design and deploy a human re-identification system in a demanding real-world environment: a busy airport. The system had to be designed from the ground up, including robust modules for realtime human detection and tracking, a distributed, low-latency software architecture, and a front-end user interface designed for a specific scenario. None of these issues are typically addressed in re-identification research papers, but all are critical to an effective system that end users would actually be willing to adopt. We detail the challenges of the real-world airport environment, the computer vision algorithms underlying our human detection and re-identification algorithms, our robust software architecture, and the ground-truthing system required to provide the training and validation data for the algorithms. Our initial results show that despite the challenges and constraints of the airport environment, the proposed system achieves very good performance while operating in real time.
The economic and environmental benefits brought by electric vehicles (EVs) cannot be fully delivered unless these vehicles are fully or partially charged by renewable energy sources (RES) such as photovoltaic system (PVS). Nevertheless, the EV charging management problem of a parking station integrated with RES is challenging due to the uncertain nature of local RES generation. This paper aims to address these difficulties by deploying an energy storage system (ESS) in parking stations and exploiting the charging and discharging scheduling of EVs to achieve better utilization of intermittent PVS for EV charging. A real-time charging optimization scheme is also formulated, using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) to coordinate the charging or discharging power of EVs along with the power dispatches of power grid and ESS based on the vehicles' charging or discharging priorities and electricity price preferences. Extensive simulations show that the proposed approach not only maximizes the satisfaction of EV owners in terms of fulfilling all charging and discharging requests, but also minimizes the overall operational cost of the parking station by prioritizing the utilization of energy from PVS, ESS, and scheduling of every EV's charging and discharging.
Introduction: Studies on biomaterials involve assays aimed to assess the interactions between the biomaterial and the cells seeded on its surface. However, the morphology of biomaterials is heterogeneous and it could be tricky to standardize the results among different biomaterials and the classic plastic plates. In this light, we decided to create, by means of computer-aided design (CAD) technology, a standardized sample model, with equal shape and sizes, able to fit into a classic shape of a 96-wells tissue culture plate (TCP). Methods: The design of this sample consists of a hole in the top in order to allow the injected cells to settle without them being able to slip from the sides of the sample to the bottom of the TCP wells. This CAD project is made using the software Pro-Engineer. The sample will totally fill the wells of the 96-well TCP. Dental pulp stem cells have been used to assess the ability of the different sample to support and promote the cell proliferation. Results: Twelve titanium, 12 gold-palladium, and 12 zirconium oxide customized samples were designed by means of the software cam powermill, by importing the. stl file created in Pro-Engineer software. The proliferation rate of the tested scaffolds showed to be similar to the control in the group with the customized shape. Conclusion: We think that our method can be useful to test different types of scaffolds when a greater accuracy of the measurements is desirable in order to verify the cell behavior of these scaffolds. Our innovative method can improve the standardization process in the evaluation of cell behavior on different biomaterials to open the way to more reliable tests on biomatrices functionalized with drugs or growth factors applied to the future regenerative medicine.
This study aims to explore the potential impairment of Theory of Mind (ToM; i.e., the ability to represent cognitive and affective mental states to both self and others) and the clinical, neuropsychological and Quality of Life (QoL) correlates of these cognitive abnormalities in the early stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a multisystem neurodegenerative disease recently recognized as a part of the same clinical and pathological spectrum of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Twenty-two consecutive, cognitively intact ALS patients, and 15 healthy controls, underwent assessment of executive, verbal comprehension, visuospatial, behavioral, and QoL measures, as well as of the ToM abilities by Emotion Attribution Task (EAT), Advanced Test of ToM (ATT), and Eyes Task (ET). ALS patients obtained significantly lower scores than controls on EAT and ET. No significant difference was found between the two groups on ATT. As regard to type of ALS onset, patients with bulbar onset performed worse than those with spinal onset on ET. Correlation analysis revealed that EAT and ET were positively correlated with education, memory prose, visuo-spatial performances, and Mental Health scores among QoL items. Our results suggest that not only cognitive but also affective subcomponents of ToM may be impaired in the early stages of ALS, with significant linkage to disease onset and dysfunctions of less executively demanding conditions, causing potential impact on patients' Mental Health.
Aggregation and neurotoxicity of amyloid beta (A beta) protein is a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study we compared the anti-aggregatory and neuroprotective effects of five synthetic compounds against A beta protein; four of which possessed a five membered heterocycle ring scaffold (two dibenzyl phenyl imidazolidines and two triazole sulfanyl acetamides) and one with a fused five membered heterocycle (benzoxazole) ring, selected thorough virtual screening from ZINC database. Molecular docking of their optimized structures was used to study A beta binding characteristics. As predicted from molecular docking, strong steric binding of imidazolidines and H-bonding of both triazoles to A beta were translated into anti A beta aggregation properties. Subsequent transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to assess their effects on A beta(1-42) fibril formation. Four compounds variably altered morphology of Ab fibrils from long, intertwined fibrils to short, loose structures. Thioflavin T assay of A beta fibrillisation kinetics demonstrated that one imidazolidine and both triazole compounds inhibited A beta aggregation. Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were exposed to A beta(1-42), alone and in combination with the heterocyclic compounds to assess neuroprotective effects. A beta(1-42)-evoked loss of neuronal cell viability was significantly attenuated in the presence of both imidazolidine compounds, while the triazole acetamides and benzoxazole compound were toxic to PC12 cells. These findings highlight the A beta anti-aggregative and neuroprotective propensity of a dibenzyl phenyl imidazolidine scaffold (Compound 1 and 2). While the triazole sulfanyl acetamide scaffold also possessed A beta anti-aggregation properties, they also demonstrated significant intrinsic neurotoxicity. Overall, the predictive efficacy of in silico methods enables the identification of novel imidazolidines that act both as inhibitors of A beta aggregation and neurotoxicity, and may provide a further platform for the development of novel Alzheimer's diseasemodifying pharmacotherapies. Crown Copyright (c) 2017 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Although single-center and cross-sectional studies have suggested a modest impact of liver donation on donor psychological well-being, few studies have assessed these outcomes prospectively among a large cohort. We conducted one of the largest, prospective, multicenter studies of psychological outcomes in living liver donors within the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study2 (A2ALL-2) consortium. In total, 271 (91%) of 297 eligible donors were interviewed at least once before donation and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 mo after donation using validated measures. We found that living liver donors reported low rates of major depressive (0-3%), alcohol abuse (2-5%), and anxiety syndromes (2-3%) at any given assessment in their first 2 years after donation. Between 4.7% and 9.6% of donors reported impaired mental well-being at various time points. We identified significant predictors for donors' perceptions of being better people and experiencing psychological growth following donation, including age, sex, relationship to recipient, ambivalence and motivation regarding donation, and feeling that donation would make life more worthwhile. Our results highlight the need for close psychosocial monitoring for those donors whose recipients died (n=27); some of those donors experienced guilt and concerns about responsibility. Careful screening and targeted, data-driven follow-up hold promise for optimizing psychological outcomes following this procedure for potentially vulnerable donors. A prospective study of living liver donors across nine transplant centers shows low rates of major depressive, alcohol abuse, and anxiety syndromes, though some donors (such as those whose recipients die) may benefit from close psychosocial monitoring.
Background: Annexin A2, a calcium-dependent phospholipid binding protein, is involved in osteogenesis. The objective of the present study was to explore the expression of Annexin A2 in spinal ligament tissues (LT) of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and determine its pathological functions. Methods: mRNA and protein expression of Annexin A2 was detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration in serum was assessed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured with ALP activity kit on a microplate reader. Results: mRNA and protein expression of Annexin A2 in LT, and IL-6 concentration in serum were significantly increased in AS patients. Moreover, exogenous IL-6 treatment significantly up-regulated Annexin A2 expression and ALP activity. Silencing of Annexin A2 expression significantly ameliorated IL-6-induced ossification of fibroblasts from AS patients, as indicated by ALP activity, expression of proteins associated with osteogenic differentiation, including bone morphogenetic protein-2, osteocalcin and osterix, and the ratio of osteoprotegerin to receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand. Further MEK inhibitor experiments suggested that Annexin A2 may exert its function through extracellular signal-related kinase pathway. Conclusions: Annexin A2, up-regulated by IL-6, may promote ligament ossification of AS patients. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Many hospitality consumption experiences are shared with fellow consumers such as acquaintances, friends, or family members. Yet research examining the impact of fellow consumers' presence on consumers' donation behaviors is scant. To bridge that gap, the current research examines how the presence of fellow consumers influences consumers' donation behaviors in a restaurant setting. Results from our experiment reveal that the impact of fellow consumers' presence depends on two factors: observability of the donation and donation appeal type. Specifically, we found that when the act of donating is unobservable by others and the donation appeal highlights self-benefits, the presence of fellow consumers drives individuals to exhibit more favorable attitude and higher levels of donation intention. Conversely, when the act of donation is observable by others and the donation appeal portrays other benefits, the presence of fellow consumers makes individuals to exhibit less favorable attitude and lower levels of donation intention. Furthermore, our mediation analyses show that anticipated emotional benefits is the underlying psychological mechanism explaining the effects. We discuss the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of our findings as well as limitations and opportunities for future research.
Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial disease, causing a significant burden to females due to reproductive dysfunction. Intensive screening and antibiotic treatment are unable to completely prevent female reproductive dysfunction, thus, efforts have become focused on developing a vaccine. A major impediment is identifying a safe and effective adjuvant which induces cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) cells with attributes capable of halting genital infection and inflammation. Previously, we described a natural nanocapsule called the vault which was engineered to contain major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and was an effective vaccine which significantly reduced early infection and favored development of a cellular immune response in a mouse model. In the current study, we used another chlamydial antigen, a polymorphic membrane protein G-1 (PmpG) peptide, to track antigen-specific cells and evaluate, in depth, the vault vaccine for its protective capacity in the absence of an added adjuvant. We found PmpG-vault immunized mice significantly reduced the genital bacterial burden and histopathologic parameters of inflammation following a C. muridarum challenge. Immunization boosted antigen-specific CD4 cells with a multiple cytokine secretion pattern and reduced the number of inflammatory cells in the genital tract making the vault vaccine platform safe and effective for chlamydial genital infection. We conclude that vaccination with a Chlamydia-vault vaccine boosts antigen-specific immunities that are effective at eradicating infection and preventing reproductive tract inflammation.
We report the computer aided design results for a GaSb/InAs broken-gap gate all around nanowire tunneling FET (TFET). In designing, the semi-empirical tight-binding (TB) method using sp3d5s* is used as band structure model to produce the bulk properties. The calculated band structure is cooperated with open boundary conditions (OBCs) and a three-dimensional Schrodinger-Poisson solver to execute quantum transport simulators. We find an device configuration for the operation voltage of 0.3 V which exhibit desired low sub-threshold swing (100 mu A/mu m) that broken-gap TFETs normally have.
This paper presents a computer vision-based algorithm that automatically detects the components of an interior partition and infers its current state using 2D digital images. The algorithm relies on four integrated shape and color-based modules, which detect studs, insulation, electrical outlets, and three states for drywall sheets (installed, plastered, and painted). Based on the results of the four modules, images are classified into five states. The proposed method was validated using three image databases of indoor construction sites captured by a quadcopter (a type of unmanned aerial vehicle), a smartphone, and collected from publically available sources on the internet The method's high accuracy rates, its fast performance, and applicability to different contexts such as automated robotic inspection are indicative of its promising performance. The visual detection results can potentially provide situational awareness for construction trades, provide future progress tracking systems with information on actual state, and help leverage the use of image processing at indoor sites. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ambient-assisted living (AAL) is currently one of the important research and development areas, where accessibility, usability, and learning play a major role and where future interfaces are an important concern for applied engineering. The general goal of AAL solutions is to apply ambient intelligence technology to enable people with specific demands, e.g., handicapped or elderly, to live in their preferred environment longer. The term Internet of Things (IoT) is used as an umbrella keyword for covering various aspects related to the extension of the Internet and the Web into the physical realm, by means of the widespread deployment of spatially distributed devices with embedded identification, sensing and/or actuation capabilities. In this context, we propose a new methodology based on self organizing maps (SOMs) and fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithms for profile generation as regards the activities of the user and their correlation with the available sensors. Moreover, we utilize the provided context to assign the generated profiles to more contextually complex activities. Our methodology is being evaluated into an AAL structure equipped with several sensors. More precisely, we assess the proposed method in a data set generated by accelerometers and its performance over a number of everyday activities.
Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease mainly affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints. Macrophage migration inhibitory (MIF) factor is a regulatory cytokine that inhibits random immune cell migration. MIF gene promoter polymorphisms play a role in the progression of several inflammatory disorders. Aims: To investigate the relationship between the MIF gene -173 G/C single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and AS. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: In this study, a total of 161 AS and 194 normal controls were recruited. The MIF gene -173 G/C SNP was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction using the restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: There was no significant difference between groups in terms of genotype distribution (p>0.05). When wild-type G/G and G/C+ C/C genotypes are compared in terms of clinical characteristics, there is a significant difference between the average age and the duration of disease in AS patients (p<0.05). Conclusion: No significant relationship between AS disease and MIF -173 G/C polymorphism was found. MIF -173 G/C polymorphism (C allele) may affect the time of onset and the duration of disease in AS patients.
Clock gating is an effective way to reduce the dynamic power in digital sequential circuits. In this paper, a gate-level activity correlation-based clustering clock-gating (CCG) technique is proposed for digital filters. The CCG technique exploits the correlations between flip-flops, and determines how to group the flip-flops for clock gating. An Activity Correlation Matrix (ACMtx) is introduced to describe the correlations between the flip-flops, and a greedy clustering algorithm is proposed to find an optimised clustering scheme as well. Experiments on ISCAS'89 benchmarks show that the proposed technique can reduce power consumption by 5.08% on average, on top of existing technique. For the circuits with large numbers of flip-flops, our proposed technique can save 15.84% more power on average.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Pathogenesis of accelerated atherosclerosis in PsA remains to be elucidated. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) often precedes manifesting atherosclerosis. This study aims to assess carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a marker of atherosclerosis in PsA, in context of markers of inflammation and vascular function. A cross-sectional study was performed in 18 PsA patients who were compared with 18 controls matched for age and sex. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) assessed by Angio Defender (Everist Health, Ann Arbor, MI), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) quantified by flow cytometry and CIMT measured ultrasonographically. Inflammatory measures included disease activity score of 28 joints count and disease activity index in psoriatic arthritis. We also assayed markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha), and endothelial dysfunction, including lipids, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesionmolecule 1 (VCAM-1), and EPCs. CIMT is significantly higher in PsA patients compared with controls (0.062 +/- 0.18 vs. 0.045 +/- 0.10 cm, p < 0.01) whereas FMD%, EPCs%, and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol are significantly reduced in PsA compared with controls (p < 0.05). Compared with controls, PsA patients had significantly increased concentrations of ESR, CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-6, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1. In PsA, CIMT positively correlated with IL-6 and ICAM-1 and inversely correlated with FMD, HDL, and EPCs (p < 0.05). In PsA, FMD and CIMT were impaired, indicating endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis, respectively. PsA-related inflammatory mechanisms (TNF-alpha, IL-6) and markers of vascular function (CRP, ICAM-1, and EPCs) may all be involved in the development of vascular disease in PsA. Cytokine-triggered inflammation upregulates expression of adhesion molecules, depletes EPCs with endothelial dysfunction, and increased CIMT in PsA.
The stage differentiation from trophozoite to cyst (i.e., encystation) is an essential step for Giardia to survive outside its human host and spread the infection via the fecal-oral route. We have previously shown that Giardia expresses glucosylceramide transferase 1 (G1cT1) enzyme, the activity of which is elevated during encystation. We have also reported that blocking the activity of gGlcT1 interferes with the biogenesis of encystation-specific vesicles (ESVs) and cyst viability in Giardia. To further understand the role of this enzyme and how it regulates encystation, we overexpressed, knocked down, and rescued the giardial GlcT1 (gGlcT1) gene and measured its enzymatic activity in live parasites as well as in isolated membrane fractions using NBD-ceramide and UDP-glucose or UDP-galactose. We observed that gGlcT1 is able to catalyze the synthesis of both glucosylceramide (GlcCer) and galactosylceramide (GalCer), however the synthesis of GalCer is 2-3 fold higher than of GlcCer. Although both activities follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics, the bindings of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose with the enzyme appear to be non-competitive and independent of each other. The modulation of gG1cT1 synthesis concomitantly influenced the expression cyst-wall protein (CWP) and overall encystation. We propose that gGlcT1 is a unique enzyme and that Giardia uses this enzyme to synthesize both GlcCer and GalCer to facilitate the process of encystation/cyst production. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Some addicted patients have social cognition deficits that require therapists to have special skills to ensure treatment success. Specific remediation techniques that teach addicted patients to look at the relevant emotional cues when interacting with people should be tested as adjunctive treatment.
This article examines the British National Party (BNP)'s opposition to gay men during the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on the sociological concept of homohysteria', it examines written material from BNP publications during those decades, looking specifically at the AIDS crisis, the party's belief in a queer conspiracy', and the role which homosexuality played in the decline of the National Front and the birth of the BNP. The first study dedicated to British fascism's anti-gay prejudice, this article argues that the existing scholarship fails to understand the degree and nature of anti-gay sentiment in the BNP, concluding that the party was homohysteric from its inception.
POLG gene encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase gamma, essential for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication and repair. Mutations in POLG have been linked to a spectrum of clinical phenotypes, resulting in autosomal recessive or dominant mitochondrial diseases. These mutations have been associated with heterogeneous phenotypes, presenting with varying severity and at different ages of onset, ranging from the neonatal period to late adult life. We screened 13 patients for POLG mutations. All patients underwent a complete neurological examination, and in most of cases, muscle biopsy was performed. We detected 15 different variations in 13 unrelated Italian patients. Two mutations were novel and mapped in the pol domain (p.Thr989dup and p.Ala847Thr) of the enzyme. We also report new cases carrying controversial variations previously described as incompletely penetrant or a variant of unknown significance. Our study increases the range of clinical presentations associated with mutations in POLG gene, underlining some peculiar clinical features, such as PEO associated with corneal edema, and epilepsy, severe neuropathy with achalasia. The addition of two new substitutions, including the second report of an in-frame duplication, to the growing list of defects increases the value of POLG genetic diagnosis in a range of neurological presentations.
Raindrop impact is an important process in soil erosion. Through its pressure and shear stress, raindrop impact causes a significant detachment of the soil material, making this material available for transport by sheet flow. Thanks to the accurate Navier-Stokes equations solver Gerris, we simulate the impact of a single raindrop of diameter D, at terminal velocity, on water layers of different thickness h: D/10, D/5, D/3, D/2, D, 2D, in order to study pressures and shear stresses involved in raindrop erosion. These complex numerical simulations help in understanding precisely the dynamics of the raindrop impact, quantifying in particular the pressure and the shear stress fields. A detailed analysis of these fields is performed and self-similar structures are identified for the pressure and the shear stress on the soil surface. The evolution of these self-similar structures are investigated as the aspect ratio h/D varies. We find that the pressure and the shear stress have a specific dependence on the ratio between the drop diameter and the water layer thickness, and that the scaling laws recently proposed in fluid mechanics are also applicable to raindrops, paving the road to obtain effective models of soil erosion by raindrops. In particular, we obtain a scaling law formula for the dependence of the maximum shear stress on the soil on the water depth, a quantity that is crucial for quantifying erosion materials. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gas chromatography (GC) has been an indispensable analytical technique ever since the first exciting steps in the application of fatty acid determinations in oilseed plant breeding, biosynthesis and human metabolism. Present-day GC methods with high-quality capillary columns allow sensitive and reproducible fatty acid analyses, as well as the characterization of complex mixtures of geometric isomers when combined with other chromatographic separations and spectroscopic identification. Ordinary GC analysis is well suited for a detailed follow-up of the changes in human tissue fatty acids derived from dietary fats providing, however, that all the steps in the methodology are carefully optimized. Plasma fatty acids act as excellent indicators, and the use of substitute fats can be found as dose-dependent correlations. Analysis of phospholipid (PL) fatty acid composition is especially useful for recognizing the competitive capability of essential fatty acids present in a particular dietary fat. A clear response is observed even at the level of minor fatty acids, i.e. both increased and decreased use of trans fatty acids are indicated by changes in the most abundant octadecenoic trans isomers. In addition to the expected associations with serum lipids, plasma fatty acid data are also useful in monitoring relationships with lipid oxidation parameters. GC analysis of fatty acids still has its traditional uses, but it is now faced with new challenges. Since the effects that arise from even moderate amounts of dietary essential fatty acids cannot be neglected, continuing research aimed at their requirements is of prime importance. Modification of fatty acid compositions by metabolic engineering offers good possibilities for producing new oilseed crops with a more balanced alpha-linolenic/linoleic acid (LA) ratio, preferably combined with a high oleic acid (OA) content. In the future, particular attention has to be paid to the proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet, which are the factors that finally determine the apparently unique balance of tissue n - 3 and n - 6 fatty acids and eicosanoids decisive for human health. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
We present a method to simulate the flow past bioinspired swimmers starting from pictures of an actual fish. The overall approach requires i) a skeleton graph generation to get a level-set function from pictures; ii) optimal transportation to obtain the velocity on the body surface; iii) flow simulations realized with a Cartesian method based on penalization. This technique can be used to automate modeling swimming motion from data collected by biologists. We illustrate this paradigm by simulating the swimming of a mackerel fish. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Age-associated alterations in cardiovascular structure and function induce cardiovascular disease in elderly subjects. To investigate the effects of normal vascular aging (NVA) and early vascular aging (EVA) on hemodynamic characteristics in the circle of Willis (CoW), a closed-loop one-dimensional computational model was developed based on fluid mechanics in the vascular system. The numerical simulations revealed that higher central pulse pressure and augmentation index (AIx) appear in the EVA subjects due to early arrival of reflected waves, resulted in the increase of cardiac afterload compared with the NVA subjects. Moreover, the hemodynamic characteristics in the CoW show that the EVA subjects in an older age display a higher blood pressure than that of the NVA with a complete CoW. Herein, the increased blood pressure and flow rate coexist in the subjects with an incomplete CoW. In conclusion, the hemodynamic characteristics in the aortic tree and CoW related to aging appear to play an important role in causing cardiovascular and intravascular disease.
Numerous studies have shown that playing violent video games alone increases subsequent aggression. However, social game play is becoming more popular than solo game play, and research suggests cooperative game play is beneficial for players. The current studies explore the effects of cooperative game play on player's subsequent aggressive behaviors toward video game partners (Experiment 1) and non-video game partners (Experiment 2), while providing a discussion of possible theories applicable to social video game play. Cooperative games resulted in less aggression between video game partners (Experiment 1) and between non-video game partners (Experiment 2) than did competitive or stand-alone games. Interestingly, cooperative game play and no-game play produced similar levels of aggression (Experiment 1), whereas competitive and solo game play produced similar levels of aggression (Experiment 2). These findings are consistent with the theory of bounded generalized reciprocity. Playing violent games cooperatively can offset the aggression-increasing effects of violent video games.
In simulated deep-sea environment, the evolution of impedance models and water transport behaviours of epoxy coating on 907A steel surface were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). By the fitting analysis of EIS, three equivalent electrical circuits (EEC) were proposed to the epoxy coating/907A steel system at 25 atm hydrostatic pressure for different immersion stages: good barrier property of the coating (Circuit A), active corrosion period at the beginning (Circuit B), and finally emergency of diffusion impedance (Circuit C). The evolution of coating capacitance indicated that water transport followed the Fickian diffusion behaviour during the initial stage at 25 atm hydrostatic pressure and at atmospheric pressure. High pressure accelerated diffusion rates of seawater into epoxy coatings, this shortened the period of water uptake of the coating that reached saturation. The similar chemical structures of epoxy coatings at two kinds of hydrostatic pressure were found from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (Fr-IR) - attenuated total reflection (ATR) measurements. High pressure of seawater accelerated the coating physical failure, and chemical structures of the coating did not change during the experiment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The present study evaluated the effectiveness of the Adults and Children Together (ACT) Raising Safe Kids Parenting Program for violence prevention in a developing country. The specific objectives were the following: (i) to compare parenting practices according to the mothers' perceptions pre- and post-intervention and (ii) to compare child behavior problems and resources according to mothers' and other caregivers' perceptions pre- and post-intervention. The participants were 82 Brazilian mothers of 3- to 8-year-old children. Another caregiver of the child was included in the study as a second informer about child behavior (n = 72). Mothers participated in the ACT program and pre- and post-intervention evaluations. The other primary caregiver only participated in the two evaluations of child behavior. The results showed that parenting practices improved significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Mothers and the other primary caregivers reported a significant decrease in child behavior problems from pre- to post-intervention with regard to total behavioral difficulties, emotional symptoms, and peer relationship scales. Mothers also reported a significant decrease in scores for conduct problems and hyperactivity and improvements in child behavioral capabilities with regard to prosocial behavior. In conclusion, improvements on parenting practices and child behavior were observed after the ACT program. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a nonlinear current-output digital to analog converter (DAC) employing a pseudo-exponential transconductance amplifier is presented. The proposed transconductance amplifier makes use of the code-dependent body-biasing to realize the exponential relationship of the output current to the input digital signal in the CMOS technology. A digital control unit is designed to provide a linearly code-dependent voltage to feed into the transconductance amplifier by charging a capacitor for a period determined by a counter which is loaded by the input digital code. The proposed DAC is simulated in a 180 nm standard CMOS technology. The accuracy of the exponential input-output characteristic is verified by the curve fitting of the simulation results where R-squared value of the fitted functions is greater than 0.999 in all process and temperature corners. The presented DAC consumed 79 mu W in the worst-case.
Based on the monitoring data of 78 monitoring stations from 2003 to 2012, five key water quality indexes (biochemical oxygen demand: BOD5, permanganate index: CODMn, dissolved oxygen: DO, ammonium nitrogen: NH3-N, and total phosphorus: TP) were selected to analyze their temporal and spatial characteristics in the highly disturbed Huaihe River Basin via Mann-Kendall trend analysis and boxplot analysis. The temporal and spatial variations of water pollutant concentrations in the Huaihe River Basin were investigated and analyzed to provide a scientific basis for water pollution control, water environment protection, and ecological restoration. The results indicated that the Yinghe River, Quanhe River, Honghe River, Guohe River, and Baohe River were the most seriously polluted rivers, followed by Hongze Lake, Luoma Lake, Yishuhe River, and Nansi Lake. BOD5, CODMn, and NH3-N were the major pollution indexes, for which the monitoring stations reported that more than 40 % of the water quality concentrations exceeded the class IV level. There were 21, 50, 36, and 21 monitoring stations that recorded significantly decreasing trends for BOD5, CODMn, NH3-N, and TP, respectively, and 39 monitoring stations showed a significantly increasing trend for DO. Moreover, the water quality concentrations had a certain concentricity and volatility according to boxplot analysis for the 20 monitoring stations. The majority of monitoring stations recorded a large fluctuation for the monitoring indexes in 2003 and 2004, which indicated that the water quality concentrations were unstable. According to the seasonal variations of the water quality concentrations in the mainstream of Huaihe River, the monthly variation trends of the BOD5, CODMn, DO, NH3-N, and TP concentrations were basically consistent among the seven monitoring stations. The BOD5, CODMn, NH3 -N, and TP concentrations were affected by the change of the stream discharge; changes in DO and NH3-N concentrations were influenced by the regional environmental temperature, and the DO and NH3-N concentrations decreased when the water temperature increased.
This paper identifies several directions to improve the performances of the operating mechanism for medium voltage circuit breakers in order to get variable moving characteristics of the moving contact adjusted to the value of the switching current. Different drive solutions currently used in the operation of vacuum circuit breakers and SF6 were analyzed comparatively, as well as the performances they have to meet depending on the application. The solution proposes the use of a system with a microprocessor able to independently control the operation of moving contacts by stepper motors and the acquisition of the circuit breaker functional parameters.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a spinal arthritic disease that is often associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27, while only part of HLA-B27 carriers become AS patients. T cells have been reported to play an important role in the pathology of AS. T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain-containing molecule 3 (Tim-3) and programmed death-1 (PD-1) have been known to negatively regulate the immune response. In this study, we used flow cytometry to analyze the immunological differences of peripheral blood from 21 patients with AS, 22 cases who didn't have AS but were found to be HLA-B27 positive (HLA-B27+ group), and 16 normal healthy individuals (Healthy group). The level of CD4(+), CD8(+) T cells, and Treg of each group was observed. The expression of Tim-3 and PD-1 and the production of IFN-gamma., IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-4, and IL-10 were examined as well. We found that the percentage of Treg in AS group was lower than that of healthy group. The expression of PD-1 on CD8(+) T cells and Tim-3 on CD4(+) T cells was lower in the AS group. AS group had lower IL-10 production by CD4(+) T cells and higher IL-6 production by CD8(+) T cells. The results of HLA-B27+ group were similar to that of the healthy group. These data suggested that patients with AS had an impairment in the ability to negatively regulate the immune response, which might be related to the etiology of AS. To further investigate the roles of Tim-3 and PD-1 on CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells, we tested IFN-gamma. and IL-10 production by Tim-3(+), Tim-3(-), PD-1(+),and PD-1(-) CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from AS patients. We found that Tim-3(+) CD4(+), Tim3(+) CD8(+) and PD-1(+) CD8(+) T cells produced more IL-10 than other subsets. In conclusion, there is a dysfunction of T cells in AS that is associated with PD-1 and Tim-3.
Introduction: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Recent advances in the field of proteomics and the development of new and highly sensitive mass spectrometers and quantitative techniques have provided new tools for advancing the molecular biology, cell biology, diagnosis and vaccine development for public health threats such as schistosomiasis.Areas covered: In this review we describe the latest advances in research that utilizes proteomics-based tools to address some of the key challenges to developing effective interventions against schistosomiasis. We also provide information about the potential of extracellular vesicles to advance the fight against this devastating disease.Expert commentary: Different proteins are already being tested as vaccines against schistosomiasis with promising results. The re-analysis of the Schistosoma spp. proteomes using new and more sensitive mass spectrometers as well as better separation approaches will help identify more vaccine targets in a rational and informed manner. In addition, the recent development of new proteome microarrays will facilitate characterisation of novel markers of infection as well as new vaccine and diagnostic candidate antigens.
Two forms of human cellular retinol-binding protein, type II [h CRBP(II)A and hCRBP(II)B], were purified from the small intestine in a three-step purification procedure. The N-terminal sequence of CRBP(II)A was determined to 36 residues and found to have only a single residue difference when compared with the N-terminal sequence in rat; the amino acid change maintained charge. hCRBP(II)B was blocked at the N-terminus, presumably because of N-acetylation of the initial threonine residue as previously established for CRBP(II)B from rat. This blockage did not affect the binding properties of the protein. The ability of pure hCRBP(II) to bind all-trans-retinol, retinal and retinoic acid was examined by competitive binding assay and compared with the binding specificity of pure human cellular retinol-binding protein (hCRBP). Retinoic acid did not compete with retinol for binding to either protein. Retinal competed with retinol for binding to hCRBP(II) but not to hCRBP, consistent with what was observed for the homologous proteins of rats. Polyclonal antiserum against hCRBP(II)B was produced that recognized both forms of hCRBP(II) in Western blotting and RIA but did not react with hCRBP. Distribution of hCRBP(II) was determined in the jejunum. Higher concentrations of hCRBP(II) were observed in the proximal portion compared with the distal portion. Although concentrations varied in individual intestinal samples, concentrations up to 1% of total mucosal protein were observed in some samples. These results provide tools for further investigation of the role of hCRBP(II) and suggest that previous results from rats, in this important aspect, are relevant to human metabolism of vitamin A.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) influences prosocial behavior(s), aggression, and stress responsiveness, and these diverse effects are regulated in a species-and context-specific manner. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a unique species with which to study context-dependent effects of OT, exhibiting a strict social hierarchy with behavioral specialization within the subordinate caste: soldiers are aggressive and defend colonies against unfamiliar conspecifics while workers are prosocial and contribute to in-colony behaviors such as pup care. To determine if OT is involved in subcaste-specific behaviors, we compared behavioral responses between workers and soldiers of both sexes during a modified resident/intruder paradigm, and quantified activation of OT neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) using the immediate-early-gene marker c-fos co-localized with OT neurons. Resident workers and soldiers were age-matched with unfamiliar worker stimulus animals as intruders, and encounters were videorecorded and scored for aggressive behaviors. Colony-matched controls were left in their home colony for the duration of the encounters. Brains were extracted and cell counts were conducted for OT immunoreactive (ir), c-fos-ir, and percentage of OT-c-fos double-labeled cells. Results indicate that resident workers were less aggressive but showed greater OT neural activity than soldiers. Furthermore, a linear model including social treatment, cortisol, and subcaste revealed that subcaste was the only significant predictor of OT-c-fos double-labeled cells in the PVN. These data suggest that in naked mole-rats OT promotes prosocial behaviors rather than aggression and that even within subordinates status exerts robust effects on brain and behavior. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction: This article is part of the Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on Pervasive Intelligent Technologies for Health. Background: Effective nonverbal communication between patients and clinicians fosters both the delivery of empathic patient-centered care and positive patient outcomes. Although nonverbal skill training is a recognized need, few efforts to enhance patient-clinician communication provide visual feedback on nonverbal aspects of the clinical encounter. Objectives: We describe a novel approach that uses social signal processing technology (SSP) to capture nonverbal cues in real time and to display ambient visual feedback on control and affiliation two primary, yet distinct dimensions of interpersonal nonverbal communication. To examine the design and clinician acceptance of ambient visual feedback on nonverbal communication, we 1) formulated a model of relational communication to ground SSP and 2) conducted a formative user study using mixed methods to explore the design of visual feedback. Methods: Based on a model of relational communication, we reviewed interpersonal communication research to map nonverbal cues to signals of affiliation and control evidenced in patient-clinician interaction. Corresponding with our formulation of this theoretical framework, we designed ambient real-time visualizations that reflect variations of affiliation and control. To explore clinicians' acceptance of this visual feedback, we conducted a lab study using the Wizard-of-Oz technique to simulate system use with 16 healthcare professionals. We followed up with seven of those participants through interviews to iterate on the design with a revised visualization that addressed emergent design considerations. Results: Ambient visual feedback on nonverbal communication provides a theoretically grounded and acceptable way to provide clinicians with awareness of their nonverbal communication style. We provide implications for the design of such visual feedback that encourages empathic patient-centered communication and include considerations of metaphor, color, size, position, and timing of feedback. Conclusions: Ambient visual feedback from SSP holds promise as an acceptable means for facilitating empathic patient-centered nonverbal communication.
Detecting artificial targets, such as aircraft, in satellite images is significant in military and civil applications. Although the performance has improved with the use of more complicated features and better learning methods, effectively handling aircraft with variations of type, pose, and size is still very challenging. To solve this problem, we propose a multiscale sliding-window framework based on aggregate channel features, well-designed features that contain rich information. We also employ a fast feature pyramids algorithm to accelerate multiscale aircraft detection. In this framework, features are trained by Cascade AdaBoost including multiple rounds of bootstrapping that leads to improved overall accuracy. A two-step nonmaximum suppression algorithm is carefully designed based on a given set of detections. Our method shows a competitive performance on the QuickBird images of 0.6 m resolution.
Background: Specific IgE (sIgE) antibody detection using the Siemens IMMULITE 3gAllergyTM (3gAllergy) assay have not been sufficiently examined for the diagnosis of food allergy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of measuring sIgE levels using the 3gAllergy assay to diagnose allergic reactions to egg, milk, and wheat. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on patients with diagnosed or suspected allergies to egg, milk and wheat. Patients were divided into two groups according to their clinical reactivity to these allergens based on oral food challenge outcomes and/or convincing histories of immediate reaction to causative food(s). The sIgE levels were measured using 3gAllergy and ImmunoCAP. Predicted probability curves were estimated using logistic regression analysis. Results: We analyzed 1561 patients, ages 0-19 y (egg = 436, milk = 499, wheat = 626). The sIgE levels determined using 3gAllergy correlated with those of ImmunoCAP, classifying 355 patients as symptomatic: egg = 149, milk = 123, wheat = 83. 3gAllergy sIgE levels were significantly higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic patients (P < 0.0001). Predictive probability for positive food allergy was significantly increased and correlated with increased sIgE levels. The cut-offs for allergic reaction with 95% predictive probability as determined by the 3gAllergy probability curves were different from those of ImmunoCAP. Conclusions: Measurements of sIgE against egg, milk, and wheat as determined by 3gAllergy may be used as a tool to facilitate the diagnosis of food allergy in subjects with suspected food allergies. However, these probability curves should not be applied interchangeably between different assays. Copyright (C) 2016, Japanese Society of Allergology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Recently, two chemotherapy regimens have proven to improve median overall survival in comparison with gemcitabine. Based on better understanding of tumor molecular biology and of the role of tumor microenvironment, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) could be an interesting and new type of targeted treatment of PDAC. Areas covered: Preclinical and clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of several mAbs in pancreatic cancer treatment. This review will underline the most important targeted pathways by mAbs involved in this disease, including EGFR, HER-2, IGF-1 R, VEGF/VEGFR, NOTCH, WNT and immune checkpoints. Expert opinion: Despite the promising results of preclinical and phase I trials, the addition of mAbs to standard chemotherapy or in association with other target agents seems not to confirm these results in the following phase II and III trials in pancreatic cancer patients. However, an improved patient selection before treatment based on molecular characteristics in association with reliable predictive biomarkers can identified more efficacious treatment approaches, minimizing toxicity profile of these drugs.
Introduction: Surgical simulators are designed to improve operative skills and patient safety. Transcanal Endoscopic Ear Surgery (TEES) is a relatively new surgical approach with a slow learning curve due to one-handed dissection. A reusable and customizable 3-dimensional (3D)-printed endoscopic ear surgery simulator may facilitate the development of surgical skills with high fidelity and low cost. Herein, we aim to design, fabricate, and test a low-cost and reusable 3D-printed TEES simulator. Methods: The TEES simulator was designed in computer-aided design (CAD) software using anatomic measurements taken from anthropometric studies. Cross sections from external auditory canal samples were traced as vectors and serially combined into a mesh construct. A modified tympanic cavity with a modular testing platform for simulator tasks was incorporated. Components were fabricated using calcium sulfate hemihydrate powder and multiple colored infiltrants via a commercial inkjet 3D-printing service. Results: All components of a left-sided ear were printed to scale. Six right-handed trainees completed three trials each. Mean trial time (n = 3) ranged from 23.03 to 62.77 s using the dominant hand for all dissection. Statistically significant differences between first and last completion time with the dominant hand (p < 0.05) and average completion time for junior and senior residents (p < 0.05) suggest construct validity. Conclusions: A 3D-printed simulator is feasible for TEES simulation. Otolaryngology training programs with access to a 3D printer may readily fabricate a TEES simulator, resulting in inexpensive yet highfidelity surgical simulation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Northeastern Mexico is a semiarid region with water scarcity and a strong pressure on water sources caused by the rapid increase of population and industrialization. In this region, rainwater harvesting alone is not enough to meet water supply demands due to the irregular distribution of rainfall in time and space. Thus, in this study the reliability of integrating rainwater harvesting with greywater reuse to reduce water consumption and minimize wastewater generation in the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, was assessed. Potable water consumption and greywater generation in main facilities of the campus were determined. Rainwater that can be potentially harvested in roofs and parking areas of the campus was estimated based on a statistical analysis of the rainfall. Based on these data, potential water savings and wastewater minimization were determined. Characterization of rainwater and greywater was carried out to determine the treatment necessities for each water source. Additionally, the capacity of water storage tanks was estimated. For the selected treatment systems, an economic assessment was conducted to determine the viability of the alternatives proposed. Results showed that water consumption can be reduced by 48% and wastewater generation can be minimized by 59%. Implementation of rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems in the Monterrey Campus will generate important economic benefits to the institution. Amortization of the investments will be achieved in only six years, where the net present value (NPV) will be on the order of US $50,483.2, the internal rate of return (IRR) of 4.6% and the benefits-investment ratio (B/I) of 1.7. From the seventh year, the project will present an IRR greater than the minimum acceptable rate of return (MARR). In a decade, the IRR will be 14.4%, more than twice the MARR, the NPV of US $ 290,412.1 and the B/I of 3.1, denoting economic feasibility. Based on these results, it is clear that integrating rainwater harvesting with greywater reuse resulted in a more feasible and reliable strategy than those strategies based only on rainwater harvesting. Furthermore, the investments can be amortized in a shorter period of time.
When lacking explicit knowledge of someone's sexual orientation, gay people commonly assess the likelihood that another is gay using their gaydar. The term gaydar is a playful mix of the word gay with radar, suggesting that one can sense, intuit, or perceive some set of characteristics in another that signal a shared minority status. While commonly mentioned, the exact criteria a gay person uses when employing their gaydar are little discussed. Drawing methodologically on a series of five focus groups of self-identified lesbians and gay men, this study explores the physical, visual, energetic, and conversational cues gay people consider when they employ the trope of gaydar. Specifically, interview subjects most often described their gaydar as triggered by the following elements: physical presentation, including mannerisms, dress, and voice; interactions, especially eye contact; a presence or absence of certain conversational social norms; and, intangibly, as a kind of energetic exchange.
Optical projection lithography has been the workhorse of the integrate circuit (IC) manufacturing industry to transfer the computer-aided design (CAD) to semiconducting material wafers. The resolution limit of the 193 nm wavelength lithography which was initially targeted for the 90 nm design rule has been further extended to realise approximate to 10-20 nm devices with ingenious interventions. The three-dimensional fin-shaped field-effect transistor device structure now realise the <20 nm design rule still using 193 nm projection lithography as the widely accepted solution. The extreme ultraviolet wavelength source systems are still in development and testing phases with some recent success reported, but still falling short of supporting volume production requirements. This study reviews the current trends in lithography and the associated resolution enhancement techniques with brief introduction to an integrated CAD analysis for hotspot detection.
Strawberry is an ideal model for studying the molecular biology of the development and ripening of non-climacteric fruits. Hormonal regulation of gene expression along all these processes in strawberries is still to be fully elucidated. Although auxins and ABA have been pointed out as the major regulatory hormones, few high-throughput analyses have been carried out to date. The role for ethylene and gibberellins as regulatory hormones during the development and ripening of the strawberry fruit remain still elusive. By using a custom-made and high-quality oligo microarray platform done with over 32,000 probes including all of the genes actually described in the strawberry genome, we have analysed the expression of genes during the development and ripening in the receptacles of these fruits. We classify these genes into two major groups depending upon their temporal and developmental expression. First group are genes induced during the initial development stages. The second group encompasses genes induced during the final maturation and ripening processes. Each of these two groups has been also divided into four sub-groups according their pattern of hormonal regulation. By analyzing gene expression, we clearly show that auxins and ABA are the main and key hormones that combined or independently are responsible of the development and ripening process. Auxins are responsible for the receptacle fruit development and, at the same timeA prevent ripening by repressing crucial genes. ABA regulates the expression of the vast majority of genes involved in the ripening. The main genes expressed under the control of these hormones are presented and their physiological rule discussed. We also conclude that ethylene and gibberellins do not seem to play a prominent role during these processes.
The flow of muck and cuttings in the face, cutterhead, cutting chamber, and screw conveyor determines the pressure profile of the excavated soil as well as its impact on the wear of the related components in a soft ground tunneling machine. This paper discusses the use of Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) to simulate the flow characteristic of the conditioned soil in the screw conveyor of Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) tunnel boring machine. In this simulation, conditioned soil assumed to behavior as a Bingham plastic fluid. Back analysis method in conjunction with CFD modeling is used to calculate the rheological properties of soil from a set of known screw conveyor torque read outs from a machine operating in Seattle, WA. The error of the torque values between the simulation results and actual field data is in the range of 0.1-6.2%. This illustrate that the CFD method can simulate the soil movement in the screw conveyor of EPB machines. The results also indicates that the same approach can be used to optimize the machine design to minimize torque and wear as well as optimizing machine operating parameters during the tunneling operation to improve productivity and have a better control of the face pressure. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: To investigate the concentration of serum Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and -9 in active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) during infliximab treatment and to evaluate whether MMP-3 and MMP-9 were associated with clinical measures of disease activity and function in AS. Method: Baseline and sequential serum MMP-3 and MMP-9 were examined at week 12 of infliximab treatment in 44 AS patients. The clinical sores were evaluated by ASDAS, BASFI, BASMI, ESR and CRP. The paired T-test and Spearman correlation analysis were used for statistic analysis. Results: (1) Serum MMP-3 and MMP-9 and clinical scores including ASDAS, BASFI, BASMI, ESR and CRP of 44 AS patients significantly decreased when they were treated with infliximab for 12 weeks (P<0.05). (2) AS with peripheral arthritis (PA) patients had higher MMP-3 level than AS without PA patients (P<0.01). Contrastly, AS without PA patients had higher MMP-9 level (P<0.05). (3) The association was found between MMP-3 and ESR, CRP, ASDAS and BASFI (P<0.01), and MMP-9 was associated with CRP, ASDAS, BASFI and BASMI (P<0.05). (4) After 12 weeks, the decrease of MMP-3 was associated with the improvement of ASDAS, BASFI, ESR, CRP, but not with BASMI. The decline of MMP-9 was correlated with the improvement of ASDAS, BASMI and CRP. (5) There were thirty-seven responders and seven non-responders according to the improvement of ASDAS criteria at week 12 after infliximab infusion. Responders have higher baseline serum MMP-3 than that of non-responders (P<0.01), but not MMP-9. Conclusions: Serum MMP-3 and MMP-9 decreased significantly in active AS patients during infliximab therapy and their decline was associated with the improvement of clinical syndromes. Infliximab responders have higher baseline serum MMP-3 not MMP-9 level than that in infliximab non-responders.
Parents are real beneficiaries of school services. Their involvement in school based activities has changed the role breadth of teachers. Schools can handle this parental involvement through the extra-role behaviors of teachers. These beyond the job behaviors or organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) of teachers are crucial for the schools. Despite the prescribed roles and duties, the schools cannot predict and infer through formally stated in-role job description, the entire range of extra-role behavior exhibited by teachers during and after school. In this study, teacher's role breadth is examined under the broad spectrum of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) which resulted into a conceptual model on the determinants of teacher's OCB. A qualitative evaluation (grounded theory) of 40 interviews has been conducted with all the stakeholders of school in India viz., principals, fellow-teachers, students, and parents. The most striking finding is that teachers are displaying prosocial behavior. Teacher's OCB is found to have three determinants-OCB-Individual, OCB-Organization and OCB-Prosocial. Involvement of parents in school are redesigning and affecting the actions of teacher. Further, the implications and directions for future research have also been discussed.
This investigation explores the relationship between verbal and non-verbal communication and coexistence in school settings among 30 fourth grade students between the ages of 8 and 11 from a district school. The data collection methods used were the participant observation and the semi-structured interview. After analyzing the information recorded, it is shown that students identify the characteristics of verbal and non-verbal communication and link them to their social behavior at school; thus, the article acknowledges the importance of communication and coexistence habits learned at home and which, together with those acquired at school, become patterns that guide their behavior. This favors the understanding of coexistence processes in schools.
Aiming at efficiently aware the network security situation, we proposed a framework of Network Security Situation Awareness on the base of Cloud Model. With network security situation elements at the core, we modified the Cloud Model to a novel concept, situation cloud, which act as theoretical foundation in the transition between the qualitative and quantitative representation on situation elements. Finally, the experimental results showed that these two kind of representations can directly summarize the security condition of network as well as precisely recognize the changes of situation elements.
Autoimmune diseases arise due to the loss of immunological self-tolerance. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important mediators of immunologic self-tolerance. Tregs represent about 5 - 10% of the mature CD4+ T cell subpopulation in mice and humans, with about 1 - 2% of those Tregs circulating in the peripheral blood. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into functional Tregs, which have a potential to be used for cell-based therapies of autoimmune diseases. Here, we present a method to develop antigen (Ag)-specific Tregs from iPSCs (i.e., iPSC-Tregs). The method is based on incorporating the transcription factor FoxP3 and an Ag-specific T cell receptor (TCR) into iPSCs and then differentiating on OP9 stromal cells expressing Notch ligands delta-like (DL) 1 and DL4. Following in vitro differentiation, the iPSC-Tregs express CD4, CD8, CD3, CD25, FoxP3, and Ag-specific TCR and are able to respond to Ag stimulation. This method has been successfully applied to cell-based therapy of autoimmune arthritis in a murine model. Adoptive transfer of these Ag-specific iPSC-Tregs into Ag-induced arthritis (AIA)bearing mice has the ability to reduce joint inflammation and swelling and to prevent bone loss.
Aims In cystic and solid pancreatic lesions, KRAS mutational status refines the diagnosis of uncertain endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) aspirates. This test should have a fast turnaround time and ideally be performed at the centre where the patient is diagnosed. The Idylla KRAS Mutation Test enables standardisation even in units without molecular expertise. Methods The Idylla test was designed for use with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) sections. However, we directly pipetted 3 mu L (corresponding to 1/10th of a DNA preparation from the aspirate sample) in the cartridge, which was automatically run as if an FFPE sample had been inserted. The performance was compared with Sanger sequencing, Allele Specific Locked Nucleic Acid PCR (ASLNAqPCR), and 454 Next Generation Sequencing (454-NGS) in light of clinicopathological end points. Results Idylla yielded valid results in 49/52 (94.2%) cases, in 2h. A total of 18/49 cases showed mutation either in KRAS exon 2 (14/18) or in exon 3 (4/18). Idylla KRAS test had 100% specificity and a sensitivity (55.1%) higher than Sanger sequencing (41.3%) and identical to ASLNAqPCR (55.1%). When the low-abundant mutant allele (<5%) cases were excluded from the analysis, the Idylla KRAS Mutation Test clinical sensitivity increased to 61.9% approaching that of 454-NGS (66.6%). Conclusions This is the first study that applied the novel Idylla KRAS test to the clinical setting of pancreatic cancer. In particular, this system can be easily implemented in the routine assessment of pancreatic EUS-fine-needle aspiration-derived DNA samples to quickly provide information on KRAS mutational status to supplement cytological evaluation.
Background: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) usage is associated with kidney injury. Rise in serum creatinine (sCr) often represents irreversible process. Thus to assess the early effects of regular NSAID use, we studied sensitive serum and urine biomarkers of kidney injury. Methods: In a protocol-based intervention study, 103 subjects were enrolled in 3 mutually exclusive groups. Group 1 included 37 healthy controls having minimal baseline NSAID exposure as per a definition, and group 2 had 41 spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients on regular NSAID therapy for >3 months. Group 3 included 25 SpA patients having minimal NSAID exposure at baseline. Blood and urine samples were collected from all the 3 groups at baseline. Furthermore, group 3 was started on 6-week regular NSAID therapy, and blood and urine samples were re-collected at 1, 6, and 12 weeks. Baseline normal kidney function as per the definition was ensured in all the subjects. Creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), cystatin-C, and microalbumin were measured in urine and serum samples to assess kidney injury. Results: Kidney injury biomarkers were 2-3-fold higher in SpA patients using regular NSAID therapy compared to healthy controls and SpA patients having minimal NSAID exposure (uKIM-1 and uNGAL p < 0.0001, sKIM-1 and sNGAL p = 0.001). There was no difference in sCr and estimated glomerular filtration rate using Cockcroft Gault equation between the groups. In SpA patients started on 6 weeks of regular NSAID (group 3), biomarker levels started rising at week 1 and showed a significant rise at week 6. The levels in the patients that stopped NSAID use at 6 weeks showed reversibility at 12 weeks. Conclusions: Regular NSAID use in SpA patients induces subclinical kidney injury represented by rise in biomarkers. These levels start rising as early as 7 days of regular NSAID use and are reversible on stopping the drug. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel
The paper presents a novel computer vision-based traffic surveillance system capable of processing aerial imagery to track vehicles and their movements. The system uses a preprocessed 1-Hz image sequence with a coverage of 64.80 km(2) (25 sq mi) from an aerial camera array mounted on an airplane. The unique characteristics of the input data make this work challenging. Heuristic and machine-learning approaches are combined and evaluated to detect and track vehicles for the purpose of collecting speed, density, and volume data for uninterrupted flow corridors, which are useful for big-data monitoring of traffic parameters over an entire 64.80 km2 (25 sq mi) area with a single sensor. The deep learning combined with speeded up robust features (SURF)-based approach is able to achieve over 94, 93, and 92% accuracies in speed, density, and volume estimates, respectively, on 50 s of data when compared with manually collected ground truth. It has 100% accuracy in measuring level of service (LOS) for the uninterrupted flow facilities tested. These evaluations were conducted for facilities of different levels of congestion as indicated by the different levels of service. With further research, improved preprocessing, and a higher frame rate, the accuracy of tracking vehicles can be improved, which will allow for other potential applications such as identification of erratic drivers and origin-destination studies. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Dormant tailings storage facilities (TSFs) have negative effects on their surrounding environments and communities. This study is aimed at determining the financial and practical feasibility of generating energy from the ERGO TSF site, near Brakpan, Johannesburg, as a beneficial post-closure land use option. The beneficial post-closure options investigated were rainwater harvesting and electricity generation from wind power, photo voltaic solar power and a pump storage system constructed on the TSF. Wind power generation and rainwater harvesting from the site were found to be unviable. It was found that a 470 MW (peak capacity) solar photo voltaic plant on top of the ERGO TSF will provide the best solution, both from a practical and financial point of view, yielding a potential internal rate of return (IRR) of 10.7% over 50 years. A pump storage system yields a maximum IRR of 10.3%, but with a substantially smaller generation capacity of approximately 80 MW.
Cell culture in three-dimensional hollow cylindrical porous scaffolds in radial-flow packed-bed bioreactors (rPBBs) has advantages over static culture and axial perfusion bioreactors. Transport models of rPBBs for tissue engineering proposed thus far neglect the effect of the fluid dynamics of the bioreactor void spaces on radial flux maldistribution, although such an effect was proven important for industrial reactors. In this paper, a two-dimensional axisymmetric model is proposed for steady-state momentum transport in the three compartments of rPBBs under conditions and for construct permeability typical of tissue engineering applications. Transport in the inner hollow cavity and outer peripheral annulus is described according to Navier-Stokes equations, while Darcy-Brinkman equation is used for transport across the annular construct. Model predictions were qualitatively validated against literature data. Effects of the performance-determining dimensionless groups on radial flux distribution along the bioreactor length were investigated, and a criterion was proposed to design and operate rPBBs in which radial fluxes are uniformly distributed along the bioreactor length under conditions typical of tissue engineering. Bioreactor designs and operation meeting the criterion will avoid non-uniform development of tissue structure and functional properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Regression analysis using orthogonal polynomials in the time domain is used to derive a digital filter with an infinite impulse response that satisfies maximally flat design constraints near dc. The low-frequency phase, and high-frequency gain, may be adjusted for lead or lag compensation of plant dynamics. Simulated design examples are used to show how the compensating filter may be intuitively tuned for the desired closed-loop response. It is shown that the second-order instantiation of the compensating filter reduces to a proportional-differential plus filter controller, with improved noise attenuation; closed-form expressions for the filter coefficients, as a function of two design parameters, are provided.
Shear-mode piezoelectric materials have been widely used to shunt the damping of vibrations where utilizing surface or interface shear stresses. The thick-shear mode (TSM) elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor can change correspondingly when piezoelectric materials are shunted to different electrical circuits. This phenomenon makes it possible to control the performance of a shear-mode piezoelectric damping system through designing the shunt circuit. However, due to the difficulties in directly measuring the TSM elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor of piezoelectric materials, the relationships between those parameters and the shunt circuits have rarely been investigated. In this paper, a coupling TSM electro-mechanical resonant system is proposed to indirectly measure the variations of the TSM elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor of piezoelectric materials. The main idea is to transform the variations of the TSM elastic constant and the mechanical loss factor into the changes of the easily observed resonant frequency and electrical quality factor of the coupling electro-mechanical resonator. Based on this model, the formular relationships are set up theoretically with Mason equivalent circuit method and they are validated with finite element (FE) analyses. Finally, a prototype of the coupling electro-mechanical resonator is fabricated with two shear-mode PZT5A plates to investigate the TSM elastic constants and the mechanical loss factors of different circuit-shunted cases of the piezoelectric plate. Both the resonant frequency shifts and the bandwidth changes observed in experiments are in good consistence with the theoretical and FE analyses under the same shunt conditions. The proposed coupling resonator and the obtained relationships are validated with but not limited to PZT5A.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are characterized by localized interactions, that is, protocols are often based on message exchanges within a node's direct radio range. We recognize that for these protocols to work effectively, nodes must have consistent information about their shared neighborhoods. Different types of faults, however, can affect this information, severely impacting a protocol's performance. We factor this problem out of existing WSN protocols and argue that a notion of neighborhood view consistency (NVC) can be embedded within existing designs to improve their performance. To this end, we study the problem from both a theoretical and a system perspective. We prove that the problem cannot be solved in an asynchronous system using any of Chandra and Toueg's failure detectors. Because of this, we introduce a new software device called pseudocrash failure detector (PCD), study its properties, and identify necessary and sufficient conditions for solving NVC with PCDs. We prove that, in the presence of transient faults, NVC is impossible to solve with any PCDs, thus define two weaker specifications of the problem. We develop a global algorithm that satisfies both specifications in the presence of unidirectional links, and a localized algorithm that solves the weakest specification in networks of bidirectional links. We implement the latter atop two different WSN operating systems, integrate our implementations with four different WSN protocols, and run extensive micro-benchmarks and full-stack experiments on a real 90-node WSN testbed. Our results show that the performance significantly improves for NVC-equipped protocols; for example, the Collection Tree Protocol (CTP) halves energy consumption with higher data delivery.
BACKGROUNDWeeds can be a greater constraint to crop production than animal pests and pathogens. Pre-emergence herbicides are crucial in many cropping systems to control weeds that have evolved resistance to selective post-emergence herbicides. In this study we assessed the potential to evolve resistance to the pre-emergence herbicides prosulfocarb + S-metolachlor or pyroxasulfone in 50 individual field Lolium rigidum populations collected in a random survey in Western Australia prior to commercialisation of these pre-emergence herbicides. RESULTSThis study shows for the first time that in randomly collected L. rigidum field populations the selection with either prosulfocarb + S-metolachlor or pyroxasulfone can result in concomitant evolution of resistance to both prosulfocarb + S-metolachlor and pyroxasulfone after three generations. CONCLUSIONSIn the major weed L. rigidum, traits conferring resistance to new herbicides can be present before herbicide commercialisation. Proactive and multidisciplinary research (evolutionary ecology, modelling and molecular biology) is required to detect and analyse resistant populations before they can appear in the field. Several studies show that evolved cross-resistance in weeds is complex and often unpredictable. Thus, long-term management of cross-resistant weeds must be achieved through heterogeneity of selection by effective chemical, cultural and physical weed control strategies that can delay herbicide resistance evolution. (c) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
The microaggression concept has recently galvanized public discussion and spread to numerous college campuses and businesses. I argue that the microaggression research program (MRP) rests on five core premises, namely, that microaggressions (1) are operationalized with sufficient clarity and consensus to afford rigorous scientific investigation; (2) are interpreted negatively by most or all minority group members; (3) reflect implicitly prejudicial and implicitly aggressive motives; (4) can be validly assessed using only respondents' subjective reports; and (5) exert an adverse impact on recipients' mental health. A review of the literature reveals negligible support for all five suppositions. More broadly, the MRP has been marked by an absence of connectivity to key domains of psychological science, including psychometrics, social cognition, cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavior genetics, and personality, health, and industrial-organizational psychology. Although the MRP has been fruitful in drawing the field's attention to subtle forms of prejudice, it is far too underdeveloped on the conceptual and methodological fronts to warrant real-world application. I conclude with 18 suggestions for advancing the scientific status of the MRP, recommend abandonment of the term microaggression, and call for a moratorium on microaggression training programs and publicly distributed microaggression lists pending research to address the MRP's scientific limitations.
Non-verbal expressions of pride convey status. But pride displays can be interpreted as either authentic or hubristic. Given negative stereotypes about Blacks, we hypothesized that when displaying pride, Blacks would be rated higher in hubristic and lower in authentic pride compared to Whites. Contrary to predictions, three experiments found consistent evidence that Whites are judged to be more hubristic than Blacks when displaying pride. This effect occurred when pride was displayed in an unspecified (Study 1), academic (Study 2), or work-related context (Study 3). Effects were largely specific to pride displays and not a function of a general race-based response bias. We speculate that these counterintuitive findings might reflect a negative reaction to those with high status flaunting their success.
Interspecific aggression between sibling species may enhance discrimination of competitors when recognition errors are costly, but proximate mechanisms mediating increased discriminative ability are unclear. We studied behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying responses to conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations in Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina), a species in which males sing to repel rivals. We performed playback experiments using males in allopatry and sympatry with a dominant heterospecific (Scotinomys xerampelinus) and examined song-evoked induction of egr-1 in the auditory system to examine how neural tuning modulates species-specific responses. Heterospecific songs elicited stronger neural responses in sympatry than in allopatry, despite eliciting less singing in sympatry. Our results refute the traditional neuroethological concept of a matched filter and instead suggest expansion of sensory sensitivity to mediate competitor recognition in sympatry.
The paper describes the creation of modelling and simulative tool of Petri nets by means of which it is possible to simulate processes and it enables a vast tool support in the fields of model check, graphically oriented simulation and software verification. The advantage of process modelling with Petri nets is their formal description, which refills the graphical display. There are numbers of editors and tools for Petri nets modelling and simulation on the market. By the use of the created simulation tool of Petri nets it will be possible to model and simulate and consequently to form the processes running on the systems. The important aims of the designed tool is to create, model and visualize processes in the operating systems of PC, to create appropriate models which optimize progress in educational processes and to implement IF-THEN rules into modellig processes. The first part is concerned with the definition of the basic terminology from the fields of modelling, the principles of modelling and simulation, and the basic features of Petri nets. The implementation of forming into Petri nets tools has given a strong tool to model real processes. By means of the created tool it will be possible to model and simulate the processes in operating systems, educational processes in LMS and possible to model IF-THEN rules, or fuzzy Petri nets.
The management of water resources during the dry season is a major challenge associated with rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology, but is necessary given the human suffering that follows from resulting conditions of water scarcity. In this study, the parameters for dry season assessment are defined in terms of 'no water days' (NWD) and rainwater usage ratio. A simple socio-technical operational strategy making use of a water level monitoring system is proposed for NWD reduction. This involves water level monitoring, whereby daily water demand varies with user cooperation, as based on the available water in a tank. The results of our study show that an NWD as low as 10 can be achieved as compared with the current value of 115 days, before considering investment on additional roof catchments and tank volume. These parameters are useful for analyzing any type of rooftop RWH system. Furthermore, this operational strategy can be made practical and simplified by incorporating an easily visible and understood guideline onto the RWH system. This strategy is replicable anywhere in the world, with consideration of site-specific conditions such as rainfall amounts, roof sizes, and population.
A boundary layer analysis is presented for the stagnation point flow towards a nonlinearly stretching/shrinking sheet immersed in a micropolar non-Newtonian nanofluid. As the material parameter, namely, the vortex viscosity parameter K increases, the friction factor and wall couple stresses decrease whereas the heat and mass transfer rates decrease. As the thermophoresis parameter N-T increases, friction factor as well as heat and mass transfer rates increase. As the Brownian motion parameter N-B increases, friction factor and mass transfer rates increase, whereas the heat transfer rates decrease. As the parameter Nc increases, heat transfer rate increases whereas the mass transfer rates decrease. As the Scmidt number, Sc increases, the friction factor, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers increase.
The seasonality of fruits and vegetables makes it impossible to consume and use them throughout the year, thus numerous processing efforts have been made to offer an alternative to their fresh consumption and application. To prolong their availability on the market, drying has received special attention as currently this method is considered one of the most common ways for obtaining food and pharmaceutical products from natural sources. This paper demonstrates the weakness of common drying methods applied for fruits and vegetables and the possible ways to improve the quality using different drying techniques or their combination with an emphasis on the microwave energy. Particular attention has been drawn to the combined drying with the assistance of vacuum-microwaves. The quality of the dried products was ascribed by chemical properties including the content of polyphenols, antioxidant capacity and volatiles as well as physical parameters such as color, shrinkage, porosity and texture. Both these fields of quality classification were considered taking into account sensory attributes and energy aspects in the perspective of possible industrial applications. In conclusion, the most promising way for improving the quality of dried fruit and vegetable products is hybrid drying consisting of osmotic dehydration in concentrated fruit juices followed by heat pump drying and vacuum-microwave finish drying.
The estimation of material properties is important for scene understanding, with many applications in vision, robotics, and structural engineering. This paper connects fundamentals of vibration mechanics with computer vision techniques in order to infer material properties from small, often imperceptible motions in video. Objects tend to vibrate in a set of preferred modes. The frequencies of these modes depend on the structure and material properties of an object. We show that by extracting these frequencies from video of a vibrating object, we can often make inferences about that object's material properties. We demonstrate our approach by estimating material properties for a variety of objects by observing their motion in high-speed and regular frame rate video.
Coral reefs maintain extraordinary biodiversity and provide protection from tsunamis and storm surge, but inshore coral reef health is degrading in many regions due to deteriorating water quality. Deconvolving natural and anthropogenic changes to water quality is hampered by the lack of long term, dated water quality data but such records are required for forward modelling of reef health to aid their management. Reef corals provide an excellent archive of high resolution geochemical (trace element) proxies that can span hundreds of years and potentially provide records used through the Holocene. Hence, geochemical proxies in corals hold great promise for understanding changes in ancient water quality that can inform broader oceanographic and climatic changes in a given region. This article reviews and highlights the use of coral-based trace metal archives, including metal transported from rivers to the ocean, incorporation of trace metals into coral skeletons and the current 'state of the art' in utilizing coral trace meatl proxies as tools for monitoring various types of local and regional source-specific pollution ( river discharge, land use changes, dredging and dumping, mining, oil spills, antifouling paints, atmospheric sources, sewage). The three most commonly used coral trace element proxies (i.e., Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca, and Y/Ca) are closely associated with river runoff in the Great Barrier Reef, but considerable uncertainty remains regarding their complex biogeochemical cycling and controlling mechanisms. However, coral-based water quality reconstructions have suffered from a lack of understanding of so-called vital effects and early marine diagenesis. The main challenge is to identify and eliminate the influence of extraneous local factors in order to allow accurate water quality reconstructions and to develop alternate proxies to monitor water pollution. Rare earth elements have great potential as they are self-referencing and reflect basic terrestrial input. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Stone columns installed in extremely soft soils may significantly reduce the effectiveness of this treatment due to the insufficient lateral confinement provided by the soft soil. The encasement of columns with geotextiles is commonly used in these cases with satisfactory results thanks to the extra confinement provided by the geotextile to the column. The influence of the encasement on the behavior of stone columns is studied by means of drained triaxial tests performed on encased and non-encased samples of gravel. Two different densities of the gravel and two different geotextiles were tested. This study is focused on the increase in strength of encased samples compared with non-encased ones, the extra confining pressure provided by the geotextiles and the mobilized friction angle of the gravel. All of the results show the improvement achieved when the gravel is encased with the geotextiles. This effect is more significant at lower confining pressures. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Internet is playing a more and more important role in today's society. Wireless network and mobile devices are becoming part of our lives. So it's significant to learn about information of the users or network usage for both network researchers and managers of fixed/wireless network. Previous methods of user characterizing and network usage are mostly based on TCP traffic study. But when facing to a large amount of users, raw packet capturing and storing would be difficult. Also, there were previous methods researched the fixed network or wireless network, but a comparative study is hardly seen. So in this paper, we measured the large-scale fixed and wireless network of our campus via DHCP analysis. We analyzed the user behavior such as distribution of user online time, user count and join/leave time-stamps. We also studied about users' operating systems by introducing DHCP OS fingerprinting. We found some interesting results, which revealed the trend of mobile network and some challenges might be brought in.
The authors performed bilateral malar reconstruction using polyether ether ketone implants in 3 patients with TreacherCollins syndrome with absent, as opposed to hypoplastic, zygomata. These patient-specific implants were fabricated using computed-aided design software reformatted from three-dimensional bony preoperative computed tomography images. The first time the authors performed this procedure the implant compressed the globe resulting in temporary anisocoria that was quickly recognized intraoperatively. The implant was immediately removed and the patient made a full-recovery with no ocular disturbance. The computer-aided design and manufacturing process was adjusted to include periorbital soft-tissue boundaries to aid in contouring the new implants. The same patient, and 2 further patients, subsequently underwent malar reconstruction using this soft tissue periorbital boundary fabrication process with an additional 2mm relief removed from the implant's orbital surface. These subsequent procedures were performed without complication and with pleasing aesthetic results. The authors describe their experience and the salutary lessons learnt.
The objective of this paper is to assess the potential for energy savings in water and sewerage services by means of on-site integratedwater and sewage management strategies in low-income households in Florianopolis, Brazil. The on-site water efficiency measures include reclamation of gray water and rainwater use. Thewater and energy saving potential of both strategies were studied, and their energy intensities were compared to centralized water and sewerage services. Furthermore, the water consumption pattern for 10 low-income households was empirically determined using smart meters; the rainwater supply was estimated by using the computer program Netuno 4.0; and the water supply and sewage reduction potential of graywater systemswere determined using a theoretical method. On average, the gray water and rainwater supply capacities were equivalent to 24% and 43% of the total water consumption of households, respectively. In regard to energy savings, rainwater harvesting was the most energy intensive strategy (0.86 kWh/m(3)), followed by centralized systems (0.84 kWh/m(3)); whereas, gray water was the most energy efficient strategy (0.54 kWh/m(3)). The findings suggest that alternative water and sewerage services may promote energy savings in comparison with centralized ones only when a concomitant reduction in sewage production is achieved.
In a two-server password-authenticated key exchange (PAKE) protocol, a client splits its password and stores two shares of its password in the two servers, respectively, and the two servers then cooperate to authenticate the client without knowing the password of the client. In case one server is compromised by an adversary, the password of the client is required to remain secure. In this paper, we present two compilers that transform any two-party PAKE protocol to a two-server PAKE protocol on the basis of the identity-based cryptography, called ID2S PAKE protocol. By the compilers, we can construct ID2S PAKE protocols which achieve implicit authentication. As long as the underlying two-party PAKE protocol and identity-based encryption or signature scheme have provable security without random oracles, the ID2S PAKE protocols constructed by the compilers can be proven to be secure without random oracles. Compared with the Katz et al.'s two-server PAKE protocol with provable security without random oracles, our ID2S PAKE protocol can save from 22 to 66 percent of computation in each server.
In recent years, resource constrained hardware makes the operating system simplicity a most crucial design criterion. The majority of research in such operating systems has focused on the reactive nature of an event-driven kernel. However, the event-based kernel may result in the latency of processing events and erroneous energy profiling. Most battery-driven wireless sensor nodes use the radio event to wake up sleeping nodes, but the radio always consumes more energy than other components during the transmission intervals. The contribution of this paper is that we present EXOS, a timer-driven operating system which can both process periodic events on time and obtain rapid responses to external signals. The system kernel can be easily ported to any other memory-constrained target platforms. EXOS is able to provide the detailed prediction of each component's energy consumption during program execution. The evaluation has demonstrated that EXOS can be practically integrated into wireless sensor networks. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
BackgroundInsomnia is comorbid with internalizing and externalizing psychiatric disorders. However, the extent to which the etiologic influences on insomnia and common psychopathology overlap is unclear. There are limited genetically informed studies of insomnia and internalizing disorders and few studies of overlap exist with externalizing disorders. MethodsWe utilized twin data from the Virginia Adult Twin Studies of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders (total n = 7,500). Insomnia, internalizing disorders (major depressive disorder [MDD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD]), and alcohol abuse or dependence (AAD) were assessed at two time points, while antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) was assessed once. Cholesky decompositions were performed in OpenMx and longitudinal measurement models were run on available phenotypes to reduce measurement error. ResultsThe latent additive genetic influences on insomnia overlapped significantly (56% for females, 74% for males) with MDD and were shared completely (100%) with GAD. There was significant overlap of latent unique environmental influences, with overlap ranging from 38 to 100% across disorders. In contrast, there was less genetic overlap between insomnia and externalizing disorders, with 18% of insomnia's heritability shared with AAD and 23% with ASPD. Latent unique environmental overlap between insomnia and both externalizing disorders was negligible. ConclusionsThe evidence for substantial genetic overlap between insomnia and stable aspects of both internalizing disorders suggests that there may be few insomnia-specific genes and investigation into unique environmental factors is important for understanding insomnia development. The modest overlap between insomnia and externalizing disorders indicates that these disorders are genetically related, but largely etiologically distinct.
This paper presents a harmonic instability analysis method using state-space modeling and participation analysis in the inverter-fed ac power systems. A full-order state-space model for the droop-controlled distributed generation (DG) inverter is built first, including the time delay of the digital control system, inner current and voltage control loops, and outer droop-based power control loop. Based on the DG inverter model, an overall state-space model of a two-inverter-fed system is established. The eigenvalue-based stability analysis is then presented to assess the influence of controller parameters on the harmonic instability of the power system. Moreover, the harmonic-frequency oscillation modes are identified, where participation analysis is presented to evaluate the contributions of different states to these modes and to further reveal how the system gives rise to harmonic instability. Based on the participation analysis, a reduced-order model for harmonic instability analysis is also proposed. The experimental results are presented for validating the theoretical analyses.
Machine learning algorithms perform differently in settings with varying levels of training set mislabeling noise. Therefore, the choice of the right algorithm for a particular learning problem is crucial. The contribution of this paper is towards two, dual problems: first, comparing algorithm behavior; and second, choosing learning algorithms for noisy settings. We present the sigmoid rule framework, which can be used to choose the most appropriate learning algorithm depending on the properties of noise in a classification problem. The framework uses an existing model of the expected performance of learning algorithms as a sigmoid function of the signal-to-noise ratio in the training instances. We study the characteristics of the sigmoid function using five representative non-sequential classifiers, namely, Na < ve Bayes, kNN, SVM, a decision tree classifier, and a rule-based classifier, and three widely used sequential classifiers based on hidden Markov models, conditional random fields and recursive neural networks. Based on the sigmoid parameters we define a set of intuitive criteria that are useful for comparing the behavior of learning algorithms in the presence of noise. Furthermore, we show that there is a connection between these parameters and the characteristics of the underlying dataset, showing that we can estimate an expected performance over a dataset regardless of the underlying algorithm. The framework is applicable to concept drift scenarios, including modeling user behavior over time, and mining of noisy time series of evolving nature.
Epistemic contextualism is one of the most hotly debated topics in contemporary epistemology. Contextualists claim that know' is a context-sensitive verb associated with different evidential standards in different contexts. Contextualists motivate their view based on a set of behavioural claims. In this paper, I show that several of these behavioural claims are false. I also show that contextualist test cases suffer from a critical confound, which derives from people's tendency to defer to speakers' statements about their own mental states. My evidence consists in results from several behavioural experiments. I conclude that contextualism is an idle hypothesis and I propose some general methodological lessons.
Perceivers extractmultiple social dimensions from another's face (e. g., race, emotion), and these dimensions can become linked due to stereotypes (e. g., Black individuals. angry). The current research examined the neural basis of detecting and resolving conflicts between top-down stereotypes and bottom-up visual information in person perception. Participants viewed faces congruent and incongruent with stereotypes, via variations in race and emotion, while neural activity was measured using fMRI. Hand movements en route to race/emotion responses were recorded using mouse-tracking to behaviorally index individual differences in stereotypical associations during categorization. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) showed stronger activation to faces that violated stereotypical expectancies at the intersection of multiple social categories (i.e., race and emotion). These regions were highly sensitive to the degree of incongruency, exhibiting linearly increasing responses as race and emotion became stereotypically more incongruent. Further, the ACC exhibited greater functional connectivity with the lateral fusiform cortex, a region implicated in face processing, when viewing stereotypically incongruent (relative to congruent) targets. Finally, participants with stronger behavioral tendencies to link race and emotion stereotypically during categorization showed greater dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation to stereotypically incongruent targets. Together, the findings provide insight into how conflicting stereotypes at the nexus of multiple social dimensions are resolved at the neural level to accurately perceive other people. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this Letter we report patterning of colloidal nanocrystal films that combines direct e-beam (electron beam) writing with cation exchange. The e-beam irradiation causes cross-linking of the ligand molecules present at the nanocrystal surface, and the cross-linked molecules act as a mask for further processing. Consequently, in the following step of cation exchange, which is performed by directly dipping the substrate in a solution containing the new cations, the regions that have not been exposed to the electron beam are chemically transformed, while the exposed ones remain unchanged. This selective protection allows the design of patterns that are formed by chemically different nanocrystals, yet in a homogeneous nanocrystal film. Spatially resolved compositional analysis by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) corroborates that the selective exchange occurs only in the nonirradiated regions. We demonstrate the utility of this lithography approach by fabricating conductive wires and luminescent patterns in CdSe/CdS nanocrystal films by converting nonirradiated regions to Cu2-xSe/Cu2-xS. Furthermore, we show that X-ray irradiation too can lead to protection from cation exchange.
The Differentiation of Self (DoS) is a key concept of Bowen's theory, indicating a process that begins in early infancy and progresses throughout childhood and adolescence, to reach a basic level in early adulthood. This study examined the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised (DSI-R) Skowron, Schmitt, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 29:209-222, 2003), a multidimensional measure assessing DoS as conceptualized by Bowen. The sample comprised 671 subjects (age 19-69 year). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the Italian DSI-R possesses good psychometric properties. Internal consistencies were adequate. Correlations with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, and the trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were consistent with the theoretical relations among the constructs. The findings confirm the use of DSI-R as a psychometrically sound measure of the differentiation of self in the Italian context. Implications for future research and clinical practice are addressed.
The aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater variability of the visual interpretation of C-11-PiB PET images regarding the positivity/negativity of amyloid deposition that were obtained in a multicenter clinical research project, Japanese Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (J-ADNI). The results of visual interpretation were also compared with a semi-automatic quantitative analysis using mean cortical standardized uptake value ratio to the cerebellar cortex (mcSUVR). A total of 162 C-11-PiB PET scans, including 45 mild Alzheimer's disease, 60 mild cognitive impairment, and 57 normal cognitive control cases that had been acquired as J-ADNI baseline scans were analyzed. Based on visual interpretation by three independent raters followed by consensus read, each case was classified into positive, equivocal, and negative deposition (ternary criteria) and further dichotomized by merging the former two (binary criteria). Complete agreement of visual interpretation by the three raters was observed for 91.3% of the cases (Cohen kappa = 0.88 on average) in ternary criteria and for 92.3% (kappa = 0.89) in binary criteria. Cases that were interpreted as visually positive in the consensus read showed significantly higher mcSUVR than those visually negative (2.21 +/- 0.37 vs. 1.27 +/- 0.09, p < 0.001), and positive or negative decision by visual interpretation was dichotomized by a cut-off value of mcSUVR = 1.5. Significant positive/negative associations were observed between mcSUVR and the number of raters who evaluated as positive (rho = 0.87, p < 0.0001) and negative (rho = -0.85, p < 0.0001) interpretation. Cases of disagreement among raters showed generally low mcSUVR. Inter-rater agreement was almost perfect in C-11-PiB PET scans. Positive or negative decision by visual interpretation was dichotomized by a cut-off value of mcSUVR = 1.5. As some cases of disagreement among raters tended to show low mcSUVR, referring to quantitative method may facilitate correct diagnosis when evaluating images of low amyloid deposition.
A division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control for three-phase inverters to achieve active and reactive power injection has been presented. It can overcome the limitation of abc to dq frame transformation. However, the D-Sigma control requires four sets of control laws to cover four quadrant operations, namely, grid connection (power factor (PF) 1 similar to +/- 0.866), rectification with PF correction, PF leading (0 similar to 0.866), and PF lagging (0 similar to-0.866). Moreover, the switching sequences for the four modes are also different from each other, increasing complexity of firmware programming. In this paper, improvement of the control law derivation and region selection for the D-Sigma digital control is presented. By selecting the zero-crossing points of phase voltages as region transitions, the control laws and the related parameter tables for the four modes can be unified to a general form. The switching sequences of the four modes are also unified to the switching pattern of the grid-connectionmode. Additionally, a D-Sigma transformation matrix is identified to simplify the derivation procedure of the division (D) and summation (Sigma), which can obtain the control law directly. Measured results from a 10-kVA 3 phi bidirectional inverter have been presented to confirm the improvement.
Similarity search is an important and fundamental problem, and thus widely used in various fields of computer science including multimedia, computer vision, database, information retrieval, etc. Recently, since loitering behavior often leads to abnormal situations, such as pick pocketing and terrorist attacks, its analysis attracts increasing attention from research communities. In this paper, we present AntiLoiter, a loitering discovery system adopting efficient similarity search on surveillance videos. As we know, most of existing systems for loitering analysis, mainly focus on how to detect or identify loiterers by behavior tracking techniques. However, the difficulties of tracking-based methods are known as that their analysis results are heavily influenced by occlusions, overlaps, and shadows. Moreover, tracking-based methods need to track the human appearance continuously. Therefore, existing methods are not readily applied to real-world surveillance cameras due to the appearance discontinuity of criminal loiterers. To solve this problem, we abandon the tracking method, instead, propose AntiLoiter to efficiently discover loiterers based on their frequent appearance patterns in longtime multiple surveillance videos. In AntiLoiter, we propose a novel data structure Luigi that indexes data using only similarity value returned by a corresponding function (e.g., face matching). Luigi is adopted to perform efficient similarity search to realize loitering discovery. We conducted extensive experiments on both synthetic and real surveillance videos to evaluate the efficiency and efficacy of our approach. The experimental results show that our system can find out loitering candidates correctly and outperforms existing method by 100 times in terms of runtime.
For a multi-objective optimization problem applied to the electric machine design, a new robust surrogate-assisted algorithm is proposed in this research. The proposed algorithm can find a robust and well-distributed Pareto front set rapidly and precisely for robust nondominated solutions by using a kriging surrogate model and an uncertainty consideration with worst case scenario. The outstanding performances of the proposed algorithm are verified by a test function. Furthermore, through the application of the optimal design process of the interior permanent magnet synchronous motor, the feasibility of this algorithm is verified.
One of the most critical aspects in the drilling operation is to reduce the nonproductive time and to avoid the borehole instability issues such as kicks, blow outs, lost circulation, stuck pipe, and breakouts. To investigate these problems, one has to understand the formation properties, fluid hydraulics, and the basic mechanics behind drilling a well. In the previous research on this field, the factors were widely discussed and results obtained were related to the formation properties. However, while considering the stresses in the wellbore, the mechanical factors such as the RPM and contact of casing at different positions in wellbore have usually been neglected. In furtherance to this study, the importance of thermal condition, fluid loss, and filter cake formation study cannot be out ruled. This work includes a new insight toward understanding the stress redistribution due to pipe contact by the wellbore and smear mechanism. Additionally, it presents the numerical analysis of influence of casing contact and downhole thermal conditions using the finite-element analysis. The classical equations used to obtain the wellbore stresses include very few parameters such as the far-field stresses, pore pressure, and wellbore geometry. They do not consider the influence of casing contact while drilling, mud-cake permeability, and elastic and inelastic properties of the formation. To take into account the effects of these parameters, finite-element analysis is carried out considering the above-mentioned parameters in various scenarios. The main objective of these simulations is to investigate the hypothesis of the increase in hoop stress considering casing contact with regard to formation stresses orientation. The study of different cases shows the variation of a few hundred psi of hoop stress. However, the thermal effect on the near-wellbore stress regions can be important for drilling in deep water and other complex drilling environments. To see the thermal effect, this study develops a thermo-poroelastic model. It is found that there is decrease in radial stress and hoop stress in near-wellbore region with time. This reduction will have a considerable impact on fracture initiation pressure in the near-wellbore region. Also, the smearing effect will be influenced by stress changes due to change in temperature.
Secure summation is one of the most applicable functions of secure multiparty computation (MPC) in which a group of users securely computes the summation value of their private inputs. The current solutions to this problem are basically on adding a random number to private inputs or splitting the inputs among users which need secure channel among members. Moreover, to be resistant against collusion of n - 2 players, they impose high communication cost. In this paper, we propose three cryptography-based protocols for secure sum that do not need secure channel and are secure against collusion of n - 2 players. Also, the communication cost of the proposed protocols is of complexity O(n). Based on the privacy requirements, the proposed protocols can provide the final result privacy as well as the private input privacy.
Autism is characterised by difficulties in social functioning, notably in interactions with other people. Yet, most studies addressing social difficulties have used static images or, at best, videos of social stimuli, with no scope for real interaction. Here, we study one crucial aspect of social interactionsgaze behaviourin an interactive setting. First, typical individuals were shown videos of an experimenter and, by means of a deception procedure, were either led to believe that the experimenter was present via a live video-feed or was pre-recorded. Participants' eye movements revealed that when passively viewing an experimenter they believed to be live, they looked less at that person than when they believed the experimenter video was pre-recorded. Interestingly, this reduction in viewing behaviour in response to the believed live presence of the experimenter was absent in individuals high in autistic traits, suggesting a relative insensitivity to social presence alone. When participants were asked to actively engage in a real-time interaction with the experimenter, however, high autistic trait individuals looked significantly less at the experimenter relative to low autistic trait individuals. The results reinforce findings of atypical gaze behaviour in individuals high in autistic traits, but suggest that active engagement in a social interaction may be important in eliciting reduced looking. We propose that difficulties with the spatio-temporal dynamics associated with real social interactions rather than underlying difficulties processing the social stimulus itself may drive these effects. The results underline the importance of developing ecologically valid methods to investigate social cognition. Autism Res2017, 10: 359-368. (c) 2016 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.
Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common inflammatory rheumatic disease that affects the axial skeleton which can lead to structural and functional impairments. It has a negative impact on the person's daily life activities. Early diagnosis, exercise and patient education are factors playing a major role on prognosis. Objective The purpose of the study was to compare the structured theoretical and exercise educational program with routine clinic educational efforts on the parameters of the disorder over a 3 month follow up. Materials and Methods This randomized, educational intervention study was performed on 41 AS patients. A 5 day structured education and exercise program was applied to the first group of patients (Group 1) in subgroups consisting 4-5 patients each. Patients had group exercises throughout the education program. The second group followed routine clinical care. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed by Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional (BASFI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis global (BAS-G), Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology indices (BASMI), chest expansion, short form-36 (SF-36), ankylosing spondylitis quality of life scale (ASQoL) and laboratory parameters in all patients. Patients were evaluated on initiation and after 3 months. Results Significant improvements in BASFI, BASDAI and BAS-G, chest expansion, SF-36 and ASQoL indices were observed in Group 1 No difference could be found in BASMI and chest expansion. Conclusion A structured educational and exercise intervention had a positive effect on the functional status,disease activity, and general well-being and quality of life. It also, shows that education programs should be within the routine treatment program for AS.
Cyber physical systems (CPS) are used to control chemical processes, and can be found in manufacturing, civil infrastructure, energy industry, transportation and in many more places. There is one common characteristic in these areas, their operation is critical as a malfunction can potential be life-threatening. In the past, an attack against the cyber part of the systems can lead to physical consequences. The first well known attack against a CPS was Stuxnet in 2010. It is challenging to develop countermeasures in this field without endangering the normal operation of the underlying system. In our research, our goal was to detect attacks without interfering with the cyber physical systems in any way. This can be realized by an anomaly detection system using passive network monitoring. Our approach is based on analysing the state of the physical process by interpreting the communication between the control system and the supervisory system. This state can be compared to a model based prediction of the system, which can serve as a solid base for intrusion detection. In order to realize our intrusion detection system, a testbed was built based on widely used Siemens PLCs. Our implementation consists of three main parts. The first task is to understand the network communication in order to gain information about the controlled process. This was realized by analysing and deeply understanding the publicly undocumented Siemens management protocol. The resulting protocol parser was integrated into the widely-used Bro network security monitoring framework. Gathering information about the process state for a prolonged time creates time series. With these time series, as the second step, statistical models of the physical process can be built to predict future states. As the final step, the new states of the physical process can be compared with the predicted states. Significant differences can be considered as an indicator of compromise.
Background: Day care that is designed for people with dementia aims to increase the users' quality of life (QoL). The objective of the study was to compare the QoL of people with dementia attending day care with those not attending day care. Methods: The study is based on baseline data from a project using a quasi-experimental design, including a group of day care users (n = 183) and a comparison group not receiving day care (n = 78). Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD) was used as the primary outcome, to collect both self-reported and proxy-based information from family carers on the users' QoL. A linear mixed model was used to examine the differences between groups. Results: Attending day care was significantly associated with higher mean scores of self-reported QoL. There was no difference between the groups in proxy-reported QoL. Analyses of the interaction between group belonging and awareness of memory loss revealed that the participants with shallow or no awareness who attended day care had significant higher mean scores of QoL-AD compared to those not attending day care. Conclusions: Higher self-reported QoL was found among people attending day care designed for people with dementia compared to the comparison group. The difference in QoL ratings was found in the group of day care users with shallow or no awareness of their memory loss. Hence, day care designed for people with dementia might have the potential to increase QoL as it is experienced by the users.
This article addresses the tension between subsidies and the sustainability of rural water supply systems based on research carried out in Minas Gerais, Brazil, on the Brazilian rainwater harvesting Programme for One Million Rural Cisterns (P1MC). The fieldwork included a survey of 623 beneficiary households and 47 in-depth interviews, as well as a workshop with P1MC managers. It is concluded that heavy government subsidies for the construction of the cisterns resulted in some alienation of users. It is highlighted that in the cases studied, strong government participation is critical to expanding access to water.
Objective: To determine the associations between maternal and paternal psychiatric diagnoses and Tourette syndrome (TS)/chronic tic disorder (CT) in a nationwide study. Method: This nested case-control study linked data derived from three national registers. All singletons born and diagnosed with TS/CT in Finland between January 1991 and December 2010 were identified (n = 1,120) and matched to four controls (n = 4,299). Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the associations between parental psychopathology and TS/CT. Results: Altogether, 24.9% of patients with TS/CT and 12.00/0 of controls had a mother with a psychiatric diagnosis. Similarly, 17.9% and 12.9% had a father with a psychiatric diagnosis. Any maternal and any paternal psychiatric diagnosis was associated with offspring TS/CT (odds ratio [OR] 2.3; 95% CI 1.9-2.7 and OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.01-1.5, respectively). The association between maternal psychiatric diagnosis and TS/CT was stronger than that between paternal psychiatric diagnosis and TS/CT (p <.001). Maternal personality disorders (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9-5.1), anxiety disorders (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.9-3.5), affective disorders (OR 2.3, 95% Cl 1.8-2.9), psychotic disorders (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3), and addiction disorders (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.8) were associated with TS/CT. Paternal OCD (OR 6.5, 95% CI 1.1-39.5) and anxiety disorders (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.3) were associated with TS/CT. Conclusion: Parental psychiatric diagnoses (especially in the mother) are associated with diagnosed offspring TS/CT. Further studies are required before the results can be generalized to all children with TS/CT. The associations between maternal psychiatric disorders and TS may reflect both maternal specific environmental and/or genetic influences.
The disjunction of ecological and socioeconomic sciences is one of the main obstructions in current human-natural integrated systems research. Therefore, gridded GIS technology is introduced in an attempt to achieve the spatial flow analysis of water pollution in eco-natural systems. With this unified GIS platform, an input-output table and one-dimensional water quality model are chosen to manifest the spatial economic flows and spatial natural flows of water pollution separately. Finally, the comprehensive effect of the spatial circulation of water pollution in eco-natural systems is assessed. A case study of the framework is carried out in the Changzhou District of Taihu Lake, China, and the main results show the following: (1) COD (chemical oxygen demand) direct emissions represent the characteristics of high intensity and clustering in industrial regions; control unit 8 is the largest secondary emissions unit, representing up to 41.79% of the total, whereas the emissions of the primary industry tend to be low intensity and widespread. (2) The gray virtual water flow from the primary industry to other heavy industries (except the chemical industry) is the main flow type; the transfer amount adds up to 2512 t, and the inter-units with the largest occupation of water environment capacity (WEC) upstream to downstream are 8-9, nearly up to 1548 t. (3) Under the interaction of positive and negative functions of economic flows and natural flows, the final effect of pollution transfer may be offset, environmental degradation or environmental improvement. This study could provide a basis for ecological compensation, environmental exteriority and optimization of industrial structure layouts. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Family plays an important role in the patient's environment, the complexity in the intensive care unit services generates situational and emotional crisis in the immediate family which causes anxiety and stress. Objective: To evaluate the perception of the relatives of critical patients about the verbal and nonverbal communication, and the emotional support provided by nursing staff during hospitalization in the intensive care unit which belong to a IV social level clinic in Cucuta city. Materials and Methods: A quantitative and descriptive cross sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 200 relatives; for data collection was used as instrument. (Perception of the Relatives of Critical Patients), according to the nursing work during the situational crisis. Results: The perception of the family is favorable by 80% expressing a positive connotation. Discussion: Relatives of patients consider the work of nursing as humanized behavior care focused on the valuation of the human being as a holistic being, where the care given was characterized by behaviors such as empathy, effective communication, affection and touch. Conclusions: To humanize the intensive care unit allows recognizing the family as a central axis for all assistance actions; a collaborative family is a healthy family, which has more tools to fight against despair that generates the income of patients to the critical hospitalization service.
Anti-tumor necrosis factors (Anti-TNFs) are a class of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Refractory patients are commonly managed by switching from one anti-TNF to another. To assess the evidence on the effectiveness of anti-TNF cycling in PsA patients, a systematic review of the literature was conducted. MEDLINE- and Embase-indexed English-language publications were systematically searched from 1995 to 2015 for studies assessing real-world effectiveness outcomes of anti-TNF cycling in PsA patients. Of 1086 citations identified, 18 studies were included; most conducted in Europe. Six of seven studies testing between lines found significant differences in effectiveness between earlier and subsequent lines of anti-TNF therapy. First-line therapy yielded better results compared with second-line therapy, and significant differences were observed between second- and third-line anti-TNF treatments. In the only study with multivariate regression testing for predictors of response, Danish registry patients were less likely to respond (American College of Rheumatology 20 % or 50 % response) to a second anti-TNF course if safety, rather than lack of effect, caused them to switch (odds ratio [OR] 0.04; p = 0.003 and OR 0.05; p = 0.03, respectively). Effectiveness of anti-TNFs at second line and later is reported in a small number of real-world studies of PsA patients. Subsequent treatment lines may be associated with less response in some measures. More research is needed to quantify the effectiveness of sequential anti-TNF lines in this progressive populationaEuroe and to compare these effects with responses to drugs with different mechanisms of action.
This paper introduces a high power density step-up converter for LED applications, based on a hybrid serial-output (HSO) architecture [1], which is suitable for on-chip implementation. In this system, the output voltage is formed by stacking the output of a switched-capacitor (SC) converter on top of a boost converter output. The high power density SC converter processes around a half of the power of the system and is left unregulated. The boost converter processes the remainder of the power and regulates the output voltage. In comparison with conventional boost-based solutions, the introduced boost-SC HSO drastically reduces the passive component volume and decreases peak voltage stress of switches. Experimental results obtained with a 3.7 V to 13 V, 2.6 W, 1080 kHz prototype show that the introduced SC-boost HSO converter has about three times smaller reactive component area than a conventional boost having the same power processing efficiency.
Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathways have been well-characterized in bacteria and chloroplasts. Genes encoding a TatC protein are found in almost all plant mitochondrial genomes but to date these have not been extensively investigated. For the first time it could be demonstrated that this mitochondrial-encoded TatC is a functional gene that is translated into a protein in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. A TatB-like subunit localized to the inner membrane was also identified that is nuclear-encoded and is essential for plant growth and development, indicating that plants potentially require a Tat pathway for mitochondrial biogenesis.
With its relatively small key size, elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) is considered as the public-key cryptographic algorithm of choice for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this work, we implemented ECC in the frequency domain, that is,by using the number theoretic transform, and without using hardware multiplier support, on the constrained MSP430 microcontroller widely used in WSNs. Our 169-bit ECC implementation uses Edwards curves and performs scalar point multiplication in only 1.97 and 0.98s for multiplication of random and fixed points, respectively. Unlike many implementations in literature, our implementation does not use hardware multiplier support, which makes it desirable for low-power applications on constrained WSN platforms. To our knowledge, this study presents the first ever software implementation of ECC in the frequency domain on a constrained low-power microcontroller without hardware multiplier support. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Objective: To translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of an Arabic-language version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). Method: The items were translated, back translated, refined, and tested in an Australian immigrant sample (N = 220). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Arabic DASS discriminates between depression, anxiety, and stress but to a lesser degree than the English DASS. The factor loadings for all 42 items were comparable to those of the English DASS, indicating that the items had been appropriately translated and adapted. Analysis of exploratory items suggested by Arabic-speaking mental health professionals failed to reveal any new items that were both psychometrically adequate and theoretically coherent. Analysis of a bilingual sample (N = 24) indicated that the English norms was appropriate for the Arabic DASS. Conclusion: The results support the universality of depression, anxiety, and stress across cultures and provide initial support for the psychometric properties of the Arabic DASS.
It is reported that water-energy nexus composes two of the biggest development and human health challenges. In the present study we presented a Risk Potential Index (RPI) model which encapsulates Source, Vector (Transport), and Target risks for forecasting surface water contamination. The main aim of the model is to identify critical surface water risk zones for an open cast mining environment, taking Jharia Coalfield, India as the study area. The model also helps in feasible sampling design. Based on spatial analysis various risk zones were successfully delineated. Monthly RPI distribution revealed that the risk of surface water contamination was highest during the monsoon months. Surface water samples were analysed to validate the model. A GIS based alternative management option was proposed to reduce surface water contamination risk and observed 96% and 86% decrease in the spatial distribution of very high risk areas for the months June and July respectively. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A wide-swing optical modulator driver is implemented in 0.13-mu m SiGe-BiCMOS using a three-stage distributed amplifier with a digital input line. Measurements demonstrate 6-Vp-p differential output, symmetric 6-ps (min) rise/fall times, 333-fs (rms) additive jitter, and better than 20-dB output return loss (S-11) below 58 GHz. Full output swing with adjustable (6-12 ps) rise/fall times is realized after a three-step calibration sequence facilitated by an on-chip energy detector and digital control. The circuit supports 28-48-Gb/s external data sources, or 2(11) -1 PRBS and 1-0 internal data generators for calibration and characterization respectively. The 3-mm(2) driver IC (1.8-mm(2) active area) consumes 1.92 W from + 5/-2.5-V supplies.
Finding alternative resources to secure or increase water availability is a key issue in most urban areas. This makes the research of alternative and local water resources of increasing importance. In the context of political tension with its main water provider (Malaysia), Singapore has been implementing a comprehensive water policy for some decades, which relies on water demand management and local water resource mobilisation in order to reach water self-sufficiency by 2060. The production of water from alternative resources through seawater desalination or water reclamation implies energy consumptive technologies such as reverse osmosis. In the context of increasing energy costs and high primary energy dependency, this water self-sufficiency objective is likely to be an important challenge for Singapore. The aim of this paper is to quantify the long-term impact of Singapore's water policy on the national electricity bill and to investigate the impact of Singapore's projects to reduce its water energy footprint. We estimate that 2.0% of the Singaporean electricity demand is already dedicated to water and wastewater treatment processes. If its water-energy footprint dramatically increases in the coming decades, ambitious research projects may buffer the energy cost of water self-sufficiency.
Farmers along the Amazon River each year face multiple natural hazards that threaten crop production and limit the potential for agricultural development of the expansive floodplain and active channel. In this paper we report the findings of a study of natural hazard-related risk associated with rice production on silt bars in the active channel of the Amazon River near Iquitos, Peru. Data were gathered in four rice producing communities in 2014 using household surveys (n = 83 households), focus group discussions, surveying of land elevations along the Amazon River, and interpretation of remote sensing imagery. The probability, extent, and severity of rice crop shortfalls were estimated for recent production years and the economic losses to farming households were also assessed. Our findings point to a very high risk of crop shortfalls due to natural hazards, suggesting that a good year brings rice farmers bounty and a bad year, near penury. River stage reversals (repiquetes) and edaphic conditions were found to be more problematic than the often cited hazard of high and/or early floods. Also surprisingly, farmers' perceptions of hazards and risk diverged markedly from actual shortfalls experienced during the production years studied. Our results provide the first quantitative estimates of risk due to the multiple natural hazards along the Amazon River and point to the need to assist lowland farmers with risk mitigation so as to unlock the considerable potential of Amazon floodlands for agricultural production.
Estuarine and marine ecosystems are subject to different sources of stress including changes in environmental physicochemical variables (nutrients, oxygen availability, temperature, salinity, pH) or exposure to a large cocktail of environmental pollutants. In the estuary of Bilbao, despite the improvement in environmental quality due to replacement of most polluting industries and the progressive implementation of an integrated sewage treatment plan, chronic pollution by metals and hydrocarbons still remains, together with eutrophication and pollution by emerging contaminants. The Unit of Formation and Research Protection of Ecosystem Health was created in 2012 through the strategic aggregation of three consolidated research groups: Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology (CBET), Phytoplankton of estuaries and coastal areas (FITEAC) and Research on marine and estuarine pelagic environment and planktonic communities (MarEsPlank). The three groups have a long tradition in studying the health of marine and estuarine ecosystems from different perspectives, focusing in the Bay of Biscay and especially in the estuary of Bilbao. In this work we review data on the health status of the Bilbao estuary using early warning tools at the cell and tissue levels, phytoplankton assemblages and zooplankton ecology. In spite of the seasonal and interannual variability recorded for some parameters, a general recovery trend was observed for the health status in the estuary of Bilbao, with sporadic critical events such as the Prestige oil spill. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Wikipedia has become a very common and frequently used tool and information source for students when they are asked for any academic assignment. Aware of this circumstance and also of the limitations and the quality of existing articles in relation to manufacturing processes, technologies and systems, a project was initiated aimed at enhancing and organising learning activities around the creation and improvement of these contents in Wikipedia. The present work will describe the particular experience in two optional subjects: Design for Manufacture and Assembly and  Plastics Technology. Main objectives of this activity were: to encourage understanding, knowledge, skills and values closely bound to the active use of open and free information systems; to promote autonomous learning; to study in depth subject contents with a more active attitude; to give the possibility that work and knowledge generated by students remain on-line and accessible to other people and not just for the lecturer; to raise the ability for being critical and for evaluating different information sources; and to learn how to work in cooperative and collaborative contexts. In addition, manufacturing engineering contents in Wikipedia were significantly improved, with several remarkable created or improved articles in the manufacturing domain. Based on the results of the project, objectives have been fulfilled and outcomes have been very positive. Lecturers are satisfied in terms of both the quantity and quality of the contributions, whose time devoted by students has fit adequately to what was planned and intended skills have been exercised. Furthermore, some of the works have even been awarded a Manufacturing Engineering Society prize. Regarding students, most of them have agreed that the activity was very interesting, would recommend it in the future and even think they will make more contributions in the Wikipedia.
The major challenge for social networking services (SNS) has been in getting users to exhibit prosocial behavior by active participation in creating and sharing content. We seek to integrate and reconcile the varying, and sometimes conflicting, explanations of prosocial behaviors at SNS. Rooted in postadoption behavior and commitment theory, our study offers three distinct mechanisms that regulate how one's experience at an SNS translates into commitment that leads to prosocial behavior. In particular, satisfaction, affective commitment, and active participation substantiate a dedication-based mechanism; past investments, continuance commitment, and resulting inattention to alternatives form a constraint-based mechanism; and social support, normative commitment and users' intentions to moderate comments are a third, obligation-based mechanism. We empirically tested this tripartite model against data collected from actual Facebook users. The results of our analysis supported the proposed relationships between each mechanism's experiential factor, mediating type of commitment, and prosocial outcome. Intermechanism effects were rare between commitment mediators and outcomes, they were common between experiential antecedents and commitment factors. Understanding these mechanisms allows SNS managers to fine-tune their service experience to promote specific prosocial behaviors. Meanwhile, researchers benefit from our overarching view of prosocial behavior at SNS that helps to combine and contrast emergent perspectives and theories.
A multiWatt RF power amplifier operating in the frequency range 0.5 to 1.2 GHz is reported, whose output amplitude is determined by digital input words (RF Power DAC operation). The amplifier employs a CMOS IC for digital control, directly connected to a GaN FET operating in common-gate mode. The use of the GaN FET allows power supply voltages in excess of 15 V to be used. A load resistance of 50 ohms can be directly connected to the GaN FET, thereby avoiding bandwidth limitations from output matching networks. Output power in the range 2 to 3 W and drain efficiencies above 50% are obtained over more than an octave of bandwidth.
Water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions is a great economic, environmental and social problem, where the people living in these regions have to use technologies, such as cistern, to ensure water for their survival. Given the difficulties in these regions, this paper aims to propose a methodology to estimate per capita water use for different levels of water shortage risk, ensuring water supply under the conditions of arid and semi-arid regions; and present a case study for the Brazilian semi-arid region. The methodology is based on analysis of spatial and temporal risks of water shortage in the cisterns. Analysis of the temporal risk of water shortage is based on the premise that the cistern is without water for 3 consecutive days with return periods of 5, 10 and 20 years. To ascertain the spatial risk of per capita water use associated with these return periods in hydrologically homogeneous regions, we evaluate the confidence interval associated with the average monthly water use. Thus, the proposed methodology allows to determine the potential water use in each homogeneous region. For the Brazilian semiarid region it is possible to identify the areas where local population has a greater restriction on the access to water (central semiarid region) and areas where there is greater water availability (north and south of the semi-arid). This variation of water availability allows to adapt management measures accounting for the ground conditions of each location, in order to meet the water needs of the local population.
This study examined the psychometric properties of the Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale-Developmental Disability (CAPES-DD), a brief inventory for assessing emotional and behavioral problems of children with developmental disabilities aged 2- to 16-years, as well as caregivers' self-efficacy in managing these problems. A sample of 636 parents participated in the study. Children's ages ranged from 2 to 15. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 21-item, three-factor model of CAPES-DD child adjustment with 13 items describing behavioral (10 items) and emotional (3 items) problems and 8 items describing prosocial behavior. Three additional items were included due to their clinical usefulness and contributed to a Total Problem Score. Factor analyses also supported a 16-item, one factor model of CAPES-DD self-efficacy. Psychometric evaluation of the CAPES-DD revealed scales had satisfactory to very good internal consistency, as well as very good convergent and predictive validity. The instrument is to be in the public domain and free for practitioners and researchers to use. Potential uses of the measure and implications for future validation studies are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The tongue is an elaborate complex of heterogeneous tissues with taste organs of diverse embryonic origins. The lingual taste organs are papillae, composed of an epithelium that includes specialized taste buds, the basal lamina, and a lamina propria core with matrix molecules, fibroblasts, nerves, and vessels. Because taste organs are dynamic in cell biology and sensory function, homeostasis requires tight regulation in specific compartments or niches. Recently, the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway has emerged as an essential regulator that maintains lingual taste papillae, taste bud and progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation, and neurophysiological function. Activating or suppressing Hh signaling, with genetic models or pharmacological agents used in cancer treatments, disrupts taste papilla and taste bud integrity and can eliminate responses from taste nerves to chemical stimuli but not to touch or temperature. Understanding Hh regulation of taste organ homeostasis contributes knowledge about the basic biology underlying taste disruptions in patients treated with Hh pathway inhibitors.
BACKGROUND: Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) have successfully summarized genome- wide effects of genetic variants in schizophrenia with significant predictive power. In a clinical sample of first- episode psychosis (FEP) patients, we estimated the ability of PRSs to discriminate case-control status and to predict the development of schizophrenia as opposed to other psychoses. METHODS: The sample (445 case and 265 control subjects) was genotyped on the Illumina HumanCore Exome BeadChip with an additional 828 control subjects of African ancestry genotyped on the Illumina Multi- Ethnic Genotyping Array. To calculate PRSs, we used the results from the latest Psychiatric Genomics Consortium schizophrenia meta- analysis. We examined the association of PRSs with case- control status and with schizophrenia versus other psychoses in European and African ancestry FEP patients and in a second sample of 248 case subjects with chronic psychosis. RESULTS: PRS had good discriminative ability of case- control status in FEP European ancestry individuals (9.4% of the variance explained, p < 10(-26)), but lower in individuals of African ancestry (R-2 = 1.1%, p = .004). Furthermore, PRS distinguished European ancestry case subjects who went on to acquire a schizophrenia diagnosis from those who developed other psychotic disorders (R-2 = 9.2%, p =.002). CONCLUSIONS: PRS was a powerful predictor of case-control status in a European sample of patients with FEP, even though a large proportion did not have an established diagnosis of schizophrenia at the time of assessment. PRS was significantly different between those case subjects who developed schizophrenia from those who did not, although the discriminative accuracy may not yet be sufficient for clinical utility in FEP.
A probabilistic ecological risk assessment was conducted for the transformation products (TPs) of 3 beta-blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, and propranolol) and 5 selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline) to assess potential threats to aquatic organisms in effluent-dominated surface waters. To this end, the pharmacokinetic literature, the University of Minnesota's Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database Pathway Prediction System aerobic microbial degradation software, and photolysis literature pertaining to beta-blockers and SSRIs were used to determine their most likely TPs formed via human metabolism, aerobic biodegradation, and photolysis, respectively. Monitoring data from North American and European surface waters receiving human wastewater inputs were the basis of the exposure characterizations of the parent compounds and the TPs, where available. In most cases, where monitoring data for TPs did not exist, we assumed a conservative 1: 1 parent-to-TP production ratio (i.e., 100% of parent converted). The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)'s EPISuite and ECOSAR v1.11 software were used to estimate acute and chronic toxicities to aquatic organisms. Hazard quotients, which were calculated using the 95th percentile of the exposure distributions, ranged from 10(-11) to 10(-3) (i.e., all significantly less than 1). Based on these results, the TPs of interest would be expected to pose little to no environmental risk in surface waters receiving wastewater inputs. Overall, we recommend developing analytical methods that can isolate and quantify human metabolites and TPs at environmentally relevant concentrations to confirm these predictions. Further, we recommend identifying the major species of TPs from classes of pharmaceuticals that could elicit toxic effects via specific modes of action (e.g., norfluoxetine via the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT](1A) receptors) and conducting aquatic toxicity tests to confirm these findings. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative probabilistic ecotoxicological assessment of all of the predicted and probable TPs of these pharmaceuticals, and our approach provides a framework for future such studies with other compound classes as data become available. (C) 2015 SETAC
Previous burnup calculations of High Conversion Water Reactor (HCWR) options have given promising fuel cycle results. Now safety must be assessed. This requires the development of academic computing tools, coupling as simply as possible neutronics and thermal-hydraulics. The diffusion-based Nodal Drift Method (NDM) for spatial core analysis has been developed towards a broad and coarse safety review of the most promising candidates. NDM has been already validated on a simplified CANDU LOCA benchmark, without thermal coupling. Dedicated to the calculation of a Rod Ejection Accident (REA) as defined by a recent PWR-like mini-core benchmark, the present work describes and validates all the necessary enhancements to NDM. A first 2D geometry with coupling to a lumped thermal model has been validated. Then, 3D features including a refined model for the ejected control rod have been added. Particular attention has been paid on the analysis of discrepancies with reference results. Limitations due to the oversimplified lumped thermal model are finally discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Inflammation is an immune activity designed to protect the host from pathogens and noxious agents. In its low-intensity form, presence of an inflammatory process must be inferred from appropriate biomarkers. Occult neuroinflammation is not just secondary to Alzheimer's disease (AD) but may contribute to its pathogenesis and promote its progression. A leaky blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been observed in early AD and may play a role in its initiation and development. Studies of the temporal evolution of AD's biomarkers have shown that, in AD, the brain's amyloid burden correlates poorly with cognitive decline. In contrast, cognitive deficits in AD correlate well with synapse loss. Oligomeric forms of amyloid-beta (oA beta s) can be synaptotoxic and evidence of their deposition inside synaptic terminals of cognition-associated neurons explains early memory loss in AD better than formation of extracellular A beta plaques. Among innate immune cells that reside in the brain, microglia sense danger signals represented by proteins like oA beta and become activated by neuronal damage such as that caused by bacterial endotoxins. The resulting reactive microgliosis has been implicated in generating the chronic form of microglial activation believed to promote AD's development. Genomewide association studies (GWASs) have yielded data from patients with sporadic AD indicating that its causes include genetic variation in the innate immune system. Recent preclinical studies have reported that beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta OHB) may protect the brain from the adverse effects of both the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and the deacetylation of histone. Consequently, there is an urgent need for clinical investigations designed to test whether an orally administered beta OHB preparation, such as a ketone ester, can have a similar beneficial effect in human subjects. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Our objectives were to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, depression of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) adolescents' parents compared to controls; to assess GTS adolescents' HRQoL compared to controls; to investigate which parental and adolescent variables are associated with poorer parental HRQoL. The controlled study involved GTS outpatients and their parents, adolescent healthy controls matched for gender and age and their parents. Parents' HRQoL was assessed using SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF; anxiety, depression using HADS. Adolescents' HRQoL was assessed by adolescents using VSP-A instrument and by their parents using VSP-P. A total of 75 GTS adolescents, 75 mothers, 63 fathers were compared to 75 control adolescents, 75 mothers, 62 fathers. GTS mothers had worse HRQoL than controls on 5 of the 8 SF-36 dimensions and 1 of the 4 WHOQOL-BREF dimensions, while GTS fathers had worse HRQoL on 2 of the WHOQOL-BREF dimensions. GTS mothers had poorer HRQoL than fathers. GTS mothers had more depression than control mothers and GTS fathers had more anxiety than control fathers. GTS adolescents had worse HRQoL than controls on 5 of the 9 VSP-A dimensions. Factors significantly related to parental HRQoL were anxiety, depression, GTS adolescents' HRQoL and, concerning mothers, behavioural and emotional adolescents' problems; concerning fathers, severity of vocal tics, duration since first symptoms. This study provides a better understanding of poorer HRQoL and psychiatric morbidity of GTS adolescents' parents. Clinicians should pay attention to their emotional well-being and HRQoL and be aware that mothers and fathers are differently affected.
Electricity generated using photovoltaic system can only be commercial if the photovoltaic modules operate reliably for 20-25 years under field conditions. Understanding the performance degradation of photovoltaic modules is critical for optimizing its financial viability. Performance degradation of photovoltaic modules is due to multiple factors such as installation site and module technologies. In order to gain insight on performance degradation of crystalline silicon PV technology in harsh environment, a degradation effects study of c-Si photovoltaic modules in desert environment was carried. The main contribution of this paper is focused on the evaluation of c-Si PV modules performance that operated in extreme environmental conditions. This evaluation usually consists of I-V curve field measurements and visual inspections. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Many Siglecs function as inhibitory receptors on innate and adaptive immune cells and may contribute to the attenuation of immune responses to tumors. Siglec 9 on neutrophils and Siglec 7 on NK cells are prominent examples of inhibitory Siglecs that can potentially dampen anti-tumor immunity. CD169 is a Siglec that may function as an adhesion molecule and a facilitator of the recognition and internalization of sialic acid decorated apoptotic bodies and exosomes derived from tumors. It can potentially contribute to both the attenuation as well as the facilitation of anti-tumor immunity. Siglecs have been best studied in the tumor context in animal models of cancer. Modulators of Siglec function are likely to be developed and investigated clinically in a cancer context over the next few years.
Objective: Most weight loss research focuses on weight as the primary outcome, often to the exclusion of other physiological or psychological measures. This study aims to provide a holistic evaluation of the effects from weight loss interventions for individuals with obesity by examining the physiological, psychological and eating disorders outcomes from these interventions. Methods: Databases Medline, PsycInfo and Cochrane Library (2011-2016) were searched for randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews of obesity treatments (dietary, exercise, behavioural, psychological, pharmacological or surgical). Data extracted included study features, risk of bias, study outcomes, and an assessment of treatment impacts on physical, psychological or eating disorder outcomes. Results: From 3628 novel records, 134 studies met all inclusion criteria and were evaluated in this review. Lifestyle interventions had the strongest evidence base as a first-line approach, with escalation to pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery in more severe or complicated cases. Quality of life was the most common psychological outcome measure, and improved in all cases where it was assessed, across all intervention types. Behavioural, psychological and lifestyle interventions for weight loss led to improvements in cognitive restraint, control over eating and binge eating, while bariatric surgery led to improvements in eating behaviour and body image that were not sustained over the long-term. Discussion: Numerous treatment strategies have been trialled to assist people to lose weight and many of these are effective over the short-term. Quality of life, and to a lesser degree depression, anxiety and psychosocial function, often improve alongside weight loss. Weight loss is also associated with improvements in eating disorder psychopathology and related measures, although overall, eating disorder outcomes are rarely assessed. Further research and between-sector collaboration is required to address the significant overlap in risk factors, diagnoses and treatment outcomes between obesity and eating disorders.
Winter oilseed rape (WOSR) is a major crop in Germany, combining economic benefits with a high value in crop rotation, but it still lacks agronomically sound concepts for site-specific nitrogen (N) fertilization. Since ecological challenges resulting from high optimal N rates and a low N harvest index are approaching on WOSR cropping systems, optimizing N fertilization becomes crucial. Recent studies showed the importance of taking autumnal N uptake into account when estimating optimal N rates for WOSR, thus autumnal N is pivotal in the algorithm that is introduced in this study. The algorithm was parameterized by using data from site-specific N fertilization trials and optimized to reduce N fertilizer amounts. Afterwards it was tested on different commercial farms in northern Germany. The autumnal N uptake was estimated using hyperspectral reflection measurements gained from tractor-mounted devices, and the data was processed to N application maps used for the N application in spring. In addition, a uniform optimal fertilization and a uniform application of average N rates calculated by the algorithm were applied to provide control treatments. Yield, N balance and economic net-revenue were evaluated for each treatment. Yields from site-specific fertilization were slightly lower (0.06 t/ha) than from uniform optimal treatment but 0.22 t/ha higher than from the uniform application of the site-specific N amount (not significant in both cases). The N balance was significantly lower when fertilizing site-specifically instead of applying uniform optimal N rate, while the net-revenues were slightly higher. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
As a green and eco-friendly technology, triboelectric nano generator (TENG) can harvest energy from human motion to generate electricity, so TENGs have been widely applied in wearable electronic devices to replace traditional batteries. However, the surface of these TENGs is easily contaminated and breeds bacteria, which is a threat to human health. Here, we report an antibacterial composite film -based triboelectric nanogenerator (ACF-TENG) that uses Ag-exchanged zeolite (Ag-zeolite) and polypropylene (PP) composite film as the triboelectric layer. Adding a small amount of Ag-zeolite with excellent antibacterial properties can increase the dielectric permittivity and improve the surface charge density of composite films, which enhances the output performance of the ACF-TENG. The open -circuit voltage (V-OC), shortcircuit current (I-SC), and transferred charge (Q(Tr)) of the ACF-TENG are about 193.3, 225.4, and 233.3% of those of a pure PP film -based TENG, respectively. Because of the silver in the Ag-zeolite, the ACF-TENG can effectively kill Escherichia coli and fungi. When used in insoles, the ACF-TENG can resist the athlete's foot fungus effectively and work as a power source to light up light -emitting diodes and charge capacitors. The ACF-TENG has wide application prospects in self powered medical and healthcare electronics.
Early-onset muscle disease includes three major entities that present generally at or before birth: congenital myopathies, congenital muscular dystrophies and congenital myasthenic syndromes. Almost exclusively there is weakness and hypotonia, although cases manifesting hypertonia are increasingly being recognised. These diseases display a wide phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity, with the uptake of next generation sequencing resulting in an unparalleled extension of the phenotype-genotype correlations and diagnosis by sequencing due to unbiased sequencing. Perhaps now more than ever, detailed clinical evaluations are necessary to guide the genetic diagnosis; with arrival at a molecular diagnosis frequently occurring following dialogue between the molecular geneticist, the referring clinician and the pathologist. There is an ever-increasing blurring of the boundaries between the congenital myopathies, dystrophies and myasthenic syndromes. In addition, many novel disease genes have been described and new insights have been gained into skeletal muscle development and function. Despite the advances made, a significant percentage of patients remain without a molecular diagnosis, suggesting that there are many more human disease genes and mechanisms to identify. It is now technically- and clinically-feasible to perform next generation sequencing for severe diseases on a population-widescale, such that preconception-carrier screening can occur. Newborn screening for selected early-onset muscle diseases is also technically and ethically-achievable, with benefits to the patient and family from early management of these diseases and should also be implemented. The need for world-wide Reference Centres to meticulously curate polymorphisms and mutations within a particular gene is becoming increasingly apparent, particularly for interpretation of variants in the large genes which cause early-onset myopathies: NEB, RYR1 and TTN. Functional validation of candidate disease variants is crucial for accurate interpretation of next generation sequencing and appropriate genetic counseling. Many published pathogenic variants are too frequent in control populations and are thus likely rare polymorphisms. Mechanisms need to be put in place to systematically update the classification of variants such that accurate interpretation of variants occurs. In this review, we highlight the recent advances made and the challenges ahead for the molecular diagnosis of early-onset muscle diseases. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Germline BRCA2 mutations are the first known cause of inherited (familial) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This tumor is the third most frequent cancer in carriers of germline BRCA2 mutations, as it occurs in around 10% of BRCA2 families. PDAC is known as one of the most highly lethal cancers, mainly because of its chemoresistance and frequently late diagnosis. Based on recent developments in molecular biology, a subgroup of BRCA2-associated PDAC has been created, allowing screening, early surgical treatment and personalized systemic treatment. BRCA2 germline mutation carriers who have >= 1 first-degree relative, or >= 2 blood relatives with PDAC, should undergo screening and regular follow-up based on magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasound. The goal of screening is to detect early invasive PDAC and advanced precancerous lesions suitable for a stepwise surgical complete (R0) resection. Increasing evidence on the molecular role of the BRCA2 protein in the homologous recombination of DNA damages suggest that BRCA2-related PDAC are sensitive to agents causing DNA cross-linking damage, such as platinum salts, and treatments targeting rescue DNA repair pathways, such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors that are currently under investigation.
Recently, a big effort focused on research in the smart environments for learning area already resulted in a number of interesting projects and results. Smart environments for learning, based on approaches and technologies deployed in related areas of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments, certainly deserve considerable attention of the large community oriented on technology enhanced learning. Smart environments for learning can be naturally considered a new challenging step of computer enhanced learning evolution, with many new interesting facilities. As multi-agent systems are the most frequently used approach towards smart environments design in general, a systematic approach towards reflecting all desirable functionalities of smart learning environments should be based on a well-designed multiagent architecture. Moreover, a number of new technologies and approaches influenced recent research in the area of smart learning environments. Let us mention cloud -based architectures and applications as a representative. This contribution tries to summarize recent state of the art in the area, stressing the main features of successfully implemented projects. A couple of unsolved problems will be presented, together with a vision of possible future evolvement of smart learning environments.
Latency is a pressing problem in Virtual Reality (VR) applications. Low latencies are required for VR to reduce perceptual artifacts and cyber sickness. Additionally, latency jitter denotes the variance in the pattern of latency changes which additionally may cause unwanted effects. This paper analyzes latency jitter caused by typical inter-thread communication (ITC) techniques commonly used in todays computer systems employed for VR, the influence of the operating system scheduler, and the effect of different garbage collection (GC) methods to understand their effect on latency spikes, here for different Java Virtual Machines (JVM). We measure the scalability and latencies for various ITC techniques with an increasing number of threads and actors performing prototypical concurrent tasks. Four different benchmark implementations on a vanilla Linux kernel as well as on a real-time (RT) Linux kernel assess if a RT variant of a multiuser multiprocess operating system can prevent latency spikes and how this behavior would apply to different programming languages and ITC techniques. We confirmed that scheduler and prioritization of the VR application both play an important role and identified the impact they have on the implementation strategies. Also, Linux RT can limit the latency jitter at the cost of throughput for certain implementations. As expected, the choice of a GC method also is critical and will change the latency patterns drastically. As a result, we suggest that coarse grained concurrency should be employed to avoid adding up of scheduler latencies and unwanted latency jitter for the native ITC case, while actor systems are found to support a higher degree of concurrency granularity and a higher level of abstraction.
The trace element zinc is essential for immune function and its regulation. Since zinc deficiency and allergic hyperresponsive reactions are often accompanied, the influence of zinc on allergen-induced cell growth, CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cell numbers and cytokine expression during allergic immune reactions was investigated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from non-atopic and atopic subjects were treated with timothy grass allergen pre-incubated with or without zinc. Proliferation was determined by analyzing the incorporation of H-3-thymidine. Intracellular zinc and Foxp3 levels and cell surface antigens were measured by FACS, cytokine expression by ELISA and real-time PCR. Incubation with 50 mu M zinc sulfate (Zn50) enhances cytosolic zinc concentrations in CD3+ T cells. The data also reveal that the combination of Zn50 plus allergen significantly reduces PBMC proliferation of atopic subjects. Additionally, Zn50 plus allergen enhances Th1 cytokine responses shown by increased interferon (IFN)-gamma/interleukin (IL)-10 ratios as well as enhanced tumor necrosis factor-alpha release. In response to allergen, zinc increases Treg cells and upregulates the mRNA expression of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 in atopic subjects. Interestingly, Zn50 alone leads to an increase of CD4+CD25high(hi)+ cells in atopic and non-atopic subjects. Zinc may regulate unwanted hyperresponsive immune reactions by suppressing proliferation through a significant shift from IL-10 to the Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma, and enhanced regulatory T cell numbers. Therefore, zinc supplementation may be a promising tool for the therapy of allergies, without negatively affecting the immune system.
Dendritic cells (DCs) display the unique ability for cross-presenting antigens to CD8(+) T-cells, promoting their differentiation into cytotoxicT-lymphocytes (CTLs), which play a pivotal role in anti-tumor immunity. Emerging evidence points to dopamine receptor D3 (D3R) as a key regulator of immunity. Accordingly, we studied how D3R regulates DCs function in anti-tumor immunity. The results show that D3R-deficiency in DCs enhanced expansion of CTLs in vivo and induced stronger anti-tumor immunity. Co-culture experiments indicated that D3R-inhibition in DCs potentiated antigen cross-presentation and CTLs activation. Our findings suggest that D3R in DCs constitutes a new therapeutic target to strengthen anti-tumor immunity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) that has been a main research topic of computer vision and artificial intelligence now extend its applications to detection of text area from video or image contents taken by camera devices and retrieval of text information from the area. This paper aims to implement a binarization algorithm that removes user intervention and provides robust performance to outdoor lights by using TopHat algorithm and channel transformation technique. In this study, we particularly concentrate on text information of outdoor signboards and validate our proposed technique using those data.
Cannabis use disorder (CUD) co-occurs with anxiety disorders at high rates. Little is known about the mechanisms linking CUD and anxiety disorders. One theoretically-driven perspective is that individuals with.anxiety disorders may be more apt to use FSBs (i.e., behaviors that may be effective in decreasing anxiety in the short-term, but can maintain and even exacerbate anxiety in the long-term), which can perpetuate cannabis use despite cannabis-related problems. The present study tested whether FSB use explained the relation of anxiety symptom severity with cannabis quantity and related problems among 77 adults with CUD and comorbid anxiety disorders seeking outpatient CUD treatment. Results indicated that FSB frequency was significantly related to anxiety symptom severity and cannabis problem severity, but not cannabis quantity. Anxiety symptom severity was indirectly (via FSB frequency) related to cannabis problem severity, but not to cannabis quantity. These novel findings suggest that more frequent use of FSBs may play an important role in cannabis problem severity among individuals with CUD and anxiety disorders.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper the electronic implementation of FitzHugh-Nagumo (F-N) neurons via monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC) based upon a resonant tunneling diode (RTD) nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) using a coplanar waveguide (CPW) is considered. The goals are twofold. In the framework of electrical equivalent circuit emulating nonlinear active wave propagation effects, it is shown, on one hand, how different physical mechanisms are responsible for the time evolution of given input signals. A key result is that this medium supports stable and stationary pulse propagation that is only determined by the parameters of the RTD-NLTL and is independent of the boundary conditions. On the other hand, the influence of specific line elements on the output signal waveform is discussed in a most systematic manner. This leads, for the first time, to a more physical interpretation of the properties of the RTD-NLTL and, furthermore, to interesting technical applications at multi-GHz frequencies and on picosecond time scales. As a result, physically based ways are elucidated regarding how the technical design of those compact neuromorphic electrical circuits can be optimized by numerical simulations and performed using standard MMIC technologies.
In current practice, human immunodeficiency virus-infected (HIV+) candidates with CD4 >200 cells/mm(3) are eligible for kidney transplantation; however, the optimal pretransplant CD4 count above this threshold remains to be defined. We evaluated clinical outcomes in patients with baseline CD4 >350 and <350 cells/mm(3) among 38 anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-treated HIV-negative to HIV+ kidney transplants performed at our center between 2006 and 2013. Median follow-up was 2.6 years. Rates of acute rejection and patient and graft survival were not different between groups. Occurrence of severe CD4 lymphopenia (<200 cells/mm(3)), however, was more common among patients with a baseline CD4 count 200-349 cells/mm(3) compared with those transplanted at higher counts (75% vs. 30% at 4 weeks [p = 0.04] and 71% vs. 5% at 52 weeks [p = 0.001], respectively, after transplant). After adjusting for age, baseline CD4 count of 200-349 cells/mm(3) was an independent predictor of severe CD4 lymphopenia at 4 weeks (relative risk [RR] 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-5.1) and 52 weeks (RR 14.3; 95% CI 2-100.4) after transplant. Patients with CD4 <200 cells/mm(3) at 4 weeks had higher probability of serious infections during first 6 months after transplant (19% vs. 50%; log-rank p = 0.05). These findings suggest that ATG must be used with caution in HIV+ kidney allograft recipients with a pretransplant CD4 count <350 cells/mm(3). In this single-center retrospective cohort study, the authors show that anti-thymocyte globulin-treated HIV-positive kidney transplant recipients with a baseline CD4 count <350 cells/mm(3) have a higher risk of severe lymphopenia (CD4 <200 cells/mm(3)), and associated nonopportunistic infections.
Twenty-one populations (555 individuals) covering the entire native range of Pinus mugo Turra (dwarf mountain pine) were investigated for genetic variation scored at 13 nuclear microsatellite markers (nSSRs). The main objective of the present study was to determine the genetic structure across the present distribution of the species and locate populations of different genetic compositions. Most of the genetic variation was observed within the populations (95%). The assignment of populations based on Bayesian clustering methods revealed that the Sudeten populations of P. mugo form a separate genetic cluster. These stands have likely been established through the founder effects of Alpine migrants. The distribution and level of SSR polymorphisms, along with no evidence of isolation by distance or phylogeographic structure, indicate that the present populations of P. mugo have diverged relatively recently and originate from a larger glacial distribution of the species. One peripheral stand from Italy had the lowest values of most calculated genetic variation indices. This stand could therefore be more susceptible to genetic drift and a negative impact of predicted environmental changes. We discuss our findings with respect to previously published results on the genetic and morphological variation of P. mugo and with consideration for the conservation genetics of the species.
Addiction is a pathology that progressively and insidiously undermines one's autonomy-manifested, among other ways, in the experience of a sense of alienation from oneself and others. Therefore, in seeking to overcome addiction, the rehabilitative journey must facilitate the fostering of autonomy. Here, in as much as autonomy is a socially embedded capacity, so must the therapeutic process-within this context, the client-counselor relationship-be grounded in an attentiveness to and facilitation of autonomy's dialogical antecedents. One such means of achieving this is through the counselor attending to and expressing their presence, in which they are engaged in a person-to-person therapeutic alliance underpinned by a collaborative dynamic. Here, the healthy interpersonal dyad between client and counselor can provide an environment through which the client may more fully recognize their autonomous resources and exercise such resources in a way that enables them to embark on the rehabilitative journey, and, attendant to this, autonomous living.
A model has been created for calculating the balanced diversion ratios of flow rate and sediment in the branches of a bifurcated river. The model is based on the extremity law of energy dissipation rate, and involves solving the simultaneous equations of flow and sediment motion for uniform flow in an open channel. The model has been verified by measured data obtained from the Meizizhou and Baguazhou branches of the Yangtze River in China. The parameters that influence the diversion ratios, such as river width, channel roughness and the total inflow, have been analysed. It was found that balanced diversion ratios are more sensitive to river width and roughness than to total inflow. Measures to regulate the Baguazhou branch have been compared further and analysed. The conclusions of this study can provide a theoretical basis for future regulation of the Baguazhou river branch.
Background: Retrospective analyses have demonstrated correlation between patient-reported allergies and negative outcomes after total joint arthroplasty. We sought to validate these observations in a prospective cohort. Methods: One hundred forty-four patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty and 302 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were prospectively enrolled. Preoperatively, patients listed their allergies and completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) Questionnaire. At a mean of 17 months (range 12-25 months) postoperatively, SF-36, CCI, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) were obtained by telephone survey. Regression analysis was used to determine the strength of correlation between patient age, comorbidity burden, and number of allergies and outcome measurements. Results: In 446 patients, 273 reported at least 1 allergy. The number of allergies reported ranged from 0 to 33. Penicillin or its derivative was the most frequently reported allergy followed by sulfa, environmental allergen, and narcotic pain medication. Patients reporting at least 1 allergy had a significantly lower postoperative SF-36 Physical Component Score compared to those reporting no allergies (51.3 vs 49.4, P =.01). The SF-36 postoperative Mental Component Score was no different between groups. Multivariate regression analysis showed that age and patient reported allergies, but not comorbidities, were independently associated with worse postoperative SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and WOMAC score. Patients with allergies experienced the same improvement in SF-36 PCS as those without an allergy. Comorbidities did not correlate with patient-reported function postoperatively. Conclusion: Patients who report allergies have lower postoperative outcome scores but may experience the same increment in improvement after total joint arthroplasty. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The reachability of standard and fractional-order continuous-time systems with constant inputs is addressed. Positive and non-positive continuous-time linear systems are considered. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such constant inputs that steers the system from zero initial conditions to the given final state in desired time are derived and proved. As an example of such systems the electrical circuits with DC voltage sources are presented.
Background: Co-speech gestures are part of nonverbal communication during conversations. They either support the verbal message or provide the interlocutor with additional information. Furthermore, they prompt as nonverbal cues the cooperative process of turn taking. In the present study, we investigated the influence of co-speech gestures on the perception of dyadic dialogue in aphasic patients. In particular, we analysed the impact of co-speech gestures on gaze direction (towards speaker or listener) and fixation of body parts. We hypothesized that aphasic patients, who are restricted in verbal comprehension, adapt their visual exploration strategies. Methods: Sixteen aphasic patients and 23 healthy control subjects participated in the study. Visual exploration behaviour was measured by means of a contact-free infrared eye-tracker while subjects were watching videos depicting spontaneous dialogues between two individuals. Cumulative fixation duration and mean fixation duration were calculated for the factors co-speech gesture (present and absent), gaze direction (to the speaker or to the listener), and region of interest (ROI), including hands, face, and body. Results: Both aphasic patients and healthy controls mainly fixated the speaker's face. We found a significant co-speech gesture x ROI interaction, indicating that the presence of a co-speech gesture encouraged subjects to look at the speaker. Further, there was a significant gaze direction x ROI x group interaction revealing that aphasic patients showed reduced cumulative fixation duration on the speaker's face compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: Co-speech gestures guide the observer's attention towards the speaker, the source of semantic input. It is discussed whether an underlying semantic processing deficit or a deficit to integrate audio-visual information may cause aphasic patients to explore less the speaker's face. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Extracting the underlying low-dimensional space where high-dimensional signals often reside has been at the center of numerous algorithms in the signal processing and machine learning literature during the past few decades. Moreover, working with incomplete large scale datasets has recently been commonplace for diverse reasons. This so called big data era we are currently living calls for devising online subspace learning algorithms that can suitably handle incomplete data. Their anticipated goal is to recursively estimate the unknown subspace by processing streaming data sequentially, thus reducing computational complexity. In this paper, an online variational Bayes subspace learning algorithm from partial observations is presented. To account for the unawareness of the true rank of the subspace, commonly met in practice, low-rankness is explicitly imposed on the sought subspace data matrix by exploiting sparse Bayesian learning principles. Sparsity, simultaneously to low-rankness, is favored on the subspace matrix by the sophisticated hierarchical Bayesian scheme that is adopted. The proposed algorithm is thus adept in dealing with applications whereby the underlying subspace may be also sparse. The new subspace tracking scheme outperforms its state-of-the-art counterparts in terms of estimation accuracy, in a variety of experiments conducted on both simulated and real data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The aim of this study was to develop a novel protocol for generating large populations of fully mature and functional human mast cells (HMC) from CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells which require less culturing time than previously reported methods. CD34(+) cells isolated from fresh human buffy coats were sequentially cultured with different combinations of SCF, IL-6, IL-3, IL-9 and IL-4 under selected culturing conditions and time periods. Cells were then harvested for immunohistochemical characterization of morphological phenotypes and were functionally characterized by assessing their responses to IgE-dependent and -independent stimuli by measuring the release of inflammatory mediators and cytokines. Moreover, the pharmacological profiles of several classes of anti-inflammatory drugs in inhibiting the activation of these HMC were also characterized. We have developed a novel protocol that can generate large homogenous populations of mature and functional HMC in 6 weeks. These cells expressed both tryptase and chymase and were activated by anti-IgE, cationic peptides and calcium ionophores. Moreover, IgE-dependent activation of these cells was significantly inhibited by anti-inflammatory drugs. The morphological and functional characteristics of these mast cells resembled those of MCTC type or connective tissue-type HMC. Our protocol represents a novel time-saving and economical approach for generating large numbers of primary HMC for functional studies of mast cell biology and for profiling novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents with mast cell-inhibitory properties in humans.
Introduction: Molecular tests that were once ancillary to the core business of cyto-histopathology are becoming the most relevant workload in pathology departments after histopathology/cytopathology and before autopsies. This has resulted from innovations in molecular biology techniques, which have developed at an incredibly fast pace.Areas covered: Most of the current widely used techniques in molecular pathology such as FISH, direct sequencing, pyrosequencing, and allele-specific PCR will be replaced by massive parallel sequencing that will not be considered next generation, but rather, will be considered to be current generation sequencing. The pre-analytical steps of molecular techniques such as DNA extraction or sample preparation will be largely automated. Moreover, all the molecular pathology instruments will be part of an integrated workflow that traces the sample from extraction to the analytical steps until the results are reported; these steps will be guided by expert laboratory information systems. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for quantification will be largely digitalized as much as histology will be mostly digitalized rather than viewed using microscopy.Expert commentary: This review summarizes the technical and regulatory issues concerning the standardization of molecular tests in pathology. A vision of the future perspectives of technological changes is also provided.
Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) has been a key element in e-health to monitor bodies. This technology enables new applications under the umbrella of different domains, including the medical field, the entertainment and ambient intelligence areas. This survey paper places substantial emphasis on the concept and key features of the WBAN technology. First, the WBAN concept is introduced and a review of key applications facilitated by this networking technology is provided. The study then explores a wide variety of communication standards and methods deployed in this technology. Due to the sensitivity and criticality of the data carried and handled by WBAN, fault tolerance is a critical issue and widely discussed in this paper. Hence, this survey investigates thoroughly the reliability and fault tolerance paradigms suggested for WBANs. Open research and challenging issues pertaining to fault tolerance, coexistence and interference management and power consumption are also discussed along with some suggested trends in these aspects.
Dual fluidized bed (DFB) systems for biomass gasification consist of two connected fluidized beds with a circulating bed material in between. Inside such reactor systems, rough conditions occur due to the high temperatures and the movement of the bed material. Computational fluid dynamics calculations are a useful tool for investigating fluid dynamics inside such a reactor system. In this study, an industrial sized DFB system was simulated with the commercial code CPFD Barracuda. The DFB system is part of the combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Gussing, situated in Austria, and has a total fuel input of 8 MWth. The model was set up according to geometry and operating data which allows a realistic description of the hot system in the simulation environment. Furthermore, a Conversion model for the biomass particles was implemented which covers the drying and devolatilization processes. Homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions were considered. Since drag models have an important influence on fluidization behavior, four drag models were tested. It was found that the EMMS drag model fits best, with an error of below 20%, whereas the other drag models produced much larger errors. Based on this drag law, further simulations were conducted. The simulation model correctly predicts the different fluidization regimes and pressure drops in the reactor system. It is also able to predict the compositions of the product and flue gas, as well as the temperatures inside the reactor, with reasonable accuracy. Due to the results obtained, Barracuda seems suitable for further investigations regarding the fluid mechanics of such reactors. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The advent of both Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way of conceiving information and communication systems. Generally, we talk about IoT Cloud to indicate a new type of distributed system consisting of a set of smart objects, e.g., single board computers running Linux-based operating systems, interconnected with a remote Cloud infrastructure, platform, or software through the Internet and able to provide IoT as a Service (IoTaaS). In this context, container-based virtualization is a lightweight alternative to the hypervisor-based approach that can be adopted on smart objects, for enhancing the IoT Cloud service provisioning. In particular, considering different IoT application scenarios, container-based virtualization allows IoT Cloud providers to deploy and customize in a flexible fashion pieces of software on smart objects. In this paper, we explore the container-based virtualization on smart objects in the perspective of a IoT Cloud scenarios analyzing its advantages and performances.
People's perceptions of others' self-esteem correspond with others' explicit self-esteem. We test whether implicit self-esteem also affects perceptions of self-esteem at zero and non-zero acquaintance. Targets completed measures of implicit and explicit self-esteem, had photographs taken, and completed self-related interviews. Unacquainted perceivers rated targets' self-esteem after viewing varying degrees of information about targets (Study 1) or pre-selected high and low implicit self-esteem targets (Studies 2 and 3). When perceivers viewed photographs, only target explicit self-esteem predicted self-esteem ratings. However, when perceivers read targets' interview transcripts, both target explicit and implicit self-esteem predicted self-esteem ratings. When targets described sensitive information, their apparent comfort and self-certainty were associated with ratings of their self-esteem. These cues, moreover, were valid indicators of implicit self-esteem.
Integrated engineering is a subject that many specialists are concerned with. The problem of integrated engineering depends on the way in which CAD and CAPP stages are solved and also on the way in which the information transfer between these phases is ensured. The present paper is focused on the phase of process planning and presents an innovative original CAPP system. The system is strongly related to product design (CAD) where the concept of constructive-technological entity is applied and facilitates CAPP stage. The present paper presents the system structure and working.
The Tangram Help/Hurt Task is a laboratory-based measure designed to simultaneously assess helpful and hurtful behavior. Across five studies we provide evidence that further establishes the convergent and discriminant validity of the Tangram Help/Hurt Task. Cross-sectional and meta-analytic evidence finds consistently significant associations between helpful and hurtful scores on the Tangram Task and prosocial and aggressive personality traits. Experimental evidence reveals that situational primes known to induce aggressive and prosocial behavior significantly influence helpful and hurtful scores on the Tangram Help/Hurt Task. Additionally, motivation items in all studies indicate that tangram choices are indeed associated with intent of helping and hurting. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the Tangram Help/Hurt Task relative to established measures of helpful and hurtful behavior. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mulching is increasingly employed to stabilize burnt areas, making necessary to elucidate where and how it should be used. The effects of mulching and the efficiency of two straw application strategies in reducing nutrient losses were evaluated in a steep area (burnt with moderate severity) with twelve experimental plots split into three sets: control burnt plots (BS), burnt plots with straw mulching in narrow bands along the contour lines (NM, global dose 800 kg ha(-1)) and in wide bands (WM, global dose 1000 kg ha(-1)). None of the mulching strategies had a significant effect on most of the 16 soil and sediment variables analysed (pH, nutrient and trace element concentrations). The principal component analyses show that soil and sediment samples change with time after the fire regardless treatment, decreasing progressively the differences between successive sampling dates. In sediments, pH(KCl), Ca, Mg, Mn and Zn fitted to curvilinear regression models with time after fire as independent variable, while the other variables showed no clear temporal trend. During the first post-fire year, <500 kg ha(-1) of sediments were eroded and mulching had no effect on the total mass of lost sediment's and nutrients. We conclude that the erosion rate was rather low that year due to moderate precipitation rates and therefore mulching did not significantly reduce soil erosion. Nevertheless, the concentration of Mo, Mn and Zn in sediments exceeded reference levels for ecosystem protection and can lead to deficiency problems for on-site vegetation and to soil and water pollution off-site. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
One application of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) that supports people in their daily activities is the smart home, which has become a popular topic for research over the past 10 years. The smart home can support the inhabitant in a variety of ways, such as watching for potential risks, detecting any abnormality, adapting the home for environmental conditions and inducing behavioural change. This often requires the smart home to recognise the behaviours of the inhabitant. In this paper, we introduce a method that can accurately recognise the inhabitant's behaviours. This includes both the segmentation of the sensor stream and the identification of behaviours. We demonstrate our algorithm on sensor data from real smart homes.
Railroad tracks need to be periodically inspected and monitored to ensure safe transportation. Automated track inspection using computer vision and pattern recognition methods has recently shown the potential to improve safety by allowing for more frequent inspections while reducing human errors. Achieving full automation is still very challenging due to the number of different possible failure modes, as well as the broad range of image variations that can potentially trigger false alarms. In addition, the number of defective components is very small, so not many training examples are available for the machine to learn a robust anomaly detector. In this paper, we show that detection performance can be improved by combining multiple detectors within a multitask learning framework. We show that this approach results in improved accuracy for detecting defects on railway ties and fasteners.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a common mental disorder, has several treatment options including pregabalin. Not all patients respond to treatment; quickly determining which patients will respond is an important treatment goal. Patient-level data were pooled from nine phase II and III randomized, double-blind, short-term, placebo-controlled trials of pregabalin for the treatment of GAD. Efficacy outcomes included the change from baseline in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) total score and psychic and somatic subscales. Predictive modelling assessed baseline characteristics and early clinical responses to determine those predictive of clinical improvement at endpoint. A total of 2155 patients were included in the analysis (1447 pregabalin, 708 placebo). Pregabalin significantly improved the HAM-A total score compared with the placebo at endpoint, treatment difference (95% confidence interval), -2.61 (-3.21 to -2.01), P<0.0001. Pregabalin significantly improved HAM-A psychic and somatic scores compared with placebo, -1.52 (-1.85 to -1.18), P= 30% improvement in HAM-A total, psychic or somatic score) was predictive of an endpoint greater than or equal to 50% improvement in the HAM-A total score. Pregabalin is an effective treatment option for patients with GAD. Patients with early response to pregabalin are more likely to respond significantly at endpoint. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Distribution of Zika virus has spread throughout the world. WHO has announced that Zika virus disease is a global health problem. As a tropical country, Indonesia has the potential to spread Zika virus. This letter is to report that there was a single case of zika in Jambi province published by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology. This case was analyzed with the temperature in the scene, which is considered as an appropriate factor to development of Zika virus.
The goal of this article is to present the role of the technology during the transit between the different stages of the mathematical modeling cycle. Since 2008 at Tecnologico de Monterrey, it was began the development of a course that involves a mathematical modeling perspective as the principal mean for learning Differential Equations. It is presented the design of a specific situation related with Circuits Electric Context with activities based on the use of diverse technology. Based on a praxeological study we describes the types of tasks related to the mathematical modeling cycle when technology is applied, and also how the former ones might propose a better transit between the diverse domains of the modeling cycle. We conclude with the concluding remarks and future lines of research.
Modern botnets such as Zeus and Conficker commonly utilize a technique called domain fluxing or a domain generation algorithm to generate a large number of pseudo-random domain names (PDNs) dynamically for botnet operators to control their bots. These botnets are becoming one of the most serious threats to Internet security on a global scale. How to prevent their destructive action is one of the most pressing issues of today. In this paper, we focus on detecting domain-flux botnets within the monitored network based on Domain Name System (DNS) traffic features. This method passively captures all DNS traffic from the gateway of a monitored network and then extracts key features to identify PDN. Based on examining and analyzing a large number of legitimate domains as well as PDN generated by botnets, we have discovered that there is a discernible bias in the rules for constructing domain names. Therefore, we introduce a methodology that analyzes DNS traffic to extract the length and the expected value, which can distinguish between a domain name generated by humans or bots. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, various machine learning algorithms are applied to train predictive models for our detection system. This proposed scheme is implemented and tested in a real local area network. The experimental results show that our proposed method achieves the highest detective efficiency for decision tree algorithms (J48) with an average overall accuracy of up to 92.3% and a false positive rate of 4.8%. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In explaining why constituent groups often vary in their perceptions of the most salient aspects of an organization's identity, existing research has drawn, almost exclusively, on social identity research and self-enhancement motives. This research suggests that when different organizational identity categorizations are enhancing to some groups but not others, variation in organizational identity perceptions arises. In this paper, by contrast, we explore the role that unmotivated or spontaneous cognitions may play in influencing variation in constituents' organizational identity categorizations. Based on data from a study of U.S. business school constituents, we develop a dual-path model through which both motivated and spontaneous processes influence the different organizational identity categorizations constituent groups find to be most salient. We discuss both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
This paper deals with an initial boundary value problem for the following one-dimensional two-fluid system {n(t) + (nu(g))(x) = 0, x is an element of I = (0, 1), t >0, m(t) + (mu(l))(x) = 0, alpha(g)(P-g)(x) = mu(g)(u(g))(xx), alpha(l)(P-l)(x) = mu(l)(u(l))(xx), alpha(l) + alpha(g) = 1, where n and m represent, respectively, gas mass and liquid mass; u(g) and u(l) are corresponding fluid velocities whereas alpha(g) and alpha(l) are volume fractions occupied by the gas and liquid phase, and P-g and P-l are pressures associated with them. The model represents a submodel of the full two-fluid model studied in Bresch et al. (2012). An important difference between the model studied in the present work and that studied in Bresch et al. (2012) is that viscosity coefficients mu(l), mu(g) are assumed to be constant. Bresch et al. assumed mass-dependent coefficients that allowed them to derive a so-called BD inequality which implies that masses are in H-1. Since we are excluded from following that route, we instead explore how the use of two non-equal pressure functions P-g and P-l (i.e., P-l - P-g = f (m) not equal 0) allows us to obtain global estimates that guarantee a stability result to hold. I.e., we prove that m(., t) ->(m) over tilde, n(., t) ->(n) over tilde, u(l)(., t), u(g) (., t) ->0, as t ->infinity, with respect to the norm in L-infinity(I) for constant states (m) over tilde and (n) over tilde. Estimates of the time asymptotic behavior are also provided. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A monolithic integrated low-voltage deep brain stimulator with wireless power and data transmission is presented. Data and power are transmitted to the stimulator by mutual inductance coupling, while the in-vitro controller encodes the stimulation parameters. The stimulator integrates the digital control module and can generate the bipolar current with equal amplitude in four channels. In order to reduce power consumption, a novel controlled threshold voltage cancellation rectifier is proposed in this paper to provide the supply voltage of the stimulator. The monolithic stimulator was fabricated in a SMIC 0.18 mu m 1-poly 6-metal mixed-signal CMOS process, occupying 0.23 mm(2), and consumes 180 mu W on average. Compared with previously published stimulators, this design has advantages of large stimulated current (0-0.8 mA) with the double low-voltage supply (1.8 and 3.3 V), and high-level integration.
A novel type of hydraulic structure is proposed for rainwater harvesting in an arid area of Jordan. The project is to develop an irrigation scheme near the Dead Sea, where low annual precipitation and high salinity are the major concerns. The scheme consists of an irrigated farm, a reservoir, and an intake structure to divert ephemeral flood flows into the reservoir. The harvested water is expected to be fresh in comparison with the groundwater in the vulnerable freshwater lens. This research focusses on hydraulic design and actual construction processes of the structure. The structure consists of a gutter cutting across a 16 m wide valley bottom and a conveyance channel of 60 m long to guide the water into the reservoir. The conveyance channel is equipped with a spillway part. As a result of level surveys and hydrological considerations, it was revealed that the structure should have a width of 1.6 m and supercritical flows should be dominant. Details of structure dimensions were designed with numerical and model experiments. A finite volume scheme for the two-dimensional shallow water equations was used to numerically reproduce the whole flow field during a rainwater harvesting event with the maximum design discharge. The numerical scheme employs special fluxsplitting and data reconstruction techniques that realize stable computation of very shallow transcritical flows. A distorted hydraulic model with 1/8 horizontal scale and 1/1 roughness scale was constructed in an experimental station in Japan, in order to test hydraulic phenomena that the numerical method cannot represent. Then, the structure was actually constructed at the site. The channel bottoms are made of reinforced concrete, while the side walls are of concrete blocks whose sizes have been chosen according to the design. However, minor changes were made during the construction processes due to workability constraints. The numerical experiments were conducted again to confirm the actual structure showing desired performance.
Objective: Does spending money on others (prosocial spending) improve the cardiovascular health of community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with high blood pressure? Method: In Study 1, 186 older adults diagnosed with high blood pressure participating in the Midlife in the U.S. Study (MIDUS) were examined. In Study 2, 73 older adults diagnosed with high blood pressure were assigned to spend money on others or to spend money on themselves. Results: In Study 1, the more money people spent on others, the lower their blood pressure was 2 years later. In Study 2, participants who were assigned to spend money on others for 3 consecutive weeks subsequently exhibited lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to participants assigned to spend money on themselves. The magnitude of these effects was comparable to the effects of interventions such as antihypertensive medication or exercise. Conclusions: Together, these findings suggest that spending money on others shapes cardiovascular health, thereby providing a pathway by which prosocial behavior improves physical health among at-risk older adults.
Water shortage and water pollution are important factors restricting sustainable social and economic development. As a typical coal resource-exhausted city and a node city of the South-to-North Water Transfer East Route Project in China, Zaozhuang City's water resources management faces multiple constraints such as transformation of economic development, restriction of groundwater exploitation, and improvement of water environment. In this paper, we develop a linear optimization model by input-output analysis to study water resources management with the introduction of three advanced sewage treatment technologies for pollutant treatment and reclaimed water production. The simulation results showed that from 2014 to 2020, Zaozhuang City will realize an annual GDP growth rate of 7.1% with an annual chemical oxygen demand (COD) emissions reduction rate of 5.5%. The proportion of primary industry, secondary industry, and tertiary industry would be adjusted to 5.6%, 40.8%, and 53.6%, respectively. The amount of reclaimed water supply could be increased by 91% and groundwater supply could be decreased by 6%. Based on the simulation, this model proposes a scientific reference on water resources management policies, including water environment control, water supply plan, and financial subsidy, to realize the sustainable development of economy and water resources usage.
TCR ligation is critical for the selection, activation, and integrin expression of T lymphocytes. Here, we explored the role of the TCR adaptor protein slp-76 on iNKT-cell biology. Compared to B6 controls, slp-76(ace/ace) mice carrying a missense mutation (Thr428Ile) within the SH2-domain of slp-76 showed an increase in iNKT cells in the thymus and lymph nodes, but a decrease in iNKT cells in spleens and livers, along with reduced ADAP expression and cytokine response. A comparable reduction in iNKT cells was observed in the livers and spleens of ADAP-deficient mice. Like ADAP(-/-) iNKT cells, slp-76(ace/ace) iNKT cells were characterized by enhanced CD11b expression, correlating with an impaired induction of the TCR immediate-early gene Nur77 and a decreased adhesion to ICAM-1. Furthermore, CD11b-intrinsic effects inhibited cytokine release, concanavalin A-mediated inflammation, and iNKT-cell accumulation in the liver. Unlike B6 and ADAP(-/-) mice, the expression of the transcription factors Id3 and PLZF was reduced, whereas NP-1-expression was enhanced in slp-76(ace/ace) mice. Blockade of NP-1 decreased the recovery of iNKT cells from peripheral lymph nodes, identifying NP-1 as an iNKT-cell-specific adhesion factor. Thus, slp-76 contributes to the regulation of the tissue distribution, PLZF, and cytokine expression of iNKT cells via ADAP-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
Objective Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is often diagnosed late in the course of the disease and improved methods for early diagnosis are required. We have tested the ability of genetic profiling to diagnose axial SpA (axSpA) as a whole group, or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) alone, in a cohort of chronic back pain patients. Methods 282 patients were recruited from centres in the United Kingdom, Germany, Taiwan, Canada, Columbia and Turkey as part of the ASAS classification criteria for axSpA study (ASAS cohort). Subjects were classified according to the ASAS axSpA criteria, and the modified New York Criteria for AS. Patients were genotyped for similar to 200,000 immune-mediated disease SNPs using the Illumina Immunochip. Results We first established the predictive accuracy of genetic data comparing 9,638 healthy controls and 4,428 AS cases from the homogenous International Genetics of AS (IGAS) Consortium Immunochip study which showed excellent predictive power (AUC= 0.91). Genetic risk scores had lower predictive power (AUC= 0.83) comparing ASAS cohort axSpA cases meeting the ASAS imaging criteria with IGAS controls. Comparing genetic risk scores showed moderate discriminatory capacity between IGAS AS and ASAS imaging positive cases (AUC 0.67 +/- 0.05), indicating that significant differences in genetic makeup exist between the cohorts. Conclusion In a clinical setting of referred back pain patients suspected to have axial SpA we were unable to use genetic data to construct a predictive model better than that based on existing clinical data. Potential confounding factors include significant heterogeneity in the ASAS cohort, possibly reflecting the disease heterogeneity of axSpA, or differences between centres in ascertainment or classification performance.
With the disturbing increase of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Malaysia, a lot of efforts and studies are put forward towards understanding and managing matters related to ASD. One way is to find means of easing the social communications among these children and their caretakers, particularly during intervention. If the caretaker is able to comprehend the children emotional state of mind prior to therapy, some sort of trust and attachment will be developed. However, regulating emotions is a challenge to these children. Nonverbal communication such as facial expression is difficult for ASD children. Therefore, we proposed the use of walking patterns (i.e. gait) to detect the type of emotions of ASD children. Even though using gait for emotion recognition is common among normal individuals, none can be found done on children with ASD. Thus, the aim of this paper is to conduct a preliminary review on the possibilities of carrying out gait-based emotion detection among ASD children with regards to the emotional types, gait parameters and methods of gait data acquisition. (c) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
To further capture the influences of uncertain factors on river bridge safety evaluation, a probabilistic approach is adopted. Because this is a systematic and nonlinear problem, MPP-based reliability analyses are not suitable. A sampling approach such as a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) or importance sampling is often adopted. To enhance the efficiency of the sampling approach, this study utilizes Bayesian least squares support vector machines to construct a response surface followed by an MCS, providing a more precise safety index. Although there are several factors impacting the flood-resistant reliability of a bridge, previous experiences and studies show that the reliability of the bridge itself plays a key role. Thus, the goal of this study is to analyze the system reliability of a selected bridge that includes five limit states. The random variables considered here include the water surface elevation, water velocity, local scour depth, soil property and wind load. Because the first three variables are deeply affected by river hydraulics, a probabilistic HEC-RAS-based simulation is performed to capture the uncertainties in those random variables. The accuracy and variation of our solutions are confirmed by a direct MCS to ensure the applicability of the proposed approach. The results of a numerical example indicate that the proposed approach can efficiently provide an accurate bridge safety evaluation and maintain satisfactory variation.
ADAM10 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10) is the alpha-secretase that is involved in APP(beta-amyloid precursor protein) processing. Enhancement of the nonamyloidogenic APP pathway by ADAM10 provides therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease (AD). By using high-throughput screening that targeted ADAM10, we determined that apicidin-an inhibitor of HDACs(histone deacetylases)-significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of ADAM10 in SH-SY5Y cells. A luciferase assay revealed that the nucleotides 2444 to 2300 in the ADAM10 promoter were sufficient to mediate this effect. In addition, knockdown of USF1 (upstream transcription factor 1) and HDAC2/3 prevented apicidin regulation of ADAM10. Moreover, USF1 acetylation was increased by apicidin, which enhanced the association of USF1 with HDAC2/3 and with the ADAM10 promoter. We further found that apicidin did not affect the phosphorylation of ERK or USF1; however, ERK inhibitor U0126 blocked the effect of apicidin on ADAM10. Finally, apicidin increased the level of a-site C-terminal fragment from APP and reduced the production of b-amyloid peptide 1-42. Collectively, our study provides evidence that ADAM10 expression can be regulated by HDAC2/3 inhibitor apicidin via USF1-dependent mechanisms in which ERK signaling plays an important role. Thus, HDAC regulation of ADAM10 might shed new light on the understanding of AD pathology.-Hu, X.-T., Zhu, B.-L., Zhao, L.-G., Wang, J.-W., Liu, L., Lai, Y.-J., He, L., Deng, X.-J., Chen, G.-J. Histone deacetylase inhibitor apicidin increases expression of the a-secretase ADAM10 through transcription factor USF1-mediated mechanisms. FASEB J. 31, 1482-1493 (2017). www.fasebj.org
Unmanned aerial vehicles have become more widely used for entertainment, security, building inspection and for other similar tasks. Inertial Navigations Systems (INS) is one of the main area of research for UAVs to control their flights through buildings or near constructions where flight paths must be controlled or recorded. In this paper is collected some approaches, which can be used for UAV onboard trajectory determination where GPS cannot be used are determined. Approach includes onboard inertial measurement unit system and image sensors. Fusing UAVs controlling methods and computer vision gives possibility to increase inertial navigation system accuracy. To determine distance to obstacles dual vision cameras must be used. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The traditional assumption within the research literature on human sexually dimorphic traits has been that many sex differences have arisen from intersexual selection. More recently, however, there has been a shift toward the idea that many male features, including male lower-pitched voices and male beard growth, might have arisen predominantly through intrasexual selection: that is, to serve the purpose of male-male competition instead of mate attraction. In this study, using a unique set of video stimuli, we measured people's perceptions of the dominance and attractiveness of men who differ both in terms of voice pitch (4 levels from lower to higher pitched) and beard growth (4 levels from clean shaven to a month's hair growth). We found a nonlinear relationship between lower pitch and increased attractiveness; men's vocal attractiveness peaked at around 96 Hz. Beard growth had equivocal effects on attractiveness judgments. In contrast, perceptions of men's dominance simply increased with increasing masculinity (i.e., with lower-pitched voices and greater beard growth). Together, these results suggest that the optimal level of physical masculinity might differ depending on whether the outcome is social dominance or mate attraction. These dual selection pressures might maintain some of the documented variability in male physical and behavioral masculinity that we see today.
Heavy traffic loading can produce loss of functionality in pipeline networks, with consequential interference with economic and social impacts in the areas involved in breakage. The consequences of breakage or disconnection of pipelines are technical, economic and social. In the case of a sewer network failure, illness and epidemics might result. In this paper, to protect the buried pipe, use of a three-dimensional geosynthetic (geocell) is investigated to reinforce the trench. Two series of three-dimensional full-scale tests under repeated loadings have been performed. The first test programme compares the performance of buried pipes installed beneath soil that is unreinforced, planar reinforced, or with geocell in a trench. Compaction difficulties necessitated a change in the process of compaction so that a second installation was proposed. In this series of tests, further understanding of the behaviour of geocells with different opening areas and heights above the buried pipes under repeated loads is presented and discussed. It is observed that the effective reinforcement and improvement of the backfill system is achievable if the geocell is installed in the backfill with an appropriate compaction process. The results further indicate the importance of compaction both below and above the level of the geocell installation. As a result of the modified compaction process, the trench reinforced with geocell showed superior performance, delivering a 65% and 35% reduction in soil surface settlement and vertical diametral strain, respectively, compared with the unreinforced soil.
Low empathy is a prominent trait associated with juvenile offenders. Many juvenile justice service providers strive to reduce risk factors associated with juvenile delinquency, while producing evidence-based outcomes for targeted programming. The Youth Services Agency (YSA) Nature Center provides empathy development through animal therapy to adjudicated youth. This project generates evidence-based outcomes and quantifies the impact of animal therapy on empathy development of adjudicated youth at the YSA Nature Center by utilizing self-assessment tools. Results indicated trends that animal therapy increases the emotional empathy of YSA clients. Qualitative evidence implied that animal therapy had notable therapeutic value to YSA clients.
Background: Chronic otitis media (COM) is one of the most common childhood diseases. Its pathophysiology is complex and multifactorial. The role of specific mucin glycoprotein subtypes in OM is only recently being elucidated. Objective: To determine the relationship between middle ear fluid mucins and clinical variables of patients needing tympanostomy tubes (TT). Methods: Middle ear effusions (MEE) from children receiving TT were collected over a 2-year period. Western blot characterization of mucins MUC5B and MUC5AC along with chart review of age, gender, effusion viscosity, hearing loss >30 dB, history of allergies, and/or respiratory disease were performed. Results: MEE samples from 58 patients were available for analysis. Overall, MUC5B was significantly more often detected in middle ear fluid relative to MUC5AC (90% vs. 51%, p = 0.005). MUC5B presence was statistically associated with mucoid effusions relative to serous effusions (100% vs. 57%, p = 0.0064), MUC5AC presence was not significantly different in mucoid and serous fluid (55.1% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.447). Patients younger than 48 months were more likely to present with mucoid effusion, compared to those older than 48 months of age (p = 0.038). Finally, patients with effusions positive for MUC5B were younger than those with effusions negative for MUC5B (35.1 vs. 76 months, p = 0.045). No other variables correlated to either effusion viscosity or specific mucin content. Conclusion: Patients younger in age needing TT placement are more likely to present with mucoid effusions, predominantly containing MUC5B mucin. As such, we postulate a distinct pathophysiology for mucoid and serous effusions across ages in children with COM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
During the past two decades, government efforts to provide water access to rural communities in Brazil's semiarid Northeast region have focused on building systems to capture and store rainwater, most importantly through the One Million Cisterns Program (P1MC). This article presents an analytic model based on daily precipitation data to evaluate the sustainability of rainwater capture. Application of this model to analysis ofthe P1MC reveals the heterogeneous climate in this region causes large spatial variability in the effectiveness of this program. In addition, the size of the area of capture, the run-off coefficient of the roofs, and the amount offirst-flush diversion also have important effects. This analysis demonstrates while rainwater capture can offer sufficient water for drinking, as a stand-alone solution it cannot meet P1MC objectives of guaranteeing sustainable and universal access to water for drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene in all regions and years.
Both network security and quality of service (QoS) consume computational resource of IT system and thus may evidently affect the application services. In the case of limited computational resource, it is important to model the mutual influence between network security and QoS, which can be concurrently optimized in order to provide a better performance under the available computational resource. In this paper, an evaluation model is accordingly presented to describe the mutual influence of network security and QoS, and then a multi-objective genetic algorithm NSGA-II is revised to optimize the multi-objective model. Using the intrinsic information from the target problem, a new crossover approach is designed to further enhance the optimization performance. Simulation results validate that our algorithm can find a set of Pareto-optimal security policies under different network workloads, which can be provided to the potential users as the differentiated security preferences. These obtained Pareto-optimal security policies not only meet the security requirement of the user, but also provide the optimal QoS under the available computational resource. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The cellular adaptive immune response plays a key role in resolving influenza infection. Experiments where individuals are successively infected with different strains within a short timeframe provide insight into the underlying viral dynamics and the role of a cross-reactive immune response in resolving an acute infection. We construct a mathematical model of within-host influenza viral dynamics including three possible factors which determine the strength of the cross-reactive cellular adaptive immune response: the initial naive T cell number, the avidity of the interaction between T cells and the epitopes presented by infected cells, and the epitope abundance per infected cell. Our model explains the experimentally observed shortening of a second infection when cross-reactivity is present, and shows that memory in the cellular adaptive immune response is necessary to protect against a second infection.
We present a system, called Cygnet, makes it easy both to use and to implement media-rich interactive cloud services. Usage simplicity is achieved by providing a simple but powerful mechanism that makes an I/O device a first-class network-accessible resource that any user can dynamically bind to any service at any time. Implementation simplicity is achieved by providing a development and runtime environment that is identical to that of a typical Linux distribution running on a local machine. In Cygnet the cloud is thus transparent to both developers and users, the latter of whom concern themselves simply with choosing the I/O devices via which they wish to interact with their services. The system supports all classes of services and is optimized for the difficult class that requires a GPU to render content in real time. Designing and implementing a cloud-transparent system for that class presents a number of significant technical challenges. We describe how we overcame those challenges and then evaluate the performance of the system's cloud-based GPU rendering.
Do narcissists really like other narcissists? Although some research suggests that the answer is 'yes,' the current study demonstrates that the answer to this question is not so simple. In this study, participants (N = 370) completed a survey in which they responded on a measure of trait narcissism and then were randomly assigned to rate the likability of people who were described by either 13 narcissistic traits (abstract-trait description condition) or 13 behavioral manifestations of these traits (concrete-behavior description condition). Results showed that narcissists (vs. non-narcissists) rated narcissistic others significantly more positively in the abstract-trait description condition, whereas this effect was non-significant (and slightly reversed) in the concrete-behavior description Condition. Interestingly, this interaction effect was not modified by the contextual salience of one's own (non)narcissistic identity. In sum, the present research presents a case of 'narcissistic hypocrisy' - narcissists claim to be mote forgiving of narcissistic traits but do not follow through with this claim when led to confront manifestations of these traits. This finding adds to a growing body of work examining narcissists' attitudes toward narcissism. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Despite its widespread use in studies of race and ethnic politics, there exists a long-standing debate about whether racial resentment primarily measures antiblack prejudice or ideological conservatism. In this paper, we attempt to resolve this debate by examining racial resentment's role in shaping white opinion on a racialized policy issue that involves no federal action and no government redistribution of resources: pay for play in college athletics. Using cross-sectional and experimental data from the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study and Amazon's Mechanical Turk, we find evidence not only that racial resentment items tap racial predispositions but also that whites rely on these predispositions when forming and expressing their views on paying college athletes. More specifically, we demonstrate that racially resentful whites who were subtly primed to think about African Americans are more likely to express opposition to paying college athletes when compared with similarly resentful whites who were primed to think about whites. Because free-market conservatism, resistance to changes in the status quo, opposition to expanding federal power, and reluctance to endorse government redistributive policies cannot possibly explain these results, we conclude that racial resentment is a valid measure of antiblack prejudice.
Smart Power integrated circuits receive an increasing attraction recently, especially in automotive industry. Substrate noise coupling is one of the major causes of failure in this kind of integrated circuits that requires circuit redesign and increases the overall cost. An exhaustive failure analysis is needed to identify failures due to substrate coupling. In this paper, we present a post-layout extraction and simulation methodology for substrate parasitic modeling. Based on this methodology, we have developed a dedicated computer-aided-design tool that is used for substrate extraction from layout patterns. The extraction employs a meshing algorithm for substrate parasitic generation. To validate the substrate model, the process of benchmarking uses industrial design structures in 0.35 mu m high-voltage-CMOS technology. Two test cases in transient simulation are considered in this work. The first one is a common used current mirror circuit. Our tool predicts the interference of substrate currents to this basic circuit. The second test case is an industrial design test-chip where parasitic coupling is investigated in a standard automotive test. Eventually, by using the proposed CAD tool, it becomes possible to simulate the behaviors of substrate noise at early phase before fabrication.
Temporal patterns of water quality variation in Khlong U-Tapao river basin of Thailand were analyzed for 21stations along the river basin. This research objective is to study correlation of water quality by temporal variation of climatic-hydrology in years of 2007-2013. Using multivariate statistical analysis to analyze water quality of dataset 9 parameters such as pH, water temperature (WT), turbidity (TB), conductivity (CD), dissolved oxygen, (DO) biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total coliform bacteria (TCB), fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) and Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3-N). The results show that seasonal change has affected to water quality by variation of climatic-hydrologic parameters. The climatic-hydrologic water quality relationship is maximum climatic temperature had positive with WT but negative with NH3-N. The temporal hydrologic-water quality relationship is precipitation had positive with TB but negative with WT, pH and DO. Water inflow had positive with TB but negative with WT and CD. Water outflow had positive with TB and DO but negative with WT. Water level had positive with TB, BOD and TCB. The spatial-temporal hydrologic-water quality relationship is river cross-section had positive with WT and CD but negative with DO. The assessment from multiple linear regression equations can explain water quality variations by climatic-hydrologic factors. Therefore, water quality management should be consideration climatic-hydrologic variation to provide basal information for developing improved water pollution control procedures of Khlong U-Tapao river basin.
Evidence is reviewed supporting the presence of an inherited structural defect in the plasma membranes of somatic cells of humans who have type 2 diabetes mellitus and sodium-sensitive essential hypertension. This magnesium-binding defect (MgBD) consists of a decreased content of tightly bound Mg2+ ion in the cell membrane and limits the amount of Mg2+ that enters the cell, some of which combines with ATP(4-), produced by the cell, to form MgATP(2-), the currency of metabolic energy. Consequently, in both prediabetes and overt diabetes, the intracellular concentration of the interdependent Mg2+ and MgATP(2-) ions is significantly less than normal. These 2 ions are required as cofactors and (or) substrates for some 300 enzyme systems in human metabolism, many of which are involved with insulin. Thus the decreased activities of particular ones of these enzyme systems due to the decreased intracellular [Mg2+] and its dependent [MgATP(2-)] are responsible for (i) insulin resistance and (ii) decreased insulin secretion and (or) production, the 2 patho-physiological processes required for the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These 2 processes can account for all of the morbid symptoms associated with this disease. Thus, the decreased intracellular concentration of the interdependent Mg2+ and MgATp(2-) ions constitutes the etiology of genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus and can be corrected by 2 identified peptide Mg2+-binding promoters that are derived from the carboxyl terminal of the tachykinin substance P and occur in normal blood plasma. Decreased intracellular [Mg2+] and [MgATp(2-)] can also result from a dietary deficiency of magnesium or from an abnormal accumulation of saturated fatty acids in cell membranes, which inhibits the entrance of Mg2+ into the cell; thus it is also the etiology not only of diabetes caused by magnesium deficiency, but also of the lipotoxic type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although these pathologies cannot be corrected by the Mg2+-binding promoters, they can be corrected, respectively, by dietary magnesium supplementation or by exercise plus dietary caloric and lipid restriction. Theoretically, the disease syndrome containing type 2 diabetes mellitus may involve approximately 30% of the population.
The hypothalamic hormone oxytocin plays a major role in regulation of behavior and body composition. Quality of survival is frequently impaired in childhood craniopharyngioma patients due to sequelae such as behavioral deficits and severe obesity caused by tumor or treatment-related hypothalamic lesions. In our pilot cross-sectional study, we analyzed emotion recognition abilities and oxytocin concentrations in saliva and urine before and after single nasal administration of 24 IU oxytocin in 10 craniopharyngioma patients. Four craniopharyngioma presented with grade I lesions (limited to anterior hypothalamic areas) and 6 craniopharyngioma with grade II lesions (involving mammillary bodies and posterior hypothalamic areas). Emotional tasks were assessed before and after administration of oxytocin using the Geneva multimodal emotion portrayals corpus and the Multidimensional Mood Questionnaire. All patients presented with detectable levels of oxytocin before administration. Nasal administration of oxytocin was well-tolerated and resulted in increased oxytocin concentrations in saliva and urine. After oxytocin administration, craniopharyngioma patients with postsurgical lesions limited to the anterior hypothalamus area showed improvements in emotional identifications compared to craniopharyngioma patients with lesions of anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas. Focusing on correct assignments to positive and negative emotion categories, craniopharyngioma patients improved assignment to negative emotions. Oxytocin might have positive effects on emotion perception in craniopharyngioma patients with specific lesions of the anterior hypothalamic area. Further studies on larger cohorts are warranted.
Introduction: Respiratory tract infections constitute the most frequent manifestation of X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). There are not many papers elucidating gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in such patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of gastrointestinal disorders and IBD compared to respiratory tract infections in XLA individuals. Material and methods: Of 1563 patients with primary immunodeficiencies diagnosed in the Department of Immunology, the Children's Memorial Health Institute (CMHI), 66 boys had a provisional diagnosis of agammaglobulinemia. Forty-four subjects fulfilled definitive ESID (European Society for Immunodeficiencies) diagnostic criteria of XLA. A retrospective analysis of medical history of XLA patients was undertaken. Results: Recurrent respiratory tract infections, particularly bronchitis (73%) and pneumonia (59%), were the most common symptoms of XLA. The GI disorders constituted the next main manifestation (63.6%), followed by upper respiratory tract infections. Twenty-six of 28 XLA patients with GI disorders complained of diarrhea, which was resolved generally after immunoglobulin therapy introduction. Single but prolonged episodes of Campylobacter jejuni diarrhea were reported in two individuals. Inflammatory bowel disease of mild to moderate activity was diagnosed in 1 patient, and local enteritis of mild activity in another one. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal disorders were one of the main manifestations of XLA, reported almost as often as lower respiratory tract infections. The most common GI symptom was diarrhea, which usually resolved after immunoglobulin therapy was started. Infections caused by Giardia lamblia were reported occasionally. Inflammatory bowel disease was diagnosed quite exceptionally, which presumably may be connected with normal T cell immunity.
This paper presents the Local Vector Control ( LVC) algorithm that is applicable to power electronic systems. This controller does not differentiate between linear or non-linear systems and can operate, without change, in stationary or rotating reference frames. The performance of this current controller with particular emphasis on current clamp minimisation will be the paper's focus. A comparison between the LVC, PI and predictive dead- beat current controllers ( PCC) is presented.
A test cover comprised of three different needle-punched geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) products and covered with up to 1 m of cover soil (gravelly sand) was built over arsenic-rich tailings at a former gold mine in Nova Scotia, Canada, to evaluate the performance of the GCLs under local climatic conditions. Of the GCLs examined, one had untreated and two had polymer-enhanced natural sodium bentonite. The three GCLs each had different carriers: one with a woven geotextile, one with a scrim-reinforced nonwoven geotextile, and one with a woven geotextile laminated with a polypropylene film. At some locations, each type of GCL was placed in direct contact with the tailings. At other locations, each GCL was separated from the tailings by 0.15 m of cover soil. Samples of each GCL, tailings, and cover soil were recovered 1 and 2 years after construction. Tests show that the GCL with untreated bentonite maintained a low hydraulic conductivity (= 0.7 m of cover soil above the GCL even though there was significant cation exchange of the sodium in the GCL with divalent cations in the tailings-soil porewater (the mole fraction of sodium (exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP)) decreased from 65% to 10%-17%). The GCL with polymer-enhanced bentonite had a lower hydraulic conductivity (= 0.7 m of cover soil above the GCL) and experienced less cation exchange (ESP decreased to 19%-28%) than the standard GCL. The other GCL with polymer-enhanced bentonite and a carrier geotextile coated with a geofilm demonstrated the best hydraulic performance regardless of the thickness of cover soil or presence of an initially uncontaminated foundation layer. The presence of a foundation layer between the GCL and tailings impeded the migration of arsenic from the tailings into the GCLs. All GCLs were serving as an effective barrier to arsenic migration.
A growing body of international research demonstrates that supportive teacher-student relationships have multiple positive educational effects. In Scandinavia, the concept of relational competence is increasingly used to define the teacher's ability to develop 'good' relationships. The overall purpose of this article is to contribute to the field by adopting an interactionist perspective. Drawing chiefly on T. Shibutani, but also on G.H. Mead and T. Scheff, the article aims to: (i) examine how the teacher-student relationship is constructed through nonverbal communication and (ii) discuss the implications regarding teachers' relational competence in situated teaching. A detailed transcript of a classroom episode is interpreted and analysed using Shibutani's concepts. The analysis reveals two parallel relational matrices, one 'conventional' and the other 'interpersonal'. In the concluding section, it is argued that the relationship between the two matrices plays an important role in understanding teachers' relational competence: the relationally competent teacher takes responsibility for his/her own actions, both as an educator in a conventional system and as a fellow being in an interpersonal system. Expressed differently, relational incompetence means overemphasizing one system at the expense of the other.
The anthropogenic heat emissions generated by human activities in London are analysed in detail for 20052008 and considered in context of long-term past and future trends (19702025). Emissions from buildings, road traffic and human metabolism are finely resolved in space (30 min) and time (200 x 200 m2). Software to compute and visualize the results is provided. The annual mean anthropogenic heat flux for Greater London is 10.9 W m-2 for 20052008, with the highest peaks in the central activities zone (CAZ) associated with extensive service industry activities. Towards the outskirts of the city, emissions from the domestic sector and road traffic dominate. Anthropogenic heat is mostly emitted as sensible heat, with a latent heat fraction of 7.3% and a heat-to-wastewater fraction of 12%; the implications related to the use of evaporative cooling towers are briefly addressed. Projections indicate a further increase of heat emissions within the CAZ in the next two decades related to further intensification of activities within this area. Copyright (c) 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Objective: The aim of this study was to describe literature regarding the impact of psychosocial comorbidities on working capacity after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Design/Methods: This study is a review of the literature using PubMed, CINAHL, PyschINFO, and Google Scholar. Results: Patients with aSAH affected by depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, or posttraumatic stress disorder are less likely to return to work, although there are mixed results. These may be due to inconsistent inclusion, adjustment of demographic and clinical variables shown to be associated with return to work, and differences in instrumentation and sample size. Conclusions: Working capacity after aSAH is likely affected by poor psychosocial outcomes, but future research should consider the standardization of demographic and clinical data, use standardized measurement tools, and consider the interrelatedness between psychosocial comorbidities.
Background The clinical utility of serum IgG measurement in the diagnosis of allergy and food-induced hypersensitivity has been largely discredited. Recent studies, however, have shown that specific IgG can inhibit IgE mediated allergies, and may play a role in allergen specific desensitization. Accurate reference intervals for IgG specific allergens have not been widely established and are needed for better interpretation of serum antibody concentrations. In this study we established 64 IgG reference intervals for 48 common food allergens, 5 venoms, and 11 molds. Design Specific IgG concentrations were determined employing an automated fluorescent enzyme immunoassay on serum samples from 130 normal adults (65 males and 65 females), age range 1869 y, mean 37.3 y. Results The lower reference interval limit for all allergens tested (n=64) was <2 mcg/mL. The median upper reference interval value for all 64 allergens was 12.9 mcg/mL, with Tuna (f40) having the lowest upper interval limit at 3.8 mcg/mL, and the mold Setomelanomma rostrate (m8) demonstrating the highest upper interval limit at 131 mcg/L. Conclusions The considerable variation observed among the upper reference interval limits emphasizes the need for the establishment of allergen specific ranges for IgG. These newly established ranges should be a useful aid for clinicians in the interpretation of laboratory serum IgG results.
Parametric and implicit methods are traditionally thought to be two irrelevant approaches in structural shape optimization. Parametric method works as a Lagrangian approach and often uses the parametric boundary representation (B-rep) of curves/surfaces, for example, Bezier and B-splines in combination with the conformal mesh of a finite element model, while implicit method relies upon level-set functions, that is, implicit functions for B-rep, and works as an Eulerian approach in combination with the fixed mesh within the scope of extended finite element method or finite cell method. The original contribution of this work is the unification of both methods. First, a new shape optimization method is proposed by combining the features of the parametric and implicit B-reps. Shape changes of the structural boundary are governed by parametric B-rep on the fixed mesh to maintain the merit in computer-aided design modeling and avoid laborious remeshing. Second, analytical shape design sensitivity is formulated for the parametric B-rep in the framework of fixed mesh of finite cell method by means of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Numerical examples are solved to illustrate the unified methodology. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
More than 50% of patients diagnosed with acute, traumatic spinal cord injury will experience at least 1 complication during their hospitalization. Age, severity of neurological injury, concurrent traumatic brain injury, comorbid illness, and mechanism of injury are all associated with increasing risk of complication. More than 75% of complications will occur within 2 weeks of injury. The complications associated with SCI carry a significant risk of morbidity and mortality; their early identification and management is critical in the care of the SCI patient.
Mineral prospectivity mapping is a classification process because in a given study area, a specific region is classified as either a prospective or non-prospective area. The cost of false negative errors differs from the cost of false positive errors because false positive errors lead to wasting much more financial and material resources, whereas false negative errors result in the loss of mineral deposits. Traditional machine learning algorithms using for mapping mineral prospectivity are aimed to minimize classification errors and ignore the cost-sensitive effects. In this study, the effects of misclassification costs on mapping mineral prospectivity are explored. The cost-sensitive neural network (CSNN) for minimizing misclassification costs is applied to map Fe polymetallic prospectivity in China's southwestern Fujian metalorganic belt (SFMB). A CSNN with a different cost ratio ranging from 1:10 to 10:1 was used to represent various misclassification costs. The cross-validation results indicated a lower misclassification cost compared to traditional neural networks through a threshold-moving based CSNN. The CSNN's predictive results were compared to those of a traditional neural network, and the results demonstrate that the CSNN method is useful for mapping mineral prospectivity. The targets can be used to further explore undiscovered deposits in the study area. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Acceptance and intention to use mobile learning is a topic of growing interest in the field of education. Although there is a considerable amount of studies investigating mobile learning acceptance, little research exists that investigates the driving factors that influence students' intention to use mobile technologies for assessment purposes. The aim of this study is to provide empirical evidence on the acceptance of Mobile-Based Assessment (MBA), the assessment delivered through mobile devices and technologies. The proposed model, Mobile-Based Assessment Acceptance Model (MBAAM) is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). MBAAM extends TAM in the context of MBA by adding to the Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness, the constructs of Facilitating Conditions, Social Influence, Mobile Device Anxiety, Personal Innovativeness, Mobile-Self-Efficacy, Perceived Trust, Content, Cognitive Feedback, User Interface and Perceived Ubiquity Value and investigates their impact on the Behavioral Intention to Use MBA. 145 students from a European senior-level secondary school experienced a series of mobile-based assessments for a three-week period. Structured equation modeling was used to analyze quantitative survey data. According to the results, MBAAM explains and predicts approximately 47% of the variance of Behavioral Intention to Use Mobile-Based Assessment. The study provides a better understanding towards developing mobile-based assessments that support learners, enhance learning experience and promote learning, taking advantage of the distinguished features that mobile devices may offer. Implications are discussed within the wider context of mobile learning acceptance research. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article explores therapeutic impasse through the dual lens of relational theory and infant research. Particular attention is paid to the role that enactment, rupture and repair, and nonverbal communication play in impasse dynamics. Defined broadly-as any time a therapist and patient feel stuck-impasse is conceptualized as an expectable, even inevitable, component of the treatment relationship. The implications for navigating impasses are considered through a clinical vignette developed as a case composite to ensure confidentiality.
Autonomous mobile service robots move in our buildings, carrying out different tasks across multiple floors. While moving and performing their tasks, these robots find themselves in a variety of states. Although speech is often used for communicating the robot's state to humans, such communication can often be ineffective. We investigate the use of lights as a persistent visualization of the robot's state in relation to both tasks and environmental factors. Programmable lights offer a large degree of choices in terms of animation pattern, color and speed. We present this space of choices and introduce different animation profiles that we consider to animate a set of programmable lights on the robot. We conduct experiments to query about suitable animations for three representative scenarios of our autonomous symbiotic robot, CoBot. Ourwork enables CoBot tomake its state persistently visible to humans.
Frictionless plain bearing for post-tensioned slab on ground A new method for building large concrete slabs on ground on a frictionless support was developed at Vienna University of Technology. An Austrian patent for this method was granted and an international patent application has been filed. The feasibility of this new method has been demonstrated in large field tests on concrete slab strips with a length of 60 m, a width of 1.0 m and a thickness of 30 cm. The frictionless support is obtained by first placing an air-tight membrane, then a geotextile and at last a second air-tight membrane on the ground where the concrete slab is to be built. In the next step the membranes are sealed at the boundary. After casting the slab on top of the second membrane, low air pressure is applied in the clearance between the two membranes. This clearance is created by the geotextile. Shortening of the slab due to the loss of hydration heat, early shrinkage and post-tensioning is possible without causing friction forces between slab and subsoil because the self-weight of the slab is balanced by the applied air pressure.
Background and objectives: According to cognitive models of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), negative rumination is a key maintaining factor in the vicious cycle of social anxiety. However, there is a scarcity of research investigating treatment effects on rumination in social anxiety, as well as other key cognitive variables. The current study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a brief intervention on a range of cognitive processes, most notably negative rumination. Additionally, predictors of negative rumination and state anxiety are also investigated. Methods: Participants with a diagnosis of SAD were randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 24) or control group (n = 23). Participant's initially completed trait and state based measures with the intervention group also completing a brief cognitive intervention. One-week later participants completed state anxiety and cognitive measures before and after a speech task. Finally, one-week post-speech task participants completed further trait and state based measures. Results: While the brief cognitive intervention had positive effects on some of the cognitive processes measured at different time points of the study, levels of negative rumination remained stable. Predictors of negative rumination and state anxiety were consistent with cognitive models of SAD. Limitations: The brief nature of the intervention and temporal stance of the intervention (delivered one week before the speech) may have impacted outcomes. Conclusions: Cognitive technique can potentially impact a range of key processes that maintain SAD, however, more powerful and tailored interventions are needed that address the different processes at play before, during and after a social situation for socially anxious individuals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Given that next generation networks are expected to be populated by a large number of devices, there is a need for quick deployment and evaluation of alternative mechanisms to cope with the possible generated traffic in large-scale distributed data networks. In this sense, the Raspberry Pi has been a popular network node choice due to its reduced size, processing capabilities, low cost and its support by widely-used operating systems. For information transport, network coding is a new paradigm for fast and reliable data processing in networking and storage systems, which overcomes various limitations of state-of-the-art routing techniques. Therefore, in this work, we provide an in-depth performance evaluation of Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC)-based schemes for the Raspberry Pi Models 1 and 2, by showing the processing speed of the encoding and decoding operations and the corresponding energy consumption. Our results show that, in several scenarios, processing speeds of more than 80 Mbps in the Raspberry Pi Model 1 and 800 Mbps in the Raspberry Pi Model 2 are attainable. Moreover, we show that the processing energy per bit for network coding is below 1 nJ or even an order of magnitude less in these scenarios.
This paper provides an overview of the surface waves investigation and monitoring (SWIM) instrument which will be one of the two payload instruments carried by China France Oceanography SATellite (CFOSAT) with a planned launch date in mid-2018. SWIM is a real aperture wave scatterometer operated at near-nadir incidence angles and dedicated to the measurement of directional spectra of ocean waves. The SWIM flight model is currently being assembled and tested, its performance is being assessed and its prototype data processing algorithm is being developed. The aim of this paper is to provide a complete overview on the motivations and scientific requirements of this mission, together with a description of the design and characteristics of the SWIM instrument, and the analysis of its expected performances based on a prelaunch study. An end-to-end simulator has been developed to evaluate the quality of the data products, thus allowing the overall performance of the instrument to be assessed. Simulations run with two subsets of full orbit subsets show that the performances of the instrument and the inversion algorithms will meet the scientific requirements for the mission.
In many mathematical models of physical phenomenons and engineering fields, such as electrical circuits or mechanical multibody systems, which generate the differential algebraic equations (DAEs) systems naturally. In general, the feature of DAEs is a sparse large scale system of fully nonlinear and high index. To make use of its sparsity, this paper provides a simple and efficient algorithm for index reduction of large scale DAEs system. We exploit the shortest augmenting path algorithm for finding maximum value transversal (MVT) as well as block triangular forms (BTFs). We also present the extended signature matrix method with the block fixed point iteration and its complexity results. Furthermore, a range of nontrivial problems are demonstrated by our algorithm. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Three experiments are reported that explore affectively based spontaneous evaluative impressions (SEIs) of stimulus persons. Experiments 1 and 2 used modified versions of the savings in relearning paradigm (Carlston & Skowronski, 1994) to confirm the occurrence of SEIs, indicating that they are equivalent whether participants are instructed to form trait impressions, evaluative impressions, or neither. These experiments also show that SEIs occur independently of explicit recall for the trait implications of the stimuli. Experiment 3 provides a single dissociation test to distinguish SEIs from spontaneous trait inferences (STIs), showing that disrupting cognitive processing interferes with a trait-based prediction task that presumably reflects STIs, but not with an affectively based social approach task that presumably reflects SEIs. Implications of these findings for the potential independence of spontaneous trait and evaluative inferences, as well as limitations and important steps for future study are discussed.
In mammals, centromere definition involves the histone variant CENP-A (centromere protein A), deposited by its chaperone, HJURP (Holliday junction recognition protein). Alterations in this process impair chromosome segregation and genome stability, which are also compromised by p53 inactivation in cancer. Here we found that CENP-A and HJURP are transcriptionally up-regulated in p53-null human tumors. Using an established mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) model combining p53 inactivation with E1A or HRas-V12 oncogene expression, we reproduced a similar up-regulation of HJURP and CENP-A. We delineate functional CDE/CHR motifs within the Hjurp and Cenpa promoters and demonstrate their roles in p53-mediated repression. To assess the importance of HJURP up-regulation in transformed murine and human cells, we used a CRISPR/Cas9 approach. Remarkably, depletion of HJURP leads to distinct outcomes depending on their p53 status. Functional p53 elicits a cell cycle arrest response, whereas, in p53-null transformed cells, the absence of arrest enables the loss of HJURP to induce severe aneuploidy and, ultimately, apoptotic cell death. We thus tested the impact of HJURP depletion in pre-established allograft tumors in mice and revealed a major block of tumor progression in vivo. We discuss a model in which an epigenetic addiction to the HJURP chaperone represents an Achilles' heel in p53-deficient transformed cells.
The importance of computer simulations in the assessment of nuclear plant safety systems has increased dramatically during the last three decades. The systems of interest include existing or proposed systems that operate, for example, normal operation, in design basis accident conditions, and in severe accident scenario beyond the design basis. The role of computer simulations is especially critical if one is interested in the reliability, robustness, or safety of high consequence systems that cannot be physically tested in a fully representative environment. In the European 7th Framework SARNET project, European Commission (EC) co-funded from 2008 to 2013, the Phebus FPT3 experiment was chosen as a code benchmark exercise to assess the status of the various codes used for severe accident analyses in light water reactors. The aim of the benchmark was to assess the capability of computer codes to model in an integral way the physical processes taking place during a severe accident in a pressurised water reactor (PWR), starting from the initial stages of core degradation, fission product, actinide and structural material release, their transport through the primary circuit up to the behaviour of the released fission products in the containment. The FPT3 benchmark was well supported, with participation from 16 organisations in 11 countries, using 8 different codes. The temperature history of the fuel bundle and the total hydrogen production were well captured. No code was able to reproduce accurately the final bundle state, using as bulk fuel relocation temperature, the temperature of the first significant material relocation observed during the experiment. The total volatile fission product release was well simulated, but the kinetics were generally overestimated. Concerning the modelling of semi-volatile, low-volatile and structural material release, the models need improvement, notably for Mo and Ru for which a substantial difference between bundle and fuel release was experimentally observed, due to retention in the cooler upper part of the bundle. The retention in the primary circuit was not well predicted, this was due mainly the non-prototypic formation of a boron-rich blockage in the rising line of the FPT3 steam generator, simulated in the circuit as a single external cooled U tube. The deposition mechanism and the volatility of some elements (Te, Cs, I) could be better predicted. Containment vessel thermal hydraulics, designed in the experiment to be well-mixed, were well calculated. Concerning the containment aerosol depletion rate, only stand-alone cases (in which the input data were derived from experimental data) provided acceptable results, whilst the integral cases (in which the input data came from circuit calculations) tended to largely overestimate the total aerosol airborne mass entering the containment. The disagreement of the calculated total aerosol airborne mass in the containment vessel with the measured one is due to the combination of a general underestimation of the overall circuit retention and overestimation of fission product and structural material release. Calculation of iodine chemistry in the containment turned out to be a major challenge. Its quality strongly depends on the correct prediction of chemistry speciation in the integral codes. The major difficulties are related to the presence of high fraction of iodine in gaseous form in the primary circuit during the test, which is not correctly reproduced by the codes. This inability of the codes compromised simulation of the observed iodine behaviour in the containment. In the benchmark a significant user effect was detected (different results being obtained by different users of the same code) which had to be taken into account in analysing the results. This article reports the benchmark results comparing the main parameters calculated and observed, summarising the results achieved, and identifying the areas in which understanding needs to be improved. Relevant experimental and theoretical work is under way to resolve the issues raised. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Two studies examined whether social identity processes, i.e. group identification and social identity threat, amplify the degree to which people attend to social category information in early perception [assessed with event-related brain potentials (ERPs)]. Participants were presented with faces of Muslims and non-Muslims in an evaluative priming task while ERPs were measured and implicit evaluative bias was assessed. Study 1 revealed that non-Muslims showed stronger differentiation between ingroup and outgroup faces in both early (N200) and later processing stages (implicit evaluations) when they identified more strongly with their ethnic group. Moreover, identification effects on implicit bias were mediated by intergroup differentiation in the N200. In Study 2, social identity threat (vs control) was manipulated among Muslims. Results revealed that high social identity threat resulted in stronger differentiation of Muslims from non-Muslims in early (N200) and late (implicit evaluations) processing stages, with N200 effects again predicting implicit bias. Combined, these studies reveal how seemingly bottom-up early social categorization processes are affected by individual and contextual variables that affect the meaning of social identity. Implications of these results for the social identity perspective as well as social cognitive theories of person perception are discussed.
Transition of the precision engineering and instrumentation to the widespread use of nanoscale structures and thin layers requires improved localization methods for measuring the depth of the material. Unified standards and the generally accepted methods for measuring the wear resistance and friction coefficient are not currently available. The aim of this work was the development of a universal friction machine with the simplified requirements for the preparation and the geometric shape of the sample and the opposing disc. An important requirement for the equipment and the method of measurement is the ability to measure the friction coefficient and the determination of the wear resistance of coatings and hardened layers of micron and submicron thicknesses. Another important requirement is modeling in the experiment of acyclic friction process, as close as possible to the real operating conditions of components and parts. Both of these conditions are successfully realized by using the method of disc on plate. Implementation of disk on plate method was used to simplify and improve the rapid measurement, and to minimize load on the friction assembly, reduce friction pair temperature, increase the sensitivity and improve the resistive bridge thermal stabilization. The complex for the study of friction and wear processes of various materials pairs in conditions close to operational was manufactured and tested. The measuring console with a low value of the parasitic load on the measuring cell was designed. A computerized hardware and software system for the registration of the friction parameters of the process was developed. The software for processing and storage of experiment results was developed. The software is compatible with modern Windows operating systems. The file format for measurement results storage is compatible with the conventional graphic editors and could be processed by means of Excel. The main principles of the analysis and processing of the results are consequentially described. Typical results of usage of the developed machine for friction coefficient measurements and the determination of the wear resistance of massive, homogeneous surface-hardened materials and alloys with coatings are shown. The high efficiency of the created equipment complex during investigation of coatings, optimization of coating depositing processes and the modification of the surface layers are shown in the study. The efficiency of the complex was confirmed by the study of the modified layers and micron thickness coatings. It was found that the friction coefficient and wear resistance of construction materials, modified thin microcrystalline layers and nanostructured coatings was effectively controlled by using of the created complex.
The security implications of social bots are evident in consideration of the fact that data sharing and propagation functionality are well integrated with social media sites. Existing social bots primarily use Really Simple Syndication and OSN (online social network) application program interface to communicate with OSN servers. Researchers have profiled their behaviors well and have proposed various mechanisms to defend against them. We predict that a web test automation rootkit (WTAR) is a prospective approach for designing malicious social bots. In this paper, we first present the principles of designing WTAR-based social bots. Second, we implement three WTAR-based bot prototypes on Facebook, Twitter, and Weibo. Third, we validate this new threat by analyzing behaviors of the prototypes in a lab environment and on the Internet, and analyzing reports from widely-used antivirus software. Our analyses show that WTAR-based social bots have the following features: (i) they do not connect to OSN directly, and therefore produce few network flows; (ii) they can log in to OSNs easily and perform a variety of social activities; (iii) they can mimic the behaviors of a human user on an OSN. Finally, we propose several possible mechanisms in order to defend against WTAR-based social bots. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: Converging evidence suggests that subjective cognitive concerns (SCC) are associated with biomarker evidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) prior to objective clinical impairment. However, the sensitivity of SCC reports in early AD may be biased by demographic factors. Here, we sought to investigate whether age, education, and sex influence the relationship between SCC and amyloid (A beta) burden. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examined 252 clinically normal (CN) individuals (57.7% females) enrolled in the Harvard Aging Brain Study, ages 63-90 years (mean 73.7 +/- 6) with 6-20 years of education (mean 15.8 +/- 3). SCC was assessed as a composite score comprising three questionnaires. Cortical A beta burden was assessed with Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography imaging. A series of linear regression models assessed the potential modifying role of demographic variables with respect to A beta burden and SCC. A post-hoc mediation model was implemented to further understand the relationship between A beta burden and SCC via their relationship with education. Results: Age (beta = -0.84, p = 0.36) and sex (beta = -0.55, p = 0.22) did not modify the relationship between SCC and A beta burden. Fewer years of education was correlated with greater SCC (r = -0.12, p = 0.05), but the relationship between A beta burden and SCC was stronger in those with more education (beta = 1.16, p < 0.05). A partial mediation effect was found of A beta burden on SCC via education (b= -0.12, 95% CI [-0.31, -0.02]).
We investigated the role of Smad4, a signaling molecule of the TGF-beta pathway, in T cells on the pathology of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, an animal model of SS. T cell-specific Smad4-deleted (Smad4(fl/fl,CD4-Cre); Smad4 tKO) NOD mice had accelerated development of SS compared with wildtype (Smad4(+/+,CD4-Cre); WT) NOD mice, including increased lymphocyte infiltration into exocrine glands, decreased tear and saliva production, and increased levels of autoantibodies at 12 weeks of age. Activated/memory T cells and cytokine (IFN-Y, IL-17)- producing T cells were increased in Smad4 tKO NOD mice, however the proportion and function of regulatory T (Treg) cells were not different between Smad4 tKO and WT NOD mice. Effector T (Teff) cells from Smad4 tKO NOD mice were less sensitive than WT Teff cells to suppression by Treg cells. Th17 differentiation capability of Teff cells was similar between Smad4 tKO and WT NOD mice, but IL-17 expression was increased under inducible Treg skewing conditions in T cells from Smad4 tKO NOD mice. Our results demonstrate that disruption of the Smad4 pathway in T cells of NOD mice increases Teff cell activation resulting in upregulation of Th17 cells, indicating that Smad4 in T cells has a protective role in the development of SS in NOD mice.
Computer-based control systems, especially if they run under general-purpose operating systems, often exhibit variance of the scan period of processing inputs and outputs. Although this fact is usually not taken into account when discrete control algorithms are used, it can cause worse performance of the control loop in comparison to the theoretical case. In this paper we describe a modified discrete LQ control algorithm that takes disturbances of the scan period into account and partially compensates their influence. We also show that such a controller can be implemented even on low-performance hardware platforms, if they are equipped with a sufficient amount of memory.
Cloud computing has recently emerged as a dominant Internet service computing model due to its payas-you-go and elastic service features. Cloud computing systems are usually composed of distributed datacenters, which leverage virtualization technology to provide a scalable and reliable service. Optical networks are recognized as promising next-generation core networks for connecting these distributed datacenters due to their characteristics such as high bandwidth provisioning, low latency, low bit error rate, etc. However, concern about the ever-increasing energy consumption of cloud computing systems together with core networks has been raised due to high electricity bills as well as environmental pollution. In this paper, we study the Energy-aware Provisioning in Optical Cloud Networks (EPOCN) problem for both dynamic and static cases. When traffic requests arrive in an online fashion, we propose a polynomial-time energy-aware routing algorithm to solve the dynamic EPOCN problem. Simulations show that our energy-aware routing algorithm brings more energy savings in comparison to a shortest path-based routing algorithm and a traffic grooming algorithm. On the other hand, we show that the EPOCN problem in the static case (the traffic matrix is known in advance) is NP-hard. We further divide this problem into (1) the Energy-Aware Routing (EAR) problem in optical networks and (2) the Energy-efficient Server and Switch Allocation (ESSA) problem in datacenter networks. Considering these two (sub)problems are still NP-hard, we present an exact Integer Linear Program (ILP) and a heuristic to solve each problem. We also conduct simulations to compare the proposed ILPs and heuristics in terms of energy consumption and running time. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Voltage drifting islanding detection methods (IDMs) force the voltage at point of common coupling (PCC) to move outside the appropriate limits, so that under/over voltage protection disconnects distributed generation (DG) units. This kind of IDMs does not possess the advantage of keeping micro-grid energized after islanding occurrence. There are active IDMs without forcing the islanded micro-grid to lose its stable operation but they degrade the power quality because of perturbation injection. In this study, an active IDM is proposed which makes the second harmonic of PCC voltage drift suddenly after islanding occurrence and pass a predefined threshold value without affecting the fundamental component. When islanding is detected the method is deactivated and the voltage and frequency remain in expected limits in the conditions of power balance. Another advantage of the proposed method is that it decreases the second harmonic of PCC voltage in grid-connected mode and improves the power quality of system unlike other active IDMs. The UL 1741 test results show that the proposed method detects islanding occurrence in a multi-inverter system in <100 ms. Also, the correct performance of the proposed method has been shown for non-islanding conditions. The paper simulations are performed using PSCAD/EMTDC software.
Elevated excitability in the hippocampus has emerged as a key contributor to reduced memory function in aging and in cognitive impairment prodromal to Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigated the relationship between neural activity and memory in the hippocampus and a connectional cortical network using an aged rat model of individual differences for memory impairment. The expression of cFos was used as a measure of pharmacologically induced neural activity. Aged memory-impaired rats exhibited elevated cFos relative to young adult and aged unimpaired rats in the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus and in several cortical regions including the retrosplenial, parietal, and orbitofrontal cortices. Strong correlations between cFos intensity and task performance across the activated network showed a tight coupling between excitability and cognitive phenotype in aging. Elevated neural excitability extending beyond the hippocampus to interconnected posterior cortex (retrosplenial/parietal) was reduced by treatment with levetiracetam, a therapeutic with behavioral efficacy that has previously translated from rodent models of age-related impairment and Alzheimer's disease to humans with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Prosocial behavior is considered an important dimension of positive development. Although previous research suggests the quality of children's early relationships may influence prosocial behaviors, the specific contributions of mother, father and teacher to children's prosocial behavior have been less examined. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates (a) the combined associations between mother-, father- and teacher-child relationships, and prosocial behavior in 168 children aged 36-72 months, and (b) the mediating role of the teacher-child relationship in the association between the parent-child relationship and prosocial behavior. Results suggested a positive link between the quality of relationships with early caregivers and children's prosocial behavior. The quality of both father- and teacher-child relationships were found to have a direct association with children's prosocial behavior. The quality of the mother-child relationship was indirectly linked to children's prosocial behavior, via the teacher-child relationship. Results suggesting connections between multiple relational contexts were discussed based on the notion of internal working models proposed by attachment theory. Mothers' and fathers' contributions to children's prosocial behavior were also discussed considering differences on relational styles and changing roles of mothers and fathers from dual-earner families.
In stark contrast to online advertising campaigns, advertisement in the urban space has lost attention and seems to be stuck in the Gutenberg era. The emergence of hybrid urban spaces, however, allows for novel possibilities to bring back customers' attention and interest. In this publication we review current interactive advertisement campaigns, investigate the use of implicit (age, gender, location) and explicit (2D and 3D gestures) interactions of the user to adjust the ad, and discuss novel questions and responsibilities that are driven by these new advertisement formats. To evaluate different aspects on the behavior and acceptability of such novel kind of advertisement we have built a prototypical system and put it into a shopping mall. The conducted user study includes 98 random visitors of the mall who have first tested the system and then filled out a questionnaire.
Purpose of Review Food allergies (FAs) are a growing epidemic in western countries with poorly defined etiology. Defined as an adverse immune response to common food allergens, FAs present heterogeneously as a single-or multiorgan response that ranges in severity from localized hives and angioedema to systemic anaphylaxis. Recent Findings Current research focusing on epithelial-derived cytokines contends that temporal regulation by these factors impact initial sensitization and persistence of FA responses upon repeated food allergen exposure. Mechanistic understanding of FA draws insight from a myriad of atopic conditions studied in humans and modeled in mice. Summary In this review, we will highlight how epithelial-derived cytokines initiate and then potentiate FAs. We will also review existing evidence of the contribution of other atopic diseases to FA pathogenesis and whether FA symptoms overlap with other atopic diseases.
Slotted axial-flux machines have excellent power and torque densities. However, it is difficult to reduce their cogging torque due to the complexity associated with implementing classical techniques. In this paper, slot-opening widths and tooth profiles will be shown to be significant in mitigating cogging torque in these machines. In particular, varying the slot opening reduced it by 52%, whereas a parallel-tooth (rectangular) profile lowered it by 24%, when compared with a conventional trapezoidal-tooth profile. An analytical quasi-3-D analysis was formulated and used to analyze and determine cogging torque. It was validated numerically and experimentally. Its versatility is in its ability to analyze different shapes of poles and slot openings, which can be extended to model air-gap nonuniformity. This paper also presents cogging torque minimization techniques that maintain the ease of manufacture of the parallel-tooth stator. Experimental results showed 73% and 48% reduction in cogging torque, which are achieved by the use of alternating pole arcs and skewed poles.
Two fundamental dimensions underlie person perception: warmth and competence. We conducted three experiments to investigate how a positive or negative emphasis of only one of these dimensions (i.e., of only warmth or only competence) affects the perception of the other (complementary) dimension, and how voting intentions are influenced by these emphases. The results show that when a politician is described positively in only one of the two dimensions, people assess the complementary dimension more negatively. In addition, the negative emphasis of only one of the two dimensions also leads to a more negative assessment of the complementary dimension. Furthermore, we explore how these one-dimensional person descriptions affect the assessment of the speakers uttering them. Politicians who describe their opponents in negative terms are also evaluated negatively. On the contrary, politicians who judge others in positive terms are not necessarily evaluated positively.
Pseudomonas putida Bet001 and Delftia tsuruhatensis Bet002, isolated from palm oil mill effluent, accumulated poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) when grown on aliphatic fatty acids, sugars, and glycerol. The substrates were supplied at 20: 1 C/N mole ratio. Among C-even n-alkanoic acids, myristic acid gave the highest PHA content 26 and 28 wt% in P. putida and D. tsuruhatensis, respectively. Among C-odd n-alkanoic acids, undecanoic gave the highest PHA content at 40 wt% in P. putida and 46 wt% in D. tsuruhatensis on pentadecanoic acid. Sugar and glycerol gave < 10 wt% of PHA content for both bacteria. Interestingly, D. tsuruhatensis accumulated both short- and medium-chain length PHA when supplied with n-alkanoic acids ranging from octanoic to lauric, sucrose, and glycerol with 3-hydroxybutyrate as the major monomer unit. In P. putida, the major hydroxyalkanoates unit was 3-hydroxyoctanoate and 3-hydroxydecanoate when grown on C-even acids. Conversely, 3-hydroxyheptanoate, 3-hydrxoynonanoate, and 3-hydroxyundecanoate were accumulated with C-odd acids. Weight-averaged molecular weight (M-w) was in the range of 53-81 kDa and 107-415 kDa for P. putida and D. tsuruhatensis, respectively. Calorimetric analyses indicated that both bacteria synthesized semicrystalline polymer with good thermal stability with degradation temperature (T-d) ranging from 178 to 282 degrees C. (C) 2016 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
The performance of a 1.5 mm thick high-density polyethylene geomembrane (GMB) in simulated municipal solid waste landfill liners is presented. Accelerated ageing experiments were conducted in geosynthetic liner longevity simulators that allow simulation of field conditions including elevated temperatures, overburden pressure, leachate circulation and composite liner exposure conditions. A 150 mm sand protection layer was used between a gravel drainage layer and an underlying GMB liner. A comparison between the results obtained for this sand protection layer and those obtained for a 580 g/m(2) geotextile protection layer is presented in terms of both antioxidant depletion and tensile strains. The antioxidant depletion stage for the GMB with the sand protection layer was predicted to be around 500 and 9 years at 20 degrees C and 60 degrees C, respectively. The antioxidant depletion stage with a sand protection layer was longer than that with geotextile protection by a factor of 1.6 for the same GMB, leachate and test boundary conditions. A comparison between the tensile strains induced in the GMB with sand and geotextile protection layers shows that the long-term tensile strains in the GMB with a sand protection layer were substantially lower than those for the GMB with a 580 g/m(2) geotextile protection layer.
The goal of the present paper was to investigate whether soccer referees' nonverbal behavior (NVB) differed based on the difficulty of their decisions and whether perceivers could detect these systematic variations. On the one hand, communicating confidence via NVB is emphasized in referee training. On the other hand, it seems feasible from a theoretical point of view that particularly following relatively difficult decisions referees have problems controlling their NVB. We conducted three experiments to investigate this question. Experiment 1 (N = 40) and Experiment 2 (N = 60) provided evidence that perceivers regard referees' NVB as less confident following ambiguous decisions as compared with following unambiguous decisions. Experiment 3 (N = 58) suggested that perceivers were more likely to debate with the referee when referees nonverbally communicated less confidence. We discuss consequences for referee training.
Effectively exploring and browsing document collections is a fundamental problem in visualization. Traditionally, document visualization is based on a data model that represents each document as the set of its comprised words, effectively characterizing what the document is. In this paper we take an alternative perspective: motivated by the manner in which users search documents in the research process, we aim to visualize documents via their usage, or how documents tend to be used. We present a new visualization scheme - cite2vec - that allows the user to dynamically explore and browse documents via how other documents use them, information that we capture through citation contexts in a document collection. Starting from a usage-oriented word-document 2D projection, the user can dynamically steer document projections by prescribing semantic concepts, both in the form of phrase/ document compositions and document: phrase analogies, enabling the exploration and comparison of documents by their use. The user interactions are enabled by a joint representation of words and documents in a common high-dimensional embedding space where user-specified concepts correspond to linear operations of word and document vectors. Our case studies, centered around a large document corpus of computer vision research papers, highlight the potential for usage-based document visualization.
Background: Research has shown that suicide is a phenomenon highly present among the drug dependent population. Different studies have demonstrated an upraised level of comorbidity between personality disorders (PD) and substance use disorders (SUD). This study aimed to describe which PDs are more frequent among those patients with a risk of suicide. Methods: The study was based on a consecutive non-probabilistic convenience sample of 196 bereaved patients attended to in a Public Addiction Center in Girona (Spain). Sociodemographic data, as well as suicide and drug related characteristics were recorded. The risk of suicide was assessed with the Spanish version of Risk of suicide. Personality disorders were measured with the Spanish version of Millon Multiaxial Clinical Inventory. Results: The PDs more associated with the presence of risk of suicide were depressive, avoidant, schizotypal and borderline disorders. However, the histrionic, narcissistic and compulsive PDs are inversely associated with risk of suicide even though the narcissistic scale had no statistical correlation. Conclusions: The risk of suicide is a significant factor to take into account related to patients with SUD and especially with the presence of specific PDs. These findings underline the importance of diagnosing and treating rigorously patients with SUD.
Hydraulic control with switching valves can excite undesirable hydraulic and mechanical oscillations; hence, control performance is inadequate. There are different ways to cope with such oscillations. One way is to change the design or to add some damping elements which improve the attenuation of the oscillations. Another way is to actuate the system in an appropriate way - so that almost no unwanted oscillations are excited. This article illustrates that optimal feed-forward control theory can be used to obtain a realisable switching valve command which avoids ongoing oscillations for the case of a fast position step. A system composed of a dual-stroke cylinder with its piston chamber connected to the switching valves by some pipeline and its rod chamber to pre-pressurised accumulators for counterbalancing is modelled as a discrete dynamical system of order 9. The optimal control problem is conditioned such that the resulting valve signals can be approximately realised by the existing switching valves. For this realisation, the so-called ballistic mode of switching valves plays an important role. The theoretical results are tested experimentally on a proper test rig.
Particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence techniques are used to measure the flow of scalloped, lobed, and splitter mixers. Special attention is given to the understanding of the details of the flow for the scalloped mixers and the role of the notches in enhancing the mixing process. The comparisons between the three mixers are explained by providing detailed measurements on several axial and cross-streamwise planes. Scalloped-lobed mixers enhance the mixing of the two streams by generating an additional pair of small-scale streamwise vortices not observed in the lobed mixer shear layer. Under the same test condition, the impingement of the inner flow on the mixing duct occurs further downstream than the lobed mixer. For the scalloped mixer, the decay of the cross-streamwise velocity starts at its exit plane, while for the lobed mixer, there is an initial magnitude rise before the streamwise decay.
The U.S. is experiencing unprecedented movement away from coal and, to a lesser degree, oil. Burdened low-income communities and people of color could experience health benefits from reductions in air and water pollution, yet these same groups could suffer harm if transitions lack broad public input or if policies prioritize elite or corporate interests. This paper highlights how U.S. energy transitions build from, and contribute to, environmental injustices. Energy justice requires not only ending disproportionate harm, it also entails involvement in the design of solutions and fair distribution of benefits, such as green jobs and clean air. To what extent does the confluence of state, civic, and market processes assure just transitions to clean, low-carbon energy production involving equitable distribution of costs, benefits, and decision-making power? To explore this question we assess trends with (1) fossil fuel divestment; (2) carbon taxes and social cost of carbon measurements; (3) cap-and-trade; (4) renewable energy; and (5) energy efficiency. Current research demonstrates opportunities and pitfalls in each area with mixed or partial energy justice consequences, leading to our call for greater attention to the specifics of distributive justice, procedural justice, and recognition justice in research, policy, and action. Illustrative energy transition case studies suggest the feasibility and benefit of empowering approaches, but also indicate there can be conflict between green and just, as evident though stark inequities in clean energy initiatives. To identify positive pathways forward, we compile priorities for an energy justice research agenda based on interactive and participatory practices aligning advocacy, activism, and academics.
Background: Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections can be found throughout the body, especially in epithelial tissue. Animal model was established by inoculation of HCMV (strain AD-169) or coinoculation with Hepatitis E virus (HEV) into the ligated sacculus rotundus and vermiform appendix in living rabbits. The specimens were collected from animals sacrificed 1 and a half hours after infection. Results: The virus was found to be capable of reproducing in these specimens through RT-PCR and Western-blot. Severe inflammation damage was found in HCMV-infected tissue. The viral protein could be detected in high amounts in the mucosal epithelium and lamina propria by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescense. Moreover, there are strong positive signals in lymphocytes, macrophages, and lymphoid follicles. Quantitative statistics indicate that lymphocytes among epithlium cells increased significantly in viral infection groups. Conclusions: The results showed that HCMV or HEV + HCMV can efficiently infect in rabbits by vivo ligated intestine loop inoculation. The present study successfully developed an infective model in vivo rabbit ligated intestinal Loop for HCMV pathogenesis study. This rabbit model can be helpful for understanding modulation of the gut immune system with HCMV infection.
This paper presents the mechanical, chemical and environmental degradation induced by recycled Construction and Demolition Wastes (C&DW) on the short-term tensile behaviour of a nonwoven polypropylene (PP) geotextile reinforced with polyester (PET) yarns. In order to study the chemical and environmental degradation a damage trial embankment (2m x 3m in plant) was constructed using recycled C&DW as filling material. The damage caused by the mechanical actions during installation was also simulated by installation damage laboratory tests. Wide width tensile tests were performed on geotextile samples exhumed from the trial embankment after 12 months, on laboratory damaged samples and on intact (as-received) samples. Their short-term tensile behaviour is compared. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of intact and exhumed specimens are also presented.
A modular typed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) device is designed and tested for air and water remediation. The module is made of a number of DBD tubes that can be arranged in series or parallel. Each of the DBD tubes comprises inner electrode enclosed with dielectric barrier and arranged as such to provide a gap for the passage of gases. Non-thermal plasma generated in the gap effectively creates gaseous chemical reactions. Its efficacy in the remediation of gas stream containing high NOx, similar to diesel emission and wastewater containing latex, are presented. A six tubes DBD module has successfully removed more than 80% of nitric oxide from the gas stream. In another arrangement, oxygen was fed into a two tubes DBD to generate ozone for treatment of wastewater. Samples of wastewater were collected from a treatment pond of a rubber vulcanization pilot plant. The water pollution load was evaluated by the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD5) values. Preliminary results showed some improvement (about 13%) on the COD after treatment and at the same time had increased the BOD5 by 42%. This results in higher BOD5/COD ratio after ozonation which indicate better biodegradability of the wastewater. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The goal of this project was to investigate whether consumer ethnocentrism is purely conscious mechanism based on ideology, as suggested by Shimp and Sharma (1987), or rather is an automatic, unconscious process. The aim of the project was an introduction of the Implicit Consumer Ethnocentrism (ICE) concept, measured by the Implicit Association Test (IAT). The goal of the four studies conducted was to investigate the following issues: (a) whether ICE - an automatic mechanism underlying the preference for local products over foreign - this could be observed next to the more ideologically based classic consumer ethnocentrism; (b) what happens when the consumer's automatic preference for local products (ICE) is confronted by objective evidence of the superiority of foreign products or by the inferiority of local products. It was assumed that ICE could be reduced when foreign products were associated with a higher level of competence than local products, and this could explain the preference for foreign products over local often observed in less developed countries. In study 1 the ICE for different product categories of existing brands was tested, and in study 2 the ICE was measured in the context of non-existent brands. Both studies showed a strong in-group brand preference and confirmed the existence of new phenomena - ICE. The results of studies 3 and 4 again indicated a strong, automatic in-group brand favoritism effect as measured by IAT - participants preferred local brands over foreign. However, the inclusion of well-known foreign brands associated with high competence reduced the IAT effect (in-group preference).
Drug-induced respiratory depression is a common side effect of the agents used in anesthesia practice to provide analgesia and sedation. Depression of the ventilatory drive in the spontaneously breathing patient can lead to severe cardiorespiratory events and it is considered a primary cause of morbidity. Reliable predictions of respiratory inhibition in the clinical setting would therefore provide a valuable means to improve the safety of drug delivery. Although multiple studies investigated the regulation of breathing in man both in the presence and absence of ventilatory depressant drugs, a unified description of respiratory pharmacodynamics is not available. This study proposes a mathematical model of human metabolism and cardiorespiratory regulation integrating several isolated physiological and pharmacological aspects of acute drug-induced ventilatory depression into a single theoretical framework. The description of respiratory regulation has a parsimonious yet comprehensive structure with substantial predictive capability. Simulations relative to the synergistic interaction of the hypercarbic and hypoxic respiratory drive and the global effect of drugs on the control of breathing are in good agreement with published experimental data. Besides providing clinically relevant predictions of respiratory depression, the model can also serve as a test bed to investigate issues of drug tolerability and dose finding/control under non-steady-state conditions.
This paper deals with a combined additive and subtractive process for metal parts production. Starting from the configuration of commercial LOM machines, a new machine design is proposed for metal parts, equipped with ATC with various form tools and capable of adaptive slicing. Then, the attention is focused on the adaptive slicing algorithm. The advantages of the proposed solution and its application, in comparison to existing solutions are its improved aesthetic appearance of the part. Also, this new methodology in its final form would result the faster product with better accuracy.
Psoriasis can be managed successfully with long-term biologics. Real-life clinical practice may require dose tapering as a therapeutic option to reduce the risk of drug-exposure and to increase cost-effectiveness. The responsiveness to extended intervals between adalimumab doses and the possible predictive factors of maintenance of complete clearance were studied in a retrospective 7-year single-centre analysis. Thirty patients who achieved complete clearance with adalimumab underwent dose tapering, progressively extending between-dose intervals (to 21-28 days). Sixty percent of subjects (group A) maintained complete clearance, whereas 40.0% (group B) relapsed and were switched back to the standard dosage to re-achieve complete clearance. Body mass index (BMI) and time to achieve Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI-100) with adalimumab standard treatment before dose tapering were significantly lower in group A than in group B (multivariate Cox regression: p < 0.05, Kaplan-Meier analysis: p < 0.001, respectively). This study suggests that patients with lower BMI and shorter time to achieve PASI-100 with adalimumab standard dose were significantly more likely to be candidates for dose tapering.
The skin can serve as an interstitial Na+ reservoir. Local tissue Na+ accumulation increases with age, inflammation and infection. This increased local Na+ availability favors pro-inflammatory immune cell function and dampens their anti-inflammatory capacity. In this review, we summarize available data on how NaCl affects various immune cells. We particularly focus on how salt promotes pro-inflammatory macrophage and T cell function and simultaneously curtails their regulatory and anti-inflammatory potential. Overall, these findings demonstrate that local Na+ availability is a promising novel regulator of immunity. Hence, the modulation of tissue Na+ levels bears broad therapeutic potential: increasing local Na+ availability may help in treating infections, while lowering tissue Na+ levels may be used to treat, for example, autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases.
Age-related cataracts are frequently associated with degenerative changes in the ocular lens including the aggregation of proteins mainly crystallins, but also other proteins including amyloids (A beta) leading to the hypothesis that cataracts could be used as biomarkers for Alzheimer disease. Even if this hypothesis was rejected by David Beebe's last paper (Bei et al., Exp. Eye Res., 2015), it is a fascinating aspect to look for commonalities between eye diseases and neurological disorders. In this review, I discuss such commonalities between eye and brain mainly from a developmental point of view. The finding of the functional homology of the Drosophila eyeless gene with the mammalian Pax6 gene marks a first highlight in the developmental genetics of the eye this result destroyed the dogma of the different evolutionary routes of eye development in flies and mammals. The second highlight was the finding that Pax6 is also involved in the development of the forebrain supporting the pleiotropic role of many genes. These findings opened a new avenue for research showing that a broad variety of transcription factors, but also structural proteins are involved both, in eye and brain development as well as into the maintenance of the functional integrity of the corresponding tissue(s). In this review recent findings are summarized demonstrating that genes whose mutations have been identified first to be causative for congenital or juvenile eye disorders are also involved in regenerative processes and neurogenesis (Pax6), but also in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson (e.g. Pitx3) or in neurological disorders like Schizophrenia (e.g. Crybb1, Crybb2). (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In this paper, we propose the application of principal component analysis (PCA) to scale-spaces. PCA is a standard method used in computer vision. Because the translation of an input image into scale-space is a continuous operation, it requires the extension of conventional finite matrix-based PCA to an infinite number of dimensions. Here, we use spectral theory to resolve this infinite eigenvalue problem through the use of integration, and we propose an approximate solution based on polynomial equations. In order to clarify its eigensolutions, we apply spectral decomposition to Gaussian scale-space and scale-normalized Laplacian of Gaussian (sLoG) space. As an application of this proposed method, we introduce a method for generating Gaussian blur images and sLoG images, demonstrating that the accuracy of such an image can be made very high by using an arbitrary scale calculated through simple linear combination. Furthermore, to make the scale-space filtering efficient, we approximate the basis filter set using Gaussian lobes approximation and we can obtain XY-Separable filters. As a more practical example, we propose a new Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) detector.
Existing theories of empathic response to visual art works postulate the primacy of automatic embodied reaction to images based on mirror neuron mechanisms. Arguing for a more inclusive concept of empathy-related response and integrating four distinct bodies of literature, we discuss contextual, and personal factors which modulate empathic response to depicted people. We then present an integrative model of empathy-related responses to depicted people in art works. The model assumes that a response to empathy-eliciting figural artworks engages the dynamic interaction of two mutually interlinked sets of processes: socio-affective/cognitive processing, related to the person perception, and esthetic processing, primarily concerned with esthetic appreciation and judgment and attention to non-social aspects of the image. The model predicts that the specific pattern of interaction between empathy-related and esthetic processing is co-determined by several sets of factors: (i) the viewer's individual characteristics, (ii) the context variables (which include various modes of priming by narratives and other images), (iii) multidimensional features of the image, and (iv) aspects of a viewer's response. Finally we propose that the model is implemented by the interaction of functionally connected brain networks involved in socio-cognitive and esthetic processing.
This paper presents a new accessory drive system for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). This new concept involves a dual winding electric machine with simultaneous motor and generator functions. The electric machine provides power for all accessory loads such as the steering pump, compressors and 12 V loads. When the engine is off, the electric machine starts its motoring action and provides mechanical power to the accessory loads. Simultaneously, the generator windings provide power for the 12 V loads. The proposed structure could be a viable choice for fault-tolerant applications because of the concentrated winding type that maintains electrical and magnetic isolation. Design considerations of the proposed electric machine are outlined in the paper. The distributed winding topology and concentrated winding topologies are also compared. Analytical proof of magnetic decoupling is presented and experimentally verified.
As China's largest CO2 emission source, power sector has a large scale of power exchange, which results in the issue of interprovincial CO2 emissions transfer embodied in power transmission. Based on interprovincial detailed power exchange data, a bottom-up method which takes into account the fuel mix of exported electricity is developed to calculate provincial CO2 emissions embodied in power transmission. Provincial CO2 emissions from power sector associated in consumption perspective in 2007, 2010 and 2012 are analyzed and compared with those in production based perspective. The calculation shows that total CO2 emissions embodied in interprovincial power exchange is 532 Tg in 2012, accounting for 14% of total emissions from power sector. The embodied emissions have risen by 94% between 2007 and 2012. The general transfer pathway of embodied CO2 emissions is from eastern China to western China with long-range power transmission. The disparities between consumption and production based CO2 emissions are significant in some provinces. The production based CO2 emissions from power sector of Inner Mongolia are 195 Tg higher than those of the consumption based, while the consumption based emissions of Beijing are 484% larger than those of the production based. This study also reveals an increasing trend of CO2 emissions from both production and consumption principles for most provinces over the period 2007-2012. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this work, we demonstrate how an innovative, out-of-cleanroom customized CD/DVD fabrication process can be successfully used for mass production of biosensors with thin-film electrodes. We show that silver and gold electrodes can be used for impedimetric and voltammetric biosensing applications, both in presence and absence of a redox mediator. We modeled the redox/non-redox electrodes impedance through equivalent electrical circuits, and we evaluated their transfer function sensitivity with a one-factor-at-a-time approach. Using this approach, we introduced a new prediction method to find which equivalent electrical circuit elements contribute more to the transfer function variations, then we experimentally validated the predictions measuring the electrodes electrochemical impedance spectroscopy responses with relevant self-assembled monolayer molecules immobilized on them, i.e., MCH and DTSP. We also assess the silver electrodes long-term stability with impedance spectroscopy measurements over a period of 1200 hours, proving their possible use in point-of-care applications. Finally, we also prove that the sensors correctly perform in a practical case, i. e., as a lactic acid biosensor, by studying the optimization of the biosensor efficiency through different enzyme immobilization methods. By comparing lactate oxidase enzyme direct adsorption and covalent binding to DTSP self-assembling monolayers, we found that covalent binding to DTSP can boost the catalytic current of about 40% with respect to that obtained from the direct adsorption of the same enzyme concentration.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a flexible and low-cost solution for the acquisition of high-resolution data. The potential of high-resolution UAV imagery to create and update cadastral maps is being increasingly investigated. Existing procedures generally involve substantial fieldwork and many manual processes. Arguably, multiple parts of UAV-based cadastral mapping workflows could be automated. Specifically, as many cadastral boundaries coincide with visible boundaries, they could be extracted automatically using image analysis methods. This study investigates the transferability of gPb contour detection, a state-of-the-art computer vision method, to remotely sensed UAV images and UAV-based cadastral mapping. Results show that the approach is transferable to UAV data and automated cadastral mapping: object contours are comprehensively detected at completeness and correctness rates of up to 80%. The detection quality is optimal when the entire scene is covered with one orthoimage, due to the global optimization of gPb contour detection. However, a balance between high completeness and correctness is hard to achieve, so a combination with area-based segmentation and further object knowledge is proposed. The localization quality exhibits the usual dependency on ground resolution. The approach has the potential to accelerate the process of general boundary delineation during the creation and updating of cadastral maps.
Robots seemingly in possession of an experiential mind, as well as humans allegedly incapable thereof, have been reported to elicit feelings of eeriness in their perceivers. The current work re-examined this claim, asking participants to rate both robots and humans in various social situations regarding their mind capacities (e.g., emotional capability, intelligence), non-mind qualities (e.g., animacy, usefulness), and overall appeal (e.g., eeriness, likeability). It was found that feelings of eeriness towards both targets formed a distinct emotional response that was separable from simple dislike. Yet, unexpectedly, eeriness towards both targets intensified, the less they were seen as possessing a typical human mind. For robots, however, this association was less consistent. Moreover, eeriness towards robots, but not towards humans, was most strongly predicted by a lack of perceived usefulness. These results indicate that mind attributions affect people's attitudes towards each other more strongly than their attitudes towards humanoid robots.
The paper describes a general model of a hybrid-excited synchronous machine with multiple voltage levels each generated by a 3-phase stator system in a voltage-behind-reactance formulation. The different voltage level of each 3-phase stator system is realized in the same machine design. The rotor is excited through an excitation winding and a permanent magnet. The model incorporates magnetic saturation of the main inductance, magnetic and electric coupling between all phases, and the field winding and a mechanical displacement angle. The cross coupling between q and d axes of the main inductances is included as a constant saliency factor a for all saturation levels. The turn ratio of each 3-phase stator winding system to another 3-phase system is also modeled as a constant value. Each 3-phase system saturates the iron core with a different weighting represented by the number of turns relative to the reference stator system. The proposed model is included in a field-oriented control scheme. Simulations are carried out with requested I-q,I-d and field winding currents to demonstrate model's dynamics, and the results are verified with measurements on a test bench.
In traditional approach, extracting important features for the application to analyze the anomaly detection problem, introduce significant overhead on the way of switch handling. Furthermore, high volumes of network traffic introduce notable issues that affect the performance and anomaly detection accuracy. Taking advantage of centralized control plane of Software Defined Networking (SDN), the task to handle the flow information is much more simplified programmatically. The accuracy of the measured flow statistic plays important role in anomaly detection. While the use of sampling is capable to lessen the scalability problem of traffic monitoring, the insufficiency of sampled flow statistic may have led to inaccurate detection rate of anomaly. In this paper, we propose an adaptive sampling strategy that is able to provide essential traffic statistics for more accurate anomaly detection in SDN. Our sampling mechanism utilizes the clustering analysis, which is used to classify the attack in the network to determine the severity of monitored traffic. By manipulating the type of service of incoming packet together, these two important parameter formulate our sampling mechanism algorithm. We show experimentally that by putting higher polling frequency on detected anomalous flow, we able to detect network attacks much more accurate.
Water is a crucial resource in West Africa, where large parts of the population rely on rainfed agriculture. Therefore, accurate knowledge of the water resources is of the utmost importance. Due to the declining number of rain gauging stations, the use of satellite and reanalysis precipitation datasets in hydrological modelling is steadily rising. However, accurate information on the benefits and deficits of these datasets is often lacking, especially in the West African subcontinent. For validation purposes, these products are commonly compared to freely available rain gauge data, which has in some cases already been used to bias correct the products in the first place. We therefore explored the possibility of a hydrological evaluation, where a model is calibrated for each dataset using streamflow as the observed variable. In this study, ten freely available satellite and reanalysis datasets (CFSR, CHIRPS, CMORPHv1.0 CRT, CMORPHv1.0 RAW, PERSIANN CDR, RFE 2.0, TAMSAT, TMPA 3B42v7, TMPA 3B42 RTv7 and GPCC FDDvl) were thus evaluated for six differently sized and located basins in West Africa. Results show that while performances differ, most datasets manage to somewhat accurately predict the observed stream flow in a given basin. Best results were achieved by datasets which use a multitude of input data, namely infrared and microwave satellite data, as well as observations from rain gauges (usually GPCC) for bias correction. If considering only the Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency averaged for all six basins during the calibration phase, best results were achieved by CMORPH CRT and PERSIANN CDR (both 0.66), followed by TAMSAT, CHIRPS and TMPA 3B42 (all three 0.64). Average results were achieved by RFE 2.0 (0.63), GPCC (0.61) and TMPA 3B42 RT (0.54). CMORPH RAW and CFSR performed worst (0.36 and -0.34 on average). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A modeling approach based on domain partitioning and use of the electromagnetic circuit formulation for full wave electromagnetic field is applied for high frequency integrated passive components, including MEMS switches. The procedure is completed by model order reduction and generation of a small compact model that describes with high accuracy the input-output behavior of the device. The main benefit of the approach is that it allows the saving of computational resources, that will be further used to refine the most complicated part of the domain, and thus obtain a more accurate model for the full device. The procedure is validated for real benchmarks for which measurements are available, as well as for a RF MEMS switch test, described in the literature.
Developed more than a century ago, Steinmetz's symbolic method is still puzzling us. It puzzles us because, in spite of its theoretical inconsistencies, it is heuristically efficient. However, it remains the dominant method in design, analysis, and operation of electrical power networks. The paper shows that Steinmetz's mathematical expression for electrical power is based on assumptions inconsistent with the algebra of complex numbers. The paper argues that, although the numbers are correct, the mathematical interpretation of these numbers is not. Steinmetz got empirical right results for wrong conceptual reasons; the success of the symbolic method is based on the fact that, unwittingly, Steinmetz rediscovered Grassmann-Clifford geometric algebra. The paper challenges the dominant paradigm in power theory which represents voltage, current, active, reactive and apparent power as complex numbers and/or vectors (phasors). The author proposes a new paradigm in which these entities are represented as an algebraic group; the group is composed of a scalar, two vectors and a bivector which are residing in a four-dimensional algebraic space and in a two-dimensional Euclidean geometric space. The paper claims that Steinmetz's symbolic method is the oldest engineering application of Clifford Algebra. The paper provides a strong motivation for a new didactic of power theory based on Geometric Algebra as Physics' unifying language.
We present a new numerical system using classical finite elements with mesh adaptivity for computing stationary solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The programs are written as a toolbox for FreeFem++ (www.freefem.org), a free finite-element software available for all existing operating systems. This offers the advantage to hide all technical issues related to the implementation of the finite element method, allowing to easily code various numerical algorithms. Two robust and optimized numerical methods were implemented to minimize the Gross Pitaevskii energy: a steepest descent method based on Sobolev gradients and a minimization algorithm based on the state-of-the-art optimization library Ipopt. For both methods, mesh adaptivity strategies are used to reduce the computational time and increase the local spatial accuracy when vortices are present. Different run cases are made available for 2D and 3D configurations of Bose-Einstein condensates in rotation. An optional graphical user interface is also provided, allowing to easily run predefined cases or with user-defined parameter files. We also provide several post-processing tools (like the identification of quantized vortices) that could help in extracting physical features from the simulations. The toolbox is extremely versatile and can be easily adapted to deal with different physical models. Program summary Program title: GPFEM Catalogue identifier: AFBD_v1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AFBD_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Apache 2.0 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 49149 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 407572 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: FreeFem++ (free software, www.freefem.org). Computer: PC, Mac, Super-computer. Operating system: Windows, Mac OS, Linux. Classification: 2.7, 4.9, 7.7. Nature of problem: The software computes 2D or 3D-stationary solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with rotation. The main application is the computation of different types of vortex states (Abrikosov vortex lattice, giant vortex) in rotating Bose Einstein condensates. The software can be easily modified to take into account different related physical models. Solution method: The user has the choice between two robust and optimized numerical methods for the direct minimization of the Gross-Pitaevskii energy: a steepest descent method based on Sobolev gradients and a minimization algorithm based on the state-of-the-art optimization library Ipopt. For both methods, mesh adaptivity strategies are implemented to reduce the computational time and increase the local spatial accuracy when vortices are present. Running time: From minutes for 2D configurations to hours for 3D cases (on a personal laptop). Complex 3D cases (with hundreds of vortices) may require several days of computational time. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper includes country level virtual water data in an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for water pollution. Virtual water accounts for the total amount of water required to produce a good in all stages of production. This paper constructs a water independence index, defined as the water required in domestic production divided by the amount of water required for all imported goods. Results suggest an increase in trade openness and importing water intensive goods may lower water pollution levels.
This case report describes a novel technique of restoring endodontically treated teeth. Hidden caries causing irreversible pulpitis in a mandibular molar with Radix Entomolaris (RE) was evident. The intact occlusal surface anatomy was duplicated before preparing an access cavity to replicate the original occlusal surface in the post endodontic restoration using (Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing) CAD/CAM technique. This report highlights uniquely designed onlay utilizing the benefits of contemporary materials and advanced technology.
Fracking has become a hot topic in the media and public discourse not only because of its economic benefit but also its environmental impacts. Recently, scientists have investigated the environmental impacts of fracking, and most studies focus on its air and ground water pollution. A systematic research structure and an overall evaluation of fraddng's impacts on the environment are needed, because fracking does not only influence ground water but most environmental elements including but not limited to air, water, soil, rock, vegetation, wildlife, human, and many other ecosystem components. From the standpoint of the total environment, this communication assesses the overall impacts of fracking on the environment and then designs a total environmental study paradigm that effectively examines the complicated relationship among the total environment. Fracking dramatically changes the anthroposphere, which in turn significantly impacts the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere through the significant input or output of water, air, liquid or solid waste disposals, and the complex chemical components in fracking fluids. The proposed total environment study paradigm of fraddng can be applied to other significant human activities that have dramatic impacts on the environment, such as mountain top coal mining or oil sands for environmental studies. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
One of the main challenges in water management is to determine how the current water use can condition its availability to future generations and hence its sustainability. This study proposes the use of the Water Footprint (WF) indicator to assess the environmental sustainability in water resources management at the river basin level. The current study presents the methodology developed and applies it to a case study. The WF is a relatively new indicator that measures the total volume of freshwater that is used as a production factor. Its application is ever growing in the evaluation of water use in production processes. The calculation of the WF involves water resources (blue), precipitation stored in the soil (green) and pollution (grey). It provides a comprehensive assessment of the environmental sustainability of water use in a river basin. The methodology is based upon the simulation of the anthropised water cycle, which is conducted by combining a hydrological model and a decision support system. The methodology allows the assessment of the environmental sustainability of water management at different levels, and/or ex-ante analysis of how the decisions made in water planning process affect sustainability. The sustainability study was carried out in the Segura River Basin (SRB) in South-eastern Spain. The SRB is among the most complex basins in Europe, given its special peculiarities: competition for the use, overexploitation of aquifers, pollution, alternative sources, among others. The results indicate that blue water use is not sustainable due to the generalised overexploitation of aquifers. They also reveal that surface water pollution, which is not sustainable, is mainly caused by phosphate concentrations. The assessment of future scenarios reveals that these problems will worsen if no additional measures are implemented, and therefore the water management in the SRB is environmentally unsustainable in both the short- and medium-term. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The conditions of existence of extra mass flux in single-component dissipative nonrelativistic fluids are clarified. By considering Galilean invariance, we show that if total mass flux is equal to total momentum density, then mass, momentum, angular momentum and booster (center of mass) are conserved. However, these conservation laws may be fulfilled also by other means. We show an example of weakly nonlocal hydrodynamics where the conservation laws are satisfied as well although the total mass flux is different from momentum density.
State-of-the-art approaches to obtaining new plant varieties based on the potential of traditional breeding and the use of modern methods and achievements in genetics and genomics are considered. The opportunities and advantages of marker-assisted and genomic selection, as well as the importance of developing advanced methods in phenomics and genome editing, are discussed.
As it provides the simultaneous benefits of reducing the demand for potable water and the generation of water runoff, rainwater harvesting (RWH) has received increasing attention from urban water managers in the past decades. This study employs a mass balance based method to estimate RWH performance for four large metropolitan areas of the United States, namely New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Seattle. Geospatial analysis is used in concert with climatic records to characterize the cityscape and climatic patterns of each city and evaluate the RWH systems performance both in terms of potable water savings and roof runoff reductions. The analysis indicates that typical urban rainwater harvesting setups, consisting of a 100 m(2) roof connected to a 5m(3) storage volume, would be able to reduce potable water demand by over 65% in all cities while contextually reduce roof runoff generation by over 75%. Small differences in performance are observed among cities due to differences in precipitation patterns, typical roof area, and population density. Furthermore, an evaluation of the total water savings and runoff reduction for the application of RWH practices at maximum build out for all four study cities is provided, and the sensitivity of our estimates of performance to precipitation patterns and to the systems' operating algorithm is also analyzed and discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Many garners report that playing video games, including those with violent content, helps them to reduce stress. However, few studies have examined competitive and cooperative video game play as they relate to stress reduction. The current study employed a design to acutely stress 100 participants before assigning them randomly to play a mildly violent game either competitively or cooperatively with a female confederate. Results indicated stress levels declined over time at equal levels during both competitive and cooperative game play. Participants in the competitive condition held a slightly less positive impression of the confederate following game play, although players held a generally positive impression of the confederate overall. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: We do not know whether differences exist between the residual effect of 2% chlorhexidine in 70% isopropyl alcohol when compared with 1% triclosan in 70% isopropyl alcohol. Methods: Using an analytic, longitudinal, controlled, and comparative experimental trial, with blinded measurements, we recruited healthy, adult volunteers from the University of Guanajuato who completed a stabilization phase of skin microbiota and had no history of skin allergies. Four 25-cm(2) areas of the inner surface of the forearms were designated for study: unscrubbed control for establishing baseline bacterial counts, scrubbed control with tridistilled water, scrubbed with chlorhexidine, and scrubbed with triclosan. Quantitative cultures were taken of all the areas at 0, 3, and 24 hours, using agar plates with neutralizing agents. Results: A total of 135 healthy volunteers were tested. At 24 hours, the unscrubbed control counts were 288 CFU/cm(2), whereas the scrubbed control counts were 96 CFU/cm(2); 24 CFU/cm(2) for chlorhexidine and 96 CFU/cm2 for triclosan (Kruskal-Wallis chi(2) H = 64.27; P < .001). Conclusions: Chlorhexidine is the best antiseptic option when a prolonged antiseptic effect is needed; for instance, when implanting medical devices or performing surgical procedures. (C) 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an adaptive building-skin system that attempts to establish the foundations for an intuitive and responsive interface between interior and exterior spaces with respect to environmental, thermal, acoustic, and user-comfort considerations. It does this by enabling each of its components to act as individual, context-aware, sensor-actuator nodes capable of differentiated-yet correlated-actions, reactions, and interactions. The proposal situates the system within an intelligent environment whose ecosystem's operational scope subsumes yet extends beyond interior environments to include exterior domains via wearable devices. Accordingly, as the sensed data of any device is accessible across all devices in a topology of meshed nodes, the computationally processed behavior of any node is potentially informed by and informing of the status of individual and/or sets of other nodes. In this manner, the building-skin is not construed as a mere envelope, but rather as a system comprised of agents that, in conjunction with all other embedded, ambulant, or wearable agents, actively promote the well-being, comfort, and spatial experience of users.
The pharmaceutical industry is committed to market safer drugs with fewer side effects, predictable pharmacokinetic properties and quantifiable drug-drug interactions. There is an increasing need to develop robust, enhanced-throughput in vitro assays, which accurately extrapolate to humans. The major drug metabolizing human hepatic cytochrome P-450s (CYPs; CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4) have been coexpressed functionally in Escherichia coli with human NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and validated as surrogates to their counterparts in human liver microsomes (HLM) with respect to their kinetic and inhibition properties. Using these recombinant enzymes, fully automated in vitro assays to assess CYP inhibition and determine the enzymology of drug oxidation have been developed and validated. IC50 values determined for a series of test compounds in HLM and recombinant CYPs were similar (r(2) = 0.9, P < 0.001). There was a good correlation between the sum of individual CYP intrinsic clearance (Cl-int) and HLM Cl-int (r(2) = 0.8, P < 0.001) for ten prototypic substrates for which clearance was CYP-dependent. Several in vitro incubation milieu (e,g, CYPs, HLM, human hepatocytes) are routinely used and the level of non-specific binding was investigated with respect to effects on K-m and K-i determinations. There were clear correlations between binding and lipophilicity (logD(7.4)) for a selection of bases (r(2) = 0.98, P < 0.001) and acids (r(2) = 0.79, P < 0.001) that may allow prediction of this property. Our laboratory has shown that recombinant enzymes are suitable for 'frontline' predictive human metabolism studies in early drug discovery.
Learning the analysis of electrical circuits represented by circuit diagrams is often challenging for novice students. An open research question in electrical circuit analysis instruction is whether color coding of the mathematical symbols (variables) that denote electrical quantities can improve circuit analysis learning. The present study compared two groups of high school students undergoing their first introductory learning of electrical circuit analysis. One group learned with circuit variables in black font. The other group learned with colored circuit variables, with blue font indicating variables related to voltage, red font indicating those related to current, and black font indicating those related to resistance. The color group achieved significantly higher post-test scores, gave higher ratings for liking the instruction and finding it helpful, and had lower ratings of cognitive load than the black-font group. These results indicate that color coding of the notations for quantities in electrical circuit diagrams aids the circuit analysis learning of novice students.
Spatial abilities encompass several skills differentiable from general cognitive ability (g). Importantly, spatial abilities have been shown to be significant predictors of many life outcomes, even after controlling for g. To date, no studies have analyzed the genetic architecture of diverse spatial abilities using a multivariate approach. We developed gamified measures of diverse putative spatial abilities. The battery of 10 tests was administered online to 1,367 twin pairs (age 19-21) from the UK-representative Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). We show that spatial abilities constitute a single factor, both phenotypically and genetically, even after controlling for g. This spatial ability factor is highly heritable (69%). We draw three conclusions: (i) The high heritability of spatial abilitymakes it a good target for gene-hunting research; (ii) some genes will be specific to spatial ability, independent of g; and (iii) these genes will be associated with all components of spatial ability.
This paper presents an edge boosting method for I/O output buffer using signal front detection digital control circuit. The presented architecture detects I/O data or clock signal transitions and activates additional drive strength fingers in the output buffer resulting in output current increase which improves the slew rate, compensating for losses in transmission lines. The presented edge boosting method can be used in the I/O circuits of such standards as DDR(Double Data Rate), USB(Universal Serial Bus), PCI(Peripheral Component Interconnect) etc.
Over the last several decades, there has been a wealth of illuminating work on processes implicated in social cognition. Much less has been done in articulating how we learn the contours of particular concepts deployed in social cognition, like the concept MENTALISTIC AGENT. Recent developments in learning theory afford new tools for approaching these questions. In this article, I describe some rudimentary ways in which learning theoretic considerations can illuminate philosophically important aspects of the MENTALISTIC AGENT concept. I maintain that MENTALISTIC AGENT is an essentialized concept (cf. Gelman, in The essential child, 2003; Keil, in Concepts, kinds, and cognitive development, 1992) and that learning-theoretic considerations help explain why the concept is not tied to particular traits.
It is a measure of the dynamic performance of the machine tool design merits of the important performance indicators. This paper use Pro/E and ANSYS Workbench integrated development platform, for a certain type of grinder bed for three-dimensional modeling and modal analysis to improve dynamic performance, and based on the results of the various parts of the structure size and internal ribs rational layout optimization and design, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the camshaft grinding machine design.
Nature-based approaches to flood risk management are increasing in popularity. Evidence for the effectiveness at the catchment scale of such spatially distributed upstream measures is inconclusive. However, it also remains an open question whether, under certain conditions, the individual impacts of a collection of flood mitigation interventions could combine to produce a detrimental effect on runoff response. A modelling framework is presented for evaluation of the impacts of hillslope and in-channel natural flood management interventions. It couples an existing semidistributed hydrological model with a new, spatially explicit, hydraulic channel network routing model. The model is applied to assess a potential flood mitigation scheme in an agricultural catchment in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, comprising various configurations of a single variety of in-channel feature. The hydrological model is used to generate subsurface and surface fluxes for a flood event in 2012. The network routing model is then applied to evaluate the response to the addition of up to 59 features. Additional channel and floodplain storage of approximately 70,000m(3) is seen with a reduction of around 11% in peak discharge. Although this might be sufficient to reduce flooding in moderate events, it is inadequate to prevent flooding in the double-peaked storm of the magnitude that caused damage within the catchment in 2012. Some strategies using features specific to this catchment are suggested in order to improve the attenuation that could be achieved by applying a nature-based approach.
Background To date, the effects of exclusive breastfeeding duration and timing of solid food introduction on allergy prevention are unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of variable feeding practices on intestinal inflammation in infants using faecal eosinophil cationic protein as a surrogate marker and to assess whether faecal eosinophil cationic protein is associated with serum immunoglobulin E. Methods Subjects (n=206) were enrolled from the Prediction of Allergies in Taiwanese CHildren (PATCH) birth cohort study. Stool samples were collected at 6 and 12 months for determining eosinophil cationic protein, and blood was collected for determining total and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E at 12 months. We compared these biomarkers between infants with variable exclusive breastfeeding duration and infants introduced to solid foods at various periods. The association between faecal eosinophil cationic protein, total serum immunoglobulin E and specific immunoglobulin E was also analysed. Results Faecal eosinophil cationic protein was significantly higher in exclusively breastfed infants compared with formula-fed infants and infants who were not exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age (P6 months did not reduce serum immunoglobulin E, but rather increased intestinal inflammation. Faecal eosinophil cationic protein was not associated with total serum immunoglobulin E and specific immunoglobulin E and might not be a useful indictor of immunoglobulin E sensitization in infancy.
In this article we argue that social-psychological research on implicit racial associations-relatively unconscious associations based on race-is a fruitful area to explore for a greater understanding of how racial bias affects children in schools. We highlight the key insights of research on implicit racial associations and their implications for education. Further, we identify areas for research on implicit racial associations in education, calling for collaboration between scholars of racial inequality in education and scholars of implicit racial associations. This research is likely to provide a productive new perspective for understanding why and when teachers and other school personnel engage in behaviors that reproduce racial inequality, often in spite of best intentions and commitments to racial equity.
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S., and is a multifactorial disease that preferentially occurs in regions of the arterial tree exposed to disturbed blood flow. The detailed mechanisms by which d-flow induces atherosclerosis involve changes in the expression of genes, epigenetic patterns, and metabolites of multiple vascular cells, especially endothelial cells. This review presents an overview of endothelial mechanobiology and its relation to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis with special reference to the anatomy of the artery and the underlying fluid mechanics, followed by a discussion of a variety of experimental models to study the role of fluid mechanics and atherosclerosis. Various in vitro and in vivo models to study the role of flow in endothelial biology and pathobiology are discussed in this review. Furthermore, strategies used for the global profiling of the genome, transcriptome, miR-nome, DNA methylome, and metabolome, as they are important to define the biological and pathophysiological mechanisms of atherosclerosis. These omics approaches, especially those which derive data based on a single animal model, provide unprecedented opportunities to not only better understand the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis development in a holistic and integrative manner, but also to identify novel molecular and diagnostic targets. (c) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
B cells reactive with a specific antigen usually occur at a frequency of <0.05% of lymphocytes. For decades researchers have sought methods to isolate and enrich these rare cells for studies of their phenotype and biology. Approaches are inevitably based on the principle that B cells recognize native antigen by virtue of cell surface receptors that are representative in specificity of antibodies that will eventually be secreted by their differentiated daughters. Perhaps the most obvious approach to the problem involves use of fluorochrome-conjugated antigens in conjunction with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). However, the utility of these methods is limited by cell frequency and the achievable rate of analysis and isolation by electronic sorting. A novel method to enrich rare antigen-specific B cells using magnetic nanoparticles that results in high yield enrichment of antigen-reactive B cells from large starting cell populations is described. This method enables improved monitoring of the phenotype and biology of antigen reactive cells before and following in vivo antigen encounter, such as after immunization or during development of autoimmunity.
This case study trialled the introduction of a student-response system (Top Hat) in a third-year engineering Fluid Mechanics course (n=44) to improve student engagement, motivation and cognition. It was recognised that for the potential benefits of student-response systems (SRSs) to be fully realised, more time must be allocated for student engagement and the active learning components of the course. In order to allow sufficient time to fully engage with the SRSs and other classroom activities, traditional lectures were revised and the classroom format was flipped. This paper presents the initial case study results focusing on the use of SRSs. Overall, the new flipped lecture and SRS teaching format demonstrated a substantial increase in the level of student engagement, motivation, active learning and attendance compared to previous cohorts. However, the increased levels of engagement did not appear to reflect on any large increase in students' individual grades.
This paper presents a coordinated model predictive control scheme for the Mid-Columbia hydropower system. The Mid-Columbia system consists of seven hydropower plants on the Columbia River in the United States. The state-space model used in the control scheme accounts for system hydraulics, modeling time-delayed hydraulic coupling and dynamic tailrace elevations. We approximate the power generation from a hydropower plant using a piecewise planar function of turbine discharge and hydraulic head, and we demonstrate how this approximation can be written as a set of linear constraints and integrated into a quadratic program. We introduce a flow minimizing objective function that maximizes system hydraulic potential by efficiently allocating water. Compared to historical operations, the proposed control scheme reduces ramping, increases total system hydraulic head, increases system energy content, and operates the system within all elevation and flow constraints.
Recently, Yu et al. (Quantum Inf Process 13(6): 1457-1465, 2014) proposed the first semi-quantum scheme without the need of a classical channel to generate a secret key, while employing a master key and the entanglement properties of Bell states. This study points out a vulnerability that allows a malicious person to recover a partialmaster key and to launch a successful Man-In-The-Middle attack. Accordingly, we present the most likely leakage information scenarios where an outside attacker affects the security of the proposed protocol.
This study proposes a new time-domain fault location method based on the impulse response (image) of a power system. The proposed algorithm captures an electrical image of the power system in normal operation by injecting a train of impulses. Following fault detection, an updated electrical image is acquired and compared with the normal operating image. The comparison between both images, in time domain, permits the estimation of the distance to the fault. The performance of the proposed method has been evaluated in a 20 kV distribution system modelled in power systems computer-aided design/electro-magnetic transient design and control (PSCAD/EMTDC). Moreover, laboratory and field tests in a 15 kV overhead line have been carried out to verify and validate model accuracy and performance. Results show a considerable improvement in the accuracy of fault distance estimation compared with existing algorithms. A relevant advantage of the proposed method is its high immunity to ground resistivity, fault resistance and fault type and location in the distribution system.
Internet security problems are still a big challenge as there are many security events occurred, such as Internet worms, Spam and phishing attacks etc. Botnet, a well-organized distributed network attack, consists of a large volume of bots, which generates huge volumes of spam or launching Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks to victim hosts. To address these problems, a practical Collaborative Network Security Management System is proposed with well-deployed collaborative UTM (Unified Threat Management) and traffic probers. In this paper, we propose a design and implementation of cloud based Security Center for network security forensic scrutiny. We propose to use cloud storage to keep collected traffic data and processing it with cloud computing platform to find the malicious attacks. A workable case, phishing attack forensic analysis is presented and the required computing and storage resources are evaluated based on real trace data.
Extreme climate events, floods, and drought, cause huge impact on daily lives. In order to produce society resilient to extreme events, it is necessary to assess the impact of frequent and high intensity storm events on design parameters. This article describes a methodology to develop future peak design discharges throughout the United States that can be used as a guidance to map future floodplains. In order to develop a lower and upper limit for anticipated peak flow discharges, two future growth scenarios - Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs)-RCP 2.6 and 8.5 were identified as the weak and strong climate scenario respectively based on the output from the global climate models. The Generalized Least Square technique in United States Geological Survey's Weighted Multiple Regression (WREG) program was used to develop regression equations that relate peak discharges to basin and climate parameters of the contributing watershed. The design discharges reflect the most recent climate model results. Number of frost days, heavy rainfall days, high temperature days, and snow depth were found to be the common extreme climate parameters influencing the regression equations. This methodology can be extended to other flood frequency events if rainfall data is available. The future discharges can be utilized in hydraulics models to estimate floodplains that can assist in resilient infrastructure planning and outline climate change adaptation strategies.
Objective. Several molecules are involved in the pathogenesis of new bone formation in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum levels of semaphorin 3A in AS and to investigate any correlations with radiographic damage, disease activity, function and treatment. Methods. AS patients who fulfilled the modified New York criteria were enrolled for this study. Healthy subjects were also enrolled as control group. BASDAI, ASDAS-CRP, BASMI, BASFI, patients and physician VAS, C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were evaluated at baseline visit. Radiographs of the spine and pelvis performed within six months from the enrolment in the study were collected in all patients. Spinal damage was assessed using the mSASSS. Serum concentrations of semaphorin3A were assessed at baseline and after four months of therapy in patients who started an anti-TNF. Results. Twenty healthy subjects and forty AS patients were enrolled in the study. Of these patients, 15 started anti-TNF therapy the day of baseline visit. Semaphorin3A serum concentrations [median (25th-75th)] were similar in AS patients [0.26 (0.20-0.31) ng/ml] and controls [0.28 (0.26-0.3) ng/ml; p=ns). No significant correlation was found between semaphorin 3A serum levels and radiographic damage index. Semaphorin 3A serum levels positively correlated with ESR values (rho=0.37, p=0.049) and with disease activity assessed by the physician VAS (rho=0.47, p<0.01). No differences were found in the semaphorin3A serum levels after 4 months, compared to baseline values. Conclusion. The results of the present study could contribute to the intriguing topic of bone remodelling in AS.
The present study refers to Building-Integrated Solar Thermal (BIST) systems based on vacuum-tube collectors and it consists of two parts. In the first part, a literature review is presented, including studies about vacuum-tube technology (vacuum-tube/BIST systems, the environmental profile of vacuum-tube collectors, etc.). Critical issues, for example related to the integration of vacuum-tube collectors into the building, are highlighted. The review shows that most of the proposed vacuum-tube/BIST concepts are about facade-integration and there are few studies about the environmental profile of vacuum-tube collectors. As a continuity of the issues presented in the first part, the second part includes a case study about the environmental comparison of a vacuum-tube/BIST system with a flat-plate/BIST configuration, based on life cycle assessment. The systems are gutter-integrated, patented and they have been developed/tested at the University of Corsica, in France. Multiple life-cycle impact assessment methodologies, environmental indicators, scenarios and databases are adopted. The results reveal that the energy payback time is 1.8 and 0.5 years, for the flat-plate/BIST and for the vacuum-tube/BIST, respectively, while by using recycling these values become 0.5 and 0.1 years, respectively. Energy-return-on-investment, greenhouse-gas payback time and avoided impact during use phase (by adopting USEtox, ecological footprint and France's electricity as well as with reference domestic-gas-boiler CO2.eq emissions) are also presented. The findings of the present work: 1) are compared with the literature and good agreement is observed, 2) verify that considerably higher impact can be avoided by utilizing the vacuum-tube/BIST instead of the flat-plate/BIST system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Most research in the field of ambient technology has been conducted in Western cultural spheres. In this paper, we want to explore potential approaches designers might take towards ambient systems in Asian contexts. We particularly aim at exploring the role of ambience in the development of such systems and analyzing how aesthetic factors vary depending on culture. We observed that efficiency and environmental factors influence design decisions and serve as feedback on smart technologies. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This paper is focused on the optimisation of additive manufacturing process in order to obtained best quality surface and minimum cost for fit and functional testing. The researches are developed at the Industrial Innovative Technologies Laboratory (Manufacturing Engineering Department from Transilvania University of Brasov) within the PLADETINO (Platform for Innovative Technological Development) interdisciplinary platform. The main purpose of this work is to demonstrate that additive manufacturing technologies (AMT) can be effectively applied for assembly and functional testing. One of the most popular AMT used worldwide is 3D printing (3DP). 3D printing technologies can be divided in the following groups: inkjet printing, fused deposition modelling and polymer jetting (polyjet). This work is focused on applications of polyjet technology.
Interpersonal impression formation is highly consequential for social interactions in private and public domains. These perceptions of others rely on different sources of information and processing mechanisms, all of which have been investigated in independent research fields. In social psychology, inferences about states and traits of others as well as activations of semantic categories and corresponding stereotypes have attracted great interest. On the other hand, research on emotion and reward demonstrated affective and motivational influences of social cues on the observer, which in turn modulate attention, categorization, evaluation, and decision processes. While inferential and categorical social processes have been shown to recruit a network of cortical brain regions associated with mentalizing and evaluation, the affective influence of social cues has been linked to subcortical areas that play a central role in detection of salient sensory input and reward processing. In order to extend existing integrative approaches to person perception, both the inferential-categorical processing of information about others, and affective and motivational influences of this information on the beholder should be taken into account.
Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are well known and broadly used as bio-imaging markers in molecular biology research. Many FP genes were cloned from anthozoan species and it was suggested that multi-copies of these genes are present in their genomes. However, the full complement of FP genes in any single coral species remained unidentified. In this study, we analyzed the FP genes in two stony coral species. FP cDNA sequences from Acropora digitifera and Acropora tenuis revealed the presence of a multi-gene family with an unexpectedly large number of genes, separated into short-/middle-wavelength emission (S/MWE), middle-/long-wavelength emission (M/LWE), and chromoprotein (CP) clades. FP gene copy numbers in the genomes of four A. digitifera colonies were estimated as 16-22 in the S/MWE, 3-6 in the M/LWE, and 8-12 in the CP clades, and, in total, 35, 31, 33, and 33 FP gene copies per individual shown by quantitative PCR. To the best of our knowledge, these are the largest sets of FP genes per genome. The fluorescent light produced by recombinant protein products encoded by the newly isolated genes explained the fluorescent range of live A. digitifera, suggesting that the high copy multi-FP gene family generates coral fluorescence. The functionally diverse multi-FP gene family must have existed in the ancestor of Acropora species, as suggested by molecular phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses. The persistence of a diverse function and high copy number multi-FP gene family may indicate the biological importance of diverse fluorescence emission and light absorption in Acropora species.
The production of renewable bioenergy will be necessary to meet rising global fossil fuel demands. Members of the marine microalgae genus Nannochloropsis produce large quantities of oils (triacylglycerols; TAGs), and this genus is regarded as one of the most promising for biodiesel production. Recent genome sequencing and transcriptomic studies on Nannochloropsis have provided a foundation for understanding its oleaginous trait, but the mechanism underlying oil accumulation remains to be clarified. Here we report Nannochloropsis knock-out strains of four extraplastidic lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferases (LPAT1-LPAT4) that catalyze a major de novo biosynthetic step of TAGs and membrane lipids. We found that the four LPATs are differently involved in lipid metabolic flow in Nannochloropsis. Double knock-outs among the LPATs revealed the pivotal LPATs for TAG biosynthesis, and localization analysis indicated that the stramenopile-specific LPATs (LPAT3 and LPAT4) associated with TAG synthesis reside at the perimeter of lipid droplets. No homologous region has been found with other lipid droplet-associated proteins, however. Lipid droplets are an organelle found in nearly all organisms, and recently they were shown to play important roles in cellular metabolism and signaling. Our results provide direct evidence for the importance of the perimeter of lipid droplet in TAG synthesis in addition to its known role in maintaining TAG stability, and these findings suggest that the oleaginous trait of Nannochloropsis is enabled by the acquisition of LPATs at the perimeter of lipid droplets.
We report on the longitudinal stability of personality traits across an average 40 years in the Hawaii Personality and Health Cohort relating childhood teacher assessments of personality to adult self- and observer-reports. Stabilities based on self-ratings in adulthood were compared to those measured by the Structured Interview for the Five-Factor Model (SIFFM; Trull & Widiger, 1997), and trait ratings completed by interviewers. Although convergence between self-reports and observer-ratings was modest, childhood traits demonstrated similar levels of stability across methods in adulthood. Extraversion and Conscientiousness generally showed higher stabilities, whereas Neuroticism showed none. For Agreeableness and Intellect/Openness, stability was highest when assessed with observer-ratings. These findings are discussed in terms of differences in trait evaluativeness and observability across measurement methods. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper investigates the effects of encasement stiffness and strength on the response of individual geotextile encased granular columns embedded in soft soil through model tests. Similarity analysis was first executed to determine the suitable properties of the constituents used in the model tests to ensure that the prototype-scale and model-scale geotextile encased granular columns exhibit comparable behaviour. Experimental results show that encasement improves the bearing capability of all modelled sand columns, even when encasement rupture occurs; marked improvement is achieved for sand columns encased with geotextiles of relatively medium to high stiffness. Encasement also restrains the radial strain of the columns significantly. Predominate bulging of the encased sand column occurs in the top 2.5D depth of sand columns encased with low stiffness geotextile, however, sand columns encased with relatively high stiffness geotextile exhibit roughly uniform lateral deformation along the height of the column. The bearing stresses of the encased columns modelled in this study agree well with values predicted by an analytical solution using cavity expansion theory. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Developing water-saving cultivation techniques is necessary to relieve the pressure of water demand under irrigation regions in dry semi-humid areas of China. Ridge-furrow with plastic film mulching (RFPFM), as a prospective rainwater harvesting system, has been widely adopted in rain-fed arid and semi-arid regions in northern China. However, it is unclear if RFPFM can be applied to wheat-maize double-cropping systems to increase the summer-maize yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in dry semi-humid areas to reduce the use of irrigation water. Three cultivation practices (traditional flat planting (CM), RFPFM and well irrigation planting (WI)) in combination with two nitrogen (N) rates (75 and 225 kg N ha(-1)) and two cultivars were conducted to certify the potential role of RFPFM in increasing summer-maize yields, WUE, and N fertilizer use efficiency based on the double-cropping system. The results showed that the RFPFM practice hastened maize seeding emergence by 2 days and extended grain filling duration by 3-4 days in comparison with the CM practice. Aboveground biomass and N accumulation of maize plant were significantly higher under RFPFM and WI practices than the CM practice. The maize yield of RFPFM was similar to that of WI practice, and both practices increased the number of kernels per ear, 1000-kernel weight and grain yield compared to the CM practice. The RFPFM practice increased WUE by 29.2% and 70.5%, compared to the CM and WI practices, respectively, for the summer-maize season, averaged across two years. In addition, RFPFM practice significantly increased N fertilizer productivity and N uptake efficiency by 33.4% and 44.7%, respectively, in comparison with CM, averaged across other treatments and two years. The present study illustrates that the RFPFM practice could maintain the high summer maize productivity under wheat-maize double-cropping systems in dry semi-humid areas. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background and objective: To safely select the proper therapy for Ventricullar Fibrillation (VF) is essential to distinct it correctly from Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) and other rhythms. Provided that the required therapy would not be the same, an erroneous detection might lead to serious injuries to the patient or even cause Ventricular Fibrillation (VF). The main novelty of this paper is the use of time-frequency (t-f) representation images as the direct input to the classifier. We hypothesize that this method allow to improve classification results as it allows to eliminate the typical feature selection and extraction stage, and its corresponding loss of information. Methods: The standard AHA and MIT-BIH databases were used for evaluation and comparison with other authors. Previous to t-f Pseudo Wigner-Ville (PWV) calculation, only a basic preprocessing for denoising and signal alignment is necessary. In order to check the validity of the method independently of the classifier, four different classifiers are used: Logistic Regression with L2 Regularization (L2 RLR), Adaptive Neural Network Classifier (ANNC), Support Vector Machine (SSVM), and Bagging classifier (BAGG). Results: The main classification results for VF detection (including flutter episodes) are 95.56% sensitivity and 98.8% specificity, 88.80% sensitivity and 99.5% specificity for ventricular tachycardia (VT), 98.98% sensitivity and 97.7% specificity for normal sinus, and 96.87% sensitivity and 99.55% specificity for other rhythms. Conclusion: Results shows that using t-f data representations to feed classifiers provide superior performance values than the feature selection strategies used in previous works. It opens the door to be used in any other detection applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nutrient loadings of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to aquatic environments are of increasing concern globally for managing ecosystems, drinking water supply and food production. There are often multiple sources of these nutrients in the landscape, and the different hydrological flow patterns within stream or river catchments have considerable influence on nutrient transport, transformation and retention processes that all eventually affect loadings to vulnerable aquatic environments. Therefore, in order to address options to reduce nutrient loadings, quantitative assessment of their effects in real catchments need to be undertaken. This involves setting up scenarios of the possible nutrient load reduction measures and quantifying their impacts via modelling. Over the recent two decades there has been a great increase in the use of scenario-based analyses of strategies to combat excessive nutrient loadings. Here we review 130 published papers extracted from Web of Science for 1995 to 2014 that have applied models to analyse scenarios of agricultural impacts on nutrients loadings at catchment scale. The review shows that scenario studies have been performed over a broad range of climatic conditions, with a large focus on measures targeting land cover/use and land management for reducing the source load of N and P in the landscape. Some of the studies considered how to manage the flows of nutrients, or how changes in the landscape may be used to influence both flows and transformation processes. Few studies have considered spatially targeting measures in the landscape, and such studies are more recent Spatially differentiated options include land cover/use modification and application of different land management options based on catchments characteristics, cropping conditions and climatic conditions. Most of the studies used existing catchment models such as SWAT and INCA, and the choice of the models may also have influenced the setup of the scenarios. The use of stakeholders for designing scenarios and for communication of results does not seem to be a widespread practice, and it would be recommendable for future scenario studies to have a more in-depth involvement of stakeholders for the elaboration and interpretation of scenarios, in particular to enhance their relevance for farm and catchment management and to foster better policies and incentives. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The paper focuses on the application of new e-learning materials at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Machine Design. These study materials are based on an injection mould which has been previously applied in practice. This is the main advantage of E-learning materials. They help students to become familiar with and master design issues from a practical viewpoint. The e-learning material is written in a structured and unified form in the following sequence: basic information about the injection mould is given in the Introduction, and in the second part the student can view active two-colour 3D models coloured according to function and machining technology. E-learning materials include drawing documentation of the main assembly and subassemblies. They consist of manufactured
Introduction: Adalimumab, an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), is the only systemic non-corticosteroid agent which has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis.Areas covered: The aim of this review is to summarize the research which demonstrated the effectiveness of adalimumab in the treatment of intraocular inflammation and helped to establish its side effect profile, ultimately leading to its FDA approval.Expert commentary: Adalimumab is a useful second-line agent in the treatment of non-infectious uveitis. While it is only approved in the United States for use in intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis in adults, I find it to be effective in off-label treatment of pediatric uveitis and scleritis as well.
We have developed an efficient method for the preparation and maintenance of primary cell cultures isolated from adult Mnemiopsis leidyi, a lobate ctenophore. Our primary cell cultures are derived from tissue explants or enzymatically dissociated cells, and maintained in a complex undefined ctenophore mesogleal serum. These methods can be used to isolate, maintain and visually monitor ctenophore cells to assess proliferation, cellular morphology and cell differentiation in future studies. Exemplar cell types that can be easily isolated from primary cultures include proliferative ectodermal and endodermal cells, motile amebocyte-like cells, and giant smooth muscle cells that exhibit inducible contractile properties. We have also derived 'tissue envelopes' containing sections of endodermal canal surrounded by mesoglea and ectoderm that can be used to monitor targeted cell types in an in vivo context. Access to efficient and reliably generated primary cell cultures will facilitate the analysis of ctenophore development, physiology and morphology from a cell biological perspective.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are one of the pathological features of AD. Recent studies have suggested long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in AD. Competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) is a mechanism that has recently been proposed, in which IncRNAs compete for common miRNA-binding sites with mRNAs. However, the roles of IncRNAs and ceRNA in AD NFTs is limited. In this study, we constructed a global triple network based on ceRNA theory, then an AD NFT lncRNA mRNA network (NFTLMN) was generated. By analyzing the NFTLMN, three IncRNAs (AP000265.1, KB-1460A1.5 and RP11-145M9.4), which are highly related with AD NFTs were identified. To further explore the cross-talk between mRNAs and IncRNAs, a clustering module analysis was performed on the NFTLMN and two AD NFT related modules were identified. Our study provides a better understanding of the molecular basis of AD NFTs and may offer novel treatment strategies for AD. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Automotive systems are widely used in industry and our daily life. As the reliability of automotive systems is becoming a greater challenge in our community, increasingly more automotive companies are interested in applying formal methods to improve the reliability of automotive systems. We focus on automotive operating systems conforming to the OSEK/VDX standard. Such operating systems are considered as important components to ensure the reliability of the automotive systems. In previous work, we proposed a framework to verify the design models of reactive systems against their specifications. This framework allows us to check whether the design model conforms to the specification based on a simulation relation. This paper shows a case study in which the framework is applied to a real design of the OSEK/VDX operating system. As a result, we found that we were able to check several important properties of the design model. We show the effectiveness and practicality of the framework based on the results of the case study.
Recently, human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) has been a focus in the field of reproductive immunology, tumor progression and transplantation, because of its inhibitory function as ligand to the inhibitory receptors leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LILR) B1 and LILRB2. The HLA-G is expressed in distinct mRNA isoforms, one of which encodes a soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) protein, detectable by sandwich ELISA. Therefore, sHLA-G ELISAs have been used as a noninvasive diagnosis system. While a number of sHLA-G-specific ELISAs have been described, our prior studies showed that data obtained by the conventional ELISA system detecting sHLA-G in body fluids was not consistent with the data obtained from immunoprecipitation (IP)/immunoblotting (IB). Therefore, we established an optimized ELISA system described in this report, which yields results consistent with IP/IB analysis. Using this system, we determined sHLA-G protein in amniotic fluids, and found that sHLA-G levels at preterm (similar to 36 weeks) were clearly higher than those at term (37-41weeks). These data and supporting experiments showed that the ELISA system we established can be an useful tools for the detection of sHLA-G protein in body fluids than the conventional ELISA system.
This work presents a fully FPGA based deadbeat-like predictive control scheme for back-to-back converter PMSG wind turbine systems with space vector modulator (SVM). A deadbeat-like predictive torque/current controller is used to control the machine side converter, while a deadbeat power control method in alpha beta frame is used to control the grid side converter. Both sides achieve nice steady state performances requiring few tuning efforts. Both the machine and grid side predictive controllers are realized on a commercial-off-the-shelf FPGA based platform. By using a single-cycle-timed-loop (SCTL) technique, the whole computation time is quite short (less than 4 mu s), which makes the calculation time compensation not required. The effectiveness of the presented method is verified through experimental data.
Background: Asthma is characterized by a heterogeneous inflammatory profile and can be subdivided into T(h) 2-high and T(h) 2-low airway inflammation. Profiling of a broader panel of airway cytokines in large unselected patient cohorts is lacking. Methods: Patients (n = 205) were defined as being cytokine-low/high if sputum mRNA expression of a particular cytokine was outside the respective 10th/90th percentile range of the control group (n = 80). Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was used to determine clusters based on sputum cytokine profiles. Results: Half of patients (n = 108; 52.6%) had a classical T(h) 2-high (IL-4-, IL-5-and/or IL-13-high) sputum cytokine profile. Unsupervised cluster analysis revealed 5 clusters. Patients with an IL-4-and/or IL-13-highpattern surprisingly did not cluster but were equally distributed among the 5 clusters. Patients with an IL-5-, IL-17A-/F-and IL-25-highprofile were restricted to cluster 1 (n = 24) with increased sputum eosinophil as well as neutrophil counts and poor lung function parameters at baseline and 2 years later. Four other clusters were identified: IL-5-high or IL-10-high(n = 16), IL-6-high(n = 8), IL-22-high(n = 25). Cluster 5 (n = 132) consists of patients without cytokine-highpattern or patients with only high IL-4 and/or IL-13. Conclusion: We identified 5 unique asthma molecular phenotypes by biological clustering. Type 2 cytokines cluster with non-type 2 cytokines in 4 out of 5 clusters. Unsupervised analysis thus not supports a priori type 2 versus non-type 2 molecular phenotypes.
Present efforts to improve maize performance in water-limited environments are aggressively pursuing leaf-level traits, such as quantum efficiency, mesophyll osmoregulation, and stress-protein responses. However, it is possible that improvement of these traits will lead directly to hydraulic failure if hydraulics and photosynthesis are closely aligned. Here, we address the whole plant response to drought stress and ask if photosynthetic and hydraulic traits appear bundled together as a coordinated response, or if these traits operate largely independently of one another. Xylem conductance of leaves and stems, whole plant conductance, stomatal conductance, rate of electron transport (ETR), maximal catalytic rate of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (V-pmax) (EC 4.1.1.31), and net CO2 assimilation (Amax) were measured in maize plants subjected to contrasting levels of drought stress in greenhouse and field experiments. Photosynthetic traits (A(max), ETR, V-pmax), hydraulic traits (whole plant and stem conductance) and stomatal conductance were all reduced by >80% as leaf water potentials declined below 3.0 MPa. Furthermore, 83% of the variation associated with the photosynthetic and hydraulic traits measured in this study was explained by a single principal component, revealing a remarkable degree of alignment among them. Whole plant transpiration rates recovered to ca 90% of maximal values 4 d after lifting severe drought stress ('Y leaf- leaf 3.5 MPa). Closely aligned hydraulic, photosynthetic, and stomatal responses to drought stress suggest that improvements to individual traits, in isolation to each other, may lead to the loss of plant functioning (e.g. water transport) rather than leading to marked improvements in growth. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
The main purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of ankylosing spondylitis on the health-related quality of life assessed by the Medical Outcomes Short-Form-36 questionnaire (SF-36). A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed and Web of Science until January 22, 2016 to obtain eligible studies. Random effect model was performed to summarize the scores of each domain. The radar chart was used to compare the scores of AS patients with other health conditions. Spearman's correlation analysis and meta-regression were used to explore the related factors. STATA (version 11.0) and SPSS (version 13.0) were adopted in this meta-analysis. Thirty-eight studies were included in this study, which were all reliable to summarize the scores of the SF-36. Pooled mean scores of the physical health domains ranged from 45.93 to 58.17, with the RP and PF domains being the lowest and the highest, respectively. Pooled mean scores of the mental health domains ranged from 47.49 to 62.52, with the VT and SF domains being the lowest and the highest, respectively. Besides, the physical component summary was lower than the mental component summary. BASDAI and BASFI were negatively associated with some domains of the SF-36 significantly. Patients with AS had a substantial impaired HRQoL in comparison with the general population. AS could adversely affect the HRQoL of patients. Measuring HRQoL should be considered as an essential part of the overall assessment of health status of AS patients, which would provide valuable clues for improving the management of disease and making decisions regarding treatment.
A 3-D electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) model was implemented in technology computer aided design simulations. The model uses a carefully designed charge carrier generation profile that describes how an electron beam induces charge carriers in a semiconducting device and then drift-diffusion equations are solved to determine the resulting current. The simulation provides a map of the EBIC signal, which can be compared with experimental 2-D profiles. This comparison can be used to fit parameters such as the surface recombination rate which is otherwise difficult to fit in completed devices. Additional experimental data for these fits are obtained by performing the experiments at different electron beam energies and thereby generating carriers at different depths in the sample. The experiments were performed on cross sections of silicon photodiodes with varying surface preparations. A strong influence of the surface preparation method on the charge carrier diffusion was observed.
The effects of hydrologic cycle change (caused by human activity and global climate change) on ecosystems attract the increasing attention around the world. As a result of impounding of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), climate change and sand mining, the dry season of Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake (China's two largest freshwater lakes) came early after the TGD impoundment. It was the primary cause of the increasing need for sluice/dam construction to store water in the Lakes and attracted increasing attention. In this paper, we compared the landscape pattern between three hydrologic years with early dry season (EY) and three normal hydrologic years (NY) of each lake by remote sensing technology, to reveal the effect of early dry season on landscape pattern. The results showed that early dry season caused expanding of Phalaris to mudflat zone in Poyang Lake, while caused expanding of Carex to Phalaris zone and expanding of Phalaris to mudflat zone in Dongting Lake. In landscape level, there was no significant difference in landscape grain size, landscape grain shape, habitat connectivity and landscape diversity between EY and NY in the two lakes. While in habitat class level, there were significant changes in area of mudflat and Phalaris and grain size of mudflat in Poyang Lake, and in area of Carex, grain size of Phalaris and grain shape of Carex and Phalaris in Dongting Lake. These changes will impact migrating birds of East Asian and migratory fishes of Yangtze River. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper provides experimental evidence about how the interaction between a company's earnings and its information system influences the degree of honest reporting by managers in a capital budgeting task. Specifically, the results show that participants overstate cost less when the manager's cost report determines whether the firm earns a gain or loss than when their report does not affect whether the firm earns a profit or loss (i.e., the firm always earns either a profit or loss regardless of the cost report). Further, the results suggest that the impact of the earnings situation on the degree of honesty depends on whether the firm uses an information system that improves its ability to detect misreporting. Specifically, the earnings situation has less effect on the degree of honesty when the firm uses an information system. This is because the information system decreases honesty when the manager's report determines whether the firm earns a profit or loss but increases it otherwise. This study provides important insights into the conditions under which information systems can crowd out prosocial behavior. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Users of ambient intelligence environments have been overwhelmed by the huge numbers of social media available, thus identifying the social media tailored to the user's need is becoming an important question to be discussed. This paper adapts the Katz proximity measure, for the use in social tagging system, to help users in ambient environment find relevant media suited to their interests. The method models the ternary relations among user, resource and tag as a weighted, undirected tripartite graph, then apply the Katz proximity measure to tripartite graph. Experiments on two real datasets are implemented and compared with many state-of-the-art algorithms. The experimental results prove that the adaptation of the Katz algorithm with the tripartite structure yields a significant improvement, and successfully ranks relevant search results according to the user's interests.
Participants (Study 1: N = 138, Study 2: N = 153) responded to a video in which a person suffered a mishap. The studies manipulated whether or not the person was responsible for the mishap and the degree to which the consequences were subsequently found to be serious. Results of Study 1 showed reduction in schadenfreude and more compassion for the victim in the serious condition due to appraisals that it was immoral to laugh about the misfortune. The stronger these appraisals and the stronger the initial schadenfreude, the stronger were moral emotions (guilt, shame, and regret) about initially expressed schadenfreude. Moral emotions and compassion fostered prosocial behavior. Study 2 extended these results by showing that seriousness of the consequences acted as a moderator for most of these findings with significant effects occurring in the serious condition only. Most reduction in schadenfreude occurred when the consequences were serious and when the person was less responsible for the misfortune. The studies extend past research by investigating schadenfreude and other emotions in a context that does not involve social comparison and where participants reflected on their initial expressions of schadenfreude.
This review examines the prospects of a decentralised hybrid rainwater-greywater system to simultaneously alleviate water scarcity and address technical, environmental, and cost constraints. This includes (1) a review on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of rainwater and greywater to determine the necessary treatment options; (2) a review of individual components and potential treatment trains for hybrid systems; and (3) an evaluation of configurations for hybrid systems. The literature review reveals that both untreated rainwater and greywater are highly variable in quality and quantity, and so an equalisation basin is proposed to normalise influent into a hybrid system. Both rainwater and greywater should not be reused without treatment due to the presence of pathogens such as Aeromonas, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus. Based on the literature, hybrid systems are categorised under three configurations: (a) separate treatments of rainwater and greywater; (b) rainwater reused in washing machines prior to reuse as greywater; and (c) combined treatment of rainwater and greywater. In all three designs, rainwater requires only first-flush diversion and disinfection. Combined rainwater-greywater mixtures should be treated as greywater. Greywater requires chemical, biological, and physical treatment to meet non-potable reuse standards. Chemical processes are effective at removing solids, organics, and surfactants in light greywater, whereas aerobic biological processes are effective at organics removal in mixed and dark greywaters with high organic strength. Physical processes, particularly membrane filtration, are recommended for polishing effluents from chemical or biological treatment as membranes foul frequently and are costly. Subsequently, a combination of ozone or UV with chlorine is recommended to eradicate chlorine-resistant Cryptosporidium oocysts from hybrid rainwater-greywater systems and prevent microbial regrowth. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dissecting the cellular signaling that governs the motility of eukaryotic cells is one of the fundamental tasks of modern cell biology, not only because of the large number of physiological processes in which cell migration is crucial, but even more so because of the pathological ones, in particular tumor invasion and metastasis. Cell migration requires the coordination of at least four major processes: polarization of intracellular signaling, regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and membrane extension, focal adhesion and integrin signaling and contractile forces generation and rear retraction. Among the molecular components involved in the regulation of locomotion, the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway has been shown to exert fundamental role. A pivotal node of such pathway is represented by the serine/threonine kinase 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDPK1 or PDK1). PDK1, and the majority of its substrates, belong to the AGC family of kinases (related to cAMP-dependent protein kinase 1, cyclic Guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C), and control a plethora of cellular processes, downstream either to PI3K or to other pathways, such as RAS GTPase-MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). Interestingly, PDK1 has been demonstrated to be crucial for the regulation of each step of cell migration, by activating several proteins such as protein kinase B/Akt (PKB/Akt), myotonic dystrophy-related CDC42-binding kinases alpha (MRCK), Rho associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1), phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLC1) and 3 integrin. Moreover, PDK1 regulates cancer cell invasion as well, thus representing a possible target to prevent cancer metastasis in human patients. The aim of this review is to summarize the various mechanisms by which PDK1 controls the cell migration process, from cell polarization to actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion regulation, and finally, to discuss the evidence supporting a role for PDK1 in cancer cell invasion and dissemination.
This paper presents the neutronics conceptual design of a long-life 392.6 MWth innovative sodium cooled fast reactor (iSFR). The iSFR, which was derived based on Korean Prototype Generation-IV sodium cooled fast reactor (PGSFR), was intended as an alternative fast reactor option while waiting for the availability and readiness of the fuel recycling technology in the Republic of Korea. The iSFR core was designed for a lifetime of over 20 EFPYs (effective full power years) and an average core discharged bumup greater than 100 GW(I/MTHM. It was loaded with annular metallic low enriched uranium (LEU) fuels, which were arranged in eight rings of hexagonal assemblies and surrounded by three rings of PbO radial reflectors. The core neutronic performance and characteristics such as core lifetime, power profiles and thermal hydraulics analysis, kinetics parameters and reactivity feedback coefficients, and cladding fast neutron fluence were analyzed by using McCARD Monte Carlo code and MATRA-LMR thermal-hydraulics sub channel -code. A balance of reactivity (BOR) analysis was also investigated to preliminary assess the safety capability of the iSFR against several unprotected transient scenarios. In addition, two new unique passive safety devices named FAST (Floating Absorber for Safety at Transient) and SAFE (Static Absorber Feedback Equipment) were also introduced and discussed in this paper. (C) O 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, performance of radial fuel shuffling of sodium cooled Breed and Burn reactor core is investigated. Neutronics and depletion calculations are carried out by MCORE based on the ENDF/B-VII data library. Thermal-hydraulic analysis is performed based on a self-developed parallel channels model steady-state code SAST. First of all, the assembly parameters are optimized from neutronics and thermal-hydraulics. The results show that assembly with 127 fuel rods and PAD of 1.12 is the best design. Secondly, the core critical features and radial power peaking factors of the inward and outward fuel shuffling strategy under different fuel shuffling periods are carried out. The results show that k(eff) of the beginning of equilibrium cycle (BOEC) and end of equilibrium cycle (EOEC) of both the inward and outward fuel shuffling strategy parabolically vary with the fuel shuffling period. Power peaking factor of the inward fuel shuffling strategy decreases with the increase of fuel shuffling period exponentially, while that of the outward fuel shuffling strategy increases with the fuel shuffling period exponentially. The outward fuel shuffling strategy with shuffling period of 500 days performs better in core critical features and radial power peaking factors. Reactivity coefficients of the optimized core are calculated. Finally, preliminary thermal-hydraulic analysis of the optimized core is performed. The results show that maximum cladding interface temperature and maximum fuel temperature are all within the acceptable limits. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Classically, mast cells (MC) are considered as important actors of the innate immune response playing a pivotal role in IgE-mediated allergic and antiparasite responses. In the last two decades, many experimental evidences demonstrated that these hematopoietic-derived cells present in both connective and mucosal tissues are also key modulators of the adaptive immune response and could contribute to autoimmune disease notably in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recently, Bader-Meunier et al. reported a series of 31 patients suffering from inflammatory joint diseases associated with mastocytosis, suggesting that mastocytosis was associated with a higher prevalence in spondyloarthritis. We discuss here the possible link between chronic inflammatory arthritis and mastocytosis through the report of a clinical case describing a patient developing RA after a long history of mastocytosis. Of great interest, antihistamine treatment alone was sufficient to treat RA in this patient.
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), is an agile and powerful swimmer. Unlike many successful swimmers (dolphins, tuna), they generate most of their thrust with their large foreflippers. This protocol describes a robotic platform designed to study the hydrodynamic performance of the swimming California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). The robot is a model of the animal's foreflipper that is actuated by motors to replicate the motion of its propulsive stroke (the 'clap'). The kinematics of the sea lion's propulsive stroke are extracted from video data of unmarked, non-research sea lions at the Smithsonian Zoological Park (SNZ). Those data form the basis of the actuation motion of the robotic flipper presented here. The geometry of the robotic flipper is based a on high-resolution laser scan of a foreflipper of an adult female sea lion, scaled to about 60% of the full-scale flipper. The articulated model has three joints, mimicking the elbow, wrist and knuckle joint of the sea lion foreflipper. The robotic platform matches dynamics properties-Reynolds number and tip speed-of the animal when accelerating from rest. The robotic flipper can be used to determine the performance (forces and torques) and resulting flowfields.
Eccentric exercise training is effective for increasing muscle mass and strength, and improving insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profiles. However, potential muscle damage symptoms such as prolonged loss of muscle function and delayed onset of muscle soreness may restrict the use of eccentric exercise, especially in clinical populations. Therefore, strategies to reduce eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) are necessary, and an extensive number of scientific studies have tried to identify potential intervention modalities to perform eccentric exercises without adverse effects. The present paper is based on a narrative review of current literature, and provides a novel hypothesis by which an ischemic preconditioning (IPC) of the extremities may reduce EIMD. IPC consists of an intermittent application of short time non-lethal ischemia to an extremity (e.g. using a tourniquet) followed by reperfusion and was discovered in clinical settings in an attempt to minimize inflammatory responses induced by ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion-injury (I/R-Injury) during surgery. The present hypothesis is based on morphological and biochemical similarities in the pathophysiology of skeletal muscle damage during clinical surgery and EIMD. Even though the primary origin of stress differs between I/R-Injury and EIMD, subsequent cellular alterations characterized by an intracellular accumulation of Ca2+, an increased production of reactive oxygen species or increased apoptotic signaling are essential elements for both. Moreover, the incipient immune response appears to be similar in I/R-Injury and EIMD, which is indicated by an infiltration of leukocytes into the damaged soft-tissue. Thus far, IPC is considered as a potential intervention strategy in the area of cardiovascular or orthopedic surgery and provides significant impact on soft-tissue protection and downregulation of undesired excessive inflammation induced by I/R-Injury. Based on the known major impact of IPC on skeletal muscle physiology and immunology, the present paper aims to illustrate the potential protective effects of IPC on EIMD by discussing possible underlying mechanisms. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research from evolutionary psychology suggests that the mere presence of eye images can promote prosocial behavior. However, the eye images effect'' is a source of considerable debate, and findings across studies have yielded somewhat inconsistent support. We suggest that one critical factor may be whether the eyes really need to be watching to effectively enhance prosocial behavior. In three experiments, we investigated the impact of eye images on prosocial behavior, assessed in a laboratory setting. Participants were randomly assigned to view an image of watching eyes (eyes with direct gaze), an image of nonwatching eyes (i.e., eyes closed for Study 1 and averted eyes for Studies 2 and 3), or an image of flowers (control condition). Upon exposure to the stimuli, participants decided whether or not to help another participant by completing a dull cognitive task. Three independent studies produced somewhat mixed results. However, combined analysis of all three studies, with a total of 612 participants, showed that the watching component of the eyes is important for decision-making in this context. Images of watching eyes led to significantly greater inclination to offer help as compared to images of nonwatching eyes (i.e., eyes closed and averted eyes) or images of flowers. These findings suggest that eyes gazing at an individual, rather than any proxy to social presence (e.g., just the eyes), serve as a reminder of reputation. Taken together, we conclude that it is eyes that pay attention'' that can lift the veil of anonymity and potentially facilitate prosocial behavior.
Background: Self-harm is associated with increased suicide risk, and constitutes a major challenge in adolescent mental healthcare. In the current study, we examined the association between different aspects of adolescent health and risk of later self-harm requiring hospital admission. Methods: We linked baseline information from 13 to 19 year old participants (n = 8965) in the Norwegian Young-HUNT 1 study to patient records of self-harm hospitalisation during 15 years of follow-up. We used Cox regression to estimate risk factor hazard ratios (HR). Results: Eighty-nine persons (71% female) were admitted to hospital because of self-harm. Intoxication/self-poisoning was the most frequent method (81%). Both mental (anxiety/depression, loneliness, being bullied) and somatic (epilepsy, migraine) health issues were associated with up to fourfold increased risk of self-harm-related hospital admission. Conclusions: Several health issues during adolescence markedly increased the risk of later self-harm hospitalisation. Current findings should be incorporated in the strive to reduce self-harming and attempted suicides among young people.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) may be an effective alternative water supply solution in regions affected by water scarcity. It has recently become a particularly important option in arid and semi-arid areas (like Mediterranean basins), mostly because of its many benefits and affordable costs. This study provides an analysis of the reliability of using a rainwater harvesting system to supply water for toilet flushing and garden irrigation purposes, with reference to a single-family home in a residential area of Sicily (Southern Italy). A flushing water demand pattern was evaluated using water consumption data collected from a sample of residential customers during an extended measurement campaign. A daily water balance simulation of the rainwater storage tank was performed, and the yield-after-spillage algorithm was used to define the tank release rule. The model's performance was evaluated using rainfall data from more than 100 different sites located throughout the Sicilian territory. This regional analysis provided annual reliability curves for the system as a function of mean annual precipitation, which have practical applications in this area of study. The uncertainty related to the regional model predictions was also assessed. A cost-benefit analysis highlighted that the implementation of a rainwater harvesting system in Sicily can provide environmental and economic advantages over traditional water supply methods. In particular, the regional analysis identified areas where the application of this system would be most effective.
Objectives: The clinical presentation of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is heterogeneous, which is a stumbling block to understanding pathophysiology and to developing new treatments. A major shift in psychiatry, embodied in the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative of National Institute of Mental Health, recognizes the pitfalls of categorizing mental illnesses using diagnostic criteria. Instead, RDoC encourages researchers to use a dimensional approach, focusing on narrower domains of psychopathology to characterize brain-behavior relationships. Our aim in this multidisciplinary pilot study was to use computer vision tools to record OCD behaviors and to cross-validate these behavioral markers with standard clinical measures. Methods: Eighteen youths with OCD and 21 healthy controls completed tasks in an innovation laboratory (free arrangement of objects, hand washing, arrangement of objects on contrasting carpets). Tasks were video-recorded. Videos were coded by blind raters for OCD-related behaviors. Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) and other scales were administered. We compared video-recorded measures of behavior in OCD versus healthy controls and correlated video measures and clinical measures of OCD. Results: Behavioral measures on the videos were significantly correlated with specific CY-BOCS dimension scores. During the free arrangement task, more time spent ordering objects and more moves of objects were both significantly associated with higher CY-BOCS ordering/repeating dimension scores. Longer duration of hand washing was significantly correlated with higher scores on CY-BOCS ordering/repeating and forbidden thoughts dimensions. During arrangement of objects on contrasting carpets, more moves and more adjustment of objects were significantly associated with higher CY-BOCS ordering/repeating dimension scores. Conclusion: Preliminary data suggest that measurement of behavior using video recording is a valid approach for quantifying OCD psychopathology. This methodology could serve as a new tool for investigating OCD using an RDoC approach. This objective, novel behavioral measurement technique may benefit both researchers and clinicians in assessing pediatric OCD and in identifying new behavioral markers of OCD. Clinical Trial Registry: Development of an Instrument That Monitors Behaviors Associated With OCD. NCT02866422. http://clinicaltrials.gov
IntroductionThis study aimed to describe the mental health status of sulfur mustard-exposed survivors suffering from severe respiratory and ophthalmological problems. MethodsOut of 450 invited Iran-Iraq War survivors of sulfur mustard exposure with severe symptoms, 350 participated in this cross-sectional study. Mental health status was assessed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, criteria. Fisher exact test, Pearson chi-square test, and chi-square test were used to assess any relationship, and the independent-sample t test was employed to compare differences between the veterans with ocular and pulmonary injuries. ResultsThere were 60.9% (n=213) survivors who suffered from mental disorders. Among them, 39.7% (n=139) were previously untreated and required the initiation of psychiatric treatment. The prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders among all survivors was 40.6% (n=142) and 32.0% (n=112), respectively. The most common anxiety and mood disorders were posttraumatic stress disorder (32.9%, n=115) and major depressive disorder (22.3%, n=78), respectively. Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent in cases with severe pulmonary chemical injury than in subjects with severe ophthalmologic chemical injury. Significant relationships were found between the types of psychiatric disorders and age, education, and occupation (P<.05). ConclusionThe psychiatric morbidity in the chemically injured populations was remarkable and significantly different between the populations. The prevalence of mental illness in these groups highlights the need for the appropriate provision of mental health services.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) blockers are a popular therapeutic choice in a number of inflammatory diseases. Thus far, five TNF-alpha blockers have been approved for clinical use (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab. and certolizumab). Despite being considered relatively safe, serious side effects associated with immune suppression have been reported, including central and peripheral nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disorders. It is still elusive whether these events are mere coincidence or a side effect of anti-TNF-alpha use. In this paper, we review the published case reports of CNS demyelination associated with anti-TNF-alpha therapy and present the follow-up of our 4 previously reported patients who developed neurologic symptoms suggestive of CNS demyelination after having received anti-TNF-alpha treatment. We also discuss the possible role of TNF-alpha blockers in demyelination.
A wide variety of herbal remedies are used in traditional Australian medicine to treat inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune inflammatory diseases. One hundred and six extracts from 40 native Australian plant species traditionally used for the treatment of inflammation and/or to inhibit bacterial growth were investigated for their ability to inhibit the growth of a microbial trigger for ankylosing spondylitis (K. pneumoniae). Eighty-six of the extracts (81.1%) inhibited the growth of K. pneumoniae. The D. leichardtii, Eucalyptus spp., K. flavescens, Leptospermum spp., M. quinquenervia, Petalostigma spp., P. angustifolium, S. spinescens, S. australe, S. forte and Tasmannia spp. extracts were effective K. pneumoniae growth inhibitors, with MIC values generally < 1000 A mu g/mL. The T. lanceolata peppercorn extracts were the most potent growth inhibitors, with MIC values as low as 16 A mu g/mL. These extracts were examined by non-biased GC-MS headspace analysis and comparison with a compound database. A notable feature was the high relative abundance of the sesquiterpenoids polygodial, guaiol and caryophyllene oxide, and the monoterpenoids linalool, cineole and alpha-terpineol in the T. lanceolata peppercorn methanolic and aqueous extracts. The extracts with the most potent K. pneumoniae inhibitory activity (including the T. lanceolata peppercorn extracts) were nontoxic in the Artemia nauplii bioassay. The lack of toxicity and the growth inhibitory activity of these extracts against K. pneumoniae indicate their potential for both preventing the onset of ankylosing spondylitis and minimising its symptoms once the disease is established.
In grid-connected converter control, grid voltage feedforward is usually introduced to suppress the influence of grid voltage distortion on the converter's grid-side AC current. However, owing to the time-delay in control systems, the suppression effect of the grid voltage distortion is seriously affected. In this paper, the positive effects of the grid voltage feedforward control are analyzed in detail, and the time-delay caused by the low-pass filter (LPF) in the voltage filtering circuits and digital control are summarized. In order to reduce the time-delay effect on the performance of the feedforward control, a voltage feedforward control strategy with time-delay compensation is proposed, in which, a leading correction of the feedforward voltage is used. The optimal leading step used in this strategy is derived from analyzing the phase-frequency characteristics of a LPF and the implementation of digital control. By using the optimal leading step, the delay in the feedforward path can be further counteracted so that the performance of the feedforward control in terms of suppressing the influence of grid voltage distortion on the converter output current can be improved. The validity of the proposed method is verified through simulation and experiment results.
The present study aimed to compare attitudes toward lesbians and gay men across three generations in Turkey. Participants were 112 young people, 169 parents, and 125 grandparents. A total of 406 men and women were involved. The short form of Herek's (1998) the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale was used. MANOVAs and ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. Results showed the attitudinal differences toward gay and lesbian people across generations. Grandparents have the most negative attitudes, whereas parents have more negative attitudes than their children. When comparing attitudes of each generation across sex, we found that young women have more liberal attitudes toward gay men compared to all other groups. Discussion focuses on understanding the results within the unique cultural context of Turkey.
This paper presents a novel multimodal system designed for multi-party human-human interaction analysis. The design of human-machine interfaces for multiple users is challenging because simultaneous processing of actions and reactions have to be consistent. The proposed system consists of a large display equipped with multiple sensing devices: microphone array, HD video cameras, and depth sensors. Multiple users positioned in front of the panel freely interact using voice or gesture while looking at the displayed content, without wearing any particular devices (such as motion capture sensors or head mounted devices). Acoustic and visual information is captured and processed jointly using established and state-of-the-art techniques to obtain individual speech and gaze direction. Furthermore, a new framework is proposed to model A/V multimodal interaction between verbal and nonverbal communication events. Dynamics of audio signals obtained from speaker diarization and head poses extracted from video images are modeled using hybrid dynamical systems (HDS). We show that HDS temporal structure characteristics can be used for multimodal interaction level estimation, which is useful feedback that can help to improve multi-party communication experience. Experimental results using synthetic and real-world datasets of group communication such as poster presentations show the feasibility of the proposed multimodal system.
Protocol and ceremonial are present at all stages of the history of mankind, acting as instruments of nonverbal communication that convey messages of hierarchy and social power to their recipients. Since ancient times we find references to the ceremonial rites that relate social life events, especially those with a symbolic, honorary or memorial, and triumphal entries of rulers in the cities, the coronation or inauguration ceremonies, weddings and funerals of members of royal families and military parades.
Higher-level cognition depends on the ability to learn models of the world. We can characterize this at the computational level as a structure-learning problem with the goal of best identifying the prevailing causal relationships among a set of relata. However, the computational cost of performing exact Bayesian inference over causal models grows rapidly as the number of relata increases. This implies that the cognitive processes underlying causal learning must be substantially approximate. A powerful class of approximations that focuses on the sequential absorption of successive inputs is captured by the Neurath's ship metaphor in philosophy of science, where theory change is cast as a stochastic and gradual process shaped as much by people's limited willingness to abandon their current theory when considering alternatives as by the ground truth they hope to approach. Inspired by this metaphor and by algorithms for approximating Bayesian inference in machine learning, we propose an algorithmic-level model of causal structure learning under which learners represent only a single global hypothesis that they update locally as they gather evidence. We propose a related scheme for understanding how, under these limitations, learners choose informative interventions that manipulate the causal system to help elucidate its workings. We find support for our approach in the analysis of 3 experiments.
The possible effects of the chlorpyrifos (CPF) on the fish Cyprinus carpio L. exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (52, 79, and 158 mu g/L) of CPF for 6 weeks were evaluated, and an analysis was made of their hematological parameters, biochemical parameters, and histology of various organs such as liver, gill, and muscle. At three concentrations, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin, Red blood cells (RBC) Hb, T3, T4, and total protein were significantly decreased in fish treated with CPF, whereas the parameters White blood cells (WBC), creatinine, Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (GOT) and Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (GPT) presented a significant increase at the two higher concentrations. However, the sub-chronic exposure to CPF resulted in histological lesions and caused clear damage to liver, muscles, and gill tissues of the fish Cyprinus carpio. Thus, we may conclude that the altered biochemical and hematological parameters can be used as efficient biomarkers in monitoring the toxicity of CPF in aquatic organisms. At the same time, histopathology proves as a reliable and easy tool for toxicological studies.
This paper presents the design optimization of linear induction motor. Application of linear induction motor includes various industrial processes like conveyor belt, vertical movement, steel power plant, induction heating and automated material handling. All these applications require an efficient and high torque providing linear induction motor. Objective function of the optimization problem discussed in this paper includes efficiency, output thrust and machine weight. Various machine design parameters have been used as constraint variables. Optimization done with Quasi-Newton process shows significant improvement in machine efficiency and output torque compared to the results reported in literature. Machine design and optimization is carried out using RMxprt software.
The Internet of Things promises a continuous flow of data where traditional database and data-mining methods cannot be applied. This paper presents a novel variant of the well-known Self-Organized Map (SOM), called Ubiquitous SOM (UbiSOM), that is being tailored for streaming environments. This approach allows ambient intelligence solutions using multidimensional clustering over a continuous data stream to provide continuous exploratory data analysis. The average quantization error over time is used for estimating the learning parameters, allowing the model to retain an indefinite plasticity and to cope with concept drift within a multidimensional stream. Our experiments show that UbiSOM outperforms other SOM proposals in continuously modeling concept-drifting data streams, converging faster to stable models when the underlying distribution is stationary and reacting accordingly to the nature of the concept-drift in continuous real world data-streams.
The current study examined the cultural factors (i.e., religious background, religious participation, parents' views of prayer, and parents' concepts of God) that contribute to children's differentiation between the capabilities of human minds and God's mind. Protestant Christian, Roman Catholic, Muslim, and Religiously Non-Affiliated parents and their preschool-aged children were interviewed (N=272). Children of Muslim parents differentiated the most between God's mind and human minds (i.e., human minds are fallible but God's is not), and children who had greater differentiation between God's and humans' minds had parents who had the least anthropomorphic conceptions of God. Additionally, there was a unique effect of being raised in a Religiously Non-Affiliated home on the degree of children's differentiation between God's and human minds after religious context factors had been accounted for; in other words, children of Religious Non-Affiliates differentiated between humans and God the least and their differentiation was unrelated to religious context factors. These findings delineate the ways in which religious context differences influence concepts of God from the earliest formation.
Rotary drilling rig is a kind of construction machinery which is used for deep pile foundation hole drilling operation. In recent years, a significant amount of catastrophic plastic-hinge type bending failures have occurred in the masks of the drilling machines. The major cause leading to this disaster is due to the sudden breaking of the drilling pipe lifting wire rope. The drilling rig will experience a severe transient dynamic process immediately after the accidental breaking of the lifting wire rope. The current design routine for drilling rigs is normally based on static analyses only, and the dynamic processes have seldom been considered due to the complexity involved in the analyses. In this paper, parametric finite element model for the entire machine of the rotary drilling rig has been established. Transient dynamic analyses have been carried out in response to the load case that the wire rope for drilling pipe lifting breaks. The history of stress variation over the whole machine during the dynamic response process has been obtained. This could be used to check if the machine designed is safe in case the drilling pipe lifting wire rope breaks.
This paper explores the biographical and cultural sources that inspired the decision of Janusz Korczak (Warsaw, 1878; Treblinka, 1942) to make his life's vocation the education of young children from dysfunctional families. This decision emerged out of the radical version of humanism he embraced. His identification of children as the population his humanist ethos must serve, distinguishes it from other versions of humanism. The paper explores the role his sense of self and his identification with Poles, Jews, and humanity play in the composition of this humanism. It identifies the hybridity of his cultural identifications as its heart. It proposes that the tensions between these identifications in general, and his non-Jewish Jewish identification that situated him as being 'a part of' and 'apart from' Polish society in particular, induced Korczak to create a universal religion of children in which religious, ethnic, or physical distinctions do not generate prejudice, intolerance, and violence.
The Paper presented from an experimental study for circular and square footing with same area that resting on sand bed. The steel model footing with 12 cm diameter (113 cm(2)) and square footing with 10.6 cm width in sand with relative density 60% were used. For reinforced conditions geogrid layers were used. The settlementload responses of the tests were investigated. Results indicated that ultimate bearing capacity increased in square footing in comparison with circular footing, and when reinforcements used with embedment depth (u/D = 0.42 or u/B = 0.47), the bearing capacity ratio (BCR) was increased greatly in circular footing in comparison with square footing. The BCR increases with increasing the number of geotextile layers for both of the footings (square and circular) but for reinforced conditions the geogrid layers have a better effect for circular footing in comparison with square footing and the rate of increasing BCR for circular footing is higher than square footing.
Single-phase inverters are widely used to connect small-scale distributed renewable energy sources to the grid. However, unlike a three-phase system, designing the vector control for a single-phase inverter is more challenging. This paper presents a neural network based vector control technique for a single-phase inverter, as well as how to develop and design an embedded digital control system to implement the neural network vector controller by using Texas Instruments TMS320F28335 chip. The paper addresses circuit design for effective interface between the high power inverter system and the embedded microcontroller as well as how to utilize built-in interrupts to achieve efficient digital control implementation, with user specified sampling time, and generation of high-quality pulse-width modulated driving pulses. Moreover, an embedded software design was developed to implement the neural network vector control for the single-phase inverter. A laboratory scale single-phase inverter system was built to test and evaluate the embedded neural network microcontroller. The hardware experiment assessment shows that the microcontroller works well using the novel neural network vector control mechanism in challenging, variable, and distorted hardware experiment conditions.
Mentalizing or Theory of Mind (ToM), i.e., the ability to recognize what people think or feel, is a crucial component of human social intelligence. It has been recently proposed that ToM can be decomposed into automatic and controlled neurocognitive components, where only the latter engage executive functions (e.g., working memory, inhibitory control and task switching). Critical here is the notion that such dual processes are expected to follow different developmental dynamics. In this work, we provide novel experimental evidence for this notion. We report data gathered from about thirty thousand participants of a massive web poll of peoples cognitive skills, which included ToM and executive functions. We show that although the maturation of executive functions occurs in synchrony (around 20 years of age), this is not the case for different mentalizing competences, which either mature before (for elementary ToM constituents) or after (for higher-level ToM). In addition, we show that inter-individual differences in executive functions predict variability in higher-level ToM skills from the onset of adulthood onwards, i.e., after the complete maturation of executive functions. Taken together, these results indicate that the relative contribution of ToM's controlled component significantly changes with age. In particular, this implies that, over the lifespan, people may rely upon distinct cognitive architectures when reading others' minds. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: One of the disadvantages of the zirconia implants is the lack of elasticity, which is increased with the use of ceramic or zirconia crowns. The consequences that could result from this lack of elasticity have led to the search for new materials with improved mechanical properties. Case presentation: A patient who is a 45-year-old woman, non-smoker and has no medical record of interest with a longitudinal fracture in the palatal root of molar tooth 1.7 and absence of tooth 1.6 was selected in order to receive a zirconia implant with a PEEK-based restoration and a composite coating. The following case report describes and analyses treatment with zirconia implants in molars following a flapless surgical technique. Zirconia implants are an alternative to titanium implants in patients with allergies or who are sensitive to metal alloys. However, one of the disadvantages that they have is their lack of elasticity, which increases with the use of ceramic or zirconia crowns. The consequences that can arise from this lack of elasticity have led to the search for new materials with better mechanical properties to cushion occlusal loads. PEEK-based restoration in implant prosthetics can compensate these occlusal forces, facilitating cushioning while chewing. Conclusion: This procedure provides excellent elasticity and resembles natural tooth structure. This clinical case suggests that PEEK restorations can be used in zirconia implants in dentistry.
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is part of the mentalizing network, a set of brain regions consistently engaged in inferring mental states. However, its precise function in this network remains unclear. It has recently been proposed that the dmPFC is involved in high-level abstract (i.e., categorical) identification or construction of both social and non-social stimuli, referred to as high construal. This was based on the observation of greater activation in the dmPFC shared by a high construal social condition (trait inference based on visually presented behavior) and a high construal non-social condition (categorization of visually presented objects) vs. matched low construal conditions (visual description of the same pictures). However, dmPFC activation has been related to task contexts requiring responses based on self-guided generation of mental content or decisions as compared to responses more directly determined by the experimental context (e.g., free vs. rule-governed choice). The previously reported dmPFC activity may reflect differences in task constraint (i.e., the extent to which the task context guided the process) confounded with the construal manipulation. Therefore, in the present study, we manipulated construal level and constraint independently, while participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). As before, participants visually described (low level construal) or categorized (high level construal) pictures of objects. Orthogonal to this, the description or categorization task had to be performed on either one object (low constraint) or on two objects simultaneously (high constraint), limiting the number of possible responses. Statistical analysis revealed common greater activation in both high construal conditions (high and low constraint) than in their low construal counterparts, replicating the influence of construal level on dmPFC activation (greater involvement in high than low construal), but no influence of constraint. In line with previous proposals and earlier work, we suggest that the dmPFC is involved in high-construal abstraction across different domains.
A composite liquid metal marble made of metal droplet coated with water film was proposed and its impact dynamics phenomenon was disclosed. After encapsulating the liquid metal into water droplets, the fabricated liquid marble successfully avoided being oxygenized by the metal fluid and thus significantly improved its many physical capabilities such as surface tension modification and shape control. The striking behaviors of the composite liquid metal marbles on a substrate at room temperature were experimentally investigated in a high speed imaging way. It was disclosed that such marbles could disintegrate, merge, and even rebound when impacting the substrate, unlike the existing dynamic fluidic behaviors of liquid marble or metal droplet. The mechanisms lying behind these features were preliminarily interpreted. This fundamental finding raised profound multiphase fluid mechanics for understanding the complex liquid composite which was also critical for a variety of practical applications such as liquid metal jet cooling, inkjet printed electronics, 3D printing or metal particle fabrication etc.
Research exploring the perspectives of stigmatized people has examined general processes related to experiencing prejudice. Past work, however, has invoked the assumption that prejudices against different group memberships are experienced in a similar manner. Across three studies we directly compare experiences of racism and sexism among female minorities and show, in contrast, that people respond to different forms of prejudice in distinct ways. In Study 1 we examined the attributions invoked by Asian women to explain prejudice and discovered that participants made stronger internal attributions to explain racism than sexism. In Study 2 we investigated emotional reactions to prejudice and found that Asian women report experiencing more depression following a race-based rejection than a gender-based rejection. In Study 3 we observed that Asian women reported perceiving more racism than sexism in their environments. Implications for advancing theories of prejudice experiences are discussed.
Aging affects numerous aspects of cell biology, but the senescence-associated changes in the stress response are only beginning to emerge. To obtain mechanistic insights into these events, we examined the formation of canonical and non-canonical stress granules (SGs) in the cytoplasm. SG generation is a key event after exposure to physiological or environmental stressors. It requires the SG-nucleating proteins G3BP1 and TIA-1/TIAR and stress-related signaling events. To analyze SG formation, we used two independent models of somatic cell aging. In both model systems, cellular senescence impaired the assembly of two SG classes: (i) it compromised the formation of canonical SGs, and (ii) skewed the production of non-canonical SGs. We dissected the mechanisms underlying these senescence-dependent changes in granule biogenesis and identified several specific targets that were modulated by aging. Thus, we demonstrate a depletion of G3BP1 and TIA-1/FIAR in senescent cells and show that the loss of G3BP1 contributed to impaired SG formation. We further reveal that aging reduced Sp1 levels; this transcription factor regulated G3BP1 and TIA-1/FIAR abundance. The assembly of canonical SGs relies on the phosphorylation of translation initiation factor elF2 alpha. We show that senescence can cause elF2 alpha hyperphosphorylation. CReP is a subunit of protein phosphatase 1 and critical to reverse the stress-dependent phosphorylation of elF2a. We demonstrate that the loss of CReP correlated with the aging-related hyperphosphorylation of elF2 alpha. Together, we have identified significant changes in the stress response of aging cells and provide mechanistic insights. Based on our work, we propose that the decline in SG formation can provide a new biomarker to evaluate cellular aging. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a new topology for waveform-generation using two current conveyors, and a grounded capacitor or a resistor for tuning. It uses current-conveyors in place of voltage op-amps to offer better linearity, bandwidth, slew rate and thermal stability. Measured results obtained using commercially available devices AD844AN and passive components show excellent linearity and tunability for both grounded resistor and capacitor topologies over the range of interest. Component sensitivity and temperature-sensitivity from -150 degrees C to +150 degrees C are studied. A comparison with existing candidate-designs shows superiority of the proposed design on all aspects. Grounded-connection of tuning components makes digital control easy.
Moral reasoning (MR) is a socio-cognitive skill essential to appropriate social functioning in childhood, and evolves in quality and complexity during ontogenetic development. Past research suggests that MR is related to age, socioeconomic factors, as well as some social and cognitive skills, such as executive functioning (EF), theory of mind (ToM), empathy, and affect recognition. However, their contributions have been studied in silos rather than comprehensively, with little integration of the relative and combined contribution of these skills to MR. Furthermore, few studies have addressed the putative links between these factors in childhood, a period during which these skills are in maturation. The aim of this study was to explore what factors predict moral maturity in typically developing children (n = 76, 47.4% males, M = 9.2, SD = 1.67 years), explore the potential moderating and mediating role of executive functions and social cognition in the relationship between age and MR maturity, and identify the specific contributions of age, socioeconomic factors, EF, and social cognition, using an innovative visual MR assessment tool (So-Moral). The results indicate that MR maturity was correlated with age, EF (inhibition, verbal fluency, and attentional control), and social cognition (ToM and affect recognition). Neither EF nor social cognition moderated the effect of age on MR maturity. However, verbal fluency and third-order false beliefs had a moderating role in this link. MR maturity in children was predicted by three variables from each of the three domains: age, verbal fluency, and third-order ToM. These results contribute to a better understanding of the underpinnings of MR during childhood, suggesting that MR is not reducible to general developmental factors such as age, but that higher order skills, such EF and social cognition also contribute to moral maturity. The findings have relevance for both typically developing and clinical populations in which social skills may be reduced, as well as for the identification of potential loci for intervention in children at-risk for socially maladaptive behaviors.
This study was to assess the porosity of Porous Asphalt Concrete (PAC) in conjunction with a medical X-ray computed tomography (CT) facility. The PAC was designed as the surface course to achieve the target porosity 18%. There were graded aggregates, soils blended with 50% of coarse sand, and crushed gravel wrapped with geotextile compacted and served as the base, subbase, and infiltration layers underneath the PAC. The test site constructed in 2004 is located in Northern of Taiwan in which the daily traffic has been light and limited. The porosity of the test track was investigated. The permeability coefficient of PAC was found severely degraded from 2.2x10(-1) to 1.2x10(-3) -cm/sec, after nine-year service, while the permeability below the surface course remained intact. Several field PAC cores were drilled and brought to evaluate the distribution of air voids by a medical X-ray CT nondestructively. The helical mode was set to administrate the X-ray CT scan and two cross-sectional virtual slices were exported in seconds for analyzing air voids distribution. It shows that the clogging of voids occurred merely 20mm below the surface and the porosity can reduce as much about 3%. It was also found that the roller compaction can decrease the porosity by 4%. The permeability reduction in this test site can attribute to the voids of PAC that were compacted by roller during the construction and filled by the dusts on the surface during the service.
It is assumed that resistance to ionizing radiation, as well as cross-resistance to other abiotic stresses, is a side effect of the evolutionary-based adaptation of anhydrobiotic animals to dehydration stress. Larvae of Polypedilum vanderplanki can withstand prolonged desiccation as well as high doses of ionizing radiation exposure. For a further understanding of the mechanisms of cross-tolerance to both types of stress exposure, we profiled genome-wide mRNA expression patterns using microarray techniques on the chironomid larvae collected at different stages of desiccation and after exposure to two types of ionizing radiation-70 Gy of high-linear energy transfer (LET) ions (He-4) and the same dose of low-LET radiation (gamma rays). In expression profiles, a wide transcriptional response to desiccation stress that much exceeded the amount of up-regulated transcripts to irradiation exposure was observed. An extensive group of coincidently up-regulated overlapped transcripts in response to desiccation and ionizing radiation was found. Among this, overlapped set of transcripts was indicated anhydrobiosis-related genes: antioxidants, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, and heat-shock proteins. The most overexpressed group was that of protein-L-isoaspartate/D-aspartate O-methyltransferase (PIMT), while probes, corresponding to LEA proteins, were the most represented. Performed functional analysis showed strongly enriched gene ontology terms associated with protein methylation. In addition, active processes of DNA repair were detected. We assume that the cross-tolerance of the sleeping chironomid to both desiccation and irradiation exposure comes from a complex mechanism of adaptation to anhydrobiosis.
Metabonomics has been applied in many bio-related scientific fields. Nevertheless, some animal research works are shown to fail when they are extended to humans. Therefore, it is essential to figure out suitable animal modeling to mimic human metabolism so that animal findings can serve humans. In this study, two kinds of commonly selected body fluids, serum and urine, from humans and various experimental animals were characterized by integration of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with multivariate statistical analysis to identify the interspecies metabolic differences and similarities at a baseline physiological status. Our results highlight that the dairy cow and pig may be an optimal choice for transportation and biodistribution studies of drugs and that the Kunming (KM) mouse model may be the most effective for excretion studies of drugs, whereas the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat could be the most suitable candidate for animal modeling under overall considerations. The biochemical pathways analyses further provide an interconnection between genetic evolution and metabolic variations, where species evolution most strongly affects microbial biodiversity and, consequently, has effects on the species-specific biological substances of biosynthesis and corresponding biological activities. Knowledge of the metabolic effects from species difference will enable the construction of better models for disease diagnosis, drug metabolism, and toxicology research. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ultra-precision manufacturing (UPM) machines are used to fabricate and measure complex parts having micrometer-level features and nanometer-level tolerances/surface finishes. Therefore, random vibration of the machine due to ground excitations and residual vibration stemming from onboard disturbances must be mitigated using vibration isolation systems. A long-standing rule of thumb in vibration isolation system design is to locate the isolators in such a way that the vibration modes of the isolated machine are decoupled. However, prior work by the authors has demonstrated that coupling vibration modes of passively-isolated UPM machines could provide conditions for drastic reduction of residual vibrations compared to decoupling. The authors' analysis was based on the restrictive assumption that the isolated machine was modally damped. The key contribution of this paper is in investigating the effect of mode coupling on the residual vibrations of UPM machines with non-proportional (NP) damping which is more realistic than modal damping. It also analyzes the effects of mode coupling on the reduction of ground vibrations (i.e., transmissibility). The analyses reveal that, even though NP damping changes the vibration behavior of the machine compared to modal damping, mode coupling still provides ample opportunities to reduce residual vibration and transmissibility. Guidelines for properly designing a UPM machine to best exploit mode coupling for vibration reduction are provided and validated through simulations and experiments. Up to 40% reduction in residual vibration and 50% reduction in transmissibility are demonstrated. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mast cells are innate immune cells that respond rapidly to infection in barrier tissues such as the skin and intestinal mucosa. Expulsion of parasitic worms in the gut involves a robust type 2 host response, and an acute mastocytosis is often generated at the site of infection. However, the role of mast cells in resistance to worm infections appears to be parasite specific. Mast cells are also involved in tissue repair, but the long-term contribution of mast cell activation after worm expulsion has not been definitively studied. In this issue of European Journal of Immunology, Sorobetea et al. [ Eur. J. Immunol. 2017. 47: 257-268] demonstrate that activated mast cells persist in the large intestinal lamina propria and intraepithelial compartment long after worm expulsion, resulting in continued local and systemic presence of the mast cell protease mast cell protease 1 (MCPt-1) and enhanced intestinal permeability. In this commentary, we discuss these findings in the wider context of mast cell function in health and disease.
We explore the effect of behavioral realism and reciprocal self-disclosure from computer interviewers on the social responses of human users in simulated psychotherapeutic counseling interactions. To investigate this subject, we designed a 3 x 3 factorial between-subjects experiment involving three conditions of behavioral realism: high realism, low realism, and audio-only (displaying no behavior at all) and three conditions of reciprocal self-disclosure: high disclosure, low disclosure, and no disclosure. We measured users' feelings of social presence (Copresence, Social Attraction, and Emotional Credibility), rapport, perception of the quality of users' own responses (Embarrassment and Self-Performance), emotional state (PANAS), perception of an interaction partner (Person Perception), self-reported self-disclosure, speech fluency (Pause Fillers and Incomplete Words), and Verbal Self-Disclosure. We observed some contradictory outcomes in users' subjective reports. However, the results of objective data analysis demonstrated that users disclosed greater Verbal Self-Disclosure (medium level of intimacy) when interacting with computer interviewers that displayed high behavioral realism and high self-disclosure. Users also delivered more fluent speech when interacting with computer interviewers that displayed high behavioral realism. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose Adrenal venous sampling is generally considered the gold standard to identify unilateral hormone production in cases of primary hyperaldosteronism. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the iodine-131-6-beta-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol (NP-59) test may represent an alternative in selected cases. Methods Patients submitted to laparoscopic adrenalectomy for suspected primary hyperaldosteronism (n = 27) were retrospectively reviewed. When nuclear medicine tests were preoperatively performed, their results were compared with the histopathologic findings and clinical improvement. Results Nuclear medicine tests were realized in 13 patients. In 11 (84.6%), a planar anterior and posterior NP-59 scintigraphy was performed and a SPECT/TC in two (15.4%). Scintigraphy indicated a preoperative lateralization in 12 out of 13 patients (92.3%). When the value of NP-59 tests was based on pathologic results, it showed a sensitivity of 90.9% and a positive predictive value of 83.3%. When the nuclear medicine test's performance was based on postoperative blood pressure control, both sensitivity and positive predictive value were 91.6%. Conclusions Nuclear medicine tests represent a useful tool in the preoperative localisation of primary hyperaldosteronism with a high sensitivity and positive predictive value. In patients with contraindications to adrenal venous sampling like contrast allergies, or when it is inconclusive, scintigraphy can represent a useful and non-invasive alternative.
Seeking proximity to another person immediately expresses affiliafive intentions. These are highly relevant after experiencing social exclusion. Through a novel task, the current study investigated the relation between proximity and observed ostracism during early childhood. A sample of 64 children (M-age = 58 months) first watched priming videos either depicting ostracism or not. Subsequently, children saw four seats of varying distances from an interactant's seat and chose where to sit. Children who observed social exclusion selected seats with higher proximity. The results suggest that young preschoolers can immediately express the threatened need to belong by literally getting closer to even a stranger after witnessing ostracism. The task provides new opportunities to test reactions to social exclusion during early childhood. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
With the prevalence of information and communication technologies, Electronic Health Services (EHS) are commonly used by patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to decrease healthcare costs and provide efficient healthcare processes. However, using EHS increases the concerns regarding security, privacy, and integrity of healthcare data. Several solutions have been proposed to address these issues in EHS. In this survey, we categorize and evaluate state-of-the-art electronic health system research based on their architecture, as well as services including access control, emergency access, sharing, searching, and anonymity methods by considering their cryptographic approaches. Our survey differs from previous EHS related surveys in being method-based such that the proposed services are classified based on their methods and compared with other solutions. We provide performance comparisons and state commonly used methods for each category. We also identify relevant open problems and provide future research directions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this note, a historical view on the Bejan numbers (Be) is presented. There are two definitions of Bejan number (Be) in the field's of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer. A general form of Bejan number (Be) is introduced, and application of Bejan number (Be) to flows in porous media is shown. The note concludes with a critical discussion of the view that Bejan number in convection (Be) is the combination of the Euler (Eu) and Reynolds (Re) numbers. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Currently, metals are widely used for load-bearing application due to their combination of high mechanical strength and fracture toughness. However, most conventional metallic materials generally remain in human body permanently, bringing long-term endothelial dysfunction. The corrosion products are also considered potentially harmful to tissues of the human body. In recent years, magnesium (Mg) alloys had caused significant attention due to their outstanding advantages. Mg alloys have mechanical properties similar to bone which avoid stress shielding. They are also biocompatibly essential to the human metabolism as a cofactor for many enzymes. In addition, the corrosion product of Mg is likely to be physiologically beneficial. Most importantly, they are perfectly biodegradable in the body fluid. No material could match perfectly every requirement for a given application. For Mg alloys, the extremely low corrosion resistance in chloride containing environments limits their applications. Interactions between biological environments and biomedical materials take place on the material surface, and the biological response from living tissues to these extrinsic biomaterials depends on the surface properties. Therefore, surface modification to form a hard, biocompatible and corrosion resistant modified layer has recently become an interesting topic in biomaterials. This paper reviews the current research and development status of plasma surface modification technologies of Mg alloy for biomedical materials. The unique advantage of plasma modification is that the surface properties and biocompatibility can be enhanced selectively while excellent bulk properties remain unchanged. This paper discusses the characteristic of different methods. Finally, the scientific challenges are proposed based on our researches and the works done by other groups. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In order to better understand the hydrodynamics of valve trays, air-water operation in an industrial scale tower with 1.2 m of diameter, consisting of two 14% valve trays, was studied. Experimental results of clear liquid height, froth height, average liquid holdup, dry pressure drop, total pressure drop, weeping and entrainment were investigated, and empirical correlations were presented. Then, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation in an Eulerian framework for valve tray with ANSYS CFX software was done. The drag coefficient, which was used in the CFD simulations, was calculated from the data obtained in the experiments. The simulation results were found to be in good agreement with experimental data at this industrial scale. The objective of the work was to study the extent to which experimental and CFD simulations must be used together as a prediction and design tool for industrial trays.
The breakthroughs in permanent magnet synchronous machines through the latest technologies, especially about machine design, raise the importance of those machines. Moreover, developments in materials technology implement the development of cost effective and profitable products on electric machines. Permanent magnet synchronous machines are divided into two parts according to the situation of slot/pole combination, which is integer or fractional. Permanent magnet synchronous machines are subject of interest due to low torque ripple and low cogging torque. In this paper, the 2D lumped parameter method (LPM) of permanent magnet synchronous machine was composed and stated, and lumped parameter was verified by finite element method. When SMC materials are used in electric machines, flux flows in 3D. Because of this and according to literatures, 3D method is used to analyze the SMC-used machines. 3D finite element method takes a quite long time. Thanks to 2D LPM analysis, which was used in our work; the analysis period become remarkably shorter. In addition, torque and back EMF of permanent magnet synchronous machine were calculated through the developed LPM method. Prototype is tested. It is seen by the results that the produced prototype and the developed algorithm are matching properly.
Metabolism plays a key role in many major human diseases. Generation of high-throughput omics data has ushered in a new era of systems biology. Genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions provide a platform to interpret omics data in a biochemically meaningful manner. The release of the global human metabolic network, Recon 1, in 2007 has enabled new systems biology approaches to study human physiology, pathology and pharmacology. There are currently more than 20 publications that utilize Recon 1, including studies of cancer, diabetes, host-pathogen interactions, heritable metabolic disorders and off-target drug binding effects. In this mini-review, we focus on the reconstruction of the global human metabolic network and four classes of its application. We show that computational simulations for numerous pathologies have yielded clinically relevant results, many corroborated by existing or newly generated experimental data.
Recent research (e.g., Hutter, Crisp, Humphreys, Waters, & Moffit; Siebler) has confirmed that combining novel social categories involves two stages (e.g., Hampton; Hastie, Schroeder, & Weber). Furthermore, it is also evident that following stage 1 (constituent additivity), the second stage in these models involves cognitively effortful complex reasoning. However, while current theory and research has addressed how category conjunctions are initially represented to some degree, it is not clear precisely where we first combine or bind existing social constituent categories. For example, how and where do we compose and temporarily store a coherent representation of an individual who shares membership of female and blacksmith categories? In this article, we consider how the revised multi-component model of working memory (Baddeley) can assist in resolving the representational limitations in the extant two-stage theoretical models. This is a new approach to understanding how novel conjunctions form new bound composite representations.
Early neuropathological changes characteristic of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) involve brain stem and limbic structures that regulate neurovegetative functions, including sleep-wake rhythm. Indeed, sleep pattern is an emerging biomarker and a potential pathophysiological mechanism in LOAD. We hypothesized that cognitively asymptomatic, middle-aged offspring of patients with LOAD (O-LOAD) would display a series of circadian rhythm abnormalities prior to the onset of objective cognitive alterations. We tested 31 children of patients with LOAD (O-LOAD) and 19 healthy individuals without family history of Alzheimer's disease (control subjects, CS) with basic tests of cognitive function, as well as actigraphy measures of sleep-wake rhythm, cardiac autonomic function, and bodily temperature. Unexpectedly, O-LOAD displayed subtle but significant deficits in verbal episodic memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed recall 10.6 +/- 0.4 vs. 8.6 +/- 0.6, t = 4.97, df = 49, p < 0.01) and language (Weschler's vocabulary 51.4 +/- 1.3 vs. 44.3 +/- 1.5, t = 2.49, df = 49, p < 0.001) compared to CS, even though all participants had results within the clinically normal range. O-LOAD showed a phase-delayed rhythm of body temperature (2.56 +/- 0.47 h vs. 3.8 +/- 0.26 h, t = 2.48, df = 40, p = 0.031). Cognitive performance in O-LOAD was associated with a series of cardiac autonomic sleep-wake variables; specifically indicators of greater sympathetic activity at night were related to poorer cognition. The present results suggest sleep pattern deserves further study as a potential neurobiological signature in LOAD, even in middle-aged, at risk individuals.
Questions: Does a 3-month behaviour change intervention targeting physical activity (PA) increase habitual physical activity in adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)? Does the intervention improve health-related physical fitness, AS-related features, and attitude to exercise? Are any gains maintained over a 3-month follow-up ? Design: Parallel-group, randomised, controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis. Participants: Forty adults with a diagnosis of AS, on stable medication, and without PA-limiting comorbidities. Intervention: Over a 3-month period, the experimental group engaged in individually-tailored, semi-structured consultations aiming to motivate and support individuals in participating in PA. The control group continued with usual care. Outcome measures: The primary outcome was PA measured by accelerometry over 1 week. Secondary outcomes included clinical questionnaires and measures of health-related physical fitness. Measures were taken at baseline, post-intervention, and after a 3-month follow-up period. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar across groups, except age and body composition. There were statistically significant, moderate-to-large time-by-group effects in health-enhancing PA (mixed-design ANOVA for overall effect F(2, 76) = 14.826, p < 0.001), spinal mobility (F(2, 76) = 5.691, p < 0.005) and quality of life (chi(2)(2) = 8.400, p < 0.015) favouring the intervention group; post-intervention improvements were sustained 3months later. No significant effects were seen in other physical fitness outcomes or on clinical questionnaires. No adverse effects were reported during the study. Conclusion: Health-enhancing PA, spinal mobility and quality of life were significantly improved after the intervention, and improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. (C) 2016 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Increasing stress on urban water demand has led to the exploration of the potential of rainwater use and water recycling to promote sustainable water resources management. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) not only has the potential to reduce water demand but also contributes to other sustainable objectives, including reducing stormwater pollutant loads, reducing erosion, and inducing natural flow regimes by means of flood control, in urban streams. This research involved the design, construction, and field-testing of an RWH system used to irrigate greenhouses at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the RWH system was to collect rainwater from a roof area of approximate to 610 m(2) (the Horticulture Services Building on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University) to meet the irrigation demands of the two Horticulture Research Center greenhouses on the campus (approximate to 149 m(2) each) from May to October. Over its two years of operation, it was found that the amount of rainwater collected did not only meet the peak irrigation demands of the greenhouses (which amounted to almost 700 gal of water per day), but that there was also enough water for the irrigation of the nearby student-run gardens. The harvested rainwater was clear and did not cause any harm to the plants. The major problem that was experienced during the operation of the RWH system was that of algae growth in one of the water collection tanks. This issue was resolved by covering the tank with metallic green wallpaper, thereby blocking most of the sunlight from entering the tank. The RWH system is currently being used for irrigation and as a demonstration project to promote the learning of sustainable technologies on campus and in the surrounding communities.
The use of planning and management tools for water management in urban environments is a promising area. This paper focuses on the description of two indicators, Water Intensity of a Purchase (WIP) and Potential Water Self-Sufficiency (PWSS) from rainwater harvesting, for the expanding sector of Retail Parks (RP). The WIP measures the water that is consumed per average customer and purchase, whereas the PWSS quantifies the potential capacity of the system to satisfy its water demand from rainwater. These tools have been checked in two case studies in Spain and Brazil. The results show a WIP of 8.0 and 22.9 litres, respectively, which measures the (in)efficiency of water use. This water demand, mainly of low quality, is met with the potable water supply network, while stormwater runoff is lost to sewage. The PWSS results, 3.0 for Spain and 1.4 for Brazil, indicate that RP could satisfy their needs with rainwater and even have a surplus of water. The combined use of both WIP and PWSS can be useful for the planning, design, evaluation and monitoring of RP.
The Markov random field (MRF) model has attracted great attention in the field of image segmentation. However, most MRF-based methods fail to resolve segmentation misclassification problems for high spatial resolution remote sensing images due to insufficiently using the hierarchical semantic information. In order to solve such a problem, this paper proposes an object-based MRF model with auxiliary label fields that can capture more macro and detailed information and apply it to the semantic segmentation of high spatial resolution remote sensing images. Specifically, apart from the label field, two auxiliary label fields are first introduced into the proposed model for interpreting remote sensing images from different perspectives, which are implemented by setting a different number of auxiliary classes. Then, the multilevel logistic model is used to describe the interactions within each label field, and a conditional probability distribution is developed to model the interactions between label fields. A net context structure is established among them to model the interactions of classes within and between label fields. A principled probabilistic inference is suggested to solve the proposed model by iteratively renewing the label field and auxiliary label fields, in which different information of auxiliary label fields can be integrated into the label field during iterations. Experiments on different remote sensing images demonstrate that our model produces more accurate segmentation than the state-of-the-art MRF-based methods. If some prior information is added, the proposed model can produce accurate results even in complex areas.
Removal of the gear-box from an existing electric vehicle (EV) power-train incorporating direct-drive topology is expected to improve motor-to-wheel efficiency. Firstly, this paper discusses the need for a novel direct-drive scheme employing a single on-board motor in an EV. Electric machine and drive design targets for such a supermini EV with direct-drive scheme are fixed based on analytical equations, benchmark data obtained from commercially available EV motors, drives, transmissions and literature study. Employing a comprehensive vehicle dynamics model of the supermini EV, machine design targets previously fixed are further refined to yield desired dynamic and steady-state performance of the EV over an urban drive cycle. An on-board direct-drive surface permanent magnet synchronous machine with fractional slot concentrated windings in the stator is designed. The machine's performance is then analyzed using its electromagnetic model in conjunction with maximum torque-per-ampere control scheme over the entire speed range of the motor. Results from finite element analysis are discussed in detail to show that that the proposed direct-drive scheme in EV is worth studying and the machine designed can be improved in order to obtain efficiency improvement in an EV drivetrain system and hence extend the driving range of EV.
Amyloid beta (A beta) fibrils and amorphous aggregates are found in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and are implicated in the etiology of AD. The metal imbalance is also among leading causes of AD, owing to the fact that A beta aggregation takes place in the synaptic cleft where A beta, Cu(II) and Fe(III) are found in abnormally high concentrations. A beta 40 and A beta 42 are the main components of plaques found in afflicted brains. Coordination of Cu(II) and Fe(III) ions to A beta peptides have been linked to A beta aggregation and production of reactive oxygen species, two key events in the development of AD pathology. Metal chelation was proposed as a therapy for AD on the basis that it might prevent A beta aggregation. In this work, we first examined the formation of A beta 40 and A beta 42 aggregates in the presence of metal ions, i.e. Fe(III) and Cu(II), which were detected by fluorescence spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Second, we studied the ability of the two chelators, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-hydroxyquinoline (clioquinol), to investigate their effect on the availability of these metal ions to interact with A beta and thereby their effect on A beta accumulation. Our findings show that Fe(III), but not Cu(II), promote aggregation of both A beta 40 and A beta 42. We also found that only clioquinol decreased significantly iron ion-induced aggregation of A beta 42. The presence of ions and/or chelators also affected the morphology of A beta aggregates.
The protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin features a unique benzylpyrrolidine system and exhibits diverse biological and pharmacologic activities. Its biosynthetic origin has remained obscure for more than 60 y, however. Here we report the identification of the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of anisomycin in Streptomyces hygrospinosus var. beijingensis by a bioactivity-guided high-throughput screening method. Using a combination of bioinformatic analysis, reverse genetics, chemical analysis, and in vitro biochemical assays, we have identified a core four-gene ensemble responsible for the synthesis of the pyrrolidine system in anisomycin: aniQ, encoding a aminotransferase that catalyzes an initial deamination and a later reamination steps; aniP, encoding a transketolase implicated to bring together an glycolysis intermediate with 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid to form the anisomycin molecular backbone; aniO, encoding a glycosyltransferase that catalyzes a cryptic glycosylation crucial for downstream enzyme processing; and aniN, encoding a bifunctional dehydrogenase that mediates multistep pyrrolidine formation. The results reveal a BGC for pyrrolidine alkaloid biosynthesis that is distinct from known bacterial alkaloid pathways, and provide the signature sequences that will facilitate the discovery of BGCs encoding novel pyrrolidine alkaloids in bacterial genomes. The biosynthetic insights from this study further set the foundation for biosynthetic engineering of pyrrolidine antibiotics.
Most research on ethnicity has focused on visual cues. However, accents are strong social cues that can match or contradict visual cues. We examined understudied reactions to people whose one cue suggests one ethnicity, whereas the other cue contradicts it. In an experiment conducted in Germany, job candidates spoke with an accent either congruent or incongruent with their (German or Turkish) appearance. Based on ethnolinguistic identity theory, we predicted that accents would be strong cues for categorization and evaluation. Based on expectancy violations theory we expected that incongruent targets would be evaluated more extremely than congruent targets. Both predictions were confirmed: accents strongly influenced perceptions and Turkish-looking German-accented targets were perceived as most competent of all targets (and additionally most warm). The findings show that bringing together visual and auditory information yields a more complete picture of the processes underlying impression formation.
The polycrystalline samples of Li4P2O7 were prepared by solid-state reaction technique. The formation of the compounds was checked by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD). Detailed dielectric and electrical properties of the compounds were analyzed as a function of frequency (200 Hz-5 MHz) and temperature (611-671 K). The impedance data were well fitted to two equivalent electrical circuits. The results of the modulus study reveal the presence of two distinct relaxation processes suggesting the presence of grains and grain boundaries in the sample. Analysis of the dielectric constants epsilon. and loss tangent tan (delta) with frequency shows a distribution of relaxation times. The activation energy found from the Arrhenius plot confirms that the conduction process in the material is not due to simple hopping mechanism. The temperature dependence of frequency exponent s was investigated to understand the conduction mechanism in Li4P2O7. The overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT) model can explain the temperature dependence of the frequency exponent.
The research on boundary-layer receptivity is the key issue for the laminarturbulent transition prediction in fluid mechanics. Many of the previous studies for local receptivity are on the basis of the parallel flow assumption which cannot accurately reflect the real physics. To overcome this disadvantage, local receptivity in the non-parallel boundary layer is studied in this paper by the direct numerical simulation (DNS). The difference between the non-parallel and parallel boundary layers on local receptivity is investigated. In addition, the effects of the disturbance frequency, the roughness location, and the multiple roughness elements on receptivity are also determined. Besides, the relations of receptivity with the amplitude of free-stream turbulence (FST), with the roughness height, and with the roughness length are ascertained as well. The Tollmien- Schlichting (T-S) wave packets are excited in the non-parallel boundary layer under the interaction of the FST and the localized wall roughness. A group of T-S waves are separated by the fast Fourier transform. The obtained results are in accordance with Dietz's measurements, Wu's theoretical calculations, and the linear stability theory (LST).
Network security situation prediction is of great significance for the use of the Internet, and it is the focus of production and life issues. Under the guidance of the model combination forecasting method, In this paper, based on the Kalman filtering model a new method of network security prediction is presented, which is based on the theory of decision entropy. In this method, the Kalman state equation and measurement equation are constructed according to the key attributes of the network security state, and then combined with the decision entropy theory to predict the future state of network security. The experimental results show that the proposed method has high prediction accuracy and is suitable for the state prediction of network security.
The gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria which play an important role in human metabolism. Animal and human studies have implicated distortion of the normal microbial balance in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Bacteria causing weight gain are thought to induce the expression of genes related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism thereby leading to greater energy harvest from the diet. There is a large body of evidence demonstrating that alteration in the proportion of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes leads to the development of obesity, but this has been recently challenged. It is likely that the influence of gut microbiome on obesity is much more complex than simply an imbalance in the proportion of these phyla of bacteria. Modulation of the gut microbiome through diet, pre- and probiotics, antibiotics, surgery, and fecal transplantation has the potential to majorly impact the obesity epidemic.
A hydrokinetic smart grid (KSG) concept powered by modules of hydrokinetic microturbines arranged in rows is proposed in this work. A complete description of each module: mechanical design, hydropower characteristics, power electronics and control strategies have been included. A complete dynamic simulation of an example of a KSG has been performed. It considers microturbine modules, power loads, energy storage modules and a grid tie inverter that interface with the mains using a single connection. Additionally, the control and power stages of a hydrokinetic microturbine has been validated. The satisfactory technical results obtained in addition with the acceptable results of an investment analysis, encourage future implementations of KSGs.
In the present study, we address the development and application of an efficient tool for conversion of results obtained by an integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational reaction dynamics (CRD) approach and their visualization in the Google Earth. We focus on results typical for environmental fluid mechanics studies at a city scale that include characteristic wind flow patterns and dispersion of reactive scalars. This is achieved by developing a code based on the Java language, which converts the typical four-dimensional structure (spatial and temporal dependency) of data results in the Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format. The visualization techniques most often used are revisited and implemented into the conversion tool. The potential of the tool is demonstrated in a case study of smog formation due to an intense traffic emission in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). It is shown that the Google Earth can provide a computationally efficient and user-friendly means of data representation. This feature can be very useful for visualization of pollution at street levels, which is of great importance for the city residents. Various meteorological and traffic emissions can be easily visualized and analyzed, providing a powerful, user-friendly tool for traffic regulations and urban climate adaptations.
In rotating electrical machine design, the magnetic equivalent circuit based on the reluctance network method seems to be a fair tradeoff between computational time and precision. Therefore this paper deals with a semi-analytical calculation method of the direct and quadrature axis magnetic circuit in Reluctance Synchronous Machines (RSM) by the means of a nonlinear reluctance network. The corresponding non-linear equation systems are derived by forming separated equivalent magnetic networks of the stator and the multiple flux-barrier rotor divided by the air-gap. An adaptive interconnection network to model the air-gap is not needed and as a result relevantly simplifies the analysis compared to conventional reluctance network calculation with one global system. However the analytical calculation model provides results significantly faster than Finite Element Method (FEM) with a sufficient precision and thus is suitable for a first rough design of the RSM.
Background: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical tree with a long history of traditional use in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. Kratom is also known as Thom, Thang, and Biak. Its leaves and the teas brewed from them have long been used by people in that region to manage pain and opioid withdrawal and to stave off fatigue. Kratom is actually consumed throughout the world for its stimulant effects and as an opioid substitute (in form of tea, chewed, smoked, or ingested in capsules). Some case reports have associated kratom exposure with psychosis, seizures, intrahepatic cholestasis, other medical conditions, and deaths. The clinical manifestations of kratom effects are not well defined and the clinical studies are limited. Data research suggest that both stimulant and sedative dose-dependent effects do exist, in addition to antinociceptive, antidepressant activity, anxiolytic-like effects, and anorectic effects, but a growing concern for the drug's effects and safety of use has resulted in national and international attention primarily due to an increase in hospital visits and deaths in several countries that are believed to have been caused by extracts of the plant. There is a dearth of double blind controlled studies. In this study, we aim to use existing literature to clarify both benefits and risks of kratom as well as its diagnosis evaluation as kratom misuse is an emerging trend in the Western world. Methods: Literature review using databases such as Embase, Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Mendeley from 2007 to 2017 were evaluated by all authors to analyze current state on benefits, risks, and diagnosis evaluation of kratom (M. speciosa). Results: Data analysis suggested that kratom possesses some benefits such as stimulant and sedative effects as wells as antinociceptive effects. It seems to inhibit pro-inflammatory mediator release and vascular permeability and can enhance immunity. In addition, it may be an antidepressant and anorectic. However, kratom can cause intrahepatic cholestasis, seizure, arrhythmia, impair memory function, coma, and death. Psychological manifestations described are euphoria and feeling relaxed to severe symptoms such as aggression, hostility, and psychosis. Medical manifestations described are polyuria, dry mouth, vomiting, and jerky movements. Currently, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) are suggested as the most promising to rapidly screen kratom products providing a positive success rate. Conclusion: Our data analysis has not determined if biochemical benefits of kratom may prove to outweigh its toxicity and risks. On the contrary, it seems that its potential side effects outweigh the benefits, and severe and real health hazards can, insidiously, lead to death. Kratom clinical, psychological, and medical manifestations can be disturbing. Kratom (M. speciosa) use, among multiple compounds of the leaf, appear to be increasing in the Western world. Promising methods to accurately identify kratom compounds are still ongoing.
The work reported here focuses on the controllability expressions in the mathematical modeling of dehydration process of food concentrates in producing powder using spray-DIC (spray-Detente Instantanee Controlee or spray-instant controlled pressure drop). This paper presents the second-order partial differential equations for mathematical modeling of moisture and heat transfer in spray-DIC process. This paper proposes the enhancement in the simple model of DIC technique with controllability expression to be used in the spray-DIC. The controllability expression in the drying process models gives better results when compared to the models without the controllability expression. The results were computed and shown by MATLAB 2013 with Windows 8 operating systems. The controllability expression in dehydration process model using the spray-DIC drier manage to succesfully control the dehydration process.
A new method of reliability monitoring of electrical devices based on carbon fibres is presented. Due to the thermo-mechanical stress on electronic circuits a loss of fibre network integrity can take place and potential difference may appear between the edges of broken carbon fibres. This potential difference causes an intensive field-emission from surfaces of these broken carbon fibres and an acceleration of emitted electrons. Due to the acceleration of electrons a microwave emission is generated. A CFRP was used to simulate the behaviour of a carbon based electronic device. The sequence of microwave impulses was detected in a frequency bandwidth from 8 to 12 GHz. The rise time of detected microwave impulses is about of few nanoseconds. This time is in agreement with crack formation time in carbon fibre. The correlation between the change of electrical resistance of composites and microwave impulses by fibres fracture is observed. Thus, the breakdown of current that flows through carbon fibres induces detectable microwave emission. That means that defects in electrical circuits can be wireless detected online.
Autonomous landing has become a core technology of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guidance, navigation and control system in recent years. As a novel autonomous landing approach, computer vision has been studied and applied in rotary-wing UAV landing successfully. This paper aims to fixed-wing UAV and focus on two problems: how to find runway only depending on airborne front-looking camera and how to align UAV with the designated landing runway. The paper can be divided into two parts to solve above two problems respectively. In the first part, the paper firstly presents an algorithm of region of interest (ROI) detection, which is based on spectral residual saliency map, and then an algorithm of feature vector extraction based on sparse coding and spatial pyramid matching (SPM) is proposed, finally, ROI including designated landing runway is recognized by a linear support vector machine. In the second part, the paper presents an approach of relative position and pose estimation between UAV and landing runway. Estimation algorithm firstly selects five feature points on the runway surface, and then establishes a new earth-fixed reference frame, finally uses orthogonal iteration to estimate landing parameters including three parameters of distance, height and offset, and three pose parameters of roll, yaw, pitch. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the algorithms proposed in this paper.
This paper presents a thyristor-based tap changing transformer and a diode rectifier for variable-voltage high-current dc applications. Back-to-back thyristors are connected in series with the transformer taps on the primary side. Thyristors are phase controlled in a continuous manner to achieve variable ac voltage at the secondary side of the transformer. This leads to a variable voltage at the output of the three-phase diode rectifier connected at the secondary side of the transformer. A passive filter is added at the primary side to achieve power factor improvement over the range of output voltage. This scheme is optimized to determine optimum turns ratio of the transformer and optimum reactive power rating of the passive filter. Design guidelines are presented for various values of power factor along with optimum turns ratios and passive filter rating. A 62.5-kW experimental system with a passive filter of 17.5 kVA (reactive) is developed to verify the system performance. In the end, a comparison of the proposed topology with other state-of-the-art topologies is also presented.
We investigated whether juvenile rats do not express renewal following extinction of conditioned fear due to their inability to form a long-term contextual fear memory. In experiment 1, postnatal day (P) 18 and 25 rats received 3 white-noise and footshock pairings, followed by 60 white-noise alone presentations the next day. When tested in a different context to extinction, P25 rats displayed renewal whereas P18 rats did not. Experiments 2A and 2B surprisingly showed that P18 and P25 rats do not show differences in contextual and cued fear, regardless of the conditioning-test intervals and the number of white-noise-footshock pairings received. Finally, we observed age differences in contextual fear when P25 rats were weaned at P21 in experiment 3. These results indicate that the developmental dissociation observed in renewal of extinguished fear is not related to the widely believed late emergence of contextual fear learning.
The effects of basin hydrology on hydraulic geometry of channels variability for incised streams were investigated using available field data sets and models of watershed hydrology and channel hydraulics for the Yazoo River basin, USA. The study presents the hydraulic geometry relations of bankfull discharge, channel width, mean depth, cross-sectional area, longitudinal slope, unit stream power, and mean velocity at bankfull discharge as a function of drainage area using simple linear regression. The hydraulic geometry relations were developed for 61 streams, 20 of them are classified as channel evolution model (CEM) Types IV and V and 41 of them are CEM streams Types II and III. These relationships are invaluable to hydraulic and water resources engineers, hydrologists, and geomorphologists involved in stream restoration and protection. These relations can be used to assist in field identification of bankfull stage and stream dimension in un-gauged watersheds as well as estimation of the comparative stability of a stream channel. A set of hydraulic geometry relations are presented in this study, these empirical relations describe physical correlations for stable and incised channels. Cross-sectional area, which combines the effects of channel width and mean channel depth, was found to be highly responsive to changes in drainage area and bankfull discharge. Analyses of cross-sectional area, channel width, mean channel depth, and mean velocity in conjunction with changes in drainage area and bankfull discharge indicated that the channel width is much more responsive to changes in both drainage area and bankfull discharge than are mean channel depth or mean velocity. (C) 2016 International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation/the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper studies the existence of synergisms between some degradation agents of geotextiles. For that purpose, a polypropylene geotextile (stabilised with Chimassorb 944) was exposed to some degradation tests: immersion in liquids (water, sulphuric and nitric acids, sodium hydroxide and metallic ion solutions), thermo-oxidation and artificial weathering. The geotextile was (1) exposed individually to each degradation agent (single exposure) and (2) exposed successively to some combinations of two agents (multiple exposures). Results showed that, in some cases, the combined action of two degradation agents was more damaging than the sum of the individual effects of each agent. The most relevant examples of this included: (1) immersion in sodium hydroxide and thermo-oxidation, (2) immersion in iron nitrate and thermo-oxidation and (3) immersion in cadmium or copper nitrate and artificial weathering. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In divided societies, the promotion of cross-cultural contact through the education system has been central to efforts to improve intergroup relations. This approach is informed by an understanding of the contact hypothesis, which suggests that positive contact with a member of a different group should contribute to improvements in attitudes towards the group as a whole. While a substantial body of research provides support for contact theory, critics have argued that its emphasis on harmonious encounters can result in the neglect of group differences and associated issues of conflict and discrimination during contact. The research discussed in this article explores this tension with reference to two shared education projects in Northern Ireland. Research data, gathered primarily through interviews with pupils, confirms that divisive issues are rarely addressed during contact and explores several influences on this: the nature of pupils' relationships, the programme structure, and the prevailing social norms of avoidance.
This paper presents the in vivo performances of a resource-optimized digital action potential (AP) detector featuring an adaptive threshold based on a new Sigma-delta control loop. The proposed AP detector is optimized for utilizing low hardware resources, which makes it suitable for real-time implementation on most common low-power microcontroller units (MCC). The adaptive threshold is calculated using a digital control loop based on a Sigma-delta modulator that precisely estimates the standard deviation of the neuronal signal amplitude. The detector was demonstrated using a common MCC from MSP430 family, incorporated into a small wireless platform for combined optogenetics and neural recording. The system has been fully characterized experimentally within in vivo experiments on a freely-moving transgenic mouse expressing ChannelRhodospin (Thyl::ChR2-YFP line4). The results demonstrate that the proposed AP detector can be used to achieve overall data reduction ratios above 11 when transmitting only the detected APs. A comparison of the obtained results with other thresholding approaches shows that the proposed detector provides similar performances to those significantly more resource demanding approaches.
Geosynthetics are planar polymeric products, which are used in connection with soil, rock or other soil-like materials to fulfill various functions in geoenvironmental engineering. Geosynthetics are of ever-growing importance in the construction industry. Sealing of waste storage facilities to safely prevent the emission of wastewater, landfill gas and contaminated dust as well as the diffusion of pollutants into the environment and coastal protection against storms and floods and reconstruction after natural disaster are important fields of application. We will give an overview of the various geosynthetic products. Two examples of the material problems related to geosynthetics are discussed in detail: the effect of creep on the long-term performance of geocomposite drains and the numerical simulation of the interaction of soil with geogrids. Both issues are of importance for the use of these products in landfill capping systems. The various functions, which geosynthetics may fulfill in the protection of coastal lines, are illustrated by case studies. The geosynthetic market is evaluated and economical and environmental benefits, as well as environmental side effects related to the use of geosynthetics, are discussed.
This paper presents the development of a new hydraulic. hybrid vehicle-based laboratory course for the Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering Department at the University Of Toledo. The objective is to provide an educative tool for undergraduate students and to advance the research of hydraulic, hybrid vehicle technology. The educative module is based on a problem solving learning approach that aids students in gaining a richer understanding of elements from Courses of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum such as Fluid Dynamics and Hydraulics, Energy Si,stems, Vibrations, Mechatronics and Controls. Additionally, the modules developed for the hydraulic hybrid system will become available on the internet for other universities to utilize. The laboratory also serves as a research tool for the advancement of hydraulic hybrid vehicle technology. To this end, both graduate and undergraduate students will be performing experiments and simulations that will enhance understanding of hydraulic hybrid systems. The knowledge obtained will be utilized to help optimize the design of hydraulic hybrid vehicle technologies.
Objectives. To perform a state of the art about immunological features in renal transplantation, immunosuppressive drugs and their mechanisms of action and immunologically high risk transplantations such as ABO and HLA-incompatible transplantation. Material and methods. An exhaustive systematic review of the scientific literature was performed in the Medline database and Embase using different associations of the following keywords (MESH): allogenic response; allograft; immunosuppression; ABO incompatible transplantation; donor specific antibodies; HLA incompatible; desensitization; kidney transplantation. Publications obtained were selected based on methodology, language, date of publication (last 10 years) and relevance. Prospective and retrospective studies, in English or French, review articles; meta analysis and guidelines were selected and analyzed. This search found 4717 articles. After reading titles and abstracts, 141 were included in the text, based on their relevance. Results. The considerable step in comprehension and knowledge allogeneic response this last few years allowed a better used of immunosuppression and the discover of news immunosuppressive drugs. In the first part of this article, the allogeneic response will be described. The different classes of immunosuppressive drugs will be presented and the actual management of immunosuppression will be discussed. Eventually, the modalities and results of immunologically high-risk transplantations such as ABO and HLA incompatible transplantations will be reported. Conclusions. The knowledge and the control of allogeneic response to allogeneic graft allowed the development of renal transplantation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Background: Cognitive impairment is common in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and there is a strong association between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. However, we do not know which type 2 diabetes patients will dement or which biomarkers predict cognitive decline. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is potentially such a marker. LVH is highly prevalent in type 2 diabetes and is a strong, independent predictor of cardiovascular events. To date, no studies have investigated the association between LVH and cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes and Dementia (D2) study is designed to establish whether patients with type 2 diabetes and LVH have increased rates of brain atrophy and cognitive decline. Methods: The D2 study is a single centre, observational, longitudinal case control study that will follow 168 adult patients aged >50 years with type 2 diabetes: 50% with LVH (case) and 50% without LVH (control). It will assess change in cardiovascular risk, brain imaging and neuropsychological testing between two time-points, baseline (0 months) and 24 months. The primary outcome is brain volume change at 24 months. The co-primary outcome is the presence of cognitive decline at 24 months. The secondary outcome is change in left ventricular mass associated with brain atrophy and cognitive decline at 24 months. Discussion: The D2 study will test the hypothesis that patients with type 2 diabetes and LVH will exhibit greater brain atrophy than those without LVH. An understanding of whether LVH contributes to cognitive decline, and in which patients, will allow us to identify patients at particular risk.
Phagocytes display marked heterogeneity in their capacity to induce and control acute inflammation. This has a significant impact on the effectiveness of antimicrobial immune responses at different tissue sites as well as their predisposition for inflammation-associated pathology. Imaging flow cytometry provides novel opportunities for characterization of these phagocyte populations through high spatial resolution, statistical robustness, and a broad range of quantitative morphometric cell analysis tools. This study highlights an integrative approach that brings together new tools in imaging flow cytometry with conventional methodologies for characterization of phagocyte responses during acute inflammation. We focus on a comparative avian in vivo challenge model to showcase the added depth gained through these novel quantitative multiparametric approaches even in the absence of antibody-based cellular markers. Our characterization of acute inflammation in this model shows significant conservation of phagocytic capacity among avian phagocytes compared to other animal models. However, it also highlights evolutionary divergence with regards to phagocyte inflammation control mechanisms based on the internalization of apoptotic cells. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Glycyrrhiza uralensis has acquired significant importance due to its medicinal properties and health function. In this study, the quality of G. uralensis adventitious roots was evaluated in terms of genetic stability, active compounds, and anti-inflammatory activity. Monomorphic banding pattern obtained from the mother plant and tissue cultures of G. uralensis with randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers confirmed the genetic stability of adventitious roots. Neoliquiritin (neoisoliquiritin), ononin, liquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid were identified from G. uralensis adventitious roots on the basis of high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. This study also revealed that adventitious roots possessed a better anti-inflammatory effect than native roots. To increase the contents of G. uralensis active components, elicitors were used in the adventitious roots culture. The combination of methyl jasmonate and phenylalanine synergistically stimulated the accumulation of glycyrrhetinic acid (0.22 mg/g) and total flavonoid (5.43 mg/g) compared with single treatment. In conclusion, G. uralensis adventitious roots can be an exploitable system for the production of licorice. (C) 2016 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Double diffusive flow in a cavity has attracted lots of attention due to its importance in many engineering fields such as ocean circulation, crystal growth, pollution transportation in air, metal manufacturing process and so on. When heat and mass transfer occur simultaneously in the double diffusive flow, the fluid flow is not only driven by the temperature gradient but also by the concentration gradient as well. In some cases, the Dufour and Soret effects will play a significant role in the double diffusive flow process. The energy flux created by the concentration gradient is called Dufour effect and the temperature gradient can cause the mass flux which is Soret effect. When taking the Soret and Dufour effects into account, the temperature and concentration equations become coupled with each other. However, the coupling diffusivities matrix can be diagonalized. The coupled system can then be transformed to two uncoupled diffusion-advection equations of two independent species. The temperature and concentration can be obtained by the inverse transformation of these two independent species. As a numerical method developed in the past two decades, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is powerful in simulating complex heat transfer and fluid mechanics problems. In the current study, a lattice Boltzmann model was developed and implemented for the double-diffusive convection with Soret and Dufour effects. Three distribution functions were used to compute the fluid velocity, specie 1, and specie 2, respectively. Specifically, a rectangular enclosure with horizontal temperature and concentration gradients was investigated. On the other hand, the graphics processing units (GPU) computing becomes popular since the advent of the NVIDIA's CUDA platform, which includes both hardware components and software programming environment. The developed LBM code was adapted on the CUDA platform to accelerate the computation for parametric studies. The GPU is responsible for the parallel tasks while CPU tackles the sequential steps in the computation. To verify the improvement on computation ability by using GPU, the ratio of the computational time between CPU code and CUDA code is presented by simulating the classical natural convection process in a cavity. The computational speed can be accelerated by more than 20 times when large number of nodes is used. The fluid flow, temperature field and concentration field are presented for different Rayleigh numbers, buoyancy ratios, Prandtl numbers, Lewis numbers, aspect ratios, as well as Soret and Dufour coefficients. In addition, the results of Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are shown for different parametric conditions. As a result, lattice Boltzmann method was demonstrated as a good option to study the complex double-diffusive convection with Soret and Dufour effects in a vertical cavity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This thesis analyzed the features of complex mechanical system by introducing complex system science and using its basic theories. Based on features of complex mechanical system and the theory of system decomposition and relations of factors variable, a new method has been raised to man-machine design for complex mechanical system: Topological Constraint Design (TCD). Then a case was given to demonstrate the possibility and effectiveness of TCD.
The cis/trans isomerization of X-Pro peptide bonds in proteins in some instances acts as a molecular switch in biological pathways. Our prior work suggests that the cis isomer of the phospho-Thr668-Pro669 motif, located in the cytoplasmic domain of the amyloid-beta protein precursor (A beta PP), is correlated with an increase in amyloidogenic processing of A beta PP and production of amyloid-beta (A beta), the neurotoxic peptide fragment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We designed a 100% cis-locked cyclic dipeptide composed of cyclized phospho-Thr-Pro (pCDP) as a mimic for this putative pathological conformation, and three phosphate-blocked derivatives (pCDP-diBzl, pCDP-Bzl, and pCDP-diPOM). Two H4 neuroglioma cell lines were established as AD cell models for use in testing these compounds: H4-A beta PP695 for stable overexpression of wild-type A beta PP695, and H4-BACE1 for stable overexpression of beta-site A beta PP cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1). The level of the secreted A beta PP fragment resulting from BACE1 activity, sA beta PP beta, served as a key proxy for amyloidogenic processing, since cleavage of A beta PP by BACE1 is a requisite first step in A beta production. Of the compounds tested, pCDP-diBzl decreased sA beta PP beta levels in both cell lines, while pCDP-diPOM decreased sA beta PP beta levels in only H4-BACE1 cells, all with similar dose-dependences and patterns of proteolytic A beta PP fragments. Enzymatic assays showed that none of the pCDP derivatives directly inhibit BACE1 catalytic activity. These results suggest a model in which pCDP-diBzl and pCDP-diPOM act at a common point to inhibit entry of A beta PP into the amyloidogenic A beta PP processing pathway but through different targets, and provide important insights for the development of novel AD therapeutics.
In this chapter has been proposed a robust sensorless cascade control scheme for a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) drive. A Discrete Time Variable Structure Control (DTVSC) is considered and the rotor position and speed are obtained through an Adaptive Extended Kalman Filter (AEKF). The performance of the filter is improved by an on line adjustment of the input and measurement noise covariances obtained by a suitably defined estimation algorithm. The proposed solution is experimentally tested on a commercial PMSM drive equipped with a control system based on a floating point Digital Signal Processor (DSP).
Angiosperms and gymnosperms are two major groups of extant seed plants. It has been suggested that gymnosperms lack FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), a key integrator at the core of flowering pathways in angiosperms. Taking advantage of newly released gymnosperm genomes, we revisited the evolutionary history of the plant phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) gene family through phylogenetic reconstruction. Expression patterns in three gymnosperm taxa and heterologous expression in Arabidopsis were studied to investigate the functions of gymnosperm FT-like and TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1)-like genes. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggests that an ancient gene duplication predating the divergence of seed plants gave rise to the FT and TFL1 genes. Expression patterns indicate that gymnosperm TFL1-like genes play a role in the reproductive development process, while GymFT1 and GymFT2, the FT-like genes resulting from a duplication event in the common ancestor of gymnosperms, function in both growth rhythm and sexual development pathways. When expressed in Arabidopsis, both spruce FT-like and TFL1-like genes repressed flowering. Our study demonstrates that gymnosperms do have FT-like and TFL1-like genes. Frequent gene and genome duplications contributed significantly to the expansion of the plant PEBP gene family. The expression patterns of gymnosperm PEBP genes provide novel insight into the functional evolution of this gene family.
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are increasingly prevalent world-wide although their pharmacological characteristics are largely unknown; those with stimulant properties, due to interactions with the dopamine transporter (DAT), have addictive potential which their users may not realise. We evaluated the binding of 1-(1-benzofuran-5-yl)-N-methylpropan-2-amine (5-MAPB) to rat striatal DAT by means of quantitative autoradiography with [I-125]RTI-121, and the effects of 5-MAPS on electrically-evoked dopamine efflux by fast-cyclic voltammetry in rat brain slices. 5-MAPB displaced [I-125]RTI-121 in a concentration dependent manner, with significant effects at 10 and 30 mu M. The voltammetry data suggest that 5-MAPB reduces the rate of dopamine reuptake; while the peak dopamitte efflux was not increased, the area under the curve was augmented. 5-MAPB can also cause reverse dopamine transport consistent with stimulant properties, more similar to amphetamine than cocaine. Molecular modelling and docking studies Compared the binding site of DAT in complex with 5-MAPB to dopamine, amphetamine, 5-APB, MDMA, cocaine acid RTI-121. This structural comparison reveals a binding mode for 5-MAPS found in the primary binding (S1) Site, central to transniembrane domains 1, 3, 6 and 8, which overlaps with the binding modes of dopamine, cocaine and its analogues. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations further show that, when in complex with 5-MAPS, DAT can exhibit conformational transitions that spontaneously isomerize the transporter into inward-facing state, similarly to that observed in dopamine-bound DAT. These novel insights, offered by the combination of computational methods of biophysics with neurobiological procedures, provide structural context for NPS at DAT and relate them with their functional properties at DAT as the molecular target of stimulants. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
New species discoveries or the rediscovery of species once considered extinct or extirpated is good news, and yet prospects for long-term survival may be bleak if remnant populations are small and isolated. Because (re)discovered species are commonly rare or cryptic, data to inform appropriate conservation actions are usually sparse. We demonstrate how to make the most of available data, using the recent rediscovery in Ghana of sitatunga Tragelaphus spekei as an illustrative case study. Sitatunga were thought extinct in Ghana for over 50years, but were rediscovered' by science in Avu Lagoon in 1998. Little is known about this species, especially West African populations, given its cryptic nature and inaccessible wetland habitat. Our approach to maximizing insights given limited data first paired observations of occurrence with landscape characteristics derived from open-access remote sensing data, creating the first ever habitat suitability model for sitatunga. This model then served to: (1) elucidate habitat preferences; (2) assess possible existence and connectivity of remnant populations elsewhere in Ghana; and (3) estimate maximum total and effective population size. Moreover, the timing of occurrence sightings provided insights into behavior. Sitatunga sightings were rare, heavily male-biased and mostly occurred between 6pm and 6am. Suitable habitat was limited, suggesting that habitat in and near Avu Lagoon is insufficient to ensure long-term population viability, and the existence of other, connected populations in Ghana is improbable. Without continued protection, and possibly additional interventions to augment population numbers or gene flow, the sitatunga in Avu Lagoon will likely go extinct. Our case study demonstrates the conservation challenges associated with the rediscovery of relict populations, and the utility of applying tools such as habitat suitability models to sparse data. Moreover, our research stresses the need to implement immediate conservation action upon species (re)discoveries to prevent (regional) extinction.
Nostalgia, which is induced by reminiscing about a positive past experience, can counteract loneliness and promote prosocial behavior. However, the process of recalling and thinking about a nostalgic experience can have quite different effects. Because nostalgic experiences rarely reoccur, people are motivated to savor them by prolonging the time they reminisce about them. The tendency to savor these experiences generalizes to situations that participants encounter later, thus increasing consumer patience. For this effect to emerge, however, consumers must be aware that waiting will be beneficial to the attainment of a benefit. Moreover, the relationship between nostalgia and consumer patience is diminished when people perceive a nostalgic experience to be repeatable or when they intensify their memory of the experience rather than prolonging it. Eight studies confirmed these effects and processes that underlie them.
An indirect hysteresis voltage digital control is proposed for single-phase half-bridge inverters. Because of the slow response to the switching modulation, it is difficult to control the voltage by hysteresis method directly. In this study, the output voltage is controlled indirectly by using the adaptive band hysteresis current control, which is fast response, robustness, and independent on the system parameters. The reference current is computed based on the desired reference output voltage, and the hysteresis band is controlled to maintain the switching frequency at a constant value. Simulation results show good performances of the proposed control method in both cases: ac and dc reference output voltage.
The use of geotextiles and geomembranes for the lining of feeder trenches is becoming common practice in wind and solar farms. In the presence or rocky soils, the liner prevents the migration of the bedding out of the trench, which would create air pockets around the cables. These air pockets act as thermal insulators, reducing the ampacity of the feeders. Commercially available software tools are not suitable for modelling the thin liner layer around the trench bedding. It is important, however, to estimate the reduction of the feeder ampacity in the presence of these liners. This paper presents a simplified analytical method to estimate the reduction of the feeder ampacity when a lining is used in underground cable trenches. The analytical approach is derived from the calculations presented by Neher-McGrath. Validation of the method is carried out by modeling the cable trench using finite elements analysis.
Although certain drugs of abuse are known to disrupt brain glucose metabolism (BGluM), the effects of opiates on BGluM are not well characterized. Moreover, preclinical positron emission tomography (PET) studies anesthetize animals during the scan, which limits clinical applications. We investigated the effects of (i) isoflurane anesthesia and (ii) intravenous morphine self-administration (MSA) on BGluM in rats. Jugular vein cannulated adult male Sprague-Dawley rats self-administered either saline (SSA) or morphine (0.5 mg/kg/infusion, 4 h/day for 12 days). All animals were scanned twice with [F-18]-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT at a baseline and at 2-day withdrawal from self-administration. After the IV injection of FDG, one batch of animals (n = 14) was anesthetized with isoflurane and the other batch (n = 16) was kept awake during the FDG uptake (45 min). After FDG uptake, all animals were anesthetized in order to perform a PET/CT scan (30 min). Isoflurane anesthesia, as compared to the awake condition, reduced BGluM in the olfactory, cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia, while increasing BGluM in the midbrain, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Morphine self-administered animals exhibited withdrawal signs (piloerection and increased defecation), drug seeking, and locomotor stimulation to morphine (0.5 mg/kg) during the 2 day withdrawal. The BGluM in the striatum was increased in the MSA group as compared to the SSA group; this effect was observed only in the isoflurane anesthesia, not the awake condition. These findings suggest that the choice of the FDG uptake condition may be important in preclinical PET studies and increased BGluM in the striatum may be associated with opiate seeking in withdrawal.
This work aims design of a system to ensure the availability of IT services in to services public Company in the municipality of Florencia - Caqueta, as are interrupted by power loss, faulty hardware infrastructure failures in data communication, virtual servers and errors in operating systems and machines virtual. To design an appropriate system, was implemented Descriptive and Projectives methods of applied research to identify failures that cause disruption and determine the requirements for the new design, ensuring the availability of IT services at the Company.
Germany appears set to miss its CO2 reduction target in 2020. As a result, ideas for additional political measures have been put forward. One such idea involves an early phase-out of coal-fired power plants. However, the possible impacts of such a phase-out on the energy system have not yet been fully analyzed. We therefore apply a German energy system model to analyze these impacts. To do so, we calculate three different scenarios. The first represents a business-as-usual scenario, while the second takes a coal phase-out into account. The third scenario has to achieve the same CO2 reduction as the second without being forced to implement a coal phase-out. Our three scenarios show that a definitive coal phase-out by 2040 would result in only a relatively small amount of additional CO2. However, an equal CO2 reduction can be obtained using a different strategy and slightly lower costs. In the latter scenario, the additional costs are also distributed more evenly across the sectors. The sensitivities analyzed show the robustness of the conclusions drawn. In summary, this analysis outlines what consequences could arise by excluding several options in parallel from a technology portfolio. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper describes the hysteresis in the aerodynamic properties of a discus near to its stalling angle. Wind tunnel tests were carried out with a full-size woman's discus. The experimental aerodynamic data D, L and M were obtained from wind tunnel tests as functions of the angle of attack and the spin rate. It was found that the drag, lift and pitching moment coefficients, C-D C-L and C-M, increase with increasing the angle of attack up to a stalling angle of 28-30 degrees. Beyond the stalling angle, C-L and C-M decrease suddenly and abruptly with increasing angle of attack. On the other hand, recovery from the stall does not occur at the same stalling angle of 28-30 degrees when the angle of attack decreases from the stall state; recovery actually occurs at 25 degrees. The C-L-alpha (angle of attack) curve is almost the same when the angle of attack is less than 24 degrees. Therefore, hysteresis occurs near the stalling angle. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
The key escrow problem and high computational cost are the two major problems that hinder the wider adoption of hierarchical identity-based signature (HIBS) scheme. HIBS schemes with either escrow-free (EF) or online/offline (OO) model have been proved secure in our previous work. However, there is no much EF or OO scheme that has been evaluated experimentally. In this letter, several EF/OO HIBS schemes are considered. We study the algorithmic complexity of the schemes both theoretically and experimentally. Scheme performance and practicability of EF and OO models are discussed.
Any useful object is commonly made from selected engineering materials with proper shape and dimension. The selection of materials and manufacturing processes is an important criterion towards the production of useable and affordable objects. The technologies behind this knowledge are needed to acquire through study, proper education, practical training and scientific research related to Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (MME). Allah (swt), the sources of all power and knowledge, has bestowed the Guide Book, the Holy Qur'an through His beloved Messenger Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) to the mankind. Allah (swt) narrated various stories in many Surahs of the noble Qur'an related to applied science and technology. This paper is an attempt to view the integration between the revealed knowledge and the science and technology based knowledge related to engineering materials and manufacturing processes. Finally, stresses have been given to acquire knowledge on science and technology based education and understanding, and disseminate it for the cause of humanity.
Background: The local recurrence rate in oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC) hardly decreases. This is partly due to the presence of (pre) malignant cells in the remaining tissue after resection, that may lead to the development of a new tumor in time. Detection of histologically (pre) malignant cells in the tumor resection margins should predict these patients at risk for recurrence, however this appears to be difficult in routine practice. Purpose of this study was to apply easy-to-use molecular tests for more accurate detection of (pre) malignant cells in histopathologically tumor-free margins, to improve diagnosis of patients at risk. Methods: 42 patients with firstly diagnosed, radically resected primary OSCC with histopathologically confirmed tumor-free resection margins (treated between 1994 and 2003) were included. Inclusion criteria comprised of follow-up >= 5 years, and radical surgery without postoperative treatment. Formalinf-ixed paraffine-embedded tissue sections of 42 tumors, 290 resection margins, and 11 recurrences were subjected to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to examine chromosome 1 and 7 copy number variations (CNV), and to p53 immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: 11 out of the 42 patients developed a local recurrence within 5 years. FISH analysis showed that nine of eleven recurrences exhibited CI in at least one of the resection margins (p = 0.008). P53 overexpression and routine histopathologic classification were not correlated with recurrent disease. The presence of CI in the resection margins revealed a significantly worse progression-free survival (log-rank p = 0.012). Conclusions: CI in the resection margins of OSCC can reliably identify patients at risk for developing a local recurrence. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Positive attributes are more prevalent than negative attributes in the social environment. From this basic assumption, 2 implications that have been overlooked thus far: Positive compared with negative attributes are more likely to be shared by individuals, and people's shared attributes (similarities) are more positive than their unshared attributes (differences). Consequently, similarity-based comparisons should lead to more positive evaluations than difference-based comparisons. We formalized our probabilistic reasoning in a model and tested its predictions in a simulation and 8 experiments (N = 1,181). When participants generated traits about 2 target persons, positive compared with negative traits were more likely to be shared by the targets (Experiment 1a) and by other participants' targets (Experiment 1b). Conversely, searching for targets' shared traits resulted in more positive traits than searching for unshared traits (Experiments 2, 4a, and 4b). In addition, positive traits were more accessible than negative traits among shared traits but not among unshared traits (Experiment 3). Finally, shared traits were only more positive when positive traits were indeed prevalent (Experiments 5 and 6). The current framework has a number of implications for comparison processes and provides a new interpretation of well-known evaluative asymmetries such as intergroup bias and self-superiority effects.
Experimental and field evidence indicate a positive link between social preferences and age, most strikingly between the elderly and young adults. However, it is possible that the seemingly positive link between age and preferences stems from confounds in experimental procedure. In a dictator game study we find that elderly participants do indeed transfer higher shares of their endowments to their peers than a standard sample of student participants. This result holds good even in treatments accounting for wealth differences and experimenter demand effects. However, we observe no difference in behavior when we compare elderly participants and students who have not previously participated in economic experiments. Accordingly, it is possible that the seemingly stronger social preferences of the elderly are due to confounds associated with lack of experience with economic experiments. In addition, when comparing incentivized and hypothetical transfer decisions, we observe a hypothetical bias in treatments with a take framing, but not in treatments with the standard give framing. (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
There is little evidence about barriers to pain management or their relationships with pain outcomes of hospice patients with cancer. The purpose of the study was to determine the barriers reported by hospice patients with cancer and their caregivers and the relationships with demographic characteristics and the patients' pain. In this cross-sectional study, we used selected baseline data from an ongoing randomized clinical trial of patient and lay caregiver dyads receiving home-level hospice care. Participants used an Internet-enabled tablet to complete the valid, reliable measures of pain intensity, pain management barriers (Barriers Questionnaire 13 items [BQ-13]), and demographic characteristics. The responses indicate that the 2 areas of highest concern (mean scores >3) to both patients and caregivers were pain means disease progression and constipation. Additionally, 3 other areas of highest concern (mean scores >3) to caregivers were addiction pain medicine causing one to do embarrassing things and confusion. The mean BQ-13 scores ranged from 0.2 to 4.9 and averaged 2.6 +/- 0.9 for the patients and ranged from 0.5 to 4.7 and averaged 2.7 +/- 0.9 for the caregivers. Mean barrier scores remain high and were not different between patients and their caregivers or significantly related to the patients' pain intensity. However, there were differences in race, ethnic, and hospice setting in the barrier scores. Patients with Hispanic heritage reported higher barrier scores than non-Hispanic patients. Together, these findings not only support prior research findings but also contribute new insights about pain intensity and pain barriers that are relevant to hospices serving minorities with cancer.
Arctic wildlife can be exposed to high mercury (Hg) levels, and are also naturally exposed to gastrointestinal parasites that can reduce condition and negatively affect reproductive output and/or survival in similar ways. Importantly, both Hg and parasites are increasing in wildlife in some Arctic regions. We studied the northern common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) to explore how Hg in association with both natural levels and experimentally reduced parasitic infections, affect reproduction and survival. Female eiders were measured, banded, and blood sampled to determine blood Hg burdens, prior to breeding. Propensity to nest, clutch size, nest survival, nest attendance, and return rates were assessed in relation to both Hg burden and parasite treatment. Neither reproduction nor return rates of females varied with Hg concentrations, but females arriving late to the colony, or in low body condition, showed increased nesting propensity when given the anti-parasite treatment as compared to placebo treatment. Our results suggest that parasites can play a critical role in decisions to invest in avian breeding annually, particularly among individuals with a late onset to breeding, and in poor condition. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems have the unique ability to contribute to stormwater management goals via mitigation of runoff volumes and peak flow rates. Additionally, collecting and storing runoff via RWH systems can potentially provide water quality benefits due to physical and chemical processes that occur within the storage tank. This study quantified the water quality improvement provided by storing rooftop runoff via RWH systems at four sites in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Roof runoff and extraction spigot samples were analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), nitrogen species and total phosphorus. Roof concentrations were significantly greater than spigot concentrations for all constituents except TSS, indicating the ability of RWH systems to significantly lower nutrient concentrations of incoming roof runoff. Lack of significant TSS reduction was likely attributable to low, 'irreducible' concentrations of TSS in the roof runoff. The use of additional filtration components prior to the extraction spigot could aid in lowering spigot TSS concentrations. The findings presented herein contend that stormwater benefits associated with RWH are not only limited to hydrologic mitigation, but also include reductions in concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus species. Thus, it is recommended that pollutant removal credit be assigned to these systems when used as stormwater control measures.
Traditional PC based operating systems load most of its components during the boot process along with the kernel. This mechanism though effective for a broader objective, is seldom utilized fully by a majority of users as they usually perform a specific job which does not require every component of OS. It has been observed that operating systems which are designed keeping in mind the nature of job, achieve better performance than standard systems even on an inferior hardware. Sony's PlayStation 4 gives better performance per watt when compared to a PC having similar graphics configuration. The prime cause of this weak performance is wasting of resources due to generic purpose OS design. This paper proposes a novel technique which will enable more efficient utilization of the hardware. Many choices are available to the user and each choice corresponds to a different mode of operation. This is achieved using modular shell design wherein the resource deployment is done according to the requirements of module. There is an uniform base module to allow easy and fast access to user allowing him to perform most basic tasks. Each module of the operating system shall be loaded to perform a specific task and will provide user with an enhanced access to perform a job. The user can switch among the modules according his requirements. This will also allow specific components in a kernel to allocate resources only according to the needs of the program. This mechanism will provide the benefits of real time OS in a time shared environment and will allow coordinated control of resources not possible in a traditional UNIX based operating system.
BACKGROUND Despite the current global trend of reduction in the morbidity and mortality of neglected diseases, dengue's incidence has increased and occurrence areas have expanded. Dengue also persists as a scientific and technological challenge since there is no effective treatment, vaccine, vector control or public health intervention. Combining bibliometrics and social network analysis methods can support the mapping of dengue research and development (R&D) activities worldwide. OBJECTIVES The aim of this paper is to map the scientific scenario related to dengue research worldwide. METHODS We use scientific publication data from Web of Science Core Collection - articles indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) - and combine bibliometrics and social network analysis techniques to identify the most relevant journals, scientific references, research areas, countries and research organisations in the dengue scientific landscape. FINDINGS Our results show a significant increase of dengue publications over time; tropical medicine and virology as the most frequent research areas and biochemistry and molecular biology as the most central area in the network; USA and Brazil as the most productive countries; and Mahidol University and Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz as the main research organisations and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention as the most central organisation in the collaboration network. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our findings can be used to strengthen a global knowledge platform guiding policy, planning and funding decisions as well as to providing directions to researchers and institutions. So that, by offering to the scientific community, policy makers and public health practitioners a mapping of the dengue scientific landscape, this paper has aimed to contribute to upcoming debates, decision-making and planning on dengue R& D and public health strategies worldwide.
To date, transcriptome profile analysis of maize seedlings in response to cold stress have been well documented; however, changes in protein species abundance of maize seedlings in response to cold stress are still unknown. Herein, leaves from the maize inbred line W9816 (a cold-resistance genotype) were harvested at three-leaf stage, and were used to identify the differential abundance protein species (DAPS) between chilling stress (4 degrees C) and control conditions (25 degrees C). iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic were used in this study. As a result, 173 DAPS were identified after chilling stress. Bioinformatic analysis showed that 159 DAPS were annotated in 38 Gene Ontology functional groups, 108 DAPS were classified into 20 clusters of orthologous groups of protein categories, 99 DAPS were enrichment in KEGG pathways. Antioxidants assays validated that the iTRAQ results were reliable. Based on functional analysis, we concluded that the adaptive response of maize seedlings to chilling stress might be related to alleviation of photodamage caused by the over-energized state of thylakoid membrane, more energy produced through glycolysis, increased abundance of stress-responsive protein species, and improvement in the overall ability to scavenge ROS. Posttranscriptional regulation and posttranslational modifications also play important roles for maize to adapt to chilling stress. Biological significance: The major challenge for maize breeders is the complexity of the response to chilling stress. Although extensive researches have been focus on maize chilling stress using segregating populations, epigenetics, transcriptomics, molecular biology, however, the molecular mechanism of chilling stress in maize remains to be further elucidated. In the present paper, a differential proteomic analysis was performed and the results revealed the adaptive response of maize seedlings to chilling stress might be related to alleviation of photodamage caused by the over-energized state of thylakoid membrane, more energy produced through glycolysis, increased abundance of stress-responsive protein species, improvement in the overall ability to scavenge ROS, including detoxifying enzymes and antioxidants. Posttranscriptional regulation and posttranslational modifications also play important roles for maize to adapt to chilling stress. This approach identified new protein species involved in posttranslational modifications, signal transduction, lipid metabolism, inorganic ion transport and metabolism and other biological processes that were not previously known to be associated with chilling stress response. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Repeated exposure to methamphetamine (METH) can cause severe neurotoxicity to the cortical neurons. In the present study, we investigated the effect of METH on cognitive function deficits, and determined the neuroprotective effects of memantine (MEM) on memory impairment induced by METH. The protein levels of Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 in prefrontal cortex (PFC) were further examined to exploring the underlying mechanism. We found that repeated METH administration impaired long term (24 h) memory retention without affecting short term (5 min) memory retention. Co-administration of MEM with METH before training session significantly improved METH-induced cognitive function. METH significantly decreased expression level of Bcl-2 and increased expression level of cleaved caspase-3 in the PFC. The changes can be prevented by MEM pretreatment. Thus, these results demonstrated that MEM pretreatment reversed METH-induced changes of protein levels of apoptotic-related gene, and produced protective effects against METH-induced cognitive deficits, suggesting the effectiveness of MEM may be due to its anti-apoptotic activity. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
End-stage failing heart valves are currently replaced by mechanical or biological prostheses. Both types positively contribute to restore the physiological function of native valves, but a number of drawbacks limits the expected performances. In order to improve the outcome, tissue engineering can offer an alternative approach to design and fabricate innovative heart valves capable to support the requested function and to promote the formation of a novel, viable and correctly operating physiological structure. This potential result is particularly critical if referred to the aortic valve, being the one mainly exposed to structural and functional degeneration. In this regard, the here proposed study presents the fabrication and in vitro characterization of a bioresorbable electrospun heart valve prosthesis using the particle image velocimetry technique either in physiological and pathological fluid dynamic conditions. The scaffold was designed to reproduce the aortic valve geometry, also mimicking the fibrous structure of the natural extracellular matrix. To evaluate its performances for possible implantation, the flow fields downstream the valve were accurately investigated and compared. The experimental results showed a correct functionality of the device, supported by the formation of vortex structures at the edge of the three cusps, with Reynolds stress values below the threshold for the risk of hemolysis (which can be comprised in the range 4004000 N/m(2) depending on the exposure period), and a good structural resistance to the mechanical loads generated by the driving pressure difference. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In order to develop and successfully implement a cost effective ground treatment design for railway embankment traversing through soft alluvium deposits for high speed train, a fully instrumented trial embankment was carried out at Tokai, State of Kedah, Malaysia for verification of design. Cost effective ground treatment of prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) with temporary surcharging and geotextile basal reinforcement were widely adopted for the 200km long railway embankment and were designed to meet the stringent performance requirements. From the back analyses using Finite Element Modeling (FEM) of the fully instrumented trial embankment, the performance of the ground treatment is evaluated and verified. Additional FEM analyses were carried out to develop a construction control chart to be used during construction to allow high embankments to be built without compromising on the stability during construction and to meet the tight construction schedule and technical requirements. This paper will present the FEM back analyses results of the fully instrumented trial embankment, the construction control chart developed together with the pre-planned action plan during construction.
Psychotic disorders are some of the most severe psychiatric conditions. Patients have difficulties in identifying facial expressions and appear to be highly sensitive to the presence of emotional distractors. Yet, no study has investigated whether perceptual load modulates the interference of emotional distractors. Our goal was to test whether psychotic patients were more sensitive to irrelevant emotional stimulus, even when the task demands a high amount of attentional resources. Twenty-two participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and twenty-two healthy controls, performed a target letter discrimination task with emotional task-irrelevant stimulus (angry, happy and neutral facial expressions). Target-letters were presented among distrator-letters, which could be similar (low perceptual load) or different (high load); participants should discriminate the target-letter and ignore the facial expression. Results showed that patients were more prone to distraction by task-irrelevant stimulus, especially under high load, suggesting difficulties in attention control. Moreover, in psychotic patients, happy faces caused higher interference with the task, whereas neutral and angry faces resulted in less interference. These findings could provide innovative approaches regarding attentional deficits on social contexts in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
It is well known that the existence of unstable sampled zero dynamics is recognised as a major barrier in many control problems. When the usual digital control with zero-order hold (ZOH) or fractional-order hold (FROH) input is used, unstable sampled zero dynamics inevitably appear in the discrete-time model even though the continuous-time system with relative degree more than or equal to three is of minimum phase. In this paper, we show how an approximate sampled-data model can be obtained for nonlinear systems by the use of multirate input and hold such as a generalised sample hold function (GSHF) in order that discrete zero dynamics of the resulting model can be arbitrarily placed. Furthermore, the properties of sampled zero dynamics are studied and the conditions for ensuring the stability of sampling zero dynamics of the desired model are derived. The results presented here generalise well-known notion of sampling zero dynamics from the linear case to nonlinear systems, and GSHF can provide some advantages over ZOH or FROH in terms of stability of discrete system zero dynamics.
To advance the investigation of vegetated terrain using polarimetric remote sensing techniques, it is important to determine the electromagnetic properties of key constituents, such as branches and trunks, which may be realistically modeled by tapered cylinders. To this end, we apply our previously proposed virtual partition method (VPM). Numerical simulations demonstrate that VPM possesses the desired features, such as high fidelity prediction of the scattering amplitude function and fulfillment of energy conservation as well as the reciprocity theorem. It thus may be helpful in the pursuit of better coherent scattering models of vegetated terrain, a finer understanding of PolInSAR imagery, and a better characterization of scattering mechanisms.
Drawing on norm-activation theory, this study explores the link between tourists' perceptions of the negative impacts of tourism and their perceived responsibility. A proposed theoretical framework was examined and verified through exploratory and confirmatory research processes. Self-administered questionnaires were collected at two UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites in China. The findings of this research suggest that tourists' perceptions of the negative impacts of tourism positively affect their ascription of responsibility, which positively influences tourists' perceptions of responsibility. Nevertheless, the accessibility of information about tourism impacts is far from enough to foster in tourists a sense of responsibility, which is important for the promotion of responsible behaviours. Several practical implications are provided to address tourists' sense of responsibility, including enhancing tourists' awareness of negative tourism impacts, increasing the availability and accessibility of information about tourism impacts, and recommending behaviours for tourists to make a positive difference to destinations.
The eastern coastal areas of China have high-density population, developed society and economy, and large water pollution emissions. How to reduce water pollution and realize the coordinated development of the economy and environment has become the national focus. Effective environmental policies should consider regional differences in development stage and sustainability performance. Here, we first analyzed the water pollution emissions intensity of the eastern coastal areas of China and the urgency of emissions reduction using 8-year environmental statistics from 2003 to 2010. We characterized development stages of the eastern coastal areas based on the relationships between water pollution emissions intensity and economic development. Further, we built a coordination degree index of economic development and water environment protection as a measure of sustainability. Results show that water pollution emissions intensity decreases as the economy grows from 2003 to 2010. The less-developed regions have a better coordination degree than some more-developed regions, especially those most-developed ones (e.g., Shanghai show more pressures on long-term sustainability than Hebei). The less-developed regions should take advantage of economic growth to invest more advanced environment protection technologies. The more-developed regions need to upgrade its economic structures and municipal infrastructures. Overall, the study provided a comprehensive approach to understand regional difference in development stage and sustainability performance in the eastern coastal region of China as well as the need of different environmental policies to reduce water pollution emissions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An optical method is developed to estimate water transparency (or underwater visibility) in terms of Secchi depth (Z(sd)), which follows the remote sensing and contrast transmittance theory. The major factors governing the variation in Z(sd), namely, turbidity and length attenuation coefficient (1/(c + K-d), c = beam attenuation coefficient; K-d = diffuse attenuation coefficient at 531 nm), are obtained based on band rationing techniques. It was found that the band ratio of remote sensing reflectance (expressed as (R-rs(443) + R-rs(490))/ (R-rs(555) + R-rs(670)) contains essential information about the water column optical properties and thereby positively correlates to turbidity. The beam attenuation coefficient (c) at 531 nm is obtained by a linear relationship with turbidity. To derive the vertical diffuse attenuation coefficient (K-d) at 531 nm, K-d(490) is estimated as a function of reflectance ratio (R-rs(670)/R-rs(490)), which provides the bio-optical link between chlorophyll concentration and K-d(531). The present algorithm was applied to MODIS-Aqua images, and the results were evaluated by matchup comparisons between the remotely estimated Z(sd) and in situ Z(sd) in coastal waters off Point Calimere and its adjoining regions on the southeast coast of India. The results showed the pattern of increasing Z(sd) from shallow turbid waters to deep clear waters. The statistical evaluation of the results showed that the percent mean relative error between the MODIS-Aqua-derived Z(sd) and in situ Z(sd) values was within +/- 25%. A close agreement achieved in spatial contours of MODIS-Aqua-derived Z(sd) and in situ Z(sd) for the month of January 2014 and August 2013 promises the model capability to yield accurate estimates of Zsd in coastal, estuarine, and inland waters. The spatial contours have been included to provide the best data visualization of the measured, modeled (in situ), and satellite-derived Z(sd) products. The modeled and satellite-derived Z(sd) values were compared with measurement data which yielded RMSE = 0.079, MRE = -0.016, and R-2 = 0.95 for the modeled Z(sd) and RMSE = 0.075, MRE = 0.020, and R-2 = 0.95 for the satellite-derived Z(sd) products.
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain-related A (MICA) is the most polymorphic non-classical MHC class I gene in humans. It encodes a ligand for NKG2D (NK group 2, member D), an activating natural killer (NK) receptor that is expressed mainly on NK cells and CD8(+) T cells. The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1051792 causing a valine (Val) to methionine (Met) exchange at position 129 of the MICA protein is of specific interest. It separates MICA into isoforms that bind NKG2D with high (Met) and low affinities (Val). Therefore, this SNP has been investigated for associations with infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Here, we systematically review these studies and analyze them in view of new data on the functional consequences of this polymorphism. It has been shown recently that the MICA-129Met variant elicits a stronger NKG2D signaling, resulting in more degranulation and IFN-gamma production in NK cells and in a faster costimulation of CD8(+) T cells than the MICA-129Val variant. However, the MICA-129Met isoform also downregulates NKG2D more efficiently than the MICA-129Val isoform. This downregulation impairs NKG2D-mediated functions at high expression intensities of the MICA-Met variant. These features of the MICA-129Met/Val dimorphism need to be considered when interpreting disease association studies. Particularly, in the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, they help to explain the associations of the SNP with outcome including graft-versus-host disease and relapse of malignancy. Implications for future disease association studies of the MICA-129Met/Val dimorphism are discussed.
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a malignant brain tumor of childhood that carries an extremely poor prognosis. There are similar to 200-300 new cases diagnosed each year, [1, 2] and little progress has been made in changing the prognosis and outcome of the tumor since it was first documented in the literature in 1926 [3]. The median overall survival is 8-11 months [4], with an overall survival rate of 30% at 1 year, and less than 10% at 2 years [4]. This review will provide background information on DIPGs, a historical look at the trends in caring for DIPG, and current trends in diagnosis and treatment. By changing the way we care for these terminal tumors, we can work towards having a better understanding of the underlying molecular biology, and attempt to develop better chemotherapeutic tools to combat the disease.
Home gardening is extremely important for resource-poor households that have limited access to production inputs. However, in South Africa attempts to implement home garden programmes often fail to improve food security of the poor due to water scarcity. Rainwater harvesting technology (RWHT) has been used to supplement the conventional water supply systems, but its potential has not been fully exploited. An understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of improved technologies is therefore critical to successful implementation of agricultural development programmes. This study evaluated the determinants of farmers' decisions to adopt rainwater harvesting technology (RWHT) in rural Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, using a binary logistic regression model based on a household survey of 180 rural home gardeners. The result of the logistic regression model showed that gender, age, education, income, social capital, contact with extension agent and perception/attitude towards RWHT are statistically significant in explaining farmers' adoption of RWHT in the study area. Implications for agricultural and rural development policy were discussed.
Results of numerical calculations of heat exchange in a nuclear heating detector for nuclear reactors are presented in this paper. The gamma radiation is generated in nuclear reactor during fission and radiative capture reactions as well as radioactive decay of its products. A single-cell calorimeter has been designed for application in the MARIA research reactor in the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Swierk near Warsaw, Poland, and can also be used in the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR), which is under construction in the research centre in Cadarache, France. It consists of a cylindrical sample, which is surrounded by a gas layer, contained in a cylindrical housing. Additional calculations had to be performed before its insertion into the reactor. Within this analysis, modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods have been used for assessing important parameters, for example, mean surface temperature, mean volume temperature, and maximum sample (calorimeter core) temperature. Results of an experiment performed at a dedicated out-of-pile calibration bench and results of numerical modelling validation are also included in this paper.
We use the combination of liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS) and urine metabolic profiling to find and identify the metabolites of dextromethorphan, a common over-the-counter (OTC) cough suppressant. Next, we use the combination of ion masses, their MS/MS fragmentation, and retention times to determine dextromethorphan and its metabolites in surface water impacted by wastewater. Prior to this study, neither dextromethorphan nor its metabolites have been reported in surface water; in spite of its common use in over 100 various OTC medications. We found that the concentration of the dextrorphan metabolite in surface water greatly exceeded the parent compound by factors of 5-10 times, which reflects the urine profile, where parent compound is approximately <2% of the total excreted drug based on ion intensities. Urine profiling also indicated that glucuronide metabolites are major phase 2 products (92% of the total) in urine and then are completely hydrolyzed in wastewater to dextrorphan and N-demethyldextrorphan, which are phase 1 metabolites-a kind of reversal of human metabolism. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this work, 3D TCAD-based optimization of channel radius was performed considering line edge roughness (LER) on 5 nm node gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire (NW) FET. As the channel radius is scaled down below 3 nm, we are confronted with seriously reduced driving current due to two major factors where one is small channel carrier density induced by quantum effect (QE) and the other is mobility degradation induced by thickness fluctuation and surface phonon scattering. For the first time, the guideline of channel radius for high performance were studied where the statistical analysis of LER was performed considering QE and thin layer model (TLM) which covers mobility degradation induced by scattering for thin layer.
Cartilage injuries are one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Although a number of techniques have been designed to treat cartilage lesions, current research is focused on tissue engineering methods. Recent advances in molecular biology, biotechnology, and polymer science have led to both the experimental and clinical application of various cell types and biomaterials in the treatment of cartilage injuries. This study reports an exceptionally good growth of chondrocytes on a 3D scaffold, based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The MWCNT-based nanostructural scaffold was fabricated employing a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. Articular cartilage specimens were taken from the distal femur of adolescent New Zealand White rabbits and chondrocytes were obtained by collagenase digestion. The scaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Cell-seeded constructs were visualized with SEM. Chondrocytes adhered to the MWCNT surfaces and were evenly distributed. After one week of culturing, the number of cells was tripled on the MWCNT scaffolds in respect to the culturing in a plastic flask. These cells displayed multiple cytoplasmic extensions that interact with the MWCNTs. The nanotubes were bent by the cells and the cell morphology was altered through the nanostructured surface. Our study confirms that MWCNT-based surfaces provide a very good scaffold that can be used to stimulate the formation of cartilage tissue.
Representation of curves and, surfaces is a basic topic in computer graphic and computer aided design (CAD). In this paper we focus on theoretical and practical issues in using radial basis functions (RBF) for reconstructing implicit curves and surfaces from point clouds. We study the conditioning of the problem and give some insight on how the problem parameters and the results have to be taken in order to achieve meaningful solutions and avoid artifacts. Moreover, a strategy for decreasing the conditioning of the problem is suggested and a general framework for preconditioning and solving the problem, even for large datasets, is also provided. (C) 2016 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Risk of indoor exposure to volatile organic compounds of purported microbial origin on childhood symptoms of wheezing, rhinitis, and/or eczema, and doctor-diagnosed asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, respectively, remain unclear. Objective: To test hypotheses that total sum of 28 microbial volatile organic compounds (Sigma 26 MVOCs): 1) poses independent risk on doctor-diagnosed asthma, rhinitis, and eczema, respectively, as well as multiple symptom presentation with a minimum of the two of the above conditions (i.e. case); 2) is associated with significant interaction with absolute humidity (AH) on additive scale. Methods: In a case-control investigation, 198 cases and 202 controls were examined during November 2001 March 2002 period through homeindoor air sampling, air quality inspection, and health outcome ascertainment. Results: Not only the Sigma 28 MVOCs but also the global MVOC index were significantly higher within the homes of the cases with a high AH, compared to the controls with a low AH (all Ps < 0.001). Only the cases, but not the controls, were associated with a dose-dependent increase in the exposure variables of interest (Sigma 28 MVOCs) per quartile increase in AH (P < 0.0001 for the cases; P = 0.780 for the controls). Only among the children who live in a high AH homes, a natural log (ln)-unit of Sigma 28 MVOCs was associated with 2.5-times greater odds of the case status (95% CI, 1.0-6.2; P = 0.046), compared to 0.7-times the odds (95% CI, 0.4-1.0; P = 0.074) of the same outcome among the low AH homes. Specifically, joint exposure to a high MVOCs and high AH was associated with 2.6-times greater odds of the doctor-diagnosed asthma status (95% CI, 0.7-8.91; P = 0.137). Conclusion: Joint occurrence of high Sigma 28 MVOCs and AH was associatedwith a significant increase in the case status and asthma risks in an additive scale. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electronic devices using the piezoelectric effect contain piezoelectric materials: often crystals, but in many cases poled ferroelectric ceramics (piezoceramics), polymers or composites. On the one hand, these materials exhibit non-negligible losses, not only dielectric, but also mechanical and piezoelectric. In this work, we made simulations of the effect of the three types of losses in piezoelectric materials on the impedance spectrum at the resonance. We analyze independently each type of loss and show the differences among them. On the other hand, electrical and electronic engineers include piezoelectric sensors in electrical circuits to build devices and need electrical models of the sensor element. Frequently, material scientists and engineers use different languages, and the characteristic material coefficients do not have a straightforward translation to those specific electrical circuit components. To connect both fields of study, we propose the use of accurate methods of characterization from impedance measurements at electromechanical resonance that lead to determination of all types of losses, as an alternative to current standards. We introduce a simplified equivalent circuit model with electrical parameters that account for piezoceramic losses needed for the modeling and design of industrial applications.
Every cognitive process, including the conceptualization of some perceived facts, such as human disease states, entails both an emotional as an evaluative aspect. Regarding this, cross-cultural research has shown that there are common human value contents. Therefore, in a human phylogenetic context, it is plausible to argue that, along with the development of our language, both the hetero-perception and self-perception of some specific human states have been termed descriptively to communicate their adaptive significance. This is the case of those human states whose properties have been conceptualized, with the corresponding evaluative emotional component, as disease. Since names are the symbols of a language that designate any type of object, either perceptual or conceptual, reviewing the etymology of terms related to disease could be a contribution to its elucidation. In consequence, some equivalent terms to the Spanish word enfermedad were reviewed in various Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages. From the analyzed denominations we can conclude that the different words have described the perception of human conditions as weak, evil, suffering states, etc. Therefore, there is a denotative concordance with the diseased human states in the revised cultures.
Deep learning is a thing of tomorrow which is causing a complete drift from shallow architecture to deep architecture and an estimate shows that by 2017 about 10 % of computers will be learning rather than processing. Deep learning has fast growing effects in the area of pattern recognition, computer vision, speech recognition, feature extraction, language processing, bioinformatics, and statistical classification. To make a system learn, deep learning makes use of a wide horizon of machine learning algorithms. Gene expression data is uncertain and imprecise. In this paper, we discuss supervised and unsupervised algorithms applied to gene expression dataset. There are intermediate algorithms classified as semi-supervised and self taught which also play an important role to improve the prediction accuracy in diagnosis of cancer. We discuss deep learning algorithms which provide better analysis of hidden patterns in the dataset, thus improving the prediction accuracy.
Background: Adolescent behaviour is strongly linked to emotions. The aim of this study is 1) analyse the differences between young offenders and non-offenders in emotional instability, anger, aggressive behaviour, anxiety and depression, and also the differences according to sex; and 2) compare the relation between emotional instability and anxiety, depression and aggressive behaviour mediated or modulated by anger in both groups. Method: participants are 440 adolescents, both male and female (15-18 years old). 220 were young offenders from four different correctional centres of the Valencia Region. The other 220 participants were randomly chosen from ten public and private schools in the Valencia metropolitan area. In the Schools the instruments were applied collectively in the classroom, with a 50 minutes maximum duration. In the Youth Detention Centre the application was carried out in small groups. Results: The structural equation model (SEM) carried out on each group, young offenders and non-offenders show a relation between the assessed variables. Emotional instability appears strongly related with anger in both samples, but anger just predicts depression and aggressive behaviour in the offender population. Conclusions: The results give relevant information for treatment and prevention of aggressive behaviour and delinquency in teenagers through emotional regulation.
Bacterial biofilms frequently form on fungal surfaces and can be involved in numerous bacterial-fungal interaction processes, such as metabolic cooperation, competition, or predation. The study of biofilms is important in many biological fields, including environmental science, food production, and medicine. However, few studies have focused on such bacterial biofilms, partially due to the difficulty of investigating them. Most of the methods for qualitative and quantitative biofilm analyses described in the literature are only suitable for biofilms forming on abiotic surfaces or on homogeneous and thin biotic surfaces, such as a monolayer of epithelial cells. While laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) is often used to analyze in situ and in vivo biofilms, this technology becomes very challenging when applied to bacterial biofilms on fungal hyphae, due to the thickness and the three dimensions of the hyphal networks. To overcome this shortcoming, we developed a protocol combining microscopy with a method to limit the accumulation of hyphal layers in fungal colonies. Using this method, we were able to investigate the development of bacterial biofilms on fungal hyphae at multiple scales using both LSCM and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This report describes the protocol, including microorganism cultures, bacterial biofilm formation conditions, biofilm staining, and LSCM and SEM visualizations.
Quantitative evaluation of the shear threshold on C. tinctorius L. cell growth is vital for bioreactor system design and optimization of scaled-up industrial cultivation. The present research focused on investigating the effects of shear force on C. tinctorius L cell growth by computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis in shaken flasks. The results revealed that specific cell growth rates were greatly inhibited as the shear force increased from 1.17 to 2.42 Pa. Recovery of viability and aggregation diameter to their normal levels could be implemented after a 4-day adaptation with large fluctuations in physiological state. With further correlation analysis on shear force and C. tinctorius L. growth rate, a threshold value was identified at an average and maximum shear stress of approximately 0.55 Pa (0.06 w/kg) and 4.00 Pa (0.93 w/kg) according to the influence on cell growth. Quantitative data on shear effects can facilitate the design of industrial processes and lead to more rational scale-up in industrial C. tinctorius L cultivation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Is nonverbal communication capable of affecting economic outcomes? We study the effect of anticipated approval and disapproval, expressed through emoticons, on generosity and show that it discourages selfish behavior. In our experiment subjects play a one-shot dictator game at the end of-which the recipient can respond to the allocation by drawing an emoticon and sending it back to the dictator. While the observed effect of nonverbal communication is somewhat weaker than the anticipation of a verbal response, our results provide evidence-that people are willing to trade-off pecuniary gains to avoid disapproval or seek approval of their peers and that the sheer anticipation of receiving a response, even nonverbal, is sufficient to change their behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study presents a K-band differential voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with robust start-up. A hybrid technique that combines open-loop digitally controlled tail current with switchable auxiliary cross-coupled pairs (ACCPs) is proposed to ensure robust start-up for wideband operation. Compared with prior closed-loop current controlling method, the proposed technique does not suffer from phase-noise degradation. Furthermore, by evenly distributing the ACCPs, transistors with smaller size are allowed to achieve the same start-up condition, which leads to frequency boost and phase-noise improvement. Implemented in 0.18 m complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, the VCO achieves a wide-frequency tuning range of 21.4-26.29 GHz (20.5%) and a low phase noise of -108.8 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from 25.8 GHz carrier frequency. At 1.1 V power supply, the power consumption of the core circuit is 7.9-11.4 mW across the entire output frequency range.
The use of poly( 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) in electrodes and electrical circuits presents a number of challenges that are yet to be overcome, foremost amongst which are its relatively low conductivity, low coatability on hydrophobic substrates, and decreased conductivity at large strains. With this in mind, this study suggests a simple way to simultaneously address all of these issues through the addition of a small amount of a nonionic surfactant (Triton X-100) to commercial PEDOT:PSS solutions. This surfactant is shown to considerably reduce the surface tension of the PEDOT:PSS solution, thus permitting conformal coatings of PEDOT:PSS thin film on a diverse range of hydrophobic substrates. Furthermore, this surfactant induces the formation of PEDOT nanofibrils during coating, which led to the high conductivity values and mechanical stability at large strains (epsilon = 10.3%). Taking advantage of the superior characteristics of these PEDOT:PSS thin films, a highly flexible polymer solar cell was fabricated. The power conversion efficiency of this solar cell (3.14% at zero strain) was preserved at large strains (epsilon = 7.0%).
This paper presents the review of the methods of computer aided process planning, their application fields and use in the computer aided manufacturing engineering system SAT. The study indicates necessity and expose shorteornings of these methods. Also this article presents analysis of process planning methods in Lithuanian SME and describes, how it is possible to improve application of these methods using system SAT.
Bioprinting is an emerging technology that allows the assembling of both living and non-living biological materials into an ideal complex layout for further tissue maturation. Bioprinting aims to produce engineered tissue or organ in a mechanized, organized, and optimized manner. Various biomaterials and techniques have been utilized to bioprint biological constructs in different shapes, sizes and resolutions. There is a need to systematically discuss and analyze the reported strategies employed to fabricate these constructs. We identified and discussed important design factors in bioprinting, namely shape and resolution, material heterogeneity, and cellular-material remodeling dynamism. Each design factors are represented by the corresponding process capabilities and printing parameters. The process-design map will inspire future biomaterials research in these aspects. Design considerations such as data processing, bio-ink formulation and process selection are discussed. Various printing and crosslinking strategies, with relevant applications, are also systematically reviewed. We categorized them into 5 general bioprinting strategies, including direct bioprinting, in-process crosslinking, post-process crosslinking, indirect bioprinting and hybrid bioprinting. The opportunities and outlook in 3D bioprinting are highlighted. This review article will serve as a framework to advance computer-aided design in bioprinting technologies.
We examine the use of automatic adaptation to the user's grasp and facial direction in interaction with a game. Two experimental studies were conducted. The first experiment identified patterns in grasp and facial direction that can be used as objective indicators of intentions and attention. The results indicate that participants grasp a remote control according to the intended use and turn their face towards the object with which they intend to interact. The amount of time during which the participants turned their faces towards the object was influenced by the available visual information. In the second experiment, we used the patterns identified in Experiment 1 to create a game that adapted to grasp and facial direction. We compared two adaptive games with a purely command-based game. The results show that the participants in the adaptive versions of the game were significantly faster and made fewer errors but did not rate their feeling of control as higher, nor did they have a more positive affective experience.
Since frequent communication between applications takes place in high speed networks, deep packet inspection (DPI) plays an important role in the network application awareness. The signature-based network intrusion detection system (NIDS) contains a DPI technique that examines the incoming packet payloads by employing a pattern matching algorithm that dominates the overall inspection performance. Existing studies focused on implementing efficient pattern matching algorithms by parallel programming on software platforms because of the advantages of lower cost and higher scalability. Either the central processing unit (CPU) or the graphic processing unit (GPU) were involved. Our studies focused on designing a pattern matching algorithm based on the cooperation between both CPU and GPU. In this paper, we present an enhanced design for our previous work, a length-bounded hybrid CPU/GPU pattern matching algorithm (LHPMA). In the preliminary experiment, the performance and comparison with the previous work are displayed, and the experimental results show that the LHPMA can achieve not only effective CPU/GPU cooperation but also higher throughput than the previous method.
The ability to rapidly detect and characterize drug metabolites in biological fluids often relies on a combination of a high quality chromatographic separation and sensitive high resolution mass spectrometry. Here, the performance of two high throughput LC/MS approaches, namely monolith columns and sub-2 mu m particle Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) columns is compared for the detection and identification of the human metabolites of acetaminophen in urine. The UPLC system produced approximately three times the sensitivity and detected more metabolites than the monolithic column approach. The sharp peaks produced by UPLC seem to be particularly advantageous when coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry, apparently reducing ion suppression leading to superior sensitivity and hence lower limits of detection. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this report, SnO2 quantum dots anchored on TiO2 nanospheres (TiO2/SnO2 composites) have been synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal process, and then employed as photocatalyst in photodegradation system. The microstructure of TiO2/SnO2 composites reveals that the SnO2 quantum dots are dispersed on the surface of TiO2 nanospheres uniformly. The photocatalytic behavior of the as-prepared samples revealed that the composites exhibited highly efficient performance by degrading 100 mL of 10 mg/L methylene orange in 15 min completely under ultraviolet-visible light. Owning to the special structure of the composites, TiO2/SnO2 shows a more UV-vis light absorption than either pure TiO2 nanospheres or pure SnO2 quantum dots. This study offers a facile method to prepare TiO2/SnO2 composites, which will be a choice for greatly extending potential applications in water pollution treatment, degradation of pollutants and other related fields. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.
Control over digital transactions has steadily risen in recent years, to an extent that puts into question the Internet's traditional openness. To investigate the origins and effects of such change, the paper formally models the historical evolution of digital control. In the model, the economy-wide features of the digital space emerge as a result of the endogenous adaptation (co-evolution) of users' preferences (culture) and platform designs (technology). The model shows that: a) in the digital economy there exist two stable cultural-technological equilibria: one with intrinsically motivated users and low control; and the other with purely extrinsically motivated users and high control; b) before the opening of the Internet to commerce, the emergence of a low-control-intrinsic-motivation equilibrium was favored by the specific set of norms and values that formed the early culture of the networked environment; and c) the opening of the Internet to commerce can indeed cause a transition to a high-control-extrinsic-motivation equilibrium, even if the latter is Pareto inferior. Although it is too early to say whether such a transition is actually taking place, these results call for a great deal of attention in evaluating policy proposals on Internet regulation.
This paper evaluates the biological regeneration of ferric Fe3+ solution during desulphurisation of gaseous streams. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is absorbed into aqueous ferric sulphate solution and oxidised to elemental sulphur, while ferric ions Fe3+ are reduced to ferrous ions Fe2+. During the industrial regeneration of Fe3+, nutrients and trace minerals usually provided in a laboratory setup are not present and this depletion of nutrients may have a negative impact on the bacteria responsible for ferrous iron oxidation and may probably affect the oxidation rate. In this study, the effect of nutrients and trace minerals on ferrous iron oxidation have been investigated and the results showed that the presence of nutrients and trace minerals affects the efficiency of bacterial Fe2+ oxidation. The scanning electron microscopy analysis of the geotextile support material was also conducted and the results showed that the iron precipitate deposits appear to play a direct role on the bacterial biofilm formation.
Fulfillment of the basic psychological needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy is believed to facilitate people's integrative tendencies to process psychological conflicts and develop a coherent sense of self. The present study therefore used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the relation between need fulfillment and the amplitude of conflict negativity (CN), a neurophysiological measure of conflict during personal decision making. Participants completed a decision-making task in which they made a series of forced choices according to their personal preferences. Three types of decision-making situations were created on the basis of participants' unique preference ratings, which were obtained prior to ERP recording: low-conflict situations (choosing between an attractive and an unattractive option), high-conflict approach-approach situations (choosing between two similarly attractive options), and high-conflict avoidance-avoidance situations (choosing between two similarly unattractive options). As expected, CN amplitudes were larger in high- relative to low-conflict situations, and source localization analyses suggested that the anterior cingulate cortex was the generating structure of the CN. Most importantly, people reporting higher need fulfillment exhibited larger CN amplitudes in avoidance-avoidance situations relative to low-conflict situations; to a lesser extent, they also exhibited larger CN amplitudes in approach-approach situations relative to low-conflict situations. By contrast, people reporting lower need fulfillment exhibited CN amplitudes that poorly discriminated the three decision situations. These results suggest that need fulfillment may promote self-coherent functioning by increasing people's receptivity to and processing of events that challenge their abilities to make efficient, self-congruent choices.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the machine design and control strategy of the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) system, especially utilized in variable speed applications, in order to stabilize the output voltage on the dc link over a wide speed range. Design/methodology/approach - Different ac/dc power converter topologies are comparatively studied, each with an accordingly designed PMSG, so as to investigate the influence of the armature winding inductance as well as the relationship between the PMSG and power converter topologies. Findings - Pulse width modulation (PWM) rectifier is preferable for the said application due to its good performance and controllability. Moreover, by employing the PWM rectifier, relatively large inductance of the PMSG is considered for both short-circuit current reduction and field regulation. Originality/value - Field-regulating control is realized with a space vector PWM (SVPWM) rectifier, which can weaken the PMSG magnetic field during high-speed operation, while even properly enhance the field at low speed, ensuring a small change of the PMSG output voltage and a stable dc voltage.
Bafa Lake is one of the largest Turkish Lagoon lakes in Aegean Region covering a surface area of 50km(2). Because of its water capacity and myriad benefits in aquaculture facility, agricultural activities and tourism. The lake is considered as an important wetland within Buyuk Menderes basin. This study investigate the aquaculture facilities and anthropogenic sources of pollutions and how they affect the water quality of Bafa Lake. The major factors that control the quality-of Bafa Lake water are agricultural activities in the basin, domestic and industrial wastes that come from Buyuk Menderes River and its surrounding lake, fisheries and aquaculture facilities. Contaminants located in the Lake are continuously having a negative impact on its water quality during the last three decades. The effect of sea bream (Sparus aurata) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) cultivation facilities on surface water quality in the Lake were determined. Water samples were taken from five stations between April 2013 and March 2014 from Bafa Lake. Sample were analyzed for water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, amonium nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and orthophosphate. From result surface water quality was assessed based on the comparison of samples collected near aquaculture stations. For reference, a sample was taken outside the cultivation area and compared with the Water Pollution Registration Act (WPRA) standards. According to the WPRA, surface water quality of the Lake was classified as level II. At the end of analyses, it was revealed that the area where aquaculture activities were intense showed high rate of polution than the other 3 stations as well as the reference station. The results show that, aquaculture activities on sea bream and sea bass have a negative impact in the entire Bafa Lake.
Human activities, which affect ecosystem dynamics, pose a continuous challenge to individuals and communities trying to survive in arid and semi-arid regions. The development of a method to employ rainwater harvesting (RWH) in the management of agricultural drought in arid and semi-arid regions comprised two phases: (i) detection of agricultural drought in Egypt's El-Beheira governorate using a normalized difference vegetation index differencing technique and (ii) the delineation of RWH locations potentially suitable for the management of agricultural drought in the region using a GIS decision support system (DSS). Temporal vegetation cover analysis showed significant spatio-temporal changes that have occurred in the last 40 years: a general decrease in vegetation cover reflecting a trend towards ecosystem degradation, contrasted by a greening trend in some pockets within the region. Potentially suitable rainwater harvesting areas for agricultural drought management and attendant vegetation recovery were delineated in the region using DSS. The model generated a RWH map with five categories of suitability: excellent, good, moderate, poor and unsuitable. On average, 10.9 % (1104.17 km(2)) and 12 % (1215 km(2)) of the study area was classified as excellent and good for RWH, respectively, while 11.7 % (1185.21 km(2)), 15.4 % (1560 km(2)) and 50 % (5065 km(2)) of the area were classified as moderate, unsuitable and poor, respectively. Most of the areas with excellent to good suitability predominantly lie in areas which faced severe drought between 2010 and 2014. To successfully implement the drought management plan, a number of RWH sites within the excellent areas must be developed.
Cortana, one of the new features introduced by Microsoft in Windows 10 desktop operating systems, is a voice activated personal digital assistant that can be used for searching stuff on device or web, setting up reminders, tracking users' upcoming flights, getting news tailored to users' interests, sending text and emails, and more. Being the platform relatively new, the forensic examination of Cortana has been largely unexplored in the literature. This paper seeks to determine the data remnants of Cortana usage in a Windows 10 personal computer (PC). The research contributes in-depth understanding of the location of evidentiary artifacts on hard disk and the type of information recorded in these artifacts as a result of user activities on Cortana. For decoding and exporting data from one of the databases created by Cortana application, four custom python scripts have been developed. Additionally, as a part of this paper, a GUI tool called CortanaDigger is developed for extracting and listing web search strings, as well as timestamp of search made by a user on Cortana box. Several experiments are conducted to track reminders (based on time, place, and person) and detect anti -forensic attempts like evidence modification and evidence destruction carried out on Cortana artifacts. Finally, forensic usefulness of Cortana artifacts is demonstrated in terms of a Cortana web search timeline constructed over a period of time. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Incremental forming is a new metal forming process which can be used with great success for manufacturing sheet metal parts with very complex shapes, being very suitable as special manufacturing process for the automotive industry. Some knowledge is provided at under-graduate level at manufacturing engineering programmes, but usually it lacks the integrated approach in order to train a specialist for incremental forming. At under-graduate level, special chapters were introduced in some specific courses. The paper presents some details about how the competences required for manufacturing engineers to manage the industrial implementation of the incremental forming process are provided to the students at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu.
Mindful Gnats is a computer game and App that introduces mindfulness and relaxation skills to young people aged nine years and older. In this paper the authors describe their model for using technology to support children with the development of psychological skills. This model combines a computer game to introduce and practice psychological skills played in the presence of an adult, with an App that assists young people as they practise and transfer those skills into their everyday life at home, at school and in the community. The Mindful Gnats computer game comprises a six level 3-D game world and is available on iOS and Windows. The Mindful Gnats App is available for both iOS and Android operating systems. This paper describes the background research that informed the design of Mindful Gnats as well as the specific mindfulness and relaxation contents of the programme. The authors' on-going research to evaluate the effectiveness of Mindful Gnats with regular children and those with clinical difficulties is described, along with the key lessons the authors have learnt from their experience in the design of mental health promoting technology.
Objective: Language barriers are commonly encountered in the prehospital setting but there is a paucity of research on how prehospital providers address language discordance. We sought to identify the communication strategies, and the limitations of those strategies, used by emergency medical services (EMS) providers when confronted with language barriers in a variety of linguistic and cultural contexts. Methods: EMS providers were queried regarding communication strategies to overcome language barriers as part of an international, multi-site, sequential explanatory, qualitative-predominant, mixed methods study of prehospital language barriers. A survey of EMS telecommunicators was administered at dispatch centers in New Mexico (United States) and Western Cape (South Africa). Semi-structured qualitative interviews of EMS field providers were conducted at agencies who respond to calls from participating dispatch centers. Survey data included quantitative data on demographics and communication strategies used to overcome language barriers as well as qualitative free-text responses on the limitations of strategies. Interviews elicited narratives of encounters with language-discordant patients and the strategies used to communicate. Data from the surveys and interviews were integrated at the point of analysis. Results: 125 telecommunicators (overall response rate of 84.5%) and a purposive sample of 27 field providers participated in the study. The characteristics of participants varied between countries and between agencies, consistent with variations in participating agencies' hiring and training practices. Telecommunicators identified 3rd-party telephonic interpreter services as the single most effective strategy when available, but also described time delays and frustration with interpreter communications that leads them to preferentially try other strategies. In the field, all providers reported using similar strategies, relying heavily on bystanders, multilingual coworkers, and nonverbal communication. Prehospital providers described significant limitations to these strategies, including time delays, breaches of patient confidentiality, and inaccurate interpretation. Participants suggested various resources to improve communication with language-discordant patients. Conclusions: Prehospital providers rely upon similar, informal strategies for overcoming language barriers across a variety of locations, provider types, and linguistic and cultural contexts.
How does setting a donation option as the default in a charitable appeal affect people's decisions? In eight studies, comprising 11,508 participants making 2,423 donation decisions in both experimental settings and a largescale natural field experiment, the authors investigate the effect of choiceoption defaults on the donation rate, average donation amount, and the resulting revenue. They find (1) a scale-back effect, in which low defaults reduce average donation amounts; (2) a lower-bar effect, in which defaulting a low amount increases donation rate; and (3) a default-distraction effect, in which introducing any defaults reduces the effect of other cues, such as positive charity information. Contrary to the view that setting defaults will backfire, defaults increased revenue in the field study. However, the findings suggest that defaults can sometimes be a self-canceling intervention, with countervailing effects of default option magnitude on decisions and resulting in no net effect on revenue. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for research on fundraising specifically, for choice architecture and behavioral interventions more generally, and for the use of nudges in policy decisions.
This paper first reviews the potential causality from biomass energy to CO2 emissions and economic development within relevant literature. Later, the paper examines statistically the impacts of biomass energy consumption on CO2 emissions and GDP in the US. To this end, paper observes environmental and economic implications of biomass fuel usage throughout energy literature and launches asymmetric causality test to confirm/disconfirm the literature output. The findings of the tests indicate that biomass energy consumption per capita mitigates CO2 emissions per capita and increases GDP per capita. Eventually, upon its output, this research asserts that biomass energy consumption can be an efficient policy tool for environmentally sustainable development in the US, and, that, hence, biomass production technologies and biomass consumption need to be promoted in other countries as well as in the US. On the other hand, analyses underline the fact that policy makers should consider as well some potential constraints of biomass energy usage such as land use constraints and carbon leakage from biomass production. Therefore, although this paper explores the remedial impact of biomass on environment and growth, one may suggest also that further possible works consider the effects of biomass sources in detail to minimize the some worsening influence of biomass usage on climate change.
This paper presents the design and performance details of the Chevrolet Volt electric propulsion system. The propulsion system has two machines: One machine is operating mostly as a motor while the other machine is operating mostly as a generator. Both machines of the Volt electric drive system are permanent-magnet ac synchronous machine types with the magnets buried inside the rotor. The motor has distributed windings. However, as opposed to a conventional stranded winding, the Chevrolet Volt motor has bar-wound construction to improve the motor performance, particularly in the low to medium speed range. At higher speed, the skin and proximity effects in the stator bars lead to increased stator winding losses but are addressed in the design. The bar-wound construction also has excellent thermal performance, in both the steady-state and transient conditions, necessary for full electric vehicle (EV) driving. The generator uses concentrated windings. The concentrated winding construction has good slot fill and short end-turn length. These features resulted in good performance in the intended operational region and were an enabler for machine packaging inside the transmission. Both the machines exhibit excellent efficiency and exceptionally smooth and quiet operation. The machine design and construction details, as well as the measured thermal, electromagnetic, and acoustic noise performances, are presented in this paper.
Classic evolutionary and social exchange perspectives suggest that some people have more mate value than others because they possess desirable traits (e.g., attractiveness, status) that are intrinsic to the individual. This article broadens mate value in 2 ways to incorporate relational perspectives. First, close relationships research suggests an alternative measure of mate value: whether someone can provide a high quality relationship. Second, person perception research suggests that both trait-based and relationship quality measures of mate value should contain a mixture of target variance (i.e., consensus about targets, the classic conceptualization) and relationship variance (i.e., unique ratings of targets). In Study 1, participants described their personal conceptions of mate value and revealed themes consistent with classic and relational approaches. Study 2 used a social relations model blocked design to assess target and relationship variances in participants' romantic evaluations of opposite-sex classmates at the beginning and end of the semester. In Study 3, a one-with-many design documented target and relationship variances among long-term opposite-sex acquaintances. Results generally revealed more relationship variance than target variance; participants' romantic evaluations were more likely to be unique to a particular person rather than consensual. Furthermore, the relative dominance of relationship to target variance was stronger for relational measures of mate value (i.e., relationship quality projections) than classic trait-based measures (i.e., attractiveness, resources). Finally, consensus decreased as participants got to know one another better, and long-term acquaintances in Study 3 revealed enormous amounts of relationship variance. Implications for the evolutionary, close relationships, and person-perception literatures are discussed.
Hepatitis A virus is a pathogen associated with water pollution. Contaminated drinking water can cause hepatitis A outbreaks, lead to economic losses, and even threaten human lives. It is difficult to detect low levels of hepatitis A virus in water, so the virus must be concentrated in order to quantify it accurately. Here, we present a simple, rapid, efficient technique for the concentration and detection of hepatitis A virus in water. Our data showed that adding phosphate-buffered saline to the water, pre-filtering the water, and adding Trizol reagent directly to the filtration membrane can significantly improve concentration efficiency. Of three types of filtration membranes studied (mixed cellulose ester membrane, polyvinylidene fluoride membrane, and nylon membrane), the concentration efficiency using mixed cellulose ester membrane with a 0.1-mu m pore size was the highest, reaching 92.62 +/- 5.17%. This method was used to concentrate hepatitis A virus in water samples from Donghu Lake. Using SYBR Green real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, the detection sensitivity of this method reached 10(1) copies/mu L and its concentration efficiency reached 79.45 +/- 9.88%.
Hippocampus is innervated by -aminobutyric acid (GABA) projection neurons of the nucleus incertus (NI), including a population expressing the neuropeptide, relaxin-3 (RLN3). In studies aimed at gaining an understanding of the role of RLN3 signaling in hippocampus via its G(i/o)-protein-coupled receptor, RXFP3, we examined the distribution of RLN3-immunoreactive nerve fibres and RXFP3 mRNA-positive neurons in relation to hippocampal GABA neuron populations. RLN3-positive elements were detected in close-apposition with a substantial population of somatostatin (SST)- and GABA-immunoreactive neurons, and a smaller population of parvalbumin- and calretinin-immunoreactive neurons in different hippocampal areas, consistent with the relative distribution patterns of RXFP3 mRNA and these marker transcripts. In light of the functional importance of the dentate gyrus (DG) hilus in learning and memory, and our anatomical data, we examined the possible influence of RLN3/RXFP3 signaling in this region on spatial memory. Using viral-based Cre/LoxP recombination methods and adult mice with a floxed Rxfp3 gene, we deleted Rxfp3 from DG hilar neurons and assessed spatial memory performance and affective behaviors. Following infusions of an AAV((1/2))-Cre-IRES-eGFP vector, Cre expression was observed in DG hilar neurons, including SST-positive cells, and in situ hybridization histochemistry for RXFP3 mRNA confirmed receptor depletion relative to levels in floxed-RXFP3 mice infused with an AAV((1/2))-eGFP (control) vector. RXFP3 depletion within the DG hilus impaired spatial reference memory in an appetitive T-maze task reflected by a reduced percentage of correct choices and increased time to meet criteria, relative to control. In a continuous spontaneous alternation Y-maze task, RXFP3-depleted mice made fewer alternations in the first minute, suggesting impairment of spatial working memory. However, RXFP3-depleted and control mice displayed similar locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior in light/dark box and elevated-plus maze tests, and learning and long-term memory retention in the Morris water maze. These data indicate endogenous RLN3/RXFP3 signaling can modulate hippocampal-dependent spatial reference and working memory via effects on SST interneurons, and further our knowledge of hippocampal cognitive processing. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TNF alpha-stimulated gene-6 (TSG6), a 30-kDa protein generated by activated macrophages, modulates inflammation; however, its mechanism of action and role in the activation of macrophages are not fully understood. Herewe observed markedly augmented LPS-induced inflammatory lung injury and mortality in TSG6(-/-) mice compared with WT (TSG6(+/+)) mice. Treatment of mice with intratracheal instillation of TSG6 prevented LPS-induced lung injury and neutrophil sequestration, and increased survival in mice. We found that TSG6 inhibited the association of TLR4 with MyD88, thereby suppressing NF-kappa B activation. TSG6 also prevented the expression of proinflammatory proteins (iNOS, IL-6, TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, and CXCL1) while increasing the expression of anti-inflammatory proteins (CD206, Chi3l3, IL-4, and IL-10) in macrophages. This shift was associated with suppressed activation of proinflammatory transcription factors STAT1 and STAT3. In addition, we observed that LPS itself up-regulated the expression of TSG6 in TSG6(+/+) mice, suggesting an autocrine role for TSG6 in transitioning macrophages. Thus, TSG6 functions by converting macrophages from a proinflammatory to an anti-inflammatory phenotype secondary to suppression of TLR4/NF-kappa B signaling and STAT1 and STAT3 activation.
To support data intensive cluster computing, it is increasingly important that node virtual memory (VM) systems make effective use of available fast storage devices for swap or temporary file space. Nswap2L is a novel system that transparently manages a heterogeneous set of storage options commonly found in clusters, including node RAM, disk, flash SSD, PCM, or network storage devices. Nswap2L implements a two-level device driver interface. At the top level, it appears to node operating systems (OSs) as a single, fast, random access device that can be added as a swap partition on cluster nodes. It transparently manages the underlying heterogeneous storage devices, including its own implementation of Network RAM, to which swapped out data are stored. It implements data placement, migration, and prefetching policies that choose which underlying physical devices store swapped-out page data. Its policies incorporate information about device capacity, system load, and the strengths of different physical storage media. By moving device-specific knowledge into Nswap2L, VM policies in the OS can be based solely on typical application access patterns and not on characteristics of underlying physical storage media. Nswap2L's policy decisions are abstracted from the OS, freeing the OS from having to implement specialized policies for different combinations of cluster storage Nswap2L requires no changes to the OS's VM system. Results of our benchmark tests show that data-intensive applications perform up to 6 times faster on Nswap2L-enabled clusters, and show that our two-level device driver design adds minimal I/O latency to the underlying devices that Nswap2L manages. In addition, we found that even though Nswap2L's Network RAM is faster than any other backing store, its prefetching policy that distributes data over multiple devices results in increased I/O parallelism and can lead to better performance than swapping only to a single underlying device.
Complex-reluctance bridges are electromagnetic devices that are shown to be able to detect both the angle of strain in steel and changes in the magnitude of applied strain with some sensitivity. Evidence is presented that they can also detect the magnitude of residual strain. Further research is suggested in this area. The residual strain detection technique is simple to use and easy to understand. Two new terms are introduced for complex-reluctance circuits: impermance, to parallel the impedance in alternating current electrical circuits; and reductance, to parallel reactance in alternating current electrical circuits.
A history of ever-smoking appears to be associated with a more severe disease phenotype in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). However, evidence is sparse for the effect of increased smoking exposure on disease outcomes or whether smoking reduction or cessation improves outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore whether a dose-response relationship exists between pack-years and disease activity and functional impairment in axSpA. Consecutive patients meeting ASAS criteria for axial SpA were recruited from a spondyloarthritis service. The associations between pack-years of smoking and: (1) disease activity (BASDAI/ASDAS), (2) spinal pain, (3) functional impairment (BASFI) and (4) inflammatory markers were explored using multivariable linear models, adjusted for age, gender and use of TNF inhibition (TNFi) therapy. Pack-years were categorised into four groups (40) and analysed with light smoking (40, beta = 2.6 (0.54, 3.56)), higher BASFI (21-40, beta = 2.1 (0.42, 4.80); >40, beta = 3.2 (0.76, 5.71)), and higher ASDAS (21-40, beta = 0.82 (0.14, 1.51)). This cross-sectional study demonstrated that smoking is associated with increased axSpA severity markers in a dose-response manner. Particular effort should be made to restrict smoking exposure early before accruing a significant number of pack-years.
The existence of formal water markets in the European context is limited to the Spanish case, despite its rationale being deeply rooted in the economic literature. In Italy, formal water markets are widely criticized and they are not supported by the national legislation. However, due to some specificity, a form of water reallocation exists in a number of rainwater harvesting reservoirs in the North of Italy. The aims of the analysis are the description of such an institutional arrangement and the economic assessment of the reallocation mechanism, including the distribution of its gains. We formulate a semi-empirical mathematical programming model to study the outcomes of different institutional scenarios. The results suggest that the reallocation increases the gross margins of the area, and that the distribution of the gains are in favour of water buyers. Despite its inefficiencies, the institutional arrangement present in the area adds flexibility to a system that is likely to face major changes in the next decades.
Smart homes are pervasive environments to enhance the comfort, the security, the safety and the energy consumption of the residence. An ambient intelligence system uses information of devices to represent the context of the home and its residents. Based on a context database, this system infer the daily life activities of the resident. Hence, abnormal behavior or chronic disease can be detected by the system. Due to the complexity of these systems, a large variety of anomalies may occur and disrupt the functioning of critical and essential applications. To detect anomalies and take appropriate measures, an anomaly management system has to be integrated in the overall architecture. In this paper, we propose an anomaly management framework for smart homes. This framework eases the work of designers in the conception of anomaly detection modules and processes to respond to an anomaly appropriately. Our framework can be used in all heterogeneous environments such as smart home because it uses Semantic Web ontologies to represent anomaly information. Our framework can be useful to detect hardware, software, network, operator and context faults. To test the efficiency of our anomaly management framework, we integrate it in the universAAL middleware. Based on a reasoner, our framework can easily infer some context anomalies and take appropriate measures to restore the system in a full functioning state. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Considering the value of water and the high cost of its acquisition and distribution, goal-oriented utilization of water resources is necessary. One of the problems of water resources development in developing countries is the low-yield use of water in irrigation networks downstream of dams. Despite vast investments on construction of these networks in Iran, enough attention is not paid to the right method of their operation, which guarantees the success in achievement of primary goals of networks' construction. Therefore, most of irrigation networks are operated through experimental methods, without any scientific and planned basis. Considering the complex hydraulics of water conveyance and distribution in open networks as very extensive infrastructures, studying them with the aim of determination of a suitable and reliable operation method is not possible with the physical tests in laboratories or experimental approaches, and the mathematical models must be utilized. In the present study SOBEK hydrodynamic model was employed for provision of a suitable operation method for Doroodzan irrigation network, located downstream of Doroodzan dam in Iran. The best operation scenario, based on water distribution assessment indicators was offered after calibrating the model and vast study of available scenarios. In the present operation method water is distributed in the network with a steady distribution and a fixed discharge, and in the proposed method water is distributed through a continual distribution with variable discharge in each 15 days, to provide the water requirement for the present cropping pattern. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Similar to other renewable energy sources, wind energy is characterized by a low power density. Hence, for wind energy to make considerable contributions to the world's overall energy supply, large wind farms (on- and offshore) consisting of arrays of ever larger wind turbines are being envisioned and built. From a fluid mechanics perspective, wind farms encompass turbulent flow phenomena occurring at many spatial and temporal scales. Of particular interest to understanding mean power extraction and fluctuations in wind farms are the scales ranging from 1 to 10 m that comprise the wakes behind individual wind turbines, to motions reaching 100 m to kilometers in scale, inherently associated with the atmospheric boundary layer. In this review, we summarize current understanding of these flow phenomena (particularly mean and second-order statistics) through field studies, wind tunnel experiments, large-eddy simulations, and analytical modeling, emphasizing the most relevant features for wind farm design and operation.
HIV in the central nervous system (CNS) mainly infects microglial cells which are known to express toll-like receptors (TLRs). This paper aimed to study the role of soluble TLR2 (sTLR2), sTLR4, and other inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in HIV/Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-related neurological sequelae. We determined sTLR2 and sTLR4 levels in CSF and serum/plasma of SIV-infected rhesus macaques with and without neurological sequelae, as well as in HIV-infected patients with and without cognitive impairments and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and matched controls. CSF cytokines and chemokines levels were analyzed in macaques as markers of neuroinflammation, while neopterin and S100B CSF concentrations were measured in HIV-infected patients as microglial and astrocyte marker, respectively. We found detectable levels of sTLR2 and sTLR4 in CSF of macaques and humans. Furthermore, CSF sTLR2 and sTLR4 concentrations were higher in SIV-infected macaques with neurological sequelae compared to those without neurological complications (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.0006, respectively). CSF IL-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were elevated in macaques with neurological sequelae, and a positive correlation was found between CSF levels of sTLR2/4 and IL-8 and MCP-1. Also in humans, elevated CSF sTLR4 levels were found in HIV-infected patients with cognitive impairments compared to HIV-infected patients with normal cognition (p = 0.019). Unlike CSF S100B levels, neopterin correlated positively with sTLR2 and sTLR4. No difference was found in plasma and CSF sTLR2 and sTLR4 levels between AD patients and control subjects (p = 0.26). In conclusion, CSF sTLR2 and sTLR4 may play a role in HIV/SIV-related neuroinflammation and subsequent neuropathology.
AimTo test whether an incentive-based intervention that increased adherence to naltrexone also increased opiate abstinence. DesignPost-hoc combined analysis of three earlier randomized controlled trials that showed individually that incentives for adherence to oral and to extended-release injection naltrexone dosing schedules increased naltrexone adherence, but not opiate abstinence. SettingOut-patient therapeutic work-place in Baltimore, MD, USA. ParticipantsOne hundred and forty unemployed heroin-dependent adults participating from 2006 to 2010. InterventionsParticipants were hired in a model work-place for 26weeks and randomized to a contingency (n=72) or prescription (n=68) group. Both groups were offered naltrexone. Contingency participants were required to take scheduled doses of naltrexone in order to work and earn wages. Prescription participants could earn wages independent of naltrexone adherence. MeasuresThrice-weekly and monthly urine samples tested for opiates and cocaine and measures of naltrexone adherence (percentage of monthly urine samples positive for naltrexone or percentage of scheduled injections received). All analyses included pre-randomization attendance, opiate use and cocaine use as covariates. Additional analyses controlled for cocaine use and naltrexone adherence during the intervention. FindingsContingency participants had more opiate abstinence than prescription participants (68.1 versus 52.9% opiate-negative thrice-weekly urine samples, respectively; and 71.9 versus 61.7% opiate-negative monthly urine samples, respectively) based on initial analyses [thrice-weekly samples, odds ratio (OR)=3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.7-6.5, P<0.01; monthly samples, OR=2.6, 95% CI=1.0-7.1, P=0.06] and on analyses that controlled for cocaine use (thrice-weekly samples, OR=3.9, 95% CI=3.3-4.5, P<0.01; monthly samples, OR=3.4, 95% CI=1.1-11.1, P=0.04), which was high and associated with opiate use. The difference in opiate abstinence rates between contingency and prescription participants was reduced when controlling for naltrexone adherence (monthly samples, OR=1.1, 95% CI=0.7-1.7, P=0.84). ConclusionsIncentives for naltrexone adherence increase opiate abstinence in heroin-dependent adults, an effect that appears to be due to increased naltrexone adherence produced by the incentives.
Background: Craniovertebral junction is a complex anatomical location posing unique challenges to the surgical management of its pathologies. We aimed to identify the fifty most-cited articles that are dedicated to this field. Methods: A keyword search using the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge was conducted to identify articles relevant to the field of craniovertebral junction surgery. The articles were reviewed based on title, abstract, and methods, if necessary, and then ranked based on the total number of citations to identify the fifty most-cited articles. Characteristics of the articles were determined and analyzed. Results: The earliest top-cited article was published in 1948. When stratified by decade, 1990s was the most productive with 16 articles. The most-cited article was by Anderson and Dalonzo on a classification of odontoid fractures. By citation rate, the most-cited article was by Herms and Melcher who described Goel's technique of atlantoaxial fixation using C1 lateral mass screws and C2 pedicle screws with rod fixation. Atlantoaxial fixation was the most common topic. The United States, Barrow Neurological Institute, and VH Sonntag were the most represented country, institute, and author, respectively. The significant majority of articles were designed as case series providing level IV evidence. Conclusion: Using citation analysis, we have provided a list of the most-cited articles representing important contributions of various authors from many institutions across the world to the field of craniovertebral junction surgery.
Background: Etanercept was highly recommended for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), as its efficacy has been confirmed in AS, while genetic polymorphisms, by affecting drug metabolism or drug receptor, lead to interindividual variability in drug disposition and efficacy. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether ABCB1 gene polymorphisms can predict therapeutic response to etanercept in patients with AS. Methods: A total of 185 patients with AS in our hospital were recruited into our study from December 2012 to May 2015. The frequency distributions of genotype and allele of rs2032582, rs1128503, and rs1045642 were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and electrophoresis verification enzyme products method. AS patients received etanercept treatment for 12 weeks, followed by this would be evaluated by the bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI) score improvement and the assessment of spondyloArthritis international society 20/50/70 (ASAS20/50/70) score improvements to explore the relationship between genotype of ABCB1 gene polymorphisms and therapeutic response to etanercept in patients with AS. Results: After 12 weeks, the BASDAI score mean improvement value of rs2032582 A/A genotype was 2.87 +/- 0.52. The ratios of patients with rs2032582 A/A genotype reaching the BASDAI50 and ASAS20 evaluation criteria were 64.29% and 92.86%, respectively. The results indicated that efficacy of etanercept was promoted in rs2032582 A/A genotype. The BASDAI score mean improvement value of rs1128503 C/C genotype was 2.79 +/- 0.54 after 12 weeks. The ratios of patients with rs1128503 C/C genotype reaching the BASDAI50 and ASAS20 evaluation criteria were 66.67% and 93.94%, respectively. The results indicated that efficacy of etanercept was promoted in rs1128503 C/C genotype. However, no significant associations were observed between rs1045642 and therapeutic response to etanercept in AS patients. Conclusion: ABCB1 gene rs2032582 and rs1128503 polymorphisms may be associated with the efficacy of etanercept in AS patients. ABCB1 gene polymorphisms can act as biological indicators of etanercept efficacy. Abbreviations: AS = Ankylosing spondylitis, BASDAI = Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, CRP = C-reactive protein, ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate, PCR = Polymerase chain reactions, SNP = Single nucleotide polymorphism.
In the event that a contaminant is introduced to a water distribution system, utility managers must respond quickly to protect public health. Mitigation strategies specify response actions, such as warning consumers to reduce water activities using the news media and flushing contaminated water at hydrants. The performance of alternative response actions may be influenced by sociotechnical dynamics, as consumer reactions to contaminant exposure and information about the event can change water demands, hydraulics, propagation of a contaminant plume, and public health consequences. This research develops a modeling framework to test and evaluate mitigation decisions that a utility manager may take to protect public health over a wide range of contamination events. An agent-based modeling framework is developed to integrate social behaviors with technical artifacts in a sociotechnical model to evaluate the public health consequences of a water event. Social actors, including consumers and utility managers, are represented as agents and are coupled with a water distribution network model and a news media model to evaluate the performance of response strategies. Strategies for flushing hydrants are encoded as decision trees that specify the location and timing of hydrant flushing, based on the activation of water-quality sensors. The agent-based model is described using the Overview, Design, and Details protocol and is demonstrated for a virtual midsized municipality, Mesopolis. Results compare the effectiveness of flushing hydrants using cautious and adaptive response strategies and the use of the news media to disseminate warning messages. The framework can be applied for cities to evaluate alternative management strategies. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of two-stage classification strategies in detecting north Atlantic right whale upcalls. Time-frequency measurements of data from passive acoustic monitoring devices are evaluated as images. Vocalization spectrograms are preprocessed for noise reduction and tone removal. First stage of the algorithm eliminates non-upcalls by an energy detection algorithm. In the second stage, two sets of features are extracted from the remaining signals using contour-based.and texture based methods. The former is based on-extraction of time-frequency features from upcall contours, and the latter employs a Local Binary Pattern operator to extract distinguishing texture features of the upcalls. Subsequently evaluation phase is carried out by using several classifiers to assess the effectiveness of both the contour-based and texture-based features for upcall detection. Comparing ROC curves of machine learning algorithms obtained from Cornell University's dataset reveals that LBP features improved performance accuracy up to 43% over time-frequency features. Classifiers such as the Linear Discriminant Analysis, Support Vector Machine, and TreeBagger achieve highest upcall detection rates with LBP features.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The finite element software is used to analyze the dynamics of the three dimensional numerical control laser cutting machine. Method for analysis of dynamic structure using the modal analysis of the main moving parts, driving beam and on this basis, from the angles of kinematics and dynamics of the whole equipment stress, strain and displacement and stiffness of the system analysis and research, for cutting machine design and provide a theoretical basis for structural optimization.
The aim is to formulate a paradigm which is capable of reflecting the most innovative practices in delivering Tele-Medicare to patients, specifically focusing on rural and remote parts of a region. Tele health Therapy is not a practice area but a service delivery model that surpasses practice areas and improves access to occupational medical therapy services. The work presents an e-Medicare service (Tele Health Therapy) which is capable of providing immediate and appropriate treatment at the early stages of the medical emergencies. The urge of providing health services instantly, on demand, encourages researchers to formulate a system which can draw the health graph of the patient on the foundation of gathered parameters and compare it with ideal graph formulated on the basis of health form filled by the patient and with immediate relief graph. Tele Health Therapy attempts to deliver initial treatment with the help of diffusion of mobile technology, fuzzy database and ambient intelligence. Tele health Therapy diagnoses the person, in near real time and prescribes the initial level of medication comforting the patient in recovering to the stable state till the actual medical-aid can reach them. Tele-Health Therapy addresses the apprehension: If there is anything the person is not sure about its health, then they should take the opportunity to ask any questions and raise any concerns they may have.
Abundance and seasonal trophodynamics (specific growth rate, daily production, and grazing mortality) of the major picophytoplankton components, Synechococcus cyanobacteria (Syn) and picoeukaryotes (Pico-E), were studied at three stations in Sevastopol Bay and adjacent coastal waters (the Black Sea) in 2014 by flow cytometry and the dilution method. Pico-E abundance was shown to increase along the nutrient and pollution gradient from the coastal waters outside the bay (annual average of 7.3 +/- 5.4 x 10(3) cells mL(-1)) to the eastern corner of the bay (28.7 +/- 11.4 x 10(3) cells mL(-1)), while no relation was found between the water pollution status and Syn abundance (9.9 +/- 8.7 x 10(3) cells mL(-1); at all the stations, n = 27). Matter flows through the communities (daily production for Syn and Pico-E 0(-1)6.6 and 0(-1)9.3 A mu g C L-1 day(-1), respectively; grazing mortality for Syn and PicoE 0-3.6 and 0-21.2 A mu g C L-1 day(-1), respectively) were comparable to or even exceeded their biomass stocks (>0.05-6.8 and 0.9-26.5 A mu g C L-1 for Syn and PicoE, respectively), indicating high biomass turnover rates. The highest flow-to-stock ratio (up to 6 for Syn) and a significant imbalance between daily production (P) and grazing mortality (G) were observed in the most polluted and eutrophic waters of the bay in spring (Pico-E: P/G1). Black River inflow to the bay was hypothesized to be among the mechanisms maintaining this pronounced and long-term imbalance in the open system without any negative consequences for the picophytoplankton assemblages.
Ambient assisted living (AAL) technologies can provide assistance and support to persons with dementia. They might allow them the possibility of living at home for longer whilst maintaining their comfort and security as well as offering a way towards reducing the huge economic and personal costs forecast as the incidence of dementia increases worldwide over coming decades. However, the development, introduction and use of AAL technologies also trigger serious ethical issues. This paper is a systematic literature review of the on-going scholarly debate about these issues. More specifically, we look at the ethical issues involved in research and development, clinical experimentation, and clinical application of AAL technologies for people with dementia and related stakeholders. In the discussion we focus on: (1) the value of the goals of AAL technologies, (2) the special vulnerability of persons with dementia in their private homes, (3) the complex question of informed consent for the usage of AAL technologies.
Context The urban heat island (UHI) affects both biogeochemical cycles and human society. Previous studies of UHI indicate urban expansion and local land-cover change can lead to higher temperatures in cities compared to the adjacent countryside. Few studies have examined the joint effects of city- and local-scale factors on urban warming, and their relative importance. Objectives We examined the overall impact of urbanization on urban warming from 1983 to 2011 in Beijing, investigated how city size and the proportion of local developed land jointly influenced the air temperature, and quantified their relative importance over time. Methods We compared temperature trends between urban and reference stations and conducted linear regressions to evaluate the city- and local-scale influences, based on meteorological data and remote sensing data. Results Urbanization significantly influenced trends of the air temperature, especially in summer. Trends of the mean temperature caused by urbanization was 0.3-0.4 A degrees C decade(-1) yearly and 0.4-0.6 A degrees C decade(-1) in summer. The increase of city size and the proportion of local developed land both contributed to urban warming, but their relative importance changed over time and varied seasonally. The local-scale factor played a vital role for the air temperature when the city size was relatively small, and were more important in summer when there was more greenspace at the local scale. However, the city-scale factor may cause stronger heat stress in summer, if there was less greenspace locally. When the city size was very large, the city-scale factor became the only significant factor affecting the air temperature. Conclusion When a city is relatively small, optimizing the composition or configuration of the local land cover could effectively alleviate UHI effects. However, when the city is already large, a more effective way is to control additional sprawl.
Due to the increase in elderly population, research in healthcare monitoring and ambient assisted living technology is crucial to provide improved care and at the same time contain the healthcare cost. Among existing systems, there is none robust system that can act as a bridge between different systems to facilitate knowledge sharing, so as to empower the detection and prediction capabilities of them. These systems cannot use the data and knowledge of other similar systems due to the complexity involved in sharing data between them. Storing the information is also a challenge due to a high volume of sensor data generated by each sensor. The proposed HEAL model is a platform that provides services to developers to leverage the previously processed similar data and the corresponding detected symptoms. The proposed architecture is cloud-based and provides services for input sensors, Internet of Things devices, and context providers. The ultimate goal of the system is to fill the gap between symptoms and diagnosis trend data in order to predict health anomalies accurately and quickly.
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the major complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is associated with high mortality in severe cases. The skin is one of the major organs affected in both acute and chronic GVHD. This review aims to elucidate the basic characteristics of GVHD, and the role and contribution of dermatologists in the care of patients with this condition.
Most of the previously proposed schemes use temporary identities for mobile users to provide unlinkable anonymous authentication for mobile users to the satellite network control center (NCC), where the temporary identities are picked at random after each session and agreed between a mobile user U and the NCC for the next session. Although such schemes provide full anonymity and are computationally efficient, the common problem with such strategies is that an adversary is able to desynchronize the temporary identity shared between U and NCC by means of simple jamming attack at a certain round in the authentication protocol. It results in the denial of all future sessions unless U re-registers a new identity at the NCC. In this paper, we propose a new authentication scheme for mobile satellite networks. We avoid using synchronized temporary identities, which are always vulnerable to desynchronization attacks. We also avoid multi-round authentication phase in order to reduce the jamming effect. Instead, a mobile user is able to create a new blinded version of his clear identity for each established session noninteractively, allowing him to anonymously authenticate himself to NCC in a fully unlinkable fashion. Moreover, in few milliseconds and one move non-interactive way, U is able to establish a session key with NCC in a fully anonymous and authenticated way. Our new scheme uses recent advances in elliptic curve cryptography, and hence, it is efficient for implementation on mobile devices with limited resources. Through the rigorous security analysis using the broadly accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham logic, informal security analysis, and the simulation for formal security verification using the widely known automated validation of Internet security protocols and sapplications tool, we show that our scheme is secure against various known attacks. (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Large amounts of coffee residues are generated from coffee processing plants in Ethiopia. These residues are toxic and possess serious environmental problems following the direct discharge into the nearby water bodies which cause serious environmental and health problems. This study was aimed to quantify wet coffee processing waste and estimate its bio-ethanol production. The study showed that the wastes are potential environmental problems and cause water pollution due to high organic component and acidic nature. The waste was hydrolyzed by dilute H2SO4 (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 M) and distilled water. Total sugar content of the sample was determined titrimetrically and refractometry. Maximum value (90%) was obtained from hydrolysis by 0.4 M H2SO4. Ethanol production was monitored by gas chromatography. The optimum yield of ethanol (78%) was obtained from the sample hydrolyzed by 0.4 M H2SO4 for 1 h at hydrolysis temperature of 100 degrees C and after fermentation for 24 h and initial pH of 4.5. Based on the data, it was concluded that reuse of the main coffee industry wastes is of significant importance from environmental and economical view points. In conclusion, this study has proposed to utilize the wet coffee processing waste to produce bio-ethanol which provides the alternative energy source from waste biomass and solves the environmental waste disposal as well as human health problem.
Seepage plays an important role in soil erosion in contour ridge systems. Seepage generated from subsurface flow causes hillslope instability by reducing the soil shear strength and mobilizing soil particles and can produce cavelike features called seepage undercuts that can lead to contour failure. As the main threat to contour plowing, seepage results in large amounts of soil erosion due to row grade. Models used to predict seepage over a time series will provide a basis for modeling soil erosion resulting from seepage in contour ridging systems. Understanding seepage and its effects will advance our knowledge regarding seepage erosion mechanisms in contour ridge systems. In this study, 23 treatments were arranged using an orthogonal rotatable central composite design to model a seepage time series, build a simple seepage prediction model and investigate the effects of row grade, field slope and ridge height on seepage discharge. Most of the seepage discharge time series followed an S-shaped curve. The seepage discharge processes were fit by an exponential model with a determination coefficients (R-2) greater than 0.995. Furthermore, the physical meaning of the exponential model was consistent with the experimental results. The seepage discharge continuously increased before the inflection point and then decreased. Finally, the seepage discharge approached a steady value. The maximum seepage discharge growth rate was achieved within 14 min, and the seepage discharge became steady within 106 min. Second-order polynomial regression models were used to determine the total and predicted steady seepage discharge using independent variables of row grade, field slope and ridge height, which produced R-2 values of 0.66 (p < 0.05) and 0.68 (p < 0.05), respectively. Ridge height and row grade significantly affected (p < 0.05) the total and predicted steady seepage discharge. Field slope (and its related factors) was ignored because it had no significant effects on seepage discharge. The effects of row grade resulted in a concave curve with an increasing factor value, and ridge height exerted a positive linear effect on seepage discharge. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Monitoring cues, such as an image of a face or pair of eyes, have been found to increase prosocial behaviour in several studies. However, other studies have found little or no support for this effect. Here, we examined whether monitoring cues affect online donations to charity while manipulating the emotion displayed, the number of watchers and the cue type. We also include as statistical controls a range of likely covariates of prosocial behaviour. Using the crowdsourcing Internet marketplace, Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), 1535 participants completed our survey and were given the opportunity to donate to charity while being shown an image prime. None of the monitoring primes we tested had a significant effect on charitable giving. By contrast, the control variables of culture, age, sex and previous charity giving frequency did predict donations. This work supports the importance of cultural differences and enduring individual differences in prosocial behaviour and shows that a range of artificial monitoring cues do not reliably boost online charity donation on MTurk.
Alzheimer's disease patients display neuropathological lesions, including the accumulation of amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide and neurofibrillary tangles. Although the mechanisms causing the neurodegenerative process are largely unknown, increasing evidence highlights a critical role of immunity in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we investigated the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) on Alzheimer's disease progression. First, we explored the effect of Tregs (CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells) and Teffs (CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells) in an adoptive transfer model. Systemic transplantation of purified Tregs into 3xTg-AD mice improved cognitive function and reduced deposition of A beta plaques. In contrast, adoptive transfer of Teffs diminished behavioral function and cytokine production. Next, we transiently depleted Treg population using an anti-CD25 antibody (PC61). Depletion of Tregs for four months resulted in a marked aggravation of the spatial learning deficits of six-month-old 3xTg-AD mice. Additionally, it resulted in decreasing glucose metabolism, as assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) with F-18-2 fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([F-18] FDG) neuroimaging. Importantly, the deposition of A beta plaques and microglia/macrophage was increased in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions of the Treg depleted 3xTg-AD compared to the vehicle-treated 3xTg-AD group. Our finding suggested that systemic Treg administration ameliorates disease progression and could be an effective Alzheimer's disease treatment.
Nowadays, thermoelectric (TE) materials have gained considerable attention due to their unique ability to directly convert waste heat to electricity and vice versa. For a long time, researchers have mainly focused on developing high-performance inorganic TE materials, e.g., Bi-Te, Pb-Te, and Si-Ge based alloys, etc. However, inorganic TE materials have various disadvantages, such as high-cost, heavy metal contamination, as well as relatively poor processability, etc. Compared to inorganic TE materials, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) has great potential to be used for TE materials, due to its low thermal conductivity, low-cost, and low-density, etc. Therefore, more and more attention has been focused on the preparation and TE properties of PEDOT and PEDOT based nanocomposites, especially one-dimensional (1-D) PEDOT and 1-D PEDOT based nanocomposites, due to 1-D nanostructures always have enhanced TE properties. This article presents an overview of the synthesis of PEDOT nanoparticles, 1-D PEDOT nanostructures and their corresponding nanocomposites, as well as TE properties. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background-The effects of lifestyle risk factors considered collectively on the human metabolism are to date unknown. We aim to investigate the association of these risk factors with metabolites and their changes during 4 years. Methods and Results-One hundred and sixty-three metabolites were measured in serum samples with the AbsoluteIDQ kit p150 (Biocrates) following a targeted metabolomics approach, in a population-based cohort of 1030 individuals, aged 45 to 83 years at baseline. We evaluated associations between metabolite concentrations (28 acylcarnitines, 14 amino acids, 9 lysophosphocholines, 72 phosphocholines, 10 sphingomyelins and sum of hexoses) and 5 lifestyle risk factors (body mass index [BMI], alcohol consumption, smoking, diet, and exercise). Multilevel or simple linear regression modeling adjusted for relevant covariates was used for the evaluation of cross-sectional or longitudinal associations, respectively; multiple testing correction was based on false discovery rate. BMI, alcohol consumption, and smoking were associated with lipid metabolism (reduced lyso-and acyl-alkyl-phosphatidylcholines and increased diacylphosphatidylcholines concentrations). Smoking showed positive associations with acylcarnitines, and BMI correlated inversely with nonessential amino acids. Fewer metabolites showed relative changes that were associated with baseline risk factors: increases in 5 different acyl-alkyl phosphatidylcholines were associated with lower alcohol consumption and BMI and with a healthier diet. Increased levels of tyrosine were associated with BMI. Sex-specific effects of smoking and BMI were found specifically related to acylcarnitine metabolism: in women higher BMI and in men more pack-years were associated with increases in acylcarnitines. Conclusions-This study showed sex-specific effects of lifestyle risks factors on human metabolism and highlighted their long-term metabolic consequences.
Pixel-level image fusion has been applied in a variety of applications, including multi-modal medical imaging, remote sensing, industrial inspection, video surveillance, and night vision etc. Various algorithms are being proposed for numerous applications which requires a comprehensive method of assessment to discern which methods provide decision support. Currently, the validation or assessment of newly proposed algorithms is done either subjectively or objectively. A subjective assessment is costly and affected by a number of factors that are difficult to control. On the other hand, an objective assessment is carried out with a fusion performance metric which is defined to evaluate the effectiveness and/or efficiency of the fusion operation. There are a number of fusion metrics proposed for fusion processes taking different perspectives. Most image fusion research presents a comparison of the proposed and existing fusion algorithms with selected fusion metric(s) over multiple image data sets. The proposed algorithm advantage is justified by the relative difference with the best or better metric values. However, the statistical significance of such difference is unknown leading to a misperception of the quantitative differences between methods. This paper proposes the use of non-parametric statistical analysis for comparisons of fusion algorithms along with the Image fusion Toolbox Employing Significance Testing (ImTEST). Strategies to use different tests in varied scenarios are presented and recommended. ExperimentS with recently published algorithms demonstrate the necessity to adopt the statistical comparison to establish a baseline for image fusion research. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: The introduction of anti-tumor necrosis factor a (anti-TNF alpha) drugs has improved the clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, these drugs may cause adverse effects that motivate a change in or discontinuation of the treatment. Objective: To evaluate the causes of discontinuation or changes in the dosage regimen in a cohort of patients with RA and AS treated with infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept, and golimumab under clinical practice conditions. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study that included patients with RA or AS treated with anti-TNF alpha drugs between 2008 and 2013. Changes in the dosage regimen, reasons for treatment discontinuation, and adverse effects were recorded and analyzed. Time to discontinuation was estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: A total of 123 patients with RA and 93 patients with AS were treated with anti-TNF alpha therapy. During the study, 55.3% of RA patients and 41.7% of AS patients had stopped the treatment. The most frequent changes were modifications in the dosing, and the most frequent adverse effects were reactions after the infusion or injection (53.8% and 66.7% in RA and AS, respectively). Drug survival of etanercept in RA (67.9%) was greater than for adalimumab and infliximab, whereas drug survival of infliximab in AS (70.0%) was greater than for etanercept and adalimumab at 5 years, although there were no significant differences (P = 0.098 in RA and 0.194 in AS). Conclusions: The main cause of discontinuation of anti- TNF alpha is therapeutic failure in both diseases. Etanercept and infliximab had the best survival rates in RA and AS, respectively.
Background-Circulating levels of chemerin are significantly higher in hypertensive patients and positively correlate with blood pressure. Chemerin activates chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1 or ChemR23) and is proposed to activate the orphan G protein-coupled receptor 1 (GPR1), which has been linked with hypertension. Our aim was to localize chemerin. CMKLR1, and GPR1 in the human vasculature and determine whether 1 or both of these receptors mediate vasoconstriction. Methods and Results-Using immunohistochemistry and molecular biology in conduit arteries and veins and resistance vessels, we localized chemerin to endothelium, smooth muscle, and adventitia and found that CMKLR1 and GPR1 were widely expressed in smooth muscle. C9 (chemerin149-157) contracted human saphenous vein (pD(2)=7.30 +/- 0.31) and resistance arteries (pD(2)=7.05 +/- 0.54) and increased blood pressure in rats by 9.1 +/- 1.0 mm Hg at 200 nmol. Crucially, these in vitro and in vivo vascular actions were blocked by CCX832, which we confirmed to be highly selective for CMKLR1 over GPR1. C9 inhibited cAMP accumulation in human aortic smooth muscle cells and preconstricted rat aorta, consistent with the observed vasoconstrictor action. Downstream signaling was explored further and, compared to chemerin. C9 showed a bias factor=approximate to 5000 for the Gi protein pathway, suggesting that CMKLR1 exhibits biased agonism. Conclusions-Our data suggest that chemerin acts at CMKLR1, but not GPR1, to increase blood pressure. Chemerin has an established detrimental role in metabolic syndrome, and these direct vascular actions may contribute to hypertension, an additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study provides proof of principle for the therapeutic potential of selective CMKLR1 antagonists.
Purpose: Leadership has been identified as a key variable for the functioning of teams and as one of the main reasons for success or failure of team-based work systems. Pediatricians often function as team leaders in the resuscitation of a critically ill child. However, pediatric residents often report having little opportunity to perform in the role of team leader during residency. In order to gain more insight into leadership skills and behaviors, we classified leadership styles of pediatric residents during simulated emergencies. Methods: We conducted a prospective quantitative study to investigate leadership styles used by pediatric residents during simulated emergencies with clinical deterioration of a child at a pediatric ward. Using videotaped scenarios of 48 simulated critical events among 12 residents, we were able to classify verbal and nonverbal communication into different leadership styles according to the situational leadership theory. Results: The coaching style (mean 54.5%, SD 7.8) is the most frequently applied by residents, followed by the directing style (mean 35.6%, SD 4.1). This pattern conforms to the task-and role-related requirements in our scenarios and it also conforms to the concept of situational leadership. We did not find any significant differences in leadership style according to the postgraduate year or scenario content. Conclusion: The model used in this pilot study helps us to gain a better understanding of the development of effective leadership behavior and supports the applicability of situational leadership theory in training leadership skills during residency.
School absenteeism is a significant social and public health problem. However, existing prevalence rates are often not representative due to biased assessment processes at schools. The present study assessed school absenteeism in Germany using a nationwide online self-report survey. Although our definition of school absenteeism was more conservative than in previous studies, nearly 9 % of the 1359 high school students reported school absenteeism within the past 7 days. Absent students lived less often with both parents, were on average of lower socioeconomic status, and reported more emotional problems, behavioral problems and less prosocial behavior than attending students. Being an indicator of a wide variety of problems in children and adolescents, school absenteeism deserves much more attention. Future directions for research and implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed.
This paper uses data from an attendance award program implemented at one of five industrial laundry plants to show the complex costs of corporate awards previously ignored in the literature. We show that although the attendance award had direct, positive effects on employees who previously had punctuality problems, it also led to strategic gaming behavior centered on the specific eligibility criteria for the award. The award program temporarily changed behavior in award-eligible workers but did not habituate improved attendance. Furthermore, we show that the extrinsic reward from the award program crowded out the internal motivation of those employees who had previously demonstrated excellent attendance, generating worse punctuality during periods of ineligibility. Most novelly, we show that the attendance award program also crowded out internal motivation and performance in tasks not included in the award program. Workers with above average pre-program attendance lost 8% efficiency in daily laundry tasks after the program's introduction. We argue that these motivational spillovers result from the perceived inequity of internally motivated workers' previously unrewarded superior attendance contributions. Our paper suggests that even purely symbolic awards can generate gaming and crowding out costs that may spill over to other important tasks.
This essay reinterprets Frank Norris's novel McTeague: A Story of San Francisco (1899) as a depiction of the annihilating effects of entropy on human and material systems. Focusing on McTeague's lengthy and underanalyzed conclusion, in which McTeague flees into the heart of Death Valley, I argue that Norris's descriptions of the desert identify an irresistible and destructive force guiding the disintegration of individuals, relationships, and ultimately the Earth itself. Drawing. on the record of cultural anxieties surrounding the laws of thermodynamics in the nineteenth century, the essay demonstrates how McTeague exemplifies an apocalyptic posthumanism with implications far more disruptive to human exceptionalism than those of traditional biological determinism. The essay also interprets social, biological, and material systems in the novel as attempting, unsuccessfully, to resist entropic decline by channeling and diversifying forces through systems resembling electrical circuits. In this context, gold is read as the current or currency subtending California's economic and social worlds, but also that which drives them to greater and greater states of entropic disorder and eventual collapse.
Background: The density of a host population is a key parameter underlying disease transmission, but it also has implications for the expression of disease through its effect on host physiology. In response to higher densities, individuals are predicted to either increase their immune investment in response to the elevated risk of parasitism, or conversely to decrease their immune capacity as a consequence of the stress of a crowded environment. However, an individual's health is shaped by many different factors, including their genetic background, current environmental conditions, and maternal effects. Indeed, population density is often sensed through the presence of info-chemicals in the environment, which may influence a host's interaction with parasites, and also those of its offspring. All of which may alter the expression of disease, and potentially uncouple the presumed link between changes in host density and disease outcomes. Results: In this study, we used the water flea Daphnia magna and its obligate bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa, to investigate how signals of high host density impact on host-parasite interactions over two consecutive generations. We found that the chemical signals from crowded treatments induced phenotypic changes in both the parental and offspring generations. In the absence of a pathogen, life-history changes were genotype-specific, but consistent across generations, even when the signal of density was removed. In contrast, the influence of density on infected animals depended on the trait and generation of exposure. When directly exposed to signals of high-density, host genotypes responded differently in how they minimised the severity of disease. Yet, in the subsequent generation, the influence of density was rarely genotype-specific and instead related to ability of the host to minimise the onset of infection. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that population level correlations between host density and infection capture only part of the complex relationship between crowding and the severity of disease. We suggest that besides its role in horizontal transmission, signals of density can influence parasite epidemiology by modifying mechanisms of resistance across multiple generations, and elevating variability via genotype-by-environment interactions. Our results help resolve why some studies are able to find a positive correlation between high density and resistance, while others uncover a negative correlation, or even no direct relationship at all.
Adolescent poverty is associated with increased antisocial and decreased prosocial behaviors. Attenuating these negative effects is relevant for both individual and societal well-being. Research exploring how youth in poverty can escape antisocial behaviors and move toward prosocial behaviors has been limited primarily to risk factors. From a strengths perspective, we sought to understand how a potential resiliency factor-purpose in life-could protect youngsters from the deleterious effects of poverty. We conceptualized purpose in life as a central, future-oriented, goal-organizing framework that provides adolescents reasons to resist antisocial behavior and engage in prosocial behaviors. In moderation analyses, purpose in life mitigated the effects of poverty on antisocial behavior (i.e., disobedience and bullying), but failed to boost prosocial traits and behaviors for youth in poverty. We emphasize the importance of developing a sense of purpose in economically disadvantaged youth for bettering their lives and communities.
Wadi El Rayan is located in the African Sahara ecoregion of the Palearctic eco-zone, the world's largest hot desert. The total area of Wadi El Rayan is 1759km(2). The objective of the present study is to enrich the knowledge on the vegetation cover along the shores of Wadi El Rayan lakes and to identify the different threats, underlying causes and recommended solutions for the conservation of natural vegetation cover in Wadi El Rayan Protected Area (WRPA). Based on field surveys, we found that current pressures of human activities on natural vegetation include overgrazing, irresponsible tourism, land encroachment, water pollution, water over-use, fire, and habitat change and destruction. The reduction of water levels due to decreased water incoming is considered the main threat facing ecosystems and biodiversity in the lakes area. We found that the perimeter of the lower lake has decreased from 48.6km(2) in 2007 to 34.09km(2) in 2013 (a loss of 29.8 % of the total lake area), due to lake decreased water level. The most underlying causes of vegetation loss in the study area were found to be the lack of awareness, weak law enforcement, lack of suitable strategies, weak financial support and lack of stakeholders' cooperation. Survey results show that vegetation cover in the area of the connecting channel and northeastern of the lower lake represents the highest impacted area by human pressures compared to other locations. Moreover, the role of WRPA is important in achieving good cooperation between governmental authorities, local community, and owners of different economic activities and in finding new ways to improve potential future cooperation with other stakeholders. We also provide some suggested activities for conserving vegetation cover in WRPA.
Application of fuzzy rule interpolation (FRI) has been escalating for making intelligent systems viable in many areas. However, requirements of such systems may change over time and the supporting static rule base may not be able to provide accurate interpolation results in the long run. Dynamic fuzzy rule interpolation (D-FRI) is one of the potential solutions for this problem, a such has been developed in the last few years to fulfil the requirements of dynamic and pertinent rule bases for intelligent systems. Nevertheless, applications of the proposed D-FRI approach need further investigation. One potential application is for network security that is one of the biggest concerns of any organisation irrespective of their size and nature of business. Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are considered as one of the most popular and effective security tools for generating alerts to systems or network administrators to inform possible or existing threats. A standard IDS may not be very effective or even unsuitable for an organisational or individual's requirements. This paper presents an application of D-FRI for building an effective IDS. In this implementation, the most popular open source IDS, Snort is used and the resultant intelligent IDS is named D-FRI-Snort. Experimental analysis shows that the integration of D-FRI with the IDS Snort provides an additional level of intelligence to predict the level/sensitivity of possible threats. It also provides a dynamic rule base by promoting new rules based on the current network traffic conditions, which helps Snort to reduce both false positives and false negatives.
Nursing clinics in rheumatology (NCR) are organizational care models that provide care centred within the scope of nurses abilities. To analyse patients differences in the knowledge of the disease, adherence to the treatment, quality indicators of the Rheumatology Departments included quality perceived by the patients with and without NCR. National multicenter observational prospective cohort study 1 year follow-up, comparing patients attending rheumatology services with and without NCR. NCR was defined by the presence of: (1) office itself; (2) at least one dedicated nurse; (3) its own appointment schedule, and (4) phone. Variables included were (baseline and 12 months) Batalla, Haynes-Sackett, Morisky-Green and quality perceived tests. In addition, another specific questionnaire was drawn up to collect the healthcare, teaching and research activities of each Rheumatology Department. A total of 393 patients were included; 181 NCR and 212 not NCR, corresponding to 39 units, 21 with NCR and 18 without NCR (age 53 +/- 11.8 vs 56 +/- 13.5 years). Significant differences in favour of the NCR group were found in Haynes-Sackett (p = 0.033) and Morisky-Green (p = 0.03) tests in the basal visit. Significant differences were found in questions about the courtesy and/or kindness received by the nurse, being good or very good in greater proportion in the NCR group. The publications from the last 5 years were significantly higher in the NCR group in both, national (p = 0.04) and international (p = 0.03) journals. A higher research activity and quality perceived by the patients are observed in the Rheumatology Departments with NCR.
The quest for high-performance flexible circuits call for scaling of the minimum feature size in thin-film transistors (TFTs). Although reduced channel lengths can guarantee an improvement in the electrical properties of the devices, proper design rules also play a crucial role to minimize parasitics when designing fast circuits. In this letter, systematic computer-aided design simulations have guided the fabrication of high-performance flexible operational amplifiers (opamps) and logic circuits based on indium-gallium-zinc-oxide TFTs. In particular, the performance improvements due to the use of an additional third metal layer for the interconnections have been estimated for the first time. Encouraged by the simulated enhancements resulting by the decreased parasitic resistances and capacitances, both TFTs and circuits have been realized on a free-standing 50-mu m-thick polymide foil using three metal layers. Despite the thicker layer stack, the TFTs have shown mechanical stability down to 5-mm bending radii. Moreover, the opamps and the logic circuits have yielded improved electrical performance with respect to the architecture with two metal layers: gain-bandwidth-product increased by 16.9%, for the first one, and propagation delay (t(pd)) decreased by 43%, for the latter one.
The frequency transformation methods like fast fourier transform algorithms can be competently used in realization of discrete fourier transforms over Galois field, which have broad applications in network security and digital communication in error correcting codes. The cyclotomic fast fourier transform (CFFT) is a type of fast fourier transform algorithm over finite fields This method utilizes the benefit of cyclic decomposition. The cyclotomic breakdown of input data is used to reduce the number of operations which can be equally exploited to get a set by set treatment of the input sequence. Common subexpression elimination (CSE) is an useful optimization process to solve the multiple constant multiplication problems. In this paper, common subexpression elimination algorithm for cyclotomic fast fourier transform over fixed field 23 is designed. Using CSE algorithm, we reduce the additive complexities of cyclotomic fast fourier transform. The design of CSE is to spot regular patterns that are present in expressions more than once and replace them with a single variable. Using above method every regular pattern calculates only once, thus minimizing the area of CFFT architecture required in VLSI implementation.
IDS Internet worms, a great threat to network security can spread quickly via networks. Many worms can also easily propagate via removable devices, which have become a key method for such worms to stealthily invade those computers not connected to the Internet. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the dynamic behavior and containment strategy of such worms. By theoretical analysis and experiments, we found that the traditional constant quarantine strategy has a quite high demand on initial immunization rate, which is difficult to achieve in a real network environments. Thus, a pulse quarantine strategy is proposed to make up the deficiency of constant quarantine. Pulse quarantine adopts a hybrid intrusion detection system (IDS) integrating both misuse and anomaly IDS. By analyzing the systems' stability at infection-free equilibrium, a basic reproduction number is determined. If basic reproduction number is less than one, system will be stable, which is beneficial for us to predict worm propagation and implement containment strategy; otherwise, the system will lose its stability and worm propagation is out of control. Numerical analysis is given to illustrate our theory. Finally, simulation experiments are presented to simulate the worm propagation; the results fully demonstrate the correctness of our theoretical analysis.
Laboratory experiments were conducted in a large-scale meandering compound channel to investigate the flow patterns at the apex and cross-over sections. An equation in curvilinear co-ordinates was derived from the momentum equation and the flow continuity equation. In this equation, two shear stress terms are ignored due to their negligible contributions such that simple expressions are obtained. Several groups of experimental data from the published literature were used to verify this model. Comparison of the experimental and predictive results indicates that the proposed method is capable of accurately forecasting the stage discharge in meandering compound channels. Finally, the simple analytical solution of this model and the velocity parameter are further discussed.
Water stress is a major cause of tree mortality. In response to drought, leaves wilt due to an increase in petiole flexibility. We present an analytical model coupling petiole mechanics, thermal balance, and xylem hydraulics to investigate the role of petiole flexibility in protecting a tree from water stress. Our model suggests that turgidity-dependent petiole flexibility can significantly attenuate the minimal xylem pressure and thus reduce the risk of cavitation. Moreover, we show that petiole flexibility increases water use efficiency by trees under water stress. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Alginate hydrogels are combined with soy protein isolate (SPI), a plant derived protein with low immunogenicity, appropriate biodegradability and low cost, to produce biocompatible films, and microcapsules. The cell-material interaction is assessed through the use of mouse embryotic fibroblast cells (MEF cells) on films, and the results illustrate that the alginate/SPI hydrogel films support cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation. Cell biology results combined with degradation studies suggest that such hydrogels are promising biomaterials for soft tissue regeneration or as wound dressing materials. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44358.
The popularity of mobile devices has been steadily growing in recent years. These devices heavily depend on software from the underlying operating systems to the applications they run. Prior research showed that mobile software is different than traditional, large software systems. However, to date most of our research has been conducted on traditional software systems. Very little work has focused on the issues that mobile developers face. Therefore, in this paper, we use data from the popular online Q&A site, Stack Overflow, and analyze 13,232,821 posts to examine what mobile developers ask about. We employ Latent Dirichlet allocation-based topic models to help us summarize the mobile-related questions. Our findings show that developers are asking about app distribution, mobile APIs, data management, sensors and context, mobile tools, and user interface development. We also determine what popular mobile-related issues are the most difficult, explore platform specific issues, and investigate the types (e.g., what, how, or why) of questions mobile developers ask. Our findings help highlight the challenges facing mobile developers that require more attention from the software engineering research and development communities in the future and establish a novel approach for analyzing questions asked on Q&A forums.
This article presents an account of the effectiveness of implementing eco initiatives to recycle water and food waste in selected Cape Town hotels as well as whether these initiatives would be a successful future endeavour to pursue. It suggests corporate travel policies demand travellers to seek out environmentally friendly hotels. The research strategy gathers facts relevant to the theory of the article. Therefore, it employs a multi-strategy research approach as it was effective to corroborate the findings from both quantitative and qualitative data. Case studies, questionnaires and interviews were utilised and the article shows that earthworm farms convert organic food waste into usable compost and reduces the production of waste. Rainwater harvesting further stores captured rainwater for future use and serves as an alternative source of surface water. The findings show a positive response from hotel staff towards implementing these initiatives which suggests it would be a successful future endeavour. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Oxidative stress is involved in many neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Punicalagin (PC) is a hydrolysable polyphenol derived from Punica granatum and a potent antioxidant. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of PC on glutamate-induced oxidative stress was evaluated in the mouse hippocampal cell line, HT22. PC treatment protected HT22 cells from glutamate-induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner, potentially attenuated glutamate-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restored the mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Metabolic alterations after glutamate-induced oxidative stress and the protective effect of PC were evaluated with HPLC and GC-MS profiling methods with multivariate statistical analyses. Alterations in ten metabolites were identified, including amino acids, aspartic acid, asparagine, threonine, anserine, cysteine, tryptophan, lysine, as well as fatty acids palmitic acid, stearic acid, and palmitoleic acid. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed the involvement of multiple affected pathways, such as cysteine and methionine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate and fatty acid oxidation. These results clearly demonstrate that PC is a promising therapeutic agent for oxidative stress-associated diseases.
Background: The objective of this research was to develop a caregiver-reported clinical outcome assessment (COA) measure designed to assess observable behaviors of children, ages 4 to 12 years, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for supporting labeling claims of treatment benefit. Methods: Development of the measure included a review of the literature and existing instruments, conceptual disease model development, concept elicitation focus groups, item generation, and cognitive debriefing interviews. Results: Predominant characteristics and behaviors of ASD identified by the literature and instrument reviews included sociability, communication deficits, stereotypy, inattention and hyperactivity, irritability, anxiety, and familial impact. In each of the 10 instruments reviewed, evidence of content validity was limited or nonexistent. Predominant themes arose across 8 major categories during concept elicitation. A total of 27 concepts were identified through focus group feedback and formed the basis for item development and cognitive pre-testing. Revisions to the items yielded a final version of a daily diary containing 21 items assessing observable behaviors and characteristics of ASD in children 4 to 12 years old. Conclusions: The Observable Behaviors of ASD Scale (OBAS) was developed as a self-administered, caregiver-reported measure containing 8 predominant themes. Items are scored on one of two 5-point ordinal categorical response scales, and the recall period for each item is the past 24 hours. This research provides evidence that the OBAS is content valid for assessing treatment benefit, which was found to be lacking in other instruments.
Differences in people's beliefs can substantially impact their interpretation of a series of events. In this functional MRI study, we manipulated subjects' beliefs, leading two groups of subjects to interpret the same narrative in different ways. We found that responses in higher-order brain areas-including the default-mode network, language areas, and subsets of the mirror neuron system-tended to be similar among people who shared the same interpretation, but different from those of people with an opposing interpretation. Furthermore, the difference in neural responses between the two groups at each moment was correlated with the magnitude of the difference in the interpretation of the narrative. This study demonstrates that brain responses to the same event tend to cluster together among people who share the same views.
The present study investigated whether gender differences in death attitudes could be attributable to social desirability, locus of control, and disgust sensitivity. A total of 238 university students completed the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale and the Revised Death Attitude Profile in addition to measures of social desirability, locus of control, and disgust sensitivity. Women scored higher than men on many of the fear dimensions and also on approach and escape acceptance. There were no gender differences on locus of control or social desirability, but women reported more disgust sensitivity than did men. Locus of control was unrelated to any death attitudes. Social desirability was associated only with less reported fear of premature death. Disgust sensitivity was associated with all death attitudes except neutral acceptance. Some but not all of the gender differences in death attitudes were no longer significant when controlling for disgust sensitivity.
Frequent human activity and rapid urbanization have led to an assortment of environmental issues. Monitoring land-cover change is critical to efficient environmental management and urban planning. The current study had two objectives. The first was to compare pixel-based random forest (RF) and decision tree (DT) classifier methods and a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm both in pixel-based and object-based approaches for classification of land-cover in a heterogeneous landscape for 2010. The second was to examine spatio-temporal land-cover change over the last two decades (1990-2010) using Landsat data. This study found that the object-based SVM classifier is the most accurate with an overall classification accuracy of 93.54% and a kappa value of 0.88. A post-classification change detection algorithm was used to determine the trend of change between land-cover classes. The most significant change from 1990 to 2010 was caused by the expansion of built-up areas. In addition to the net changes, the rate of annual change for each phenomenon was calculated to obtain a better understanding of the process of change. Between 1990 and 2010, an average of 4.53% of lands turned to the built-up annually and there was an annual decrease of about 0.81% in natural land. If the current trend of change continues, regardless of the actions of sustainable development, drastic declines in natural areas will ensue. The results of this study can be a valuable baseline for land-cover managers in the region to better understand the current situation and adopt appropriate strategies for management of land-cover.
This paper argues that implicit self-stereotyping is moderated by the potential for social evaluation in that situation. It was hypothesized that implicit self-stereotyping is facilitated when social cues (i.e., gaze cues) signal social evaluation. This study examined whether gaze cues affected implicit self-stereotyping related to gender stereotypes regarding math competence. A pilot study demonstrated that just a presentation of direct-gaze cues (vs. averted-gaze cues) signaled social evaluation and social norms. The main study revealed that gender differences in math identity were more prominent under direct-gaze cues, relative to averted-gaze cues. Women showed more negative math identity than men did when they were exposed to direct-gaze cues, but not when exposed to averted-gaze cues. Moreover, these effects were particularly prominent among women with stronger implicit math-gender stereotypes and female identity. These findings improve our understanding of how and when implicit self-stereotyping occurs in social situations.
The corrosion and odor caused by hydrogen sulfide formation are serious problems in sewer operations, and the cost to prevent these problems is high. Understanding the sulfur cycle mechanism and controlling the sulfur cycle in sediment biofilm are essential to solve these problems. In this review, the reaction mechanisms of the sulfur cycle in sediment biofilm in sewer systems revealed by using in situ microelectrode measurements and molecular biological technologies are summarized. The results indicated that the profile of the reaction process of the sulfur cycle in sediment biofilm was primarily affected by the substrate concentration change in the liquid phase and the various substrate penetrations in sediment biofilm. The biological community's distribution and shifting of sulfate reduction bacteria and sulfide oxidation bacteria across the sediment biofilm were in response to the substrate change of the microenvironment in sediment biofilm. The influence of flow fluctuation on the profile of the sulfur cycle in the sediment biofilm of field sewers, the advantageous biological techniques of pyrosequencing and metagenome analyses combined with novel in situ microelectrode measurements, and the new concept model-related control technology of the sulfur cycle in sediment biofilm should be promoted in future studies.
In photogrammetry, remote sensing, computer vision and robotics, a topic of major interest is represented by the automatic analysis of 3D point cloud data. This task often relies on the use of geometric features amongst which particularly the ones derived from the eigenvalues of the 3D structure tensor (e.g. the three dimensionality features of linearity, planarity and sphericity) have proven to be descriptive and are therefore commonly involved for classification tasks. Although these geometric features are meanwhile considered as standard, very little attention has been paid to their accuracy and robustness. In this paper, we hence focus on the influence of discretization and noise on the most commonly used geometric features. More specifically, we investigate the accuracy and robustness of the eigenvalues of the 3D structure tensor and also of the features derived from these eigenvalues. Thereby, we provide both analytical and numerical considerations which clearly reveal that certain features are more susceptible to discretization and noise whereas others are more robust. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Egyptian aquaculture is gaining importance as an affordable and nutritious source of animal protein among Egyptians. Nile tilapia dominates production (77% of total production), followed by carps (17%) and mullets (11%). Egyptian tilapia farmers are, however, facing challenges with regards to financial viability and poor water quality. Fish farms are also contributing towards water pollution and other environmental impacts. In order to improve the situation, WorldFish launched the IEIDEAS project in 2011 with the ambition to train farmers in best management practices (BMP) and distribute the 9th generation of the Abbassa strain (G9). The present study aimed at evaluating any relative environmental gains that BMP and G9 offers compared to conventional farming using life cycle assessment (LCA). Inventory data representing 137 farmers and four groups (control, BMP, G9 and BMP + G9) were evaluated. Life cycle impact assessment results including quantitative uncertainties were then calculated and statistically tested, using Monte Carlo analysis and Wilcoxon paired significance test. Five impact categories were explored: global warming, eutrophication, acidification, freshwater consumption and land use. The G9 stain offered the greatest improvements across the evaluated impact categories, significantly reducing environmental impacts with between 12% and 36%. BMP, in the meantime, only offered significant improvements compared to the control with regards to eutrophication, acidification, freshwater consumption and land use. Meanwhile, BMP + G9 performed comparably to only G9 except for eutrophication where it had a significantly larger environmental footprint. More efficient feed utilization and higher productivity were the main reasons for the environmental improvements. Additional improvements that should be explored include improved feeds made of sustainably sourced raw materials, and better pond water management, including probiotics and paddle-wheels. Statement of relevance: BMP and improved stains help reduce environmental impacts (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Generally speaking, hydraulic control systems can be divided into two different driving concepts. The first one is the well-known valve-controlled system and the second one is the pump-controlled system. The former possesses the feature of fast dynamic response. However, the poor energy-saving performance is its major fault. On the contrary, the pump-controlled hydraulic system has the significant advantage of energy-saving which meets the current demand in modern machine design. In this paper, the simulation analysis using Matlab/Simulink and DSHplus for a newly developed energy-saving hydraulic tube bender is conducted. Instead of the conventional fixed displacement hydraulic pump, the new hydraulic tube bender utilizes an internal gear pump with AC servomotor as its driving power source. In the new energy-saving hydraulic circuit, the use of conventional pressure relief valve is no longer necessary since the demanded flow-rate and pressure output can be precisely obtained by continuously changing the speed of the AC servomotor. In addition, from the simulation results, it is shown that the energy-saving performance of load-sensing control scheme is somewhat better than that of constant pressure control scheme. Furthermore, the simulation results also show that the newly developed hydraulic tube bender can save up to 40 % of energy consumption in a working cycle as compared to the conventional hydraulic tube bender. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
Introduction: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology and dementia early in life. Blood biomarkers of AD neuropathology would be valuable, as non-AD intellectual disabilities of DS and AD dementia overlap clinically. We hypothesized that elevations of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides and phosphorylated-tau in neuronal exosomes may document preclinical AD. Methods: AD neuropathogenic proteins A beta(1-42), P-T181-tau, and P-S396-tau were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in extracts of neuronal exosomes purified from blood of individuals with DS and age-matched controls. Results: Neuronal exosome levels of A beta(1-42), P-T181-tau, and P-S396-tau were significantly elevated in individuals with DS compared with age-matched controls at all ages beginning in childhood. No significant gender differences were observed. Discussion: These early increases in A beta(1-42), P-T181-tau, and P-S396-tau in individuals with DS may provide a basis for early intervention as targeted treatments become available. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association.
Evolutionary biology is undergirded by an extensive and impressive set of mathematical models. Yet only one result, Fisher's theorem about selection and fitness, is generally accorded the status of a fundamental theorem. I argue that although its fundamental status is justified by its simplicity and scope, there are additional results that seem similarly fundamental. I suggest that the most fundamental theorem of evolution is the Price equation, both because of its simplicity and broad scope and because it can be used to derive four other familiar results that are similarly fundamental: Fisher's average-excess equation, Robertson's secondary theorem of natural selection, the breeder's equation, and Fisher's fundamental theorem. These derivations clarify both the relationships behind these results and their assumptions. Slightly less fundamental results include those for multivariate evolution and social selection. A key feature of fundamental theorems is that they have great simplicity and scope, which are often achieved by sacrificing perfect accuracy. Quantitative genetics has been more productive of fundamental theorems than population genetics, probably because its empirical focus on unknown genotypes freed it from the tyranny of detail and allowed it to focus on general issues.
Purpose of review One of the most important challenges in the intestinal ( ITx) and multivisceral transplant ( MVTx) is to achieve a successful abdominal wall closure. Recent findings A tension-free primary closure should be our aim. In most of the cases, we need to perform a component separation technique, alone or combined, to the use of a synthetic mesh. If those options are not feasible, the abdominal wall composite vascularized allograft transplant ( AW-CVA) utilizing direct orthotopic vascularization can be considered. The nonvascularized abdominal rectus fascia has also become an alternative method used worldwide, proving to be simple and well tolerated procedure. Furthermore, the use of the AW has been recently proposed as a new tool for a sentinel monitoring of the intestinal or pancreas allograft. Summary There are different validated options for abdominal wall closure following intestinal transplantation. The long-term benefits of transplanting the abdominal wall, full or partial thickness and vascularized or nonvascularised, were shown. New developments might help to expand their applications in different areas such as reconstructive surgery and immunology.
Resonant poles of LCL filters may challenge the entire system stability especially in digital-controlled pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters. In order to tackle the resonance issues, many active damping solutions have been reported. For instance, a notch filter can be employed to damp the resonance, where the notch frequency should be aligned exactly to the resonant frequency of the LCL filter. However, parameter variations of the LCL filter as well as the time delay appearing in digital control systems will induce resonance drifting, and thus break this alignment, possibly deteriorating the original damping. In this paper, the effectiveness of the notch filter-based active damping is first explored, considering the drifts of the resonant frequency. It is revealed that when the resonant frequency drifts away from its nominal value, the phase lead or lag introduced by the notch filter may make itself fail to damp the resonance. Specifically, the phase lag can make the current control stable despite of the resonant frequency drifting, when the grid current is fed back. In contrast, in the case of an inverter current feedback control, the influence of the phase lead or lag on the active damping is dependent on the actual resonant frequency. Accordingly, in this paper, the notch frequency is designed away from the nominal resonant frequency to tolerate the resonance drifting, being the proposed robust active damping. Simulations and experiments performed on a 2.2-kW three-phase grid-connected PWM inverter verify the effectiveness of the proposed design for robust active damping using digital notch filters.
Predicting, protein structure from sequence remains a major open problem in protein biochemistry. One component of predicting complete structures is the prediction of inter-residue contact patterns (contact maps). Here, we discuss protein contact map prediction by machine learning. We describe a novel method for contact map prediction that uses the evolution of logic circuits. These logic circuits operate on feature data and output whether or not two amino acids in a protein are in contact or not. We show that such a method is feasible, and in addition that evolution allows the logic circuits to be trained on the dataset in an unbiased manner so that it can be used in both contact map prediction and the selection of relevant features in a dataset.
The present paper proposes a novel cluster-basedmethod, named as agglomerative concentric hypersphere (ACH), to detect structural damage in engineering structures. Continuous structural monitoring systems often require unsupervised approaches to automatically infer the health condition of a structure. However, when a structure is under linear and nonlinear effects caused by environmental and operational variability, data normalization procedures are also required to overcome these effects. The proposed approach aims, through a straightforward clustering procedure, to discover automatically the optimal number of clusters, representing the main state conditions of a structural system. Three initialization procedures are introduced to evaluate the impact of deterministic and stochastic initializations on the performance of this approach. The ACH is compared to state-of-the-art approaches, based on Gaussian mixture models and Mahalanobis squared distance, on standard data sets from a post-tensioned bridge located in Switzerland: the Z-24 Bridge. The proposed approach demonstrates more efficiency in modeling the normal condition of the structure and its corresponding main clusters. Furthermore, it reveals a better classification performance than the alternative ones in terms of false-positive and false-negative indications of damage, demonstrating a promising applicability in real world structural health monitoring scenarios.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electricity security, generally referring to a system's capability to provide electricity to its users, is a multi-faceted problem attracting mounting attention from policy makers and scientists around the world. Electricity security encompasses largely different properties based upon the time/geographical scales of the factors affecting electricity delivery; it is challenged by threats surfacing in spheres far beyond the physical one; it involves a myriad of stakeholders spanning manifold disciplines and with considerably different expectations from the electricity commodity or services; it can be studied as a complicated techno-economic problem or as a complex socio-economic problem. All the above reasons, in a framework of changing European Union (EU) and global energy scenarios, render electricity security ever more challenging to assess and critical to safeguard. Against this background, this work presents recommendations to bring science and policy making closer towards evaluating and handling EU electricity security. More in detail, this is done by: Characterising electricity security via features at the cross-roads of policy and science. Reviewing the electricity security modelling and assessment approaches across sectors. Proposing elements for a novel electricity security decision-analytic framework for the EU. Contextualising the proposed framework in EU's Energy Union grid design initiatives.
As a driven accelerator, the CYCIAE-100 cyclotron is designed by China Institute of Atomic Energy for the Beijing Radio Ion-beam Facility project. The cyclotron RF system is designed to use two RF power sources of 100 kW to drive two half-wavelength cavities respectively. Two Dee accelerating electrodes are kept separately from each other inside the cyclotron, while their accelerating voltages are maintained in phase by the efforts of LLRF control. An analog-digital hybrid LLRF system has been developed to achieve cavity tuning control, dee voltage amplitude and phase stabilization etc. The analog subsystems designs are focused on RF signal up/down conversion, tuning control, and dee voltage regulation. The digital system provides an RF signal source, aligns the cavity phases and maintains a Finite State Machine. The digital parts combine with the analog functions to provide the LLRF control. A brief system hardware introduction will be given in this paper, followed by the review of several major characteristics of the digital control in the 100 MeV cyclotron LLRF system. The commissioning is also introduced, and most of the optimization during the process was done by changing the digital parts. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Representation and reasoning about context information is a main research area in Ambient Intelligence (AmI). Context modeling in such applications is facing openness and heterogeneity. To tackle such problems, we argue that usage of semantic web technologies is a promising direction. We introduce CONSERT, an approach for context meta-modeling offering a consistent and uniform means for working with domain knowledge, as well as constraints and meta-properties thereof. We provide a formalization of the model and detail its innovative implementation using techniques from the semantic web community such as ontology modeling and SPARQL. A stepwise example of modeling a commonly encountered AmI scenario showcases the expressiveness of our approach. Finally, the architecture of the representation and reasoning engine for CONSERT is presented and evaluated in terms of performance. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Altruistic behavior varies considerably across people and decision contexts. The relevant computational and motivational mechanisms that underlie its heterogeneity, however, are poorly understood. Using a charitable giving task together with multivariate decoding techniques, we identified three distinct psychological mechanisms underlying altruistic decision-making (empathy, perspective taking, and attentional reorienting) and linked them to dissociable neural computations. Neural responses in the anterior insula (AI) (but not temporoparietal junction [TPJ]) encoded trial-wise empathy for beneficiaries, whereas the TPJ (but not AI) predicted the degree of perspective taking. Importantly, the relative influence of both socio-cognitive processes differed across individuals: participants whose donation behavior was heavily influenced by affective empathy exhibited higher predictive accuracies for generosity in AI, whereas those who strongly relied on cognitive perspective taking showed improved predictions of generous donations in TPJ. Furthermore, subject-specific contributions of both processes for donations were reflected in participants' empathy and perspective taking responses in a separate fMRI task (EmpaToM), suggesting that process-specific inputs into altruistic choices may reflect participants' general propensity to either empathize or mentalize. Finally, using independent attention task data, we identified shared neural codes for attentional reorienting and generous donations in the posterior superior temporal sulcus, suggesting that domain-general attention shifts also contribute to generous behavior (but not in TPJ or AI). Overall, our findings demonstrate highly specific roles of AI for affective empathy and TPJ for cognitive perspective taking as precursors of prosocial behavior and suggest that these discrete routes of social cognition differentially drive intraindividual and interindividual differences in altruistic behavior.
Currently, an interest in electric vehicles (EVs) exhibited by automakers, government agencies and customers make it as more attractive research. This is due to carbon dioxide emitted by conventional combustion engine that worsens the greenhouse effect nowadays. Since electric motors are the core of EVs, it is a pressing need for researchers to develop advanced electric motors. As one of the candidates, switched flux machine (SFM) is initiated in order to cope with the requirement. This paper proposes a new alternate circumferential and radial flux (A1CiRaF) of permanent magnet switched flux machines (PMSFM) for light weight electric vehicles. Firstly, AlCiRaF PMSFM is compared with the conventional PMSFM based on some design restrictions and specifications. Then the design refinements techniques are conducted by using deterministic optimization method in order to improve preliminary performance of machine. Finally the optimized machine design has achieved maximum torque and power of 47.43 Nm and 12.85 kW, respectively, slightly better than that of conventional PMSFM.
In this paper, parasitic resistance and capacitance of lateral nanowire field effect transistor (NWFET) are studied in detail. Parasitic components of NWFET are modeled and extracted using 3D Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation tool. From the extraction results, extension length was turned out to be dominant factor determining intrinsic gate delay. Not only single nanowire-FET but also trench contact structure of 3-stacked nanowire-FET is also investigated in view of parasitic constituents. Based on the extracted parasitic resistance and capacitance, optimal source/drain extension length is obtained considering two parasitic components which have inverse trend with change of extension length.
Mental health problems and parental anxiety in children with epilepsy were investigated. Parents of 83 children with epilepsy and 172 healthy children were asked to complete Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for their children and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for themselves. In those with epilepsy, 39.8% (n: 33) were girls, 60.2% (n: 50) were boys and their mean age was 9.34 +/- 3.99 years. Control group was more successful in school (p<0.001). Emotional problems score in children with epilepsy was higher than control group (p<0.001). Case group's behavior problems and attention deficit hyperactivity scores were higher (p<0.001, p=0.009 respectively). Prosocial behavior scores of the control group were significantly higher (p=0.004). State (p=0.001) and trait (p=0.001) anxiety levels of parents of children with epilepsy were higher. Children with epilepsy have more neuro-behavioral problems; and their parents have greater anxiety levels. Physicians should be in contact with children with epilepsy for the psychological health of the family besides seizure control.
Hydraulic structure undermining attributable to scour can cause structural damage or collapse. Experiments were performed in a laboratory channel on scour downstream of a stilling basin of a low-head spillway to ascertain the feasibility of air injection for scour reduction, an idea that has not been previously attempted. Various hydraulic flow conditions without air injection indicate that the condition of stilling basin water elevation lower than the spillway crest, under high headwater-to-tailwater depth ratio, results in the deepest scour. Over 120 experiments were performed to determine the optimal parameters for scour reduction by air injection. It was found that optimal scour-reducing conditions consist of (1) air injection at an air-to-water velocity ratio of 251, (2) vertical air injection at the same elevation as the stilling basin exit point, (3) using diffuser hole diameters corresponding to a ratio of air-to-water velocity equal to 251 spanning the entire width of the stilling basin, and (4) a diffuser hole spacing 0.04 times the diffuser width. Scour can thus be reduced by approximately 59% near the structure. Air compressors and diffuser pipe diameter and hole sizes corresponding to these conditions would be required in prototype installations. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
In this paper a new single-phase flux reversal machine design with the increased power-to-weight ratio is described. A technique of electromagnetic calculation based on solving magnetostatic problems is developed for this construction.
Introduction: This article gives an overview of the drug metabolism and disposition (ADME) characteristics of the most common non-rodent species used in toxicity testing of drugs (minipigs, dogs, and monkeys) and compares these to human characteristics with regard to enzymes mediating the metabolism of drugs and the transport proteins which contribute to the absorption, distribution and excretion of drugs. Methods: Literature on ADME and regulatory guidelines of relevance in drug development of small molecules has been gathered. Results: Non-human primates (monkeys) are the species that is closest to humans in terms of genetic homology. Dogs have an advantage due to the ready availability of comprehensive background data for toxicological safety assessment and dogs are easy to handle. Pigs have been used less than dogs and monkeys as a model in safety assessment of drug candidates. However, when a drug candidate is metabolised by aldehyde oxidase (AOX1), N-acetyltransferases (NAT1 and NAT2) or cytochrome (CYP2C9-like) enzymes which are not expressed in dogs, but are present in pigs, this species may be a better choice than dogs, provided that adequate exposure can be obtained in pigs. Conversely, pigsmight not be the right choice if sulfation, involving 3-phosphoadenosyl-5-phosphosulphate sulphotransferase (PAPS) is an important pathway in the human metabolism of a drug candidate. Discussion: In general, the species selection should be based on comparison between in vitro studies with human cell-based systems and animal-cell-based systems. Results from pharmacokinetic studies are also important for decision-making by establishing the obtainable exposure level in the species. Access to genetically humanized mouse models and highly sensitive analytical methods (accelerator mass spectrometry) makes it possible to improve the chance of finding all metabolites relevant for humans before clinical trials have been initiated and, if necessary, to include another animal species before long term toxicity studies are initiated. In conclusion, safety testing can be optimized by applying knowledge about species ADME differences and utilising advanced analytical techniques. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction. Plum cultivars exhibit differences in their fruit quality; however, very little is known about the changes in fruit growth and quality of plum cultivars maturing in different seasons. This study was conducted to contribute to a better understanding of the fruit growth and ripening behavior of Japanese plum (Prunus silicina Lindl.) varieties according to their maturing season. Materials and methods. Three Japanese plum cultivars were studied: early- ['Black Amber' (BA)], mid-['Amber Jewel' (AJ)] and late-season ['Angelino' (AG)] maturing. The increase in fruit weight and diameter was determined from days after full bloom (DAFB) to harvest, whilst changes in fruit pulp, skin and seed dry weights, fruit firmness, soluble solid contents (SSC), and titratable acidity (TA) were studied during days after stone hardening (DASH). Ethylene production, respiration rate, activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) enzymes, fruit firmness, fruit color, SSC, TA, ascorbic acid, total antioxidant and carotenoid contents were determined at alternate days during fruit ripening. Results and discussion. All plum cultivars exhibited three distinct phases of fruit growth and development in the DAFB. The AG fruit exhibited the longest duration of phase-III, about 64 days and 12 days more, as compared with BA and AJ fruits, respectively. Fruit skin dry weight (%) was higher for AG fruit, whilst, AJ and BA fruits exhibited the highest increase in seed and pulp dry weight (%) during DASH. The BA and AJ fruits showed climacteric fruit ripening with a sharp rise in ACS and ACO enzymes; whereas AG fruit showed suppressed climacteric ripening. During the fruit ripening period AG fruit remained more firm with higher SSC, and SCC: TA ratio as compared with BA and AJ fruits. The level of ascorbic acid (24.8 mg 100 g(-1)) was higher in AG fruit. Whilst, total carotenoids (0.66 mg 100 g(-1)) and total antioxidants (215 mu mol Trolox 100 g(-1)) were higher in AJ and BA fruit respectively. Conclusion. The physico-chemical changes during fruit ripening vary with cultivar and are associated with the level of endogenous ethylene production. Japanese plum cultivars exhibit varying levels of SSC, SSC: TA ratio, levels of individual and total antioxidants of their ripe fruits.
Does liking a brand on Facebook cause a person to view it more favorably? Or is liking simply a symptom of being fond of a brand? The authors disentangle these possibilities and find evidence for the latter: brand attitudes and purchasing are predicted by consumers' preexisting fondness for brands, and these are the same regardless of when and whether consumers like brands on social media. In addition, we explore possible second-order effects by examining whether liking brands might cause consumers' friends to view that brand more favorably. When consumers see that a friend has liked a brand, they are less likely to buy the brand relative to when they learn that a friend genuinely likes the brand in the offline sense, which is a more meaningful social endorsement. Taken together, five experiments and two meta-analyses (N >14,000) suggest that turning liking into improved brand attitudes and increased purchasing by consumers and their friends may require more than just the click of a button.
Aim: We previously reported a protective effect of maternal omega-3 fatty acid supplements on the development of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-associated disease in infancy. This study assessed omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in maternal milk in relation to omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation and the development of allergic disease in their infants. Methods: This study randomised 95 pregnant women at risk of having an allergic infant, to daily supplements of 2.6 g omega-3 LCPUFA or a placebo of 2.7 g soya bean oil from gestational week 25 until 3 months of lactation. Breast milk samples were collected as colostrum, at one and 3 months. Milk fatty acids were related to allergic outcome in the infants at 24 months. Results: Omega-3 milk fatty acids were higher in women who received omega-3 supplements than the placebo group (p < 0.01). Higher proportions of milk eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and a lower arachidonic/ eicosapentaenoic acid ratio were associated with an absence of IgE-associated disease in the infants. None of the children developed IgE-associated atopic eczema above a level of 0.83 mol% eicosapentaenoic acid in colostrum. [Correction added on 7 July 2016, after online publication: In the preceding sentence, the correct word should be  above instead of  below and this has been amended in this current version.] Conclusion: High omega-3 LCPUFA milk levels in mothers who received omega-3 LCPUFA supplements were related to fewer allergies in their children.
Although a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the  aging parameter is not systematically considered in preclinical validation of anti-AD drugs. To explore how aging affects neuronal reactivity to anti-AD agents, the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) eassociated pathway was chosen as a model. Comparison of the neuroprotective properties of CNTF in 6-and 18-month old mice revealed that CNTF resistance in the older animals is associated with the exclusion of the CNTF-receptor subunits from rafts and their subsequent dispersion to non-raft cortical membrane domains. This age-dependent membrane remodeling prevented both the formation of active CNTF-receptor complexes and the activation of prosurvival STAT3 and ERK1/2 pathways, demonstrating that age-altered membranes impaired the reactivity of potential therapeutic targets. CNTF-receptor distribution and CNTF signaling responses were improved in older mice receiving dietary docosahexaenoic acid, with CNTF-receptor functionality being similar to those of younger mice, pointing toward dietary intervention as a promising adjuvant strategy to maintain functional neuronal membranes, thus allowing the associated receptors to respond appropriately to anti-AD agents. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a neurogenetic disorder that is associated with a 25-fold increase in schizophrenia. Both individuals with 22q11.2DS and those with schizophrenia present with social cognitive deficits, which are putatively subserved by a network of brain regions that are involved in the processing of social cognitive information. This study used two-tensor tractography to examine the white matter tracts believed to underlie the social brain network in a group of 57 young adults with 22q11.2DS compared to 30 unaffected controls. Results: Results indicated that relative to controls, participants with 22q11.2DS showed significant differences in several DTI metrics within the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, cingulum bundle, thalamo-frontal tract, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus. In addition, participants with 22q11.2DS showed significant differences in scores on measures of social cognition, including the Social Responsiveness Scale and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. Further analyses among individuals with 22q11.2DS demonstrated an association between DTI metrics and positive and negative symptoms of psychosis, as well as differentiation between individuals with 22q11.2DS and overt psychosis, relative to those with positive prodromal symptoms or no psychosis. Conclusions: Findings suggest that white matter disruption, specifically disrupted axonal coherence in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, may be a biomarker for social cognitive difficulties and psychosis in individuals with 22q11.2DS.
Nowadays, the protection and the security of data transited within computer networks represent a real challenge for developers of computer applications and network administrators. The Intrusion Detection System and Intrusion Prevention System are the reliable techniques for a Good security. Any detected intrusion is based on data collection. So, the collection of an important and significant traffic on the monitored systems is an interesting feature. Thus, the first task of Intrusion Detection System and Intrusion Prevention System is to collect information's basis to treat and analyze them, and to make accurate decisions. Network analysis can be used to improve networks performances and their security, but it can also be used for malicious tasks. Our main goal in this article is to design a reliable and powerful network sniffer, called PcapSockS, based on pcap language and sockets, able to intercept traffic in three modes: connected, connectionless and raw mode. We start with the performances assessment performed on a list of most expanded and most recently used network sniffers. The study will be completed by a classification of these sniffers related to computer security objectives based on parameters library (libpcap/winpcap or libnet), filtering, availability, software or hardware, alert and real time. The PcapSockS provides a nice performance integrating reliable sniffing mechanisms that allow a supervision taking into account some low and high-level protocols for TCP and UDP network communications.
The purpose of this study is to carry out a thorough, critical analysis of the Morison equation as far as calculating wave action on large diameter piles like those used nowadays in offshore wind farms is concerned. The aim is to observe whether models currently used to estimate wave forces on piles are valid for large diameter piles apart from observing what the main forces in play in scouring are. This equation enables wave produced forces on a cylinder supported on the sea bed to be calculated. The study includes observations on the calculation model's sensitivity as to a variation in the cylinder's diameter, on the one hand and, on the other, as to temperature and salinity variation. With this in mind, specific software has been developed to simulate equations in fluid mechanics applied to solve the wave structure interaction problem in the separation, inertial and diffraction range. This software will enable an iterative calculation to be made for finding out the shape of the pressure wave caused when a wave passes over and will show the results for different pile diameters and water temperature.
Developing drilling fluids with a low solid content is preferred for better solid control, easier fluid maintenance, faster penetration rate, and improved hydraulics in oil and natural gas exploration. In this work, low solid drilling fluids were prepared by replacing a certain amount of bentonite in traditional fluids with a small amount of cellulose nanoparticles (CNPs), including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), aiming to improve cost-efficiency, eco-friendliness, and safety of the fluids. Rheological and filtration properties of the fluids were investigated and compared with those of the traditional fluids without CNPs. The results indicated that the low solid fluids exhibited an obvious shear thinning behavior. The morphology of CNPs played an essential role in modifying the fluid properties. The fluids with smaller CNCs had lower viscosity, yield point, and gel strength; and the formed filter cakes had a larger porosity and lower permeability, in comparison with the fluids having larger and longer CNFs. These differences were attributed to the distinct CNC and CNF morphologies and their interactions with bentonite. The study helps promote applications of biodegradable and renewable additives in well service fluids for oil and natural gas exploitation and production. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Aim: Epigenetic mechanisms are critical for normal immune development and epigenetic alterations might therefore be possible contributors to immune diseases. To investigate if DNA methylation in whole blood is associated with total and allergen-specific IgE levels. Methods: We performed an epigenome-wide association study to investigate the association between DNA methylation and IgE level, allergen-specific IgE and self-reported immune diseases and allergies in 728 individuals. Results: We identified and replicated 15 CpG sites associated with IgE, mapping to biologically relevant genes, including ACOT7, ILR5A, KCNH2, PRG2 and EPX. A total of 331 loci were associated with allergen-specific IgE, but none of these CpG sites were associated with self-reported allergies and immune diseases. Conclusion: This study shows that IgE levels are associated with DNA methylation levels at numerous CpG sites, which might provide new leads for investigating the links between IgE and allergic inflammation.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to reduce the non-linear distortion of a transistor to its input and output ports to aid distortion contribution analysis (DCA). This is especially needed when the internal structure of a device model is complex. Design/methodology/approach - The non-linear distortion generated by all non-linear sources inside a device model are reduced to transistor i/o ports by LMSE fitting techniques. Simulations of an LDMOS power transistor are used to compare the reduced distortion results with the actual non-linear sources. Findings - It is shown, that device models where the current sources are split by intermediate nodes cause superficial results, when distortion contributions are calculated as a superposition of contributions from individual non-linear sources. The proposed iterative fitting technique works. Research limitations/implications - Some non-quasistatic effects and the transfer functions from external terminals to internal controlling nodes are not covered. Practical implications - The analysis is a step toward a generic non-linear distortion contribution simulation tool that would aid the designers to develop more linear analog circuits. Originality/value - The concept of DCA itself is fairly new. This paper makes a step to represent the distortion sources in a canonical way.
Joint attention, or the shared focus of attention between objects or events and a social partner, is a crucial milestone in the development of social communication and a notable area of deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder. While valid parent-report screening measures of social communication are available, the majority of these measures are designed to assess a wide range of behaviors. Targeted assessment of joint attention and related skills is primarily limited to semi-structured, examiner-led interactions, which are time-consuming and laborious to score. The Pictorial Infant Communication Scale is an efficient parent-report measure of joint attention that can be used as a complement to structured assessments in fully characterizing early social communication development. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale. Results revealed a high degree of internal consistency and strong intercorrelations between subscales. Additionally, confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model of joint attention. Furthermore, significant correlations between the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale and direct clinical measures of child joint attention, language skills, and autism spectrum disorder symptom severity were suggestive of concurrent validity. Findings suggest that the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale is a promising tool for measuring joint attention skills in preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder.
The Euler number of a binary image is an important topological feature for many image processing, image analysis, pattern recognition, and computer vision applications. This paper proposes a new run-based Euler number computation algorithm. The conventional run-based algorithm processes rows of the given image one-by-one from top to bottom in a single phase. For each row, it finds the runs in the row and records the start and end locations of each run to compute neighbor runs. In contrast, our algorithm calculates the Euler number of an image in two phases. In the first phase, we process odd rows alternately to find runs and only record its end location. In the second phase, we process each of the remaining even rows to find runs and calculate neighboring runs between the current row and the rows immediately above and below using the recorded run data. Using this method, the number of accesses required to compute the Euler number decreases in almost all cases. Analysis of the time complexity and experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms conventional Euler number computation algorithms.
Aim: Little is known about molecular biology of brain metastasis (BM) from colorectal cancer and its concordance with matched primary tumors. Materials & methods: We identified 56 consecutive colorectal cancer patients who underwent neurosurgical resection of BM. Tumor samples were tested for KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA. The molecular profile of the brain lesion was compared with the corresponding primary tumor. Results: The molecular profile concordance rate was 95.1%. Median survival after neurosurgery was 5.5 months (95% CI: 4.7-6.3); median overall survival was 24.0 months (95% CI: 15.6-32.4). Conclusion: In this cohort, we report a high frequency of KRAS mutations and a very high concordance rate between the molecular status of BM and that of matched primary tumors.
The immune response is determined by the speed of the T cell reaction to antigens assured by a state of readiness for proliferation and cytokine secretion. Proliferation, apoptosis and motion of many cell types are controlled by cytoplasmic proteases - mu- and m-calpain - and their inhibitor calpastatin, together forming the calpain-calpastatin system (CCS), assumed to modify their targets only upon activation-dependent cytoplasmic Ca2+ increase. Contrastingly to this notion, using quantitative real time PCR and semiquantitative flow cytometry respectively, we show here that the CCS genes are constitutively expressed, and that both calpains are constitutively active in resting, circulating human CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that calpain inhibition in the resting T cells prevents them from proliferation in vitro and greatly reduces secretion of multiple cytokines. The mechanistic reason for these effects of calpain inhibition on T cell functions might be the demonstrated significant reduction of the expression of active (phosphorylated) upstream signalling molecules, including the phospholipase C gamma, p56Lck and NF kappa B, in the inhibitor-treated cells. Thus, we propose that the constitutive, self-regulatory calpain-calpastatin system activity in resting human T cells is a necessary, controlling element of their readiness for complex and effective response to antigenic challenge.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that mainly affects the sacroiliac joints and axial skeleton. The aim of this study was to assess serum prolidase level (SPL) and its association with disease activity in patients with AS. This prospective study included 75 AS patients. Thirty age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled. AS patients were considered as active if BASDAI score was aeyen4 or inactive if BASDAI score was < 4. There were 34 AS patients in the active group and 41 AS patients in the inactive group. Anti-TNF-monoclonal antibody treatment was started in patients in the active group. These active patients were reassessed 6 months later. BASDAI, ASDAS, visual analogue scale, short-form-general health survey questionnaire, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and SPL were measured in all AS patients before and after treatment. The SPL was significantly lower in inactive AS patients than in control group, and also, SPL was significantly lower in active AS patients than in inactive patients. All activity parameters were successful in separating active and inactive AS patients. However, the only parameter that could distinguish active patients from inactive patients was prolidase. The optimum cutoff point of SPL to identify patients with active AS was 23.13 ng/mL with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 100 %. Serum prolidase level was successful in measuring disease activity and had as high sensitivity and specificity as BASDAI and was superior to other activity parameters.
A storm water pond's effectiveness to treat particulate bound pollutants in urban runoff depends on its hydraulic behavior. Departures from the ideal plug flow, such as short-circuiting and mixing, pose hindrances to pond design. The goal of this study was to assess the importance of wind on storm water pond hydraulics. High resolution acoustic velocity measurements were conducted in a 0.3ha, 2m deep pond during dry weather. Results suggest that winds drive a turbulent, three-dimensional flow regime, including a lateral circulation and vertical exchange flows. A fully developed surface layer representing 1/3d of the water depth, with drift scaling as 0.004 on wind speed at 10m above ground, was observed in the downwind section of the pond. Wind-induced vertical mixing, short-circuiting, and basin scale mixing were estimated to occur faster than the typical nominal residence time in storm water ponds. Wind is therefore an important hydraulic driver in small water systems, which may potentially reduce their treatment performance. Local landscaping may be used as a wind mitigation measure.
Social stress modifies the activity of brain areas involved in the rewarding effects of psychostimulants, inducing neuroadaptations in the dopaminergic mesolimbic system and modifying the sensitivity of dopamine receptors. In the present study we evaluated the effect of the dopamine D-1-and D-2 -like receptor antagonists (SCH23390 and raclopride, respectively) on the short-time effects of acute social defeat (ASD). Male OF1 mice were socially defeated before each conditioning session of the conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by 1 mg/kg or 25 mg/kg of cocaine plus the corresponding dopamine antagonist. A final experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the dopamine antagonists on the CPP induced by 3 mg/kg of cocaine with or without a stress experience. Mice exposed to ASD showed an increase in reinstatement of the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine that was blocked by all of the dopamine receptor antagonists. Blockade of dopamine D2-like receptors with raclopride specifically prevented the effects of stress without affecting the rewarding properties of cocaine. However, SCH23390 inhibited cocaine-induced preference in the control groups and even induced aversion in defeated mice conditioned with the lower dose of cocaine. Moreover, the lowest dose of SCH23390 blocked the rewarding effects of 3 mg/kg of cocaine-induced CPP. Our results confirm that the dopamine D2 receptor is involved in the short-term effects of ASD on the rewarding effects of cocaine. The dopamine D1 receptor is clearly involved in the rewarding effects of cocaine, but its role in the effects of ASD remains to be demonstrated.
In this paper, the application of COTS (Commercial of-the-shelf) TEGs (Thermoelectric Generator) of Bi2Te3 type for power supply of autonomous sensors has been investigated. Architecture of a TEG system has been established and the expected electrical power provision has been simulated and tested with agreement better than one order of magnitude between simulation and test. During the mission the heat flow of the TEG may reverse, therefore this has to be taken into account in the design of the corresponding electrical circuits. TEG sensitivity to low temperatures (below 0 degrees C) has been found and addressed via selection of different COTS TEG types which were tested without any problems down to -10 degrees C. A concept for central provision of electrical power with TEGs has been discussed shortly that showed the need for new high temperature TEGs which can operate on temperatures above 700 degrees C. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article, for the first time, presents the generation of Roots rotor tooth profiles based on an Assur-group-associated virtual linkage method. Taking the original Roots rotor as an example, structure and geometry of the Roots rotor are introduced, and based on the principle of inversion, an equivalent virtual linkage is identified for generating dedendum tooth profile of the rotor. Using linkage decomposition associated with elemental Assur groups, algorithm for computing the tooth curve is constructed leading to the explicit expression of rotor profile and the corresponding numerical simulation, verifying the validity of the proposed approach. For demonstration purpose, the virtual linkage method is then extended to the generation of tooth profiles for the variants of Roots rotors with arc-cycloidal curves and arc-involute curves. Integrated with computer-aided design, computer-aided engineering and computer-aided manufacturing software platforms, as well as the three-dimensional printing technology, this article provides an efficient and intuitive approach for Roots rotor system design, analysis and development.
This work shows that the main photochemical pathways of acetaminophen (APAP) transformation in surface waters would be direct photolysis (with quantum yield of (4.57 +/- 0.17).10(-2)), reaction with CO3- (most significant at pH >7, with second-order rate constant of (3.8 +/- 1.1).10(8) M-1 s(-1)) and possibly, for dissolved organic carbon higher than 5 mg C L-1, reaction with the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter ((CDOM)-C-3*). The modelled photochemical half-life time of APAP in environmental waters would range from days to few weeks in summertime, which suggests that the importance of phototransformation might be comparable to biodegradation. APAP transformation by the main photochemical pathways yields hydroxylated derivatives, ring-opening compounds as well as dimers and trimers (at elevated concentration levels). In the case of (CDOM)-C-3* (for which the triplet state of anthraquinone-2-sulphonate was used as proxy), ring rearrangement is also hypothesised. Photochemistry would produce different transformation products (TPs) of APAP than microbial biodegradation or human metabolism, thus the relevant TPs might be used as markers of APAP photochemical reaction pathways in environmental waters. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Damaged building detection from high spatial resolution remote sensing image helps to rapid disaster losses assessment. However, the majority of traditional methods relies on only a single category feature of the damaged building. This letter presents a new strategy for detecting damaged buildings from postquake remote sensing image by multiple-feature analysis, in which the integrity of the building edge and the interior roof was both considered. The intactness of the building edge was assessed by proposing a new feature parameter, edge significance (ES), ES using significance test to quantify the difference between the gradient values on the edge and in the edge buffer. In addition, the gradient orientation inside the building was analyzed and local gradient orientation entropy (LOE) parameter was adopted to determine whether the interior roof was damaged. In general, damaged buildings have lower ES values because of broken edges and higher LOE values owing to debris, final decision was made on the basis of both feature parameters. A Quickbird image of Yushu, China, was used in the experiment and, among a total of 327 buildings, 266 were detected correctly. The overall accuracy was 84.10%, which is better than traditional methods.
Stone columns (or granular column) have been used to increase the load carrying capacity and accelerating consolidation of soft soil. Recently, the geosynthetic reinforced stone column technique has been developed to improve the load carrying capacity of the stone column. In addition, reinforcement prevents the lateral squeezing of stone in to surrounding soft soil, helps in easy formation of stone column, preserve frictional properties of aggregate and drainage function of the stone column. This paper investigates the improvement of load carrying capacity of isolated ordinary and geotextile reinforced sand column through field load tests. Tests were performed with different reinforcement stiffness, diameter of sand column and reinforcement length. The results of field load test indicated an improved load carrying capacity of geotextile reinforced sand column over ordinary sand column. The increase in load carrying capacity depends upon the sand column diameter, stiffness of reinforcement and reinforcement length. Also, the partial reinforcement length about two to four time's sand column diameter from the top of the column was found to significant effect on the performance of sand column.
The pier scour caused by flood waves is analyzed, introducing the dimensionless effective work by the flow on the sediment bed around the pier, W*. The three-parameter exponential function is adopted to relate the normalized scour depth Z* with W*. A novel experimental installation able to reproduce any hydrograph with high precision in the laboratory flume is described and used to carry out four series of scour experiments in order to calibrate and validate the proposed relation. The first series consists of experiments with constant discharge until advanced stages of scour. The second and third series of experiments use single flood waves of different shapes and durations, respectively. The fourth series consists of scour experiments caused by more realistic flow hydrographs with multiple peaks. Results show that the relation between W* and Z* is unique and thus W* represents a reliable concept for the prediction of the flood wave scour because it appropriately integrates the effects of the hydrograph properties, duration, peak discharge, and shape, on scour. The proposed relation allows a straightforward prediction of maximum scour depth after a flood wave with high precision. A good agreement between measured and computed scour was observed in all cases. (C) 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This paper investigates the reduction of dynamic power for streaming applications yielded by asynchronous dataflow designs by using clock gating techniques. Streaming applications constitute a very broad class of computing algorithms in areas such as signal processing, digital media coding, cryptography, video analytics, network routing, packet processing, etc. This paper introduces a set of techniques that, considering the dynamic streaming behavior of algorithms, can achieve power savings by selectively switching off parts of the circuits when they are temporarily inactive. The techniques being independent from the semantic of the application can be applied to any application and can be integrated into the synthesis stage of a high-level dataflow design flow. Experimental results of at-size applications synthesized on field-programmable gate arrays platforms demonstrate power reductions achievable with no loss in data throughput.
In recent years, model predictive control (MPC) has been successfully used for the control of power electronics converters with different topologies and for different applications. MPC offers many advantages over more traditional control techniques such as the ability to avoid cascaded control loops, easy inclusion of constraint, and fast transient response. On the other hand, the controller computational burden increases exponentially with the system complexity and may result in an unfeasible realization on modern digital control boards. This paper proposes a novel distributed MPC (DMPC), which is able to achieve the same performance of the classical MPC while reducing the computational requirements of its implementation. The proposed control approach is tested on a ac/ac converter in a back-to-back configuration used for power flow management. Simulation results are provided and validated through experimental testing in several operating conditions.
Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory disease of the skin, which is characterised by a chronic relapsing course. Aim: The aim of the study was to assign the prevalence of clinically active food allergies among a group of children between 3 months and 7 years of age, with AD. Methods: Eighty-eight children with AD were screened for specific IgE antibodies to food proteins. All patients with AD and specific IgE antibodies to food proteins were subjected to Oral Food Challenges (OFCs) with the relevant foods. Results: Food-sensitised patients with moderate levels of sIgE had clinically active food allergy to milk (39.28%) and egg (42.34%) on the basis of positive OFCs. High IgE and eosinophilia had a prevalence of almost 80% and 25%, regardless of concomitant food sensitisation and disease severity. Conclusions: In this study, clinically active food allergies were recognised in 26.13% of children with AD. Nevertheless, no association was confirmed between food sensitisation and AD severity. High IgE and peripheral eosinophilia have not been found more prevalent among children with severe AD nor among children with food sensitisation. Infants and younger children with AD should be screened for an underlying food allergy, regardless of disease severity. (C) 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
It has been demonstrated that people suffering from substance-related addictions are less empathic than their non-addicted counterparts. Our first aim was to verify if this is also true for behavioral addictions. We hypothesized that problem gamblers are less empathic than healthy controls. Our second aim was to identify a cognitive marker of empathy that could be targeted in cognitive rehabilitation strategies. We propose that a potential cognitive marker of empathy could be visuospatial perspective-taking. Specifically, we hypothesized that visuospatial perspective-taking performances are lower in problem gamblers compared to healthy controls and that these visuospatial performances predict empathy. Thirty-one non-gamblers, 24 healthy gamblers, and 21 problem gamblers performed a visuospatial perspective-taking task before completing the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980; Davis, 1983). Problem gamblers had decreased empathy and lower performance at the visuospatial perspective-taking task than non-gamblers and healthy gamblers. Furthermore, we confirmed that visuospatial perspective-taking abilities predict empathy on the IRI dimensions of interpersonal perspective-taking and personal distress. The present study provides new evidence that reduced empathy is not limited to subjects with substance-related addictions; rather, it extends to behavioral addictions. Visuospatial perspective-taking may be a viable cognitive marker for use as a rehabilitation target of empathy.
Background: There is no data on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children with non-immunoglobulin-E (IgE) mediated gastrointestinal food allergy. The aims of our study were to understand the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in children with non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergy and identify predisposing factors. Methods: This was a retrospective study which looked at data from Great Ormond Street Hospital from January 2002 to September 2015. Children 0-18 years old with a confirmed diagnosis of non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergy who had a vitamin D level measured during the course of their disease were included. Low vitamin D levels were defined as < 50 nmol/L; insufficient levels were defined as 25-50 nmol/L and deficient levels as < 25 nmol/L. Patient characteristics and clinical factors were also recorded. Results: Ninety-two patients met the study criteria; 49% were female and median age was 10 years 2 months [IQR: 4 years 8 months to 13 years 7 months]. Of the cohort, 26% (24/92) had low vitamin D levels; 16% had insufficient vitamin D levels and 10% had vitamin D deficiency. Gender (p = 0.043) and age (p = 0.035) were significantly associated with low vitamin D levels. Twelve percent of children who were on an amino acid formula (AAF) had low vitamin D compared to 31% of children who were not (p = 0.06). No other clinical factors were found to be significantly associated with low vitamin D levels. Conclusions: Children with non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergy are at risk of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. Further prospective studies need to be performed in all children with non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergies. Trial registration: The study was registered with the GOSH Research & Development department as a retrospective case note review. The Health Research Authority confirmed that NHS Research and Ethics Committee approval was not required; thus there is no trial registration number.
Solar PV and battery storage technologies are known to provide savings to customers in the form of reduced electricity charges. Currently, these savings are only determined for the volume component (kWh) and not the demand component (kW or kVA). As interest grows in commercial solar PV and battery storage installations, the need to predict demand charge reductions is great. The aim of this research is to determine, with accuracy and reliability, the ability of solar PV and battery storage technologies in reducing demand charges. Results have shown that when simulated against a commercial scale electricity consumption profile solar PV was able to reduce the maximum demand across five electricity networks in Australia by 0.05-1.51%. When coupled with a 12 kWh battery storage an additional 1.31-2.02% reduction was experienced. Battery utilisation strategy was shown to be critical in yielding greater demand reduction from the battery storage. Notably, it was shown that in the Ergon Energy electricity network, battery storage was able to supply demand at 34% lower cost ($/kW) than the network was able to. The results detail the first instance of demand reduction evaluation of solar PV coupled with battery storage, focusing on physical and financial outcomes in an Australian context. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A reduced-order model of transient diesel spray combustion is presented that utilizes simplified fluid mechanics and detailed chemical kinetics, premised on the similarity between dense turbulent gaseous jets and diesel sprays at engine conditions. The presented model offers a new capability for detailed chemistry predictions in transient diesel sprays since the use of large chemical mechanisms is prohibitively expensive in more detailed modeling approaches such as multidimensional computational fluid dynamics. The numerical model is validated against Engine Combustion Network spray-H experimental data. Predictions of vapor penetration, axial mixture fraction distribution, ignition delay, axial location of cool-flame reaction, and end-of-injection combustion recession show excellent agreement with experimental measurements. The model is applied to study modern diesel injection strategies that involve significant transient mixing and combustion behavior, including fuel injection rate shaping and close-coupled split-injection strategies. In general, the model is shown to enable a detailed examination of modern diesel injection strategies and the expected impact of these strategies on emissions. A slow ramp down of fueling rate at the end of injection is found to limit over-mixing in the near field of the injector, enabling recession of second-stage ignition toward the injector after end of injection. This is advantageous for consumption of unburned hydrocarbons and improved combustion efficiency. Compared to slow ramp-down injection strategies, close-coupled split injections are less effective for unburned hydrocarbon reduction due to a strong end-of-injection entrainment wave that accompanies both injections, causing rapid over-leaning and no recession of second-stage ignition.
Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies during childhood along with cow's milk allergy. The measles-mumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine is included in the pediatric immunization schedule and contains egg protein. The currently accepted opinion is that the MMR vaccination should be done in a single dose under medical observation in patients with egg allergy. Although it is reported that the MMR vaccine is safe for that patients, there are some patients who developed anaphylaxis. Generally, the development of anaphylaxis after the previous vaccination is reported as a contraindication. We present a successful administration of MMR vaccine by gradually increased doses for a patient who developed anaphylaxis after the previous vaccination.
Objective: To date, the factors contributing to emergence of resilience in different stages of adolescence have yet to be sufficiently examined.This study looks at the influence of extracurricular activities on resilience. Method: The sample consists of 413 adolescents (f = 14.8) reporting personal problems (mood, concentration problems, behavior). The effect of extracurricular activities on resilience (gathered by the RS25) was analyzed by linear regression models. Predictor variables in these models were extracurricular activities (sport, hobbies, club memberships, household duties) and the subscales of the SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). Because of the lack of homoscedasticity, two different regression models (model A: Realschule and Grammar School. Model B: Hauptschule) were specified. Results: The explained variance of both models (model A: R = .516; model B: R = .643) is satisfactory. In both models prosocial behavior (SDQ) turns out to be a significant positive predictor for resilience (model A:beta = 2.815; model B;beta = 3.577) and emotional symptoms (model A:beta = -1.697; model B:beta = -2.596) are significant negative predictors for resilience. In addition, model A presents significant positive influences of sport (beta = 16,314) and significant negative influences of hyperactivity (SDQ). In contrast, in model B club memberships (beta = 15.775) and peer relationship problems (beta = 1.508) are additional positive predictors. Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrate the important role of prosocial behavior and emotional competence in the manifestation of resilience. The effect of extracurricular activities proves to depend on the social environment (type of school). Thus, these results could form the basis for further more specific developmental programs.
Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) show therapeutic efficacy in many different age-related degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Very little is currently known about whether or not aging impacts the transplantation efficiency of MSCs. Methods: In this study, we investigated the distribution of intravenously transplanted syngeneic MSCs derived from young and aged mice into young, aged, and transgenic APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease mice. MSCs from male donors were transplanted into female mice and their distribution pattern was monitored by PCR using Y-chromosome specific probes. Biodistribution of transplanted MSCs in the brains of APP/PS1 mice was additionally confirmed by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Results: Four weeks after transplantation into young mice, young MSCs were found in the lung, axillary lymph nodes, blood, kidney, bone marrow, spleen, liver, heart, and brain cortex. In contrast, young MSCs that were transplanted into aged mice were only found in the brain cortex. In both young and aged mouse recipients, transplantation of aged MSCs showed biodistribution only in the blood and spleen. Although young transplanted MSCs only showed neuronal distribution in the brain cortex in young mice, they exhibited a wide neuronal distribution pattern in the brains of APP/PS1 mice and were found in the cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, and brainstem. The immunofluorescent signal of both transplanted MSCs and resident microglia was robust in the brains of APP/PS1 mice. Monocyte chemoattractant-1 levels were lowest in the brain cortex of young mice and were significantly increased in APP/PS1 mice. Within the hippocampus, monocyte chemoattractant-1 levels were significantly higher in aged mice compared with younger and APP/PS1 mice. Conclusions: We demonstrate in vivo that MSC biodistribution post transplantation is detrimentally affected by aging and neuronal health. Aging of both the recipient and the donor MSCs used attenuates transplantation efficiency. Clinically, our data would suggest that aged MSCs should not be used for transplantation and that transplantation of MSCs into aged patients will be less efficacious.
The reproducibility of experiments is one of the main principles of the scientific method. However, numerical N-body experiments, especially those of planetary systems, are currently not reproducible. In themost optimistic scenario, they can only be replicated in an approximate or statistical sense. Even if authors share their full source code and initial conditions, differences in compilers, libraries, operating systems or hardware often lead to qualitatively different results. We provide a new set of easy-to-use, open-source tools that address the above issues, allowing for exact (bit-by-bit) reproducibility of N-body experiments. In addition to generating completely reproducible integrations, we show that our framework also offers novel and innovative ways to analyse these simulations. As an example, we present a high-accuracy integration of the Solar system spanning 10 Gyr, requiring several weeks to run on a modern CPU. In our framework, we can not only easily access simulation data at predefined intervals for which we save snapshots, but at any time during the integration. We achieve this by integrating an on-demand reconstructed simulation forward in time from the nearest snapshot. This allows us to extract arbitrary quantities at any point in the saved simulation exactly (bit-by-bit), and within seconds rather than weeks. We believe that the tools we present in this paper offer a new paradigm for how N-body simulations are run, analysed and shared across the community.
Zero-difference balanced (ZDB) functions have many applications in coding theory, cryptography and communications engineering and so on. Recently, the authors 0,11] generalized the definition of ZDB functions to be G-ZDB functions. In this paper, based on p-cyclotornic cosets, two classes of ZDB functions are obtained, and several new classes of C-ZDB functions are constructed. Furthermore, some frequency-hopping sequences are obtained directly from G-ZI)B functions.
Background: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is safe and effective for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. However, patient non-compliance is a major barrier to achieving optimal outcomes Objective: To determine the level of compliance among patients using AIT and to identify factors associated with non-compliance Methods: A retrospective analysis using questionnaires was conducted to study compliance among 236 patients with allergic rhinitis with or without asthma who began AIT in 2009 or 2010 Results: The compliance rates at 3 y were 58.7% among patients on subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and 11.6% among those on sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). The mean durations of treatment with SCIT and SLIT were 31 (+/-18.3) and 15.9 (+/-14.7) months, respectively. The most common causes of non-compliance among patients on SCIT were the frequency of injections (82.2%), the duration of treatment (70.9%), and commuting to the Allergy Center (67.7%). Reasons for non-compliance among patients on SLIT were related to inconvenience (43.4%), improvement without treatment (30.2%) and perception of poor efficacy (25.0%) Conclusion: Compliance with AIT is low, but at 3years, it was higher among patients on SCIT than among patients on SLIT. Reasons for non-compliance include difficulty adjusting to treatment protocols and a perception that the efficacy is low. Patient education regarding the treatment course and the slow effect, as well as the need for close follow up to effectively prevent and treat adverse reactions, are important factors for improving compliance and treatment outcomes.
Communication over the ether is by nature erratic, and thus wireless networks are often deemed unsuitable to support time-critical distributed control applications, like those at the shop-floor of industrial plants. However, scheduling techniques derived from real-time operating systems, along with channel redundancy and run-time retransmission management, can be profitably applied to wireless networks to improve their determinism tangibly. This paper presents a novel approach that combines such solutions. A preliminary prototype implementation, which relies on IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), has been set up to assess feasibility and performance of the approach. Results show that determinism of data exchange can be improved to a degree that makes wireless networks actually suitable for many soft real-time applications.
Pharmacy is required to shift toward human service such as hearing the complaints of health. But the study about help-seeking behavior to pharmacist is not really investigated. We hypothesized that a decrease in expression visibility, due to pharmacists' typical masks, may negatively impact help-seeker' trust in pharmacist. The sample included 100 drugstore customers aged >= 18 years. Participants were stratified by gender and randomly assigned to two groups: evaluation of clear-masked and normal-masked pharmacists. After viewing a video with either male or female pharmacists wearing either clear or normal masks, participants completed a questionnaire. The primary outcome was trust in pharmacist measured by the Trust Scale and the secondary outcome was impression of the pharmacist measured by nineteen pairs of adjectives. There were no differences by gender on trust scores. Results revealed that both male and female pharmacists who wore clear masks were rated as more trustworthy than normal-masked pharmacists (p<0.001, d=0.903, and p=0.001, d=0.716, respectively). Sixteen of nineteen adjectives reported for pharmacists wearing normal masks indicated greater negative intention than those with clear masks (d=0.431-1.469). In most cases, among pharmacists wearing clear masks, results showed positive correlations between trust and each impression adjective (r=0.279-0.710). Our findings indicate that pharmacists wearing normal masks, which partially hide facial expressions, may decrease customer's trust in pharmacist. Further, normal masks were associated with negative impression. To avoid the inhibition of help-seek behavior, we recommend that pharmacists wear a clear mask and increase non-verbal communication.
In high-quality education, topics concerning the behavior and control of electrical machines and power electronics have to be taught not only theoretically but also in a practical manner. Hard-and software tools are necessary to fulfil this obligation. Nevertheless, commercial systems partially lack of functionality or full accessibility to implement custom solutions, which is obligatory in the research and education domain. Therefore, a digital signal processing system is presented, that allows full modification of every used device, both in hardware and in software.
The Ignitor Program maintains the objective of approaching D-T ignition conditions by incorporating systematical advances made with relevant high field magnet technology and with experiments on high density well confined plasmas in the present machine design. An additional objective is that of charting the development of the high field line of experiments that goes from the Alcator machine to the ignitor device. The rationale for this class of experiments, aimed at producing poloidal fields with the highest possible values (compatible with proven safety factors of known plasma instabilities) is given. On the basis of the favourable properties of high density plasmas produced systematically by this line of machines, the envisioned future for the line, based on novel high field superconducting magnets, includes the possibility of investigating more advanced fusion burn conditions than those of the D-T plasmas for which Ignitor is designed. Considering that a detailed machine design has been carried out (Coppi et al 2013 Nucl. Fusion 53 104013), the advances made in different areas of the physics and technology that are relevant to the Ignitor project are reported. These are included within the following sections of the present paper: main components issues, assembly and welding procedures; robotics criteria; non-linear feedback control; simulations with three-dimensional structures and disruption studies; ICRH and dedicated diagnostics systems; anomalous transport processes including self-organization for fusion burning regimes and the zero-dimensional model; tridimensional structures of the thermonuclear instability and control provisions; superconducting components of the present machine; envisioned experiments with high field superconducting magnets.
This paper proposes a general architecture for testing, validating and verifying Ambient Intelligence (AmI) environments: AmISim. The development of AmI is a very complex task because this technology must often adapt to contextual information as well as unpredictable behaviours and environmental features. The architecture presented deals with AmI applications in order to cover the different components of these kinds of systems: environment, users, context and adaptation. This architecture is the first one that is able to cover all these features, which are needed in a full AmI system. The paper shows that AmISim is able to cover a complete AmI system and to provide a framework which can test scenarios that would be impossible to test in real environments or even with previous simulation approaches. Simulated and real elements coexist in AmISim for a robust testing, validation and verification of the AmI systems, which provide an easier and less costly deployment.
This meeting report highlights key trends that emerged from a conference entitled Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation in Plants, which was held 14-15 July 2016, as a satellite meeting of the annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists in Austin, Texas. The molecular biology of RNA is emerging as an integral part of the framework for plants' responses to environmental challenges such as drought and heat, hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, light and pathogens. Moreover, the conference illustrated how a multitude of customized and pioneering omics-related technologies are being applied, more and more often in combination, to describe and dissect the complexities of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level.
Infected organisms can resist or tolerate infection, with tolerance of infection defined as minimizing per-parasite reductions in fitness. Although tolerance is well studied in plants, researchers have only begun to probe the mechanisms and transmission consequences of tolerance in animals. Here we suggest that research on tolerance in animals would benefit from explicitly incorporating behavior as a component of tolerance, given the importance of behavior for host fitness and parasite transmission. We propose two distinct manifestations of tolerance in animals: tissue-specific tolerance, which minimizes fitness losses due to tissue damage during infection, and behavioral tolerance, which minimizes fitness losses by maintaining normal, fitness-enhancing behaviors during infection. Here we briefly review one set of potential immune mechanisms underlying both responses in vertebrate animals: inflammation and its associated signaling molecules. Inflammatory responses, including broadly effective resistance mechanisms like the production of reactive oxygen species, can incur severe costs in terms of damage to a host's own tissues, thereby reducing tissue-specific tolerance. In addition, signaling molecules involved in these responses facilitate stereotypical behavioral changes during infection, which include lethargy and anorexia, reducing normal behaviors and behavioral tolerance. We consider how tissue-specific and behavioral tolerance may vary independently or in conjunction and outline potential consequences of such covariation for the transmission of infectious diseases. We put forward the distinction between tissue-specific and behavioral tolerance not as a definitive framework, but to help stimulate and broaden future research by considering animal behavior as intimately linked to the mechanisms and consequences of tolerance in animals. (c) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The national demand for water in the UK is predicted to increase, exacerbated by a growing UK population, and home-grown demands for energy and food. When set against the context of overstretched existing supply sources vulnerable to droughts, particularly in increasingly dense city centres, the delicate balance of matching minimal demands with resource secure supplies becomes critical. When making changes to internal demands the role of technological efficiency and user behaviour cannot be ignored, yet existing benchmarking systems traditionally do not consider the latter. This paper investigates the practicalities of adopting a domestic benchmarking system (using a band rating) that allows individual users to assess their current water use performance against what is possible. The benchmarking system allows users to achieve higher benchmarks through any approach that reduces water consumption. The sensitivity of water use benchmarks are investigated by making changes to user behaviour and technology. The impact of adopting localised supplies (i.e., Rainwater harvesting-RWH and Grey water-GW) and including external gardening demands are investigated. This includes the impacts (in isolation and combination) of the following: occupancy rates (1 to 4); roof size (12.5 m(2) to 100 m(2)); garden size (25 m(2) to 100 m(2)) and geographical location (North West, Midlands and South East, UK) with yearly temporal effects (i.e., rainfall and temperature). Lessons learnt from analysis of the proposed benchmarking system are made throughout this paper, in particular its compatibility with the existing Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) accreditation system. Conclusions are subsequently drawn for the robustness of the proposed system.
Studying cell differentiation and transformation allows a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the initiation and the evolution of cancer. The role of proteins which participate in these processes is dependent on their location within the cell. Determining the subcellular localization of proteins or the changes in localization is, therefore, paramount in elucidating their role. Using quantitative mass spectrometry, we characterized the protein expression and subcellular localization of nearly 5000 proteins from seven different colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines, as well as normal colon fibroblasts and intestinal epithelial cells. This cellular characterization allowed the identification of colon cancer-associated proteins with differential expression patterns as well as deregulated protein networks and pathways. Indeed, our results demonstrate differential expression of proteins involved in cell adhesion, cytoskeleton, and transcription in colon cancer cells compared to normal colon-derived cells. Pathway analyses identified different cellular functions, including endocytosis and eIF2 signaling, whose deregulation correlates with mutations found in the different CRC phenotypes. Our results provide an unbiased, quantitative and high-throughput approach to measure changes in protein expression and subcellular protein locations in different CRC cell lines.
Exogenous oxytocin administration is widely reported to improve social cognition in human and nonhuman primate adults. Risk factors of impaired social cognition, however, emerge in infancy. Early interventions-when plasticity is greatest-are critical to reverse negative outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that oxytocin may exert similar positive effects on infant social cognition, as in adults. To test this idea, we assessed the effectiveness of acute, aerosolized oxytocin on two foundational social cognitive skills: working memory (i.e., ability to briefly hold and process information) and social gaze (i.e., tracking the direction of others' gaze) in 1-month-old nursery-reared macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We did not predict sex differences, but we included sex as a factor in our analyses to test whether our effects would be generalizable across both males and females. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, we found that females were more socially skilled at baseline compared to males, and that oxytocin improved working memory and gaze following, but only in males. These sex differences, while unexpected, may be due to interactions with gonadal steroids and may be relevant to sexually dimorphic disorders of social cognition, such as male-biased autism spectrum disorder, for which oxytocin has been proposed as a potential treatment. In sum, we report the first evidence that oxytocin may influence primate infant cognitive abilities. Moreover, these behavioral effects appear sexually dimorphic, highlighting the importance of considering sex differences. Oxytocin effects observed in one sex may not be generalizable to the other sex.
Functional limitation is often complained by patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). With a rising number of patients suffering from AS, there are a limited number of reports focusing on functional limitation of AS in Chinese patients. This study was conducted to investigate the level of functional limitation and explore its associations with demographic, disease-related factors. A total of 303 AS outpatients were recruited in this cross-sectional study from a tertiary general hospital in Southwest China. Functional limitation was measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Other data were collected by the following questionnaires: the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Global Score (BAS-G), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire (PSQI). Finally, 295 outpatients with AS completed this survey. The median BASFI was 0.80. Worse function limitation was found in outpatients with extra-spinal manifestation, older age, lower household income, more back pain, higher disease activity and morning stiffness, poorer sleep, and worse patient's well-being (all P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that patient's well-being (P < 0.001), disease activity (P < 0.001), and disease duration (P < 0.05) were the positive predictors of functional limitation. AS outpatients in Southwest China had a mild level of functional limitation. The factors associated with functional limitation included disease duration, disease activity, and patients' well-being, which should be taken into consideration when assessing functional limitation of AS outpatients. Besides, more comprehensive and targeted interventions should be conducted for AS patients as early as possible, which will be effective to improve functional outcome.
For years, the advice was to postpone introducing allergenic foods, in order to prevent food allergies. However, food allergies have escalated rather than declined and our review of the latest epidemiological, immunological and nutritional research suggests that early weaning practices may be beneficial. The most allergenic foods, such as fish, eggs and peanuts, have proved to be inherently rich in tolerogenic substances that can play a significant role in preventing allergies. Conclusion: We found evidence that the immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of allergenic foods can provoke oral tolerance if introduced early to both low-risk and high-risk infants.
Abnormalities in nonverbal communication are a hallmark of schizophrenia. Results from studies using symptom rating scales suggest that these abnormalities are profound (i.e., 3-5 SDs) and occur across virtually every channel of vocal expression. Computerized acoustic analytic technologies, used to overcome practical and psychometric limitations with symptom rating scales, have found much more benign and isolated abnormalities. To better understand vocal deficits in schizophrenia and to advance acoustic analytic technologies for clinical and research applications, we examined archived speech samples from 5 separate studies, each using different speaking tasks (patient N = 309; control N = 117). We sought to: (a) use Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify independent vocal expression measures from a large set of variables, (b) quantify how patients with schizophrenia are abnormal with respect to these variables, (c) evaluate the impact of demographic and contextual factors (e.g., study site, speaking task), and (d) examine the relationship between clinically-rated psychiatric symptoms and vocal variables. PCA identified 7 independent markers of vocal expression. Most of these vocal variables varied considerably as a function of context and many were associated with demographic factors. After controlling for context and demographics, there were no meaningful differences in vocal expression between patients and controls. Within patients, vocal variables were associated with a range of psychiatric symptoms-though only pause length was significantly associated with clinically rated negative symptoms. The discussion centers on explaining the apparent discordance between clinical and computerized speech measures.
We propose to incorporate encryption procedure into the lossy compression of voice data PCM(Pulse Code Modulation) based on the A-law approximation quantization. The proposed codec CPCM (Chaotic Pulse Code Modulaion) will join the encryption to the compression of the voice data. This scheme provides the same compression ratio given by the PCM codec, but with an unintelligible content. Comparisons with many used schemes have been made to highlight the proposed method in terms of security and rapidity. CPCM codec can be a better alternative to Compress-then-encrypt classical methods which is a time and resource consuming and non suitable for real-time multimedia secure transmission.
Residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were detected in water, sediment and liver tissue samples of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) collected from the Ataturk Dam Lake. Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, glutathion S-transferase, glutathion reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase and carboxylesterase activities have been evaluated in liver of Cyprinus carpio. The level of OCPs were determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. No pesticide residue was determined in the water samples and residues in the sediments were higher than in the fish. In the wet season, the level of pesticides were higher than in the dry season. The concentrations of OCPs were highest in the Akyazi and Bozova areas. Enzyme analysis results showed that the activities were different from region to region and generally higher in Akyazi and Bozova than the other areas. This study is the first study that determines the levels of OCPs of sediment, water and fish in Ataturk Dam Lake and presents pesticide residue levels in the fish samples were above the maximum residue limits so could be a threat to the human health. The presence of OCPs indicates the need for continuous monitoring of the Lake fish population to safeguard the health of the consumers.
Development and validation of the surface suspended sediment concentration (SSC) models derived from the surface remote-sensing reflectance spectra [R-rs (lambda)] are important in satellite monitoring of estuarine and coastal waters. Seven empirical and seven semianalytical spectral reflectance models for evaluation of the surface SSC were compared with one another and with laboratory tank (one dataset) and in situ measurements (two datasets) performed in different natural waters of East China. All models were presented in the form of R-rs spectral ratios, in which wavelengths were selected from the list of NASA's satellite sensor, MODIS unsaturated central wavelengths. A statistical analysis has been performed to find the best models and spectral ratios for remote-sensing monitoring purposes. Analysis has shown that empirical models are generally superior to the semianalytical models for solution existence, prediction accuracy, and correlation with the observed SSC values. However, all semianalytical models using the red to green spectral ratio have demonstrated approximately the same accuracy and correlation as empirical models, what provides an additional support for using more simple easily calculated empirical models. Additionally, relationships between SSC and inherent optical properties (IOPs) (absorption and backscattering coefficients) and between IOPs and R-rs (lambda) provided by the semianalytical models have their own benefits for aquatic optics and remote sensing purposes.
This paper describes the construction of a system that uses information from several home automation devices, to detect the presence of a person in the space where the devices are located. The detection however doesn't rely on the information of devices that explicitly detect human presence, like motion detectors or smart cameras. The information used is the one available in the Muzzley system, which is a mobile application that allows the monitoring and control of several types of devices from a single program. The provided information was anonymized at the source. The first step was to extract adequate features for this problem. A labeling step is introduced using a combination of heuristics to assert the likelihood of anyone being home at a given time, based on all information available, including, but not limited to, direct presence detectors. The solution rests mainly on the use of supervised learning algorithms to train models that detect the presence without any information based on direct presence detectors. The model should be able to detect patterns of usage when the owner is at home rather than rely only on direct sensors. Results show that detection in this context is difficult, but we believe these results shed some light on possible paths to improve the system's accuracy.
The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum, is the most damaging ectoparasite on egg-laying hens in the United States. One potential strategy for management is breeding for mite resistance. Genes of white leghorn chickens linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) were previously identified as conferring more (B21 haplotype) or less (B15 haplotype) mite resistance. However, immune responses can be energetically costly to the host and affect the economic damage incurred from mite infestations. We tested energy costs (resting metabolic rate) of mite infestations on egg-laying birds of both MHC B-haplotypes. Resting metabolic rates were documented before (pre-) mite infestation, during (mid-) infestation, and after peak (late) mite infestation. Mite scores, economic parameters (egg production, feed consumption), and physiological aspects such as skin inflammation and skin temperature were recorded weekly. Across experiments and different infestation time points, resting metabolic rates generally were not affected by mite infestation or haplotype, although there were instances of lower metabolic rates in infested versus control hens. Skin temperatures were recorded both at the site of mite feeding damage (vent) and under the wing (no mites), which possibly would reflect a systemic fever response. Ambient temperatures modified skin surface temperature, which generally was not affected by mites or haplotype. Feed conversion efficiency was significantly worse (4.9 to 17.0% depending on trial) in birds infested with mites. Overall egg production and average egg weight were not affected significantly, although there was a trend toward reduced egg production (2 to 8%) by infested hens. The MHC haplotype significantly affected vent skin inflammation. Birds with the mite-resistant B21 haplotype showed earlier onset of inflammation, but a reduced overall area of inflammation compared to mite-susceptible B15 birds. No significant differences in resting energy expenditure related to mite infestation or immune responses were detected. Potential breeding for resistance to mite infestation using these two haplotypes appears to be neutral in terms of impact on hen energy costs or production efficiency, and may be an attractive option for future mite control.
With the ever increasing human dependency on The Internet for performing various activities such as banking, shopping or transferring money, there equally exists a need for safe and secure transactions. This need automatically translates to the requirement of increased network security and better and fast encryption algorithms. This paper addresses the above issue by introducing a novel methodology by utilizing the AES method of encryption and also further enhances the same with the help of visual cryptography. The complete algorithm was designed and developed using the MATLAB 2011b software. The paper also discusses a hardware approach for deploying the algorithm and elaborates on an area, speed and power efficient design on a Spartan 3E Xilinx FPGA platform.
The wireless sensor network (WSN) is more vulnerable than the wired network because it is relatively easy for an adversary to eavesdrop, insert, alter, and intercept the message communicated in the network. Sensor nodes have very limited power and memory. While designing the secure communication architectures, the main goal is to design energy and memory efficient protocols. Most of the well-known communication architectures like TinySec, LLSP, and MiniSec compromise with the security issues because of energy and memory constraints of sensor nodes. In WSN, communication consumes more energy than computation. By minimizing communication overhead, the energy consumption can be reduced. We propose a new energy efficient secure communication architecture called EESCA for WSN, to make the communication secure. Along with authentication, confidentiality and integrity, the proposed architecture provides strong replay protection, and data freshness as permutation and substitution are used to generate massage authentication code. EESCA is robust against heavy packet loss because reset or resynchronization of counter is not required. The proposed scheme is energy efficient as the security packet overhead is reduced by 1 byte over the best-known secure communication architectures. The efficacy of EESCA is shown through theoretical and experimental analysis. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recent research suggests that glucocorticoids are involved in the development of addiction to drugs of abuse. They share this role with dopamine (DA), and with different signalling pathways and/or transcription factors such as extracellular-signal regulated kinases (ERK) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). However, the relation between them is not completely elucidated. In this report, we further characterize the role of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor (GR and MR) signalling in DA turnover at the Nacc, and in opiate withdrawal-induced tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression, ERK and CREB phosphorylation (activation) in the nucleus of tractus solitarius (NTS-A(2)). The role of GR and MR signalling was assessed with the selective GR antagonist, mifepristone or the MR antagonist, spironolactone (i.p.). Rats were implanted two morphine (or placebo) pellets. Six days later rats were pretreated with mifepristone, spironolactone or vehicle 30 min before naloxone, and DA turnover, TH expression, ERK and CREB phosphorylation, were measured using HPLC and immunoblotting. Glucocorticoid receptor blockade attenuated ERK and CREB phosphorylation and the TH expression induced by morphine withdrawal. In contrast, no changes were seen after MR blockade. Finally, GR and MR blockade did not alter the morphine withdrawal-induced increase seen both in DA turnover and DA metabolite production, in the NAcc. These results show that not only ERK and CREB phosphorylation but also TH expression in the NTS is modulated by GR signalling. The present results suggest that GR is a therapeutic target to improve aversive events associated with opiate withdrawal.
Elevation of blood triglycerides, primarily as triglyceride- rich lipoproteins (TGRL), has been linked to cerebrovascular inflammation, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes, two cell components of the neurovascular unit, participate in controlling bloodbrain barrier (BBB) permeability and regulating neurovascular unit homeostasis. Our studies showed that infusion of high physiological concentrations of TGRL lipolysis products (TGRL + lipoprotein lipase) activate and injure brain endothelial cells and transiently increase the BBB transfer coefficient (K-i = permeability x surface area/volume) in vivo. However, little is known about how blood lipids affect astrocyte lipid accumulation and inflammation. To address this, we first demonstrated TGRL lipolysis products increased lipid droplet formation in cultured normal human astrocytes. We then evaluated the transcriptional pathways activated in astrocytes by TGRL lipolysis products and found upregulated stress and inflammatory-related genes including activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3 alpha), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX2). TGRL lipolysis products also activated the JNK/cJUN/ATF3 pathway, induced endoplasmic reticulum stress protein C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and the NF-kappa B pathway, while increasing secretion of MIP-3 alpha, GDF15, and IL-8. Thus our results demonstrate TGRL lipolysis products increase the BBB transfer coefficient (K-i), induce astrocyte lipid droplet formation, activate cell stress pathways, and induce secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Our observations are consistent with evidence for lipid-induced neurovascular injury and inflammation, and we, therefore, speculate that lipid-induced astrocyte injury could play a role in cognitive decline.
The migration of e-health systems to the cloud computing brings huge benefits, as same as some security risks. Searchable Encryption(SE) is a cryptography encryption scheme that can protect the confidentiality of data and utilize the encrypted data at the same time. The SE scheme proposed by Cash et al. in Crypto2013 and its follow-up work in CCS2013 are most practical SE Scheme that support Boolean queries at present. In their scheme, the data user has to generate the search tokens by the counter number one by one and interact with server repeatedly, until he meets the correct one, or goes through plenty of tokens to illustrate that there is no search result. In this paper, we make an improvement to their scheme. We allow server to send back some information and help the user to generate exact search token in the search phase. In our scheme, there are only two round interaction between server and user, and the search token has (n - 1) x vertical bar I-w1 vertical bar elements, where n is the keywords number in query expression, and vertical bar Iw1 vertical bar is the minimum documents number that contains one of keyword in query expression, and the computation cost of server is (n - 1) x vertical bar Iw1 vertical bar modular exponentiation operation.
Kolkata City's water supply is dependent on both surface water sources from the river Hooghly and groundwater sources. A large part of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) is currently served by groundwater pumped up from an aquifer deep below the city. The city draws water from the aquifers more rapidly than they can recharge themselves. The adjacent town of Salt Lake City covering an area of 12.35 km(2) was a conglomerate of several salt lakes 50 years back. Though planned as a satellite town, the water level is also decreasing fast due to overuse of groundwater at the rate of 20 cm/year. Therefore the objectives of this study are to find the reason for depletion of the water level, depict the present piezometric level in both Kolkata and Salt Lake City, identify the threat of land subsidence and arsenic contamination already begun in the area and classify the areawise subsidence rate to assume the future threat. The methodology followed in this chapter is mainly the analysis of the secondary data related to the temporal change of groundwater level, counting the land subsidence rate, and so on. The result shows that the city's water level has receded by 7-11 m between 1958 and 2003, especially in some areas of both north and south Kolkata. In around 30 % of the city area the level comes close to or falls below the clay layer which is ideal for subsidence and in some areas subsidence ranges from 10 to 14 mm a year creating high-risk zones. The remedial measures are given in the form of groundwater recharge by rainwater harvesting and mandatory installation of rooftop harvesting in Kolkata and Salt Lake along with improvement of the chemical quality of the water.
The availability of visual sensors and the increment of their processing capabilities have led to the development of a new generation of multi-camera systems. This increment has also conveyed new expectations and requirements that cannot be fulfilled by applying traditional fusion techniques. The ultimate objective of computer vision systems is to obtain a description of the observed scenario in terms that are both computable and human-readable, which can be seen as a specific form of situation assessment. Particularly, there is a great interest in human activity recognition in several areas such as surveillance and ambient intelligence. Simple activities can be recognized by applying pattern recognition algorithms on sensor data. However, identification of complex activities requires the development of cognitive capabilities close to human understanding. Several recent proposals combine numerical techniques and a symbolic model that represents context-dependent, background and common-sense knowledge relevant to the task. In this chapter the current challenges in the development of vision-based activity recognition systems are described, and how they can be tackled by exploiting formally represented context knowledge. Along with a review of the related literature, we describe an approach with examples in the areas of ambient intelligence and indoor security. The chapter surveys methods for context management in the literature that use symbolic knowledge models to represent and reason with context. Due to their relevance, we will pay special attention to ontology and logic-based models.
The most stable molecular structure of 6-aminonicotinamide (ANA) molecule was predicted by conformational analysis and vibrational spectral analysis was carried out by experimental and theoretical methods. The calculated and experimentally observed vibrational frequencies were assigned and compared. The pi ->pi(star) electronic transition of the molecule was predicted by theoretically calculated ultraviolet visible spectra in gas and liquid phase and further validated experimentally using ethanol as a solvent. Frontier molecular orbitals analysis was carried out to probe the reactive nature of the ANA molecule and further the site selectivity to specific chemical reactions were effectively analyzed by Fukui function calculation. The molecular electrostatic potential surface was simulated to confirm the reactive sites of the molecule. The natural bond orbital analysis was also performed to understand the intra molecular interactions, which confirms the bioactivity of the ANA molecule. Neuroprotective nature of the ANA molecule was analyzed by molecular docking analysis and the ANA molecule was identified as a good inhibitor against Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
While much of the person perception literature has focused solely on the representation of superordinate social categories (e.g., race and age), these superordinate social categories may be organized into smaller subcategories (i.e., subtypes and subgroups) that can be distinguished by their perceived typicality. Based on the logic that atypical subcategories represent subtypes and typical subcategories represent subgroups, we hypothesized that some subcategory labels would elicit greater perceived stereotypicality compared to others. In Experiment 1, participants listed stereotypic traits and rated the perceived typicality of subcategories of Black and White men. In Experiment 2 we used a reverse correlation image classification procedure to estimate participants' visual representations of the faces of Black and White superordinate category and subcategory members. Results indicated that representations of Black subgroups reflected traits and features more prototypical of Black men compared to representations of Black subtypes. Similarly, representations of White subgroups reflected traits and features more prototypical of White men compared to representations of White subtypes. The current experiments further clarify the nature of subcategory representations as subgroups and subtypes within the superordinate category. Implications for stereotype maintenance and change are considered. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Allergic diseases often occur early in life and persist throughout life. This life-course perspective should be considered in allergen immunotherapy. In particular it is essential to understand whether this al treatment may be used in old age adults. The current paper was developed by a working group of AIRWAYS integrated care pathways for airways diseases, the model of chronic respiratory diseases of the European Innovation Partnership on active and healthy ageing (DG CONNECT and DG Sante). It considered (1) the political background, (2) the rationale for allergen immunotherapy across the life cycle, (3) the unmet needs for the treatment, in particular in preschool children and old age adults, (4) the strategic framework and the practical approach to synergize current initiatives in allergen immunotherapy, its mechanisms and the concept of active and healthy ageing.
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of mental health issues and counseling services on college campuses in the USA. The findings from several national surveys are reviewed to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression, suicide and suicidal ideation, and violence among college students. Common prevention and treatment programs are then described with particular attention to innovative campus-wide programs. Student outcomes research is examined to determine whether receiving counseling services is associated with academic performance and the likelihood of graduation. The article concludes with a set of recommended practices to improve the effectiveness of counseling services on campus.
DNA-encoded chemical library technology was developed with the vision of its becoming a transformational platform for drug discovery. The hope was that a new paradigm for the discovery of low-molecular-weight drugs would be enabled by combining the vast molecular diversity achievable with combinatorial chemistry, the information-encoding attributes of DNA, the power of molecular biology, and a streamlined selection-based discovery process. Here, we describe the discovery and early clinical development of GSK2256294, an inhibitor of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH, EPHX2), by using encoded-library technology (ELT). GSK2256294 is an orally bioavailable, potent and selective inhibitor of sEH that has a long half life and produced no serious adverse events in a first-time-in-human clinical study. To our knowledge, GSK2256294 is the first molecule discovered from this technology to enter human clinical testing and represents a realization of the vision that DNA-encoded chemical library technology can efficiently yield molecules with favorable properties that can be readily progressed into high-quality drugs.
This study aims to investigate the impacts of a digital learning module with guided peer feedback on students' domain-specific knowledge gain and their attitudinal change in the field of biotechnology and molecular life sciences. The extent to which the use of this module is appreciated by students is studied as well. A pre-test, post-test design was used with 203 students who were randomly assigned to groups of three. They were asked to work on the digital module with the aim of exploring various perspectives, and the pros and cons on the topic of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The results suggest that the module can be used to foster students' domain-specific knowledge gain and their attitudinal change. Furthermore, the module was evaluated positively in terms of students' motivation and satisfaction with the learning experiences. (c) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):31-39, 2017.
Harvested rainwater is an alternative water source for buildings, especially for non-potable uses such as irrigation and toilet flushing. While rainwater harvesting is perceived as a sustainable design approach, there is limited information on the environmental and economic performance of this technology. To address this literature gap, life cycle assessment and life cycle costing tools were applied for a dormitory that could potentially use harvested rainwater to flush toilets or to irrigate the lawn. Five scenarios were modeled including a new versus renovated building and irrigation versus toilet flushing water end use. The rainwater cisterns for all the scenarios were sized using the Yield After Spillage approach and long term daily precipitation of Toledo. Energy and greenhouse gas emissions were calculated using Economic Input Output Life Cycle Assessment (for construction phase and energy use by pump) and GaBi (for water and wastewater treatment) databases. The life cycle environmental impacts and costs were estimated and compared to the business as usual scenario, where the water supply demands are met by municipally supplied potable water in a combined or separate sanitary sewer network. It was discovered that energy and greenhouse gas emission payback periods can be achieved for almost every scenario. Yet cost payback periods of implementing harvested rainwater were found to be longer than the life time of the building except for two scenarios: using rainwater for irrigation in a renovation project and using rainwater for toilet flushing in a new construction project. These two scenarios had the lowest cost, energy and greenhouse gas emission impacts among all scenarios modeled. Reducing occupancy to match toilet flushing demand increased the per person impact. However, in general, the per person impacts were much lower than a person's impact from driving or electricity use. While separate sewers divert the stormwater runoff to the water bodies and thereby prevent the environmental problems resulting from combined sewer overflows, a rainwater harvesting system connected to separate sewers was found to reduce the energy and greenhouse gas emissions less than so if the rainwater harvesting system were connected to combined sewers. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biomass for bioproducts and bioenergy can be sourced from multiple sources. There is little information on commercial planting operations for willow biomass crops in North America. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the field capacities of two commercial machines (Step and Egedal Energy Planter) planting willow crops in northern New York State, determine the amount and distribution of delays. A study was conducted to evaluate planter activities. The two machines had similar mean field capacities (C-f) ranging from 0.89 to 1.14 ha h(-1). Above-average rainfall in the later part of the planting season decreased Cf by over 20% for the Step planter from 1.14 to 0.91 ha h(-1); largely due to delays in the headlands. Approximately 70% of the total delay time associated with the Step planter consisted of long-duration delays (>5 min) compared to 35% for the Egedal. Quality of planting stock was an issue for operations; undersized stems resulted in feeding issues. Several potential factors were identified for improved planting operations: loading stems and clearing feeding mechanisms at each turn, improved planting stock and quality control, improving machine design for wet conditions, and improved preparation for in-field repairs. In-field delays should be minimized to reduce demand on the crew and ensure a more uniform crop is established in the field. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Linear momentum actuator disc theory is extended to address the power available to a tidal turbine array spanning the cross-section of an open channel flow. A generalised formulation is presented, which relaxes constraints in previous models on the Froude number of the flow and the geometry of the turbine array, and also considers the effects of far-wake mixing on the overall power removed from the flow. In the limiting case of no free surface deformation, the rigid lid model is recovered. Blockage, the ratio of turbine frontal area to the cross-sectional area of the surrounding flow passage, has the greatest effect on available power, with the peak power coefficient increasing by 55% from 0.60 to 0.93 as the blockage ratio increases from 0.05 to 0.20. A further 3% increase in peak power coefficient is achieved as the Froude number increases from 0.05 to 0.20. The efficiency of energy extraction may be determined relative to the total power extracted from the flow, comprising the power available to the turbines, and the power dissipated in wake mixing. Higher blockage turbines operating at low thrust coefficients are shown to be more efficient than lower blockage turbines.
This paper proposes a method to the model constraints from different models to run an optimization over models with different granularities. Through machine learning, the proposed method has proven to be able to accurately map the constraints and minimize the number of call to the model. It handles both continuous and discrete variables and mixes design rules to statistic approach to create a surrogate of the model.
Low concentration particle transport in multiphase horizontal pipes in the presence of a viscous liquid is experimentally investigated. The experiments were conducted for a wide range of liquid and gas flow rates in both intermittent and stratified flows. Critical flow rates (velocity) is defined as the minimum required liquid and gas flow rates (velocities) to keep particles constantly moving in the pipe. The effects of physical parameters such as sand concentration, sand size, pipe size, and liquid viscosity are also experimentally investigated. It is observed that that critical velocity is a function of sand concentration and sand size and increases by increasing either within the ranges of particle concentrations and sizes examined. Regarding the effect of carrier liquid viscosity, the experimental data reveal that by increasing viscosity the minimum required flow rates to constantly move sand along the pipe increases within the range examined. (C) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers
How can individuals be convinced to act on climate change? It is widely assumed that emphasizing personal responsibility for climate change is effective at increasing pro-climate behavior whereas collectively framing the causes of climate change diffuses responsibility and dampens the incentive for individual action. We observe the opposite result. Here we find, across three experiments, that emphasizing collective responsibility for the causes of climate change increases pro-climate monetary donations by approximately 7 % in environmental group members and by 50 % in the general public. Further, highlighting collective responsibility amplifies intent to reduce future carbon emissions. In contrast, focusing on personal responsibility for climate change does not significantly alter donations to climate change advocacy or the intent for future pro-climate behavior. These effects replicate and persist multiple days after treatment.
A new second-order accurate, hybrid, incremental projection method for time-dependent incompressible viscous flow is introduced in this paper. The hybrid finite-element/finite-volume discretization circumvents the well-known Ladyzhenskaya-Babuska-Brezzi conditions for stability, and does not require special treatment to filter pressure modes by either Rhie-Chow interpolation or by using a Petrov-Galerkin finite element formulation. The use of a co-velocity with a high-resolution advection method and a linearly consistent edge-based treatment of viscous/diffusive terms yields a robust algorithm for a broad spectrum of incompressible flows. The high-resolution advection method is shown to deliver second-order spatial convergence on mixed element topology meshes, and the implicit advective treatment significantly increases the stable time-step size. The algorithm is robust and extensible, permitting the incorporation of features such as porous media flow, RANS and LES turbulence models, and semi-/fully-implicit time stepping. A series of verification and validation problems are used to illustrate the convergence properties of the algorithm. The temporal stability properties are demonstrated on a range of problems with 2 <= CFL <= 100. The new flow solver is built using the Hydra multiphysics toolkit. The Hydra toolkit is written in C++ and provides a rich suite of extensible and fully-parallel components that permit rapid application development, supports multiple discretization techniques, provides I/O interfaces, dynamic run-time load balancing and data migration, and interfaces to scalable popular linear solvers, e.g., in open-source packages such as HYPRE, PETSc, and Trilinos. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
While cryptography is used to protect the content of information (e.g., a message) by making it undecipherable, behaviors (as opposed to information) may not be encrypted and may only be protected by partially or fully hiding through creation of ambiguity (by providing covers that generate indistinguishable observations from secrets). Having a cover together with partial observability does cause ambiguity about the system behaviors desired to be kept secret, yet some information about secrets may still be leaked due to statistical difference between the occurrence probabilities of the secrets and their covers. In this paper, we propose a Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD)-based measure to quantify secrecy loss in systems modeled as partially observed stochastic discrete event systems, which quantifies the statistical difference between two distributions, one over the observations generated by secret and the other over those generated by cover. We further show that the proposed JSD measure for secrecy loss is equivalent to the mutual information between the distributions over possible observations and that over possible system status (secret versus cover). Since an adversary is likely to discriminate more if he/she observes for a longer period, our goal is to evaluate the worst case loss of secrecy as obtained in the limit over longer and longer observations. Computation for the proposed measure is also presented. Illustrative examples, including the one with side-channel attack, are provided to demonstrate the proposed computation approach. Note to Practitioners-Secrecy is the ability to hide private information. For communicated information, this can be done through encryption or access control. However, the same is not possible for system behaviors, and in contrast, cover is introduced for providing ambiguity. Quantifying the ability to hide secrets is a challenge. This paper provides a means to quantify this in terms of a type of distance measure between a secret and its cover. A computation of the same is also provided for partially observed stochastic discrete event systems and illustrated through a cache's side-channel secrecy loss example.
The primary focus of the current research is goal projection or the ascription of a perceiver's own goal onto an interaction partner (i.e., target). Extending the finding that perceivers project their goal onto a target (Kawada, Oettingen, Gollwitzer, & Bargh, 2004), two studies applied a cognitive conceptualization of goal pursuit and detection to explain boundary conditions for goal projection in conversation. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the strength of the cognitive association between perceivers' goal and the social context moderated projection: Projection was greater for strongly than moderately or weakly linked goals. Experiment 2 established that the target's goal pursuit efficiency and the congruency between the perceiver's and the target's goals influenced projection: Compared with targets' efficient pursuit of nonidentical goals, projection was greater (a) when the target and perceiver had the same goal regardless of efficiency or (b) when they had different goals but the target was inefficient.
A novel observer-based fault accommodation technique for linear multi-input multi-output sampled-data systems affected by a general class of actuator faults in the presence of quantization errors is addressed in the paper. Only the output signal has been assumed to be available for direct measurement. A simulation study on a three-tank system supports theoretical developments. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The aim of the present study is to describe a method for setting up a polylactic acid (PLA) 3D printed surgical guide for the minimally invasive insertion of dental implants using the CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) acquisition without occlusal contact and CAD- CAM (computer-aided design/computer assisted manufacture) software for its design, production and testing.
Supporting learners affectively while carrying out stressful educational activities is an open research issue. It requires the appropriate infrastructure for recognizing emotional states and reacting accordingly in runtime. In this paper, we describe the open platform that we have implemented (named AICARP v2) to detect changes in physiological signals that can be associated with stressful situations, and when this happens, it recommends the learner to relax by delivering modulated sensorial support in terms of light, sound, or vibration at a relaxation breath rate. In this way, by taking advantage of ambient intelligence, the learner can perceive the recommended action without interrupting the learning activity (in this case, practicing the oral exam of a second language). The signal acquisition of the system (which combines sensors from Libellium e-Health platform with others integrated ad hoc) has been compared with a commercial system (J&J Engineering I-330-C2), obtaining similar outcomes as to identifying significant changes in the physiological signals when the learner experiments an emotional reaction. However, the cost of AICARP v2 is much lower, and at the same time, it is open hardware and flexible and, thus, has the advantage of providing runtime data processing. User studies have served to evaluate participants' perception of the sensorial support, as well as to calibrate the delivery rule and to evaluate the effectiveness of the support provided to them.
The main aim of this study was to conduct preliminary analysis on the performance of two conceptual designs that integrate the production of potable water, electricity, and salt. We used reverse osmosis (RO), pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO), and electrodialysis (ED) to produce potable water, electricity, and salt, respectively. The objective of the analysis is to observe how the relative positions of RO and PRO in the integrated process affect the five key parameters, i.e. the total dissolved solids (TDS) of potable water, permeate rate, the total energy requirement of the RO and ED units, net delivered power, and salt potential. We simulated each integrated design using previously validated mathematical expressions of RO, PRO, and ED. We found that the net delivered power is higher When the RO unit is located before the PRO unit. The same sequence also results in lower energy requirement for producing potable water, although the permeate rate is smaller than that of the rival sequence. On the other hand, the salt potential is not affected by the relative positions of the RO and PRO units. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Lipids are not only a central part of human metabolism but also play diverse and critical roles in the immune system. As such, they can act as ligands of lipid-activated nuclear receptors, control inflammatory signaling through bioactive lipids such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes, lipoxins, resolvins, and protectins, and modulate immunity as intracellular phospholipid-or sphin-golipid-derived signaling mediators. In addition, lipids can serve as antigens and regulate immunity through the activation of lipid-reactive T cells, which is the topic of this review. We will provide an overview of the mechanisms of lipid antigen presentation, the biology of lipid-reactive T cells, and their contribution to immunity.
In this paper, we present an overview of the entropy production in fluid dynamics in a systematic way. First of all, we clarify a rigorous derivation of the incompressible limit for the Navier-Stokes-Fourier system of equations based on the asymptotic analysis, which is a very well known mathematical technique used to derive macroscopic limits of kinetic equations (Chapman-Enskog expansion and Hilbert expansion are popular methodologies). This allows to overcome the theoretical limits of assuming that the material derivative of the density simply vanishes. Moreover, we show that the fundamental Gibbs relation in classical thermodynamics can be applied to non-equilibrium flows for generalizing the entropy and for expressing the second law of thermodynamics in case of both incompressible and compressible flows. This is consistent with the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and it is an essential condition for the design and optimization of fluid flow devices. Summarizing a theoretical framework valid at different regimes (both incompressible and compressible) sheds light on entropy production in fluid mechanics, with broad implications in applied mechanics.
Following a mortality salience or control prime, Black, Hispanic, and White college students read a murder/carjacking or auto theft trial transcript in which the defendant belonged to their racial/ethnic group or one of the others. Black and Hispanic, but not White, mock-jurors discriminated, more frequently judging outgroup defendants guilty. Mortality salience affected judgments about outgroup, but not ingroup, defendants, heightening perceptions of guilt in the murder case and decreasing guilty verdict preferences in the theft case. Mortality salience may compel derogation of outgroup defendants who threaten the cultural worldview, but not of less threatening ingroup defendants. The effect, however, seems restricted to crimes like murder that can sustain death-related anxiety.
Cases have been reported of deformed geotextile-reinforced soil walls in cold regions. The deformation is likely to be caused by frost heavein the backfill soil of reinforced soil walls. To prevent the deformation caused by frost heave, the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has established specific construction techniques. However, no preventive measures have been specified for geotextile-reinforced soil wallsalready in service. Toward proposing countermeasures to frost-heave deformation, full-scale tests were conducted. The results demonstrated that application of insulating materials to the outer surface of geotextile-reinforced soil walls helps to control frostheave deformation.
Ambient intelligence has advanced significantly during the last few years. The incorporation of image processing and artificial intelligence techniques have opened the possibility for such aspects as pattern recognition, thus allowing for a better adaptation of these systems. This study presents a new model of an embedded agent especially designed to be implemented in sensing devices with resource constraints. This new model of an agent is integrated within the PANGEA (Platform for the Automatic Construction of Organiztions of Intelligent Agents) platform, an organizational-based platform, defining a new sensor role in the system and aimed at providing contextual information and interacting with the environment. A case study was developed over the PANGEA platform and designed using different agents and sensors responsible for providing user support at home in the event of incidents or emergencies. The system presented in the case study incorporates agents in Arduino hardware devices with recognition modules and illuminated bands; it also incorporates IP cameras programmed for automatic tracking, which can connect remotely in the event of emergencies. The user wears a bracelet, which contains a simple vibration sensor that can receive notifications about the emergency situation.
We develop a theoretical model of security investments in a network of interconnected agents. Network connections introduce the possibility of cascading failures due to an exogenous or endogenous attack depending on the profile of security investments by the agents. We provide a tractable decomposition of individual payoffs into an own effect and an externality, which also enables us to characterize individual investment incentives recursively (by considering the network with one agent removed at a time). Using this decomposition, we provide characterization of equilibrium and socially optimal investment levels as a function of the structure of the network, highlighting the role of a new set of network centrality measures in shaping the levels of equilibrium and optimal investments. When the attack location is endogenized (by assuming that the attacker chooses a probability distribution over the location of the attack in order to maximize damage), similar forces still operate, but now because greater investment by an agent shifts the attack to other parts of the network, the equilibrium may involve too much investment relative to the social optimum. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper investigates the dynamic relationship between Japanese Yen exchange rates and market anxiety during the period from January 5, 1998 to April 18, 2016. A quantitative technique of multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MF-DCCA) is used to explore the multifractal features of the cross-correlations between USD/JPY, AUD/JPY exchange rates and the market anxiety gauge VIX. The investigation shows that the causal relationship between Japanese Yen exchange rates and VIX are bidirectional in general, and the cross-correlations between the two sets of time series are multifractal. Strong evidence suggests that the cross-correlation exponents tend to exhibit different volatility patterns in response to diverse external shocks such as financial distress and widening in interest rate spread, suggesting that the cross-correlated behavior between Japanese Yen exchange rates and VIX are susceptible to economic uncertainties and risks. In addition, the performances of two market anxiety gauges, the VIX and the TED spread, are compared and the sources of multifractality are also traced. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature by shedding light on the unique driving forces of the Yen exchange rate fluctuations in the international foreign exchange market. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Since the proposal of a fast learning algorithm for deep belief networks in 2006, the deep learning techniques have drawn ever-increasing research interests because of their inherent capability of overcoming the drawback of traditional algorithms dependent on hand-designed features. Deep learning approaches have also been found to be suitable for big data analysis with successful applications to computer vision, pattern recognition, speech recognition, natural language processing, and recommendation systems. In this paper, we discuss some widely used deep learning architectures and their practical applications. An up-to-date overview is provided on four deep learning architectures, namely, autoencoder, convolutional neural network, deep belief network, and restricted Boltzmann machine. Different types of deep neural networks are surveyed and recent progresses are summarized. Applications of deep learning techniques on some selected areas (speech recognition, pattern recognition and computer vision) are highlighted. A list of future research topics are finally given with clear justifications.
In this study we examined prosocial compensating behavior towards socially excluded ingroup and outgroup members by using a 'Prosocial Cyberball Game' in 9-17 year old Dutch adolescents (N = 133). Results showed that adolescents compensated for the social exclusion of an unknown peer in a virtual ball tossing game, by tossing the ball more often to that player in compensation conditions compared to the fair play condition. The proportion of tosses towards the excluded player did not significantly differ as a function of the group status of that player. Although compensating behavior towards ingroup versus outgroup members did not differ, the underlying motivation for this behavior may vary. More empathic concern was associated with more prosocial tosses towards an ingroup member, while more self-reported bullying behavior was associated with less compensating behavior in the outgroup condition. These findings may have practical implications for programs intending to change bystander behavior in bullying situations. (C) 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The model of a voltage source inverter depends on its output filter. The parameters of this filter can differ significantly from their nominal values due to power losses in the core of the output coil and changes in its inductance. Only Multi-Input-Single-Output control systems can effectively reduce inverter output voltage distortions for a standard nonlinear rectifier RC load. However, their design requires knowledge of the actual values of the inverter parameters. The novelty of the paper is that it connects the designs of two MISO control systems with a method of the automated measurements of the voltage source inverter parameters. The breadboard verification is also included.
Considerable research has examined infants' understanding and evaluations of social agents, but two questions remain unanswered: First, do infants organize observed social relations into larger structures, inferring the relationship between two social beings based on their relations to a third party? Second, how do infants reason about a type of social relation prominent in all societies: the caregiving relation between parents and their babies? In a series of experiments using animated events, we ask whether 15- to 18-month-old infants infer that two babies who were comforted by the same adult, or two adults who comforted the same baby, will affiliate with one another. We find that infants make both of these inferences, but they make no comparable inferences when presented with the same visible events with voices that specify a peer context, in which one adult responds to another laughing adult. Thus, infants are sensitive to at least one aspect of caregiving and organize relations between infants and adults into larger social structures. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Positron emission tomography (PET) images are degraded by a phenomenon known as the partial volume effect (PVE). Approaches have been developed to reduce PVEs, typically through the utilisation of structural information provided by other imaging modalities such as MRI or CT. These methods, known as partial volume correction (PVC) techniques, reduce PVEs by compensating for the effects of the scanner resolution, thereby improving the quantitative accuracy. The PETPVC toolbox described in this paper comprises a suite of methods, both classic and more recent approaches, for the purposes of applying PVC to PET data. Eight core PVC techniques are available. These core methods can be combined to create a total of 22 different PVC techniques. Simulated brain PET data are used to demonstrate the utility of toolbox in idealised conditions, the effects of applying PVC with mismatched point-spread function (PSF) estimates and the potential of novel hybrid PVC methods to improve the quantification of lesions. All anatomy-based PVC techniques achieve complete recovery of the PET signal in cortical grey matter (GM) when performed in idealised conditions. Applying deconvolution-based approaches results in incomplete recovery due to premature termination of the iterative process. PVC techniques are sensitive to PSF mismatch, causing a bias of up to 16.7% in GM recovery when overestimating the PSF by 3 mm. The recovery of both GM and a simulated lesion was improved by combining two PVC techniques together. The PETPVC toolbox has been written in C++, supports Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, is open-source and publicly available.
Using event-related potentials (ERPs), this study examines how trait information inferred from behaviors is associated with person names. In linguistic discourses, person names were associated with descriptions of either positive or negative behaviors. In a subsequent explicit evaluation task, the previously described person names were presented in isolation, and the participants were asked to judge the emotional valence of these names. We found that the names associated with positive descriptions elicited a larger positivity in the ERP than the names associated with negative descriptions. The results indicate that the emotional valence of person names attached to person perception can be dynamically influenced by short descriptions of the target person, probably due to trait inference based on the provided behavioral descriptions.
This paper reports our ongoing effort in developing a new instructional model to improve cognitive learning and student motivation in undergraduate manufacturing engineering education. In this model, a computer animation and simulation program is incorporated into hands-on real-world experiments. The paper describes the interactive computer program that we have developed for animating and simulating machining processes in an undergraduate machining course that we teach. A representative example of student projects is provided to demonstrate how computer simulation is employed in the new instructional model. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations are conducted to assess students' attitudes toward our computer program and if and how it helps students understand fundamental machining concepts and theories. The evaluation results show that the developed instructional model has a positive impact on enhancing and increasing students' cognitive learning of machining concepts and theories.
Background: Immune mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) commonly affect young and adolescent females. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNE)-alpha agents are increasingly used to treat these conditions, but their safety during pregnancy remains unclear. Objectives: To evaluate the risk of pregnancy related outcomes in patients with various immune mediated diseases treated with anti-TNF-alpha agents. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for studies assessing the outcome of pregnancy in female patients with various immune mediated diseases who were treated with anti-TNF-alpha agents. Direct and network meta-analyses were performed between anti-TNF-alpha users, non-users, and the general population. Results: Thirteen studies (including RA, IBD and various immune mediated diseases) were identified. Among the studies that compared the outcome between anti-TNF-alpha users and the general population, anti-TNF-alpha users had a non-significant trend towards reduced rate of live birth (odds ratio (OR) = 0.38 (P = 0.081), 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.13 L13) and were at significantly increased risk of preterm birth (OR = 2.62 (P < 0.0001), 95% CI = 2.12-3.23), spontaneous abortion (OR = 4.08 (P = 0.033), 95% CI = 1.12-14.89) and low birth weight (OR = 5.95 (P = 0.032), 95% CI = 1.17-30.38) compared to the general population. Risk of anomalies was not elevated (OR = 1.46 (P = 0.18), 95% CI = 0.84-2.56). Among the studies that compared the outcome between anti-TNF-alpha users and non-users, there were no significant differences in the rates of live birth and pregnancy related complications. Among the studies that compared the outcome between non-anti-TNF-alpha users and the general population, risk of spontaneous abortion was elevated (OR = 2.60 (P = 0.033), 95% CI = 1.08-6.27), but there were no significant differences in the rates of live birth and other pregnancy related complications. Network meta-analysis confirmed the rank order of all outcomes as general population, non-users and users of anti-TNF-alpha agents (ascending order based on safety). Conclusions: Female patients with immune mediated diseases treated with anti-TNF-alpha agents were at significantly increased risks of preterm birth, spontaneous abortion and low birth weight compared to the general population, but had comparable outcomes with non-users. These results provide useful information for female patients in their reproductive age and raise awareness of the conditions that they are facing among clinicians managing their care. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sexual minority stress experiences (e.g. prejudice, victimization, etc.) and peer substance use norms (e.g. peers' frequency of use and quantity consumed) are important correlates of alcohol and drug use in sexual minority populations. The current study incorporates both of these by examining LGB individuals' perceptions of peers' use of alcohol and other drugs to cope with a sexual minority stressor, and whether perceptions of peer coping norms relate to one's own coping-motivated substance use in response to the stressor. Three-hundred and seven sexual minority males and females who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual completed an online survey approximately 1 month following the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in U.S. history, and a stressor experienced within LGB communities throughout the U.S. Results revealed that LGB peers were widely perceived as likely to have coped with alcohol (68%) and drugs (41%) following the Pulse Shooting; however only small proportions of participants themselves reported coping with alcohol (26%) and drugs (7%). Further, multivariate models revealed that even after controlling for other factors including the stress impact of the Pulse shooting, the odds of using alcohol to cope with this event were 15 times greater among participants who held the perception that LGB peers likely used alcohol to cope relative to those who did not share this perception. Similarly, the odds of using drugs to cope with this event were 9 times greater among participants who perceived LGB peers likely to use drugs to cope with Pulse compared to those who did not. Importantly, these findings suggest that personalized normative feedback designed to correct perceptions of peers' coping motivated substance use may have utility as a motivational component in larger interventions seeking to reduce LGBs' substance use. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The detection and processing of novel information encountered in our environment is crucial for proper adaptive behavior and learning. Hippocampus is a prime structure for novelty detection that receives high-level inputs including context information. It is of our interest to understand the mechanisms by which the hippocampus processes contextual information. For this, we performed in vivo microdyalisis in order to monitor extracellular changes in neurotransmitter levels during Object Location Memory (OLM), a behavioral protocol developed to evaluate contextual information processing in recognition memory. Neurotransmitter release was evaluated in the dorsal hippocampus and insular cortex during OLM in 3-month-old B6129SF2/J mice. We found a simultaneous release of dopamine and norepinephrine in hippocampus during OLM, while neurochemical activity remained unaltered in the cortex. Additionally, we administered 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA), a neurotoxic compound selective to dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons, in the dorsal hippocampus in a different group of mice. Depletion of catecholaminergic terminals in the hippocampus by 6-OHDA impaired OLM but did not affect novel object recognition. Our results support the relevance of hippocampal catecholaminergic neurotransmission in recognition memory. The significance of catecholaminergic function may be extended to the clinical field as it has been reported that innervation of hippocampus by the noradrenergic and dopaminergic system is reduced and atrophied in aging and Alzheimer's disease brain. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The current research expands upon the sparse existing literature on the nature of bias against interracial couples. Study 1 demonstrates that bias against interracial romance is correlated with disgust. Study 2 provides evidence that images of interracial couples evoke a neural disgust response among observers - as indicated by increased insula activation relative to images of same-race couples. Consistent with psychological theory indicating that disgust leads to dehumanization, Study 3 demonstrates that manipulating disgust leads to implicit dehumanization of interracial couples, Overall, the current findings provide evidence that interracial couples elicit disgust and are dehumanized relative to same-race couples. These findings are particularly concerning, given evidence of antisocial reactions (e.g., aggression, perpetration of violence) to dehumanized targets. Findings also highlight the role of meaningful social units (e.g., couples) in person perception, an important consideration for psychologists conducting social cognition research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
Nonverbal communication, also known as body language, is an important form of communication. Nonverbal behaviors such as posture, eye contact, and gestures send strong messages. In regard to nonverbal communication, eye contact is one of the most important forms that an individual can use. However, lack of eye contact occurs when we use video conferencing system. The disparity between locations of the eyes and a camera gets in the way of eye contact. The lock of eye gazing can give unapproachable and unpleasant feeling. In this paper, we proposed an eye gazing correction for video conferencing. We use two cameras installed at the top and the bottom of the television. The captured two images are rendered with 2D warping at virtual position. We implement view morphing to the detected face, and synthesize the face and the warped image. Experimental results verify that the proposed system is effective in generating natural gaze-corrected images.
Mesoscale electromechanical systems find applications in fields such as medical instrumentation, soft robotics, microscopy, flexible electronics and imagining. This paper implements the printed circuit MEMS (PC-MEMS) process [1] for the fabrication of a 'pop-up' flexure-based mesoscale system that exploits the simplicity of 2-D manufacturing techniques such as sheet-metal operations and laser cutting to realize a 3-D mechanism. The fabrication of a laminated Delta robot with prismatic actuation is presented to exemplify this process. A working device with actuation and functional components such as linear guides, stepper motors and limit switches is designed and fully realized. Because the mechanism is popped out of the plane to achieve its 3D shape, we present a stiffness analysis to arrive at the out-of-plane (or 'pop-out') angles that the planar system must accommodate so that constraints/limits on actuator torque/force can be can satisfied while producing an operational system. The simplicity of the processes makes it a candidate for the use in the emerging open-source hardware technologies for fabricating low-cost, complex, electromechanical systems. (C) 2016 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As urbanisation and land development rapidly increase, water quality stress due to urban stormwater runoff is becoming an increasingly prominent problem. Although a variety of technologies exist to improve urban runoff quality, ultra-urban areas pose a specific challenge. Geotextile filters, which are easy to maintain and have a long lifespan, can be an alternative to sand filters in urban areas as demonstrated in previous laboratory studies. This study examines the field effectiveness of a geotextile filter as a means of stormwater runoff treatment in Maryland. The results indicate that the filter is able to significantly reduce total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations in parking lot stormwater. Of the 18 storms analysed for TSS, 16 demonstrated an event mean concentration (EMC) less than the target value of 25 mg/l. However, no significant reduction of total phosphorus EMC occurred through the filters. Porosities and characteristic pore opening sizes of the field-exhumed geotextiles dropped 65-82%, accompanied by comparable permittivities; however, the final hydraulic conductivities of the field-exhumed geotextiles were still 25 times higher than that of a typical unclogged uniform sand. Stormwater TSS geotextile modelling developed in an earlier study was successful in predicting hydraulic conductivity decrease in the field.
Computer-Aided Learning is currently applied for improving educational methods in order to reach teaching objectives in experimental fields, which are in a continuous renovation process. So, handling new machines learning cannot be usually carried out in Teaching Centres because of the high economical inversion required. Furthermore, the number of students / number of machines ratio is too high. This acquires special relevance in technical studies where practical learning is essential. In this work, a virtual learning and training application for a CNC lathe is presented into a virtual learning environment developed in the Manufacturing Engineering Labs of the University of Cadiz.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of typhoons and dust storms on harvested rainwater quality. Rainwater samples were collected from the rainwater harvesting systems in northern Taiwan between September 2010 and April 2013. There were five typhoons and one dust storm that hit Taiwan during this period. Harvested rainwater was analyzed, including pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, alkalinity, total organic carbon (TOC), acute biotoxicity test, and concentration of 13 metals and three anions. Results of harvested rainwater of the dust storm showed it had higher pH, turbidity, TOC, Na, Mg, Ca, Cl-, NO3- and SO42- than normal rainwater. Conversely, due to strong winds and dilution effect, most of the ion concentrations in harvested rainwater during typhoons were lower than in normal rainwater. In addition, biotoxicity in harvested rainwater during the dust storm and typhoons was not significantly different from that of normal rainwater.
The present study examined the gills and liver histopathology of the freshwater fish chub caught from three different sites (Site A: Askale, Site D: Dumlu, and Site S: Serceme) in the Karasu River. At Site A, the concentrations of some metals such as cadmium, aluminum, arsenic, lead, and manganese exceeded acceptable levels according to the Turkish Standards Institute. Moreover, the concentrations of metals in the liver and gills of the collected fish were determined. The presence of histological alterations was assessed by the degree of tissue change. The quantitative histological assessment indicated that the histological lesions were comparatively most severe in the liver. The results revealed that anthropogenic pollution of aquatic ecosystems affected the fish in their natural habitat.
Does physical warmth lead to caring and sharing? Research suggests that it does; physically warm versus cold conditions induce prosocial behaviors and cognitions. Importantly, previous research has not traced the developmental origins of the association between physical warmth and affection. The association between physical warmth and sharing may be captured in specific cognitive models of close social relations, often referred to as attachment styles. In line with this notion, and using a dictator game set-up, the current study demonstrates that children who relate to their friends with a secure attachment style are more generous toward their peers in warm than in cold conditions. This effect was absent for children who relate to friends with an insecure attachment style. Notably, however, these children not just always shared less: They allocated more stickers to a friend than to a stranger. These findings provide an important first step to understand how fundamental embodied relations develop early in life. We discuss broader implications for grounded cognition and person perception.
This paper discusses the application of gamification techniques in the Ambient Intelligence context. A three-layer framework for ambient intelligence based on the concept of interconnection among all actors involved in the intelligent environment is first delineated. Then, mechanisms for user-driven creation and modification of environment behavior are advocated in the user layer. For this purpose, event-condition-action rules are promoted in literature. With this position paper we would like to suggest that user interfaces for rule construction must be integrated with proper techniques for user engagement and motivation, such as those proposed in the gamification theory.
Voltage inverters are the most common kind of actuator to interface with variable frequency electrical systems. They are usually driven by a modulation block that provides the gating signals for the switches. Direct digital control avoids the modulation block, being the gating signals directly produced by the controller. In such configuration, the control of the electrical system is a discrete time and quantized-actuation problem. This paper analyzes the harmonic content in sinusoidal steady state resulting from such configuration. The analysis illustrates the higher harmonic content, providing lower bounds for such content in the case of low ratios of commutation to fundamental frequencies. Also, the dependence of harmonic content with duty cycle and with commutation losses is exposed. The findings apply to different kind of control structures, regardless of its design or tuning parameters. Some of them are experimentally compared. A two-level three-phase inverter is used in the analysis for its relevance and simplicity although the procedure can be applied to any number of phases or levels. (C) 2016 International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (IMACS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ERAP1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are associated with ankylosing spondylitis. Data on ERAP1SNPs in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is scarce. ERAP1 rs30187 SNP was shown to confer risk in the enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) category of JIA. We examined the prevalence and association of this SNP in Indian children with ERA. SNPs in ERAP1 (rs30187) were genotyped in children with ERA (n = 271), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (n = 213) and healthy controls (n = 101), using Taqman genotyping. Allele frequencies and genotype frequencies were calculated and compared using the Cochran Armitage test. Minor allele frequencies were 0.52 in ERA, 0.57 in AS, and 0.57 in healthy controls. Neither ERA nor AS patients showed significant association with this SNP. Segregating according to HLAB27 status did not alter the lack of association. rs30187 SNP in ERAP1 does not confer risk of developing ERA or AS in the Asian Indian population.
The goal of an intrusion detection system (IDS) is to monitor activities to detect breaches in security policies of a computer system or a network. This paper focuses on anomaly detection paradigm of IDS. The goal of anomaly-based IDS is to classify intrusion based on system and network activities outside of a normal region. In this paper we employ a multiple-detector set artificial immune system, a variation of artificial immune system, to classify intrusion based on features of application layer protocols (e.g., http, ftp, smtp, etc.) in network data flows. Our result shows the multiple-detector set artificial immune system achieved a Detection Rate of 53.34% and a False Positive Rate of 0.20%. The mAIS achieved an accuracy of 76.57%.
Aluminum is one of the most toxic metals causing a variety of neurologic diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease. It is impossible to avoid contact with aluminum because of its existence in food to medications. Therefore, removal of aluminum from the blood or wastewater is urgently important. The cost-effective and easy-to-prepare adsorbents are needed to get efficient aluminum removal. For that purpose, the poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-acrylic acid), poly(HEMA-co-AA), microparticles was synthesized to remove aluminum in a very short interaction time. The achievement of the desired polymeric structure was confirmed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), etc. Additionally, particle features such as swelling ratio, size, and surface area were determined. The microparticles synthesized in this study have been determined with very good adsorption capacity even in small aluminum concentrations.
The deployment of the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm requires designing and integrating user-centered smart environments to assist people in their daily life activities. This research paper details an integration and validation of multiple heterogeneous sensors with hybrid reasoners that support decision making in order to monitor personal and environmental data at a smart home in a private way. The results innovate on knowledge-based platforms, distributed sensors, connected objects, accessibility and authentication methods to promote independent living for elderly people. TALISMAN+, the AmI framework deployed, integrates four subsystems in the smart home: (i) a mobile biomedical telemonitoring platform to provide elderly patients with continuous disease management; (ii) an integration middleware that allows context capture from heterogeneous sensors to program environment's reaction; (iii) a vision system for intelligent monitoring of daily activities in the home; and (iv) an ontologies-based integrated reasoning platform to trigger local actions and manage private information in the smart home. The framework was integrated in two real running environments, the UPM Accessible Digital Home and MetalTIC house, and successfully validated by five experts in home care, elderly people and personal autonomy.
Since the proposal of NTRU cryptosystem, many variants were proposed by the researcher using different-different algebraic structure. In this article, we try to explore the existing variants of NTRU cryptosystem with their comparative study. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment frequently co-occur. We propose that the relationship is so familiar that exposure to alcohol cues primes expectations of cognitive impairment. Across five studies, we find that in the absence of any evidence of reduced cognitive performance, people who hold an alcoholic beverage are perceived to be less intelligent than those who do not, a mistake we term the imbibing idiot bias. In fact, merely priming observers with alcohol cues causes them to judge targets who hold no beverage at all as less intelligent. The bias is not driven by a belief that less intelligent people are more likely to consume alcohol. We find that the bias may be costly in professional settings. Job candidates who ordered wine during an interview held over dinner were viewed as less intelligent and less hireable than candidates who ordered soda. However, prospective candidates believe that ordering wine rather than soda will help them appear more intelligent. (C) 2012 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Great investment is made in the design and installation of stormwater control measures (SCMs). Substantial research investment, too, is made to optimise the performance of SCMs. However, once installed, SCMs often suffer from lack of maintenance or even outright neglect. Key maintenance needs for wet ponds, constructed stormwater wetlands, bioretention, infiltration practices, permeable pavement, swales, and rainwater harvesting systems are reviewed with many tasks, such as the cleaning of pre-treatment areas and the preservation of infiltration surfaces, being common maintenance themes among SCMs. Consequences of lacking maintenance are illustrated (mainly insufficient function or failure). Probable reasons for neglect include insufficient communication, unclear responsibilities, lack of knowledge, financial barriers, and decentralised measures. In future designs and research, maintenance (and lack thereof) should be considered. Assessing the performance of SCMs conservatively and including safety factors may prevent consequences of under-maintenance; and requiring regular inspection may help to enforce sufficient maintenance.
Many individuals now meet and develop friendships while online. As a result, people must form impressions of online acquaintances based on that person's online representation. Here, we investigate personality inferences and intentions to befriend based solely on simple avatars (i.e., customized cartoon representations of the self). Our data show that some traits are more easily inferred from avatars than others, avatars can communicate accurate and distinctive information regarding personality, and individuals with certain personality traits create avatars that are more likely to be perceived accurately. We also found that agreeable and normative individuals created avatars that elicited more desire for friendship from others, implying that the impression given by one's digital avatars may have social consequences.
Optical sensors are powerful tools for live cell research as they permit to follow the location, concentration changes or activities of key cellular players such as lipids, ions and enzymes. Most of the current sensor probes are based on fluorescence which provides great spatial and temporal precision provided that high-end microscopy is used and that the timescale of the event of interest fits the response time of the sensor. Many of the sensors developed in the past 20 years are genetically encoded. There is a diversity of designs leading to simple or sometimes complicated applications for the use in live cells. Genetically encoded sensors began to emerge after the discovery of fluorescent proteins, engineering of their improved optical properties and the manipulation of their structure through application of circular permutation. In this review, we will describe a variety of genetically encoded biosensor concepts, including those for intensiometric and ratiometric sensors based on single fluorescent proteins, Forster resonance energy transfer-based sensors, sensors utilising bioluminescence, sensors using self-labelling SNAP- and CLIP-tags, and finally tetracysteine-based sensors. We focus on the newer developments and discuss the current approaches and techniques for design and application. This will demonstrate the power of using optical sensors in cell biology and will help opening the field to more systematic applications in the future.
An approach to mass measurement for the electronic balance based on continuous-time sigma-delta (CT Sigma-Delta) modulator is described in this paper. As an effect of multifarious interfering noises, the accuracy of the electronic balance is restricted. The general idea of this proposed approach is to apply an electromagnetic-force-compensated load cell (EMCC), a related signal processing circuit, and a composite filter. The circuit mainly consists of a proportional-integral-differential controller and a pulsewidth modulator, which combine with the EMCC to form a CT Sigma-Delta modulator. As the CT Sigma-Delta modulator possesses inherent antialiasing filtering, oversampling, and noise-shaping characteristics, the interfering noises can be effectively removed by the composite filter that is composed of two sinc(N) filters. The simulations for both of the electronic balance models adopting the proposed approach and working in conventional pulse current mode are analyzed by adding the white Gaussian noise in Simulink. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed approach, the proposed electronic balance in the field can improve its signal-to-noise ratio, and the testing results meet the requirement for the weighing accuracy of the special-class scale defined by Organisation Internationale De Metrologie Legale R76 nonautomatic weighing instruments.
Orthogonal connectors are used in drawings of many types of network diagrams, especially those representing electrical circuits. One approach for routing such connectors has been to compute an orthogonal visibility graph formed by intersecting vertical and horizontal lines projected from the corners of all obstacles and then use an A* search over this graph. However the search can be slow since many routes are in some sense topologically equivalent. We introduce obstacle-hugging routes which we conjecture provide a canonical representative for a set of topologically equivalent routes. We also introduce a new 1-bend visibility graph that supports computation of these canonical routes. Essentially this contains a node for each obstacle corner and connector endpoint in the diagram and an edge between two nodes iff they can be connected using an orthogonal connector with one bend. We show that the use of a 1-bend visibility graph significantly improves the speed of orthogonal connector routing.
The high rate of relapse to drug use is one of the main problems in the treatment of addiction. Stress plays the essential role in drug abuse and relapse; nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms underlying stress and relapse. Accordingly, the effects of intra-accumbal administration of Sulpiride, as a dopamine D2-like receptor antagonist, on an ineffective morphine dose1food deprivation(FD)-and morphine priming-induced reinstatement of conditioned place preference (CPP). About 104 adult male albino Wistar rats weighing 200-280 g were bilaterally implanted by cannula into the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Subcutaneous (sc) injection of morphine (5 mg kg21) was used daily during a 3-day conditioning phase. After a 24-hr  off period following achievement of extinction criterion, rats were tested for FD-and priming-induced reinstatement of morphine CPP by an ineffective (0.5 mg kg21, sc) and priming (1 mg kg21, sc) dose of morphine, respectively. In the next experiments, animals received different doses of intra-accumbal Sulpiride (0.25, 1, and 4 mg/ 0.5 mL saline) bilaterally and were subsequently tested for morphine reinstatement. Our findings indicated that the 24-hr FD facilitated reinstatement of morphine CPP. Furthermore, the D2-like receptor antagonist attenuated the ineffective morphine dose1 FD-and priming-induced reinstatement of morphine CPP dose-dependently. Also, contribution of D2-like receptors in mediation of the ineffective morphine dose1 FD-induced reinstatement of CPP was greater than morphine priming-induced reinstatement of CPP. The role of dopaminergic system in morphine reinstatement through a neural pathway in the NAc provides the evidence that D2-like receptor antagonist can be useful therapeutic targets for reinstatement of morphine CPP.
Sensorless control of permanent magnet synchronous machines reduces both volume and overall cost, because no mechanical position sensor is required. At zero speed and in the lower speed range, saliency-based methods of sensorless rotor position estimation place special demands on the machine's electromagnetic design. A machine design considering the typical criteria does not necessarily meet these demands. In particular, load-dependent saturation effects often cause critical operating points with vanishingly low saliency, not permitting a reliable rotor position estimation. Up to now, these design criteria have barely been investigated yet. By means of modified rotor laminations or short-circuited rotor coils increasing high-frequency saliency, the quality of sensorless rotor position estimation can be improved specifically. Both approaches consider the boundary conditions, i.e. an unchanged torque density of the motor and small increase of losses. The rotor coils are especially suitable for smaller motors with surface magnets, for lack of space not tolerating the use of buried magnets or additional flux barriers. With the appropriate design, the additional losses caused by the damping of non-synchronous field components are negligibly small.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with disrupted relationships with partners, family, and peers. These problems can precipitate the onset of clinical illness, influence severity and the prospects for recovery. Here, we investigated whether individuals who have recovered from depression use interpersonal signals to form favourable appraisals of others as social partners. Twenty recovered-depressed adults (with >1 adult episode of MDD but euthymic and medication-free for six months) and 23 healthy, never-depressed adults completed a task in which the gaze direction of some faces reliably cued the location a target (valid faces), whereas other faces cued the opposite location (invalid faces). No participants reported awareness of this contingency, and both groups were significantly faster to categorise targets following valid compared with invalid gaze cueing faces. Following this task, participants judged the trustworthiness of the faces. Whereas the healthy never-depressed participants judged the valid faces to be significantly more trustworthy than the invalid faces; this implicit social appraisal was absent in the recovered-depressed participants. Individuals who have recovered from MDD are able to respond appropriately to joint attention with other people but appear to not use joint attention to form implicit trust appraisals of others as potential social partners.
Undeclared allergens in chocolate products have been responsible for numerous allergen-related recalls in the United States. A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of undeclared milk and peanut in 88 and 78 dark chocolate bars, respectively. Concentrations of milk (as nonfat dry milk) or peanut in three samples of each chocolate product were determined with two milk-or peanut-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. In 75% of the chocolate bar products with a milk advisory statement, milk concentrations were above the limit of quantitation (2.5 mu g/g [ppm]), with the majority having concentrations >1,000 ppm. An additional 67% of chocolate bars with a traces of milk statement contained 3 to 6,700 ppm of milk. Fifteen percent of chocolates labeled dairy free or lactose free and 25% labeled vegan were positive for milk, all with concentrations >1,000 ppm. Even for chocolates with no reference to milk on the label, 33% of these products contained 60 to 3,400 ppm of milk. The survey of chocolate products for peanuts revealed that 8% of products with an advisory statement contained peanut, with the highest concentration of 550 ppm. All nine chocolates bearing the peanut-free or allergen-free statement were negative for peanut, but 17% of chocolates with no label statement for peanut were positive for peanut at concentrations of 9 to 170 ppm. Evaluation of multiple lots of four chocolate products revealed that milk was consistently present or absent for the products investigated, but mixed results were obtained when multiple lots were tested for peanut. This study indicates that a large proportion of dark chocolate bars contain undeclared milk. The type of advisory statement or the absence of a milk advisory statement on products did not predict the amount or absence of milk protein. In contrast, a lower proportion of chocolates containing undeclared peanut was found. Consumers with food allergies should be cautious when purchasing dark chocolate products, particularly those that have an advisory label statement.
In the area of deer antler evaluation for trophy homologation, as well as in the obtaining of biometric databases for later analysis in the field of Geometric Morphometrics, different linear biometric tools have traditionally been used. In this study we used two sets of antlers from 29 Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) to develop and establish a new photogrammetric technique which creates the 3D model of the antler using a parametric 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD). This simple and reliable method for deer hunting trophy homologation was compared with the other two more extensively used methods of antler measurement, the traditional measuring tape and the Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machine (AACMM or CMA). The advantage of this innovative photogrammetric method is the use of only two photographs to obtain both the 3D model and the dimensions required for antler evaluation. A procedure was performed to compare lengths and antler evaluation as hunting trophy. The three methods showed similar reliability, although the photogrammetric process using the 3D CAD system was much faster and more functional than both the traditional measuring tape and Articulated Arm methods. Since this method only requires two photographs per individual, it makes possible the study of a high percentage of antlers in the field. This new photogrammetric method has been successfully used in the biometrics area, but it could become a more extensively used method in this and other fields because of its ease of operation, speed and accuracy of data collection. (C) 2016 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This work investigates the influence of the electrical circuits on TMF (total thermoelectromotive force) response signals captured from the rotating workpiece generated by the tool-workpiece thermocouple system in turning process considering four different thermoelectrical circuits - Ec namely: C-1 - bronze pin, C-2 - aluminum pin, C-3 - graphite brush and C-4 - liquid mercury contact. The tests were carried out under different cutting conditions. A multifactorial analysis of variance was performed using the 2(k) factorial design, always considering the C-4 as the lower level. In addition, a single factor analysis of variance was performed, keeping the cutting speed, Vc, the feed rate, f, the depth of cut, doc, and the lubri-coolant system, Lub, constants while varying the Ec in order to validate the results found with the factorial design. The results indicated that there was no statistical significant difference in the TMF responses of the tool-workpiece thermocouples C-1 and C-4 as well as C-2 and C-4. However, when comparing the TMF generated by C-3 and C-4 a significant difference was detected, indicating that graphite brushes is not recommended for such application, while the bronze and aluminum pins can be thought as an advantageous substitute for the laborious liquid mercury system. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Socioeconomic status (SES) has been consistently linked to poorer access, utilization and outcomes of health care services, but this relationship has been understudied in adolescent substance abuse treatment research. This study examined SES differences in adolescent's treatment participation and long-term outcomes of abstinence and 12-step attendance over five years after treatment. Data are from 358 adolescents (ages 13-18) who were recruited at intake to substance abuse treatment between 2000 and 2002 at four Kaiser Permanente Northern California outpatient treatment programs. Follow-up interviews of adolescents and their parents were conducted at 1, 3, and 5 years, with over 80% response rates across time points. Using parent SES as a proxy for adolescent SES, no socioeconomic differences were found in treatment initiation, treatment retention, or long-term abstinence from alcohol or drugs. Parent education, but not parent income, was significantly associated with 12 step attendance post-treatment such that adolescents with higher parent edification were more likely to attend than those with lower parent education. Findings suggest a lack of socioeconomic disparities in substance abuse treatment participation in adolescence, but potential disparities in post-treatment 12-step attendance during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Ukraine's HIV epidemic is concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID), however, coverage with opioid agonist therapies (OATS) available mostly at specialty addiction clinics is extremely low. OAT integrated into primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) provides an opportunity for integrating comprehensive healthcare services and scaling up OAT. Methods: A pilot study of PHC-based integrated care for drug users conducted in two Ukrainian cities between 2014 and 2016 included three sub-studies: 1) cross-sectional treatment site preference assessment among current OAT patients (N=755); 2) observational cohort of 107 PWID who continued the standard of care versus transition of stabilized and newly enrolled PWID into PHC-based integrated care; and 3) pre/post analysis of attitudes toward PWID and HIV patients by PHC staff (N=26). Results: Among 755 OAT patients, 53.5% preferred receiving OAT at PHCs, which was independently correlated with convenience, trust in physician, and treatment with methadone (vs. buprenorphine). In 107 PWID observed over 6 months, retention in treatment was high: 89% in PWID continuing OAT in specialty addiction treatment settings (standard of care) vs 94% in PWID transitioning to PHCs; and 80% among PWID newly initiating OAT in PHCs. Overall, satisfaction with treatment, subjective self-perception of well-being, and trust in physician significantly increased in patients prescribed OAT in PHCs. Among PHC staff, attitudes towards PWID and HIV patients significantly improved over time. Conclusions: OAT can be successfully integrated into primary care in low and middle-income countries and improves outcomes in both patients and clinicians while potentially scaling-up OAT for PWID. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Person perception research has focused on the accuracy of observers receiving truthful target information; however, in real life people may often wish to manage the impression that they convey. We investigated whether people can pose personality in photographs. Sixty target participants posed each in 10 photographs in which they sought to express the high and low poles of the Big Five traits by means of physical appearances. Observers (N = 401) rated targets' personality and likability from each photograph. The results showed that targets successfully posed as Extravert and, to lesser extent, as Introvert, Neurotic, Non-Conscientious, and Open, and that targets could not convey impressions of high and low Agreeableness. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Spermatozoa are one of the few mammalian cell types that cannot be fully derived in vitro, severely limiting the application of modern genomic techniques to study germ cell biology. The current gold standard approach of characterizing single-gene knockout mice is slow as generation of each mutant line can take 69 months. Here, we describe an in vivo approach to rapid functional screening of germline genes based on a new nonsurgical, nonviral in vivo transfection method to deliver nucleic acids into testicular germ cells. By coupling multiplex transfection of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) constructs with pooled amplicon sequencing as a readout, we were able to screen many genes for spermatogenesis function in a quick and inexpensive experiment. We transfected nine mouse testes with a pilot pool of RNA interference (RNAi) against well-characterized genes to show that this system is highly reproducible and accurate. With a false negative rate of 18% and a false positive rate of 12%, this method has similar performance as other RNAi screens in the well-described Drosophila model system. In a separate experiment, we screened 26 uncharacterized genes computationally predicted to be essential for spermatogenesis and found numerous candidates for follow-up studies. Finally, as a control experiment, we performed a long-term selection screen in neuronal N2a cells, sampling shRNA frequencies at five sequential time points. By characterizing the effect of both libraries on N2a cells, we show that our screening results from testis are tissue-specific. Our calculations indicate that the current implementation of this approach could be used to screen thousands of protein-coding genes simultaneously in a single mouse testis. The experimental protocols and analysis scripts provided will enable other groups to use this procedure to study diverse aspects of germ cell biology ranging from epigenetics to cell physiology. This approach also has great promise as an applied tool for validating diagnoses made from medical genome sequencing, or designing synthetic biological sequences that can act as potent and highly specific male contraceptives.
The integrity of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has to be ensured throughout its entire life in accordance with the applicable regulations. Typically an assessment of the RPV against brittle failure needs to be conducted by taking into account all possible loading cases. One of the most severe loading cases, which can potentially occur during the operating time, is the loss-of-coolant accident, where cold water is injected into the RPV nearly at operating conditions. High pressure in combination with a thermal shock of the ferritic pressure vessel wall caused by the injection of cold water leads to a considerable load at the belt-line area known as Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS). Usually the assessment against brittle failure is based on a deterministic fracture-mechanics analysis, in which common parameters like J-integral or stress intensity factor are employed to calculate the load path for an assumed (postulated) flaw during the PTS event. The most important input data for the fracture mechanics analysis is the transient thermal-hydraulics (TH) load of the RPV during the emergency cooling. Such data can be calculated by analytical fluid-mixing codes verified on experiments, such as KWU-MIX, or by numerical Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools after suitable validation. In KWU-MIX, which is the standard used for TH calculations within PTS analyses, rather conservative analytical models for the quantification of mixing and, depending on the water level, condensation processes in the downcomer (including simplified stripe and plume formations) are utilized. On the contrary, the numerical CFD tools can provide best-estimate results due to the possibility to consider more realistically the stripe and plume formations as well as the geometry of the RPV in detail. In order to quantify the safety margin inherent to the standard approach, two fracture-mechanics analyses of the RPV Beznau 1 based on thermal-hydraulic input data from KWU-MIX and CFD analyses were performed. Subsequently the resulting loading paths were compared between each other and with material properties obtained from the irradiation surveillance program of the RPV to demonstrate the exclusion of brittle-fracture initiation.
This paper deals with dynamic analysis of straightening machine loading during straightening process. During it, a crooked bar passing through the machine and the rollers and holders are subjected to the dynamic loadings. The roller's moment amplitudes depend, among others, on straightening speed, size of the bar curvature, bar's diameter, and on friction between the bar and the rollers. The loading is time-varying and knowledge of the frequencies of the moment is important; it can be used for verification of the numerical simulation or for the straightening machine design. Machine operation close to resonance state can cause excessive vibration which can subsequently cause noise and adversely affect the life of the machine and also straightening accuracy. This paper is aimed to analyze frequency spectra of the moments, which are obtained from the computational simulation and find the possible causes of vibration. Although, the straightening process is complex, it was possible to identify three main causes of vibration which are presented as the results of this paper.
Background: Alterations in gut microbiota composition and bacterial metabolites have been increasingly recognized to affect host metabolism and are at the basis of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (DM2). Intestinal enteroendocrine cells (EEC's) sense gut luminal content and accordingly secrete hormones that modulate glucose and lipid metabolism and affect satiety. It has become evident that microbial metabolic products significantly affect EEC function. Scope and approach: In this review, we will discuss current insights in the role of the gut microbiota and its metabolites in development of obesity and DM2 and elaborate on interventions that modulate EEC action. Key findings and conclusions: Studies including fecal transplantation and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in humans and animal models suggest that the gut microbiota and its metabolites causally contribute to development of obesity and DM2. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiota and its metabolites can modulate secretion of EEC hormones that regulate appetite and insulin secretion. Dispersed intestinal expression and low abundance make EEC's difficult to study. Since current intestinal sampling methods in humans are mostly limited to the colon, this leaves a large part of EEC function understudied. It would therefore be relevant to develop means to extend sampling methods throughout to entire GI tract. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Damages of asphalt pavement are usually observed when the traffic volume and traffic load are excessive. There are, at least, two methods to improve the performance of the asphalt pavement. The first method is to modify the asphalt cement by polymer additive, while the second method is to reinforce the asphalt pavement with geosynthetic reinforcement. The combined effects of the two methods are of interest. In this study, a series of physical models of an asphalt pavement structure were performed to investigate behaviours of geosynthetic-reinforced asphalt pavements. Two types of pavements were prepared for modelling of new pavement and repaired pavement (i.e., overlay pavement). Both normal asphalt cement and polymer-modified asphalt cement were used. Two types of geosynthetic reinforcements; i.e., (i) geogrid with apertures; and (ii) geocomposite (geogrid plus geotextile) without aperture, were used to reinforce the asphalt pavement layer. A uniform dense sand layer was used for preparation of foundation soil supporting pavement in a sand box. The pavements were vertically loaded by a footing. A photogrammetric analysis was performed to determine strain field mobilised in the sand layer. It was found that: (i) the pavement surface settlement was decreased and the maximum shear strain was less localised by reinforcing effects; (ii) distortional permanent deformation of asphalt was decreased by the improvement in asphalt cement used; and (iii) geogrid is preferable to be installed inside the asphalt so that its aperture would be beneficial by interlocking, while geocomposite is appropriate when it has to be installed at the bottom of asphalt pavement. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Traditional surveying methods of soil properties over landscapes are dramatically cost and time-consuming. Thus, remote sensing is a proper choice for monitoring environmental problem. This research aims to study the effect of environmental factors on soil salinity and to map the spatial distribution of this salinity over the southern east part of Tunisia by means of remote sensing and geostatistical techniques. For this purpose, we used Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer data to depict geomorphological parameters: elevation, slope, plan curvature (PLC), profile curvature (PRC), and aspect. Pearson correlation between these parameters and soil electrical conductivity (ECsoil) showed that mainly slope and elevation affect the concentration of salt in soil. Moreover, spectral analysis illustrated the high potential of short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands to identify saline soils. To map soil salinity in southern Tunisia, ordinary kriging (OK), minimum distance (MD) classification, and simple regression (SR) were used. The findings showed that ordinary kriging technique provides the most reliable performances to identify and classify saline soils over the study area with a root mean square error of 1.83 and mean error of 0.018.
The brain's neocortex is anatomically organized into grey and white matter, which are mainly composed by neuronal and glial cells, respectively. The neocortex can be further divided in different Brodmann areas according to their cytoarchitectural organization, which are associated with distinct cortical functions. There is increasing evidence that brain development and function are governed by epigenetic processes, yet their contribution to the functional organization of the neocortex remains incompletely understood. Herein, we determined the DNA methylation patterns of grey and white matter of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 9), an important region for higher cognitive skills that is particularly affected in various neurological diseases. For avoiding interindividual differences, we analyzed white and grey matter from the same donor using whole genome bisulfite sequencing, and for validating their biological significance, we used Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip and pyrosequencing in ten and twenty independent samples, respectively. The combination of these analysis indicated robust grey-white matter differences in DNA methylation. What is more, cell type-specific markers were enriched among the most differentially methylated genes. Interestingly, we also found an outstanding number of grey-white matter differentially methylated genes that have previously been associated with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease, as well as Multiple and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The data presented here thus constitute an important resource for future studies not only to gain insight into brain regional as well as grey and white matter differences, but also to unmask epigenetic alterations that might underlie neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.
Fungi of the genus Trichosporon are increasingly recognized as causative agents of superficial and invasive fungal disease in humans. Although most species are considered commensals of the human skin and gastrointestinal tract, these basidiomycetes are an increasing cause of fungal disease among immunocompromised hosts, such as hematological patients and solid organ transplant recipients. The initiation of commensal or pathogenic programs by Trichosporon spp. involves the adaptation to the host microenvironment and its immune system. However, the exact virulence factors activated upon the transition to a pathogenic lifestyle, including the intricate biology of the cell wall, and how these interact with and subvert the host immune responses remain largely unknown. Here, we revisit our current understanding of the virulence attributes of Trichosporon spp., particularly T. asahii, and their interaction with the host immune system, and accommodate this knowledge within novel perspectives on fungal diagnostics and therapeutics.
Stimulant drugs produce reward but also activate stress-responsive systems. The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and the related hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress-responsive systems are activated by stimulant drugs. However, their role in stimulant drug-induced reward remains poorly understood. Herein, we report that CRF1 receptor-deficient (CRF1-/-), but not wild-type, mice show conditioned place preference (CPP) responses to a relatively low cocaine dose (5 mg/kg, i.p.). Conversely, wild-type, but not CRF1-/-, mice display CPP responses to a relatively high cocaine dose (20 mg/kg, i.p.), indicating that CRF1 receptor-deficiency alters the rewarding effects of cocaine. Acute pharmacological antagonism of the CRF1 receptor by antalarmin also eliminates cocaine reward. Nevertheless, CRF1-/-mice display higher stereotypy responses to cocaine than wild-type mice. Despite the very low plasma corticosterone concentration, CRF1-/-mice show higher nuclear glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels in the brain region of the hippocampus than wild-type mice. Full rescue of wild-type-like corticosterone and GR circadian rhythm and level in CRF1-/-mice by exogenous corticosterone does not affect CRF1 receptor dependent cocaine reward but induces stereotypy responses to cocaine. These results indicate a critical role for the CRF1 receptor in cocaine reward, independently of the closely related HPA axis activity. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Urinary incontinence is defined as a complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine. During pregnancy, the prevalence of urinary incontinence ranges from 32 to 64 %. Different factors like demographic factors, obstetric factors, and other external factors affect urinary incontinence. In Ethiopia, there is no study conducted so far on the magnitude of urinary incontinence and factors associated among pregnant women. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence and associated factors among pregnant women following antenatal care at the University of Gondar Hospital. Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 pregnant women following antenatal care at the University of Gondar Hospital. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed. The results were considered significant at p-value < 0.05. Result: The overall prevalence of urinary incontinence among the participants was 11.4 % [ 48]. After adjustment episiotomy, constipation, obese women, chronic cough/sneezing, asthma/allergies/sinusitis was associated with urinary incontinence. Conclusions: In this study, a lower prevalence was found than that of previous studies. There was a significant association of urinary incontinence with a previous history of episiotomy, constipation, maternal BMI, and respiratory problems.
Extensive research has been conducted to investigate the utility of agricultural products such as coir, jute, bamboo, and sisal as limited life geotextiles (LLG). These agricultural products have extensive use in automotive industry, paper industry, fishing nets, and shipping rigs. As an alternative, this study demonstrates the usefulness of an abundant, harmful (for environment, ecotourism, and bio-diversity) weed species Eichhornia crassipes (Water hyacinth (WH)) for manufacturing LLG. Biochemical composition (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and ash content) of WH fiber as well as tensile strength of WH filaments and woven geotextiles were determined. It was found that the tensile strength of woven geotextiles made from WH is higher or comparable to those fibers from the agricultural products. The efficacy of WH geotextile for short term strength improvement was demonstrated by comparing the CBR value of geotextile reinforced soil with that of unreinforced soil. CBR values of soil reinforced with WH geotextile were found to be higher (8.48 +/- 0.2 %) as compared to unreinforced soil (6.13 +/- 0.07 %). The result obtained from this study is encouraging for promoting the utility of WH LLG in road infrastructure projects.
This paper deals with a dynamical modelling in view of behavior analysis of double stars induction machine (DSIM) supplied by voltage source PWM inverter. Two modelling approaches are elaborated. In the first one the stator armatures of the DSIM are described by two coupled circuits in Concordia's frame. In the second approach the stator armatures of the DSIM are described by two decoupled circuits. One is equivalent to the model of three phase machine in Concordia's frame. And the other is equivalent to a passive circuit and does not produce torque. Based on the established electrical circuits, the effect of supply mode and the increasing of the inverter level on the current quality and the torque ripples are analyzed.
The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that rapid prototyping can be effectively applied for fabricating test models to be used in aerodynamic experimental investigations. One of the most popular RP technology used worldwide is 3D printing (3DP). 3D printing technologies can be divided in the following groups: inkjet printing, fused deposition modelling and polyjet. The present work is focused on applications of polyjet technology for manufacturing of aerodynamic parts. This implicitly indicates the effectiveness of employing polyjet technology for fabricating wind tunnel test models. In the second part of the paper is presented a case study using EDEN 350 - 3D printing system by Objet, which is available at Transilvania University of Brasov, Department of Manufacturing Engineering.
Progranulin (PGRN) is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Genetic studies demonstrate an association of the common GRN rs5848 variant that results in reduced PGRN levels with increased risk for AD. However, the mechanisms by which PGRN reduction from the GRN AD risk variant or mutation exacerbates AD pathophysiology remain ill defined. Here, we show that the GRN AD risk variant has no significant effects on florbetapir positron emission tomographic amyloid imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) A beta levels, whereas it is associated with increased CSF tau levels in human subjects of the Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative studies. Consistent with the human data, subsequent analyses using the APPswe/PS1.E9 (APP/PS1) mouse model of cerebral amyloidosis show that PGRN deficiency has no exacerbating effects on A beta pathology. In contrast and unexpectedly, PGRN deficiency significantly reduces diffuse A beta plaque growth in these APP/PS1 mice. This protective effect is due, at least in part, to enhanced microglial A beta phagocytosis caused by PGRN deficiency-induced expression of TYROBP network genes (TNG) including an AD risk factor Trem2. PGRN-deficient APP/PS1 mice also exhibit less severe axonal dystrophy and partially improved behavior phenotypes. While PGRN deficiency reduces these amyloidosis-related phenotypes, other neuronal injury mechanisms are increased by loss of PGRN, revealing a multidimensional interaction of GRN with AD. For example, C1q complement deposition at synapses is enhanced in APP/PS1 mice lacking PGRN. Moreover, PGRN deficiency increases tau AT8 and AT180 pathologies in human P301L tau-expressing mice. These human and rodent data suggest that global PGRN reduction induces microglial TNG expression and increases AD risk by exacerbating neuronal injury and tau pathology, rather than by accelerating A beta pathology.
Urban stormwater runoff could have negative impacts on water resources and the environment. Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) can serve both as a stormwater control and water conservation measure. Cistern size and irrigation scheduling are two of the factors that directly impact the total runoff from a residential unit with a RWH system and the amount of potable water used for irrigation. The effectiveness of RWH was evaluated for four soil types; Sand, Sandy Loam, Loamy Sand, and Silty Clay, with a root zone of 15.2 cm using three irrigation scheduling methods (Evapotranspiration (ET)-based, soil moisture-based, and time-based), and five cistern sizes. Total runoff volumes and total supplemental potable water used were compared among the three irrigation scheduling systems and a control treatment without RWH. A model was developed to simulate the daily water balance for the treatments. Irrigation and runoff volumes were compared for the various scenarios. Silty clay soil resulted with 83 % more runoff than Sandy soil, while Sandy soil required on average 58 % more supplemental water than Silty Clay soil. On average, the 833 L cistern resulted with 41 % savings in water supply and 45 % reduction in total runoff. Results showed that the greatest volumes of runoff predicted were for the silty clay soil Control Treatment using a time-based irrigation scheduling method, while the least volumes calculated were for the sandy loam soil time-based irrigation scheduling treatment with 833 L cistern size. The greatest volumes of total supplemental water predicted were for sandy loam soil Control Treatment, while the least volumes were for silty clay soil ET-based irrigation scheduling treatment with 833 L cistern size. Regression equations were developed to allow for users to select a RWH cistern size based on the amount of water they want to save or runoff to reduce.
The aim of the present study was to understand the context and psychological impact for patients diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 patients affected by HHT, and the transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results of this study allowed us to propose a new hypothesis to explain the delay in diagnosis: the trivialization of symptoms associated with HHT. Moreover, the results showed that a genetic diagnosis of HHT results in emotional shock, uncertainty about the future, and worry about one's children in parents who are confronted with the dilemma of facing the reality of the diagnosis or delaying dealing with the diagnosis until disease onset. Family and personal perceptions of the disease influenced not only the delay in diagnosis but also the emotional and behavioral reactions of patients following a genetic diagnosis.
Continuous conduction mode power factor correction AC-DC converters are widely employed as the front stage in power supplies with medium or high output power. The second-order reactive input power in single-phase systems causes second-order ripple in the DC-link voltage. The speed of voltage regulation is thus limited by the second-order frequency in seeking to achieve low distorted input current. This study presents a fast second-order voltage estimation method, wherein an integrator is used for the estimation of second-order voltage ripple to obtain rapid voltage feedback without ripple and thereby cope with the limitations imposed by the second-order frequency. This approach greatly expands the bandwidth of the voltage control loop beyond the second-order frequency while reducing the total harmonic distortion associated with the input current. This also makes it possible to reduce the DC capacitance to reduce costs. The authors opted for full digital control using a TI F28335 DSP IC, in conjunction with feedback plus feedforward control to facilitate the design of the current loop. A feedback current corrector is used to reduce distortion associated with the input current over a wide load range. The effectiveness of the proposed control method was confirmed with some simulation and experimental results.
Openness to diversity is useful to adjustment in the diversified modern society, but diversity can be perceived as a threat to one's identity and cultural values. Thus, tendency to feel secure and not easily threatened attachment security may be associated with openness to diversity. A path model hypothesized the associations between attachment insecurity (i.e., attachment anxiety and avoidance) and universal-diverse orientation (UDO; i.e., open attitude toward diversity) both directly and indirectly through low self-esteem and interpersonal trust. A structural equation modeling analysis using two samples (N = 338 and 350, respectively) of U.S. undergraduates revealed that attachment anxiety was associated with the UDO cognitive component Relativistic Appreciation positively but its emotional component Comfort with Differences negatively, suggesting ambivalent attitudes to diversity. Indirect effects were significant between attachment insecurity and UDO through trust, although self-esteem was associated with UDO only through its association with trust. It was suggested that mistrust in others' good intention might be why insecurely attached feel uncomfortable with the culturally different people. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We explored the relationship between sleep patterns and sleep disorders and mammographic density (MD), a marker of breast cancer risk. Participants in the DDM-Spain/var-DDM study, which included 2878 middle-aged Spanish women, were interviewed via telephone and asked questions on sleep characteristics. Two radiologists assessed MD in their left craneo-caudal mammogram, assisted by a validated semiautomatic-computer tool (DM-scan). We used log-transformed percentage MD as the dependent variable and fitted mixed linear regression models, including known confounding variables. Our results showed that neither sleeping patterns nor sleep disorders were associated with MD. However, women with frequent changes in their bedtime due to anxiety or depression had higher MD (e(beta):1.53;95%Cl:1.04-2.26). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The excretion pattern of arsenic (As) species after seafood intake varies widely depending on species ingested and individual handling. We have previously reported the 72 h urinary excretion of arsenicals following a single dose of seafood. Here, we report the excretion patterns in the same 37 subjects following 15 days daily consumption of either 150 g cod, salmon, blue mussels or potato (control), followed by a 72 h period with a low-As diet In all seafood groups, total As (tAs) in plasma and urinary excretion of tAs, arsenobetaine (AB) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) increased significantly after the intervention. Confirming the single dose study AB and DMA excreted were apparently endogenously formed from other arsenicals ingested. Total tAs excretion was 1386, 763 and 303 mu g in the cod, blue mussel and salmon groups, respectively; about twice the amounts after the single dose study indicating accumulation of arsenicals. In the cod group, rapid excretion after the single dose was associated with lower total As in blood and less accumulation after two weeks with seafood indicating lower accumulation. In the blue mussels group only, inorganic As (iAs) excretion increased significantly, whilst methylarsonate (MA) strongly increased, indicating a possible toxicological concern of repeated mussel consumption. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This commentary argues that the recently approved contract under which the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is investing US$437 million dollars in Niger over the next five years, most of it on large-scale irrigation, is not a good investment. The paper explains why the programme is not likely to achieve the benefits anticipated. MCC had commissioned a detailed feasibility study, carried out by the authors of this paper, which strongly argued against investing in large-scale irrigation, in part because there is a poor track record for these investments in Niger, and in part because MCC has no comparative advantage in such investments. Instead, the feasibility study presented a strong case for investing in small-scale rainwater harvesting for agriculture and livestock at farm and watershed levels; and individualised small-scale irrigation for high-value nutritious crops and other water uses. The commentary concludes with suggestions on how the funds allocated for large-scale irrigation infrastructure (about US$250 million) could be reallocated to benefit a far larger number of people; and a recommendation that investors in African agricultural water management projects carry out an assessment of the performance and impacts of investment experiences over the past decade to identify lessons that could inform the next decade of investments in agricultural water management.
In the report are discussed the laboratory test results of SPAD detectors with InGaAs / InP avalanche photodiodes, operating in Geiger mode. Device operating in synchronous mode with the dead timer setting for proper working conditions of photodiodes. The report materials will showing the functional block diagram of the detector, real operating signals in the receiver path and clock circuits and main results of measurements. The input signal of the synchronous detector is the clock, which determines the time positions of expected photons arrival. Increasing the clock speed 1-300 MHz or getting more time positions of the time grid, we provide increased capacity for time position code of signals, when QKD information transmitted over the nets. At the same time, the maximum attainable speed of photon reception is limited by diode dead time. Diode quantum noise are minimized by inclusion of a special time interval -dead time 0.1-10 usec, after each received and registered a photon. The lowest attainable value of the dead time is determined as a compromise between transients in electrical circuits, passive avalanche quenching' circuit and thermal transients cooling crystal diode, after each avalanche pass though photodiode. Achievable time and speed parameters are discussed with specific examples of detectors.
Network security technologies have different issues that is important in next generation networks because of the real-time nature of its applications (e.g. VoIP and IPTV). The main requirements of these types of applications is to handle the attack situations without quality degradation. There are many references for implementation of intrusion detection systems in VoIP infrastructures but there is little effort on intrusion response systems. We concentrate on response systems for SIP-based entities and present a cost sensitive response system which considers environmental dynamic conditions. We categorize the deployable responses into different groups based on their severity level by considering their side effects. We also propose a new quantitative metric for damage cost to compare it with response cost. Our proposed decision making process is done based on the comparison of these costs (response and damage costs), the environmental conditions (CPU, network and memory usages) and also the time of the detected attack. We verify our proposed framework by a real test-bed which is implemented by open-source tools such as OPENSIPS and SIPp. The implementation results show the effectiveness of our proposed SIP intrusion response system.
Use of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) as an anode in solid oxide fuel cells has attracted considerable research attention because of its excellent thermal stability. Mesoporous SrTiO3 increases the specific surface area for fuel cell reaction, which in turn increases the fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiency. Spray pyrolysis (SP) is advantageous because it entails short processing times and continuous production. In this study, we prepared mesoporous SrTiO3 particles through SP. Because surfactants, as pore forming agents, may aggregate and reduce the specific surface area of particles, the stable surfactant concentration range was investigated. In addition, the short calcination time of SP may cause incomplete decomposition and thus generate an unreacted phase; therefore, various calcination temperatures and an additional wash treatment were explored. Finally, SrTiO3 powder with the high specific surface area of 103 m(2)/g was obtained.
Objective: To describe the reliability and validity of a new measure, the Soda! Skills Questionnaire for Traumatic Brain Injury (SSQ-TBI). Methods: Fifty-one adults with severe TBI completed the SSQ-TBI questionnaire. Scores were compared to informant- and self-report on questionnaires addressing frontal lobe mediated behaviour, as well as performance on an objective measure of social cognition and neuropsychological tasks, in order to provide evidence of concurrent, divergent and predictive validity. Results: Internal consistency was excellent at alpha = 0.90. Convergent validity was good, With informant ratings on the SSQ-TBI significantly correlated with Neuropsychiatric Inventory Disinhibition sub-scales (r = 0.50-63), the Current Behaviour Scale (r = 0.39-0.48) and Frontal Systems Behaviour Scale = 0.60-0:83). However, no relationship was seen with an objective measure of social skills or neuropsychological tasks of disinhibition. There was a significant relationship with real-world psychosocial outcomes on the Sydney Psythosocid Reintegration Scale-2 (r=-0.38-0.69) Conclusions: This study provides preliminary findings of good internal consistency and convergent and predictive validity of a social skills questionnaire adapted to be appropriate for individuals with TBI: Further assessment of psychometric, properties such as test-re-test reliability and factor structure is warranted.
For applications such as remote sensing imaging and medical imaging, high-resolution (HR) images are urgently required. Image Super-Resolution (SR) reconstruction has great application prospects in optical imaging. In this paper, we propose a novel unified Partial Differential Equation (PDE)-based method to single image SR reconstruction. Firstly, two directional diffusion terms calculated by Anisotropic Nonlinear Structure Tensor (ANLST) are constructed, combing information of all channels to prevent singular results, making full use of its directional diffusion feature. Secondly, by introducing multiple orientations estimation using high order matrix-valued tensor instead of gradient, orientations can be estimated more precisely for junctions or corners. As a unique descriptor of orientations, mixed orientation parameter (MOP) is separated into two orientations by finding roots of a second-order polynomial in the nonlinear part. Then, we synthesize a Gradient Vector Flow (GVF) shock filter to balance edge enhancement and de-noising process. Experimental results confirm the validity of the method and show that the method enhances image edges, restores corners or junctions, and suppresses noise robustness, which is competitive with the existing methods.
A rate-based steady-state model for CO2 absorption into a PZ+AMP blended solution is presented by taking into account the column hydraulics, mass transfer resistances and chemical reactions. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results of CO2 absorption by a PZ+AMP blended solution in a packed absorption column at low and high CO2 partial pressure conditions. The model predicts CO2 concentration, amine concentration, the chemical enhancement factor, and liquid temperature profiles along the column. The model was in good agreement to predict the CO2 concentration profiles along the column at low CO2 partial pressure. However, it was found that the model needs to be corrected by introducing a correction factor for overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient (K(g)a(e)) for the simulation of CO2 concentration profiles along the column at high CO2 partial pressure conditions in the range of 404-1616 kPa. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Some regions in Malaysia is facing water scarcity problem nowadays despite Malaysia has high quantity of water resources. The increasing water demand has triggered the initiatives to look for alternative water supply. Rainwater harvesting was proposed by the government as part of the solutions to mitigate water scarcity problem. Literatures associated with rainwater harvesting were obtained from various sources. These literatures were reviewed and have been instrumental to analyze the potential, policies and development of rainwater harvesting in Malaysia. This article discusses the potential of rainwater harvesting in Malaysia under the dynamic climate as a case study. The challenges of rainwater harvesting development in terms of environment, policy, economy, social and technical are pointed with the way forward for rainwater harvesting. It is anticipated that rainwater harvesting is going to play the role as an alternative water resource in the country. In order to promote rainwater harvesting in Malaysia, inter ministerial and multi-stakeholders co-operations are needed to mainstream this alternative water resource into the national strategy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
On evolutionary timescales, sea level oscillations lead to recurrent spatio-temporal variation in species distribution and population connectivity. In this situation, applying classical concepts of biogeography is challenging yet necessary to understand the mechanisms underlying biodiversity in highly diverse marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. We aimed at studying the outcomes of such complex biogeographic dynamics on reproductive isolation by sampling populations across a wide spatial range of a species-rich fish genus: the sergeants (Pomacentridae: Abudefduf). We generated a mutlilocus data set that included ten morpho-species from 32 Indo-West Pacific localities. We observed a pattern of mito-nuclear discordance in two common and widely distributed species: Abudefduf sexfasciatus and Abudefduf vaigiensis. The results showed three regional sublineages (Indian Ocean, Coral Triangle region, western Pacific) in A. sexfasciatus (0.6-1.5% divergence at cytb). The other species, A. vaigiensis, is polyphyletic and consists of three distinct genetic lineages (A, B and C) (9% divergence at cytb) whose geographic ranges overlap. Although A. vaigiensis A and A. sexfasciatus were found to be distinct based on nuclear information, A. vaigiensis A was found to be nested within A. sexfasciatus in the mitochondrial gene tree. A. sexfasciatus from the Coral Triangle region and A. vaigiensis A were not differentiated from each other at the mitochondrial locus. We then used coalescent-based simulation to characterize a spatially widespread but weak gene flow between the two species. We showed that these fishes are good candidates to investigate the evolutionary complexity of the discrepancies between phenotypic and genetic similarity in closely related species.
Background: Registries for drug deaths may include different persons and provide different characteristics of the deceased. The aim of this study was to establish whether a database of drug-induced deaths (Cause of Death Registry (CDR) using the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) definition and the Police registry of drug deaths) included the same persons and provided the same characteristics of the deceased and thus yielded the same information for establishing targeted prevention measures. Methods: Notifications from 2007 to 2009 were drawn from the CDR and the police registry of drug deaths and the unique Norwegian personal identification number was used to match the registrations. Results: The two sources of drug deaths yielded 1384 registrations, encompassing 929 individuals of whom only 49% were included in both registries. A large proportion of the deceased (40%) were not listed in the police registry. This group was older (mean age 43 years vs. 35 years); dependence and suicide were listed more often as cause of death (33% vs. 8%); and heroin was listed less often as the type of drug causing death (24% vs. 67%) than those included in both registries. In particular, among women not included in the police registry, the cause of death was identified with much greater frequency as pharmaceuticals with morphine or codeine (47% vs. 16%). Conclusion: The large discrepancies in size, overlap, and characteristics of the deceased included in two sources of drug death imply that prevention measures based on the two sources will differ. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
microRNAs (miRNAs) are tiny ribo-regulatory molecules involved in various essential pathways for persistence of cellular life, such as development, environmental adaptation, and stress response. In recent years, miRNAs have become a major focus in molecular biology because of their functional and diagnostic importance. This interest in miRNA research has resulted in the development of many specific software and pipelines for the identification of miRNAs and their specific targets, which is the key for the elucidation of miRNA-modulated gene expression. While the well-recognized importance of miRNAs in clinical research pushed the emergence of many useful computational identification approaches in animals, available software and pipelines are fewer for plants. Additionally, existing approaches suffers from mis-identification and annotation of plant miRNAs since the miRNA mining process for plants is highly prone to false-positives, particularly in cereals which have a highly repetitive genome. Our group developed a homology-based in silico miRNA identification approach for plants, which utilizes two Perl scripts SUmirFind and SUmirFold and since then, this method helped identify many miRNAs particularly from crop species such as Triticum or Aegliops. Herein, we describe a comprehensive updated guideline by the implementation of two new scripts, SUmirPredictor and SUmirLocator, and refinements to our previous method in order to identify genuine miRNAs with increased sensitivity in consideration of miRNA identification problems in plants. Recent updates enable our method to provide more reliable and precise results in an automated fashion in addition to solutions for elimination of most false-positive predictions, miRNA naming and miRNA mis-annotation. It also provides a comprehensive view to genome/transcriptome-wide location of miRNA precursors as well as their association with transposable elements. The SUmirPredictor and SUmirLocator scripts are freely available together with a reference high-confidence plant miRNA list.
Establishing correspondences is a fundamental task in many image processing and computer vision applications. In particular, finding the correspondences between a non-linearly deformed image pair induced by different modality conditions is a challenging problem. This paper describes a simple but powerful image transform called local area transform (LAT) for modality-robust correspondence estimation. Specifically, TAT transforms an image from the intensity domain to the local area domain, which is invariant under nonlinear intensity deformations, especially radiometric, photometric, and spectral deformations. Experimental results show that LATransformed images provide a consistency for nonlinearly deformed images, even under random intensity deformations. LAT reduces the mean absolute difference by approximately 0.20 and the different pixel ratio by approximately 58% on average, as compared to conventional methods. Furthermore, the reformulation of descriptors with LAT shows superiority to conventional methods, which is a promising result for the tasks of cross-spectral and modality correspondence matching. LAT gains an approximately 23% improvement in the correct detection ratio and a 10% improvement in the recognition rate for the tasks of RGB-NIR cross-spectral template matching and cross-spectral feature matching, respectively. LAT reduces the bad pixel percentage by approximately 15% and the root mean squared errors by 13.5 in the task of cross-radiation stereo matching. LAT also improves the cross-modal dense flow estimation task in terms of warping error, providing 50% error reduction.
Background: We developed and validated a kinetic microplate hemolytic assay (HA) to quantify classical and alternative complement activity in a single dilution of human plasma or serum. Methods: The assay is based on monitoring hemolysis of sensitized sheep (or uncoated rabbit) red blood cells by means of a 96-well microplate reader. The activity of the calibrator was evaluated by reference to 200 healthy adults. The conversion of 50% hemolysis time into a percentage of activity was obtained using a calibration curve plotted daily. Results: The linearity of the assay as well as interference (by hemolysis, bilrubinemia and lipemia) was assessed for classical pathway (CP). The within-day and the between-day precision was satisfactory regarding the performance of commercially available liposome immunoassay (LIA) and ELISA. Patients with hereditary or acquired complement deficiencies were detected (activity was measured <30%). We also provided a reference range obtained from 200 blood donors. The agreement of CP evaluated on samples from 48 patients was 94% with LIA and 87.5% with ELISA. The sensitivity of our assay was better than that of LIA, and the cost was lower than either LIA or ELISA. In addition, this assay was less time consuming than previously reported HAs. Conclusions: This assay allows the simultaneous measurement of 36 samples in duplicate per run of a 96-well plate. The use of a daily calibration curve allows standardization of the method and leads to good reproducibility. The same technique was also adapted for the quantification of alternative pathway (AP) activity.
Health risk concerns associated with household use of rooftop-harvested rainwater (HRW) constitute one of the main impediments to exploit the benefits of rainwater harvesting in the United States. However, the benchmark based on the U.S. EPA acceptable annual infection risk level of <= 1 case per 10,000 persons per year (<= 10(-4) pppy) developed to aid drinking water regulations may be unnecessarily stringent for sustainable water practice. In this study, we challenge the current risk benchmark by quantifying the potential microbial risk associated with consumption of HRW-irrigated home produce and comparing it against the current risk benchmark. Microbial pathogen data for HRW and exposure rates reported in literature are applied to assess the potential microbial risk posed to household consumers of their homegrown produce. A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) model based on worst-case scenario (e.g. overhead irrigation, no pathogen inactivation) is applied to three crops that are most popular among home gardeners (lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes) and commonly consumed raw. The infection risks of household consumers attributed to consumption of these home produce vary with the type of produce. The lettuce presents the highest risk, which is followed by tomato and cucumber, respectively. Results show that the 95th percentile values of infection risk per intake event of home produce are one to three orders of magnitude (10(-7) to 10(-3)) lower than U.S. EPA risk benchmark (<= 10(-4) pppy). However, annual infection risks under the same scenario (multiple intake events in a year) are very likely to exceed the risk benchmark by one order of magnitude in some cases. Estimated 95th percentile values of the annual risk are in the 10(-4) to 10(-3) pppy range, which are still lower than the 10(-3) to 10(-1) pppy risk range of reclaimed water irrigated produce estimated in comparable studies. We further discuss the desirability of HRW for irrigating home produce based on the relative risk of HRW to reclaimed wastewater for irrigation of food crops. The appropriateness of the <= 10(-4) pppy risk benchmark for assessing safety level of HRW-irrigated fresh produce is questioned by considering the assumptions made for the QMRA model. Consequently, the need of an updated approach to assess appropriateness of sustainable water practice for making guidelines and policies is proposed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This research examined whether individual differences in cultural identification can be discerned at zero acquaintance. This issue was examined in Hong Kong, where the idiosyncrasy of cultural identification is a salient social-psychological issue. The participants were able to perceive accurately the targets' identification with Western culture from a video clip and from a still image. Findings also indicated that a stereotype of Western cultural identity (i.e., extraversion and particular hairstyle) facilitated these perceptions. Specifically, (a) the participants with a stronger stereotype were more accurate in perceiving Western cultural identification, (b) the targets who were experimentally manipulated to appear extraverted were rated as more strongly identifying with Western culture, and (c) the participants relatively unfamiliar with these stereotypes did not correctly perceive Western cultural identification. Implications of these findings on research on multiculturalism are also discussed.
In this work, we present the simulation results for nitride-based fin-shaped field-effect transistors (FinFETs) using a technology computer-aided design (TCAD) device simulator. The FinFET has received attention for its applications in replacing high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). AlGaN/GaN-based devices have outstanding electrical performances because of their high carrier density and high electron mobility in the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). Therefore, AlGaN/GaN-based double heterojunction FinFET (DH-FinFET) has been designed with double 2DEG layers to improve the on-state current (I-ON). However, the designed device has a critical problem in suppressing the enhancement of the I-ON. This phenomenon is called the two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) which is formed as the opposite polarization charge by the 2DEG. As compared with the AlGaN/GaN-based single channel FinFET (SC-FinFET) which has a current of 548 mA/mm, the I-ON value of the AlGaN/GaN-based DH-FinFET is similar value of 578 mA/mm. AlN is used to increase the I-ON value of the SC-FinFET and obtained I-ON value of 988 mA/mm. This value is higher than that of AlGaN/GaN-based SC-FinFET. For this reason, we proposed the AlN/GaN-based DH-FinFET to improve I-ON. AlN/GaN-based DH-FinFET which has a higher I-ON value at V-GS = 7 V than AlN/GaN-based SC-FinFET.
Neuroinflammation characterized by activation of glial cells is observed in various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the reduction of ether-type glycerophospholipids, plasmalogens (Pls), in the brain is reported in AD patients, the mechanism of the reduction and its impact on neuroinflammation remained elusive. In the present study, we found for the first time that various inflammatory stimuli reduced Pls levels in murine glial cells via NF-kappa B activation, which then downregulated a Pls-synthesizing enzyme, glycerone phosphate O-acyltransferase (Gnpat) through increased c-Myc recruitment onto the Gnpat promoter. We also found that systemic injection of lipopolysaccharide, aging, and chronic restraint stress reduced brain Pls contents that were associated with glial NF-kappa B activation, an increase in c-Myc expression, and downregulation of Gnpat in the mouse cortex and hippocampus. More interestingly, the reduction of Pls contents in the murine cortex itself could increase the activated phenotype of microglial cells and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting further acceleration of neuroinflammation by reduction of brain Pls. A similar mechanism of Gnpat reduction was also found in human cell lines, triple-transgenic AD mouse brain, and postmortem human AD brain tissues. These findings suggest a novel mechanism of neuroinflammation that may explain prolonged progression of AD and help us to explore preventive and therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
We demonstrate through a pressure sensor matrix, that weight distribution on feet is influenced by body posture. A small cheap carpet equipped with low precision pressure sensor matrix is already sufficient to detect subtle activities and identity of the person on the carpet. By a 0.4 m(2) matrix of 32 x 32, 12 bit pressure sensors, we achieve 78.7% accuracy for 11 test subjects performing 7 subtle activities (open 7 different drawers or cabinet doors) and 88.6% accuracy in recognizing who has performed the activities. We thus see the potential of using a single carpet as a unified approach in houses to detect how inhabitants interact with the furniture without attaching different sensors onto each single furniture.
The success of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) depends on many factors. The position of a prosthesis is vitally important. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the value of a computer-aided establishing lower extremity mechanical axis in TKA using digital technology. A total of 36 cases of patients with TKA were randomly divided into the computer-aided design of navigation template group (NT) and conventional intramedullary positioning group (CIP). Three-dimensional (3D) CT scanning images of the hip, knee, and ankle were obtained in NT group. X-ray images and CT scans were transferred into the 3D reconstruction software. A 3D bone model of the hip, knee, ankle, as well as the modified loading, was reconstructed and saved in a stereolithographic format. In the 3D reconstruction model, the mechanical axis of the lower limb was determined, and the navigational templates produced an accurate model using a rapid prototyping technique. The THA in CIP group was performed according to a routine operation. CT scans were performed postoperatively to evaluate the accuracy of the two TKA methods. The averaged operative time of the NT group procedures was min shorter than those of the conventional procedures ( min). The coronal femoral angle, coronal tibial angle, posterior tibial slope were , , in NT group and , , in CIP group, respectively. Statistically significant group differences were found. The navigation template produced through mechanical axis of lower extremity may provide a relative accurate and simple method for TKA.
This study examined the role of children's trust beliefs and trustworthiness in the development of prosocial behavior using data from four waves of a longitudinal study in a large, ethnically-diverse sample of children in Switzerland (mean age = 8.11 years at Time 1, N = 1,028). Prosocial behavior directed towards peers was measured at all assessment points by teacher reports. Children's trust beliefs and their trustworthiness with peers were assessed and calculated by a social relations analysis at the first assessment point using children's reports of the extent to which classmates kept promises. In addition, teacher reports of children's trustworthiness were assessed at all four assessment points. Latent growth curve modeling yielded a decrease in prosocial behavior over time. Peer- and teacher-reported trustworthiness predicted higher initial levels of prosocial behavior, and peer-reported trustworthiness predicted less steep decreases in prosocial behavior over time. Autoregressive cross-lagged analysis also revealed bidirectional longitudinal associations between teacher-reported trustworthiness and prosocial behavior. We discuss the implications of the findings for research on the role of trust in the development of children's prosocial behavior.
Recently, homozygous mutations in the desmoglein-1 (DSG1) gene and heterozygous mutation in the desmoplakin (DSP) gene have been demonstrated to be associated with severe dermatitis, multiple allergies and metabolic wasting (SAM) syndrome (Mendelian Inheritance in Man no. 615508). We aim to identify the molecular basis for a Chinese pedigree of SAM syndrome. A Chinese pedigree of SAM syndrome was subjected to mutation detection in the DSG1 gene. Sequence analysis of the DSG1 gene and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis for gene expression of DSG1 using cDNA derived from the epidermis of patients and controls were both performed. Skin biopsies were also taken from patients for pathological study and transmission electron microscopy observation. Novel homozygous splicing mutation c.1892-1delG in the exon-intron border of the DSG1 gene has been demonstrated to be associated with SAM syndrome. We report a new family of SAM syndrome of Asian decent and expand the spectrum of mutations in the DSG1 gene.
We propose a stochastic programming-based tool to support adaptive transmission planning under market and regulatory uncertainties. We model investments in two stages, differentiating between commitments that must be made now and corrective actions that can be undertaken as new information becomes available. The objective is to minimize expected transmission and generation costs over the time horizon. Nonlinear constraints resulting from Kirchhoff's voltage law are included. We apply the tool to a 240-bus representation of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council and model uncertainty using three scenarios with distinct renewable electricity mandates, emissions policies, and fossil fuel prices. We conclude that the cost of ignoring uncertainty (the cost of using naive deterministic planning methods relative to explicitly modeling uncertainty) is of the same order of magnitude as the cost of first-stage transmission investments. Furthermore, we conclude that heuristic rules for constructing transmission plans based on scenario planning can be as suboptimal as deterministic plans.
Astrocytes and apolipoprotein E (apoE) play critical roles in cognitive function, not only under physiological conditions but also in some pathological situations, particularly in the pathological progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The regulatory mechanisms underlying the effect of apoE, derived from astrocytes, on cognitive deficits during AD pathology development are unclear. In this study, we generated amyloid precursor protein/ apoE knockout (APP/apoE(KO)) and APP/glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-apoE(KO) mice (the AD mice model used in this study was based on the APP-familial Alzheimer disease overexpression) to investigate the role of apoE, derived from astrocytes, in AD pathology and cognitive function. To explore the mechanism, we investigated the amyloidogenic process related transforming growth factor beta/mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (TGF-beta/Smad2/STAT3) signaling pathway and further confirmed by administering TGF-beta-overexpression adeno-associated virus (specific to astrocytes) to APP/GFAP-apoEKO mice and TGF-beta-inhibition adeno-associated virus (specific to astrocytes) to APP/WT mice. Whole body deletion of apoE significantly ameliorated the spatial learning and memory impairment, reduced amyloid beta-protein production and inhibited astrogliosis in APP/apoE(KO) mice, as well as specific deletion apoE in astrocytes in APP/GFAP-apoE(KO) mice. Moreover, amyloid beta-protein accumulation was increased due to promotion of amyloidogenesis of APP,and astrogliosis was upregulated by activation of TGF-beta/Smad2/STAT3 signaling. Furthermore, the overexpression of TGF-beta in astrocytes in APP/GFAP-apoE(KO) mice abrogated the effects of apoE knockout. In contrast, repression of TGF-beta in astrocytes of APP/WT mice exerted a therapeutic effect similar to apoE knockout. These data suggested that apoE derived from astrocytes contributes to the risk of AD through TGF-beta/Smad2/STAT3 signaling activation. These findings enhance our understanding of the role of apoE, derived from astrocytes, in AD and suggest it to be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for AD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The internal quality of intact persimmon cv. 'Rojo Brillante' was assessed trough visible and near infrared hyperspectral imaging. Fruits at three stages of commercial maturity were exposed to different treatments with CO2 to obtain fruit with different ripeness and level of astringency (soluble tannin content). Spectral and spatial information were used for building classification models to predict ripeness and astringency trough multivariate analysis techniques like linear and quadratic discriminant analysis (LDA and QDA) and support vector machine (SVM). Additionally, flesh firmness was predicted by partial least square regression (PLSR). The full spectrum was used to determine the internal properties and later principal component analysis (PCA) was used to select optimal wavelengths (580, 680 and 1050 nm). The correct classification was above 92% for the three classifiers in the case of ripeness and 95% for QDA in the case of astringency. A value of R-2 = 0.80 and a ratio of prediction deviation (RPD) of 1.86 were obtained with the selected wavelengths for the prediction of firmness which demonstrated the potential of hyperspectral imaging as a non-destructive tool in the assessment of the firmness, ripeness state and astringency level of 'Rojo Brillante' persimmon. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Predictive control has attracted much attention and has been widely used in power electronics and electric drives. However, further developments for applications in the field of renewable energy systems are still under investigation. In this paper, the principles of predictive control are studied with a focus on model predictive control (MPC) and vector-sequence-based predictive control (VPC). Based on these techniques, two control strategies for flexible power supply are developed. They are implemented in the most promising renewable energy systems, namely solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and wind generators, respectively. The experimental results based on a laboratory prototype show that the active and reactive powers supplied by the PV and wind generator can be controlled flexibly with excellent steady-state and transient performance. As the penetration level of the renewable energy sources in electricity network continues to rise, predictive control tends to be an attractive and powerful technique for power electronics converters in renewable energy systems.
This study evaluated the use of vinasse as a substrate for microbial biomass production and its disposal impact on the environment. After grown in vinasse, the microbial biomass (SCP) of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, CCMA 0137 and CCMA 0188, showed high levels of essential amino acids (3.78%), varying levels of chemical elements, and low nucleic acid content (2.38%), i.e, good characteristics to food supplemements. Following biological treatment, spent vinasse biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased to 51.56 and 29.29%, respectively. Cultivation with S. cerevisiae significantly reduced short term phytotoxicity and toxicity on soil microbiota of spent vinasse. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background In the central nervous system (CNS), G proteincoupled receptors (GPCRs) are the most fruitful targets for neuropsychopharmacological drug development. Rhodopsin (class A) is the most studied class of GPCR and includes orphan receptors for which the endogenous ligand is not known or is unclear. Characterization of orphan GPCRs has proven to be challenging, and the production pace of GPCR-based drugs has been incredibly slow. Objective Determination of the functions of these receptors may provide unexpected insight into physiological and neuropathological processes. Advances in various methods and techniques to investigate orphan receptors including in situ hybridization and knockdown/knockout (KD/KO) showed extensive expression of these receptors in the mammalian brain and unmasked their physiological and neuropathological roles. Due to these rapid progress and development, orphan GPCRs are rising as a new and promising class of drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Conclusion This review presents a neuropsychopharmacological perspective of 26 orphan receptors of rhodopsin (class A) family, namely GPR3, GPR6, GPR12, GPR17, GPR26, GPR35, GPR39, GPR48, GPR49, GPR50, GPR52, GPR55, GPR61, GPR62, GPR63, GPR68, GPR75, GPR78, GPR83, GPR84, GPR85, GPR88, GPR153, GPR162, GPR171, and TAAR6. We discussed the expression of these receptors in mammalian brain and their physiological roles. Furthermore, we have briefly highlighted their roles in neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, neuroinflammation, inflammatory pain, bipolar and schizophrenic disorders, epilepsy, anxiety, and depression.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has been practiced in Ethiopia since ancient times, but it has shown little development, because of inefficient techniques. Most efforts to capture rainwater did not show significant results owing to poor design and implementation resulted from slow technical development. This paper details design improvements tested on a demonstration site as well as an analysis of operational parameters. Similar, rainwater quality improvement techniques applied for the system are also discussed. Various scenarios were studied relating design and operating parameters for replicability and decision-making before construction stage. Common components of existing RWH systems in Ethiopia are discussed and contrasted with the implemented demonstration RWH system. Moreover, particle separation theory and techniques are introduced as quality improvement techniques. Results of the analysis also suggest a possibility of satisfying building demand by utilizing the installed system and it also shows the potential of RWH in Ethiopia as an alternative water source.
Several studies show that there is a connection between religion and prosociality (e.g., Saroglou, 2013). To investigate whether there is a causal relationship between these two variables, a growing number of scholars employed priming religious concepts and measure its influence on prosocial behavior (e.g., Pichon, Boccato, & Saroglou, 2007). In the recent development of religious priming, Ritter and Preston (2013) argued that different primes (agent prime, spiritual/abstract prime, and institutional prime) may also have varying influence on prosocial behavior specifically helping an ingroup or an outgroup target. With this in mind, a 2 (social categorization of the target of help) by 3 (agent prime, institutional prime, spiritual prime) experiment was conducted to directly investigate this hypothesis. Results suggest that priming religious concepts especially the spiritual prime can increase prosocial behaviors. However, no significant effect was found on the social categorization which implies that Filipino participants elicit prosocial behavior regardless of the social categorization (be it ingroup or outgroup) of the target of help. The present study's findings contribute to further the literature on religious priming and its influence on prosocial behavior.
We report theoretical and experimental realization of a SPR based fiber optic nicotine sensor having coatings of silver and graphene doped ZnO nanostructure onto the unclad core of the optical fiber. The volume fraction (f) of graphene in ZnO was optimized using simulation of electric field intensity. Four types of graphene doped ZnO nanostructures viz. nanocomposites, nanoflowers, nanotubes and nanofibers were prepared using optimized value off. The morphology, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and UV-vis spectra of these nanostructures were studied. The peak PL intensity was found to be highest for ZnO: graphene nanofibers. The optimized value off in ZnO: graphene nanofiber was reconfirmed using UV-vis spectroscopy. The experiments were performed on the fiber optic probe fabricated with Ag/ZnO: graphene layer and optimized parameters for in-situ detection of nicotine. The interaction of nicotine with ZnO: graphene nanostructures alters the dielectric function of ZnO: graphene nanostructure which is manifested in terms of shift in resonance wavelength. From the sensing signal, the performance parameters were measured including sensitivity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), stability, repeatability and selectivity. The real sample prepared using cigarette tobacco leaves and analyzed using the fabricated sensor makes it suitable for practical applications. The achieved values of LOD and LOQ are found to be unrivalled in comparison to the reported ones. The sensor possesses additional advantages such as, immunity to electromagnetic interference, low cost, capability of online monitoring, remote sensing.
Cocaine users characteristically display preferences for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards, and this delay discounting (DD) has been proposed as an endophenotype of cocaine addiction. Recent evidence suggests that the norepinephrine system and more specifically the alpha 2A-adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) are impacted by chronic cocaine use while also being potentially involved in the neural mechanisms underlying DD. Hence, we investigated the effects of ADRA2A polymorphisms and ADRA2A mRNA expression levels on DD of cocaine users and stimulant-naive controls. Two hundred and twenty-three participants (129 cocaine users and 94 stimulant-naive healthy controls) completed a computerized DD paradigm and were genotyped for three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs1800544, rs521674 and rs602618) in the ADRA2A gene, while their peripheral ADRA2A mRNA expression was quantified in whole blood samples. The three SNPs were in near-perfect linkage disequilibrium. Accordingly, significant group*genotype interactions were found for all three ADRA2Avariants revealing steeper DD in cocaine users (but not in controls) carrying the G-allele of SNP rs1800544, the T-allele of rs521674 and the C-allele of rs602618. Similarly, high ADRA2A mRNA expression levels were significantly associated with a reduced tendency to choose smaller more immediate rewards (over larger delayed rewards) in cocaine users but not in controls. As the relationship between DD and cocaine use was moderated by ADRA2A SNPs and by peripheral ADRA2A gene expression, we propose that the norepinephrine systemis involved in DD deficits observed in cocaine using individuals. Consequently, pharmacological compounds targeting ADRA2Asmight be considered for the symptom-specific treatment of delay aversion in stimulant addiction.
Inappropriate management practices on Cerrado soil cause some of the most important negative impacts on this ecosystem, especially converting native vegetation on pastures and crops plantation. Significantly losses of natural Cerrado have been reported and current remaining natural vegetation area is smaller than other land cover. Therefore, sustainable practices are required to recover and protect the biome. For that reason this work aimed to evaluate the effect of grass and legumes species on coir geotextile during a seasonal cycle of rain and drought on soil of abandoned pasture of Cerrado in southeastern Brazil. Several soil parameters were examined, including their physical and chemical compositions, microbial biomass C (SMB-C), and microbial viability. The plant species used were Andropogon gayanus (CGG Coir Geotextile Grass) and Calopogonium mucunoides and Arachis pintoi (CGL Coir Geotextile Legumes). In general, CGL had more beneficial effects on soil fertility than CGG in terms of total soil organic carbon and total nitrogen. The CGL treatment showed SMB-C values twice those of the control, and 28% higher than CGG. Microbial populations (actinobacteria and fungi) increased in CGG and CGL, being the better improvement on microbial growth observed on. CGL. Actinobacteria was the most prevalent group both on the soil surface and at greater depths. Our results indicated that Calopogonium mucunoides is a very aggressive species and inhibits the growth of Arachis pintoi. The appropriate use of geotextiles, associated with non-weed and non-alien vegetation, represents a viable technique for improving total SOC and SMB-C, nutrients as nitrogen and phosphorus, and increase the microbial populations. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
This article discusses the related art network security management, the proposed design of multi-level network security management system based on middleware ICE technology, the design of single-level system design and related species module of the overall framework for implementation. It is given based on the communication module ICE technology detailed design, it can be done from the LAN to the WAN, the communication between the various modules. The realization of various kinds at all levels of network security devices and associated host centralized monitor. Centralized configuration, through a variety of security-related information in a timely manner log collection management network species, real-time view of the network security status, dynamically adjusting network security policy comprehensive network security audit information, can effectively improve the overall security of network security management.
The first and second laws of thermodynamics were applied to biochemical reactions typical of human metabolism. An open-system model was used for a human body. Energy conservation, availability and entropy balances were performed to obtain the entropy generated for the main food components. Quantitative results for entropy generation were obtained as a function of age using the databases from the U. S. Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provide energy requirements and food intake composition as a function of age, weight and stature. Numerical integration was performed through human lifespan for different levels of physical activity. Results were presented and analyzed. Entropy generated over the lifespan of average individuals (na(t)ural death) was found to be 11,404 kJ/degrees K per kg of body mass with a rate of generation three times higher on infants than on the elderly. The entropy generated predicts a life span of 73.78 and 81.61 years for the average U. S. male and female individuals respectively, which are values that closely match the average lifespan from statistics (74.63 and 80.36 years). From the analysis of the effect of different activity levels, it is shown that entropy generated increases with physical activity, suggesting that exercise should be kept to a healthy minimum if entropy generation is to be minimized.
Fimbriae are protein-based filamentous appendages that protrude from the bacterial cell surface and facilitate host adhesion. Two types of fimbriae, FimA and Mfa1, of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis are responsible for adherence to other bacteria and to host cells in the oral cavity. Both fimbrial forms are composed of 5 proteins, but there is limited information about their polymerization mechanisms. Here, the authors evaluated the function of Mfa5, one of the Mfa1 fimbrial accessory proteins. Using mfa5 gene disruption and complementation studies, the authors revealed that Mfa5 affects the incorporation of other accessory proteins, Mfa3 and Mfa4, into fibers and the expression of fimbriae on the cell surface. Mfa5 is predicted to have a C-terminal domain (CTD) that uses the type IX secretion system (T9SS), which is limited to this organism and related Bacteroidetes species, for translocation across the outer membrane. To determine the relationship between the putative Mfa5 CTD and the T9SS, mutants were constructed with in-frame deletion of the CTD and deletion of porU, a C-terminal signal peptidase linked to T9SS-mediated secretion. The CTD-expressing strain presented a similar phenotype to the mfa5 disruption mutant with reduced expression of fimbriae lacking all accessory proteins. The porU mutants and the CTD-expressing strain showed intracellular accumulation of Mfa5. These results indicate that Mfa5 function requires T9SS-mediated translocation across the outer membrane, which is dependent on the CTD, and subsequent incorporation into fibers. These findings suggest the presence of a novel polymerization mechanism of the P. gingivalis fimbriae.
Purpose - The objective of this study is to explore the types of innovation that are predominant in UK SMEs, whether they are predominantly radical or incremental, and to investigate the impact of these innovations on performance. Design/methodology/approach - A web-based survey instrument was used to administer survey questionnaires to a sample of UK SMEs in manufacturing, engineering, electronics, information technology and telecommunications industries. The response rate was 13.8 percent. Relevant statistical analytical techniques including regression for analysis was then used. Findings - It is found that the SMEs tend to focus more on incremental than radical innovations and that this focus is related to growth in sales turnover. Practical implications - It is not such a bad idea for SMEs, particularly those operating in high technological industries, to focus on incremental innovations as these are actually related positively to sales turnover growth. Originality/value - An investigation of the types of innovation that SMEs pursue is pioneering in the field as previous studies of this type have been based on large firms. The contention that the raison d'etre of SMEs is to develop radical innovations is not supported empirically, at least for the sample of SMES. In addition, it is found that the age of an SME is not related to its focus on either incremental or radical innovation. These are the contributions of this paper.
Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RHS) are increasingly used in buildings to mitigate water shortage and rising prices of centralised water supply. Notwithstanding the benefits of RHS, they may also promote adverse impacts mainly related to the high consumption of energy. In this context, energy intensity (i.e. unit of energy per unit of water) is a crucial parameter for assessing the environmental feasibility of different RHS. However, only recently has attention been drawn to the connection between water and energy consumption, which has been prompted by the increasing importance of water security, energy efficiency and economic feasibility. This connection, known as the water-energy nexus, has been increasingly acknowledged as a key principal for water planning. The objective of this study is twofold: (i) to review the energy intensity data reported for RHS; and (ii) to outline strategies to enhance the energy performance of RHS in buildings. For the reviewed literature, the median energy intensity of theoretical studies (0.20 kWh/m(3)) was considerably lower than that described in empirical studies (1.40 kWh/m(3)). This implies that theoretical assessments of energy intensity may not sufficiently consider the energy used for pump start-ups and standby mode, as well as the true motor and pump energy efficiency. However, to some extent, this difference may also represent the amount of energy that can be reduced by optimising RHS design and operation. When comparing RHS to conventional town water supply systems, the reviewed empirical studies showed that RHS tend to be three times more energy intensive, although optimised RHS can have more comparable values. Ultimately, it is predominately the local characteristics, such as rainwater demand, building type (single-storey or multi-storey), RHS sub-systems design, potable water plumbing system design, and town water energy intensity, among other factors that will determine whether or not the environmental and economic performances of RHS are acceptable. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cancer is a common event in patients with rheumatic diseases. In some cases, the disease, its risk factors, or its treatment could play a role in favoring cancer. This article analyzes the current knowledge on the risk of malignancy associated with biologics in rheumatic diseases and discusses some methodological issues to be considered when evaluating the association between disease, treatments, and the risk of cancer. This article focuses on the risk of overall malignancy but also of skin cancer, lymphoma, and recurrent cancer associated with all biologics marketed for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.
During the folding process substrates are exposed to high-localized stresses, which in the case of coated papers and boards, can lead to decreased aesthetic features or complete loss of functionality. Production efficiency of the folding process could be improved by an automated, computer vision-based inspection system. For such a task, different existing computer-aided fold-crack evaluation approaches were analyzed. A detailed research was conducted to propose an image processing based fold cracking assessment via finding optimal sample preparation and digitization techniques and developing an algorithm for the digital image analysis and feature extraction. The analysis of the applicability of different sample preparation and digitization parameters, as well as the proposed digital image feature, was done by correlation evaluation, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and corresponding post hoc tests. The results indicated that the developed algorithm fulfils the set requirements and the proposed feature of digitized samples faithfully describes the analyzed fold-cracks. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
It is urgent to effectively mitigate flood disasters in humid mountainous areas in southeastern China for the increasing flood risk under urbanization and industrialization. In this study, a rural district with an area of 13.39 km(2) that planning to build an industrial park covering an area of 7.98 km(2) in Changting was selected to estimate the potential of collectable rainwater and the extent to which runoff volume can potentially be mitigated by rainwater harvesting. In addition, the optimum cistern capacity of a rainwater harvesting system in the planned industrial park was evaluated using daily water balance simulation and cost-efficiency analysis. The results showed that rainwater harvesting in the planned industrial park has great potential. The annually collectable rainwater is approximately 9.8 x 10(6) m(3) and the optimum cistern capacity is determined to be 0.9 x 10(6) m(3). With the optimum cistern capacity, the annual rainwater usage rate is 0.99, showing neither financial savings nor deficits. Rainwater harvesting can reduce 100 % of runoff volume in the cases of critical rainfall storm (50 mm) and annual average maximum daily rainfall (111.2 mm), and 58 % of runoff volume in the case of maximum daily rainfall (233.6 mm), respectively. All surface runoff can be collected and stored in the cisterns when rainfall amount is less than 135.5 mm in a rainstorm event.
The Flemish painters Quentin Massys and his son Jan Massys appear to be the authors of four works with a very similar motif, the bust of Jesus Christ. These canvasses can be found in different locations today: the Prado Museum in Madrid (Spain), the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History of The Hague (Netherlands), the Kunstmuseum Winterthur (Switzerland), and another one in a private collection. Written on the edge of the robe around the neck, these canvasses display a series of Hebrew or pseudo-Hebrew letters. We offer the complete solution deciphered, until today incomplete, for three of them, with a very similar letter sequence. Finally, we resolve completely one of the canvasses, which, until today, had no known solution.
Ageism can generate conflict and harm well-being. Our paper integrates the Aging Stereotypes in Interaction model with intergroup contact theory to predict how communicative elements mediate the effect of intergenerational contact on warmth and competence stereotypes of older adults as a group. Students (N=288) were randomly assigned to imagine having a conversation with an older adult in one of six experimentally manipulated contact conditions: a competent/incompetent older woman, a sociable/unsociable older woman, or a moral/immoral older woman. Participants' stereotypes of older adults were affected by the characteristics of their communication partner, and this effect was mediated by specific communication behaviors imagined by the participant for two of the three trait dimensions. For perceptions of competence, overaccommodation was the key mediator. For perceptions of sociability, the key mediator was humorous communication. These mediators represent an expansion in how we understand not just the outcomes of intergroup contact, but also the communicative mechanisms through which it occurs.
Mass spectrometry-based proteomic strategies can profile the expression level of proteins in response to external stimuli. Nicotine affects diverse cellular pathways, however, the nicotine induced alterations on the global proteome across human cell lines have not been fully elucidated. We measured perturbations in protein levels resulting from nicotine treatment in four cell lines-HEK, HeLa, PaSC, and SH-SY5Y-in a single experiment using tandem mass tags (TMT10-plex) and high-resolution mass spectrometry. We quantified 8590 proteins across all cell lines. Of these, nicotine increased the abundance of 31 proteins 1.5-fold or greater in all cell lines. Likewise, considering proteins with altered levels in at least three of the four cell lines, 64 were up-regulated, while one was down-regulated. Gene ontology analysis revealed that similar to 40% of these proteins were membrane bound, and functioned in transmembrane signaling and receptor activity. We highlighted proteins, including APP, APLP2, LAPTM4B, and NCOA4, which were dysregulated by nicotine in all cell lines investigated and may have implications in downstream signaling pathways, particularly autophagy. Using the outlined methodology, studies in additional (including primary) cell lines will provide further evidence that alterations in the levels of these proteins are indeed a general response to nicotine and thereby merit further investigation.
Geosynthetic structures created for channel erosion protection offer environmental friendly benefits and have demonstrably lower construction and lifetime costs than similar hard structures. A geotextile mattress with a sloping curtain (GMSC) offers an alternative countermeasure against channel erosion. In the present study, experiments were conducted to investigate the working mechanism and effectiveness of GMSCs which were installed on movable beds in a rectangular flume. The bathymetry of the plastic sand beds was measured before and after the tests. The results showed that the presence of the GMSC led to sediment deposition and dune formation at both upstream and downstream edges of the GMSC structure. This will prevent bottom erosion near the structure and increase its stability against flow-induced sediment scour, so that the erodible beds will be protected.
A rainwater harvesting system (RHS) was designed for a waste treatment facility located near the town of Mirandela (northern Portugal), to be used in the washing of vehicles and other equipment, the cleaning of outside concrete or asphalt floors, and the watering of green areas. Water tank volumes representing 100% efficiency (V-r) were calculated by the Ripple method with different results depending on two consumption scenarios adopted for irrigation. The RHS design was based on a precipitation record spanning a rather long period (3 decades). The calculated storage capacities fulfilled the water demand even when prolonged droughts occurred during that timeframe. However, because the drought events have been rather scarce the V-r values were considered oversized and replaced by optimal volumes. Notwithstanding the new volumes were solely half of the original V-r values, the projected RHS efficiency remained very high (around 90%) while the probability of system failure (efficiency < 100%) stayed very low (in the order of 5%). In both scenarios, the economic savings related to the optimization of V-r were noteworthy, while the investment's return periods decreased substantially from the original to the optimized solutions. A high efficiency with a low storage capacity is typical of low demanding applications of rainwater harvesting, where water availability (V-w) largely exceeds water demand (C-w), that is to say where demand fractions (C-w/V-w) are very low. Based on the results of a literature review covering an ample geographic distribution and describing a very large number of demand fraction scenarios, a C-w/V-w = 0.8 was defined as the threshold to generally distinguish the low from the high demanding RHS applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In using a fly cutter to machine potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals, rippling in machined surfaces will remain that will have a significant impact on the optical performance. An analysis of these lowspatial frequency ripples is presented and its influence on the root-mean-squared gradient (GRMS) of the wavefront discussed. A frequency analysis of the machined KDP crystal surfaces is performed using wavelet transform and power spectral density methods. Based on a classification of the time frequencies for these macroripples, the multimode vibration of the machine tool is found to be the main reason surface ripples are produced. Improvements in the machine design parameters are proposed to limit such effects on the wavefront performance of the KDP crystal. (C) 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The 1994 structure of a transition-state analogue with AlF4- and GDP complexed to G1 alpha, a small G protein, heralded a new field of research into the structure and mechanism of enzymes that manipulate the transfer of phosphoryl (PO3-) groups. The number of enzyme structures in the PDB containing metal fluorides (MFx) as ligands that imitate either a phosphoryl or a phosphate group was 357 at the end of 2016. They fall into three distinct geometrical classes: 1) Tetrahedral complexes based on BeF3- that mimic ground-state phosphates; 2) octahedral complexes, primarily based on AlF4-, which mimic in-line anionic transition states for phosphoryl transfer; and 3) trigonal bipyramidal complexes, represented by MgF3- and putative AlF30 moieties, which mimic the geometry of the transition state. The interpretation of these structures provides a deeper mechanistic understanding into the behavior and manipulation of phosphate monoesters in molecular biology. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of these structures, their uses, and their computational development.
Thin Sn-O-Te films with a thickness of 60 nm have been deposited by co-evaporation of Sn and TeO2 on alumina substrates with interdigitated silver-palladium electrodes. During the co-evaporation a chemical reaction between the two substances takes place, resulting in the formation of a Sn-oxide matrix and finely dispersed phases of Te, Sn, TeO2 or SnTe, depending on the atomic ratio of Sn to Te (R-Sn/Te). To study the morphology and structure as well as to determine the atomic ratio R-Sn/Te of the films, electron microscopy techniques (TEM, SAED) and analytical methods (EDS in SEM) have been applied. The electrical properties of the sensors studied have been investigated in the frequency range of 20 Hz - 5 MHz using a Precision Impedance Analyzer. The measurements have been taken on samples placed in a controlled humidity and temperature chamber. The characteristics of the resistance R, capacitance C, impedance z and phase theta as functions of relative humidity RH%, the frequency dependences of R, C, z and center dot, the Nyquist plots and equivalent electrical circuits of the sensors have been obtained. As a result, the relation between the type of water adsorption, impedance spectra and the properties of the films as humidity sensors are presented in this paper.
The paper is devoted to the study of the Aubin/Lipschitz-like property and the isolated calmness of a particular non-monotone generalized equation arising in electronics. The variational and non-smooth analysis is applied in the theory of non-regular electrical circuits involving electronic devices like ideal diodes, practical diodes, DIACs, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR), and transistors. We also discuss the relationship of our results to the ones using classical techniques from (smooth) analysis and provide a simulation for several simple electrical circuits which are chosen in order to cover the most common non-smooth elements in electronics. The simulations of the electrical circuits discussed in this paper are performed by using Xcos (a component of Scilab).
Prior research has indicated that spontaneous trait inferences (STIs) occur more easily among fifth graders than among adults, although STIs generally develop only among Westerners. However, no prior studies on STI include Asian children. This study explored the development of STIs among Japanese fifth graders, seventh graders, and undergraduates. Experiments 1 and 2 used a relearning paradigm, and participants' recollections of photo-trait pairs after being presented with congruent behaviours were compared with those after being presented with incongruent behaviours. If participants showed better recollection after being presented with congruent behaviour descriptions (saving effects), this indicated that they had made STIs from the behaviour. The results showed that STIs occur among Japanese children and adults, although their occurrence was associated with a trait valence factor. STIs occurred to a small extent from positive-trait-implying descriptions only among fifth and seventh graders, not undergraduates. In contrast, STIs occurred clearly from negative-trait-implying descriptions in all age groups. The results of Experiment 3, which used a trait-rating task that required less storage capacity of long-term memory, confirmed that fifth and seventh graders, as well as adults, made spontaneous inferences of specific traits implied from behavioural descriptions and not a wide positivenegative framework. The developmental model of STIs depending on trait valence and culture is discussed.
To overcome limitations of periodic separations of proteins in batch chromatographic columns Carousel Multi-Column Setup (CMS) has been recently suggested and theoretically analyzed in a previous study (R. Bochenek, W. Marek, W. Piatkowski, D. Antos, J. Chromatogr. A, 1301 (2013) 60-72). In this system, feed and mobile phase streams are subsequently delivered through parallel columns to mimic their countercurrent movement with respect to the fluid flow. All fluxes in the system are synchronized to ensure continuous feed delivery, which however causes reduction in the size of the operating window compared to batchwise-operating systems. In this study to improve the performance of CMS, additional process variables have been considered, such as the flow rate gradient and feed concentration. Though altering both variables allowed improving the separation selectivity and extending the operating window, the feed concentration appeared to be the most influential parameter affecting the process performance. Moreover, a procedure for practical realization of protein separations in CMS has been developed, including hints about the process design, configuration of columns and detectors, and use of pumps. As the case study, the separation of a ternary mixture of proteins, i.e., cytochrome C, lysozyme and immunoglobulin G, on hydrophobic interaction columns was used. A target product was a protein with intermediate adsorption strength that was isolated out of a more and less strongly adsorbed compound. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Thiem equation of radial groundwater flow to a well is more than 100 years old and is still commonly used. Here, deviations caused by some of its simplifications are quantified by comparing the analytical to a numerical model that allows the implementation of more complex geometries. The assumption of horizontal flow in the Thiem equation, which necessitates uniform inflow over the entire screen length of the fully penetrating well, was found to cause deviations from actual pumping wells where the pump is placed above the screen, resulting in non-uniform inflow and additional drawdown. The same applies to partially penetrating wells, where inflow peaks and additional drawdown occur, especially when the well is screened in the lower part of the aquifer. The use of the Thiem equation in the near-field of a well should thus be restricted to situations where the screen inflow is relatively uniformly distributed, e.g. when it covers large portions of the aquifer thickness. The presence of a gravel pack and a background gradient, on the other hand, are of limited importance.
Reduced habituation to aversive stimuli has been observed during adolescence and may reflect an underlying mechanism of vulnerability for anxiety disorders. This study examined the startle reflex during a fear-learning task in 54 8-14-year-old girls. We examined the relationship between mean startle, startle habituation, pubertal development, and two measures linked to risk for anxiety: behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and the error-related negativity (ERN). Puberty, BIS, and the ERN were unrelated to mean startle; however, each measure modulated startle habituation. Greater pubertal development was associated with reduced startle habituation across the CS+ and CS-. Higher BIS related to a larger ERN, and both were associated with reduced startle habituation specifically to the CS+. All effects were independent of each other. Findings suggest that puberty alters habituation of defense system activation to both threat and safety cues, and this is independent of risk for anxiety, which uniquely impacts habituation to threat cues.
This article presents an exhaustive study about the influence of some design parameters, such as the number of phases, pole stroke, and current density, in the behavior of a linear switched reluctance motor. The linear switched reluctance motor's performance is assessed, taking into account a set of quality indices, which are the energy conversion loop quality factor, propulsion force per unit of primary steel volume, per unit of copper mass, per unit of air-gap surface, and force ripple factor. The study is carried out by means of two-dimensional finite-element analysis. Finally, the results are discussed, and as a consequence, a set of linear switched reluctance motor configurations with optimal performance according to the quality indices is defined.
Smoking is endemic in drug abuse treatment populations, and smoking prevalence in this population appears unresponsive to existing tobacco control strategies. Clinical and policy guidelines encourage programs to address smoking among clients, and research has identified key barriers to doing so. This report explores the practice of staff and clients smoking together in drug treatment programs, and how this practice is associated with other tobacco-related measures. Clients (N = 1113) were surveyed and program directors were interviewed in a national sample of 24 drug abuse treatment programs affiliated with the NIDA Clinical Trials Network. Clients were asked whether they observed staff and clients smoking together in their program and, using program as the unit of analysis, this measure was tested for its association with client-level and program-level tobacco-related outcomes. Higher rates of staff and client smoking together were associated with higher staff smoking prevalence (p = 0.006), lower rates of client thoughts about quitting in the next 30 days (p = 0.027), more negative client attitudes toward quitting smoking (p = 0.004), and with clients receiving fewer tobacco-related services (p = 0.024). These findings illuminate an actionable, low cost policy intervention to address smoking in drug abuse treatment, which is to prohibit the practice of staff smoking together with clients. In the interest of the health of clients whom they serve, counselors, program directors, state regulatory agencies, and federal funding agencies should act to end this practice. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Although authentic dialogue between teachers and young children is vital to the learning process, increasingly diverse student populations and a focus on high-stakes testing, challenge teachers' approaches to such conversations. This study examined the verbal and nonverbal interactions between five teachers and young children using child-taken photographs to promote conversation. Analysis exposed how the teachers' nonverbal and verbal responsiveness opened and closed conversational spaces for the children to describe their home contexts. This teacher-child dance illuminates the necessary and effective pursuit of attending to both verbal and nonverbal communication in authentic dialogue and suggests a teacher choreograph that, when attended to, is positioned for effective and efficient use within the increasingly diverse and time-pressured classroom.
The size of installed offshore wind turbines is continuously growing every year in an attempt to make this technology more cost-effective. Following this trend, the main challenge for wind turbine manufacturers is to reach the 10 MW power level. However, present topologies of electric generators may have prohibitive mass and volume when designed for such a high power application. In this paper an innovative transverse flux permanent magnet (TFPM) generator topology with a disk shaped rotor is presented with a very high torque density. The design has been performed by means of 3D-FEM software and optimized in order to increase the power factor and reduce the total volume for a 10 MW power goal. The efficiency is later improved by using a higher quality alloy for the construction of the iron cores. The proposed topology is able to reach a torque density of 57.42 kNm/m(3).
We report the occurrence of vibrational resonance in piecewise-linear non-autonomous system. Especially, we show that an optimal amplitude of the high frequency second harmonic driving enhances the response of a piece-wise linear non-autonomous Murali-Lakshmanan-Chua (MLC) system to a low frequency first harmonic signal. This phenomenon is illustrated with the analytical solutions of circuit equations characterising the system and finally compared with the numerical method. Further, it has been enunciated explicitly, the implementation of the fundamental NOR/NAND gate via vibrational resonance, both by numerical and analytical solutions. In addition, these logical behaviours (AND/NAND/OR/NOR) can be decided by the amplitude of the input square waves without altering the system parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ontologies have been becoming popular knowledge representation methods very particularly for the areas of semantic web and smart environments. This paper focuses on design of User Behaviour Ontologies in Ambient Intelligence (AmI) environment using ontology creation tool. Sensors are installed in the environment so that users' behaviour will be sensed and stored by the devices in that environment. The stored behaviour data will be refined and formed as a temporal sequence. Then the ontology will be constructed through mapping relations between behaviour and related temporal sequence. This work demonstrated the different ways of ontological representations. The advantage of this approach is that it makes the cognitive support easier to the teachers.
This study investigates the relation between age stereotypes and perceived age discrimination. Existing evidence for such a relation is notoriously ambiguous with regard to its direction-age stereotypes can predict (perceived) discrimination, but experiencing discrimination may also change views on ageing-which is why we used a dataset with two waves to disentangle the direction of the associations. Considering research on the multi-dimensionality of views on ageing and perceived age discrimination, we addressed this question from a domain- and age group-specific perspective. Drawing on data from two measurement points of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS;t(1):2008, t(2): 2011; age range at t(1): 40-93 years, n = 6092 participants at t (1)), we examined reciprocal relations between views on ageing and perceived age discrimination. Cross-lagged models revealed that domain-specific views on ageing predict subsequent changes in perceived discrimination in corresponding domains: Negative views on ageing regarding personal competence, physical decline, and social interactions were associated with increases in perceived discrimination in the domains of work, medical care, and social life, respectively. However, we did not find evidence for a reciprocal effect of perceived age discrimination on views on ageing. In sum, results indicate that negative views on ageing act as self-fulfilling prophecies by predisposing people to categorize other people's behaviour as age discrimination or to act themselves in a way that might elicit ageist behaviour in others.
A positive credit history and rating help consumers with good payment history to get lower interest rates, greater flexibility for credit, as well as loans with longer payment terms. In order to establish credit profiles, there is a need to get information (e.g. spending patterns) from the consumers and from the companies that are selling related goods. The problem is how to share private information about customers and companies without compromising the secrecy and confidentiality of such information. In this work, we propose a cryptographic protocol to share sensitive information while preserving the privacy of the customer as well as the information of the commercial institution. Furthermore, we analyse the proposed protocol by using Petri nets to verify the absence of livelocks, deadlocks, and other anomalies in the protocol.
A quantitative and qualitative increase in production has been obtained in most fields through the development of CPUs and real-time systems based on them. Such is the case in the industrial sector where the automation process relieved partly or wholly the human activities needed in the manufacturing process. This is mainly due to time sharing in embedded real-time systems and to pseudo-parallel execution of tasks in the implementation of a single central processing unit. The present article presents the validation of the nHSE (Hardware Scheduler Engine) scheduler implemented in hardware by using a FPGA Xilinx Virtex-7, Vivado development platform, and the Vivado Simulator. In this context, our main contribution relates to a custom interrupt management scheduling policy implemented in hardware at the nHSE level, in order to provide predictable execution for asynchronous interrupts. By reducing the jitter when handling with asynchronous interrupts and completely eliminating the uncertainties of the scheduling limit for the set of tasks, a significant improvement of the overall system's predictability has been obtained.
It is always a difficult problem to demonstrate the users' perceptual demand in the form design of home service robots. In this paper, the relationship between the design elements of the head form of home service robots and the perceptual evaluation of users is analyzed quantitatively by Kansei engineering and BP neural network. Finally, the aided design system of home service robots' head form is constructed by using VB language with the trained BP network and 3D modeling software. Furthermore, it's considered that the results should be applied to the overall form design of home service robots and the impacts of different design constraints should also be incorporated as the input layer of BP network. Thus the more comprehensive aided design system of home service robots could be established.
Introduction. The perception of a direct gaze that is, of another individual's gaze directed at the observer that leads to eye contact is known to influence a wide range of cognitive processes and behaviors. We stress that these effects mainly reflect positive impacts on human cognition and may thus be used as relevant tools for therapeutic purposes. Objectives. In this review, we aim (1) to provide an exhaustive review of eye contact effects while discussing the limits of the dominant models used to explain these effects, (2) to illustrate the therapeutic potential of eye contact by targeting those pathologies that show both preserved gaze processing and deficits in one or several functions that are targeted by the eye contact effects, and (3) to propose concrete ways in which eye contact could be employed as a therapeutic tool. Discussion. (1) We regroup the variety of eye contact effects into four categories, including memory effects, activation of prosocial behavior, positive appraisals of self and others and the enhancement of self-awareness. We emphasize that the models proposed to account for these effects have a poor predictive value and that further descriptions of these effects is needed. (2) We then emphasize that people with pathologies that affect memory, social behavior, and self and/or other appraisal, and self-awareness could benefit from eye contact effects. We focus on depression, autism and Alzheimer's disease to illustrate our proposal. To our knowledge, no anomaly of eye contact has been reported in depression. Patients suffering from Alzheimer disease, at the early and moderate stage, have been shown to maintain a normal amount of eye contact with their interlocutor. We take into account that autism is controversial regarding whether gaze processing is preserved or altered. In the first view, individuals are thought to elude or omit gazing at another's eyes while in the second, individuals are considered to not be able to process the gaze of others. We adopt the first stance following the view that people with autism are not interested in processing social signals such as gaze but could do so efficiently if properly motivated. For each pathology we emphasize that eye contact could be used, for example, to enhance sensitivity to bodily states, thus improving emotional decision making (in autism); to lead to more positive appraisal of the self and others (in depression); to improve memory performances (in Alzheimer disease) and, more generally, to motivate the recipient to engage in the therapeutic process. (3) Finally we propose two concrete ways to employ eye contact effects as a therapeutic tool. The first is to develop cognitive-behavioral tools to learn and/or motivate the recipient to create frequent and prolonged eye contact periods. The second is to raise awareness among caregivers of the beneficial effects of eye contact and to teach them the way to use eye contact to reach its optimum effects. Future investigations are however needed to explore the ways in which eye contact effects can be efficiently integrated in therapeutic strategies, as well as to identify the clinical populations that can benefit from such therapeutic interventions. (C) 2016 L'Encephale, Paris.
Objective: Cognitive challenges are prominent features of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, impairing occupational, social, and economic functioning. These challenges are predictive of social and work outcomes. Cognitive remediation has been shown to be effective in improving both cognitive and social functions. However, cognitive remediation does not produce improvement in all participants. We investigated demographic, neurocognitive, and psychopathological predictors associated with improvement following cognitive remediation interventions in service recipients with severe mental illnesses. Method: One hundred thirty-seven adult participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.) were enrolled in 12-week cognitive remediation programs. Assessments of demographic and illness variables, together with baseline and end point assessment of psychopathology (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]), neurocognition (Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia [MATRICS] Consensus Cognitive Battery [MCBB]), and social functions (Personal and Social Performance Scale [PSP]) were conducted. Change in cognitive domains was calculated using the reliable change index. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictors of cognitive improvement after the intervention. Results: Sixty-two percent of participants improved on at least 1 of the MCCB domains. Higher baseline speed of processing, attention or vigilance, and working memory predicted a positive response to cognitive remediation. Younger age, higher education level, shorter length of stay, and lower PANSS Negative and Disorganized factors were additional predictors. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Our results indicate the clinical usefulness of cognitive remediation and identified a pattern of clinical and cognitive predictors of good response to the intervention. Identification of these predictive factors by clinicians may enhance the outcome and aid in the development of individualized rehabilitative cognitive remediation treatment plans.
The effects of resistant starch on human metabolism are considered to be beneficial because they decrease postprandial glycaemia following ingestion of starch-rich foods. Using type II and IV resistant starches, we found a direct competitive inhibitory effect on porcine pancreatic a-amylase action above 0.25 g/100 g affecting catalytic efficiency when wheat and maize starches were used as substrates. Because resistant starches do not gelatinise and no modifications of gelatinisation parameters were observed, we concluded that the inhibitory action of these types of polymer seem to be a consequence of impaired diffusion of enzyme, substrate or products because of an increase in branches in the two types of resistant starches used. Thus, the effects of type II and type IV resistant starches in lowering postprandial glycaemia not only involve modification of gut physiology, but also include direct inhibition of the first stage in the biochemical degradation of starch.
The paper aim draws together two ideas that have figured in different strands of discussion in business ethics: the ideas of intuition and of reflection. They are considered in company with the third, complementary, idea of analysis. It is argued that the interplay amongst these is very important in business ethics. The relationship amongst the three ideas can be understood by reference to parts of modern cognitive psychology, including dual-process theory and the Social Intuitionist Model. Intuition can be misleading when based on fast and frugal heuristics, and reasoning needs social exchange if it is to support moral judgment effectively, but in the complex institutional environment of business, reflection and analysis can underpin social communication and feedback to develop sound intuition. Reflection and analysis are both more deliberate, systematic judgment processes than intuition, but are distinguished by the fact that reflection embraces hypothetical thinking and imagination, while analysis is careful, step-by-step reasoning. Examples of business ethics problems illustrate the need for both of these processes, and also suggest how they themselves can be enhanced in the same social exchange process that underpins the development of good intuition.
This paper presents design and implementation of a personal intelligent home media center. The primary goal was to increase the quality of life with the use of ambient intelligence in smart homes. The solution presented here uses client-server architecture with network-attached storage for storing all multimedia contents. Sensors are used to identify person's presence and ambient intelligence techniques to recommend the most suitable multimedia content to end-users. The major advantages of this personal intelligent home media center are speed, intelligence, inexpensive components and scalability. The implementation was done in within one home media center, for the evaluation purposes.
Social decision-making is often complex, requiring the decision-maker to make inferences of others' mental states in addition to engaging traditional decision-making processes like valuation and reward processing. A growing body of research in neuroeconomics has examined decision-making involving social and non-social stimuli to explore activity in brain regions such as the striatum and prefrontal cortex, largely ignoring the power of the social context. Perhaps more complex processes may influence decision-making in social vs. non-social contexts. Years of social psychology and social neuroscience research have documented a multitude of processes (e.g., mental state inferences, impression formation, spontaneous trait inferences) that occur upon viewing another person. These processes rely on a network of brain regions including medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), superior temporal sulcus (STS), temporal parietal junction, and precuneus among others. Undoubtedly, these social cognition processes affect social decision-making since mental state inferences occur spontaneously and automatically. Few studies have looked at how these social inference processes affect decision-making in a social context despite the capability of these inferences to serve as predictions that can guide future decision-making. Here we review and integrate the person perception and decision-making literatures to understand how social cognition can inform the study of social decision-making in a way that is consistent with both literatures. We identify gaps in both literatures-while behavioral economics largely ignores social processes that spontaneously occur upon viewing another person, social psychology has largely failed to talk about the implications of social cognition processes in an economic decision-making context-and examine the benefits of integrating social psychological theory with behavioral economic theory.
Wastewater reclamation possesses great potential to synchronously solve water pollution and water scarcity problems. However, the established reclamation technologies commonly suffer from high energy consumption and intricate operation, which hinder their widespread applications. The current study proposed a novel capacitive-deionization (CDI)-based process which achieved a simultaneous removal of salinity and organic matters in wastewater. Two novel types of composite electrodes with a dual-layer configuration were fabricated on the basis of an in-situ combination approach. Carbon nanotube (CNT) and activated carbon were separately used to prepare the conductive supporting layer, and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was used to fabricate the membrane selective layer. Desalination behaviors of the resultant CNT/PVDF and carbon/PVDF electrodes were systematically investigated using a lab-built electrically-enhanced desalination-filtration (EEDF) system. Various model solutions were prepared using inorganic substrates, sodium alginate (SA), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and humic acid (HA) to evaluate the desalination performance of different electrodes. Consequently, the casting solution containing 17% (w/w) PVDF was selected as the optimum recipe for the membrane layer. Compared with the CNT layer, the carbon layer exhibited a better desalination performance, indicating a better alternative for composite electrode fabrication. Desalination behaviors in the cross-flow and penetration modes of the EEDF system were compared. As a result, the penetration mode was found to be more favorable to deionization. Moreover, the selective PVDF layer not only dramatically enhanced the selectivity by similar to 60% but also potentially endowed the electrode with antifouling features, suggesting promising applications in wastewater reclamation areas.
This paper deals with an algorithm to optimize the efficiency of induction motors used in electrified powertrains of battery electric or hybrid vehicles. In this drivetrain concepts it is necessary to design electric drives of high efficiency in order to maximize driving range and performance. The algorithm is part of a holistic design process which is presented as well. It will be shown how efficiency maps are generated and created and in which way different control strategies influence the drive efficiency. Therefore efficiency analyses of two different induction machines with field oriented and rotor frequency control is presented and compared.
Flash floods are among the most severe hazards which have disastrous environmental, human, and economic impacts. This study is interested in the characterization of flood hazard in Gabes Catchment (southeastern Tunisia), considered as an important step for flood management in the region. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geographic information system are applied to delineate and characterize flood areas. A spatial database was developed based on geological map, digital elevation model, land use, and rainfall data in order to evaluate the different factors susceptible to affect flood analysis. However, the uncertainties that are associated with AHP techniques may significantly impact the results. Flood susceptibility is analyzed as a function of weights using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and Global sensitivity analysis. AHP and MC-AHP models gave similar results. However, compared to AHP approach, MC-AHP confidence intervals (95%) of the overall scores had small overlaps. Results obtained were validated by remote sensing data for the zones that showed very high flood hazard during the extreme rainfall event of June 2014 that hit the study basin.
In this paper, a geothermal based multi-generation energy system, including organic Rankine cycle, domestic water heater, absorption refrigeration cycle and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, is developed to generate electricity, heating, cooling and hydrogen. For this purpose, energetic, exergetic and exergoeconomic analysis are undertaken upon proposed system. Also, the effects of some important variables, i.e. geothermal water temperature, turbine inlet temperature and pressure, generator temperature, geothermal water mass flow rate and electrolyzer current density on the several parameters such as energy and exergy efficiencies of the proposed system, heating and cooling load, net electrical output power, hydrogen production, unit cost of each system products and total unit cost of the products are investigated. For specified conditions, the results show that energy and exergy efficiencies of the proposed multigeneration system are calculated about 34.98% and 49.17%, respectively. The highest and lowest total unit cost of the products estimated approximately 23.18 and 22.73 $/GJ, respectively, by considering that geothermal water temperature increases from 185 degrees C to 215 degrees C. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
There is an increasing diversity of educational background of students entering ordinary degree (Level 7) and honours degree (Level 8) programmes in engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). Partly as a result, student reasoning about basic electricity concepts often differs from accepted explanations. The paper reports, analyses and reflects on the results of a multiple-choice diagnostic test to assess student understanding of such concepts (developed for U.S. high school and college students [1]) taken, as a pre-test, by four cohorts of first year students, on the same DIT Level 7 engineering programme, from 2008-12 (n=106) and two cohorts of first year students, on the same DIT Level 8 engineering programme, from 2010-12 (n=64). The performance of the student cohorts is similar, and is little influenced by previous exposure to relevant subjects in second level (high school) education. In the 2012-13 academic year, an updated version of the diagnostic test was taken, in a pilot study, by one cohort of first year students on the DIT Level 8 engineering programme; this test was administered as a pre-test before instruction, as a post-test immediately after instruction and as a delayed post-test approximately fifteen weeks after instruction. Results show that there is little improvement in conceptual understanding of d.c. resistive electric circuits, as measured by the test, when pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test scores are compared.
Recent research and theorizing suggest that desires for group-based dominance underpin biases towards both human outgroups and (non-human) animals. A systematic study of the common ideological roots of human-human and human-animal biases is, however, lacking. Three studies (in Belgium, UK, and USA) tested the Social Dominance Human-Animal Relations Model (SD-HARM) proposing that Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) is a key factor responsible for the significant positive association between ethnic outgroup attitudes and speciesist attitudes towards animals, even after accounting for other ideological variables (that possibly confound previous findings). Confirming our hypotheses, the results consistently demonstrated that SDO, more than right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), is a key factor connecting ethnic prejudice and speciesist attitudes. Furthermore, Studies 2 and 3 showed that both SDO and RWA are significantly related to perceived threat posed by vegetarianism (i.e. ideologies and diets minimizing harm to animals), but with SDO playing a focal role in explaining the positive association between threat perceptions and ethnic prejudice. Study 3 replicated this pattern, additionally including political conservatism in the model, itself a significant correlate of speciesism. Finally, a meta-analytic integration across studies provided robust support for SD-HARM and offers important insights into the psychological parallels between human intergroup and human-animal relations. Copyright (C) 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology
The condition dependence of male sexual traits plays a central role in sexual selection theory. Relatively little, however, is known about the condition dependence of chemical signals used in mate choice and their subsequent effects on male mating success. Furthermore, few studies have isolated the specific nutrients responsible for condition-dependent variation in male sexual traits. Here, we used nutritional geometry to determine the effect of protein (P) and carbohydrate (C) intake on male cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) expression and mating success in male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus). We show that both traits are maximized at a moderate-to-high intake of nutrients in a P:C ratio of 1:1.5. We also show that female precopulatory mate choice exerts a complex pattern of linear and quadratic sexual selection on this condition-dependent variation in male CHC expression. Structural equationmodelling revealed that although the effect of nutrient intake on mating success is mediated through condition-dependent CHC expression, it is not exclusively so, suggesting that other traits must also play an important role. Collectively, our results suggest that the complex interplay between nutrient intake, CHC expression and mating success plays an important role in the operation of sexual selection in G.sigillatus.
In the last decade, the number of available cores increased and heterogeneity grew. In this work, we ask the question whether the design of the current operating systems (OSes) is still appropriate if these trends continue and lead to abundantly available but heterogeneous cores, or whether it forces a fundamental rethinking of how systems are designed. We argue that: 1. hiding heterogeneity behind a common hardware interface unifies, to a large extent, the control and coordination of cores and accelerators in the OS, 2. isolating at the network-on-chip rather than with processor features (like privileged mode, memory management unit,...), allows running untrusted code on arbitrary cores, and 3. providing OS services via protocols over the network-onchip, instead of via system calls, makes them accessible to arbitrary types of cores as well. In summary, this turns accelerators into first-class citizens and enables a single and convenient programming environment for all cores without the need to trust any application. In this paper, we introduce network-on-chip-level isolation, present the design of our microkernel-based OS, M-3, and the common hardware interface, and evaluate the performance of our prototype in comparison to Linux. A bit surprising, without using accelerators, M-3 outperforms Linux in some application-level benchmarks by more than a factor of five.
Aquatic bacteria were isolated from the hands of working staffs by an adapted culture protocol. When the sample solution obtained by the glove juice method was incubated for 3 days at room temperature, viable cell counts increased up to 10(5)-fold, and the majority of the isolated colonies were shown to be Gram-negative aquatic bacteria, which carry the risk of contaminating water. Using R2A medium, coagulase-negative staphylococci were the dominant microbes immediately after recovery from the hands. Here it was revealed that bacteria of the phylum Proteobacteria isolated from the hand can be the causative bacteria of aqueous contamination. This modification in the GJ method may be useful as an effective training protocol to demonstrate the importance of hand hygiene and clean operation for aseptic manufacturing.
Introduction: The accurate discrimination of another person's eyegaze direction is vital as it provides a cue to the gazer's focus of attention, which in turn supports joint attention. Patients with schizophrenia have shown a direct gaze bias when judging gaze direction. However, current tasks do not dissociate an early perceptual bias from high-level top-down effects. We investigated early stages of gaze processing in schizophrenia by measuring perceptual sensitivity to fine deviations in gaze direction (i.e., the cone of direct gaze: CoDG) and ability to reflexively orient to locations cued by the same deviations. Methods: Twenty-four patients and 26 controls completed a CoDG discrimination task that used realistic direct-face images with six fine degrees of deviation (i.e., 3, 6 or 9 pixels to the left and right) and direct gaze, and a gaze cueing task that assessed reflexive orienting to the same fine-grained deviations. Results: Our data showed patients exhibited no impairment in gaze discrimination, nor did we observe a reduced orienting response. Conclusions: These results suggest that while patients may suffer deficits associated with interpreting another person's gaze, the earliest processes concerned with detecting averted gaze and reflexively orienting to the gazed-at location are intact.
People commonly reference minority friendships when expressing conceivably prejudiced attitudes. The prevalence of this strategy suggests a widespread belief that having minority friends makes one look less racist, but to date, there is little research demonstrating whether or not this is the case. White and Asian participants were presented with a Facebook profile depicting a White target who posted an anti-Asian statement. Being depicted with Asian friends (Study 1) or even verbally claiming that they had Asian friends (Study 2) reduced attributions of racism irrespective of whether they were being evaluated by White or Asian observers. Furthermore, the presence of Asian friends made the conceivably racist comments seem relatively benign, and observers were less offended and upset by them. The data suggest that minority friendships can partially offset costs associated with expressing prejudice.
BackgroundMany transgender college students struggle with identity formation and other emotional, social, and developmental challenges associated with emerging adulthood. A potential maladaptive coping strategy employed by such students is heavy drinking. Prior literature has suggested greater consumption and negative alcohol-related consequences (ARCs) in transgender students compared with their cisgender peers, but little is known about their differing experiences with alcohol-related blackouts (ARBs). We examined the level of alcohol consumption, the frequency of ARBs and other ARCs, and motivations for drinking reported by the largest sample of transgender college students to date. MethodsA Web survey from an alcohol-prevention program, AlcoholEdu for College, assessed student demographics and drinking-related behaviors, experiences, and motivations of newly matriculating first-year college students. A self-reported drinking calendar was used to examine each of the following measures over the previous 14days: number of drinking days, total number of drinks, and maximum number of drinks on any single day. A 7-point Likert scale was used to measure ARCs, ARBs, and drinking motivations. Transgender students of both sexes were compared with their cisgender peers. ResultsA total of 989 of 422,906 students (0.2%) identified as transgender. Over a 14-day period, transgender compared with cisgender students were more likely to consume alcohol over more days, more total drinks, and a greater number of maximum drinks on a single day. Transgender students (36%) were more likely to report an ARB than cisgender students (25%) as well as more negative academic, confrontation-related, social, and sexual ARCs. Transgender respondents more often cited stress reduction, social anxiety, self-esteem issues, and the inherent properties of alcohol as motivations for drinking. For nearly all measures, higher values were yielded by male-to-female than female-to-male transgender students. ConclusionsTransgender compared with cisgender first-year students engage in higher-risk drinking patterns and experience more ARBs and other negative ARCs. Broad institutional efforts are required to address the unique circumstances of transgender men and women and to reduce negative ARCs in college students, regardless of their sex or gender identity.
Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) affect body fat gain, carcinogenesis, insulin resistance, and lipid peroxidation in mammals. Several isomers of CLA exist, of which the (9Z, 11E) and (10E, 12Z) isomers have beneficial effects on human metabolism but are scarce in foods. Bacterial polyunsaturated fatty acid isomerases are promising biotechnological catalysts for CLA production. We describe six crystal structures of the Propionibacterium acnes polyunsaturated fatty acid isomerase PAI in apo- and product-bound forms. The three-domain flavoprotein has previously undescribed folds outside the FAD-binding site. Conformational changes in a hydrophobic channel toward the active site reveal a unique gating mechanism for substrate specificity. The geometry of the substrate binding site explains the length preferences for C18 fatty acids. A catalytic mechanism for double-bond isomerization is formulated that may be altered to change substrate specificity for syntheses of rare CLAs from easily accessible precursors.
The relationship between sustainability and tourists is complex. There has been little increase in the number of studies published over recent years focusing on the concept of 'pro-sustainable' tourists, or the tourist's willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability, making it increasingly difficult to identify key explanatory factors that determine tourists' WTP for sustainable destinations. To provide a richer understanding of tourists' heterogeneous preferences for sustainable destinations, this study allows us to determine current tourists' attitude toward sustainability and to identify explanatory variables that influence their WTP to enjoy a more sustainable destination. This study surveyed tourists on the Western Costa del Sol (Spain), a mature sun and sand destination that is currently restructuring and facing several developmental challenges associated with sustainability.
Background: The most common site of fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the cervical spine, especially the lower cervical spine and cervicothoracic junction. The optimal treatment for cervical spine fractures secondary to AS is controversial. This study aimed to explore the effects of posterior pedicle screw fixation alone on fractures of the lower cervical spine in patients with AS. Methods: From January 2006 to January 2013, a total of 35 patients with AS and a lower cervical spine fracture were treated using only posterior cervical/thoracic pedicle screw fixation. In this retrospective study, we reviewed the patients' charts to assess their case histories, operations, neurological outcomes, and complications. We also evaluated their postoperative radiographs to determine the time of bone fusion. Results: Altogether, 32 (91.4%) of the 35 fractures resulted from an acute injury and 3 (8.6%) from a chronic injury. In 25 cases, the fracture resulted from a low-energy spinal injury and in 8 cases from a high-energy injury. Posterior pedicle screw fixation was successful in all patients, with radiographic fusion confirmed by computed tomography. The average time of bone fusion was 3.6 months (range 3 - 6 months). The surgery improved the American Spinal Injury Association grade in 15 (42.9%) patients. No intraoperative complications occurred. None of the corrections resulted in neurological decompensation. The average postoperative correction was 18 degrees. Conclusions: Pedicle screw fixation and autologous bone grafting through a single posterior approach to lower cervical spine fractures in AS patients could stabilize the spine, correct kyphosis, and relieve pressure. It is thus reasonable to recommend this surgical strategy for AS-associated fractures of the lower cervical spine.
In some high-performance applications, an LC filter must be added to the auxiliary resonant snubber inverter (ARSI) to reduce the output current ripple. However, resonance occurs due to the additional LC filter, which makes the traditional closed-loop control not suitable to be used directly. Therefore, this paper presents a double-loop digital control based on the active damping method of capacitor current feedback to stabilize the system. Most of the studies on active damping methods are focused on the grid in consideration of zero resistance. However, the load resistance should not be neglected in the drive system. Therefore, the load resistance and digital control delays are considered in this paper. Moreover, an improved loading method is proposed to improve the duty ratio range. In order to verify the effectiveness of the controller, a prototype was developed. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that soft-switching can be realized for the entire load range. The maximum duty ratio is improved by 0.01 by using the proposed loading method. The resonance can be eliminated by using the proposed control method.
The objective of this study is to bring out the policy changes with respect to managed aquifer recharge (focusing on infiltration ponds), which in the view of relevant stakeholders may ease the problem of groundwater depletion in the context of Chennai City; Tamil Nadu; India. Groundwater is needed for the drinking water security of Chennai and overexploitation has resulted in depletion and seawater intrusion. Current policies at the municipal; state and national level all support recharge of groundwater and rainwater harvesting to counter groundwater depletion. However, despite such favorable policies, the legal framework and the administrative praxis do not support systematic approaches towards managed aquifer recharge in the periphery of Chennai. The present study confirms this, considering the mandates of governmental key-actors and a survey of the preferences and motives of stakeholder representatives. There are about 25 stakeholder groups with interests in groundwater issues, but they lack a common vision. For example, conflicting interest of stakeholders may hinder implementation of certain types of managed aquifer recharge methods. To overcome this problem, most stakeholders support the idea to establish an authority in the state for licensing groundwater extraction and overseeing managed aquifer recharge.
Regarding the effect of the third-person perception on censorship attitudes, the present study first highlighted logical weaknesses of previously proposed rationales and limitations of previously used statistical models to test the effect. This study reanalyzed data from past research on the effect of the third-person perception. In Study 1, the average effects of the other-self perceptual gap in the media influence on censorship attitudes were estimated based on reports from 13 previous studies (total N = 6,414). Study 2 reanalyzed Schmierbach, Boyle, Xu, and McLeod's (2011) correlational data (N = 692). The results of these two studies showed that the presumed effect on others is a stronger predictor of censorship attitudes than the other-self differential in perceived media effect.
1. Metabolism of ABT-107 was investigated in in vitro hepatic systems, in rat and monkey receiving [C-14] ABT-107, and in vivo plasma in rat, dog, monkey and human. 2. In in vitro hepatic systems, ABT-107 was primarily cleared via oxidative metabolism, and proceeded via two parallel pathways. Pathway 1, ABT-107 was oxidized at the nitrogen of quinuclidine moiety to form M1. Pathway 2, oxidation occurred at indole-containing moiety to form M2. Metabolism via N-oxidation was predominant in dog and rat, while in monkey and human, metabolism proceeded primarily via oxidation of indole-containing moiety. 3. ABT-107 was extensively metabolized in vivo in rat and monkey. M1 was primarily found in rat urine and bile; whereas, M2 was the major metabolite in monkey urine and feces. M1 was the predominant circulating metabolite in dog and rat. M2 was the primary circulating metabolite in monkey and human. 4. Enzymatic studies suggested M1 formation was primarily mediated by renal FMO1. CYP3A4, 1A2, 2J2 and 2D6 were primary enzymes catalyzing M2 formation. 5. Biotransformation of ABT-107 in human and monkey is markedly different from that in dog and rat, suggesting that monkey is an appropriate model for predicting human biotransformation and toxicology of ABT-107.
This study aimed at optimizing horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (CWs) to improve hydraulic performance and pollutant removal efficiency. A groundwater modeling package (MODFLOW) was used to optimize three design parameters (length-to-width ratio, inlet/outlet-to-length ratio, and substrate size configuration). Using the optimized parameters, three pilot-scale CWs were built to treat actual wastewater. For model validation, we used a tracer test to evaluate hydraulic performance, and investigated the pollutant spatial distributions and removal efficiencies. We conclude that MODFLOW is suitable for designing CWs, accurately predicting that increasing hydraulic conductivity from surface to bottom layers could improve performance. However, the effect of vegetation, which decreased the hydraulic conductivity of the surface layer, should be considered to improve simulation results. Multilayer substrate configuration, with increasing hydraulic conductivity from the surface to bottom layers, significantly increased pollutant removal compared with monolayer configuration. The spatial variation in pollutant transport and degradation through the filling substrate showed that the multilayer configuration was able to increase use of the available space and moderately reduced short-circuiting and dead zones. Thus, multilayer CWs had higher experimental retention times, effective volume fractions and hydraulic efficiencies, and lower short-circuiting compared with monolayer CWs operating under similar conditions.
Aims: To provide new insights into the socio-demographic characteristics of people who frequently attend Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments for alcohol-related reasons and to explore the findings with reference to stereotyping and prejudice. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 30 individuals (18 males; 12 females; aged 20-68 years) recruited from six A&E departments across London, United Kingdom. Participants had all attended A&E 10 times within the last year or 5 times in the last three months for an alcohol-related condition. Detailed data relating to participants' socio-demographic characteristics were systematically coded and analysed. Findings: Participants reported many years of heavy drinking, and high levels of mental and physical ill health, unemployment, dependence on state benefits, housing problems and social isolation. Frequency of A&E attendances varied greatly by participant, patterns of drinking and other substance use were diverse, and the nature and extent of self-reported health and social problems were wide-ranging. Conclusions: Findings suggest that people who regularly attend A&E for alcohol-related reasons collectively experience multiple and complex needs, but individually have diverse patterns of drinking and other problems. Flexible person-centred systems could help to support this patient population, whilst avoidance of terminology that overstates group traits should help to minimise stigma.
Flash flood forecasting of catchment systems is one of the challenges especially in the arid ungauged basins. This study is attempted to estimate the relationship between rainfall and runoff and also to provide flash flood hazard warnings for ungauged basins based on the hydrological characteristics using geographic information system (GIS). Morphometric characteristics of drainage basins provide a means for describing the hydrological behavior of a basin. The study examined the morphometric parameters of Wadi Rabigh with emphasis on its implication for hydrologic processes through the integration analysis between morphometric parameters and GIS techniques. Data for this study were obtained from ASTER data for digital elevation model (DEM) with 30-m resolution, topographic map (1: 50,000), and geological maps (1,250,000) which were subject to field confirmation. About 36 morphometric parameters were measured and calculated, and interlinked to produce nine effective parameters for the evaluation of the flash flood hazard degree of the study area. Based on nine effective morphometric parameters that directly influence on the hydrologic behavior of the Wadi through time of concentration, the flash flood hazard of the Rabigh basin and its subbasins was identified and classified into three groups (High, medium, and low hazard degree). The present work proved that the physiographic features of drainage basin contribute to the possibility of a flash flood hazard evaluation for any particular drainage area. The study provides details on the flash flood prone subbasins and the mitigation measures. This study also helps to plan rainwater harvesting and watershed management in the flash flood alert zones. Based on two historical data events of rainfall and the corresponding maximum flow rate, morphometric parameters and Stormwater Management and Design Aid software (SMADA 6), it could be to generate the hydrograph of Wadi Rabigh basin. As a result of the model applied to Wadi Rabigh basin, a rainfall event of a total of 22 mm with a duration of 5 h at the station nearby the study area, which has an exceedance probability of 50 % and return period around 2 years, produces a discharge volume of 15.2 x 10(6) m(3) at the delta, outlet of the basin, as 12.5 mm of the rainfall infiltrates (recharge).
Intense anthropogenic pressure on the native media causing grave ecological problems such as deficiency of drinking water, shift of natural evolution of ecosystems due to species extinction, emphasizes the need of accurate analytical systems for continuous environmental monitoring. Microorganisms as simple sensitive living units conducting nutrient metabolic cycles in the environment are applicable for proper assessment of ambient media state. The paper will review modes of microbial contribution in indication and will list important and standard micro-indicators of water pollution. The article will describe up-to-date direct methods of pollutant detection and indirect indicator-recognition techniques. The peculiarities and requirements of water quality monitoring correlated with high dynamics and mobility of aqueous media will be discussed.
Gabriel Abend discusses his interest in the sociology of morality and the main ideas of his book The Moral Background: An Inquiry into the History of Business Ethics [Abend 2014]. According to Abend, the business ethics discipline and its growing popularity at business schools deals not only with the tension between making money and being ethical, but with the preconditions which enable moral life: the moral background. Abend states that studying moralities and moral action in the social sciences is usually viewed through the lens of the first one, behavioral level, and the second one, normative level (moral and immoral behavior and norms, respectively), which, taken together, constitute first-order morality. Abend also points out that the moral background should be suggested as the third level, or second-order morality, which underlies and supports first-order morality through six dimensions. These include: the reasons for first-level morality support, the existing concepts repertoire, the subject of the moral evaluation, proper moral methods, the objectiveness of morality, and metaphysical conceptions. Some of these dimensions have a society-level organization, such as the conceptual repertoire for speaking about moralities in different languages, and some dimensions have an individual-level organization, such as the objectivity or relativity of first-order morality. Abend identifies two types of moral background that he describes as the Christian Merchant and the Standards of Practice. The Christian Merchant type can be characterized as an ethics of being, developing certain features of character and moral objectivism. The Standards of Practice is an ethics of doing, which sustains moral relativism and emphasizes moral actions with no particular attention to their motives. The Standards of Practice type has found its way into business schools' curricula as a business ethics discipline that believes morality can be taught by using case studies. This approach, while maintaining the principles of corporate social responsibility, can have negative effects on society and the economy. As long as corporations suggest that ethics pays and act morally only to make a profit, there is a risk that without the payoff, they will stop acting morally. This fact causes questions to surface, not only about corporate social responsibility and ethical behavior in business, but ultimately about values and the place of morality in society at large.
The association between sarcoidosis and autoimmune comorbidities has been reported, however, it has seldom been confirmed by a large nationwide study. Our study aimed to clarify the association between sarcoidosis and autoimmune comorbidities in the Taiwanese. A total of 1237 patients with sarcoidosis and 4948 age- and sex-matched control subjects were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 1997 to 2010. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to calculate the odds of comorbidities between the two groups. The prevalence of sarcoidosis was 2.17/100000 individuals in Taiwan. Sarcoidosis patients tended to run a higher risk of autoimmune comorbidities than the control group (17.6% vs 9.4%, P<0.05). Autoimmune thyroid disease (adjusted odd ratio [aOR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.64), Sjogren's syndrome (aOR, 11.6; 95% CI, 4.36-31.0) and ankylosing spondylitis (aOR, 3.80; 95% CI, 2.42-5.97) were significantly associated with sarcoidosis. The sex-stratified analyses were carried out to demonstrate a significant association of sarcoidosis with ankylosing spondylitis in both sexes, but with autoimmune thyroid disease in male patients and with Sjogren's syndrome female patients, respectively. Besides, the diagnosis of the autoimmune comorbidities strongly associated with sarcoidosis tended to be established after that of sarcoidosis. This study demonstrated that patients with sarcoidosis tended to have autoimmune thyroid disease, Sjogren's syndrome and ankylosing spondylitis, and the diagnosis of sarcoidosis usually preceded that of associated comorbidities. Clinicians should be alert to autoimmune comorbidities in patients with sarcoidosis.
Attention biases to sleep-related stimuli are held to play a key role in the development and maintenance of insomnia, but such biases have only been shown with controlled visual displays. This study investigated whether observers with insomnia symptoms allocate attention to sleep-related items in natural scenes, by recording eye movements during free-viewing of bedrooms. Participants with insomnia symptoms and normal sleepers were matched in their visual exploration of these scenes, and there was no evidence that the attention of those with insomnia symptoms was captured more quickly by sleep related stimuli than that of normal sleepers. However, the insomnia group fixated bed regions on more trials and, once fixated on a bed, also remained there for longer. These findings indicate that sleep stimuli are particularly effective in retaining visual attention in complex natural scenes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As a primary disturbance agent, fire significantly influences local processes and services of forest ecosystems. Although a variety of remote sensing based approaches have been developed and applied to Landsat mission imagery to infer burn severity at 30 m spatial resolution, forest burn severity have still been seldom assessed at fine spatial scales (5 m) from very-high-resolution (VHR) data. We assessed a 432 ha forest fire that occurred in April 2012 on Long Island, New York, within the Pine Barrens region, a unique but imperiled fire-dependent ecosystem in the northeastern United States. The mapping of forest burn severity was explored here at fine spatial scales, for the first time using remotely sensed spectral indices and a set of Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) fraction images from bi-temporal pre- and post-fire event - WorldView-2 (WV-2) imagery at 2 m spatial resolution. We first evaluated our approach using 1 m by 1 m validation points at the sub-crown scale per severity class (i.e. unburned, low, moderate, and high severity) from the post-fire 0.10 m color aerial ortho-photos; then, we validated the burn severity mapping of geo-referenced dominant tree crowns (crown scale) and 15 m by 15 m fixed-area plots (inter-crown scale) with the post-fire 0.10 m aerial ortho-photos and measured crown information of twenty forest inventory plots. Our approach can accurately assess forest burn severity at the sub-crown (overall accuracy is 84% with a Kappa value of 0.77), crown (overall accuracy is 82% with a Kappa value of 0.76), and inter-crown scales (89% of the variation in estimated burn severity ratings (i.e. Geo-Composite Burn Index (CBI)). This work highlights that forest burn severity mapping from VHR data can capture heterogeneous fire patterns at fine spatial scales over the large spatial extents. This is important since most ecological processes associated with fire effects vary at the <30 m scale and VHR approaches could significantly advance our ability to characterize fire effects on forest ecosystems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This work presents a novel mixed-signal control scheme for a boost power factor correction (PFC) rectifier. The digital controller modulates the inductor peak current to produce a low-distortion ac line current in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) and continuous conduction mode (CCM), without the need for average current sensing. A lookup table (LUT) optimizes efficiency at low input currents, by allowing operation at 125-500-kHz DCM based on calculated thresholds. At high input currents, the converter operates at 1-MHz CCM for reduced inductor footprint. An analog off-time generator with a digital frequency locked loop facilitates CCM operation, eliminating the need for slope compensation in the current loop and reduces frequency variations. The LUT is programmed with an adaptive output voltage of 250/450 V for low/highmains line voltage (85-265Vrms) to optimize efficiency over a broad range of conditions. The 150-W PFC prototype operates up to 1 MHz with a peak efficiency of 95% and a total harmonic distortion of 5%.
Some rats [sign-trackers (STs)] are prone to attribute incentive salience to reward cues, which can manifest as a propensity to approach and contact pavlovian cues, and for addiction-like behavior. STs also exhibit poor attentional performance, relative to goal-trackers (GTs), which is associated with attenuated acetylcholine (ACh) levels in prefrontal cortex (Paolone et al., 2013). Here, we demonstrate a cellular mechanism, linked to ACh synthesis, that accounts for attenuated cholinergic capacity in STs. First, we found that electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain increased cortical choline transporter (CHT)-mediated choline transport in GTs, paralleled by a redistribution of CHTs to the synaptic plasma membrane. Neither increases in choline uptake nor translocation of CHTs occurred in STs. Second, and consistent with uptake/ translocation alterations, STs demonstrated a reduced ability to support cortical ACh release in vivo compared with GTs after reverse-dialysis to elevate extracellular potassium levels. Third, rats were significantly more likely to develop sign-tracking behavior if treated systemically before pavlovian conditioned approach training with the CHT inhibitor VU6001221. Consistent with its proposed mechanisms, administration of VU6001221 attenuated potassium-evoked ACh levels in prefrontal cortex measured with in vivo microdialysis. We propose that loss of CHT-dependent activation of cortical cholinergic activity in STs degrades top-down executive control over behavior, producing a bias for bottom-up or stimulus-driven attention. Such an attentional bias contributes to nonadaptive reward processing and thus identifies a novel mechanism that can support psychopathology, including addiction.
Liver transplantation has been accepted as a useful therapeutic approach for patients with end-stage liver disease. However, the mismatch between the great demand for liver transplants and the number of available donor organs underscores the urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies for patients with acute and chronic liver failure. The rapidly growing knowledge on stem cell biology has opened new avenues toward stem cell-based therapy for liver disease. As stem cells have capacity for high proliferation and multipotent differentiation, the characteristics of stem cells fit the cell therapy. Several types of cells have been investigated as possible sources of liver regeneration: mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, liver progenitor cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and bone marrow mononuclear cells. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that these cells have great potential as candidates of stem cell therapy. We reviewed the reports on clinical trials of cell therapy for liver disease that have been recently undertaken using mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, bone marrow mononuclear cells, and liver progenitor cells. These reports have heterogeneity of description of trial design, types of infused cells, patient population, and efficacy of therapies. We addressed these reports from these viewpoints and clarified their significance. We hope that this review article will provide a perspective on the available approaches based on stem cell-based therapy for liver disease.
Based on the methodology of Understanding by Design, UbD, the course Design of Hydraulic Structures was developed and implemented. A series of learning experiences, with emphasis on hydraulics and hydrology, for civil engineering undergraduate students is presented that encourages the development of high technical and scientific competence, communication skills oral and in written, the ability for teamwork and the capability to learn. The experiences were designed, using the above methodology, based on learning that is desired. Once taught the course, the results obtained were compared based on the planned framework (expectations), the characterization of the student population, the course products as well as the activities, according to the students, considered relevant in the learning process.
Many studies have aimed to characterize pressurized transient hydraulics. However, it remains difficult to assess the importance of dynamic effects in a robust manner, and modeling is further complicated by the tension between computational efficiency and physical accuracy. To address such challenges for incompressible flows, this article presents an adaptive modeling approach that combines a novel hybrid formulation, termed the hybrid global gradient algorithm (HGGA), with a variable time step (VTS). The HGGA combines the generalized and rigid water column global gradient algorithms, so it can adapt to inertially-dominated flows and those without such effects. Computational efficiency and physical accuracy are balanced by adjusting the formulation according to the simulated hydraulics. Three physically-based indicators are then introduced to characterize unsteady flow: these actively inform the HGGA of how to model a system. Two pipe networks are used to demonstrate the current work. The first illustrates the utility of the inertial indicators, and the second comprises an extended period simulation with the VTS scheme. Although more computationally intensive than conventional modeling, the methodology is shown to provide a better representation of dynamic hydraulics.
This study examined how interpersonal attraction was described in Craigslist.org's Missed Connections postings via a quantitative content analysis of randomly selected posts in the United States. Results indicated that, as predicted, Missed Connections postings contained a combination of multiple verbal (e.g., spoken interactions that are not greetings or praise/compliments) and nonverbal (e.g., physical attractiveness, eye contact, nonverbal body movements) attraction expressions; these posts included an average of just over two attraction expressions. Physical attractiveness was the most frequently expressed form of interpersonal attraction. There were no biological sex or sexual orientation differences in relation to which and how many attraction expressions were included in Missed Connections posts. Implications for attraction and online personal advertisement research are described. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In cold climates, freeze-thaw cycling is an important issue in engineering. In freeze cycles, translocation of water and ice that can be caused by thermodynamic conditions at temperatures just below 0 degrees C, changes engineering properties of soils. In previous studies, changes in physical, chemical and mechanical properties of soils were investigated. In this study, UU Triaxial compressive tests have been performed to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on strength properties of soil reinforced with geotextile layer. A clayey soil, reinforced with a geotextile layer located at mid-height of the sample, was compacted in the laboratory and subjected to a maximum of 9 closed-system freeze-thaw cycles. Computerized tomography (CT) images have also been taken from samples. It was found that for the investigated soil, unconsolidated undrained triaxial compressive strength of unreinforced soil decreased with increasing the number of freeze-thaw cycles, whereas reinforced samples showed better performance and the strength reduction amount decreased from 43% to 14% by reinforcing the soil. CT images have shown that free water moved through the soil particles toward the lower part of the soil samples. In addition, it was found that sample reinforcement can reduce the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on changes of cohesion and resilient modulus of the soil. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fretting fatigue is a phenomenon which occurs when two parts are contacted to each other and one of those parts or both are subjected to cyclic load. Fretting decreases fatigue life of materials drastically by half or even more. Therefore, investigation of fretting fatigue life of materials is an important subject. Fretting fatigue tests are usually performed using universal hydraulic testing devices. In this work, a rotating bending apparatus for fretting fatigue test is introduced in which the cyclic load is provided by an adjustable eccentric load. The apparatus called RBFF machine which is the abbreviation of rotating bending fretting fatigue. The eccentric load is measured by load cell. The coefficient of friction and fretting load are measured by foil strain gauges using a Wheatstone bridge configuration. The performance of the machine is verified with doing a comparison between fatigue lives of a number of AL7075-T6 alloy samples on a Shimadzu rotating bending fatigue testing machine and RBFF. The results shows very close assent between the operations of the two testing rigs. The main privileges of RBFF are its simplicity with respect to universal devices, cheapness and, coefficient of friction (between pads and specimen) evaluation during the test. The RBFF also has the capability of being used for any other soft and hard metals. It can be advanced further for high and low temperature.
Microcontroller modules are introduced to a life test system to apply stimuli and stress patterns to the unit under test. The firmware must evaluate the status or operational function of the tested device for a multitude of different applications. A finite-state machine design for the microcontroller is presented that is configurable via a communication bus. The controller acts according to the given test plan description. Various sources can trigger events to cause a transition in the state machine. Custom Lua script code is executed in each state in order to control and communicate with the test hardware.
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors are proving to be a reliable gene transfer system for several clinical applications, with an increasing body of evidence supporting safety and efficacy. Realizing the clinical and commercial potential of rAAV depends on a reliable source of high-quality, well-characterized rAAV lots. This requirement has been very challenging to achieve due to limits of manufacturing platforms, lot-to-lot variability, or differences in the rigor applied to quality-control assays. In addition to reliable, high-quality vectors, limited quantities of rAAV have hampered clinical development and discouraged investigations into applications that require large therapeutic doses or quantities needed to treat large patient populations. A minimal number of vector production runs should be sufficient to support all phases of clinical development, including non-clinical, pharmacological, and toxicological studies, as well as clinical studies and commercial supply. The production platform using the Sf9 invertebrate cell line has emerged as a scalable and economical source of rAAV. Access to larger quantities of rAAV has now enabled evaluation of gene therapeutics for diseases that require large doses per patient or diseases with large patient populations. The only licensed rAAV product, Glybera, was produced in Sf9 cells, and other rAAV products are in clinical trials in the United States and Europe. The development of the Sf9 rAAV genetics, processes, and overview of the current system are described.
AZ31 alloy has been tested as a biodegradable material in the form of endomedullary implants in female Wistar rat femurs. In order to evaluate the accumulation of potentially toxic elements from the biodegradation of the implant, magnesium (Mg), aluminium (Al), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and fluorine (F) levels have been measured in different organs such as kidneys, liver, lungs, spleen and brain. Several factors that may influence accumulation have been taken into account: how long the implant has been in place, whether or not the bone is fractured, and the presence of an MgF2 protective coating on the implant. The main conclusions and the clinical relevance of the study have been that AZ31 endomedullary implants have a degradation rate of about 60% after 13 months, which is fully compatible with fracture consolidation. Neither bone fracture nor an MgF2 coating seems to influence the accumulation of trace elements in the studied organs. Aluminium is the only alloying element in this study that requires special attention. The increase in Al recovered from the sampled organs represents 3.95% of the amount contained in the AZ31 implant. Al accumulates in a statistically significant way in all the organs except the brain. All of this suggests that in long-term tests AZ31 may be a suitable material for osteosynthesis.
Several stepped spillways have been built in recent decades, mostly integrated in the downstream faces of roller compacted concrete dams. Among them, only a few have changing bottom slopes. Comprehensive information on the effect of a slope change on the flow features is lacking. This paper reports a systematic study of air entrainment and flow bulking in skimming flow along stepped spillways in the vicinity of abrupt slope changes. Physical modelling was conducted using a large facility with abrupt pseudo-bottom slope changes from 50 degrees to 30 degrees and from 50 degrees to 18.6 degrees. Air-water flow measurements were conducted at several flow cross-sections upstream and downstream of the slope change. The results indicate a significant influence of the slope change on the air pattern and flow bulking. Four main flow sub-regions were identified to describe the typical air-water flow patterns. The normalized length of the influence reach induced by the slope change was found to depend mainly on the critical flow depth, regardless of the slope change and step height.
Urbanization is a natural and social process involving simultaneous changes to the Earth's land systems, energy flow, demographics, and the economy. Understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of urbanization is increasingly important for policy formulation, decision making, and natural resource management. A combination of satellite remote sensing and patch-based models has been widely adopted to characterize landscape changes at various spatial and temporal scales. Nevertheless, the validity of this type of framework in identifying long-term changes, especially subtle or gradual land modifications is seriously challenged. In this paper, we integrate annual image time series, continuous spatial indices, and non-parametric trend analysis into a spatiotemporal study of landscape dynamics over the Phoenix metropolitan area from 1991 to 2010. We harness local indicators of spatial dependence and modified Mann-Kendall test to describe the monotonic trends in the quantity and spatial arrangement of two important land use land cover types: vegetation and built-up areas. Results suggest that declines in vegetation and increases in built-up areas are the two prevalent types of changes across the region. Vegetation increases mostly occur at the outskirts where new residential areas are developed from natural desert. A sizable proportion of vegetation declines and built-up increases are seen in the central and southeast part. Extensive land conversion from agricultural fields into urban land use is one important driver of vegetation declines. The xeriscaping, practice also contributes to part of vegetation loss and an increasingly heterogeneous landscape. The quantitative framework proposed in this study provides a pathway to effective landscape mapping and change monitoring from a spatial statistical perspective.
A grid-connected inverter is indispensable for photovoltaic power generation and smart grid systems, and it must be designed for stable operation. The impedance method based on the Nyquist criterion is often utilized to analyze the stability of grid-connected inverter systems. The impedance method is based on the eigenvalues of the product of the inverter output admittance and the line impedance matrices in the frequency domain. However, the frequency characteristics have so far been derived only for inverters with analog control systems. A new frequency analysis method for inverters with digital control systems is proposed in this paper. First, a stability analysis example for a three-phase LCL-type inverter controlled digitally is shown and the results are compared and validated with those by simulation using a Saber simulator. Finally, they are also compared and validated with experimental results digitally controlled by a DSP-based system. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We consider a scalar balance law with a strict convex flux. In this paper, we study L-2 stability to a shock for a scalar balance law up to a shift function, which is based on the relative entropy. This result generalizes Leger's works [18] and provides more a simple proof than Leger's proof.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in two running styles: rear-foot strike (RFS), in which the heel lands first and fore-foot strike (FFS), in which the ball of the foot lands before the heel comes down. These running styles were compared in term of vertical mathematical model parameters and motion-analyzed data. The ground reaction forces were measured by force platform with the same subjects performing each style of running at various velocities ranging from 2.23 m/s to 4.47 m/s. A unique set of parameters of the model for each trial was computed by nonlinear programming to minimize the sum of the relative standard error of the ground reaction force and the relative error of rebound velocity. Motion-analyzed data was measured by a high-speed motion capture system. The differences in running styles were considered by using results from parameters of a multi-degree-of-freedom model and motion analysis. The results of this study indicate that the FFS needs less energy than RFS because of the contact style and the impulse as internal forces. And it also indicates that the ratio of the upper to lower mass of the vertical mathematical model is higher in FFS than in RFS. A previous study also showed that the effective mass related to the first peak of ground reaction force was smaller in FFS than that in RFS. For this reason, FFS may reduce the risk of running injuries such as injuries to the hip, knee and ankle joints by reducing the impact to the body. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
To assess the relationship between carriage of APOE epsilon 4 allele and evolution of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) volume, we longitudinally studied 339 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort with diagnoses ranging from normal controls to probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). A purpose-built longitudinal automatic method was used to segment WMH using constraints derived from an atlas-based model selection applied to a time-averaged image. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the differences in rate of change across diagnosis and genetic groups. After adjustment for covariates (age, sex, and total intracranial volume), homozygous APOE epsilon 4 epsilon 4 subjects had a significantly higher rate of WMH accumulation (22.5% per year 95% CI [14.4, 31.2] for a standardized population having typical values of covariates) compared with the heterozygous (epsilon 4 epsilon 3) subjects (10.0% per year [6.7, 13.4]) and homozygous e3e3 (6.6% per year [4.1, 9.3]) subjects. Rates of accumulation increased with diagnostic severity; controls accumulated 5.8% per year 95% CI: [2.2, 9.6] for the standardized population, early mild cognitive impairment 6.6% per year [3.9, 9.4], late mild cognitive impairment 12.5% per year [8.2, 17.0] and AD subjects 14.7% per year [6.0, 24.0]. Following adjustment for APOE status, these differences became nonstatistically significant suggesting that APOE epsilon 4 genotype is the major driver of accumulation of WMH volume rather than diagnosis of AD. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
We have proposed the sensorless model control based on the static model equation of the dc-dc converter that is able to change the bias value corresponding to changes of the load current, the input voltage and output voltage. The sensorless model control can regulate the output voltage. On the other hand, the transient response of output voltage is not improved. Therefore, an improvement of the transient response is carried out by adding the transient improvement function which changes a bias value drastically for a short time at the start of the transient state. The purpose of this paper is to indicate the parameter setting of the transient improvement function that improves the transient response by the simulation analysis under changing the circuit condition.
This paper discusses an effort to enhance the learning and affective experience of students in a laboratory module in metabolism through the use of the How People Learn framework, which is grounded in educational theory and research. The laboratory, which was a component of a systems physiology course in biomedical engineering, was modified such that some students had educational experiences informed by How People Learn principles while other students encountered a more traditional laboratory. Students were compared on a number of dimensions including knowledge acquisition, ability to use information to solve problems, transfer, and perceptions of their course experience. Several differences were observed between groups, with students in the How People Learn group out-performing controls on measures that required a deeper ability to use the material, but not differing in basic acquisition of information. Implications for the development of similar laboratories are discussed.
BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by a dysregulation of affect and impaired integration of emotion with cognition. These traits are also expressed in probands at high genetic risk of BD. The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is a key cortical hub in the circuits of emotion and cognitive control, and it has been frequently associated with BD. Here, we studied resting-state functional connectivity of the left IFG in participants with BD and in those at increased genetic risk. METHODS: Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging we compared 49 young BD participants, 71 individuals with at least one first-degree relative with BD (at-risk), and 80 control subjects. We performed between group analyses of the functional connectivity of the left IFG and used graph theory to study its local functional network topology. We also used machine learning to study classification based solely on the functional connectivity of the IFG. RESULTS: In BD, the left IFG was functionally dysconnected from a network of regions, including bilateral insulae, ventrolateral prefrontal gyri, superior temporal gyri, and the putamen (p < .001). A small network incorporating neighboring insular regions and the anterior cingulate cortex showed weaker functional connectivity in at-risk than control participants (p < .006). These constellations of regions overlapped with frontolimbic regions that a machine learning classifier selected as predicting group membership with an accuracy significantly greater than chance. CONCLUSIONS: Functional dysconnectivity of the IFG from regions involved in emotional regulation may represent a trait abnormality for BD and could potentially aid clinical diagnosis.
CASE HISTORY: A 1-year-old female New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) was intermittently observed in the Otago region of New Zealand over an 11-month period, always dragging her hind flippers. In December 2012 the sea lion was found dead, after a period of several days being observed to be harassed by male sea lions.PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: At gross postmortem examination the sea lion was in moderate body condition with signs of recent bite wounds and bruising. The lungs were dark and poorly inflated. Histological findings included meningoencephalomyelitis, radiculomyelitis of the cauda equina, myocarditis and myositis. Toxoplasmosis gondii organisms were detected histologically and following immunohistochemistry in the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves and pelvic muscles.MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: Nested PCR analysis and sequencing confirmed the presence of T. gondii DNA in uterine and lung tissue. A variant type II T. gondii genotype was identified using multilocus PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.DIAGNOSIS: Systemic toxoplasmosis.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Infection with T. gondii involving the spinal cord and nerves was the likely cause of the paresis observed in this sea lion before death. Ultimately, death was attributed to crushing and asphyxiation by a male sea lion, presumably predisposed by impaired mobility. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in a New Zealand sea lion highlights the possibility that this disease could play a role in morbidity and mortality in this endangered species, particularly in the recently established mainland populations that are close to feline sources of T. gondii oocysts.
Nowadays, Denial of Service (DoS) attacks have become a major security threat to networks and the Internet. Therefore, even a naive hacker can launch a large-scale DoS attack to the victim from providing Internet services. This article deals with the evaluation of the Snort IDS in terms of packet processing performance and detection. This work describes the aspect involved in building campus network security system and then evaluates the campus network security risks and threats, mainly analyses the attacks DoS and DDoS, and puts forward new approach for Snort campus network security solutions. The objective is to analyze the functional advantages of the solution, deployment and configuration of the open source based on Snort intrusion detection system. The evaluation metrics are defined using Snort namely comparison between basic rules with new ones, available bandwidth, CPU loading and memory usage.
Harvested rainwater systems and composting toilets are expected to be an important part of sustainable solutions in buildings. Yet, to this date, a model evaluating their economic and environmental impact has been missing. To address this need, a life cycle based model, EEAST was developed. EEAST was designed to compare the business as usual (BAU) case of using potable water for toilet flushing and irrigation to alternative scenarios of rainwater harvesting and composting toilet based technologies. In EEAST, building characteristics, occupancy, and precipitation are used to size the harvested rainwater and composting toilet systems. Then, life cycle costing and life cycle assessment methods are used to estimate cost, energy, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission payback periods (PPs) for five alternative scenarios. The scenarios modeled include use of harvested rainwater for toilet flushing, for irrigation, or both; and use of composting toilets with or without harvested rainwater use for irrigation. A sample simulation using EEAST showed that for the office building modeled, the cost PPs were greater than energy PPs which in turn were greater than GHG emission PPs. This was primarily due to energy and emission intensive nature of the centralized water and wastewater infrastructure. The sample simulation also suggested that the composting toilets may have the best performance in all criteria. However, EEAST does not explicitly model solids management and as such may give composting toilets an unfair advantage compared to flush based toilets. EEAST results were found to be very sensitive to cost values used in the model. With the availability of EEAST, life cycle cost, energy, and GHG emissions can now be performed fairly easily by building designers and researchers. Future work is recommended to further improve EEAST and evaluate it for different types of buildings and climates so as to better understand when composting toilets and harvested rainwater systems outperform the BAU case in building design. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: There is an increasing recognition of epidemics of primarily tubular-interstitial chronic kidney disease (CKD) clustering in agricultural communities in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although it is currently unclear whether there is a unified underlying aetiology, these conditions have been collectively termed CKD of undetermined cause (CKDu). CKDu is estimated to have led to the premature deaths of tens to hundreds of thousands of young men and women over the last 2 decades. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the aetiology and pathophysiology of these condition (s). International comparisons have provided the first steps in understanding many chronic diseases, but such comparisons rely on the availability of standardised tools to estimate disease prevalence. This is a particular problem with CKD, since the disease is asymptomatic until the late stages, and the biases inherent in the methods used to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in population studies are highly variable across populations. Method: We therefore propose a simple standardised protocol to estimate the distribution of GFR in LMIC populations - The Disadvantaged Populations eGFR Epidemiology (DEGREE) Study. This involves the quantification of renal function in a representative adult population-based sample and a requirement for standardisation of serum creatinine measurements, along with storage of samples for future measurements of cystatin C and ascertainment of estimates of body composition, in order to obtain valid comparisons of estimated GFR (eGFR) within and between populations. Discussion: The methodology we present is potentially applicable anywhere, but our particular focus is on disadvantaged populations in LMICs, since these appear to be most susceptible to CKDu. Although the protocol could also be used in specific groups (e.g. occupational groups, thought to be at excess risk of CKDu) the primary aim of the DEGREE project is characterise the population distribution of eGFR in multiple regions so that international comparisons can be performed. It is only with a standardised approach that it will be possible to estimate the scale of, and variation in, impaired kidney function between affected areas. These data should then provide insights into important social, demographic and environmental risk factors for this increasingly recognised disease.
This study proposes a method for estimating phytoplankton cell counts associated with an algal bloom, using satellite images coincident with in situ and meteorological parameters. Satellite images from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +), Operational Land Imager (OLD and Hj-1 A/B Charge Couple Device (CCD) sensors were integrated with the meteorological observations to provide an estimate of phytoplankton cell counts. All images were atmospherically corrected using the Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) atmospheric correction method with a possible error of 1.2%, 2.6%, 1.4% and 23% for blue (450-520 nm), green (520-600 nm), red (630-690 nm) and near infrared (NIR 760-900 nm) wavelengths, respectively. Results showed that the developed Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model yields a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.95 with the in situ validation data with Sum of Squared Error (SSE) of 034 cell/ml, Mean Relative Error (MRE) of 0.154 cells/ml and a bias of -504.87. The integration of the meteorological parameters with remote sensing observations provided a promising estimation of the algal scum as compared to previous studies. The applicability of the ANN model was tested over Hong Kong as well as over Lake Kasumigaura, Japan and Lake Okeechobee, Florida USA, where algal blooms were also reported. Further, a 40-year (1975-2014) red tide occurrence map was developed and revealed that the eastern and southern waters of Hong Kong are more vulnerable to red tides. Over the 40 years, 66% of red tide incidents were associated with the Dinoflagellates group, while the remainder were associated with the Diatom group (14%) and several other minor groups (20%). The developed technology can be applied to other similar environments in an efficient and cost saving manner. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Demand management in residential buildings is a key component toward sustainability and efficiency in urban environments. The recent advancements in sensor based technologies hold the promise of novel energy consumption models that can better characterize the underlying patterns. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic data-driven predictive model for consumption forecasting in residential buildings. The model is based on Bayesian network (BN) framework which is able to discover dependency relations between contributing variables. Thus, we can relax the assumptions that are often made in traditional forecasting models. Moreover, we are able to efficiently capture the uncertainties in input variables and quantify their effect on the system output. We test our proposed approach to the data provided by Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) which has been collected through a pilot Smart Grid project. We examine the performance of our model in a multiscale setting by considering various temporal (i.e., 15 min, hourly intervals) and spatial (i.e., all households in a region, each household) resolutions for analyzing data. Demand forecasting at the individual households' levels is a first step toward designing personalized and targeted policies for each customer. While this is a widely studied topic in digital marketing, few researches have been done in the energy sector. The results indicate that Bayesian networks can be efficiently used for probabilistic energy modeling in residential buildings by discovering the dependencies between variables. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper reports an investigation into the effect of fabric substrates and coating materials on the electrical and mechanical performance of printed antennas. Inductively coupled antennas were printed on fabrics using silver ink. To assure printability and protection, a printing structure was configured, consisting of surface coating, conductive printing, and protective coating. In order to simulate a realistic situation, three fabric substrates (denim, broadcloth, and single jersey) were selected from woven and knit fabrics for everyday wear. Three coating materials (acrylic, polyurethane, and silicone) were chosen from conventional conformal coating materials for printed circuit boards. Experimental results verified that fabric substrates can be selected to fit specific end-use application since it is shown that antenna performance was not significantly affected. Silicone coating is suggested to support antenna performance since this gave the least impairment in the fabrics as mechanical performance.
The feeling of synchrony is fundamental for most social activities and prosocial behaviors. However, little is known about the behavioral correlates of this feeling and its modulation by intergroup differences. We previously showed that the subjective feeling of synchrony in subjects involved in a mirror imitation task was modulated by objective behavioral measures, as well as contextual factors such as task difficulty and duration of the task performance. In the present study, we extended our methodology to investigate possible interindividual differences. We hypothesized that being in a romantic relationship or being a professional musician can modulate both implicit and explicit synchronization and the feeling of synchrony as well as the ability to detect synchrony from a third person perspective. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find significant differences between people in a romantic relationship and control subjects. However, we observed differences between musicians and control subjects. For the implicit synchrony (spontaneous synchronization during walking), the results revealed that musicians that had never met before spontaneously synchronized their movements earlier among themselves than control subjects, but not better than people sharing a romantic relationship. Moreover, in explicit behavioral synchronization tasks (mirror game), musicians reported earlier feeling of synchrony and had less speed errors than control subjects. This was in interaction with tasks difficulty as these differences appeared only in tasks with intermediate difficulty. Finally, when subjects had to judge synchrony from a third person perspective, musicians had a better performance to identify if they were present or not in the videos. Taken together, our results suggest that being a professional musician can play a role in the feeling of synchrony and its underlying mechanisms.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) plays an important role in increasing water security for individuals and governments. The demand for tools to enable technical and economic analysis of RWH systems has led to a substantial body of research in the recent past. This paper focuses on the economic aspects of domestic RWH in urban and peri-urban environments. In this regard, key issues are identified and discussed including quality and quantity of harvested water, the water demand profile, the scale of installation, interest rates, the period of analysis, real estate value, and the water -energy -food nexus. Kenya and Australia are used as reference points having different economies and opposing RWH policies. It has been found that the previous studies on financial aspects of RWH systems often had conflicting results. Most of the economic analyses have ignored the full benefits that a RWH system can offer. In view of the varying and conflicting results, there is a need to standardize the methods of economic analysis of RWH systems.
Students solve problems by developing mental models of the problem. Although these models are many and diverse, a common one used in engineering mechanics education consists of identifying the known and unknown variables, construction of a graphical problem representation, and developing a mathematical model derived from the preceding steps. This is also the case for courses in physics, mechanics, science and electrical circuits. M-MODEL is a computer-based implementation of this approach to problem-solving. It utilizes the visual graphic, variables identification and listing, and mathematical equation mental models as a construct for students to developing STEM problem solving skills. This paper describes how students use M-MODEL to solve problems and its coaching tools. This paper discusses the design objectives, intelligent tutor, and features of M-MODEL as applied to an engineering mechanics course. It also discusses how M-MODEL may be used to encourage students to develop mental model approaches to problem solving. An assessment of M-MODEL is also presented.
In this study, we define and characterize the saltwater upconing zone of influence (SUZI). The SUZI is the region around a pumping well within which significant rise in the saltwater-freshwater interface occurs. While the zone of influence of a pumping well can be clearly defined in terms of hydraulics (e.g., drawdown), the SUZI has not been recognised and characterised, despite its importance for groundwater decision-making in coastal regions. We explore the SUZI under various conditions and compare common methods of investigation using both axisymmetric (1D and 2D vertical cross-section) and 3D simulations of saltwater upconing at the field scale, based on a combination of numerical and analytical approaches. The SUZI was found to be dependent on the relative magnitudes of pumping, regional flow, distance of the well from the coast, and position of the well above the interface, as expected. The three-dimensional coastal setting simulations revealed an asymmetric shape of the lateral extent of the SUZI, which is largest in the direction parallel to the coast. This occurs because the ocean and the inland extent of the seawater wedge limit the propagation of the SUZI perpendicular to the coast. Predictions of the SUZI using the Ghyben-Herzberg approximation, including cases where sloping interfaces occur (i.e., in contrast to the artificiality of horizontal interfaces used in axisymmetric approaches), provide reasonable first approximations of the SUZI. Numerical modelling of dispersive upconing in the 3D inclined interface case is influenced by practical limits to the model domain size and grid resolution. For example, the no-flow boundary condition at 1500 m from the pumping well elongates the SUZI in the direction parallel to the coast. This study extends previous concepts of well interference, which have previously been based on hydraulics only, by introducing the SUZI and characterising its extent, with consideration given to differences in commonly adopted methods of upconing quantification. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Parental mentalizing - the parent's ability to envision the child'smental states (such as desires, thoughts, or wishes) - has been argued to underlie a parent's ability to respond sensitively to their child's emotional needs, and thereby promote advantageous cognitive and socio-emotional development. Mentalizing is typically operationalized in terms of how parents talk to or about their infants. This work extends research on mentalizing by operationalizing parental mentalizing exclusively in terms of nonverbal, bodily based, interactive behavior, namely parental embodied mentalizing(PEM). The purpose of the current researchwas twofold: (1) to establish the reliability and validity of the PEM coding system; and (2) to evaluate whether such measurement predicts infant and child cognitive and socio-emotional functioning. Assessing 200 mother-infant dyads at 6 months using the coding of PEM proved both reliable and valid, including predicting child attachment security at 15 and 36 months, and language abilities, academic skills, behavior problems, and social competence at 54 months, in many cases even after taking into consideration traditional measures of parenting, namely maternal sensitivity. Conceptual, empirical, and clinical implications are discussed.
According to the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplants, in 2015, 19,408 bone transplants were performed in Brazil, over 90% by Dental Surgeons. The surgical technique itself has a respectable number of reports regarding its clinical efficacy, as measured by long-term survival of dental implants in grafted areas. Uncertainty remains, however, as to whether fresh frozen grafts from human bone donors remain immunologically innocuous in the body of the host. Six male with no previous medical history of note, including systemic diseases, surgery or blood transfusion were selected. These patients underwent reconstructive procedures (sinus lifting) using fresh frozen human bone from a tissue bank. All patients had venous blood samples collected prior to surgery and 6 months after the procedure. Anti-HLA analysis for the detection of HLA(human leukocyte antigen) antibodies was performed using methods such as the LAB Screen PRA Class I and Class II, LAB Screen Single Antigen Class I and Class II, Luminex Platform. Reactive individuals to the screening tests (LAB Screen PRA) were further investigated to determine the specificity of the antibodies detected (LAB Screen Single Antigen) with a cutoff value of median fluorescence intensity >= 500. As a result, it was observed that two patients (33%) were positive in screening tests, one presenting with anti-HLA Class I and II sensitization and the other with anti-HLA class II. The specificity analysis showed that the patients sensitized to HLA class II presented 4 specificities, 3 of which immunologically relevant. In the second individual, 23 specificities were identified, 6 of which immunologically important for HLA class I and 4 specificities for HLA class II, 3 of these were immunologically important. All specificities detected had average fluorescence. These findings are suggestive that sinus-lifting procedures with allogeneic bone can induce immunological sensitization.
Advances in prenatal diagnosis, perioperative management, and postoperative care have dramatically increased the population of survivors of neonatal and infant heart surgery. The high survival rate of these patients into adulthood has exposed the alarming prevalence of long-term neuropsychological and psychiatric morbidities. Dextro-transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) is one of the most extensively studied cyanotic congenital heart defect (CHD) with regard to neurodevelopmental outcomes. Landmark studies have described a common neurodevelopmental and behavioral phenotype associated with D-TGA. Children with D-TGA display impairments in key neurocognitive areas, including visual-spatial and fine motor abilities, executive functioning, processing speed, and social cognition. As they grow older, they may face additional challenges with a worsening of deficits in higher order cognitive skills, problems in psychosocial adjustment and a higher-than-expected rate of psychiatric disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety. The aim of this review is to summarize the available recent data on neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes in individuals with D-TGA after the arterial switch operation. We present findings within a life-span perspective, with a particular emphasis on the emerging literature on adolescent and young adult outcomes. Finally, we propose avenues for future research in the CHD adult neuropsychology field. Among these avenues, we explore the potential mechanisms by which pediatric neurodevelopmental impairments may have lifelong adverse effects as well as alternative interventions that could optimize outcomes.
In this paper we introduce SAWD, a semi-automated approach for wrapping dynamic and moving target cyber defenses for cyber command and control operations. SAWD provides an interactive user interface that enables the intuitive description (either explicitly or by example) of the requirements, pre-conditions, and steps for defense installation, configuration, and operation in multiple operational environments. The defense wrapping produces a semantic representation of the defense, as well as the code necessary to manage the defense, which enables its seamless on demand deployment and control across multiple operating systems. SAWD is a collaborative effort between Florida Institute of Technology, Raytheon BBN Technologies, and Air Force Research Laboratory.
Understanding the hydraulics around injection and production wells in unconfined aquifers associated with rainwater and reclaimed water aquifer storage schemes is an issue of increasing importance. Much work has been done previously to understand the mathematics associated with Darcy's law in this context. However, groundwater flow velocities around injection and production wells are likely to be sufficiently large such as to induce significant non-Darcy effects. This article presents a mathematical analysis to look at Forchheimer's equation in the context of water injection and water production in unconfined aquifers. Three different approximate solutions are derived using quasi-steady-state assumptions and the method of matched asymptotic expansion. The resulting approximate solutions are shown to be accurate for a wide range of practical scenarios by comparison with a finite difference solution to the full problem of concern. The approximate solutions have led to an improved understanding of the flow dynamics. They can also be used as verification tools for future numerical models in this context. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Definitively identifying the cell type of newly generated cells in the heart and defining their origins are central questions in cardiac regenerative medicine. Currently, it is challenging to ascertain the myocardial identity and to track myocardial progeny during heart development and disease due to lack of proper genetic tools. This may lead to many misinterpretations of the findings in cardiac regenerative biology. In this study, we developed a set of novel mouse models by inserting double reporter genes nlacZ/H2B-GFP, mGFP/H2B-mCherry into the start codon of Tnnt2 and Myh6. nlacZ (nuclear lacZ) and mGFP (membrane GFP) are flanked by two LoxP sites in these animals. We found that the reporter genes faithfully recapitulated Tnnt2 and Myh6 cardiac expression from embryonic stage and adulthood. The reporter mice provide unprecedented robustness and fidelity for visualizing and tracing cardiomyocytes with nuclear or cell membrane localization signals. These animal models offer superior genetic tools to meet a critical need in studies of heart development, cardiac stem cell biology and cardiac regenerative medicine. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Novel surgical techniques require laparoscopic instruments which are intelligent micro-manipulators rather than simple manually operated scissors. Hydraulic drives, with their high force and power density, and low weight are the perfect candidates to drive these new laparoscopic instruments. However, their use in intelligent systems requires the integration of a displacement measurement technology to ensure controllability. The aim of this paper is the characterization and miniaturization of a capacitive sensor that can be integrated into the hydraulic drives in order to improve the precision of the instrument's positioning. The proposed sensor solution is structurally integrated into the hydraulic drive, using its barrel and rod as a coaxial cylindrical capacitor, so that no additional sensor needs to be integrated. The performance of the proposed solution has been examined using FEA simulations of a mini and a miniaturized cylinder design. The simulation has been validated experimentally and the results are in good agreement. The results showed a linear relationship between capacitance and displacement with a precision of +/- 27 mu m, thus proving the feasibility of the method.
This paper presents a new simulator platform for basic electric circuits and shows the operation of these circuits in 3-D space. This simulator (the first in the literature) makes use of the advantages of 3-D graphing generated in Flash CS4 to provide an interactive work environment with the user. The simulator makes two types of simulations exclusive: dc and ac. In dc, the results presented are the nodal voltages and branch currents. In ac, it shows the magnitudes and phases of the nodal voltages of the circuit. The novelty of this simulator is the 3-D spatial geometry with the operation of electrical circuits. The advantage of presenting the results in a 3-D environment is to be able to observe and analyze quickly how nodal voltages and branch currents in dc are distributed on the circuit as a whole, as well as their magnitudes and phases of nodal voltages in ac. It is also expected that this new form of study of basic electric circuits will open a new way to facilitate the understanding of these concepts to engineering students. The simulator runs on the Internet through any browser. The electrical analysis values are the same as PSpice.
Background: Emergence of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors is a real threat to future goals of elimination and control of malaria. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess research trend on insecticide resistance of Anopheles mosquito. In specific, number of publications, countries, institutions, and authors' research profile, citation analysis, international collaborations, and impact of journals publishing documents on insecticide resistance will be presented. It was conducted via Scopus search engine which was used to retrieve relevant data. Keywords used were based on literature available on this topic. The duration of study was set from 1996-2015. Results: A total of 616 documents, mainly as original research articles (n = 569; 92.37%) were retrieved. The average number of citations per article was 26.36. Poisson log-linear regression analysis indicated that there was a 6.00% increase in the number of publications for each extra article on pyrethroid resistance. A total of 82 different countries and 1922 authors participated in publishing retrieved articles. The United Kingdom (UK) ranked first in number of publications followed by the United States of America (USA) and France. The top ten productive countries included seven African countries. The UK had collaborations mostly with Benin (relative link strength = 46). A total of 1817 institution/ organizations participated in the publication of retrieved articles. The most active institution/ organization was Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Retrieved articles were published in 134 different scientific peer reviewed journals. The journal that published most on this topic was Malaria Journal (n = 101; 16.4%). Four of the top active authors were from South Africa and two were from the UK. Three of the top ten cited articles were published in Insect Molecular Biology journal. Six articles were about pyrethroid resistance and at least two were about DDT resistance. Conclusion: Publications on insecticide resistance in malaria vector has gained momentum in the past decade. International collaborations enhanced the knowledge about the situation of vector resistance in countries with endemic malaria. Molecular biology of insecticide resistance is the key issue in understanding and overcoming this emerging problems.
Background: The actual connectivity between populations of freshwater organisms is largely determined by species biology, but is also influenced by many area-and site-specific factors, such as water pollution and habitat fragmentation. Therefore, the prediction of effective gene flow, even for well-studied organisms, is difficult. The amphipod crustacean Gammarus fossarum is a key invertebrate in freshwater ecosystems and contains many cryptic species. One of these species is the broadly distributed G. fossarum clade 11 (type B). In this study, we tested for factors driving the genetic structure of G. fossarum clade 11 in a human-impacted landscape at local and regional scales. To determine population structure, we analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) gene of 2,086 specimens from 54 sampling sites and microsatellite loci of 420 of these specimens from ten sites. Results: We detected strong overall genetic differentiation between populations at regional and local scales with both independent marker systems, often even within few kilometers. Interestingly, we observed only a weak correlation of genetic distances with geographic distances or catchment boundaries. Testing for factors explaining the observed population structure revealed, that it was mostly the colonization history, which has influenced the structure rather than any of the chosen environmental factors. Whereas the number of in-stream barriers did not explain population differentiation, the few large water reservoirs in the catchment likely act as dispersal barriers. Conclusions: We showed that populations of Gammarus fossarum clade 11 are strongly isolated even at local scales in the human-impacted region. The observed genetic structure was best explained by the effects of random genetic drift acting independently on isolated populations after historical colonization events. Genetic drift in isolated populations was probably further enhanced by anthropogenic impacts, as G. fossarum is sensitive to many anthropogenic stressors. These findings highlight the importance of small-scale genetic studies to determine barriers restricting gene flow to prevent further loss of genetic diversity and maintain intact freshwater ecosystems.
Capacitive sensors in both touch and proximity varieties are becoming more common in many industrial and research applications. Each sensor requires one or more electrodes to create an electric field and measure changes thereof. The design and layout of those electrodes is crucial when designing applications and systems. It can influence range, detectable objects, or refresh rate. In the last years, new measurement systems and materials, as well as advances in rapid prototyping technologies have vastly increased the potential range of applications using flexible capacitive sensors. This paper contributes an extensive set of capacitive sensing measurements with different electrode materials and layouts for two measurement modes - self-capacitance and mutual capacitance. The evaluation of the measurement results reveals how well-suited certain materials are for different applications. We evaluate the characteristics of those materials for capacitive sensing and enable application designers to choose the appropriate material for their application.
We developed a simple method to prepare hybrid copper-silver conductive tracks under flash light sintering. The developed metal nanoparticle-based ink is convenient because its preparation process is, free of any tedious washing steps. The inks were composed of commercially available copper nanoparticles which were mixed with formic acid, silver nitrate, and diethylene glycol. The role of formic acid is to remove the native copper oxide layer on the surface of the copper nanoparticles. In this way, it facilitates the formation of a silver outer shell on the surface of the copper nanoparticles through a galvanic replacement. In the presence of formic acid, the copper nanoparticles formed copper formate, which was present in the unsintered tracks. However, under illumination by a xenon flash light, the copper formate was then converted to copper. Moreover, the resistance of the copper-only films increased by 6 orders of magnitude when oxidized at high temperatures (similar to 220 degrees C). However, addition of silver nitrate to the inks suppressed the oxidation of the hybrid copper-silver films, and the resistance changes in these inks at high temperatures were greatly reduced. In addition, the hybrid inks proved to be advantageous for use in electrical circuits as they demonstrated a stable electrical conductivity after exposure to ambient air at 180 degrees C.
Objective: To determine the prevalence and types of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy, factors linked with IPV, and effects of IPV on maternal-fetal outcomes. Methods: In a prospective observational study at a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India, 400 women at 20-28 weeks of pregnancy were screened for IPV between December 2013 and April 2015. The women completed a detailed questionnaire and were followed up until delivery. Results: Overall, 49 (12.3%) women experienced IPV during pregnancy. The most prevalent type of IPV was emotional (43/400 [10.7%]), followed by physical (40/400 [10.0%]) and sexual (7/400 [1.8%]). The most prevalent factor triggering IPV was intimate partner's desire for a son (17/49 [34.7%]). Women and their intimate partners were older in the IPV group than in the control group, and duration of marriage was longer (P<0.05 for all). Multigravidity, lower socioeconomic status, low education level of intimate partner, and partners' addiction were more common in the IPV group (P<0.05 for all). Obstetric outcomes were similar in both groups. Depression was diagnosed in 19 (46.3%) women affected by IPV. Conclusion: IPV was documented in approximately 12% of participants. Population-based surveys need to be done to investigate further.
This paper discusses some of the main issues that are generally found in protection systems of low-voltage electrical installations and presents a methodology that can be used to analyze and upgrade the existing power system protective devices in these low-voltage distribution systems. The upgrades of existing operating systems, especially low-voltage systems, always face an economic challenge where the monetary value spent on upgrades has to be justifiable against the benefit derived. If understood clearly, the benefit of upgrades to existing protective systems is larger than just making these systems safer. A gated approach for the upgrade and proper management of such systems can help in planning for future expansions, provide reliability of equipment, and decrease the overall risk for the operation of any facility.
alpha-Linolenic acid (alpha LNA; 18 : 3n-3) is essential in the human diet, probably because it is the substrate for the synthesis of longer-chain, more unsaturated n-3 fatty acids, principally EPA (20 : 5n-3) and DHA (22 : 6n-3), which confer important biophysical properties on cell membranes and so are required for tissue function. The extent to which this molecular transformation occurs in man is controversial. The present paper reviews the recent literature on the metabolism of alpha LNA in man, including the use of dietary alpha LNA in beta-oxidation, recycling of carbon by fatty acid synthesis de novo and conversion to longer-chain PUFA. Sex differences in alpha LNA metabolism and the possible biological consequences are discussed. Increased consumption of EPA and DHA in fish oil has a number of well-characterised beneficial effects on health. The present paper also reviews the efficacy of increased alpha LNA consumption in increasing the concentrations of EPA and DHA in blood and cell lipid pools, and the extent to which such dietary interventions might be protective against CVD and inflammation. Although the effects on CVD risk factors and inflammatory markers are variable, where beneficial effects have been reported these are weaker than have been achieved from increasing consumption of EPA+DHA or linoleic acid. Overall, the limited capacity for conversion to longer-chain n-3 fatty acids, and the lack of efficacy in ameliorating CVD risk factors and inflammatory markers in man suggests that increased consumption of alpha LNA may be of little benefit in altering EPA+DHA status or in improving health outcomes compared with other dietary interventions.
This paper explores the influence of flight altitude, terrain morphology, and the number of ground control points (GCPs) on digital surface model (DSM) and orthoimage accuracies obtained with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry. For this study, 60 photogrammetric projects were carried out considering five terrain morphologies, four flight altitudes (i.e., 50, 80, 100, and 120 m), and three different numbers of GCPs (i.e., 3, 5, and 10). The UAV was a rotatory wing platform with eight motors, and the sensor was a nonmetric mirrorless reflex camera. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) was used to assess the accuracy of the DSM (Z component) and orthophotos (X, Y, and XY components RMSEX, RMSEY, and RMSEXY, respectively). The results show that RMSEX, RMSEY, and RMSEXY were not influenced by flight altitude or terrain morphology. For horizontal accuracy, differences between terrain morphologies were observed only when 5 or 10 GCPs were used, which were the best accuracies for the flattest morphologies. Nevertheless, the number of GCPs influenced the horizontal accuracy; as the number of GCPs increased, the accuracy improved. Vertical accuracy was not influenced by terrain morphology, but both flight altitude and the number of GCPs had significant influences on RMSEZ; as the number of GCPs increased, the accuracy improved. Regarding flight altitude, vertical accuracy decreased as flight altitude increased. The most accurate combination of flight altitude and number of GCPs was 50 m and 10 GCPs, respectively, which yielded RMSEX, RMSEY, RMSEXY, and RMSEZ values equal to 0.038, 0.035, 0.053, and 0.049 m, respectively. In view of these results, the map scale according to the legacy American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing map standard of 1990 will be approximately 1:150, and an equivalent contour interval of 0.150 m is sufficient for most civil engineering projects. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Performance and determinism are two critical metrics in most embedded systems with real-time requirements. Owing to the complexity of current embedded systems, along with increased application demands, real-time operating systems (RTOSs) have become a de facto solution providing specific services to the system tasks. However, this extra layer, which abstracts the hardware from the software, makes it harder for a system to achieve good performance and determinism. To ease the impact of a RTOS in the system, RTOS run-time services are offloaded to the hardware layer. This paper presents a hybrid RTOS implementation, where several critical RTOS services were migrated from software to hardware, improving system latency and predictability. Special focus was given to the RTOS scheduler and to the mutexes handling subsystem. The developed hardware accelerators were synthesised on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), exploiting the point-to-point fast simplex link (FSL) bus to interconnect to the Xilinx Microbaze soft-core processor. Our approach shows that hybrid RTOS has a better performance and predictability when compared to its software-only version.
In this paper, the design of an event-driven usercentric middleware for monitoring and managing energy consumption in public buildings and spaces is presented. The main purpose is to increase energy efficiency in buildings and public spaces, thus reducing consumption. To achieve this, the proposed service-oriented middleware has been designed to be event based, also exploiting the user behavior patterns of people who live and work in buildings. Furthermore, it allows an easy integration of heterogeneous technologies in order to enable a hardwareindependent interoperability between them. Moreover, a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control strategy has been developed, and the whole infrastructure has been deployed in a real-world case study consisting of a historical building. Finally, the results will be presented and discussed.
Purpose of the review The availability of the Children's Health Exposure Assessment Resource funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences provides new opportunities for exploring the role of tobacco smoke exposure in causing harm to children. Recent findings Children of smokers are exposed to nicotine and other harmful tobacco smoke chemicals in utero as well as in their environment. This passive exposure to tobacco smoke has a variety of negative effects on children. In-utero exposure to tobacco smoke causes poor birth outcomes and influences lung, cardiovascular, and brain development, placing children at increased risk of a number of adverse health outcomes later in life, such as obesity, behavioral problems, and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, most smokers start in their adolescence, an age of increased nicotine addiction risk. Biomarkers of tobacco exposure helps clarify the role tobacco chemicals play in influencing health both in childhood and beyond. Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) appear to be a nicotine delivery device of reduced harm, it appears to be a gateway to the use of combustible cigarette smoking in adolescents. Summary Pediatric researchers interested in elucidating the role of tobacco smoke exposure in adverse outcomes in children should incorporate biomarkers of tobacco exposure in their studies.
Introduction: Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only curative approach for the treatment of allergies. There is an urgent need for improved therapies, which increase both, efficacy and patient compliance. Novel routes of immunization and the use of more advanced vaccine platforms have gained heightened interest in this field. Areas covered: The current status of allergen-specific immunotherapy is summarized and novel routes of immunization and their challenges in the clinics are critically discussed. The use of nanoparticles as novel delivery system for allergy vaccines is comprehensively reviewed. Specifically, the advantages of silica nanoparticles as vaccine carriers and adjuvants are summarized. Expert opinion: Future allergen-specific immunotherapy will combine engineered hypoallergenic vaccines with novel routes of administration, such as the skin. Due to their biodegradability, and the easiness to introduce surface modifications, silica nanoparticles are promising candidates for tailor-made vaccines. By covalently linking allergens and polysaccharides to silica nanoparticles, a versatile vaccination platform can be designed to specifically target antigen-presenting cells, render the formulation hypoallergenic, and introduce immunomodulatory functions. Combining potent skin vaccination methods, such as fractional laser ablation, with nanoparticle-based vaccines addresses all the requirements for safe and efficient therapy of allergic diseases.
The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classroom management strategy that uses an interdependent group-oriented contingency to promote prosocial behavior and decrease problem behavior. This meta-analysis synthesized single-case research (SCR) on the GBG across 21 studies, representing 1,580 students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. The TauU effect size across 137 phase contrasts was .82 with a confidence interval 95% CI = [0.78, 0.87], indicating a substantial reduction in problem behavior and an increase in prosocial behavior for participating students. Five potential moderators were examined: emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD) risk status, reinforcement frequency, target behaviors, GBG format, and grade level. Findings suggest that the GBG is most effective in reducing disruptive and off-task behaviors, and that students with or at risk for EBD benefit most from the intervention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Tilapia are generally known to be warm water fish widely distributed across the tropics. In particular, the maternal mouth brooding tilapia of the genera Saroterodon and Oreochromis have successfully adapted to a wide range of water bodies because of their plastic feeding habits and wide tolerance to varying environmental conditions (TREWAVAS 1982). The Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus occurs in almost all rivers and lakes of Ethiopia. It is the most important commercial fish, constituting over 60% of the commercial catch of the capture fishery in the country (REYNTJENS & WUDINEH 1998). Investigations on the fatty acid composition and lipid quality of fishes have been well documented mainly from marine and freshwater systems of the temperate regions (PUUSTINEN et al. 1985, AHLGREN et al. 1994, 1996). Most studies can be broadly examined either from an ecological point of view or in relation to human health. From the medical point of view, two of the omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 omega 3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 omega 3) common in fish and fish oil have several biochemical effects on human metabolism. Fish oil rich in EPA and DHA can lower blood lipid and reduce the risk of getting coronary heart disease (MEDIORUS et al. 2007). From an ecological view point, it is important to know the origin of these important PUFA in fish and other animals at higher trophic levels. Information on the transfer of fatty acids from the lower trophic levels beginning from the phyto-plankton can be obtained by quantifying the levels of important fatty acids across the food chain. These fatty acids can serve as biomarkers to elucidate the transfer and conversion of individual fatty acids (NAPOLITANO 1999). Marine fish have been reported to have higher PUFA content than their freshwater counterparts (NAPOLITANO 1999); however, AHLGREN et al. (1994) and references therein think that the difference between marine and freshwater fish is related to other factors, such as feeding and type of fish, rather than the difference in salinity. In our earlier work we also found that tropical fish can be equally important to temperate fish in terms of PUFA content (ZENEBE et al. 1998a). Data on the fatty acid content of tropical fish are scarce and are mostly limited to fish from South America (CLEMENT & LOVELL 1994, ANDRADE et al. 1995). In our earlier study we reported the fatty acid composition of O. niloticus collected from the rift valley lakes located at lower altitudes (ZENEBE et al. 1998a, 1998b). In this study I report the fatty acid composition of the same fish taken mainly from the highland lakes located outside the Rift system of Ethiopia. This information will provide broad comparisons and more comprehensive data on the fatty acid contents of O. niloticus collected from the wild in Ethiopian lakes
Among anxious populations, attention has been demonstrated to be preferentially biased to threatening material compared to neutral or other valenced material. Individuals who have high levels of trait worry, such as those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), may be biased to threat but research has produced equivocal findings. This review aimed to systematically review the extant experimental literature to establish the current evidence of attentional bias to threat among trait worriers compared to healthy controls and other clinical populations. Twenty-nine published articles were included in the final review. There was strong evidence of a bias to threat among GAD patients compared to other groups and this was found across most experimental paradigms. Few studies had investigated this bias in non-clinical trait worriers. Among GAD patients this bias to threat was most strongly evidenced when visual threat material was in a verbal-linguistic format (i.e., words) rather than when in pictorial form (i.e., images or faces). The bias was also found across several domains of negative material, supporting the general nature of worry. Further research should look to examine the specific components of the threat bias in GAD, as well as investigating the bias to threat in trait worriers.
A new generator control unit (GCU) must be designed to work in a wide frequency range in order to obtain better control performance in variable frequency AC power system. Control algorithms make improvements in terms of determining the control parameters and analyze the influence of the controller parameters on system stability, and compensate for the loss of signals generated in the conditioning process. This paper compares the pros and cons of different RMS algorithms and determine the final RMS calculation scheme. Test results show a considerable performance improvement for the proposed design in dynamic performance and adjustment precision.
This paper presents benefits of using 650 V SiC cascodes to realize a 1.5 kW single phase, continuous conduction mode (CCM) totem-pole, bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) AC/DC converter switching at 100 kHz. By exploiting the excellent switching and conduction performance of SiC cascodes, the compatibility with a 12 V gate drive and synchronous rectification of the full-bridge, a very high peak efficiency of 98.6% is achieved for this AC/DC converter at high line (230 V) AC input with 400 V DC output. With correct digital control of the full-bridge gate signals the inductor current spike at zero-crossing is significantly reduced and a total harmonic distortion (THD) of 1.83% is achieved at high line near full load.
There is a growing consensus that a fuller understanding of social cognition depends on more systematic studies of real-time social interaction. Such studies require methods that can deal with the complex dynamics taking place at multiple interdependent temporal and spatial scales, spanning sub-personal, personal, and dyadic levels of analysis. We demonstrate the value of adopting an extended multi-scale approach by re-analyzing movement time-series generated in a study of embodied dyadic interaction in a minimal virtual reality environment (a perceptual crossing experiment). Reduced movement variability revealed an interdependence between social awareness and social coordination that cannot be accounted for by either subjective or objective factors alone: it picks out interactions in which subjective and objective conditions are convergent (i.e., elevated coordination is perceived as clearly social, and impaired coordination is perceived as socially ambiguous). This finding is consistent with the claim that interpersonal interaction can be partially constitutive of direct social perception. Clustering statistics (Allan Factor) of salient events revealed fractal scaling. Complexity matching defined as the similarity between these scaling laws was significantly more pronounced in pairs of participants as compared to surrogate dyads. This further highlights the multi-scale and distributed character of social interaction and extends previous complexity matching results from dyadic conversation to non-verbal social interaction dynamics. Trials with successful joint interaction were also associated with an increase in local coordination. Consequently, a local coordination pattern emerges on the background of complex dyadic interactions in the PCE task and makes joint successful performance possible.
An increasing number of wireless Internet users and deployed wireless access points over the past several years and have raised the importance of wireless security issues. The absolute majority of wireless users are not IT professionals, but a population unaware of wireless security types, settings and importance. Wireless security assessment and analytics can help in raising the security awareness of users and in increasing their skills, leading to improvement of the entire security situation. In this paper a short overview of wireless security assessment and history is presented. The methodology and tools for a more accurate wireless security assessment, including data acquisition, processing and analysis, are offered. The proposed methodology and tools are used for processing wireless scan results for the two capital cities, Hungary (Budapest) and Serbia (Belgrade). The possibility of access point configuration changes and security improvement has also been investigated. The research results and potential improvements of wireless security situation are discussed.
The rainwater (rw) of harvesting systems used in households and commercial buildings comes from independent system, i.e. disconnected of drinking water system. So, rw is not directly measured by conventional drinking water meters which are installed in pipes from public system. Therefore, the used rw volumes are not properly measured. This paper presents a methodology to estimate rainwater loading discharged in sewage systems by means of harvesting practices in households. The estimation was indexed to the drinking water meter. The toilet flush was adopted as object analysis. Results pointed out that the efficiency of rw system varies from 24 to 87%, whose correspond to values varying from 8 a 370 L.inhab.(-1).dia(-1) keeping fixed reservoir volume of 0,5 m(3)inhab.(-1) for all ranges of per capita consumption. The rw in sewage represented values lower than 30% of the total demand considering specific roof from 4 to 25 m(2).inhab.(-1). On the other hand, for reservoir of rw harvesting systems bigger than 3 m(3).inhab.(-1) 15 m(2) of roof.inhab.(-1) was enough to plenty supply the toilet flush., based on 120 L.inhab.(-1) consumption. In general terms, the correction factor proposed for estimating wastewater discharge on the new scenario (considering rw harvesting), varies from 1 to 1.42 (1 <=(f(corrigido)/f)<= 1.42). So, the new ratio, given by wastewater and inlet drinking water, varied from 0.8 to 1.14 (0.8 <= f(corrigido)<= 1.14).
Moyamoya disease is a chronic cerebrovascular occlusive disease that is characterized by progressive stenosis of the terminal portion of the internal carotid artery and its main branches. The occurrence of Moyamoya disease is related to immune, genetic, and other factors. Though the research of Moyamoya disease has made great strides in the past 60 years, the etiology and pathogenesis are largely unknown. This review will focus on the genetic pathogenic and inflammation factors of Moyamoya disease.
Dextromethorphan is recognized as a substance of abuse around the world. An estimated 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 and 25 years (5.3%) misused over-the-counter cough and cold medications in 2006. In this study, we developed a serum metabolomic method by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to evaluate the effect of abuse of dextromethorphan on rats. The dextromethorphan-treated rats were given 12, 24 and 48 mg/kg (low, medium, high) of dextromethorphan by intragastric administration each day for 3 days. Partial least squares-discriminate analysis revealed that intragastric administration of dextromethorphan induced metabolic perturbations. Compared with the control (healthy) group, the levels of propanoic acid, urea, heptafluorobutanoic acid, 2-hexyldecanoic acid and butanedioic acid of the low group decreased; levels of propanoic acid and heptafluorobutanoic acid of the medium group decreased, while that of benzoic acid increased; and levels of 2-hexyldecanoic acid, glycerol and butanedioic acid of the high group increased. These biomarkers are involved in the citric acid cycle, urea cycle, glycerolipid metabolism and tricarboxylic acid cycle. The results indicate that the metabolomic method by GC-MS may be useful to elucidate abuse of dextromethorphan. According to the pathological changes in the liver at different dosages, dextromethorphan is not hepatotoxic after intragastric administration of 12, 24 and 48 mg/kg for 3 days.
The paper describes an approach for recognizing a person entering a room using only door accelerations. The approach analyzes the acceleration signal in time and frequency domain. For each domain two types of methods were developed: (i) feature-based - use features to describe the acceleration and then uses classification method to identify the person; (ii) signal-based - use the acceleration signal as input and finds the most similar ones in order to identify the person. The four methods were evaluated on a dataset of 1005 entrances recorded by 12 people. The results show that the time-domain methods achieve significantly higher accuracy compared to the frequency-domain methods, with signal-based method achieving 86 % accuracy. Additionally, the four methods were combined and all 15 combinations were examined. The best performing combined method increased the accuracy to 90 %. The results confirm that it is possible to identify a person entering a room using the door's acceleration.
The auditory approach proposes the concept of phonic mediation (Cantero, 2002b and 2004) as a key process in teaching literacy, consisting of identifying prosodic units in the text as an access strategy for reading comprehension (Recio, 2012). The multimodal co-structuring between intonation and gesticulation has been proved in several pioneer works on communication (Condon, 1979; Kondon, 1987). Recently, Torregrosa (2006 and 2011) shows that kinesic-intonational costructuring is a key aspect of the oral code. Taking into account this conceptual framework, we provide new didactic clues related to strategies in early reading, considering the relationship between the auditory approach to reading and the multimodal costructuring (intonation and gesticulation) in discourse.
The integration of Internet and mobile Internet, Internet of things, will promote the wide application of the Industrial Internet and other vertical Internet. Smart device manufacturing, smart Internet marketing will give people work and life led to profound changes and the experience. But all walks of network security problems will become increasingly serious. Traditional networks of a variety of viruses, hackers and other threats will expand the network to the new system, they caused the damage and the impact will be more dangerous and grim. Security Analysis researching work needs to extract network and system resources related to security as well as the security factors, so as to establish a security modeling for security analysis. In this paper; it takes the introduction of network security property as a cutting point, combined with the safety requirements and analysis on the level of safety requirements, discussing the structure of safety network platform as well as the main connection relationship modeling.
Objective To analyse clinical, serological and sonographic differences between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and polyarticular psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients on anti-TNF therapy in clinical remission. Methods Angiogenic and proinflammatory cytokine serum levels were determined by multiplex ELISA in patients with RA and PsA in clinical remission (DAS28-ESR3.2) and healthy controls. Ultrasound (US) scans were made of both wrists and hands. Results 30 RA and 47 PsA patients in remission, 22 active RA patients and 20 healthy controls were included. PsA patients had significantly lower disease activity according to DAS28-ESR (p=0.006) but not according to DAS28-CRP (p=0.319), and lower serum levels of proinflammatory and angiogenic cytokines than RA patients in remission. PsA patients had cytokine levels similar to healthy controls, while RA patients in remission had similar levels to those of active RA patients. Globally, 31 (40.25%) patients in remission had a PD signal and 12 had SH >= 2 plus PD [ I PsA vs. 11 RA (p=0.0001)], meeting the criteria for ultrasound-defined active synovitis (UdAS). Patients with UdAS had significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-20, PIGF and SDFI. More PsA patients were on tapered doses of anti-TNF (63.8%), and more frequently as monotherapy (72.3%), compared with RA patients (26.6% and 20%, respectively). Conclusion Polyarticular PsA patients in remission had lower levels of local (US synovitis) and systemic inflammation than RA patients in remission, even though a significantly higher percentage of PsA patients were on tapered doses of anti-TNF, mainly in monotherapy.
Smart grids are considered as one of the most revolutionary technologies in the field of power and communication. However, security management of such a big infrastructure is a key challenge for the research community of the world. In this context, this paper provides the major security goals of smart grid systems along with classification of different vulnerabilities. Additionally, we also present remedial measures to prevent these security threats. In the end, we provide conclusions and future works to finalize the analysis of security issues in smart grid.
Wild animals may play an important role in the transmission and maintenance of Toxoplasma gondii in the environment. The purpose of the present study was to isolate and genotype T. gondii from a free-ranging crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous Linnaeus, 1766). A crab-eating fox in critical health condition was attended in a veterinary hospital in Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The animal died despite emergency treatment. The brain was collected aseptically and destined for mouse bioassay. One isolate of T. gondii was obtained, and Polymerase Chain Reaction Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to assess genetic variability at 11 markers (SAG1, SAG2, altSAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c228, c292, 1358, PK1 and APICO). A murine model was used to assess the virulence of the isolate. Using the PCR-RFLP, genotype ToxoDB #13 was identified, which is considered an atypical strain. The isolate was classified as avirulent in the murine model. This is the first study to report T. gondii infection in the crab-eating fox. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective: Patient-physician communication is essential for patient-centered health care. Physicians are concerned that electronic health records (EHRs) negatively affect communication with patients. This study identified a framework for understanding communication functions that influence patient outcomes. We then conducted a systematic review of the literature and organized it within the framework to better understand what is known. Method: A comprehensive search of three databases (CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO) yielded 41 articles for analysis. Results: Results indicated that EHR use improves capture and sharing of certain biomedical information. However, it may interfere with collection of psychosocial and emotional information, and therefore may interfere with development of supportive, healing relationships. Patient access to the EHR and messaging functions may improve communication, patient empowerment, engagement, and self-management. Conclusion: More rigorous examination of EHR impacts on communication functions and their influences on patient outcomes is imperative for achieving patient-centered care. By focusing on the role of communication functions on patient outcomes, future EHRs can be developed to facilitate care. Practice implications: Training alone is likely to be insufficient to address disruptions to communication processes. Processes must be improved, and EHRs must be developed to capture useful data without interfering with physicians' and patients' abilities to effectively communicate. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study is to find a motor topology which offers the best combination of both permanent magnet and reluctance torque components as well as the best possible torque per volume ratio. To perform this task a topological optimization method using genetic algorithms, embedded into experience based design is proposed. The interacting principle of permanent magnet and reluctance torque components and their importance are shown. Results obtained by the proposed optimization method are discussed and compared with results obtained using state-of-the art machine design.
Image set representation and classification is an important problem in computer vision and pattern recognition area. It has been widely used in many computer vision applications. In this paper, a new image set representation and classification method has been proposed. The main contributions of this paper are twofold: (1) a new image set representation model, called attributed covariate-relation graph (ACRG), has been proposed for image set representation and modeling. ACRG aims to represent image set with an attributed graph model which involves both image features and their spatial structure simultaneously. (2) A new graph data based sparse representation and classification method, called Graph Sparse Representation Classification (GSRC) has been proposed to achieve ACRG classification. Experimental results on several datasets demonstrate the benefits of the proposed ACRG representation and GSRC classification.
Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) has been applied to heterogeneous reactor physics problems using the multi group neutron diffusion equation. IGA uses a computer-aided design (CAD) description of the geometry commonly built from Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS), which can exactly represent complicated curved shapes such as circles and cylinders, common features in reactor design. This work has focused on comparing IGA to finite element analysis (FEA) for heterogeneous reactor physics problems, including the OECD/NEA C5G7 LWR benchmark. The exact geometry and increased basis function continuity contribute to the accuracy of IGA and an improvement over comparable FEA calculations has been observed. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A new method for obtaining strong S-boxes based on chaotic map and Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) is presented in this paper. Our method presents eight rounds; each round contains two transformations: row left shifting and columnwise rotation. The vectors for the transformations are different from one round to another, and they are controlled by two keys to the logistic map. These two keys are optimized by using TLBO which aims to construct a strong S-box that satisfies to the criteria set in advance. Test for the following criteria such as bijectivity, nonlinearity, strict avalanche criteria, equiprobable inputs/outputs XOR distribution is analyzed. Additionally, we will provide many comparisons with other S-boxes and test of the sensitivity to keys. The results of performance test show that the proposed design S-boxes presents good cryptography proprieties and can resist to several attacks.
Even though researchers have paid a great deal of attention to wetland loss and status, the actual extent of wetland loss on a global scale, especially the loss caused directly by human activities, and the actual extent of currently surviving wetlands remains uncertain. This paper simulated the potential distribution of global wetlands by employing a new Precipitation Topographic Wetness Index (PTWI) and global remote sensing training samples. The results show earth would have approximately 29.83 million km(2) of wetlands, if humans did not interfere with wetland ecosystems. By combining datasets related to global wetlands, we found that at least 33% of global wetlands had beett lost as of 2009, including 4.58 million km(2) of non-water wetlands and 2.64 million km(2) of open water. The areal extent of wetland loss has been greatest in Asia, but Europe has experienced the most serious losses. Wetland-related datasets suffer from major inconsistencies, and estimates of the areal extent of the remaining global wetlands ranged from 1.53 to 14.86 million km(2). Therefore, although it is challenging, thematic mapping of global wetlands is necessary and urgently needed. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Over 95% of plastid proteins are nuclear-encoded as their precursors containing an N-terminal extension known as the transit peptide (TP). Although highly variable, TPs direct the precursors through a conserved, posttranslational mechanism involving translocons in the outer (TOC) and inner envelope (TOC). The organelle import specificity is mediated by one or more components of the Toc complex. However, the high TP diversity creates a paradox on how the sequences can be specifically recognized. An emerging model of TP design is that they contain multiple loosely conserved motifs that are recognized at different steps in the targeting and transport process. Bioinformatics has demonstrated that many TPs contain semi-conserved physicochemical motifs, termed FGLK. In order to characterize FGLK motifs in TP recognition and import, we have analyzed two well-studied TPs from the precursor of RuBisCO small subunit (SStp) and ferredoxin (Fdtp). Both SStp and Fdtp contain two FGLK motifs. Analysis of large set mutations (similar to 85) in these two motifs using in vitro, in organello, and in vivo approaches support a model in which the FGLK domains mediate interaction with TOC34 and possibly other TOC components. In vivo import analysis suggests that multiple FGLK motifs are functionally redundant. Furthermore, we discuss how FGLK motifs are required for efficient precursor protein import and how these elements may permit a convergent function of this highly variable class of targeting sequences.
Majority of the population is dependent on the conventional energy sources for their day today needs. Leading edge research on the renewable sources of energy is on a rise in order to meet the increasing energy demand without straining the environment. The objective of this project is to harvest potential energy inherent in tall buildings because of the high altitudes using micro-pelton turbine at the ground from grey water and rain water. Purified Grey water is collected in a tank placed at the centre of the building and rain water collection tank is placed at the top of the building. A control system is designed for optimum power output from the turbine and to monitor the levels of water. Separation and storage of used rainwater in a tank is also controlled. The pelton turbine is designed and further analyzed in ANSYS - Fluent, computationally for the power output. When number of high rises is escalating and awareness about rainwater harvesting and renewable sources of energy is indispensable, this source of energy will turn out to be viable option.
The association between transportation and the occurrence of the bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) has long been recognised. Many hypotheses regarding this association have been declared through the past decades, and it is agreed upon by most researchers that the multiple stressors that calves experience during transportation result in an overall immunosuppression that allows the respiratory tract to be invaded by numerous opportunistic pathogens. Furthermore, the innate immune cells, neutrophils, may be trapped in a paradox whereby their crucial defence and pathogen-killing activities are counteracted by excessive inflammation and tissue damage that may exacerbate disease, including the BRDC. Neutrophilia in response to glucocorticoids has been attributed to an influx of immature neutrophils newly released from the bone marrow, a decrease in neutrophil margination along endothelial walls, and a decrease in neutrophil apoptosis. Several of these explanations have been confirmed by altered expression of genes and proteins important for neutrophil margination and apoptosis.
We present a magnetically actuated microfluidic transistor (valve), an on-chip micro-valve that uses magnetorheological fluids micropatterned onto an elastomeric membrane to develop an ultra-compact solution for digital control of microfluidic circuits. We simulated the micro-valves theoretically and also characterized micro-fabricated devices experimentally. We simulated the effects of channel and valve geometry on the deformability of the valve. We experimentally characterized the effects of channel and valve geometry on the ability to reversibly close channels fully. We characterized the microfabricated valves in the flow rate range of 0.02-1 mu l/min. Among the various kinds of valves examined, for lower flow rates, circular valves with a 700 mu m diameter in 300 mu m width channel, and in higher flow rates, rectangular valves 700 mu m wide in the same channel show the best ability in terms of valve closure and response time. The fabrication and the integration of the proposed valve are compatible with a range of polymer microfabrication technologies having the advantage of simple fabrication, small size, and no external power requirement. These valve structures can be promising solutions for pumping and active flow control for portable analytical instrumentation, point-of-care diagnostic devices, and even wearable microfluidic devices. [2015-0296]
The rise of location-based services has enabled many opportunities for content service providers to optimize the content delivery to user's wireless devices based on her location. Since the sharing precise location remains a major privacy concern among the users, certain location-based services rely on contextual location (e.g. residence, work, etc.) as opposed to acquiring user's exact physical location. In this paper, we present PACL (Privacy-Aware Contextual Localizer) model, which can learn user's contextual location just by passively monitoring user's network traffic. PACL can discern a set of vital attributes (statistical and application-based) from user's network traffic, and predict user's contextual location with a very high accuracy. We design and evaluate PACL using real-world network traces of over 1700 users with over 100GB of total data. Our results show that PACL, when built using the Bayesian Network machine learning algorithm, can predict user's contextual location with the accuracy of around 89%. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The increasing population of Muslims in America faces challenges not uncommon to other faith and immigrant communities. One particular challenge is Muslim experiences of various forms of discrimination, prejudice, anti-Muslim bigotry, and microaggressions, especially in post-9/11 America. While microaggressions have been discussed in the social sciences literature, religious microaggressions have not been clearly addressed in the social work literature. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature by examining the connections among racial microaggressions, the racialization of religion, and ultimately religious microaggressions. The article concludes by presenting implications for social work policy, practice, and education in the area of religious microaggressions.
Berta et al's uncertainty principle in the presence of quantum memory (Berta et al 2010 Nat. Phys. 6 659) reveals uncertainties with quantum side information between the observables. In the recent important work of Coles and Piani (2014 Phys. Rev. A 89 022112), the entropic sum is controlled by the first and second maximum overlaps between the two projective measurements. We generalize the entropic uncertainty relation in the presence of quantum memory and find the exact dependence on all d largest overlaps between two measurements on any d-dimensional Hilbert space. Our bound is rigorously shown to be strictly tighter than previous entropic bounds in the presence of quantum memory, which have potential applications to quantum cryptography with entanglement witnesses and quantum key distributions.
In this paper, reliability issues of Stacked Gate (SG)-Gate Electrode Workfunction Engineered (GEWE)-Silicon Nanowire (SiNW) MOSFET is examined over a wide range of ambient temperatures (200-600 K) and results so obtained are simultaneously compared with conventional SiNW and GEWE-SiNW MOSFEI using 3D-technology computer aided design quantum simulation. The results indicate that two temperature compensation points (TCP) are obtained: one for drain current (I-ds) and other for cut-off frequency (f(T)) where device Figure Of Merits (FOMs) become independent of temperature, and it is found at 0.65 V in SG-GEWE-SiNW in comparison to other devices, hence will open opportunities for wide range of temperature applications. Furthermore, significant improvement in Analog/RF performance of SG-GWEW-SiNW is observed in terms of I-on/I-off, Subthreshold Swing (SS), device efficiency, f(T), noise conductance and noise figure as temperature reduces. It is also observed that at low temperature SG-GEWE-SiNW unveils highly stable linearity performance owing to reduced distortions. These results explain the improved reliability of SG-GEWE-SiNW at low temperatures over GEWE-SiNW MOSFET. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recent applications of passive microwave remote sensing techniques to estimate snow water equivalent (SWE) increasingly rely on the comprehension of microwave emission theories, instead of traditional empirical fitting approaches. In this study, an advanced SWE retrieval algorithm based on the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method was developed. This method samples the posterior multiple-layer snow properties according to the likelihood of the brightness temperature (TB) simulation with the actual TB observations. The Microwave Emission Model of Layered Snowpacks with improved Born approximation (MEMLS-IBA) was used as the observation model. Using a globally applicable method to produce prior estimates of snow properties, the retrieval approach is called the Bayesian Algorithm for SWE Estimation with Passive Microwave measurements (BASE-PM), and was applied on 48 snowpits at Sodanlcyla, Finland; Churchill, Canada and Colorado, US. The result shows that the root mean squared (RMS) error of the retrieved SWE is 42.7 mm excluding two outliers, and is 30.8 mm if the outliers as well as six deep snowpits from Colorado are excluded. This accuracy approximately meets the 30-mm requirement of Integrated Global Observing Strategy for shallow snow. The poor performance for the outlier and deep snowpits is explained. Additional experiments using more accurate priors show that SWE retrieval accuracy can be improved with local snowcover knowledge, e.g. if historical snowpit measurements or snow process model simulations are available. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we consider the possibility of hidden data. Since today all network services rely on the basic protocols, the use of data transmission capacities are not taken into account, untestable and redundant fields may become a big problem. All of the modern data protocols have vulnerabilities. An attacker can use the reserved fields or field use undocumented way. Regarding the mechanism of the transfer and detection methods described gears. The work is of great practical interest for the implementation of systems to detect and prevent intrusions and data leaks in it, the authors use the mechanisms of transmission and detection of transfers with using comparative evaluation of the fields in the packet with the values that are recommended in the standard protocol.
The sandfish lizard, Scincus scincus (Squamata: Scincidae), spends nearly its whole life in aeolian sand and only comes to the surface for foraging, defecating and mating. It is not yet understood how the animal can respire without sand particles entering its respiratory organs when buried under thick layers of sand. In this work, we integrated biological studies, computational calculations and physical experiments to understand this phenomenon. We present a 3D model of the upper respiratory system based on a detailed histological analysis. A 3D-printed version of this model was used in combination with characteristic ventilation patterns for computational calculations and fluid mechanics experiments. By calculating the velocity field, we identified a sharp decrease in velocity in the anterior part of the nasal cavity where mucus and cilia are present. The experiments with the 3D-printed model validate the calculations: particles, if present, were found only in the same area as suggested by the calculations. We postulate that the sandfish has an aerodynamic filtering system; more specifically, that the characteristic morphology of the respiratory channel coupled with specific ventilation patterns prevent particles from entering the lungs.
Transforming sloping land into terraced land is an effective approach to cope with the problems including farmland shortage and severe soil erosion. This paper introduces a new system based on rainwater harvesting and recycling technology, which may effectively improve farmland productivity rainwater use efficiency and reduce water and fertilizer inputs. The new system consists of three subsystems: 1) A plough layer with the dual function of crop cultivation and rainwater harvesting; 2) A tank below the plough layer for storing water; 3) An irrigation-drainage subsystem. The plough layer and the storage tank, both treated for reducing seepage, are connected through the irrigation and drainage system. Results showed that, compared with the traditional paddy fields, rice evapotranspiration (and crop coefficient) in the test field remained at a similar level, while the irrigation amount was reduced by 44.3% under the condition of basin irrigation, and the drainage amount decreased by 86.6%, and the non-point source pollution was reduced to 67.7%similar to 87.9%, and the rainwater utilization efficiency increased by 30% and reached 95.4%, and crop yield of middle-season rice reached 9,975 kg/hm(2), which was only 0.4% lower than that in the traditional paddy field in the terms of dry matter. The new technology sheds light on new possibilities for transformation of hilly sloping land.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an electromagnetic-based nondestructive geophysical tool that is widely used for pavement investigations, including the differentiation of pavement layers, the mapping of layer thicknesses, and the assessment of pavement condition. This paper presents a case study in which an air-launched GPR system consisting of two truck-mounted GSSI antennae driven at near-highway speeds was used to investigate two segments of asphalt paved roadway in central Missouri. The acquired data were interpreted; pavement layers were differentiated, the variable thicknesses of the pavement layers were mapped, bulk pavement condition were assessed, and optimum acquisition and processing parameters were developed. Core control, visual assessments, and limited ground-coupled GPR data were used to constrain and verify the reliability of the interpretations of the acquired air-launched GPR data. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) and allergies are both considered to be related to imbalanced Thl and Th2 immune responses. Previous studies evaluating the relationship between MS and allergies provide conflicting results. Objective: To assess allergies and asthma as risk factors for MS and as predictors of MS relapses in a pediatric cohort. Methods: The environment and genetic risk factors for pediatric MS study is a national case-control project with 16 participating US sites. An environmental questionnaire is used that includes history of allergies in the first five years of life. Case-control data are entered in the pediatric MS Network database and cases at 12 of the 16 sites enter relapse data prospectively. Annualized relapse rate was calculated for patients with follow-up and adjusted for age at disease onset, gender, race, ethnicity, and use of disease-modifying therapy (DMT). Results: We included 271 cases (mean age at disease onset of 15.7 years and 62% female) and 418 controls. Relapse data were available for 193 cases. There was no difference in prevalence of allergies or asthma between cases and controls. Patients with food allergies had fewer relapses compared to patients without food allergies (0.14 vs 0.48, p = 0.01). Conclusions: While allergies and asthma are not associated with pediatric MS, cases with food allergies have fewer relapses compared to those without food allergies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper investigates the impact of stock market developments on oil and electricity demand of OECD member countries. We conduct different panel data methodologies and use annual data ranging from 1996 to 2011. The overall findings substantiate that income, real prices, size of the stock market and liquidity are important determinants for both oil and electricity demand. We also compute long-run elasticity coefficients by using a simple Partial Adjustment Model (PAM) and find that the long run elasticity coefficients are larger than the short run parameters. Moreover, our results show that the demand for oil and electricity is inelastic with respect to both own real price and real income over the short-run and the long-run. From a policy making perspective, the findings suggest that potential policy tools to reduce energy consumption may not be useful as the demand for energy is inelastic with respect to energy prices. Our results also manifest that although stock market deepening variables do not have a large effect on energy use as energy price and economic growth have, market size and liquidity significantly affect energy consumption. Therefore, energy demand estimations based on solely energy price and income may be inaccurate when some stock market development indicators are excluded. The empirical findings of this paper provide further insights for policy makers, energy companies and energy economists in terms of demand management policies and pricing decisions.
Two current trends in the real-time and embedded systems are the multiprocessor architectures and the partitioning technology that enables several isolated applications with different criticality levels to share the same computer. This paper presents a real-time platform for multiprocessor and partitioned systems, in which communication requirements are also considered. The paper describes the adaptation of MaRTE OS (a monoprocessor real-time operating system) to the XtratuM hypervisor for the multiprocessor Intel x86 architecture. This adaptation makes two contributions to ease the development process of future mixed-criticality applications: firstly, it integrates the hypervisor technology and the fully partitioned scheduling in a multiprocessor environment, and secondly, it provides the basis to interconnect partitioned and non-partitioned applications via a homogeneous communication subsystem. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Context-awareness is a key feature of Ambient Intelligence and future intelligent systems. In order to achieve context-aware behavior, applications must be able to detect context information, recognize situations and correctly decide on context-aware action. The representation of context information and the manner in which context is detected are central issues. Based on our previous work in which we used graphs to represent context and graph matching to detect situations, in this paper we present a platform that completely handles context matching, and does so in real time, in the background, by deferring matching to a component that acts incrementally, relying on previous matching results. The platform has been implemented and tested on an AAL-inspired scenario.
Ski jump is one of the most effective structures in energy dissipation over spillways. Spillways have long been of practical importance to safety of dams. The major criteria in hydraulic design are based on the analytical and empirical methods. In the current study, in order to increase chute spillway efficiency, a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm known as the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) has been utilized to design the optimal triangular bucket angle and chute width. In design method, two separate objective functions have been used. In the first objective function, equations of dynamic pressure of the bucket, the jet length after bucket, and the scour depth have been used. The second objective function is related to construction volume of chute spillway. For calibrating the first objective function, characteristics of Karoon III dam have been used as a case study. The difference between design parameters of Karoon III spillway and those from NSGA-II algorithm method is less than 12 percent. According to the results, if the jet length is considered as the most impressive parameter in the first objective function, design of the spillway becomes frugal. (C) 2017 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved.
This work addresses the influence of soil confinement on the creep behavior of geotextiles by presenting the results of a full scale field test. Two samples of nonwoven polypropylene geotextile were inserted at different depths in a 3 m high compacted sand fill. The samples were loaded with a constant tensile load during a 1000 h period. To maintain a constant load during the test, a system of weights, pulleys and load cells was used. The sand fill and the samples were instrumented with several types of transducers in order to measure strains, displacements, applied forces, soil stresses and temperature. Direct shear and inclined plane tests were conducted to measure the mechanical properties of the interfaces. An interpretive model is proposed to analyze the field results. The confined creep behavior in the field is compared with results obtained by other authors and with in-isolation creep results obtained from laboratory tests. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Karst area in Indonesia consists of a total area of 154.000 km(2) of which 15% is protected. Pacitan is a part of The Thousand Mountains (Gunung Sewu in Javanese language) karst area and located in Southern Coastal of Java Island. Gunung Sewu karst area ranges over 85 km from west in Yogyakarta Special Province, to the east in East Java Province. Water scarcity is one of the issues in Pacitan due to the porous texture of the karst underground; most of the precipitation trickles immediately down into extensive system of sinkholes and caves. Thus, no surface water rivers, brooks or springs can be found in the area, especially during dry season where water supply, such as little lakes, called telaga, are depleted. Three sub-districts of Pacitan that include in Gunung Sewu karst area, i.e. Donorojo, Punung, and Pringkuku, suffer water shortage, especially during dry season, where the local communities need to walk up to 5 kilometers in order to take water for their domestic use. However, State-owned Water Company (Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum/PDAM) that has developed since 1992 in Pacitan, contributes in water supply in these areas and it has covered 70% in three kecamatan (sub-districts) by building IPA and is currently developing to cover the rest of the area by utilizing big water sources. PDAM and The Ministry of Public Work support the water treatment installation (Instalasi Pengolahan Air/IPA), especially in these three sub-districts. Furthermore, adaptive capacity has been developed in the local community of karst area in Pacitan, e.g. planting cultivars resistant to drought (cassava, maize, soybean, and groundnut) or doing multi cropping between those cultivars, and planting rainwater harvesting and artificial aquifer. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
In this work an innovative on-shore marine turbine has been deployed. The peculiarity is the anchoring system, consisting in a rope subjected only to a tensile stress, a central deflector, responsible of the equilibrium in the horizontal plane, and a floating stabilizer, keeping the machine in vertical position. The introduction of a couple of rotors, instead of one, has been an important step in the machine design. By rotating in opposite direction the rotors make the machine free from any torsional effects. Based on the experience gained, the design procedure of this turbine is described. Considering the equilibrium conditions as a key point of the design, the equations in the horizontal and vertical plane are obtained. In the horizontal plane the equilibrium is guaranteed by a central deflector while in the vertical one is guaranteed by a buoyant stabilizer. After several calculations and simulations, carried out for the site of Punta Pezzo (Messina-Italy), the energy output and the payback time has been evaluated. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Nowadays, the Smart Grid (SG) is becoming smarter thanks to the integration of different information and communication technologies to enhance the reliability and efficiency of the power grid. However, several issues should be met to ensure high SG performance. Among these issues, we cite the problem of electric vehicles (EVs) integration into the SG to avoid electricity intermittence due to the important load that EVs can create. Another issue is the SG communication network security that can be attempted by malicious intruders in order to create damages and make the power grid instable. In this context, we propose at a first level a Bayesian game-theory model that aims to integrate optimally EVs into the SG and maintain the equilibrium between the offer and the demand. At a second level, we propose an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to protect the SG from attacks that aim to disturb the state estimation. Numerical results prove the efficiency and robustness of our proposed models.
Despite extensive literature on parental monitoring, few studies have focused on father-youth solicitation in particular and none on solicitation via communication technology. To address this gap, this study explored the relationships between fathers' online and in-person solicitation of their adolescent and emerging adult children, and the youth's internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors. A sample of US fathers (N = 158) reported on solicitation patterns, use of technology, and their child's behaviors. The results revealed differences by demographics, and an inverse trend between online and in-person solicitation in relation to internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors. Regression analyses revealed that online solicitation of information from the youth's friends was related to greater internalizing and externalizing, and less prosocial behavior. These findings support research suggesting that some forms of online solicitation may be interpreted by adolescents and emerging adults as intrusive and a violation of privacy.
This paper presents a power system harmonic elimination using the mixed adaptive linear neural network and variable step-size leaky least mean square (ADALINE-VSSLLMS) control algorithm based active power filter (APF). The weight vector of ADALINE along with the variable step-size parameter and leakage coefficient of the VSSLLMS algorithm are automatically adjusted to eliminate harmonics from the distorted load current. For all iteration, the VSSLLMS algorithm selects a new rate of convergence for searching and runs the computations. The adopted shunt-hybrid APF (SHAPF) consists of an APF and a series of 7th tuned passive filter connected to each phase. The performance of the proposed ADALINE-VSSLLMS control algorithm employed for SHAPF is analyzed through a simulation in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. Experimental results of a real-time prototype validate the efficacy of the proposed control algorithm.
The ecological impacts of invasive plants increase dramatically with time since invasion. Targeting young populations for treatment is therefore an economically and ecologically effective management approach, especially when linked to post-treatment monitoring to evaluate the efficacy of management. However, collecting detailed field-based post-treatment data is prohibitively expensive, typically resulting in inadequate documentation of the ecological effects of invasive plant management. Alternative approaches, such as remote detection with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), provide an opportunity to advance the science and practice of restoration ecology. In this study, we sought to determine the plant community response to different mechanical removal treatments to a dominant invasive wetland macrophyte (Typha spp.) along an age-gradient within a Great Lakes coastal wetland. We assessed the post-treatment responses with both intensive field vegetation and UAV data. Prior to treatment, the oldest Typha stands had the lowest plant diversity, lowest native sedge (Carex spp.) cover, and the greatest Typha cover. Following treatment, plots that were mechanically harvested below the surface of the water differed from unharvested control and above-water harvested plots for several plant community measures, including lower Typha dominance, lower native plant cover, and greater floating and submerged aquatic species cover. Repeated-measures analysis revealed that above-water cutting increased plant diversity and aquatic species cover across all ages, and maintained native Carex spp. cover in the youngest portions of Typha stands. UAV data revealed significant post-treatment differences in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) scores, blue band reflectance, and vegetation height, and these remotely collected measures corresponded to field observations. Our findings suggest that both mechanically harvesting the above-water biomass of young Typha stands and harvesting older stands below-water will promote overall native community resilience, and increase the abundance of the floating and submerged aquatic plant guilds, which are the most vulnerable to invasions by large macrophytes. UAV's provided fast and spatially expansive data compared to field monitoring, and effectively measured plant community structural responses to different treatments. Study results suggest pairing UAV flights with targeted field data collection to maximize the quality of post-restoration vegetation monitoring.
This study was aimed at developing an optimization approach to rainwater harvesting (RWH) considering three (3) water consumption scenarios (WCS). These scenarios which include basic water need (BWN), pour flush (PF) and full plumbing connection (FPC) corresponding to 50 litres per capita per day (lpcd), 75(lpcd) and 150(lpcd) respectively were simulated for different categories of buildings. Reliability of supply was determined by first obtaining composite surplus/deficit of rainwater followed by optimizing the redistribution of surplus rainwater harvested to deficient buildings. Results showed that when total annual rainfall intercepted by roof exceeded total demand, 100% reliability of water supply was guaranteed. Reliability was found to be a linear function of storage. When reliability of supply is possible, the optimized storage bears an inverse exponential relationship to the roof plan area per capita. The relationship between surplus/deficit and roof plan area per capita follows a one-phase decay pattern. An optimal redistribution of surplus water from self-sufficient buildings to deficient ones gave an improvement in supply reliability from 64 to 87% for basic water need, 47 to 58% for pour flush and 28 to 29% for full plumbing connection.
The term smart grid refers to a modernization of the electrical network consisting in the integration of various technologies such as dispersed generation, dispatchable loads, communication systems and storage devices which operates in grid-connected and islanded modes. As a result, traditional optimization techniques in new power systems have been seriously influenced during the last decade. One of the most important technical and economical tools in this regard is the Optimal Power Flow (OPF). As a fundamental optimization tool in the operation and planning fields, OPF has an undeniable role in the power system. This paper reviews and compares the OPF approaches mainly related to smart distribution grids. In this work, the main OPF approaches are compared in terms of their objective functions, constraints, and methodologies. Furthermore, computational performances, case study networks and the publication date of these methods are reported. Finally, some basic challenges arising from the new OPF methodologies in smart grids are addressed.
Small GTP-hydrolyzing enzymes (GTPases) of the RhoA family play manifold roles in cell biology and are regulated by upstream guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). Herein, we focus on the GEFs of the Vav subfamily. Vav1 was originally described as a proto-oncogene of the hematopoietic lineage. The GEFs Vav2 and Vav3 are more broadly expressed in various tissues. In particular, the GEF Vav3 may play important roles in the developing nervous system during the differentiation of neural stem cells into the major lineages, namely neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. We discuss its putative regulatory roles for progenitor differentiation in the developing retina, polarization of neurons and formation of synapses, migration of oligodendrocyte progenitors and establishment of myelin sheaths. We propose that Vav3 mediates the response of various neural cell types to environmental cues.
In this paper, we analyze the security of a recent image encryption algorithm based on an improper fractional-order chaotic system suggested by Zhao et al. The fatal flaw in the cryptosystem is that the keystream generated depends on neither the plain-image nor the cipher-image. Another main issue with this algorithm is using the same key (the last key in the keystream) in all encryption equations. Based on these points, it is easy to recover the plain-image and the keystream by applying chosen plaintext attack in only one plain-image. Both mathematical analysis and experimental results confirm the feasibility of this attack. As a result, the cryptosystem under study is not suitable for cryptography.
Background: Wnt signaling plays an important role in development and maintenance of many organs and tissues. The most-studied secreted Wnt inhibitors are sclerostin (SOST), Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1), and secreted frizzled related protein 1 (SFRP-1) which play important roles in bone turnover. The present study investigated the relationship between serum Wnt inhibitors and diseases with excessive ossification structures, such as ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), and ossification of yellow ligament (OYL). Methods: Twenty-five patients with AS, DISH, OPLL, or OYL were recruited in this study. Fasting peripheral blood samples were collected from all patients and nine controls. Various biomarkers of bone turnover including osteocalcin (OSC), osteoprotegerin (OPG), SFRP-1, DKK-1, and SOST were investigated. Results: Our data showed that serum levels of OSC were higher, but Dkk-1 levels were lower in AS, DISH, OPLL, and OYL patients than those in the controls. Serum levels of SFRP-1 were significantly higher in DISH patients than those in the controls. Serum levels of SOST were significantly higher in DISH and OPLL patients than both levels in the controls. Serum levels of OPG were lower in AS patients than those in the controls. Serum levels of OSC were higher in the OPLL patients than those in the AS patients. Serum levels of DKK-1, SFRP-1, SOST, and OPG were not significantly different between the different disease groups. Conclusions: In this exploratory study, both OSC and DKK-1 levels are correlated with the clinical conditions associated with excessive ossification, indicating that blood OSC and DKK-1 levels may serve as diagnostic biomarkers for AS, DISH, OPLL, and OYL. These findings may also help discover potential drug therapies for management of these diseases in the future.
Comprehensive evaluation of university's cultural soft power for manufacturing engineering made us seen the soft power of the university culture development in-depth understanding. This article used fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to establish the university's cultural soft power evaluation model, did a comprehensive evaluation to University's cultural soft power based on four core aspect: the decisive soft power, key soft power, basic soft strength.
Background: Hemodiafiltration with on-line endogenous reinfusion (HFR) is an extracorporeal dialytic method that combines diffusion, convection and adsorption. HFR-Supra (HFR-S) is a second-generation system with increased convective permeability and adsorption capability. Previous studies suggested that HFR reduces oxidative stress compared to standard haemodialysis. The principal aim of the present study was to compare antioxidant vitamins behavior and oxidative status of hemodialysis patients treated with HFR and HFR-S. Methods: The study was designed as a multicenter, randomized, crossover trial. Forty-one patients were recruited from 19 dialysis centers and after a 4-month washout stabilization period in on-line hemodiafiltration (ol-HDF), each patient was randomized to a sequence of treatments (HFR-S followed by HFR or viceversa) with each treatment applied over 6 months. Plasma levels of Advanced Oxidation Protein Products, Total Antioxidant Status, vitamins C, A and E and their ligands (Retinol Binding Protein and total lipids) were measured at baseline and at the end of each treatment period. Results: Results show that the higher convective permeability of HFR-S with respect to HFR did not produce additional beneficial effects on the patients' oxidative status, a slight decrease of both Vitamin A and Retinol Binding Protein being the only difference registered in the long-term. However, as compared to ol-HDF, both the re-infusive techniques allowed to reduce the intradialytic loss of Vitamin C and, in the long-term, improve the patients' oxidative status and increase Retinol Binding Protein plasma values. No significant differences were found between the Vitamin C concentration of pre- and post cartridge UF neither in HFR-S nor in HFR showing that the sorbent resin does not adsorb Vitamin C. Conclusion: HFR-S and HFR are almost equivalent in term of impact on antioxidant vitamins and oxidative status of hemodialysis patients. Nonetheless, as compared to ol-HDF, both treatments produced a sensible sparing of Vitamin C and may represent a new approach for reducing oxidative stress and related complications in dialysis patients. Longterm effects of re-infusive treatments on patients' cardiovascular morbidity and mortality need to be evaluated.
When geosynthetic tubes are placed on soft ground, the ground settlement can be large enough to influence the design and performance of geosynthetic tubes. The existing method to model the ground deformation for the design of geosynthetic tubes is to use the Winkler model. In this paper, an analytical solution is proposed to calculate the impermeable geosynthetic tubes resting on deformable foundation soil. The proposed analytical method adopts the 1-D consolidation relationship (the e - log p curve) to describe approximately the stress strain behavior of the soil. The vertical surcharge pressure distribution within the soil mass is calculated using the Boussinesq solution. The numerical analyses are also carried out using FLAC to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. The results from the analytical method agree well with those from the numerical analysis. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The first wall (FW) of DEMO is a component with high thermal loads. The cooling of the FW has to comply with the material's upper and lower temperature limits and requirements from stress assessment, like low temperature gradients. Also, the cooling has to be integrated into the balance-of-plant, in a sense to deliver exergy to the power cycle and require a limited pumping power for coolant circulation. This paper deals with the basics of FW cooling and proposes optimization approaches. The effectiveness of several heat transfer enhancement techniques is investigated for the use in helium cooled FW designs for DEMO. Among these are wall-mounted ribs,. large scale mixing devices and modified hydraulic diameter. Their performance is assessed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop are compared. Based on the results, an extrapolation to high heat fluxes is tried to estimate the higher limits of cooling capabilities. (C) 2016 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The present paper focuses on how nonverbal communication elements are correlated with leadership behaviours of military junior leaders and how these constructs affect the superior performance of their followers. Our data show that the facial expression (smile) and the eye behaviour are the ones that have a positive and most pronounced correlation with the subordinate's perception of self-confidence, self-control, courage, empathy, and influence / reference of their commanders. The factors extraordinary effort and satisfaction are also positively related. On the contrary, gestures such as crossed arms and point one's finger have a negative correlation with the subordinate's perception of self-confidence, self-control, courage, empathy, and influence /reference of their commanders. In this case, the factors extraordinary effort and satisfaction are also negatively related. We conclude that the use of certain gestures may contribute to a positive or negative perception of a commander by his followers thereby influencing their performance.
The theory of chaos and chaotic neural networks (CNNs) has been widely investigated in the past two decades. However, most researchers in this area have merely focused on how to make full use of CNNs to solve various problems in areas such as pattern recognition, classification, associate memory and cryptography. The philosophy of how to design a CNN is seldom discussed. In this paper, we present a general methodology for designing CNNs. By appropriately choosing a self-feedback mechanism, and also including coupling functions and an external stimulus, we have succeeded in proving that a dynamical system, defined by discrete time feedback equations, does, indeed, possess interesting chaotic properties. To the best of our knowledge, the results presented here are novel and pioneering.
A comprehensive treatment system consisting of geotextile bag, zeolite bed and constructed wetland has been devised to remove solids and nutrients from swine house waste. Alkalinity was observed to be reduced by 44% after geotextile bag and 77% after wetlands. In one day (24 h) waste flush cycle, COD was reduced by 72% after geotextile bag and further reduced by 95% after zeolite treatment followed by constructed wetland. When wastewater was passed through geotextile bag, 71% reduction of COD occurred during 96 h flush cycle and further reduction of 87% was observed after zeolite. Reductions of 94% total N, 92% NH4+-N, 88% total P, and 87% o-PO4--P were observed after the wastewater was passed through the geotextile bag, zeolite, and wetland treatment systems during 24 h flush cycle. Approximately 50% NH4+-N was adsorbed by the zeolite bed and 12% was presumed to be lost through NH3 volatilization process during zeolite treatment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
Mucous flow in a tracheal lumen is generated by the beat motion of ciliated cells to provide a clearance function by discharging harmful dust particles and viruses. Due to its physiological importance, the cilia-generated flow and the rheological properties of mucus have been investigated intensively. The effects of viscosity on the cilia-generated flow, however, have not been fully clarified. In this study, we measured bulk background velocity of ciliary flow using a micro particle tracking velocimetry method under various viscosity conditions in mice. The results showed that the flow velocity decreased as the increase with viscosity of ambient fluid. Moreover, no previous study has clarified the pump power generated by cilia, which provides important information with regard to understanding the molecular motor properties of cilia. Measurements of both the ciliary flow and the ciliary motion were conducted to determine the cilia pump power. Our results indicated that the cilia pump during the effective stroke did not drive the ciliary flow efficiently under high viscosity conditions; these findings are necessary to resolve the clearance function.
Linear switched reluctance machines (LSRM) have a relatively low force output and high force ripples. This paper discusses a double-sided linear hybrid switched reluctance machine (LHSRM) which includes permanent magnets to be embedded into the stator leg slots. The proposed LHSRM has hybrid excitation flux circuits, derived from the permanent magnets and external current excitations. Machine design based on the equivalent magnetic circuit analysis and the performance evaluation is carried out by the finite element methods (FEM). Simulation results demonstrate that the LHSRM has better propulsion force output performance with reduced force ripples, as compared to the pure LSRM without PMs at the same dimensions. Experimental measurement results verify that the proposed linear machine possesses a higher average force with a lower force ripple factor.
In this study, Fe3O4/graphene nanocomposite was synthesized through a liquid-phase co-precipitation method and characterized using X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The synthetic Fe3O4/graphene was used as a heterogeneous catalyst to activate persulfate to efficiently degrade methylene blue (MB). The target pollutant MB can be degraded by sulfate radicals depending on several parameters including persulfate and Fe3O4/graphene concentrations, pH and reaction temperature. Within 120 min of reaction time, almost 100% of 0.05 mM MB was removed by 1.5 mM persulfate in the presence of 150 mg/L of Fe3O4/graphene at pH = 6.0 and 25 degrees C. The degradation of MB was found to follow the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The Fe3O4/graphene has much better stability and reusability than free Fe3O4 suggested by reuse tests. The results demonstrate that Fe3O4/graphene activated persulfate is a promising technology for remediation of water pollution caused by organic contaminants.
This paper proposes a digital phase leading filter current compensation (PLFCC) technique for a continuous conduction mode boost power factor correction to improve PF in high line voltage and light load conditions. The proposed technique provides a corrected average inductor current reference and utilizes an enhanced duty ratio feed-forward technique which can cancel the adverse effect of the phase leading currents caused by filter capacitors. Moreover, the proposed PLFCC technique also provides the switching dead-zone in nature so the switching loss can be reduced. Therefore, the proposed PLFCC can significantly improve power quality and can achieve a high efficiency in high line voltage and light load conditions. The principle and analysis of the proposed PLFCC are presented, and performance and feasibility are verified by experimental results from the universal input (90-260 V-AC) and 750 W-400 V output laboratory prototype.
Dynamic projection mapping for moving objects has attracted much attention in recent years. However, conventional approaches have faced some issues, such as the target objects being limited to rigid objects, and the limited moving speed of the targets. In this paper, we focus on dynamic projection mapping onto rapidly deforming non-rigid surfaces with a speed sufficiently high that a human does not perceive any misalignment between the target object and the projected images. In order to achieve such projection mapping, we need a high-speed technique for tracking non-rigid surfaces, which is still a challenging problem in the field of computer vision. We propose the Deformable Dot Cluster Marker (DDCM), a novel fiducial marker for high-speed tracking of non-rigid surfaces using a high-frame-rate camera. The DDCM has three performance advantages. First, it can be detected even when it is strongly deformed. Second, it realizes robust tracking even in the presence of external and self occlusions. Third, it allows millisecond-order computational speed. Using DDCM and a high-speed projector, we realized dynamic projection mapping onto a deformed sheet of paper and a T-shirt with a speed sufficiently high that the projected images appeared to be printed on the objects.
Bent functions are actively investigated for their various applications in cryptography, coding theory and combinatorial design. As one of their generalizations, negabent functions are also quite useful, and they are originally defined via nega- Hadamard transforms for boolean functions. In this paper, we look at another equivalent definition of them. It allows us to investigate negabent functions f on F-2n, which can be written as a composition of a univariate polynomial over F-2n and the trace mapping from F-2n to F-2. In particular, when this polynomial is a monomial, we call f a monomial negabent function. Families of quadratic and cubic monomial negabent functions are constructed, together with several sporadic examples. To obtain more interesting negabent functions in special forms, we also look at certain negabent polynomials. We obtain several families of cubic negabent functions by using the theory of projective polynomials over finite fields.
We propose a method which combines isogeometric analysis with the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for second and fourth order geometric flows to generate fairing surfaces, which are composed of multiple patches. This technique can be used to tackle a challenging problem in geometric modeling-gluing multi-patches together smoothly to create complex models. Non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS), the most popular representations of geometric models developed in Computer Aided Design, are employed to describe the geometry and represent the numerical solution. Since NURBS basis functions over two different patches are independent, DG methods can be appropriately applied to glue the multiple patches together to obtain smooth solutions. We present semi-discrete DG schemes to solve the problem, and -stability is proved for the proposed schemes. Our method enjoys the following advantages. Firstly, the geometric flexibility of NURBS basis functions, especially the use of multiple patches, enable us to construct surface models with complex geometry and topology. Secondly, the constructed geometry is fair. Thirdly, since only the control points of the NURBS patches evolve in accordance with the geometric flows, and their number (degrees of freedom) is very small, our algorithm is very efficient. Finally, this method can be easily formulated and implemented. We apply the method in mean curvature flows and in quasi surface diffusion flows to solve various geometric modeling problems, such as minimal surface generation, surface blending and hole filling, etc. Examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of our method.
In traditional framework, mandatory access control (MAC) system and malicious software are run in kernel mode. Malicious software can stop MAC systems to be started and make it do invalid. This problem cannot be solved under the traditional framework if the operating system (OS) is comprised since malwares are running in ring level. In this paper, we propose a novel way to use hypervisors to protect kernel integrity and the access control system in commodity operating systems. We separate the access control system into three parts: policy management (PM), security server (SS) and policy enforcement (PE). Policy management and the security server reside in the security domain to protect them against malware and the isolation feather of the hypervisor can protect them from attacks. We add an access vector cache (AVC) between SS and PE in the guest OS, in order to speed up communication between the guest OS and the security domain. The policy enforcement module is retained in the guest OS for performance. The security of AVC and PE can be ensured by using a memory protection mechanism. The goal of protecting the OS kernel is to ensure the security of the execution path. We implement the system by a modified Xen hypervisor. The result shows that we can secure the security of the access control system in the guest OS with no overhead compared with modules in the latter. Our system offers a centralized security policy for virtual domains in virtual machine environments.
In 2014, FDU-PB-22 and FUB-PB-22, two novel synthetic cannabinoids, were detected in herbal blends in Japan, Russia, and Germany and were quickly added to their scheduled drugs list. Unfortunately, no human metabolism data are currently available, making it challenging to confirm their intake. The present study aims to identify appropriate analytical markers by investigating FDU-PB-22 and FUB-PB-22 metabolism in human hepatocytes and confirm the results in authentic urine specimens. For metabolic stability, 1 mu M FDU-PB-22 and FUB-PB-22 was incubated with human liver microsomes for up to 1 h; for metabolite profiling, 10 mu M was incubated with human hepatocytes for 3 h. Two authentic urine specimens from FDU-PB-22 and FUB-PB-22 positive cases were analyzed after beta-glucuronidase hydrolysis. Metabolite identification in hepatocyte samples and urine specimens was accomplished by high-resolution mass spectrometry using information-dependent acquisition. Both FDU-PB-22 and FUB-PB-22 were rapidly metabolized in HLM with half-lives of 12.4 and 11.5 min, respectively. In human hepatocyte samples, we identified seven metabolites for both compounds, generated by ester hydrolysis and further hydroxylation and/or glucuronidation. After ester hydrolysis, FDU-PB-22 and FUB-PB-22 yielded the samemetabolite M7, fluorobenzylindole-3-carboxylic acid (FBI-COOH). M7 and M6 (hydroxylated FBI-COOH) were the major metabolites. In authentic urine specimens after beta-glucuronidase hydrolysis, M6 and M7 also were the predominant metabolites. Based on our study, we recommend M6 (hydroxylated FBI-COOH) and M7 (FBI-COOH) as suitable urinary markers for documenting FDU-PB-22 and/or FUB-PB-22 intake.
In the last decades the increasing urban development on coastal areas have produced extensive modifications on shores all over the world, making critical the active management of pressures on sandy beaches. The use of engineering solutions to counteract beach erosion has been significantly increasing; the ecological indicators used to monitor these interventions generally focus on short- and medium-term effects, while little is known on their effectiveness on long-term temporal scales. The following ecological indicators have been tested in the present study: (a) macrofaunal community abundance and diversity and (b) orientation behaviour of Talitrus saltator, a talitrid amphipod widespread on Mediterranean and European Atlantic sandy beaches. Two sites were considered on a sandy beach of the Portuguese Atlantic coast, one located in front of a natural dune and the other at about 500 m of distance, where the dune had been rebuilt between 2000 and 2008 using geotextile tubes. In 2011 and 2012, macrofauna sampling and orientation experiments on T. saltator were performed at both sites in spring and autumn; contemporaneously the main environmental variables were registered. Macrofaunal data were analysed through multivariate statistical tests, and for the orientation distributions the circular statistics were calculated and multivariate analyses for angular data were performed. Geotextiles appeared to be successful in stabilising the recovered dunes; accordingly, the diversity of the macrofaunal communities and the orientation performances of T. saltator showed no differences between the altered and control sites. Significant reductions were nevertheless observed in the artificial-dune site regarding the abundance of T. saltator and, to a lesser extent, macrofaunal densities, likely ascribable to the presence of geotextiles instead of a vegetated natural dune, preventing invertebrates to burrow into the sand. These results, complementing a more comprehensive study on these two sites, indicate the abundance of T. saltator as the best indicator to follow long-term effects of this kind of soft-engineering intervention. The use of this bioindicator may be recommended for the late phases of monitoring procedures in dune-recovery processes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The abundant dinosaurian tracksites of the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian - Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia, form an important part of the West Kimberley National Heritage Place. Previous attempts to document these tracksites using traditional mapping techniques (e. g., surface overlays, transects and gridlines combined with conventional photography) have been hindered by the non-trivial challenges associated with working in this area, including, but not limited to: (1) the remoteness of many of the tracksites; (2) the occurrence of the majority of the tracksites in the intertidal zone; (3) the size and complexity of many of the tracksites, with some extending over several square kilometres. Using the historically significant and well-known dinosaurian tracksites at Minyirr (Gantheaume Point), we show how these issues can be overcome through the use of an integrated array of remote sensing tools. A combination of high-resolution aerial photography with both manned and unmanned aircraft, airborne and handheld high-resolution lidar imaging and handheld photography enabled the collection of large amounts of digital data from which 3D models of the tracksites at varying resolutions were constructed. The acquired data encompasses a very broad scale, from the sub-millimetre level that details individual tracks, to the multiple-kilometre level, which encompasses discontinuous tracksite exposures and large swathes of coastline. The former are useful for detailed ichnological work, while the latter are being employed to better understand the stratigraphic and temporal relationship between tracksites in a broader geological and palaeoecological context. These approaches and the data they can generate now provide a means through which digital conservation and temporal monitoring of the Dampier Peninsula's dinosaurian tracksites can occur. As plans for the on-going management of the tracks in this area progress, analysis of the 3D data and 3D visualization will also likely provide an important means through which the broader public can experience these spectacular National Heritage listed landscapes.
The objective of this study was preliminary identification of heterotrophic and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) cell concentration in the cross-sectional profile of geotextile filters for wastewater treatment. Filters of thicknesses 3.6 and 7.2 mm, made of non-woven textile TS20, were supplied with septic tank effluent and intermittently dosed and filtered under hydrostatic pressure. The cumulative loads of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total solids were about 1.36 and 1.06 kg/cm(2), respectively. The filters under analysis reached a relatively high removal efficiency for organic pollution 70-90% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and 60-85% for COD. The ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency level proved to be unstable (15-55%). Biomass samples for dry mass identification were taken from two regions: continuously flooded with wastewater and intermittently flooded with wastewater. The culturable heterotrophic bacteria were determined as colony-forming units (CFUs) on microbiological-selective media by means of the plate method. AOB and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were examined using the FISH technique. A relatively wide range of heterotrophic bacteria was observed from 7.4 x 10(5)/cm(2) to 3.8 x 10(6)/cm(2) in geotextile layers. The highest concentration of heterotrophic bacteria (3.8 x 10(6)/cm(2)) was observed in the first layer of the textile filter. AOB were identified occasionally - about 8-15% of all bacteria colonizing the last filter layer, but occasionally much higher concentrations and ammonia nitrogen efficiency were achieved. Bacteria oxidizing nitrite to nitrate were not observed. The relation of total and organic fraction of biomass to culturable heterotrophic bacteria was also found.
Purpose: To assess the clinical validity of visual field (VF) archetypal analysis, a previously developed machine learning method for decomposing any Humphrey VF (24-2) into a weighted sum of clinically recognizable VF loss patterns.Materials and Methods: For each of 16 previously identified VF loss patterns (archetypes, denoted AT1 through AT16), we screened 30,995 reliable VFs to select 10-20 representative patients whose VFs had the highest decomposition coefficients for each archetype. VF global indices and patient ocular and demographic features were extracted retrospectively. Based on resemblances between VF archetypes and clinically observed VF patterns, hypotheses were generated for associations between certain VF archetypes and clinical features, such as an association between AT6 (central island, representing severe VF loss) and large cup-to-disk ratio (CDR). Distributions of the selected clinical features were compared between representative eyes of certain archetypes and all other eyes using the two-tailed t-test or Fisher exact test.Results: 243 eyes from 243 patients were included, representative of AT1 through AT16. CDR was more often 0.7 among eyes representative of AT6 (central island; p = 0.002), AT10 (inferior arcuate defect; p = 0.048), AT14 (superior paracentral defect; p = 0.016), and AT16 (inferior paracentral defect; p = 0.016) than other eyes. CDR was more often < 0.7 among eyes representative of AT1 (no focal defect; p < 0.001) and AT2 (superior defect; p = 0.027), which was also associated with ptosis (p6D (p = 0.069).Conclusions: Shared clinical features between computationally derived VF archetypes and clinically observed VF patterns support the clinical validity of VF archetypal analysis.
RSSalg software is a tool for experimenting with Semi-Supervised Learning (SSL), a set of machine learning techniques able to use both labeled and unlabeled data for training. The goal is to reduce human effort regarding data labeling while preserving model quality. RSSalg software encompasses the implementation of co-training, a multi-view SSL technique and RSSalg, its single-view alternative. Our tool enables easy comparison of different SSL algorithms. It provides a cross-validation procedure and supports standard metrics for performance evaluation. The tool is free and open source, available on GitHub under the GNU General Public License. It is implemented in Java language using Weka library. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A black fly species of the Simulium feuerborni species-group of Simulium (Nevermannia) from Cameron Highland, Peninsular Malaysia, previously regarded as S. feuerborni Edwards, originally described from East Java, is described as Simulium pairoti sp. nov. based on complete life stages. High intraspecific variations in the arrangement of the six pupal gill filaments, length of the stalk of the ventral paired filaments, and length of the anterodorsal projection of the cocoon, are noted in this species. This new species is readily distinguished from its congeners by having the characters of male genitalia with simple lamellate ventral plate, short inwardly-twisted styles, several parameral hooks, and a simple narrow median sclerite. Morphological data reported herein plus the chromosomal and molecular data presented elsewhere support S. pairoti as a novel pseudocryptic species. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The growth of urban areas and the impact of urban ecosystems on public health and urban sustainability have been leading issues of both academic and public interest. More than 100 million Chinese people suffer from pollen allergy. Pollen allergy induces bronchitis, bronchial asthma, pulmonary heart disease, and may even be life-threatening. Thus, pollen allergies greatly affect the daily life of individuals. High-resolution WorldView-2 remote sensing data and vegetation distribution features were used to detect the dominant tree species in the study area and obtain canopy distribution information on different tree species. In this way, the sources of pollen from different tree species were identified. Using remote sensing technology, the overall accuracy of tree species recognition for the study area exceeds 86%. Most plants in the study area flower during the spring, so the pollen allergenic risk zones are extensive during spring and sparse in fall. Based on the spatial ranges of pollen dispersal during different seasons, areas were identified that might contain pollen concentrations detrimental to pollen-sensitive individuals.
A series of three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and finite-element (FE) models, with a domain in the form of a water tank, were undertaken to simulate tsunami-induced bore impact on a discrete onshore structure on a dry bed. The fluid motion was simulated using the SPH-based software DualSPHysics. The tsunami-like waves were represented by solitary waves with different characteristics generated by the numerical paddle wavemaker. Numerical probes were uniformly distributed on the structure's vertical surface providing detailed measures of the pressure distribution across the structure. The peak impact locations on the structure's surface were specifically determined and the associated peak pressures then compared with the prediction of existing commonly used design equations. Using the pressure-time histories from the SPH model, FE analysis was conducted with Abaqus to model the dynamic response of a representative timber structure. The results show that the equations used to estimate the associated pressure for design purposes can be highly non-conservative. By gaining a detailed insight into the impact pressures and structure response, engineers have the potential means to optimise the design of structures under tsunami impact loads and improve survivability.
Sex differentiation of flower buds is an important developmental process that directly affects fruit yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L). Plant hormones, such as gibberellins (GAs) and ethylene can promote development of male and female flowers, respectively, however, the regulatory mechanisms of GA-induced male flower formation and potential involvement of ethylene in this process still remain unknown. In this study, to unravel the genes and gene networks involved in GA-regulated cucumber sexual development, we performed high throughout RNA-Seq analyses that compared the transcriptomes of shoot tips between GA(3) treated and untreated gynoecious cucumber plants. Results showed that GA(3) application markedly induced male flowers but decreased ethylene production in shoot tips. Furthermore, the transcript levels of M (CsACS2) gene, ethylene receptor CsETR1 and some ethylene-responsive transcription factors were dramatically changed after GA(3) treatment, suggesting a potential involvement of ethylene in GA regulated sex expression of cucumber. Interestingly, GA(3) down-regulated transcript of a C-class floral homeotic gene, CAG2, indicating that GA may also influence cucumber sex determination through an ethylene-independent process. These results suggest a novel model for hormone-mediated sex differentiation and provide a theoretical basis for further dissection of the regulatory mechanism of male flower formation in cucumber. Statement: We reveal that GA can regulate sex expression of cucumber via an ethylene dependent manner, and the M (CsACS2), CsETR1, and ERFs are probably involved in this process. Moreover, CAG2, a C-class floral homeotic gene, may also participate in GA-modulated cucumber sex determination, but this pathway is ethylene-independent.
The increasing population living in cities is leading to higher resource utilization, which strains the cities' ability to focus on sustainability. Adoption of different technologies can transform cities into smart cities that utilize energy in a more efficiently. This paper presents results from a technology assessment tool developed together with six mid-sized European cities. The main areas of focus have been evaluated based on the cities' priorities: transportation (both public and private) and consumers' perspectives on the use of smart electricity meters. The use of electric vehicles in Sweden, and a techno-economic evaluation of biogas-derived biomethane and electricity use in public transportation have been analyzed. The main conclusions show an overall higher efficiency for biogas-derived electricity use in electric buses; a need for higher consumer engagement through more detailed information provision for both increasing EV market penetration and electricity savings; and a need to establish detailed technology assessments for successful technology adoption in cities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Early-life cognitive enrichment may reduce the risk of experiencing cognitive deterioration and dementia in later-life. However, an intervention to prevent or delay dementia is likely to be taken up in mid to later-life. Hence, we investigated the effects of environmental enrichment in wildtype mice and in a mouse model of A beta neuropathology (APP(SWE)/PS1(dE9)) from 6 months of age. After 6 months of housing in standard laboratory cages, APP(SWE)/PS1(dE9) (n = 27) and healthy wildtype (n = 21) mice were randomly assigned to either enriched or standard housing. At 12 months of age, wildtype mice showed altered synaptic protein levels and relatively superior cognitive performance afforded by environmental enrichment. Environmental enrichment was not associated with alterations to A beta plaque pathology in the neocortex or hippocampus of APP(SWE)/PS1(dE9) mice. However, a significant increase in synaptophysin immunolabeled puncta in the hippocampal subregion, CA1, in APP(SWE)/PS1(dE9) mice was detected, with no significant synaptic density changes observed in CA3, or the Fr2 region of the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, a significant increase in hippocampal BDNF was detected in APP(SWE)/PS1(dE9) mice exposed to EE, however, no changes were detected in neocortex or between Wt animals. These results demonstrate that mid to later-life cognitive enrichment has the potential to promote synaptic and cognitive health in ageing, and to enhance compensatory capacity for synaptic connectivity in pathological ageing associated with A beta deposition.
Green energy has gained significant research attention across the globe due to its ability to reduce environmental damage. However, for complete acceptance of green energy, only government regulations are not enough; the willingness to use green energy and contribute to the wellbeing of the environment should spring from within consumers. Such willingness may be developed by enhancing consumers' perceived value of green energy. However, in order to do so, it is necessary to assess existing levels of consumers' perceived value towards green energy. The present study develops a multidimensional green perceived value scale to measure existing levels of consumers' perceived value. The scale considers green perceived value as a multidimensional second order construct comprising functional value, social value, conditional value and emotional value dimensions. Such an attempt has not been made before which highlights the originality value of the present study. The scale can be used to assess consumers' perception towards green energy. Such information would help in formulating strategies that encourage consumers to voluntarily adopt green energy. The study also reveals that it is not only the financial aspects that lead consumers to decide on adoption of green energy; consumers are also driven by emotional and social considerations. Thus, policy makers could formulate pro-green energy programmes and mass messages that appeal to consumers' sense of responsibility to voluntarily adopt green energy without having to rely on financial incentives. Researchers could examine the considered dimensions of the scale further with respect to other constructs related to consumer behaviour. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Children spend the majority of their weekdays in classrooms that often have low indoor air quality and limited financial resources for the initial and running costs of mechanical ventilation systems. Designing effective natural ventilation (NV) systems in schools is difficult due to the intense use of the classroom spaces and the dependence of NV on building geometry and outdoor conditions. Building thermal and airflow simulation tools are fundamental to predict NV system performance in the design phase. These predictions of these tools must be validated (preferably with data from real buildings). This paper presents a set of detailed measurements of buoyancy driven natural DV systems of three classrooms located in two buildings in Lisbon (Portugal). The rooms are located in two educational buildings, a kindergarten and a university, and have different buoyancy driven natural DV systems (with and without chimneys). The experimental measurements are used to validate a three-node DV model implemented on the open source thermal building simulation software EnergyPlus. The validation results show that the building thermal simulation model tested is able to predict bulk airflow rate with an average error of 16%. In addition, a good agreement is also obtained for the vertical temperature prediction: an average error of 4% corresponding (average deviation of 0.7 degrees C). Analysis of the kindergarten rooms results revealed, that as expected, increasing chimney height from 1 to 4 m has a significant positive impact in NV system performance. The performance of natural DV systems depends on the number of thermal plumes in the room. For the same sensible heat load, increasing the number of plumes lowers the average occupied zone air temperature and increases the bulk airflow rate. In light of the complexity of the cases tested, NV with uncontrolled boundary conditions, the results of the comparisons performed between measurements and simulations should contribute to increase confidence in the use of EnergyPlus to simulate buoyancy driven natural DV systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A 2-D magnetizer introduces variation in the flux density (B) across the sample under rotational magnetization. This variation requires additional energy requirements that limits the attainable aspect ratios, flux density levels and stresses the supply. A numerical methodology that accounts for the flux leakage and the eddy currents is proposed to analyze uniformity and variation in B in four 2-D magnetizers. The analysis was done beyond the knee of the magnetization curve. Numerical results will show that round magnetizers can mitigate the variation of the square magnetizer by over 92%, by making the MMF more sinusoidal and equalizing the reluctance along the airgap. In addition, deeper yokes minimized the variation by about 50% in the square and the Halbach testers. The results of this analysis was a design that mitigates the variation in B by a combination of sinusoidally distributed windings, and a deep yoke. The proposed magnetizer achieved very high flux densities over a relatively wide frequency range, which were 2.04 and 1.69 T at 60 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively.
Aim : The aim of this research was to evaluate if leaf removal and red geotextile reflective mulch Vitexsol could affect phenolic composition of wines from three white cultivars, Riesling italico, Traminer, and Manzoni bianco. Methods and results: A two-year study was conducted to evaluate the effects of leaf removal and reflective mulch on the phenolic composition of white wines from Zagreb vineyards in northwestern Croatia. Leaf removal (LR) and reflective mulch (RM) Vitexsol, made from weave of aluminum platelets protected by a transparent film and sewn together with red polypropylene threads, were tested separately and combined (LR + RM) on vines of Traminer, Riesling italico and Manzoni bianco in 2008 and 2009. LR and RM had no consistent effect on must sugar content and titratable acidity. All treatments resulted in higher total phenol and flavan-3-ol content in wines of all cultivars, but in different years. LR + RM generally resulted in the highest phenolic acid and individual flavan-3-ol content in all wines except Traminer. RM treatment had the least effect on phenolic composition of wines. Conclusion: LR + RM generally resulted in the highest content of most phenolic compounds, especially when compared to control wines. Significance and impact of the study: This work provides some useful informations for adjusting vineyard practices and thus optimizing phenolic quality of white wines.
Continuous monitoring of actual evapotranspiration (ET) is critical for water resources management at both regional and local scales. Although the MODIS ET product (MOD16A2) provides viable sources for ET monitoring at 8-day intervals, the spatial resolution (1 km) is too coarse for local scale applications. In this study, we propose a machine learning and spatial temporal fusion (STF)-integrated approach in order to generate 8-day 30 m ET based on both MOD16A2 and Landsat 8 data with three schemes. Random forest machine learning was used to downscale MODIS 1 km ET to 30 m resolution based on nine Landsat-derived indicators including vegetation indices (VIs) and land surface temperature (LST). STF-based models including Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model and Spatio-Temporal Image Fusion Model were used to derive synthetic Landsat surface reflectance (scheme 1)/VIs (scheme 2)/ET (scheme 3) on Landsat-unavailable dates. The approach was tested over two study sites in the United States. The results showed that fusion of Landsat VIs produced the best accuracy of predicted ET (R-2 = 0.52-0.97, RMSE = 0.47-3.0 mm/8 days and rRMSE = 6.4-37%). High density of cloud-clear Landsat image acquisitions and low spatial heterogeneity of Landsat VIs benefit the ET prediction. The downscaled 30 m ET had good agreement with MODIS ET (RMSE = 0.42-3.4 mm/8 days, rRMSE = 3.226%). Comparison with the in situ ET measurements showed that the downscaled ET had higher accuracy than MODIS ET. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Traditional cognitive assessment in neurological conditions involving physical disability is often prevented by the presence of verbal-motor impairment; to date, an extensive motor-verbal-free neuropsychological battery is not available for such purposes. We adapted a set of neuropsychological tests, assessing language, attentional abilities, executive functions and social cognition, for eye-tracking (ET) control, and explored its feasibility in a sample of healthy participants. Thirty healthy subjects performed a neuropsychological assessment, using an ET-based neuropsychological battery, together with standard paper and pencil cognitive measures for frontal (Frontal Assessment Battery-FAB) and working memory abilities (Digit Sequencing Task) and for global cognitive efficiency (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-MoCA). Psychological measures of anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y-STAI-Y) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI) were also collected, and a usability questionnaire was administered. Significant correlations were observed between the paper and pencil screening of working memory abilities and the ET-based neuropsychological measures. The ET-based battery also correlated with the MoCA, while poor correlations were observed with the FAB. Usability aspects were found to be influenced by both working memory abilities and psychological components. The ET-based neuropsychological battery developed could provide an extensive assessment of cognitive functions, allowing participants to perform tasks independently from the integrity of motor or verbal channels. Further studies will be aimed at investigating validity and usability components in neurological populations with motor-verbal impairments.
As one of the eight foods that account for 90 % of food allergies, wheat must be excluded from the diet in patients suffering from wheat allergies. From studies of wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA), which has been used as a model to develop hypoallergenic wheat, we now know that the gluten fraction of wheat protein, particularly omega-5 gliadin and high-molecular-weight (HMW)-glutenin, is responsible for the allergic response. However, studies of allergic responses with WDEIA have been performed with a single wheat cultivar. Thus, in an effort to provide more information for the development of hypoallergenic wheat, we compared various cultivars with different countries of origin and characteristics. For the first step, we compared the allergen contents (omega-5 gliadin and HMW-glutenin) in each cultivar and the allergic response caused by each cultivar. Domestic wheat cultivars had lower contents of omega-5 gliadin and HMW-glutenin than those of imported wheat cultivars. Additionally, some cultivars caused varying allergic responses due to their allergen components. From regression analysis of allergen contents and allergic responses in vivo, we suggest a prediction model to estimate the extent of allergic response based on the omega-5 gliadin and HMW-glutenin contents. Further studies are needed to analyze the biological interactions between allergens from various cultivars and allergic response factors.
Some domestic animals are thought to be skilled at social communication with humans due to the process of domestication. Horses, being in close relationship with humans, similar to dogs, might be skilled at communication with humans. Previous studies have indicated that they are sensitive to bodily signals and the attentional state of humans; however, there are few studies that investigate communication with humans and responses to the knowledge state of humans. Our first question was whether and how horses send signals to their potentially helpful but ignorant caretakers in a problem-solving situation where a food item was hidden in a bucket that was accessible only to the caretakers. We then examined whether horses alter their behaviours on the basis of the caretakers' knowledge of where the food was hidden. We found that horses communicated to their caretakers using visual and tactile signals. The signalling behaviour of the horses significantly increased in conditions where the caretakers had not seen the hiding of the food. These results suggest that horses alter their communicative behaviour towards humans in accordance with humans' knowledge state.
Rainwater harvesting might help to achieve self-sufficiency, but it must comply with health standards. We studied the runoff quantity and quality harvested from seven urban surfaces in a university campus in Barcelona according to their use (pedestrian or motorized mobility) and materials (concrete, asphalt and slabs). An experimental rainwater harvesting system was used to collect the runoff resulting from a set of rainfall events. We estimated the runoff coefficient and initial abstraction of each surface and analyzed the physicochemical and microbiological properties, and hydrocarbon and metal content of the samples. Rainfall intensity, surface material and state of conservation were essential parameters. Because of low rainfall intensity and surface degradation, the runoff coefficient was variable, with a minimum of 0.41. Concrete had the best quality, whereas weathering and particulate matter deposition led to worse quality in asphalt areas. Physicochemical runoff quality was outstanding when compared to superficial and underground water. Microorganisms were identified in the samples (>1 CFU/100 mL) and treatment is required to meet human consumption standards. Motorized traffic mostly affects the presence of metals such as zinc (31.7 mu g/L). In the future, sustainable mobility patterns might result in improved rainwater quality standards. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Intelligent (or smart) environments are usually developed for indoor applications, like ambient assisted independent living of seniors or handicapped persons in their homes, but users would appreciate intelligent support of various human activities also in outdoor spaces, e.g., in streets, forests, or elsewhere in open nature. Extensive usage of wireless sensor networks combined with cloud-based services and possible wearable equipment seems to be usable and efficient there. The purpose of the paper is to sketch a vision of an intelligent, knowledge rich outdoor environment, illustrated on the example of a ski resort. Such a knowledge rich outdoor environment (e.g., ski resort, or sea resort, among others) could be based on exploitation of sophisticated wireless sensor networks sending the data to an appropriate cloud with mobile access to all the necessary information.
The case study presented in this paper aimed at discovering opportunities for ambient intelligence and new interaction methods for a future remote crane-operating environment. The theoretical objective was to carry out an experience-driven research project in an industrial work context, and the practical objective was to create and evaluate a future-oriented science fiction prototype. The work was carried out in close co-operation with an industrial partner who was a domain expert in the field of crane industry. The aim was to focus on clearly defined user experience goals to which the industrial partner committed. The consequent immediate objective was to focus on two explicit experiences relating to 'Feeling of being motivated' and to 'Sense of community' that were placed at the core of the design investigations. These experiences were deliberated into a science fiction prototype entitled 'Remote operator's day in a future control center'. The science fiction prototype was further introduced to users by twofold means: as a plain, simple short story and through an interactive experience path. The main contribution of the paper is to demonstrate how an emerging technology research of a new domain may employ science fiction prototyping method as a primary means of experience design investigations.
The optimal management of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections is known to be related with the genotype of HBV in order to prescribe the most appropriate treatment. In this study, including 19 chronic HBV patients from St. Parascheva Clinical Infectious Disease Hospital, Ia degrees i, we attempted to double test their samples for DNA/HBV detection and genotyping. DNA/HBV evidenced from19 patients known as being chronic infected by HBV were tested by two molecular techniques: Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and genotyping by hybridization on strips. We obtained identical results from both methods. The most frequent genotype was D (47.4%), followed by genotype A (10,5%); 9 samples were negative, probably because of virus suppressed replication under treatment. The double testing is accurate, time and cost efficient, and for these reasons we propose this double testing like a possible algorithm for routine diagnostic, being time-efficient and accurate for HBV chronic infected patients' management cases.
The main aim of this paper is to identify the personal factors of the salesman, which are more relevant to achieving sales success. The second aim is to categorize the verbal and nonverbal communication in personal sales process, but it should taken in account the fact, that the every of those level can have different significant, for each person. And the last task of current research is to determine, if there are some differences between men and women perception of personal sales process. Data were collected during the research, which was conducted in the Czech Republic on more than 500 respondents. All respondents rated the personal factors of salesman and his verbal and nonverbal communication within 4 videos, which were played to respondents. The data from current research were analysed via factor analysis. The conceptual model of personal selling has been adapted for the Czech Republic, with regard to cross-cultural differences.
Infrahumanization research has verified that in intergroup contexts, there is a strong tendency to attribute secondary emotions, which are uniquely human, to the ingroup, while limiting that attribution in outgroups. Experiments have shown it to be as common as ingroup bias. However, it is not yet known what characteristics may mitigate this trend. This paper presents two studies. The first analyzes the impact of helping behavior on attributions of human traits to two fictitious groups. The second study's objective was to determine if members of the Spanish ingroup would infrahumanize an Ethiopian outgroup less when that outgroup performs prosocial behavior towards another group. Infrahumanization was determined by a lexical decision task, using the names of ingroup and outgroup members as priming. The results demonstrate that describing a fictitious group in altruistic terms increases their human profile (experiment one) and reduces infrahumanization (experiment two).
Geotextile tubes have been widely used for the dewatering of high water content fine sediments. Fine sediments include lake sediments, organic soils and coal combustion products, which generally have low shear strength. Several researchers have emphasized the effect of the retained sediment (filter cake) properties on dewatering performance and stability of the geotextile tubes. Maintaining retained sediment properties, in particular permeability and shear strength, allows for faster dewatering time, better retention of sediments and improved stability of the geotextile tubes during multiple filling stages and during the tube stacking process. Several studies have shown that the use of synthetic fibers can increase the shear strength of sand, silt and clays. However, the use of fibers to improve the strength of retained sediments in geotextile tubes has not been explored. In this study, three synthetic fibers varying in length and diameter were used to evaluate the effect of fibers on the dewatering performance and shear strength of the fine sediments. A cationic polyacrylamide flocculant was used as an optimum conditioner for the selected sediment. The fibers were mixed with the flocculant conditioned slurry at 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2% fiber concentration by mass of the dry solids. The effect of fibers on the undrained shear strength of the dewatered sediments was evaluated using a lab vane test, fall cone test and undrained unconsolidated triaxial test. Jar tests and pressure filtration tests were also conducted to evaluate the effect of fiber on the required flocculant dosage and on the dewatering performance. Based on the results of this study, 0.5% of F1 fiber type was found to be the optimum fiber concentration, yielding an approximately 100% increase in undrained shear strength. It was also found that the diameter and length of the fibers play a significant role in altering the undrained shear strength of the tested sediments. The relatively short (6 mm) and thick (38 mu m) fiber did not yield an increase in shear strength for all the tested fiber concentrations, whereas thin fibers (9 mu m) of similar length increased the shear strength by 100%. Furthermore, it was found that the use of fibers at any concentration decreases the required optimum doses of flocculant by about 15%, and increases the dewatering rate of the effluents by about 50%.
Background: The Drug Ontology (DrOn) is an OWL2-based representation of drug products and their ingredients, mechanisms of action, strengths, and dose forms. We originally created DrOn for use cases in comparative effectiveness research, primarily to identify historically complete sets of United States National Drug Codes (NDCs) that represent packaged drug products, by the ingredient(s), mechanism(s) of action, and so on contained in those products. Although we had designed DrOn from the outset to carefully distinguish those entities that have a therapeutic indication from those entities that have a molecular mechanism of action, we had not previously represented in DrOn any particular therapeutic indication. Results: In this work, we add therapeutic indications for three research use cases: resistant hypertension, malaria, and opioid abuse research. We also added mechanisms of action for opioid analgesics and added 108 classes representing drug products in response to a large term request from the Program for Resistance, Immunology, Surveillance and Modeling of Malaria in Uganda (PRISM) project. The net result is a new version of DrOn, current to May 2016, that represents three major therapeutic classes of drugs and six new mechanisms of action. Conclusions: A therapeutic indication of a drug product is represented as a therapeutic function in DrOn. Adverse effects of drug products, as well as other therapeutic uses for which the drug product was not designed are dispositions. Our work provides a framework for representing additional therapeutic indications, adverse effects, and uses of drug products beyond their design. Our work also validated our past modeling decisions for specific types of mechanisms of action, namely effects mediated via receptor and/or enzyme binding. DrOn is available at: http://purl. obolibrary. org/obo/ dron. owl. A smaller version without NDCs is available at: http://purl. obolibrary. org/obo/dron/dron-lite. owl
In explaining the prevalence of the overconfident belief that one is better than others, prior work has focused on the motive to maintain high self-esteem, abetted by biases in attention, memory, and cognition. An additional possibility is that overconfidence enhances the person's social status. We tested this status-enhancing account of overconfidence in 6 studies. Studies 1-3 found that overconfidence leads to higher social status in both short-and longer-term groups, using naturalistic and experimental designs. Study 4 applied a Brunswikian lens analysis (Brunswik, 1956) and found that overconfidence leads to a behavioral signature that makes the individual appear competent to others. Studies 5 and 6 measured and experimentally manipulated the desire for status and found that the status motive promotes overconfidence. Together, these studies suggest that people might so often believe they are better than others because it helps them achieve higher social status.
Phytophthora species are highly destructive phytopathogens, associated with massive damage in natural ecosystems and agriculture. Citrus production is also affected, mainly by the hemibiothrophic oomycete Phytophthora parasitica, which causes root rot and gummosis. Poncirus trifoliata and Citrus sunki (two rootstocks widely used in citrus orchards) pose a resistance and a susceptible interaction with P. parasitica, respectively, which makes them suitable models to study plant defense mechanisms. Gene expression analysis is a very important tool in this type of study, in particular PCR (RT-qPCR). Hence, it is crucial to use appropriate reference genes for expression normalization. Our aim was to evaluate the stability of several candidate reference genes to determine which set is best suited for normalization in citrus infected with P. parasitica. We evaluated five candidate reference genes selected from the database CitEST. GeNorm and NormFinder algorithms were used to assess the best reference genes. We found that the more stable genes to be used for RT-qPCR analysis in P. trifoliata plants were GAPC2 and F-BOX, while EGIDH and GAPC2 were more suitable to C. sunki. These four genes were found to be excellent normalizers, being stable throughout the infection regardless of pathogen attack or symptom development.
Objective This Phase 2 study assessed the performance of positron emission tomography (PET) brain images made with Flutemetamol F 18 Injection in detecting beta-amyloid neuritic plaques in Japanese subjects. Methods Seventy subjects (25 with probable Alzheimer's disease (pAD), 20 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and 25 cognitively normal healthy volunteers[HVs]) underwent PET brain imaging after intravenous Flutemetamol F 18 Injection (185 MBq). Images were interpreted as normal or abnormal for neuritic plaque density by each of five non-Japanese and five Japanese readers who were blinded to clinical data. The primary efficacy analysis (based on HV and pAD data) was the agreement of the non-Japanese readers' image interpretations with the clinical diagnosis, resulting in estimates of positive percent agreement (PPA; based on AD subjects; similar to sensitivity) and negative percent agreement (NPA; based on HVs; similar to specificity). Secondary analyses included PPA and NPA for the Japanese readers; inter-reader agreement (IRA); intra-reader reproducibility (IRR); quantitative image interpretations (standardized uptake value ratios [SUVRs]) by diagnostic subgroup; test-retest variability in five pAD subjects; and safety. Results PPA was 92% for all non-Japanese readers and ranged from 88 to 92% for the Japanese readers. NPA ranged from 96 to 100% for both the non-Japanese readers and the Japanese readers. The majority image interpretations (the interpretations made independently by ae3 of 5 readers) resulted in PPA values of 92 and 92% and NPA values of 100 and 96% for the non-Japanese and Japanese readers, respectively. IRA and IRR were strong. Composite SUVR values (mean of multiple regional values) allowed clear differentiation between pAD subjects and HVs. Test-retest variability ranged from 1.14 to 2.27%, and test-retest agreement of the blinded visual interpretations was 100% for all readers. Flutemetamol F 18 Injection was generally well tolerated. Conclusion The detection of brain neuritic plaques in Japanese subjects using [F-18]Flutemetamol PET images gave results highly consistent with clinical diagnosis, with non-Japanese and Japanese readers giving similar results. Inter-reader agreement and intra-reader reproducibility were high for both sets of readers. Visual delineation of abnormal and normal scans was corroborated by quantitative assessment, with low test-retest variability.
Realization of Millennium Development Goals should be also reflected in construction industry. Sustainable consumption and production patterns can be associated with implementing and developing reverse logistics system on construction site to close the supply chain of construction materials. Initiating activities are undertaken already at the construction site, conditioning thereby further possibilities of resource recovery, stages of the recovery process, and total costs. Hence, the type, quantity and the quality of waste affect the cost of its collection - which can be a significant item in a project's budget. The paper provides an overview of the existing national recovery systems and waste policies to provide background for the case study. A crucial part of the research is an analysis of three waste management scenarios for a particular construction project. Anthropocentric, current and ecocentric approaches were studied in terms of waste collection costs. Two extreme approaches were created as an alternative to usual waste management policy applied on construction site. The antropocentric approach is a reflection of ill-conceived waste management - assuming no segregation, which leads to high costs of waste processing. The ecocentric approach, in turn, assumes direct sales of sorted waste at lower prices, and also by reverse logistics within the project, thereby providing cost savings. The results show that policy of waste disposal encourages and even forces entrepreneurs to implement reverse logistics despite the additional duties and requirements. General conclusions of research confirm that currently operating systems of waste management on site are sustainable, but nevertheless, it is still possible to make them more eco-efficient and, at the same time, more profitable. This was proved in the analysis of the Ecocentric scenario, which could be also called as Economic. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Purpose - Inverting electroheat problems involves synthesizing the electromagnetic arrangement of coils and geometries to realize a desired heat distribution. To this end two finite element problems need to be solved, first for the magnetic fields and the joule heat that the associated eddy currents generate and then, based on these heat sources, the second problem for heat distribution. This two-part problem needs to be iterated on to obtain the desired thermal distribution by optimization. Being a time consuming process, the purpose of this paper is to parallelize the process using the graphics processing unit (GPU) and the real-coded genetic algorithm, each for both speed and accuracy. Design/methodology/approach - This coupled problem represents a heavy computational load with long wait-times for results. The GPU has recently been demonstrated to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the finite element computations and cut down solution times. It has also been used to speedup the naturally parallel genetic algorithm. The authors use the GPU to perform coupled electroheat finite element optimization by the genetic algorithm to achieve computational efficiencies far better than those reported for a single finite element problem. In the genetic algorithm, coding objective functions in real numbers rather than binary arithmetic gives added speed and accuracy. Findings - The feasibility of the method proposed to reduce computational time and increase accuracy is established through the simple problem of shaping a current carrying conductor so as to yield a constant temperature along a line. The authors obtained a speedup (CPU time to GPU time ratio) saturating to about 28 at a population size of 500 because of increasing communications between threads. But this far better than what is possible on a workstation. Research limitations/implications - By using the intrinsically parallel genetic algorithm on a GPU, large complex coupled problems may be solved very quickly. The method demonstrated here without accounting for radiation and convection, may be trivially extended to more completely modeled electroheat systems. Since the primary purpose here is to establish methodology and feasibility, the thermal problem is simplified by neglecting convection and radiation. While that introduces some error, the computational procedure is still validated. Practical implications - The methodology established has direct applications in electrical machine design, metallurgical mixing processes, and hyperthermia treatment in oncology. In these three practical application areas, the authors need to compute the exciting coil (or antenna) arrangement (current magnitude and phase) and device geometry that would accomplish a desired heat distribution to achieve mixing, reduce machine heat or burn cancerous tissue. This process presented does it more accurately and speedily. Social implications - Particularly the above-mentioned application in oncology will alleviate human suffering through use in hyperthermia treatment planning in cancer treatment. The method presented provides scope for new commercial software development and employment. Originality/value - Previous finite element shape optimization of coupled electroheat problems by this group used gradient methods whose difficulties are explained. Others have used analytical and circuit models in place of finite elements. This paper applies the massive parallelization possible with GPUs to the inherently parallel genetic algorithm, and extends it from single field system problems to coupled problems, and thereby realizes practicable solution times for such a computationally complex problem. Further, by using GPU computations rather than CPU, accuracy is enhanced. And then by using real number rather than binary coding for object functions, further accuracy and speed gains are realized.
Water pollution by various toxic contaminants has become one of the most serious problems worldwide. Various technologies have been used to treat water and waste water including chemical precipitation, ion-exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration, coagulation-flocculation, flotation and electrochemical methods. From past few decades, nanotechnology has gained wide attention and various nanomaterials have been developed for the water remediation. In the present review article, various nanomaterials have been reviewed which have been used for water decontamination. The special emphasis in the review has been given on adsorption, photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of nanomaterials. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The article examines the causes and social mechanisms of anti-American attitudes and behavior and illustrates the fruitfulness of this theoretical approach using the example of Germany. We argue that anti-American attitudes are rooted mainly in two sociopsychological functions: the rationalization of social change and the projection of self-parts that have been suppressed. Other determinants are social norms, lack of personal social contact with Americans, and a strong national identity. Further, we also investigate the correlation between anti-American attitudes and behavioral intentions. Using a national sample (n = 1,201) and a comprehensive measure of anti-Americanism, we document the distribution of perceptions about America and Americans among the German population and explore the explanatory power of the theoretical concepts.
Cancer cell metabolism is a complex, dynamic network of regulated pathways. Interrogation of this network would benefit from rapid, sensitive techniques that are adaptable to high-throughput formats, facilitating novel compound screening. This requires assays that have minimal sample preparation and are adaptable to lower-volume 384-well formats and automation. Here we describe bioluminescent glucose, lactate, glutamine, and glutamate detection assays that are well suited for high-throughput analysis of two major metabolic pathways in cancer cells: glycolysis and glutaminolysis. The sensitivity (1-5 pmol/sample), broad linear range (0.1-100 mu M), and wide dynamic range (>100-fold) are advantageous for measuring both extracellular and intracellular metabolites. Importantly, the assays incorporate rapid inactivation of endogenous enzymes, eliminating deproteinization steps required by other methods. Using ovarian cancer cell lines as a model system, the assays were used to monitor changes in glucose and glutamine consumption and lactate and glutamate secretion over time. Homogeneous formats of the lactate and glutamate assays were robust (Z' = 0.6-0.9) and could be multiplexed with a real-time viability assay to generate internally controlled data. Screening a small-compound library with these assays resulted in the identification of both inhibitors and activators of lactate and glutamate production.
The present research examines the relationship between the infrahumanization approach and the two- dimensional model of humanness: an issue that has received very little empirical attention. In Study 1, we created three unknown groups (Humanized, Animalized, and Mechanized) granting/denying them Human Nature (HN) and Human Uniqueness (HU) traits. The attribution of primary/secondary emotions was measured. As expected, participants attributed more secondary emotions to the humanized compared to dehumanized groups. Importantly, both animalized and mechanized groups were attributed similar amounts of secondary emotions. In Study 2, the groups were described in terms of their capacity to express secondary emotions. We measured the attribution of HN/HU traits. Results showed that the infrahumanized group was denied both HU/HN traits. The results highlight the importance of considering the common aspects of both approaches in understanding processes of dehumanization.
An audience can have a profound effect on the dynamics of communicative interactions. As a result, non-human primates often adjust their social decision-making strategies depending on the audience composition at a given time. Here we sought to test how the unique vocal behaviour of multiple audience members affected decisions to communicate. To address this issue, we developed a novel experimental paradigm in which common marmosets directly interacted with multiple 'virtual monkeys' (VMs), each of whom represented an individual marmoset with distinct vocal behaviour. This active social signalling paradigm provided subjects an opportunity to interact with and learn about the behaviour of each VM in the network and apply this knowledge in subsequent communicative decisions. We found that subjects' propensity to interact with particular VMs was determined by the behaviour of each VM in the audience and suggests that marmoset social decision-making strategies are highly adaptive to nuances of the immediate communication network.
Different studies in the field of agricultural engineering have successfully related irrigation needs of plants with the percentage of green cover in crop images, by using simple allometric equations. Therefore, the problem of segmenting plants from soil in digital images becomes a key component of many water management systems. The development of automatic computer vision algorithms avoids slow and expensive procedures which require the supervision of human experts. In this sense, color analysis techniques have shown to yield the best results in accuracy and efficiency. This paper describes the design and development of a new web application with two different color segmentation techniques to estimate the percentage of green cover. The system allows a remote monitoring of crops, including functionality to upload images, analyze images, database storage, and graphical visualization of the results. An extensive experimental validation of this tool has been carried out on a lettuce crop of variety 'Little Gem'. The two segmentation methods - based on probabilistic color models using histograms, and clustering in the RGB space using the fuzzy c-means algorithm - are compared with respect to a manual segmentation technique which allows the human expert to validate the outcome of the process for each image. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of these two automatic methods as substitutes of the supervised process. The first method achieves a relative error below 2.4% in the obtained segmentation, while the second method has an error below 4.8%. Both techniques require less than 1 s of processing time in the server. Equations to compute the crop coefficient parameter are also included and validated for the same kind of crop.(C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The practice of rainwater harvesting (RWH) is spreading rapidly in urban areas. This article studies the impact of a possible generalization of this practice for municipalities by proposing a new method to quantify the potential for potable water savings (PPWS) by using rainwater harvesting at the urban level. The proposed method is based on the adaptation of an already validated model assessing the PPWS for single buildings and the use of urban databases. Two concepts are introduced: (1) the building type that allows gathering all the buildings sharing common features; and (2) the equivalent building, which is used to assess the PPWS of a set of buildings (of a same building type) as if it were a single building. In the case of the municipality of Colombes (located in the suburbs of Paris), the method shows that the PPWS by using rainwater harvesting represents about 10% of the total potable water consumption: the residential buildings account for 64% of this potential. This method can be applied to other municipalities with a level of acceptable reliability with regard to the means to be implemented in terms of collecting information.
Neuroimaging biomarkers differ between patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and lateonset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Whether these changes reflect cognitive heterogeneity or differences in disease severity is still unknown. This study aimed at investigating changes in neuroimaging biomarkers, according to the age of onset of the disease, in mild amnestic Alzheimer's disease patients with positive amyloid biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid. Both patient groups were impaired on tasks assessing verbal and visual recognition memory. EOAD patients showed greater executive and linguistic deficits, while LOAD patients showed greater semantic memory impairment. In EOAD and LOAD, hypometabolism involved the bilateral temporoparietal junction and the posterior cingulate cortex. In EOAD, atrophy was widespread, including frontotemporoparietal areas, whereas it was limited to temporal regions in LOAD. Atrophic volumes were greater in EOAD than in LOAD. Hypometabolic volumes were similar in the 2 groups. Greater extent of atrophy in EOAD, despite similar extent of hypometabolism, could reflect different underlying pathophysiological processes, different glucose-based compensatory mechanisms or distinct level of premorbid atrophic lesions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Principle of Minimum absorbed Power (PMP) is defined and demonstrated as a fundamental for electrical circuits in stationary and quasi-stationary regime. By imposing the PMP natural conditions result Kirchhoff Current Law (KCL) and Nodal Method (NM). First aim of this paper is to propose a new formulation of basic forms of circuit equations by substituting the KCL or NM equations with PMP equations. Furthermore this paper proves the co-existence of PMP and of Maximum Power Transfer Theorem (MPTT) as one of the basic concepts of electrical circuit theory. All the above considerations can be extrapolated and demonstrated as a natural sequel to linear magnetic circuits in quasi-stationary state by considering their equivalence with electrical circuits. In this case, by imposing the conditions of Principle of Minimum absorbed Energy (PME) one proves that the equations of Kirchhoff's fascicular Fluxes Law (KFL) and Nodal Method for Magnetic circuits (NMM) are achieved. The numerical examples presented hereinafter refer to classical linear electric and magnetic circuits in quasi-stationary state and prove the originality of the theoretical concepts introduced.
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) 1020, Technical Communication, is a first-year technical communication course designed for first-year College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) students at Western Michigan University (WMU). The course meets the university's General Education Writing Proficiency One requirement and is part of the core pre-engineering/pre-engineering technology program. Beginning with discussions amongst STEM faculty on how best to aid student retention while meeting course outcomes, the course coordinator has instituted a series of changes to the course syllabus and requirements including an emphasis on career exploration and development, research writing, and lifelong learning awareness. IME 1020 has also become an anchor course for the STEP (STEM Talent Enhancement Program) Learning Communities where interaction with faculty, and programs emphasizing early intervention and academic etiquette are contributing positively to an increase in first-year student retention rates.
The aim of this study was to compare the data obtained using the new LIAISON (R) XL chemiluminescence system to search for HBsAg, antiHCV, and anti-HIV1-2/p24 Ag with those obtained using the VITROS system currently adopted by the Microbiology Unit of the Hospital of Legnano. Routine samples of patients who were referred by practitioners for the determination of HBsAg (1,000 samples) and/or anti-HCV (1,002 samples) and/or anti-HIV1-2 (995 samples) were simultaneously analyzed using both systems. The concordant positive and discordant samples were re-examined for confirmation by means of an HBsAg neutralization assay, anti-HCV immunoblot, or anti-HIV1-2 Western blot; HBV-DNA, or HCV-RNA or HIV-RNA was also sought in the discordant samples. Samples of patients known to be positive were tested (100 HBsAg positive, 100 anti-HCV positive, and 100 HIV 1-2 positive) as well throughout treatment, with viremia levels becoming undetectable after treatment. The HBsAg, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV1-2 concordance between the two systems in routine series was respectively 99.8%, 98.5% and 99.7%, and 100% for all markers in samples known positive. The various molecular biology and confirmatory tests of the discordant samples were all negative (except for one anti-HCV positive sample). Measure of Cohen's kappa coefficient for HBsAg, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV gave K values of respectively 0.992, 0.946, and 0.980. In conclusion, the performance of the LIAISON (R) XL system in the routine laboratory determination for all three markers was comparable with that of the VITROS system. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In this article, the performance of two analytical methods known as the homotopy perturbation method (HPM) and Adomian decomposition method (ADM) on solving linear and nonlinear boundary value problems structural engineering and fluid mechanics are compared. In order to compare these mathematical models, various problems in inelastic and viscoelastic flows, deformation of beams, and plate deflection theory are chosen. In addition, the results of these two methods are compared with exact solutions to evaluate the precision and accuracy of these numerical methods.
Polluted insulators frequently face flashover accident and it threatens the safety and stability of power system. In order to help to reduce the occurrence of flashover, it is necessary to study the contamination characteristics of insulators and its influence factors. In this study, the contamination of insulator is simulated by the Eulerian multiphase model in computational fluid dynamics. The flow field around insulators is calculated and the volume fraction of the particle phase is used to characterise the pollution degree on insulator surface. Results show that the pollution is mainly distributed on windward side and leeward side of insulator. The crosswind side of insulator is slightly contaminated. The four influence factors, wind velocity, particle concentration, particle diameter and flow angle have different effects on insulator contamination. Among these factors the particle concentration contributes most to the whole contamination degree of insulators. A wind tunnel contamination test on insulator is carried out to verify the feasibility of the numerical simulation. It can be found that simulated contamination distribution and variation of contamination degree with wind velocity well coincide with the results of wind tunnel test. The numerical simulation in this study is practical in studying the insulator contamination.
Recently, some commercial websites collect browsing history and device information for use in services they provide. In this paper, we focused on font information that can be obtained via a web browser to determine what kind of software can be identified about a given device. According to existing research, it is possible to identify installed applications such as the Adobe Flash Player and Microsoft Office using such font information. Thus, we have examined the fonts installed by operating systems (OS) and applications. Our results show that font information on a device can be used to identify installed applications and OS type and version.
Dagger is a modeling and visualization framework that addresses the challenge of representing knowledge and information for decision-makers, enabling them to better comprehend the operational context of network security data. It allows users to answer critical questions such as Given that I care about mission X, is there any reason I should be worried about what is going on in cyberspace? or If this system fails, will I still be able to accomplish my mission?
BACKGROUND: Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) contributes to heart allograft loss. However, an important knowledge gap remains in terms of the pathophysiology of AMR and how detection of immune activity, injury degree, and stage could be improved by intragraft gene expression profiling. METHODS: We prospectively monitored 617 heart transplant recipients referred from 4 French transplant centers (January 1, 2006-January 1, 2011) for AMR. We compared patients with AMR (n=55) with a matched control group of 55 patients without AMR. We characterized all patients using histopathology (ISHLT [International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation] 2013 grades), immunostaining, and circulating anti-HLA donor-specific antibodies at the time of biopsy, together with systematic gene expression assessments of the allograft tissue, using microarrays. Effector cells were evaluated with in vitro human cell cultures. We studied a validation cohort of 98 heart recipients transplanted in Edmonton, AB, Canada, including 27 cases of AMR and 71 controls. RESULTS: A total of 240 heart transplant endomyocardial biopsies were assessed. AMR showed a distinct pattern of injury characterized by endothelial activation with microcirculatory inflammation by monocytes/macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells. We also observed selective changes in endothelial/angiogenesis and NK cell transcripts, including CD16A signaling and interferon-gamma-inducible genes. The AMR-selective gene sets accurately discriminated patients with AMR from those without and included NK transcripts (area under the curve=0.87), endothelial activation transcripts (area under the curve=0.80), macrophage transcripts (area under the curve=0.86), and interferon-. transcripts (area under the curve=0.84; P<0.0001 for all comparisons). These 4 gene sets showed increased expression with increasing pathological AMR (pAMR) International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade (P<0.001) and association with donor-specific antibody levels. The unsupervised principal components analysis demonstrated a high proportion of molecularly inactive pAMR1(I+), and there was significant molecular overlap between pAMR1(H+) and full-blown pAMR2/3 cases. Endothelial activation transcripts, interferon-., and NK transcripts showed association with chronic allograft vasculopathy. The molecular architecture and selective AMR transcripts, together with gene set discrimination capacity for AMR identified in the discovery set, were reproduced in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Tissue-based measurements of specific pathogenesis-based transcripts reflecting NK burden, endothelial activation, macrophage burden, and interferon-. effects accurately classify AMR and correlate with degree of injury and disease activity. This study illustrates the clinical potential of a tissue-based analysis of gene transcripts to refine diagnosis of heart transplant rejection.
Introduction. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)/Morbus Bechterew is a chronic inflammatory rheumatoid disease. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is involved in 4-35% of AS cases, and is correlated to the severity and extension of AS. Even though AS-caused TMJ ankylosis is exceptional, one should have high index of suspicion of TMJ ankylosis in AS for an early detection, because it is an extremely serious and disabling condition that causes problems with mastication, swallowing, digestion, speech, appearance and poor oral hygiene with heavy caries. Case report. A 54-year-old male patient sought medical attention at the Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, Clinic for Dentistry at the Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, Serbia, with the chief complaint of pain in the area of the upper left canine in the presence of limited mouth opening. The treatment plan consisted of upper left canine management and rehabilitation of the remaining teeth in the frontal and the premolar region in both, the upper and lower jaw. Even though molar region needed to be treated, unfortunately it was not in the treatment plan because ankylosis of TMJ made the treatment impossible. Conclusion. The patients with AS-caused TMJ ankylosis are considered a diagnostic challenge to routine dentistry. Accent should be given to early diagnosis and multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of the AS patients towards the favorable disease course and outcome.
Desrvousges et al. (2012) investigate criteria for judging the adequacy of scope test differences in contingent valuation studies. They focus particular attention on our study (Chapman et al. 2009), arguing that, while it demonstrated a statistically significant scope effect, the effect is too small. Unfortunately, DMT misinterpreted Chapman et al., an error that makes DMT's criticisms of our study invalid. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We describe the clinical and whole genome sequencing (WGS) study of a non-consanguineous Italian family in which two siblings, a boy and a girl, manifesting a severe epileptic encephalopathy (EE) with skeletal abnormalities, carried novel SLC35A3 compound heterozygous mutations. Both siblings exhibited infantile spasms, associated with focal, and tonic vibratory seizures from early infancy. EEG recordings showed a suppression-burst (SB) pattern and multifocal paroxysmal activity in both. In addition both had quadriplegia, acquired microcephaly, and severe intellectual disability. General examination showed distal arthrogryposis predominant in the hands in both siblings and severe left dorso-lumbar convex scoliosis in one. WGSof the siblings-parents quartet identified novel compound heterozygous mutations in SLC35A3 in both children. SLC35A3 encodes the major Golgi uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine transporter. With this study, we add SLC35A3 to the gene list of epilepsies. Neurological symptoms and skeletal abnormalities might result from impaired glycosylation of proteins involved in normal development and function of the central nervous system and skeletal apparatus.
Background: Food allergies are increasing in prevalence but no treatment strategies are currently available to cure dogs with food allergy. Over the past decade, experimental food allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy (FA-SLIT) has emerged as a potential treatment for food allergies in human medicine. However, FA-SLIT has not been investigated in dogs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate the safety, tolerability and dispenser sterility of FA-SLIT in healthy dogs before testing it in food allergic dogs. Eight experimental healthy beagle dogs, never orally exposed to peanut, were randomized in two groups to receive SLIT with peanut or placebo for 4 months. Subjects were monitored daily for local and systemic adverse effects. Blood samples for complete blood count and serum biochemistry, and urine for urinalysis were collected and the dogs' body weight was recorded at day 0, 35 and 119 of the SLIT treatment. Sera for the determination of peanut-specific IgG and IgE were collected at day 0, 35, 49, 70, 91, 105 and 119. Intradermal tests were performed before (day 0) and after (day 119) the experiment. The content of each dispenser used to administer treatment or placebo was tested for sterility after usage. In order to assess the presence or absence of sensitization, dogs were challenged 6 months after the end of the study with 2000 mu g of peanut extract daily for 7 to 14 days. Results: All dogs completed the study. The treatment did not provoke either local or systemic side-effects. Peanut-specific IgG significantly increased in treatment group. Even though a significant increase in peanut-specific IgE was also seen, intradermal tests were negative in all dogs before and after the experiment, and the challenge test did not trigger any adverse reactions in the treated dogs, which shows the protocol did not cause sensitization to peanut, but nevertheless primed the immune system as indicated by the humoral immune response. All dispenser solutions were sterile. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the used peanut-SLIT protocol is well tolerated and safe in healthy dogs. Further studies should evaluate tolerability, safety and efficacy in dogs with food allergy.
Viruses with segmented RNA genomes must package the correct number of segments for synthesis of infectious virus particles. Recent studies suggest that the members of the Reoviridae family with segmented double-stranded RNA genomes achieve this challenging task by forming RNA networks of segments prior to their recruitment into the assembling capsid albeit direct evidence is still lacking. Here, we investigated the capability of virus recovery by preformed complexes of ten RNA segments of Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease Virus ( EHDV), a Reoviridae member, by transcribing exact T7 cDNA copies of genomic RNA segments in a single in vitro reaction followed by transfection of mammalian cells. The data obtained was further confirmed by RNA complexes generated from Bluetongue virus, another family member. Formation of RNA complexes was demonstrated by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, and RNA-RNA interactions inherent to the formation of the RNA complexes were demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Further, we showed that disruption of RNA complex formation inhibits virus recovery, confirming that recruitment of complete RNA networks is essential for packaging and consequently, virus recovery. This efficient reverse genetics system will allow further understanding of evolutionary relationships of Reoviridae members and may also contribute to development of antiviral molecules.
Ultrasonic ranging (UR) technology has being used widely in many industries around the world. This paper aims to design and manufacture an ultrasonic distance measuring system with lower price and higher accuracy. Based on the deep study of principle of ultrasonic ranging, we designed the general plan and detailed electrical circuits for the ultrasonic distance measuring system based on single chip microprocessor of AT89S52, including the transmitter module of ultrasonic wave, receiving module of ultrasonic wave, display module etc. Then, we compiled the relative driven programs for all modules. After that, we debugged the combined system of hardware and software system. At last, the experimental results show that the cost is about 300RMB for 3 prototypes, measuring rang is 0.16 similar to 1.5m with the accuracy of 0.001mm, which means the ranging system meets the design requirements of lower price and higher accuracy.
A curriculum wide initiative to enrich course content and increase student engagement in experiential learning through the adoption of new learning modalities is underway in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, OH. The projects entail the development of online learning modules which interweave experimental and computational analysis. The modules incorporate multimedia content which has been prepared with undergraduate and graduate to enable easy uploading/updating of material. The distinctive feature of the ComEx studios is the thematic linking of the content which allows them to be used for multiple classes with a progressive advancement in technical content. This paper presents details of the studio model: motivation, methodology, implementation and assessment. The learning modules can utilized by faculty to introduce new lab derived content, which may be related to their research, into a traditional class only course format. Additional benefits of the modules include the ability to independently review specific topics in preparation of advanced courses or for a research project. Assessment of the efficacy of the modules is being performed by students surveys completed online, and by four external (faculty) reviewers. Continuous improvement of the modules is underway.
In this paper, qualitative descriptors of images (QIDL(+)), 3D scenes (QSn3D) and movements (QMD) are proposed to be applied to ambient intelligent systems for: (i) improving human-computer interaction and (ii) enhancing their reasoning capabilities. These qualitative descriptors align with human perception and are used to produce narratives. Moreover, logic descriptions are obtained in first order logic and Prolog syntax, which enables straightforward reasoning capabilities. Finally, some use case tests carried out at Cartesium - the intelligent building at Spatial Cognition centre, at the University of Bremen are provided to show the flexibility and applicability of these qualitative descriptors. The results provided are discussed in terms of usability, logic framework used and integration of descriptors.
Slope supported by gabion and geotextile bag both have a high supporting strength, and with local materials, convenient construction, adaptability, environmental protection, low noise, low engineering cost and other advantages. So, it has a rapid development and wide application. To achieve supporting and retaining structure of a red beds slope to effectively play the role of protection, convenient construction and reduce project cost. Under the same conditions of indoor model, a comparative analysis of the natural slope model without shoring, model supported by geotextile or gabion is carried out. Obtain a conclusion that the protective effect of the gabion is better, specific suggestions on the suitability and construction of the supporting structure of the gabion are put forward.
Human metabolism is investigated using several in vitro methods. However, the current methodologies are often expensive, tedious and complicated. Over the last decade, the combination of electrochemistry (EC) with mass spectrometry (MS) has a simpler and a cheaper alternative to mimic the human metabolism. This paper describes the development of a disposable microfluidic device with a screen-printed electrode (SPE) for monitoring phase II GSH reactions. The proposed chip has the potential to be used as a primary screening tool, thus complementing the current in vitro methods.
The aim of this study was to explore how Japanese young adults use social networking sites (SNS) and the social psychological factors that might impact their SNS security settings. A survey (N = 79) was employed to examine usage habits, actual account settings, risk perception and social cognition related to Twitter. Results indicate that there are discrepancies among privacy concerns, usage habits and actual privacy settings in Twitter users. More than 80% of respondents actually use public settings on their accounts, and a half of them disclose personal details in their profile despite believing that private information should not be disclosed on Twitter. Respondents also exhibited optimistic cognition and behavior regarding online privacy risks for themselves and negative stereotypes toward Twitter users whose accounts are protected. The possibility that these social cognitive factors have an impact on user privacy settings is discussed in this paper.
Background: Action tremor is the hallmark feature of essential tremor (ET). While the tremor typically is mildly asymmetric, in some patients, it is markedly asymmetric. There are few data on factors that influence this asymmetry. ET is also a highly familial disease. Whether the tremor asymmetry profile (i.e., differential expression of tremor in each arm in a given patient) is similar across family members is not known. The alternative possibility is that this feature is not heritable. There are no published data addressing this issue. The aim of this study was to determine whether the extent of action tremor asymmetry ran in ET families. Methods: ET probands and relatives were enrolled in a genetic study at Yale and Columbia Universities. An in-person evaluation included a videotaped neurological examination, including a detailed assessment of tremors. A senior movement disorders neurologist reviewed all videotaped examinations, and the severity of postural and kinetic arm tremors was rated on 12 examination items using a reliable rating scale. The tremor asymmetry index = right arm tremor score left arm tremor score. We used a bivariate linear regression model to assess the predictors of the tremor asymmetry index in relatives; this model used the tremor asymmetry index in the proband as a primary predictor of interest. In an analysis of variance (ANOVA), we tested for heterogeneity across families in the tremor asymmetry index (i.e., to see whether there was a significant family effect). Results: There were 187 enrollees (59 probands, 128 affected relatives). In a bivariate linear regression model, the tremor asymmetry index in the proband was not a predictor of the tremor asymmetry index in their relatives (p = 0.66). In an ANOVA, family grouping did not explain a significant proportion of the total variance in the tremor asymmetry index (p = 0.56). Conclusion: Tremor asymmetry did not aggregate in families with ET. Therefore, this does not seem to be a disease feature that is heritable. These data will provide added value to the clinical dialog, giving patients one more piece of information about the way the disease manifests within families.
In this paper, a segmentation-based approach to fine registration of multispectral and multitemporal very high resolution (VHR) images is proposed. The proposed approach aims at estimating and correcting the residual local misalignment [also referred to as registration noise (RN)] that often affects multitemporal VHR images even after standard registration. The method extracts automatically a set of object representative points associated with regions with homogeneous spectral properties (i.e., objects in the scene). Such points result to be distributed all over the considered scene and account for the high spatial correlation of pixels in VHR images. Then, it estimates the amount and direction of residual local misalignment for each object representative point by exploiting residual local misalignment properties in a multiple displacement analysis framework. To this end, a multiscale differential analysis of the multispectral difference image is employed for modeling the statistical distribution of pixels affected by residual misalignment (i.e., RN pixels) and detect them. The RN is used to perform a segmentation-based fine registration based on both temporal and spatial correlation. Accordingly, the method is particularly suitable to be used for images with a large number of border regions like VHR images of urban scenes. Experimental results obtained on both simulated and real multitemporal VHR images confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Public opinion research has repeatedly shown that religious people generally report more prejudice against homosexuality. However, previous research exploring the general mechanisms that underpin this relationship mostly relied on Christian samples in North America. Studies outside North America are few in number and limited in the forms of religiosity they address. Of all indicators that have been studied so far, a religious quest orientation was found to be the only one negatively related to anti-gay sentiments. This leaves open the question whether the mechanisms for different forms of religiosity can also be found outside North America. Against that background this research note assesses how religious quest orientation, self-rated religiosity, religious behavior, and authoritarianism are related to prejudice against homosexuality among Christian and Muslim youth aged 14-23 in Flanders (N = 2,834). This study is the first that investigates the relationship between religious quest orientation and anti-gay sentiments among Muslims. For both Christians and Muslims, we found that even taking into account a wide range of social background and religious characteristics, having a religious quest orientation is related to less prejudice toward homosexuality.
The purposes of this study were to determine: (i) the extent of an acute session of high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) followed by a concurrent strength session (Conc) on the increase of systemic inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and (ii) whether eight weeks of high intensity interval training plus concurrent strength training alters the acute inflammatory response and immune status. Ten recreationally active males (aged 26.9 +/- 4.3 years) performed two experimental exercise sessions interspersed by eight weeks of HILT plus concurrent strength training. The experimental exercise session was composed of a 5-km run on a treadmill (1:1 at 100% of maximal aerobic speed (MAS)), and after 10 min of passive recovery, back squat exercises were performed (80% 1RM, four sets until exhaustion). Serum samples were collected after fasting, pre-HIIE, post-HIIE, Pre-Conc, Post-Conc, and 30 and 60 min postexercise session. The comparison between both concurrent exercise sessions was performed using repeated measure ANOVA, with the Bonferroni Post-hoc when necessary. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) presented a moment effect (F = 6.72; p < 0.05), with Post-Conc significantly higher than pre-HIIE, Post-HIIE, and 60 min, only a tendency was found between pre-HIIE and post-HIIE (difference =-5.99; p = 0.09). MCP-1 and IL-Ira did not present effects for condition, moment, or interaction. Interleuldn-10 (IL-10) presented both moment and interaction effects (F = 5.31 and 2.50; p = 0.005 and 0.036). Pre-Conc and Post-Conc were significantly higher than Pre-HIIE. The interaction between before and after eight weeks of concurrent training probably occurred at Post-Conc (11.42 +/- 3.09 pg mL(-1) and 8.88 +/- 1.29 pg mL(-1)). In addition, maintenance of immune function was observed. Therefore, HIIE and concurrent strength exercise lead to an increase in cytokines response, but eight weeks of training program promoted antiinflammatory response after an acute session of concurrent exercise. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to preventing and ending homelessness among U.S. veterans, but there have been few estimates of the incidence of veteran homelessness and prospective studies to identify predictors of homelessness. This study examines the 1-year incidence of homelessness among veterans seen in VA specialty mental health clinics and identified sociodemographic and clinical predictors of homelessness. Using a retrospective cohort study design, data were extracted from the VA medical records of 306,351 veterans referred to anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder clinics across 130 VA facilities from 2008-2012 and followed for 1 year after referral. Homeless incidence was defined as new use of any VA homeless services or a documented International Classification of Diseases (9th rev.) V60.0 (lack of housing) code during the year. Of the total sample, 5.6% (7.8% for women and 5.4% for men) experienced homelessness within 1 year after referral to VA specialty mental health care. Veterans who were unmarried or diagnosed with a drug use disorder were more than twice as likely to become homeless; those who were Black or had annual incomes less than $25,000 were more than one and a half times as likely to become homeless. Together, these findings suggest a notable and important percentage of veterans seen in VA specialty mental health clinics newly experience homelessness annually. Monitoring early signs of housing vulnerability and preventing homelessness in this vulnerable but treatment-engaged population may be important in the VA's efforts to end veteran homelessness.
The provision of high quality urban water services, the assets of which are often conceptualised as 'blue infrastructure', is essential for public health and quality of life in the cities. On the other hand, parks, recreation grounds, gardens, green roofs and in general 'green infrastructure', provide a range of (urban) ecosystem services (including quality of life and aesthetics) and could also be thought of as inter alia contributors to the mitigation of floods, droughts, noise, air pollution and urban heat island (UHI) effects, improvement of biodiversity, amenity values and human health. Currently, these 'blue' and 'green' assets/infrastructure are planned to operate as two separate systems despite the obvious interactions between them (for example, low runoff coefficient of green areas resulting in reduction of stormwater flows, and irrigation of green areas by potable water in increasing pressure on water supply systems). This study explores the prospects of a more integrated 'blue-green' approach - tested at the scale of a household. Specifically, UWOT (the Urban Water Optioneering Tool) was extended and used to assess the potential benefits of a scheme that employed locally treated greywater along with harvested rainwater for irrigating a green roof. The results of the simulations indicated that the blue-green approach combined the benefits of both 'green' and 'blue' technologies/services and at the same time minimised the disadvantages of each when installed separately.
Reverse genetics techniques are powerful tools for studying gene functions. In the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, RNAi-mediated knockdown of genes still is the most commonly used reverse genetics technique. Due to the diploidic life cycle missing reproduction in lab cultures, many commonly used techniques to create knockout instead of knockdown lines are not applicable in P. tricornutum. These limitations can be overcome by using genome editing approaches like TALEN (Transcription activator-like effector nucleases), and/or CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), allowing the introduction of targeted mutagenesis events. Both techniques have recently been adapted exemplarily for diatoms, however, no concise guidelines exist yet for routine utilization of these tools and the subsequent characterization of the mutants. We therefore have adapted a cost-effective TALEN generation system previously established for mammalian cells for the use in P. tricornutum, allowing the assembly of TALENs in about twoweeks. We further provide protocols for: a) choosing a TALEN target site in order to avoid potentially ineffective and/ or off-target prone TALEN constructs, b) efficient transformation of P. tricornutum with both TALEN constructs, utilizing two antibiotics resistance markers, c) effective screening of the transformants. In order to test our system we chose the blue-light dependent transcription factor Aureochrome1a (PtAureo1a) as a target gene due to the known phenotype of previously characterized P. tricornutum RNAi knockdown strains. Our TALEN approach appears to be highly efficient: targeted mutation events were detected in 50% of all transformants obtained, whereas 21% of the transformants were found to be bi-allelic knockout lines. Furthermore, most TALEN transformed cell lines were found to be genetically homogeneous without the need for re-plating, which greatly facilitates the screening process. (C) 2017 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
One of the most significant reliability issues in switching-mode power supplies is electrolytic capacitor degradation caused by aging. This paper proposes an output voltage transient analysis method to detect capacitor wear-out at the output stage of a step-down dc-dc converter. Changes in the converter output voltage dynamics are evaluated by analyzing the output voltage step response with respect to a decrease in the capacitance. The sensitivity of the method is assessed with respect to parameter variations using an equivalent main circuit model. The feasibility of the presented method is verified by experimental tests using a converter prototype. The results show that the presented method is practical and adequate for detecting capacitor degradation in various operating conditions.
Fanconi anemia (FA) is characterized by congenital malformations, progressive bone marrow failure, and predisposition to malignancy. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is used to treat FA, and best results are attained with sibling donors who are human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identical matches. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) offers parents of an affected child the opportunity to have an unaffected child who is an HLA match. While some research has investigated parents' experiences during the PGD process, no published studies specifically address factors influencing their decision-making process and long-term interpersonal outcomes. The aims of this study are to: (1) examine parents' expectations and the influence of media, bioethics, and religion on their decision to undergo PGD; (2) examine parents' social support and emotional experiences during their PGD process; and (3) characterize long-term effects of PGD on relationship dynamics (partner, family, friends), others' attitudes, and parental regret. Nine parents participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed their decision to use PGD was variously influenced by media, bioethics, and religion, in particular, affecting parents' initial confidence levels. Moreover, the PGD process was emotionally complex, with parents desiring varying amounts and types of support from different sources at different times. Parents reported others' attitudes towards them were similar or no different than before PGD. Parental regret regarding PGD was negligible. Results of this study will promote optimization of long-term care for FA families.
A new, small and efficient voltage regulator, realized using a resonant switched-capacitor converter technology, is introduced. Voltage regulation is implemented by means of simple digital pulse density modulation. It displays an ideal transient response with a zero-order nature to all disturbance types. The newly developed topology acts as a gyrator with awide range of voltage conversion ratios (below as well as above unity) with constant efficiency characteristics for the entire operation range. The operation of the voltage regulator is verified on a 20 W experimental prototype, demonstrating ideal transient recovery without over/undershoots in response to load and line transients. Simple design guidelines for the voltage regulation system are provided and verified by experiments.
Developmental lead (Pb) exposure is suggested in laboratory studies to be a trigger for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sortilin-related receptor, L (DLR class) A repeats-containing (SORL1) is a recently identified AD genetic risk factor. SORL1 has limited characterization in vertebrate models in comparison to other AD genetic risk factors. To characterize SORL1 further, protein sequence homology between humans, mice and zebrafish was analyzed and showed conservation of functional repeats and domain orientation. Next, spatial expression of sorl1 in zebrafish larvae was completed and diffuse expression in neural tissue that was not restricted to the brain was observed. Influences of sex and age on quantitative expression of sorl1 in the brain of adult zebrafish were then assessed. Sex-specific alteration of sorl1 expression transpired during the aging process in females. The zebrafish was then utilized to investigate the impacts of a 100ppb embryonic Pb exposure on sorl1 expression and other known AD genetic risk factors. Sex-specific quantitative gene expression analysis was completed with adult zebrafish brain to compare those developmentally exposed to Pb or a control treatment, but no significant difference in sorl1 expression or other AD genetic risk factors was observed. Overall, this study provided characterization of sorl1 with changes in brain expression during aging being female-specific. This finding is in agreement with females being more prone to the onset of AD, but analysis of additional AD genetic risk factors is needed to facilitate our understanding of the impact of a 100ppb embryonic Pb exposure. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A digital control method combining primary-side sensing, observer and model-predictive-control techniques is proposed. A conventional isolated Flyback converter is chosen for demonstrating the method. The only measured signal is the drain-source voltage over the switch. Following a procedure of signal processing, state estimation and constraint problem formulation, the controller determines the optimal duty cycle ratio. The advantages of the proposed method include minimal overshoot and fast stabilization, converter state restriction, and measurement network simplification.
Medical education relies heavily on assessment formats that require raters to assess the competence and skills of learners. Unfortunately, there are often inconsistencies and variability in the scores raters assign. To ensure the scores from these assessment tools have validity, it is important to understand the underlying cognitive processes that raters use when judging the abilities of their learners. The goal of this paper, therefore, is to contribute to a better understanding of the cognitive processes used by raters. Representative findings from the social judgment and decision making, cognitive psychology, and educational measurement literature will be used to enlighten the underpinnings of these rater-based assessments. Of particular interest is the impact judgments referred to as first impressions (or thin slices) have on rater-based assessments. These are judgments about people made very quickly and based on very little information. A narrative review will provide a synthesis of research in these three literatures (social judgment and decision making, educational psychology, and cognitive psychology) and will focus on the underlying cognitive processes, the accuracy and the impact of first impressions on rater-based assessments. The application of these findings to the types of rater-based assessments used in medical education will then be reviewed. Gaps in understanding will be identified and suggested directions for future research studies will be discussed.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show a possibility of how new functions can be integrated in parts, created by the powder-bed-based 3D-printing technology. One big advantage of additive manufacturing technologies is the possibility to create function-integrated parts during the manufacturing process. This applies to mechanical functions like movable elements, thermodynamic functions like contour near cooling channels in a part as well as electrical functions like conductive lines and electrical components. Design/methodology/approach - A powder-bed-based 3D-printer is utilized to process polymethyl methacrylate ( PMMA) as base material. To enable new functionalities, an automated exhausting mechanism was implemented into the test system. The created cavities can be filled with new components or rather new materials. Findings - Three different approaches are shown in this paper. The first one was the integration of screw nuts to enhance bolted joints compared to threads, directly created in the part. The average tensile strength could be raised from 200 to 430 N/mm. The second approach was the integration of different reinforcement elements like carbon or metallic fibers. Here again a reinforcement of the tensile strength of approximately 27 per cent could be reached. The last approach shows a method to integrate conductive material as well as electrical components in a part to create simple electrical circuits. Originality/value - The paper demonstrates how to extend an additive powder-bed-based technology with a powder-exhausting mechanism. The possibilities of this technology are illustrated by three examples, integrating mechanical as well as electrical functions in a part.
Geotextiles are placed between the subbase and subgrade in order to enhance the bearing capacity of soft subgrades. The concentrated forces perpendicular to the plane of geotextile as a result of subgrade surface irregularities can impart axi-symmetric loading to the geotextile. In this study, a simple model of axi-symmetric tensile strength for anisotropic hybrid needlepunched nonwoven geotextiles has been proposed by relating to its in-plane tensile properties obtained from wide-width tensile tests in the weaker direction. A range of hybrid geotextiles has been produced from a blend of polypropylene/viscose fibers in defined weight proportions to validate the model of axi-symmetric tensile strength. In general, a good correlation has been observed between the theoretical and experimental results of axi-symmetric tensile strength of hybrid needlepunched nonwoven geotextiles. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In arid and semi-arid areas, rainfall is often characterized by a strong spatial and temporal variability. These environmental factors, combined with the sparsity of the measurement networks in developing countries, constitute real constraints for water resources management. In recent years, several spatial rainfall measurement sources have become available, such as TRMM data (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission). In this study, the TRMM 3B42 Version 7 product was evaluated using rain gauges measurements from 19 stations in the Oum-Er-Bia (OER) basin located in the center of Morocco. The relevance of the TRMM product was tested by direct comparison with observations at different time scales (daily, monthly, and annual) between 1998 and 2010. Results show that the satellite product provides poor estimations of rainfall at the daily time scale giving an average Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of 0.2 and average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 10 mm. However, the accuracy of TRMM rainfall is improved when temporally averaged to monthly time scale (r of 0.8 and RMSE of 28 mm) or annual time scale (r of 0.71 and RMSE of 157 mm). Moreover, improved correlation with observed data was obtained for data spatially averaged at the watershed scale. Therefore, at the monthly and annual time scales, TRMM data can be a useful source of rainfall data for water resources monitoring and management in ungauged basins in semi-arid regions.
Background: Through mounting genetic investigations, it has been established that IL12B and IL23R gene single nucleotide polymorphisms have significant associations with autoimmune diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis. IL-12/IL-23 pathway plays a pivotal role in etiopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggested by studies both in patients and animal models. Methods: In a case-control study, 145 MS patients and 200 healthy subjects were genotyped for polymorphisms in IL12B and IL23R genes using Real-Time PCR allelic discrimination approach. Additionally, quantitative analysis of mRNA expression of IL12B in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from patients and controls was conducted through Real-Time PCR using the TaqMan Gene Expression Assay. Results: The rs6887695 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in IL12B gene showed an association with susceptibility to MS. GG genotype of this variation was more frequent in patients. mRNA expression of IL12B was upregulated in patients. Expression of IL12B mRNA in both MS patients collectively and those with GG genotype for rs6887695 SNP correlated negatively with onset age of MS patients. Conclusions: The GG genotype of rs6887695 SNP in IL12B gene plays a role in etiopathogenesis of MS.
Human social perception, communication, and interaction all require the efficient analysis and representation of person-related information. Faces or voices convey a large variety of socially relevant information, including a person's identity, emotions, gender, age, attractiveness, ethnic group, or focus of attention. However, perceptual mechanisms for processing such complex social stimuli have only recently become the focus of more systematic research. This development was arguably facilitated (1) by the availability of sophisticated stimulus manipulation techniques (e.g., image-, video-, and voice-morphing, caricaturing, and averaging) allowing researchers to create completely naturalistic person stimuli in which perceptual social cues are nevertheless under precise experimental control, and (2) by the availability of methods from the cognitive and social neurosciences. Here we review the current status of the field of person perception. In doing so, we discuss selected examples of highly active areas of research and show how person perception currently has developed into a central topic within psychological research. Evidence is emerging to suggest that perceptual social cues in faces or voices are not only spontaneously used to promote first impressions about people, but also that such impressions can show a degree of validity, suggesting that faces or voices can be seen as windows to the person behind. Accordingly, we argue that progress in other fields of social cognition that deal with real or virtual agents (e.g., theory of mind research, social categorization, human decision-making) will be enhanced by considering more strongly the influences of perceptual facial or vocal person information.
Snow load strength, excellent ventilation, strong end-wall construction, structure mobility, and rainwater harvesting are high tunnel features important to urban growers; rural farmers are interested in the same features for their high tunnels. Working to include these features in a single structure for urban growers has led to innovations that benefit both urban and rural farmers; rainwater harvesting, a mobile ready base frame, all weather retractable dome(s), and a two person installation method are a few of the innovations that have been developed in Cleveland, Ohio. These innovations have been applied on small farms throughout Northeast Ohio.A serious concern for the environmental and human health is represented by the increasing copper (Cu) occurrence in agricultural soils andwaters, because of the possible food contamination and bioaugmentation along the trophic chain. The request for the decontamination of different matrices with an environmentally sustainable technology as the phytoremediation should be addressed by selecting plant materials with improved pollutant tolerance and removal capability. With this purpose, plants of the hybrid poplar clone Monviso (Populus x generosa A. Henry x P. nigra L.) were grown in growth chamber under hydroponics and exposed to excess Cu concentrations (T-1, 75 mu M Cu; T-2, 150 mu M Cu), selected as about 5 and 10 times higher than those allowed by the Italian regulation on water use. Results evidenced a notable Cu tolerance by poplar plants, particularly at the lowest Cu concentration. At organ level, the root system was themost affected by Cu treatment, especially in T(2-)exposed plants. Copper determinations revealed that the metal was mostly bioaccumulated in the roots, with a limited amount reaching the shoots. Chlorophyll content and fluorescence analyses confirmed the visible symptoms in leaves, highlighting a good physiological status in T-1-exposed plants. Contrarily, an impairment of themain processes associated to photosynthesis was observed in T-2-exposed plants also by gas exchange measurements. Remarkably, the Cu content analysis of the spiked water solutions revealed that poplar plants succeeded in removing almost the 50% of the total Cu amount added. These results strengthen the evidence that poplar plants represent a useful eco-friendly bio-tool for the decontamination of metal polluted waters. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The characteristics of a thermally forced connected-vessel thermosyphon operating in an oscillatory mode have been determined using analytical techniques, the outcome of which is compared with results obtained by numerical integration of the governing equations. From a previous investigation it was known that adequate phase-plane representations of the limit cycles associated with oscillations could be obtained if the vessel-volume ratio was sufficiently small. This study aims at demonstrating how this constraint on the vessel volumes can be relaxed by prescribing a Mandelstam condition, that is, by postulating that the total heat content of the system remains conserved during the rapid phases of the oscillation. It was concluded that incorporating this Mandelstam condition in the analysis had the highly beneficial consequence that good analytical results could be obtained for much larger values of the vessel-volume ratio than those previously permitted.
This biography highlights the historical importance of Ferdinand Redtenbacher for the evolution of mechanical engineering to technical science in the 19th century. The presentation substantially follows [6,15] with regard to personal biographical details by Ferdinand Redtenbacher himself, [1,22-33], essays by contemporary witnesses in [7,9-12,34] (but not so much [2], see [40]) as well as historical appraisals in [13,14,37,38]. It starts with a description of his life covering his childhood and early teens in his home in Upper Austria, through the culmination of his professional career as a professor and the director of the Polytechnic school in Karlsruhe, Germany (today the University of Karlsruhe). Of particular interest is the question of which external circumstances and characters helped to establish the path of Redtenbacher's lifework and how his influence pushed the German manufacturing engineering in the 20th century and even today. Finally this paper explores Redtenbacher's contributions to mechanism and machine science by means of his construction of kinematic models for teaching. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In Manufacturing Engineering, there are several areas of knowledge focused on the study of manufacturing processes that give rise to products supplied to the processing industries and products to final consumers that can be processed from sheet, wires, rods and beams. In both cases, one of the most widely used manufacturing processes is the Metal Forming which is the mechanical process that pieces can be obtained by compression of solid metal in molds using plastic deformation of the material for filling the molds cavities. However, there is a process that can do the same without the need for molds, the so-called incremental sheet forming which consists of drawing the workpiece on a CNC form milling using a small cylindrical punch with a rounded tip. The purpose of this work is to make a study of the process of incremental sheet forming of polymers as a new type of rapid prototyping technology that is based on the process of forming material, different from the existing processes for removing or adding material. The tests were done in a geometry pyramid trunk format, in three subsequent stages and the objective is to evaluate some parameters such as temperature of working and the punch diameter in the final result of the prototype. The material chosen for the study was the PVC because that is present in many studies already done on the subject. Tests made with PVC indicated that a variation in 20 degrees C of material working temperature resulted in a significant increase in forming results during the tests.
With rapid urbanization, highly accurate and semantically rich virtualization of building assets in 3D become more critical for supporting various applications, including urban planning, emergency response and location-based services. Many research efforts have been conducted to automatically reconstruct building models at city-scale from remotely sensed data. However, developing a fully-automated photogrammetric computer vision system enabling the massive generation of highly accurate building models still remains a challenging task. One the most challenging task for 3D building model reconstruction is to regularize the noises introduced in the boundary of building object retrieved from a raw data with lack of knowledge on its true shape. This paper proposes a data-driven modeling approach to reconstruct 3D rooftop models at city-scale from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. The focus of the proposed method is to implicitly derive the shape regularity of 3D building rooftops from given noisy information of building boundary in a progressive manner. This study covers a full chain of 3D building modeling from low level processing to realistic 3D building rooftop modeling. In the element clustering step, building-labeled point clouds are clustered into homogeneous groups by applying height similarity and plane similarity. Based on segmented clusters, linear modeling cues including outer boundaries, intersection lines, and step lines are extracted. Topology elements among the modeling cues are recovered by the Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) technique. The regularity of the building rooftop model is achieved by an implicit regularization process in the framework of Minimum Description Length (MDL) combined with Hypothesize and Test (HAT). The parameters governing the MDL optimization are automatically estimated based on Min-Max optimization and Entropy-based weighting method. The performance of the proposed method is tested over the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) benchmark datasets. The results show that the proposed method can robustly produce accurate regularized 3D building rooftop models.
Recent research has investigated the possibility of predicting epileptic seizures. Intervention before the onset of seizure manifestations could be envisioned with accurate seizure forecasting. Although efforts for better prediction have been made, the translation of current approaches to clinical applications is still not possible. While early findings have been optimistic, the absence of statistical validation and reproducibility has raised doubts about the existence of a preictal state. Analysis and algorithmic studies are providing evidence that transition to the ictal state is not random, with build-up leading to seizures. We have reviewed the general framework of reliable algorithmic seizure prediction studies, discussing each component of the whole block diagram. We have explored steps along the pathway, from signal acquisition to adequate performance evaluation that should be taken into account in the design of an efficient seizure advisory/intervention system. The present review has established that there is potential for improvement and optimization in the seizure prediction framework. New databases, higher sampling frequencies, adequate preprocessing, electrode selection, and machine-learning considerations are all elements of the prediction scheme that should be assessed to achieve more realistic, better-than-chance performances. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In manufacturing engineering an important task is to assess conformance of a manufactured part to its design specification. This task is usually carried out by measuring the manufactured part using a coordinate measuring machine to provide a set of coordinate data. Software is used to fit the design surface to the data and the closeness of the data to the fitted surface is examined to determine if the manufactured part is within tolerance. The result of this process strongly depends on the correctness of the software used for fitting. To validate the software, one often uses pre-generated reference datasets. A reference dataset is associated with a reference solution, which is compared with the solution returned by the software under test, referred to as the test solution. In real world applications datasets are represented and stored using finite numbers of digits. Using such finite precision, when the software under test processes a dataset, the test solution generally differs from the reference solution. In this paper we present a method for determining the numerical uncertainty of the reference solution that is then used in comparison of the test solution with the reference solution. The results of applying the method to fitting data to a geometric elements are presented.
Visual tracking, which has been widely used in many vision fields, has been one of the most active research topics in computer vision in recent years. However, there are still challenges in visual tracking, such as illumination change, object occlusion, and appearance deformation. To overcome these difficulties, a reliable point assignment (RPA) algorithm based on wavelet transform is proposed. The reliable points are obtained by searching the location that holds local maximal wavelet coefficients. Since the local maximal wavelet coefficients indicate high variation in the image, the reliable points are robust against image noise, illumination change, and appearance deformation. Moreover, a Kalman filter is applied to the detection step to speed up the detection processing and reduce false detection. Finally, the proposed RPA is integrated into the tracking-learning-detection (TLD) framework with the Kalman filter, which not only improves the tracking precision, but also reduces the false detections. Experimental results showed that the new framework outperforms TLD and kernelized correlation filters with respect to precision, f-measure, and average overlap in percent.
The presence of congenitally impaired skin barrier followed by atopic dermatitis (AD) is an initial step in the atopic march. The maintenance of acidic pH in the stratum corneum (SC) has been suggested as a therapeutic or preventive strategy for barrier impairment caused by skin inflammation. To determine whether an AD murine model, flaky tail mice, with inherited filaggrin deficiency could develop airway inflammation by repeated topical application followed by nasal inhalation of house dust mite (HDM) antigen (defined as a novel atopic march animal model), and whether maintenance of an acidic SC environment by continuous application of acidic cream could interrupt the following atopic march. During the course of HDM treatment, acidic cream (pH2.8) or neutral cream (pH7.4) was applied to flaky tail mice twice daily. Repeated applications and inhalations of HDM to flaky tail mice induced AD skin lesions followed by respiratory allergies. Maintenance of SC acidity inhibited the occurrence of respiratory allergic inflammation as well as AD-like skin lesions. Collectively, a novel atopic march model could be developed by repeated epicutaneous and nasal applications of HDM to flaky tail mice, and that the acidification of SC could prevent the atopic march from AD to respiratory allergy.
Cigarette smoking (CS) regulates both innate and adaptive immunity and causes numerous diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and autoimmune diseases, allergies, cancers, and transplant rejection. Therefore, smoking poses a serious challenge to the healthcare system worldwide. Epidemiological studies have always shown that CS is one of the major risk factors for transplant rejection, even though smoking plays redundant roles in regulating immune responses. The complex roles for smoking in immunoregulation are likely due to molecular and functional diversities of cigarette smoke components, including carbon monoxide (CO) and nicotine. Especially, CO has been shown to induce immune tolerance. Although CS has been shown to impact transplantation by causing complications and subsequent rejection, it is overlooked whether CS interferes with transplant tolerance. We have previously demonstrated that cigarette smoke exposure reverses long-term allograft survival induced by costimulatory blockade. Given that CS impacts both adaptive and innate immunity and that it hinders long-term transplant survival, our perspective is that CS impacts transplant tolerance. Here, we review impacts of CS on major immune cells that are critical for transplant outcomes and propose the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying its effects on alloimmunity and transplant survival. Further investigations are warranted to fully understand why CS exerts deleterious rather than beneficial effects on transplant survival even if some of its components are immunosuppressive.
For the characteristic of compact structure, low inertia, high rigidness and accuracy, parallel mechanisms are worthwhile to be popularized in the field of agricultural robotization, especially in situations that require precise movement in limited space. Focusing on the harvesting task of strawberries in ridge culture, a 4-PPPR robot manipulator with three translational DOF and one rotational DOF is devised in this paper. A type synthesis method of G(F) set theory is used to design its topology structure in 3D space. Compared to traditional machine design methods, this synthesis method allow one to decide the manipulator's configuration in a Topdown logic initially from the appointed features of the manipulator's moving platform. A software simulation is carried out to demonstrate this mechanism can meet all the movement requirements by driving the four active joints allocated on the fixed platform.
Genetic introgression has recently become an important concern for conservation genetics as it can occur between rare and related common species, between various genetic groups and between individuals from different origins. Our aims were: (i) to determine whether hybridisation or introgression occurs between Emys orbicularis subspecies in a natural contact zone in France; (ii) to determine the geographic extent of the contact zone between distinct subspecies in France; (iii) to evaluate at which level introgression occurs, and finally; (iv) to evaluate whether combining mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers reflects the same contact zone as when only one genetic marker is used. Introgression was evaluated by genotyping biparentally inherited microsatellites and sequencing the maternally inherited cytochrome b gene of French populations. We demonstrated strong introgression between subspecies under natural conditions in the old contact zone in southern and eastern France. Our results corroborated that introgression reflects past natural events, but also demonstrated that human impact has altered these patterns. We finally confirmed that the combination of mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers is more appropriate to reveal introgression than the use of only one genetic marker.
This study tested whether including objects perceived as highly interesting by children with autism during a gaze following task would result in increased first fixation durations on the target objects. It has previously been found that autistic children differentiate less between an object another person attends to and unattended objects in terms of this measure. Less differentiation between attended and unattended objects in ASD as compared to control children was found in a baseline condition, but not in the high interest condition. However, typically developing children differentiated less between attended and unattended objects in the high interest condition than in the baseline condition, possibly reflecting reduced influence of gaze cues on object processing when objects themselves are highly interesting.
This article presents a personal account of what socially just and inclusive education means to me, an academic in a UK university. I identify the critical elements as being the recognition of the right to claim and the duty to protect the humanity and value of all members of society. Inclusion and social justice are about belonging in the world unfettered by the disablements of poverty, illness and prejudice. They are dependent upon interdependence, community and collaborative enterprise. Here I call upon all students in education to take a stand, to work together to end the marginalisation and exclusion of the poor and the abandoned and to disavow control through privilege. Only together by and for each other can we be free.
The determination of sialic acids (SIAs) has recently gained interest because of their potential role as markers of inflammatory disorders or chronic diseases. Hydrolysis of conjugated derivatives, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and derivatization steps constitute sample preparation prior to insertion of the analytical sample into a mu-liquid chromatograph-laser induced fluorescence (mu-LC-LIF) detector in the present method for the determination of two representative SIAs of human metabolism. Ultrasound-accelerated hydrolysis released free SIAs, which were efficiently concentrated in a dynamic manner using a lab-on-valve (LOV) module that allows automation of SPE for preconcentration and cleanup. This step was on-line connected with DMB-labeling of SIAs (derivatization), which was shortened from 180 min required with the conventional heating method to 20 min with ultrasound assistance. Individual separation of the target analytes was achieved within 20 min by mu-LC, while LIF detection endowed the overall method with high sensitivity. The LODs and LOQs provided by the method ranged 0.1-0.8 ng mL(-1) and 0.4-1.0 ng mL(-1) (between 0.1-0.8 pg and 0.4-1.0 pg expressed as on-column amount), respectively. High efficiency for interferents removal by SPE enabled the application of the method to four different biofluids serum, urine, saliva and breast milk for the determination of the target metabolites. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose: Combined modality therapy is a mainstay option for thoracic malignancies and head and neck cancers. The integration of different strategies is based on the multidisciplinary approach of modern clinical oncology. Radiation oncologists have to be educated, trained, and updated to provide state-of-the-art care to cancer patients and thus educational meetings are crucial. Methods: The Italian Association of Radiation Oncology Young Members Working Group (AIRO Giovani) organized its 8th national meeting, focused on combination therapy in lung, esophageal, and head and neck cancer (with a specific focus on larynx-preservation strategies for larynx/hypopharynx tumors), involving young professionals working in Italy. The meeting was addressed to young radiation oncologists, presenting state-of-the-art knowledge, based on the latest evidence in this field. We performed a review of the current literature based on the highlights of the Congress. Results: The multimodality approach of head and neck and thoracic malignancies includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, but also has to take into account new information and data coming from basic and translational research and including molecular biology, genetics, and immunology. All these aspects are crucial for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer and esophageal, esophagogastric junction, and larynx/hypopharynx malignancies. The integration of different treatments in the clinical decision-making process to combine therapies is crucial. Conclusions: Combination therapy has proved to be a consolidated approach in these specific oncologic settings, highlighting the importance of multimodality management in modern clinical oncology. Dedicated meetings on specific topics are helpful to improve knowledge and skills of young professionals in radiation oncology.
ScopeProteins constitute an important part of the human diet, but understanding of the effects of different dietary protein sources on human metabolism is sparse. We aimed to elucidate diet-induced metabolic changes through untargeted urinary metabolomics after four weeks of intervention with lean-seafood or nonseafood diets. It is shown that lean-seafood intake reduces urinary excretion of metabolites involved in mitochondrial lipid and energy metabolism possibly facilitating a higher lipid catabolism in healthy subjects. MethodsIn a randomized controlled trial with crossover design, 20 healthy subjects consumed two balanced diets that varied in main protein sources for 4 weeks. Morning spot urine samples were collected before and after each intervention period. Untargeted metabolomics based on H-1 NMR spectroscopy and LC-MS analyses were applied to characterize the urinary metabolic response to the interventions. ResultsThe lean-seafood diet period reduced the urinary level of l-carnitine, 2,6-dimethylheptanoylcarnitine, and N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide, relative to the nonseafood period. The dietary analysis revealed that the higher urinary level of trimethylamine-N-oxide after the lean-seafood diet period and guanidinoacetate and 3-methylhistidine after the nonseafood diet period was related to the endogenous content of these compounds in the diets. ConclusionsOur data reveal that 4 weeks of lean-seafood intake reduces urinary excretion of metabolites involved in mitochondrial lipid and energy metabolism possibly facilitating a higher lipid catabolism in healthy subjects after the lean-seafood intake.
Past research has shown that the gender typicality of applicants' faces affects leadership selection irrespective of a candidate's gender: A masculine facial appearance is congruent with masculine-typed leadership roles, thus masculine-looking applicants are hired more certainly than feminine-looking ones. In the present study, we extended this line of research by investigating hiring decisions for both masculine-and feminine-typed professional roles. Furthermore, we used eye tracking to examine the visual exploration of applicants' portraits. Our results indicate that masculine-looking applicants were favored for the masculine-typed role (leader) and feminine-looking applicants for the feminine-typed role (team member). Eye movement patterns showed that information about gender category and facial appearance was integrated during first fixations of the portraits. Hiring decisions, however, were not based on this initial analysis, but occurred at a second stage, when the portrait was viewed in the context of considering the applicant for a specific job.
The land surface temperature (Ts) is an important parameter in land surface and atmosphere studies. A set of synchronously observed ground-truth temperature as training data is required for some empirical/semiempirical statistical and neural network methods for retrieving Ts from passive microwave (PMW) remote sensing data. To provide information for the choice of the most suitable dataset in Ts retrieval of PMWremote sensing, the spatiotemporal comparison between the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer Ts (MODIS Ts), the meteorologically observed Ts (in situ Ts), themeteorologically observed near-surface air temperature (in situ Ta), and European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast reanalysis products, the ERA-Interim Ts (ERA Ts), in South China for each season's daytime and nighttime is conducted in this paper. Results show that a large discrepancy between the MODIS Ts and the in situ Ts exists, whereas the discrepancies between the MODIS Ts, the in situ Ta and the ERA Ts are relatively smaller in daytime. For nighttime period, the differences between each dataset are relatively much smaller. Because the MODIS Ts is representative at the satellite pixel scale, it has a smaller spatial-scale mismatch with PMW data compared to in situ meteorological observation. The MODIS Ts is suitable for both the daytime and the nighttime PMW Ts model calibration if it is synchronously observed under almost clear-sky condition. By contrast, for the PMW Ts model calibration within the daytime period, the synchronously obtained in situ Ts is not suitable to be used as training data. If the ground temperature of daytime period derived from PMW is required, but the MODIS Ts is unavailable, the in situ Ta should be selected as the ground truth for the model calibration. However, it should be noticed that the inversion results are the near-surface air temperature rather than the Ts. Remarkably, reanalysis products such as the ERA Ts presents an alternative choice for both the daytime and the nighttime Ts model calibration if there are no MODIS Ts products or in situ temperature available. After the comparison, an example of PMW Ts retrieval for nighttime period was given, showing a promising performance on deriving an applicable PMW Ts inversion model based on the selection of an appropriate training dataset.
Friction stir welding is a novel joining process extensively used for welding of aluminum alloys. It is widely known that the process parameters involved in friction stir welding play a pivotal role in determining the final characteristics and microstructure of the joint. However, it is still unclear that what combination of process parameter values will lead to the optimum joint characteristics. Taguchi technique is a handy and efficient method that has been widely used for performing optimization in manufacturing engineering. In this paper, lap joint friction stir welding was performed on AA1100 and the process parameters were optimized using Taguchi L16 orthogonal design of experiments. Unlike previous studies on optimization of friction stir welding process in aluminum alloys, a more comprehensive approach has been taken towards the number of input and output parameters of the process. Process parameters considered in this study were tool rotational speed, tool traverse speed, tool tilt angle, and tool pin shape. The optimum design was obtained with reference to output parameters including hardness and grain size in the weld center zone, maximum working temperature, joint tensile strength, and elongation as well as the vertical and horizontal forces on the tool during the process. Analysis of variance was additionally performed to evaluate the significance of each design parameter on output parameters. Results gained from analysis of variance indicated that rotational speed and traverse speed were the most critical parameters in determining the weld mechanical properties as well as quality of the weld microstructure. Finally, to validate predicted optimum values based on Taguchi technique, confirmation tests were conducted, where an excellent agreement was observed between the predicted and experimental values, showing accuracy of the employed method and obtained results.
This paper introduces a comparative study on the design of aerospace actuators concerning induction motor and permanent-magnet motor technologies. In the analysis undertaken, the two candidate configurations are evaluated in terms of both their electromagnetic and thermal behaviors in a combined manner. On a first step, the basic dimensioning of the actuators and their fundamental operational characteristics are determined via a time-stepping finite-element analysis. The consideration of the thermal robustness of the proposed motor configurations is integrated in the design procedure through the appropriate handling of their respective constraints. As a result, all comparisons are carried out on a common thermal evacuation basis. On a second step, a single objective optimization procedure is employed, considering several performance and efficiency indexes using appropriate weights. Manufacturing and construction-related costs for both investigated topologies are considered by employing specific penalty functions. The impact of the utilized materials is also examined. The resultant motor designs have been validated through manufactured prototypes, illustrating their suitability for aerospace actuation.
We study the energy dispatch of power distribution networks (PDNs) coupled with urban transportation networks. The electricity demand at each charging/swapping facility is influenced by the arrival rates and charging requests of electric vehicles, which further depends on the spatial distribution of traffic flows over the entire transportation system. We consider the impact of the road congestion on route choices of vehicles from a system-level perspective. The traffic flow pattern in steady state is characterized by the Wardrop user equilibrium. We consider the PDN load perturbation caused by the traffic demand uncertainty, and propose a robust dispatch method that maintains the feasibility of an alternating current power flow constraints. By applying the convex relaxation to nonlinear branch power flow equations, the proposed model yields a two-stage robust convex optimization problem with an implicit uncertainty set. Moreover, a decomposition framework is proposed, in which the first phase determines the uncertainty set of electricity demand by solving two traffic assignment problems associated with the extreme scenarios, and the second phase solves a two-stage robust second-order cone program following a delayed constraint generation framework. Several issues regarding the scalability and conservatism are elaborated. Case studies corroborate the applicability and efficiency of the proposed method.
The earlier remote password authenticationschemes required a service providing server to authenticate a legitimate userfor remote login. However, the traditional schemes are not useful in multi-server architecture because of multiple user ids and passwords. In this paper, we present a remote password authentication scheme for multi-server architecture that can be robust and improved network security. This password authentication system is a trainedclassification system based on SVM. In this scheme, the users only remember ownidentity and password and own choices for the various server login which he filled during registration where the user can choose hispassword at will. Furthermore, this system does not require having any overhead of password or verification table and is very dynamic in nature and can also withstand the replay attack and masquerading.
This paper proposes a combined numerical and analytical approach for magnetic vibration analysis of a new dc-excited multitoothed switched reluctance (MSR) machine. First, the machine design is artfully to incorporate the dc-excited winding into the MSR topology, hence breeding a new flux controllable, high-torque, low-torque ripple, and doubly salient magnetless machine. Then, the finite-element-method is used to calculate the machine force and torque. A series of analytical equations are formulated to calculate the magnetic vibration parameters of the proposed machine. The analysis process and the corresponding results are given to verify the validity of the proposed approach for magnetic vibration analysis of the new machine.
Product related service is a key element of any service-oriented manufacturing system. The paper presents methods to capture standardization knowledge in the European Integrated Project Manufacturing SErvice Engineering (MSEE), with the goal to initiate development of standards in the domain of manufacturing engineering services. For this purpose, a project internal survey has been performed to identify areas of potential standardization that can lead to future standards. With the survey, a coordinated follow-up within the project and subsequent external promotion are foreseen. An early involvement in the standardisation process is explored, since the normal standardisation process usually starts after completion of a development project and due to lack of funding is not any more supported by the developers.
In the paper we describe the control electronics for an industrial test system based on a low cost PLC. The developed system is a hydraulic pulse system and it generates series of high pressure hydraulic pulses (max. 200bar) and is based on pneumatic-hydraulic circuits. We describe requirements, an overall concept of the embedded control system, user interface, security features and network connectivity. In the description of the software solution we describe implementation of hierarchical ordered program threads (multithreaded program) and main control state machine. At the conclusion, we describe the calibration method of the system and calibration curves, we present the schematic diagram and a photo of a functional prototype of the system.
Patients with severe mental illnesses manifest substantial deficits in self-assessment of the abilities that impact everyday functioning. This study compares patients with schizophrenia to healthy individuals on their social cognitive performance, their assessment of that performance, and the convergence between performance and indicators of effort in solving tasks. Patients with schizophrenia (n = 57) and healthy controls (HC; n = 47) completed the Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Test (BLERT), a psychometrically sound assessment of emotion recognition. Participants rated their confidence in the accuracy of their responses after each item. Participants were instructed to respond as rapidly as possible without sacrificing accuracy; the time to complete each item was recorded. Patients with schizophrenia performed less accurately on the BLERT than HC. Both patients and HC were more confident on items that they correctly answered than for items with errors, with patients being less confident overall; there was no significant interaction for confidence between group and accuracy. HC demonstrated a more substantial adjustment of response time to task difficulty by taking considerably longer to solve items that they got wrong, whereas patients showed only a minimal adjustment. These results expand knowledge about both self-assessment of social cognitive performance and the ability to appraise difficulty and adjust effort to social cognitive task demands in patients with schizophrenia. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Appraisal research has traditionally focused on negative emotions but has not addressed issues concerning the relationships between several positive emotions and appraisals in daily life and the extent to which co-occurrence of positive emotions can be explained by overlap in appraisals. Driven by a priori hypotheses on appraisal-emotion relationships, this study investigated 12 positive emotions and 13 appraisal dimensions using Ecological Momentary Assessment. The results provide strong evidence that positive emotions and appraisals correlate significantly in daily life. Importantly, we found that the positive emotions' overlap on theoretically relevant, as compared to irrelevant, appraisals was stronger and more predictive of their co-occurrence. Furthermore, appraisal overlap on theoretically relevant appraisals predicted the co-occurrence of positive emotions even when the appraisal of pleasantness was excluded, indicating that positive emotions do not co-occur just by virtue of their shared valence. Our findings affirmed and refined the appraisal profiles of positive emotions and underscore the importance of appraisals in accounting for the commonality and differences among positive emotions.
In a node replication attack, an adversary creates replicas of captured sensor nodes in an attempt to control information that is reaching the base station or, more generally, compromise the functionality of the network. In this work, we develop fully distributed and completely decentralized schemes to detect and evict multiple imposters in mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSNs). The proposed schemes not only quarantines these malicious nodes but also withstand collusion against collaborating imposters trying to blacklist legitimate nodes of the network. Hence the completeness and soundness of the protocols is guaranteed. Our protocols are coupled with extensive mathematical and experimental results, proving the viability of our proposals, thus making them fit for realistic mobile sensor network deployments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this study, we report an unusual case of mutidimensional sensorimotor, cognitive, and socio-affective preservation in an adult with extensive, acquired bilateral brain damage. At age 43, patient CG sustained a cerebral hemorrhage and a few months later, she suffered a second (ischemic) stroke. As a result, she exhibited extensive damage of the right hemisphere (including frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital regions), left Sylvian and striatal areas, bilateral portions of the insula and the amygdala, and the splenium. However, against all probability, she was unimpaired across a host of cognitive domains, including executive functions, attention, memory, language, sensory perception (e.g., taste recognition and intensity discrimination), emotional processing (e.g., experiencing of positive and negative emotions), and social cognition skills (prosody recognition, theory of mind, facial emotion recognition, and emotional evaluation). Her functional integrity was further confirmed through neurological examination and contextualized observation of her performance in real-life tasks. In sum, CG's case resists straightforward classifications, as the extent and distribution of her lesions would typically produce pervasive, multidimensional deficits. We discuss the rarity of this patient against the backdrop of other reports of atypical cognitive preservation, expound the limitations of several potential accounts, and highlight the challenges that the case poses for current theories of brain organization and resilience.
In this paper, a novel compact high-voltage (HV) test system based on a magnetically controlled resonant transformer (MCRT) is proposed. This system is used to perform a power-frequency HV on-site voltage withstanding test. First, the basic principle of the MCRT is introduced. Next, a Fourier analysis based on the equivalent magnetic and electrical circuits of the MCRT is described. This analysis provides a design reference for the basic MCRT parameters. In addition, a finite-element model was constructed to verify the MCRT design. Finally, an MCRT prototype was designed to verify the effectiveness of the test system. Compared with the traditional HV test systems, the proposed test system in this paper has the advantages of compact structure, stable secondary voltage, and wide reactance adjustment range.
The main objective of this paper is to develop a new technique for detecting turn-to-turn short-circuit faults in one or two stator phases of an induction motor. Hence, modeling a turn-to-turn short-circuit fault in more than one phase and a phase-to-ground fault is the first novelty of this paper for calculating phase currents under faulty conditions. This strategy uses the extracted features from the corresponding three-phase current pattern in 3-D space. Identification of faulty phases and of the severity of the fault is the outcome of this technique. This technique is also capable of detecting a phase-to-ground fault. This method just requires current sensors that are available in most drive systems to provide good controllability, and details of the machine design are not necessary. Experimental results are included to show the ability of the proposed strategy for detecting and locating phase/phases under different faults and load conditions.
Conventional methods to verify gears are based on manual measurement instruments, such as vernier caliper gauges, gear pitch micrometers, profilometers, among others. The use of these instruments is widely described in technical literature, while in the actual industrial arena the coordinate measurement machines (CMM) are commonly used to obtain, with the appropriate software, all the parameters including the tooth profile. Commercial software for measuring gears with a CMM is usually based on continuous touch of teeth's flanks. In the educational centres is still common to find single-point probing point to point touch machines. To transform them into continuous touch machines, new software and accessories are required and costs can be excessive for instructional purposes. This paper presents the geometrical and mathematical principles to develop a software application for measuring gears and describes its implementation using general-purpose spreadsheet software. For this purpose, the conventionally used software of the CMM is supported by a spreadsheet that calculates the probe positions and direction of measurement. The communication between the spreadsheet and the CMM software is established by ASCII files. At the end of this process, the spreadsheet displays the measurement results, thanks to its graphical and computing power, making possible to improve the learning process of students or training professionals. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this work we present the functional specifications, architecture and implementation of the HERMOPHILOS web-based system developed to auto-mate and accelerate the accessible eTextbooks' production, workflow management, and delivery in an a higher education environment. We describe the redesign of the relative manual procedures and we show how HERMOPHILOS makes things easier and faster for the print-disabled students, as well as for the personnel involved. The web services of HERMOPHILOS include user sign up, user authentication, user rights management, students' accessible textbooks re-quests, digital textbook requests to publishers, requests' progress monitoring, original digital textbook copy submission, scanning, OCR, version and archive management, copyright protection, distribution, and digital content usage statistics. Implementation specifications included support for all browsers, operating systems, and mobile devices, accessible user interfaces (WCAG 2.0 AA), and advanced encryption and security policies. The HERMOPHILOS system sup-ports multiple formats for eTextbooks: plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), accessible markup (.xml, .xhtml, and .html), large print (.doc), audio books (.mp3), DAISY 2&3 (text only or full text - full audio), Braille (.brf or .brl), MS-Word (.docx), portable document format (.pdf) and LaTex (.tex). Paperwork was dramatically reduced, and the need for students' visits to the accessibility office was eliminated. The results show that, compared to the traditional procedure, the HERMOPHILOS workflow management system reduced the overall production and delivery time by 47 %.
Background: Doctors' verbal and non-verbal communication skills have an impact on patients' health outcomes, so it is important for medical students to develop these skills. Traditional, non-verbal communication skills training can involve a tutor manually annotating a student's non-verbal behaviour during patient-doctor consultations, but this is very time-consuming. Tele-conference systems have been used in verbal communication skills training. Methods: We describe EQClinic, a system that enables verbal and non-verbal communication skills training during tele-consultations with simulated patients (SPs), with evaluation exercises promoting reflection. Students and SPs can have tele-consultations through the tele-consultation component. In this component, SPs can provide feedback to students through a thumbs-up/thumbs-down tool and a comments box. EQClinic automatically analyses communication features in the recorded consultations, such as facial expressions, and provides graphical representations. Our 2015 pilot study investigated whether EQClinic helped students be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and improve their communication skills, and evaluated the usability of the platform. Students received automated feedback, and SP and tutor evaluations, and then completed self-assessment and reflection questionnaires. Results: Eight medical students and three SPs conducted 13 tele-consultations using EQClinic. More students paid attention to their non-verbal communication and students who were engaged in two consultations felt more confident in their second consultation. Students rated the system positively, felt comfortable using it (5.9/7), and reported that the structure (5.4/7) and information (5.8/7) were clear. This pilot provides evidence that EQClinic helps, and positively influences, medical students practise their communication skills with SPs using a tele-conference platform. Discussion: It is not easy to improve non-verbal communication skills in a short time period. Further evaluation of EQClinic with larger numbers will ascertain learning gains and application in health professional training. Developing a standard model for the assessment of non-verbal behaviour in tele-consultations and providing students with more valuable evaluation and suggestions are part of our future work.
A novel microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed to enhance simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) by employing electrons from the anode. The cathode chamber of the reactor consisted of a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) which was made of an electroconductivity aerated membrane. The maximum power density of 4.20 +/- 0.12 W m(-3) was obtained at a current density of 4.10 +/- 0.11 A m(-2) (external resistance = 10 Omega). Compared with an open-circuit system, the removal rates of NI4+-N and TN were improved by 9.48 +/- 0.33% and 19.80 +/- 0.84%, respectively, which could be ascribed to the electrochemical denitrification. The anode (chemical oxygen demand, COD) and cathode (NO3-) chambers reached the maximum coulombic efficiencies (CEs) of 40.67 +/- 1.05% and 42.84 +/- 1.14%, respectively. It suggested that the electroconductivity MABR has some advantages in controlling aeration intensity, thus improving SND and CEs. Overall, EAM-MFC could successfully generate electricity from wastewater whilst showing high capacity for removing nitrogen at a low COD/N ratio of 2.8 +/- 0.07 g COD g(-1) N. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Phosphatidylethanolamine is one of the most abundant phospholipids whose major amounts are formed by phosphatidylserine decarboxylases (PO). Here we provide a comprehensive description of different types of PSDs in the different kingdoms of life. In eukaryotes, type I PSDs are mitochondrial enzymes, whereas other PSDs are localized to other cellular compartments. We describe the role of mitochondrial Psd1 proteins, their function, enzymology, biogenesis, assembly into mitochondria and their contribution to phospholipid homeostasis in much detail. We also discuss briefly the cellular physiology and the enzymology of Psd2. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Lipids of Mitochondria edited by Guenther Daum. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Simulation has been applied as a tool for learning and training in sports, psychology and medicine for some time, but its current use and potential for training musicians is less well understood. The aim of this study was to explore musicians' perceptions and experiences of using simulated performance environments. Nine conservatory students performed in two simulations, each with interactive virtual elements and vivid environmental cues: a recital with a virtual audience and an audition with virtual judges. Qualitative data were collected through a focus group interview and written reflective commentaries. Thematic analysis highlighted the musicians' experiences in terms of (1) their anticipation of using the simulations, (2) the process of performing in the simulations, (3) the usefulness of simulation as a tool for developing performance skills and (4) ways of improving simulation training. The results show that while simulation was new to the musicians and individual levels of immersion differed, the musicians saw benefits in the approach for developing, experimenting with and enhancing their performance skills. Specifically, the musicians emphasised the importance of framing the simulation experience with plausible procedures leading to and following on from the performance, and they recognised the potential for combining simulation with complementary training techniques.
With the tremendous growth of Internet, large amounts of data are generated and create big challenges for nowadays computing technologies and systems. However, on the other hand, it also sheds new light on the areas of data analytics and mining which enables uncovering the patterns and laws beneath the big data. In recent years, big data analytics have been successfully applied to many areas, such as E-commerce, Healthcare, and Industry. As the same time, security analytics based on big data also receive great attention from both academic and industry. In this paper, we give a comprehensive sketch of techniques about the applications of big data in network security analytics. The existing research works are classified into three types: supervised, unsupervised and hybrid approaches. Then we elaborate the technical issues of the three kinds of approaches and compare their advantages and disadvantages. Finally we outlook the potentials and research directions in the future.
Since imitation and joint attention are both important abilities for young children and since children with autism spectrum disorder show a range of problems in these domains, imitation and joint attention are important targets for intervention. In this study, we examined the possibility of promoting imitation and joint attention by means of a training programme specifically designed for low-intensity, non-residential treatment. Two matched groups of 18 children each participated in the study. The experimental group, receiving the training programme, improved significantly more on joint attention than the group receiving only treatment as usual. Only the experimental group obtained a significantly higher imitation score during the post-test compared to the pre-test. This study shows that it is possible to promote joint attention with a low-intensity treatment programme. The results concerning imitation are more modest. Future replications should involve measures of stability and generalization.
Development of molecular scale electronics stimulates the search for new functional materials and compounds. One of the promising directions of further growth within this field is bioelectronics, which assumes the use of electron transfer (ET)-mediating properties of bio-related compounds. Because of the structural and functional versatility, peptides and proteins are particularly well suited to perform as single-molecule-based elements of circuits or sensing devices. In this review, it is demonstrated that purposely designed systems such as molecular junctions are excellent platforms for the studies of ET properties of peptides and proteins at nanoscale level. Using experimental approach based on scanning probe microscopy, individual molecules can be directly wired between two metallic contacts, and their conductance can be determined. ET behavior of the peptides and proteins can be analyzed in terms of their applicability as molecular wires, switches, diodes and elements of sensing devices. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Proteomics studies have identified Ste20-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK) and oxidative stress response 1 (OSR1) in exosomes isolated from body fluids such as blood, saliva, and urine. Because proteomics studies likely overestimate the number of exosome proteins, we sought to confirm and extend this observation using traditional biochemical and cell biology methods. We utilized HEK293 cells in culture to verify the packaging of these Ste20 kinases in exosomes. Using a series of centrifugation and filtration steps of conditioned culture medium isolated from HEK293 cells, we isolated nanovesicles in the range of 40-100 nm. We show that these small vesicles express the tetraspanin protein CD63 and lack endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi markers, consistent with these being exosomes. We show by Western blot and immunogold analyses that these exosomes express SPAK, OSR1, and Na-K-Cl cotransporter 1 (NKCC1). We show that exosomes are not only secreted by cells, but also accumulated by adjacent cells. Indeed, exposing cultured cells to exosomes produced by other cells expressing a fluorescently labeled kinase resulted in the kinase finding its way into the cytoplasm of these cells, consistent with the idea of exosomes serving as cell-to-cell communication vessels. Similarly, coculturing cells expressing different fluorescently tagged proteins resulted in the exchange of proteins between cells. In addition, we show that both SPAK and OSR1 kinases entering cells through exosomes are preferentially expressed at the plasma membrane and that the kinases in exosomes are functional and maintain NKCC1 in a phosphorylated state.
Nearly 50 years of research focused on large wood (LW) in rivers provide a basis for understanding how wood enters rivers; how wood decays, breaks, and is transported downstream; and how at least temporarily stable wood influences channel geometry, fluxes of water, sediment, and organic matter, and the abundance and diversity of aquatic and riparian organisms. Field-based studies have led to qualitative conceptual models and to numerical stimulations of river processes involving wood. Numerous important gaps remain, however, in our understanding of wood dynamics. The majority of research on wood in rivers focuses on small-to medium-sized rivers, defined using the ratio of wood piece size to channel width as channels narrower than the locally typical wood-piece length (small) and slightly narrower than the longer wood pieces present (medium). Although diverse geographic regions and biomes are represented by one or a few studies in each region, the majority of research comes from perennial rivers draining temperate conifer forests. Regional syntheses most commonly focus on the Pacific Northwest region of North America where most of these studies originate. Consequently, significant gaps in our understanding include lack of knowledge of wood-related processes in large rivers, dryland rivers, and rivers of the high and low latitudes. Using a wood budget as an organizing framework, this paper identifies other gaps related to wood recruitment, transport, storage, and how beavers influence LW dynamics. With respect to wood recruitment, we lack information on the relative importance of mass tree mortality and transport of buried or surficial downed wood from the floodplain into the channel in diverse settings. Knowledge gaps related to wood transport include transport distances of LW and thresholds for LW mobility in small to medium rivers. With respect to wood storage, we have limited data on longitudinal trends in LW loads within unaltered large and great rivers and on fluctuations in LW load over time intervals greater than a few years. Other knowledge gaps relate to physical and ecological effects of wood, including the magnitude of flow resistance caused by LW; patterns of wood-related sediment storage for diverse river sizes and channel geometry; quantification of channel-floodplain-LW interactions; and potential threshold effects of LW in relation to physical processes and biotic communities. Finally, knowledge gaps are related to management of large wood and river corridors, including understanding the consequences of enormous historical reductions in LW load in rivers through the forested portions of the temperate zone; and how to effectively reintroduce and manage existing LW in river corridors, which includes enhancing public understanding of the importance of LW. Addressing these knowledge gaps requires more case studies from diverse rivers, as well as more syntheses and metadata analyses. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Network intrusion attempts have been on the rise recently. Researchers have shown an increased interest in assessing the security situation for entire network instead of single asset. A considerable amount of assessment models have been designed. However, there is a lack of solid and standard guidelines to define the importance of network asset. In addition, based on our knowledge, no research has been found that adequately covered the cost factor in the assessment model. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose a cost-sensitive entropy-based network security situation assessment model. With the aid of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the model can quantitatively determine the importance of assets in the network by considering the tangible and intangible criteria. To verify the performance of proposed model, a simulation of National Advanced IPv6 Centre (NAv6)'s network environment has been setup. The simulation results regarding security situation in particular time-interval are promising. Hence, the proposed model is able to provide network administrator a more reliable reference before any further decision making for the organization's network.
DNS (Domain name System) is one of the most prevalent protocols on modern networks and is essential for the correct operation of many network activities including the malicious operation. Monitoring the DNS traffic is an effective method to detect malicious activities. In this paper, we proposed an approach to detect malicious domains by analyzing massive mobile web traffic data. We used multiple features to classify, including the textual features and the traffic statistics features of domains and presented three typical classifiers to compare the classifying effect of each. Spark framework is leveraged to speed up the calculation of a large-scale DNS traffic. The efficiency of our system makes us believe the approach can help a lot in the field of network security.
The flow of Ree-Eyring and Casson non-Newtonian fluids is investigated using a variational principle to optimize the total stress. The variationally obtained solutions are compared to the analytical solutions derived from the Weissenberg-Rabinowitsch-Mooney equation and the results are found to be identical within acceptable numerical errors and modeling approximations.
Diesel exhaust is known to induce tumours in animals. Of the compounds found in diesel exhaust 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) is particularly a powerful mutagen. Recently we showed that 3-NBA is genotoxic in vivo in rats by forming specific DNA adducts derived from nitroreduction. In this study a panel of genetically engineered V79 Chinese hamster cell lines expressing various human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes (CYP1A1, CYP3A4) and/or human NADPH:CYP oxidoreductase (CYPOR) was used to identify CYP enzymes involved in the metabolic activation of 3-NBA. We analyzed the formation of specific DNA adducts by P-32-postlabelling after exposing cells to 1 muM 3-NBA. A similar pattern with a total of four distinct 3-NBA-DNA adducts was found in all cells, identical to those detected previously in DNA from rats treated with 3-NBA in vivo. Total adduct levels ranged from 75 to 132 using nuclease P1 and from 103 to 220 adducts per 10(8) nucleotides, using butanol enrichment. Comparison of DNA binding between different V79MZ derived cells revealed that human CYPOR and CYP3A4 were involved in the metabolic activation of 3-NBA. Furthermore, dose-dependent high adduct levels were detected after exposure to 0.01, 0.1 or 1 muM 3-NBA in the subclone V79NH which exhibits high activities of nitroreductase and N, O-acetyltransferase. Our results suggest that nitroreduction is the major pathway in the human bioactivation of 3-NBA. Moreover, acetylation of the initially formed N-hydroxy arylamine intermediates may contribute to the high genotoxic potential of 3-NBA. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A series of 13 novel pyrimidine-based sulfonamides 6a-m were synthesized in short periods of time under microwave conditions in good to excellent yield (54-86%). The chemical structures of these heterocycles consist of a central pyrimidine ring having a phenyl group and pyrimidine groups with sulfonamide motifs. The enzyme inhibitory potential of these compounds was investigated against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) because these enzymes play a crucial role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. As compared to the reference compound eserine (IC50=0.04 +/- 0.0001 mu M for AChE and IC50=0.85 +/- 0.0001 mu M for BChE), the IC50 values of the synthesized compounds ranged from 3.73 +/- 0.61 mu M to 57.36 +/- 0.22 mu M for AChE and 4.81 +/- 0.16 mu M to 111.61 +/- 0.53 mu M for BChE. Among these tested compounds, 6j having a -CH3 group was found to be the most potent one against both enzymes (AChE, IC50=3.73 +/- 0.61 mu M; BChE, IC50=4.81 +/- 0.16 mu M). Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and molecular docking studies of the synthesized compounds were also performed.
There is a growing interest of the scientific community on production of activated carbon using biochar as potential sustainable precursors pyrolyzed from biomass wastes. Physical activation and chemical activation are the main methods applied in the activation process. These methods could have significantly beneficial effects on biochar chemical/physical properties, which make it suitable for multiple applications including water pollution treatment, CO2 capture, and energy storage. The feedstock with different compositions, pyrolysis conditions and activation parameters of biochar have significant influences on the properties of resultant activated carbon. Compared with traditional activated carbon, activated biochar appears to be a new potential cost-effective and environmentally-friendly carbon materials with great application prospect in many fields. This review not only summarizes information from the current analysis of activated biochar and their multiple applications for further optimization and understanding, but also offers new directions for development of activated biochar. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study evaluated the effects of single, double, and triple reinforcing layers on the bearing capacity ratio (BCR) of strip footing on a sand slope system. Seventy-two laboratory-loading tests were conducted on a stripfooting model on a reinforced sand slope. Moreover, this study illustrated the effects of the different parameters of two reinforcing layers on the bearing capacity of a double-reinforced sand slope. The BCR increased from 1.06 to 3.00 for single-reinforced slope soils, 1.09 to 7.73 for double-reinforced slope soils, and up to 8.00 for three-layered reinforced systems. For double-reinforced soil slopes, the most effective spacing between the two reinforcing layers is 0.3 B.
Generalized prejudice (GP), biases expressed toward multiple outgroups, is typically explained by two aspects of authoritarianism: 'bowing' in the form of submission (i.e., right-wing authoritarianism, RWA); and 'kicking' in the form of dominance (i.e., social dominance orientation, SDO). Whereas contemporary approaches treat RWA and SDO as separate GP predictors, we statistically model the commonality between RWA and SDO reflecting an underlying tendency toward generalized authoritarian (GA). Re-analyzing data from an existing meta-analysis (Study 1), and modelling meta-analytic data from studies containing clear GP-relevant information (Study 2), we compare: (a) the standard approach of predicting GP based on RWA and SDO as unique predictors (Model 1); with (b) an alternative approach based on a latent GA factor indicated by RWA and SDO (Model 2). The alternative model provided stronger (and near-perfect) prediction of GP, along with specific associations between RWA and two types of prejudice (sexism, homophobia). These findings have fundamental implications for understanding authoritarianism and prejudice-proneness. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Current day networks operate on multiple hardware devices assisted by numerous numbers of operating systems. Systems may have vulnerabilities. These are explored and then exploited. Among the overall malicious activity countries, India ranked third after US and China. This paper has made an attempt to explore possibility of quantifying various probabilities. Cyber system can be modeled in different ways. There are various attack vectors that make cyber network vulnerable. A compromised employee is an insider to any network and contributes significantly to the network vulnerability. Keeping in mind various random variables that affect the safety of Cyber Random Space, there may be a need to quantify the probability associated with different cyber exploitation related activities.
This study presents an approach to system identification and adaptive control of a non-inverting buck-boost converter in the presence of large signal changes, uncertainty of converter components and effects of imperfect modelling. Feedback loops of DC-DC converters are typically designed conservatively so that the closed-loop regulation and stability margins are maintained over a pre-determined range of operating conditions. The proposed approach is able to keep a high-performance response without the instability issue of dynamic change of the converter. In the presence of uncertainty on the parameters of a DC-DC converter, a digital adaptive controller based on system identification and minimum degree pole placement is proposed. To verify the validity of the proposed digital controller, an experimental setup is constructed for a non-inverting buck-boost converter and the fully digital adaptive control is implemented by a micro controller. The experimental results show the capability of an adaptive controller during different operating points.
This paper presents the parameter identification of an equivalent circuit-based proton-exchange membrane fuel cell model. This model is represented by two electrical circuits, of which one reproduces the fuel cell's output voltage characteristic and the other its thermal characteristic. The output voltage model includes activation, concentration, and ohmic losses, which describe the static properties, while the double-layer charging effect, which delays in fuel and oxygen supplies, and other effects provide the model's dynamic properties. In addition, a novel thermal model of the studied Ballard's 1.2-kW Nexa fuel cell is proposed. The latter includes the thermal effects of the stack's fan, which significantly improve the model's accuracy. The parameters of both, the electrical and the thermal, equivalent circuits were estimated on the basis of experimental data using an evolution strategy. The resulting parameters were validated by the measurement data obtained from the Nexa module. The comparison indicates a good agreement between the simulation and the experiment. In addition to simulations, the identified model is also suitable for usage in real-time fuel cell emulators. The emulator presented in this paper additionally proves the accuracy of the obtained model and the effectiveness of using an evolution strategy for identification of the fuel cell's parameters.
This cross-cultural study examines, first, whether 18-month-olds' helping behavior differs between cultures and, second, the way in which caregivers' socialization goals and practices are associated with toddlers' helping behavior. Helping behavior was assessed in three out-of-reach tasks with increasing motivational demands. We found that Delhi toddlers (n = 32) helped more than Munster toddlers (n = 60). Regarding socialization practices (SPs), Delhi mothers, compared with Munster mothers, reported to provide more opportunities to help in the family context and to praise less when fostering toddlers' prosocial behavior. Furthermore, Delhi mothers reported to use more punitive practices after their children did not follow a helping request. On an intra-cultural level, we found that helping was positively associated with punitive practices in the Delhi sample, whereas helping was negatively related with punitive practices and providing opportunities to help in Munster. On the basis of these results, we first propose that culture affects toddlers' helping behavior from the time of emergence during the second year. Second, we propose that the culture-specific conceptions of prosocial behavior influence which SPs parents use, which, in turn, may influence children's motivation underlying early prosocial behavior.
Achieving false belief understanding is an important cognitive milestone that allows children to understand that thoughts and reality can differ. Researchers have found that low-income children score significantly lower than middle-income children on false belief understanding but have not examined why this difference exists. We hypothesized that children's language and parent discipline mediate the income-false belief relation. Participants were 174 3- to 6-year-olds. False belief understanding was significantly correlated with family income, children's vocabulary, parents' self reported discussion of children's behavior, discussion of emotions, and power assertion. Family income had a significant indirect effect on false belief understanding through children's vocabulary and parent discipline when examined independently, but only through children's vocabulary when using parallel multiple mediation. This study contributes to our knowledge of individual differences in false belief understanding. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The main purpose of this research aims design a vacuum for removal of brain tumors with disconnectors microdestruccion and integrated control system. The development of the project is to remove most of the tumor brain and thus improve the standard of living of the patient. For this design it developed different types of cutting tools, thus obtaining a disconnector for other hard tissue and soft tissue. On the other hand, it was designed using vacuum techniques and fluid mechanics, suction cannulae which consist of a small metal nozzle be in direct contact with the patient. Then, a system of open loop control which monitor and control system variables suction, pumping irrigation fluid and level control in the tanks of tumor material, in order to obtain a computer user friendly designed. It was subsequently verified by the simulator Automation Studio 3.0.5, operation of the control system and finally an analysis of technical and economic feasibility obtaining the final solution is feasible for implementation in the country was conducted.
This paper presents a novel diagnosis method based on error voltage for 1GBTs open-circuit faults in dual-loop controlled voltage-source inverters. The phase voltage changes when open-circuit faults occur, and then there are error voltages of each phase which can be calculated directly by control algorithm with phase voltages and their corresponding flexible references both available from the main control system. Therefore, the proposed diagnosis method requires no additional sensors or electrical circuits to detect open-circuit faults, further with the features of fast diagnostic time, being suitable for various load conditions, strong robustness against false alarms and being easily inserted to the existing control algorithms as a subroutine. The experimental results are carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
DNA methylation and specifically the DNA methyltransferase enzyme DNMT3A are involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of hematological diseases and in regulating the function of immune cells. Although altered DNA methylation patterns and mutations in DNMT3A correlate with mast cell proliferative disorders in humans, the role of DNA methylation in mast cell biology is not understood. By using mast cells lacking Dnmt3a, we found that this enzyme is involved in restraining mast cell responses to acute and chronic stimuli, both in vitro and in vivo. The exacerbated mast cell responses observed in the absence of Dnmt3a were recapitulated or enhanced by treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine as well as by down-modulation of Dnmt1 expression, further supporting the role of DNA methylation in regulating mast cell activation. Mechanistically, these effects were in part mediated by the dysregulated expression of the scaffold protein IQGAP2, which is characterized by the ability to regulate a wide variety of biological processes. Altogether, our data demonstrate that DNMT3A and DNA methylation are key modulators of mast cell responsiveness to acute and chronic stimulation.
Streptozotocin has been widely used to mimic some aspects of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, especially in mice, several characteristics involved in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced AD pathology are not well known. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate temporally the expression of AD-related proteins, such as amyloid-beta (A beta), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), synapsin, axonal neurofilaments, and phosphorylated Tau in the hippocampus following intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of STZ in adult mice. We also analyzed the impact of STZ on short-and long-term memory by novel object recognition test. Male mice were injected with STZ or citrate buffer, and AD-related proteins were evaluated by immunoblotting assays in the hippocampus at 7, 14, or 21 days after injection. No differences between the groups were found at 7 days. The majority of AD markers evaluated were found altered at 14 days, i.e., the STZ group showed increased amyloid-beta protein and neurofilament expression, increased phosphorylation of Tau protein, and decreased synapsin expression levels compared to controls. Except for synapsin, all of these neurochemical changes were transient and did not last up to 21 days of STZ injection. Moreover, both short-term and long-term memory deficits were demonstrated after STZ treatment at 14 and 21 days after STZ treatment.
Cultures of honor, such as Turkey, prioritize defending individual and family reputations, but in gender-specific ways (Nisbett and Cohen 1996). Men maintain honor via reputations for toughness, aggression, control over women, and avenging insults. Women maintain honor through obedience to men, sexual modesty, and religious piety. Honor beliefs support women's subordination, justifying violence against them (Sev'er and Yurdakul, Violence against Women, 7, 964-998, 2001) and therefore should be challenged. Understanding honor beliefs' ideological correlates may inform such efforts. We hypothesized that benevolent sexism, a subjectively favorable system-justifying ideology, would more strongly, positively predict Turkish women's (versus men's) honor beliefs; whereas hostile sexism, which is openly antagonistic toward women, would more strongly, positively predict Turkish men's (versus women's) honor beliefs. Additionally, due to justifications for gender inequality embedded in Islamic religious teachings, we expected Islamic religiosity to positively predict honor beliefs for both genders. A convenience sample of Turkish undergraduates (313 women and 122 men) in Ankara completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Religious Orientation Scale, and Honor Endorsement Index. Regression analyses revealed that benevolent (but not hostile) sexism positively predicted women's honor beliefs, whereas hostile (but not benevolent) sexism positively predicted men's honor beliefs. Islamic religiosity positively predicted honor beliefs for both genders, but (unexpectedly) did so more strongly for men than women. We suggest that combating benevolent sexism and promoting feminist interpretations of Islamic religiosity may help to empower Turkish women to challenge honor beliefs.
This study integrates the emotion and social influence literatures to examine how emotion recognition ability (ERA) relates to annual income. In a sample of 142 employee-peer-supervisor triads from a broad range of jobs and organizations, we find that people's level of ERA indirectly relates to how much they earn per year. The relationship between ERA and annual income is mediated sequentially through political skill and interpersonal facilitation. The results imply that emotional abilities allow people not only to process affect-laden information effectively but also to use this information to successfully navigate the social world of organizations in the pursuit of prosperity. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from diverse primary and secondary causes and shared pathways of disease progression, correlating with substantial mortality, morbidity, and cost. HF in children is most commonly attributable to coexistent congenital heart disease, with different risks depending on the specific type of malformation. Current management and therapy for HF in children are extrapolated from treatment approaches in adults. This review discusses the causes, epidemiology, and manifestations of HF in children with congenital heart disease and presents the clinical, genetic, and molecular characteristics that are similar or distinct from adult HF. The objective of this review is to provide a framework for understanding rapidly increasing genetic and molecular information in the challenging context of detailed phenotyping. We review clinical and translational research studies of HF in congenital heart disease including at the genome, transcriptome, and epigenetic levels. Unresolved issues and directions for future study are presented.
Recently, the research on the co-cultural groups gradually becomes a new focus. In the midst, the study on the disabled co-culture is a typical example. Going from this perspective, this paper mainly summarizes the influence of physical appearance, interpersonal space and distance, and paralanguage etc. to the disabled and nondisabled people's communication and analyzes the cultural foundations based on Hofstede's theory of value orientations. Finally communication principles are proposed. The purpose is to improve the intercultural communication between the disabled and nondisabled people.
Many senior citizens are keeping in touch with modern times and put modern technologies to good use. They attempt to adapt to this era and don't avoid computers or smart devices. Such senior citizens often also educate themselves further in ICT, but are not immune to troubles that come hand in hand with ICT, or even psychological issues that stem from learning new skills in high age. Many even reconsider, asking themselves if all the effort is worth the outcome. Courses they attend might not be the best suited for them and can be very different from one another. Taught operating systems, teacher's individual attitude, accessibility of the course itself and learning environment have huge impact on both senior's attitude and quality of gained skills. This article aims to describe areas and issues senior citizens feel are most limiting in their access to quality education in ICT, and how they are tackled. The results come from a qualitative research among a selected sample of senior citizens that took part in our ICT courses. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
During face-to-face human interaction, nonverbal communication plays a fundamental role. A relevant aspect that takes part during social interactions is represented by mirroring, in which a person tends to mimic the non-verbal behavior (head and body gestures, vocal prosody, etc.) of the counterpart. In this paper, we introduce a computer vision-based system to detect mirroring in dyadic social interactions with the use of a wearable platform. In our context, mirroring is inferred as simultaneous head noddings displayed by the interlocutors. Our approach consists of the following steps: (1) facial features extraction; (2) facial features stabilization; (3) head nodding recognition; and (4) mirroring detection. Our system achieves a mirroring detection accuracy of 72% on a custom mirroring dataset. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Infections are usually involved in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a component of the innate immune system with an important role in microbial defense.Objective: To study the prevalence of MBL deficiency in SpA patients as well as its influence in the clinical profile of these diseases.Methods: We studied 89 SpA patients and 89 healthy individuals, paired for age and gender. MBL serum levels were measured by ELISA test. Individuals with levels 100 ng/mL were considered deficient. SpA patients had determination of Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-CRP, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and review of their clinical profile.Results: SpA patients had MBL levels ranging from 100 to 4100 ng/mL (median = 375 ng/mL); controls levels ranged from 100 to 4703 ng/mL (median = 1204 ng/mL; p < 0.0001). The prevalence of MBL deficiency was 27/89 (30.3%) in SpA patients and 12/89 (13.5%) in controls, with p = 0.01; OR = 2.5 (95% IC = 1.2-5.3). No association/correlation was found between MBL levels with BASDAI, BASFI, age at disease onset, ASDAS-CRP, ESR, CRP, presence of uveitis, HLAB27, peripheral arthritis, or SpA subtype (all p = NS).Conclusion: MBL levels may be linked with the occurrence of SpA but do not influence its phenotype.
Design for manufacturing (DFM), especially the use of manufacturing knowledge to support design decisions, has received attention in the academic domain. However, industry practice has not been studied enough to provide solutions that are mature for industry. The current state of the art for DFM is often rule-based functionality within computer-aided design (CAD) systems that enforce specific design requirements. That rule-based functionality may or may not dynamically affect geometry definition. And, if rule-based functionality exists in the CAD system, it is typically a customisation on a case-by-case basis. Manufacturing knowledge is a phrase with vast meanings, which may include knowledge on the effects of material properties decisions, machine and process capabilities or understanding the unintended consequences of design decisions on manufacturing. One of the DFM questions to answer is: How can manufacturing knowledge, depending on its definition, be used earlier in the product life cycle to enable a more collaborative development environment? This paper will discuss the results of a workshop on manufacturing knowledge that highlights several research questions needing more study. This paper proposes recommendations for investigating the relationship of manufacturing knowledge with shape, behaviour and context characteristics of a product to produce a better understanding of what knowledge is most important. In addition, the proposal includes recommendations for investigating the system-level barriers to reusing manufacturing knowledge and how model-based manufacturing may ease the burden of knowledge sharing. Lastly, the proposal addresses the direction of future research for holistic solutions of using manufacturing knowledge earlier in the product life cycle.
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are highly specialized cells that regulate vascular tone and participate in vessel remodeling in physiological and pathological conditions. It is unclear why certain vascular pathologies involve one type of vessel and spare others. Our objective was to compare the proteomes of normal human VSMC from aorta (human aortic smooth muscle cells, HAoSMC), umbilical artery (human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells, HUASMC), pulmonary artery (HPASMC), or pulmonary artery VSMC from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH-SMC). Proteomes of VSMC were compared by 2D DIGE and MS. Only 19 proteins were differentially expressed between HAoSMC and HPASMC while 132 and 124 were differentially expressed between HUASMC and HAoSMC or HPASMC, respectively (fold change 1.5=, p< 0.05). As much as 336 proteins were differentially expressed between HPASMC and PAH-SMC(fold change 1.5=, p< 0.05). HUASMC expressed increased amount of alpha-smooth muscle actin compared to either HPASMC or HAoSMC (although not statistically significant). In addition, PAH-SMC expressed decreased amount of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain and proliferation rate was increased compared to HPASMC thus supporting that PAH-SMC have a more synthetic phenotype. Analysis with Ingenuity identified paxillin and (embryonic lethal, abnormal vision, drosophila) like 1 (ELAVL1) as molecules linked with a
Natural disasters constitute a persistent threat to economic welfare in many places, particularly in developing countries. Not only can disasters transform living circumstances, but we provide evidence here that they can lead to important changes in individual preferences. In a series of experiments that we conducted in rural Thailand, we find that the 2004 tsunami led to substantial longlasting increases in risk aversion, prosocial behavior, and impatience. We use GIS data and survey responses to identify disaster impact, showing that both community-level and individual-level experiences appear to affect preferences in theoretically plausible ways. Our findings have important implications for public policy efforts to address natural disasters. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper aims to develop a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tool for rainwater harvesting (RWH) on a university campus in Bogota, Colombia. The specific type of MCDA our research proposes is known as CRIDE (multi-CRIteria DEcision support tool), which allows us to study various methods of RWH. In order to account for uncertainties such as the variability of expert opinions and imprecision stemming from the different criteria required, we have designed this tool to incorporate ELECTRE II and the Monte Carlo method. For this case study we apply a methodology that evaluates the performance of six RWH scenarios. These six input scenarios emerged from an ideal one, wherein all rainwater throughout the campus is successfully harvested and treated until potable. From there, reality sets in: the other five scenarios are varying degrees of deviance from the ideal one, both in terms of water quantity and quality. In regard to collection and treatment we used sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). As for the evaluation of each of the scenarios, we outline eight criteria, which include hydraulic performance, compatibility with the University's Master Plan and financial aspects. Our research concludes that CRIDE as a means of support during the decision-making process generates a complete view of possible solutions, in addition to ranking these solutions. The CRIDE-based approach allows for the proposal of a methodology that evaluates the relevance of an established criteria set, using robustness, redundancy and sensitivity.
Language is not a purely cultural phenomenon somehow isolated from its wider environment, and we may only understand its origins and evolution by seriously considering its embedding in this environment as well as its multimodal nature. By environment here we understand other aspects of culture (such as communication technology, attitudes towards language contact, etc.), of the physical environment (ultraviolet light incidence, air humidity, etc.), and of the biological infrastructure for language and speech. We are specifically concerned in this paper with the latter, in the form of the biases, constraints and affordances that the anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract create on speech and language. In a nutshell, our argument is that (a) there is an under-appreciated amount of inter-individual variation in vocal tract (VT) anatomy and physiology, (b) variation that is non-randomly distributed across populations, and that (c) results in systematic differences in phonetics and phonology between languages. Relevant differences in VT anatomy include the overall shape of the hard palate, the shape of the alveolar ridge, the relationship between the lower and upper jaw, to mention just a few, and our data offer a new way to systematically explore such differences and their potential impact on speech. These differences generate very small biases that nevertheless can be amplified by the repeated use and transmission of language, affecting language diachrony and resulting in cross linguistic synchronic differences. Moreover, the same type of biases and processes might have played an essential role in the emergence and evolution of language, and might allow us a glimpse into the speech and language of extinct humans by, for example, reconstructing the anatomy of parts of their vocal tract from the fossil record and extrapolating the biases we find in present-day humans. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lymphocyte proliferation in response to antigenic or mitogenic stimulation is a readily quantifiable phenomenon useful for testing immunomodulatory (i.e., immunosuppressive or immunostimulatory) chemical compounds and biologics. One of the earliest steps during mitogenesis is cell enlargement or blastogenic transformation, whereupon the cell volume increases before division. It is usually detectable in the first several hours of T-lymphocyte stimulation. Here, we describe a rapid method to quantify blastogenesis in T lymphocytes isolated from mouse spleens and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using an automated cell counter. Various commonly used proliferation assays for the most part are laborious and only reflect the overall population effect rather than individual cellular effects within a population. In contrast, the presented automated cell counter assay provides rapid, direct, and precise measurements of cell diameters that can be used for assessing the effectiveness of various mitogens and immunomodulatory drugs in vitro.
This paper presents a new algorithm for controlling the magnetic induction waveform in a specific measurement system for the magnetic characterization and modeling of silicon steel sheets. Experimental results show that, with this new control algorithm, the measurement system is able to characterize silicon steel sheets under sinusoidal or nonsinusoidal waveforms in wide frequency and amplitude range.
Emphasis on early identification of atypical development has increased as evidence supporting the efficacy of intervention has grown. These increases have also directly affected the availability of funding and providers of early intervention services. A majority of research has focused on interventions specific to an individual's primary diagnoses. For example, interventions for those with cerebral palsy (CP) have traditionally focused on physiological symptoms, while intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) focus on socialization, communication, and restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. However deficits in areas other than those related to their primary diagnoses (e.g., communication, adaptive behaviors, and social skills) are prevalent in atypically developing populations and are significant predictors of quality of life. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine impairments in socialization and nonverbal communication in individuals with Down's syndrome (DS), CP, and those with CP and comorbid ASD. Individuals with comorbid CP and ASD exhibited significantly greater impairments than any diagnostic group alone. However, individuals with CP also exhibited significantly greater impairments than those with DS. The implications of these results are discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We tested social cognition abilities of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and neurotypically developed peers (NTD). A multi-faceted test-battery including facial emotion categorization (FEC), classical false belief tasks (FBT), and complex social cognition (SC), yielded significantly lower accuracy rates for FEC and complex SC tasks in ASD, but no significant differences in performance concerning FBT. A significant correlation between age and performance in a FEC task and in a complex task was found only in ASD. We propose that dynamic and/or fragmented FEC tasks can elicit deficits in implicit processing of facial emotion more efficiently. The difficulties of ASD in solving complex SC tasks can be ascribed to deficits in the acquisition and application of social schemata.
Land subsidence caused by mining activities is an example of human transformation of the natural environment and leads to changes in land use. The study covers an area of 958 ha in the Silesian Upland, southern Poland. Records from the period 1890-1990 document the presence of subsidence effects in 82.9% of the study area and the maximum displacement figure is more than 30m which translates to an average rate of 0.3m per year. It was found that subsidence basins serve as the new local erosion base and new sedimentation basins. They are filled with sediments whose level of pollution ranges from moderate to heavy and extremely heavy. Subsidence has caused a dramatic change in the local hydrology, including the quality and quantity of the water. The specifics involve: the emergence of new closed drainage catchments with a total area of 651.1 ha; an increase in the total watercourse length (from 0.9 to 5.7 km); an increase in the river network density (from 0.09 to 0.56 km km(-2)); a decrease in the number (from 81 to 48) and an increase in the area (from 23.8 to 58.4 ha) of lakes and ponds; an increase in the lake coverage ratio (from 2.5% to 6.1%) and in water pollution. Subsidence has limited the potential land uses, which led to a decrease in arable land from 619.0 to 122.5 ha that gave way to other land uses, including those equivalent to wasteland. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper presents a capacitive sensing system, addressing the issue of collision avoidance in partially modelled or unknown robot-assisted industrial environment by means of object distance measurement, motion tracking, and surface profile detection. The sensor consists of a mesh of multiple electrodes, a digital control module, a capacitance to digital converter, and a data processing module. The mesh is composed of 16 metal squares organized to form a 4x4 capacitor matrix. The electrode connections within the matrix can be reconfigured at run time by the digital control logic to provide multiple sense functionalities. Statistical regression models are applied to derive the distance and track the motion. A machine learning algorithm (Support Vector Machine, SVM) is applied to measured data to classify surface profiles. The fabricated sensing system has the ability of detecting objects at distances up to 20 cm from the sensor, and shows accuracy over 90% in profile recognition.
Volumes of rainwater harvested on-site are estimated by short-term storage capacity by two methods: graphical method and analytical method. The first method considers the difference between demand and supply over a specified period of time. The second uses random events to determine analytically, the storage capacity required to guarantee the draft. The comparison between the two methods indicates that there are minor differences. Based on the volume of water harvested after applying these methods, run-off coefficient for impervious surface in arid and semi-arid area was estimated. New analytical approach for long-term storage capacity is utilized to estimate the detention pond capacity off-site for the local natural streams. To apply this method, it is necessary to estimate the overall mean storage capacity in which the soil conservation service method is utilized. This technique is confirmed with graphical method.
In this paper, we focus on Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Geography (GSHHG) database registration for remote sensing images taken from geostationary meteorological satellites. While the accuracy of feature matching is the key component. To improve it, we propose a neighborhood geometry-based feature matching scheme which includes three steps: neighborhood coding, verification and fitting. (1) Neighborhood coding represents landmarks of GSHHG as a descriptive bit-matrix, and quantifies remote sensing images to a probability-based edge map and a binary geometry-based edge map. As a result, both gradient arid geometry similarity of local features in the remote sensing image and GSHHG can be measured. (2) Neighborhood verification is to encode spatial relationship among local features in neighbor, and discover outliers. (3) Neighborhood fitting fits the shorelines of GSHHG with the landmarks registered by neighborhood verification to improve recall. Experimental results on 25 pairs of newly annotated images show that the proposed method is competitive to several prior arts with respect to matching accuracy. What is more, our method is significantly more efficient than others.
Tropical home gardens in developing countries are a traditional land-use system, which contributes to the basic food requirements of the farming families, as well as providing a small but important income throughout the year. Most of these home gardens rely on rain for survival, i.e., rainfed systems. At present home gardens are being neglected due to social and environmental problems. Among these issues, the scarcity of water during cropping seasons is the most important issue that adversely affects crop production from home gardens. This is mainly due to the occurrence of unexpected dry periods during the cropping seasons, and the requirement to have a water source at the farmer's residence to irrigate the home garden during the dry spells (to capture and conserve roof runoff in the home gardens for subsequent use) is an appropriate green option to mitigate this situation. Microlevel rainwater tanks are promoted to be used to collect roof runoff water during wet periods enabling the farmer to irrigate his home garden crops during dry periods. Field experiments were carried out at Mapalana Research Farm in Sri Lanka to obtain the roof runoff coefficients from commonly used roof types; namely: asbestos, tiles, and thatched (either straw or woven coconut leaves). The objective of the case study is to develop a methodology to estimate the optimum size of a rainwater tank based on the roof size, roof cover, climatic conditions, and the irrigation requirement for home garden irrigation. This paper presents the experimental setup, the runoff coefficients obtained from different types of roof materials, and the methodology used to calculate the optimum storage capacity of the tank for home garden irrigation. In designing the rainwater tank sizes, microirrigation systems with both drip and pot irrigation systems were assessed. The water-use efficiency of drip systems was comparatively small compared to the subsurface pot irrigation. Based on the tank sizes obtained in the study, roof runoff water from the farmer's own roof is sufficient and recommended to be used as the irrigation source for home gardens. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Overt sexual prejudice is declining, but heterosexuals who report little to no prejudice may still harbor subtle biases against gay men and lesbians. We examined implicit prejudice in a sample of 37 heterosexual college students who reported little or no sexual prejudice, using the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) and psychophysiological measures of affect. Skin conductance, heart rate, and facial electromyographic responses were recorded as participants viewed photos of mixed- and same-sex couples kissing and rated them on valence, arousal, and disgustingness. Sexual prejudice was evident in implicit (AMP) ratings and explicit ratings of valence and disgustingness, but not in psychophysiological responses. Results suggest that implicit prejudice harbored by young adults who endorse low levels of sexual prejudice is more cognitively than emotionally based, unlike the fear-based reactions commonly described for racism. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed.
Obesity is a major problem and maintaining a healthy diet and body weight has become increasingly important. Insulin is a known biomarker for the human metabolism, and measuring insulin may thus help inform decisions about diet choices. This provides a strong motivation to develop a fast, cheap, sensitive and easy to use home biosensor for insulin. Here we discuss the challenges and trade-offs between sensitivity, specificity, dynamic range, analysis times, instrumentation and sample transport and storage requirements for different biosensor development approaches. We show that the sensitivity of conventional SPR with a lower limit of detection of 0.5 nM is too low for practical purposes. Label-free antibody and aptamer carbon nanotube based systems suffer from lack of specificity. Highest sensitivity is afforded by mesoscale and phase monitoring electrochemical impedance spectroscopy assays with detection limits in the fM range, currently available only in a laboratory setting. Thus, a home-based insulin dip-stick is yet to be developed. [GRAPHICS] Biosensing traces and structure of insulin: an important molecule to be quantified with role in obesity and diabetes.
Pythagorean-normal (PN) surfaces, defined as rational surfaces admitting rational offsets, are important for industrial Computer-aided Design. Traditionally PN surfaces are considered from the point of view of Laguerre geometry, using three main models: cyclographic model, Blaschke cylinder or isotropic model. We propose a unifying formalism to deal with PN surfaces: all these models are embedded into one ambient pseudo-Euclidean space , that is known as a model for Lie sphere geometry. Various relations between different models are described in terms of closed formulas in the geometric algebra and illustrated by examples of applications.
Purpose of review Truncating variants in the TTN gene (TTNtv) are frequently identified in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) but are also present in apparently healthy people in the general population. Consequently, there is considerable uncertainty about what it means for any single individual if a TTNtv is found. The aim of this review is to summarize current evidence implicating TTNtv in DCM pathogenesis and to provide some interpretative guidelines for clinical management. Recent findings Next-generation sequencing studies have recently demonstrated that TTNtv are present in approximately one in five patients with DCM but also in up to 3% of individuals in the general population. These observations question whether TTNtv are sufficient alone to cause DCM and whether some TTNtv may be more deleterious than others. It has been suggested that functional effects of TTNtv can be predicted by their location in the titin protein, with DCM-associated variants typically occurring in the A-band region and/or in exons that are highly utilized across the range of titin isoforms. Recent data from animal and cell models suggest that developmental defects in the structural assembly of titin-deficient sarcomeres provide a template for mechanical stress-induced myocardial dysfunction during later life. Summary Not all TTNtv are equal, and variants in constitutively expressed exons have the greatest likelihood of pathogenicity. The clinical significance of high-impact TTNtv is likely to differ according to patient context and each individual's unique suite of background genetic factors, comorbidities, and lifestyle factors. TTNtv identified in patients with DCM can be expected to have a major role in disease pathogenesis, but whether unaffected individuals with TTNtv will develop DCM is less certain.
This paper contributes to a better understanding of how installation damage of geosynthetics can affect soil-geosynthetic interaction during pullout and inclined-plane shear. The effects of installation damage induced in field trials of a woven geotextile and a woven geogrid were studied. The results indicated that after installation the accumulation of a layer of fine particles over the geosynthetic can reduce the skin friction available, particularly for sheet materials. Installation damage can induce premature tensile failure in pullout tests, along the unconfined portion of the geosynthetic, causing a significant reduction in the corresponding coefficient of interaction. The contribution of the bearing members to the coefficient of interaction during pullout was estimated using equations from the literature. Such estimates were too optimistic. The installation damage induced had little influence on the soil-geosynthetic coefficient of interaction in the inclined plane shear test. The different relative movements of the soil and geosynthetic in pullout and inclined-plane shear, as well as the deformation of the reinforcements during pullout, enabled different mobilisation of the interface strength. For the comparable conditions tested, the coefficient of interaction from inclined plane shear tests was larger than that measured from pullout tests. The reduction factor for installation damage obtained from tensile tests overestimated the effects of the installation conditions on the soil-geosynthetic interface from both pullout and inclined plane shear tests.
IntroductionResults from studies on awareness disorders in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are controversial because the methodologies, the objects of awareness, and the patients' pathologic stage all vary. Our study aimed to compare scores and correlates of awareness according to the stage of the disease and the assessment method. MethodsWe compared 20 mild AD patients to 20 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, using the Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS; patient vs. caregiver report) and the Self-Consciousness Scale (rating scale). All patients underwent cognitive, psycho-affective and behavioral assessments (global cognition, executive functions, episodic memory, anxiety-depression, and apathy measures). ResultsGroups were matched for age, education, and gender. They were comparable on the depression, anxiety, apathy and awareness scales (ps>.05), and differed for all cognitive variables (p<.05). Using the median split approach, greater apathy and lower depression were associated with poorer awareness on the Self-Consciousness Scale (respectively: odds ratio [OR]=4.8, p=.03; OR=4.84, p=.04), and the PCRS (only apathy: OR=9.3, p=.003). Greater apathy plus lower depression were associated with poorer awareness in both scales (PCRS: OR=40.5, p=.005; Self-consciousness scale: OR=28, p=.012). ConclusionThese results evidence comparable awareness between AD and MCI patients. The correlates were more affective and behavioral than cognitive, independently from assessment method.
The use of geotextiles to postpone reflective cracks in asphalt overlay is a popular practice, so researchers are eager to calculate its structural value. This research study has focused on this issue for geotextiles used in the roads of Iran. Twelve sections from the Tehran-Qom road were tested; each examined before and after construction of the overlay. The tests were of the Falling Weight Deflectometer type, and at least twelve tests were conducted each time. The data from five sections (four for developing the model and one for evaluating the output) allowed a new mathematical model to be developed. For the seven remaining sections, some foreign and Iranian geotextiles were used as interlayers. The mean structural value for all of the geotextiles was equivalent to that of a 2.92 cm-thick Hot Mix Asphalt overlay, while that for only the Iranian sections was equivalent to 2.28 cm. Economic evaluations, based on construction costs, showed that in 2011 the use of geotextiles was economical in Iran, because fuel and bitumen subsidies had been eliminated and different geotextile brands had been brought to market in the country.
The present study estimates the temporal variability of the anthropogenic heat flux density (Q(F)) for three common land use types found in Singapore between October 2008 and March 2009. Q(F) is estimated by separately considering the major sources of waste heat in urban environments, which are heat release from vehicular traffic, buildings and human metabolism, respectively. The individual components of Q(F) are calculated by using a combination of top-down and bottom-up modelling approaches of energy consumption applied to the local context. Results show that over a 24-h period, magnitudes of mean hourly Q(F) reach maximum values of 113 W m(-2) in the commercial, 17 W m(-2) in the high-density public housing and 13 W m(-2) in the low-density residential areas, respectively. Buildings are found to be the major source of anthropogenic heat (primarily related to space cooling) in each study area, contributing to between 49-82% of Q(F) on weekdays and 46-81% on weekends. The spatial and temporal variations of Q(F) are attributed to differences in traffic volume, building energy consumption and population density. This is one of the first anthropogenic heat studies carried out in a tropical city and the results show that Q(F) can be substantial and of the same order of magnitude as calculated for city centres in mid-latitude cities during winter time. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are often poorly removed from wastewater using conventional treatment technologies and there is limited understanding of their fate during treatment. Inappropriate sampling strategies lead to inaccuracies in estimating removals of CECs. In this study, we used the fractionated approach that accounts for the residence time distribution (RTD) in treatment units to investigate the fate of 26 target CECs in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) that includes primary, secondary and tertiary treatment steps. Prior, hydraulic calibration of each treatment unit was performed. Wastewater and sludge samples were collected at different locations along the treatment train and the concentrations of target CECs were measured by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The most substantial aqueous removal occurred during activated sludge treatment (up to 99%). Removals were <50% in the primary clarifier and tertiary rotating biological contactors (RBCs) and up to 70% by sand filtration. Mass balance calculations demonstrated that (bio)degradation accounted for up to 50% of the removal in the primary clarifier and 100% in activated sludge. Removal by sorption to primary and secondary sludge was minimal for most CECs. Analysis of the selected metabolites demonstrated that negative removals obtained could be explained by transformations between the parent compound and their metabolites. This study contributes to the growing literature by applying the fractionated approach to calculate removal of different types of CECs across each wastewater treatment step. An additional level of understanding of the fate of CECs was provided by mass balance calculations in primary and secondary treatments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Human adults automatically mimic others' emotional expressions, which is believed to contribute to sharing emotions with others. Although this behaviour appears fundamental to social reciprocity, little is known about its developmental process. Therefore, we examined whether infants show automatic facial mimicry in response to others' emotional expressions. Facial electromyographic activity over the corrugator supercilii (brow) and zygomaticus major (cheek) of four-to five-month-old infants was measured while they viewed dynamic clips presenting audiovisual, visual and auditory emotions. The audiovisual bimodal emotion stimuli were a display of a laughing/crying facial expression with an emotionally congruent vocalization, whereas the visual/auditory unimodal emotion stimuli displayed those emotional faces/vocalizations paired with a neutral vocalization/face, respectively. Increased activation of the corrugator supercilii muscle in response to audiovisual cries and the zygomaticus major in response to audiovisual laughter were observed between 500 and 1000 ms after stimulus onset, which clearly suggests rapid facial mimicry. By contrast, both visual and auditory unimodal emotion stimuli did not activate the infants' corresponding muscles. These results revealed that automatic facial mimicry is present as early as five months of age, when multimodal emotional information is present.
Glioma is still difficult to treat because of its high malignancy, high recurrence rate, and high resistance to anticancer drugs. An alternative method for research of gliomagenesis and drug resistance is to use in vitro tumor model that closely mimics the in vivo tumor microenvironment. In this study, we established a 3D bioprinted glioma stem cell model, using modified porous gelatin/alginate/ fibrinogen hydrogel that mimics the extracellular matrix. Glioma stem cells achieved a survival rate of 86.92%, and proliferated with high cellular activity immediately following bioprinting. During the in vitro culture period, the printed glioma stem cells not only maintained their inherent characteristics of cancer stem cells (Nestin), but also showed differentiation potential (glial fibrillary acidic protein and beta-tubulin III). In order to verify the vascularization potential of glioma stem cells, tumor angiogenesis biomarker, vascular endothelial growth factor was detected by immunohistochemistry, and its expression increased from week one to three during the culture period. Drug-sensitivity results showed that 3D printed tumor model was more resistant to temozolomide than 2D monolayer model at TMZ concentrations of 400-1600 mu g ml(-1). In summary, 3D bioprinted glioma model provides a novel alternative tool for studying gliomagenesis, glioma stem cell biology, drug resistance, and anticancer drug susceptibility in vitro.
Carbon fiber (CF) composites of organometallic intercalated polyaniline (Pani) and polypyrrole (Ppy) doped with polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) were electrochemically synthesized and tested as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. From the results obtained by cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, it was concluded that the incorporation of copper(II) ions in the polymeric composite was successfully attained by adsorption of Cu2+ ions and 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMcT) monomers on the carbon microfibers. The experimental electrochemical impedance response of the obtained Pani(DMcT-Cu ion)/CF composite was simulated by adequate equivalent electrical circuits. After 20 charge/discharge cycles, the experimental discharge specific capacity of the Pani(DMcT-Cu ion)/CF composite was 118 mA h g(-1) (100% coulombic efficiency) using a 1 mol L-1 LiClO4 solution in propylene carbonate, and 110 mA h g(-1) when a polymeric electrolyte was used. In the charge/discharge tests of the Ppy-PSS/Pani/CF composite as anode, a high discharge specific capacity of 225 mA h g(-1) was obtained after 20 cycles. The resulting Ppy-PSS/Pani/CF/polymeric electrolyte/Pani(DMcT-Cu ion)/CF battery presented a specific capacity of 62 mA h g(-1) and could be charged up to 2.0 V, yielding an energy density 425 W h g(-1), with a coulombic efficiency of about 98%. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Joint gaze behavior plays a crucial role in nonverbal communication and enhances group interactions. We recently reported that under conditions of uncertainty, observers assume that another person's (left/right averted) gaze is directed towards them, a prior for direct gaze. Given that people's gaze can deviate in many directions during social interactions, we developed a versatile method to examine how the influence of the prior for direct gaze varies across a range of gaze directions in both forward facing and rotated heads. We find that observers tend to report another's gaze along all axes as being more direct when uncertainty is introduced by adding noise to the stimulus. We also find that the influence of the prior is stronger in rotated heads than direct (forward) heads. This is consistent with the idea that, when uncertain, humans tend to judge gaze deviations as being directed at them, regardless of head rotation or axis of deviation.
In high-velocity chute flows, free-surface aeration is often observed. The phenomenon is called self-aeration or white waters. When the turbulent shear stresses next to the free-surface are large enough, air bubbles are entrained throughout the entire airwater column. A rapidly-varied flow region is observed immediately downstream of the inception point of free-surface aeration. An analytical solution of the air diffusion equation is proposed and the results compare well with new experimental data. Both experiments and theory indicate that the flow bulking spans over approximately 3-4 step cavities downstream of the inception point of free-surface aeration on a stepped chute. Further downstream the void fraction distributions follow closely earlier solutions of the air diffusion equation. The application of the diffusion equation solution to prototype and laboratory data shows air bubble diffusivities typically larger than the momentum transfer coefficient. The result highlights however a marked decrease in the ratio of air bubble diffusivity to eddy viscosity with increasing Reynolds number. The finding might indicate some limitation of laboratory investigations of air bubble diffusion process in self-aerated flows and of their extrapolation to full-scale prototype applications.
Effective interpersonal communication depends on the ability to perceive and interpret nonverbal emotional expressions from multiple sensory modalities. Current theoretical models propose that visual and auditory emotion perception involves a network of brain regions including the primary sensory cortices, the superior temporal sulcus (STS), and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). However, relatively little is known about how the dynamic interplay between these regions gives rise to the perception of emotions. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of neural oscillations in mediating neural communication within and between functional neural networks. Here we review studies investigating changes in oscillatory activity during the perception of visual, auditory, and audiovisual emotional expressions, and aim to characterize the functional role of neural oscillations in nonverbal emotion perception. Findings from the reviewed literature suggest that theta band oscillations most consistently differentiate between emotional and neutral expressions. While early theta synchronization appears to reflect the initial encoding of emotionally salient sensory information, later fronto-central theta synchronization may reflect the further integration of sensory information with internal representations. Additionally, gamma synchronization reflects facilitated sensory binding of emotional expressions within regions such as the OFC. STS, and, potentially, the amygdala. However, the evidence is more ambiguous when it comes to the role of oscillations within the alpha and beta frequencies, which vary as a function of modality (or modalities), presence or absence of predictive information, and attentional or task demands. Thus, the synchronization of neural oscillations within specific frequency bands mediates the rapid detection, integration, and evaluation of emotional expressions. Moreover, the functional coupling of oscillatory activity across multiples frequency bands supports a predictive coding model of multisensory emotion perception in which emotional facial and body expressions facilitate the processing of emotional vocalizations.
The anticipation of ethical issues that may arise with the clinical use of genomic technologies is crucial to envision their future implementation in a manner sensitive to local contexts. Yet, populations in low- and middle-income countries are underrepresented in studies that aim to explore stakeholders' perspectives on the use of such technologies. Within the framework of a research project entitled Personalized medicine in the treatment of epilepsy, we sought to increase inclusiveness by widening the reach of our survey, inviting neurologists from around the world to share their views and practices regarding the use of whole-genome sequencing in clinical neurology and its associated ethics. We discuss herein the compelling scientific and ethical reasons that led us to attempt to recruit neurologists worldwide, despite the lack, in many low- or middle-income countries, of access to genomic technologies. Recruitment procedures and their results are presented and discussed, as well as the barriers we faced. We conclude that inclusive recruitment remains a challenging, albeit necessary and legitimate, endeavour.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems are increasingly being used as an alternative source of water supply. However, their installation is not often financially feasible. The feasibility analysis of such investments is carried out by traditional techniques that have uncertainty limitations. Thus, the objective of this study is to describe how the studies concerning the economic feasibility of RWH systems have been conducted, thus identifying trends of current studies through a systematic review. We performed a literature search of published articles and, using defined inclusion criteria, 30 relevant articles were selected. We noted an increase in publications on this issue in recent years, and we demonstrate that the feasibility of the systems is frequently calculated by discounted cash flow methods. Several studies seek to incorporate uncertainties with an analysis of sensitivity, and only one study uses real options analysis. With these analyses, we provide recommendations for future studies and an overview of the current literature.
Inflammatory joint disease (IJD) is a group of conditions that target the joints and periarticular structures. The contribution of genetic factors to these conditions is often less than 50%, suggesting a major role for environmental influences. Twin studies are the best means of assessing the role for genetic factors in IJD. Conclusive evidence has been provided by a few studies in vast samples of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, with only one twin in each pair having IJD. These studies have been most successful in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. The other IJDs have proven more difficult to evaluate. This review demonstrates that genetic and environmental factors are inextricably linked and that ascribing IJDs to one or the other is misguided. Awareness of the limitations and possible sources of bias in twin studies is important when seeking to understand the development of these complex diseases. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Societe francaise de rhumatologie.
This work numerically studies transient behaviour of particulate flows in a cylindrical-conical spouted bed in terms of comparative analysis of different models' predictions. Two approaches were used: a laminar flow model and a turbulent flow model. As a reference case, we consider experimental studies by He et al.,([ 14,15]) where the profiles of vertical particle velocities and the void fraction in the spout and the fountain of a full-column spout bed were measured. In this work we used the Euler-Euler unsteady multiphase model with the Syamlal-O'Brien, Gidaspow, and Wen-Yu drag models available in commercial CFD software Fluent 14.0. Analysis of results obtained by the use of laminar and turbulent flow models revealed almost identical solid and gas phase velocities and phase fractions within the spouted bed region. We found that the turbulence plays a significant role only in the gas phase above the spouted bed and it does not have any influence on the solid phase. Comparing our simulation results in the form of time-averaged vertical velocity of the solid phase against experimental data showed acceptable agreement in the spout and very good agreement in the fountain region. Numerical simulations with the Syamlal-O'Brien drag model gave better agreement with experimental data than results obtained using the Gidaspow and Wen-Yu drag models. To analyze the transient behaviour of the spouted bed, we use the volume-averaged particle velocity and gas phase velocity. The analysis of their time histories showed that the start up time is 2-3 s. The developed unsteady regime is reached after 4-5 s. Additionally we studied numerically the influence of different discretization schemes for convective terms on the final results. We found that the use of 1st order upwind scheme gives a steady state solution for both models, laminar and turbulent. Finally, we investigated the influence of the restitution coefficient on the transient characteristics of a cylindrical-conical spouted bed. A decrease in the value of the restitution coefficient leads to an increase in the period of oscillations of the volume-averaged velocities of the gas and solid phases.
Objectives: To characterize comorbidities, health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL), productivity, and healthcare resource use in adults with atopic dermatitis (AD) relative to those without AD, and to evaluate the impact of patient-reported AD severity on these outcomes.Methods: Data were from the 2013 National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS), which collected self-reported information on demographics, comorbidities, HRQoL (SF-36v2 Health Survey), productivity (Work Productivity and Impairment questionnaire [WPAI]), and healthcare utilization, which were weighted to the US general population. The AD cohort consisted of subjects who reported that they experienced AD within the past 12 months (n=428), and the non-AD cohort included all subjects who did not report experiencing AD (n=74,572); 366 AD subjects self-reported mild (n=182) or moderate/severe (n=184) disease. Univariable and multivariable analyses compared characteristics and outcomes between cohorts and between AD severity levels.Results: The AD cohort was younger than non-AD cohort (44.3 vs. 46.6 years; P=0.0033), and had a higher proportion of females (64.4% vs. 51.8%; P<0.0001). Relative to the non-AD cohort, the AD cohort had a significantly higher prevalence of atopic conditions including nasal allergies (46.4% vs. 19.8%) and asthma (22.4% vs. 7.9%), and neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety (42.5% vs. 21.3%) and depression (37.2% vs. 20.9%) (all P<0.0001). Units of resource use (healthcare practitioner visits, emergency room, hospitalizations) were higher (all P<0.05) and HRQoL was poorer (P<0.0001) with AD. On the WPAI, AD employees reported almost twice as much lost work productivity as non-AD employees (30.0% vs. 16.3%; P<0.0001). No clear differences in outcomes were observed among patient-reported AD severity categories, except greater impairment of work productivity and daily activities in those with moderate/severe AD relative to mild.Conclusions: The significant burden associated with AD relative to those without AD suggests an unmet need for more effective management strategies. There also appears to be a need for further characterization of disease severity and its impact on HRQoL.
Gully erosion represents one of the most significant types of land degradation in the Mediterranean areas, giving place to important on- and off-site effects. In this paper, a second-order gully located in SW Spain is analyzed. Along the gully, 28 cross-sections were established and measured with a Leica TCRM1102 laser total station, approximately every 6 months from 2001 to 2007. The sections were located at variable distance, placing them in areas where active erosion was evident. In total, 13 field measurements were carried out, and the geometric characteristics of 28 cross-sections were obtained. Morphometric analyses were carried out in both the main gully and a tributary reach by applying an empirical relationship between channel length and eroded volume. Morphometric variables of the gully sections were combined into two dimensionless groups, and a morphological similarity between different linear erosion land forms (rills, ephemeral and permanent gullies) was obtained. Then, the coefficient of variation of the calculated volumes was used to compare the instability between the main gully and the tributary reach. Finally, the hydraulic geometry of the gully was assessed by calibrating three empirical power equations, which relate bankfull discharge with mean flow velocity, cross-sectional depth and width. The hydraulic characterization of the main gully and the tributary reach was investigated for each field survey and a different behavior was detected. The hydraulic analysis also demonstrated that higher values of discharge provide better predictions of flow velocity; the size of the main and tributary gullies affects the discharge-width relationship; and that gully depth is the variable which can be predicted with the highest accuracy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We present a methodology based on matrix factorization and gradient descent to predict the number of sessions established in the access points of a Wi-Fi network according to the users' behavior. As the network considered in this work is monitored and controlled by software in order to manage users and resources in real time, we may consider it as a cyber-physical system that interacts with the physical world through access points, whose demands can be predicted according to users' activity. These predictions are useful for relocating or reinforcing some access points according to the changing physical environment. In this work we propose a prediction model based on machine learning techniques, which is validated by comparing the prediction results with real user's activity. Our experiments collected the activity of 1095 users demanding 26,673 network sessions during one month in a Wi-Fi network composed of 10 access points, and the results are qualitatively valid with regard to the previous knowledge. We can conclude that our proposal is suitable for predicting the demand of sessions in access points when some devices are removed taking into account the usual activity of the network users. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Composite resin blocks for computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) applications have recently become available. However, CAD/CAM composite resins have lower wear resistance and accumulate more plaque than CAD/CAM ceramic materials. We assessed the effects of SiO2-nanocomposite film coating of four types of CAD/CAM composite resin blocks: Cerasmart, Katana Avencia block, Lava Ultimate, and Block HC on surface hardness and bacterial attachment. All composite blocks with coating demonstrated significantly greater Vickers hardness, reduced surface roughness, and greater hydrophobicity than those without coating. Adhesion of Streptococcus mutans to the coated specimens was significantly less than those for the uncoated specimens. These reduced levels of bacterial adherence on the coated surface were still evident after treatment with saliva. Surface modification by SiO2-nanocomposite film coating has potential to improve wear resistance and susceptibility to plaque accumulation of CAD/CAM composite resin restorations.
In tropical countries where rainfall rates are high, and especially in deforested areas in the Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado in southeastern Brazil, water is the dominant driving force of erosion. The most common method used to restore degraded tropical lands is to plant nursery-raised tree seedlings, but this method is not always practical and a variety of newer reforestation techniques have become available. Biodegradable coir geotextiles combined with native seeds can be used to restore degraded forest areas. The effects of the climatic conditions during a seasonal cycle of rain and drought were evaluated on the structural and mechanical properties of coir geotextile fibers that were treated, or not, with lime. Analyses of the tensile strength of coir fibers showed that after 12 months of exposure untreated fiber had retained 23% and treated fiber 19% of their initial strength. Two principal factors were considered in evaluating the structural properties of the coir fibers after environmental exposure: (i) initial cellulose retention and its stability after lime-treatment; (ii) lignin degradation and/or its loss to the environment. The structural changes seen by thermogravimetry (TGA) and Fourier Transforms in Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses explained the changes seen in coir mechanical properties. The greater cellulose contents of fiber structures treated with lime explained their greater tensile strength and high Young's modulus measures after the first three months of exposure in local weather conditions. Considering that lime treatment improved coir fiber properties, lime applications are indicated when coir geotextiles are to be used in acidic Brazilian Cerrado soils. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This paper presents a new model that describes the physical phenomena occurring in an individual Outer Hair Cell (OHC) in the human hearing organ (Cochlea). The new model employs the concept of parametric amplification and piezoelectricity. As a consequence, the proposed model may explain in a natural way many as yet unresolved problems about the mechanisms of: 1) power amplification, 2) nonlinearity, 3) fine tuning, or 4) high sensitivity that take place in the human hearing organ. Mathematical analysis of the model is performed. The equivalent electrical circuits of an individual OHC are established. The high selectivity of the OHC parametric amplifier is analyzed by solving the resulting Mathieu and Ince differential equations. An analytical formula for the power gain in the OHC's parametric amplifier has been developed. The proposed model has direct physical interpretation and all its elements have their physical counterparts in the actual structure of the cochlea. The numerical values of the individual elements of the electrical equivalent circuits are consistent with the experimental physiological data. It is anticipated that the proposed new model may contribute in future improvements of human cochlear implants as well as in development of new digital audio standards.
Individual differences in early attention are associated with later social, cognitive, and emotional development, and attentional deficits in the first year are associated with risk for developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The First Year Inventory (FYI; Baranek, Watson, Crais, & Reznick, 2003) was developed to identify 12-month-olds at risk for an ASD diagnosis. The current study identifies FYI items that reflect aspects of early attention that might predict future typical and atypical social, cognitive, and emotional development. Using a series of theoretical and statistical methods, we developed 3 attention-based constructs from the FYI: Responding to Social Attention (RSA), Initiating Social Attention (ISA), and Nonsocial Sensory Attention (NSA). A database with completed FYIs was analyzed using these constructs to determine the strength of relations among items. Cronbach's alpha analyses indicated good internal consistency, and item distribution was further supported using a confirmatory factor analysis. Data analyses showed statistically significant relations between the scores on these domains at 12 months and subsequent social responsiveness scores at 3 years. Analyses demonstrating the statistical and predictive validity of these 3 FYI attention constructs support their use for innovative explorations of infant behavioral patterns that can be used to predict typical and atypical individual trajectories in the development of later social, cognitive, and emotional skills.
Partisanship increasingly factors into the behavior of Americans in both political and nonpolitical situations, yet the bounds of partisan prejudice are largely unknown. In this paper, we systematically evaluate the limits of partisan prejudice using a series of five studies situated within a typology of prejudice. We find that partisan prejudice predicts suppression of hostile rhetoric toward one's own party, avoidance of members of the opposition, and a desire for preferential treatment for one's own party. While these behaviors may cause incidental or indirect harm to the opposition, we find that even the most affectively polarizedthose with the strongest disdain for the oppositionare no more likely to intentionally harm the opposition than those with minimal levels of affective polarization.
Edge extraction from high spatial resolution (HSR) remotely sensed images is one of the essential tasks for image segmentation and object identification. We present an optimal Gabor-based edge detection method which mainly focuses on selecting optimal parameters, including central frequency and spectrum scale, for Gabor filter. The central frequency is automatically optimized by phase randomization and the human visual system-based structure similarity index. Next, the optimal spectrum scale is determined based on two-dimensional power spectrum density. The edge detection method is comprehensively discussed in the analysis of parameter sensitivity, overall performance, and comparative tests with several widely used methods. Qualitative and quantitative experimental studies, performed on six test images with various spatial resolution, show that the proposed method provides a promising solution to edge detection from HSR remotely sensed images. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The contribution analyses the knowledge of aberrations affecting non-verbal communication in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from the perspective of speech and language therapists (SLTs) working in schools as well as in medical settings in the Czech Republic via a questionnaire (n= 69 responding SLTs of 369 originally addressed). 50.72% of SLTs perceive the specifics regarding disruption of nonverbal communication. The most frequent deficits detected are those relating to pragmatics (44.93%), the lexical-semantic linguistic level (21.74%) and the morphological-syntactic linguistic level (20.29%). The research highlighted visible deficits associated mainly with the knowledge domain of SLTs within ASD. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
We present BILL2D, a modern and efficient C++ package for classical simulations of two-dimensional Hamiltonian systems. BILL2D can be used for various billiard and diffusion problems with one or more charged particles with interactions, different external potentials, an external magnetic field, periodic and open boundaries, etc. The software package can also calculate many key quantities in complex systems such as Poincare sections, survival probabilities, and diffusion coefficients. While aiming at a large class of applicable systems, the code also strives for ease-of-use, efficiency, and modularity for the implementation of additional features. The package comes along with a user guide, a developer's manual, and a documentation of the application program interface (API). Program summary Program title: Bill2d Catalogue identifier: AEYLv1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEYLv1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License, version 3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 37098 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1155037 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: C++(14). Computer: Tested on x86 and x86 64 architectures. Operating systems: Tested on Linux, and OS X versions 10.9-10.11. Has the code been vectorized or parallelized?: Shared memory parallelization when simulating ensembles of systems. Vectorization of operations with R-2 vectors. RAM: Simulation dependent: kilobytes to gigabytes Classification: 4.3, 7.8, 7.9, 7.10, 16.9. External routines: Boost, CMake, GSL, HDF5; and optionally Google-Mock, GoogleTest, and Doxygen Nature of problem: Numerical propagation of classical two-dimensional single and many-body systems, possibly in a magnetic field, and calculation of relevant quantities such as Poincare sections, survival probabilities, diffusion co-efficients, etc. Solution method: Symplectic numerical integration of Hamilton's equations of motion in Cartesian coordinates, or solution of Newton's equations of motion if in a magnetic field. The program implements several well-established algorithms. Restrictions: Pointlike particles with equal masses and charges, although the latter restrictions are easy to lift. Unusual features: Program is efficient, extremely modular and easy to extend, and allows arbitrary particle-particle interactions. Additional comments: The source code is also available at https://bitbucicet.orgisolanpaa/bill2d. See README for locations of user guide, developer manual, and API docs. Running time: From milliseconds to days, depends on type of simulation. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease with a chronic inflammatory arthritis. The critical role of methylation in the biology of immunocytes has increasingly been surveyed to discover disease etiology. DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) is an enzyme, which establishes and regulates patterns of methylated cytosine residues. The aim of the current investigation was to unveil if methylation circumstances of CpG sites in DNMT1 promoter could affect the mRNA expression level of this gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AS patients. PBMCs were isolated from whole blood of 40 AS patients and 40 healthy individuals. Total RNA and DNA contents of leukocytes were extracted. Afterward, quantitative analysis was carried out by real-time PCR using the SYBR Green PCR Master Mix. Finally, to determine the methylation level, PCR products of bisulfite-treated DNA from patients and controls were sequenced. Compared with healthy controls, expression level of DNMT1 in AS patients was significantly downregulated. Methylation of DNMT1 promoter was significantly higher in AS patients in comparison to controls. While a negative correlation between methylation and expression level of DNMT1 was observed in AS patients, both methylation and expression level of DNMT1 did not correlate with clinical manifestations. Considering the observation that decreased expression level of DNMT1 was associated with hypermethylation of DNMT1 promoter in PBMCs from AS patients, this survey suggests that dysregulation of DNMT1 expression through altered methylation level of other target genes would probably contribute to AS development.
Automatic image annotation has been an active topic of research in the field of computer vision and pattern recognition for decades. In this paper, we present a new method for automatic image annotation based on Gaussian mixture model (GMM) considering cross-modal correlations. To be specific, we first employ GMM fitted by the rival penalized expectation-maximization (RPEM) algorithm to estimate the posterior probabilities of each annotation keyword. Next, a label similarity graph is constructed by a weighted linear combination of label similarity and visual similarity by seamlessly integrating the information from both image low level visual features and high level semantic concepts together, which can effectively avoid the phenomenon that different images with the same candidate annotations would obtain the same refinement results. Followed by the rank-two relaxation heuristics over the built label similarity graph is applied to further mine the correlation of the candidate annotations so as to capture the refining annotation results, which plays a crucial role in the semantic based image retrieval. The main contributions of this work can be summarized as follows: (1) Exploiting GMM that is trained by the RPEM algorithm to capture the initial semantic annotations of images. (2) The label similarity graph is constructed by a weighted linear combination of label similarity and visual similarity of images associated with the corresponding labels. (3) Refining the candidate set of annotations generated by the GMM through solving the max-bisection based on the rank-two relaxation algorithm over the weighted label graph. Compared to the current competitive model SGMM-RW, we can achieve significant improvements of 4% and 5% in precision, 6% and 9% in recall on the Corel5k and Mirflickr25k, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Extreme flood events often lead to considerable loss of human life, and previous studies on the stability criteria for people in floods do not account for the effect of various slopes. The proposal of an appropriate stability criterion for a range of slopes is therefore important. In this study a mechanics-based incipient velocity formula was extended for a human body in floodwater at toppling instability, with the ground slope being included. Using a laboratory flume, about 250 experimental tests were conducted to obtain water depth and velocity conditions at toppling instability for a small-scale model human body for four slopes. The experimental data obtained for flat ground and slopes of 2 and 4% were used to determine values for two parameters in the derived formula. These parameters were unified to corresponding mean values for various slopes. The calculations using the proposed formula and the unified parameters compare well with the scaled-up experimental data for a slope of 2.5%. Finally, the proposed formula was used to estimate critical velocities under different depths for a typical adult. The differences in stability criteria between the results obtained from the model and prototype experiments are also presented.
Cavitation is one of the important elements influencing the performance of sea water hydraulic axial piston pump. To understand the working performance of sea water hydraulic axial piston pump under cavitation effects, a fully dynamic numerical model was developed in this article, which has taken into account the fluid compressibility effect, dynamic processes of gaseous, vaporous, pseudo-cavitation and cavitation damage, and the simulation was conducted through a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code PumpLinx. The cavitation characteristics of the pump were presented with a set of working conditions, as well as the cavitation damage power, dynamic gas volume fraction and vapor volume fraction inside the intake, piston and port plate chamber. A test rig was developed to validate the computational fluid dynamics simulations for the case of sea water hydraulic axial piston pump. Comparisons between the measured and simulated instantaneous discharge pressure, average flow as well as the vibration characteristics under different extents of cavitation by varying the inlet pressure and rotational speed of the pump were presented.
Localization, tracking, and recognition of objects and humans are basic tasks that are of high value in the applications of ambient intelligence. Sensing floors were introduced to address these tasks in a non-intrusive way. To recognize the humans moving on the floor, they are usually first localized, and then a set of gait features are extracted (stride length, cadence, and pressure profile over a footstep). However, recognition generally fails when several people stand or walk together, preventing successful tracking. This paper presents a detection, tracking, and recognition technique which uses objects' weight. It continues working even when tracking individual persons becomes impossible. Inspired by computer vision, this technique processes the floor pressure-image by segmenting the blobs containing objects, tracking them, and recognizing their contents through a mix of inference and combinatorial search. The result lists the probabilities of assignments of known objects to observed blobs. The concept was successfully evaluated in daily life activity scenarii, involving multi-object tracking and recognition on low-resolution sensors, crossing of user trajectories, and weight ambiguity. This technique can be used to provide a probabilistic input for multi-modal object tracking and recognition systems.
Theories linking the literatures on stereotyping and human resource management have proposed that individuals may enjoy greater success obtaining jobs congruent with stereotypes about their social categories or traits. Here, we explored such effects for a detectable, but not obvious, social group distinction: male sexual orientation. Bridging previous work on prejudice and occupational success with that on social perception, we found that perceivers rated gay and straight men as more suited to professions consistent with stereotypes about their groups (nurses, pediatricians, and English teachers vs. engineers, managers, surgeons, and math teachers) from mere photos of their faces. Notably, distinct evaluations of the gay and straight men emerged based on perceptions of their faces with no explicit indication of sexual orientation. Neither perceivers' expertise with hiring decisions nor diagnostic information about the targets eliminated these biases, but encouraging fair decisions did contribute to partly ameliorating the differences. Mediation analysis further showed that perceptions of the targets' sexual orientations and facial affect accounted for these effects. Individuals may therefore infer characteristics about individuals' group memberships from their faces and use this information in a way that meaningfully influences evaluations of their suitability for particular jobs.
In this paper, we present a novel method based on a single-phase active power filter (APF) for series arc faults detection in an AC electrical installation. The APF's reference current is used as the starting point for our method tested on a large variety of loads: resistors, vacuum cleaner, rotary drill, dimmer and AC-DC power supplies. Firstly, the proposed method is validated at the simulation level using the Matlab software and then experimentally using the Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) approach with an FPGA Altera Stratix III prototyping board. The results obtained in this work show that series arc faults can be successfully detected with an APF, only by updating its digital control with the arc fault detection functionality, instead of designing from the very beginning an arc-fault detection specific device. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Knowledge growth models, based on primary principles, play a fundamental role in the cognitive sciences. The authors submit an extension of their model (ENKI) from 2005, with the results of the practical testing, which was performed using the method developed for the purpose of model ENKI of solving tasks with immediate feedback. This was applied to the curriculum of parallel configuration of resistors in electrical circuits. There were 73 pupils from six elementary schools in attendance for testing. Analysis based on ENKI indicates that three autonomous units (scopes) were evaluated simultaneously during the assessment. Results showed that 25% of pupils knew the curriculum, 9% of pupils showed no improvement, while 66% of pupils showed an increased success in accordance with the ENKI model (significance level alpha= 0.05). Solving 7.2 typical tasks on average, by a method of immediate feedback resulted in 90% of the pupils mastering the curriculum.
In this study, laccase from Trametes versicolor was immobilized in poly(acrylamide-crotonic acid)/sodium alginate [P(AAm-CrA)/alginate], poly(acrylamide-crotonic acid)/K-carrageenan [(P(AAm-CrA)/K-car)], poly(acrylamide-citraconic acid)/sodium alginate (P(AAm-CA)/alginate), and poly(acrylamide-citraconic acid)/K-carrageenan (P(AAm-CA)/K-car) semi-interpenetrating network by entrapment method. Optimum pH and temperatures values were determined between 5.0-6.0 and 40-50 degrees C for free laccase (FL) and immobilized laccases, respectively. After 42 days of storage at 4 degrees C, FL and immobilized laccases retained their original activities in the range of 55%-73%. Percent decolorization of Acid Orange 52 by free enyzme and enyzmes immobilized in hydrogels was found between 63% and 39%. Percent decolorization of Acid Orange 52 in the presence of mediator by free enyzme was found 73% and enyzmes immobilized in hydrogels were found as 73%. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Adsorption process has been found to be one of the oldest and finest treatment methods for surfactants removal. As the control of water pollution has become important in current years, the use of physical, chemical and biological treatment methods such as membrane filtration, ion-exchange, coagulation/flocculation and biological degradation have become more and more challenging in terms of cost and efficiency. Adsorption is a technique, which is extensively used for surfactant removal. In the present review, the focus is made on the adsorption process using low-cost materials, and it is compared with other techniques for surfactant remediation.
Recent methods for detailed and accurate biomass and carbon stock estimation of forests have been driven by advances in remote sensing technology. The conventional approach to biomass estimation heavily relies on the tree species and site-specific allometric equations, which are based on destructive methods. This paper introduces a non-destructive, laser-based approach (terrestrial laser scanner) for individual tree aboveground biomass estimation in the Royal Belum forest reserve, Perak, Malaysia. The study area is in the state park, and it is believed to be one of the oldest rainforests in the world. The point clouds generated for 35 forest plots, using the terrestrial laser scanner, were geo-rectified and cleaned to produce separate point clouds for individual trees. The volumes of tree trunks were estimated based on a cylinder model fitted to the point clouds. The biomasses of tree trunks were calculated by multiplying the volume and the species wood density. The biomasses of branches and leaves were also estimated based on the estimated volume and density values. Branch and leaf volumes were estimated based on the fitted point clouds using an alpha-shape approach. The estimated individual biomass and the total above ground biomass were compared with the aboveground biomass (AGB) value estimated using existing allometric equations and individual tree census data collected in the field. The results show that the combination of a simple single-tree stem reconstruction and wood density can be used to estimate stem biomass comparable to the results usually obtained through existing allometric equations. However, there are several issues associated with the data and method used for branch and leaf biomass estimations, which need further improvement.
The local material behaviour of cast metal and injection moulded parts is highly related to the geometrical design of the part as well as to a large number of process parameters. In order to use structural optimization methods to find the geometry that gives the best possible performance, both the geometry and the effect of the production process on the local material behaviour thus has to be considered. In this work, a multidisciplinary methodology to consider local microstructure-based material behaviour in optimizations of the design of engineering structures is presented. By adopting a knowledge based industrial product realisation perspective combined with a previously presented simulation strategy for microstructure-based material behaviour in Finite Element Analyses (FEA), the methodology integrates Computer Aided Design (CAD), casting and injection moulding simulations, FEA, design automation and a multi-objective optimization scheme into a novel structural optimization method for cast metal and injection moulded polymeric parts. The different concepts and modules in the methodology are described, their implementation into a prototype software is outlined, and the application and relevance of the methodology is discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Quality of Context (QoC) awareness is recognized as a key point for the success of context-aware computing. At the time where the combination of the Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, and Ambient Intelligence paradigms offer together new opportunities for managing richer context data, the next generation of Distributed Context Managers (DCM) is facing new challenges concerning QoC management. This paper presents our model-driven QoCIM framework. QoCIM is the acronym for Quality of Context Information Model. We show how it can help application developers to manage the whole QoC life-cycle by providing genericity, openness and uniformity. Its usages are illustrated, both at design time and at runtime, in the case of an urban pollution context- and QoC-aware scenario.
The concept of epreuve, literally translated as challenge', was developed by the French sociologist Danilo Martuccelli, who was inspired by Sartre's existential philosophy, phenomenological sociology and its concern for analysing modern experiences, and Charles Wright Mills' conviction that it is necessary to relate personal problems to the social structures that generate or amplify them. The concept has been used in the sociology of ageing in France to characterise the epreuve of ageing and four domains of epreuve have been identified: activities, identity, autonomy and relationship to the world. This paper applies this template to a corpus of 27 interviews with people at mild to moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease, in order to characterise the epreuve of ageing with the disease. The epreuve of ageing during the earlier stages of the disease is similar to the experience of people who age without a cognitive disorder. However, as the disease progresses the analysis reveals that it tends to exacerbate issues: identity seems especially threatened, simultaneously raising the question of self-presentation and self-definition; although most interviewees strive to retain autonomy, a few delegate it to a close confidante with whom they build a relationship of strong dependence; and weakened communication accentuates the feeling that the world is foreign and strange.
In this study, a new algorithm for discrimination between internal faults and inrush current conditions in power transformers is presented. First, the proposed algorithm removes the pre-fault conditions of the fault currents. Then, those currents are processed using the discrete wavelet transform to obtain the wavelet matrix. The correlation matrix is computed from wavelet matrix to know the eigenvalues associated with each frequency scale and to reduce the analysed information. This algorithm, which the authors are going to call wavelet correlation modes, is used to identify inrush and internal fault currents in power transformer. To validate the proposed algorithm, simulations are carried out in power systems computer-aided design software, and the obtained signals are analysed in order to evaluate its performance and sensitivity.
In this article, a numerical method for detailed studies of two-phase mass transfer is introduced that is based on a three-dimensional finite volume Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method. The implementation of the two-phase species equation employs the Dirichlet-Neumann algorithm, following the domain coupling technique of the underlying hydrodynamical solver by Tukovic and Jasak (2012). The coupling is found to be dependent on the discontinuities of the concentration and its first derivative, as well as on which side of the interface Dirichlet or Neumann conditions are specified. Relaxation parameters are introduced to stabilize the algorithm and optimal coefficients are calculated explicitly. The numerical method is thoroughly validated by a three dimensional advection-diffusion test case, proving the accuracy of the local Sherwood numbers for Peclet numbers up to 100000, which is ten times higher than the currently reported maximum. Additionally, a limit model for instantaneous reactions is implemented and validated, allowing the computation of product concentrations and of local and global enhancement factors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
While economic and environmental policies and strategies are largely designed at the international, national or regional level, the environmental impacts of these measures are often felt at a more geographically-localized level. In particular, the effects on water resources, especially regarding water pollution and water stress, are usually localized in very specific hotspots. In this work, we acknowledge these facts and attempt to identify the linkages among the 17 regions in Spain (a semi-arid country with significant geographical variations in water availability), the European Union (EU), and the Rest of the World (RW), while also looking at the local effects of those interactions. In particular, we study the grey water footprints (a measure of the assimilation capacity of water resources) of production, at both the regional and business level, with spatially explicit information, and the extension of those footprints throughout the supply chain, while also computing the water footprints of consumption at the regional level. This process is a combination of a detailed computation of grey water footprints from production, from agriculture (from diffuse pollution), and from more general economic activities (from point source pollution), with a multiregional input output model that encompasses the 17 Spanish Regions, the EU, and the RW. We also identify hotspots and vulnerable areas, linking the grey water footprints from production originating in these areas to final-consumer responsibilities. As an example of the potential of the combined methodology, we design and evaluate the effects on grey water footprints of scenarios of import substitutions in Spain. Our results show strong final demand in regions such as Madrid and Catalonia, and in net exporting regions such as Andalusia, Aragon, Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura, and Navarre. Some of these regions contain areas that are clearly vulnerable to nitrates and other pollutants, and parts of these regions, most obviously in Andalusia and Extremadura, suffer water stress, which leads us to question the sustainability of the relationships between the structure of production and trade and the environment. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Substance use in pregnancy is associated with severe maternal and fetal morbidities and substantial economic costs. However, few studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of substance use treatment programs in pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the economic impact of a behavioral intervention that integrated motivational enhancement therapy with cognitive behavioral therapy (MET-CBT) for treatment of substance use in pregnancy, in comparison with brief advice. Methods: We conducted an economic evaluation alongside a clinical trial by collecting data on resource utilization and performing a cost minimization analysis as MET-CBT and brief advice had similar effects on clinical outcomes (e.g., alcohol and drug use and birth outcomes). Costs were estimated from the health care system's perspective and included intervention costs, hospital facility costs, physician fees, and costs of psychotropic medications from the date of intake assessment until 3-month postpartum. We compared effects of MET-CBT on costs with those of brief advice using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Results: Although the integrated MET-CBT therapy had higher intervention cost than brief advice (median = $ 1297/participant versus $ 303/participant, p < 0.01), costs of care during the prenatal period, delivery, and postpartum period, as well as for psychotropic medications, were comparable between the two groups (all p values = 0.55). There was no statistically significant difference in overall cost of care (median total cost = $ 26,993/participant for MET-CBT versus $ 27,831/participant for brief advice, p = 0.90). Conclusions: The MET-CBT therapy and brief advice resulted in similar clinical outcomes and overall medical costs. Further research incorporating non-medical costs, targeting women with more severe substance use disorders, and evaluating the impact of MET-CBT on participants' quality of life will provide additional insights.
Ambient intelligence (AmI) deals with a new world of ubiquitous computing devices, where physical environments interact intelligently and unobtrusively with people. AmI environments can be diverse, such as homes, offices, meeting rooms, schools, hospitals, control centers, vehicles, tourist attractions, stores, sports facilities, and music devices. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a testbed for AmI using Raspberry Pi mounted on Raspbian OS. We analyze the performance of k-means clustering algorithm. For evaluation we considered respiratory rate and heart rate metrics. The simulation results show that the k-means clustering algorithm has a good performance.
Rural electrification rates in India lag behind government goals, in part due to the inability of distribution companies (discoms) to fund central grid expansion. In the absence of central grid electrification, mini-grids offer significant potential for an immediate pathway toward rural electrification and the attendant gains in economic growth and productivity. Yet private investment in mini-grids has been virtually absent in India. Using a comprehensive life-cycle cost analysis, we find that mini-grids based on solar PV power and storage are more economical than incumbent energy services available to households without central grid connection. Under current law, a prospective entrepreneur in India does not require a license or certification in order to build a mini-grid and subsequently provide electricity services in the area covered by said installation. Conversely, there is no legal or regulatory framework that specifies what is to happen if the central grid were to be extended to an area that is already covered by a mini-grid. We report detailed survey evidence from interviews with entrepreneurs, analysts and policymakers whose assessments converge on the same point: mini-grid investments would be jeopardized in the event of central grid extension, precisely because discoms would, by regulatory order, provide electricity services at highly subsidized rates, well below their full economic cost. Our fieldwork suggests that the threat of central grid extension is a gateway barrier preventing mini-grid development in India. The issues associated with the gateway barrier have common elements with the so-called holdup problem as identified in the economics of organizations. There have been two recent federal policy guidelines and one actual state-level policy addressing the regulatory status of mini-grids. We examine the effectiveness of these policies/proposals in terms of an entrepreneur's willingness to develop mini-grids in the future. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study investigated the effect of carbon fibers as brush anode materials on the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Two types of carbon fibers with different electrical resistivity and functionality polyacrylonitrile (PAN) (rho: 28.0 mu Omega m) and pitch (rho: 2.05 mu Omega m) were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers presented almost the same surface elements and functional groups, and there was no significant difference in microbial growth on the brush anodes. Current interrupt and steady discharging methods demonstrated the pitch-based carbon brush anodes had lower ohmic resistance and generated higher power density. After nitric acid treatment, the power density generated by the PAN- and pitch-based anodes increased by 29.3% and 26.7%, achieving 816 and 895 mW m(-2), respectively. Using pitch-based carbon fiber brush as anode attained better performance than the widely used PAN-based carbon brush. The acid treated pitch-based carbon fibers provide a promising alternative to highly efficient anode materials for the extensive application of MFCs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting from hard roofing can provide safe water to meet the basic domestic needs of several hundred million people in low-income countries. However, rainwater harvesting has a higher household cost than other lowtechnology water supplies such as protected springs. The storage tank is the most expensive part of the infrastructure required for rainwater harvesting: reducing this cost will enable rainwater harvesting to become a viable water source for many more households in low-income countries. This paper assesses the overall costs and different cost components of rainwater storage tanks. Costs are compared across a selection of tanks prefabricated in factories in Uganda, Kenya and the UK and constructed in situ in Uganda. Constructed tanks were always found to be cheaper than prefabricated ones. Tank size was an important factor, and it was found that tank cost per litre decreases as size increases. For all tank types, materials were the greatest cost.
A tsunami is a series of great waves primarily caused by a major subduction-zone earthquake with large-scale displacement of the sea floor or by initiation of submarine landslides. Many coastal areas in the western United States are subject to tsunami hazard that is infrequent but potentially extremely destructive. The public safety risk has been only partially mitigated through warning and preparedness of evacuation; there are many coastal communities in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii where there is insufficient time for complete evacuation, and places of higher elevation and/or taller structures could provide life safety. Community disaster resilience would also require that critical and essential facilities provide structural resistance to collapse. Towards that goal, the Tsunami Loads and Effects Subcommittee of the ASCE/Structural Engineering Institute (ASCE/SEI) 7 Standards Committee has developed a new Chapter 6 with design requirements for tsunami loads and effects, contained in the 2016 edition of the ASCE 7 standard Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures [Minimum design loads for buildings and other structures]. The ASCE 7-16 Tsunami Loads and Effects chapter will become the first national, consensus-based standard for tsunami resilience for use in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii. The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation of the technical basis and methodology for tsunami-resilient design of critical and essential facilities, tsunami vertical evacuation refuge structures, and other multistory building structures. The ASCE 7 provisions for tsunami loads and effects implements a unified set of analysis and design methodologies with design maps based on probabilistic hazard analysis, loads based on tsunami physics, and a structural ultimate strength basis of design. Probabilistic offshore tsunami amplitude maps and tsunami design zone inundation maps were developed using a method consistent with probabilistic seismic hazard analysis in the treatment of seismic source uncertainties. Procedures for tsunami inundation analysis are based on using mapped values of offshore tsunami amplitude or the runup and inundation limit shown in tsunami design zone maps. The ASCE 7 Tsunami Loads and Effects chapter is consistent with the principles of probabilistic hazard analysis, tsunami physics, and fluid mechanics, integrated into a comprehensive set of design provisions.
The use of simulation tools and three dimensional (3D) computer aided design is currently widespread in Process Engineering for machine design, manufacturing tools and dimensional control models, but it is not so common for method and job design. For workplace design it is essential to have all data from product, process, and resources needed to manufacture. Human factor is a key issue among these resources, as it obliges to make a working environment major study, in order to ensure that operators can perform their tasks in safety way and without injury damages. In this way, the use of a Digital Human Model as a first element of the denominated 'Digital Manufacturing', is an excellent opportunity to integrate all the product-process design elements into a real concurrent engineering, which allows to analyze important variables such as ergonomics or time estimation. From ergonomics point of view, all the possible and potential injuries in the musculoskeletal system which could be a result or consequence of job tasks development have generated a great interest at Manufacturing Engineering. This paper presents an addition, extension and annexe of the ergonomic analysis methods for these risks prevention, which currently has one of the most used tools in sectors such as aeronautics and automotive. It has been for the first time satisfactorily implemented the OCRA Check-List method in a 3D design and simulation environment application, evaluating the simulation tool ability and capacity for tasks time prediction. The application, together with the evaluator active participation, permits to make correct risks analysis of musculoskeletal injuries due to repetitive work, as well as tasks time development estimation.
AES algorithm or Rijndael algorithm is a network security algorithm which is most commonly used in all types of wired and wireless digital communication networks for secure transmission of data between two end users, especially over a public network. This paper presents the hardware implementation of AES Rijndael Encryption and Decryption Algorithm by using Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA. The hardware design approach is entirely based on pre-calculated look-up tables (LUTs) which results in less complex architecture, thereby providing high throughput and low latency. There are basically three different formats in AES. They are AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256. The encryption and decryption blocks of all the three formats are efficiently designed by using Verilog-HDL and are synthesized on Virtex-7 XC7VX690T chip (Target Device) with the help of Xilinx ISE Design Suite-14.7 Tool. The synthesis tool was set to optimize speed, area and power. The power analysis is made by using Xilinx XPower Analyzer. Pre-calculated LUTs are used for the implementation of algorithmic functions, namely S-Box and Inverse S-Box transformations and also for GF (28) i. e. Galois Field Multiplications involved in Mix-Columns and Inverse Mix-Columns transformations. The proposed architecture is found to be having good efficiency in terms of latency, throughput, speed/delay, area and power.
In the past few years many choreographers have focused upon implementation of computer technology to enhance their artistic skills. Computer vision technology presents new methods for learning, instructing, developing, and assessing physical movements as well as provides scope to expand dance resources and rediscover the learning process. This work reviews the study done over AR based learning technologies for the development of inter personal skills. This paper further elaborates the literature done till date within the scope of AR based training for educational aspects. The review focuses on the techniques categorized according to the type of dance learning method which can further be enhanced and addressed by means of novel AR based technology. The authors aim to provide an overview for learning standards based on AR Kinect sensors. In addition the future work is toward exploring the latest version of Kinect V2 for dance training that could become the next futuristic virtual educator.
We review the bio-activities of natural product sesquiterpenes and present the first description of their effects upon mitosis. This type of biological effect upon cells is unexpected because sesquiterpenes are believed to inactivate proteins through Michael-type additions that cause non-specific cytotoxicity. Yet, certain types of sesquiterpenes can arrest cells in mitosis as measured by cell biology, biochemical and imaging techniques. We have listed the sesquiterpenes that arrest cells in mitosis and analyzed the biological data that support those observations. In view of the biochemical complexity of mitosis, we propose that a subset of sesquiterpenes have a unique chemical structure that can target a precise protein(s) required for mitosis. Since the process of mitotic arrest precedes that of cell death, it is possible that some sesquiterpenes that are currently classified as cytotoxic might also induce a mitotic arrest. Our analysis provides a new perspective of sesquiterpene chemical biology.
When imitating novel actions, typically developing preschoolers often copy components of the demonstration that are unrelated to the modeled action's goal, a phenomenon known as 'overimitation'. According to the social motivation account, overimitation fulfills social affiliation motives (i.e., the imitator's drive to experience social connectedness with the demonstrator and the social context). Conversely, according to the social-cognitive account, overimitation reflects overattribution of causal relevance (i.e., the imitator's failure to appreciate that some components of the demonstration are not relevant to the action's outcome). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and William syndrome (WS) are characterized by reduced and enhanced spontaneous social motivation, respectively, as well as similar impairments in social-cognition, thus providing helpful test cases to understand the nature of overimitation. Using a novel eye-tracking paradigm, we examined overimitation in 31 preschoolers with ASD, 18 age-and IQ-matched peers with WS, and 19 age-matched typically developing children. We found that children with WS and typically developing children were more likely to overimitate, and to increase their attention to the model's face during demonstration of causally irrelevant actions, compared to those with ASD. These findings will be discussed in the context of support for the social-motivational account of overimitation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
With the popularization and application of Internet technology, it has brought great opportunities, challenges and has a significant change to various industries, which entered the Internet age. Computer network is double-edged sword, bringing convenience to people at the same time there are some security risks, seriously affecting the information security of the Internet Age. Therefore, this article is to explore the main computer network security risks and to lower the risks of computer security management measures, thus providing an important guarantee for computer network security.
Latino Americans are a rapidly growing ethnic group in the United States but studies of glioblastoma in this population are limited. We have evaluated characteristics of 21,184 glioblastoma patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute. This SEER data from 2001 to 2011 draws from 28% of the U.S. population. Latinos have a lower incidence of GBM and present slightly younger than non-Latino Whites. Cubans present at an older age than other Latino sub-populations. Latinos have a higher incidence of giant cell glioblastoma than non-Latino Whites while the incidence of gliosarcoma is similar. Despite lower rates of radiation therapy and greater rates of sub-total resection than non-Latino Whites, Latinos have better 1 and 5 year survival rates. SEER does not record chemotherapy data. Survivals of Latino sub-populations are similar with each other. Age, extent of resection, and the use of radiation therapy are associated with improved survival but none of these variables are sufficient in a multivariate analysis to explain the improved survival of Latinos relative to non-Latino Whites. As molecular data is not available in SEER records, we studied the MGMT and IDH status of 571 patients from a UCLA database. MGMT methylation and IDH1 mutation rates are not statistically significantly different between non-Latino Whites and Latinos. For UCLA patients with available information, chemotherapy and radiation rates are similar for non-Latino White and Latino patients, but the latter have lower rates of gross total resection and present at a younger age.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. One of the factors that promotes neurodegeneration is the accumulation of senile plaques formed by A beta peptide. In this paper, it was analyzed that if oxidative stress is cause or consequence of amyloid cascade and the role of antioxidant defense system in this process, using S. cerevisiae (with a multicopy plasmid containing the A beta 1-42 sequence) as experimental model. Cells grown on glycerol were more tolerant than when grown on glucose, strengthening the role of the antioxidant defense system against A beta accumulation. Antioxidant defense deficiency did not change the pattern of amyloid aggregation. On the other hand, the presence of A beta increased the level of intracellular oxidation and induced the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and aconitase. Peroxissomal catalase deficient cells (Delta cta1), were more sensitive to A beta toxicity than the wild type strain, while mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (Sod2) deficient cells displayed the highest frequency of petites. Besides, A beta alters the oxygen consumption and the activity of complex III and IV. Taken together, our results point out that the A beta toxicity mechanism involves an oxidative stress induction by increasing ROS production into the mitochondria, where Cta1 and Sod2 play a crucial role in the regulation of the redox balance. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In addition to its anorexigenic properties in the neuroendocrine regulation of hunger and satiety, mounting evidence indicates a role for NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in the regulation of emotional stress responses which seems to occur in a sex-specific way. In the present study, we investigated the association of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 plasma levels with anxiety, depressiveness and perceived stress in obese men and women and their alterations during inpatient treatment. We expected a decrease of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 levels in female and an increase in male patients reporting a relevant alleviation of anxiety. We analyzed 69 inpatients (44 female, 25 male; body mass index, mean: 50.2 +/- 9.5 kg/m(2), range: 31.8-76.5 kg/m(2); mean age: 45.0 +/- 12.4 years) hospitalized due to morbid obesity with mental (not necessarily anxiety disorders) and somatic comorbidities. NUCB2/nesfatin-1 plasma levels were measured by ELISA. Anxiety (GAD-7), depressiveness (PHQ-9) and perceived stress (PSQ-20) were concurrently determined as patient-reported outcomes. All measurements were carried out at the initiation of and during inpatient treatment when a clinically meaningful improvement of anxiety was achieved (>= 5 points on GAD-7) or missed (+/- 1 point). NUCB2/nesfatin-1 was positively correlated with anxiety scores in women at the beginning of (r=0.411; p=0.006) and during (r=0.301; p=0.047) inpatient treatment. In men, a significant negative correlation was observed following treatment (r=-0.469; p=0.018), while at the outset of treatment only a trend was observed (r=-0.381; p=0.059). Unexpectedly, neither women (n=19; at beginning vs. during treatment; 0.49 +/- 1.00 ng/ml vs. 0.38 +/- 0.72 ng/ml; p=0.687) nor men (n=9; 0.17 +/- 0.31 ng/ml vs. 0.19 +/- 0.36 ng/ml; p=0.427) who improved in anxiety scores (p<0.001) displayed significant changes of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 plasma levels, although the direction of change was as expected with a decrease in women (-23.3%) and an increase in men (+12.4%). In addition, the change of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 was not explained by the course of anxiety (women: p=0.587; men: p=0.373). In conclusion, women and men showed an inverse association between NUCB2/nesfatin-1 and anxiety with a positive correlation in women and a negative correlation in men (although this correlation was not statistically significant in men at the beginning of treatment). However, no significant change of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 following improvement of anxiety has been observed. This might be due to the short observation interval, or due to too small anxiety improvements associated with too low baseline anxiety levels. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The use of violent video games has been often linked to increase of aggressive behavior. According to the General Aggression Model, one of the central mechanisms for this aggressiveness inducing impact is an emotional desensitization process resulting from long lasting repeated violent game playing. This desensitization should evidence itself in a lack of empathy. Recent research has focused primarily on acute, short term impact of violent media use but only little is known about long term effects. In this study 15 excessive users of violent games and control subjects matched for age and education viewed pictures depicting emotional and neutral situations with and without social interaction while fMRI activations were obtained. While the typical pattern of activations for empathy and theory of mind networks was seen, both groups showed no differences in brain responses. We interpret our results as evidence against the desensitization hypothesis and suggest that the impact of violent media on emotional processing may be rather acute and short-lived.
Plant transpiration is the main evaporative flux from terrestrial ecosystems; it controls land surface energy balance, determines catchment hydrological responses and influences regional and global climate. Transpiration regulation by plants is a key (and still not completely understood) process that underlies vegetation drought responses and land evaporative fluxes under global change scenarios. Thermometric methods of sap flow measurement have now been widely used to quantify whole-plant and stand transpiration in forests, shrublands and orchards around the world. A large body of research has applied sap flow methods to analyse seasonal and diurnal patterns of transpiration and to quantify their responses to hydroclimatic variability, but syntheses of sap flow data at regional to global scales are extremely rare. Here we present the SAPFLUXNET initiative, aimed at building the first global database of plant-level sap flow measurements. A preliminary metadata survey launched in December 2015 showed an encouraging response by the sap flow community, with sap flow data sets from field studies representing >160 species and >120 globally distributed sites. The main goal of SAPFLUXNET is to analyse the ecological factors driving plant-and stand-level transpiration. SAPFLUXNET will open promising research avenues at an unprecedented global scope, namely: (i) exploring the spatio-temporal variability of plant transpiration and its relationship with plant and stand attributes, (ii) summarizing physiological regulation of transpiration by means of few water-use traits, usable for land surface models, (iii) improving our understanding of the coordination between gas exchange and plant-level traits (e.g., hydraulics) and (iv) analysing the ecological factors controlling stand transpiration and evapotranspiration partitioning. Finally, SAPFLUXNET can provide a benchmark to test models of physiological controls of transpiration, contributing to improve the accuracy of individual water stress responses, a key element to obtain robust predictions of vegetation responses to climate change.
Opiates are still the most effective and widely used treatments for acute and chronic pain. However, the problems associated with morphine and other standard opioid analgesics severely limit their effectiveness in the clinic. PPL-101 and PPL-103 derived from morphine and morphinan ring systems contain a chiral N-substituent, which confers it with a unique combination of high-binding affinities and partial agonist activities at mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors, leading to unique in vivo pharmacology compared to other conventional opioids. Acute antinociceptive and reward acquisition of PPL-101 and PPL-103 were assessed in mice using the tail flick assay and conditioned place preference (CPP)paradigm, respectively. The reinforcing effects of these compounds were assessed in rats using the self-administration paradigm. In mice, PPL-101 and PPL-103 produced antinociception reaching maximal effects that were equivalent to morphine at approximately 1/3 and 1/10 of morphine's dose, respectively. PPL-101-induced antinociception was attenuated following pretreatment with the kappa antagonist JDTic, but not the mu opioid antagonist beta-FNA. In mice, PPL-101 and PPL-103 produced dose-dependent decreases in activity, similar to other kappa agonists; however, they did not produce conditioned place aversion, and in fact elicited a trend toward CPP. In rats, neither PPL-101 nor PPL-103 were self-administered when substituted for morphine and PPL-101 attenuated morphine self-administration, when administered systemically prior to the self-administration session. Collectively, these results indicate that mixed opioid receptor partial agonists can produce potent antinociceptive activity with a lack of aversion in mice and without being self-administered in rats. Compounds with this profile could be superior analgesics with greatly reduced addiction liability and fewer side-effects compared to traditional opiates.
Background. Contact allergies to the preservatives formaldehyde and methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI)/methylisothiazolinone (MI) have been reported to appear together at a statistically significant level. Recently, revisions concerning the patch test preparations of MCI/MI, MI and formaldehyde have been recommended for the European baseline series. Aim. To investigate (i) the number of concomitant contact allergies to the preservatives, (ii) the number of concomitant contact allergies to the preservatives and the fragrance mixes (FM I and FM II) and (iii) gender differences. Methods. Patients testedwith theSwedish baseline series during the period 2012-2014 at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Dermatology in Malm, Sweden were investigated. Results. 2165 patients were patch tested with the baseline series (34% males and 66% females). Contact allergies to formaldehyde and MCI/MI and/or MI were significantly associated (p<0.001). The associations between contact allergy to MCI/MI and/or MI and FMI and/or FM II, and between formaldehyde and FMI and/or FM II as well as, were statistically significant (p<0.001). Conclusion. Contact allergies to formaldehyde and MCI/MI and/or MI are significantly associated, as well as contact allergies to these preservatives and fragrance allergy. Males and females do not differ significantly concerning contact allergy to fragrances.
The primary features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are extracellular amyloid plaques consisting mainly of deposits of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Sets of evidence suggest that interleukin-5 (IL-5) is involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Herein, we investigated the protective role of IL-5 in PC12 cells, to provide new insights into understanding this disease. Western blot was employed to assess the protein levels of Bax and phospho-tau as well as phospho-JAK2; MTT assay was performed to decipher cell viability. Treatment of IL-5 decreased A beta(25-35)-induced tau phosphorylation and apoptosis, effects blunted by JAK2 inhibition. IL-5 prevents A beta(25-35)-evoked tau protein hyperphosphorylation and apoptosis through JAK2 signaling.
Background: Although acupuncture is a highly effective treatment for pain management, it suffers from lack of reproducibility of results. One of the many variables involved in achieving reproducible clinical results is the specificity of an anatomical structure being stimulated. Lack of target specificity obscures scientific understanding of how acupuncture works, leading to skepticism about the efficacy of acupuncture within the medical community and prejudice regarding the wisdom imparted through classical acupuncture texts. Objectives: The goals of this study were to test the hypothesis that classical acupoint locations described in the classics have a strong foundation in neuroanatomy and to promote a consensus among practitioners about neuroanatomy-based acupuncture. Methods: Acupoint locations for TE 1-TE 10 described in the Systematic Classic were transliterated, and each acupoint neuroanatomical target was determined by literature review, dissection, and/or electrical stimulation. An objective comparison was made between classical acupoint location and acupoint descriptions in a contemporary Chinese acupuncture textbook. Results: Classical acupoints TE 1-TE 10 had specific neuroanatomical targets. Neuroanatomical differences of the TE acupoints were found between classical and contemporary descriptions. Of the ten contemporary acupoints, 60% of targets were ambiguous (TE 1 and TE 5-TE 9) while 40% (TE 2-TE 4, and TE10) missed the corroborated neuroanatomical targets completely. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that each acupoint between TE1 and TE10 targets a distinct nerve and/or muscle enabling the achievement of feedback of highly distinct tissue stimulation, without any target redundancy. The transmission of erroneous and ambiguous anatomical targets found in contemporary texts highlights the urgency in advancing a science-based approach to study the neuroanatomical intents of other acupoints.
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are usually diagnose by the disturbances in the following domains; social relatedness, communication/play, and restricted interests and activities. As a result, interacting and communicating with children with ASDs are very intricate because of their lack of verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Understanding the needs of the children are also a very challenging task because of their difficulty in expressing their needs verbally, i.e. using gestures or pointing instead of words. To facilitate their social interaction, special effort needs to be made by parents and caregivers. Hence, Educational App for children with ASDs is developed to assist them. The application helps children with ASDs to improve their social life in interacting and communicating with others while helping their parents and caregivers to understand what the children really needs. At the same time, the application can be easily customized (i.e. adding activities) as the needs arise. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The increasing air pollution of urban areas caused by particulate matter poses a problem for human health. Plants are able to bind the fine dust particles on their surface and to remove them therefore from the air. Therefore, roof plantings can contribute to the reduction of fine particulate matter pollution in cities. To identify roof vegetation forms with high filter ability, suitable test procedures are missing up to now. Trials to identify the filtering potential of different roof top vegetation mats were conducted in a 1 m(3) big Perspex chamber under controlled conditions. Geotextile mats with Sedum and moss vegetation were compared. Uncovered geotextile mats as well as crushed stones were used as controls. In the measuring chamber, artificial particulate matter (fire-fighting powder) was applied and the concentration of particle fractions of 0.3, 0.5 and 1 A mu m over the period of 90 min measured. During 5 min in the middle of the 90 minute measuring period, wind with a speed of 2 m/s in 10 cm height was generated by means of a ventilating fan. Particulate matter binding capacity of different greening mats was determined as difference between the particle concentration after application of the dust (concentration maximum) and the concentration at the end of the trial. After 90-minute dust exposition, significantly lower dust concentrations in the chamber were registered in the treatments with Sedum mats compared to the controls (reductions from: 11.3 % in the fraction of 0.3 A mu m, 30.9 % in the fraction of 0.5 A mu m and 33.4 % in the fraction of 1 A mu m particles). None of the mat variations could bind the particulate matter in the fraction of 0.3 A mu m under wind speed of 2 m/s. However, the moss as well as the Sedum mats reduced the particulate matter concentration of both, 0.5 and 1 A mu m fractions, under wind significantly compared to the controls. The high filter performance of Sedum can be explained due to the high surface of the plants. To what extent plants can bind or uptake particulate matter under outdoor conditions permanently cannot be cleared in this experiment. However, the system allows to measure differences in binding capacity for different rooftop greening sytems.
Patients with a history of food allergy and food intolerance are common in the pediatric population and are encountered frequently in the perioperative setting by pediatric anesthesiologists. Perioperatively, food allergy can present on a spectrum ranging from minor acute urticaria to more severe hypovolemia and anaphylactic shock. Allergy to foods including fruits, fish, egg, soy, and peanut are most concerning for their potential to cross-react with perioperative medications. There is little in the anesthesia literature that focuses on the perioperative management of children with food allergies. This educational review will provide a brief overview of classic immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergies, less common non-IgE food allergies, and present perioperative considerations for these patients. An audio summary of this topic is included as Supplementary Audio S1.
In this work we present and analyze three approaches for the adaptive control of the operating point of a cascade of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), aimed at optical networks performance enhancement. The first approach is called Annealing Search Heuristic with Backpropagation and flexible output (AsHB flex) and uses machine learning concepts to update the amplifier gains through an iterative process. The second one (Exhaustive Method) uses an exhaustive search to evaluate all possible solutions for the problem and obtain the optimum solution. The last one (MaxGain) is a heuristic method that uses previous knowledge about the problem to obtain the solutions. The amplifier characteristics and specifications were obtained experimentally through measurements of gain, noise figure, gain ripple and power consumption on commercially available EDFAs. We performed comparisons among these approaches and others found in the literature, and the results show that the three proposals outperformed the previous ones in terms of noise figure, gain ripple and BER. For example, in a link with four amplifiers the Exhaustive Method achieved a reduction in the cascade noise figure from 10.05 to 5.18 dB, a reduction in the gain ripple from 24.08 to 18.56 dB and a reduction in the BER in almost two orders of magnitude, when compared with the traditional approach, which defines the gain to compensate the loss of the previous link. However, the computation time of Exhaustive Method becomes prohibitive as the number of amplifiers in the link increases. Both MaxGain and AsHBflex obtained similar solutions, close to the optimum operation point in a reasonable time.
Background: Despite global efforts, HIV-related stigma continues to negatively impact the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS. Even in healthcare settings, people with HIV/AIDS experience discrimination. Anecdotal evidence suggests that healthcare professionals in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a lower-middle income country situated in Southeast Asia, stigmatize HIV/AID patients. The purpose of this study was to assess HIV stigmatizing attitudes within Laotian healthcare service providers and examine some of the factors associated with HIV/AIDS-related stigma among doctors and nurses. Methods: A structured questionnaire, which included a HIV-related stigma scale consisting of 17 items, was self-completed by 558 healthcare workers from 12 of the 17 hospitals in Vientiane. Five hospitals were excluded because they had less than 10 staff and these staff were not always present. The questionnaire was pre-tested with 40 healthcare workers. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed and comparisons between groups undertaken using chi-square test and t-test. Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to examine the associations between stigmatizing attitudes and independent variables. Results: Out of the 558 participating healthcare workers, 277 (49.7%) were doctors and 281 (50.3%) were nurses. Nearly 50% of doctors and nurses included in the study had high levels of stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS. Across the different health professionals included in this study, lower levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge were associated with higher levels of stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS. Stigmatizing attitudes, including discrimination at work, fear of AIDS, and prejudice, were lower in healthcare workers with more experience in treating HIV/AIDS patients. Conclusions: This study is the first to report on HIV/AIDS-related stigmatization among healthcare workers in Lao PDR. Stigmatizing attitudes contribute to missed opportunities for prevention, education and treatment, undermining efforts to manage and prevent HIV. Reversing stigmatizing attitudes and practices requires interventions that address affective, cognitive and behavioral aspects of stigma. Alongside this, health professionals need to be enabled to enact universal precautions and prevent occupational transmission of HIV.
A portable real-time facial recognition system that is able to play personalized music based on the identified person's preferences was developed. The system is called Portable Facial Recognition Jukebox Using Fisherfaces (FRJ). Raspberry Pi was used as the hardware platform for its relatively low cost and ease of use. This system uses the OpenCV open source library to implement the computer vision Fisherfaces facial recognition algorithms, and uses the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) library for playing the sound files. FRJ is crossplatform and can run on both Windows and Linux operating systems. The source code was written in C++. The accuracy of the recognition program can reach up to 90% under controlled lighting and distance conditions. The user is able to train up to 6 different people (as many as will fit in the GUI). When implemented on a Raspberry Pi, the system is able to go from image capture to facial recognition in an average time of 200ms.
Over the past decades, water pollution has been suggested as the leading factor to infectious diseases. There has been a worldwide concern to use photocatalysts to degrade organic pollutants in waste water. However, the requirement of light assistance in degradation process has limited the application of photocatalysts. In this paper, MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite was fabricated in order to overcome this problem. The results showed that MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite can provide a high degradation activity to purify the waste water without light assistance. The MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite preserved an activity of 67% toward dye Rhodamine B degradation even in the fourth cycling test. We found that the high degradation activity of MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite was based on the piezo-catalytic effect of single- and few-layers MoS2 nanoflowers in the nanocomposite. We also demonstrated that MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite was a useful material in the fabrication of nanogenerator to harvest waste water energy. Through the direct coating of MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite on a metal grid, electric outputs of 23 V and 13 mA/m(2) can be generated when a water flow (20 mL/s) was passing the nanogenerator. In addition, when coating MoS2/PDMS nanocomposite on a flat electrode and placing it inside a water pipe, the nanogenerator could not only act as the source of electric output, but also as a self-powered sensor to locate the water passage route and/or the contamination areas in the waste water.
There is evidence that some emotional expressions are characterized by diagnostic cues from individual face features. For example, an upturned mouth is indicative of happiness, whereas a furrowed brow is associated with anger. The current investigation explored whether motivating people to perceive stimuli in a local (i.e., feature-based) rather than global (i.e., holistic) processing orientation was advantageous for recognizing emotional facial expressions. Participants classified emotional faces while primed with local and global processing orientations, via a Navon letter task. Contrary to previous findings for identity recognition, the current findings are indicative of a modest advantage for face emotion recognition under conditions of local processing orientation. When primed with a local processing orientation, participants performed both significantly faster and more accurately on an emotion recognition task than when they were primed with a global processing orientation. The impacts of this finding for theories of emotion recognition and face processing are considered.
Genes that in certain conditions make their carriers altruistic are being identified, and altruism and selfishness have shown to be heritable in man. This raises the possibility that genetic polymorphisms for altruism/selfishness exist in man and other animals. Here we characterize some of the conditions in which genetic polymorphisms may occur. We show for dominant or recessive alleles how the positions of stable equilibria depend on the benefit to the recipient, b, and the cost to the altruist, c, for diploid altruists helping half or full sibs, and haplodiploid altruists helping sisters. Stable polymorphisms always occur close to the Hamilton threshold rb = c. The position of the stable equilibrium moves away 0 or 1 with both increases in c, the cost paid by the altruist, and increasing divergence from the Hamilton threshold, and alleles for selfishness can reach frequencies around 50%. We evaluate quantitative estimates of b, c and r from field studies in the light of these predictions, but the values do not fall in the regions where genetic polymorphisms are expected. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see as genes for altruism are discovered whether they are accompanied by alternate alleles for selfishness.
Animals domesticated for working closely with humans (e.g. dogs) have been shown to be remarkable in adjusting their behaviour to human attentional stance. However, there is little evidence for this form of information perception in species domesticated for production rather than companionship. We tested domestic ungulates (goats) for their ability to differentiate attentional states of humans. In the first experiment, we investigated the effect of body and head orientation of one human experimenter on approach behaviour by goats. Test subjects (N = 24) significantly changed their behaviour when the experimenter turned its back to the subjects, but did not take into account head orientation alone. In the second experiment, goats (N = 24) could choose to approach one of two experimenters, while only one was paying attention to them. Goats preferred to approach humans that oriented their body and head towards the subject, whereas head orientation alone had no effect on choice behaviour. In the third experiment, goats (N = 32) were transferred to a separate test arena and were rewarded for approaching two experimenters providing a food reward during training trials. In subsequent probe test trials, goats had to choose between the two experimenters differing in their attentional states. Like in Experiments 1 and 2, goats did not show a preference for the attentive person when the inattentive person turned her head away from the subject. In this last experiment, goats preferred to approach the attentive person compared to a person who closed their eyes or covered the whole face with a blind. However, goats showed no preference when one person covered only the eyes. Our results show that animals bred for production rather than companionship show differences in their approach and choice behaviour depending on human attentive state. However, our results contrast with previous findings regarding the use of the head orientation to attribute attention and show the importance of cross-validating results.
In this study, a model is presented to obtain the parameters of penalty and reward scheme (PRS) in performance-based regulation (PBR) for each electricity distribution company (EDC) using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM). In the FCM algorithm, similar companies were categorized into clusters. By using AHP, score of effective factor in reliability index was obtained. In this model, external factors affecting EDCs performance were considered to reduce the risk of PBR implementation for companies and customers. The proposed model was applied on the EDCs in Iran. The results, including AHP score, parameters of PRS and PRS cost were calculated. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The security of traditional identity-based signature (IBS) is totally built upon the assumption that the private key is absolutely secure. However, with the increasing use of mobile and unprotected devices in today's cryptosystems, the threat of key exposure represents a more serious and realistic concern. To mitigate the damage of key exposure in the setting of IBS, we propose to integrate key evolution and user revocation into IBS, and present forward-secure identity-based signature with user revocation (FS-RIBS). Specifically, we formalize the syntax and security definition of FS-RIBS, and give a concrete construction. The proposed scheme is proven secure in the standard model under a q-type complexity assumption. To demonstrate the merits of our scheme, we theoretically analyse its performance by comparing it with other related works. Moreover, we provide an implementation and the corresponding timing results of our scheme to show its practicability.
A polyhedral mesh generation from standard tessellation language (STL) models is presented for the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM). The STL format is widely used in 3D printing and computer-aided design (CAD) systems to describe the surface geometry of a 3D object. An STL model for visualisation usually has flaws and is incompatible with mesh generators developed for the finite element method (FEM), such as those found in Abaqus, ANSYS, etc. In this paper, we combine an octreebased polyhedral mesh generation with the SBFEM to perform automatic stress analyses of STL models. As the SBFEM has the capability to model an arbitrary polyhedron by discretising its boundary only, the mesh generation effort is significantly reduced. The basic idea of the proposed method is first creating an octree grid that encloses an STL model and then trimming the grid by the STL surface. The trimming process follows a bottom-up scheme starting from the edges, faces to cells. Within the same framework, a recovery method for sharp features is also developed. It can reconstruct hard edges and points when they are required to be explicitly represented in a mesh. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and versatility of the proposed approach. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common condition of vision loss with disease development strongly influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Recently, 34 loci were associated with AMD at genome-wide significance. So far, little is known about a genetic overlap between AMD and other complex diseases or disease-relevant traits. Methods: For each of 60 complex diseases/traits with publicly available genome-wide significant association data, the lead genetic variant per independent locus was extracted and a genetic score was calculated for each disease/trait as the weighted sum of risk alleles. The association with AMD was estimated based on 16,144 AMD cases and 17,832 controls using logistic regression. Results: Of the respective disease/trait variance, the 60 genetic scores explained on average 4.8% (0.27-20.69%) and 16 of them were found to be significantly associated with AMD (Q-values < 0.01, p values from < 1.0 x 10(-16) to 1.9 x 10(-3)). Notably, an increased risk for AMD was associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases, increased risk for autoimmune diseases, higher HDL and lower LDL levels in serum, lower bone-mineral density as well as an increased risk for skin cancer. By restricting the analysis to 1824 variants initially used to compute the 60 genetic scores, we identified 28 novel AMD risk variants (Q-values < 0.01, p values from 1.1 x 10(-7) to 3.0 x 10(-4)),known to be involved in cardiovascular disorders, lipid metabolism, autoimmune diseases, anthropomorphic traits, ocular disorders, and neurological diseases. The latter variants represent 20 novel AMD-associated, pleiotropic loci. Genes in the novel loci reinforce previous findings strongly implicating the complement system in AMD pathogenesis. Conclusions: We demonstrate a substantial overlap of the genetics of several complex diseases/traits with AMD and provide statistically significant evidence for an additional 20 loci associated with AMD. This highlights the possibility that so far unrelated pathologies may have disease pathways in common.
Spin-optoelectronics is an emerging technology in which novel and advanced functionalities are enabled by the synergetic integration of magnetic, optical and electronic properties onto semiconductor-based devices. This article reviews the possible implementation and convergence of spintronics and photonics concepts on group IV semiconductors: the core materials of mainstream microelectronics. In particular, we describe the rapid pace of progress in the achievement of lasing action in the notable case of Ge-based heterostructures and devote special attention to the pivotal role played by optical investigations in advancing the understanding of the rich spin physics of group IV materials. Finally, we scrutinize recent developments towards the monolithic integration on Si of a new class of spin-based light emitting devices having prospects for applications in fields such as cryptography and interconnects.
Objectives: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are the cornerstone of treatment in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). We aimed to describe the real life NSAID use in early axSpA according to the disease characteristics. Methods: The DESIR cohort is an observational study of patients presenting with inflammatory back pain suggestive of axSpA for less than 3 years. Patients who attended all 6 visits (every 6 months during the first 2 years and yearly at 3 years) were analysed. Data collected at every visit over 3 years was NSAID intake and the ASAS-NSAID score for the 6 months preceding the visit, where 100 reflects the full daily intake of an NSAID. Results: In all, 627 patients were assessed: 46.1% males, mean age: 33.7 (standard deviation: 8.7) years, mean symptom duration: 1.5 (0.9) year and mean BASDAI: 44.3 (25.3). Over the 6 months preceding inclusion, 92.8% had received NSAIDs; this proportion significantly decreased over time, to 73% patients after 3 years (P < 0.001). This decrease was not different with regard to the fulfillment (or not) of the ASAS criteria at baseline, nor with regard to the arm of the ASAS criteria fulfilled (i.e. imaging vs. clinical). The median ASAS-NSAID score was 36 [interquartile range: 13-72] at inclusion, and substantially decreased to reach 7 [0-44] after 3 years (P<0.001), although BASDAI at 3 years was 33.8 (21.7). Conclusion: NSAID prescription was very frequent in this early axSpA cohort, but the intake was low, and decreased significantly over time, even though symptoms remained present. Early axSpA patients may not be sufficiently treated with NSAIDs. (C) 2016 Societe francaise de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
The Acculturative Family Distancing (AFD) rating questionnaire measures the distancing that occurs between immigrant parents and their children, which is caused by breakdowns in communication and cultural value differences. The items included in the AFD questionnaire are indicators for more proximal and problem-focused aspects of the acculturation gap. In this study, a psychometric analysis is performed on the data gathered with the AFD instrument. One hundred twenty-three Chinese American families (112 mothers, 85 fathers, and 120 children for a total of 317) completed the questionnaire. In addition, the specifications for an extended 2-tier item factor analysis model within a Bayesian multidimensional item response theory framework are provided to psychometrically analyze the AFD data. Results suggest that the original 2 dimensions of Communication Difficulties and Cultural Values Incongruency can be further refined into 4 clinically relevant dimensions (i.e., Verbal Communication Difficulties, Nonverbal Communication Difficulties, General Cultural Values Incongruency, and Family Values Incongruency). Moreover, reducing the number of items can improve AFD estimates and reduce assessment burden.
The present study investigated the role of authoritarianism in the association between the actual proportion of ethnic minorities (objective diversity) within a neighborhood and majority members' subjective perception thereof (perceived diversity). Additionally, we tested how authoritarianism affects the direct and indirect relationships between objective diversity and outgroup threat, anxiety, and mistrust. Analyses in a nationally stratified sample of Dutch citizens (N=848) without migration background from 706 different neighborhoods showed that higher levels of authoritarianism have a dual effect on the relationship between objective diversity and negativity towards outgroups. In particular, authoritarianism (i) boosts the indirect relationship between objective diversity and greater outgroup negativity through perceived diversity, and (ii) curbs the direct association of objective diversity with reduced outgroup negativity. These findings shed light on how majority members with different levels of authoritarianism differentially perceive diversity in their neighborhood, and how this relates to their responses to ethnic minorities.
An improved solution for drug distribution is presented in this paper. It is divided into two parts: i) a multi-operator evolutionary algorithm in charge of calculating the initial delivery routes and ii) an ambient intelligence-based support system able to tracing the merchandise along the distribution route. The first one establishes the routes to be followed by the vehicles, based on a proposal of estimation of the travel times. The second one is formed by a system able to recognize and trace the drugs inside each vehicle. A laboratory experimentation has been conducted in order to demonstrate the adequacy of the route calculator. In addition, a field experimentation has been carried out by implementing the traceability system in a delivery van which of the drug distributor in the city of Bilbao. Note to Practitioners-Motivated by the specific needs found by a drug distributor in managing deliveries to pharmacies involved in its supply chain, this paper considers an optimization problem as the proper way to model the particularities found in this scenario. This paper proposes the use of a combinatorial optimization problem as the way to model problems. Due to the fact that distributor's clients are located in different cities, the proposal considers travel times both between cities and inside the city. In addition, rush hours are also taken into account, in order to provide a more realistic model. Finally, a radio frequency identification-based solution is proposed, in order to implement traceability in the delivered products, as well as to prevent human errors. Additionally, in case an unavoidable error occurs, the solution offers also an incident management mechanism.
Bacteria are ubiquitous and abundant in the atmosphere and some of them are potential pathogens known to cause diseases or allergies in humans. However, the quantities and compositions of total airborne bacterial community and their relationships with environmental factors remain poorly investigated. Here, a case study of the total airborne bacteria of PM2.5 collected at six cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) megalopolis, China were profiled using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Illumina MiSeq (PE300) sequencing. qPCR results showed the high abundance of total airborne bacteria of PM2.5 in BTH, ranging from 4.82 x 10(4) +/- 1.58 x 10(3) to 2.64 x 10(5) +/- 9.63 x 10(4) cell m(-3) air, and averaged 1.19 x 10(5) cell m(-3) air. The six PM2.(5) samples were classified into three groups. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the four dominant phyla of PM2.5. 18 common potential pathogens with extremely low percentage (3.61%) were observed, which were dominated by Enterococcus faecium and Escherichia coli. Plants and soil are probably the main sources of bacteria in PM2.5, as suggested by the high percentages of Chloroplast, plant-associated bacteria (e.g., Rhizobiales and Sphingomonadales) and soil-inhabiting bacteria (e.g., Burkholderiales and Pseudomonadales). Variation partitioning analysis (VPA) indicated that the atmospheric pollutants explained the most of the variation (31.90%) in community structure of PM2.5, followed by meteorological conditions (15.73%) and the chemical compositions of PM2.5 (11.32%). The case study furthers our understanding of the diversity and composition of airborne bacterial communities of PM2.5 in BTH, and also identified the main factors shaping the bacterial communities.
Controversies on the surgical protocols and efficacies of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) still exist. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the perioperative managements and their outcomes related to performing THA on patients with AS. Data of 54 AS patients who underwent 81 THAs between 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and imaging data were collected preoperatively, postoperatively, and during the follow-up period for surgical efficacy. Using posterolateral approach, cementless prostheses were selected in all cases. Mean follow-up period was 3.6 years (range, 2-8 years). Inclinations and anteversions of acetabular cups were 36.3 degrees +/- 4.5 degrees(range, 30 degrees-50 degrees) and 12.3 degrees +/- 4.9 degrees (range, 0 degrees-25 degrees) respectively. Mean visual analog scale (VAS) score decreased from 6.7 +/- 2.1 (range, 4-10) preoperatively to 1.5 +/- 1.0 (range, 0-4) at final follow-up, and mean Harris hip score (HHS) improved from 31.2 +/- 11.6 (range, 15-45) to 86.1 +/- 4.3 (range, 80-95) (P<0.05). Postoperative range of motion (ROM) in flexion was improved from 6.7 degrees +/- 13.5 degrees(range, 0 degrees-50 degrees) preoperatively to 82.5 degrees +/- 6.4 degrees (range, 70 degrees-100 degrees) at final follow-up, and ROM in extension was improved from 1.8 degrees +/- 5.7 degrees(range, 0 degrees-15 degrees) to 15.4 degrees +/- 2.6 degrees (range, 10 degrees-20 degrees) (P<0.05). Heterotopic ossification (HO) was documented in 9 hips (11.1%). Signs of stable fibrous ingrowth and bone ingrowth were detected in 52 and 29 hips, respectively. Sciatic never injury was occurred in 3 cases, and treated conservatively. There were no signs of periprosthetic fractures, dislocation, or prosthesis loosening. Surgical efficacies of THA for AS patients with severe hip involvement are satisfactory.
For the detection of chemical agents in different environments, the combination of plastic optical fibers (POFs) and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) receptors has been tested as a way to obtain low cost, highly selective and sensitive optical chemical sensors based on plasmonic resonance. In this work, a novel type of optical chemical sensor able to detect the binding reactions occurring between the MIP and analyte has been designed, fabricated and applied for the selective detection of dibenzyl disulfide (DBDS) in transformer oil. This analyte is important in the control of transformer oil, since it is responsible for the corrosive properties of the oil. The new optical sensor platform is based on two plastic optical fibers that work as segmented waveguides coupled through a polymer molecularly imprinted for the analyte. The prepolymeric MIP solution was deposited by drop coating in a trench milled between the two fibers. The experimental results indicated that this new sensor can be useful for the determination of DBDS in transformer oil and it paves the way to a new approach in the optical fiber sensors for MIPs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To examine the cultural organization of collaboration, 50 U.S. Mexican-heritage sibling pairs (ages 6-11) were videotaped as they participated in a puzzle construction activity. Half were from families with more recent connection with rural practices, and limited schooling (pueblo families) and half from high schooling families (more connection with middle-class practices, higher schooling). Children were given a previously constructed model, parts to construct another, and left alone. Every 10 s coders noted how the siblings coordinated either: jointly engaged, checking-in, solo, or off-task and if collaboration was organized either verbally, nonverbally, or with multiple means. Children from Pueblo families engaged jointly and used nonverbal and multiple means of communication more than children from high schooling families who more often worked solo, were off-task, and used talk to communicate. Results are linked to practices in Indigenous American communities where children's Learning by Observing and Pitching In is common. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
M-Commerce applications in the world have grown exponentially over the years. It had set up for mobile users to engage wirelessly of ad hoc network infrastructure in online business irrespective of place or time. Providing anonymous, secure and trust based connection service in ad hoc network is quite a challenging task. Anonymity, security and privacy of the transaction or message transmission are the highest priority need to be delivered to the destination node on time. In this paper, a CAEC(2) M (Cellular Automata Elliptic Curve Cryptography Mix network) algorithm to secure Mobile Commerce over ad hoc network is proposed. An attempt is made to design a mix-network (Mix-Net) using elliptic curve cryptography based on cellular automata which creates a hard to trace communication to protect the anonymity of the sender and encrypt the sensitive information to avoid any eavesdropper trying to access the data during transmission. CAEC 2 M provides also confidentiality, integrity and authentication.
This study examined the associations between teacher attunement to aggressive students and students' characteristics in a sample (n=278) of youth in 5th-grade classrooms with the assumption that certain student characteristics may either prime or hinder teachers' attunement to aggressive students. Teacher attunement was measured as the agreement between teacher- and peer-nominations for students who start fights. Teachers rated their students on the following characteristics: academic competence, affiliation, popularity, internalizing behavior, and Olympian qualities. Higher affiliation, popularity, and internalizing behavior were associated with decreased odds for teacher attunement to aggressive youth. Higher Olympian qualities were associated with increased odds for teacher attunement to aggressive youth. Implications for interventions are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 43:263-272, 2017. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Microbial source tracking (MST) and chemical source tracking (CST) markers were utilized to identify fecal contamination in harvested rainwater and gutter debris samples. Throughout the sampling period, Bacteroides HF183 was detected in 57.5 % of the tank water samples and 95 % of the gutter debris samples, while adenovirus was detected in 42.5 and 52.5 % of the tank water and gutter debris samples, respectively. Human adenovirus was then detected at levels ranging from below the detection limit to 316 and 1253 genome copies/mu L in the tank water and debris samples, respectively. Results for the CST markers showed that salicylic acid (average 4.62 mu g/L) was the most prevalent marker (100 %) in the gutter debris samples, caffeine (average 18.0 mu g/L) was the most prevalent in the tank water samples (100 %) and acetaminophen was detected sporadically throughout the study period. Bacteroides HF183 and salicylic acid (95 %) and Bacteroides HF183 and caffeine (80 %) yielded high concurrence frequencies in the gutter debris samples. In addition, the highest concurrence frequency in the tank water samples was observed for Bacteroides HF183 and caffeine (60 %). The current study thus indicates that Bacteroides HF183, salicylic acid and caffeine may potentially be applied as source tracking markers in rainwater catchment systems in order to supplement fecal indicator analyses.
Based on the unit-cell concept, analytical solutions are presented to predict deformation behaviors of geotextile-encased stone columns at any depth below the top plane of the columns. Under vertical loads at the tops of the stone columns, an axial compression deformation occurs that is often accompanied by a lateral expansion near the top. This deformation characteristic of stone columns was incorporated directly into the proposed analytical method. The shear stress between the encased stone column and the surrounding soil in the vertical direction also was taken into account. In this method, the confining pressure provided by the soil was analyzed based on an analogy with passive earth pressure. The method was verified via comparison with two other analytical solutions. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of geotextile encasement, vertical applied stress, and column spacing and diameter on the deformation behaviors of columns. The results indicated that geotextile encasement with higher stiffness has a beneficial effect on reducing column bulging and settlement. Moreover, selection of geotextile stiffness for encased stone columns should be done in relation to column diameter and spacing because increased column diameter and decreased spacing have a great effect on settlement reduction.
The effect of a triple metal-gate (TMG) on the performance and on the ambipolar current in a TMG vertical tunnel field-effect transistor with triple metal-gate (TMG-TFET) is investigated using technology computer-aided design simulation. The TMG-TFET is designed to tackle the performance as well as the ambipolar current, simultaneously, by modulating the TMG parameters-the work function of the TMG and/or the length of each MG-that have critical impacts on the energy-band diagrams of the channel region. The tempered on-/off-current ratio of 10(8) and the steep average subthreshold slope of 43.5 mV/decade at a power supply voltage of 0.5 V are ascribed to the formation of an energy barrier in the channel by the optimal device parameters. It is found that two main flaws in a conventional (single-material gate) TFET, which are the degraded on-state current and the ambipolar current, can be successfully controlled by adjusting the TMG structure.
Colorblindness and multiculturalism offer divergent prescriptions for reducing racial tensions. Colorblindness encourages looking beyond racial differences, whereas multiculturalism encourages recognizing them. We introduce a new construct, perceived intentionality of racial discrimination (PIRD) individuals' beliefs about how intentional discrimination is to help explain when and why colorblindness versus multiculturalism will be preferred, and potentially more effective, for improving race relations. We first establish the distinctiveness of the PIRD construct and assess its stability over time and across intergroup contexts (Studies 1-2). We then observe that greater PIRD predicts beliefs that colorblindness versus multiculturalism will improve race relations (Studies 2-5), in part because Unintentional (versus intentional) discrimination is perceived to stem from ignorance and misunderstanding versus knowingly treating racial groups unequally (Studies 4, 5b). Evidence also suggests that PIRD may shape the actual merits of colorblindness and multiculturalism for improving race relationsvia encouraging donations (Study 6), positive interracial interaction intentions (Study 7), and comfort with discussing race following the widely -publicized shooting of a Black teen (Study 8). Taken together, our empirical findings demonstrate the usefulness of PIRD for understanding, predicting, and influencing individuals' preferences for colorblindness versus multiculturalism. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective: African Americans experience high rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Self-management strategies, such as medication adherence, are key to mitigating negative T2D outcomes. This article addresses a gap in the literature by examining the intersections of drug abuse histories and medication adherence among urban, older African Americans with T2D. Method: In-depth interview data were collected as part of a larger ethnographic study examining the subjective experience of T2D among urban older adults. Two representative focal cases were selected and thematic analysis performed to illustrate how former illicit drug addicts perceive prescription medication usage. Results: Narratives reveal that participants are displeased about having to take prescription drugs and are making lifestyle changes to reduce medication usage and maintain sobriety. Discussion: Previous drug abuse not only complicates medication adherence but is also a significant part of how older African Americans who are former drug users frame their understanding of T2D more broadly.
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are a popular model system for investigating development, tissue regeneration, and repair. Although much is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate the balance between self-renewal and lineage commitment in PSCs, the spatiotemporal integration of responsive signaling pathways with core transcriptional regulatory networks are complex and only partially understood. Moreover, measurements made on populations of cells reveal only average properties of the underlying regulatory networks, obscuring their fine detail. Here, we discuss the reconstruction of regulatory networks in individual cells using novel single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics, in order to expand our understanding of the molecular basis of pluripotency, including the role of cell-cell variability within PSC populations, and ways in which networks may be controlled in order to reliably manipulate cell behavior.
This study investigates the extent to which hyperactivity and anxiety predicts susceptibility to false confessions compared with inattention and anti-social behavioural tendencies. The sample was comprised of 11,388 young people - 5439 males and 5837 females - in further education, split into three age groups: 14-16, 17-19 and 20-24 years of age. Ordinal logistic regression models show hyperactivity to be a significant predictor of reported false confessions across age. Whilst latent inattention is a significant predictor in the youngest group (aged 1416), that effect diminishes significantly in the older age groups. Latent anxiety seems not to exert a significant effect across age. Antisocial behaviour (ASB) however does seems to exert a significant effect on false confessions across age. Given that recklessness and impulsivity are facets of conduct disorder, it may be the recklessness and impulsive component of ASB that is most relevant in predicting false confessions across age. Latent hyperactivity may therefore be the critical susceptibility factor for false confessions across adolescence. Such a finding is novel, and raises significant questions about the potential vulnerability of adolescents scoring high on hyperactivity when questioned by police. Crown Copyright (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A fully integrated low-dropout-regulated step-down multiphase-switched-capacitor DC-DC converter (a.k.a. charge pump, CP) with a fast-response adaptive-phase (Fast-RAP) digital controller is designed using a 65-nm CMOS process. Different from conventional designs, a low-dropout regulator (LDO) with an NMOS power stage is used without the need for an additional step-up CP for driving. A clock tripler and a pulse divider are proposed to enable the Fast-RAP control. As the Fast-RAP digital controller is designed to be able to respond faster than the cascaded linear regulator, transient response will not be affected by the adaptive scheme. Thus, light-load efficiency is improved without sacrificing the response time. When the CP operates at 90 MHz with 80.3% CP efficiency, only small ripples would appear on the CP output with the 18-phase interleaving scheme, and be further attenuated at VOUT by the 50-mV dropout regulator with only 4.1% efficiency overhead and 6.5% area overhead. The output ripple is less than 2 mV for a load current of 20 mA.
The study involved performance evaluation of a Multistage Jatropha Fruit Shelling Machine (PI2015701163) which is used to produce Jatropha kernels (oil-rich nucleus) with higher purity by removing both the outer shells of fruits and husks (seeds' coating). The reduction of shells and husks together, which is not commonly practised at the moment, can improve oil yield and quality during oil extraction process in biodiesel production. The shelling machine consists of two cracking unit with each having different roller clearance for different stage of decortications. Every roller was featured with male threads on the surface. The male threads in different rotating directions and speeds can provoke more shearing effect onto the loaded Jatropha fruits. The machine design also deploys multistage separation mechanisms consisting of vibratory sieve and blowers for a purpose to produce cleaner kernels. The designed machine has been tested at different blower air speeds and fruit moisture contents. The optimal air speed and fruit moisture content were found to be 9.8 +/- 0.4 m s(-1) and around 5.7% w.b. respectively, where the husks could be removed without causing high kernel loss. The overall results show that the designed machine at the optimal conditions was able to remove 99% of shells and 52% of husks while controlling the kernel loss at around 5%. Further, the separation process which applies blower as separation mean has been further analysed using Eulerian Model and Dense Discrete Phase Model (DDPM) in ANSYS Fluent, for a purpose to understand the behaviour of Jatropha fruits' particles under air flow during the separation process. The simulation revealed that some vortices have existed at converging portion or slope end of the designed separator duct due to instantaneous changes of air velocity and pressure. The formation of vortices could change the flowing direction of particles and lengthen the residence time of the particles in the duct. The phenomena were also found able to cause momentum loss of heavier kernel particles, achieving reduction of kernel loss during the separation process. The simulation results have provided a basis to understand the dynamics of multiphase flow. Further, the numerical model makes the study possible to provide a better insight for making a decision along with future developed scaling factor for machine scaled up activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) propulsion is a viable and meritorious option for human exploration into deep-space because of its high thrust, improved specific impulse, well established technology, bimodal capability, and enhanced mission safety and reliability. The NTR technology has already been investigated and tested by the United States of America and Russia and the former Soviet Union. The representative Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA) type reactors traditionally used Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuels, shaped in hexagonal fuel element geometries because of the importance of making a high power reactor with a minimum size. Although the HEU-NTR designs are the best choice in terms of rocket performance and technical maturity, they inevitably provoke nuclear proliferation obstacles not only for all research and development activities by civilians and non-nuclear weapon states but also for potential commercialization. To overcome the security issues due to HEU, the non proliferative, small-size NTR engine with low thrust levels of 41 kN-53 kN (9.2 klb(f) similar to 11.9 klb(f)), Korea Advanced NUclear Thermal Engine Rocket utilizing a Low-Enriched Uranium fuel (KANUTER-LEU), is being designed for future generations. Its design goals are to make use of an LEU fuel for its fairly compact core, but to minimize the rocket performance sacrifice relative to the traditional HEU-NTRs. To achieve these goals, a new space propulsion reactor is conceptually designed with the key concepts of a high uranium density fuel with resistance against high heating and H-2 corrosion, a thermal neutron spectrum core, and a compact and integrated fuel element core design with protective cooling capability. In addition, a preliminary design study of neutronics and thermal-hydraulics was performed to explore the design space of the new LEU-NTR reactor concept. The result indicates that the innovative reactor concept has great potential, both to implement the use of an LEU fuel and to create comparable rocket performance, compared to the existing HEU-NTR designs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between social cognition (SC) and cognitive impairment in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). A prospective study was conducted in 60 PwMS, 30 with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), 15 with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and 15 with primary progressive MS (PPMS), and in healthy subjects (HS). All subjects were assessed by the Bordeaux Social Cognition Evaluation Protocol (PECS-B) (facial emotion recognition, theory of mind, emotional awareness and cognitive and affective alexithymia), by a large neuropsychological battery and by questionnaires (depression and anxiety). 43.3% of PwMS were impaired for at least one SC test. The proportion of PwMS with at least two impaired SC tests was similar in all three phenotypes (20%). Mean scores differed significantly between PwMS and HS only for the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, a test of Theory of Mind (ToM). ANOVA analyses showed an effect of phenotype on emotional awareness scores with lower scores in PPMS as compared to RRMS. ToM performance was significantly correlated (r (2) = 0.56) with executive functions, working memory and episodic memory scores. SC impairment was found in all phenotypes and was more prominent in cognitively impaired MS patients. Executive functions, and working and episodic memory performance accounts for approximately 50% of ToM performance. Emotional awareness is more impaired in progressive MS.
Amphibians, as the first terrestrial vertebrates, offer a window into early major histocompatibility complex (MHC) evolution. We characterized the MHC class I of two Korean amphibians, the Asiatic toad (Bufo gargarizans) and the Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica). We found at least four transcribed MHC class I (MHC I) loci, the highest number confirmed in any anuran to date. Furthermore, we identified MHC I transcripts in terrestrial adults, and possibly in aquatic larvae, of both species. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis based on MHC I sequence data and found that B. gargarizans and H. japonica cluster together in the superfamily Nobleobatrachia. We further identified three supertypes shared by the two species. Our results reveal substantial variation in the number of MHC I loci in anurans and suggest that certain supertypes have particular physiochemical properties that may confer pathogen resistance. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The kernel model has been part of operating system architecture for decades, but upon closer inspection it clearly violates the principle of least required privilege. The kernel is a single entity which provides many services (memory management, interfacing to drivers, context switching, IPC) having no real relation to each other, and has the ability to observe or tamper with all state of the system. This work presents Antikernel, a novel operating system architecture consisting of both hardware and software components and designed to be fundamentally more secure than the state of the art. To make formal verification easier, and improve parallelism, the Antikernel system is highly modular and consists of many independent hardware state machines ( one or more of which may be a general-purpose CPU running application or systems software) connected by a packet-switched network-on-chip (NoC). We create and verify an FPGA-based prototype of the system.
Background We have reported that increased fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a measure of TH2-driven airway inflammation, and blood eosinophil count, a marker of systemic eosinophil inflammation, correlated with asthma attacks in a population-based study. Objective To investigate the relation between simultaneously elevated FeNO and serum eosinophil cationic protein (S-ECP) levels and asthma events among asthmatics. Methods Measurements of FeNO (elevated = 25 ppb) and S-ECP (elevated = 20 ng/mL) were performed in 339 adult asthmatics. Asthma events (attacks and symptoms) were selfreported. Results Simultaneously normal S-ECP and FeNO levels were found in 48% of the subjects. Subjects with simultaneously elevated S-ECP and FeNO (13% of the population) had a higher prevalence of asthma attacks in the preceding 3 months than subjects with normal S-ECP and FeNO (51% vs. 25%, P = 0.001). This was not found for subjects with singly elevated S-ECP (P = 0.14) or FeNO (P = 0.34) levels. Elevated S-ECP and FeNO levels were independently associated with asthma attacks in the preceding 3 months after adjusting for potential confounders (OR (95% CI) 4.2 (2.0-8.8). Conclusions Simultaneously elevated FeNO and S-ECP levels were related to a higher likelihood of asthma attacks in the preceding 3 months. This indicates that there is a value in measuring both FeNO and systemic eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma to identify individuals at high risk of exacerbations. Clinical relevance FeNO and S-ECP are markers for inflammation in asthma, but are dependent on different inflammatory pathways and weakly correlated. Simultaneous measurements of both offer better risk characterization of adult asthmatics.
Incidences of food allergies are on the rise, which can greatly affect the well-being of children as well as adults. Intolerance to gluten, a protein composite of gliadin and glutenin, present in wheat, barley, and rye and several cereals, can be the causative agent of celiac disease (CD) and other allergic reactions. A gluten-free diet has become essential for people affected by CD, and consequently, the amount of gluten in food products needs to be strictly controlled. In this paper, we report an electrochemical label-free immunosensor for ultrasensitive and specific detection of gliadin. The sensor takes advantage of the specific properties of porous reduced graphene oxide (prGO) covalently functionalized with anti-gliadin antibodies using 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid as linker molecule. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and [Fe(CN)6](3-/4-) as a redox probe, a decrease of current is linked to the presence of gliadin. The sensor achieved a detection limit of 1.2 ng mL(-1) over a 1.2-34 ng mL(-1) linear range with high selectivity. The advantages offered by this sensor are the possibility to regenerate the surface of the immunosensor, its rapid and ease of production, as well as applicability for the screening of gliadin concentrations in real food samples, as shown here.
This study extends the research of the third-person effect by examining the effect of time span of media message on perceptual and behavioral components of the third-person effect. Using a survey of Hong Kong residents, the study explores perceived media effect of the news coverage of a short- and a long-term issue and the predictor of intention to take action to reduce negative effect. The results revealed no third-person effect by the short-term messages and the reverse third-person effect (first-person effect) by the long-term messages. There was a significant difference in discrepancy between the perceived media effect on self and others (third-person perception) produced by the messages of the short- and long-term issue. The study also found that perceived media effect on self is a stronger predictor of intention to take action to reduce the negative effects of the short- and long-term issue than the third-person effect.
The development of reliable methods for annotation of clinical phenotypes and algorithms to calculate similarity values for clinical phenotype profiles will be a major challenge for genomic personalized medicine, since combined analysis of phenotypic features and genetic variants can increase diagnostic yield, especially with exome or genome sequencing. The Human Phenotype Ontology project (HPO;) provides an ontology for capturing phenotypic abnormalities in human disease in a precise and comprehensive fashion. The HPO not only enables reliable integration of disease-relevant information from numerous databases, but it also allows for similarity between patients or between patients and disease descriptions to be calculated algorithmically. The HPO thereby represents a solid foundation for differential diagnostic applications as well as for translational research and prioritization of novel disease genes in exome or genome sequencing projects.
Two types of geotextile, TS 50 and TC/PP 300, were investigated as experimental filters. The raw wastewater, pre-treated in a septic tank, was intermittently dosed and filtered under hydrostatic pressure. At the beginning, the filter reactor comprised nine filters made of geotextiles (of three types: TS 10, TS 50 and TC/PP 300). At the end of the start-up period the TS 10 filters were removed due to their high outflow instability. After four months of working, the hydraulic capacities of the remaining filters were: 3.23 cm 3/cm 2/d for TS 50 and 4.14 cm 3/cm 2/d for TC/PP 300. The efficiencies of COD and BOD 5 removal were similar for both types of geotextile (COD: 64%, BOD 5: 80%). A small but statistically significant difference between ammonium nitrogen removal was observed (40% for TS 50 and 35% for TC/PP 300), most probably due to their different structure. Biological removal of P tot was relatively poor and similar for both geotextile types. The mean concentration of matter accumulated on the geotextiles was over one order of magnitude higher than conventional activated sludge concentrations. During the last weeks of the experiments the values of basic pollution indicators in the effluent were lower than the maximum permissible values (according to Polish law).
Honey bees and the business of beekeeping have profound economic importance for global agricultural production. Bee populations and the beekeeping industry are experiencing threats to sustainability. The beekeeping industry brings with it health risks for beekeepers and those living in proximity to hives. While there are a wide range of potential adverse health outcomes there has been no systematic review of these. We address this gap, examining the symptomatic adverse health outcomes among beekeepers and those living in proximity to hives. We demonstrate a dearth of published studies (nine unique studies) on the health impacts. Adverse outcomes included bee venom and propolis allergies (including anaphylaxis) and Lyme borreliosis associated with tick bites while beekeeping. Systemic reactions to bee venom allergies were associated with a range of risk factors. However, the probability of allergic reactions decreased as years of beekeeping increased. There is a clear need for greater research into the adverse health outcomes for this population. Nevertheless, our systematic review demonstrates important health consequences, and suggests an appreciation of the range of consequences is relevant. This is appropriate for reducing the disease burden of beekeeping in order to facilitate greater participation and aid in maintaining global pollination services and food security.
Nocturnal rodents play a key role in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem as consumers, prey and reservoirs of disease-yet rodent distribution remains poorly mapped. We use surface temperature extracted from the Landsat Thematic Mapper thermal infrared band to model rodent abundance obtained from trapping data at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southwest Arizona. We produce response curves that describe the effects of surface temperature on species abundance. Daytime surface temperature derived from images collected in June across thirty rodent trapping grids ranged from 318 K (45.0 degrees C) to 332 K (59.2 degrees C). Results show peak seasonal surface temperature splits high species abundances into two groups: Merriam's kangaroo rat, Arizona pocket mouse, desert pocket mouse and southern grasshopper mouse species prefer habitat characterized by higher surface temperatures; and white-throated wood rat, cactus mouse, rock pocket mouse and Bailey's pocket mouse species prefer habitat characterized by lower temperatures. Abundances for the high and low temperature habitat groupings correlate linearly with surface temperature (r = +0.66 and -0.75, respectively, p < 0.001). Surface temperature integrates multiple landscape characteristics (e.g. topography, vegetation cover and soil properties) that define the dominant habitats of ORPI rodents. These results prove that simple models can inform complex ecological processes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an effective technique for both synchronization and secure communication. In particular, an adaptive sliding mode observer is developed and practically implemented. Only one component of the state vector of the transmitter, that satisfies the observability matching condition, is sent to the receiver via a public channel, which is a sliding mode observer. This observer is able to estimate the state vector of the transmitter and then, reconstruct the unknown information hidden in the transmitted with inclusion encryption. Finally, the chaotic secure communication system is simulated with matlab and then practically implemented by electrical circuits with Multisim software and Ultiboard software.
A very frequently asked question regarding all types of geosynthetics is, ` How long will they last?' This paper answers the question for exposed geotextiles and geomembranes, assuming that they were properly designed and installed. Furthermore, it compares these new results to the earlier lifetime prediction results of a covered geomembrane. Nonexposed (or covered) lifetime conditions for a 1.5 mm thick high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane have previously been evaluated and published. Landfill incubation devices at four elevated temperatures of 85, 75, 65 and 55 degrees C were used in the prediction in order to reach 50% of retained strength and elongation. Considering the three stages of (i) depletion of antioxidants, (ii) induction time, and (iii) 50% reduction in mechanical properties, the lifetime extrapolation was made down to 20 degrees C. The 50% reduction value (called halflife throughout the paper) for this geomembrane under these conditions was approximately 450 years. Since the laboratory incubation times took 12 years, other nonexposed geosynthetics were not evaluated under the supposition that the covered situation is generally a moot point for most geosynthetics in their customary applications. For exposed (or uncovered) geosynthetics, however, the situation is quite different. Ultraviolet radiation, elevated temperature and full oxygen are available, which shortens the service lifetime, but how much? For evaluation of this situation, the authors utilized laboratory ultraviolet fluorescent tube weathering devices, as per ASTM D7238, for incubation purposes. Seven different geotextiles and five different geomembranes were evaluated. Each material was incubated at 80, 70 and 60 degrees C until a 50% reduction of strength and elongation occurred. The data was then extrapolated down to 20 degrees C for laboratory halflife values and for comparison with the nonexposed condition. The ratio of nonexposed to exposed lifetime for HDPE geomembranes is approximately seven. The calculations for the 12 exposed geosynthetics then progressed to using site-specific radiation to obtain an equivalent field halflife. Phoenix, Arizona, conditions are illustrated although the procedure is applicable worldwide. Halflife predictions for the geotextiles vary from a few months for the needle punched nonwovens to up to 10 years for monofilaments and high antioxidant formulated products. Results for geomembranes vary from 47 to 97 years, with HDPE being the highest. These exposed halflife results (which took 12 years of laboratory incubation to achieve) are felt to be most interesting and are presented for the first time to an international audience.
Purpose. China has a high prevalence of smoking, but the characteristics of social smoking in Chinese college students have not been investigated. We examined the pattern of social smoking and explored the association between social smoking and personal cessation efforts and mental health factors among Chinese male college students. Design. Study design was a cross-sectional survey. Setting. P. R. China was the setting of the study. Subjects. Participants were a random sample of 1327 male college students. Measures. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that examined their smoking behaviors and a group of specific mental health factors (loneliness, self-harm, suicide, depression, and anxiety). Analysis. Analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, (2) analysis, and multivariate logistic regression. Results. Of a total of 207 current smokers, 102 (49.3%) were identified as social smokers. Compared with nonsmokers, social smokers had increased risks for depression (odds ratio, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-2.65). Among daily smokers, social smokers were less likely to have an intention to quit smoking than nonsocial smokers (odds ratio, .08; 95% confidence interval, .01-.57). Conclusion. This study reveals unique psychologic characteristics related to social smoking. College students are a particular group of interest because unhealthy behaviors initiated during adolescence may continue through adulthood. Our findings provide evidence for future tobacco control intervention among this population.
Individual and cross-cultural factors associated with attitudes toward homosexual people were examined in this study. Using cross-sectional data from the sixth biennial European Social Survey, which represents 36,959 individuals nested within 28 European countries, successive nested models were tested using multilevel modeling (MLM). Results found that attitudes varied cross-culturally as a function of people's country of residence-this clustering effect was controlled for in all subsequent models. Individual-level predictors (Level 1) of male gender, older age, less education, being an immigrant to one's residing country, conservative political affiliation, high religiosity, perceptions that politics in one's country were unfair, low openness to change values, low self-transcendence values, high conservation values, and high self-enhancement values were significantly linked with anti-homosexuality attitudes. At the country level (Level 2), a high emphasis on social conservatism and fewer civil rights for homosexuals was connected with more unfavorable attitudes. Findings indicate main effects of predictors at both levels; however, country-level variables tended to yield stronger coefficients than individual-level factors, highlighting the contributions of macro-and microfactors in simultaneously shaping attitudes toward homosexuality. Beyond these effects, interactions of country-and individual-level variables show political affiliation, religiosity, self-enhancement values as stronger predictors in liberal countries, but openness to change values, younger age, and higher education as stronger predictors in conservative countries. Implications are discussed for understanding the wide continuum of views toward homosexuality across people and countries.
Land surface albedo is an essential variable for surface energy and climate modeling as it describes the proportion of incident solar radiant flux that is reflected from the Earth's surface. To capture the temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of the land surface, satellite remote sensing must be used to monitor albedo accurately at a global scale. However, large data gaps caused by cloud or ephemeral snow have slowed the adoption of satellite albedo products by the climate modeling community. To address the needs of this community, we used a number of temporal and spatial gap-filling strategies to improve the spatial and temporal coverage of the global land surface MODIS BRDF, albedo and NBAR products. A rigorous evaluation of the gap-filled values shows good agreement with original high quality data (RMSE =0.027 for the NIR band albedo, 0.020 for the red band albedo). This global snow-free and cloud free MODIS BRDF and albedo dataset (established from 2001 to 2015) offers unique opportunities to monitor and assess the impact of the changes on the Earth's land surface. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.
The concepts expressed by social role terms such as artist and scientist are unique in that they seem to allow two independent criteria for categorization, one of which is inherently normative (Knobe, Prasada, & Newman, 2013). This study presents and tests an account of the content and structure of the normative dimension of these dual character concepts. Experiment 1 suggests that the normative dimension of a social role concept represents the commitment to fulfill the idealized basic function associated with the role. Background information can affect which basic function is associated with each social role. However, Experiment 2 indicates that the normative dimension always represents the relevant commitment as an end in itself. We argue that social role concepts represent the commitments to basic functions because that information is crucial to predict the future social roles and role-dependent behavior of others.
Direct gaze is a salient social cue that affords rapid detection. A body of research suggests that direct gaze enhances performance on memory tasks (e.g., Hood, Macrae, Cole-Davies, & Dias, Developmental Science, 1, 67-71, 2003). Nonetheless, other studies highlight the disruptive effect direct gaze has on concurrent cognitive processes (e.g., Conty, Gimmig, Belletier, George, & Huguet, Cognition, 115(1), 133-139, 2010). This discrepancy raises questions about the effects direct gaze may have on concurrent memory tasks. We addressed this topic by employing a change detection paradigm, where participants retained information about the color of small sets of agents. Experiment 1 revealed that, despite the irrelevance of the agents' eye gaze to the memory task at hand, participants were worse at detecting changes when the agents looked directly at them compared to when the agents looked away. Experiment 2 showed that the disruptive effect was relatively short-lived. Prolonged presentation of direct gaze led to recovery from the initial disruption, rather than a sustained disruption on change detection performance. The present study provides the first evidence that direct gaze impairs visual working memory with a rapidly-developing yet short-lived effect even when there is no need to attend to agents' gaze.
Laboratory triaxial compression tests were conducted to investigate the stress-strain-volumetric responses of geotextile-reinforced sand and the mobilization and distribution of reinforcement strain/loads and soil-geotextile interface shear stress within reinforced soil. Geotextile-reinforced sand specimens were tested while varying the confining pressures and number of geotextile reinforcement layers. A digital image-processing technique was applied to determine residual tensile strain of the reinforcements after tests and to estimate reinforcement tensile loads. Experimental results indicate that the geotextile reinforcement enhanced peak shear strength and axial strain at failure, and reduced loss of post-peak shear strength. The reinforced specimen had higher shear strength when compared with that of unreinforced soil after deforming by 1-3% of axial strain, which indicates that the geotextile requires a sufficient deformation to mobilize its tensile force to improve the shear strength of reinforced soil. For each reinforcement layer, mobilized tensile strain peaked at the center of the reinforcement and decreased along the radial direction, while the interface shear stress was zero at the center and peaked at a distance of 0.5-07 reinforcement radius from the center. The mobilized tensile strain of reinforcement increases as confining pressure and number of reinforcement layers increase. This work also demonstrates that the strength difference between reinforced and unreinforced soil was strongly correlated with the sum of maximum mobilized tensile forces of all reinforcement layers, indicating that mobilized tensile force of reinforcements directly improved the shear strength of reinforced soil. Last, a number of analytical models to predict peak shear strength of reinforced soil are verified experimentally. This verification demonstrates that mobilized tensile force rather than ultimate tensile strength can be used in analytical models.
Region-based hierarchical image representation is crucial in many computer vision applications. However, in practice, an image hierarchy is usually dense, and contains many less informative branches. It is expected that a hierarchy should be accurate and simplified, which is not only desirable for different applications, but also saves considerable computational load for the further analysis. To achieve this target, this paper proposes a novel approach for unsupervised simplification of region-based image hierarchies, which employs the global and local evolution analyses of a hierarchy. First, we introduce a global evolution analysis in the scale-sets framework, which provides clues for eliminating less informative branches. Moreover, a hybrid unsupervised simplification method is designed, utilizing the information from global and local evolution functions. A number of experiments on various images have shown that the proposed approach is effective and efficient in removing less informative nodes (averagely about 90% of the whole nodes), while preserving salient image details and retaining the accuracy.
Background: Functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) are one promising tool for detecting specific molecular targets and combine molecular biology and nanotechnology aiming at modern imaging. We aimed at ligand-directed delivery with a suitable target-biomarker to detect early pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Promising targets are galectins (Gal), due to their strong expression in and on PDAC-cells and occurrence at early stages in cancer precursor lesions, but not in adjacent normal tissues. Results: Molecular probes (10-29 AA long peptides) derived from human tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) were selected as binding partners to galectins. Affinity constants between the synthesized t-PA peptides and Gal were determined by microscale thermophoresis. The 29 AA-long t-PA-peptide-1 with a lactose-functionalized serine revealed the strongest binding properties to Gal-1 which was 25-fold higher in comparison with the native t-PA protein and showed additional strong binding to Gal-3 and Gal-4, both also over-expressed in PDAC. t-PA-peptide-1 was selected as vector moiety and linked covalently onto the surface of biodegradable iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs). In particular, CAN-doped maghemite NPs (CAN-Mag), promising as contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were selected as magnetic core and coated with different biocompatible polymers, such as chitosan (CAN-Mag-Chitosan NPs) or polylactic co glycolic acid (PLGA) obtaining polymeric nanoparticles (CAN-Mag@PNPs), already approved for drug delivery applications. The binding efficacy of t-PA-vectorized NPs determined by exposure to different pancreatic cell lines was up to 90%, as assessed by flow cytometry. The in vivo targeting and imaging efficacy of the vectorized NPs were evaluated by applying murine pancreatic tumor models and assessed by 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The t-PA-vectorized NPs as well as the protease-activated NPs with outer shell decoration (CAN-Mag@PNPs-PEG-REGAcp-PEG/tPA-pep1Lac) showed clearly detectable drop of subcutaneous and orthotopic tumor staining-intensity indicating a considerable uptake of the injected NPs. Post mortem NP deposition in tumors and organs was confirmed by Fe staining of histopathology tissue sections. Conclusions: The targeted NPs indicate a fast and enhanced deposition of NPs in the murine tumor models. The CAN-Mag@PNPs-PEG-REGAcp-PEG/tPA-pep1Lac interlocking steps strategy of NPs delivery and deposition in pancreatic tumor is promising.
The modular multilevel converter (MMC) with half-bridge submodules (SMs) is the most promising technology for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grids, but it lacks dc fault clearance capability. There are two main methods to handle the dc-side short-circuit fault. One is to employ the SMs that have dc fault clearance capability, but the power losses are high and the converter has to be blocked during the clearance. The other is to employ the hybrid HVDC breakers. The breaker is capable of interrupting fault current within 5 ms, but this technology is not cost effective, especially in meshed HVDC grids. In this paper, an assembly HVDC breaker and the corresponding control strategy are proposed to overcome these drawbacks. The assembly HVDC breaker consists of an active short-circuit breaker (ASCB), a main mechanical disconnector, a main breaker, and an accessory discharging switch (ADS). When a dc-side short-circuit fault occurs, the ASCB and the ADS close immediately to shunt the fault current. The main breaker opens after a short delay to isolate the faulted line from the system and then the mechanical disconnector opens. With the disconnector in open position, the ASCB opens and breaks the current. The proposed breaker can handle the dc-side fault with competitively low cost, and the operating speed is fast enough. A model of a four-terminal monopolar HVDC grid is developed in Power Systems Computer Aided Design / Electromagnetic Transients including DC, and the simulation result proves the validity and the feasibility of the proposed solution.
Objective: To identify predictors of delayed recovery in children who sustained a concussion and sought care in a pediatric hospital. Design: Retrospective cohort study design. Setting: Montreal Children's Hospital Concussion Clinic database. Patients: Children who sustained a concussion and sought care within 10 days of the injury, with complete medical history and Postconcussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) score available. Independent Variables: Total symptom score on the PCSS, sex, age, history of concussion, sleep disturbances, anxiety, learning disabilities, attention problems, and depression. Main Outcome Measure: Delayed recovery (28 days or more). Results: A total of 213 children (F = 76, M = 138) with a mean age of 13.89 +/- 2.55 years were included. Only total PCSS score at 10 days postinjury was identified as a significant predictor of delayed recovery (odds ratio: 1.019, P = 0.01). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential for clinicians to identify, with the sole use of the PCSS, children at risk of experiencing symptoms for longer periods of time.
Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is a branch of Public-Key cryptography that is widely accepted for secure data exchange in many resource-limited devices. This paper presents a novel hardware cryptographic processor for ECC over general prime field GF(p). It is optimized on circuit level by introducing new parallel modular multiplication algorithm with its efficient hardware architecture, which offers significant improvement over the previously used techniques. Subsequently, on the system level, it is optimized by exploiting available high degree of parallelism using projective coordinates by incorporating four parallel multiplier units. The proposed hardware is implemented on Xilinx Virtex-4 and Virtex-6 field programmable gate arrays. A 256-bit scalar multiplication is completed in 1.43ms and 2.96ms in a cycle count of 2071K on Virtex-6 and Virtex-4 field programmable gate array paltforms, respectively. The Virtex-6 implementation attains a maximum frequency of 144MHz, occupies 324K look-up-tables, whereas on Virtex-4 it is about 70MHz with 357K slices. The results show that the proposed design offers a significant improvement in computation time with a significant reduction in cycle count as compared with the other reported designs. Therefore, it is a good choice to be used in many ECC-based schemes. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A real-time, rapid emergency control (EC) model is proposed to cope with sudden water pollution accidents in long-distance water transfer projects. The EC model outputs the method of EC based on pollutant properties. A generalized form of EC model is proposed and tested with a demonstrative project. The rapid prediction formulas of emergency control parameters (ECPs) are proposed under different states of water diversion. The closing times of check gates and the pollution range are calculated by the rapid prediction formulas of ECPs. A case study is examined under the scenario of a sucrose spill in a demonstrative project conducted in the Fangshui to Puyang channel of the Beijing-Shijiazhuang Emergency Water Supply Project in the middle route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project. The relative errors of peak concentration and arrival time of peak concentration are less than 20%. However, we could not use an actual toxic soluble pollutant to validate the EC model, so we performed the experiment with sucrose to test the EC model based on its concentration variation. The final result shows that the model is able to play a fundamental role in the decisions involved in the Emergency Environmental Decision Support System.
Several studies have demonstrated that women show a greater interest for social information and empathic attitude than men. This article reviews studies on sex differences in the brain, with particular reference to how males and females process faces and facial expressions, social interactions, pain of others, infant faces, faces in things (pareidolia phenomenon), opposite-sex faces, humans vs. landscapes, incongruent behavior, motor actions, biological motion, erotic pictures, and emotional information. Sex differences in oxytocin-based attachment response and emotional memory are also mentioned. In addition, we investigated how 400 different human faces were evaluated for arousal and valence dimensions by a group of healthy male and female University students. Stimuli were carefully balanced for sensory and perceptual characteristics, age, facial expression, and sex. As a whole, women judged all human faces as more positive and more arousing than men. Furthermore, they showed a preference for the faces of children and the elderly in the arousal evaluation. Regardless of face aesthetics, age, or facial expression, women rated human faces higher than men. The preference for opposite-vs. same-sex faces strongly interacted with facial age. Overall, both women and men exhibited differences in facial processing that could be interpreted in the light of evolutionary psychobiology. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Social class predicts numerous important life outcomes and social orientations. To date, literature has mainly examined how an individual's own class shapes interactions with others. But how prosocially do people treat others they perceive as coming from lower, middle, or higher social classes? Here, in addition to testing effects of self social class on prosocial behavior, we also investigate how target social class affects prosocialbehavior, operationalized using a social mindfulness paradigm that focuses on leaving or limiting choice to others. We offer three lines of reasoning, predicting that lower class targets either elicit greater prosociality than higher class targets (fairness), that higher class targets elicit greater prosociality (status), or that people are most prosocial to targets from their own social class (similarity). Across four studies, we find that participants behave less prosocially (i.e., are less socially mindful) toward higher class targets relative to lower and/or middle class targets. Perceptions of similarity, warmth, and competence did not mediate lower prosociality for higher relative to lower class targets. Together, results are most consistent with a fairness perspective. Across all studies, we also found that self social class had little to no relationship with prosociality. In total, results suggest that social class is relevant for prosocial behavior, but that target social class matters more than self social class. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Some optimal control problems for linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equations related to the optimal switching between different magnetic fields are considered. The main aim is to move an electrical initial current by a controllable voltage in shortest time to a desired terminal current and to hold it afterwards. Necessary optimality conditions are derived by Pontryagin's principle and a formal Lagrange technique. In the case of a linear system, the principal structure of time-optimal controls is discussed. The associated optimality systems are solved by a one-shot strategy using a multigrid software package. Various numerical examples are discussed. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper considers the two-stage capacitated facility location problem (TSCFLP) in which products manufactured in plants are delivered to customers via storage depots. Customer demands are satisfied subject to limited plant production and limited depot storage capacity. The objective is to determine the locations of plants and depots in order to minimize the total cost including the fixed cost and transportation cost. However, the problem is known to be NP-hard. A practicable exact algorithm is impossible to be developed. In order to solve large-sized problems encountered in the practical decision process, an efficient alternative approximate method becomes more valuable. This paper aims to propose a hybrid evolutionary algorithm framework with machine learning fitness approximation for delivering better solutions in a reasonable amount of computational time. In our study, genetic operators are adopted to perform the search process and a local search strategy is used to refine the best solution found in the population. To avoid the expensive consumption of computational time during the fitness evaluating process, the framework uses extreme machine learning to approximate the fitness of most individuals. Moreover, two heuristics based on the characteristics of the problem is incorporated to generate a good initial population. Computational experiments are performed on two sets of test instances from the recent literature. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and analyzed. Compared with other algorithms in the literature, the proposed algorithm can find the optimal or near-optimal solutions in a reasonable amount of computational time. By employing the proposed algorithm, facilities can be positioned more efficiently, which means the fixed cost and the transportation cost can be decreased significantly, and organizations can enhance competitiveness by using the optimized facility location scheme. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is characterized by progressive deterioration of frontal and anterior temporal lobes of the brain and often exhibits frontotemporal dementia (FTD) on clinic, in < 65-year-old patients at the time of diagnosis. Interdisciplinary approaches combining genetics, molecular and cell biology, and laboratory animal science have revealed some of its potential molecular mechanisms. Although there is still no effective treatment to delay, prevent, and reverse the progression of FTD, emergence of agents targeting molecular mechanisms has been beginning to promote potential pharmaceutical development. Our review summarizes the latest new findings of FTLD and challenges in FTLD therapy.
Appreciative joy (or sympathetic joy) refers to feeling happiness for others and is one of the four prosocial attitudes (four immeasurables) cultivated by loving-kindness meditation in Buddhism. The current study included 1622 participants and developed a scale to measure appreciative joy for friends in daily life. Both an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in an appreciative joy scale consisting of three components: sense of joy, positive interpersonal bias, and self-transcendence (study 1). The appreciative joy scale exhibited high correlations with measurements for interpersonal relationships and four immeasurables. The scale also shows incremental contributions to positive emotions, satisfaction with life, trait happiness, and peace of mind after controlling for interpersonal relationships or the four immeasurables (studies 2 and 3). The scale exhibited higher scores among Buddhists than among individuals with no religious belief, and its structure was maintained across English and Chinese samples (study 4); in addition, it demonstrated good test-retest reliability (study 5). Overall, the current study validated the scale as a useful tool for measuring appreciative joy, and certain findings also highlighted directions for future research on appreciative joy, including causal relationships with positive emotions, comparisons with compassion, and effects on envy.
Glucocorticoids play diverse roles in almost all physiological systems of the body, including both anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive roles. Synthetic glucocorticoids are one of the most widely prescribed drugs and are used in the treatment of conditions such as autoimmune diseases, allergies, ocular disorders and certain types of cancers. In the interest of investigating glucocorticoid actions in the cornea of the eye, we established that multiple cell types in mouse corneas express functional glucocorticoid receptor (GR) with corneal epithelial cells having robust expression. To define glucocorticoid actions in a cell type-specific manner, we employed immortalized human corneal epithelial (HCE) cell line to define the glucocorticoid transcriptome and elucidated its functions in corneal epithelial cells. Over 4000 genes were significantly regulated within 6 h of dexamethasone treatment, and genes associated with cell movement, cytoskeletal remodeling and permeability were highly regulated. Real-time in vitro wound healing assays revealed that glucocorticoids delay wound healing by attenuating cell migration. These functional alterations were associated with cytoskeletal remodeling at the wounded edge of a scratch wounded monolayer. However, glucocorticoid treatment improved the organization of tight-junction proteins and enhanced the epithelial barrier function. Our results demonstrate that glucocorticoids profoundly alter corneal epithelial gene expression and many of these changes likely impact both wound healing and epithelial cell barrier function. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The Colombian Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) Registry is a collaborative project among the Neurosciences Group of Antioquia, the Banner Alzheimer's Institute, and Genentech. The main goal is to provide a source of interested research participants and data to support the API-Colombia Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease Trial and help find treatments to delay or prevent the clinical onset of Alzheimer's disease.
We propose a computationally efficient probabilistic modeling, methodology to estimate the adverse effects on humans of exposure to contaminated groundwater. Our work is aligned with the standard suggested by the regulatory agencies and allows to propagate uncertainty from hydrogeological, toxicological and behavioral parameters to the final health risk endpoint. The problem under consideration consists of a contaminated aquifer supplying water to a population. Contamination stems from a continuous source that feeds a steady plume which constitutes the hazard source. This scenario is particularly suited for NAPL pollutants. The erratic displacement of the contaminant plume in groundwater, due to the spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity, is characterized within the Lagrangian stochastic framework which enables the complete probabilistic characterization of the contaminant concentration at an environmentally sensitive location. Following the probabilistic characterization of flow and transport, we quantify the adverse health effects on humans. The dose response assessment involves the estimation of the uncertain effects of the exposure to a given contaminant while accounting for the exposed individual's metabolism. The model integrates groundwater transport, exposure and human metabolism in a comprehensive probabilistic framework which allows the assessment of the risk probability through a novel simple analytical solution. Aside from its computational efficiency, the analytical features of the framework allows the assessment of uncertainty arising from the hydrogeological parameters. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study presents a protection method for fingerprint templates by using fused structures at the feature level. The authors compute two transformed features from minutiae points: namely, local structure and distant structure. These structures are represented as bit-strings. A fusion on bit-strings is done at the feature level to produce a cancelable template. An equal error rate (EER) of 2.19, 1.6 and 6.14% on Fingerprint Verification Competition (FVC) 2002 Database (DB)1 through DB3 databases and an EER of 11.89, 12.71, 17.6% on FVC 2004 DB1 through DB3 proves the tenability of the proposed method.
The functional outcome of schizophrenia is heterogeneous and markers of the course are missing. Functional outcome is associated with social cognition and negative symptoms. Gesture performance and nonverbal social perception are critically impaired in schizophrenia. Here, we tested whether gesture performance or nonverbal social perception could predict functional outcome and the ability to adequately perform relevant skills of everyday function (functional capacity) after 6 months. In a naturalistic longitudinal study, 28 patients with schizophrenia completed tests of nonverbal communication at baseline and follow-up. In addition, functional outcome, social and occupational functioning, as well as functional capacity at follow-up were assessed. Gesture performance and nonverbal social perception at baseline predicted negative symptoms, functional outcome, and functional capacity at 6-month follow-up. Gesture performance predicted functional outcome beyond the baseline measure of functioning. Patients with gesture deficits at baseline had stable negative symptoms and experienced a decline in social functioning. While in patients without gesture deficits, negative symptom severity decreased and social functioning remained stable. Thus, a simple test of hand gesture performance at baseline may indicate favorable outcomes in short-term follow-up. The results further support the importance of nonverbal communication skills in subjects with schizophrenia.
We develop linear representation theory for bicircular matroids, a chief example being a matroid associated with forests of a graph, and bicircular lift matroids, a chief example being a matroid associated with spanning forests. (These are bias and lift matroids of contrabalanced biased graphs.) The theory is expressed largely in terms of antivoltages (edge labellings that defy Kirchhoff's voltage law) with values in the multiplicative or additive group of the scalar field. We emphasize antivoltages with values in cyclic groups and finite vector spaces since they are crucial for representing the matroids over finite fields; and integer-valued antivoltages with bounded breadth since they are crucial in constructions. We find bounds for the existence of antivoltages and we solve some examples. Other results: The number of antivoltages in an abelian group is a polynomial function of the group order, and the number of integral antivoltages with bounded breadth is a polynomial in the breadth bound. We conclude with an application to complex representation. There are many open questions. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Smart Grid control systems need to be protected from internal attacks within the perimeter. In Smart Grid, the Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) are resource-constrained devices that do not have the ability to provide security analysis and protection by themselves. And the commonly used industrial control system protocols offer little security guarantee. To guarantee security inside the system, analysis and inspection of both internal network traffic and device status need to be placed close to IEDs to provide timely information to power grid operators. For that, we have designed a unique, extensible and efficient operation-level traffic analyzer framework. The timing evaluation of the analyzer overhead confirms efficiency under Smart Grid operational traffic.
How can researchers use race, as they do now, to conduct health-care studies when its very definition is in question? The belief that race is a social construct without biological authenticity'' though widely shared across disciplines in social science is not subscribed to by traditional science. Yet with an interdisciplinary approach, the two horns of the social construct/genetics dilemma of race are not mutually exclusive. We can use traditional science to provide a rigorous framework and use a social-science approach so that invisible'' factors are used to adjust the design of studies on an as-needed basis. One approach is to first observe health-care outcomes and then categorize the outcomes, thus removing genetic differences as racial proxies from the design of the study. From the outcomes, we can then determine if there is a pattern of conceivable racial categories. If needed, we can apply dynamic notions of race to acknowledge bias without prejudice. We can use them constructively to improve outcomes and reduce racial disparities. Another approach is nearly identical but considers race not at all: While analyzing outcomes, we can determine if there are biological differences significant enough to identify classifications of humans. That is, we look for genetic patterns in the outcomes and classify only those patterns. There is no attempt to link those patterns to race.
An array of pharmacological and environmental factors influence the development and maintenance of tobacco addiction. The nature of these influences likely changes across the course of an extended smoking history, during which time drug seeking can become involuntary and uncontrolled. The present study used an animal model to examine the factors that drive nicotine-seeking behavior after either brief (10days) or extended (40days) self-administration training. In Experiment 1, extended training increased rats' sensitivity to nicotine, indicated by a leftward shift in the dose-response curve, and their motivation to work for nicotine, indicated by an increase in the break point achieved under a progressive ratio schedule. In Experiment 2, extended training imbued the nicotine-paired cue with the capacity to maintain responding to the same high level as nicotine itself. However, Experiment 3 showed that the mechanisms involved in responding for nicotine or a nicotine-paired cue are dissociable, as treatment with the partial nicotine receptor agonist, varenicline, suppressed responding for nicotine but potentiated responding for the nicotine-paired cue. Hence, across extended nicotine self-administration, pharmacological and environmental influences over nicotine seeking increase such that nicotine seeking is controlled by multiple sources, and therefore highly resistant to change.
Atheists are often marginalized in discussions of religious and spiritual pluralism on college campuses and beyond. As with other minority worldview groups, atheists face challenges with hostile campus climates and misunderstanding of their views. The present study used a large, multi-institutional sample to explore predictors of non-atheist college students' appreciative attitudes toward atheists. Substantial differences were found across identities; secular and spiritual worldview groups hold the most positive views, whereas Christians and Muslims have the most negative attitudes. Interactions with worldview diversity-but not general religious/spiritual engagement-consistently predict more positive attitudes, and these relationships sometimes vary based on students' own worldviews. These results suggest that colleges and universities can create more inclusive environments for atheists, who constitute a sizable minority group on today's college campuses.
Automatic registration of multimodal remote sensing data [e.g., optical, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and synthetic aperture radar (SAR)] is a challenging task due to the significant nonlinear radiometric differences between these data. To address this problem, this paper proposes a novel feature descriptor named the histogram of orientated phase congruency (HOPC), which is based on the structural properties of images. Furthermore, a similarity metric named HOPCncc is defined, which uses the normalized correlation coefficient (NCC) of the HOPC descriptors for multimodal registration. In the definition of the proposed similarity metric, we first extend the phase congruency model to generate its orientation representation and use the extended model to build HOPCncc. Then, a fast template matching scheme for this metric is designed to detect the control points between images. The proposed HOPCncc aims to capture the structural similarity between images and has been tested with a variety of optical, LiDAR, SAR, and map data. The results show that HOPCncc is robust against complex nonlinear radiometric differences and outperforms the state-ofthe- art similarities metrics (i.e., NCC and mutual information) in matching performance. Moreover, a robust registration method is also proposed in this paper based on HOPCncc, which is evaluated using six pairs of multimodal remote sensing images. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for multimodal image registration.
Introduction: An impairment of visually perceiving backward masked stimuli is commonly observed in patients with schizophrenia, yet it is unclear whether this impairment is the result of a deficiency in first or higher order processing and for which subtypes of schizophrenia it is present. Methods: Here, we compare identification (first order) and metacognitive (higher order) performance in a visual masking paradigm between a highly homogenous group of young firstepisode patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia (N = 11) to that of carefully matched healthy controls (N = 13). Results: We find no difference across groups in first-order performance, but find a difference in metacognitive performance, particularly for stimuli with relatively high visibility. Conclusions: These results indicate that the masking deficit is present in first-episode patients with paranoid schizophrenia, but that it is primarily an impairment of metacognition.
Aims and objectives. To evaluate caregiver burden and factors that influence this burden among caregivers and patients with Alzheimer's disease in China. Background. Long-term care can reduce the quality of life for caregivers and result in both mental and physical exhaustion. However, little is known about caregiver burden and associated factors in China. Design. The study had a quantitative cross-sectional design. Methods. A total of 309 caregivers and their patients were included in the study. The patients' cognitive, psychological and functional status and their caregivers' burden, sleep quality and mental state were evaluated. Descriptive analyses, single-factor regression and stepwise factor regression were used to determine the effects of various factors on caregiver burden. Results. Older females and spouses still play an important role in providing family care for those with dementia. Most of the caregivers were the sole full-time caregiver and had little time for themselves. Sleepiness was a common physical problem for caregivers, and some of them had moderate to severe depression and anxiety. A lower functional status of the patient was associated with higher caregiver burden. Poorer physical status compared with before caregiving began, lower life satisfaction, and higher degrees of depression and anxiety were associated with higher caregiver burden. Conclusion. Depression, anxiety and sleep problems are the main challenges that are faced by family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Caregivers' functional status, lower life satisfaction, depression and anxiety influenced caregiver burden. Caregiver burden was related to the severity of the patient's dementia and the personal factors of the caregivers. Relevance to clinical practice. To provide information about caregivers' current status while caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease and to understand caregiver burden and its related factors. Professionals who work with Alzheimer's disease should pay more attention to caregiver burden, especially those with mental and physical problems.
Corticosteroids are an important part of the pharmacological armamentarium against a wide spectrum of diseases. They are powerful drugs that effect all aspects of human metabolism and, although often life-saving, they have a plethora of important side-effects and a narrow therapeutic window. Most side-effects aria well known to physicians but we would like to highlight the problem of avascular necrosis associated with cyclical steroid therapy of short duration using moderate doses for an unusual indication.
Transportation Engineers face many problems in using Sand Dunes available in huge quantities through the desert areas in Iraq as construction Materials for Roads. This study consists of using Sand Dunes as local material in road construction. Two approaches are adopted to achieve this goal; the first is carrying out laboratory tests through simulation of three layers of paved road, using a steel box model where Subgrade layer represented by Sand Dunes at relative density 55.7% (in situe Value). The study oriented as well to the improvement of sand dunes through using reinforcement with two types of Geosynthetic material. Two models were studied, one of which is reinforced by single layer of geotextile at subbase-subgrade interface and the other using single layer of geogrid at the same depth to improve the subgrade, grouting technique is used through the injection of the subgrade with a mixture of cement, bentonite, and water. Using of geotextile and geogrid, leads to increase the number of passes 108.53%, 78.05% respectively. The using of injection technique increase the number of passes about 18.29%. FE approach using Abaqus program was applied to find out displacement distribution through build pavement structure model. The results obtained from both laboratory and finite elements are very much encouraging with using Sand Dune as construction materials for Roads. However, using reinforcement in between subbase-subgrade interface also satisfied the minimum stability requirements for roads foundation structure with sand dunes as subgrade layer.
The development of addiction is associated with a dysregulation of glutamatergic transmission in the brain reward circuit. isoform of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (alpha CaMKII) is one of the key proteins that regulates structural and functional plasticity of glutamatergic synapses. alpha CaMKII activity can be controlled by the autophosphorylation of threonine 286. The role of this autophosphorylation in the regulation of addiction-related behaviors has been proposed but is still poorly understood. Here, using alpha CaMKII autophosphorylation-deficient mutant mice (T286A), we show that, in comparison with wild-type animals, they are less resistant to high doses of alcohol and do not show psychostimulant response neither to alcohol injections nor during voluntary alcohol drinking. T286A mutants are also less prone to develop alcohol addiction-related behaviors including an increased motivation for alcohol, persistent alcohol seeking during withdrawal and alcohol consumption on relapse. Finally, we demonstrate that alpha CaMKII autophosphorylation regulates also alcohol-induced remodeling of glutamatergic synapses in the hippocampus and amygdala. In conclusion, our data suggest that alpha CaMKII autophosphorylation-dependent remodeling of glutamatergic synapses is a plausible mechanism for the regulation of the alcohol addiction-related behaviors.
A kinesthetic classroom activity was designed to help students understand enzyme activity and catalysis of reaction rate. Students served the role of enzymes by manipulating Pop-It Beads as the catalytic event. This activity illuminates the relationship between reaction rate and reaction progress by allowing students to experience first-hand the effect of substrate depletion on catalyzed reaction rate. Preliminary findings based on survey results and exam performance suggest the activity could prove beneficial to students in the targeted learning outcomes. Unique to previous kinesthetic approaches that model Michaelis-Menten kinetics, this activity models the effects of substrate depletion on catalyzed reaction rate. Therefore, it could prove beneficial for conveying the reasoning behind the initial rate simplification used in Michaelis-Menten kinetics. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45( 2): 179183, 2017.
In this paper, a single current sensor technique (SCST) is proposed for single-phase full-bridge inverters. The proposed SCST measures the currents of multiple branches at the same time, and reconstructs the average inductor, capacitor, and load current in a single switching cycle. Since all of the branches' current in the LC filter and the load are obtained using the SCST, both the inductor and the capacitor current feedback schemes can be selectively applied while taking advantages of each other. This paper also analyzes both of the current feedback schemes from the view point of the closed-loop output impedance. The proposed SCST and the analysis in this paper are verified through experiments on a 3kVA single-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
Concerns about pesticide exposure through food consumption have increased during the past several years. Pyrethroids are applied as insecticides throughout the world. Human metabolism of pyrethroids results in urinary metabolites that are suitable for biological monitoring. The objective of our study was to investigate the relation between food consumption and urinary levels of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), a general metabolite of pyrethroids, in a non-occupational exposed adult population from the IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy. Information on sodo-demographic characteristics, smoking, diet and self-reported household pesticide exposure was collected. Urinary 3-PBA level of each subject was measured and adjusted by urinary creatinine. We found that people consuming both raw and cooked vegetables five times weekly or more had higher mean levels of 3-PBA in urine (1.03 mu g/g creatinine versus 0.52 mu g/g creatinine; p = 0.009 and 0.99 mu g/g creatinine versus 0.58 mu g/g creatinine; p = 0.01, respectively) than subjects consuming less than five times weekly. In a multivariate model, after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, smoking and household insecticide exposure, high intake of raw vegetables (OR: 5.31; 95%Cl: 1.32-213) and high intake of cooked vegetables, in particular cruciferous (OR: 4.67; 95%CI: 1.07-20.5) and leafy vegetables (OR: 6.88; 95%Cl: 1.50-31.7), were associated with high urine 3-PBA levels (>= 0.70 mu g/g creatinine). The results of this study suggest that part of the variation in pyrethrois intake is explained by vegetable intake. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study targeted permanently employed staff of a specific business unit (campus) of a South African university to explore the relationship between employees' perceived levels of trust in their immediate line manager/supervisor and the overall perceptions of the diversity climate within the business unit. South Africa recently celebrated 20 years of democracy. Although racism and discrimination should have no place in our democracy, current widespread unrest on university campuses suggests that big and enduring challenges of transformation are not easily resolved. Clearly, much still remains to be done in order to accelerate transformation in our higher education system. A critical question that arises is how change can be brought about in a cost effective and sustainable way. In view of steadily growing incidents of often violent unrest on university campuses, it therefore seems appropriate that researchers should evaluate how far South Africa has really come by considering the extent to which different business units of universities have been able to contribute towards the creation of a prejudice-free and inclusive society and what factors might have an influence within such an environment. Similar to other organisations, a university's diversity climate is a barometer of the extent to which the university has been able to establish an academic environment free of both prejudice and discrimination. A diversity climate of an institution reflects the psychological perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of individuals that also translate into how different groups which may include but are not limited to gender, age, racial and ethnic groups interact within a specific organisational context. These psychological and behavioural indicators of a diversity climate affect both individual and organisational performance in a dramatic way and can be either positive or negative in nature. Some previous research studies in the international arena suggest that, to address the challenge of change, organisations should develop quality relationships - interpersonally, organisationally and inter-organisationally and that these can be enhanced by building and developing trust. This is, however, more easily said than done especially since the historical context is one where trust between diverse groups has repeatedly been fractured and destroyed over time. Despite the fact that effective diversity management to create prejudice-free and inclusive workplace environments is becoming a growing concern, empirical research on diversity climate is still limited Even fewer studies have examined the possible relationship between diversity climate and trust. In fact, within a South African context, research on the relationship between various forms of trust and its potential influence on the diversity climate of an organisation is extremely rare. This study took on a quantitative approach to explore the relationship between dyadic trust and the diversity climate. A cross-sectional survey (N = 350) was used to collect data. The questionnaire used in the study was a combination of three previously validated instruments. Diversity climate was defined as the employees' perceptions of the policies and practices that communicate the extent to which fostering diversity and eliminating discrimination are a priority in the organisation. The diversity climate was measured through a previously validated diversity climate assessment instrument that consisted of nine items. The study employed a definition of trust that is widely accepted across disciplines and according to which trust is defined as the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another person based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trusting party, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party. Because trust is a multi-dimensional, interrelated and complex concept, the dimensions used to measure trust included predictors of trust as well as evidence of actual risk-taking expressed as trusting behaviours. Two previously validated measures of trust were combined in order to measure the trust component in a comprehensive manner. Predictors included eight items to measure the trusting party's propensity, also known as the innate, generalised inclination to trust others, and 16 items were employed to measure perceived trustworthiness as derived from indications of the trusted party's perceived ability (6 items), benevolence (4 items) and integrity (6 items). Trust itself was also measured (4 items) and confirmed by indicators of trusting behaviours such as the willingness to rely on (5 items) and disclose information (5 items) to the trusted party despite the lack of guarantees that one's trust will not be abused. Prior to its operationalisation, the measurement instrument had been translated from English to Afrikaans and Sesotho. Possible errors had been identified and corrected by an independent, professional translator who is fluent in all three languages. Study results indicated that the majority of the employees perceive the diversity climate to be positive and agree that the organisation is committed towards diversity management and eliminating discrimination. A correlation analysis between the dimensions of trust and diversity climate revealed that all of the trust dimensions, except for the propensity towards trust, have some sort of relationship with diversity climate. The results further indicated that the group of employees that only have an education up to matric/grade 12 indicated a higher propensity towards trust compared to the group that has either a diploma or a post-graduate degree. Propensity towards trust and disclosure-based trust dimensions revealed the only noticeable differences between the black and white groups. There was no practical significance within the diversity climate construct for the gender, education, ethnic, employment status or level of employment groups and this should be regarded as a positive result for the institution. The paper concluded with recommendations for future research.
Most analyses of sexual orientation and earnings find that gay men face a wage gap, whereas lesbian women earn higher wages than similar heterosexual women. However, analyses rarely consider bisexual men and women as a unique group separate from other sexual minorities. I argue that such binary views of sexual orientationtreating sexual minorities as a homogenous non-heterosexual grouphave obscured understandings of the impact of sexual orientation on labor market outcomes. Specifically, I predict that unequal outcomes for gay men and lesbian women are partly due to the influence of family arrangements and their effects on earnings. In contrast, I argue that bisexual men and women should be the most disadvantaged in the labor market, due to particularly disadvantaging stereotypes, perceptions of choice to their sexual orientation, and prejudicial treatment. Using data from the General Social Survey (N = 13,554) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 14,714), I show that family arrangements explain some of the observed earnings differentials for gay men and lesbian women. Bisexual men and women, in contrast, face wage penalties that are not explained by human capital differences or occupational characteristics. Perceptions of prejudicial treatment partially explain the observed wage gaps.
The water chemistry and economics of a commercial-scale inland marine integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system was investigated. The system used a combination of a constructed wetland, sand filter followed by a constructed wetland, and geotextile bags to treat solids waste. This study is a demonstration of a zero-discharge system where commercial nursery production of wetland plants was combined with a marine RAS to treat saline solid waste. Total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were measured. Plant and soil samples were analyzed for TN and TP. A significant (p < 0.05) difference in the effluent concentrations was not found. The variability inherent in a commercial-scale system made it difficult to isolate the individual efficiencies of the three treatment systems. Production of wetland plants was critical for aiding nutrient removal by facilitating aggregation of solids and providing conditions for denitrification. On average the nitrate concentration decreased over time due to the denitrification occurring in the plant beds. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved metals: Mn, Ni, Se, Sr, Cd, Li, Hg, Mo, Fe, B, Cu, Pb, Zn, La, Ca, K, and Mg; Mn and Fe showed a gradual increase in concentration over time. This IMTA system successfully produced Florida pompano, and the fish waste and uneaten feed provided enough nutrients to produce multiple cohorts of wetland plants over a two-year period. An economic analysis indicated that after one year of production the system would produce a profit, but the production of Florida pompano alone would not result in a positive net return. The sales of wetland plants were necessary for the system to break-even and ultimately produce a profit for the production facility in Sarasota, FL. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Over the past decade, salient object detection has attracted a lot of interests in computer-vision. Although many models have been proposed to detect the salient object in an arbitrary image, this problem is still plagued with complex backgrounds and scattered objects. To address this issue, in this paper, we explore the information in cross features via a diversity-induced multi-view regularization under the Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion (HSIC). Based on the diversity term, a new matrix decomposition based model is proposed for salient object detection. Furthermore, S-1/2 regularizer is introduced to constrain the background part. This regularizer will make the background much cleaner in the saliency map. A group sparsity induced norm is imposed on the salient part in order to involve the potential spatial relationships of image patches. Our method is solved through an augmented Lagrange multipliers method, and high-level priors are also integrated to boost the performance. Experiments on the four widely used datasets show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art models.
Rainwater harvesting techniques are used worldwide to augment potable water supply, provide water for small-scale irrigation practices, increase rainwater-use efficiency for sustained crop growth in arid and semi-arid regions, decrease urban stormwater flow volumes, and in general to relieve dependency on urban water resources cycles. A number of methods have been established in recent years to estimate reliability of rainwater catchment systems (RWCS) and thereby properly size the components (roof catchment area, storage tank size) of the system for a given climatic region. These methods typically use historical or stochastically-generated rainfall patterns to quantify system performance and optimally size the system, with the latter accounting for possible rainfall scenarios based on statistical relationships of historical rainfall patterns. To design RWCS systems that can sustainably meet water demand under future climate conditions, this paper introduces a method that employs climatic data from general circulation models (GCMs) to develop a suite of catchment area vs. storage size design curves that capture uncertainty in future climate scenarios. Monthly rainfall data for the 2010-2050 time period is statistically downscaled to daily values using a Markov chain algorithm, with results used only from GCMs that yield rainfall patterns that are statistically consistent with historical rainfall patterns. The process is demonstrated through application to two climatic regions of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the western Pacific, wherein the majority of the population relies on rainwater harvesting for potable water supply. Through the use of design curves, communities can provide household RWCS that achieve a certain degree of storage reliability. The method described herein can be applied generally to any geographic region. It can be used to first, assess the future performance of existing household systems; and second, to design or modify systems that will yield adequate storage for future climate conditions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Contact problem, which exists widely in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, manufacturing engineering, etc., is an extremely complicated nonlinear problem. It is usually solved by the finite element method. Unlike with the traditional finite element method, it is necessary to set up contact elements for the contact analysis. In the different types of contact elements, the Goodman joint elements, which cover the surface of contacted bodies with zero thickness, are widely used. However, there are some debates on the characteristics of the attached elements of the Goodman joint elements. For that this paper studies the type, matching, and meshing of the attached elements. The results from this paper would be helpful for the finite element contact analysis.
DNA vaccine is a third generation vaccine type based on concepts and techniques of molecular biology. It can closely mimic live infections and induce both antibody and cell mediated immune responses and thus has much potential for treating chronic viral infection and cancer. How do we transport the DNA vaccine to the right target cells in lymphoid tissues and organs? How do we achieve high and robust gene transfection efficiency while simultaneously inducing DC maturation and antigen presentation? These questions pose significant challenges and addressing them may require serious efforts in developing better biomaterials as carriers. This review is dedicated to the discussion of polymers as nanoscale carriers for the DNA vaccine. We summarize recent advances in polymer science and engineering to overcome multilevel hurdles for DNA vaccine delivery and conclude with thoughts on challenges and opportunities that may shape the future of polymers in DNA vaccination.
As an entertainment technology, video games are a popular social activity that can allow for multiple players to cooperatively engage on-screen challenges. Emerging research has found that when people play together, the resulting teamwork can have beneficial impacts on their prosocial orientations after gameplay - especially when the players are cooperative with one another. The present study wanted to expand the scope of these beneficial interpersonal effects by considering both inter- and intrapersonal factors. In an experimental study (N = 115) we manipulated the difficulty of a game (easy or hard) and the behavior of a confederate teammate (supportive or unsupportive playing style). We found that neither coplayer supportiveness nor game difficulty had an effect on the expectations of a teammate's prosocial behavior or one's own prosocial behavior toward the teammate after the game (operationalized as willingness to share small amounts of money with one's teammate after playing). Increased expectations of prosocial behavior from one's teammate were related to one's own prosocial behaviors, independent of our manipulations. Considering these results, we propose alternative theoretical approaches to understanding complex social interactions in video games. Furthermore, we suggest to explore other types of manipulations of game difficulty and cooperation between video game players as well as alternative measures of prosocial behavior.
In manufacturing engineering, especially in machining process, the definition of a reference plane is the first essential step within the overall process. After the reference plane is applied at the component all other features are processed with reference to this basic plane. During any process the component has to be clamped in order to resist the processing forces. There are several clamping systems available, such as pneumatic, magnetic systems or magneto-rheological (MR) systems. Depending on its stiffness the component is deformed due to the clamping forces, stresses are introduced. This effect can be neglected for components with a high stiffness and nearly rigid body behaviour. However, the deformation of low stiff components under clamping forces, e.g. sheet metals, is relatively large and is in the same range as the addressed accuracy of machining process. Due to the introduced elastic clamping stresses the component will reconfigure after clamping, this phenomenon is known as springback. The focus of this work is the design of a clamping system for flexible bodies in order to reduce the springback and to enable high precision processing. This clamping system consists in a set of supports, which adjust to the surface of the body without introducing stresses and causing no springback after the machining process. The number and the arrangement of the supports are optimized as a function of the intensity and position of the milling force and the geometrical and mechanical properties of the body as well. The functional unit of the clamping system is a cylindrical bodysliding nearly frictionless within a pipe. Numerical simulation is used for configuration and optimization. The developed clamping systems can also be used to process freeform shaped bodies.
Extant South Asian histories of race, and more specifically biometrics, focus almost exclusively upon the colonial era and especially the nineteenth century. Yet an increasing number of ethnographic accounts observe that Indian scientists have enthusiastically embraced the resurgent raciology engendered by genomic research into human variation. What is sorely lacking is a historical account of how raciology fared in the late colonial and early postcolonial periods, roughly the period between the decline of craniometry and the rise of genomics. It is this history that I explore in this article. I argue that anthropometry, far from being a purely colonial science, was adopted by Indian nationalists quite early on. Various distinctive shades of biometric nationalism publicly competed from the 1920s onward. To counter any sense that biometric nationalism was teleologically inevitable, I contrast it with a radical alternative called craftology that emerged on the margins of formal academia amongst scholars practicing what I call vernacular anthropology. Craftology and biometric nationalism continued to compete, contrast, and selectively entangle with each other until almost the end of the twentieth century.
Background: The aim was to assess the influence of long-term treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) inhibitors on total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and atherogenic index (AI) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on RA, PsA, and AS patients treated with TNF-a inhibitors for at least 270 days between 2001 and 2011. Levels of TC, TG, LDL, and HDL and the AI were compared with baseline values at 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, and 18-24 months. Patients were further subdivided into three groups according to their HMG CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) treatment status in order to assess their effect on the results. Results: The records of 311 patients (152 RA, 90 PsA, and 69 AS) were reviewed. TC and TG increased following treatment with TNF-a inhibitors, from 180.85 +/- 2.12 mg/dl and 116.00 +/- 3.55 mg/dl at baseline to 188.12 +/- 2.35 mg/dl (p = 0.02) and 132.02 +/- 4.63 mg/dl at 0-6 months (p < 0.01), respectively, and to 184.88 +/- 2.09 mg/dl (p = 0.02) and 129. 36 +/- 4.32 mg/dl at 18-24 months (p < 0.01), respectively. AI increased following treatment with TNF-a inhibitors, from - 0.032 +/- 0.017 at baseline to 0.004 +/- 0.019 at 18-24 months (p < 0.01). LDL decreased significantly in patients who were treated with statins before and during the entire study period, from 119.97 +/- 2.86 mg/dl at baseline to 104.02 +/- 3.57 mg/dl at 18-24 months (p < 0.01), in contrast to an increase in LDL values in patients who did not receive statins during the study. Conclusions: TNF-a inhibitor treatment was associated with a significant increase in TC and TG levels and the AI. Adding statins to the treatment was associated with a significant decrease in LDL levels.
We describe and evaluate a software-only implementation of a novel mechanism for accessing and streaming GPU-rendered content from the cloud to low-end user devices. The unique properties of our implementation enable the trivial cloud-deployment of graphics-intensive applications, even ones that were not originally intended to run in the cloud. We achieve this goal by creating virtual GPU nodes that appear to the application like hardware devices, but that do not incur the overhead of virtualization. The low-level access to the frame buffer maximizes the number of applications that work out-of-the-box without the system imposing any specific display manager or windowing system.
The art historian Ernst Gombrich asserted that both artists and viewers are constrained by specific cultural mental sets within which they operate: he used schemata to refer to both actual sketches and our mental sets. In mapping the mechanism of culture, Juri Lotman situated both language and the schematized image at the centre of semiospheres: they function to introduce unity and eliminate contradictions. Schemata have obviously served as both the cause and the result of human knowledge, some loosely constructed yet highly condensed forms of art in different domains. Theorizing at a time of a hypertrophy of scientific and linguistic models, Lotman and Gombrich appear to have converged on theorizing our means of connecting people across cultures. They each put forward their own perspectives concerning the interplay between culture, art and pictorial representation. This paper serves to: (1) examine how Lotman and Gombrich interpreted Jakobson's scheme of communication; (2) reveal the paradox of schemata and nonverbal communication latent in their writings; (3) soften the paradox by drawing on Lotman's conceptulization of play as an emotional structure. It is argued that the kind of emotive potential defined from the perspective of beholders or addressees is crucial to our survival in the global village.
Nonnegative matrix factorization has been widely used in co-clustering tasks which group data points and features simultaneously. In recent years, several proposed co-clustering algorithms have shown their superiorities over traditional one-side clustering, especially in text clustering and gene expression. Due to the NP-completeness of the co-clustering problems, most existing methods relaxed the orthogonality constraint as nonnegativity, which often deteriorates performance and robustness as a result. In this paper, penalized nonnegative matrix tri-factorization is proposed for co-clustering problems, where three penalty terms are introduced to guarantee the near orthogonality of the clustering indicator matrices. An iterative updating algorithm is proposed and its convergence is proved. Furthermore, the high-order nonnegative matrix tri-factorization technique is provided for symmetric co-clustering tasks and a corresponding algorithm with proved convergence is also developed. Finally, extensive experiments in six real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithms outperform the compared state-of-the-art co-clustering methods. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rolling stock examination is performed to identify the defects during train movements at speeds < 30 kmph. In this study, this process was automated using computer vision models. Parts on a moving train were segmented using four types of active contour-level set models: Chan-Vese (CV), CV-based morphological differential gradient (CV-MDG), CV with shape priors (CV-SP), and CV with shape invariance (CV-SI). CV level sets with shape invariance model enables the adjustment of contour according to scale, rotation, and location of the shape prior object in the rolling stock frame. Train rolling stock video data were captured at a high speed of 240 fps by using a sports action camera with 52 degrees wide angle lenses. The level sets yielded optimal segmentation results compared with traditional segmentation methods. The performance indicators of segmented parts from the proposed four algorithms are structural similarity index measure and peak signal-to-noise ratio (in dB). A total of 10 parts were extracted from a bogie by using the proposed models and compared against the ground truth models to test the performance of the methods. The train had 15 passenger cars with 30 bogies. Furthermore, the models were tested under various lighting conditions for five trains. The CV shape invariance model yielded more efficient segmentations both qualitatively and quantitatively.
A review of 92 heap leach projects from 15 countries provides a starting point for a series of experiments, at 22 degrees C and a vertical pressure of 2000 kPa, to examine short-term puncturing and the development of geomembrane strains that could affect longer-term performance. Underliners of gravel with some sand or those of gravel and sand caused significant puncturing and excessive strains in the geomembrane for the conditions examined. The shape of the underliner grading curve had a much greater effect on the potential for puncturing and the magnitude of the strains in the geomembrane than just the maximum particle size. Of the six granular underliners examined, the best performance was for the well graded gravelly sand with some silt which offered sufficient support to minimize the strains in the geomembrane due to the overliner while not inducing significant strains directly from the underliner. Nevertheless even in this case the maximum strain of 11% is almost double the maximum recommended in the literature for ensuring good long-term performance of the geomembrane. Consideration of composite liners with GCLs and compacted clay liners shows that the more deformable the foundation, the larger are the indentations and strains induced in the geomembrane by a given overliner. For the specific conditions examined, it is shown that there was no apparent improvement in performance for an LLDPE geomembrane versus the HDPE geomembrane tested. A 540 g/m(2) geotextile protection layer above the geomembrane was also found to be insufficient to prevent significant strains in the geomembrane due to the overliner examined. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Race and gender categories, although long presumed to be perceived independently, are inextricably tethered in social perception due in part to natural confounding of phenotypic cues. We predicted that target gender would affect race categorizations. Consistent with this hypothesis, feminine faces compelled White categorizations, and masculine faces compelled Asian or Black categorizations of racially ambiguous targets (Study 1), monoracial targets (Study 2), and real facial photographs (Study 3). The efficiency of judgments varied concomitantly. White categorizations were rendered more rapidly for feminine, relative to masculine faces, but the opposite was true for Asian and Black categorizations (Studies 1-3). Moreover, the effect of gender on categorization efficiency was compelled by racial phenotypicality for Black targets (Study 3). Finally, when targets' race prototypicality was held constant, gender still influenced race categorizations (Study 4). These findings indicate that race categorizations are biased by presumably unrelated gender cues.
The discovery of poly(ADP-ribose) >50 years ago opened a new field, leading the way for the discovery of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes and the ADP-ribosylation reactions that they catalyze. Although the field was initially focused primarily on the biochemistry and molecular biology of PARP-1 in DNA damage detection and repair, the mechanistic and functional understanding of the role of PARPs in different biological processes has grown considerably of late. This has been accompanied by a shift of focus from enzymology to a search for substrates as well as the first attempts to determine the functional consequences of site-specific ADP-ribosylation on those substrates. Supporting these advances is a host of methodological approaches from chemical biology, proteomics, genomics, cell biology, and genetics that have propelled new discoveries in the field. New findings on the diverse roles of PARPs in chromatin regulation, transcription, RNA biology, and DNA repair have been complemented by recent advances that link ADP-ribosylation to stress responses, metabolism, viral infections, and cancer. These studies have begun to reveal the promising ways in which PARPs may be targeted therapeutically for the treatment of disease. In this review, we discuss these topics and relate them to the future directions of the field.
Among many energy harvesting techniques with great potential, microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is arguably the most underdeveloped. Even so, excitement is building, as microorganisms can harvest electrical power from any biodegradable organic source (e.g. wastewater) that is readily available in resource-limited settings. Nevertheless, the requirement for endless introduction of organic matter imposes a limiting factor to this technology, demanding an active feeding system and additional power. Here, we demonstrated self-sustaining bioelectricity generation from a microliter-scale microbial fuel cell (MFC) by using the syntrophic interaction between heterotrophic exoelectrogenic bacteria and phototrophs. The MFC continuously generated light-responsive electricity from the heterotrophic bacterial metabolic respiration with the organic substrates produced by photosynthetic bacteria. Without additional organic fuel, the mixed culture in a 90-mu L-chamber MFC generated self-sustained current for more than 13 days, while the heterotrophic culture produced current that decreased dramatically within a few hours. The current from the mixed culture was about 70 times greater than that of the device with only photosynthetic bacteria. The miniaturization provided a short start-up time, a well-controlled environment, and small internal resistance. Those advantages will become the general design platform for micropower generation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Part of the Down syndrome behavioral phenotype is significant impairment in expressive communication. This begins early with impairments in verbal imitation and requesting observed in infants with Down syndrome. In contrast, social interaction is a relative strength. We replicated intervention procedures using social reinforcement and prompting (Feeley et al. 2011) to teach infants with Down syndrome to imitate sounds and engage in increasingly sophisticated forms of social and instrumental requests and examined generalization and collateral changes in intelligibility and problem solving. Infants learned to imitate verbalizations and make requests. They showed generalization by imitating novel sounds and requesting with different toys and on a semi structured assessment. Infants also showed verbal imitation that was intelligible to a naive listener and improvements in problem solving, suggesting this intervention may have broader effects than just requesting and verbal imitation.
This study undertakes an empirical exploration of attitudes towards tax evasion and welfare fraud in New Zealand. Prior research indicates that society has different attitudes towards these two crimes. However, it is not known why this is the case, particularly as both crimes are conceptually similar. The study has two aims. The first is to measure the extent to which society views tax evasion and welfare fraud differently in New Zealand. The second, and primary, objective of this research is to offer an explanation for why different views exist. The dual-process model, using social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism is used for analytical purposes. Responses from 1500 survey participants show that New Zealanders do have different attitudes towards welfare fraud and tax evasion. In contrast to previous research findings, this study shows that harsher attitudes are held towards tax evasion than welfare fraud. Education and income level provide the greatest level of significance in explaining attitudes towards welfare fraud; and age and income source provide the greatest level of significance in explaining attitudes towards tax evasion.
Diabetes disrupts the operation of the eye and leads to vision loss, affecting particularly the nerve layer and capillary vessels in this layer by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. Suddenly loss and blurred vision problems occur in the image, depending on the phase of the disease, called diabetic retinopathy. Hard exudates are one of the primary signs of diabetic retinopathy. Automatic recognition of hard exudates in retinal images can contribute to detection of the disease. We present an automatic screening system for the detection of hard exudates. This system consists of two main steps. Firstly, the features were extracted from patch images consisting of hard exudate and normal regions using the DAISY algorithm based on the histogram of oriented gradients. After, we utilized the recursive feature elimination (RFE) method, using logistic regression (LR) and support vector classifier (SVC) estimators on the raw dataset. Therefore, we obtained two datasets containing the most important features. The number of important features in each dataset created with LR and SVC was 126 and 259, respectively. Afterward, we observed different classifier algorithms' performances by using 5-fold cross validation on these important features' dataset and it was observed that the random forest (RF) classifier is the best classifier. Secondly, we obtained important features from the feature vector that corresponds with the region of interest in accordance with the keypoint information in a new retinal fundus image. Then we performed detection of hard exudate regions on the retinal fundus image by using the RF classifier.
Significant improvements in treatment and the understanding of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia have occurred in the last 15 years. These diseases are almost always curable, and refractory patients have more options for salvage therapy. Recent improvements in the understanding of epidemiology, diagnosis, and cell biology have resulted in changes in staging, advances in treatment options, and opportunities for fertility preservation. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Construction of roads in soft soils is often associated with design and construction difficulties due to their compressibility nature and weak strength. Road pavements in such areas when subjected to traffic loading that are static and dynamic in nature experience a rapid deterioration of the base material and progressive permanent surface deformation. Both reduce serviceability, and subsequently, the design life of the pavement. In this study, reinforcement geosynthetics (geogrids and geotextiles) were used as reinforcement inclusions within a granular base underlying a soft subgrade having a California Bearing Ratio less than 2 % in a 1.0 m(3) steel test box. Bench scale plate load tests (static and cyclic) were conducted on a 305mm diameter circular steel plate on the two-layer system using a Universal Compression Machine. Static loading was applied at a rate of 1.2 mm/min. Dynamic sinusoidal load was superimposed atop a static hold down force of 4 kN. The dynamic load was linearly increased with an incremental load of 4 kN for every 8 cycles at a frequency of 0.2 Hz. For the tests, settlement failure of the composite system was considered at a deformation of 75mm as prescribed for unpaved roads. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in bearing capacity and reduction in settlement accruing from geosynthetic inclusion as shown by the bearing capacity ratio (BCR) of 1.21, 1.29, and 1.63 for geogrid, geotextile, and geogrid-geotextile combinations, respectively. Additionally, a settlement reduction factor (SRF) of 18 % for geogrid, 23 % for geotextile, and 31 % for the geogrid-geotextile combination resulted. There was also an improvement in extended pavement life as depicted by the traffic benefit ratio (TBR) greater than 1 for all reinforced base layers. Comparing geotextile and geogrid reinforced pavements, the results showed that geosynthetic tensile strength is not the governing performance indicator.
Several reports have described the presence of antibodies against Alzheimer's disease-associated hyperphosphorylated forms of tau in serum of healthy individuals. To characterize the specificities that can be found, we interrogated peripheral IgG(+) memory B cells from asymptomatic blood donors for reactivity to a panel of phosphorylated tau peptides using a single-cell screening assay. Antibody sequences were recovered, cloned, and expressed as full-length IgGs. In total, 52 somatically mutated tau-binding antibodies were identified, corresponding to 35 unique clonal families. Forty-one of these antibodies recognize epitopes in the proline-rich and C-terminal domains, and binding of 26 of these antibodies is strictly phosphorylation dependent. Thirteen antibodies showed inhibitory activity in a P301S lysate seeded in vitro tau aggregation assay. Two such antibodies, CBTAU-7.1 and CBTAU-22.1, which bind to the proline-rich and C-terminal regions of tau, respectively, were characterized in more detail. CBTAU-7.1 recognizes an epitope that is similar to that of murine anti-PHF antibody AT8, but has different phospho requirements. Both CBTAU-7.1 and CBTAU-22.1 detect pathological tau deposits in post-mortem brain tissue. CBTAU-7.1 reveals a similar IHC distribution pattern as AT8, immunostaining (pre) tangles, threads, and neuritic plaques. CBTAU-22.1 shows selective detection of neurofibrillary changes by IHC. Taken together, these results suggest the presence of an ongoing antigen-driven immune response against tau in healthy individuals. The wide range of specificities to tau suggests that the human immune repertoire may contain antibodies that can serve as biomarkers or be exploited for therapy.
Generating synthetically mixed data from library spectra provides a direct means to train empirical regression models for subpixel mapping. In order to best represent the subpixel composition of image data, the generation of synthetic mixtures must incorporate a multitude of mixing possibilities. This can lead to an excessive amount of training samples. We show that increasing mixing complexity in the training set improves model performance when quantifying urban land cover with support vector regression (SVR). To cope with the challenging increase in the number of training samples, we propose the use of ensemble learning based on bootstrap aggregation from synthetically mixed training data. The workflow is tested on simulated spaceborne imaging spectrometer data acquired over Berlin, Germany. Comparisons to SVR without bagging and multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis reveal the usefulness of the methodology for quantitative urban mapping.
Chronic cancer pain is a serious complication of malignancy or its treatment. Currently, no comprehensive, universally accepted cancer pain classification system exists. Clarity in classification of common cancer pain syndromes would improve clinical assessment and management. Moreover, an evidence-based taxonomy would enhance cancer pain research efforts by providing consistent diagnostic criteria, ensuring comparability across clinical trials. As part of a collaborative effort between the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) and the American Pain Society (APS), the ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy initiative worked to develop the characteristics of an optimal diagnostic system. After the establishment of these characteristics, a working group consisting of clinicians and clinical and basic scientists with expertise in cancer and cancer-related pain was convened to generate core diagnostic criteria for an illustrative sample of 3 chronic pain syndromes associated with cancer (ie, bone pain and pancreatic cancer pain as models of pain related to a tumor) or its treatment (ie, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy). A systematic review and synthesis was conducted to provide evidence for the dimensions that comprise this cancer pain taxonomy. Future efforts will subject these diagnostic categories and criteria to systematic empirical evaluation of their feasibility, reliability, and validity and extension to other cancer-related pain syndromes. Perspective: The ACTTION-APS chronic cancer pain taxonomy provides an evidence-based classification for 3 prevalent syndromes, namely malignant bone pain, pancreatic cancer pain, and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This taxonomy provides consistent diagnostic criteria, common features, comorbidities, consequences, and putative mechanisms for these potentially serious cancer pain conditions that can be extended and applied with other cancer-related pain syndromes. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Pain Society
Schizophrenia research is plagued by enormous challenges in integrating and analyzing large datasets and difficulties developing formal theories related to the etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of this disorder. Computational psychiatry provides a path to enhance analyses of these large and complex datasets and to promote the development and refinement of formal models for features of this disorder. This presentation introduces the reader to the notion of computational psychiatry and describes discovery-oriented and theory-driven applications to schizophrenia involving machine learning, reinforcement learning theory, and biophysically-informed neural circuit models.
Remote data integrity checking (RDIC) enables a data storage server, say a cloud server, to prove to a verifier that it is actually storing a data owner's data honestly. To date, a number of RDIC protocols have been proposed in the literature, but most of the constructions suffer from the issue of a complex key management, that is, they rely on the expensive public key infrastructure (PKI), which might hinder the deployment of RDIC in practice. In this paper, we propose a new construction of identity-based (ID-based) RDIC protocol by making use of key-homomorphic cryptographic primitive to reduce the system complexity and the cost for establishing and managing the public key authentication framework in PKI-based RDIC schemes. We formalize ID-based RDIC and its security model, including security against a malicious cloud server and zero knowledge privacy against a third party verifier. The proposed ID-based RDIC protocol leaks no information of the stored data to the verifier during the RDIC process. The new construction is proven secure against the malicious server in the generic group model and achieves zero knowledge privacy against a verifier. Extensive security analysis and implementation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol is provably secure and practical in the real-world applications.
In this work, a versatile and user-friendly selection of stereolithography (STL) files and computer-aided design (CAD) models are shared to assist educators and students in the production of simple and inexpensive 3D printed filter fluorometer instruments. These devices are effective resources for supporting active learners in the exploration of instrument design and performance. In contrast to sophisticated commercial-grade fluorometers, the models provided here are open source, customizable for a variety of applications, and easily assembled by students in activities that directly confront the black box perception of analytical instrumentation. In order to aid beginner CAD and 3D printer users, these models are compatible with accessible software packages, such as 123D Design and Inventor Professional. Additionally, CAD tutorials and extensive slicer settings are supplied to assist educators and students in modifying digital designs and obtaining reliable 3D prints. The provided filter fluorometer models are printed quickly, consume about a dollar's worth of plastic, and do not require complex support structures when 3D printed. Once fabricated and assembled, these devices perform well in a range of laboratory activities, including the quantitative determination of luminescent analytes at the ppm or ppb level.
Psychological research on the relationship between spirituality/religion and mental health has grown considerably over the past several decades and now constitutes a sizable body of scholarship. Among dimensions of S/R, positive beliefs about God have been significantly related to better mental health outcomes, and conversely negative beliefs about God are generally associated with more distress. However, prior research on this topic has relied heavily upon self-report Likert-type scales, which are vulnerable to self-report biases and measure only explicit cognitive processes. In this study, we developed and validated an implicit social cognition task, the Positive/Negative God Go/No-go Association Task (PNG-GNAT), for use in psychological research on spirituality and religion (S/R). Preliminary evidence in a large sample (N = 381) suggests that the PNG-GNAT demonstrates internal consistency, test-retest and split-half reliability, and concurrent evidence of validity. Further, our results suggest that PNG-GNAT scores represent different underlying dimensions of S/R than explicit self-report measures, and incrementally predict mental health above and beyond self-report assessment. The PNG-GNAT appears to be an effective tool for measuring implicit positive/negative beliefs about God.
The development of Ambient Assisted Living systems would be facilitated if there was a development environment that allowed to simulate in a computer the physical environment, its inhabitants, as well as the Ambient Assisted Living system. This requires, on the one hand, an infrastructure for simulating the physical environment and, on the other hand, an infrastructure for emulating the Ambient Assisted Living devices. Both can be interconnected through data streams that allow emulated devices to behave as if they were connected to the real world, since they get similar sensor input. This paper introduces advances on a simulation framework for ambient intelligence so that it becomes capable of producing such data streams.
Cancer is a serious hazard to human health all around the world; however, many current therapies remain toxic and poor. In view of the understanding of immunology and tumor biology, cancer immunotherapy with minimal toxicity has been regarded as a promising strategy for cancer treatment because of immune surveillance. Unfortunately, the efficacy of immunotherapy was impeded and resisted due to the tumor immune evasion mechanism. Hence, targeted cancer immunotherapy has been proposed to tackle the tumor immune suppression and complexity of malignant tumor cells. Nanotechnology-based immunotherapy has improved the limitations and enhanced the therapeutic efficiency of traditional immunotherapy. This review illustrates the recent progresses in immunotherapy based on nanotechnology, and reveals that nanodevices could be utilized for active and passive cancer immunotherapy.
Traditional allergological diagnostics often provide laboratory data that seem to correspond with similar positive results in different patients. However, with technological developments and the introduction of molecular diagnostics, it is possible to extract and highlight the differences in the serological laboratory data, to obtain detailed specificity on the various allergen components in different clinical settings. Allergological diagnostics prove to be increasingly useful in accurately distinguishing cross-reactivity and cosensitization. This aspect is very important especially in patients who are, with a traditional diagnosis, polysensitized. Molecular diagnosis in allergology has expanded its range of applications thanks to the ability to IgE dose specific (in addition to classic total IgE serum) not only to allergens, food and inhalants, but also to the individual protein components which make up the allergenic source. It is essential to establish a correct diagnosis in order to determine the appropriate therapy. Therefore it is crucial to discern whether a patient is truly allergic because he presents specific IgE for molecules of a species or if the positivity is given from the structural homology between the different proteins. Molecular diagnostics emerges as a valuable tool for the discrimination of allergic patients and to differentiate between true allergies and cross-reactivity. Molecular diagnostics should be used in a targeted manner for an accurate assessment and diagnosis, which would also reduce the use of oral challenges, to predict severe reactions and allergy persistence.
Global optimisation of unknown noisy functions is a daunting task that appears in domains ranging from games to control problems to meta-parameter optimisation for machine learning. We show how to incorporate heuristics to Stochastic Simultaneous Optimistic Optimization (STOSOO), a global optimisation algorithm that has very weak requirements from the function. In our case, heuristics come in the form of Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). The new algorithm, termed Guided STOSOO (STOSOO-G), combines the ability of CMA-ES for fast local convergence (due to the algorithm following the natural gradient) and the global optimisation abilities of STOSOO. We compare all three algorithms in the harder parts of the Comparing Continuous Optimisers on Black-Box Optimization Benchmarking benchmark suite, which provides a default set of functions for testing. We show that our approach keeps the best of both worlds, i.e. the almost optimal exploration/exploitation of STOSOO with the local optimisation strength of CMA-ES.
Smart environments for learning can be considered being a new level of computer enhanced learning, with a number of new interesting facilities. The famous IST Advisory Group (ISTAG) Report started from 2001 a decade of various research initiatives in the rapidly growing area of ambient intelligence. It introduced also a smart environment example in the form of a scenario - Scenario 4: Annette and Solomon in the Ambient for Social Learning. That was a vision of a learning environment, based on a position that learning is a social process. The scenario certainly was a nice incentive for a number of new initiatives focused on more or less successful attempts to design and introduce various types of smart environments capable to support different aspects of learning process. As multi-agent systems are the most frequently used approach towards smart environments design in general, we are convinced that a really systematic approach towards reflecting all desirable functionalities of smart learning environments must be based on a well-designed multi-agent architecture. In the paper we intend firstly to map the recent state of the art in the area of smart environments designed for learning. Further on we wish to list the desirable functionalities of a smart environment for learning, and propose a multi-agent architecture capable of reflecting the functionalities of a smart environment similar to that described in the above mentioned scenario.
Water pollution is a complex problem as the removal of various pollutants along with microbes need multifunctional materials to make the polluted water potable. Selective removal of highly toxic pollutant such as He ions from wastewaters is an area of critical significance. In this study we report a bi-functional material derived from N-vinylformamide (NVF) that is highly selective and has high adsorption capacity for He ions with qm of 248.76 mg g(-1) and it also acts as an biocidal agent against the representative microorganisms Gram (+), S. epidermidis, Gram (-) S. typhi, bacteria and a fungus C albicans. The effect of different parameters as well as that of the competing ions on He ions adsorption capacity was studied. The material reported in this article represents an important advance over the earlier reported materials. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Phenotyping is important to understand plant biology, but current solutions are costly, not versatile or are difficult to deploy. To solve this problem, we present Phenotiki, an affordable system for plant phenotyping that, relying on off-the-shelf parts, provides an easy to install and maintain platform, offering an out-of-box experience for a well-established phenotyping need: imaging rosette-shaped plants. The accompanying software (with available source code) processes data originating from our device seamlessly and automatically. Our software relies on machine learning to devise robust algorithms, and includes an automated leaf count obtained from 2D images without the need of depth (3D). Our affordable device ((sic)200) can be deployed in growth chambers or greenhouse to acquire optical 2D images of approximately up to 60 adult Arabidopsis rosettes concurrently. Data from the device are processed remotely on a workstation or via a cloud application (based on CyVerse). In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept validation experiment on top-view images of 24 Arabidopsis plants in a combination of genotypes that has not been compared previously. Phenotypic analysis with respect to morphology, growth, color and leaf count has not been performed comprehensively before now. We confirm the findings of others on some of the extracted traits, showing that we can phenotype at reduced cost. We also perform extensive validations with external measurements and with higher fidelity equipment, and find no loss in statistical accuracy when we use the affordable setting that we propose. Device set-up instructions and analysis software are publicly available (http://phenotiki.com). Significance Statement Phenotyping is important to understand plant biology but most image-based methods are costly, not versatile or difficult to deploy. Here, we present an affordable and easy to deploy phenotyping platform and publicly available software, to quantify rosette growth, morphology, color, and leaf count.
Background: Cow's milk, hen's egg and wheat are staple foods in a typical western diet. Despite the ubiquity of these foods, the impact of staple food allergy on health-related quality of life (HRQL) amongst adolescents is incompletely understood. The aims of this study were to make use of the Swedish version of EuroPrevall's disease-specific food allergy quality of life questionnaire-teenager form (FAQLQ-TF) and to investigate the association between objectively-diagnosed staple food allergy and HRQL amongst adolescents. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 58 adolescents aged 13-17 years [n = 40 (69 %) boys] with objectively-diagnosed allergy to the staple foods cow's milk, hen's egg and/or wheat and living in Stockholm, Sweden were included. Adolescents completed the FAQLQ-TF, which has a corresponding scale of 1 = best HRQL, and 7 = worst HRQL. Overall HRQL and domain-specific HRQL were established. Adolescents also reported symptoms, adrenaline auto injector (AAI) prescription and presence of other food allergies. A history of anaphylaxis was defined among those reporting difficulty breathing, inability to stand/collapse, and/or loss of consciousness. Clinically different HRQL was set at a mean difference of >= 0.5. Results: Overall mean HRQL was poorer than average [mean: 4.70/7.00 (95 % CI 4.30-5.01)]. The domain risk of accidental exposure was significantly associated with clinically better HRQL than the domain allergen avoidance and dietary restrictions (mean difference = 0.76; p < 0.001). Girls had clinically worse, but not statistically significantly different mean HRQL than boys (mean difference = 0.71; p < 0.07). HRQL tended to be worse amongst those with allergies to more than three foods or an AAI prescription. The number and types of symptoms, including a history of anaphylaxis were not associated with worse HRQL. Conclusions: As ascertained via a food allergy-specific questionnaire, adolescents with staple food allergy report poorer than average HRQL, specifically in relation to emerging independence and the need for support. Girls have clinically worse HRQL than boys. The number and type of previous symptoms and history of anaphylaxis were not associated with worse HRQL.
In Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems, the contextual information (time, location, available resources, people behavior, etc.) usually needs to be monitored and analyzed in order to offer pro-active and context-aware functionalities to end users. Therefore, the contextual information should conform to an information model that is commonly devised to capture the specific features of a concrete AmI system. Hence, the incorporation of new functionalities to an AmI system usually involves the modification of the associated information model, which may lead to compatibility and maintainability difficulties. Moreover, the data integration and interoperability at information level between different AmI systems can be limited by the availability of shared concepts in their respective information models. To overcome those problems, this paper presents an information model that can be adapted to the specific data requirements of many different AmI systems, and reused across them. The benefits of the proposal have been validated through the development of a Mobile Forensic Workspace (MFW) for disaster scenarios.
Aim: To investigate the relationship between inflammatory markers and platelet size in generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP). Material and Methods: Periodontal, inflammatory and platelet indices were compared between 59 GAgP patients and 59 healthy subjects. Gingival biopsies from five patients and five healthy subjects were examined by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Changes in patient periodontal and platelet indices were re-evaluated at 3 months after periodontal therapy. Results: Platelet size was decreased significantly in GAgP patients compared to healthy subjects (p <= 0.003). Weak negative correlations between platelet size and periodontal parameters were found in GAgP patients (p <= 0.025). Platelet aggregates and adhesion to the endothelium or leucocytes were found in venules and connective tissues of gingival biopsies from GAgP patients. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet large cell ratio increased after periodontal therapy in GAgP patients (p <= 0.038). The increase in MPV was related to the decrease in bleeding index in GAgP patients after periodontal therapy (p < 0.001; r = 0.357). Conclusion: Platelet size was reduced in GAgP patients compared to healthy controls, possibly due to the consumption of large platelets at sites of periodontal inflammation. Platelets may be involved in host responses to periodontal infection in GAgP.
This paper quantifies some of the economic benefits that a culture of rainwater harvesting could produce in the case of Bogota. The study makes projections of future water needs until 2035, based on local economy and population growth as determining variables of water service needs. It also discusses the appropriateness of promoting water harvesting as a strategy to manage the urgent situation caused by the limitations that climate change would provoke on the water supply of the city. Projected water supply needs for the growing population evidence the need of an increase of 37.6% in the supply capacity of drinking water for the localities that make up the urban area of Bogota. The article concludes that rainwater harvesting would generate significant savings in water and water supply costs for users and for the State.
A range of risk factors lead to opioid use and substance-related problems (SRP) including childhood maltreatment, elevated impulsivity, and psychopathology. These constructs are highly interrelated such that childhood maltreatment is associated with elevated impulsivity and trauma-related psychopathology such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and impulsivity particularly urgency and PTSD are related. Prior work has examined the association between these constructs and substance-related problems independently and it is unclear how these multi-faceted constructs (i.e., maltreatment types and positive and negative urgency) are associated with one another and SRP. The current study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relations among childhood maltreatment, trait urgency, PTSD symptoms, and SRP in a sample of individuals with a history of opioid use. An initial model that included paths from each type of childhood maltreatment, positive and negative urgency, PTSD and SRP did not fit the data well. A pruned model with excellent fit was identified that suggested emotional abuse, positive urgency, and negative urgency were directly related to PTSD symptoms and only PTSD symptoms were directly related to SRP. Furthermore, significant indirect effects suggested that emotional abuse and negative urgency were related to SRP via PTSD symptom severity. These results suggest that PTSD plays an important role in the severity of SRP. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Indoor scene classification is usually approached from a computer vision perspective. However, in some fields like robotics, additional constraints must be taken into account. Specifically, in systems with low resources, state-of-the-art techniques (CNNs) cannot be successfully deployed. In this paper, we try to close this gap between theoretical approaches and real world solutions by performing an in-depth study of the factors that influence classifiers performance, that is, size and descriptor quality. To this end, we perform a thorough evaluation of the visual and depth data obtained with an RGB-D sensor to propose techniques to build robust descriptors that can enable real-time indoor scene classification. Those descriptors are obtained by properly selecting and combining visual and depth information sources. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Brain imaging plays an important role in the study of Alzheimer's disease (AD), where atrophy has been found to occur in the hippocampal formation during the very early disease stages and to progress in parallel with the disease's evolution. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a possible correlation between Small World characteristics of the brain connectivity architecture-as extracted from EEG recordings-and hippocampal volume in AD patients. A dataset of 144 subjects, including 110 AD (MMSE 21.3) and 34 healthy Nold (MMSE 29.8) individuals, was evaluated. Weighted and undirected networks were built by the eLORETA solutions of the cortical sources' activities moving from EEG recordings. The evaluation of the hippocampal volume was carried out on a subgroup of 60 AD patients who received a high-resolution T1-weighted sequence and underwent processing for surface-based cortex reconstruction and volumetric segmentation using the Freesurfer image analysis software. Results showed that, quantitatively, more correlation was observed in the right hemisphere, but the same trend was seen in both hemispheres. Alpha band connectivity was negatively correlated, while slow (delta) and fast-frequency (beta, gamma) bands positively correlated with hippocampal volume. Namely, the larger the hippocampal volume, the lower the alpha and the higher the delta, beta, and gamma Small World characteristics of connectivity. Accordingly, the Small World connectivity pattern could represent a functional counterpart of structural hippocampal atrophying and related-network disconnection.
This paper presents the stability analysis of dc distributed power systems with multiple converter-controlled loads. The load converters are tightly controlled, behaving as constant power loads with low-damped LC filters. The dynamic behavior of the system in high frequency range is often not studied with the classical tools based on conventional averaging techniques. However, dc power systems with the reduced size filter, and consequently, the high resonant frequency, are widely used in transportation applications. In this paper, the stability analysis of the system is established based on a discrete-time model of the system, taking into account the switching frequency and intrinsic nonlinearities of the system model. The impacts of the filter parameters and interactions among the constant power loads are investigated with the proposed discrete-time method. Moreover, an active stabilizer is developed and included in the dynamic model of the system, in order to extend the stability margin. The theoretical observations are then validated experimentally on a laboratory hardware prototype.
Two-dimensional electronics based on single-layer (SL) MoS2 offers significant advantages for realizing large-scale flexible systems owing to its ultrathin nature, good transport properties, and stable crystalline structure. In this work, we utilize a gate first process technology for the fabrication of highly uniform enhancement mode FETs with large mobility and excellent subthreshold swing. To enable large-scale MoS2 circuit, we also develop Verilog-A compact models that accurately predict the performance of the fabricated MoS2 FETs as well as a parametrized layout cell for the FET to facilitate the design and layout process using computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Using this CAD flow, we designed combinational logic gates and sequential circuits (AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XNOR, latch, edge-triggered register) as well as switched capacitor dc-dc converter, which were then fabricated using the proposed flow showing excellent performance. The fabricated integrated circuits constitute the basis of a standard cell digital library that is crucial for electronic circuit design using hardware description languages. The proposed design flow provides a platform for the co-optimization of the device fabrication technology and circuits design for future ubiquitous flexible and transparent electronics using two-dimensional materials.
The effectiveness of the single layer of the geocell reinforced soil has been investigated in geotechnical applications by researchers. But the limited height of commercially produced geocell and a major obstacle to achieve a uniform and suitable density inside the cells, leads to investigate the performance of multi-layered geocell reinforced soil in improving the behaviour of soil. In the paper a series of triaxial compression tests was carried out on natural soil with and without geocell layers. The layers configuration is two and four horizontal geocell reinforcing layers in a triaxial test sample. The influences of the number of geocell layers and confining pressure were studied and described. Based on test results, it is observed that the strength of soil is improved significantly with geocell layers. Also, the results indicate that, for the same mass of geocell material used in the reinforced soil samples, four layers of geocell reinforcement behaves more effectively than those obtained for two layers of geocell reinforcement to improve the stress-strain behavior. The apparent cohesive strength induced by geocell reinforcement increases significantly with increase in the geocell layers from two to four whereas the friction angle of soil samples does not affect by the geocell reinforcement. The use of the improvement in strength response due to inclusion of layers of geocell can be advantageously used in bearing capacity improvement and settlement reduction in the design of shallow foundations and pavement system.
The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs) and intracellular Ca2+ signaling are critically involved in regulating different steps of autophagy, a lysosomal degradation pathway. The ryanodine receptors (RyR), intracellular Ca2+-release channels mainly expressed in excitable cell types including muscle and neurons, have however not yet been extensively studied in relation to autophagy. Yet, aberrant expression and excessive activity of RyRs in these tissues has been implicated in the onset of several diseases including Alzheimer's disease, where impaired autophagy regulation contributes to the pathology. In this study, we determined whether pharmacological RyR inhibition could modulate autophagic flux in ectopic RyR-expressing models, like HEK293 cells and in cell types that endogenously express RyRs, like C2C12 myoblasts and primary hippocampal neurons. Importantly, RyR3 overexpression in HEK293 cells impaired the autophagic flux. Conversely, in all cell models tested, pharmacological inhibition of endogenous or ectopically expressed RyRs, using dantrolene or ryanodine, augmented autophagic flux by increasing lysosomal turn -over (number of autophagosomes and autolysosomes measured as mCherry-LC3 punctaeicell increased from 70.37 +/- 7.81 in control HEK RyR3 cells to 111.18 +/- 7.72 and 98.14 +/- 7.31 after dantrolene and ryanodine treatments, respectively). Moreover, in differentiated C2C12 cells, transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that dantrolene treatment decreased the number of early autophagic vacuoles from 5.9 +/- 2.97 to 1.8 +/- 1.03 per cellular cross section. The modulation of the autophagic flux could be linked to the functional inhibition of RyR channels as both RyR inhibitors efficiently diminished the number of cells showing spontaneous RyR3 activity in the HEK293 cell model (from 41.14% +/- 2.12 in control cells to 18.70% +/- 2.25 and 9.74% +/- 2.67 after dantrolene and ryanodine treatments, respectively). In conclusion, basal RyR-mediated Ca2+-release events suppress autophagic flux at the level of the lysosomes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
New combination of an electrical machine and a two-step planetary gear for high torque traction applications is introduced. This kind of a machine can act as a propulsion motor for working machines such as e. q. agricultural tractor that needs to generate very high traction forces and also higher travelling speeds. The technology also suits in some road vehicle use e. g. for buses or trucks. Detailed information about the electrical machine design is provided. The machine has tooth-coils in the stator, embedded permanent magnets in the rotor and its cooling is arranged via the gear lubrication as the chamber is semi-filled with oil.
Available cholinergic drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) provide modest symptomatic benefit. We hypothesized that co-administration of a peripheral anticholinergic to reduce dose-limiting adverse effects (AEs) would enable the safe/tolerable use of higher cholinesterase inhibitor doses and thus improve their antidementia efficacy. A modified single-blind, ascending-dose, phase IIa study of donepezil plus solifenacin (CPC-201) lasting 26 weeks was conducted in 41 patients with probable AD of moderate severity. Entry criteria included the use of donepezil at a dose of 10 mg/day during the preceding 3 months. The primary outcome measure was the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of donepezil achieved (to protocol limit of 40 mg/day) when administered with the anticholinergic solifenacin 15 mg/day. Secondary measures included assessments of cognitive and global function, as well as of AEs. The mean +/- SD donepezil MTD increased to 38 +/- 0.74 mg/day (median 40 mg/day; p < 0.001); 88% of the study population safely attained this dose at the end of titration. Markedly reduced donepezil AE frequency, especially gastrointestinal, allowed this dose increase. There were no drug-related serious AEs or clinically significant laboratory abnormalities. At 26 weeks, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Component scores in the efficacy evaluable population improved by 0.35 +/- 0.85 points over baseline (p < 0.05), an estimated 2.5 +/- 0.84 points above 10 mg/day donepezil and 5.4 +/- 0.84 points above historic placebo (both p < 0.05). Clinical Global Impression of Improvement scores improved by 0.94 +/- 0.20 to 3.1 +/- 0.20 points (p < 0.001). The findings suggest that limiting donepezil AEs by co-administration of solifenacin allows the safe administration of substantially higher cholinesterase inhibitors doses that may augment cognitive and global benefits in patients with AD.
This paper is concerned with a new proof of existence of weak solution for the Navier-Stokes problem, based on fixed point theory results under weak topology setting, without any assumption of smallness on the data .
In the present study, the inhibitory properties of N-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl]-2-[(2-hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)amino]-1,3-thiazole-4-carboxamide monohydrochloride trihydrate (Z-338), a novel gastroprokinetic agent, were investigated and compared with those of cisapride to establish its potential for drug-drug interactions. There was no notable inhibition of terfenadine metabolism or of any of the isoforms of cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1/2, 2A6, 2136, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4) by Z-338 in in vitro studies using human liver microsomes. Z-338 was mainly metabolized to its glucuronide by UGT1A9 (UDP glucoronosyltransferase I family, polypeptide A9) and UGT1A8, and did not show marked inhibition of P-glycoprotein activity. On the other hand, cisapride strongly inhibited CYP3A4 and markedly inhibited CYP2C9. Furthermore, we used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to investigate the effects of Z-338 and cisapride on potassium currents in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells transfected with the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG). Z-338 had no significant effect on hERG-related current at the relatively high concentration of 10 muM In contrast, the inhibition by Z-338 was very small compared with that of cisapride at 10 nM, which was a thousand-fold lower concentration. In the prediction method for the drug interaction between terfenadine and cisapride based on the K-i and PK parameters, we suggest the possibility that terfenadine mainly affect the QT interval, since its plasma concentration would be markedly increased, but cisapride may not be changed. Thus, in contrast with cisapride, Z-338 did not inhibit CYP and the hERG channel, and is predominantly metabolized by glucuronide conjugation, Z-338 is considered unlikely to cause significant drug-drug interactions when coadministered with CYP substrates at clinically effective doses. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The recent makeshift in fuel choice, renewable energy sources has been considered as the most popular form of its kind because of its environment friendly approaches, less cost tariff policy and the natural fuel abundance. This inclusion in power system promotes Micro-grid system to optimize the overall distribution. FPGA, elaborated as Field Programmable Gate Array, proposes chances for enhanced performance and coveted flexibility in design for the digital control. Conversely, the erudite convolution of the Hardware Description Language (HDL) coding, a way translating to HDL, can be an undesirable hurdle for the professional system designers. The design, depicted in this letter, is an instance of system modeling for FPGA-based digital control, which necessarily has the desired ability to auto-generate the HDL codes. The architecture of this design uses the DSP Builder technology, in a MATLAB / SIMULINK platform. A three phase full-bridge gird tied inverter for wind system and a three phase full-bridge inverter for grid connected wind system are built that demonstrates the close correlation with the model. The necessary simulations, results and the experimental analysis have also been highlighted for the different control techniques such as PI, dq, and the PWM control technique.
Understanding intent and relevance of surrounding agents from video is an essential task for many applications in robotics and computer vision. The modeling and evaluation of contextual, spatio-temporal situation awareness is particularly important in the domain of intelligent vehicles, where a robot is required to smoothly navigate in a complex environment while also interacting with humans. In this paper, we address these issues by studying the task of on-road object importance ranking from video. First, human-centric object importance annotations are employed in order to analyze the relevance of a variety of multi-modal cues for the importance prediction task. A deep convolutional neural network model is used for capturing video-based contextual spatial and temporal cues of scene type, driving task, and object properties related to intent. Second, the proposed importance annotations are used for producing novel analysis of error types in image-based object detectors. Specifically, we demonstrate how cost-sensitive training, informed by the object importance annotations, results in improved detection performance on objects of higher importance. This insight is essential for an application where navigation mistakes are safety-critical, and the quality of automation and human robot interaction is key.
The objective of this study was to assess the immune and stress responsiveness of cows identified as extremely high and low feed conversion efficiency phenotypes. The study utilised 16 Holstein-Friesian cows in their third to fourth lactation, and identified as having either extremely high (n = 8) or extremely low (n = 8) feed conversion efficiency. A commercial vaccine was used to induce measurable antibody-and cell-mediated adaptive immune responses and assess general immune responsiveness. Stress responsiveness was assessed by measuring changes in plasma cortisol concentrations in response to yarding and handling. No significant differences in antibody-or cell-mediated immune responsiveness were observed between the extreme high and low feed conversion efficiency phenotypes (P = 0.343 and 0.546, respectively). However, results suggested that plasma cortisol concentrations trended higher in the low feed conversion efficiency phenotype cows than their high feed conversion efficiency counterparts (P = 0.079) 48 h post-yarding and handling. A significant negative correlation was observed between antibody-mediated immune responsiveness and stress responsiveness (r = -0.44, P = 0.043) but not with cell-mediated immune responsiveness (r = 0.135, P = 0.309). This study provides preliminary evidence that cows selected for feed conversion efficiency may have improved stress-coping abilities and immune responsiveness.
Objective: Thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity is a common complication in the late stage of ankylosing spondylitis. The aim of this study was to compare the correction efficacy for ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis using preoperative osteotomy designs of papercut (PC)/splice and Photoshop (PS). Methods: This was a retrospective study of 35 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity that underwent correction osteotomy at the Department of Spinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Yan'an University between May 2009 and November 2014. The preoperative osteotomy design using PC/splice was applied in 17 patients and preoperative osteotomy design using PS was applied in 18 patients. The patients were followed-up for 18-30 months. The postoperative osteotomy angle error and correction efficacy at the last follow-up were compared between the two groups. Results: There were significant differences in the errors between postoperative actual and preoperative planned osteotomy angle of the PS group and PC/splice group (P < 0.01). The spinal sagittal global kyphosis and sagittal vertical axis in the PS group were 29.3 +/- 11.1 degrees and 3.1 +/- 1.6 cm, respectively, while those in the PC/splice group were 38.9 +/- 13.1 degrees and 5.7 +/- 2.1 cm, respectively (P < 0.01). The Oswestry Disability index and Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 questionnaire score in the PS group were significantly higher to those in the PC/splice group (P<0.05). PS was independently associated with improvements in SRS-22 scores (OR=63.0; 95% CI: 1.73-2298.19; P=0.02). Conclusion: Compared with osteotomy design using traditional PC/splice, osteotomy design using the PS software could achieve a smaller osteotomy angle error and a better postoperative spinal balance in the sagittal plane.
In this issue of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, K. Jensen et al. (Clin Vaccine Immunol 24: e00360-16, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00360-16) describe a dual-purpose attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis-simian immunodeficiency virus vaccine (AMTB-SIV). Interestingly, immunized infant macaques required fewer oral exposures to SIV to become infected relative to nonimmunized animals. The authors hypothesized that augmented susceptibility to SIV was due to activation of CD4(+) T cells through trained immunity. This commentary explores the possible relationship between trained immunity, enhanced CD4 T cell responses, and increased susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Chalcogenide glasses of 65GeS(2)-(25-x)Ga2S3-10AgI-xLa(2)S(3) (x=0, 1, 3, and 5 mol%) were fabricated through the traditional melt-quenching method. The effects of addition of La2S3 on physical, thermal and optical properties of the glass system were investigated. The results showed that the fabricated glasses possess considerably high glass transition temperature, exhibit improved mechanical property and excellent infrared transmission. A redshift at the visible absorbing cut-off edge is observed with increasing of La2S3 content. The direct and indirect optical band gap values are also calculated. Raman spectra analysis indicated that the band at 265 cm(-1) decreased in amplitude and a new peak at 230 cm(-1) was detected manifesting the formation of La-S bond in the network. In addition, the mid-infrared emission at 3.74 mu m of the glasses doped with Tm3+ ions was achieved. The results indicated that the glasses are promising materials for mid-infrared applications such as imaging, remote sensing and lasers.
The current study presents a methodology to analyze first impressions on the basis of minimal motion information. In order to test the applicability of the approach brief silent video clips of 40 speakers were presented to independent observers (i.e., did not know speakers) who rated them on measures of the Big Five personality traits. The body movements of the speakers were then captured by placing landmarks on the speakers' forehead, one shoulder and the hands. Analysis revealed that observers ascribe extraversion to variations in the speakers' overall activity, emotional stability to the movements' relative velocity, and variation in motion direction to openness. Although ratings of openness and conscientiousness were related to biographical data of the speakers (i.e., measures of career progress), measures of body motion failed to provide similar results. In conclusion, analysis of motion behavior might be done on the basis of a small set of landmarks that seem to capture important parts of relevant nonverbal information. (C) 2013 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper explores the design of an ultra light-weight power and torque dense motor to enhance the performance of a light-weight electric racing vehicle. Such a racing vehicle is to compete in formula student racing events. The state-of-the-art powertrain in these vehicles are axial-field machines or medium speed radial-field machines with a gear. This paper concerns a high speed traction machine radial-field design that closely considers the endurance duty-cycle and/or driving cycle of a race car and provides fast acceleration. The proposed electrical machine is designed to be ultra-light-weight. Therefore, an 18,000 rpm (single gear), 24 slot, 4 pole and 33 Nm brushless highly saturated permanent magnet machine is designed, with an active mass of around 3.0 kg (similar to 10kW/kg and 10 Nm/kg). To account for the various race events, the velocity of the racing tracks is to be closely matched with the machine output characteristics. Within this paper, the design and no-load results will be presented. In the near future (Q2 of 2015), following extended tests, this machine (integrated with a specifically designed single-stage gear) will be used to drive the vehicle using torque vectoring on all four-wheels. We expect that this will result in a significant performance gain in acceleration, endurance and handling characteristics of the 2015 University Racing Eindhoven race vehicle.
In recent years, support vector regression (SVR) has become an emerging and popular forecasting technique in the field of machine learning. However, it is subjected to the model selection and learning complexity O(K* N-3), especially for a massive data set (N is the size of training dataset, and K is the number of search). How to simultaneously reduce K and N can give us insight and inspiration on designing an effective and accurate selection algorithm. To this end, this paper tries to integrate the selection of training subset and model for SVR, and proposes a nested particle swarm optimization (NPSO) by inheriting the model selection of the existing training subset based SVR (TS-SVR). This nested algorithm is achieved by adaptively and periodically estimating the search region of the optimal parameter setting for TS-SVR. Complex SVR, involving large-scale training data, can be seen as extensions of TS-SVRs, yielding a nested sequence of TS-SVRs with increasing sample size. The uniform design idea is transplanted to the above modeling process, and the convergence for the proposed model is proofed. By using two artificial regression problems, Boston housing and electric load in New South Wales as empirical data, the proposed approach is compared with the standard ones, the APSO-OTS-SVR, and other existing approaches. Empirical results show that the proposed approach not only can select proper training subset and parameter, but also has better generalization performance and fewer processing time. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A new application of geosynthetic tube for offshore dike construction is geosynthetic mattress in which its horizontal dimension is much greater than the vertical one. This makes it more stable than the sausage shaped geosynthetic tube. However, the existing analytical or numerical methods developed for the sausage shaped geosynthetic tube may not be applicable directly to geosynthetic mattresses as the solution may not converge. In this paper, a closed-form solution was derived for a direct determination of the cross-section of geosynthetic mattress. Laboratory large scale model tests were also carried out to verify the proposed analytical method. The cross-sections of the geosynthetic mattresses obtained from the closed-form solutions agreed well with the data obtained from model tests. The tensile forces measured from the model tests were rather scattered but showed a consistent thread as those from the closed-form solutions. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years, with China's rapid development of social economy, the society requires more and more on the quality of College students. College Students' employment competition is the essence of the competition ability of employment. This article through the analysis of the ideological and political education on College Students' employment ability in manufacturing engineering, put forward to strengthen college students' Ideological and political education, improving the employment ability in manufacturing engineering of college students the specific methods and effective way.
The purpose of this work is twofold. First, it aims to analyze the teaching and learning processes applied to degrees that enable regulated professional activities for both Technical Industrial Engineering and Industrial Engineering. More precisely, it examines the competences related to Manufacturing Engineering, either at the Bachelor's or Master's Level. Second, it intends to establish a simple and easy process to evaluate the competences acquired in a certain Bachelor's or Master's degree. As a result, it will be possible to identify current weaknesses in the study plans. This could be the universities' starting point in the definition of procedures and areas for improvement that allow for a better match among study plans, the acquisition of competences, and the learning results finally achieved. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This paper presents a mixed reality (MR) system that results from the integration of a telepresence system and an application to improve collaborative space exploration. The system combines free viewpoint video with immersive projection technology to support nonverbal communication (NVC), including eye gaze, interpersonal distance, and facial expression. Importantly, these features can be interpreted together as people move around the simulation, maintaining a natural social distance. The application is a simulation of Mars, within which the collaborators must come to agreement over; for example, where the Rover should land and go. The first contribution is the creation of an MR system supporting contextualization of NVC. Two technological contributions are prototyping a technique to subtract a person from a background that may contain physical objects and/or moving images and a lightweight texturing method for multiview rendering, which provides balance in terms of visual and temporal quality. A practical contribution is the demonstration of pragmatic approaches to sharing space between display systems of distinct levels of immersion. A research tool contribution is a system that allows comparison of conventional authored and video-based reconstructed avatars, within an environment that encourages exploration and social interaction. Aspects of system quality, including the communication of facial expression and end-to-end latency are reported.
Coral reefs in the Xisha Islands (also known as the Paracel Islands in English), South China Sea, have experienced dramatic declines in coral cover. However, the current regional scale hard coral distribution of geomorphic and ecological zones, essential for reefs management in the context of global warming and ocean acidification, is not well documented. We analyzed data from field surveys, Landsat-8 and GF-1 images to map the distribution of hard coral within geomorphic zones and reef flat ecological zones. In situ surveys conducted in June 2014 on nine reefs provided a complete picture of reef status with regard to live coral diversity, evenness of coral cover and reef health (live versus dead cover) for the Xisha Islands. Mean coral cover was 12.5% in 2014 and damaged reefs seemed to show signs of recovery. Coral cover in sheltered habitats such as lagoon patch reefs and biotic dense zones of reef flats was higher, but there were large regional differences and low diversity. In contrast, the more exposed reef slopes had high coral diversity, along with high and more equal distributions of coral cover. Mean hard coral cover of other zones was < 10%. The total Xisha reef system was estimated to cover 1 060 km(2), and the emergent reefs covered similar to 787 m(2). Hard corals of emergent reefs were considered to cover 97 km(2). The biotic dense zone of the reef flat was a very common zone on all simple atolls, especially the broader northern reef flats. The total cover of live and dead coral can reach above 70% in this zone, showing an equilibrium between live and dead coral as opposed to coral and algae. This information regarding the spatial distribution of hard coral can support and inform the management of Xisha reef ecosystems.
Dielectric actuators are utilized to convert electrical power into mechanical strain with considerable potential in microrobotic applications. However, critical challenges that need to be addressed include high-voltage interface with high conversion ratio, light weight, small size, and high power density. This study proposes a high piezoelectric transformer-based high conversion ratio interface that is integrated with a direct current/direct current high conversion ratio boost stage and a direct current/alternating current high-voltage driving stage. A piezoelectric transformer-based class-E zero voltage switching direct current/direct current interface is controlled by a hybrid pulse frequency modulation and pulse width modulation control strategies to obtain the desired high step-up ratio in the direct current/direct current stage. A half-bridge converter with special digital control algorithm in the direct current/alternating current stage is designed to convert high direct current voltage into arbitrary unipolar signal driving dielectric actuators. A prototype 23.3 g and 4W interface has been fabricated for experimental validation to verify its ability to drive a 1 kV input dielectric actuator at 5 Hz in microrobotic applications.
Mast cells (MCs) are present in connective tissue and at mucosal surfaces in all classes of vertebrates. In health, they contribute to tissue homeostasis, host defense, and tissue repair via multiple receptors regulating the release of a vast stockpile of proinflammatory mediators, proteases, and cytokines. However, these potentially protective cells are a double-edged sword. When there is a repeated or long-term stimulus, MC activation leads to tissue damage and dysfunction. Accordingly, MCs are implicated in the pathophysiologic aspects of numerous diseases covering all organs. Understanding the biology of MCs, their heterogeneity, mechanisms of activation, and signaling cascades may lead to the development of novel therapies for many diseases for which current treatments are lacking or are of poor efficacy. This review will focus on updates and developments in MC biology and their clinical implications, with a particular focus on their role in respiratory diseases.
In this paper, we propose novel techniques to reduce total cost and peak load of factories from a customer point of view. We control energy storage system (ESS) to minimize the total electricity bill under the Korea commercial and industrial (KCI) tariff, which both considers peak load and time of use (ToU). Under the KCI tariff, the average peak load, which is the maximum among all average power consumptions measured every 15 min for the past 12 months, determines the monthly base cost, and thus peak load control is extremely critical. We aim to leverage ESS for both peak load reduction based on load prediction as well as energy arbitrage exploiting ToU. However, load prediction inevitably has uncertainty, which makes ESS operation challenging with KCI tariff. To tackle it, we apply robust optimization to minimize risk in a real environment. Our approach significantly reduces the peak load by 49.9% and the total cost by 10.8% compared to the case that does not consider load uncertainty. In doing this we also consider battery degradation cost and validate the practical use of the proposed techniques.
The boiling water reactors (BWRs) are inherently nonlinear physical system, as any other physical system. The reactivity feedback, which is caused by both moderator density and temperature, allows several effects reflecting the nonlinear behavior of the system. Stability analyses of BWR is done with a simplified, reduced order model, which couples point reactor kinetics with thermal hydraulics of the reactor core. The linear stability analysis of the BWR for steady states shows that at a critical value of bifurcation parameter (i.e. feedback gain), Hopf bifurcation occurs. These stable and unstable domains of parametric spaces cannot be predicted by linear stability analysis because the stability of system does not include only stability of the steady states. The stability of other dynamics of the system such as limit cycles must be included in study of stability. The nonlinear stability analysis (i.e. bifurcation analysis) becomes an indispensable component of stability analysis in this scenario. Hopf bifurcation, which occur with one free parameter, is studied here and it formulates birth of limit cycles. The excitation of these limit cycles makes the system bistable in the case of subcritical bifurcation whereas stable limit cycles continues in an unstable region for supercritical bifurcation. The distinction between subcritical and supercritical Hopf is done by two parameter analysis (i.e. codimension-2 bifurcation). In this scenario, Generalized Hopf bifurcation (GH) takes place, which separates sub and supercritical Hopf bifurcation. The various types of bifurcation such as limit point bifurcation of limit cycle (LPC), period doubling bifurcation of limit cycles (PD) and Neimark-Sacker bifurcation of limit cycles (NS) have been identified with the Floquet multipliers. The LPC manifests itself as the region of bistability whereas chaotic region exist because of cascading of PD. This region of bistability and chaotic solutions are drawn on the various parametric bifurcation diagrams (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Mobility changes are concerning for elderly patients with cognitive decline. Given frail older individuals' vulnerability to injury, it is critical to identify contributors to limited mobility. Objective: To examine whether structural brain abnormalities, including reduced gray matter volume and white matter hyperintensities, would be associated with limited mobility among individuals with cognitive impairment, and to determine whether cognitive impairment would mediate this relationship. Methods: Thirty-four elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease underwent neuropsychological evaluation, mobility assessment, and structural brain neuroimaging. Linear regression was conducted with predictors including gray matter volume in six regions of interest (ROI) and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden, with mobility measures as outcomes. Results: Lower gray matter volume in caudate nucleus was associated with slower speed on a functional mobility task. Higher cerebellar volume was also associated with slower functional mobility. White matter hyperintensity burden was not significantly associated with mobility. Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence for associations between subcortical gray matter volume and speed on a functional mobility task among cognitively impaired individuals.
Landfill leachate makes a potential source of ground water pollution. Municipal waste landfill substratum can be used for removal of pollutants from leachate. Model research was performed with use of a sand bed and artificially prepared leachates. Effectiveness of filtration in a bed of specific thickness was assessed based on the total solids content. Result of the model research indicated that the mass of pollutants contained in leachate filtered by a layer of porous soil (m(f)) depends on the mass of pollutants supplied (m(d)). Determined regression functions indicate agreement with empirical values of variable m'(f). The determined regression functions allow for qualitative and quantitative assessment of influence of the analysed independent variables (m'(d), l, omega) on values of mass of pollutants flowing from the medium sand layer. Results of this research can be used to forecast the level of pollution of soil and underground waters lying in the zone of potential impact of municipal waste landfill.
A series of zinc-phosphate glass containing different concentrations of V2O5 ((80 - x) NaPO3 + 20 ZnO + x V2O5 (x = 0-25 mol%)) was prepared by melt quenching method and analyzed by differential scanning caloremetry (DSC) and impredance spectroscopy. The electrical properties of these samples were measured using ac impedance spectroscopy technique over a frequency range of 10 Hz to 13 MHz at several temperatures in the range of 323-673 K. The ac conductivity, dc conductivity, dielectric constant and loss factors were obtained from these measurements. Constant-phase elements (CPE) are used in equivalent electrical circuits for the fitting of experimental impedance data. The impedance spectra have also indicated that the conduction is predominantly polaronic in nature. The frequency and temperature dependence of the electrical modulis as well as dielectric loss parameters have exhibited a relaxation character attributed to the vanadyl complexes. The relaxation effects have been analyzed by the graphical method. From this analysis, it has been established that there is a spread of relaxation times. The results have been further discussed quantitatively in the light of different valance states of vanadium ions with the aid of the data on spectroscopic properties. The frequency dependence of the electric conductivity was found to follow a simple power law behavior, in accordance with the relation sigma(ac)(omega) = sigma(0) + Lambda(1).omega(s)(2), where s(1) and s(2) are smaller than 1. The thermal activation energies for the electronic conduction were estimated on the basis of the Arrhenius plots. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The full potential of plastic gear usage is limited by not only poor mechanical properties but also equally poor temperature limits and poor heat conduction properties. Cooling holes were developed to decrease the amount of thermal damage on the contact surface. These cooling holes promote increased stress and tooth deflection, thus exerting a negative effect. This article compares various cooling holes for plastic gear configurations and proposes novel cooling holes. Thermal and mechanical simulations that consider specific aspects of plastic gear meshing were performed. The main objective of this article was to verify the best methods for reducing thermal damage through cooling holes. The results indicate the best compromise between the temperature reduction and the mechanical properties of the new tooth geometry. The results also indicate that the simple variations in the cooling holes proposed can improve tooth performance.
We investigated how interrater agreement in personality judgment is affected by the perceivers' affection or dislike regarding the targets. A total of 209 perceivers judged the personalities of 15 targets by means of 30 adjectives. The targets were public figures (e.g., the Pope), which enabled gathering a large number of ratings by perceivers differing in liking. Shared liking was associated with strong increases, and large liking differences were associated with strong decreases, in profile correlations. Shared antipathy was also associated with lower agreement. The greater agreement between judgments of liked targets was largely due to the perceivers characterizing targets positively, whereas judgments of disliked targets were not affected by (shared) negativity to the same extent. The perceivers' attitudes toward the targets constitute an important factor in person perception and need to be taken into account more systematically in research studies.
This paper focuses on the security assessment of electricity distribution networks (DNs) with vulnerable distributed energy resource (DER) nodes. The adversary model is a simultaneous compromise of DER nodes by strategic manipulation of generation setpoints. The loss to the defender (DN operator) includes loss of voltage regulation and cost of induced load control under supply-demand mismatch caused by the attack. A three-stage defender-attacker-defender (DAD) game is formulated: in Stage 1, the defender chooses a security strategy to secure a subset of DER nodes; in Stage 2, the attacker compromises a set of vulnerable DERs and injects false generation setpoints; in Stage 3, the defender responds by controlling loads and non-compromised DERs. Solving this trilevel optimization problem is hard due to nonlinear power flows and mixed-integer decision variables. To address this challenge, the problem is approximated by a tractable formulation based on an epsilon-linear power-flow model. The set of critical DER nodes and the setpoint manipulations characterizing the optimal attack strategy are computed. An iterative greedy approach to computing attacker-defender strategies for the original nonlinear problem is proposed. These results provide guidelines for optimal security investment and defender response in preattack and postattack conditions, respectively.
A major focus of ecology is understanding trophic relationships and energy flows in natural systems, associated food web dynamics and changes in food webs due to introduced species. Predator-prey interactions are often assessed by examining stomach contents. However, partially digested remains may be difficult to accurately identify by traditional visual analysis. Here we evaluate the effectiveness of DNA barcoding to identify digested piscine prey remains in invasive Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus, non-native, but established Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus and native White Catfish Ameiurus catus from Chesapeake Bay, USA. Stomach contents were examined and piscine prey items were scored as lightly digested, moderately digested or severely digested. A 652 base pair region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI-5P) mitochondrial DNA gene was sequenced for each prey item. Edited barcode sequences were compared to locally-caught and validated reference sequences in BOLD (Barcode of Life Database). A large majority of prey items were sufficiently digested to limit morphological identification (9.4 % to species and an additional 12.1 % to family). However, overall barcoding success was high (90.3 %) with little difference among the digestion classifications. Combining morphological and genetic identifications, we classified 91.6 % of fish prey items to species. Twenty-three fish species were identified, including species undergoing active restoration efforts (e.g., Alosa spp.) and commercially important species, e.g., Striped Bass Morone saxatilis, White Perch Morone americana, American Eel Anguilla rostrata and Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus. We found DNA barcoding highly successful at identifying all but the most heavily degraded prey items and to be an efficient and effective method for obtaining diet information to strengthen the resolution of trophic analyses including diet comparisons among sympatric native and non-native predators.
Feature selection is a significant task in data mining and machine learning applications which eliminates irrelevant and redundant features and improves learning performance. In many real-world applications, collecting labeled data is difficult, while abundant unlabeled data are easily accessible. This motivates researchers to develop semi-supervised feature selection methods which use both labeled and unlabeled data to evaluate feature relevance. However, till-to-date, there is no comprehensive survey covering the semi supervised feature selection methods. In this paper, semi-supervised feature selection methods are fully investigated and two taxonomies of these methods are presented based on two different perspectives which represent the hierarchical structure of semi-supervised feature selection methods. The first perspective is based on the basic taxonomy of feature selection methods and the second one is based on the taxonomy of semi supervised learning methods. This survey can be helpful for a researcher to obtain a deep background in semi supervised feature selection methods and choose a proper semi-supervised feature selection method based on the hierarchical structure of them.
Bidirectional associations between sibling relationships and children's problem behaviors are robust, and links with prosocial behavior have also been reported. Using cross-lagged models, we were able to conservatively test temporal directions of links between positive and negative aspects of sibling relationships and children's prosocial behavior and conduct problems across a 3-year time span in middle childhood. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/data-access/data-dictionary/) is an ongoing population-based study designed to investigate the effects of a wide range of factors on children's health and development. For the purposes of the current analyses, we included 2,043 ALSPAC families who had just 1 older sibling as well as the target child, with an age gap of no more than 5 years. Mothers reported about the quality of the sibling relationship and both children's prosocial behavior and conduct problems when the target child was 4 years of age and again when the target child was 7 years old. Confirming our hypothesis, individual child behavior was predictive of sibling relationship quality, and sibling relationship quality was predictive of later child behavior, providing robust evidence of bidirectionality for both prosocial behavior and conduct problems. It would be consistent to expect that an improvement in either sibling relationship quality or individual children's behavior could have a positive spill over effect. We also found evidence of older sibling dominance in the domain of prosocial behavior and the positive aspects of sibling interaction.
A long-term Northern Hemisphere (NH) daily 5-km snow cover extent (SCE) product (JASMES) was developed by the application of a consistent objective snow cover mapping algorithm to data from historical optical sensors on polar orbiting satellites from 1978 to 2015. A conventional decision tree algorithm with multiple threshold tests was employed to analyze radiances for the five spectral bands available across the full analysis period. The accuracies of the analyzed SCE maps were evaluated against in-situ snow data measured at ground stations along with the SCE maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Data Record (NOAA-CDR) product. The evaluation showed the JASMES product to have a more temporally stable producer's accuracy (PA; 1-omission error) than NOAA, which is a key factor in the analysis of long-term SCE trends. Comparison of seasonal NH SCE trends from the two products showed NOAA to have opposite trends to those of JASMES in the fall and winter seasons, and to have overestimated SCE decreasing trends in the spring and summer. These tendencies are consistent with the increasing spatial and temporal resolutions of information over time, which were used in generating the NOAA snow analysis. An estimation of unbiased SCEs based on the accuracies of SCE maps also endorses the long-term trends of the JASMES product The JASMES NH seasonal SCE exhibited negative slopes in all seasons but was only statistically significant in the summer (JJA) and fall (SON). Delayed snow cover onset was observed to be the main driver of decreasing annual snow duration (SCD) trends. The spatial pattern of annual SCD trends exhibited noticeable asymmetry between continents, with the largest significant decreases observed over western Eurasia with relatively few statistically significant decreases over North America. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
The need to find a better products and more efficient technique to help in removing toxic pathogens from water and help in the reduction of water pollution in the fastest, effective way and with low cost could help the worlds pollution problem. In the past, chemicals have been used for water purification and cleaning and it's still very much in use, chemical such as chlorine, ozone etc. are been used. However, research has shown that these chemical products are often given reactions with various components in natural water indicating that more than 500 different types of disinfectant byproducts obtained maybe known to be carcinogenic. Meanwhile using antibiotics as conventional method has become less effective because of the resistant strains of the antibiotics therefore the quest to design a more robust bio detection strategy is necessary. The Identification of co-precipitation method as the best method considered, this was employed in the preparation of magnetic nanoparticles using one-step reaction process. Functional group probing of the synthesized magnetic nanoparticle, as well as morphological analysis and particle size determination, were achieved by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Zeta-Sizer, respectively. If properly coated with the right and stable polymer, the use of magnetic chitosan nanoparticle can become widely known and helpful for pathogen detection with the aim of resolving the world pollution problem.
Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) exert critical roles in type 2 immune responses, epithelial repair at mucosal tissues and metabolic homeostasis. ILC2 rapidly provide large amounts of type 2 signature cytokines, thereby driving type 2 immune responses such as the defense against helminths. However, if deregulated, ILC2 facilitate tissue fibrosis and trigger unwanted type 2 immunopathologies such as allergies, asthma and atopic dermatitis. Therefore, ILC2 need to be tightly regulated and we are just beginning to understand which mediators activate or inhibit this rare but important cell population. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about positive and negative regulation of ILC2 and discuss its immunological consequences. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Diamond is a promising material whose excellent physical properties foster its use for radiation detection applications, in particular in those hostile operating environments where the silicon-based detectors behavior is limited due to the high radiation fluence. Within this framework, the application of Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation tools is highly envisaged for the study, the optimization and the predictive analysis of sensing devices. Since the novelty of using diamond in electronics, this material is not included in the library of commercial, state-of-the-art TCAD software tools. In this work, we propose the development, the application and the validation of numerical models to simulate the electrical behavior of polycrystalline (pc) CVD diamond conceived for diamond sensors for particle detection. The model focuses on the characterization of a physically-based pcCVD diamond bandgap taking into account deep-level defects acting as recombination centers and/or trap states. While a definite picture of the polycrystalline diamond band-gap is still debated, the effect of the main parameters (e.g. trap densities, capture cross-sections, etc.) can be deeply investigated thanks to the simulated approach. The charge collection efficiency due to beta-particle irradiation of diamond materials provided by different vendors and with different electrode configurations has been selected as figure of merit for the model validation. The good agreement between measurements and simulation findings, keeping the traps density as the only one fitting parameter, assesses the suitability of the TCAD modeling approach as a predictive tool for the design and the optimization of diamond-based radiation detectors.
Industrial deployment of the Internet Of Things (IOT) provides development of an ideal platform for decentralized management of warehouses. In this paper, we propose an IOT infrastructure for collaborative warehouse order fulfillment based on RFID, ambient intelligence and multi-agent system. It consists of a physical devices layer, a middleware ambient platform, a multi-agent system and an enterprise resource planning. It integrates a bottom-up approach with decision support mechanisms such as self-organization and negotiation protocols between agents based on com-peration=competition+cooperation concept. This approach was selected to improve reaction capabilities of decentralized management of warehouses in a dynamic environment. A collaborative warehouse example was conducted to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed infrastructure. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Like many development towns that were established in the aftermath of Israel's founding, Kiryat Shemona is situated on the demographic and geographic margins of the state: it sits on the border with Lebanon, and is in the Galilee region that has historically been a major center of Israel's Palestinian population. Particularly in moments of cross-border violence, Kiryat Shemona becomes a central margin, a place that is crucial to imagining the Israeli nation. For this reason, its inhabitants are imagined by others and often by themselves as steadfast and strong qualities said to be at the center of lsraeliness. At the same time, like other development towns, Kiryat Shemona's residents are mainly Mizrahim who were pushed to populate these marginal regions, and who constitute a majority of the Israeli Jewish population but also in many respects constitute an under-class vis-a-vis the historically Ashkenazi elite. Mizrahim, in such development towns, are thus marginal to the center of power, and vulnerable to the insecurity and poverty associated with these towns. While inhabiting precarious borderlands, they are crucial to the imagining of a bounded Jewish Israeli nation that must defend itself. This article demonstrates how Mizrahim strived to move themselves symbolically from the margins of exclusion to the center of inclusion by calling upon the nation and cosmopolitan connections. In everyday life, mizrahim marked ethicized boundaries against differentiated others, thus reinforcing the ethnoreligious logic of Israeli nationalism that historically pushed them to the margins of the state.
Intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) appears to have positive social consequences, but these effects are often highly context- and person-specific. The present research examined whether the core personality trait of extraversion may be one important person-specific factor that plays a role in these associations. Across two double-blind randomized placebo-controlled studies (total ns: Study 1 = 121; Study 2 = 112), we observed significant interactions between OT administration and extraversion predicting prosocial outcomes. For individuals low in extraversion, OT administration relative to placebo led to greater perceived social connection and prosocial tendencies (Study 1) and more positive behavioral responses to help and greater trust of an interaction partner (Study 2). In contrast, OT administration was not beneficial for individuals high in extraversion. Overall, these findings contribute to growing evidence that OT administration has complex, person-specific effects on social behavior, indicating that extraversion plays an important role in these associations.
Communication training has become a focus of concern in recent years in veterinary medicine. Existing literature to date indicates that Colleges of Veterinary Medicine (CVMs) have implemented various communication training protocols. The present study focused on the evaluation of a communication training protocol implemented in 2007 at Kansas State University (KSU) in a sample of veterinary medical students (N=415) across five cohorts. The protocol includes video review of authentic client interactions, feedback from authentic clients, and small-group communication training. Findings indicate that targeted communication skills improved through video-review feedback and small-group communication training. Communication scores were particularly affected by students' attention to improving communication deficiencies during a second student-client video. Baseline scores from the first student-client video in four specific areas (using nonverbal communication, setting expectations, building rapport, and being able to clarify) were predictive of overall performance during the second evaluation. Based on the results of the present study, using videos of authentic client interactions is recommended as a valuable communication training teaching tool.
This paper presents the results of a long-term, continuous hydrologic simulation analysis of a watershed-scale residential rainwater harvesting (RWH) program in the Chollas Creek watershed, San Diego, California, USA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) simulated rainfall-runoff responses for variations in a RWH network, including the RWH unit storage size, the number of implementing households, the amount of time before a unit is allowed to release captured runoff (i.e. drain delay), and the time it takes for the unit to drain (i.e. coefficient of discharge). Comparison of results found reductions to increase linearly with capacity and implementation. Maximum long-term watershed volumetric reductions between 10.1% and 12.4% were observed for the period of analysis (1948-2011) with a range of RWH storage sizes (227 L barrels to 7571 L cisterns). The ratio of overflow to underdrain flow, ranging from 5.17 to 0.014(227-7571 L), exhibits the ability of cisterns to fully capture the majority of annual and long-term events. Sensitivity analysis found regional precipitation characteristics and disconnection of rooftop runoff to impact long-term watershed reduction potential more so than available RWH capacity. Drain delay control and dry duration time increased reduction variability with cisterns, though long-term reductions were not significantly impacted. Normalization of net present value (NPV) to volumetric reductions yielded a RWH unit cost of $0.20-$1.71 per 1000 L of watershed runoff reduced on average per year. Minor variations in cost based on the extent of watershed implementation highlights the potential to incrementally institute RWH programs. For the case study location, the 227-L rain barrel provided the greatest cost-effectiveness, reducing an average 6500 L of runoff per dollar invested for the analysis period. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study aimed to determine the effect of the SNAPPS (summarize, narrow, analyze, probe, plan, and select) method versus teacher-centered education on the clinical skills of midwifery students in Iran. In this clinical trial, 36 midwifery students in their 4th year of education in 2015 were enrolled and divided into 6 groups, 3 groups for teacher-centered education and 3 groups for the SNAPPS method, with each group spending 10 days in the outpatient gynecology clinic. A questionnaire and a checklist were used to gather data. An independent t-test and chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Ability to gain the trust of the patient, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, history taking, preparation of the patient for gynecological examination, and diagnosis and treatment of common diseases were significantly better in the SNAPPS group compared to the teacher-centered education group (P<0.05). The SNAPPS education method can significantly improve the clinical skills of midwifery students in gynecology, in particular history taking, differential diagnosis, and treatment of common diseases.
Virtual power plant (VPP) concept was developed to integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) into the grid in order that they are seen as a single power plant by the market and power system operator. Therefore, VPPs are faced with optimal bidding, and identifying arbitrage opportunities in a market environment. In this study, the authors present an arbitrage strategy for VPPs by participating in energy and ancillary service (i.e. spinning reserve and reactive power services) markets. On the basis of a security-constrained price-based unit commitment, their proposed model maximises VPP's profit (revenue minus costs) considering arbitrage opportunities. The supply-demand balancing, transmission network topology and security constraints are considered to ensure reliable operation of VPP. The mathematical model is a mixed-integer non-linear optimisation problem with inter-temporal constraints, and solved by mixed-integer non-linear programming. The result is a single optimal bidding profile and a schedule for managing active and reactive power under participating in the markets. These profile and schedule consider the DERs and network constraints simultaneously, and explore arbitrage opportunities of VPP. Results pertaining to an illustrative example and a case study are discussed.
Recently, deep learning has gained prominence due to the potential it portends for machine learning. For this reason, deep learning techniques have been applied in many fields, such as recognizing some kinds of patterns or classification. Intrusion detection analyses got data from monitoring security events to get situation assessment of network. Lots of traditional machine learning method has been put forward to intrusion detection, but it is necessary to improvement the detection performance and accuracy. This paper discusses different methods which were used to classify network traffic. We decided to use different methods on open data set and did experiment with these methods to find out a best way to intrusion detection.
The field of stem cell biology, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine has expanded almost exponentially, in the last decade. Clinical trials are evaluating the potential therapeutic use of stem cells in many adult and pediatric lung diseases with vascular component, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Extensive research activity is exploring the lung resident and circulating progenitor cells and their contribution to vascular complications of chronic lung diseases, and researchers hope to use resident or circulating stem/progenitor cells to treat chronic lung diseases and their vascular complications. It is becoming more and more clear that progress in mechanobiology will help to understand the various influences of physical forces and extracellular matrix composition on the phenotype and features of the progenitor cells and stem cells. The current review provides an overview of current concepts in the field.
Three-dimensional point cloud registration is important in reverse engineering. In this paper, we propose a registration method for large-scale 3D point clouds, which is based on neighborhood constraints of geometrical features. The method consists of initial and exact registration steps.In the process of initial registration, we define a new functon that measures feature similarity by calculating the distance function, and in the process of exact registration, we introduce the angle information that improve the accuracy of iterative closest point algorithm. Compared with the traditional feature-based and iterative closest point algorithms, our method significantly reduced the registration time by 11.9 % and has only 1 % of the registration error of the traditional feature-based algorithm. The proposed algorithm can be used to create efficient 3D models for virtual plant reconstruction and computer-aided design, and the registration results can provide a reference for virtual plant reconstruction and growth.
Drug release belongs to the most challenging aspects of nanoparticles addressing molecular biology and medicine. Besides targeted delivery, obvious challenges are related to high drug load and continuous slow drug release. Based on our recently developed concept of inorganic-organic hybrid nanoparticles (IOH-NP), we here present [ZrO](2+)[AAP](2-) IOH-NPs containing the analgetic phosphate prodrug acetaminophen phosphate for drug release. [ZrO](2+)[AAP](2-) combines an uncomplex synthesis in water with a high prodrug load of 68 wt.%.[ZrO](2+)[AAP](2-) nanoparticles exhibit a diameter of 37(11) nm and can be readily obtained as colloidally highly stable suspension in water. The chemical composition is studied in detail based on infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, thermogravimetry and elemental analysis. Moreover, the release of acetaminophen from [ZrO](2+)[AAP](2-) is studied by means of model experiments indicating the carbon content of the nanoparticles and, in alternative, the fluorescence of labeled nanoparticles. Both data show a continuous release of 80 wt.% of the analgetic acetaminophen on a time scale up to 48 h. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The light emitting diode (LED) based visible light communication (VLC) system can provide lighting and communication simultaneously. It has attracted much attenuation recently. As the photovoltaic cell (also known as solar cell) is physically flexible, low cost, and easily available, it could be a good choice for the VLC receiver (Rx). Furthermore, besides acting as the VLC Rx, the solar cell can convert VLC signal into electricity for charging up the Rx devices. Hence, it could be a promising candidate for the future internet-of-thing (IoT) networks. However, using solar cell as VLC Rx is challenging, since the response of the solar cell is highly limited and it will limit the VLC data rate. In this work, we propose and demonstrate for the first time using pre-distortion Manchester coding (MC) signal to enhance the signal performance of solar cell Rx based VLC. The proposed scheme can significantly mitigate the slow response, as well as the direct-current (DC) wandering effect of the solar cell; hence 50 times increase in data rate can be experimentally achieved.
This study investigates the neuroprotective properties of berberine (a natural isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the Rhizoma coptidis) and finds that berberine could promote beta-amyloid (A beta) clearance and inhibit A beta production in the triple-transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (3 x Tg-AD). During the study, berberine was first administrated to treat 3 x Tg-AD mice and primary neurons. Morris water maze assay, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence staining and histological analysis, transmission electron microscopic analysis were then used to evaluate the effects of the berberine administration. The result showed that berberine significantly improved 3 x Tg-AD mice's spatial learning capacity and memory retention, promoted autophagy activity identified by the enhancement of brain LO-II, beclin-1, hVps34, and Cathepsin-D levels as well as the reduction of brain P62 and Bcl-2 levels in AD mice, facilitated reduction of AV, and APP levels, reduced A beta plaque deposition in the hippocampus of AD mice, and inhibited b-site APP cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE1) expression. Similar results were also found in 3 x Tg-AD primary hippocampal neurons: berbernine treatment decreased the levels of extracellular and intracellular A beta 1-42, increased the protein levels of 10-11, beclin-1, hVps34, and Cathepsin-D, and decreased the levels of P62. Bcl-2, APP and BACE1 levels. In summary, berberine shows neuroprotective effects on 3 x Tg-AD mice and may be a promising multitarget drug in the preventionand protection against AD. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
With information becoming a first-class citizen on the Internet, information-centric networking (ICN) is considered as a promising direction for the future Internet. Named data networking (NDN) is a prominent example of emerging ICN architectures. Unfortunately, NDN is vulnerable to various attacks targeting its in-network caching mechanism. In this paper, we focus on the false-locality pollution attack, in which an adversary repeatedly requests a number of unpopular data objects to waste the precious cache space on the NDN router and to reduce normal users' hit ratios. With simulation experiments, we show that such an attack can cause considerable damage to the NDN network. To detect and mitigate such an attack, we introduce an algorithm that exploits the diversity of the Interest traversing paths within an Internet service provider's point-of-presence network. We also propose inexpensive methodologies based on the probabilistic counting and Bloom filter techniques to implement the algorithm on an NDN router. The experimental results indicate that our proposed algorithm is effective in thwarting false-locality pollution. We also experiment with strategies that the adversary may utilize against our antipollution algorithm and demonstrate that such strategies are either ineffective or impractical in the real world.
Language provides rich social information about its speakers. For instance, adults and children make inferences about a speaker's social identity, geographic origins, and group membership based on her language and accent. Although infants prefer speakers of familiar languages (Kinzler, Dupoux, & Spelke, 2007), little is known about the developmental origins of humans' sensitivity to language as marker of social identity. We investigated whether 9-month-olds use the language a person speaks as an indicator of that person's likely social relationships. Infants were familiarized with videos of two people who spoke the same or different languages, and then viewed test videos of those two individuals affiliating or disengaging. Results suggest that infants expected two people who spoke the same language to be more likely to affiliate than two people who spoke different languages. Thus, infants view language as a meaningful social marker and use language to make inferences about third-party social relationships.
A new major version of the European severe accident integral code ASTEC, developed by IRSN with some GRS support, was delivered in November 2015 to the ASTEC worldwide community. Main modelling features of this V2.1 version are summarised in this paper. In particular, the in-vessel coupling technique between the reactor coolant system thermal-hydraulics module and the core degradation module has been strongly re-engineered to remove some well-known weaknesses of the former V2.0 series. The V2.1 version also includes new core degradation models specifically addressing BWR and PHWR reactor types, as well as several other physical modelling improvements, notably on reflooding of severely damaged cores, Zircaloy oxidation under air atmosphere, corium coolability during corium concrete interaction and source term evaluation. Moreover, this V2.1 version constitutes the back-bone of the CESAM FP7 project, which final objective is to further improve ASTEC for use in Severe Accident Management analysis of the Gen.II-III nuclear power plants presently under operation or foreseen in near future in Europe. As part of this European project, IRSN efforts to continuously improve both code numerical robustness and computing performances at plant scale as well as users' tools are being intensified. Besides, ASTEC will continue capitalising the whole knowledge on severe accidents phenomenology by progressively keeping physical models at the state of the art through a regular feed-back from the interpretation of the current and future experimental programs performed in the international frame. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The optimal design of electrical machines is an important issue in automotive industry in order to reduce cost and volume of the actuator and improve its performances. In this context, the use of compact machines with high power density is preferred and consequently high speed machines where field weakening is required. In addition, a really optimal design requires to dispose sufficiently accurate models of main physical phenomena involved in electromechanical conversion. This models need to be sufficiently fast in order to be suitable with optimization process. An important limitation in the use of internal permanent magnet synchronous machine with distributed windings is temperatures insides the machine especially in the windings and thus the internal losses. At high speed with field weakening operation, iron losses, sensitive to flux densities variation in iron, could be really high because of the high electrical frequency linked to rotor speed and sharp variation of flux density waveforms inside the iron in stator due to the field weakening operation. This study, for the electric machine design, is based on the first harmonic hypothesis, i.e., without harmonic currents. An original and mathematical model has been developed and provides fast and accurate estimation of iron losses particularly in field weakening operation even with machine supplied by sinusoidal currents as described in this paper. It uses a polynomial form of iron losses in function of fundamental electrical frequency and take into account the flux density waveforms in yoke and teeth by use of nonlinear iron coefficients linked to i(d)-i(q) currents. This paper will present the complete method calculating the iron coefficients from a nonlinear magnetic nodal network of the machine. A detailed study of local flux density waveform and harmonic content in yoke and teeth will be provided for two particular operating points: at maximal power without field weakening and at maximal power at maximal speed. These two points require accurate estimation in an optimal design of electrical machine. In addition, the local iron coefficients in teeth and yoke per volume unit will be provided in order to study the local evolution of iron losses in field weakening operation. It will show that iron losses do not follow the same evolution in the yoke and the teeth by the fact that the flux density distribution in teeth is more sensitive to the field weakening. An application of this model will be provided for the calculation of iron losses on whole operating space for a specific machine. A comparison will be provided between the fast model and finite elements approach. (C) 2016 International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (IMACS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective: The implant metal for minimally invasive repair (Nuss procedure) of pectus excavatum (PE) often causes metal allergy and postoperative infection. Titania/chitosan has anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of titania/chitosan on Nuss repair of PE patients with stainless steel. Methods: A total 828 PE patients were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups: one group received Nuss repair using stainless steel (SS group) and another group using stainless steel coated by Titania/chitosan (SSTc group). Infection rate, metal allergy and Haller Index were measured. The presence of overt infection was evaluated by measuring serum levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: After mean 24-month Nuss repair, postoperative infection occurred in 26 cases (6.3%) and 2 cases (0.5%) in SS and SSTc groups (P < 0.05), respectively. On the other hand, 14 cases (3.4%) and 0 case (0%) suffered from bar allergy for implant metal in SS and SSTc groups, respectively (P3.0 cm needing reoperation in SS and SSTc groups (P < 0.05), respectively. After surgery (18-34 month), serum levels of ESR and CRP were higher in SS group than in SSTc group in non-infected patients (P < 0.05). Comparatively, the serum levels of ESR and CRP were significantly higher in SS group than in SSTc group in infected patients (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The stainless steel coated by Titania/chitosan provides a safer and more effective material for Nuss repair of PE by reducing the metal allergies, infection rates and reoperation rates.
The design of electric machines is a hot topic in the syllabuses of several undergraduate and graduate courses. With the development of hybrid and electrical vehicles, this subject is gaining more popularity, especially in electrical engineering courses. This paper presents a computer-aided educational tool to guide engineering students in the design process of a switched reluctance machine. A step-by-step design procedure is detailed and a user guide interface programmed in the Matlab (R) environment developed for this purpose is shown. This user guide interface has been proved a useful tool to help the students to validate the results obtained in their lecture assignments, while aiding to achieve a better understanding of the design process of electric machines. A validation of the educational tool is done by means of finite element method simulations.
Conditional differential cryptanalysis on NFSR-based cryptosystems was first proposed by Knellwolf et al. in Asiacrypt 2010 and has been successfully used to attack reduced variants of Grain v1. In this paper, we greatly improve conditional differential attacks on Grain v1 in the following four aspects. First, a new differential engine is derived to correctly track the differential trails of Grain v1. Second, we propose a new difference-searching strategy which serves to find suitable differences for the conditional differential attack on a given reduced variant of Grain v1. Third, a highly IV-saving condition-imposing strategy is presented. Last, we propose a further bias-increasing strategy. In particular, the improvements on the difference-searching strategy and the condition-imposing strategy are crucial to mount conditional differential attacks on the variants of Grain v1 with more than 106 rounds. It is shown that the improved conditional differential attacks could retrieve 31 distinct secret key expressions for 107-round Grain v1 and could retrieve 15 distinct secret key expressions for 110-round Grain v1. Both the attacks succeed with constant probabilities. Thus far, our results are the best known for the reduced variants of Grain v1 as far as the number of rounds attacked is concerned.
Introduction: Longitudinal imaging of neurodegenerative disorders is a potentially powerful biomarker for use in clinical trials. In Alzheimer's disease, studies have demonstrated that empirically derived regions of interest (ROIs) can provide more reliable measurement of disease progression compared with anatomically defined ROIs. Methods: We set out to derive ROIs with optimal effect size for quantifying longitudinal change in a hypothetical clinical trial by comparing atrophy rates in 44 patients with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), 30 with the semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA), and 26 with the nonfluent variant PPA (nfvPPA) to atrophy in 97 cognitively healthy controls. Results: The regions identified for each variant were generally what would be expected from prior studies of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Sample size estimates for detecting a 40% reduction in annual rate of ROI atrophy varied substantially across groups, being 103 per arm in bvFTD, 31 in nfvPPA, and 10 in svPPA, but in all groups were less than those estimated for a priori ROIs and clinical -measures. The variability in location of peak regions of atrophy across individuals was highest in bvFTD and lowest in svPPA, likely relating to the differences in effect size. Conclusions: These findings suggest that, while cross-validated maps of change can improve sensitivity to change in FTLD compared with a priori regions, the reliability of these maps differs considerably across syndromes. Future studies can utilize these maps to design clinical trials, and should try to identify factors accounting for the variability in patterns of atrophy across individuals, particularly those with bvFTD.
Work in this paper presents the results of field testing on four instrumented roadway sections constructed on poor subgrade soils and stabilized with select fill, geosynthetics, or cement. Loading was applied using 1000 consecutive truck passes and profile surveying was performed to provide permanent deformation (rutting) data. Peak vertical stresses at the subgrade as well as moisture conditions were also monitored during testing. Results indicated that the deep undercut (31 in./790 mm) with select material backfill section produced the largest cumulative rut depths due to shallow incremental plastic strains induced during each axle pass. The use of a thin Aggregate Base Course (ABC) surface layer (3 in./75 mm) over the select material reduced the rate of rutting. The biaxial geogrid and the high strength geotextile showed a relatively equal performance in all aspects of the study. The cement stabilized section produced a slightly larger average rut depth than the geosynthetically-reinforced sections due to localized areas of pronounced cumulative rutting. However, there were several areas of the soil-cement test section that performed as well as the geosynthetically-reinforced sections.
Security is essential to enable the Internet of Things (IoT). Key security measures that work well on the traditional Internet, however, do not necessarily adapt well to the IoT. Specifically, authentication and/or authorization based on certificates provided by certificate authorities (CAs) cannot, in current form, scale to the expected 50 billion devices. And widely used encryption technologies for the Internet require too much energy for resource-constrained devices. This paper describes a secure network architecture with key distribution mechanisms using local, automated authorization entities. The architecture provides security guarantees while addressing IoT-related issues including resource constraints. For evaluation, we show that the architecture's overhead scales at a significantly slower rate than widely used SSL/TLS and works well with resource-constrained devices.
The flatness of the KH2PO4 (KDP) crystal has important effect on the inertial confinement fusion system. The method to improve the flatness of KDP crystal and its implementation in the machine tool design is presented in this paper. The finite element model of the whole machine tool is built up to describe the tool tip displacement with the cutting force along the cutting path. The influence of the axial and radial bearing stiffness of the aerostatic spindle on the machined surface flatness is discussed. Furthermore, a novel adjusting mechanism which is used to adjust the squareness between the spindle and the slide is designed, and a new machining process is proposed to improve the flatness of the machined surface. The machining trials are carried out to evaluate and validate the effectiveness of the presented approach and simulation.
A precise transpiration prediction model thus becomes an important tool for greenhouse automatic irrigation management. Moreover, leaf is an organ of transpiration, and leaf area index is a basic variable to estimate this water lost, but it is still a weak spot in the crop growth estimation. In this paper, two different leaf area index models are established and compared with the evolution of the real crop determined with an electronic planimeter: (1) Considering the temperature and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) as the main impact factors over crop growth, a TEP-LAI model based on product of thermal effectiveness and PAR is built to estimate the leaf area index dynamics; and (2) TOM-LAI model based on a tomato growth model is also used to estimate the leaf area index as an explicit function of the number of leaves and vines. Finally, the results of both simulation models (TEP-LAI and TOM-LAI) are compared with the measured values. Moreover, a crop transpiration model is established using the empirical data sampled in a multi-span greenhouse in Almeria (Spain). In this greenhouse, a microlysimeter (two different weight scales) was used to obtain the transpiration and the drainage values. Thus, the data collected is used to obtain a model of the estimated water lost by transpiration, that it is based on Back Propagation-Neural Network was optimized using genetic algorithm and Nonlinear Auto-regressive model with Exogenous Inputs model. Once described the different models, the estimated values of leaf area index are compared satisfactorily with the measured ones. TEP-LAI is the model chosen to be introduced as input of the final transpiration model. As expected, the transpiration estimation with inside conditions generates better results, but the outside climate based model shows that it could be used as an irrigation predictor with data from cheaper outside meteorological stations.(C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Using data collected in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, this article examines the determinants of attitudes toward immigrants. In particular, we draw on the literature in social psychology to explore the role of locus of control in promoting more ethnocentric and restrictive attitudes towards immigration. We conceptualize control at three levels: (1) perceptions of individual locus of control (i.e., feeling that one can control one's own circumstances), (2) perceptions of societal control (i.e., feeling that one's country has control over immigration), and (3) perceptions of an outgroup's locus of control (i.e., feeling that an outgroup's social circumstances are attributable to dispositional rather than external factors). Results show that all three measures of control are important predictors of negative attitudes toward immigrants: Those who feel in control (personally or as a society) are less hostile towards immigrants, while those who attribute negative outcomes to immigrants' predispositions are also more hostile. Results also suggest that measures of control are related to, but distinct from, both partisanship and racial prejudice.
Cognitive training can allow patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) to reinforce individual cognitive abilities. In the present case study, we investigated the generalizability of trained cognitive skills to novel tasks, and their stability over time.One AD patient underwent a structured cognitive training using the GEO (Geographical Exercise for cognitive Optimization) task, whereas eight AD patients underwent a control cognitive intervention. Participants' performances on the GEO task, on a similar untrained cognitive task, and on a different untrained cognitive task were recorded before and after the intervention, and at the follow-up. On both the trained and the similar untrained tasks patients' and controls' performance significantly differed from one another. Our preliminary evidence shows that a cognitive training could allow patients to improve and maintain their performance not only on the trained task, but also on a similar task.
Convolutional neural network (CNN), a well-known machine learning algorithm, has been widely used in the field of computer vision for its amazing performance in image classification. With the rapid growth of applications based on CNN, various acceleration schemes have been proposed on FPGA, GPU and ASIC. In the implementation of these specific hardware accelerations, the most challenging part is the implementation of 2D convolution. To obtain a more efficient design of 2D convolution in CNN, this paper proposes a novel technique, singular value decomposition approximation (SVDA) to reduce the usage of resources. Experimental results show that the proposed SVDA hardware implementation can achieve a reduction in resources in the range of 14.46% to 37.8%, while the loss of classification accuracy is less than 1%.
The aim of this study was to determine if wearing a wrist guard in snowsports impacted on fracture site in the wrist. Participants presenting to two Australian resort medical centres with wrist fractures for one month in peak season 2010 were invited to participate. Differences between the mean distance ratio of the fracture site in the wrist were determined between the guard wearing and non-guard wearing populations using analysis of variance. The mean distance of the wrist fracture sites in the forearm from the wrist joint was 2.8 (SD 1.8) times the radius diameter in individuals who reported using guards and in non-guard wearers was 2 (SD 1.3) times the radius diameter. No significant difference was found in the distance of fracture from the wrist joint between these two groups (F=62.8 p>0.08). (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its variants are widely used tools for studying protein localization and dynamics of events such as cytoskeletal remodeling and vesicular trafficking in living cells. Quantitative methodologies using chimeric GFP fusions have been developed for many applications; however, GFP is somewhat resistant to proteolysis, thus its fluorescence persists in the lysosome/vacuole, which can impede quantification of cargo trafficking in the endocytic pathway. An alternative method for quantifying endocytosis and post-endocytic trafficking events makes use of superecliptic pHluorin, a pH-sensitive variant of GFP that is quenched in acidic environments. Chimeric fusion of pHluorin to the cytoplasmic tail of transmembrane cargo proteins results in a dampening of fluorescence upon incorporation of the cargo into multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and delivery to the lysosome/vacuole lumen. Thus, quenching of vacuolar fluorescence facilitates quantification of endocytosis and early events in the endocytic pathway. This paper describes methods using pHluorin-tagged cargos for quantification of endocytosis via fluorescence microscopy, as well as population-based assays using flow cytometry.
Geosynthetics is the umbrella term for thin, flexible material sheets applied in civil and environmental engineering, of which geotextiles form the largest group. Most geotextiles consist of a polymer from the polyolefin, polyester or polyamide family, and additives to improve their stability. The polymer may degrade into microplastic particles over time and under various conditions and can cause adverse effects, as species may ingest these particles or encounter adverse effects due to the interference of the particles with e.g. their photosynthesis system in the case of algae. Leaching of additives may occur from the intact material, as they are often not covalently bound to the polymer backbone, but is greatly enhanced when micro-sized plastic particles have been formed. A total of 42 polymer additives were identified, of which 26 had ecotoxicity information available in terms of a REACH persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation (PBT) assessment. Of these, 15 were classified as (very) persistent and 2 as toxic. A survey to assess potential toxicity of the remaining 16 substances revealed that no ecotoxicity studies had been performed on 13 of these compounds. For 3 compounds, other toxicity data was found, as well as of several chemical groups known to be used as additives in geotextiles. The current knowledge is thus lacking in two domains: on the one hand, ecotoxicity data is scarce as many substances have not yet been the subject of ecotoxicological studies. On the other hand, in situ toxic effects might be missed by the current approach of single compound toxicity testing. Moreover, environmental occurrence data of the additives are extremely scarce. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All right reserved.
Previous studies demonstrated that histone acetylation modulated the transcription of associated gene expression and thus contributed to the persistence of addictive behaviors and neuroplasticity. Nonetheless, the roles of histone acetylation in distinct phases of methamphetamine (METH)-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) remain unclear. The current study examines the effects of the histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitor sodium butyrate (NaB) on the acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement of METH-induced CPP in mice. Our results showed that 1mg/kg METH induced CPP in mice after four conditioning sessions. METH-induced CPP was extinguished after three extinction training sessions and could be triggered by the same dose (1mg/kg) of METH on the reinstatement test day. Meanwhile, NaB (400mg/kg) per se had no effect on the natural preference of mice, but injections of NaB during the conditioning and extinction phases facilitated the acquisition and extinction of METH-induced CPP, respectively. Additionally, although the effect of a single NaB injection prior to the trigger of CPP reinstatement was not observed, repeated NaB injections during the extinction phase totally blocked the reinstatement of METH-induced CPP. Taken together, our results suggested a specific effect of histone acetylation on modulating distinct phases of METH-induced CPP and that treatment of NaB during the extinction phase not only produced beneficial effects on eliminating already established CPP but also blocked the reinstatement of METH-induced CPP. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Purpose of review Loss of body mass and exercise intolerance are common findings in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and are often difficult to reverse despite optimal nutritional intake. Similar findings have been reported in healthy individuals during high-altitude exposure. The role of hypoxia in modulating metabolism has been largely investigated in vitro and in animal studies. More fragmentary is the knowledge regarding hypoxia effects on invivo human metabolism. This paper reviews recent literature regarding the effects of chronic exposure to hypoxia on metabolism, particularly comparing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with humans exposed to high altitude. Recent findings Hypoxia has important metabolic effects. Many oxygen-sensitive regulatory mechanisms work through hypoxia inducible factor 1, and recent literature regarding the hypoxic stimulus and its pathological implications deals largely with hypoxia inducible factor 1-related findings. Hypoxia inducible factor 1 is pivotal in the adaptation to chronic hypoxia: it induces gene expression for fructose-2-6-biphosphatase, an enzyme switching glucose metabolism towards glycolysis, allowing energy production in anaerobic conditions. Hypoxia inducible factor 1 is also involved in the development of anorexia because it induces the promoter of the leptin gene. Particularly important for future therapeutic implications are findings related to hypoxia inducible factor 1 polymorphism and interaction with other molecules, especially estrogens, in the clinical evolution of disease. Summary Malnutrition is a worsening factor in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Similarities between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and altitude exposure point to the importance of hypoxia in this regard. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms will help to find alternative therapeutic approaches.
Transportation biofuel production efficiencies and cruising ranges provided by one hectare of land are studied from a life cycle perspective in the boreal climate zone. Efficient biofuel production is essential in terms of sustainability - especially land use, biodiversity and GHG emissions. Grass methane produced by anaerobic digestion and synthetic natural gas (SNG) produced from willows by gasification provide the longest cruising ranges. However, electricity production by solar panels for electric vehicles is a significantly more efficient option than biofuels. Grass methane, straw ethanol and SNG require less primary energy per produced fuel energy than other options. Increasing biofuel production for passenger cars from cultivated biomass in the boreal climate zone should be very carefully considered because electricity for transportation is significantly more efficient. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Multi-proxy signature is a variant of proxy signature, which allows that a delegator (original signer) may delegate his signing rights to many proxy signers. Comparing with proxy signatures, multi-proxy signatures can effectively prevent that some of proxy signers abuse signing rights. Also, with the rapid development of identity-based cryptography, identity-based multi-proxy signature (IBMPS) schemes have been proposed. Comparing with proxy signature based on public key cryptography, IBMPS can simplify key management and be used for more applications. Presently, many identity-based multi-proxy signature schemes have been proposed, but most of them are constructed in the random oracle model. Also, the existing security model for identity-based multi-proxy signature is not enough complete according to the Boldyreva et al.'s work. In this paper, we present a framework for IBMPS on n + 1 users (n is the number of proxy signers participating in signing), and show a detailed security model for IBMPS. Under our framework, we present an identity-based multi-proxy signature scheme in the standard model. Comparing with other identity-based multi-proxy signature schemes, the proposed scheme has more complete security
Introduction: Unwanted mental intrusions (UMI) constitute the normal variants of obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), preoccupations about defects in Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), images about illness in Hypochondriasis (HYP), and thoughts about eating in Eating Disorders (EDs). We sought to investigate the relationships between frequency and discomfort associated with the experience of the four UMI contents, adopting a within-subject perspective. Method: A group of 438 university students and community participants (Mage= 29.84, SD= 11.41; 70.54% women), completed the Questionnaire of Unpleasant Intrusive Thoughts to assess the frequency and discomfort of four UMI contents related to OCD, BDD, HYP and EDs. Results: Just over 76% of participants reported having experienced the four sets of intrusions. The ED-related were the most frequent but the least disturbing, whereas HYP intrusions were the least frequent but the most disturbing. The four UMI were significantly related to each other, both in frequency and discomfort. Women experienced OCD, BDD, and ED-related intrusions more frequently than men. Age was negatively associated with the frequency and distress of the four UMIs. Conclusions: UMIs might be a transdiagnostic variable across different disorders such as OCD, BDD, EDs, and Hypochondriasis, and they might contribute to explaining the phenomenological similarities among them.
In the field of psychology, the topic of everyday life as a specific subject of inquiry has been afforded little attention. Indeed, everyday life has recently been analyzed mainly in psychological studies that examine people's ways of behaving and thinking when they act in situations termed as mundane and ordinary. These studies are mainly carried out in two fields of social psychology which we refer to in general terms as Social Cognition and Social Representation Theory. The aim of this paper is to examine how both these fields treat some of the features commonly attributed to everyday life. In particular, the features of familiarization, continuity and stability over time and automaticity are discussed in order to try to figure out meeting points between the two fields mentioned.
Is there a dark side to organic food? Eskine reported that participants exposed to organic food became much more morally judgmental and much less prosocial relative to participants exposed to neutral or comfort foods. This research sparked tremendous media interest, but was based on one experiment with a small sample size. We report three attempts to replicate Eskine using samples conferring high power, preregistered analysis plans, and original materials. Across two direct replications and an online conceptual replication, we found that organic food exposure has little to no effect on moral judgments (d = 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.14, 0.26], N = 377) and prosocial behavior (d = 0.03, 95% CI [-0.17, 0.23], N = 377). Mere exposure to organic food is probably not sufficient to substantially change moral behavior.
A root-zone water balance model was used to simulate the soil moisture storage of maize (Zea mays L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) fields in rainfed uplands of eastern India. The simulation study revealed that short duration (95 days) rice fields in uplands remained under ponding condition for a period of 32 days during the entire growing season. Based on the ponding depth requirement in rice fields (50 mm), excess ponding was found for seven days only out of the 32 days of ponding. In contrast, the maize field under similar length of growing season (95 days) and topographic condition could produce harvestable runoff for 23 days. Furthermore, the rice crop was to remain under moisture stress for eight days during its mid-season stage, whereas the maize was found to be without stress during entire growing season. Before sowing of winter crops, the soil moisture in the seeding zone was determined to be depleted below germination soil moisture for 18 and 19 years out of 30 years of simulation in rice and maize fields, respectively. This implies that a second crop, following withdrawal of monsoon, is not possible without pre-sowing irrigation in three out of five years in rainfed uplands. Thus, complete substitution of rice by maize in uplands would create a better scope for rainwater harvesting. Alternatively, partial replacement of rice could be a viable option for meeting both rice demand of the people and harvesting of adequate rainwater for supplemental irrigation to crops in rainy and winter seasons. (c) 2014 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Conventional chloride ingress prediction models rely on simplified assumptions, leading to inaccurate estimations. Reasonable simplifications can be achieved if and only if the effects of all interacting variables are clearly known. In this work, ensemble methods to discover significant parameters that control chloride ingress using long-term field data is developed and presented. The models are trained using dataset consisting of variables describing the concrete mix ingredients, fresh and hardened properties, field conditions as well as chloride profiles. The results analyses confirm that the models are able to determine the optimal subset of the influential variables that best predicts the chloride profile from the input dataset. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pro-environmental behavioural spillover when performing one pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) increases the likelihood of performing another has been identified as a possible way to increase the amount of environmentally friendly behaviours that individuals perform. The current research investigated this spillover process, the role of chronic environmental motivations, goal priming and behavioural similarity. Three studies (two conducted with students and one conducted with the general Australian public) provided evidence to suggest that positive spillover occurs between PEBs that are similar in terms of the resources required to perform them, but not between PEBs that are resource-dissimilar. There was no evidence to suggest that negative spillover (the instance where performing one PEB lessens the likelihood of subsequently performing another) occurred. Chronic environmental striving seems to independently influence the performance of PEBs, especially spending time to be more environmentally friendly. The role of priming goals in the spillover process remains unclear. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Aims/hypothesis: The adipokine adiponectin has insulin-sensitising, anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Recently, the genes for mouse and human adiponectin receptor-1 (ADIPOR1) and -2 (ADIPOR2) have been cloned. The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic variants of the genes encoding ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2 play a role in human metabolism. Materials and methods: We screened ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2 for polymorphisms and determined their association with glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, an atherogenic lipid profile and inflammatory markers in 502 non-diabetic subjects. A subgroup participated in a longitudinal study; these subjects received diet counselling and increased their physical activity. Results: We identified six variants of ADIPOR1 and seven variants of ADIPOR2. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the putative promoter region 8503 bp upstream of the translational start codon (-8503 G/A) of ADIPOR1 (frequency of allele A=0.31) was in almost complete linkage disequilibrium with another SNP (-1927 T/C) in intron 1. Subjects carrying the -8503 A and -1927 C alleles had lower insulin sensitivity, as estimated from a 75 g OGTT (p=0.04) and determined during a euglycaemic clamp (n=295, p=0.04); they also had higher HbA(1)c levels (p=0.02) and, although the difference was not statistically significant, higher liver fat (n=85, determined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, p=0.056) (all p values are adjusted for age, sex and percentage of body fat). In the longitudinal study (n=45), the -8503 A and -1927 C alleles were associated with lower insulin sensitivity (p=0.03) and higher liver fat (p=0.02) at follow-up compared with the -8503 G and -1927 T alleles, independently of basal measurements, sex and baseline and follow-up percentage of body fat. Conclusions/interpretation: The present findings suggest that the -8503 G/A SNP in the promoter or the -1927 T/C SNP in intron 1 of ADIPOR1 may affect insulin sensitivity and liver fat in humans.
This exploratory study utilized a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design to investigate how parents respond to considerate and engaging forms of children's prosocial behavior, whether some prosocial behaviors are more likely to receive reinforcement, and whether reinforcement is associated with specific types of prosocial behavior. Parents of 74 preschoolers completed a questionnaire regarding their child's general prosociality, provided open-ended responses to prosocial vignettes, and completed a questionnaire assessing reinforcement. Open-ended responses showed reinforcement was highly variable across parents and prosocial behaviors. Across open-ended and response-option formats, social reinforcement responses of parent approval, character attributions, and showing love emerged as common reinforcement responses to prosocial behavior, and evidencing similar relationships with comforting and cooperating behaviors. These results suggest that there are multiple ways parents respond to child prosocial behaviors, many of which seem to be attempts to encourage prosociality.
Thermal modeling is used for thermal investigation and optimization of sensors, instruments, and structures. Here, results depend on the chosen modeling approach, the complexity of the model, the quality of material data, and the information about the heat transport conditions of the object of investigation. Despite the widespread application, the advantages and limits of the modeling approaches are partially unknown. For comparison of different modeling approaches, a simplified and analytically describable demonstration object is used. This object is a steel rod at well-defined heat exchange conditions with the environment. For this, analytically describable models, equivalent electrical circuits, and simple and complex finite-element-analysis models are presented. Using the different approaches, static and dynamic simulations are performed and temperatures and temperature fields in the rod are estimated. The results of those calculations, comparisons with measurements, and identification of the sensitive points of the approaches are shown. General conclusions for thermal modeling of complex equipment are drawn.
The effect of four different mulches on fruit quality was quantified, either directly via mineral nutrient contributions or indirectly, by increasing nutrient uptake efficiency in the soil. We hypothesised that fruit nutrient levels would increase more when an organic mulch, containing nutrients, was applied to the soil, with smaller/no increases when an inorganic mulch was applied to the tree row. In this paper, we concentrate on changes in fruit phosphorus (P) concentrations after application of five treatments: a clean cultivated control, an inorganic woven geotextile fabric, and organic mulches - compost, wood chips and a vermi-castings/wood chips combination. The trial was conducted on a commercial farm, Lourensford Estate, South Africa, from October 2008 to April 2012 - on an adjacent light, sandy and heavier, sandy-silt soil. Mineral nutrient analyses of the soil, leaves, mulches and fruit were performed. Yield and fruit size were determined. Soil temperatures and soil water status were recorded hourly during the last two seasons. P concentrations did increase chronologically from the soil, then into leaves and then into the fruit after application of mulches that provided additional P to the soil. Sporadic increases in both leaves and fruit occurred, but could not always be related to treatment effects. The significant consistent increase of P levels of the vermi- castings treatment in the heavy soil is likely to be a combination of reduced irrigation volumes, as well as a treatment effect. All mulches resulted in the well-established buffering of soil temperatures, soil water content and percentage soil carbon. Based on results from this study, it is not feasible to apply mulches for the sole purpose to increase P levels in the soil, leaves or fruit of established trees - although increases were noticed from time to time. In addition to water and temperature modifying effects of mulches that would differ between soil textures and depend on the mulch source, increases in P concentrations may result. As yield efficiency is still the primary factor determining income per hectare for the producer, the decrease in yield that resulted from mulching under these conditions, will still outweigh any positive contributions of mulches. It is therefore of utmost importance to first adjust irrigation volumes to a mulch treatment before the advantageous properties of mulching will be of value.
We propose an ultra-lightweight, compact, and low power block cipher BORON. BORON is a substitution and permutation based network, which operates on a 64-bit plain text and supports a key length of 128/80 bits. BORON has a compact structure which requires 1939 gate equivalents (GEs) for a 128-bit key and 1626 GEs for an 80-bit key. The BORON cipher includes shift operators, round permutation layers, and XOR operations. Its unique design helps generate a large number of active S-boxes in fewer rounds, which thwarts the linear and differential attacks on the cipher. BORON shows good performance on both hardware and software platforms. BORON consumes less power as compared to the lightweight cipher LED and it has a higher throughput as compared to other existing SP network ciphers. We also present the security analysis of BORON and its performance as an ultra-lightweight compact cipher. BORON is a well-suited cipher design for applications where both a small footprint area and low power dissipation play a crucial role.
Advances in clinical immunology in the past year included the report of practice parameters for the diagnosis and management of primary immunodeficiencies to guide the clinician in the approach to these relatively uncommon disorders. We have learned of new gene defects causing immunodeficiency and of new phenotypes expanding the spectrum of conditions caused by genetic mutations such as a specific regulator of telomere elongation (RTEL1) mutation causing isolated natural killer cell deficiency and mutations in ras-associated RAB (RAB27) resulting in immunodeficiency without albinism. Advances in diagnosis included the increasing use of whole-exome sequencing to identify gene defects and the measurement of serum free light chains to identify secondary hypogammaglobulinemias. For several primary immunodeficiencies, improved outcomes have been reported after definitive therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy.
Of an estimated 6.8 million households in the United States headed by young adults, aged 19-25, 5 percent receive housing assistance that is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This research looks for evidence in the 2011 American Housing Survey that the stigma associated with residence in HUD-assisted housing has translated into low self-efficacy and the why try response to becoming economically self-sufficient. In 2011, a majority of these young householders, 58 percent, participated in the labor force, with household median incomes at 96 percent of the poverty line. Forty percent of householders with less than good health or disability participated in the labor force. The vast majority was also parenting. Small families were the norm. An estimated 526,000 children under age 18 lived in assisted housing headed by these young millennials. Of these, 158,000 children were under age 5 and living in households headed by a single adult who was not a labor force participant. Logistic regression was used to find whether there were any statistically significant predictors of labor force participation at the 0.10 level. Good health and no disability of the respondent (OR=3.3, CI=1.5-7.4) and educational attainment of some college (OR=3.2, CI=1.0-10.2) were statistically significant for the entire sample. Each additional adult in the household also increased (OR=1.9) the odds of labor force participation by the household head (CI=.9-3.7). For households headed by a single adult, residence in the Midwest Census Region depressed labor force participation (OR=.32, CI=.10-1.00). We conclude that the discovery of these statistically significant predictors suggests that the stigma of living in assisted housing does not create such low self-efficacy that labor force participation is avoided. Assisted housing reduces the burden on shelters and foster care systems as well as provides a significant safety net for workers who are unable to earn a living wage.
Static VAR compensators (SVC) can improve some of the power quality (PQ) indices such as voltage flicker, unbalances, and power factors in power systems if properly controlled. Different nonlinear and time-varying loads generate these parameters. One of the great nonlinear loads is the electric arc furnace (EAF), which causes waveform distortions, voltage unbalances, and fluctuations. In this paper, a new digital and prediction-based control for thyristor switched capacitors (TSCs) was proposed to compensate an actual steel industrial plant. The digital control was based on generating adequate synchronous pulses, calculating required suitable susceptance, and measuring correct reactive power. The proposed TSC improved the PQ by means of the feedback from voltage and power factor. A predictive method based on time series and recursive least square with dynamic learning factor was then applied to estimate EAF reactive power in the future so that the TSC performance was enhanced by reducing the natural time delay. A band-pass harmonic filter was designed to compensate the load current harmonics and to protect the capacitor banks in the TSC. Finally, the suggested TSC was implemented in a steel industrial plant as an actual power system with 2 EAFs. The modeling and experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed TSC.
The number of times a scientific article has been cited reflects its impact on a specific field. Highly cited articles are known as citation classics. Here, we aim to characterize the most frequently cited articles in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). We searched the ISI Web of Science in Aug 2016 for articles that were cited 100 times or more and evaluated them for several characteristics. The most frequently cited article received 955 citations. The citations mean was 221.6 citations (SD = 162.7). The most recent article was published in 2011. The articles were published in 36 journals, led by The New England Journal of Medicine. Overall authors came from 17 countries, with the United States of America (USA) contributing to 91 (80%) articles. The National Institute of Health was the most common institution of origin for the corresponding author. The most common type of articles was basic science with 77 (67%) articles. These results provide some insights into the most cited research articles in CGD since its first description 60 years ago.
Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is an oncogenic virus causing hemangiomas and myeloid tumors in chickens. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional pro-inflammatory interleukin involved in many types of cancer. We previously demonstrated that IL-6 expression was induced following ALV-J infection in chickens. The aim of this study is to characterize the mechanism by which ALV-J induces IL-6 expression, and the role of IL-6 in tumor development. Our results demonstrate that ALV-J infection increases IL-6 expression in chicken splenocytes, peripheral blood lymphocytes, and vascular endothelial cells. IL-6 production is induced by the ALV-J envelope protein gp85 and capsid protein p27 via PI3K- and NF-kappa B-mediated signaling. IL-6 in turn induced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and its receptor, VEGFR-2, in vascular endothelial cells and embryonic vascular tissues. Suppression of IL-6 using siRNA inhibited the ALV-J induced VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 expression in vascular endothelial cells, indicating that the ALV-J-induced VEGF-A/VEGFR-2 expression is mediated by IL-6. As VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 are important factors in oncogenesis, our findings suggest that ALV-J hijacks IL-6 to promote tumorigenesis, and indicate that IL-6 could potentially serve as a therapeutic target in ALV-J infections.
We introduce a versatile carrier system for in vitro and in vivo immune stimulation based on soft matter DNA nanoparticles (NPs). The incorporation of lipid-modified nucleotides into DNA strands enables the formation of micelles of uniform size. In a single self-assembly step, the micelles can be equipped with immune adjuvant (CpG) motifs and fluorescent probes. The immunological effects of CpG confined at the NP surface were studied in a comprehensive manner in animal experiments. Dose-dependent activation of spleen dendritic cells (DCs) by CpG-conjugated NP was observed, which was accompanied by the pronounced up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecule and cytokine production. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the summer of 1967, a relatively complete skeleton of a juvenile was excavated from the Ishkeenickh River Cave Site (now the Ksi Hlginx River) in British Columbia, Canada, dating from approximately 2000 years ago. This individual, likely aged between 10 and 12 years at time of death, displays osteological features consistent with a chronic arthropathy. The most striking pathological changes are on the spine, with bony ankylosis present on several of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae. Lesions can also be observed on the ribs, the ilia, the femora, and a tibia. The arthritic conditions of juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile-onset adult-type rheumatoid arthritis, along with Klippel-Feil syndrome, are possible aetiologies discussed as part of a differential diagnosis. The presence of post-mortem damage as well as missing bones makes an absolute diagnosis of a disease impossible, however the lesions present on this skeleton seem to be most consistent with juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis. The majority of published research on these diseases appears in clinical contexts, therefore this case study represents a unique opportunity to observe the bony changes that occur with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in the context of palaeopathology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Water pollution by pharmaceutically active compounds is an emerging issue. Toxicological studies reveal that pharmaceuticals are indeed toxic for living organisms. The lack of suitable treatment technology for the complete removal of pharmaceuticals is therefore a major challenge. Advanced oxidation processes are emerging removal techniques that have many advantages versus conventional technologies. Many studies indicate that advanced oxidation processes, either in single or in combination with other degradation techniques, can enhance the degradation of pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions. Here, we review the degradation of pharmaceuticals by sonolysis, an oxidation processes using ultrasound. In this technique, hydroxyl radicals are generated by pyrolytic cleavage of water molecules. We review the influence of operational parameters, additives and hybrid techniques on the degradation of pharmaceuticals. The maximum degradation of organic compounds was observed in the frequency range of 100-1000 kHz, which is in the high-frequency medium-power ultrasound. Even though almost all the experiments presented more than 90 % removal and good biodegradability of the target compound, good mineralization and the toxicity removal were hardly achieved. The efficiency of the degradation varies with water matrixes and varying pH. Major pathways of degradation are hydroxylation, dehalogenation, demethylation, decarboxylation, deamination, etc. More hybrid techniques have to be developed to scale up the application of ultrasound.
The effects of Low Impact Development (LID) practices on urban runoff and pollutants have proven to be positive in many studies. However, the effectiveness of LID practices can vary depending on different urban patterns. In the present study, the performance of LID practices was explored under three land uses with different urban forms: (1) a compact high-density urban form; (2) a conventional medium-density urban form; and (3) a conservational medium-density urban form. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used and model development was performed to reflect hydrologic behavior by the application of LID practices. Rain gardens, permeable pavements, and rainwater harvesting tanks were considered for simulations, and a modeling procedure for the representation of LID practices in SWAT was specifically illustrated in this context. Simulations were done for each land use, and the results were compared and evaluated. The application of LID practices demonstrated a decrease in surface runoff and pollutant loadings for all land uses, and different reductions were represented in response to the land uses with different urban forms on a watershed scale. In addition, the results among post-LIDs scenarios generally showed lower values for surface runoff and nitrate in the compact high-density urban land use and for total phosphorus in the conventional medium-density urban land use compared to the other land uses. We suggest effective strategies for implementing LID practices.
Congenital causes of erythrocytosis are now more easily identified due to the improvement of the molecular characterization of many of them. Among these causes, hemoglobins with high oxygen affinity take a large place. The aim of this work was to reevaluate the diagnostic approach of these disorders. To assess the current practices, we sent a questionnaire to the expert laboratories in the diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies in France and Belgium. In parallel, we gathered the methods used for the diagnosis of the hemoglobins with high oxygen affinity indexed in the international database HbVar. Even though they remain a rare cause of erythrocytosis (1 to 5 positive diagnosis every year in each of the questioned specialized laboratories), hemoglobins with high oxygen affinity are increasingly suspected by clinicians. Phenotypic it enables the finding of 93% of them in the questioned laboratories (28 of the 30 variants diagnosed during the last 5 years). Among the 96 hemoglobin variants with high oxygen affinity indexed in the international database, 87% could be diagnosed with phenotypic techniques. A direct measure of the p50 with the Hemox-Analyzer is included in the diagnostic approach of half of the laboratories only, because of the poor availability of this apparatus. Comparatively, the estimation of p50 by blood gas analyzers on venous blood is a much more convenient and attractive method but due to the lack of proof as to its effectiveness in the diagnosis of hemoglobins with high oxygen affinity, it requires further investigations. Beta- and alphaglobin genes analysis by molecular biology techniques is essential as it either allows a quick and definite identification of the variant or definitely excludes the diagnosis. It is thus systematically performed as a first or second step method, according to the laboratory practice.
As maize was domesticated in Mexico around 9,000years ago, local farmers have selected and maintained seed stocks with particular traits and adapted to local conditions. In the present day, many of these landraces are still cultivated; however, increased urbanization and migration from rural areas implies a risk that this invaluable maize germplasm may be lost. In order to implement an efficient mechanism of conservation in situ, the diversity of these landrace populations must be estimated. Development of a method to select the minimum number of samples that would include the maximum number of alleles and identify germplasm harboring rare combinations of particular alleles will also safeguard the efficient ex-situ conservation of this germplasm. To reach this goal, a strategy based on SSR analysis and a novel algorithm to define a minimum collection and rare genotypes using landrace populations from Puebla State, Mexico, was developed as a proof of concept for methodology that could be extended to all maize landrace populations in Mexico and eventually to other native crops. The SSR-based strategy using bulked DNA samples allows rapid processing of large numbers of samples and can be set up in most laboratories equipped for basic molecular biology. Therefore, continuous monitoring of landrace populations locally could easily be carried out. This methodology can now be applied to support incentives for small farmers for the in situ conservation of these traditional cultivars.
This paper discusses the automated visual identification of individual great white sharks from dorsal fin imagery. We propose a computer vision photo ID system and report recognition results over a database of thousands of unconstrained fin images. To the best of our knowledge this line of work establishes the first fully automated contour-based visual ID system in the field of animal biometrics. The approach put forward appreciates shark fins as textureless, flexible and partially occluded objects with an individually characteristic shape. In order to recover animal identities from an image we first introduce an open contour stroke model, which extends multi-scale region segmentation to achieve robust fin detection. Secondly, we show that combinatorial, scale-space selective fingerprinting can successfully encode fin individuality. We then measure the species-specific distribution of visual individuality along the fin contour via an embedding into a global 'fin space'. Exploiting this domain, we finally propose a non-linear model for individual animal recognition and combine all approaches into a fine-grained multi-instance framework. We provide a system evaluation, compare results to prior work, and report performance and properties in detail.
A new taxonomy of issues related to CAD model quality is presented, which distinguishes between explicit and procedural models. For each type of model, morphologic, syntactic, and semantic errors are characterized. The taxonomy was validated successfully when used to classify quality testing tools, which are aimed at detecting and repairing data errors that may affect the simplification, interoperability, and reusability of CAD models. The study shows that low semantic level errors that hamper simplification are reasonably covered in explicit representations, although many CAD quality testers are still unaffordable for Small and Medium Enterprises, both in terms of cost and training time. Interoperability has been reasonably solved by standards like STEP AP 203 and AP214, but model reusability is not feasible in explicit representations. Procedural representations are promising, as interactive modeling editors automatically prevent most morphologic errors derived from unsuitable modeling strategies. Interoperability problems between procedural representations are expected to decrease dramatically with STEP AP242. Higher semantic aspects of quality such as assurance of design intent, however, are hardly supported by current CAD quality testers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Today's network is distributed and heterogeneous in nature and has numerous applications which affect day to day life, such as e-Banking, e-Booking of tickets, on line shopping etc. Hence the security of the network is crucial. Threats in the network can be due to intrusions. Such threats can be observed and handled using Intrusion Detection System. The security can be achieved using intrusion detection system, which observes the data traffic and identifies it as an intrusion or not. The objective of this paper is to design a model using game theoretic approach for intrusion detection. Game model is designed by defining players, strategies and utility functions to identify the Probe attacks. This model is tested with NSLKDD data set. The model is the Probe attacks are identified by dominated strategies elimination method. Experimental results shows that game model identifies the attacks with good detection rate.
In this paper, we present a numerical solution method which is based on Taylor Matrix Method to give approximate solution of the Bagley-Torvik equation. Given method is transformed the Bagley-Torvik equation into a system of algebraic equations. This algebraic equations are solved through by assistance of Maple 13. Then, we have coefficients of the generalized Taylor series. So, we obtain the approximate solution with terms of the generalized Taylor series. Further some numerical examples are given to illustrate and establish the accuracy and reliability of the proposed algorithm.
The confounded signal hypothesis maintains that facial expressions of anger and happiness, in order to more efficiently communicate threat or nurturance, evolved forms that take advantage of older gender recognition systems, which were already attuned to similar affordances. Two unexplored consequences of this hypothesis are (1) facial gender should automatically interfere with discriminations of anger and happiness, and (2) controlled attentional processes (like working memory) may be able to override the interference of these particular expressions on gender discrimination. These issues were explored by administering a Garner interference task along with a working memory task as an index of controlled attention. Results show that those with good attentional control were able to eliminate interference of expression on gender decisions but not the interference of gender on expression decisions. Trials in which the stimulus attributes were systematically correlated also revealed strategic facilitation for participants high in attentional control.
BackgroundIf people do not recognize posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, they may not realize they are suffering from the disorder. Likewise, if people do not know that effective treatments exist, they may be unlikely to seek care. This study examined what people with PTSD symptoms know about PTSD and its treatment. We hypothesized that military service and prior receipt of PTSD treatment would be associated with greater PTSD knowledge. MethodsWe conducted an online survey assessing knowledge in three domains: trauma, PTSD symptoms, and effective PTSD treatments. Participants were 301 adults (50% veterans) who were drawn from a national research panel and screened positive for PTSD. ResultsWhen asked to identify items from a list, participants had better recognition for traumatic events (M = 72.2% of items correct) and PTSD symptoms (M = 62.3%) than for effective PTSD treatments (M = 37.9%). Across domains, participants often identified false items as true. Most participants thought divorce was a trauma that could cause PTSD, that drug addiction was a PTSD symptom, and that support groups are effective PTSD treatments. Prior receipt of PTSD treatment was associated with better symptom recognition (b = .86, P = .003). Being a military veteran was associated with better trauma recognition (b = .56, P = .025), but poorer treatment recognition (b = -.65, P = .034). ConclusionsPeople with PTSD symptoms lack knowledge about the disorder, especially regarding effective treatments. Public education about PTSD is needed so that people recognize when to seek care and which treatments to choose.
Mismatch removal is a key step in many computer vision problems. In this paper, we handle the mismatch removal problem by adopting shape interaction matrix (SIM). Given the homogeneous coordinates of the two corresponding point sets, we first compute the SIMs of the two point sets. Then, we detect the mismatches by picking out the most different entries between the two SIMs. Even under strong affine transformations, outliers, noises, and burstiness, our method can still work well. Actually, this paper is the first non-iterative mismatch removal method that achieves affine invariance. Extensive results on synthetic 2D points matching data sets and real image matching data sets verify the effectiveness, efficiency, and robustness of our method in removing mismatches. Moreover, when applied to partial-duplicate image search, our method reaches higher retrieval precisions with shorter time cost compared with the state-of-the-art geometric verification methods.
With water scarcity becoming an increasingly critical issue for modern society, solar seawater desalination represents a promising approach to mitigating water shortage. In addition, solar seawater desalination shows great potential for mitigating the energy crisis due to its high photo-thermal conversion efficiency. However, the increasing contamination of seawater makes it difficult to generate clean water through simple desalination processes. In this work, clean water is generated by a,newly designed bifunctional Au@TiO2 core-shell nanoparticle film with a high photo-thermal conversion efficiency that is capable of photocatalysis and solar evaporation for seawater desalination. Bifunctional films of Au@TiO2 core-shell nanoparticles with good stability were prepared. It was found that the formation of the core-shell structures played a key role in promoting the photo-thermal conversion efficiency and the evaporation of seawater, while the photocatalytic function demonstrated herein could contribute to the purification of polluted seawater. Furthermore, the film structure can serve to concentrate the NPs for the photo-reaction, as well as heat for water evaporation, improving both the photo-reaction efficiency and photo-thermal conversion efficiency. This efficient approach to solar seawater desalination, which combines evaporation with the photodegradation of pollutants, could help to address the dual issues of water scarcity and water pollution. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The renal glomerulus consists of glomerular endothelial cells, podocytes, and mesangial cells, which cooperate with each other for glomerular filtration. We have produced monoclonal antibodies against glomerular cells in order to identify different types of glomerular cells. Among these antibodies, the E30 clone specifically recognizes the Thy1.1 molecule expressed on mesangial cells. An injection of this antibody into rats resulted in mesangial cell-specific injury within 15 min, and induced mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in a reproducible manner. We examined the role of mesangial cells in glomerular function using several experimental tools, including an E30-induced nephritis model, mesangial cell culture, and the deletion of specific genes. Herein, we describe the characterization of E30-induced nephritis, formation of the glomerular capillary network, mesangial matrix turnover, and intercellular signaling between glomerular cells. New molecules that are involved in a wide variety of mesangial cell functions are also introduced.
BACKGROUND: In 2014, the European Society for Immune Deficiencies (ESID) revised the common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) diagnosis criteria by incorporating new clinical and biological markers. The new definition appeared more restrictive but had not yet been evaluated in a large cohort of patients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of this new definition in a large cohort of patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia. METHODS: Evaluation of 3 different CVID definitions (ESID/Pan-American Group for Immunodeficiency [PAGID] 1999, ESID 2014, DEFI 2015) in 521 patients included in the French DEFI study with a diagnosis of primary hypogammaglobulinemia. RESULTS: Using the ESID/PAGID 1999 definition, 351 patients were classified as CVID. The new ESID 2014 definition excluded 62 (18%) patients. Most of them (n [56; 90%) had a less severe disease, whereas 6 (10%) presented with a severe disease with major T-cell defect. We propose different criteria (occurrence of opportunistic infection or very low naive CD4D T-cell count) to define this population with severe T-cell defect. Sixty-two patients fulfilled these criteria, represented 20% of the initial CVID population but accounted for 77% of the deaths, with a 5-year overall survival of 67.6% (95% confidence interval, 51.0-79.6), and were considered as late onset combined immunodeficiency (LOCID). CONCLUSIONS: The new ESID definition for CVID still fails to exclude a large number of patients with severe T-cell defect. We propose a new definition (DEFI 2015) that excluded more patients with a T-cell defect and consider these patients as LOCID. This population has a poor outcome and should be considered as a distinct group requiring specific care. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
An approximately 59-year (1955-2014) sedimentary record of metal elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn, and Fe) in a sediment core, collected from the Huaihe River, Huainan City, Anhui Province, China, was reconstructed by using Pb-210 geochronology. Copper, Zn, Ni, Co, and Mn evaluated by enrichment factor (EF) indicated minor contamination due to water pollution accidents of the Huaihe River that occurred in 1990s and 2004. Lead presented the most severe pollution among the metals studied, especially during 1957-1974. The use of leaded petrol and atmospheric deposition of coal combustion flue gases could have contributed to Pb contamination. In spite of the general good quality (mean sediment pollution index (SPI) 35.69) of the sediment core evaluated by SPI based on the principal component analysis, worse sediment qualities in the upper section (<6 cm, 2004) were still observed, suggesting intensive human activities causing the increasing concentrations of metals in recent decades.
This article describes a creative design activity to introduce engineering students to mechatronic prototyping. Our goal was to find a creative task to increase student confidence and skills in mechanical design, electrical circuits, microcontrollers, and programming. We present the Paper Robot exercise, a design activity that blends everyday materials such as cardboard, with electronic components. This activity was introduced during the 2010-2011 academic year and has been repeated every year since, in a global, industry-sponsored design course at Stanford University. The Paper Robot exercise resulted from the observation that students were intimidated to create functional prototypes with microcontrollers. The teaching team needed a way to quickly introduce tools for programming electronic components and to encourage creative experimentation early in the course. Results include a 100% task performance rate of students that successfully made a robot meeting the minimum requirements. 76% of students reported an increase in knowledge in programming microcontrollers (Arduino), and 69% increased their knowledge in creating electronic circuits out of raw components. This activity may be modified to introduce younger students to mechatronic platforms in STEM education curriculum.
This study aims to analyze the relationships among the types of life stress, smart mobile phone addiction, and life satisfaction of university students in Taiwan. The subjects were 332 university students in northern Taiwan, including 64.8% males and 35.2% females. The research tools were the scale of university students' daily life stress, scale of smart mobile phone addiction, and scale of university students' life satisfaction. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, product-moment correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results suggested that (1) university students' love-affair stress and academic stress positively influence smart mobile phone addiction; (2) their stress of interpersonal relationship, stress of self-career, family life stress, and time management and issues significantly influence their life satisfaction. Finally, based on the findings, suggestions are proposed for teachers, university students, and future research.
Alzheimer's disease is a complex progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder, being its prevalence expected to rise over the next decades. Unconventional strategies for elucidating the genetic mechanisms are necessary due to its polygenic nature. In this work, the input information sources are five: a public DNA microarray that measures expression levels of control and patient samples, repositories of known genes associated to Alzheimer's disease, additional data, Gene Ontology and finally, a literature review or expert knowledge to validate the results. As methodology to identify genes highly related to this disease, we present the integration of three machine learning techniques: particularly, we have used decision trees, quantitative association rules and hierarchical cluster to analyze Alzheimer's disease gene expression profiles to identify genes highly linked to this neurodegenerative disease, through changes in their expression levels between control and patient samples. We propose an ensemble of decision trees and quantitative association rules to find the most suitable configurations of the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm GarNet, in order to overcome the complex parametrization intrinsic to this type of algorithms. To fulfill this goat, GarNet has been executed using multiple configuration settings and the well-known C4.5 has been used to find the minimum accuracy to be satisfied. Then, GarNet is rerun to identify dependencies between genes and their expression levels, so we are able to distinguish between healthy individuals and Alzheimer's patients using the configurations that overcome the minimum threshold of accuracy defined by C4.5 algorithm. Finally, a hierarchical cluster analysis has been used to validate the obtained gene-Alzheimer's Disease associations provided by GarNet The results have shown that the obtained rules were able to successfully characterize the underlying information, grouping relevant genes for Alzheimer Disease. The genes reported by our approach provided two well defined groups that perfectly divided the samples between healthy and Alzheimer's Disease patients. To prove the relevance of the obtained results, a statistical test and gene expression fold-change were used. Furthermore, this relevance has been summarized in a volcano plot, showing two clearly separated and significant groups of genes that are up or down-regulated in Alzheimer's Disease patients. A biological knowledge integration phase was performed based on the information fusion of systematic literature review, enrichment Gene Ontology terms for the described genes found in the hippocampus of patients. Finally, a validation phase with additional data and a permutation test is carried out, being the results consistent with previous studies. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Hypertension or high blood pressure is on the rise. Not only does it affect the elderly but is also increasingly spreading to younger sectors of the population. Treating this condition involves exhaustive monitoring of patients. The current mobile health services can be improved to perform this task more effectively. Objective: To develop a useful, user-friendly, robust and efficient app, to monitor hypertensive patients and adapted to the particular requirements of hypertension. Methods: This work presents BPcontrol, an Android and iOS app that allows hypertensive patients to communicate with their health-care centers, thus facilitating monitoring and diagnosis. Usability, robustness and efficiency factors for BPcontrol were evaluated for different devices and operating systems (Android, iOS and system-aware). Furthermore, its features were compared with other similar apps in the literature. Results: BPcontrol is robust and user-friendly. The respective start-up efficiency of the Android and iOS versions of BPcontrol were 2.4 and 8.8 times faster than a system-aware app. Similar values were obtained for the communication efficiency (7.25 and 11.75 times faster for the Android and iOS respectively). When comparing plotting performance, BPcontrol was on average 2.25 times faster in the Android case. Most of the apps in the literature have no communication with a server, thus making it impossible to compare their performance with BPcontrol. Conclusions: Its optimal design and the good behavior of its facilities make BPcontrol a very promising mobile app for monitoring hypertensive patients.
The aim of the study was to compare clinical manifestations, disease activity, functional capacity, spinal mobility, and radiological findings between men and women from a multicenter, multiethnic Ibero-American cohort of patients with Spondyloarthritis (SpA). This observational cross-section study included 1264 consecutive SpA patients who fulfilled the modified New York criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Demographic, clinical, and radiologic data were evaluated. Categorical data were compared by chi(2) or Fisher's exact tests and continuous variables by ANOVA with post-hoc tests. Primary AS was diagnosed in 1072 patients, psoriatic spondylitis in 147, and spondylitis associated to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in 45 patients. Overall, male patients were significantly younger, had longer diagnostic delay, lower disease activity, worse spinal mobility, better quality of life, and more severe radiologic damage. Dactylitis and enthesitis, as well as swollen joint count, were significantly more common among women. In primary AS, there was a marked male predominance (76.2%). Among patients with psoriatic spondylitis, male predominance was lower (57.8%), but was also associated with worse spinal mobility and more severe radiologic damage. In the total population, male patients with primary AS referred higher permanent work disability (13.2% vs 6.9%; P<0.05), although no difference was observed in psoriatic or IBD spondylitis according to the gender. Among Ibero-American SpA patients, there are some differences in clinical and radiological manifestations, men showing more structural damage, whereas women more active disease. These data suggest that the phenotype of SpA differs between genders. This can influence the subsequent diagnostic approach and therapeutic decisions.
A 1 kW-class electrochemical reactor for hydrogen production was developed using bipolar plates. To fabricate thick, large-area electrodes, a particle electrode fabrication method was also introduced. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and galvanostatic performance measurements were performed to evaluate the particle electrodes. The results show that the particle electrodes exhibit an excellent charge performance despite the electrode material layer being relatively thick and highly porous. The electrochemical reactor contained 20 single cells stacked together with 30 A h of nickel hydroxide and 15 A h of metal hydride as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The electrochemical tests showed that the stack exhibited a high hydrogen production efficiency with a maximum current efficiency of 95.3% for hydrogen production and a hydrogen evolution amount per unit input electrical energy of 259.1 mL/W h at 0.2 C. At high current densities (2.0 C), a rapid temperature increase was also observed during the charging process, which led to a reduction of the hydrogen production efficiency. Therefore, further design modifications are needed to control heat generation during operation of the device. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
AimThe aim of this study was to explore factors affecting adaptation to the role of motherhood in mothers of preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. BackgroundTransition to motherhood often causes significant issues in terms of adaptation to the role of motherhood. The main factors leading to parental stress, especially in the neonatal intensive care unit, have shown that the greatest source of stress is the loss of women's role as mothers. DesignIt was a qualitative study with content analysis approach. MethodsSemi-structured in-depth interviews were used for data collection. Interviews were conducted with 17 mothers of preterm infants (under 36weeks) who had been hospitalized for at least one week in the neonatal intensive care unit. Purposive sampling with maximum diversity was used to recruit mothers in Kermanshah province (west of Iran). Data was collected during 2013-2014. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using conventional content analysis. FindingsExplanation of the mothers' perspective towards factors affecting adaptation to the role of motherhood led to two main categories of individual factors (emotional distress, self-efficacy, interaction and alienation) and social factors (support, prejudice). ConclusionAdaptation to the role of motherhood can be promoted through supporting mothers of preterm infants, empowering them and increasing their self-efficacy, to eliminate negative factors and emotions.
What Kirchhoff actually did concerning spanning trees in the course of his classic paper in the 1847 Annalen der Physik und Chemie has, to some extent, long been shrouded in myth in the literature of Graph Theory and Mathematical Chemistry. In this review, Kirchhoff's manipulation of the equations that arise from application of his two celebrated Laws of electrical circuits - formulated in the middle of the 19th century - is related to 20th-and 21st-century work on the enumeration of spanning trees. It is shown that matrices encountered in an analysis of what Kirchhoff really did include (a) the Kirchhoff (Laplacian, Admittance) matrix, K, that features in the well-known Matrix Tree Theorem, (b) the matrix G encountered in the theorem of Gutman, Mallion & Essam (1983), applicable only to planar graphs, and (c) the analogous matrix M that arises in the Cycle Theorem (Kirby et al. 2004), a theorem that applies to graphs of any genus. It is concluded that Kirchhoff himself was not interested in counting spanning trees, and, accordingly, he did not explicitly do so. Nevertheless, it is shown how the modulus of the determinant of a certain matrix (here denoted by the label C') - associated with the linear equations arising from application of Kirchhoff's two Laws - is numerically equal to the number of spanning trees in the graph representing the connectivity of the electrical network being studied. Kirchhoff did, however, invoke the concept of spanning trees, introducing them in a complementary fashion by referring to the chords that must be removed from the original graph in order to form such trees. It is further emphasised that, in choosing the cycles in the network being studied, around which to apply his circuit Law, Kirchhoff explicitly selected what would now be called a 'Fundamental System of Cycles'.
Heterotrimeric G proteins signal at a variety of endomembrane locations, in addition to their canonical function at the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane (PM), where they are activated by cell surface G protein-coupled receptors. Here we focus on signaling at the Golgi, where activates a signaling cascade, ultimately resulting in vesicle fission from the trans-Golgi network (TGN). To develop a novel molecular tool for inhibiting endogenous in a spatial-temporal manner, we take advantage of a lipid association mutant of the widely used inhibitor GRK2ct (GRK2ct-KERE) and the FRB/FKBP heterodimerization system. We show that GRK2ct-KERE cannot inhibit function when expressed in cells, but recruitment to a specific membrane location recovers the ability of GRK2ct-KERE to inhibit signaling. PM-recruited GRK2ct-KERE inhibits lysophosphatidic acid-induced phosphorylation of Akt, whereas Golgi-recruited GRK2ct-KERE inhibits cargo transport from the TGN to the PM. Moreover, we show that Golgi-recruited GRK2ct-KERE inhibits model basolaterally targeted but not apically targeted cargo delivery, for both PM-destined and secretory cargo, providing the first evidence of selectivity in terms of cargo transport regulated by . Last, we show that Golgi fragmentation induced by ilimaquinone and nocodazole is blocked by inhibition, demonstrating that is a key regulator of multiple pathways that impact Golgi morphology. Thus, we have developed a new molecular tool, recruitable GRK2ct-KERE, to modulate signaling at specific subcellular locations, and we demonstrate novel cargo selectivity for regulation of TGN to PM transport and a novel role for in mediating Golgi fragmentation.
Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) remains a major complication of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with a significant proportion of patients failing to respond to first-line systemic corticosteroids. Reliable biomarkers predicting disease severity and response to treatment are warranted to improve its management. Thus, we sought to determine whether pentraxin 3 (PTX3), an acutephase protein produced locally at the site of inflammation, could represent a novel acute GvHD biomarker. Using a murine model of the disease, we found increased PTX3 plasma levels after irradiation and at GvHD onset. Similarly, plasma PTX3 was enhanced in 115 pediatric patients on day of transplantation, likely due to conditioning, and at GvHD onset in patients experiencing clinical symptoms of the disease. PTX3 was also found increased in skin and colon biopsies from patients with active disease. Furthermore, PTX3 plasma levels at GvHD onset were predictive of disease outcome since they resulted significantly higher in both severe and therapyunresponsive patients. Multiple injections of rhPTX3 in the murine model of GvHD did not influence the disease course. Taken together, our results indicate that PTX3 constitutes a biomarker of GvHD severity and therapy response useful to tailor treatment intensity according to early risk-stratification of GvHD patients.
This study developed a novel mobile industrial-scale fluidized adsorption process and preliminarily explored its application in the emergency water treatment. A lab-based Liquid-Solid Circulating Fluidized Bed (LSCFB) was prepared and the flow pattern was studied by validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. The simulation results revealed that the particular uneven flow structure, which could weaken aniline removal performance, occurred with increasing superficial liquid velocity. Accordingly, an optimized distributor design was constructed by the established CFD models; notably, the effect of open angles on the flow pattern, which was often overlooked by previous studies, was mainly discussed. Then, the aniline removal efficiency of LSCFB pre and post optimization was compared. The experimental results demonstrate that dynamic adsorption capacity on aniline reached 70 mg/g under the optimum conditions (initial aniline concentration of 100 mg/L, superficial liquid velocity of 3u(mf) and sorbent dosage of 27 g/L). By comparison with fixed-bed adsorption, the LSCFB possessed significantly higher adsorption rate constants and shorter hydraulic retention time, which indicates that LSCFB could meet emergency treatment requirements in a better way. Finally, the study developed the mobile industrial-scale fluidized adsorption process and estimated process parameters for aniline removal in the Sudden Water Pollution Accident of Zhuozhang River. (C) 2016 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.
Purpose: The aim of the study was to characterize age-group differences on the Driver Risk Inventory-II (DRI-II) in a group of driving under the influence (DUI) offenders. Method: Data from 11,066 DUI cases from the state of Nebraska were used. The sample was grouped by age (18-20, 21-39, 40-59, and 60-84) and compared on the subscales of the DRI-II. Results: Older adult DUI finders accounted for 2.90% (95% confidence interval [CI] = [2.60, 3.23]) of all DUI cases. Older adult DUI offenders not only demonstrated significantly greater Alcohol Risk scores than younger age groups but also had significantly lower Driver Risk scores than younger age groups. Implications: The results of this study demonstrate age-related differences in alcohol and driving risk among DUI offenders. This study provides a starting point from which investigators and clinicians can further address the issue of alcohol use and driving in older adults.
Digital control in switching power converters has been proposed and researched in recent years. However, one of the problems which arise in these circuits is that of quantization-induced limit cycle oscillations, which are generally considered to be undesirable. In this work, we investigate the addition of new control terms in the feedback loop of the system, in order to actively prevent these limit cycles from occurring. Firstly, the addition of a sinusoidal signal is considered, and then a more complicated signal which focuses on interrupting how the system switches between duty cycle levels is presented. The methods are effective in removing the limit cycle oscillations which arise in the system. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper presents a power electronic converter used to redistribute the power among the phases in unbalanced power systems, which is supposed to be designed based on the involved degree of unbalance. A bidirectional converter is chosen for this purpose, whose modeling is presented in the dq0 system. This solution can be considered as part of a unified control system, where conventional active power filters may be solely responsible for compensating harmonics and/or the tuning of passive filters becomes easier, with consequent reduction in involved costs in a decentralized approach. The adopted control strategy is implemented in digital signal processor TMS320F2812, while experimental results obtained from an experimental prototype rated at 17.86 kVA are properly discussed considering that the converter is placed at the secondary side of a transformer supplying three distinct single-phase loads. It is effectively shown that the converter is able to balance the currents in the transformer phases, thus leading to the suppression of the neutral current.
Quercetin is a polyphenolic flavonoid found in many plants and is used as a nutritional supplement. It has been reported to have biological properties that may play an important role in the prevention of human diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, ulcer, cataract and allergies. In this research, solidified floating organic drop microextraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography was used to extract and determine quercetin in Rosa canina L., growing in different areas of Lorestan Province in Iran. The effect of important experimental variables such as type and volume of extracting organic solvent, extraction temperature and time, pH and effect of ionic strength on the extraction recovery was investigated and optimized. Under the optimum extraction conditions, a linear response was obtained over the range of 0.5-40 A mu g mL(-1). Relative standard deviation (RSD%) and enrichment factor were found to be 3.4% and 230, respectively. The proposed method was applied successfully for the determination of quercetin in calycles and fruit of R. canina L. samples. The results showed good agreement compared with those obtained by a validated standard method .
A new photochromic diarylethene bearing naphthyl unit was synthesized efficiently. Its photochromic properties and the fluorescence property were examined in hexane solution and in PMMA film. The concentration effect in hexane solution was investigated also. The results indicated that the photochromic diarylethene have good photochromic property and exhibit remarkable fluorescence switching property and when the concentration at 2 x 10(-5) mol/L the fluorescence peak have the maximum.
Grid voltage feedforward is extensively used for controlling grid-connected converters. However, the conventional voltage feedforward control reduces the stability margins of the converter connected to a high-impedance grid. The effect mechanism of voltage feedforward on the grid-connected converter control under high-inductive conditions of the grid impedance is clearly explained in this study using the equivalent transformations of control block diagrams. Results show that the delay produced by the digital control is the root cause of this effect. An improved voltage feedforward strategy, in which a bandpass filter (BPF) is introduced into the feedforward path, is proposed to strengthen the converter's robust stability against grid impedance variations. The selection method of the BPF's bandwidth is also provided considering the tradeoff between the response speed to the grid voltage sag and the system's robust stability. The converter can work stably over a wide range of the grid impedance through the proposed approach. Simulation and experimental results fully verify the effectiveness of the BPF-based voltage feedforward strategy.
A method is presented for modeling the tensile behavior of multifilament twisted yarns. A filament assembly model and a computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering (CAD/CAE) approach are proposed for the tensile analysis. The geometry of the twisted yarn and the nonlinear filament properties were considered. The finite element method (FEM) and large deformation effects were applied for computation of the stress-extension curves. Ideal yarn structures of five layers with different twist angles were simulated to predict the tensile behavior of each filament and each layer. The stress acting on the filaments after yarn extension could be directly analyzed by the FEM. The stress distribution in the filaments showed that the highest stress regions were located at the filament in the center of the yarn and decreased slightly to the yarn surface. The stress-extensions of the filaments were converted to yarn tensile behavior that is shown in terms of the maximum and average stress-extension curves. The results of this prediction model were compared with the stress-strain curves of high-tenacity rayon yarn and the energy method. The maximum stress-extension curves showed very good agreement with experimental results and are more accurate than those obtained by previous methods.
Background: To meet their aims of providing comprehensive and coordinated care, patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) need to coordinate services for individuals with substance use disorders. Yet, the 14,000 addiction treatment (AT) organizations across the United States that provide services for more than 1 million individuals daily are generally ill-prepared to work with PCMHs (eg, AT organizations often lack electronic health records). Objectives: To examine the extent to which AT organizations have formal linkages through contracts with PCMHs; to identify key dimensions of linkages between PCMHs and AT organizations (eg, shared use of electronic health records); to identify characteristics of AT organizations and their environments associated with these linkages. Materials and Methods: We draw on data from a 2014 nationally representative survey of directors and clinical supervisors from 695 AT organizations (n = 1390 survey respondents). Results: Thirty-eight percent of patients across the nation are receiving treatment in AT organizations linked by contracts to PCMHs. This number increases to 51% in states that expanded Medicaid (vs. only 6.2% of patients in non-Medicaid expansion states). Yet, the great majority of linkages are relatively weak; they do not include the exchange of patient information. Results from multivariable analyses show that larger, nonprofit and publicly owned AT organizations, as well as those located in the northeast and in states that expanded Medicaid coverage, are more likely to have contracts with PCMHs. Conclusions: Without stronger linkages between AT organizations and PCMHs or the development of other models that integrate services, individuals with substance abuse disorders may continue to receive uncoordinated care.
Water erosion causes soil degradation and nonpoint pollution. Pollutants are primarily transported on the surfaces of fine soil and sediment particles. Several soil loss models and empirical equations have been developed for the size distribution estimation of the sediment leaving the field, including the physically-based models and empirical equations. Usually, physically-based models require a large amount of data, sometimes exceeding the amount of available data in the modeled area. Conversely, empirical equations do not always predict the sediment composition associated with individual events and may require data that are not always available. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a model to predict the particle size distribution (PSD) of eroded soil. A total of 41 erosion events from 21 soils were used. These data were compiled from previous studies. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to identify the main variables controlling sediment PSD. These variables were the particle size distribution in the soil matrix, the antecedent soil moisture condition, soil erodibility, and hillslope geometry. With these variables, an artificial neural network was calibrated using data from 29 events (r(2) = 0.98, 0.97, and 0.86; for sand, silt, and clay in the sediment, respectively) and then validated and tested on 12 events (r(2) = 0.74, 0.85, and 0.75; for sand, silt, and clay in the sediment, respectively). The artificial neural network was compared with three empirical models. The network presented better performance in predicting sediment PSD and differentiating rain-runoff events in the same soil. In addition to the quality of the particle distribution estimates, this model requires a small number of easily obtained variables, providing a convenient routine for predicting PSD in eroded sediment in other pollutant transport models. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rapid and progressive advances in molecular biology techniques and the advent of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) have opened new possibilities for analyses also in the identification of entomological matrixes. Insects and other arthropods are widespread in nature and those found at a crime scene can provide a useful contribution to forensic investigations. Entomological evidence is used by experts to define the postmortem interval (PMI), which is essentially based on morphological recognition of the insect and an estimation of its insect life cycle stage. However, molecular genotyping methods can also provide an important support for forensic entomological investigations when the identification of species or human genetic material is required. This case study concerns a collection of insects found in the house of a woman who died from unknown causes. Initially the insects were identified morphologically as belonging to the Pediculidae family, and then, human DNA was extracted and analyzed from their gastrointestinal tract. The application of the latest generation forensic DNA assays, such as the Quantifiler (R) Trio DNA Quantification Kit and the HID-Ion AmpliSeq (TM) Identity Panel (Applied Biosystems (R)), individuated the presence of human DNA in the samples and determined the genetic profile. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the present paper, a new memristor based oscillator is obtained from the autonomous Jerk circuit [Kengne et al., Nonlinear Dynamics (2016) 83: 751-765] by substituting the nonlinear element of the original circuit with a first order memristive diode bridge. The model is described by a continuous time four-dimensional autonomous system with smooth nonlinearities. Various nonlinear analysis tools such as phase portraits, time series, bifurcation diagrams, Poincare section and the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents are exploited to characterize different scenarios to chaos in the novel circuit. It is found that the system experiences period doubling and crisis routes to chaos. One of the major results of this work is the finding of a window in the parameters' space in which the circuit develops hysteretic behaviors characterized by the coexistence of four different (periodic and chaotic) attractors for the same values of the system parameters. Basins of attractions of various coexisting attractors are plotted showing complex basin boundaries. As far as the authors' knowledge goes, the novel memristive jerk circuit represents one of the simplest electrical circuits (no analog multiplier chip is involved) capable of four disconnected coexisting attractors reported to date. Both PSpice simulations of the nonlinear dynamics of the oscillator and laboratory experimental measurements are carried out to validate the theoretical analysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We examine the transient evolution of a negatively buoyant, laminar plume in an emptying filling box containing a uniform porous medium. In the long time limit, tau ->infinity, the box is partitioned into two uniform layers of different densities. However, the approach towards steady state is characterized by a lower contaminated layer that is continuously stratified. The presence of this continuous stratification poses non-trivial analytical challenges; we nonetheless demonstrate that it is possible to derive meaningful bounds on the range of possible solutions, particularly in the limit of large mu, where mu represents the ratio of the draining to filling time scales. The validity of our approach is confirmed by drawing comparisons against the free turbulent plume case where, unlike with porous media plumes, an analytical solution that accounts for the time-variable continuous stratification of the lower layer is available (Baines & Turner, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 37, 1969, pp. 51-80; Germeles, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 71, 1975, pp. 601-623). A separate component of our study considers time-variable forcing where the laminar plume source strength changes abruptly with time. When the source is turned on and off with a half-period, Delta tau, the depth and reduced gravity of the contaminated layer oscillate between two extrema after the first few cycles. Different behaviour is seen when the source is merely turned up or down. For instance, a change of the source reduced gravity leads to a permanent change of interface depth, which is a qualitative point of difference from the free turbulent plume case.
The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has provided a unique remote sensing capability for observing key variables of the hydrological cycle, such as the Sea Surface Salinity (SSS). However, due to some limitations related to the instrument interferometric concept and its challenging data processing, SMOS SSS maps still display significant artifacts and biases, especially close to the coast, mainly due to the presence of Radio Frequency Interferences (RFI) and Land-sea contamination (LSC). In this paper, a new methodology for filtering salinity retrievals and correcting for spatial biases is introduced and validated. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Additive manufacturing technologies enable the fabrication of parts characterized by shape complexity and therefore allow the design of optimized components based on minimal material usage and weight. In the literature two approaches are available to reach this goal: adoption of lattice structures and topology optimization. In a recent work a Computer-Aided method for generative design and optimization of regular lattice structures was proposed. The method was investigated in few configurations of a cantilever beam, considering six different cell types and two load conditions. In order to strengthen the method, in this paper a number of test cases have been carried out. Results explain the behavior of the method during the iterations, and the effects of the load and of the cell dimension. Moreover, a visual comparison between the proposed method and the results achieved by topology optimization is shown.
Research into individual differences in interpersonal accuracy (IPA; the ability to accurately judge others' emotions, intentions, traits, truthfulness, and other social characteristics) has a long tradition and represents a growing area of interest in psychology. Measuring IPA has proved fruitful for uncovering correlates of this skill. However, despite this tradition and a considerable volume of research, very few efforts have been made to look collectively at the nature of the tests involved in assessing IPA, leaving questions of the broader structure of IPA unresolved. Is IPA a single skill or a clustering of many discrete skills or some combination of partially overlapping skills? In a multi-level meta-analysis of 103 published and unpublished participant samples (13,683 participants), we analyzed 622 correlations between pairs of IPA tests (135 different IPA tests altogether). The overall correlation between IPA tests was r = .19, corrected for the nesting of correlations within the studies that administered more than two IPA tests and reported several correlations for the same participant sample. Test domain and characteristics were evaluated to explain differences in effect sizes; in general, tests in similar domains and using similar methodologies were more highly correlated with each other, suggesting that there are domains within which individual differences cluster. Implications for future research and IPA measurement were discussed.
Flow cytometry has contributed to virology but has faced many drawbacks concerning detection limits, due to the small size of viral particles. Nonetheless, giant viruses changed many concepts in the world of viruses, as a result of their size and hence opened up the possibility of using flow cytometry to study them. Recently, we developed a high throughput isolation of viruses using flow cytometry and protozoa co-culture. Consequently, isolating a viral mixture in the same sample became more common. Nevertheless, when one virus multiplies faster than others in the mixture, it is impossible to obtain a pure culture of the minority population. Here, we describe a robust sorting system, which can separate viable giant virus mixtures from supernatants. We tested three flow cytometry sorters by sorting artificial mixtures. Purity control was assessed by electron microscopy and molecular biology. As proof of concept, we applied the sorting system to a co-culture supernatant taken from a sample containing a viral mixture that we couldn't separate using end point dilution. In addition to isolating the quick-growing Mimivirus, we sorted and re-cultured a new, slow-growing virus, which we named Cedratvirus. The sorting assay presented in this paper is a powerful and versatile tool for separating viral populations from amoeba co-cultures and adding value to the new field of flow virometry.
This paper presents theoretical and practical results about dynamic analysis, frequency response, and control of a LLC resonant dc/dc converter operating under wide input voltage and load variations. A nonlinear model for the LLC resonant converter was developed using the extended describing function method; then, based on the derived model, a nonlinear observer-based controller was designed and implemented with a digital signal processor. Transient responses obtained under input voltage and output load variations show that the proposed controller is capable to stabilize the output effectively. Experimental results prove the superiority of the proposed observer-based controller over a conventional PID controller.
The empirical literature on the energy efficiency gap concentrates on demand inefficiencies in the energy-using durables markets and finds evidence that consumers underestimate future energy costs when purchasing a new appliance. We take a broader view and also consider the impact of imperfect competition. Using data on the UK refrigerator market (2002-2007), we find that the average energy consumption of appliances sold during this period was only 7.2% higher than what would have been observed under a scenario with a perfectly competitive market and non-myopic consumers. One reason for this small gap is that market power actually reduces energy use. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Digitally controlled permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) exhibit bandwidth limitations imposed by delay. In high power applications such as rail transit, the negative impact of delay is particularly serious due to the low switching frequency of the inverter. In this paper, the causes and effects of time delay are analyzed, and the sampling delay is greatly reduced by using multiple sampling method. Test results are given to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method.
Digital stabilization of unstable equilibria of linear systems may lead to small amplitude stochastic-like oscillations. We show that these vibrations can be related to a deterministic chaotic dynamics induced by sampling and quantization. A detailed analytical proof of chaos is presented for the case of a PD controlled oscillator: it is shown that there exists a finite attracting domain in the phase-space, the largest Lyapunov exponent is positive and the existence of a Smale horseshoe is also pointed out. The corresponding two-dimensional micro-chaos map is a multi-baker map, i.e. it consists of a finite series of baker's maps.
Although much is known about the hydraulics of xylem, the hydraulic interconnectivity and dimensional scaling of phloem with respect to xylem in leaves has not been adequately studied to test alternative hydraulic architectural rules such as da Vinci's rule or Murray's rule, or physiological models such as Munch's Pressure Flow hypothesis. Using confocal and electron microscopy as well as mathematical analyses, we examined the hydraulic architecture of the mature leaves of the model species Populus tremula 9 alba across all seven hierarchical orders of the vascular branching. We show that: phloem and xylem conductive areas increase from minor to major veins; the sum of the conductive areas for each vein order increases exponentially from major to minor veins; the volume of individual sieve tube and vessel members increases from minor to major veins; and phloem conductive area scales isometrically with respect to xylem area across all vein orders. The application of first principles to our data shows that conductive areas scale according to da Vinci's rule and not according to Murray's rule, and that the phloem network in poplar leaves can generate the pressure gradient envisioned in Munch's hypothesis.
We examine the relationship between TV viewing and economic expectations during economic recession. A content analysis of 84 hours of local network primetime programming (news and nonnews) identifies a moderate bias toward economic pessimism in the broadcasts. A survey of the adult population (N = 356) points at a significant positive relationship between TV viewing (total viewing and viewing of news programming) and economic pessimism at both the national and the personal levels. A similar relationship exists between TV viewing and optimistic biasthe tendency to be more pessimistic on economic matters at the national than at the personal level. These results remain significant when controlled for demographics, trust in national institutions, evaluation of current economic situation and consumption of media other than TV, and corroborate a second-order cultivation effect in the economic context.
Group signature scheme is a method of allowing a member of a group to sign a message anonymously on behalf of the group. The group administrator is in charge of adding group members and has the ability to reveal the original signer in the event of disputes. Based on controlled quantum teleportation with three-particle entangled W states, we propose a new quantum group signature scheme with designated receiver. Security analysis proves that the proposed scheme possesses the characteristics of group signature and resists the usual attacks. Compared with previous proposed schemes, this scheme follows security definition of group signature fully and meets its basic requirements.
In order to improve the efficiency of product design and reuse in heterogeneous system of knowledge sharing, this paper introduced the concept of ontology into product variant design, and grinding machine design was as an example. A lot of experience and accumulated knowledge in product design was shared and reused. It is precisely to formulate ontology knowledge such as variant design features and parameter, and applied the software protege4.3 to construct ontology model, as well as runed resoning on model data information. It developed a set of complete product intelligent system of variant design, which can effectively solve the problem of the repeated design and greatly shorten product development cycle.
In recent years parallel computing has been widely employed for both science research and commercial applications. For parallel systems such as many-core or computer clusters, it is inevitable to have one or more computing node failures due to random errors or injected attacks. Usually a diagnosis mechanism is able to locate several defective nodes through a number of tests and the analysis of those test signatures (syndromes). Although this covers the cases caused by random errors, sophisticated attacks are still able to manipulate the outputs of each node, so that they will be masked and pass the diagnosis. Therefore in this paper we propose a hybrid self-diagnosis mechanism. We adopt a new type of analysis with the linear syndromes, which are able to locate up to a certain number of defective nodes caused by random errors. In addition to this, we introduce a new type of robust analysis of the non-linear syndromes, which is capable of detecting the attacks undetectable by the linear syndromes at a probability close to one. Moreover, since this hybrid self-diagnosis mechanism is on the data level which makes little distinction among different operating systems and programming languages, it can be migrated onto any other platforms conveniently.
Background: Mobile phoned-based interventions have been increasingly used in clinical populations to improve health and health care delivery. The literature has shown that mobile phone-based text messages (short message service, SMS) are instantaneous, cost effective, and have less chance of being misplaced. Studies using mobile phone based-text messages have reported text messages as effective reminders that have resulted in increased appointment attendance, adherence to treatment, and better self-management. There have been no reports of adverse events when using text messaging in terms of misreading or misinterpreting data, transmitting inaccurate data, losing verbal or nonverbal communication cues, privacy issues, or failure or delay in message delivery. However, the literature has cited a need for personalized messages that are more responsive to individual needs. In addition, there has been a dearth of information on the use of reminders in nonclinical populations. Objective: The goal of this study is to assess the effectiveness of adding reminders in the form of text messaging versus reminder calls versus text messages and reminder calls to increase use of service referrals provided through community outreach. Methods: A total of 300 participants will be recruited for the study. Each participant will be randomized to one of three arms: a group that receives only reminder calls (CALLSONLY); a group that receives only text message reminders (TEXTONLY); and a group that receives both reminder calls and text messages (CALLS+ TEXT). All groups will receive their reminder intervention on the 15th and 45th day after baseline when they receive medical and social service referrals from the community health workers (CHWs). A standard script will be used to administer the call and text reminders and a 15-item telephone-based satisfaction survey will be administered to assess the participant satisfaction with the process of receiving periodic reminders. Results: The study is in the recruitment and follow-up phase. The authors anticipate completion of recruitment, interventions, and data entry by July 2016. Preliminary results are expected to be available by September 2016. Conclusions: This study will provide an opportunity to test the effectiveness of mobile-based interventions on nonclinical, community-recruited populations. In particular, such a protocol would increase the effectiveness of a community-based engagement program by instating a formal reminder system for all program members who receive social and/or medical service referrals during outreach in the community. Findings from this study would guide the development and implementation of reminder protocols for community-based engagement programs nationwide.
The main aim of this study was to understand how adolescents express their identities in virtual worlds. Fifty-nine South African high school learners (females = 51%) completed an interview and survey regarding their online interactions important for their personal identities. The adolescents completed think aloud interviews (verbalisations) and surveys which focussed on behaviour, beliefs, attitudes, opinions, feelings, expectations, self-classification, and level of involvement with social media. The data were thematically analysed and profiled by theme utilising frequency distributions. The results suggest adolescents to try out' new identities; including assumed and idealised identities. They self-report to do and say things online that they ordinarily would not do offline for social desirability reasons. Adolescents appear to inhabit two reality worlds important for the enactment of the identities they construct with online friends and strangers.
Recently, bearingless switched reluctance motor (BLSRM) has been received more and more attention. To realize the stable levitation and rotation, the corresponding suspending force and torque should be controlled. In this paper, different from the conventional bearingless SRM control, one independent control scheme for levitation force and torque is presented. In the control, a complex control algorithm based on a lookup table is not needed. Torque control is separated from radial force control, and each channel of radial force is independently controlled. Therefore, the control is very simple to be implemented. First, based on the brief introduction of the BLSRM structure and operating principle, the mathematical relationship of levitation force with respect to current and displacement is derived. Furthermore, the rotor dynamics model, in which levitation force in four degrees of freedom is considered, is established. Based on the given analysis, the digital control system, which includes torque and suspending force, is designed by means of TMS320F28335, and an experimental platform is established. According to the experimental results, the proposed BLSRM can be steadily levitated in the static and rotating conditions.
This paper pursues an inquiry into the relationship between ethnicity and development in the largest authoritarian country in the contemporary world, the People's Republic of China. It engages the theoretical literature on ethnic diversity and development in general, but also pays special attention to political economy logics unique to authoritarian systems. Focusing on the western part of China over a decade since the launch of China's Western Development Program (xibu da kaifa) in 2000, this paper utilizes the data from two censuses (2000 and 2010) together with nighttime streetlight imagery data to analyze the overall relationship between ethnicity and development provision. It also analyzes changes in such a relationship during this period. The paper finds that ethnic minority concentration negatively correlates with economic development in both the years 2000 and 2010 across the western provinces. It also finds that counties in non-autonomous provinces, which are historically more integrated with the rest of China than autonomous provinces, have a positive and systematic correlation between changes in ethnic minority concentration and changes in development during the 10-year period. The counties in autonomous provinces, on the other hand, show the opposite trend. Using three case studies of Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang, the paper concludes that although there is in general a tendency for ethnic minority concentrated areas to be less developed, ultimately which groups prosper more or less depends upon specific economic development and which political control logics the Chinese state implements. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The HomyGene19+14Y System (HG19+14Y) is a PCR-based amplification kit that enables typing of 18 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci (i.e., CSF1PO, D2S1338, D3S1358, D5S818, D6S1043, D7S820, D8S1179, D12S391, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D19S433, D21S11, FGA, Penta E, TPOX, TH01, vWA), 14 widely used Y chromosome STR (Y-STR) loci (Y_GATA_H4, DYS385a/b, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS438, DYS439, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635), and amelogenin. This multiplex system was designed for the simultaneous analysis of amelogenin-Yallele mutation, single-source searches, kinship (including familial searching), mixture profiles, international data sharing, and other forensic applications. In this study, the multiplex system was validated for sensitivity, specificity, DNA mixtures, stability, precision, stutter, reproducibility, parallel tests, PCR-based conditions, and population analysis according to the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) developmental validation guidelines. A total of 212 alleles were detected for the 18 autosomal STR loci among 528 Guangdong Han individuals, and 431 haplotypes were found for 14 Y-STRs among 452 unrelated males. The combined match probability (CMP) of the HG19+14Y System was calculated as 2.39 x 10(-29). All the validation results showed that the HG19+14Y System would be a robust, reliable, highly polymorphic, and informative forensic kit.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder,, is characterized by the accumulation of neurotoxic beta-amyloid (A beta) peptides, which consequently affects cognitive decline and memory impairment. Current research on AD treatment is actively focusing on the prevention of neurotoxic A beta peptide accumulation. Monsonia angustifolia is reported to be consumed as an indigenous vegetable in Tanzania. In this study, we investigated the effect of the ethanol (EtOH) extract of M. angustifolia dried ground material on A beta production and spatial learning ability as protection against AD. The formation of A beta peptides was significantly reduced in HeLa cells stably transfected with the Swedish mutant form of,beta-amyloid precursor protein (APPsw) after treatment with a 60% EtOH extract of M. angustifolia. We next examined the cognitive-improving effects of the EtOH extract in vivo. Tg2576 mice were treated with extract for 6 months and subjected to Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests. The results showed that the 60% EtOH extract of M. angustifolia significantly ameliorated behavioral deficits of the AD transgenic mice and reduced the level of insoluble A beta 42 in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. We further found that the 60% EtOH extract was effective for memory function recovery after shorter treatment (4 months). In addition, we isolated and identified several single compounds, justicidin A, 5-methoxyjusticidin A, chinensinaphthol, retrochinensinaphthol methyl ether, and suchilactone, from M. angustifolia and tested these compounds. Among them, justicidin A potently decreased the formation of A beta in APPsw-transfected cells. These data suggest that the 60% EtOH extract of M. angustifolia has the potential to be developed as a treatment of AD. Furthermore, justicidin A may contribute, at least partially, to the A beta alteration observed with the extract treatment.
Infants become increasingly helpful during the second year. We investigated experimentally whether adults' explicit scaffolding influences this development. Infants (N = 69, 13-18 months old) participated in a series of simple helping tasks. Half of infants received explicit scaffolding (encouragement and praise), whereas the other half did not. Among younger infants (below 15 months), infants who received explicit scaffolding helped twice as often as infants in the control group, and also helped more on several subsequent trials when no scaffolding was provided. As predicted, older infants were not affected by explicit scaffolding. These results demonstrate the influence of social experiences in early helping, but also how the effects of scaffolding may depend on the developmental level of the child. Less explicit forms of scaffolding may be effective when children are older.
Rock-detention structures are used as restoration treatments to engineer ephemeral stream channels of southeast Arizona, USA, to reduce streamflow velocity, limit erosion, retain sediment, and promote surface-water infiltration. Structures are intended to aggrade incised stream channels, yet little quantified evidence of efficacy is available. The goal of this 3-year study was to characterize the geomorphic impacts of rock-detention structures used as a restoration strategy and develop a methodology to predict the associated changes. We studied reaches of two ephemeral streams with different watershed management histories: one where thousands of loose-rock check dams were installed 30 years prior to our study, and one with structures constructed at the beginning of our study. The methods used included runoff, sediment transport, and geomorphic modelling and repeat terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) surveys to map landscape change. Where discharge data were not available, event-based runoff was estimated using KINEROS2, a one-dimensional kinematic-wave runoff and erosion model. Discharge measurements and estimates were used as input to a two-dimensional unsteady flow-and-sedimentation model (Nays2DH) that combined a gridded flow, transport, and bed and bank simulation with geomorphic change. Through comparison of consecutive DEMs, the potential to substitute uncalibrated models to analyze stream restoration is introduced. We demonstrate a new approach to assess hydraulics and associated patterns of aggradation and degradation resulting from the construction of check-dams and other transverse structures. Notably, we find that stream restoration using rock-detention structures is effective across vastly different timescales. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation has been implicated in many common complex diseases, but inconsistent and contradicting results are common. Here we introduce a novel mutational load hypothesis, which also considers the collective effect of mainly rare variants, utilising the MutPred Program. We apply this new methodology to investigate the possible role of mtDNA in two cardiovascular disease (CVD) phenotypes (hypertension and hyperglycaemia), within a two-population cohort (n = 363; mean age 45 +/- 9 yrs). Very few studies have looked at African mtDNA variation in the context of complex disease, and none using complete sequence data in a well-phenotyped cohort. As such, our study will also extend our knowledge of African mtDNA variation, with complete sequences of Southern Africans being especially under-represented. The cohort showed prevalence rates for hypertension (58.6%) and prediabetes (44.8%). We could not identify a statistically significant role for mtDNA variation in association with hypertension or hyperglycaemia in our cohort. However, we are of the opinion that the method described will find wide application in the field, being especially useful for cohorts from multiple locations or with a variety of mtDNA lineages, where the traditional haplogroup association method has been particularly likely to generate spurious results in the context of association with common complex disease. Copyright (C) 2017, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science Press. All rights reserved.
Recently, skin detection has been employed in multifarious applications of computer vision including face detection, gesture recognition, etc. This is mainly due to the appealing characteristics of skin color and its potency to segment objects. However, there are certain challenges involved in utilizing human complexion as a feature to detect faces, and they have led to the inefficiency of many methods. In order to counteract these factors, in this paper, a skin segmentation method which exploits a multi step diffusion algorithm to detect skin regions is presented. The method starts with conservative extraction of skin seeds in each frame which is accomplished by using fusion of ternary-based human motion detection, modified Bayesian classifier, and a feedback mechanism. Subsequently, these candidate skin pixels are utilized in a 2-stage diffusion scheme to detect other skin pixels. Both quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system in comparison with other works.
The current study explored the relationships between declarative pointing and theory of mind abilities in 30 children between 3 and 4years of age. Measures used to examine theory of mind (ToM) included a parental questionnaire and the Scaling of Theory of Mind Tasks. Results showed a dissociation between expressive and informative pointing, which have been regarded as two subcategories of the declarative function. ToM abilities were significantly related to the production of informative pointing, but not to the production of expressive pointing. This distinction might be explained by special features associated with informative pointing, such as early signs of cooperation abilities. Our results might have key implications for psychologists, as they may help improve evaluation and intervention programs for the development of social skills in preschoolers.
This paper describes how an inerter-based device for structural vibration suppression can be realized using an electromagnetic transducer such as a linear motor. When the motor shaft moves, a difference of voltage is generated across the transducer coil. The voltage difference is proportional to the relative velocity between its two terminals. The electromagnetic transducer will exert a force proportional to current following the Lorentz principle if the circuit is closed around the transducer coil. If an electronic circuit consisting of a capacitor, an inductance and a resistance with the appropriate configuration is connected, the resulting force reflected back into the mechanical domain is equivalent to that achieved by a mechanical inerter-based device. The proposed configuration is easy to implement and very versatile, provided a high quality conversion system with negligible losses. With the use of electromagnetic devices, a new generation of vibration absorbers can be realized, for example in the electrical domain it would be relatively uncomplicated to synthesize multi-frequency or real time tunable vibration absorbers by adding electrical components in parallel. In addition by using resistance emulators in the electrical circuits, part of the absorbed vibration energy can be converted into usable power. Here an electromagnetic tuned inerter damper (E-TID) is tested experimentally using real time dynamic substructuring. A voltage compensation unit was developed in order to compensate for coil losses. This voltage compensation unit requires power, which is acquired through harvesting from the vibration energy using a resistance emulator. A power balance analysis was developed in order to ensure the device can be self sufficient. Promising experimental results, using this approach, have been obtained and are presented in this paper. The ultimate goal of this research is the development of autonomous electromagnetic vibration absorbers, able to harvest energy, convert it into usable power, and use it for vibration control and health monitoring.
The present study compared the course of parent-report and actigraphy-derived sleep profiles over a 1-year period, in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and 14 nights of actigraphy were used to assess sleep profiles. Parents also completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, the Social Worries Questionnaire and the Bedtime Routines Questionnaire. Between-group differences in parent-reported sleep problems were less pronounced at follow-up compared to baseline. The course of objective sleep was comparable between groups, with a significant reduction in sleep duration over time in both groups. Children with autism spectrum disorder were further characterised by significantly more night-to-night variability in sleep quality, across both time points. Reductions over time in parent-reported sleep problems were significantly associated with reduced anxiety. Reductions in actigraphy-derived sleep efficiency were associated with an increased frequency of maladaptive activities in the hour before bedtime, in both children with and without autism spectrum disorder.
University studies have changed in Spain in the last five years in order to adequate them to the European Space for Higher Education. Under these changes Spanish law fixes the skills and abilities that must acquire the Graduates in Engineering with competences and applications in the Industrial Field. Among them, it can be found the corresponding to Manufacturing Engineering. In this work an Integrated Lab-Practical Class has been performed including different stages of a Manufacturing Process from the Product/Process Design to the Final Product. This Practical Class is developed in six sessions. This experience has shown the interest of the students for the contents of the subject and its relationship with the theoretical concepts.
B-group vitamins play an important role in human metabolism, whose deficiencies are associated with a variety of disorders and diseases. Certain microorganisms such as Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been shown to have capacities for B-group vitamin production and thus could potentially replace chemically synthesized vitamins for food fortification. A potential probiotic strain named Lactobacillus plantarum LZ227, which was isolated from raw cow milk in this study, exhibits the ability to produce B-group vitamins. Complete genome sequencing of LZ227 was performed to gain insights into the genetic elements involved in B-group vitamin production. The genome of LZ227 contains a circular 3,131,750-bp chromosome, three circular plasmids and two predicted linear plasmids. LZ227 also contains gene clusters for biosynthesis of both riboflavin and folate. This genome sequence provides a basis for further elucidation of its molecular genetics and probiotic functions, and will facilitate its applications as starter cultures in food industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Advanced design and operation consideration for the close-connected winding permanent-magnet brushless DC machine is proposed in this paper, including circulating current elimination, fault-tolerant control for the breakdown of a power electronic switch, and a sensorless control method. With the finite-element analysis, the influence of machine design parameters on circulating current is investigated. By properly controlling the status of power electronic switches, the coils being connected into the equivalent circuit can be changed to avoid the failure switch. Sensorless control is explored by detecting the zero-crossing point of electromotive force.
Chemotaxis, the microorganisms autonomous motility along or against the concentration gradients of a chemical species, is an important, yet often neglected factor controlling the transport of bacteria through saturated porous media. For example, chemotactic bacteria could enhance bioremediation by directing their own motion to residual contaminants trapped in low hydraulic conductive zones of contaminated aquifers. The aim of the present work is to develop an accurate numerical scheme to model chemotaxis in saturated porous media and other advective dominating flow systems. We propose to model chemotaxis by using a new class of meshless Lagrangian particle methods we recently developed for applications in fluid mechanics. The method is based on the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) formulation of (Ben Moussa et al., Int Ser Numer Math, 13(1):29-62, 2006), combined with a new Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) reconstruction technique on moving point clouds in multiple space dimensions. The purpose of this new numerical scheme is to fully exploit the advantages of SPH among traditional mesh-based and mesh-free schemes and to overcome drawbacks related to the use of standard SPH for modeling chemotaxis in porous media. First, we test the new scheme against analytical reference solutions. Then, under the assumption of complete mixing at the Darcy scale, we perform two-dimensional conservative solute transport simulations under steady-state flow conditions, to show the capability of the proposed new scheme to model chemotaxis.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging network paradigm that aims to obtain the interactions among pervasive things through heterogeneous networks. Security is an important task in the IoT. Luo et al. (Secur Commun Netw 7(10): 1560-1569, 2014) proposed a certificateless online/offline signcryption (COOSC) scheme for the IoT (hereafter called LTX). Unfortunately, Shi et al. showed that LTX is not secure. An adversary can easily obtain the private key of a user by a ciphertext. Recently, Li et al. proposed a new COOSC scheme (hereafter called LZZ). However, both LTX and LZZ need a point multiplication operation in the online phase, which is not suitable for resource-constrained devices. To overcome this weakness, we propose a new COOSC scheme and prove its security in the random oracle model. In addition, we analyze the performance of our scheme and show its application in the IoT.
This paper presents a systematic, socio-technical and empirical evaluation of the actual energy and environmental performance of a sustainably-designed institutional building (Southeast England), intended to be a teaching tool and 'living laboratory' of sustainability. Despite the building being designed to high sustainability standards (Energy Performance Certificate rating of A, low reliance on fossil fuels, natural ventilation and rainwater harvesting) and also being under-utilised during the in-use stage (lower hours of occupation and number of occupants), its actual energy-related carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions are four times more than predicted. This is due to poor energy management of the building, underperformance of the biomass boiler and wasteful energy practices in terms of excessive winter overheating in the atrium, inappropriate lighting controls, and electrical equipment being left on standby. Due to lack of training and understanding of the energy manager, the building management system was not used adequately and issues with installation, commissioning and maintenance of the biomass boiler led to its disuse; however the photovoltaic system generated electricity as expected. Findings from the study show how a mixed-methods approach of building performance evaluation (BPE) should be embedded as part of the build process, to ensure that performance outcomes are met in reality. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Narcissism can lead to various interpersonal problems. However, the characteristics of social decision making in trait narcissism and the cognitive and affective underpinnings are poorly understood. We employed established game theoretical paradigms to investigate different facets of social behavior in participants (N = 122; 41 female, mean age = 30 years) with a wide range of scores on the Pathological Narcissistic Inventory. Interpersonal traits, attitudes, and emotions were assessed as potential mediators of behavioral differences. High narcissism scores were related to lower generosity, especially when this could result in being punished. This maladaptive behavior was fully mediated by reduced perspective-taking abilities in narcissism. Also, narcissism scores predicted higher levels of punishment behavior, driven by higher levels of experienced anger. Hence, the difficulties narcissists face in interactions may be due to their reduced perspective-taking skills and resulting reduced generosity as well as enhanced anger-based retaliation behavior. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
For more than two centuries, solutions of differential equations have been obtained either analytically or numerically based on typically well-behaved forcing and boundary conditions for well-posed problems. We are changing this paradigm in a fundamental way by establishing an interface between probabilistic machine learning and differential equations. We develop data-driven algorithms for general linear equations using Gaussian process priors tailored to the corresponding integro-differential operators. The only observables are scarce noisy multi-fidelity data for the forcing and solution that are not required to reside on the domain boundary. The resulting predictive posterior distributions quantify uncertainty and naturally lead to adaptive solution refinement via active learning. This general framework circumvents the tyranny of numerical discretization as well as the consistency and stability issues of time-integration, and is scalable to high-dimensions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
An approach-avoidance model of social withdrawal (Asendorpf, 1990) identifies 3 types of social withdrawal including shyness, unsociability, and avoidance. Each appears to be uniquely associated with varying indicators of maladjustment in emerging adulthood (Nelson, 2013) but little, if any, work has been done to see how they might be linked to media use in the third decade of life. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine longitudinally the links between subtypes of social withdrawal, connective media (e.g., e-mail, social networking) and problematic (forms of media such as violent video games that, when used in high amounts, have been found to be linked to indices of maladjustment) media use, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The participants in the study (M-age = 20.70, SD = 1.98, range = 18-29 at Time 2) consisted of 204 undergraduate students (58% female) recruited from 2 large public universities in the United States who completed questionnaires at 2 points of time separated by 1 year. Results revealed that avoidant individuals use problematic forms of media more than average, unsociable, and shy individuals. Furthermore, problematic media use predicted more withdrawn behavior at Time 2 and mediated the relation between avoidance and externalizing behaviors over time. Few problems were found for unsociable behavior. The need to differentiate between multiple forms of withdrawal in emerging adulthood and their links with problematic forms of media and subsequent risk factors is discussed.
This study focuses on examining the behavioral component of the third-person effect. It explores the self-other perceptual gap concerning the influence of nuclear pollution news on the prediction of different actions: corrective, protective, and promotional. The study analyzes data from a probability sample collected in Taiwan after the news about nuclear pollution from Fukushima was widely reported. The results showed that the discrepancy in self-other perceptions was a significant predictor of multiple behavioral intentions, which included seeking self-protection (e.g., taking iodide pills), supporting corrective actions (e.g., opposing the building of new nuclear power plants), and supporting government-led promotional measures (e.g., launching public educational campaigns on nuclear safety). These results indicate that the behavioral component of the third-person effect extends beyond the realm of willingness to censor.
The dc power feeding system has been attracted attention in recent years. Since the load is dynamically changed in this system, the stability of dc-dc converter is important. This paper presents the stability analysis and the transient response of digital integral gain changeable control dc-dc converter using small output capacitance. The proposed method changes the integral gain with a single logarithm function according to the load current. It is verified the proposed method can obtain a good transient response with high stability even when the output capacitance is small.
OBJECTIVE: To determine RDW and MPV levels in Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and to investigate their relations with disease activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 133 patients with AS (male: 80, female: 53) and age-sex matched 133 controls (male: 79, female: 54) were enrolled. Demographic data, disease activity scores, Complete Blood Count (CBC), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels were recorded. RESULTS: The mean ages of patients and controls were 41.9 +/- 11.2 and 39.7 +/- 14.2 years respectively (p = 0.16). RDW (14.5 +/- 1.6% and 13.2 +/- 0.8%, p4) and those with inactive AS (BASDI < 4) patients (14.84 +/- 1.79fl, 14.24 +/- 1.37fl, p = 0.035 respectively). RDW was positively correlated with BASDAI (r = 0.33, P < 0.0001), ESR (r = 0.45, P < 0.0001) and CRP (r = 0.42, P < 0.0001) and PLT levels (r = 0.24, P = 0.004). While MPV was not correlated with BASDAI, it was negatively correlated with ESR (r = -0.19, P = 0.03), CPR (r = -0.26, P = 0.004) and PLT levels (r = -0.39, P = < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: RDW and MPV were significantly higher in the patients with AS than in the controls. While RDW was correlated with BASDAI and APRs, MPV was only correlated with APRs.
Background: There is widespread consensus on the importance of safe and secure communication in healthcare, especially in trauma care where time is a limiting factor. Although non-verbal communication has an impact on communication between individuals, there is only limited knowledge of how trauma team leaders communicate. The purpose of this study was to investigate how trauma team members are positioned in the emergency room, and how leaders communicate in terms of gaze direction, vocal nuances, and gestures during trauma team training. Methods: Eighteen trauma teams were audio and video recorded during trauma team training in the emergency department of a hospital in northern Sweden. Quantitative content analysis was used to categorize the team members' positions and the leaders' non-verbal communication: gaze direction, vocal nuances, and gestures. The quantitative data were interpreted in relation to the specific context. Time sequences of the leaders' gaze direction, speech time, and gestures were identified separately and registered as time (seconds) and proportions (%) of the total training time. Results: The team leaders who gained control over the most important area in the emergency room, the inner circle, positioned themselves as heads over the team, using gaze direction, gestures, vocal nuances, and verbal commands that solidified their verbal message. Changes in position required both attention and collaboration. Leaders who spoke in a hesitant voice, or were silent, expressed ambiguity in their non-verbal communication: and other team members took over the leader's tasks. Discussion: In teams where the leader had control over the inner circle, the members seemed to have an awareness of each other's roles and tasks, knowing when in time and where in space these tasks needed to be executed. Deviations in the leaders' communication increased the ambiguity in the communication, which had consequences for the teamwork. Communication cannot be taken for granted; it needs to be practiced regularly just as technical skills need to be trained. Simulation training provides healthcare professionals the opportunity to put both verbal and nonverbal communication in focus, in order to improve patient safety. Conclusions: Non-verbal communication plays a decisive role in the interaction between the trauma team members, and so both verbal and non-verbal communication should be in focus in trauma team training. This is even more important for inexperienced leaders, since vague non-verbal communication reinforces ambiguity and can lead to errors.
A host of mining practices produce fine-grained mineral sludge, such as mature fine tailing from oil-sand extraction. These sludges are hard to dewater because of their high clay content and their low hydraulic conductivity. This paper describes pressure filtration tests in which eight different nonwoven geotextiles (GTXs) were used to filter high-clay-content sludges. The sludges were formulated by mixing kaolinite and silt to obtain eight different grain-size distributions (GSDs) with d(50) ranging from 3 to 55 mu m and clay content ranging from 0% to 38% (d < 2 mu m). The sludges created for this research had the GSD and variability of real fine tailings. The results indicate that sludges can be filtered with nonwoven GTXs selected on the basis of their pore-opening size. Furthermore, calendered GTXs are more efficient in retaining particles than needle punched GTXs. In addition, only during the early stage of filtration do GTXs really influence filtering because it is at this stage that, by retaining coarser particles, they allow progressive formation of filter cake. Upon forming, the filter cake becomes the major contributor to particle retention. Finally, the sludge composition is found to be the most significant factor affecting the final state of dewatering. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
To evaluate the controlling factors for coastline change of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary since 1974, we extracted the mean high tide line from multi -temporal remote sensing images that span from 1974 to 2014 at 2 year intervals. We chose 42 scenes to constrain the changing pattern of the Changjiang Estuary coastline, and implemented GIS technology to analyze the area change of the Changjiang (Yangtze) Subaerial Delta. Runoff, sediment discharge and coastal engineering were withal considered in the analysis of the coastline changes. The coastline has transgressed seaward since 1974, and a part of it presents inter -annual variations. The area of the Changjiang Subaerial Delta increased by 871 km(2), with a net accretion rate of 21.8 km(2)/a. Based on the change of sediment discharge due to the major projects in the Changjiang River Basin, we divided the changing pattern of the coastline into three stages: the slow accretion stage (1974-1986), the moderate accretion stage (1987-2002), and the rapid accretion stage (2003-2014). Liner regression analysis illustrated that there is a significantly positive correlation between the area changes and sediment discharge in the Chongming Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha. This suggested that sediment load has a fundamental effect on the evolution of the Changjiang Estuary. Construction of Deep Waterway in the North Passage of the Changjiang River (1998-2010) led to a rapid accretion in the Hengsha Eastern Shoal and Jiuduansha by influencing the hydrodynamics in North Passage. Coastal engineering such as reclamation and harbor construction can also change the morphology of the Changjiang Estuary. We defined a contribution rate of area change to assess the impact of reclamation on the evolution of Changjiang Estuary. It turned out that more than 45.3% of area increment of the Changjiang Estuary was attributed to reclamation.
One of the most prominent fine-structures of auroral hiss is the long-hissler, defined here as a dispersed feature embedded within broadband auroral hiss emissions in the frequency range 1-40 kHz and lasting longer than 0.3 s. While theory is limited, there is evidence that hisslers can be used in remote sensing of density characteristics at altitudes of thousands of km. By applying an automatic threshold algorithm to VLF data collected at South Pole 2230-0130 UT daily during June-August 2014, 22 h of auroral hiss are identified on 49 of 93 days analyzed, for an occurrence rate of 9.7% during the applicable MLT interval. From manual inspection of these intervals, 414 groups (trains) of long hisslers are identified on 34 of the 49 days on which hiss occurred. Median lower (upper) frequency bounds of these features are 8 (22) kHz, median frequency-time slope is -10 kHz/s, and median hissler repetition time within a train (hissler period) is 1.2 s. Hissler period and frequency-time slope are inversely related. Data from previous studies are reviewed to provide a comprehensive description of the phenomenon. Contrary to some previous studies, subsequent long hissler features are found to commonly overlap in time, and no evidence is found for an inverse relationship between hissler train duration and geomagnetic activity.
The aim of this paper is to present a model that takes into account aspects related to manufacturing engineering in research and development projects. The proposed model integrates the tools of DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) and MRL (Manufacturing Readiness Level).Design for Manufacturing and Assembly is used as a method to provide guidance to the design team in simplifying the product structure, to reduce manufacturing and assembly costs, and to quantify improvements. Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) is a measure to assess the maturity of manufacturing readiness, similar to how Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) are used for technology readiness. The proposed method was applied in a research and development project at a refrigeration industry, in its technology definition phase. The results were a significant change in product design, bringing benefits as reduction of investment and product cost by 25% and 20%. Is also possible perceive that the anticipation of the manufacturing project, when working simultaneously with the technology maturation is allowing the most reliable debugging at a product, permitting a reduction in the lead time.
A good task design improve the efficiency of the business, because reduces cost and helps you to analysis the risk classification, and permit manager the influence of human and organizational factors of the complexity of socio-technical systems. A discussion is held on the techniques proposed by Embrey, Lees, Hollnagel, Reason, Rasmussen and Avila dealing with the task of project subject and its forms of control. Understanding the complexity of production systems enables the development of suitable tools to prevent accidents and to mitigate their consequences. The task performance depends on cognitive and organizational requirements beyond the technical: (a) organizational climate for transparency in the reporting of incidents; (b) managerial profile to communicate routine operating and emergency; (c) indicators for decision-making on the task; (d) sufficient knowledge base for the team accomplish the task; (e) communication tools for the production shift and return the view for the staff; (f) trust, cooperation, understanding of the risks and the causal relationship of events to perform the task; (g) understanding of the work patterns and the resulting on the performance indicators in the control of production; and (h) the appropriate design technology, process and equipment to allow review on the man-machine interface or man procedure. David Embrey discusses the Hierarchical Task Analysis HTA and presents criteria from the risk and complexity of the task. Lees presents discussion on the need of the side project of machine and man presenting cognitive requirements for machine design and machine operating requirements for human knowledge. Rasmussen and Reason discuss level of knowledge, understanding of the rules and skills needed to perform the task. Holnagel presents a way to plan the task with the analysis of goals, steps and commitments. Avila discusses the technology, the complexity of the task, the risk environments, barriers, tooling, pattern, knowledge and commitment and propose Procedures and Standards (PADOP), considering the analysis of the critical task by quantifying efforts, level of parallelism in its realization, the discussion on acceptance level based on target performance indicators and their measurement to suggest changes. An exercise is developed based on operational control practice in the chemical industry sulfuric acid purification. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Acetone is a good marker of metabolic stress as it is the most volatile and rapidly equilibrated of the ketone bodies produced by human metabolism. If the body utilizes predominately fat to meet its energy requirements, blood and breath acetone concentrations will increase. Elevated concentrations of breath acetone can indicate a normal response to caloric imbalances in the diet, or a diseased state such as untreated diabetes. This paper describes a novel method of acetone detection that uses a gas-solid chemical reaction of acetone with a hydroxylamine hydrochloride (HA) to produce an easily detectable chemical species, HCl. Breath samples are passed through a reactor filled with solid HA and the amount of HCl gas released is measured by sensitive near infrared diode laser spectroscopy. The breath acetone instrument described is compact, low power and portable.
The compliance of increasing requirements on the final product often constitutes a challenge in manufacturing of metal parts. The common problem represents the precise reproduction of geometrical form. The reasons for form deviation can be e. g. varying properties of the semi-finished product as well as wear of the punch-bending machine or the punch-bending tool themself. Usually the process parameters are manually adjusted on the introduction of new production scenario or after the deviation between the actual form of produced pieces and the designed form become clear. The choice of new process parameters is normally based on the experience of the machine operators. It leads to a time-consuming and expensive procedure right on the early stages of production scenarios as well as during the established production process. Furthermore, the trend of miniaturization of part sizes along with narrowing tolerances and increase in the strengths of materials drastically pushes up the requirements on the production process. Aiming at reduction of scrap rate and setup-time of production scenarios, a model-based approach is chosen to design a self-correcting control strategy. The strategy is designed by modeling the bending process. In the first step the bending process has to be analyzed on the model by varying of process variables influencing the process significantly. It is done by corresponding simulations. After that, the correlations between significant variables and geometrical deviation were defined and different self-correcting control strategies were designed and tested. In order to identify and validate the simulation and to test the quality of the self-correcting control strategies, a special experimental tool was built up. The experimental tool is equipped with an additional measurement device and can be operated on a universal testing machine. Finally, the self-correcting control strategies were tested under real production conditions on the original tool in order to address further influences of the punch-bending machine on the manufacturing process.
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by many cell types in both normal and pathogenic circumstances. Because EVs, particularly exosomes, are known to transfer biologically active proteins, RNAs and lipids between cells, they have recently become the focus of intense interest as potential mediators of cell-cell communication, particularly in long-range and juxtacrine signaling events associated with adaptive immune function and progression of cancer. Among the EVs, exosomes appear particularly adapted for long-range delivery of cargoes between cells. Because of their association with disease states, the exciting potential for exosomes to serve as diagnostic biomarkers and as target-specific biomolecule delivery vehicles has stimulated a broad range of biomedical investigations to learn how exosomes are generated, what their cargoes are, and how they might be tailored for uptake by remote targets. Addressing these questions requires experimental models in which biochemically useful amounts of material can be harvested, gene expression easily manipulated, and interpretable biological assays developed. The early Xenopus embryo fulfills these model-system ideals in an in vivo context: during morphogenesis the embryo develops several large, fluid-filled extracellular compartments across which numerous tissue-specifying signals must cross, and which are abundantly endowed with exosomes and other EVs. Importantly, certain surface-facing tissues avidly ingest EVs during gastrulation. Recent work has demonstrated that EVs can be isolated from these interstitial spaces in amounts suitable for proteomic and transcriptomic analysis. With its large numbers, great cell size, well-understood fate map, and tolerance of a variety of experimental approaches, the Xenopus embryo provides a unique opportunity to both understand and manipulate the basic cell biology of exosomal trafficking in the context of an intact organism.
Objective: To evaluate the role of auto-antibodies in Chinese patients with primary and secondary infertility in routine clinical practice. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of infertile Chinese patients of either gender (>= 18 year old) who were failed to conceive after 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without the use of contraception, and visited at department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China between January 2004 to December 2014, and undergone auto-antibody estimation along with other routine antenatal screening tests. Immunological assay was performed using dot immuno-gold filtration assay. Positive case was compared among patients with primary and secondary infertility. Results: Our chart review study showed that the positive case of Anti-Sperm Antibody (ASAb) was significantly higher in female with primary than male (p<0.05). In female patients with primary infertility, all other auto-antibodies (anti-Endometrium Antibody (EMAb), Anti-Ovary Antibody (AOAb), Anti-Zona Pellucida Antibody (AZP)) and Anti-Cardiolipin Antibody (ACA) were significantly higher compared to patients with secondary infertility (p<0.05). Moreover, positive case of all auto-antibodies was significantly higher among female with primary fertility than secondary fertility and control groups. Conclusion: Our study results suggested the involvement of auto-antibodies related to reproduction system in development of primary infertility. Auto-antibodies related to reproduction were significantly higher in patients with primary infertility, this implicated involvement of auto-immunological factors in development of infertility.
Oral food challenges are essential in diagnosing food allergies correctly. However, the decision to proceed to oral food challenge is complex and influenced by different factors. The procedures have to be conducted by allergy specialized centers and require careful preparation. Besides being performed double-blind and placebo-controlled the blinding of the food is challenging and limited by the amount and type of food. The interpretation of the results of the challenge are important. Not only the positive but also the negative results have to be discussed with the patients. Dietary implications of food avoid-ance and re-introduction should be provided desirably by a dietician.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common inflammatory skin disease, but treatment options for moderate-to-severe disease are limited. Ustekinumab is an IL-12/IL-23p40 antagonist that suppresses Th1, Th17 and Th22 activation, commonly used for psoriasis patients. We sought to assess efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in patients with moderate-to-severe AD. In this phase II, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 33 patients with moderate-to-severe AD were randomly assigned to either ustekinumab (n=16) or placebo (n=17), with subsequent crossover at 16 weeks, and last dose at 32 weeks. Background therapy with mild topical steroids was allowed to promote retention. Study endpoints included clinical (SCORAD50) and biopsy-based measures of tissue structure and inflammation, using protein and gene expression studies. The ustekinumab group achieved higher SCORAD50 responses at 12, 16 ( the primary endpoint) and 20 weeks compared to placebo, but the difference between groups was not significant. The AD molecular profile/transcriptome showed early robust gene modulation, with sustained further improvements until 32 weeks in the initial ustekinumab group. Distinct and more robust modulation of Th1, Th17 and Th22 but also Th2-related AD genes was seen after 4 weeks of ustekinumab treatment (i.e. MMP12, IL-22, IL-13, IFN-gamma, elafin/PI3, CXCL1 and CCL17; P<. 05). Epidermal responses (K16, terminal differentiation) showed faster (4 weeks) and long-term regulation (32 weeks) from baseline in the ustekinumab group. No severe adverse events were observed. Ustekinumab had clear clinical and molecular effects, but clinical outcomes might have been obscured by a profound placebo effect, most likely due to background topical glucocorticosteroids and possibly insufficient dosing for AD.
The Multi Objective Genetic Algorithms (MO-GAs) are one of the most widely used techniques that have the capability to find the solution to the problem having multiple conflicting objectives like Intrusion De- tection. It is a population based technique capable of producing a set of non-inferior solutions that exhibit the classification trade-offs for the user. This capabil- ity of MOGA can be exploited for generating optimal base classifiers and ensembles thereof for Intrusion De- tection. This paper explores the various MOGAs proposed in the literature along with their pros and cons. The motivation for the use of MOGA and its issues are high- lighted. Finally, the chapter highlights the concluding remarks.
Location-aware service systems are a hot topic in diverse research fields including mobile commerce, ambient intelligence, remote sensing and ubiquitous computing. However, the timeliness and efficiency of such systems are two issues that have rarely been emphasized. For this reason, this study tries to establish a location-aware service system in which both the timeliness and efficiency of service provision are addressed. To this end, some innovative treatments have been used in the proposed methodology. First, the uncertainty of detecting a user's location using the global positioning system is considered by modeling the location and speed of the user with fuzzy numbers. Subsequently, a fuzzy integer-nonlinear programming model is formulated to address the problem of finding the dynamic just-in-time service location and path for the user. To help solve the problem, the maximum entropy weighting function and the basic defuzzification distribution (BADD) method are applied to defuzzify the fuzzy variables. In addition, to enhance the efficiency of solving the problem, a fuzzy parallel processing scheme is also proposed for decomposing the problem into smaller pieces that can be handled by separate processing modules. An illustrative example is used to illustrate the proposed methodology. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methodology has been confirmed with an experiment. According to the results, using the proposed methodology the waiting time could be reduced by 60%.
The aim of this study was to compare the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) and the selected interleukins (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in young individuals with presence and non-presence of Lactobacillus reuteri in saliva after a three-week intervention with probiotic lozenges. The study group consisted of 47 healthy individuals aged 18-32 years with no clinical signs of oral inflammation. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial participants ingested two lozenges per day containing two strains of the probiotic bacterium L. reuteri or placebo lozenges. The intervention and wash-out periods were three weeks. Stimulated and unstimulated whole saliva was collected at baseline and immediately after termination of the intervention periods. The samples were analysed for total protein, salivary IgA and selected cytokines. In this extended analysis, data were collected by analysing baseline and follow-up saliva samples related to ingestion of the probiotic lozenges for the presence of L. reuteri through DNA-extraction, PCR-amplification and gel-electrophoresis. At baseline, 27% of the individuals displayed presence of L. reuteri and 42% were positive immediately after the three-week probiotic intervention. Individuals with presence of L. reuteri in saliva had significantly higher (P<0.05) concentrations of salivary IgA and %IgA/protein at the termination of the probiotic intake compared with non-presence. No differences in the cytokine levels were observed. In conclusion, detectable levels of L. reuteri in saliva coincided with higher concentrations of salivary IgA and %IgA/protein in stimulated whole saliva after the three-week daily intake of probiotic lozenges. Our findings suggest that monitoring the presence of probiotic candidates in the oral environment is important to interpret and understand their possible immune-modulating role in maintaining oral health.
Smart tourism of Chinese cities try to provide tourists with all services and businesses via smart phones. This article analyzes the relationship between the smart tourism and smart city; explores the architecture of a smart tourism system, the technology application and supporting platform; focuses on solutions via smart phones; and discusses problems, challenges and future trends in the process of developing smart tourism.
Problem. - Neurobiology, adorned with the most recent discoveries of the molecular biology, the genetics and the cognitive sciences, is present everywhere: In the report of the man with his body, with his intellectual faculties, with his perception of others and himself. Our social conducts, morality and our affects would be governed by neuronal substrata. Are things so simple? Methodology. - To try to answer this question, the author is going to use the opposition to explain and understand, in a long-standing and often passionate debate which concerns the epistemology and the ontology, two modalities to be inflexible. Different thus of methods: In the mind of Dilthey, we explain the nature (submitted to the principle of the causality) but we understand the psychic life (which sends back to the sphere of the sense). Results. - If the debate to explain and understand is further and far from being simple, the author adduces to draw from it some conclusions by questioning the speech of the promising of a reductionist neurobiology which believe to explain everything including all our actions in the name of the neurobiological reason: (1) if this is the case, we would be slaves of a history which already has its fate: The neurobiological-shaped man is neurobiological, (2) this speech is based on the mechanism of the tautology, that is it goes round in circles, teaches us absolutely nothing, (3) if the same neurobiologist asserts the opposite, why while reporting me what I say, I have no precise and localizable perception of my consciousness? (4) if the consciousness has no appropriate place or, to say it differently, if there is no intellectual topic appropriate to the consciousness, then what takes place in me will remain forever untranslatable and will be condemned to the silence. To go out of one, exist thus, I need the immediate and permanent help of an other one (or of contradiction), (5) if this process is purely an event of the brain then all our actions, all our gestures, in brief all that it is allowed us to live has to take place as it takes place, (6) finally to assert it brings us nothing more because the explanation always leaves something aside: the phenomenon of the life in which he is imperceptible. The example of the alcoholic is significant: if a change of the intellectual mechanisms is responsible of his alcohol addiction, why the alcoholic, by wanting to drink how everybody, makes as if written history beforehand was of not much importance? If the alcoholic began thinking of his own cerebral dysfunction while he lives, his life would have no shape. Indeed, if he receives the message and knows the felling about which it is a question. Indeed, if he receives the message and knows the feeling about which it is a question, he cannot, by force of circumstance, feel what his brain passes on to him: he does not witness what appears in its brain. On the other and he witnesses the world in which he lives but also on his condition of mortal. So, without objects to be cultivated, that is without the world of the presence which is the one of the existence and not the understanding, the neurobiological explanation of his alcohol addiction will concern a knowledge but will ignore any life. It means that there is well a gap to live and theorize and that the alcoholic is not reduced to a cerebral dysfunction: he is in the life of relation, that is it is capable of taking up himself by using its real-life experience. The psychopathology implications are going to show themselves here of a very big importance: any reduction comes to truncate the understanding of the man sick coach in reality we constantly have to deal with the global and complete man, with the anthropology of the human fate. Conclusion. - If the science brings us news discovered in this domain, it has to keep always in mind that the life remains imperceptible and deeply moving. Without this existential event which allows us to live, the air will become unbreathable in our more and more technical-scientific world: it would like being sentenced to asphyxiation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Mesenchymal neoplasms of the thymus and mediastinum account for only 2 % of neoplasms of the mediastinum and are therefore very rare. With very few exceptions the histology, immunohistochemistry and (based on current knowledge) molecular biology of mediastinal soft tissue tumors are not different from their counterparts in other organs. Characteristic features are more concerned with clinical epidemiological and therapeutic aspects as well as the multitude of possible differential diagnoses. With the exception of organ-specific tumors, such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), virtually all entities encountered in peripheral soft tissues can also arise in the mediastinum. Primary mediastinal soft tissue sarcomas (STS) must be distinguished from secondary radiation-induced STS after irradiation, e. g. for breast cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma and from STS arising as somatic type malignancies in mediastinal germ cell tumors.
Cavitation distribution in a High Intensity Focused Ultrasound sonoreactors (HIFU) has been extensively described in the recent literature, including quantification by an optical method (Sonochemiluminescence SCL). The present paper provides complementary measurements through the study of acoustic streaming generated by the same kind of HIFU transducers. To this end, results of mass transfer measurements (electrodiffusional method) were compared to optical method ones (Particle Image Velocimetry). This last one was used in various configurations: with or without an electrode in the acoustic field in order to have the same perturbation of the wave propagation. Results show that the maximum velocity is not located at the focal but shifted near the transducer, and that this shift is greater for high powers. The two cavitation modes (stationary and moving bubbles) are greatly affect the hydrodynamic behavior of our sonoreactors: acoustic streaming and the fluid generated by bubble motion. The results obtained by electrochemical measurements show the same low hydrodynamic activity in the transducer vicinity, the same shift of the active focal toward the transducer, and the same absence of activity in the post-focal axial zone. The comparison with theoretical Eckart's velocities (acoustic streaming in non-cavitating media) confirms a very high activity at the sonochemical focal, accounted for by wave distortion, which induced greater absorption coefficients. Moreover, the equivalent liquid velocities are one order of magnitude larger than the ones measured by Ply, confirming the enhancement of mass transfer by bubbles oscillation and collapse close to the surface, rather than from a pure streaming effect. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a model for single photon amplification based on cluster-state quantum computation is proposed. A rescaling of the probability amplitudes of a deteriorated qubit in favor of the one-photon component will define the amplifier's gain. Unlike the heralded quantum amplifiers, the probabilistic success of the whole process will not depend on the successful detection of a heralding signal. Instead, the whole procedure will rely upon a single-qubit measurement, which is simpler compared to any two-qubit interaction gate in the heralded quantum amplifiers. The proposed model can be used as a qubit protector against propagation losses in long-distance quantum communication networks.
Redundant nickel is harmful to human health and can result in skin diseases, allergies, or cancer. Although many probes based on noble metal nanoparticles have been established for rapid heavy metal ion detection by the naked eye or ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, few noble metal nanomaterials have been developed for Ni2+ detection. In this study, we propose novel triangular silver nanoprisms (AgNPRs) stabilized with glutathione (GSH) for rapid colorimetric detection of Ni2+ based on a sensing mechanism of anti-etching, which has been affirmed by Raman spectra, UV-vis spectra, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. At the optimal experimental parameters, our GSH-AgNPR-based Ni2+ probe has an excellent selectivity compared with those of 26 other ions because Ni2+ can inhibit the AgNPR etching by iodide ion (11 (i.e., anti-etching) while other ions cannot. The limit of detection (LOD) of our Ni2+ probe is 50 nM via the naked eye and 5 nM via UV-vis spectroscopy. They are both negligible compared with the permissible limit of Ni2+ in drinking water (0.34 mu M) prescribed by the World Health Organization. In particular, the latter is far lower than the LOD values of other reported Ni2+ probes based on noble metal nanomaterials. A satisfying linear relationship reinforces that our probe can be utilized for the quantitative analysis of Ni2+. The detection of real water samples indicates that our probe could be used for rapid Ni2+ colorimetric detection with supersensitivity and excellent selectivity in real environmental water samples.
Social cognition refers to the ability to use social cues to infer the meaning and intentions behind the behaviour of others in order to respond in a socially adaptive manner. It is increasingly recognised that disorders of social cognition, including problems with emotion perception, theory of mind, conversational inference, morality judgements, decision making and social inhibition, characterise many developmental and psychiatric disorders and are highly relevant to many with acquired brain injuries or diseases, especially the frontotemporal dementias. This review provides an introduction and overview of the papers in this special edition on social cognition and places these in the context of other recent research. In doing so, several current issues in the clinical management of social cognition are delineated. Given that social cognition seems to be a sensitive predictor of psychosocial function, the assessment of social cognition is seen by many clinicians to be important although which profession is responsible is yet to be resolved. Issues in how social cognition are assessed are discussed, including the importance of context to social cognition, its interactive nature and the need to recognise influences such as family upbringing, gender and emotional state on social cognitive performance. There also needs to be development of tests that address all aspects of social cognition, including decision making and inhibition. Finally, this review discusses intervention research. Interventions are especially well developed in relation to schizophrenia, and less well developed in brain injury. These appear to be generally effective although treatments for emotional self-awareness are yet to be developed.
Background: ZnO-based varistors are used as surge protectors in electrical circuits. Nonlinear polymer composites are attractive because of their potential applications in low voltage varistors. The aim of this research is to study nonlinear behavior in a new composite containing ZnO, polythiophene and polyethylene. Methods: Sample disks consist of 70 wt% ZnO and 30 wt% polymer matrixes were prepared using the hot press method under 20 MPa at 120 degrees C. I-V characteristics of the disks were studied by applying DC voltage. The structure of the products was examined by FESEM and X-ray diffraction. Results: I-V characteristics of the disks show that their resistivity varies nonlinearly under different voltage. By increasing polythiophene content in sample disks, their breakdown voltage decreases whereas nonlinear coefficient increases. On the other hand increasing press temperature has the same effect on the breakdown voltage and nonlinear coefficient. In addition, each increase in working temperature leads to lower breakdown voltage and nonlinear coefficient. Conclusion: Polymer composite containing 70% ZnO-6% polyethylene-24% polythiophene has an appropriate nonlinear behavior. An increase in press temperature enhances nonlinear coefficient and reduces breakdown voltage. FESEM images of the samples show pressing samples at 120 degrees C does not affect composite structure.
Background and Aim: Prosthetic CAD/CAM systems require accurate 3D limb models; however, difficulties arise when working from the person's socket since current 3D scanners have difficulties scanning socket interiors. While dedicated scanners exist, they are expensive and the cost may be prohibitive for a limited number of scans per year. A low-cost and accessible photogrammetry method for socket interior digitization is proposed, using a smartphone camera and cloud-based photogrammetry services. Technique: 15 two-dimensional images of the socket's interior are captured using a smartphone camera. A 3D model is generated using cloud-based software. Linear measurements were comparing between sockets and the related 3D models. Discussion: 3D reconstruction accuracy averaged 2.6 +/- 2.0 mm and 0.086 +/- 0.078 L, which was less accurate than models obtained by high quality 3D scanners. However, this method would provide a viable 3D digital socket reproduction that is accessible and low-cost, after processing in prosthetic CAD software.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals have begun to gain an acceptance that transgender people have yet to achieve. Previous literature has found the significant effect of Allport's contact hypothesis on reducing negative attitudes toward LGB individuals. Attention has recently turned to the implications of social contact for reduction of transphobic attitudes, with one study demonstrating efficacy. The present study examined the relationships between cisgender heterosexual college students' social contact with transgender individuals, operationalized as number of friendships, and self-reported attitudes and behavioral intentions toward transgender individuals. A sample of 342 undergraduate students at a mid-sized public university completed questions about attitudes and behaviors toward transgender individuals and their transgender friendship experiences. In multivariate analysis of variance, significant differences between participants who reported having zero versus at least one transgender friend across negative intentions, negative attitudes, positive intentions and views, and supportive public intentions toward transgender individuals were found, supporting the contact hypothesis. These findings suggest that having friendships with transgender individuals is associated with reduced prejudice and discrimination and, moreover, greater acceptance and support of transgender people. Implications for increasing acceptance of transgender individuals are discussed.
Rainwater harvesting presents a viable option for securing water availability in order to increase food production. The study focuses on rural youth in Luphisi and Dwaleni villages in the Mpumalanga Province and considers the relationship between youth capabilities and food security. The study uses qualitative data collected from focus group discussions and quantitative data from a baseline survey within the context of an integrated rainwater harvesting project. The indicators tapped into attributes related to trust, social cohesion, inclusion and sociability, and examined these within the context of the 'capability approach', to consider whether and in what ways these attributes can be linked to food security. Results show that youth have high levels of certain capabilities such as trust, social cohesion and inclusion, co-operation, self-esteem, and meaning. However, in other dimensions there are fewer opportunities, like access to networks, access to knowledge and information and sociability, which are lacking among youth and restrict opportunities for them to engage with issues around food and water security. The Chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between youth capabilities and food security and at p<0.05 results showed that there was no relationship between youth capabilities and food security in Dwaleni. There were however three capabilities showing significant statistical relationships between youth capabilities and food security in Luphisi: collective action and co-operation, social cohesion and self-esteem. We argue that there are opportunities to build on existing capabilities and that, overall, the potential of youth for engaging in water resources management is not being tapped into.
Context: Therapeutic effects of alpha-L-guluronic acid with the greatest tolerability and efficacy (G2013) have been shown in experimental model of multiple sclerosis and other in vitro and in vivo examinations regarding alpha-L-guluronic acid; there are no toxicological researches on its safety although the pharmacological impacts have been recorded. Objective: This study was designed to determine the acute and sub chronic toxicity of alpha-L-guluronic acid in healthy male and female BALB/c mice. Materials and methods: For the acute toxicity study, the animals orally received five different single doses of alpha-L-guluronic acid and were kept under observation for 14d. In the sub-chronic study, 24 male and female BALB/c mice were divided into four groups and treated daily with test substance preparation at dose levels of 0, 50, 250, and 1250mg/kg body weight for at least 90 consecutive days. The mortality, body weight changes, clinical signs, hematological and biochemical parameters, gross findings, histopathological, and organs weight determinants were monitored during this study. Results: The results of acute toxicity indicated that the LD50 of alpha-L-guluronic acid is 4.8g/kg. We found no mortality or abnormality in clinical signs, body weight, relative organs weight, or necropsy in any of the animals in the subchronic study. Additionally, the results showed no significant difference in hematological, biochemical, and histopathological parameters in rats. Conclusions: Our results suggest that alpha-L-guluronic acid has high safety when administered orally in animals.
O-GlcNAcylation is a monosaccharide modification by a residue of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) attached to serine or threonine moieties on nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. O-GlcNAcylation is dynamically regulated by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Increasing evidence suggests that O-GlcNAcylation is involved in a variety of human cancers. However, the exact role of O-GlcNAcylation in tumor progression remains unclear. Here, we show that O-GlcNAcylation accelerates oncogenic phenotypes of gastric cancer. First, cell models with increased or decreased O-GlcNAcylation were constructed by OGT overexpression, downregulation of OGA activity with specific inhibitor Thiamet-G, or silence of OGT. MTT assays indicated that O-GlcNAcylation increased proliferation of gastric cancer cells. Soft agar assay and Transwell assays showed that O-GlcNAcylation significantly enhanced cellular colony formation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Akt1 activity was stimulated by upregulation of phosphorylation at Ser473 mediated by elevated O-GlcNAcylation. The enhanced cell invasion by Thiamet-G treatment was suppressed by PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Although the cell invasion induced by Thiamet-G was reduced by Akt1 shRNA, it was still higher in comparison with that to the control (cells with Akt1 shRNA alone). And Akt1 overexpression promoted Thiamet-G-induced cell invasion. These results suggested that O-GlcNAcylation enhanced oncogenic phenotypes possibly partially involving PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 841-851, 2016
New advanced manufacturing technologies under the alias of additive biomanufacturing allow the design and fabrication of a range of products from pre-operative models, cutting guides and medical devices to scaffolds. The process of printing in 3 dimensions of cells, extracellular matrix (ECM) and biomaterials (bioinks, powders, etc.) to generate in vitro and/or in vivo tissue analogue structures has been termed bioprinting. To further advance in additive biomanufacturing, there are many aspects that we can learn from the wider additive manufacturing (AM) industry, which have progressed tremendously since its introduction into the manufacturing sector. First, this review gives an overview of additive manufacturing and both industry and academia efforts in addressing specific challenges in the AM technologies to drive toward AM-enabled industrial revolution. After which, considerations of poly(lactides) as a biomaterial in additive biomanufacturing are discussed. Challenges in wider additive biomanufacturing field are discussed in terms of (a) biomaterials; (b) computer-aided design, engineering and manufacturing; (c) AM and additive biomanufacturing printers hardware; and (d) system integration. Finally, the outlook for additive biomanufacturing was discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The integrated starter generator replaces the conventional starter and alternator with one electrical machine handling both functions. Start/Stop functionality, vehicle launch assistance, and higher speed transient power supplementing enhance the vehicle performance at the lower fuel consumption rate. This functionality requires the electrical machine to provide high starting and launch assistant torque in motoring mode and relatively high power capability over the wide speed range for battery charging. The overall cost of the system is the underlining concern and crucial part of the design optimization. This paper focuses on advantages of induction machines (IMs) in automotive industry and an approach to design a cost-effective electrical machine for belted starter-alternator applications. Design optimization of the IM is described to achieve desired performance, including rotor bar count, solid conductor (bar winding) versus stranded winding design, rotor bar shape optimization, and finally performance maps for the electrical machine, including both predicted and measured results. A thermal study of the machine is also presented, as well as the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) consideration in the design selection.
This research explored competing predictions for the relation between uncertainty and interpersonal attraction. Two studies investigated whether uncertainty regarding another person's interest is associated with an increase or decrease in attraction. Study 1 revealed that when participants evaluated people whose expressed attraction was either certain or uncertain, participants experienced more liking for those who were associated with certainty. In Study 2, compared to a control condition, uncertainty produced more attraction but the greater attraction was mediated by a desire to reduce uncertainty. We conclude by proposing an explanation for why different research paradigms have produced different conclusions regarding uncertainty and the situations necessary for uncertainty to produce interpersonal attraction.
Symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrices in the form of covariance matrices, for example, are ubiquitous in machine learning applications. However, because their size grows quadratically with respect to the number of variables, high-dimensionality can pose a difficulty when working with them. So, it may be advantageous to apply to them dimensionality reduction techniques. Principal component analysis (PCA) is a canonical tool for dimensionality reduction, which for vector data maximizes the preserved variance. Yet, the commonly used, naive extensions of PCA to matrices result in sub-optimal variance retention. Moreover, when applied to SPD matrices, they ignore the geometric structure of the space of SPD matrices, further degrading the performance. In this paper we develop a new Riemannian geometry based formulation of PCA for SPD matrices that (1) preserves more data variance by appropriately extending PCA to matrix data, and (2) extends the standard definition from the Euclidean to the Riemannian geometries. We experimentally demonstrate the usefulness of our approach as pre-processing for EEG signals and for texture image classification.
This paper proposes a framework for the development of sensor node software for various operating systems in a sensor network environment. The proposed development framework consists of attributes, code templates and development support tool. Sensor node software is developed, based on the framework through four steps - sensor network modeling, PIM design, PSM design and code generation. Accordingly, this paper presents the methods for attributes design, code templates design, PIM-to-PSM mapping, and source code generation. Through the proposed technique, reusability of sensor network software will be increased since models, attributes and code templates can be reused for various operating systems through the framework. Productivity of software development will be increased, because software design is easily performed using attributes and software codes for all nodes in the sensor network can be generated at once from a model. Also, expandability of sensor network software will be increased, since new functions of existing operating systems or new operating systems can be added through the framework and sensor network software can be rebuilt by applying the added functions or operating systems.
The ballasted railroads form an integral part of the modern transportation infrastructure in Australia. However, they are subjected to large stresses especially on mixed traffic lines, where heavy freight trains are operated. Under such adverse operational conditions, ballast progressively degrades contributing to overall track deformations and frequent maintenance. Maintaining geometry of ballast embankments is necessary to improve safety and efficiency of railway operations. The use of artificial inclusions (geosynthetics and shock mats) as well as recycled (discarded) ballast in track can be economically viable options. In order to gain more insight, the CGRE has conducted extensive field trials on two rail lines in Bulli and Singleton in New South Wales supported by Sydney Trains and Australian Rail Track Corporation, respectively. In these studies, different types of geosynthetics (geogrid, geotextile and geocomposite) and shock mats were installed beneath the ballast layer constructed on varying subgrade conditions. Relative advantages of different geogrids were studied. Traffic induced stresses, ballast breakage, transient and permanent deformations were routinely monitored using precise instrumentation schemes. This paper discusses the details of track construction, instrumentation, monitoring processes and results of these field studies.
Recent work has suggested the presence of a variety of motives and mechanisms that affect young children's sharing decisions. Yet, little is known about the relative impact of these motives. In three experiments with 3- to 6-year-old children (total N=140), the current study contrasts two important recipient characteristics that have been suggested to play a major role in early sharing; the positive social relationship between children and recipients and the differences in recipients' wealth. To this end, children could allocate resources to a friend who already possessed a lot of them and to a nonfriend (Experiments 1 and 2) or a stranger (Experiment 3) who owned only very few resources. Across age, children showed a preference to share more with their rich friend, although this tendency was stronger in the older preschool children. The findings are discussed with respect to theoretical accounts on the psychological basis of early sharing. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The current study identified and examined perceived self-traits and behavioral traits as antecedents of online empathic experiences and prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest that perceived self-traits (i.e., self-efficacy in online relationship and self-disclosure), are strongly associated with both empathic experiences and prosocial behavior. Findings for the behavioral trait, interaction pattern of an individual, indicate that patterns of an individual's networking produce mixed results in regard to association with prosocial behavior. Bonding networking was found to positively predict prosocial behavior, while bridging networking showed a negative association with the same dependent measure. Identity discrepancy and writing activities were also found to positively affect prosocial behavior. Overall, the finding of this study indicates that perceived self-traits tend to display stronger explanatory power over both empathy and prosocial behavior than do behavioral traits. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
We propose herein a new portfolio selection method that switches between two distinct asset allocation strategies. An important component is a carefully designed adaptive switching rule, which is based on a machine learning algorithm. It is shown that using this adaptive switching strategy, the combined wealth of the new approach is a weighted average of that of the successive constant rebalanced portfolio and that of the 1/N portfolio. In particular, it is asymptotically superior to the 1/N portfolio under mild conditions in the long run. Applications to real data show that both the returns and the Sharpe ratios of the proposed binary switch portfolio are the best among several popular competing methods over varying time horizons and stock pools.
Objectives. To evaluate partial remission during treatment with infliximab (IFX) + naproxen (NPX) vs NPX alone in patients from the two subgroups of SpA and explore baseline predictors of partial remission. Methods. Infliximab as First Line Therapy in Patients with Early Active Axial Spondyloarthritis Trial was a double-blind, randomised controlled trial of IFX in biologic-na < ve patients with early, active axial SpA. Patients were randomised (2:1) to receive 28 weeks of treatment with i.v. IFX 5 mg/kg (weeks 0, 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24) + NPX 1000 mg/day or i.v. placebo (PBO) + NPX 1000 mg/day. The current post hoc analysis evaluated outcomes in patients who did or did not meet modified New York radiographic criteria for AS. Results. The analysis included 94 patients who met AS criteria and 56 with non-radiographic axial SpA (nr-axSpA). At week 28, Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) partial remission was greater with IFX + NPX than PBO + NPX for both the AS group (70.5 vs 33.3%, respectively) and the nr-axSpA group (50.0 vs 37.5%, respectively). A similar pattern occurred with several efficacy measures. Larger treatment effects occurred in the AS group than the nr-axSpA group, possibly due to baseline differences in disease characteristics. Multivariable analyses identified the type of treatment, age and HLA-B27 status as predictors of ASAS partial remission in the total study population. MRI sacroiliac joint scores were associated with partial remission during IFX + NPX treatment. Conclusion. Patients with AS had greater partial remission with IFX + NSAID than NSAID therapy alone; patients with nr-axSpA had a smaller treatment effect. Baseline disease characteristics and age were associated with partial remission with IFX therapy.
The principle of a diode neutral point clamped three-phase three-level inverter with neutral line was analyzed, and the mathematical model of the main circuit is established on the basis of the operation principle. The oversample and multi-time calculation control strategy was proposed to reduce the typical delay in digital control and improve the system calculation accuracy, lower the inverter output voltage THD. In order to further improve the inverter output voltage waveform, the logic external execution was also proposed. The proposed control method was verified on a 20kVA inverter controlled by microchip processor IC30F5015 DSP. The experiment results indicated that the THD of the inverter output voltage is decreased considerably.
Introduction: Ultrasound (US) is a rapidly evolving technique that is gaining increasing success in the assessment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Recently, new research avenues have been opened, and these are focused on the potential of US for the assessment of extra musculoskeletal areas such as skin and nails. This permits work on the concept of holistic US assessment of PsA'.Areas covered: Here, we analyze the potential role of US in the global assessment of PsA. Additionally, we provide the current evidence supporting its application in routine clinical practice. Literature was obtained from medical databases including PubMed and Embase.Expert commentary: US can detect not only structural abnormalities but also minimal blood flow changes at the superficial soft tissue level. This makes it a great tool for the global assessment of disease activity in PsA, in which persistently active disease plays a major role in causing anatomical damage and physical functional disability.
Vagal tone is widely believed to be an important physiological aspect of emotion regulation and associated positive behaviors. However, there is inconsistent evidence for relations between children's baseline vagal tone and their helpful or prosocial responses to others (Hastings & Miller, 2014). Recent work in adults suggests a quadratic association (inverted U-shape curve) between baseline vagal tone and prosociality (Kogan et al., 2014). The present research examined whether this nonlinear association was evident in children. The authors found consistent evidence for a quadratic relation between vagal tone and prosociality across 3 samples of children using 6 different measures. Compared to low and high vagal tone, moderate vagal tone in early childhood concurrently predicted greater self-reported prosociality (Study 1), observed empathic concern in response to the distress of others and greater generosity toward less fortunate peers (Study 2), and longitudinally predicted greater self-, mother-, and teacher-reported prosociality 5.5 years later in middle childhood (Study 3). Taken together, the findings suggest that moderate vagal tone at rest represents a physiological preparedness or tendency to engage in different forms of prosociality across different contexts. Early moderate vagal tone may reflect an optimal balance of regulation and arousal that helps prepare children to sympathize, comfort, and share with others.
Lean design is a product design philosophy that aims to drive down resource waste on the factory floor using efficient design. Munro [i] provides data to show that Lean design has the greatest impact on the efficient workings of a manufacturing operation. Lean design influences floor-space, labor, raw material, quality, and ultimately profits for a manufacturing company. In this paper, how companies can pursue Lean design utilizing geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) through target manufacturing and zero tolerancing at the maximum material virtual condition (MMVC) are shown. Although these concepts are available in different places within GD&T and quality texts, the connection eludes some educators and most students. Further, how these concepts can be utilized by manufacturing companies as strategic tools to better communicate between product-design and manufacturing personnel is presented. Why it is important to include the concepts of Lean design in product design and manufacturing engineering curriculum is also explained.
Autism and related disorders are increasingly prevalent behavioral syndromes of impaired verbal and nonverbal communication and socialization owing to neurodevelopmental abnormalities. The most recent estimate for the prevalence of autistic disorders is about 1% on a global scale. Etiology of autism is multifactorial and multidimensional that makes therapeutic intervention even harder. Heterogeneity of genetic factors, oxidative stress, autoimmune mechanism, and epigenetic mechanisms complicate the nature of pathogenesis of the disease. Nutraceutical approach to treat this disease is a promising strategy, especially in some areas, it is more attractive than others. This review critically analyzes the roles of vitamins and cofactors, dietary modifications and gut abnormalities, probiotics and prebiotics, phytochemicals, and environmental factors in order to determine the state of evidence in nutraceutical-based autism management practices. This article presents a systematic review of randomized- and placebocontrolled trials to examine the evidence supports the use of autism nutraceuticals. The results will be discussed in the light of all relevant evidence generated from other clinical and exploratory studies. (C) 2012 King Saud University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
In the present study, we have tested whether MRI T-1 relaxation time is a sensitive marker to detect early stages of amyloidosis and gliosis in the young 5xFAD transgenic mouse, a well-established animal model for Alzheimer's disease. 5xFAD and wild-type mice were imaged in a 4.7 T Varian horizontal bore MRI system to generate T-1 quantitative maps using the spin-echo multi-slice sequence. Following immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein, Iba-1, and amyloid-beta, T-1 and area fraction of staining were quantified in the posterior parietal and primary somatosensory cortex and corpus callosum. In comparison with age-matched wild-type mice, we observed first signs of amyloidosis in 2.5-month-old 5xFAD mice, and development of gliosis in 5-month-old 5xFAD mice. In contrast, MRI T-1 relaxation times of young, i.e., 2.5- and 5-month-old, 5xFAD mice were not significantly different to those of age-matched wild-type controls. Furthermore, although disease progression was detectable by increased amyloid-beta load in the brain of 5-month-old 5xFAD mice compared with 2.5-month-old 5xFAD mice, MRI T-1 relaxation time did not change. In summary, our data suggest that MRI T-1 relaxation time is neither a sensitive measure of disease onset nor progression at early stages in the 5xFAD mouse transgenic mouse model.
Oenococcus oeni is a wine-associated lactic acid bacterium (LAB) responsible mostly for wine malolactic fermentation (MLF). This fastidious bacterium (auxotrophic for many amino acids and slow growing) possesses remarkable adaptability to harsh physicochemical conditions and can reprogramme its metabolic pathways to enhance its survival in wine. Thus, O. oeni is an instructive bacterial model for investigating stress response mechanisms in LAB. However, the lack of appropriate techniques to modify the O. oeni genome has hampered molecular studies of this species. The application of recent advances in molecular genetics promises to provide a better understanding of the regulation of stress responses in this species in the future.
The release of water from storage compartments to the transpiration stream is an important functional mechanism that provides the buffering of sudden fluctuations in water potential. The ability of tissues to release water per change in water potential, referred to as hydraulic capacitance, is assumed to be associated with the anatomy of storage tissues. However, information about how specific anatomical parameters determine capacitance is limited. In this study, we measured sapwood capacitance (C) in terminal branches and roots of five temperate tree species (Fagus sylvatica L., Picea abies L., Quercus robur L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., Tilia cordata Mill.). Capacitance was calculated separately for water released mainly from capillary (C-I; open vessels, tracheids, fibres, intercellular spaces and cracks) and elastic storage compartments (C-II; living parenchyma cells), corresponding to two distinct phases of the moisture release curve. We found that C was generally higher in roots than branches, with C-I being 3-11 times higher than C-II. Sapwood density and the ratio of dead to living xylem cells were most closely correlated with C. In addition, the magnitude of C-I was strongly correlated with fibre/tracheid lumen area, whereas C-II was highly dependent on the thickness of axial parenchyma cell walls. Our results indicate that water released from capillary compartments predominates over water released from elastic storage in both branches and roots, suggesting the limited importance of parenchyma cells for water storage in juvenile xylem of temperate tree species. Contrary to intact organs, water released from open conduits in our small wood samples significantly increased C-I at relatively high water potentials. Linking anatomical parameters with the hydraulic capacitance of a tissue contributes to a better understanding of water release mechanisms and their implications for plant hydraulics.
Bone is a dynamic tissue whose remodeling throughout life is orchestrated by repeated cycles of destruction mediated by osteoclasts and rebuilding by osteoblasts. Current understanding of osteoclast biology has largely relied on the generation of knockout mice exhibiting an abnormal bone phenotype. This has provided a better understanding of osteoclast biology and the key proteins that support osteoclast function. However, mouse models alone do not provide an integrated view on protein networks and post-translational modifications that might be important for osteoclast function. During the past years, a number of MS-based quantitative methods have been developed to investigate the complexity of biological systems. This review will summarize how such approaches have contributed to the understanding of osteoclast differentiation and function.
The paper reviews in condensed form and from a historical perspective the various methods for treating and simulating turbulence and its effects in hydraulic flows. After highlighting the main characteristic features of turbulence and the role it plays in hydraulics, a necessarily brief overview is given of the main methods used in hydraulic flow calculations for dealing with turbulence and its effects. These are (1)empirical relations, (2)methods solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the aid of statistical turbulence models, (3)direct numerical simulations (DNS), and (4)large-eddy simulations (LES). Brief comments are made on the historical development of the different methods, and for RANS, DNS, and LES methods some application examples are presented. For details on the individual methods and further application examples, the reader is directed to the very extensive literature.
The challenges of pedagogical interaction in drama are related to the teacher-student interaction. The aim of our research is to develop theatre based training programmes designed to take advantage of teachers' holistic, especially nonverbal communication interaction skills; presence and the use of bodies and space in educational settings. Our research questions are: 1) what theatre based tools can be used to teach body awareness? And 2) is it possible to use those practiced body messages consciously in teaching-studying-learning situations? The aim of this paper is to present the background and some aspects of the theory based practical training program we have developed to teach holistic interaction to professional teachers and teacher students in Helsinki University's teacher education Challenge of the Empty space - research project. We also present the preliminary results of the effectiveness of the training programme. Preliminary data collection was carried out between 2014 and 2016. Two groups of teacher students (N=36) and one group of qualified teachers (N=16) took the basic studies of drama education course (25 ECTS credits). Holistic interaction skills were especially studied in the theatre education course (7 ECTS credits). After the course the participants reflected on their learning by answering a questionnaire. All the respondents felt that they have learnt something new about teacher. student interaction and about the importance interactions during teaching. They mentioned that they had been paying close attention to their own supplementary communication. All the qualified teachers (N=16) described concrete situations where they have used new holistic interaction skills consciously. The results of the preliminary study reinforced our view. They give indications that teachers' body awareness in teaching situations can be developed with these methods. The results will help us to develop the theatre based training programme further. (C) 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.uk
The fall is one of the most important research fields of solitary elder healthcare at home based on Internet of Things technology. Current studies mainly focus on the fall detection, which helps medical staffs bring a fallen elder out of danger in time. However, it neither predicts a fall nor provides an effective protection against a fall. This article studies the fall prediction based on human biomechanics equilibrium and body posture characteristics through analyzing three-dimensional skeleton joints data from the depth camera sensor Kinect. The research includes building a human bionic mass model using skeleton joints data from Kinect, determining human balance state, and proposing a fall prediction algorithm based on recurrent neural networks by unbalanced posture features. We evaluate the model and algorithm on an open database. The performance indicates that the fall prediction algorithm by studying human biomechanics can predict a fall (91.7%) and provide a certain amount of time (333ms) before the elder injuring (hitting the floor). This work provides a technical basis and a data analytics approach for the fall protection.
Micro-particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) is a quantitative full-field technique for the velocity measurement for flows in microfluidics. The flow fields of both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in microchannels were investigated by micro-PIV. The velocity profiles in various polymethyl methacrylate square microchannels were measured. Polyacrylamide aqueous solutions with different concentrations served as non-Newtonian fluids. Two viscous Newtonian fluids were also employed to serve as reference, in particular to validate a lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulation. Satisfactory flow measurements could be realized by the micro-PIV technique. The experimental velocity profile compares well with the LB simulation and an approximate solution. The experimentally measured velocity profile can lead to the quantification of the flow index of non-Newtonian fluids as an inline rheological characterization.
This paper presents a theoretical framework intended to accommodate circuit devices described by characteristics involving more than two fundamental variables. This framework is motivated by the recent appearance of a variety of so-called mem-devices in circuit theory, and makes it possible to model the coexistence of memory effects of different nature in a single device. With a compact formalism, this setting accounts for classical devices and also for circuit elements which do not admit a two-variable description. Fully nonlinear characteristics are allowed for all devices, driving the analysis beyond the framework of Chua and Di Ventra et al. We classify these fully nonlinear circuit elements in terms of the variables involved in their constitutive relations and the notions of the differential- and the state-order of a device. We extend the notion of a topologically degenerate configuration to this broader context, and characterize the differential-algebraic index of nodal models of such circuits. Additionally, we explore certain dynamical features ofmem-circuits involving manifolds of non-isolated equilibria. Related bifurcation phenomena are explored for a family of nonlinear oscillators based on mem-devices.
The present mechanism of metabolic formation of cholesterol is discussed and difficulties arising with the mechanism highlighted. A revision of the chemical reactions in biological cells which give rise to cholesterol and other sterols is presented. This mechanism of cholesterol formation is based on the forms and properties of polyphosphoric acids which are compounds common to both plant and animal cells. The reactions are examples of biochemical reactions which involve the stereochemistry of an inorganic molecule as well as the stereochemistry of organic molecules. It is demonstrated that cholesterol and related compounds entering or produced in the human metabolism are decomposed by the fluids of the digestive system and one product recycled for the production of further cholesterol. Links between the formation of cholesterol and degenerate conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, encountered in the human metabolism are discussed. Obesity and Metabolism 2011; 7: e6-e16.
Background: In previous studies by the authors, it was demonstrated that a fibronectin ( FN)- derived oligopeptide, termed F20, stimulates osteoblast differentiation in vitro and bone formation in vivo. However, the fundamental molecular mechanism by which F20 stimulates osteogenesis remains unknown. Therefore, in this study the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of F20 in osteoblast differentiation is investigated. Methods: The role of F20 in osteoblast differentiation was examined using mouse bone- marrow- derived ST2 cell line. The effect of Smad1/ 5 was determined following small interfering RNA knockdown. Runt- related transcription factor ( Runx) 2, alkaline phosphatase ( Alp), and osteocalcin ( Oc) mRNA levels were determined by quantitative real- time polymerase chain reaction, and their transcriptional activation was assessed using luciferase reporter assays. Extracellular signalregulated kinase ( ERK) phosphorylation was visualized via immunoblotting. Results: Synthetic oligopeptide F20 stimulated expression of bone marker genes Runx2, Alp, and Oc in ST2 cells via Smad and ERK or mitogen- activated protein kinase signaling pathways as did bone morphogenic protein 2 ( BMP2). Furthermore, Runx2 acted as a transcription factor during F20induced osteoblast differentiation. Conclusions: Collectively, these results indicate that F20 induces osteoblast differentiation with a pattern similar to that mediated by BMP2 signaling pathway. The authors' previous data also showed that FN- derived oligopeptide improved wound healing, and it is suggested that F20 might serve as a therapeutic biomolecule to facilitate periodontal tissue regeneration.
Extreme sports such as canyoneering have expanded greatly since the turn of the century yet little scientific attention has been paid to the analyses of the dangers of those activities. The author was much involved in promoting one such sport, namely canyoneering, and presents this paper as an example of the kind of fluids engineering analyses that are needed in order to objectively quantify those dangers and properly advise the participants. In canyoneering, the primary fluid-related sources of danger are the impact of falling water on the human body and the dangers a swimmer faces in a plunge pool. This paper presents rough evaluations of both dangers.
The softwarization of networks promises cost savings and better scalability of network functions by moving functionality from specialized devices into commercial off-the-shelf hardware. Generalized computing hardware offers many degrees for adjustment and tuning, which can affect performance and resource utilization. One of these adjustments are the interrupt moderation techniques implemented by modern network interface cards and operating systems. Using these, an administrator can optimize either lower latencies or lower CPU overhead for processing of network traffic. In this work, an analytical model that allows computing relevant performance metrics like the packet processing time and the packet loss for generic virtualized network functions running on commodity hardware is developed. The applicability of the model is shown by comparing its outcome with measurements conducted in a local testbed featuring a VNF that acts as an LTE Serving Gateway (SGW). Based on this model, impact factors like the average packet interarrival time, the interarrival time distribution, and the duration of the interrupt aggregation interval are studied.
Massive public pressure is arising to achieve data privacy and protection. One way to maintain data privacy is to perform efficient data disposal processes. This minimizes the chances of data leakage over an extended period and through irresponsible actions. That is why adequate data disposal is essential in so many governmental and critical institutions. Simply deleting data does not erase it. In fact, it only removes the name that refers to that piece of data, but the data itself remains. In this paper, we utilize an encryption algorithm and then perform a randomization process to dispose of data values in an irreversible approach making it difficult to retrieve the original value of data from the defaced result.
Background: The transcription factor Ets1 is highly expressed in B lymphocytes. Loss of Ets1 leads to premature B cell differentiation into antibody-secreting cells (ASCs), secretion of autoantibodies, and development of autoimmune disease. Despite the importance of Ets1 in B cell biology, few Ets1 target genes are known in these cells. Results: To obtain a more complete picture of the function of Ets1 in regulating B cell differentiation, we performed Ets1 ChIP-seq in primary mouse B cells to identify >10,000-binding sites, many of which were localized near genes that play important roles in B cell activation and differentiation. Although Ets1 bound to many sites in the genome, it was required for regulation of less than 5% of them as evidenced by gene expression changes in B cells lacking Ets1. The cohort of genes whose expression was altered included numerous genes that have been associated with autoimmune disease susceptibility. We focused our attention on four such Ets1 target genes Ptpn22, Stat4, Egr1, and Prdm1 to assess how they might contribute to Ets1 function in limiting ASC formation. We found that dysregulation of these particular targets cannot explain altered ASC differentiation in the absence of Ets1. Conclusion: We have identified genome-wide binding targets for Ets1 in B cells and determined that a relatively small number of these putative target genes require Ets1 for their normal expression. Interestingly, a cohort of genes associated with autoimmune disease susceptibility is among those that are regulated by Ets1. Identification of the target genes of Ets1 in B cells will help provide a clearer picture of how Ets1 regulates B cell responses and how its loss promotes autoantibody secretion.
Behaviour is central to many fields, but metatheoretical definitions specifying the most basic assumptions about what is considered behaviour and what is not are largely lacking. This transdisciplinary research explores the challenges in defining behaviour, highlighting anthropocentric biases and a frequent lack of differentiation from physiological and psychical phenomena. To meet these challenges, the article elaborates a metatheoretical definition of behaviour that is applicable across disciplines and that allows behaviours to be differentiated from other kinds of phenomena. This definition is used to explore the phenomena of language and to scrutinise whether and under what conditions language can be considered behaviour and why. The metatheoretical concept of two different levels of meaning conveyed in human language is introduced, highlighting that language inherently relies on behaviours and that the content of what-is-being-said, in and of itself, can constitute (interpersonal) behaviour under particular conditions. The analyses reveal the ways in which language meaningfully extends human's behavioural possibilities, pushing them far beyond anything enabled by non-language behaviours. These novel metatheoretical concepts can complement and expand on existing theories about behaviour and language and contribute a novel piece of theoretical explanation regarding the crucial role that language has played in human evolution.
The paper introduces a new approach on design of distributed manufacturing control systems. It will be shown how multi-agent principles, self-learning, self-adaptation and a new engineering method for distributed production systems can be used to enhance integration of production control process quality control. It will be highlighted how multi-agent systems may be implemented to enforce interaction of manufacturing execution system and distributed control system, enhancing the exploitation of all available information at the quality control and process control levels. Additional focus is set on production process modeling, quality control algorithms and an engineering methodology integrating all these aspects within. The final results are validated in the field of white ware using a washing machine production line.
Mixed payment systems have become a prominent alternative to paying physicians through fee-for-service and capitation. While theory shows mixed payment systems to be superior, causal effects on physicians' behavior when introducing mixed systems are not well understood empirically. We systematically analyze the influence of fee-for-service, capitation, and mixed payment systems on physicians' service provision. In a controlled laboratory setting, we implement an exogenous variation of the payment method. Medical and non-medical students in the role of physicians in the lab (N = 213) choose quantities of medical services affecting patients' health outside the lab. Behavioral data reveal significant overprovision of medical services under fee-for-service and significant underprovision under capitation, although less than predicted when assuming profit maximization. Introducing mixed payment systems significantly reduces deviations from patient-optimal treatment. Although medical students tend to be more patient regarding, our results hold for both medical and non-medical students. Responses to incentive systems can be explained by a behavioral model capturing individual altruism. In particular, we find support that altruism plays a role in service provision and can partially mitigate agency problems, but altruism is heterogeneous in the population. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
With the fully mature and a vast number of available virtualization solutions, there is an uptake in creating the opportunity for remote and/or virtual laboratories to either supplement or fully replace physical networking laboratories. Our approach focuses on nodes, rather than environments hosting the nodes. The paper addresses setting up virtual laboratories made of widely available, general purpose, operating systems based on Linux that act as a network operating system. We discuss several Software Defined Networking solutions, and lay out the configuration setup for virtual laboratories. We evaluate them by the opportunity they provide in the context of learning and a potential experience. We conclude with an observation that with an increasing number of Linux based network operating systems, management of network forwarding devices becomes management of servers, which leads to the unification of the cloud fabric.
Supraglacial rivers on the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) transport large volumes of surface meltwater toward the ocean, yet have received relatively little direct research. This study presents field observations of channel width, depth, velocity, and water surface slope for nine supraglacial channels on the south-western GrIS collected between July 23 and August 20, 2012. Field sites are located up to 74km inland and span 494-1485m elevation, and contain measured discharges larger than any previous in situ study: from 0.006 to 23.12m(3)/s in channels 0.20 to 20.62m wide. All channels were deeply incised with near vertical banks, and hydraulic geometry results indicate that supraglacial channels primarily accommodate greater discharges by increasing velocity. Smaller streams had steeper water surface slopes (0.74-8.83%) than typical in terrestrial settings, yielding correspondingly high velocities (0.40-2.60m/s) and Froude numbers (0.45-3.11) with supercritical flow observed in 54% of measurements. Derived Manning's n values were larger and more variable than anticipated from channels of uniform substrate, ranging from 0.009 to 0.154 with a mean value of 0.035 +/- 0.027 despite the absence of sediment, debris, or other roughness elements. Ubiquitous micro-depressions in shallow sections of the channel bed may explain some of these roughness values. However, we find that other, unobserved sources of flow resistance likely contributed to these elevated Manning's n values: future work should explicitly consider additional sources of flow resistance beyond bed roughness in supraglacial channels. We conclude that hydraulic modeling for these channels must allow for both subcritical and supercritical flow, and most importantly must refrain from assuming that all ice-substrate channels exhibit similar hydraulic behavior, especially for Froude numbers and Manning's n. Finally, this study highlights that further theoretical and empirical work on supraglacial channel hydraulics is necessary before broad scale understanding of ice sheet hydrology can be achieved. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In recent years, flux switching machines (FSMs) have been an attractive research topic owing to their tremendous advantages of robust rotor structure, high torque, and high power capability suitable for intensive applications. However, most of the investigations are focusing on the inner-rotor structure, which is incongruous for direct drive applications. In this study, high torque and power densities of a new 12S-14P outer-rotor permanent magnet (PM) FSM with a DC excitation coil was investigated based on two-dimensional fmite element analysis for in-wheel direct drive electric vehicle (EV). Based on some design restrictions and specifications, design refinements were conducted on the original design machine by using the deterministic optimization approach. With only 1.0 kg PM, the final design machine achieved the maximum torque and power densities of 12.4 Nm/kg and 5.93 kW/kg, respectively, slightly better than the inner-rotor HEFSM and interior PM synchronous machine design for EV.
Treatment of cow's urine was first time explored in clayware microbial fuel cell (MFC) by varying dilution to have different chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the feed. Improvement in power output of MFC was attained with increase in feed concentration from 1.5 to 3 kg COD/m(3); however further increase in influent COD up to 30 kg COD/m(3) decreased the power. Maximum power of 5.23 W/m(3) was attained in MFC fed with diluted urine of cow with COD concentration of 3 kg COD/m(3), which was seven-fold higher than MFC fed with raw urine. Nitrate removal of 77 +/- 4.1% and carbohydrate removal of 80 +/- 3.9% were achieved in MFC fed with 3 kg COD/m(3). Electrochemical analysis showed that electrogenic activity of anodic biofilm boosted at optimum feed concentration (3 kg COD/m(3)) of cow's urine in anodic chamber. Using two MFCs, fed with diluted cow's urine, maximum voltage of 1.36 +/- 0.05 V in series connection and maximum current of 48 A/m(3) in parallel connection were achieved. Thus, cow's urine can serve as sustainable yellow gold to harvest bioelectricity using low cost clayware MFC, and to curb the water pollution likely caused from cattle sheds. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is of great value to corrosion studies because it is sensitive to transient changes that occur in the metal-electrolyte interface. A useful way to link the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to corrosion phenomena is by simulating equivalent circuits. Equivalent circuit models are very attractive because of their relative simplicity, enabling the monitoring of electrochemical systems that have a complex physical mechanism. In this paper, the stochastic algorithm Differential Evolution is proposed to fit an equivalent circuit to the EIS results for a wide potential range. EIS is often limited to the corrosion potential despite being widely used. This greatly hinders the analysis regarding the effect of the applied potential, which strongly affects the interface, as shown, for example, in polarization curves. Moreover, the data from both the EIS and the DC values were used in the proposed scheme, allowing the best fit of the model parameters. The approach was compared to the standard Simplex square residual minimization of EIS data. In order to manage the large amount of generated data, the EIS-Mapper software package, which also plots the 2D/3D diagrams with potential, was used to fit the equivalent circuit of multiple diagrams. Furthermore, EIS-Mapper also computed all simulations. The results of 67 impedance diagrams of stainless steel in a 3.5% NaCl medium at 25 degrees C obtained in steps of 10 mV, and the respective values of the fitted parameters of the equivalent circuit are reported. The present approach conveys new insight to the use of electrochemical impedance and bridges the gap between polarization curves and equivalent electrical circuits. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper describes the conservation of a figurative and geometrical patterned 5th century A. D. mosaic in the ruins of the House of the Ionic Capitals in Hierapolis, which is one of the world heritage sites. The mosaic had significant quantity of detached and disintegrated tesserae as a result of deterioration of its bedding layer. The conservation process included fixing detached tesserae by reinforcing the bedding layer with lime mortars; integrating disintegrated original tesserae to fill the small lacunae for a better visual perception; mechanical and poultice cleaning; using permeable geotextile in reburial against environmental factors, and herbicide application to prevent plant intrusion. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
We introduce a game of trusted computation in which a sensor equipped with limited computing power leverages a central computer to evaluate a specified function over a large dataset, collected over time. We assume that the central computer can be under attack and we propose a strategy where the sensor retains a limited amount of the data to counteract the effect of attack. We formulate the problem as a two player game in which the sensor (defender) chooses an optimal fusion strategy using both the non-trusted output from the central computer and locally stored trusted data. The attacker seeks to compromise the computation by influencing the fused value through malicious manipulation of the data stored on the central computer. We first characterize all Nash equilibria of this game, which turn out to be dependent on parameters known to both players. Next we adopt an Iterated Best Response (IBR) scheme in which, at each iteration, the central computer reveals its output to the sensor, who then computes its best response based on a linear combination of its private local estimate and the untrusted third-party output. We characterize necessary and sufficient conditions for convergence of the IBR along with numerical results which show that the convergence conditions are relatively tight. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Previous studies suggest that climate change impacts significantly on the hydro-climatic processes within the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) River Basin (RB). This study examines the observed climate characteristics and potential strengths and limitations of three global high-resolution reanalyses and satellite remote-sensing products over the GBM RB for period 1980-2013 by (1) estimating trends and interannual variations of precipitation and temperature, and (2) isolating precipitation variations likely associated with El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). The surface temperature trends show widespread warming across the basin with a maximum increase of 0.6 degrees Cdecade(-1) over western Nepal and southern Tibet from 1980 to 2013. Rainfall changes from 1980 to 2013 indicate pronounced decline over high rainfall regions of northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, especially from 1998 to 2013. Basin-wide averaged trends show rainfall decline of up to 39mmdecade(-1) in June-August in the Brahmaputra-Meghna RB from 1998 to 2013. Temperature variability based on Principal Component Analysis indicates that the first mode is associated with sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the Arabian Sea and the western tropical Pacific Ocean, while the second mode appears to be significantly correlated to SST anomalies in the western (eastern) tropical Indian (Pacific) Ocean. ENSO and IOD events are found to significantly influence rainfall variability contributing to about 10-20% (ENSO) and 8-10% (IOD) of the annual rainfall, mainly over Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and north-eastern India. Among the three reanalysis products: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) retrospective analysis (ERA-Interim), Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), ERA-Interim (and MERRA) agrees well with the observed precipitation (temperature) data sets while, CFSR shows the least skills in representing the spatio-temporal variations of precipitation and temperature.
Background/AimAntibiotic allergies are frequently reported and have significant impacts upon appropriate prescribing and clinical outcomes. We surveyed infectious diseases physicians, allergists, clinical immunologists and hospital pharmacists to evaluate antibiotic allergy knowledge and service delivery in Australia and New Zealand. MethodsAn online multi-choice questionnaire was developed and endorsed by representatives of the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID). The 37-item survey was distributed in April 2015 to members of ASCIA, ASID, the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. ResultsOf 277 respondents, 94% currently use or would utilise antibiotic allergy testing (AAT) and reported seeing up to 10 patients/week labelled as antibiotic-allergic. Forty-two per cent were not aware of or did not have AAT available. Most felt that AAT would aid antibiotic selection, antibiotic appropriateness and antimicrobial stewardship (79, 69 and 61% respectively). Patients with the histories of immediate hypersensitivity were more likely to be referred than those with delayed hypersensitivities (76 vs 41%, P=0.0001). Lack of specialist physicians (20%) and personal experience (17%) were barriers to service delivery. A multidisciplinary approach was a preferred AAT model (53%). Knowledge gaps were identified, with the majority overestimating rates of penicillin/cephalosporin (78%), penicillin/carbapenem (57%) and penicillin/monobactam (39%) cross-reactivity. ConclusionsA high burden of antibiotic allergy labelling and demand for AAT is complicated by a relative lack availability or awareness of AAT services in Australia and New Zealand. Antibiotic allergy education and deployment of AAT, accessible to community and hospital-based clinicians, may improve clinical decisions and reduce antibiotic allergy impacts. A collaborative approach involving infectious diseases physicians, pharmacists and allergists/immunologists is required.
There is great interest in the use of biomarkers to assist in the timely identification of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in individuals with mild symptoms. However, the inclusion of AD biomarkers in clinical criteria poses socioethical challenges. The Geneva Task Force for the Roadmap of Alzheimer's Biomarkers was established to deliver a systematic strategic research agenda (aka roadmap) to promote efficient and effective validation of AD biomarkers and to foster their uptake in clinical practice. In this article, we summarize the workshop discussion of the Geneva Task Force  ethical and societal issues working group, which comprised bioethicists, clinicians, health economists, and representatives of those affected by AD. The working group identified the following key issues that need to be included in the roadmap: improving access to services through timely diagnosis, the need for a diagnostic research protocol before moving to clinical routine, recruitment in diagnostic research protocols in the absence of effective therapy, respect for the autonomy of the individual with mild cognitive impairment in information and consent process and the right not to know biomarkers results, need for counseling programs, disclosure of the diagnosis in a structured environment and the involvement of family members, health policies including the individuals' views and the protection of their interests, and the economic costs for society. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Degraded hills can be restored by afforestation and conserving soil and water through rainwater harvesting. Three slope categories viz.20% of a degraded hill were treated with rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures: Contour trench (CT), Gradonie (GD), Box trench (BT) and V-ditch (VD) including a control with a view to rehabilitate it by conserving and minimizing gradient in soil water and nutrients. Soil water content (SWC), height and collar diameter of Acacia catechu, Azadirachta Emblica officinalis, Holoptelia integrifolia and Zyziphus mauritiana planted in August 2005, herbaceous biomass and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interceptions by tree, vegetation and tree-vegetation combine (PAR(intT/V/C)) were monitored for suitability of RWH devices and tree species in rehabilitation. SWC decreased from December to June and it was linearly related to rainfall and vegetation height. PAR(int) by tree, vegetation, and tree-vegetation combine were 30.0%, 54.6% and 84.6%, respectively and helped conserve soil water. SWC, plant and vegetation growth and PAR(intT) were lowest (P < 0.05), whereas herbaceous biomass and PAR(intV) were highest in 10-20% slope. Vegetation height and SWC were linearly related to biomass indicating improvement in micro-climate and herbaceous growth. Highest SWC in <10% slope promoted plant growth and mean annual increment (MAI) in height and collar diameter, which enhanced PAR(intT) and PAR(intC). These variables were highest in CT/BT treatments and lowest in control plots. Characteristic root distribution of Acacia catechu and A. indica promoted growth in V-ditch, whereas E. officinalis, Z mauritiana and H. integrefolia performed best in CT treatment. RWH enhanced herbaceous biomass between 22.4% and 60.7% over control. Conclusively, VD/GD structures found best for growth of herbaceous vegetation as well as A. catechu and A. indica plants, whereas CT/BT structures favoured growth of other tree species. Rainfall influenced SWC, but RWH helped conserve soil and water, promoted plantation and herbaceous growth and facilitated restoration process, and may be promoted to restore degrading lands. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission was launched on January 31, 2015 to provide global mapping of high-resolution soil moisture and freeze-thaw state every 2-3 days using an L-band (active) radar and an L-band (passive) radiometer. The Level 2 radiometer-only soil moisture product (L2_SM_P) provides soil moisture estimates posted on a 36-km Earth-fixed grid using brightness temperature observations from descending passes. This paper provides the first comparison of the validated-release L2_SM_P product with soil moisture products provided by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), Aquarius, Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) missions. This comparison was conducted as part of the SMAP calibration and validation efforts. SMAP and SMOS appear most similar among the five soil moisture products considered in this paper, overall exhibiting the smallest unbiased root-mean-square difference and highest correlation. Overall, SMOS tends to be slightly wetter than SMAP, excluding forests where some differences are observed. SMAP and Aquarius can only be compared for a little more than two months; they compare well, especially over low to moderately vegetated areas. SMAP and ASCAT show similar overall trends and spatial patterns with ASCAT providing wetter soil moistures than SMAP over moderate to dense vegetation. SMAP and AMSR2 largely disagree in their soil moisture trends and spatial patterns; AMSR2 exhibits an overall dry bias, while desert areas are observed to be wetter than SMAP.
The vision of the Internet of Things (IoT) foresees a future Internet incorporating smart physical objects that offer hosted functionality as IoT services. These services when integrated with the traditional enterprise level services form the creation of ambient intelligence for a wide range of applications. To facilitate seamless access and service life cycle management of large, distributed and heterogeneous IoT resources, service oriented computing and resource oriented approaches have been widely used as promising technologies. However, a reference architecture integrating IoT services into either of these two technologies is still an open research challenge. In this article, we adopt the resource oriented approach to provide an end-to-end integration architecture of front-end IoT devices with the back-end business process applications. The proposed architecture promises a programmer friendly access to IoT services, an event management mechanism to propagate context information of IoT devices, a service replacement facility upon service failure, and a decentralized execution of the IoT aware business processes. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper describes the effect of embedment depth on bearing capacity of footing supported by geocell-reinforced bed, using plate load test at a diameter of 300 mm. The embedment depth ratio of the footing was varied from zero to 0.75. The plate load tests were performed in an outdoor test pit dug in natural ground measuring 2000 x 2000 mm in plan and 1000 mm in depth. The geocell used in the tests was non-perforated with pocket size 110 x 110 mm2 and height 100 mm, fabricated from continuous polypropylene filaments as a nonwoven geotextile. The tests were conducted on geocell reinforced bed sand, which was compacted to 85% relative density. The test results demonstrate that the bearing pressure increases with increase in the embedment depth ratio and the number of geocell layers. The study also compares the embedment depth ratio of one layer geocell reinforcement with two and three layer geocell reinforcement bed with no embedment depth. These comparisons show that the performance of footing on single layer reinforced bed with the embedment depth ratio of 0.25 and 0.75 might be comparable to the performance of footing on geocell-reinforced bed with two and three reinforcement layers. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Research on empathic development, though extensive, has largely overlooked two vital facets of flexible empathic respondingmultideterminism (which is elicited in response to various cues) and context dependence (i.e., empathic responding that can be regulated depending on contextual factors). Within a dual-process account of empathic responding (in which both bottom-up and top-down processes contribute), such flexible empathic responding relies heavily on top-down processes. Yet most developmental research has not systematically considered the role of top-down processes in bringing about multidetermined and context-dependent empathic responding; as such, it provides a narrow view of early empathic responding. Recent research has begun to fill these gaps and suggests that top-down processes are involved even in early flexible empathic responding. But much more work is needed, particularly on developmental mechanisms and the development of top-down processes, to understand fully the origins of flexible concern.
Renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) are popular market-based mechanisms for promoting development of renewable power generation. However, they are usually implemented without considering the capabilities and cost of transmission infrastructure. We use single-and multi-stage planning approaches to find cost-effective transmission and generation investments to meet single and multi-year RPS goals, respectively. Using a six-node network and assuming a linearized DC power flow, we examine how the lumpy nature of network reinforcements and Kirchhoff's Voltage Law can affect the performance of RPSs. First, we show how simplified planning approaches that ignore transmission constraints, transmission lumpiness, or Kirchhoff's voltage law yield distorted estimates of the type and location of infrastructure, as well as inaccurate compliance costs to meet the renewable goals. Second, we illustrate how lumpy transmission investments and Kirchhoff's voltage law result in compliance costs that are nonconvex with respect to the RPS targets, in the sense that the marginal costs of meeting the RPS may decrease rather than increase as the target is raised. Thus, the value of renewable energy certificates (RECs) also depends on the network topology, as does the amount of noncompliance with the RPS, if noncompliance is penalized but not prohibited. Finally, we use a multi-stage planning model to determine the optimal generation and transmission infrastructure for RPS designs that set multiyear goals. We find that the optimal infrastructure to meet RPS policies that are enforced year-by-year differ from the optimal infrastructure if banking and borrowing is allowed in the REC market.
Multiple instance (MI) learning aims at identifying the underlying concept from collectively labeled data. A training sample consists of a set, known as a bag, of unlabelled instances. The bag as a whole is labeled positive if at least one instance in the bag is positive, or negative otherwise. Given such training samples, the goal is to learn a description of the common instance(s) among the positive bags, i.e., the underlying concept that is responsible for the positive label. In this work, we introduce a learning scheme based on the notion of partial entropy for MI concept learning. Partial entropy accentuates the intra-class information by focusing on the information reflected from the positive class in proportion to the total entropy, maximization of which is to equalize the likelihoods of intra-class outcomes among the positive class, essentially reflecting the intended concept. When coupled with a distance-based probabilistic model for MI learning, it is equivalent to seeking out a concept estimate that equalizes the intra-class distances while the distance to negative bags is restrained. It produces patterns that are similar to at least one instance from each of the positive bags while dissimilar from all instances in negative bags. The generated patterns from the optimization process correspond to prototypical concepts. Maximum partial entropy is conceptually simple and experimental results on different MI datasets demonstrate its effectiveness in learning an explicit representation of the concept and its competitive performance when applied to classification tasks.
The ability to distinguish peatland types at the landscape scale has implications for inventory, conservation, estimation of carbon storage, fuel loading, and postfire carbon emissions, among others. This paper presents a multisensor, multiseason remote sensing approach to delineate boreal peatland types (wooded bog, open fen, shrubby fen, treed fen) using a combination of multiple dates of L-band (24 cm) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from ALOS PALSAR, C-band (similar to 5.6 cm) from ERS-1 or ERS-2, and Landsat 5 TM optical remote sensing data. Imagery was first evaluated over a small test area of boreal Alberta, Canada, to determine the feasibility of using multisensor SAR and optical data to discriminate peatland types. Then object-based and (or) machine-learning classification algorithms were applied to 3.4 million ha of peatland-rich subregions of Alberta, Canada, and the 4.24 million ha region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula where peatlands are less dominant. Accuracy assessments based on field-sampled sites show high overall map accuracies (93%-94% for Alberta and Michigan), which exceed those of previous mapping efforts.
Introduction: Myasthenia gravis is the most frequent acquired disorder of neuromuscular transmission. In the majority of cases, pathogenic antibodies against components of the postsynaptic muscle endplate membrane can be detected. In recent years there have been significant advances in the pathophysiological understanding and therapy of the disease.Areas covered: PubMed searches were conducted for the term myasthenia gravis' cross-referenced with the terms immunology', subgroups', antibody', ocular', thymoma', treatment' and thymectomy'. Additionally, we summarized the current state of immunopathology and therapy.Expert commentary: Immunological research defined new target antigens at the postsynaptic neuromuscular junction which along with clinical features allow a refined definition of disease subgroups. Overall the prognosis of myasthenia gravis with best possible symptomatic, immunosuppressive and supportive treatment is good but new immunomodulatory treatment options are developed for patients who do not respond well to the first line therapy. For most patients individually adapted long-term drug therapy is needed.
Ideas of reference are common in human beings, but they are frequent in certain psychopathological disorders, mainly those concerning the psychotic spectrum. The purpose of this study was to attempt to construct a model predicting the appearance of ideas of reference and to test the relationship of personality (based on the Gray model), emotional, and self-consciousness variables. Five-hundred and seventy-four participants (287 patients with several different psychopathological diagnoses) filled in the Referential Thinking Scale (REF), the GHQ-28, the Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS-R), and the SPSRQ Scale. The resulting model found full mediation of sensitivity to punishment, sensitivity to reward, depression, and public self-consciousness between anxiety and ideas of reference, regardless of the group they were in (patients vs. nonpatients). This result, based on the appearance of anxiety symptomatology, explains 43% of the variance in scores, showing the presence of ideas of reference and therefore enables prediction of a set of vulnerabilities (established with self-reports) which could lead to a psychological state of high general pathological risk and proneness to psychosis in particular.
Self-resemblance has been found to have a context-dependent effect when expressing preferences for faces. Whereas dissimilarity preference during mate choice in animals is often explained as an evolutionary adaptation to increase heterozygosity of offspring, self-resemblance can be also favored in humans, reflecting, e.g., preference for kinship cues. We performed two studies, using transformations of facial photographs to manipulate levels of resemblance with the rater, to examine the influence of self resemblance in single vs. coupled individuals. Raters assessed facial attractiveness of other-sex and same sex photographs according to both short-term and long-term relationship contexts. We found a preference for dissimilarity of other-sex and same-sex faces in single individuals, but no effect of self-resemblance in coupled raters. No effect of sex of participant or short-term vs. long-term attractiveness rating was observed. The results support the evolutionary interpretation that dissimilarity of other-sex faces is preferred by uncoupled individuals as an adaptive mechanism to avoid inbreeding. In contrast, lower dissimilarity preference of other-sex faces in coupled individuals may reflect suppressed attention to attractiveness cues in potential alternative partners as a relationship maintenance mechanism, and its substitution by attention to cues of kinship and psychological similarity connected with greater likelihood of prosocial behavior acquisition from such persons.
Early diagnosis of social isolation in older adults can prevent physical and cognitive impairment. This diagnosis usually consists on personal and periodic application of psychological assessment instruments. Unfortunately this is often a tedious process and therefore this is a situation that opens up opportunities in creating new ways of diagnosis. In this context, ambient intelligence and social networking sites are suitable technologies for automatic monitoring of significant changes in social interactions of older adults. However, current instruments that measure social isolation are based on subjective aspects since they only evaluate emotional social support and they do not consider objective aspects. This is the reason why a prediction model based on objective isolation variables is needed in order to measure the social interactions through computing mechanisms. This paper presents the development of a prediction model from the social interaction activities that can be registered through smartphone's sensory capabilities, the personal communications using an online social network and also radio-frequency identification mechanisms. The proposed model will benefit institutions interested in developing technological solutions to detect early stages of social isolation and improve the quality of life of older adults.
Background: The rostral prefrontal cortex (RPFC) is involved in reflective thought processes such as self-knowledge and person perception. We hypothesized that childhood emotional abuse, which is disruptive of emotional regulation, would differentially impact neurometabolite concentrations of the RPFC, and related neocortical areas, in adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) versus healthy controls. Methods: GAD patients (n=16; females =11) and medically healthy volunteers (n=16; F=10) were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), specifically the emotional abuse category. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging examined 3 regions of interest (ROI) from the most rostral slice from the Duyn el. al. (1993) multivoxel imaging modality: rostral prefrontal cortex (BA 10,9), premotor cortex (BA 6,8) and secondary somatosensory and associated parietal cortex (BA 5,7). Meta-bolites included N-acetyl-aspartate, creatine, and choline. Results: GAD patients reported higher emotional abuse scores versus controls. An omnibus general linear model including 3 ROI, 3 metabolites, and laterality as dependent variables revealed a significant diagnosis by CTQ emotional abuse score interactive effect. In controls, all 3 ROI for all 3 metabolites on both sides demonstrated a significant inverse relationship with emotional abuse scores; none were significant in GAD patients. Limitations: A major limitation is the uneven distribution of emotional abuse scores between the controls and GAD patients, with GAD patients reporting higher scores. Conclusion: Unlike controls, GAD patients appear compromised in forming a molecular representation reflective of magnitude of childhood emotional abuse. The neurometabolites in GAD patients appear non-aligned to childhood emotional abuse, suggesting potential consequences for normative theory of mind processes and emotional function in certain anxiety disorders. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper the optimal design of an Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) with the goal of minimizing the lifecycle cost, while taking into account environmental emissions, is presented. Different energy sources such as renewable energy technology based and diesel generation are considered, with realistic inputs on their physical, operating and economic characteristics. In order to address the range anxiety, concern of EV owners regarding the distance the vehicle can travel, the design of an EVCS along highways, as an isolated microgrid, is studied. In another study, the EVCS is assumed to be connected to the grid as a smart energy hub. The charging demand of the EVCS is estimated considering real drive data. Analysis is also carried out to compare the economics of a grid-connected EVCS with an isolated EVCS and the optimal break-even distance for the grid connected EVCS to be a viable option, is determined. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
With the development of nanotechnology, understanding of intermolecular interactions on a single molecule level by atomic force spectroscopy (AFM) has played an important role in molecular biology and biomedical science. In recent years, some research suggested that the presence of metal cations is an important regulator in the processes of misfolding and aggregation of the amyloid beta-protein (A beta), which may be an important etiological factor of Alzheimer's disease. However, the knowledge on the principle of interactions between A beta and metal cations at the single molecule level is still poor understood. In this paper, the amyloid beta-protein (A beta) was fabricated on substrate of mixed thiol-modified gold nanoparticles using self-assembled monolayer method and the adhesion force in the longitudinal direction between metal cations and A beta 42 were investigated by AFM. The role of metal ions on A beta aggregation is discussed from the perspective of single molecular force. The force results showed that the specific adhesion force F-i and the nonspecific force F-0 between a single A beta-A beta pair in control experiment were calculated as 42 +/- 3 and 80 pN, respectively. However, Fi between a single A beta-A beta pair in the presence of Cu2+, Zn2+, Ca2+ and Al3+ increased dramatically to 84 +/- 6, 89 +/- 3, 73 +/- 5, 95 +/- 5 pN successively, which indicated that unbinding between A beta proteins is accelerated in the presence of metal cations. What is more, the imaging results showed that substoichiometric copper cations accelerate the formation of fibrils within 3 days. The combined atomic force spectroscopy and imaging analysis indicate that metal cations play a role in promoting the aggregating behavior of A beta 42.
Accumulated research has shown that Western Christian religiosity often predicts prejudice toward various kinds of outgroups. On the contrary, initial recent evidence indicates that East Asian religiosity predicts tolerance of various outgroups-except atheists. To understand these differences, we investigated cognitive (intolerance of contradiction) and emotional (disgust) mechanisms possibly mediating the link between religiosity and prejudice versus tolerance. In Study 1 (295 Westerners of Christian tradition), high disgust contamination and, to some extent, intolerance of contradiction mediated the relationship between religiosity and prejudice against ethnic (Africans), religious (Muslims), moral (homosexuals), and convictional (atheists) outgroups. However, in Study 2 (196 Taiwanese of Buddhist or Taoist tradition), religiosity was unrelated to disgust, and predicted low intolerance of contradiction, and thus tolerance of the same religious, ethnic, and moral outgroups-but still not of atheists. Cultural differences in cognition and emotion seem to explain East-West differences in religious prejudice.
Background: Legionella spp. employ multiple strategies to adapt to stressful environments including the proliferation in protective biofilms and the ability to form associations with free-living amoeba (FLA). The aim of the current study was to identify Legionella spp., Acanthamoeba spp., Vermamoeba (Hartmannella) vermiformis and Naegleria fowleri that persist in a harvested rainwater and solar pasteurization treatment system. Methods: Pasteurized (45 degrees C, 65 degrees C, 68 degrees C, 74 degrees C, 84 degrees C and 93 degrees C) and unpasteurized tank water samples were screened for Legionella spp. and the heterotrophic plate count was enumerated. Additionally, ethidium monoazide quantitative polymerase chain reaction (EMA-qPCR) was utilized for the quantification of viable Legionella spp., Acanthamoeba spp., V. vermiformis and N. fowleri in pasteurized (68 degrees C, 74 degrees C, 84 degrees C and 93 degrees C) and unpasteurized tank water samples, respectively. Results: Of the 82 Legionella spp. isolated from unpasteurized tank water samples, Legionella longbeachae (35 %) was the most frequently isolated, followed by Legionella norrlandica (27 %) and Legionella rowbothamii (4 %). Additionally, a positive correlation was recorded between the heterotrophic plate count vs. the number of Legionella spp. detected (rho = 0.710, P = 0.048) and the heterotrophic plate count vs. the number of Legionella spp. isolated (rho = 0.779, P = 0.0028) from the tank water samples collected. Solar pasteurization was effective in reducing the gene copies of viable V. vermiformis (3-log) and N. fowleri (5-log) to below the lower limit of detection at temperatures of 68-93 degrees C and 74-93 degrees C, respectively. Conversely, while the gene copies of viable Legionella and Acanthamoeba were significantly reduced by 2-logs (P = 0.0024) and 1-log (P = 0.0015) overall, respectively, both organisms were still detected after pasteurization at 93 degrees C. Conclusions: Results from this study indicate that Acanthamoeba spp. primarily acts as the vector and aids in the survival of Legionella spp. in the solar pasteurized rainwater as both organisms were detected and were viable at high temperatures (68-93 degrees C).
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore and engage with connections between the evolving technology of the Internet of Things (IoT) and notions of convenience. In particular, the concept of alpha convenience is introduced in order to articulate the broad scope of Internet any-everything connectivity, here called alpha convenience. Design/methodology/approach - The recommendations of Constructive Technology Assessment are followed in order to evaluate technology before implementation. The seven value drivers articulated by Fleisch (2010) are utilized in order to envision-specific aspects. Findings - Three critical aspects relating to alpha convenience are identified and discussed: gossiping technology, personalization and the disempowered smartphone user. It is argued that extreme forms of convenience shift traditional areas of human agency onto technology. It is also noted that alpha convenience tends to develop as ubiquitous feature of future society, making it difficult, if not impossible, to opt out. Research limitations/implications - The paper focusses on one powerful concept, although the IoT is merely one of several terms used to deliberate the role of next-generation information technology and society. Notable competitors include semantic web, ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing and ambient intelligence. Social implications - The IoT is predicted to be an intrusive feature into everyday life and the paper identifies important aspects. Originality/value - This is the first critical discussion of the IoT and convenience. The paper aims at conceptual innovation. Overall, there is a substantial lack of critical scrutiny of the emerging ideas of the IoT.
Background: Food allergy is an important public health problem because it affects children and adults, can be severe and even life-threatening, and may be increasing in prevalence. Beginning in 2008, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, working with other organizations and advocacy groups, led the development of the first clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy. A recent landmark clinical trial and other emerging data suggest that peanut allergy can be prevented through introduction of peanut-containing foods beginning in infancy. Objectives: Prompted by these findings, along with 25 professional organizations, federal agencies, and patient advocacy groups, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases facilitated development of addendum guidelines to specifically address the prevention of peanut allergy. Results: The addendum provides 3 separate guidelines for infants at various risk levels for the development of peanut allergy and is intended for use by a wide variety of health care providers. Topics addressed include the definition of risk categories, appropriate use of testing (specific IgE measurement, skin prick tests, and oral food challenges), and the timing and approaches for introduction of peanut-containing foods in the health care provider's office or at home. The addendum guidelines provide the background, rationale, and strength of evidence for each recommendation. Conclusions: Guidelines have been developed for early introduction of peanut-containing foods into the diets of infants at various risk levels for peanut allergy. Published by Elsevier Inc on behalf of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
It is traditionally challenging to implement higher-order PWM closed-loop Class-D audio amplifiers using analog intensive techniques in deep-submicron, low voltage process technologies. This is primarily attributed to reduced power supply, degraded analog transistor characteristics, including short-channel effects, increased flicker noise, random telegraph noise, transistor reliability concerns and passive component performance. In this paper, we introduce a global closed-loop mixed-signal architecture incorporating digital control and integrate a fourth-order amplifier prototype in 55 nm CMOS. A systematic approach to analyze, design and compensate the feedback loop in the digital domain is also presented. The versatility of implementing the loop gain poles and zeros digitally attains high gain throughout the audio band and attenuates residual high frequency ripples around the loop, simultaneously accomplishing improvements in THD+ N and PSRR. The overall architecture is inherently amenable to implementation in deep-submicron and is therefore compatible with scaled CMOS. The measured prototype achieves a high 105 dBA SNR, 0.0031% THD+ N, 92 dB PSRR and 85% efficiency when supplying 1 W into emulated 8 speaker load. This performance is competitive with conventional designs using large feature size precision CMOS or specialized BCD technologies and reports the highest output power (1.5 W) for deep-submicron designs.
Using a pattern-based approach, worry was explored in relation to military youths' developmental and contextual characteristics, and pivotal outcomes (depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, well-being, coping styles, academic performance and deployment adjustment). Data were collected from parents and adolescents, age 11 to 18, living in the USA (n = 273 families). Variations in individual characteristics (age and gender), military family factors (rank, recent deployment, parents' resilient coping abilities) and family relational characteristics (parents' marital status, warm parenting, marital quality) were related to heterogeneous worry typologies. Depressive symptoms, self-efficacy and well-being, varied across the worry typologies. Implications are drawn from these findings for identifying potential interventions that can be accessed to modify these worry patterns and limit their harmful effects.
Active Contour Models (ACM) have been widely used for segmentation in many computer vision applications. These models are defined by an energy functional attached to an initial curve that evolves under some constraints to extract desired objects in the image. New models are proposed, and existing techniques are investigated and improved in different domains. Among these ACM, Balloon ACM is an edge-based model that adds a normal force as constraint making the curve to have more dynamic behaviors and more effectiveness in detecting objects boundary. However, some problems have been pointed out including segmentation of complex shape and high runtime processing. In this paper, we develop a new method -called Fast Adaptive Balloon (FAB)-sufficient to segment complex shape with lower computational complexity. The proposed definition for balloon force achieves satisfactory segmentation performance compared with other ACMs using both synthetic and medical images in two dimension. The results demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness in segmentation besides the convergence speed.
The aim was to investigate dentin bond strength of two resin-ceramic materials and five cements after 24 h and six months storage. Cylinders (n=15/group) of Lava Ultimate (3M ESPE) and VITA ENAMIC (VITA Zahnfabrik) were cemented to mid-coronal dentin of 300 extracted human molars with RelyX Ultimate (3M ESPE), PANAVIA F2.0 (Kuraray), Variolink II (Ivoclar Vivadent), els cem (Saremco Dental), or Ketac Cem Plus (3M ESPE). Shear bond strength (SBS) was measured after 24 h or six months storage (37 degrees C, 100% humidity) and statistically analyzed (significance level: alpha=0.05). SBS varied markedly between Lava Ultimate and VITA ENAMIC, between the five cements, and between storage of either 24 h or six months. After six months, SBS was highest when Lava Ultimate was cemented with RelyX Ultimate and when VITA ENAMIC was cemented with RelyX Ultimate or with Variolink II. Lava Ultimate was somewhat more sensitive to storage than was VITA ENAMIC.
A solar thermal and heat pump combisystem is one of many system alternatives on the market for supplying domestic hot water (DHW) and space heating (SH) in dwellings. In this study a reference solar thermal and air source heat pump combisystem was defined and modelled based on products available on the market. Based on the results of an extensive literature survey, several system variations were investigated to show the influence of heat pump cycle, thermal storage and system integration on the use of electricity for two houses in the climates of Zurich and Carcassonne. A singular economic cash flow analysis was carried out and the additional investment limit of each system variation was determined for a range of economic boundary conditions. This is the maximum extra investment cost for the system variant compared to the reference system that will give a break even result for a 10 year period. The results show that variations in electricity price affects the additional investment limit far more than the other economic parameters. Several of the variants show potential for achieving a cost benefit, but the potential varies a lot depending on load and climate boundary conditions. For all variants, the biggest difference in electricity savings was found for Zurich rather than in Carcassonne, which is explained by the larger heating load. However, in three cases the largest savings were for the SFH45 house despite the fact that the annual electricity use of the system is much lower than that for the SFH100 house, 3581 kW h/year compared to 8340 kW h/year. This was attributed to the fact that, in these cases, the operating level of the space heating circuit played a significant role, the SFH45 house being supplied with a 35/30 degrees C heating system while the SFH100 was supplied with a 55/45 degrees C heating system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common infection in critically ill patients. Initial antibiotic therapy is often broad spectrum, which promotes antibiotic resistance so new techniques are under investigation to obtain early microbiological identification and quantification. This trial compares the performance of a new real-time quantitative molecular-based method with conventional culture in patients with suspected VAP. Patients with suspected VAP who were ventilated for at least 48 h were eligible. An endotracheal aspirate (ETA) and a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were performed at each suspected VAP episode. Both samples were analysed by conventional culture and molecular analysis. For the latter, bacterial DNA was extracted from each sample and real-time PCR were run. In all, 120 patients were finally included; 76% (91) were men; median age was 65 years, and clinical pulmonary infection score was >= 6 for 73.5% (86) of patients. A total of 120 BAL and 103 ETA could be processed and culture results above the agreed threshold were obtained for 75.0% (90/120) of BAL and 60.2% (62/103) of ETA. The main isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Haemophilus influenzae. Performancewas 89.2% (83.2% e93.6%) sensitivity and 97.1% (96.1% e97.9%) specificity for BAL samples and 71.8% (61.0% e81.0%) sensitivity and 96.6% (95.4% e97.5%) specificity for ETA samples when the molecular biology method was compared with conventional culture method (chosen as reference standard). This new molecular method can provide reliable quantitative microbiological data and is highly specific with good sensitivity for common pathogens involved in VAP. (C) 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An understanding of thermal hydraulics, its basic phenomena, and its application to nuclear power plants is vital to safe as well as efficient design and operation. Thermal hydraulics for two-phase flow and heat transfer with nuclear applications has been studied for roughly 50 years, and the current body of knowledge is extensive. Yet, there remain safety issues, and the licensing of new light water reactor designs or new analysis methodologies is rarely simple. This is due to the state of the art in reactor thermal hydraulics as well as the perspective that the regulator, in this case the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), has toward that field of study. This paper discusses the state of the art in nuclear thermal hydraulics, the regulator's unique role and perspective, and a view of current challenges. The discussion is meant to point out how the regulator's perspective has been shaped and hopefully provide some guidance on fulfilling research needs for future applications that may need NRC review.
Understanding the dynamics of mental health of recently resettled refugees is an essential component of any comprehensive resettlement program, yet establishing the components of a successful and acceptable mental health intervention is an elusive task. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 resettled refugees from five countries who had received treatment for depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, or anxiety. Themes generated from the interviews emphasized the need for strong group-based social support as well as a focus on practical needs such as acquiring and maintaining employment, language and literacy training, and access to care.
How organisms respond to climate change during the winter depends on snow cover, because the subnivium (the insulated and thermally stable area between snowpack and frozen ground) provides a refuge for plants, animals, and microbes. Satellite data characterizing either freeze/thaw cycles or snow cover are both available, but these two types of data have not yet been combined to map the subnivium. Here, we characterized global patterns of frozen ground with and without snow cover to provide a baseline to assess the effects of future winter climate change on organisms that depend on the subnivium. We analyzed two remote sensing datasets: the MODIS Snow Cover product and the NASA MEaSUREs Global Record of Daily Landscape Freeze/fhaw Status dataset derived from SSM/I and SSMIS. From these we developed a new 500-m resolution dataset that captures global patterns of the duration of snow-covered ground (D-ws) and the duration of snow-free frozen ground (D-wos) from 2000 to 2012. We also quantified how D-ws and D-wos, vary with latitude. Our results show that both mean and interannual variation in D-ws and D-wos change with latitude and topography. Mean D-ws increases with latitude. Counter-intuitively though, D-wos has longest duration at about 33 degrees N, decreasing both northward and southward, even though the duration of frozen ground (either snow covered or not) was shorter than that at higher latitudes. This occurs because snow cover in mid-latitudes is low and ephemeral, leaving longer periods of frozen, snow-free ground. Interannual variation in D-ws increased with latitude, but the slopes of this relationship differed among North America, Europe, Asia, and the Southern Hemisphere. Overall, our results show that, for organisms that rely on the subnivium to survive the winter, mid-latitude areas could be functionally colder than either higher or lower latitudes. Furthermore, because interannual variation in D-wos is greater at high latitudes, we would expect organisms there to be adapted to unpredictability in exposure to freezing. Ultimately, the effects of climate change on organisms during winter should be considered in the context of the subnivium, when warming could make more northerly areas functionally colder in winter, and changes in annual variation in the duration of snow-free but frozen conditions could lead to greater unpredictability in the onset and end of winter. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The timing of introduction of solid food on the subsequent development of food allergy is under debate and the role of concurrent breastfeeding is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of solid food introduction whilst concurrently breastfeeding on food allergy outcome, with a specific focus on cows' milk allergy. Prospectively collected infant feeding data from a birth cohort were analysed. Participants with histories suggestive of food allergy underwent diagnostic food challenges. Children with food allergy were matched to control participants for age and sex. Mann-Whitney U tests, chi(2), Fisher exact tests and logistic regression calculations were undertaken. A total of thirty-nine food-allergic children and seventy-eight matched controls were identified, including twenty-two cows' milk-allergic children and forty-four matched controls. The control group introduced solid food earlier than the food-allergic group ( P < 0.05). There was no effect of concurrent breastfeeding alongside cows' milk introduction or other food allergens on the development of food allergy. Due to small numbers, it was not possible to explore differences for food allergy phenotype. We have therefore found no evidence that introducing solids, or food allergens, whilst breastfeeding has an allergy-preventative effect; however, the results should be interpreted with caution due to sample size. Recommendations regarding infant feeding and food allergy should be carefully considered. Although breastfeeding should be promoted for many health reasons, larger studies looking at the introduction of food allergens on the development of food allergy are needed to make a final conclusion.
We study the problem of inverse minimum dynamic cut (IMDC), which changes a capacity vector u in such a way that a given dynamic cut and the applied changes are minimum, using the Euclidean norm l(1) to measure these changes. Our aim is to solve an inverse minimum dynamic cut, by finding a maximum dynamic flow in a time-expanded network flow and, having calculated the appropriate algorithm, analyzing the relationships between the time-expanded networks, the maximum flow, and the minimum cut. First, we show a specified dynamic cut, to be optimized; the capacity of arcs should be reduced. This study is useful in cases where the network should be divided into two parts by cutting such that this cut has the minimum weight. It is applicable in physics, chemistry, computer networks and electrical circuits, etc. The advantage of this method is the use of time-expanded network to be static corresponding to a dynamic network and algorithm is easily displayed on this network. Finally, the algorithm is implemented on a numerical example of dynamic network flow.
In this paper, we study the well-posedness and stability analysis of set-valued Lur'e dynamical systems in infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The existence and uniqueness results are established under the so-called passivity condition. Our approach uses a regularization procedure for the term involving the maximal monotone operator. The Lyapunov stability as well as the invariance properties are considered in detail. In addition, we give some sufficient conditions ensuring the robust stability of the system in finite-dimensional spaces. The theoretical developments are illustrated by means of two examples dealing with nonregular electrical circuits and an other one in partial differential equations. Our methodology is based on tools from set-valued and variational analysis.
Integrated hydrological, geophysical and groundwater modeling studies has been carried out for identification of suitable sites for rainwater harvesting structures for groundwater augmentation in RRCAT Campus, Indore, M.P. Based on these studies ten check dams, two contour bunds and one earthen bund were recommended on the existing stream channels and in valley fills respectively. Likely water impoundment on these structures was calculated keeping in view the length and width of stream channels. Based on these study a groundwater flow model using MODFLOW were carried out keeping in view the geologic and hydrologic conditions of the area. The net rechargeable impounded rain water from these structures to groundwater regime was calculated for monsoon seasons which varied from 20 % to 48 % and net enhancement of groundwater recharge from all structures would be around 0.11 mcm/year and the water level in the existing well would rise by 2-3 m above its present level for future Groundwater augmentation.
The objectives of this study are to describe prescribing practices, to evaluate their appropriateness and their compliance with guidelines and to examine their influencing factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study of antibiotic prescriptions data of 105 patients in the medical and surgical Emergency Department of the Military Hospital of Instruction Mohammed V in Rabat over a period of one month. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire including demographic and anamnestic data, patient's history, allergies, specific clinical examination data, paraclinical data, detailed antibiotic prescription. Collected data were then evaluated by a referring physician, who was responsible for detecting any treatment error. Among infections requiring the prescription of antibiotics, respiratory and urinary system diseases were at the forefront, the most commonly used antibiotic families were penicillins, quinolones and cephalosporins. 74 prescriptions (70.5%) were both pertinent and compliant versus 9 prescriptions (8.6%) justified but nonpertinent and 6 prescriptions (5.7%) which were considered unjustified by the referring physician due to absence of infection. The evaluation of the existing medical practice is rarely conducted in health facilities; with this in mind, our case study aims to improve appropriate antibiotic prescribing and to optimize its compliance with guidelines.
Gas liquid two phase flows are widely encountered in industry. The design parameters include two phase pressure drop, mixing and axial mixing in both the phases, effective interfacial area, heat and mass transfer coefficients. Currently, there is a high degree of empiricism in the design process of such reactors owing to the complexity of coupled flow and reaction mechanism. Hence, we focus on synthesizing recent advances in computational and experimental techniques that will enable future designs of such reactors in a more rational manner by exploring a large design space with high-fidelity models (computational fluid dynamics) that are validated with high-fidelity measurements (hot film anemometry (HFA), Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA), particle image velocimetry (Ply), etc.) to provide a high degree of rigor. Understanding the spatial distributions of dispersed phases and their interaction during scale up are key challenges that were traditionally addressed through pilot scale experiments, but now can be addressed through advanced modelling. For practically complete knowledge of the fluid mechanical parameters, it is desirable to implement direct numerical simulations (DNS). However, the current computational power does not permit full DNS for real bubble columns. Therefore, we have been using simplified turbulence models (such as large eddy simulation, Reynolds stress, k-epsilon, etc.) which need the knowledge of turbulence parameters. For the estimation of these parameters, currently semi-empirical procedures are being used pending the knowledge of turbulence. Further, the formulation of governing equations in all the CFD models (except DNS), the knowledge of interface forces (drag, lift, virtual mass, Basset, etc.) is needed and for their estimations empirical correlations are being employed, again pending the knowledge of fluid mechanics under turbulent conditions in bubble columns. In gas liquid dispersions, the gas is sparged in the form of bubbles. During the bubble rise, the mechanism of wake detachment creates turbulence which can be called as wake generated turbulence. In addition, energy gets transferred from the gas phase to liquid phase. The quantitative amounts are negligible when bubble motion is not hindered and the gas liquid dispersion is homogenous. The amounts increase with an increase in the extent of hindrance. However, in the homogenous regime, even under extreme conditions, the extent of energy transfer in the bulk gas liquid dispersions (volume other than wake volume) is fairly limited. On contrast, in the heterogeneous regime, the rates of energy transfer become sizeable. The energy received by the liquid (in both the regimes) also creates turbulent motion and termed as bulk generated turbulence. In turbulent flows a compendium of eddies (flow structures) of different length and time scales contribute towards improved/enhanced mixing, momentum transfer, heat transfer, and mass transfer (transport phenomena). Hence, a proper understanding of the dynamics of these turbulent flow structures, and their role in the transport phenomena, can bring substantial improvement in the scale-up and design procedures. The present paper brings out the current status of knowledge on bubble generated turbulence. All the published literature in experimental measurements and DNS simulations has been critically analysed and coherently presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: Prospective study designs ideally allow patients to be followed from the first manifestations of the illness or even from an at-risk stage. It can thus provide data on the predictive value of changes in clinical symptomatology, cognition or further biological markers to broaden our understanding of the etiopathology and symptomatic trajectory of bipolar disorders. The scope of this narrative review is to summarize evidence from prospectively collected data on psychopathological and other clinical and biological changes in the early developmental course of bipolar disorders. Methods: The narrative review was based on a literature search conducted in February 2016 within the PubMed library for prospective study data of persons in antecedent and early manifest stages of manifest bipolar disorder published within the last 15years. Results: A total of 19 prospective studies were included. Regarding psychopathological features; personality, temperament and character traits as well as changes in sleep and circadian rhythm, the evidence suggests that risk factors for the development of bipolar disorder can already be described and should be studied further to understand their interaction, mediation with other factors and timing in the developmental process of bipolar disorder. Apart from the positive family history, childhood anxiety, sleep problems, subthreshold (hypo)manic symptoms and certain character traits/emotionality should be identified and monitored already in clinical practice as their presence likely increases risk of bipolar disorder. Up to date no substantiated evidence was found from prospective studies addressing cognitive features, life events, immunological parameters and morphological central nervous system changes as potential risk factors for bipolar disorder. Conclusion: For an improved understanding of episodic disorders, longitudinal data collection is essential. Since the etiology of bipolar disorders is complex, a number of potential risk factors have been proposed. Prospective studies addressing this spectrum and resilience factors are critical and will be best conducted within multi-site research networks or initiatives.
In this paper we give an explicit construction of basis matrices for a (k, n)-visual cryptography scheme for integers k and n with . In balanced VCS every set of participants with equal cardinality has same relative contrast. The VCS constructed in this paper is a balanced for general k. Also we obtain a formula for pixel expansion and relative contrast. We also prove that our construction gives optimal contrast and minimum pixel expansion when and n - 1.
This paper proposes and implements a new single-phase magnetless flux switching machine (FSM) for rooftop wind power generation. The key is to integrate an outer-rotor FSM and an inner-rotor FSM with shared stator yoke and stator drum windings. In such a way, this proposed machine can not only realize flux switching function to regulate magnetic flux effectively, but also incorporate the field and armature windings within one stator to reduce the copper losses and improve the overall machine efficiency. Meanwhile, the structure is compact and rotors can be directly driven by blades to capture the wind power. The machine design guidelines from both magnetic and electric aspects are illustrated, the machine characteristics are analyzed by using time-stepping finite-element method, and the system performances are evaluated based on mathematical modeling. Both simulation and prototyping test are conducted to verify the validity of the proposed machine and system.
Random numbers are highly used in applications like computer simulation, gambling, statistical sampling and cryptography. Only a high-entropy random source can produce a better quality of random data. In this paper, we work on the generation of high-quality random numbers based on cellular automata (CA). We propose three-dimensional (3D) CA to generate a random sequence. We also propose various enhancements to CA-based pseudorandom number generator (CA-PRNG) and discuss its five variants by using two-dimensional (2D) and 3D CA. We analyze the switching between 2D and 3D CA for the same sequence to achieve high-quality randomness. We provide the architectures, CA rules and the algorithms for all the proposed variants with respect to 2D and 3D cell structures. We have done a software implementation of all the proposed variants and tested their produced sequences by using the internationally accepted standard for random numbers known as DIEHARD. The analysis of our results is made as per the recommendations of ANSI standards. A very similar criteria are applied to compare all the methods. Based on our results we are able to find the best CA-PRNG for producing high-quality random sequence.
By using GHZ-like states and entanglement swapping, Kang et al. [Chin. Phys. B 24 (2015) 090306] proposed a controlled mutual quantum entity authentication protocol. We find that the proposed protocol is not secure, that is, the center, Charlie can eavesdrop the secret keys shared between Alice and Bob without being detected.
Space moving object recognition and tracking is an important research topic in computer vision. It has broad application prospects in space exploration, detection of traffic flow, military field, automatic control and other fields. This paper aims to propose a new space target recognition algorithm, and use this algorithm to identify the motion trajectory simulation of a certain object in the universe.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how different definitions and methods for delineating the spatial boundaries of cities have an impact on the values of city sustainability indicators. It is necessary to distinguish the inside of cities fromt he outside when calculating the values of sustainability indicators that assess the impacts of human activities within cities on areas beyond their boundaries. For this purpose, spatial boundaries of cities should be practically detected on the basis of a relevant definition of a city. Although no definition of a city is commonly shared among academic fields, three practical methods for identifying urban areas are available in remote sensing science. Those practical methods are based on population density, landcover, and night-time lights. These methods are correlated, but non-negligible differences exist in their determination of urban extents and urban population. Furthermore, critical and statistically significant differences in some urban environmental sustainability indicators result from the three different urban detection methods. For example, the average values of CO2 emissions per capita and PM10 concentration in citieswithmore than 1 million residents are significantly different among the definitions. When analyzing city sustainability indicators and disseminating the implication of the results, the values based on the different definitions should be simultaneously investigated. It is necessary to carefully choose a relevant definition to analyze sustainability indicators for policymaking. Otherwise, ineffective and inefficient policies will be developed. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we introduce the analysis and the design of a new web-based interactive software tool, called WebUbu, which has been developed to serve the undergraduate students' needs related to Linux Operating System (OS) issues. The aim of this software development was twofold: on the one hand to familiarize students with Ubuntu OS environment and, on the other hand to promote the self-learning related to this Linux distribution, in the context of everyday OS classrooms. WbUbu software can be used only for interactive demonstration of features of Linux during lectures and to support instructors for evaluation of students' skills in the lab. For other tasks such as long term studying of Linux-based OS's physical' Linux must be used. Our software is essentially a website that simulates Ubuntu operating system inside a web browser. Undergraduate students can easily explore both graphical user interface (GUI) and command line of Ubuntu's environment. Additionally, students can ascertain the acquired knowledge through an automated examination process and learn from their mistakes as they shown automatically by the software in real time. Educator can manage students' performances that are stored in a database system and assess the individual's cognitive progress resulting from the software contribution. However, WebUbu will give students the chance for practice and self assessment when they not involved in the University's educational process or physical' Linux is unavailable. That software intends to complement the existing teaching and learning methods concerning Operating Systems. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
With the development of advanced manufacturing engineering, selecting supplier scientifically makes for improving competitive power. The evaluative architecture is afforded. Then the method of confirming the supplier evaluation indicator-weight based on the theory of entropy lies in information is given. Further more, the model of supplier selection is build up. Finally, the example is given. It illustrates the method avail to select the supplier to enhance the enterprise competence.
The shape of a sediment particle can reveal part of the particle's transportation history and is a significant variable in sediment transport mechanics. Measuring sediment shapes is a difficult and time-consuming task. A whole sample sediment particle shape quantitative analysis method (WSQAM) was applied in this research for sediment statistical analysis. The shape parameter was found using sphericity and roundness descriptors: three samples were collected from the middle reach of the Yellow River at different depths. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to obtain sediment particles images. The sphericity and roundness descriptors were represented by the particle aspect ratio (AR) and the Fourier shape coefficient (FSC). The Fourier series approximation matched the particle outlines. From the statistical results of the whole sediment particle sample, as counted by WSQAM based on digital image processing, fine sediment particles with smooth surfaces accounted for approximately 80% of all of the observed sediment particles. For the majority of sediment particles, AR was greater than 0.3 and FSC was less than 0.1. When AR was greater than 0.5, FSC exponentially decayed with AR. When AR was less than 0.5, the two parameters, AR and FSC, should be combined to describe the sediment particle shape. The combined use of these two parameters can provide a reference for future sediment-related calculations. The sediment particle shape analysis model, programmed in Fortran, was rapid and flexible. It proved efficient to use WSQAM for sediment statistical analysis, and the results were found to be accurate. (C) 2016 International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation/the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Johne's disease, caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), is a chronic wasting disease of ruminants. Hallmark symptoms of clinical Johne's disease include diarrhea, progressive weight loss, and premature death; symptoms due largely to chronic inflammation in the small intestine. MAP colonizes resident macrophages within the ileum of the small intestine, subsequently establishing a persistent infection in the host. It has been proposed that regulatory T cells may play a role in the progression of Johne's disease, either through promotion of tolerance to MAP or via a loss in homeostasis that subsequently allows widespread inflammation. In this report, we evaluated the presence of Tregs, as well as other immune parameters, in the ileum and draining lymph nodes of MAP associated lesions. A lesion classification scheme was developed to categorize severity of MAP-induced lesions within infected tissues and subsequently regulatory T cell presence and overall immune activity were assessed corresponding to lesions of varying severity, in comparison to tissues from healthy control animals. Our results revealed a relationship between animal health and overall lesion severity within the infected tissues, as well as a relationship between bacterial burden and severity of pathology. Regulatory T cell abundance was shown to decrease with increasing lesion severity. Within the ileum, the expression of many Th1, Th2, and Treg-associated genes increased in mild lesions and decreased in severe lesions, whereas in the lymph nodes the expression of these genes tended to increase with increasing lesion severity. Based on our results, we conclude that a local loss of T cell (including Treg) activity occurs within severe Heal lesions associated with MAP, resulting in a loss of homeostasis that ultimately leads to the progression of clinical Johne's disease. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Although frequency-specific network analyses have shown that functional brain networks are altered in patients with Alzheimer's disease, the relationships between these frequency-specific network alterations remain largely unknown. Multiplex network analysis is a novel network approach to study complex systems consisting of subsystems with different types of connectivity patterns. In this study, we used magnetoencephalography to integrate five frequency-band specific brain networks in a multiplex framework. Previous structural and functional brain network studies have consistently shown that hub brain areas are selectively disrupted in Alzheimer's disease. Accordingly, we hypothesized that hub regions in the multiplex brain networks are selectively targeted in patients with Alzheimer's disease in comparison to healthy control subjects. Eyes-closed resting-state magnetoencephalography recordings from 27 patients with Alzheimer's disease (60.6 +/- 5.4 years, 12 females) and 26 controls (61.8 +/- 5.5 years, 14 females) were projected onto atlas-based regions of interest using beamforming. Subsequently, source-space time series for both 78 cortical and 12 subcortical regions were reconstructed in five frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha 1, alpha 2 and beta band). Multiplex brain networks were constructed by integrating frequency-specific magnetoencephalography networks. Functional connections between all pairs of regions of interests were quantified using a phase-based coupling metric, the phase lag index. Several multiplex hub and heterogeneity metrics were computed to capture both overall importance of each brain area and heterogeneity of the connectivity patterns across frequency-specific layers. Different nodal centrality metrics showed consistently that several hub regions, particularly left hippocampus, posterior parts of the default mode network and occipital regions, were vulnerable in patients with Alzheimer's disease compared to control subjects. Of note, these detected vulnerable hubs in Alzheimer's disease were absent in each individual frequency-specific network, thus showing the value of integrating the networks. The connectivity patterns of these vulnerable hub regions in the patients were heterogeneously distributed across layers. Perturbed cognitive function and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-beta(42) levels correlated positively with the vulnerability of the hub regions in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Our analysis therefore demonstrates that the magnetoencephalography-based multiplex brain networks contain important information that cannot be revealed by frequency-specific brain networks. Furthermore, this indicates that functional networks obtained in different frequency bands do not act as independent entities. Overall, our multiplex network study provides an effective framework to integrate the frequency-specific networks with different frequency patterns and reveal neuropathological mechanism of hub disruption in Alzheimer's disease.
National media consumer panels were conducted in Taiwan to examine how the first-person and third-person perceptions would mediate the impacts of celebrity credibility on advertising skepticism. Results revealed that (a) the third-person perceptions took place in the context of celebrity-endorsed advertising; (b) all three credibility variables were negatively correlated to advertising skepticism, but only celebrity attractiveness and expertise yielded direct effects; (c) indirect effects by the first-person perceptions were stronger than those by the third-person perceptions on advertising skepticism. Theoretical and practical implication insights were discussed to indicate that Taiwanese consumers did not want to be recognized as celebrity followers for a self-enhancement purpose. However, their first-person perceptions played a more active role than their third-person perceptions in mediating their perceived celebrity credibility and diminishing their skepticism toward celebrity-endorsed advertising.
Theoretical studies of pollution haven hypothesis predict that differentiated environmental regulation policies will result in inter-country relocation of polluting industries. This paper investigates pollution haven hypothesis at domestic level in China. Using panel data of 30 provincial level regions for the period 2004 to 2013, this paper empirically examines to what extent multiple environmental policies affect intra-country relocation of polluting industries in China. It is found that the implementation of both economic policy instrument like pollution discharge fee and public participation like letter complaints on environmental problems encourages industrial relocation, whereas the implementation of environmental legal policy instrument like laws, regulations and rules prevents polluting industries from relocating to other regions. It is also found that the relocation effect of environmental policies varies with industrial characteristics. Compared with water pollution-intensive industry, air pollution-intensive industry dominated by stated-owned capitals are insensitive to legal policy instruments. These findings suggest that the validity of pollution haven hypothesis is jointly associated with the type of environmental policy as well as industrial characteristics. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ion is a useful process for broadening mental horizons, integrating new experiences, and communicating information to others. Much attention has been directed at identifying the causes and consequences of abstraction across the subdisciplines of psychology. Despite this attention, an integrative review of the methods that are used for studying abstraction is missing from the literature. The current article aims to fill this gap in several ways. First, we highlight the different ways in which abstraction has been defined in the literature and then suggest an integrative definition. Second, we provide a tour of the different ways abstraction has been manipulated and measured over the years. Finally, we highlight considerations for researchers in choosing methods for their own research.
Most psychotherapists and researchers agree that a good relationship essentially contributes to therapeutic change. The psychoanalytic concepts transference and countertransference which describe fundamental aspects of the psychotherapeutic relationship have now become integrated into behavior therapy. These concepts, however, are used differently in psychoanalysis as well as in behavior therapy. This makes the communication between psychotherapists coming from different orientations difficult. Therefore, a research approach which describes the important verbal and nonverbal elements of a helpful therapeutic interaction independently from therapeutic orientation could help to evaluate their effectiveness in different psychotherapeutic methods. In this way a culture of integration into psychotherapy could be encouraged.
PURPOSE Brief intervention to reduce cannabis is a promising technique that could be adapted for use in primary care, but it has not been well studied in this setting. We tested the efficacy of a brief intervention conducted by general practitioners among cannabis users aged 15 to 25 years. METHODS We performed a cluster randomized controlled trial with 77 general practitioners in France. The intervention consisted of an interview designed according to the FRAMES (feedback, responsibility, advice, menu, empathy, self-efficacy) model, while the control condition consisted of routine care. RESULTS The general practitioners screened and followed up 261 young cannabis users. After 1 year, there was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the median number of joints smoked per month among all users (17.5 vs 17.5; P=.13), but there was a difference in favor of the intervention among nondaily users (3 vs 10; P=.01). After 6 months, the intervention was associated with a more favorable change from baseline in the number of joints smoked (-33.3% vs 0%, P=.01) and, among users younger than age of 18, smoking of fewer joints per month (12.5 vs 20, P=.04). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that a brief intervention conducted by general practitioners with French young cannabis users does not affect use overall. They do, however, strongly support use of brief intervention for younger users and for moderate users.
Background: One in twenty-five people suffer from a mood disorder. Current treatments are sub-optimal with poor patient response and uncertain modes-of-action. There is thus a need to better understand underlying mechanisms that determine mood, and how these go wrong in affective disorders. Systems biology approaches have yielded important biological discoveries for other complex diseases such as cancer, and their potential in affective disorders will be reviewed. Scope of review: This review will provide a general background to affective disorders, plus an outline of experimental and computational systems biology. The current application of these approaches in understanding affective disorders will be considered, and future recommendations made. Major conclusions: Experimental systems biology has been applied to the study of affective disorders, especially at the genome and transcriptomic levels. However, data generation has been slowed by a lack of human tissue or suitable animal models. At present, computational systems biology has only be applied to understanding affective disorders on a few occasions. These studies provide sufficient novel biological insight to motivate further use of computational biology in this field. General significance: In common with many complex diseases much time and money has been spent on the generation of large-scale experimental datasets. The next step is to use the emerging computational approaches, predominantly developed in the field of oncology, to leverage the most biological insight from these datasets. This will lead to the critical breakthroughs required for more effective diagnosis, stratification and treatment of affective disorders. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Due to frequent droughts and rapid population growth in urban areas, the adoption of practices to reduce the usage of fresh water is on the rise. Reduction in usage of fresh water can be achieved through various local water management practices (WMP) such as Water Demand Management (WDM) and use of alternative water sources such as Greywater Recycling (GR) and Rainwater Harvesting (RH). While the positive effects of WMPs have been widely acknowledged, the implementation of WMPs is also likely to lower the wastewater flow and increase the concentration of contaminants in sewage. These in turn can lead to increases in sewer problems such as odour and corrosion. This paper analyses impacts of various WMP scenarios on wastewater flow and contaminant load. The Urban Volume and Quality (UVQ) model was used to simulate wastewater flow and the associated wastewater contaminants from different WMP scenarios. The wastewater parameters investigated were those which influence odour and corrosion problems in sewerage networks due to the formation of hydrogen sulphide. These parameters are: chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate (NO3-), sulphate (SO42-), sulphide (S2-) and iron (Fe) that were contributed by the households (not including the biochemical process in sewer pipe). The results will help to quantify the impact of WMP scenarios on odour and corrosion in sewerage pipe networks. Results show that the implementation of a combination of WDM and GR had highly increased the concentration of all selected contaminant that triggered the formation of hydrogen sulphide, namely COD, sulphate and sulphide. On the other hand, the RH scenario had the least increase in the concentration of the contaminants, except iron concentrations. The increase in iron concentrations is actually beneficial because it inhibits the formation of hydrogen sulphide. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
AimInterleukin 23 (IL-23) and its receptor (IL-23R) seem to play a major role in differentiation of CD4(+) T cells into Th17 cells, induction of IL-17 production, and activation of inflammatory pathways. Recent studies have suggested the association of IL-23R polymorphisms with bone and articular inflammation in diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to determine the association between IL-23R polymorphisms and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). MethodA case-control study on 55 patients with JIA and 78 healthy controls was performed. All samples were genotyped for eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL23R (rs1004819, rs2201841, rs10889677, rs1495965, rs7517847, rs10489629, rs11209026 and rs1343151), using real-time polymerase chain reaction Taqman genotyping technique. Forty-two patients and 42 healthy controls were chosen randomly to measure the level of serum IL-17A using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ResultsAlthough the heterozygous genotype of rs1004819 (GA) showed a weak, but statistically significant protective effect on polyarticular subtype (P=0.03), none of the selected SNPs were associated with JIA overall. Indeed the analysis of haplotypes did not show any significant association with JIA. Serum IL-17A level was not significantly different among patients and healthy controls and between JIA subtypes, as well. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between SNPs and serum IL-17A concentration. ConclusionThis is the first study of the IL-23R gene in Iranian patients with JIA. Our results did not show any strong association between IL-23R polymorphisms and JIA disease or serum IL-17A levels. The only association was seen between rs1004819 and polyarticular JIA. Further larger studies may help clarify the role, if any, of the IL-23/IL-17 pathway in the pathogenesis of JIA.
This study proposed a novel method to extract endmembers from hyperspectral image based on discrete firefly algorithm (EE-DFA). Endmembers are the input of many spectral unmixing algorithms. Hence, in this paper, endmember extraction from hyperspectral image is regarded as a combinational optimization problem to get best spectral unmixing results, which can be solved by the discrete firefly algorithm. Two series of experiments were conducted on the synthetic hyperspectral datasets with different SNR and the AVIRIS Cuprite dataset, respectively. The experimental results were compared with the endmembers extracted by four popular methods: the sequential maximum angle convex cone (SMACC), N-FINDR, Vertex Component Analysis (VCA), and Minimum Volume Constrained Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (MVC-NMF). What's more, the effect of the parameters in the proposed method was tested on both synthetic hyperspectral datasets and AVIRIS Cuprite dataset, and the recommended parameters setting was proposed. The results in this study demonstrated that the proposed EE-DFA method showed better performance than the existing popular methods. Moreover, EE-DFA is robust under different SNR conditions. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Studies in vivo and in vitro have suggested that the mechanism underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathogenesis is initiated by an interaction between the cellular prion protein (PrPC) and amyloid-beta oligomers (A beta o). This PrPC-A beta o complex activates Fyn kinase which, in turn, hyperphosphorylates tau (P-Tau) resulting in synaptic dysfunction, neuronal loss and cognitive deficits. AD transgenic mice lacking PrPC accumulate A beta, but show normal survival and no loss of spatial learning and memory suggesting that PrPC functions downstream of A beta o production but upstream of intracellular toxicity within neurons. Since AD and traumatic brain injury (TBI)linked chronic traumatic encephalopathy are tauopathies, we examined whether similar mechanistic pathways are responsible for both AD and TBI pathophysiologies. Using transgenic mice expressing different levels of PrPC, our studies investigated the influence and necessity of PrPC on biomarker (total-tau [T-Tau], P-Tau, GFAP) levels in brain and blood as measured biochemically following severe TBI in the form of severe closed head injury (sCHI). We found that following sCHI, increasing levels of T-Tau and P-Tau in the brain were associated with the PrPC expression levels. A similar relationship between PrPC expression and P-Tau levels following sCHI were found in blood in the absence of significant T-Tau changes. This effect was not seen with GFAP which increased within 24 h following sCHI and progressively decreased by the 7 day time point regardless of the PrPC expression levels. Changes in the levels of all biomarkers were independent of gender. We further enhanced and expanded the quantitation of brain biomarkers with correlative studies using immunohisochemistry. We also demonstrate that a TBI-induced calpain hyperactivation is not required for the generation of P-Tau. A relationship was demonstrated between the presence/absence of PrPC, the levels of P-Tau and cognitive dysfunction. Our studies suggest that PrPC is important in mediating TBI related pathology.
It might seem a reasonable assumption that when we are not actively using our faces to express ourselves (i.e., when we display nonexpressive, or neutral faces), those around us will not be able to read our emotions. Herein, using a variety of expression-related ratings, we examined whether age-related changes in the face can accurately reveal one's innermost affective dispositions. In each study, we found that expressive ratings of neutral facial displays predicted self-reported positive/negative dispositional affect, but only for elderly women, and only for positive affect. These findings meaningfully replicate and extend earlier work examining age related emotion cues in the face of elderly women (Malatesta et al., 1987a). We discuss these findings in light of evidence that women are expected to, and do, smile more than men, and that the quality of their smiles predicts their life satisfaction. Although ratings of old male faces did not significantly predict self-reported affective dispositions, the trend was similar to that found for old female faces. A plausible explanation for this gender difference is that in the process of attenuating emotional expressions over their lifetimes, old men reveal less evidence of their total emotional experiences in their faces than do old women.
The common approach used in the thermal design of electrical machines is calibrating thermal models based on the designer's previous experience, or hardware tests on a prototype machine. This allows for various manufacture and assembly nuances to be accounted for in the design process, assuring accurate and computationally efficient predictions of the machine thermal behaviour. The post-manufacture calibration of thermal models from tests on a complete machine has limited use in development of machine topologies, where no previous experience or machine hardware exist. In this context, an experiment informed design technique that makes use of reduced order machine sub-assemblies presents an attractive alternative. In particular, the hardware manufacture cost and time is significantly reduced compared to the prototyping of the complete machine assembly. This allows for numerous hardware samples to be constructed and tested, to inform the machine design process. The use of the machine sub-assembly testing is focused, but not limited to identifying and quantifying various power loss and heat transfer phenomena. This paper reviews the applicability of the sub-assembly testing in a broader context of the machine design. The aim of the research focuses on formulating a basis for sub-assembly based, experiment informed methodology for the thermal design of electrical machines.
The thermal diode is the fundamental device for phononics. There are various mechanisms for thermal rectification, e.g. different temperature dependent thermal conductivity of two ends, asymmetric interfacial resistance, and nonlocal behavior of phonon transport in asymmetric structures. The phonon hydrodynamics and thermomass theory treat the heat conduction in a fluidic viewpoint. The phonon gas flowing through the media is characterized by the balance equation of momentum, like the Navier-Stokes equation for fluid mechanics. Generalized heat conduction law thereby contains the spatial acceleration (convection) term and the viscous (Laplacian) term. The viscous term predicts the size dependent thermal conductivity. Rectification appears due to the MFP supersession of phonons. The convection term also predicts rectification because of the inertia effect, like a gas passing through a nozzle or diffuser.
The Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM) offers advantages over other topologies, but low torque density, high torque ripple, and use of a non-standard power converter are limitations. This paper develops a drive configuration which facilitates the operation of a six-phase SRM using a standard three-phase inverter in order to address these limitations. The focus of the paper is an investigation of electromagnetic design aspects of two candidate SRM topologies in this six-phase context for a pure electric or hybrid electric vehicle type application. Advances are made in the understanding of the electromagnetic design of suitable SRMs, and the conventional SRM is demonstrated as the preferred topology through parametric and FEA design studies with reference to a given specification. Initial laboratory test results for a prototype machine are presented in demonstration of this drive concept and verification of the machine design.
Recent studies have reported an unusually high frequency of nonamplifying alleles at microsatellite loci in bivalves. Null alleles have been associated with heterozygous deficits in many studies. While several studies have tested for its presence using different analytical tools, few have empirically tested for its consequences in estimating population structure and differentiation. We characterised 16 newly developed microsatellite loci and show that null alleles are ubiquitous in the wedge clam, Donax trunculus. We carried out several tests to demonstrate that the large heterozygous deficits observed in the newly characterised loci were most likely due to null alleles. Wetested the robustness of microsatellite genotyping for population assignment by showing that well-recognised biogeographic regions of the south Atlantic and south Mediterranean coast of Spain harbour genetically different populations.
Recent advances in technologies such as high density array-based genotyping, DNA and RNA deep sequencing, expression quantitative-trait loci mapping, epigenome analyses, and new computational strategies, have introduced drastic shifts into our understanding of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) association with immune-mediated diseases. Here, we review the most exciting findings in this field. We show how the fine characterization of structural features and expression levels ofMHCalleles, posttranslational or environmental modifications of HLA-bound peptides, and epistatic interactions with non-HLA genes, has made it possible not only to provide mechanistic explanations for MHC associations with immune-mediated diseases but also to help choose relevant therapeutic targets.
The co-occurrence of psychotic and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms represents an important clinical challenge. Here we consider this problem in the context of a computational psychiatry approach that has been applied to both conditions-predictive coding. Some symptoms of schizophrenia have been explained in terms of a failure of top-down predictions or an enhanced weighting of bottom-up prediction errors. Likewise, autism has been explained in terms of similar perturbations. We suggest that this theoretical overlap may explain overlapping symptomatology. Experimental evidence highlights meaningful distinctions and consistencies between these disorders. We hypothesize individuals with ASD may experience some degree of delusions without the presence of any additional impairment, but that hallucinations are likely indicative of a distinct process.
This paper analyses the changing conceptualisation of cellular differentiation during the twentieth century. This involved a move away from a view of this process as irreversible to an understanding of it as contingent. We examine the import of this shift for the transformation of stem cell biology, including the therapeutic promise attributed to this field, and how it came to challenge historical conceptions of both the cell and stem cell. We take as our starting point the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine awarded jointly to John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka. In the view of the Nobel Committee, their work delineates a paradigm shift in the understanding of cellular differentiation, one that incorporates the concept of 'plasticity'. We explore the emergence, uses and meanings of this concept within this specific biological context, examining and emphasising its role as an epistemological tool. In this setting, 'plasticity' was introduced by cell biologist Helen Blau in the course of research undertaken in the 1980s into the genetics of cell differentiation. We argue that Blau's experimental and theoretical contributions were seminal to a reconceptualisation of this process and provide a crucial link between the work of Gurdon and Yamanaka. Overall, the paper highlights the contested process of conceptual change within the biomedical sciences. It also draws attention to the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between conceptual and technical change, exemplified here in the changing conceptions of cell differentiation following from the analysis of gene expression using new cell fusion and cloning techniques. More broadly, the paper also affords a window onto the shifting priorities, goals and values within late twentieth-century biomedical research.
With requirement of household heat metering, variable-flow heating network is future trend, but it's difficult to heating according to users' demand because of hydraulic disorder, which is caused mainly by individual user's regulation. Self-operated pressure difference control valve (SPDCV) is widely used in heating system to solve this problem. This paper concentrates on effect of users' flow reduction on other non-regulated users' flow with constant pressure difference of heating network (CPDHN) and constant pressure difference of the end user (CPDE), and change of pressure diagram. Equal pressure drop of parallel user based on Kirchhoff's voltage law is used to theoretical model, and influencing law of users' regulation is obtained. The results are as follow: (1) user's pressure drop is larger than design pressure drop with CPDHN, and is less than design pressure drop with CPDE when any user's flow is reduced; (2) the front non-regulated. users' flow is increased little, and the middle ones take second place, and the back non-regulated users' flow is increased greatly when any user's flow is reduced with CPDHN; (3) the front non-regulated users' flow is reduced greatly, and the middle ones take second place, and the back non-regulated users' flow keep constant when any user's flow is reduced with CPDE. The conclusion can be got that CPDHN is better than CPDE with any user's flow reduction.
Because of a lack of existing studies of fatigue testing of interlaminar anticracking materials, this study analyzes the principle of generating reflective cracks using three types of composite specimens: a direct overlay asphalt mixture layer, a repaving - impregnated nonwoven geotextile layer, and a repaving anticracking material layer. The study proposes a method for laboratory fatigue testing and observing reflective cracks. The specimens were used in a bending fatigue test with a centric load and a shear fatigue test with an eccentric load. The test results were analyzed by regression analyses that showed that the anticracking material layer had much better crack resistance than the direct overlay asphalt mixture layer and the repaving - impregnated nonwoven geotextiles layer, because the anticracking material layer could absorb most of bending and shear stresses near the cracks to efficiently delay the generation and expansion of reflective cracks. This study can be used as a reference to make a reasonable selection of an interlaminar anticracking material for rigid - flexible composite pavements. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Women, especially in developing countries, are often responsible for managing water at the household level. However, they are rarely represented in bodies that decide on water management, and they hardly play a role in the implementation of projects to increase water access. While the need for enhanced gender equity in water management is acknowledged in the international development discourse, the complexities of implementing it are poorly understood. This article presents a qualitative case study of women participation in the Program 'One Million Cisterns' in the Brazilian Semi-Arid region, to illustrate the promise and the challenges of bringing about women's participation and empowering. The case study shows that women not only derived significant material benefits from the program (access to water), they also acquired roles and responsibilities - as cistern builders and as members of local water commissions - that traditionally had been reserved for men. Key for this transformational process, we argue, was the role played by local feminist NGOs and social movements who helped rural women create new spaces for social inclusion in water development. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The versatility of fuel cells enables a wide range of applications. Usually fuel cells are combined to stacks such that the reactant supply of the single cells is achieved via a pipe branching system, the manifold. The overall performance significantly depends on cell flow rates which are related to the fluidic interaction of the manifold and the cells. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, which are often used to find a suitable design, lack experimental flow data for validation of the numerical results. To enable flow measurements within the small geometries of the manifold and to provide reliable velocity information inside a real fuel cell stack, a low-coherence Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) is applied, which uses multi-mode laser light to achieve a spatial resolution of <100 mu m. The use of fluorescent particles and backward scatter mode make the sensor highly suitable for the application in small manifold geometries like in fuel cell stacks. Sensor and measurement technique are validated in simplified stack models and the applicability to air flows is demonstrated. Finally, for the first time, velocity profiles with high spatial resolution inside an operated fuel cell stack are presented, which serve as benchmark for CFD to find an optimal geometry. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Supermarkets nowadays are equipped with barcode scanners to speed up the checkout process. Nevertheless, most of the agricultural products cannot be pre-packaged and thus must be weighted. The development of produce recognition system based on computer vision could help the cashiers in the supermarkets with the pricing of these weighted products. This work proposes a hybrid approach of object classification and attribute classification for the produce recognition system which involves the cooperation and integration of statistical approaches and semantic models. The integration of attribute learning into the produce recognition system was proposed due to the fact that attribute learning has emerged as a promising paradigm for bridging the semantic gap and assisting in object recognition in many fields of study. This could tackle problems occurred when less training data are available, i.e. less than 10 samples per class. The experiments show that the correct classification rate of the hybrid approach were 60.55, 75.37 and 86.42% with 2, 4 and 8 training examples, respectively, which were higher than other individual classifiers. A well-balanced specificity, sensitivity and F-1 score were achieved by the hybrid approach for each produce type.
Previous research suggests that the established link of vertical position and self-assignment of social power affects the processing of social exclusion. We hypothesized that verticality-induced self-assignment of social power moderates the evaluation of exclusion via a change in subjective expectancy of social participation. Following this idea, a superior position-associated with higher power-was supposed to increase the sensitivity for a transition to social exclusion. The transition was simulated in a virtual ball tossing game (cyberball): an inclusionary block was followed by partial exclusion of the participant. The participants' vertical position relative to the co-players was varied in three experimental groups (superior vs. even vs. inferior). From inclusion to partial exclusion, we observed an increase of an event-related brain potential related to the violation of subjective expectancy (P3), and participants reported a corresponding increase in threat to social needs and negative mood. For participants at inferior position exclusionary effects on both, P3 and need threat, were less pronounced as compared to participants at even or superior position. These results indicate that verticality impacts basic cognitive processes of subjective expectancy formation. An inferior position already provides a bias for the loss of social power, and the transition to social exclusion is less unexpected.
The industry's interest in having a greater control of the deformations caused by welding is due to the geometric and dimensional tolerances been more and more precise in the project specifications, motivating the manufacturing engineering to develop stable processes and to ensure routine production. Aiming at it, the main goal of this present work is to analyze how much routine situations used in automatic aluminum welding can influence on the angular deformations of this material. Using the alloy AA 5052 H34, and the automatic welding in pulsed GMAW process, three types of weaving were applied throughout the length of the weld, in butt joints assembled without groove and with 60 degrees single-V-groove, arranged transversely as well as longitudinally to the rolling direction of the plate. The measurement of the deformations was made by a three-dimensional equipment, before and after the welding, in three distinct regions in the specimens. The profile of the weld bead was the main factor for the different types of deformations found, as revealed by macrographical analysis. The 60 degrees single-V-groove had higher amplitudes of deformations as the joint without groove. The torch oscillation wasn't a variable of statistically significant influence on this amplitudes.
A series of novel ferulic acid-O-alkylamines derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as multitarget-directed ligands against Alzheimer's disease. In vitro studies displayed that all the synthesized target compounds showed impressive inhibitory activity against butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), significant inhibition/disaggregation of self-induced beta-amyloid (A beta) aggregation and acted as potential antioxidants. Particularly, compound 7f, one of the most potent BuChE inhibitor ( IC50 value of 0.021 mu M for equine serum BuChE, 8.63 mu M for ratBuChE and 0.07 mu M for human serum BuChE), was found to be a good acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor (IC50 = 2.13 mu M for electric eel AChE, 1.8 mu M for ratAChE and 3.82 mu M for human erythrocytes AChE), and the result of molecular docking provided an explanation for its selective BuChE inhibitory activity. Compound 7f also had noteworthy inhibitory effects on selfinduced A beta(1-42) aggregation (50.8 +/- 0.82%) and was found to disaggregate self- (i)nduced A beta(1-42) aggregation (38.7 +/- 0.65%), which was further elucidated by the transmission electron microscopy. Meanwhile, compound 7f showed the modest antioxidant activity (0.55 eq of Trolox), good protective effect against H2O2-induced PC12 cell injury, with low toxicity. Moreover, compound 7f could cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vitro. Significantly, compound 7f did not exhibit any acute toxicity in mice at doses up to 1000 mg/ kg, and the step-down passive avoidance test showed this compound significantly reversed scopolamine- induced memory deficit in mice. Taken together, the results indicated that compound 7f is a very promising multifunctional agent in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, particularly the advanced stages of AD. (c) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Background: Nursing education programs in every state must meet specified NCLEX pass rate standards in order to maintain licensure and accreditation. These standards are a source of great anxiety for educators and students. There is wide variety of pass rate standards among the states. In addition, individual nursing program pass rates vary substantially from one year to the next. Objectives: Pass rate variation suggests the need for scrutiny of the accuracy of applying state pass rates as a standard for evaluating nursing education program. This study considers the implications of such variation. Design: The study computes 95% confidence intervals for nursing program pass rates from 2010 to 2014 to determine whether programs that failed to meet pass rate standards may have done so by accident and whether programs that met pass rate standards may have done so by accident. Data: The study data includes statutes and regulations that establish pass rate standards and NCLEX pass rates for 1792 nursing programs reflected in reports provided by state nursing boards. Findings: Almost 20% of nursing education programs violated the state pass rate standard at least once between 2010 and 2014. Among the programs that failed to meet pass rate standards, 28.4% had a 95% confidence interval that extended above the pass rate standard, A determination that these programs did not meet pass rate standards could well be erroneous. Approximately 17.4% of programs that met pass rate standards had confidence intervals that went below the pass rate standard. A finding that these programs complied with state pass rate standards might also be erroneous. Conclusions: Application of confidence intervals to nursing program pass rates suggests that use of pass rate standards to evaluate nursing program quality may not be appropriate. This suggests the need to rethink application of state pass rate standards when evaluating nursing education programs. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Theorists and researchers have noted an overlap between individuals who are bisexually-identified and queer-identified. Although early definitions of bisexuality may have been predominantly binary (i.e., attracted to women and men), in recent years there has been a move toward a more queer understanding of bisexuality (e.g., attraction to more than one gender beyond women and men). The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences between adult women who were bisexually-identified and those who were queer-identified, ages 18 to 66 years, on sociodemographic characteristics, two dimensions of sexual orientation (sexual behaviors and attractions), fluidity in attractions and sexual orientation identity, and identity centrality and affirmation in an online sample (N = 489), which was mostly from the United States (73.5%). Results indicated that women who are bisexual and queer were similar in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, with the exception of education; women identifying as queer were more educated than women identifying as bisexual. Women identifying as queer were also more likely than women identifying as bisexual to report variability in their sexual behaviors and attractions and more fluidity in their sexual orientation identity. Additionally, women identifying as queer reported higher levels of identity centrality and affirmation than women identifying as bisexual. Considerations for sexual minority women's health research are discussed.
Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDSs) have always been designed to enhance and improve the network security issue by detecting, identifying, assessing and reporting any unauthorized and illegal network connections and activities. The purpose of this research is to improve on the existing Anomaly Based Intrusion Detection (ABID) method using K-Means clustering technique as to maximize the detection rate and accuracy while minimizing the false alarm. The problem with outliers may disturb the K-Means clustering process as it might be avoided in the clustering process from mixing with the normal data that make the NIDSs become less accurate. Thus this research aims to improve the performance of the ABID systems that balance the loss of information or ignored data in clustering. An integrated machine learning algorithm using K-Means Clustering with discretization technique and Naive Bayes Classifier (KMC-D+NBC) is proposed against ISCX 2012 Intrusion Detection Evaluation Dataset. The outcome depicts that the proposed method generates better detection rate and accuracy up to 99.3% and 99.5% respectively and reduces the false alarm to 1.2% with better efficiency of 0.03 seconds time taken to build model.
Linear regression models are a popular choice for the relationships between water quality parameters and bands (or band ratios) of remote sensing data. However, this research regards the phenomena of mixed pixels, specular reflection, and water fluidity as the challenges to establish a robust regression infidel. Based on the data of measurements in situ and remote sensing data, this study presents an enumeration based algorithm, called matching pixel by pixel (MPP), and tests its performance in an empirical model of water quality mapping. Four small reservoirs, which cover a mere several hundred-thousand m(2), in Kinmen, Taiwan, are selected as the study sites. The multispectral sensors, carried on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), are adopted to acquire remote sensing data regarding water quality parameters, including chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), Secchi disk depth (SDD), and turbidity in the reservoirs. The experimental results indicate that, while MPP can reduce the influence of specular reflection on regression model establishment, specular reflection does hamper the correction of thematic map production. Due to Water fluidity, sampling in situ should be followed by UAV imaging as soon as possible. Excluding turbidity, the obtained estimation accuracy can satisfy the national standard. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water and other liquids can cause production problems for natural gas wells. An established but labour-intensive method for removing these liquids is the use of absorbent foam sticks, which are lowered into the wells and then lifted back up again. This paper presents an automated solution for launching foam sticks down gas wells and recovering them - and without the need for a grid electricity supply. The foam-stick launching apparatus has an enclosed magazine with several chambers. It is controlled by a solar-powered skid-mounted electric-pneumatic control system, which includes a storage battery, time relays, a wireless switch module and a compressed gas supply. A typical water-producing gas well was selected to illustrate the technology. Its successful application indicates that engineers can remove liquid from water-producing gas wells and bring them back to production normally using this novel artificial lift technology, which can also be used in remote areas with no electrical supply.
Over the last few decades, asthma and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children have experienced similar increases in prevalence, and have both been shown to have airway inflammation, leading investigators to postulate an association between asthma and SDB. However, whether this relationship is causal or not needs to be proven. In this manuscript, we use the most widely accepted epidemiologic criteria for causality, the Bradford Hill criteria, to test step-by-step whether the relation between asthma and SBD in children is causal or not. We found studies supporting 8 of the 9 criteria (strength, consistency, specificity, biological gradient, coherence and biological plausibility, experiment, and analogy) for association between asthma and SDB. However, we did not find any study showing temporality or directionality between asthma and SDB. Therefore, establishing a causal association between asthma and SDB is not yet possible. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Using discrete GPUs for processing very large datasets is challenging, in particular when an algorithm exhibit unpre-dictable, data-driven access patterns. In this paper we investigate the utility of GPUfs, a library that provides direct access to files from GPU programs, to implement such algorithms. We analyze the system's bottlenecks, and suggest several modifications to the GPUfs design, including new concurrent hash table for the buffer cache and a highly parallel memory allocator. We also show that by implementing the workload in a warp-centric manner we can improve the performance even further. We evaluate our changes by im-plementing a real image processing application which creates collages from a dataset of 10 Million images. The enhanced GPUfs design improves the application performance by 5.6 x on average over the original GPUfs, and out-performs both 12-core parallel CPU which uses the AVX instruction set, and a standard CUDA-based GPU implementation by up to 2.5 x and 3 x respectively, while significantly enhancing system programmability and simplifying the application design and implementation.
One serious problem that all the developed nations are facing today is death and injuries due to road accidents. The collision of an animal with the vehicle on the highway is one such big issue, which leads to such road accidents. In this paper, a simple and a low-cost approach for automatic animal detection on highways for preventing animal-vehicle collision using computer vision techniques are proposed. A method for finding the distance of the animal in real-world units from the camera mounted vehicle is also proposed. The proposed system is trained on more than 2200 images consisting of positive and negatives images and tested on various video clips of animals on highways with varying vehicle speed. As per the two-second rule, our proposed method can alert the driver when the vehicle speed is up to 35 km/h. Beyond this speed, though the animal gets detected correctly, the driver does not get enough time to prevent a collision. An overall accuracy of almost 82.5% is achieved regarding detection using our proposed method.
Several methods based on port, payload, and transport layer features have been proposed to detect, identify, and manage Internet traffic. The diminished effectiveness of port-based identification and overheads of deep packet inspection methods motivated us to identify Internet traffic by combining distinctive flow characteristics with the machine learning method. However, the abundant ground truth Internet traffic, which is important for building a supervised classifier, is difficult to be obtained in real conditions. In this study, we propose a semi-supervised learning method that combines further division of recognition space technique with data gravitation theory. The further division of recognition space classifier is a powerful multi-classification tool that can be helpful for multi-application identification. The data gravitation may reveal the underlying data space structure from unlabeled data, and thus, it is integrated into the classification to develop a better classifier. The experimental results on the real Internet application traffic datasets demonstrate the advantages of our proposed work.
Today, many forms of art are influenced by the emergence of interactive technologies, including the mixing of physical media with digital technology for forming new hybrid works of art and the usage of mobile phones to create art projected on public spaces. Many artists and painters use digital technology to augment their work technically and creatively. In the same context many believe that the time of transition from traditional analogue art to post-modern digital art, that is, to an art grounded in codes rather than images has arrived (http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/kuspit/kuspit8-5-05.asp.). The research work described in this paper contributes towards supporting, through the use of Ambient Intelligence technologies, traditional painters' creativity, as well as methods and techniques of art masters. The paper presents the design and implementation of an intelligent environment and its software infrastructure, to form a digitally augmented Art Workshop. Its practical exploitation was conducted in an Ambient Intelligence (AmI) simulation space and four feasibility studies were conducted. In each of these studies an oil painting was created following an alternative, yet accredited by artists, approach.
Narratives are an important component of culture and play a central role in transmitting social values. Little is known, however, about how the brain of a listener/reader processes narratives. A receiver's response to narration is influenced by the narrator's framing and appeal to values. Narratives that appeal to protected values, including core personal, national, or religious values, may be particularly effective at influencing receivers. Protected values resist compromise and are tied with identity, affective value, moral decision-making, and other aspects of social cognition. Here, we investigated the neural mechanisms underlying reactions to protected values in narratives. During fMRI scanning, we presented 78 American, Chinese, and Iranian participants with real-life stories distilled from a corpus of over 20 million weblogs. Reading these stories engaged the posterior medial, medial prefrontal, and temporo-parietal cortices. When participants believed that the protagonist was appealing to a protected value, signal in these regions was increased compared with when no protected value was perceived, possibly reflecting the intensive and iterative search required to process this material. The effect strength also varied across groups, potentially reflecting cultural differences in the degree of concern for protected values.
Frequent inundation has become a serious problem in urban areas. It is necessary to improve rainwater retention/infiltration in the urban watershed. The purpose of this study is to report how private rainwater-retention/harvesting facilities can be spread gradually but steadily in the city by citizen initiated activities. Rainwater harvesting tanks were installed intensively and a rainwater harvesting house was constructed in the city of Fukuoka, Japan after the city experienced a flood disaster. The former enhanced users' daily preparedness for emergency, and the latter inspired construction of a rainwater harvesting housing complex. A public elementary school is in use from April 2016, which is inspired by these facilities. The school premises are located on the land reclaimed from an old irrigation pond. Thus the school needs to be adapted to this condition. 3000 m(3) of rainwater can be retained within the premises. The amounts of retention and discharge are monitored, and the data is utilized for science education. In big cities, people tend to depend too much on the top-down, mega-system, which invites more impervious surfaces in urban areas. Bottom-up, individual/collaborative approaches should be adopted in order to achieve multiple purposes of preventing/mitigating disasters, preserving/conserving ecosystems and nurturing/rebuilding communities in the city. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Glycated hemoglobin (Hb A(1c)) determination by multicapillary zone electrophoresis (MZE) can additionally be used to detect Hb A(2), Hb F and most common hemoglobin (Hb) variants. We assessed the effectiveness of this method for detecting -thalassemia (-thal), -thalassemia (-thal) and most common Hb variants. Moreover, Hb F/Hb A(2) is evaluated as an index for discriminating between - and -thal traits. The theoretical -thalassemia major (-TM) birth rate in our healthcare area is calculated and contrasted with real data. A MZE technique was used for Hb A(1c) measurements in 27,724 patients. Previous criteria for carrier detection were established and subsequently confirmed by molecular biology techniques. Positive predictive value (PPV) was 100.0%. The prevalence of -thal trait (including -thal) was 0.34%. The most prevalent mutations (estimated per 100,000 population) were HBB: c.118C>T (57.7%), HBB: c.93-21G>A (50.5%), HBB: c.92+1G>A (43.3%), HBB: c.92+6T>C (32.5%) and HBB: c.20delA (18.0%) for -thalassemias, and Hb S (HBB: c.20A>T) (32.5%) and Hb J-Baltimore (HBB:c.3880T>A) (28.9%) for Hb variants. We found a paradoxical result between the theoretical -TM birth rate and real data. We calculated an optimal Hb F/Hb A(2) index cutoff of 0.71 for discriminating between - and -thal traits. This method is highly cost-effective for detecting -thalassemias and common Hb variants. Prevalence results match previous data for the Spanish population. Heterogeneity of mutations in Spain has markedly increased as a consequence of migration. The Hb F/Hb A(2) index cutoff could be used to predict -thal trait.
We describe the main features of the developed software tool, namely PlatE-Motion 2.0 (PEM2), which allows inferring the Euler pole parameters by inverting the observed velocities at a set of sites located on a rigid block (inverse problem). PEM2 allows also calculating the expected velocity value for any point located on the Earth providing an Euler pole (direct problem). PEM2 is the updated version of a previous software tool initially developed for easy-to-use file exchange with the GAMIT/GLOBK software package. The software tool is developed in Matlab(A (R)) framework and, as the previous version, includes a set of MATLAB functions (m-files), GUIs (fig-files), map data files (mat-files) and user's manual as well as some example input files. New changes in PEM2 include (1) some bugs fixed, (2) improvements in the code, (3) improvements in statistical analysis, (4) new input/output file formats. In addition, PEM2 can be now run under the majority of operating systems. The tool is open source and freely available for the scientific community.
This paper describes the design for automation and development of manufacturing automation for a law enforcement product, the Narcotics Identification Kit, a high volume product widely used in the field of law enforcement. Modifications to the previous design, emphasizing design for assembly and automation are first described. With the new product design, an automated assembly process is developed and described in this paper. The automation system to produce the high volume product is next described. The entire project is an industry-academic collaboration in experiential manufacturing engineering education. In the project-centered approach, the students gain real-world experience while creating innovative solutions satisfying the needs of industry.
Objective To determine in a cohort of young patients with suspected axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), the prevalence of lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV), its association with local bone marrow edema (BME) and lumbar spine degeneration, and the potential relationship with MRI findings and clinical signs of axSpA. Materials and methods Baseline imaging studies and clinical information of patients from the SPondyloArthritis Caught Early-cohort (back pain >= 3 months, <= 2 years, onset < 45 years) were used. Two independent readers assessed all patients for LSTV on radiography, and BME-like and degenerative changes on MRI. Patients with and without LSTV were compared with regard to the prevalence of MRI findings and the results of clinical assessment using Chi-squared test or t test. Results Of 273 patients (35.1% male, mean age 30.0), 68 (25%) patients showed an LSTV, without statistical significant difference between patients with and without axSpA (p = 0.327). Local sacral BME was present in 9 out of 68 (13%) patients with LSTV and absent in patients without LSTV (p < 0.001). Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score and spinal mobility assessments were comparable. Conclusions LSTV is of low clinical relevance in the early diagnosis of axSpA. There is no difference between patients with and without LSTV regarding the prevalence of axSpA, pain and spinal mobility, and a BME-like pattern at the pseudoarticulation does not reach the SI joints.
People living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) are increasingly recognized as experts in HIV and their own health. We developed a simulated clinical encounter (SCE) in which medical students provided HIV pre-and post-test counselling and point-of-care HIV testing for PHAs as patient instructors (PHA-PIs) under clinical preceptor supervision. The study assessed the acceptability of this teaching tool with a focus on assessing impact on HIV-related stigma among medical students. University of Toronto pre-clerkship medical students participated in a series of SCEs facilitated by 16 PHA-PIs and 22 clinical preceptors. Pre-and post-SCE students completed the validated Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (HPASS). HPASS measures overall stigma, as well as three domains within HIV stigma: stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice. Higher scores represented higher levels of stigma. An additional questionnaire measured comfort in providing HIV-related care. Mean scores and results of paired t-tests are presented. Post-SCE, students (n = 62) demonstrated decreased overall stigma (68.74 vs. 61.81, p < .001) as well as decreased stigma within each domain. Post-SCE, students (n = 67) reported increased comfort in providing HIVrelated care (10.24 vs. 18.06, p < .001). Involving PHA-PIs reduced HIV-related stigma among medical students and increased comfort in providing HIV-related care.
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is becoming an epidemic problem in our society, especially among older adults, being known as the Silent Epidemic. People with ABI demand solutions in research that offer them with a relearning process such that they can recover not only their physical skills but also their cognitive abilities. In this context, the inherent characteristics of Ambient Intelligence (AmI), transparency and intelligence, have turned it into one of the best approaches to square up to the impairment that ABI can cause. As AmI proposes the development of context-aware systems that integrate different devices to recognize the context and act accordingly, these systems can react promptly to the needs of people with ABI while they carry out their rehabilitation process. Moreover, the explbitation of a Multi-Agent architecture emerges as a natural solution to develop AmI systems, since agents are reactive, proactive and exhibit an intelligent and autonomous behavior. Therefore, in this paper, a Multi-Agent architecture (MAS) for healthcare Aml systems is presented. It contributes to treat people with ABI by using specific devices to control the patient's movements and some physiological responses, such as the variation of the heart rate, during her rehabilitation process. In this way, the natural relationship between AmI and MAS is exploited. Finally, how this system is used to both design and execute therapies for people with ABI is presented.
Flower-like PbS/Ni2P composites were synthesized by a facile two-step chemical route. The morphology and structure of the resulting composites were investigated by SEM and TEM images and XRD spectra, respectively. The results showed that the as-obtained composites were composed of the cubic PbS flowers and hexagonal Ni2P nanoparticles, and Ni2P nanoparticles coated on the surfaces of flower-like PbS microstructure. It was found that changing the molar ratio to 3:1, flower-like PbS/Ni2P composites have been successfully synthesized by using cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB) and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as template. Furthermore, using methylene blue(MB) as a model organic pollutant, the photocatalytic degradation experiments indicated that the as-prepared composites showed enhanced photocatalytic degradation activity for methylene blue(75%) which is as higher as that of the only flower-like PbS (16.6%) and only Ni2P nanoparticles (44.8%) at the same time. This work may be expected to find its potential application in water pollution treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Facing with plethora network security events, network security risk evaluation is an effective method to prevent and respond to these security problems. Ignoring possible changes maybe occurred, traditional network security risk evaluation only emphasizes the preventive management in advance. This article presents an approach to explore the probability of network attributes to be breached accurately in Bayesian Attack Graph. In particular, our approach extends BAG with observation node that can be used to imply and adjustment compromising probability timely and dynamically.
The changes in the character of industrial production, happened in the last decades, required to make significant adjustments to training engineers (training of the engineers) in almost all specialties and directions of higher education. In the last century, the development of production was largely depended on the improvement of technological modes, machine design and introduction of new process control techniques. That's why it was necessary to pay much attention to the study of well-known (given) technologies as detailed knowledge of a particular technology was essential for the success of engineer. In recent years the situation has comletely changed. The main direction of industrial production now is the development and introduction of modern technologies. It states new demands to the engineers, the most important of which is the ability to learn and develop new technologies and processes. It forced us to reconsider the content of engineers training. Under these circumstances, D. Mendeleev University's (MUCTR) mission is to meet the growing needs of the economy and civil society in Russia and to train competitive specialists able to work in the chemical industry and high-tech sectors of the country's production, research and educational sectors. Considering the extensive experience (over 100 years) of the leading chemical-technological university in the country, the University seeks to apply the accumulated potential for the development of innovative approaches to the training of competent engineering, scientific and managerial personnel for a wide range of sectors of activity, aimed at modernizing the country's economy. The main competitive advantages of MUCTR are: the existence of famous scientific and educational schools in the University, which successfully operate even in low-resource support; the widespread introduction of new educational standards, training and retraining programs; existence of successfully working system of integration between university, academic science and industry; the current system of selection of the most talented students, the active involvement of young teachers and researchers in higher education; the real mechanism of rapid response to the needs of the economy in the training engineers and highly qualified scientific personnel; guaranteed employer demand for specialists (bachelors, masters) in chemical, petrochemical, and other innovative industries; awareness of the management, scientific and educational community of D. Mendeleev University their responsibility of targeted training and the most efficient use of the scientific and technical elite to the strategic objectives of modernization of the Russian economy.
People-forest interactions in protected area have been debated around the world. The present study evaluates land-use pattern, diversity and utilization of forest resources in Marat Longri Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) using semi-structured interview, remote sensing, and Global Information System(GIS) techniques. Such study can have many implications on people-forest interactions in the sanctuary and promote symbiotic approach in dealing with biodiversity conservation in protected area. Marat Longri WLS is indispensable to forest dwellers for subsistence and livelihoods. The result of pair-wise ranking revealed jhum (3160) is the major threat to forest cover followed by illegal felling (2850), agricultural expansion (2346), encroachment (2211) and collection pressure (2080). To reduce dependence on Marat Longri WLS, domestication of wild plants and other agroforestry systems can augment food production and realize other needs of forest dwellers.
Many cities around the world have reached a critical situation when it comes to energy and water supply, threatening the urban sustainable development. From an engineering and architecture perspective it is mandatory to design cities taking into account energy and water issues to achieve high living and sustainability standards. The aim of this paper is to develop an optimization model for the planning of residential urban districts with special consideration of renewables and water harvesting integration. The optimization model is multi-objective which uses a genetic algorithm to minimize the system life cycle costs, and maximize renewables and water harvesting reliability through dynamic simulations. The developed model can be used for spatial optimization design of new urban districts. It can also be employed for analyzing the performances of existing urban districts under an energy-water-economic viewpoint. The optimization results show that the reliability of the hybrid renewables based power system can vary between 40 and 95% depending on the scenarios considered regarding the built environment area and on the cases concerning the overall electric load. The levelized cost of electricity vary between 0.096 and 0.212 $/kW h. The maximum water harvesting system reliability vary between 30% and 100% depending on the built environment area distribution. For reliabilities below 20% the levelized cost of water is kept below 1 $/m(3) making competitive with the network water tariff. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a 20-residue peptide and endogenous ligand of the NPS receptor (NPSR). This receptor was a formerly orphan GPCR whose activation increases calcium and cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels. The NPS/NPSR system is expressed in several brain regions where it controls important biological functions including locomotor activity, arousal and sleep, anxiety, food intake, memory, pain, and drug addiction. Areas covered: This review furnishes an updated overview of the patent literature covering NPSR ligands since 2005, when the first example of an NPSR antagonist was disclosed. Expert opinion: Several potent NPSR antagonists are available as valuable pharmacological tools despite showing suboptimal pharmacokinetic properties in vivo. The optimization of these ligands is needed to speed up their potential clinical advancement as pharmaceuticals to treat drug addiction. In order to support the design of novel NPSR antagonists, we performed a ligand-based conformational analysis recognizing some structural requirements for NPSR antagonism. The identification of small-molecule NPSR agonists now represents an unmet challenge to be addressed. These molecules will allow investigation of the beneficial effects of selective NPSR activation in a large panel of psychiatric disorders and to foresee their therapeutic potential as anxiolytics, nootropics, and analgesics.
We investigate the inside dynamics of solutions to integrodifference equations to understand the genetic consequences of a population with nonoverlapping generations undergoing range expansion. To obtain the inside dynamics, we decompose the solution into neutral genetic components. The inside dynamics are given by the spatiotemporal evolution of the neutral genetic components. We consider thin-tailed dispersal kernels and a variety of per capita growth rate functions to classify the traveling wave solutions as either pushed or pulled fronts. We find that pulled fronts are synonymous with the founder effect in population genetics. Adding overcompensation to the dynamics of these fronts has no impact on genetic diversity in the expanding population. However, growth functions with a strong Allee effect cause the traveling wave solution to be a pushed front preserving the genetic variation in the population. In this case, the contribution of each neutral fraction can be computed by a simple formula dependent on the initial distribution of the neutral fractions, the traveling wave solution, and the asymptotic spreading speed.
The modification of an energy-based approach called the dissipating energy flow (DEF) method is proposed, which uses data from phasor measurement units (PMUs) to trace the source of poorly damped natural and forced oscillations in power systems. The original energy-based approach (Chen et al., 2013) assumes the ability to determine steady-state values of variables measured by PMU during the transient process and that prevents the reliable use of the original method with actual PMU data. PMU data processing, proposed in the DEF method, is a key step in converting the energy-based method into a robust and automated tool for use with actual PMU data. The effectiveness of the proposed DEF method is demonstrated by testing multiple simulated cases of sustained oscillations, including both poorly damped natural and forced oscillations and more than 30 actual events in ISO New England (ISO-NE) and two events in Western Electricity Coordination Council (WECC) systems. The study also demonstrates the potential for using the DEF method to estimate the contribution of any generator to the damping of a specific oscillation mode. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Permethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide widely used in agriculture and public health. It has been suggested that permethrin may interact with other chemicals used during military deployments and, as a result, be a potential cause of Gulf War Related Illness. To determine the causal relationship between permethrin and human health effects, the basic enzymatic pathway of permethrin metabolism in humans should be understood. In the present study we report that trans-permethrin is metabolized in human liver fractions, producing phenoxybenzyl alcohol (PBOH) and phenoxybenzoic acid (PBCOOH). We identified human alcohol (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) as the enzymes involved in the oxidation of phenoxybenzyl alcohol, the permethrin hydrolysis product, to phenoxybenzoic acid by way of phenoxybenzaldehyde (PBCHO). Cis-permethrin was not significantly metabolized in human liver fractions. Cytochrome P450 isoforms were not involved either in the hydrolysis of trans-permethrin or in the oxidation of PBOH to PBCOOH. Purified ADH isozymes oxidized PBOH to PBCHO and PBOH was a preferred substrate to ethyl alcohol. Purified ALDH was responsible for PBCHO oxidation to PBCOOH with similar substrate affinity to a previously known substrate, bcnzyl alcohol. Based on these observations, it appears that PBOH is oxidized to PBCHO by ADH and subsequently to PBCOOH by ALDH, although PBCHO does not accumulate during microsomal incubation. In order to analyze permethrin and its metabolites, previous HPLC-UV methods had to be re-validated and modified. The resulting refined HPLC-UV method is described in detail. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
This article presents an experiment with seniors and people with visual impairment in a voice-controlled smart home using the SWEET-HOME system. The experiment shows some weaknesses in automatic speech recognition that must be addressed, as well as the need for better adaptation to the user and the environment. Users were disturbed by the rigid structure of the grammar and were eager to adapt it to their own preferences. Surprisingly, while no humanoid aspect was introduced in the system, the senior participants were inclined to embody the system. Despite these aspects to improve, the system has been favorably assessed as diminishing most participant fears related to the loss of autonomy.
Gabor wavelet can extract most informative and efficient texture features for different computer vision and multimedia applications. Features extracted by Gabor wavelet have similar information as visualized by the receptive field of simple cells in the visual cortex of the mammalian brains. This motivates researchers to use Gabor wavelet for feature extraction. Gabor wavelet features are used for many multimedia applications such as stereo matching, face and facial expression recognition (FER), texture representation for segmentation. This motivates us to analyze Gabor features to evaluate their effectiveness in representing an image. In this paper, three major characteristics of Gabor features are established viz., (i) Real coefficients of Gabor wavelet alone is sufficient enough to represent an image; (ii) Local Gabor wavelet features with overlapping regions represent an image more accurately as compared to the global Gabor features and the local features extracted for the non-overlapping regions; and (iii) Real coefficients of overlapping regions are more robust to radiometric changes as compared to the features extracted from both global and local (non-overlapping regions) by using real, imaginary and magnitude information of a Gabor wavelet. The efficacy and effectiveness of these findings are evaluated by reconstructing the original image using the extracted features, and subsequently the reconstructed image is compared with the original image. Experimental results show that the local Gabor wavelet features extracted from overlapping regions represent an image more efficiently than the global and non-overlapping region-based features. Experimental results also show that the real coefficients alone is sufficient enough to represent an image more accurately as compared to the imaginary and magnitude informations.
Panic patients experience recurrent panic attacks. Two main neurochemical hypotheses have been proposed to explain this vulnerability. The first suggests that panic patients have deficient serotonergic inhibition of neurons localized in the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain that organizes defensive reactions to cope with proximal threats as well as of sympathomotor control areas of the rostral ventrolateral medulla that generate neurovegetative symptoms of the panic attack. The second proposes that endogenous opioids buffer panic attacks in normal subjects, and their deficit results in heightened sensitivity to suffocation and separation anxiety in panic patients. Experimental results obtained in rat models of panic indicate that serotonin interacts synergistically with endogenous opioids in the dorsal periaqueductal gray through 5-HT1A and mu-opioid receptors to inhibit proximal defense and, supposedly, panic attacks. These findings allow reconciliation of the serotonergic and opioidergic hypotheses of panic pathophysiology. They also indicate that endogenous opioids are likely to participate in the panicolytic action of antidepressants and suggest that exogenous opioids may be useful for treating panic patients resistant to conventional pharmacotherapy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
An ultra-precision 3D coordinate measuring machine (CMM), the TriNano N100, has been developed. In our design, the workpiece is mounted on a 3D stage, which is driven by three parallel drives that are mutually orthogonal. The linear drives support the 3D stage using vacuum preloaded (VPL) air bearings, whereby each drive determines the position of the 3D stage along one translation direction only. An exactly constrained design results in highly repeatable machine behavior. Furthermore, the machine complies with the Abbe principle over its full measurement range and the application of parallel drives allows for excellent dynamic behavior. The design allows a 3D measurement uncertainty of 100 nanometers in a measurement range of 200 cubic centimeters. Verification measurements using a Gannen XP 3D tactile probing system on a spherical artifact show a standard deviation in single point repeatability of around 2 nm in each direction.
Under the design conditions of a research reactor, the siphon phenomenon induced by pipe rupture can cause continuous efflux of water. In order to prevent water efflux, an additional facility is necessary. A siphon breaker is a type of safety facility that can resist the loss of coolant effectively. However, analysis of siphon breaking is complex since it comprises two-phase flow and there are many inputs to be considered. For this reason, in order to facilitate the analysis and design of the siphon breaker, a simulation program based on fluid mechanics was developed using MFC (Microsoft Foundation Class) programming. From Bernoulli's equation, the velocity and quantity as well as undershooting height, water level, pressure, friction coefficient, and factors related to the two-phase flow could be calculated. The Chisholm model, which was included in the program to analyze the two-phase flow, can predict the results in a manner similar to those obtained from a real-scale experiment. By modifying the values of the input parameters and analyzing the results with respect to loss of coolant accident (LOCA) locations, the size of pipe and coefficients could be compared easily. Since simulation results are shown in the form of a graph, the user is able to confirm the total breaking situation. Furthermore, it is possible to save the entire simulation results. The simulation results were shown to be similar to those obtained from the real-scale experiment and the program functioned correctly. By using the program, the user is easily able to confirm the status of the siphon breaking, and the program is also helpful in the design of the siphon breaker. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND CONTEXT: There is limited research investigating educational attainment as a risk factor for low back pain (LBP), with the influence of gender commonly being neglected. Furthermore, genetics and early shared environment explain a substantial proportion of LBP cases and need to be controlled for when investigating risk factors for LBP. PURPOSE: To investigate whether educational attainment affects the prevalence and risk of LBP differently in men and women while controlling for the influence of genetics and early shared environment. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional and prospective twin case-control study. PATIENT SAMPLE: Adult monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins from the Murcia Twin Registry, with available data on educational attainment, formed the base sample for this study. The prevalence analysis considered twins with available data on LBP in 2013 (n=1,580). The longitudinal analysis considered twins free of LBP at baseline (2009-2011), with available data on LBP at follow-up (2013) (n=1,077). OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on the lifetime prevalence of activity limiting LBP (outcome) and educational attainment (risk factor) were self-reported. METHODS: The prevalence analysis investigated the cross-sectional association between educational attainment and LBP, whereas the longitudinal analysis investigated whether educational attainment increased the risk of developing LBP. Both analyses were performed in the following sequence. First, a total sample analysis was performed on all twins (considering them as individuals), adjusting for confounding variables selected by the data. Second, to control for the influence of genetics and early shared environment, a within-pair case-control analysis (stratified by zygosity) was performed on complete twin pairs discordant for LBP (ie, one twin had LBP, whereas the co-twin did not). All analyses were stratified for gender where possible, with an interaction term determining whether gender was a significant moderator of the association between educational attainment and LBP. RESULTS: Women with either general secondary or university education were less likely to experience (prevalence analysis) or to develop LBP (longitudinal analysis). Educational attainment did not affect the risk of LBP in men. When controlling for the effects of genetics and early shared environment, the relationship between educational status and LBP in women was no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Educational attainment affects LBP differently in men and women, with higher levels of education only decreasing the risk of developing LBP in women. After adjusting for genetics and early shared environment, the relationship between educational attainment and LBP in women disappears. This suggests that genetics and early shared environment are confounding the relationship between educational attainment and LBP in women. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The term spondyloarthritis (SpA) is used to describe a group of inflammatory autoimmune diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, with common genetic risk factors and clinical features. SpA is clinically distinct from rheumatoid arthritis and typically affects the spine, sacroiliac joints, entheses, and, less commonly, peripheral joints. Although the pathogenesis of SpA is not fully understood, recent findings have identified the interleukin (IL)-17 pathway as a key mediator of disease pathogenesis. Clinical evidence for the efficacy of IL-17A inhibition by biologic agents was initially shown in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, another autoimmune disease mediated by the IL-17 pathway. Subsequently, similar positive efficacy for inhibition of IL-17A was seen in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. Inhibition of IL-17A may also improve cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities often found in patients with SpA because studies have linked these disorders to the IL-17 pathway. In this review, we will examine key preclinical studies that demonstrated the mechanistic role of IL-17A in the development SpA and discuss how these observations were translated into clinical practice.
The review of application of projective geometry for interpretation of growth of the human body is submitted and features of use of this geometry in the electric circuit theory are shown. Growth of the human body, the change of regime parameters of a network is interpreted as projective transformations. These transformations possess invariants, there are cross ratios of four points. The common mathematical apparatus represents interdisciplinary approach in view of analogy of processes of a different physical nature. The obtained results develop methodology of application of non-Euclidean geometries.
This paper explores the large-signal and small-signal dynamics of a series-capacitor (SC) buck-type converter and introduces an optimal closed-loop control scheme to accommodate both the steady-state and transient modes. As opposed to a conventional buck converter, where time-optimal control is realized by a single on-off cycle, in the SC-buck topology there is a need to distribute the switching phases to satisfy the charge-balance of the flying capacitor. The new control method hybrids a voltage-mode small-signal controller for steady-state operation and a non-linear, state-plane based transient-mode control scheme for load transients. A detailed principle of operation of the SC-buck converter is provided and explained through an average behavioral model and state-plane analysis. The operation of the controller is experimentally verified on a 12W 12V-to-1.5V converter, demonstrating voltage-mode control operation as well as time-optimal response for load transients.
Destination memory refers to the ability to remember to whom a piece of information was previously transmitted. Our paper assessed this ability in schizophrenia. Twenty-five patients with schizophrenia and 25 control participants told proverbs (e.g., send a thief to catch a thief) to pictures of celebrities (e.g., Elvis Presley). Afterward, participants had to indicate to which celebrity they had previously said the proverbs. Participants also completed a binding task in which they were required to associate letters with their corresponding context (i.e., location). Analysis revealed worse destination memory and binding in patients with schizophrenia than in controls. In both populations, destination memory was significantly correlated with performances on the binding task. Our findings suggest difficulty in the ability to attribute information to its appropriate destination in schizophrenia. This difficulty may be related to compromise in binding separate cues together to form a coherent representation of an event in memory.
This study demonstrates a new method for rapid and precise maximum power point tracking in photovoltaic (PV) applications using dithered PWM control. Constraints imposed by efficiency, cost, and component size limit the available PWM resolution of a power converter, and may in turn limit the MPP tracking efficiency of the PV system. In these scenarios, PWM dithering can be used to improve average PWM resolution. In this study, we present a control technique that uses ripple correlation control (RCC) on the dithering ripple, thereby achieving simultaneous fast tracking speed and high tracking accuracy. Moreover, the proposed method solves some of the practical challenges that have to date limited the effectiveness of RCC in solar PV applications. We present a theoretical derivation of the principles behind dithering digital ripple correlation control, as well as experimental results that show excellent tracking speed and accuracy with basic hardware requirements.
The in vitro metabolisms of 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B), 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) were studied using TESTLIVER (TM)-rat and TESTLIVER (TM)-human, which are new three-dimensional rat and human hepatocyte culture systems, respectively. The metabolites produced in the incubation media were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The data obtained with the in vitro system of rat origin were carefully compared with those obtained by rat in vivo experiments; most of the metabolites found in the in vivo experiments could be reproduced in the present three-dimensional in vitro experiments, although quantitative metabolite distribution patterns obtained with the three-dimensional system was somewhat different from those of in vivo experiments. Because human in vivo experiments are not possible, especially for dubious designer drugs, the in vitro experiments using the three-dimensional human hepatocyte culture system seem very useful for studying human metabolism of new designer drugs as an alternative to human experiments.
Objective: No clinical data are available for the new computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) material zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (ZLS) ceramic. This study describes preliminary clinical results for indirect ZLS CAD/CAM restorations after 12 months. Method and Materials: Indirect restorations were fabricated, using the CEREC method and intraoral scanning (CEREC Omnicam, CEREC MCXL). Sixty-seven restorations were seated adhesively (baseline). Sixty restorations were evaluated after 12 months (follow-up), using modified FDI criteria. Two groups were established, according to ZLS restorations' post-processing procedure prior to adhesive seating: group I (three-step polishing, n = 32) and group II (fire glazing, n = 28). Statistical ana-lysis was performed with Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test (P.05). Statistically significant differences were found for criteria surface gloss for group I and group II (Mann-Whitney U test, P <.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrates ZLS CAD/CAM restorations have a high clinical success rate after 12 months. A longer clinical evaluation period is necessary to draw further conclusions.
There remains conflict in the literature about the lateralisation of affective face perception. Some studies have reported a right hemisphere advantage irrespective of valence, whereas others have found a left hemisphere advantage for positive, and a right hemisphere advantage for negative, emotion. Differences in injury aetiology and chronicity, proportion of male participants, participant age, and the number of emotions used within a perception task may contribute to these contradictory findings. The present study therefore controlled and/or directly examined the influence of these possible moderators. Right brain-damaged (RBD; n = 17), left brain-damaged (LSD; n = 17), and healthy control (HC; n = 34) participants completed two face perception tasks (identification and discrimination). No group differences in facial expression perception according to valence were found. Across emotions, the RBD group was less accurate than the HC group, however RBD and LBD group performance did not differ. The lack of difference between RBD and LBD groups indicates that both hemispheres are involved in positive and negative expression perception. The inclusion of older adults and the well-defined chronicity range of the brain-damaged participants may have moderated these findings. Participant sex and general face perception ability did not influence performance. Furthermore, while the RBD group was less accurate than the LED group when the identification task tested two emotions, performance of the two groups was indistinguishable when the number of emotions increased (four or six). This suggests that task demand moderates a study's ability to find hemispheric differences in the perception of facial emotion. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Characterised by the increased spread of technology out of workplaces and into public spaces and homes, the so-called third-wave of human-computer interaction has placed greater focus on scenarios that are socially situated, context dependent and not necessarily task oriented. This movement has led to studies investigating how people interact with digital applications in public spaces, but the discussion of intuitive interaction thus far has not been extended to this new realm of user interfaces. Designing for intuitive interaction in public spaces differs from traditional digital applications due to the inherently fluid social nature and often large-scale character of urban interventions. This article discusses the design of interaction for public spaces, based on applications we developed along the years, contrasted to similar endeavours elsewhere. We analyse them through the lens of frameworks for intuitive interactions and derive a series of strategies towards designing for immediate use and high crowd turnaround in urban interventions.
The present study investigates people's perceived likelihood of experiencing negative emotion in response to a potentially jealousy-inducing Facebook wall post that was ostensibly sent by a rival. Facebook messages were varied so that participants (n = 821) viewed a message containing text only or text plus either an attractive or unattractive photo of the sender, a winking face emoticon, words in all capitals, or triple exclamation points. Participants were then asked to indicate the degree of negative emotion they would feel if they saw this message on their romantic partner's Facebook wall. The addition of wink-face emoticons and physical attractiveness cues in a Facebook wall post contributed to differences in likely experienced emotion. Participants also reported a greater likelihood of experiencing negative emotion if they were high in preoccupied attachment and low in dismissive attachment. Finally, women reported being more likely to experience negative interpersonal affect in response to the Facebook post than did men. Implications for the role nonverbal cues play in computer-mediated contexts, such as Facebook, are discussed.
Internal users are the main causes of anomalous and suspicious behaviors in a communication network. Even when traditional security middleboxes are present, internal attacks may lead the network to outages or to leakage of sensitive information. In this article, we propose BroFlow, an Intrusion Detection and Prevention System based on Bro traffic analyzer and on the global network view of the software-defined networks (SDN) which is provided by the OpenFlow. BroFlow main contributions are (i) dynamic and elastic resource provision of traffic-analyzing machines under demand; (ii) real-time detection of DoS attacks through simple algorithms implemented in a policy language for network events; (iii) immediate reaction to DoS attacks, dropping malicious flows close of their sources, and (iv) near-optimal placement of sensors through a proposed heuristic for strategically positioning sensors in the network infrastructure, which is shared by multi-tenants, with a minimum number of sensors. We developed a prototype of the proposed system, and we evaluated it in a virtual environment of the Future Internet Testbed with Security (FITS). An evaluation of the system under attack shows that BroFlow guarantees the forwarding of legitimate packets at the maximal link rate, reducing up to 90 % of the maximal network delay caused by the attack. BroFlow reaches 50 % of bandwidth gain when compared with conventional firewalls approaches, even when the attackers are legitimate tenants acting in collusion. In addition, the system reduces the sensors number, while keeping full coverage of network flows.
Monoclonal antibodies are universal binding molecules and are widely used in biomedicine and research. Nevertheless, the generation of these binding molecules is time-consuming and laborious due to the complicated handling and lack of alternatives. The aim of this protocol is to provide one standard method for the generation of monoclonal antibodies using hybridoma technology. This technology combines two steps. Step 1 is an appropriate immunization of the animal and step 2 is the fusion of B lymphocytes with immortal myeloma cells in order to generate hybrids possessing both parental functions, such as the production of antibody molecules and immortality. The generated hybridoma cells were then recloned and diluted to obtain stable monoclonal cell cultures secreting the desired monoclonal antibody in the culture supernatant. The supernatants were tested in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for antigen specificity. After the selection of appropriate cell clones, the cells were transferred to mass cultivation in order to produce the desired antibody molecule in large amounts. The purification of the antibodies is routinely performed by affinity chromatography. After purification, the antibody molecule can be characterized and validated for the final test application. The whole process takes 8 to 12 months of development, and there is a high risk that the antibody will not work in the desired test system.
This paper proposes a numerical method for accurate time-domain noise simulation of mixed analogue/digital electrical circuits that in principle do not admit a periodic steady-state working condition, such as fractional sigma phase-locked loops (PLLs). By means of a tool known as saltation matrix, which allows dealing with non-smooth vector fields, a variational approach is adopted. The power spectral density of a noisy electrical variable is computed by applying the Thomson's multitaper method (MTM) to the numerical solution of the stochastic variational model of the circuit. This allows to resort to a single transient simulation run, thus avoiding cpu time consuming Monte-Carlo-like approaches. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by comparing simulation results related to a commercial fractional sigma PLL with experimental data.
The paper considers a feedback cellular neural network (CNN) obtained by interconnecting elementary cells with an ideal capacitor and an ideal flux-controlled memristor. It is supposed that during the analogue computation of the CNN the memristors behave as dynamic elements, so that each dynamic memristor (DM)-CNN cell is described by a second-order differential system in the state variables given by the capacitor voltage and the memristor flux. The proposed networks are called DM-CNNs, that is CNNs using a dynamic (D) memristor (M). After giving a foundation to the DM-CNN model, the paper establishes a fundamental result on complete stability, that is convergence of solutions toward equilibrium points, when the DM-CNN has symmetric interconnections. Because of the presence of dynamic memristors, a DM-CNN displays peculiar and basically different dynamic properties with respect to standard CNNs. First of all a DM-CNN computes during the time evolution of the memristor fluxes, instead of the capacitor voltages as for a standard CNN. Furthermore, when a steady state is reached, the memristors keep in memory the result of the computation, that is the limiting values of the fluxes, while all memristor currents and voltages, as well as all currents, voltages, and power in the DM-CNN vanish. Instead, for standard CNNs, currents, voltages, and power do not drop off when a steady state is reached. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The paper presents an application of Hidden Markov Models (HMM) to fixations' sequences analysis. The examination concerns eye tracking data gathered during performing simple comparison and decision tasks for four versions of plain control panels. The panels displayed the target and current velocity either on a digital or analog (clock-face) speedometers. Subjects were to decide whether increase or decrease the current speed by pressing the appropriate button. The obtained results suggest that females, generally exhibit different covert attention patterns than men. Moreover, the article demonstrates the estimated four HMM with three hidden states for every examined control panels variant and provides discussion of the outcomes.
The use of nonwoven geotextile drains in geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) structures has been suggested to facilitate the dissipation of pore water pressure. It has also been recognised that the nonwoven geotextile may retard water penetration due to the capillary barrier effect under unsaturated soil conditions and can function as a drainage material only once the soil immediately above it is nearly saturated. In this study, numerical models of unsaturated slopes with nonwoven geotextile drains, subjected to rainfall infiltration were developed to investigate the unsaturated hydraulic behaviour and stability of slopes constructed with nonwoven geotextile drains in thin layers of highly permeable sand (i.e. sand cushions). The numerical models were first validated for their suitability for modelling water flow and the capillary barrier effect within unsaturated soils using the experimental results from a one-dimensional soil column infiltration test and full-scale infiltration tests. Next, a series of numerical simulations of unsaturated slopes with and without sand cushions and under different infiltration conditions were performed. The numerical results indicated that the sand cushions reduced the development of the capillary barrier effect by acting as an intermediate material between the backfill and the nonwoven geotextile, which bridged the gap between two materials with very different unsaturated hydraulic characteristics. The reduction of the development of the capillary barrier effect led to the accumulation of pore water pressure above the nonwoven geotextile being effectively dissipated downward. The sand cushions also acted as additional drain layers to facilitate the drainage of water within the slope system. Thus, the inclusion of sand cushions enhanced the local slope stability for soils above the top geotextile layer. Based on the numerical results, methods for determining the occurrence of the capillary barrier effect are identified from the literature and discussed.
Introduction: Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is a rare disease that causes cord compression and neurologic deficit. Spontaneous SEH is related to minor trauma, bleeding disorders, and anticoagulant medications. Posttraumatic SEH has been associated with low-energy spine hyperextension injuries in patients with ankylosing spinal disorders such as ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). A variant named atypical DISH-like with SEH is reported. Objective: To describe the management, diagnosis, and treatment of an unusual SEH case in a patient causing delayed neurologic deficit with rigid atypical DISH-like spine. Case Description: An elderly woman with prior antiplatelet therapy presented with delayed neurological deficit suffering trauma after falling. Computed tomography (CT) imaging studies reveal hyperextension fracture pattern and signs mimic DISH missed on standard X-ray images. Magnetic resonance (MR) study demonstrates posterior epidural mass compatible with SEH in thoracic spine with cord compression. Using a midline posterior approach, an urgent intervention and a left multiple partial unilateral decompressive laminectomy at T4-T7 and a long instrumented fusion at T3-T9 were performed for achieving spinal stability and neurological improvement, both of which were observed. Conclusion: Patients with rigid spine who sustain low-energy injuries may be prone to have a fracture and epidural hematoma, especially if they take anticoagulant medications. Imaging studies including MR and CT scans should be reviewed carefully to rule out any occult fracture. Urgent or early surgical hematoma drainage and instrumented fusion must be performed to achieve stability and functional recovery.
All interpersonal interactions are underpinned by action: perceiving and understanding the actions of others, and responding by planning and performing self-made actions. Perception of action, both self-made and observed, informs ongoing motor responses by iterative feedback within a perception-action loop. This fundamental phenomenon occurs within single-cells of the macaque brain which demonstrate sensory and motor response properties. These 'mirror' neurons have led to a swathe of research leading to the broadly accepted idea of a human mirror system. The current review examines the putative human mirror system literature to highlight several inconsistencies in comparison to the seminal macaque data, and ongoing controversies within human focused research (including mirror neuron origin and function). In particular, we will address the often-neglected other side to the 'mirror': complementary and opposing actions. We propose that engagement of the mirror system in meeting changing task-demands is dynamically modulated via frontal control networks. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This article investigates how varieties of knowledge about flooding contribute to a more effective flood management (FM) governance configuration in Chennai, India. Drawing on the assemblage perspective and using the configurations approach for socio-spatial analyses of the city, we trace the knowledge construction processes around two networked FM infrastructures, drawing out the different discourses, actor coalitions and processes of practice. We see how technical knowledge on storm water drains is embedded and transformed within the primary government network, and how complementary knowledges about the ery system are expressed through counter mappings by academic activists. Identifying potential intersections between these knowledge processes indicates a strong potential to link long-term water management strategies that would mutually contribute to addressing the city's issues of flood risks and drinking water scarcity. However, we find that the varieties of knowledge around Chennai's FM run in parallel networks with few intersections, presenting distinct institutional boundaries to cross-boundary knowledge sharing. Lastly, using integrated FM as a heuristic framework, we analyse the contributions of the different streams of knowledge and the remaining gaps in order to assess the potential of building up the interconnections in Chennai's FM configuration. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
People who are high in victim-sensitivity a personality trait characterized by a strong fear of being exploited by others are more likely to attend to social cues associated with untrustworthiness rather than to cues associated with trustworthiness compared with people who are low in victim-sensitivity. But how do these people react when an initial expectation regarding a target's trustworthiness turns out to be false? Results from two studies show that victim-sensitive compared with victim-insensitive individuals show enhanced source memory and greater change in person perception for negatively labeled targets that violated rather than confirmed negative expectations (the trustworthy trickster). These findings are in line with recent theorizing on schema inconsistency and expectancy violation effects in social cognition and with research on the different facets of justice sensitivity in personality psychology.
In this paper, we study the k-labeled spanning forest (kLSF) problem in which an undirected graph whose edges are labeled and an integer-positive value k are given; the aim is to find a spanning forest of the input graph with the minimum number of connected components and the upper bound k on the number of labels. The problem is related to the minimum labeling spanning tree problem and has several applications in the real world. In this paper, we compare several metaheuristics to solve this NP-hard problem. In particular, the proposed intelligent variable neighborhood search (VNS) shows excellent performance, obtaining high-quality solutions in short computational running time. This approach integrates VNS with other complementary approaches from machine learning, statistics, and experimental algorithmics, in order to produce high-quality performance and completely automate the resulting optimization strategy.
This study examined gender, age, and task differences in positive touch and physical proximity during mother-child and father-child conversations. Sixty-five Spanish mothers and fathers and their 4- (M = 53.50 months, SD = 3.54) and 6-year-old (M = 77.07 months, SD = 3.94) children participated in this study. Positive touch was examined during a play-related storytelling task and a reminiscence task (conversation about past emotions). Fathers touched their children positively more frequently during the play-related storytelling task than did mothers. Both mothers and fathers were in closer proximity to their 6-year-olds than their 4-year-olds. Mothers and fathers touched their children positively more frequently when reminiscing than when playing. Finally, 6-year-olds remained closer to their parents than did 4-year-olds. Implications of these findings for future research on children's socioemotional development are discussed.
Under homeostatic conditions, as well as in various diseases, leukocyte migration is a crucial issue for the immune system that is mainly organized through the activation of bone marrow-derived cells in various tissues. Immune cell trafficking is orchestrated by a family of small proteins called chemokines. Leukocytes express cell-surface receptors that bind to chemokines and trigger transendothelial migration. Most allergic diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis, food allergies, and atopic dermatitis, are generally classified by the tissue rather than the type of inflammation, making the chemokine/chemokine receptor system a key point of the immune response. Moreover, because small antagonists can easily block such receptors, various molecules have been developed to suppress the recruitment of immune cells during allergic reactions, representing potential new drugs for allergies. We review the chemokines and chemokine receptors that are important in asthma, food allergies, and atopic dermatitis and their respectively developed antagonists.
In water treatment, flocculation creates aggregated particles or flocs large enough to be removed by downstream processes of sedimentation and filtration. Fluidized beds of flocs (floc blankets) are sometimes included in upflow sedimentation processes because they can significantly improve sedimentation tank particle removal when plate or tube settlers are used. Overall performance of a sedimentation tank containing a floc blanket is influenced by the characteristics of incoming flocs fromthe flocculator. Floc blankets provide an additional opportunity for aggregation of colloidal particles that enables a reduction in the size of the flocculators, while improving particle removal efficiency. In this study, laminar flow flocculators varying in velocity gradient (G) and residence time (theta) were tested in a laboratory scale water treatment systemwith a floc blanket. Results indicate that increasing G (range of 74-251 s(-1)), while decreasing residence time from 269 to 80 s, and maintaining a constant G theta (similar to 20,000) improved particle removal. These results indicate that velocity gradients greater than existing design recommendations may be used to reduce flocculator residence times (and associated construction costs) when upflow sedimentation with a floc blanket and overlying lamellar plate or tube settlers are employed subsequent to flocculation. Further reduction of the residence time to 24 s with a G of 251 s(-1) resulted in a settled water turbidity of 14 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU). When varying theta at a constant G of 72 s(-1), an apparentminimum in settled effluent turbidity at 0.15 NTU was observed at the middle residence time tested (theta = 211 s), suggesting that long hydraulic flocculator residence times may be suboptimal.
This paper proposes a novel DC-side discrete-time voltage controller for grid-connected voltage-sourced converters during asymmetrical faults. The main objective is to eliminate the second-order voltage oscillation on the VSC's DC-side, as well as the positive sequence third-order harmonic current injection into the grid during asymmetrical faults. The compensator is designed based on the comprehensive discrete-time model of the DC-side dynamics. It is shown that DC-side average voltage can be controlled by the positive sequence direct axis current, while the oscillating component can be fully controlled by negative sequence dq-axes currents. The negative sequence current references are obtained using a discrete resonant controller plus a lead filter in order to achieve zero steady state error and asymptotically stability, without injecting harmonics currents into the grid. Simulation results showed the effectiveness of the proposed strategy under severe fault conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Depression storage (DS) is the maximum storage of precipitation and runoff in the soil surface at a given slope. The DS is determined by soil roughness that in agricultural soils is largely affected by tillage. The direct measurement of DS is not straightforward because of the natural permeability of the soil. Therefore, DS has generally been estimated from 2D/3D empirical relationships and numerical algorithms based on roughness indexes and height measurements of the soil surface, respectively. The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of some 2D models for DS, using direct and reliable measurements of DS in an agricultural soil as reference values. The study was carried out in experimental microplots where DS was measured in six situations resulting from the combination of three types of tillage carried out parallel and perpendicular to the main slope. Those data were used as reference to evaluate four empirical models and a numerical method. Longitudinal altitudinal profiles of the relief were obtained by a laser profilometer. Infiltration measurements were carried out before and after tillage. The DS was largely affected by tillage and its direction. Highest values of DS are found on rougher surfaces mainly when macroforms cut off the dominant slope. The empirical models had a limited performance while the numerical method was the most effective, even so, with an important variability. In addition, a correct hydrological management should take into account that each type of soil tillage affects infiltration rate differently. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Port scan detection is one of the important topics in network security and has received lots of attention by researchers; however a slow port scan attack can deceive most of the existing IDS. Besides, it is unreasonable in typical detection to decide whether it is a probe based on the precise threshold especially when the feature values are around the threshold without taking the uncertainty into consideration. To address these problems, a novel approach was proposed by collecting traffic statistics information called access port set (APS) for each IP address in time windows; several traffic features are extracted from APS which are considered as multiple evidences to indicate a probe. For each evidence, three probabilities are concerned to evaluate the likelihood of the probe occurring which include the probabilities of support, nonsupport and uncertainty. The comprehensive evidence can be obtained from the combination of multiple evidences to evaluate the probe threaten. Several experiments were performed to evaluate the approach with DARPA/MIT datasets and our own generated attack datasets; the experimental results show the feasibility of our approach in terms of detection accuracy and effectiveness. The mechanism can be applied not only in port scan detection but also other precise threshold based situations such as traffic abnormal analysis and intrusion detection. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recently, there has been an increase in the use of finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) for power converters. Model predictive control (MPC) uses the discrete-time model of the system to predict future values of control variables for all possible control actions and computes a cost function related to control objectives. This control technique can provide fast dynamic response. However, MPC method implementation imposes a very high computational burden and causes significant hardware requirements for real-time implementation. In this paper, a fully field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based real-time implementation of MPC is proposed for direct matrix converter (DMC). In the proposed method, all control calculations and the safe commutation scheme for DMC are fully implemented in the FPGA and the need for another digital control platform, such as digital signal processors (DSP) or dSPACE, is eliminated. The proposed scheme takes full advantages of the parallel computation capability of FPGAs.
Lipids are a diverse class of metabolites that play several key roles in the maintenance of human health. Lipidomics, which focuses on the global study of molecular lipids in cells, tissues, and biofluids, has been advancing rapidly over the past decade. Recent developments in MS and computational methods enable the lipid analysis with high throughput, resolution, sensitivity, and ability for structural identification of several hundreds of lipids. In nutrition research, lipidomics can be effectively used to elucidate the interactions between diet, nutrients, and human metabolism. Lipidomics can also be applied to optimize the effects of food processing on the dietary value, and in the evaluation of food-related health effects.
Previous research has shown that young children deny being able to see an agent whose eyes are covered. The current study explored this phenomenon further. In Experiment 1, 3-year-olds denied that they could see, but affirmed that they could look at, a doll whose eyes were covered-indicating that they demand mutuality for seeing another but not for looking at another. In Experiment 2, 3.5-year-olds drew the same distinction between see and look at when facing a doll or a human. A strong correlation between children's knowledge of the reciprocal pronoun each other and their adherence to the mutuality demand was found. The results are discussed with respect to children's bias for second personal encounters and children's relational concept of persons. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Feature weighting is a vital step in machine learning tasks that is used to approximate the optimal degree of influence of individual features. Because the salience of a feature can be changed by different queries, the majority of existing methods are not sensitive enough to describe the effectiveness of features. We suggest dynamic weights, which are dynamically sensitive to the effectiveness of features. In order to achieve this, we propose a differentiable feature weighting function that dynamically assigns proper weights for each feature, based on the distinct feature values of the query and the instance. The proposed weighting function, which is an extension of our previous work, is suitable for both single modal and multi-modal weighting problems, and, hence, is referred to as a General Weighting Function. The number of parameters of the proposed weighting function is fewer compared to the ordinary weighting methods. To show the performance of the General Weighting Function, we proposed a classification algorithm based on the notion of dynamic weights, which is optimized for one nearest neighbor algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the ordinary feature weighting methods. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A high level of concern is placed on the storage, handling, transportation, and distribution of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products, particularly those that are time and temperature sensitive. While active and passive cooling equipment and monitoring devices are important, it is the various personnel responsible for executing and writing procedures, designing and operating systems, and investigating problems and helping prevent them who are paramount in establishing and maintaining a cold.chain for time and temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products (TTSPPs). These professionals must possess the required competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities so they can effectively perform these activities with appropriate levels of expertise. These are complex tasks that require the development of higher cognitive skills that cannot be adequately addressed through professional development opportunities based on simple information delivery and content acquisition. This paper describes two unique learning solutions (one on a bus called the wheels course and the other online called e-learning) that have been developed by WHO Global Learning Opportunities (WHO/GLO) to provide participants with opportunities not just to learn about cold chain systems or vaccine management, but, rather, to develop high levels of expertise in their respective fields through experiential and authentic learning activities. In these interactive learning environments, participants have opportunities to address real-life situations in contexts similar to what they may face in their own work environments and develop solutions and critical thinking skills they can apply when they return to their jobs. This paper further delineates the managerial and operational vaccine management functions encompassed in these two unique learning environments. The paper also describes the alignment of the objectives addressed in the wheels course and the e-learning version with effective vaccine management (EVM) criteria as prescribed by WHO. The paper concludes with an example of a real world product developed by course graduates (specifically a decision tree that is now used by some national programmes). These types of products, valuable in their own right, often emerge when learning environments based on authentic learning principles are designed and implemented as they were by WHO/GLO. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Jet electrochemical machining is a promising shaping method that has the potential to replace traditional sinking ECM in the industry owing to its flexibility and stability. However, its machining quality is impaired by the occurrence of a unique phenomenon (i.e., the anode cannot be uniformly dissolved with high nozzle travel rate). This paper aims to analyze this unique phenomenon from the viewpoint of anodic behavior and to select the optimum travel rate parameter window. The anodic behavior of TB6 titanium alloy in sodium chloride solution was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometry. A time-dependent mechanism of pitting/large localized corrosion/polishing for the anodic interface structure was developed. The full electricity quantity of the equivalent oxide layer capacitor, Q, was proposed as a criterion for the initiation of uniform dissolution state. Subsequently, a novel model that incorporates the parameter Q was developed to account for the effect of anodic behavior. This model is able to predict the machined profile as well as the localized corrosion range. Finally, the effect of nozzle travel rate on jet ECM performance was investigated, and a nozzle travel rate of 10 to 25 mu m s(-1) was selected as the optimum parameter window in the present work. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Multitasking is present in all activities of daily living and needs precise assessment to allow ecological patient-specific intervention. The use of multitasking in diagnostic tools remains rare, due to the difficulties of implementing this in laboratory settings. To overcome these difficulties, Serious Games represent a good surrogate method as it offers the possibility to recreate a functional setting in a safe daily living environment and allows testing and quantifying multitasking performances in an enjoyable and motivating way. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of a new Serious Game based multitasking assessment tool by examining the cognitive validity and the real life representability of the tool. Eighteen healthy elderly controls participated in the study. They were asked to execute a cooking activity in the Serious Game and in real life, and were assessed using a neuropsychological test battery. Results showed that performance on the virtual cooking task was associated with multiple cognitive measures and that performances in the virtual task were highly representative of what participants did in real life. This tool is a first step toward including ecologically valid measures for a comprehensive assessment of healthy elderly controls and may help to assesses elderly patients with diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: There is growing acceptance that the increase in thyroid cancer incidence is in part a result of overdiagnosis of small low-risk papillary microcarcinomas (PMCs) with indolent clinical course. Although surgery is the cornerstone treatment for patients with PMCs, recent management guidelines are shifting toward inclusion of more conservative treatments such as active surveillance. There is little evidence on clinicians' experience in managing PMC patients and their attitudes toward treatment options, including their willingness to accept a nonsurgical option. The aim of this study was to understand how clinicians perceive a diagnosis of PMC, potential changes to terminology, and the treatment options available to patients. Methods: This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews conducted between November 2015 and May 2016 with 22 clinicians (seven endocrinologists and 15 thyroid surgeons). Transcribed audio-recordings were thematically coded, and a framework method was used to analyze the data. Results: Across a sample of clinicians who manage thyroid cancer patients, awareness of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of PMC was common. However, there was little acceptance of active surveillance to manage these patients. Clinicians did not feel comfortable recommending this management approach, as they were worried about the risk of metastases, did not feel that evidence to support this approach was strong enough, and also believed that patients currently have a high preference for surgery. The majority of clinicians did not believe that changing the terminology of this diagnosis was a viable strategy to reduce patients' anxiety and their perceived preference for more aggressive treatments. However, most clinicians felt that thyroid nodules <1 cm should not be biopsied, which could help minimize the risk of overdiagnosis of PMC. Conclusions: This study, based on a non-representative sample of 22 clinicians, which remains an important limitation, provides revealing insight into clinicians' management preferences and decision making for small low-risk thyroid cancers at a time when management guidelines and practices are evolving. It suggests that clinicians may not be ready to accept nonsurgical options, or changes in terminology, until evidence to support these options and changes is stronger.
This study conducted at one university in Guangzhou, mainly examined the English majors' pragmatic failure in both verbal and nonverbal communication and explores the possible causes from students' perspectives. Combination of quantitative method and qualitative method were employed in the research including testing, questionnaire, interviews and observation. The results indicate that the average pragmatic competence of the subjects is still in a poor level. They committed pragmatic failure not only in verbal communication but also in nonverbal one. The study explored the causes of the failures from learners' perspective and offered implications for further research.
Road designers assume that drivers will follow the road alignment with trajectories centred in the lane, and move at the design speed parallel to the road centreline (i.e., the horizontal alignment). Therefore, they assume that if the horizontal alignment indicates the designed trajectory, the driving path indicates the operating trajectory. However, at present, they do not have the necessary tools to measure the relationship between the designed alignment and possible vehicle trajectories. The paper has two objectives: (a) to develop an understanding of the root causes of differences between road alignment and vehicle trajectories; and (b) to define and calibrate a model that estimates the local curvature of trajectories on the basis of the designed horizontal alignment. The two objectives were pursued by carrying out a naturalistic survey using vehicles equipped with high precision GPS in real-time kinematics (RTK) mode driven by test drivers on road sections of known geometric characteristics. The results provide an insight into the effects of road geometrics on driver behaviour, thus anticipating possible driving errors or unexpected/undesired behaviours, information which can then be used to correct possible inconsistencies when making decisions at the design stage. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Catchbasins (also known as gully pot in the UK and Australia) are used to receive surface runoff and drain the stormwater into storm sewers. The recent interest in catchbasins is to improve their effectiveness in removing sediments in stormwater. An experimental study was conducted to examine the hydraulic features and sediment capture efficiency in catchbasins, with and without a bottom sump. A sump basin is found to increase the sediment capture efficiency significantly. The effect of inlet control devices, which are commonly used to control the amount of flow into the downstream storm sewer system, is also studied. These devices will increase the water depth in the catchbasin and increase the sediment capture efficiency. Equations are developed for predicting the sediment capture efficiency in catchbasins.
The use of high resolution ground-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) datasets provides spatial density and vertical precision for obtaining highly accurate Digital Surface Models (DSMs). As a result, the reliability of flood damage analysis has improved significantly, owing to the increased accuracy of hydrodynamic models. In addition, considerable error reduction has been achieved in the estimation of first floor elevation, which is a critical parameter for determining structural and content damages in buildings. However, as with any discrete measurement technique, LiDAR data contain object space ambiguities, especially in urban areas where the presence of buildings and the floodplain gives rise to a highly complex landscape that is largely corrected by using ancillary information based on the addition of breaklines to a triangulated irregular network (TIN). The present study provides a methodological approach for assessing uncertainty regarding first floor elevation. This is based on: (i) generation an urban TIN from LiDAR data with a density of 0.5 points.m(-2), complemented with the river bathymetry obtained from a field survey with a density of 0.3 points.m(-2). The TIN was subsequently improved by adding breaklines and was finally transformed to a raster with a spatial resolution of 2 m; (ii) implementation of a two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic model based on the 500-year flood return period. The high resolution DSM obtained in the previous step, facilitated addressing the modelling, since it represented suitable urban features influencing hydraulics (e.g., streets and buildings); and (iii) determination of first floor elevation uncertainty within the 500-year flood zone by performing Monte Carlo simulations based on geostatistics and 1997 control elevation points in order to assess error. Deviations in first floor elevation (average: 0.56 m and standard deviation: 0.33 m) show that this parameter has to be neatly characterized in order to obtain reliable assessments of flood damage assessments and implement realistic risk management.
The purpose of this paper is to propose a flexible load-dependent digital soft-start control method for dc-dc converters in a 380 Vdc system. The soft-start operation is needed to prevent negative effects such as large inrush current and output overshoot to a power supply in the start-up process of dc-dc converters. In the conventional soft-start operation, a dc-dc converter has a very slow start-up to deal with the light load condition. Therefore, it always takes a long time in any load condition to start up a power supply and obtain the desired output. In the proposed soft-start control method, the speed of the start-up process is flexibly controlled depending on the load condition. To obtain the optimal speed for any load condition, the speed of the soft-start is determined from a approximated function of load current, which is estimated from experiment results in advance. The proposed soft-start control method is evaluated both in simulations and experiments. From results, it is confirmed that the proposed method has superior soft-start characteristics compared to the conventional one.
The high resolution, accurate mass, and fast scanning features of the Orbitrap(TM) mass spectrometer, combined with the separation power of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography were applied for the first time to study the metabolic profiles of several organic flame retardants (FRs) present in indoor dust. To mimic real-life exposure, in vitro cultured HepG2 human hepatocyte cell lines were exposed simultaneously to various FRs in an indoor dust extract for 24 h. Target parent FRs, hexabromocyclododecanes (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCDs), tris-2-chloroethyl phosphate (TCEP), tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP), and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP), were separated in a single run for the first time using alternating positive and negative heated ESI source. Further metabolite separation and identification was achieved using full scan (70,000 full width at half maximum (FWHM)), accurate mass (up to 1 ppm) spectrometry. Structural confirmation was performed via all ion fragmentation (AIF) spectra using the optional higher collisional dissociation (HCD) cell and MS/MS analysis. First insights into human metabolism of HBCDs revealed several hydroxylated and debrominated phase I metabolites, in addition to conjugated phase II glucuronides. Furthermore, various hydroxylated, oxidized, and conjugated metabolites of chlorinated phosphorous FRs were identified, leading to the suggestion of alpha-oxidation as a significant metabolic pathway for these compounds.
Rainwater collected from a rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH) system is typically not considered suitable for potable uses, primarily because of poor microbial quality. The quality of stored rainwater, however, can be improved through basic design and maintenance practices during the construction and operation of an RWH system. This paper presents the microbial analysis of rainwater in two RWH systems installed at the Seoul National University Campus in South Korea. Rainwater samples were collected at different locations within each system and analyzed for total and fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and heterotrophic plate count bacteria. Within their storage tanks, water quality improved horizontally from inlet to outlet points, and higher quality was observed at the supply point (located about 0.5 m from the base of the tank) than at the surface or bottom of the tank. First-flush rainwater was found to be highly contaminated but rainwater quality improved following about 1 mm of precipitation. The catchment surface also had a significant effect on the quality of rainwater; samples collected from a rooftop exhibited better microbial quality than from a terrace catchment. Better water quality in underground tanks (dark storage conditions) compared to open weirs/filters (exposed to natural light) demonstrated the importance of storage conditions. Water quality also improved with longer storage, and a decrease of 70% to 90% in microbial concentrations was observed after about 1 week of storage time. The findings of this study demonstrate that the microbial quality of harvested rainwater can be improved significantly by the adoption of proper design and maintenance guidelines such as those discussed in this paper.
Optogenetics is a rapidly developing new technique that combines optical methods with techniques that are used in molecular biology. It can be used for monitoring various optical processes in cells and controlling their activity using light. The technique is based on bacterial opsin expression in mammalian neurons. In this review, the use of optogenetics for controlling the activity of specific neuronal populations in different regions of the human brain is considered in detail. The paper also presents information on light-sensitive proteins, genetically encoded optical instruments, and their use for activation or inhibition of neurons and investigation of the causal relationship between neural networks and pathological symptoms.
Purpose of Review The ANCA-associated vasculitides are a group of small vessel vasculitides characterized by autoantibodies recognizing the neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens PR3 and MPO. We examine the current clinical and molecular immunology understanding of ANCA-associated vasculitides and discuss the current needs in our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of these rare diseases. Recent Findings The majority of efforts to understand the pathogenesis of these diseases have focused on dissecting neutrophil biology because the neutrophil is the primary expressor of ANCA autoantigens. However, a number of important genetic, clinical, and cellular biology observations suggest that attempts to understand the pathogenesis of ANCA vasculitides should move away from emphasis on the role of the neutrophil and instead re-focus on the potential role of other immune cell mediators. Summary Whether or not neutrophils are the key determinant of ANCA-associated vasculitis pathogenesis should be revisited in detail. A neutrophil-centric view of the pathogenesis of these diseases cannot fully account for important genetic, clinical, and cellular biology observations that implicate important and under-appreciated roles for monocytes and T cells. Refocusing on these findings will likely lead to new discovery of novel therapeutic targets and the identification of clinically useful biomarkers for disease activity.
This study investigates the potential threats or conflicts shadowing social harmony in Johor Malaysia. The State of Johor is inhabited by plural, yet, segregated ethnic groups, thus making them prone to communal conflicts. The process of data collection was conducted between 2010 and 2012 through interviews with 1,000 respondents from 10 regions as well as extensive field observations. The study shows that notwithstanding the conflict potential is confined to low-intensity and sporadic quarrel, the impact of tension which has frequently occurred within families and relatives can lead to clashes in a larger community. In turn, this incites various kinds of prejudice among the fragmented communities. Worse still, the individual perception about tolerance in respect to religious aspects is quite concerning, albeit not demonstrable in the context of inter-ethnic relations. Nonetheless, two most sensitive issues perpetrating social incompatibilities are detected as to the construction of worship places and defamation against different religious identities.
Real-time imaging of regulated exocytosis in secreting organs can provide unprecedented temporal and spatial detail. Here, we highlight recent advances in 3D time-lapse imaging in Drosophila salivary glands at single-granule resolution. Using fluorescently labeled proteins expressed in the fly, it is now possible to image the dynamics of vesicle biogenesis and the cytoskeletal factors involved in secretion. 3D imaging over time allows one to visualize and define the temporal sequence of events, including clearance of cortical actin, fusion pore formation, mixing of the vesicular and plasma membranes and recruitment of components of the cytoskeleton. We will also discuss the genetic tools available in the fly that allow one to interrogate the essential factors involved in secretory vesicle formation, cargo secretion and the ultimate integration of the vesicular and plasma membranes. We argue that the combination of high-resolution real-time imaging and powerful genetics provides a platform to investigate the role of any factor in regulated secretion.
Antisynthetase syndrome (ASS) is recognized as a subgroup of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). It is associated with autoantibodies directed against aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase enzymes. We report the first case of anti-PL-7/anti-SSA 52kD ASS presenting as acute digital ischemia, an association not described previously. Occlusive vasculopathy is a rare but serious manifestation that can be seen at presentation in patients with ASS and may herald the onset of severe interstitial lung disease (ILD). Comprehensive evaluation should be performed to confirm the presence of subclinical myositis. Extensive myositis-specific antibody testing is strongly recommended even if initial screening autoimmune serologies are unrevealing.
Monte Carlo method can provide high fidelity neutronics analysis of different types of nuclear reactors, owing to its advantages of the flexible geometry modeling and the use of continuous-energy nuclear cross sections. However, nuclear reactors are complex systems with multi-physics interacting and coupling. MC codes can couple with depletion solver and thermal-hydraulics (T/H) codes simultaneously for the transport-burnup-thermal-hydraulics coupling calculations. MIT BEAVRS is a typical trans port-burnup-thermal-hydraulics coupling benchmark. In this paper, RMC was coupled with sub channel code COBRA, equipped with on-the-fly temperature-dependent cross section treatment and large-scale detailed burnup calculation based on domain decomposition. Then RMC was applied to the full core burnup calculations of BEAVRS benchmark in hot full power (HFP) condition. The numerical tests show that domain decomposition method can achieve the consistent results compared with original version of RMC while enlarging the computational burnup regions. The results of HFP by RMC agree well with the reference values of BEAVRS benchmark and also agree well with those of MC21. This work proves the feasibility and accuracy of RMC in multi-physics coupling and lifecycle simulations of nuclear reactors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The aim of this research is to design a rainwater filtration system by using an activated carbon. The activated carbon had been act as one of the filter medium to filtrate the water. Three filters were design, namely Filter A, Filter B and Filter C, to determine the most effective filter that can be used in the study. To determine the effectiveness of the filter, seven parameters were measured that is temperature, colour, turbidity, total suspended solid (TSS), pH, conductivity and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD 5). The results shows that the removal of BOD 5 is up to 82%, TSS removal is 55.6% and turbidity removal is 28.8%.
The textile and dyeing industries are major sources of environmental water pollution all over the world. The textile wastewater effluents discharged into rivers often appear dark red-purple in color due to azo dyes, which can be transformed into carcinogenic aromatic amines. The chemicals used in dyeing are not readily degraded in nature and thus precipitate in river sediment. However, little is known about how dyeing chemicals affect river sediment and river water or how long they persist because they are difficult to monitor. To assess undetectable dyes and byproducts in river sediments, we evaluated the potential of river sediment bacteria to degrade dyes and aromatic amines. We describe the natural remediation of river sediment long-contaminated by textile dyeing effluent. After cessation of wastewater discharge, the dye-degradation potential decreased, and the aromatic amine-degradation potential increased initially and then declined over time. The changes in degradation potential were consistent with changes in the sediment bacterial community. The transition occurred on the order of years. Our data strongly suggest that dyes remained in the river sediment and that aromatic amines were produced even in transparent and no longer colored-river water, but these chemicals were degraded by the changing sediment bacteria. Time-course monitoring of the degradation activities of key bacteria thus enables assessment of the fate of dye pollutants in river sediments. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
Theories of race relations have been shaped by the concept of a racial hierarchy along which Whites are the most advantaged and African Americans the most disadvantaged. However, the recent precipitated growth of Latinos and Asian Americans in the United States underscores the need for a framework that integrates more groups. The current work proposes that racial and ethnic minority groups are disadvantaged along 2 distinct dimensions of perceived inferiority and perceived cultural foreignness, such that the 4 largest groups in the United States are located in 4 discrete quadrants: Whites are perceived and treated as superior and American; African Americans as inferior and relatively American compared with Latinos and Asian Americans; Latinos as inferior and foreign; and Asian Americans as foreign and relatively superior compared to African Americans and Latinos. Support for this Racial Position Model is first obtained from targets' perspectives. Different groups experience distinct patterns of racial prejudice that are predicted by their 2-dimensional group positions (Studies 1 and 2). From perceivers' perspectives, these group positions are reflected in the content of racial stereotypes (Study 3), and are well-known and consensually recognized (Study 4). Implications of this new model for studying contemporary race relations (e.g., prejudice, threat, and interminority dynamics) are discussed.
In sensor-node applications, the auxiliary power is drawn from the ac mains to supply the mixed-signal sensor components. There is therefore a need for low-cost, sub-1W, miniature non-isolated ac-dc down-converters. In this work, a new two-chip architecture is proposed to implement a high-voltage quasi-resonant buck converter with peak current-mode control. The current and voltage control loops are implemented in the high-side (HS) and low-side (LS) IC, respectively. Each IC includes a 700V power transistor, sensing and control circuits. The LS IC transmits the digital peak current command, along with mode selection information, to the HS IC using a low-power 20 MHz isolated communication interface. The architecture achieves a peak simulated efficiency of 85.6% when converting from 339 V to 12 V and allows the size of the input filter to be greatly reduced due to the current-mode operation. State-of-the- art UHV BCD technologies offer a unique opportunity to increase the level of integration and reduce the system cost in the targeted sensor node applications, despite the relatively poor figure-of-merit of the HV devices compared to discrete Silicon super-junction or GaN alternatives.
Oral immunotherapy may offer an alternative to elimination diets in peanut allergy. Of 72 children for whom this treatment was proposed following an oral challenge test (TPO1), 68 agreed and entered a personalised oral immunotherapy study. There were 10 treatment failures and 31 patients underwent a second oral challenge during treatment (TPO2). Cumulative reactogenic dose and clinical severity score were compared. Skin tests and assay of IgE specific for peanut allergy were first performed prior to TPO1 and again during follow-up. The mean age of these 31 patients was 8.1 years. The median time between two challenge tests was 1.4 years. The mean cumulative reactogenic dose between TPO1 (4207 mg of peanut) and TPO2 (8769 mg of peanut) increased significantly (P < 0.001). Conversely, the clinical severity score was significantly reduced between the two challenge tests (P < 0.001). No serious adverse effects were reported during immunotherapy. This treatment in a paediatric population, administered at the patients' homes, confirms the efficacy of the therapy as well as an acceptable benefit/risk ratio consistent with the data. Oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy is part of a personalised therapeutic approach for children with food allergies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Ambient intelligence is an emerging platform that provides advances in sensors and sensor networks, pervasive computing, and artificial intelligence to capture the real time climate data. This result continuously generates several exabytes of unstructured sensor data and so it is often called big climate data. Nowadays, researchers are trying to use big climate data to monitor and predict the climate change and possible diseases. Traditional data processing techniques and tools are not capable of handling such huge amount of climate data. Hence, there is a need to develop advanced big data architecture for processing the real time climate data. The purpose of this paper is to propose a big data based surveillance system that analyzes spatial climate big data and performs continuous monitoring of correlation between climate change and Dengue. Proposed disease surveillance system has been implemented with the help of Apache Hadoop MapReduce and its supporting tools.
Geographic differences in manifestation of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) could be related to differences in genetic or environmental factors. We aimed to compare the disease activity and functional status using validated outcome measures among patients with PsA of different ethnicities living in the same environment. We performed a cross-sectional study on consecutive patients with PsA classified by the Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) criteria from a single center. Sociodemographic data, clinical variables, and patient-reported outcomes were collected using a standardized protocol. Disease activities were assessed by validated composite scores: clinical Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (cDAPSA), Composite Psoriatic Disease Activity Index (CPDAI), and minimal disease activity (MDA). Physical function was assessed with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF36) physical function subscales. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify variables associated with disease activities and physical function. Ninety-eight patients (51.5%, men) with mean (+/- SD) age and duration of PsA of 51.5 +/- 13.8 and 5.5 +/- 8.4 years were recruited. Indian was overrepresented compared with the national distribution of ethnicities. Compared to Chinese, Indian patients were more likely to be using biological therapies, have higher tender joint count, and worse enthesitis. Higher proportion of Indians had higher disease activity categories measured by cDAPSA, CPDAI, and MDA and had poorer physical function. In the multivariable analysis, ethnicity was significantly associated with HAQ and SF36-PF. Compared to Chinese, Indians with PsA living in the same environment had worse disease activity and physical function measured by validated outcomes.
Politicians on the Right are generally more physically attractive than politicians on the Left One suggested explanation is that politically Right-leaning people are generally more attractive, another that the selection of electoral candidates is, on the Right, more dependent on candidate attractiveness. To assess these two explanations, the attractiveness of Right- and Left-leaning scholars, identified by authorship to prominent ideologically toned intellectual magazines, was compared. In contrast to politicians, scholars would generally not be expected to benefit much from physical attractiveness, nor would the effects of attraction on selection into a scholarly career be expected to differ depending on political ideology. Perceived political orientation of the scholars was an accurate predictor of magazine political orientation, but physical attractiveness was not. Controlling for grooming- better groomed scholars were more likely to appear in Right-leaning journals- more physically attractive scholars were more likely appear in Left-leaning journals. The results suggest that the reason that politicians on the Right are physically more attractive than politicians on the Left is that the selection of electoral candidates is, on the political Right, more dependent on candidate attractiveness, not that ideologically Right-leaning people generally look better. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A roaded catchment (RC) is a representative type of artificial catchment for rainwater harvesting. The rainfall-runoff threshold value of the RC is the main factor which influences the system efficiency and cost. Antecedent soil moisture condition is an important factor which impacts on the determination of the rainfall-runoff threshold value. In this study, rainfall-antecedent soil moisture condition-runoff relationships and the potential efficiency of RCs are presented. Rainfall and runoff data monitored at research sites in Merredin and Mount Barker are used to determine this relationship. Two antecedent moisture criteria; Antecedent Moisture Conditions (AMC) and Average Antecedent Precipitation (AAP) are used to analyse the relationship between previous rainfall and soil moisture for each RC. Monitored results show that AMC is not that suitable to show the relationship between rainfall and antecedent soil moisture condition of the RC in the dryland of Western Australia and it is recommended to use AAP to determine this relationship.
Children's perceptions of social resource inequalities were investigated by measuring open-ended explanations for race-based disparities in access to societal resources. Fifth graders (N = 139, M = 11.14 years, SD = 0.61 years) viewed animated vignettes depicting hypothetical resource inequalities between institutions serving children of African-American and European-American background. Children frequently explained disparities in terms of institutions' differing financial resources, revealing awareness that economic inequalities often underlie groups' differential access to societal resources. Further, children attributed inequalities to differential treatment more often when they witnessed' African-Americans at a disadvantage than when they witnessed European Americans at a disadvantage, demonstrating awareness that racial minority groups are more likely to experience restricted access to resources. Finally, children who reasoned about differential treatment judged inequality, and actions that perpetuated inequality, more negatively than children who attributed inequalities to institutions' differing needs, revealing a link between awareness of discrimination and rejection of social inequalities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
There are debates about whether rainwater is suitable as drinking water. A serious shortcoming of the debate is that there are differences in the design and management of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems. This study is based on the performance of two RWH systems that are used for drinking purposes at a kindergarten and a primary school in Cu Khe, Vietnam. Each system comprised a painted galvanized iron roof, a first-flush diverter, two stainless steel tanks connected in series, a calmed inlet, mosquito screens on open holes, PVC pipelines, filter cartridges, and a UV sterilizer. During 18 months, stored rainwater was sampled five times, and treated rainwater was sampled four times. Twenty-three water quality parameters were analyzed, including pH, total dissolved solids, turbidity, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, hardness, arsenic, iron, cadmium, nickel, chromium, manganese, mercury, selenium, lead, zinc, Escherichia coli, and total coliform. It was found that all the physicochemical qualities of the stored rainwater, prior to treatment, satisfied the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water guidelines. After physical filtration and UV sterilization, all parameters, including microbiological indicators, satisfied the WHO drinking water guidelines. Further management strategies to stabilize water quality were discussed.
Sexual orientation can be accurately identified from photos of faces, but previous work has focused exclusively on straight versus gay and lesbian individuals. Across three studies, the current work investigated the facial perception of bisexual men and women, a less socially salient category. Although participants could identify straight and gay men at above-chance levels in a trichotomous categorization task, bisexual men were categorized only at chance (Study 1). Participants perceived bisexual men to be significantly different from straight men, but not gay men (Study 2). Similarly, whereas bisexual and lesbian women were not rated differently, both groups were distinguishable from straight female targets (Study 3). These findings suggest a straight-non straight dichotomy in the categorization of sexual orientation.
Autonomy and adaptability are key features of intelligent agents. Many applications of intelligent agents, such as the control of ambient intelligence environments and autonomous intelligent robotic systems, require the processing of information coming in from many available sensors to produce adequate output responses in changing scenarios. Autonomy, in these cases, applies not only to the ability of the agent to produce correct outputs without human guidance, but also to its ubiquity and/or portability, low-power consumption and integrability. In this sense, an embedded electronic system implementation paradigm can be applied to the design of autonomous intelligent agents in order to satisfy the above mentioned characteristics. However, processing complex computational intelligence algorithms with tight delay constraints in resource-constrained and low power embedded systems is a challenging engineering problem. In this paper a single-chip intelligent agent based on a computationally efficient neuro-fuzzy information processing core is described. The system has been endowed with an information preprocessing module based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that permits a substantial reduction of the input space dimensionality with little loss of modeling capability. Moreover, the PCA module has been tested as a means to achieve deep adaptability in changing environment dynamics and to endow the agent with fault tolerance in the presence of sensor failures. For data driven trials and research, a data set obtained from an experimental intelligent inhabited environment has been used as a benchmark system. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a new method of decoupling and subdividing electrical circuits, containing power-electronics devices, in order to achieve fast and accurate real-time simulation. In this technique, each state variable can be discretized using different discretization methods. Combining implicit and explicit ODE solvers, state-space equations are decoupled while remaining accurate and stable. Unlike most traditional decoupling techniques previously proposed, the proposed one does not require artificial delay or supplementary states to be added in order to decouple the system. Furthermore, this technique is meant to be implemented with commercially available simulation software. By doing so, a large and complex circuit containing several hundreds of state variables can be easily and accurately simulated with minor modification to the existing models. Finally, stability and accuracy of the proposed technique are thoroughly demonstrated in a numerical example during steady state and under faulty conditions.
Grouted connections (GCs) have been extensively used in offshore applications over the last decades and are widely used today in offshore monopile wind turbines. The effectiveness of the connections on monopiles was questioned recently after several substructures were reported to have insufficient performance in wind farms over Europe. This paper brings together the current practice in terms of engineering methods used for the determination of loads acting on the structure and the numerical methods used for the investigation of the structural behaviour of the GC. With respect to hydrodynamic loads on monopile wind turbines, the popular linear wave theory along with the Morison equation can be used to model normal sea states, whereas higher-order wave models are necessary to investigate severe events such as wave breaking. In terms of wind loads, blade element momentum proves to be advantageous with respect to computational cost and ease of implementation in simulation tools. Finally, finite-element modelling of GCs is introduced and close attention is given to the non-linearity of the grout material and the interface contact which are considered to be decisive aspects for the structural analysis.
In the midst of rising tension between China and Japan, two powerful countries in Asia, the favorable attitudes of each country's citizens toward the other country have dropped to a historical low. The Taiwan issue, historical legacy, island disputes, and maritime resource competition are major obstacles in Sino-Japanese relations, but the most fundamental issue is a deep-seated mutual distrust and suspicion between the two countries, which result in rising threat perceptions. Beyond the structural and political elite-centered approaches, this study examines the evidence related to the three approaches (face-to-face contact, cross-cultural exposure, and social identity) to reduce mutual distrust and antipathy in the two countries. With a careful analysis of the survey data, this study sheds light on the conditions under which contact (a) results in improved attitudes toward outgroup, (b) has little or no effect on intergroup relations, and (c) yields more prejudice and hostility toward the outgroup. The findings of this study not only identify factors that could facilitate mutual understanding between Chinese and Japanese people and more favorable impressions of one another, but are also relevant to planning interventions to reduce prejudice and distrust among people from different races, religions, and countries.
Background: Cognitive interventions (either restorative or compensatory) developed for mild Alzheimer's Disease (AD) have been tested widely with cognitive measures, but less is known about how the effects of such interventions are generalizable to daily functioning. In the present study, we looked at affective state and perceived functionality and quality of life indicators, for three different cognitive rehabilitation programs. Methods: Fifty-one AD patients in the mild stage of the disease were selected for the study and were randomly assigned to one of three cognitive training groups: (1) Memo+ (a paper and pencil memory training program); (2) SenseCam (wearable camera used as a passive external memory aid); (3) Written diary (a personal journal, used as control condition). All patients attended 11 sessions, twice a week, of 1-hour length. The three outcome indicators were examined with standardized instruments applied before the intervention, one week after and at six months follow-up. Results: After treatment, the SenseCam and Memo+ groups had significantly reduced depressive symptoms compared to the Diary control condition. The same was found for measures of perceived functional capacity. No intervention effects were found for quality of life measures. The immediate effects of the interventions were not maintained at follow-up. Conclusions: Our results suggest that two types of memory rehabilitation can improve depressive symptomology and instrumental activities of daily living, suggesting that these interventions can stimulate not only cognition but also well-being, at least in the short term.
The distribution of water pollution is often assessed by remote sensing. In this study, we develop a fuzzy multiple regression model and analyze water quality using data collected by the Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type-2 (AVNIR-2) of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite at different time points. We conduct a fuzzy multiple regression analysis of the AVNIR-2 data and direct measurements of the local water quality of Lake Hachiroko in Japan. The relationship between the AVNIR-2 and water quality data are analyzed by solving both min and max problems. We compare the estimated water quality maps with the actual distributions in the study area, and determine that the proposed method enables us to derive water quality conditions effectively from the AVNIR-2 data. Furthermore, by comparing maps created using AVNIR-2 data collected at different times, we obtain results revealing temporal changes in water quality. In addition, we compare maps created using the fuzzy multiple regression and fuzzy regression models. We demonstrate that the former offers a greater number of solutions and provides more details about water quality.
Little is known about the health effects of school-related indoor dampness and microbial exposures. In this study, we investigated dampness and dampness-related agents in both homes and schools and their association with allergy and respiratory health effects in 330 Danish pupils. Classroom dampness was identified based on technical inspection and bedroom dampness on parents' self-report. Classroom and bedroom dust was analyzed for seven microbial components. Skin prick testing determined atopic sensitization. Lung function was expressed as z-scores for forced expiratory volume in one-second (zFEV(1)), forced vital capacity (zFVC) and the ratio zFEV(1)/zFVC using GLI-2012 prediction equations. The parents reported children's allergies, airway symptoms, and doctor-diagnosed asthma. High classroom dampness, but not bedroom dampness, was negatively associated with zFEV(1) (-coef. -0.71; 95% CI -1.17 to -0.23) and zFVC (-coef. -0.52; 95% CI -0.98 to -0.06) and positively with wheezing (OR 8.09; 95% CI 1.49 to 43.97). No consistent findings were found between any individual microbial components or combination of microbial components and health outcomes. Among other indoor risk factors, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) decreased zFEV(1) (-coef. -0.22; 95% CI -0.42 to -0.02) and zFEV(1)/zFVCratio (-coef. -0.26; 95% CI -0.44 to -0.07) and increased upper airway symptoms (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.03-2.66). In conclusion, dampness in classrooms may have adverse respiratory health effects in pupils, but microbial agents responsible for this effect remain unknown.
The reported digital thermionic emission current controllers use floating voltage sources which produce noise current and consequently decrease the quality of an electron beam. The implementation of digital control in an electron source biasing system without floating sources gives the average value of the electron emission current standard deviation of 0.015%. The described controller has been developed in order to investigate the properties of new hot-emitters.
Uncontrolled anthropogenic activities and technological revolution increase fossil fuel consumption at higher rate that prompted researchers looking for alternative energy source to cover the current need and future demand of energy. Biomass of terrestrial crops has been studied as a promising source of renewable energy in last few decades however large scale production is still questionable because of lower productivity, indirect use of fossil fuel, lack of land availability and food vs. fuel conflict. These limitations of land based system fetch opportunity to look into untapped potential use of microalgae with high biomass productivity from saline and waste water stream. This unconventional way of feedstock generation can additionally produce value added products apart from clean energy. This review presents current scenario of microalgae applications in biofuel production and micro algae based high value bio-product industries leveraging environmental protection and waste utilization benefits. Microalgae cultivation, harvesting and biomass conversion technologies for biodiesel production have been reviewed based on adapting ancient learning to understand critical factors affecting overall productivity and economic viability. Dedicated efforts from technical experts are still required for economic viability of large scale biodiesel production in spite of positive finding at small scale. Several high value bio-products from microalgae amplified magnetism of trades for investment in this field. Microalgae cultivation intersects two key concern areas of global warming and water pollution control/water recycling by CO2 sequestration and waste water utilization respectively. Integration of suitable upstream and downstream processing technologies with multiple product portfolio would make the microalgae bio-refinery economical viable.
Objective: To examine emotion processing in euthymic bipolar patients (EBP) compared to healthy controls. In addition, to determine whether or not there is an association between emotion processing and psychosocial functioning. Material and methods: A sample of 60 EBP and 60 healthy controls matched for age, gender, education level, and premorbid intelligence were studied. All subjects were assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and two additional executive function measures: the Trail Making Test-Part B and the Stroop Test. Emotion processing was examined using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Psychosocial functioning was assessed using the Functional Assessment Short Test (FAST). Results: Euthymic bipolar patients obtained lower scores than controls in all MSCEIT measures except for the using emotions branch. Likewise, EBP obtained a worse performance than healthy controls in all neurocognitive domains. Correlation between MSCEIT strategic area measures and FAST total score was found (r = -0.311; P < 0.016). Regression analysis showed that residual depressive symptomatology explains a 9.1% of the variance in functional outcome. MSCEIT strategic area score explained an additional 8.6%. Neurocognition did not increase the percentage of the variance explained by emotion processing. Conclusions: Euthymic bipolar patients exhibit deficits in emotion processing. Emotion processing is associated with social functioning in these patients.
Water pollution by organic materials or metals is one of the problems that threaten humanity, both nowadays and over the next decades. Morphological changes in Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fish liver and gills can also represent the adaptation strategies to maintain some physiological functions or to assess acute and chronic exposure to chemicals found in water and sediments. This paper presents an automatic system for assessing water quality, in Sharkia Governorate- Egypt, based on microscopic images of fish gills and liver. The proposed system used fish gills and liver as hybrid-biomarker in order to detect water pollution. It utilized case-based reasoning (CBR) for indicating the degree of water quality based on the different histopathological changes in fish gills and liver microscopic images. Various performance evaluation metrics namely, retrieval accuracy, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, F-measure, and G-mean have been used in order to objectively indicate the true performance of the system considering the unbalanced data. Experimental results showed that the proposed hybrid-biomarker CBR based system achieved water quality prediction accuracy of 97.9% using cosine distance similarity measure. Also, it outperformed both SVMs and LDA classifiers for the tested microscopic images dataset. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The present report describes the planning and surgery as well as pitfalls and management of a patient with a near total mandibular avulsion injury that was rehabilitated using three-dimensional (3D) laser printing of a titanium lower jaw. Laser-sintering involves zapping layers of powdered metal to recreate a 3D implantable skeletal defect. The process involves using either mirror imaging of the unaffected side or using archival image database of healthy individuals. A 25-year-old man presented with a gunshot injury that left him with a near total avulsed mandible. The patient received state-of-the-art treatment using a laser 3D printed mandible which was connected to the muscles of mastication for functionality. The inner side of the titanium jaw was filled with the patient's comminuted fractured bones in addition to harvested iliac crest bone graft that was covered with the patient's remaining periosteal tissue. The implantation of a near total mandible using 3D laser printing is a fast and predictable process that in selected patients can result in aesthetically as well as functionally excellent results. The authors believe that the future of craniofacial reconstruction will employ these methods for facial bony reconstruction.
Attempts at idea generation often produce outputs that are marked by restricted creativity. This lack of originality is often due to responses being tethered to recently activated knowledge and salient examples. The current research tested the hypothesis that implicitly priming creativity results in more creativity (i.e., flexibility). Experiment 1 addressed the potential underlying mechanisms that might lead to such an effect and demonstrated that creativity priming leads to the activation of remote, as opposed to close, associations to a target item. Experiments 2a, 2b, 3, and 4 showed that priming creativity (using two different procedures) leads to more original ideas in a generative task as well as better performance in the remote association task (RAT). These effects occurred independently of the conscious intention to be creative as well as motivational and mood states. Across these studies, the activation of a creative mindset undermined the sources of inflexible and uncreative responding. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This article presents a laboratory module developed for undergraduate micro/nano engineering laboratory courses in the mechanical engineering departments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and King Fand University of Petroleum and Minerals. In this laboratory, students fabricate superoleophobic membranes by spray-coating of titania nanoparticles on steel meshes, characterize the surfaces and ability of the membrane to retain oil, and then use these membranes to separate an oil-water mixture. The laboratory module covers nanomaterials, nanomanufacturing, materials characterization, and understanding of the concepts of surface tension and hydrostatics, with oil-water separation as an application. The laboratory experiments are easy to set up based on commercially available tools and materials, which will facilitate implementation of this module in other educational institutions. The significance of oil-water separation in the petroleum industry and integration of concepts from fluid mechanics in the laboratory module will help to illustrate the relevance of nanotechnology to mechanical and materials engineering and its potential to address some of the future societal needs.
With the development of advanced manufacturing engineering, selecting supplier scientifically makes for improving competitive power. This paper is aimed to suggest a methodology leading to effective supplier management processes utilizing information obtained from the supplier selection processes. First the evaluative indicator architecture is afforded. Then, throughout normalizing the value of each indicator, the processed value can be looked as the distribution of a random variable. So the method of confirming the indicator-weight based on the theory of entropy lies in information is given. Further more, the model of supplier selection is build up. Finally, the simulative example is given. It illustrates the method avail to select the supplier to enhance the enterprise. competence.
The yield forecasting of corn constitutes a key issue in agricultural management, particularly in the context of demographic pressure and climate change. This study presents two methods to estimate yields using artificial neural networks: a diagnostic approach based on all the satellite data acquired throughout the agricultural season, and a real-time approach, where estimates are updated after each image was acquired in the microwave and optical domains (Formosat-2, Spot-4/5, TerraSAR-X, and Radarsat-2) throughout the crop cycle. The results are based on the Multispectral Crop Monitoring experimental campaign conducted by the CESBIO (Centre d'Etudes de la BIOsphere) laboratory in 2010 over an agricultural region in southwestern France. Among the tested sensor configurations (multi-frequency, multi-polarization or multi-source data), the best yield estimation performance (using the diagnostic approach) is obtained with reflectance acquired in the red wavelength region, with a coefficient of determination of 0.77 and an RMSE of 6.6 q ha(-1). in the real-time approach the combination of red reflectance and C-HH backscattering coefficients provides the best compromise between the accuracy and earliness of the yield estimate (more than 3 months before the harvest), with an R-2 of 0.69 and an RMSE of 7.0 q ha-1 during the development of the central stem. The two best yield estimates are similar in most cases (for more than 80% of the monitored fields), and the differences are related to discrepancies in the crop growth cycle and/or the consequences of pests. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper we propose an ecological view in which a smart home is seen as an interconnected collection of smart objects that work together to provide services to inhabitants. We review home technologies in a historical context in which the home is a personal habitat that provides services to inhabitants, and draw lessons from the profusion of new services that were made possible by the introduction of electricity in the home during the 20th century. We examine possible metaphors for smart homes, including the smart home as an inside-out autonomous robot, and the smart home as an ecosystem of smart objects providing services. We propose a taxonomy for smart home services and discuss examples for each class of service. We conclude with a discussion of required system qualities and potential show-stoppers.
In ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, cardiac and vascular involvement may manifest as atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol constitute a significant risk for atherosclerosis. This study investigated the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), LDL/HDL ratio, total oxidant status (TOS; an indicator of oxidative stress) and ischemic modified albumin (IMA; an ischemic marker in AS patients). Sixty AS patients were diagnosed using the Modified New York Criteria; 54 age- and gender-matched participants were included as controls. CIMT, LDL/HDL ratio, TOS and IMA were measured using the most appropriate methods. IMA was higher in AS patients compared to controls (p < 0.0001). TOS was also increased in AS patients (p = 0.005); as was CIMT (p < 0.0001). The LDL/HDL ratio was also greater in AS patients compared to controls (p = 0.047). A positive correlation was found between CIMT and LDL/HDL ratio among AS patients. Elevated CIMT, IMA and TOS levels suggest an increased risk of atherosclerotic heart disease in AS patients. The LDL/HDL ratio was higher in AS patients compared to controls, and there was a correlation between LDL/HDL ratio and CIMT, albeit statistically weak. Therefore, the LDL/HDL ratio is not a reliable marker to predict atherosclerotic heart disease in AS patients.
Geosynthetics have been commonly used as reinforcement layers to bridge over underground cavities, sinkholes, and trenches to support upper soil mass. In such applications, the geosynthetics, acting as tensioned membranes plus the effect of soil arching, maintain the stability and mitigate the subsidence of the overlying soil. This study, including a two-dimensional experimental testing and subsequent numerical simulations, investigates the subsidence of the soil mass and deformation of the geosynthetics over a roadway subdrain. The experimental study was performed in a fabricated container with 7 trapdoors (125 mm each) at the bottom. One of the trapdoors was lowered to mimic a trench for subdrain. Cylindrical aluminum bars were used as soil in the experimental testing to imitate the two-dimensional (2D) situations. A layer of geotextile was placed underneath the soil fill to serve as the reinforcement. Following the experimental test, a numerical simulation was carried out, using Discrete Element Method, PFC2D, to extend the scope of the experimental study. The results indicated that (1) the deformed shape of the geosynthetic layer is approximately parabolic, (2) the subsidence was decreased hyperbolically in the vertical direction and the lateral influence range appeared to be bounded by two lines inclined at (45 degrees + phi/2), and (3) the friction angle showed significant influence on subsidence and tension in geosynthetic. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Atlantic Bluefin tuna (BFT, Thunnus thynnus), one of the largest top-predator fish inhabiting the pelagic ecosystems of the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, has been extensively overexploited in recent decades. However, in the Mediterranean Sea, the mixing rates between the eastern, central and western basins have not yet been fully and finally resolved. To date electronic tagging, otolith and genetic markers cannot still disentangle the pattern of tuna movements and population structuring in the basin, essential background for a proper management of BFT fisheries. Here, we used Expressed Sequence Tag-linked (EST-linked) microsatellites to explore population dynamics and adaptive evolution of Mediterranean T. thynnus. For this purpose, 16 EST-linked microsatellites were genotyped in 177 tuna individuals from the Mediterranean Sea and several methods were used to explore population genetic structuring and estimate/detect signals of local adaptation. Bayesian clustering results indicated the presence of a single cluster, corroborated also by the Correspondence Analysis and pairwise Fsrs. Similarly, the two methods used for the detection of outlier loci (LOSITAN and BayeScan), did not reveal any pattern suggesting the presence of selective pressure on the EST Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) used. Our results suggest that the low level of polymorphism detected in this study could be ascribed to the presence of relatively conserved regions flanking these microsatellites. These genomic regions are probably not involved in physiological responses to local adaptation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The high-speed (HS) electric machines are gaining attention in several different applications, and the development of advanced materials, electronic components, and control algorithms is pushing ahead the technological speed limits. In the electromagnetic sizing of HS machines, the mechanical and thermal involvements are very tight to make it necessary to deal with all the different aspects at the same time. This paper aims to summarize and discuss the electrical and the mechanical aspects involved in the HS machine design, highlighting the main issues and the tradeoffs that the designer has to consider. Furthermore, the correlation between volume reduction and speed increase, based on commercial high-frequency rotor-stator units, is also presented.
Objectives: Most young adults transition from childhood dental care to adult dental care without problems. However, a substantial minority leaves childhood dental care with considerable fear of dental treatment. In the present study, we hypothesized that fear of dental treatment in the young adult is influenced by memories of positive and negative childhood experiences with dental care. More specifically, we predicted that the emotional impact, sense of reliving, rehearsal, and belief in the accuracy of a negative treatment memory would be associated with increased dental fear, while positive treatment memories would show the opposite relation. Methods: One hundred thirty-six young adults leaving childhood dental care responded to a online measures of dental fear, the most negative and most positive memory of dental treatment, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Results: Negative memories of events that involved pain and dentist behaviors such as impatience or scolding were frequently described and significantly associated with dental fear and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Positive memories were more frequent, but did not show a consistent relationship with dental fear. Conclusions: The importance of negative memories suggests an avenue for intervention against dental fear that focuses on restructuring those memories to emphasize positive aspects.
The triacylglycerols of Crepis alpina oil were characterized because this oil has a high concentration of crepenynic (cis-9-odadecen-12-ynoic) acid, a fatty acid useful in the chemical synthesis of deuterated fats for human metabolism studies. The triacylglycerols were separated from the crude oil by solid-phase extraction. Resolution, quantitation and isolation of the individual triacylglycerols were performed by silver ion high-performance liquid chromatography on a commercial column, an acetonitrile in hexane isocratic mobile phase and flame-ionization detection. Isolated triacylglycerols were identified by capillary gas chromatography of their fatty acid methyl esters. Of the eleven eluted triacylglycerols of Crepis alpina oil, 85% included 35% tricrepenynoyl, 34% linoleoyldicrepenynoyl and 16% dilinoleoylcrepenynoyl glycerols. Triacylglycerols eluted according to the numbers of alkene and alkyne bonds. Elution times, resolution and quantitation were reproducible over a three-month period. The flame-ionization detector response required no response factors for quantitation of the triacylglycerols present in Crepis alpina oil. The silver ion chromatography system permitted the identification of 95% of the triacylglycerols compared to 70% of the triacylglycerols previously identified with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.
The One-vs-One strategy is among the most used techniques to deal with multi-class problems in Machine Learning. This way, any binary classifier can be used to address the original problem, since one classifier is learned for each possible pair of classes. As in every ensemble method, classifier combination becomes a vital step in the classification process. Even though many combination models have been developed in the literature, none of them have dealt with the possibility of reducing the number of generated classifiers after the training phase, i.e., ensemble pruning, since every classifier is supposed to be necessary. On this account, our objective in this paper is two-fold: (1) We propose a transformation of the aggregation step, which lead us to a new combination strategy where instances are classified on the basis of the similarities among score-matrices. (2) This fact allows us to introduce the possibility of reducing the number of binary classifiers without affecting the final accuracy. We will show that around 50% of classifiers can be removed (depending on the base learner and the specific problem) and that the confidence degrees obtained by these base classifiers have a strong influence on the improvement in the final accuracy. A thorough experimental study is carried out in order to show the behavior of the proposed approach in comparison with the state-of-the-art combination models in the One-vs-One strategy. Different classifiers from various Machine Learning paradigms are considered as base classifiers and the results obtained are contrasted with the proper statistical analysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Within the framework of EUROfusion Program, the Dual Coolant Lithium Lead (DCLL) is one of the four EU breeder blanket concepts that are being investigated as candidates for DEMO. DCLL uses PbLi as the main coolant, tritium breeder, tritium carrier, and neutron multiplier. The main structures, including the first wall, are cooled with helium. The EU program proposed for the next years will consider a DCLL version limited to 550 degrees C in order to allow the use of conventional materials and technologies. During the first year of EUROfusion activities, a draft design of the DCLL has been proposed. The main blanket performances were adapted to the new specifications and the CAD model of DEMO. The breeder zone has been toroidally divided into four parallel PbLi circuits, separated through stiffening grid radial walls. The PbLi flow routing has been designed to maximize the amount of thermal power extracted by flowing PbLi and to avoid the occurrence of reverse flows due to volumetric heating. Thermal hydraulics, magnetohydrodynamic and neutronics calculations have been performed for the first draft design. The new DCLL design employs Eurofer-alumina-Eurofer sandwich as flow channel insert (FCI).
Green roofs have been proposed as a way to mitigate stormwater run-off in urban areas due to the possibility of retrofit to existing buildings. The amount of run-off is influenced by the, humidity, evapotranspiration, as well as soil type and depth. A modelling approach was undertaken to evaluate the response of different soil depths to cumulative rainfall and the efficiency in stormwater flow rate attenuation. The soil hydraulics were modelled using HYDRUS-1D software developed for modelling water flow in variably saturated porous media. Model runs were carried out for three quarterly scenarios to determine run-off peak flow rates and the overall retention, based on evapotranspiration rates of succulent plants and rainfall registers from Auckland, New Zealand. The soil depths modelled ranged from 5 to 160 cm. The efficiencies in peak flow attenuation by the shallowest soil considered were reduced under extreme and longer rainfall events by 3%. Therefore shallow soil or extensive green roofs may, on a wide scale, overcome the performance of deep soils due to their lighter weight which adds limited loads to existing roof structures thereby making them suited to retrofit greater numbers of buildings. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The implementation of cryptography algorithms is constantly observing threat from multiple techniques in breaking secure system. The current trend in breaking the secure system of cryptography is by power analysis technique. In order to break the secure key, the energy consumed in the digital circuit during computation is measured. This technique is commonly known as differential power analysis, explored by the hackers to break the secure systems. To circumvent these type of attacks, it is necessary to explore different designs, which dissipate less energy. Ideally, reversible circuits dissipate zero energy. We present a new reversible architecture for greatest common divisor (GCD) computation using modified Binary GCD algorithm. We present the generalized design methodology of reversible GCD computation unit. We compare the proposed GCD computation design with the existing design. The proposed reversible GCD architecture takes less number of iterations compared with the existing GCD architecture in the literature. The proposed design outperforms the existing GCD design in terms of Quantum Cost, Gate Count, and Ancilla Inputs. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
As the course of computer operating system requires students to understand the interactions between computer systems, users and hardware platform, this paper concentrates on the problem of using the virtualization technology in computer operating system teaching. Particularly, virtualization technology is designed to simulate the real computer hardware environment, and then make the operating system run in a virtual computer environment. Because the virtual machine software can simulate real computer hardware equipment, several operating systems are supported, such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Unix etc. The main idea of this paper is to utilize the VMware software in operating system teaching. VMware provides a completely virtualized set of hardware for a specific operating system. Afterwards, we discuss how to design and implement an experimental platform with multiple operating systems based on VMware.
Composites made fromrenewable sources have become important alternative materials for designing and manufacturing engineering and industrial products. Natural fiber composites have become superior materials compared to conventional fiber composites, due to their easy manufacturing process, high-fiber content, reduction in the polluting base content, lightweight, and incineration. Environmental cleanliness is an increasing concern to look for sustainable alternative materials that can replace conventional materials that are being used now. Natural fibers constitute a good alternative reinforcement material, since they are readily available in fibrous form, and can be extracted at very low costs. In the present study, environment friendly green composites have been prepared and the mechanical properties of these composites are evaluated. The results indicated a significant improvement in the tensile, flexural, and impact properties of the hybrid composites, and the effect of hybridization reduces the environmental effects. The internal structure of the broken surface, delamination of fibers, and the failure morphology are analyzed using the scanning electron microscopy analysis.
This paper discusses the luxury of dress and luxurious spaces from the perspective of aristocratic court society. Our modern bourgeois society often defines and morally condemns luxury as conspicuous and wasteful consumption beyond essential. But aristocratic and court society, during the feudal period regarded luxury as a crucial sign and fundamental tool of social status and political ambitions. The wedding celebrations of 1719 held at the Dresden court on the occasion of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733) marrying his son and heir, also called Frederick Augustus (1696-1763), to the archduchess Maria Josepha (1699-1757) are a fitting example of this understanding of luxury.
Fuel cell (FC)/lithium-ion battery hybrid power system (HPS) gradually becomes a powerful energy source in the future. This paper presents a digital boost converter for FC current regulation in the HPS with a dual-battery energy storage unit (ESU). The digital boost converter regulates the FC current in order to control the FC power generation. Simulations have been conducted in PSIM environment, and the digital controller is implemented with a Microchip dsPIC33FJ06GS202 16-bit microcontroller. Experimental results show that the efficiency of power conversion can reach to 85%.
Recently, cortisol has been suggested to moderate the positive relationship between testosterone and antisocial behavior. More precisely, high testosterone levels have been found to be related to aggressive or dominant behavior especially when cortisol levels were low. In the present study, we aimed to extend these findings to pro-environmental behavior as an indicator of prosocial behavior. In a first step, 147 male participants provided information on their everyday pro-environmental behavior by completing an online questionnaire on various energy-saving behaviors. In a second step, subjects provided two saliva samples for the assessment of testosterone and cortisol on two subsequent mornings after awakening. We found that testosterone was negatively related to pro-environmental behavior, but only in men with low cortisol. In conclusion, our findings provide first evidence for the joint association of testosterone and cortisol with everyday pro-environmental behavior. These results further reinforce the importance of considering interdependent hormone systems simultaneously rather than focusing on a single hormone.
New technologies have become an important support for the monitoring of older people in outdoor environments by their caregivers. Smart phones equipped with a rich set of powerful sensors allowed the ubiquitous human activity recognition on mobile platforms at a low cost. Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is an emergent area that provides useful mechanisms that allows tracking elderly people through opportunistic sensoring using smartphone devices. This paper aims to show the second version of SafeRoute, an AmI system that fusions geo-localization sensors data embedded in smartphone devices for the monitoring of elderly people. This version improves functionalities of the previous one with the inclusion of new ones in the two components of this system: the Android OS application CareofMe and the web system SafeRoute. The proposed system merges localization data from GPS and Wifi sensors data in Android OS and includes the use of GoogleMaps functionalities in Android OS and web environments for provide alerts for caregivers.
The theoretical and experimental analysis of a modified version of the SEPIC dc-dc converter used as preregulator operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) is presented in this paper. The proposed converter presents a low input current ripple operating in DCM, and the switch voltage is lower than the output voltage. The switch voltage reduction increases the converter reliability and a low drain-to-source on-resistance (RDSon) MOSFET can be used depending on the converter specification. Moreover, a digital control technique is applied to the proposed converter in order to reduce the third-harmonic input current distortion resultant of the operation in DCM. Finally, a 100-W prototype was developed operating with efficiency equal to 95.6%.
Although vaccination is a promising way to combat nicotine addiction, most traditional hapten-protein conjugate nicotine vaccines only show limited efficacy due to their poor recognition and uptake by immune cells. This study aimed to develop a hybrid nanoparticle-based nicotine vaccine with improved efficacy. The focus was to study the impact of hapten density on the immunological efficacy of the proposed hybrid nanovaccine. It was shown that the nanovaccine nanoparticles were taken up by the dendritic cells more efficiently than the conjugate vaccine, regardless of the hapten density on the nanoparticles. At a similar hapten density, the nanovaccine induced a significantly stronger immune response against nicotine than the conjugate vaccine in mice. Moreover, the high- and medium-density nanovaccines resulted in significantly higher anti-nicotine antibody titers than their low-density counterpart. Specifically, the high-density nanovaccine exhibited better immunogenic efficacy, resulting in higher anti-nicotine antibody titers and lower anti-carrier protein antibody titers than the medium- and low-density versions. The high-density nanovaccine also had the best ability to retain nicotine in serum and to block nicotine from entering the brain. These results suggest that the hybrid nanoparticle-based nicotine vaccine can elicit strong immunogenicity by modulating the hapten density, thereby providing a promising next-generation immunotherapeutic strategy against nicotine addiction. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
High performance, parallel applications with irregular data accesses are becoming a critical workload class for modern systems. In particular, the execution of such workloads on emerging many-core systems is expected to be a significant component of applications in data mining, machine learning, scientific computing and graph analytics. However, power and energy constraints limit the capabilities of individual cores, memory hierarchy and on-chip interconnect of such systems, thus leading to architectural and software trade-offs that must be understood in the context of the intended application's behavior. Irregular applications are notoriously hard to optimize given their data-dependent access patterns, lack of structured locality and complex data structures and code patterns. We have ported two irregular applications, graph community detection using the Louvain method (Grappolo) and high-performance conjugate gradient (HPCCG), to the Tilera many-core system and have conducted a detailed study of platform-independent and platform-specific optimizations that improve their performance as well as reduce their overall energy consumption. To conduct this study, we employ an auto-tuning based approach that explores the optimization design space along three dimensions memory layout schemes, GCC compiler flag choices and OpenMP loop scheduling options. We leverage MIT's OpenTuner auto-tuning framework to explore and recommend energy optimal choices for different combinations of parameters. We then conduct an in-depth architectural characterization to understand the memory behavior of the selected workloads. Finally, we perform a correlation study to demonstrate the interplay between the hardware behavior and application characteristics. Using auto-tuning, we demonstrate whole-node energy savings and performance improvements of up to 49.6% and 60% relative to a baseline instantiation, and up to 31% and 45.4% relative to manually optimized variants. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
With the rapid development of mobile communications technologies, social apps (e.g., Line, WeChat) have emerged as important communication tools. Although social apps provide people with additional convenience, overuse of such applications may have negative life effects, such as technostress and distraction. Past research has indicated that personality attributes contribute to compulsive usage. This study explores the relationships between personality attributes and compulsive usage of social apps, and examines the impact of technostress on academic performance. A total of 136 valid questionnaires were collected from university students through an online survey. Fourteen proposed hypotheses were examined using SmartPLS software. The results indicate that extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism have significant effects on compulsive usage of mobile social applications. Compulsive usage had a significant positive impact on technostress but did not negatively affect academic self-perception and course grades. In addition, conscientiousness significantly influenced academic self-perception. Unexpectedly, gender and number of friends had little influence on technostress or compulsive usage. The implications of these findings are discussed and directions for future research are offered. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Community engagement of migrants has been identified as an important element in developing both individual well-being and cohesive multicultural receiving communities. Through 10 in-depth interviews, this study explores the profile of Moroccan migrant leaders in community organizations in the receiving context (south of Spain) and the reasons for which they engage. Moreover, it analyzes the relationship established between community engagement and their well-being. The results show that migrants commit for both intrinsic (e.g., support their compatriots) and extrinsic (e.g., increase their social connection) reasons. Their social action has a positive influence on their well-being because it activates the following paths: (1) improvement of bicultural competences; (2) development of social relationships with receiving members; (3) strengthening of social bonds with compatriots; (4) increase of abilities in dealing with unjust social conditions in the new environment; and (5) decrease of prejudice towards their own cultural group.
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a globally prevalent neurodegenerative condition, clinically characterized by progressive memory loss and gradual impairment of cognitive functions. Bapineuzumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to neurotoxic amyloid proteins in the brain, enhancing their clearance. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bapineuzumab in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Methods: We performed a web-based literature search of PubMed, Ovid, EBSCO, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and web of science using the relevant keywords. Data were extracted from eligible records and pooled as mean difference (MD) or risk ratio (RR) values with their 95% confidence interval (CI), using Review Manager software (version 5.3 for windows). Heterogeneity was measured by Chi-square and I-square tests. Result: The pooled effect estimate from six randomized clinical trials (n = 2380) showed that bapineuzumab significantly reduced the cerebrospinal fluid concentration of phosphorylated tau proteins (Standardized MD = -5.53, 95% CI [-8.29, -2.76]). However, the bapineuzumab group was not superior to the placebo group in terms of change from baseline in Alzheimer's disease assessment scale (ADAS)-Cog11 (MD = 0.14, 95% CI [-0.72, 0.99]), disability assessment for dementia (DAD) scale (MD = 1.35, 95% CI [-1.74, 4.43]), and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores (MD = 0.08, 95% CI [-0.31, 0.47]). Regarding safety, bapineuzumab increased the risk of serious treatment-emergent adverse events (RR = 1.18, 95% CI [1.02, 1.37]) and cerebral vasogenic edema (RR = 40.88, 95% CI [11.94, 135. 95]). All bapineuzumab doses (0.15, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg) were similar to placebo in terms of change from baseline in ADAS-cog11, DAD, and MMSE scores, except for the 0.15 mg/kg dose, which caused a significant worsening on the ADAS-cog11 scale (MD = 5.6, 95% CI [0.22, 10.98]). Conclusions: Considering the lack of clinical efficacy, combined with the significant association with serious adverse events, bapineuzumab should not be used to treat patients with mild to moderate AD. Future studies should investigate the effect of combining bapineuzumab with other therapeutic strategies and reevaluate the efficacy of targeting amyloid beta proteins in AD therapy.
This paper introduces an integrated magnetic gear intended as direct-drive. Next, a magnetic equivalent circuit for the presented gear topology is proposed. This approach uses the principle of virtual work for torque calculation and takes magnetic leakage and saturation into account. Thereby, the approach focuses on a reduction of the computation time compared to finite element simulation. Finally, the suggested approach is verified by the results of a finite element simulation.
The methods used to analyze the slope stability are commonly based on limit equilibrium theory and are expressed in terms of a factor of safety. However, an analysis that approaches the variability of the soil parameters and model uncertainties becomes necessary. In this paper, a pre-designed reinforcement slope available on the technical literature was chosen to a probabilistic analysis. The statistic information about the parameters was found in the literature and the numerical simulations were done in the software SLOPE/W. Besides, a parametric analysis was done varying the coefficient of variability of unit weight and friction angle to investigate the effect of the variability on the reliability of the slope. Also, the contribution of water level was measured. The results show relevant variation on the reliability index with the parametric analysis, indicating the importance of this study. Furthermore, the water level has a decisive impact on safety and reliability of the slope. Lastly, the reinforcement with geotextiles was efficient to increase the safety of slopes.
Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by an accumulation of immune cells in the duodenal mucosa as a consequence of both adaptive and innate immune responses to undigested gliadin peptides. Mast cells (MCs) are innate immune cells that are a major source of costimulatory signals and inflammatory mediators in the intestinal mucosa. Although MCs have previously been associated with CD, functional studies have never been performed. Objective: We aimed at evaluating the role of MCs in the pathogenesis of CD. Methods: Intestinal biopsy specimens of patients with CD were scored according to the Marsh classification and characterized for leukocyte infiltration and MC distribution. Moreover, MC reactivity to gliadin and its peptides was characterized by using in vitro assays. Results: Infiltrating MCs were associated with the severity of mucosal damage, and their numbers were increased in patients with higher Marsh scores. MCs were found to directly respond to nonimmunodominant gliadin fragments by releasing proinflammatory mediators. Immunohistochemical characterization of infiltrating MCs and the effects of gliadin peptides on intestinal MCs indicated an increase in proinflammatory MC function in advanced stages of the disease. This was also associated with increased neutrophil accumulation, the prevalence of M1 macrophages, and the severity of tissue damage. Conclusion: We provide a description of the progressive stages of CD, in which MCs are the hallmark of the inflammatory process. Thus the view of CD should be revised, and the contribution of MCs in the onset and progression of CD should be reconsidered in developing new therapeutic approaches.
Internships are becoming an overall part of engineering curricula as a cooperative learning initiative and an attractive bridge for students to enter labor market. The stakeholders' role is analyzed and their interactions outlined in order to raise the main drivers or preference factors of every participant in the process. Disparity in the assessment of the internship can be a source of disaffection reducing the a priori attractiveness of the stage and the potential contribution to students learning. Based on different scales of values or aims, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is partially used to put a rationale in the frequently contradictory objectives of the stakeholders. The new concept of alignment helps to it. A simulated case study illustrates the use of the methodology and other potential applications in the internship management process are proposed. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A significant role in kinesiology classes involving students suffering from hearing impairments is played by communication with these students. The aim is to improve their communication skills, encouraging them to use the best mode of communication, creating the opportunities for socialization and for the integration process (games, physical therapy lesson, and others). The role of the teacher is to transmit knowledge to pupils in a specific language. Due to the particularities of the pupils, the verbal communication in class may be accompanied by nonverbal communication, visual and symbols. Expressive didactic communication involves such elements as the teacher's attitude, way of dressing and motor behavior, facial expression, use of certain gestures, symbols or video, as well as use of permanent eye contact with students throughout classes. This research aims at highlighting the types of communication (verbal, nonverbal, visual and symbols) that may significance contribute to an effective communication in kinesiology classes. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In the context of globalwarming, it is important to understand the drivers controlling river temperature in order to mitigate temperature increases. A modeling approach can be useful for quantifying the respective importance of the different drivers, notably groundwater inputs and riparian shadingwhich are potentially critical for reducing summer temperature. In this study, we use a one-dimensional deterministicmodel to predict summer water temperature at an hourly time step over a 21 km reach of the lower Ain River ( France). This sinuous gravel-bed river undergoes summer temperature increase with potential impacts on salmonid populations. The model considers heat fluxes at the water-air interface, attenuation of solar radiation by riparian forest, groundwater inputs and hydraulic characteristics of the river. Modeling is performed over two periods of five days during the summers 2010 and 2011. River properties are obtained from hydraulic modeling based on cross-section profiles and water level surveys. Wemodel shadows of the vegetation on the river surface using LiDAR data. Groundwater inputs are determined using airborne thermal infrared (TIR) images and hydrological data. Results indicate that vegetation and groundwater inputs canmitigate highwater temperatures during summer. Riparian shading effect is fairly similar between the two periods (- 0.26 +/- 0.12 degrees C and - 0.31 +/- 0.18 degrees C). Groundwater input cooling is variable between the two studied periods: when groundwater discharge represents 16% of the river discharge, it cools the river down by 0.68 +/- 0.13 degrees Cwhile the effect is very low( 0.11 +/- 0.01 degrees C) when the groundwater discharge contributes only 2% to the discharge. The effect of shading varies through the day: low in the morning and high during the afternoon and the evening whereas those induced by groundwater inputs is more constant through the day. Overall, the effect of riparian vegetation and groundwater inputs represents about 10% in 2010 and 24% in 2011 of water temperature diurnal amplitudes. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this paper, the development of a polarimetric phased array weather radar, which consists of a dual-polarized antenna with 2-D circular planar phase-array elements, is discussed. The radar is capable of measuring the 3-D rainfall distribution in less than several tens of seconds. Digital beam-forming (DBF) is an important component in the development process of the phased array radar. In this paper, precipitation radar signal simulations are performed taking into consideration radar concepts in order to discuss the estimation accuracy of polarimetric precipitation profiles (differential reflectivity, specific differential phase, and copolar correlation coefficient) with two DBF methods that are based on Fourier and minimum mean-square error (MMSE) methods. A comparison of the performance of the two methods indicates that MMSE is superior in accuracy because of the effect of a stable and a robust main lobe and adaptively suppressed side lobes. MMSE also provides precipitation measurements eliminating the directional dependence of a beam pattern for improving the accuracy of measurements. It is also shown that the estimated accuracies of the precipitation profiles are almost independent of the number of pulses.
Evolution of melanoma from a primary tumor to widespread metastasis is crucially dependent on lymphatic spread. The mechanisms regulating the initial step in metastatic dissemination via regional lymph nodes remain largely unknown; however, evidence supporting the establishment of a pre-metastatic niche is evolving. We have previously described a dysfunctional immune profile including reduced expression of dendritic cell (DC) maturation markers in the first node draining from the primary tumor, the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Importantly, this phenotype is present prior to evidence of nodal metastasis. Herein, we evaluate melanoma-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as potential mediators of the premetastatic niche through cargo-specific polarization of DCs. DCs matured in vitro in the presence of melanoma EVs demonstrated significantly impaired expression of CD83 and CD86 as well as decreased expression of Th1 polarizing chemokines FIt3L and IL15 and migration chemokines MIP-l alpha and MIP-1 beta compared to liposome-treated DCs. Profiling of melanoma EV cargo identified shared proteomic and RNA signatures including S100A8 and S100A9 protein cargo, which in vitro compromised DC maturation similar to melanoma EVs. Early evidence demonstrates that similar EVs can be isolated from human afferent lymphatic fluid ex vivo. Taken together, here, we propose melanoma EV cargo as a mechanism by which DC maturation is compromised warranting further study to consider this as a potential mechanism enabled by the primary tumor to establish the premetastatic niche in tumor-draining SLNs of patients.
Background: Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains incomplete. Previous studies have revealed that genetic factors provide a significant contribution to the pathogenesis and development of AD. In the past years, numerous genes implicated in this disease have been identified via genetic association studies on candidate genes or at the genome-wide level. However, in many cases, the roles of these genes and their interactions in AD are still unclear. A comprehensive and systematic analysis focusing on the biological function and interactions of these genes in the context of AD will therefore provide valuable insights to understand the molecular features of the disease. Method: In this study, we collected genes potentially associated with AD by screening publications on genetic association studies deposited in PubMed. The major biological themes linked with these genes were then revealed by function and biochemical pathway enrichment analysis, and the relation between the pathways was explored by pathway crosstalk analysis. Furthermore, the network features of these AD-related genes were analyzed in the context of human interactome and an AD-specific network was inferred using the Steiner minimal tree algorithm. Results: We compiled 430 human genes reported to be associated with AD from 823 publications. Biological theme analysis indicated that the biological processes and biochemical pathways related to neurodevelopment, metabolism, cell growth and/or survival, and immunology were enriched in these genes. Pathway crosstalk analysis then revealed that the significantly enriched pathways could be grouped into three interlinked modules-neuronal and metabolic module, cell growth/survival and neuroendocrine pathway module, and immune response-related module-indicating an AD-specific immune-endocrine-neuronal regulatory network. Furthermore, an AD-specific protein network was inferred and novel genes potentially associated with AD were identified. Conclusion: By means of network and pathway-based methodology, we explored the pathogenetic mechanism underlying AD at a systems biology level. Results from our work could provide valuable clues for understanding the molecular mechanism underlying AD. In addition, the framework proposed in this study could be used to investigate the pathological molecular network and genes relevant to other complex diseases or phenotypes.
Heavy metal migration was evaluated in Pb-Zn tailings covered by different topsoil constructions. The four topsoil constructions each had different interlayers: one with direct topsoiling above the tailings (CT); the second had a limestone interlayer between the tailings and topsoil with two geotextile layers set above and below the interlayer (SLS); the third had a lime interlayer, also with two geotextile layers (SL); and the fourth had a clay interlayer with two geotextile layers (SC). The topsoils were evaluated in a 210-day laboratory column leaching experiments and in a 3-year field cover application at an abandoned Pb-Zn tailings pond (northeastern China). The contents of Pb, Zn and Cd in the soils, leachates, interlayers and leaves of Amotpha fruticosa L were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results showed that the pH values of the leachates from the columns increased with time, from 6.5 to the range of 7.5 to 8.03, and the maximum in pH in Cl (tailings), C2 (CT), C3 (SLS), C4 (SL) and C5 (SC) appeared after the 180th day, at 7.85, 7.89, 7.78, 8.03, and 7.89, respectively. The topsoil effectively reduced the concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd in the leachate, and the addition of a limestone or lime interlayer enhanced the efficiency, especially for Zn and Cd. The Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations in the topsoil that directly cover the tailings were appreciably less than the initial concentrations, resulting from the eluviation. The presence of a limestone or lime interlayer reduced the mobility of Zn and Cd, and a clay interlayer was effective in preventing the migration of Pb and Zn but had less impact on Cd. During the 3-year field experiment, the pH values of the topsoil increased slightly with time, from 7.15 to the range of 7.67 to 820. At the end of the experiment, Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations in the topsoil at the SLS, SL and SC plots showed little change compared with the initial value in 2012. Acid-soluble Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations of the upper soil (0-0.1 m) at CT increased from 0.19, 1.95 and 0.11 mg kg(-1) in 2012 to 1.82, 32.87 and 0.56 mg kg(-1) in 2015, indicating that acid-soluble heavy metals migrated from tailings to topsoil. Acid-soluble Cd in topsoil and in the interlayer showed a small increase at plot SC, indicating that Cd may migrate through the clay layer to topsoil with pore water. The Pb contents in leaves at SLS and SL were 238 and 3.04 mg kg(-1), which were appreciably lower than at CT and SC, and the Zn and Cd contents in leaves at CT were 45.78 and 0.26 mg kg(-1), which were higher than at SLS, SL and SC. Topsoiling with an interlayer could be a reliable technique for preventing toxic elements from moving downward or upward during ecological restoration of tailings ponds. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Leaf movements in Mimosa pudica, are in response to thermal stress, touch, and light or darkness, appear to be regulated by electrical, hydrodynamical, and chemical signal transduction. The pulvinus of the M. pudica shows elastic properties. We have found that the movements of the petiole, or pinnules, are accompanied by a change of the pulvinus morphing structures. After brief flaming of a pinna, the volume of the lower part of the pulvinus decreases and the volume of the upper part increases due to the redistribution of electrolytes between these parts of the pulvinus; as a result of these changes the petiole falls. During the relaxation of the petiole, the process goes in the opposite direction. Ion and water channel blockers, uncouplers as well as anesthetic agents diethyl ether or chloroform decrease the speed of alert wave propagation along the plant. Brief flaming of a pinna induces bidirectional propagation of electrical signal in pulvini. Transduction of electrical signals along a pulvinus induces generation of an action potential in perpendicular direction between extensor and flexor sides of a pulvinus. Inhibition of signal transduction and mechanical responses in M. pudica by volatile anesthetic agents chloroform or by blockers of voltage gated ion channels shows that the generation and propagation of electrical signals is a primary effect responsible for turgor change and propagation of an excitation. There is an electrical coupling in a pulvinus similar to the electrical synapse in the animal nerves. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Accurate and high resolution bathymetric data is a necessity for a wide range of coastal oceanographic research topics. Active sensing methods, such as ship-based soundings and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), are expensive and time consuming solutions. Therefore, the significance of Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) has increased in the last ten years due to the availability of multi-constellation, multi-temporal, and multi-resolution remote sensing data as Open Data. Effective SDB algorithms have been proposed by many authors, but there is no ready-to-use software module available in the Geographical Information System (GIS) environment as yet. Hence, this study implements a Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) based SDB workflow as a Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS) GIS module (i.image.bathymetry). Several case studies were carried out to examine the performance of the module in multi-constellation and multi-resolution satellite imageries for different study areas. The results indicate a strong correlation between SDB and reference depth. For instance, case study 1 (Puerto Rico, Northeastern Caribbean Sea) has shown an coefficient of determination (R-2) of 0.98 and an Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.61 m, case study 2 (Iwate, Japan) has shown an R-2 of 0.94 and an RMSE of 1.50 m, and case study 3 (Miyagi, Japan) has shown an R-2 of 0.93 and an RMSE of 1.65 m. The reference depths were acquired by using LiDAR for case study 1 and an echo-sounder for case studies 2 and 3. Further, the estimated SDB has been used as one of the inputs for the Australian National University and Geoscience Australia (ANUGA) tsunami simulation model. The tsunami simulation results also show close agreement with post-tsunami survey data. The i.mage.bathymetry module developed as a part of this study is made available as an extension for the Open Source GRASS GIS to facilitate wide use and future improvements.
Water distribution systems (WDSs) construction, operation and disposal processes contribute to undesirable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG concentration in the atmosphere is strongly associated with global warming and climate change. In order to meet the consequent challenge of limiting GHG emissions, the problem of WDS (re)design is formulated here as a multi-objective optimisation problem. The three objectives are as follows: (1) minimisation of total (re)design cost, (2) maximisation of the WDS resilience and, (3) minimisation of GHGs emissions. In addition to the frequently considered conventional (re)design intervention options (new pipes, pipe duplication or replacement, addition of pumps, tanks, etc.), various water demand management interventions (e.g. water efficient appliances and domestic Rainwater Harvesting Systems) are considered here too. A number of different rainwater tank sizes and water saving appliances provided to different parts of the households have been evaluated. This methodology was applied on the New York Tunnels and the Anytown network problems. The output from the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA2) optimisation process is a Pareto front containing optimal solutions traded-off in terms of the three objectives analysed. The results obtained demonstrate that using demand management technologies in the (re)design of WDSs can lead to a similar cost, resilience and GHG emissions but with cost savings. In a pumped WDS where cost savings and GHG emission reduction are relatively significant, demand management technologies led to more cost effective, resilient and climate change mitigating solutions as compared to the conventional (re)design.
Coast parallel submerged breakwaters made of Geotextile Sand Containers (GSCs) are increasingly being incorporated into coastal management solutions because of their cost effective and environmentally friendly characteristics. These reduce the wave action on the lee side by forcing wave breaking and their stability is a function of the relative crest width, crest height, and the damage. The present work involves a physical model study on 1V:2H sloped trapezoidal submerged reefs constructed with 485 gm GSCs with different alignments like Perpendicular, Parallel, and Flemish. They have a height (h) of 0.25 m and varying crest widths (B) and are tested for stability for wave heights (H) of 0.1 m and 0.12 m and wave periods (T) of 1.5 s to 2.5 s in a water depth (d) of 0.3 m. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Community opposition to locally unwanted development is not inherently problematic, but it can be destructive where conflict between proponents and objectors escalates. This paper relates mixed-methods findings from a Sydney case-study where opposition to planned affordable housing projects was widespread but uneven. Five factors are identified that escalated individual opposition campaigns in this case: public notification procedures; sense of injustice; prejudice; strong campaign leadership; and the involvement of politicians. We argue that these factors will likely also escalate opposition to the planned development of other forms of critical social infrastructure, and that an understanding of them can help minimise destructive conflicts between proponents and host communities.
Nanoparticles (NPs) possess unique physical and chemical properties that make them appropriate for various applications. The structural alteration of metallic NPs leads to different biological functions, specifically resulting in different potentials for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The amount of ROS produced by metallic NPs correlates with particle size, shape, surface area, and chemistry. ROS possess multiple functions in cellular biology, with ROS generation a key factor in metallic NP-induced toxicity, as well as modulation of cellular signaling involved in cell death, proliferation, and differentiation. In this review, we briefly explained NP classes and their biomedical applications and describe the sources and roles of ROS in NP-related biological functions in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we also described the roles of metal NP-induced ROS generation in stem cell biology. Although the roles of ROS in metallic NP-related biological functions requires further investigation, modulation and characterization of metallic NP-induced ROS production are promising in the application of metallic NPs in the areas of regenerative medicine and medical devices.
A new technique called geotextile mattress with floating curtain (GMFC) may be an advisable alternative countermeasure against seabed erosion, since it can allow deposited sediment dunes to form naturally at upstream and downstream sides of GMFC when installed in erosive flow. However, cyclic loading of wave actions can lead to liquefaction of the seabed under the mattress, reducing the maximum friction resistance of the mattress, even leading to instability of the GMFC structure. Thus, in this study a series of physical model tests in a rectangular flume were carried out to investigate the behavior of a single GMFC and the hydrodynamic environment around GMFC subjected to wave loading. The wave force on seabed was recorded by pressure gauges installed on the flume bed. Experimental results indicated that some area of the unmovable bed around GMFC suffered much higher hydrodynamic pressure under the wave action. The areas directly facing the bottom openings of GMFC are more prone to bear higher cyclic force of wave actions. Moreover, the results also illustrated that the highest cyclic force of wave actions on the seabed appears at a distance of the mattress-curtain height to the GMFC centerline. The parametric study indicated that the opening ratio has a significant impact on the wave force properties.
Purpose of Review The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships between obesity and a wide range of mental health issues and to identify where sex differences exist and may vary across disorders. Recent Findings Research on sex differences in the relationship between obesity and psychiatric disorders is more abundant in some areas, such as depression and eating disorders, than others, such as anxiety, trauma, and substance use. However, for most of the disorders, their relationships with obesity and sex are complex and are usually moderated by additional variables. Thus, studies that find stronger relationships for women between depression and obesity cross-sectionally do not tell the whole story, as longitudinal studies suggest that this relationship may also be present among men, particularly when confounders are considered. For those with eating disorders, men and women with obesity are fairly equally affected, and weight and shape concerns may play a role in maintaining these behaviors for both sexes. Weight stigma, though, seems to have worse consequences for women than men with obesity. Summary Sex differences exist in relation to the associations between mental health and obesity. However, these differences vary by disorder, with disorder-specific moderators playing a role, such as age for depressive disorders, comorbid depression for anxiety disorders, and weight and shape concerns for eating disorders. More work is needed to understand if sex differences play a role in the relationship between obesity and anxiety, trauma, and substance use disorders.
Drought is a natural climatic phenomenon that occurs throughout the world and impacts many sectors of society. To help decision-makers reduce the impacts of drought, it is important to improve monitoring tools that provide relevant and timely information in support of drought mitigation decisions. Given that drought is a complex natural hazard that manifests in different forms, monitoring can be improved by integrating various types of information (e.g., remote sensing and climate) that is timely and region specific to identify where and when droughts are occurring. The Vegetation Drought Response Index for Canada (VegDRI-Canada) is a recently developed drought monitoring tool for Canada. VegDRI-Canada extends the initial VegDRI concept developed for the conterminous United States to a broader transnational coverage across North America. VegDRI-Canada models are similar to those developed for the United States, integrating satellite observations of vegetation status, climate data, and biophysical information on land use and land cover, soil characteristics, and other environmental factors. Collectively, these different types of data are integrated into the hybrid VegDRI-Canada to isolate the effects of drought on vegetation. Twenty-three weekly VegDRI-Canada models were built for the growing season (April-September) through the weekly analysis of these data using a regression tree-based data mining approach. A 15-year time series of VegDRI-Canada results (s to 2014) was produced using these models and the output was validated by randomly selecting 20% of the historical data, as well as holdout year (15% unseen data) across the growing season that the Pearson's correlation ranged from 0.6 to 0.77. A case study was also conducted to evaluate the VegDRI-Canada results over the prairie region of Canada for two drought years and one non-drought year for three weekly periods of the growing season (i.e., early-, mid-, and late season). The comparison of the VegDRI-Canada map with the Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM), an independent drought indicator, showed that the VegDRI-Canada maps depicted key spatial drought severity patterns during the two targeted drought years consistent with the CDM. In addition, VegDRI-Canada was compared with canola yields in the Prairie Provinces at the regional scale for a period from 2000 to 2014 to evaluate the indices' applicability for monitoring drought impacts on crop production. The result showed that VegDRI-Canada values had a relatively higher correlation (i.e., r>0.5) with canola yield for nonirrigated croplands in the Canadian Prairies region in areas where drought is typically a limiting factor on crop growth, but showed a negative relationship in the southeastern Prairie region, where water availability is less of a limiting factor and in some cases a hindrance to crop growth when waterlogging occurs. These initial results demonstrate VegDRI-Canada's utility for monitoring drought-related vegetation conditions, particularly in drought prone areas. In general, the results indicated that the VegDRI-Canada models showed sensitivity to known agricultural drought events in Canada over the 15-year period mainly for nonirrigated areas.
We study wave propagation in a draining bathtub: a black hole analogue in fluid mechanics whose perturbations are governed by a Klein-Gordon equation on an effective Lorentzian geometry. Like the Kerr spacetime, the draining bathtub geometry possesses an (effective) horizon, an ergosphere and null circular orbits. We propose here that a 'pulse' disturbance may be used to map out the light-cone of the effective geometry. First, we apply the eikonal approximation to elucidate the link between wavefronts, null geodesic congruences and the Raychaudhuri equation. Next, we solve the wave equation numerically in the time domain using the method of lines. Starting with Gaussian initial data, we demonstrate that a pulse will propagate along a null congruence and thus trace out the light-cone of the effective geometry. Our new results reveal features, such as wavefront intersections, frame-dragging, winding and interference effects, that are closely associated with the presence of null circular orbits and the ergosphere.
Reading other people's eyes is a valuable skill during interpersonal interaction. Although a number of studies have investigated visual patterns in relation to the perceiver's interest, intentions, and goals, little is known about eye gaze when it comes to differentiating intentions to love from intentions to lust (sexual desire). To address this question, we conducted two experiments: one testing whether the visual pattern related to the perception of love differs from that related to lust and one testing whether the visual pattern related to the expression of love differs from that related to lust. Our results show that a person's eye gaze shifts as a function of his or her goal (love vs. lust) when looking at a visual stimulus. Such identification of distinct visual patterns for love and lust could have theoretical and clinical importance in couples therapy when these two phenomena are difficult to disentangle from one another on the basis of patients' self-reports.
Synaptic dysfunction and loss is the strongest pathological correlate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) with increasing evidence implicating neuropathological tau protein in this process. Despite the knowledge that tau spreads through defined synaptic circuits, it is currently unknown whether synapse loss occurs before the accumulation of tau or as a consequence. To address this, we have used array tomography to examine an rTgTauEC mouse model expressing a P301L human tau transgene and a transgene labeling cytoplasm red (tdTomato) and presynaptic terminals green (Synaptophysin-EGFP). All transgenes are restricted primarily to the entorhinal cortex using the neuropsin promotor to drive tTA expression. It has previously been shown that rTgTauEC mice exhibit neuronal loss in the entorhinal cortex and synapse density loss in the middle molecular layer (MML) of the dentate gyrus at 24 months of age. Here, we observed the density of tau-expressing and total presynapses, and the spread of tau into the postsynapse in the MML of 3-6, 9, and 18 month old red-green-rTgTauEC mice. We observe no loss of synapse density in the MML up to 18 months even in axons expressing tau. Despite the maintenance of synapse density, we see spread of human tau from presynaptic terminals to postsynaptic compartments in the MML at very early ages, indicating that the spread of tau through neural circuits is not due to the degeneration of axon terminals and is an early feature of the disease process.
Vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis and diabetic vasculopathy, is frequently complicated by vascular calcification. Previously believed to be an end-stage process of unregulated mineral precipitation, it is now well established to be a multi-faceted disease influenced by the characteristics of its vascular location, the origins of calcifying cells and numerous regulatory pathways. It reflects the fundamental plasticity of the vasculature that is gradually being revealed by progress in vascular and stem cell biology. This review provides a brief overview of where we stand in our understanding of vascular calcification, facing the challenge of translating this knowledge into viable preventive and therapeutic strategies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have emerged as an important research paradigm since the last decade, thereby motivating researches to take up new theoretical and practical challenges. WSNs need to be provided with efficient security features generally due to their deployment in inaccessible terrain and also communication being in the wireless domain. Therefore the question of providing security to such networks arises but the major constraints are the limited resources present in the sensor nodes. Prior importance is given to the energy parameter as it is the most vital component of the sensor nodes. So the objective of any intrusion detection framework would be to design robust mechanisms capable of handling attacks in energy efficient manner. Intrusion detection is used in WSNs because of their ability to detect unknown attacks and finding means to thwart them for preserving energy. Therefore energy efficient intrusion detection has become a significant research area for researchers. Keeping this in mind, we survey the major topics of energy efficient intrusion detection in WSNs. The survey work presents topics such as the fundamentals of intrusion detection techniques, as well as the various energy saving mechanisms used in different architectural models. The earlier achievements in energy efficient intrusion detection in WSNs are also summarized and existing problems are discussed. We also give an insight into the possible directions for future work in intrusion detection by highlighting open research areas.
Tests of physical vapour deposition (PVD) coatings performed in the past at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in real fluid film bearing environment revealed inconsistencies in coating behaviour. Currently, a new lot of bearings with an improved diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating was tested. The oil-off tests revealed an improved coating performance for the new bearing lot than for previously-examined cases. In order to check the consistency in coating performance, bearings from the new lot ran 100 cumulative hours without oil-supply. Coating analyses before and after the tests in real fluid film bearing environment were performed at NASA GRC. Investigations were additionally conducted by means of an innovative indentation technique and related Finite element method simulations on the coatings of 2 of the bearings, one already tested in real-environment conditions and the other one new, at the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Gender-specific differences are also evident for adverse food reactions. In the present article, the prevalence of food allergies and intolerances, the incidence of different symptoms, and the possible underlying factors are summarized with focus on gender and/or sex-specific differences. Eventually, it becomes clear that starting with the adolescence more female than male patients suffer from food-associated symptoms. Many factors are held responsible, among them hormonal influences, gender-specific behavior and life-style, processing of information, awareness of risk, or intake of different medications. Concrete studies evaluating these factors in context with adverse food reactions are still missing.
Enhanced inflammation has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diseases with Lewy body (LB) pathology, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). One issue is whether amyloid and tangle pathology, features of AD, or alpha-synuclein LB pathology have similar or different effects on brain inflammation. An aim of this study was to examine if certain features of inflammation changed in brains with increasing LB pathology. To assess this, we measured levels of the anti-inflammatory protein CD200 and the pro-inflammatory protein intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in cingulate and temporal cortex from a total of 143 cases classified according to the Unified Staging System for LB disorders. Changes in CD200 and ICAM-1 levels did not correlate with LB pathology, but with AD pathology. CD200 negatively correlated with density of neurofibrillary tangles, phosphorylated tau, and amyloid plaque density. ICAM-1 positively correlated with these AD pathology measures. Double immunohistochemistry for phosphorylated alpha-synuclein and markers for microglia showed limited association of microglia with LB pathology, but microglia strongly associated with amyloid plaques or phosphorylated tau. These results suggest that there are different features of inflammatory pathology in diseases associated with abnormal alpha-synuclein compared with AD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Previous research suggests racial identity and racial cues, such as the extent to which an event is blatantly or ambiguously race-related, individually shape African American (AA) individuals' experiences with racial discrimination (RD). However, scant attention has been paid to the interactive or transactional influences of these factors. The present study examined the direct effects of racial cues and the interactive effects of racial cues and racial identityspecifically, the extent to which AAs believe others view AAs negativelyon 78 AAs' interpretations of and affective responses to lab-based RD. Findings revealed a direct effect of racial cues on participants' perceptions of the event as being race-relevant and on participants' affect. Moreover, racial identity moderated the associations between racial cues and participants' perceptions and affective responses. These findings suggest that AAs' experiences with RD are not homogeneous and that the interplay or transaction between racial cues and racial identity is vital in such experiences.
The implementation of intraoral and extraoral computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems in prosthetic dentistry has simplified the procedure, shortened the period of design and manufacture and improved accuracy and aesthetic properties of dental restorations. Three-dimensional (3D) digitisation has become an adequate replacement for conventional dental impressions. The market offers a variety of diverse optical intraoral and extraoral CAD/CAM systems equipped with digitisation devices that are based on different working principles. The main goal of this research is to determine whether precision and accuracy differ among optical digitisation devices. The research includes five high-end devices: Cerec AC, Cerec InEos, Trios, KaVo Everest and Sinergia Scan. The evaluation methodology of the experiment is based on CAD inspection. The results, obtained from accuracy and precision measurements with tolerance levels of 0.01, 0.25 and 0.05 mm, indicate that there is a difference in accuracy and precision between optical digitisation devices based on different working principles.
PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to describe health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in persons with ostomies and to explore influencing factors. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Eight hundred twenty-seven persons living with an ostomy were enrolled from 5 provinces and cities in China from October 2010 to November 2012; the final sample comprises 729 individuals who completed data collection. Their mean +/- SD age was 62.59 +/- 12.40 years (range 26-93 years). METHODS: Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Chinese language version of the City of Hope-Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire-Chinese Version. Sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, self-efficacy, adjustment to an ostomy, social support, and psychological state of patients were measured by a general information questionnaire. We also administered the Stoma Self-Efficacy Scale, Ostomy Adjustment Inventory-Chinese Version, the Social Support Revalued Scale, and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. RESULTS: Of the 729 ostomy patients, the overall HRQOL in ostomy patients was in the moderate range (mean score 5.19 +/- 1.29); scores of physical domain, psychological domain, social domain, and spiritual domains also in the moderate range (5.00 +/- 1.73, 5.97 +/- 1.59, 4.86 +/- 2.31, and 4.93 +/- 2.08 respectively). Multivariate analysis found that multiple factors influenced HRQOL in persons with an ostomy; they were gender, religious belief, and marital status, psychological factors depression and anxiety, and specific components related to social support, self-efficacy in ostomy care, and adjustment to an ostomy. CONCLUSION: Health-related quality of life among Chinese patients with fecal ostomies was less than optimal and influenced by multiple demographic and psychosocial factors. Additional research is needed to design strategies to improve HRQOL in this population.
Varroa destructor is the most devastating parasite of the Western honeybee, Apis mellifera. In the light of the arm race opposing the host and its parasite, the population dynamics and genetic diversity of these organisms are key parameters. However, the life cycle of V. destructor is characterized by extreme inbreeding due to full sibling mating in the host brood cells. We here present an equation reflecting the evolution of inbreeding in such a clonal system, and compare our predictions with empirical data based on the analysis of seven microsatellite markers. This comparison revealed that the mites perform essentially incestuous mating in the beginning of the brood season. However, this pattern changes with the development of mite infestation. Despite the fact that the overall level of genetic diversity of the mites remained low through the season, multiple inbred lineages were identified in the mites we sampled in June. As a response to the decrease of brood availability and the increase of the parasite population in parallel in the colonies, these lineages recombined towards the end of the season as mites co-infest brood cells. Our results suggest that the ratio of the number of mite per brood cell in the colony determines the genetic structure of the populations of V. destructor. This intracolonial population dynamics has great relevance for the selection of acaricide resistance in V. destructor. If chemical treatments occur before the recombination phase, inbreeding will greatly enhance the fixation of resistance alleles at the colony level. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An erythromycin (ERY) detection method is proposed using the fiber optic core decorated with the coatings of silver and an over layer of ERY imprinted nanoparticles. Synthesis of ERY imprinted nanoparticles is carried out using miniemulsion method. The operating range of the sensor is observed to be from 1.62x10(-3) to 100 mu M while the sensor possesses the linear response for ERY concentration range from 0.1 to 5 mu M. The sensing method shows a maximum sensitivity of 205 nm/M near ERY concentration of 0.01 mu M. The detection limit and the quantification limit of the sensor are found to be 1.62x10(-3) mu M and 6.14x10(-3) mu M, respectively. The sensor's applicability in real samples is also examined and is found to be in good agreement for the industrial application. The sensor possesses numerous advantages like fast response time (< 15 s), simple, low cost, highly selective along with abilities towards online monitoring and remote sensing of analyte.
The concomitant effects of hydraulics and reaction kinetics on the disinfection efficiency (DE) of Chlorine Contact Tank (CCT) setups were experimentally assessed, to test the predictive-ability of first order kinetics models: Chick-Watson (C-W), C-t rule and Wehner-Wilhelm (W-W). Prototype tests were conducted using river water characterised for quality parameters, chlorine demand and inactivation rates of total and thermotolerant coliform. Poor, average and superior CCT baffling conditions were assessed by tracer experimentation and for their DE under three chlorine dosages. The models' DE predictive-ability was comparable and high for superior baffling, but decreased differently with the hydraulic efficiency (maximum errors of +15.3% with W-W, +26.0% with C-W and -36.6% with C-t). The positive bias shown by W-W renders it unsafe for CCT design, so the results favoured the C-t rule as the preferred analytical tool of comparable complexity. Potential refinements to these models that could lead to operational savings are identified.
The Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) is a well-known standard protocol, mainly used for remotely accessing shell accounts on Unix-like operating systems to perform administrative tasks. As a result, the SSH service has been an appealing target for attackers, aiming to guess root passwords performing dictionary attacks or to directly exploit the service itself. To identify such situations, this article addresses the detection of SSH anomalous connections from an intrusion detection perspective. The main idea is to compare several strategies and approaches for a better detection of SSH-based attacks. To test the classification performance of different classifiers and combinations of them, SSH data coming from a real-world honeynet are gathered and analysed. For comparison purposes and to draw conclusions about data collection, both packet-based and flow data are analysed. A wide range of classifiers and ensembles are applied to these data, as well as different validation schemes for better analysis of the obtained results. The high-rate classification results lead to positive conclusions about the identification of malicious SSH connections.
Previous work has shown that compared to passive perceivers who view preselected information about target persons, active perceivers are less confident in their impressions, do not show increased confidence with increased amounts of information, and like targets less. The authors now explain these findings, postulating that perceivers without control over the amount of information they receive should be motivated to form impressions earlier, altering their information-processing strategies. Study 1 predicted and found that content-only active perceivers who control the content, but not the amount, of information show the same positive relationship between confidence and amount of information as passive perceivers, as well as the same reading-time patterns and level of liking. Study 2 used clearly valenced target stimuli and found support for the hypothesis that passive perceivers form more extreme early impressions, leading to greater liking when early information is positive but less liking when it is negative.
On the basis of the operating cooling fluid, internal combustion engine cooling systems can be classified in two macro areas: air-cooling system and liquid-cooling system. In four-stroke engines, liquid-cooling system is generally preferred to the air-cooling system because of its efficiency in the engine heat dissipation. However, thanks to its simplicity, today the engine air-cooling system is still widely used in the engine market, especially on two-stroke engine applications like small motorbike, light aircraft, and handheld products. To assure the necessary heat waste in air-cooled engines, the key point is the optimization of the air flow over the cylinder external surface. Air flow separation from cylinder external surface can result in high temperature gradients inside the cylinder volume causing destructive heat problem for the engine. It can be avoided only by a fine optimization of the cylinder fin design placed externally to the cylinder surface. To fulfil this need, the definition of specific methodology to evaluate the air-cooling effect on the engine is mandatory. In the present paper, the authors present a 3D-CFD simulation methodology designed to perform a detailed evaluation of two-stroke air-cooled engines. The methodology was applied on two different engines equipping handheld brush-cutter machines. The optimization of the air-cooling system of such a machine is a very challenging task because the machine design must be very compact forcing all the engine parts to remain quite close each other. The simulation results are compared to experimental evidences in order to verify the validity of the proposed approach. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Nonverbal processes are crucial to parent-child communication, but are seldom the focus of therapeutic intervention once a child is over 12 months of age. This paper reviews the literature on nonverbal communication in parent-child interaction. We outline assessment tools and interventions designed to measure and improve nonverbal communication, identify gaps in publications describing existing practice, and discuss implications for further intervention research and development. We searched Medline and PsycInfo databases for theoretical and empirical articles that defined, conceptualized, measured and intervened with parent-child nonverbal interaction. Although we found a number of validated and reliable assessment measures, these were not routinely used to inform development of interventions that directly targeted nonverbal communication. Additionally, we identified very few interventions that met established criteria for evidence-based practice, that directly focused on nonverbal communication as a target for change. Interventions that were included in this review utilized play, creative arts mediums and psycho-education to work therapeutically with nonverbal processes. Given the importance of nonverbal communication for effective parenting and parent-child communication, we recommend that nonverbal communication is assessed and addressed explicitly as a core part of parent-child intervention, development and evaluation. Intervention development may additionally be informed by existing nonverbal assessment tools, many of which already have established good reliability and validity, and therefore may assist with intervention as well as outcome measurement.
The accurately estimated state is of great importance for maintaining a stable running condition of power systems. To maintain the accuracy of the estimated state, bad data detection (BDD) is utilized by power systems to get rid of erroneous measurements due to meter failures or outside attacks. However, false data injection (FDI) attacks, as recently revealed, can circumvent BDD and insert any bias into the value of the estimated state. Continuous works on constructing and/or protecting power systems from such attacks have been done in recent years. This survey comprehensively overviews three major aspects: constructing FDI attacks; impacts of FDI attacks on electricity market; and defending against FDI attacks. Specifically, we first explore the problem of constructing FDI attacks, and further show their associated impacts on electricity market operations, from the adversary's point of view. Then, from the perspective of the system operator, we present countermeasures against FDI attacks. We also outline the future research directions and potential challenges based on the above overview, in the context of FDI attacks, impacts, and defense.
The canonical set of amino acids leads to an exceptionally wide range of protein functionality. Nevertheless, the set of residues still imposes limitations on potential protein applications. The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids can enlarge this scope. There are two complementary approaches for the incorporation of noncanonical amino acids. For site-specific incorporation, in addition to the endogenous canonical translational machineries, an orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetase-tRNA pair must be provided that does not interact with the canonical ones. Consequently, a codon that is not assigned to a canonical amino acid, usually a stop codon, is also required. This genetic code expansion enables the incorporation of a noncanonical amino acid at a single, given site within the protein. The here presented work describes residue-specific incorporation where the genetic code is reassigned within the endogenous translational system. The translation machinery accepts the noncanonical amino acid as a surrogate to incorporate it at canonically prescribed locations, i.e., all occurrences of a canonical amino acid in the protein are replaced by the noncanonical one. The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids can change the protein structure, causing considerably modified physical and chemical properties. Noncanonical amino acid analogs often act as cell growth inhibitors for expression hosts since they modify endogenous proteins, limiting in vivo protein production. In vivo incorporation of toxic noncanonical amino acids into proteins remains particularly challenging. Here, a cell-free approach for a complete replacement of L-arginine by the noncanonical amino acid L-canavanine is presented. It circumvents the inherent difficulties of in vivo expression. Additionally, a protocol to prepare target proteins for mass spectral analysis is included. It is shown that L-lysine can be replaced by L-hydroxy-lysine, albeit with lower efficiency. In principle, any noncanonical amino acid analog can be incorporated using the presented method as long as the endogenous in vitro translation system recognizes it.
Soil erosion is a serious environmental threat in the Mediterranean region due to torrential rainfalls, and it contributes to the degradation of agricultural land. Techniques such as rainwater harvesting may improve soil water storage and increase agricultural productivity, which could result in more effective land usage. Reservoir tillage is an effective system of harvesting rainwater, but it has not been scientifically evaluated like other tillage systems. Its suitability for the conditions in Spain has not been determined. To investigate and quantify water storage from reservoir tillage and how it could be adapted to improve infiltration of harvested rainwater, a laboratory-scale rainfall simulator was developed. Rainfall characteristics, including rainfall intensity, spatial uniformity and raindrop size, confirm that natural rainfall conditions are simulated with sufficient accuracy. The simulator was auto-controlled by a solenoid valve and three pressure nozzles were used to spray water corresponding to five rainfall intensities ranging from 36 to 112 mm h(-1) for 3 to 101-year return period with uniformity coefficients between 83 and 94%. In order to assess the reservoir tillage method under surface slopes of 0, 5, and 10%, three soil scooping devices with identical volume were used to make depressions in the following forms: a) truncated square pyramid, b) triangular prism, and c) truncated cone. These depressions were compared to a control soil surface with no depression. For the loam soil used in this study, results show that reservoir tillage was able to reduce soil erosion and surface runoff and significantly increase infiltration. There was significant difference between the depressions and the control. Compared to the control, depression (a) reduced surface runoff by about 61% and the sediment yield concentration by about 79%. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This research will assess the effectiveness of glass solar chimney wall by open frame (GSCW-O) and compare it with one-layer glass wall (OLGW) in Thailand. The results showed that the use of a GSCW-O can reduce the inside temperature compared with that of OLGW by around 2-4? annually, providing heat transfer to the outside, as well as limiting the relative humidity (RH) to 60%, which protects against the occurrence of fungi that cause allergies. The research also found that GSCW-O results in 10-20% less energy consumption when compared to OLGW. In addition being five times cheaper than insulation glass, the payback period for GSCW-O is only 5-6 years. The questionnaire results were satisfactory and proved GSCW-O is very good in practice, pleasing in design, and providing significant energy savings. Testing of hydroponic cultivation in a GSCW house also showed satisfactory growth with a lack of pests, resulting from controlled temperature, humidity, and protection from the elements. For a tropical climate such as Thailand's, GSCW-O is a suitable design for the reduction in energy consumption and for sustainable architecture. Practical application This research provides helpful information on glass solar chimney wall by open frame for both the owners and developers by adopting an energy efficient building for sustainable energy conservation. For tropical country like Thailand, glass solar chimney wall by open frame is a suitable design and the best alternative for saving energy and global environmental conservation in the building industry.
Arteriovenous malformations are the most common cause of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages in older children. Intracerebral hematoma can cause serious lasting neurologic, cognitive, and language deficits, or even possible death. We present the case of a 16-year-old boy who had language impairments after suffering a large hemorrhagic stroke in the left temporoparietal region. All language components, verbal and nonverbal communication, reading, and writing, were found to be affected. These impairments were expected as they are characteristic of the location of the hematoma. After a year of speech language rehabilitation, there was an almost complete recovery of language skills. Quick diagnosis and adequate therapeutic interventions are important to diminish the influence of intracerebral hemorrhage on cognitive and language functions in children.
For a large class of functions to the group of points of an elliptic curve (typically obtained from certain algebraic correspondences between E and ), Farashahi et al. (Math Comput 82(281):491-512, 2013) established that the map is regular, in the sense that for a uniformly random choice of , the elliptic curve point is close to uniformly distributed in . This result has several applications in cryptography, mainly to the construction of elliptic curve-valued hash functions and to the Elligator Squared technique by Tibouchi (in: Christin and Safavi-Naini (eds) Financial cryptography. LNCS, vol 8437, pp 139-156. Springer, Heidelberg, 2014) for representating uniform points on elliptic curves as close to uniform bitstrings. In this paper, we improve upon Farashahi et al.'s character sum estimates in two ways: we show that regularity can also be obtained for a function of the form where g has a much smaller domain than , and we prove that the functions f considered by Farashahi et al. also satisfy requisite bounds when restricted to large intervals inside . These improved estimates can be used to obtain more efficient hash function constructions, as well as much shorter Elligator Squared bitstring representations.
Fittings called start connectors are usually employed to attach each lateral to its corresponding manifold in microirrigation systems. The protrusion of start connectors' barbs into the manifold induces pressure losses due to contraction and subsequent enlargement of streamlines. In addition, when water flows from a manifold toward a lateral through a start connector, a sudden contraction followed by expansions of flow streamlines cause pressure loss whose intensity is influenced by connector's geometry. Minor losses along manifolds or at laterals inlet due to start connectors may be significant and might be considered on subunits design or while undertaking hydraulic simulations. The objectives of this research were: (a) to develop equations based on dimensional analysis to estimate minor losses due to start connectors; (b) to compare the accuracy of the developed models against models that are currently used for estimating minor losses; (c) to undertake simulations to assess the relevance of minor losses due to start connectors in hydraulics of subunits. Minor losses due to start connectors were separated into two components. A model was developed and validated to estimate minor losses due to the protrusion of start connectors inserted along a manifold. Two models were developed and validated to estimate minor losses that occur when water flows from a manifold into a lateral line through a start connector. The required data to develop and validate the models were obtained experimentally in laboratory. Although minor losses due to start connectors represented a relative small percentage of total head losses, such effects may be significant while undertaking rigorous hydraulic simulations that require accurate estimation of pressure losses.
This paper introduces an optimization formulation to design residential water systems that satisfy the water demands in a housing complex involving rainwater harvesting, storage and distribution as well as the simultaneous design of water networks for recycling, reusing, regenerating and storing reclaimed water. The design task is considered as a multi-objective optimization problem where one objective is the minimization of the fresh water consumption and the other objective is the minimization of the total annual cost. The proposed model accounts for the variability in the water demands through the different hours of the day and for the different seasons of the year. The seasonal dependence of the rainwater has also been considered in the optimization model. A case study for the city of Morelia in Mexico is presented. The results show that significant reductions can be obtained in the total fresh water consumption and in the total cost. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Otitis media (OM), or middle ear inflammation, is the most common paediatric disease and leads to significant morbidity. Although understanding of underlying disease mechanisms is hampered by complex pathophysiology it is clear that epithelial abnormalities underpin the disease. There is currently a lack of a well-characterised in vitro model of the middle ear (ME) epithelium that replicates the complex cellular composition of the middle ear. Here, we report the development of a novel in vitro model of mouse middle ear epithelial cells (mMECs) at an air-liquid interface (ALI) that recapitulates the characteristics of the native murine ME epithelium. We demonstrate that mMECs undergo differentiation into the varied cell populations seen within the native middle ear. Proteomic analysis confirmed that the cultures secrete a multitude of innate defence proteins from their apical surface. We showed that the mMECs supported the growth of the otopathogen, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), suggesting that the model can be successfully utilised to study host-pathogen interactions in the middle ear. Overall, our mMEC culture system can help to better understand the cell biology of the middle ear and improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of OM. The model also has the potential to serve as a platform for validation of treatments designed to reverse aspects of epithelial remodelling that underpin OM development.
This article presents a microfluidic approach for the integration of the process of aptamer selection via systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). The approach employs bead-based biochemical reactions in which affinity-selected target-binding oligonucleotides are electrokinetically transferred for amplification, while the amplification product is transferred back for affinity selection via pressure-driven fluid flow. The hybrid approach simplifies the device design and operation procedures by reduced pressure-driven flow control requirements and avoids the potentially deleterious exposure of targets to electric fields prior to and during affinity selection. In addition, bead-based reactions are used to achieve the on-chip coupling of affinity selection and amplification of target-binding oligonucleotides, thereby realizing on-chip loop closure and integration of the entire SELEX process without requiring offline procedures. The microfluidic approach is thus capable of closed-loop, multiround aptamer enrichment as demonstrated by selection of DNA aptamers against the protein immunoglobulin E with high affinity (K-D = 12 nM) in a rapid manner (4 rounds in approximately 10 h).
Background: Given the risk of opioid misuse among chronic pain patients being treated with longterm opioid pharmacotherapy, non-pharmacological treatments are needed. Further, in light of hedonic deficits in this population, therapies that enhance positive affect may be useful. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of a Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) intervention on ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of pain and positive affective experience, and to determine if changes in pain, affect, and their interaction were associated with opioid misuse at post-treatment. Methods: This study examined unpublished EMA data from a subset of participants (N = 55) in a previously published RCT (NCT01505101) of MORE versus a support group (SG) control. Across 8 weeks of treatment, patients completed up to 224 EMA measures of pain and affect. Multilevel models and generalized estimating equations examined effects of treatment on momentary pain and positive affect, and generalized linear models examined associations between pain and affect and changes in opioid misuse by post-treatment. Results: Patients in MORE reported significantly greater improvements in momentary pain (p = 0.01) and positive affect (p = 0.004) than patients in the SG. Further, over the entire course of treatment, patients in MORE were significantly more likely to exhibit positive affect regulation (OR= 2.75) than patients in the SG. Finally, improvements in positive affect (but not pain) over the course of intervention were associated with reduced risk of misusing opioids by post-treatment (p= 0.02). Conclusion: MORE may be a useful non-pharmacological treatment for pain and hedonic deficits among chronic pain patients at risk for opioid misuse. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
In recent years, advances in light-based technology have driven an ongoing optical revolution in neuroscience. Synergistic technologies in laser microscopy, molecular biology, organic and synthetic chemistry, genetic engineering and materials science have allowed light to overcome the limitations of and to replace many conventional tools used by physiologists to record from and to manipulate single cells or whole cellular networks. Here we review the different optical techniques for stimulating neurons, influencing neuronal growth, manipulating neuronal structures and neurosurgery.
In keeping with the special issue theme of Remembering the Future, this article provides a selective review of research on how memory for social information (i.e., social category representation) influences future processing and behavior. Specifically, the authors focus on how categorization and stereotyping affect how we perceive others and ourselves. The first part of the article reviews research on how individuals perceive others. The authors review research on the determinants and outcomes of social categorization and stereotype activation, concluding with the influence of ingroup/outgroup categorization on face processing. The second part of the article reviews research on how individuals perceive themselves. The authors argue that stereotype threat-concerns about being judged or behaving in ways that confirm negative group stereotypes, leading to poor performance-is the result of both self-categorization and stereotype activation. Overall, the article highlights the complex relationship between memory for social category information and future social perception and behavior. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Earlier studies have shown that the level of creativity of the fourth year students of the Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Programmes at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia are low to average, as reflected in the evaluation of their group based design projects. Based on the finding for the next cohort of students, several creativity techniques are introduced in the course such as mind mapping and combined with the conventional techniques in design engineering which includes Morphology analysis and Pugh Evaluation matrix. Students are required to apply the techniques and report the implementation in their log books. It was observed that the students are more creative and able to propose ideas that are 'out of box thinking'. These achievements showed that the creativity level can be enhanced through teaching and learning. In order to ensure an effective infusion of creativity among students in the Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Programmes, it is proposed that the students are exposed to effective creativity techniques combined with the standard engineering design methods for generating ideas. Students should be introduced to the creative techniques through design-based courses from their first year at the university. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Kongres Pengajaran & Pembelajaran UKM, 2010
It is quite a challenge to remember or privately store the key for encrypting the secret image. Moreover, the encrypted image may arouse the invaders' suspicion. In this paper, a novel secret image sharing scheme with additional steganography and repairable capabilities is proposed using the bit-plane compression and Lagrange interpolation formula. The proposal suggests the user to select an ostensible image, for example, a famous character image, as the cover image to camouflage his secret image to enhance the security. Specifically, a protected image is divided into three shares and hidden in the cover image to create the meaningful shadow images. Then, three shadow images are distributed to three different devices, for example, the smartphone, the laptop, and the cloud storage. By collecting any two shadow images, the user can losslessly retrieve the original secret image and the cover image. In addition, the proposed scheme is easily repairable when the smartphone or laptop is lost. The system analysis shows that the proposal not only achieves theoretical information security, but also is technically practical.
Subunit vaccines for prevention of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection based on glycoprotein B (gB) and pp65 are in clinical trials, but it is unclear whether simultaneous vaccination with both antigens enhances protection. We undertook evaluation of a novel bivalent vaccine based on nonreplicating lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (rLCMV) vectors expressing a cytoplasmic tail-deleted gB [gB(dCt)] and full-length pp65 from human CMV in mice. Immunization with the gB(dCt) vector alone elicited a comparable gB-binding antibody response and a superior neutralizing response to that elicited by adjuvanted subunit gB. Immunization with the pp65 vector alone elicited robust T cell responses. Comparable immunogenicity of the combined gB(dCt) and pp65 vectors with the individual monovalent formulations was demonstrated. To demonstrate proof of principle for a bivalent rLCMV-based HCMV vaccine, the congenital guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) infection model was used to compare rLCMV vectors encoding homologs of pp65 (GP83) and gB(dCt), alone and in combination versus Freund's adjuvanted recombinant gB. Both vectors elicited significant immune responses, and no loss of gB immunogenicity was noted with the bivalent formulation. Combined vaccination with rLCMV-vectored GPCMV gB(dCt) and pp65 (GP83) conferred better protection against maternal viremia than subunit or either monovalent rLCMV vaccine. The bivalent vaccine also was significantly more effective in reducing pup mortality than the monovalent vaccines. In summary, bivalent vaccines with rLCMV vectors expressing gB and pp65 elicited potent humoral and cellular responses and conferred protection in the GPCMV model. Further clinical trials of LCMV-vectored HCMV vaccines are warranted.
A liquid jet injector is a biomedical device intended for drug delivery. Medication is delivered through a fluid stream that penetrates the skin. This small diameter liquid stream is created by a piston forcing a fluid column through a nozzle. These devices can be powered by springs or compressed gas. In this study, a CFD simulation is carried out to investigate the fluid mechanics and performance of needle free injectors powered specifically by compressed air. The motion of the internal mechanisms of the injector which propels a liquid jet through an orifice is simulated by the moving boundary method and the fluid dynamics is modeled using LES/VOF techniques. In this paper, numerical results are discussed by comparing the fluid stagnation pressures of the liquid jet with previously published experimental measurements obtained using a custom-built prototype of the air-powered needle free liquid injector. Performance plots as a function of various injector parameters are presented and explained.
Urban habitats are described as having an overall negative influence on many fitness-related traits in several bird species, but a vital function such as immunity remains poorly studied. The immune response is strongly linked to individual condition, which partly depends on resource availability and the parasitic context that often differ between urban and natural habitats. A difference between the immunity of populations dwelling in urban areas and populations from more natural habitats can, therefore, be hypothesized. We conducted a 2-year experimental study on great tits (Parus major) in urban and forest areas. We stimulated the constitutive immunity of nestlings and assessed both the inflammatory response by measuring the plasma levels of haptoglobin, an inflammatory marker, and its activation cost through the loss of body mass. In addition, we checked the nestlings for ectoparasites and assessed haemosporidian prevalence in adults. Nestlings from urban sites produced relatively less haptoglobin and lost more body mass than those from forest sites, which suggests that the activation of constitutive immunity is more costly for birds living in urban sites than for those living in the forest. We detected no ectoparasite in birds in both habitats. However, urban adults showed lower haemosporidian prevalence than forest ones, suggesting a reduced exposure to these parasites and their vectors in towns. Overall, our study provides evidence for an immune difference between urban and forest populations. Because immunity is crucial for organism fitness, it is of prime interest to identify causes and processes at the origin of this difference.
Background: The fourth round of the Critical Assessment of Small Molecule Identification (CASMI) Contest (www. casmi-contest. org) was held in 2016, with two new categories for automated methods. This article covers the 208 challenges in Categories 2 and 3, without and with metadata, from organization, participation, results and postcontest evaluation of CASMI 2016 through to perspectives for future contests and small molecule annotation/identification. Results: The Input Output Kernel Regression (CSI: IOKR) machine learning approach performed best in Category 2: Best Automatic Structural Identification-In Silico Fragmentation Only, won by Team Brouard with 41% challenge wins. The winner of Category 3: Best Automatic Structural Identification-Full Information was Team Kind (MSFINDER), with 76% challenge wins. The best methods were able to achieve over 30% Top 1 ranks in Category 2, with all methods ranking the correct candidate in the Top 10 in around 50% of challenges. This success rate rose to 70% Top 1 ranks in Category 3, with candidates in the Top 10 in over 80% of the challenges. The machine learning and chemistry-based approaches are shown to perform in complementary ways. Conclusions: The improvement in (semi-) automated fragmentation methods for small molecule identification has been substantial. The achieved high rates of correct candidates in the Top 1 and Top 10, despite large candidate numbers, open up great possibilities for high-throughput annotation of untargeted analysis for known unknowns. As more high quality training data becomes available, the improvements in machine learning methods will likely continue, but the alternative approaches still provide valuable complementary information. Improved integration of experimental context will also improve identification success further for real life annotations. The true unknown unknowns remain to be evaluated in future CASMI contests.
This article described a novel digital multi-mode control strategy for primary-side controlled flyback converter to improve the efficiency within full-load range. The working modes of different load ranges were chosen according to the main power losses analysis and other constraint. Especially, a novel pulse skip mode control method which could reduce the number of actual switching cycles was proposed to improve the light load efficiency. A prototype with field-programmable gate array control has been made to verify the proposed digital multi-mode control strategy.
This paper concerns the net effects of promoting renewable energies on value added and disposable income in Germany, as well as their distribution among regions and income brackets. Since its entry into force, the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has stimulated tremendous investments in renewable energy capacities by guaranteeing investors a fixed price per kWh as well as a preferred feed into the grid over electricity from conventional sources. The policy measures are financed by a surcharge on electricity prices. In recent years, a controversy has arisen about potentially negative regional and social distribution effects. In this paper, multiregional price and quantity input-output models with endogenous heterogeneous households are used to trace the indirect impacts of the EEG on value added and disposable income through the complex network of regional value chains. Our findings suggest that the generation of electricity from renewable sources itself leads to small positive impacts on industries, but leads to a significant drain on household income and'has regressive distributive effects. However, investment in new capacities may possibly transform these negative impacts into a positive direction for the majority of households. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
IntroductionThis study examined the relationships between changes in symptoms and changes in quality of life (QOL) during cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD). MethodsWe treated 198 PD patients with group CBT in Japan. Using multiple regression analysis, we examined the associations between changes in QOL and changes in PD symptoms or comorbid psychological symptoms during CBT. ResultsChanges in anticipatory anxiety, agoraphobic fear/avoidance, and somatization were significant predictors of changes in some aspects of QOL. DiscussionIt might be useful to decrease somatization, anticipatory anxiety, and agoraphobic fear to improve QOL in CBT for PD.
The following review presents a synthesis of 181 journal articles published during 2015 that represent progress toward better characterizing, controlling, and treating urban stormwater runoff. The review is structured by general topical areas related to (1) stormwater quality and quantity characterization; (2) engineered stormwater control and treatment practices, including erosion and sediment control, stormwater ponds, constructed stormwater wetlands, bioretention, permeable pavement, greenroofs, and rainwater harvesting systems; and (3) watershed-scale modeling and optimization of stormwater control and treatment practices. Common research themes emerging from this collection of studies include potential to enhance hydrologic and pollutant treatment performance of stormwater practices via media amendments and the use of innovative outlet control structures, as well as development of a more mechanistic understanding of hydrologic and water-quality functions to inform modeling and performance predictions. These studies serve to expand the field's knowledge base and will inform future efforts to further improve stormwater control and treatment at various spatial and temporal scales.
We conducted three experiments to determine if engaging in self-enhancing humor can alleviate state anxiety associated with an anticipated stressful event. In all three experiments, participants imagined they were about to take a stressful math test. In Experiment 1 participants who engaged in self-enhancing humor while anticipating taking the test experienced less state anxiety than those who engaged in self-defeating humor or no humor at all. Experiment 2 demonstrated that engaging in self-enhancing humor reduced state anxiety more than mere instructions to adopt a non-serious, humorous outlook in the stressful situation. Experiment 3 revealed that self-enhancing humor alone induced participants to adopt a humorous perspective on the stressful math test, but that participants responded with the least state anxiety when they were also given instructions about how to use the humor to reframe the math test. Collectively, our findings corroborate and extend previous correlational studies showing that self-enhancing humor can alleviate state anxiety associated with a stressful event.
From the moment of birth, each human being builds a microbe-host symbiosis which is key for the preservation of its health and well-being. This personal symbiotic coexistence is the result of progressive enrichments in microorganism diversity through external supplies. This diversity is nowadays massively overthrown by drastic changes related to clinical practice in birth management, environmental exposure, nutrition and healthcare behaviors. The last two generations have been the frame of massive modifications in life and food habits, with people being more and more sedentary, overfed and permeated with drugs and pollutants. We are now able to measure the impact of these changes on the gut microbiota diversity. Concomitantly, these modifications of lifestyle were associated with a dramatic increase in incidence of immune-mediated diseases including metabolic, allergic and inflammatory diseases and most likely neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Microbiota is becoming a hot topic in the scientific community and in the mainstream media. The number of scientific publications increased by up to a factor three over the last five years, with gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases being the most productive areas. In the intellectual property landscape, the patent families on microbiota have more than doubled in the meantime. In parallel, funding either from National Institutes (e.g. from NIH which funds research mainly in the field of allergies, infections, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, from the White House which launched the national microbiome initiative) or by pharmaceutical companies follow the same trend, showing a boost and a strong support in the research field on microbiota. All major health players are investing in microbiome research as shown by the number of deals signed and by funding during 2015. The Glens round table addressed how. the medicine of tomorrow, considering human beings as a human-microbe symbiotic supraorganism, could leverage microbiome knowledge and tools. The rationale for our working group has been structured around four domains of innovation that could derive from ongoing efforts in deciphering the interactions between human cells and intestinal microbiome as a central component of human health, namely: (1) development of stratification and monitoring tools; (2) identification of new target and drug discovery, as a part of our supra-genome; (4) exploitation of microbiota as a therapeutic target that can be modulated; (4) and finally as a source of live biotherapeutics and adjuvants. These four streams will exemplify how microbiota has changed the way we consider a wide range of chronic and incurable diseases and the consequences of long-lasting dysbiosis. In-depth micro biota analysis is opening one of the broadest fields of investigation for improving human and animal health and will be a source of major therapeutic innovations for tackling today's medical unmet needs. We thus propose a range of recommendations for basic researchers, care givers as welt as for health authorities to gain reliability in microbiome analysis and accelerate discovery processes and their translation into applications for the benefits of the people. Finally, les Ateliers de Glens round table on microbiota benefited from the richness of the French ecosystem. France represents a center of excellence in the microbiota research field, with French institutions as Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA [Metagenopolis, Micalis]), Centre national de ta recherche scientifique (CNRS), Unite de recherche sur les maladies infectieuses et tropicales emergentes (URMITE), Institut of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), Institut des maladies metaboliques et cardiovasculaires (I2MC). Institut national de la sante et de la recherche medicate (Inserm), Pasteur Institute and Gustave-Roussy being top-players for the number of publications. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Societe francaise de pharmacologie et de therapeutique.
Preventing voltage waveform distortion in multifrequency current control during saturated operation is a difficult problem, which so far has been only partially solved. In this paper, a scheme based on the principle of realizable references is proposed. As the converter enters saturated operation, an algorithm recalculates the converter-current reference such that unsaturated operation returns, i.e., the converter-voltage reference does not exceed the space-vector-modulation hexagon. Distortion is thereby avoided, as is integrator windup.
Robots are capable of navigating and performing tasks in a wide range of environments. Yet, there is no systematic research on the relationship between robot and environments. In this paper, the intention is to place in context the importance of co-consideration of environments and robots for creating an intelligent living environment. As such, we develop a framework linking both robots and environments. The framework consists of (1) the robot-inclusiveness which measures how inclusive the environment for the robot is, (2) a taxonomy which classifies robot-environment interaction into five categories, (3) five design criteria and guidelines which support the design and evaluation of autonomous robotic systems in indoor and outdoor environments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important staple foods for more than half of the global population. Many rice traits are quantitative, complex and controlled by multiple interacting genes. Thus, a full understanding of genetic relationships will be critical to systematically identify genes controlling agronomic traits. We developed a genome-wide rice protein-protein interaction network (RicePPINet, ) using machine learning with structural relationship and functional information. RicePPINet contained 708819 predicted interactions for 16895 non-transposable element related proteins. The power of the network for discovering novel protein interactions was demonstrated through comparison with other publicly available protein-protein interaction (PPI) prediction methods, and by experimentally determined PPI data sets. Furthermore, global analysis of domain-mediated interactions revealed RicePPINet accurately reflects PPIs at the domain level. Our studies showed the efficiency of the RicePPINet-based method in prioritizing candidate genes involved in complex agronomic traits, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance, was approximately 2-11 times better than random prediction. RicePPINet provides an expanded landscape of computational interactome for the genetic dissection of agronomically important traits in rice. Significance Statement A genome-wide rice protein-protein interaction network is developed by using machine-learning with structural evidence and functional information. It provides an expanded landscape of protein interactome to help plant biologists better understand complex agronomic traits in rice.
Associations between social class and prosocial behaviordefined broadly as action intended to help othersmay vary as a function of contextual factors. Three studies examined how making prosocial actions public, versus private, moderates this association. In Study 1, participation in a public prosocial campaign was higher among upper than lower class individuals. In Studies 2 and 3, lower class individuals were more prosocial in a dictator game scenario in private than in public, whereas upper class individuals showed the reverse pattern. Follow-up analyses revealed the importance of reputational concerns for shaping class differences in prosociality: Specifically, higher class individuals reported that pride motivated their prosocial behavior more than lower class individuals, and this association partially accounted for class-based differences in prosociality in public versus private contexts. Together, these results suggest that unique strategies for connecting and relating to others develop based on one's position in the class hierarchy.
Understanding emotional human behavior in its multimodal and continuous aspect is necessary for studying human machine interaction and creating constituent social agents. As a first step, we propose a system for continuous emotional behavior recognition expressed by people during communication based on their gesture and their whole body dynamical motion. The features used to classify the motion are inspired by the Laban Movement Analysis entities [11] and are mapped onto the well-known Russell Circumplex Model [4]. We choose a specific case study that corresponds to an ideal case of multimodal behavior that emphasizes the body motion expression: theater performance. Using a trained neural network and annotated data, our system is able to describe the motion behavior as trajectories on the Russell Circumplex Model diagram during theater performances over time. This work contributes to the understanding of human behavior and expression and is a first step through a complete continuous emotion recognition system whose next step will be adding facial expressions. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Introduction: Peer teaching is a well-established teaching method in medical education. During the 2012/13 winter term, the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology in Ulm, Germany, introduced a longitudinal didactics program (Train the Tutor: TtT) to train student tutors as near-peer teachers (NPT) in the dissection course (DC). Twenty-three of 38 tutors participated in the programme. Our study describes the educational concept and the NPTs' activities in the dissection course. Methods: NPTs documented their activities on a daily basis in the form of semi-structured reports. A total of 575 reports were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. Free-text analysis was performed using Grounded Theory followed by code quantification of all indications (n - 1868). Results: NPTs spend 61% of their time dissecting by themselves or supervising the tutee's dissection process. Organisational tasks had a larger share at the beginning of the course. Just before examinations the proportion of time spent giving feedback rose. Of all positive indications, 45% described experiences working with the tutees. In contrast, 68% of all negative indications were characterized by a self-critical reflection on their own activities. NPTs included all learning domains in their teaching, substantially functioning as teachers and role models to convey particular attitudes. Conclusion: TtT-Trained Tutors (NPT) clearly met the requirements of a practical course and adjusted their activities in response to the course's progress. NPTs were concerned about their tutees' attitudes and may need more professional support within the TtT program regarding this. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Over the last 30 years leading thinkers have taken us beyond mechanistic and reductionist analysis into systems theory and the critical boundary judgements that are fundamental to systems analysis. In defining and discussing boundary conditions, we also redefine values and facts imposed on hydrological and economic analysis that underpins decisions about government policy in water resources. The repeal of legislation for distributed interventions (water-efficient appliances and rainwater harvesting) that was previously enacted to improve the security of a regional water supply system is examined as a case study. The results of the analysis were defined by the costs and benefits that are inside or outside of the boundaries of legitimate and recognized consideration. This paper refers to those differences as boundary conditions and considers how those boundary conditions affect the outcome of analysis. Setting of boundary conditions (what is included, what is excluded and assumptions) in engineering and economic analysis dominates outcomes of decisions about government policy. These insights have general application to development of government water policy. The investigations outlined in this paper were combined to create an enhanced version of a systems analysis of a policy for setting targets for water savings on all new dwellings. It was established, using appropriate boundary conditions, that a 40% target for water savings is feasible for South East Queensland (SEQ) and provides a cost-benefit ratio of 2.1. These results indicate that a policy of mandating targets for sustainable buildings would provide substantial benefits to the state of Queensland, water utilities and citizens.
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity may be associated with decreased memory in older adults. To further investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity and memory in nondemented older adults, we obtained serum samples from 114 nondemented older adults evaluated by the Alzheimer's Disease and Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. We determined T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titer and examined associations with memory function while controlling for socioeconomic status, education level, age, and apolipoprotein E4 status. There were few associations between T. gondii seropositivity or anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and memory, although there was some support suggesting an interaction between anti-T. gondii and sex. In the seropositive-only sample, there was an inverse relationship between anti-T. gondii titer and performance on the selective reminding test. Overall, we found little evidence of an association between impaired memory function and T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in this sample of nondemented older adults. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Two years study was conducted to evaluate if leaf removal and red geotextile reflective mulch affect phenolic composition of wines from three red wine grape cultivars, Merlot, Teran and Plavac mali (Vitis vinifera L). Leaf removal (LR) and reflective mulch (RM), made from weave of aluminum platelets protected by a transparent film and sewn together with red polypropylene threads, were tested separately and combined (LR + RM) on vines of Merlot, Teran and Plavac mali in 2009 and 2010 years, and compared with untreated control. All treatments were applied at veraison. LR had the strongest influence on phenolic composition of experimental wines, particularly in terms of increasing gallic acid, catechin, malvidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside content. LR+RM resulted in higher gallic acid and malvidin-3-glucoside concentrations. RM treatment had the least effect on phenolic composition of wines but still affected higher epicatechin and gallic acid content. The total phenols, anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols contents in wines exhibited strong correlation with antioxidant activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the A-Diakoptics methodology (Diakoptics based on actors) for the high performance simulation of microgrids. Microgrids are clusters of loads and microsources that operate within a single controllable system, which provides electricity and heat to its local area even if they get separated from the distribution system. Several commercial solutions are addressing this topic using numerous methods; however, to keep the computing time required to solve the system when the size of the system grows represents a major challenge. In this paper, this challenge is addressed by separating the distribution grid in independent subnetworks. Then, for the computational implementation, each subnetwork is assigned to an independent solver using the actor model. As a result, the solution algorithm is composed of multiple parallel and concurrent solvers. These exchange information using high-speed communication interfaces for reducing the computational burden without losing accuracy. A-Diakoptics is an advanced algorithm that combines existing methods for simulating large distribution systems; these methods are upgraded to make them suitable for parallel processing and to cover the basic needs for the simulation of smart grid applications.
(We develop a generalised unsteady plume theory and compare it with a new direct numerical simulation (DNS) dataset for an ensemble of statistically unsteady turbulent plumes. The theoretical framework described in this paper generalises previous models and exposes several fundamental aspects of the physics of unsteady plumes. The framework allows one to understand how the structure of the governing integral equations depends on the assumptions one makes about the radial dependence of the longitudinal velocity, turbulence and pressure. Consequently, the ill-posed models identified by Scase & Hewitt (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 697, 2012, pp. 455-480) are shown to be the result of a non-physical assumption regarding the velocity profile. The framework reveals that these ill-posed unsteady plume models are degenerate cases amongst a comparatively large set of well-posed models that can be derived from the generalised unsteady plume equations that we obtain. Drawing on the results of DNS of a plume subjected to an instantaneous step change in its source buoyancy flux, we use the framework in a diagnostic capacity to investigate the properties of the resulting travelling wave. In general, the governing integral equations are hyperbolic, becoming parabolic in the limiting case of a 'top-hat' model, and the travelling wave can be classified as lazy, pure or forced according to the particular assumptions that are invoked to close the integral equations. Guided by observations from the DNS data, we use the framework in a prognostic capacity to develop a relatively simple, accurate and well-posed model of unsteady plumes that is based on the assumption of a Gaussian velocity profile. An analytical solution is presented for a pure straight-sided plume that is consistent with the key features observed from the DNS.
Features extracted from real world applications increase dramatically, while machine learning methods decrease their performance given the previous scenario, and feature reduction is required. Particularly, for fault diagnosis in rotating machinery, the number of extracted features are sizable in order to collect all the available information from several monitored signals. Several approaches lead to data reduction using supervised or unsupervised strategies, where the supervised ones are the most reliable and its main disadvantage is the beforehand knowledge of the fault condition. This work proposes a new unsupervised algorithm for feature selection based on attribute clustering and rough set theory. Rough set theory is used to compute similarities between features through the relative dependency. The clustering approach combines classification based on distance with clustering based on prototype to group similar features, without requiring the number of clusters as an input. Additionally, the algorithm has an evolving property that allows the dynamic adjustment of the cluster structure during the clustering process, even when a new set of attributes feeds the algorithm, That gives to the algorithm an incremental learning property, avoiding a retraining process. These properties define the main contribution and significance of the proposed algorithm. Two fault diagnosis problems of fault severity classification in gears and bearings are studied to test the algorithm. Classification results show that the proposed algorithm is able to select adequate features as accurate as other feature selection and reduction approaches. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose: To evaluate corneal parameters of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by Scheimpflug imaging and also to clarify the associations between disease severity and clinical status of AS and corneal parameters. Methods: Fifty-seven patients with AS and 57 healthy subjects were included in this cross-sectional study. All participants underwent a detailed ophthalmological evaluation. Corneal parameters were measured by Pentacam. In addition, Schirmer test, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores were evaluated. Duration of disease and scores of Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life scale (ASQoL) of the patients were recorded. The laboratory evaluation consisted of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Corneal parameters were significantly different between patients with AS and healthy controls. The mean central corneal thickness (538 +/- 26 mu m versus 569 +/- 27 mu m, p < 0.001) and the mean corneal volume (59.8 +/- 3.33 mm(3) versus 62.3 +/- 3.40 mm(3), p<0.001) were reduced significantly in AS patients compared to those in healthy controls. The values of TBUT and Schirmer test scores were significantly lower in AS patients than in controls. Also, corneal fluorescein staining and OSDI scores were higher in AS patients than in controls. Factors related to the corneal parameters were dry eye tests (TBUT, Schirmer test, corneal fluorescein staining), OSDI score, and CRP (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: The AS patients have thinner corneas compared to control subjects, which may be affected by tear disfunction and inflammatory processes.
Many people view religion as a crucial source of morality. However, 6 experiments (total N = 1,078) revealed that good deeds are perceived as less moral if they are performed for religious reasons. Religiously motivated acts were seen as less moral than the exact same acts performed for other reasons (Experiments 1-2 and 6). Religious motivations also reduced attributions of intention and responsibility (Experiments 3-6), an effect that fully mediated the effect of religious motivations on perceived morality (Experiment 6). The effects were not explained by different perceptions of motivation orientation (i. e., intrinsic vs. extrinsic) across conditions (Experiment 4) and also were evident when religious upbringing led to an intuitive moral response (Experiment 5). Effects generalized across religious and nonreligious participants. When viewing a religiously motivated good deed, people infer that actually helping others is, in part, a side effect of other motivations rather than an end in itself. Thus, religiously motivated actors are seen as less responsible than secular actors for their good deeds, and their helping behavior is viewed as less moral than identical good deeds performed for either unclear or secular motivations.
In recent years, high speed direct drive spindle motors are obtaining more and more attentions due to their compact structure, high efficiency, low vibration and noise. Compared with those of high speed machines used for electric vehicles (EV) and refrigerator compressors, the shaft of a spindle motor is always thicker to satisfy the mechanical support requirement. When the overall outer diameter of a spindle motor is further limited for practical use, the rotor space will be restricted on both the inner and outer side, which makes the machine design process a more challenging work. This paper presents a detailed design procedure of a high speed interior PM spindle permanent magnet (PM) motor. With large volume consumption for the shaft, the rotor space is fully utilized by adopting the inverted interior V shaped PM rotor structure. Firstly, the split ratio is optimized for maximum torque density. Then, the rotor parameters, including the magnet thickness, PM pole arc, angle between adjacent PMs and the bridge width are optimized by finite element analysis (FEA). The simulated results show significant improvement on output performance, i.e. the torque density is increased by 22%. Finally, the analysis results are verified by experimental tests on a 11 Nm, 12000RPM prototype machine.
Background: Birth weight, a marker of the intrauterine environment, has been extensively studied in epidemiological research in relation to subsequent health and disease. Although numerous meta-analyses have been published examining the association between birth weight and subsequent health-related outcomes, the epidemiological credibility of these associations has not been thoroughly assessed. The objective of this study is to map the diverse health outcomes associated with birth weight and evaluate the credibility and presence of biases in the reported associations. Methods: An umbrella review was performed to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies investigating the association between birth weight and subsequent health outcomes and traits. For each association, we estimated the summary effect size by random-effects and fixed-effects models, the 95 % confidence interval, and the 95 % prediction interval. We also assessed the between-study heterogeneity, evidence for small study effects and excess significance bias. We further applied standardized methodological criteria to evaluate the epidemiological credibility of the statistically significant associations. Results: Thirty-nine articles including 78 associations between birth weight and diverse outcomes met the eligibility criteria. A wide range of health outcomes has been studied, ranging from anthropometry and metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular risk factors, various cancers, respiratory diseases and allergies, musculoskeletal traits and perinatal outcomes. Forty-seven of 78 associations presented a nominally significant summary effect and 21 associations remained statistically significant at P < 1 x 10(-6). Thirty associations presented large or very large between study heterogeneity. Evidence for small-study effects and excess significance bias was present in 13 and 16 associations, respectively. One association with low birth weight (increased risk for all-cause mortality), two dose-response associations with birth weight (higher bone mineral concentration in hip and lower risk for mortality from cardiovascular diseases per 1 kg increase in birth weight) and one association with small-for-gestational age infants with normal birth weight (increased risk for childhood stunting) presented convincing evidence. Eleven additional associations had highly suggestive evidence. Conclusions: The range of outcomes convincingly associated with birth weight might be narrower than originally described under the fetal origin hypothesis of disease. There is weak evidence that birth weight constitutes an effective public health intervention marker.
Objectives: This study investigates how racial identity and phenotypicality (i.e., racial ambiguity) shape the perception of biracial individuals in both White and Black perceivers. We investigated complex racial categorization and its downstream consequences, such as perceptions of discrimination. Method: We manipulated racial phenotypicality (Black or racially ambiguous) and racial identity (Black or biracial) to test these cues' influence on Black and White race categorizations in a sample of both White (n = 145) and Black (n = 152) identified individuals. Results: Though racial identity and phenotypicality information influenced deliberate racial categorization, White and Black participants used the cues in different ways. For White perceivers, racial identity and phenotypicality additively influenced Black categorization. For Black perceivers, however, racial identity was only used in Black categorization when racial ambiguity was high. Perceived discrimination was related to White (but not Black) perceivers' distribution of minority resources to targets, however Black categorization related to perceived discrimination for Black perceivers only. Conclusion: By demonstrating how Black and White individuals use identity and phenotype information in race perceptions, we provide a more complete view of the complexities of racial categorization and its downstream consequences.
Caffeine is the most widely used psychostimulant in Western countries, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), caffeine is beneficial in both men and women, in humans and animals. Similar effects of caffeine were observed in men with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, the effect of caffeine in female PD patients is controversial due to caffeine's competition with estrogen for the estrogen-metabolizing enzyme, CYP1A2. Studies conducted in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) showed protective effects of A(2A)R antagonism. A study found caffeine to be associated with earlier age of onset of Huntington's disease (HD) at intakes >190mg/d, but studies in animal models have found equivocal results. Caffeine is protective in AD and PD at dosages equivalent to 3-5mg/kg. However, further research is needed to investigate the effects of caffeine on PD in women. As well, the effects of caffeine in ALS, HD and Machado-Joseph disease need to be further investigated. Caffeine's most salient mechanisms of action relevant to neurodegenerative diseases need to be further explored.
Cocaine addiction is characterized by alterations in motivational and cognitive processes. Recent studies have shown that some alterations present in cocaine users may be related to the activity of large functional networks. The aim of this study was to investigate how these functional networks are modulated by non-drug rewarding stimuli in cocaine-dependent individuals. Twenty abstinent cocaine-dependent and 21 healthy matched male controls viewed erotic and neutral pictures while undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Group independent component analysis was then performed in order to investigate how functional networks were modulated by reward in cocaine addicts. The results showed that cocaine addicts, compared with healthy controls, displayed diminished modulation of the left frontoparietal network in response to erotic pictures, specifically when they were unpredicted. Additionally, a positive correlation between the length of cocaine abstinence and the modulation of the left frontoparietal network by unpredicted erotic images was found. In agreement with current addiction models, our results suggest that cocaine addiction contributes to reduce sensitivity to rewarding stimuli and that abstinence may mitigate this effect.
In this paper, hydraulic performance and self-healing capacity of geotextile clay liners containing various amounts of nano-clay are studied. Nano-clay was employed as a substitute of a portion of bentonite. For comparison, the hydraulic performance and self-healing capacity of common geotextile clay liners (geotextile clay liners without any additives) were also experimentally studied. A novel instrument was developed to evaluate the self-healing capacity of geotextile clay liners samples. Atterberg limits and free swell index of neat and modified clayey samples were also measured. Experimental results showed that nano-clay considerably reduces the hydraulic conductivity of geotextile clay liners. It also improves the self-healing capacity of geotextile clay liners. The free swell index and liquid limits of bentonite specimens containing nano-clay were considerably higher than that of normal specimens. It can be concluded that factors affecting the free swell index of bentonite can change the self-healing capacity of geotextile clay liners. In this study, the specimen containing 15% nano-clay showed the best performance in hydraulic conductivity and self-healing capacity among all specimens. In the final, the effect of nano-clay inclusion on the permeability of bentonite is showed through an analytical model using the results of surface tension measurements.
Background: Previous studies have suggested that fear memories can be updated when recalled, a process referred to as reconsolidation. Given the beneficial effects of model-based safety learning (i.e. vicarious extinction) in preventing the recovery of short-term fear memory, we examined whether consolidated long-term fear memories could be updated with safety learning accomplished through vicarious extinction learning initiated within the reconsolidation time-window. We assessed this in a final sample of 19 participants that underwent a three-day within-subject fear-conditioning design, using fear-potentiated startle as our primary index of fear learning. Methods: On day 1, two fear-relevant stimuli (reinforced CSs) were paired with shock (US) and a third stimulus served as a control (CS). On day 2, one of the two previously reinforced stimuli (the reminded CS) was presented once in order to reactivate the fear memory 10 min before vicarious extinction training was initiated for all CSs. The recovery of the fear memory was tested 24 h later. Results and conclusion: Vicarious extinction training conducted within the reconsolidation time window specifically prevented the recovery of the reactivated fear memory (p = 0.03), while leaving fear potentiated startle responses to the non-reactivated cue intact (p = 0.62). These findings are relevant to both basic and clinical research, suggesting that a safe, non-invasive model-based exposure technique has the potential to enhance the efficiency and durability of anxiolytic therapies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recent research suggests that prosocial outcomes in sharing games arise from prefrontal control of self-maximizing impulses. We used continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to disrupt the functioning of two prefrontal areas, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC). We used cTBS in the right MT/V5, as a control area. We then tested subjects' prosocial inclinations with an unsupervised Dictator Game in which they allocated real money anonymously between themselves and low and high socioeconomic status (SES) players. cTBS over the two prefrontal sites made subjects more generous compared to MT/V5. More specifically, cTBS over DLPFC increased offers to high-SES players, while cTBS over DMPFC caused increased offers to low-SES players. These data, the first to demonstrate an effect of disruptive neuromodulation on costly sharing, suggest that DLPFC and MPFC exert inhibitory control over prosocial inclinations during costly sharing, though they may do so in different ways. DLPFC may implement contextual control, while DMPFC may implement a tonic form of control. This study demonstrates that humans' prepotent inclination is toward prosocial outcomes when cognitive control is reduced, even when prosocial decisions carry no strategic benefit and concerns for reputation are minimized.
Aim. We tested the performance of the tissue homogenizer Bead Beater MillMix 20 (Tehtnica - Domel) for grinding the bone samples from skeletal remains for sub sequential extraction and DNA typing of human identification Short Tandem Repeats (STRs). Methods. We analyzed 60 bone DNA extracts obtained from femurs and tibias. From 13 bones (6 femurs and 7 tibias) analyses were repeated two and from 4 femurs three times to evaluate the repeatability of the extraction method and grinding machine used. DNA was obtained from 0.5 g of demineralizated bone powder and the samples were quantified using the Human Quantifiler or the Investigator Quantiplex kit. STR typing was performed using the NGM or the Investigator ESSplex Plus kit to evaluate the quality of bone powder and tested extraction method. Results. Of the profiles obtained from 60 DNA extracts, 73% were full, 17% acceptable, 8% quite acceptable and only 2% of the profiles were not suitable for interpretation which represent a 98% success rate. From 17 bones analyses were repeated two or three times and results obtained show high degree of repeatability since very similar results were obtained from almost all of the repetition. Conclusion. Grinding the bone samples using the MillMix 20 has proven highly successful in recovery of high-quality powder from skeletal remains. We believe that the results obtained will contribute to the possibilities of using automated devices for grinding the bone samples, which would shorten the procedures for obtaining high-quality bone powder from skeletons in forensic laboratories.
Flow generated by an oscillating sphere in a quiescent fluid is a classical problem in fluid mechanics whose solution is used ubiquitously. Miniaturisation of mechanical devices to small scales and their operation at high frequencies in fluid, which is common in modern nanomechanical systems, can preclude the use of the unsteady Stokes equation for continuum flow. Here, we explore the combined effects of gas rarefaction and unsteady motion of a sphere, within the framework of the unsteady linearised Boltzmann-BGK (Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook) equation. This equation is solved using the method of characteristics, and the resulting solution is valid for any oscillation frequency and arbitrary degrees of gas rarefaction. The resulting force provides the non-continuum counterpart to the (continuum) unsteady Stokes drag on a sphere. In contrast to the Stokes solution, where the flow is isothermal, non-continuum effects lead to a temperature jump at the sphere surface and non-isothermal flow. Unsteady effects and heat transport are found to mix strongly, leading to marked differences relative to the steady case. The solution to this canonical flow problem is expected to be of significant practical value in many applications, including the optical trapping of nanoparticles and the design and application of nanoelectromechanical systems. It also provides a benchmark for computational and approximate methods of solution for the Boltzmann equation.
The present investigation examined how three salient features of narrative thinking (situation model construction, linguistic concreteness, and perspective-taking) influenced the social inference process. Results of four experiments indicated that compared with those given other objectives, perceivers given narrative objectives were: (a) more likely to make situation rather than trait attributions for observed behaviors (Experiment 1), (b) less likely to make implicit trait inferences (Experiment 2), and (c) less likely to rely on behavior valence when making evaluative judgments (Experiment 4). Linguistic analyses indicated that narrative construction consistently entailed the creation of situation models of events and linguistic concreteness, but only situation model creation mediated the relationship between narrative and inferences. Experiment 3 confirmed the mediating role of situation models: Perceivers with narrative objectives made trait inferences only when behaviors were inconsistent with contextual information. The role of these core narrative features on social perceptions is discussed.
The objective of this systematic review is to identify current computer-assisted technologies used for managing patients with a need to re-establish craniofacial appearance, subjective discomfort and stomatognathic function, and the extent of their clinical documentation. Electronic search strategies were used for locating clinical studies in MEDLINE through PubMed and in the Cochrane library, and in the grey literature through searches on Google Scholar. The searches for commercial digital products for use in oral rehabilitation resulted in identifying 225 products per November 2016, used for patient diagnostics, communication and therapy purposes, and for other computer-assisted applications in context with oral rehabilitation. About one-third of these products were described in about 350 papers reporting from clinical human studies. The great majority of digital products for use in oral rehabilitation has no clinical documentation at all, while the products from a distinct minority of manufacturers have frequently appeared in more or less scientific reports. Moore's law apply also to digital dentistry, which predicts that the capacity of microprocessors will continue to become faster and with lower cost per performance unit, and innovative software programs will harness these improvements in performance. The net effect is the noticeable short product life cycle of digital products developed for use in oral rehabilitation and often lack of supportive clinical documentation. Nonetheless, clinicians must request clinically meaningful information about new digital products to assess net benefits for the patients or the dental professionals and not accept only technological verbiage as a basis for product purchases.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. (Lamiaceae) is a traditional herb that is consumed in East Asian countries as a traditional medicine. This traditional herb has been documented for centuries to treat various diseases such as depression, allergies, inflammation and asthma. However, the effect of Perilla frutescens on skin has not been characterized well. Aim of the study: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Perilla frutescens leaves extract (PLE) on ultraviolet radiation-induced extracellular matrix damage in human dermal fibroblasts and hairless mice skin. Materials and methods: Human dermal fibroblasts and Skh-1 hairless mice were irradiated with UV and treated with PLE. Protein and mRNA levels of various target molecules were analyzed by western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR, respectively. Histological changes of mouse skin were analyzed by H &E staining. To elucidate underlying mechanism of PLE, activator protein-1 (AP-1) DNA binding assay and the measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were performed. Results: PLE significantly inhibited basal and UV-induced MMP-1 and MMP-3 expression dose-dependently, and also decreased UV-induced phosphoryla Lion of extracellular signal-regulated kinases and c-Jun N-terminal kinases. This inhibitory effects of PLE on MMP-1 and MMP-3 were mediated by reduction of ROS generation and AP-1 DNA binding activity induced by UV. Furthermore, PLE promoted type I procollagen production irrespective of UV irradiation. In the UV-irradiated animal model, PLE significantly reduced epidermal skin thickness and MMP-13 expression induced by UV. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that PLE has the protective effect against UV-induced dermal matrix damage. Therefore, we suggest that PLE can be a potential agent for prevention of skin aging.
Bundelkhand region of Central India is a hot spot of water scarcity, land degradation, poverty and poor socio-economic status. Impacts of integrated watershed development (IWD) interventions on water balance and different ecosystem services are analyzed in one of the selected watershed of 850 ha in Bundelkhand region. Improved soil, water and crop management interventions in Garhkundar-Dabar (GKD) watershed of Bundelkhand region in India enhanced ET to 64% as compared to 58% in untreated (control) watershed receiving 815 mm annual average rainfall. Reduced storm flow (21% vs. 34%) along with increased base flow (4.5% vs. 1.2%) and groundwater recharge (11% vs. 7%) of total rainfall received were recorded in treated watershed as compared to untreated control watershed. Economic Water productivity and total income increased from 2.5 to 5.0 INR m(-3) and 11,500 to 27,500 INR ha(-1) yr(-1) after implementing integrated watershed development interventions in GKD watershed, respectively. Moreover IWD interventions helped in reducing soil loss more than 50% compared to control watershed. The results demonstrated that integrated watershed management practices addressed issues of poverty in GM watershed. Benefit to cost ratio of project interventions was found three and pay back period within four years suggest economic feasibility to scale-up IWD interventions in Bundelkhend region. Scaling-up of integrated watershed management in drought prone rainfed areas with enabling policy and institutional support is expected to promote equity and livelihood along with strengthening various ecosystem services, however, region-specific analysis is needed to assess trade-offs for downstream areas along with onsite impact. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The role of Boolean functions is prominent in several areas including cryptography, sequences, and coding theory. Therefore, various methods for the construction of Boolean functions with desired properties are of direct interest. New motivations on the role of Boolean functions in cryptography with attendant new properties have emerged over the years. There are still many combinations of design criteria left unexplored and in this matter evolutionary computation can play a distinct role. This article concentrates on two scenarios for the use of Boolean functions in cryptography. The first uses Boolean functions as the source of the nonlinearity in filter and combiner generators. Although relatively well explored using evolutionary algorithms, it still presents an interesting goal in terms of the practical sizes of Boolean functions. The second scenario appeared rather recently where the objective is to find Boolean functions that have various orders of the correlation immunity and minimal Hamming weight. In both these scenarios we see that evolutionary algorithms are able to find high-quality solutions where genetic programming performs the best.
Based on the same toxic level of 0.6% LC50 for 96-h and the severe situation of water pollution, we compared effects of chronic Zn (180 mu g L-1) and Cd exposures (30 mu g L-1) on growth, survival, histology, ultrastructure, and oxidative stress in the liver of zebrafish for 5 weeks. Growth performance and survival rate remained relatively constant under Zn stress, but was reduced under Cd exposure. Cd exposure also induced severe pyknotic nuclei, evident ultrastructure damage, and considerable lipid inclusions in the hepatocytes. However, these phenomena were not pronounced under Zn exposure. The negative effects caused by Cd may be explained by an increase in hepatic oxidative damage, as reflected by the enhanced levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonylation (PC). The reduced activity of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and catalase (CAT) may result in the enhanced hepatic oxidative damage, though the mRNA and protein levels of both genes increased and remained unchanged respectively. On the contrary, Zn up-regulated the levels of mRNA, protein and activity of Cu/Zn-SOD, which may contribute to the decreased LPO levels. Nonetheless, the sharply up-regulated mRNA levels of CAT did not induce an increase in the protein and activity levels of CAT under Zn stress. Furthermore, transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression parelleled with its target genes, suggesting that Nrf2 is required for the protracted induction of antioxidant genes. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that essential and non-essential metals induced some differences in oxidative damage in fish. The differences were not caused by the transcriptional level of related genes but depended on post-transcriptional modifications. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The job of the project manager (PM) is both exciting and complex, requiring a range of skills and adaptability, especially in a different culture and that, to be effective and therefore carry out a project. Therefore, the effectiveness of those facing a multicultural team or assigned to international projects depends not only on their technical skills, but also to a large extent intercultural skills, to personal qualities, including the ability to adapt and collaboration in a different cultural environment. This research focuses in this context and proposes to study precisely the relationship between intercultural competence and efficiency of PM in intercultural situations. To define the relationship between factors of intercultural competence and effectiveness in intercultural situations, four questionnaires and one interview were used on a sample of 125 subjects (a heterogeneous sample from the University of Limoges, France). Some factors, such as the person perception are the same as those defined by the authors and theorists. The four questionnaires used describe the intercultural competences, communication style, the emotional intelligence level and the potential role that a person could play when he/she is part of a team. The first test used was the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), questionnaire used for measuring the group behavioral. The second test used was the communication style questionnaire, used to identify the main communication styles within an organization: action-oriented communication style, process-oriented communication style, people-oriented communication style and ideas oriented communication style. The emotional intelligence questionnaire was the third test used to identify the importance of the basic skills that determine the success of an organization. The last test used, the Belbin Team Role Inventory, also called the Belbin Self-Perception Inventory was used to measure the preference for Team Roles (Coordinator, Shaper, Monitor Evaluator, Team worker, Implementer, Plant, Resource Investigator, Finisher, and the Specialist a Team Role added by Belbin in 1993). The research variables used: age, nationality, residence (urban/rural), high school graduate and profile. All subjects worked in collaborative activities or projects. From the beginning, all the subjects were informed about the research activity and the data confidentiality. The subjects' average age was 36 years old. Regarding their residency 78% are living in an urban residency and only 22% are living in a rural residency. The subjects' nationality was: French, Chinese, Ivorian, Spanish and Swiss. For data collections were used four questionnaires and one interview. Data collection results began in May 2013 and ended in July 2013. Statistical processing will be performed with the specific version of Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and Sphinx Plus(2)- Lexica Edition - V5. Based on the literature review, in the research was identified that cultural heterogeneity had a significant influence on the process and could lead to the conflicts emergence with a negative impact on the teams' results. Managing multicultural project teams and the ability to manage diversity will probably be the key skills required for the managers of tomorrow.
Background: Emerging evidence suggests that a subset of FMR1 premutation carriers is at an increased risk for cognitive, emotional, and medical conditions. However, because the premutation is rarely diagnosed at birth, the early developmental trajectories of children with a premutation are not known. Methods: This exploratory study examined the cognitive, communication, and social-behavioral profiles of 26 infants with a premutation who were identified through participation in a newborn screening for fragile X syndrome pilot study. In this study, families whose newborn screened positive for an FMR1 premutation were invited to participate in a longitudinal study of early development. Twenty-six infants with the premutation and 21 matched, screen-negative comparison babies were assessed using validated standardized measures at 6-month intervals starting as young as 3 months of age. The babies were assessed up to seven times over a 4-year period. Results: The premutation group was not statistically different from the comparison group on measures of cognitive development, adaptive behavior, temperament, or overall communication. However, the babies with the premutation had a significantly different developmental trajectory on measures of nonverbal communication and hyperresponsivity to sensory experiences. They also were significantly more hyporesponsive at all ages than the comparison group. Cytosine-guanine-guanine repeat length was linearly associated with overall cognitive development. Conclusions: These results suggest that infants with a premutation may present with subtle developmental differences as young as 12 months of age that may be early markers of later anxiety, social deficits, or other challenges thought to be experienced by a subset of carriers.
Situation prediction is an increasingly important focus in network security. The information of incoming security situation in the network is important and helps the network administrator to make good decisions before taking some defense remedies towards the attack exploitation. Although Grey Verhulst prediction model has demonstrated satisfactory results in other fields but some further investigations are still required to improve its performance in predicting incoming network security situation. In order to attain higher predictive accuracy of the existing Grey Verhulst prediction models, this paper tends to seek an enhancement of the adaptive Grey Verhulst security situation prediction model by forecasting the incoming residual based on the historical prediction residuals. The proposed model applied Kalman Filtering algorithm to predict the residual in the next time-frame and closer the deviation between the predicted and actual network security situation. Benchmark datasets such as DARPA 1999 and 2000 have been used to verify the accuracy of the proposed model. The results shown that the enhanced adaptive Grey Verhulst prediction model has better prediction capability in predicting incoming network security situation and also achieved a significant improvement compared to other Grey Verhulst prediction models.
When it comes to person perception, does one judge a book by its cover? Perceivers made judgments of liking, and of personality, based on a photograph of an unknown other, and at least 1 month later, made judgments following a face-to-face interaction with the same person. Photograph-based liking judgments predicted interaction-based liking judgments, and, to a lesser extent, photograph-based personality judgments predicted interaction-based personality judgments (except for extraversion). Consistency in liking judgments (1) partly reflected behavioral confirmation (i.e., perceivers with favorable photograph-based judgments behaved more warmly toward the target during the live interaction, which elicited greater target warmth); (2) explained, at least in part, consistency in personality judgments (reflecting a halo effect); and (3) remained robust even after controlling for perceiver effects, target effects, and perceived attractiveness. These findings support the view that even after having read a book, one still, to some extent, judges it by its cover.
In manufacturing engineering optimization, it is often that one encounters scenarios that are multi-objective (where each of the objectives portray different aspects of the problem). Thus, it is crucial for the engineer to have access to multiple solution choices before selecting of the best solution. In this work, a novel approach that merges meta-heuristic algorithms with the Normal Boundary Intersection (NBI) method is introduced. This method then is used generate optimal solution options to the green sand mould system problem. This NBI based method provides a near-uniform spread of the Pareto frontier in which multiple solutions with gradual trade-offs in the objectives are obtained. Some comparative studies were then carried out with the algorithms developed and used in this work and that from some previous work. Analysis on the performance as well as the quality of the solutions produced by the algorithms is presented here. (C) 2012 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
By 2030 South Africa (SA), a developing country, is predicted to be severely impacted by physical water scarcity. In order to avert a future water crisis, the country needs to find ways to reduce its reliance on conventional surface water schemes based on impoundments on rivers. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an alternative water resource. To date, the viability of domestic RWH within an urban setting has not been adequately considered in SA. The purpose of this study was thus to address this omission through the detailed modelling of a representative catchment. The Liesbeek River Catchment in Cape Town comprising some 6 200 domestic properties in 6 suburbs covering an area of around 1 300 ha - was chosen for this purpose; and a new computational tool, the Urban Rainwater/Stormwater Harvesting model (URSHM), was developed to take best advantage of the available data. The analysis showed that: RWH was only economically viable for a minority of property owners; climate change is likely to have limited impact on the performance of RWH systems; and - contrary to some claims - RWH is an unreliable means of attenuating peak stormwater flows.
Positive youth development is critical for African American youth as they negotiate a social, political, and historical landscape grounded in systemic inequities and racism. One possible, yet understudied, approach to promote positive youth development is to increase African American youth consciousness and connection to their Africentric values and culture. The primary purpose of this article was to investigate the degree to which cultural and group consciousness factors (i.e., cultural orientation, Africentric values, and racial socialization) predicted positive youth development (i.e., future orientation, prosocial behavior, political/community, and social justice/equality civic mindedness) and how these might differ by gender. This article utilized survey data from 1,930 African American youth participants of the Pen or Pencil mentoring program. Results generally indicated that cultural orientation, Africentric values and, to a lesser degree, racial socialization, predicted positive youth development variables, with these effects varying by gender. These findings suggest that enhancing cultural consciousness may support the positive development of African American youth, although male and female youth may respond to these efforts in different ways.
In today's data centers supporting Internet-scale computing and input/output (I/O) services, increasinglymore network-intensive applications are deployed on the network as a service. To this end, it is critical for the applications to quickly retrieve requests from the network and send their responses to the network. To facilitate this network function, operating system usually provides an event notification mechanism so that the applications (or the library) know if the network is ready to supply data for them to read or to receive data for them to write. As a widely used and representative notification mechanism, epoll in Linux provides a scalable and high-performance implementation by allowing applications to specifically indicate which connections and what events on them need to be watched. As epoll has been used in some major systems, including key-value (KV) systems, such as Redis and Memcached, and web server systems such as NGINX, we have identified a substantial performance issue in its use. For the sake of efficiency, applications usually use epoll's system calls to inform the kernel exactly of what events they are interested in and always keep the information up-to-date. However, in a system with demanding network traffic, such a rigid maintenance of the information is not necessary and the excess number of system calls for this purpose can substantially degrade the system's performance. In this paper, we use Redis as an example to explore the issue. We propose a strategy of informing the kernel of the interest events in a manner adaptive to the current network load, so that the epoll system calls can be reduced and the events can be efficiently delivered. We have implemented an event-polling library, named as FlexPoll, purely in user-level without modifying any kernel code. Our evaluation on Redis shows that the query throughput can be improved by up to 46.9% on micro-benchmarks, and even up to 67.8% on workloads emulating real-world access patterns. FlexPoll is a generic mechanism thus it can be adopted by other applications in a straightforward manner, such as NGINX and Memcached.
Studying the patterns hidden in gene expression data helps to understand the functionality of genes. But due to the large volume of genes and the complexity of biological networks it is difficult to study the resulting mass of data which often consists of millions of measurements. In order to reveal natural structures and to identify interesting patterns from the given gene expression data set, clustering techniques are applied. Semi-supervised classification is a new direction of machine learning. It requires huge unlabeled data and a few labeled data. Semi-supervised classification in general performs better than unsupervised classification. But to the best of our knowledge there are no works for solving gene expression data clustering problem using semi-supervised classification techniques. In the current paper we have made an attempt to solve the gene expression data clustering problem using a multiobjective optimization based semi-supervised classification technique with the aim to attain good quality partitions by using few labeled data. In order to generate the labeled data, initially Fuzzy C-means clustering technique is applied. In order to automatically determine the partitioning, multiple cluster centers corresponding to a cluster are encoded in the form of a string. In order to compute the quality of the obtained partitioning, values of five objective functions are computed. The effectiveness of this proposed semi-supervised clustering technique is demonstrated on five publicly available benchmark gene expression data sets. Comparison results with the existing techniques for gene expression data clustering prove that the proposed method is the most effective one. Statistical and biological significance tests have also been carried out.
Social dominance orientation (SDO) has been theorized as a stable, early-emerging trait influencing outgroup evaluations, a view supported by evidence from cross-sectional and two-wave longitudinal research. Yet, the limitations of identifying causal paths with cross-sectional and two-wave designs are increasingly being acknowledged. This article presents the first use of multi-wave data to test the over-time relationship between SDO and outgroup affect among young people. We use cross-lagged and latent growth modeling (LGM) of a three-wave data set employing Norwegian adolescents (over 2 years, N = 453) and a five-wave data set with American university students (over 4 years, N = 748). Overall, SDO exhibits high temporal rank-order stability and predicts changes in outgroup affect. This research represents the strongest test to date of SDO's role as a stable trait that influences the development of prejudice, while highlighting LGM as a valuable tool for social and political psychology.
The parent-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-P) is a widely used scale that assesses children's and adolescents' strengths and difficulties. The present study applied this scale to Italian adolescents and compared the current results with previous Chinese findings and the United Kingdom norm. Participants were 422 Italian parents and their adolescent children. Parents and adolescents answered the parent-report and the self-report SDQ, respectively. Results showed that the five-factor first-order model was better than other competing models. Cronbach's alpha of emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, prosocial behavior, and total difficulties was .63, .52, .69, .51, .59, and .77 respectively for mother-report measure, and .67, .48, .67, .46, .55, and .79 respectively for father-report measure. Parent-adolescent agreements ranged from low to medium, whereas mother-father agreements were large. Parents did not rate boys and girls as well as early-adolescence and mid-adolescence differently. Italian parents rated their adolescent children to have lower levels of hyperactivity, peer problems, total difficulties, and higher levels of prosocial behavior than Chinese parents; and Italian mothers rated their adolescent children to have lower levels of hyperactivity than United Kingdom parents. In conclusion, the current findings suggest both strengths and inadequacies of the SDQ-P for Italian adolescents.
Model order reduction (MOR) techniques play a crucial role in the computer-aided design of modern integrated circuits, where they are used to reduce the size of parasitic networks. Unfortunately, the efficient reduction of passive networks with many ports is still an open problem. Existing techniques do not scale well with the number of ports, and lead to dense reduced models that burden subsequent simulations. In this paper, we propose TurboMOR-RC, a novel MOR technique for the efficient reduction of passive RC networks. TurboMOR-RC is based on moment-matching at dc, achieved through efficient congruence transformations based on Householder reflections. A novel feature of TurboMOR-RC is the block-diagonal structure of the reduced models, that makes them more efficient than the dense models produced by existing techniques. Moreover, the model structure allows for an insightful interpretation of the reduction process in terms of system theory. Numerical results show that TurboMOR-RC scales more favorably than existing techniques in terms of reduction time, simulation time, and memory consumption.
Recent data indicate that there are large disparities in the use of opioid analgesics to control breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) in Europe and worldwide. While it is clear that affordability is a key factor, it is certainly not the only one, and other factors, such as cultural differences and overall awareness, are undoubtedly responsible. More work remains to be done to overcome barriers in the use of these medications when warranted. When prescribing a medication for BTcP, it must be considered that its time profile is different from chronic persistent pain. The best control of background pain can best be achieved with a low dose of an extended opioid, and managing BTcP with a rapid-onset opioid, providing a good combination of overall pain control and lower opioid exposure. Notwithstanding their efficacy, greater attention needs to be paid to inappropriate use of opioids. It is important to evaluate patients for potential opioid misuse, including assessment of risk factors, and aberrant drug-taking behaviours must be investigated. In our institution, several measures have been adopted in this patient population in order to prevent aberrant opioid-induced behaviours. The adoption of some or all of these principles, depending on the individual patient and treatment setting, can undoubtedly help to reduce the risk of developing an aberrant behaviour related to opioid use as rescue medication for BTcP.
Confined impinging jets (CIJs) are highly efficient mixers. The scales of mixing in CIJs are controlled by the opposed jets interaction. A mechanistic model is described here, which accurately predicts the impinging position of the opposed jets for a large range of flow rate ratios. The impinging point position is shown to impact the dynamic properties of the flow and the achieved mixing quality. The opposed jets kinetic energy ratio is shown to have a critical impact on mixing, similar to the Reynolds number. A mixing chamber design relation is proposed and verified for the opposed injectors diameters ratio, d(1)/d(2), which enables to operate CIJs under optimum mixing conditions for large ranges of flow rate ratios, viscosity and density ratios between the opposed streams. Optimum d(1)/d(2) values have asymptotes for large and small Reynolds number depending on the process stoichiometry viscosity, and density ratios of the opposed jet streams. (C) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers
When talking about energy conservation, Rebound Effect (RE) is always concerned, which defined as the increasing energy consumption relative to the counterfactual predicted by technological progress because of efficiency induced decrease in the real price of energy services. In this paper, we try to find a way to figure out the RE through calculating the substitution relations accord with the definition. Based on the trans-log cost function and considering the asymmetric impact on energy-cost share equation, the paper applies Allen-Uzawa substitution elasticity to establish the price-oriented analysis diagram of fossil-energy consumption RE. 'Using time series data, applying the joint method of the dynamic OLS (DOLS) and the seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR), the RE in China's electricity generation sector is estimated. The results showed that the RE is 11.6% in China's electricity generation sector if allowing for asymmetric price effects, which indicates that China's power generation sector generally displays a feature of energy saving.
Purpose: A subgroup of individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) displays social difficulties; however, it is not clear if individuals with comorbid autism spectrum disorders account for these difficulties. Methods: We compared social function using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in 43 young females with first-episode AN who did not have comorbid autism spectrum disorder, 28 individuals recovered from adolescent-onset AN, and 41 healthy comparison individuals (age range 14-22 years). We measured adaptive behavior with the Vineland-II parent questionnaire, and aspects of social cognition with psychological tests, such as the Reading-the-Mind-in-the-Eyes test, Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity short version, The Awareness of Social Inference Test, Animated Triangles, and the CANTAB Affective Go/No-go task. Results: Participants with first-episode AN and those recovered from AN displayed difficulties in social function, which were not associated with body mass index or other state factors of the disorder in those with first-episode AN. Mood problems and anxiety were not associated with these difficulties. Parents rated participants with first-episode AN lower than recovered and control participants on the Socialization Domain of Vineland-II. Finally, only participants recovered from AN demonstrated deficits in specific domains of social cognition: perceiving nonverbal bodily gesture and vocal prosody. Conclusions: Young females with first-episode AN and those recovered from AN displayed impairments in social function, which may represent more stable traits of the disorder. Only participants recovered from AN demonstrated deficits in social cognition. (C) 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.
In this paper, two discrete-time control schemes are presented for induction motors (IMs) based on the discrete-time sliding-mode technique. The first controller is designed using the equivalent control method. The second controller is based on a discrete-time equivalent of the super-twisting algorithm, in which the sliding-mode dynamics is robustified by adding an integral action. The non-measurable rotor fluxes are estimated by two observers. The first observer design is based on a simple copy of the rotor flux dynamics, whereas the second observer design is based on the sliding-mode technique. A simulation study was carried out for the evaluation of the closed-loop performance of the IM at different sampling periods and to compare results with other discrete-time control techniques. Moreover, the robust performance of the closed-loop IM is investigated under external and internal perturbations. The simulation study predicts that the IM, when in closed-loop with one of the proposed controllers, still performs well at a sampling time of 1250 mu s, whereas other control strategies start to lose accuracy. Real-time experiments were finally carried out, where the good performance of the proposed strategy is verified.
In order to locate source signal more accurately in authorized frequency bands, a novel primary user localization algorithm based on compressive sensing (PU-CSL) in cognitive radio networks (CRNs) is proposed in this paper. In comparison to existing centroid locating algorithms, PU-CSL shows higher locating accuracy for integrally exploring correlation between source signal and secondary users (SUs). Energy detection is first adopted for collecting the energy fingerprint of source signal at each SU, then degree of correlation between source signal and SUs is reconstructed based on compressive sensing (CS), which determines weights of centroid coordinates. A weighted centroid scheme is finally utilized to estimate source position. Simulation results show that PU-CSL has smaller maximum error of positioning and root-mean-square error. Moreover, the proposed PU-CSL algorithm possess excellent location accuracy and strong anti-noise performance.
A new approach to implement a smart ecosystem for freight transportation is proposed. It is aimed to improve efficiency, safety, security and sustainability by including ambient intelligence in both the containers and the infrastructure that supports them. It involves technological as well as organizational and logistic improvements to achieve this goal. The approach is developed in an R+D project named ECOTRANSIT funded by the Spanish MINECO and involving the University of Seville and the Public University of Navarre. The proposal represents a qualitative step beyond existing projects, with innovation in key areas such as logistics and in critical enabling technologies like microelectronics and ICTs.
This study provides a timely and flexible location-aware service (LAS) to mobile users in a dynamic environment. Few previous studies have examined similar concepts. In the proposed methodology, the inaccuracy of user positioning and the uncertainty of manual service preparation are considered and modeled by using fuzzy numbers. These numbers are used as inputs to establish a fuzzy integer-nonlinear programming model applied in identifying the most suitable service location and path. A required service is prepared immediately before a user reaches the recommended service location. To manage simultaneous requests from multiple users, the concepts of fuzzy modeling, route planning, and parallel machine scheduling are combined. Thus, the proposed LAS can distribute multiple users among service locations, thereby enabling users to avoid unnecessary waiting, which is a major problem associated with existing LASs. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, two experiments were conducted in small areas in Taichung City and Taipei City, Taiwan. The experimental results revealed that the waiting times of users were substantially reduced, increasing the average satisfaction level. However, improving the accuracy of user positioning does not necessarily facilitate achieving a high average satisfaction level. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Design education is in need of a wider restructuring to accommodate new developments and paradigmatic shifts brought forth by the information age, all of which capitalise a move towards complexity theory, systems science and digital technologies. The intention of this article is to approach one particular aspect of this need: that is, how basic design education can be reconsidered to establish the arguably broken link between the 'learning by doing' tradition of a Bauhaus-oriented basic design education with the computational and parametric logic necessitated by contemporary design technologies. The authors present the overall outlines of a basic design course as offered in Beykent University Department of Industrial Design in Istanbul, Turkey. The programme consists of a series of exercises grouped in five modules and two 'binders' that are structured to link the fundamental notions and operations of design thinking covered in basic design courses of the first year with the analytical and computational-reasoning competencies that are developed mostly in the later years of design education.
Shoreline monitoring is essential for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). It provides the necessary information needed to manage the settlement of coastal areas, establishes guidelines for management of socioeconomic activities within the coastal areas, provides information necessary for recovery actions of beach regeneration, and provides a reference baseline for studies related to climate change in coastal zones. Shoreline monitoring methods are largely dependent on goals, costs, implementation, and applicability. For monitoring of short coastal shorelines (e.g., tens to hundreds of kilometers), global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based methods are emerging as low-cost approaches that offer rapid, weather-independent, and quickly updatable products that could benefit policy makers when high costs of traditional methods, such as photogrammetry and remote sensing, are of concern. However, various GNSS methods applicable to shoreline monitoring exist, making it difficult for decision makers to choose a suitable approach. Using a case study of the Pernambuco State ICZM in Brazil, this study evaluates three of the most commonly used GNSS-based shoreline monitoring methods, that is, relative kinematic (RK), real-time kinematic (RTK), and precise point positioning (PPP) methods. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of their strengths and limitations. The results highlight the issues and important considerations in choosing an economically viable GNSS method for mapping shoreline changes, particularly for supporting ICZM policies.
Nowadays elders, often find it difficult to keep track of their cognitive and functional abilities required for remaining independent in their homes. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) are the Ambient Intelligence based technologies for the support of daily activities to elders. Traditional rehabilitation is an example of a common activity elders may require and that usually implies they move to the rehabilitation clinics, which is the main reason for treatment discontinuation. Tele-rehabilitation is a solution that not only may help elders but also their family members and health professionals to monitor elder's treatment. The purpose of this paper is to present a tele-rehabilitation system that uses the motion-tracking sensor of the Kinect, to allow the elderly users natural interaction, combined with a set of external sensors as a form of input. Data fusion techniques are applied in order to integrate these data for detecting right movements and to monitor elder's treatment in the rehabilitation process.
Changes in chemical, microstructural, and barrier properties of two commonly used and commercially available waxes - a microcrystalline wax (Renaissance wax) and a microcrystalline and carnauba blended wax (Butcher's Boston Polish Amber Paste Wax) - for the prevention of corrosion on outdoor metalwork were investigated. The waxes were applied to both plain and patinated substrates of bronze and steel, and properties of the films were measured before and after weathering. Accelerated weathering was performed by accelerated UV-B illumination/condensation and outdoor weathering under standard South Florida exposures and in Portland, OR. Comparison of Fourier transformed micro-infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra enabled characterization of chemical functional groups of these waxes as they weathered and showed relative increases in methylene character suggestive of cross-linking, appearance of terminal vinyl bands suggestive of chain-scission, and evidence of oxidative film damage. After annealing, microstructural changes were observed by thin-film X-ray diffraction and showed a decrease in crystallinity, which indicates a decrease in barrier properties. The barrier properties of the wax films after weathering were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and equivalent electrical circuits provided insights into the physical state of the films. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data showed that the permittivity of the weathered waxed panels increased, which was observed as a decrease in coating resistance and an increase in coating capacitance. Photographic documentation of the substrates showed extensive visible corrosion upon weathering. Our results demonstrate that waxed metal panels exposed outdoors do not have a period of stability when the protective qualities of the film do not change. This suggests that while waxes are commonly used to protect against corrosion, their barrier properties are affected by flaws in the microstructure and their susceptibility to chemical alteration during weathering. Results from a blind study with professional conservators as the participants are presented, to elucidate how they rank the importance of such factors as gloss and working lifetime when selecting protective coatings.
Atmospheric water vapor plays an important role in hydrologic cycle and climate change of the Earth. A number of studies have focused on retrieval of the total precipitable water (TPW) using microwave or optical remote sensing. In this paper, the global quarter-degree gridded TPW over land was retrieved using water vapor sensitivity parameter Delta Tb-18.7/Delta Tb-23.8 based on the combination of AMSR-E and MODIS observations. There are two major improvements in the retrieval algorithm, including optimization of the estimation model of surface emissivity Delta epsilon(18.7)/Delta epsilon(23.8) and correction of the terrain influence to the retrieval of TPW using DEM. To obtain a high resolution TPW, we also developed an algorithm to downscale the retrieved quarter-degree gridded TPW to a fine scale of 0.05 degrees x 0.05 degrees using DEM and NDVI. In addition, the downscaled TPW was further calibrated using high precision TPW from MODIS in the clear-sky condition to improve its accuracy. Finally, both quarter-degree and 0.05 degrees x 0.05 degrees gridded TPW were validated against SuomiNet GPS retrieved TPW on a global scale. The RMSE for the retrieved quarter-degree gridded global TPW is 3.45 mm, with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. In addition, the RMSE for the downscaled 0.05 degrees x 0.05 degrees gridded global TPW is 4.18 mm, with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. An obvious advantage of our algorithm compared with MODIS TPW product is that it can retrieve TPW under cloudy sky condition over land. The algorithm developed in this study can be easily transferred to AMSR2 on board GCOM-W1 and provides the long-term global daily TPW over land since the launch of Aqua to present day to support hydrologic cycle and climate change studies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This article reports an observational study exploring the effects of naturally-occurring hearing impairments on musicians' behaviour and communication with each other while rehearsing and performing. Two groups of three pianists and three flautists, one in each group with normal hearing, and the others moderately or profoundly deaf, formed duos working on two pieces of music: a movement from a Bach flute sonata and a new composition. The profoundly deaf musicians spent significantly more time looking at and talking to their co-performers than moderately deaf and hearing players. In response, hearing players looked at and talked more to their profoundly deaf partners. Profoundly deaf players also spent significantly less time on complete runs of the pieces from start to finish, without stops. While these findings have implications for the teaching and practice of musicians with and without hearing impairments, we suggest that social factors are as, if not more, important to the success of collaborative musical performance.
The development and performance characterization of a new differential pressure-based flow meter for human breath measurements is presented in this article. The device, called a Confined Pitot Tube, is comprised of a pipe with an elliptically shaped expansion cavity located in the pipe center, and an elliptical disk inside the expansion cavity. The elliptical disk, named Pitot Tube, is exchangeable, and has different diameters, which are smaller than the diameter of the elliptical cavity. The gap between the disk and the cavity allows the flow of human breath to pass through. The disk causes an obstruction in the flow inside the pipe, but the elliptical cavity provides an expansion for the flow to circulate around the disk, decreasing the overall flow resistance. We characterize the new sensor flow experimentally and theoretically, using Comsol Multiphysics((R)) software with laminar and turbulent models. We also validate the sensor, using inhalation and exhalation tests and a reference method. (c) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 956-964, 2016
Computer-aided design (CAD) models of thin-walled parts, such as sheet metal or plastic parts, are often represented by their corresponding midsurfaces for computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis. The reason being, 2D surface elements, such as shell elements, which need to be placed on the midsurface, provide fairly accurate results, while requiring far lesser computational resources time compared to the analysis using 3D solid elements. Existing approachesof midsurface computation are not reliable and robust. They result in ill-connected midsurfaces having missing patches, gaps, overlaps, etc. These errors need to be corrected, mostly by a manual and time-consuming process, requiring from hours to even days. Thus, an automatic and robust technique for computation of a well-connected midsurface is the need of the hour. This paper proposes an approachwhich, instead of working on the complex final solid shape, typically represented by B-rep (boundary representation), leverages feature information available in the modern CAD models for techniques such as defeaturing, generalization, and decomposition. Here, first, the model is defeaturedby removing irrelevant features, generating a simplified shape called gross shape. The remaining features are then generalizedto their corresponding generic loft-feature equivalents. The model is then decomposed into sub-volumes, called cells having respective owner loft features. A graph is populated, with the cells at the graph nodes. The nodes are classified into midsurface patch-generating nodes (called 'solid cells' or sCells) and interaction-resolving nodes (called 'interface cells' or iCells). Using owner loft feature's parameters, sCells compute their own midsurface patches. Using a generic logic, the patches then get connected appropriately in the iCells, resulting in a well-connected midsurface. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated by computing well-connected midsurfaces of various real-life sheet metal parts.
Increasing evidence indicates that patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis (CIA), including rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathies, have an increased risk of arrhythmic events, significantly contributing to the higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality observed in these subjects compared to the general population. Although the mechanisms accounting for such an arrhythmogenic substrate are not fully understood, the main role is probably played by chronic systemic inflammation, able to accelerate the development of structural CVD, as well as to directly affect cardiac electrophysiology. In the past decade, biologic therapies have revolutionized the treatment of CIA by highly enhancing the probability to effectively control disease activity and its systemic consequences, including cardiovascular involvement. Accordingly, accumulating data demonstrated that by potently inhibiting systemic inflammation, biologic drugs can reduce CVD progression and ameliorate arrhythmic risk parameters, with a putative beneficial impact on arrhythmia incidence. Nevertheless, a significant number of reports from clinical trials and postmarketing experience suggest that some of these medications, particularly TNF inhibitor monoclonal antibodies and rituximab, may in some circumstances precipitate arrhythmia occurrence, probably by acutely amplifying myocardial electric instability intrinsically associated with these diseases. In this review, we analyze the intricate link between biologic drugs and arrhythmias in CIA in the effort to identify which factors are involved in the fine-tuning of antiarrhythmic/pro-arrhythmic balance, and understand how this knowledge should be translated in the clinical practice to obtain the most favorable benefit-to-risk profile when biologic drugs are used in these patients.
Mental illness and substance use are overrepresented within urban homeless populations. This paper compared substance use patterns between homeless individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum (SS) and bipolar disorders (BD) using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. From a sample of 497 subjects drawn from Vancouver, Canada who participated in the At Home/ Chez Soi study, 146 and 94 homeless individuals were identified as BD and SS, respectively. In the previous 12 months, a greater proportion of BD homeless reported greater use of cocaine (chi(2)= 20.0, p = 0.000), amphetamines (chi(2) = 13,8, p = 0.000), opiates (chi(2) = 24.6, p = 0.000), hallucinogens (chi(2) = 11.7, p = 0.000), cannabinoids (chi(2) = 5.05, p = 0.034), and tranquilizers (chi(2) = 7.95, p = 0.004) compared to SS. Cocaine and opiates were significantly associated with BD homeless (chi(2) = 39.06, df = 2, p < 0.000). The present study illustrates the relationship between substance use and BD in a vulnerable urban population of homeless, affected by adverse psychosocial factors and severe psychiatric conditions.
Background: Reports of frequent manifestation of allergic diseases in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been the subject of mounting clinical interest. However, evidence supporting the association between ADHD and allergies is inconsistent and has yet to be systematically reviewed. The objective of this study was to compile and assess available studies on the association between ADHD and allergic diseases in children. Methods: A comprehensive search using MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and CINAHL databases was completed in 23 November 2015. The inclusion criteria for studies were that the research assessed allergic diseases in children, 18 years of age and younger, with a diagnosis of ADHD and that a distinct comparison group was incorporated. Any comparative studies, encompassing both randomized controlled trials and observational studies, were considered for inclusion. Two review authors independently assessed the quality of the selected studies by the use of validated assessment tools, performed data extraction and conducted meta-analysis according to Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Results: Five eligible studies were included in this systematic review. Of these studies, three were case-control and two were cross sectional studies. A majority of information from the five studies was classified as having low or unclear risk of bias. The meta-analysis showed an association between children with ADHD and asthma compared with the control groups (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.57 - 2.07; five studies, low quality of evidence), but did not indicate an association between food allergy and ADHD (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.88 - 1.47; three studies very low quality of evidence). The odds of experiencing allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and allergic conjunctivitis were slightly higher in children with ADHD compared with control groups, though a substantial statistical heterogeneity was notable in the overall effect estimates. Conclusions: The findings from this review and meta-analysis show that children with ADHD are more likely to have asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and allergic conjunctivitis than their counterparts. Interventions including strategies for managing allergies in children with ADHD would be beneficial.
The production of azo derivatives of a di-amino analogue of Troger's base (Hunlich base), by employing the standard procedures of diazotization, azo-coupling and Williamson etherification is described here. These versatile molecules possess a.-shaped core, photoswitchable groups and some carry two modifiable extremities to enable further synthesis or molecular assembly. The synthesis is straightforward and requires inexpensive starting materials, which facilitates their application to different fields of research such as light-driven molecular machine design.
The efficient operation of reservoirs relies on the effective release of water during flooding, requiring a good understanding of spillways and their hydraulics. A series of experiments was conducted in a laboratory flume on a stepped spillway model with moderate slope (26.68) for discharges up to 0.0121 m(3)/s. Using regular uniform horizontal steps of 5 cm height, then several new step configurations including inclined and horizontal curved steps with and without reflector blocks, the flow patterns were investigated. The energy losses over a horizontal stepped spillway were compared with those obtained in a number of similar, previous studies, and with the results obtained for the new step configurations. Good agreement was shown with previous results for horizontal steps, and the inclined and horizontal curved steps dissipated about twice as much energy as the horizontal steps. The results highlight the importance of considering a variety of step forms in spillway design where flows are unpredictable and energy dissipation is important.
Over recent decades, water conservation have become increasingly an utmost important issue for debate, and this includes the domestic sector. Reducing demand water by improving the efficiency of water use in domestic sector requires an understanding of how water is used and in what ways water savings can be realized. The focus of this global, web-based, consumer questionnaire survey was to analyze individual consumer attitudes towards using water in manual dishwashing and understand the likelihood of a prospect of changing the daily manual dishwashing method resulting to a more efficient domestic usage of water. This study was designed to investigate the manual dishwashing technique used in the 5249 households of nine different countries - China, Germany, Italy, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, India, South Africa and Argentina. Besides socio-demographics, technical questions like cleaning steps, hygiene questions motivational question, environmental awareness questions, questions on payment for water and electricity, questions on information sources about household work were included in the study. It was found that the awareness to conserve water was common among the Asian participants but it necessarily was not practiced in the households as individual washing of dishes was found to be quite high. Among the many outcomes, important one was that running tap method' was found to be most prevalent (86%) among Russian participants, complimenting their detached approach towards conserving domestic water usage. In South American countries like Brazil (66%) and Argentina (51%), high occurrence of running tap rinse' was found to be a common practice, confirming the lack of conscious use of water in manual dishwashing in the subcontinent. Based on the overall responses, awareness of a new and efficient technique of manual dishwashing could be propagated through the most voted mediums of Internet (81%) and TV (69%).
Eyes play an important role in expressing emotions in nonverbal communication. In the present study, emotional expression classification was performed based on the features that were automatically extracted from the eye area. First, the face area and the eye area were automatically extracted from the captured image. Afterwards, the parameters to be used for the analysis through discrete wavelet transformation were obtained from the eye area. Using these parameters, emotional expression analysis was performed through artificial intelligence techniques. As the result of the experimental studies, 6 universal emotions consisting of expressions of happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, anger and fear were classified at a success rate of 84% using artificial neural networks.
The ability to attribute and represent others' mental states (e.g., beliefs; so-called theory of mind) is essential for participation in human social interaction. Despite a considerable body of research using tasks in which protagonists in the participants' attentional focus held false or true beliefs, the question of automatic belief attribution to bystander agents has received little attention. In the current study, we presented adults and 6-year-olds (N = 92) with an implicit computer-based avoidance false-belief task in which participants were asked to place an object into one of three boxes. While doing so, we manipulated the beliefs of an irrelevant human-like or non-human-like bystander agent who was visible on the screen. Importantly, the bystander agent's beliefs were irrelevant for solving the task. Still, children's decision making was significantly influenced by the bystander agent's beliefs even if this was a non-human-like self-propelled object. Such an influence did not become obvious in adults' deliberate decisions but occurred only in their reaction times, which suggests that they also processed the bystander agent's beliefs but were able to suppress the influence of such beliefs on their behavior regulation. The results of a control study (N = 53) ruled out low-level explanations and confirmed that self-propelledness of agents is a necessary factor for belief attribution to occur. Thus, not only do humans spontaneously ascribe beliefs to self-propelled bystander agents, but those beliefs even influence meaningful decisions in children. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Round the globe mobile devices like Smartphone, PDAs & tablets are playing an essential role in every person day to day lives. Various operating systems such as android, ios, blackberry etc provides a platform for smart devices. Google's Android is a one of the most popular and user friendly open source software platform for mobile devices. Along with its convenience people are likely to download and install malicious applications developed to misguide the user which will create a security gap to penetrate for the attacker. Hackers are inclined to discover and exploit the new vulnerabilities which will bring forth with the latest version of Android. In this paper, we concentrate on examining and understanding the vulnerabilities exist in android operating system. We will also suggest a metadata model which gives the information of all the related terms required for vulnerability assessment. Here, analyzing data is extracted from Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB) and National Vulnerability Database (NVD).
Liquid in a Petri dish spontaneously circulates in a radial pattern, even when the dish is at rest. These fluid flows have been observed and utilized for biological research, but their origins have not been well-studied. Here, particle-tracking to measure velocities of radial fluid flows, which are shown to be linked to evaporation, is used. Infrared thermal imagnn was used to identify thermal gradients at the air -liquid interface and at the bottom of the dish. Two-color ratiometric confocal imaging was used to measure thermal gradients in the vertical direction within the fluid. A. finite-element model of the fluid, incorporating the measured temperature profiles, shows that buoyancy forces are sufficient to produce flows consistent with the measured particle velocity results. Such flows may arise in other dish or plate formats, and may impact biological research in positive or negative ways. (C) 2016 American Institute of Chemical. Engineers
The paper presents a visual language that can help users of a context-aware application represent the current situation, or situations they wish detected, in a language that is both formally defined, and readable and understandable by humans and machines alike. inspired from Regular Expressions, the concept of Extended Concept Pattern provides both conciseness and expressive power, allowing for specifying negation, and for indicating repeating or alternative structures.
Research on the visual and nonverbal aspects of political communication is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, expanding the boundaries of an already innovative and dynamic branch of cross-disciplinary scholarship. The articles assembled in this special issue represent the breadth of work now occurring at this vibrant crossroads of scholarly inquiry. This introduction discusses each contribution while providing an overview of the entire issue.
Our process scheduling algorithm was created with the help of circular linked list and skip ring data structures and algorithms. Skip ring data structure consists of circular link lists formed in layers which are linked in a canonical way. Time complexity of search, insertion and deletion equals to O (lgN) in an N-element skip ring data structure. Therefore, skip ring data structure is employed more effectively (O(lgN)) in circumstances where circular linked lists (O(N)) are used. In this paper, the applications of data structures such as red-black tree, binary search tree and skip ring were performed and the obtained results were compared. The obtained results demonstrated that skip ring data structure is superior to red-black tree and binary search tree. Process scheduling is the most important part of operating systems. Linux operating system (version 6.23) uses Completely Fair Scheduler for process scheduling by using red-black tree data structures, Whereas skip ring data structure can be used effectively instead of red-black tree data structure. A new algorithm for process scheduling which was called as Fair Priority Scheduling was proposed in this paper.
Cooperative relationships between groups are difficult because of the high human capability to differentiate between in-group vs. out-group members. This obstacle exists even when the groups can obtain benefits for themselves from cooperation with other groups (rational cooperation). Based on an interactionist approach, the authors propose that personal (individual differences) and situational (conflicts) factors contribute to rational intergroup cooperation. The authors conducted a preliminary correlational study (Study 1) and an experimental investigation (Study 2). In Study 1, the authors examined, with 105 participants, the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI), measuring individual differences in information processing. In Study 2, the authors conducted an experimental investigation with 141 participants, testing the role of individual differences and conflict in intergroup rational cooperation. Findings of Study 1 showed that the scale has adequate psychometric properties. Results of Study 2 confirmed that the existence of both manipulated and perceived intergroup conflict reduces the magnitudes of the relationships between rational ability and rational cooperation. In addition, perceived intergroup conflict increased the magnitude of the links from experiential ability and experimental engagement to rational cooperation. Both individual differences and previous conflict have a role in predicting rational intergroup cooperation. According to the interactionist approach, personal and situational factors should be considered in the understanding of intergroup relationships.
Objective. The aim was to assess the characteristics of PsA, find out how well the disease is controlled in real life, demonstrate the treatments and identify the unmet needs. Methods. The PsA registry of Turkey is a multicentre Web-based registry established in 2014 and including 32 rheumatology centres. Detailed data regarding demographics for skin and joint disease, disease activity assessments and treatment choices were collected. Results. One thousand and eighty-one patients (64.7% women) with a mean (S.D.) PsA duration of 5.8 (6.7) years were enrolled. The most frequent type of PsA was polyarticular [437 (40.5%)], followed by oligoarticular [407 (37.7%)] and axial disease [372 (34.4%)]. The mean (S.D.) swollen and tender joint counts were 1.7 (3) and 3.6 (4.8), respectively. Of these patients, 38.6% were on conventional synthetic DMARD monotherapy, 7.1% were on anti-TNF monotherapy, and 22.5% were using anti-TNF plus conventional synthetic DMARD combinations. According to DAS28, 86 (12.4%) patients had high and 105 (15.2%) had moderate disease activity. Low disease activity was achieved in 317 (45.7%) patients, and 185 (26.7%) were in remission. Minimal disease activity data could be calculated in 247 patients, 105 of whom (42.5%) had minimal disease activity. The major differences among sexes were that women were older and had less frequent axial disease, more fatigue, higher HAQ scores and less remission. Conclusion. The PsA registry of Turkey had similarities with previously published registries, supporting its external validity. The finding that women had more fatigue and worse functioning as well as the high percentage of active disease state highlight the unmet need in treatment of PsA.
For more than 40 years, the uncanny valley model has captivated researchers from various fields of expertise. Still, explanations as to why slightly imperfect human-like characters can evoke feelings of eeriness remain the subject of controversy. Many experiments exploring the phenomenon have emphasized specific visual factors in connection to evolutionary psychological theories or an underlying categorization conflict. More recently, studies have also shifted away focus from the appearance of human-like entities, instead exploring their mental capabilities as basis for observers' discomfort. In order to advance this perspective, we introduced 92 participants to a virtual reality (VR) chat program and presented them with two digital characters engaged in an emotional and empathic dialogue. Using the same prerecorded 3D scene, we manipulated the perceived control type of the depicted characters (human controlled avatars vs. computer-controlled agents), as well as their alleged level of autonomy (scripted vs. self-directed actions). Statistical analyses revealed that participants experienced significantly stronger eeriness if they perceived the empathic characters to be autonomous artificial intelligences. As human likeness and attractiveness ratings did not result in significant group differences, we present our results as evidence for an uncanny valley of mind that relies on the attribution of emotions and social cognition to non-human entities. A possible relationship to the philosophy of anthropocentrism and its threat to human distinctiveness concept is discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Electrophysiologic studies suggest that autism spectrum disorder is characterized by aberrant anatomic and functional neural circuitry. During normal brain development, pruning and synaptogenesis facilitate ongoing changes in both short- and long-range neural wiring. In developmental disorders such as autism, this process may be perturbed and lead to abnormal neural connectivity. Careful analysis of electrophysiologic connectivity patterns using EEG coherence may provide a way to probe the resulting differences in neurological function between people with and without autism. There is general consensus that electroencephalogram coherence patterns differ between individuals with and without autism spectrum disorders; however, the exact nature of the differences and their clinical significance remain unclear. Here we review recent literature comparing electroencephalogram coherence patterns between patients with autism spectrum disorders or at high risk for autism and their non-autistic or low-risk for autism peers.
This paper describes an environment to assess auditory emotional recognition based on a mobile application. The primary aim of this work is to provide a valuable instrument that can be used both in research and clinical settings, responding to the strong need of validated measures of emotional processing, especially in Portugal. The secondary aim is to acquire and study the participants' interaction behavior with the technological device (e.g. touch patterns, touch intensity), in search for a relationship with medical conditions, cognitive impairments, auditory emotional recognition capacities or socio-demographic indicators. This will establish the basis for the prediction of such aspects as a function of an individual's interaction with technological devices, potentially providing new diagnostic tools.
Factors that promote healthy relationships have been understudied. The objective of this study is to examine mother-child verbal and nonverbal communication (separately), relationship quality and children's positive social behaviours in an at-risk sample framed within the developmental psychopathology approach. Mothers are part of a 35-year longitudinal prospective study who, as children, were rated by peers on measures of aggression and social withdrawal. These mothers, with their own 9- to 13-year-old children, participated in conflict and game-playing tasks. Verbal and nonverbal communication were coded separately using systematic observational measures. Maternal childhood histories of aggression and withdrawal predicted poorer dyad verbal communication, relationship quality and children's positive social behaviours. Frequently displayed positive verbal and nonverbal communication were associated with better relationship quality and children's positive social behaviours. The results highlight the unique contributions of verbal and nonverbal communication to adaptive development and to promoting healthy relationships in at-risk families during middle-childhood.
The ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting (RFRH) system collecting runoff by the plastic mulched ridges is a useful method to improve crop productivity in northwest China. We performed a field study where the RFRH system was combined with irrigation (RI) to reduce water irrigation use and to increase the crop water use efficiency (WUE) in a semi-humid climate. The amount of irrigation using RI was reduced by half compared with traditional furrow irrigation (FI) and border irrigation (BI) due to its rainwater harvesting effects. Our results showed that the RI treatment effectively alleviated drought stress during key periods of crop growth. At the jointing stage, the soil water storage in the 0-200 cm soil layer was increased by 2.82-8.02% and 2.25-8.40% compared with Fl and BI, respectively, and the soil water consumption by maize below 60 cm was significantly decreased at the tasselling stage. With RI, the harvest biomass, grain yield, and WUE were significantly increased by 14.59-19.93%, 5.33-7.01%, and 12.21-18.01% compared with Fl, respectively, and compared with BI, these values were significantly increased by 24.48-27.25%, 8.83-11.23%, and 14.99-22.91%, respectively. The irrigation amount was reduced by 1500 m(3) hm(-2), and the irrigation WUE with RI was 2.1 and 2.2 times higher than that using Fl and BI. The irrigation water productivity was improved by 1.71 and 5.70 times compared with Fl and BI, respectively in 2011. These results suggest that combining the RFRH system with irrigation is suitable for reducing irrigation water use by enhancing the efficient utilization of local rainfall, which could have very important applications in irrigated fields in semi-humid or semi-arid areas. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This review attempts to put together the sequential pathogenesis of VHL mutant metastatic ccRCC with links between driver pathways, epigenetics, biochemistry and immune evasion, with a translational perspective. We reflect on the gap between our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and currently accepted standard of care in metastatic RCC, and present ideas to bridge the gap with better translational research.Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) accounts for 80% of all RCC, and biallelic Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene defects occur in 75% of sporadic ccRCC. The etiopathogenesis of VHL mutant metastatic RCC, based on our understanding to date of molecular mechanisms involved, is a sequence of events which can be grouped under the following: (i) loss of VHL activity (germline/somatic mutation + inactivation of the wild-type copy); (ii) constitutive activation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway due to loss of VHL activity and transcription of genes involved in angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, metastasis, survival, anaerobic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway; (iii) interactions of the HIF pathway with other oncogenic pathways; (iv) genome-wide epigenetic changes (potentially driven by an overactive HIF pathway) and the influence of epigenetics on various oncogenic, apoptotic, cell cycle regulatory and mismatch repair pathways (inhibition of multiple tumor suppressor genes); (v) immune evasion, at least partially caused by changes in the epigenome. These mechanisms interact throughout the pathogenesis and progression of disease, and also confer chemoresistance and radioresistance, making it one of the most difficult metastatic cancers to treat. This article puts together the sequential pathogenesis of VHL mutant ccRCC by elaborating these mechanisms and the interplay of oncogenic pathways, epigenetics, metabolism and immune evasion, with a perspective on potential therapeutic strategies. We reflect on the huge gap between our understanding of the molecular biology and currently accepted standard of care in metastatic ccRCC, and present ideas for better translational research involving therapeutic strategies with combinatorial drug approach, targeting different aspects of the pathogenesis.
VERA-CS (Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications, Core Simulator) is a coupled neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics code under development by the Conscirtium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). An approach to uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis with VERA-CS was developed and a new toolkit was created to perform uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis. A 2 x 2 fuel assembly model was developed and Simulated by VERA-CS, and uncertainty quantification and Sensitivity analysis were performed with fourteen uncertain. input parameters. The minimum departure from nucleate boiling ratio (MDNBR), maximum fuel center-line temperature, and maximum outer clad surface temperature were chosen as the selected figures of merit. Pearson, Spearman, and partial correlation coefficients were considered for all of the figures of merit in sensitivity analysis and coolant inlet temperature was consistently the most influential parameter. Parameters used as inputs to the critical heat flux calculation with the W-3 correlation were shown to be the most influential on the MDNBR, maximum fuel center-line temperature, and maximum outer clad surface temperature. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper describes a variable output voltage, multi-phase switched capacitor step-up DC-DC converter with a digital voltage regulation scheme, implemented in CMOS VLSI technology. The number of conversion ratios generated using n flying capacitors is of the order of 2(n). A scheme for selection of switch is presented. Expressions for equivalent series resistance (Req), conduction, switching power loss and efficiency are obtained and compared with the cadence spectre simulation results. The step-up open loop converter circuit for one of the gain is described and analysed by varying the switching frequency. An open loop converter efficiency of about 78% is achieved with 4% bottom plate parasitic capacitance for a load current of 1 mA and input voltage of 0.6 V at 4 MHz of switching frequency for a gain of 4/3. The voltage regulation scheme for a desired output voltage is designed with a digital control circuit using inherent capacitive DAC which can interpolate through various gain configuration for n = 2 flying capacitor and is simulated in Cadence Analog-Mixed Signal Flow using 180nm CMOS technology. The layout design using MIM cap has been done and back annotation results are presented.
Objectives: The current paper aimed to explore doctor-patients' views about their treatment from the Practitioner Health Programme (PHP), a UK-based service treating health professionals with mental health/addiction problems. Aims were to gain insights into the issues most important to patients and consider whether a service specifically for doctors is important in helping to overcome barriers to accessing mental healthcare.Methods: Nine doctor-patients attending PHP took part in semi-structured interviews between September 2010 and June 2011. Thematic analysis was used to explore recurring patterns in the data. 134 written comments from PHP patients were also included.Results: Participants reported difficulties in finding appropriate treatment; problems were often severe by the time PHP was involved. Concerns about confidentiality, judgement and impact on career were obstacles to help-seeking and important issues during treatment. Analysis of written comments provided further support for these findings.Conclusion: Whilst some of the needs of mentally unwell doctors mirror the needs of patients in general - e.g. a supportive and non-judgemental attitude from clinicians - they do have specific needs related to confidentiality and stigma.
Problem: Can stimulation of nerve growth factors by focused transcranial extracorporeal shock waves (TESW) for persons within unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (apallic syndrome) be made effective? Patients and Methods: Five patients with apallic syndrome of differing severity received 7-17 years after their accident on average 4.4 4 week physicomedical complex treatment series including focused extracorporeal shock waves (device Duolith Storz Medical) for the spastic muscles. After this an enhancement of the vigilance could not be seen. Then these complex therapies were augmented by transcranial focused extracorporal shock waves (TESW). During 2-4 years the same patients received on average 5.2 TESW. Before and after the treatment series the patients were tested with the German Coma remission scale (CRS) and the German scale Expressive Communication and Self Actualisation (SEKS, Ziegler). Results: The patients improved their abilities by 135.9% on the CRS and by 81.7% on SEKS. Three PEG feeding tubes could be removed, nonverbal communication initiated 4 times. Discussion: Possible mode of actions and relation to other non invasive methods of brain stimulation are discussed. Conclusion: TESW seem to stimulate vigilance and the motoric in patients with apallic syndrome. A possible placebo effect and the neurophysiological must be verified.
One of the most important challenges of the creation of intelligent environments is the specifications of what intelligent behaviours the system will exhibit. The processing of these situations can be computationally demanding. We report on the advances of the specification of a rule-based language which allows for the natural expression of situations of interest as those which occur on Intelligent Environments. The language focuses on quasi real-time situations and includes new temporal operators which allow a natural reference to time instants and to intervals. We explained how the system is implemented and how the system was validated within a Smart Office scenario.
The inherent property of antibodies. binding to their antigen with high specificity makes them a strong candidate for sensing and detection applications. Microscale patterning of antibodies is desired for the miniaturization of sensors and fundamental cell biology studies. However, existing methodologies to pattern antibodies at the microscale are multi-step. In this work, we demonstrate microscale patterning of antibodies on a glass coverslip in a single step photolithography process. The microscale features of the photoresist were generated on the coverslip using photolithography, and the antibody solution was incubated. Acetone lift-off of the antibody incubated photoresist, and subsequent washing by isopropanol (IPA), produced a micro-array of antibodies. The functionality of patterned primary antibody was confirmed using the corresponding antigen and strict controls. One of the striking features of this method of patterning is that the process steps and chemicals inherently improve the adhesion between the. antibodies and glass without the need to functionalize the glass surface. We performed an ultrasonication test, detergent washing test, and Scotch. tape test to show improved adhesion. Using appropriate controls, we show that the interaction taking place between the antibodies and the glass surface, after our process, is stronger than the simple physisorption taking place between the. antibodies and the. glass surface, without any treatment.
This study clarified factors affecting the increase in jump distance when the novice increased the number of steps in their approach run in the long jump, and discusses a training task designed to improve performance in the long jump. Twenty-eight male students who were novices in long jump and did not take part in any sport activity regularly participated in the study. They performed the long jump with run-ups of six and twelve strides. The take-off motions of the participants were captured with a high-speed digital camera (120 fps) for two-dimensional motion analysis. When students increased the number of steps in their approach run, the jump distance and approach velocity increased, horizontal deceleration during the take-off phase remained almost unchanged, and the vertical velocity at take-off and the contact time decreased. The change rate of the jump distance between six and twelve steps for the approach run had positive correlation with the change rates of the approach velocity and vertical velocity and negative correlation with the change rate of the contact time. In a previous study using athletes as participants, all athletes increased their jump distance as they increased the number of steps in their approach run. In the present study, however, many students did not increase their jump distance, and the change rate of the jump distance had a wide distribution. Therefore, we divided the students into groups according to whether the participant's change rate of the jump distance was lower or higher than the average change rate for all participants. Although both groups had increased horizontal velocity at touchdown for the lengthened run-up, participants in the low group did not increase their jump distance and their vertical velocity at take-off decreased. Additionally, in comparison with athletes, students had lower vertical velocity at take-off and horizontal deceleration during take-off. A novice should thus learn the proper technique of take-off to generate vertical velocity through horizontal deceleration. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
The high-dimensional data space generated by hyperspectral sensors introduces challenges for the conventional data analysis techniques. Popular dimensionality reduction techniques usually assume a Gaussian distribution, which may not be in accordance with real life. Metric learning methods, which explore the global data structure of the labeled training samples, have proved to be very efficient in hyperspectral fields. However, we can go further by utilizing locally adaptive decision constraints for the labeled training samples per class to obtain an even better performance. In this paper, we present the locally adaptive dimensionality reduction metric learning (LADRml) method for hyperspectral image classification. The aims of the presented method are: 1) first, to utilize the limited training samples to reduce the dimensionality of data without a certain distribution hypothesis; and 2) second, to better handle data with complex distributions by the use of locally adaptive decision constraints, which can assess the similarity between a pair of samples based on the distance changes before and after metric learning. The experimental results obtained with a number of challenging hyperspectral image datasets demonstrate that the proposed LADRml algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art dimensionality reduction and metric learning methods.
DNA-based individual identification and RNA-based tissue identification represent two commonly-used tools in forensic investigation, aiming to identify crime scene sample donors and helping to provide links between DNA-identified sample donors and criminal acts. Currently however, both analyses are typically performed separately. In this proof-of-principle study, we developed an approach for the simultaneous analysis of forensic STRs, amelogenin, and forensic mRNAs based on parallel targeted DNA/RNA sequencing using the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (R) (PGM (TM)) System coupled with the AmpliSeq (TM) targeted amplification. We demonstrated that 9 autosomal STRs commonly used for individual identification (CSF1PO, D16S539, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, TH01, TPOX, and vWA), the AMELX/AMELY system widely applied for sex identification, and 12 mRNA markers previously established for forensic tissue identification (ALAS2 and SPTB for peripheral blood, MMP10 and MMP11 for menstrual blood, HTN3 and STATH for saliva, PRM1 and TGM4 for semen, CYP2B7P1 and MUC4 for vaginal secretion, CCL27 and LCE1C for skin) together with two candidate reference mRNA markers (HPRT1 and SDHA) can all be successfully combined. Unambiguous mRNA-based tissue identification was achieved in all samples from all forensically relevant tissues tested, and STR sequencing analysis of the tissue sample donors was 100% concordant with conventional STR profiling using a commercial kit. Successful STR analysis was obtained from 1 ng of genomic DNA and mRNA analysis from 10 ng total RNA; however, sensitivity limits were not investigated in this proof-of-principle study and are expected to be much lower. Since dried materials with noticeable RNA degradation and small DNA/RNA amplicons with high-coverage sequencing were used, the achieved correct individual and tissue identification demonstrates the suitability of this approach for analyzing degraded materials in future forensic applications. Overall, our study demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneously obtaining multilocus STR, amelogenin, and multilocus mRNA information for combined individual and tissue identification from a small sample of degraded biological material. Moreover, our study marks the first step towards combining many DNA/RNA markers for various forensic purposes to increase the effectiveness of molecular forensic analysis and to allow more forensically relevant information to be obtained from limited forensic material. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years, the validity of embolism quantification methods has been questioned, especially for long-vesseled plants. Some studies have suggested that cutting xylem while under tension, even under water, might generate artificial cavitation. Accordingly, a rehydration procedure prior to hydraulic measurements has been recommended to avoid this artefact. On the other hand, concerns have been raised that xylem refilling might occur when samples are rehydrated. Here, we explore the potential biases affecting embolism quantification for grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) petioles harvested under tension or after xylem relaxation. We employ direct visualization of embolism through X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) to test for the occurrence of fast refilling (artifactually low per cent loss of conductivity (PLC) due to rehydration prior to sample harvest) as well as excision-induced embolism (artifactually high embolism due to air introduction during harvest). Additionally, we compared the response functions of both stomatal regulation and xylem embolism to xylem pressure (I-x). Short-time (20aEuro...min) xylem tension relaxation prior to the hydraulic measurement resulted in a lower degree of embolism than found in samples harvested under native tensions, and yielded xylem vulnerability curves similar to the ones obtained using direct microCT visualization. Much longer periods of hydration (overnight) were required before xylem refilling was observed to occur. In field-grown vines, over 85% of stomatal closure occurred at less negative I-x than that required to induce 12% PLC. Our results demonstrate that relaxation of xylem tension prior to hydraulic measurement allows for the reliable quantification of native embolism in grapevine petioles. Furthermore, we find that stomatal regulation is sufficiently conservative to avoid transpiration-induced cavitation. These results suggest that grapevines have evolved a strategy of cavitation resistance, rather than one of cavitation tolerance (diurnal cycles of embolism and repair).
From an ecological perspective, the nature of rainwater harvesting with the characteristics of artificial disturbance is a manual disturbance. So it is very important to confirm the degree of ecological disturbance that occurs due to rainwater harvesting. Drawing from ecological disturbance theory, we can utilize both the distance method and dynamic curve method to estimate the level of ecological disturbance and degree of rainwater harvesting with a historical reference point value of the environment as a frame of reference, and with the 20 indicators such as surface runoff and evaluation index. Our examples show that the distance method and dynamic curve method are feasible for evaluating the ecological disturbance degree of rainwater harvesting. There are also research-scale effects in the study of ecological disturbance of rainwater harvesting that embody the comparability of different spatial and temporal ecological disturbance degrees. The comparability of ecological disturbance degrees of rainwater harvesting in an area at different scales or in different areas at the same scales is not strong, but it also generates some useful reference values. The ecological disturbance measurement in the same study area and at the same research-scale at different historical periods can be compared.
Purpose of review Endometrial cancer incidence is increasing in North America and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women. We review recent literature published on treatment of endometrial cancer and highlight areas of active interest. Recent findings There has been movement toward minimal invasive surgery at diagnosis; lymph node staging remains controversial and continues to be investigated. Progress has been made to establish consensus on endometrial cancer risk classification to promote consistency for future trial design. Molecular characterization of endometrial cancer and its integration into clinicopathological profiling to develop predictive biomarkers for treatment selection are active areas of research. Optimal adjuvant treatment strategy in high-risk endometrial cancer remains to be defined with recognition of treatment-related toxicity. Despite encouraging results in drug development for treatment of advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer, no targeted therapies beyond hormonal therapy are approved. There is an urgent need for scientifically validated therapy with predictive biomarkers. Summary Our understanding of endometrial cancer has evolved through improvements in molecular biology, allowing improved definition of target-specific therapies. The precise role and sequence of conventional and targeted therapies, including immunotherapy, will require careful attention to the design of clinical trials with translational emphasis to allow the discovery, validation, and implementation of predictive biomarkers into clinical care.
Chronic exposure to cocaine in vivo induces long-term synaptic plasticity associated with the brain's circuitry that underlies development of repetitive and automatic behaviors called habits. In fact, prolonged drug consumption results in aberrant expression of protein-coding genes and small regulatory RNAs, including miRNAs that are involved in synaptic plasticity and neuroadaptations. However, the mechanisms mediating cocaine use disorder are still not fully understood. The present study is designed to examine the expression of miR-124, miR-132, miR-134, and miR-212, as well as the levels of the Ago2, Pum2, and REST mRNAs and proteins implicated in their regulation. We applied rat cocaine self-administration (SA) and extinction training procedures with a yoked triad to assess the changes in the levels of four miRNAs and three protein-coding genes and corresponding proteins in the dorsal striatum. We demonstrated that elevated expression of mature miR-212 and miR-132 is long-lasting and persists in the drug-free period (till 10-day abstinence). Moreover, mRNA and protein of REST, a regulator of neuronal transcription, was raised selectively in cocaine self-administering rats and Ago2 transcript decreased after cocaine treatment. Unexpectedly, the expression level of Ago2 and Pum2 proteins changed only in the active cocaine-receiving animals. These results point out the important aspects of long-lasting alterations in microRNAs, genes, and protein expressions involved in the control of synaptic plasticity associated with reward and motivation learning related to cocaine addiction.
A variety of studies on food sharing elucidate both its ultimate and proximate functions in non-human primates, especially in Pan. For chimpanzees, food sharing serves as a means to strengthen social relationships. In contrast, little is known about food sharing in orangutans, since their semi-solitary lifestyle barely provides an opportunity to share food outside of the mother-offspring context. However, recent long-term studies suggest that social bonding might play a more important role for orangutans than previously assumed. In zoos, orangutans are often kept in groups and seem to cope with group living quite well. If captive orangutans use food sharing as a social tool, they are expected to share food frequently and selectively with close social partners and to engage frequently in active transfers. We provided three orangutan groups with monopolizable food and recorded all dyadic food-related interactions. For each dyad, we determined the relationship quality and tested whether it predicts food sharing. We found that, in support of our predictions, almost two thirds of interactions involving food resulted in sharing and that the probability for an individual to share food with a particular partner increased with the strength of their relationship. Exceeding our expectations, food sharing occurred even between individuals from two neighboring groups. Finally, a comparison with studies on captive chimpanzees revealed a significantly higher proportion of active transfers for orangutans suggesting species-specific sharing psychologies. Sharing of food is a universal prosocial behavior in humans. Recent research aims to elucidate its adaptive functions and proximate mechanisms by comparison with other species, especially non-human primates, in natural and captive settings. For bonobos and chimpanzees, our closest relatives, the quality of social relationships was revealed to be important for food sharing. In contrast, there is very limited knowledge on food sharing in orangutans, our most distant and semi-solitary living hominid relatives. This study provides the first systematic investigation of food-sharing patterns and the role of relationship quality in captive orangutans. The results demonstrate that group-living orangutans share frequently and selectively with close associates and even more actively than found for chimpanzees. These findings add further evidence supporting the hypothesis that social bonding played a role in the evolution of human prosocial behavior.
A high-resolution drought forecast model for ungauged areas was developed in this study. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) with 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month time scales were forecasted with 1-6-month lead times at 0.05 x 0.05 degrees resolution. The use of long-range climate forecast data was compared to the use of climatological data for periods with no observation data. Machine learning models utilizing drought-related variables based on remote sensing data were compared to the spatial interpolation of Kriging. Two performance measures were used; one is producer's drought accuracy, defined as the number of correctly classified samples in extreme, severe, and moderate drought classes over the total number of samples in those classes, and the other is user's drought accuracy, defined as the number of correctly classified samples in drought classes over the total number of samples classified to those classes. One of the machine learning models, extremely randomized trees, performed the best in most cases in terms of producer's accuracy reaching up to 64%, while spatial interpolation performed better in terms of user's accuracy up to 44%. The contribution of long-range climate forecast data was not significant under the conditions used in this study, but further improvement is expected if forecast skill is improved or a more sophisticated downscaling method is used. Simulated decreases of forecast error in precipitation and mean temperature were tested: the simulated decrease of forecast error in precipitation improves drought forecast while the decrease of forecast error in mean temperature does not contribute much. Although there is still some room for improvement, the developed model can be used for drought-related decision making in ungauged areas. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the latest Internet evolution that incorporates a diverse range of things such as sensors, actuators, and services deployed by different organizations and individuals to support a variety of applications. The information captured by IoT present an unprecedented opportunity to solve large-scale problems in those application domains to deliver services; example applications include precision agriculture, environment monitoring, smart health, smart manufacturing, and smart cities. Like all other Internet based services in the past, IoT-based services are also being developed and deployed without security consideration. By nature, IoT devices and services are vulnerable tomalicious cyber threats as they cannot be given the same protection that is received by enterprise services within an enterprise perimeter. While IoT services will play an important role in our daily life resulting in improved productivity and quality of life, the trend has also encouraged cyber-exploitation and evolution and diversification of malicious cyber threats. Hence, there is a need for coordinated efforts from the research community to address resulting concerns, such as those presented in this special section. Several potential research topics are also identified in this special section.
During the past earthquake, the liquefaction phenomenon of saturated sand mixture has been the cause of severe damage to various buildings and other structures. The catastrophic nature of this type of failure obliged to build a structure on geosynthetics will be used to reinforce the soil and improve its mechanical properties. Reinforcing elements in the form of layers or sheets of waste materials in soil is important because of their use in practical civil engineering and geotechnical applications. The main advantages of such materials are they are locally available, inexpensive, and recyclable. Waste plastics have been successfully used as reinforcement in soil to improve shear strength parameters and the stiffness modulus. This paper focuses on the behavior of plastic reinforcement in sand under triaxial monotonic drained conditions. Laboratory triaxial compression tests were carried out to determine stress and strain, volumetric change behavior, and shear strength parameters and to estimate the strength ratio at various strain levels in sand reinforced with plastic layers. The test involved one to five plastic layers that were placed at regular vertical spacings within the sand. The results demonstrated that the inclusion of plastic layers increases the maximum deviator stress, shear strength parameters and ductility, with the maximum increase corresponding to the five layers of plastic. The inclusion of plastic layers reduces dilation and increases the strength ratio, with the percent increase being greater at higher strain levels. The lower secant modulus was measured in the unreinforced and reinforced sand, with the latter exhibiting higher values of secant modulus at axial strains of 1 % that tend to stabilize for higher values of axial strain.
The Presentation Trainer is a multimodal tool designed to support the practice of public speaking skills, by giving the user real-time feedback about different aspects of her nonverbal communication. It tracks the user's voice and body to interpret her current performance. Based on this performance the Presentation Trainer selects the type of intervention that will be presented as feedback to the user. This feedback mechanism has been designed taking in consideration the results from previous studies that show how difficult it is for learners to perceive and correctly interpret real-time feedback while practicing their speeches. In this paper we present the user experience evaluation of participants who used the Presentation Trainer to practice for an elevator pitch, showing that the feedback provided by the Presentation Trainer has a significant influence on learning.
This research described U.S. adults' beliefs about nicotine and low nicotine cigarettes (LNCs) using the nationally-representative Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS-FDA 2015; N = 3738). About three quarters of people either were unsure of the relationship between nicotine and cancer or incorrectly believed that nicotine causes cancer. People who were non-White, less educated, age 65+, and never established smokers were most likely to be unaware that nicotine is not a cause of cancer. More than a quarter of people held the potentially inaccurate beliefs that LNCs would be less harmful and addictive than typical cigarettes. Whites were more likely than Blacks to believe LNCs were less harmful than typical cigarettes, and never smokers were more likely to believe this than established quitters. Whites and people with at least a college degree were more likely to believe that LNCs would be less addictive than typical cigarettes. Overall, we found that many people, particularly the demographic subgroups identified here, held incorrect beliefs about nicotine and potentially inaccurate beliefs about LNCs. Findings should be considered in assessing the public health impact of marketing low nicotine products. Incorrectly believing that nicotine causes cancer could discourage smokers from switching to safer nicotine-containing alternatives, and could lead nonsmokers to experiment with low nicotine tobacco products, believing that cancer risk would be reduced. Findings underscore the need to educate the public on the health effects of nicotine and LNCs, and can help public health practitioners determine which subgroups should be prioritized in targeted educational efforts. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Background: Substance use disorder (SUD) is an important health problem that requires a complex range of care because of the chronic nature of the disorder and the multiple psychosocial problems involved. Current outpatient programs often have difficulties in delivering and coordinating ongoing care and access to different healthcare providers. Various case management (CM) models have been developed, first for patients in other psychiatric domains and then for patients with SUD, in order to improve treatment outcomes. Aim: This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of CM for patients with SUD. Methods: We performed a systematic review of CM interventions for patients with SUD by analyzing randomized controlled studies published on the subject between 1996 and 2016 found on the electronic database PubMed. Results and conclusion: Fourteen studies were included in the analysis. Differences between studies in outcome measures, populations included, and intervention characteristics made it difficult to compare results. Most of these studies reported improvement in some of the chosen outcomes. Treatment adherence mostly improved, but substance use was reported to decrease in only a third of the studies. Overall functioning improved in about half of the studies. The heterogeneity of the results might be linked to these differences between studies. Further research is needed in the field.
This article explores how Canadian youth who participate in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) and teachers who advise them perceive and/or experience bi/pansexuality. Participants' perspectives on, definitions of, and alignment with bi/pansexuality are examined as they unpack mis/understandings associated with nonmonosexual identities. For GSA members, bisexual and pansexual identity labels were not interchangeable terms; bisexuality was associated with the fe/male binary and pansexuality served as a personal contestation to this dichotomy. Despite these distinctions, both nonmonosexualities were marked by invisibility, mis/understandings, and prejudice in school. Findings emphasize how students' knowledge of sexual diversity and fluidity wasmore nuanced than their GSA advisors due to personal online research. GSA participation enabled bi/pansexual knowledge exchange among students and teachers, and promoted overall understandings of bi/pansexualities. Although GSA involvement facilitated opportunities to discuss bi/pansexualities, this article also highlights how an effort should be made to integrate bi/pansexual content in these clubs.
Podcasts are digital files very popular in several and very distinct areas. In higher education, they have been explored in a multitude of ways mainly to support teaching and learning processes. The study here described focuses the integration of podcasts in Heredity and Evolution, a course from the Biology and Geology Degree Program at University of Minho, Portugal. It aimed to introduce podcasts in the teaching/learning context, to empirically study different dimensions of podcasting, and to evaluate students' acceptance and receptiveness to the pedagogical use of this technology. Five informative podcasts and three with feedback were produced and delivered. All the students listened to the audio files and considered the episodes audible and clear, their preference going to episodes of short or moderate length and containing summaries, study guidelines or syllabus contents. Students judged extremely valuable the integration of this technology in learning and showed receptiveness to podcasting in other courses. Curiously, in spite of owning mobile devices, students clearly favored the use of personal computers to listen to the podcasts. This student acceptance and openness to podcasting has been encouraging its pedagogical application in other teaching courses. The episodes produced often maintain the characteristics identified as the best by the students of this study but the pedagogical approach has been moving to a more student-centered learning situation, with students as podcasts producers. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Estimation of the draft requirement of tillage implements is important from machine design, and tractor selection viewpoints. In this study, a model was developed to calculate the draft force and power of a disk plow. In this model, the effects of soil cutting, soil displacement, and soil-metal friction processes on the specific draft force of a disk plow were considered. Model inputs consisted of the soil parameters, the plow parameters, and the working condition parameters. To simplify the required calculations, the derived equations were entered in the Excel software, and the finalized spreadsheet was utilized as the disk plow draft force and power calculator. One of the advantages of the developed model was that the required calculations did not depend upon the dimensionless N-factors. Model verification was carried out by comparing the model outputs with the corresponding results of other studies. Moreover, the output of the model and the measured draft force of plowing on a silty clay loam soil were compared. According to the results of this study, the form of equation developed in this paper and the Hendrick's formula regarding the specific draft force, were compatible, since both equations were polynomials of order 2 with respect to the forward velocity of the plow. On the other hand, the developed model overestimated the required draft force of a disk blade in comparison with the Godwin's model; however, the average value of overestimation was only 18%. Moreover, draft force and power requirements of a three-blade disk plow working on a silty clay loam soil with the forward velocity of 7 km h(-1), were 11.3 kN, and 22 kW, respectively, that were about 5% lower than the results obtained by the developed model (11.8 kN, and 22.95 kW). Therefore, the developed model can be used to calculate the disk plow draft force and power with reasonable accuracy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an optimization formulation for designing residential water networks involving harvested rainwater and reclaimed wastewater. The design problem is posed as a multi-objective optimization formulation that seeks to balance the objectives of total annualized cost, fresh water consumption, and environmental impact. A life cycle assessment approach is undertaken for estimating the environmental impact. The seasonal dependence of the rainwater is considered in the optimization model. The design approach is applied to a case study for the city of Morelia in Mexico. The results show that significant economic, fresh water consumption, and environmental benefits can be obtained as a result of the proposed approach. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Increasing evidence suggests that pain-related fear is key to the transition from acute to chronic pain. Previous research has shown that perceptual similarity with a pain-associated movement fosters the generalization of fear to novel movements. Perceptual generalization of pain-related fear is adaptive as it enables individuals to extrapolate the threat value of one movement to another without the necessity to learn anew. However, excessive spreading of fear to safe movements may become maladaptive and may lead to sustained anxiety, dysfunctional avoidance behaviors, and severe disability. A hallmark of human cognition is the ability to extract conceptual knowledge from a learning episode as well. Although this conceptual pathway may be important to understand fear generalization in chronic pain, research on this topic is lacking. We investigated acquisition and generalization of concept-based pain-related fear. During acquisition, unique exemplars of one action category (CS+; e.g., opening boxes) were followed by pain, whereas exemplars of another action category (CS-; e.g., closing boxes) were not. Subsequently, spreading of pain-related fear to novel exemplars of both action categories was tested. Participants learned to expect the pain to occur and reported more pain-related fear to the exemplars of the CS+ category compared with those of the CS- category. During generalization, fear and expectancy generalized to novel exemplars of the CS+ category, but not to the CS- category. This pattern was not corroborated in the eyeblink startle measures. This is the first study that demonstrates that pain-related fear can be acquired and generalized based on conceptual knowledge.
Excessive Internet use in adolescents and young people is related to intrapersonal and interpersonal difficulties. The aim of this research was to study the relationship between problematic Internet use, psychological well-being, and responses of social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive. Participants were 132 male and 178 female high school and college students aged between 16 and 23 years. The results indicate that age influences most of the factors of compulsive Internet use. Gender affects the levels of problematic Internet use, with males scoring higher in Compulsive Internet Use and Negative Outcomes. A significant and direct correlation was found between problematic Internet use and responses of social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive. The main predictors of problematic Internet use were: Environmental mastery, Social anxiety and Obsessive-compulsive symptoms. It can be concluded, tentatively, that while young people with social anxiety could find the Internet use a means of pleasant interaction, young people with obsessive-compulsive symptoms could become excessive Internet users as a means to eliminate compulsive anxiety.
Background Musculoskeletal involvement is extremely common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Continuing the research initiated in patients with inflammatory arthritis, recent studies have shown the potential role of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) in the evaluation of clinical and subclinical lupus synovitis. The inflammatory process in SLE is traditionally considered to be localized at synovial tissue areas while enthesis is not included among the possible targets of the disease. Patients and methods Entheses included in the Glasgow Ultrasound Enthesitis Scoring System were scanned in a cohort of 20 SLE patients serving as disease controls in an MSUS study aimed at assessing enthesitis in patients with psoriatic arthritis. We describe in detail four cases with unexpected and unequivocal expressions of MSUS enthesitis according to the OMERACT definition. Three out of four patients had no predisposing factors for enthesopathy. Case no. 2 was treated with a variable-dose prednisone regimen. Results In the four cases MSUS examination revealed relevant grey-scale and power Doppler abnormalities at the entheseal level, most commonly at the distal insertion of the patellar tendon. Signs of clinical enthesitis were detected in only one patient. Conclusions This case series shows for the first time the presence of clearly evident MSUS findings indicative of enthesitis in four out of 20 SLE patients (20%), raising the hypothesis that enthesis could be a missing target in the clinical evaluation of SLE patients. Our case series justifies further investigations for a better evaluation of the prevalence, characteristics and clinical relevance of entheseal involvement in SLE.
The great number of heterogeneous interconnected operating systems gives greater access to intruders and makes it easier for malicious users to break systems security policy. Also, a single security control agent is insufficient to monitor multiple interconnected hosts and to protect distributed operating systems from hostile uses. This paper shows the ability of distributed security controller's agents to correlate data stream from heterogeneous hosts and to trace abnormal behavior in order to protect network security. An experimental study is done to improve our proposed approach.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) luminaires provide compelling benefits such as long-term cost savings, and safety advantages through longer life and durability. LED luminaires have lower maintenance costs, and improved instant restrike capability when compared to legacy luminaire types. In industrial applications, the proven lower total cost of ownership and increased safety for LEDs are the driving forces for LED luminaires to replace traditional light sources. As with any new technology, challenges exist in designing and maintaining an optimal system to withstand the intended application and environmental conditions. Common challenges and considerations include luminaire placement, the intensity/dispersion/quality of light, thermal management, material selection, and redundant safety and operating systems. The authors will examine best practices and common misconceptions in the selection and application of LED luminaires focusing on process and harsh/hazardous locations. The probability of success in maximizing reliability, safety & efficiency of LED technology in such applications is enhanced by utilizing proven design principles & methods. The selection methods and design principles will be explained using actual application examples and case studies.
This research characterized the vibration responses of cement pavement surface slabs atop different interlayers under a moving vehicle load via the laboratory simulated vibration response tests and the field tests. This was done with the help of a micro-seismic monitoring system. In the laboratory simulated vibration response tests, a 4.5 kg hammer was used to impose impact loading, while geotextile and rubber sheet were used as the interlayers. The laboratory test results indicated that under the same impact load, compared with the surface slabs without an interlayer beneath, the vector sum of the peak vibration velocity of the surface slabs atop the rubber sheet interlayer, the single-layered geotextile interlayer, and the double-layered geotextile interlayer decreased by 68, 56, and 67 %, respectively; the vector sum of their maximum displacement amplitude decreased by 96, 52, and 45 %, respectively. In the field tests for vibration response, which were done under an estimated vehicle loading 60 t (rear axle loading 30 t) and an estimated vehicle speed of 60 km/h, the surface slabs with geotextile or plastic membrane as the interlayer beneath were tested. The field test results indicated that under the same other conditions, compared with the surface slabs without an interlayer beneath, the vector sum of the peak vibration velocity of the surface slabs atop the interlayer of a double-layered geotextile plus a single-layered plastic membrane, the interlayer of a single-layered geotextile plus a single-layered plastic membrane, and the interlayer of a single-layered plastic membrane decreased by 53, 46, and 10 %, respectively. The vector sum of their maximum displacement amplitude decreased by 41, 39, and 19 %, respectively. To conclude, the rubber sheet interlayers and the geotextile interlayers can help the cement pavement surface slabs significantly damp the vibrations caused by the moving vehicle load or the impact load.
Negative symptoms have long been conceptualized as a core aspect of schizophrenia. They play a key role in the functional outcome of the disorder, and their management represents a significant unmet need. Improvements in definition, characterization, assessment instruments and experimental models are needed in order to foster research aimed at developing effective interventions. A consensus has recently been reached on the following aspects: a) five constructs should be considered as negative symptoms, i.e. blunted affect, alogia, anhedonia, asociality and avolition; b) for each construct, symptoms due to identifiable factors, such as medication effects, psychotic symptoms or depression, should be distinguished from those regarded as primary; c) the five constructs cluster in two factors, one including blunted affect and alogia and the other consisting of anhedonia, avolition and asociality. In this paper, for each construct, we report the current definition; highlight differences among the main assessment instruments; illustrate quantitative measures, if available, and their relationship with the evaluations based on rating scales; and describe correlates as well as experimental models. We conclude that: a) the assessment of the negative symptom dimension has recently improved, but even current expert consensus-based instruments diverge on several aspects; b) the use of objective measures might contribute to overcome uncertainties about the reliability of rating scales, but these measures require further investigation and validation; c) the boundaries with other illness components, in particular neurocognition and social cognition, are not well defined; and d) without further reducing the heterogeneity within the negative symptom dimension, attempts to develop successful interventions are likely to lead to great efforts paid back by small rewards.
Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based studies have become increasingly common in the investigation of GPCR signaling. Our research group developed an intra-molecular FRET sensor to detect the interaction between Ga subunits and GPCRs in live cells following agonist stimulation. Here, we detail the protocol for detecting changes in FRET between the beta 2-adrenergic receptor and the Gas C-terminus peptide upon treatment with 100 mu M isoproterenol hydrochloride as previously characterized1. Our FRET sensor is a single polypeptide consisting serially of a full-length GPCR, a FRET acceptor fluorophore (mCitrine), an ER/K SPASM (systematic protein affinity strength modulation) linker, a FRET donor fluorophore (mCerulean), and a Ga C-terminal peptide. This protocol will detail cell preparation, transfection conditions, equipment setup, assay execution, and data analysis. This experimental design detects small changes in FRET indicative of proteinprotein interactions, and can also be used to compare the strength of interaction across ligands and GPCR-G protein pairings. To enhance the signal-to-noise in our measurements, this protocol requires heightened precision in all steps, and is presented here to enable reproducible execution.
A double-sided liquid cooling Nd: YAG disk oscillator working at a pump repetition rate of 20 Hz is demonstrated. The output energy of 376 mJ is realized, corresponding to the opticaloptical efficiency of 12.8% and the slope efficiency of 14%. The pump pulse width is 300 mu s and the laser pulse width is 260 mu s. Instead of being a damped signal, the output of laser comprises undamped spikes. A periodic intra-cavity loss was found by numerical analysis, which has a frequency component near the eigen frequency of the relaxation oscillation. Resonance effect will induce amplified spikes even though the loss fluctuates in a small range. The Shark-Hartmann sensor was used to investigate the wavefront aberration induced by turbulent flow and temperature gradient. According to the wavefront and fluid mechanics analysis, it is considered that the periodic intra-cavity loss can be attributed to turbulent flow and temperature gradient.
Objective: This preliminary study examines the effects of low-dose light therapy, also called Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, on epithelial colony forming units (eCFUs) in epithelial cells from skin and mucosa to assess their potential to contribute to tissue regeneration. Also, preliminary comparison of basic PBM parameters such as wavelengths, light sources, and dose were evaluated in promoting eCFUs. Background Data: Regenerative medicine is at the brink of exploiting the tremendous potential offered by advances in stem cell biology. The two distinct aspects for utilization of stem cells, either resident (endogenous) or transplanted (exogenous), rely on cells amenable to expansion and being directed toward mature, functional tissues. Despite major progress in fundamental understanding of stem cell pluripotency, there remain fundamental challenges in applying these insights into clinical practice. Methods: PBM treatments with various devices, wavelengths, and doses were used on two epithelial cell lines and colony forming assays were performed. Results: This study noted a dose-dependent effect of 810 nm laser on increasing eCFUs, either in terms of size or numbers. Comparisons of different wavelengths and light sources noted better efficacy of collimated and coherent lasers compared to LEDs and broad-band light. Conclusions: PBM therapy promotes expansion of eCFUs that represent progenitors and stem cell populations capable of contributing to tissue repair and regeneration. Further exploration of the precise mechanisms would allow optimization of PBM clinical protocols to harness the regenerative potential of stem cells for wound healing and other clinical regenerative applications.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are regarded as promising therapeutic agents to treat addiction. The current study aimed to examine the effects of huperzine A, a cholinesterase inhibitor, on behavioral sensitization induced by repeated morphine administration and relapse induced by contextual conditioning. The present study also assessed whether the state-dependency hypothesis may explain the results. Adult rats were divided into four groups (n=8) and intraperitoneally injected with 0.2, 0.3 or 0.4 mg/kg huperzine A or saline (1 ml/kg, control), for 5 days. The effect of repeated huperzine A administration alone on locomotor activity was assessed. For the experiments that analyzed the development of morphine-induced sensitization, 40 rats were divided into five groups (n=8): Saline+Saline, Saline+Morphine, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mg/kg huperzine A+Morphine. Following a withdrawal period of 7 days, all animals were administered saline or morphine, as appropriate. To test the state-dependency hypothesis, the rats in the Saline+Morphine group were injected with saline and morphine, while the other three groups were administered different doses of huperzine A and morphine. To examine the effect of huperzine A on the expression of morphine-induced sensitization, the rats in huperzine A+Morphine groups were injected with appropriate concentrations of huperzine A, and morphine. The current results indicated that the administration of huperzine A alone did not affect locomotor activity, while higher doses of huperzine A inhibited the addictive behavior induced by morphine at the development phase. Additionally, huperzine A administration during the expression phase of morphine sensitization did not inhibit the relapse induced by administration of saline. Furthermore, 0.4 mg/kg huperzine A inhibited the expression of morphine-induced behavioral sensitization. Therefore, the results of the current study do not support the state-dependency hypothesis.
Finding meaning in life is a fundamental personal need, and motivating prosocial behavior is a fundamental societal need. The present research tests whether the two are connected - whether helping other people can increase helpers' perceptions of meaning in life. Evidence from a nationally representative data-set and two experiments support this hypothesis. Participants who engaged in prosocial behaviors - volunteering and spending money to benefit others - reported experiencing greater meaning in their lives (Studies 1-3). Study 3 also identifies increased self-worth as the mechanism - participants who spent money to benefit other people felt higher personal worth and self-esteem, and this mediated the effect of prosocial behavior on meaningfulness. The present results join other findings in suggesting that the incentives for helping others do not necessarily depend on the prospect of others' reciprocity. Prosocial behavior can be incentivized through the psychological benefits it creates for prosocial actors.
Water pollution incidents can cause rapid deterioration of water quality, potentially leading to the illness and death of surrounding residents. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the impact of water pollution incidents, and to understand the mechanisms of pollutant transport and transformation. To address this problem, this paper constructed a hydraulic water quality model for the lower reaches of the Xiangjiang River, China, using the hydrodynamic module and convective diffusion module of MIKE21. Six pollution incident scenarios were simulated to investigate the transport process of pollutants, as affected by an upstream dam structure, the Changsha Comprehensive Control Project dam (CCCP). Analysis of the results suggests that the CCCP plays an essential role in controlling the transport and transformation of pollutants. With the CCCP, the process of transport is weakened, and the dispersion effect is strengthened. In particular, after the construction of the CCCP, the same amount of upstream discharge leads to lower peak pollutant concentrations and longer pollutant arrival times to each waterworks' intake, thereby alleviating the impact of water pollution incidents. Further, comparative analysis suggests that the role of CCCP is much more significant with lower discharges (e. g., during the dry season), largely due to the higher amount of water quantity within the reach.
In regions lacking socio-economic data, pairing satellite imagery with participatory information is essential for accurate land-use/cover (LULC) change assessments. At the village scale in Papua New Guinea we compare swidden LULC classifications using remote sensing analyses alone and analyses that combine participatory information and remotely sensed data. These participatory remote sensing (PRS) methods include participatory land-use mapping, household surveys, and validation of image analysis in combination with remotely sensed data. The classifications of the swidden area made using only remote sensing analysis show swidden areas are, on average, two and a half times larger than land managers reported for 1999 and 2011. Classifications made using only remote sensing analysis are homogeneous and lack discrimination among swidden plots, fallow land, and non-swidden vegetation. The information derived from PRS methods allows us to amend the remote sensing analysis and as a result swidden areas are more similar to actual swidden area found when ground-truthing. We conclude that PRS methods are needed to understand swidden system LULC complexities.
Wastewater stabilization ponds (WSPs) are common for wastewater treatment in remote Canadian Arctic communities. In this paper, two geotextiles of different mass/unit areas are examined as a potential biofiltration upgrade to existing WSPs in arctic summer conditions. The intended role of the geotextile is to provide additional treatment of municipal wastewater seeping from these WSPs. Column filtration experiments were performed using municipal wastewater in a controlled laboratory environment at either 10 degrees C or 2 degrees C. The columns contained one of two different nonwoven geotextiles over 10 cm of gravel, simulating a WSP berm in contact with exfiltrating wastewater. Weekly wastewater samples were taken upstream and downstream of the geotextile/gravel filter and were analyzed for a suite of water quality parameters; the hydraulic conductivity of the columns was also measured weekly. Results showed that it is possible to accumulate biomass on geotextile material over a 3 month period at these temperatures, which corresponded with 1-2 log reductions in hydraulic conductivity. Significant removal of total suspended solids, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus was observed; however, removal efficiencies for most parameters were reduced at the lower temperature. This study demonstrates that geotextiles could be used to enhance the performance of WSP systems operating in arctic climates.(C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Despite their superficial localization in the skin, pathogenic dermatophytes can induce a complex but still misunderstood immune response in their hosts. The cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is correlated with both clinical recovery and protection against reinfection, and CD4+ T lymphocytes have been recognized as a crucial component of the immune defense against dermatophytes. Before the discovery of the Th17 pathway, CMI was considered to be only dependent of Th1 cells, and thus most studies on the immunology of dermatophytosis have focused on the Th1 pathway. Nevertheless, the fine comparative analysis of available scientific data on immunology of dermatophytosis in one hand and on the Th17 pathway mechanisms involved in opportunistic mucosal fungal infections in the other hand reveals that some key elements of the Th17 pathway can be activated by dermatophytes. Stimulation of the Th17 pathway could occur through the activation of some C-type lectin-like receptors and inflammasome in antigen-presenting cells. The Th17 cells could go back to the affected skin and by the production of signature cytokines could induce the effector mechanisms like the recruitment of polymorphonuclear neutrophils and the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides. In conclusion, besides the Th1 pathway, which is important to the immune response against dermatophytes, there are also growing evidences for the involvement of the Th17 pathway.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a heart failure syndrome occurring late in pregnancy or during the early post-natal period. The pathophysiology of peripartum cardiomyopathy is not fully understood and various mechanisms have been postulated including an underlying inflammatory process. We here report four cases presenting with acute left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Three out of four of the patients presented with a left ventricular ejection fraction <30% and one with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35%. All made a full clinical recovery following treatment with high-dose intravenous steroids. This case series adds to the growing body of evidence for the role for immunosuppressants in the management of peripartum cardiomyopathy.
A recent initiative in Madhya Pradesh, India to promote privately funded, rainwater harvesting structures on farmers' own land has shown substantial economic and livelihood benefits. In contrast to the many poorly functioning, community managed rainwater harvesting programs, the individual or decentralized rainwater harvesting structures have led to significant improvements in availability of irrigation water, a revival of the agricultural economy of the region, and substantial increases in farmer incomes and livelihoods. Since 2006, more than 6000 farmers in the state have invested in on-farm ponds. The investments are highly cost effective and farmers are able to recover their initial investment in approximately 3 years. While longer-terms impact studies are needed, this initial assessment suggests that on-farm rainwater harvesting ponds are a promising private small irrigation option in Madhya Pradesh and similar regions in India and elsewhere. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Our success and well-being, as individuals and societies, depend on our ability to make wise social decisions about important interpersonal matters, such as the leaders we select and the individuals we choose to trust. Nevertheless, our impressions of people are shaped by their facial appearances and, consequently, so too are these social decisions. This article summarizes research linking facial morphological traits to important social outcomes and discusses various factors that moderate this relationship.
Negative attitudes are a major barrier to the equality of people with disabilities. Governments and other organizations have implemented numerous programmes to change attitudes towards people with disabilities. We analyse published evidence about the effectiveness of such programmes using a framework of the interrelationship among three levels of policy intervention to change attitudes: personal level directed at changing the attitudes of individuals; organizational level concerning attitudinal barriers in domains such as employment, education and health; and government level - legally mandating behaviour change. The analysis finds that the following policy types can be effective if used together: policies that involve direct contact with people with disability; information and awareness campaigns; education and training about disability; and antidiscrimination enforcement. Policy characteristics that contribute to effectiveness include a positive programme experience for participants; multifaceted and prolonged interventions; and adequate programme resources. Policy effectiveness to change attitudes relies on corresponding reinforcement at all three policy levels.
Urban stormwater is a major cause of urban flooding and natural water pollution. It is therefore important to assess any hydrologic trends in urban catchments for stormwater management and planning. This study addresses urban hydrological trend analysis by examining trends in variables that characterize hydrological processes. The original and modified Mann-Kendall methods are applied to trend detection in two French catchments, that is, Chassieu and La Lechere, based on approximately 1decade of data from local monitoring programs. In both catchments, no trend is found in the major hydrological process driver (i.e., rainfall variables), whereas increasing trends are detected in runoff flow rates. As a consequence, the runoff coefficients tend to increase during the study period, probably due to growing imperviousness with the local urbanization process. In addition, conceptual urban rainfall-runoff model parameters, which are identified via model calibration with an event based approach, are examined. Trend detection results indicate that there is no trend in the time of concentration in Chassieu, whereas a decreasing trend is present in La Lechere, which, however, needs to be validated with additional data. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the original Mann-Kendall method is not sensitive to a few noisy values in the data series.
In this paper, the stability issue of Lur'e systems governed by a control law stabilising their forward Euler approximate model is investigated. More specifically, the considered control law is obtained by exploiting the advantages of a new Lur'e type Lyapunov function with disconnected level sets. This Lyapunov function is adapted to discrete-time Lur'e systems and to the structure of the forward Euler approximate model. The main result consists of linear matrix inequality conditions allowing to guarantee that the continuous-time Lur'e system associated with the proposed digital control law is globally asymptotically stable. The relevance of this approach is illustrated using a numerical example.
Within this paper, a comparative approach will be presented, in order to evaluate electrical machines in electrical drive trains. The selection of the machine type is an essential task for the design of drive trains. This paper contains the comparison of induction machines and permanent magnet synchronous machines, whereas the comparison follows an abstract procedure, since almost no machine parameters are given. Therefore, assumptions are made in order to reduce the complexity of the machine design equations. Due to the concluding diagram, it becomes possible to get a first impression about the torque-current characteristic of both machine types. The characteristics are proved by parameters of commercial machines.
The paper describes the design for manufacturability of a prototype product as part of a manufacturing engineering capstone course. The product chosen was a vertically launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-the Flying Eye. The Flying Eye is an autonomous parafoil surveillance platform equipped with sensors, controllers, mechanical components, and software. Once the autonomous UAV is deployed, it is designed to follow a predetermined flight path down to the ground. The design effort of the prototype device took place over a three-year period as a collaborative effort between the Aerospace Engineering and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering departments at California Polytechnic State University. This project proved to be an excellent tool for the project-based learning environment, which is the focus of Cal Poly's hands-on engineering programs. Details of the Flying Eye project and lessons learned during the course of this educational experience are provided.
The aim of this study was to investigate possible association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 9250 in exon 7 of the Osteopontin gehe (OPN gene 9250) with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A case control association study was performed in 120 AS patients and 106 matched controls, consented to participate in the study. OPN gene 9250 polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. The frequency of the TC+CC genotype of the OPN gene 9250 was significantly higher (25.83% vs 12.26%, p < 0.05) and the frequency of C allele was significantly higher (17.50% vs 8.96%, p < 0.01) in AS patients than in controls. There were significant differences in OPN gene 9250 allele and phenotype frequencies between the AS patients and controls (p < 0.05). OPN gene 9250 polymorphism appears to be associated with susceptibility to AS in Chinese patients.
This paper studies how imposing norms on contribution behavior affects individuals' intrinsic motivation. We consider the church levy, which the Catholic Church in Germany collects as a charitable donation, despite the fact that the levy is legally a tax. We design a randomized field experiment with treatments informing individuals that the levy is a tax. We demonstrate that treatment effects differ across motivational types. Among weakly intrinsically motivated individuals, communicating the legal norm results in a significant crowd-out of intrinsic motivation. In contrast, strongly intrinsically motivated individuals do not show any treatment response. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Phenotyping is a critical component of plant research. Accurate and precise trait collection, when integrated with genetic tools, can greatly accelerate the rate of genetic gain in crop improvement. However, efficient and automatic phenotyping of traits across large populations is a challenge; which is further exacerbated by the necessity of sampling multiple environments and growing replicated trials. A promising approach is to leverage current advances in imaging technology, data analytics and machine learning to enable automated and fast phenotyping and subsequent decision support. In this context, the workflow for phenotyping (image capture. data storage and curation ->trait extraction ->machine learning/classification ->models/apps for decision support) has to be carefully designed and efficiently executed to minimize resource usage and maximize utility. We illustrate such an end- to- end phenotyping workflow for the case of plant stress severity phenotyping in soybean, with a specific focus on the rapid and automatic assessment of iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) severity on thousands of field plots. We showcase this analytics framework by extracting IDC features from a set of similar to 4500 unique canopies representing a diverse germplasm base that have different levels of IDC, and subsequently training a variety of classification models to predict plant stress severity. The best classifier is then deployed as a smartphone app for rapid and real time severity rating in the field. Results: We investigated 10 different classification approaches, with the best classifier being a hierarchical classifier with a mean per-class accuracy of similar to 96%. We construct a phenotypically meaningful ' population canopy graph', connecting the automatically extracted canopy trait features with plant stress severity rating. We incorporated this image capture ->image processing ->classification workflow into a smartphone app that enables automated real-time evaluation of IDC scores using digital images of the canopy. Conclusion: We expect this high-throughput framework to help increase the rate of genetic gain by providing a robust extendable framework for other abiotic and biotic stresses. We further envision this workflow embedded onto a high throughput phenotyping ground vehicle and unmanned aerial system that will allow real-time, automated stress trait detection and quantification for plant research, breeding and stress scouting applications.
Background: Across cancers, the decision to pursue genetic testing is influenced more by subjective than objective factors. However, skin cancer, which is more prevalent, visual, and multifactorial than many other malignancies, may offer different motivations for pursuing such testing. Objectives: The primary objective was to determine factors influencing the decision to receive genetic testing for skin cancer risk. A secondary objective was to assess the impact of priming with health questions on the decision to receive testing. Methods: We distributed anonymous online surveys through ResearchMatch.org to assess participant health, demographics, motivations, and interest in pursuing genetic testing for skin cancer risk. Two surveys with identical questions but different question ordering were used to assess the secondary objective. Results: We received 3783 responses (64% response rate), and 85.8% desired testing. Subjective factors, including curiosity, perceptions of skin cancer, and anxiety, were the most statistically significant determinants of the decision to pursue testing (P < . 001), followed by history of sun exposure (odds ratio 1.85, P < . 01) and history of skin cancer (odds ratio 0.5, P = .01). Age and family history of skin cancer did not influence this decision. Participants increasingly chose testing if first queried about health behaviors (P < .0001). Limitations: The decision to pursue hypothetical testing may differ from in-clinic decision-making. Self-selected, online participants may differ from the general population. Surveys may be subject to response bias. Conclusion: The decision to pursue genetic testing for skin cancer is primarily determined by subjective factors, such as anxiety and curiosity. Health factors, including skin cancer history, also influenced decision-making. Priming with consideration of objective health factors can increase the desire to pursue testing.
Securing the networks of large organizations is technically challenging due to the complex configurations and constraints. Managing these networks requires rigorous and comprehensive analysis tools. A network administrator needs to identify vulnerable configurations, as well as tools for hardening the networks. Such networks usually have dynamic and fluidic structures, thus one may have incomplete information about the connectivity and availability of hosts. In this paper, we address the problem of statically performing a rigorous assessment of a set of network security defense strategies with the goal of reducing the probability of a successful large-scale attack in a dynamically changing and complex network architecture. We describe a probabilistic graph model and algorithms for analyzing the security of complex networks with the ultimate goal of reducing the probability of successful attacks. Our model naturally utilizes a scalable state-of-the-art optimization technique called sequential linear programming that is extensively applied and studied in various engineering problems. In comparison to related solutions on attack graphs, our probabilistic model provides mechanisms for expressing uncertainties in network configurations, which is not reported elsewhere. We have performed comprehensive experimental validation with real-world network configuration data of a sizable organization.
The sudden impact of a free surface flow upon a solid wall is a common occurrence in many situations in nature and technology. The design of marine structures is probably the most obvious example, but also river and dam hydraulics as well as the necessity of understanding flood and debris flow-induced damage have led to theoretical and experimental work on the mechanism of fluid slamming loads. This is therefore a very old and rich research field, which has not yet reached full maturity, so that semi-empirical methods in design practice are still the rule in many sectors. Up-to-date CFD technology with both Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches is employed to investigate highly non-stationary fluid impact on a solid wall. The development of the pressure wave produced by the impact is examined as it propagates and interacts with the fluid boundaries, as well as the subsequent build-up of high-pressure gradients of high fluid velocities. The geometry and the velocity field of the problem considered are very simple, but the results seem to provide new insight, in particular, into the connection between phenomena with different timescales.
Whereas a number of studies have examined relationships among brain activity, social cognitive skills, and autistic traits, fewer studies have evaluated whether structural connections among brain regions relate to these traits and skills. Uncinate fasciculus (UF) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) are white matter tracts that may underpin the behavioral expression of these skills because they connect regions within or provide sensory information to brain areas implicated in social cognition, and structural differences in these tracts have been associated with autistic traits. We examined relationships among self-reported autistic traits, mentalizing, and water diffusivity in UF and ILF in a nonclinical sample of 24 young adults (mean age = 21.92 years, SD = 4.72 years; 15 women). We measured autistic traits using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, and we measured mentalizing using the Dynamic Interactive Shapes Clips task. We used Tract-Based Spatial Statistics and randomize to examine relationships among fractional anisotropy (FA) values in bilateral ILF and UF, age, cognitive abilities, autistic traits, and mentalizing. Autistic traits were positively related to FA values in left ILF. No other relationships between FA values and other variables were significant. Results suggest that left ILF may be involved in the expression of autistic traits in individuals without clinical diagnoses.
Despite international efforts, stigma is still a significant issue for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). This paper explores the stigma encountered in health interactions, focusing on strategies PLWHA use to manage and reduce it. It is hoped that our findings will improve future interactions by contributing towards a more understanding practitioner-patient relationship. The data have been drawn from a small qualitative study conducted in Christchurch, New Zealand. Fourteen participants took part in semi-structured face-to-face interviews in 2013 and 11 of these participants were then interviewed again in 2014. Codes and themes were developed through inductive thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. Our findings identified that whilst the majority of participants had positive experiences, nearly all had faced stigma during their health interactions. Most of these encounters were due to healthcare workers holding exaggerated fears of transmission or not maintaining confidentiality and privacy. The main way that participants managed this stigma was through seeking control in their interactions. This overarching strategy could be further divided into three key themes: selective disclosure of their HIV status, self-advocacy and developing their HIV knowledge. We discuss these findings in the context of the current literature, comparing our results to strategies that have been previously identified in social settings.
In this study, based on attribute and password, we introduce a new kind of two-factor authentication protocol that has various applications such as anonymous authentication and privacy protection. Specifically, our proposal is constructed by introducing password authentication into the generic framework of attribute-based authentication. Consequently, it not only achieves two-factor authentication, but also enjoys the advantages of attribute authentication and password authentication simultaneously. Furthermore, to formally evaluate the security of the proposed protocol, we present the corresponding security model, within which the detailed security proof of the proposal is given. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In the paper a possibility of using a metrology micro computed tomography (CT) to assess quality of parts made by rapid prototyping technique was presented. Additive manufacturing techniques dramatically change the approach to manufacturing process. Not long ago they allowed solely for obtaining a spatial model of a part in order to visualize its features. Nowadays, it is possible to produce elements and assembly groups with properties that make it possible to replace many parts manufactured using traditional casting or injection techniques. Polymer components created by means of 3D printing can be generated one layer of material after another. In many cases inner spaces (sections) are not fully filled in (solid), they are rather replaced by a specially selected structure. Thanks to this it is possible to save material and reduce weight. To control these structures and to inspect joints between particular layers using a non-destructive method it is necessary to use a metrology micro CT. In the paper an application of X-ray computed tomography and assessment of measurement uncertainty regarding elements manufactured with fused deposition modeling (FDM) method using ABS 3D printing on UP! printer was presented. Inspection of both: inner structure and outer shapes as well as joints between them was performed basing on computer aided design (CAD) model.
A wide array of social decisions relies on social comparisons. As such, these decisions require fast access to relative information. Therefore, we expect that signatures of the comparative process should be observable in electrophysiological components at an early stage of information processing. However, to date, little is known about the neural time course of social target comparisons. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in 2 electroencephalography (EEG) studies using a social distance effect paradigm. The distance effect capitalizes on the fact that stimuli close on a certain dimension take longer to compare than stimuli clearly differing on this dimension. Here, we manipulated the distance of face characteristics regarding their levels of attractiveness (Study 1) and trustworthiness (Study 2), 2 essential social dimensions. In both studies, size comparisons served as a nonsocial control condition. In Study 1, distance related effects were apparent 170 ms (vertex positive potential, VPP) and 200 ms (N2) after stimulus onset for attractiveness comparisons. In Study 2, trustworthiness comparisons took effect already after 100 ms (N1) and likewise carried over to an event-related N2. Remarkably, we observed a similar temporal pattern for social (attractiveness, trustworthiness) and nonsocial (size) dimensions. These results speak in favor of an early encoding of comparative information and emphasize the primary role of comparison in social information processing.
Background: Recent epidemiologic studies have revealed a significant association between periodontitis and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Furthermore, periodontitis is markedly associated with orodigestive cancer mortality, whereas Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) infection has been identified as a specific and potentially independent microbial factor related to increased risk of orodigestive cancer death. The authors previously reported that Pg induced the precursor form of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (proMMP-9) production via proteinase-activated receptor (PAR)-related pathways, after which proMMP-9 was activated by gingipains to enhance cellular invasion of SAS cells. In the present study, effects of selected polyphenols as inhibitors of cellular invasion caused by Pg gingipains in SAS cells are examined. Methods: OSCC cells were infected with Pg strains including gingipain mutants. To evaluate effects of inhibitors: 1) apple polyphenol (AP); 2) hop bract polyphenol (HBP); 3) high-molecular-weight fractions of HBP (HMW-HBP); 4) low-molecular-weight fractions of HBP (LMW-HBP); 5) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg); 6) KYT-1 (Arg-gingipain inhibitor); and KYT-36 (Lys-gingipain inhibitor) in combination are used. PAR2 and PAR4 mRNA expressions are examined using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and signaling pathways are evaluated by western blotting analysis. Results: KYT-1/KYT-36, AP, HBP, and HMW-HBP significantly inhibited PAR2 and PAR4 mRNA expressions, proMMP-9 activation, and cellular invasion. Furthermore, AP, HBP, and HMW-HBP reduced activation of heat shock protein 27 and Ets1 and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B, whereas EGCg and LMW-HBP did not. Conclusion: These results suggest that AP, HBP, HMW-HBP are potent inhibitors of proMMP-9 activation and cellular invasion mediated with Pg in OSCC cells.
A 5-bit digital controlled switch-type passive phase shifter realised in a 40 nm digital CMOS technology without ultra-thick metals for the 60 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band is presented. A patterned shielding with electromagnetic bandgap structure and a stacked metals method to increase the on-chip inductor quality factor are proposed. To reduce the insertion loss from the transistors, the transistor switches are implemented with a body-source connection. For all 32 states, the minimum phase error is 1.5 degrees, and the maximum phase error is 6.8 degrees. The measured insertion loss is -20.9 +/- 1 dB including pad loss at 60 GHz and the return loss is >10 dB over 57-64 GHz. The total chip size is 0.24 mm(2) with 0 mW DC power consumption.
Residence times and connectivity are computed for 12 subregions in an urban man-made lake in China using a high-resolution tracer-transport model. The renewal timescales are explicitly defined and computed for two groups of four freshwater inflow scenarios related to water diversion projects. First, the timescale values are computed and compared using different computational criteria for the upper limit of integration in the residence time equation. The sensitivity analysis suggests that a calculation time of 300 days is necessary to satisfy the relative error (0.001) and 5 % cutoff value criteria. Secondly, the residence times can range from 1.5 to 102 and 1.0 to 66 days under low and high flow conditions, respectively. Water in the inner lake would reside in the lake for less than 66 days prior to exiting the region of interest. The timescale values can be applied to impact studies that investigate the extent of sudden water pollution events that initially affect a subdomain of a lake. Finally, the lacustrine residence times are decomposed into the different subregion residence times, resulting in a connectivity matrix. This matrix can illustrate preferential connections among the individual subregions and reveal hidden patterns relating to local hydrodynamics in the lake.
Purpose - This paper aims to explore the feasibility of rapid prototyping for human hand bones and additional artery with topological preservation. Design/methodology/approach - A serial of slices derived from spiral computed tomography human hand specimen was imported into 3DSlicer 4.4.0 to obtain a three-dimensional virtual model. The model is exported as a standard template library file. Additional arteries were structured according to the atlas and the bone model. Then, a real model was printed based on the virtual model. Measurements were approached in 11 parts of the virtual and real model. Findings - There is no statistical difference between virtual and real model in 11 parts, and the topological characters were preserved. Practical implications - This method can be used in reconstruction of clinical iconological blood vessel and anatomical education. Originality/value - This paper shows that it is possible to keep the topological structure of blood vessel not only in painting but also in clinical data.
The acceptance of tung oil enriched diet and the incorporation of conjugated linolenic acid - CLnA into fillets of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) were investigated. The diet was well accepted, and after 10 days CLnA was incorporated into the fillets with a 1.02% content of total fatty acids (FA). In addition, biosynthesis of the conjugated linoleic acid isomers - CLA (0.31% of fillet total FA content) from CLnA, and the presence of alpha-linolenic acid - LNA (1.08% of fillet total FA content), eicosapentaenoic acid - EPA (2.85% of fillet total FA content) and docosahexaenoic acid - DHA (3.08% of fillet total FA content) were observed. Therefore, the consumption of this fish can increase the intake of different FA (CLnA, CLA, LNA, EPA and DHA), which play an important role in human metabolism.
Introduction: Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and its incidence is increasing at an alarming rate all over the world. The pathophysiology of AD is characterized by chronic, progressive neurodegeneration which involves early synaptotoxicity. One of the most obvious pathological feature of AD is the accumulation of amyloid- (A) in the brain. Since current treatment options only provide symptomatic help and A is thought to underlie early synaptic pathology, A reduction or modulation in the brain may be a promising therapeutic strategy in preventing and /or reversing AD-related dysfunction.Areas covered: This paper outlines and evaluates the current landscape of preclinical and clinical studies focusing on modulating A pathophysiology. Data and analysis for this review were procured from PubMed, clinicaltrials.gov and Alzforum.Expert opinion: According to current knowledge, reducing A production offers numerous treatment options. However, targeting the initial steps by pharmacological interference with secretases is challenging due to the emergence of various side effects. The most promising approach seems to be the prevention of early A oligomerization. Combination approaches targeting both A and tau would seem to be another promising strategy that could have beneficial effects through the course of the disease.
Purpose Kyrieleis retinal periarteritis reflects the severe intraocular inflammation experienced by the eye. Its aetiology has not been well established, since only nine cases have been reported and there is no pathological study available in the literature. We determine the pathogenesis of Kyrieleis periarteritis based on interpretation of multimodal imaging findings. Methods Charts of patients with Kyrieleis arteritis seen between 2006 and 2014 were retrieved from eight uveitis referral centres throughout the world. Follow-up ranged from 5 to 12months. Results Twenty-five eyes with Kyrieleis arteritis from 25 patients were included in the study. Nineteen patients (72%) were male and six (28%) were female. Twenty-three patients were diagnosed with toxoplasmosis retinochoroiditis and two patients had cytomegalovirus retinitis. Fluorescein angiography, fundus autofluorescence and indocyanine green angiography were performed on 25/25 (100%) eyes. In eight eyes (32%), baseline spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans were performed along the segmental Kyrieleis arteritis. Fluorescein angiography showed early hypofluorescence and intermediate hyperfluorescence associated with the areas of focal arteritis, whereas indocyanine green angiography of these accumulations showed early hypofluorescence and late hyperfluorescence. Fundus autofluorescence revealed an increased autofluorescence of the vessels corresponding to the Kyrieleis plaques, while SD-OCT scans along the segmental Kyrieleis arteritis showed hyperreflectivity of the vessel wall. Conclusions These imaging modalities provide in vivo, quasi-histologic images demonstrating that Kyrieleis plaques are characterised by an inflammatory involvement within the vessels' endothelium.
In this research, an application algorithm, which can be used in computer-aided design/engineering (CAD/CAE) and structural optimisation-based design studies of agricultural machineries, is introduced. This developed algorithm has been put in practice in a case study for a tractor mounted telescopic boom crane. The algorithm consists of both numerical and experimental methods and it includes material testing, three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design and finite-element method (FEM)-based analysis procedures, structural optimisation strategy, physical prototyping, physical testing and design validation procedures. Following the visual and physical validation procedures carried out in the case study, the crane's physical prototype was manufactured and the optimised design was approved for ongoing production. The study provides a unique CAD/CAE and experimentally driven total design pathway for similar products, which contributes to further research into the utilisation of engineering simulation technology for agricultural machinery design, analysis and related manufacturing subjects.
In a globalized world, establishing successful cooperation between people from different nations is becoming increasingly important. We present results from a comprehensive investigation of cross-societal cooperation in one-shot prisoner's dilemmas involving population-representative samples from six countries and identify crucial facilitators of and obstacles to cooperation. In interactions involving mutual knowledge about only the other players' nationalities, we demonstrate that people hold strong and transnationally shared expectations (i.e., stereotypes) concerning the cooperation level of interaction partners from other countries. These expectations are the strongest determinants of participant cooperation. Paradoxically, however, they turn out to be incorrect stereotypes that even correlate negatively with reality. In addition to erroneous expectations, participants' cooperation behavior is driven by (shared) social preferences that vary according to the interaction partner's nationality. In the cross-societal context, these social preferences are influenced by differences in wealth and ingroup favoritism, as well as effects of specific country combinations but not by spatial distance between nations.
This paper presents an investment feasibility analysis of rainwater harvesting systems for the residential sector in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. Five towns were selected for the analysis. Daily rainfall data, average water consumption, rainwater tank costs, water pump costs, and water, sewage and electricity tariffs were obtained for the five towns. Different values for the roof area, number of residents, potable water demand, and rainwater demand were analysed. The rainwater tank capacities were estimated using the Netuno computer programme. The investment feasibility analysis was performed considering the ideal lower tank capacity, as well as capacities smaller and larger than the ideal. Such capacities were obtained according to a variation of six months in the payback period. It was observed that the ideal tank capacity can be conservative for high rainwater demands. In such cases, an investment feasibility analysis should be performed in order to obtain a more appropriate tank capacity. The main conclusion is that rainwater usage is economically feasible for most cases; and the higher the rainwater demand, the higher the feasibility.
In many digital control systems, it is required to perform computation in a strictly periodic fashion to provide high control performance. System designers need to assign time slots that are infinitely repeated given a strict period for each task such that the time slots of different tasks do not overlap. While previous work has studied how to decide if a system is schedulable with a certain time slot assignment, it is still an unexplored area of how to select time slots for strictly periodic tasks to make them schedulable. In this paper, we propose an efficient method to solve the above problem. Our method explores the relations among task periods to improve the possibility of finding feasible start time configurations. Finally, we conduct experiments with randomly generated workload to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ObjectivesInterpersonal dysfunction is central to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recent research has focused on the role of oxytocin (OT) in BPD, particularly regarding associations of OT activity with symptoms, genetic polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor coding gene (OXTR) in BPD, and experimental modification of interpersonal core problems of patients with BPD such as hypervigilance towards threat detection, mistrust, and non-verbal behaviour during social interaction by intranasal application of OT. MethodsA literature (medline') review was performed using the keywords oxytocin' and borderline personality disorder'. Secondary literature on trauma and attachment in relation to OT was also considered relevant. ResultsTogether, findings suggest that in BPD OT is associated with enhanced defensive mechanisms and avoidance behaviour. Moreover, gene-environment interaction concerning polymorphic variations of the OXTR gene and childhood adversity in BPD suggests that these genes convey developmental flexibility or differential susceptibility' to environmental contingencies, whereby BPD resides at the poor outcome end of the spectrum. ConclusionsIn view of the conflicting literature, it needs to be studied carefully whether OT can serve as a therapeutic agent given adjunct to psychotherapy in BPD. More research about the role of OT is also required with regard to the prevention of the non-genetic intergenerational transmission of BPD. Clarifying the role of OT in BPD may also benefit from research in non-human animals targeting the interaction between early adversity and OT availability more directly. Practitioner points The study of oxytocin can contribute to the understanding of the neurobiology of borderline personality disorder. Oxytocin is critically involved in attachment security, and methylation of the oxytocin receptor may play a role in the epigenetic modulation of early adversity. The intranasal application of oxytocin may be a useful therapeutic adjunct to psychotherapy. Insecure attachment and childhood adversity may produce differential neurobiological effects on the oxytocinergic system in borderline personality disorder. There is insufficient knowledge of how oxytocin interacts with vasopressin, testosterone, dopamine, and serotonin, which are also important key players in the experience of social reward and stress responsivity. It is unclear whether or not oxytocin could be beneficial in preventing the intergenerational (non-genetic) transmission of borderline personality traits.
The use of polyacrylamide (PAM)-based flocculants has become an essential component of most geotextile tube dewatering projects. Although knowledge of the residual flocculant concentration in geotextile tube supernatant and effluent is essential to the safe use of PAM-based flocculants, residual flocculant concentration is not commonly measured in geotextile tube dewatering operations. Furthermore, there is no ASTM standard test method for measuring residual flocculant concentrations in water. This paper presents a comparative study of two different methods that are commonly used to measure residual flocculant concentrations in water: the Streaming Current Detection (SCD) method and the China Clay Settling Rate (CCSR) method, to evaluate their applicability to the geotextile tube industry. The comparison is based on an analysis of measured residual PAM concentrations obtained for five different cationic PAM polymers used to flocculate Tully fines soil. Optimum flocculant doses for the Tully fines soil were determined using the jar test (ASTM D2035-08) for three different solids concentrations by mass (5, 15, and 33 %). The SCD and CCSR methods were performed on the supernatants of Tully fines that were conditioned at their optimum doses and at concentrations 50 % above their optimum dose. Laboratory test results showed that both the SCD and CCSR methods produced similar residual PAM concentration results for the polymer/soil combinations tested. The SCD method, however, produced more consistent and repeatable results in comparison to the CCSR method. The SCD method was also easier to use and could be performed in shorter amounts of time than the CCSR method. Based on the results, it is recommended that the SCD method be standardized and used to measure residual PAM-based flocculant concentrations in geotextile tube supernatant and effluent.
Purpose of review Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have remarkably diverse somatic mutation patterns that can be challenging to interpret clinically. Yet, genetic information is increasingly available to physicians. This review will examine several implications of genetic diversity in MDS. Recent findings Somatic mutations can serve as clinically relevant biomarkers in MDS. Molecular subtypes may exist that share clinical features including risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia, response to treatment, and overall survival. Several mutated genes are known to have prognostic value that is independent of common risk stratification tools. Mutations of several genes identify low-blast percentage patients with greater than predicted disease risk while only SF3B1 mutations predict lower disease risk than expected. Mutations of TP53 are associated with adverse features, yet demonstrate inferior outcomes than predicted by these risk factors. SF3B1 and TP53 mutations may identify clinically relevant subtypes of MDS and allow for better refinement of risk within these groups. Using somatic mutations to diagnose MDS is more challenging because they can occur in healthy individuals. Yet, patients with unexplained cytopenias have a high rate of clonal hematopoiesis that may be an important risk factor to identify clinically. Summary Patterns of somatic mutations are diverse in MDS, but can inform the prediction of prognosis and aid in its diagnosis.
Analytical treatment of a linear elastic isotropic bi-material full-space reinforced by an interfacial thin film under axisymmetric normal loading is addressed. The thin film is modeled as an extensible membrane perfectly bonded to the half-spaces. By virtue of Love's potential function and Hankel integral transform, elastic fields of the system are explicitly written in the form of semi-infinite line integrals. The analytical results are verified by the special cases corresponding to the surface stiffened half-space and classical bi-material problem. The limiting cases of reinforced homogeneous full-space and inextensible membrane are presented and discussed. The proposed formulation is also applicable for studying reinforced auxetic materials with negative Poisson's ratio. The surface/interface effect on the elastic responses of two perfectly bonded half-spaces is also simulated by assigning equivalent surface elastic constant to the membrane stiffness. Effects of thin film stiffness, material properties, loading depth, and surface/interface effect are studied by some numerical examples. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A design of a new hybrid-type digital pulsewidth modulator (DPWM) with a wide frequency range of 1000 : 1, from 10 kHz to 10 MHz, is presented. The proposed DPWM has the maximum duty-cycle resolution of 11 bits and consumes the power of 17.5 mu W at 10 kHz and 2.36 mW at 10 MHz, respectively. The proposed DPWM realizes the upper 5-bit resolution using a programmable digital counter and the lower 6-bit resolution using a current-integrating-type phase interpolator, employing an M2M-ladder current-steering digital-to-analog converter for low power consumption. The operating clock is generated in on-chip using a relaxation oscillator. The prototype integrated circuit fabricated in a 0.25-mu m high-voltage complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor demonstrates that the proposed DPWM maintains a good linearity across the entire operating range.
Unmethylated cytosine-guanine dinucleotide-containing oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs), which are synthetic agonists of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), activate humoral and cellular immunity and are being developed as vaccine adjuvants to prevent or treat cancers, infectious diseases, and allergies. Free CpG ODNs have been used in many clinical trials implemented to verify their effects. However, recent research has reported that self-assembled CpG ODNs, protein/peptide-CpG ODN conjugates, and nanomaterial-CpG ODN complexes demonstrate higher adjuvant effects than free CpG ODNs, owing to their improved uptake efficiency into cells expressing TLR9. Moreover, protein/peptide-CpG ODN conjugates and nanomaterial-CpG ODN complexes are able to deliver CpG ODNs and antigens (or allergens) to the same types of cells, which enables a higher degree of prophylaxis or therapeutic effect. In this review, the author describes recent trends in the research and development of CpG ODN nanomedicines containing self-assembled CpG ODNs, protein/peptide-CpG ODN conjugates, and nanomaterial-CpG ODN complexes, focusing mainly on the results of preclinical and clinical studies.
Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer among women and its incidence is increasing. Risk assessment is valuable and recent methods are incorporating novel biomarkers such as mammographic density. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are adaptive algorithms capable of performing pattern-to-pattern learning and are well suited for medical applications. They are potentially useful for calibrating full-field digital mammography (FFDM) for quantitative analysis. This study uses ANN modeling to estimate volumetric breast density (VBD) from FFDM on Japanese women with and without breast cancer. ANN calibration of VBD was performed using phantom data for one FFDM system. Mammograms of 46 Japanese women diagnosed with invasive carcinoma and 53 with negative findings were analyzed using ANN models learned. ANN-estimated VBD was validated against phantom data, compared intra-patient, with qualitative composition scoring, with MRI VBD, and inter-patient with classical risk factors of breast cancer as well as cancer status. Phantom validations reached an R (2) of 0.993. Intra-patient validations ranged from R (2) of 0.789 with VBD to 0.908 with breast volume. ANN VBD agreed well with BI-RADS scoring and MRI VBD with R (2) ranging from 0.665 with VBD to 0.852 with breast volume. VBD was significantly higher in women with cancer. Associations with age, BMI, menopause, and cancer status previously reported were also confirmed. ANN modeling appears to produce reasonable measures of mammographic density validated with phantoms, with existing measures of breast density, and with classical biomarkers of breast cancer. FFDM VBD is significantly higher in Japanese women with cancer.
In recent years, researchers have been trying to shed light on gaming addiction and its association with different psychiatric disorders and psychological determinants. The latest edition version of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) included in its Section 3 Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a condition for further empirical study and proposed nine criteria for the diagnosis of IGD. The 20-item Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD-20) Test was developed as a valid and reliable tool to assess gaming addiction based on the nine criteria set by the DSM-5. The aim of this study is to validate an Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test. The Arabic version of IGD-20 will not only help in identifying Arabic-speaking pathological gamers but also stimulate cross-cultural studies that could contribute to an area in need of more research for insight and treatment. After a process of translation and back-translation and with the participation of a sizable sample of Arabic-speaking adolescents, the present study conducted a psychometric validation of the IGD-20 Test. Our confirmatory factor analysis showed the validity of the Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test. The one-factor model of the Arabic IGD-20 Test had very good psychometric properties, and it fitted the sample data extremely well. In addition, correlation analysis between the IGD-20 Test and the daily duration on weekdays and weekends gameplay revealed significant positive relationships that warranted a criterion-related validation. Thus, the Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test is a valid and reliable measure of IGD among Arabic-speaking populations.
One of the main challenges of teaching statistics to engineering students is to convey the importance of being conscious of the presence of variability and of taking it into account when making technical and managerial decisions. Often, technical subjects are explained in an ideal and deterministic environment. This article shows the possibilities of simple electrical circuits-the Wheatstone Bridge among them-to explain to students how to characterize variability, how it is transmitted, and how it affects decisions. Additionally, they can be used to introduce the importance of robustness by showing that taking into account the variability of components allows the design of cheaper products with greater benefits than if one were to simply apply formulas that consider variables as exact values. The results are quite unexpected, and they arouse the interest and motivation of students. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
In this paper, an adaptive synchronous rectifier (SR) driving scheme for the LLC resonant converters using the ripple counter concept is proposed, along with two methods of implementation. With the proposed scheme, the SR drain to source voltage is sensed to detect the body diode conduction, based on which the SR on-time can be well tuned to eliminate the body diode conduction. One proposed implementation tunes the SR on-time every switching cycle based on the ripple detection; another proposed implementation tunes the SR on-time every nth switching cycle (n = 1, 2, 3...) based on the ripple counter, which is suitable for the high frequency LLC converters. The proposed SR driving scheme has the simple implementation, requires only low-cost digital controllers and occupies very few controller resources. More importantly, since the digital controllers have already been widely adopted in the control of the LLC converters, the proposed adaptive SR driving method can be embedded into these digital controllers with little extra cost. Furthermore, how to integrate the proposed SR driving method with closed-loop control is explained in details. Experimental results are demonstrated on a 130kHz LLC converter with 100MHz microcontroller (MCU) and a 500kHz LLC converter with a 60MHz MCU and a ripple counter.
Larger and larger proportions of aluminium castings, especially those produced by the die casting process, can be observed during recent years in the automotive industry, house-hold articles and others. In case of the automotive industry, apart from the traditional elements produced by the die pressure method such as engine blocks or crank shaft bedplates, aluminium is displacing steel from structural parts of cars ('body in white'). The current state and development directions of the structural solutions of cold-chamber die castings are analysed in this paper. These solutions drive the prospective development of these machines and die casting technology. The focus is mainly on essential functional systems such as: hydraulic drives of closing and locking units, as well as pressing in die machines of known companies present on the European market.
Landsat data are increasingly used for ecological monitoring and research. These data often require preprocessing prior to analysis to account for sensor, solar, atmospheric, and topographic effects. However, ecologists using these data are faced with a literature containing inconsistent terminology, outdated methods, and a vast number of approaches with contradictory recommendations. These issues can, at best, make determining the correct preprocessing workflow a difficult and time-consuming task and, at worst, lead to erroneous results. We address these problems by providing a concise overview of the Landsat missions and sensors and by clarifying frequently conflated terms and methods. Preprocessing steps commonly applied to Landsat data are differentiated and explained, including georeferencing and co-registration, conversion to radiance, solar correction, atmospheric correction, topographic correction, and relative correction. We then synthesize this information by presenting workflows and a decision tree for determining the appropriate level of imagery preprocessing given an ecological research question, while emphasizing the need to tailor each workflow to the study site and question at hand. We recommend a parsimonious approach to Landsat preprocessing that avoids unnecessary steps and recommend approaches and data products that are well tested, easily available, and sufficiently documented. Our focus is specific to ecological applications of Landsat data, yet many of the concepts and recommendations discussed are also appropriate for other disciplines and remote sensing platforms.
In the Netherlands, as in most other western European countries, the desirability and the governability of a multicultural society are topics of debate. In the last decade, this debate has increasingly centred on second-generation migrants, focusing on their high rates of crime and school drop-out. In the Dutch context, however, little scholarly research has paid attention to second-generation migrants' own experiences. In this paper, I therefore focus on the perceptions of ethnic boundaries held by 12- to 19-year-old second-generation migrants and how they negotiate these boundaries in the low-income, multi-ethnic Feijenoord area of Rotterdam. The study shows that young people are used to living together with many different cultures and see themselves as being on both sides of the ethnic boundary between the Dutch-majority society and the culture of their parents. However, they also encounter prejudice and discrimination in their day-to-day lives, which calls into question the success of multiculturalism.
Water and energy consumption has increased substantially over the last decades. Water scarcity has led to an increase in the extraction of fresh water from aquifers, dams and lakes, and it has produced serious overexploitation problems. Furthermore, the population growth in urbanized areas and the increase in water and energy demands in industry, agriculture and households have amplified this problem. As consequence, there are several regions where is almost impossible to satisfy the water demands using the available water resources. In this context, the use of alternative water resources such as reclaimed water, rainwater harvesting and the potential use of desalinated water can be an option. However, desalinated seawater is very expensive because the high energy consumption, and this way to integrate a seawater desalination plant to a power plant to simultaneously produce clean water and power can be an attractive option. This way, this paper proposes an optimization formulation for synthesizing water networks to satisfy water and energy demands in a macroscopic system involving the use of existing water resources and the installation of integrated seawater desalination-power plants. A case study from Mexico (where satisfying the water demands has become a serious problem) is presented. Results show that the integrated system is able to satisfy the current water demands, the excess desalinated water can be used to recharge the overexploited aquifers and interesting profits can be obtained from the sales of power. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
After more than a decade of research, web application security continues to be a challenge and the backend database the most appetizing target. The paper proposes preventing injection attacks against the database management system (DBMS) behind web applications by embedding protections in the DBMS itself. The motivation is twofold. First, the approach of embedding protections in operating systems and applications running on top of them has been effective to protect these applications. Second, there is a semantic mismatch between how SQL queries are believed to be executed by the DBMS and how they are actually executed, leading to subtle vulnerabilities in protection mechanisms. The approach SEPTIC was implemented in MySQL and evaluated experimentally with web applications written in PHP and Java/Spring. In the evaluation SEPTIC has shown neither false negatives nor false positives, on the contrary of alternative approaches, causing also a low performance overhead in the order of 2.2%.
Sigandu is a coastal tourism area, which is located in the coastal zone of Batang District. Central Java Province. This coastal area faces severe coastal erosion problem. It is indicated that erosion processes are occurred due to the jetty construction of Batang Commercial Port. This construction cause disturbance of longshore transport equilibrium. The objective of jetty construction is to trap the sediment, however, the classical problem of erosion and accration take place in a short time, soon after the jetty construction finished. The local government of Batang District becomes aware because of this erosion problem. Commenced on September 2014, the Marine and Fisheries Affair initiates the solution by applying low-crested breakwaters structures using geotextile tube. One month after the tube installation, rapid sedimentation occurred by the formation of salients and tombolos behind the structures. Beach profile calculation have been carried out through the series of monitoring and cross section measurement as well as visual observation. This paper presents results of monitoring beach activities.. The case study is expected to be an example and applied for other coastal areas having similar coastal problems. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A field survey indicated that the Elbe and Saale Rivers were contaminated with both clofibric acid and ibuprofen. In Elbe River water we could detect the metabolite hydroxy-ibuprofen. Analyses of the city of Saskatoon sewage effluent discharged to the South Saskatchewan river detected clofibric acid but neither ibuprofen nor any metabolite. Laboratory studies indicated that the pharmaceutical ibuprofen was readily degraded in a river biofilm reactor. Two metabolites were detected and identified as hydroxy- and carboxy-ibuprofen. Both metabolites were observed to degrade in the biofilm reactors. However, in human metabolism the metabolite carboxy-ibuprofen appears and degrades second whereas the opposite occurs in biofilm systems. In biofilms the pharmacologically inactive stereoisomere of ibuprofen is degraded predominantly. In contrast, clofibric acid was not biologically degraded during the experimental period of 21 days. Similar results were obtained using biofilms developed using waters from either the South Saskatchewan or Elbe River. In a sterile reactor no losses of ibuprofen were observed. These results suggested that abiotic losses and adsorption played only a minimal role in the fate of the pharmaceuticals in the river biofilm reactors. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
The present study designed to monitor and predict land cover change (LCC) in addition to characterizing LCC and its dynamics over Al-Baha region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by utilizing remote sensing and GIS-cellular automata model (Markov-CA). Moreover, to determine the effect of rainwater storage reservoirs as a driver to the expansion of irrigated cropland. Eight Landsat 5/7 TM/ETM images from 1975 to 2010 were analyzed and ultimately utilized in categorizing LC. The LC maps classified into four main classes: bare soil, sparsely vegetated, forest and shrub land, and irrigated cropland. The quantification of LCC for the analyzed categories showed that bare soil and sparsely vegetated was the largest classes throughout the study period, followed by forest, shrubland, and irrigated cropland. The processes of LCC in the study area were not constant, and varied from one class to another. There were two stages in bare soil change, an increase stage (1975-1995) and decline stage (1995-2010), and the construction of 25 rainwater-harvesting dams in the region was the turning point in bare soil change. The greatest increase was observed in irrigated cropland after 1995 in the expense of the other three categories as an effect of extensive rainwater harvesting practices. Losses were evident in forest and shrubland and sparsely vegetated land during the first stage (19751995) with 5.4 and 25.6 % of total area in 1995, while in 1975, they covered more than 13.8 and 32.7 % of total area. During the second stage (1995-2010), forest and shrubland witnessed a significant increase from 1569.17 km(2) in 1975 to 1840.87 km(2) in 2010. Irrigated cropland underwent the greatest growth (from 422.766 km(2) in 1975 to 1819.931 km(2) in 2010) during the entire study period, and this agriculture expansion reached its zenith in the 2000s. Markov-CA simulation in 2050 predicts a continuing upward trend in irrigated cropland and forest and shrubland areas, as well as a downward trend in bare soil and sparsely vegetated areas; the spatial distribution prediction indicates that irrigated cropland will expand around reservoirs and the mountain areas. The validation result showed that the model successfully identified the state of land cover in 2010 with 97 % agreement between the actual and projected cover. The output of this study would be useful for decision makers and LC/land use planners in Saudi Arabia and similar arid regions.
The aim of computational molecular design is the identification of promising hypothetical molecules with a predefined set of desired properties. We address the issue of accelerating the material discovery with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. The method involves two different types of prediction; the forward and backward predictions. The objective of the forward prediction is to create a set of machine learning models on various properties of a given molecule. Inverting the trained forward models through Bayes' law, we derive a posterior distribution for the backward prediction, which is conditioned by a desired property requirement. Exploring high-probability regions of the posterior with a sequential Monte Carlo technique, molecules that exhibit the desired properties can computationally be created. One major difficulty in the computational creation of molecules is the exclusion of the occurrence of chemically unfavorable structures. To circumvent this issue, we derive a chemical language model that acquires commonly occurring patterns of chemical fragments through natural language processing of ASCII strings of existing compounds, which follow the SMILES chemical language notation. In the backward prediction, the trained language model is used to refine chemical strings such that the properties of the resulting structures fall within the desired property region while chemically unfavorable structures are successfully removed. The present method is demonstrated through the design of small organic molecules with the property requirements on HOMO-LUMO gap and internal energy. The R package iqspr is available at the CRAN repository.
The gene expression level for immune system genes was evaluated at different lifecycle stages in the white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). The gene-coding pattern recognition protein, -glucan binding protein-high density lipoprotein (BGBP), from haemocytes, the effector proteins peroxinectin and clotting protein (CP), the antibacterial proteins Lysozyme, Penaeidin 3 and prophenoloxidase (proPO), and the small heat-shock protein 10 were studied. The expression of BGBP was detected from the Nauplii 3 substage and beyond (except for PL1). Peroxinectin and CP were constitutively transcribed throughout the different substages. Lysozyme, Penaeidin and proPO were also detected throughout the experimental stages (except eggs and nauplii). Lysozyme was transcribed during most of the shrimp substages, from Zoea 2 and beyond. Penaeidin 3 exhibited the lowest expression level of the genes evaluated; however, its transcription was similar to those of adults from post-larvae 11 and forward. proPO was higher transcribed during last post-larval substages. Heat-shock protein-10 was detected in all shrimp substages and exhibited higher expression at the PL substages compared to the first larval substages. Evidence suggests that the shrimp immune system is partially activated from the early larval substages, but is not completed until the shrimp have undergone the metamorphic substages.
Within some European countries, for example Germany and France, a high proportion of students secure work placements as part of their course. This opportunity develops students and strengthens industry-academia interactions. In comparison, the UK lags behinds - a point that was commented on by the UK Universities minister David Willetts recently, as regards preparing graduates for employment. This difference raises the question as to what is deficient within the partnership models within the UK in cementing an effective relationship. This paper will consider tactics to overcome this gap and the resulting operational challenges, focusing particularly on undergraduate course development. A case study will be used to illustrate the approach: Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing Group development of a BEng Manufacturing Engineering degree. Effective strategic partnerships require a clear and shared vision, as well as an effective operational model that develops lasting relationships: a set of specific resources and learning competencies. The shared vision from both university and company was to produce work-ready graduates graduates that do not require an extended graduate training scheme; this is not the norm. The achievement of this vision required the consideration of physical environments, communication and operational challenges in order to create a deeper level of collaboration. The partnership will result in the building of an institute for academic and research development which is to be based at Unipart Manufacturing's site in Coventry. This new resource will see a learning environment where students will be based, allowing them to work on live industrial projects that reinforce taught theory. These semester-long projects will be proposed by the company and progress will be mentored by University subject-specialists and industrial workplace mentors. This teaching model of one project for each 16-week semester resulted from a series of discussions factoring the voices of the three main stakeholders: Academic institute (AI), Industry partner (IP) and the students. A key challenge that this held was interpreting each voice - what are they really saying and what do they really want, as past experiences show when Universities and Industry come together to form partnerships differences in language and terminology created barriers. Academic hybrids (an academic who has transferred from professional practice to higher education) were key translators between AIs and IPs - allowing the move from elaborative language to restrictive language and back again to ensure no misunderstanding. The close and frequent interaction of students with industrial mentors on a company's site built into the semester-long projects brings a number of new challenges - particularly identifying live projects suitable for each level of study, the rules of engagement (how do the students gain access to the shop floor), health and safety, intellectual property rights and maintaining general and transferable skills (not only the company approach). The resolution of these dimensions will be outlined to demonstrate how work-relevant degree programs require a unique set of competencies to develop and implement.
It would be an advantage if there were a measurement method, which would provide more detailed spatial information on water contaminations at low cost. Hyperspectral Remote Sensing has a possibility for gathering detailed: contamination information rapidly and inexpensively. This study includes the possibility of assessing heavy metal contamination of water in Mariut Lake and predicting models describe their concentration using spectrum data taken by portable FieldSpec_ 3 ASD Spectroradiometer. The main objectives of this research are assessing water contamination by heavy metal in Mariut Lake using laboratory analysis and developing a predictive model for water pollution based on the spectral characteristics and lab data obtained. It is resulted that Pb, Ni and Cr concentrations exceed permissible limit of USEPA. Also, the spectral reflectance of (6-13, 16, 19 and 20) at wavelength 582-653 nm is related to the spectral behavior of the high chlorophyll concentration. Also there are 7 samples (1, 3, 6, 10, 11, 19 and 21) showed high and low values of turbidity. As the suspended sediment concentration increased, reflectance also increased at all wavelengths between 400 and 850 nm. It is concluded that most of models predicting heavy metals concentration using reflectance spectroscopy have high significant correlation ranged from 0.27 to 0.97. (C) 2016 National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B. V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-ncnd/ 4.0/).
Increasing demand for water and energy sources, accompanied by continued increases in the prices of these sources, has been observed worldwide. This has resulted in the need to seek alternative sources. In response to this statement, a cost-effective analysis has been carried out to enable the use of selected systems to reduce demands for potable water and natural gas used for heating in single-family homes. The study includes the Drain Water Heat Recovery System, Gray Water Harvesting System and Rainwater Harvesting System. The Life Cycle Cost methodology has been applied as a tool for the analysis. Depending on the number of users and rate of piped water consumption the determined Life Cycle Cost indicator ranged from (sic)11519 to (sic)19678. The study has shown that the highest life cycle cost are characteristic of the graywater recycling variant. In circumstances where water consumption in homes for purposes of showering and toilet flushing exceeded 300 L per day, the most cost-effective is the option that combines all systems analyzed. The most preferred, in the other cases was the use of Rainwater Harvesting System. The sensitivity analysis carried out has also shown that costs changes associated with building water supply and sewerage facilities has had the greatest impact on life cycle costs of each solution. The analysis have shown that the systems under consideration could serve as alternatives for traditional installations. Their use has resulted in reductions in the consumption of fossil fuels and natural water resources, thus contributing to environmental improvements. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) have been historically deployed to cover the base-load of the electricity demand. Nowadays some NPPs might perform daily load cycling operation (i.e. load following) between 50% and 100% of their rated power. With respect to the insertion of control rods or comparable action to reduce the nuclear power generation, a more efficient alternative might be the Load Following by Cogeneration, i.e. diverting the excess of power, respect to the electricity demand, to an auxiliary system. A suitable cogeneration system needs: 1. To have a demand of electricity and/or heat in the region of 500 MWe-1.5 GWt; 2. To meet a significant market demand; 3. To have access to adequate input to process; 4. To be flexible: cogeneration might operate at full load during the night when the request of electricity is low, and be turned off during the daytime. From the economic standpoint, it is essential that the investment in the auxiliary system is profitable. This paper provides a techno-economic assessment of systems potentially suitable for coupling with a NPP for load following. The results show that district heating, desalination and hydrogen might be technically and economically feasible. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3), defined by expression of the transcription factor retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma t, play key roles in the regulation of inflammation and immunity in the gastrointestinal tract and associated lymphoid tissues. ILC3 consist largely of two major subsets, NCR+ ILC3 and LTi-like ILC3, but also demonstrate significant plasticity and heterogeneity. Recent advances have begun to dissect the relationship between ILC3 subsets and to define distinct functional states within the intestinal tissue microenvironment. In this review we discuss the ever-expanding roles of ILC3 in the context of intestinal homeostasis, infection and inflammation - with a focus on comparing and contrasting the relative contributions of ILC3 subsets.
The violations of the second law are relevant as the length and/or time scales become very small. The second law then needs to be replaced by the fluctuation theorem and mathematically, the irreversible entropy is a submartingale. First, we discuss the consequences of these results for the axioms of continuum mechanics, arguing in favor of a framework relying on stochastic functionals of energy and entropy. We next determine a Lyapunov function for diffusion-type problems governed by stochastic rather than deterministic functionals of internal energy and entropy, where the random field coefficients of diffusion are not required to satisfy the positive definiteness everywhere. Next, a formulation of micropolar fluid mechanics is developed, accounting for the lack of symmetry of stress tensor on molecular scales. This framework is then applied to employed to show that spontaneous random fluctuations of the microrotation field will arise in Couette-and Poiseuille-type flows in the absence of random (turbulence-like) fluctuations of the classical velocity field. Finally, while the permeability is classically modeled by the Darcy law or its modifications, besides considering the violations of the second law, one also needs to account for the spatial randomness of the channel network, implying a modification of the hierarchy of scale-dependent bounds on the macroscopic property of the network.
Most of the present knowledge about cell organization and function is based on molecular and genetic methods as well as cytological investigations. While electron microscopy allows identifying cell substructures until a resolution of similar to 1 nm, the resolution of fluorescence microscopy is restricted to similar to 200 nm due to the diffraction limit of light. However, the advantage of this technique is the possibility to identify and co-localize specifically labeled structures and molecules. The recently developed super-resolution microscopy techniques, such as Structured Illumination Microscopy, Photoactivated Localization Microscopy, Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy, and Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy allow analyzing structures and molecules beyond the diffraction limit of light. Recently, there is an increasing application of these techniques in cell biology. This review evaluates and summarizes especially the data achieved until now in analyzing the organization and function of plant cells, chromosomes and interphase nuclei using super-resolution techniques.
This paper deals with the characterization and construction of a rotating brushless PM exciter intended for synchronous generator excitation purposes. Traditionally, PM exciters are used as pre-exciters in synchronous generator excitations systems. In order to reduce the number of components and to increase the step time response of the system, a PM exciter is designed as an outer pole PM machine, with permanent magnets on the stator and armature windings on the rotor. The exciter was constructed electrically and mechanically to be fitted into an in-house synchronous generator test setup. A finite element model of the exciter was validated with no-load measurements of voltages and magnetic flux densities. The exciter was then characterized with unsaturated and saturated parameters.
Discrete fluid power systems featuring transmission lines inherently include pressure oscillations. Experimental verification of a discrete fluid power power take off system for wave energy converters has shown the cylinder pressure to oscillate as force shifts are performed. This article investigates how cylinder pressure oscillations may be reduced by shaping the valve opening trajectory without the need for closed loop pressure feedback. Furthermore the energy costs of reducing pressure oscillations are investigated.
Rationale The negative affective state, e.g., anhedonia, emerges after abstinence from abused drugs may be linked to the motivational processes of drug craving and relapse. Although anhedonia diminishes over time with drug abstinence, it is not yet rather explicit whether anhedonia exists or not following protracted withdrawal. Objectives The behavioral responses to natural rewards were examined after 2 to 3 weeks withdrawal from morphine. Male rats were pretreated with either a binge-like morphine paradigm or daily saline injection for 5 days. The consummatory and motivational behaviors for three natural rewards (sucrose solutions 4, 15, and 60%, social stimulus: male rat, and sexual stimulus: estrous female rat) were examined under varied testing conditions. Results The morphine-withdrawn rats significantly increased their intake of 15% sucrose solution during the 1-h consumption test and their operant responding for 15% sucrose solution under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement. When obtaining a reinforcer was associated with a 0.5 mA foot shock under a PR-punishment schedule, the morphinewithdrawn rats showed a higher performance for 60% sucrose solution. Meanwhile, the morphine-withdrawn rats displayed a higher motivation to sexual stimulus during the freeapproach test and more approaching behaviors towards sexual stimulus in a conflict-based approach test (concurrent presence of reward and aversive stimulus). Conclusions No anhedonia-like behavior but sensitized behaviors for natural rewards were found after long-term morphine withdrawal. Notably, the morphine-withdrawn rats displayed persistent motivated behaviors for high-value rewards (60% sucrose and sexual stimulus) in the conflict tests suggesting impairments in inhibitory control in morphinetreated rats.
How does the acquisition of information about a person affect the liking of that person? A recent set of studies suggests that liking decreases as people acquire more information (Norton, Frost, & Ariely, 2007). We test this less-is-more hypothesis along with an alternative hypothesis based on information integration theory. According to this alternative, people average available person information in an unbiased manner so that the liking of a person described by a random sample of any number of traits from a trait universe approximates the degree of liking that would be obtained if all trait information were known. The correlation between liking and the number of traits should be zero. We present the results of computer simulation and 2 empirical person-judgment studies. Using Bayesian analyses, we find that the evidence is more consistent with the information-integration hypothesis than with the less-is-more hypothesis.
The present research investigates whether spontaneous trait inferences occur under conditions characteristic of social media and networking sites: nonextreme, ostensibly self-generated content, simultaneous presentation of multiple cues, and self-paced browsing. We used an established measure of trait inferences (false recognition paradigm) and a direct assessment of impressions. Without being asked to do so, participants spontaneously formed impressions of people whose status updates they saw. Our results suggest that trait inferences occurred from nonextreme self-generated content, which is commonly found in social media updates (Experiment 1) and when nine status updates from different people were presented in parallel (Experiment 2). Although inferences did occur during free browsing, the results suggest that participants did not necessarily associate the traits with the corresponding status update authors (Experiment 3). Overall, the findings suggest that spontaneous trait inferences occur on social media. We discuss implications for online communication and research on spontaneous trait inferences.
HJ-1A hyperspectral data were used to distinguish topsoil salt components and estimate soil salinity, and the relationship between soil salt chemical components and sensitive bands of soil reflectance spectra was analyzed. The correlation between the soil salt content and the soil spectra obtained from the hyperspectral data was analyzed, proving that topsoil salinity has a very significant correlation with soil reflectance spectra. The relationship between soil reflectance spectra and salt chemical ions was investigated. The soil spectral reflectance at wavelength 510.975 nm and a difference vegetation index were selected to estimate soil salinity and the dominant salt chemical ion concentrations at a depth of 0 to 10 cm using a partial least squares regression model. It was found that the bands sensitive to various levels of chemical components of soil salt were shown to differ, controlled by the dominant component of the soil salt. The sensitive bands in the soil salinity estimation will change with differences in salt components. Estimating the dominant salt in the soil using soil reflectance spectra will lead to greater prediction accuracy. This study provided a possible method for the estimation of salinity and chemical component levels in topsoil, using the hyperspectral data to estimate topsoil salt components. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Recent advances in flow-based microfluidic biochips have enabled the emergence of lab-on-a-chip devices for bimolecular recognition and point-of-care disease diagnostics. However, the adoption of flow-based biochips is hampered today by the lack of computer-aided design tools. Manual design procedures not only delay product development but they also inhibit the exploitation of the design complexity that is possible with current fabrication techniques. In this paper, we present the first practical problem formulation for automated control-layer design in flow-based microfluidic very large-scale integration (mVLSI) biochips and propose a systematic approach for solving this problem. Our goal is to find an efficient routing solution for control-layer design with a minimum number of control pins. The pressure-propagation delay, an intrinsic physical phenomenon in mVLSI biochips, is minimized in order to reduce the response time for valves, decrease the pattern set-up time, and synchronize valve actuation. Two fabricated flow-based devices and six synthetic benchmarks are used to evaluate the proposed optimization method. Compared with manual control-layer design and a baseline approach, the proposed approach leads to fewer control pins, better timing behavior, and shorter channel length in the control layer.
Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) grows in small, widely scattered populations in the wild, but is also a popular ornamental tree that thrives when planted in urban areas outside its natural range. Since the small native populations of yellowwood in several states are considered at risk of extirpation, the cultivated population could serve as an ex situ repository of yellowwood genetic diversity that could be used to restore lost local populations of the species. The potential value of cultivated yellowwood for conservation depends on the genetic diversity among cultivated trees compared to natural populations. Using nuclear microsatellite markers, we genotyped 180 yellowwoods from natural populations in Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky, along with 61 trees from urban parks and landscapes in Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri. We found that, even when statistics were adjusted based on population size, the urban population had higher genetic diversity than any of the wild populations sampled, indicating that commercially-grown yellowwood is most likely a mixture of genotypes from isolated wild populations. We observed strong genetic differentiation among wild populations, and evidence for inbreeding in at least one of the wild populations.
Marangoni convection in a volatile liquid film subject to a horizontal temperature gradient confined in a rectangular cavity is a basic problem of heat transfer and fluid mechanics with applications in evaporative cooling. The Marangoni stresses that drive this flow are due to surface tension gradients at the liquid-vapor interface. The thermocapillary stresses due to variations in surface tension with temperature for the most part drive the liquid away from hot regions. A volatile binary-fluid mixture can, however, be designed so that the solutocapillary stresses due to variations in surface tension with concentration drive the liquid instead towards hot regions, and hence oppose thermocapillary stresses. In thicker liquid layers, the flow is also affected by buoyancy. This work details an experimental study of buoyancy-Marangoni convection in a similar to 0.31 cm deep layer of methanol-water (MeOH-H2O) in a sealed rectangular cuvette driven by a temperature difference of similar to 6 degrees C over a horizontal distance of 4.9 cm. Particle pathline visualizations and particle-image velocimetry (PIV) were used to study this flow and determine how the liquid composition, quantified in terms of the MeOH concentration C-M, and noncondensables (i.e., air), quantified by the concentration of air in the gas space above the liquid c(a), affect the flow. Solutocapillary effects are strong enough to drive the liquid near the free surface towards the heated end over the entire horizontal extent of the liquid layer at low ca (i.e., c(a) < 6%), suggesting that binary-fluid coolants could significantly reduce film dryout. This flow, driven by thermocapillarity, solutocapillarity and buoyancy, is classified into four distinct flow regimes that are summarized in a ca vs. CM flow regime map. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Most individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis do not transition to frank illness. Nevertheless, many have poor clinical outcomes and impaired psychosocial functioning. This study used voxel-based morphometry to investigate if baseline grey and white matter brain densities at identification as UHR were associated with functional outcome at medium-to long-term follow-up. Participants were help-seeking UHR individuals (n = 109, 54M: 55F) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging at baseline; functional outcome was assessed an average of 9.2 years later. Primary analysis showed that lower baseline grey matter density, but not white matter density, in bilateral frontal and limbic areas, and left cerebellar declive were associated with poorer functional outcome (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale [SOFAS]). These findings were independent of transition to psychosis or persistence of the at-risk mental state. Similar regions were significantly associated with lower self-reported levels of social functioning and increased negative symptoms at follow-up. Exploratory analyses showed that lower baseline grey matter densities in middle and inferior frontal gyri were significantly associated with decline in Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score over follow- up. There was no association between baseline grey matter density and IQ or positive symptoms at followup. The current findings provide novel evidence that those with the poorest functional outcomes have the lowest grey matter densities at identification as UHR, regardless of transition status or persistence of the at-risk mental state. Replication and validation of these findings may allow for early identification of poor functional outcome and targeted interventions.
Objectives: Based on the premise that internalized homonegativity (IH) is a product of the incorporation of environmental heterosexism, the authors examined the influence of sociopolitical and individual influences on IH. Methods: The cross-sectional study consisted of 109,382 gay and bisexual men across 77 countries. Results: Variables at the (European) country-level that were associated with higher levels of IH included lack of laws recognizing same-sex relationships and perceived and actual negative gay-related public opinion about homosexuals. Individual-level variables significantly associated with IH were public opinion about homosexuals and exposure to gay-related victimization/discrimination. Conclusions: An improved sociopolitical climate for LGB individuals is needed.
Background: Excessive gambling is considered to be a part of the addiction spectrum. Stress-like emotional states are a key feature both of pathological gambling (PG) and of substance addiction. In substance addiction, stress symptomatology has been attributed in part to anti-reward allostatic neuroadaptations, while a potential involvement of anti-reward processes in the course of PG has not yet been investigated. Methods: To that end, individuals with PG (n = 22) and mentally healthy subjects (n = 13) were assessed for trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) using the Life Events Checklist and the Civilian Mississippi Scale, respectively. Results: In comparison with healthy subjects, individuals with PG had significantly greater PTSS scores including greater physiological arousal sub-scores. The number of traumatic events and their recency were not significantly different between the groups. In the PG group, greater gambling severity was associated with more PTSS, but neither with traumatic events exposure nor with their recency. Conclusions: Our data replicate prior reports on the role of traumatic stress in the course of PG and extend those findings by suggesting that the link may be derived from the anti-reward-type neuroadaptation rather than from the traumatic stress exposure per se.
We study empirical metrics for software source code, which can predict the performance of verification tools on specific types of software. Our metrics comprise variable usage patterns, loop patterns, as well as indicators of control-flow complexity and are extracted by simple data-flow analyses. We demonstrate that our metrics are powerful enough to devise a machine-learning based portfolio solver for software verification. We show that this portfolio solver would be the (hypothetical) overall winner of the international competition on software verification (SV-COMP) in three consecutive years (2014-2016). This gives strong empirical evidence for the predictive power of our metrics and demonstrates the viability of portfolio solvers for software verification. Moreover, we demonstrate the flexibility of our algorithm for portfolio construction in novel settings: originally conceived for SV-COMP'14, the construction works just as well for SV-COMP'15 (considerably more verification tasks) and for SV-COMP'16 (considerably more candidate verification tools).
Direct eye contact is a powerful social cue to regulate interpersonal interactions. Previous behavioral studies showed a link between eye contact and motor mimicry, indicating that the automatic mimicry of observed hand movements is significantly enhanced when direct eye contact exists between the observer and the observed model. In the present study, we aim to investigate the neurophysiological basis of the previously reported behavioral enhancements. Here, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to assess changes in cortico-motor excitability at the level of the primary motor cortex (MI) to explore whether and how the motor system is facilitated from observing others' hand movements and, in particular, how this process is modulated by eye contact. To do so, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were collected from two hand muscles while participants received single-pulse TMS and naturally observed video clips of an actor showing hand opening movements or static hands. During the observation, either direct or averted eye gaze was established between the subject and the observed actor. Our findings show a clear effect of eye gaze on observation-induced motor facilitation. This indicates that the mapping or 'mirroring' of others' movements is significantly enhanced when movement observation is accompanied by direct eye gaze compared to averted eye gaze. Our results support the notion that eye contact is a powerful social signal with the ability to direct human non-verbal social behavior. Furthermore, our findings are important for understanding the role of the mirror motor system in the mapping of socially relevant actions.
Availability of a safe and reliable water supply is an issue in developing nations, including India. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a site-specific source control used to satisfy human, agricultural, and safety demands for water. This study analyzed the effects of capturing rainwater for a 12.5 year period (Jan 1999-Jun 2011) to provide three ecosystem services: water supplementation for indoor use, water supplementation for food production and groundwater recharge (GWR). A hydrologic analysis was completed using satellite rainfall data and a water balance approach. Two demand scenarios, indoor and outdoor, were considered, with water in excess of demand and storage directed to recharge groundwater. An economic analysis quantified RWH system net present value. The results indicated significant ecosystem services benefits were possible from RWH in India. RWH for the purpose of providing irrigation to a small garden and allowing overflow to a drywell for GWR was concluded to be an approach to maximize benefits. This scenario provided the greatest net present value (21,764-38,851 INR), fastest payback period (0.30-0.98 years), and recharge to groundwater of more than 40% of onsite rainfall. The benefit of the outdoor vegetable irrigation was determined and the results showed that the caloric demands of the typical Indian household (2.75kg of tomatoes and 1.05kg of lettuce) could be met with a 20m(2) garden, and excess food could be sold to offset the capital cost of the system and later for economic gain.
Ideas are commonly described using metaphors; a bright idea appears like a light bulb'' or the seed'' of an idea takes root. However, little is known about how these metaphors may shape beliefs about ideas or the role of effort versus genius in their creation, an important omission given the known motivational consequences of such beliefs. We explore whether the light bulb metaphor, although widespread and intuitively appealing, may foster the belief that innovative ideas are exceptional occurrences that appear suddenly and effortlessly-inferences that may be particularly compatible with gendered stereotypes of genius as male. Across three experiments, we find evidence that these metaphors influence judgments of idea quality and perceptions of an inventor's genius. Moreover, these effects varied by the inventor's gender and reflected prevailing gender stereotypes: Whereas the seed (vs. light bulb) metaphor increased the perceived genius of female inventors, the opposite pattern emerged for male inventors.
In this work, we perform a comparative analysis between single and dual metal dielectrically modulated tunnel field-effect transistors (DMTFETs) for the application of label free biosensor. For this purpose, two different gate material with work-function as Phi(M1) and Phi(M2) are used in short-gate DMTFET, where Phi(M1) represents the work-function of gate M1 near to the drain end, while Phi(M2) denotes the work-function of gate M2 near to the source end. A nanogap cavity in the gate dielectric is formed by removing the selected portion of gate oxide for sensing the biomolecules. To investigate the sensitivity of these biosensors, dielectric constant and charge density within the cavity region are considered as governing parameters. The work-function of gate M2 is optimized and considered less than M1 to achieve abruptness at the source/channel junction, which results in better tunneling and improved ON-state current. The ATLAS device simulations show that dual metal SGDMTFETs attains higher ON-state current and drain current sensitivity as compared to its counterpart device. Finally, a dual metal short-gate (DSG) biosensor is compared with the single metal short-gate (SG), single metal full-gate (FG), and dual metal full-gate (DFG) biosensors to analyse structurally enhanced conjugation effect on gate-channel coupling. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The purpose of this study was to compare personality traits using the Big Five personality taxonomy and alcohol consumption of classical and heavy metal musicians. Also, we compared personality traits of classical and heavy metal musicians with norms for the Croatian population, and data on alcohol consumption with a representative sample of the general Croatian population. Participants in the study were men (N = 249) playing either classical (N = 113) or heavy metal music (N = 136). Personality was measured with the IPIP-50 personality questionnaire and participants answered several questions about alcohol consumption. We found no significant differences in personality traits between classical and heavy metal musicians, but both classical and heavy metal musicians differed significantly in personality from the norms, having higher scores on extraversion, agreeableness, and especially intellect. Belonging to a heavy metal musicians group was associated with consuming alcohol more often. Also, frequency of alcohol consumption was statistically higher for heavy metal musicians than in the general population.
Nowadays, population growth, environmental constraints and climate change can adversely affect our water supply systems' ability to keep up with demand. Due to lack of unsuitable distribution and dispersion of water resources, precipitation, soil resources, etc., inter-basin transfers of water could be a solution in order to balancing between supply and demand water in different areas. In this study, the optimal designing of water conveyance from basin No-1 to basin No-2 is investigated. Water is transferred between these two dams by tunnel structure. Since the water flow through the tunnel is under pressure, increasing dam height will cause the decrease of tunnel diameter for constant water conveyance efficiency. The purpose of this study is transferring 95 % of water flow between two basins after supplying the agriculture consumption and environmental needs. Therefore, the mathematical program was developed first to solve the governing equations of water balance of reservoir and hydraulic of tunnel. Then, various strategies including different diameters of tunnel and dam height were considered and finally the best strategy from economic and technical viewpoint was proposed. The results showed that dam height of 151.2 m and tunnel diameter of 3.2 m are the economic options to convey of 95 % of the water.
Multi-label image classification is a challenging problem in computer vision. Motivated by the recent development in image classification performance using Deep Neural Networks, in this work, we propose a flexible deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) framework, called Local-Global-CNN (LGC), to improve multi-label image classification performance. LGC consists of firstly a local level multi-label classifier which takes object segment hypotheses as inputs to a local CNN. The output results of these local hypotheses are aggregated together with max-pooling and then re-weighted to consider the label co-occurrence or inter-dependencies information by using a graphical model in the label space. LGC also utilizes a global CNN that is trained by multi-label images to directly predict the multiple labels from the input. The predictions of local and global level classifiers are finally fused together to obtain MAP estimation of the final multi-label prediction. The above LGC framework could benefit from a pre-train process with a large-scale single-label image dataset, e.g., ImageNet. Experimental results have shown that the proposed framework could achieve promising performance on Pascal VOC2007 and VOC2012 multi-label image dataset.
Drought, water loss and soil erosion are the main factors limiting agricultural production in semi-arid regions of China. A field study was conducted to determine (1) the runoff efficiencies of different ridge widths (30,45 and 60 cm) covered with different materials (common plastic film, biodegradable mulching film and manual compacted soil) and (2) the effects of different ridge-furrow ratios (30:60, 45:60 and 60:60) and ridge-covering materials on soil water storage, topsoil temperature, hay yield, grain yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of oats in ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting (RFRH) system at the Dingxi Agri-meteorological station, during 2 consecutive years of 2012 and 2013. Average runoff efficiency was 18%, 20%, 22%, 71%, 77%, 83%, 76%, 77% and 84% for SR30, SR45, SR60, BMR30, BMR45, BMR60, CMR30, CMR45 and CMR60 (SR, BMR and CMR were ridges with compacted soil, covered with biodegradable mulch film and common plastic film, respectively, and subscript numbers 30,45 and 60 stand for ridge widths (cm)) over 2 years, respectively. The field experiment using oats as an indicator crop showed that mulching materials and ridge widths had distinct effects on topsoil temperature on the top of the ridges, but not in the bottom of the furrows. The soil water storage in the 140 cm depth of soil at the bottom of furrows increased with increasing ridge widths and in the order of CMR approximate to BMR >SR >FP (FP was the flat planting). The total precipitation was 414.4 mm in 2012 and 448.8 mm in 2013, which were higher than the average of rainfall (388.1 mm), leading to a significant increase of hay and grain yield in CMR, and an equivalent of hay and grain yield in BMR compared with FP in most cases. In the SR system, the positive effects of rainwater harvesting could not compensate for the negative effects of planting area reduction resulting in decrease in hay and grain yield. Compared with FP, the average grain yield decreased by 19%, 27% and 34% for SR30, SR45 and SR60, and increased by 6%, 4%, 1%, 12%, 9% and 6% for BMR30, BMR45, BMR60, CMR30, CMR45 and CMR60 over 2 years, respectively. The WUE of SR. BMR and CMR was 131, 1.41 and 1.47 times greater than that in FP over 2 years, and increased with increasing ridge width. The optimum furrow width was 32-38 cm for CMR and was 30-34 cm for BMR. Future study is needed to investigate the impact of RFRH on crop production, WUE and economic benefit under different precipitations, soil types, slopes and plant species using biodegradable mulching materials. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This work proposes a novel physics-based model for the fluid mechanics and heat transfer associated with slug flow boiling in horizontal circular microchannels to update the widely used three-zone model of Thome et al. (2004). The heat transfer model has a convective boiling nature and predicts the time dependent variation of the local heat transfer coefficient during the cyclic passage of a liquid slug, an evaporating elongated bubble and a vapor plug. The capillary flow theory, extended to incorporate evaporation effects, is applied to estimate the bubble velocity along the channel. A liquid film thickness prediction method also considering bubble proximity effects, which may limit the radial extension of the film, is included. The minimum liquid film thickness at dryout is set to the channel wall roughness. Theoretical heat transfer models accounting for the thermal inertia of the liquid film and for the recirculating flow within the liquid slug are utilized. The heat transfer model is compared to experimental data taken from three independent studies. The 833 slug flow boiling data points cover the fluids R134a, R245fa and R236fa, and channel diameters below 1 mm. The proposed evaporation model predicts more than 80% of the database to within +/- 30%. It demonstrates a stronger contribution to heat transfer by the liquid slugs and correspondingly less by the thin film evaporation process compared to the original three-zone model. This model represents a new step towards a complete physics-based modelling of the bubble dynamics and heat transfer within microchannels under evaporating flow conditions. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Purpose This paper reviews and adapts the methodology Guide on the methodology for carrying out cost-benefit analysis prepared by the European Commission (EC). It is specifically tailored to the assessment of an innovative rail freight service, and its application in the context of a number of potential service areas (principally pan European) in Europe. The SPECTRUM service is an innovative rail freight concept for the transport of low density high value (LDHV) goods. Methods The methodology is primarily based on the Guide to cost-benefit analysis of investment projects of the European Commission. The cost definition takes input from a Life Cycle Cost analysis and applies a series of conversion factors. The benefits have been estimated considering the user's surplus, i.e. the difference between Generalised Logistic Costs (GLC) borne by transport/logistics operators (and more in general freight transport service users) when using the SPECTRUM service and GLC connected to preshift mode, i.e. road or traditional rail; and the difference in external costs generated by freight transport activities connected to externalities such as air pollution and climate change, noise, accidents, and other externalities (up-and down-stream processes, nature and landscape, biodiversity losses, soil and water pollution, congestion). Results The adapted methodology has proven capable of representing the multiple effects resulting from the theoretical introduction of an innovative rail service in the freight transport sector - accounting for the differential impacts compared to the baseline scenario solutions. The logical articulation of the analysis is flexible; two specific estimation schemes (the estimation of ad hoc unit parameters for the external costs and ad hoc approach for using GLC as proxies of users' surplus in a scenario where the introduction of the innovative service modifies the modal split of freight transport between different solutions) can be applied to other territorial contexts. It may also be used to evaluate other types of freight transport services, provided that some unit data can be retrieved, which pertain to site-specific cost of infrastructures, average speeds and rates of different transport solutions, costs of personnel and other operating costs.
Protein misfolding and aggregation has been implicated as the cause of more than 20 diseases in humans such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and systemic amyloidosis. Retardation of A beta-42 aggregation is considered as a promising and challenging strategy for developing effective therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease. Herein, we demonstrated the effect of vitamin B12 (VB) on inhibiting amyloid formation by employing ThT fluorescence assay, circular dichroism, ANS fluorescence assay, dynamic light scattering measurements and transmission electron microscopy and cell viability assay. Our results demonstrate that vitamin B12 (VB), inhibits A beta-42 aggregation in a concentration dependent manner. Further VB also provide protection against amyloid induced cytotoxicity in human neuronal cell line. This study points towards a promising strategy to combat A beta-42 aggregation and may have broader implication for targeting other neurological disorders whose distinct hallmark is also amyloid formation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A 10-week course was designed with funding from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and input from industry representatives, to offer upper division engineering students a course on advanced automation. The objective was to provide engineering students theoretical and hands-on practical experience with automation technologies that will be of prime importance over the next decade: data acquisition and instrumentation, machine vision and motion control. This paper describes the machine vision portion of that class. It describes important concepts, hands-on equipment, and labs developed for this course, as well as examples of student projects from Spring Quarter, 2004. The course and laboratory materials were evaluated for learning effectiveness and technical content, which are included in this paper.
The mental representation of the self is a complex construct, comprising both conceptual information and perceptual information regarding the body. Evidence suggests that both the conceptual self-representation and the bodily selfrepresentation are malleable, and that these different aspects of the self are linked. Changes in bodily self-representation appear to affect how the self is conceptualized, but it is unclear whether the opposite relationship is also true: Do changes to the conceptual self-representation affect how the physical self is perceived? First, we adopted a perceptual matching paradigm to establish an association between the self and an unfamiliar face (Experiment 1). Robust attentional and perceptual biases in the processing of this newly self-associated object suggested that the conceptual self-representation was extended to include it. Next, we measured whether the bodily self-representation had correspondingly changed to incorporate the new face (Experiment 2). Participants rated morphs between their own and the newly-associated according to how similar they were to the self, before and after performing the perceptual matching task. Changes to the conceptual self did not have an effect on the bodily self-representation. These results suggest that modulatory links between aspects of the mental self-representation, when focused on the nonsocial self, are unidirectional and flow in a bottom-up manner.
This paper refers to recovering waste heat from the hot gases exhausted by internal combustion engines (ICEs) driving electric generators (EGs) at full and partial load. The topic is of particular interest for developing countries where electric grids are underdeveloped or missing and electricity is generated locally by using classical fuels. The heat recovery system is based on an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). A novel method is proposed for the optimum design of ORC-based systems operating in combination with ICE at partial EG loads. First, ORC-based systems coupled with ICEs operating at full EG load is treated. Specific results for the operation at full EG load are as follows: (i) the optimum superheating increment ranges between 30 and 40 degrees C, depending on the type of the working fluids; (ii) a pinch point temperature difference exits between the flue gas temperature and the working fluid at the evaporator inlet; (iii) the total area of the evaporator is very close to the total area of the condenser, a fact which facilitates manufacturing; (iv) the surface area of the preheater zone is about 75% of the total surface area, while those of the boiler zone and superheater zone is about 13.5% and 11.5%, respectively. Second, the case of the ORC-based systems coupled with ICEs operating at partial EG load is considered. Specific results for this case are as follows: (v) the net power may be maximized by optimizing the working fluid mass flow rate; (vi) when the ICE is coupled with an ORC-based system, the overall thermal efficiency of the combined system, eta(ICE-ORC), is higher than the thermal efficiency of the ICE operating alone. As an example, for the case treated here, 'eta(ICE-ORC) is higher than Hits. by 6.00%, 5.85% and 5.91%, for EG loads of 100%, 75% and 50%, respectively. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd.
Background: Selenium is an essential element, but its metabolism in humans is not well characterized. A few small studies indicate that the trimethylselenonium ion (TMSe) is a common selenium metabolite in humans. Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the human metabolism of selenium to TMSe. Design: Study individuals constituted subsamples of 2 cohorts: 1) pregnant women (n = 228) and their 5-y-old children (n = 205) in rural Bangladesh with poor selenium status [median urinary selenium (U-Se): 6.4 mu g/L in mothers, 14 mu g/L in children] and 2) women in the Argentinian Andes (n = 83) with adequate selenium status (median U-Se: 24 mu g/L). Total U-Se and blood selenium were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), and urinary concentrations of TMSe were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography/vapor generation/ICPMS. A genomewide association study (GWAS) was performed for 1,629,299 (after filtration) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Bangladeshi women (n = 72) by using Illumina Omni5M, and results were validated by using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: TMSe producers were prevalent (approximately one-third) among the Bangladeshi women and their children, in whom TMSe constituted similar to 10-70% of U-Se, whereas nonproducers had, on average, 0.59% TMSe. The TMSe-producing women had, on average, 2-mu g U-Se/L higher concentrations than did the nonproducers. In contrast, only 3 of the 83 Andean women were TMSe producers (6-15% TMSe in the urine); the average percentage among the nonproducers was 0.35%. Comparison of the percentage of urinary TMSe in mothers and children indicated a strong genetic influence. The GWAS identified 3 SNPs in the indolethylamine N-methyltransferase gene (INMT) that were strongly associated with percentage of TMSe (P < 0.001, false-discovery rate corrected) in both cohorts. Conclusions: There are remarkable population and individual variations in the formation of TMSe, which could largely be explained by SNPs in INMT. The TMSe-producing women had higher U-Se concentrations than did nonproducers, but further elucidation of the metabolic pathways of selenium is essential for the understanding of its role in human health.
Finite element simulation of the mixed convection within porous square cavities for Darcy-BrinkmanForchheimer model has been carried out in the present work. The penalty optimization based Galerkin finite element method is used to solve the partial differential equations of heat and fluid flow. Bejan's heatline concept has been employed to visualize the heat flow within the closed cavities based on the motion of the horizontal wall(s) (cases la-id) or vertical wall(s) (cases 2a-2c) involving isothermally hot bottom wall, cold side walls and insulated top wall for various fluids with Prandtl number, Pr-m = 0.026, 0.7 and 7.2, Reynolds number, Re = 10-100 and Grashof number, Gr = 10(3)-10(5). The higher permeability at Da(m) >= 10(-3) leads to the enhanced buoyancy convection for all the cases. Although the direction of the motion of wall(s) significantly influences the fluid flow field within the enclosure, due to the decoupling between the fluid and thermal fields at the low Pe(m) (Pe(m) = 0.26 and 2.6), conductive heat transfer occurs as seen from the end-to-end heatlines. It is also found that the overall heat transfer rates at the bottom wall (Nu(b)) are identical for the cases 1a-id and cases 2a-2c at Pr-m = 0.026, irrespective of Gr and Re at Da(m) = 10(-2). At Pr-m = 0.7 and 7.2, the convection dominant heat transfer occurs for all the cases for Gr = 10(5), Re = 10 and 100 and Da(m) = 10(-2). The strong convective circulation cells are observed at Pr-m = 0.7 and 7.2 for all the cases. The plume shaped isotherms are also observed along the centerline at Pr-m = 7.2, Re = 10, Gr = 10(5) and Da(m) = 10(-2) for all the cases. At Pr-m = 7.2, Gr = 10(5), Da(m) = 10(-2) and. Re = 100, the multiple convective heatline cells are observed for the cases la-id. It is observed that, the strengths of fluid and heat circulation cells are less at Re = 100 compared to Re = 10 for all the cases due to weak buoyancy force at the high Re. In order to achieve the high heat transfer rate at the bottom wall (Nu(b)) for the mixed convection involving various moving walls, case 2b (a case of the vertically moving wall) is preferred at Pr-m = 0.7, Re = 100, Gr = 10(5) and Da(m) = 10(-2). At the high Pr-m (Pr-m = 7.2, Re = 100, Gr = 105 and Da(m) = 10(-2)), case 2a (a case of the vertically moving wall) is preferred based on the maximum heat transfer rate at the bottom wall (Nu(b)). (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
As the conventional power systems turn towards smart grids (SGs) on a fast pace, this transition may create new and significant challenges to the existing electrical network security. Along with many important features of the SGs cyber security has emerged to be a critical issue due to the interconnection of several loads, generators, and renewable resources through the communication network. Cyber-physical attacks (CPAs) are classified as the major threatening of SGs security because it may lead to severe consequences such as large blackout and destruction of infrastructures. Cyber switching attacks (CSAs) (as a part CPAs) start to attract the attention due to its severity and speed in destabilizing the SGs, we present in this paper Thyristor-Controlled Braking Resistor (TCBR) as a solution to mitigate this type of attack. TCBR can enable us to stabilize the target generator in a relatively short time.
Environmental conservation and management policy first emphasized on water pollution control in Japan. However, this kind of passive conservation policy is gradually being shifted to an active approach such as Satoumi, which includes the restoration of biodiversity, biological productivity, habitat and a well-balanced nutrient cycle between land and sea. Many Satoumi creation activities were also characterized by activities which promote interactions between land and sea. In this paper, a case study of Ago Bay in Shima City, Mie Prefecture, Japan, is introduced in which land-sea interaction at two sites was improved by promoting water exchange across dikes constructed for land development and land reclamation. Tidal flat restoration experiments conducted in Ago Bay clearly showed that the promotion of tidal exchange between the sea and wetland area on the inner side of dikes improved both deteriorated sediment quality and macro-benthos conditions. Along with the results of this case study, future tidal flat restoration in Japan is also discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, the authors present a polarisation dependent analytical model for DC, radio frequency (RF) and linearity characteristics of a proposed lattice-matched AlInN/AlN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high electron mobility transistor (MOSHEMT). The developed model includes charge controlled analysis derived from triangular potential well approximation along with the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarisation effects. The model accurately predicts the threshold voltage, two-dimensional electron gas sheet charge density, drain current, transconductance and cut-off frequencies for different samples of gate dielectric materials such as SiO2, HfO2 and Al2O3 over a full range of gate and drain bias. A detailed analysis of the linearity characteristics by investigating the key figure-of-merit metrics such as second-order voltage intercept point, third-order voltage intercept point, third-order input intercept point and third-order intermodulation distortion are performed for different gate dielectric thicknesses of 5, 7 and 10 nm. The accuracy of the model results is verified against Silvaco Technology Computer Aided Design numerical simulation results and found to be satisfactory. It is observed that by careful tuning the device parameters such as dielectric constant and dielectric thickness, lattice-matched AlInN/AlN/GaN MOSHEMT can considerably improve the device performance and suitable for high performance low distortion RF applications.
Identifying water pollution as a crime seems only sensible and it is already characterized this way in some countries. However, to succeed in any struggle against pollution, it is important to understand what advantage such categorization provides, particularly at the international level. Speaking of environmental crimes clearly sends a message about the serious consequences such activities have for societies and for humanity. In this area, as with gross violations of human rights, criminalization may help eliminate if not impunity itself, at least the climate of impunity. But lawsuits and sanctions are effective only under precise conditions, which are sometimes difficult to meet, both in terms of the burden of proof in criminal law and in achieving the necessary political will.
Today, smart mobile devices (telephones and tablets) are very commonly used due to their powerful hardware and useful features. According to an eMarketer report, in 2014 there were 1.76 billion smartphone users (excluding users of tablets) in the world; it is predicted that this number will rise by 15.9% to 2.04 billion in 2015. It is thought that these devices can be used successfully in biomedical applications. A wireless blood pressure measuring device used together with a smart mobile device was developed in this study. By means of an interface developed for smart mobile devices with Android and iOS operating systems, a smart mobile device was used both as an indicator and as a control device. The cuff communicating with this device through Bluetooth was designed to measure blood pressure via the arm. A digital filter was used on the cuff instead of the traditional analog signal processing and filtering circuit. The newly developed blood pressure measuring device was tested on 18 patients and 20 healthy individuals of different ages under a physician's supervision. When the test results were compared with the measurements made using a sphygmomanometer, it was shown that an average 93.52% accuracy in sick individuals and 94.53% accuracy in healthy individuals could be achieved with the new device. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Object class segmentation is a computer vision task which requires labeling each pixel of an image with the class of the object it belongs to. Deep convolutional neural networks (DNN) are able to learn and take advantage of local spatial correlations required for this task. They are, however, restricted by their small, fixed-sized filters, which limits their ability to learn long-range dependencies. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), on the other hand, do not suffer from this restriction. Their iterative interpretation allows them to model long-range dependencies by propagating activity. This property is especially useful when labeling video sequences, where both spatial and temporal long-range dependencies occur. In this work, a novel RNN architecture for object class segmentation is presented. We investigate several ways to train such a network. We evaluate our models on the challenging NYU Depth v2 dataset for object class segmentation and obtain competitive results. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent years there has been increased interest in understanding cognitive processes that playa role in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). One cognitive factor that has received little attention is rumination. Rumination, defined as the tendency to repetitively analyze ones problems and feelings of distress, has been implicated in the development and maintenance of several mood and anxiety-related disorders. Thus, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the role of rumination in OCD symptoms using an unselected treatment-seeking sample (N = 105). Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant association between rumination and the unacceptable thoughts/neutralizing domain of OCD. These findings remained significant even after accounting for a relevant and related construct, in particular negative affect. These findings support a growing body of literature establishing rumination as a transdiagnostic risk factor. Further clinical and experimental research is needed to confirm these findings and expand our knowledge of metacognitive models of OCD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Manufacturers have been exploring innovative strategies to achieve and sustain their competitive advantages by facing a new era of intensive global competition. Such a strategy is Supply Chain Management (SCM), which has gained a tremendous amount of attention from both researchers and practitioners since the last decade. Supply chain management (SCM) has been considered as the most popular operations strategy for improving organizational competitiveness in the twenty-first century. It has attracted a lot of attention recently due to its role involving all of the activities in industrial organizations ranging from raw material procurement to final product delivery to customers. Well-designed supply chain systems can substantially improve efficiency and product quality, and eventually enhance customer satisfaction and profitability. In this paper, a manufacturing engineering perspective on supply chain integration is presented. Research issues discussed include product and process design for supply chain, design valuation of manufacturing supply chain, agent-based techniques for supply chain integration, intelligent information sharing across supply chain, and development of standards for product, process, and production data exchange to facilitate electronic commerce. The objective is to provide guidelines and references for manufacturing engineers and researchers that are interested in supply chain integration.
The crosstalk between NK cells and M1 macrophages has a vital role in the protection against infections and tumor development. However, macrophages in the tumor resemble an M2 phenotype, and, at present, their effect on NK cells is less clear. This study investigated whether tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have a role in altering NK cell function and phenotype using in vitro cocultures of murine NK cells with peritoneal or bone marrow-derived, M2-polarized macrophages or TAMs isolated from spontaneous mouse breast tumors. We report here that both peritoneal and bone marrow-derived M2 macrophages, as well as TAMs, substantially inhibit NK cell activation and concordant cytotoxicity against tumor cells. The mechanism for this inhibition was found to require contact between the respective cell types. Both M2 macrophages and TAMs are producers of the immunosuppressive cytokine TGF-beta. The inhibition of TGF-beta restored the cytotoxicity of NK cells in contact with M2 macrophages, implicating TGF-beta in the mechanism for NK cell inhibition. In addition to affecting NK cell function, TAMs also induced a CD27(low)CD11b(high)-exhausted NK cell phenotype, which corresponds with the reduced activation and cytotoxicity observed. This study reveals a novel implication of TAMs in the tumor-associated inhibition of NK cell function by demonstrating their capacity to directly alter NK cell cytotoxicity and phenotype in a contact-dependent mechanism involving TGF-beta. These findings identify the interaction between NK cells and TAMs as a prospective therapeutic target to enhance NK cell effector function for effective NK cell cancer therapies.
This paper presents a design assistance methodology of low speed Switched Reluctance Machines (SRM) using field-based models. The magnetic properties of the iron, the number of rotor poles, and the number of poles per phase, all play a significant role in the machine design. The proposed comparison procedure uses field-based models along with scale models, based on similarity laws, to compare SRM designs. The field-based models are here applied in dimensional analysis of regular and non-regular topologies distinguished by different characteristics of electric and magnetic circuits. As an added value for this methodology, similarity laws take into account physical phenomena like thermal changes and magnetic saturation. Hypotheses introduced in the methodology formulation were verified by finite element analysis. This work is motivated by the application of SRM to direct drive wind converters and other low speed renewable energy systems. As an application example of this methodology, a non-regular topology with short flux-paths was compared with a regular prototype, 3-phase, 12/16, SRM, designed for a direct drive wind turbine: a gain of power per unit of mass is achieved with the former one.
In social groups, individuals are often confronted with evaluations of their behaviour by other group members and are motivated to adapt their own behaviour accordingly. In two studies we examine emotional responses towards, and perceived coping abilities with, morality vs. competence evaluations individuals receive from other in-group members. In Study 1, we show that evaluations of one's immoral behaviour primarily induce guilt, whereas evaluations of incompetent behaviour raise anger. In Study 2, we elaborate on the psychological process associated with these emotional responses, and demonstrate that evaluations of immorality, compared to incompetence, diminish group members' perceived coping abilities, which in turn intensifies feelings of guilt. However, when anticipating an opportunity to restore one's self-image as a moral group member, perceived coping abilities are increased and the experience of guilt is alleviated. Together these studies demonstrate how group members can overcome their moral misery when restoring their self-image.
This paper reviews grinding research led by Professor W Brian Rowe at Liverpool John Moores University and at other establishments previously. Research reviewed extends over fundamentals of grinding processes and machine performance carried out over fifty-five years. Topics range from accuracy in centreless grinding and other grinding processes to grinding machine behaviour and high precision grinding machine design including bearing technology. Research also ranges to high removal rate grinding processes, surface integrity and intelligent process control. This review highlights progress in selected areas and demonstrates that improving product quality allows improved manufacturing productivity.
The chronic inflammation plays an important role in heart failure and complement components might be useful markers of the prognosis. We set out to evaluate their predictive value in the clinical outcomes of patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We determined the complement levels C3, C3a, sC5b-9 and also the N-terminus of the prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) of 126 heart failure patients in a prospective, single-center observational study before and 6 months after CRT implantation. CRT reduced the C3a [212.5 (148.2-283.6) vs. 153 (119.8-218.3) ng/mL, p165 ng/mL hazard ratio = 4.21 (1.65-10.72), p = 0.003] independent of the NT-proBNP and other factors. After reclassification, we observed a significant net reclassification improvement [NRI = 0.71 (0.43-0.98), p < 0.0001] and integrated discrimination improvement [IDI = 0.08 (0.03-0.12), p = 0.0002]. In patients with CRT, elevated C3a levels increase the risk of mortality independent of the NT-proBNP levels or other factors. CRT exerts anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the complement activation.
Eye gaze is a potent source of social information with direct eye gaze signaling the desire to approach and averted eye gaze signaling avoidance. In the current work, we proposed that eye gaze signals whether or not to impute minds into others. Across four studies, we manipulated targets' eye gaze (i.e., direct vs. averted eye gaze) and measured explicit mind ascriptions (Study 1a, Study 1b, and Study 2) and beliefs about the likelihood of targets having mind (Study 3). In all four studies, we find novel evidence that the ascription of sophisticated humanlike minds to others is signaled by the display of direct eye gaze relative to averted eye gaze. Moreover, we provide evidence suggesting that this differential mentalization is due, at least in part, to beliefs that direct gaze targets are more likely to instigate social interaction. In short, eye contact triggers mind perception.
Comparing with ITER, the experimental fusion machine under construction, the next-step test fusion power plant, DEMOwill be characterized by a very long pulse/steady-state operation and much higher plasma volume and fusion power. The substantially increased level of neutron and gamma fluxes will require reducing the physical access to the plant. It means some conventional diagnostics for the fusion plasma control will not be suitable in DEMO. Development of diagnostics along with the machine design is a primary task for the test plant. The deuterium-tritium fuel ratio and temperature are among important parameters, which should be under control. In this paper, a novel technique for the core fuel ratio and temperature diagnostics is proposed. It is based on measurements and comparison of the rates T (p, gamma)(4) He and D(T, gamma)(5) He nuclear reactions that take place in the hot deuterium-tritium plasma. Based on detection of high-energy gamma-rays, this diagnostic is robust, efficient and does not require direct access to the plasma. It could be included in the loop of the burning plasma control system. A feasibility of the diagnostic in experiments on JET and ITER is also discussed.
The space-time fractional nonlinear Schrodinger equation is solved by mean of on the fractional Riccati expansion method. These solutions include generalized trigonometric and hyperbolic functions which could be useful for further understanding of mechanisms of the complicated nonlinear physical phenomena and fractional differential equations. Among these solutions, some are found for the first time.
Goal understanding is the process by which interactants make inferences about others' objectives during conversation. Previous research has examined goal understanding without concern for the timing of goal pursuit. Accordingly, an experiment examined the timing of pursuers' efficiency in the communicative behavior employed to reach their goal. Results indicated that timing modified the relationship between pursuers' efficiency and detectors' accuracy and to a lesser extent detectors' certainty. Efficiency was positively correlated with accuracy for the initial minute of a 5-minute interaction but not subsequent minutes.
A new look at the description of the phenomenon of electromagnetic wave radiation as a phase transition of a quasi-static field state (near zone) in the field of running wave (far zone) is suggested. It is demonstrated that the boundary of this transition, called the causal surface, is sufficiently localized. The position of the causal surface depends on the chosen radiation frequency. The skin layer in media with strong absorption is formed at the boundary of the causal surface, and this can be used for depth sensing of such media.
Background: Gal d 1 (ovomucoid) is the dominant allergen in the chicken egg white. Hypoallergenic variants of this allergen can be used in immunotherapy as an egg allergy treatment approach. We hypothesised that disruption of two of the nine cysteine-cysteine bridges by site-directed mutagenesis will allow the production of a hypoallergenic variant of the protein; Methods: Two cysteine residues at C192 and C210 in domain III of the protein were mutated to alanine using site-directed mutagenesis, to disrupt two separate cysteine-cysteine bridges. The mutated and non-mutated proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) by induction with isopropyl beta-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The expressed proteins were analysed using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting to confirm expression. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivity of the two proteins was analysed, by immunoblotting, against a pool of egg-allergic patients' sera. A pool of non-allergic patients' sera was also used in a separate blot as a negative control; Results: Mutant Gal d 1 showed diminished IgE reactivity in the immunoblot by showing lighter bands when compared to the non-mutated version, although there was more of the mutant protein immobilised on the membrane when compared to the wild-type protein. The non-allergic negative control showed no bands, indicating an absence of non-specific binding of secondary antibody to the proteins; Conclusion: Disruption of two cysteine bridges in domain III of Gal d 1 reduces IgE reactivity. Following downstream laboratory and clinical testing, this mutant protein can be used in immunotherapy to induce tolerance to Gal d 1 and in egg allergy diagnosis.
Couched in the context of the experience economy 3.0, this research conceptualized transformations as changes in existential authenticity and anxiety, and phenomenologically explored the essence of a transformative tourist experience and subsequent long-term changes. This research uncovered nine chronologically ordered themes in which existentially oriented concerns were prevalent. It found that tourists did not reflect on existential givens in situ until a triggering episode initiated the meaning-making process. Existential anxiety felt post-trip was found to motivate tourists to resolve pertinent existential dilemmas and to initiate meaningful life changes. Participants sustained enhanced existential authenticity and became more sensitive to existential anxiety in their lives thereafter.
This study examines the relationship between interreligious contact and negative attitudes towards the religious out-group. It uses unique survey data collected by the authors among Christian and Muslim students in Maluku and Yogyakarta (Indonesia) and Mindanao and Metro Manila (the Philippines). Even after taking self-selection effects into account, interreligious friendships reduce negative attitudes towards the religious out-group. However, casual interreligious contact increases negative out-group attitudes. Also individuals who experienced interreligious violence have more negative out-group attitudes than those without such experience. The experience of interreligious violence has no influence on the effect of interreligious friendships but it further deteriorates the relationship between casual interreligious contact and out-group attitudes. Perceived group threat is an important mechanism explaining the effects of both positive and negative interreligious contact. [125]. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
High-dimensional quantum key distribution (HD-QKD) can generate more secure bits for one detection event so that it can achieve long distance key distribution with a high secret key capacity. In this Letter, we present a decoy state HD-QKD scheme with the entangled single-photon-added coherent state (ESPACS) source. We present two tight formulas to estimate the single-photon fraction of postselected events and Eve's Holevo information and derive lower bounds on the secret key capacity and the secret key rate of our protocol. We also present finite-key analysis for our protocol by using the Chernoff bound. Our numerical results show that our protocol using one decoy state can perform better than that of previous HD-QKD protocol with the spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) using two decoy states. Moreover, when considering finite resources, the advantage is more obvious. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a powerful technique for studying the diffusion of molecules within biological membranes with high spatial and temporal resolution. FCS can quantify the molecular concentration and diffusion coefficient of fluorescently labeled molecules in the cell membrane. This technique has the ability to explore the molecular diffusion characteristics of molecules in the plasma membrane of immune cells in steady state (i.e., without processes affecting the result during the actual measurement time). FCS is suitable for studying the diffusion of proteins that are expressed at levels typical for most endogenous proteins. Here, a straightforward and robust method to determine the diffusion rate of cell membrane proteins on primary lymphocytes is demonstrated. An effective way to perform measurements on antibody-stained live cells and commonly occurring observations after acquisition are described. The recent advancements in the development of photostable fluorescent dyes can be utilized by conjugating the antibodies of interest to appropriate dyes that do not bleach extensively during the measurements. Additionally, this allows for the detection of slowly diffusing entities, which is a common feature of proteins expressed in cell membranes. The analysis procedure to extract molecular concentration and diffusion parameters from the generated autocorrelation curves is highlighted. In summary, a basic protocol for FCS measurements is provided; it can be followed by immunologists with an understanding of confocal microscopy but with no other previous experience of techniques for measuring dynamic parameters, such as molecular diffusion rates.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common and debilitating mental illnesses worldwide. Growing evidence indicates an age-dependent rise in the incidence of anxiety disorders from adolescence through adulthood, suggestive of underlying neurodevelopmental mechanisms. Kappa opioid receptors (KORs) are known to contribute to the development and expression of anxiety; however, the functional role of KORs in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a brain structure critical in mediating anxiety, particularly across ontogeny, are unknown. Using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in acute brain slices from adolescent (postnatal day (P) 30-45) and adult (P60+) male Sprague-Dawley rats, we found that the KOR agonist, U69593, increased the frequency of GABA(A)-mediated spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) in the adolescent BLA, without an effect in the adult BLA or on sIPSC amplitude at either age. The KOR effect was blocked by the KOR antagonist, nor-BNI, which alone did not alter GABA transmission at either age, and the effect of the KOR agonist was TTX-sensitive. Additionally, KOR activation did not alter glutamatergic transmission in the BLA at either age. In contrast, U69593 inhibited sIPSC frequency in the central amygdala (CeA) at both ages, without altering sIPSC amplitude. Western blot analysis of KOR expression indicated that KOR levels were not different between the two ages in either the BLA or CeA. This is the first study to provide compelling evidence for a novel and unique neuromodulatory switch in one of the primary brain regions involved in initiating and mediating anxiety that may contribute to the ontogenic rise in anxiety disorders. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The manufacturing technology of high power laser optical elements belongs to the typical extreme manufacturing engineering for its high precision, low defect, more outputs and less cost. In order to resolve the bottleneck of the current manufacturing, this paper introduces a cloud manufacturing service mode oriented high power laser optical elements to realize the digital engineering management within optical product life cycle, and discusses the architecture and some key techniques in this new mode. This cloud manufacturing service mode can allocate the manufacturing resources and capabilities properly, and provide a managing mechanism which is used as need and paid according to need to utilize different resource services anywhere. It is useful for the manufacture of high power laser optical elements to improve manufacturing precision, optical damage resistance threshold and production efficiency.
The whole world is evolving very fast, and of course technology is being innovated very quickly as well. Vision in 2020, as the main theme of the conference said, sounds like the far future. But five years is not such a long time, nevertheless technical possibilities are increasing dramatically. That is why it is necessary to think about the future, to plan the future and to have some vision. And this whole process starts in education. Young and innovative people are the most effective choice for an employer, and can meet objectives more rapidly. But they need to have the necessary education. New models, an intense focus on the student experience, and a drive for innovation and entrepreneurism will ensure that higher education continues to meet society's needs. (Educase 2010) It is very important for students to deal with real problems during their studies, such as projects coming from local companies. Students must have high-quality study materials which come from real projects from industry. Few students would study engineering without expecting their education to help them prepare for engineering work. (Male 2010) Sometimes we can see lectures are supported by twenty year old materials and it is necessary to change, because if it takes graduates from technical faculties months or years until they are able to work independently and to be beneficial for society, the efficiency of the education is at a low level.
Due to their high power density and high overall efficiency permanent magnet excited synchronous machines are beneficial to be applied in traction drives of full electric or hybrid-electric vehicles with limited installation space. To improve the performance, additional flux-barriers can be inserted to the rotor of the machine. In this paper, the effects of different flux-barrier positions and sizes are systematically studied. Command variables for the improvement are average torque, torque ripple, total harmonic distortion of the back-emf, iron losses and efficiency.
The present study examined whether bullying, defending, and outsider behaviors in preschool children were associated with two conscience aspects (empathic concern and internalization of rules) and with emotion understanding. We also investigated whether emotion understanding moderated the relationship between these dimensions and bullying roles. Participants were 105 children (51 males), aged 36 to 76 months. Bullying roles were assessed through peer nominations. Internalization of rules and empathic concern were observed in classroom and their scores derived from selected Q-Sort items. Emotion understanding was evaluated with the Puppet Interview administered to children. Results showed that empathic concern and internalization of rules were negatively associated with bullying and outsider behaviors, whereas emotion understanding correlated with defending behavior. The interaction between emotion understanding and internalization of rules was also significant: Low scores on rule-compatible conduct were associated with bullying or outsider behavior, in particular for those children with poor emotion understanding.
Objectives. To evaluate the impact and risk factors associated with an abnormal exercise test ( ET) in systemic inflammatory rheumatic disease ( SIRD) patients before commencing supervised physical exercise. Methods. A total of 235 SIRD patients were enrolled in three controlled clinical trials, including 103 RA, 42 SLE and 57 AS patients. The control group consisted of 231 healthy, sedentary subjects matched for age, gender and BMI. All performed an ET, according to Bruce's or Ellestad's protocol. Cardiovascular disease risk factors, medications, comorbidities and details of each SIRD were assessed. Results. SIRD patients had a higher percentage of abnormal ETs compared with the control group, especially exercise hypertensive behaviour, higher oxygen consumption, higher resting heart rate and heart rate at the first minute of recovery, and chronotropic incompetence (C-Inc) (P < 0.001). The disease itself was involved with higher likelihood of having an abnormal ET [Odds ratio (OR) = 12.0, 95% CI: 2.5, 56.7; P = 0.002 for SLE; OR = 13.56, 95% CI: 6.16, 29.8; P < 0.001 for RA; and OR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.17, 15.8; P = 0.028, for AS]. Each 10-year increment of age increased the chance of having an abnormal ET by 13% (P = 0.008) in AS patients, as well as hypertension (OR = 7.14, 95% CI: 1.61, 31.6; P = 0.01). Regarding C-Inc, age played a protective role (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.99; P = 0.043) in SLE, and ASDAS-ESR was associated with a higher risk in AS (OR = 2.73, 95% CI: 0.93, 8.0; P = 0.067). Conclusion. Our results showed a higher prevalence of abnormal ETs in asymptomatic cardiovascular SIRD patients, and the disease itself was associated with a higher likelihood of having an abnormal test, emphasizing the relevance and need of performing it before starting supervised physical exercise.
Objective: The disclosure of medical errors has attracted considerable research interest in recent years. However, the research to date has lacked interdisciplinary dialog, making translation of findings into medical practice challenging. This article lays out the disciplinary perspectives of the fields of medicine, ethics, law and communication on medical error disclosure and identifies gaps and tensions that occur at these interdisciplinary boundaries. Methods: This article summarizes the discussion of an interdisciplinary error disclosure panel at the 2012 EACH Conference in St. Andrews, Scotland, in light of the current literature across four academic disciplines. Results: Current medical, ethical, legal and communication perspectives on medical error disclosure are presented and discussed with particular emphasis on the interdisciplinary gaps and tensions. Conclusion: The authors encourage interdisciplinary collaborations that strive for a functional approach to understanding and improving the disclosure of medical errors with the ultimate goal to improve quality and promote safer medical care. Practice implications: Interdisciplinary collaborations are needed to reconcile the needs of the stakeholders involved in medical error disclosure. A particular challenge is the effective translation of error disclosure research into practice. Concrete research questions are provided throughout the manuscript to facilitate a resolution of the tensions that currently impede interdisciplinary progress. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Component resolved allergen diagnosis allows for a precise evaluation of the sensitization profiles of patients sensitized to felines and canines. An accurate interpretation of these results allows better insight into the evolution of a given patients sensitizations, and allows for a more precise evaluation of their prognoses. Methods: 70 patients (42 women and 28 men, aged 18-65, with the average of 35.5) with a positive feline or canine allergy diagnosis were included in the research group. 30 patients with a negative allergy diagnosis were included in the control group. The total IgE levels of all patients with allergies as well as their allergen-specific IgE to feline and canine allergens were measured. Specific IgE levels to canine (Can f 1, Can f 2, Can f 3, Can f 5) and feline (Fel d 1, Fel d 2, Fel d 4) allergen components were also measured with the use of the ImmunoCap method. Results: Monosensitization for only one canine or feline component was found in 30% of patients. As predicted, the main feline allergen was Fel d 1, which sensitized as many as 93.9% of patients sensitized to felines. Among 65 patients sensitized to at least one feline component, for 30 patients (46.2%) the only sensitizing feline component was Fel d 1. Only 19 patients in that group (63.3%) were not simultaneously sensitized to dogs and 11 (36.7%), the isolated sensitization to feline Fel d 1 notwithstanding, displayed concurrent sensitizations to one of the canine allergen components. Fel d 4 sensitized 49.2% of the research group. 64.3% of patients sensitized to canine components had heightened levels of specific IgE to Can f 1. Monosensitization in that group occurred for 32.1% of the patients. Sensitization to Can f 5 was observed among 52.4% of the patients. Conclusions: Concurrent sensitizations to a few allergic components, not only cross-reactive but also originating in different protein families, are a significant problem for patients sensitized to animals.
Multi-slice methods allow us to approximate the 3D phenomena without carrying out a full 3D analysis, e. g. in skewed radial flux electrical machines. The idea is to divide a 3D machine into several 2D FEM models, only connected by electrical circuits. Here we show how the multi-slice method is perfect for parallel computation; the computation efficiency is close to that of 2D models in modern parallel hardware. The results are shown to match with 3D computation and experimental results.
Tree species information is essential for forest research and management purposes, which in turn require approaches for accurate and precise classification of tree species. One such remote sensing technology, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), has proved to be capable of characterizing detailed tree structures, such as tree stem geometry. Can TLS further differentiate between broad- and needle-leaves? If the answer is positive, TLS data can be used for classification of taxonomic tree groups by directly examining their differences in leaf morphology. An analysis was proposed to assess TLS-represented broad- and needle-leaf structures, followed by a Bayes classifier to perform the classification. Tests indicated that the proposed method can basically implement the task, with an overall accuracy of 77.78%. This study indicates a way of implementing the classification of the two major broad- and needle-leaf taxonomies measured by TLS in accordance to their literal definitions, and manifests the potential of extending TLS applications in forestry. (C) 2017 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
The current study aims to evaluate the capabilities of soil water balance modeling to estimate ET for very different conditions of rainfed grapevine water status, within a vineyard landscape that depicts heterogeneities in canopy, soil and water table conditions. We calibrated the HYDRUS-1D model against measurements of the soil moisture profile within seven contrasted sites, we validated HYDRUS-1D sim-ulations against ET estimates derived from eddy covariance (EC) measurements within two contrasted sites, and we analyzed the temporal dynamics of the HYDRUS-1D ET simulations throughout almost two growth cycles for the seven sites. The calibration of HYDRUS-1D was correctly achieved, with a relative RMSE of 20% on average. Validation of HYDRUS-1D simulations against EC measurements was satisfactory, with RMSE values of about 40W m(-2) at the hourly timescale and 0.5 mm d(-1) at the daily timescale. HYDRUS-1D was able to provide consistent time series of ET within the seven contrasted sites and throughout the two growth cycles. We conclude that HYDRUS-1D simulations can be used as an alternative to EC measurements within rainfed vineyards, to alleviate experimental efforts for device cost and maintenance. Further, HYDRUS-1D simulations can be used for characterizing spatial variabili-ties and temporal dynamics, assessing impact of pedological conditions and land use on ET, or validating remote sensing retrievals over regional extents. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Substrate and cell patterning techniques are widely used in cell biology to study cell-to-cell and cell-to-substrate interactions. Conventional patterning techniques work well only with simple shapes, small areas and selected bio-materials. This article describes a method to distribute cell suspensions as well as substrate solutions into complex, long, closed (dead-end) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannels using negative pressure. This method enables researchers to pattern multiple substrates including fibronectin, collagen, antibodies (Sal-1), poly-D-lysine (PDL), and laminin. Patterning of substrates allows one to indirectly pattern a variety of cells. We have tested C2C12 myoblasts, the PC12 neuronal cell line, embryonic rat cortical neurons, and amphibian retinal neurons. In addition, we demonstrate that this technique can directly pattern fibroblasts in microfluidic channels via brief application of a low vacuum on cell suspensions. The low vacuum does not significantly decrease cell viability as shown by cell viability assays. Modifications are discussed for application of the method to different cell and substrate types. This technique allows researchers to pattern cells and proteins in specific patterns without the need for exotic materials or equipment and can be done in any laboratory with a vacuum.
Quercetin, a polyphenol with potential health effects, is absorbed by humans and measurement in plasma can be used as a biomarker for intake. However, the chemical nature of the quercetin in blood is still not known, although one possibility is that glucosides are found in an unchanged form from the original food. We propose that the existence of quercetin glucosides in plasma is unlikely, since the metabolic beta -glucosidase capacity of the small intestine and of the liver is too great for quercetin glucosides to escape deglycosylation. We critically examine the limited number of studies which purport to detect quercetin glycosides in blood and the current evidence for the absorption of these compounds from the gastrointestinal tract. We emphasise the need for comprehensive identification of circulating compounds, since polyphenol glucuronides, the expected metabolites in plasma, have almost identical chromatographic properties to the glucosides at acid pH. Studies on the nature of quercetin metabolites in plasma are urgently needed so that the proposed biological activities of quercetin can be re-assessed and that a suitable biomarker of exposure can be established.
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an important vertebrate model organism in biomedical research, especially suitable for morphological screening due to its transparent body during early development. Deep learning has emerged as a dominant paradigm for data analysis and found a number of applications in computer vision and image analysis. Here we demonstrate the potential of a deep learning approach for accurate high-throughput classification of whole-body zebrafish deformations in multifish microwell plates. Deep learning uses the raw image data as an input, without the need of expert knowledge for feature design or optimization of the segmentation parameters. We trained the deep learning classifier on as few as 84 images (before data augmentation) and achieved a classification accuracy of 92.8% on an unseen test data set that is comparable to the previous state of the art (95%) based on user-specified segmentation and deformation metrics. Ablation studies by digitally removing whole fish or parts of the fish from the images revealed that the classifier learned discriminative features from the image foreground, and we observed that the deformations of the head region, rather than the visually apparent bent tail, were more important for good classification performance.
Hypervisors enable cloud computing model to provide scalable infrastructures and on-demand access to computing resources as they support multiple operating systems to run on one physical server concurrently. This mechanism enhances utilization of physical server thus reduces server count in the data center. Hypervisors also drive the benefits of reduced IT infrastructure setup and maintenance costs along with power savings. It is interesting to know different hypervisors' performance for the consolidated application workloads. Three hypervisors ESXi, XenServer, and KVM are carefully chosen to represent three categories full virtualized, para-virtualized, and hybrid virtualized respectively for the experiment. We have created a private cloud using CloudStack. Hypervisors are deployed as hosts in the private cloud in the respective clusters. Each hypervisor is deployed with three virtual machines. Three applications web server, application server, and database servers are installed on three virtual machines. Experiments are designed using Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology. With concurrently running virtual machines, each hypervisor is stressed with the consolidated real-time workloads (web load, application load, and OLTP) and important system information is gathered using SIGAR framework. The paper proposes a new scoring formula for hypervisors' performance in the private cloud for consolidated application workloads and the accuracy of the results are complemented with sound statistical analysis using DOE. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In vertebrates, many responses to stress as well as homeostatic maintenance of basal metabolism are regulated by plasma glucocorticoid hormones (GCs). Despite having crucial functions, levels of GCs are typically variable among individuals. We examined the contribution of several physiological factors to individual variation in plasma corticosterone (CORT) and the number of corticotropinreleasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the magnocellular preoptic area of the brain in free-living Allegheny Mountain dusky salamanders. We addressed three hypotheses: the current-condition hypothesis, the facilitation hypothesis and the trade-off hypothesis. Differential white blood cell count was identified as a strong contributor to individual variation in baseline CORT, stress-induced CORT and the number of CRH neurons. In contrast, we found no relationship between CORT (or CRH) and body condition, energy stores or reproductive investment, providing no support for the current-condition hypothesis or the tradeoff hypothesis involving reproduction. Because of the difficulties of interpreting the functional consequences of variation in differential white blood cell counts, we were unable to distinguish between the facilitation hypothesis or the trade-off hypothesis related to immune function. However, the strong association between differential white blood cell count and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal (HPA/I) activation suggests that a more thorough examination of immune profiles is critical to understanding variation in HPA/I activation.
The development of precision agriculture demands high accuracy and efficiency of cultivated land information extraction. As a new means of monitoring the ground in recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) low-height remote sensing technique, which is flexible, efficient with low cost and with high resolution, is widely applied to investing various resources. Based on this, a novel extraction method for cultivated land information based on Deep Convolutional Neural Network and Transfer Learning (DTCLE) was proposed. First, linear features (roads and ridges etc.) were excluded based on Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN). Next, feature extraction method learned from DCNN was used to cultivated land information extraction by introducing transfer learning mechanism. Last, cultivated land information extraction results were completed by the DTCLE and eCognition for cultivated land information extraction (ECLE). The location of the Pengzhou County and Guanghan County, Sichuan Province were selected for the experimental purpose. The experimental results showed that the overall precision for the experimental image 1, 2 and 3 (of extracting cultivated land) with the DTCLE method was 91.7%, 88.1% and 88.2% respectively, and the overall precision of ECLE is 90.7%, 90.5% and 87.0%, respectively. Accuracy of DTCLE was equivalent to that of ECLE, and also outperformed ECLE in terms of integrity and continuity.
The study aims to discuss the criminalization processes of the cultural manifestations of brazilian funk, especially in the context of the city of Porto Alegre / RS, from its more expressive representation called Baile Funk da Tuka. Therefore, it focuses on a political-historical memory about crime linked to a hunt of the samba-funk to current formation of refractory punitive ethos of proibidoesas cultural manifestation. Thus, one can reach the local stage, through semistructured interviews with the regulars of these bailes, MCs that lead the meetings, as well as with the military police responsible for the ostensible policing in the region. The criticism built is the result of discourse analysis of these social actors, focused on participant intervention dialogues, which endows the work only outlines the perspective of getting the punitive power by suprise in its forceful dynamics of inequality, often prone to turn prejudice and stigmatization as naturalized products of violence and social exclusion.
For a fully digital control of PWM converters, considerable research has been done based on the predictive current control (PCC) scheme. However, it requires a large amount of calculation in the step of experimental implementation. Besides, when compared with the classical linear control scheme, the sampling interval of the PCC scheme must be shorter to obtain the same control performance for current. Due to this, a digital signal processor with excellent performance is required. This paper proposes an improved simplified model PCC scheme for three-phase PWM converters. The main objective is to simplify the PCC scheme. Also, the proposed control scheme is able to reduce the calculation time without affecting the performance. Simulations and experiments are carried out to investigate the presented novel predictive current control scheme. The results indicate that the three-phase PWM converter has excellent static and dynamic performance with the proposed scheme. Besides, the calculation time can be obviously shortened.
Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is a life-threatening pregnancy disorder characterized by wide-spread endothelial dysfunction. Placental factors circulating in the maternal blood are believed to cause endothelial dysfunction. Our previous study identified HtrA4 as a placenta-specific serine protease that is released into the maternal circulation and significantly increased in early-onset PE. In this study, we examined the impact of HtrA4 on expression of endothelial genes related to vessel biology, using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model. Methods: HUVECs were treated with 0 or 3 mu g/ml HtrA4 (highest concentration seen in PE circulation) for 24 h and analysed by an endothelial cell biology PCR array containing 84 genes. HtrA4-induced changes were then validated by real-time RT-PCR and ELISA for time and dose dependency. Results: High levels of HtrA4 significantly altered the expression of a range of genes related to inflammation, vaso-activity, angiogenesis, cell adhesion, platelet activation and coagulation. In particular, pro inflammatory genes 1L6, PTGS2 (COX2) and MB were significantly increased by HtrA4. IL6 protein in HUVEC media was also drastically increased. THBD, an anticoagulant factor reported to be increased in PE, was significantly up-regulated by HtrA4. In contrast, THBS1, which is involved in many regulatory processes of endothelial cell biology, was severely down-regulated by HtrA4. Discussion: HtrA4 significantly increased the inflammatory responses of HUVECs, and altered their expression of a number of genes important for vessel biology. These data suggest that placenta-derived HtrA4 that is increased in PE circulation is a potential causal factor of endothelial dysfunction. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Particularly in the automotive industry, the combination of dissimilar materials presents manufacturing engineering with major challenges. Notably, the adapted use of plastic and metal opens up further potential for weight savings. Directly and firmly bonding the two materials together fails, however, on account of the chemical and physical dissimilarity of plastic and metal. Since joining of plastics and metals nowadays is based on adhesive bonding, the joint is weak and underlies ageing processes. A promising approach to overcome these problems is a laser based two-step process. In the first process step laser radiation is applied to generate microstructures on the surface of the metallic joining partner. In the subsequent laser joining process, the plastic is molten and interlocked into the microstructures after curing. The mechanical strength of the joint depends strongly on the load direction and can be influenced by the geometry and arrangement of microstructures. These influencing factors are investigated for three different load directions (tensile shear, tensile and peel) by experiments and by structural mechanics simulations.
The use of smart devices is increasing rapidly; this trend is changing the paradigm in which notifications are delivered to users. Smart devices are important to provide user awareness. However, their use must be controlled and human perception should be considered to avoid information overload. In this paper, we present a dynamic mechanism to coordinate the distribution of notification across smart devices. This personalized notification mechanism uses an inference engine and a set of rules to generate notification alternatives and select the best one. A continuous refinement approach is also used to improve notification delivery. Our system was evaluated and the baseline rules were established by 11 expert users. The main results show that in some scenarios, the notification mechanism selection converged quickly and results are promising. However, further work is required to provide not only personalized but integrated (i.e., more than one device at the time) notification management.
Gut microbiota play key roles in host nutrition and metabolism. However, little is known about the relationship between host genetics, gut microbiota and metabolic profiles. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry approaches to characterize the microbiota composition and the metabolite profiles in the gut of five cyprinid fish species with three different feeding habits raised under identical husbandry conditions. Our results showed that host species and feeding habits significantly affect not only gut microbiota composition but also metabolite profiles (ANOSIM, p <= 0.05). Mantel test demonstrated that host phylogeny, gut microbiota, and metabolite profiles were significantly related to each other (p <= 0.05). Additionally, the carps with the same feeding habits had more similarity in gut microbiota composition and metabolite profiles. Various metabolites were correlated positively with bacterial taxa involved in food degradation. Our results shed new light on the microbiome and metabolite profiles in the gut content of cyprinid fishes, and highlighted the correlations between host genotype, fish gut microbiome and putative functions, and gut metabolite profiles.
The golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei) is a filter-collector macroinvertebrate species originating from southern China. It easily invades water transfer tunnels and attaches onto tunnel walls and structures with extremely high density, resulting in biofouling, pipe clogging, structure corrosion, a decrease in water transfer efficiency, and water pollution. It has become a prevalent problem and has caused concern all over the world. However, an effective and environment friendly method of controlling golden mussel invasion has not yet been approved. This study is aimed to propose measures for preventing golden mussel invasion and biofouling in the water transfer tunnels of the East River Water Source Project (ERWSP), which transfers water from the East River to Shenzhen, southern China for 10 million people. Long-term samplings and observations of the East River water were performed to study the golden mussel's invading pattern. Flume experiments were done to study the golden mussel's attachment on 14 different materials and performance in turbulent flows. An integrated ecological prevention pool was designed and constructed based on the flume experimental results for preventing the golden mussel invasion in the scale model tunnels of the ERWSP. The major technology of the ecological pool was preventing the golden mussel from entering the tunnels by attracting veligers to attach on geotextile cloth, attracting mussels to attach on bamboo, and killing veligers with high-frequency turbulence. An eight-month application experiment showed that the ecological pool successfully controlled the golden mussel invasion and biofouling in the scale model tunnels. The mussel density on the attachment materials decreased sharply as the distance of the materials from the pool entrance increased; the turbulence was effective in killing veligers that escaped from the attachment materials. No mussel was found on the model tunnels. Thus, the integrated ecological prevention pool is recommended as a successful measure for controlling the golden mussel invasion and biofouling in water transfer tunnels. (C) 2014 International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research, Asia Pacific Division. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Utilisation of submerged vanes in front of intake ports is an effective approach to address sedimentation in lateral intakes from rivers. Strategically installed, these flow-training structures could increase the mid-depth and near surface flows into the intake, and simultaneously prevent bed-load transport from entering the intake channels. The effectiveness of submerged vanes depends on their number, shape, dimensions and configuration. Determination of optimum values for dimensions or configuration of the vanes is very challenging as the effect of many parameters, which are effective in sedimentation in the intake zone, must be investigated. In this study, effort has been made to determine appropriate dimensions of submerged vanes that are installed in front of a 90 degrees intake from a straight channel. Fuzzy TOPSIS, a multi-objective optimisation method, has been utilised for the optimisation process by considering ten parameters. The simulations have been conducted for three discharge ratios of 0.11, 0.16 and 0.21. The results show that a height of 0.2 times the flow depth, and a length of four times the vane height are the appropriate dimensions for utilisation of submerged vanes in front of the lateral intakes from straight channels.
Morality is a prominent guide of both action and perception. We argue that non-emotional gestures can prime the abstract concept of honesty. Four studies demonstrated that the emblematic gesture associated with honesty (putting a hand on one's heart) increased the level of honesty perceived by others, and increased the honesty shown in one's own behavior. Target persons performing this gesture were described in terms associated with honesty, and appeared more trustworthy to others than when the same targets were photographed with a control gesture. Persons performing the hand-over-heart gesture provided more honest assessments of others' attractiveness, and refrained from cheating, as compared to persons performing neutral gestures. These findings suggest that bodily experience associated with abstract concepts can influence both one's perceptions of others, and one's own complex actions. Further, our findings suggest that this influence is not mediated by changes in affective states.
This paper presents the design of a high-performance 14-pole, 12-slot interior permanent magnet synchronous machine with flux barriers inside the stator iron core and fractional-slot concentrated windings. This work focuses on electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal aspects of the machine design. The specific goal of this work was to design an electrical machine, which will have a small size, high power-to-weight ratio, high efficiency, especially at part-load operating points, and high speed capability for traction drive applications. Therefore the unconventional stator design is used. The proposed machine design was compared with the conventional one, concerning the magnetic saturation, spectrum of the magneto-motive force and produced torque. To ensure the high speed capability of the motor, the numerical structural analysis of the rotor is shown. Temperature behavior inside of the designed motor at steady-state operating point is shown.
Airborne Lidar bathymetry (ALB) is an effective and a rapidly advancing technology for mapping and characterizing shallow coastal water zones as well as inland fresh-water basins such as rivers and lakes. The ability of light beams to detect and traverse shallow water columns has provided valuable information about unmapped and often poorly understood coastal and inland water bodies of the world. Estimating ALB survey results at varying water clarity and depth conditions is essential for realizing project expectations and preparing budgets accordingly. In remote locations of the world where in situ water clarity measurements are not feasible or possible, using multiband satellite imagery can be an effective tool for estimating and addressing such considerations. For this purpose, we studied and classified reflected electromagnetic energy from selected water bodies acquired by RapidEye sensor and then correlated findings with ALB survey results. This study was focused not on accurately measuring depth from optical bathymetry but rather on using multiband satellite imagery to quickly predict ALB survey results and identify potentially turbid water bodies with limited depth penetration. For this study, we constructed an in-house algorithm to confirm ALB survey findings using bathymetric waveform information. The study findings are expected to contribute to the ongoing understanding of forecasting ALB survey expectations in unknown and varying water conditions, especially in remote and inaccessible parts of the world. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The adverse environmental impacts associated with a very high nitrate concentration is undesirable due to their extremely toxicity to most aquatic species and human, include also a strongly promotion of eutrophication. Different methods are developed to eliminate this water pollution, so the use of the denitrifying bacteria, is the ideal solution thanks to its low cost and low energy consumption. In this study, we performed the isolation of bacteria from activated sludge. The best denitrifying bacteria selected was incubated in a bioreactor containing a synthetic wastewater rich in nitrate ions. The Griess test (NR1 + NR2) and zinc powder were proved the denitrification capacity of this strain, which had the ability of the complete reduction until the last stage passing through nitrite to atmospheric nitrogen, which gave also a reduction percentage of 75% with a significant growth rate. Finally the bacterium was tested both in microscope and in biochemical gallery.
The neural basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not yet understood. ASD is marked by social deficits and is strongly associated with cerebellar abnormalities. We studied the organization and cerebellar connectivity of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), an area that plays a crucial role in social cognition. We applied localized independent component analysis to resting-state fMRI data from autistic and neurotypical adolescents to yield an unbiased parcellation of the bilateral TPJ into 11 independent components (ICs). A comparison between neurotypical and autistic adolescents showed that the organization of the TPJ was not significantly altered in ASD. Second, we used the time courses of the TPJ ICs as spatially unbiased seeds for a functional connectivity analysis applied to voxels within the cerebellum. We found that the cerebellum contained a fine-grained, lateralized map of the TPJ. The connectivity of the TPJ subdivisions with cerebellar zones showed one striking difference in ASD. The right dorsal TPJ showed markedly less connectivity with the left Crus II. Disturbed cerebellar input to this key region for cognition and multimodal integration may contribute to social deficits in ASD. The findings might also suggest that the right TPJ and/or left Crus II are potential targets for noninvasive brain stimulation therapies.
Background: There are many ways to treat focal hyperhidrosis, including surgeries for palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. However, doctors and patients tend to be reluctant to perform surgery for plantar hyperhidrosis due to misconceptions and prejudices about surgical treatment. In addition, few studies have reported the outcome of surgeries for plantar hyperhidrosis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the outcome (early and late postoperative satisfaction, complication, compensatory hyperhidrosis, recurrence rate, and efficiency) of surgical treatment for plantar hyperhidrosis. Materials and Methods: From August 2014 to October 2015, lumbar sympathetic block (LSB) was performed in 82 patients with plantar hyperhidrosis using clipping method. Limited video-assisted LSB was performed using 5mm ligamax-clip or 3mm horizontal-clip after identifying L3-4 sympathetic ganglion through finger-touch and endoscopic vision. Results: Of the 82 patients, 45 were male and 37 were female. Their mean age was 26.38 years (range, 14-51 years). Mean follow-up time was 6.60 - 3.56 months. Mean early postoperative satisfaction score was 9.6 on the 10th day postoperative evaluation. At more than 1 month later, the mean late postoperative satisfaction score was 9.2. There was no significant difference in early postoperative satisfaction score between clipping level L3 and L4/5. However, late postoperative satisfaction score was significantly better in the L3 group than that in the L4/5 group. Patient's age and body mass index did not affect the satisfaction score. However, male patients and patients who had history of hyperhidrosis operation showed higher satisfaction score than others. Conclusion: Limited video-assisted LSB using clip provided good results with minimal complications and low compensatory hidrosis, contrary to the prejudice toward it. Therefore, surgical treatment is recommended for plantar hyperhidrosis.
Food security is the main concern of government due to malnutrition worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess macronutrients and amino acids in five species of grasshoppers, consumed in rural and urban communities. Samples were captured in different agro climatic environment conditions, wherever vegetation grows, and the macronutrients were raw, analyzed in dry basis by the AOAC methods and amino acids by cation exchange chromatography. The obtained data showed a high protein content, ranging from 70% to 75%; lipids 4% to 6%; minerals 3% to 5%; fiber 6% to 8% and soluble carbohydrates 6% to 18%, including essential amino acids that play an important role in human metabolism, with tryptophan as limiting factor. The different species of the studied grasshoppers are high in proteins, essential macromolecules for human life that decrease protein-energy malnutrition; the excess of amino acids after releasing the amino group will provide energy, as well as soluble carbohydrates. They also have minerals that are needed to prevent anemia, and fiber, non-digestible carbohydrates essential in a healthy diet. In conclusion, the daily consumption of 5 or 6 grasshoppers is a good source of nutrients that will provide optimal health to population.
Multi-server authentication enables the subscribers to enjoy an assortment of services from various service providers based on a single registration from any registration centre. Previously, a subscriber had to register from each service provider individually to avail respective services relying on single server authentication. In the past, a number of multi-server authentication techniques can be witnessed that employed lightweight and even computationally intensive cryptographic operations. In line with this, Zhu has presented a chaotic map based multi-server authentication scheme recently, which is not only vulnerable to denial-of-service attack, stolen-verifier attack, but also lacks anonymity. This research aims at improving the Zhu's protocol in terms of cost and efficiency. Moreover, the comparative study is presented for the performance of improved model against the existing scheme, and the security of proposed model is formally proved using BAN Logic.
Intrusion detection system (IDS) is one of the important elements for providing the security in networks. Increasing the number of network-based applications on the one hand and increasing the data volumes on the other hand forced the designers to conduct some research on the novel methods for improving network security. One of the recent efforts to improve IDS performance is developing the machine learning algorithms. Random forest is one of the powerful algorithms employed in data mining. It operates based on classifier fusion principles and is implemented as detection engine in some anomaly-based IDSs. In this paper, we present a novel parallel random forest algorithm for intrusion detection systems. The original random forest algorithm has some weaknesses in feature selection, selecting efficient numbers of classifiers, number of random features for training and also in combination steps. In this research we investigate aforementioned challenges and propose solutions for them. The simulation results show the superiority of our method regarding performance, scalability and cost of misclassified samples in our method in comparison with the original random forest algorithm and Hadoop-based version of the random forest.
BACKGROUND: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling at the CRF1 receptor (CRF1R) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) can modulate ethanol consumption in rodents. However, the effects of binge-like ethanol drinking on this system have not been thoroughly characterized, and little is known about the role of CRF2R or the CRF neurocircuitry involved. METHODS: The effects of binge-like ethanol consumption on the VTA CRF system were assessed following drinking-in-the-dark procedures. Intra-VTA infusions of selective CRF1R and/or CRF2R compounds were employed to assess the contributions of these receptors in modulating binge-like ethanol consumption (n = 89). To determine the potential role of CRF projections from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) to the VTA, CRF neurons in this circuit were chemogenetically inhibited (n = 32). Binge-induced changes in VTA CRF system protein and messenger RNA were also assessed (n = 58). RESULTS: Intra-VTA antagonism of CRF1R and activation of CRF2R resulted in decreased ethanol intake, which was eliminated by simultaneous blockade of both receptors. Chemogenetic inhibition of local CRF neurons in the VTA did not alter binge-like ethanol drinking, but inhibition of VTA-projecting CRF neurons from the BNST significantly reduced intake. CONCLUSIONS: We provide novel evidence that 1) blunted binge-like ethanol consumption stemming from CRF1R blockade requires intact CRF2R signaling, and CRF2R activation reduces binge-like drinking; 2) inhibiting VTA-projecting BNST CRF neurons attenuates binge-like drinking; and 3) binge-like ethanol drinking alters protein and messenger RNA associated with the VTA-CRF system. These data suggest that ethanol-induced activation of BNST-to-VTA CRF projections is critical in driving binge-like ethanol intake.
Environmental pollution caused by inert anthropogenic stressors such as microplastics in aquatic media is constantly increasing. Through the proliferating use of plastic products in daily life, more and more plastic particles enter waters as primary microplastics. Even though large scale plastic items such as plastic bottles and bags represent the highest percentage of plastic waste, their degeneration also generates microparticles and nanoparticles (secondary microplastics). Modern sewage treatment plants require innovative ideas in order to deal with this man-made problem. State-of-the-art technology offers approaches to minimise the amount of microplastics in aquatic systems. These technologies, however, are either insufficient or very costly, as well as time-consuming in both cases. The conceptual idea presented here is to apply innovative inorganic-organic hybrid silica gels which provide a cost-effective and straightforward approach. Currently, the synthesis of preorganised bioinspired compounds is advancing in order to produce functionalised hybrid silica gels in a further step. These gels have the ability to remove stressors such as microplastics from waste water. By means of the sol-gel process, bioinspired silane compounds are currently being permuted to macromolecules and examined with respect to their properties as fixation and filter material in order to remove the hydrophobic anthropogenic stressors sustainably. Here, the reproduction of biological systems plays a significant role. In particular in material sciences, this approach is becoming increasingly important. Among other concepts, new biomimetic molecules form the basis for the investigation of innovative host-guest relationships for anthropogenic stressors in the environment and their implementation in technical processes.
Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Manually scanning with Ultrasound (US) probe brings heavy work load for the sonographers. This paper proposes a novel Mirror robotic US scanning system. The system is composed of two-arm robot, linear US probes for master and slave side, Kinect sensor as a vision servo. On the master side, sonographers hold one robot arm and operate probe to inspect one leg. On the slave side, the robot follows the master probe on the navigation of Kinect and scans the other leg. 3D images of legs are segmented and register to get mirror matrix. Both Clustered Viewpoint Feature Histogram (CVFH) descriptors of segmented probe and CAD (Computer-Aided Design) training data were calculated to probe recognition. The leg phantom platform was built up. The mirror matrixes were obtained. The correlation coefficients between the two legs are calculated. Times of ICP (Iterative Closest Point) have been calculated for the platform. Results from the initial experiment indicate the idea is feasible and promising greatly by improving the inspection efficiently. Clinically, the method can be implemented for pre-operative procedures to predict the risk of DVT, and this may improve the US scanning efficacy.
The Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C) is one of the most frequently used instruments to assess worry in children. The current study examines the measurement invariance of the PSWQ-C in a Romanian sample. Participants (n = 759) were recruited from both community and clinical populations. Our findings have replicated the good psychometric properties of the PSWQ-C and of the short PSWQ-C (the original scale with the negative items deleted). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis has supported measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar) across gender, age and clinical diagnosis. Convergent validity with other assessment measures has also been established. Finally, the implications of the use of the PSWQ-C in the assessment of anxiety in children and adolescents are discussed.
The strongest and best-documented risk factor for drug hypersensitivity (DH) is the history of a previous reaction. Accidental exposures to drugs may lead to severe or even fatal reactions in sensitized patients. Preventable prescription errors are common. They are often due to inadequate medical history or poor risk assessment of recurrence of drug reaction. Proper documentation is essential information for the doctor to make sound therapeutic decision. The European Network on Drug Allergy and Drug Allergy Interest Group of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology have formed a task force and developed a drug allergy passport as well as general guidelines of drug allergy documentation. A drug allergy passport, a drug allergy alert card, a certificate, and a discharge letter after medical evaluation are adequate means to document DH in a patient. They are to be handed to the patient who is advised to carry the documentation at all times especially when away from home. A drug allergy passport should at least contain information on the culprit drug(s) including international nonproprietary name, clinical manifestations including severity, diagnostic measures, potential cross-reactivity, alternative drugs to prescribe, and where more detailed information can be obtained from the issuer. It should be given to patients only after full allergy workup. In the future, electronic prescription systems with alert functions will become more common and should include the same information as in paper-based documentation.
BACKGROUND Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle that can follow various viral infections. Why children only rarely develop life-threatening acute viral myocarditis (AVM), given that the causal viral infections are common, is unknown. Genetic lesions might underlie such susceptibilities. Mouse genetic studies demonstrated that interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta immunity defects increased susceptibility to virus-induced myocarditis. Moreover, variations in human TLR3, a potent inducer of IFNs, were proposed to underlie AVM. OBJECTIVES This study sought to evaluate the hypothesis that human genetic factors may underlie AVM in previously healthy children. METHODS We tested the role of TLR3-IFN immunity using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. We then performed whole-exome sequencing of 42 unrelated children with acute myocarditis (AM), some with proven viral causes. RESULTS We found that TLR3-and STAT1-deficient cardiomyocytes were not more susceptible to Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) infection than control cells. Moreover, CVB3 did not induce IFN-alpha/beta and IFN-alpha/beta-stimulated genes in control cardiomyocytes. Finally, exogenous IFN-alpha did not substantially protect cardiomyocytes against CVB3. We did not observe a significant enrichment of rare variations in TLR3-or IFN-alpha/beta-related genes. Surprisingly, we found that homozygous but not heterozygous rare variants in genes associated with inherited cardiomyopathies were significantly enriched in AM-AVM patients compared with healthy individuals (p = 2.22E-03) or patients with other diseases (p = 1.08E-04). Seven of 42 patients (16.7%) carried rare biallelic (homozygous or compound heterozygous) nonsynonymous or splice-site variations in 6 cardiomyopathy-associated genes (BAG3, DSP, PKP2, RYR2, SCN5A, or TNNI3). CONCLUSIONS Previously silent recessive defects of the myocardium may predispose to acute heart failure presenting as AM, notably after common viral infections in children. (C) 2017 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is an ambitious project aimed to build a radio telescope that will enable breakthrough science not possible with current facilities over the next 50 years. Because of this long expected operational period, the maintenance of Telescope Manager (TM), the SKA Element responsible for the coordination of all Elements composing the Telescope (e.g. Dishes for mid-frequency or Low-Frequency Aperture Arrays), plays a crucial role for the overall SKA operation. A challenge is represented by the technological evolution in hardware and software, which is rather fast nowadays: only in the last 10 years, for instance, new operating systems were born, as well as new technologies for data storage and for calculation. Dealing with such changing environment deserves therefore a deep analysis in terms of maintenance. In spite of the importance of hardware maintenance for TM, its software maintenance is actually the real challenge, given TM is a system almost entirely composed by software applications. In computer science, indeed, it is almost impossible to build a software which does not need to be changed over time: new requirements emerge, old requirements change during application lifetime, errors are discovered or performance must be improved. For all these reasons the management of software changes is critical to maintain the value of the software developed, especially for a complex system like SKA TM. In this paper the maintenance for both SKA TM hardware and software is presented with respect to the Operational (i.e. related to Maintenance Process) and Organizational (i.e. related to Logistic Support) aspects.
Assembly or disassembly sequence planning is a very hard combinatory problem while the assembly parts numbers become important. To reduce this difficulty, especially for the case of complex products, the subassembly identification concept can constitute an original way. It aims to decompose the complex assembly product into some subassembly entities containing a small number of parts. Consequently, the generation of assembly or disassembly sequence planning of parts becomes between the subassemblies and, in that case, can be determined relatively easily. Despite the prettiness of the subassembly method, the identification of subassembly from a computer-aided design (CAD) model remains a relevant research subject to be improved. In this paper, a subassembly identification approach is presented. The proposed approach begins with the exploration of the CAD assembly data to carry out an adjacency matrix. Then, to identify the subassemblies, the extracted matrix is transformed through three steps. The first step consists of idealizing this matrix by removing all connection parts identified by the Feature-Manager, which permits reducing its size. Afterward, based on the reduced matrix, an all-direction matrix is constructed to identify the base part of a subassembly. The third step consists of enriching the all-direction matrix by mounting conditions to construct the set of subassemblies. An example of a CAD assembly mechanism is presented in all sections of this paper in order to explain and discuss the steps of the proposed approach.
Past research showed that people accumulate more knowledge about other people and objects they like compared to those they dislike. More knowledge is commonly assumed to lead to more differentiated mental representations; therefore, people should perceive others they like as less similar to one another than others they dislike. We predict the opposite outcome based on the density hypothesis (Unkelbach, Fiedler, Bayer, Stegmtiller, & Danner, 2008); accordingly, positive impressions are less diverse than negative impressions as there are only a few ways to be liked but many ways to be disliked. Therefore, people should perceive liked others as more similar to one another than disliked others even though they have more knowledge about liked others. Seven experiments confirm this counterintuitive prediction and show a strong association between liking and perceived similarity in person perception. We discuss the implications of these results for different aspects of person perception. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The current research examined how people form context-based trait impressions and why some of these impressions are stronger than others. This research drew from principles of attention theory (Kruschke, 1996, 2001) in order to account for the processes underlying impression formation in context According to attention theory, the traits expressed by an individual target person in a rarely occurring context should be more strongly associated with that context than the traits expressed in a commonly occurring context are associated with the common context That is, people form stronger impressions of others' behavior in rare compared to common contexts. Four experiments provide support for these predictions. The current study is one of the first to examine the cognitive mechanisms by which perceivers form trait impressions of individuals across different contexts and to explain why some of these impressions are stronger than others. Implications of the nature of these impression formation processes are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
The present study was conducted during Protective Edge, a long-lasting military operation between the State of Israel and Hamas in Gaza, during which hundreds of rockets were fired from Gaza into various regions across the country. At the same time, Israeli forces bombed Gaza and sent in ground forces. The military operation ended after 50 days of fighting, with a cease-fire between the warring sides. The aim of this study was to compare attitudes and perceptions of youth from different religious fundamentalist societies, toward the war and their readiness for peace during this specific violent struggle, and attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian (I-P) conflict in general. Furthermore, we wanted to examine the links between these attitudes, personal sense of coherence and state anxiety. We compared two groups of adolescents who belong to religious minorities in Israel: ultra-Orthodox and national religious. The sample included a total of 107 subjects from both groups. The young people responded to a questionnaire, distributed during the military operation, while they were still under rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. The questionnaire included: socio-demographic characteristics; attitudes toward the military operation; ways to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; sense of coherence and state anxiety. Results indicate that both groups thought that the I-P conflict would not be resolved peacefully and that there were more wars to come. Furthermore, both national religious and ultra-Orthodox adolescents thought that this operation would have limited success for only a limited time. Regarding the differences between the groups, sense of coherence was higher among the ultra-Orthodox and this group also believed more than their counterparts that everything was in God's hands. Interesting results emerged with peaceful resolution being linked to more anxiety among the national religious group, while among the ultra-Orthodox group no relationships were indicated on these two variables. The results of the study underscore the implications of ongoing political conflicts, alongside the growing global power of religion, which minimizes opportunities for world peace.
Energy saving is a hot topic due to the proliferation of climate changes and energy challenges globally. However, people's perception about using smart technology for energy saving is still in the concept stage. This means that people talk about environmental awareness readily, yet in reality, they accept to pay the given energy bill. Due to the availability of electricity and its integral role, modulating consumers' attitudes towards energy savings can be a challenge. Notably, the gap in today's smart technology design in smart homes is the understanding of consumers' behaviour and the integration of this understanding into the smart technology. As part of the Paris Climate change agreement (2015), it is paramount for Singapore to introduce smart technologies targeted to reduce energy consumption. This paper focused on the perception of Singapore households on smart technology and its usage to save energy. Areas of current research include: (1) energy consumption in Singapore households, (2) public programs and policies in energy savings, (3) use of technology in energy savings, and (4) household perception of energy savings in smart homes. Furthermore, three case studies are reviewed in relation to smart homes and smart technology, while discussing the maturity of existing solutions.
Aiming at the problem that the fixed radio frequency identification (RFID) system with lightweight cryptography may be easily illegally controlled, a communication authentication protocol based on quantum key distribution using decoy-state method is proposed and developed in this study. A new RFID-system model using quantum key distribution is introduced, which indicates that the quantum keys are distributed to the RFID tags and reader and EPC information server via weakly coherent photons transmitted through optical fiber. This work mainly presents the protocol description with detailed theoretical analyses, including RFID system's initialization, the transmission, reception, and acquisition of the random quantum key, and the authentication process between the EPC information server and the RFID tag and reader. The security analysis of the protocol is finally carried out, which proves that the proposed protocol can prevent various eavesdropper's attacks with solid security.
Understanding the sources of chemical components in roof runoff can help to prevent water quality problems in rooftop rainwater harvesting. To identify the contribution of wet deposition to the mass of components in roof runoff, the samples from air, rainwater, dust buildup and roof runoff were collected from an urban site in Shenzhen of China in 2011-2012. The results indicate that: (1) wet deposition has a dominant contribution to the mass of total organic carbon (TOC), NH4+, NO3-, CI- and organic acids in the roof runoff, while the mass of NH4+, acetic acid and formic acid in the roof runoff may be greatly reduced by the neutralization between the components with alkaline dust buildup on the rooftop; and (2) wet deposition partially contributes to the mass of Na+, K+, Mg-2, Ca2+, F- and SO in the roof runoff, while other factors like dust buildup on the rooftop and chemical reactions also have a non-negligible impact. Furthermore, TOC, NH4+, NO3- and organic acids in the wet deposition are mainly influenced by the atmospheric pollution due to fast increase in fossil fuel consumption (e.g. vehicle emissions). Therefore, the effects of wet deposition should be carefully considered for rooftop rainwater harvesting in urbanized areas.
This literature review summarizes significant technical literature published in 2012 and 2013 in all primary areas of urban wet-weather flows. The review covers a range of topics including characterization, pollution sources, monitoring and sampling, surface and groundwater impacts, mathematical modeling tools and decision support systems, regulatory policies, and control and treatment technologies. Some gaps in the literature compilation have also been identified and presented to support future research efforts.
A set of algorithms for simultaneous localization and mapping in industrial television systems is discussed. A probabilistic model of this problem is described with the FastSLAM algorithm as an example. The possibility of using a sigma-point Kalman filter for estimating the movement of spatial landmarks, a key feature of images characterized by stable detection and recognition within the video stream, is considered. A general model of the camera motion and a method for evaluating its spatial position using a particle filter are presented.
Bacterial community analyses of samples from a pilot plant for the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) from the lignite-mining district in Lusatia (East Germany) had previously demonstrated the dominance of two groups of acidophilic iron oxidizers: the novel candidate genus Ferrovum and a group comprising Gallionella-like strains. Since pure culture had proven difficult, previous studies have used genome analyses of co-cultures consisting of Ferrovum and a strain of the heterotrophic acidophile Acidiphilium in order to obtain insight into the life style of these novel bacteria. Here we report on attempts to undertake a similar study on Gallionella-like acidophiles from AMD. Isolates belonging to the family Gallionellaceae are still restricted to the microaerophilic and neutrophilic iron oxidizers Sideroxydans and Gallionella. Availability of genomic or metagenomic sequence data of acidophilic strains of these genera should, therefore, be relevant for defining adaptive strategies in pH homeostasis. This is particularly the case since complete genome sequences of the neutrophilic strains G. capsiferriformans ES-2 and S. lithotrophicus ES-1 permit the direct comparison of the metabolic capacity of neutrophilic and acidophilic members of the same genus and, thus, the detection of biochemical features that are specific to acidophilic strains to support life under acidic conditions. Isolation attempts undertaken in this study resulted in the microaerophilic enrichment culture ADE-12-1 which, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, consisted of at least three to four distinct Gallionellaceae strains that appear to be closely related to the neutrophilic iron oxidizer S. lithotrophicus ES-1. Key hypotheses inferred from the metabolic reconstruction of the metagenomic sequence data of these acidophilic Sideroxydans strains include the putative role of urea hydrolysis, formate oxidation and cyanophycin decarboxylation in pH homeostasis.
Objective: Questionnaires are often used to assess the results of nasal septoplasty, but response rates vary widely. The possible bias caused by non-responders was evaluated to determine the validity of questionnaire results. Methods: Post-operative questionnaires employing visual analogue scales for nasal obstruction were mailed to 182 patients. The 62 non-responders (34.1 per cent) were contacted by telephone, 58 (93.5 per cent) of whom were contactable and responded orally to the questionnaire. Results: Non-responders were younger, but no different from responders with regard to gender, smoking habits or allergies. Post-operative visual analogue scale obstruction scores were slightly, but not statistically, higher in non-responders. However, because non-responders' pre-operative scores were lower, obstruction scores improved less than in responders. The main reason for not responding was forgetfulness. Some would have preferred an electronic version of the questionnaire. Conclusion: Although post-operative obstruction scores did not differ between the groups, nasal obstruction scores improved more among responders than non-responders. Thus, low response rates may cause bias.
IP identification (IPID) is an IP header field which is designed to identify a packet in a communication session. The main purpose of IPID is to recover from IP fragmentation. To the best of our knowledge, most existing IPID based information hiding methods assume that the IPID number is a pseudo random number, which is found to be false. In this paper, we propose a steganographic method by exploiting the IPID field while considering the information from the user data field. First, we analyze the IPID distribution of various operating systems. Subsequently, we put forward a simple data embedding method, which is then refined to mimic the ordinary IPID traffic. Experiments are carried out and the results empirically prove that the proposed method is of high undetectability as compared to the existing IPID based steganographic methods. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper explores the effects of emotions embedded in a seller review on its perceived helpfulness to readers. Drawing on frameworks in literature on emotion and cognitive processing, we propose that over and above a well-known negativity bias, the impact of discrete emotions in a review will vary, and that one source of this variance is reader perceptions of reviewers' cognitive effort. We focus on the roles of two distinct, negative emotions common to seller reviews: anxiety and anger. In the first two studies, experimental methods were utilized to identify and explain the differential impact of anxiety and anger in terms of perceived reviewer effort. In the third study, seller reviews from Yahoo! Shopping web sites were collected to examine the relationship between emotional review content and helpfulness ratings. Our findings demonstrate the importance of examining discrete emotions in online word-of-mouth, and they carry important practical implications for consumers and online retailers.
In order to realize light weight, high strength, anti-fatigue for sports bicycle, carbon fiber was used as a predominant material of high-grade sports bicycle. The manufacturing engineering with quality detection device was studied to ensure manufacturing quality and riding safety of carbon fiber sports bicycle.The hydraulic servo control system and modular fixtures were developed in this paper, the former can realize double close-loop control and improve testing accuracy of the device, the latter can realize that a variety of works can be tested on the same testing bench and improve testing efficiency of the device.
An integrated design platform for the newer type of machines is presented in this work. The machine parameters are evaluated out using developed modelling tool. With the machine parameters, the machine is modelled using computer aided tool. The designed machine is brought to simulation tool to perform electromagnetic and electromechanical analysis. In the simulation, conditions setting are performed to setup the materials, meshes, rotational speed and the excitation circuit. Electromagnetic analysis is carried out to predict the behavior of the machine based on the movement of flux in the machines. Besides, electromechanical analysis is carried out to analyse the speed-torque characteristic, the current-torque characteristic and the phase angle-torque characteristic. After all the results are analysed, the designed machine is used to generate S block function that is compatible with MATLAB/SIMULINK tool for the dynamic operational characteristics. This allows the integration of existing drive system into the new machines designed in the modelling tool. An example of the machine design is presented to validate the usage of such a tool.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system incorrectly recognizes self-molecules as foreign; in the case of multiple sclerosis (MS), myelin is attacked. Intriguingly, new studies reveal toll-like receptors (TLRs), pathways usually involved in generating immune responses against pathogens, play a significant role in driving autoimmune disease in both humans and animal models. We reasoned polyplexes formed from myelin self-antigen and regulatory TLR antagonists might limit TLR signaling during differentiation of myelin-specific T cells, inducing tolerance by biasing T cells away from inflammatory phenotypes. Complexes were formed by modifying myelin peptide with cationic amino acids to create peptides able to condense the anionic nucleic-acid based TLR antagonist. These immunological polyplexes eliminate synthetic polymers commonly used to condense polyplexes and do not rely on gene expression; however, the complexes mimic key features of traditional polyplexes such as tunable loading and co-delivery. Using these materials and classic polyplex analysis techniques, we demonstrate condensation of both immune signals, protection from enzymatic degradation, and tunable physicochemical properties. We show polyplexes reduce TLR signaling, and in primary dendritic cell and T cell co-culture, reduce myelin-driven inflammation. During mouse models of MS, these tolerogenic polyplexes improve the progression, severity, and incidence of disease. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The selection of suitable working fluids for use in Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) is strongly addicted to the intended application of the ORC system. The design of the ORC, the kind of heat source and the ambient condition has an influence on the performance of the Organic Rankine Cycle and on the selection of the working fluid. It can come to a discrepancy between the best candidate from the thermodynamic point of view and the transformation into a real machine design. If an axial turbine design is considered for expansion and energy conversion within the ORC, the vapor volume flow ratios within the expansion path, the pressure ratio and of course the number of stages have to be considered within the fluid selection process and for the design parameters. Furthermore, environmental aspects have to be taken into account, e.g. the global warming potential (GWP) and the flammability of the selected fluid. This paper shows the results of the design and fluid selection process for an Organic Rankine Cycle for application in a combined operation with a 2MW class industrial gas turbine. The gas turbine contains two radial compressor stages with an integrated intercooler. To further increase the thermal cycle efficiency, a recuperator has been implemented to the gas turbine cycle, which uses the exhaust gas waste heat to preheat the compressed air after the second compressor, before it enters the combustion chamber. The shaft power is generated by a three stage axial turbine, whereby the first stage is a convection cooled stage, due to a turbine inlet temperature of 1100 degrees C. To further increase the electrical efficiency and the power output of the energy conversion cycle, a combined operation with an organic Rankine cycle is intended. Therefore the waste heat from the GT compressor intercooler is used as first heat source and the waste heat of the exhaust gas after the recuperator as second heat source for the Organic Rankine Cycle. It is intended that the ORC fluid acts as heat absorption fluid within the compressor intercooler. Due to these specifications for the ORC, a detailed thermodynamic analysis has been performed to determine the optimal design parameter and the best working fluid for the ORC, in order to obtain a maximum power output of the combined cycle. Due to the twice coupling of the ORC to the GT cycle, the heat exchange between the two cycles is bounded by each other and a detailed analysis of the coupled cycles is necessary. E.g. the ambient temperature has an enormous influence on the transferred heat from the intercooler to the ORC cycle, which itself affects the heat transfer and temperatures of the transferable heat from the second heat source. Thus, a detailed analysis by considering the ambient operation conditions has been performed, in order to provide a most efficient energy conversion system over a wide operation range. The performance analysis has shown that by application of an ORC for a combined operation with the intercooled and recuperated gas turbine, the combined cycle efficiency can be increased, for a wide ambient conditions range, by more than 3 %pts. and the electrical power output by more than 10 %, in comparison to the stand alone intercooled and recuperated gas turbine.
Purpose The activity of the glymphatic system is impaired in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We evaluated the activity of the human glymphatic system in cases of AD with a diffusion-based technique called diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS). Materials and methods Diffusion tensor images were acquired to calculate diffusivities in the x, y, and z axes of the plane of the lateral ventricle body in 31 patients. We evaluated the diffusivity along the perivascular spaces as well as projection fibers and association fibers separately, to acquire an index for diffusivity along the perivascular space (ALPS-index) and correlated them with the mini mental state examinations (MMSE) score. Results We found a significant negative correlation between diffusivity along the projection fibers and association fibers. We also observed a significant positive correlation between diffusivity along perivascular spaces shown as ALPS-index and the MMSE score, indicating lower water diffusivity along the perivascular space in relation to AD severity. Conclusion Activity of the glymphatic system may be evaluated with diffusion images. Lower diffusivity along the perivascular space on DTI-APLS seems to reflect impairment of the glymphatic system. This method may be useful for evaluating the activity of the glymphatic system.
Background: Densoviruses (DVs) are highly pathogenic to their hosts. However, we previously reported a mutualistic DV (HaDV2). Very little was known about the characteristics of this virus, so herein we undertook a series of experiments to explore the molecular biology of HaDV2 further. Results: Phylogenetic analysis showed that HaDV2 was similar to members of the genus Iteradensovirus. However, compared to current members of the genus Iteradensovirus, the sequence identity of HaDV2 is less than 44% at the nucleotide-level, and lower than 36, 28 and 19% at the amino-acid-level of VP, NS1 and NS2 proteins, respectively. Moreover, NS1 and NS2 proteins from HaDV2 were smaller than those from other iteradensoviruses due to their shorter N-terminal sequences. Two transcripts of about 2.2 kb coding for the NS proteins and the VP proteins were identified by Northern Blot and RACE analysis. Using specific anti-NS1 and anti-NS2 antibodies, Western Blot analysis revealed a 78 kDa and a 48 kDa protein, respectively. Finally, the localization of both NS1 and NS2 proteins within the cell nucleus was determined by using Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) labelling. Conclusion: The genome organization, terminal hairpin structure, transcription and expression strategies as well as the mutualistic relationship with its host, suggested that HaDV2 was a novel member of the genus Iteradensovirus within the subfamily Densovirinae.
Purpose - Nonverbal communication comprises a core element of the interactions between leader and follower. Nevertheless, there is limited empirical attention regarding the impact of nonverbal cues on followers' attitudinal outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this gap by linking a salient form of nonverbal communication, kinesics, to an under-researched leader-follower relationship outcome, that is relational identification (RI) with the supervisor. In doing so, the authors also highlight the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) in the aforementioned relationship. Design/methodology/approach - The authors conducted two studies in different countries. Moreover, the authors examined the hypotheses using hierarchical regression and bootstrap analysis. Findings - As hypothesized, the present results showed that kinesics have both a direct and an indirect effect, through LMX, on RI with the supervisor. Originality/value - To the best of authors' knowledge this is the first study that links a form of nonverbal communication to both LMX and RI.
Double-layer cladding materials were fabricated by roll bonding using stainless steel (STS439) and aluminum (Al1050) sheets to investigate the thermal conduction of multi-layer composites. The measured thermal conductivities were compared to values calculated from cross-plane models that are widely used for resistor connections in electrical circuits. The measured thermal conductivity was 88.3 W/m.K for the sample containing 76 vol% of Al1050. Unexpectedly, the measured cross-plane thermal conductivities were always higher than the values calculated from the series model. The high cross-plane thermal conductivities were attributed to the contribution of phonons to thermal transfer. A deviation index of the thermal conductivity, F-m(s), is proposed, which effectively describes the cross plane thermal conductivity characteristics of double-layer materials. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biofilm acts stabilising river-bed sediments, interfering with particle entrainment and, consequently, preventing bed disturbance. In this paper we present the results of a series of experiments carried out in indoor channels, aimed to understand biofilm alteration of bed material motion and topographic changes in stream channels. We analysed the erosion patterns and bedload rates in non-cohesive sediments in channels colonised by biofilms and compared them to biofilm-free others. All the channels had the same conditions of light irradiance, temperature, slope, and particle size (sand). Discharge and water surface slope were modified to create a range of hydraulic conditions, with pairs of colonised and non-colonised channels subjected to the same flows. We observed that biofilm slightly modified bed roughness and flow hydraulics, but that highly influenced bed disturbance. Biofilm caused bed scour to occur in patches unevenly distributed along the channel length, as a result of localised weaknesses of the biofilm. Once biofilm was ripped up it was transported in chunks, and sand grains were observed attached to these chunks. In non-colonised sediments the erosion was more homogeneous and the formation and movement of bedforms were observed. On average, bedload rates were 5 times lower when biofilm was present. Overall, the protective effect of the biofilm prevented generalised erosion of the channel and delayed the entrainment and transport of sand grains. Results emphasised the important role of biofilm in the incipient motion of bed-material in stream channels; this role may affect the magnitude and frequency of subsequent river bed processes, notably the onset of bedload and associated channel morpho-dynamics. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater is an underutilized water resource that has become more important in recent years; due to severe water logging and water shortage in cities. The evaluation of rainwater harvesting potential is of fundamental importance in planning rainwater harvesting systems and management policies. In this study, we used minute-interval rainfall data and the water mass balance method coupling urban hydrological processes to assess the annual rainwater availability potential (RAP) of different underlying surfaces in the urban areas of Beijing (inside the 5th Ring Road). The estimated total RAP was 154.49 million m(3) in 2013. About 53% of rainwater could be effectively harvested for use, among which the rooftops had the highest harvesting ratio of 70%, and contributed about half of the total RAP. Indirect use of rainwater can be achieved through infiltration facilities, of which concave green land construction and porous brick pavement can increase the amount of rainfall that infiltrates into the soil by 18.89% and 55.69%, respectively. Rainwater harvesting and utilization could serve as a significant water source for the urban areas in Beijing.
HMGCS2 (mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-COA synthase 2) is a control enzyme in ketogenesis. The mitochondrial localization and interaction with APP (beta-amyloid precursor protein) suggest that HMGCS2 may play a role in the pathophysiology of AD (Alzheimer's disease). Here we report that overexpression of HMGCS2 decreased levels of APP and related CTFs (carboxy-terminal fragments), which was largely prevented by an autophagic inhibitor chloroquine. In addition, HMGCS2 enhancement of autophagic marker LC3II was diminished by rapamycin, an inhibitor of mechanistic target of rapamycin. Moreover, deprivation of EBSS (Earle's Balanced Salt Solution) significantly augmented the effect of HMGCS2 on LC3II, while acetoacetate reversed the reduction of LC3II, APP and CTFs which was induced by HMGCS2 knockdown. In the presence of acetoacetate, rapamycin failed to induce further increase of LC3IL which mimicked the effect of HMGCS2 overexpression. Finally, HMGCS2 enhanced the antioxidant response. Collectively, HMGCS2 shares with ketone bodies common features in autophagic clearance of APP and CTFs, suggesting that ketone bodies play an important role in HMGCS2 regulation of the autophagy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Background: Differences in genetics and receptor expression (phenotypes) of invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) impact on prognosis and treatment response. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), the most used technique for IDC phenotyping, has some limitations including its invasiveness. We explored the possibility of contrast-enhanced positron emission tomography magnetic resonance (CE-FDG PET/MR) to discriminate IDC phenotypes. Methods: 21 IDC patients with IHC assessment of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER2), and antigen Ki-67 (Ki67) underwent CE-FDG PET/MR. Magnetic resonance-perfusion biomarkers, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and standard uptake value (SUV) were compared with IHC markers and phenotypes, using a Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: ER/PR - tumours demonstrated higher Kep(mean) and SUVmax than ER or PR+ tumours. HER2 - tumours displayed higher ADC(mean), Kep(mean), and SUVmax than HER2+tumours. Only ADC(mean) discriminated Ki6714% tumours. PET/MR biomarkers correlated with IHC phenotype in 13 out of 21 patients (62%; P = 0.001). Conclusions: Positron emission tomography magnetic resonance might non-invasively help discriminate IDC phenotypes, helping to optimise individual therapy options.
Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antibodies are successfully used in the therapy of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, the molecular mechanism of action of these agents is still a matter of debate. Apart from neutralization of TNF, influence on the intestinal barrier function, induction of apoptosis in mucosal immune cells, formation of regulatory macrophages as well as other immune modulating properties have been discussed as central features. Nevertheless, clinically effective anti-TNF antibodies were shown to differ in their mode-of-action in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the anti-TNF agent etanercept is effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but failed to induce clinical response in Crohn's disease patients, suggesting different contributions of TNF in the pathogenesis of these inflammatory diseases. In the following, we will review different aspects regarding the mechanism of action of anti-TNF agents in general and analyze comparatively different effects of each anti-TNF agent such as TNF neutralization, modulation of the immune system, reverse signaling and induction of apoptosis. We discuss the relevance of the membrane-bound form of TNF compared to the soluble form for the immunopathogenesis of IBD. Furthermore, we review reports that could lead to personalized medicine approaches regarding treatment with anti-TNF antibodies in chronic intestinal inflammation, by predicting response to therapy. (C) The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
In this paper, we analyze the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of the ice-sheet data collected over Jakobshavn Glacier with the airborne Multichannel Radar Depth Sounder (MCRDS) during the 2006 field season. We extracted weak ice-bed echoes buried in signals scattered by the rough surface of the fast-flowing Jakobshavn Glacier by analyzing the DOA of signals received with a five-element receive-antenna array. This allowed us to obtain ice thickness information, which is a key parameter when generating bed topography of glaciers. We also estimated ice-bed roughness and bed slope from the combined analysis of the DOA and radar waveforms. The bed slope is about 8 degrees and the roughness in terms of rms slope is about 16 degrees.
Accurately scaling sap flux observations to tree or stand levels requires accounting for variation in sap flux between wood types and by depth into the tree. However, existing models for radial variation in axial sap flux are rarely used because they are difficult to implement. there is uncertainty about their predictive ability and calibration measurements are often unavailable. Here we compare different models with a diverse sap flux data set to test the hypotheses that radial profiles differ by wood type and tree size. We show that radial variation in sap flux is dependent on wood type but independent of tree size for a range of temperate trees. The best-fitting model predicted out-of-sample sap flux observations and independent estimates of sapwood area with small errors, suggesting robustness in the new settings. We develop a method for predicting whole-tree water use with this model and include computer code for simple implementation in other studies.
Recent work has shown robust associations between morality and cleanliness. However, it is not known whether this association is equally consequential for everyone. I predicted that individuals high (vs. low) in God-belief would be more likely to draw upon feelings of cleanliness to represent their moral concerns. To test this hypothesis, I used a 2-week daily sampling protocol. In an initial session, I measured participants' (N = 135) level of God-belief. I then measured participants' levels of daily cleanliness, neuroticism, impulsivity, and prosocial behaviors every evening. Daily feelings of cleanliness predicted lower levels of neuroticism but only for those high in God-belief. Daily impulsive behaviors predicted lower feelings of cleanliness, and daily prosocial behaviors predicted higher feelings of cleanliness. God-belief moderated these effects such that they were stronger for those higher, than lower, in God-belief. In closing, I discuss potential reasons for these moderation effects and other theoretical considerations.
Perceived Vulnerability to Disease may be defined as the beliefs about personal susceptibility to the transmission of infectious diseases and the emotional discomfort associated with the potential disease transmission. To evaluate these beliefs, the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (PVD) has been used in most studies. The aim of Study 1 was to validate the PVD questionnaire to the Spanish population. The sample was made up of 744 university students from all over Spain. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the items on the short version of the questionnaire corresponding to an interrelated two-factor model (perceived infectability and germ aversion) showed the best fit of all the tested models. In Study 2, scales to measure antifat attitudes, disgust and negative attitudes towards AIDS were used to analyse the criterion validity of the PVD questionnaire. The sample was made up of 434 university students. It was found that germ aversion was positively related with antifat attitudes, disgust and negative attitudes towards AIDS. In light of these results, we conclude that the short version of the questionnaire has good psychometric properties and can be used by the scientific community to measure Perceived Vulnerability to Disease.
To design electric machines, the motor performance, cost, and manufacturing have to be considered. Hence, researchers have called this the multi-objective optimization (MOO) problem in which the goal is to minimize or maximize several objective functions at the same time. In order to solve the MOO problem, various algorithms, such as nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II and multi-objective particle swarm optimization, have been widely used. When these algorithms are applied to the electric machine design, much time consumption is inevitable due to many times of function evaluations using a finite-element method. To solve this problem, a novel surrogate-assisted MOO algorithm is proposed. Its validity is confirmed by comparing the optimization results of test functions with conventional optimization methods. To verify the feasibility of its application to a practical electric machine, an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor is designed.
This paper presents the results of centrifuge tests performed to investigate the behavior of geotextile-reinforced soil walls beyond stress conditions. The models were built using nonwoven fabrics as reinforcement layers and dry sand as backfill. Digital image analysis techniques were used to determine the displacement of sand markers placed along the reinforcements. The models were loaded until failure by increasing centrifugal acceleration, and the movements of the sand markers were used to determine the strain distributions along the reinforcement layers. The results revealed that stresses redistribute among reinforcement layers as models approach failure. Current design methods for GRS walls were found to be conservative when applied to predict the behavior of the reduced-scale models.
Smiling individuals are usually perceived more favorably than non-smiling ones-they are judged as happier, more attractive, competent, and friendly. These seemingly clear and obvious consequences of smiling are assumed to be culturally universal, however most of the psychological research is carried out in WEIRD societies (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) and the influence of culture on social perception of nonverbal behavior is still understudied. Here we show that a smiling individual may be judged as less intelligent than the same non-smiling individual in cultures low on the GLOBE's uncertainty avoidance dimension. Furthermore, we show that corruption at the societal level may undermine the prosocial perception of smiling-in societies with high corruption indicators, trust toward smiling individuals is reduced. This research fosters understanding of the cultural framework surrounding nonverbal communication processes and reveals that in some cultures smiling may lead to negative attributions.
Detecting sentiment of sentences in online reviews is still a challenging task. Traditional machine learning methods often use bag-of-words representations which cannot properly capture complex linguistic phenomena in sentiment analysis. Recently, recursive autoencoder (RAE) methods have been proposed for sentence-level sentiment analysis. They use word embedding to represent each word, and learn compositional vector representation of phrases and sentences with recursive autoencoders. Although RAE methods outperform other state-of-the-art sentiment prediction approaches on commonly used datasets, they tend to generate very deep parse trees, and need a large amount of labeled data for each node during the process of learning compositional vector representations. Furthermore, RAE methods mainly combine adjacent words in sequence with a greedy strategy, which make capturing semantic relations between distant words difficult. To solve these issues, we propose a semi-supervised method which combines HowNet lexicon to train phrase recursive autoencoders (we call it CHL-PRAE). CHL-PRAE constructs the phrase recursive autoencoder (PRAE) model at first. Then the model calculates the sentiment orientation of each node with the HowNet lexicon, which acts as sentiment labels, when we train the softmax classifier of PRAE. Furthermore, our CHL-PRAE model conducts bidirectional training to capture global information. Compared with RAE and some supervised methods such as support vector machine (SVM) and naive Bayesian on English and Chinese datasets, the experiment results show that CHL-PRAE can provide the best performance for sentence-level sentiment analysis. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control based modular multilevel converter. Modular multilevel converters (MMC) have been applied to static synchronous compensators (STATCOM), high-voltage direct-current transmission (HVDCT), back-to-back power transfer systems, wind/solar power generation and battery storage systems. The D-Sigma digital control is adopted to track current reference, balance dc-bus capacitor voltage and regulate cell module capacitor voltage. The adopted D-Sigma digital control can accommodate wide filter inductance variation and take care of source voltage harmonics to achieve fast tracking response and low-distortion output current for the applications of active and reactive power injection and rectification with power factor correction. Based on power-balance principle, the combination of dc offset current and the ac current of each arm can be determined. According to charge-balance principle and with the D-Sigma digital control, dc-bus capacitor voltage balancing and cell voltage regulation can be achieved. To ensure the output current with low harmonics, a limitation factor for cell voltage regulation is discussed. In the paper, the MMC configuration is introduced first, and then the control laws for current tracking and voltage regulation are derived in detail. Simulated and experimental results obtained from a 54 kW MMC have verified the analysis and discussion.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between crack/cocaine addiction and dental health in men. Forty crack/cocaine-addicted patients and 120 nonaddicted patients (>= 18 years) underwent full-mouth dental examinations. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) were identified using the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization. Crack/cocaine addiction was determined, based on the medical records and interviews of each patient. All drug-addicted patients used both crack and cocaine. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the association between DMFT and crack/cocaine addiction (p <= 0.05). Decayed teeth showed a positive association with crack/cocaine addiction (odds ratio (OR) = 3.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.68-7.92; p = 0.001), whereas filled and missing teeth showed a negative association ( filled teeth: OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18-0.76; p = 0.008; missing teeth: OR = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13-0.81; p = 0.02). The DMFT was only associated with age (OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.11-4.08, p = 0.023). In the present population, crack/cocaine addiction was associated with a greater decayed teeth index and a lower filled and missing teeth index. Programs aimed to encourage self-esteem and encourage individuals to seek dental care are required for this population. Further studies using a larger sample size and studies with women are required to confirm the results.
The demand for battery fed electrical vehicle (BFEV) is expected to ascend with the rapid depletion of the earth's petroleum resources. But the range of BFEV is still limited due to the limitation in energy conversion efficiency, energy recovery during braking operation and fast transient operation. So, the analysis and improvement of energy conversion system for BFEVs is strongly recommended. This paper presents a highly efficient electrical circuit for BFEVs with the combination of a PI controlled bi-directional DC-DC converter and a Cuk converter. First, the PI controlled isolated DC-DC bi-directional converter is designed to provide desired battery voltage for dc motor control and to run the flow of power under both steady-state and transient conditions. A boost converter is designed by using one IGBT and one MOSFET in parallel to condense the conduction loss and to guarantee a high output voltage. A comparative performance analysis between a Cuk and a boost converter technique for BFEVs is also presented. An equivalent MATLAB/Simulink simulation model of the both system is developed to investigate the performance of both electrical circuits at different operating conditions. The Cuk converter technique exhibits higher efficiency and better performance as compared to the proposed boost converter technique.
Herbs and spices have been used for food and medicinal purposes for centuries - the first recorded evidence of their use dates back to 1500BC and the Ebers Papyrus, which mentioned spices such as anise, mustard, saffron, cinnamon, and cassia. Now, in the 21st century, a variety of secondary compounds produced by plants are used in many fields of industry, such as food production (to improve taste, to provide vitamins and macro- and microelements, and also to inhibit food spoilage caused by foodborne bacteria), in medicine (in the treatment of various diseases; in chemoprevention and cancer therapy; as a source of natural antimicrobials for the treatment of infectious disease), and in pharmacology and cosmetology (in dietary supplements, and as a result of the demand for preservative-free cosmetics, to reduce the risk of methylparaben allergies). The aim of this review is to present the major active compounds in herbs and spices and explore their potential applications in industry.
Selecting the relevant factors in a particular domain is of utmost interest in the machine learning community. This paper concerns the feature selection process for twin support vector machine (TWSVM), a powerful classification method that constructs two nonparallel hyperplanes in order to define a classification rule. Besides the Euclidean norm, our proposal includes a second regularizer that aims at eliminating variables in both twin hyperplanes in a synchronized fashion. The baseline classifier is a twin SVM implementation based on second order cone programMing, which confers robustness to the approach and leads to potentially better predictive performance compared to the standard TWSVM formulation. The proposal is studied empirically and compared with well-known feature selection methods using microarray datasets, on which it succeeds at finding low dimensional solutions with highest average performance among all the other methods studied in this work.
This study aims to investigate the initial perceived knowledge and skills of high school students in information technology (IT) security and the effect of an online security support tool, the Security Portal (SP), on students' perceived knowledge and skills in IT security. The SP is a website designed and developed as an extracurricular learning tool to improve high school students' knowledge and skills in IT security. An exploratory research design with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was conducted to answer the research questions. The data were collected from the participants through the Perceived Knowledge and Skills in IT Security questionnaire, administered as pre-test and post-test before and after using the SP. The results of the study indicated that the majority of students were not aware about their schools' IT security policies and rules. Similarly, students had limited knowledge of the rules for using IT devices at their homes. Students' perceived knowledge and skills in (i) virus infection, (ii) awareness about IT crimes and unlicensed products, (iii) security settings of operating systems, (iv) Windows firewall and defender, (v) security settings of Android OS except adding owner information (vi) security issues related to e-mails, except risk associated with opening e-mails from unknown senders, (vii) security issues of web browsers and SNSs except security and privacy settings of SNSs, could be improved by using such tools.
Smart environments are interactive spaces that offer quality of life for users. Considering this definition, our study aims to investigate papers containing projects and/or evaluation of smart environments in the context of smart cities, using gesture-based interaction applied in health solutions. Our approach is a systematic review of the literature that examined the following databases: IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Springer, CiteSeerX and Google Scholar, from November 13 to December 18, 2014. From 212 studies identified, only 12 were in agreement with the eligibility criteria. After analysis of the papers, the usability of smart gesture-based environments was discussed considering the medical area, presenting possible benefits for healthcare.
Fifty years after the end of the Algerian war of independence, French colonization in Algeria (1830-1962) is still a very controversial topic when sporadically brought to the forefront of the public sphere. One way to better understand current intergroup relationships between French of French origin and French with Algerian origins is to investigate how the past influences the present. This study explores French students' emotional reactions to this historical period, their ideological underpinnings and their relationship with the willingness to compensate for past misdeeds, and with prejudice. Results show that French students with French ascendants endorse a no-remorse norm when thinking about past colonization of Algeria and express very low levels of collective guilt and moral-outrage related emotions, especially those students with a right-wing political orientation and a national identification in the form of glorification of the country. These group-based emotions are significantly related to pro-social behavioral intentions (i.e. the willingness to compensate) and to prejudice toward the outgroup.
Purpose of Review The review focused on associations between temperament dimensions and clinical features in different anxiety disorders, likewise in obsessive-compulsive disorder in clinical samples of adults. A literature search was conducted in the Medline and PsycINFO databases covering the years 2010-2016. A systematic review and grading of the level of evidence for an association between temperament dimension scores and clinical features in each disorder were performed. Recent Findings Twenty papers reporting 18 different studies were included. Five of the papers focused on panic disorder (PD), five on social anxiety disorder (SAD), three on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), three on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and an additional three papers on several anxiety disorders. Summary The review consolidates the finding that trait anxiety, especially as assessed by Cloninger's model or the fivefactor model, is a phenomenon common to all anxiety disorders and OCD. More follow-up studies including large samples are needed to differentiate the dimensional profiles of trait anxiety in specific disorders.
At present, most cases of unresectable cancer cannot be cured. Genetic mutations, EMT, and cancer stem cells are three major issues linked to poor prognosis in such cases, all connected by inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Issues on inter-/intra-tumor heterogeneity of genetic mutation could be resolved with recent and future technologies of deep sequencers, whereas, regarding such issues as the same genome, different epigenome/phenotype, we expect to solve many of these problems in the future through further research in stem cell biology. We herein review and discuss the three major issues in the biology of cancers, especially from the standpoint of stem cell biology.
Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes/graphene oxide nanocomposite (VACNT-GO) has been prepared and applied as electrode material. First, dense packets of VACNT were prepared in microwave chemical vapor deposition reactor, and then functionalized by oxygen plasma etching. We observed that oxygen plasma could exfoliate carbon nanotubes tips and provide oxygen group attachment on its surface, changing its wettability as well. This change in wettability of the VACNT is crucial for its electrochemical application, since as-grown VACNT is super-hydrophobic. After exfoliation and functionalization, the electrochemical tests were performed using potassium ferrocyanide. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance spectroscopy revealed fast electron transfer kinetics on this new material. The CV peak potential separation was 59 mV, suggesting ideal reversibility at the electrode. The Nyquist and Bode plots were well-fitted as modified Randles equivalent electrical circuits with non-charge transfer impedance. This new highly porous nanostructures have been intensively characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, surface wettability, Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Our results suggest this new material has a relevant potential for future applications in electrocatalysis and (bio)sensors. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objectives: Exposure-based cognitive behavioural therapy (eCBT) is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders. Response varies between individuals. Gene expression integrates genetic and environmental influences. We analysed the effect of gene expression and genetic markers separately and together on treatment response.Methods: Adult participants (n181) diagnosed with panic disorder or a specific phobia underwent eCBT as part of standard care. Percentage decrease in the Clinical Global Impression severity rating was assessed across treatment, and between baseline and a 6-month follow-up. Associations with treatment response were assessed using expression data from 3,233 probes, and expression profiles clustered in a data- and literature-driven manner. A total of 3,343,497 genetic variants were used to predict treatment response alone and combined in polygenic risk scores. Genotype and expression data were combined in expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses.Results:Expression levels were not associated with either treatment phenotype in any analysis. A total of 1,492 eQTLs were identified with q<0.05, but interactions between genetic variants and treatment response did not affect expression levels significantly. Genetic variants did not significantly predict treatment response alone or in polygenic risk scores.Conclusions: We assessed gene expression alone and alongside genetic variants. No associations with treatment outcome were identified. Future studies require larger sample sizes to discover associations.
Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. Resident macrophages at distant sites provide a highly responsive and immunologically dynamic innate immune response against foreign infiltrates. Despite extensive characterization of the role of macrophages and other immune cells in malignant tissues, there is very little known about the mechanisms which facilitate metastatic breast cancer spread to distant sites of immunological integrity. The mechanisms by which a key healthy defense mechanism fails to protect distant sites from infiltration by metastatic cells in cancer patients remain undefined. Breast tumors, typical of many tumor types, shed membrane vesicles called microparticles (MPs), ranging in size from 0.1-1 mu m in diameter. MPs serve as vectors in the intercellular transfer of functional proteins and nucleic acids and in drug sequestration. In addition, MPs are also emerging to be important players in the evasion of cancer cell immune surveillance. Methods: A comparative analysis of effects of MPs isolated from human breast cancer cells and non-malignant human brain endothelial cells were examined on THP-1 derived macrophages in vitro. MP-mediated effects on cell phenotype and functionality was assessed by cytokine analysis, cell chemotaxis and phagocytosis, immunolabelling, flow cytometry and confocal imaging. Student's t-test or a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparison and statistical analysis. Results: In this paper we report on the discovery of a new cellular basis for immune evasion, which is mediated by breast cancer derived MPs. MPs shed from multidrug resistant (MDR) cells were shown to selectively polarize macrophage cells to a functionally incapacitated state and facilitate their engulfment by foreign cells. Conclusions: We propose this mechanism may serve to physically disrupt the inherent immune response prior to cancer cell colonization whilst releasing mediators required for the recruitment of distant immune cells. These findings introduce a new paradigm in cancer cell biology with significant implications in understanding breast cancer colonization at distant sites. Most importantly, this is also the first demonstration that MPs serve as conduits in a parallel pathway supporting the cellular survival of MDR cancer cells through immune evasion.
This paper presents the first method that enables the fully automatic generation of triangular meshes suitable for the so-called non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS)-enhanced finite element method (NEFEM). The meshes generated with the proposed approach account for the computer-aided design boundary representation of the domain given by NURBS curves. The characteristic element size is completely independent of the geometric complexity and of the presence of very small geometric features. The proposed strategy allows to circumvent the time-consuming process of de-featuring complex geometric models before a finite element mesh suitable for the analysis can be produced. A generalisation of the original definition of a NEFEM element is also proposed, enabling to treat more complicated elements with an edge defined by several NURBS curves or more than one edge defined by different NURBS. Three examples of increasing difficulty demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach and illustrate the advantages compared with those of traditional finite element mesh generators. Finally, a simulation of an electromagnetic scattering problem is considered to show the applicability of the generated meshes for finite element analysis. (C) 2016 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Endmember extraction is one of the most important issues in hyperspectral image analysis. Under the linear mixing model and pure pixel assumption, a number of convex-geometry-based methods have been developed in the past decades. However, these traditional methods generally produce unsatisfactory results since they require the hyperspectral image to have a convex structure and this is not exactly the case with the real image scene. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has recently been employed to address the endmember extraction problem, but its performance is limited by the premature convergence and lower precision of the standard PSO, and much effort is required to enhance the optimization result. To address these problems, in this study, a novel quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm is proposed for hyperspectral endmember extraction. The notable advantages of the proposed method include: 1) a row-column coding approach for the particles is designed to accelerate the optimization process; 2) a cooperative approach is employed to update the particles' individual and global best positions, in order to help the particles' optimization behavior in the multidimensional search space; and 3) two kinds of objective functions, namely, maximizing the simplex volume formed by the endmember combination, and minimizing the root-mean-square error between the original image and its remixed image, are incorporated in a sequential optimization approach for the endmember extraction problem, which makes the algorithm robust to outliers at an acceptable time cost. The extensive experimental results prove that QPSO is able to find the optimal endmember combination.
In our continued effort in reducing resource consumption, greener technologies such as rainwater harvesting could be very useful in diminishing our dependence on desalinated or treated water and the associated energy requirements. This paper applies exergy analysis and exergetic efficiency to evaluate the performance of eight different scenarios of urban rainwater harvesting systems in the Mediterranean-climate Metropolitan Area of Barcelona where water is a scarce resource. A life cycle approach is taken, where the production, use, and end-of-life stages of these rainwater harvesting systems are quantified in terms of energy and material requirements in order to produce 1 m(3) of rainwater per year for laundry purposes. The results show that the highest exergy input is associated with the energy uses, namely the transport of the materials to construct the rainwater harvesting systems. The scenario with the highest exergetic efficiency considers a 24 household building with a 21 m(3) rainwater storage tank installed below roof. Exergy requirements could be minimized by material substitution, minimizing weight or distance traveled. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Digital images may contain undesired blurred regions. Automatic detection of such regions and estimation of the amount of blurriness in a given image are important issues in many computer vision applications. This paper presents a simple and effective method to automatically detect blurred regions. The proposed method consists of two main parts. First, a novel blur metric, which can significantly distinguish blur and non-blur regions, is proposed. This metric is then used to generate a blur map to encode the amount of blurriness for individual pixels in a given image. Finally, the estimated blur map is used to segment the input image into blurred/non-blurred regions by applying a pixon-based technique. The proposed approach is evaluated for out-of-focus and motion-blurred natural images. By conducting experiments on a large dataset containing real images with defocus blur and partial motion blur regions, qualitative and quantitative measures are performed. The obtained results in this paper show that the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art methods for blur estimation in digital images.
Environmental justice (EJ) research seeks to document and redress the disproportionate environmental burdens and benefits associated with social inequalities. Although its initial focus was on disparities in exposure to anthropogenic pollution, the scope of EJ research has expanded. In the context of intensifying social inequalities and environmental problems, there is a need to further strengthen the EJ research framework and diversify its application. This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) incorporates 19 articles that broaden EJ research by considering emerging topics such as energy, food, drinking water, flooding, sustainability, and gender dynamics, including issues in Canada, the UK, and Eastern Europe. Additionally, the articles contribute to three research themes: (1) documenting connections between unjust environmental exposures and health impacts by examining unsafe infrastructure, substance use, and children's obesity and academic performance; (2) promoting and achieving EJ by implementing interventions to improve environmental knowledge and health, identifying avenues for sustainable community change, and incorporating EJ metrics in government programs; and (3) clarifying stakeholder perceptions of EJ issues to extend research beyond the documentation of unjust conditions and processes. Collectively, the articles highlight potentially compounding injustices and an array of approaches being employed to achieve EJ.
The impact on water resources caused by municipal wastewater discharges has become a critical and ever-growing environmental and public health problem. In order to be able to efficiently address this problem, it is important to adopt an integrated approach that includes a decrease in and control of contamination at its source. These principles have been successfully applied in the industrial sector and now these concepts are also being applied to integrated water resources management. In this context the conceptual model of the Three Steps Strategic Approach (3-SSA) was developed, consisting of: 1) minimization and prevention, 2) treatment for reuse and 3) stimulated natural self-purification. This paper is focused on the first step. The assessment includes a case study in the expansion area of the city of Cali, Colombia (410,380 new inhabitants). The evaluation of alternatives is done using two different system boundaries: (1) reduction in water supply costs for households, savings associated with the drinking water infrastructure and the avoided costs in the infrastructure of additional sewerage and wastewater treatment facilities; and (2) only taking into account the reduction in water supply costs for households and the savings associated with the drinking water infrastructure. The alternatives of minimization and prevention were hierarchized using an analytic hierarchy process and grey relational analysis. A cost-benefit analysis was carried out to compare the highest ranked alternatives with the conventional approach, which considers a 'business as usual scenario' of high water use, end-of-pipe wastewater treatment plant and the conventional water supply system with drinking water quality for all uses. The best minimization and prevention alternatives for Cali's expansion zone were found to be those which consider dual flush toilets and the possibility of using rainwater harvesting for laundry purposes. However, the minimization and prevention alternatives considered are only viable if these are implemented in more than 20% of household units. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Few studies have addressed likely gene x gene (ie, epistatic) interactions in mediating risk for schizophrenia. Using a preclinical genetic approach, we investigated whether simultaneous disruption of the risk factors Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) and Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) would produce a disease-relevant phenotypic profile different from that observed following disruption to either gene alone. NRG1 heterozygotes exhibited hyperactivity and disruption to prepulse inhibition, both reversed by antipsychotic treatment, and accompanied by reduced striatal dopamine D2 receptor protein expression, impaired social cognition, and altered glutamatergic synaptic protein expression in selected brain areas. Single gene DISC1 mutants demonstrated a disruption in social cognition and nest-building, altered brain 5-hydroxytryptamine levels and hippocampal ErbB4 expression, and decreased cortical expression of the schizophrenia-associated microRNA miR-29b. Co-disruption of DISC1 and NRG1, indicative of epistasis, evoked an impairment in sociability and enhanced self-grooming, accompanied by changes in hypothalamic oxytocin/ vasopressin gene expression. The findings indicate specific behavioral correlates and underlying cellular pathways downstream of main effects of DNA variation in the schizophrenia-associated genes NRG1 and DISC1.
Biocathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been shown to be useful in reductively changing Cr(VI) into Cr(III)-related precipitates on the surface of electrochemically active bacteria (EAB), but the occurrence of intracellular Cr(VI) reduction in the EAB are still unclear. Based on the four EAB isolated from Cr(VI)-reduced biocathode MFCs and tentatively assigned to Stenotrophomonas sp. YS1, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia YS2, Serratia marcescens YS3 and Achromobacterxylosoxidans YS8, a naphthalimide-rhodamine based Cr(III) fluorescent probe was used for the first time to sense the intracellular Cr(III) ions, inevitably and transiently formed from Cr(VI) reduction in these EAB. More Cr(VI) was reduced in the MFC biocathodes, resulting in intracellular accumulation of total chromium of 45.1 +/- 1.3-60.5 +/- 1.4% with a composite of Cr(III) ions (23.7 +/- 2.6-27.3 +/- 1.1%) and other forms of chromium-complex (18.7 +/- 2.5-32.2 +/- 0.8%), In the open circuit controls, intracellular total chromium only ranged 10.2 +/- 1.5-11.7 +/- 0.8% (Cr(III) ions: 8.2 +/- 0.6-9.5 +/- 0.9%; other forms: 0.2 +/- 0.6-0.3 +/- 0.9%). This study illustrates that cathode directed more intracellular Cr(VI) reduction in the EAB and gives an alternative approach for developing imaging and functionally sensing Cr(III) ions in the MFC biocathodes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In the context of objectification and violence, little attention has been paid to the perception neuroscience of how the human brain perceives bodies and objectifies them. Various studies point to how external cues such as appearance and attire could play a key role in encouraging objectification, dehumanization and the denial of agency. Reviewing new experimental findings across several areas of research, it seems that common threads run through issues of clothing, sexual objectification, body perception, dehumanization, and assault. Collating findings from several different lines of research, this article reviews additional evidence from cognitive and neural dynamics of person perception ( body and face perception processes) that predict downstream social behavior. Specifically, new findings demonstrate cognitive processing of sexualized female bodies as object-like, a crucial aspect of dehumanized percept devoid of agency and personhood. Sexual violence is a consequence of a dehumanized perception of female bodies that aggressors acquire through their exposure and interpretation of objectified body images. Integrating these findings and identifying triggers for sexual violence may help develop remedial measures and inform law enforcement processes and policy makers alike.
The two-dimensional (2D) incompressible Boussinesq equations model geophysical fluids and play an important role in the study of the Raleigh Bernard convection. Mathematically this 2D system retains some key features of the 3D Navier-Stokes and Euler equations such as the vortex stretching mechanism. The issue of whether the 2D Boussinesq equations always possess global (in time) classical solutions can be difficult when there is only partial dissipation or no dissipation at all. This paper obtains the global regularity for two partial dissipation cases and proves several global a priori bounds for two other prominent partial dissipation cases. These results take us one step closer to a complete resolution of the global regularity issue for all the partial dissipation cases involving the 2D Boussinesq equations. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mucosal immunity at the intestinal level is constantly challenged by the presence of external food and microbial antigens and must be kept under strict control to avoid the rise of aberrant inflammation. Among cells of the innate immunity, macrophages expressing the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 are strategically located near the gut epithelial barrier. These cells contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis by producing the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10; however, their role in the control of full blown inflammation and tissue injury is controversial. In this study we investigated mice proficient or deficient for the expression of the CX3CR1 receptor in a model of dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) induced acute colitis. We found that KO mice (CX3CR1(GFP/GFP)) had a more severe disease compared to WT mice (CX3CR1(GFP/+)), both in terms of histological examination of colonic tissues and leukocyte infiltration, with an expansion of macrophages and CD4-Th17 lymphocytes. The expression of several inflammatory mediators (IL-1 beta, IL-6, IFN gamma, iNOS) was also significantly upregulated in KO mice, despite higher IL-10 production. Overall, our study demonstrates that macrophages expressing a functional CX3CR1 receptor have an important and non-redundant role in controlling the abnormal intestinal inflammation that may lead to tissue damage. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Here we provide an integrative review of basic control circuits, and introduce techniques by which their regulation can be quantitatively measured using human neuroimaging. We illustrate the utility of the control systems approach using four human neuroimaging threat detection studies (N = 226), to which we applied circuit-wide analyses in order to identify the key mechanism underlying individual variation. In so doing, we build upon the canonical prefrontal-limbic control system to integrate circuit-wide influence from the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). These were incorporated into a computational control systems model constrained by neuroanatomy and designed to replicate our experimental data. In this model, the IFG acts as an informational set point, gating signals between the primary prefrontal-limbic negative feedback loop and its cortical information-gathering loop. Along the cortical route, if the sensory cortex provides sufficient information to make a threat assessment, the signal passes to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), whose threat-detection threshold subsequently modulates amygdala outputs. However, if signal outputs from the sensory cortex do not provide sufficient information during the first pass, the signal loops back to the sensory cortex, with each cycle providing increasingly fine-grained processing of sensory data. Simulations replicate IFG (chaotic) dynamics experimentally observed at both ends at the threat-detection spectrum. As such, they identify distinct types of IFG disconnection from the circuit, with associated clinical outcomes. If IFG thresholds are too high, the IFG and sensory cortex cycle for too long; in the meantime the coarse-grained (excitatory) pathway will dominate, biasing ambiguous stimuli as false positives. On the other hand, if cortical IFG thresholds are too low, the inhibitory pathway will suppress the amygdala without cycling back to the sensory cortex for much-needed fine-grained sensory cortical data, biasing ambiguous stimuli as false negatives. Thus, the control systems model provides a consistent mechanism for IFG regulation, capable of producing results consistent with our data for the full spectrum of threat-detection: from fearful to optimal to reckless. More generally, it illustrates how quantitative characterization of circuit dynamics can be used to unify a fundamental dimension across psychiatric affective symptoms,
Swimming performance of spermatozoa is an important index for the success of fertilization. For many years, numerous studies have reported the optimal swimming of flagellar organisms. Nevertheless, there is still a question as to which is optimal among planar, circular helical and ellipsoidal helical beating. In this paper, we use a genetic algorithm to investigate the beat pattern with the best swimming efficiency based on hydrodynamic dissipation and internal torque exertion. For the parameters considered, our results show that the planar beat is optimal for small heads and the helical flagellum is optimum for a larger heads, while the ellipsoidal beat is never optimal. Also, the genetic optimization reveals that the wavenumber and shape of wave envelope are relevant parameters, whereas the wave shape and head geometry have relatively minor effects on efficiency. The optimal beat with respect to the efficiency based on the internal torque exertion of an active elastic flagellum is characterized by a small-wave number and large-amplitude wave in a lower-viscosity medium. The obtained results on the optimal waveform are consistent with observations for planar waveforms, but in many respects, the results suggest the necessity of a detailed flagellar structure-fluid interaction to address whether real spermatozoa exhibit hydrodynamically efficient swimming. The evolutional optimization approach used in this study has distinguished biologically important parameters, and the methodology can potentially be applicable to various swimmers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The methods described herein for activation of naive CD4(+) T cells in suspension and their adherence in coverslips for confocal microscopy analysis allow the spatial localization and visualization of gangliosides involved in CD4(+) T cell activation, that complement expression profiling experiments such as flow cytometry, western blotting or real-time PCR. The quantification of ganglioside expression through flow cytometry and their cellular localization through microscopy can be obtained by the use of anti-ganglioside antibodies with high affinity and specificity. Nonetheless, an adequate handling of cells in suspension involves the treatment of culture plates to promote the necessary adherence required for fluorescence or confocal microscopy acquisition. In this work, we describe a protocol for determining GD3 and GD2 ganglioside expression and colocalization with the TCR during naive CD4(+) T cell activation. Also, real-time PCR experiments using < 40,000 cells are described for the determination of the GD3 and GM2/GD2 synthase genes, demonstrating that gene analysis experiments can be performed with a low number of cells and without the need of additional low input RNA kits.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the proliferation of immature myeloid lineage blasts. Due to its heterogeneity and to the high rate of acquired drug resistance and relapse, new treatment strategies are needed. Here, we demonstrate that IFN promotes AML blasts to act as effector cells within the context of antibody therapy. Treatment with IFN drove AML blasts toward a more differentiated state, wherein they showed increased expression of the M1-related markers HLA-DR and CD86, as well as of FcRI, which mediates effector responses to therapeutic antibodies. Importantly, IFN was able to up-regulate CD38, the target of the therapeutic antibody daratumumab. Because the antigen (CD38) and effector receptor (FcRI) were both simultaneously up-regulated on the AML blasts, we tested whether IFN treatment of the AML cell lines THP-1 and MV4-11 could stimulate them to target one another after the addition of daratumumab. Results showed that IFN significantly increased daratumumab-mediated cytotoxicity, as measured both by Cr-51 release and lactate dehydrogenase release assays. We also found that the combination of IFN and activation of FcR led to the release of granzyme B by AML cells. Finally, using a murine NSG model of subcutaneous AML, we found that treatment with IFN plus daratumumab significantly attenuated tumor growth. Taken together, these studies show a novel mechanism of daratumumab-mediated killing and a possible new therapeutic strategy for AML.
In this paper, we propose a communication support tool for understanding emotion in an unstable narrowband network. The tool can support mutual understanding when playing a selected voice by using also a character-based communication tool. The voice data is transmitted asynchronously and stored in local storage. Our proposed tool has been evaluated by a questionnaire survey after using some web-based voice contents classified according to some massage types and primitive emotion. From the questionnaire survey results, we discuss the effectiveness of emotional voice message when displaying text message.
Dutch adolescent second generation migrants are at increased risk of becoming marginalized and developing problem behavior. We tested the effectiveness of the Dutch multi-component empowerment program POWER that aims to prevent such problems. We hypothesized a positive intervention effect onparticipants' sense of mastery, coping skills, activities, conduct problems, and prosocial behavior. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial including a pretest and posttest with an intervention condition (n = 132) and a waitlist control condition (n = 116). Analyses showed that POWER was only effective in influencing the youngsters' participation in activities like sport, hobbies, and casual work. When implemented with high fidelity, POWER also influenced the level of conduct problems as well as their coping style. However, a more accurate registration of the implementation process would have been helpful and the program can potentially be further improved by clearly specifying which components of the program can be adapted and which must be delivered as intended. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper we explore how future smart environments can be given a sense of humor. Humor requires smartness. Entering witty remarks in a conversation requires understanding of the conversation, the conversational partner, the context and the history of the conversation. We can try to model interaction smartness and how to use it in creating not only witty remarks, but also to create humorous events. Smart sensors and actuators, embedded in our environments and our wearables allow us to make changes to a digitally enhanced physical environment. Witty remarks in language can have their counterpart in witty events in digital environments, including social media environments with their own communication characteristics. Sequential and parallel juxtapositions of incongruous and contrasting events invade our communication and, in addition, can be expected to emerge or to be created in digitally enhanced physical environments too, accidentally and intentionally.
Epidemiological studies based on the hygiene hypothesis declare that the level of childhood exposure to environmental microbial products is inversely related to the incidence of allergic diseases in later life. Multiple types of immune cell-mediated immune regulation networks support the hygiene hypothesis. Epithelial cells are the first line of response to microbial products in the environment and bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems; however, their role in the hygiene hypothesis is unknown. To demonstrate the hygiene hypothesis in airway epithelial cells, we examined the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; toll-like receptor 4 ligand) on the expression of the proallergic cytokines thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and interleukin 33 (IL33) in H292 cells (pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells). Stimulation with the TLR ligand polyI:C and human parechovirus type 1 (HPeV1) but not LPS-induced TSLP and IL33 through interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and NF-kappa B activity, which was further validated by using inhibitors (dexamethasone and Bay 11-7082) and short hairpin RNA-mediated gene knockdown. Importantly, polyI:C and HPeV1-stimulated TSLP and IL33 induction was reduced by LPS treatment by attenuating TANK-binding kinase 1, IRF3, and NF-kappa B activation. Interestingly, the basal mRNA levels of TLR signaling proteins were downregulated with long-term LPS treatment of H292 cells, which suggests that such long-term exposure modulates the expression of innate immunity signaling molecules in airway epithelial cells to mitigate the allergic response. In contrast to the effects of LPS treatment, the alarmin high-mobility group protein B1 acts in synergy with polyI:C to promote TSLP and IL33 expression. Our data support part of the hygiene hypothesis in airway epithelia cells in vitro. In addition to therapeutic targeting of TSLP and IL33, local application of non-pathogenic LPS may be a rational strategy to prevent allergies.
Gene editing technologies are a group of recent innovations in plant breeding using molecular biology, which have in common the capability of introducing a site-directed mutation or deletion in the genome. The first cases of crops improved with these technologies are approaching the market; this has raised an international debate regarding if they should be regulated as genetically modified crops or just as another form of mutagenesis under conventional breeding. This dilemma for policymakers not only entails issues pertaining safety information and legal/regulatory definitions. It also demands borrowing tools developed in the field of social studies of science and technology, as an additional basis for sound decision making.
Invasive trophoblast from Day 34 horse conceptuses survives in extrauterine sites in allogeneic recipients that are immunologically naive to donor major histocompatibility complex class I antigens. The ectopic trophoblast retains its in utero characteristics, including similar lifespan, physiologic effect of its secreted product (equine chorionic gonadotropin) upon the recipient's ovaries, and induction of host immune responses. Immunologic memory has not been considered previously in this experimental system. We hypothesized that primary exposure to ectopic trophoblast would affect the recipient's immune status such that the survival time of subsequent transplants would be altered. Secondary transplant lifespans could be shortened by destructive memory responses, as has been observed in ectopic trophoblast studies in rodents, or lengthened, as occurs when male skin grafts follow multiple syngeneic pregnancies in mice. Eight mares received two closely spaced trophoblast transplants. Both grafts for each recipient were obtained from conceptuses sired by the same stallion to provide consistency in histocompatibility antigen exposure. Donor stallions were major histocompatibility complex class I homozygotes. Cytotoxic antibody production was tracked to monitor recipients' immune responses to the transplants. Detection of serum equine chorionic gonadotropin was used as a proxy for transplant lifespan. There was no significant difference between the distributions of primary and secondary transplant lifespans, despite evidence of immunologic memory. These data demonstrate that secondary ectopic trophoblast transplants in horses do not experience earlier destruction or prolonged survival following immune priming of recipients. Mechanisms responsible for the eventual demise of the transplants remain unperturbed by secondary immune responses or chronic antigenic exposure.
Complex systems that increasingly involves devices such as sensors, smart-phone, interconnected objects and computers, results in what is called ambient systems. One of today's challenges in the framework of ubiquitous computing concerns the design of ambient systems. The major difficulty is to propose a compositional adaptation of devices which appear/despair over time. WComp environment is a prototyping and dynamic execution environment for ambient intelligence applications including a management mechanism allowing extensible interference between devices. A new approach based on the definition of strategies validated using discrete-event simulation is proposed in order to take into account conflicts and compositional adaptation of devices in ambient systems. These are defined and validate using a DEVS ( Discrete EVent system Specification) formalism to be integrated into a prototyping and dynamic execution environment for ambient intelligence applications. The proposed solution allows the designers of ambient systems to define the optimum matching of all components to each other. One pedagogical example is presented ( switch-lamp system) as a proof of the proposed approach.
In remote sensing, estimation of the forest stand height is an ever-challenging issue due to the difficulties encountered during the acquisition of data under forest canopies. Stereo optical imaging offers high spatial and spectral resolution; however, the optical correlation is lower in dense forests than in open areas due to an insufficient number of matching points. Therefore, in most cases height information may be missing or faulty. With their long wavelengths of 0.2 to 1.3 m, P-band and L-band synthetic aperture radars are capable of penetrating forest canopies, but their low spatial resolutions restrict the use of single-tree based forest applications. In this study, airborne laser scanning was used as an effective remote sensing technique to produce large-scale maps of forest stand height. This technique produces very high-resolution point clouds and has a high penetration capability that allows for the detection of multiple echoes per laser pulse. A study area with a forest coverage of approximately 60% was selected in Houston, USA, and a three-dimensional color-coded map of forest stands was produced using a normalized digital surface model technique. Rather than being limited to the number of ground control points, the accuracy of the produced map was assessed with a model-to-model approach using terrestrial laser scanning. In the accuracy assessment, the standard deviation was used as the main accuracy indicator in addition to the root mean square error and normalized median absolute deviation. The absolute geo-location accuracy of the generated map was found to be better than 1 cm horizontally and approximately 40 cm in height. Furthermore, the effects of bias and relative standard deviations were determined. The problems encountered during the production of the map, as well as recommended solutions, are also discussed in this paper.
Human gait recognition, an active research topic in computer vision, is generally based on data obtained from images/videos. We applied computer vision technology to classify pathology-related changes in gait in young children using a foot-pressure database collected using the GAITRite walkway system. As foot positioning changes with children's development, we also investigated the possibility of age estimation based on this data. Our results demonstrate that the data collected by the GAITRite system can be used for normal/pathological gait classification. Combining age information and normal/pathological gait classification increases the accuracy of the classifier. This novel approach could support the development of an accurate, real-time, and economic measure of gait abnormalities in children, able to provide important feedback to clinicians regarding the effect of rehabilitation interventions, and to support targeted treatment modifications.
It was investigated the physical processes in the molecules, which have properties required in case of using as molecular switches, transistors, or other electronic elements of future computers. Studies show that in the molecules of biphenyl substituents the angle between the planes of the phenyl rings depends on the magnitude of the applied external electric field. So, the ratio of squares of cosines of the angles between the phenyl groups in the field 0.01 a.u. and without field reaches 18. It significantly changes the ability of electrons to move along the long axis of the molecule. By varying the nature of the substituents, we can obtain the molecule characteristics that make these molecules promising for future using. This effect provides the use of biphenyl substitutes as transistors in electrical circuits constructed on separate molecules.
The thermal conductivities of powdered and granular bentonite based needle punched geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) were investigated at different gravimetric water contents under 25, 50, 75, and 100 kPa vertical stresses. Both types of GCLs exhibited an increase in thermal conductivity with increasing vertical stress at all water contents. The effect of vertical stresses was more pronounced for the specimens hydrated at lower gravimetric water contents and this was attributed to their high initial volumetric air content. The variability of water distribution in partially hydrated GCLs has been identified as a factor that may affect their thermal conductivity. The forms of bentonites (i.e., powder or granular) affected their thermal conductivities; however, this effect was less apparent at higher gravimetric water contents due to the reduced air content and gel formation in the bentonites. Finally, the GCL thermal conductivity calculated from the measured thermal conductivities of its various constituents (i.e geotextile and bentonite) components differed from the measured values. This was attributed to the nonuniform water distribution across the GCL specimen and change in material properties when components of GCL were disassembled.
Wealth is associated with differences in people's self-concepts. We propose that these self-concepts should define the types of appeals that are most effective at motivating generosity. Across three field studies, we randomly assigned participants to view an appeal for a charitable organization that emphasized agency (the pursuit of personal goals) or communion (the pursuit of shared goals). When the appeal emphasized agency, wealthier individuals reported greater willingness to give and donated more money to charity. In contrast, when the appeal emphasized communion, less wealthy individuals reported greater willingness to give. These findings could not be explained by relevant demographic characteristics such as age, ethnicity, or gender. This work adds to a growing body of research suggesting that wealth does not inherently result in selfishness or generosity. By tailoring messages to fit with people's self-concepts, it is possible to catalyze giving across the socioeconomic spectrum. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Vitamin D is a molecule that is actively involved in multiple metabolic pathways. It is mostly known for its implications related to calcium metabolism. It has also been determined that it actively participates in the cardiovascular system, influencing blood pressure, coronary artery disease and other vascular diseases, such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, it has been established that this vitamin is extensively involved in the regulation of both the renin angiotensin aldosterone system and the immune system. In this review, we present the different vitamin D metabolic pathways associated with the cardiovascular pathophysiology, and we include studies in animal and human models, as well as some of the controversies found in the literature. This review also incorporates an overview of the implications in the molecular biology and public health fields.
Minimum energy control problem for the fractional positive electrical circuits is formulated and solved. Sufficient conditions for the existence of solution to the problem are established. A procedure for solving of the problem is proposed and illustrated by an example of fractional positive electrical circuit.
Herein, we present a fully integrated electronic product code (EPC) Gen-2 compatible battery-assisted passive (BAP) radio-frequency identification sensor tag integrated circuit (IC) with efficient power management. The key components of the tag IC include an adaptive radio-frequency (RF) energy harvester, a battery access controller (BAC), a storage capacitor charger, and a power-gated sensor block. External RF energy is efficiently harvested using dynamically controlled rectifying stages and a threshold-compensation technique. The BAC tightly controls the power path, cutting off leakage current from the battery. The power-gated sensor block supports multiplexed sensing operations in a power efficient manner. The sensor interface includes a chopper amplifier, a programmable gain amplifier, multiplexers, and an 8-bit ADC. For sensing data logging, custom designed nonvolatile memory is employed via one-time programmable memory. The digital control block is based on an EPCglobal Gen-2 standard that is modified to support the sensing operation. The tag chip was fabricated in a 1-poly 6-metal standard 0.18-mu m standard CMOS process. The tag IC consumes 1 mu A for leakage and active operation (0.1% duty), and the estimated lifespan of the BAP tag IC is about 0.2 year/mA.h.
Growing attention in mature T-cell lymphomas/leukemias (MTCL) is committed to more accurate and meaningful classifications, improved pathogenetic concepts and expanded therapeutic options. This requires considerations of the immunologic concepts of T-cell homeostasis and the specifics of T-cell receptor (TCR) affinities and signaling. Scientists from various disciplines established the CONTROL-T research unit and in an international conference on MTCL they brought together experts from T-cell immunity, oncology, immunotherapy and systems biology. We report here meeting highlights on the covered topics of diagnostic pitfalls, implications by the new WHO classification, insights from discovered genomic lesions as well as TCR-centric concepts of cellular dynamics in host defense, auto-immunity and tumorigenic clonal escape, including predictions to be derived from in vivo imaging and mathematical modeling. Presentations on novel treatment approaches were supplemented by strategies of optimizing T-cell immunotherapies. Work packages, that in joint efforts would advance the field of MTCL more efficiently, are identified.
Lightweight multi-kernel architectures, where HPC specialized lightweight kernels (LWKs) run side-by-side with Linux on compute nodes, have received a great deal of attention recently due to their potential for addressing many of the challenges system software faces as we move towards exascale and beyond. LWKs in multi-kernels implement only a limited set of kernel functionality and the rest is supported by Linux, for example, device drivers for high-performance interconnects. While most of the operations of modern high-performance interconnects are driven entirely by user-space, memory registration for remote direct memory access (RDMA) usually involves interaction with the Linux device driver and thus comes at the price of service offloading. In this paper we introduce various optimizations for multi-kernel LWKs to eliminate the memory registration cost. In particular, we propose a safe RDMA pre-registration mechanism combined with lazy memory unmapping in the LWK. We demonstrate up to two orders of magnitude improvement in RDMA registration latency and up to 15% improvement on MPI_ Allreduce() for large message sizes.
This work presents a project of teaching innovation on the subject Technology of Manufacturing that has been developed for the last five years. The objective is to stimulate students for training through a self-evaluation system based on e-learning tools, in agreement with the guidelines of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The system includes a methodology to perform a series of evaluations about theoretical and practical knowledge which allows the student self-learning. The data obtained with the proposed system are analyzed and the effect on student results is discussed. The evolution in time of the student grades, their involvement and satisfaction with the project, and its influence in their final score are presented.
Fluidic artificial muscles are popular in robotics and function as biomimetic actuators. Their pneumatic version has been widely investigated. A novel water hydraulic artificial muscle (WHAM) with high strength is developed in this study. WHAMs can be applied to underwater manipulators widely used in ocean development because of their environment-friendly characteristics, high force-to-weight ratio, and good bio-imitability. Therefore, the strength of WHAMs has been improved to fit the requirements of underwater environments and the work pressure of water hydraulic components. However, understanding the mechanical behaviors of WHAMs is necessary because WHAMs use work media and pressure control that are different from those used by pneumatic artificial muscles. This paper presents the static and dynamic characteristics of the WHAM system, including the water hydraulic pressure control circuit. A test system is designed and built to analyze the drive characteristics of the developed WHAM. The theoretical relationships among the amount of contraction, pressure, and output drawing force of the WHAM are tested and verified. A linearized transfer function is proposed, and the dynamic characteristics of the WHAM are investigated through simulation and inertia load experiments. Simulation results agree with the experimental results and show that the proposed model can be applied to the control of WHAM actuators.
The surface-layers have very high water content and low bearing capacity, so far to be the very soft clay foundation, which come from the reclaimed land in project of reclamation. It is difficult to improve the very soft clay foundation by traditional vacuum preloading. A new method named surface soft soil improvement is presented in this paper, which can make the soft clay foundation to be improved in preliminary. Once forming the hard coat layer, the foundation may reach the needs of further construction. In the construction technology, the horizontal filter pipe net is used to instead of the sand bedding course. By laying of woven cloth and non-woven geotextile over the surface of reclaimed silt, installing PVDs by manpower becomes possible. Besides, the vertical PVDs all are connected with the horizontal filter pipe net directly, that makes a whole spatial drainage system. The loss of the degree of vacuum is decreased, and the improvement is increased. Thus, this construction technology is as a reference to the large scale engineering construction and similar projects.
Given the facts that a vast area of the earth is covered by water and the average depth of the oceans is more than 3,000 m, the issue of the unknowns beneath the water surface is a challenging and questionable one. It has been a few decades since remotely operated vehicles as well as untethered underwater robots have appeared and elevated the level of complex engineering. In this category, underwater robots that mimic fish and aquatic creatures open new horizons. In this article, imitating the body shape, kinematics, and swimming mechanism of a batoid fish (Dasyatidae), a vessel is designed that can swim at an acceptable speed with a limited amount of power. The hull shape is based on a cardioid curve, and drag force is calculated using fundamentals of fluid mechanics. Propulsion of the robot-fish is two wings at starboard and port that are undulating backward; thrust is approximated versus shaft speed. Finally, the power for swimming at the design speed is evaluated and compared with the available data of similar orders of magnitude.
Energy recovery both from the economic aspects and also from sustainable the use of energy, is necessitated with an optimal operational of equipment's inside the building. A Synchronous Monitoring and Real Time analysis system using an integrated monitor and control of energy recovery is presented. The test vicinity taken for this approach is based on the analysis of energy usage and the bill pay by the Taylor's University Malaysia. We have scaled down the approach to a test area restricted to a room design and employing the new methodology to optimize the energy usage. The design of this system is based on analysing the energy wastage caused by human factors and the utility usage factor. The system design proposes a real time monitoring of not just load but also the health condition of various equipment and physical environment condition, as they are the other major source for the operational inefficiency. By performing utilities usage control using SMART system, the electricity saving is expected to be 22.13 %.
The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stal), is one of the major pests of rice throughout Asia. Extensive use of insecticides for suppressing N. lugens has resulted in the development of insecticide resistance leading to frequent control failures in the field. The aim of the present study was to evaluate resistance in the field populations of N. lugens from major rice growing states of South India to various insecticides. We also determined the activity of detoxifying enzymes (esterases [ESTs], glutathione S-transferases [GSTs], and mixed-function oxidases [MFOs]). Moderate levels of resistance were detected in the field populations to acephate, thiamethoxam and buprofezin (resistance factors 1.05-20.92 fold, 4.52-14.99 fold, and 1.00-18.09 fold, respectively) as compared with susceptible strain while there were low levels of resistance to imidacloprid (resistance factor 1.23-6.70 fold) and complete sensitivity to etofenoprox (resistance factor 1.05-1.66 fold). EST activities in the field populations were 1.06 to 3.09 times higher than the susceptible strain while for GST and MFO the ratios varied from 1.29 to 3.41 and 1.03 to 1.76, respectively. The EST activity was found to be correlated to acephate resistance (r = 0.999, P 0.001). The high selection pressure of organophosphate, neonicotinoid, and insect growth regulator (IGR) in the field is likely to be contributing for resistance in BPH to multiple insecticides, leading to control failures. The results obtained will be beneficial to IPM recommendations for the use of effective insecticides against BPH.
Recently, concerns have been raised that adolescents' prolific social media use may cause them to become less empathic. However, direct empirical evidence is missing and research suggests that social media use can also be beneficial for adolescents' psychosocial development. The present study aims to investigate whether and how social media use influences empathy. We surveyed 942 Dutch adolescents (10-14 years) twice, with a one-year interval. The results showed that social media use is related to an increase in cognitive and affective empathy over time. Specifically, adolescents' social media use improved both their ability to understand (cognitive empathy) and share the feelings of their peers (affective empathy). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, characterized by typically an axial arthritis. AS is the prototype of a group of disorders called spondyloarthropathies, which is believed to have common clinical manifestations and genetic predisposition. To date, the exact etiology of AS remains unclear. Over the past few years, however, the role of genetic susceptibility and epigenetic modifications caused through environmental factors have been extensively surveyed with respect to the pathogenesis of AS, resulted in important advances. This review article focuses on the recent advances in the field of AS research, including HLA and non-HLA susceptibility genes identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and aberrant epigenetic modifications of gene loci associated with AS. HLA genes most significantly linked with AS susceptibility include HLA-B27 and its subtypes. Numerous non-HLA genes such as those in ubiquitination, aminopeptidases and MHC class I presentation molecules like ERAP-1 were also reported. Moreover, epigenetic modifications occurred in AS has been summarized. Taken together, the findings presented in this review attempt to explain the circumstance by which both genetic variations and epigenetic modifications are involved in triggering and development of AS. Nonetheless, several unanswered dark sides continue to clog our exhaustive understanding of AS. Future researches in the field of epigenetics should be carried out to extend our vision of AS etiopathogenesis.
In this paper, we review a previous research paper presenting a scheme for quantum key distribution that performs authentication using only quantum means. The authentication mechanism in the protocol runs along with an eavesdropping checking approach. To upgrade security properties, especially against man-in-the-middle attack, we propose a revised and enhanced scheme, so that the probability of detecting eavesdropping is distinctly improved. We use prism tool as a model checker to analyze the security of the quantum system and to emphasize the extent of our contribution. We particularly focus on two security features: (i) the capability of the participants in the protocol to detect any eavesdropping attempt and (ii) any valid knowledge gained on the shared key must be minimized. (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Severe water pollution is among the top policy priorities in both China and India. This paper undertakes a comparative case analysis to examine efforts in combating river pollution in two major rivers - the Yangtze in China and the Ganga in India. Our analysis suggests that efforts in combating river pollution in the two Asian giants have encountered substantial challenges, such as the lack of comprehensive legal mechanisms to control pollution at the basin level, the lack of coordination among multiple government agencies, and significant gaps in policy implementation. Our analysis also points out considerable differences between China and India in institutional structure, regulatory approaches and policy instruments in dealing with river pollution.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) promises unconditionally secure communications, however, the low bit rate of QKD cannot meet the requirements of high-speed applications. Despite the many solutions that have been proposed in recent years, they are neither efficient to generate the secret keys nor compatible with other QKD systems. This paper, based on chaotic cryptography and middleware technology, proposes an efficient and universal QKD protocol that can be directly deployed on top of any existing QKD system without modifying the underlying QKD protocol and optical platform. It initially takes the bit string generated by the QKD system as input, periodically updates the chaotic system, and efficiently outputs the bit sequences. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that our protocol can efficiently increase the bit rate of the QKD system as well as securely generate bit sequences with perfect statistical properties. Compared with the existing methods, our protocol is more efficient and universal, it can be rapidly deployed on the QKD system to increase the bit rate when the QKD system becomes the bottleneck of its communication system.
The geotextile industry research and development is growing at a fast rate and new products of variable specifications are now available for earthworks and design engineers. The polypropylene fiber material is non-biodegradable which can stand aggressive chemical exposure when placed along with soil media. This research is conducted on a polypropylene fiber reinforced soil treated with chemical admixture in order to study the interlocking mechanism and to study the extent of improvement on their tensile behaviour. Locally available plastic clay was selected for this investigation. The extent of improvement by the polypropylene fibres inclusion on the tensile behaviour was evaluated by carrying out a series of Brazilian tensile strength tests. The dominant mechanism responsible for the increase in tensile strength properties has been proposed. The effect of various geotechnical parameters like grain size distribution, density and moisture content on the tensile strength improvement has been discussed. The study shows that the addition of polypropylene fibers alone to highly plastic clay will not suffice the tensile strength requirements. The polypropylene fibers when added with lime of 6% can improve the tensile strength by further 13 to 28% depending on the dose or fiber content.
This paper describes a modular architecture based on the dual-active bridge (DAB) converter in input-series-output-parallel (ISOP) connection. This work is focused on the input voltage sharing to ensure a proper operation of each module by means of an active control of input and output voltages. A small-signal model of the modular architecture is proposed and a decoupled control loops' scheme is used to implement the control strategy. An experimental setup has been built in order to validate the model of the DAB converter in ISOP connection and the proposed control strategy, taking different operating conditions and constructive parameter values into account.
CASE: Kendra is a 4-year-old girl with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who presents for follow-up of feeding problems to her pediatric clinician. She is an only child in a family where both parents are scientists. Feeding concerns date to infancy, when she was diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) associated with persistent bottle refusal and the acceptance of few pureed foods. At 13 months, milk and peanut allergies were diagnosed. Following a feeding clinic evaluation at 24 months, she was prescribed a soy milk supplement and an H2 blocker. There was no concern for oral-motor dysfunction. She was also referred to early intervention for feeding therapy. However, her parents terminated participation after 6 months because she became anxious and had tantrum prior to treatment groups. She was seen in another feeding program at 3 years; zinc, folate, thyroid, and a celiac panel were normal, and an endoscopy was negative for eosinophilic esophagitis. She began individual feeding therapy, where concerns for rigidity, difficulty transitioning, and limited peer interactions led to a neuropsychological evaluation. Kendra was diagnosed with an ASD and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Her cognitive skills were average, and expressive and receptive language skills were low average. Her diet consisted of French fries, Ritz crackers, pretzels, and 32 ounces of soy formula daily. She had stopped accepting Cheerios and saltines 2 months prior. She controlled other aspects of feeding, insisting on a specific parking spot at a fast food restaurant and drinking from a particular sippy cup. Her parents accepted these demands with concern about her caloric intake, which they tracked daily. Following diagnosis with ARFID, she resumed feeding therapy using a systematic desensitization approach with rewards. At the first session, she kissed and licked 2 new foods without gagging. Her mother appeared receptive to recommendations that included continuing the food game at home, replacing 1 ounce of soy formula by offering water each day, limiting between-meal grazing, and refusing specific feeding demands. Currently, her parents plan to discontinue feeding therapy with concerns that the treatment was too harsh. Her father produces logs of her caloric and micronutrient intake as evidence that she did not replace missed formula with other foods and reports that she subsequently became more difficult to manage behaviorally. Her father now demands to see randomized controlled trials of feeding therapy approaches. Her weight is stable, but she has now limited her pretzel intake to a specific brand. How would you approach her continued care?
Developing a large, but smart environment is a complex task that requires the collaboration of experts of different disciplines. How to successfully attain such collaboration is not a trivial matter. The paper illustrates the problem with a case study where the manager of the facility intends to influence pedestrians so that they choose a task that requires certain effort, e.g. using staircases, instead of the current one that requires less effort, e.g. using the elevator. Defining requirements for such scenarios requires a strong multidisciplinary collaboration which is not currently well supported. This paper contributes with an approach to provide non-technician experts with tools so that they can provide feedback on the requirements and verify them in a systematic way.
Especially for seniors, Ambient Intelligence can provide assistance in daily living and emergency situations, for example by automatically recognizing critical situations. The use of such systems may involve trade-offs with regard to privacy, social stigmatization, and changes of the well-known living environment. This raises the question of how older adults perceive restrictions of privacy, accept technology, and which requirements are placed on Ambient Intelligent systems. In order to better understand the related concerns and expectations, we surveyed 60 senior citizens. The results show that experience with Ambient Intelligence increases technology acceptance and reduces fears regarding privacy violations and insufficient system reliability. While participants generally tolerate a monitoring of activities in their home, including bathrooms, they do not accept commercial service providers as data recipients. A comparison between four exemplary systems shows that camera-based solutions are perceived with much greater fears than wearable emergency solutions. Burglary detection was rated as similarly important assigned as health features, whereas living comfort features were considered less useful.
This paper describes the design, measurement methodology, and experimental validation of an electronic system for monitoring the electrical discontinuity in rails of double-track railway lines in order to detect the rail breakage. The electronic system is based on an emitter node and on the two receiver nodes. The three nodes, together with the four rails to be analyzed, constitute the electrical circuits, whose currents are measured in both the emission and reception nodes. These nodes can communicate through a data network between them, as well as with a remote center that controls and synchronizes the electronic systems along the railway line. The electronic subsystem associated with the emitter node transmits an encoded signal to the rails, modulated by an 800-Hz carrier. A set of eight currents are measured, one per rail at each end of the section defined between the emitter and the receiver, with a maximum length of 7 km. The evaluation of electrical discontinuities in each section is carried out by means of the relative imbalances that can appear between the eight measured currents, according to possible breakages. The method of measurement is characterized by a high immunity to noise. The results presented here are based on a railway line prototype, which implements the electrical propagation models and coupling between the four rails in the double track. This model allows the proposed electronic system and measurement methodology to be successfully verified.
Sustainable rural food systems for poor and vulnerable people need to be locally adapted to enhance food security. This requires participatory action research that considers the entire food value chain (FVC). This paper presents an assessment of the feasibility and potential success of upgrading strategies (UPS) for enhancing food security based on a study that was part of a larger participatory research project in two regions of Tanzania. The authors present the results relating to natural resource management and crop production. The results for natural resources show that enhanced soil water management was rated as high for the semi-arid Dodoma region. For the Morogoro region, the experts favoured soil fertility-improving UPS, such as conservation agriculture and agroforestry. Assessments of food production for both regions indicated the importance of intercropping, manure input, pest and disease control and cover crops. Assessments differed greatly between the two different climatic regions, and to a lesser extent between the nationality of the experts and their gender. This highlights the importance of including different South-North and female-male awareness in assessments. Implementation feasibility assessments of UPS indicated that the most suitable approaches were rainwater harvesting for semi-arid and conservation agriculture for subhumid regions respectively. Local and/or regional stakeholders and experts should be involved in developing and assessing site-adapted UPS for enhancing Tanzanian FVCs.
Developing robust and recyclable absorbents for water purification is of great demand to control water pollution and to provide sustainable water resources. Herein, for the first time, we reported the fabrication of Kevlar nanofiber (KNF) based composite particles for water purification. Both the KNF and KNF-carbon nanotube composite particles can be produced in large-scale by automatic injection of casting solution into ethanol. The resulted nanofibrous particles showed high adsorption capacities towards various pollutants, including metal ions, phenylic compounds and various dyes. Meanwhile, the adsorption process towards dyes was found to fit well with the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption speed was controlled by intraparticle diffusion. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of the nanofibrous particles could be easily recovered by washing with ethanol. In general, the KNF based particles integrate the advantages of easy production, robust and effective adsorption performances, as well as good recyclability, which can be used as robust absorbents to remove toxic molecules and forward the application of absorbents in water purification. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Photovoltaic (PV) cell plays crucial role to utilize the solar energy. The regional differences in the PV industry have created unbalanced flows of PV cells. This paper examined patterns of the PV cells international trade from spatial and temporal perspectives. Data sources are regional monetary importexport tables and the world renewable energy statistics in 1996-2015. Based on the Haggett's cognitive model of spatial structure, the patterns and evolution characteristics are identified with an aid of ArcGIS. This study revealed most PV cells exporters are distributed in East Asia and Southeast Asia intensively whereas relatively balanced exports are presented in Europe and North American in recent years. Most PV cells are flowing from east to west while the pattern of PV cells international trade has transformed from single-pole to multi-pole. Meanwhile, the international trade intensity of PV cells grew steadily at the global scale, and evolution features of PV cells trades varied from region to region. Economics conditions, incentive policy and producers' demand are three critical factors. These findings provide a useful reference for identifying the intensity, orientation, main connections and development trend of traders. Moreover, the PV industrial practitioners can benefit from this research to develop corresponding international business strategies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Extreme apprenticeship, a recent learning methodology, was used in a blended fashion for teaching a technical subject: Bash scripting for operating systems. Online learning was supported with the Moodle platform, in particular, for managing Bash programming exercises. How did students behave? Were the exercises equally difficult for them? If not, where did differences arise? And why? This paper reports on the design of a blended learning experience for Bash programming, focusing on the definition and evaluation of levels of programming exercises and on students behavior in programming, supported by Moodle. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Studies of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and late-life depression (LLD) have examined the similarities and differences between these syndromes, but few have investigated how the cognitive profile of comorbid aMCI and subclinical depressive symptoms (aMCI/D+) may compare to that of aMCI or LLD. Memory biases for certain types of emotional information may distinguish these groups. Methods: A total of 35 aMCI, 23 aMCI/D+, 13 LLD, and 17 elderly controls (CONT) rated the valence (positive, negative, or neutral) of 30 pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Mean percent positive, negative, and neutral images recalled was compared within groups immediately and 30 minutes later. Results: Overall memory performance was comparable in aMCI and aMCI/D+, and both recalled fewer items than CONT and LLD. Group differences emerged when valence ratings were considered: at immediate and delayed recall, positive and negative pictures were generally better-remembered than neutral pictures by CONT, aMCI, and LLD, but valence was not associated with recall in aMCI/D+. Follow-up analyses suggested that the perceived intensity of stimuli may explain the emotional enhancement effect in CONT, aMCI, and LLD. Conclusions: Results support previous research suggesting that the neuropsychological profile of aMCI/D+ is different from that of aMCI and LLD. Although depressed and non-depressed individuals with aMCI recall comparable quantities of information, the quality of the recalled information differs significantly. On theoretical grounds, this suggests the existence of distinct neurobiological or neurofunctional manifestations in both groups. Practically, these differences may guide the development of personalized emotion-focused encoding strategies in cognitive training programs.
The Door-in-the-Face (DITF) sequential message strategy was investigated in a threestudy analysis of existing experimental findings. The current study predicted there would be a positive relationship between concession size and compliance rates in DITF studies. Study 1 included 25 comparisons where size of concession was quantifiable as measured by percentage reduction from initial to target request in the DITF condition. Study 2 data relied on a panel of undergraduate students to provide an index of concession size in 12 additional observations. A third study validated the panel procedure of rating concession size and also provided 9 additional independent observations from the pool of published studies on DITF. Results from each study indicated a positive relationship between concession size and effect size (r = 0.35, 0.55, 0.68, respectively). Study findings provide support for reciprocal concessions explanation for DITF effects.
This research was performed to investigate the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced sandy soil foundations and to study the effect of different parameters contributing to their performance using laboratory model tests. The parameters investigated in this study included top layer spacing, number of reinforcement layers, vertical spacing between layers, tensile modulus and type of geosynthetic reinforcement, embedment depth, and shape of footing. The effect of geosynthetic reinforcement on the vertical stress distribution in the sand and the strain distribution along the reinforcement were also investigated. The test results demonstrated the potential benefit of using geosynthetic-reinforced sand foundations. The test results also showed that the reinforcement configuration layout has a very significant effect on the behavior of reinforced sand foundation. With two or more layers of reinforcement, the settlement can be reduced by 2000 at all footing pressure levels. Sand reinforced by the composite of geogrid and geotextile performed better than those reinforced by geogrid or geotextile alone. The inclusion of reinforcement can redistribute the applied footing load to a more uniform pattern, hence reducing the stress concentration, which will result reduced settlement. Finally, the results of model tests were compared with the analytical solution developed by the authors in previous studies; and the analytical solution gave a good predication of the experimental results of footing on geosynthetic reinforced sand. (C) 2013 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In a Sidonian sarcophagus, from the Late Antique/early Christian period, skeletal remains of two persons were found. One of them, male, 30-50 years old, was found almost completely ankylosed, with highly osteoporotic bones and prominent erosion of joint surfaces. We diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis based on the eroded odontoid process, mandibular condyles, distal humerus, proximal and distal ulna, as well ankylosed hand and foot bones. Despite the fact that ankyloses of vertebrae and sacroiliac joint could point towards ankylosing spondylitis, the lack of typical vertebral ankyloses and new bone formation led to exclusion. In a practical sense, due to the advanced stage of the disease, the man was fixed in the supine position, on the left, with his head turned to the right. Apparently, he could not move and had problems with chewing and breathing. But, the high standard of provided healthcare probably enabled him to survive in advanced stages of the disease. This case shed light on the antiquity of the disease, its medical, and social context and provided the example of most extreme osteological changes reported in the paleopathological and medical literature.
Hydroxycinnamic acids are antioxidant phenolic compounds which are widespread in plant foods, contribute significantly to total polyphenol intakes, and are absorbed by humans. The extent of their putative health benefit in vivo depends largely on their bioavailability. However, the mechanisms of absorption and metabolism of these phenolic compounds have not been described. In this study, we used the in vitro Caco-2 model of human small intestinal epithelium to investigate the metabolism of the major dietary hydroxycinnamates (ferulate, sinapate, p-coumarate, and caffeate) and of diferulates. The appearance of metabolites in the medium versus time was monitored, and the various conjugates and derivatives produced were identified by HPLC-DAD, LC/MS, and enzyme treatment with beta-glucuronidase or sulfatase. Enterocyte-like differentiated Caco-2 cells have extra- and intracellular esterases able to de-esterify hydroxycinnamate and diferulate esters. In addition, intracellular UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and sulfotransferases existing in Caco-2 cells are able to form the sulfate and the glucuronide conjugates of methyl ferulate, methyl sinapate, methyl caffeate, and methyl p-coumarate. However, only the sulfate conjugates of the free acids, ferulic acid, sinapic acid, and p-coumaric acid, were detected after 24 h. The O-methylated derivatives, ferulic and isoferulic acid, were the only metabolites detected following incubation of Caco-2 cells with caffeic acid. These results show that the in vitro model system differentiated Caco-2 cells have the capacity to metabolize dietary hydroxycinnamates, including various phase I (de-esterification) and phase II (glucuronidation, sulfation, and O-methylation) reactions, and suggests that the human small intestinal epithelium plays a role in the metabolism and bioavailability of these phenolic compounds.
We present a noncontact method to measure ballistocardiogram (BCG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) simultaneously using a single camera. The method tracks the motion of facial features to determine displacement BCG, and extracts the corresponding velocity and acceleration BCGs by taking first and second temporal derivatives from the displacement BCG, respectively. The measured BCG waveforms are consistent with those reported in the literature and also with those recorded with an accelerometer-based reference method. The method also tracks PPG based on the reflected light from the same facial region, which makes it possible to track both BCG and PPG with the same optics. We verify the robustness and reproducibility of the noncontact method with a small pilot study with 23 subjects. The presented method is the first demonstration of simultaneous BCG and PPG monitoring without wearing any extra equipment or marker by the subject.
The dynamics of a population undergoing selection is a central topic in evolutionary biology. This question is particularly intriguing in the case where selective forces act in opposing directions at two population scales. For example, a fast-replicating virus strain outcompetes slower-replicating strains at the within-host scale. However, if the fast-replicating strain causes host morbidity and is less frequently transmitted, it can be outcompeted by slower-replicating strains at the between-host scale. Here we consider a stochastic ball-and-urn process which models this type of phenomenon. We prove the weak convergence of this process under two natural scalings. The first scaling leads to a deterministic nonlinear integro-partial differential equation on the interval [0,1] with dependence on a single parameter, lambda. We show that the fixed points of this differential equation are Beta distributions and that their stability depends on lambda and the behavior of the initial data around 1. The second scaling leads to a measure-valued Fleming-Viot process, an infinite dimensional stochastic process that is frequently associated with a population genetics.
Developing highly active photocatalysts for water treatment is of vital importance. A large-mesopore hierarchical WO3 hydrate photocatalyst with exposed high energy facets was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method using sodium chloride as structure-directing agent. The forming model of the hierarchical structure was discussed, and photogenerated oxide species were investigated. It is shown that the orthorhombic WO3 center dot 1/3H(2)O photocatalyst is of a hierarchical structure assembled by various 2-dimension nanosheets and that its average pore diameter reaches approximately 33.2 nm. Besides, it could decompose 92% of rhodamine B (Rh B) under visible light irradiation within four hours. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the exposed high energy (002) crystal facets of hierarchical structure, and to the large mesopores existing between crossed nanosheets which help to charge carriers separation, adsorption of reactants and desorption of product molecules. Furthermore, the catalyst displays an excellent photocatalytic stability, indicating its broad application in water pollution treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The amounts of vitamin A that are metabolically derived from specific carotene-containing foods are largely unknown. Objective: We sought to develop an improved method for estimating the metabolic vitamin A potential of provitamin A carotenoids by using [H-2(4)]retinyl acetate (d(4)-RA) as an extrinsic reference standard. Design: Healthy subjects consumed a standardized test meal containing 6 mg beta -carotene as either raw carrot or spinach, either 20 or 1 g added fat, and 6.0 mu mol d(4)-RA. Concentrations of unlabeled (d(0)) retinyl esters (RE), labeled (d(4)) RE, and carotenoids in the plasma triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein fraction (d<1.006 kg/L) were determined in serial blood samples with HPLC and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Baseline-corrected areas under the curve for d(0)-RE, d(4)-RE, and carotenoids were calculated, and the masses of absorbed do-retinol and carotenes were estimated assuming 80% absorption of the d(4)-RA reference dose. Results: In trials with ample (20 g) fat (n=6), 74% of the 6 mg beta -carotene ingested was taken up as beta -carotene plus RE with 0.3 +/-0.1 mg as retinol. Test meals without carotenes yielded no beta -carotene or d(0)-RE response and there was no effect of treatment (either fat amount or vegetable, n=6) on the mean d(4)-RE area under the curve. The lower-than-expected vitamin A yields were attributed to poor intestinal uptake rather than to low conversion of beta -carotene to RE. Conclusion: The triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein and d(4)-RA method, which controls for variation in chylomicron kinetics in vivo and RE recovery during analysis, is useful for obtaining quantitative estimates of the vitamin A potential of single meals.
Two nationwide representative studies (N5653 adolescents; N51007 adults) investigated the psychological correlates of the intention to penalize public expressions of prejudice in the form of support for hate-speech prohibition. We presented participants with preselected examples of hate speech from the Internet and other mass media and assessed their willingness to support the prohibition of public expressions of such remarks. Both studies found that social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism are positively correlated with outgroup prejudice, but they have differential effects on hate-speech prohibition. Social dominance orientation was positively related to the acceptance of hate speech, whereas right-wing authoritarianism was positively related to hate-speech prohibition. In discussing this counterintuitive finding, we suggest that right-wing authoritarians are particularly vigilant toward norm violations-and this makes them more punitive toward counternormative expressions of prejudice, such as hate speech.
An integration of existing research and newly conducted psychophysiological interaction (PPI) connectivity analyses suggest a new framework for understanding the contribution of midline regions to social cognition. Recent meta-analyses suggest that there are no midline regions that are exclusively associated with self-processing. Whereas medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is broadly modulated by self-processing, subdivisions within MPFC are differentially modulated by the evaluation of close others (ventral MPFC: BA 10/32) and the evaluation of other social targets (dorsal MPFC: BA 9/32). The role of DMPFC in social cognition may also be less uniquely social than previously thought; it may be better characterized as a region that indexes certainty about evaluation rather than previously considered social mechanisms (i.e., correction of self-projection). VMPFC, a region often described as an important mediator of socioemotional significance, may instead perform a more cognitive role by reflecting the type of information brought to bear on evaluations of people we know well. Furthermore, the new framework moves beyond MPFC and hypothesizes that two other midline regions, ventral anterior cingulate cortex (VACC: BA 25) and medial orbitofrontal cortex (MOFC: BA 11), aid motivational influences on social cognition. Despite the central role of motivation in psychological models of self-perception, neural models have largely ignored the topic. Positive connectivity between VACC and MOFC may mediate bottom-up sensitivity to information based on its potential for helping us evaluate ourselves or others the way we want. As connectivity becomes more positive with striatum and less positive with middle frontal gyrus (BA 9/44), MOFC mediates top-down motivational influences by adjusting the standards we bring to bear on evaluations of ourselves and other people.
Infrastructure sustainability has become a major global concern. Massive reservoir siltations (RS) have seriously disrupted the service of many reservoirs worldwide. The dredged siltations are difficult to stockpile, or dispose of, because of their high water content and soft nature. This study explores a novel approach using RS to produce controlled low-strength materials (CLSM), reinforced with geobags that are used for storage and backfill applications. Test results have shown that, initially, geobags provided a significant contribution to the strength improvement of an RS-based CLSM. However, effective reinforcement appears to be highly dependent upon the type of geotextile and the original strength of the RS-CLSM. The results show a promising solution for reusing reservoir siltations and ensuring a sustainable approach for the mitigation of a silted reservoir.
The analysis of the penalized Stokes problem, in its variable viscosity formulation, coupled to convection-diffusion equations is presented in this article. It models the interaction between a highly viscous fluid with variable viscosity and immersed moving and deformable obstacles. Indeed, while it is quite common to couple Poisson equations to diffusion-transport equations in plasma physics or fluid dynamics in vorticity formulations, the study of complex fluids requires to consider together the Stokes problem in complex moving geometry and convection-diffusion equations. The main result of this paper shows the existence and the uniqueness of the solution to this equations system with regularity estimates. Then we show that the solution to the penalized problem weakly converges toward the solution to the physical problem. Numerical simulations of fluid mechanics computations in this context are also presented in order to illustrate the practical aspects of such models: lung cells and their surrounding heterogeneous fluid, and porous media flows. Among the main original aspects in the present study, one can highlight the non linear dynamics induced by the coupling, and the tracking of the time-dependence of the domain.
In the present study our major aim was to evaluate the up-to-date contamination status of the Topolnitsa reservoir. It is located in a region with intensive copper mining, which has been constantly contaminated with metals in the last few decades. Thus, we measured As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in surface water samples, as well as, in liver of.ommon carp in three different seasons spring, summer, and autumn 2013. Furthermore, we also studied the carp response to the water quality by observing its hepatic morphological structure and measuring some biochemical parameters (LDH, ALAT, and ASAT activity). In general, metal concentrations in the water varied, but As, Cu and Ni were present in all the three seasons. Cu concentrations were above the maximum permissible levels set by law. Metal concentrations in the liver were significantly higher than in the water (p<0.05). In addition, we observed severe hepatic histological alterations, which included degenerative changes - granular degeneration, vacuolar degeneration, hydropic degeneration, and fatty degeneration; necrotic changes (necrobiosis) karyopyknosis, karyorrexis and karyolysis, and necrosis; and changes in the blood vessels - hyperemia in sinusoids and major blood vessels. We found that LDH activity was inhibited in the common carp liver from the Topolnitsa reservoir compared to the reference fish, but ALAT and ASAT activity was significantly increased compared to the reference. Based on our findings we consider that the metal-contaminated waters of the Topolnitsa reservoir lead to negative changes at tissue and cellular level in the fish organism, which include altered structure and impaired functions of the liver.
Biofilms are ubiquitous in the pipes of drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), and recent experimental studies revealed that the chlorination of the microbial carbon associated with the biofilm contributes to the total disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation with distinct mechanisms from those formed from precursors derived from natural organic matter (NOM). A multiple species reactive transport model was developed to explain the role of biofilms in DBPs formation by accounting for the simultaneous transport and interactions of disinfectants, organic compounds, and biomass. Using parameter values from experimental studies in the literature, the model equations were solved to predict chlorine decay and microbial regrowth dynamics in an actual DWDS, and trihalomethanes (THMs) formation in a pilot-scale distribution system simulator. The model's capability of reproducing the measured concentrations of free chlorine, suspended biomass, and THMs under different hydrodynamic and temperature conditions was demonstrated. The contribution of bacteria-derived precursors to the total THMs production was found to have a significant dependence on the system's hydraulics, seasonal variables, and the quality of the treated drinking water. Under system conditions that promoted fast bacterial re-growth, the transformation of non-microbial into microbial carbon DBP precursors by the biofilms showed a noticeable effect on the kinetics of THMs formation, especially when a high initial chlorine dose was applied. These conditions included elevated water temperature and high concentrations of nutrients in the influent water. The fraction of THMs formed from microbial sources was found to reach a peak of 12% of the total produced THMs under the investigated scenarios. The results demonstrated the importance of integrating bacterial regrowth dynamics in predictive DBPs formation models. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: mHealth (mobile health) services are becoming an increasingly important form of information and communication technology (ICT) enabled delivery for healthcare, especially in low-resource environments such as developing countries like Bangladesh. Despite widespread adoption of mobile phones and the acknowledged potential of using them to improve healthcare services, the adoption and acceptance of this technology among the elderly is significantly low. However, little research has been done to draw any systematic study of the elderly's intention to adopt mHealth services. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and then empirically test it for determining the key factors influencing elderly users' intention to adopt and use the mHealth services. Methods: A face-to-face structured questionnaire survey method was used to collect data from nearly 300 participants of age 60 years and above from the capital city of Bangladesh. The data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, a statistical analysis technique based upon Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The study determined that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, technology anxiety, and resistance to change (p0.05). Conclusions: This study confirms the applicability of UTAUT model in the context of mHealth services among the elderly in developing countries like Bangladesh. It provides valuable information for mHealth service providers and policy makers in understanding the adoption challenges and the issues and also provides practical guidance for the successful implementation of mHealth services. Additionally the empirical findings identify implications related to the design and development of mHealth services that influence potential users. Furthermore, due to a generic approach, the findings of this study could be easily modified to assist other developing countries in the planning and up-take of mHealth services. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with labeled small-molecule tracer is a crucial non-invasive molecule imaging method of apoptosis. In this study, semi-automatic radiosynthesis and biodistribution of N-(2-F-18-fluoropropionyl)-bis(zinc(II)-dipicolylamine) (F-18-FP-DPAZn2), as a potential small-molecule tracer for PET imaging of cell death in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model, were performed. Methods: F-18-FP-DPAZn2 was synthesized on the modified PET-MF-2V-IT-I synthesizer. Biodistribution was determined in normal mice and PET images of AD model were obtained on a micro PET-CT scanner. Results: With the modified synthesizer, the total decay-corrected radiochemical yield of F-18-FP-DPAZn2 was 35 +/- 6% (n = 5) from F-18(-) within 105 +/- 10 min. Biodistribution results showed that kidney has the highest uptake of F-18-FP-DPAZn2. The uptake of radioactivity in brain kept at a relatively low level during the whole observed time. In vivo F-18-FP-DPAZn2 PET images demonstrated more accumulation of radioactivity in the brain of AD model mice than that in the brain of normal mice. Conclusions: The semi-automatic synthetic method provides a slightly higher radiochemical yield and shorter whole synthesis time of F-18-FP-DPAZn2 than the manual operation method. This improved method can give enough radioactivity and high radiochemical purity of F-18-FP-DPAZn2 for in vivo PET imaging. The results show that F-18-FP-DPAZn2 seems to be a potential cell death tracer for AD imaging.
Context switch is an essential feature of modern operating systems. The purpose of context switch is to provide concurrency processing of multiple programs. However, the backup and reload procedures due to context switch are time consuming. In this work, we propose a Racetrack-memory SRAM hybrid (RSH) cell design, which can be used to replace current SRAM cells in caches, to reduce the overhead of context switch. Using RSH reduces the overhead of context switch by 65.2% on average with 34% area overhead, compared with traditional SRAM designs.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex brain disorder with an array of persistent behavioral and neurochemical manifestations. Both genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute to the development of AUD, and recent studies on alcohol exposure and subsequent changes in gene expression suggest the importance of epigenetic mechanisms. In particular, histone modifications and DNA methylation have emerged as important regulators of gene expression and associated phenotypes of AUD. Given the therapeutic potential of epigenetic targets, this review aims to summarize the role of epigenetic regulation in our current understanding of AUD by evaluating known epigenetic signatures of brain regions critical to addictive behaviors in both animal and human studies throughout various stages of AUD. More specifically, the effects of acute and chronic alcohol exposure, tolerance, and postexposure withdrawal on epigenetically induced changes to gene expression and synaptic plasticity within key brain regions and the associated behavioral phenotypes have been discussed. Understanding the contribution of epigenetic regulation to crucial signaling pathways may prove vital for future development of novel biomarkers and treatment agents in ameliorating or preventing AUD.
The majority of human neuroscience research has focussed on understanding functional organisation within segregated patches of cortex. The ventral visual stream has been associated with the detection of physical features such as faces and body parts, whereas the theory-of-mind network has been associated with making inferences about mental states and underlying character, such as whether someone is friendly, selfish, or generous. To date, however, it is largely unknown how such distinct processing components integrate neural signals. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and connectivity analyses, we investigated the contribution of functional integration to social perception. During scanning, participants observed bodies that had previously been associated with trait-based or neutral information. Additionally, we independently localised the body perception and theory-of-mind networks. We demonstrate that when observing someone who cues the recall of stored social knowledge compared to non-social knowledge, a node in the ventral visual stream (extrastriate body area) shows greater coupling with part of the theory-of-mind network (temporal pole). These results show that functional connections provide an interface between perceptual and inferential processing components, thus providing neurobiological evidence that supports the view that understanding the visual environment involves interplay between conceptual knowledge and perceptual processing.
Design and implementation of a low cost grid-connected 5kVA solar photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed in this paper. Since the inverter is a major component of the PV system, the B4 inverter used in this paper reduces the total cost of the PV system. In order to eliminate the massive transformer, the PV system is connected to the grid through IGBT switches. In addition to injection of active power into the grid, the B4 inverter can compensate reactive power and reduce harmonics of the nonlinear loads. A TMS320F28335 DSP processor is used for effective control of the B4 inverter. Various features of this processor enable the implementation of the necessary control algorithms. As a first step, the PV system is simulated and evaluated in Matlab/Simulink. In the second step, hardware circuits are designed and implemented based on the simulation results. The operation of the PV system has been evaluated under balanced, unbalanced, linear and nonlinear loads which proves its accuracy and efficiency.
Past research documents the extent that discrimination experiences and observations can undermine people's health and performance. In addition to discrimination's direct consequence for targets, discrimination implicates the morality of the larger community where it occurs. Perceptions of community morality could predict community identification that, in turn, could predict health and performance. To test this serial mediation hypothesis, 615 second- and third-year university undergraduates reported the frequency of discrimination observations and experiences. Students' perceptions of the university community's morality mediated the relationship between discrimination and the extent that they identified with the university. In turn, university identification mediated the relationship between university morality and students' academic engagement and mental health. However, only university morality reliably mediated the relationship between discrimination and physical health. Discrimination can affect the health and engagement of all community members, even observers who are not part of the targeted group.
Energy harvesting has become a promising and alternative solution to conventional energy generation patterns to overcome the problem of supplying autonomous electrical systems. More particularly, thermal energy harvesting technologies have drawn a major interest in both research and industry. Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) can be used in two different operating conditions, under constant temperature gradient or constant heat flow. The commonly used TEG electrical model, based on a voltage source in series with an electrical resistance, shows its limitations especially under constant heat flow conditions. Here, the analytical electrical modeling, taking into consideration the internal and contact thermal resistances of a TEG under constant temperature gradient and constant heat flow conditions, is first given. To give further insight into the electrical behavior of a TEG module in different operating conditions, we propose a new and original way of emulating the above analytical expressions with usual electronics components (voltage source, resistors, diode), whose values are determined with the TEG's parameters. Note that such a TEG emulation is particularly suited when designing the electronic circuitry commonly associated to the TEG, to realize both Maximum Power Point Tracking and output voltage regulation. First, the proposed equivalent electrical circuits are validated through simulation with a SPICE environment in static operating conditions using only one value of either temperature gradient or heat flow. Then, they are also analyzed in dynamic operating conditions where both temperature gradient and heat flow are considered as time-varying functions.
Vast majority of practical engineering design problems require simultaneous handling of several criteria. For the sake of simplicity and through a priori preference articulation one can turn many design tasks into single-objective problems that can be handled using conventional numerical optimization routines. However, in some situations, acquiring comprehensive knowledge about the system at hand, in particular, about possible trade-offs between conflicting objectives may be necessary. This calls for multi objective optimization that aims at identifying a set of alternative, Pareto-optimal designs. The most popular solution approaches include population-based metaheuristics. Unfortunately, such methods are not practical for problems involving expensive computational models. This is particularly the case for microwave and antenna engineering where design reliability requires utilization of CPU-intensive electromagnetic (EM) analysis. In this work, we discuss methodologies for expedited multi-objective design optimization of expensive EM simulation models. The solution approaches that we present here rely on surrogate-based optimization (SBO) paradigm, where the design speedup is obtained by shifting the optimization burden into a cheap replacement model (the surrogate). The latter is utilized for generating the initial approximation of the Pareto front representation as well as further front refinement (to elevate it to the high-fidelity EM simulation model level). We demonstrate several application case studies, including a wideband matching transformer, a dielectric resonator antenna and an ultra-wideband monopole antenna. Dimensionality of the design spaces in the considered examples vary from six to fifteen, and the design optimization cost is about one hundred of high-fidelity EM simulations of the respective structure, which is extremely low given the problem complexity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The object of this paper is to outline the interactive teaching model developed by the education innovation group 'New Teaching Methodologies in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology of the Polytechnic University of Madrid. The aim of the model is to teach the subject of Manufacturing Engineering Technology for the Mechanical Technical Engineering degree course. It is based on a new face-to-face methodology that we have called DE-learning (driven electronic learning) in which theoretical teaching and laboratory teaching are combined in a collaborative environment, managed through the developed software that combines: theroretical lessons, solved practical examples, exercises, bibliographical references, Webpage links and self-assessment tests. [Here the term 'collaborative' is used to describe the teaching methodology whereby student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationship.] The teaching of this new model is 'driven' under the guidance and supervision of a professor, in an educational environment with no formally taught classes. Students themselves can decide on the pace at which they learn the resources used, the definition and carrying out of practical exercises and whether they wish to form collaborations among themselves during study time. The fundamental advantage of this model is its efficiency in optimising learning time, given that: (a) all the necessary resources are accessible to the student through electronic teaching support, (b) the laboratory practical classes take place in the same environment, as they are combined and connected to the theoretical concepts without any break incontinuity, and (c) students' problems can be resolved in a personal and immediate way by the professor. In addition to this, other advantages have emerged that are equally relevant in the engineering training of the students: the development of better communication skills as well as their skills and abilities, motivation, creativity and increase in confidence and confidence in their decisions. The efficacy of this new teaching model has ben confirmed through the academic results attained by the students during the 2006/07 academic year, which are presented in this paper.
Hormonal responses to acute stress rely on the rapid induction of corticotropinreleasing hormone (CRH) production in the mammalian hypothalamus, with subsequent instructive steps culminating in corticosterone release at the periphery. Hypothalamic CRH neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus are therefore considered as 'stress neurons'. However, significant morphological and functional diversity among neurons that can transiently produce CRH in other hypothalamic nuclei has been proposed, particularly as histochemical and molecular biology evidence associates CRH to both GABA and glutamate neurotransmission. Here, we review recent advances through single-cell RNA sequencing and circuit mapping to suggest that CRH production reflects a state switch in hypothalamic neurons and thus confers functional competence rather than being an identity mark of phenotypically segregated neurons. We show that CRH mRNA transcripts can therefore be seen in GABAergic, glutamatergic and dopaminergic neuronal contingents in the hypothalamus. We then distinguish 'stress neurons' of the paraventricular nucleus that constitutively express secretagogin, a Ca2+ sensor critical for the stimulus-driven assembly of the molecular machinery underpinning the fast regulated exocytosis of CRH at the median eminence. Cumulatively, we infer that CRH neurons are functionally and molecularly more diverse than previously thought.
The 3-stage model of social inference posits that people categorize behaviors and characterize actors or situations effortlessly, but they correct these characterizations with additional information effortfully. The current article tests this model using developmental data, assuming that the less cognitively demanding processes in the model (i.e., categorization, characterization) should appear earlier in development, whereas the more demanding correction process should not appear until later in development. Using 2 different paradigms, Studies 1 and 3 found that younger children failed to take situational information into account while characterizing the actor. Study 2 found that younger children failed to take dispositional information into account while characterizing the situation. In contrast, in these 3 studies, older children used the available information to correct their characterizations of the actors and of the situations. Consistent with the 3-stage model, during elementary school years, children start to integrate additional information when drawing explicit social inferences. In Study 4, children of all age levels used a prior expectancy to draw a dispositional inference, ignoring situational information, suggesting that characterizations based on prior expectancies about an actor are a highly efficient process, not contemplated by the model. The 4 studies together illustrate how developmental data can be valuably used to test adult socio-cognitive models, to extend their validity, or to simply further inform those models.
In2S3 films have been grown on preheated glass substrate by spray pyrolysis. Indium chloride and thiourea in the molar ratio S:In = 2 were used as reagents. Substrate temperature was fixed at 613 K. These films adhered well to the substrate and were approximately 2 mu m thick. Structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the as-grown In2S3 films were studied by use of x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical absorption spectroscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. XRD revealed well crystallized films oriented in the (400) direction corresponding to the cubic beta-In2S3 phase. The surface of the films was smooth; average roughness was 5 nm. The AFM image revealed that the films were nanopolycrystalline and contained grains in the range 20-30 nm. Optical transmission in the visible and near-infrared regions was 80%. The direct band-gap energy was 2.62 eV. The electrical data were analyzed on the basis of the impedance Cole-Cole plots in the frequency range 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz at room temperature. Constant-phase elements were used in equivalent electrical circuits for fitting of experimental impedance data. The experimental results were fitted to the equivalent electrical circuit by use of Z-view software. The conductivity of grains and grain boundaries was estimated. The gas-sensing properties of the sample were investigated on the basis of the change in conductance as a result of adsorption and desorption of atmospheric oxygen.
One way to study ecological implications induced by hydropeaking represents the coupling of hydrodynamic models with habitat suitability models, in which hydrodynamic parameters are typically used to describe the physical habitat of indicator species. This article discusses the differences in habitat suitability assessment between 2D and 3D CFD modelling as input for the habitat simulation tool CASiMiR. In the first part of the article, the accuracy of the hydraulic model is evaluated by comparing the model results with laboratory (model of a laboratory channel with erodible bed) and field measurements (Valsura River, Bolzano, Italy). In the second part, the habitat suitability for the Valsura River case study (affected by hydropeaking), is analyzed comparing different approaches for the reconstruction of the velocity field (depth-averaged velocities from 2D modelling, bottom velocity field reconstruction with log-law approach from 2D modelling and bottom velocity field from 3D modelling). The results show that the habitat suitability index (HSI) using 2D or 3D hydrodynamic models can be significantly different. These differences can be ascribed to a higher capability to depict the features of the flow field with highly variable and heterogeneous boundary conditions and to the possibility to simulate the near bed hydrodynamic parameters, which are relevant for certain target species. In particular, the HSI-values using 3D hydraulics lead to larger areas of highly suitable habitats compared to 2D simulations. Moreover, considering the entire flow range of hydropeaking events, the habitat simulations with bottom flow velocities from 3D modelling provide suitable habitats over the entire flow range representing the availability of stable suitable habitats, while the habitat availability of 2D modelled flow velocity is continuously decreasing with increasing flow rates. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A next generation B factory and the detector counterpart, SuperKEKB and Belle II, are being built in Japan, as the upgrades of KEKB and Belle, respectively. The new collider will start its commissioning in 2015. This is an ambitious project. The luminosity of the e(+) e(-) collider will be upgraded by a factor of 40, which will create a 50 times larger data set compared to the Belle sample. Both the background and the triggered event rates will be increased by a factor of at least 10. The Belle II software system is designed to accommodate these challenges and to run on grid, cloud, and local resources around the world. Various external software packages are employed to enhance the user interface. The software system, basf2, is structured as a framework built with dynamic module loading and the ability of parallel processing. The system is written in C++ with Python steering scripts, compatible with common Linux operating systems. A full detector simulation library is created based on Geant4. In this paper, we will explain the design of the Belle II software structure and the current status of the software development.
An essential step to wide-scale dissemination is to investigate moderators of intervention effectiveness. This study examined moderators of the effects of a universal school-based mindfulness program on adolescents' depressive symptoms. Based on theory and previous research, we identified the following potential moderators: (1) severity of symptoms of depression at baseline, (2) gender, (3) age, and (4) school track. The study uses a pooled dataset from two consecutive randomized controlled trials in adolescents (13-18 years) in secondary schools in Belgium. Results on effectiveness based on the first trial were published in this journal (Raes et al. 2014). A second consecutive trial was conducted to obtain a more equal distribution between school tracks and to enlarge power, yielding a total of 605 students from nine schools. In each school, parallel classes were randomized to the mindfulness condition or usual curriculum control condition. Data were collected 1 week before and 1 week after delivery of the training and at 6-month follow-up. Moderation was tested longitudinally with multilevel models across the three repeated measures and across condition. We found no moderation effects of gender, age, and school track. Six months after the training, we found a marginally significant moderation effect for severity of symptoms of depression at baseline with greater decrease in symptoms for students with high levels of depression. The general absence of differential intervention effects for gender, age, and school track supports the broad scope of the school-based mindfulness group intervention.
Many identity-based proxy signature (IBPS) schemes have been proposed, but most were proved to be secure using a random oracle model, which has attracted considerable criticism. Cao and Cao proposed an IBPS scheme using the standard model, but their scheme was shown to be insecure because it could not resist a delegator attack. In order to overcome this weakness, Gu et al. proposed a new IBPS scheme in 2013 that uses the standard model and they also provided a detailed security model for IBPS. However, in this study, we demonstrate that Gu et al.'s scheme is still vulnerable to delegator attack. In order to correct this problem, we propose an improvement of the IBPS scheme described by Gu et al. We also present an efficiency analysis for our scheme and a detailed security proof based on the computational Diffie-Hellman assumption.
There is evidence that differences among individuals in white matter microstructure, as measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), are under genetic control. However, little is known about the relative contribution of genetic and environmental effects on different diffusivity indices among late middle-aged adults. Here, we examined the magnitude of genetic influences for fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean (MD), axial (AD), and radial (RD) diffusivities in male twins aged 56-66 years old. Using an atlas-based registration approach to delineate individual white matter tracts, we investigated mean DTI-based indices within the corpus callosum, 12 bilateral tracts and all these regions of interest combined. All four diffusivity indices had high heritability at the global level (72%-80%). The magnitude of genetic effects in individual tracts varied from 0% to 82% for FA, 0% to 81% for MD, 8% to 77% for AD, and 0% to 80% for RD with most of the tracts showing significant heritability estimates. Despite the narrow age range of this community-based sample, age was correlated with all four diffusivity indices at the global level. In sum, all diffusion indices proved to have substantial heritability for most of the tracts and the heritability estimates were similar in magnitude for different diffusivity measures. Future studies could aim to discover the particular set of genes that underlie the significant heritability of white matter microstructure. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper accepts the widespread view that as electricity generation systems transition towards a greater proportion of renewables provision, there will be an increasing need for storage facilities. However, it differs from most such studies in contrasting the private incentives of a storage operator with the public desirability of bulk storage. A key factor in the context of a market such as Britain, where renewable energy largely means wind generation, is the nature of wind generation itself. The problem of wind's high variance and intermittent nature is explored. It is argued that not only is there a missing money and a missing market issue in providing secure energy supplies, there is also a missing informational issue. A key opportunity for new storage is participation in a capacity market, if the setting is right.
Phospholipid flippases are key regulators of transbilayer lipid asymmetry in eukaryotic cell membranes, critical to many trafficking and signaling pathways. P4-ATPases, in particular, are responsible for the uphill transport of phospholipids from the exoplasmic to the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane, as well as membranes of the late secretory/endocytic pathways, thereby establishing transbilayer asymmetry. Recent studies combining cell biology and biochemical approaches have improved our understanding of the path taken by lipids through P4-ATPases. Additionally, identification of several protein families catalyzing phospholipid 'scrambling', i.e. disruption of phospholipid asymmetry through energy-independent bi-directional phospholipid transport, as well as the recent report of the structure of such a scramblase, opens the way to a deeper characterization of their mechanism of action. Here, we discuss the molecular nature of the mechanism by which lipids may 'flip' across membranes, with an emphasis on active lipid transport catalyzed by P4-ATPases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The cellular lipid landscape edited by Tim P. Levine and Anant K. Menon. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an improved phase leg power loop design for enhance mode lateral structure Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistors. Static characterization results of a 650V/30A GaN transistor are presented to determine the design parameters of the gate driver circuits. The control of Common Mode (CM) noise current propagation is considered during the gate driver design by optimizing the power distribution and grounding structure of the gate driver and digital control circuits. By differentiating the propagation path impedance of digital control circuits and their power supply circuits, conductive CM noise can propagate through power supply path to protect the digital control circuits. In order to reduce current commutation loop inductance within the GaN phase leg, an improved power loop design with vertical structure is proposed for lateral structure GaN transistors which can significantly reduce power loop inductance compared with conventional lateral power loop design. The design is verified through experiments on a phase leg prototype which prove the performance of the proposed phase leg on the overvoltage reduction during current transition along with less cross-coupling between power loop and gate loop compared with conventional lateral power loop design. A full bridge voltage source inverter is implemented with the designed phase leg and tested with EMI noise measurement that verifies the effectiveness of the CM propagation path control.
The insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway plays a critical role in the regulation of islet cell biology. However, the signaling pathway(s) utilized by insulin to directly modulate -cells is unclear. To interrogate whether insulin exerts endocrine effects in regulating proteins in the insulin/IGF-1 signaling cascade in vivo in physiological states via the insulin receptor, we designed two experimental approaches: 1) glucose gavage and 2) hyperinsulinemic intravenous infusion, for studies in either -cell specific insulin receptor knock-out (IRKO) or control mice. Immunostaining of sections of pancreas (collected immediately after glucose gavage or insulin infusion) from controls showed significant increases in pAKT+, p-p70S6K+, and pERK+ -cells and a significant decrease in % nuclear FoxO1+ -cells compared with corresponding vehicle-treated groups. In contrast, in IRKOs, we observed no significant changes in pAKT+ or p-p70S6K+ -cells in either experiment; however, pERK+ -cells were significantly increased, and an attenuated decrease in % nuclear FoxO1+ cells was evident in response to glucose gavage or insulin infusion. Treatment of control and IRKO -cell lines with glucose or insulin showed significantly decreased % nuclear FoxO1+ -cells suggesting direct effects. Furthermore, blocking MAPK signaling had virtually no effect on FoxO1 nuclear export in controls, in contrast to attenuated export in IRKO -cells. These data suggest insulin acts on -cells in an endocrine manner in the normal situation; and that in -cells lacking insulin receptors, insulin and glucose minimally activate the Akt pathway, while ERK phosphorylation and FoxO1 nuclear export occur independently of insulin signaling.
Recent rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and the necessity to comply with environmental standards suggest the need for studies on the possible negative effects of this type of industry. One of the most devastating effects of aquaculture is water pollution caused by the discharge of untreated effluent from fish farms into aquatic ecosystems. Assessment of the pollutants requires an optimal design of a water monitoring network in a way to demonstrate changes in aquatic environments. Accordingly, the present study used multivariate statistical analysis to determine sampling frequency for optimal monitoring of the contaminants resulting from trout farms in the Haraz River in northern Iran. For this purpose, a total number of 17 physical and chemical water quality parameters were sampled monthly over a one-year period based on the instructions recommended in the standard method (2005) [1]. The results showed that changes in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) during the warm months of summer were very high and reached its peak in August and September. This may be attributed to the increased fish production in fish farms, increased food intake to feed the fish, and higher rate of discharge from fish farms containing waste feed and fish faeces. The nitrate also reached its maximum level in June due to the same reasons. Conversely, dissolved oxygen (DO) level was the lowest in the warm months (August and September). The reason would be increased consumption of DO due to higher production rate in the fish farms and increased metabolism of fish in warm months. Overall, the findings confirmed the applicability of multivariate techniques in determining temporal frequency of the measurements during the monitoring period. By which it would be possible to recognize the reality of changes in water quality, with fewer measurements, and in less time and cost.
Silicon nanopore membranes (SNMs) with compact geometry and uniform pore size distribution have demonstrated a remarkable capacity for hemofiltration. These advantages could potentially be used for hemodialysis. Here, we present an initial evaluation of the SNM's mechanical robustness, diffusive clearance, and hemocompatibility in a parallel plate configuration. Mechanical robustness of the SNM was demonstrated by exposing membranes to high flows (200 ml/min) and pressures (1,448 mm Hg). Diffusive clearance was performed in an albumin solution and whole blood with blood and dialysate flow rates of 25 ml/min. Hemocompatibility was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry after 4 hours in an extracorporeal porcine model. The pressure drop across the flow cell was 4.6 mm Hg at 200 ml/min. Mechanical testing showed that SNM could withstand up to 775.7 mm Hg without fracture. Urea clearance did not show an appreciable decline in blood versus albumin solution. Extracorporeal studies showed blood was successfully driven via the arterial-venous pressure differential without thrombus formation. Bare silicon showed increased cell adhesion with a 4.1-fold increase and 1.8-fold increase over polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated surfaces for tissue plasminogen factor (t-PA) and platelet adhesion (CD41), respectively. These initial results warrant further design and development of a fully scaled SNM-based parallel plate dialyzer for renal replacement therapy.
This research introduces a novel magnetically isolated phase structure for switched reluctance motor, namely, as Septi-Segment SRM (SSSRM), which is proper for high torque/volume and with lowest leakage flux in different fields of industries. The SSSRM contains seven stator layers that are isolated from each other magnetically, also each of them include an assembly of 4/4 stator/rotor poles. The three layers are energized at the same time for generating higher torque with lower ripple compared with the typical SRM. Furthermore, this configuration results other advantages, such as easy cooling and independent phases. To evaluate the proposed motor performance, the configuration is introduced at first. Secondly, the motor profiles as flux linkage, flux density, self/mutual inductance and motor torque are assessed using a 3D finite element method (3D-FEM). An SSSRM has been manufactured with a test bench in the laboratory, and the experimental results of the new motor and typical type were compared in the same volume and area. The results and comparative study clearly demonstrate the prominent features of the proposed motor for various applications. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We propose a new (n,n) multi-secret images sharing scheme that provides high level of provable security with fast sharing and reconstruction procedures. It uses simple Boolean operations conjointly with a secure stream cipher and a cryptographic hash function in order to enable an efficient sharing of n secret images among a set of n different participants. This approach overcomes the security weakness detected in existing similar schemes, and provides additional advantages such as high sensitivity to alterations and ability to share heterogeneous images having diverse resolutions. Obtained experimental results show the effectiveness and robustness of the method compared to existing schemes, particularly its ability to ensure higher security level with competitive computational performances.
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report poor psychological well-being. Previous research has supported mindfulness-based interventions to enhance psychological well-being in parents of children with ASD, but studies about this topic are still rare. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on perceived stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of children with ASD in Jordan. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a comparison group was used. A sample of 104 parents of children with ASD has completed the study. Parents were matched on measures of age, gender, and level of severity of ASD in their children based on DSM-V criteria and randomized to one of the two groups. The intervention group participated in 5-week mindfulness-based intervention program, while participants in the comparison group had not attended the program between pretest and posttest measures. Participants in both groups had poor psychological well-being before the intervention program. After the intervention program, the one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that parents in the intervention group had better outcomes on the measures of psychological well-being and mindfulness than those in the comparison group (P < 0.01). Furthermore, results of paired samples t test indicated that parents in the intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness scores with medium to large effect size (Cohen d between 0.42 and 0.85, P < 0.01). Although the comparison group demonstrated small improvement in measures of the dependent variables, these improvements were much less than improvements in the intervention group. The MBIs are culturally adaptable, feasible, and effective interventions to improve psychological well-being in parents of children with ASD.
Intracellular pathogens survive and replicate within specialised membrane-bound compartments that can be considered as pseudo-organelles. Using the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia as an illustrative example, we consider the modes of lipid transport between pathogen-containing compartments and host organelles, including the formation of static membrane contact sites. We discuss how lipid scavenging can be mediated via the reprogramming of cellular transporters at these interfaces and describe recent data suggesting that pathogen effectors modulate the formation of specific membrane contacts. Further study of these emerging mechanisms is likely to yield new insights into the cell biology of lipid transport and organelle communication, which highlights potential new targets and strategies for future therapeutics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The cellular lipid landscape edited by Tim P. Levine and Anant K. Menon. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Gravure printing is one of the most promising technologies for high volume production of printed electronics and microscale films and devices. The characteristics of the printed pattern, i.e. ink volume, resolution and pattern placement (registration), are directly related to the fluid mechanics of the liquid transfer process from a cell to a substrate wrapped around a rotating roll; the liquid transfer is mainly controlled by free surfaces and dynamic contact lines. Most of the available analyses are restricted to axisymmetric flows, at which the relative motion between the cavity and the substrate is greatly simplified. Recent results have shown that the use of the complete description of the relative motion in a roll-to-roll process is critical to obtain accurate results on the amount of liquid that is transferred to the substrate. In this work we present an extension of the model describing liquid transfer from a groove to a substrate in a R2R process in order to consider the liquid transfer from a small individual cell; to this end we solve a full 3D free surface flow with moving contact lines. The results show that the liquid transfer dynamics is governed by two different characteristic time scales, one is associated with the contact line motion and the other with liquid filament breakup. Both are dependent on the capillary number. The predictions show how the volume, registration and shape of the printed dot varies with operating conditions and liquid properties. These predictions could be helpful in designing high precision printing operations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper demonstrates how to interact with a conversational agent that speaks through an actual human body face-to-face and in person (i.e., offscreen). This is made possible by the cyranoid method: a technique involving a human person speech shadowing for a remote third-party (i.e., receiving their words via a covert audio-relay apparatus and repeating them aloud in real-time). When a person shadows for an artificial conversational agent source, we call the resulting hybrid an echoborg. We report a study in which people encountered conversational agents either through a human shadower face-to-face or via a text interface under conditions where they assumed their interlocutor to be an actual person. Our results show that the perception of a conversational agent is dramatically altered when the agent is voiced by an actual, tangible person. We discuss the potential implications this methodology has for the development of conversational agents and general person perception research.
As the demand for textile products and synthetic dyes increases with the growing global population, textile dye wastewater is becoming one of the most significant water pollution contributors. Azo dyes represent 70% of dyes used worldwide, and are hence a significant contributor to textile waste. In this work, the removal of a reactive azo dye (Reactive Orange 16) from water by adsorption with chitosan grafted poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (CTS-GMA-g-PPEGMA) was investigated. The chitosan (CTS) was first functionalized with glycidyl methacrylate and then grafted with poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) using a nitroxide-mediated polymerization grafting to approach. Equilibrium adsorption experiments were carried out at different initial dye concentrations and were successfully fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. Adsorption isotherms showed maximum adsorption capacities of CTS-g-GMA-PPEGMA and chitosan of 200 mg/g and 150 mg/g, respectively, while the Langmuir equations estimated 232 mg/g and 194 mg/g, respectively. The fundamental assumptions underlying the Langmuir model may not be applicable for azo dye adsorption, which could explain the difference. The Freundlich isotherm parameters, n and K, were determined to be 2.18 and 17.7 for CTS-g-GMA-PPEGMA and 0.14 and 2.11 for chitosan, respectively. An n value between one and ten generally indicates favorable adsorption. The adsorption capacities of a chitosan-PPEGMA 50/50 physical mixture and pure PPEGMA were also investigated, and both exhibited significantly lower adsorption capacities than pure chitosan. In this work, CTS-g-GMA-PPEGMA proved to be more effective than its parent chitosan, with a 33% increase in adsorption capacity.
Lateral segregation of plasma membrane lipids is a generally accepted phenomenon. Lateral lipid microdomains of specific composition, structure and biological functions are established as a result of simultaneous action of several competing mechanisms which contribute to membrane organization. Various lines of evidence support the conclusion that among those mechanisms, the membrane potential plays significant and to some extent unique role. Above all, clear differences in the microdomain structure as revealed by fluorescence microscopy could be recognized between polarized and depolarized membranes. In addition, recent fluorescence spectroscopy experiments reported depolarization-induced changes in a membrane lipid order. In the context of earlier findings showing that plasma membranes of depolarized cells are less susceptible to detergents and the cells less sensitive to antibiotics or antimycotics treatment we discuss a model, in which membrane potential driven re-organization of the microdomain structure contributes to maintaining membrane integrity during response to stress, pathogen attack and other challenges involving partial depolarization of the plasma membrane. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The cellular lipid landscape edited by Tim P. Levine and Anant K. Menon. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Rainwater harvesting can provide an alternative water source, which may demand little treatment, depending on the end use. Some starches have been used in water treatment as coagulant/flocculant/filtration aid, and might be applied as primary coagulant. Here, we show direct filtration with hydraulic rapid mixing, using 2-6 mg L-1 cationic corn starch as primary coagulant, considerably improves roof-harvested rainwater quality, achieving removal efficiencies of up to 71.7% of apparent colour, 78% of turbidity, 1.1 log-unit of total coliform, and 1.6 log-unit of Escherichia coli, meeting guidelines for turbidity, even for potable purposes. Cationic corn starch has proved to be a suitable primary coagulant when filtration is performed in a single-layer sand filter (coefficient of uniformity: 1.8, effective particle size: 0.52 mm), at hydraulic loading rate of 450 m day(-1). However, a disinfection unit is required to meet an absence of faecal coliform.
The gut microbiome contributes approximately 2 kg of the whole body weight, and recent studies suggest that gut microbiota has a profound effect on human metabolism, potentially contributing to several features of the metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is defined by a clustering of metabolic disorders that include central adiposity with visceral fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, dysglycemia and non-optimal blood pressure levels. Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that around 20-25 percent of the world's adult population has metabolic syndrome. In this manuscript, we have reviewed the existing data linking gut microbiome with metabolic syndrome. Existing evidence from studies both in animals and humans support a link between gut microbiome and various components of metabolic syndrome. Possible pathways include involvement with energy homeostasis and metabolic processes, modulation of inflammatory signaling pathways, interferences with the immune system, and interference with the renin-angiotensin system. Modification of gut microbiota via prebiotics, probiotics or other dietary interventions has provided evidence to support a possible beneficial effect of interventions targeting gut microbiota modulation to treat components or complications of metabolic syndrome. (C) 2016 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Results of large-eddy simulations of stably stratified atmospheric flow around an isolated, complex-shaped tall building are presented. The study focuses on the identification of flow structures in the building wake in high and low Froude number regimes. A qualitative comparison of results with available literature data and existing theories is presented. In addition to flow structures identified in earlier studies such as the horseshoe and recirculation eddy vortices, we analyze a stationary disturbance akin to mountain gravity wave, and a complex vortex structure associated with this wave, consisting of multiple symmetric pairs of vortices. The Froude number appears to be the principal parameter controlling the structure of the wake, waves and vortex pattern.
Detecting where our partners direct their gaze is an important aspect of social interaction. An atypical gaze processing has been reported in autism. However, it remains controversial whether children and adults with autism spectrum disorder interpret indirect gaze direction with typical accuracy. This study investigated whether the detection of gaze direction toward an object is less accurate in autism spectrum disorder. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (n=33) and intelligence quotients-matched and age-matched controls (n=38) were asked to watch a series of synthetic faces looking at objects, and decide which of two objects was looked at. The angle formed by the two possible targets and the face varied following an adaptive procedure, in order to determine individual thresholds. We found that gaze direction detection was less accurate in autism spectrum disorder than in control participants. Our results suggest that the precision of gaze following may be one of the altered processes underlying social interaction difficulties in autism spectrum disorder.
Warp-knitted brushed fabrics are special pile fabrics with uneven and declining piles that consist of broken filament ends. It is difficult to predict the finial pattern of the pile surface in the process of the design of patterned fabric. There are few researches on computer simulation of the fabric because of their complicated and fuzzy characteristic. This paper focuses on computer simulation of this group of pile fabrics. Firstly, the characteristics of warp-knitted brushed fabric and the factors that influence the pile are discussed. Secondly, a simplified line model is proposed to represent the shape of the pile by some lines in a certain titling angle, radial angle and length. A two-dimensional matrix is used to describe the position and color of piles in one pattern repeat. Finally, based on the mathematic model, a program is developed by VC++.NET to realize the simulation of the brushed fabric with a patterned pile. By the input of some parameters that were adjusted according to the craft, the two-dimensional computer simulation of the pile surface was found to be similar to the actual patterned pile fabric. It is proved that the method is feasible and contributes to the development of a computer-aided design system to realize the design and simulation of the warp-knitted brushed fabric.
With the help of new design tools, manufacturing-integrated solutions can be generated that concurrently consider function and process. Based on the design pattern matrix, solution elements can be developed that realize the product function by systematically utilizing manufacturing-induced properties. The developed manufacturing-integrated product solutions are refined using computer-aided methods (feature-based modeling and information modeling). A product embodiment is generated that is specifically tailored to the chosen manufacturing technology. An integrated information model allows the introduced tools to be used throughout the entire development process. The example of a linear flow split snap-fit fastening illustrates how the tools beneficially interact and realize manufacturing potential, resulting in an innovative product design.
This article introduces user experience research that has been carried out by evaluating a video-illustrated science fiction prototype with process control workers. Essentially, the prototype 'A remote operator's day in a future control center in 2025' was aimed at discovering opportunities for new interaction methods and ambient intelligence for the factories of the future. The theoretical objective was to carry out experience design research, which was based on explicit ambient user experience goals in the nominated industrial work context. This article describes the complete creative prototyping process, starting from the initial user research that included evaluations of current work practices, technological trend studies and co-design workshops, and concluding with user research that assessed the final design outcome, the science fiction prototype. The main contribution of the article is on the ambient user experience goals, the creation process of the video-illustrated science fiction prototype, and on the reflection of how the experience-driven prototype was evaluated in two research setups: as video sequences embedded in a Web survey, and as interviews carried out with expert process control workers. For the science fiction prototyping process, the contribution demonstrates how the method may employ video-illustration as a means for future-oriented user experience research, and how complementary user-centered methods may be used to validate the results.
Melanins are darkpolymers found in the cell wall of pathogenic fungi, including species from the genus Sporothrix that are causative agents of sporotrichosis. In vitro experiments strongly suggest that these pigments are important for fungal virulence and survival in the host. In S. schenckii, melanin biosynthesis occurs via three different common pathways, which generate dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin, DOPA-melanin or pyomelanin. Moreover, melanin biosynthesis can be enhanced when the fungus is in contact with some bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Melanin pigments have protective effects against antifungals in this genus. New scanning transmission electron tomography data indicates the accumulation of dark pigments in membrane-bound cytoplasmic organelles (melanosomes) in S. schenckii yeasts. Here, we provide an up to date of review the biosynthesis and role of melanins and discuss its roles on the cell biology and pathogenesis of Sporothrix spp. (C) 2016 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ambient intelligence is a suitable paradigm for developing daily life solutions including the health care domain. Many ageing adults who decide to live alone at home need constant monitoring to control their health status and quality of life. This paper introduces the description of a wearable device capable of acquiring the electrodermal activity (EDA) in order to obtain information on the arousal level of the elderly. The lightweight wearable device is placed in the wrist of the ageing adult to allow continuous monitoring of EDA signals. With the aim of triggering changes in the emotional state of the ageing adult, fifty pictures from the International Affective Picture System are used to assess the electronic device through a series of experiments. The initial results show that the overall system classifies people into two classes: calmed and stressed patients. The results show that through measuring the EDA events' magnitudes, the ageing adults' arousal level is classified with a global accuracy higher than 80 %.
Social pain is often associated with social rejection and shares neural correlates with the bothersome aspect of physical pain, which may also indicate an overlap in function. Pain has been described as a motivational signal to respond to the source of the pain in an adaptive way, such as by altering behavior. We tested whether social pain causes similarly adaptive alterations in behavior. Participants played computerized ball-tossing tasks with putative players-one who passed to and one who excluded the participant from play-in both a social and nonsocial version. We assessed the behavioral consequences of social pain by comparing the number of throws to each stimulus (social rejector vs. nonsocial rejector) over the course of the task. Posttask questionnaires assessed subjective feelings of social pain. A decrease in throws to the rejecting stimulus was only observed in the social version, indicating that rejection that is social in nature leads to change in behavior. Moreover, participants reported more negative feelings toward the rejecting stimulus in the social than in the nonsocial version. These subjective feelings of social pain mediated the effect of version of the game (social vs. nonsocial) on changes in behavior, indicating that social pain from social rejection causes changes in behavior.
A common feature of ambient intelligence is that many objects are inter-connected and act in unison, which is also a challenge in the Internet of Things. There has been a shift in research towards integrating both concepts, considering the Internet of Things as representing the future of computing and communications. However, the efficient combination and management of heterogeneous things or devices in the ambient intelligence domain is still a tedious task, and it presents crucial challenges. Therefore, to appropriately manage the inter-connection of diverse devices in these systems requires: (1) specifying and efficiently implementing the devices (e.g., as services); (2) handling and verifying their heterogeneity and composition; and (3) standardizing and managing their data, so as to tackle large numbers of systems together, avoiding standalone applications on local servers. To overcome these challenges, this paper proposes a platform to manage the integration and behavior-aware orchestration of heterogeneous devices as services, stored and accessed via the cloud, with the following contributions: (i) we describe a lightweight model to specify the behavior of devices, to determine the order of the sequence of exchanged messages during the composition of devices; (ii) we define a common architecture using a service-oriented standard environment, to integrate heterogeneous devices by means of their interfaces, via a gateway, and to orchestrate them according to their behavior; (iii) we design a framework based on cloud computing technology, connecting the gateway in charge of acquiring the data from the devices with a cloud platform, to remotely access and monitor the data at run-time and react to emergency situations; and (iv) we implement and generate a novel cloud-based IoT platform of behavior-aware devices as services for ambient intelligence systems, validating the whole approach in real scenarios related to a specific ambient assisted living application.
Fault detection in induction machines is commonly realized through motor current signature analysis. In case of Wound-Rotor Induction Machine rotor faults, the amplitude of the inverse sequence harmonic component -sf of the rotor current space-vector is monitored in order to sense its variation. However, motor current signature analysis is limited by some drawbacks. In fact, under transient operating conditions an efficient Fast Fourier Transform cannot be made, since slip or frequency vary, and so the amplitude of the harmonic component -sf. In this paper, a new technique based on the Square Current Space-vector Signature Analysis (SCSSA) is proposed for rotor fault detection in Wound-Rotor Induction Machines operating under time-varying conditions. The performance of the proposed approach is confirmed by simulation and experimental results. The proposed technique can be easily embedded in the digital control system for modern wind power plants.
Existing mountain permafrost distribution models generally offer a good overview of the potential extent of this phenomenon at a regional scale. They are however not always able to reproduce the high spatial discontinuity of permafrost at the micro-scale (scale of a specific landform; ten to several hundreds of meters). To overcome this lack, we tested an alternative modelling approach using three classification algorithms belonging to statistics and machine learning: Logistic regression, Support Vector Machines and Random forests. These supervised learning techniques infer a classification function from labelled training data (pixels of permafrost absence and presence) with the aim of predicting the permafrost occurrence where it is unknown. The research was carried out in a 588 km(2) area of the Western Swiss Alps. Permafrost evidences were mapped from ortho-image interpretation (rock glacier inventorying) and field data (mainly geoelectrical and thermal data). The relationship between selected permafrost evidences and permafrost controlling factors was computed with the mentioned techniques. Classification performances, assessed with AUROC, range between 0.81 for Logistic regression, 0.85 with Support Vector Machines and 0.88 with Random forests. The adopted machine learning algorithms have demonstrated to be efficient for permafrost distribution modelling thanks to consistent results compared to the field reality. The high resolution of the input dataset (10 m) allows elaborating maps at the micro-scale with a modelled permafrost spatial distribution less optimistic than classic spatial models. Moreover, the probability output of adopted algorithms offers a more precise overview of the potential distribution of mountain permafrost than proposing simple indexes of the permafrost favorability. These encouraging results also open the way to new possibilities of permafrost data analysis and mapping. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Due to their efficiency, revitalized traditional techniques for irrigation management of scarce water resources have been suggested as a way to at least partially cope with the present water crises in the Middle East. A better irrigation management includes re-using treated wastewater in agriculture. Treated wastewater should also be used in industrial processes, thus contributing to a more efficient overall water management. However, the most important change leading to better water management is improving water efficiency in agricultural irrigation. Traditional water management techniques have an important role in many Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. Besides bringing more water to a thirsty population, they can also contribute to the societal awareness, and recognition of the great diversity of cultural and social values water has to human civilization.
The U.S. is reported to have one of the most developed green building markets. The country wide success must start from the success of different local markets. So how many important local green building markets are there in the U.S. and why those areas became important? The answers can provide useful implications for developing countries like China to better promote their green building markets. To explore the question in a numerical way, this study therefore collected the data of 17,636 green building projects in the U.S., clustered them into 39 important regions, and analyzed the numerical patterns behind based on 82 different features covering demography, economy, education, climate and policy. Non-linear machine learning algorithms help find that economic factors and educational factors are one of the most influential features. Discoveries were also implemented in China to suggest 20 areas to be the focus of developing Chinese green building market. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
River pollution is one of the most challenging environmental issues, but the effect of river pollution levels on the biofilm communities has not been well-studied. Spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of environmental parameters and the biofilm communities were investigated in the Qinhuai River basin, Nanjing, China. Water samples were grouped into three clusters reflecting their varying pollution levels of relatively slight pollution, moderated pollution, and high pollution by hierarchical cluster analysis. In different clusters, the biofilm communities mainly differed in the proportion of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. As the dominant classes of Proteobacteria, Alpha-, Beta-and Gammaproteobacteria seemed to show an upward trend followed by a small fluctuation in the abundance with the escalation of water pollution level. Results of redundancy analysis demonstrated that temperature, total nitrogen to total phosphorus ratios (TN/TP) and concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and TN were mainly responsible for the variation in bacterial community structure. The occurrences of Alpha-, Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria were closely associated with higher temperature, higher concentrations of NH3-N and TN and a lower TN/TP ratio. This study may provide a theoretical basis for the water pollution control and ecological restoration in urban rivers under different pollution levels.
Ice flow velocity is used to estimate ice mass changes in glaciers and is a significant indicator of the stability of the Antarctica ice sheet in global change studies. The existing regional Antarctica ice flow speed maps are usually derived from radar or optical satellite observations of modern satellites since the 1970s. This paper presents a new analytical photogrammetric method for estimating Antarctica ice flow velocity fields by using film-based stereo ARGON photographs collected in the 1960s. The key of the proposed innovative method is a parallax decomposition that separates the effect of the terrain relief from the ice flow motion. An innovative implementation strategy is developed by using a framework that involves key techniques of hierarchical stereo image matching, ice flow direction determination, parallax decomposition, and ice flow speed estimation. This method is applied in the Rayner glacier in eastern Antarctica by using two sets of ARGON images with a two-month interval in 1963. The produced digital terrain model and speed map achieved a ground position accuracy of 61 m and a speed accuracy of 70 m a(-1). A comparison with recent products from 2000 to 2010 shows no significant topographic changes in the study area. Furthermore, the speed around the grounding line remained at the same level, while the speed in the ice shelf front decreased by 73 m a(-1.) The ice shelf front advanced by approximately 7 km over more than 40 years. Overall, the observation results indicate favorable conditions for the stability of the Rayner glacier-ice shelf system.
Land degradation affects large areas of land around the globe, with grave consequences for those living off the land. Major efforts are being made to implement soil and water conservation measures that counteract soil erosion and help secure vital ecosystem services. However, where and to what extent such measures have been implemented is often not well documented. Knowledge about this could help to identify areas where soil and water conservation measures are successfully supporting sustainable land management, as well as areas requiring urgent rehabilitation of conservation structures such as terraces and bunds. This study explores the potential of the latest satellite-based remote sensing technology for use in assessing and monitoring the extent of existing soil and water conservation structures. We used a set of very high resolution stereo Geoeye-1 satellite data, from which we derived a detailed digital surface model as well as a set of other spectral, terrain, texture, and filtered information layers. We developed and applied an object-based classification approach, working on two segmentation levels. On the coarser level, the aim was to delimit certain landscape zones. Information about these landscape zones is useful in distinguishing different types of soil and water conservation structures, as each zone contains certain specific types of structures. On the finer level, the goal was to extract and identify different types of linear soil and water conservation structures. The classification rules were based mainly on spectral, textural, shape, and topographic properties, and included object relationships. This approach enabled us to identify and separate from other classes the majority (78.5%) of terraces and bunds, as well as most hillside terraces (81.25%). Omission and commission errors are similar to those obtained by the few existing studies focusing on the same research objective but using different types of remotely sensed data. Based on our results, we estimate that the construction of the conservation structures in our study area in Eritrea required over 300,000 person-days of work, which underlines the huge efforts involved in soil and water conservation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Living walls (LW) are innovative Urban Greening systems that represent a promising tool for sustainable construction and bioclimatic design. LW use a growing media to support plant establishment and growth in a vertical plane. A drip irrigation system is mandatory to be installed to supply water and nutrients to plants. As the number of LW installed in urban areas is rapidly growing, it is important to conduct studies to optimize irrigation water use. This work has therefore two main objectives: (i) optimizing irrigation scheduling in a non-recirculating outdoor LW installed near Seville (SE Spain), and (ii) assessing LW daily water needs over the summer period. The experimental setup consisted of two 2x1 m multilayer LW modules with a plant density of 36 plants m(-2). Each module consisted of two geotextile layers sewn together and forming 15x15 cm pockets, and a waterproof layer facing the wall. The system is attached to the wall by means of a metal profile. The drip irrigation system consisted of a PE drip line placed in the upper part of the LW with drippers spaced 15 cm. Water losses by drainage (i.e. runoff) were collected with a semi-circular gutter placed at the bottom of each LW module. Both water applied and water lost by drainage were recorded for each irrigation event with a volumetric water meter and rain gauge, respectively. The main microclimatic variables (solar radiation, air temperature and relative humidity) were also recorded. The runoff hydrographs obtained for three different emitter discharge rates (2, 4 and 8 I/h), as well as the estimated LW water requirements are presented and discussed. The results indicate that, for lost solution systems, pulse drip irrigation is more suitable than applying irrigation times that maximize water distribution. Living Wall evapotranspiration was highly correlated with reference evaportranspiration, which allowed to derive a mean garden coefficient of 0.75.
The aim of the study was to test the feasibility of using commercially available computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology including 3Shape Dental System 2013 trial version, WIELAND V2.0.049 and WIELAND ZENOTEC T1 milling machine to design and fabricate complete dentures. The modeling process of full denture available in the trial version of 3Shape Dental System 2013 was used to design virtual complete dentures on the basis of 3-dimensional (3D) digital edentulous models generated from the physical models. The virtual complete dentures designed were exported to CAM software of WIELAND V2.0.049. A WIELAND ZENOTEC T1 milling machine controlled by the CAM software was used to fabricate physical dentitions and baseplates by milling acrylic resin composite plates. The physical dentitions were bonded to the corresponding baseplates to form the maxillary and mandibular complete dentures. Virtual complete dentures were successfully designed using the software through several steps including generation of 3D digital edentulous models, model analysis, arrangement of artificial teeth, trimming relief area, and occlusal adjustment. Physical dentitions and baseplates were successfully fabricated according to the designed virtual complete dentures using milling machine controlled by a CAM software. Bonding physical dentitions to the corresponding baseplates generated the final physical complete dentures. Our study demonstrated that complete dentures could be successfully designed and fabricated by using CAD/CAM.
The energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopy was used to determine essential and trace element contents of some naturally grown wild-type cereals collected in different regions of Trabzon, Turkey. The samples were quantitatively analyzed using the standard addition method. The experimental set-up consisted of a Si(Li) detector, a multi-channel analyzer, and a Am-241 and Fe-55 radioactive source. The Si(Li) detector has a 13 mu m Be-window and energy resolution of about 160 eV at 5.9 keV. Qualitative analysis of spectral peaks showed that the samples contained chlorine, potassium, calcium, titanium, iron, copper, strontium, yttrium, tin and barium. The results demonstrated that these cereals contain elements of vital importance for the human metabolism.
There is very little information about human exposure to gaseous indoor air pollutants in the sleeping environment, even though the conditions in this environment are at least worrisome. The exposure during sleep is characterized by long exposure time, both absolute and relative, prevalence of specific pollutants and uncustomary proximity of sources to the breathing zone. This paper reports experimental results that show the impact of the proximity of possible emission sources such as a mattress, pillow and toy, on exposure of the sleeping subjects to these emissions. Based on full scale experiments in an environmental chamber using a breathing thermal manikin the intake fraction for gaseous pollutants are measured as well as the occurrence of rebreathing. Intake fractions for several sleep positions as well as different bedding arrangements are reported. The results show that human metabolism and corresponding heat release by the human body are dominant factors in the dilution of pollutants emitted in close proximity of the nose, reducing exposure by 40% compared to a case without metabolic heat output. This effect is more important than the sleep position. An important finding is that sleeping with the head under the covers increases intake by a factor 24 and results in a rebreathing rate of over 60%. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Large-scale deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) plays a central role in reducing CO2 emissions from energy supply systems, but intermittency from solar and wind technologies presents integration challenges. High temperature co-electrolysis of steam and CO2 in power-to-gas (PtG) and power-to-liquid (PtL) configurations could utilize excess intermittent electricity by converting it into chemical fuels. These can then be directly consumed in other sectors, such as transportation and heating, or used as power storage. Here, we investigate the impact of carbon policy and fossil fuel prices on the economic and engineering potential of PtG and PtL systems as storage for intermittent renewable electricity and as a source of low-carbon heating and transportation energy in the Alpine region. We employ a spatially and temporally explicit optimization approach of RES, PtG, PtL and fossil technologies in the electricity, heating, and transportation sectors, using the BeWhere model. Results indicate that large-scale deployment of PtG and PtL technologies for producing chemical fuels from excess intermittent electricity is feasible, particularly when incentivized by carbon prices. Depending on carbon and fossil fuel price, 0.15-15 million tonnes/year of captured CO2 can be used in the synthesis of the chemical fuels, displacing up to 11% of current fossil fuel use in transportation. By providing a physical link between the electricity, transportation, and heating sectors, PtG and PtL technologies can enable greater integration of RES into the energy supply chain globally. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A disruption of the oxytocin system seems to affect a variety of brain functions including emotions, mood and social behavior possibly underlying severe social deficits and susceptibility for substance use and mental health disorders. Early life adversity, such as insecure attachment in childhood, has been suggested to influence oxytocin tone contributing to a condition of neurobiological vulnerability. Aim of the present study was to investigate oxytocin serum levels in abstinent heroin addicted patients, in comparison with healthy controls, and the possible correlation with co-occurring psychiatric symptoms, aggressiveness and perception of parental neglect. Eighteen (18) abstinent patients, affected by heroin use disorders, and 18 control subjects, who never used drugs or abused alcohol, were included in the study and submitted to 1) collection of a blood sample for oxytocin assay, 2) Symptoms Check List 90 for psychiatric symptoms evaluation 3) Buss Durkee Hostility Inventory to measure aggressiveness 4) Child Experience of Care and Abuse-Questionnaire to retrospectively test the perception of parental neglect. Heroin exposure extent and heroin dosages were also recorded. Oxytocin serum levels were unexpectedly significantly higher among abstinent patients affected by heroin use disorders and positively correlated with psychiatric symptoms, aggressiveness and mother neglect scores. No correlation was evidenced between oxytocin and heroin exposure extent or dosages. Our findings appear to contradict the simplistic view of oxytocin as a pro-social hormone and confirm previous evidence concerning the peptide levels direct association with aggressive behavior and mood disorders. Considering a more complex mechanism, oxytocin would increase the sensitivity to social salience cues related to contextual or inter-individual factors, promoting pro-sociality in safe conditions and, in contrast, inducing more defensive and anti-social emotions and behaviors when the social cues are interpreted as unsafe. This latter condition is often characterizing the clinical history of addicted patients. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Aim To replicate the genome-wide associations of the antihypertensive effects of bisoprolol and losartan in GENRES, using the Finnish patients of LIFE study. Patients & methods: We analyzed association of four SNPs with atenolol and three SNPs with losartan response in 927 Finnish LIFE patients (467 for atenolol and 460 for losartan). Results: rs2514036, a variation at a transcription start site of ACY3, was associated with blood pressure response to atenolol in men in LIFE. Response to bisoprolol was correlated to baseline plasma levels of N-acetylphenylalanine and phenylalanine (ACY3 substrate and end product, respectively) in GENRES study. NPHS1 variation rs3814995 was associated with losartan effect in LIFE. Conclusion: We provide support for two pharmacogenomic markers for beta-blockers and angiotensin receptor antagonists.
One of the most important of the nutrient intake values (NIVs) is the average nutrient requirement (ANR). The ANR is defined as an intake value that will be adequate for half of the individuals in a group of people with similar characteristics. It is used to estimate the prevalence of adequacy, and it serves as the basis for the individual nutrient level (INLx). The determination of adequacy is a complex process, with the resulting value of the ANR dependent on the criterion or functional outcome chosen to define nutrient adequacy. Because nutrients have multiple sites Of action in human metabolism, it is possible to demonstrate abnormal function in one parameter measured or observed as a result of inadequate intake of a nutrient, while other parameters requiring the same nutrient appear normal or within normal ranges. Thus, depending on the criterion of adequacy selected, the requirement for a given nutrient may be at a lower or a higher intake amount. In harmonizing development of NIVs, it is important to clearly identify the criterion of adequacy selected and the rationale for its selection. Rarely are available data sufficient to provide dose-response information from which to select a level of intake at which half of the individuals demonstrate adequacy and half appear to demonstrate inadequacy. Three levels of intake, of which at least one level of intake is below the requirement for most of the individuals in the sample, and one level of intake is above their requirement, are useful for establishing, a level at which half of the group might be considered to demonstrate adequacy. Types of human nutrient studies that may be used to obtain data are discussed, as well as characteristics Of the sample size needed to demonstrate adequacy. The variation in requirements is also an important aspect in predicting levels of intake that will have defined probabilities of adequacy for groups (to develop the INLx, where x is the defined probability chosen). An analysis of the origins of different types of variability is presented. When estimating energy requirements, a special case of NIVs, important issues must be considered. Additionally, an example of evaluating data used to establish an ANR for vitamin A, and the effect of variability in requirements for vitamin A, is provided.
We investigate properties of estimators obtained by minimization of U-processes with the Lasso penalty in the high-dimensional setting. Our attention is focused on the ranking problem that is popular in machine learning. It is related to guessing the ordering between objects on the basis of their observed predictors. We prove the oracle inequality for the excess risk of the considered estimator as well as the bound for the l(1) distance \(theta) over cap-theta*\(1) between the estimator and the oracle. Besides, we study properties of estimators on simulated data sets. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
All clinically-used antipsychotics display similar affinity for both D-2 (D2R) and D-3 (D3R) receptors, and they likewise act as 5-HT2A receptor antagonists. They provide therapeutic benefit for positive symptoms, but no marked or consistent improvement in neurocognitive, social cognitive or negative symptoms. Since blockade of D-3 and 5-HT6 (5-HT6R) receptors enhances neurocognition and social cognition, and potentially improves negative symptoms, a promising approach for improved treatment for schizophrenia would be to develop drugs that preferentially act at D3R versus D2R and likewise recognize 5-HT6R. Starting from the high affinity 5-HT6R ligands I and II, we identified compounds 11a and 14b that behave as 5-HT6R ligands with significant selectivity for D3R over D2R. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Erosion wear in piping is an unavoidable degradation process in the oil and gas industry that causes pipe wall thinning and leads to economic losses and potentially produce personal injuries. The mechanism of pipe erosion remains poorly understood. This study focused on predicting the erosion of a tee junction (T) under various flow types during fracturing operation. The failure analysis of tee junction was determined from its macroscopic features and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and allowed definition of the failure mode and failure mechanism were defined, which appeared to be significantly different from what has been considered to be traditional. The failure analysis and fluid mechanics theory were used to build a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation method to predict the erosion of the tee junction. The model of two-phase flow in a tee junction indicated that the solid -phase flow is determined by combined effects of the main tube flow, the flow inertia, and the turbulent flow. The distribution of the erosion in the tee was significantly different for various flow types and the simulation results were consistent with the results of the failure analysis. This model of predicted local distribution of erosion wear can assist the monitoring of pipe walls to prevent accidents and reduce maintenance labor. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The importance of Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide in reinforcing effects of addictive drugs specially alcohol and psychostimulants has been stablished. Involvement of CART peptide in rewarding effects of opioids in brain has recently been reported. Here we have studied the expression of CART mRNA and peptide in the reward pathway in morphine-induced sensitization phenomenon and also evaluated the peptide level fluctuations in CSF and plasma. Male Wistar rats received 7-day morphine injection (20 mg/kg) and then after a 7-day washout period, a challenge dose of 10 mg/kg morphine was administered and locomotor activity and oral stereotypical behaviors were recorded. Besides, the expression level of CART mRNA and peptide in four important areas of the mesocorticolimbic reward pathway including nucleus accumbens, striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus were measured by real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. The level of the peptide in CSF and plasma was measured by Elisa method. The expression level of CART mRNA and protein in brain regions and also the peptide level in CSF and plasma were significantly down-regulated after 7-day morphine administration. These reduced levels returned to nearly normal rates after 7-day wash-out period. Administration of morphine challenge dose led to significant upregulation of CART gene expression (both mRNA and peptide) in the brain, and elevation of peptide level in CSF and plasma in morphine-sensitized rats. It can be concluded that CART is released in the framework of reward pathway and may serve as an important neurotransmitter in the process of morphine dependence and sensitization.
The Golgi apparatus is a central organelle of the secretory pathway involved in the post-translational modification and sorting of lipids and proteins. In mammalian cells, the Golgi apparatus is composed of stacks of cisternae organized in polarized manner, which are interconnected by membrane tubules to constitute the Golgi ribbon, located in the proximity of the centrosome. Besides the processing and transport of cargo, the Golgi complex is actively involved in the regulation of mitotic entry, cytoskeleton organization and dynamics, calcium homeostasis, and apoptosis, representing a signalling platform for the control of several cellular functions, including signalling initiated by receptors located at the plasma membrane. Alterations of the conventional Golgi organization are associated to many disorders, such as cancer or different neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we examine the functional implications of modifications of Golgi structure in neurodegenerative disorders, with a focus on the role of Golgi fragmentation in the development of Alzheimer's disease. The comprehension of the mechanism that induces Golgi fragmentation and of its downstream effects on neuronal function have the potential to contribute to the development of more effective therapies to treat or prevent some of these disorders. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Individual cells in multicellular organisms constantly explore their microenvironment, or niche, to obtain spatial information that is used to regulate cell behavior to maintain tissue integrity. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important source of such spatial information. Binding of the integrin family receptors to the ECM triggers formation of integrin adhesion complexes (IACs) that link the ECM network to cellular cytoskeleton via remarkably large multiprotein complexes collectively referred to as the integrin adhesome. Recent advances in proteomics have enabled researchers to study the IAC composition in detail. Various biochemical IAC isolation methods and culture conditions have been employed to study the composition and dynamics of integrin-mediated adhesions mainly in fibroblasts and lymphoblasts. These studies have led to identification of daunting lists of potential IAC components. This review focuses on the current status of proteomics-driven research seeking to understand integrin functions by comprehensive analysis of IAC components. These systems level approaches have revealed the complexity of biochemical and biomechanical signals that are processed at IACs and provide a novel insight into how these signals are conveyed to regulate cellular behavior.
Objectives: To assess the completeness of history-taking and physical-examination notes of junior doctors at King Abdulaziz University Hospital per the approach they learned in medical school. Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed 860 admission notes written by 269 junior doctors (interns and residents) in an academic tertiary-care medical centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over a two-month period. Notes were evaluated for completeness using a checklist developed with reference to relevant medical textbooks. The checklist included 32 items related to history-taking and physical examination. Based on the review of the notes, checklist items were evaluated as complete, incomplete, not present, or not applicable according to set criteria. Data were analysed and summarised for information on the frequency and relative frequency of these types. Results: The history items varied in completeness. At the high end, asking about chief complaint and duration, associated symptoms, aggravating and relieving factors, and conducting systemic review were marked ` complete' in 74.2%, 81.7%, 80.4%, and 79.7% of notes, respectively. At the low end, asking about previous episodes, allergies, medications, and family history were complete in 5.3%, 1.9%, 4.8%, and 2.9% of notes, respectively. All physical examination items were poorly documented, especially breast examination, which was ` not present' in 95.8% of the notes. Conclusions: Junior doctors' history and physicalexamination notes are often incomplete and do not follow the approach taught in medical school. The reasons for this must be studied via focus-group discussions with junior doctors.
Background and aims: Recent research on problematic Facebook use has highlighted the need to develop a specific theory-driven measure to assess this potential behavioral addiction. The aim of the present study was to examine the factorial validity of the Problematic Facebook Use Scale (PFUS) adapted from Caplan's Generalized Problematic Internet Scale model. Methods: A total of 1,460 Italian adolescents and young adults (aged 14-29 years) participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed in order to assess the factorial validity of the scale. Results: Results revealed that the factor structure of the PFUS provided a good fit to the data. Furthermore, results of the multiple group analyses supported the invariance of the model across age and gender groups. Discussion and conclusions: This study provides evidence supporting the factorial validity of the PFUS. This new scale provides a theory-driven tool to assess problematic use of Facebook among male and female adolescents and young adults.
Given a compact manifold M and a Riemannian manifold N of bounded geometry, we consider the manifold Imm(M, N) of immersions from M to N and its subset Imm mu(M, N) of those immersions with the property that the volume-form of the pull-back metric equals mu . We first show that the non-minimal elements of Imm mu(M,N) form a splitting submanifold. On this submanifold we consider the Levi-Civita connection for various natural Sobolev metrics, we write down the geodesic equation for which we show local well-posedness in many cases. The question is a natural generalization of the corresponding well-posedness question for the group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms, which is of importance in fluid mechanics. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The study of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has made significant progress over the last decade. Genome-wide association studies have identified and further substantiated the role of susceptibility genes outside the major histocompatibility complex locus. However, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 has been suggested to be important in the pathogenesis of AS, contributing to similar to 20.1% of AS heritability. The current review will present the classical and non-classical forms of HLA-B27, as well as their pathogenic roles, and further discuss the hypotheses regarding the potential pathogenesis of AS. In addition, the association between the pathogenic role of HLA-B27 and inflammatory indexes, including the interleukin-23/-17 axis will be investigated to provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of AS. The aim of the present review is to provide an update of the current research into the pathogenesis of AS, and provide a comprehensive description of the pathogenic role of HLA-B27 in AS.
The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of specific exercise types on pulmonary functions, aerobic and functional capacity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A systematic search of Cochrane Database of Systematic Review, MEDLINE (EBSCO), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), CINAHL (EBSCO), PUBMED, AMED, EMBASE (OVID) was conducted in January 2016. The outcome measures were spirometric measurements, chest expansion, 6 minute walk distance (6MWD), pVO(2), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). The search strategy was applied with limitation of date and language and this initial electronic search resulted in 143 relevant studies. After duplicates were removed, the titles and abstracts of 52 articles were screened. Of these, 14 full-text articles met initial criteria and were retrieved for review, with eight studies meeting final inclusion criteria. Both specific and conventional exercise groups showed significant improvements in BASDAI and BASFI scores (p < 0.05) in patients with AS, although there was no significant difference between two exercise groups. As for pulmonary functions, the specific exercise groups have greater improvements than conventional group in spirometric measurement, chest expansion (p0.05). Specific exercises are an effective adjuvant therapy to enhance cardiopulmonary functions in patients with AS; therefore, it is assumed that in addition to the medical treatments, specific exercise therapy might reduce the cardiopulmonary complications related with AS.
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of silica nano-filler particle diameters in a computer-aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) composite resin (CR) block on physical properties at the multi-scale in silico. CAD/CAM CR blocks were modeled, consisting of silica nano-filler particles (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100nm) and matrix (Bis-GMA/TEGDMA), with filler volume contents of 55.161%. Calculation of Young's moduli and Poisson's ratios for the block at macro-scale were analyzed by homogenization. Macro-scale CAD/CAM CR blocks (3x3x3mm) were modeled and compressive strengths were defined when the fracture loads exceeded 6075N. MPS values of the nano-scale models were compared by localization analysis. As the filler size decreased, Young's moduli and compressive strength increased, while Poisson's ratios and MPS decreased. All parameters were significantly correlated with the diameters of the filler particles (Pearson's correlation test, r=-0.949, 0.943, -0.951, 0.976, p<0.05). The in silico multi-scale model established in this study demonstrates that the Young's moduli, Poisson's ratios, and compressive strengths of CAD/CAM CR blocks can be enhanced by loading silica nanofiller particles of smaller diameter. CAD/CAM CR blocks by using smaller silica nano-filler particles have a potential to increase fracture resistance.
Background: Oral cancer is one of the most common malignant lesions of the head and neck. This cancer is an aggressive and lethal disease with no significant improvements in the overall survival in the last decades. Moreover, the incidence of oral HPV-positive tumors is rising, especially in young people. This oral neoplasm develops through numerous molecular imbalances that affect key genes and signaling pathways; however, the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis and progression of oral tumors are still to be fully determined. In order to improve the quality of life and long-term survival rate of these patients, it is vital to establish accurate biomarkers that help in the early diagnosis, prognosis and development of target treatments. Such biomarkers may possibly allow for selection of patients that will benefit from each therapy modality, helping in the optimization of intensity and sequence of the treatments in order to decrease side effects and improve survival. Conclusion: In this review we discuss the current knowledge of oral cancer and the potential role of omics approaches to identify molecular biomarkers in the improvement of early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. The pursuit to improve the quality of life and decrease mortality rates of the oral patients needs to be centralized on the identification of critical genes in oral carcinogenesis. Understanding the molecular biology of oral cancer is vital for search new therapies, being the molecular-targeted therapies the most promising treatment for these patients.
The present study analyzed the capacity for mentalization of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and their first-degree relatives (FDR) and examined the implications of clinical variables and cognitive deficits. The study recruited 31 patients with type I BD, 18 FDR, and 31 paired healthy controls. Their capacity for mentalization was explored by means of first-and secondorder false-belief tasks, the hinting task, and the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC). Patients and FDR were found to have a theory of mind (ToM) deficit when they were evaluated with the MASC, which was also related to a worse neurocognitive performance and to being a patient or FDR. The evidence of ToM deficits in FDRs supports the hypothesis that these deficits could be an independent trait marker for cognitive deficit. Further research is needed on FDR of patients with BD, using sensitive ToM assessment instruments such as the MASC.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for the positivity and reachability of electrical circuits composed of resistors, coils and capacitors are given. The minimum energy control problem for the positive electrical circuits is formulated and solved. Procedure for computation of the optimal input and minimal value of the performance index is proposed and illustrated by a numerical examples.
Water pollution by organic compounds is one of the major challenges faced by industries that use dyeing processes. Thus, some methods were developed for degrading dyes in wastewaters, including heterogeneous photocatalysis by semiconductor oxides. However, these oxides have limited photocatalytic activity due to the fast recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The aim of this study is the use of a carbon nanotube (CNT) and TiO2-ZnO oxide junction from modified sol-gel method to promote the degradation of organic dye through the photocatalytic activity of these nanocomposites. TiO2-ZnO/CNT nanocomposites were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and photocatalytic decomposition of organic dyes. The results of photocatalysis show up to 60% the efficiency of the samples in the removal of dye.
Climatic conditions are commonly considered the primary determinant of consumers' choices about energy use for heating. Besides, current regulations on the matter focus on the physical characteristics of the buildings, relying on a strict relationship between efficiency and savings. Nevertheless, the literature shows that energy demand determinants are difficult to be estimated with the accuracy required for predictive purposes, while the energy savings stemming from efficiency gains are partly outweighed by the consumers' behavior. We deal with these issues by analyzing spatial series data of natural gas consumptions for space heating and hot water production in the residential sector. The regression analysis takes four fields of covariates into account: climate, building characteristics, market aspects, and technological development. The estimation process is based on the following cornerstones: a spatially lagged dependent variable to deal with the problem of spatial autocorrelation, linear and logarithmic functional forms, and a two-stage interpolation strategy that is meant to provide unbiased estimates of both the dispersion matrix and the t-statistics by combining Ordinary Least Squares and Weighted Least Squares. The models turn out to be well specified, and their explanatory power is high, so the results are suitable for demand forecasting. Although the spatial autoregressive term does not appear among the significant regressors, we show that space does matter in shaping the natural gas consumption in different regions. Our analysis proves that heating gas demand is characterized by a positive elasticity to income. We use these results to provide estimates of the rebound effect. Nevertheless, the additional consumption directly attributable to an income effect is of moderate magnitude when the gas price does not vary. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
There are many ways to achieve knowledge. The experience presented in this paper is one that describes the knowledge achievement process thru knowledge models - in this case using concept maps. The subject of the experiment was to design a knowledge model on a technical subject: turning. The project participants were the students of the terminal year from the Engineering Faculty of Sibiu, Lucian Blaga University. Especially the technical field is one in which knowledge (information interpreted with a result) are hard to reach because of the important quantity of information which in the absence of the right connections made between them they remain raw dates, difficult to understand, hard to integrate in a real technical context in order to solve a given problem.
Mobile cloud computing uses features to deliver outsourcing data to remotely available mobile devices. However, the flexible nature of the mobile device is a critical challenge for the mobile cloud computing environment. The mobile phone significantly degrades the data transfer performance when initiating the handover process. Thus, an energy-efficient handover process could improve the quality of service (QoS). Here, we introduce a secure energy-efficient and quality-of-service architecture (EEQoSA) for the handover process in the mobile cloud computing environment. The proposed architecture involves four layers: application, the Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IPMS), communication, and media with connectivity layers. These four layers collectively handle the energy-efficiency, security and QoS parameters. Existing service-oriented architectures designed for mobile cloud computing are based on the symmetric encryption cryptography to support different media services. However, this approach easily allows an adversary to expose the symmetric key and gain access to private data. Thus, our proposed architecture uses the secure and strong authentication (SSA) process at the IPMS layer by protecting the media services from unauthorized users, as the IPMS is the central layer that could be the entry point for an adversary. Furthermore, to extend the mobile lifetime during the handover process, an energy detection (ED) model is deployed at the communication layer to detect the energy level of the mobile device prior to the handover initialization process. The media with the connectivity layer supports the secure handover process using a priority enforcement module that allows only legitimate users to complete the re-registration process after initiating the handover. Finally, the architecture is tested using the CloudSim simulation environment and validated by a comparison with other known service-oriented architectures.
In our pursue to study effective real-time feedback in Technology Enhanced Learning, we developed the Presentation Trainer, a tool designed to support the practice of nonverbal communication skills for public speaking. The tool tracks the user's voice and body to analyze her performance, and selects the type of real-time feedback to be presented. This paper describes an empirical study where we tested the effects of the Presentation Trainer's feedback on learners who used the tool while practicing for an elevator-pitch. Results from this study reveal that the feedback has a significant effect on the learners' motivation, confidence, self-awareness, and performance.
Just before the official launch of the DSM-5 in 2013, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative of the National Institute of Mental Health was made public and is becoming increasingly more important in psychiatric research. The aim of this paper is to clarify the conceptual approach of RDoC, to systematically discuss limitations, to present exemplary RDoC-based studies and to consider the relevance of the RDoC concepts for clinicians and scientists. The is a qualitative introduction and review article with a critical discussion. The RDoC initiative was not conceived as an alternative diagnostic manual to DSM-5 or IDC-10/11 for use in clinical practice. It is a new systematic framework for psychiatric research based on the most recent results of cognitive neuroscience and aims to map mental disorders dimensionally and transdiagnostically. Despite some weaknesses, it is currently the most elaborated and scientifically grounded approach for multidisciplinary research on mental disorders. In contrast to the purely symptom-based DSM and ICD approaches, which are agnostic with respect to the pathogenesis of mental diseases, the explicit aim of the RDoC initiative is to systematize biological knowledge about risk factors and causes of mental disorders; therefore, it has a much greater potential to develop new and individualized therapeutic strategies based on disease mechanisms.
Inspired by the special properties of the graph state, a quantum authentication scheme is proposed in this paper, which is implemented with the utilization of the graph state. Two entities, a reliable party, Trent, as a verifier and Alice as prover are included. Trent is responsible for registering Alice in the beginning and confirming Alice in the end. The proposed scheme is simple in structure and convenient to realize in the realistic physical system due to the use of the graph state in a one-way quantum channel. In addition, the security of the scheme is extensively analyzed and accordingly can resist the general individual attack strategies.
Rainwater harvesting, consisting in collecting runoff from precipitation, has been widely developed to stop groundwater declines and even raise water tables. However, this expected environmental effect is not self-evident. We show in a simple setting that the success of this conjunctive use depends on whether the runoff rate is above a threshold value. Moreover, the bigger the storage capacity, the higher the runoff rate must be to obtain an environmentally efficient system. We also extend the model to include other hydrological parameters and ecological damages, which respectively increase and decrease the environmental efficiency of rainwater harvesting.
The paper provides information about improvement of the weak clay soil with geotextile encased stone columns. The paper presents materials about the relevance of this technology for applying in Perm region of Russia. The article presents an overview and analysis of existing experimental studies on the subject, which allows identifying the area of the current study which aim is applying this technology to improve the weak bases of foundations of buildings and structures in geological condition of Perm region. Also paper considers the problem of estimating of deformations of improves soil base. Experimental studies consist of tests with use of triaxle equipment and stamp tests of big-scale models of geotextile encased stone columns. The conclusions about the effectiveness of geotextile encased stone columns were made on base of the results of experimental studies and analysis of existing materials. Also paper presents areas of possible cost-effective application of technology and the results of numerical simulation of test cases with using the finite element method.
In the new era of cyber-physical systems, software must adapt itself to ever-changing environmental conditions and situations. This is currently not reflected in the design of embedded operating systems, since they are primarily optimized for fixed usage scenarios with tight resource constraints. We discuss the idea of interpreted operating system kernels, which can form a new foundation for highly reconfigurable embedded systems. The paper elaborates reasonable use cases, shows comparable approaches from the past and sketches an implementation strategy that is based on a bare-metal Python interpreter.
Flow induced vibrations (FIVs) of a cylinder commonly occur where a cylindrical body is exposed to a flow. However, their appearance and behavior are widely diverging depending on flow condition and characteristics of cylinder with its supporting structure, making their prediction quite difficult. Hence, many serious accidents have been caused so far for structures and machines. Most typical and well-known FIVs in this category are the Karman vortex induced vibration (KVIV), the galloping and the torsional flutter. In this work, a very simple and convenient apparatus is designed and made to reproduce these three vibrations. This apparatus will be effective in a classroom lecture of fluid mechanics by demonstrating how easily the FIVs can be induced by a simple apparatus, even though their prediction remains to be important but difficult problems to be solved in practical engineering.
The selection of the appropriate implant material, stainless steel or titanium, is still the decision of the surgeon and/or the affiliated institution. Additionally, remarkable international differences can be found between the different markets, which cannot really be explained. A systematic literature search was performed to verify whether there is clinical evidence for the preference of one material over the other. The systematic literature search was performed utilizing the internet databases PubMed, Cochrane and Web of Science. Comparative studies were included that reported on adult patients with osteosynthesis of extremities after trauma using either stainless steel or titanium implants. Information was extracted about infection rates, incidence of clinically relevant allergies, problems with implant removal and other complications. A total of 18 publications were identified to be eligible and 2 referenced articles were added. In summary, there is insufficient clinical evidence that the use of titanium or steel implants has a positive or negative effect on fracture healing, shows different rates of allergies, different rates of infections or mechanical failure. No supporting evidence could be identified for the difficulties with removal of titanium implants reported by surgeons. This systematic literature search did not provide any clinical evidence for material-related differences between titanium or stainless steel implants for fracture fixation. Based on the current clinical evidence both titanium and steel implants can be considered to be of equal value. The reported difficulties with implant removal are not reflected in the published literature.
Water pollution permit systems are challenging to design and implement. Operational systems that has maintained functionality remains few and far between, particularly in developing countries. We present current progress towards developing such a system for nutrient enrichment based water pollution, mainly from commercial agriculture. We applied a production function approach to first estimate the monetary value of the impact of the pollution, which is then used as reference point for establishing a reserve price for pollution permits. The subsequent market making process is explained according to five steps including permit design, terms, conditions and transactional protocol, the monitoring system, piloting and implementation. The monetary value of the impact of pollution was estimated at R1887 per hectare per year, which not only provide a management budget for filamentous green algae mitigation strategies in the study area, but also enabled the calculation of a reserve price for filamentous green algae pollution permits, which was estimated between R2.25 and R111 per gram filamentous algae and R8.99 per gram at the preferred state. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the methodology that is being applied at present time for teaching and evaluation of different courses in the area of manufacturing processes engineering at the University of Leon. The context is delimited to the use of content management systems and continuous evaluation of learning. In particular, the Moodle platform is used for structuring the contents and for the continuous evaluation of courses in the scope of materials science, manufacturing processes and automation of operations. An analysis of the changes and challenges derived from the adoption of this methodology in the different courses in which has been applied is presented. These changes have been slightly different as a function of the compulsory or optional character of courses, as well as depending on the number of students enrolled in them.
We present a method for structural and fluid mechanics computations of ram-air parachutes. A ram-air parachute is a parafoil inflated by the airflow through the inlets at the leading edge. It has better control and gliding capability than round parachutes. Reliable analysis of ram-air parachutes requires accurate representation of the parafoil geometry, fabric porosity and the complex, multiscale flow behavior involved in this class of problems. The key components of the method are (i) the Space-Time Variational Multiscale (ST-VMS) method, (ii) the version of the ST Slip Interface (ST-SI) method where the SI is between a thin porous structure and the fluid on its two sides, (iii) the ST Isogeometric Analysis (ST-IGA), and (iv) special-purpose NURBS mesh generation techniques for the parachute structure and the flow field inside and outside the parafoil. The ST-VMS method is a stabilized formulation that also serves as a turbulence model and can deal effectively with the complex, multiscale flow behavior. With the STSI version for porosity modeling, we deal with the fabric porosity in a fashion consistent with how we deal with the standard SIs and how we enforce the Dirichlet boundary conditions weakly. The ST-IGA, with NURBS basis functions in space, gives us, with relatively few number of unknowns, accurate representation of the parafoil geometry and increased accuracy in the flow solution. The special-purpose mesh generation techniques enable NURBS representation of the structure and fluid domains with significant geometric complexity. The test computations we present are for building a starting parachute shape and a starting flow field associated with that parachute shape, which are the first two key steps in fluid-structure interaction analysis. The computations demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in this class of problems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: Neurocognition is known to impact functioning in individuals at ultrahigh risk (UHR) for psychosis, but studies investigating potential mediators of this relationship are scarce. Building on evidence from schizophrenia spectrum disorders, the study tested whether negative symptoms and social skills act as mediators between neurocognition and functional outcome in UHR individuals. Methods: Ultrahigh risk participants (N = 84) underwent neurocognitive testing using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. Social skills and negative symptoms were assessed using the High-Risk Social Challenge task and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms respectively. Four instruments were used to assess overall functioning, and one instrument assessed quality of life encompassing social functioning. Results: The cross-sectional analyses revealed that neurocognition was related to the measures of functioning. Negative symptoms mediated the relationship between neurocognition and four of the five measures of functioning. We did not find social skills to mediate between neurocognition and functioning. Conclusion: Negative symptoms appear to mediate the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome in UHR individuals, but the finding needs to be confirmed and extended to longitudinal studies. This underscores the importance of focusing on both neurocognition and negative symptoms when aiming at improving the functional outcome of UHR individuals.
The laryngeal carcinoma related gene 1 (LCRG1) has been implicated as a tumor suppressor in laryngeal cancer. However, the microRNAs (small non-coding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides in length) that regulate LCRG1 expression remain elusive. In this study, quantitative PCR analysis first showed that the average level of miR-21-5p was elevated in primary laryngeal carcinoma tissues compared to paired adjacent non-tumor tissues. Thus, we explored the potential regulation of miR-21-5p on LCRG1. PITA algorithm predicted that two sites within LCRG1 mRNA 3'UTR, which reside at +743 position and +938 position, respectively, might be targeted by miR-21-5p. Dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-21-5p mimic specifically decreased luciferase activity of the reporter harboring 3'UTR+743 target site. With respect to the 3'UTR+938 site, the influence of miR-21-5p on luciferase activity was not sequence specific. Further, we observed that miR-21-5p mimic transfection decreased the LCRG1 protein in human laryngeal carcinoma Hep2 cells as indicated by Western blotting analysis, and promoted cell growth, migration and invasion as evidenced by MTT assay and transwell migration assay and matrigel invasion assay. Of note, the effects of miR-21-5p inhibitor treatment are opposite to those of the miR-21-5p mimic. Taken together, this study identifies that the tumor suppressor LCRG1 is targeted by the oncogenic miR-21-5p. This finding may help us to better understand the dysregulation of cancer-associated genes associated with microRNAs and eventually improve the diagnosis and target therapy for laryngeal carcinoma.
In this work the results obtained with the virtualisation of manufacturing processes engineering practices at Malaga University arc analyzed. This educative innovation tool allows to increase the efficiency of students learning because they can have available previously, by means of the computer, the different practise classes that they will do later. The results show this improvement obtained with the preliminary realization in virtual way in relation to make only an attended practise being present at the laboratory.
Nowadays, distributed denial of service (DDoS) becomes a major challenge in the network as it affects the network at multi-level. This leads to traffic overhead and wastage of bandwidth utilisation. In order to overcome these issues, ant-based DDoS detection technique using roaming virtual honeypots is proposed. In this technique, virtual roaming honeypot along with the multi-level secure architecture is used to collect the information about the various intruders at different levels in the network. Ant colony optimisation technique is used to detect the intruders based on the pheromone deposit on that considered area. A multi-level IP log table is used to detect the intruders at different levels of the network. Once the affected area is found, the information is sent to multi-level architecture to limit the spread of the affected area to the honeypot. This information is sent to the honeypot to make a defence system against the attackers. The advantage of the proposed technique is that it provides a full defence against DDoS at multi-level without creating any traffic overhead.
We posit that commercial Wi-Fi-based unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are vulnerable to common and basic security attacks, capable by beginner to intermediate hackers. We do this by demonstrating that the standard ARDiscovery Connection process and the Wi-Fi access point used in the Parrot Bebop UAV are exploitable such that the UAV's ability to fly can be disrupted mid-flight by a remote attacker. We believe that these vulnerabilities are systemic in Wi-Fi-based Parrot UAVs. Our approach observed the normal operation (i.e., ARDiscovery Connection process over Wi-Fi) of the Parrot Bebop UAV. We then used a fuzzing technique to discover that the Parrot Bebop UAV is vulnerable to basic denial of service (DoS) and buffer-overflow attacks during its ARDiscovery Connection process. The exploitation of these vulnerabilities could result in catastrophic and immediate disabling of the UAV's rotors mid-flight. Also, we discovered that the Parrot Bebop UAV is vulnerable to a basic ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Cache Poisoning attack, which can disconnect the primary mobile device user and in most cases cause the UAV to land or return home. Based on the literature and our own penetration testing, we assert that Wi-Fi-based commercial UAVs require a comprehensive security framework that utilizes a defense-in-depth approach. This approach would likely mitigate security risks associated with the three zero-day vulnerabilities described in this paper as well as other vulnerabilities reported in the literature. This framework will be effective for Parrot Wi-Fi-based commercial UAVs and likely others with similar platforms.
Approach slabs serve as a transitional system between an approach road and a bridge. Settlement of bridge approach slabs and their supporting backfill has been reported by more than ten Departments of Transportation throughout the United States. According to current Wyoming Department of Transportation inspection reports, bridge approach slab settlements occurred not only on existing bridges but also on newly built bridges that were recently opened to traffic. These settlements typically create voids ranging from 150 mm to 305 mm (6-12 in.) between the base of the approach slab and the geotextile reinforced backfill. This research presents factors causing bridge approach slab settlements and provides appropriate design and construction recommendations. A comprehensive literature review pertaining to approach slabs was performed to examine outcomes of research conducted by 12 states. The current specifications and standards on bridge approach slabs of the corresponding states' Departments of Transportation were also evaluated. A nationwide survey was conducted to fill in the missing knowledge identified in the literature review. The results of the survey are categorized into three groups based on the percentage of bridges experiencing approach slab settlements in that state. Results of the survey show that 46% of the total 28 states are not satisfied with their current approach slab designs. The survey results revealed that the most common cause of approach slab settlement is poor construction practices. The most important finding of the survey is that performing in-situ tests to control backfill compaction reduces the amount of approach slab settlement. Using the lessons learned from the literature and the results of the survey, recommendations were developed for transportation agencies nationwide. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The advent of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has provided a powerful tool for investigating the behaviors of single native biological molecules under physiological conditions. AFM can not only image the conformational changes of single biological molecules at work with sub-nanometer resolution, but also sense the specific interactions of individual molecular pair with piconewton force sensitivity. In the past decade, the performance of AFM has been greatly improved, which makes it widely used in biology to address diverse biomedical issues. Characterizing the behaviors of single molecules by AFM provides considerable novel insights into the underlying mechanisms guiding life activities, contributing much to cell and molecular biology. In this article, we review the recent developments of AFM studies in single-molecule assay. The related techniques involved in AFM single-molecule assay were firstly presented, and then the progress in several aspects (including molecular imaging, molecular mechanics, molecular recognition, and molecular activities on cell surface) was summarized. The challenges and future directions were also discussed.
Background: Management of allergic patients in the population is becoming more difficult because of increases in both complexity and prevalence. Although general practitioners (GPs) are expected to play an important role in the care of allergic patients, they often feel ill-equipped for this task. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an allergy management support system (AMSS) for primary care. Methods: Through literature review, interviewing and testing in secondary and primary care patients, an allergy history questionnaire was constructed by allergists, dermatologists, GPs and researchers based on primary care and specialists' allergy guidelines and their clinical knowledge. Patterns of AMSS questionnaire responses and specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE)-test outcomes were used to identify diagnostic categories and develop corresponding management recommendations. Validity of the AMSS was investigated by comparing specialist (gold standard) and AMSS diagnostic categories. Results: The two-page patient-completed AMSS questionnaire consists of 12 (mainly) multiple choice questions on symptoms, triggers, severity and medication. Based on the AMSS questionnaires and sIgE-test outcome of 118 patients, approximately 150 diagnostic categories of allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, anaphylaxis, food allergy, hymenoptera allergy and other allergies were identified, and the corresponding management recommendations were formulated. The agreement between the allergy specialists' assessments and the AMSS was 69.2% (CI 67.2-71.2). Conclusion: Using a systematic approach, it was possible to develop an AMSS that allows for the formulation of diagnostic and management recommendations for GPs managing allergic patients. The AMSS thus holds promise for the improvement of the quality of primary care for this increasing group of patients.
Objective: Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrate cognitive, social cognitive, and motivational deficits that contribute to impairment in real-world functioning. In the current study, we investigated the effects of supplementing computerized neurocognitive training with social cognitive exercises, as compared with neurocognitive training alone. Method: In this ongoing, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of 111 participants with psychosis, we compare the effects of supplementing intensive targeted cognitive training with social cognitive training exercises (TCT + SCT) with the effects of targeted cognitive training alone (TCT-only). Participants were assessed on cognition, symptoms, functional capacity, and functional outcomes, as well as social cognition and measures related to reward processing. Results: Both treatment groups showed significant improvement in multiple cognitive domains and improvement in functional capacity. However, as predicted, TCT + SCT group participants showed significant improvement in prosody identification and reward processing relative to TCT-only participants. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Our findings indicate that supplementing intensive computerized cognitive training with social cognitive exercises in people with psychosis confers greater benefits in prosody identification and reward processing relative to cognitive training alone, even though both approaches drive significant improvements in cognition and functional capacity. Impairments in both prosody identification and reward processing have been associated with greater negative symptoms and poorer functional outcomes in schizophrenia, raising the possibility that this form of treatment may lead to better long-term outcomes than traditional cognitive training approaches. Follow-up assessments will determine whether results are durable and generalize over time to improvements in symptoms and functioning.
The application of synchronization theory to build new cryptosystems has been a hot topic during the last two decades. In this paper, we analyze a recent proposal in this field. We pinpoint the main limitations of the software implementation of chaos-based systems designed on the grounds of synchronization theory. In addition, we show that the cryptosystem under evaluation possesses serious security problems that imply a clear reduction of the key space.
This paper investigates the impact of tolerances related to permanent magnets on the cogging torque performance of PMSMs. These machines usually show a considerable sensitivity regarding tolerances for geometric dimensions and material characteristics. A consistent approach is presented in order to minimize the computational effort for evaluating the sensitivity, robustness, or reliability. Thereby, design of experiments is used to minimize the required number of finite element simulations. In this work, a Box-Behnken based approach is considered. Subsequently, a surrogate modeling technique based on a second-order equation is applied. As a consequence, a reduction of the computational cost by 96% is achieved. The obtained results are compared with outcomes solely derived by means of finite element computations and very good agreement is observed. This is illustrated by providing the probability distribution of the cogging torque for the considered machine design. In addition, the cumulative distribution is presented, which usually is applied for analyzing the reliability. Considering the analysis of the impact of tolerances as part of optimization scenarios increases the number of designs to be analyzed by at least one degree of magnitude. The here obtained results look promising for achieving this at feasible computational cost.
The hydrothermal electrochemical deposition (HED) synthesis NiSe2 as counter electrode(CE) of dyesensitized solar cells(DSSCs), which shows excellent catalytic activity in reduction of triiodide. Hydrothermal and electro-deposition(ED) have been widely used to synthetize NiSe2, herein, we fistly introduce the HED to produce the NiSe2 material as the CE of DSSCs. In addition, cyclic voltammetry(CV) curves, Tafel plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) indicated that HED-NiSe2 as CE shows better electrocatalytic activity for reduction of iodine/iodide electrolyte than ED-NiSe2 and Pt. The DSSC fabricated by the HED-NiSe2 CE displays a solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 8.24% comparing with 7.68% the convention Pt as reference, and significant higher than that of based on the ED-NiSe2(7.97%). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the HED method is a promising way to design and synthesize advanced CE materials for utilizing solar energy. (C) 2017 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
Conventional high torque low speed drive systems commonly have a mechanical transmission between the induction motor and the load consisting of gears, gear heads, belt/pulleys or camshafts. The main drawbacks of such setups, are the deficiency of the drive system, its high cost and the maintenance needs. An alternative to this, is the replacement of the induction motor and its mechanical transmission elements with a permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor (PMSM) directly coupled to the load running at low speed. In this context, the paper deals with the design evaluation of a 5kW 50rpm motor and concentrates on two radial flux promising topologies i.e. with surface-mounted permanent magnets with inner and outer rotor. Since the goal is mainly the minimization of the machine's active weight (with respect to constraints related to outer dimensions, efficiency and cost), the designs of the PM machines are conducted by solving an optimization problem. Three optimization methods are adopted and three weighted cost functions are presented. The effectiveness of the methods in finding competitive alternative PMSM designs is then evaluated. The presented results are compared with other found in literature and reveal satisfactorily enhanced design solutions and performance of the proposed methods.
With the rapid development of electrical circuits, Micro electromechanical system (MEMS) and network technology, wireless smart sensor networks (WSSN) have shown significant potential for replacing existing wired SHM systems due to their cost effectiveness and versatility. A few structural systems have been monitored using WSSN measuring acceleration, temperature, wind speed, humidity; however, a multi-scale sensing device which has the capability to measure the displacement has not been yet developed. In the previous paper, a new high-accuracy displacement sensing system was developed combining a high resolution analog displacement sensor and MEMS-based wireless microprocessor platform. Also, the wireless sensor was calibrated in the laboratory to get the high precision displacement data from analog sensor, and its performance was validated to measure simulated thermal expansion of a laboratory bridge structure. This paper expands the validation of the developed system on full-scale experiments to measure both static and dynamic displacement of expansion joints, temperature, and vibration of an in-service highway bridge. A brief visual investigation of bridges, comparison between theoretical and measured thermal expansion are also provided. The developed system showed the capability to measure the displacement with accuracy of 0.00027 in.
Two articles recently published in Nature and Nature Cell Biology reported that early human embryos were successfully cultured beyond blastulation. This development heralds an important step toward exploring the unknown molecular events driving human pregastrulation development, but it inevitably raises the ante in the decades-old ethical debate on how to define early human life and how to save human lives through research without destroying another life in the process. Copyright (C) 2016, Chongqing Medical University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
A well-established approach to developing new imaging agents and treatments for cancer begins with the recognition of receptors that are overexpressed in cancer cells. Ideally, these same receptors would also be absent, or minimally expressed, in healthy tissue. The mu (mu) and delta (delta) opioid receptors (MOR and DOR respectively) match these criteria, with expression in cancer cells that is higher than primary lung epithelial cells. Naltrexone is a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of alcohol dependence or prevention of relapse from opioid addiction. Since naltrexone binds with high affinity to both MOR and DOR, it was selected as the platform for development of novel ligands capable of delivering a cytotoxic payload to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study outlines the synthesis of two ligands, with peptide or PEG linkers that were synthesized from 6-amino-naltrexone and conjugated with rhodamine dye or Tc-99m for in vitro imaging, binding affinity or in vivo imaging and biodistribution studies. Transfected HEK cells were used as a model system for over-expression of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) or the delta-opioid receptor (DOR). Naltrexone and naltrindole were used as competition for MOR and DOR respectively during the binding affinity studies. Mice bearing a xenograft of HEI( cells transfected with mu (HEK-mu) or delta (HEK-delta) opioid receptors were the animal model used for PET imaging and in vivo biodistribution studies. Although the binding affinity studies were encouraging, the biodistribution data for the selected conjugates lacked sufficient specificity. These conjugates were abandoned from further development but information about their synthesis may be valuable to other laboratories working in this field. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
During embryogenesis, the spherical inner cell mass (ICM) proliferates in the confined environment of a blastocyst. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the ICM, and mimicking embryogenesis in vitro, mouse ESCs (mESCs) are often cultured in hanging droplets. This promotes the formation of a spheroid as the cells sediment and aggregate owing to increased physical confinement and cell-cell interactions. In contrast, mESCs form two-dimensional monolayers on flat substrates and it remains unclear if the difference in organization is owing to a lack of physical confinement or increased cell-substrate versus cell-cell interactions. Employing microfabricated substrates, we demonstrate that a single geometric degree of physical confinement on a surface can also initiate spherogenesis. Experiment and computation reveal that a balance between cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions finely controls the morphology and organization of mESC aggregates. Physical confinement is thus an important regulatory cue in the three-dimensional organization and morphogenesis of developing cells.
Background: Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling has emerged as a fundamental pathway in endothelial cell biology and deregulation of this pathway is implicated in several vascular disorders. BMP signalling output in endothelial cells is highly context-and dose-dependent. Phosphorylation of the BMP intracellular effectors, SMAD1/5/9, is routinely used to monitor BMP signalling activity. To better understand the in vivo context-dependency of BMP-SMAD signalling, we investigated differences in BMP-SMAD transcriptional activity in different vascular beds during mouse embryonic and postnatal stages. For this, we used the BRE::gfp BMP signalling reporter mouse in which the BMP response element (BRE) from the ID1-promotor, a SMAD1/5/9 target gene, drives the expression of GFP. Results: A mosaic pattern of GFP was present in various angiogenic sprouting plexuses and in endocardium of cardiac cushions and trabeculae in the heart. High calibre veins seemed to be more BRE:: gfp transcriptionally active than arteries, and ubiquitous activity was present in embryonic lymphatic vasculature. Postnatal lymphatic vessels showed however only discrete micro-domains of transcriptional activity. Dynamic shifts in transcriptional activity were also observed in the endocardium of the developing heart, with a general decrease in activity over time. Surprisingly, proliferative endothelial cells were almost never GFP-positive. Patches of transcriptional activity seemed to correlate with vasculature undergoing hemodynamic alterations. Conclusion: The BRE:: gfp mouse allows to investigate selective context-dependent aspects of BMP-SMAD signalling. Our data reveals the highly dynamic nature of BMP-SMAD mediated transcriptional regulation in time and space throughout the vascular tree, supporting that BMP-SMAD signalling can be a source of phenotypic diversity in some, but not all, healthy endothelium. This knowledge can provide insight in vascular bed or organ-specific diseases and phenotypic heterogeneity within an endothelial cell population.
This paper proposes a new high-temperature superconductor (HTS) dual-rotor flux-switching machine for directdrive wind energy conversion. The key is to adopt dual-rotor structure to improve utilizations of the HTS excitation field and the machine space, thus achieving a high power density. Also, the HTS excitation can easily achieve flexible flux regulation to keep armature voltage constant under time-varying wind speeds. The operation principle, with emphasis on the effect of relative position of both rotors on the magnetic circuits, is described in details. And the initial machine design, especially the split ratio optimization, has been done. By using the finite element analysis, the machine performances are analyzed, and its validity is verified.
Hydroidfest 2016 took place on September 23-25 at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega Bay, CA. The meeting brought together cnidarian researchers, with an emphasis on those studying hydrozoans, from North America and other parts of the world. The scientific topics discussed were diverse, including sessions focused on development, regeneration, aging, immunology, symbiosis, and neurobiology. Thanks to the application of modern biological technologies, hydrozoans and other cnidarians are now fertile ground for research in numerous disciplines. Moreover, their amenability to comparative approaches is a powerful asset that was repeatedly showcased during the meeting. Here, we give a brief account of the work that was presented and the opportunities that emerged from the ensuing discussions.
The recent surge of network I/O performance has put enormous pressure on memory and software I/O processing subsystems. We argue that the primary reason for high memory and processing overheads is the inefficient use of these resources by current commodity network interface cards (NICs). We propose FlexNIC, a flexible network DMA interface that can be used by operating systems and applications alike to reduce packet processing overheads. FlexNIC allows services to install packet processing rules into the NIC, which then executes simple operations on packets while exchanging them with host memory. Thus, our proposal moves some of the packet processing traditionally done in software to the NIC, where it can be done flexibly and at high speed. We quantify the potential benefits of FlexNIC by emulating the proposed FlexNIC functionality with existing hardware or in software. We show that significant gains in application performance are possible, in terms of both latency and throughput, for several widely used applications, including a key-value store, a stream processing system, and an intrusion detection system.
Multicultural ideology proposes that group memberships should be not just acknowledged but also valued in order to accommodate diversity and attain equality. In three studies conducted in Spain and Canada we analyzed, using different measures, the relationship between multicultural ideology on the one hand and prejudice, support for social policies, and motivation for social change on the other hand. In Spain we focused on responses to Gitanos (Spanish Roma) and, in Canada, on First Nations people. Results showed that multicultural ideology was related in both cases to lower prejudice and higher support for social policies to support the minority group and motivation for social change. The internal motivation to control prejudice was an important mediator of this relationship in both countries. In contrast, the way in which social identities are represented played a different role as a function of country: whereas a dual identity representation played a mediating role in Canada, a common identity representation was the mediator in Spain. These results support the importance of valuing cultural diversity to harmonize intergroup relations and to reduce inequalities between majorities and minority groups. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Per a 9 is a major allergen of the American cockroach (CR), which has been recognized as an important cause of imunoglobulin E-mediated type I hypersensitivity worldwide. However, it is not neasy to obtain a substantial quantity of this allergen for use in functional studies. In the present study, the Per a 9 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) systems. It was found that 13/16 (81.3%) of the sera from patients with allergies caused by the American CR reacted to Per a 9, as assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, confirming that Per a 9 is a major allergen of CR. The induction of the expression of CD63 and CCR3 in passively sensitized basophils (from sera of patients with allergies caused by the American CR) by approximately 4.2-fold indicated that recombinant Per a 9 was functionally active. Three immunoinformatics tools, including the DNASTAR Protean system, Bioinformatics Predicted Antigenic Peptides (BPAP) system and the BepiPred 1.0 server were used to predict the potential B cell epitopes, while Net-MHCIIpan-2.0 and NetMHCII-2.2 were used to predict the T cell epitopes of Per a 9. As a result, we predicted 11 peptides (23-28, 39-46, 58-64, 91-118, 131-136, 145-154, 159-165, 176-183, 290-299, 309-320 and 338-344) as potential B cell linear epitopes. In T cell prediction, the Per a 9 allergen was predicted to have 5 potential T cell epitope sequences, 119-127, 194-202, 210-218, 239-250 and 279-290. The findings of our study may prove to be useful in the development of peptide-based vaccines to combat CR-induced allergies.
In this paper, we reviewed four key themes in the study of clean power transition in China, the resources potential, the technology advancement, the air pollution control, and the policy and reform of the power sector. In each theme, we summarized the ongoing research development and highlighted some key areas for further study. Given that China's power sector transition is a huge task, we hope this review will add some discussions into the ongoing conversation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bacteria from the Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Chlamydiae (PVC) superphylum are exceptions to the otherwise dominant mode of division by binary fission, which is based on the interaction between the FtsZ protein and the peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis machinery. Some PVC bacteria are deprived of the FtsZ protein and were also thought to lack PG. How these bacteria divide is still one of the major mysteries of microbiology. The presence of PG has recently been revealed in Planctornycetes and Chlamydiae, and proteins related to PG synthesis have been shown to be implicated in the division process in Chlamydiae, providing important insights into PVC mechanisms of division. Here, we review the historical lack of observation of PG in PVC bacteria, its recent detection in two phyla and its involvement in chlamydial cell division. Based on the detection of PG-related proteins in PVC proteomes, we consider the possible evolution of the diverse division mechanisms in these bacteria. We conclude by summarizing what is known and what remains to be understood about the evolutionary cell biology of PVC division modes.
Control of harmful algae in the coves or bays of larger water bodies could be accomplished by hydraulic flushing with algae-free water. This suggestion is examined with a mathematical model of a harmful algal population, parameterized to represent the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum, and its limiting nutrient. A small cove with a hydraulic storage zone and longitudinal advection and dispersion is coupled to a larger lake where ongoing or transient blooms serve as a source for the algal population. This population is transported upstream by dispersion and flushed downstream by advection. Morphometry and hydraulics represent a lake in Texas where blooms of P. parvum have been problematic. When dispersion and hydraulic storage are low to moderate, available pumping technology is predicted to be capable of suppressing the algal population within a variable portion of the cove, under both steady state and transient conditions. This suppression occurs when temperature-dependent algal growth is low. At temperatures high enough to support more rapid growth, flow augmentation carries a risk of stimulating a bloom under some hydraulic conditions. The model presented here complements similar models without population sources, and contributes to theoretical understanding of population persistence in reservoirs and other flowing-water habitats. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A numerical analysis is presented of cell adhesion in capillaries whose diameter is comparable to or smaller than that of the cell. In contrast to a large number of previous efforts on leukocyte and tumor cell rolling, much is still unknown about cell motion in capillaries. The solid and fluid mechanics of a cell in flow was coupled with a slip bond model of ligand-receptor interactions. When the size of a capillary was reduced, the cell always transitioned to bullet-like motion, with a consequent decrease in the velocity of the cell. A state diagram was obtained for various values of capillary diameter and receptor density. We found that bullet motion enables firm adhesion of a cell to the capillary wall even for a weak ligand-receptor binding. We also quantified effects of various parameters, including the dissociation rate constant, the spring constant, and the reactive compliance on the characteristics of cell motion. Our results suggest that even under the interaction between P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) and P-selectin, which is mainly responsible for leukocyte rolling, a cell is able to show firm adhesion in a small capillary. These findings may help in understanding such phenomena as leukocyte plugging and cancer metastasis.
Although the brushless Doubly-Fed Induction Machine (DFIM) has great potential as generator system in large-scale wind turbines, its complexity has so far retained a commercial breakthrough. This paper contributes by combining brushless DFIM Finite Element (FE) modelling with multi-objective optimization. A static brushless DFIM FE model is applied with the NSGA-II multi-objective optimization algorithm. The result is an accurate and fast brushless DFIM design optimization tool. This tool is then used to generate a machine design with optimized performance, that fits a fixed volume frame size D180. Optimization results of different brushless DFIM construction variations are compared. The best designs of each construction variation are then analysed in more detail using a time-stepping brushless DFIM FE model. This provides good insight in the effects of different construction variations on torque ripple and induced time-harmonics. The optimized design of the best construction variation will be selected to be manufactured as prototype machine.
Home energy management system (HEMS) is essential for residential electricity consumers to participate actively in demand response (DR) programs. Dynamic pricing schemes are not sufficiently effective for end-users without utilizing a HEMS for consumption management. In this paper, an intelligent HEMS algorithm is proposed to schedule the consumption of controllable appliances in a smart household. Electric vehicle (EV) and electric water heater (EWH) are incorporated in the HEMS. They are controllable appliances with storage capability. EVs are flexible energy-intensive loads, which can provide advantages of a dispatchable source. It is expected that the penetration of EVs will grow considerably in future. This algorithm is designed for a smart household with a rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system integrated with an energy storage system (ESS). Simulation results are presented under different pricing and DR programs to demonstrate the application of the HEMS and to verify its' effectiveness. Case studies are conducted using real measurements. They consider the household load, the rooftop PV generation forecast and the built-in parameters of controllable appliances as inputs. The results exhibit that the daily household energy cost reduces 29.5%-31.5% by using the proposed optimization-based algorithm in the HEMS instead of a simple rule-based algorithm under different pricing schemes. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nonverbal behavior plays a crucial role in human communication and often leads to misunderstandings between people from different cultures, even if they speak the same language fluently. While translation systems are available for verbal communication, translators for nonverbal communication do not exist yet. We present the conceptual design and an early prototype of a real-time gesture translator using body tracking and gesture recognition in avatar-mediated intercultural interactions. It contributes to the ambitious goal of bridging between cultures by translating culture-specific gestures to enhance mutual understanding. Possible applications of the gesture translator are discussed as a facilitating tool for global business meetings and as a means of technology-enhanced conflict resolution and prevention.
The paper proposes to evaluate achievement of main results in operation of intellectual mechatronic systems with digital control by the obtained information effect. In this respect, common information requirements with intellectual components are considered as a basic information factor which influences on the process of mechatronic system designing. Therefore, some parameters have been accentuated and they can help to provide rather complete description of the processes used for obtaining and using systematic information within the volume of the intellectual mechatronic system. Conformity degree of control vector parameters synthesized by the system and identification results of its current states have been selected as an information criterion of the control efficiency. A set of expected probability values for location of each parameter of an control object and a mechatronic system within the required tolerances has been used for formation of possible states. The paper shows that when a complex information description of the system is used then it is expedient to use an expert assessment of selection probability for allowable control vectors which ensure a system transfer to favorable states. This approach has made it possible to pinpoint main information and technical specifications of the intellectual mechatronic system: structural construction (informational and technical compatibility and information matching of its components); control object (uncertainty of its state and information vector, information capacity of the mechatronic system); control actions (their hierarchy and entropic balance of control process, managerial resource of mechatronic system); functioning result (informational effect and control efficiency criterion, probabilistic selection of system states). In accordance with the fulfilled analysis it is possible to note the most effective directions for practical use of the proposed informational approach for creation of the intellectual mechatronic system: comparison of alternative design solutions based on the analysis of calculation assessments on unconditional entropy of the control object and the system; simulation with the aim to accept a final systematic option while constructing digital controlling block of the created system; complex application of experts' knowledge, most comprehensive introduction of knowledge to the process of mechatronic system designing.
Ecology and ecotoxicology have different historical roots, despite their similar names, but are slowly converging to meet the challenge of addressing the massive global proliferation and release of chemicals in the environment. The conceptual, methodological, review and standard research papers in this special issue reflect this emerging trend of blending ecological and ecotoxicological perspectives to assess impacts in freshwater ecosystems. Assessing community and ecosystem impacts of chemical contaminants is complex, however, and will require approaches that explicitly consider biological and chemical diversity as well as the natural variability of environmental factors at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Central themes of the papers in this issue are (i) the importance of indirect effects of chemical contaminants on species interactions and food webs; (ii) effects of multiple stressors, especially interactions between contaminants and environmental factors; (iii) consequences of chemical exposure on ecosystem processes such as primary production and litter decomposition; (iv) the need to account for context dependency and (v) potentially harmful community and ecosystem effects of emerging contaminants, among which nanoparticles are prominently represented. Collectively, these papers show that integrating ecological principles into the design and implementation of ecotoxicological research is essential for assessing and predicting contaminant impacts on biological communities and ecosystems. Conversely, applied ecology and bioassessment would benefit from concepts and approaches developed in ecotoxicology and from fully embracing chemical contaminants as key drivers of community structure and ecosystem processes.
Africa faces many health challenges despite sustained growth and development over the past decade. Contributory factors are the lack of financial resources, an inadequate health professional workforce, a high burden of communicable diseases, and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases. Rheumatology services are limited or non-existent in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past decade, partnerships with international academic institutions have resulted in some progress in the training of rheumatologists and health professionals and development of rheumatology services in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. Basic diagnostic tests, biological agents, and arthroplasty are either unavailable or not affordable by the majority of the population. Urbanization has resulted in a change in the epidemiology of rheumatic diseases with an increase in the prevalence of gout, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and scleroderma over the past four decades. Future growth of rheumatology services will depend on identifying committed individuals in underserved countries for training and supporting them to educate medical students, physicians, and health professionals in their home countries. There is a need to develop models of care using all categories of health workers and identify prevention strategies and cost-effective management programs for low resource settings. Africa affords an opportunity for collaborative research, including genetic and epigenetic studies, to improve our understanding of many of the rheumatic diseases.
Low levels of pharmaceutical compounds have been detected in aquatic environments worldwide, but their human and ecological health risks associated with low dose environmental exposure is largely unknown due to the large number of these compounds and a lack of information. Therefore prioritization and ranking methods are needed for screening target compounds for research and risk assessment. Previous efforts to rank pharmaceutical compounds have often focused on occurrence data and have paid less attention to removal mechanisms such as human metabolism. This study proposes a simple prioritization approach based on number of prescriptions and toxicity information, accounting for metabolism and wastewater treatment removal, and can be applied to unmeasured compounds. The approach was performed on the 200 most-prescribed drugs in the US in 2009. Our results showed that under-studied compounds such as levothyroxine and montelukast sodium received the highest scores, suggesting the importance of removal mechanisms in influencing the ranking, and the need for future environmental research to include other less-studied but potentially harmful pharmaceutical compounds. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc.
In this paper, we propose a communication support tool for understanding emotion in an unstable narrowband network. The tool can reflect some emotion with a selected voice to character-based real time communication such as chat. The voice data is transmitted asynchronously and stored in local storage. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of communication to play voice data according to emotion, we implemented web-based voice contents classified according to some massage types and primitive emotion.
Since humans and chimpanzees split from a common ancestor over 6 million years ago, human metabolism has changed dramatically. This change includes adaptations to a high-quality diet, the evolution of an energetically expensive brain, dramatic increases in endurance abilities, and capacity for energy storage in white adipose tissue. Human metabolism continues to evolve in modern human populations in response to local environmental and cultural selective forces. Understanding the nature of these selective forces and the physiological responses during human evolution is a compelling challenge for evolutionary biologists. The complex genetic architecture surrounding metabolic phenotypes indicates that selection probably altered allelic frequencies across many loci in populations experiencing adaptive metabolic change to fit their environment. A recent analysis supports this hypothesis, finding that classic selective sweeps at single loci were rare during the past 250 000 years of human evolution. Detection of selective signatures at multiple loci, as well as exploration of physiological adaptation to environment in humans, will require cross-disciplinary collaboration, including the incorporation of biological pathway analysis. This review explores the Thrifty Genotype Hypothesis, high-altitude adaptation, cold-resistance adaptation, and genetic evidence surrounding these proposed metabolic adaptations in an attempt to clarify current challenges and avenues for future progress.
The ability to recognize and adequately interpret emotional states in others plays a fundamental role in regulating social interaction. Body language presents an essential element of nonverbal communication which is often perceived prior to mimic expression. However, the neural networks that underlie the processing of emotionally expressive body movement and body posture are poorly understood. 33 healthy subjects have been investigated using the optically based imaging method functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during the performance of a newly developed emotion discrimination paradigm consisting of faceless avatars expressing fearful, angry, sad, happy or neutral gait patterns. Participants were instructed to judge (a) the presented emotional state (emotion task) and (b) the observed walking speed of the respective avatar (speed task). We measured increases in cortical oxygenated haemoglobin (O2HB) in response to visual stimulation during emotion discrimination. These O2HB concentration changes were enhanced for negative emotions in contrast to neutral gait sequences in right occipito-temporal and left temporal and temporo-parietal brain regions. Moreover, fearful and angry bodies elicited higher activation increases during the emotion task compared to the speed task. Haemodynamic responses were correlated with a number of behavioural measures, whereby a positive relationship between emotion regulation strategy preference and O2HB concentration increases after sad walks was mediated by the ability to accurately categorize sad walks. Our results support the idea of a distributed brain network involved in the recognition of bodily emotion expression that comprises visual association areas as well as body/movement perception specific cortical regions that are also sensitive to emotion. This network is activated less when the emotion is not intentionally processed (i.e. during the speed task). Furthermore, activity of this perceptive network is, mediated by the ability to correctly recognize emotions, indirectly connected to active emotion regulation processes. We conclude that a full understanding of emotion perception and its neural substrate requires the investigation of dynamic representations and means of expression other than the face. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Scarcity of water, pollution load, political issues and rising population have drawn great attention for proper management of water resources such as groundwater in the 21st century. The evaluation of groundwater quality is a critical element in the assessment of water resources. The quality/potability of water that is consumed defines the baseline of protection against many diseases and infections. The present study aims to calculate the water quality index (WQI) by the analysis of seven physicochemical parameters according to the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) to assess the suitability of water for drinking, irrigation purposes and other human uses. In the present investigation, ten groundwater samples were collected from various parts of Seraidi municipality area located in the north-east of Algeria, Physico-chemical parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, turbidity and fecal coliforms were analyzed. The overall WQI values for all the samples were found to be in the range of 68-86, which reveals the fact that the quality of all the samples is only medium to good and could be used for drinking and other domestic uses only after proper treatment.
There is current interest in harnessing the combined anticancer and immunological effect of nano particles (NPs) and RNA. Here, we evaluate the bioactivity of poly I:C (pIC) RNA, bound to anticancer zinc oxide NP (ZnO-NP) against melanoma. Direct RNA association to unfunctionalized ZnO-NP is shown by observing change in size, zeta potential, and absorption/fluorescence spectra upon complexation. RNA corona was visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the first time. Binding constant (K-b = 1.6-2.8 g(-1) L) was determined by modified Stern-Volmer, absorption, and biological surface activity index analysis. The pIC ZnO-NP complex increased cell death for both human (A375) and mouse (B16F10) cell lines and suppressed tumor cell growth in BALB/C-B16F10 mouse melanoma model. Ex vivo tumor analysis indicated significant molecular activity such as changes in the level of phosphoproteins JNK, Akt, and inflammation markers IL-6 and IFN-gamma. High throughput proteomics analysis revealed zinc oxide and poly I:C-specific and combinational patterns that suggested possible utility as an anticancer and immunotherapeutic strategy against melanoma.
Previous research has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of culture and cultural identification to interpersonal understanding. We aimed to apply the ideas from this domain to mental state reasoning, or theory of mind. We thus investigated the relationship between acculturation and inferring the mental states of other people within and across cultures by measuring Caucasian and East Asian participants' accuracy in inferring the mental states of own- and other-ethnicity targets using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test. As expected, Caucasian participants showed a significant ingroup advantage in inferring the mental states of own- versus other-ethnicity targets but no variation according to measures of acculturation. More important, East Asian residents of Canada showed greater accuracy for own- versus other-ethnicity targets and their accuracy for Caucasian targets increased as a function of (i) the time they had lived in Canada, (ii) their experience interacting with Caucasians, (iii) increased endorsement of mainstream Canadian values, and (iv) decreased endorsement of their heritage culture's values. These results suggest that cross-cultural understanding may be malleable to acculturation and cultural experience, highlighting the importance of further research on how people from different cultural perspectives come to understand each other and subsequently ameliorate cross-cultural misunderstanding. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper investigates the influence of switching frequency and modulation index combined with welding on the iron losses in thin silicon-iron and nickel-iron lamination sheets of a small slotless permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). First, measurements are conducted on welded and nonwelded stator ring cores for switching frequencies between 1 and 20 kHz and modulation indexes of 0.4, 0.7, and 0.9, keeping constant fundamental flux density peak values. This is possible by changing the dc-link voltage of the inverter. The obtained measurement data are afterward used in finite-element method simulations to investigate the inverter influence on the performance of the PMSM.
Light determines macrophyte distribution, community composition and biomass in shallow lakes. Therefore, it is vital to determine the critical underwater light climate thresholds for macrophyte degradation and recovery. In this study, we first proposed a novel index, defined as the ratio of euphotic depth (Z(eu)) to water depth (WD), as a measure of the underwater light supply for macrophytes. The underwater light environment in Lake Taihu (a large, shallow, eutrophic lake) was then characterized based on this index (Z(eu)/WD) using field measurements collected from 2006 to 2013 (8 years x 4 seasons x 32 sites). The distribution of the macrophyte presence frequency (MPF, the number of investigations that identified macrophytes divided by the total number of investigations) was greater than 0.70 in Xukou Bay and East Lake Taihu over the 32 investigations, followed by the other sites distributed in East Lake Taihu. The proportion of macrophyte coverage increased with the increase in Z(eu)/WD. A significant relationship was observed between Zeu/WD and MPF for the 19 sites with macrophytes (r(2) = 0.48, p< 0.001, n = 19). In the region with high nutrient concentrations and serious water pollution, better underwater light conditions are required for the growth of macrophytes. A Z(eu)/WD value of 0.80 can be regarded as the critical underwater light threshold for the growth of macrophytes in Lake Taihu. The region with Z(eu)/WD ranging between 0.57 and 0.80 was usually covered by sparse macrophytes; this region should be vital for macrophyte recovery and environmental management in Lake Taihu. The distribution of Z(eu)/WD was further obtained using MODIS satellite-derived Zeu from June to October in 2003 and 2013. Xukou Bay and Guangfu Bay in the southern part of Lake Taihu could be regarded as potentially crucial regions for the recovery of macrophytes from the perspective of underwater light and nutrient levels. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This study intended to define and implement activities to ensure the acquisition of generic skills and to evaluate the acquisition by students from the perspective of the latter and from the teacher. This research focuses on official postgraduate studies, which develop in the field of Advanced Manufacturing Engineering in open teaching. To obtain the data, combined analysis of teachers (internal vision) and student surveys (external view). The results from the insight they give an idea of activities designed, although focused on knowledge, abilities and technology skills, combining a methodology that implicitly has contemplated generic skills; moreover, the external view corroborate it, especially considering the student profile and the specialty studied, but also detect some aspect of improving.
Negative impedance converters (NICs) have been proposed as structures to improve the performance of RF circuits and electrically small antennas. However, NICs suffer from stability problems. This paper presents a compact procedure to analyze the stability of NICs. Then, the required and sufficient conditions to predict the stability of a negative impedance converter are given. These conditions can be evaluated using standard computer-aided design software. Finally, a NIC prototype is given to validate and illustrate the presented design procedure, it is also integrated with a printed, blade-type, electrically small monopole in the VHF band.
Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks validation with specific variables of change. Additional uncertainty remains regarding how best to account for environmental variables influencing fire effects (e.g., weather) for which observational data cannot easily be acquired, and whether pre-fire agents of change such as bark beetle and timber harvest impact model accuracy. This study quantifies wildfire effects by correlating changes in forest structure derived from multi-temporal Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) acquisitions to multi-temporal spectral changes captured by the Landsat Thematic Mapper and Operational Land Imager for the 2012 Pole Creek Fire in central Oregon. Spatial regression modeling was assessed as a methodology to account for spatial autocorrelation, and model consistency was quantified across areas impacted by pre-fire mountain pine beetle and timber harvest. The strongest relationship (pseudo-r(2) = 0.86, p < 0.0001) was observed between the ratio of shortwave infrared and near infrared reflectance (d74) and LiDAR-derived estimate of canopy cover change. Relationships between percentage of LiDAR returns in forest strata and spectral indices generally increased in strength with strata height. Structural measurements made closer to the ground were not well correlated. The spatial regression approach improved all relationships, demonstrating its utility, but model performance declined across pre-fire agents of change, suggesting that such studies should stratify by pre-fire forest condition. This study establishes that spectral indices such as d74 and dNBR are most sensitive to wildfire-caused structural changes such as reduction in canopy cover and perform best when that structure has not been reduced pre-fire. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
After a coal mining accident, the key to the success of the coal mining emergency rescue is that the trapped miners are still alive before the rescue passage are made through. As new life-saving equipment, life-saving foods are used to maintain the viability and the self-saving ability of the front-line miners when they are trapped in the coal mining accident. The life-saving food will effectively extend the self-save time for the trapped miners and then essentially improve the rescued possibility of the trapped miners. The amount of human metabolism, which was measured under the hot and humid environment, determines salt targets and nutrition indexes of the life-saving food. According to the particularity of underground environment, the passage explores the method to store the life-saving food and how to reasonably select the storage locations. Reviewing the application of the mine life-saving food, we can conclude that the self-saving food will have a better future in the economic and social aspects. But it still needs to be demonstrated whether it is necessary to carry the food with the human body. When the life-saving food is exposed under the hot and humid environment, the deterioration cure is still unclear.
Background Insulin sensitivity is a key function in human metabolism because it has a crucial role in the development of disease that are increasingly common in modern society. Impaired insulin sensitivity is an important determinant of type 2 diabetes; moreover, it has been proposed as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Thus, reduced insulin sensitivity is strongly associated with the metabolic syndrome, which represents a cluster of metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular risk factor. Insulin sensitivity can be modulated by different environmental factors, including dietary habits. Obesity, especially if associated with abdominal adiposity, impairs insulin-sensitivity while physical activity can improve it; however, the composition of the habitual diet is clearly an important regulator of this function. Aim To evaluate methodologies and markers that can be used to substantiate existing and potential claims of beneficial effects of foods on relevant functions connected with body fat deposition, insulin sensitivity and blood glucose regulation. Results We have reviewed the scientific basis for existing and potential claims, based not only on modifications of the target functions (body fat deposition, insulin sensitivity and blood glucose regulation) but also on modifications of other relevant associated functions (energy intake, energy expenditure, fat storage and oxidation, lipotoxicity, body fat composition, inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular function, glucose production and utilization). In this context we have identified a number of markers and evaluated appropriate method to measure and validate them. Conclusions Relevant functions contributing to overweight, the metabolic syndrome and diabetes have been identified. The evidence reviewed indicates that in this field the link between nutrition, biological responses and diseases is clearly established. Therefore, there is a stromg potential to develop functional food science. The major gap in the evidence continues to be the lack of diet based intervention trials of sufficient duration to be relevant for affecting the natural history of these conditions.
In filamentary RRAM, the role of self-heating in set/reset (by ion transport) is well established. However, in nonfilamentary Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (PCMO) RRAM, self-heating during set/reset has not been explored. Recently, we have shown self-heating to explain nonlinearity in dc IV characteristics. In this paper, we present the observation of self-heating using transient current during pulses. We show that the cooling timescale is limited bymeasurement system timescale (similar to 30 ns). The self-heating-based experimental current transient timescale is longer (50-100 ns) and is not described by simple exponential decay. To explain this behavior, self-heating in PCMO RRAM (where Joule heating and current increase create a positive feedback) is implemented into technology computer aided design simulations. Simulations produce excellent agreement with experiments. Eventually, simulations deviate from experiments when thermally assisted ionic transport during set/reset is not included in the model. To interrupt the continuous self-heating, an n-pulse-train with cooling time between pulses versus single pulse-based set/reset experiment was designed with the same peak bias time. Set/reset effectiveness degrades as n increases while effect of increasing cooling time confirmed a cooling timescale of similar to 30 ns. Overall, self-heating provides a consistent explanation of the transient currents. Thus, this paper establishes that self-heating considerations must be included for PCMO-based RRAM modeling and design.
The fluid mechanics of microfluidics is distinctively simpler than the fluid mechanics of macroscopic systems. In macroscopic systems effects such as non-laminar flow, convection, gravity etc. need to be accounted for all of which can usually be neglected in microfluidic systems. Still, there exists only a very limited selection of channel cross-sections for which the Navier-Stokes equation for pressure-driven Poiseuille flow can be solved analytically. From these equations, velocity profiles as well as flow rates can be calculated. However, whenever a cross-section is not highly symmetric (rectangular, elliptical or circular) the Navier-Stokes equation can usually not be solved analytically. In all of these cases, numerical methods are required. However, in many instances it is not necessary to turn to complex numerical solver packages for deriving, e.g., the velocity profile of a more complex microfluidic channel cross-section. In this paper, a simple spreadsheet analysis tool (here: Microsoft Excel) will be used to implement a simple numerical scheme which allows solving the Navier-Stokes equation for arbitrary channel cross-sections.
The concept of stereotype, an important topics of social psychology is closely related to prejudice and discrimination. Stereotypes may drag people into generalization and failure in judgements in addition to many unwanted behavioral outcomes. The first section of the article deals with the definition of the concept of stereotype and ascertains the motives of individuals who intend acting in accordance with stereotypes, followed by offering various solutions to this very problem. The second section points out the effect of stereotypes on interpretation of the social judgement and the social cognition while the third section dwells on how stereotypes can be changed. This study, which presents a summary of the researches about the stereotype and the social judgement is of importance in terms of indicating how stereotypes turn into prejudices and how they eventually cause discrimination.
Computer vision-based human activity recognition (HAR) has become very famous these days due to its applications in various fields such as smart home healthcare for elderly people. A video-based activity recognition system basically has many goals such as to react based on people's behavior that allows the systems to proactively assist them with their tasks. A novel approach is proposed in this work for depth video based human activity recognition using joint-based motion features of depth body shapes and Deep Belief Network (DBN). From depth video, different body parts of human activities are segmented first by means of a trained random forest. The motion features representing the magnitude and direction of each joint in next frame are extracted. Finally, the features are applied for training a DBN to be used for recognition later. The proposed HAR approach showed superior performance over conventional approaches on private and public datasets, indicating a prominent approach for practical applications in smartly controlled environments.
Bioremediation plays an important role in oil spill management and bio-electrochemical treatment systems are supposed to represent a new technology for both effective remediation and energy recovery. Diesel removal rate increased by four times in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) since the electrode served as an electron acceptor, and high power density (29.05 W m(-3)) at current density 72.38 A m(-3) was achieved using diesel (v/v 1%) as the sole substrate. As revealed by Scanning electron microscope images, carbon fibres in the anode electrode were covered with biofilm and the bacterial colloids which build the link between carbon fibres and enhance electron transmission. Trace metabolites produced during the anaerobic biodegradation were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These metabolites may act as emulsifying agents that benefit oil dispersion and play a vital role in bioremediation of oil spills in field applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Much research has established a negative association between gender nonconformity and psychological health. Less is known however regarding factors that may attenuate the link between gender nonconformity and psychological health. The present study aimed to investigate the association between gender nonconformity and psychological health in a Singaporean sample, and to examine trait mindfulness and self-compassion as potential moderators of the association. A community sample of 206 adults was recruited and completed an online survey anonymously. The survey included measures of gender nonconformity, sexual orientation, trait mindfulness, self-compassion, depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being. Results showed that gender nonconformity positively and significantly predicted depressive symptoms, and negatively predicted subjective well-being. Trait mindfulness moderated the association between gender nonconformity and depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being respectively, with the direction of the moderation effects indicating the role of trait mindfulness as a protective factor against psychological distress. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between gender nonconformity and subjective well-being. Specifically, the association between gender nonconformity and subjective well-being was positive at high levels of self-compassion, and negative at low levels of self-compassion. While cross-sectional in nature, the findings provide preliminary support for the role of trait mindfulness and self-compassion as potential buffers against negative psychological effects of gender nonconformity.
We present a challenging new dataset for autonomous driving: the Oxford RobotCar Dataset. Over the period of May 2014 to December 2015 we traversed a route through central Oxford twice a week on average using the Oxford RobotCar platform, an autonomous Nissan LEAF. This resulted in over 1000 km of recorded driving with almost 20 million images collected from 6 cameras mounted to the vehicle, along with LIDAR, GPS and INS ground truth. Data was collected in all weather conditions, including heavy rain, night, direct sunlight and snow. Road and building works over the period of a year significantly changed sections of the route from the beginning to the end of data collection. By frequently traversing the same route over the period of a year we enable research investigating long-term localization and mapping for autonomous vehicles in real-world, dynamic urban environments. The full dataset is available for download at: http://robotcar-dataset.robots.ox.ac.uk
The development of wireless Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) aimed to enhance road's safety and provide comfortable driving environment by delivering early warning and infotainment messages. Intentional jamming attacks target at undermining such a goal by disrupting wireless communications. While detecting jamming attacks is important towards enhancing road safety, it is challenging because VANET operates in outdoor environment (highly changeable road conditions and atmospheric phenomena), and encompasses volatile topology and high mobility of vehicles (traveling speed and directions). To overcome these challenges, in this work, we study jamming attack mobility and behaviors in IEEE802.11p networks. In particular, we focus on analyzing jamming impact based on jammers behaviors, and mobility patterns. Thus, in order to achieve reliable detection, first we identify the impact of vehicles' density on network performance. Then, we study jamming effectiveness when adopting different mobility patterns (stationary, random, or targeting) and behaviors (constant, random, and reactive). Finally, we propose a two phase detection algorithm and evaluate it in a simulation environment. Our approach shows promising results to detect different types of jammers accurately in IEEE802.11p networks.
The number of metagenomic studies conducted each year is growing dramatically. Storage and analysis of such big data is difficult and time-consuming. Interestingly, analysis shows that environmental and human metagenomes include a significant amount of non-annotated sequences, representing a 'dark matter.' We established a bioinformatics pipeline that automatically detects metagenome reads matching query sequences from a given set and applied this tool to the detection of sequences matching large and giant DNA viral members of the proposed order Megavirales or virophages. A total of 1,045 environmental and human metagenomes (approximate to Terabase) were collected, processed, and stored on our bioinformatics server. In addition, nucleotide and protein sequences from 93 Megavirales representatives, including 19 giant viruses of amoeba, and 5 virophages, were collected. The pipeline was generated by scripts written in Python language and entitled MG-Digger. Metagenomes previously found to contain megavirus-like sequences were tested as controls. MG-Digger was able to annotate 100s of metagenome sequences as best matching those of giant viruses. These sequences were most often found to be similar to phycodnavirus or mimivirus sequences, but included reads related to recently available pandoraviruses, Pithovirus sibericum, and faustoviruses. Compared to other tools, MG-Digger combined stand-alone use on Linux or Windows operating systems through a user-friendly interface, implementation of ready-to-use customized metagenome databases and query sequence databases, adjustable parameters for BLAST searches, and creation of output files containing selected reads with best match identification. Compared to Metavir 2, a reference tool in viral metagenome analysis. MG-Digger detected 8% more true positive Megavirales-related reads in a control metagenome. The present work shows that massive, automated and recurrent analyses of metagenomes are effective in improving knowledge about the presence and prevalence of giant viruses in the environment and the human body.
First impressions of social traits, such as trustworthiness or dominance, are reliably perceived in faces, and despite their questionable validity they can have considerable real-world consequences. We sought to uncover the information driving such judgments, using an attribute-based approach. Attributes (physical facial features) were objectively measured from feature positions and colors in a database of highly variable ambient face photographs, and then used as input for a neural network to model factor dimensions (approachability, youthful-attractiveness, and dominance) thought to underlie social attributions. A linear model based on this approach was able to account for 58% of the variance in raters' impressions of previously unseen faces, and factor-attribute correlations could be used to rank attributes by their importance to each factor. Reversing this process, neural networks were then used to predict facial attributes and corresponding image properties from specific combinations of factor scores. In this way, the factors driving social trait impressions could be visualized as a series of computer-generated cartoon face-like images, depicting how attributes change along each dimension. This study shows that despite enormous variation in ambient images of faces, a substantial proportion of the variance in first impressions can be accounted for through linear changes in objectively defined features.
This paper describes the whole procedures to determine ice-induced global loads on the ship using measured full-scale data in accordance with the method proposed by the Canadian Hydraulics Centre of the National Research Council of Canada. Ship motions of 6 degrees of freedom (dof) are found by processing the commercial sensor signals named Motion Pak II under the assumption of rigid body motion. Linear accelerations as well as angular rates were measured by Motion Pak II data. To eliminate the noise of the measured data and the staircase signals due to the resolution of the sensor, a band pass filter that passes frequencies between 0.001 and 0.6 Hz and cubic spline interpolation resampling had been applied. 6 dof motions were computed by the integrating and/or differentiating the filtered signals. Added mass and damping force of the ship had been computed by the 3-dimensional panel method under the assumption of zero frequency. Once the coefficients of hydrodynamic and hydrostatic data as well as all the 6 dof motion data had been obtained, global ice loads can be computed by solving the fully coupled 6 dof equations of motion. Full-scale data were acquired while the ARAON rammed old ice floes in the high Arctic. Estimated ice impact forces for two representative events showed 7-15 MN when ship operated in heavy ice conditions. Copyright (C) 2016 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Society of Naval Architects of Korea.
Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) have been widely used as a hydraulic barrier along with HDPE geomembrane (GM) in landfills. Both the internal and interface strengths of GCLs are very important for evaluating landfill stability. An improved simple shear apparatus used in this study does not force the shear failure to occur along a pre-determined plane. The composite specimens can fail along any interface or through shearing of the GCL internally. The displacement of each component of the specimen can also be measured during the tests. When non-woven geotextile side contacts textured GM (NWGT/GMX) and woven geotextile side contacts compacted clay layer (WGT/CCL) for a dry GCL, the failure interface can change from NWGT/GMX interface to WGT/CCL interface with the increases of the normal stresses. Conversely, when woven geotextile side contacts textured GM (WGT/GMX) and non-woven geotextile side contacts compacted clay layer (NWGT/CCL) for a dry GCL, the failure always occurs at the WGT/GMX interface for all applied normal stresses. The internal failure of the GCL did not occur when the normal stress increased up to 1,500 kPa for the GCL in dry condition.
Introduction: Most disseminated cancers remain fatal despite the availability of a variety of conventional and novel treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and biologically targeted therapy. A major factor responsible for the failure of chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer is the development of multidrug resistance (MDR). The overexpression of various ABC transporters in cancer cells can efficiently remove the anticancer drug from the cell, thus causing the drug to lose its effect.Areas covered: In this review, we summarised the ongoing research related to the mechanism, function, and regulation of ABC transporters. We integrated our current knowledge at different levels from molecular biology to clinical trials. We also discussed potential therapeutic strategies of targeting ABC transporters to reverse MDR in cancer cells.Expert opinion: Involvement of various ABC transporters to cancer MDR lays the foundation for developing tailored therapies that can overcome MDR. An ideal MDR reversal agent should have broad-spectrum ABC-transporter inhibitory activity, be potent, have good pharmacokinetics, have no trans-stimulation effects, and have low or no toxicity. Alternatively, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems containing both the cytotoxic drug and reversing agent may represent a useful approach to reversing MDR with minimal off-target toxicity.
In order to more fully understand the specific hydrodynamic relationship between young wind-generated gravity-capillary waves and longer gravity waves, a laboratory experiment was devised to observe changes in short wave spectral behavior over the phase of a long wave. This paper endeavors to expand on the body of laboratory wave modulation data and extend the investigation in support of the radar remote sensing of ocean surface waves. Measurements were made in the University of Miami's surge-structure-atmosphere interaction facility in the air-sea interaction saltwater tank wind-wave tank, with 10 m referenced wind speeds ranging between 5 and 23 m/s and paddle-generated wave steepnesses ak varying between 0.05 < ak < 0.3. A polarimetric camera was used to capture high sampling frequency maps of wave slope, yielding spatiotemporal information about short wind-wave behavior [provided as temporal variations in the wavenumber spectrum, where k approximate to (sic)(100-1000) rad/m]. The simultaneous and colocated long wave phase was measured via a side-looking camera. Hydrodynamic modulation transfer function (MTF) phases are found to be in general agreement with established values (between 2 and 10 radians) at the given wind speeds. The positive phase of the modulation places it immediately downwind of the long wave crest, with MTF magnitudes strongest for high wavenumbers at the lowest wind speeds. The results are also presented to show the modulation of gravity-capillary and pure capillary waves as variations in mean square slope over the long wave phase, with peak roughness enhancement found to move upwind of the long wave crest with increasing wind forcing.
We present here a vision of individualized Knowledge Graphs (iKGs) in cardiovascular medicine: a modern informatics platform of exchange and inquiry that comprehensively integrates biological knowledge with medical histories and health outcomes of individual patients. We envision that this could transform how clinicians and scientists together discover, communicate, and apply new knowledge.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with psoriasis using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and to determine its relationship with psoriasis activity indices. In this prospective study, EDI-OCT images were obtained in consecutive patients with psoriasis and in age-gender-matched healthy individuals. Comprehensive ophthalmic examination and EDI-OCT evaluation were performed. CT was measured in the subfoveal area. Correlation analyses were performed to identify the relationship of the CT with disease duration and clinical disease activity score. In total, 65 individuals were evaluated in this study, 35 with psoriasis and 30 controls. The mean disease duration of the patients with psoriasis was 15.7 +/- 8.8 years (0.3-34 years). There was no difference between groups with respect to age and gender (p = 0.695 and p = 0.628, respectively). Five of the 35 patients with psoriasis had anterior uveitis. None of the patients with psoriasis had signs of posterior uveitis. CT was significantly higher in the psoriasis group than that of control subjects (p < 0.001). The mean central foveal thickness was comparable between groups (p = 0.672). There was also no significant correlation between EDI-OCT, disease activity score, and disease duration (p < 0.05). Choroidal thickness is increased in psoriasis patients. Large serial and comparative studies are necessary to evaluate EDI-OCT, an examination that may be helpful in understanding the effects of psoriasis on the eye and its pathophysiology.
There is an urgent requirement to examine the quality of harvested rainwater for potable and non-potable purposes, based on the type of roofing material. In this study, we examined the effect on the quality of harvested rainwater of conventional roofing materials (concrete, asphalt and ceramic tile roofs) compared with alternative roofing materials (green roof). The results showed that the ceramic tile roof was the most suitable for rainwater-harvesting applications because of the lower concentrations of leachable pollutants. However, in this study, the green roof was not suitable for rainwater harvesting applications. In addition, seasonal trends in water quality parameters showed that pollutants in roof runoff in summer and autumn were lower than those in winter and spring. This study revealed that the quality of harvested rainwater was significantly affected by the roofing material; therefore, local government and urban planners should develop stricter testing programs and produce more weathering resistant roofing materials to allow the harvesting of rainwater for domestic and public uses. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a decentralized control method for distributed generations (DGs) in an islanded direct current (DC) microgrid. In most typical DC microgrids, a decentralized control method is based on a voltage droop control method. However, the grid voltage differs from node to node due to line voltage drop, and hence the power sharing ratio among DGs cannot be matched with as desired value. Especially in an islanded DC microgrid including an energy storage system as a voltage source, it is difficult for DGs to maintain the charge state of the ESS in a decentralized way. To overcome this problem, state of charge (SOC)-voltage droop control is applied to the ESS. By using the proposed droop method, the SOC information can be assigned to the grid voltage, and hence the other DGs are able to support the SOC in a decentralized way. For DGs to enhance the accuracy of the SOC estimation, voltage drop is compensated for based on forecasting data and line impedance data. The simulation is modeled and implemented using Power System Computer Aided Design/Electromagnetic Transients for DC (PSCAD/EMTDC, version 4.2, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) and the simulation results show that the capability to maintain SOC as well as the system voltage profile are improved by using the proposed method.
Participants were asked to assess their own personality (i.e. Big Five scales), the personality of politicians shown in brief silent video clips, and the probability that they would vote for these politicians. Response surface analyses (RSA) revealed noteworthy effects of self-ratings and observer-ratings of openness, agreeableness, and emotional stability on voting probability. Furthermore, the participants perceived themselves as being more open, more agreeable, more emotionally stable, and more extraverted than the average politician. The study supports previous findings that first impressions affect decision making on important issues. Results also indicate that when only nonverbal information is available people prefer political candidates they perceive as having personality traits they value in themselves. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Secret sharing schemes divide a secret among multiple participants so that only authorized subsets of parties can reconstruct it. We show that secretly embedded trapdoor with universal protection attack can be embedded in secret sharing schemes that employ enough randomness to give the attacker an overwhelming advantage to access the secret. In case of ideal schemes, a coalition of a few participants (within at least one is the attacker) can succeed the attack, while in case of non-ideal schemes, the attacker's knowledge can be enough to reveal the secret. We exemplify the attack against Shamir's threshold scheme, which is the most well known and used secret sharing scheme. Finally, we consider some prevention techniques against the proposed attack. (C) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ObjectiveElectrical stimulation via implanted electrodes that overlie the cortex of the brain is an upcoming neurosurgical technique that was hindered for a long time by insufficient knowledge of how the brain functions in a dynamic, physiological, and pathological way, as well as by technological limitations of the implantable stimulation devices. MethodsThis paper provides an overview of cortex stimulation via implantable devices and introduces future possibilities to improve cortex stimulation. ResultsCortex stimulation was initially used preoperatively as a technique to localize functions in the brain and only later evolved into a treatment technique. It was first used for pain, but more recently a multitude of pathologies are being targeted by cortex stimulation. These disorders are being treated by stimulating different cortical areas of the brain. Risks and complications are essentially similar to those related to deep brain stimulation and predominantly include haemorrhage, seizures, infection, and hardware failures. For cortex stimulation to fully mature, further technological development is required to predict its outcomes and improve stimulation designs. This includes the development of network science-based functional connectivity approaches, genetic analyses, development of navigated high definition transcranial alternating current stimulation, and development of pseudorandom stimulation designs for preventing habituation. ConclusionIn conclusion, cortex stimulation is a nascent but very promising approach to treating a variety of diseases, but requires further technological development for predicting outcomes, such as network science based functional connectivity approaches, genetic analyses, development of navigated transcranial electrical stimulation, and development of pseudorandom stimulation designs for preventing habituation.
The authors examined the role of sympathy and moral respect in children's overt aggression, and the subtypes of proactive and reactive aggression, in an ethnically diverse sample of 5-, 7-, and 10-year-olds (N = 110). Aggressive behaviors were measured through teacher reports and peer nominations. Sympathy was assessed through teacher reports. Children reported on their moral respect within an interview procedure where they were asked for their feelings of respect toward hypothetical peers who displayed morally relevant behaviors. Results revealed that sympathy and moral respect were both negatively related to overt aggression and to the proactive aggression subtype, but unrelated to the reactive aggression subtype. The authors discuss the implications of the findings in relation to developmental research on the affective antecedents of children's aggressive behavior.
Finite element mesh generators exist in the public domain, a few even based on a parametric device description. The typical mesh generator requires some man-machine interaction to define the points and boundary conditions, and does not work for non-stop optimization iterations for which we need a mesh dynamically evolving through the iterations with optimization variables as changing parameters. Such mesh generators as do exist are rare, commercial, and not easily available to researchers except at great cost and never with the code to modify them to suit individual needs. We take a regular open source mesh generator and write a script-based interface as open source to run non-stop for optimization. We then use it to create a non-destructive evaluation system for army ground vehicles' defect characterization and use it equally for machine design. A simple scheme of averaging neighbour heights gives us a smooth geometry without having to use Bezier curves. The mesh runs on the central processing unit but finite element optimization is on the graphics processing unit for speed and practicable testing times.
We performed oxygen plasma treatment on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to improve its surface reactivity with respect to biomolecular interactions. Oxygen-plasma-treated rGO surfaces were employed as reactive interfaces for the detection of amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides, the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as the target analytes. By measuring the changes in electrical characteristics and confirmation through topographic analysis, the oxygen-plasma-treated rGO sensors had enhanced surface functionality for better antibody immobilization and sensing performance, with a 3.33-fold steeper slope for the electrical responses versus analyte concentration curve (logarithmic scale) compared to the untreated. The elicited biomolecular reactivity of the rGO surfaces with the oxygen plasma treatment remained at 46-51% of the initial value even after aging for 6 h in ambient conditions. This phenomenon was also confirmed by pretreating the rGO surfaces with a blocking agent and subsequently subjecting them to antibody immobilization. Finally, the feasibility of the oxygen-plasma-treated rGO sensors as a diagnostic tool was evaluated with clinical samples of neural-derived exosomal A beta peptides extracted from apparent AD patients and normal controls (NC). In contrast to the untreated sensors (p=0.0460), the oxygen-plasma-treated rGO sensors showed a significant p-value in the identification of clinical samples of AD and NC subjects (p < 0.001). These results suggest that oxygen plasma treatment improves sensor performance without complicated fabrication procedures and should aid in the development of novel diagnostic tools based on carbon nanomaterials.
This paper describes an experimental investigation of the load-settlement behaviour of a model strip footing resting on a reinforced homogeneous sand bed for several embedment depths at medium-dense to very dense states of sand. The reinforcement is a single-layer woven geotextile layer without and with wraparound ends at a depth of 0.3B from the base of the footing of width B. A particular focus of this study is the effect of wraparound ends of the reinforcement on the load-bearing capacity. The experimental results of the study are compared with numerical findings from a finite-element analysis carried out using the Plaxis 2D software. The study shows there is a significant improvement in both the load-bearing capacity and the stiffness of the sand bed with increasing footing embedment depth as well as with the provision of wraparound ends of the reinforcement. The numerical results follow the experimental results closely for the lower settlement values. The results presented in graphical form in this paper can be used as general guidelines for practical conditions similar to those considered in the present study.
In order to meet the needs of modern intelligent agricultural detection, this paper designs and develops a novel energy-saving intelligent wireless agricultural detecting system combined with technologies green power supply, wireless transmission and digital control. This system can be powered by green energy resources such as solar energy or wind power and combined with digital control and wireless communication technologies it can achieve collection of a large amount of parameters in terms of modern agricultural cultivation, which will meet the needs of different application scenarios. Results of repeated experiments have shown that it has such advantages as being green and environmentfriendly, flexible and reliable.
A feasibility study was performed in order to demonstrate the benefits of designing and manufacturing a customized foot orthosis by means of digital technologies, such as Reverse Engineering (RE), Generative Design (GD) and Additive Manufacturing (AM). The aim of this work was to define the complete design-manufacturing process, starting from the 3D scanning of the human foot anatomy to the direct fabricating of the customized foot orthosis. Moreover, this first methodological study tries to combine a user-friendly semi-automatic modelling approach with the use of low-cost devices for the 3D laser scanning and the 3D printing processes. Finally, the result of this approach, based on digital technologies, was also compared with that achieved by means of conventional manual techniques.
This paper presents a procedure to include different cost scenarios of raw materials into the design of electric machines. The ratio between performance and material cost is visualized over a number of different cost scenarios. It is thereby possible to see not only if a specific design is competitive under the current market circumstances, but also to compare the sensitiveness for fluctuations in the material prices.
Verbal or nonverbal communication is one of the most important factors of socialization. Therefore teachers should place great emphasis on its development from the earliest age. Taking into account that playing is the main activity in kindergarden, most of our teaching activities should be linked with playing, with interesting games which are meant to raise the children's interest in what teacher has to say or wants to do in class. Game-based activities are common in teaching communication and language developing. Children learn easier, remember newly-taught words and use them spontaneously and creatively, also try to communicate more fluently and clearly. These games develop their imagination and creativity. This paper aims to present an experiment and the results obtained on a sample of 25 preschool for a period of 8 weeks were subjected to game - based activities aimed at developing their language and communication. Parallel results are presented and the control group, results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the program designed and implemented by us.
Galactose metabolism in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is carried out by a specialized GAL pathway consisting of structural and regulatory proteins. It is known that cells with unbalanced Gal proteins accumulate toxic metabolic intermediates and exhibit severe growth defects. Recently, we found that the molecular chaperone Hsp90 controls the abundance of multiple Gal proteins, possibly to prevent these defects. Hsp90 regulates various cellular processes including cell morphology in response to environmental cues. Yeast cells are known to resort to filamentous growth upon exposure to galactose or other environmental stresses. Our previous and current findings support the Hsp90 titration model of Hsp90 buffering, which links the cell morphology and galactose pathways. Our results suggest that, when a large proportion of Hsp90 molecules are used to help Gal proteins, the Hsp90 client proteins in cell morphology pathways are left unattended, leading to filamentous growth. It remains unclear whether this phenomenon serves any biological function or simply reflects a cellular constraint. Nonetheless, it provides an alternative explanation why the GAL pathway is degenerated in some yeast species.
Mineralization of sulfidic minerals including realgar, orpiment and pyrite occurs in argillic alteration zones in northeastern Iran, which affects water quality and health in these semi-arid localities. Geochemical source of ions in surface and ground waters was examined to evaluate potential effects of sulfidic mineralization on water quality. The surface and groundwater samples were analyzed to determine the major ions (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, HCO3-, SO42-, Cl-) and trace elements (such as As, B, Br). Water-rock interactions and evaporation defined as the key phenomena on groundwater chemistry using Gibbs diagram. Concentrations of arsenic (As) varied from 16 to 606 mu g/L, which was higher than the WHO (2011). Calculated ionic ratios revealed that anions and cations in surface and ground waters originated from partial leaching through ion exchange in alteration zones. We postulate that the primary source of As resulted from oxidation of As-bearing sulfide minerals such as orpiment, realgar and arsenopyrite in argillic-pyrite alteration zone. High pH (>8) could provide the alkalinity to increase sulfide oxidation and release As into the water. The stable isotope data (delta O-18 and delta H-2) indicated the origin of the waters, which is mainly meteoric precipitation with partial effects from evaporation processes and exchanging ions with surrounding rocks. This confirms the notion that the source of all analyzed ions including the toxic As is geogenic. Hydrogeochemical process, which affected the water chemistry and thus environmental public health are likely to be water-rock interactions and evaporation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Proverbs are folkloric products with important references to cultural codes, behavioral patterns, suppositions related to various issues, and imagination of a society. These products may relate to countless topics from the notions of social life, up- to approaches to education and social gender issues, from otherization tendencies to paradigms for governance and applications of authority. A particular topic among them is the phenomenon of communication and communication acts. Therefore, proverbs can be scanned for clues explaining communication phenomena, socially approved and proposed. communication acts. Starting from this presupposition, the essential aim of the study is the communicational phenomena in Turkish proverbs and to explore explicit and/or hidden messaging related to communicational acts. In this sense, this study is a significant contribution to the formation of a map of comMunicational semantics of the Turkish society. In this respect, we browsed the proverbs and idioms dictionary of The Turkish Language Association for certain words and conducted thematic analysis of the 77 proverbs that were found in this relation. We found that while many proverbs exerted the importance of verbal communication in relation to the attributes of the utterance and it's implications; many other proverbs exhibited a rhetoric that affirmed nonverbal communication acts like silence, listening, and reticence. On the other hand, proverbs on visual communication featured messages that proposed that people should not be judged over their appearance and dressing.
The nearctic moth Acontia candefacta (Lepidoptera Noctuidae) is expanding its range in Europe. The species is considered a successful agent for biological control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asterales Asteraceae), a weed whose pollen causes allergies in humans. A few additional findings of the moth have been recorded at several new sites in southeastern Europe (Serbia) using light trapping. We here present and discuss the current distribution of the moth in Europe and the paths of its spreading on the basis of GIS data. GIS technology was used to map the distribution and quantify values of environmental variables within the range of the analysed moth species. Additionally, the potential colonization of the moth across Europe is modelled on the basis of its current distribution, environmental variables and the host plant's distribution.
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic metals and is widely distributed in freshwater and marine environments. It has received much attention from a toxicological perspective. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Cd in the peacock blenny Salaria pavo, a species of the family of blennies that was used as bioindicator of water pollution. We performed a sublethal contamination of fish to 2 mg CdCl2 L-1 during 1, 4, 10, and 15 days. Cd accumulation was measured in gills and liver and displayed a significant increase of its concentration throughout the experiment, with slightly higher levels in the liver, except after 4 days. Partial-length cDNA of mt1, mt2, mnsod, cuznsod, cat, and gpx were characterized. Results from mRNA expression levels displayed an up-regulation of mt2 and mnsod. Biomarker activities were determined in gills and liver. In gills, data displayed an inhibition of EROD and GST activities. Cd exposure significantly increased GPx activities but did not affect CAT levels throughout the experiment. No LPO induction was observed in gills of exposed fish. Regarding the liver, the activity of all enzymes and MDA levels increased significantly from the beginning of the experiment except EROD that increased after 15 days of contamination only. At the histological level, fish exhibited pathological symptoms in gills and liver with a predominance of circulatory disturbances in gills and regressive changes in the liver. Our results displayed that peacock blennies are able to survive Cd toxicity due to various physiological adaptation mechanisms.
Objective. NSAIDs are first-line therapy in axial SpA (axSpA). The proportion of patients responding to NSAIDs and differences between AS and non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA) in this regard have not been studied in detail to date. The aim of this study was to examine the proportion of patients with AS and nr-axSpA responding to NSAIDs according to current treatment recommendations. Methods. Consecutive anti-TNF-naive patients with nr-axSpA and AS (n = 50 each) were included if their BASDAI score was 54 without having received maximal NSAID doses. In case of a BASDAI score 54 1 week later, another NSAID was prescribed. For the next 3 weeks, continuous intake of maximal doses was recommended but patients could reduce doses in case of intolerance or improvement. MRI of the SI joints was performed at baseline and week 4. Results. All outcomes except for CRP and MRI scores improved significantly after 4 weeks of NSAIDs, with no difference between axSpA subgroups. An Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society 40% (ASAS40) response and partial remission rates were 35 and 16% at week 4, respectively. At the same time point, a BASDAI score >= 4 was still present in 44% of patients, 30% of which had reduced NSAID doses, partly due to intolerance (38%). Only 13% of all patients had continuously taken NSAIDs at the maximal dosage, but there was no difference in the efficacy outcome compared with those who had taken reduced doses. Conclusion. AS and nr-axSpA patients had similar response rates to NSAIDs while objective signs of inflammation did not change over 4 weeks. Only a minority of patients was willing to take maximal doses of NSAIDs, and >= 40% patients remained candidates for TNF blockers. These results may influence future trial designs.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a pervasive neurodevelopmental disease characterized by deficits in social interaction and nonverbal communication, as well as restricted interests and stereotypical behavior. Genetic changes/heritability is one of the major contributing factors, and hundreds to thousands of causative and susceptible genes, copy number variants (CNVs), linkage regions, and microRNAs have been associated with ASD which clearly indicates that ASD is a complex genetic disorder. Here, we will briefly summarize some of the high-confidence genetic changes in ASD and their possible roles in their pathogenesis.
Objectives: This study addressed: (a) Do professors' race/ethnicity and the race-related inequity information they present influence students' evaluations of the professors, acknowledgment of racial inequity, or motivation to respond without prejudice (MRWP)? (b) Do collective guilt and students' evaluations of professors mediate these relationships? Method: White American undergraduate students (N = 614, 66.3% females, 64.7% first year, mean age of 19.3 years [age SD = 1.5]) completed an anonymous online survey. Students imagined they were taking a racial diversity course with either a Black or a White male professor who presented either White privilege or Black disadvantage statements. Participants then completed surveys that assessed their evaluations of the professor, collective guilt, beliefs regarding racial inequity, and MRWP. Results: Students evaluated White professors as having lower expertise, learning conduciveness, and warmth/intelligence but rated Black professors as more biased. Consistent with the inequality-framing model, intergroup sensitivity effect (ISE), and findings from prejudice confrontation research, White professors induced greater acknowledgment of racial inequity when they discussed White privilege rather than Black disadvantage. But, Black professors induced more external MRWP when they presented White privilege rather than Black disadvantage. Students' perceptions of the professors' warmth/intelligence determined the effectiveness of the inequity message while perceptions of the professors' expertise, judgmental, and conduciveness to learning determined students' concerns about appearing prejudiced. Conclusions: The presenters' race/ethnicity and how they frame racial inequity information affect students' evaluation of the presenters, the message effectiveness, and students' external MRWP.
PurposeAdverse drug reactions (ADRs) including medication allergies are not well-described among large national cohorts. This study described the most common documented medication allergies and their reactions among a national cohort of Veterans Affairs (VA) inpatients. MethodsWe evaluated inpatient admissions in any VA Medical Center from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2014. Each admission was linked with allergy history preceding or upon admission. Individual drugs were aggregated into drug class category including: penicillins, sulfonamides, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, opiates, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory inhibitors (NSAID). Results were reported in aggregate and over time. ResultsApproximately 10.8 million inpatient admissions occurred from 2000 to 2014. We found the most commonly reported allergy drug classes were penicillins (13%, n=1410080), opiates (9.1%, n=984978), ACE inhibitors (5.7%, n=618075) sulfonamides (5.1%, n=558653), NSAIDs (5.1%, n=551216) and statins (3.6%, n=391983). Several allergy histories increased over time including opiates (6.2 to 11.2%), ACE inhibitors (1.3 to 10.2%), statins (0.3 to 7.3%) and NSAIDs (3.9 to 6.0%). Rash was the most commonly documented reaction on reports for penicillins (25.5%, n=371825), sulfonamides (25.6%, n=165954) and NSAIDs (10.3%, n=65741). The most common reaction for opiates was nausea/vomiting (17.9%, n=211864), cough/coughing for ACE inhibitors (41.0%, n=270537) and muscle pain/myalgia for statins (34.1%, n=186565). ConclusionsWe report that penicillins and opiates are the most commonly documented drug allergies among VA inpatients, but other drug classes such as ACE inhibitors, statins and NSAIDs are becoming increasingly common. Clinicians also commonly document non-allergic ADRs in the allergy section such as cough or myalgia. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bracken fern is an invasive plant that presents serious environmental, ecological and economic problems around the world. An understanding of the spatial distribution of bracken fern weeds is therefore essential for providing appropriate management strategies at both local and regional scales. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the freely available medium resolution Landsat 8 OLI sensor in the detection and mapping of bracken fern at the Cathedral Peak, South Africa. To achieve this objective, the results obtained from Landsat 8 OLI were compared with those derived using the costly, high spatial resolution WorldView-2 imagery. Since previous studies have already Successfully mapped bracken fern using high spatial resolution WorldView-2 image, the comparison was done to investigate the magnitude of difference in accuracy between the two sensors in relation to their acquisition costs. To evaluate the performance of Landsat 8 OLI in discriminating bracken fern compared to that of Worldview-2, we tested the utility of (i) spectral bands; (ii) derived vegetation indices as well as (iii) the combinatidn of spectral bands and vegetation indices based on discriminant analysis classification algorithm. After resampling the training and testing data and reclassifying several times (n =100) based on the combined data sets, the overall accuracies for both Landsat 8 and WorldView-2 were tested for significant differences based on Mann-Whitney U test. The results showed that the integration of the spectral bands and derived vegetation indices yielded the best overall classification accuracy (80.08% and 87.80% for Landsat 8 OLI and WorldView-2 respectively). Additionally, the use of derived vegetation indices as a standalone data set produced the weakest overall accuracy results of 62.14% and 82.11% for both the Landsat 8 OLI and WorldView-2 images. There were significant differences {U (100) = 569.5, z = -10.8242, p < 0.01} between the classification accuracies derived based on Landsat OLI 8 and those derived using WorldView-2 sensor. Although there were significant differences between Landsat and WorldView-2 accuracies, the magnitude of variation (9%) between the two sensors was within an acceptable range. Therefore, the findings of this study demonstrated that the recently launched Landsat 8 OLI mtiltispectral sensor provides valuable information that could aid in the long term continuous monitoring and formulation of effective bracken fern management with acceptable accuracies that are comparable to those obtained from the high resolution WorldView-2 commercial sensor. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Continental-scale water quality modeling is a new scientific approach concerned with computing the level of water pollution for several river basins at once. Uncertainties in these models, and in models of smaller scale, arise especially from the specification of model parameters. To identify and analyze these uncertainties we perform a global sensitivity and uncertainty analysis using Latin Hypercube Sampling on the WorldQual water quality model. The focus of the analysis is the river pathogen model of WorldQual as applied to rivers in Africa. This is the first uncertainty and sensitivity analysis performed on a continental-scale pathogen river pollution model. The median output uncertainty of the model (coefficient of variation, based on log-transformed data), assuming plausible estimates of 42 parameter uncertainties, was 10.7%; 90% of grid cells had output uncertainties below 23%. The parameters making the largest contribution to this uncertainty (in order of importance) are the pathogen waste loading per capita, the in-stream settling velocity of pathogens, the percentage of population in a river basin connected to a sewer system, and the raw effluent concentration from the manufacturing sector. Over the continental study area, model output uncertainty and the most sensitive parameters were found to have a highly irregular spatial pattern. This finding suggests that model performance is a strong function of local and regional conditions and that reducing the uncertainty of a single parameter may not lead to large improvements in model performance over the entire continent. A more efficient approach would be to improve model performance region-by-region and improve the estimation of specific parameters known to have a large influence on model uncertainty in those regions. The analysis showed that only four parameters dominate output uncertainty over 93% of the study area, implying that model performance can be substantially improved by reducing the uncertainty of a small number of parameters. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
CD36 gene encodes a membrane glycoprotein (type B scavenger receptor) present on the surface of many types of cells and having multiple cellular functions ranging from angiogenesis to gustatory perception of fatty acids. Using a case control genetic association approach we have analyzed selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP's) in a total of 859 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and controls and have identified the allele A in rs3211892 polymorphism of CD36 gene as significantly increasing the risk of AD. Additionally we have investigated, in the same sample of control subjects and patients, SNP's in ApoE gene and confirmed that the previously identified AD-associated SNP's indeed increased the risk and decreased the age of onset of AD as reported by others earlier. Based on the current knowledge of CD36 biochemistry we propose that the AD risk-imparting variants of CD36 alter cholesterol homeostasis, oxidation stress or induce pathological inflammatory cascades. The SNP rs3211892 has previously been associated with heart disease and other conditions but the present study is the first to identify a significant association between variations in CD36 gene and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Societe Francaise de Biochimie et Biologie Moleculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVES: Adiponectin is a novel plasma protein produced exclusively in adipocytes. Despite early data, its relationship with obesity and diabetes has been recently questioned. Since plasma lipids influence diabetes and obesity, of concern is whether any associations between plasma lipids and adiponectin exist. DESIGN AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to measure adiponectin levels and to investigate their associations with plasma cholesterol fractions and triglycerides in 73 obese non-diabetic subjects (44 women and 29 men), and 43 obese diabetic subjects (28 women and 15 men), aged 52.7 +/- 11.2 and 53.1 +/- 11 years, respectively, and matched for age, sex and BMI. The WHO definitions of obesity and diabetes were used. Adiponectin was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: No correlations between adiponectin and total and LDL cholesterol levels were shown (for the whole cohort: r=0.0130; p=0.8899, and r=0.0807; p=0.3958, respectively). A positive correlation between HDL cholesterol levels and adiponectin occured predominantly in obese women without diabetes (r=0.4531; p=0.0023), resulting in an overall statistical trend in the whole cohort (r=0.2243; p=0.0164). A negative correlation between serum adiponectin and triglycerides was found (r=-0.3413; p=0.0002). CONCLUSION: Adiponectin correlated only with TG and partially with HDL but not with LDL and total cholesterol in the study group of obese diabetic and obese non diabetic subjects. In view of these results we suggest that the role of adiponectin in human metabolism is unclear and merits further investigation.
A new compact scheme has been developed for any non-uniform grid. The compact scheme has been developed for spatial discretization and is analyzed here in conjunction with four-stage, fourth order Runge-Kutta (RK4) scheme for time integration while solving the one-dimensional convection equation. The space-time discretization combination is calibrated by subjecting the system to global spectral analysis (GSA) which was developed by the authors' group. Here, the compact scheme has been obtained by using a combination of two bi-diagonal schemes. The novel aspect of this scheme is its application in the physical plane directly without the necessity of mapping or transformations. Some typical cases for problems in acoustics, as well as fluid mechanics, have been studied here and potential use in large eddy simulations (LES) has been demonstrated by solving Navier-Stokes equation for lid driven cavity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper will focus on the concept of how to reduce the complexity of connectivity in an integrated manufacturing engineering system using Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) approach. Software platform is developed for designing and implementing the interaction and communication between mutually interacting software subsystems and modules for manufacturing engineering systems. The developed approach enables a manufacturing engineering systems to make use of a comprehensive, flexible and consistent integration and to reduce the complexity of the applications being integrated. The main objective of the current study is to analyse ESB systems and integrate the data and activities considered with products, supply chain and shop-floor management processes.
This paper discusses the potential of water savings at property, household and urban levels, through the application of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs), as well as their quantification using the software Wise Water. Household centered measures are identified that allow for significant reduction of drinking water consumption with comparatively small effort, and without limitation of comfort. Furthermore, a method for the estimation of water recycling, for rainwater harvesting and for the utilization potential as locally available renewable freshwater is presented. Based on this study, the average drinking water consumption in urban households of industrialized countries could be reduced by approximately one third, without significant investment costs, either within the framework of new constructions or by the remodeling of water and sanitation systems in residential buildings. By using a secondary water quality, the drinking water demand could even be reduced by 50%. In the case of an area-wide application, the overall fresh water demand of cities and the exploitation of fresh water resources could be significantly reduced. Due to the comparability of the domestic water use of the investigated households, the findings are internationally transferable, for example to countries in Europe, Asia, and also the USA.
Studies in a variety of species have reported enhanced prosocial effects after an acute administration of the neuromodulating hormone, oxytocin (OT). Although the exact mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood, there is broad interest in developing OT into a treatment for social deficits. Only a few studies, however, have examined the effects of OT if given repeatedly during early development, the period when early intervention is likely to have the greatest benefits for reversing the progression towards social impairment. Those studies, exclusively in rodents, report mixed results. Some have shown enhancement of prosocial behavior, including increased social exploration, but others have shown antisocial effects, including increased aggression. In the present study, infant rhesus macaques were treated with a high-frequency (3 x per week) or low-frequency (1 x per week) dose of intranasal oxytocin (IN-OT) or placebo (IN-saline) between two and six months of age, after which their reactions to dynamic facial expressions (neutral, lipsmacking and threats) were measured. Results showed that IN-OT, compared to placebo, increased the time monkeys spent viewing the expression videos, but selectively reduced attention to the eyes in neutral faces in a dose dependent manner. The mechanism for this non-prosocial effect may be that repeated IN-OT administration down-regulates the expression of OT receptors in brain regions important for regulating social attention. Consequently, our results raise questions about the efficacy of implementing chronic IN-OT as a pharmacotherapy for the treatment of social deficits, particularly if given early in development. More work is needed, not only to identify optimal treatment schedules, but also to understand how IN-OT exerts its influences on the brain and behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes a novel dual-consequent-pole Vernier memory machine (DCP-VMM) featuring alternatively arranged NdFeB and low coercive-force (LCF) magnet poles on the rotating and stationary sides, respectively. Due to the presence of LCF magnets that can be repetitively magnetized or demagnetized via a simple current pulse, the extra-high torque density at low-speed, and excellent high-efficient high-speed flux-weakening performance can be simultaneously realized. The configuration and operating principle, as well as the design considerations of the proposed machine are introduced, respectively. The finite element method (FEM) coupled with a nonlinear analytical hysteresis model for LCF magnets is employed to investigate the electromagnetic performance of the machine, which verifies the effectiveness of machine design and the feasibility as a competent candidate for automotive applications.
Giardia duodenalis is a flagellated intestinal protozoan responsible for infections in various hosts including humans and several wild and domestic animals. Few studies have correlated environmental contamination and clinical infections in the same region. The aim of this study was to compare groups of Giardia duodenalis from clinical and environmental sources through population genetic analyses to verify haplotype sharing and the degree of genetic similarity among populations from clinical and environmental sources in the metropolitan region of Campinas. The results showed high diversity of haplotypes and substantial genetic similarity between clinical and environmental groups of G.duodenalis. We demonstrated sharing of Giardia genotypes among the different populations studied. The comparison between veterinary and human sequences led us to identify new zoonotic genotypes, including human isolates from genetic assemblage C. The application of a population genetic analysis in epidemiological studies allows quantification of the degree of genetic similarity among populations of Giardia duodenalis from different sources of contamination. The genetic similarity of Giardia isolates among human, veterinary, and environmental groups reinforced the correlation between clinical and environmental isolates in this region, which is of great importance for public health.
Computerized obstructive sleep apnea detection is necessary to speed-up sleep apnea diagnosis and research and for assisting medical professionals. Moreover, the development of a device to monitor sleep apnea that is low-power and portable, requires a reliable and successful sleep apnea detection scheme. In this article, the problem of automated sleep apnea detection using singe-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) signals has been addressed. At first, segments of ECG signals are decomposed using a data-adaptive signal decomposition scheme, namely- tunable-Q factor wavelet transform (TQWT). Three statistical features are extracted from the TQWT sub-bands and train and test matrices are formed afterwards. These matrices are fed into the classifier to identify non-apneic and apneic ECG signal segments. In this work, a new machine learning algorithm, namely random under sampling boosting (RUSBoost) is implemented to perform classification. This is for the first time TQWT along with RUSBoost is employed for automatic sleep apnea detection to our knowledge. The overall algorithmic performance of our method is inspected for various values of TQWT parameters. Optimal values of these parameters are investigated and determined. The efficacy and appropriateness of RUSBoost are demonstrated as opposed to the commonly used classification models. The algorithmic performance of our sleep apnea identification scheme is also evaluated against existing detection algorithms in the literature. Experimental outcomes manifest that our sleep apnea identification scheme performs better than the existing works in sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. It can be anticipated that owing to its use of only one channel of ECG signal, the proposed method will be ideal for device implementation, eliminate the onus of clinicians of analyzing a large bulk of data manually, and expedite sleep apnea diagnosis.
In this paper, a new control structure is presented to extract maximum power from a wind regime. In this novel approach, a discrete-time higher order sliding-mode controller is designed as an observer to construct the reference value for the extractable power based on the condition that it operates. This is possible by tracking the optimal tip speed ratio with manipulating the voltages of the rotor in the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) configuration. The presented structure improves the performance under abrupt changes in the wind speed and can be used for any type of optimum active power tracking algorithms. The simulations show the significant improvement in performance of the nonlinear discrete-time backstepping controller utilizing this technique.
Local scour around seabed oil, gas or water pipelines can critically affect their stability. Accurate estimation of scour around pipelines is therefore a key topic of research for marine engineers. This paper presents results from a numerical study of clear-water scour depth below a submarine pipeline for a range of steady flow conditions. The flow field around a pipeline under scour equilibrium conditions was numerically simulated by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the standard k-epsilon turbulence closure. The flow discharge through the scour hole for various flow conditions was then investigated, and the results were used to establish the relationship between the flow discharge and the maximum scour depth. By incorporating the Colebrook-White equation, the bed shear stress was obtained and an iterative method was developed to predict the scour depth around the pipeline. The calculated scour depths using the proposed method agreed well with laboratory measurements, with the average absolute relative error being smaller than that obtained by using previous methods. Therefore, this proposed method can be used to predict the clear-water scour around submarine pipelines with improved accuracy.
A study was conducted to determine the financial and environmental effects of water quality on rainwater harvesting systems. The potential for replacing tap water used in washing machines with rainwater was studied, and then analysis presented in this paper is valid for applications that include washing machines where tap water hardness may be important A wide range of weather conditions, such as rainfall (284-1794 mm/year); water hardness (14-315 mg/L CaCO3); tap water prices (0.85-2.65 Euros/m(3)) in different Spanish urban areas (from individual buildings to whole neighbourhoods); and other scenarios (including materials and water storage capacity) were analysed. Rainfall was essential for rainwater harvesting, but the tap water prices and the water hardness were the main factors for consideration in the financial and the environmental analyses, respectively. The local tap water hardness and prices can cause greater financial and environmental impacts than the type of material used for the water storage tank or the volume of the tank. The use of rainwater as a substitute for hard water in washing machines favours financial analysis. Although tap water hardness significantly affects the financial analysis, the greatest effect was found in the environmental analysis. When hard tap water needed to be replaced, it was found that a water price of 1 Euro/m(3) could render the use of rainwater financially feasible when using large-scale rainwater harvesting systems. When the water hardness was greater than 300 mg/L CaCO3, a financial analysis revealed that an net present value greater than 270 Euros/dwelling could be obtained at the neighbourhood scale, and there could be a reduction in the Global Warming Potential (100 years) ranging between 35 and 101 kg CO2 eq./dwelling/year. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Membrane transporters enable efficient cellular metabolism, aid in nutrient sensing, and have been associated with various diseases, such as obesity and cancer. Genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions capture genomic, physiological, and biochemical knowledge of a target organism, along with a detailed representation of the cellular metabolite transport mechanisms. Since the first reconstruction of human metabolism, Recon 1, published in 2007, progress has been made in the field of metabolite transport. Recently, we published an updated reconstruction, Recon 2, which significantly improved the metabolic coverage and functionality. Human metabolic reconstructions have been used to investigate the role of metabolism in disease and to predict biomarkers and drug targets. Given the importance of cellular transport systems in understanding human metabolism in health and disease, we analyzed the coverage of transport systems for various metabolite classes in Recon 2. We will review the current knowledge on transporters (i.e., their preferred substrates, transport mechanisms, metabolic relevance, and disease association for each metabolite class). We will assess missing coverage and propose modifications and additions through a transport module that is functional when combined with Recon 2. This information will be valuable for further refinements. These data will also provide starting points for further experiments by highlighting areas of incomplete knowledge. This review represents the first comprehensive overview of the transporters involved in central metabolism and their transport mechanisms, thus serving as a compendium of metabolite transporters specific for human metabolic reconstructions.
Palatogenesis requires a precise spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression, which is controlled by an intricate network of transcription factors and their corresponding DNA motifs. Even minor perturbations of this network may cause cleft palate, the most common congenital craniofacial defect in humans. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small regulatory non-coding RNAs, have elicited strong interest as key regulators of embryological development, and as etiological factors in disease. MiRNAs function as post-transcriptional repressors of gene expression and are therefore able to fine-tune gene regulatory networks. Several miRNAs are already identified to be involved in congenital diseases. Recent evidence from research in zebrafish and mice indicates that miRNAs are key factors in both normal palatogenesis and cleft palate formation. Here, we provide an overview of recently identified molecular mechanisms underlying palatogenesis involving specific miRNAs, and discuss how dysregulation of these miRNAs may result in cleft palate.
Glutamate transporters (EAAT) have been implicated in the drug addiction behavior. We determined whether EAAT type 3 (EAAT3) played a role in morphine addiction. Six-to eight-week-old EAAT3 knockout (EAAT3(-/-)) mice and their wild-type littermates received 3 intraperitoneal injections of 10 mg/kg morphine, each on an alternative day, to induce conditioned place preference (CPP). Two days after the place preference returned to baseline, mice received 2.5 mg/kg morphine to induce reinstatement. Some mice received intraperitoneal injection of 4 mg/kg riluzole, an EAAT activator, 30 min before morphine or saline injection. Hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area were harvested for Western analysis 24 h after the last dose of morphine was injected. Morphine induced CPP in wild-type and EAAT3(-/-)mice. Gender is not a statistically significant factor to influence this behavior. This conditioned behavior extinguished after morphine administration was stopped for 8-9 days in wild-type mice, while this extinction occurred 6 days after discontinuation of morphine injection in EAAT3(-/-)mice. A small dose of morphine similarly reinstated the conditioned behavior in the wild-type and EAAT3(-/-)mice. Riluzole abolished morphine-induced CPP during the initial place preference. Morphine increased EAAT3 expression in the plasma membrane of medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area but did not affect EAAT3 expression in the hippocampus. These results suggest that EAAT3 delays the extinction of morphine-induced CPP. EAAT activation may prevent the formation of morphine-induced CPP. (C) 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Drill stem vibration may cause drilling inefficiencies and often leads to non-productive time. Drill stem vibration analysis is performed to prevent and identify RPM values that may cause damaging standing waves in the drill stem. However, different models and assumptions give different vibration results. One simplification commonly done is excluding drilling fluids. This paper investigates the effect of including drilling hydraulics and the dynamic pressure on drill stem vibrations. The model assumes the drill stem is acting as a Euler Bernoulli beam and was discretized using a finite element formulation. Two fluid rheological models, Herschel Bulkley and Power Law, were used to determine the uncoupled dynamic pressure drop across the drill stem. The results show that including the dynamic pressure in the drill stem vibration model causes the critical rotational speeds to change as much as 32% (i.e. 59 RPM). As expected, axial and torsional vibrations are not affected, while lateral vibration changes significantly when the ratio of the wellbore diameter to the drill stem outside diameter is below 1.25, with a narrow total drill bit flow area, or when operating at high flow rates. Therefore, when creating RPM road maps to avoid vibrations while drilling, the contribution of the dynamic pressure should be included. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Dry eye is an increasingly common disease in modern society which affects a wide range of population and has a negative impact on their daily activities, such as working with computers or driving. It can be diagnosed through an automatic clinical test for tear film lipid layer classification based on color and texture analysis. Up to now, researchers have mainly focused on the improvement of the image analysis step. However, there is still large room for improvement on the machine learning side. This paper presents a methodology to optimize this problem by means of class binarization, feature selection, and classification. The methodology can be used as a baseline in other classification problems to provide several solutions and evaluate their performance using a set of representative metrics and decision-making methods. When several decision-making methods are used, they may offer disagreeing rankings that will be solved by conflict handling in which rankings are merged into a single one. The experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in this domain. Also, its general purpose allows to adapt it to other classification problems in different fields such as medicine and biology.
Freshwater resources scarcity is becoming a limiting factor for development and sustenance in most parts of Ethiopia. The Debre Mewi watershed, in northwest Ethiopia, is one of such areas where the need for supplemental water supply through rainwater harvesting is essential. Suitable water harvesting sites were identified through overlay analysis considering both social and technical parameters, such as land use/land cover, slope gradient, soil texture, flow accumulation and stakeholders' priority. This was performed with the integration of GIS and remote sensing applications. Knowledge of runoff resulting from rainfall is most important for designing any water harvesting structure. Direct field-level measurement of runoff is always good, but it is time consuming, labour intensive and expensive. In conditions where direct measurement of runoff could not be possible, remote sensing technology and GIS combined with runoff models are proven to be effective. In this study, the remotely sensed satellite data (Quickbird2) provided spatial information on land use/land cover. Precipitation was obtained from the nearest meteorological station, and soil data were acquired form laboratory analysis. The GIS tools were used to store, manipulate and estimate runoff depth, surface storage and runoff volume, applying Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Curve Number (CN) formula. The direct runoff volume estimated using SCS-CN model is 146,697 m(3) for the month of August, at Debre Mewi watershed, which covers about 508 ha. The result was compared with measured values, and closer relationship was found. This indicates that there is enough runoff water to be harvested for different uses. Remote sensing was found to be a very important tool in providing input parameters. GIS was also found to be a very important tool in mapping and integrating the different variables, in the process of runoff estimation and suitable water harvesting sites selection.
Flanders' Hilbert space or finite power theory of infinite networks was extended to 1-networks by Zemanian. A new approach uses approximation by finite networks, a-priori bounds from no-gain properties, and Arzela-Ascoli, in a continuous function space. This paper compares, contrasts and reconciles these existence and uniqueness theories.
1-Phenyl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)octan-1-one (PV9) and 16 metabolites, including diastereomers and conjugates, were identified or tentatively detected in human urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. These urinary metabolites indicated that the metabolic pathways of PV9 include: (1) the reduction of ketone groups to their corresponding alcohols; (2) oxidation of the pyrrolidine ring to the corresponding pyrrolidone; (3) aliphatic oxidation of the terminal carbon atom to the corresponding carboxylate form, possibly through an alcohol intermediate (not detected); and (4) hydroxylation at the penultimate carbon atom to the corresponding alcohols followed by further oxidation to ketones, and combinations of these steps. In addition, results from the quantitative analyses of five phase-I metabolites using newly synthesized authentic standards suggested that the main metabolic pathway includes the aliphatic oxidation of terminal and/or penultimate carbons. Human metabolism of PV9 differed significantly from those of alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone and alpha-pyrrolidinobutiophenone, suggesting that the main metabolic pathways of alpha-pyrrolidinophenones significantly change depending on the alkyl chain length of the parent molecule.
The study examined third-party listeners' ability to detect the Hellos spoken to prevalidated happy, neutral, and sad facial expressions. The average detection accuracies from the happy and sad (HS), happy and neutral (HN), and sad and neutral (SN) listening tests followed the average vocal pitch differences between the two sets of Hellos in each of the tests; HS and HN detection accuracies were above chance reflecting the significant pitch differences between the respective Hellos. The SN detection accuracy was at chance reflecting the lack of pitch difference between sad and neutral Hellos. As expected, the SN detection accuracy positively correlated with theory of mind; participating in these tests has been likened to the act of eavesdropping, which has been discussed from an evolutionary perspective. An unexpected negative correlation between the HS detection accuracy and the empathy quotient has been discussed with respect to autism research on empathy and pitch discrimination.
As Chronic Kidney Disease progresses slowly, early detection and effective treatment are the only cure to reduce the mortality rate. Machine learning techniques are gaining significance in medical diagnosis because of their classification ability with high accuracy rates. The accuracy of classification algorithms depend on the use of correct feature selection algorithms to reduce the dimension of datasets. In this study, Support Vector Machine classification algorithm was used to diagnose Chronic Kidney Disease. To diagnose the Chronic Kidney Disease, two essential types of feature selection methods namely, wrapper and filter approaches were chosen to reduce the dimension of Chronic Kidney Disease dataset. In wrapper approach, classifier subset evaluator with greedy stepwise search engine and wrapper subset evaluator with the Best First search engine were used. In filter approach, correlation feature selection subset evaluator with greedy stepwise search engine and filtered subset evaluator with the Best First search engine were used. The results showed that the Support Vector Machine classifier by using filtered subset evaluator with the Best First search engine feature selection method has higher accuracy rate (98.5%) in the diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease compared to other selected methods.
The difficulty of retrieving the abutment screw is a major disadvantage of cement-retained implant restorations. Conventional methods for locating the screw-access hole are based largely on radiography or manual labor, which limits accuracy and clinical feasibility. This clinical report describes a non-radiological method for fabricating an accurate drilling guide for location of the screw channel using intraoral optical scanning, 3D superimposition, and computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies. The present technique not only improves the guide fabrication process and the accuracy of screw-channel drilling, but also has wide indications for implant restorations.
Little is known about the role of flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) in the metabolism of xenobiotics. FMO3 is the isoform in adult human liver with the highest impact on drug metabolism. The aim of the presented study was to elucidate the contribution of human FMO3 to the N-oxygenation of selected therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse (DOAs). Its contribution to the in vivo hepatic net clearance of the N-oxygenation products was calculated by application of an extended relative activity factor (RAF) approach to differentiate from contribution of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms. FMO3 and CYP substrates were identified using pooled human liver microsomes after heat inactivation and chemical inhibition, or single enzyme incubations. Kinetic parameters were subsequently determined using recombinant human enzymes and mass spectrometric analysis via authentic reference standards or simple peak areas of the products divided by those of the internal standard. FMO3 was identified as enzyme mainly responsible for the formation of N,N-diallyltryptamine N-oxide and methamphetamine hydroxylamine (>80% contribution for both). A contribution of 50 and 30% was calculated for the formation of N,N-dimethyltryptamine N-oxide and methoxypiperamide N-oxide, respectively. However, FMO3 contributed with less than 5% to the formation of 3-bromomethcathinone hydroxylamine, amitriptyline N-oxide, and clozapine N-oxide. There was no significant difference in the contributions when using calibrations with reference metabolite standards or peak area ratio calculations. The successful application of a modified RAF approach including FMO3 proved the importance of FMO3 in the N-oxygenation of DOAs in human metabolism. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research on language attitudes has shown that speech style plays an important role in social evaluation. In Croatia, English words commonly occur in everyday communication, which could affect the way we perceive other people. This study aims to investigate the relation between English words and person perception. 200 Croatian elementary school students, adolescents and young adults were given one of the three versions of the same text, varying in the frequency of English words, and a questionnaire to evaluate personal characteristics of the author of the text. The results showed that frequent use of English words was related to higher estimations of social attractiveness, indicating that the use of English words has become an important cue in person perception. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper will show the correlation between the shear tensile test and the direct shear test within the field of geosynthetic clay liners (Gas). It will be proven that the former may serve as a substitute for the latter, but only for the adhesion value. GCLs are clay mineral sealing layers widespread used. They can be used in waste and contaminated soil caps and closures, landfill base liners, gas and vapor seals, vertical barriers, etc. GCLs often have bentonite encased between two geotextile layers connected by fibers, either by needle-punching or stitch-bonding. The results from peel tests and shear box tests are currently used for establishing the internal shear failure of GCLs. This paper analyzes the mechanical shear behavior of needle-punched GCLs (NP GCLs) in a zero stress condition. On the one hand, a large direct shear test (ASTM 6243-09) on NP GCLs specimens was used to study its shear behavior, specifically, assessing the adhesion value. On the other hand, the shear tensile test, showed by Maubeuge and Ehrenberg (Maubeuge, K.P., Ehrenberg, H., 2000. Comparison of peel bond and shear tensile test methods for needle-punched geosynthetic clay liners. Geotextiles and Geomembranes 18(2-4), 203-214), was used to study the shear tensile strength. Comparing both test methods, an average shear tensile value of 32 kPa was obtained which is closer to the average adhesion value of 30 kPa. The dominant failure mechanisms are not depending on the test conditions (e.g. dry or hydrated conditions). However, it strongly depends on the type of carrier geotextiles and their connections. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In line with the trend toward continuous miniaturization and price reduction, it is crucial to analyze the impact of uncertainties on the performance of electrical circuits. Performance is evaluated for the worst-case scenario and in the frequency domain by computing upper and lower bounds. The purpose is not only to propose a method for the worst-case tolerance analysis but also to provide an efficient and a suitable tool for electrical engineers that can be easily applied to realistic electrical engineering problems. The proposed method is based on the robust analysis method (so-called mu-analysis) for which well known and efficient algorithms exist. However in order to apply it, the problem under consideration has to be transformed in a standard minimal so-called LFT representation. Its derivation is a difficult task even for control systems engineers. This paper proposes a transparent and systematic LFT derivation procedure for users based only on their knowledge of electrical engineering. At the end of this paper, an industrial example is provided, which reveals the benefits and the efficiency of the proposed approach, and how it can be applied to any linear electrical circuit.
Security is a major concern in all computing environments. One way to achieve security is to deploy a secure operating system (OS). A trusted OS can actually secure all the resources and can resist the vulnerabilities and attacks effectively. In this paper, our contribution is twofold. Firstly, we critically analyze the host vulnerabilities in modern desktop OSs. We group existing approaches and provide an easy and concise view of different security models adapted by most widely used OSs. The comparison of several OSs regarding structure, architecture, mode of working, and security models also form part of the paper. Secondly, we use the current usage statistics for Windows, Linux, and MAC OSs and predict their future. Our forecast will help the designers, developers and users of the different OSs to prepare for the upcoming years accordingly.
Large Wind Parks (WPs) are an essential priority, mainly in non-residential districts. Especially the offshore WPs, in areas with valuable energy potential, without legislation prohibits and without causing disturbance to the nearby community, could release enormous land for other uses (culture, recreation areas, tourism, etc.). The aim of this paper is to present a methodology for the sustainable siting of an offshore WP based on legal limitations, with a particular respect of ecological and economic resources using as example the island of Crete. It will also be considered the visual, acoustic and aesthetic disturbance of the coastal area residents and visitors and integrate them into the context. One of the essential issues that make the region unique is the undersea relief, which makes difficult the numerous and large-scale intervention, because some areas are strictly protected by the EU. Three steps have been followed: (i) exception of unsuitable areas (geological restrictions, visual and acoustical disturb and safety and of course due to environmental conditions); (ii) evaluation of environmental impacts on birdlife, Special Protection Areas and Sites of Community Importance; (iii) assessment of wind potential and needs of electricity in the regional unit of Chania, in the Western Crete. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rheumatoid patients with injuries are treated by orthopaedic rheumatologists as well as trauma surgeons. Surgeons must take account of numerous factors that influence the treatment of this special patient population, e. g. immunosuppressive drugs, severe osteoporosis, atrophy of the skin, subcutaneous fat and muscles joint instability and arteriosclerosis. This requires knowledge in immunology, pharmacology and the entire spectrum of internal medicine, as well as special care in the treatment of vulnerable tissues. In polytrauma patients with inflammatory diseases, rheuma toid serositis may be misinterpreted with a lethal outcome. Because of the high lethality, vertebral fractures related to ankylosing spondylitis have to be treated very carefully. Instability of the cervical spine, especially the atlantooccipital and atlantoaxial joints, is common in long-standing rheumatoid arthritis, and manipulation of the cervical spine may lead to cervical cord injury with respiratory arrest.
In 2012 the 36,5 km long section of the expressway S7 between the Polish villages Paslek and Milomlyn was completed. The road alignment partially crossed up to 11 m thick organic soil formations showing a consistency in the range of plastic to soft plastic. Therefore subsoil improvement measures such as unreinforced full displacement concrete piles and a geotextile reinforced embankment were designed by the owner. Despite the executed soil improvement measures only seven months after the release for traffic settlements up to 70 cm occurred along a 35 m long section of the expressway. Utilizing 2D Finite Element Method as well as comparative calculations using conventional methods a failure back analysis was conducted by Zentrale Technik - Technical Office Vienna. The article at hand focusses on the executed assessment of damage as well as on the results of the performed failure analyses and furthermore the elaborated restoring concepts and the restoring measure executed on site are presented.
Former studies suggest that the core features of psychopathy, namely the callous-unemotional (CU) traits are associated with emotional dysfunction characterized by atypical processing of other people's distress. Using a dimensional approach to CU traits, the current study aims to test neural activity during performance of a facial expression recognition task in a community sample of young adults. Forty-one participants (25 females, M age = 25.44, SD = 4.03) completed the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected to measure neural responses to fearful, happy and sad faces as compared with neutral facial expressions. Region-of-interest analyses revealed that during exposure to fearful face expressions, blood oxygenation level-dependent responses were negatively associated with CU traits in the right anterior cingulate gyms (ACCg), but not in the amygdala. These findings support that CU traits are related to a unique neural response to fearful faces in noncriminal population as well. It also highlights the importance of taking into account other regions outside the amygdala, in particular the ACC, when testing the relation between CU traits and fear response. 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Cell tracking plays crucial role in biomedical and computer vision areas. As cells generally have frequent deformation activities and small sizes in microscope image, tracking the non-rigid and non-significant cells is quite difficult in practice. Traditional visual tracking methods have good performances on tracking rigid and significant visual objects, however, they are not suitable for cell tracking problem. In this paper, a novel cell tracking method is proposed by using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) as well as multi-task learning (MTL) techniques. The CNNs learn robust cell features and MTL improves the generalization performance of the tracking. The proposed cell tracking method consists of a particle filter motion model, a multi-task learning observation model, and an optimized model update strategy. In the training procedure, the cell tracking is divided into an online tracking task and an accompanying classification task using the MTL technique. The observation model is trained by building a CNN to learn robust cell features. The tracking procedure is started by assigning the cell position in the first frame of a microscope image sequence. Then, the particle filter model is applied to produce a set of candidate bounding boxes in the subsequent frames. The trained observation model provides the confidence probabilities corresponding to all of the candidates and selects the candidate with the highest probability as the final prediction. Finally, an optimized model update strategy is proposed to enable the multi-task observation model for the variation of the tracked cell over the entire tracking procedure. The performance and robustness of the proposed method are analyzed by comparing with other commonly-used methods. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has good performance to the cell tracking problem. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A numerical model is developed in the framework of OpenFOAM; an open source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation code to simulate particle laden dense flows. The model uses discrete element method (DEM) for the discrete/particle phase and computational fluid dynamics approach (CFD) for the fluid/continuum phase. In current study, validation of the model is done in two steps. In first step the drag model is validated by comparing the results of settling velocity of spherical particle. In second step, spout fluidization test cases with different operating conditions are simulated and results of numerical simulation of spout-fluidized bed are compared against experimental and simulation results reported in literature. The isosurface plots of solid volume fraction show a good qualitative prediction of different flow regimes. The particle velocity profiles in the vertical direction for different test cases corresponding to different flow regimes are plotted and compared with the literature data. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with the experimental and numerical results reported in the literature. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mobility management has become a core function in internet services and networks as mobile devices have been widely used and their capabilities have dramatically advanced. It is expected that proxy mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6), which is the most prominent solution, will play an important role in supporting these devices' mobility. To protect PMIPv6 networks, several authentication schemes have been presented. However, due to their static approach, the existing schemes failed to keep a good balance between security and efficiency. Motivated by this, the authors study an adaptive authentication scheme for mobile devices in PMIPv6 networks. In particular, the proposed scheme considers mobile nodes' context information to decide authentication strength, based on which adaptive authentication is performed. It is shown from the formal security verification and the example study that the proposed scheme is not only correct, but also achieves a good trade-off between security and efficiency
Background: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome results from bi-allelic inheritance of mutations affecting the key DNA mismatch repair genes: MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2. Individuals with bi-allelic mutations have a dysfunctional mismatch repair system from birth; as a result, constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome is characterised by early onset malignancies. Fewer than 150 cases have been reported in the literature over the past 20 years. This is the first report of the founder PMS2 mutation - NM_000535.5: c.1500del (p.Val501TrpfsTer94) in exon 11 and its associated cancers in this family. Case presentation: The proband is 30 years old and is alive today. She is of Pakistani ethnic origin and a product of consanguinity. She initially presented aged 24 with painless bleeding per-rectum from colorectal polyps and was referred to clinical genetics. Clinical examination revealed two cafe-au-lait lesions, lichen planus, and a dermoid cyst. Her sister had been diagnosed in childhood with an aggressive brain tumour followed by colorectal cancer. During follow up, the proband developed 37 colorectal adenomatous polyps, synchronous ovarian and endometrial adenocarcinomas, and ultimately a metachronous gastric adenocarcinoma. DNA sequencing of peripheral lymphocytes revealed a bi-allelic inheritance of the PMS2 mutation NM_000535.5:c.1500del (p.Val501TrpfsTer94) in exon 11. Ovarian tumour tissue demonstrated low microsatellite instability. To date, she has had a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and a total gastrectomy. Aspirin and oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy provide some chemoprophylaxis and manage postmenopausal symptoms, respectively. An 18-monthly colonoscopy surveillance programme has led to the excision of three high-grade dysplastic colorectal tubular adenomatous polyps. The proband's family pedigree displays multiple relatives with cancers including a likely case of 'true' Turcot syndrome. Conclusions: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome should be considered in patients who present with early onset cancer, a strong family history of cancer, and cutaneous features resembling neurofibromatosis type I. Immunohistochemistry analysis of tumour and normal tissue is sensitive and specific for identifying patients with mismatch repair deficiency and should direct DNA sequencing of lymphocytic tissue to establish a diagnosis. Microsatellite instability status appears to be of little value in identifying patients who may have constitutional mismatch repair deficiency syndrome.
The primary aim was to determine the efficacy of the Distress Thermometer (DT) in screening for anxiety and mood problems against the University of Washington Quality of Life, version 4 (UWQOL). Secondary aims were to evaluate the association between demographic, clinical and health-related QOL variables with significant distress. Two hundred and sixty one disease-free HNC ambulatory patients attending routine follow-up clinics were prospectively recruited. Both DT and UWQOL were completed pre-consultation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses of DT score for anxiety dysfunction yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.877, with a sensitivity of 84% (43/51) and specificity of 76% (159/210) for a DT cut-off of ae4; with a corresponding AUC of 0.825 for mood with sensitivity 78% (28/36) and specificity 71% (159/225). Treatment with radiotherapy and a longer consultation time were associated with significant distress (DT ae4). Significant distress was also reported in two third of those reporting less than Good overall QOL. Distress levels were particularly associated with poor Social-Emotional function, more so than the association seen with poor physical function. DT is a reasonable screening tool for distress in the HNC population. The DT cut-off score ae4 was effective in identifying those with significant distress. Significant distress is associated in survivors with poor health-related quality of life, those who received radiotherapy and patients who have longer consultation times in clinic.
The cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) is an assessable physicochemical property used to evaluate the microbial adhesion to the surface of biomaterials, which is an essential step in the microbial biofilm formation and pathogenesis. For the present in vitro fermentation experiment, the CSH of ruminal mixed microbes was considered, along with other data records of pH, ammonia-nitrogen concentration, and neutral detergent fibre digestibility, conditions of surface tension and specific surface area in two different time scales. A dataset of 170,707 perturbations of input variables, grouped into two blocks of data, was constructed. Next, Expected Measurement Moving Average - Machine Learning (EMMA-ML) models were developed in order to predict CSH after perturbations,of all input variables. EMMA-ML is a Perturbation Theory method that combines the ideas of Expected Measurement, Box Jenkins Operators/Moving Average, and Time Series Analysis. Seven regression methods have been tested: Multiple Linear regression, Generalized Linear Model with Stepwise Feature Selection, Partial Least Squares regression, Lasso regression, Elastic Net regression, Neural Networks regression, and Random Forests (RF). The best regression performance has been obtained with RF (EMMA-RF model) with an R-squared of 0.992. The model analysis has shown that CSH values were highly dependent on the in vitro fermentation parameters of detergent fibre digestibility, ammonia - nitrogen concentration, and the expected values of cell surface hydrophobicity in the first time scale. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Orexin-1 receptors (Ox1Rs) have been implicated in the motivation for drugs of abuse. Here, we utilized a within-session behavioral-economics threshold procedure to screen for individual differences in economic demand for the ultra-short-acting opioid remifentanil and to test whether antagonism of Ox1Rs reduces remifentanil demand. The behavioral-economics procedure revealed robust individual differences in free consumption of remifentanil (Q(0) parameter; hedonic set point). Rats with low baseline Q(0) (low takers) displayed high demand elasticity (parameter; reduced responding as drug price increased indicating low motivation for drug), whereas subjects with a higher Q(0) (high takers) exhibit low demand elasticity (low ) by continuing to self-administer remifentanil despite increased cost (reflecting higher motivation for drug). In a punished responding paradigm utilizing footshock, subjects that were classified as high takers at baseline withstood twice as much shock as low takers to continue self-administering remifentanil. Interestingly, Ox1R antagonism with SB-334867 reduced Q(0) and increased in low takers but not in high takers. Similarly, the Ox1R antagonist attenuated cue-induced, but not drug-induced, reinstatement of remifentanil seeking in low takers but had no significant effect on reinstatement of drug seeking in high takers. Together, these data reveal a novel role of orexins in demand for remifentanil: Ox1Rs modulate demand in low takers but not in individuals that exhibit addictive-like behaviors (high takers). Finally, the behavioral assays in this study can serve as a novel laboratory model for studying individual differences in opioid use disorders.
Background: Children do not always outgrow hen's egg allergies in early childhood. Because egg yolks are less allergenic than egg whites, we performed an oral food challenge with heated egg yolk slightly contaminated with egg white (EYSEW OFC) in infants allergic to hen's egg. We hypothesized that the EYSEW OFC results would predict the egg allergy's natural course. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed participants with hen's egg allergy who underwent their first EYSEW OFC at 12-23 months of age between 2004 and 2010. Participants who passed the first EYSEW OFC were defined as EYSEW-tolerant, and participants who failed the OFC were defined as EYSEW-reactive. Participants who passed the EYSEW OFC underwent an OFC with half of a heated whole egg (WE OFC). Participants who passed a WE OFC were defined to be heated hen's egg-tolerant. Participants who failed the EYSEW OFC or the WE OFC underwent another OFC at least 6 months later. We compared tolerance to heated hen's egg at 36 months after the first EYSEW OFC between EYSEW-tolerant and EYSEW-reactive participants. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Of the 197 included participants (median age: 18.3 months; range: 12.1-23.8 months), 179 (90.9 %) were EYSEW tolerant and 18 (9.1 %) were EYSEW reactive. At 36 months after the first EYSEW OFC, 164 EYSEW-tolerant (91.6 %) and 12 EYSEW-reactive participants (66.7 %) achieved heated hen's egg tolerance. In the univariate logistic regression analyses, EYSEW-reactive participants (crude odds ratio [OR], 5.5 [95 % confidence intervals [CI], 1.8-16.6]; p = 0.003) and those with baseline egg white sIgE levels (crude OR: 3.9 per ten-fold increase [95 % CI, 1.5-10.2]; p = 0.005) had greater odds of persistent allergy to hen's egg at 36 months after the first EYSEW OFC. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjustment for baseline egg white sIgE, EYSEW-reactive participants had greater odds of persistent allergy to hen's egg than EYSEW-tolerant participants (adjusted OR: 4.6 [95 % CI, 1.5-15.0]; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Classifying infants who are allergic to hen's egg into EYSEW tolerant and EYSEW reactive groups was useful in determining prognosis.
The degradation of urban river ecosystems presents a serious threat to sustainable urban development. Consequently, extensive efforts have been devoted to the ecological restoration of urban rivers worldwide. This study evaluates the environmental externalities associated with water pollution and river restoration in Guangzhou in southern China. A basic hedonic pricing model is applied to test hypotheses using a sample of 968 apartment transaction records during July-December 2013. Results show that river restoration could reverse negative externalities of polluted watercourses to positive externalities, especially for those apartments located on the 10th floor or lower. Water quality improvement from polluted non-recreational water (Grade V or worse) to non-body contact recreational water (Grade IV) could increase apartment values by 0.9%. River restoration (including river bank greening and water quality improvement) could increase property values by 4.61%, demonstrating a preference of Guangzhou residents for greening riverscapes. This study could hopefully provide a scientific basis for urban river governance for communities and decision-makers, and serve as a reference case to elucidate human preferences about river restoration in rapidly developing countries. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents an integrated error propagation analysis method to estimate the measurement uncertainty using Monte Carlo method in order to analyze the measurement accuracy of an H-drive stage with air bearing during high acceleration subjected to the influence of a variety of errors, including straightness errors, thermal errors, deformation errors and air bearing gap change errors caused by acceleration force. Firstly, the integrated error propagation model of an H-drive stage is built combined with the effects of the various error sources based on the multi-body system and instrument precision theory. Then these errors are identified by experiments and finite element analysis and the influence of each error in six degrees of freedom displacement is obtained. Finally, the displacement measurement uncertainty of the stage in the reference coordinate system is evaluated by Monte Carlo method, within 95% probability, the displacement measurement results and the expanded uncertainty in x and y directions are calculated x=(165.000 +/- 0.064) mm and y=(195.000 +/- 0.054) mm respectively. The proposed method can be used in the error budget of precise machine design and applied in error compensation to improve the measurement and control accuracy of precise machine workpiece stage. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The tractability of the budding yeast genome has provided many insights into the fundamental mechanisms regulating cellular life. With the advent of synthetic biology and single-cell measurements, novel tools are required to manipulate the yeast genome in a more controlled manner. We present, here, a new family of yeast shuttle vectors called single integration vectors (pSIV). Upon transformation in yeast, these plasmids replace the entire deficient auxotrophy marker locus by a cassette containing an exogenous marker. As shown using flow cytometry, this complete replacement results in a unique integration of the desired DNA fragment at the marker locus. In addition, a second transcriptional unit can be inserted to achieve the simultaneous integration of two constructs. The selection marker cassettes, present in the pSIV, were also used to generate a complete set of gene tagging plasmids (pGT) encompassing a large palette of fluorescent proteins, from a cyan fluorescent protein to a near-infrared tandem dimer red fluorescent protein. These tagging cassettes are orthogonal to each other thanks to the use of different TEF promoter and terminator couples, thereby avoiding marker cassette switching and favoring integration in the desired locus. In summary, we have created two sets of robust molecular tools for the precise genetic manipulation of the budding yeast.
Laser sintered technology has been introduced for clinical use and can be utilized more widely, accompanied by the digitalization of dentistry and the development of direct oral scanning devices. This study was performed with the aim of comparing the marginal accuracy and internal fit of Co-Cr alloy copings fabricated by casting, CAD/CAM (Computer-aided design/Computer-assisted manufacture) milled, and 3-D laser sintered techniques. A total of 36 Co-Cr alloy crown-copings were fabricated from an implant abutment. The marginal and internal fit were evaluated by measuring the weight of the silicone material, the vertical marginal discrepancy using a microscope, and the internal gap in the sectioned specimens. The data were statistically analyzed by One-way ANOVA (analysis of variance), a Scheffe's test, and Pearson's correlation at the significance level of p = 0.05, using statistics software. The silicone weight was significantly low in the casting group. The 3-D laser sintered group showed the highest vertical discrepancy, and marginal-, occlusal-, and average-internal gaps (p < 0.05). The CAD/CAM milled group revealed a significantly high axial internal gap. There are moderate correlations between the vertical marginal discrepancy and the internal gap variables (r = 0.654), except for the silicone weight. In this study, the 3-D laser sintered group achieved clinically acceptable marginal accuracy and internal fit.
Large-scale severe natural disturbance events drive spatial and temporal patterns of forests by altering forest structure, composition, and functions. In the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany, windthrow events led to large disturbances caused by the European bark beetle (Ips typographus L.). Until recently, it was assumed that at the initial stage of regeneration, trees tend to form a homogeneous stand structure, whereas structural heterogeneity is an attribute of later developmental stages. Yet recent studies provide evidence that under certain conditions structural heterogeneity can arise much earlier in stand development. Here we combined LiDAR data and forest growth modeling based on individual trees to develop a workflow for studying forest development in post -disturbed areas in the upper montane regions of the national park. The current forest structure was derived from LiDAR data of individually detected trees and a set of forest structural attributes were derived. The results served as input to simulate tree development spatio-temporally for a period of 80 years. Several spatial statistics, including landscape and spatial point pattern metrics, were calculated to assess the structural heterogeneity. The results showed that naturally regenerating forests on post-disturbed sites reveal structural heterogeneity already at the early-seral stage. Moreover, a significant portion of the eventual old -growth structural heterogeneity might already be determined in the early successional stages. Our workflow highlights the use of multi-sensor aerial remote sensing to provide detailed structural information useful for the investigation of early-phase forest dynamics. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In discretely fractured reservoirs such as those found in Enhanced/Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS), knowledge of the fracture network is important in understanding the thermal hydraulics, i.e., how the fluid flows and the resulting temporal evolution of the subsurface temperature. The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical model of the fluid flow and heat transport in a discretely fractured network that can be used for a wide range of modeling applications and serve as an alternative analysis tool to more computationally intensive numerical codes. Given the connectivity and structure of a fracture network, the flow in the system was solved using a linear system of algebraic equations for the pressure at the nodes of the network. With the flow determined, the temperature in the fracture was solved by coupling convective heat transport in the fracture with one-dimensional heat conduction perpendicular to the fracture, employing the Green's function derived solution for a single discrete fracture. The predicted temperatures along the fracture surfaces from the analytical solution were compared to numerical simulations using the TOUGH2 reservoir code. Through two case studies, we showed the capabilities of the analytical model and explored the effect of uncertainty in the fracture apertures and network structure on thermal performance. While both sources of uncertainty independently produce large variations in production temperature, uncertainty in the network structure, whenever present, had a predominant influence on thermal performance.
Racism and racialisation can be framed as a threat to one's ontological security. This article draws from qualitative life history interviews conducted with 11 Aboriginal people who are part of an existing longitudinal health study based in the city of Brisbane. The narratives revealed that perceptions of racism and racialisation were a significant consideration for these people when asked to reflect on their identity and wellbeing over time. Though less frequently overt, racism was often seen to be perpetrated from within one's social circle, revealing the complicated process of engaging, contesting, rejecting, ignoring, minimising, avoiding and defining racism. The findings highlight the agency of Aboriginal people in adapting their behaviour to avoid or minimise the dread of ontological insecurity.
Although the vast majority of existing work on empathy focuses exclusively on the socio-emotional consequences of empathizing with others' negative emotions, mounting evidence supports the view that empathy for others' negative emotions and empathy for others' positive emotions are distinct capacities. The present work seeks to marry this burgeoning literature on the separability of positive and negative empathy to the influential literature on approach and avoidance motivation by examining how these two distinct empathic capacities relate to the (pro)social motivations to assist others to approach positivity vs. avoid negativity. The results of two studies show that whereas positive empathy is associated with an other-focused motivation to assist others to approach positive outcomes and is predictive of helping only when that help is framed as a means of propelling others toward greater positivity, negative empathy is associated with an other-focused motivation to assist others to avoid negative outcomes and is associated with helping only when that help is framed as a means of assisting others to avoid further suffering. In addition to contributing to the emerging literature on the separability of positive and negative empathy, these results also help to extend the influential approach/avoidance distinction to the domain of other-focused motivation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
When do descriptive regularities (what characteristics individuals have) become prescriptive norms (what characteristics individuals should have)? We examined children's (4-13years) and adults' use of group regularities to make prescriptive judgments, employing novel groups (Hibbles and Glerks) that engaged in morally neutral behaviors (e.g., eating different kinds of berries). Participants were introduced to conforming or non-conforming individuals (e.g., a Hibble who ate berries more typical of a Glerk). Children negatively evaluated non-conformity, with negative evaluations declining with age (Study 1). These effects were replicable across competitive and cooperative intergroup contexts (Study 2) and stemmed from reasoning about group regularities rather than reasoning about individual regularities (Study 3). These data provide new insights into children's group concepts and have important implications for understanding the development of stereotyping and norm enforcement.
Much is known about young children's helping behavior, but little is known about the underlying motivations and emotions involved. In 2 studies we found that 2-year-old children showed positive emotions of similar magnitude-as measured by changes in their postural elevation using depth sensor imaging technology-after they achieved a goal for themselves and after they helped another person achieve her goal. Conversely, children's posture decreased in elevation when their actions did not result in a positive outcome. These results suggest that for young children, working for themselves and helping others are similarly rewarding.
It has been widely accepted that reinforcement made of polyethylene and polypropylene is susceptible to creep and soil's hydraulic conductivity varies with its void ratio. However, unfortunately there is no available sensitivity analysis on time-dependent embankment behaviour taking either reinforcement viscosity or time varying hydraulic conductivity of subsoil into consideration. The influence of geosynthetic reinforcement viscosity and decreasing hydraulic conductivity with consolidation on the time-dependent performance of embankments with floating columns is investigated using a fully 3D coupled model. For an embankment at the working height corresponding to a post-consolidation polypropylene geotextile strain of about 5%, it is shown that the assumption of constant hydraulic conductivity and the failure to consider the viscous behaviour of geosynthetic reinforcement can underestimate time-dependent embankment deformations (including differential crest settlement and horizontal toe movement). The effects of factors including the foundation soil, reinforcement stiffness, column stiffness, column spacing, column type (floating and fully penetrating), and construction rate, on the time-dependent behaviour of column supported embankments are explored. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A predictive framework for the evolution of stem cell biology in 3-D is currently lacking. In this study we propose deep image informatics of the nuclear biology of stem cells to elucidate how 3-D biomaterials steer stem cell lineage phenotypes. The approach is based on high content imaging informatics to capture minute variations in the 3-D spatial organization of splicing factor SC-35 in the nucleoplasm as a marker to classify emergent cell phenotypes of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The cells were cultured in varied 3-D culture systems including hydrogels, electrospun mats and salt leached scaffolds. The approach encompasses high resolution 3-D imaging of SC-35 domains and high content image analysis (HCIA) to compute quantitative 3-D nuclear metrics for SC-35 organization in single cells in concert with machine learning approaches to construct a predictive cell-state classification model. Our findings indicate that hMSCs cultured in collagen hydrogels and induced to differentiate into osteogenic or adipogenic lineages could be classified into the three lineages (stem, adipogenic, osteogenic) with >= 80% precision and sensitivity, within 72 h. Using this framework, the augmentation of osteogenesis by scaffold design exerted by porogen leached scaffolds was also profiled within 72 h with similar to 80% high sensitivity. Furthermore, by employing 3-D SC-35 organizational metrics, differential osteogenesis induced by novel electrospun fibrous polymer mats incorporating decellularized matrix could also be elucidated and predictably modeled at just 3 days with high precision. We demonstrate that 3-D SC-35 organizational metrics can be applied to model the stem cell state in 3-D scaffolds. We propose that this methodology can robustly discern minute changes in stem cell states within complex 3-D architectures and map single cell biological readouts that are critical to assessing population level cell heterogeneity. Statement of Significance The sustained development and validation of bioactive materials relies on technologies that can sensitively discern cell response dynamics to biomaterials, while capturing cell-to-cell heterogeneity and preserving cellular native phenotypes. In this study, we illustrate the application of a novel high content image informatics platform to classify emergent human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) phenotypes in a diverse range of 3-D biomaterial scaffolds with high sensitivity and precision, and track cell responses to varied external stimuli. A major in silico innovation is the proposed image profiling technology based on unique three dimensional textural signatures of a mechanoreporter protein within the nuclei of stem cells cultured in 3-D scaffolds. This technology will accelerate the pace of high-fidelity biomaterial screening. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The dementia syndrome has been regarded a clinical diagnosis but the focus on supplemental biomarkers is increasing. An automatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetry method, NeuroQuant (R) (NQ), has been developed for use in clinical settings. Purpose: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of NQ in distinguishing Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD) from nondementia and non-AD dementia. Material and Methods: NQ was performed in 275 patients diagnosed according to the criteria of ICD-10 for AD, vascular dementia and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD); the Winblad criteria for mild cognitive impairment; the LundManchester criteria for frontotemporal dementia; and the revised consensus criteria for Lewy body dementia (LBD). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses with calculation of area under the curve (AUC) and regression analyses were carried out. Results: Forebrain parenchyma (AUC 0.82), hippocampus (AUC 0.80), and inferior lateral ventricles (AUC 0.78) yielded the highest AUCs for AD/non-dementia discrimination. Only hippocampus (AUC 0.62) and cerebellum (AUC 0.67) separated AD from non-AD dementia. Cerebellum separated AD from PDD-LBD (AUC 0.83). Separate multiple regression analyses adjusted for age and gender, showed that memory (CERAD 10-word delayed recall) (beta 0.502, P< 0.001) was more strongly associated to the hippocampus volume than the diagnostic distinction of AD versus nondementia (beta -0.392, P< 0.001). Conclusion: NQ measures could separate AD from non-dementia fairly well but generally poorer from non-AD dementia. Degree of memory impairment, age, and gender, but not diagnostic distinction, were associated to the hippocampus volume in adjusted analyses. Surprisingly, cerebellum was found relevant in separating AD from PDD-LBD.
Implicit measures of racial attitudes often assess reactions to images of individuals to infer attitudes toward an entire social category. However, an increasing amount of research indicates that responses to individuals are highly dependent on context and idiosyncratic features of individual exemplars. Thus, using images of individuals to assess beliefs about a whole social category may not be ideal. Across three time points, we predicted that using images of groups would mitigate the influence of idiosyncratic features of individual targets and, thus, provide a better measurement tool to assess beliefs about a category to which all group members belong. Results revealed that an implicit measure that presented images of Black and White groups had greater construct validity, test-retest reliability, and predictive validity as compared with an implicit measure that presented the same exemplars individually. We conclude that groups provide a window into existing beliefs about social categories.
Nonlinear stability study of the neutron coupled thermal hydraulics instability has been carried out by several researchers for boiling water reactors (BWRs). The focus of these studies has been to identify sub critical and supercritical Hopf bifurcations. Supercritical Hopf bifurcation are soft or safe due to the fact that stable limit cycles arise in linearly unstable region; linear and global stability boundaries are same for this bifurcation. It is well known that the subcritical bifurcations can be considered as hard or dangerous due to the fact that unstable limit cycles (nonlinear phenomena) exist in the (linearly) stable region. The linear stability leads to a stable equilibrium in such regions, only for infinitesimally small perturbations. However, finite perturbations lead to instability due to the presence of unstable limit cycles. Therefore, it is evident that the linear stability analysis is not sufficient to understand the exact stability characteristics of BWRs. However, the effect of these bifurcations on the stability boundaries has been rarely discussed. In the present work, the identification of global stability boundary is demonstrated using simplified models. Here, five different models with different thermal hydraulics feedback have been investigated. In comparison to the earlier works, current models also include the impact of adding the rate of change in temperature on void reactivity as well as effect of void reactivity on rate of change of temperature. Using the bifurcation analysis of these models the globally stable region in the parameter space has been identified. The globally stable region has only stable solutions and does not have even unstable limit cycles. Hence, the system is stable irrespective of the size of the perturbation in these regions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Quantifying the contributions of climate change and human activities to ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary productivity (GPP) changes is important for adaptation assessment and sustainable development. Spatiotemporal patterns of ET and GPP were estimated from 2000 to 2014 over North China Plain (NCP) with a physical and remote sensing-based model. The contributions of climate change and human activities to ET and GPP trends were separated and quantified by the first difference de-trending method and multivariate regression. Results showed that annual ET and GPP increased weakly, with climate change and human activities contributing 0.188 mm yr(-2) and 0.466 mm yr(-2) to ET trend of 0.654 mm yr(-2), and-1.321 g C m(-2) yr(-2) and 7.542 g C m(-2) yr(-2) to GPP trend of 6.221 g C m(-2) yr(-2), respectively. In cropland, the increasing trends mainly occurred in wheat growing stage; the contributions of climate change to wheat and maize were both negative. Precipitation and sunshine duration were the major climatic factors regulating ET and GPP trends. It is concluded that human activities are the main drivers to the long term tendencies of water consumption and gross primary productivity in the NCP.
This article describes the ways in which music is an important part of identity, and hence serves some similar functions to other forms of identity-related communication (e. g., language). It will describe how music is used to incite intergroup hatred (e. g., among soccer fans, military music) and to support valued identities (anthems, etc.). Relevant literature on stereotyping (including stereotyping of groups related to music) is included. The article also discusses how music is used to reduce intergroup hostility (e. g., via cross-cultural musical collaboration and contact). The article connects the various literatures from communication, social psychology, sociology, and ethnomusicology, providing a broad overview of the many connections between communication, music, and social identity. It closes with a research agenda for those interested in studying intergroup communication and music.
The natural circulation of primary coolant plays an important role in removing the decay heat in Station Black-out (SBO) accident from reactor core to decay heat removal systems, such as RVACS and PHXS cooling, for lead-based reactor. In order to study the natural circulation characteristics of primary coolant under Reactor Vessel Air Cooling System (RVACS) and primary heat exchangers (PHXs) cooling, which are crucial to the safety of lead-based reactors. A three-dimensional CFD model for the China Lead-based Research Reactor (CLEAR-I) has been built to analyze the thermal-hydraulics characteristics of primary coolant system and the cooling capability of the two systems. The abilities of the two cooling systems with different decay heat powers were discussed as well. The results demonstrated that the decay heat could be removed effectively only relying on either of the two systems. However, RVACS appeared the obvious thermal stratification phenomenon in the cold pool. Besides, with the increase in decay heat power, the natural circulation capacity of primary coolant between the two systems had a significant difference. The PHXs cooling system was stronger than the RVACS, with respect to the mass flow of primary coolant and the average temperature difference between cold pool and hot pool. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Ambient Assisted Working (AAW) is a discipline aiming to provide comfort and safety in the workplace through customization and technology. Workers' comfort may be compromised in many labor situations, including those depending on environmental conditions, like extremely hot weather conduces to heat stress. Occupational heat stress (OHS) happens when a worker is in an uninterrupted physical activity and in a hot environment. OHS can produce strain on the body, which leads to discomfort and eventually to heat illness and even death. Related ISO standards contain methods to estimate OHS and to ensure the safety and health of workers, but they are subjective, impersonal, performed a posteriori and even invasive. This paper focuses on the design and development of real-time personalized monitoring for a more effective and objective estimation of OHS, taking into account the individual user profile, fusing data from environmental and unobtrusive body sensors. Formulas employed in this work were taken from different domains and joined in the method that we propose. It is based on calculations that enable continuous surveillance of physical activity performance in a comfortable and healthy manner. In this proposal, we found that OHS can be estimated by satisfying the following criteria: objective, personalized, in situ, in real time, just in time and in an unobtrusive way. This enables timely notice for workers to make decisions based on objective information to control OHS.
This study aims at presenting the process of machine design and agricultural implements by means of a reference model, formulated with the purpose of explaining the development activities of new products, serving as a guideline to coach human resources and to assist in formalizing the process in small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), i.e. up to 500 employees. The methodology used included the process modeling, carried out from case studies in the SMB, and the study of reference models in literature. The modeling formalism used was based on the IDEF0 standard, which identifies the dimensions required for the model detailing: input information; activities; tasks; knowledge domains; mechanisms; controls and information produced. These dimensions were organized in spreadsheets and graphs. As a result, a reference model with 27 activities and 71 tasks was obtained, distributed over four phases of the design process. The evaluation of the model was carried out by the companies participating in the case studies and by experts, who concluded that the model explains the actions needed to develop new products in SMB.
The aim of this work is to study the effect of a localized impact on a wall made of soil reinforced with geocells. First, two structures were tested with an impacting remote-controlled car. Such experiments, carried out on 1/10th-scale model structures for practical reasons, are designed to mimic the mechanical response of an alveolar geocell reinforcement system. Two types of constitutive materials were considered for the geocells with very different mechanical properties. The test structures were dismantled after the tests to analyse the influence of the impact on the cell layers, especially within their bulk. Examining the video of the tests captured with two high-speed cameras also helped understanding the phenomena that occurred during impact. These experiments were completed by numerical simulations whose objective was to understand more clearly the causes of the phenomena observed either within the dismantled structures or in the videos. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper a new framework is introduced to develop a coupled active and reactive market in distribution networks. Distributed energy resources (DERs) such as synchronous machine-based distributed generations and wind turbines offer their active and reactive powers to the proposed market. For the considered DERs, multicomponent reactive power bidding structures are introduced based on their capability curves. Also, the hourly speed variations of wind turbines are considered in the proposed model. A distribution company buys active and reactive powers from a wholesale market and sells them via this market. The demand side is active, and responsive loads or aggregators can participate in the market using a demand bidding/buyback program. The objective function of the proposed market is to minimize the active and reactive power costs of DERs and distribution companies, the penalty cost of CO2 emission, and the cost of running a demand bidding/buyback program. The effectiveness of the proposed method is examined on a 22-bus 20-kV radial distribution test system.
This paper presents an up-to-date magnetic material investigation and overview on magnetic materials used in rotating electrical machines. The focus is on small to medium-sized high-performance and high-efficiency permanent-magnet and induction motors for different application scenarios. The investigated materials include silicon-iron, nickel-iron, and cobaltiron lamination steels, as well as soft magnetic composites and amorphous magnetic materials. The technical focus is on the magnetic properties and iron losses as well as the manufacturing influence and required thermal treatments during the manufacturing process. A new loss to flux density factor is introduced to compare the BH magnetization curve and the iron losses of different materials in the same diagram. The aim of the paper is to give the machine designer an efficient material overview and selection guide during the early machine design process. Index Terms-AC machines, amorphous magnetic materials,
Background and aims: To determine the relationship between the risk of exercise addiction (REA) and health status in amateur endurance cyclists. Methods: In 859 (751 men and 108 women) cyclists and 718 inactive subjects (307 men and 411 women), we examined the REA (Exercise Addiction Inventory), training status (volume, frequency, experience, and performance), socioeconomic status, quality of life (QoL) (SF-12), quality of sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and cardiometabolic risk: body mass index, physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), physical condition (International Fitness Scale), adherence to the Mediterranean diet (Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener), alcohol and tobacco consumption. Results: In total, 17% of the cyclists showed evidence of REA and 83% showed low REA. REA occurred independent of age, sex, training, and socioeconomic status (all ps >.05). Regardless of REA, the cyclists displayed a better physical QoL and a lower cardiometabolic risk than the inactive subjects (all ps < .05). The cyclists with REA displayed worse values of mental QoL, quality of sleep, and anxiety than cyclists with low REA (all ps < .05). The REA group had better values of mental QoL and anxiety and similar values of quality of sleep than the inactive subjects. The differences in mental QoL between the REA and low REA groups were significantly greater in women (p = .013). There was no Addiction x Sex interaction in the other analyzed variables. Conclusion: Our results suggest that an increased prevalence of REA limits the benefits that amateur endurance cycling has on mental health and quality of sleep.
Shortage is common in many markets, such as those for human organs or blood, but the problem is often difficult to solve through price adjustment, given safety and ethical concerns. In this paper, we study two non-price methods that are often used to alleviate shortage for human blood. The first method is informing existing donors of a current shortage via a mobile message and encouraging them to donate voluntarily. The second method is asking the patient's family or friends to donate in a family replacement (FR) program at the time of shortage. Using 447,357 individual donation records across 8 years from a large Chinese blood bank, we show that both methods are effective in addressing blood shortage in the short run but have different implications for total blood supply in the long run. We compare the efficacy of these methods and discuss their applications under different scenarios to alleviate shortage. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Using a large survey of Czech high school students (n=1103), aged 15-20 years, this paper explores youth prejudice to a wide range of minority groups (n=21) where family, school, and community contexts are taken into account. General Structural Equation Models are used to explore the determinants of prejudice for 21 minorities using a comparative explanatory framework where the focus is gender differences in prejudice to minorities are examined using three social theories: Social Dominance Theory (SDT), the Theory of Gendered Prejudice (TGP), and Gender Role Beliefs (GRB). This research shows that gender plays a strong role in expressing prejudiced attitudes where females express (a) less prejudiced attitudes toward the Roma, black Africans, Gays and those with mental or physical disabilities, and (b) more prejudiced attitudes towards the homeless, Vietnamese, Muslims, and lesbians. This gendered pattern is explained in terms of insights from SDT, TGP, and GRB.
The advancements in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have introduced new computing paradigms (e.g., cloud computing, pervasive and ubiquitous computing, ambient intelligence and aware-computing) where the techniques for processing, storing, communicating, sharing, and disseminating information have radically changed. These novel computing paradigms bring enormous benefits: the availability of a universal access to data; the reduction in power, storage, hardware, and software costs; and the availability of elastic storage and computation services. While these advantages are appealing, as a side effect there is a tremendous risk of exposure of confidential or sensitive information to privacy breaches. WPES is a yearly forum, this year at its 15th edition, aiming at discussing the open privacy challenges, emerging directions, and original novel approaches for guaranteeing privacy in today's global interconnected society.
This paper presents an analysis of the security performance and evaluation of the hardware architecture of the redundant bit security (RBS) cryptosystem. RBS is a lightweight symmetric encryption algorithm that targets resource-constrained RFID devices. Unlike the existing cryptosystems, RBS simultaneously provides confidentiality, authentication, and integrity of the plaintext by inserting hash-generated redundant bits among the already modified plaintext data. A flexible-length hash algorithm in our optimized hardware architecture allows RBS to support different key sizes which allows flexibility in the security level. Our analysis shows the resilience of RBS against powerful and well-known attacks such as differential attacks and known-plaintext attacks. We compare the performance of the RBS cryptosystem against other distinguished ciphers developed for RFID systems. Simulation results show that RBS results in approximately 100%, 239%, and 153% higher hardware efficiencies while requiring 48%, 56%, and 59% less energy-per-bit compared to H-PRESENT, HB-2, and Grain, respectively. Such results present confirmatory evidence that RBS is a superior solution for providing security in resource-constrained systems such as RFID systems especially when authentication is a priority.
Recycling is defined as the process that changes materials into new products for preventing the waste of potentially useful materials, reducing the consumption of fresh raw materials, the energy usage and the air and water pollution. Many of the large, existing buildings which don't have any historical importance, such as industrial type, office buildings or apartments, have a reinforced concrete structure. Recycled concrete is mainly used as coarse aggregate and filler in road construction industry; another usage of it could be adding it into new mixtures. So far this usage has led to a significant decrease in mechanical properties for the new mixture. It is well known that the cement industry is an important energy consumer and also a CO2 releaser. Present paper is devoted to the use of recycled concrete materials obtained from concrete elements into new mixes as a replacement of the cement. An experimental program was developed in this purpose; physical and physical-chemical tests were made on obtained materials, The mechanical properties of the obtained mortar samples have been also studied.
Objective: To fabricate orthodontic brackets from esthetic materials and determine their fracture resistance during archwire torsion.. Materials and Methods: Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing technology (Cerec inLab, Sirona) was used to mill brackets with a 0.018 x 0.025-inch slot. Materials used were Paradigm MZ100 and Lava Ultimate resin composite (3M ESPE), Mark II feldspathic porcelain (Vita Zahnfabrik), and In-Ceram YZ zirconia (Vita Zahnfabrik). Ten brackets of each material were subjected to torque by a 0.018 x 0.025-inch stainless steel archwire (G&H) using a specially designed apparatus. The average moments and degrees of torsion necessary to fracture the brackets were determined and compared with those of commercially available alumina brackets, Mystique MB (Dentsply GAC). Results: The YZ brackets were statistically significantly stronger than any other tested material in their resistance to torsion (P < .05). The mean torques at failure ranged from 3467 g.mm for Mark II to 11,902 g.mm for YZ. The mean torsion angles at failure ranged from 15.3 to 40.9 degrees. Conclusion: Zirconia had the highest torsional strength among the tested esthetic brackets. Resistance of MZ100 and Lava Ultimate composite resin brackets to archwire torsion was comparable to commercially available alumina ceramic brackets.
Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain are the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid plaques are composed of beta-amyloid peptides (A beta), while NFTs contain hyperphosphorylated tau proteins. Patients with familial AD who have mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene have either increased production of A beta or generate more aggregation-prone forms of A beta. The findings of familial AD mutations in the APP gene suggest that A beta plays a central role in the pathophysiology of AD. A beta 42, composed of 42 amino acid residues, aggregates readily and is considered to form amyloid plaque. However, the processes of plaque formation are still not well known. It is generally thought that A beta is secreted into the extracellular space and aggregates to form amyloid plaques. A beta as extracellular aggregates and amyloid plaques are thought to be toxic to the surrounding neurons. The intraneuronal accumulation of A beta has more recently been demonstrated and is reported to be involved in synaptic dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and the formation of amyloid plaques in AD. We herein provide an overview of the process of the intraneuronal accumulation of A beta and plaque formation, and discuss its implications for the pathology, early diagnosis, and therapy of AD.
For river water quality monitoring at 30m x 1-day spatio-temporal scales, a spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM) is developed for estimating turbidity (T-u), total suspended solid (TSS), and six heavy metals (HV) of iron, zinc, copper, chromium, lead and cadmium, by blending the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat (L-s) spectral bands. A combination of regression analysis and genetic algorithm (GA) techniques are applied to develop spectral relationships between Tu-L5, TSS-T,, and each HV-TSS. The STARFM algorithm and all the developed relationship models are evaluated satisfactorily by various performance evaluation measures to develop heavy metal pollution index-based vulnerability maps at 1-km resolution in the Brahmani River in eastern India. The Monte-Carlo simulation based analysis of the developed formulations reveals that the uncertainty in estimating Zn and Cd is the minimum (1.04%) and the maximum (5.05%), respectively. Hence, the remote sensing based approach developed herein can effectively be used in many world rivers for real-time monitoring of heavy metal pollution. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective: Phagocyte function of neutrophil granulocytes and monocytes is decreased in healthy pregnancy and further decreased in preeclampsia. The cause of the declined function is unknown. Decreased phagocyte function can lead to the higher infection rate in healthy pregnancy and may also be responsible for the increased susceptibility to infections and high trophoblast concentration in preeclampsia. The aim of this study is to examine the phagocyte function of neutrophil granulocytes and monocytes. Methods: Monocytes and neutrophil granulocytes were separated from the peripheral circulation of six nonpregnant patients and incubated in plasma samples from six healthy pregnant, six preeclamptic pregnant, and six nonpregnant patients. The cells were marked and evaluated for the phagocytosis index with immunofluorescent microscope after phagocyting the zymosan molecules. Results: Phagocyte function of neutrophils as well as monocytes from nonpregnant patients were decreased significantly when the cells were incubated in plasma samples from healthy pregnant patients, and further decreased when incubated in plasma samples from preeclamptic pregnant women. Conclusion: The decreased phagocyte function of neutrophil granulocytes and that of monocytes in healthy pregnancy and the further decreased phagocyte function in preeclampsia is caused by factor(s) in the maternal circulation.
In fluid mechanics, how to solve multiple solutions in ordinary differential equations is always a concerned and difficult problem. An improved RNA genetic algorithm inspired by RNA molecular structure and operators is proposed for solving the parameter estimation problems of the multiple solutions that described as the flow of the fluid through a porous channel with expanding or contracting walls. In this paper, multiple solutions can be found through changing accuracy and search coverage and multi-iterations of computer. At last, the ordinary differential equations is calculated, and the result has great accuracy and this method is practical. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The latest results of anthropological studies of bone remains from the earliest Upper Paleolithic burial discovered on Russian territory, the Markina Gora site (Kostenki 14), are described. Multivariate statistical methods and parallel studies of the buried skull structure and dentition established that their morphological characteristics undoubtedly belonged to the Caucasian complex. In combination with paleogenetic data, the findings contradict the earlier hypothesis of the southern origin of the Kostenki 14 individual and its similarity to the population of the Australo-Melanesian region.
Exposures to particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 mu m or less (PM2.5) may influence the risk of birth defects and make you allergic, which causes serious harm to human health. Bamboo charcoal can adsorb harmful substances, that was of benefitto people's health. In order to figure out the optimal adsorbtion condition and the intrinsic change of bamboo charcoal, five chemicals were adsorbed by bamboo charcoal and were analyzed by FT-IR. The optimal blast time was 80 min of Na2SO3, 100 min of Na2S2O8, 20 min of Na2SO4, 120 min of Fe-2(SO4)(3) and 60 min or 100 min of S. FT-IR spectra showed that bamboo charcoal had five characteristic peaks of SAS stretch, H2O stretch, O-H stretch, C=O stretch or C=C stretch, and NO2 stretch at 3850 cm(-1), 3740 cm(-1), 3430 cm(-1), 1630 cm(-1) and 1530 cm(-1), respectively. For Na2SO3, the peaks at 3850 cm(-1), 3740 cm(-1), 3430 cm(-1), 1630 cm(-1) and 1530 cm(-1) achieved the maximum at 20 min. For Na2S2O8, the peaks at 3850 cm(-1), 3740 cm(-1), 3430 cm(-1) and 1530 cm(-1) achieved the maximum at 40 min. For Na2SO4, the peaks at 3850 cm(-1), 3740 cm(-1) and 1530 cm(-1) achieved the maximum at 40 min. For Fe-2(SO4)(3), the peaks at 3850 cm(-1), 3740 cm(-1), 1630 cm(-1) and 1530 cm(-1) achieved the maximum at 120 min. For S, the peaks at 3850 cm(-1) and 3740 cm(-1) achieved the maximum at 40 min, the peaks at 1630 cm(-1) and 1530 cm(-1) achieved the maximum at 40 min. It proved that bamboo charcoal could remove sulfur powder from air to restrain sulfur allergies. (C) 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.
Objective: The interleukin 17 (IL-17) cytokine family is involved in a number of chronic inflammatory diseases. In spite of contradictory findings and a lack of causality in clinical studies, IL-17 inhibition for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has regained attention as a potential therapeutic pathway, after demonstrating disease-modifying capabilities in ankylosing spondylitis. We investigated the clinical associations of interleukin 17 A (IL-17A) in patients with SLE. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed involving SLE patients (n= 102; age: 49 years; 86% female) recruited from a regional registry. IL-17A levels were determined by immunoassay, disease activity by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2K (SLEDAI-2K), and cumulative damage by Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics Damage Index (SDI) scores. Non-parametric techniques were used to examine the association between IL-17A and disease activity and autoantibody profiles were compared with healthy controls (n= 31): principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the interplay of immune cells across disease states and damage development in SLE patients. Results: SLE patients had higher IgG levels, lower T-cell and B-cell counts, but median IL-17A levels did not differ from the controls (28.4 vs. 28.4 pg/mL, p= 0.9). In SLE patients, IL-17A did not correlate with SLEDAI-2K or SDI, but was inversely related with age (correlation coefficients, Rs.=- 0.29, p< 0.05), systolic blood pressure (Rs.=- 0.31, p< 0.05), years of smoking (Rs.=- 0.43, p< 0.05), cumulative heart (Rs.=- 0.22, p< 0.05), and malignancy damage (Rs.=- 0.18, p< 0.05). Serological correlations for IL-17A existed with immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels (Rs.= 0.21, p< 0.05), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels (Rs.= 0.28, p< 0.05), proteinuria (Rs.= 0.64, p< 0.05), and pre- albumin (Rs.=- 0.22, p< 0.05). Longitudinal data showed only modest fluctuation in IL- 17A levels, independent of SLEDAI- 2K. Conclusion: These results suggest that IL- 17A, while participating in inflammation, may also serve a protective purpose in SLE patients.
Performance of any digital control scheme applied to inverters, or any other power electronic structures, can significantly suffer due to time delays. These time delays can be linear and nonlinear. An example of a linear delay is the delay due to sampling, control calculation and application of the new voltage state, which results in a constant delay present in each control cycle. An example of a non-linear delay is the inverter dead-time, which is different depending on the selected switching state and the direction of the load current. Both types of delays are well-known and are addressedin literature. At the same time, the known solutions result in significantly more complicated hardware and/or software implementations. Introduction of MPC to power electronics gives a new and unique opportunity to compensate for both types of the delays in a clear and effective way. This can be done by including the delays, both linear and non-linear, in the model predictions. As an illustration, this paper presents an MPC-based design of closed-loop current control with linear delay compensation for voltage source inverters. The paper also proposes a variable rate MPC-based voltage modulator which combines harmonic suppression with inverter dead-time compensation. The main points of the paper are illustrated by extensive simulation and experimenal results.
Background and aims: The aims of this study were to examine the association between social skills deficits and Internet addictio n and activities in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as the moderators for this association. Methods: A total of 300 adolescents, aged between 11 and 18 years, who had been diagnosed with ADHD participated in this study. Their Internet addiction levels, social skills deficits, ADHD, parental characteristics, and comorbidities were assessed. The various Internet activities that the participants engaged in were also examined. Results: The associations between social skills deficits and Internet addiction and activities and the moderators of these associations were examined using logistic regression analyses. Social skills deficits were significantly associated with an increased risk of Internet addiction after adjustment for the effects of other factors [odds ratio (OR) = 1.049, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.030-1.070]. Social skills deficits were also significantly associated with Internet gaming and watching movies. The maternal occupational socioeconomic levels of the participants moderated the association between social skills deficits and Internet addiction. Conclusions: Social skills deficits should be considered targets in prevention and intervention programs for treating Internet addiction among adolescents with ADHD.
Appearance cues and brief displays of behavior are related to people's personality, to their performance at work and to the outcomes of elections. Thus, people present themselves to others on different communication channels, while their interaction partners form first impressions on the basis of the displayed cues. In the current study we examined whether people are able to read information from politicians' body motion. For a rating experiment we translated short video clips of politicians giving a speech into animated stick-figures and had these animations rated on trustworthiness, dominance, competence and the Big Five personality dimensions. Afterwards we correlated the ratings with the applause and the hecklings that the speakers received throughout their entire speech. This revealed that speakers whose body movements were perceived as high on dominance, as high on extraversion and as low on agreeableness received more applause. Although the results obtained need support from additional studies they indicate that body motion is an informative cue in real life settings. (C) 2014 The Authors. published by Elsevier Ltd.
Fundamental concepts in biochemistry important for drug design often lack connection to the macroscopic world and can be difficult for students to grasp, particularly those in introductory science courses at the high school and college level. Educational research has shown that multisensory teaching facilitates learning, but teaching at the high school and college level is almost exclusively limited to the visual and auditory senses. This approach neglects the lifetime of experience our students bring to the classroom in the form of taste perception and makes our teaching less supportive of those with sensory impairment. In this article, we outline a novel guided-inquiry activity that utilizes taste perception for a series of natural and artificial sweetener solutions to introduce the concepts of substrate affinity and selectivity in the context of drug design. The findings from this study demonstrate clear gains in student knowledge, as well as an increase in enthusiasm for the fields of biochemistry and drug design. (C) 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
There is considerable interest in coloured fruits and berries as sources of biologically active anthocyanins. To examine the relationship between the oral close and the amount excreted for anthocyanins from a food source across a physiological range of doses, volunteers were fed, in random order, four portions (100-400 g) of fresh strawberries as part of a standard breakfast. Urine was collected at 2 h intervals up to 8 h, and for the period 8-24 h. Fresh strawberries contained pelargonidin-3-glucoside as the major anthocyanin with smaller amounts of cyanidin-3-glucoside and pelargonidin-3-rutinoside. Anthocyanins were detected in the urine of all volunteers for all doses, predominantly as pelargonidin glucuronide and sulphate metabolites. There was a strong, linear relationship between oral dose and anthocyanin excretion (Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient = 0.692, p < 0.001, n = 40) which indicated that on an average, every additional unit of dose caused 0.0166 units of excretion. Within individuals, dose - excretion data fitted a linear regression model (median R-2 = 0.93) We conclude that strawberry anthocyanins are partially bioavailable in humans with a linear relationship between oral dose and urinary excretion for doses up to 400 g fresh fruit.
The objective of the study was to investigate the frequency of traditional risk factors for the cardiovascular (CV) disease, to calculate the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) for CV-related mortality in Danish patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and to compare with results from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the same settlement. All PsA and AS patients aged 18-85 years from one outpatient clinic were invited. A rheumatology nurse conducted 30-min screening consultation, preceded by a lipid and glucose profile. High SCORE risk led to recommendation of follow-up by general practitioners. Multiple and logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age and gender, were performed, to compare risk factors and risk SCOREs. Participants were 116 AS (29.3% female) and 170 PsA (54.7% female). AS had opposed PsA patients' lower 10-year risk SCOREs of CV mortality than RA patients: AS versus RA coefficient -0.47 (confidence interval (CI) 95%: -0.84 to -0.) and PsA versus RA -0.14, (-0.43-0.16). Women with PsA and AS had increased waistline compared to women with RA [PsA vs. RA 7.94 (4.51-11.38); AS versus RA 6.67 (1.17-12.17)], and an increased prevalence of hypertension was seen in AS versus RA patients [1.87 (1.15-3.05)]. Traditional, modifiable CV risk factors were present in PsA and AS patients. AS but not PsA patients had an estimated lower 10-year risk of CV mortality than RA patients, according to the SCORE model adjusted for age and gender.
It has been recognized that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show discrepancies between their abstract capacities to solve social cognition dilemmas and their ability to spontaneously decipher live social interactions. In the last 15 years, different paradigms have been designed to investigate how individuals with ASD grasp information when emerged in naturalistic or live social interactions. The present paper reviews three categories of such paradigms that focus on (1) verbal questionnaires and interviews while participants view a naturalistic social scenario, (2) eye tracking methods while participants view naturalistic settings, and (3) simulation of social interactions using virtual reality or robotics. This paper discusses the advantages and limitations of each paradigm and suggests a new concept for combining these paradigms.
Longitudinal and cross-sectional profiles of alluvial channels are altered by the presence of seepage. However, the available literature suggests that seepage has not been considered in analyses of bank profiles of threshold alluvial channels. In the experimental study reported here, downward seepage was applied to parabolic channels based on tractive force theory in order to determine its effect on the longitudinal and cross-sectional profiles. It was observed that sediment transport in the threshold channels increased when downward seepage was applied. The parabolic shape did not hold, but channels formed a new cross-sectional shape with a flat bed and two curved banks and achieved stability. The reason for the increased sediment transport in a threshold channel after the application of downward seepage was sought by analysing the time-averaged velocities. An empirically derived exponential expression was developed for the bank profiles of threshold alluvial channels affected by seepage. A relationship among hydraulic parameters for a stable channel with downward seepage is also suggested on the basis of the experimental observations.
This paper is a tribute to the tercentenary of Leibniz's (1646-1716) death. After Aristotle (384-322 BC), one of the most impressive and original accomplishments of building rational knowledge about nature can be found in Leibniz's dynamics. Furthermore, his science of motion occupies a prominent place in his thought. In addition to these theoretical developments, Leibniz designed a calculating machine which performed the four arithmetic operations and worked as a mining engineer in Harz (Germany), with the design and construction of windmills. In this paper Leibniz's contributions to machine science, namely dynamics and machine design, are presented and discussed.
PIGE and PIXE techniques were employed to the study of elemental constituents of some traditional medicinal plants generally used in curing many diseases and ailments in southwestern Nigeria. Analyses were also carried out on commonly edible vegetables of medicinal and pharmacological importance. PIGE measurements were carried out using 3.5-MeV collimated protons from the 7 mV CN Van-de-Graaff accelerator of INFN, LNL, Legnaro (Padova), Italy, whereas the PIXE measurements were carried out using 1.8 MeV from the 2.5 MV AN 2000 Van-de-Graaff accelerator of the same laboratory. The results show that many of the medicinal plants contain elements of cardinal importance in human metabolism. The results from the vegetables also show the presence of vital elements that are needed for growth and development. In addition, some of the toxic elements, which include As, Cd, Hg, and so forth, were not detected. However, some of the recipes contain trace amounts of Pb at very low concentrations. This calls for proper control of dose rates in some samples to prevent the attendant negative cumulative effects.
A new sub-space max-monomial modeling scheme for CMOS transistors in sub-micron technologies is proposed to improve the modeling accuracy. Major electrical parameters of CMOS transistors in each sub-space from the design space are modeled with max-monomials. This approach is demonstrated to have a better accuracy for sub-micron technologies than singlespace models. Sub-space modeling based geometric programming power optimization has been successfully applied to three different op-amps in 0.18 mu m technology. HSPICE simulation results show that sub-space modeling based GP optimization can allow efficient and accurate analog design. Computational effort can be managed to an acceptable level when searching sub-spaces for transistors by using practical constraints. An efficient scheme in dealing with non-convex constraint inherent in Kirchhoff's voltage law is suggested in this paper. By using this scheme, the nonconvex constraint, such as posynomial equality, can be relaxed to a convex constraint without affecting the result.
Hadoop has become a widely used open source framework for large scale data processing. MapReduce is the core component of Hadoop. It is this programming paradigm that allows for massive scalability across hundreds or thousands of servers in a Hadoop cluster. It allows processing of extremely large video files or image files on data nodes. This can be used for implementing Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) algorithms on Hadoop to compare and match query images to the previously stored terabytes of an image descriptors databases. This work presents the implementation for one of the well-known CBIR algorithms called Scale Invariant Feature Transformation (SIFT) for image features extraction and matching using Hadoop platform. It gives focus on utilizing the parallelization capabilities of Hadoop MapReduce to enhance the CBIR performance and decrease data input\output operations through leveraging Partitioners and Combiners. Additionally, image processing and computer vision tools such as Hadoop Image Processing (HIPI) and Open Computer Vision (OpenCV) are integration is shown.
Wind-induced and earthquake-induced excitations on tall structures can be effectively controlled by Tuned Liquid Damper (TLD). This work presents a numerical simulation procedure to study the performance of tuned liquid tank-structure system through sigma-transformation based fluid-structure coupled solver. For this, a 'C' based computational code is developed. Structural equations are coupled with fluid equations in order to achieve the transfer of sloshing forces to structure for damping. Structural equations are solved by fourth order Runge-Kutta method while fluid equations are solved using fmite difference based sigma transformed algorithm. Code is validated with previously published results. The minimum displacement of structure is observed when the resonance condition of the coupled system is satisfied through proper tuning of TLD. Since real-time excitations are random in nature, the performance study of TLD under random excitation is also carried out in which the Bretschneider spectrum is used to generate the random input wave.
The aim was to investigate the impact of PPARG and APOE gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and additional gene- gene interaction on late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) risk based on Chinese Han population. A total of 928 participants (466 males, 462 females), with a mean age of 81.3 +/- 16.4 years old, were included in the study, including 460 LOAD patients and 468 normal controls participants. Logistic regression was performed to investigate association between SNP and LOAD risk and generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was used to analysis the gene-gene interaction. Logistic regression analysis showed that LOAD risk was significantly higher in carriers of G allele of the rs405509 polymorphism than those with AA (AG+ GG versus AA, adjusted OR (95%CI) =1.54(1.20-1.89), and higher in carriers of G allele of the rs1805192 polymorphism than those with CC (CG+ GG versus CC, adjusted OR (95%CI) =1.32(1.16-2.43). We also found that there was a potential gene-gene interaction between rs405509 and rs1805192. Participants with AG or GG of rs405509 and CG or GG of rs1805192 genotype have the highest AD risk, compared to participants with AA of rs405509 and CC of rs1805192 genotype, OR (95%CI) was 2.62(1.64 -3.58), after covariates adjustment. G allele of the rs405509 of APOE and G allele of the rs1805192 of PPAR G polymorphism were associated with increased LOAD risk, and participants with AG or GG of rs405509 and CG or GG of rs1805192 genotype have the highest AD risk.
Purpose of reviewPrimary cilia have become important organelles implicated in embryonic development, organogenesis, health, and diseases. Although many studies in cell biology have focused on changes in ciliary length or ciliogenesis, the most common readout for evaluating ciliary function is intracellular calcium.Recent findingsRecent tools have allowed us to examine intracellular calcium in more precise locations, that is, the cilioplasm and cytoplasm. Advances in calcium imaging have also allowed us to identify which cilia respond to particular stimuli. Furthermore, direct electrophysiological measurement of ionic currents within a cilium has provided a wealth of information for understanding the sensory roles of primary cilia.SummaryCalcium imaging and direct measurement of calcium currents demonstrate that primary cilia are sensory organelles that house several types of functional calcium channels. Although intracellular calcium now allows a functional readout for primary cilia, discussions on the relative contributions of the several channel types have just begun. Perhaps, all of these calcium channels are required and necessary to differentiate stimuli in different microenvironments.
Stability of power converters has become more and more important in hybrid green energy systems because of its difficulties to maintain a stable dc-bus. This paper presents dynamic characteristics of a digital integral gain changeable control dc-dc converter to realize high stability with suppression of the output capacitance. The integral gain changeable control method uses a variable integral gain, which is changed by the value of load current. The stability analysis is conducted by Bode diagrams. It is shown that the transient response and stability of the integral gain changeable method are better than the conventional fixed integral gain control method even if the output capacitance is smaller than the conventional method. Simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of our concept.
Despite the popularity of GPUs in high-performance and scientific computing, and despite increasingly general-purpose hardware capabilities, the use of GPUs in network servers or distributed systems poses significant challenges. GPUnet is a native GPU networking layer that provides a socket abstraction and high-level networking APIs for GPU programs. We use GPUnet to streamline the development of high-performance, distributed applications like in-GPU-memory MapReduce and a new class of low-latency, high-throughput GPU-native network services such as a face verification server.
The objective of this study was to investigate the risks associated with the use of roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) and the implication of pigeons as the most likely source of contamination by testing for antibiotic resistance profiles of Escherichia coli. A total of 239 E. coli were isolated from thirty fresh pigeon faecal samples (130 isolates), 11 RHRWtanks from three sites in Pretoria (78) and two in Johannesburg (31). E. coli isolates were tested against a panel of 12 antibiotics which included ampicillin, amoxicillin, amikacin, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid and tetracycline. In all samples, resistance to ampicillin (22.7.9 %), gentamicin (23.6 %), amikacin (24 %), tetracycline (17.4) and amoxicillin (16.9 %) were the most frequently encountered form of resistance. However, a relatively higher proportion of isolates from pigeon faeces (67.3 %) were antibiotic resistant than those from RHRW (53.3 %). The highest number of phenotypes was observed for single antibiotics, and no single antibiotic resistance was observed for chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, cefoxitin, cotrimoxazole, although they were detected in multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) phenotypes. The highest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) phenotypes were observed for a combination of four antibiotics, on isolates from JHB (18.8 %), pigeon faeces (15.2 %) and Pretoria (5.1 %). The most abundant resistance phenotype to four antibiotics, Ak-Gm-Cip-T was dominated by isolates from pigeon faeces (6.8 %) with Pretoria and Johannesburg isolates having low proportions of 1.3 and 3.1 %, respectively. Future studies should target isolates from various environmental settings in which rainwater harvesting is practiced and the characterisation of the antibiotic resistance determinant genes among the isolates.
Due to the ability to model large deformations and the ease of dealing with boundary conditions in a Lagrangian framework, the material point method is getting more popularity in geotechnical engineering applications. In this paper, the material point is tentatively applied to model problems of hydrodynamics as an introduction to this field. Dam-break flows with different initial aspect ratios are simulated in both the material point method and an extensively verified shallow water equations model. In order to test the accuracy and stability of the material point method, simulations of dam-break flows are carried out and the results are in good agreement with other validated numerical methods and experimental data. From the comparisons between the simulations in both the material point method and shallow water equations model, a critical aspect ratio value for the applicability of the shallow water equations is found to be 1. The material point method shows its potential to tackle hydrodynamics related problems. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This study focuses on characterizing the effect of a high salt diet (HSD) on intestinal immunity and the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We found that mice on a HSD had an increased frequency of IL-17A producing cells in the intestinal lamina propria (LP) compared to mice on a normal diet (ND). Furthermore, most intestinal IL-17A producing cells were CD4(+)TCR beta(+) cells. A HSD increased the LP T helper 17 (Th17) responses in both the small and large intestines but did not increase the Th17 response of other gut-associated lymphoid organ. Although, HSD did not change the percentage of regulatory T (Treg) cells, HSD significantly inhibit secretion of IL-10 and the suppressive function of Treg cells. Moreover, we found that HSD exacerbates trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis, and Th17 response was significantly increased in the colonic LP of HSD TNBS-treated mice compared with the ND TNBS-treated mice. This study demonstrates that HSD stimulates the intestinal Th17 response but inhibits the function of Treg cells. Moreover, HSD exacerbates TNBS induced mice colitis, suggesting that HSD disrupts the intestinal immunity and increases the risk of IBD.
The time-dependent behavior of soils has been investigated extensively using one-dimensional and triaxial tests. The phenomena associated with time effects in soils are creep, relaxation; strain rate and re-arrangement effects. The engineering properties of soil are often improved significantly with the elapse of time. The objective of this paper is to investigate the time-dependent effect on the shear strength parameters of sand-geosynthetic interface using large direct shear test apparatus. For this purpose, the geotextile layer was carefully adhered to a piece of rigid block with a thickness such that half of the shear test box is occupied. The other half of the box has been filled with sand and the test performed. Three normal stresses of 30, 45, and 60 kPa have been applied in all tests. The shear stress has subsequently been applied at different times to the failure stage. In all tests, the shearing velocity has been kept the same. The results of these experiments show that the stiffuess and friction angle of the sand-geotextile interface increases up to 35% and 5.5% at 720 minutes after the sample is poured in the mold. These increases occur mostly in the first two hours following the normal stress application to the samples. The findings in this paper are interesting to consider in practice.
For the many application domains concerning entities and their connections, often their data can be formally represented as graphs and an important problem is detecting an anomalous subgraph within it. Numerous methods have been proposed to speed-up anomalous subgraph detection; however, each incurs non-trivial costs on detection accuracy. In this paper, we formulate the anomalous subgraph detection problem as the maximization of a non-parametric scan statistic and then approximate it to a submodular maximization problem. We propose two parallel algorithms: non-coordination anomalous subgraph detection (NCASD) and under-coordination anomalous subgraph detection (UCASD) for the anomalous subgraph detection. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to solve this problem in parallel. NCASD emphasizes speed at the expense of approximation guarantees, while UCASD achieves a higher approximation factor through additional coordination controls and reduced parallelism. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed approaches in a real-world application domain (water pollution detection), comparing them with five other state-of-the-art methods. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the parenting experiences of mothers of children who stutter based on the grounded theory. Methods: The participants were six mothers of children who stutter. An in-depth interview was conducted, transcribed and analyzed according to the grounded theory method. Results: The data was analyzed into 172 concepts, 33 subcategories and 16 categories. The core phenomenon in the parenting experiences of mothers of children who stutter was a sense of 'Ultimate repression for normality'. The causal conditions of the core phenomenon were found to be an 'Apparent stuttering manifestation'. This phenomenon was found to be reinforced by the contextual conditions of 'Vague expectation,' 'Child's response' and 'Support from others'. 'Personality tendency', ' Personal values', and ' Putting on a front' were found to be the remedial factors with respect to the core phenomenon of a sense of Ultimate repression for normality'. Among the remedial strategies reported for 'Ultimate repression for normality' were ' Exploring methods', 'Compromise', 'Avoidance' and 'Badgering'. Those remedial strategies created 'Confidence,' 'Low self-esteem' and 'Remorse'. The parenting experiences of mothers of children who stutter were classified into four types. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that any program intended to remedy a mother's sense of 'Ultimate repression for normality' should be managed not only by the clinicians themselves, but also by an academy or professional association. The study further concluded that societal prejudice against stuttering needs to be dealt with at the societal and governmental levels.
Thermal conductivity is a key property that controls heat migration in a variety of applications including municipal solid waste and/or mining/industrial containment facilities. In particular, heat may be encountered in cases where geosynthetic lining systems are exposed to elevated temperatures due to either waste biodegradation, solar radiation, or mining processes. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on thermal conductivity of nonwoven geotextiles, geosynthetic clay liners and an HDPE geomembrane. A steady state method was used to measure the thermal conductivity of a selected number of these materials. The thermal conductivity of the HDPE geomembrane was found to be consistent with the thermal conductivity of HOPE polymer. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of the nonwoven geotextiles depended on water content and whether they are hydrophobic or hydrophilic. The form of bentonite, its mass per area and water content affected the thermal conductivity of GCLs. The results presented in this paper provide a lower bound of thermal conductivities of geosynthetics routinely used in waste containment facilities. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Phototropin1 is a blue light (BL) receptor in plants and shows BL-dependent kinase activation. The BL-excited light-oxygen-voltage-sensing domain 2 (LOV2) is primarily responsible for the activation of the kinase domain; however, the molecular mechanism by which conformational changes in LOV2 are transmitted to the kinase domain remains unclear. Here, we investigated BL-induced structural changes of a minimum functional fragment of Arabidopsis phototropin1 composed of LOV2, the kinase domain, and a linker connecting the two domains using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The fragment existed as a dimer and displayed photoreversible SAXS changes reflected in the radii of gyration of 42.9 angstrom in the dark and 48.8 angstrom under BL irradiation. In the dark, the molecular shape reconstructed from the SAXS profiles appeared as two bean-shaped lobes in a twisted arrangement that was 170 angstrom long, 80 angstrom wide, and 50 angstrom thick. The molecular shape under BL became slightly elongated from that in the dark. By fitting the crystal structure of the LOV2 dimer and a homology model of the kinase domain to their inferred shapes, the BL-dependent change could be interpreted as the positional shift in the kinase domain relative to that of the LOV2 dimer. In addition, we found that lysine 475, a functionally important residue, in the N-terminal region of LOV2 plays a critical role in transmitting the structural changes in LOV2 to the kinase domain. The interface between the domains is critical for signaling, suitably changing the structure to activate the kinase in response to conformational changes in the adjoining LOV2.
In order to optimize energy production in MFCs, a better understanding of anodic communities is essential. Our objective was to determine the taxonomic structure of the bacterial communities present at the surface of the anode during the formation and development of electro-active biofihns in MFCs inoculated with fresh primary clarifier overflow. Quantitative microbial community dynamics were evaluated as a function of time and electrical performance using 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic microarrays and flow cytometry. Results show that the bacterial community stabilized partially but not completely when voltage output was stable. Geobacter appeared to be the predominant genus, whose growth was associated with voltage, while some other genus still developed or declined after the voltage stabilization. Flow cytometry revealed that some genus showing a decreasing proportional fluorescence intensity over time were still actively respiring bacteria, and thus, active albeit minor members of the biofilm. Finally, this study shows that anodic biofilm selection and maturation is still occurring after more than 20 days of operation and over ten days after voltage is stabilized.
Key encapsulation mechanism (KEM) is an important key distribution mechanism that not only allows both sender and receiver to safely share a random session key, but also can be mainly applied to construct a hybrid public key encryption scheme. In this paper, we give an positive answer to the question of if it is possible to build an efficient KEM over lattices. More precisely, wedesign an efficientKEMscheme in standard model based on ideal lattices. We prove that the proposed scheme captures indistinguishability against active chosen ciphertext attacks (IND-CCA) under the ring learning with errors problem, or more formally, IND-CCA security. Compared with the current CCA secure KEM schemes based on lattices in the standard model, our scheme has shorter public key, secret key and encapsulation ciphertext. In addition, our KEM scheme realizes IND-CCA security in the standard model.
In the past decade, the power of harnessing T-cell co-signaling pathways has become increasingly understood to have significant clinical importance. In cancer immunotherapy, the field has concentrated on two related modalities: First, targeting cancer antigens through highly activated chimeric antigen T cells (CAR-Ts) and second, re-animating endogenous quiescent T cells through checkpoint blockade. In each of these strategies, the therapeutic goal is to re-ignite T-cell immunity, in order to eradicate tumors. In transplantation, there is also great interest in targeting T-cell co-signaling, but with the opposite goal: in this field, we seek the Yin to cancer immunotherapy's Yang, and focus on manipulating T-cell co-signaling to induce tolerance rather than activation. In this review, we discuss the major T-cell signaling pathways that are being investigated for tolerance induction, detailing preclinical studies and the path to the clinic for many of these molecules. These include blockade of co-stimulation pathways and agonism of coinhibitory pathways, in order to achieve the delicate state of balance that is transplant tolerance: a state which guarantees lifelong transplant acceptance without ongoing immunosuppression, and with preservation of protective immune responses. In the context of the clinical translation of immune tolerance strategies, we discuss the significant challenge that is embodied by the fact that targeted pathway modulators may have opposing effects on tolerance based on their impact on effector vs regulatory T-cell biology. Achieving this delicate balance holds the key to the major challenge of transplantation: lifelong control of alloreactivity while maintaining an otherwise intact immune system.
this paper, we propose an algebraic language, called Time-AgLOTOS, which is dedicated to express BDI agent plans, according to the features and requirements of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems. Plan expressions are written and composed using Time-AgLOTOS, so that plans are built automatically and on the fly, as a system of concurrent processes. This language describes the time-dependent behavior of the agent and provides a theoretical foundation for performing planning under timing constraints, taking into account the duration of actions. Also, it allows to express behavioral capabilities such as communication, mobility and cooperation. In this context, we show how to achieve a powerful mechanism for a contextual guidance based on a specific and formal construction called Contextual Time Planning System (CTPS).
Three studies examined the role of need for affect (NFA) and need for cognition (NFC) in intergroup perception. We hypothesized that NFA predicts a preference for stereotypically warm groups over stereotypically cold groups, whereas NFC predicts a preference for stereotypically competent groups over stereotypically incompetent groups. Study 1 supported these hypotheses for attitudes toward stereotypically ambivalent groups, which are stereotyped as high on one of the trait dimensions (e.g., high warmth) and low on the other (e.g., low competence), but not for stereotypically univalent groups, which are seen as high or low on both dimensions. Studies 2 and 3 replicated this pattern for stereotypically ambivalent groups, and yielded provocative evidence regarding several putative mechanisms underlying these associations. Together, these findings help integrate and extend past evidence on attitude-relevant individual differences with research on intergroup perception.
Sentiment analysis is an active research area in today's era due to the abundance of opinionated data present on online social networks. Semantic detection is a sub-category of sentiment analysis which deals with the identification of sentiment orientation in any text. Many sentiment applications rely on lexicons to supply features to a model. Various machine learning algorithms and sentiment lexicons have been proposed in research in order to improve sentiment categorization. Supervised machine learning algorithms and domain specific sentiment lexicons generally perform better as compared to the unsupervised or semi-supervised domain independent lexicon based approaches. The core hindrance in the application of supervised algorithms or domain specific sentiment lexicons is the unavailability of sentiment labeled training datasets for every domain. On the other hand, the performance of algorithms based on general purpose sentiment lexicons needs improvement. This research is focused on building a general purpose sentiment lexicon in a semi-supervised manner. The proposed lexicon defines word semantics based on Expected Likelihood Estimate Smoothed Odds Ratio that are then incorporated with supervised machine learning based model selection approach. A comprehensive performance comparison verifies the superiority of our proposed approach.
The first step of quantum measurement procedure is known as premeasurement, during which correlation is established between the system and the measurement apparatus. Such correlation may be classical or nonclassical in nature. One compelling nonclassical correlation is entanglement, a useful resource for various quantum information theoretic protocols. Quantifying the amount of entanglement, generated during quantum measurement, therefore, seeks importance from practical ground, and this is the central issue of the present paper. Interestingly, for a two-level quantum system, we obtain that the amount of entanglement, measured in term of negativity, generated in premeasurement process can be quantified by two factors: skew information, which quantifies the uncertainty in the measurement of an observable not commuting with some conserved quantity of the system, and mixedness parameter of the system's initial state.
Recently, Bernard, Gervais, Allen, Campomizzi, and Klein (2012) reported that individuals were less able to recognize inverted vs. upright pictures of sexualized men as compared to women. Based on their formulation of the sexualized-body-inversion hypothesis (SBIH) it was concluded that sexualized women as compared to men are perceived in a more object-like manner supporting sexual objectification (SO) of females - independent from observer gender. We challenge this interpretation and hypothesize that the originally reported effect is the result of a methodological artifact due to gender-symmetry and stimuli setup-symmetry confounds in the original stimulus set. We tested this theoretically more parsimonious account in a methodologically stricter and extended conceptual replication of the putative SO-effect. Results from two studies showed that the original stimulus set indeed suffered from symmetry confounds and that these are necessary boundary-conditions in order for the hypothetical SO-effect to occur. It is concluded that the SBIH as postulated by Bernard et al. (2012) is based on a methodological artifact and cannot be related to SO but symmetry detection. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The malformation of sheet metal tapping screw threads in the screw threading process increases the cost of screw threading dies and their maintenance. Die factories do not reveal their screw threading die design techniques, so production and maintenance processes are established by trial-and-error or worker experience and passing down such techniques and documenting quality control is difficult. In this study, screw thread forming design and process analysis were carried out by combining computer-aided design software with computer-aided metal forming analysis software. Simulation results were verified in an actual forming process. The sheet metal tapping screw forging size error was less than 0.90%, except at a sharp angle, which was associated with an error of 3.075%, thereby demonstrating the accuracy of the simulated forming process. The numerical analysis process can be utilized to shorten forming development time; to reduce the number of die tests, and to improve product quality and die service life, reducing the cost of development and promoting the overall competitiveness of the company.
The principle of hyperspectral imaging leads to a variety of stripe noise in hyperspectral images, especially the wide-stripe noise, which brings great obstacles to the interpretation and application of hyperspectral images. Aiming at the wide-stripe noise of hyperspectral images of two-level production data, considering from the effect of filtering noise and the ability of protecting detail, this paper proposed a fused wide-stripe removal method based on the wavelet transform and local interpolation (WTLI), called the WTLI algorithm. On one hand, it uses the wavelet transform to remove the stripe noise as much as possible; on the other hand, it uses the local interpolation to protect more geometric and detailed information, so as to achieve the purpose of removing noise and protecting the useful information. A series of comparative experiments were carried out with hyperspectral image data. Not only have good experimental results been obtained, but also this shows that the WTLI algorithm has better stability and universality.
This paper proposes a modified cascaded multilevel grid-connected inverter (MCM-GCI) suitable for photovoltaic grid-connected generation system, which considers wide operation range, low grid current total harmonics distortion (THD), and high European efficiency. In the proposed topology, a bidirectional power switch is added to the standard single-phase cascaded multilevel inverter (CMI) to implement the transformation between CMI mode and H-bridge inverter (HBI) mode. An online topology transformation approach of the MCM-GCI is proposed to guarantee the topology modes transformed safely and smoothly. The proposed MCM-GCI operates in CMI mode when the PV arrays' output voltage and power are low, and transforms into HBI mode when the PV arrays' output voltage and power are high. Experimental results of five-level MCM-GCI are represented to validate the feasibility of the proposed topology and it is also compared with other three classic grid-connected inverters to highlight its advantages. Furthermore, more structures based on hybrid CMI, which possess the topology transformation ability, are shown to further improve the generation range and obtain a higher efficiency of the system.
In this paper we show that plants respond to downstream ambient water quality after controlling for permitted levels of pollution. We find if past water quality declines by one percent, plants reduce current pollution by 0.35 percent. The magnitude of this coefficient is comparable to the coefficient on permitted discharge levels i.e. regulatory stringency itself. Results are consistent with two mechanisms. First, a decline in water quality may lead to more stringent permits that would raise the cost of abatement of a plant significantly. Second, the plant is likely to be subject to increased public pressure in response to poor water quality. Indeed, as expected, the impact of water quality becomes stronger in locations with higher median household income, higher percent carpooling to work, or lower percent of manufacturing employment but surprisingly with lower median age of residents, lower percent with bachelor's degree or higher percent of families with children. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Electrocorticogram (ECoG) has great potential as a source signal, especially for clinical BMI. Until recently, ECoG electrodes were commonly used for identifying epileptogenic foci in clinical situations, and such electrodes were low-density and large. Increasing the number and density of recording channels could enable the collection of richer motor/sensory information, and may enhance the precision of decoding and increase opportunities for controlling external devices. Several reports have aimed to increase the number and density of channels. However, few studies have discussed the actual validity of high-density ECoG arrays. In this study, we developed novel high-density flexible ECoG arrays and conducted decoding analyses with monkey somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). Using MEMS technology, we made 96-channel Parylene electrode arrays with an inter-electrode distance of 700 mu m and recording site area of 350 mu m(2). The arrays were mainly placed onto the finger representation area in the somatosensory cortex of the macaque, and partially inserted into the central sulcus. With electrical finger stimulation, we successfully recorded and visualized finger SEPs with a high spatiotemporal resolution. We conducted offline analyses in which the stimulated fingers and intensity were predicted from recorded SEPs using a support vector machine. We obtained the following results: (1) Very high accuracy (similar to 98%) was achieved with just a short segment of data (similar to 15 ms from stimulus onset). (2) High accuracy (similar to 96%) was achieved even when only a single channel was used. This result indicated placement optimality for decoding. (3) Higher channel counts generally improved prediction accuracy, but the efficacy was small for predictions with feature vectors that included time-series information. These results suggest that ECoG signals with high spatiotemporal resolution could enable greater decoding precision or external device control.
Tospoviruses (genus Tospovirus, family Bunyaviridae) are responsible for major losses in an extensive range of crops worldwide. New species of these single-stranded, ambisense RNA viruses regularly emerge and have been shown to maintain heterogeneous populations with individual isolates having quite variable biological and virulence characteristics. Most tospovirus phylogenetic studies have focused on analysis of a single gene, most often the nucleocapsid protein gene. Complete genomic RNA segment amplification as a single fragment would facilitate more detailed analyses of genome-wide sequence variability, but obtaining such sequences for a large number of tospovirus isolates using traditional methods of amplification and cloning of small overlapping fragments is tedious, time consuming and expensive. In this study, protocols were optimized to amplify, clone and sequence full-length M- and S-RNA genome segments of Tomato spotted wilt virus and Impatiens necrotic spot virus. The strategy presented here is straightforward, scalable and offers several advantages over the previously commonplace and overlapping amplicon-based approach. Use of whole genome segments, instead of individual gene sequences or defined portions of genome segments, will facilitate a better understanding of the underlying molecular diversity of tospoviruses in mixed infections. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Microscopic cell image analysis is indispensable to cell biology. Images of cells can easily degrade due to optical diffraction or focus shift, as this results in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and poor image quality, hence affecting the accuracy of cell analysis and identification. For a quantitative analysis of cell images, restoring blurred images to improve the SNR is the first step. A parameter estimation method for defocused microscopic cell images based on the power law properties of the power spectrum of cell images is proposed. The circular radon transform (CRT) is used to identify the zero-mode of the power spectrum. The parameter of the CRT curve is initially estimated by an improved differential evolution algorithm. Following this, the parameters are optimized through the gradient descent method. Using synthetic experiments, it was confirmed that the proposed method effectively increased the peak SNR (PSNR) of the recovered images with high accuracy. Furthermore, experimental results involving actual microscopic cell images verified that the superiority of the proposed parameter estimation method for blurred microscopic cell images other method in terms of qualitative visual sense as well as quantitative gradient and PSNR. (C) 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is increasingly utilized today by populations to alleviate water supply issues, particularly in rural, dry environments. Limited research has considered, simultaneously, the numerous factors that contribute to sustainability - for example, social acceptance, water quality, and maintenance needs - of RWH. This research aimed to improve the understanding of factors influencing the sustainability of rainwater harvesting systems for domestic use (DRWHS) through examination of social, water quality, and technical feasibility components. We conducted 50 household surveys and 17 rainwater quality analyses in San Jose Xacxamayo, a rural, semi-arid community in Puebla, Mexico. Results showed that DRWHS are socially accepted primarily because of the presence of existing local skills and knowledge, as well as critical need for water. Results from most of the water quality parameters measured were within World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for human consumption, with the exception of pH, total coliform, and heterotrophic plate count, which required water treatment prior to consumption. Technical feasibility was the main barrier to the sustainability of DRWHS; highly seasonal rainfall and small roof sizes (averaging 70 m(2)) resulted in households unable to meet annual water needs. Increasing roof sizes and providing water treatment could ensure DRWHS sustainability in the studied community.
The present study aims to investigate the interplay of verbal and nonverbal communication with respect to infants' perception of pointing gestures. Infants were presented with still images of pointing hands (cue) in combination with an acoustic stimulus. The communicative content of this acoustic stimulus was varied from being human and communicative to artificial. Saccadic reaction times (SRTs) from the cue to a peripheral target were measured as an indicator of the modulation of covert attention. A significant cueing effect (facilitated SRTs for congruent compared with incongruent trials) was only present in a condition with additional communicative and referential speech. In addition, the size of the cueing effect increased the more human and communicative the acoustic stimulus was. This indicates a beneficial effect of verbal communication on the perception of nonverbal communicative pointing gestures, emphasizing the important role of verbal communication in facilitating social understanding across domains. These findings additionally suggest that human and communicative (ostensive) signals are not qualitatively different from other less social signals but just quantitatively the most attention grabbing among a number of other signals.
When permeable geosynthetic tubes are used for dewatering of waste sludge or construction of dikes or embankments, the tubes have to be inflated using sludge or soil slurry several times. After each inflation, the soil slurry is consolidated into solid. Hence from the second inflation onwards, the geosynthetic tube is filled by both slurry and consolidated soil. In this paper, a new analytical method is proposed to provide a solution to the above specific case. Friction between geosynthetic sheet and soil, and friction between geosynthetic tube and subgrade, are considered. Parametric studies are also carried out to compare the design between geosynthetic tubes inflated using pure slurry and that using slurry and consolidated soil to study the key factors affecting the design. The study shows that tensile forces vary along the cross-section of the geosynthetic tube with the minimum value occurring at the center of the base. The effect of friction and lateral earth pressure on the geometry and tensile forces of the geosynthetic tube is insignificant when the height of the consolidated soil in the tube is small, but increases considerably with an increase in the height. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
There are many data pre-processing techniques that aim at enhancing the quality of classifiers induced by machine learning algorithms. Functional expansions (FE) are one of such techniques, which has been originally proposed to aid neural network based classification. Despite of being successfully employed, works reported in the literature use the same functional expansion, with the same expansion size (ES), applied to each attribute that describes the training data. In this paper it is argued that FE and ES can be attribute-oriented and, by choosing the most suitable FE-SE pair for each attribute, the input data representation improves and, as a consequence, learning algorithms can induce better classifiers. This paper proposes, as a pre-processing step to learning algorithms, a method that uses a genetic algorithm for searching for a suitable FE-SE pair for each data attribute, aiming at producing functionally extended training data. Experimental results using functionally expanded training sets, considering four classification algorithms, KNN, CART, SVM and RBNN, have confirmed the hypothesis; the proposed method for searching for FE-SE pairs through an attribute-oriented fashion has yielded statistically significant better results than learning from the original data or by considering the result from the best FE-SE pair for all attributes. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Server-side socialbot detection approaches can identify malicious accounts and spams in online social networks. However, they cannot detect socialbot processes, residing on user hosts, which control these accounts. Therefore, new approaches are needed to detect socialbots on hosts. The fundamental to design host-side detecting approaches is to gain an insight into the behaviors of socialbots on host. In this article, we analyzed a series of representative socialbots in depth and summarized the typical features of socialbot behaviors. We proposed a new approach to defense against socialbots on end host. The contributions of this article are threefold: (1) our analysis approach can be used for reference during analyzing new socialbots in the future; (2) we provide several behavior features of socialbots on hosts, including network flow through which socialbots communicate with botmasters through the online social network, system calls via which socialbots conduct an activity, and process information of socialbots running on hosts. These features can be used by someone to design approaches to identifying socialbots on a host; (3) our proposed detection approach can effectively distinguish between a socialbot and a benign application on end hosts.
People's emotional states often depend on the emotions of others. Consequently, to predict their own responses to social interactions (i.e., affective forecasts), we contend that people predict the emotional states of others (i.e., empathic forecasts). We propose that empathic forecasts are vulnerable to stereotype biases and demonstrate that stereotypes about the different emotional experiences of race (Experiment 1) and sex groups (Experiment 2) bias empathic forecasts. Path modeling in both studies demonstrates that stereotype-biased empathic forecasts regarding how a target individual will feel during a social interaction are associated with participants' affective forecasts of how they will feel during that interaction with the target person. These affective forecasts, in turn, predict behavioral intentions for the social interaction before it even begins. Stereotypes can therefore indirectly bias affective forecasts by first influencing the empathic forecasts that partly constitute them. In turn, these potentially biased affective forecasts determine social behaviors.
The analysis of steam generators as an interface between primary and secondary circuits in light water nuclear power plants is crucial in terms of safety and design issues. VVER-1000 nuclear power plants use horizontal steam generators which demand a detailed thermal hydraulics investigation in order to predict their behavior during normal and transient operational conditions. Two phase flow field simulation on adjacent tube bundles is important in obtaining logical numerical results. However, the complexity of the tube bundles, due to geometry and arrangement, makes it complicated. Employment of porous media is suggested to simplify numerical modeling. This study presents the use of porous media to simulate the tube bundles within a general-purpose computational fluid dynamics code. Solved governing equations are generalized phase continuity, momentum, and energy equations. Boundary conditions, as one of the main challenges in this numerical analysis, are optimized. The model has been verified and tuned by simple two-dimensional geometry. It is shown that the obtained vapor volume fraction near the cold and hot collectors predict the experimental results more accurately than in previous studies. Copyright (C) 2016, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC on behalf of Korean Nuclear Society.
In this article, we present a compact implementation of the Salsa20 stream cipher that is targeted towards lightweight cryptographic devices such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The Salsa20 stream cipher, ann addition-rotation-XOR (ARX) cipher, is used for high-security cryptography in NEON instruction sets embedded in ARM Cortex A8 CPU core-based tablets and smartphones. The existing literature shows that although classical cryptanalysis has been effective on reduced rounds of Salsa20, the stream cipher is immune to software side-channel attacks such as branch timing and cache timing attacks. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to perform hardware power analysis attacks, where we evaluate the resistance of all eight keywords in the proposed compact implementation of Salsa20. Our technique targets the three subrounds of the first round of the implemented Salsa20. The correlation power analysis (CPA) attack has an attack complexity of 2(19). Based on extensive experiments on a compact implementation of Salsa20, we demonstrate that all these keywords can be recovered within 20,000 queries on Salsa20. The attacks show a varying resilience of the key words against CPA that has not yet been observed in any stream or block cipher in the present literature. This makes the architecture of this stream cipher interesting from the side-channel analysis perspective. Also, we propose a lightweight countermeasure that mitigates the leakage in the power traces as shown in the results of Welch's t-test statistics. The hardware area overhead of the proposed countermeasure is only 14% and is designed with compact implementation in mind.
We present a collaborative attempt to build select toolboxes of Scilab using external Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) libraries. A C/C++ interface is written for each library. Scilab variables are transferred to C/C++ variables, computations carried out through one or more function calls and variables returned to Scilab. State of the art libraries, such as Octave, COIN-OR, OpenCV and IT++ have been used to build Scilab toolboxes. Scilab is selected as the frontend as it has a block based GUI to build models, called Xcos. Optimization, Signal Processing, Communication, Image Processing, Computer Vision, Signal Processing and Identification toolboxes are in advanced stages of development and use. Control Systems and Scilab to C toolboxes are in early stages of development.
The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) encodes the pore-forming subunit of the rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium channel (I-Kr), which is important for cardiac repolarization. Dysfunction of hERG causes long QT syndrome and sudden death, which occur in patients with cardiac ischemia. Cardiac ischemia is also associated with activation, up-regulation, and secretion of various proteolytic enzymes. Here, using whole-cell patch clamp and Western blotting analysis, we demonstrate that the hERG/I-Kr channel was selectively cleaved by the serine protease, proteinase K (PK). Using molecular biology techniques including making a chimeric channel between protease-sensitive hERG and insensitive human ether-a-go-go (hEAG), as well as application of the scorpion toxin BeKm-1, we identified that the S5-pore linker of hERG is the target domain for proteinase K cleavage. To investigate the physiological relevance of the unique susceptibility of hERG to proteases, we show that cardiac ischemia in a rabbit model was associated with a reduction in mature ERG expression and an increase in the expression of several proteases, including calpain. Using cell biology approaches, we found that calpain-1 was actively released into the extracellular milieu and cleaved hERG at the S5-pore linker. Using protease cleavage-predicting software and site-directed mutagenesis, we identified that calpain-1 cleaves hERG at position Gly-603 in the S5-pore linker of hERG. Clarification of protease-mediated damage of hERG extends our understanding of hERG regulation. Damage of hERG mediated by proteases such as calpain may contribute to ischemia-associated QT prolongation and sudden cardiac death.
Breakthrough performances have been achieved in computer vision by utilizing deep neural networks. In this paper we propose to use random forest to classify image representations obtained by concatenating multiple layers of learned features of deep convolutional neural networks for scene classification. Specifically, we first use deep convolutional neural networks pre-trained on the large-scale image database Places to extract features from scene images. Then, we concatenate multiple layers of features of the deep neural networks as image representations. After that, we use random forest as the classifier for scene classification. Moreover, to reduce feature redundancy in image representations we derived a novel feature selection method for selecting features that are suitable for random forest classification. Extensive experiments are conducted on two benchmark datasets, i.e. MIT-Indoor and UIUC-Sports. Obtained results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method. The contributions of the paper are as follows. First, by extracting multiple layers of deep neural networks, we can explore more information of image contents for determining their categories. Second, we proposed a novel feature selection method that can be used to reduce redundancy in features obtained by deep neural networks for classification based on random forest. In particular, since deep learning methods can be used to augment expert systems by having the systems essentially training themselves, and the proposed framework is general, which can be easily extended to other intelligent systems that utilize deep learning methods, the proposed method provide a potential way for improving performances of other expert and intelligent systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The influence of the acuteness of the model angle and the direction of printing was investigated on different three-dimensional (3D) printers to understand the fidelity of 3D printing. A Polyjet printer and two fused deposition modeling printers were used in the present study. Computer-aided design (CAD) models were designed in the form of a triangular prism with a height of 15 mm and with varying angles of 60A degrees, 45A degrees, 30A degrees, 20A degrees, 10A degrees, and 5A degrees. From the CAD designs, additive manufacturing (AM) models were printed in three different directions by each of the three printers. To investigate the global fidelity of the 3D printers, the height and surface outlines of the AM model cross sections were measured. The fidelity of the AM models with increasingly acute angles was not accurately reproduced when 3D printed, and the surface outlines of the AM model cross sections were different in each direction of printing for each device. Printing technology and printing direction need to be considered if accurate reproduction of acute angles in fine AM structures in medical models is a necessity.
The creation of a high bond strength between machined computer-manufactured pure titanium and porcelain remains problematic, and the effects of a silica coating on the bond strength of milled pure titanium bonded to dental porcelain require further investigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of machined pure titanium, with an intermediate coating of silica, to dental porcelain. In this work, 24 specimens of milled pure titanium were prepared and randomly divided into test and control groups, in which the test group was coated with silica using the sol-gel dipping technique. The metal-ceramic bond strength was evaluated, according to ISO 9693 standards, using the three-point bending test, and scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy were used to study the microstructure and elemental composition of the specimens. The bonding strength of the silica-coated group was significantly higher than that of the control group, and more residual porcelain on the metal surface could be observed in the silica-coated group. Therefore, the application of a silica intermediate coating produced using the sol-gel method could significantly improve the bond strength between machined pure titanium and porcelain.
In developmental and cell biology it is crucial to evaluate the dynamic profiles of metabolites. An emerging frog model system using Xenopus tropicalis, whose genome sequence and inbred strains are available, is now ready for metabolomics investigation in amphibians. In this study we applied matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) analysis to identify and visualize metabolomic molecular markers in tadpoles of Xenopus tropicalis. We detected tissue-specific peaks and visualized their distribution in tissues, and distinguished 19 tissues and their specific peaks. We identified, for the first time, some of their molecular localizations via tandem mass spectrometric analysis: hydrocortisone in artery, L-DOPA in rhombencephalon, taurine in eye, corticosterone in gill, heme in heart, inosine monophosphate and carnosine in muscle, dopamine in nerves, and phosphatidylethanolamine (16:0/20:4) in pharynx. This is the first MALDI-MSI study of X. tropicalis tadpoles, as in small tadpoles it is hard to distinguish and dissect the various organs. Furthermore, until now there has been no data about the metabolomic profile of each organ. Our results suggest that MALDI-MSI is potentially a powerful tool for examining the dynamics of metabolomics in metamorphosis as well as conformational changes due to metabolic changes.
The Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI) is an interview-based instrument to assess cognition considering the impact of cognitive impairment on daily activities. We aimed to explore the associations of the Spanish version of the CAI (CAI-Sp) with a neuropsychological battery and a measure of psychosocial functioning in psychosis. The sample consisted of fifty-six first episode psychosis (FEP) patients and 66 non-FEP patients, who were assessed with a neuropsychological battery, the CAI-Sp and the Short Disability Schedule (DAS-S). Patients also underwent clinical assessment. Additionally, 37 controls were assessed with the neuropsychological battery and CAI-Sp, for normalization purposes. The results showed that CAI-Sp scores were overall correlated with the neuropsychological battery in non-FEP patients. In FEP patients, we found fewer significant correlations. Most associations were maintained after controlling for clinical symptoms. CAI-Sp rater scores contributed to the variance in the DAS-S scores in both groups, as did negative and disorganized symptoms. The CAI-Sp may be a good instrument to assess cognition in non-FEP patients. In FEP patients, it was less effective in capturing cognitive impairments and their functional consequences, probably because cognitive deficits have yet to become evident, due to the recency of illness onset, and no functional disturbances were observed due to these cognitive impairments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Stress effects in semiconductor devices have gained significant attention in semiconductor industry in recent years, and numerical modeling is often used as a powerful tool for stress analysis in semiconductor devices. Here, we present a nontraditional 1D model for fast stress analysis in bipolar junction transistors. Because bipolar transistors are operationally 1D devices, it is possible to speed up the simulation with a 1D numerical model and get results that are comparable with 2D and 3D simulation outcomes. This model consists of a complete numerical algorithm that can be used for stress analysis of bipolar transistors on any plane. Existing 1D simulators take more time as they solve all device equations throughout the device. In contrast, our model optimizes the solutions for different regions with the development and inclusion of specific algorithms. A fractional starting point is introduced for the depletion region to speed up the process further. This way, faster computing time and much higher accuracy can be reached. At the same time, popular 2D and 3D simulators, which are using finite element methods, are naturally much slower, especially if high accuracy is needed. Simulation results of this 1D model match well with the simulation results of a 2D model developed with a commercial technology computer aided design (TCAD) tool. The validity of our model was verified with experimental results and theoretical expectations as well. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flying capacitor converters (FCCs) are recently attracting considerable interest because of their inherent natural voltage balancing property. We develop a sampled-data model for a single-phase single-leg three-level FCC. This provides a closed-form expression for the system dynamic behavior after each switching cycle. Analysis of this model provides considerable insight on the FCC and its natural balancing property. In particular, we prove that the natural balancing property indeed holds whenever the switching frequency is sufficiently high. We also rigorously analyze dynamic properties such as the capacitor time constant and relate them to the parameter values of the load, carrier frequency and duty ratio. These results shed light on the intricate relationship between the FCC parameters and its short- and long-term dynamic behavior. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an austere menace to extensively used Internet-based services. The in-time detection of DDoS attacks poses a tough challenge to network security. Revealing a low-rate DDoS (LR-DDoS) attack is comparatively more difficult in modern high speed networks, since it can easily conceal itself due to its similarity with legitimate traffic, and so eluding current anomaly based detection methods. This paper investigates the aptness and impetus of the information theory-based generalized entropy (GE) and generalized information distance (GID) metrics in detecting different types of DDoS attacks. The results of GE and GID metrics are compared with Shannon entropy and other popular information divergence measures. In addition, the feasibility of using these metrics in discriminating a high-rate DDoS (HR-DDoS) attack from a similar looking legitimate flash event (FE) is also verified. We used real and synthetically generated datasets to elucidate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed detection scheme in detecting different types of DDoS attacks and FEs. The results clearly show that the GE and GID metrics perform well in comparison with other metrics and have reduced false positive rate (FPR). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective To describe the communication techniques used by clients and veterinarians during companion animal visits in Australia. Design A cross-sectional descriptive study. Methods A total of 64 veterinary consultations were audiotaped and analysed with the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS); clients completed appointment level measures, including their satisfaction and perceptions of relational communication. Results Participants were 24 veterinarians and 64 clients. Statements intended to reassure clients were expressed frequently in the consultations, but in 59% of appointments empathy statements were not expressed towards either the client or the patient. In 10% of appointments, veterinarians did not used any open-ended questions. Overall client satisfaction was high and veterinarians' expressions of empathy directed to the client resulted in higher levels of client satisfaction. Clients' perceptions of relational communication were related to several veterinarian and client nonverbal scales. Conclusions A focus on developing evidence-based clinical communication skills is expected to further enhance the veterinarian-client-patient relationship and associated clinical outcomes. Particular recommendations include the development of a broader emotion-handling repertoire, increased emphasis on the use of open-ended enquiry, including assessment of the client's perspective, as well as attention to aspects of nonverbal communication. The study provides preliminary evidence for the importance of verbal expressions of empathy during the companion animal consultation.
This paper presents a cycle efficient software frequency response analyzer (SFRA), which is integrated into the firmware of the digitally controller power converter to measure the frequency response of the plant and the open-loop gain of the closed-loop system. The algorithm uses the readily available measurements taken for the power stage control and does not require additional hardware. This enables periodic measurement of the frequency response which can be used to monitor changes in the power converter. The proposed technique can run on a conventional microcontroller without any host intervention, and adds no cost to the system, which is important for the cost-sensitive power converters. Both floating point and fixed point implementation are compared enabling widespread applicability of the technique. In order to validate the efficacy of the analyzer, a synchronous buck power converter is designed and its control transfer function is compared with the measured online frequency response. An algorithm is outlined to fit the measured SFRA data to a pole-zero format through intelligent cost function estimation. The correlation of zeros and poles identified using this method with the modeled plant transfer function is analyzed. A dual core approach is discussed to run SFRA on a high-switching-frequency converter, thus showing applicability of the technique in high-switching-frequency converters.
Objective: Few studies have evaluated the effects of visual remediation strategies in schizophrenia despite abundant evidence of visual-processing alterations in this condition. We report preliminary, case-study-based evidence regarding the effects of visual remediation in this population. Method: We describe implementation of a visual-perceptual training program called ULTIMEYES (UE) and initial results through 3 brief case studies of individuals with schizophrenia. UE targets broad-based visual function, including low-level processes (e.g., acuity, contrast sensitivity) as well as higher level visual functions. Three inpatients, recruited from a research unit, participated in at least 38 sessions 3 to 4 times per week for approximately 25 min per session. Contrast sensitivity (a trained task), as well as acuity and perceptual organization (untrained tasks), were assessed before and after the intervention. Levels of progression through the task are also reported. Results: UE was well tolerated by the participants and led to improvements in contrast sensitivity, as well as more generalized gains in visual acuity in all 3 participants and perceptual organization in 2 participants. Symptom profiles were somewhat different for each participant, but all were symptomatic during the intervention. Despite this, they were able to focus on and benefit from training. The adaptive nature of the training was well suited to the slower progression of 2 participants. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: These case studies set the stage for further research, such as larger, randomized controlled trials of the intervention that include additional assessments of perceptual function and measures of cognition, social cognition, and functional outcomes.
The goal of this work was to develop an easy-to-use and engaging irrigation scheduling tool for cotton which operates on a smartphone platform. The model which drives the Cotton Smartlrrigation App (Cotton App) is an interactive ET-based soil water balance model. The Cotton App uses meteorological data from weather station networks, soil parameters, crop phenology, crop coefficients, and irrigation applications to estimate root zone soil water deficits (RZSWD) in terms of percent as well as of inches of water. The Cotton App sends notifications to the user when the RZSWD exceeds 40%, when phenological changes occur, and when rain is recorded at the nearest weather station. It operates on both iOS and Android operating systems and was released during March 2014. The soil water balance model was calibrated and validated during 2012 and 2013 using data from replicated plot experiments and commercial fields. The Cotton App was evaluated in field trials for three years and performed well when compared to other irrigation scheduling tools. Its geographical footprint is currently limited to the states of Georgia and Florida, United States, because it is enabled to use meteorological data only from weather station networks in these states. A new version is currently under development which will use national gridded meteorological data sets and allow the Cotton App to be used in most cotton growing areas of the United States. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
It is well-known that the performance of Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement depends, to a great extent, on the support condition under the slab. The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) recognized the importance of the support condition and requires the use of a stabilized base, either a 10.16-cm hot mix asphalt layer or a minimum 2.54-cm asphalt concrete over a 15.24-cm cement-stabilized layer. For pavement design purposes, 81.4 MPa/m has been used as the default value for the modulus of the subgrade reaction (k value) for the support provided by these bases. The use of a single value of 81.4 MPa/m for the k value in rigid pavement design was partly because of the insensitivity of the required slab thickness to the modulus of the subgrade reaction in the current TXDOT rigid pavement design procedure. To improve rigid pavement design, TXDOT developed a new design procedure for continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) on the basis of mechanistic-empirical principles and plans to implement the procedure. In this design procedure, the slab support has rather more substantial effects on the required slab thickness than the current TXDOT design procedure. To increase the reliability of the new pavement design procedure, accurate evaluations of the k value are important. A test section was constructed in which various base types were used, and a number of field tests were conducted to estimate the range of k values for the support systems that are currently used or expected to be utilized, including the placement of nonwoven geotextile in lieu of the asphalt layer. The current practice of using one default value of 81.4 MPa/m needs to be revised, and the use of nonwoven geotextile is not recommended until further evaluations prove its viability. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
This paper focuses on the development of an agent-based intelligent distributed surface machining system structure through traditional manufacturing engineering activity analysis and systematic software engineering method. The advantages of a distributed system structure include ease of manipulation, high expandability, flexibility and the achievement towards the goal of networked manufacture. The proposed system has presented the feasibility in applying software agent-based technology in constructing a distributed freeform surface machining environment. Several agents have been developed in the proposed system: (1) preliminary evaluation agent, (2) sophisticated evaluation agent, and (3) post processor agent. Preliminary evaluation agent is in evaluation on the surface machining based on surface curvatures. Sophisticated evaluation agent could be accessed if the surface could not be machined by three axis milling machine based on the calculation results from preliminary evaluation, this agent can suggest either four or five axis machine that could be applied for the surface milling operation based on visibility cone. Post processor agent takes care of generation of the NC codes for milling operation. This agent can also convert five-axis NC codes among different five-axis milling machines when the machine's mechanism could be defined. These agents communicate via pre-defined performatives underlying knowledge query and manipulation language (KQML) for the surface machining capability. The developed system has then been successfully implemented in forming a distributed shoe surface machining system. This means agent technology is very promising in enhancing the communication of a distributed system to be able to communicate with higher level knowledge rather than only in remote function call through platform independent networking architecture.
A spectrum of disease extends beyond the rigid confines of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) encompasses non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA) in individuals without established radiographic changes but with other clinical/imaging axSpA features and AS in those with definite sacroiliac joint changes on pelvic X-rays. A broad consensus about the management of nr-axSpA is emerging among clinicians, but the evidence base remains open to question. To explore whether nr-axSpA and AS should be treated similarly, we examined the literature on their prevalence, natural history, disease burden, and treatment. There is strong evidence that nr-axSpA and AS are expressions of the same disease. Approximately 10% of patients with nr-axSpA will develop radiographic disease over 2 years; after >20 years, the figure may exceed 80%. Nr-axSpA patients have lower CRP and less spinal inflammation on MRI than AS patients but similar disease activity, pain, and quality-of-life impairment. Most patients with nr-axSpA manage well with conservative treatment, but a minority has severe disabling symptoms. Anti-TNF therapy has demonstrated similar efficacy and safety in nr-axSpA and AS. Current evidence does not clearly indicate that anti-TNF treatment can inhibit or limit bony progression of AS, the basis of conservative and anti-TNF treatment is control of symptoms and function. For some patients with nr-axSpA, the need for powerful treatments is as great as in some with AS; thus, treatment of axSpA should be consistent across the axSpA spectrum with anti-TNF agents being available, irrespective of radiographic change, according to the same criteria as those applied to AS.
High-throughput screening (HTS) is currently the mainstay for the identification of chemical entities capable of modulating biochemical reactions or cellular processes. With the advancement of biotechnologies and the high translational potential of small molecules, a number of innovative approaches in drug discovery have evolved, which explains the resurgent interest in the use of HTS. The oncology field is currently the most active research area for drug screening, with no major breakthrough made for the identification of new immunomodulatory compounds targeting transplantation-related complications or autoimmune ailments. Here, we present a novel in vitro murine fluorescent-based lymphocyte assay easily adapted for the identification of new immunomodulatory compounds. This assay uses T or B cells derived from a transgenic mouse, in which the Nur77 promoter drives GFP expression upon T-or B-cell receptor stimulation. As the GFP intensity reflects the activation/ transcriptional activity of the target cell, our assay defines a novel tool to study the effect of given compound(s) on cellular/biological responses. For instance, a primary screening was performed using 4,398 compounds in the absence of a target hypothesis, which led to the identification of 160 potential hits displaying immunomodulatory activities. Thus, the use of this assay is suitable for drug discovery programs exploring large chemical libraries prior to further in vitro/in vivo validation studies.
Software fault tolerance is an important issue when using software systems in safety-critical applications. In such systems, software robustness is an essential requirement for improving software fault tolerance. Since an operating system (OS) is a major part of a safety-critical system, its robustness has considerable influence on the system's overall robustness. In recent years, researchers have emphasized the importance of considering the OS state in robustness testing. OS state is determined by analysis of the interactions between OS components. In this paper, an approach, named TIMEOUT, is proposed for robustness testing of embedded real-time OSs. This approach reveals the impact of time delays, i.e. inputs with invalid timing delay, on the OS kernel functionality. TIMEOUT takes the OS state into account and improves the existing robustness testing methods. The proposed approach has been implemented and the experiments have been performed on Linux PREEMPT-RT, which is an embedded real-time implementation of Linux operating system. The results show that OS state can influence the OS behavior with respect to fault tolerance, in the presence of time delays. Based on the results of this approach, system developers can identify criticality of OS states and improve robustness of OS in those states.
Water is essential for human survival. Although approximately 71% of the world is covered in water, only 2.5% of this is fresh water; hence, fresh water is a valuable resource that must be carefully monitored and maintained. In developing countries, 80% of people are without access to potable water. Cholera is still reported in more than 50 countries. In Africa, 75% of the drinking water comes from underground sources, which makes water monitoring an issue of key concern, as water monitoring can be used to track water quality changes over time, identify existing or emerging problems, and design effective intervention programs to remedy water pollution. It is important to have detailed knowledge of potable water quality to enable proper treatment and also prevent contamination. In this article, we review methods for water quality monitoring (WQM) from traditional manual methods to more technologically advanced methods employing wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for in situ WQM. In particular, we highlight recent developments in the sensor devices, data acquisition procedures, communication and network architectures, and power management schemes to maintain a long-lived operational WQM system. Finally, we discuss open issues that need to be addressed to further advance automatic WQM using WSNs.
Bioinformatics has grown very quickly for the last 20 years, and it will grow even faster in the future. One of the long-standing open challenges in bioinformatics is biomarker identification and cancer diagnosis from gene expression. In this paper, the authors propose a novel hybrid wrapper/filter feature selection approach to identify the most informative genes for cancer diagnosis, named HWF-GS. It handles selection through two steps. The first one is an iterative filter-based mechanism to generate potential subsets of genes. The second step is the aggregation of the best-selected subsets by means of a wrapper-based consensus process that relies on a particle swarm optimization adapted to feature selection. An ensemble of classifiers (SVM and KNN) is employed to evaluate the selected genes. Experiments on nine publicly available cancer DNA microarray datasets have shown that HWF-GS selects robust signatures with high classification accuracy and competes with and even outperforms other methods in the literature.
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a promising tool for supplementing surface water and groundwater supply to overcome imbalance between water supply and demand under changing climatic conditions. The main aim of this study is to present a technically robust and pragmatic methodology for evaluating rainwater harvesting potential and identifying suitable sites for RWH and artificial recharge structures using Geographic Information System (GIS)-based multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). Unlike past studies, this study proposes an approach to prioritize zones/sites for RWH and recharge structures, which is of great importance for the effective implementation of RWH strategies. The derived themes 'runoff coefficient' and the basic themes of 'slope' and 'drainage density' were used for mapping rainwater harvesting potential. Thereafter, suitable zones and sites for feasible RWH and recharge structures were identified using suitability criteria and GIS-based Boolean logic. In addition, identified zones/sites were prioritized based on the themes of key factors viz., post-monsoon groundwater level, groundwater fluctuation and water demand. After normalizing the weights of the themes and their features, the themes were integrated in GIS environment. The study area was divided into four RWH potential zones with 47% and 38% of the study area falling under 'high' and 'moderate' RWH potential, respectively. On the other hand, the study area was classified into four rainwater harvesting demand zones namely, (a) 'very high' (29% of the study area), (b) 'high' (26.4%), (c) 'moderate' (213%), and (d) 'low' (23.6%). The zones suitable for constructing farm ponds cover 2314 km(2) and those for percolation tanks on the ground cover 42 km(2). Further, 69 sites for percolation tanks along the streams and 33 sites for check dams were also identified as suitable locations over the study area. Framework for the prioritization of suitable zones/sites for RWH and groundwater recharge is proposed in this study by integrating 'rainwater harvesting potential' and 'rainwater harvesting demand' maps. The integrated geospatial and MCDA approach is not only time saving and cost-effective but also very helpful for the efficient planning and management of rainwater at a larger scale. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Modification of classical volume balance models is one of the effective strategies to improving design of surface irrigation and optimal usage of water resources in agricultural section. In this paper, a modified volume balance model is developed to predict the advance curve in surface irrigation based on the variable actual depth at the upstream end of furrow. The simulations of the suggested structure are generated through a combination of different values of the furrow irrigation variables (inflow discharge, length of furrow, and infiltration parameters), to compare between different models and measured data. The results show that the modified volume balance is more accurate than previous equations by model efficiency of 0.94, 0.98, and 0.97 for furrow length of 60, 80, and 100 m, respectively. Sensitivity analysis is made by changing only one input parameter including discharge, field slope, roughness coefficient and infiltration parameters at a time while keeping all others fixed. Furthermore, the inflow rate can have a considerable impact on the model estimations. Nevertheless, the developed model is more sensitive to decreasing inflow discharge amount than to increasing it. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Three studies compared beliefs about natural and late blooming positive traits with those acquired through personal effort, extrinsic rewards or medicine. Young children (5-6 years), older children (8-13 years), and adults all showed a strong bias for natural and late blooming traits over acquired traits. All age groups, except 8- to 10-year-olds, treated natural and late-blooming traits as fixed essences that would persist over time and under challenging conditions. Older children and adults viewed traits acquired by intrinsic effort as more similar to natural and late-blooming traits than those acquired through bribes or medicine, suggesting that intrinsic effort itself comes to be seen as a more natural mechanism of change. A bias for the natural may therefore be an early emerging way of evaluating others that is reinforced by the ambient culture and becomes stronger with increasing age.
The 42 km of tunnels constructed using soft-ground pressure-balance tunnel-boring machines for London's new Elizabeth line were completed over a 3 year period. A single lining design solution was developed for all tunnels using a fully gasketed, steel-fibre-reinforced, concrete segmental lining suitable for use in all potential ground conditions anticipated along the alignment. The 14.8 pound billion Crossrail project faced many challenges, including dealing with significant quantities of different excavated material while minimising the environmental impact from transportation and disposal, minimising settlement effects and dealing with multiple tunnel-boring machine launches and receptions. This paper addresses how the issues were tackled and comments on the tunnel-boring machine design and the approach taken for survey control. Outline figures are also provided for the tunnelling rates. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations are made based on the observations and lessons learnt during the project.
Fluid flow through micro/nanofluidics is of utmost importance in analyzing mechanical, biological and medical systems. Biological liquids are often electrolytes that produce spontaneous electrokinetic effects when flowing through pores and channels. The streaming potential which is resultant of this electrokinetic phenomenon drives the ions in the channel to move in the direction opposite to the pressure driven flow and causes a resistance against fluid flow along the channel. It is simply similar to the case when the viscosity of the fluid is slightly increased. It is expected to have a lower flow rate in the presence of the electroviscous effects; however, understanding of these effects on thermal transport characteristics would be interesting. The present study attempts to present a theoretical investigation of the electroviscous effects on heat transfer in nanofluidics based on continuum fluid mechanics while boundary slip is assumed on the walls. Results show that the presence of electroviscous effects will remarkably enhance the heat transfer rate. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this paper, the static and dynamic stiffness of rubber subjected to compression and shear are investigated for rubber bearing applications. For static stiffness, existing models to describe the rubber behaviors are based on linear elasticity and assumptions which may not be adequate during excessive deformation. In the first part of this paper, by modeling rubbers as hyperelastic materials and utilizing finite element analyses, key assumptions of the classic formula are first examined and the rubber behaviors in compression and shear are then simulated. It is found that the classic formula underestimates the stiffness of the rubber. In particular, for rubber with high shape factors, the compression to shear stiffness ratio could deviate considerably from the classic relation at typical working strain levels and this could significantly affect machine performance prediction and design. On the other hand, due to the viscoelastic nature, the dynamic stiffness of rubber bearings varies with working frequencies, affecting precision control. In the second part of this work, rubber pads are modeled as three-parameter general Maxwell fluids for dynamic stiffness evaluation. By combining the original rubber bearing with an additional elastic flexure or even a secondary rubber, it is possible to change the original rubber stiffness in both the compression and shear directions. Finally, designs to reduce high frequency shear stiffness or to enhance the steady state compression stiffness of rubber bearings are proposed and demonstrated.
This paper assesses the feasibility of determining key household characteristics based on temporal load profiles of household electricity demand. It is known that household characteristics, behaviours and routines drive a number of features of household electricity loads in ways which are currently not fully understood. The roll out of domestic smart meters in the UK and elsewhere could enable better understanding through the collection of high temporal resolution electricity monitoring data at the household level. Such data affords tremendous potential to invert the established relationship between household characteristics and temporal load profiles. Rather than use household characteristics as a predictor of loads, observed electricity load profiles, or indicators based on them, could instead be used to impute household characteristics. These micro level imputed characteristics could then be aggregated at the small area level to produce 'census-like' small area indicators. This work briefly reviews the nature of current and future census taking in the UK before outlining the household characteristics that are to be found in the UK census and which are also known to influence electricity load profiles. It then presents descriptive analysis of a large scale smart meter-like dataset of half-hourly domestic electricity consumption before reviewing the correlation between household attributes and electricity load profiles. The paper then reports the results of multilevel model-based analysis of these relationships. The work concludes that a number of household characteristics of the kind to be found in UK census-derived small area statistics may be predicted from particular load profile indicators. A discussion of the steps required to test and validate this approach and the wider implications for census taking is also provided. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Inferring beliefs and social emotions of others has different neural substrates and possibly different roles in the pathophysiology of different clinical phases of schizophrenia. The current study investigated the neural basis for inferring others' beliefs and social emotions, as individual concepts, in 17 subjects at ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR), 16 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls. Brain activity significantly differed from normal in both the left superior temporal sulcus (STS) and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in the schizophrenia group while inferring others' beliefs, whereas those of UHR group were in the middle of those in the schizophrenia and healthy-control groups. Brain activity during inferring others' social emotions significantly differed in both the left STS and right IFG among individuals at UHR; however, there was no significant difference in the schizophrenia group. In contrast, brain activity differed in the left IFG of those in both the schizophrenia and UHR groups while inferring social emotion. Regarding the difference in direction of the abnormality, both the UHR and schizophrenia groups were characterized by hyper-STS and hypo-IFG activations when inferring others' beliefs and emotions. These findings might reflect different aspects of the same pathophysiological process at different clinical phases of psychosis.
Resource allocation and the associated deadlock prevention problem originated in the design and the implementation of the operating systems, comprising distributed computing, parallel computing and grid computing. This paper presents an improving deadlock prevention algorithm used to schedule the policies of resource supply for resource allocation on heterogeneous distributed platform. In the current scenario, deadlock prevention algorithm using two way search method has created the problem of taking higher time complexity of O (root m) arc traversal as the edge (v,w) is added to the graph. This paper proposes the algorithms for allocating multiple resources to competing services running in virtual machines on a heterogeneous distributed platform. We have implemented and performed our algorithm proposed by using CloudSim simulator. The experiments results show that our algorithm can quickly prevent deadlock and then resolve the situation of approximately orders of magnitude in practical cases.
At birth the piglet's immune system is immature and it is dependent upon passive maternal protection until weaning. The piglet's mucosal immune system develops over the first few weeks but has not reached maturity at weaning ages which are common on commercial farms. At weaning piglets are presented with a vast and diverse range of microbial and dietary/environmental antigens. Their ability to distinguish between antigens and mount a protective response to potential pathogens and to develop tolerance to dietary antigens is critical to their survival and failure to do so is reflected in the high incidence of morbidity and mortality in the post-weaning period. A growing recognition that the widespread use of antibiotics to control infection during this critical period should be controlled has led to detailed studies of those factors which drive the development of the mucosal immune system, the role of gut microbiota in driving this process, the origin of the bacteria that colonise the young piglet's intestine and the impact of rearing environment. This review briefly describes how the mucosal immune system is equipped to respond appropriately to antigenic challenge and the programmed sequence by which it develops. The results of studies on the critical interplay between the host immune system and gut microbiota are discussed along with the effects of rearing environment. By comparing these with results from human studies on the development of allergies in children, an approach to promote an earlier maturation of the piglet immune system to resist the challenges of weaning are outlined.
An attack graph depicts multiple-step attack and provides a description of system security vulnerabilities. It illustrates critical information necessary to identify potential weaknesses and areas for enhanced defense. Attack graphs include multiple attack paths, which are a focus for further detailed analysis and risk mitigation. Considering that different vulnerabilities have different probabilities of being exploited, this paper proposes an algorithm to dynamically generate the top K attack paths with maximum probabilities for every node of a system. The proposed algorithm does not require generation of the full attack graph to calculate the K attack paths. Instead, it directly processes and analyzes the system input data and dynamically identifies the K attack paths. The computational time, based upon the complexity of the attack paths, can be constrained by the parameter K. Experimental results show that the algorithm is scalable and efficient.
Background and aims: While the association between health anxiety and maladaptive Internet use is a well-established finding, no studies have been performed to examine the possible effect of abnormal illness behavior (AIB). AIB is a maladaptive manner of experiencing, evaluating, or acting in response to health and illness that is disproportionate to evident pathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between AIB and Internet addiction (IA) severity in a sample of Italian University students. The possible effect of alexithymia, anxiety, and depression was also taken into account. Methods: Participants were 115 men and 163 women (mean age = 23.62 +/- 4.38 years); AIB was measured via the Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), and IA severity by the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Results: The most powerful IBQ factor predicting IA severity scores was disease conviction. Irritability was the only emotional IBQ factor associated with IA severity. Nevertheless, disease conviction and alexithymia remained the only significant predictors of IAT scores when hierarchical regression analysis was executed. Discussion and conclusions: Our results support previous findings showing that those characterized by health anxiety are more prone to an excessive and maladaptive use of Internet. Moreover, this study showed that irritability was the only emotional aspect of AIB predicting IA severity. This finding is consistent with the cognitive model of hypochondria, which states that cognitive factors (dysfunctional beliefs and assumptions) play a major role in the explanation of this psychopathological condition.
The present study focuses on Cryptosporidium infections of foals in Brazil. A total of 92 animals of different breeds from 11 farms in the vicinity of Aracatuba in the state of Sao Paulo, were examined. According to PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene, Cryptosporidium sp. DNA was detected in 21.7% (20/92) of foals. Good quality 18S rRNA, actin, HSP70 and gp60 genes nPCR amplicons were obtained from five fecal samples. PCR amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the GP60 sporozoite surface glycoprotein gene revealed C parvum genotypes IIaAl8G3R1, lIaAl5G2R1. Interestingly, we also detected in two foals a GP60 genotype related to the human parasite C. hominis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The El Sancho reservoir is located in the Odiel River basin, which crosses the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The reservoir receives acid mine drainage (AMD) from the Meca River, a tributary of the Odiel River. Two multi-parameter probes, one placed at the tail (up-gradient) end of the reservoir, where the contaminants enter, and another close to the reservoir dam were used to characterize acidity migration through the Sancho reservoir. The probes both measured pH and conductivity every 30 min. Two different levels of contamination were found, due to dilution that takes place within the reservoir and changes in the AMD composition. The cross-correlation function allowed quantification of the migration process from tail to dam. For both pH and conductivity, the maximum correlation occurred 17 days after sampling, indicating a mean transit time of 17 days. Since the distance between the two sampling points was 14,500 m, the contaminant transit speed was 0.0098 m/s.
Hydraulic units are often linked to ecological habitat through geomorphic structure, and a better understanding of the turbulent characteristics of the units is needed. Our work examined the near-bed turbulent structure of runs and glides in a restored river and investigated the physical characteristics that influenced the near-bed hydraulics in these units. The research was completed in three restored reaches and one reference reach at the Virginia Tech Stream Research, Education, and Management Laboratory. The laboratory is unique because three different restoration treatments were applied contiguously along a stream, and the restoration practices ranged from passive to active. The passive reach included cattle exclusion, while the active reaches included cattle exclusion as well as vegetation plantings, bank sloping and the construction of inset floodplains. Three-dimensional velocities were measured near the channel bed in run and glide biotopes within the three restored reaches, as well as an upstream reference reach. The velocities were utilized to analyse and compare near-bed turbulent structure across the reaches. While the restoration activities did not address the channel bed directly, differences in physical structure of the two physical biotopes were observed among restoration treatments, likely because of changes in bank shape and roughness due to vegetation differences. Differences between reference and restored reaches were still evident approximately 3years after cattle exclusion and construction activities. Few differences were observed in the hydraulic structure between runs and glides, and the near-bed flow structure in both runs and glides was related to local roughness. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
As the variety of new social media applications are developed at an ever-increasing rate, the number of related potential vulnerabilities and related attack vectors are also increasing. Traditionally, social engineering attacks have always been a major cause of concern for Information Security departments. However, the theft, abuse and manipulation of personal information for malicious purposes has become even prolific since the mass adoption of social media and gaming applications by the average person, largely fueled by the boom in social media and gaming applications. These newly introduced and ever-evolving apps continue to introduce new vulnerabilities due to poor system design and coding practices and have led to a multitude of sophisticated attacks and digital crimes. Attacks such as, Malware infections, ransomware, Session Hijacking, SQL Injection, and Man-in-the-Middle attacks have been facilitated in part by the race to developing social media platforms, and applications. Hence, more effective countermeasures and prevention techniques are introduced to detect and minimize the resulting damage and losses associated with this trend. This paper presents a novel 'credentials crawling' proof of concept exploit to illustrate the ease with which such attacks can be launched. The proof of concept is implemented via a stealthy application, which has been implemented (in part) using a commercial of-the-shelf application (Camera Mouse 2011). The newly developed stealth robot uses stealth techniques to conceal itself from the intended target/victim. The proposed approach enables the developed robot application to remain undetected by leading commercial anti-virus solutions. The developed robot has been tested in different environments, with various operating systems protected by various commercial antivirus solutions. The presented approach was tested on computers belonging to people from different walks of life including graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff (with their consent). The initial test result demonstrates that the proposed technique is effective as a tool to assist with promoting awareness against a variety of user-focused cyber-attacks especially phishing attacks.
Immunomodulatory long-term treatment has also become the standard treatment for spondyloarthritides (SpA), including psoriatic arthritis (PsA); however, uncertainty exists about dose reduction or termination of treatment after remission or low disease activity. When is it possible to reduce medication or terminate treatment for SpA? An extensive non-systematic literature search was performed focusing on practice guidelines, systematic meta-analyses and clinical trials on medicinal long-term treatment and voluntary medication reduction in axial and peripheral SpA, including PsA. The chances of drug-free remission after treatment with biologics for axial SpA and in PsA are low; however, in remission or a state of low disease activity reduction of the cumulative dosage of biologics can be successful in 53-100% of cases without a significant increase in disease activity. The current state and duration of remission, with or without comedication with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), extra-articular disease manifestations and the results of previous treatment attempts have to be carefully taken into consideration before elective dose reduction. Reduction of long-term treatment is an individualized decision made jointly by patients and physicians. The risk of flares and especially of extra-articular disease manifestations needs to be weighed against the possible advantages of reduced medication. Maintainenance of mediction-free disease remission is too rare in SpA or PsA patients carefully selected for biologics treatment, to allow a later voluntary termination of therapy, without at least a prior cautious attempt at dose reduction.
Temperature variation during semiconductor device operation can be significant and how this affects contact resistance is investigated. This paper reports improvements to analytical modeling for determining specific contact resistance (SCR) by including the effect of temperature. A technique for extracting the value of SCR using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) modeling is also demonstrated. SCR results obtained for analytical and TCAD models for metal-to-silicon contacts are compared and this shows the significance of temperature in the analyticalmodel. Small changes in electron affinity and, hence, barrier height due to changes in temperaturemust be considered in order to obtain reliable analytical expressions for SCR.
Science computing platforms are changing from traditional on-premises computing platforms to clouds. The style of research publications is also changing with the movement of open science. For example, it is common that researchers in the bioscience research community publish their research papers with the associated research data on the Internet. Furthermore, demands for reproducibility of computational experiments are increasing. A conventional method, or sharing source codes of application programs, is not enough to guarantee the reproducibility of computational experiments. In this paper, we propose overlay cloud architecture for building virtual clouds on cloud platforms. In the proposed architecture, the middle-ware, Virtual Cloud Provider (VCP), automatically configures computing environments (application programs, operating systems, libraries and binaries) that is required to reproduce computing results by using the Linux container technology. VCP also deploys containers of computing environments on clouds and configures overlay network connecting the deployed containers. A case study which considers DNA sequencing software shows how the VCP can be deployed, and used to reproduce results.
Three studies examined if people express negative implicit attitudes toward individuals with a tattoo near the face. In Study 1, participants who completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) expressed moderately negative implicit attitudes toward individuals with a tribal tattoo on one side of the neck. Study 2 replicated Study 1 when the tattoo was symmetrical, suggesting that negative affect, and not processing fluency, underlies the implicit negative evaluation of individuals with a tribal tattoo near the face. Study 3 showed dissociation between explicit and implicit attitudes toward individuals with a tribal tattoo near the face, and that the negative implicit evaluation was attenuated if the tattoo image was an objectively positive symbol. The implications for displaying a tattoo near the face are discussed.
In this paper the integrated implementation of the Manufacturing Engineering subject in all new engineering degrees at the University of Malaga is analyzed, within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) framework. After identifying the methodology used by Department of Engineering Manufacturing Process and the problems generated in its development, the robustness of the designed organization system is justified. This methodology has successfully overcome the negative effects of multiple changes made to the delivery of the first edition of this subject. Additionally, the methodology developed has generating a significant level of student satisfaction by comparison with near departments and overall university.
Background:Postdecompressive craniotomy defect management following failed prior cranioplastyis challenging. The authors describe a staged technique utilizing free muscle transfer, tissue expansion, and custom polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants for the management of previously failed cranioplasty sites in patients with complicating local factors.Methods:Consecutive patients with previously failed cranioplasties following large decompressive craniectomies underwent reconstruction of skull and soft tissue defects with staged free latissimus muscle transfer, tissue expansion, and placement of custom computer-aided design and modeling PEEK implants with a temporalis-plus modification to minimize temporal hollowing. Implants were placed in a vascularized pocket at the third stage by elevating a plane between the previously transferred latissimus superficial fascia (left on the skin) and muscle (left on the dura/bone). Patients were evaluated postoperatively for cranioplasty durability, aesthetic outcome, and complications.Results:Six patients with an average of 1.6 previously failed cranioplasties underwent this staged technique. Average age was 33 years. Average defect size was 139 cm(2). Average time to procedure series completion was 14.9 months. There were no flap failures. One patient had early postoperative incisional dehiscence following PEEK implant placement that was managed by immediate scalp flap readvancement. At 21.9 month average follow-up, there were no cranioplasty failures. Three patients (50%) underwent 4 subsequent refining outpatient procedures. All patients achieved complete coverage of their craniectomy defect site with hear-bearing skin, acceptable head shape, and normalized head contour.Conclusions:The described technique resulted in aesthetic, durable craniectomy defect reconstruction with retention of native hear-bearing scalp skin in a challenging patient population.
The manufacturing engineering work in nine Japanese firms is structured by a horizontal division of labor between manufacturing design engineers and production process engineers, in contrast to a vertical division of labor between manufacturing engineers and technicians in three American firms. The production process engineers in the Japanese firms link manufacturing engineering processes closely with production processes, whereas less coordination between the two processes occurs in the American firms. Regarding product design, manufacturing engineering, and production processes in the Japanese firms, employees engaged in downstream processes are more heavily involved with work concerned with upstream processes than in the American firms.
Objective. To conduct a replication study and meta-analysis involving the study of mtDNA variants in the radiographic progression of OA in different cohorts worldwide, including Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK), the OA Initiative and a cohort from Spain. Methods. The influence of the haplogroups in the rate of radiographic progression at 96 months in 431 subjects from CHECK was assessed in terms of Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grade. Progression was defined as a change from KL >= 1 at baseline to any higher grade during the follow-up. Extended Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyse the influence of mtDNA variants in the rate of radiographic knee OA progression. A subsequent meta-analysis of 1603 subjects following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was conducted to combine the data of individual studies. A sensitivity analysis was performed to validate the stability of the results. Results. CHECK subjects carrying the haplogroup T showed the lowest rate of radiographic knee OA progression [hazard ratio (HR) 0.645 (95% CI 0.419, 0.978); P < 0.05]. When pooled, subjects within the superhaplogroup JT showed the same trend [HR 0.707 (95% CI 0.501, 0.965); P < 0.05]. BMI [HR 1.046 (95% CI 1.018, 1.073); P < 0.05] and bilateral OA [HR 2.266 (95% CI 1.733, 2.954); P < 0.05] at baseline are risk factors for radiographic knee OA progression as well. In the meta-analysis there was a reduced rate of radiographic progression in subjects with haplogroup T [HR 0.612 (95% CI 0.454, 0.824); P = 0.001] or in the superhaplogroup JT [HR 0.765 (95% CI 0.624, 0.938); P = 0.009]. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the results were robust. Conclusion. The mtDNA variants in the superhaplogroup JT associate with a reduced rate of radiographic OA progression. The mtDNA polymorphisms in the superhaplogroup JT emerge as potential complementary genetic biomarkers for disease progression.
Here, I suggest that colour polymorphic study systems have been underutilized to answer general questions about evolutionary processes, such as morph frequency dynamics between generations and population divergence in morph frequencies. Colour polymorphisms can be used to study fundamental evolutionary processes like frequency-dependent selection, gene flow, recombination and correlational selection for adaptive character combinations. However, many previous studies of colour polymorphism often suffer from weak connections to population genetic theory. I argue that too much focus has been directed towards noticeable visual traits (colour) at the expense of understanding the evolutionary processes shaping genetic variation and covariation associated with polymorphisms in general. There is thus no need for a specific evolutionary theory for colour polymorphisms beyond the general theory of the maintenance of polymorphisms in spatially or temporally variable environments or through positive or negative frequency-dependent selection. I outline an integrative research programme incorporating these processes and suggest some fruitful avenues in future investigations of colour polymorphisms.
The relationship between contaminated drinking water with trace elements and thyroid diseases hypertension, liver functions disorder and kidney functions disorder was studied in this research. The thyroid diseases hypertension, liver functions disorder and kidney functions disorder are due to contaminant drinking water with trace elements. The present study concerned with water toxicity. The heavy metals belonging to the most important pollutants. A strong relationship between contaminated drinking water with heavy metals from some of the stations of water shopping in Hail, KSA and thyroid diseases hypertension, liver functions disorder and kidney functions disorder has been identified in this study. These diseases are apparently related to contaminant drinking water with heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Cu, Mo, Zn, Ni, Mn, Co and Cr. kidney functions disorder is related to contaminate drinking water with lead and cadmium, liver functions disorder to copper and molybdenum, and thyroid functions disorder to iodide, copper, and cadmium. Long-term exposure to lead, cadmium, zinc, iron, and arsenic in drinking-water is mainly related to primarily in the form of thyroid, liver, and kidney functions disorder. Studies of these diseases suggest that abnormal incidence in specific areas is related to toxic materials in the groundwater and thereby led to the contamination of drinking water in these areas. The result of this study showed that increase in the thyroid hormones, and liver functions test as AST and ALT enzymes. Also, there were increase in the hypertension and kidney functions test as creatinine and uric acid. These increases due to the pollution of drinking water by heavy metals.
Hand gestures are a form of nonverbal communication, which allow a person to communicate a range of thoughts and feelings with or without speech. Here MEMS 3 axis accelerometer to detect the input gestures as X, Y, Z direction. The axis is to detect the four types of gesture, which includes up, down, left, right. The hand motion of data collected will directly send to the microcontroller to run on a PC with the help of wireless module. Thedata will compressed by different users, gesture to extract from sign sequence and template matching. A single gesture has contain an 8 numbers code. This code reduces the hundreds of data values in single gesture and also to compare with the stored templates. In this paper three models has introduced and discussed about its accuracy. The sequence of gesture contain 85 experiments, finally the results achieves an overall accuracy of 96% based on the sign sequence generation and template matching, this each recognitioncontains the ranging from 94% to 100%.
W. Horsley Gantt and Joseph V. Brady laid a rich foundation for understanding the concept of emotion, derived from 2 prominent traditions of physiology and psychology: classic conditioning and operant conditioning, respectively. This framework guided my fierce interest in motivation in general and the interaction between reward and stress, which began at John Hopkins with my thesis work under the guidance of Drs. Zoltan Annau, Solomon Synder, and Joseph Brady, among many others. Using the study of the neurobiology of addiction as a framework, I argue that drug addiction not only involves positive reinforcement associated with the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse but also involves another major source of reinforcement, specifically negative reinforcement driven by negative emotional states (termed the dark side of addiction). Excessive activation of the brain reward systems leads to antireward or a decrease in the function of normal reward-related neurocircuitry and persistent recruitment of the brain stress systems, both of which may be neurobiologically linked. Understanding the neuroplasticity of the neurocircuitry that comprises the negative reinforcement associated with addiction is a key to understanding negative emotional states in general and their pathophysiology.
This work proposes a Digitally Enhanced Low-Drop Out Voltage Regulator (DE-LDO) for Ultra High Radio Frequency IDentification (UHF RFID) passive tags. The DE-LDO design approach is based on the Finite State Machine (FSM) nature of the tag Digital Control. Injecting part of the FSM unconsumed current into LDO loop to enhance transient response, a more flat output voltage is obtained. Chip measurements shows that DE-LDO consumes a quiescent current of 600 nA at 1.6V, delivering an output current and voltage of 8 mu A and 1.2V; a 69.76% Power Efficiency (PE) is observed. Circuit design and fabrication were performed using 0.50 mu m CMOS technology.
In the steel industry, the iron making system deals with large quantities of materials and energy and so it can play a critical role in reducing emissions and production costs. More specifically, excess by-product gases should be used for electricity generation; otherwise, they lead to pollution. A life cycle analysis is performed to compare the environmental impact of an iron making system with a combined cycle power plant (CCPP), to a system producing the same amount of electricity in a coal power plant. The results for a Chinese steel plant show a 33% reduction in the energy conservation and emission reduction potential for the CCPP system, which is thus more environmentally friendly. A mathematical programming formulation is then proposed for optimal scheduling. It incorporates key technological constraints and is sensitive to hourly changing electricity prices. The outcome is a 19% increase in revenue from electricity sales compared to a schedule that does not dynamically adjust to the price profile. The results also show that emissions from by-product gases can be avoided completely. The paper ends with a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of changes in product demand, gas storage and CCPP capacity, and emission cost.
This paper details the design, development and evaluation of an affective tutoring system (ATS)-an e-learning system that detects and responds to the emotional states of the learner. Research into the development of ATS is an active and relatively new field, with many studies demonstrating promising results. However, there is often no practical way to apply these findings in real-world settings. The ATS described in this paper utilizes a generic affective application model to infer and appropriately respond to the learner's affective state. This approach brings several advantages, notably the potential direct support for re-use and retrospective addition of affect sensing functionality into existing e-learning software. Skin conductivity and heart rate variability measurements were used to infer affective activation and valence. The evaluation involved an experiment in which the effectiveness of the fully functional ATS was compared with that of a nonaffective version, and was conducted with 40 adult participants. The evaluation of the effectiveness of this tutoring system showed that measurable improvements in perceived learning may be obtained with a modest level of software development.
Emotional processing (EP) is a complex cognitive function necessary to successfully adjust to social environments where we need to interpret and respond to cues that convey threat or reward signals. Ex-combatants have consistently shown atypical EP as well as poor social interactions. Available reintegration programs aim to facilitate the re-adaptation of ex-combatants to their communities. However, they do not incorporate actions to improve EP and to enhance cognitive-emotional regulation. The present study was aimed at evaluating the usefulness of an intervention focused on Social Cognitive Training (SCT), which was designed to equip ex-combatants enrolled in the Social Reintegration Route with EP and social cognition skills. A group of 31 ex-combatants (mean age of 37.2, 29 men) from Colombian illegal armed groups were recruited into this study. Of these, 16 were invited to take part in a SCT and the other continued with the conventional reintegration intervention. Both groups underwent 12 training sessions in a period 12-14 weeks. They were assessed with a comprehensive protocol which included Psychosocial, Behavioral, and Emotion Processing instruments. The scores on these instruments prior to and after the intervention were compared within and between groups. Both groups were matched at baseline. Ex-combatants receiving the SCT experienced significant improvements in EP and a reduction in aggressive attitudes, effects not observed in those continuing the conventional reintegration intervention. This is the first study that achieves such outcomes in such a population using SCT intervention. We discuss the implications of such results toward better social reintegration strategies.
Hospitals have multiple data sources, such as embedded systems, monitors and sensors. The number of data available is increasing and the information are used not only to care the patient but also to assist the decision processes. The introduction of intelligent environments in health care institutions has been adopted due their ability to provide useful information for health professionals, either in helping to identify prognosis or also to understand patient condition. Behind of this concept arises this Intelligent System to track patient condition (e.g. critic events) in health care. This system has the great advantage of being adaptable to the environment and user needs. The system is focused in identifying critic events from data streaming (e.g. vital signs and ventilation) which is particularly valuable for understanding the patient's condition. This work aims to demonstrate the process of creating an intelligent system capable of operating in a real environment using streaming data provided by ventilators and vital signs monitors. Its development is important to the physician because becomes possible crossing multiple variables in real-time by analyzing if a value is critic or not and if their variation has or not clinical importance.
Submerged aquatic vegetation affects flow, sediment and ecological processes within rivers. Quantifying these effects is key to effective river management. Despite a wealth of research into vegetated flows, the detailed flow characteristics around real plants in natural channels are still poorly understood. Here we present a new methodology for representing vegetation patches within computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of vegetated channels. Vegetation is represented using a Mass Flux Scaling Algorithm (MFSA) and drag term within the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes Equations, which account for the mass and momentum effects of the vegetation, respectively. The model is applied using three different grid resolutions (0.2, 0.1 and 0.05m) using time-averaged solution methods and compared to field data. The results show that the model reproduces the complex spatial flow heterogeneity within the channel and that increasing the resolution leads to enhanced model accuracy. Future applications of the model to the prediction of channel roughness, sedimentation and key eco-hydraulic variables are presented, likely to be valuable for informing effective river management. (c) 2016 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Background: All implant compounds undergo an electrochemical process when in contact with biological fluids, as well as mechanical corrosion due to abrasive wear, with production of metal debris that may inhibit repair processes. None of the commonly-used methods can diagnose implant allergies when used singly, therefore a panel of tests should be performed on allergic patients as pre-operative screening, or when a postoperative metal sensitisation is suspected. Methods: We analysed patients with painful prostheses and subjects prone to allergies using the Patch Test in comparison with the Lymphocyte Transformation Test. Cytokine production was evaluated to identify prognostic markers for early diagnosis of aseptic loosening. Metal debris endocytosis and cytoskeletal rearrangement was visualised by confocal microscopy. Results: Our results demonstrate that the Lymphocyte Transformation Test can identify patients who have a predisposition to develop allergic reactions and can confirm the diagnosis of hypersensitivity in patients with painful prostheses. The prevalence of a Th2-cytokine pattern may be used to identify predisposition to the development of allergic diseases, while the selective presence of osteoclastogenic cytokines may be used as predictor of a negative outcome in patients with painful prosthesis. The hypothesis of the prognostic value of these cytokines as early markers of aseptic loosening is attractive, but its confirmation would require extensive testing. Conclusions: The Lymphocyte Transformation Test is the most suitable method for testing systemic allergies. We suggest that the combined use of the Patch Test and the Lymphocyte Transformation Test, associated with cytokine detection in selected patients, could provide a useful tool for preventive evaluation of immune reactivity in patients undergoing primary joint replacement surgery, and for clinical monitoring of the possible onset of a metal sensitization in patients with implanted devices.
Background. Contact allergy to rubber additives is common, particularly in patients with occupational dermatitis. Objectives. To descriptively analyse and compare patch test reactions in patients patch tested both with the baseline series and with an additional 'rubber series' as used in the department. Methods. Patch test data from those members of the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies (ESSCA) network (www.essca-dc.org) who also contributed data on rubber series patch test results were retrospectively analysed. Results. Among 29 522 patients patch tested, 2870 were eligible, that is, patch tested both with the baseline series and with a special rubber series. Of these, 8.8% had positive reaction(s) to one of the baseline screening rubber allergens (as compared with 4.2% in all patients), most often to carba mix, 12.3% had positive reaction(s) to allergens from an additional rubber series, and 6.4% had positive reaction(s) to both. Conclusions. Additional testing with a dedicated rubber series, containing break-down single ingredients of mixes from the baseline series and additional rubber allergens, is warranted in patients with suspected contact allergy to rubber, to avoid false-negative results.
The disease progression of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) from childhood into adulthood is unclear. To determine the clinical outcome of patients who were diagnosed with EoE as children, and who now are young adults. Children (= 18 years old) were identified, and a structured telephone interview was conducted to obtain follow-up data on symptom prevalence (dysphagia to solids and liquids, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, and heartburn/regurgitation), food impaction, medication usage, health-care utilization, and resolution of atopy/food allergies. A favorable outcome was defined if EoE symptoms were resolved or improved by subjects' assessment. Unfavorable outcomes was defined as symptoms same or worse. Clinical variables that predicted a favorable outcome as an adult were examined. Mayo Dysphagia Scale (MDQ-30: scored 0-100) was administered to validate the outcome assessment. Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio and unpaired t-test were used. Fifty-eight subjects (64% male) who met study criteria were enrolled. Mean age at diagnosis was 12 years (range 4-17) and mean duration of follow-up was 8.3 years (2-16). As children, the most common presenting symptoms were abdominal pain (54%), dysphagia (33%), and vomiting (24%). As young adults, 47 subjects (81%) had a favorable outcome. Total MDQ-30 scores were 4.6 (0-30) and 14.1 (0-50) in subjects with favorable outcome and unfavorable outcome, respectively (P= 0.015). Two-thirds of subjects did not use steroids or proton pump inhibitors in the preceeding 12 months. Male children with EoE were four times more likely to have a favorable outcome as young adults compared with female children. Females were more likely to report nausea/vomiting as young adults (odds ratio 3.23, CI 0.97-10.60). Of all presenting symptoms in EoE children, dysphagia was the most likely to persist into adulthood (odds ratio 6.29, CI 1.85-21.38). Eighty one percent of EoE children had a favorable outcome as young adults. Most patients with symptom resolution did not require any form of steroid therapy or seek healthcare.
In recent years, Ambient Intelligence (AmI) has attracted increased attention within the advanced technology industry in an effort to modernize and develop a more intelligent and reliable information system. Technologies to detect a specific object in images are expected to further expand to wide range of applications, such as car detection functions for Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and other systems. Computer vision and pattern recognition are emerging fast and will continue to grow together with local feature detection methods. In this paper, we propose an object detection and tracking system which is based on Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) and Speed Up Robust Features (SURF) feature extraction methods. From the evaluation results, we observe that the accuracy of matched keypoints of SURF algorithm are higher than SIFT.
With location-based social network (LBSN) flourishing, location check-in records offer us sufficient information resource to do relative mining. Among locations visited by a user, those attracting relatively more visits from that user can serve as a support for further mining and improvement for location-based services. Therefore, great significance lies in the partition for visited locations based on a user's visiting frequency. The aim of our paper is to partition locations for individual users by utilizing classification in machine learning, categorizing the location for a user once he or she makes initial check-in there. After feature extraction for each initial check-in record, we evaluate the contribution of three feature categories. The results show the contribution of different feature categories varies in classification, where social features appear to offer the least contribution. At last, we do a final test on the whole sample, comparing the results with two baselines based on majority voting respectively. The results largely outperform the baselines in general, demonstrating the effectiveness of classification. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Many patients with atopic syndrome complain of symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as well. Symptoms caused by asthmatic condition or rhinitis are well known to the patients. There are well defined therapeutic strategies on how to handle the cases, well known to the patients. The cause of symptoms under IBS is unclear and many patients undergo many diagnostic procedures including invasive investigations. Quality of life (QOL) is reduced in such patients and they suffer a lot. Psychic disorders like depression and anxiety may occur. At the end of the Odyssey, food allergies are tested. Patients pay for laboratory tests for specific IgG4 antibodies or alternatively basophile activation tests (BAT) for food incompatibilities offered on online-platforms. In this article, causes of IBS through mast cell activation and not necessarily food allergies are discussed. How does mast cell activation lead to lactose, fructose and histamine intolerance? What are the similarities between Asthma and IBS? Is a similar therapeutic approach feasible?
In this study, we describe the construction of the first genetically modified mutant of a halovirus infecting haloalkaliphilic Archaea. By random choice, we targeted ORF79, a currently uncharacterized viral gene of the haloalkaliphilic virus phi Ch1. We used a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated transformation method to deliver a disruption cassette into a lysogenic strain of the haloalkaliphilic archaeon Natrialba magadii bearing phi Ch1 as a provirus. This approach yielded mutant virus particles carrying a disrupted version of ORF79. Disruption of ORF79 did not influence morphology of the mature virions. The mutant virus was able to infect cured strains of N. magadii, resulting in a lysogenic, ORF79-disrupted strain. Analysis of this strain carrying the mutant virus revealed a repressor function of ORF79. In the absence of gp79, onset of lysis and expression of viral proteins occurred prematurely compared to their timing in the wild-type strain. Constitutive expression of ORF79 in a cured strain of N. magadii reduced the plating efficiency of phi Ch1 by seven orders of magnitude. Overexpression of ORF79 in a lysogenic strain of N. magadii resulted in an inhibition of lysis and total absence of viral proteins as well as viral progeny. In further experiments, gp79 directly regulated the expression of the tail fiber protein ORF34 but did not influence the methyltransferase gene ORF94. Further, we describe the establishment of an inducible promoter for in vivo studies in N. magadii. IMPORTANCE Genetic analyses of haloalkaliphilic Archaea or haloviruses are only rarely reported. Therefore, only little insight into the in vivo roles of proteins and their functions has been gained so far. We used a reverse genetics approach to identify the function of a yet undescribed gene of phi Ch1. We provide evidence that gp79, a currently unknown protein of phi Ch1, acts as a repressor protein of the viral life cycle, affecting the transition from the lysogenic to the lytic state of the virus. Thus, repressor genes in other haloviruses could be identified by sequence homologies to gp79 in the future. Moreover, we describe the use of an inducible promoter of N. magadii. Our work provides valuable tools for the identification of other unknown viral genes by our approach as well as for functional studies of proteins by inducible expression.
Whey proteins, due to their high nutritional value, are generally hydrolyzed to reduce the allergenicity and used as ingredients in many special products, such as infant formulae, geriatric products, highly energetic supplements or dietetic foods or in foods produced to prevent nutrition related diseases, like food intolerances and allergies. The aim of this work was to assess the applicability of innovative technologies, such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processes, to assist the enzymatic hydrolysis of target proteins, namely whey protein concentrate (WPC-80), in order to modify their antigenicity. Experiments were carried out to verify the effectiveness of HHP technology to accelerate whey protein hydrolysis reaction with selected enzymes (a-chymotrypsin, bromelain), and to affect the protein allergenic power. To this purpose, different HHP treatments were carried out at several pressure levels (100, 200, 300 and 400 MPa) and the untreated whey protein samples were used as control. A defined enzyme/substrate ratio of 1/10 w/w was used in the experiments, while the treatment time was changed from 0 to 30 min (0, 5, 15, or 30 min). The experimental data demonstrated that High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) induced WPC-80 unfolding at the highest value of the pressure applied (400 MPa) as indicated by the higher exposure of free sulfhydryl groups. When HHP was used in combination with enzymatic hydrolysis, the degree of hydrolysis increased not only with the pressure level applied but also with the processing time. These results suggested that, even if the exposure of hidden epitopes upon protein unfolding increased the antigenicity of whey proteins, further peptide bonds cleavage also took place after hydrolysis. This effect could modify whey proteins antigenic sequences, and thus their antigenic power. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As originally shown by King and Altman, graph theory, and specifically the use of spanning trees, provides the means to solve the kinetics of any catalytic network in a steady state regime, taking as input data all the rate constants. Herein, it is shown that the translation of the rate constants to Gibbs energies provides a simpler way to estimate the energy span (i.e., the apparent activation energy of the full reaction), the determining states, and the turnover frequency (TOF) of any and all catalytic networks. By re-examining the concepts of chemical kinetics through rigorous mathematical treatment, an alternative definition is suggested for the term chemical mechanism. In addition, and in analogy to electrical circuits, the chemical resistor terms (called here kinestors) are identified for parallel and series chemical circuits, providing a new Ohmic interpretation for catalysis.
Background and aims: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) imposes a potential public health threat worldwide. Gaming motives are potentially salient factors of IGD, but research on Chinese gaming motives is scarce. This study empirically evaluated the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (C-MOGQ), the first inventory that measures seven different gaming motives applicable to all type of online games. We also investigated the associations between various gaming motives and IGD symptoms among Chinese gamers. Methods: Three hundred and eighty-three Chinese adult online gamers (Mean age = 23.7 years) voluntarily completed our online, anonymous survey in December 2015. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis results supported a bi-factor model with a general factor subsuming all C-MOGQ items (General Motivation) and seven uncorrelated domain-specific factors (Escape, Coping, Fantasy, Skill Development, Recreation, Competition, and Social). High internal consistencies of the overall scale and subscales were observed. The criterion-related validity of this Chinese version was also supported by the positive correlations of C-MOGQ scale scores with psychological need satisfaction and time spent gaming. Furthermore, we found that high General Motivation (coupled with high Escape motive and low Skill Development motive) was associated with more IGD symptoms reported by our Chinese participants. Discussion and conclusions: Our findings demonstrated the utility of C-MOGQ in measuring gaming motives of Chinese online gamers, and we recommend the consideration of both its total score and subscale scores in future studies.
The impact of childhood maltreatment effects can extend beyond the immediate stress of abusive family environments. College students (N = 435) exposed to childhood domestic violence or parental physical abuse were expected to be viewed less favorably by their peers than their nonabused counterparts. They were expected as well to be less accurate in predicting the first impressions left on their peers after 25-minute unstructured interactions. Partial support was found for both hypotheses. Relatively harsher (d = .49) peer first impressions were found among domestic violence witnesses. Domestic violence (d = .58) and parental physical abuse (d = .49) victims overestimated peer ratings. Social anxiety during peer interactions was higher among women exposed to either form of childhood maltreatment. Men from violent families viewed themselves less favorably than their peers (r = .22, p < .05). These results further implicate childhood maltreatment as a contributing factor in peer distancing and rejection.
Green roofs are gaining momentum in the arid and semi-arid regions due to their multiple benefits as compared with conventional roofs. One of the most critical steps in green roof installation is the selection of drought and heat tolerant species that can thrive under extreme microclimate conditions. We monitored the water status, growth and survival of 11 drought-adapted shrub species grown on shallow green roof modules (10 and 13 cm deep substrate) and analyzed traits enabling plants to cope with drought (symplastic and apoplastic resistance) and heat stress (root membrane stability). The physiological traits conferring efficiency/safety to the water transport system under severe drought influenced plant water status and represent good predictors of both plant water use and growth rates over green roofs. Moreover, our data suggest that high substrate temperature represents a stress factor affecting plant survival to a larger extent than drought per se. In fact, the major cause influencing seedling survival on shallow substrates was the species-specific root resistance to heat, a single and easy measurable trait that should be integrated into the methodological framework for screening and selection of suitable shrub species for roof greening in the Mediterranean. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The paper studies the case of water pollution in Sweden, and how the city of Gothenburg had to struggle with this issue in order to secure a source of fresh water to satisfy its demand for drinking water. It is argued in the paper that the city employed a wide variety of strategies, ranging from water treatment to acquiring property rights over the watershed that provides its water. Most importantly, the city was interested in reducing the levels of pollution in the river, and consequently became a key stakeholder in the enforcement and implementation of effective environmental legislation.
Background: Up to 60% of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have a history of traumatic events, which is associated with greater episode severity, higher risk of comorbidity and higher relapse rates. Trauma-focused treatment strategies for BD are thus necessary but studies are currently scarce. The aim of this study is to examine whether Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy focusing on adherence, insight, de-idealisation of manic symptoms, prodromal symptoms and mood stabilization can reduce episode severity and relapse rates and increase cognitive performance and functioning in patients with BD. Methods/ design: This is a single-blind, randomized controlled, multicentre trial in which 82 patients with BD and a history of traumatic events will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of two treatment arms: EMDR therapy or supportive therapy. Patients in both groups will receive 20 psychotherapeutic sessions, 60 min each, during 6 months. The primary outcome is a reduction of affective episodes after 12 and 24 months in favour of the EMDR group. As secondary outcome we postulate a greater reduction in affective symptoms in the EMDR group (as measured by the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale modified for BD), and a better performance in cognitive state, social cognition and functioning (as measured by the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry, The Mayer-SaloveyCaruso Emotional Intelligence Test and the Functioning Assessment Short Test, respectively). Traumatic events will be evaluated by The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, the Clinician-administered PTSD Scale and the Impact of Event Scale. Discussion: The results of this study will provide evidence whether a specific EMDR protocol for patients with BD is effective in reducing affective episodes, affective symptoms and functional, cognitive and trauma
The present study investigates the relative extent to which judgments of people's behavior are influenced by truth (as measured by averaged observer-judgments) and by systematic bias (i.e., perceivers' preexisting views of target persons). Using data from online questionnaires and laboratory sessions (N = 155), we demonstrate that self- and peer-judgments of people's actual behavior in specific situations are somewhat accurate but are also affected by what perceivers thought of the targets before observing their behavior. The latter effect comprises a general evaluative component (generally positive or negative views of targets) and a content-specific component (views of targets in terms of specific characteristics, for example, restrained). We also found that friends, but not targets themselves, tend to judge targets' behaviors more positively than unacquainted observers do. The relevance of these findings for person perception in everyday life and in research contexts is discussed.
Domain Name System (DNS) traffic has become a rich source of information from a security perspective. However, the volume of DNS traffic has been skyrocketing, such that security analyzers experience difficulties in collecting, retrieving, and analyzing the DNS traffic in response to modern Internet threats. More precisely, much of the research relating to DNS has been negatively affected by the dramatic increase in the number of queries and domains. This phenomenon has necessitated a scalable approach, which is not dependent on the volume of DNS traffic. In this paper, we introduce a fast and scalable approach, called PsyBoG, for detecting malicious behavior within large volumes of DNS traffic. PsyBoG leverages a signal processing technique, power spectral density (PSD) analysis, to discover the major frequencies resulting from the periodic DNS queries of botnets. The PSD analysis allows us to detect sophisticated botnets regardless of their evasive techniques, sporadic behavior, and even normal users' traffic. Furthermore, our method allows us to deal with large-scale DNS data by only utilizing the timing information of query generation regardless of the number of queries and domains. Finally, PsyBoG discovers groups of hosts which show similar patterns of malicious behavior. PsyBoG was evaluated by conducting experiments with two different data sets, namely DNS traces generated by real maiware in controlled environments and a large number of real-world DNS traces collected from a recursive DNS server, an authoritative DNS server, and Top-Level Domain (TLD) servers. We utilized the maiware traces as the ground truth, and, as a result, PsyBoG performed with a detection accuracy of 95%. By using a large number of DNS traces, we were able to demonstrate the scalability and effectiveness of PsyBoG in terms of practical usage. Finally, PsyBoG detected 23 unknown and 26 known botnet groups with 0.1% false positives. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
To perform a joint analysis of multivariate neuroimaging phenotypes and candidate genetic markers obtained from longitudinal studies, we develop a Bayesian longitudinal low-rank regression (L2R2) model. The L2R2 model integrates three key methodologies: a low-rank matrix for approximating the high-dimensional regression coefficient matrices corresponding to the genetic main effects and their interactions with time, penalized splines for characterizing the overall time effect, and a sparse factor analysis model coupled with random effects for capturing within-subject spatio-temporal correlations of longitudinal phenotypes. Posterior computation proceeds via an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Simulations show that the L2R2 model outperforms several other competing methods. We apply the L2R2 model to investigate the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the top 10 and top 40 previously reported Alzheimer disease associated genes. We also identify associations between the interactions of these SNPs with patient age and the tissue volumes of 93 regions of interest from patients' brain images obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
Ageing and lifespan are strongly affected by metabolism. The maximal possible uptake of oxygen is not only a good predictor of performance in endurance sports, but also of life expectancy. Figuratively speaking, healthy ageing is a competitive sport. Although the root cause of ageing is damage to macromolecules, it is the balance with repair processes that is decisive. Reduced or intermittent nutrition, hormones and intracellular signalling pathways that regulate metabolism have strong effects on ageing. Homeostatic regulatory processes tend to keep the environment of the cells within relatively narrowbounds. On the other hand, the body is constantly adapting to physical activity and food consumption. Spontaneous fluctuations in heart rate and other processes indicate youth and health. A (homeo) dynamic aspect of homeostasis deteriorates with age. We are now in a position to develop computational models of human metabolism and the dynamics of heart rhythm and oxygen transport that will advance our understanding of ageing. Computational modelling of the connections between dietary restriction, metabolism and protein turnover may increase insight into homeostasis of the proteins in our body. In this way, the computational reconstruction of human physiological processes, the Physiome, can help prevent frailty and age-related disease.
Holistic farming systems provide designs for the whole farm that make long term sustainable use of nutrients, water, labour, finances and energy. In using organic residues to produce energy, and safely recycling the digested residues back into the farming system, a biogas digester could be a central component of many holistic systems. This paper discusses the influence of environmental, socioeconomic and cultural constraints on the use of biogas digesters in holistic farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. In higher altitude areas where maintenance of optimal temperature can constrain anaerobic digestion, floating drum or fixed dome digesters are a better option than flexible balloon digesters because they are less susceptible to temperature changes. If water is a key constraint, rainwater harvesting could be used to reduce the additional labour needed to collect water. If energy is the most limiting resource in the farming system, the optimum use of organic residues might be as a fuel for anaerobic digestion, whereas, if water is limiting, energy production by burning or pyrolysis might be a better option. The bioslurry from anaerobic digestion can be used in fish ponds to produce plankton to feed fish, and can be applied to fertile fields and fields of intermediate fertility, while biochar from pyrolysis is better used to improve the soil in infertile fields. If labour is limiting, it is particularly important that the system design minimises any additional labour needed to process the organic residues on a daily basis, considering trade-offs between labour and other resources. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Beginning in infancy, before a diagnosis is made, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show significant impairments in the foundation for social-communication interactions including eye gaze in the contexts of both requesting and joint attention (JA). Addressing these early impairments as early as possible in toddlers who receive the diagnosis of ASD provides them with a foundational social-communication repertoire necessary for learning. In this study we examined the effects of a social-communication intervention involving prompting and reinforcement to teach gaze shift (GS; shifting gaze from an object to the interventionist's eyes) in the context of responding to a request and initiating JA to four toddlers with ASD. Intervention lasted 3-9 weeks with all toddlers demonstrating GS to mastery across both contexts. Toddlers also showed generalization to a repertoire of social-communication behavior, including initiating requests and increases in smiling. Some improvements in symptoms of ASD and overall functioning were observed. Results suggest a promising brief intervention to address the earliest form of social communication that remains a part of successful social-communication interactions throughout life.
It was recently shown that Austrians associate car front geometry with traits in a way that could be related to face shape geometry mapping to those same overall suites of traits. Yet, possible confounding effects of familiarity with the car models, media coverage and entertainment could not be ruled out. In order to address this, the current study uses a cross-cultural comparison. Adult subjects in two countries (Austria and Ethiopia, n=129) were asked to rate person characteristics of 46 standardized front views of automobiles on various trait scales. These two countries differ substantially with regard to their experience with car models and brands, as well as car marketing and media coverage. Geometric morphometrics was then used to assess the shape information underlying trait attribution. Car shapes for perceived maturity, maleness and dominance were highly similar in both countries, with patterns comparable to shape changes during facial growth in humans: Relative sizes of the forehead and windshield decrease with age/growth, eyes and headlights both become more slit-like, noses and grilles bigger, lips and air-intakes are wider. Austrian participants further attributed various degrees of some interpersonal attitudes and emotions, whereas neither Austrians nor Ethiopians congruently ascribed personalities. Morphological correlates of personal characteristics are discussed, as are person perception and its overgeneralization to inanimate objects. Cross-cultural similarities and differences are addressed, as well as implications for car styling, follow-up studies on driving and pedestrian behavior, and fundamental dimensions in inference from (human) faces. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In recent decades, China has been facing serious water pollution crises. To address this problem, discharge standards for wastewater treatment plants in China are becoming more and more stringent. Also, the sewage charge for compliant emissions and the penalty rate for non-compliant emissions have increased significantly. This paper comprehensively investigates the economic and environmental implications of such wastewater management policy in China. In this paper, a general framework for the analysis of WWTPs' behavior and the resulted economic and environmental consequences is presented, and the impacts of discharge standard, charge rate, and penalty rate are analyzed. The trade-offs-between the operational cost, environmental impact, and pollutant emissions are identified. This study also provides some insightful management implications for concerned policy makers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hypergraph is a powerful representation for several computer vision, machine learning, and pattern recognition problems. In the last decade, many researchers have been keen to develop different hypergraph models. In contrast, no much attention has been paid to the design of hyperedge weighting schemes. However, many studies on pairwise graphs showed that the choice of edge weight can significantly influence the performances of such graph algorithms. We argue that this also applies to hypergraphs. hi this paper, we empirically study the influence of hyperedge weights on hypergraph learning via proposing three novel hyperedge weighting schemes from the perspectives of geometry, multivariate statistical analysis, and linear regression. Extensive experiments on ORL, COIL20, JAFFE, Sheffield, Scenel 5 and Caltech256 datasets verified our hypothesis for both classification and clustering problems. For each of these claSses of problems, our empirical study concludes with suggesting a suitable hypergraph weighting scheme. Moreover, the experiments also demonstrate that the combinations of such weighting schemes and conventional hyper graph models can achieve competitive classification and clustering performances in comparison with some recent state-of-the-art algorithms. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The cross hybrid (XS) concept has been demonstrated experimentally with 3.3-kV Si Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBTs) and SiC MOSFETs in parallel, and used to calibrate 2D Technology Computer Aided Design simulations. The XS hybrid offers lower switching losses compared with full Si IGBTs and reduced oscillations compared with full SiC MOSFETs. The current sharing mechanism between the IGBT and the MOSFET in the XS hybrid has been elucidated, showing that under typical switching conditions, the IGBT dissipate 98% of the XS hybrid turn-OFF losses compared with the SiC MOSFET. Since the current density of the IGBT in the XS hybrid is twice of that of the full IGBT solution, it exhibits higher dynamic avalanche. These features results in stress at device and package level, thereby compromising robustness and reliability. In order to overcome such issues, we show that increasing the turn-OFF gate resistance improves current sharing in the XS hybrid by delaying the turn-OFF of the MOSFET, and thereby suppressing dynamic avalanche in the IGBT.
Although age-related deficits in emotion perception have been established using photographs of individuals, the extension of these findings to dynamic displays and dyads is just beginning. Similarly, most eye-tracking research in the person perception literature, including those that study age differences, have focused on individual attributes gleaned from static images; to our knowledge, no previous research has considered cue use in dyadic judgments with eye-tracking. The current study employed a Brunswikian lens model analysis in conjunction with eye-tracking measurements to study age differences in the judgment of rapport, a social construct comprised of mutual attentiveness, positive feelings, and coordination between interacting partners. Judgment accuracy and cue utilization of younger (n = 47) and older (n = 46) adults were operationalized as correlations between a perceiver's judgments and criterion values within a set of 34 brief interaction videos in which 2 opposite sex college students discussed a controversial topic. No age differences emerged in the accuracy of judgments; however, pathways to accuracy differed by age: Younger adults' judgments relied on some behavioral cues more than older adults. In addition, eye-tracking analyses revealed that older adults spent more time looking at the bodies of the targets in the videos, whereas younger adults spent more time looking at the targets' heads. The contributions from both the lens model and eye-tracking findings provide distinct but complementary insights to our understanding of age-related continuities and shifts in social perceptual processing.
This paper presents a comparative study of two different FSCW PM machines for application as integrated motor-generator in hybrid vehicles. The first machine design contains the conventional concentrated winding with q=0.5 that is recently used in many hybrid systems for commercial vehicles, whereas the second machine use the new 18-teeth/10-poles concentrated winding with the optimized magneto motive force. Design and analysis of considered machines is based on their performances which included evaluation of electromagnetic torque and torque ripples, Ohmic losses, magnet losses, field weakening capability, noise analysis, and temperature behaviour. Using 2D and 3D finite elements the both machine types are investigated and compared under the same geometrical and electromagnetic constrains. Considering the main electromagnetic and thermal aspects, the new machine show high power capability and efficiency, low torque ripple, low magnet losses, noiseless design, and thermally robust.
Purpose: The major problem in producing artificial livers is that primary hepatocytes cannot be cultured for many days. Recently, 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology draws attention and this technology regarded as a useful tool for current cell biology. By using the 3D bio-printing, these problems can be resolved. Methods: To generate 3D bio-printed structures (25 mm x 25 mm), cells-alginate constructs were fabricated by 3D bio-printing system. Mouse primary hepatocytes were isolated from the livers of 6-8 weeks old mice by a 2-step collagenase method. Samples of 4 x 10(7) hepatocytes with 80%-90% viability were printed with 3% alginate solution, and cultured with well-defined culture medium for primary hepatocytes. To confirm functional ability of hepatocytes cultured on 3D alginate scaffold, we conducted quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence with hepatic marker genes. Results: Isolated primary hepatocytes were printed with alginate. The 3D printed hepatocytes remained alive for 14 days. Gene expression levels of Albumin, HNF-4 alpha and Foxa3 were gradually increased in the 3D structures. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the primary hepatocytes produced hepatic-specific proteins over the same period of time. Conclusion: Our research indicates that 3D bio-printing technique can be used for long-term culture of primary hepatocytes. It can therefore be used for drug screening and as a potential method of producing artificial livers.
To enable a prosperous Internet of Things (IoT), devices and services must be extensible and adapt to changes in the environment or user interaction patterns. These requirements manifest as a set of design principles for each of the layers in an IoT ecosystem, from hardware to cloud services. This paper gives concrete guidelines learned from implementing and deploying a full-stack synergistic IoT platform. We address hardware design concerns and present a reference platform, Firestorm. Upon this platform, we demonstrate firmware and personal-area networking concerns and solutions. Moving out towards larger scales we address local service discovery and syndication, and show how these principles carry through to global operation where security concerns dominate.
Prior research indicates that there may be a disharmonious relationship between positive attitudes toward ethnic and cultural diversity and social identity within a socially dominant group. Recent work in cultural psychology, however, has implied that this disharmonious relationship may be confined to a specific representation of social identity. This research examined this possibility. Study 1 (N = 51,238) found that the negative association between national identity and diversity attitudes found among participants from Western societies did not extend to participants from non-Western societies. Study 2 (N = 222) recruited American and Japanese participants, disentangled two distinct representations of their social identitycollective and relational social identityand found their differential associations with positive attitudes toward multiculturalism. Implications are discussed.
Electricity generators of varying capacities are popularly utilized in Nigeria as alternative source of power owing to the unreliability of electricity supply through the national grid. This study evaluated the impact of emissions from generating sets on air quality and human health in selected areas of Abeokuta city, Nigeria. The levels of particulates (PM1, PM3), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and methane were monitored using portable samplers. Copies of questionnaire were administered to generator operators and nearby residents so as to collect additional information. The capacities of sampled generators ranged from 1 to 25 kVA. The range of mean concentrations of PM1 (4.7-219.2 mu g/m(3)), PM3 (7.8-251.6 mu g/m(3)), carbon dioxide (4.5-10.9%), methane (0.0-1.2 ppm), carbon monoxide (141.1-4167.0 ppm), NOx (4.0-85.7 ppm), methane (2.3-31.0 ppm), sulphur oxides (3.5-65.6 ppm) and hydrogen sulphide (0.0-0.7 ppm) was highest at generator sites. The distance of sample sites to generator locations accounted for 14-66% variation of pollutants levels. Ailments frequently suffered by the exposed residents included nasal congestion (66%), cough (33%), headache (24%) and fever (12%). A national policy on appropriate use of electricity generator is urgently needed in Nigeria.
iHOME is a monitoring system that aims to help caregivers take care of their elderly. The main module of the HOPE system provides an intelligent ambient environment by employing prediction based on elderly's daily activity monitor. The goal of iHOME is for non-invasively monitor the elderly behavior pattern and to notify the caregiver upon abnormality detection such as fall detection in the their movement pattern. This enhances the safety of the elderly so that he/she could live independently. The technology behind this includes Arduino-based ambient sensors, tracking based sensors, Case-Based Reasoning prediction algorithm and Pebble wearable application.
In this paper, we present a Finite pointset method (FPM) for the numerical simulation of free surface flow around a ship in calm water. It is a Lagrangian and meshless particle scheme which is applied to the projection method for the incompressible governing equations. This requires the solution of Poisson problems in each time step, so a moving least squares (MLS) interpolants is used for the spatial derivatives in order to discretize the Poisson equation with pressure-Dirichlet condition of free surface flow in meshless structure. Meanwhile, an additional problem of the periodic particle locations redistribution in the present approach is still handled by MLS interpolants. With the proposed FPM technique, problems associated with the free surface flow around a ship are circumvented. A verification of numerical modeling is made using the Wigley hull and the validity of the proposed methodology is examined by comparing the detail of wave profile and wave-making resistance with Series 60 model. The results demonstrate that FPM is able to perform efficient and stable simulations of free surface flow around a ship.
The control of Rhipicephalus microplus is essential to prevent cattle discomfort and economic losses. However, increased resistance and acaricides inefficiency lead producers to adopt strategies that could result in the accumulation of chemical residues in meat and milk with possibilities of poisoning in animals and people. This scenario demonstrates the necessity of research into the identification of novel, effective and environmentally safe therapeutic options for cattle tick control. The objectives of this study were to develop and assess the efficacy of R. microplus biotherapic and of 5% eugenol for the control of R. microplus in artificially infested calves. Eighteen male 6-month-old Holstein calves were divided into three groups of six animals. In Group 1, the animals did not receive medication (control group); in Group 2, the animals received 1 mL of R. microplus biotherapic at dilution 6CH (centesimal Hahnemannian), orally administered twice daily. And in Group 3, they received a single application of eugenol 5% in the pour-on formulation. The median efficacy for biotherapy and eugenol 5% was respectively 10.13 and 13.97%; however, upon analyzing reproductive efficiency, it is noteworthy that the biotherapic had 45.86% efficiency and was superior to the action of eugenol (12.03%) after 37 days of treatment. The ultrastructural study provided information about the effects of R. microplus biotherapic on the ovaries of engorged females and showed disorganization in the deposition of the oocyte exochorion. The results suggest hatchability inhibition of larvae, interference in R. microplus reproduction and future possibilities for eco-friendly control of R. microplus with biotherapic 6CH.
Magnetic force spectroscopy is a rapidly developing single molecule technique that has found numerous applications at the interface of physics and biology. Since the invention of the first magnetic tweezers, a number of modifications to the approach have helped to relieve the limitations of the original design while amplifying its strengths. Inventive molecular biology solutions further advanced the technique by expanding its possible applications. In its present form, the method can be applied to both single molecules and live cells without resorting to intense irradiation, can be easily multiplexed, accommodates multiple DNAs, displays impressive resolution, and allows a remarkable ease in the stretching and twisting of macromolecules. In this review, we describe the architecture of magnetic tweezers, key requirements for experimental design and analysis of data, and outline several applications of the method that illustrate its versatility.
Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) with a variety of potential biotechnological applications is still isolated from the horseradish root as a mixture of different isoenzymes with different biochemical properties. There is an increasing demand for preparations of high amounts of pure enzyme but its recombinant production is limited because of the lack of glycosylation in Escherichia coli and different glycosylation patterns in yeasts which affects its stability parameters. The goal of this study was to increase the stability of non-glycosylated enzyme, which is produced in E. coli, toward hydrogen peroxide via mutagenesis. Asparagine 268, one of the N-glycosylation sites of the enzyme, has been mutated via saturation mutagenesis using the megaprimer method. Modification and miniaturization of previously described protocols enabled screening of a library propagated in E. coli XJb (DE3). The library of mutants was screened for stability toward hydrogen peroxide with azinobis (ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonate) as a reducing substrate. Asn268Gly mutant, the top variant from the screening, exhibited 18-fold increased stability toward hydrogen peroxide and twice improved thermal stability compared with the recombinant HRP. Moreover, the substitution led to 2.5-fold improvement in the catalytic efficiency with phenol/4-aminoantipyrine. Constructed mutant represents a stable biocatalyst, which may find use in medical diagnostics, biosensing, and bioprocesses. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 63, Number 6, Pages 789-794, 2016
Background: This study examined whether acutely (aMDD) and remitted depressed patients (rMDD) show deficits in the two aspects of social cognition - facial emotion recognition (FER) and reasoning - when using ecologically valid material. Furthermore, we examined whether reduced facial mimicry mediates the association between depressive symptoms and FER, and whether FER deficits and reasoning deficits are associated. Method: In 42 aMDD, 43 rMDD, and 39 healthy controls (HC) FER was assessed using stimuli from the Amsterdam Dynamic Facial Expression Set, reasoning by the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition. Furthermore, the activity of Zygomaticus Major and Corrugator supercilii were recorded. Results: aMDD recognized happy faces less accurately, were less confident recognizing happiness and anger and found it more difficult to recognize happiness, anger and fear than HC. rMDD were less confident recognizing anger and found it more difficult to recognize happiness, anger and fear than HC. Reduced mimicry did not explain FER deficits. aMDD but not rMDD showed impaired reasoning. Limitations: The stimulus material was comparably easy to decode. Therefore, it is possible that the FER deficits of aMDD and rMDD patients are more pronounced than demonstrated in this study. Conclusions: aMDD show deficits in FER and reasoning, whereas rMDD only show mild impairments in the recognition of emotional expressions. There must be other processes - besides mimicry - that serve the accurate recognition of emotional facial expressions.
This paper presents analytical methods to calculate the equivalent circuit parameters for large-scale brushless doubly fed machines (BDFMs) with magnetic wedges utilized for closing stator open slots. The use of magnetic wedges reduces the magnetizing currents in the machine, reflected in the values of magnetizing inductances, but also increases leakage fluxes affecting the value of series inductances in the equivalent circuit. Though such effects can be modeled by numerical models, the proposed analytical methods are particularly helpful in optimizing machine design, inverter rating, reactive power management, and grid low-voltage ride-through performance. The conventional analytical methods cannot be readily applied to the BDFM due to its complex magnetic field distribution; this paper presents analytical methods to calculate the magnetizing and leakage inductances for the BDFM with magnetic wedges used in the stator slots. The proposed methods are assessed by experimentally verified finite-element models for a 250 kW BDFM.
This paper reveals that nearly 25 years after the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) I Committee (1972) used Russell's dose-rate data to support the adoption of the linear-no-threshold (LNT) dose response model for genetic and cancer risk assessment, Russell acknowledged a significant under-reporting of the mutation rate of the historical control group. This error, which was unknown to BEIR I, had profound implications, leading it to incorrectly adopt the LNT model, which was a decision that profoundly changed the course of risk assessment for radiation and chemicals to the present.
Hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging) is a common neurodegenerative condition associated with dementia. To learn more about genetic risk of HS-Aging pathology, we tested gene-based associations of the GRN, TMEM106B, ABCC9, and KCNMB2 genes, which were reported to be associated with HS-Aging pathology in previous studies. Genetic data were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium, linked to autopsy-derived neuropathological outcomes from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. Of the 3251 subjects included in the study, 271 (8.3%) were identified as an HS-Aging case. The significant gene-based association between the ABCC9 gene and HS-Aging appeared to be driven by a region in which a significant haplotype-based association was found. We tested this haplotype as an expression quantitative trait locus using 2 different public-access brain gene expression databases. The HS-Aging pathology protective ABCC9 haplotype was associated with decreased ABCC9 expression, indicating a possible toxic gain of function. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Flexible bed sills are extensively used in rivers in several applications: to protect pipeline crossings, for slope control and to enhance environmental aspects. Use of riprap provides the flexibility required to adjust to small changes in river bed level and makes this material one of the most commonly used. Shear failure of riprap has been extensively studied, but little knowledge is available on edge failure of flexible bed sills and on the design of the required extent of sills to protect assets. Experimental work in a large test facility was carried out to gain improved understanding of flat sills and sills protruding above the bed. Significantly lower depth and length of the scour hole were observed at the downstream edge of flat riprap sills than at rigid sills. Existing equations for rigid bed sills were found not to be appropriate for estimating scour at the flexible bed sills tested. As expected, protrusion enhances scour potential significantly: it was found that scour depths were of the order of 100% or greater than those associated with flat sills. The research has provided useful evidence for avoiding placement of pipelines straight on to river beds and instead to adopt trenches whenever feasible.
We propose a short and reliable instrument, based on pre-existing items, for measuring the three dimensions of religion as end, means, and quest. Starting from the 47 items originally included in the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS; Allport & Ross, 1967) and in the Religious Life Inventory (RLI; Batson, Schoenrade, & Ventis, 1993), we performed four steps of analyses involving three independent samples of Italian Catholic respondents (total N = 1194). Through a process of progressive refinement, using exploratory factor analyses, an investigation of the meaning of the items, and confirmatory factor analyses, we eventually selected 18 items from the pre-existing scales, recombined in the Religious Life and Orientation Scale. We report initial evidence of the psychometric qualities of the proposed instrument and analyze its correspondence with the parent scales. Future research should investigate the properties of the scale with respondents from other countries and belonging to other religions.
This article investigates the value-adding practices of Manufacturing Engineering for integrated New Product Introduction. A model representing how current practices align to support lean integration in Manufacturing Engineering has been defined. The results are used to identify a novel set of guiding principles for integrated Manufacturing Engineering. These are as follows: (1) use a data-driven process, (2) build from core capabilities, (3) develop the standard, (4) deliver through responsive processes and (5) align cross-functional and customer requirements. The investigation used a mixed-method approach. This comprises case studies to identify current practice and a survey to understand implementation in a sample of component development projects within a major aerospace manufacturer. The research contribution is an illustration of aerospace Manufacturing Engineering practices for New Product Introduction. The conclusions will be used to indicate new priorities for New Product Introduction and the cross-functional interactions to support flawless and innovative New Product Introduction. The final principles have been validated through a series of consultations with experts in the sponsoring company to ensure that correct and relevant content has been defined.
Authors often convey meaning by referring to or imitating prior works of literature, a process that creates complex networks of literary relationships (intertextuality) and contributes to cultural evolution. In this paper, we use techniques from stylometry and machine learning to address subjective literary critical questions about Latin literature, a corpus marked by an extraordinary concentration of intertextuality. Our work, which we term quantitative criticism, focuses on case studies involving two influential Roman authors, the playwright Seneca and the historian Livy. We find that four plays related to but distinct from Seneca's main writings are differentiated from the rest of the corpus by subtle but important stylistic features. We offer literary interpretations of the significance of these anomalies, providing quantitative data in support of hypotheses about the use of unusual formal features and the interplay between sound and meaning. The second part of the paper describes a machine-learning approach to the identification and analysis of citational material that Livy loosely appropriated from earlier sources. We extend our approach to map the stylistic topography of Latin prose, identifying the writings of Caesar and his near-contemporary Livy as an inflection point in the development of Latin prose style. In total, our results reflect the integration of computational and humanistic methods to investigate a diverse range of literary questions.
Within the diagnostic process, in the activities in which digital radiology systems are utilised, image display devices play a very important role. Such devices have to guarantee high performances in order to maintain the diagnostic quality of the displayed images and present them so that they can be observed optimally. In order to ensure the appropriate performance to the users, not only the image display device but also the whole workstation should be designed properly. Particular attention should be paid to the lighting conditions, to avoid compromising the radiologist's ability to observe the displayed images. The aim of this study is to assess the lighting of some workstations used for diagnostic radiology reporting, in order to obtain information about the visual interaction between worker and device and prevent health risks. A detailed analysis of the lighting of adjustable and nonadjustable workstations used for diagnostic radiology reporting was carried out in different rooms of the Radiology Department at the Felice Lotti Hospital in Pontedera (Pisa, Italy). The analysis was carried out thanks to in situ measurements (objective analysis) and the submission of an evaluation questionnaire to a sample composed by 16 radiologists (subjective analysis). From the obtained results it has been possible to point out that, in nonadjustable workstations the absence of a dedicated lighting system very often reveals the inadequacy of the general lighting in guaranteeing correct lighting conditions for the radiologists during the reading of the diagnostic monitors. As measure to reduce the visual fatigue of the radiologists, the use of a supplementary adjustable innovative LED backlight system was proposed. The use of the LED backlight system allows complying the requirements of the Technical Standards and mitigate the difference of luminance in the field of view of the radiologist. Due to that the use of the LED backlight system has been positively perceived by the examined sample, a significant part of whom has ascribed to this use a reduction in the visual fatigue. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Advances in the nucleic acid sequencing technologies have ushered in the era of genetic-based precision medicine. Applications of the genetic discoveries to practice of medicine, however, are hindered by phenotypic variability of the genetic variants. The report illustrates extreme pleiotropic phenotypes associated with an established causal mutation for hereditary cardiomyopathy. Case presentation: We report a 61-year old white female who presented with syncope and echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging findings consistent with the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The electrocardiogram, however, showed a QRS pattern resembling an Epsilon wave, a feature of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Whole exome sequencing (mean depth of coverage of exons 178X) analysis did not identify a pathogenic variant in the known HCM genes but identified an established causal mutation for ARVC. The mutation involves a canonical splice accepter site (c.2146-1G >C) in the PKP2 gene, which encodes plakophillin 2. Sanger sequencing confirmed the mutation. PKP2 is the most common causal gene for ARVC but has not been implicated in HCM. Findings on echocardiography and CMR during the course of 4-year follow up showed septal hypertrophy and a hyperdynamic left ventricle, consistent with the diagnosis of HCM. However, neither baseline nor follow up echocardiography and CMR studies showed evidence of ARVC. The right ventricle was normal in size, thickness, and function and there was no evidence of fibro-fatty infiltration in the myocardium. Conclusions: The patient carries an established pathogenic mutation for ARVC and a subtle finding of ARVC but exhibits the classic phenotype of HCM, a contrasting phenotype to ARVC. The case illustrates the need for detailed phenotypic characterization for patients with hereditary cardiomyopathies as well as the challenges physicians face in applying the genetic discoveries in practicing genetic-based precision medicine.
Denitrification beds are being used to reduce the transport of water-soluble nitrate via subsurface drainage systems to surface water. Only recently has the non-linearity of water flow through woodchips been ascertained. To successfully design and model denitrification beds with optimum nitrate removal, a better understanding of flow in denitrification beds is needed. The main objectives of this study were to characterize the hydraulic properties of old degraded woodchips and provide a better understanding of the factors affecting flow. To achieve this goal, we conducted constant-head column experiments using old woodchips that were excavated from a four-year old denitrification bed near Willmar, Minnesota, USA. For Izbash's equation, the non-Darcy exponent (n) ranged from 0.76 to 0.87 that indicates post-linear regime, and the permeability coefficient (M-10) at 10 degrees C ranged from 0.9 to 2.6 cm s(-1). For Forchheimer's equation, the intrinsic permeability of 5.6 x 10(-5) cm(2) and omega constant of 0.40 (at drainable porosity of 0.41) closely resembled the in-situ properties found in a previous study. Forchheimer's equation was better than that of Izbash's for describing water flow through old woodchips, and the coefficients of the former provided stronger correlations with drainable porosity. The strong correlation between intrinsic permeability and drainable porosity showed that woodchip compaction is an important factor affecting water flow through woodchips. Furthermore, we demonstrated the importance of temperature effects on woodchip hydraulics. In conclusion, the hydraulic properties of old woodchips should be characterized using a non-Darcy equation to help design efficient systems with optimum nitrate removal. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scholars have been increasingly interested in how everyday interactions in various places with people from different ethnic/religious background impact inter-group relations. Drawing on representative surveys in Leeds and Warsaw (2012), we examine whether encounters with ethnic and religious minorities in different type of space are associated with more tolerance towards them. We find that in Leeds, more favourable affective attitudes are associated with contact in institutional spaces (workplace and study places) and socialisation spaces (social clubs, voluntary groups, religious meeting places); however, in case of behavioural intentions operationalised as willingness to be friendly to minority neighbours only encounters in socialisation spaces play a significant role in prejudice reduction. In Warsaw, people who have contacts with ethnic and religious minorities in public (streets, park, public services and transport) and consumption spaces (cafes, pubs, restaurants) express more positive affective attitudes towards them, but only encounters in consumption space translate into willingness to be friendly to minority neighbours. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
The evolution of the human eye's unique high contrast morphology allows people to communicate with a simple look. Yet overt looking is not always preferred in social situations. Do covert shifts in attention - those that occur without a concomitant shift of the eyes or head - support this need? In the present field study, we discretely recorded pedestrians' looks to a confederate who performed an action - raising his hand to the side of his head and saying 'Hey' into a phone (private action), or raising his hand to the side of his head in greeting (i.e. a static wave) and saying 'Hey' (public action). Critically, pedestrians were not looking at the confederate at the start of the action. Despite this, pedestrians looked more in response to the public action (wave) than private action (phone). We argue that the observed difference in looking responses must be due to pedestrians first attending to the confederate covertly in order to assess the intention of his action, and only signaling this attention with a look when socially appropriate (e.g. to respond to a public action). Though the functional utility of covert attention has rarely been considered outside of controlled laboratory tasks, these results provide the first demonstration that covert attention plays a critical role in guiding appropriate social looking behaviour. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Due to the ever-increasing efficiency of computer systems, symmetric cryptosystem are becoming more vulnerable to linear cryptanalysis brute force attacks. For example, DES with its short key (56 bits) is becoming easier to break, while AES has a much longer key size (up to 256 bits), which makes it very difficult to crack using even the most advanced dedicated cryptanalysis computers. However, more complex algorithms, which exhibit better confusion and diffusion characteristics, are always required. Such algorithms must have stronger resistance against differential and linear cryptanalysis attacks. This paper describes the development of an algorithm that implements a pseudo random number generator (PRNG) in order to increase the key generation complexity. Experimental results on both DES and AES cryptosystems complemented with the PRNG have shown an average improvement of up to 36.3% in the avalanche error computation over the original standard systems, which is a considerable improvement in the time complexity of both systems.
Voltage is one of the most fundamental concepts in electrical engineering, but nevertheless has been shown to be a difficult concept for many students. To help address those difficulties, we designed a tutorial worksheet similar to those published by the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington. In this activity, students were introduced to electric potential and compared and contrasted it to voltage. As electric potential and Kirchhoff's Voltage Law are closely related, we assumed learning about potential would help students gain a better qualitative understanding of voltage. Post-test and exam data from an introductory circuits course show that after the tutorial many students still had difficulties with voltage and potential. More than three quarters of the responses concerning voltage and potential were inconsistent. This suggests that most students were unable to link those two concepts. We therefore conclude that potential and voltage remain conceptually very different for students in their learning process. As tutorial worksheets have proved to be very effective in students overcoming conceptual difficulties, it is likely that there are specific difficulties with these concepts that have not yet been identified.
Precise cell positioning is indispensable in the fields of biophysics and cellular biology. Acoustic microbeam produced by a highly focused ultrasound transducer has recently been investigated for a particle or cell manipulation. By virtue of the relatively good piezoelectric property, Sc doped AIN film was introduced for a highly focused ultrasound transducer application. Using a sputtering approach, a self focused AIScN film based device has been designed, fabricated, and characterized at a frequency of' similar to 230 MHz. It had a narrow lateral beam width (similar to 8.2 mu m). The AIScN ultrasound transducer was not only shown to be capable of remote controlling a single 10 mu m polystyrene microsphere in distilled water, but also demonstrated to possess the capability to manipulate without contact individual 10 mu m epidermoid carcinoma cell in two dimensions within a range of hundreds of micrometers in phosphate buffered saline. Most importantly, the cell manipulation was realized in continuous mode and no switch-on and -off operation was needed. These results suggest that self-focused AIScN film ultrasound transducer is a promising candidate for biomedical and molecular biology applications.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is projected to soon interconnect tens of billions of new devices, in large part also connected to the Internet. IoT devices include both high-end devices which can use traditional go-to operating systems (OSs) such as Linux, and low-end devices which cannot, due to stringent resource constraints, e.g., very limited memory, computational power, and power supply. However, large-scale IoT software development, deployment, and maintenance requires an appropriate OS to build upon. In this paper, we thus analyze in detail the specific requirements that an OS should satisfy to run on low-end IoT devices, and we survey applicable OSs, focusing on candidates that could become an equivalent of Linux for such devices, i.e., a one-size-fits-most, open source OS for low-end IoT devices.
As an important regulator of pollutants in overland flow and interflow, land use has become an essential research component for determining the relationships between surface water quality and pollution sources. This study investigated the use of ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models to identify the impact of land use and population density on surface water quality in the Wen-Rui Tang River watershed of eastern China. A manual variable excluding-selecting method was explored to resolve multicollinearity issues. Standard regression coefficient analysis coupled with cluster analysis was introduced to determine which variable had the greatest influence on water quality. Results showed that: (1) Impact of land use on water quality varied with spatial and seasonal scales. Both positive and negative effects for certain land-use indicators were found in different subcatchments. (2) Urban land was the dominant factor influencing N, P and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in highly urbanized regions, but the relationship was weak as the pollutants were mainly from point sources. Agricultural land was the primary factor influencing N and P in suburban and rural areas; the relationship was strong as the pollutants were mainly from agricultural surface runoff. Subcatchments located in suburban areas were identified with urban land as the primary influencing factor during the wet season while agricultural land was identified as a more prevalent influencing factor during the dry season. (3) Adjusted R-2 values in OLS models using the manual variable excluding-selecting method averaged 14.3% higher than using stepwise multiple linear regressions. However, the corresponding GWR models had adjusted R-2 similar to 59.2% higher than the optimal OLS models, confirming that GWR models demonstrated better prediction accuracy. Based on our findings, water resource protection policies should consider site-specific land-use conditions within each watershed to optimize mitigation strategies for contrasting land-use characteristics and seasonal variations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In intensive agricultural systems, such as Mediterranean greenhouses, monitoring soil nutrient and salt status is essential for optimising vegetable production and minimising soil and water pollution. This work analyses the dynamics of electrical conductivity (ECss) and nutrient concentration in soil solution collected simultaneously with various zero-tension lysimeters and a suction cup (a tension lysimeter) throughout two greenhouse tomato crops. The ECss obtained with zero-tension lysimeters (funnel and plate lysimeter) was generally lower than that with the suction cup, irrespective of soil depth. Moreover, the soil solution concentration of potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride and sulphate obtained with funnel lysimeter (FullStop (TM)) was generally lower than that with suction cup throughout both cycles, while no clear differences were found for the nitrate concentration at 0.25 m depth in the 2013/14 cycle or at 0.38 m depth in the 2015 one. Overall, it appears that the soil solutions collected with the suction cup and the funnel lysimeter represent different soil solution status and processes. The funnel lysimeter collects freely draining soil solution, and it may therefore provide better information about the movement of elements between soil horizons, whereas the suction cup can sample soil solution from soil pores with longer residence times, especially under unsaturated flow conditions, and might represent better the available element concentrations for plant nutrition studies. The differential response found for nitrate could be due to the fact that it is a very mobile element within the soil. The soil water matric potential was slightly higher in the soil with zero-tension lysimeters throughout most of the 2013/14 cycle, and so these devices might alter soil solution movement and water and nutrient availability. On the other hand, in general, a good fit was found between the soil solution concentration of nitrate, potassium, calcium and sodium measured with a rapid analysis system (Laqua (TM)) and that measured using the reference laboratory method. This rapid system, in combination with the suction cup, can facilitate the farmers' control of soil nutrient and salt status. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objectives: Group-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy of children with aggressive behavior has resulted in significant reductions of behavior problems with small to medium effect sizes. We report the efficacy of an individualized Treatment Program for Children with Aggressive Behavior. Method: A within-subject design with two phases (waiting, treatment) was chosen. Sixty boys aged 6-12 years with peer-related aggressive behavior were included. The course of the outcome measures (growth rates) during a 6-week waiting phase was compared with those in the subsequent treatment phase (24 weekly child sessions together with an average of 8 parent contacts) by multilevel modeling. Primary outcome was peer-related aggressive behavior rated by parents. Further outcome measures included parent ratings and patient self-reports of aggressive and prosocial behavior. Results: During the treatment, growth rates for all parent-rated outcome measures were significant (p<.001) and comparison with the waiting phase indicated a stronger decrease in aggressive behavior and a stronger increase in prosocial behavior. For all self-rated outcome measures, growth rates during the treatment were significant (p<.01), but comparison with the waiting phase indicated a stronger decrease only for disturbance of social interaction. Conclusions: The treatment program is an effective intervention for children with peer-related aggressive behavior.
Control of the LCL-type three-phase grid-connected converter is difficult due to high resonance peak of the LCL filter. Active damping is the state-of-the-art solution to this problem, but the damping performance will be affected by the inherent time delay of digital control, especially for high-power low switching frequency applications. Based on a discrete-time stability analysis of an LCL-type converter with capacitor-current-feedback active damping, a simple and effective time delay compensation method, which is based on area equalization concept, is proposed. The method can reduce the negative impact of the computation delay significantly. It has the potential to serve as a general solution to time delay compensation of a digitally controlled PWM converter. The validity of the proposed method is proved by experimental results.
Rainwater tanks often provide a reliable and affordable water supply source in rural and remote areas where piped water supply systems are unfeasible due to economic considerations. However, over recent decades there has been an increase in the adoption of rainwater harvesting as part of the water supply source mix in modern cities. The uptake of rainwater harvesting has been influenced by the rise of ecological sustainable development as a mainstream practice. Rainwater harvesting is now implemented as part of an integrated urban water management approach to alleviate pressure on traditional water supply sources due to increased demand, driven by the rapid growth of urbanised populations. While examples of rainwater harvesting in human settlements can be found since ancient times, there are still gaps in understanding the role that it can play in modern cities. This paper reviews current international experiences with rainwater harvesting, particularly examining the drivers for their adoption in different urban contexts and the impediments faced for greater mainstream adoption. The paper then reviews the current state of research associated with understanding the value of rainwater harvesting in modern cities, which include impacts on reducing mains water demand, public health risks, energy implications, environmental impacts, and cost-effectiveness.
Polymeric heart valves (PHV) can be engineered to serve as alternatives for existing prosthetic valves due to higher durability and hemodynamics similar to bioprosthetic valves. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of geometry on PHVs coaptation and hemodynamic performance. The two geometric factors considered are stent profile and leaflet arch length, which were varied across six valve configurations. Three models were created with height to diameter ratio of 0.6, 0.7, and 0.88. The other three models were designed by altering arch height to stent diameter ratio, to be 0, 0.081, and 0.116. Particle image velocimetry experiments were conducted on each PHV to characterize velocity, vorticity, turbulent characteristics, effective orifice area, and regurgitant fraction. This study revealed that the presence of arches as well as higher stent profile reduced regurgitant flow down to 5%, while peak systole downstream velocity reduced to 58% and Reynolds Shear Stress values reduced 40%. Further, earlier reattachment of the forward flow jet was observed in PHVs with leaflet arches. These findings indicate that although both geometric factors help diminish the commissural gap during diastole, leaflet arches induce a larger jet opening, yielding to earlier flow reattachment and lower energy dissipation.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are vital for normal growth and development and physiological function of various tissues in humans. PUFAs have immunomodulatory actions in addition to their ability to modulate inflammation, vascular reactivity, neurotransmission and stem cell biology. PUFAs and their metabolites possess both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties that underlie their actions and involvement in several diseases. Aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), possesses both cyclo-oxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitory action and enhances the production of anti-inflammatory lipoxin A4 {(called as epi-lipoxin A4, aspirin-triggered lipoxins (ATLs))}. In addition, at low doses aspirin may not interfere with the production of prostacyclin (PGI2). Both lipoxin A4 and PGI2 have vasodilator, platelet anti-aggregator and anti-inflammatory actions that may underlie the beneficial actions of aspirin. Paradoxically, other NSAIDs may not have the same actions as that of aspirin on PUFA metabolism. Similar anti-inflammatory compounds are formed from eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by the action of aspirin termed as resolvins (from EPA and DHA) and protectins and maresins from DHA. PUFAs: arachidonic acid (AA), EPA and DHA and their various products modulate not only inflammation and immune response but also possess actions on various genes, nuclear factors, cyclic AMP and GMP, G-protein coupled receptors (GPRs), hypothalamic neurotransmitters, hormones, cytokines and enzymes, and interact with nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide to regulate their formation and action and to form new compounds that have several biological actions. These pleiotropic actions of PUFAs and their metabolites may explain their ability to play a role in several physiological actions and diseases. The big challenge is to harness these actions to prevent and manage clinical conditions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The abuse of the psychostimulant methamphetamine (MA) is associated with substantial costs and limited treatment options. To understand the mechanisms that lead to abuse, animal models of voluntary drug intake are crucial. We aimed to develop a protocol to study long-term non-invasive voluntary intake of MA in mice. Mice were maintained in their home cages and allowed daily 1 h access to an attached tunnel leading to a test chamber in which nebulized MA was available. Restated, if they went to the nebulizing chamber, they self-administered MA by inhalation. This protocol was compared to injected and to imposed exposure to nebulized MA, in a series of seven experiments. We established a concentration of nebulized MA at which motor activity increases following voluntary intake resembled that following MA injection and imposed inhalation. We found that mice regulated their exposure to MA, self-administering for shorter durations when concentrations of nebulized MA were increased. Mice acquire the available MA by repeatedly running in and out of the nebulizing chamber for brief bouts of intake. Such exposure to nebulized MA elevated plasma MA levels. There was limited evidence of sensitization of locomotor activity. Finally, blocking access to the wheel did not affect time spent in the nebulizing chamber. We conclude that administration of MA by nebulization is an effective route of self-administration, and our new protocol represents a promising tool for examining the transitions from first intake to long-term use and its behavioral and neural consequences in a non-invasive protocol.
Objective: To examine the effectiveness of 2 affect recognition interventions (Faces and Stories) in people with a traumatic brain injury. Setting: Postacute rehabilitation facilities. Participants: A total of 203 participants with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury were screened; 71 were eligible and randomized to the Faces (n = 24), Stories (n = 23), and Control interventions (n = 24). Participants were an average of 39.8 years of age and 10.3 years postinjury; 74% of participants were male. Design: Randomized controlled trial with immediate, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up posttests. Interventions were 9 hours of computer-based training with a therapist. Measures: Diagnostic Assessment of Nonverbal Accuracy 2-Adult Faces; Emotional Inference From Stories Test; Empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index); and Irritability and Aggression (Neuropsychiatric Inventory). Results: The Faces Intervention did significantly better than the Control Intervention on the Diagnostic Assessment of Nonverbal Accuracy 2-Adult Faces (P = .031) posttreatment; no time effect or group interaction was observed. No other significant differences were noted for the Faces Intervention. No significant differences were observed between the Stories and the Control Interventions; however, a significant time effect was found for the Emotional Inference From Stories Test. Conclusion: The Faces Intervention effectively improved facial affect recognition in participants with chronic post-traumatic brain injury, and changes were maintained for 6 months. Future work should focus on generalizing this skill to functional behaviors.
As a replacement for mineral materials, geotextiles have been pervasively used in civil engineering so as to provide separation and filtration. This study aims to recycle Kevlar selvages for the preparation of nonwoven geotextiles. The effects of fiber types and manufacturing processing are examined in terms of pore size, water permeability, and shear resistance (bursting strength, and puncture strength). The test results and statistical analyses indicate that a combination of 20 wt% Kevlar fibers, 60 wt% three-dimensional crimped polyester (PET) fibers, and 20 wt% low-melting-point PET (LMPET) fibers creates geotextiles that have a small pore size, good water permeability, and good shear resistance. These geotextiles prevent soil loss, and have greater water permeability and a higher resistance to sharp objects. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water consumption is likely to increase substantially in the future on account of rising population, economic growth, and social development. Rapid urbanization and population growth of Allahabad city, has necessitated thinking about the declination in ground water level as well as supply of sufficient quantity of water for future either for drinking purpose or industrial use. In the present study, rainfall recharge of Allahabad city has been computed on GIS platform (ArcInfo). Groundwater recharge potential zones of Allahabad city have also been found out using GIS. Case study of recharge of ground water through roof top rainwater harvesting at Vikas Bhawan (a multistoryed building), Allahabad is discussed. An implementation of this analysis and decision making software is expected to work for sustainable water management.
Monitoring message workflow transmission is a very challenging problem, especially in pervasive environments, mainly because of the wide range of unexpected events (e.g. human and material resources unavailability) and context changes (e.g. source and target localizations) that may occur at run-time. In this paper, we propose an information system and services orchestration framework enabling intelligent message routing policy adaptation. Our objective is to build a reliable routing strategy that can autonomously and intelligently adapt its own behavior and decisions according to source and target context changes as well as to controlled message status (e.g. exceeded deadlines for message reception). We present a solution that emphasizes some cutting-edge characteristics that we believe are crucial for enhancing the quality of message communication, such as intelligence, controllability, scalability, adaptivity and personalization. The routing decisions can be adapted at different levels of decision-making such as message itinerary, delay for message treatment, etc., by means of advanced AI methods that we detail for some of the most sensitive self-adaptive services.
Thyroid cancer is very common, but skull ectopic thyroid cancer has not been reported in 50 years of literatures in foreign countries. There are only four cases of the skull ectopic thyroid cancer reported in more than 30 years of domestic literature including the cases in this report. This paper aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and possible molecular mechanisms of this rare disease. Five keywords of thyroid gland, ectopic thyroid, thyroid cancer, ectopic thyroid cancer and metastatic thyroid cancer were included and 50 years of literatures in the PubMed-MEDLINE and Wanfang database were reviewed. By combining the test data of 2 cases of surgical patient tissue microarray specimens-molecular immunology pathology, the possible molecular mechanisms were analyzed and molecular regulation network diagram was drawn. The skull ectopic thyroid cancer has not been reported in 50 years of literatures in foreign countries and there are only four cases of the skull ectopic thyroid cancer reported in more than 30 years of domestic literature including the cases in this report. The molecular expressions of skull ectopic thyroid cancer, orthotopic thyroid cancer, and metastatic thyroid cancer were not the same: (I) AKT (P=0.012, 0.002) and mTOR (P=0.002, 0.004) were highly expressed in the skull ectopic thyroid cancer; (II) BRAF (P=0.029, 0.014) and ERK (P=0.002, 0.001) were highly expressed in orthotopic thyroid cancer; (III) MMP-9 (P=0.023, 0.016) was highly expressed in metastatic thyroid cancer. According to the molecular information base, the PI3K is predicted to be a key crossing gene of the above three signaling pathways, which showed no significant differences in these three thyroid cancers (P=0.692, 0.388, 0.227), but PI3K has regulation roles in the three signaling pathways of Akt/mTOR, MAPK, and NF-kappa B. PI3K gene is an important starting gene of thyroid cancers. After the canceration starts, due to the fact that the local microenvironments of thyroid cancers in different parts are different, the thyroid cancers are regulated by different signaling pathways. The ectopic thyroid cancer was correlated with Akt/mTOR pathway high expression; orthotopic thyroid was related with MAPK/BRAF/ERK signaling pathway high expression; and the metastatic thyroid cancer was related with NFkB/MMP9 high expression.
This article proposes a multiobjective optimization model for the design of a macroscopic water system of a Mexican city that solves simultaneously the planning and scheduling of water storage and distribution tasks. The model, which considers rainwater harvesting and reclaimed water reusing as alternative water sources, maximizes the revenues from water sales and minimizes simultaneously the water consumption and land use. A case study based on the city of Morelia in Mexico was solved. It was found that the use of alternative water sources (such as harvested rainwater) along with an appropriate planning and scheduling of storage and distribution tasks have the potential to reduce the pressure over natural reservoirs significantly. Our approach considers simultaneously economic and environmental concerns, thereby contributing to the implementation of more sustainable alternatives in urban water distribution. (c) 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 2428-2446, 2015
Purpose of review Although gout is one of the most common forms of inflammatory arthritis, it has been relatively neglected until recently. Despite progress in many areas of pathophysiology and genetics of gout and the development of new urate lowering therapies, there remain a number of unanswered clinical questions. With the resurgence of interest in gout it is important to recognize key aspects of gout management that remain challenging and require further research. Recent findings The unanswered clinical issues outlined in this review are basic aspects of gout management that clinicians treating people with gout face on a daily basis and include when urate lowering therapy should be commenced, the most appropriate target serum urate, use of prophylaxis when starting urate lowering therapy and the most appropriate urate lowering therapy, particularly for those with chronic kidney disease. Summary Some of the issues outlined in this article are the subject of ongoing clinical research and some, such as use of allopurinol in people with chronic kidney impairment, may be less relevant with the advent of potentially safer urate lowering therapies but until that time further understanding to aid clinical decision-making is required.
Currently, increasing importance has been attached to heavy metal pollution of water environment. In order to help geologist and environmentalist to obtain on-site experimental data, there is an urgent need to develop portable analysis techniques of water quality, which can be used to give an timely and accurate assessment of water quality of the contaminated area with low cost and to monitor water environment conveniently in daily preventing and controlling work of water pollution. Based on adsorption with Purolite S930 chelating resin at pH 4 and thin-film sample preparation technique, a rapid and simple on-site-oriented analysis method of heavy metal ions, namely Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb in aqueous solutions, was developed utilizing a handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence in this paper. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were greater than 0. 992 for all six metal ions, the lower limits of detection were between 5. 8 and 18. 6 mu g . L-1. Precision tests carried out on multi-element mixed solutions showed that the relative standard deviations (RSD, n=10) were better than 15%. The method has been used on-site to analysis 21 water samples collected from different river or well sites near a mining area northeast China. Out of the five underground water samples, one was found contaminated by Cu and Zn (Class Id), one by Zn and Fe (Class I[), and one by Fe(in between Class II to III). Surface water samples showed better qualities. But two out of the sixteen were found to be contaminated by Mn heavily (Class IV). Laboratory ICPMS was used to analyze the same samples. The results for Cu, Ni and Pb were coincident with the on-site data in general. But for Zn and Mn with higher concentrations, on-site data were lower than that by ICPMS. The reason for that might be the inclusion of the fine suspending particles in the samples by ICPMS. We conclude that the on-site data were effective. With the described method, an overall data acquisition time, including sampling, processing and measuring, can be within 12 hours for a batch of 10 samples. The pre-concentration device and the XRF instrument are both small, light, portable and can operate without external power supply. So, the method is suitable for on-site water sample analysis, especially in remote areas.
Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles surrounded by a lipid membrane, which tend to be secreted toward extra-cellular environments. Despite being defined as vesicles involved in excretion of molecular wastes by Rose Johnstone in the 1970s, further studies revealed them to be effective in various biological processes such as cancer development, regulation of the immune system, intercellular communication, stem cell biology, and tissue/organ regeneration. Although many studies dealing with the role of exosomes in stem cell differentiation and the use of exosomes isolated from stem cells for the treatment of several diseases have been published, the involved mechanisms remain largely unknown. Further understanding of these mechanisms, which include the involved cellular pathways, may improve the use of exosomes in diagnostic and treatment methods, especially for those involving stem cells. Here, we describe some recent data describing the action mechanism of stem cell-derived exosomes focusing on the implicated cellular pathways, hoping to provide novel information that will be useful for cell biology scientists working in this field.
The Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder blanket (WCCB) is being researched for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The thermal-hydraulic analysis is essential because the blanket should remove the high heat flux from the plasma and the volumetric heat generated by neutrons. In this paper, the detailed three dimensional (3D) thermal hydraulic analysis on the whole module of WCCB blanket has been performed by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method, which is capable of solving conjugate heat transfer between solid structure and fluid. The main results, including temperature field, distribution of mass flow rate and coolant pressure drop, have been calculated simultaneously. These provides beneficial guidance data for the further structural optimization and for the design arrangement of primary and secondary circuit. Under the total heat source of 1.23 MW, the coolant mass flow rate of 5.457 kg/s is required to make coolant water corresponding to the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) condition (15.5 MPa, 285 degrees C-325 degrees C), generating the total coolant pressure drop (Delta P) of 0.467 MPa. The results show that the present structural design can make all the materials effectively cooled to the allowable temperature range, except for a few small modifications on the both sides of FW. The main components, including the first wall (FW), cooling plates (CPs), side wall (SWs)&stiffening plates (SPs) and the manifold(1-4), dominate 4.7%/41.7%/13%/40.6% of the total pressure drop, respectively. Additionally, the mass flow rate of each channel has been obtained, showing the peak relative deviation of 3.4% and 2% from the average for the paratactic channels and components separately. Generally, the results indicate that the present design of WCCB blanket can meet the requirements of thermal hydraulics. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), uric acid(UA) and tryptophan(Trp) are considered as crucial small biomolecules for physiological processes in human metabolism. Abnormal levels of these species will lead to the occurrence of some diseases and disorders. In this paper, polyethyleneimine (PEI) covalent functionalized graphene(PEI-G) was used to modify glassy carbon electrode and applied for the simultaneous and sensitive determination of the four molecules. The PEI-G nanocomposite was characterized by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray powder diffraction(XRD) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The electrochemical behaviors of AA, DA, UA and Trp on PEI-G modified electrode were studied in detail. And the optimal experimental conditions for the simultaneous determination of AA, DA, UA and Trp were explored. The results showed that the oxidation peaks of the four species could be well separated and the peak to peak separations were 298 mV (AA-DA), 130 mV (DA-UA) and 350 mV(UA-Trp), respectively. The linear response ranges for the simultaneous detection of AA, DA, UA and Trp were 50-5800 mu mol/L, 30-2570 mu mol/L, 0.05-400 mu mol/L and 6-1000 mu mol/L, with the detection limits of 16.67 mu mol/L, 10 mu mol/L, 0.017 mu mol/L and 2 mu mol/L, respectively. The proposed method provides a promising strategy for the simultaneous detection of these species in practical application.
Quantitative genetics theory predicts adaptive evolution to be constrained along evolutionary lines of least resistance. In theory, hybridization and subsequent interspecific gene flow may, however, rapidly change the evolutionary constraints of a population and eventually change its evolutionary potential, but empirical evidence is still scarce. Using closely related species pairs of Lake Victoria cichlids sampled from four different islands with different levels of interspecific gene flow, we tested for potential effects of introgressive hybridization on phenotypic evolution in wild populations. We found that these effects differed among our study species. Constraints measured as the eccentricity of phenotypic variance-covariance matrices declined significantly with increasing gene flow in the less abundant species for matrices that have a diverged line of least resistance. In contrast, we find no such decline for the more abundant species. Overall our results suggest that hybridization can change the underlying phenotypic variance-covariance matrix, potentially increasing the adaptive potential of such populations.
The effects of globalization, is the globalization of responsibilities. Due to globalization, global or international criminal responsibility of the perpetrators of the crime will follow. States as one of the international actors are also not exempt from this, and the issue of criminal responsibility for them, because the rulers of communication and sensitivity to its governance principles, coupled with a lot of complexity. According to the principle of necessity, anticipate criminal responsibility of states to prevent and avoid a lot of international crimes by nature and only with the support and assistance of States in the international dimension, to establish international order and security, in line with the process of globalization is inevitable. However, with the removal of Article 19 of the draft international responsibility of the State, approved by the International Law Commission, represents the most important source of international criminal responsibility of the government, doubt the government, there is no criminal liability, it should be stressed that the elimination of the need for It does not prejudice the existence of numerous international documents and procedures, are an expression of this. The fact is that many of the behaviors that violate the rules of universal acceptance of the international community, can be done only by governments and civil responsibility only for governments to violate the rules of universal and important, in accordance with the principles of justice and international law, such as the need to maintain international peace and order of the international community, that it makes some states of the vacuum to be exploited. In order to resolve ambiguities about the criminal responsibility of the state, should the use of existing capacity of the international community, including the UN and the Security Council, to build the infrastructure and the necessary arrangements for the progressive development of these institutions, such as that for the International Criminal Court done.
The occurrence of repetitive behaviours that are often harmful has been attributed to traits traditionally described as impulsive or compulsive e.g. substance dependence, excessive gambling, and hoarding. These behaviours are common and often co-occur in both the general population and psychiatric populations. The lack of measures to concurrently index a range of such behaviours led to the development of the Impulsive-Compulsive Behaviours (ICB) Checklist This study aims to validate the ICB Checklist in a general community sample. Factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure, demonstrating good model fit in two independent samples. These were labelled Impulsive-Compulsions and Compulsive-Impulsions, comprising of classically compulsive and impulsive behaviours respectively. Reliability and construct validity were further confirmed using correlations with existing Measures of impulsivity and compulsivity. Results suggest that the ICB Checklist is a valid and practical assessment that can be used to monitor behavioural clusters characterised by deficits in inhibition. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry techniques were employed to study borohydride oxidation on a polycrystalline Pt electrode in an aqueous alkaline media containing 0.05 M NaBH4 and 1 M NaOH. Determined current density changes were interpreted in combination with EIS measurements. The regions of decreasing anodic current leading to negative polarization resistance, R-p, were supposed to be appreciably related to increasing availability of oxygen-containing species (OHad and Pt oxides) on the Pt surface in the presence of the accumulated borohydride species. Possible borohydride oxidation processes and electrical circuits were discussed regarding the potential applied.
Mastitis is defined as the inflammation of the mammary gland. There is generally no effective treatment for mastitis in animals. Puerarin, extracted from Radix puerariae, has been proven to possess many biological activities. The present study aims to reveal the potential mechanism that is responsible for the antiinflammatory action of puerarin in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-induced mastitis in mice. Histopathological changes showed that puerarin ameliorated the inflammatory injury induced by S. aureus. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and ELISA analysis indicated that puerarin not only suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-, IL-1, and IL-6 but also promoted the secretion of IL-10. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is important in the immune defense against S. aureus infection. Research in molecular biology has shown that the expression of TLR2 was inhibited with administration of puerarin. Further studies were performed on NF-kB and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways using western blot. The results demonstrated that puerarin suppressed phosphorylated IkB, p65, p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1and 2 (ERK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in a dose-dependent manner. All of the results suggested that puerarin may be a potential therapy for treating mastitis. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) traditionally encompasses ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel diseases. Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) inflammation is an important and usually the first finding of SpA. Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the value of different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences in evaluation of bone marrow and subchondral bone changes in active sacroiliitis and inter-and intra-observer reliability of these sequences. Patients and Methods: Ninety patients (65 males, 25 females; meanage 33.44 +/- 11 years; range 15 to 62) withMRIfindings suggestive of active sacroiliitis were selected from picture archive and communication system (PACS) by the consensus of two radiologists. The SIJs were retrospectively analyzed by two radiologists separately blinded to each other's evaluations. Each sequence was evaluated at different times (one week apart from each other) in the same monitor of PACS system by each observer. Periarticular bone edema and contrast enhancement were recorded separately by each observer. Results: Highest agreement between measurements of observer 1 and 2 was found on contrast enhanced fat suppressed T1 weighted imaging (CE FS T1 WI) (97.78%) among all sequences and on FS T2 WI of axial planes within sequences taken before contrast injections (97.78%). Conclusion: FS T2Wand CE FS T1Wsequences of axial planes were the most useful sequences in determination of active sacroiliitis. Therefore, in patients with renal failure or allergy to contrast media, FS T2 WI can be obtained to detect active sacroiliitis.
A novel digital envelope modulator for envelope tracking radio frequency power amplifier is presented in this paper. The proposed modulator consists of a parallel combination of linear class AB and switching class D power amplifiers that are controlled digitally. In the previous analog architectures, the requirements needed for the AB operational amplifier such as high-current driving capability, high bandwidth and large output swing is usually obtainable at high overall static power dissipation. The digitally controlled power opamp presented here not only provides the aforementioned requirements but also reduces power dissipation compared with previous work. Furthermore, the digital control of the modulator makes it adaptive to the input signal variations in comparison with conventional analog parallel hybrid envelope modulators. The digital processor of the modulator is evaluated with a 45-nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. The overall power consumption of the digital processor is around 142mW at 1.5-GHz clock frequency. As an application, the designed digital class AB is incorporated in a complete envelope modulator architecture. The overall efficiency of the modulator, including the digital processor power consumption, is around 82% at an average 32dBm output power for a 5-MHz input signal. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Purpose of review The task of cataloging human genetic variation and its relation to disease is rapidly approaching completion. The new challenge is to discover the function of disease-associated genes and to understand the pathways that lead to human disease. We propose that achieving this new level of understanding will increasingly rely on the use of model organisms. We discuss the advantages of the mouse as a model organism to our understanding of human disease. Recent findings The collection of available mouse strains represents as much genetic and phenotypic variation as is found in the human population. However, unlike humans, mice can be subjected to experimental breeding protocols and the availability of tissues allows for a far greater and deeper level of phenotyping. New methods for gene editing make it relatively easy to create mouse models of known human mutations. The distinction between genetic and epigenetic inheritance can be studied in great detail. Various experimental protocols enable the exploration of the role of the microbiome in physiology and disease. Summary We propose that there will be an interdependence between human and model organism research. Technological advances and new genetic screening platforms in the mouse have greatly improved the path to gene discovery and mechanistic studies of gene function.
Craniofacial bone defects are challenging problems for maxillofacial surgeons over the years. With the development of cell and molecular biology, gene therapy is a breaking new technology with the aim of regenerating tissues by acting as a delivery system for therapeutic genes in the craniofacial region rather than treating genetic disorders. A systematic review was conducted summarizing the articles reporting gene therapy in maxillofacial surgery to answer the question: Was gene therapy successfully applied to regenerate bone in the maxillofacial region? Electronic searching of online databases was performed in addition to hand searching of the references of included articles. Nolanguage or time restrictions were enforced. Meta-analysis was done to assess significant bone formation after delivery of gene material in the surgically induced maxillofacial defects. The search identified 2081 articles, of which 57 were included with 1726 animals. Bone morphogenetic proteins were commonly used proteins for gene therapy. Viral vectors were the universally used vectors. Sprague-Dawley rats were the frequently used animal model in experimental studies. The quality of the articles ranged from excellent to average. Meta-analysis results performed on 21 articles showed that defects favored bone formation by gene therapy. Funnel plot showed symmetry with the absence of publication bias. Gene therapy is on the top list of innovative strategies that developed in the last 10 years with the hope of developing a simple chair-side protocol in the near future, combining improvement of gene delivery as well as knowledge of the molecular basis of oral and maxillofacial structures.
This paper presents a machine-learning classifier where computations are performed in a standard 6T SRAM array, which stores the machine-learning model. Peripheral circuits implement mixed-signal weak classifiers via columns of the SRAM, and a training algorithm enables a strong classifier through boosting and also overcomes circuit nonidealities, by combining multiple columns. A prototype 128 x 128 SRAM array, implemented in a 130-nm CMOS process, demonstrates ten-way classification of MNIST images (using image-pixel features downsampled from 28 x 28 = 784 to 9 x 9 = 81, which yields a baseline accuracy of 90%). In SRAM mode (bit-cell read/write), the prototype operates up to 300 MHz, and in classify mode, it operates at 50 MHz, generating a classification every cycle. With accuracy equivalent to a discrete SRAM/digital-MAC system, the system achieves ten-way classification at an energy of 630 pJ per decision, 113x lower than a discrete system with standard training algorithm and 13x lower than a discrete system with the proposed training algorithm.
We have derived a rapidly computed analytical solution for drawdown caused by a partially or fully penetrating directional wellbore (vertical, horizontal, or slant) via Green's function method. The mathematical model assumes an anisotropic, homogeneous, confined, box-shaped aquifer. Any dimension of the box can have one of six possible boundary conditions: 1) both sides no-flux; 2) one side no-flux one side constant-head; 3) both sides constant-head; 4) one side no-flux; 5) one side constant-head; 6) free boundary conditions. The solution has been optimized for rapid computation via Poisson Resummation, derivation of convergence rates, and numerical optimization of integration techniques. Upon application of the Poisson Resummation method, we were able to derive two sets of solutions with inverse convergence rates, namely an early-time rapidly convergent series (solution-A) and a late-time rapidly convergent series (solution-B). From this work we were able to link Green's function method (solution-B) back to image well theory (solution-A). We then derived an equation defining when the convergence rate between solution-A and solution-B is the same, which we termed the switch time. Utilizing the more rapidly convergent solution at the appropriate time, we obtained rapid convergence at all times. We have also shown that one may simplify each of the three infinite series for the three-dimensional solution to 11 terms and still maintain a maximum relative error of less than 10(-14). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Market-led strategies for growth and development have resulted in negative externalities at the various stages of production and consumption cycle, leading to the destruction of the environment, with negative consequences for sustainable development. Prior to the emergence of sustainable development, economic development, which was geared more towards economic growth paid less attention to externalities. Since 1983, vibrant and competitive private sector; and entrepreneurship approaches have been tapped in Ghana for the creation of jobs and employment. These, coupled with other factors, transitioned the country to middle-income status in 2011. The undue focus on a competitive private sector without prudent practices of sustainability has led to over exploitation and use of natural resources and this has caused deforestation, land degradation, air and water pollution, soil erosion, overgrazing and destruction of bio-diversity. These effects are estimated to cost about 10% of the country's GDP annually. Green entrepreneurship is very vital for addressing these challenges and the eradication of poverty. Using a desk study approach, this paper assesses how Ghana can harness the innovative potentials of green entrepreneurship to foster the attainment of sustainable development.
Operant extinction is learning to supress a previously rewarded behavior. It is known to be strongly associated with the specific context in which it was acquired, which limits the therapeutic use of operant extinction in behavioral treatments, e. g., of addiction. We examined whether sleep influences contextual memory of operant extinction over time, using two different recall tests (Recent and Remote). Rats were trained in an operant conditioning task (lever press) in context A, then underwent extinction training in context B, followed by a 3-h retention period that contained either spontaneous morning sleep, morning sleep deprivation, or spontaneous evening wakefulness. A recall test was performed either immediately after the 3-h experimental retention period (Recent recall) or after 48 h (Remote), in the extinction context B and in a novel context C. The two main findings were: (i) at the Recent recall test, sleep in comparison with sleep deprivation and spontaneous wakefulness enhanced extinction memory but, only in the extinction context B; (ii) at the Remote recall, extinction performance after sleep was enhanced in both contexts B and C to an extent comparable to levels at Recent recall in context B. Interestingly, extinction performance at Remote recall was also improved in the sleep deprivation groups in both contexts, with no difference to performance in the sleep group. Our results suggest that 3 h of post-learning sleep transiently facilitate the context specificity of operant extinction at a Recent recall. However, the improvement and contextual generalization of operant extinction memory observed in the long-term, i. e., after 48 h, does not require immediate post-learning sleep.
The treatment of AD is a topic that has puzzled researchers for many years. Current mainstream theories still consider A beta to be the most important target for the cure of AD. In this study, we attempted to explore multiple targets for AD treatments with the aim of identifying a qualified compound that could both inhibit the aggregation of A beta and block the RAGE/A beta axis. We believed that a compound that targets both A beta and RAGE may be a feasible strategy for AD treatment. A novel and small natural compound, Matrine (Mat), was identified by high-throughput screening of the main components of traditional Chinese herbs used to treat dementia. Various experimental techniques were used to evaluate the effect of Mat on these two targets both in vitro and in AD mouse model. Mat could inhibit A beta 42-induced cytotoxicity and suppress the A beta/RAGE signaling pathway in vitro. Additionally, the results of in vivo evaluations of the effects of Mat on the two targets were consistent with the results of our in vitro studies. Furthermore, Mat reduced proinflammatory cytokines and A beta deposition and attenuated the memory deficits of AD transgenic mice. We believe that this novel, multi-target strategy to inhibit both A beta and RAGE, is worthy of further exploration. Therefore, our future studies will focus on identifying even more effective multi-target compounds for the treatment of AD based on the molecular structure of Mat.
While the hominin fossil record cannot inform us on either the presence or extent of social and cognitive abilities that may have paved the way for the emergence of language, studying non-vocal communication among our closest living relatives, the African apes, may provide valuable information about how language originated. Although much has been learned from gestural signaling in non-human primates, we have not yet established how and why gestural repertoires vary across species, what factors influence this variation, and how knowledge of these differences can contribute to an understanding of gestural signaling's contribution to language evolution. In this paper, we review arguments surrounding the theory that language evolved from gestural signaling and suggest some important factors to consider when conducting comparative studies of gestural communication among African apes. Specifically, we propose that social dynamics and positional behavior are critical components that shape the frequency and nature of gestural signaling across species and we argue that an understanding of these factors could shed light on how gestural communication may have been the basis of human language. We outline predictions for the influence of these factors on the frequencies and types of gestures used across the African apes and highlight the importance of including these factors in future gestural communication research with primates. Am. J. Primatol. 75:891-903, 2013. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pediatricians working in an emergency environment are confronted with children admitted to emergency departments for intoxication on a daily basis. We carried out a retrospective cohort study of children admitted to a pediatric emergency department due to unintentional cannabis exposure over a 10-year period from 2004 to 2014. Twenty-nine children under the age of 3 were admitted with a positive cannabis urine test. Eighty-seven percent of intoxications occurred at the family home. Resin was the main form of ingested cannabis (69%). The mean age was 16.5 +/- 5.2 months, and mean weight was 11.1 +/- 2.1 Kg. Sixty percent of admissions occurred between 2012 and 2014. More severe presentations, based on Poisoning Severity Score, occurred over the past 2 years. Four children experienced seizures before admission. Ten children (34%) had a decreased level of consciousness (GCS < 12) and were admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit for 12-24 h. All of them had ingested hashish (resin). The majority (70%) of children suffering from neurological impairment were admitted in the last year, of whom three required assisted ventilation. There were no cases with major outcomes and no deaths. Parents were not assessed regarding their cannabis consumption. Conclusion: This study supports the impression that accidental child poisonings with cannabis have been more serious than previously thought for 2 years. This observation may be explained by (1) the increased THC concentration in cannabis and (2) the widespread use in young adults, even after they become parents. Introducing an addiction team inside the PED could help to improve the care links with these parents.
Dendritic cell function is modulated by stromal cells, including fibroblasts. Although poorly understood, the signals delivered through this crosstalk substantially alter dendritic cell biology. This is well illustrated with release of TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta from activated dendritic cells, promoting PGE(2) secretion from stromal fibroblasts. This instructs dendritic cells to up-regulate IL-23, a key Th17-polarizing cytokine. We previously showed that ionizing radiation inhibited IL-23 production by human dendritic cells in vitro. In the present study, we investigated the hypothesis that dendritic cell-fibroblast crosstalk overcomes the suppressive effect of ionizing radiation to support appropriately polarized Th17 responses. Radiation (1-6 Gy) markedly suppressed IL-23 secretion by activated dendritic cells (P < 0.0001) without adversely impacting their viability and consequently, inhibited the generation of Th17 responses. Cytokine suppression by ionizing radiation was selective, as there was no effect on IL-1 beta, -6, -10, and -27 or TNF-alpha and only a modest (11%) decrease in IL-12p70 secretion. Coculture with fibroblasts augmented IL-23 secretion by irradiated dendritic cells and increased Th17 responses. Importantly, in contrast to dendritic cells, irradiated fibroblasts maintained their capacity to respond to TNF-a/IL-1b and produce PGE2, thus providing the key intermediary signals for successful dendritic cell-fibroblasts crosstalk. In summary, stromal fibroblasts support Th17-polarizing cytokine production by dendritic cells that would otherwise be suppressed in an irradiated microenvironment. This has potential ramifications for understanding the immune response to local radiotherapy. These findings underscore the need to account for the impact of microenvironmental factors, including stromal cells, in understanding the control of immunity.
The rostral migratory stream (RMS) is viewed as a glia-enriched conduit of forward-migrating neuroblasts in which chemorepulsive signals control the pace of forward migration. Here we demonstrate the existence of a scaffold of neurons that receive synaptic inputs within the rat, mouse, and human fetal RMS equivalents. These neurons express secretagogin, a Ca2+-sensor protein, to execute an annexin V-dependent externalization of matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) for reconfiguring the extracellular matrix locally. Mouse genetics combined with pharmacological probing in vivo and in vitro demonstrate that MMP-2 externalization occurs on demand and that its loss slows neuroblast migration. Loss of function is particularly remarkable upon injury to the olfactory bulb. Cumulatively, we identify a signaling cascade that provokes structural remodeling of the RMS through recruitment of MMP-2 by a previously unrecognized neuronal constituent. Given the life-long presence of secretagogin-containing neurons in human, this mechanism might be exploited for therapeutic benefit in rescue strategies.
The current controller with fast transient response and satisfactory steady state characteristics is required in PMSM Servo System. In this paper, the application of active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) for current loop is proposed and the design proceeding of a first-order ADRC controller in the current loop is elaborated. Then, by taking use of the ADRC controller and the analysis of the digital control delay effect, an improved method focusing on delay effects is presented. By taking these measures, the current regulation can achieve high performance. Simulation and experimental results verify the correctness and feasibility of the proposed method.
Apples are a widely consumed fruit and have a high polyphenol content. The aim of this study was to analyse the combined effects of osmotic dehydration (OD) and ohmic heating (OH) with a pulsed vacuum (PV) on polyphenol retention during the stored refrigeration of apple cubes. Treatments were performed using a 65 degrees Brix sucrose solution at 30, 40 or 50 degrees C for 120 min, and then, samples were stored for 28 days at 5 degrees C. OH provides an electric field of 13 V cm(-1), and a pulsed vacuum was applied for 5 min at the beginning of the process. The results indicated that a lower temperature process (30-40 degrees C) resulted in the retention of more polyphenol compounds after treatment than a higher temperature process (50 degrees C). Nevertheless, during refrigerated storage, we observed that 50 degrees C preserved these compounds better due to polyphenol oxidase inactivation. PVOD/OH treatment at 50 degrees C was determined to be the best retention of polyphenols from the fresh apple for dehydrating apples.
Background: IL-17A is a key driver of human autoimmune diseases, particularly psoriasis. Objective: We sought to determine the role of IL-17A in psoriasis pathogenesis and to identify a robust and measurable biomarker of IL-17A-driven pathology. Methods: We studied 8 healthy subjects and 8 patients with psoriasis before and after administration of secukinumab, a fully human anti-IL-17A mAb, and used a combination of classical techniques and a novel skin microperfusion assay to evaluate the expression of 170 proteins in blood, nonlesional skin, and lesional skin. For validation, we also tested stored sera from 601 patients with a variety of autoimmune diseases. Results: IL-17A was specifically expressed in lesional compared with nonlesional psoriatic skin (9.8 vs 0.8 pg/mL, P <.001). Proteomic and gene transcription analyses revealed dysregulated antimicrobial peptides, proinflammatory cytokines, and neutrophil chemoattractants, levels of which returned to normal after treatment with secukinumab. beta-Defensin 2 (BD-2) was identified as a biomarker of IL-17A-driven pathology by comparing protein expression in patients with psoriasis versus that in healthy subjects (5746 vs 82 pg/mL in serum, P <.0001; 2747 vs <218 pg/mL in dermis, P <.001), responsiveness to secukinumab therapy, and synergistic induction by IL-17A and TNF-alpha in epidermal keratinocytes. In a validation set of sera from 601 patients with autoimmune diseases thought to be IL-17A driven, we found that BD-2 levels are most highly increased in patients with psoriatic skin lesions, and in patients with psoriasis, BD-2 levels correlated well with IL-17A levels (r = 0.70, n = 199, P <.001) and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores (r = 0.53, n 5 281, P <.001). Conclusion: IL-17A is a primary driver of skin pathology in patients with psoriasis, and serum BD-2 is an easily measurable biomarker of IL-17A-driven skin pathology.
A correct diagnosis of electrical circuits is very essential in industrial plants. An article deals with a recognition method of early fault detection of induction motor. The described approach is based on patterns recognition. Acoustic signals of specific induction motor are analyzed patterns. Acoustic signals include information about motor state. The analysis of the patterns was conducted for three states of induction motor using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), shortened method of frequencies selection (SMoFS-10) and Linear Support Vector Machine (LSVM). The results of calculations suggest that the method is efficient and can be also used for diagnostic purposes.
BackgroundExcessive ethanol (EtOH) consumption remains an important health concern and effective treatments are lacking. The central oxytocin system has emerged as a potentially important therapeutic target for alcohol and drug addiction. These studies tested the hypothesis that oxytocin reduces EtOH consumption. MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were given access to EtOH (20% v/v) using a model of binge-like drinking (drinking in the dark) that also included the use of lickometer circuits to evaluate the temporal pattern of intake as well as 2-bottle choice drinking in the home cage. In addition, EtOH (12% v/v) and sucrose (5% w/v) self-administration on fixed- and progressive-ratio schedules were also evaluated. A wide range of systemically administered oxytocin doses were tested (0 to 10mg/kg) in these models. ResultsOxytocin (0, 0.3, 1, 3, or 10mg/kg) dose dependently reduced EtOH consumption (maximal 45% reduction) in the binge drinking model, with lower effective doses having minimal effects on general locomotor activity. Oxytocin's effect was blocked by pretreatment with an oxytocin receptor antagonist, and the pattern of contacts (licks) at the EtOH bottle suggested a reduction in motivation to drink EtOH. Oxytocin decreased 2-bottle choice drinking without altering general fluid intake. Oxytocin also reduced operant responding for EtOH and sucrose in a dose-related manner. However, oxytocin decreased responding and motivation (breakpoint values) for EtOH at doses that did not alter responding for sucrose. ConclusionsThese results indicate that oxytocin reduces EtOH consumption in different models of self-administration. The effects are not likely due to a general sedative effect of the neuropeptide. Further, oxytocin reduces motivation for EtOH at doses that do not alter responding for a natural reward (sucrose). While some evidence supports a role for oxytocin receptors in mediating these effects, additional studies are needed to further elucidate underlying mechanisms. Nevertheless, these results support the therapeutic potential of oxytocin as a treatment for alcohol use disorder.
With the application of digital control, the problem of one-step-delay appears. It limits the achievable control bandwidth. Compared with one-step-delay, minimized delay can achieve superior performance. However, it leads to the low-frequency aliasing phenomenon because sampling is not happened in the middle of either the turn-on or the turn-off times of IGBT. To weaken the influence of aliasing and reduce the total harmonics distortion (THD) of output current, the strategy of reducing the inductor current feedback coefficient by adjusting non-dominant poles is proposed. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the scheme.
Contextual-based image classification attempts at considering spatial/temporal information during the learning process in order to make the classification process smarter. Sequential learning techniques are one of the most used ones to perform contextual classification, being based on a two-step classification process, in which the traditional noncontextual learning process is followed by one more step of classification based on an extended feature vector. In this paper, we propose two ensemble-based approaches to make sequential learning techniques less prone to errors, since their effectiveness is strongly dependent on the feature extension process, which ends up adding the wrong predicted label of the neighborhood samples as new features. The proposed approaches are validated in the context of land-cover classification, being their results considerably better than some state-of-the-art techniques in the literature.
Psychological research has provided essential insights into how stigma operates to disadvantage those who are targeted by it. At the same time, stigma research has been criticized for being too focused on the perceptions of stigmatized individuals and on microlevel interactions, rather than attending to structural forms of stigma. This article describes the relatively new field of research on structural stigma, which is defined as societal-level conditions, cultural norms, and institutional policies that constrain the opportunities, resources, and well-being of the stigmatized. I review emerging evidence that structural stigma related to mental illness and sexual orientation (a) exerts direct and synergistic effects on stigma processes that have long been the focus of psychological inquiry (e.g., concealment, rejection sensitivity), (b) serves as a contextual moderator of the efficacy of psychological interventions, and (c) contributes to numerous adverse health outcomes for members of stigmatized groups-ranging from dysregulated physiological stress responses to premature mortality-indicating that structural stigma represents an underrecognized mechanism producing health inequalities. Each of these pieces of evidence suggests that structural stigma is relevant to psychology and therefore deserves the attention of psychological scientists interested in understanding and ultimately reducing the negative effects of stigma.
This review paper discusses the perspective of complex biological systems as applied to inheritance and ontogeny, focusing on the continuity of genetic, epigenetic (transgenerational) and microbiotic inheritance. The informational processuality within this continuity can be used as to exemplify the insufficiency of hierarchical concepts in grasping the complex and integrated nature of biological processes. The argument follows Bruni and Giorgi (Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 119, 481-92, 2015) in emphasizing that while structures and substrates are organized hierarchically, communicational processes are organized heterarchically. The essay also argues the insufficiency of a single, basic, i.e. genetic level of description, which is the prevalent idea of twentieth century biology, to explain all phenotypic variation. I argue that inheritance and development cannot be fully explained by some sub- or super-ordination and that such descriptions are merely heuristic tools that do not reflect the nature of such processes.
We previously developed the Bio-Pick, Place, and Perfuse (Bio-P3) instrument to fabricate large perfusable tissue constructs by stacking and aligning scaffold-free living microtissues with integrated lumens. The Bio-P3 required an actuating mechanism to manipulate living microtissues of various sizes and shapes that are fragile, and must remain in an aqueous environment. The optical transparency of the Bio-P3 gripping device was essential to provide unobstructed visuals for accurate alignment of microtissues. We previously engineered a pilot fluid force-driven bio-gripper that can pick-and-place microtissue in planar position without causing cellular damage by pulling culture medium through track-etched membrane-integrated cell culture inserts. In this study, we invented a new flexible bio-gripper design that maximized the bio-gripper utilities. We utilized experimental approaches, multivariate analyzes, and theoretical modeling to elucidate how membrane characteristics (pore size, pore density, membrane thickness, membrane area, and surface chemistry) altered bio-gripper robustness and the flow rate (Q(c)) required for successful gripping. We devised two standardized tests and synthetic parts that mimicked microtissues, to systematically quantify bio-gripper performance. All thirteen syringe pump-driven bio-grippers except one successfully gripped and released synthetic parts with values of Q(c) that coincided with our mathematical simulation of the fluid mechanics of gripping. The bio-gripper could grip synthetic parts of various sizes, shapes and masses, demonstrating the robustness of the actuating mechanism. Multivariate analysis of experimental data indicated that both membrane porosity and thickness modulated Q(c), and in addition, revealed that membrane pore density determined membrane optical transparency. Fabricating large tissue constructs requires repeated stacking of microtissues. We showed that one bio-gripper could pick-and-place living microtissues thirty times with Q(c) corresponding to our simulation. Our bio-gripper was capable of stacking and aligning twenty microtissues. In summary, we successfully engineered a robust controllable fluid-driven bio-gripper to efficiently manipulate living microtissues and micro-objects in an aqueous environment.
Previous studies on waste incineration as part of the energy system show that waste management and energy supply are highly dependent on each other, and that the preconditions for the energy system setup affects the avoided emissions and thereby even sometimes the total outcome of an environmental assessment. However, it has not been previously shown explicitly which key parameters are most crucial, how much each parameter affects results and conclusions and how different aspects depend on each other. The interconnection between waste incineration and the energy system is elaborated by testing parameters potentially crucial to the result: design of the incineration plant, avoided energy generation, degree of efficiency, electricity efficiency in combined heat and power plants (CHP), avoided fuel, emission level of the avoided electricity generation and avoided waste management. CO2 emissions have been calculated for incineration of 1 kWh mixed combustible waste. The results indicate that one of the most important factors is the electricity efficiency in CHP plants in combination with the emission level of the avoided electricity generation. A novel aspect of this study is the plant by plant comparison showing how different electricity efficiencies associated with different types of fuels and plants influence results. Since waste incineration typically have lower power to fuel ratios, this has implications for further analyses of waste incineration compared to other waste management practises and heat and power production technologies. New incineration capacity should substitute mixed landfill disposal and recovered energy should replace energy from inefficient high polluting plants. Electricity generation must not be lost, as it has to be compensated for by electricity production affecting the overall results.
Copper is the metal of choice for electrical circuits in electronics. It is lower in cost than silver and offers excellent electrical properties like low electrical resistivity and electromigration resistance. Physical vapor deposition and wet-chemical etching or electroforming are the standard processes used to deposit and pattern copper on silicon and in printed-circuit-board technology. Recently, copper inks and pastes have become available for the printing of copper films, with the potential outcome of lowering the production cost beyond that of the established processes. Furthermore, the printing processes are compatible with role-to-role fabrication, and are hence attractive for flexible electronics. In this study, a bi-modal copper paste containing nano-and micro-particles is transferred in a relief printing process by using silicon stamps. It was possible to demonstrate electrical conductive tracks with a linewidth down to 8 mu m. The spacing between neighboring tracks is related to their width and can be as low as 10 mu m. It was possible to achieve a sheet resistance of less than 8m ohm sq(-1) after formic-acid-assisted sintering at 180 degrees C. The low sintering temperature enables the direct placement of electronic components without additional soldering and thus saves time and production costs.
In this case, a young male patient diagnosed as hypophosphatemic osteomalacia and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) will be assessed by literature. A 32-year-old male patient who had been previously diagnosed as ankylosing spondylitis and hypophosphatemic osteomalacia was admitted to our clinic. In the beginning of the disease, he complained of pain on the first metatarsal bone and low back. Sacroiliac magnetic resonance (MR) images were interpreted as sacroiliitis. He was diagnosed as AS, and referred to many hospitals and received several therapies. He did not benefit from the treatment and his complaints worsened. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B-27 test was negative and alkaline phosphatase level was high. Old femur fractures were reported in the whole body bone scintigraphy. In addition, the patient was diagnosed with osteomalacia. While the patient was receiving vitamin D, oral phosphate, anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy was added. Patient's diagnosis was reevaluated. His final diagnosis was hypophosphatemic osteomalacia instead of ankylosing spondylitis.
Self-interested moves, such as manipulation and deception in interpersonal relationships with parties inside and outside the workplace, constitute a serious concern for management. Machiavellianism is often directly blamed for such ethical failures, but more generic individual differences, such as those linked to the use of chameleon-like approaches to match an immediate cultural or social environment (i.e., external locus of control, relativistic beliefs), may have indirect influences. Because these chameleon-inducing personalities may foster self-interested decisions, by prompting the abandonment of strict moral codes, this study investigates Machiavellianism as a potential mechanism by which these personalities relate negatively to ethical work intentions. The results, obtained with a sample of 436 banking employees from Spain, reveal that external locus of control and relativistic beliefs relate positively to Machiavellianism, and that Machiavellianism mediates the negative influence of chameleon-inducing personalities on ethical work intentions. The study thus provides novel information for managers interested in reducing employees' Machiavellian tendencies and offers appropriate strategies for deterring their unethical work behaviors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Communication has a major impact on how customers perceive sellers and their organizations. Especially, the non-verbal communication such as body language, appearance, facial expressions, gestures, proximity, posture, eye contact that can influence positively or negatively the first impression of customers and their experiences in stores. Salespeople in many countries, especially the developing ones, are just telling about their companies' products because they are unaware of the real role of sellers and the importance of non-verbal communication. In Saudi Arabia, the seller profession has been exclusively for foreign labor until 2006. It is very recently that Saudi workforce enters to the retailing sector as sellers. The non-verbal communication of those sellers has never been evaluated from consumer's point of view. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the non-verbal communication barriers that customers are facing when dealing with Saudi sellers. After discussing the nonverbal communication skills that sellers must have in the light of the previous academic research and the depth interviews with seven focus groups of Saudi customers, this study found that the Saudi customers were not totally satisfied with the current non-verbal communication skills of Saudi sellers. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to develop the non-verbal communication skills of Saudi sellers by intensive trainings, to distinguish more the appearance of their sellers, especially the female ones, to focus on the time of intervention as well as the proximity to customers. (C) AIMI Journals
For a long time, Russian historiography has been avoiding the controversial and intricate episodes of the Civil War in Russia due to the specifics of a conformist nature. Such episodes include, among others, the problem of effort unification between the regular 5th Army of RKKA [Workers' and Peasants' Red Army] and the insurgent (partisan) forces of Western Siberia during the elimination of the anti-Bolshevik regime of Admiral A.V. Kolchak (November 1919 - January 1920). The development vector of this process was largely determined by a personal factor, namely the will of Commander of the 5th Army, the Red Lett Genrich Eiche. The objective of this article is to consider the specifics of G. Eiche's personal interaction with the insurgent troops and the evolution of his views regarding the problem of using partisan forces in the context of military actions conducted by the 5th Army he had been leading within Western Siberia. The framework of the resource base for the research were materials from a number of Russian archives (Russian State Military Archive, State Archive of Novosibirsk Oblast, State Historical Museum) that were introduced to the academic circulation for the first time ever and archive documents that had been published earlier in regional subject digests. In this sense, a special attention should be justly paid to the operative documentation of the 5th Army's directorship and the memoirs by G. Eiche and his major antagonist, one of the leaders of Altai partisans, Ya.P. Zhigalin. Based on the complex of these and other materials, the author succeeded in reconstructing the actions G. Eiche undertook on the verge of 1919/1920 to implement the insurgent forces of Western Siberia: on the one hand, as a source of march reinforcements for the 5th Army that was suffering from both combat losses and a typhoid outbreak and, on the other hand, as a strike advance force of RKKA in Siberia and a full participant of military actions. However, due to a number of reasons discussed in the article, these attempts on the part of the commander of the 5th Army generally failed. Particular attention is focused on the unsuccessful experience of G. Eiche to direct vicariously the military actions of the insurgent groups in Altai and Yenisei Provinces of Russia that failed to execute any of the operative orders of the army commander. Finally, it was this particular experience that underlined the general mental disappointment of G. Eiche in the potential, fighting and moral qualities of the partisan movement of Western Siberia. These negative feelings proved mutual. Later, the insurgent veterans, when talking about G. Eiche's personality, noted that he possessed a biased attitude and inveterate  illness of a prejudice against partisans. The present research enabled to come to a conclusion that the negative perception of partisans by the commander of the 5th army had indeed taken place. However, it was not a result of his arbitrariness or prejudice, but, instead, was quite a well-grounded and, in many respects, just opinion of a military specialist.
Categories often have unobservable diagnostic features. For example, if a person is a lawyer, one might expect him to be both well dressed and knowledgeable about the law. However, without observing the person in a courtroom, one cannot tell whether or not he is knowledgeable about the law. How might we categorize the well-dressed person before we know whether or not he possesses a particular category feature? Two studies showed that, all else equal, individuals prefer to group exemplars into categories that specify fewer unobserved and unobservable features-i.e., those that have a narrower latent scope to those with a broader latent scope. In Experiment 1, participants were more likely to classify novel exemplars as part of a social category that had a narrower latent scope in a verbal task. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the scope bias generalizes to contexts in which category structure is never explicitly specified. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper presents HAMSTER, the HeAlthy, Mobility and Security based data communication archiTEctuRe. HAMSTER is designed for Unmanned Vehicles and addresses mainly three types of communications: machine-to-machine, machine-to-infrastructure and internal machine communications. It is divided into three main versions: Flying HAMSTER (for aerial systems), Running HAMSTER (for terrestrial systems) and Swimming HAMSTER (for aquatic systems). Every version of such architecture is also equipped with Sphere and Nimble. Sphere deals with Safety & Security aspects regarding communication, components health and modules authentication. Nimble is aimed at increasing the overall mobility in such scenarios, strongly actuating with inherent communications of each application field. This paper details every aspect of HAMSTER and presents, as a plus at the end, two case studies: the first one consists of an evaluation of five communications schemes for internal communications in airplanes; the second one is a cryptographic evaluation of two Elliptic Curve Cryptography algorithms.
Background. Observational associations between cannabis and schizophrenia are well documented, but ascertaining causation is more challenging. We used Mendelian randomization (MR), utilizing publicly available data as a method for ascertaining causation from observational data. Method. We performed bi-directional two-sample MR using summary-level genome-wide data from the International Cannabis Consortium (ICC) and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC2). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cannabis initiation (p < 10(-5)) and schizophrenia (p < 5 x 10(-8)) were combined using an inverse-varianceweighted fixed-effects approach. We also used height and education genome-wide association study data, representing negative and positive control analyses. Results. There was some evidence consistent with a causal effect of cannabis initiation on risk of schizophrenia [ odds ratio (OR) 1.04 per doubling odds of cannabis initiation, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.07, p = 0.019]. There was strong evidence consistent with a causal effect of schizophrenia risk on likelihood of cannabis initiation (OR 1.10 per doubling of the odds of schizophrenia, 95% CI 1.05-1.14, p = 2.64 x 10(-5)). Findings were as predicted for the negative control (height: OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99-1.01, p = 0.90) but weaker than predicted for the positive control (years in education: OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97-1.00, p = 0.066) analyses. Conclusions. Our results provide some evidence that cannabis initiation increases the risk of schizophrenia, although the size of the causal estimate is small. We find stronger evidence that schizophrenia risk predicts cannabis initiation, possibly as genetic instruments for schizophrenia are stronger than for cannabis initiation.
Co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUDs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is extremely common and is associated with elevated dropout and relapse rates. Given that PTSD/SUD co-occurrence rates among veterans have been found to be as high as 55-75%, it is important to identify mechanisms that may affect the interplay of both disorders. Emotion dysregulation (ED) presents a candidate mechanism that may underlie poor treatment response in co-occurring PTSD/SUD. This article proposes a transdiagnostic emotion regulation framework that considers ED conceptualized as a combination of low ability to tolerate emotional distress (low distress tolerance) and difficulties in the goal-directed use of emotion regulation strategies as a key risk factor in co-occurring PTSD/SUD. The authors review empirical findings from self-report and laboratory-based studies of ED in PTSD. They describe psychological explanations of the emotion-substance relationship and review studies documenting ED in SUDs and in co-occurring PTSD/SUD. The literature on ED in PTSD/SUD suggests that (a) patients with PTSD may resort to substances to cope with trauma-related symptoms due to ED, and (b) ED may maintain SUD symptoms and interfere with psychological treatment. Longitudinal studies on bidirectional relationships between ED and substance use in PTSD are needed, particularly research examining the course of ED in PTSD patients who use substances versus those who do not.
We examined the association between kleptomania and addictive disorders, including behavioral addictions. Fifty-three individuals with a diagnosis of kleptomania completed measures of kleptomania severity, semi structured clinical interviews to assess co-morbid diagnosis of addictive disorders, and the Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire (SPQ) assessing an array of addictive behaviors. 20.75% of the sample met criteria for an addictive disorder; four for a substance use disorder and four for a behavioral addiction. Kleptomania severity was significantly associated with compulsive work and shopping measured by the SPQ. The results suggest the need to assess a wide array of addictive behaviors in individuals with kleptomania.
LCL filters have been widely used for grid-connected inverters. However, the problem that how time delay affects the stability of digitally controlled grid-connected inverters with LCL filters has not been fully studied. In this paper, a systematic study is carried out on the relationship between the time delay and stability of single-loop controlled grid-connected inverters that employ inverter current feedback (ICF) or grid current feedback (GCF). The ranges of time delay for system stability are analyzed and deduced in the continuous s-domain and discrete z-domain. It is shown that in the optimal range, the existence of time delay weakens the stability of the ICF loop, whereas a proper time delay is required for the GCF loop. The present work explains, for the first time, why different conclusions on the stability of ICF loop and GCF loop have been drawn in previous studies. To improve system stability, a linear predictor-based time delay reduction method is proposed for ICF, while a time delay addition method is used for GCF. A controller design method is then presented that guarantees adequate stability margins. The delay-dependent stability study is verified by simulation and experiment.
Deficits in social interaction are hallmarks of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, its underlying mechanism is still unclear. Here, we show that the loss of dendritic cell factor I (Dcf1) in the nervous system of mice induces social interaction deficiency, autism-like behaviour, and influences social interaction via the dopamine system. Dopamine receptor D1 agonist rescues this social cognition phenotype, and improves short-term plasticity. Together, this study presents a new genetic mechanism that affects social interaction and may provide a new way to improve positive social interaction and treat autism spectrum disorders.(C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
When asked to pick a typical human, people are more likely to pick a man than a woman, a phenomenon reflecting androcentrism. Social media websites provide a relevant context in which to study androcentrism since many websites aim to provide users with an ostensibly gender-neutral icon if users do not upload one of their own images. In our first study, 50 male and female online participants (M-age = 35.70) rated whether actual avatar icons from highly trafficked social media websites are perceived as gender-neutral. Using bi-polar scales from woman to man participants reported that overall the icons appeared to be more male-typed than gender neutral. In Study 2, we investigated whether adding more female-typed icons would discourage or promote androcentric thinking. An online sample of 608 male and female participants (M-age = 33.76) viewed either 12 avatar icons that reflected the over-representation of male-typed icons or 12 that included an equal number of male and female-typed icons. Participants were then asked to produce an example of a typical person. Finally, we measured political ideology on two liberal-conservative scales. We found evidence that exposure to an equal number of male-typed and female-typed avatar icons generated reactance among political conservatives, and thus may have constituted an ideological threat. Conservatives who saw an equal number of male-typed and female-typed icons were twice as likely to come up with a man as a typical person compared to conservatives who saw an over-representation of male-typed avatar icons. Consistent with system justification theory, these findings show how male-centric thinking is also evident in a seemingly gender-neutral online context.
In this paper, we propose a client-server based framework that alleviates the dissemination of XSS worms from the OSN. The framework initially creates the views corresponding to retrieved request on the server-side. Such views indicate that which part of the generated web page on the server can be accessed by user depending on the generated Access Control List (ACL). Secondly, JavaScript attack vectors are retrieved from the HTTP response by referring the blacklist repository of attack vectors. Finally, injection of sanitization primitives will be done on the client-side in place of extracted JavaScript attack vectors. The framework will perform the sanitization on such attack vectors strictly in a context-aware manner. The experimental testing of our framework has performed on the two platforms of open source OSN-based web applications. The observed detection rate of JavaScript attack vectors was effective and acceptable as compared to other existing XSS defensive methodologies. The proposed framework has optimized the method of auto-context-aware sanitization in contrast to other existing approaches and hence incurs a low and acceptable performance overhead.
A numerical model is used to estimate the service life and clogging of gravel leachate drainage layers with a filter separator layer, such as those used in municipal solid waste landfills. A filter separator layer between the waste and the drainage layer is shown to reduce the leachate strength entering the gravel drainage layer and to extend the time that it takes to clog the drainage layer to the point when the leachate level exceeds the maximum design value (the service life). The filter layer is shown to have a far more significant effect in extending the service life when pea gravel () is used in the drainage layer, and less effect when coarse gravel () is used in the cases examined, although most of the benefit of a filter separator layer was achieved by using a 3-mm-thick needle-punched nonwoven geotextile. This geotextile may be sufficient for many practical purposes that are similar to those examined. The results from modeling leachate collection systems with filter separator layers subjected to both constant and variable leachate strength show that the characteristics of the leachate entering the drainage layer can substantially affect the service life of the drainage layer, and that high-strength leachate entering the systems for a limited time early in the life (acid phase) of a landfill can greatly reduce the service life of the leachate drainage layer.
Permutation polynomials over finite fields play important roles in finite fields theory. They also have wide applications in many areas of science and engineering such as coding theory, cryptography, combinatorial design, communication theory and so on. Permutation binomials and permutation trinomials attract people's interest due to their simple algebraic forms and additional extraordinary properties. In this paper, we find a new result about permutation binomials and construct several new classes of permutation trinomials. Some of them are generalizations of known ones. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
The aim of regenerative medicine is replacing missing or damaged bone tissues with synthetic grafts based on porous interconnected scaffolds, which allow adhesion, growth, and proliferation of the human cells. The optimal design of such scaffolds, in the Bone Tissue Engineering field, should meet several geometrical requirements. First, they have to be customized to replicate the skeletal anatomy of the patient, and then they have to provide the proper trabecular structure to be successfully populated by the cells. Therefore, for modelling such scaffolds, specific design methods are needed to conceive extremely complex structures by controlling both macro and micro shapes. For this purpose, in the last years, the Computer Aided Design of Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces has received considerable attention, since their presence in natural shapes and structures. In this work, we propose a method that exploit Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces as unit cell for the development of customized trabecular scaffolds. The aim is to identify the mathematical parameters of these surfaces in order to obtain the target requirements of the bone grafts. For that reason, the method is implemented through a Generative Design tool that allow to interactively controlling both the porosity and the pores size of the scaffolds.
Understanding the causes of human behavior is essential for advancing one's interests and for coordinating social relations. The scientific study of how people arrive at such understandings or explanations has unfolded in four distinguishable epochs in psychology, each characterized by a different metaphor that researchers have used to represent how people think as they attribute causality and blame to other individuals. The first epoch was guided by an intuitive scientist metaphor, which emphasized whether observers perceived behavior to be caused by the unique tendencies of the actor or by common reactions to the requirements of the situation. This metaphor was displaced in the second epoch by an intuitive lawyer depiction that focused on the need to hold people responsible for their misdeeds. The third epoch was dominated by theories of counterfactual thinking, which conveyed a person as reconstructor approach that emphasized the antecedents and consequences of imagining alternatives to events, especially harmful ones. With the current upsurge in moral psychology, the fourth epoch emphasizes the moral-evaluative aspect of causal judgment, reflected in a person as moralist metaphor. By tracing the progression from the person-environment distinction in early attribution theories to present concerns with moral judgment, our goal is to clarify how causal constructs have been used, how they relate to one another, and what unique attributional problems each addresses.
Eye gaze is a powerful signal, which exerts a mixture of arousal, attentional, and social effects on the observer. We recently found a behavioural interaction between eye contact and mimicry where direct gaze rapidly enhanced mimicry of hand movements ). Here, we report two detailed investigations of this effect. In Experiment 1, we compared the effects of direct gaze, averted gaze, and gaze to the acting hand on mimicry and manipulated the sequence of gaze events within a trial. Only direct gaze immediately before the hand action enhanced mimicry. In Experiment 2, we examined the enhancement of mimicry when direct gaze is followed by a blink or by shut eyes, or by occluded eyes. Enhanced mimicry relative to baseline was seen only in the blink condition. Together, these results suggest that ongoing social engagement is necessary for enhanced mimicry. These findings allow us to place the gaze-enhancement effect in the context of other reported gaze phenomena. We suggest that this effect is similar to previously reported audience effects, but is less similar to ostensive cueing effects. This has important implications for our theories of the relationships between social cues and imitation.
This paper presents a nonintrusive method to automatically identify and compensate for current measurement errors in interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drives. Each IPM motor has a distinct short-circuit current vs. speed characteristic, which is solely defined by its machine design. By controlling the IPM motor to operate at its steady-state short-circuit current during coasting down, all phases of the IPM motor can be safely short circuited using the inverter without introducing any current transients. Then the d-q axis currents measured by the inverter are compared with the known short-circuit characteristic of the IPM motor. The distortion pattern in the d-q axis currents contains all the information needed to correct for current sensor errors in IPMSM drives.
The Passive Moderator Cooling System (PMCS) of the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor is designed to remove heat from the moderator passively in case of an extended station black out condition (SBO). The hot heavy-water moderator inside the Calandria rises upward due to buoyancy, cooled in a shell and tube heat exchanger (located within the loop) and returns back to the Calandria, completing a natural circulation loop. The heat exchanger, in turn, is cooled by water from a Gravity Driven Water Pool (GDWP); forming a second loop. This coupled natural circulation loop system provides sufficient cooling to prevent the increase of moderator temperature inside the Calandria vessel beyond safe limits during SBO. The feasibility of such a system should be assessed before it is implemented in the reactor. Thus, a scaled test facility was set up to simulate the thermal hydraulic characteristics of the PMCS. A set of time varying power experiments were performed, which capture the flow initiation from rest phenomena and the multidimensional natural convection flow in a coupled natural circulation system. Next, the experimental geometry was simulated using the three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code (OpenFoam 2.2.0), which predicted temperature and flow distribution inside the system. The CFD results agree well with the experimental data within +/- 6%. The flow initiation phenomena shows that the initial flow generated recirculates within the Calandria, after similar to 900 s the flow is able to come out of the Calandria. The experiments show a time lag between the starting of the primary and secondary loop circulation. This work demonstrates the experimental and computational capability to understand and design an effective Passive Moderator Cooling System. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A nonlinear dynamic coupled model for hydropower station system, which contains the model of water-carriage system, water turbine system, speed governor system, generator's electromagnetic system, grid, shaft system of hydroelectric generating set, as well as the powerhouse, is established in this paper. Firstly, the simultaneous differential equations for coupled hydraulic-mechanical-electric transient process are set up based upon the theories of hydraulics, electrical machinery, etc., while the coupled structural models for shaft system of unit and powerhouse are built by means of finite element method. Secondly, a new method for investigating nonlinear dynamic properties of structures influenced by coupled hydraulic-mechanical-electric factors in different conditions is introduced with the help of user-programmable features from Ansys software. Finally, in order to verify the rationality, several numerical calculation methods are used to study the starting-up process of hydropower station. The results indicate that the model presented in this paper is adoptable for simulating specified condition and reflect the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of hydropower station comprehensively. In addition, the model can also be used to assess the operation safety and predict the structures reliability of hydropower station system, so as to provide some profitable reference for dynamic regulation during limited and transient conditions for hydropower station.
The increasing prevalence of food allergies and the intake of packing foods in the past two decades urge the need for more rapid, accurate, and sensitive assays to detect potential allergens in food in order to control the allergen content. Most of the commercial analytical tools for allergen detection rely on immunoassays such as ELISA. As far as disadvantages, ELISA can be time-consuming and expensive. Biosensors appear as a suitable alternative for the detection of allergens because they are rapid, highly sensitive, selective, less expensive, environmentally friendly, and easy to handle. In this study, we developed a microfluidic system integrated with a quantum dots (Qdots) aptamer functionalized graphene oxide (GO) nano-biosensor for simple, rapid, and sensitive food allergen detection. The biosensor utilized Qdots-aptamer-GO complexes as probes to undergo conformational change upon interaction with the food allergens, resulting in fluorescence changes due to the fluorescence quenching and recovering properties of GO by adsorption and desorption of aptamer-conjugated Qdots. This one-step 'turn on' homogenous assay in a ready-to-use microfluidic chip took similar to 10 min to achieve a quantitative detection of Ara h 1, one of the major allergens appearing in peanuts. The results suggested this system had remarkable sensitivity and selectivity. The integration of a microfluidics platform in a homemade miniaturized optical analyzer provides a promising way for the rapid, cost-effective, and accurate on-site determination of food allergens. This biosensor can also be extended to the detection of other food allergens with a selection of corresponding aptamers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Plenty of design parameters are used during electric machine design process. Generally, design parameters are looked up from existing curves drawn by magnetic field graphing method or analytical method. Affected by different draftsmen's proficiency, precision of parameter curves drawn by magnetic field graphing method have uncertainty. Using analytical drawing method to draw design parameter curves usually simplifies analytical model of electric machine to improve calculating efficiency. But simplified analysis model results in more or less accuracy problems. In order to improve the accuracy of electric machines design calculation, finite element method (FEM) is used to analyze electromagnetic field and calculate design parameters based on complete electric machine model in this paper. As the analytic objects are a series of 300MW evaporative cooled generator-motor, design parameter curves drawn in this paper should be more accurate than existing curves for electric machine with similar size and structure.
The rapid development of energy, electricity, and transportation industries has created a market for steel pipes; however, buried steel pipelines near high-voltage transmission lines and electrified railways often experience alternating current (AC) corrosion at the damaged coating of pipelines; such phenomenon is mostly due to the resistance between the capacitance and inductance coupling, especially for long-distance pipelines in parallel operation. AC corrosion can cause pipeline corrosion perforation and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in some cases, which has been a vital threat to the pipeline safety. In this work, the influence of AC on corrosion behavior of X80 pipeline steel was investigated in NS4 near-neutral solution by data acquisition technique, electrochemical test, immersion tests and surface analysis techniques. Results show that with the increasing of AC density, corrosion morphology changed from uniform corrosion to localized corrosion with many pits. Under the full AC interference, X80 steel occurred cathodic and anodic polarization which resulted in iron dissolution and hydrogen precipitation. The negative half wave AC would lead to hydrogen evolution and hydrogen induced anodic dissolution, the pits in X80 steel surface present sharp. However, under disturbance of positive half-wave AC, only anodic dissolution occurred and the pitting appeared spill shape and smoothly. Under various AC waveform interference, the corrosion products of X80 steel surface were different. Under full AC wave and positive half-wave interference, the corrosion products were loose, had have no alpha-FeOOH and occurred cracks; however, under negative half-wave AC interference, the corrosion products were denser and contained alpha-FeOOH which has protective effect on substrates.
Introduction: Obesity is a serious public health problem in Mexico, the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2012) reported a 34.4% prevalence of overweight, and obesity in children aged 5-11. Recent research has suggested that the gut microbiota may be a risk factor of obesity through its influence on human metabolism. Aim of the study: To evaluate association between the intestinal microbiota profile and obesity among children and whether this association is modified depending on the feeding pattern of a sample of schoolchildren from Mexico City. Metodology and Results: Cross-sectional study on 1042 children aged 6-14 years; physical activity questionnaire, personal medical history and heredofamilial of obesity and type 2 diabetes were administered to all the children. Eating patterns was performed by principal component analysis (PCA). The association between intestinal microbiota and overweight / obesity depending on diet was assessed with logistic regression models. Conclusion: Our results shows that the interaction between the intestinal microbiota and diet, particularly high in fats and simple carbohydrates increases the chance of developing obesity.
BACKGROUND: Home-based interventions to improve indoor air quality have demonstrated benefits for asthma morbidity, yet little is known about the effect of environmental interventions in the school setting. OBJECTIVE: We piloted the feasibility and effectiveness of a classroom-based air cleaner intervention to reduce particulate pollutants in classrooms of children with asthma. METHODS: In this pilot randomized controlled trial, we assessed the effect of air cleaners on indoor air particulate pollutant concentrations in 18 classrooms (9 control, 9 intervention) in 3 urban elementary schools. We enrolled 25 children with asthma (13 control, 12 intervention) aged 6 to 10 years. Classroom air pollutant measurements and spirometry were completed once before and twice after randomization. Asthma symptoms were surveyed every 3 months. RESULTS: Baseline classroom levels of fine particulate matter (particulate matter with diameter of <2.5 mu m [PM2.5]) and black carbon (BC) were 6.3 and 0.41 mu g/m(3), respectively. When comparing the intervention to the control group, classroom PM2.5 levels were reduced by 49% and 42% and BC levels were reduced by 58% and 55% in the first and second follow-up periods, respectively (P<.05 for all comparisons). When comparing the children randomized to intervention and control classrooms, there was a modest improvement in peak flow, but no significant changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and asthma symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, a classroom-based air cleaner intervention led to significant reductions in PM2.5 and BC. Future large-scale studies should comprehensively evaluate the effect of school-based environmental interventions on pediatric asthma morbidity. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Triclosan (TCS) is a broad spectrum antibacterial agent present as an active ingredient in some personal care products such as soaps, toothpastes and sterilizers. It is an endocrine disrupting compound and its increasing presence in water resources as well as in biosolid-amended soils used in farming, its potential for bioaccumulation in fatty tissues and toxicity in aquatic organisms are a cause for concern to human and environmental health. TCS has also been detected in blood, breast milk, urine and nails of humans. The significance of this is not precisely understood. Data on its bioaccumulation in humans are also lacking. Cell based studies however showed that TCS is a pro-oxidant and may be cytotoxic via a number of mechanisms. Uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation appears to be prevailing as a toxicity mechanism though the compound's role in apoptosis has been cited. TCS is not known to be carcinogenic per se in vitro but has been reported to promote tumourigenesis in the presence of a carcinogen, in mice. Recent laboratory reports appear to support the view that TCS oestrogenicity as well as its anti-oestrogenicity play significant role in cancer progression. Results from epidemiological studies on the effect of TCS on human health have implicated the compound as responsible for certain allergies and reproductive defects. Its presence in chlorinated water also raises toxicity concern for humans as carcinogenic metabolites such as chlorophenols may be generated in the presence of the residual chlorine. In this paper, we carried out a detailed overview of TCS pollution and the implications for human and environmental health.
Microgravity experiments are essential for research in space science, biology, fluid mechanics, combustion, and material sciences. One way to conduct microgravity experiments on Earth is by using drop tower facilities. These facilities combine a high quality of microgravity, adequate payload masses and have the advantage of virtually unlimited repeatability under same experimental conditions, at a low cost. In a collaboration between the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart and Baylor University (BU) in Waco, Texas, a new drop tower is currently under development at the Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER). The design parameters of the drop tower ask for at least 1.5 sin free fall duration while providing a quality of at least 10(-5) g. Previously, this quality has only been achieved in vacuum drop tower facilities where the capsule experiences virtually zero aerodynamic drag during its free fall. Since this design comes at high costs, a different drop tower design concept, which does not require an evacuated drop shaft, was chosen. It features a dual-capsule system in which the experiment capsule is shielded from aerodynamic forces by surrounding it with a drag shield during the drop. As no other dual-capsule drop tower has been able to achieve a quality as good as or better than 10-5 g previous work optimized the design with an aerodynamic perspective by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to determine the ideal shape and size of the outer capsule and to specify the aerodynamically crucial dimensions for the overall system. Experiments later demonstrated that the required quality of microgravity can be met with the proposed design. The main focus of this paper is the mechanical realization of the capsule as well as the development and layout of the surrounding components, such as the release mechanism, the deceleration device and the drop shaft. Because the drop tower facility is a complex system with many interdependencies between all of the components, several engineering challenges had to be addressed. For example, initial disturbances that are caused by the release mechanism are a common issue that arises at drop tower facilities. These vibrations may decrease the quality of microgravity during the initial segment of free fall. Because this would reduce the free fall time experiencing high quality microgravity, a mechanism has been developed to provide a soft release. Challenges and proposed solutions for all components are highlighted in this paper.
Penconazole is a widely used fungicide in the UK; however, to date, there have been no peer-reviewed publications reporting human metabolism, excretion or biological monitoring data. The objectives of this study were to i) develop a robust analytical method, ii) determine biomarker levels in volunteers exposed to penconazole, and, finally, to iii) measure the metabolites in samples collected as part of a large investigation of rural residents' exposure. An LC-MS/MS method was developed for penconazole and two oxidative metabolites. Three volunteers received a single oral dose of 0.03 mg/kg body weight and timed urine samples were collected and analysed. The volunteer study demonstrated that both penconazole-OH and penconazole-COOH are excreted in humans following an oral dose and are viable biomarkers. Excretion is rapid with a half-life of less than four hours. Mean recovery of the administered dose was 47% (range 33%-54%) in urine treated with glucuronidase to hydrolyse any conjugates. The results from the residents' study showed that levels of penconazole-COOH in this population were low with >80% below the limit of detection. Future sampling strategies that include both end of exposure and next day urine samples, as well as contextual data about the route and time of exposure, are recommended.
Vision-based object detection is essential for a multitude of robotic applications. However, it is also a challenging job due to the diversity of the environments in which such applications are required to operate, and the strict constraints that apply to many robot systems in terms of run-time, power and space. To meet these special requirements of robotic applications, we propose an efficient deep network for vision-based object detection. More specifically, for a given image captured by a robot mount camera, we first introduce a novel proposal layer to efficiently generate potential object bounding-boxes. The proposal layer consists of efficient on-line convolutions and effective off-line optimization. Afterwards, we construct a robust detection layer which contains a multiple population genetic algorithm-based convolutional neural network (MPGA-based CNN) module and a TLD-based multi-frame fusion procedure. Unlike most deep learning based approaches, which rely on GPU, all of the on-line processes in our system are able to run efficiently without GPU support. We perform several experiments to validate each component of our proposed object detection approach and compare the approach with some recently published state-of-the-art object detection algorithms on widely used datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed network exhibits high efficiency and robustness in object detection tasks. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Water scarcity increasingly constrains agricultural production, particularly for rice, one of our most important food crops. Conventional paddy production is the world's largest single consumer of water. Making certain changes in current cultivation practices, as discussed here, can raise rice crop yields while reducing water and other inputs. Diminished greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, less runoff water pollution, and more climate-resilience are additional benefits. Spreading such changes in crop and water management within the rice sector can be a cost-effective response to agricultural water shortages, offering improvement in food security, adaptability to climate change, and environmental sustainability. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Lexicographic preferences on a set of attributes provide a cognitively plausible structure for modeling the behavior of human decision makers. Therefore, the induction of corresponding models from revealed preferences or observed decisions constitutes an interesting problem from a machine learning point of view. In this paper, we introduce a learning algorithm for inducing generalized lexicographic preference models from a given set of training data, which consists of pairwise comparisons between objects. Our approach generalizes simple lexicographic orders in the sense of allowing the model to consider several attributes simultaneously (instead of looking at them one by one), thereby significantly increasing the expressiveness of the model class. In order to evaluate our method, we present a case study of a highly complex real-world problem, namely the choice of the recognition method for actuarial gains and losses from occupational pension schemes. Using a unique sample of European companies, this problem is well suited for demonstrating the effectiveness of our lexicographic ranker. Furthermore, we conduct a series of experiments on benchmark data from the machine learning domain. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Recently, using compressive sensing (CS) as a cryptosystem has drawn attention due to its compressibility and low-complexity during the sampling process. However, when applying such cryptosystem to images, how to protect the privacy of the image while keeping efficiency becomes a challenge. In this paper, we propose a novel image coding scheme that achieves combined compression and encryption under a parallel compressive sensing framework, where both the CS sampling and the CS reconstruction are performed in parallel. In this way, the efficiency can be guaranteed. On the other hand, for security, the resistance to chosen plaintext attack (CPA) is realized with the help of the cooperation between a nonlinear chaotic sensing matrix construction process and a counter mode operation. Furthermore, the defect of energy information leakage in CS-based cryptosystem is also overcome by a diffusion procedure. Experimental and analysis results show the scheme achieves effectiveness, efficiency and high security simultaneously. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
While planning resource management systems in rural areas, it is important to consider criteria that are specific to the local social conditions. Such criteria might change from one region to another and are hence best identified using a participatory approach. In this work, we propose a participatory framework to identify such criteria and derive their weights. These identified criteria and their weights are used as parameters to develop a quantitative model for evaluating efficiency of each system. Such a model can serve as a support tool for stakeholders to simulate and analyze what-if scenarios, evaluate alternatives, and select one which best satisfies their requirements. We use existing systems to test the model by comparing efficiencies evaluated by the model to efficiencies perceived by the stakeholders. The model is calibrated by repeating the process until statistically significant correlation is achieved between evaluated and perceived efficiencies. The novelty of the proposed framework lies in treating efficiencies perceived by the stakeholders as the ground truth since they know these systems well and are their ultimate users. The framework is successfully demonstrated using case study of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in an Indian village. The resulting calibrated model can be used to plan new RWH systems in this region and similar regions elsewhere. The framework can be used to plan other resource management systems in various regions.
The aim of the paper is to present a specific context for the occurrence of sexual problems, i.e., sexual dysfunction in the population of homo - and bisexual men. Sexual problems and revealing them are usually a big challenge for men. In case of homo - and bisexual men additional psychological and social factors may contribute to the occurrence of these problems, as well as make experiencing them more painful, but also impede looking for and receiving an adequate help. These factors are connected to the specific features of gay men sexuality, such as: lack of obvious sexual scripts for homosexual men, full reversibility of all sexual roles and positions in contacts between two men or no fear of unwanted pregnancy, but also with the unique psychosocial context such as: minority stress and internalized homophobia. Clinicians - psychiatrists, sexologists and psychologists - should be aware of their existence to deliver a more effective professional and culturally competent care, which is free of prejudice, based on deepened reflection and void of automatic transference of experiences with work with heterosexual men. Slowa klucze: dysfunkcje seksualne, homoseksualnosc
Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most common emerging disease in developing countries. It alters endothelial cell structure and function, resulting in several diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, peripheral vasculopathy, cerebrovascular disease and nephropathy. Although much progress has been made in researching HTN in recent years, early diagnosis and treatment of HTN are not yet satisfactory, and progression control/treatment is still poor. MicroRNAs are well-known regulators of the physiological and developmental processes of HTN. Our results revealed that miR-510 was upregulated in blood samples from HTN patients, whereas no significant differences were observed in the control samples. Methylation analyses corroborated the miR-510 upregulation in patient samples. These results suggested that miR-510 can be used as a novel biomarker for diagnosis and as a new therapeutic target for HTN.
Nowadays, production enterprises are faced with an array of challenges including increasing pressure regarding costs, demands for individualized products as well as the growing significance of logistic performance and costs, to name just a few. These in turn give rise to special requirements that the production planning, control and monitoring, among others, need to meet with suitable methods and techniques. Within this context, developments such as Industry 4.0 and cyber-physical production systems on the technology side, and approaches such as innovative learning factories for training employees hold great potential. This paper clarifies the advantages of cyber-physical systems in view of production planning, controlling and monitoring. Based on that, using the concept of IFA's Learning Factory, it describes how these can be specifically utilized in applying logistic models to improve order processing. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Purpose: This was a retrospective cohort study designed to evaluate the clinical performance of ceramicveneered zirconia frameworks. Materials and Methods: Patients were recruited according to defined inclusion criteria. All patients were checked every 4 months from the time of definitive rehabilitation. At the end of 2013, all patients were rescheduled and rechecked for study purposes. The restorative procedures assessment was performed by previously established methods. The primary outcomes were the survival and success rates of the prosthesis. Descriptive statistics were used for the patient's demographics, implant distribution, and occurrence of complications. To study the survival and success of the prostheses, a Cox Regression analysis was used with a model constructed in a forward conditional stepwise mode. Predictive variables were included in the model, and adjusted survival curves were obtained for each outcome. Results: From 2008 to 2013, 75 patients were rehabilitated with 92 implant-supported, screw-retained, full-arch ceramic-veneered zirconia framework rehabilitations. The range of follow-up was between 6 months and 5 years. From the 92 full implant-supported screw-retained full-arch rehabilitations, Cox regression analysis indicated that within a 5-year time frame, the probability of framework fracture, major chipping, minor chipping, or any of the former combined to occur was 17.6%, 46.5%, 69.2%, and 90.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Results suggest zirconia as a suitable material for framework structure in implant-supported, full-arch rehabilitations. However, it experiences a high incidence of technical complications, mainly due to ceramic chipping. Further clinical studies should aim to ascertain the effects of clinical features and manufacturing procedures on the survival rates of these prostheses.
Moving beyond the distinction between biological and social facts has proved challenging due to several basic methodological and ontological differences among scientific disciplines. The aim of this paper is to show how attention schema theory (hereafter AST), developed by Michael Graziano, provides a useful addition to existing integrative approaches that can be used to overcome impediments to interdisciplinary crossfertilization, such that the influence of a range of interconnected institutional, situational, biographical, psychological, neural and genetic variables can be considered simultaneously in a parsimonious way. The paper provides an overview of three basic methodological and ontological differences dividing scientists researching human nature and society. It then draws on AST and a selection of existing approaches in the interdisciplinary vein to demonstrate how to move beyond the reductionist tendencies of each discipline. In the view of AST, intrinsic brain processes and social and situational aspects are intricately intertwined and continuously influence each other in shaping specific attentional focuses. Social identities, biographical experiences, symbols, roles and subject positions contribute to directing attention to certain kinds of stimuli, details, or information, while at the same time, intrinsic predispositions make individuals inclined to attend to different types of information. By accounting for the brain basis of awareness as a subjective experience, AST can be used to clarify how social identities influence attention, and thus, the linkages between individual cognition and wider institutional structures. Finally, the paper considers the relationships between the cognitive and the institutional levels of analysis, and highlights the importance of the latter as a distinct level of analysis. In this way, the paper charts the multidirectional and interactive causal relationship between intrinsic brain processes, attention and conscious awareness, and how they relate to wider institutional structures and joint attentional interactions at higher levels of aggregation.
West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-transmitted Flavivirus belonging to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by the bite of infected mosquitoes, particularly Culex spp. and Aedes/Ochlerotatus spp., which acquire the virus by feeding on viraemic birds. Humans, horses and other mammals are regarded as incidental or dead-end hosts. In the last decades, an increasing number of cases of WNV infection in horses and humans have been notified in the Mediterranean basin. In Tunisia, human cases of WNV-related meningoencephalitis were detected in 1997, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Based on the analysis of climatic and environmental conditions found in the locations where human cases have been reported in 2012, the aim of this study was to identify similar areas in Tunisia potentially at risk of disease occurrence. Data related to 85 neuroinvasive West Nile fever (WNF) human cases were georeferenced and a set of environmental and climatic variables (wetlands and humid areas, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), temperatures and elevation, migratory bird settlements) were used in the analysis. Areas, ecologically similar to those where human cases were detected, were identified using the Mahalanobis distance statistic. A leave-one-out cross-validation was performed to validate the sensitivity of the model, and 78 of 85 points were correctly classified.
The aim of this paper is to propose a neural network based reference modified PID control which has a simple duration design method for transient characteristics improvement of digitally controlled dc-dc converters. In renewable energy network systems, various types of dc-dc converters are widely used for power conversion and such converters require a superior control method for a stable operation. Especially, transient characteristics should be improved since they heavily affect the stability of the system. For such purposes, designing of conventional control methods becomes a difficult task since the optimization of control parameters needs complicated analysis and it is affected from variations of circuit components of converters. Therefore, simple and easy design of control is widely required for a stable operation of power converters. The neural network can provide a suitable control methodology for such situation since it treats the plant as a black box and it can realize a non-linear control based on training of the input-output relation without complicated modelling and analysis. On the other hand, the neural network based method has a disadvantage caused from the fact that the neural network is trained with data obtained in advance and an overcompensation phenomenon occurs in the transient response. In this paper, the neural network control is adopted to control the dc-dc converter in coordination with a conventional PID control. The neural network predicts the output voltage of the converter and the reference value in the PID control is modified with the predictions to reduce the error of the output voltage. To avoid overcompensation, a simple duration design for the neural network control is also provided to improve the transient response effectively. From prototype testing in simulation and experiment, it is revealed that the proposed method contributes to obtain a superior transient performance compared with the conventional PID control.
A lower bone mass accompanied by a higher bone fragility with increased risk of fracture are observed in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Low C-peptide levels are associated with low lumbar mineral density in postmenopausal woman. In this work, we investigated the role of C-peptide on the osteoblast cell biology in vitro. We examined intracellular pathways and we found that C peptide activates ERK1/2 in human osteoblast-like cells (Saos-2). We also observed that proinsulin C-peptide prevents a reduction of type I collagen expression and decreases, in combination with insulin, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B (RANKL) levels. In this work we show for the first time that Cpeptide activates a specific intracellular pathway in osteoblasts and it modulates the expression of protein involved in bone remodeling. Our results suggest that both C-peptide may have a role in bone metabolism. Further studies are needing to fully clarify its role. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Confirmation of pregnancy viability (presence of fetal cardiac activity) and diagnosis of fetal presentation (head or buttock in the maternal pelvis) are the first essential components of ultrasound assessment in obstetrics. The former is useful in assessing the presence of an on-going pregnancy and the latter is essential for labour management. We propose an automated framework for detection of fetal presentation and heartbeat from a predefined free-hand ultrasound sweep of the maternal abdomen. Our method exploits the presence of key anatomical sonographic image patterns in carefully designed scanning protocols to develop, for the first time, an automated framework allowing novice sonographers to detect fetal breech presentation and heartbeat from an ultrasound sweep. The framework consists of a classification regime for a frame by frame categorization of each 2D slice of the video. The classification scores are then regularized through a conditional random field model, taking into account the temporal relationship between the video frames. Subsequently, if consecutive frames of the fetal heart are detected, a kernelized linear dynamical model is used to identify whether a heartbeat can be detected in the sequence. In a dataset of 323 predefined free-hand videos, covering the mother's abdomen in a straight sweep, the fetal skull, abdomen, and heart were detected with a mean classification accuracy of 83.4%. Furthermore, for the detection of the heartbeat an overall classification accuracy of 93.1% was achieved. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This paper summarizes research on the potential of high-resolution imagery downloaded from Google Earth Pro to detect prehistoric canals from the Hohokam Period in the Middle Gila River Valley, Arizona. The potential of the imagery to identify obscured features was evaluated by means of ground truthing reconnaissance as well as a comparative analysis of the Google Earth imagery with the more traditionally employed CORONA and Landsat ETM+ imagery used in analogous studies. This research is presented as a method-based solution to utilize remote sensing in exploratory archaeological research projects facing budget constraints. The conclusion of the research was that Google Earth imagery provided the best spatial resolution for detecting obscured irrigation features compared to the other imagery used. The results of the investigation are summarized as a potential research model applicable in other dryland settings.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a passive point-of-use treatment system, namely, a polyvinyl (alcohol) (PVA) nanofiber membrane/activated carbon column, for the treatment of harvested rainwater. The efficiency of SMI-Q10 [quaternized poly (styrene-co-maleimide)] nanofiber membrane disks placed in a filtration assembly for the treatment of surface water (Plankenburg River, Western Cape, South Africa) and harvested rainwater was also assessed. Two rainwater harvesting tanks were installed at the Welgevallen Experimental farm, Stellenbosch, South Africa, with the filtration system intermittently attached to the tanks for collection of rainwater samples throughout the study period. Parameters used to monitor the filtration systems included heterotrophic bacteria, Escherichia coli, and total coliform enumeration and the presence/absence of adenovirus. When compared to drinking water guidelines, the results indicated that 3 L of potable water could be produced by the synthesized PVA nanofiber membrane/activated carbon column. However, PCR assays indicated that adenovirus and numerous bacteria such as Klebsiella spp., Legionella spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Yersinia spp. were not effectively removed by the filtration system utilized. Additionally, the SMI-Q10 nanofiber membrane disks did not remove viruses from the river or tank water samples as bovine adenovirus 3 strain, simian adenovirus, and human adenovirus A strain were detected in all water samples analyzed. Thus, while the microfiltration system was efficient in reducing the level of indicator organisms to within drinking water standards, further optimization of the electrospun filtration membranes is required as molecular analysis revealed that numerous opportunistic bacterial pathogens and viruses persisted after filtration.
Cryptanalysis refers to finding the plaintext from the given cipher text. The problem reduces to finding the correct key from a set of possible keys, which is basically a search problem. Many researchers have put in a lot of effort to accomplish this task. Most of the efforts used conventional techniques. However, soft computing techniques like Genetic Algorithms are generally good in optimized search, though the applicability of such techniques to cryptanalysis is still a contentious point. This work carries out an extensive literature review of the cryptanalysis techniques, finds the gaps there in, in order to put the proposed technique in the perspective. The work also finds the applicability of Cellular Automata in cryptanalysis. A new technique has been proposed and verified for texts of around 1000 words. Each text is encrypted 10 times and then decrypted using the proposed technique. The work has also been compared with that employing Genetic Algorithm. The experiments carried out prove the veracity of the technique and paves way of Cellular automata in cryptanalysis. The paper also discusses the future scope of the work.
Increase in saturation in natural clayey slopes along coastal zones as a result of tsunamis or storm surges may cause flow slides or failures. One of the common treatments is to increase the overall stability by soil replacement and/or re-compaction, which is often difficult to implement, expensive, and, most importantly, damages the natural vegetation. In this paper, remedial effectiveness of a relatively economical and environmentally friendly method involving insertion of geotextile strips with drainage capability into natural clayey slopes is evaluated through a series of centrifuge tests. The test results demonstrate the effectiveness of the employed technique to increase the stability of slopes and their drainage capability as well as to reduce the deformations under surcharge loadings.
Research in learning analytics and educational data mining has recently become prominent in the fields of computer science and education. Most scholars in the field emphasize student learning and student data analytics; however, it is also important to focus on teaching analytics and teacher preparation because of their key roles in student learning, especially in K-12 learning environments. Nonverbal communication strategies play an important role in successful interpersonal communication of teachers with their students. In order to assist novice or practicing teachers with exhibiting open and affirmative nonverbal cues in their classrooms, we have designed a multimodal teaching platform with provisions for online feedback. We used an interactive teaching rehearsal software, TeachLivE (TM), as our basic research environment. TeachLivE employs a digital puppetry paradigm as its core technology. Individuals walk into this virtual environment and interact with virtual students displayed on a large screen. They can practice classroom management, pedagogy and content delivery skills with a teaching plan in the TeachLivE environment. We have designed an experiment to evaluate the impact of an online nonverbal feedback application. In this experiment, different types of multimodal data have been collected during two experimental settings. These data include talk-time and nonverbal behaviors of the virtual students, captured in log files; talk time and full body tracking data of the participant; and video recording of the virtual classroom with the participant. 34 student teachers participated in this 30-minute experiment. In each of the settings, the participants were provided with teaching plans from which they taught. All the participants took part in both of the experimental settings. In order to have a balanced experiment design, half of the participants received nonverbal online feedback in their first session and the other half received this feedback in the second session. A visual indication was used for feedback each time the participant exhibited a closed, defensive posture. Based on recorded full-body tracking data, we observed that only those who received feedback in their first session demonstrated a significant number of open postures in the session containing no feedback. However, the post-questionnaire information indicated that all participants were more mindful of their body postures while teaching after they had participated in the study.
Researching and industrializing a new pharmaceutical form results in an impressive amount of waste due to the methods used. Despite numerous reports about the addition of pharmaceutical ingredients to the environment, the effect they have on the environment at the nanogram (ng) level remains largely unknown; thus, it has been proposed to retain toxic compounds using Dowex resins in biomucoadhesive tablets containing miconazole nitrate, an antifungal medication. This study demonstrates the reduction of water pollution by using pharmaceutical forms of miconazol nitrate anions; at the same time, the proposed method can also re-utilize the anti-fungal substances by recovering them from the ion-changing resins. The pollutant examined in the study was nitrate anions, and the resin was represented by DowexTMNSR-1. Once the pharmaceutical form was disaggregated in distilled water and the resulting solution was filtered through the Dowex resin, chemical test reports were created, and all the parameters had registered values below the allowable wastewater limits. Through the ionic exchange method in this study, up to 99.8% of the anion nitrate ended up as waste during the preparation of new pharmaceutical forms while the antifungal effect was retained. This anion nitrate percentage was confirmed through 10 different determinations of 309 biomucoadhesive miconazol nitrate tablets disaggregated into 1000 mL of distilled water.
The majority of patients presenting allergic rhinitis and asthma are sensitised to several allergens. Dust mites are the chief culprits, with the two most important species in France being Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae. Studies indicate that 50 to 70% of patients are multi-sensitised. However, it is important to distinguish between sensitisation and allergy: sensitisation is an exclusively biological phenomenon (positive prick-tests or IgE assays), while the term allergy implies the existence of clinical symptoms detectable by precise history taking. Management of dust mite allergies is based upon fastidious elimination of the offending source, suitable symptomatically treatment and allergy immunotherapy (Am, chiefly by the sublingual route (SLIT). Successful elimination of dust mites depends on the degree of patient sensitisation, the extent of exposure to dust mites, the measures taken, and any other allergies and domestic pollutants present. Removal, which is difficult for dust mites, is random in the case of most other allergens (pollens, moulds, cockroaches, etc.). AIT is the only form of treatment able to modify the immune status of allergic individuals and is indicated in cases of poor control of rhinitis and/or asthma by means of global allergen removal or systematic treatments. In multi-allergic patients, where two sources of allergens are required, these may be administered either in parallel (using two allergen preparations) or in a mixture (using a single preparation). When AIT is given in parallel, for example with dust mites and grass pollens, a recommended interval of 30 minutes should be left between the two allergens. Where AIT is performed using a mixture of allergens within a single preparation, it is recommended that the preparation be made up of a 50/50 mixture of mutually compatible allergen sources. The prescription of multiple AIT underlines the importance of the dilution factor: mixing several allergens reduces the doses of each allergen in keeping with the number of components used. SLIT is currently the reference pathway, and practically the only approach utilised in children because of its ease of use, as well as the absence of pain and of any serious adverse effects. It must be performed using high-quality standardised allergen extracts with particular attention to the clinical relevance of the allergens used, their safety of use and the patient's quality of life.(C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Cells release small extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the surrounding media. Upon virus infection cells also release virions that have the same size of some of the EVs. Both virions and EVs carry proteins of the cells that generated them and are antigenically heterogeneous. In spite of their diversity, both viruses and EVs were characterized predominantly by bulk analysis. Here, we describe an original nanotechnology-based high throughput method that allows the characterization of antigens on individual small particles using regular flow cytometers. Viruses or extracellular vesicles were immunocaptured with 15 nm magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coupled to antibodies recognizing one of the surface antigens. The captured virions or vesicles were incubated with fluorescent antibodies against other surface antigens. The resultant complexes were separated on magnetic columns from unbound antibodies and analyzed with conventional flow cytometers triggered on fluorescence. This method has wide applications and can be used to characterize the antigenic composition of any viral-and non-viral small particles generated by cells in vivo and in vitro. Here, we provide examples of the usage of this method to evaluate the distribution of host cell markers on individual HIV-1 particles, to study the maturation of individual Dengue virions (DENV), and to investigate extracellular vesicles released into the bloodstream.
The emerging Internet of Things opens endless possibilities to the contemporary notion of smart offices, where employees can benefit for automations so that the workplace can maximize employees productivity and enterprise performance. However, usually the integration of new components in smart environments is not straightforward. In this article we propose the use of a semantic vocabulary to define this automation, and an architecture consisting of a web task automation server and mobile task automation components that enable contextual services. One the one hand, the architecture exhibits flexibility to interconnect internet services and devices. On the other side, the use of semantic technologies provides semantic interoperability and expressivity for the automation definition.
A numerical model has been developed for a system consisting of a liquid slug and a vapour plug oscillating in a tube closed at one end, and connected to a reservoir at a constant pressure at the other end, which represents the most basic configuration of a Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP). The thermally driven self-sustained oscillations of the system result from evaporation and condensation phenomena occurring at two zones of the tube (separated by an adiabatic section), one being cooled and the other being heated, simultaneously. The modelling principles of this system had been posed in previous works. In this work, the equation describing the liquid film evaporation has been substantially improved in the light of recent experimental results: both, the thickening of the film and the shortening of its length due to the evaporation at the triple line are taken into account. Furthermore, the transient heat conduction equation is solved in both the tube and the liquid film in order to Calculate the temperature of the evaporator, which is a key parameter of the model. Moreover, an experimental bench is presented to measure the pressure variations inside an oscillating liquid slug. The results show that the classical correlations of fluid mechanics are relevant to model the oscillation of this system. Finally, a parametric study is carried out to understand the influence of the thermal properties of both the liquid and the tube on the start-up of the system. The thermal effusivity of both these materials is found to be an important criterion to indicate the conditions under which oscillations can commence and relain self-sustained. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
This paper puts forward a novel design method of permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The most significant advantage of this method is that the output power of PMSG can be prominently improved without increasing any material costs. The main difference from the traditional design scheme is that the volume of permanent magnet (PM) remains unchanged during the entire design procedure. And the maximum output power scheme is found out just by optimizing the PM's shapes with the change of mechanical pole-arc coefficient. In other words, this method aims to obtain the maximum PM utilization design scheme that can produce more effective magnet field so that it can generate the larger output power. The dimension parameters of PMs with different shapes are calculated by the equivalent analytic geometry method. To verify its availability, this novel method is performed on four common types of PMSGs with different rotor structures, and their satisfactory performance results are obtained. The comparison with the traditional machine design scheme is also presented to illustrate the innovation and priority. The finite element analysis method based on Ansoft/Maxwell is applied for the electromagnetic models' building and simulation.
Web news articles are generated in continuous, time-varying, and rapid modes. This environment causes an explosion of information which needs to be stored, processed and analyzed. Conventional machine learning algorithms that are applied in the web news mining work in an offline environment cannot efficiently handle data streams. In this paper, we propose an evolving web news mining framework based on the recently published Evolving Type-2 Classifier (eT2Class). The eT2Class adopts an open structure that can be used in non stationary environments and works on a single pass learning mode that is applicable for online real-time applications. The effectiveness of our evolving web news mining techniques is numerically validated and compared against state-of-the-art algorithms. The efficacy of our methodology has been numerically validated with real local Australian news articles, namely the Age, spanning from 26/2/2016 to 13/3/2016 and has been compared with 6 state of the art algorithms. Our algorithm outperforms other consolidated algorithms and achieves a tradeoff between complexity and accuracy with almost 10% improvement in term of complexity. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
There are common aspects and mechanisms between different types of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs), and autoimmune encephalitis (AE) as well as paraneoplastic inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system. To our present knowledge, depending on the disease, T and B cells as well as antibodies contribute to various aspects of the pathogenesis. Possibly the events leading to the breaking of tolerance between the different diseases are of great similarity and so far, only partially understood. Beside endogenous factors (genetics, genomics, epigenetics, malignancy) also exogenous factors (vitamin D, sun light exposure, smoking, gut microbiome, viral infections) contribute to susceptibility in such diseases. What differs between these disorders are the target molecules of the immune attack. For T cells, these target molecules are presented on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules as MHC-bound ligands. B cells have an important role by amplifying the immune response of T cells by capturing antigen with their surface immunoglobulin and presenting it to T cells. Antibodies secreted by plasma cells that have differentiated from B cells are highly structure specific and can have important effector functions leading to functional impairment or/and lesion evolvement. In MS, the target molecules are mainly myelin-and neuron/axon-derived proteins; in NMOSD, mainly aquaporin-4 expressed on astrocytes; and in AE, various proteins that are expressed by neurons and axons.
Hatred of terrorists is an obstacle to the implementation of effective counterterrorism policies-it invites indiscriminate retaliation, whereas many of the greatest successes in counterterrorism have come from understanding terrorists' personal and political motivations. Drawing from psychological research, traditional prejudice reduction strategies are generally not well suited to the task of reducing hatred of terrorists. Instead, in 2 studies, we explored education's potential ability to reduce extreme negative attitudes toward terrorists. Study 1 compared students in a college course on terrorism (treatment) with wait-listed students, measuring prosocial attitudes toward a hypothetical terrorist. Initially, all students reported extremely negative attitudes; however, at the end of the semester, treatment students' attitudes were significantly improved. Study 2 replicated the effect within a sample of treatment and control classes drawn from universities across the United States. The present work was part of an ongoing research project, focusing on foreign policy and the perceived threat of terrorism; thus classes did not explicitly aim to reduce prejudice, making the effect of treatment somewhat surprising. One possibility is that learning about terrorists crowds out the initial pejorative associations-that is, the label terrorism may ultimately call more information to mind, diluting its initial negative associative links. Alternatively, students may learn to challenge how the label terrorist is being applied. In either case, learning about terrorism can decrease the extreme negative reactions it evokes, which is desirable if one wishes to implement effective counterterrorism policies.
Nutrition plays an important role in human metabolism and health. However, it is unclear in how far self-reported nutrition intake reflects de facto differences in body metabolite composition. To investigate this question on an epidemiological scale we conducted a metabolomics study analyzing the association of self-reported nutrition habits with 363 metabolites quantified in blood serum of 284 male participants of the KORA population study, aged between 55 and 79 years. Using data from an 18-item food frequency questionnaire, the consumption of 18 different food groups as well as four derived nutrition indices summarizing these food groups by their nutrient content were analyzed for association with the measured metabolites. The self-reported nutrition intake index polyunsaturated fatty acids associates with a decrease in saturation of the fatty acid chains of glycero-phosphatidylcholines analyzed in serum samples. Using a principal component analysis dietary patterns highly associating with serum metabolite concentrations could be identified. The first principal component, which was interpreted as a healthy nutrition lifestyle, associates with a decrease in the degree of saturation of the fatty acid moieties of different glycero-phosphatidylcholines. In summary, this analysis shows that on a population level metabolomics provides the possibility to link self-reported nutrition habits to changes in human metabolic profiles and that the associating metabolites reflect the self-reported nutritional intake. Moreover, we could show that the strength of association increases when composed nutrition indices are used. Metabolomics may, thus, facilitate evaluating questionnaires and improving future questionnaire-based epidemiological studies on human health.
Objective: This pilot project was designed to develop procedures for and test the feasibility of implementing Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) in a group home environment, with a goal of maximizing treatment efficacy by augmenting social engagement in group CET sessions with ongoing social interaction. Methods: Six participants who met criteria including chronic schizophrenia were recruited in a group home with 30 residents. After two months of CET, pre- and posttest measures, including cognitive tests, were administered and qualitative interviews were conducted periodically. Interaction was observed in the house and staff members were interviewed in a focus group. Results: Five of the initial six participants completed the intervention-which continued for a total of 45 weeks-engaging in weekly group CET sessions and computer exercises outside of the formal sessions. All participants liked the computer exercises, and all but one participated in and reported enjoying the group exercises. Observations and staff comments indicated increased social interaction and sustained impact for some residents. Some aspects of cognitive functioning improved for some participants during the initial two months. Conclusions: CET now needs to be tested more formally to determine if it can be delivered successfully in other group homes with a manualized procedure. The idea should be tested that feedback effects due to the sustained social contact may enhance the effectiveness of CET in group homes and lead to larger, sustained gains in community functioning. Clinicians who provide cognitive interventions should focus attention on the social context in which treatment is delivered and consider providing treatment to patient groups whose daily, ongoing social interaction can enhance its effects. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Though many of people's impressions about each other stem from qualities that are obvious or apparent, social perceptions also rely on a variety of subtle cues that guide judgment and behavior. For example, emerging work has increasingly elucidated the conditions and means by which individuals' accuracy in judging others' sexual orientation is better than chance. We discuss these here, focusing on four domains from which people draw cues to accurately perceive sexual orientation: how people adorn themselves (adornment), how they move (actions), how they sound (acoustics), and how they look (appearance). Moreover, we describe how certain factors, such as one's own sexual orientation, can constrain or facilitate this accuracy and describe the various negative social and occupational consequences that may result from cues that someone is gay or straight.
Dendritic cells (DCs) recognize foreign structures of different pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi, via a variety of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) expressed on their cell surface and thereby activate and regulate immunity. The major function of DCs is the induction of adaptive immunity in the lymph nodes by presenting antigens via MHC I and MHC II molecules to naive T lymphocytes. Therefore, DCs have to migrate from the periphery to the lymph nodes after the recognition of pathogens at the sites of infection. For in vitro experiments or DC vaccination strategies, monocyte-derived DCs are routinely used. These cells show similarities in physiology, morphology, and function to conventional myeloid dendritic cells. They are generated by interleukin 4 (IL-4) and granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulation of monocytes isolated from healthy donors. Here, we demonstrate how monocytes are isolated and stimulated from anti-coagulated human blood after peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) enrichment by density gradient centrifugation. Human monocytes are differentiated into immature DCs and are ready for experimental procedures in a non-clinical setting after 5 days of incubation.
Photometric redshifts (photo-z) are fundamental in galaxy surveys to address different topics, from gravitational lensing and dark matter distribution to galaxy evolution. The Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), i. e. the European Southern Observatory (ESO) public survey on the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), provides the unprecedented opportunity to exploit a large galaxy data set with an exceptional image quality and depth in the optical wavebands. Using a KiDS subset of about 25000 galaxies with measured spectroscopic redshifts, we have derived photo-z using (i) three different empirical methods based on supervised machine learning; (ii) the Bayesian photometric redshift model (or BPZ); and (iii) a classical spectral energy distribution (SED) template fitting procedure (LE PHARE). We confirm that, in the regions of the photometric parameter space properly sampled by the spectroscopic templates, machine learning methods provide better redshift estimates, with a lower scatter and a smaller fraction of outliers. SED fitting techniques, however, provide useful information on the galaxy spectral type, which can be effectively used to constrain systematic errors and to better characterize potential catastrophic outliers. Such classification is then used to specialize the training of regression machine learning models, by demonstrating that a hybrid approach, involving SED fitting and machine learning in a single collaborative framework, can be effectively used to improve the accuracy of photo-z estimates.
In novel forms of the Social Internet of Things, any mobile user within communication range may help routing messages for another user in the network. The resulting message delivery rate depends both on the users' mobility patterns and the message load in the network. This new type of configuration, however, poses new challenges to security, amongst them, assessing the effect that a group of colluding malicious participants can have on the global message delivery rate in such a network is far from trivial. In this work, after modeling such a question as an optimization problem, we are able to find quite interesting results by coupling a network simulator with an evolutionary algorithm. The chosen algorithm is specifically designed to solve problems whose solutions can be decomposed into parts sharing the same structure. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach on two medium-sized Delay-Tolerant Networks, realistically simulated in the urban contexts of two cities with very different route topology: Venice and San Francisco. In all experiments, our methodology produces attack patterns that greatly lower network performance with respect to previous studies on the subject, as the evolutionary core is able to exploit the specific weaknesses of each target configuration. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We conduct 2-D simulations of device structures typical of electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging and solar cell structures for p-type CdTe absorber layers with charged grain boundaries. A large signal enhancement is found near depleted (positively charged) grain boundaries for EBIC simulation, but in contrast with previous claims, solar cell performance drops. In contrast, little EBIC contrast is seen, but the cell performance improves when accumulated (negatively charged) grain boundaries are introduced. We explore the impact of doping level, lifetimes, and grain boundary charge to provide insight for design of improved thin film solar cells.
Novel approaches for studying the brain and relating its activities to mental phenomena have come into use during the past decade (Bargmann, 2015). These include both new laboratory methods - involving, among others, generation of isolated cells which retain neuronal characteristics in vivo; the selective stimulation of neurons by light in vivo; and direct electrical stimulation of specific brain regions to restore a system's balance of excitation and inhibition - and a new organizing principle, connectomics, which recognizes that networks, and not simply a key nucleus or region, underlie most brain functions and malfunctions. Its application has already improved our comprehension of how the brain normally functions and our ability to help patients with such poorly treated neurologic and psychiatric diseases as Alzheimer's disease. (c) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The analysis of pottery from the settlement Uttumer Escher is part of a DFG project which studies all riverside find complexes of the Roman Iron Age on the lower Weser and the lower Ems rivers in order to identify their possible function as wharves/piers. The pottery from Uttumer Escher stands out for their unusually high proportion of organically tempered ceramic ware reflecting a pottery variant, which is already known from other contemporary settlements astride the Ems. Typological comparisons and pottery analyses were conducted for a closer examination of this chronologically restricted and regional pottery tradition. They confirmed the already assumed peculiar manufacturing engineering. There is also frequent evidence for this pottery in the Dutch settlement area, although with different dating. A critical review of the basis of dating on the individual sites in both countries reveals that it could well be a contemporary phenomenon rendered possible by the necessity to add special temper to limey clay.
In this article, I argue that sustainable development is not possible without affordable and inclusive growth. Inequality and unsustainability are linked and unless the world is able to look for environmental solutions that are affordable and can meet the needs of all, these will not work.
Rho family GTPases are signaling molecules that orchestrate cytoskeletal dynamics in a variety of cellular processes. Because they effect localized changes to the cytoskeleton only in their active (GTP-bound) conformation, the ability to monitor the active state of Rho GTPases in space and time is critical for understanding their function. Here, we summarize popular tools used for live imaging of active Rho GTPases, outlining advantages and drawbacks of these approaches. Additionally, we highlight key features of the Xenopus laevis embryo that make it well-suited for epithelial cell biology and discuss how application of Rho activity reporters in the Xenopus laevis embryo led to the discovery of a novel phenomenon, junctional Rho flares.
Alzheimer's disease is a representative age-related neurodegenerative disease that could result in loss of memory and cognitive deficiency. However, the precise onset time of Alzheimer's disease affecting neuronal circuits and the mechanisms underlying the changes are not clearly known. To address the neuroanatomical changes during the early pathologic developing process, we acquired the neuronal morphological characterization of AD in APP/PS1 double-transgenic mice using the Micro-Optical Sectioning Tomography system. We reconstructed the neurons in 3D datasets with a resolution of 0.32 x 032 x 1 gm and used the Sholl method to analyze the anatomical characterization of the dendritic branches. The results showed that, similar to the progressive change in amyloid plaques, the number of dendritic branches were significantly decreased in 9-month-old mice. In addition, a distinct reduction of dendritic complexity occurred in third and fourth-order dendritic branches of 9-month-old mice, while no significant changes were identified in these parameters in 6-month-old mice. At the branch-level, the density distribution of dendritic arbors in the radial direction decreased in the range of 40-90 gm from the neuron soma in 6-month-old mice. These changes in the dendritic complexity suggest that these reductions contribute to the progressive cognitive impairment seen in APP/PS1 mice. This work may yield insights into the early changes in dendritic abnormality and its relevance to dysfunctional mechanisms of learning, memory and emotion in Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Geosynthetics is developing rapidly in civil engineering, water project, transportation engineering and other fields in recent years due to their advantages of lightweight, good continuity, easy construction, excellent tensile, anti-ripping strength and good resistance to chemicals and microorganism. The development, specific classification and application of Geosynthetics are depicted in this paper.
OBJECTIVE: To provide selectable microRNA for intervening diabetes mellitus diseases, NOD mice's expression of microRNA in pancreas tissues and blood under the exendin-4 intervention of was observed and the difference of microRNA target gene was screened. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty clean NOD mice were randomly divided into four groups (in each group, n = 10): One is blank control group D which is intervened with normal saline, and the other three groups were divided into low-dose group A, middle-dose group B, and high-dose group C according to the different exendin- 4 dosage 2, 4, and 8 mu g/kg.d. After the 8-week intervention, these four groups were killed, and the pancreatic tissue and blood were left to prepare specimens for morphology and molecular biology analysis. The specimen with differential expression microRNA in pancreas tissue and blood should be screened out after detected with the locked nucleic acid array system (LNATM) microRNA expression profile chip. The primers should be designed, and the ABI7500 real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR should be applied to amplify, analyze, and verify according to the screen results of the microRNA chip in order to screen out the significant differentially expressed microRNA. RESULTS: Histological detection showed that the pancreas of the mice in control group D was fibrosis gradually and the islet frame was relatively disordered and significantly atrophied. Groups A, B, and C have no islet hypertrophy or atrophy and the degree of fibrosis of the pancreas has reduced. According to the gene chip detection, there are four significantly differently expressed microRNAs in pancreas tissue and blood among the group A, B, and C, among which miR-19a, miR-19b, and miR-22 were down-regulated expressed while the miRNA-1 was upregulated expressed. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the target genes of 4 differentially regulated microRNA genes were related to cell proliferation, apoptosis, glucose metabolism, and angiogenesis. The expression of microRNA in pancreatic tissue and blood of NOD rats was highly consistent. CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNA expression file of pancreatic tissue and blood can be changed during the intervention of the NOD rat model with exendin-4. MicroRNA that indicates the differential expression may take part in the recovering process of the NOD pancreatic trauma. At the same time, the administration of exendin- 4 can protect NOD mice, reduce its pancreatic tissue fibrosis, and regulate molecular markers of pancreatic cells in size and pancreatic mast cells. This may be one of the main mechanisms of pancreatic injury in diabetes prevention.
Considerable evidence suggests that adolescent exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocanabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in marijuana, increases the risk of developing schizophrenia-related symptoms in early adulthood. In the present study, we used a combination of behavioral and molecular analyses with in vivo neuronal electrophysiology to compare the long-termeffects of adolescent versus adulthood THC exposure in rats. We report that adolescent, but not adult, THC exposure induces long-term neuropsychiatric-like phenotypes similar to those observed in clinical populations. Thus, adolescent THC exposure induced behavioral abnormalities resembling positive and negative schizophrenia-related endophenotypes and a state of neuronal hyperactivity in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway. Furthermore, we observed profound alterations in several prefrontal cortical molecular pathways consistent with sub-cortical DAergic dysregulation. Our findings demonstrate a profound dissociation in relative risk profiles for adolescent versus adulthood exposure to THC in terms of neuronal, behavioral, and molecular markers resembling neuropsychiatric pathology.
Particulate matter (PM) pollution from China is transported eastward to Korea and Japan and has been suggested to influence surface air quality on the West Coast of the United States. However, remote sensing studies have been inconclusive as to recent trends in Chinese emissions and transport. We reconciled different passive remote sensing points of view and found that while aerosol optical thickness (AOT) as an indicator of particulate pollution has increased from the start of the observation period (2000) to 2006-2007 from the main Chinese coastal outflow regions, since then there has been a 10-20% decrease in AOT (with respect to 2007). Reductions were observed in spring, summer, and fall seasons. No improvement in exported PM pollution is found for the winter season. Plain Language Summary Particulate matter pollution from China is transported eastward to Korea and Japan and has been suggested to influence surface air quality on the West Coast of the United States. However, remote sensing studies have been inconclusive as to recent trends in Chinese emissions and transport. We reconciled different passive remote sensing points of view and found that while aerosol optcial thickness (AOT) as an indicator of particulate pollution has increased to 2006-2007 in the main exit regions of China's coast, since then there has been a 10-20% decrease in AOT (with respect to 2007). Reductions were observed in spring, summer, and fall seasons. No improvement in exported particulate matter pollution is found for the winter season.
Psychiatry research has long experienced a stagnation stemming from a lack of understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of phenomenologically defined mental disorders. Recently, the application of computational neuroscience to psychiatry research has shown great promise in establishing a link between phenomenological and pathophysiological aspects of mental disorders, thereby recasting current nosology in more biologically meaningful dimensions. In this review, we highlight recent investigations into computational neuroscience that have undertaken either theory- or data-driven approaches to quantitatively delineate the mechanisms of mental disorders. The theory-driven approach, including reinforcement learning models, plays an integrative role in this process by enabling correspondence between behavior and disorder-specific alterations at multiple levels of brain organization, ranging from molecules to cells to circuits. Previous studies have explicated a plethora of defining symptoms of mental disorders, including anhedonia, inattention, and poor executive function. The data-driven approach, on the other hand, is an emerging field in computational neuroscience seeking to identify disorder-specific features among high-dimensional big data. Remarkably, various machine-learning techniques have been applied to neuroimaging data, and the extracted disorder-specific features have been used for automatic case-control classification. For many disorders, the reported accuracies have reached 90% or more. However, we note that rigorous tests on independent cohorts are critically required to translate this research into clinical applications. Finally, we discuss the utility of the disorder-specific features found by the data-driven approach to psychiatric therapies, including neurofeedback. Such developments will allow simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders using neuroimaging, thereby establishing theranostics' for the first time in clinical psychiatry.
Arctic river icings are surface ice accumulations that can be >10km(2) in area and >10m thick. They commonly impact the hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology of Arctic river environments. Previous examination of icing dynamics in Arctic Alaska found no substantial changes in extent through 2005. However, here we use daily time series of satellite imagery for 2000-2015 to demonstrate that the temporal persistence and minimum summertime extent of large icings in part of Arctic Alaska and Canada have declined rapidly. We identified 122 large ephemeral icings, and 70 are disappearing significantly earlier in the summer, with a mean trend of -1.60.9day(-1) for fully ephemeral features. Additionally, 14 of 25 icings that usually persist through the summer have significantly smaller minimum extents (-2.61.6%yr(-1)). These declines are remarkably rapid and suggest that Arctic hydroclimatic systems generating icings, and their associated ecosystems, are changing rapidly. Plain Language Summary Liquid water emerging from groundwater and flowing through Arctic rivers during the winter often freezes into large ice features, which are called river icings. These icings, which are found in nearly all parts of the Arctic, create wide, gravelly river channels that can be important habitat for animals. When icings melt during the summer, they help keep rivers flowing when other water sources are limited. Up until now, no study has systematically looked at whether these features are changing in response to warming temperatures. We use daily satellite imagery available over northern Alaska from 2000 to 2015 in order to test whether icings are becoming smaller or disappearing earlier in the summer. Of 147 features examined, we found that 84 are either becoming smaller (for those that persist throughout the summer) or are disappearing earlier (for those that fully melt each summer). None are becoming larger or disappearing later. These changes may be directly related to warming temperatures, but they may also be happening because climate change is altering how rivers and groundwater interact. If these trends continue, we may see changes in the form of many Arctic rivers and impacts on the habitat of animals like fish and caribou.
This paper presents a 3-D statistical simulation study of an n-channel Si step-FinFET due to work-function variability depending on grain orientation of metal gate. The statistical fluctuation induced by metal gate granularity on threshold-voltage (sigma V-T), ON current (sigma I-ON), and OFF current (sigma I-OFF) are estimated for a wide range of channel length and effective fin width for varying average grain size using Technology Computer Aided Design simulator. We investigated the effect of grain on magnitude of variability and also on shapes of various electrical parameters of distribution. The results indicate that sigma V-T decreases for increase in each dimension of the device. The value of sigma(ION), and sigma(IOFF) reduces as channel length increases. However, sigma(ION) and sigma(IOFF) increase as fin width increases. The distribution of electrical parameters is near to normal for small grain size and becomes bimodal at large grain size. The proposed structure shows excellent behavior in terms of threshold-voltage (V-T), subthreshold swing, and current ratio (I-ON/I-OFF) compared with conventional FinFET at high temperature. It is found that the hot carrier effect reduces with increased effective channel width.
The Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Besides, they are some of the most dependent on imported petroleum products in the world, the use of renewable energy (RE) can help minimize the economic risk associated with the price volatility of fossil fuels. The region is increasingly adopting renewable energy (RE) targets and policies. Successful examples of RE deployment in the Pacific SIDS exist; however, many barriers persist and prevent the use of the region's RE resources in a larger scale. Challenges for RE deployment in islands can be grouped in six categories: i) lack of RE data, ii) need for policy and regulatory frameworks, iii) scarcity of financial opportunities, iv) lack of human resources, v) costly infrastructure, and vi) socio-cultural impediments. Based on a survey conducted among main stakeholders in the region, within the framework of the Pacific Region Capacity Building Initiative of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) carried out in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), this paper identifies the specific characteristics of these challenges in the context of the Pacific SIDS, provide a qualitative assessment and identifies recommendations to overcome these challenges. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Whereas the question of verbal versus nonverbal primacy has gained intensive interest, considerably less attention has been devoted to parental response to children's verbal/nonverbal incongruence. This study comprehensively analyzed parental responses to children's incongruence during mutual interactions. Parent-child interactions (n = 160) in structured joint game sequences were filmed in their homes and analyzed using a mixed multivariate design. Unexpectedly, parents related almost equally to verbal and nonverbal channels. The analysis of a wide range of social and situational contexts, including child's sex, parent's sex, SES, and task difficulty, highlighted their significant effects and delineated the contexts that activated verbal primacy, nonverbal primacy, and incongruent responses. This study provides a composite theoretical framework for the relative dominance of verbal versus nonverbal communication.
Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) show cognitive and behavioral disorders, which they and their caregivers have difficulties to cope with in daily life. Psychological symptoms seem to be increased by impaired emotion processing in patients, this ability being linked to social cognition and thus essential to maintain good interpersonal relationships. Non-verbal emotion processing is a genuine way to communicate, especially so for patients whose language may be rapidly impaired. Many studies focus on emotion identification in AD patients, mostly by means of facial expressions rather than emotional prosody; even fewer consider emotional prosody production, despite its playing a key role in interpersonal exchanges. The literature on this subject is scarce with contradictory results. The present study compares the performances of 14 AD patients (88.4 +/- 4.9 yrs; MMSE: 19.9 +/- 2.7) to those of 14 control subjects (87.5 +/- 5.1 yrs; MMSE: 28.1 +/- 1.4) in tasks of emotion identification through faces and voices (non linguistic vocal emotion or emotional prosody) and in a task of emotional prosody production (12 sentences were to be pronounced in a neutral, positive, or negative tone, after a context was read). The Alzheimer's disease patients showed weaker performances than control subjects in all emotional recognition tasks and particularly when identifying emotional prosody. A negative relation between the identification scores and the NPI (professional caregivers) scores was found which underlines their link to psychological and behavioral disorders. The production of emotional prosody seems relatively preserved in a mild to moderate stage of the disease: we found subtle differences regarding acoustic parameters but in a qualitative way judges established that the patients' productions were as good as those of control subjects. These results suggest interesting new directions for improving patients' care.
The environmental regulation of a coal mine in the greater Sydney area has failed to recognise the importance of and protect a high conservation-value river located in a World Heritage listed area. This study measured the water quality and ecological health (using macroinvertebrates) of the Wollangambe River and its tributaries near the point of the waste water discharge of a coal mine and assessed the longitudinal impact for 22 km downstream. The investigation revealed two important aspects. The first is the significant impact of the waste water discharge when compared to the otherwise near-pristine condition of the high conservation-value river system. The second is the spatial extent of the pollution from the mine that extends at least 22 km downstream from the outflow of coal mine wastes. The resulting water pollution is causing major impairment of the aquatic ecosystem, with reduced abundance, taxonomic richness and loss of pollution-sensitive macroin-vertebrate groups. Water pollution from the mine includes thermal pollution, increased salinity and increased concentrations of zinc and nickel. The mine's waste discharge also strongly modified the river's ionic composition. The study also highlights the failure of the regulatory and governance systems that enable the mine to operate in a manner that causes major environmental impacts.
The recent rise of virtual and augmented reality applications, ambient intelligence, as well as video games have encouraged the proliferation of gestural input devices such as the Razer Hydra, Leap Motion Controller, and Kinect 3D. Because these devices do not relay data in a standard format, application developers are forced to use a different Application Programming Interface (API) for each device. The main objective of this research was to define and implement LaGeR (Language for Gesture Representation), a language for the representation and interpretation of two and three dimensional device-agnostic gestures. Through LaGeR, developers can define gestures that will then be processed regardless of the device and the APIs involved. To ease the use of LaGeR, a LaGeR Workbench was developed as a set of tools and software libraries to convert gestures into LaGeR strings, recognize those strings as gestures, visualize the originating gestures in 3D, and communicate those detections to subscribing programs. In addition, LaGeR's effectiveness was validated through experiments in which LaGeR Workbench was used to give users control of representative functionality of the Google Chrome web browser by using two-hand gestures with a Razer Hydra device. LaGeR was found to be simple yet expressive enough to represent gestures and develop gesture-based device-agnostic applications.
The use of ethnic imagery in visual identities of brands, such as those used by professional sports franchises, has long been a contentious issue in American society. This research investigates the oft-voiced argument that ethnic brand imagery perpetuates negative stereotypes (a claim that has been subject to very little empirical scrutiny) and identifies conditions under which encountering such brand imagery strengthens both positive and negative implicit stereotypes. Within the context of American Indian brand imagery, two laboratory experiments (Studies 1 and 2) and a quasi experimental field study (Study 3) revealed that the effects of ethnic brand imagery on stereotypes depend on the viewer's political identity. Exposure to ethnic brand imagery strengthened implicit stereotypes only among more liberal individuals, consistent with the idea that liberals tend to hold more malleable views. These findings demonstrate measurable negative effects of ethnic brand imagery on implicit stereotypes and support the view that the use of such imagery can carry detrimental societal consequences. (C) 2016 Society for Consumer Psychology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This paper provides a review of key concepts for concurrent design for different machine types that are suitable for self-sensing at both zero to low speed and high speed operation. The impact of modifying the machine design to be suitable for self-sensing on power conversion properties (Average, cogging and ripple torque) is presented for several classical and advanced machine types. General recommendations to yield both self-sensing performance and good power conversion properties are provided for induction machines, surface permanent magnet machines, flux-intensifying interior permanent magnet machines, and variable flux machines with variable magnetization state and variable leakage flux.
With the development of trusted network, the research of trusted evaluation mechanism of user behavior is a hotpot in the network security. In order to solve the problems of subjectivity, limitations and static in traditional trusted network user behavior evaluation models, we have to find a real-time and dynamic evaluation method for user behavior. In this paper, the authors construct a real-time evaluation mechanism based on double evidence classification of user behavior (DEC-UB). The evaluation mechanism includes the process classification and characteristic classification of user behavior evidence, which makes the user behavior evidence of any time can be directly involved in the trust evaluation, and the evaluation result is more comprehensive and accurate. Simulation experiments have evaluated the three kinds of user behaviors based on the DEC-UB, and compared them with the other two kinds of trust evaluation methods of user behavior, the results show that the proposed methods can evaluate the user's behavior comprehensively, accurately and dynamically in complex network environments, and the results are more realistic.
Performance of compacted clay liners commonly used as landfill barrier systems can be subject to decline in terms of hydraulic conductivity if left exposed to atmospheric conditions for an extended period of time prior to placement of overlaying layers. The resulting desiccation cracking can lead to increased hydraulic conductivity. Desiccation crack intensity was studied for three clayey soils commonly used for construction of landfill barrier system in a relatively large scale test setup exposed to real time atmospheric conditions over a complete annual cycle. A white separator geotextile cover was presumed to be capable of reducing the intensity of desiccation cracking through absorbing and maintaining higher amounts of moisture and reducing the temperature of the soil surface in comparison to a directly exposed soil surface. Desiccation cracking was monitored using a digital imaging technique for three compacted clay liners in two sets, one open to air and the second covered with the white geotextile. Crack intensity factor approached a relatively stable phase after certain cycles corresponding to atmospheric dry wet cycles. The results indicated that the white separator geotextile was capable of reducing the crack intensity factor by 37.4-45.9% throughout the experiment including the cyclic phase of desiccation cracking. During the stable phase, the maximum reduction in crack intensity factor of 90.4% as a result of applying geotextile cover was observed for the soil with the lowest plastic index and clay content and therefore the lowest magnitude of crack intensity factor. The other two soils with similar clay content but different plastic index showed 23.6% and 52.2% reductions in crack intensity factor after cyclic phase when covered with geotextile. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cockroach (CR) allergies caused by the American cockroach hyave been recognized to be repsonsible for IgE-mediated type I hypersensitivity worldwide. Per a 10 is one of the recognized main allergens of the American CR. In a previous study, we examined another American CR allergen, Per a 9 in patients with CR allergies and examined epitope sequences in this allergen. In the present study, we aimed to examine epitope sequences in the Per a 10 allergen. for this purpose, the Per a 10 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) systems. Our results revealed that 9 out of 16 (56.3%) sera from patients with American CR allergies reacted to Per a10, as assessed by ELISA, confirming that Per a 10 is a major allergen of the American CR. Our results also revealed that the expression of CD63 and CCR3 on passively sensitized basophils (obtained sera of patients with American CR allergies) was increased by approximately 2.3-fold, indicating that recombinant Per a 10 is functionally active. In addition, 3 immunoinformatics tools, namely the DNAStar Protean system, the Bioinformatics Predicted Antigenic Peptides (BPAP) system and the BepiPred 1.0 server were used to predict the peptides and the results revealed 8 peptides (2-12, 55-67, 98-120, 125-133, 149-160, 170-182, 201-208 and 223-227) as potential B cell epitopes of the Per a 10 allergen. Moreover, Per a 10 was predicted to have 3 T cell epitope sequences, namely 83-92, 139-147 and 162-170. The findings of our study on the CR allergen may prove to be useful in the development of peptide-based vaccine for the prevention and/or treatment of CR allergies.
Introduction: Neuroinflammation is a crucial mechanism in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases pathophysiology. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) YKL-40 - an indicator of microglial activation - has recently been identified by proteomic studies as a candidate biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD).Areas covered: We review the impact of CSF YKL-40 as a pathophysiological biomarker for AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. CSF YKL-40 concentrations have been shown to predict progression from prodromal mild cognitive impairment to AD dementia. Moreover, a positive association between CSF YKL-40 and other biomarkers of neurodegeneration - particularly total tau protein - has been reported during the asymptomatic preclinical stage of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Albeit preliminary, current data do not support an association between APOE-epsilon 4 status and CSF YKL-40 concentrations. When interpreting the diagnostic/prognostic significance of CSF YKL-40 concentrations in neurodegenerative diseases, potential confounders - including age, metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors, diagnostic criteria for selecting cases/controls - need to be considered.Expert opinion/commentary: CSF YKL-40 represents a pathophysiological biomarker reflecting immune/inflammatory mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases, associated with tau protein pathology. Besides being associated with tau pathology, CSF YKL-40 adds to the growing array of biomarkers reflecting distinct molecular brain mechanisms potentially useful for stratifying individuals for biomarker-guided, targeted anti-inflammatory therapies emerging from precision medicine.
This paper presents a high-speed drive to be used for electrically-assisted turbo charging in an internal combustion engine. The electrification of the turbo-charger system can enhance the performance and reduce the dynamic drawbacks that affect conventional solutions i.e. turbo-lag. However, the design of the electric drive presents some challenges, especially related to the thermally aggressive environment and the high rotational speed. Therefore, a system level design approach needs to be adopted, where all the different sub-systems of the drive are addressed simultaneously. Thus, this paper includes considerations for the thermal and electromagnetic machine design. Furthermore, a voltage source inverter featuring wide-bandgap SiC power devices is described, and a sensorless rotor position detection and digital control is used to drive the machine. Finally, the test setup and preliminary experimental results are presented.
Informal groups form hierarchies and allocate social status in order to coordinate action and make collective decisions. Although researchers have identified characteristics of people who tend to get status, the extent to which these characteristics are context-dependent is unclear. In two studies, participants from the United States (N = 157) and Germany (N = 95) engaged in affiliative or competitive group interactions. We investigated whether the nature of the group's task moderated the relationship between status attainment and personality. As in previous research, we found that extraversion predicted status in both competitive and affiliative contexts. In contrast, agreeableness was only associated with status in affiliative contexts. These findings underscore the importance of examining the relationship between personality and social status in context.
It is widely recognized that the public-key cryptosystems are playing tremendously an important role for providing the security services. In majority of the cryptosystems the crucial arithmetic operation is modular exponentiation. It is composed of a series of modular multiplications. Hence, the performance of any cryptosystem is strongly depends on the efficient implementation of these operations. This paper presents the Bit Forwarding 3-bits(BFW3) technique for efficient implementation of modular exponentiation. The modular multiplication involved in BFW3 is evaluated with the help of Montgomery method. These techniques improves the performance by reducing the frequency of modular multiplications. Results shows that the BFW3 technique is able to reduce the frequency of multiplications by 18.20% for 1024-bit exponent. This reduction resulted in increased throughput of 18.11% in comparison with MME42_C2 at the cost of 1.09% extra area. The power consumption reduced by 8.53% thereby saving the energy up to 10.10%.
Online language learning and teaching in multimodal contexts has been identified as one of the key research areas in computer-aided learning (CALL) (Lamy, 2013; White, 2014).(1) This paper aims to explore meaning-making in online language learner interactions via desktop videoconferencing (DVC) and in doing so illustrate multimodal transcription and analysis as well as the application of theoretical frameworks from other fields. Recordings of learner DVC interactions and interviews are qualitatively analysed within a case study methodology. The analysis focuses on how semiotic resources available in DVC are used for meaning-making, drawing on semiotics, interactional sociolinguistics, nonverbal communication, multimodal interaction analysis and conversation analysis. The findings demonstrate the use of contextualization cues, five codes of the body, paralinguistic elements for emotional expression, gestures and overlapping speech in meaning-making. The paper concludes with recommendations for teachers and researchers using and investigating language learning and teaching in multimodal contexts.
The severe global climate changes result in consecutive torrential rains in rainy season, and causes water loss and soil erosion. For an effective water and soil conservation, geotextiles are commonly used in geotechnical engineering. Geotextiles should able to isolate soil, filter water, and reinforce the soil; therefore, the material for geotextiles should be acid-resistant and alkali-resistant, such as polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET). This study uses PP fibers as the skin and PET plied yarns as the core to form PP/PET composite tubular knits on a cord knitting machine. The PET plied yarn is fed with a specified tensile strength, and only the tooth number of the drive gear varies. Mechanical property test results show that a drive gear of 30 teeth increases the tensile strength of the resulting tubular knits; however, with a drive gear of 35 teeth, the tensile strength decreases. An optimal core coverage occurs with a drive gear of 30 teeth.
Visual animal biometrics is an emerging research discipline in computer vision, pattern recognition and cognitive science. It is a promising research field that encourages new development of quantified algorithms and methodologies for representing, detection of visible features, phenotypic appearances of species, individuals and recognition of morphological and animal biometric characteristics. Furthermore, it also assists the study of animal trajectory and behaviours analysis of species. Currently, real-world applications of visual animal biometric systems are gaining more proliferation due to a variety of applications and use, enhancement of quantity and quality of the collection of extensive ecological data and processing. However, to advance visual animal biometrics will require integration of methodologies among the scientific disciplines involved. Such valuable efforts will be worthwhile due to the enormous perspective of this approach rests with the formal abstraction of phenomics, to build well-developed interfaces between different organisational levels of life. This study provides a comprehensive survey of visual animal biometric systems and recognition approaches for various species and individual animal based on their morphological image pattern and biometric characteristics. This comprehensive review paper encourages the multidisciplinary researchers, scientists, biologists and different research communities to design the better platforms for the development of efficient algorithms and learning models to solve the massive data processing, classification and identification of different species related problems.
The diurnal light cycle has a crucial influence on all life on earth. Unfortunately, modern society has modified this life- governing cycle by stressing maximum production and by giving insufficient attention to the ecological balance and homeostasis of the human metabolism. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of exposure or lack of exposure to natural light in a rest/ activity rhythm on cortisol and melatonin levels, as well as on psychological variables in humans under natural conditions. This is a cross- sectional study. The subjects were allocated split into two groups according to their workspace ( 10 employees in the with window'' group and 10 in the without window'' group). All participants were women and wore anactigraph ( Actiwatch 2, Philips Respironics), which measures activity and ambient light exposure, for seven days. Concentrations of melatonin and cortisol were measured from the saliva samples. Participants were instructed to collect saliva during the last day of use of the actigraph at 08: 00 am, 4: 00 pm and 10: 00 pm. The subjects answered the Self- Reporting Questionnaire- 20 ( SRQ- 20) to measure the presence of minor psychiatric disorders; the Montgomery- Asberg ( MA) scale was used to measure depression symptoms, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire ( PSQI) was used to evaluate the quality of sleep. The Rayleigh analysis indicates that the two groups, `` with window'' an d `` without window'', exhibited similar activities and light acrophases. In relation to light exposure, the mesor was significantly higher ( t 2.651, p 0.023) in t he `` with window'' group ( 191.04 133.36) than in the `` without window'' group ( 73.8 42.05). Additionally, the `` with window'' group presented the highest amplitude of light exposure ( 298.07 222.97). Cortisol levels were significantly different between the groups at 10: 00 pm ( t 3.009, p 0.008; `` without window'' ( 4.01 0.91) `` with window'' ( 3.10 0.30)). In terms of the melatonin levels, the groups differed at two different times of day: 08: 00 am ( t 2.593, p 0.018) and 10: 00 pm ( t 2.939, p 0.009). The `` with window'' group had a lower melatonin level at 08: 00 am ( 3.54 0.60) but a higher level at 10: 00 pm ( 24.74 4.22) than the `` without window'' group. Higher cortisol levels were positively correlated with minor psychiatric disorders and depressive symptoms ( MA) at 10: 00 pm. Lower melatonin levels at 10: 00 pm were correlated with depressive symptoms and poor quality of sleep ( PSQI). Our study demonstrated that not only may light pollution affect human physiology but also lack of exposure to natural light is related to high levels of cortisol and lower levels of melatonin at night, and these, in turn, are related to depressive symptoms and poor quality of sleep.
Purpose of reviewDendritic cells are specialized antigen-presenting cells which link innate and adaptive immunity, through recognition and presentation of antigen to T cells. Although the importance of dendritic cells has been demonstrated in many animal models, their contribution to human immunity remains relatively unexplored in vivo.Given their central role in infection, autoimmunity, and malignancy, dendritic cell deficiency or dysfunction would be expected to have clinical consequences.Recent findingsHuman dendritic cell deficiency disorders, related to GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) and interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) mutations, have highlighted the importance of dendritic cells and monocytes in primary immunodeficiency diseases and begun to shed light on their nonredundant roles in host defense and immune regulation in vivo. The contribution of dendritic cell and monocyte dysfunction to the pathogenesis of primary immunodeficiency disease phenotypes is becoming increasingly apparent. However, dendritic cell analysis is not yet a routine part of primary immunodeficiency disease workup.SummaryWidespread uptake of dendritic cell/monocyte screening in clinical practice will facilitate the discovery of novel dendritic cell and monocyte disorders as well as advancing our understanding of human dendritic cell biology in health and disease.
This paper presents a method to evaluate the computational cost of a function in embedded systems. This method, which uses the Least Squares method, is useful to see the sample time choice feasibility, in control applications. In this work, the developed method is used to evaluate the computational cost of the model-based predictive control to speed control of a shunt direct current motor. The method was tested using two embedded devices allowing to find the correct sample time for each device evaluated.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a risk for substance use disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adult ADHD symptoms, opioid use disorder, life dysfunction and co-occurring psychiatric symptoms. 1057 heroin dependent patients on opioid substitution treatment participated in the survey. All patients were screened for adult ADHD symptoms using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1). 19.4% of the patients screened positive for concurrent adult ADHD symptoms status and heroin dependence. Education level was lower among patients with ADHD symptoms, but not significant with respect to non-ADHD patients. Patients with greater ADHD symptoms severity were less likely to be employed. A positive association was observed between ADHD symptoms status and psychiatric symptoms. Patients with ADHD symptoms status were more likely to be smokers. Patients on methadone had a higher rate of ADHD symptoms status compared to buprenorphine. Those individuals prescribed psychoactive drugs were more likely to have ADHD symptoms. In conclusion, high rate of ADHD symptoms was found among heroin dependent patients, particularly those affected by the most severe form of addiction. These individuals had higher rates of unemployment, other co-morbid mental health conditions, heavy tobacco smoking. Additional psychopharmacological interventions targeting ADHD symptoms, other than opioid substitution, is a public health need.
We show the promotion intervention has positive effects during intergroup contact, but that high levels of compunction can have negative effects. Intergroup contact is probably the longest standing and most comprehensively researched intervention to reduce discrimination. It is also part of ordinary social experience, and a key context in which discrimination is played out. In this paper, we explore two additional interventions which are also designed to reduce discrimination, but which have not yet been applied to real intergroup interactions. The promotion intervention encourages participants to relax and enjoy an interaction, while the compunction intervention motivates participants to avoid discrimination. Across two studies, we tested the separate effects of promotion (Study 1) and then compunction (Study 2) on participants' interactions with a confederate whom they believed to have a history of schizophrenia. In Study 1, participants received either a promotion intervention to relax and have an enjoyable dialogue or no intervention (control; n = 67). In Study 2, participants completed a Single-Category Implicit Attitude Test before being told that they were high in prejudice (high compunction condition) or low in prejudice (low compunction condition; n = 62). Results indicated that promotion was associated with broadly positive effects: participants reported more positive experience of the interaction (enjoyment and interest in a future interaction), and more positive evaluations of their contact partner (increased friendliness and reduced stereotyping). There were no effects on participants' reported intergroup anxiety. In contrast, high compunction had broadly negative effects: participants reported more negative experiences of the interaction and more negative evaluations of their contact partner (using the same dependent measures outlined above). In addition, participants in the high compunction condition reported increased intergroup anxiety and increased self-anxiety (anxiety around thinking or doing something that is prejudiced). Participants in the high compunction condition also reported reduced expectancies of self-efficacy (i.e., they were less confident that they would be able to make a good impression).
Variations in DNA copy number carry important information on genome evolution and regulation of DNA replication in cancer cells. The rapid development of single-cell sequencing technology allows one to explore gene expression heterogeneity among single-cells, thus providing important cancer cell evolution information. Single-cell DNA/RNA sequencing data usually have low genome coverage, which requires an extra step of amplification to accumulate enough samples. However, such amplification will introduce large bias and makes bioinformatics analysis challenging. Accurately modeling the distribution of sequencing data and effectively suppressing the bias influence is the key to success variations analysis. Recent advances demonstrate the technical noises by amplification are more likely to follow negative binomial distribution, a special case of Poisson distribution. Thus, we tackle the problem CNV detection by formulating it into a quadratic optimization problem involving two constraints, in which the underling signals are corrupted by Poisson distributed noises. By imposing the constraints of sparsity and smoothness, the reconstructed read depth signals from single-cell sequencing data are anticipated to fit the CNVs patterns more accurately. An efficient numerical solution based on the classical alternating direction minimization method (ADMM) is tailored to solve the proposed model. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method Using both synthetic and empirical single-cell sequencing data. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves excellent performance and high promise of success with single-cell sequencing data. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The allermix survey was conducted to gain insights into the most frequently diagnosed allergies worldwide, the use of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in clinical practice, and to identify current clinical approaches for the management of polyallergic patients.Methods: The survey was conducted in 19 countries worldwide during 2016. Clinicians currently prescribing AIT completed an online questionnaire, designed to gather data on their daily clinical practice, most commonly diagnosed and treated allergies among their patients, awareness and adherence to recommendations and guidelines on AIT, the AIT format(s) that they choose to prescribe, and management of polyallergic patients.Results: Respondents (N=1029) considered a clinical demonstration of safety and effectiveness, and quality and standardization of allergen extract, as key factors influencing their choice of which AIT formulation to prescribe. 98% of respondents reported managing polyallergic patients; 58% were treated with single-allergen AIT and 42% with multiple-allergen AIT. 74% of respondents were aware of latest AIT practice guidelines, while 67% had an awareness of recent recommendations for pharmaceutical manufacturers.Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for high-quality AIT products that are supported by robust efficacy and safety data, and address the treatment habits of allergy specialists in their real-life clinical practice.
A Virtual Reality-based learning framework of electrical discharge machining (EDM) is presented in this research. The architecture supports hands-on exercise in precision manufacturing field for distance education and allows learners to practice and access an EDM-based virtual environment by means of the Internet. In this research, open-source software tools and virtual interactive technology available are integrated to develop an emulated, effective, learning environment for distance education.
Identifying the origins of social bias is critical to devising strategies to overcome prejudice. In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that young children can catch novel social biases from brief exposure to biased nonverbal signals demonstrated by adults. Our results are consistent with this hypothesis. In Experiment 1, we found that children who were exposed to a brief video depicting nonverbal bias in favor of one individual over another subsequently explicitly preferred, and were more prone to behave prosocially toward, the target of positive nonverbal signals. Moreover, in Experiment 2, preschoolers generalized such bias to other individuals. The spread of bias observed in these experiments lays a critical foundation for understanding the way that social biases may develop and spread early in childhood.
Development of a novel highly sensitive headspace sorptive extraction (HSSE) method in combination with thermal desorption gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (TD-GC/MS) allowed the identification of thymol and several phase I metabolites in human urine. Combined with an enzymatic hydrolysis of glucuronated or sulphated phase II metabolites of thymol and of the respective phase I metabolites prior to analysis, even trace quantities of hitherto not detected thymol phase I metabolites could be identified in urine samples of test persons after oral administration of 50 mg thymol. It was proven, that human metabolism leads to a hydroxylation of the aromatic ring as well as of the isopropyl side chain. Hydroxylation of the iso-propyl group results in the formation of the rather unstable p-cymene-3,8-diol and the corresponding dehydration product p-cymene-3-ol-8-ene which could be clearly detected in human urine samples. Furthermore, the aromatic hydroxylation products p-cymene-2,5-diol, its oxidation product p-cymene-2,5-dione and p-cymene-2,3-diol were also unambiguously identified by comparison with synthesized reference compounds. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This study explored stereotype constructions people may impute on to others in the context of a contagious disease epidemic. Participants were 30 undergraduate students from a large university in Johannesburg, South Africa. They completed the open-ended Build-A-Character Questionnaire, which described the typical person in South Africa who they currently believed to be at particular risk of HIV infection. The data were thematically analysed and interpreted. Seven themes resulted, based on the stereotyping of marginalised groups in South Africa considered as being at higher risk for HIV due to historical disadvantage: blacks, women, and the poor. A social cognitive framework explains these stereotypes as they apply to perceived out-groups, and they carry risk to undermine public health interventions regarding the HIV pandemic in South Africa across population segments.
Power electronic converters are single input multiple output (SIMO) systems in frequency domain. In distributed power system (DPS), one converter's switching frequency ripples are another converter's perturbations, and beat frequency components are generated due to their SIMO characteristics. As the control loops of power converters always take high gains in low-frequency regions if the beat frequency components are relatively low, they may be magnified and presented as oscillations, which will introduce system instability. This paper proposes a matrix-based multifrequency output impedance model to describe the SIMO characteristics of power converters and to analyze the stability of DPS. The buck converter is specifically illustrated as demonstration. The proposed model indicates that the variation of switching frequency, as well as those traditionally discussed parameters of control loops and passive components, could also change output impedance characteristics and introduce system instability. In DPS, the beat frequency oscillation that traditional models fail to explain could be accurately predicted by the proposed model. In addition, based on the proposed model, the switching frequencies for power converters can be optimized to improve the stability of power electronic-based systems. Simulation and experimental results validate the accuracy and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Although the Oct4/Sox2 complex is crucial for maintaining the pluripotency of stem cells, the molecular basis underlying its regulation during lineage-specific differentiation remains unknown. Here, we revealed that the highly conserved Oct4/Lys-156 is important for maintaining the stability of the Oct4 protein and the intermolecular salt bridge between Oct4/Lys-151 and Sox2/Asp-107 that contributes to the Oct4/Sox2 interaction. Post-translational modifications at Lys-156 and K156N, a somatic mutation detected in bladder cancer patients, both impaired the Lys-151-Asp-107 salt bridge and the Oct4/Sox2 interaction. When produced as a recombinant protein or overexpressed in pluripotent stem cells, Oct4/K156N, with reduced binding to Sox2, significantly down-regulated the stemness genes that are cooperatively controlled by the Oct4/Sox2 complex and specifically up-regulated the mesendodermal genes and the SNAIL family genes that promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Thus, we conclude that Oct4/Lys-156-modulated Oct4/Sox2 interaction coordinately controls the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and mesendoderm specification induced by specific differentiation signals.
The treatment of renal failure has changed little in decades. Organ transplantation and dialysis continue to represent the only therapeutic options available. However, decades of fundamental research into the response of the kidney to acute injury and the processes driving progression to chronic kidney disease are beginning to open doors to new options. Similarly, continued investigations into the cellular and molecular basis of normal kidney development, together with major advances in stem cell biology, are now delivering options in regenerative medicine not possible as recently as a decade ago. In this review, we will discuss advances in regenerative medicine as it may be applied to the kidney. This will cover cellular therapies focused on ameliorating injury and improving repair as well as advancements in the generation of new renal tissue from stem/progenitor cells.
Background: Fasciolosis remains a significant food-borne trematode disease causing high morbidity around the world and affecting grazing animals and humans. A deeper understanding concerning the molecular mechanisms by which Fasciola hepatica infection occurs, as well as the molecular basis involved in acquiring protection is extremely important when designing and selecting new vaccine candidates. The present study provides a first report of microarray-based technology for describing changes in the splenic gene expression profile for mice immunised with a highly effective, protection-inducing, multi-epitope, subunit-based, chemically-synthesised vaccine candidate against F. hepatica. Methods: The mice were immunised with synthetic peptides containing B-and T-cell epitopes, which are derived from F. hepatica cathepsin B and amoebapore proteins, as novel vaccine candidates against F. hepatica formulated in an adjuvant adaptation vaccination system; they were experimentally challenged with F. hepatica metacercariae. Spleen RNA from mice immunised with the highest protection-inducing synthetic peptides was isolated, amplified and labelled using Affymetrix standardised protocols. Data was then background corrected, normalised and the expression signal was calculated. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool was then used for analysing differentially expressed gene identifiers for annotating bio-functions and constructing and visualising molecular interaction networks. Results: Mice immunised with a combination of three peptides containing T-cell epitopes induced high protection against experimental challenge according to survival rates and hepatic damage scores. It also induced differential expression of 820 genes, 168 genes being up-regulated and 652 genes being down-regulated, p value <0.05, fold change ranging from -2.944 to 7.632. A functional study of these genes revealed changes in the pathways related to nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production, Interleukin-12 signalling and production in macrophages and Interleukin-8 signalling with up-regulation of S100 calcium-binding protein A8, Matrix metallopeptidase 9 and CXC chemokine receptor 2 genes. Conclusion: The data obtained in the present study provided us with a more comprehensive overview concerning the possible molecular pathways implied in inducing protection against F. hepatica in a murine model, which could be useful for evaluating future vaccine candidates.
Aim: The objective of the present meta-analysis was to investigate whether or not cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) polymorphisms are associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility. Methods: A systematic search was conducted from the PubMed, ENBASE, and Springer link database up to April 2014. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to assess the strength of association between CTLA-4 (+49 A/G) and AS risk. A subgroup analysis based on geographic region and a sensitivity analysis were also conducted. Results: Five studies were eligible for meta-analysis, including 918 cases and 845 controls. The results showed that no significant association was found between AS and CTLA-4 (+49 A/G) for the additive model (G vs. A), dominant model (GG+AG vs. AA), co-dominant model (GG vs. AA, AG vs. AA) and recessive model (GG vs. AG+AA). The OR was 1.09 (95% CI, 0.87-1.38), 1.16 (95% CI, 0.89-1.51), 1.05 (95% CI, 0.75-1.46), 1.15 (95% CI, 0.86-1.52) and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.79-1.23), respectively. Although subgroup analysis demonstrated no association between CTLA-4 (+49 A/G) polymorphisms and susceptibility to AS in Europe and Taiwan, an association was found in Iran through both the co-dominant and dominant models. Exclusion of any individual study did not alter the significance of the final outcome, excepting the result by omitting the study by Huang etal. Conclusions: The present results suggest that the CTLA-4 may not be a major susceptibility locus in humans with AS. The relationship between them may be affected by different geographic populations.
Due to a significant drop in the energy needed for RO desalination from 12 kWh/m(3) to-2 kWh/m(3) over the past 20 years, which is close to the theoretical minimum for recovering salt-free water from seawater of 1 kWh/m(3), the focus here is on the critical aspects that offer opportunities to further reduce costs. These include pre- and post-treatment; and analysis and optimization of the performance of RO systems, such as selectivity, capacity, and flux decline. Flux decline includes concentration polarization and fouling from inorganic, organic, and biological constituents. We call these the three legs that undergird all membrane processes. The approach here is quantitative and includes detailed fluid mechanics and associated mass transfer of RO systems for optimizing performance. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
This study examined the relationship between child language skills and parent and child gestures of 58 youths with and without an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Frequencies and rates of total gesture use as well as five categories of gestures (deictic, conventional, beat, iconic, and metaphoric) were reliably coded during the collaborative Tower of Hanoi task. Children with ASD had lower Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores and gestured less and at lower rates compared to typically developing children. Gesture use was unrelated to vocabulary for typically developing children, but positively associated with vocabulary for those with ASD. Demographic correlates of gesturing differed by group. Gesture may be a point of communication intervention for families with children with ASD.
Ambient Intelligence and Ambient Assisted Living systems are required to provide a natural user experience, where the interaction is resolved by using devices and modalities adapted to the user abilities and preferences, and even to the environment conditions. Because of the variety of devices and technologies, and the diversity of scenarios, developing these interaction systems is a complicated task. This paper proposes an UI abstraction framework for the development of AmI and AAL systems that effectively improves the portability of those systems between different environments. It allows developers to design and implement a single UI capable of being deployed with different devices and modalities regardless the physical location.
It is well established that transpiration and photosynthetic rates generally increase in resprouting shoots after fire in chaparral shrublands. By contrast, little is known about how plant hydraulic function varies during this same recovery period. We hypothesized that vascular traits, both functional and structural, would also shift in order to support this heightened level of gas exchange and growth. We examined stem xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity (K-s) and resistance to cavitation (P-50) for eight chaparral shrub species as well as several potential xylem structural determinants of hydraulic function and compared established unburned plants and co-occurring post-fire resprouting plants. Unburned plants were generally more resistant to cavitation than resprouting plants, but the two groups did not differ in K-s. Resprouting plants had altered vessel structure compared with unburned plants, with resprouting plants having both wider diameter vessels and higher inter-vessel pit density. For biomechanics, unburned plants had both stronger and denser stem xylem tissue than resprouting plants. Shifts in hydraulic structure and function resulted in resprouting plants being more vulnerable to dehydration. The interaction between time since disturbance (i.e. resprouting versus established stands) and drought may complicate attempts to predict mortality risk of resprouting plants. It is well established that transpiration and photosynthetic rates generally increase in resprouting plants after fire in chaparral shrublands, but little is known about how plant hydraulic function varies during this same recovery period. The ecophysiology of eight species of chaparral shrubs was compared between resprouting plants and adjacent unburned plants. Resprouting plants varied from unburned plants in their hydraulics, xylem structure and biomechanics. The observed shifts resulted in resprouting plants being more vulnerable to dehydration than unburned plants and demonstrate potential variability of plants in their hydraulic physiology depending on disturbance recovery state.
To improve the availability of the software-defined networking (SDN) under distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, a multi-queue SDN controller scheduling algorithm based on time slice allocation strategy is proposed. The proposed algorithm can take different time slice allocation strategies according to the intensity of DDoS attacks and use SDN controller to schedule processing flow request from different switches (including the switches suffering from different degrees of attacks and normal switches) to ensure better protection to the normal switch in the network under DDoS attacks. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Nonoperative management of fractures in the setting of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) or ankylosing spondylitis is often unsuccessful. The subaxial spine is a common site of hyperextension fractures in the setting of DISH. Fractures of the upper cervical spine are uncommon in DISH. We report, to our knowledge, the first case describing successful nonoperative management of a type 2 odontoid fracture in a patient with DISH. We discuss the patient's initial presentation, physical examination, imaging findings, and management. A 73-year-old male presented with neck pain to the emergency department after sustaining a ground-level fall. Computed tomography of the cervical spine demonstrated a minimally displaced type 2 odontoid fracture in the setting of extensive DISH. He was immobilized with a hard cervical collar as the definitive management of his fracture. The collar was discontinued after 3 months. At his 2-year follow-up, he had a stable fibrous nonunion at the fracture site with tolerable neck pain. Flexion-extension radiographs demonstrated a stable alignment, and nonoperative management was continued. In selected patients with odontoid fractures in the setting of DISH, there is a role for nonoperative management alongside close monitoring.
The drive to eat is regulated by two compensatory brain pathways termed as homeostatic and hedonic. Hypothalamic orexinergic (ORX) neurons regulate metabolism, feeding and reward, thus controlling physiological and hedonic appetite. Circadian regulation of feeding, metabolism and rhythmic activity of ORX cells are driven by the brain suprachiasmatic clock. How the circadian clock impacts on ORX signalling and feeding-reward rhythms is, however, unknown. Here we used mice lacking the nuclear receptor REV-ERB, a transcription repressor and a key component of the molecular clockwork, to study food-reward behaviour. Rev-Erb mutant mice showed highly motivated behaviours to obtain palatable food, an increase in the intake and preference for tasty diets, and in the expression of the ORX protein in the hypothalamus. Palatable food intake was inhibited in animals treated with the ORX1R antagonist. Analyzing the Orx promoter, we found Retinoic acid-related Orphan receptor Response Element binding sites for Rev-Erb. Furthermore, Rev-Erb dampened the activation of Orx in vitro and in vivo. Our data provide evidence for a possible repressive role of Rev-Erb in the regulation of ORX signalling, highlighting an implication of the circadian clockwork in modulating food-reward behaviours with an important impact for the central regulation of overeating.
This paper presents a perception sensor network (PSN) for detect audio-based emergency situations such as human scream. The PSN consists of multiple units, each has a Kinect and a pan-tilt-zoom camera. Audio signals, which are acquired by the Kinect microphone array, are used in sound source classification and sound source localization. In order to work in multi-person scenarios, we propose an audio-visual fusion method to detect a single speaking person among multiple ones. The PSN system was demonstrated in a scenario having four persons, where the system is able to detect and localize the screaming person and send a robot to that location to check his/her condition.
The crop production in the district of Kasaragod in Kerala State (India) is characterized by low input-low yield concept and rain-fed agriculture. A field study was conducted in Western Ghat region of the district to develop a suitable rainwater harvesting system adoptable to hilly terrains and to test its efficacy for improving the use efficiency of the harvested water by its multiple uses. The cost-benefit analysis of the water harvesting system was also carried out to find out its affordability to farmers. The water harvesting system has been developed by integrating three components: (i) improving the productivity of coconut and component crops in the cropping units (ii) developing multiple water use systems, and (iii) the conjunctive use of the harvested water along with other surface and groundwater resources. Based on the estimated annual costs and returns, the Benefit -Cost ratio was found to be 1.69 and all other financial viability criteria (IRR and NPV) were also found favourable for investment on a lined water harvesting tank integrated with a micro-irrigation system and fish farming. The study suggested that the rainwater harvesting could be implemented as a viable alternative to conventional water supply or on-farm irrigation projects considering the fact that any land anywhere can be used to harvest rainwater. Further, the water use efficiency can be improved through effective harvesting and subsequent multiple uses of stored water.
This paper presents a three-dimensional model of the refrigerant-oil two phase flow developed with the aim of predicting the oil retention in evaporators of air-conditioning systems. The developed model is based on the two-fluid model approach. The governing mass, momentum and energy balance equations are written for each phase. The gas phase is the refrigerant vapor, while the liquid phase is the mixture of liquid refrigerant and oil. The balance equation for the oil mass fraction in the mixture with liquid refrigerant is included. Transfer processes at the vapor-liquid interfaces and on the flow channel walls are predicted with closure laws. The model is solved by the in-house computer code based on the SIMPLE type numerical procedure. The model is validated by comparing numerically predicted refrigerant mass and oil retention data in a brazed plate and fin evaporator, typically used in automotive applications, against measured values. Two sets of experiments performed with refrigerants R134a and R1234yf in the mixture with PAG oil are simulated. The numerical results provide a complete picture of the two-phase flow structure in the evaporator. Model predicts that oil is mainly retained in the bottom header and in smaller amounts in the top header and in parallel evaporating channels with upward refrigerant flow. The developed three-dimensional modeling and numerical approach has the advantage of being more reliable for the prediction of oil retention than existing one-dimensional models. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sterile (noninfected) inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of many widespread diseases, such as allergies and autoimmune diseases. The evolutionarily conserved innate immune system is considered to play a key role in tissue injury recognition and the subsequent development of sterile inflammation; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet completely understood. Here, we show that cholesterol sulfate, a molecule present in relatively high concentrations in the epithelial layer of barrier tissues, is selectively recognized by Mincle (Clec4e), a C-type lectin receptor of the innate immune system that is strongly up-regulated in response to skin damage. Mincle activation by cholesterol sulfate causes the secretion of a range of proinflammatory mediators, and s.c. injection of cholesterol sulfate results in a Mincle-mediated induction of a severe local inflammatory response. In addition, our study reveals a role of Mincle as a driving component in the pathogenesis of allergic skin inflammation. In a well-established model of allergic contact dermatitis, the absence of Mincle leads to a significant suppression of the magnitude of the skin inflammatory response as assessed by changes in ear thickness, myeloid cell infiltration, and cytokine and chemokine secretion. Taken together, our results provide a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying sterile inflammation.
To better understand how sleep/wake dysregulation affects Alzheimer's disease (AD), we compared the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) orexin and histamine/tele-methylhistamine (HA/t-MHA) levels of 82 patients (41 probable-AD-high level of evidence, 41 mild cognitive impairment MCI-due-to-AD), 24 other neurologic disorders (OND) and 24 controls. We determined the relationships between these biomarkers, the CSF AD biomarkers concentrations, and the clinical sleep profile. CSF orexin-A but not HA/t-MHA levels were higher in MCI and AD than OND and controls. CSF orexin-A is correlated to CSF amyloid-beta(42) in MCI and AD, independently of age, gender, MMSE, total-tau/phosphorylated-tau, HA or sleep parameters. Nighttime sleep duration was longer in MCI and AD patients than controls. In MCI, nighttime sleep duration negatively correlated with CSF amyloid-beta(42) and MMSE. To conclude, CSF orexin-A but not HA/tHMA was upregulated in AD and correlated with amyloid-beta(42) level. Our data suggested a change in the sleep-wake pattern at an early stage of the disease that needs further investigation to deeply explain the mechanistic interplay between sleep and Alzheimer. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
According to theoretical approaches, such as the influence of presumed media influence approach, individuals' attitudes and behaviors are affected by the influences they believe the media has on others. Politicians, for example, are thought to perform media relations activities because they ascribe great importance to the media. This has been tested regarding politicians' online activities using data from two surveys of members of Germany's national parliament, the Bundestag ( n(t1/t2) = 194/149). It was hypothesized that parliamentarians use Facebook and Twitter more extensively when they believe that these social media tools have a strong political influence on the public, journalists, and other politicians. However, the results indicate that parliamentarians use Facebook and Twitter regardless of whether they expect it to have an impact on other people. Therefore, politicians' online activities are determined by other reasons and not such strategic motives. Thus, although ( or precisely because) the hypotheses are rejected, the findings are an important contribution to the research on politicians' motives for online communication.
The triggers for the onset of oral diseases are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to characterize the oral bacterial community in healthy humans and its association with nutrition, oral hygiene habits, and the release of the inflammatory marker IL-8 from gingival epithelial cells (GECs) with and without stimulation by bacterial endotoxins to identify possible indicator operational taxonomic units (OTUs) associated with inflammatory marker status. GECs from 21 healthy participants (13 females, 8 males) were incubated with or without addition of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), and the oral microbiota was profiled using 16S rRNA gene-targeted sequencing. The basal IL-8 release after 6 h was between 9.9 and 98.2 pg/ml, and bacterial communities were characteristic for healthy oral microbiota. The composition of the oral microbiota was associated with basal IL-8 levels, the intake of meat, tea, white wine, sweets and the use of chewing gum, as well as flossing habits, allergies, gender and body mass index. Additionally, eight OTUs were associated with high basal levels of IL-8 and GEC response to LPS, with high basal levels of IL-8, and 1 with low basal levels of IL8. The identification of indicator bacteria in healthy subjects with high levels of IL-8 release is of importance as they may be promising early warning indicators for the possible onset of oral diseases.
Introduction/Objective Digital 3D modeling is slowly becoming an everyday orthodontic practice, and after two decades of research and development it is a basic element of e-orthodontics. The aim of this study was development and use of geometric entities on 3D digital models for diagnosing, planning and monitoring of orthodontic therapy, by using CAD (computer aided design) systems. Methods Statistical analysis and synthesis of 54 orthodontic parameters (28 in the upper and 26 in the lower jaw), defining three hypotheses and their testing, the application of the t-test. Results All three hypotheses are confirmed, convenience of using geometric entities, higher accuracy of 3D digital models, and more substantial displacement of teeth in the first six months of therapy (Student's t-test). After the first six months, distances in the x-y plane (occlusal plane) were bigger in both the upper and the lower jaw; additionally, the distances in the y-z plane (medial plane) decreased on the left and right side, so we can say that the first phase of therapy had success and that both jaws are wider. At the next four controls, parameters showed slight progress that was not statistically significant. Overall, after 11 months of therapy, there was a considerable improvement in the x-y plane, while changes in distances of clinical crown heights were very small. This could be explained by the fact that, during therapy, by using different arches, upper molars were pushed inside, toward the palate. Analyzing 3D computer models, we could notice that in this plane displacement of the upper left first molar was larger. Conclusion The use of geometric entities for defining orthodontic parameters gives us new possibilities for accurate and reliable analysis of patient's orthodontic condition.
This paper presents a digital control technique to achieve valley switching in a bidirectional flyback converter used to drive a dielectric electroactive polymer-based capacitive incremental actuator. This paper also provides the design of a low input voltage (24 V) and variable high output voltage (0-2.5 kV) bidirectional dc-dc flyback converter for driving a capacitive incremental actuator. The incremental actuator consists of three electrically isolated-mechanically connected capacitive actuators. It requires three high-voltage (HV) (2-2.5 kV) bidirectional dc-dc converters to accomplish the incremental motion by charging and discharging the capacitive actuators. The bidirectional flyback converter employs a digital controller to improve the efficiency and charge/discharge speed using the valley switching technique during both charge and discharge processes, without the need to sense signals on the output HV side. Experimental results verifying the bidirectional operation of a HV flyback converter are presented using a 3-kV polypropylene-film capacitor as the load. The energy-loss distributions of the converter are presented when 4- and 4.5-kV HV MOSFETs are used on HV side. The flyback prototype with a 4 kV MOSFET demonstrated 89% charge energy efficiency to charge the capacitive load from 0 V to 2.5 kV, and 84% discharge energy efficiency to discharge it from 2.5 kV to 0 V.
Monitoring chronic wound [CW] healing is a challenging issue for clinicians across the world. Moreover, the health and cost burden of CWare escalating at a disturbing rate due to a global rise in population of elderly and diabetic cases. The conventional approach includes visual contour, sketches, or more rarely tracings. However, such conventional techniques bring forth infection, pain, allergies. Furthermore, these methods are subjective as well as time-consuming. As such, nowadays, non-touching and non-invasive CW monitoring system based on imaging techniques are gaining importance. They not only reduce patients ' discomfort but also provide rapid wound diagnosis and prognosis. This review provides a survey of different types of CW characteristics, their healing mechanism and the multimodal non-invasive imaging methods that have been used for their diagnosis and prognosis. Current clinical practices as well as personal health systems [m-health and e-health] for CW monitoring have been discussed.
Ambient intelligent systems such as Home and Building Automation Systems (HBAS) are becoming evermore accepted and capable of actuating automatically on behalf of users to fulfil their requests or enable activities. However, when multiple users interact with such systems, the requirements of activities often interfere resulting in conflicting actuations which HBAS ought to automatically detect and resolve. Yet, despite recent advances in HBAS, no ambient intelligent solution has been reported that is adequately grounded on knowledge analysis. The contributions of this article are twofold. First, it reviews relevant literature on Ambient Intelligence, conflict detection, conflict resolution and knowledge representation in HBAS. Second, it proposes and validates an ontological framework for conflict detection and resolution backed by knowledge-based analysis. Effectively, the proposed solution performs automatic environment actuations maximizing users comfort and energy efficiency. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Based on the matching theory, the antecedence of partnership formation between Buyer and Supplier in manufacturing engineering is explored. The results show that strategic level matching and operational level matching are positively associated with partnership formation, and cultural level matching moderates effects of strategic level matching and operational level matching on partnership formation.
Reverse unknown protocol's hidden behavior has played an important role in the field of network security. The proposed work takes the captured messages and the binary code that implement the protocol both as the studied object. Dynamic Taint Analysis combined with Static Analysis is used for protocol analyzing. Firstly, monitor and analyze the process of protocol program parses the message in the virtual platform HiddenDisc prototype system developed by ourselves, record the protocol's public behavior, then based on our proposed Hidden Behavior Perception and Mining algorithm, static analyze the protocol's hidden behavior trigger conditions and hidden behavior instruction sequences. According to the hidden behavior trigger conditions, new protocol messages with the sensitive information are generated, and the hidden behaviors are executed by dynamic triggering. HiddenDisc prototype system can sense, trigger and analyze the protocol's hidden behaviors. According to the statistical analysis results, we propose the evaluation method of Protocol Execution Security. The experimental results show that the present method can accurately mining the protocol's hidden behaviors, and can evaluate unknown protocol's execution security.
Identifying the contents of a black-box electrical circuit is a challenging experiment. In this paper, we present an approach for identifying the topological structure of the circuit and estimating the values of the internal components, by applying input signals and measuring available signals. The black-box model is provided as a Simulink model, whose contents are not accessible to the students. The overall procedure is performed in Matlab/Simulink environment and the results are obtained for a given circuit and compared with the actual values. The experiment is performed by a group of undergraduate students and the assessment results show its effectiveness in challenging their knowledge.
Social disinhibition difficulties are common following traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, clinically sensitive tools to objectively assess the difficulties are lacking. This study aimed to pilot a new clinical measure of social disinhibition, the social disinhibition task (SDT). Whether social disinhibition is dependent on the type of social information judgements required and whether disinhibited responses can be adjusted with additional guidance were also examined. Participants were 31 adults (25 Male) with moderate-to-severe TBI and 22 adult (17 Male) healthy control participants. Participants viewed scenes of complex social situations and were asked to describe a character in them (Part A), describe a character while inhibiting inappropriate or negative responses (Part B), and describe a character while not only inhibiting negative responses, but also providing positive responses (Part C). One-half of the items contained a faux pas requiring participants to make inferences about a character'smental state. TBI and control participants responded similarly to Part A, although control participants responded less positively than TBI participants in the faux pas items. TBI participants were significantly impaired on Part B indicating they experienced difficulties in inhibiting automatic responding. TBI participants were however able to adjust their responding in Part C so that they respond similarly to the control participants. Between group differences were not detected in reaction time. Overall, the SDT appears to be suitable to detect social inhibition difficulties in clinical settings and provides a new direction for remediation of the difficulties in individuals with TBI.
Water quality index is used to express the quality of water on both surface as well as subsurface by integrating various water quality parameters. The present work aimed to evaluate seasonal water quality index for Ooty Lake in the Nilgiris district, TamilNadu India. The physico?chemical parameter of water samples taken during two seasons (winter and summer) were analyzed to categorize the level of pollution in the study area. The results were compared with the water quality standards recommended by Environment Protection Act (2009). Based on the Water Quality Index, Multivariate statistical analyses were applied to identify the group of parameter that influence water quality and to evaluate the type of pollution in the lake. In addition to multivariate statistical analyses, the factor and principal component analysis were applied and the outcome showed that there were three types of pollution influencing the water quality namely, agricultural pollution, organic pollution and domestic waste water pollution. During the winter season, domestic waste water pollution was high, as rainwater flushed out in all the areas of watershed. During this season the lake receives a meager amount of water, and hence, the biological activities taking during the summer season has resulted in higher biological pollution. From the analyses, it was observed that there is no major impact by the agricultural pollution. The cluster analysis showed that there were three cluster values, and from the similarity groups among the sampling sites, it was noticed that direct discharge and improper drainage system of watershed caused more pollution in lakes.
Catalyst-free thermal polyesterification has recently emerged as a potential strategy for designing biodegradable thermoset polymers, particularly polyol-based polyesters for biomedical applications. These thermoset polyesters are synthesized through polycondensation of polyol and polyacid without the presence of catalyst or solvents. The mechanical properties, degradation rates, crystallinity, hydrophilicity, and biocompatibility can be controlled by adjusting the monomer feed ratios and curing conditions. These polyesters often degrade via surface erosion that allows the polymers to maintain structural integrity throughout hydrolysis. Additionally, polyol-based polyesters demonstrated good biocompatibility as non-toxic catalysts and/or solvents involved in the reaction, and the monomers used are endogenous to human metabolism which can be resorbed and metabolized in various physiological pathways. This review summarizes the polyol-based biodegradable polyesters that were synthesized by catalyst-free polyesterification.
Rainwater harvesting to irrigate small-scale gardens enhances food self-sufficiency to overcome rural poverty. So far rainwater harvesting is not encouraged by the Namibian National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy nor supported financially by the Namibian government. This study proposes two rainwater harvesting facilities to irrigate gardens; one collects rain from household roofs with tank storage, the second collects rain on a pond roof with pond storage. The aim of this paper is to assess the benefits of rainwater harvesting-based gardening and to propose policy and financing implications for the Namibian government. We investigate the benefits of rainwater harvesting through a literature review, a cost-benefit analysis, monitoring of project pilot plants and a comparison with the existing irrigation and drinking water infrastructure. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting offers numerous benefits in technological, economic, environmental and social terms. The facilities have a positive net present value under favourable circumstances. However, material investment costs pose a financing problem. We recommend that government fund the rainwater harvesting infrastructure and finance privately garden and operation and maintenance costs. Integrating these aspects into a national rainwater harvesting policy would create the conditions to achieve the benefits of an up-scale of rainwater harvesting based gardening in Namibia.
Purpose: Internet social media offers a rich source for soliciting the public's views on health issues. This qualitative research, using YouTube as a platform, aimed to explore the public's perspectives on management of dental fear and anxiety (DFA) in pediatric patients. Methods: Using three keywords (dental fear, dental phobia, and dental anxiety), YouTube videos were searched. Twenty-seven videos related to DFA in children and adolescents were reviewed by three investigators, including a nondental layperson. Inductive thematic analysis was adopted for interpreting the data. Results: Several strategies were considered useful for controlling DFA in pediatric patients, including: verbal and nonverbal communication to establish closeness and effective guidance (explanation, permission-seeking, reassurance, and negotiation); desensitization to dental settings and procedures; tell-show-do; positive reinforcement; distraction by imagination and thoughtful designs of clinic and parental presence and support. Some self-coping strategies adopted by patients alleviated their DFA, such as self-reasoning and trust-building through long-term connection. Dentists' clinical competence, favorable treatment outcomes, and state-of-the-art devices and technologies (dental lasers, intraoral camera, and adapted anaesthesia method) contributed to reducing DFA. Conclusions: Authentic testimonials in YouTube videos endorsed and interpreted a variety of strategies adoptable by patients, parents, and dental professionals for managing children's and adolescents' dental fears and anxieties.
This study started from the perspective of predicting science and technology competition, building on this to discuss the dynamic competition between Android and iOS by sales volume in each quarter. The Lotka-Volterra system of equations, one well-known competitive diffusion models, has been adopted to represent the competitive situations of the smartphone operating system market, with the Lyapunov function used to carry out equilibrium and stability analysis. The results showed that Android and iOS have a predator-prey relationship, in which iOS serves as the predator, and Android as a prey. The equilibrium and stability analysis show that both products are able to coexist in the market, and thus, each system has its own stable sales volume.
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of systemically used anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) medication on the thickness of corneal epithelium and stroma in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: A total of 125 eyes of 69 participants were included in this retrospective study of three groups: healthy participants (Group 1), AS patients receiving anti-TNF-alpha medication (Group 2), and AS patients receiving a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (Group 3). Results: According to anterior segment optical coherence tomography, the mean thickness of the corneal epithelium was significantly thicker in Group 2 than in Group 3 (51.6 +/- 3.2 mu m versus 50.4 +/- 3 mu m, p = 0.01), as was that of the stroma (475 +/- 33 mu m versus 443 +/- 29 mu m, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Anti-TNF-alpha medication and/or avoidance of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could improve the thickness of both the corneal epithelium and stroma in AS patients.
This paper proposes a novel unsupervised feature learning algorithm for land-use scene recognition on very high resolution remote sensing imagery. The proposed technique utilizes a multipath sparse coding architecture in order to capture multiple aspects of discriminative structures within complex remote sensing sceneries. Unlike the previous sparse coding and bag-of-visual-words-based techniques that rely on the handcrafted feature descriptors such as scale-invariant feature transform, the proposed technique extracts dense low-level features from the raw data, including the visual (RGB) data and near-infrared (NIR) data, using image patches of varying sizes at different layers. The proposed technique has been evaluated on three data sets, including the 21-category UC Merced land-use RGB data set with a 1-ft spatial resolution, the 9-category ground scene RGB-NIR data set, and the 10-category Singapore land-use RGB-NIR data set with a 0.5-m spatial resolution. The experimental results show that the proposed technique outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Research on how economic factors affect attitudes toward immigration often focuses on labor market effects, concluding that, because workers' skill levels do not predict opposition to low- versus highly skilled immigration, economic self-interest does not shape policy attitudes. We conduct a new survey to measure beliefs about a range of economic, political, and cultural consequences of immigration. When economic self-interest is broadened to include concerns about the fiscal burdens created by immigration, beliefs about these economic effects strongly correlate with immigration attitudes and explain a significant share of the difference in support for highly versus low-skilled immigration. Although cultural factors are important, our results suggest that previous work underestimates the importance of economic self-interest as a source of immigration policy preferences and attitudes more generally.
Functionalized polypropylene nonwoven (PP) geotextiles can be used as a new eco-friendly way to trap heavy metals in sediments. Chitosan was chosen as sorbent because of its ability to trap heavy metals, its natural origin (from shells) and its low cost. PP was first functionalized with acrylic acid using a low pressure cold plasma process, in order to bring reactive carboxylic functions onto the surface. Chitosan was then covalently grafted on the acrylic acid modified PP. The functionalized surfaces were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and evidence of chitosan grafting was given. The ability of the functionalized geotextile to trap heavy metals was then investigated. Copper was chosen as a model heavy metal, and artificial solutions of CuSO4 were prepared for the experiments. Sorption studies were carried out at 20 degrees C with Polypropylene-grafted-Acrylic acid-Chitosan (PP-g-AA-chitosan) varying the concentration of copper in polluted solutions to evaluate the maximum of adsorption of the surface: the textile can chelate copper increasingly as a function of the initial copper concentration until 830 ppm. At this concentration, it reaches a plateau at about 30 mg of trapped copper per gram of geotextile. The effects of pH and of the ionic strength (adsorption in a NaCl containing solution) were finally investigated. The trapping of Cu2+ decreases slowly when the ionic strength increases. When there are 30 g/L NaCl in the artificial polluted solution (like in seawater), only 20 mg of Cu2+ can be trapped per g of geotextile. Finally, the optimum pH to trap the maximum amount of copper was determined to be 4.8, which corresponds to the optimum pH for the chitosan solubility. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Comparative study has been performed to investigate the behavior of dredged fills on rigid (Model 1) and flexible (Model 2) containers. The study was focused on the sedimentation of soil fills and the development of total stresses. Model 1 is made of an acrylic cylinder and Model two is a scale-size geotextile tube. Results indicate that for rigid containers, significant decrease of the sediment height is apparent during the dewatering process. On the other hand, because the geotextile is permeable, the water is gradually dissipated during the filling process on flexible containers. Hence, significant loss in the tube height is not apparent during the duration of the test. Pressure spikes are apparent on rigid containers during the filling process which can be attributed to the confining effect due to hydrostatic pressure. For the flexible containers, the pressure readings gradually increases with time during the filling process and normalize at the end on the filling stage. No pressure spikes were apparent due to the gradual dissipation of pore water pressure.
Light weight engineering and composite technologies are key strategies in modem product development in mechanical engineering as well as in biomedical applications, where innovation is driven by novel material concepts and surface functionalities. Designed or customized surface properties by advanced coating technologies are an important discipline in this context. Ceramic, metallurgical and cermet layers can be manufactured in a most appropriate way by high energetic thermokinetic deposition techniques like plasma spraying, electric arc and last not least by supersonic flame spraying (HVOF). These technologies perform high deposition rates, high flexibility to use various materials and their combinations and applications in micro to macro scale products. The final properties of the coatings and layer composites do not just depend on the properties of the combined materials but, as in the case of ceramic coated light metals, are distinctly affected by the occurring residual stresses and their interaction with operational load stresses. With respect to the complex geometries of most components, their dimensional and positional tolerances a further strong influence of the robot kinematics of the plasma or HVOF torches during coating manufacturing is observed. By combining the expertise in materials and manufacturing engineering coatings and composites with high performance and reliability can be achieved. This is shown in the development of functionally coated cylinder liners and crankcases for ultra light weight engines as well as for ceramic coated bioinert and biodegradable substrates in medical surgery. It will be shown that cast engine block bores can be directly coated by using an automated HVOF process, obtaining improved coating results. The internal coating process by hypersonic flame spraying is a superior technological alternative to the APS process for high quality cylinder liner and engine crankcase applications. The applications of such ceramic and cermet coatings are not limited to automotive and biomedical applications, i. e. for wear and friction properties or biomedical compatibility, but can be used for tailored thermophysical, electrophysical or catalytic properties in various technical systems.
This paper presents the results of laboratory model tests of a surface strip footing on unreinforced and reinforced sand beds to investigate the effects of reinforcement length. Multiples of footing width B were employed in the tests, namely B. 2B, 3B, 5B and, in some tests, even 7B. The type and number of reinforcements were also varied to determine whether these parameters had an influence on the optimum reinforcement length. The comprehensive results from laboratory model tests on strip footings supported on a woven geotextile and different Geogrids are presented. The load settlement and Bearing Ratio values obtained from the model test program were compared. Based on the results, the length of footing required to achieve optimum improvement was determined for different numbers of reinforcement layers and different reinforcement types. It was also observed that the improvement obtained by reinforcing the subgrade was different for low settlement ratio values and large settlement values. (C) 2015 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier By. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a design of a short term duty electrical machine working in an extreme environment consisting of 80 degrees C ambient temperature and altitudes of over 30,000m. Higher power density is a key factor in the design wherein the machine's operation is required only for a short duty. The requirement of high power-to-weight and power-to-volume leads to a Permanent Magnet (PM) machine design, which is then optimized. Different slot and pole combinations, with both concentrated and distributed winding arrangements are considered. For the optimization, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used where analytical electromagnetic and thermal models are adopted together with Finite Element (FE) methods. It is shown that the adopted thermal model provides sufficient accuracy when predicting temperature rise within the winding. It is also shown that the designs are thermally limited where the pole numbers are limited by volt-amps drawn from the converter. The design consisting of a high slot number allows for improving the heat dissipation from the machine and thus, the weight can be minimized for the given torque production.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: The genus Mitragyna (Rubiacaeae) has been traditionally used in parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania. In recent years, there has been increased interest in species of Mitragyna with the introduction of products to western markets and regulatory uncertainty. Aim of the study: This paper reviewed the traditional ethnomedicinal uses of leaves for species belonging to the genus Mitragyna with reference to the botany and known chemistry in order to highlight areas of interest for products currently being sold as kratom. Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted using Web of Science, Google Scholar, the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Biodiversity Heritage Library search engines in the spring of 2015, fall of 2016 and winter of 2017 to document uses of bark, leaf and root material. Results: Leaves of M. speciosa (kratom) had the most common documented ethnomedicinal uses as an opium substitute or remedy for addiction. Other species of Mitragyna were reportedly used for treating pain, however the mode of preparation was most often cited as topical application. Other uses of Mitragyna included treatment of fever, skin infections, and as a mild anxiolytic. Conclusions: Mitragyna species have been used medicinally in various parts of the world and that there is significant traditional evidence of use. Modern products that include formulations as topical application of liniments, balms or tinctures may provide effective alternatives for treatment of certain types of pains. Future research is required to establish safety and toxicology limits, medicinal chemistry parameters and the potential for different physiological responses among varying genetic populations to support regulatory requirements for Mitragyna spp.
Noting that general military regulations (GMR) contain numerous references to aspects of nonverbal behavior expressed as prescribed behavior, we considered necessary a new reading of GMR as nonverbal communication handbooks. This new reading is possible and it reveals important aspects with regard to opportunities of education or adequate training, in agreement with some good knowledge in the field of communication sciences. This paper aims at setting up a prescriptive nonverbal profile of the Romanian soldiers in relation to behavioral requirements resulting from the current GMR of the Romanian Armed Forces. The research method consists of documents analysis and comprises: 1. placement of four general normative documents into a different context (a communicative one); 2. identification of explicit and implicit nonverbal communication prescriptions included in the body of these normative texts; 3. analysis of the nonverbal prescription in relationship with the major classes of nonverbal behavior and 4. configuration of a nonverbal profile of Romanian soldiers based on the GMR behavioral prescriptions. In this respect, the paper is similar with some projective or normative documents (regulations, memoranda, etc.) developed by institutions such as the Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences and the Committee on Opportunities in Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences Research of the US. Army (Katz et al., 2006; Blascovitch & Hartel, 2008; Yager et al., 2009 etc.), designed to identify the role of nonverbal communication in the military context, especially in the context of intercultural actions in different theaters of operations. Following this study, we intend to focus our future research in the field of nonverbal communication on the Romanian military context, in order to subsequently build a first necessary instrument for the development of nonverbal communicative competence within the Romanian Armed Forces.
The multi-scale modelling approach is a, powerful mathematical technique for simulating and analyzing complex biological systems such as the human body. This tool can help study the interactions of the various networks in a living organism, from the cellular level up to the population scale, in one framework. In this paper, a generic mathematical model is developed that describes human metabolism with 237 serum metabolites integrated with a chosen set of human metabolic networks. A new computational approach is presented for solving the resulting dynamic problem using parsimonious flux balance analysis (pFBA). To illustrate the performance of the proposed;Approach, the human hepatocyte genome scale model is selected for the metabolic network to be included. The simulation results show that the proposed approach has promise with respect to both computational efficiency and convergence. To demonstrate the potential application of the developed model, prediction of amino acid biomarkers for a set of inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) is considered as an example. All the simulations are performed rising MATLAB and the COBRA toolbox. This framework has the potential to simulate various human metabolic disorders to help with the diagnosis of associated human diseases and to suggest novel treatment strategies. In addition, it opens the door to new opportunities for personalized medicine. (C) 2016, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic. Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The development of a humoral immune response to influenza vaccines occurs on a multisystems level. Due to the orchestration required for robust immune responses when multiple genes and their regulatory components across multiple cell types are involved, we examined an influenza vaccination cohort using multiple high-throughput technologies. In this study, we sought a more thorough understanding of how immune cell composition and gene expression relate to each other and contribute to interindividual variation in response to influenza vaccination. We first hypothesized that many of the differentially expressed (DE) genes observed after influenza vaccination result from changes in the composition of participants' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which were assessed using flow cytometry. We demonstrated that DE genes in our study are correlated with changes in PBMC composition. We gathered DE genes from 128 other publically available PBMC-based vaccine studies and identified that an average of 57% correlated with specific cell subset levels in our study (permutation used to control false discovery), suggesting that the associations we have identified are likely general features of PBMC-based transcriptomics. Second, we hypothesized that more robust models of vaccine response could be generated by accounting for the interplay between PBMC composition, gene expression, and gene regulation. We employed machine learning to generate predictive models of B-cell ELISPOT response outcomes and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody titers. The top HAI and B-cell ELISPOT model achieved an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) of 0.64 and 0.79, respectively, with linear model coefficients of determination of 0.08 and 0.28. For the B-cell ELISPOT outcomes, CpG methylation had the greatest predictive ability, highlighting potentially novel regulatory features important for immune response. B-cell ELISOT models using only PBMC composition had lower performance (AUC= 0.67), but highlighted well-known mechanisms. Our analysis demonstrated that each of the three data sets (cell composition,mRNA-Seq, and DNA methylation) may provide distinct information for the prediction of humoral immune response outcomes. We believe that these findings are important for the interpretation of current omics-based studies and set the stage for a more thorough understanding of interindividual immune responses to influenza vaccination.
Mechanical manufacturing engineering is an important professional basic course and degree course for mechanical design, manufacturing and automation and has an important position on the outstanding engineers' training program. The problems existed in the present course teaching of mechanical manufacturing engineering were detailed analyzed and the paper explored constructing the teaching curriculum system and teaching contents for the teaching of outstanding engineers' training and reforming the old, outdated teaching methods and means. The reformation results show that the students' learning enthusiasm and initiative are improved and their engineering consciousness and innovation ability have greatly been improved.
In Colombia, several communities with limited or uncertain access to drinking water services collect rainwater for various domestic uses. This paper presents the results of a water quality analysis of the rainwater runoff from roofs in Kennedy (Bogota) to evaluate the suitability of adapting this water to satisfy domestic uses in this district. Based on the high values of turbidity and biochemical oxygen demand, and on the high concentrations of total suspended solids and heavy metals found in the studied rainwater, it is concluded that the water samples are not suitable for any of the domestic uses currently employed by the citizenry. Nevertheless, a high spatial and temporal variability was detected, in addition to variability as a function of the roof material. In particular cases, the runoff water from roofs may be adapted as an alternative source for domestic uses in the district.
The paper reports on our work developing a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional approach to teaching Ethical, Social, Safety, Health, and Environmental Issues in Nanotechnology. Under a grant from NSF, we are developing, implementing, and assessing two modular courses that include societal, ethical, environmental, health, and safety issues related to nanotechnology for undergraduates in engineering and engineering technology. It is a collaborative project between Texas State University, a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and the University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler), whose student population is 60 percent women. The work is being conducted by a highly interdisciplinary team of faculty who bring to the project expertise from mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial education and technology, physics, biology, philosophy, and ethics. Here we explain the origin of the project, explicate how we have developed the course modules, review the first two semesters (Summer and Fall 2013) teaching from these modules, and examine our initial results and evaluations.
Pro-social behaviours may be prompted or inhibited depending on the situation. Numerous experiments show that, when exposed to the idea of money, people are less willing to help, devote their time or share their resources with others (Vohs et al. Science, 314, 1154-1156, 2006, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(3), 208-212, 2008). Conversely, when exposed to the idea of spirituality, they often cheat less and are more willing to help others (Mazar and Ariely Journal of Marketing Research, 45, 633-644, 2008; Randolph-Seng and Nielsen The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 17(4), 303-315, 2007). The aim of this article is to present the results of two experiments in which we activated thoughts about money, i.e. both cash and credit cards, and thoughts about spirituality in order to find out in what way these two kinds of activation may influence pro-social behaviours. In experiment 1, participants, when reminded of money, offered lower donations to others whereas those reminded of spirituality offered higher donations. In experiment 2, those participants reminded of money offered to devote less time to help others whereas those reminded of spirituality offered to devote more time to help others.
We report a case of a 58 years old woman who presented for clinical picture consisting in skin rash, pruritus, astenia, mialgia, with progressive onset during the last month and recently discovered blood hypereosinophilia. The patient was exhaustively investigated and secondary causes for hypereosinophilia were excluded, mainly allergies, parasitic infections, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. On hospital admission the patient had no symptoms or personal history suggesting cardiac disease. The initial electrocardiography and echocardiography had minimal changes, but cardiac markers such as proBNP and troponin had high values. The clinical evolution was initially good, with moderate dose corticosteroid therapy, but eosinophilia, leukocytosis and cardiac markers continued to increase, followed by progressive cardiac ischemia and ultrasound changes. We considered a rare case of primary hypereosinophilic syndrome with severe cardiac involvement and we switched to high dose corticosteroid followed by add-on therapy with hydroxyurea. Blood eosinophilia decreased, but cardiac markers and ischemia continued to aggravate and unfortunately the patient died due to sudden cardiac arrest, after three weeks from hospital admission. We concluded that hypereosinophilic syndrome with early and progressive cardiac involvement is a severe and difficult to manage disease, with high fatality risk, that requires complex investigations, multidisciplinary approach and prompt therapy.
This paper explores the performance of a DC-DC converter based with current mode controller photovoltaic (PV) simulator which emulates the output characteristics of a real PV module. A portable PV simulator prototype of 85 W is examined in terms of its steady state IV curve matching capacity and the convergence time corresponding to step change in current source load, voltage source load, and insolation levels. The current voltage (IV) characteristics of the PV module are implemented as a look-up-table (LUT) which determines the reference output current from measured output voltage. A Thevenin Equivalent Method approach to PV arrays analysis is also included in order to model the small-signal linearized characteristics. Extensive simulation results obtained in MAT LAB are included to show that the PV simulator can work in most situations as a real PV module. Preliminary experimental results verify performance with current-source and voltage-source loads
As the world's population continues to grow, water pollution is presenting one of the biggest challenges worldwide. More wastewater is being generated and the demand for clean water is increasing. To ensure the safety and health of humans and the environment, highly efficient wastewater treatment systems, and a reliable assessment of water quality and pollutants are required. The advance of holistic approaches to water quality management and the increasing use of ecological water treatment technologies, such as constructed wetlands and waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs), challenge the appropriateness of commonly used water quality indicators. Instead, additional indicators, which are direct measures of the processes involved in the stabilisation of human waste, have to be established to provide an in-depth understanding of system performance. In this study we identified the sterol composition of wastewater treated in WSPs and assessed the suitability of human sterol levels as a bioindicator of treatment efficiency of wastewater in WSPs. As treatment progressed in WSPs, the relative abundance of human faecal sterols, such as coprostanol, epicoprostanol, 24-ethylcoprostanol, and sitostanol decreased significantly and the sterol composition in wastewater changed significantly. Furthermore, sterol levels were found to be correlated with commonly used wastewater quality indicators, such as BOD, TSS and E. coli. Three of the seven sterol ratios that have previously been used to track sewage pollution in the environment, detected a faecal signal in the effluent of WSPs, however, the others were influenced by high prevalence of sterols originating from algal and fungal activities. This finding poses a concern for environmental assessment studies, because environmental pollution from waste stabilisation ponds can go unnoticed. In conclusion, faecal sterols and their ratios can be used as reliable indicators of treatment efficiency and water quality during wastewater treatment in WSPs. They can complement the use of commonly used indicators of water quality, to provide essential information on the overall performance of ponds and whether a pond is underperforming in terms of stabilising human waste. Such a holistic understanding is essential when the aim is to improve the performance of a treatment plant, build new plants or expand existing infrastructure. Future work should aim at further establishing the use of sterols as reliable water quality indicators on a broader scale across natural and engineered systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fipronil (5 -amino-1-[2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-4-[(trifluoromethyl)sulfinyl]-1H-pyrazole-3-carbonitrile) is a highly active, broad spectrum insecticide from the phenyl pyrazole family, which targets the gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) receptor. Although fipronil is presently widely used as an insecticide and acaricide, little information is available with respect to its metabolic fate and disposition in mammals. This study was designed to investigate the in vitro human metabolism of fipronil and to examine possible metabolic interactions that fipronil may have with other substrates. Fipronil was incubated with human liver microsomes (HLM) and several recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms obtained from BD Biosciences. HPLC was used for metabolite identification and quantification. Fipronil sulfone was the predominant metabolite via CYP oxidation. The K. and V-max values for human liver microsomes are 27.2 muM and 0.11 nmol/mg protein min, respectively; for rat liver microsomes (RLM) the K-m and V-max are 19.9 muM and 0.39 nmol/mg protein min, respectively. CYP3A4 is the major isoform responsible for fipronil oxidation in humans while CYP2C19 is considerably less active. Other human CYP isoforms have minimal or no activity toward fipronil. Co-expression of cytochrome b(5) (b5) is essential for CYP3A4 to manifest high activity toward fipronil. Ketoconazole, a specific inhibitor of CYP3A4, inhibits 78% of the HLM activity toward fipronil at a concentration of 2 muM. Oxidative activity toward fipronil in 19 single-donor HLMs correlated well with their ability to oxidize testosterone. The interactions of fipronil and other CYP3A4 substrates, such as testosterone and diazepam, were also investigated. Fipronil metabolism was activated by testosterone in HLM but not in CYP3A4 Supersomes(R). Testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation in HLM was inhibited by fipronil. Fipronil inhibited diazepam demethylation but had little effect on diazepam hydroxylation. The results suggest that fipronil has the potential to interact with a wide range of xenobiotics or endogenous chemicals that are CYP3A4 substrates and that fipronil may be a useful substrate for the characterization of CYP3A4 in HLM. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
In order to make the dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) concurrently compensate for low-order harmonics and voltage sag, and eliminate the influence of digital control on system performance, we propose a novel double closed-loop digital control strategy, consisting of the fundamental proportional resonant (PR) control in a voltage loop and selective harmonic PR control in an inductance current loop. Then, we mainly analyse the discretization effects of the virtual LC method and the step response method, and further present a straightforward digital design method. Next, with this method, we design the parameters of the fundamental and selective harmonic PR controllers in the discrete domain, which inhibit the influence of sampling, calculation delay etc. on the steady-state error and the dynamic response performance. Finally, an 11-kVA DVR prototype is developed and tested. The experimental results indicate that the proposed control strategy satisfies the requirement of voltage quality for sensitive loads and achieves a good dynamic response performance.
In this study, we investigated the formation of a co-amorphous system of tranilast (TRL) and diphenhydramine hydrochloride (DPH), which are drugs used for treating allergies and inflammation. The crystallization from undercooled melts of the drugs and drug mixtures was evaluated by thermal analysis. Both drugs in the amorphous state underwent crystallization on heating, although the mixture remained in the amorphous state, indicating the formation of a co-amorphous system. The physico-chemical properties of co-amorphous TRL-DPH prepared by the melting-cooling process were studied. The glass transition temperature of co-amorphous TRL-DPH deviated from the theoretical value. The enthalpy relaxation rate of the amorphous drugs, which reflected the molecular mobility, was reduced by the formation of a co-amorphous system. The intermolecular interactions between TRL and DPH in the co-amorphous system were measured by the change in the IR spectra. These results were consistent with the high physical stability. The co-amorphous sample remained in the amorphous state for over 30 days at 40 degrees C, whereas the amorphous drugs showed rapid crystallization. Our findings demonstrate that TRL and DPH form a co-amorphous system, which dramatically decreases their crystallization without an excipient. (C) 2016 American Pharmacists Association (R). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Inhibition of Ca2+ entry into the hippocampus and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) through inhibition of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist drugs is the current standard of care in neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and peripheral pain. Oxidative stress activates Ca2+-permeable TRPM2 and TRPV1, and recent studies indicate that selenium (Se) is a potent TRPM2 and TRPV1 channel antagonist in the hippocampus and DRG. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective properties of Se in primary hippocampal and DRG neuron cultures of aged rats when given alone or in combination with scopolamine (SCOP). Thirty-two aged (18-24 months old) rats were divided into four groups. The first and second groups received a placebo and SCOP (1 mg/kg/day), respectively. The third and fourth groups received intraperitoneal Se (1.5 mg/kg/ over day) and SCOP + Se, respectively. The hippocampal and DRG neurons also were stimulated in vitro with a TRPV1 channel agonist (capsaicin) and a TRPM2 channel agonist (cumene hydroperoxide). We found that Se was fully effective in reversing SCOP-induced TRPM2 and TRPV1 current densities as well as errors in working memory and reference memory. In addition, Se completely reduced SCOP-induced oxidative toxicity by modulating lipid peroxidation, reducing glutathione and glutathione peroxidase. The Se and SCOP + Se treatments also decreased poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase activity, intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations, apoptosis, and caspase 3, caspase 9, and mitochondrial membrane depolarization values in the hippocampus. In conclusion, the current study reports on the cellular level for SCOP and Se on the different endocytotoxic cascades for the first time. Notably, the research indicates that Se can result in remarkable neuroprotective and memory impairment effects in the hippocampal neurons of rats.
The purpose of this study was to develop a scale in Urdu language for measuring different dimensions of afterlife belief. The scale was subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 504 individuals (235 men and 269 women) recruited from different cities in the Punjab, Pakistan. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 16 items were retained with three well-defined factor structures of afterlife belief: positive, negative, and extinction. The alpha coefficients of the subscales ranged from .65 to .78. Convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales of Afterlife Belief Scale was determined by finding its relationship with the Pleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Unpleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Anxiety Subscale of DASS, and the Belief in Equitable World Scale. The results support that the newly developed scale has promising validity.
To evaluate the effects of mulching and ridge and furrow widths on soil temperature and moisture, crop growth and yield, and water use efficiency (WUE), a series of field experiments were conducted in a potato field in Inner Mongolia, China. In 2009 and 2010, four treatments (flat plot without mulching (CK), plastic film mulched ridge (MR), MRF (plastic film mulched ridge and furrow (MRF), and non-mulched (NM0.5)) were conducted on the same widths of ridge (0.5 m) and furrow (0.5 m), and two additional non-mulching treatments (1.0 m ridge and furrow width (NM1.0), and 1.5 m ridge and furrow width (NM1.5)) were tested in 2011 and 2012. The results indicated that mulching practices increased topsoil temperature compared to non-mulching treatments at the emergence stage. Compared to CK, the soil water storage in furrows was increased by 10.2 mm on average in 2009 for the MRF treatment, 8.1 mm and 15.1 mm in 2011, and 14.0 mm and 21.2 mm in 2012 for NM1.0 and NM1.5, respectively, and plant leaf area index and dry biomass values during the potato growth stage were also increased. The MR treatment produced greater effects on crop productivity than NM0.5, and increased total yield and marketable yield by 21.4% and 36.3% compared to CK in 2010. Of three non-mulching treatments (i.e., NM0.5, NM1.0, and NM1.5), the NM1.0 treatment produced the highest total yield and marketable yield; compared to CK, the WUE, total yield, and marketable yield were increased by 12.7%, 8.2%, and 52.0% in 2011, and 23.4%, 16.4%, and 81.0% in 2012, respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose: The aim of this paper was to study the feasibility of manufacturing a customizable trocar-cannula system for vitreoretinal surgery utilizing commercially available three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. Methods: A digital model of a trocar-cannula system for vitreoretinal surgery was created using computer-aided design (CAD) software and printed utilizing a laser-sintering 3D printer in modified ABS thermoplastic material. The trocar-cannula prototypes were tested in pig eyes. Results: A customizable digital model was created using commercially available CAD software. Three trocar-cannulas were printed. The smallest cannulas that could be printed had dimensions between 21 and 22G. The trocar-cannulas were inserted in pig eyes after performing sclerotomies with a commercially available 20G MVR blade. One cannula broke during insertion. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of printing a trans conjunctival vitrectomy trocar-cannula system with commercially available 3D print technology. The 3D printer and build material used resulted in trocar-cannulas with functional limitations including a minimum size achievable and mechanical resistance. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel
The program administrator and total cost of saved energy allow comparison of the cost of efficiency across utilities, states, and program types, and can identify potential performance improvements. Comparing program administrator cost with the total cost of saved energy can indicate the degree to which programs leverage investment by participants. Based on reported total costs and savings information for U.S. utility efficiency programs from 2009 to 2013, we estimate the savings-weighted average total cost of saved electricity across 20 states at $0.046 per kilowatt-hour (kW h), comparing favorably with energy supply costs and retail rates. Programs targeted on the residential market averaged $0.030 per kW h compared to $0.053 per kW h for nonresidential programs. Lighting programs, with an average total cost of $0.018 per kW h, drove lower savings costs in the residential market. We provide estimates for the most common program types and find that program administrators and participants on average are splitting the costs of efficiency in half. More consistent, standardized and complete reporting on efficiency programs is needed. Differing definitions and quantification of costs, savings and savings lifetimes pose challenges for comparing program results. Reducing these uncertainties could increase confidence in efficiency as a resource among planners and policymakers.
AIM To investigate serum mean platelet volume (MPV) levels in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients and assess whether MPV effectively predicts the disease severity of AP. METHODS We included 117 consecutive patients with AP as the AP group and 34 consecutive patients with colorectal polyps (before endoscopic treatment) as the control group. Complete blood counts, liver function, platelet indices (MPV), coagulation parameters, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured on days 1, 2, 3 and 7 after admission. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of MPV, white blood cell (WBC), LDH and CRP in predicting AP severity. The Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) and the 2012 revised Atlanta criteria were used to evaluate disease severity in AP. RESULTS MPV levels were significantly lower in the AP group than in the control group on day 1 (P = 0.000), day 2 (P = 0.029) and day 3 (P = 0.001) after admission. In addition, MPV values were lower on day 1 after admission than on day 2 (P = 0.012), day 3 (P = 0.000) and day 7 (P = 0.002) in all AP patients. Based on the mGPS, 78 patients (66.7%) were diagnosed with mild and 39 patients (33.3%) with severe AP. There was no significant difference in mean MPV levels between patients diagnosed with mild and severe AP based on the mGPS (P = 0.424). According to the 2012 revised Atlanta criteria, there were 98 patients (83.8%) without persistent organ failure (OF) [ non-severe acute pancreatitis (non-SAP) group] and 19 patients (16.2%) with persistent OF (SAP group). MPV levels were significantly lower in the SAP group than in the non-SAP group on day 1 after admission (P = 0.002). On day 1 after admission using a cut-off value of 6.65 fL, the overall accuracy of MPV for predicting SAP according to the 2012 revised Atlanta criteria (AUC = 0.716) had a sensitivity of 91.8% and a specificity of 47.4% and was superior to the accuracy of the traditional markers WBC (AUC = 0.700) and LDH (AUC = 0.697). CONCLUSION MPV can be used at no additional cost as a useful, noninvasive biomarker that distinguishes AP with persistent OF from AP without persistent OF on day 1 of hospital admission.
In CAD (computer aided design) environments, a surface is commonly modeled as a collection of connected regions represented by parametric mappings. For meshing such a composite surface, a parallelized indirect approach with dynamic load balancing can be used on a shared memory system. However, this methodology can be inefficient in practice because most existing CAD systems use memory caches that are only appropriate to a sequential process. Two solutions are proposed, referred to as the Pirate approach and the Discrete approach. In the first approach, the Pirate library can be efficiently called in parallel since no caching is used for the storage or evaluation of geometric primitives. In the second approach, the CAD environment is replaced by internal procedures interpolating a discrete geometric support. In both cases, performance measurements are presented and show an almost linear scaling. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The ability to unobtrusively measure velocity in the aquatic environment is a fundamental challenge for engineers and sport scientists. In the past video systems were the first choice to monitor the athletes during training. With the acceptance of small inertial sensors new ways of investigating the athletes movements have arisen. These small systems are light, easy to use and do not hinder the athlete during training, allowing an easy tracking of training improvements. This research used a self developed low-cost inertial sensor system, attached to the lower back, to record the acceleration of swimmers performing sub-surface wall push-offs. The recorded data were downloaded to MATLAB for data analysis. Using seven swimmers, the wall push-off velocity at three different efforts was analysed and compared to a tethered cable velocity meter (criterion measure) using Regression and Bland-Altman analysis. The maximum velocity determined from the accelerometer unit was linearly related to the benchmark criteria (r(2)=0.89). A biomechanical technique for the determination of the maximum glide velocity from acceleration data has been verified. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Cigarette smoking is associated with numerous diseases and poses a serious challenge to the current healthcare system worldwide. Smoking impacts both innate and adaptive immunity and plays dual roles in regulating immunity by either exacerbation of pathogenic immune responses or attenuation of defensive immunity. Adaptive immune cells affected by smoking mainly include T helper cells (Th1/Th2/Th17), CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells and memory T/B lymphocytes while innate immune cells impacted by smoking are mostly DCs, macrophages and NK cells. Complex roles of cigarette smoke have resulted in numerous diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory and autoimmune diseases, allergies, cancers and transplant rejection etc. Although previous reviews have described the effects of smoking on various diseases and regional immunity associated with specific diseases, a comprehensive and updated review is rarely seen to demonstrate impacts of smoking on general immunity and, especially on major components of immune cells. Here, we aim to systematically and objectively review the influence of smoking on major components of both innate and adaptive immune cells, and summarize cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying effects of cigarette smoking on the immune system. The molecular pathways impacted by cigarette smoking involve NF kappa B, MAP kinases and histone modification. Further investigations are warranted to understand the exact mechanisms responsible for smoking-mediated immunopathology and to answer lingering questions over why cigarette smoking is always harmful rather than beneficial even though it exerts dual effects on immune responses.
Intermittent sand filtration (ISF) is an efficient system for treatment of greywater; however, the high quality of effluent and the simple set-up contrast with the high failure rate due to clogging of surface layers. The efficacy of several polypropylene non-woven geotextiles (apparent opening size from 0.10 to 0.18 mm) used as primary treatment filters to remove suspended particles from domestic greywater and the effects of this pretreatment in the performance of fine and small media size (0.3 and 0.6 mm) ISFs was examined. Results showed geotextile achieved suspended solids (SS) removal rates from 25 to 85% and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 3 to 30%; although the portion larger than 75 mu m was removed at higher rates (55-90%), particles smaller than the nominal pore size of the filter were also captured. Geotextile used as pretreatment resulted in improvement of lifetime of the ISFs over an experimental run of 60 days. The vertical profile of volatile organic matter in the ISFs was evaluated at the end of the experiment and it showed a clear reduction in the accumulation of organic material on the top layer of the ISFs, effectively avoiding its early failure by accumulation of solids.
Background: Longitudinal, patient-centered care represents a challenge for general practitioners (GPs), and in this context, reminder systems can offer targeted support. This study aimed to identify details of such reminders: (1) contents of care addressed, (2) their mode of display in the electronic health record (EHR), (3) their visual appearance, (4) personnel responsibilities for editing and applying reminders, and (5) use of reminders for patient recall. Methods: This mixed-methods study comprised (1) a cross-sectional survey among 185 GP practices from a German university network, and (2) structured observations of reminder utilization in six practices based on a clinical vignette describing a multimorbid senior with 26 care needs. Descriptive statistics were performed for survey data. The practice observations were analyzed by portraying different types of reminders. Results: Seventy-three of 185 practices completed the survey (39.5%): 98.6% reported using reminders in the EHR. Frequent care contents addressed were allergies/adverse drug events (95.8%), preventive measures (93.1%), participation in disease management programs (87.5%), chronic diseases (75.0%), and upcoming vaccinations (68.1%). Practice observations showed a variety of mainly self-configured reminders. In a patients' EHR, information was displayed (1) compiled in a separate field, (2) scattered throughout the EHR, and/or (3) in a pop-up window. The visual appearance of electronic reminders varied: (1) colored fields with short text, (2) EHR entries and/or billing codes in pre-defined colors, (3) abbreviations within the treatment documentation, (4) symbols within the treatment documentation, (5) symbols linked to free text fields, and (6) traffic light schemes. Five practices self-designed reminders 'as needed'; one practice applied an EHR-embedded, pre-defined reminder system. Practices used reminders for a mean of 13.3 of the 26 aspects of care detailed in the clinical vignette (range: 9-21; standard deviation (SD): 4.3). Practices needed 20-35 min (mean: 27.5; SD: 6.1) to retrieve the information requested. Conclusions: Most GP practices use self-designed, visual reminders for some aspects of care, yet data-based, sophisticated solutions are needed to improve longitudinal care.
A simple synthetic-wavelength self-mixing interferometer is proposed for precision displacement measurement. Choosing the frequency difference of the orthogonally polarized dual frequency He-Ne laser appropriately, we introduce synthetic wavelength theory into self-mixing interference principle and demonstrate a feasible optical configuration by simply adjusting the optical design of self-mixing interferometer. The phase difference between the two orthogonally polarized feedback fringes is observed, and the tiny displacement of the object can be measured through the phase change of the synthetic signal. Since the virtual synthetic wavelength is 106 times larger than the operating wavelength, sub-nanometer displacement of the object can be obtained in millimeter criterion measurement without modulation, demodulation and complicated electrical circuits. Experimental results verifies the synthetic wavelength self-mixing interferometer's ability of measuring nanoscale displacement, which provides a potential approach for contactless precision displacement measurement in a number of scientific and industrial applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We propose an alternative approach to treat problems with axial or spherical symmetry. Its main characteristic consists of using Cartesian coordinates instead of curvilinear coordinates as usual. To this end, we derive general mathematical expressions giving the spatial derivatives of tensors of arbitrary order along the direction normal to an arbitrary meridian plane for systems with axial symmetry, or along two orthogonal directions normal to an arbitrary radius for systems with spherical symmetry. These relations allow the reduction of the initial three-dimensional problem to a domain with a lower dimension (two for axial symmetry, one for spherical symmetry), while keeping Cartesian coordinates within this domain. The method is illustrated for the flow of a Newtonian fluid between two coaxial cylinders (Couette cell), the Weissenberg effect for viscoelastic fluids and the flow of complex fluids like liquid crystals.
Multiracial individuals often do not easily fit into existing racial categories. Perceivers may adopt a novel racial category to categorize multiracial targets, but their willingness to do so may depend on their motivations. We investigated whether perceivers' levels of internal motivation to control prejudice (IMS) and external motivation to control prejudice (EMS) predicted their likelihood of categorizing Black-White multiracial faces as Multiracial. Across four studies, IMS positively predicted perceivers' categorizations of multiracial faces as Multiracial. The association between IMS and Multiracial categorizations was strongest when faces were most racially ambiguous. Explicit prejudice, implicit prejudice, and interracial contact were ruled out as explanations for the relationship between IMS and Multiracial categorizations. EMS may be negatively associated with the use of the Multiracial category. Therefore, perceivers' motivations to control prejudice have important implications for racial categorization processes.
Childhood obesity is an increasing problem in the Western world, and is affected by a multitude of interacting factors. Recent evidence suggests that taste perception may differ between obese and normal weight children. Evidence also suggests that perception of sweet and bitter taste is linked to differential food liking of various foods. To date, most studies have focused on single food items or food groups, rather than an overall view of dietary quality, and mainly on bitterness. Thus it is unclear whether taste perception is associated with dietary quality in children. Our objective was to examine the link between taste perception, dietary quality and body weight in Irish school children, in conjunction with other known influences of body weight. Taste perception was measured using the gLMS for bitter, salty and sweet stimuli. Detailed dietary intake data were collected from 525 children aged 7-13 via a 3-day diet history. Energy misreporters were identified and excluded from the dietary analyses, leaving n = 483 children. Dietary quality was assessed using Healthy Eating Index. Salivary DNA was collected and analyzed for variations in the bitter receptor gene TAS2R38. Sex differences were observed whereby intensity perception of sweetness was lower in the overweight/obese males, while no association was observed for sweet taste in the females. Despite the differences in weight status, taste perception was not associated with differences in overall dietary quality, measured via HEI score, in this cohort. Prospective cohort studies in children are necessary to better understand the association between taste intensity, food intake and weight over time. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: The diagnostic construct of mild neurocognitive disorders (MNCDs) is substantially congruent with previously proposed criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MNCD/ MCI is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). Previous studies have examined the prevalence of NPS in amnestic and non-amnestic MCI subtypes; however, no studies exist for etiological types of MNCD. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of NPS in patients with MNCD due to Alzheimer's disease (MNCD-AD) and subcortical vascular MNCD (ScVMNCD) and to determine whether NPS would expand these MNCD phenotypes. Methods: The sample comprised 70 patients with MNCD-AD, 70 patients with ScVMNCD, and 55 cognitively normal elderly persons (CNEP). The diagnosis of MNCD-AD was made according to DSM-5 criteria for possible MNCD-AD. ScVMNCD patients fulfilled the DSM-5 criteria of the probable vascular MNCD and the diagnostic criteria for subcortical vascular MCI according to Frisoni et al. (1). The prevalence of NPS was based on the neuropsychiatric inventory. The statistical analyses included parametric and non-parametric tests, multivariate regression, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: About 69.1% of CNEP, 97.1% of MNCD-AD, and 100% of ScVMNCD patients had one or more NPS. The prevalence of NPS in both MNCD groups was significantly higher than that in CNEP. The most prevalent NPS that had significant differential diagnostic value in separating MNCD-AD from ScVMNCD, as well as MNCD from CNEP, were anxiety (81.43%) and irritability (67.14%) in MNCD-AD and depression (81.43%) in ScVMNCD. In both MNCD groups, we observed significant (p< 0.05) correlations between all distinguishing NPS and the differential cognitive disturbances: the amnestic syndrome in MNCD-AD and executive dysfunction in ScVMNCD. Conclusion: NPS occur in the majority of persons with MNCD-AD and ScVMNCD.Anxiety and irrtability are the most prevelant NPS in MNCD-AD, as well as depression in ScVMNCD.The ammestic-anxious-irritable syndrome can be the main phenotype in MNCD-AD, on the other hand,the dysexecutive-depressive syndrome can be considered as the most prevelant clinical manifestation in ScVMNCD.Obtained data may be used for clinical differentiation of MNCD-AD and ScVMNCD patients.
This paper presents an intercomparative study of 12 operationally produced large-scale datasets describing soil moisture, evapotranspiration (ET), and/or vegetation characteristics within agricultural regions of the contiguous United States (CONUS). These datasets have been developed using a variety of techniques, including, hydrologic modeling, satellite-based retrievals, data assimilation, and survey/in-field data collection. The objectives are to assess the relative utility of each dataset for monitoring crop yield variability, to quantitatively assess their capacity for predicting end-of-season corn and soybean yields, and to examine the evolution of the yield-index correlations during the growing season. This analysis is unique both with regards to the number and variety of examined yield predictor datasets and the detailed assessment of the water availability timing on the end-of-season crop production during the growing season. Correlation results indicate that over CONUS, at state-level soil moisture and ET indices can provide better information for forecasting corn and soybean yields than vegetation-based indices such as normalized difference vegetation index. The strength of correlation with corn and soybean yields strongly depends on the interannual variability in yield measured at a given location. In this case study, some of the remotely derived datasets examined provide skill comparable to that of in-situ field survey-based data-further demonstrating the utility of these remote sensing-based approaches for estimating crop yield.
In human-robot interaction scenarios, an intelligent robot should be able to synthesize an appropriate behavior adapted to human profile (i.e., personality). Recent research studies discussed the effect of personality traits on human verbal and nonverbal behaviors. The dynamic characteristics of the generated gestures and postures during the nonverbal communication can differ according to personality traits, which similarly can influence the verbal content of human speech. This research tries to map human verbal behavior to a corresponding verbal and nonverbal combined robot behavior based on the extraversion-introversion personality dimension. We explore the human-robot personality matching aspect and the similarity attraction principle, in addition to the different effects of the adapted combined robot behavior expressed through speech and gestures, and the adapted speech-only robot behavior, on interaction. Experiments with the humanoid NAO robot are reported.
Increasing habitat connectivity is important for mitigating the effects of climate change, landscape fragmentation and habitat loss for biodiversity conservation. However, modelling connectivity at the relevant scales over which these threats occur has been limited by computational requirements. Here, we introduce the open-source software gflow, which massively parallelizes the computation of circuit theory-based connectivity. The software is developed for high-performance computing, but scales to consumer-grade desktop computers running modern Linux or Mac OS X operating systems. We report high computational efficiency representing a 173x speedup over existing software using high-performance computing and a 84x speedup using a desktop computer while drastically reducing memory requirements. gflow allows large-extent and high-resolution connectivity problems to be calculated over many iterations and at multiple scales. We envision gflow being immediately useful for large-landscape efforts, including climate-driven animal range shifts, multitaxa connectivity, and for the many developing use-cases of circuit theory-based connectivity.
This paper describes an international facilities design project for Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering students. American and Turkish engineering students collaborated to create and implement the re-design of a Turkish wheelchair manufacturing facility. The company needed engineering assistance to improve the efficiency and increase the capacity of their existing factory. Turkish Industrial Engineering students went on-site to collect data and draw the existing facility layout. American Manufacturing Engineering students analyzed the data and developed new layout designs. Four American students traveled to Turkey between semesters to implement the initial phases of their design. In the second semester, the Turkish students simulated the new layout to see the performance improvements, completing their project. Student learning outcomes were positive for both groups of students. The paper explains critical steps in identifying projects and partners. Lessons are shown about successes and shortcomings in planning, operating, and communicating with design teams across cultures.
Background: Neurodegenerative disorders, such as deficits in learning, memory and cognition and Alzheimer's disease are associated with diabetes mellitus. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophic factor and is known to possess anti-obesity, anti-diabetic actions and is believed to have a role in memory and Alzheimer's disease. Objective: To investigate whether STZ can reduce BDNF production by rat insulinoma (RIN5F) cells in vitro and decrease BDNF levels in the pancreas, liver and brain in vivo. Methods: Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cytotoxicity to RIN5F cells in vitro and type 2 DM in Wistar rats was employed in the present study. Cell viability, activities of various anti-oxidants and secretion of BDNF by RIN5F cells in vitro were measured using MIT assay, biochemical methods and ELISA respectively. In STZ-induced type 2 DM rats: plasma glucose, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels and BDNF protein expression in the pancreas, liver and brain tissues were measured. In addition, neuronal count and morphology in the hippocampus and hypothalamus areas was assessed. Results: STZ-induced suppression of RIN5F cell viability was abrogated by BDNF. STZ suppressed BDNF secretion by RIN5F cells in vitro. STZ-induced type 2 DM rats showed hyperglycemia, enhanced plasma IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels and reduced plasma and pancreas, liver and brain tissues (P < 0.001) and increased oxidative stress compared to untreated control. Hypothalamic and hippocampal neuron in STZ-treated animals showed a decrease in the number of neurons and morphological changes suggesting of STZ cytotoxicity. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that STZ is not only cytotoxic to pancreatic beta cells but also to hypothalamic and hippocampal neurons by inducing oxidative stress. STZ ability to suppress BDNF production by pancreas, liver and brain tissues suggests that impaired memory, learning, and cognitive dysfunction seen in diabetes mellitus could be due to BDNF deficiency. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Compared to the total water use in livestock production systems, water for livestock drinking is small in amount but is an important requirement for health and productivity of animals. This study was carried out to assess constraints and challenges of meeting drinking water requirements of livestock in rural mixed smallholder crop-livestock farming districts in the Ethiopian Rift Valley area. Data was collected by individual interviews with randomly selected respondents and farmer group discussions. Farmers ranked feed and water scarcity as the two most important constraints for livestock husbandry, although the ranking order differed between districts and villages. Poor quality water was a concern for the communities in proximity to urban settlements or industrial establishments. Water provision for livestock was challenging during the dry season, since alternative water sources dried up or were polluted. Though rainwater harvesting by dugout constructions was practiced to cope with water scarcity, farmers indicated that mismanagement of the harvested water was posing health risks on both livestock and people. A sustainable water provision for livestock in the area, thus, depends on use of different water sources (intermittent or perennial) that should be properly managed. Industrial establishments should adopt an environment-friendly production to minimize pollution of water resources used for livestock consumption. Technical support to farmers is required in proper design and use of existing rainwater harvesting systems. Further investigations are recommended on effect of poor quality water (perceived by farmers) on performance of livestock.
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been implicated in different aspects of cognition and decision making, including social cognition. Several studies suggest that this region is actually formed by sub-regions concerned with distinct cognitive functions. The ACC is usually divided in its rostro-caudal axis, with the caudal ACC playing a major role in processing own actions, and the rostral ACC being related to social cognition. Recently, it has been suggested that the ACC can also be functionally divided in its dorso-ventral axis into ACC gyrus (ACCg) and ACC sulcus (ACCs), with the ACCg having a central role in processing social information. In this context, we propose that the pregenual ACCg might be especially important for engaging in social interactions. We discuss previous findings that support this hypothesis and present evidence suggesting that the activity of pregenual ACCg neurons is modulated during spontaneous social interactions.
Lufft's CHM 15k Nimbus ceilometer and a collocated Cimel sunphotometer were used, in tandem with satellite data, to observe the transport of atmospheric aerosols over Raciborz, Poland, during an exceptionally warm month of August 2015. Two distinct periods are identified: increased aerosol optical thickness (AOT) values, exceeding 0.65, during August 6 to 13 concurrent with the planetary boundary layer elevated up to similar to 2.5 km and thin aerosol layers up to 7 km above ground visible from August 25 to 27. A newly developed scheme for backward air mass trajectory analysis is employed. The scheme utilizes satellite data on thermal anomalies as well as multiangle imaging of aerosol clouds. The obtained retrievals provide evidence that aerosols of biomass burning type were present during the first period, originating from a strong episode of wildfires in Ukraine. Moreover, satellite AOT data from the MODIS instrument show that a significant part of the observed aerosol was accumulated during transport between the region of intense biomass burning and the receptor, Raciborz. The same analysis scheme suggests that a long-range transport of biomass burning products from the United States was a source of the layers observed during the second period. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE
Objectives Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and heritable psychiatric disorder. However, genetic studies in SAD are rare and only a few candidate genes have been implicated so far. In the present study, we investigated whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with other psychiatric disorders also contribute toward the development of SAD and followed up variants associated with SAD on the phenotypic level. Patients and methods We genotyped a total of 24 SNPs in a German sample of 321 SAD patients and 804 controls. We carried out single-marker analyses as well as quantitative association analyses of SAD severity and harm avoidance. Results None of the variants investigated showed an association with SAD in our case-control sample after Bonferroni correction. Two SNPs reached nominal significance (rs818702, P=0.032; rs140701, P=0.048). Of these, only rs140701 showed an association in the same allelic direction as reported previously. This SNP is located within the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4, which is the primary target of selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors used for the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders. The quantitative association analysis of all cases with available data on symptom severity showed four SNPs with a nominal significant association. Among these SNPs, rs10994359 showed the strongest association (P=0.001) and was located near the ANK3 gene. In addition, rs10994359 was nominally associated with harm avoidance scores (P=0.001). Conclusion Our results provide further evidence for an involvement of the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 in the etiology of anxiety-related traits. Furthermore, our study implicates that genetic variation at the genome-wide associated bipolar disorder locus ANK3 might influence anxiety-related personality traits. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Manning's empirical formula in conjunction with Strickler's scaling is widely used to predict the hulk velocity V from the hydraulic radius Rh, the roughness size r and the slope of the energy grade line S in uniform channel and pipe flows at high bulk Reynolds numbers. Despite their importance in science and engineering, both Manning's and Strickler's formulations have waited for decades before finding a theoretical explanation. This was provided, for the first time, by Gioia & Bombardelli (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 88, 2002. 014501), labelled as GB02, using phenomenological arguments. Perhaps their most remarkable finding was the link between the Strickler and the Kolmogorov scaling exponents, the latter pertaining to velocity fluctuations in the inertial subrange of the turbulence spectrum and presumed to he universal. In this work, the GB02 analysis is first revisited, showing that GB02 employed several ad hoc scaling assumptions for the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate and, although implicitly, for the mean velocity gradient adjacent to the roughness elements. The similarity constants arising from the GB02 scaling assumptions were presumed to he independent of r/R-h, which is inconsistent with well-known flow properties in the near-wall region of turbulent wall flows. Because of the dependence of these similarity constants on r/R-h, this existing theory requires the validity of the Strickler scaling to cancel the dependence of these constants on rIRh so as to arrive at the Strickler scaling and Manning's formula. Here, the GB02 approach is corroborated using a co-spectral budget (CSB) model for the wall shear stress formulated at the cross-over between the roughness sublayer and the log region. Assuming a simplified shape for the spectrum of the vertical velocity w, the proposed CSB model (subject to another simplifying assumption that production is balanced by pressure velocity interaction) allows Manning's formula to be derived. To substantiate this approach, numerical solutions to the CSB over the entire flow depth using different spectral shapes for w are carried out for a wide range of r/R-h. the results from this analysis support the simplifying hypotheses used to derive Manning's equation. The derived equation provides a formulation for n that agrees with reported values in the literature over seven decades of r variations. While none of the investigated spectral shapes allows the recovery of the Strickler scaling, the numerical solutions of the CSB reproduce the Nikuradse data in the fully rough regime, thereby confirming that the Strickler scaling represents only an approximate fit for the friction factor for granular roughness.
Few research-developed early intervention models have been deployed to and tested in real world preschool programs. In this study, teaching staff implemented a social communication modularized intervention, JASPER, in their daily program. Sixty-six preschool children with autism in twelve classrooms (12 teachers) were randomized to receive immediate JASPER training (IT) or were waitlisted (WL) for 3 months with a 1-month follow up. Measures of core deficits (initiations of joint engagement, joint attention gestures and language, play skills) and standardized cognitive measures were improved for IT over WL children. IT teachers achieved and maintained high fidelity. Teachers can implement evidence-based interventions with significant improvements in core deficits of their children with ASD.
This paper presents the results of load tests conducted in the laboratory on an embedded model strip footing resting on a reinforced dense sand bed. The reinforcement used was woven geotextile with wraparound ends, as well as without wraparound ends for investigating the benefits of providing wraparounds. The number of reinforcement layers varied from 1 to 5. The ratio of embedment depth of the footing to its width, called the embedment depth ratio, varied from 0 to 1. The effect of utilizing the wraparound ends with the reinforcement on the load-bearing capacity of the reinforced sand bed has been of special interest in this study. The experimental results arising from the study are compared with the numerical findings based on the finite-element analysis (FEA) carried out using the PLAXIS 2D software. The study shows a significant improvement in both the load-bearing capacity and the stiffness of the sand bed with increasing number of reinforcement layers, as well as with the provision of wraparound ends of the reinforcement. The numerical results follow the experimental results closely for lower settlement values. The graphical presentations of the results of our experimentation can be used as preliminary design guidelines for field applications with conditions similar to those considered in the present study. However, the results presented in this paper may require modifications suitably to account for the difference in the scale of laboratory and the field conditions while using them for practical applications.
p53 was reported to be an attractive immunotherapy target because it is mutated in approximately half of human cancers, resulting in its inactivation and often accumulation in tumor cells. Peptides derived from p53 are presented by class I MHC molecules and may act as tumor-associated epitopes which could be targeted by p53-specific T cells. Interestingly, it was recently shown that there is a lack of significant correlation between p53 expression levels in tumors and their recognition by p53-TCR transduced T cells. To better understand the influence of the mutational status of p53 on its presentation by the MHC system and on T cell antitumor reactivity, we generated several mutant p53 constructs and expressed them in HLA-A2(+)/p53(-) cells. Upon co-culture with p53-specific T cells, we measured the specific recognition of p53-expressing target cells by means of cytokine secretion, marker upregulation and cytotoxicity, and in parallel determined p53 expression levels by intracellular staining. We also examined the relevance of antigen presentation components on p53 recognition and the impact of mutant p53 expression on cell-cycle dynamics. Our results show that selected p53 mutations altering protein stability can modulate p53 presentation to T cells, leading to a differential immune reactivity inversely correlated with measured p53 protein levels. Thus, p53 may behave differently than other classical tumor antigens and its mutational status should therefore be taken into account when elaborating immunotherapy treatments of cancer patients targeting p53.
An important prerequisite for prospective competitive factories is an enduring development of production-related competencies in today's universities for manufacturing engineering. Learning Factories are an action-oriented approach for developing these competencies. They are highly authentic learning environments in which genuine products are manufactured in a simulated but life-like production setting. The study aims at investigating the learning success of engineering students in a Learning Factory. Results of a conducted experiment are presented and discussed giving proof to the hypotheses that students in a Learning Factory. Results of a conducted experiment are presented and discussed giving proof to the hypotheses that students have a greater application-performance and a higher degree of action-substantiating knowledge after having attended an action-oriented learning event within the Learning Factory that after receiving a conventional treatment. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science, Education and Technology
This paper presents a very simple and efficient encryption scheme based on controlled chaotic maps and ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation) coding, in order to secure the real-time voice communication for operating at 16, 24, 32 or 40 kbps. This encryption algorithm adopts three main operations one to generate chaotic values using two chaotic logistic maps starting from independent initial conditions, the second to transform them into binary words using random encoding tables and the third to execute some basic operations and substitutions. It has important properties of randomness that can pass NIST batteries of tests. The evaluation and simulation analysis indicate that our proposal possesses an excellent statistical and cryptographic properties; it provides low correlation between adjacent samples in encryption speech, extremely sensitive encryption keys and has a large key space which is sufficient to protect against brute-force attack. As an illustrative example, an application on a commonly-encoder type used in communications, standard ITU-T G. 726, is presented.
The next generation Internet (also known as Internet-of-Things - IoT), will ubiquitously integrate trillions of computing devices of all kinds, shapes and sizes. For this ubiquity to materialize, a key aspect will certainly be interoperability, the capability of different technologies (e.g. different communication protocols at both horizontal and vertical levels, different hardware platforms, different operating systems, fixed and mobile nodes, etc) to talk to and understand each other. A major enabler for this interoperability is the use of standard and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies (e.g. communication protocols, hardware platforms, operating systems). As IPv6 has become the de-facto communication technology for the Internet, 6LoWPAN has recently started paving the way for extending the Internet to low-power low-cost wireless devices. However, while mobility support will be a requirement (or at least beneficial) in many applications contexts, the support of mobile nodes in the default 6loWPAN/RPL protocol leads to excessive packet loss and delays. In this work, we show that interoperability between fixed and mobile nodes can be successfully achieved through the use of appropriate hand-off and topology management techniques. We propose a mobility management framework (dubbed mRPL+) unifying two hand-off models: (1) hard hand-off, where a mobile node has to break a link before finding a new link, and (2) soft hand-off, where a mobile node selects the new link before disconnecting from the current one. Importantly, mRPL+ is integrated in the 6LoWPAN/RPL stack in a backward compatible manner. Simulation results indicate that in a network with mobile nodes, packet delivery ratio with mRPL+ is nearly 100%, where RPL achieves 80% in best case. Hand-off process has a disconnected period of few milliseconds (hand-off delay = 4 ms), while RPL experiences few seconds of disconnection during node's mobility (3 - 10 s). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for human health due to its antioxidant capabilities. The Se content around the world is highly variable from 0.005 mg kg(-1) in areas from China and Finland to 8,000 mg kg-1 in seleniferous soils from Tuva-Russia. However, about one billion of people in the world wide are Se deficient. During the last decade, studies related with strategies for Se biofortification in food plants for human nutrition have significantly increased because this metalloid is incorporated into human metabolism mainly as a constituent of food plants. Similarly, Se biofortification is important in pastures for increasing the Se content in cattle to enrich meat and to prevent disease associated to Se deficiency as white muscle disease. In China, two endemic diseases have been related to Se deficiency: Keshan and Keshin-Beck diseases. Agronomic biofortification by using inorganic Se sources is a current practice in countries as China, Finland, and USA. In Chile, fertilization by using chemical compounds with Se is an uncommon practice due the edaphoclimatic characteristics of Andisols, which represent around 60% of agricultural soils of southern Chile. Recent studies showed that microorganisms as bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in the transformations and Se availability, representing an interesting biotechnological alternative to Se biofortification. This review is focalized to describing Se behavior in soil-plant system and the possible strategies to improving Se content, including the use of microorganisms as biotechnological tools for increasing plant nutrition and quality. Specific attention will be devoted to volcanic soils of Southern Chile, where different factors concur to enhance the Se-deficiency problem.
Our Smart City contribution is transportation-oriented in that it proposes a dynamic road lane management system in order to share appropriately the space devoted to traffic. After a historical view of a series of solutions from physical to ICT supported, we present our proposal extensively supported by up-to-date ICT. Following a main presentation, we describe the system architecture and its working conditions. Then, we present the proposed simulator designed to study operating and driver's conditions with respect to the new traffic signs proposed. We also describe a Mock-up technology validation and give preliminary information on in-the-field deployment. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Experiments in assisted living confirm that such systems can provide context-aware services that enable occupants to remain active and independent. They also demonstrate that abnormal sensor events hamper the correct identification of critical (and potentially life-threatening) situations, and that existing learning, estimation, and time-based approaches are inaccurate and inflexible when applied to multiple people sharing a living space. We propose a technique that integrates the semantics of sensor readings with statistical outlier detection. We evaluate the technique against four real-world datasets that include multiple individuals, and show consistent rates of anomaly detection across different environments.
Building detection from two-dimensional highresolution satellite images is a computer vision, photogrammetry, and remote sensing task that has arisen in the last decades with the advances in sensors technology and can be utilized in several applications that require the creation of urban maps or the study of urban changes. However, the variety of irrelevant objects that appear in an urban environment and resemble buildings, and the significant variations in the shape and generally the appearance of buildings render building detection a quite demanding task. As a result, automated methods that can robustly detect buildings in satellite images are necessary. To this end, we propose a building detection method that consists of two modules. The first module is a feature detector that extracts histograms of oriented gradients (HOG) and local binary patterns (LBP) from image regions. Using a novel approach, a support vector machine classifier is trained with the introduction of a special denoising distancemeasure for the computation of distances between HOG-LBP descriptors before their classification to the building or nonbuilding class. The second module consists of a set of region refinement processes that employs the output of the HOG-LBP detector in the form of detected rectangular image regions. Image segmentation is performed and a novel building recognition methodology is proposed to accurately identify building regions, while simultaneously discard false detections of the first module of the proposed method. We demonstrate that the proposed methodology can robustly detect buildings from satellite images and outperforms state-of-the-art building detection methods.
The fast aging of the population around the world makes ambient intelligence-based assistive technologies essential for sustainable and efficient health-care systems. Aging adults who decide to live alone at home need constant monitoring to control their health status and quality of life. This work introduces a new wearable device that continuously monitors the emotional state of the elderly. Electro-dermal activity (EDA) is used to classify the aging adults into two groups: sleepiness and stressed. The results report a performance of more than 83% of accuracy by using exclusively time and magnitude features from EDA events. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background:Horizontal advancement genioplasty can be extremely rewarding for microgenia. However, it is challenging for even very experienced surgeon to determine the three-dimensional position of the distant bone fragment during the operation. This study aimed to apply and evaluate computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing techniques for horizontal advancement genioplasty to improve surgical accuracy.Methods:Seven patients with microgenia were prospectively enrolled in the study. Preoperative and postoperative computed tomography (CT), photographs, and lateral cephalograms were performed. Computer-aided design was done based on preoperative CT data, and then surgical templates (cutting guide templates and fixation templates) were designed accordingly to guide horizontal advancement genioplasty. All surgeries were performed by junior surgeons. The accuracy of the authors' method was evaluated by the relative error (the mean value of discrepancy between postoperative CT and preoperative design at 6 points selected randomly/preoperative design movement x 100%), Pg position error (postoperative Pg Advancement - preoperative CAD Pg Advancement)/preoperative CAD Pg Advancement x 100%), and Me position error (postoperative Me downward movement - preoperative CAD Me downward movement)/preoperative CAD Me downward movement x 100%). They are all calculated by Geomagic automatically.Results:All 7 patients were satisfied with their aesthetic outcomes. The average absolute relative error is 1.8%. The average absolute Pg position error is 1.9% and the average absolute Me position error value is 1.3%.Conclusions:The authors' study showed that applying computer-assisted techniques for horizontal advancement genioplasty provided accurate surgical result. With this technique, best result for horizontal advancement genioplasty could be achieved by even inexperienced surgeons.
Introduction: It is unknown if risk loci, identified by genome-wide association studies of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), are linked to common molecular mechanisms through epistatic effects. Methods: We performed genome-wide interaction studies of five risk variants for LOAD followed by enrichment analyses to find if there are pathways that simultaneously interact with more than one variant. This novel approach was applied to four independent cohorts (5393 cases and 3746 controls). Results: We found enrichment of epistasis in gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling with risk single-nucleotide polymorphisms in APOE and MS4A6A (P value = 3.7 x 10(-5), P value = 5.6 x 10(-6)); vascular smooth muscle contraction pathway was also enriched in epistasis with these loci (P value = 9.6 x 10(-5), P value = 2.4 x 10(-7)). MS4A6A risk variant also interacted with dilated cardiomyopathy pathway (P value = 3.1 x 10(-7)). Discussion: In addition to APOE, MS4A6A polymorphisms should be considered in hormone trials targeting gonadotropins. Interactions of risk variants with neurovascular pathways may also be important in LOAD pathology. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Expansive soils are one of the most problematic materials that are widely encountered in significant land areas in several parts of the world; like Africa, Australia, India, United States and Canada. The South Gujarat region in India have majority of top soil as black cotton soil. The black cotton soil has characteristics of shrinking on drying and heaving on wetting. This soil being expansive creates several types of damages to pavement structures, and in some cases the pavement may even become unserviceable. The normal climate condition of study area shows short wet and long dry period which aggravate the problem of swelling and shrinkage. The IRC: 37 - 2001, Annexure - 4 suggest 0.6 to 1.0 m thick non-cohesive soil cushion on the expansive soil for road construction which led to higher cost for road construction. Also for new urban areas it is difficult to raise the embankment or to excavate the subgrade upto such a depth due to existing structures and under laying service lines. To provide economical solution along with feasible application two innovative materials were used namely, CONSOLID and Geotextile for flexible pavement. The CONSOLID application shows the great improvement of CBR values helping the overall stability of the pavement. The Geotextile provided below the pavement components to act against the heaving of the swelling soil at the same time it helps as drainage layer also. Field study is undertaken to observe the effect of Geotextile in flexible pavement performance and 2 specific boundary conditions are created for observations. The Observations shows about 50 % reduction in shrinkage effect for paved road reinforced with Geotextile subjected to drying and wetting cycles. Both the materials are having its unique advantage in the performance improvement of flexible pavement over expansive subgrade.
The equations of compressible ideal fluids analogous to those of electromagnetism are reformulated in terms of hyperbolic octonions. Furthermore, the wave equations with source terms are generalized in a compact and elegant form. The analogy between fluid mechanics and electromagnetism is also argued by considering the previous octonionic formulations in relevant literature.
Gamification aims to implement game features in non-game contexts, with the goal of increasing the motivation of individuals performing a specific task or set of tasks. The tasks themselves, can focus on cognitive behavior change (e.g., overcoming anxiety) or physical behavior change (e.g., overcoming a shoulder injury). Current gamification methods primarily serve as guidelines and principles for the design of gamified applications. Moreover, these methods often overlook the complexity of actually implementing the game features and do not consider the effects that game features have on individuals' ability to perform a target task. A knowledge gap exists in understanding the tradeoffs between the complexity of implementing a game feature and the impact it has on increasing individuals' motivation and performance on a particular task or set of tasks. This paper presents a method for evaluating the complexity of implementing game features and the physical effort required to perform the tasks of the application, with a specific focus on physically-interactive gamified applications. Designers will gain a fundamental understanding of how the implementation of specific game features, contributes toward the objective of the application. A case study is presented that focuses on physically-interactive gamified applications in a virtual environment. Empirical results measuring the effects of game features on participants' performance are presented, which provide evidence in support of the metrics proposed in this study. Knowledge gained from this work will inform designers on how to manage their resources more efficiently and predict possible design issues (e.g., not meeting the objective of the application) while creating gamification applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
General English Four-skills courses are usually intended to help learners achieve a satisfactory level of language proficiency by focusing on speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. However, the extent to which students who attend this kind of courses are being well prepared to communicate satisfactorily in real contexts seems not to be effective enough. It appears little if no attention is usually paid to aspects of non-verbal communication in English as a complement of spoken language and as a must to avoid future cross-cultural misunderstandings. In contrast to non-verbal communication, verbal communication commonly takes priority in general English four-skills courses. This paper is aimed at discussing the importance and implications of incorporating the teaching of non-verbal communication in these kinds of courses for Mexican Spanish speakers so as to raise learners' awareness of non-verbal communication issues and prepare them for more natural and effective communication. In order to carry out a well informed discussion on this issue, the nature and main characteristics of non-verbal communication as well as its significance and current role in EFL (English Foreign Language) learning will be first established. Secondly, a specific comparison of common patterns of non-verbal behavior of Mexican Spanish speakers, American and British English speakers will take place so as to decide on the non-verbal contents a general English four-skills course may comprise. Thirdly, a suggested teaching approach, methodology, activities, materials and the teacher's role in teaching non-verbal cues will be stated. Finally, the implications of teaching nonverbal communication issues in general English four-skills courses for Mexican Spanish speakers and the general conclusions on this discussion will be annotated.
Sustainable water management is crucial in the reduction of water pollution and floods. New techniques should be investigated in order to avoid present and future problems such as flood, drought, and water contamination. For this purpose, Low Impact Development-Best Management Practice (LID-BMP) has recently come into the stage in storm water management. Vegetative swales, green roofs, bioretentions, storm water wetlands, rain barrels, permeable asphalts and pavements are among LID-BMPs. Bioretention type of LID is implemented to diminish adverse effects of urbanization such as flood by reducing peak flows on surface and thus managing storm water runoff. The aim of this study is to investigate the hydrological performance of bioretentions by developing a hydrological model based on the data obtained using experimental setup called Rainfall-Watershed-Bioretention (RWB). The hydrological model of RWB (HM-RWB) consists of two main components: (i) rainfall-runoff model in which kinematic wave theory is used for simulation of surface runoff generated over the drainage area that reaches the bioretention as inflow; (ii) runoff-bioretention flow model in which Green-Ampt method under unsteady rainfall is employed and further improved by incorporating the effect of ponding depth on bioretention for the simulation of outflow at the exit of the bioretention. It is observed that the results of the hydrological model developed herein are in good agreement with the measured data obtained in the RWB experimental setup.
Analysis and detection of human behaviors from video sequences has became recently a very hot research topic in computer vision and artificial intelligence. Indeed, human behavior understanding plays a fundamental role in several innovative application domains such as smart video surveillance, ambient intelligence and content-based video information retrieval. However, the uncertainty and vagueness that typically characterize human daily activities make frameworks for human behavior analysis (HBA) hard to design and develop. In order to bridge this gap, this paper proposes a hierarchical architecture, based on a tracking algorithm, time-delay neural networks and fuzzy inference systems, aimed at improving the performance of current MBA systems in terms of scalability, robustness and effectiveness in behavior detection. Precisely, the joint use of the aforementioned methodologies enables both a quantitative and qualitative behavioral analysis that efficiently face the intrinsic people/objects tracking imprecision and provide context aware and semantic capabilities for better identifying a given activity. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed framework have been verified by using the well-known CAVIAR dataset and comparing our system's performance with other similar approaches working on the same dataset. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is widely used to characterize the charge carrier transfer and charge storage process. Charge carrier transfer process may be affected by the media viscosity. Here, EIS was used to monitor the curing processes of epoxy/amine blends for the first attempt, and a new equation was proposed to character the curing process and estimate the curing degree of resins, while, resins, curing agents and the curing processes have significant effect on product properties. Monitoring curing processes of certain resin/curing agent system is very helpful to design an appropriate formulation. The epoxy/amine blends, the model system, were prepared with Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A as epoxy resin and different ratio of phenalkamine modified with cardanol as curing agent. The curing processes of epoxy/amine were also investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which was employed as a comparative method to verify the EIS results. A good agreement is obtained between the two methods, especially under higher curing temperature condition, which demonstrates the great promise to monitor the curing processes using EIS. The EIS results were also modeled to equivalent electrical circuits.(EEC) by Z(simple)Win software for the further analysis. These results might provide some insights on optimizing the epoxy/amine ratio and the performance of cured epoxy resin and monitoring some process related to viscosity change. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Purpose of Review The goal of this review is to characterize food allergy management and anaphylaxis in schools and assess current policies and level of preparedness of schools to recognize and treat anaphylaxis. Recent Findings An increasing number of school-aged children have food allergies, and studies show that a significant number of school children with no known history of allergies will experience their first anaphylactic reaction at school. Stock-unassigned epinephrine auto-injectors are recommended in schools but not mandatory in most states, and therefore, epinephrine is not always available. Non-nursing staff members are sometimes administering epinephrine due to limitations in nurse staffing. Summary Wide variations in staff training and lack of stock epinephrine leave many schools inadequately prepared to manage anaphylactic reactions. Emphasis should be placed not only on ensuring all schools have stock epinephrine but also on training a wider range of school staff members to minimize treatment delay with epinephrine and improve clinical outcomes.
Rainwater harvesting could increase the resilience of ecosystems on the Loess Plateau and thus ensure the sustainability of livelihoods that depend on them. As such, it is a key component of strategies for adapting to global climate change. In this study, we used a new method to quantify the rainwater harvesting potential (RWHP) across the whole Loess Plateau and to characterize its spatial and temporal variation over the last four decades on the basis of the variable infiltration capacity model. It was found that that the mean RWHP of the study region was 731.10x10(8)m(3), and the average water layer thickness was 114.34mm. There is considerable scope for rainwater harvesting across the Loess Plateau as a whole, to the extent that it could potentially provide enough water to implement the Grain for Green' Project. The annual average RWHP decreased slightly from 1971 to 2010, and Hurst exponent analysis indicated that this trend will exhibit long-term persistence. The annual RWHP was highest in the southeast of the Loess Plateau and lowest in the northwest. Areas with high RWHP values tended to be clustered around the middle reach of the Yellow River. For most areas, there was no significant change between 1971 and 2010. Those areas for which there was a significant decrease in RWHP were primarily located around the upper-middle reaches of the Weihe River, the upper reach of Jinghe River, the eastern Guanzhong Plain, the Qinhe River watershed and the area around Dongsheng. Quantitative assessments of RWHP are likely to be useful for guiding the development and use of innovative rainwater harvesting technologies around the world and could help to relieve the problems caused by water shortages on the Loess Plateau while simultaneously eliminate the major cause of soil erosion. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identifying network traffics at their early stages accurately is very important for network management and security. Recent years, more and more studies have devoted to find effective machine learning models to identify traffics with few packets at the early stage. In this paper, we try to build an effective early stage traffic identification model by applying flexible neural trees (FNT). Three network traffic data sets including two open data sets are used for the study. We first extract both packet-level features and statistical features from the first six continuous packets and six noncontinuous packets of each flow. Packet sizes are applied as packet-level features. And for statistical features, average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum are selected. Eight classical classifiers are employed as the comparing methods in the identification experiments. Accuracy, true positive rate (TPR) and false positive rate (FPR) are applied to evaluate the performances of the compared methods. FNT outperforms the other methods for most cases in the identification experiments, and it behaves very well for both TPR and FPR. Furthermore, it can show the selected features in the optimal tree result. Experiment result shows that FNT is effective for early stage traffic identification.
Background: There is a dearth of research in the published literature on substance use and addiction in the Middle East and Islamic countries. This study was the first to explore whether the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of addiction was relevant to an addicted treatment population in Jordan, an Islamic country. Methods: A qualitative study design using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of 25 males in addiction treatment. The sample was drawn from a cohort of in-patients at a treatment centre in Amman, Jordan who had already participated in a quantitative survey. A purposive sample was selected to ensure the inclusion of a range of characteristics that might affect their experience of developing addiction and its consequences, i.e., age, marital status and educational level. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis conducted using verbatim quotes to illustrate themes. Themes were mapped onto the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of addiction. Results: This study found addiction was associated with a range of health (physical and psychological), social and spiritual factors. Unpleasant physical withdrawal effects, psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and suicide attempts, were experienced. There was breakdown in marital and family relations, loss of employment, involvement in crime and neglect of religious practices, resulting in social isolation. Conclusion: This study found that, despite some differences in emphasis, the biopsychosocial, spiritual model of addiction fit well particularly given the relative importance of religion in Islamic culture. Spirituality was not explored and further study of spirituality versus religious practice in this culture is recommended. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
1. Individual plant genotypes as well as genotypic diversity can shape the structure and function of ecosystems; however, the abiotic environment may modify these genotypic influences on ecosystem-level responses. 2. To explore how the interactions between plant genotype, genotypic diversity and soil nutrient availability affect the structure and function of a temperate grassland ecosystem, we manipulated the genotypic diversity of a common perennial herbaceous plant, Solidago altissima (single genotype monoculture and diversity plots) and soil nutrient availability (+nitrogen, +phosphorus, +nitrogen and +phosphorus, unmanipulated control) in a common garden setting. We tracked temporal changes in ecosystem structure (e.g. leaf area index and net primary productivity) as well as a variety of ecosystem functions (e.g. net ecosystem carbon and water exchange and soil carbon efflux) over a growing season. 3. We found that variation in plant genotype identity consistently shaped ecosystem structure (above-ground net primary productivity) while it inconsistently altered several ecosystem functions across time. For instance, variation in plant genotype identity influenced net ecosystem carbon dynamics early in the growing season while it influenced water dynamics later in the growing season. The strength of the relationship between genotypic diversity and ecosystem function declined over the season and the relationship between ecosystem structure (above-ground net primary productivity) and function (net ecosystem carbon and water exchange) varied across treatments. Overall, there was a strong correlation between ecosystem structure and function across monoculture genotype plots but a weak relationship between ecosystem structure and function across mixed genotype plots. Surprisingly, soil nutrients did not influence ecosystem structure and had minimal impacts on carbon and water flux. 4. Our data suggest that plant genetic variation, and to some extent plant genotypic diversity, strongly influence ecosystem structure and function in an old-field ecosystem, but nutrient availability did not directly or interactively influence ecosystem structure or function.
Users are currently expected to benefit from the concurrent use of different computing devices and applications: Personal computers for an easier content production, mobile devices for increased mobility and context-awareness, wearable devices for more transparent health-related data acquisitions, etc. However, the simultaneous use of different devices and applications could be perceived as disruptive or unproductive, due to the need of additional settings, lack of integration, etc. As a first step to overcome this problem, in this paper we introduce the notion of Continuous Interaction (CoIn) systems. These systems intend to promote the simultaneous use of multiple devices and applications to complete tasks in a more effective, flexible and easy way. To achieve that goal, a set of human-centred design principles have been figured out to enable users to seamlessly share tasks across multiple devices, independently of the software applications supporting their completion. The case study of a Mobile Forensic Workspace (MFW) will be presented to highlight the benefits that CoIn systems could bring to the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) and Ubiquitous Computing research fields.
The increasing limitations on available energy require use of new environmentally friendly resources and enhancement of utilization efficiency of available resources. Energy storage systems (ESSs) are a promising technology to realize such a goal; however, their application in networks requires an investment that must be economically justified. This study examined the effect of ESS use on energy generation costs in networks for a specific time period. This includes determining the best location for installation of the ESS and the best possible operation schedules for the ESS and power plants to achieve the greatest decrease in daily energy generation costs. The influences of all the factors affecting the final solution were studied under different scenarios. The effects of power plant cost functions, transmission line capacity, and network upgrades were compared. All scenarios were implemented in an IEEE standard 30-bus network. The best possible specifications of ESS can reduce daily energy generation cost by 3% for selected power plant cost functions. It was found that the use of ESS in a network uniformed stress on the transmission line and, in such a case, it would be possible to defer the network upgrade for 21 years.
Considering the major requirements for automotive applications i.e., high torque and power density, low torque ripple, wide speed range, and high speed operation capability, the synchronous reluctance machine is still under intensive investigation. As a traction motor, the proper operation of the SynRM at low and high speeds is desired, the magnetic and mechanical performance of the core structure are important challenges. Therefore, prior to the final design, these need to be analyzed with regards to the core magnetic behavior and mechanical robustness which cause degradation in torque quality and harmful deformation at critical points in the rotor structure. At low speed, the high current demand at maximum torque makes the core magnetic performance dominant, whereas at high speed the mechanical behavior of the rotor core structure limits the machine performance. This paper presents a comparative analysis of different core characteristics to improve the core magnetic and mechanical performance of the SynRM equipped with a transversal laminated anisotropic rotor type for automotive applications.
This work focuses on the review of particle-based multiscale and hybrid methods that have surfaced in the field of fluid mechanics over the last 20 years. We consider five established particle methods: molecular dynamics, direct simulation Monte Carlo, lattice Boltzmann method, dissipative particle dynamics and smoothed-particle hydrodynamics. A general description is given on each particle method in conjunction with multiscale and hybrid applications. An analysis on the length scale separation revealed that current multiscale methods only bridge across scales which are of the order of O(10(2))-O(10(3)) and that further work on complex geometries and parallel code optimisation is needed to increase the separation. Similarities between methods are highlighted and combinations discussed. Advantages, disadvantages and applications of each particle method have been tabulated as a reference.
In this letter, we propose a change detection method based on Gabor wavelet features for very high resolution (VHR) remote sensing images. First, Gabor wavelet features are extracted from two temporal VHR images to obtain spatial and contextual information. Then, the Gabor-waveletbased difference measure (GWDM) is designed to generate the difference image. In GWDM, a new local similarity measure is defined, in which the Markov random field neighborhood system is incorporated to obtain a local relationship, and the coefficient of variation method is applied to discriminate contributions from different features. Finally, the fuzzy c-means cluster algorithm is employed to obtain the final change map. Experiments employing QuickBird and SPOT5 images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
In the present paper, we investigate the stationary probability distribution(SPD) and the mean treatment time of a time-delayed cancer growth system induced by cross-correlated intrinsic and extrinsic noises. Our main results show that the resonant-like phenomenon of the mean first-passage time (MFPT) appears in the tumor cell growth model due to the interaction of all kinds of noises and time delay. Due to the existence of the resonant-like peak value, by increasing the intensity of multiplicative noise and time delay, it is possible to restrain effectively the development of the cancer cells and enhance the stability of the system. During the process of controlling the diffusion of the tumor cells, it contributes to inhibiting the development of cancer by increasing the cross-correlated noise strength and weakening the additive noise intensity and time delay. Meanwhile, the proper multiplicative noise intensity is conducive to the process of inhibition. Conversely, in the process of exterminating cancer cells of a large density, it can exert positive effects on eliminating the tumor cells by increasing noises intensities and the value of time delay. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The importance of names has been demonstrated for decision making related to individuals as well as companies. While previous researchers have focused on traits such as the fluency of names, we present three studies that focus on the role of the hard e or [A] sound in relation to helping behavior. Because pronunciation of the [A] sound requires a facial movement that mimics a smile particularly when the sound occurs at the end of a name, our research complements previous findings generated by the theory of embodied cognition in which biting on a pencil or chopstick evoked behavioral and mood changes. Study 1 finds that participants are more likely to help someone whose name ends with the [A] sound while study 2 utilizes a broader set of contrasting sounds and finds a basic preference for the [A] sound that is specific to women. Study 3 shows that women are significantly more likely to recall addressing their parents as Mommy or Daddy when soliciting help rather than Mom or Dad. Our findings complement previous research concerning motherese and highlight a phonetic cue for prosocial behavior that appears to offer insights for marketing and management. Just as the current studies are important in understanding interpersonal interactions, the findings have direct relevance for marketing campaigns that focus on consumer engagement.
This paper describes the second part of a series of investigation to develop algorithms for simultaneous retrieval of aerosol parameters and surface reflectance from the future hyperspectral and geostationary satellite sensors such as Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO). The information content in these hyperspectral measurements is analyzed for 6 principal components (PCs) of surface spectra and a total of 14 aerosol parameters that describe the columnar aerosol volume V-total fine-mode aerosol volume fraction, and the size distribution and wavelength-dependent index of refraction in both coarse and fine mode aerosols. Forward simulations of atmospheric radiative transfer are conducted for 5 surface types (green vegetation, bare soil, rangeland, concrete and mixed surface case) and a wide range of aerosol mixtures. It is shown that the PCs of surface spectra in the atmospheric window channel could be derived from the top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance in the conditions of low aerosol optical depth (AOD <= 0.2 at 550 nm), with a relative error of 1%. With degree freedom for signal analysis and the sequential forward selection method, the common bands for different aerosol mixture types and surface types can be selected for aerosol retrieval. The first 20% of our selected bands accounts for more than 90% of information content for aerosols, and only 4 PCs are needed to reconstruct surface reflectance. However, the information content in these common bands from each TEMPO individual observation is insufficient for the simultaneous retrieval of surface's PC weight coefficients and multiple aerosol parameters (other than V-total). In contrast, with multiple observations for the same location from TEMPO in multiple consecutive days, 1-3 additional aerosol parameters could be retrieved. Consequently, a self adjustable aerosol retrieval algorithm to account for surface types, AOD conditions, and multiple-consecutive observations is recommended to derive aerosol parameters and surface reflectance simultaneously from TEMPO. 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In addition to endorsing the content of stigmatizing thoughts (self-stigma content), how frequently and automatically individuals think about these thoughts (self-stigma process) also have implications for their well-being. The present study examined the roles of self-compassion and mindfulness in moderating the relationships of self-stigma content and process with subjective well-being of people in recovery of mental illness (PMI) and people living with HIV (PLHIV). Participants included 169 PMI and 291 PLHIV in Hong Kong who reported their levels of self-compassion, mindfulness, self-stigma content and process, and life satisfaction. Path analyses indicated that the proposed model fitted the two samples well, chi(2) (10) = 19, p = .04, CFI = .98, NNFI = .93, and RMSEA = .04. In both groups, self-compassion and mindfulness were significantly associated with life satisfaction. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between self-stigma content and life satisfaction among PLHIV, while mindfulness moderated the relationship between self-stigma process and life satisfaction among PMI. The differential moderating roles of self-compassion and mindfulness in buffering the effects of self-stigma content and process among PMI and PLHIV were identified, and implications for stigma reduction and well-being promotion in different stigmatized groups were discussed.
This paper presents an ambient intelligence system designed for assisted living. The system processes the audio and video data acquired from multiple sensors spread in the environment to automatically detect dangerous events and generate automatic warning messages. The paper presents the distributed perception infrastructure that has been implemented by means of an open-source software middleware called NMM. Different processing nodes have been developed which can cooperate to extract high level information about the environment. Examples of implemented nodes running algorithms for people detection or face recognition are presented. Experiments on novel algorithms for people fall detection and sound classification and localization are discussed. Eventually, we present successful experiments in two test bed scenarios. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
People use impressions of an evaluative target's self-esteem to infer their possession of socially desirable traits. But will people still use this self-esteem proxy when trait-relevant diagnostic information is available? We test this possibility in two experiments: participants learn that a target person has low or high self-esteem, and then receive diagnostic information about the target's academic success or failure and positive or negative affectivity (Study 1), or watch a video of the target's extraverted or introverted behavior (Study 2). In both experiments, participants' impressions of the target's traits accurately tracked diagnostic information, but impressions also revealed an independent self-esteem proxy effect. Evidently, the self-esteem proxy is robust and influences person perception even in the presence of vivid individuating information.
The invasive computing paradigm offers applications the possibility to dynamically spread their computation in a multicore/multiprocessor system in a resource-aware way. If applications are assumed to act maliciously, many security problems arise. In this acticle, we discuss different ways to deal with security problems in a resource-aware way. We first formalize the attacker model and the different security requirements that applications may have in multi-core systems. We then survey different hardware and software security mechanisms that can be dynamically configured to guarantee security on demand for invasive applications.
It is well known that beta-adrenoceptors (beta-ARs) play a critical role in emotional arousal and stressful events, but the specific contributions of the beta 2-AR subtype to the psychological disorders are largely unknown. To investigate whether beta 2-AR are involved in anxiety-like behavior and reward to addictive drugs, we conducted a series of behavioral tests on beta 2-AR knock-out (KO) mice. beta 2-AR KO mice exhibited increased preference for the dark compartment and closed arm in tests of Light/Dark box and elevated plus maze, indicating that beta 2-AR deletion elevates level of anxiety or innate fear. beta 2-AR KO mice also showed decreased immobility in tail suspension test (TST), suggesting that beta 2-AR deletion inhibits depression-like behavior. Interestingly, beta 2-AR ablation did not change basal locomotion but significantly increased locomotor activity induced by acute cocaine administration. beta 2-AR KO mice showed enhanced place preference for cocaine, which could be attenuated by b 1-selective AR antagonist betaxolol. Consistently, beta 2-AR agonist suppressed cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP). These data indicate that beta 2-AR deletion enhances acute response and reward to cocaine. Our results suggest that beta 2-AR regulates anxiety level, depression-like behavior and hedonic properties of cocaine, implicating that beta 2-AR are the potential targets for the treatment of emotional disorders and cocaine addiction.
Objective: To investigate the effect of exposure to a virtual reality (VR) environment preoperatively on patient-reported outcomes for surgical operations. Background: There is a scarcity of well-developed quality improvement initiatives targeting patient satisfaction. Methods: We performed a randomized controlled trial of patients undergoing cranial and spinal operations in a tertiary referral center. Patients underwent a 1:1 randomization to an immersive preoperative VR experience or standard preoperative experience stratified on type of operation. The primary outcome measures were the Evaluation du Vecu de l'Anesthesie Generale (EVAN-G) score and the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information (APAIS) score, as markers of the patient's experience during the surgical encounter. Results: During the study period, a total of 127 patients (mean age 55.3 years, 41.9% females) underwent randomization. The average EVAN-G score was 84.3 (standard deviation, SD, 6.4) after VR, and 64.3 (SD, 11.7) after standard preoperative experience (difference, 20.0; 95% confidence interval, CI, 16.6-23.3). Exposure to an immersive VR experience also led to higher APAIS score (difference, 29.9; 95% CI, 24.5-35.2). In addition, VR led to lower preoperative VAS stress score (difference, -41.7; 95% CI, -33.1 to -50.2), and higher preoperative VAS preparedness (difference, 32.4; 95% CI, 24.9-39.8), and VAS satisfaction (difference, 33.2; 95% CI, 25.4-41.0) scores. No association was identified with VAS stress score (difference, -1.6; 95% CI, -13.4 to 10.2). Conclusions: In a randomized controlled trial, we demonstrated that patients exposed to preoperative VR had increased satisfaction during the surgical encounter. Harnessing the power of this technology, hospitals can create an immersive environment that minimizes stress, and enhances the perioperative experience.
The motion of address resolution protocol (ARP) is done without any problem in a general environment, but it is not considered from the security aspect; therefore, it risks being threatened by an attack from the network called ARP spoofing or ARP poisoning. The attacker can approach the transmission data between hosts by disguising itself as a different host through an ARP spoofing attack and can isolate the host as the target of an attack from the network. In this paper, we propose a routing trace-based network security system for preventing ARP spoofing attacks. Our proposed system includes detection, protection, and recovery techniques to prevent an ARP spoofing attack in the internal network. Whether an ARP spoofing attack occurs is confirmed through the periodic monitoring of the ARP table and a routing trace. The system can prevent ARP spoofing attacks without modifications to the ARP or the addition of cryptographic measures. In addition, it provides security and efficiency by overcoming the weak points of the existing researches.
Purpose of review Galactose - a key source of energy and a crucial structural element in complex molecules - is particularly important for early human development. However, galactose metabolism might be important not only for fetal and neonatal development but also for adulthood, as evidenced by the inherited disorders of galactose metabolism. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current evidence of galactose metabolism in health and disease. Recent findings The biological importance of galactose goes beyond its importance as a nutrient and a metabolite. Galactose has been selected by evolutionary pressure to exert also a crucial structural role in macromolecules. Additionally, galactose has recently been reported as beneficial in a number of diseases, particularly in those affecting the brain. Summary Galactose is crucial for human metabolism, with an established role in energy delivery and galactosylation of complex molecules, and evidence for other roles is emerging.
Special diets are consumed as a treatment for diseases such as food allergies, diabetes, lactose intolerance, and coeliac disease. Lifestyle-related diets, such as vegetarian, weight-reducing, sports, bodybuilding, and low-carbohydrate diets, can also be called special diets. The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of and reasons for special diet consumption as a therapeutic measure or as a lifestyle-related choice among 12- to 18-year-old Finns. Nationwide cross-sectional data were collected by mailed, self-administered questionnaires in 1999, 2001, 2007, and 2013. The number of respondents varied from 3535 to 8219, and response rates ranged from 38% to 76%. Consumption of special diets, both for therapeutic purposes and as a lifestyle-related choice, showed a significant increasing trend in 12- to 18-year-olds from 1999 to 2013 (p<.001). During the study period, the most frequently-reported single diets in adolescents were vegetarian and lactose intolerance diets. However, a fluctuation trend was observed in the consumption of different lifestyle-related diets. Further, a growing number of respondents, especially girls, reported simultaneous consumption of a combination of two or more therapeutic and/or lifestyle-related diets. The reason(s) for choosing a therapeutic diet seems to stay constant during the studied period. In contrast, a wide variety of reasons such as health, wellbeing, body weight, ethical, and ideological reasons, and the avoidance of some specific foods were given for the consumption of lifestyle-related diets. Our study results correspond well to the increased prevalence of common illnesses in Finland. Data also reveal the properties of special diet consumption among adolescents in the long run, and this highlights the need to further educate Finnish adolescents on nutrition literacy.
The piston ring pack is important for the sealing of the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. It plays a major role in friction, wear and oil consumption considerations. Both experimental and theoretical studies in this area are difficult due to the complexity of this highly dynamic system. The paper deals with the numerical investigation by means of computational fluid dynamics of the gas and oil flow in the piston ring pack. Having been validated with experimental data, the simulation results show gas and oil transport mechanisms, which can be used to improve existing models of 0D/1D-simulations. This leads to a better understanding of the processes in the piston ring pack and helps to further optimize the tribological system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper analyzes the causes of the rotor-type parts vibration, briefly describes the present situation of special balancing machine. On this basis, according to the current status of the domestic general high speed balancing machines, and the balancing challenges of high-speed high-power compact Motorized Spindle rotor, analyzes the balancing principle, and proposes a balancing machines design solution, to ensure high accuracy and reduce loading time, and then complete the dynamic balancing machine mechanical structure design.
This paper presents an overview about the use of goal-oriented strategies, such as output-based aid (OBA) and payment for environmental services (PES), for water pollution abatement and control in urban and rural areas throughout the country. Thus, considering the goal of implementing IWRM, two nation-wide experiences are reviewed: the River Basin Clean-Up Program (PRODES) and the Water Producer Program, both run by the National Water Agency (ANA), the former initiated over a decade ago. They illustrate successful ways to bring public authorities and water users together, in this case, sanitation services and landowners, respectively. Finally, it is discussed the applicability and perspectives for carrying out new goal-oriented initiatives aimed at IWRM in Brazil.
Transient operations are very crucial for high power insulated-gate bipolar transistor modules, because high current and voltage are applied during this period for several microseconds. Therefore, the ability for doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) variable speed wind turbine power converters to withstand abnormal conditions is strictly imperative in order to achieve its lifetime specifications and also fulfil the grid codes. This study presents a new control scheme for DFIG wind turbine having parallel interleaved converters (PIC) configuration and a series dynamic braking resistor (SDBR) connected at its stator side. Interleaving the wind turbine converters in parallel configuration could help to increase the current capability, while the SDBR helps in post fault recovery of the wind turbine. The coordinated control analysis of the scheme was implemented in power system computer aided design and electromagnetic transient including DC simulation environment for a severe three-phase to ground fault. Results obtained were compared with the conventional DC chopper and crowbar rotor circuit protection scheme for the wind turbine. A better performance of the wind turbine variables were achieved using the proposed control scheme of the PIC and SDBR because the space vector modulation of the PIC results in maximum value of the change in common mode voltage, leading to improved switched output voltage of the voltage source converter leg.
Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships of CYP2C9 and COX-2 genetic polymorphisms with therapeutic efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Material/Methods: We enrolled 130 AS inpatients and outpatients in the Arthritis and Rheumatism Department of Peking University First Hospital and 106 healthy people getting routine check-ups between September 2013 and July 2014. CYP2C9 and COX-2 genetic polymorphisms were detected by PCR-RFLP. All AS patients underwent medical treatment and 12-week follow-up treatment. Score differences of BASDAI, ASAS20, ASAS50, and ASAS70 for AS patients with different genotypes before and after treatment were compared. Results: In terms of COX-2-1290A/G and -1195G/A gene polymorphism genotype and allele frequency, the case group and control group were obviously different (all P0.05). AS patients had improved BASDAI, ASAS20, ASAS50, and ASAS70 scores after they received NSAID treatment (all P<0.05). Furthermore, the efficacy of NSAID in treatment of AS and COX-2 gene -1290A/G and -1195G/A polymorphism were associated (all P0.05). Conclusions: COX-2-1290A/G and -1195G/A polymorphism may increase AS risk and they both can be considered as biological indicators for prediction of efficacy of NSAIDs in treatment of AS.
Mutations in the TREM2 gene confer risk for Alzheimer's disease and susceptibility for Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the effect of TREM2 deletion in a 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model, measuring neurodegeneration and microglia activation using a combined in vivo imaging and postmortem molecular approach. In wild-type mice, MPTP administration induced a progressive decrease of [C-11] FECIT uptake, culminating at day 7. Neuronal loss was accompanied by an increase of TREM2, IL-1 beta, and translocator protein (TSPO) transcript levels, [C-11]PK11195 binding and GFAP staining (from day 2), and an early and transient increase of TNF-alpha, Galectin-3, and Iba-1 (from day 1). In TREM2 null (TREM2(-/-)) mice, MPTP similarly affected neuron viability and microglial cells, as shown by the lower level of Iba-1 staining in basal condition, and reduced increment of Iba-1, TNF-alpha, and IL-1 beta in response to MPTP. Likely to compensate for TREM2 absence, TREM2(-/-) mice showed an earlier increment of [C-11] PK11195 binding and a significant increase of IL-4. Taken together, our data demonstrate a central role of TREM2 in the regulation of microglia response to acute neurotoxic insults and suggest a potential modulatory role of TSPO in response to immune system deficit. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical step in the development of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). This process is characterized by the transmigration of activated T cells across brain endothelial cells (ECs), the main constituents of the BBB. However, the consequences on brain EC function upon interaction with such T cells are largely unknown. Here we describe an assay that allows for the evaluation of primary mouse brain microvascular EC (MBMEC) function and barrier integrity during the interaction with T cells over time. The assay makes use of impedance cell spectroscopy, a powerful tool for studying EC monolayer integrity and permeability, by measuring changes in transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and cell layer capacitance (Ccl). In direct contact with ECs, stimulated but not naive T cells are capable of inducing EC monolayer dysfunction, as visualized by a decrease in TEER and an increase in Ccl. The assay records changes in EC monolayer integrity in a continuous and automated fashion. It is sensitive enough to distinguish between different strengths of stimuli and levels of T cell activation and it enables the investigation of the consequences of a targeted modulation of T cell-EC interaction using a wide range of substances such as antibodies, pharmacological reagents and cytokines. The technique can also be used as a quality control for EC integrity in in vitro T-cell transmigration assays. These applications make it a versatile tool for studying BBB properties under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Alya is a multi-physics simulation code developed at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC). From its inception Alya code is designed using advanced High Performance Computing programming techniques to solve coupled problems on supercomputers efficiently. The target domain is engineering, with all its particular features: complex geometries and unstructured meshes, coupled multi-physics with exotic coupling schemes and physical models, ill-posed problems, flexibility needs for rapidly including new models, etc. Since its beginnings in 2004, Alya has scaled well in an increasing number of processors when solving single-physics problems such as fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, acoustics, etc. Over time, we have made a concerted effort to maintain and even improve scalability for multi-physics problems. This poses challenges on multiple fronts, including: numerical models, parallel implementation, physical coupling models, algorithms and solution schemes, meshing process, etc. In this paper, we introduce Alya's main features and focus particularly on its solvers. We present Alya's performance up to 100.000 processors in Blue Waters, the NCSA supercomputer with selected multi-physics tests that are representative of the engineering world. The tests are incompressible flow in a human respiratory system, low Mach combustion problem in a kiln furnace, and coupled electro-mechanical contraction of the heart. We show scalability plots for all cases and discuss all aspects of such simulations, including solver convergence. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In this study the authors report the first example of spinal pseudarthrosis in a patient with ochronosis, and they describe the application of posterior-only 360 surgery as an alternative approach to combined anterior-posterior surgery in the management of pseudarthrosis of an ankylosed spine, regardless of its etiology. Spinal involvement in ochronosis produces loss of flexibility and ankylosis of thoracic and lumbar segments. Pseudarthrosis is a serious complication of the diseases that present with ankylosis of the spine. However, its occurrence in ochronotic spine has not been reported previously. Evaluation of progressive paraparesis in a 68-year-old man with ochronosis revealed pseudarthrosis at the T11-12 level. Circumferential dural sac decompression, debridement of the disc space, interbody fusion, and screw-rod fixation were all done via a posterior-only approach. Postoperatively the patient exhibited a marked recovery in terms of pain and neurological status. At the 3-month follow-up, he was able to walk independently. Ochronosis should be included in the etiology of pseudarthrosis. With aggravation of back pain and the appearance of neurological deficits in an already stable patient with any ankylosing disease, pseudarthrosis should be suspected. Furthermore, single-stage, 360, posterior-only surgery may obviate the need for single-stage or staged anterior-posterior surgical intervention in patients with pseudarthrosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine.
Introduction to Engineering Technology is a typical first-year course in the mechanical engineering technology curriculum of many institutions. The course is intended to introduce students to a number of aspects in the discipline of engineering, including design and manufacturing, engineering ethics, team work, and other areas, with the goal of motivating students in the engineering profession. As a means of improving instruction and better engaging students in their learning process in an Introduction to Engineering Technology course at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, this paper presents a series of hands-on active learning activities, which deploy innovative materials and techniques supported largely by information technology. These innovative learning activities include the use of hands-on lab projects, a focus on interdisciplinary topics, and the leveraging of Internet resources, video, and You Tube clips. All hands-on projects are directly related to each subject area in the mechanical engineering field, which helps students to understand and to feel the engineering profession. Feedback from students concerning the course has been positive, and anecdotal observations indicate that the innovative learning activities motivated the students and enhanced their learning experience.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) accounts for approximately 1% of all CRCs. Adenomatous polyposis syndromes can be divided into; familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) - classic FAP and attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP), MUTYHassociated polyposis (MAP), NTHL1-associated polyposis (NAP) and polymerase proofreading-associated polyposis (PPAP). The polyposis syndromes genetics and clinical manifestation of disease varies and cases with clinical diagnosis of FAP might molecularly show a different diagnosis. This review examines different aspects of the adenomatous polyposis syndromes genetics and clinical manifestation of disease; in addition the genotype-phenotype and modifier alleles of FAP will be discussed. New technology has made it possible to diagnose some of the APC mutation negative patients into their respective syndromes. There still remain many molecularly undiagnosed adenomatous polyposis patients indicating that there remain causative genes to be discovered and with today's technology these are expected to be identified in the near future. The knowledge about the role of modifier alleles in FAP will contribute to improved pre-symptomatic diagnosis and treatment. New novel mutations will continually be discovered in genes already associated with disease and new genes will be discovered that are associated with adenomatous polyposis. The search for modifier alleles in FAP should be made a priority.
Background: Approximately 70% of rural Nigerian households rely on biomass fuels for cooking. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) estimates the prevalence of current wheeze among children in Nigeria to have risen from 10.7% in 1999 to approximately 20% in 2014. Objective: To examine the effects of biomass smoke exposure on asthma symptom prevalence in rural children in Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in rural communities in Nigeria. Asthma symptoms were defined according to ISAAC definitions. Biomass smoke exposure was determined by the types of fuel used for cooking. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between biomass smoke and asthma symptoms. Results: The study population comprised 1,690 school children, of which 865 lived in households cooking with biomass and 825 lived in households not using biomass. Asthma symptoms were reported in 481 (28.5%) children. Biomass fuel was associated with increased odds of asthma symptoms. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were 1.38 (95% CI: 1.05-1.80) for nocturnal cough, 1.26 (95% CI: 1.00-1.61) for current wheeze, and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.05-1.69) for report of any asthma-related symptoms. Sex modified the associations between asthma symptoms with biomass fuel: aORs were stronger and significant for males (nocturnal cough = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.24-2.76; current wheeze = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.03-2.13; report of any asthma-related symptoms = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.12-2.28), but weaker and non-significant for females.Conclusion: The risk of asthma symptoms related to biomass smoke exposure appears to differ by sex.
A prerequisite for reliable hydraulic measurements is an accurate collection of the plant material. Thereby, the native hydraulic state of the sample has to be preserved during harvesting (i.e., cutting the plant or plant parts) and preparation (i.e., excising the target section). This is particularly difficult when harvesting has to be done under transpiring conditions. In this article, we present a harvesting and sampling protocol designed for hydraulic measurements on Malus domestica Borkh. and checked for possible sampling artefacts. To test for artefacts, we analysed the percentage loss of hydraulic conductivity, maximum specific conductivity and water contents of bark and wood of branches, taking into account conduit length, time of day of harvesting, different shoot ages and seasonal effects. Our results prove that use of appropriate protocols can avoid artefactual embolization or refilling even when the xylem is under tension at harvest. The presented protocol was developed for Malus but may also be applied for other angiosperms with similar anatomy and refilling characteristics.
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were electrochemically deposited on glassy carbon (GC) disk electrodes using aqueous solutions containing 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and sulfonated calixarenes or fullerene-sulfonated calixarene (C-60-calixarene) complexes. The EDOT monomer was added to aqueous sulfonated calixarene solutions with and without C-60 and from these solutions PEDOT(calixarene) and PEDOT(C-60-calixarene) films were electrochemically deposited on GC disk electrodes. The electrochemical properties of GC/PEDOT(C-60-calixarene) were compared with those of GC/PEDOT doped with other ions, both in aqueous and organic electrolyte solutions using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). CV measurements carried out on GC/PEDOT(C-60-calixarene) in 0.1 M aqueous KCl solution showed a reduction peak at ca. -0.55 V vs. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl only during the first potential scan. This was attributed to the irreversible reduction of C-60 to C-60(-) inside the PEDOT film. This additional reduction peak was, however, not observed when recording the CVs in organic solution, indicating that C-60 was dissolved from the PEDOT film into the organic electrolyte solution, that is a good solvent for C-60. When performing CV measurements in an organic electrolyte solution containing C-60, all GC/PEDOT electrodes with various doping ions and bare GC electrodes showed a reversible reduction peak characteristic for the C-60/C-60(-) redox couple. Interestingly, the peak potential and the shape of the reoxidation peak for the fulleride anion (C-60(-)) on GC/PEDOT in the organic electrolyte solution were found to depend on the PEDOT film thickness. The electrochemical properties of GC/PEDOT(C-60-calixarene) were compared further to those of GC/PEDOT(calixarene) by fitting EIS data to equivalent electrical circuits and the morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Young Latino gay and bisexual men experience discrimination due to heterosexism and racism from within and beyond their communities. Although most research has emphasised overt forms of discrimination, a growing body of research is examining the effects of microaggressions, or indirect forms of discrimination, on racial and sexual minorities. The purpose of this study was to explore the contexts of various types of microaggressions, as well as describe the resilience strategies used by young adult Latino gay and bisexual men living in Los Angeles, California. A sample of 21 young Latino gay and bisexual men aged 18 to 29years were recruited to complete qualitative, in-depth, semi-structured interviews following a phenomenological approach. Three contextual themes relevant to microaggressions emerged: (1) microassaults, (2) microinsults and (3) microinvalidations. Three themes emerged around the resilience strategies to overcome these experiences: (1) self-discovery, (2) adaptive socialisation and (3) self-advocacy. Family and community-based efforts to reinforce and expand resilience repertoires are needed to help young Latino gay and bisexual men. ResumeLes jeunes hommes latinos, gays ou bisexuels, sont victimes de discriminations en raison de l'heterosexisme et du racisme existant au sein et au-dela de leur communaute. Si la plupart des etudes ont mis l'accent sur les formes manifestes de la discrimination, un nombre croissant de recherches examine les effets de la micro-agression, ou des formes indirectes de la discrimination, sur les minorites raciales et sexuelles. L'objectif de cette etude etait d'explorer les contextes des divers types de micro-agression, ainsi que de decrire les strategies de resilience adoptees par les jeunes latinos, gays ou bisexuels, vivant a Los Angeles. 21 jeunes issus de cette population et ages de 18 a 29 ans ont ete recrutes pour participer a des entretiens qualitatifs, en profondeur et semi-structures, conduits dans une approche phenomenologique. Trois themes contextuels relevant de la micro-agression ont emerge : (a) les micro-assauts, (b) les micro-insultes, et (c) les micro-invalidations. Trois themes ont emerge, relativement aux strategies de resilience adoptees pour surmonter ces experiences : (a) l'auto-decouverte, (b) la socialisation adaptive, et (c) l'autonomie sociale. Des efforts fondes sur la famille et la communaute visant a renforcer et elargir le repertoire des strategies de resilience sont necessaires pour aider les jeunes hommes latinos gays ou bisexuels. ResumenLos hombres jovenes homosexuales y bisexuales de origen hispano sufren discriminacion debido a heterosexismo y racismo dentro y fuera de sus comunidades. Aunque en la mayoria de los estudios se ha hecho hincapie en las formas evidentes de discriminacion, en cada vez mas estudios se analizan los efectos de la micro agresion, o formas indirectas de discriminacion, en minorias raciales y sexuales. La finalidad de este estudio fue analizar los contextos de varios tipos de micro agresion, asi como describir las estrategias de resiliencia que utilizan los hombres jovenes adultos homosexuales y bisexuales de origen hispano que viven en Los angeles, California. Se capto una muestra de 21 hombres jovenes homosexuales y bisexuales de origen hispano con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 29 anos para participar en entrevistas semiestructuras cualitativas y exhaustivas con enfoque fenomenologico. Surgieron tres temas contextuales que eran relevantes para la micro agresion: (a) micro asaltos, (b) micro insultos, y (c) micro invalidaciones. Surgieron tres temas como estrategias de resiliencia para superar estas experiencias: (a) autodescubrimiento, (b) socializacion adaptable, y (c) autodefensa de sus derechos. Es necesario el apoyo de la familia y la comunidad para fortalecer y ampliar los repertorios de resiliencia con el fin de ayudar a los hombres jovenes homosexuales y bisexuales de origen hispano.
Introduction: Combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART) has not allowed the cure of HIV. The main obstacle to HIV eradication is the existence of quiescent reservoirs. Several other limitations of cART have been described, such as strict life-long treatment and high costs, restricting it to Western countries, as well as the development of multidrug resistance. Given these limitations and the impetus to find a cure, the development of new treatments is necessary.Areas covered: In this review, we discuss the current status of several efficient molecules able to suppress HIV gene transcription, including NF-kB and Tat inhibitors. We also assess the potential of new proteins belonging to the intriguing DING family, which have been reported to have potential anti-HIV-1 activity by inhibiting HIV gene transcription.Expert opinion: Targeting HIV-1 gene transcription is an alternative approach, which could overcome cART-related issues, such as the emergence of multidrug resistance. Improving cART will rely on the identification and characterization of new actors inhibiting HIV-1 transcription. Combining such efforts with the use of new technologies, the development of new models for preclinical studies, and improvement in drug delivery will considerably reduce drug toxicity and thus increase patient adherence.
Lightweight devices such as smart cards and RFID tags have a very limited hardware resource, which could be too weak to cope with asymmetric-key cryptography. It would be desirable if the cryptographic algorithm could be optimized in order to better use hardware resources. In this paper, we demonstrate how identity-based encryption algorithms from bilinear pairing can be optimized so that hardware resources can be saved. We notice that the identity-based encryption algorithms from bilinear pairing in the literature must perform both elliptic curve group operations and multiplicative group operations, which consume a lot of hardware resources. We manage to eliminate the need of multiplicative group operations for encryption. This is a significant discovery since the hardware structure can be simplified for implementing pairing-based cryptography. Our experimental results show that our encryption algorithm saves up to 47 percent memory (27,239 RAM bits) in FPGA implementation.
Microscale mechanical networks are prevalent in lab-ona- chip systems, which are rapidly expanding into biological, chemical, and physical research. In these systems, nano-liter volumes of fluids are manipulated and a precise control of flow in individual segments within a complex network is often desirable. One paradigm for such control suggests adjusting the hydraulic resistance of each segment, relying on the fact that like in electrical circuits, fluid flow is depended upon the relation between the potential drop (pressure difference) and the resistance of the transmitting conductor. Current solutions for the control of hydraulic resistance rely on intricate fabrication processes, are often characterized by a high-biased error and can generally produce a limited range of resistance. Here, a computer-aided design of a six-bit digitally controlled adjustable hydraulic resistor, which features five linear ranges of resistance and a small footprint is presented. This design can be rapidly embedded within a microfluidic network for real time control of fluid flow.
Hyperspectral remote sensing data offer the opportunity to map urban characteristics in detail. Though, adequate algorithms need to cope with increasing data dimensionality, high redundancy between individual bands, and often spectrally complex urban landscapes. The study focuses on subpixel quantification of urban land cover compositions using simulated environmental mapping and analysis program (EnMAP) data acquired over the city of Berlin, utilizing both machine learning regression and classification algorithms, i.e., multioutput support vector regression (MSVR), standard support vector regression (SVR), import vector machine classifier (IVM), and support vector classifier (SVC). The experimental setup incorporates a spectral library and a reference land cover fraction map used for validation purposes. The library spectra were synthetically mixed to derive quantitative training data for the classes vegetation, impervious surface, soil, and water. MSVR and SVR models were trained directly using the synthetic mixtures. For IVM and SVC, a modified hyperparameter selection approach is conducted to improve the description of urban land cover fractions by means of probability outputs. Validation results demonstrate the high potential of the MSVR for subpixel mapping in the urban context. MSVR outperforms SVR in terms of both accuracy and computational time. IVM and SVC work similarly well, yet with lower accuracies of subpixel fraction estimates compared to both regression approaches.
This paper presents a comparison of two inlet permanent magnet synchronous machines with concentrated windings. A novel 24-teeth/28-poles machine design with flux barriers in the stator teeth is compared to a common 30teeth/20-poles design, which is widely used for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications. Detailed comparison of important machine characteristics such as torque ripple, iron losses, eddy current losses in the magnets, axial length and machine weight is presented. According to the study, the novel 24-teeth/28-poles machine design offers a high saving potential concerning the space requirement and production costs. At the same time this machine topology generates a smoother torque compared to the 30-teeth/20-poles topology.
This paper provides an analysis in the time and frequency domain of an RC electrical circuit described by a fractional differential equation of the order 0 < alpha a parts per thousand currency sign 1. We use the Laplace transform of the fractional derivative in the Caputo sense. In the time domain we emphasize on the delay, rise and settling times, while in the frequency domain the interest is in the cutoff frequency, the bandwidth and the asymptotes in low and high frequencies. All these quantities depend on the order of differential equation.
Climate change has been shown to increase the number of mountain lakes across various mountain ranges in the World. In Central Asia, and in particular on the territory of Uzbekistan, a detailed assessment of glacier lakes and their evolution over time is, however lacking. For this reason we created the first detailed inventory of mountain lakes of Uzbekistan based on recent (2002-2014) satellite observations usingWorldView-2, SPOT5, and IKONOS imagery with a spatial resolution from 2 to 10 m. This record was complemented with data from field studies of the last 50 years. The previous data were mostly in the form of inventories of lakes, available in Soviet archives, and primarily included localized in-situ data. The inventory of mountain lakes presented here, by contrast, includes an overview of all lakes of the territory of Uzbekistan. Lakes were considered if they were located at altitudes above 1500 m and if lakes had an area exceeding 100 m(2). As in other mountain regions of the World, the ongoing increase of air temperatures has led to an increase in lake number and area. Moreover, the frequency and overall number of lake outburst events have been on the rise as well. Therefore, we also present the first outburst assessment with an updated version of well-known approaches considering local climate features and event histories. As a result, out of the 242 lakes identified on the territory of Uzbekistan, 15% are considered prone to outburst, 10% of these lakes have been assigned low outburst potential and the remainder of the lakes have an average level of outburst potential. We conclude that the distribution of lakes by elevation shows a significant influence on lake area and hazard potential. No significant differences, by contrast, exist between the distribution of lake area, outburst potential, and lake location with respect to glaciers by regions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) facilitates prosocial behavior and selective sociality. In the context of stress, OXT also can down-regulate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, leading to consideration of OXT as a potential treatment for many socioaffective disorders. However, the mechanisms through which administration of exogenous OXT modulates social behavior in stressful environmental contexts are not fully understood. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that autonomic pathways are components of the mechanisms through which OXT aids the recruitment of social resources in stressful contexts that may elicit mobilized behavioral responses. Female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) underwent a stressor (walking in shallow water) following pretreatment with intraperitoneal OXT (0.25 mg/kg) or OXT antagonist (OXT-A, 20 mg/kg), and were allowed to recover with or without their sibling cagemate. Administration of OXT resulted in elevated OXT concentrations in plasma, but did not dampen the HPA axis response to a stressor. However, OXT, but not OXT-A, pretreatment prevented the functional coupling, usually seen in the absence of OXT, between paraventricular nucleus (PVN) activity as measured by c-Fos immunoreactivity and HPA output (i.e. corticosterone release). Furthermore, OXT pretreatment resulted in functional coupling between PVN activity and brain regions regulating both sympathetic (i.e. rostral ventrolateral medulla) and parasympathetic (i.e. dorsal vagal complex and nucleus ambiguous) branches of the autonomic nervous system. These findings suggest that OXT increases central neural control of autonomic activity, rather than strictly dampening HPA axis activity, and provides a potential mechanism through which OXT may facilitate adaptive and context-dependent behavioral and physiological responses to stressors. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Past research has demonstrated that perceivers are more likely to draw spontaneous trait inferences (STIs) from stereotype-consistent behaviors than from stereotype-inconsistent behaviors. Four studies were conducted to examine the moderating role of power in stereotype effects on STIs. Priming power using the scrambled sentence task, Study 1 found that high-power participants drew STIs from elderly stereotype-consistent but not from elderly stereotype-inconsistent sentences, while low-power participants did not draw STIs from elderly stereotype-consistent or stereotype-inconsistent behaviors. Study 2 replicated the findings of Study 1 by exploring the moderating role of power in gender stereotype effects on STIs. Measuring participants' dispositional power via the Personal Sense of Power, Study 3 found that dispositional power also moderated the effects of gender stereotype on STIs. Study 4 found that compared with the baseline condition (nopower manipulation), the low-power condition inhibited STIs from stereotype-consistent behaviors, but the high-power condition did not facilitate STI formation from stereotype-consistent behaviors. The current study is the first to show that power influences the reliance on stereotypes when spontaneously inferring traits from behaviors.
Artificial insemination with cryopreserved semen enables affordable, large-scale dissemination of gametes with superior genetics. However, cryopreservation can cause functional and structural damage to spermatozoa that is associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, impairment of sperm motility and decreased fertilizing potential, but little attention has been paid to protein changes. The goal of this study was to investigate the oxidative modifications (measured as carbonylation level changes) of bull spermatozoa proteins triggered by the cryopreservation process. Flow cytometry and computer assisted sperm analysis were used to evaluate changes in viability, ROS level and motility of spermatozoa. Western blotting, in conjunction with two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-oxyblot) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight spectrometry, was employed to identify and quantify the specifically carbonylated spermatozoa proteins. Cryopreservation decreased motility and viability but increased the number of ROS-positive cells. We identified 11 proteins (ropporin-1, outer dense fiber protein 2, glutathione S-transferase, triosephosphate isomerase, capping protein beta 3 isoform, actin-related protein Ml, actin-related protein T2, NADH dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, cilia- and flagella-associated protein 161, phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4) showing differences in protein carbonylation in response to cryopreservation. The identified proteins are associated with cytoskeleton and flagella organization, detoxification and energy metabolism. Moreover, almost all of the identified carbonylated proteins are involved in capacitation. Our results indicate for the first time that cryopreservation induces oxidation of selected sperm proteins via carbonylation. We suggest that carbonylation of sperm proteins could be a direct result of oxidative stress and potentially lead to disturbances of capacitation-involved proteins or could indicate cryopreservation-induced premature capacitation. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Introduction: Amyloid imaging has been integrated into diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD). How amyloid tracers binding differ for different tracer structures and amyloid-beta aggregates in autosomal dominant AD (ADAD) and sporadic AD is unclear. Methods: Binding properties of different amyloid tracers were examined in brain homogenates from six ADAD with APPswe, PS1 M146V, and PS1 E Delta 9 mutations, 13 sporadic AD, and 14 control cases. Results: H-3-PIB, H-3-florbetaben, H-3-AZD2184, and BTA-1 shared a high-and a varying low-affinity binding site in the frontal cortex of sporadic AD. AZD2184 detected another binding site (affinity 33 nM) in the frontal cortex of ADAD. The H-3-AZD2184 and H-3-PIB binding were significantly higher in the striatum of ADAD compared to sporadic AD and control. Polyphenol resveratrol showed strongest inhibition on H-3-AZD84 binding followed by H-3-florbetaben and minimal on H-3-PIB. Discussion: This study implies amyloid tracers of different structures detect different sites on amyloid-beta fibrils or conformations. (C) 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
HIV-related stigma remains a persistent global health concern among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) in developing nations. The literature is lacking in studies about healthcare students' perceptions of PLWA. This study is the first effort to understand stigmatizing attitudes toward HIV-positive patients by healthcare students in Mwanza, Tanzania, not just those who will be directly treating patients but also those who will be indirectly involved through nonclinical roles, such as handling patient specimens and private health information. A total of 208 students were drawn from Clinical Medicine, Laboratory Sciences, Health Records and Information Management, and Community Health classes at the Tandabui Institute of Health Sciences and Technology for a voluntary survey that assessed stigmatizing beliefs toward PLWA. Students generally obtained high scores on the overall survey instrument, pointing to low stigmatizing beliefs toward PLWA and an overall willingness to treat PLWA with the same standard of care as other patients. However, there are gaps in knowledge that exist among students, such as a comprehensive understanding of all routes of HIV infection. The study also suggests that students who interact with patients as part of their training are less likely to exhibit stigmatizing beliefs toward PLWA. A comprehensive course in HIV infection, one that includes classroom sessions focused on the epidemiology and routes of transmission as well as clinical opportunities to directly interact with PLWA-perhaps through teaching sessions led by PLWA-may allow for significant reductions in stigma toward such patients and improve clinical outcomes for PLWA around the world.
Mindfulness has been studied extensively in both basic and clinical settings; however, discussions still persist. The current research approached this issue by creating a new measure of trait mindfulness. The construct defined within is end-state mindfulness and is a tendency to see things as they are moment by moment without any judgment. The newly created scale was validated in three studies. End-state mindfulness was negatively correlated with rumination, suppression, neuroticism, and better-than-average effect, but was not correlated with both positive and negative trait-affectivity; it also moderated negative emotional reactions in the context of mortality salience. End-state mindfulness was differentiated from the past measure of mindfulness in many aspects. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Six years have passed since the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the United States launched the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative. The RDoC introduces a framework for research on the biology of mental illness that integrates research findings across multiple levels of information. The framework outlines constructs that represent specific quantifiable dimensions of behavior (e.g., responses to acute threat, cognitive control) and corresponding units of analysis that can be used to study the constructs, beginning at the levels of genes, molecules, cells, circuits and physiology, and moving up to behaviors and self-reports. In this systematic review, a literature search was conducted to synthesize empirical research published since the proposal of the framework that incorporated the RDoC. Forty-eight peer-reviewed scholarly articles met eligibility criteria for the review. Studies differed according to whether they analyzed RDoC constructs and units of analysis within vs. between clinically-diagnosed and non-psychiatric samples. The most commonly studied constructs were subsumed within the domains of Negative Valence Systems, Positive Valence Systems and Cognitive Systems, providing initial results which primarily connected genetics, brain circuits and physiology research findings with behavior and self-reports. Prospects for future research adopting the RDoC matrix and utilizing a dimensional approach to studying the biology of mental illness are discussed.
The use of nuclear energy to generate electric power is crucial to meet the high energy demand of a modern economy. In newly constructed nuclear power plants (NPPs), the trend among control systems is to replace the obsolete analog hard-wired systems with the contemporary digital and cyber-based systems. Therefore, cyberphysical security as well as dependability are critical issues in safety critical NPPs. In this paper, we present different levels/layers of protection to manage cyber/physical security. We also discuss the interrelationship between cyber and physical attacks. We adopt generalized stochastic Petri nets to quantitatively evaluate the intrusion probability. We then propose a new cyberframework and show that the proposed framework not only prevents cyberattacks but also conforms to cybersecurity regulations. We also propose a physical framework to prevent potential physical attacks. Finally, we discuss dependability through three metrics, i.e., reliability, maintainability, and availability. A case study is presented to demonstrate that the proposed cyberframework is highly dependable through analyzing steady-state probabilities.
In English-speaking western cultures the punitive attitudes towards law-breakers is well documented. The present study examines the utility of predictors of punitive attitudes with online survey data obtained from a convenience sample of 566 Australian residents. After controlling for demographic variables, the study examines the utility of two theoretical models; the Crime-distrust model and the Racial-animus model, in predicting punitive attitudes. All three factors of the Crime-distrust model significantly predict punitive attitudes. The study extends the current literature through identifying the significance of negative perceptions of Indigenous Australians in predicting punitive attitudes to sentencing. Results suggest that community perception of Indigenous Australians is a significant predictor of punitive attitudes in addition to factors of the Crime-distrust model. Future research using a more representative sample of the Australian population is recommended to increase the confidence with which findings are interpreted.
Despite decades of study, no scholarly consensus has emerged regarding whether violent video games contribute to youth violence. Some skeptics contend that small correlations between violent game play and violence-related outcomes may be due to other factors, which include a wide range of possible effects from gender, mental health, and social influences. The current study examines this issue with a large and diverse (49 % white, 21 % black, 18 % Hispanic, and 12 % other or mixed race/ethnicity; 51 % female) sample of youth in eighth (n = 5133) and eleventh grade (n = 3886). Models examining video game play and violence-related outcomes without any controls tended to return small, but statistically significant relationships between violent games and violence-related outcomes. However, once other predictors were included in the models and once propensity scores were used to control for an underlying propensity for choosing or being allowed to play violent video games, these relationships vanished, became inverse, or were reduced to trivial effect sizes. These results offer further support to the conclusion that video game violence is not a meaningful predictor of youth violence and, instead, support the conclusion that family and social variables are more influential factors.
Three dimensional virtual worlds (3DVW) have experienced a large growth in number of users, and are being used for collaboration activities. In parallel, the research field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) has developed taxonomies to classify systems that support collaboration. However, the CSCW perspective presents a bias towards traditional user interface paradigms, whose affordances are quite distinct from those of 3DVW, which include features such as the spatial environment, embodiment, and their dynamics. These are features which are regarded as significant factors in the research field of Presence, and yet, in our opinion, are not well appreciated from the perspective of CSCW analysis. Because of this, we question of the ability of CSCW taxonomies to properly describe the collaboration characteristics of 3DVW. By properly, we mean to say that 3DVW bring to fore collaboration characteristics that are in fact distinctive of them as collaboration tools, impacting collaboration in ways that are seldom found in usual groupware, and yet CSCW taxonomies do not distinguish them. We posit that these features should be contemplated in CSCW taxonomies and their usefulness taken into account in the development of future systems that aim to support collaboration.
Physical attractiveness is suggested to be an indicator of biological quality and therefore should be stable. However, transient factors such as gaze direction and facial expression affect facial attractiveness, suggesting it is not. We compared the relative importance of variation between faces with variation within faces due to facial expressions. 128 participants viewed photographs of 14 men and 16 women displaying the six basic facial expressions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) and a neutral expression. Each rater saw each model only once with a randomly chosen expression. The effect of expressions on attractiveness was similar in male and female faces, although several expressions were not significantly different from each other. Identity was 2.2 times as important as emotion in attractiveness for both male and female pictures, suggesting that attractiveness is stable. Since the hard tissues of the face are unchangeable, people may still be able to perceive facial structure whatever expression the face is displaying, and still make attractiveness judgements based on structural cues.
Objective: This research focused on how race-based rejection sensitivity (RS-Race) and components of racial identity intensify negative psychological reactions to an incident of vicarious racism. We examined how these individual difference variables directly and/or indirectly predicted African American students' reactions to the trial of George Zimmerman in the killing of the African American teenager, Trayvon Martin. Method: In Study 1, 471 African American students completed measures of RS-Race, thought intrusions about the Zimmerman trial, and outcome variables (negative affect about the Zimmerman trial and forgiveness for Mr. Zimmerman). In Study 2, 304 African American students completed measures of racial identity (centrality, private regard, and public regard), thought intrusions about the Zimmerman trial, negative affect, and forgiveness. Results: In Study 1, higher RS-Race was either directly and/or indirectly (via thought intrusions) related to more negative affect and lower forgiveness. In Study 2, high racial centrality and low public regard either directly and/or indirectly (via thought intrusions) predicted more negative affect and lower forgiveness. Conclusions: RS-Race and specific components of racial identity are likely to sensitize African Americans to incidents of racism that happen to other African Americans, leading to negative psychological reactions when these events occur.
To compare MRI-defined back muscle volume between AS patients and age, and spinopelvic alignment matched control patients with chronic back pain. 51 male patients with AS were enrolled. Age and spinopelvic alignment matched controls (male) were found among non-AS patients with chronic back pain. After matching procedure, fully matched controls were found in 31 of 51 AS patients (60.8%), who represent AS patients without deformity. However, matched controls were not found in 20 of 51 AS patients (39.2%), who represent AS patients with deformity. MRI parameters of back muscle (paraspinal muscle and psoas muscle) at L4/5 disc level including cross-sectional area (CSA) and fat-free cross-sectional area (FCSA) were compared between AS patients and matched controls. Covariates, including BMI, self-reported physical activity, and the presence of chronic disease, which can influence back muscle volume, were also investigated. There were no statistical differences in age, body mass index, score of back pain (NRS), and spinopelvic alignment, and physical activity between matched AS patients and control patients except for duration of back pain. All MRI parameters for paraspinal muscle volume in matched AS patients (without deformity) were significantly less than those of control patients, and significantly larger than those of non-matched AS patients (with deformity). Body size adjusted MRI parameters (relative CSA and relative FCSA) of paraspinal muscle showed strong correlations with lumbar lordosis and sacral slope. Such relationship between paraspinal muscle and spinopelvic parameters remained significant even after multivariate adjustment. AS patients without deformity already have decreased paraspinal muscle volume compared with age and spinopelvic alignment matched non-AS patients with chronic back pain. Such decrease in paraspinal muscle volume was significantly associated with kyphotic deformity of AS patients even after multivariate adjustment. Although the result of our study supports the causal relationship between muscle degeneration and kyphotic deformity in AS patients, further study is required to prove the causality.
Domestic dogs have an ancient origin and a long history in Africa. Nevertheless, the timing and sources of their introduction into Africa remain enigmatic. Herein, we analyse variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences from 345 Nigerian and 37 Kenyan village dogs plus 1530 published sequences of dogs from other parts of Africa, Europe and West Asia. All Kenyan dogs can be assigned to one of three haplogroups (matrilines; clades): A, B, and C, while Nigerian dogs can be assigned to one of four haplogroups A, B, C, and D. None of the African dogs exhibits a matrilineal contribution from the African wolf (Canis lupus lupaster). The genetic signal of a recent demographic expansion is detected in Nigerian dogs from West Africa. The analyses of mitochondrial genomes reveal a maternal genetic link between modern West African and North European dogs indicated by sub-haplogroup D1 (but not the entire haplogroup D) coalescing around 12,000 years ago. Incorporating molecular anthropological evidence, we propose that sub-haplogroup D1 in West African dogs could be traced back to the late-glacial dispersals, potentially associated with human hunter-gatherer migration from southwestern Europe. Copyright (C) 2016, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science Press. All rights reserved.
Objective: Psychiatric symptoms of varying degrees that accompany hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) may continue throughout the pregnancy or after, and these psychological problems may cause morbidity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the HG and psychiatric symptoms in the first trimester and postpartum depression. Methods: Two hundred and seven pregnant who were diagnosed as HG and 177 healthy pregnant women included in this prospective study. All cases were assessed with SCL-90-R in first trimester and with ED in postpartum period. Factors related to postpartum psychiatric symptoms were investigated with bivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: SCL-90-R and ED scores were statistically significant at HG group (p<0.05). In cases who diagnosed as postpartum depression, the rates of HG and SCL-90-R results were higher (p<0.05). In the bivariate analysis, the high rates of HG and high SCL-90-R scores were determined to be related to postpartum depression (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results show that mental health is negatively affected by HG at pregnancy, and in this case, psychiatric symptoms may continue even after discontinuation HG.
Background: In 2014, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) reported that the highest prevalence of symptoms of severe asthma was found in the low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Nigeria. While exposure to biomass fuel use may be an important risk factor in the development of asthma, its association with asthma symptoms severity has not been well-established. The aim of this study is to extend the spectrum of environmental risk factors that may be contributing towards increasing asthma morbidity, especially asthma symptoms severity in rural schoolchildren in Nigeria and to examine possible asthma underdiagnosis among this population. Methods: Authors conducted a cross-sectional survey in three rural communities in Nigeria. Asthma symptoms were defined according to the ISAAC criteria. Information on the types of household fuel used for cooking was used to determine household cooking fuel status. Asthma symptoms severity was defined based on frequencies of wheeze, day-and night-time symptoms, and speech limitations. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations. Results: A total of 1,690 Nigerian schoolchildren participated in the study. Overall, 37 (2.2%) had diagnosed asthma and 413 (24.4%) had possible asthma (asthma-related symptoms but not diagnosed asthma). Children from biomass fuel households had higher proportion of possible asthma (27.7 vs. 22.2%; p < 0.05) and symptoms of severe asthma (18.2 vs. 7.6%; p = 0.048). In adjusted analyses, biomass fuel use was associated with increased odds of severe symptoms of asthma [odds ratios (OR) = 2.37; 95% CI: 1.16-4.84], but not with possible asthma (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.95-1.56). Conclusion: In rural Nigerian children with asthma symptoms, the use of biomass fuel for cooking is associated with an increased risk of severe asthma symptoms. There is additional evidence that rural children might be underdiagnosed for asthma.
The traditional research of information dissemination is mostly based on the virus spreading model that the information is being spread by probability, which does not match very well to the reality, because the information that we receive is always more or less than what was sent. In order to quantitatively describe variations in the amount of information during the spreading process, this article proposes a safety information radiation model on the basis of communication theory, combining with relevant theories of complex networks. This model comprehensively considers the various influence factors when safety information radiates in the network, and introduces some concepts from the communication theory perspective, such as the radiation gain function, receiving gain function, information retaining capacity and information second reception capacity, to describe the safety information radiation process between nodes and dynamically investigate the states of network nodes. On a micro level, this article analyzes the influence of various initial conditions and parameters on safety information radiation through the new model simulation. The simulation reveals that this novel approach can reflect the variation of safety information quantity of each node in the complex network, and the scale-free network has better radiation explosive power, while the small-world network has better radiation staying power. The results also show that it is efficient to improve the overall performance of network security by selecting nodes with high degrees as the information source, refining and simplifying the information, increasing the information second reception capacity and decreasing the noises. In a word, this article lays the foundation for further research on the interactions of information and energy between internal components within complex systems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
It is a common goal to improve safety and performance of mobile indoor robots by predicting the movements of people in the surroundings. In contrast to many related works which exclusively employ sensors mounted on mobile robots, this work shows a method to achieve this goal in a smart environment where external sensors are used to sense people's positions. By using probabilistic models and filters, the evolution of the environment's state is predicted and optimal paths with respect to safety and performance are planned. Experiments in reality and in a simulation environment show the applicability in real-world scenarios and the advantages over classical path planning approaches.
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of cyanobacteria, algae, microfungi, lichens and bryophytes in varying proportions, which live within or immediately on top of the uppermost millimeters of the soil in arid and semiarid regions. As biocrusts are highly relevant for ecosystem processes like carbon, nitrogen, and water cycling, a correct characterization of their spatial distribution is required. Following this objective, considerable efforts have been devoted to the identification and mapping of biocrusts using remote sensing data, and several mapping indices have been developed. However, their transferability to different regions has only rarely been tested. In this study we investigated the transferability of two multispectral indices, i.e. the Crust Index (CI) and the Biological Soil Crust Index (BSCI), and two hyperspectral indices, i.e. the Continuum Removal Crust Identification Algorithm (CRCIA) and the Crust Development Index (CDI), in three sites dominated by biocrusts, but with differences in soil and vegetation composition. Whereas multispectral indices have been important and valuable tools for first approaches to map and classify biological soil crusts, hyperspectral data and indices developed for these allowed to classify biocrusts at much higher accuracy. While multispectral indices showed Kappa (kappa) values below 0.6, hyperspectral indices obtained good classification accuracy (kappa similar to 0.8) in both the study area where they had been developed and in the newly tested region. These results highlight the capability of hyperspectral sensors to identify specific absorption features related to photosynthetic pigments as chlorophyll and carotenoids, but also the limitation of multispectral information to discriminate between areas dominated by biocrusts, vegetation or bare soil. Based on these results we conclude that remote sensing offers an important and valid tool to map biocrusts. However, the spectral similarity between the main surface components of drylands and biocrusts demand for mapping indices based on hyperspectral information to correctly map areas dominated by biocrusts at ecosystem scale. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fine-grained image recognition, a computer vision task filled with challenges due to its imperceptible inter-class variance and large intra-class variance, has been drawing increasing attention. While manual annotation can be utilized to effectively enhance performance in this task, it is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Recently, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) achieved state-of-the-art performance in image classification. We propose a fine-grained image recognition framework by exploiting CNN as the raw feature extractor along with several effective methods including a feature encoding method, a feature weighting method, and a strategy to better incorporate information from multi-scale images to further improve recognition ability. Besides, we investigate two dimension reduction methods and successfully merge them to our framework to compact the final image representation. Based on the discriminative and compact framework, we achieved the state-of-the-art performance in terms of classification accuracy on several fine-grained image recognition benchmarks based on weekly supervision.
Background: Feature selection methods are commonly used to identify subsets of relevant features to facilitate the construction of models for classification, yet little is known about how feature selection methods perform in diffusion tensor images (DTIs). In this study, feature selection and machine learning classification methods were tested for the purpose of automating diagnosis of migraines using both DTIs and questionnaire answers related to emotion and cognition - factors that influence of pain perceptions. Methods: We select 52 adult subjects for the study divided into three groups: control group (15), subjects with sporadic migraine (19) and subjects with chronic migraine and medication overuse (18). These subjects underwent magnetic resonance with diffusion tensor to see white matter pathway integrity of the regions of interest involved in pain and emotion. The tests also gather data about pathology. The DTI images and test results were then introduced into feature selection algorithms (Gradient Tree Boosting, L1-based, Random Forest and Univariate) to reduce features of the first dataset and classification algorithms (SVM (Support Vector Machine), Boosting (Adaboost) and Naive Bayes) to perform a classification of migraine group. Moreover we implement a committee method to improve the classification accuracy based on feature selection algorithms. Results: When classifying the migraine group, the greatest improvements in accuracy were made using the proposed committee-based feature selection method. Using this approach, the accuracy of classification into three types improved from 67 to 93% when using the Naive Bayes classifier, from 90 to 95% with the support vector machine classifier, 93 to 94% in boosting. The features that were determined to be most useful for classification included are related with the pain, analgesics and left uncinate brain (connected with the pain and emotions). Conclusions: The proposed feature selection committee method improved the performance of migraine diagnosis classifiers compared to individual feature selection methods, producing a robust system that achieved over 90% accuracy in all classifiers. The results suggest that the proposed methods can be used to support specialists in the classification of migraines in patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging.
Background and aims: Gambling disorder-related illegal acts (GDRIA) are often crucial events for gamblers and/or their entourage. This study was designed to determine the predictive factors of GDRIA. Methods: Participants were 372 gamblers reporting at least three DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) criteria. They were assessed on the basis of sociodemographic characteristics, gambling-related characteristics, their personality profile, and psychiatric comorbidities. A multiple logistic regression was performed to identify the relevant predictors of GDRIA and their relative contribution to the prediction of the presence of GDRIA. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed a higher South Oaks Gambling Scale score, comorbid addictive disorders, and a lower level of income as GDRIA predictors. Discussion and conclusion: An original finding of this study was that the comorbid addictive disorder effect might be mediated by a disinhibiting effect of stimulant substances on GDRIA. Further studies are necessary to replicate these results, especially in a longitudinal design, and to explore specific therapeutic interventions.
Criminal-justice-involved clients often are a complicated population for students to consider through a lens of oppression. Nevertheless, it is critical that they do so given that many will serve clients with criminal records during their careers. An attempt to challenge students' prejudice toward criminal-justiceinvolved people was deployed using a teaching technique derived from intergroup contact theory. The authors invited Juan Melendez to share his story of incarceration on death row for more than 17 years for a crime he did not commit. This article is an examination of the impact of Mr. Melendez's story and the application of intergroup contact theory.
Cogging torque is a known disadvantage of surface permanent magnet (SPM) machines, especially if equipped with open stator slots. A possible strategy to reduce the cogging torque is to use suitably designed non-isotropic magnetic wedges. The design of such wedges for cogging torque minimization requires a genetic optimization approach. This has been done in previous works using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations to predict the cogging torque for each machine design being explored, leading to a very time consuming optimization process. In this paper, the same optimization is performed using an analytical method to compute the cogging torque. It is shown that the optimization process, based on the analytical formula for cogging torque prediction, leads to the same result as the FEA-based procedure, but with a significant reduction in the computational burden.
In this paper, we detail two side-channel attacks against the McEliece public-key cryptosystem. They are exploiting timing differences on the Patterson decoding algorithm in order to reveal one part of the secret key: the support permutation. The first one is improving two existing timing attacks and uses the correlation between two different steps of the decoding algorithm. This improvement can be deployed on all error-vectors with Hamming weight smaller than a quarter of the minimum distance of the code. The second attack targets the evaluation of the error locator polynomial and succeeds on several different decoding algorithms. We also give an appropriate countermeasure.
How do donors reason and justify their choices when faced with dilemmas in a charitable context? In two studies, Swedish students were confronted with helping dilemmas based on the identifiable victim effect, the proportion dominance effect and the ingroup effect. Each dilemma consisted of two comparable charity projects and participants were asked to choose one project over the other. They were then asked to provide justifications of their choice by stating the relative importance of different types of reasons. When faced with an identified victim dilemma, participants did not choose the project including an identified victim more often than the project framed statistically, but those who did emphasized emotional reasons (e.g., Because I had more empathic feelings), but not any other reasons, more than those choosing the statistical project. When faced with a Proportion dominance dilemma, participants more often chose the project with a high rescue proportion (e.g., you can save 100% out of 30) than the project with a low rescue proportion (e.g., you can save 4% out of 800), and those who did emphasized efficacy reasons (e.g., Because my money can make a greater difference there), but no other reasons, more than those favoring the low recue proportion project. Finally, when faced with an Ingroup dilemma, participants more often chose the project that could help ingroup-victims over the project that could help outgroup victims, and those who did emphasized responsibility reasons (e.g., Because I have a greater obligation), but no other reasons, more than those favoring outgroup projects. These results are consistent with and extend previous findings about how different helping effects are related to different psychological processes.
In recent years environmental sustainability has demanded a progressive increase of waste recycling in general and waste value-added utilisation in the construction industry in particular. As regards the application of construction and demolition wastes (C&DW) in geotechnical works, it has been noticed that the use of recycled aggregates is found mostly in road construction. Value-added utilisation of C&DW in geosynthetic-reinforced structures is almost an unexplored field. This paper presents the results of physical, mechanical and environmental characterisation of recycled C&DW, as well as the direct shear behaviour of three recycled C&DW-geosynthetic interfaces. The C&DW material was collected from a recycling plant and came from the demolition of single-family houses and the cleaning of land with illegal deposits of C&DW. Two geogrids and one geocomposite reinforcement (high-strength geotextile) were used to assess the behaviour of C&DW-geosynthetic interfaces. The environmental characterisation of the C&DW, carried out through leaching tests, did not show environmental concerns. Direct shear test results have demonstrated that properly selected and compacted C&DW can exhibit shear strength similar to natural soils. The coefficients of interaction achieved for C&DW-geosynthetic interfaces compare well with those reported in the literature for soil-geosynthetic interfaces under similar conditions, which supports the feasibility of using these recycled materials as backfill in geosynthetic-reinforced structures.
Genomic DNA is dynamically associated with protein factors and folded to form chromatin fibers. The 3-dimensional (3D) configuration of the chromatin will enable the distal genetic elements to come into close proximity, allowing transcriptional regulation. Noncoding RNA can mediate the 3D structure of chromatin. Chromatin Interaction Analysis by Paired-End Tag Sequencing (ChIA-PET) is a valuable and powerful technique in molecular biology which allows the study of unbiased, genome-wide de novo chromatin interactions with paired-end tags. Here, we describe the standard version of ChIA-PET and a Multiplex ChIA-PET version.
Naphthalene sulfonates are highly water-soluble compounds, indicating a high mobility in aquatic systems along with high temperature stability, which are important substances in the chemical industry. This review covers analytical methods, instruments and techniques used for the pre-concentration and analysis of naphthalene sulfonates in different matrices.All analytical steps including the extraction from real samples, their detection by spectrophotometric and chromatographic techniques, as well as methods of identification of this class of compounds are described in detail. The methods normally employed for the extraction and pre-concentration of these compounds is solid-phase extraction (including molecularly imprinted polymers and anion-exchange), while their quantification are performed using high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and spectrophotometric techniques. In this review, in addition to chromatographic and spectrophotometric methods, electrochemical innovations appearing in the literature will be also explored.
A study was undertaken to determine if humans excrete both amobarbital N-glucuronides and N-glucosides in urine after an oral dose of amobarbital. Amobarbital N-glucuronides were synthesized and characterized. A reverse phase LC method using past-column pH adjustment and UV detection at 240 nm was developed and used for the quantification of the amobarbital N-glucosides and N-glucuronides in human urine. Amobarbital was administered orally to seven male subjects and the total urine was collected for a period of 48-53 h after dosing. After filtration, the urine was injected directly onto the HPLC column to analyze for the presence of metabolites. The previously identified (5S)-amobarbital N-glucoside was detected in all seven subjects. The (5R)-amobarbital N-glucoside was detected at lower concentrations in only four of the subjects. At the levels at which amobarbital N-glucosides were detected, there was no evidence for the formation and excretion of the amobarbital N-glucuronides. Amobarbital N-glucuronidation is not a quantitatively significant pathway for the biodisposition of amobarbital in humans. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is caused by the parasite Leishmania infantum and is a systemic disease, which can present with variable clinical signs, and clinicopathological abnormalities. Clinical manifestations can range from subclinical infection to very severe systemic disease. Leishmaniosis is categorized as a neglected tropical disease and the complex immune responses associated with Leishmania species makes therapeutic treatments and vaccine development challenging for both dogs and humans. In this review, we summarize innate and adaptive immune responses associated with L. infantum infection in dogs, and we discuss the problems associated with the disease as well as potential solutions and the future direction of required research to help control the parasite.
Energy storage is unique in that it can provide multiple services. This feature raises cost-recovery issues for storage, due to the combination of competitive markets and ratebased cost recovery used in many power systems today. This hybrid regulatory paradigm relies on classifying assets as providing competitively prices or unpriced services and handling cost recovery based on that classification. Some recent regulatory precedents suggest that storage developers must choose between classifying their assets as providing competitively priced or unpriced services. In the former case, storage costs must be recovered through the market. If an asset is classified as providing only unpriced services, costs can be recovered through the ratebase. This regulatory design can hamper cost recovery for storage and may lead to inefficient storage investment and use. We propose an alternate solution whereby storage-capacity rights are auctioned to third parties that use their rights for priced or unpriced services. Storage-capacity rights disentangle storage cost recovery from the regulatory treatment of its end use. We formulate the storage-capacity auction model and demonstrate how to efficiently price storage-capacity rights. We show that the revenues earned by the storage owner through the auction equals the imputed marginal value of storage capacity, as revealed by the market bids.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder mainly showed atypical social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Now clinic diagnosis of ASD is mostly based on psychological evaluation, clinical observation and medical history. All these behavioral indexes could not avoid defects such as subjectivity and reporter-dependency. Therefore researchers devoted themselves to seek relatively stable biomarkers of ASD as supplementary diagnostic evidence. The goal of present study is to generate relatively stable predictive model based on anatomical brain features by using machine learning technique. Forty-six ASD children and thirty-nine development delay children aged from 18 to 37 months were evolved in. As a result, the predictive model generated by regional average cortical thickness of regions with top 20 highest importance of random forest classifier showed best diagnostic performance. And random forest was proved to be the optimal approach for neuroimaging data mining in small size set and thickness-based classification outperformed volume-based classification and surface area-based classification in ASD. The brain regions selected by the models might attract attention and the idea of considering biomarkers as a supplementary evidence of ASD diagnosis worth exploring. Autism Res2017, 0: 000-000. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 620-630. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This study presents a methodology for the estimation of a-priori parameters of the widely used kinematic wave approximation to the unsteady, 1-D Saint-Venant equations for hydrologic flow routing. The approach is based on a multi-dimensional statistical modeling of the macro scale spatial variability of rating curve parameters using a set of geophysical factors including geomorphology, hydro-climatology and land cover/land use over the Conterminous United States. The main goal of this study was to enable prediction at ungauged locations through regionalization of model parameters. The results highlight the importance of regional and local geophysical factors in uniquely defining characteristics of each stream reach conforming to physical theory of fluvial hydraulics. The application of the estimates is demonstrated through a hydrologic modeling evaluation of a deterministic forecasting system performed on 1672 gauged basins and 47,563 events extracted from a 10-year simulation. Considering the mean concentration time of the basins of the study and the target application on flash flood forecasting, the skill of the flow routing simulations is significantly high for peakflow and timing of peakflow estimation, and shows consistency as indicated by the large sample verification. The resulting a-priori estimates can be used in any hydrologic model that employs the kinematic wave model for flow routing. Furthermore, probabilistic estimates of kinematic wave parameters are enabled based on uncertainty information that is generated during the multi-dimensional statistical modeling. More importantly, the methodology presented in this study enables the estimation of the kinematic wave model parameters anywhere over the globe, thus allowing flood modeling in ungauged basins at regional to global scales. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Background: Ocular allergy is a growing public health problem that greatly impacts the day-to-day life of sufferers and their families. Other aspects of their activities of daily living such as schooling, professional, and social life are affected hence an increased awareness and knowledge of ocular allergies, their detection and treatment is paramount. This study was to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of ocular allergy among undergraduate students of public universities in Ghana. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted among 1000 students from three selected public universities in Ghana. Each respondent completed a questionnaire that had questions concerning awareness and knowledge of ocular allergy. Results: Out of the 1000 students, 347 (34.7 %) were aware of ocular allergy. Of these 347 students, the level of knowledge of ocular allergy was generally low. Majority of the students had their source of information about ocular allergy from the media and the internet. There was statistical significant association among awareness of ocular allergy, sources of information and programme of study (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Level of awareness among university students is generally low. Students' programmes of study influenced their knowledge of ocular allergy. Public health measures are recommended to help educate students on the prevention and control of ocular allergy as well as the complications associated with this condition.
Several laboratory model tests were carried out on the bearing capacity of strip footings on reinforced soil foundation and reinforced slope. Compared with unreinforced cases, the deformation and failure of reinforced earth in different foundation conditions were monitored and analyzed. In order to visualize a failure mechanism when the ground reaches the state of limit equilibrium, a new numerical procedure was proposed. Assuming an elastic-perfectly plastic model, a smeared shear band approach and a modified initial stress method enable the proposed procedure to create an explicit collapse mode by the stress yield condition. On the basis of the development of failure mode and deformation of foundation, the bearing capacity of strip footings can be significantly increased by the inclusion of geotextile. And because the procedure considers the stiffness and deformation of the material, it may be applied to complex stability problems.
With the rapid development of the Internet, especially the development of mobile Internet, network size and network infrastructure changes, especially the more random access node to detect network attacks challenges traditional detection algorithm using neural networks, so that the calculated volume increased dramatically, and will detection accuracy is not high, for this problem, we use the stochastic process theory hidden Markov chain transformation neural network, so that the convergence of a substantial decline, while improving network attack detection accuracy degree.
The absorption, metabolism and excretion of desloratadine (DL, Clarinex(R)) were characterized in six healthy male volunteers. Subjects received a single oral 10-mg dose of [C-14]DL (similar to 104 mu Ci). Blood, urine and feces were collected over 240h. DL was well absorbed; drug-derived radioactivity was excreted in both urine (41%) and feces (47%). With the exception of a single subject, DL was extensively metabolized; the major biotransformation pathway consisted of hydroxylation at the 3 position of the pyridine ring and subsequent glucuronidation (3-OH-DL-glucuronide or M13). In five of the six subjects, DL was slowly eliminated (mean t(1/2) = 19.5 h) and persisted in the plasma for 48-120 h post-dose. This is in contrast to a t(1/2) of similar to 110 h and quantifiable plasma DL concentrations for the entire 240-h sampling period in one subject, who was identified phenotypically as a poor metabolizer of DL. This subject also exhibited correspondingly lower amounts of M13 in urine and 3-OH-DL (M40) in feces. Disposition of DL in this subject was characterized by slow absorption, slow metabolism and prolonged elimination. Further clinical studies confirmed the lack of safety issues associated with polymorphism of DL metabolism.
Objective: To examine the association between postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Medicine and Alzheimer's disease (MEDALZ) is a nested case-control study of the entire Finnish population with clinically verified AD from 2005 to 2011 and up to 4 matched controls per case. This study comprises 230,580 women (46,117 cases and 184,463 controls). Data on HT use from 1995 to 2011 was extracted from the national prescription register using following ATC codes: GO3C (estrogen), GO3D (progestogen) and GO3F (estrogen and progestogen in combination). Only systemic HT (oral or transdermal) was considered. Results: Use of systemic estrogen and progestogen was associated with an increased risk of AD, with ORs (95% CI) of 1.10 (1.06-1.12) and 1.13 (1.10-1.17) respectively, but use of systemic estrogen HT for >10 years (OR, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.84-0.99) was protective against AD. Long-term (>10 years) use of progestogen and combination HT was not related to AD risk (OR, 95% CI: 1.0, 0.90-1.2). Conclusion: Our findings do not suggest HT is an important determinant of AD risk. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Non-uniform flow patterns on distillation trays can result in significant losses in separation efficiency compared to conditions with straight chordal flow paths. To improve flow pattern via tray design revamps as well as for more accurate prediction of achievable separation efficiency, better understanding of the flow formation is required. This is, however, not straight forward since the evolving patterns depend on column and tray design as well as on operating conditions and may cover configurations with continuous liquid being pushed through a curtain of rising bubbles (bubble regime) or a continuous gas phase carrying the liquid as droplets (spray regime). In this study, the wire-mesh sensor technique was used to visualize flow patterns on larger trays. The technique tracks conductivity tracer pulses during their passage across the tray. A proper calibration routine was developed and a methodology is proposed to determine point liquid residence time distributions and weir-to-weir liquid velocities. Experiments were carried out in a tray column of 800 mm diameter. The feasibility study included experiments at different liquid capacities and various outlet weir obstructions. Tray benchmark data at high spatio-temporal resolution were obtained, which are suitable for validation of CFD models for flow simulation of industrial-scale sieve trays. (C) 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We examined how ethnic discrimination targeting ethnic minority group members would affect majority group members' attitudes and multiculturalism towards ethnic minority groups in the context of Turkish-Kurdish interethnic conflict. Study 1 (N = 356) demonstrated that the extent to which majorities (Turkish) believed there was ethnic discrimination towards minorities (Kurdish) in the Turkish society was associated with positive outgroup attitudes and support for multiculturalism through decreased levels of perceived threat from the outgroup. Study 2 (N = 82) showed that Turkish participants who read bogus news reports about the prevalence of ethnic discrimination towards the Kurdish were more positive towards this ethnic group (higher levels of support for multiculturalism, culture maintenance, and intergroup contact) compared to participants in the neutral condition. Furthermore, participants who were presented with lower levels of discrimination (few companies have been discriminatory against the Kurdish) were more positive towards Kurdish people than participants who were presented with higher levels of discrimination (most companies have been discriminatory against the Kurdish). Regardless of the intensity of discrimination, information about the prevalence of ethnic discrimination improved majority members' attitudes towards ethnic minority groups. Practical and theoretical implications of the studies were discussed.
Purpose of review The purpose of the present review is to provide an update on the current development in the field of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNabs) and their potential use in the prevention and therapeutic settings, and an evaluation of the B-cell abnormalities that may impair antibody responses in HIV infection. Recent findings Major advances have been achieved in the characterization of bNabs directed against different vulnerable regions of HIV Envelope (Env). Recent observations have clearly demonstrated the ability of bNabs to prevent HIV infection in the nonhuman primate model of HIV infection and to suppress viremia in individuals with chronic HIV infection in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. Furthermore, substantial advances have also been obtained in the development of HIV Env proteins and immunization strategies inducing bNabs in small animal models. Several studies have also shed light on the B-cell abnormalities associated with the viremic phase of HIV infection that cause impaired B-cell maturation and antibody responses. Of note, preliminary observations have provided evidence for a correlation between the expansion of a specific population of B cells, for example, germinal center B cells, the expansion of T follicular helper cells (Tfh), and the generation of neutralizing antibodies. Summary The recent observations on the antiviral effects of bNabs in vivo indicate that bNabs may play a central role in both the prevention and the therapeutic settings. The identification of the role of germinal center B cells and Tfh cells as critical components of the immune response leading to the generation of neutralizing antibodies, will allow the development of specific immunization strategies for the stimulation of germinal center B cells and Tfh cells. A lot of work still remains to be done for the delineation of B-cell and Tfh cell biology from human lymphoid tissues and in the development of HIV Env proteins and immunization strategies leading to the generation of bNabs.
Objectives: To measure early retirement due to self-reported rheumatic diseases (RDs) and to estimate the respective indirect costs and years of working life lost (YWLL). Methods: We used individual level data from the national, cross-sectional, population based EpiReumaPt study (September 2011 December 2013) where 10,661 inhabitants were randomly surveyed in order to capture and characterize all cases of RD within a representative sample of the Portuguese population. In this analysis, we used all participants aged between 50 and 64 years, near the official retirement age. A national database was used to calculate productivity values by gender, age and region, using the human capital approach. YWLL were estimated as the difference between each participant's current age and the respective retirement age, while the potential years of working life lost (PYWLL) were given by the difference between official and actual retirement ages. We also calculated the percentage of time in inactivity (inactivity ratio = YWLL/Active age-range [15-64 years old]). Results: 29.9% of the Portuguese population with ages between 50 and 64 years were retired with 13.1% self-reporting retirement due to RD. The estimated annual indirect cost following premature retirement attributed to RD was (sic)910 million ((sic)555 per capita; (sic)1625 per self-reported RD patient and (sic)13,592 per early retiree due to RD). Females contributed with 84% for these costs ((sic)766 million; (sic)882 per capita vs (sic)187 from males). We observed a total number of 389,939 accumulated YWLL (228 per 1000 inhabitants) and 684,960 PYWLL (401 per 1000 inhabitants). The mean YWLL and PYWLL inactivity ratios were 12% and 21%, respectively. RD patients with higher values of disability have the highest risk of early retirement. Conclusions: Early retirement attributed to self-reported RD amounts to approximately 0.5% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013, due to large YWLL. Both the public health concern and the economic impact highlight the need to prioritize investments in health and social protection policies targeting patients with rheumatic conditions. (C) 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Advanced grammar courses often present standardized grammar rules to students without considering sociolinguistic variation. As a result, many native/heritage students feel that they speak incorrectly, and many second language learners do not get an accurate picture of the target language's real-world grammar. This article describes and evaluates a unique approach to teaching advanced Spanish grammar to university students. The curriculum focuses on core grammatical content by studying structures that are subject to sociolinguistic variation, as in habia approximate to habian dos ranas [there was approximate to were two frogs], and it highlights the sociopolitical factors that explain why some forms are deemed prestigious. To test the efficacy of this curriculum, students enrolled in an advanced Spanish grammar course at a large university in the southwestern United States completed a pre- and posttest that measured Spanish grammar knowledge, awareness of sociolinguistic concepts, and positive language attitudes. Results showed statistically significant gains with respect to knowledge of grammar and sociolinguistics. Students also demonstrated a heightened awareness of how prejudice can manifest in judgments of spoken language.
In all kinds of Internet security incidents, the most serious is malicious code. The increasingly serious problem caused by malicious code, not only make the enterprises and users suffered huge economic losses, but also makes network security facing serious threat. In this paper, based on the analysis of malicious code detection technology and detection system, the author designs and implements an unknown malicious code detection system based on network behavior analysis. Test results show that the detection system can distinguish three kinds of ARP attack; it can produce normal alarm information and achieve the desired results. At the same time, the network behavior analysis method needs to be further improved in order to achieve better analysis results, and provide more reliable results for the detection system.
In the present work we compare the results obtained by two approaches to detect receptor expression on cells surface: (i) the confocal laser scanning microscopy, which is an established methodology to study cell biology and associated events, wherein the cells or molecules labeling is needed, and (ii) an alternative label-free electroanalytical technique, essentially quantitative, based on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Concerning specificity, both assays are equivalent, since they depend on the antibody efficiency to recognize and discriminate the searched structure in the cell context. Regarding sensitivity, we showed that, in the case of the detection of Toll-like receptor on transfected human cells, this label-free EIS approach (with measurements performed on 2% of paraformaldehyde, an environment that retained morphology and antigenic sites of cells), was very sensitive for the receptor detection, in a demonstration that the proposed electrical impedance analytical assays can help optimizing the ability to evaluate cellular biological events. It provides to biologists and medical community an alternative and either quantitive analytical tool that can be applied to the biological model of interest and used to design and perform a rapid multiplexable and automatable assaying methodology. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a novel multiphase permanent-magnet (PM) synchronous machinery series adopting two adjacent coils per phase and modular stator. Machine design principles, including modular stator design, segmental interior PM-assisted rotor design, and winding factor improvement, are investigated. Moreover, analytical modeling of winding inductance is developed to provide insights into the magnetic circuit of this type of machine. The proposed machinery series is suitable for wheel-driving electric vehicles attributing to their high magnetic isolation feature, good flux-weakening capability, and feasibility of modular fabrication.
As a primary disposal mean of municipal solid waste in China, the landfill has been recognized as one of the major threats to the surrounding surface water and groundwater environment due to the emission of leachate. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of leachate on the surface water and groundwater environment of the region of the Chang'an landfill, which is located in Sichuan province, China. The surface water and groundwater were sampled for hydrochemical analysis. Three electrical resistivity tomography profiles were conducted to evaluate the impact of leachate on the groundwater environment, and several laboratory tests were carried out to build the relationship between the soil bulk resistivity and the void fluid resistivity. The results showed that a seasonal creek named Longfeng creek, which crosses the landfill site, was contaminated by the leachate. The concentrations of COD, BOD5, and chlorides (Cl) of surface water samples increased by 12.3-105.7 times. The groundwater quality in the surface loose sediments along the valley deteriorated obviously from the landfill to 500 m downstream area. The laboratory tests of soil samples indicated that the resistivity value of 13 Omega m is a critical value whether the groundwater in the loose sediments is polluted. The groundwater at the site adjacent to the spillway in the landfill was partially contaminated by the emission of leachate. The groundwater contamination zones at 580 m downstream of the landfill were recognized at the shallow zones from 60 m left bank to 30 m right bank of Longfeng creek. The improved understanding of groundwater contamination around the landfill is beneficial for the landfill operation and groundwater environment remediation.
A major topic of interest in human prehistory is how the large-scale genetic structure of modern populations outside of Africa was established. Demographic models have been developed that capture the relationships among small numbers of populations or within particular geographical regions, but constructing a phylogenetic tree with gene flow events for a wide diversity of non-Africans remains a difficult problem. Here, we report a model that provides a good statistical fit to allele-frequency correlation patterns among East Asians, Australasians, Native Americans, and ancient western and northern Eurasians, together with archaic human groups. The model features a primary eastern/western bifurcation dating to at least 45,000 years ago, with Australasians nested inside the eastern clade, and a parsimonious set of admixture events. While our results still represent a simplified picture, they provide a useful summary of deep Eurasian population history that can serve as a null model for future studies and a baseline for further discoveries.
Delayed Resonators (DR) refer to a special type of active vibration absorber system. An intentionally delayed feedback control is used to bring an absorber sub-structure to resonance, in turn canceling vibrations in the primary structure. So far, this theory has been applied to traditional mechanical vibration absorbers with proof masses. This study proposes a new venue for DR-based vibration control using piezoelectric networks. The inherent electro-mechanical coupling of piezoelectric materials has enabled the use of electrical circuits to absorb vibrations in mechanical structures. The DR principles are applied here to create a resonating electrical circuit which offers ideal vibration absorption performance. Experimental studies are also presented to demonstrate the results. (C) 2016, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Brown and beige adipose tissue may represent important therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetes and obesity as these organs dissipate nutrient energy as heat through the thermogenic uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). While mice are commonly used to mimic the potential effects of brown/beige adipose tissue that may act in human metabolism, new animal models are edging into the market for translational medicine. Pigs reflect human metabolism better than mice in multiple parameters such as obesity-induced hyperglycemia, cholesterol profiles and energy metabolism. Recently, it was reported that energy expenditure and body temperature in pigs is induced by the hormone leptin, and that leptin's action is mediated by UCP1 in adipose tissue. Given the tremendous importance of identifying molecular mechanisms for targeting therapeutics, we critically examine the evidence supporting the presence of UCP1 in pigs and conclude that methodological shortcomings prevent an unequivocal claim for the presence of UCP1 in pigs. Despite this, we believe that leptin's effects on energy expenditure in pigs are potentially more transformative to human medicine in the absence of UCP1, as adult and obese humans possess only minor amounts of UCP1. In general, we propose that the biology of new animal models requires attention to comparative studies with humans given the increasing amount of genomic information for various animal species. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This paper acquaints with a created application for generating Rainbow Tables and the results of testing Rainbow Tables, according to the length of the chosen chain. The paper presents a specialized application containing its own algorithms for reduction functions, changing the length of chain, generating Rainbow Tables and measuring the effectivity of the password search in detail. Within the executed tests, the dependence of Rainbow Tables size on the password length, the affection of the hash search by the size of the chosen chain and their links to collisions, which arise from the principle of using the reduction function, were observed. The results objectively describe the pros and cons of using Rainbow Tables and show the possibilities and restrictions for their effective usage.
Objective: To investigate whether risperidone improves social cognitive impairments and executive dysfunction in people with schizophrenia. Methods: Fifty-six patients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia were allocated to a risperidone treatment group (RTG, n= 28) and a typical antipsychotic treatment group (TATG, n= 28). Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were recruited as the normal control group (NCG). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Interpersonal Perception Task-15 (IPT-15), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were rated at baseline and after 4 and 12 weeks of treatment with risperidone or typical antipsychotics. Results: Risperidone and typical antipsychotics decreased Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores for total psychopathology and positive and negative symptoms. At baseline, in the IPT-15, total scores and five factor scores, as well as the number of categories completed and the percentage of conceptual level responses, were significantly lower in the RTG and TATG than in the NCG, whereas total response errors, perseverative errors, and failure to maintain set were significantly higher in the patient groups than in the NCG. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of time period (baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks) for IPT-15 scores and WCST performances, and significant interactions for time period x group (RTG and TATG). Multivariate analysis of variance showed no significant differences between the RTG and TATG on IPT-15 scores at 4 weeks, but there were significant differences between these two groups at 12 weeks. Significant differences were also found between the RTG and TATG on WCST performances at 4 and 12 weeks. Conclusion: Individuals with schizophrenia have impairments in social cognitive and executive function, which might be improved by risperidone.
Objective: The objective of this study was the identification of the stain HIF-alpha using the Image Cytometry, and to help to count the positive cells (with HIF-alpha) and the negative cells (without HIF-alpha) from the same sample. Method: 17 images of renal tissues from male rats of Winstar lineage; overall, there were 12.587 objects (cells) in the images for analysis. The acquired images were then analyzed through the free softwares CellProfiler (version 2.1.1) and CellProfiler Analyst (version 2.0). In the software CellProfiler Anlyst, there was a separation with the classes of the object, using a classifier, and the classes were: 1) class with HIF-alpha and 2) class without HIF-alpha. Results: With the data obtained through Score All, it was possible to calculate the percentage of cells that had HIFalpha; out of 12.587 objects of the sample, 6.773 (54%) had HIF-alpha and 5.814 (46%) did not have HIF-alpha. Data of sensibility 0.90, specificity 0.84 and standard deviation 0.10 and 0.12. Conclusion: The research shows that the free software CellProfiler, through the light microscope, was able to identify the stains, perform the machine's learning, and subsequently count and separate cells from distinct classes (with and without the stain of HIF-alpha). (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coils are required not to quench during the most demanding event: a plasma disruption followed by a fast discharge of the Central Solenoid (CS), the Poloidal Field (PF) coils and the Correction Coils (CC). This event creates large heat deposition in the ITER magnet stainless steel structures in addition to the conductor AC losses. In order to prevent quench occurring in the TF conductor, cooling channels, implemented in the TF coil structure (TFCS), have to remove a large fraction of the heat deposited. The first integrated TF and structure mock-up has been manufactured and then tested in the HELIOS cryogenic test facility (CEA Grenoble) to determine the thermal coupling between the TFCS and the TF conductor, both actively cooled by supercritical helium at 4.4 K and 5 bar. It consists in a stainless steel casing, a cooling pipe glued with resin in the casing groove, winding pack (WP) ground insulation, a radial plate and a copper dummy cable-in-conduit-conductor (CICC). Steady state as well as transient thermal characterizations have been completed in May 2015. Simulation results by thermal hydraulic codes (VENECIA/SuperMagnet) and some of the experimehtal data are presented and discussed. The thermal coupling between the helium in the cooling tube and the TF coil structure is then modelled as an equivalent heat transfer coefficient in order to simplify the thermal hydraulic (TH) models. Comparison between simplified coupling and detailed coupling is presented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper mainly discussed the novel open experiment graduate course in electronic information and engineering. The course is designed to teach postgraduates how to design, test, and simulate some basic experiments related to wireless communication systems and microwave transmission systems using modern instruments and computer-aided design ( CAD) software. One of the objectives of the course is to assist postgraduates to understand the theoretical concepts of wireless systems, parallel DSP, embedded systems, electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic compatibility and optical communication systems through hands-on experiments and to make them more confident both in system design and analysis. The course also aims at increasing the interest of postgraduates in engineering and technology. Therefore, laboratory experiments that are complementary to the materials discussed in the theoretical part of the course are designed specifically to incorporate the use of several common instruments that students probably use extensively in their research fields. Complementing and expanding upon the materials covered in six basic courses is another merit of this laboratory-based course. Meeting the course requirements also helps students improve their oral presentation and report preparation abilities. The laboratory has provided more than 2000 postgraduates during the past ten years with the opportunity to acquire both in-depth theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in this rapidly growing discipline. The evaluation of the course indicates that most of the objectives are achieved.
This research work was carried out in order to develop a motorized Akpu Milling Machine in the quest to improve poverty eradication in Nigeria through technological innovation. Considering the various traditional method of grinding Akpu (Cassava). This machine was fabricated and has the ability to grind tubers of Akpu (Cassava) squeezing/extracting the moisture content out before frying on the fire, or oven. This research work aimed at eliminating the problem of traditional method of milling Akpu. The capacity of the Akpu milling machine developed is 158kg/hr. The machine runs on a single phase three horse power electric motor at a speed of 1450 rpm. Due to the inherent problems of contamination the machine may be adopted for large scale industrial applications.
In this study, we evaluated the performance of community land surface model (CLM4.5) to simulate the hydrologic fluxes, such as, soil moisture (SM), evapotranspiration (ET) and runoff with (without) remote sensing data assimilation. The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR_E) daily SM (both ascending and descending) are incorporated into the CLM4.5 model using data assimilation (DA) technique. The GLDAS data is used to validate the AMSR_E SM data and evaluate the performance of CLM4.5 simulations. The AMSR_E SM data are rescaled to meet the resolution of CLM4.5 model. By assimilating the AMSRE SM data into the CLM4.5 model can improve the SM simulations, especially over the climate transition zones in Africa, East Australia, South South America, Southeast Asia, and East North America in summer season. The Local Ensemble Kalman Filter (LEnKF) technique improves the performance of CLM4.5 model compared to the directly substituted method. The improvement in ET and surface runoff simulations from CLM4.5 model assimilated with AMSR_E SM data shares similar spatial patterns with SM. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Catering for children with food allergies in school canteens falls entirely within the ambit of the Individualised Meal Project (PAD. Although national educational staff enjoy the support of medical personnel, canteen staff to prepare and occasionally package meals, are employed by local authorities and thus only rarely undergo training in good practices in catering for children with food allergies. The Franche-Comte and Ecology Network (Menu d'allergologie de Franche-comTe RAFT) has created and now proposes training for such staff. The present article sets out the methodology of the course, the tools developed, and its evaluation. To date, 23 training sessions have been conducted in the region, and have enabled training of 439 staff members, from institutions dealing with small children to secondary schools. The evaluation questionnaire comprising 11 questions enabling the collection of spontaneous comments, was sent out to 127 of the primary school staff who underwent training. Sixty-one questionnaires (48%) were completed. The majority of staff answering the questionnaire indicated that they had acquired new knowledge, in particular regarding allergen labeling. They have a greater working knowledge of the procedures recommended under the PAI. They felt themselves to be better prepared in catering for children with food allergies. They had a better understanding of the various people involved and after their training, they were able to cater more successfully for children with food allergies without offering separate meals for this population. The success of this project was partly due to the creation of a training course developed over time, with the complete involvement of the actors concerned and within an institutional framework. Further training sessions have been scheduled, and these will be given by RAFT staff members. A partnership programme will soon enable this action to be extended to the entire Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region. It is our hope that the experience acquired in this project may soon be utilised by other regions. (C)2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
The arrival of the information age has gradually expanded the practical application of computer networks, provided more convenience for people's lives, and promoted the rapid development of Chinese information industry. In this situation, the process of using computer network has gradually produced network security problems, affected the security of the user's personal information. Affected by various illegal attacks will bury a large security risks to popularization and use of computer network, indirectly reduce the efficiency of a variety of information security transmission, restrict the future level of network services. In order to change the current situation of the development of adverse, we need to pay attention to the rational use of network security technology, structure reliability computer network defense mechanism, enhance the safety performance of network. This will maximize to meet the actual needs of users. Based on this, this paper will carry on the systematic elaboration to the security technology in the computer network.
The switched reluctance machine (SRM) offers advantages over other topologies, but low torque density, high torque ripple, and use of a nonstandard power converter are limitations. This paper develops a drive configuration, which facilitates the operation of a six-phase SRM using a standard three-phase inverter in order to address these limitations. The focus of the paper is an investigation of electromagnetic design aspects of two candidate SRM topologies in this six-phase context for a pure electric or hybrid electric vehicle-type application. Advances are made in the understanding of the electromagnetic design of suitable SRMs, and the conventional SRM is demonstrated as the preferred topology through parametric and finite-element analysis (FEA) design studies with reference to a given specification. Laboratory test results for a prototype machine are presented in verification of the machine design and demonstration of this drive concept as a high-torque-density candidate suitable for electric vehicle applications.
An assembly design system is an important part of computer-aided design systems, which are important tools for realizing product concept design. The traditional assembly design system does not record the connection information of production on the engineering layer; consequently, the upstream design idea cannot be fully used in the downstream design. An assembly design model based on the relationship of engineering connection is presented. In this model, all nodes are divided into two categories: The component and the connection. Moreover, the product is constructed on the basis of the connection relationship of the components. The model is an And/Or graph and has the ability to record all assembly schemes. This model records only the connection information that has engineering application value in the product design. In addition, this model can significantly reduce the number of combinations, and is very favorable for the assembly sequence planning in the downstream. The system contains a connection knowledge system that can be mapped to the connection node, and the connection knowledge obtained in practice can be returned to the knowledge system. Finally, VC++6.0 is used to develop a prototype system called Connect-based Assembly Planning (CAP). The relationship between the CAP system and the commercial assembly design system is also established.
Individuals can apply different processing strategies to deal with situations they encounter. One central question in social-cognition research refers to the factors that determine reliance on different processing strategies. Parting from a functional perspective, which holds that processing strategies need to be adjusted to the requirements of the situation, we argue that individuals' mood carries information about the benign versus problematic nature of the situation and thus that mood can regulate cognitive processing. Focusing on mental abstraction, we propose that positive mood contributes to a processing style characterized by reliance on prior knowledge in the form of general knowledge structures, whereas negative mood elicits a processing style characterized by attention to details and consideration of new situation-specific information.
Increasing quality requirements for functional sports-and work wear make their development more demanding as complex interaction between human physiology and clothing is to be taken adequately into account. Previous test designs, often based on subjective perceptions, make a convincing comparison difficult. Material-specific laboratory tests only offer limited validity regarding effects on physiological and ergonomic properties. Principal objective of the study is to compare two different types of down jackets with respect to their effect on core body temperature during physical activity and inactivity. Both jackets were filled with different lining, one with chemically modified down called QuixDown (QD), the other one with conventional down (CD). A climatic chamber test with two activity sessions and a break in between was performed. Subjects were physically active on a bike ergometer at moderate level. A total of n = 26 (12m, 14f) healthy and physically active subjects between 18 and 35 years of age were randomly divided into control (CG) and treatment group (TG). TG was equipped with the QD, control group with the CD jacket. To ensure identical loading intensity for the test the individual anaerobic threshold of each subject had been determined in a pretest. Each person was equipped with an in-ear thermometer for measuring the core body temperature at the acoustic meatus. With QD jacket the subject's core body temperature dropped less during the break between both activity sessions than when wearing the CD jacket (p < 0.05, omega(2) = 0.124). No statistical significance could be shown in gender (p = 0.22, omega(2) = 0.02) and interaction jacket/gender (p = 0.56, omega(2) approximate to 0). The chemically modified down insulation seems to offer better thermal insulation than conventional down. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and concussion are terms often used interchangeably. However, mTBI is frequently seen as representing a broader injury that encompasses the construct of concussion, which often conveys transience or decreased severity. The present study examined the influence of varying diagnostic terminology on acute injury expectations in an undergraduate population (N=105). Participants were presented with an mTBI vignette and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in which the term mTBI or concussion was used to describe the injury. There were no significant differences between the two conditions on anxiety, symptomatology, timeline, or consequence scales. However, participants in the mTBI group allocated more days to return to play than participants in the concussion group, suggesting that terminology has an effect on perceptions of the severity of the injury. Varsity athletes allocated fewer days to return to play than nonathletes. Individuals with a history of concussion, both athletes and nonathletes, indicated fewer days to return to play, but greater symptomatology than individuals with no history of concussion. Clinicians should consider the influence of diagnostic terminology, athletic background, and history of concussion on perceptions of the severity of an injury because expectations can influence injury outcomes and compliance in a recovery process.
Background: Inferring the ancestry of each region of admixed individuals' genomes is useful in studies ranging from disease gene mapping to speciation genetics. Current methods require high-coverage genotype data and phased reference panels, and are therefore inappropriate for many data sets. We present a software application, AD-LIBS, that uses a hidden Markov model to infer ancestry across hybrid genomes without requiring variant calling or phasing. This approach is useful for non-model organisms and in cases of low-coverage data, such as ancient DNA. Results: We demonstrate the utility of AD-LIBS with synthetic data. We then use AD-LIBS to infer ancestry in two published data sets: European human genomes with Neanderthal ancestry and brown bear genomes with polar bear ancestry. AD-LIBS correctly infers 87-91% of ancestry in simulations and produces ancestry maps that agree with published results and global ancestry estimates in humans. In brown bears, we find more polar bear ancestry than has been published previously, using both AD-LIBS and an existing software application for local ancestry inference, HAPMIX. We validate AD-LIBS polar bear ancestry maps by recovering a geographic signal within bears that mirrors what is seen in SNP data. Finally, we demonstrate that AD-LIBS is more effective than HAPMIX at inferring ancestry when preexisting phased reference data are unavailable and genomes are sequenced to low coverage. Conclusions: AD-LIBS is an effective tool for ancestry inference that can be used even when few individuals are available for comparison or when genomes are sequenced to low coverage. AD-LIBS is therefore likely to be useful in studies of non-model or ancient organisms that lack large amounts of genomic DNA. AD-LIBS can therefore expand the range of studies in which admixture mapping is a viable tool.
Wavelet analysis was applied to detect the greatest deviation from the perfect circle for the roundness and cylindricalness of shaft-like components in the virtual manufacturing engineering. Based on the concepts of the roundness and cylindricalness, the least square method was adopted into the determination of the reference-the least square circle from which the deviation was calculated. In order to obtain the extremum of the errors, wavelet transform was carried out with binary wavelet from the time domain to frequency domain. A virtual probe was used to have the signals for the measured point by using WTnode_gettranslation() function. The accuracy of the measurement depends, to a large extent, on the length of individual step along the axis and the density of the measured points on the sections. Experiments have shown that the measuring processing was time-saving and the results from the wavelet analysis were much reliable.
The endocannabinoid signaling plays a critical role in mediating rewarding effects to morphine. The relative stability for the expression and reinstatement of morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) suggests the involvement of differential neuroadaptations in learned associations between environmental cues and morphine. Changes in gene expression in hippocampus through the endogenous cannabinoid system (eCB) may accompany and mediate the development of such neuroadaptations to repeated morphine stimulation. To test this possibility, we systematically compared the expression of eCB-related genes in the dorsal hippocampus following the expression, extinction, and reinstatement of morphine CPP using quantitative RT-PCR analyses. We found that expression of morphine CPP was associated with significant increases in mRNA expression for the primary clearance routes for anandamide (AEA) and 2-AG (fatty acid amide hydrolase [FAAH] and monoacylglycerol lipase [MAGL], respectively), but with reductions in cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1R) and CB2R in dorsal hippocampus following the expression of CPP. However, our results indicated that decreased in MAGL and increased CB1R mRNA levels were accompanied with morphine CPP reinstatement. No significant changes in mRNA expression for enzymes involved in AEA and 2-AG biosynthesis (N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D [NAPEPLD] and diacylglycerol lipase-alpha/beta [DAGLet/f3], respectively) were found in all conditions. These results suggest that differential regulation of the synthesis and/or degradation of the eCB system contribute to the expression and reinstatement of morphine CPP. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hepatitis A virus is one of five types of hepatotropic viruses that cause human liver disease. A similar liver disease is also identified in ducks caused by Duck Hepatitis A virus (DHAV). Notably, many types of hepatotropic viruses can be detected in urine. However, how those viruses enter into the urine is largely unexplored. To elucidate the potential mechanism, we used the avian hepatotropic virus to investigate replication strategies and immune responses in kidney until 280 days after infection. Immunohistochemistry and qPCR were used to detect viral distribution and copies in the kidney. Double staining of CD4+ or CD8+ T cells and virus and qPCR were used to investigate T cell immune responses and expression levels of cytokines. Histopathology was detected by standard HE staining. In this study, viruses were persistently located at scattered renal tubules. No CD4+ or CD8+ T cells were recruited to the kidney, which was only accompanied by transient cytokine storms. In conclusion, the extremely scattered infection was the viral strategy to escape host immunity and may persistently shed virus into urine. The deletion of Th or Tc cell responses and transient cytokine storms indeed provide an advantageous renal environment for their persistent survival.
We tested the effectiveness of the preventive behavioral parent training (BPT) program, The Incredible Years (IY), and the independent effects of previously suggested socio-demographic and intervention-based moderator variables (i.e., initial severity of externalizing problem behavior, child gender, social economic status, family composition, and number of sessions parents attended), in a large-scale randomized controlled trial. Questionnaire and observation data from 387 parents and children ages 4-8 years (M-age = 6.21, SD = 1.33, 55.30% boys) across pretest, posttest, and 4-month follow-up were analyzed, using full intention-to-treat analyses and correcting for multiple testing. IY was successful in decreasing parent-reported child externalizing behavior (Cohen's d = 0.20 at posttest, d = 0.08 at follow-up), increasing parent-reported (d = 0.49, d = 0.45) and observed (d = 0.06, d = 0.02) positive parenting behavior, and decreasing parent-reported negative parenting behavior (d = 0.29, d = 0.25). No intervention effects were found for reported and observed child prosocial behavior, observed child externalizing behavior, and observed negative parenting behavior. Out of 40 tested moderation effects (i.e., 8 Outcomes x 5 Moderators), only three significant moderation effects appeared. Thus, no systematic evidence emerged for moderation of IY effects. The present multi-informant trial demonstrated that many previously suggested moderators might not be as potent in differentiating BPT effects as once thought.
Despite health and safety legislation and ergonomics regulations for several years many Swedish companies are still unable to effectively prevent the consequences of poor ergonomics. Corrective measures are often made (too) late when employees complain and work-related disorders have already occurred. Besides, several studies have shown that poor ergonomics result in deteriorated assembly quality and reduced productivity and that late measures are often costly. Other studies have proven that design engineers are often unaware of design consequences and do not know how to apply ergonomics principles in new product and production design. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore what is required to improve the situation. One way to find out was to ask engineers involved in product and production development. Thus, 64 engineers in design and manufacturing engineering in five Swedish companies were interviewed about ergonomics conditions related to quality and productivity issues. In general, their answers unexpectedly demonstrated a fairly good awareness of the implications of poor assembly ergonomics but also that appropriate product and production design methods and tools to prevent these are missing. 58 of the respondents thought that poor ergonomics could result in reduced product quality. 47 stated that profitability calculations are necessary for changes of poor ergonomic solutions. 37 said that ergonomics risks are accepted due to lack of appropriate calculation methods. Altogether, many suggestions emerged for how to improve product and production design methods and tools in order to achieve more complete and sustainable manufacturing solutions. Relevance to industry: The relationship between ergonomics and assembly quality deserves more attention in order to achieve both good working conditions and sustainable and cost-efficient manufacturing solutions. Assembly ergonomics and quality relationships must therefore be proactively considered already in early design phases of new product and assembly concepts. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Clear identification of areas vulnerable to waterborne diseases is essential for protecting community health. This is particularly important in developing countries where unsafe disposal of domestic wastewater and limited potable water supply pose potential public health risks. However, data paucity can be a compounding issue. Under these circumstances, landscape epidemiology can be applied as a resource efficient approach for mapping potential disease risk areas associated with poor sanitation. However, in order to realise the full potential offered by this approach, an in-depth understanding of the impact of different classes of an explanatory variable on a target disease and the validity of hotspot analysis using limited datasets is needed. Accordingly, this research study focused on typhoid and diarrhoea incidence with respect to different classes of elevation, flood inundation, land use, soil permeability, population density and rainfall as explanatory variables. An integrated methodology consisting of hot spot analysis and Poisson regression was employed to map potential disease risk areas. The study findings confirmed the significant differences in the influence exerted by the various classes of an explanatory variable in relation to a target disease. The results also confirmed the feasibility of the hotspot analysis for identifying areas vulnerable to the target diseases using a limited dataset. The study outcomes are expected to contribute to creating an in-depth understanding of the relationship between disease prevalence and associated landscape factors for the delineation of disease risk zones in the context of data paucity. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
As a result of the development of internet and ICT (information-centric technology) advances including mobile, cloud, social networking, big data, multimedia and the tendency towards digital society, the management and configuration of them have become highly complex, challenging and time consuming. Also, access to high bandwidth, extendibility and dynamic management are of critical significance, especially when network devices are vertically integrated. Hence, a set of unique predefined line commands and operating systems or firmware should be used. SDN (software-defined networking) is a structure designed for simplifying and improving network management with high flexibility by splitting control plane and data plane. Thus, network programmability is enhanced which in turn leads to more innovation opportunities. Although SDN is regarded as a new research issue, it has attracted numerous researchers' attention from both industrial and academic institutes. In this paper, data plane, control plane and application plane as the three planes of SDN and the interfaces between them such as OpenFlow are investigated and the challenges and the latest technologies in relation to SDN are examined. The investigation and overview of SDN reported in this paper might be used by the interested future researchers to better understand and apply SDN in real-life applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa has led to more than 11,000 deaths, with a peak in mortality from August through December of 2014. A meeting convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in September 2014, concluded that an urgent unmet need exists for efficacy and safety testing of the Ebola virus vaccine candidates and that clinical trials should be expedited. These vaccines could be used both in an outbreak setting and to provide long-term protection in populations at risk of sporadic outbreaks. A number of vaccines have been evaluated in phase 1 trials, but the two most advanced first-generation Ebola vaccine candidates are the live replicating vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) and the replication-defective chimpanzee adenovirus 3 (ChAd3). This review focuses on these two vaccines in clinical development and discusses the future opportunities and challenges faced in the licensure and deployment of Ebola virus vaccines. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Individual differences in visuo-spatial factors play an important part in environment learning when it comes to mentally representing environments, but little is known about how visuo-spatial factors (in terms of abilities and self-assessments) are related to an individual's representations of familiar environments. A group of 273 female undergraduates familiar with a university campus completed object-based visuo-spatial tasks (i.e., mental rotation and visuo-spatial working memory [VSWM] tasks), and questionnaires on their self-assessed wayfinding inclinations (i.e., sense of direction, visuo-spatial preferences, pleasure in exploring environments), and their spatial anxiety. Their spatial orientation performance was assessed with landmark locating and pointing tasks. The results of structural equation modeling showed that object-based visuo-spatial abilities and self-assessed wayfinding inclinations were related with spatial orientation performance. In particular, it was postulated that object-based visuo-spatial abilities (where rotation had an indirect effect through VSWM) and self assessed wayfinding inclinations support spatial orientation performance. Spatial anxiety was only related to self-assessed wayfinding inclinations. Overall, these results show that a set of different individual visuo-spatial factors have a role in the representation of a familiar environment. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper presents the results of laboratory model tests carried out on embedded square footing supported on geotextile reinforced sand bed. The effect of reinforcement with geotextile were studies through a series of laboratory model tests with different size of geotextile and depth of placement below footing. The effects of prestressing the geotextile on the strength improvement and settlement reduction of a reinforced sand bed are also being investigated. The model steel tank of size 120 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm and square footing of 10 cm are used. The study also highlights the effect of size of geotextile and placement of geotextile below footing on load-settlement characteristics.
Proximity detection systems are actively being marketed to the underground mining section as a way to provide enhanced information for operators of large underground machinery. To date, many of the systems are lacking the reliability and validity ratings that researchers would like to see them have. Due to this, they may not interact in a predictable way to always improve operator awareness. In fact, Burgess Limerick (2011) noted that in many fatalities that occurred on underground machinery, the operator was aware of the location of the victim, or they were the victim themselves. This work recreates one of the accidents from that review in a computer simulation environment, models a video-based proximity detection system and then evaluates the capacity of the system to improve operator line of sight. Results demonstrate that there was only a small window of time during which the operator may have been able to see the victim's location even with a hypothetical camera system installed. The work points to the importance that mine design and machine design have with respect to improving safety of the worker, as well as the downfalls of existing proximity detection systems that rely on video feeds mounted to the machinery. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Advances in forensic identification using molecular genetics are helpful in resolving some historical mysteries. The aim of this study was to confirm the authenticity of shrunken-head artifacts exhibited by two Polish museums. Shrunken heads, known as tsantsas, were headhunting trophies of South American Indians (Jivaroan). A special preparation preserved their hair and facial appearance. However, it was quite common to offer counterfeit shrunken heads of sloths or monkeys to collectors of curiosities. We sampled small skin specimens of four shrunken-head skin from the museum collection from Warsaw and Krakow, Poland. Following genomic DNA isolation, highly polymorphic short tandem repeats were genotyped using a commercial chemistry and DNA sequencing analyzer. Haplogroups of human Y chromosome were identified. We obtained an informative genetic profile of genomic short tandem repeats from all the samples of shrunken heads. Moreover, amplification of amelogenin loci allowed for sex determination. All four studied shrunken heads were of human origin. In two ones, a shared Y-chromosome haplogroup Q characteristic for Indigenous Americans was detected. Another artifact was counterfeited because Y-chromosome haplogroup I2 was found, characteristic for the Southeastern European origin. Commercial genetic methods of identification can be applied successfully in studies on the origin and authenticity of some unusual collection items.
Natural killer cells were first described over 40 years ago, but the last 15 years has shown tremendous progress in our understanding of their biology and our ability to manipulate them for clinical therapeutic effect. Despite the increased understanding by clinicians and scientists investigating these cells, their biology remains a confusing subject for many because of the wide array of receptors, complex interactions, multiple models of predicting function, and contradictory data in the literature. While they are microscopically indistinguishable from T cells and share many of the same effector functions, their mechanisms of target recognition are completely distinct from yet complimentary to T cells. In this review we provide a basic understanding of NK cell biology and HLA recognition as compared and contrasted to T cells using a metaphor of border patrol and passports. We conclude with a summary of the evidence for NM cell effects in hematologic malignancies and describe new advances in NM cell immunotherapy aimed at improving these effects. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Watching contact between members of one's ingroup and members of an outgroup in the media (mediated vicarious contact) improves intergroup attitudes. We compare mediated vicarious contact with observing only members of the outgroup (parasocial contact), and examine whether the activity of the portrayed contact matters. Building on theory, we predict that watching outgroup members playing music should reduce prejudice more than watching them engaged in nonmusical activities, particularly with vicarious (vs. parasocial) contact. Results show that vicarious musical contact enhances perceptions of synchronization, liking, and honesty between ingroup and outgroup actors in a video, which in turn results in more positive attitudes toward the outgroup. Counter to predictions, parasocial musical contact results in less positive outcomes than parasocial nonmusical contact.
Background Studies of children with food allergy typically only include the mother and have not investigated the relationship between the amount of allergen needed to elicit a clinical reaction (threshold) and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Our aims were (i) to compare self-reported and parent-reported HRQL in different age groups, (ii) to evaluate the impact of severity of allergic reaction and threshold on HRQL, and (iii) to investigate factors associated with patient-reported and parent-reported HRQL. Methods Age-appropriate Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaires (FAQLQ) were completed by 73 children, 49 adolescents and 29 adults with peanut, hazelnut or egg allergy. Parents (197 mothers, 120 fathers) assessed their child's HRQL using the FAQLQ-Parent form. Clinical data and threshold values were obtained from a hospital database. Significant factors for HRQL were investigated using univariate and multivariate regression. Results Female patients reported greater impact of food allergy on HRQL than males did. Egg and hazelnut thresholds did not affect HRQL, but lower peanut threshold was associated with worse HRQL. Both parents scored their child's HRQL better than the child's own assessment, but whereas mother-reported HRQL was significantly affected by limitations in the child's social life, father-reported HRQL was affected by limitations in the family's social life. Severity of allergic reaction did not contribute significantly to HRQL. Conclusion The risk of accidental allergen ingestion and limitations in social life are associated with worse HRQL. Fathers provide a unique perspective and should have a greater opportunity to contribute to food allergy research.
Purpose of reviewCharcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is one of the commonest inherited neuromuscular diseases with a population prevalence of 1 in 2500. This review will cover recent advances in the genetics and pathomechanisms of CMT and how these are leading to the development of rational therapies.Recent findingsPathomechanistic and therapeutic target advances in CMT include the identification of the ErbB receptor signalling pathway as a therapeutic target in CMT1A and pharmacological modification of the unfolded protein response in CMT1B. In CMT2D, due to mutations in glycyl-tRNA synthetase, vascular endothelial growth factor-mediated stimulation of the Nrp1 receptor has been identified as a therapeutic target. Preclinical advances have been accompanied by the publication of large natural history cohorts and the identification of a sensitive biomarker of disease (muscle MRI) that is able to detect disease progression in CMT1A over 1 year.SummaryAdvances in next-generation sequencing technology, cell biology and animal models of CMT are paving the way for rational treatments. The combination of robust natural history data and the identification of sensitive biomarkers mean that we are now entering an exciting therapeutic era in the field of the genetic neuropathies.
Curbing water scarcity problems in semi-arid regions is a top priority for economic and social development. Alternative strategies for sustainable domestic water supply are therefore required to augment water supply with affordable cost and technology. Scant research findings in sub-Saharan Africa have, however, reported inefficiency in adapting to water scarcity problems in the region. Therefore, an investigation of domestic rainwater harvesting (RWH) reliability is important to identify factors affecting the system. We found that rainwater harvesting with the existing traditional RWH systems in Mekelle city was unreliable. Unreliability was attributed to inefficient design (the systems were installed without considering deterministically the stochastic nature of rainfall), family size, water demand, rooftop area and storage tank size.
Tolerances play an important role in modem manufacturing engineering and impact significantly the quality of a product and machining cost. In conventional methods, tolerances design is divided into two separate sequential stages i.e. product tolerance design and process tolerance design. This sequential tolerances design method would result in some problems in cooperation, continuity, and consistency between two separate design stages. A more rational approach in tolerance design is concurrent tolerancing which consolidate the two sequential design stages into one. In this paper, a genetic algorithm (GA) is used for concurrent tolerance design based on manufacturing cost and quality loss. A practical example is used to illustrate the design process. The calculation results by using CA are compared with those by conventional nonlinear optimization method.
Background: Rhinoconjunctivitis-specific quality of life is often reduced during seasonal allergies. The Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MRQLQ) is a validated tool used to measure quality of life in people experiencing allergies (0 = not troubled to 6 = extremely troubled). Probiotics may improve quality of life during allergy season by increasing the percentage of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and inducing tolerance. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether consuming Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, and B. longum MM-2 compared with placebo would result in beneficial effects on MRQLQ scores throughout allergy season in individuals who typically experience seasonal allergies. Secondary outcomes included changes in immune markers as part of a potential mechanism for changes in MRQLQ scores. Design: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, randomized clinical trial, 173 participants (mean +/- SEM: age 27 +/- 1 y) who self-identified as having seasonal allergies received either a probiotic (2 capsules/d, 1.5 billion colony-forming units/capsule) or placebo during spring allergy season for 8 wk. MRQLQ scores were collected weekly throughout the study. Fasting blood samples were taken from a subgroup (placebo, n = 37; probiotic, n = 35) at baseline and week 6 (predicted peak of pollen) to determine serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E concentrations and Treg percentages. Results: The probiotic group reported an improvement in the MRQLQ global score from baseline to pollen peak (-0.68 +/- 0.13) when compared with the placebo group (-0.19 +/- 0.14; P = 0.0092). Both serum total IgE and the percentage of Tregs increased from baseline to week 6, but changes were not different between groups. Conclusions: This combination probiotic improved rhinoconjunctivitis-specific quality of life during allergy season for healthy individuals with self-reported seasonal allergies; however, the associated mechanism is still unclear. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials. gov as NCT02349711.
Network attacks and cyber-security breaches may be the cause of huge monetary damages in the modern information-based economy; thus, the need for network security is stronger than ever as it is the need for full traffic sanitization. Nonetheless, the purge of malicious packets is still too often relegated to the destination of the attacks letting the unwanted traffic roam freely. At the same time, the next generation of routers promises to be able to modulate energy consumption on the basis of actual traffic, thus the presence of malicious traffic in the network is a cause of economic losses in itself, even when the attack is not successful. In past work, we modelled and analysed the energy savings enabled by aggressive intrusion detection; however, fluctuations in the traffic intensity has not been fully taken into account. In this article, we introduce a new enhanced adaptive model that takes into full account the actual load of routers including what is due to forecasting errors.
Bluetooth low energy beacons have gained traction among ambient intelligence researchers. Their low cost and robustness make them a fit choice for ambient assisted living or other healthcare applications. Nevertheless, similar to many other radio-frequency based technologies, beacons pose serious challenges when it comes to developing applications that require predictability. Moreover, the multipath propagation characteristics of Bluetooth beacons prevent ambient intelligent researchers to solely rely on using theoretical models to describe their behaviors. In this paper, we present an empirical evaluation of Bluetooth beacons behaviors. We describe the observed pattern of the signal through a series of experiments totalizing more than 3 million samples.
One of the most promising fields for ambient intelligence is the implementation of intelligent emergency plans. Because the use of drills and living labs cannot reproduce social behaviors, such as panic attacks, that strongly affect these plans, the use of agent-based social simulation provides an approach to evaluate these plans more thoroughly. (1) The hypothesis presented in this paper is that there has been little interest in describing the key modules that these simulators must include, such as formally represented knowledge and a realistic simulated sensor model, and especially in providing researchers with tools to reuse, extend and interconnect modules from different works. This lack of interest hinders researchers from achieving a holistic framework for evaluating emergency plans and forces them to reconsider and to implement the same components from scratch over and over. In addition to supporting this hypothesis by considering over 150 simulators, this paper: (2) defines the main modules identified and proposes the use of semantic web technologies as a cornerstone for the aforementioned holistic framework; (3) provides a basic methodology to achieve the framework; (4) identifies the main challenges; and (5) presents an open and free software tool to hint at the potential of such a holistic view of emergency plan evaluation in indoor environments.
The starting point in choosing this theme was the belief that in the specific professional sports instructive activity the dominant form of communication is the nonverbal communication in the coach-athlete relationship, with implications for the improvement of the training process. The study consisted in a sociological approach through an inquiry conducted on a group of athletes. The questionnaire comprised items with prefigured and open answers to facilitate the research in the female gymnasts of the Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau team. A dominant form of expressing in the sports training is represented by body movements as an expression of energy and information through posture, movement and indices, a psycho-somatic connection (body-soul) through which feelings and emotions are expressed. The gestures of illustration, the artifacts, the facial expressing are other landmarks of the existence of nonverbal communication perceived by the athletes in the sports training process. The body language communication is perceived by most respondents, the messages transmitted this way being continuous, facilitating a dialog between the coach and the female gymnast. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
The main goal of this paper is to propose a probability model for computing probabilities of dismissal of 10b-5 securities class-action cases filed in United States Federal district courts. By dismissal, we mean dismissal with prejudice in response to the motion to dismiss filed by the defendants, and not eventual dismissal after the discovery process. The proposed probability model is a hybrid of two widely-used methods: logistic regression, and naive Bayes. Using a dataset of 925 10b-5 securities class-action cases filed between 2002 and 2010, we show that the proposed hybrid model has the potential of computing better probabilities than either LR or NB models. By better, we mean lower root mean square errors of probabilities of dismissal. The proposed hybrid model uses the following features: allegations of generally accepted accounting principles violations, allegations of lack of internal control, bankruptcy filing during the class period, allegations of Section 11 violations of Securities Act of 1933, and short-term drop in stock price. Our model is useful for those insurance companies which underwrite Directors and Officers liability policy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Tau is well established as a microtubule-associated protein in neurons. However, under pathological conditions, aberrant assembly of tau into insoluble aggregates is accompanied by synaptic dysfunction and neural cell death in a range of neurodegenerative disorders, collectively referred to as tauopathies. Recent advances in our understanding of the multiple functions and different locations of tau inside and outside neurons have revealed novel insights into its importance in a diverse range of molecular pathways including cell signalling, synaptic plasticity, and regulation of genomic stability. The present review describes the physiological and pathophysiological properties of tau and how these relate to its distribution and functions in neurons. We highlight the post-translational modifications of tau, which are pivotal in defining and modulating tau localisation and its roles in health and disease. We include discussion of other pathologically relevant changes in tau, including mutation and aggregation, and how these aspects impinge on the propensity of tau to propagate, and potentially drive neuronal loss, in diseased brain. Finally, we describe the cascade of pathological events that may be driven by tau dysfunction, including impaired axonal transport, alterations in synapse and mitochondrial function, activation of the unfolded protein response and defective protein degradation. It is important to fully understand the range of neuronal functions attributed to tau, since this will provide vital information on its involvement in the development and pathogenesis of disease. Such knowledge will enable determination of which critical molecular pathways should be targeted by potential therapeutic agents developed for the treatment of tauopathies.
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a super family of mixed-function oxidases that are responsible for the human metabolism of drugs and endogenous compounds, as well as environmental and dietary substances. Many CYP enzymes function in the liver, but presence of CYP2E1 in the brain is demonstrating its role in both nicotine and ethanol metabolism. To examine the association between CYP2E1 polymorphism and the risk of oral cancer, we performed a case-control study on a south Indian population. 157 patients with oral cancer and 132 age and sexmatched controls were recruited. Three SNPs of the CYP2E1 gene [4768G>A (p. V179I, dbSNP rs6413419), CYP2E1_-1295G>C (dbSNP rs3813867) and CYP2E1_-1055C>T (dbSNP rs2031920)] were genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination. The V179I locus is monomorphic in the study subjects, whereas rs3813867 and rs2031920 are co-inherited with a minor allele frequency of 0.022. None of the polymorphic sites deviated from HWE in controls. A much lesser frequency of the uncommon c2 allele was seen in our control subjects than in Caucasians and East Asians. There were no significant differences between oral cancer and controls in the distribution of either allelic or genotype frequencies. None of the haplotypes showed a significant association with oral cancer. Our results suggest that CYP2E1 is not a major or independent determinant in the pathogenesis of oral cancer in south Indians.
Focalized short-pulsed lasers have sufficient power to generate micrometersized cavities in various hydrogels. An in situ technique based on laser ablation to fabricate intricate microfluidic networks in biocompatible gels without manual handling is presented. This method is fully compatible with 3D cell culture and opens up unprecedented opportunities for cell biology, developmental biology, and stem-cell-based tissue engineering.
Once thought to be uniquely human, prosocial behavior has been observed in a number of species, including vampire bats that engage in costly food-sharing. Another social chiropteran, Jamaican fruit bats (Artibeus jamaicensis), have been observed to engage in cooperative mate guarding, and thus might be expected to display prosocial behavior as well. However, frugivory and hematophagy diets may impose different selection pressures on prosocial preferences, given that prosocial preferences may depend upon cognitive abilities selected by different ecological constraints. Thus, we assessed whether Jamaican fruit bats would assist a conspecific in an escape paradigm in which a donor could opt to release a recipient from an enclosure. The test apparatus contained two compartments-one of which was equipped with a sensor that, once triggered, released the trap door of the adjacent compartment. Sixty-six exhaustive pairs of 12 bats were tested, with each bat in each role, twice when the recipient was present and twice when absent. Bats decreased their behavior of releasing the trapdoor in both conditions over time, decreasing the behavior slightly more rapidly in the recipient absent condition. Bats did not release the door more often when recipients were present, regardless of the recipient; thus, there was no clear evidence of prosocial behavior.
Research problem: The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of national culture and medium type on first impression bias reduction in the context of job interview and performance appraisals. Research questions: (1) Does the evaluators' national culture affect first impression bias reduction? (2) Which medium type (text or multimedia) is more effective in reducing first impression bias? and (3) Does medium effect in reducing first impression bias vary with national culture? Literature review: The purpose of the literature review is to examine the current literature in the areas of national culture, medium type and first impression bias reduction, especially in a communication context. Researchers reviewed the discussions on first impression formation, and national culture theories, and the Media Richness Theory. For media, multimedia type was found to reduce first impression bias more than text medium type. For national culture, the literature review suggested that national culture dimensions (such as collectivism, assertiveness, and uncertainty avoidance) could possibly affect first impression bias reduction. Methodology: The researchers conducted a quantitative experiment with 407 students from a US university and a Chinese university, who majored in business-related disciplines. Researchers requested the treatment group participants to access performance bias cue. The participants then performed an initial appraisal of a manager based on Denison's leadership index. The participants then viewed the job interview of the manager, via different media, and performed the appraisal again. The performance appraisal data were collected via a website. The researchers used Analysis of Variance to analyze the data. Results and discussion: This study found that for our participants, national culture reduces first impression bias more than media. It identified that first impression bias reduction in US participants is significantly greater than that in Chinese participants, independent of media used. Regardless of national culture of media users, this study found that users using text medium were able to reduce first impression bias significantly more than users using multimedia. The implications of this study are that to reduce first impression bias in cross-cultural settings, managers and employees must adapt the channels and effort allocation for communication to national culture. Managers and researchers must understand that national culture is more important than media in reducing first impression bias. The limitations of the study were the use of student participants, and absence of national culture dimensions measurement. The study was conducted in only two national cultures. Future research could use employees as participants, measure national culture dimensions, and replicate the study in various national cultures.
Leaving a composite liner exposed for an extended period can sometimes lead to down-slope bentonite erosion from geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). This laboratory study examines a number of factors that can affect the erosion of bentonite particles with an imposed flow of water for one particular geotextile-encased, needle-punched GCL. The factors examined include the effect of an initial wet/dry cycle, water chemistry, flow rate, slope, prior cation exchange, and the effect of no-drying phase in the test cycle. No erosion was observed unless the GCL had been hydrated and dried to create a wet/dry cycle. The most critical factor was found to be the water chemistry. No erosion was observed with tap water (39 ppm calcium) with up to 360 cycles and a flow of 3 L/hour. Tests simulating the evaporation and condensation of water below an exposed composite liner by imposing deionized water on the GCL surface developed erosion holes within 5-6 cycles. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A review of recent studies of early childhood altruism is followed by a report of a study of development of altruism in early childhood at ages 3, 4 and 5 years in terms of children's ability and willingness to help, share, and donate. 178 preschool children were videotaped while interacting in pairs matched by age and sex in an age-appropriate, structured altruism task in which opportunities to help and share arose in the natural flow of events. Results indicate that even the youngest children (age 3) displayed some altruistic acts; both the number of children showing altruism, and their number of altruistic acts, were greater at each succeeding age level. Sharing was the most common altruistic behavior, and it was more frequent than helping and donation behaviors at earlier ages. Possible explanations for the different developmental trajectories of different altruistic acts are discussed, with emphasis on the differing cognitive and empathic demands of the situation. Main contributions of the study include demonstration of (1) different developmental trajectories for different types of altruistic acts; (2) age-related increase in spontaneous altruistic acts toward peers between 3 and 5 years of age; (2) the utility of a naturalistic, structured observational task to study spontaneous altruism towards peers in young children.
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Functional Independence Measure to assess preoperative frailty for elderly patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. Methods Eighty-five patients >65 years who survived elective isolated aortic valve replacement from January 2008 to October 2015 were included. The mean age at the operation was 78 +/- 6 years old (n = 28 males, n = 57 females). The patients were divided into two groups according to their status at discharge: impossible to discharge home or hospitalization for >30 days (compromised group, n = 8), or unaffected (unaffected group, n = 77). Preoperative frailty was evaluated with the Functional Independence Measure, which comprises 18 items divided into six domains: self-care, sphincter control, mobility, locomotion, communication, and social cognition. Results The preoperative total Functional Independence Measure score was significantly lower in the compromised group (79 +/- 32) than in the unaffected group (120 +/- 9, p < 0.01). The preoperative motor Functional Independence Measure score was significantly lower in the compromised group (45 +/- 24) than in the unaffected group (85 +/- 9, p = < 0.01). The duration of postoperative intubation, intensive care unit stay, and postoperative hospitalization were significantly longer in the compromised group than in the unaffected group (48 +/- 67 vs 16 +/- 12 h, p < 0.01; 6.7 +/- 5.3 vs 3.4 +/- 2.0 days, p < 0.01; 34 +/- 27 vs 23 +/- 11 days, p = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions The preoperative Functional Independence Measure is effective for assessing preoperative frailty in elderly patients undergoing aortic valve replacement in terms of predicting operative morbidity.
Large eddy simulation (LES) with the approximate deconvolution model is combined with Lagrangian particles simulation (LPS) for simulating turbulent reactive flows at high Schmidt numbers Sc. The LES is used to simulate velocity and nonreactive scalar while reactive scalars are simulated by the LPS using the mixing volume model for molecular diffusion. The LES-LPS is applied to turbulent scalar mixing layers with a second-order isothermal irreversible reaction at Sc5600. The mixing volume model is implemented with the IEM, Curl's, and modified Curl's mixing schemes. The mixing volume model provides a correct decay rate of nonreactive scalar variance at high Sc independently of the number of particles. The statistics in the LES-LPS with the IEM or modified Curl's mixing scheme agree well with the experiments for both moderately-fast and rapid reactions. However, the LPS with the Curl's mixing scheme overpredicts the effects of the rapid reaction. (C) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Background: Over 100 million Americans are living with chronic pain, and pain is the most common reason that patients seek medical attention. Despite the prevalence of pain, the practice of pain management and the scientific discipline of pain research are relatively new fields compared to the rest of medicine contributing to a twenty-first century dilemma for health care providers asked to relieve suffering in the Fifth Vital Sign era. Methods: This manuscript provides a narrative review of the basic mechanisms of chronic pain and history of chronic pain management in the United States including the various regulatory, health system and provider factors that contributed to the decline of multidisciplinary pain treatment in favor of the predominant opioid treatment strategy seen today. Multiple non-opioid pain treatment strategies are then outlined. The manuscript concludes with three key questions to help guide future research at the intersection of pain and addiction. Conclusions: The assessment and treatment of chronic pain will continue to be one of the most common functions of a health care provider. To move beyond an over reliance on opioid medications, the addiction and pain research communities must unite with chronic pain patients to increase the evidence base supporting non-opioid analgesic strategies. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Dysfunction of the orbitofrontal (OFC) and anterior cingulate (ACC) cortices has been linked with several psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and addiction. These conditions are also associated with abnormalities in the anterior limb of the internal capsule, the white matter (WM) bundle carrying ascending and descending fibers from the OFC and ACC. Furthermore, deep-brain stimulation (DBS) for psychiatric disorders targets these fibers. Experiments in rats provide essential information on the mechanisms of normal and abnormal brain anatomy, including WM composition and perturbations. However, whereas descending prefrontal cortex (PFC) fibers in primates form a well defined and topographic anterior limb of the internal capsule, the specific locations and organization of these fibers in rats is unknown. We address this gap by analyzing descending fibers from injections of an anterograde tracer in the rat ACC and OFC. Our results show that the descending PFC fibers in the rat form WM fascicles embedded within the striatum. These bundles are arranged topographically and contain projections, not only to the striatum, but also to the thalamus and brainstem. They can therefore be viewed as the rat homolog of the primate anterior limb of the internal capsule. Furthermore, mapping these projections allows us to identify the fibers likely to be affected by experimental manipulations of the striatum and the anterior limb of the internal capsule. These results are therefore essential for translating abnormalities of human WM and effects of DBS to rodent models.
Three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) models with different levels of detail (LOD) are used in various industries for numerous purposes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop techniques to simplify 3D CAD models in order to adjust the LOD of the model according to its purpose. The main purpose of simplification is to minimize the change in the outer shape of the models and to reduce the data size of the models. The key technologies to achieve these purposes are evaluation metrics and simplification operation. Evaluation metrics are employed to select elements to be preserved or removed by calculating the importance of the geometric elements comprising a 3D CAD model. The simplification operation removes the selected elements and fills up the void in the model caused by the removal. Feature volume and type have been the most popular criteria used in evaluation metrics for the simplification of feature-based 3D CAD models. In this study, the concept of feature shape complexity (FSC) is introduced, and a method of adopting FSC as a criterion of evaluation metrics is presented. A prototype system for the simplification of 3D CAD models is then implemented. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by conducting simplification experiments with a complex 3D CAD assembly model.
Vehicular network has been recently used to achieve high efficient and flexible traffic scheduling at intersection roads for smart transportation systems. Different from existing works, where traffic signal is used to schedule waiting vehicles at each lane, we propose to divide vehicles in the same lane into small groups and schedule vehicle groups via wireless communication rather than traffic lights. Such direct scheduling of vehicles can reduce waiting time and improve fairness, especially when the traffic volume in different lanes is imbalanced. The key challenge in such a design lies in determining appropriate size of groups with respect to real-time traffic conditions. To cope with this issue, we propose a neuro-fuzzy network-based grouping mechanism, where the network is trained using reinforcement learning technique. Also, vehicle groups are scheduled via a neuro-fuzzy network. Simulations using ns3 are conducted to evaluate the performance of our algorithm and compare it with similar works. The results show that our algorithm can reduce waiting time and at the same time improve fairness in various cases, and the advantage against traffic light algorithms can be up to 40%.
In this paper, a current sensorless adaptive secondary-side control is proposed for the series resonant converter (SRC), making it a good candidate for MHz 48 voltage regulators. By means of varying ac equivalent resistance, the output voltage regulation is achieved by controlling the duty cycle of the synchronous MOSFET. By taking advantage of the secondary-side control, SRCs can operate under zero-voltage switching at any input voltage and load conditions. A current sensorless adaptive digital control is proposed to control the current-type synchronous MOSFETs, which automatically compensates the delay caused by the current-sensor circuit and the gate driver, and also eliminates the current sensor in the power path. A hybrid control strategy is introduced to overcome the efficiency degradation caused by the secondary-side control.
One of teenagers' key developmental tasks is to engage in new and meaningful relationships with peers and adults outside the family context. Attachment-derived expectations about the self and others in terms of internal attachment working models have the potential to shape such social reorientation processes critically and thereby influence adolescents' social-emotional development and social integration. Because the neural underpinnings of this developmental task remain largely unknown, we sought to investigate them by functional magnetic resonance imaging. We asked n = 44 adolescents (ages 12.01-18.84 years) to evaluate positive and negative adjectives regarding either themselves or a close other during an adapted version of the well-established self-other trait-evaluation task. As measures of attachment, we obtained scores reflecting participants' positive versus negative attachment-derived self- and other-models by means of the Relationship Questionnaire. We controlled for possible confounding factors by also obtaining scores reflecting internalizing/externalizing problems, schizotypy, and borderline symptomatology. Our results revealed that participants with a more negative attachment-derived self-model showed increased brain activity during positive and negative adjective evaluation regarding the self, but decreased brain activity during negative adjective evaluation regarding a close other, in bilateral amygdala/parahippocampus, bilateral anterior temporal pole/anterior superior temporal gyrus, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that a low positivity of the self-concept characteristic for the attachment anxiety dimension may influence neural information processing, but in opposite directions when it comes to self- versus (close) other-representations. We discuss our results in the framework of attachment theory and regarding their implications especially for adolescent social-emotional development and social integration.
Embodiment has become the central topic of ritual studies. Over recent decades a great deal has changed in the comprehension of ritual, its nature and the main characteristics. This knowledge can become of benefit for liturgy research. Interpreting of ritual is based on an understanding of physical acts, gestures and attitudes. We also find both dimensions expressed in liturgy by the term attitudes physical and mental, as well as the occurrences of a deep embodiment of attitudes in liturgy. Most signification in liturgy takes place in something other than a verbal way. Nonverbal communication is not often dealt with, however, reflected in the liturgy science. The text aims at an analysis of certain approaches, which help in an understanding of the nature of a liturgical act, which is always essentially a ritual act.
The 2-D analytical solution of electrostatic potential and enhanced drain current is modeled for a dual metal surround gate junctionless transistor (DMSGJLT) by solving the Poisson equation using the parabolic approximation technique. The gate engineered DMSGJLT produces an increase in the mobility of electrons in the channel. Enhancement in drain current of 35 mu A is obtained than single metal JLT for the same dimension. Due to that, the gain increases, short channel effects and leakage current decreases. The electrostatic potential, threshold voltage, drain current, transconductance, drain-induced barrier lowering, power and delay predicted by the analytical solution have excellent agreement with the simulation results obtained from Technology Computer-Aided Design. The analytical modeling provides useful insight on physics of short channel effects. The inverter circuit is implemented with a DMSGJLT and is compared with that of a single metal device. The noise margin analysis is made for the inverter circuit employing both dual metal and single metal devices. It is found that gate engineering improves the noise margin to a much extend and due to this, the voltage loss is also improved with a DMSGJLT.
For more than a century researchers have used enculturated animals-those extensively trained or reared by humans-to explore the effects of learning and environment on the capacities for linguistic abilities outside of the human line. Unfortunately, due to many controversies, the findings of these studies frequently have been dismissed or outright ignored. However, experimental exploration of the capacities of nonhumans is the only option to determine which, if any, language-associated capacities are unique to humans. Researchers continue to publish findings from language projects that move our understanding forward, including descriptions of capacities, such as gestural comprehension, declarative communication, and categorization, that are frequently considered to be specific biological adaptations.
The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011 fatally damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), caused prolonged station blackout (SBO). Following the SBO, the reactor water level gradually dropped due to the increase in steam discharge from safety relief valves and eventually led to nuclear fuel melt down. Almost four years have passed since the accident, and official reports by the Japanese regulatory have given the general description of causes and progressions of the fatal accident. Even after the Fukushima accident, more than 430 nuclear power plants are currently operating and over 80 units are under construction worldwide. From this fact alone, it is extremely important to learn from the Fukushima accident and enhance the safety culture of the reactor operation to completely eliminate the possibilities of catastrophic accidents seen in 2011. In this study, the best estimate transient thermal-hydraulics code, RETRAN-03/MODO4 was utilized to focus on the effectiveness of the Isolation Condenser (IC) installed on Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWR). The ICs turned out to be one of the very few operable safety systems during the Fukushima accident, and this simple yet reliable safety system should be utilized to secure ABWR from possible reactor core damages. In the present paper, several case studies conducted utilizing the ICs are presented and methods of countermeasures to improve light water reactor safety level in design and operation features are proposed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Siblings of people with disabilities have more exposure to people with disabilities than most nondisabled people, uniquely positioning them toward disability, yet less is known about how this might impact their attitudes. This study examined siblings' disability attitudes by determining siblings' explicit and implicit disability bias, mapping their 2-dimensional prejudice, and examining theoretical variables that might be relevant to their attitudes. To do so, the Disability Attitudes Implicit Association Test, the Symbolic Ableism Scale, and survey questions were administered to 48 siblings. Findings revealed the majority of the siblings implicitly preferred nondisabled people, despite reporting low levels of explicit attitudes.
Intergroup contact-(positive) interactions with people from different social groups-is a widely researched and strongly supported prejudice-reducing mechanism shown to reduce prejudice against a wide variety of outgroups. However, no known previous research has investigated whether intergroup contact can also reduce sexism against women. Sexism has an array of negative outcomes. One of the most detrimental and violent ones is rape, which is both justified and downplayed by rape myth acceptance. We hypothesised that more frequent, higher quality contact with counter-stereotypical women would predict lower levels of sexism and thus less rape myth acceptance (in men) and less sexualised projected responses to rape (in women). Two studies using online surveys with community samples supported these hypotheses. In Study 1, 170 male participants who experienced more positive contact with counter-stereotypical women reported less intention to rape. Similarly, in Study 2, 280 female participants who experienced more positive contact with counter-stereotypical women reported less projected sexual arousal at the thought of being raped. Thus, the present research is the first known to show that contact could be a potential tool to combat sexism, rape myth acceptance, intentions to rape in men, and sexualisation of rape by women.
Despite the widespread inclusion of diversity-related curricula in U.S. medical training, racial disparities in the quality of care and physician bias in medical treatment persist. The present study examined the effects of both formal and informal experiences on non-African American medical students' (N = 2,922) attitudes toward African Americans in a longitudinal study of 49 randomly selected U.S. medical schools. We assessed the effects of experiences related to medical training, accounting for prior experiences and attitudes. Contact with African Americans predicted positive attitudes toward African Americans relative to white people, even beyond the effects of prior attitudes. Furthermore, students who reported having witnessed instructors make negative racial comments or jokes were significantly more willing to express racial bias themselves, even after accounting for the effects of contact. Examining the effects of informal experiences on racial attitudes may help develop a more effective medical training environment and reduce racial disparities in healthcare.
In order to gain mechanistic insights into multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis, we utilized a multi-dimensional approach to test the hypothesis that mutations in myelin proteins lead to immune activation and central nervous system autoimmunity in MS. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of human MS brain lesions revealed seven unique mutations of PLP1; a key myelin protein that is known to be destroyed in MS. Surprisingly, in-depth genomic analysis of two MS patients at the genomic DNA and mRNA confirmed mutated PLP1 in RNA, but not in the genomic DNA. Quantification of wild type and mutant PLP RNA levels by qPCR further validated the presence of mutant PLP RNA in the MS patients. To seek evidence linking mutations in abundant myelin proteins and immune-mediated destruction of myelin, specific immune response against mutant PLP1 in MS patients was examined. Thus, we have designed paired, wild type and mutant peptide microarrays, and examined antibody response to multiple mutated PLP1 in sera from MS patients. Consistent with the idea of different patients exhibiting unique mutation profiles, we found that 13 out of 20 MS patients showed antibody responses against specific but not against all the mutant-PLP1 peptides. Interestingly, we found mutant PLP-directed antibody response against specific mutant peptides in the sera of pre-MS controls. The results from integrative proteomic, genomic, and immune analyses reveal a possible mechanism of mutation-driven pathogenesis in human MS. The study also highlights the need for integrative genomic and proteomic analyses for uncovering pathogenic mechanisms of human diseases.
Industrial manufacturers are required to adopt water conservation and pollution control technologies because of increasingly serious water scarcity and water pollution, especially in textile industry. An effective performance evaluation tool for these technologies is greatly needed for textile manufacturers. However, the existing tools for textile industry can only evaluate on plant level and ignore pollution effect of water consumption. In order to help textile manufacturers know about water conservation and pollution control performance of technologies more systematically and comprehensively, we developed a process-level water conservation and pollution control performance evaluation tool of cleaner production technology in textile industry. The new tool includes three indicators: water withdrawal reduction, water consumption reduction and water assimilation reduction. Comparison between the new tool and old ones by evaluating the low-pollution-concentration effluent reuse technology in a polyester flannel fabric dyeing and printing plant demonstrates that the new tool can help textile manufacturers to not only understand operation mechanism of a technology on specific processes and then take specific improvement measures on different processes to optimize water conservation and pollution control performance, but also find out indiscoverable disadvantages of a technology and then adopt complementary technologies to reduce negative effect of the technology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISOPOL - for International Symposium on Problems of Listeria and Listeriosis - meetings gather every three years since 1957 participants from all over the world and allow exchange and update on a wide array of topics concerning Listeria and listeriosis, ranging from epidemiology, diagnostic and typing methods, to genomics, post-genomics, fundamental microbiology, cell biology and pathogenesis. The XIXth ISOPOL meeting took place in Paris from June 14th to 17th, 2016 at Institut Pasteur. We provide here a report of the talks that were given during the meeting, which represents an up-to-date overview of ongoing research on this important pathogen and biological model. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Institut Pasteur.
Water pollution has been a major concern for agrarian societies like Pakistan. Pharmaceutical industries are amongst the foremost contributor to industrial waste. Present study addresses the generation of oxidative stress caused by 2 months exposure to pharmaceutical wastewater in rats and their response to oral treatment with vitamin E, a potent antioxidant. The rats were randomized into five groups (n = 5) named as negative control, pharmaceutical wastewater (PEW) 100 %, PEW 10 %, PEW 1 %, and PEW 100 % + vitamin E. Oxidative damage in rats was evaluated by estimation of the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), catalase (CAT), and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the liver, kidney, and blood/plasma. Exposure to pharmaceutical wastewater significantly decreased the activities of T-SOD and CAT and concentration of H2O2 in the liver and kidney and blood/plasma. Exposure to 100 % pharmaceutical wastewater exhibited a maximum decline in T-SOD activity, and activity was reduced to only 63.57 U/mL, 32.65, and 43.57 U/mg of protein in the plasma, kidney, and liver, respectively. Exposure to wastewater minimized activity CAT to 89.25 U/g of hemoglobin, 54.36, and 62.95 U/mg of protein in the blood, kidney, and liver, respectively. Treatment with vitamin E significantly increased the activity of T-SOD and CAT. However, increase in concentration of H2O2 was also observed in vitamin E exposed rats. Histopathology of the kidney revealed coagulative necrosis of renal epithelial cells and peritubular congestion. Endocardium showed infiltration of inflammatory cells and cellular breakdown in some areas. Lung sections exhibited atelectasis and emphysema of alveoli suggesting decline in lung function. The anatomy of the liver was also compromised due to severe degeneration and cellular swelling. The present study concluded that pharmaceutical wastewater induced severe oxidative stress in Wistar rats and ensued in histopathological lesions in several vital organs suggesting its high toxicity. Non-enzymatic antioxidant vitamin E may ameliorate oxidative stress induced by pharmaceutical wastewater.
Maintenance of ballasted railway tracks is a major cost for railway infrastructure owners. In many developed countries, much of the railway infrastructure is mature and was built for service requirements long since superseded. The increased demands on historic infrastructure can lead to the development or exacerbation of localised trackbed problems that require disproportionate levels of maintenance. Identifying these and applying cost effective remediation has the potential to reduce maintenance spend in the long term. However, it is not always clear what the most cost effective remediation will be. One type of localised maintenance issue is the development of wet beds or wet spots, which can occur where saturated clayey subgrade soils are overloaded and result in the development of mud pumping as trains pass. This leads to the migration of fines into the ballast bed and a deterioration in local track performance. Over time the track overlying the wet bed settles disproportionately more, sleepers become progressively more voided, and train ride quality deteriorates. Maintenance of the wet bed may involve locally digging out and replacing the ballast; however, unless the underlying cause is addressed the problem is likely to recur, requiring repeated localised maintenance interventions. This is costly, reactive and ultimately an ineffective approach to managing the problem. This paper presents a study of a wet bed in the UK, both prior to and after a full track renewal. Transient track deflections during train passage were monitored using sleeper mounted geophones and high speed filming techniques. Loaded track geometry data were obtained from a track recording vehicle. It is shown that local maintenance interventions were generally ineffective, but that a renewal of the top 200 mm of the trackbed including placement of a geotextile filter and geogrid appears to have been successful in remediating the problem, at least in the short term.
The advancement of software defined networking (SDN) is redefining traditional computer networking architecture. The role of the control plane of SDN is of such importance that SDNs are referred to as network operating systems (OSs). However, the robustness and security of the network OS has been overlooked. In this paper, we report three main issues pertaining to network OSs. First, we identified vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious or buggy applications running on network OSs. We also identified four major attack vectors that could undermine network OS operations: denial of service, global data manipulation, control plane poisoning, and system shell execution. Further, it was demonstrated that real-world attacks can be launched on commonly used network OSs without significant effort. Second, we present a method to address the attacks by analyzing network applications running on network OSs to identify their behavioral features, which enabled the extraction of a permission set for each network application. Based on this work, a permission-based malicious network application detector was introduced, which examines the permission set of each application and prevents it from executing without permission. Our system shows almost no performance overhead. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increased obesity rates, an evolving food supply and the overconsumption of energy dense foods has led to an increase in research exploring addictive eating behaviours. This study aimed to investigate food addiction in a sample of Australian adults using the revised Yale Food Addiction Survey (YFAS) 2.0 tool and how it is associated with dietary intake, personality traits and mental health issues. Australian adults were invited to complete an online survey that collected information including: demographics, dietary intake, depression, anxiety, stress and personality dimensions including impulsivity, sensation seeking, hopelessness and anxiety sensitivity. A total of 1344 individuals were recruited with the samples comprising 75.7% female, mean age 39.8 +/- 13.1 years (range 18-91 years) and body mass index BMI 27.7 +/- 9.5. Food addiction was identified in 22.2% of participants using the YFAS 2.0 tool, which classified the severity of food addiction as mild in 0.7% of cases, moderate in 2.6% and severe in 18.9% of cases. Predictors of severe food addiction were female gender (odds ratio (OR) 3.65 95% CI 1.86-7.11) and higher levels of soft drink OR 1.36 (1.07-1.72), confectionary consumption and anxiety sensitivity 1.16 (1.07-1.26). Overall people with severe (OR 13.2, 5.8-29.8) or extremely severe depressive symptoms (OR 15.6, range 7.1-34.3) had the highest odds of having severe food addiction. The only variable that reduced the odds of having severe food addiction was vegetable intake. The current study highlights that addictive food behaviours are associated with a complex pattern of poor dietary choices and a clustering with mental health issues, particularly depression.
Plastic wastes, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) generated from used bottled water constitute a worldwide environmental issue. Reusing the PET waste for geotechnical applications not only reduces environmental burdens of handling the waste, but also improves inherent engineering properties of soil. This paper investigated factors affecting shear strength improvement of PET-mixed residual soil. Four variables were considered: (i) plastic content; (ii) plastic slenderness ratio; (iii) plastic size; and (iv) soil particle size. A series of unconfined compression tests were performed to determine the optimum configurations for promoting the shear strength improvement. The results showed that the optimum slenderness ratio and PET content for shear strength improvement were 1:3 and 1.5%, respectively. Large PET pieces (i.e., 1.0 cm(2)) were favorable for fine-grained residual soil, while small PET pieces (i.e., 0.5 cm2) were favorable for coarse-grained residual soil. Higher shear strength improvement was obtained for PET-mixed coarse-grained residual soil (148%) than fine-grained residual soils (117%). The orientation of plastic pieces in soil and frictional resistance developed between soil particles and PET surface are two important factors affecting the shear strength performance of PET-mixed soil.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Cancer has proceeded to surpass one of the most chronic illnesses to be the major cause of mortality in both the developing and developed world. Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen, family Guttiferae) known as the queen of fruits, is one of the most popular tropical fruits. It is cultivated in Southeast Asian countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Philippines. Traditionally, numerous parts of G. mangostana have been utilized to treat various ailments such as abdominal pain, haemorrhoids, food allergies, arthritis, leucorrhoea, gonorrhea, diarrhea, dysentery, wound infection, suppuration, and chronic ulcer. Aim of study: Although anticancer activity has been reported for the plant, the goal of the study was designed to isolate and characterize the active metabolites from G. mangostana and measure their cytotoxic properties. In this research, the mechanism of antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects of the tested compounds was investigated. Materials and methods: The CHCl3 fraction of the air-dried fruit hulls was repeatedly chromatographed on SiO2, RP18, Diaion HP-20, and polyamide columns to furnish fourteen compounds. The structures of these metabolites were proven by UV, IR, 1D, and 2D NMR measurements and HRESIMS. Additionally, the cytotoxic potential of all compounds was assessed against MCF-7, HCT-116, and HepG2 cell lines using SRB-U assay. Antiproliferative and cell cycle interference effects of potentially potent compounds were tested using DNA content flow cytometry. The mechanism of cell death induction was also studied using annexin-V/PI differential staining coupled with flow cytometry. Results: The CHCl3 soluble fraction afforded two new xanthones: mangostanaxanthones V (1) and VI (2), along with twelve known compounds: mangostanaxanthone N (3), beta-mangostin (4), garcinone E (5), alpha-mangostin (6), nor-mangostin (7), garcimangosone D (8), aromadendrin-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), 1,2,4,5-tetrahydroxybenzene (10), 2,4,3'-trihydroxybenzophenone-6-O-beta-glucopyranoside (11), maclurin-6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (rhodanthenone) (12), epicatechin (13), and 2,4,6,3',5'-pentahydroxybenzophenone (14). Only compound 5 showed considerable antiproliferative/cytotoxic effects with IC50's ranging from 15.8 to 16.7 mu M. Compounds 3, 4, and 6 showed moderate to weak cytotoxic effects (IC50's ranged from 45.7 to 116.4 mu M). Using DNA content flow cytometry, it was found that only 5 induced significant cell cycle arrest at G(0)/G(1)-phase which is indicative of its antiproliferative properties. Additionally, by using annexin V-FITC/PI differential staining, 5 induced cells killing effect via the induction of apoptosis and necrosis in both HepG(2) and HCT116 cells. Compound 3 produce necrosis and apoptosis only in HCT116 cells. On contrary, 6 induced apoptosis and necrosis in HepG(2) cells and moderate necrosis in HCT116 cells. Conclusion: Fourteen compounds were isolated from chloroform fraction of G. mangostana fruit hulls. Cytotoxic properties exhibited by the isolated xanthones from G. mangostana reinforce the avail of it as a natural cytotoxic agent against various cancers. These evidences could provide relevant bases for the scientific rationale of using G. mangostana in anti-cancer treatment.
This paper presents a fully-integrated wireless bondwire accelerometer using a closed-loop readout interface that effectively reduces the noise from electrical circuits and long-term frequency drifts. The proposed accelerometer was fabricated using 0.18-mu m CMOS technology without micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) processing. To reduce manufacturing errors, the bondwire inertial sensors are wire-bonded on the chip pads, thereby enabling a precisely-defined length and space between sensing bondwires. The proposed wireless accelerometer using a pair of 15.2 mu m and 25.4 mu m bondwires achieves a linear transducer gain of 33 mV/g, bandwidth of 5 kHz, a noise floor of 700 mu g/root Hz, and 4.5 mu g bias stability. The acceleration data is digitalized by an energy-efficient 10-bit SAR ADC and then wirelessly transmitted in real time to the external reader by a low-power on-off shift keying (OOK) transmitter. The proposed architecture consumes 9 mW and the chip area is 2 mm x 2.4 mm.
Neuropathic pain is a debilitating chronic pain condition occurring after damage in the nervous system and is refractory to the currently available treatments. Major challenges include elucidating its mechanisms and developing new medications to treat it. Nerve injury-induced pain hypersensitivity involves aberrant excitability in spinal dorsal horn (SDH) neurons as a consequence of dysfunction of inhibitory interneurons and of hyperactivity of glial cells, especially microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system. Evidence of this is found using animal models to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuropathic pain. The pathologically altered somatosensory signals in the SDH then convey to the brain regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In these regions, nerve injury produces pre- and postsynaptic long-term plasticity, which contributes to negative emotions and anxiety associated with chronic pain conditions. Furthermore, recent evidence also indicates that the descending projection pathways from the ACC directly and indirectly to the SDH (the top-down corticospinal network) regulate nociceptive sensory transmission in the SDH. Thus, understanding a possible connection between the SDH and ACC, including a neuron-microglia interaction, may provide us with insights into the mechanisms used to amplify pain signals related to neuropathic pain and clues to aid the development of new therapeutic agents for the management of chronic pain.
The time-varying flow is studied experimentally in an anatomically accurate model of the human airways from the mouth through several generations of bronchial branching. The airway geometry is obtained from the CT scan of a healthy adult male of normal height and build. The three-component, three-dimensional mean velocity field is obtained throughout the entire model using phase-locked Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry. A pulsatile pump drives a sinusoidal waveform (inhalation and exhalation) with frequency and stroke-length such that the mean trachea Reynolds number at peak inspiration is 4200 and the Womersley number is 7. Integral parameters are defined to quantify the degree of velocity profile non-uniformity (related to axial dispersion) and secondary flow strength (lateral dispersion). It is found that the extrathoracic airways significantly modify the tracheal flow and that the flow at the first bifurcation is highly asymmetric. The effect of flow oscillation is to produce time dependent flow features which are asymmetric with respect to the acceleration and deceleration periods surrounding peak inhalation and exhalation. This is most pronounced in regions of separation and on the secondary flow structure, which are sensitive to local attributes of the real anatomy. This is reflected in the integral parameters, which behave non-monotonically between successive bronchial generations. In general, the measured oscillatory flow in a realistic anatomy confirms many trends derived from idealized models but also possesses qualitatively different large scale flow structures as compared to idealized representations of the upper airways. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Data on reservoir parameters, production rate, and water cut are considered key parameters in the control and matching of production in each layer of intelligent well wellbores. Owing to the complicated conditions in the downhole, no permanent downhole flowmeter is installed in the current simple intelligent well system of onshore oilfields in China. Furthermore, necessary real-time data on reservoir parameters, production rate, and water cut in each producing layer cannot be obtained. On the basis of mass conservation equation, momentum conservation equation, and theories of heat transfer, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics in porous medium, this study establishes the energy conservation equation of fluids in the tubing and annulus. By using the single-point real-time data of the pressure and temperature in the tubing and annulus, the temperature gradient in each producing layer can be deduced. Moreover, the temperature profile, data on reservoir parameters, production rate, and water cut in each producing layer can be calculated. This approach is used to solve the problem of flow measurement in each producing layer of intelligent well systems without permanent downhole flowmeters in onshore Chinese oilfields. According to the production data of intelligent well Lei 632, the temperature distribution along the wellbore is analyzed, the water yield formation is diagnosed, and the reservoir parameters, production rate, and water cut in each producing layer are calculated. The analytic solution of the method agrees well with that of the conventional production logging, thus indicating the feasibility of the method in realizing the dynamic monitoring of intelligent wells and in solving the actual problem in real time. The proposed method fills in the gaps in theories on intelligent well technology in China. (c) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Sudden unexplained nocturnal death syndrome (SUNDS) is a perplexing disorder to both forensic pathologists and clinic physicians. Clinical features of SUNDS survivors suggested that SUNDS is similar to Brugada syndrome (BrS). Leucine-rich repeat containing 10 (LRRC10) gene was a newly identified gene linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease associated with sudden cardiac death. To investigate the prevalence and spectrum of genetic variants of LRRC10 gene in SUNDS and BrS, the coding regions of LRRC10 were genetically screened in 113 sporadic SUNDS victims (from January 2005 to December 2015, 30.7 +/- 7.5 years) and ten BrS patients (during January 2010 to December 2014, 38.7 +/- 10.3 years) using direct Sanger sequencing. Afterwards, LRRC10 missense variant carriers were screened for a panel of 80 genes known to be associated with inherited cardiac arrhythmia/cardiomyopathy using target-captured next-generation sequencing. In this study, an in silico-predicted malignant LRRC10 mutation p.E129K was detected in one SUNDS victim without pathogenic rare variant in a panel of 80 arrhythmia/cardiomyopathy-related genes. We also provided evidence to show that rare variant p.P69L might contribute to the genetic cause for one SUNDS victim and two BrS family members. This is the first report of genetic screening of LRRC10 in Chinese SUNDS victims and BrS patients. LRRC10 may be a new susceptible gene for SUNDS, and LRRC10 variant was initially and genetically linked to BrS-associated arrhythmia.
Traditional imaging spectropolarimetry generally requires slit, moving parts, electrically tunable devices, or the use of micropolarized arrays. Furthermore, the acquired raw data are a physical superposition of interferogram and image. Given their complicated structure, poor seismic capacity, low detection sensitivity, and heavy computations with approximation in spectral reconstruction, meeting the needs for applications in aviation, remote sensing, and field detection is difficult. To overcome these drawbacks, a new spectropolarimetric imaging technique based on static dual intensity-modulated Fourier transform is presented. The system consists of a front telescopic system, two phase retarders, a linear polarizer, a Wollaston prism, a Savart polariscope, a linear analyzer, a reimaging system, and a charge-coupled device (CCD) array detector. The incident light is modulated through a module of polarization spectrum modulation, which consists of the retarders and the polarizer. The Wollaston prism splits the modulated incident light into two equal intensities, orthogonally polarized components with a small divergent angle. After passing through the interference module, which is composed of the Savart polariscope and the analyzer, then the reimaging system, two full-polarization interferograms, which are the superposition of background images and interference fringes, are recorded simultaneously on a single CCD. The pure target image and the pure interference fringes can be simply achieved from the summation or the difference of the two interferograms. Spectral and complete polarization information can be acquired by using the Fourier transform of the pure interference fringes. The principle and the configuration of the system are described here in this paper. The reconstruction processes of the target image and the full Stokes polarization spectra are theoretically analyzed and mathematically simulated. The results show that the system can availably separate background image from interference fringes of the target, achieving high-precision spectral reconstruction and effective extraction of the complete polarization information. Compared with the features of existing instruments, one of the salient features of the described model is to use the dual-intensity modulation, which can avoid mutual interference between the image and the fringes from the hardware and is conducive to the extraction of pure interference fringes with high signal-tonoise ratio (SNR). With this feature, the inadequacies on traditional spectral reconstruction, such as large computation, heavy data processing, and low accuracy of acquired information, are overcome. Moreover, the entrance slit in the front telescopic system is removed, which greatly increases the transmittance and flux of the incident light and improves the SNR of the interferogram. The modified Savart polariscope is used in the interference module. Its transverse shearsplitting principle further enlarges the field of view and increases the spectral resolution of the straight fringes. Thus, this design has the advantages of good stability, high spectrum, high sensitivity, large SNR, high-precision information reconstruction, and low-complexity data processing, as well as simultaneous detection of image, spectrum, and complete polarization information. This work will provide an important theoretical basis and practical instruction for developing new spectropolarimetric imaging technique and its engineering applications.
Morality, sociability, and competence are distinct dimensions in person perception. We argue that a person's morality informs us about their likely intentions, whereas their competence and sociability inform us about the likelihood that they will fulfill those intentions. Accordingly, we hypothesized that whereas morality would be considered unconditionally positive, sociability and competence would be highly positive only in moral others, and would be less positive in immoral others. Using exploratory factor analyses, Studies 1a and 1b distinguished evaluations of morality and sociability. Studies 2 to 5 then showed that sociability and competence are evaluated positively contingent on moralityStudy 2 demonstrated this phenomenon, while the remaining studies explained it (Study 3), generalized it (Studies 3-5), and ruled out an alternative explanation for it (Study 5). Study 6 showed that the positivity of morality traits is independent of other morality traits. These results support a functionalist account of these dimensions of person perception.
ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the theory of mind ability in a sample of obese patients with and without binge eating disorder (BED) and to explore the correlations between emotional and clinical assessments. MethodsOverall, 20 non-BED, 16 under-threshold BED and 22 BED obese patients completed a battery of tests assessing social cognition and eating disorder psychopathology. ResultsBinge eating disorder, non-BED and under-threshold-BED obese patients showed similar ability to recognise others' emotions, but BED obese patients exhibited a deficit in recognising their own emotions as demonstrated by more impaired levels of alexithymia and interoceptive awareness and were more depressed. High positive correlations were evident between binging, depression, interoceptive awareness and alexithymia. ConclusionsBinge eating disorder patients have a comparable ability to understand others' emotions but a more impaired capacity to understand and code their own emotions compared with non-BED obese patients. This impairment is highly correlated with depression. Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
This study presents the first attempt to link the multi-algorithm genetically adaptive search method (AMALGAM) with a groundwater model to define pumping rates within a well distributed set of Pareto solutions. The pumping rates along with three minimization objectives, i.e. minimizing shortage affected by the failure to supply, modified shortage index and minimization of extent of drawdown within prespecified regions, were chosen to define an optimal solution for groundwater drawdown and subsidence. Hydraulic conductivity, specific yield parameters of a modular threedimensional finite-difference (MODFLOW) groundwater model were first optimized using Cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA) by minimizing the sum of absolute deviation between the observed and simulated water table depths. These parameters were then applied in AMALGAM to optimize the pumping rate variables for an arid groundwater system in Iran. The Pareto parameter sets yielded satisfactory results when maximum and minimum drawdowns of the aquifer were defined in a range of -40 to +40 cm/year. Overall, 'Modelling - Optimization - Simulation' procedure was capable to compute a set of optimal solutions displayed on a Pareto front. The proposed optimal solution provides sustainable groundwater management alternatives to decision makers in arid region.
Giant invasive sacral schwannomas are rare tumors. Surgical excision is the standard treatment and total resection is performed if feasible. Advances in three-dimensional (3D) imaging technology have facilitated treatment designs of complex surgical procedures. Our aim was to evaluate virtual surgical planning, computer-aided design (CAD), and manufacturing with 3D printing technology of the customized osteotomy guiding device in giant invasive sacral schwannoma resection. A digital 3D model of the sacrum, including the giant invasive sacral schwannoma, was rendered from patient computer tomography (CT) images. The surgeon chose excision margins of the tumor. Based on the virtual surgical planning, the customized guiding tool for osteotomy was designed and manufactured using the CAD and 3D printing. We used the guiding block to successfully excise a giant sacral schwannoma using only a posterior approach to achieve gross total resection. No augmented spinal instrumentation was used to prevent iatrogenic spinal instability. Clinical symptoms resolved dramatically after operation. No spinal instability occurred during follow-up. With the assistance of an image-based customized osteotomy guiding device, we achieved both goals of tumor resection and bone preservation in giant sacral schwannoma resection. With thorough surgical planning, this technology can be applied to the complex surgical procedures easily and reliably.
An analytic model is presented for quantitatively investigating the impact of friction between the punch and the shot sleeve on dynamic match status during the injection process of squeeze casting, with the ultimate purpose of optimizing machine design and controlling injection process more accurately. By combining lubrication model and friction experiment, the friction characteristics between the punch and the shot sleeve are investigated in four cases of different clearance values. The lubrication model is validated by comparing the calculated and experimental values of the friction coefficient. The friction model of injection process is then established by means of updating incremental boundary conditions iteratively. The temperature and deformation data are collected from laboratory testing and used to compare with the simulation data obtained from both the general model and the proposed friction model. The simulation data from the friction model is approximately in agreement with the experimental data, better than the general model, implying that the proposed analytics model provides more accurate simulation of the friction coefficients. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
It has been suggested that dogs' ability to comprehend human pointing gestures evolved as a by-product of the socio-emotional changes associated with domestication. Given the large role played by the oxytocin system in socio-emotional processes, it is possible to hypothesize a role for oxytocin in modulating dogs' socio-communicative skills. Indeed, it has been shown that intranasal oxytocin enhances dogs' ability to use human pointing cues in an object choice task, a classic paradigm used to assess the ability to follow a pointing gesture. We further tested this hypothesis in another sample of dogs and replicated the above findings. We also provided a novel explanation to the above findings, suggesting that oxytocin released during human-dog interactions increases the positive expectations about human behaviour via emotion and reward processes and thus facilitates the interpretation of pointing as leading to positive events. Given the large and deep homology across mammals in the neural mechanisms involved in emotions, oxytocin could be involved in the acquisition of socio-communicative skills during human typical as well as pathological development.
This study presents the development of a new fault zone identification scheme for busbar using logistic regression binary classifier by utilising one cycle post-fault current signals of all the bays connected to the busbar. Practicability of the presented scheme has been verified by modelling an existing 400 kV Indian power generating station in power systems computer-aided design/electro-magnetic transient design and control software package. The presented scheme has been tested on enormous cases (38,400) which were generated by varying system and fault parameters. The proposed scheme provides effective discrimination between internal and external faults with a very high (99.69%) overall accuracy. Moreover, it remains stable in case of heavy through fault conditions particularly with current transformer saturation during which the conventional differential protection scheme mal-operates. Furthermore, it provides equally compatible accuracy for unknown system/unseen data set as well as for double/one-and-half breaker busbar arrangement. In addition, performance of the proposed scheme has been verified on the laboratory prototype and results are found to be satisfactory. The average tripping time is of the order of 23 ms in case of internal faults. At last, comparative evaluation of the proposed scheme with recently presented schemes in the literature indicates its superiority.
Describing user activity plays an essential role in ambient intelligence. In this work, we review different methods for human activity recognition, classified as data-driven and knowledge-based techniques. We focus on context ontologies whose ultimate goal is the tracking of human behavior. After studying upper and domain ontologies, both useful for human activity representation and inference, we establish an evaluation criterion to assess the suitability of the different candidate ontologies for this purpose. As a result, any missing features, which are relevant for modeling daily human behaviors, are identified as future challenges.
Background: Brain networks in fMRI are typically identified using spatial independent component analysis (ICA), yet other mathematical constraints provide alternate biologically-plausible frameworks for generating brain networks. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) would suppress negative BOLD signal by enforcing positivity. Spatial sparse coding algorithms (L1 Regularized Learning and K-SVD) would impose local specialization and a discouragement of multitasking, where the total observed activity in a single voxel originates from a restricted number of possible brain networks. New method: The assumptions of independence, positivity, and sparsity to encode task-related brain networks are compared; the resulting brain networks within scan for different constraints are used as basis functions to encode observed functional activity. These encodings are then decoded using machine learning, by using the time series weights to predict within scan whether a subject is viewing a video, listening to an audio cue, or at rest, in 304 fMRI scans from 51 subjects. Results and comparison with existing method: The sparse coding algorithm of L1 Regularized Learning outperformed 4 variations of ICA (p < 0.001) for predicting the task being performed within each scan using artifact-cleaned components. The NMF algorithms, which suppressed negative BOLD signal, had the poorest accuracy compared to the ICA and sparse coding algorithms. Holding constant the effect of the extraction algorithm, encodings using sparser spatial networks (containing more zero-valued voxels) had higher classification accuracy (p < 0.001). Lower classification accuracy occurred when the extracted spatial maps contained more CSF regions (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The success of sparse coding algorithms suggests that algorithms which enforce sparsity, discourage multitasking, and promote local specialization may capture better the underlying source processes than those which allow inexhaustible local processes such as ICA. Negative BOLD signal may capture task-related activations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper presents a three-phase back-to-back transformerless inverter for online uninterruptible power supply applications. The inverter consists of a three-phase three-wire input rectifier stage and a three-phase four-wire output inverter stage with their ground wires tied together. Both of the two stages are with sinusoidal pulse width modulation based division-summation (D-Sigma) digital control. The input stage controls the power flow between utility grid and dc link, regulates the dc-link voltage, and fulfills power factor correction. While the output stage tracks three-phase ac reference voltages. The proposed control laws derived based on the D-Sigma digital approach take into account the effects of dc-link voltage fluctuation, grid-voltage distortion, and inductance variation due to different current levels. Thus, distortion of input current and output voltage, and filter inductor core size can be reduced significantly. Moreover, circulating current through their common ground can be suppressed effectively. Simulated and experimental results from a three-phase back-to-back transformerless inverter have confirmed the analysis and discussion of the proposed control approach.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been reported to increase cognitive performance in some clinical studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, there is a lack of evidence supporting the efficacy of SSRIs as cognition enhancers in AD, and the role of SSRIs as a treatment for AD remains largely unclear. Here, we characterized the impact of fluoxetine (FLX), a well-known SSRI, on neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) and in CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus of middle-aged (16 to 17 months old) APPswe/PSEN1dE9 (APP/PS1) transgenic AD model mice. We found that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of FLX (10 mg/kg/day) for 5 weeks effectively alleviated the impairment of spatial learning ability in middle-aged APP/PS1 mice as evaluated using the Morris water maze. More importantly, the number of neurons in the hippocampal DG was significantly increased by FLX. Additionally, FLX reduced the deposition of beta amyloid, inhibited GSK-3 beta activity and increased the level of beta-catenin in middle-aged APP/PS1 mice. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that FLX delayed the progression of neuronal loss in the hippocampal DG in middle-aged AD mice, and this effect may underlie the FLX-induced improvement in learning ability. FLX may therefore serve as a promising therapeutic drug for AD.
Novel diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) incorporate biomarkers, but their maturity for implementation in clinical practice at the prodromal stage (mild cognitive impairment [ MCI]) is unclear. Here, we evaluate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) beta-amyloid42 (A beta 42), total tau, and phosphorylated tau in the light of a 5-phase framework for biomarker development. Ample evidence is available for phase 1 (identifying useful leads) and phase 2 (assessing the accuracy for AD dementia versus controls) for CSF biomarkers. Phase 3 (utility in MCI) is partially achieved. In cohorts with long follow-up time, CSF A beta 42, total tau, and phosphorylated tau have high diagnostic accuracy for MCI due to AD. Phase 4 (performance in real world) is ongoing, and phase 5 studies (quantify impact and costs) are to come. Our results highlight priorities to pursue and to enable the proper use of CSF biomarkers in the clinic. Priorities are to reduce measurement variability by introduction of fully automated assay systems; to increase diagnostic specificity toward non-AD neurocognitive diseases at the MCI stage; and to clarify the role of CSF biomarkers versus other biomarker modalities in clinical practice and in design of clinical trials. These efforts are currently ongoing. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The use of power converters has considerably grown up, in part, because refined control strategies have been recently proposed, including nonlinear schemes such as predictive control. This approach is used in this work considering a variable grid frequency environment in order to get an appropriate response for a wide ac mains frequency range. Indeed, in order to achieve appropriate, both dynamic and static, responses for all operating frequencies, the number of samples per period is kept constant and independent of the ac mains frequency. This allows a fixed resolution of the sensed voltages and/or currents, which is preferable if high-performance digital control schemes are required. However, imposing a constant number of samples per period requires a variable sampling time in systems that feature variable ac mains frequency. On the other hand, predictive control has been developed and well documented just for a constant sampling frequency. This work presents how to extend the predictive control algorithms for variable sampling time allowing high-performance waveforms and wider ac mains frequency range. Simulated and experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed control strategy which corroborates the mathematical and model analysis.
Programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligands, namely PD-L1 and PD-L2, are one of the key factors responsible for inhibitory T cell signaling, mediating the mechanisms of tolerance and providing immune homeostasis. Mounting evidence demonstrates that impaired PD-1:PD-L function plays an important role in a variety of autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes (T1D), encephalomyelitis, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), Behcet's disease (BD), myasthenia gravis (MG), autoimmune uveitis (AU), Sjogren's syndrome (SjS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), myocarditis, and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). By investigating the candidate genes, genome-wide association studies, and identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PD-1 gene in humans, it has been shown that there is a higher risk in relevant genetic associations with developing autoimmune diseases in certain ethnic groups. In this review we have tried to present a comprehensive role of PD-1:PD-L in all recently studied autoimmune diseases. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Document embedding is a technology that captures informative representations from high-dimensional observations by some structure-preserving maps over corpus and has been intensively explored in machine learning. Recently, some manifold-inspired embedding methods become a hot topic, mainly due to their ability in capturing discriminative embedding. However, the existing methods capture the embeddings based on the geometrical information of nearest neighbors without considering the intrinsic documents-generating structure on a subspace, thus leads to a limitation to uncover intrinsic semantic information. In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised local-invariant method, called Discriminative Locally Document Embedding (Disc-LDE), aiming to build a smooth affine map for document embedding by preserving documents-generating structure on a subspace. Disc-LDE models the documents-generating structure as a pseudo-document by a generative probabilistic model of subspace, where the subspace is acquired by a transductive learning of multi-agent random walk on neighborhood graph, and regularizes the training of Auto-Encoders (AEs) to jointly recover the input document and its pseudo-document. Under a general regularized function learning framework, the regularized training can impact the parameterized encoder network become smooth to variations along the documents-generating structure of the local field on manifold. The experimental results on three widely-used corpora demonstrate Disc-LDE could efficient capture the intrinsic semantic structure to improve the clustering and classification performance to the state-of-the-arts methods. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a widely used psychopathology screening tool that measures children's emotional symptoms, peer problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosocial behavior. Previous psychometric studies of the SDQ focused primarily on older children in Western cultures and suffered from several methodological limitations. This study examined the reliability, factor structure, convergent, and discriminant validity of the SDQ by focusing on young Asian American children and using more rigorous methods. The five-factor structure of the SDQ was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The coefficients indicated adequate reliability for all subscales except parent-rated peer problems and conduct problems. The correlated trait-correlated method minus one multitrait-multimethod model provided evidence for convergent validity and discriminant validity of all subscales except for conduct problems relative to hyperactivity/inattention. This study provided new evidence for the psychometric properties of the SDQ in young children and cultural suitability of the SDQ for Asian Americans.
The magnetic damper was introduced into the high speed rotating machinery to restrain the vibration of the rotor supported by active magnetic bearings. The experimental setup, which was made up of one rotor, two radial active magnetic bearings, one axial active magnetic bearing, one magnetic damper and control system, was built to investigate the effects of the magnetic damper locations on dynamic characteristics of the system by theoretical analysis, experimental modal analysis and actual operation of the system. The results show that the vibration of the active magnetic bearing system operating at the modal frequency can be reduced more effectively if the magnetic damper is located far from the nodes of the corresponding mode shape.
This paper presents a case history of geotextile-reinforced dry cover placement on a reclaimed clay deposit treated by progressive trenching method. In order to investigate the effects of the cover material's characteristic of ensuring trafficability with respect to bearing failure and ground deformation, two types of covers were considered in pilot tests: a layer of weathered granite soil cover and a layer of weathered granite soil over stiff crushed stone. A number of in-situ plate load tests were conducted for various cover conditions to assess the bearing capacity of the reclaimed deposit and to determine the thickness and material compositions that satisfy the bearing capacity requirement. In full-scale pilot tests for cover placement, field monitoring was carried out for the surface settlement and pore pressure that developed in the reclaimed clay layer. The results of plate-loading tests and monitoring during staged cover placements are discussed and compared using numerical predictions obtained from both finite element analyses and undrained stability analyses. The comparison results showed that the drainage condition of the ground surface facing the dry cover is strongly related to the ground response and stability.
Power grid interconnection has gained attention in Northeast Asia (NEA) as a means to effectively utilize the abundant renewable resources in Mongolia. This paper quantifies the potential economic and environmental benefits of deploying massive wind turbines and solar PV in Mongolia for power exports. The author uses an NEA-wide multi-region power system model formulated as a linear programming problem. The analysis considers power systems characteristics, such as the seasonal and daily electric load curves of the NEA regions. The simulation results show that the large-scale Mongolian renewables contribute to significant CO2 reductions in NEA. China, in particular, benefits from a significant reduction in coal-fired generation. However, huge investments would be required for the massive renewables and cross-boundary transmission facilities, pushing up electricity supply cost. The relevant planning organizations need to carefully consider these environmental opportunities and economic barriers before implementation. This paper also investigates the economic impacts of transmission route circuity due to avoiding transmission through the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Our results imply modest effects of the circuity on the total system cost; availability of routes through the DPRK would not significantly increase the benefits to the NEA system of integrating massive renewables in Mongolia. (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Response inhibition has been suggested to be dysfunctional in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, this process involves intentional cognitive control, which does not correspond to the automatic emergence of stereotyped thoughts and behaviours usually reported by patients with OCD. In the present study, the excessive facilitation of unintentional processes was assessed in OCD by using the Computerized Mirror Pointing Task (CMPT). Seventy-six volunteers participated in this study, including 39 patients with OCD and 37 healthy controls. The CMPT was administered to all participants, and a score of appropriateness of the sensorimotor adaptation to the mirror inversion was computed from the initial deviation angle (IDA), that precedes the intentional readjustment of movement. Results showed that throughout the 40 trials of the CMPT, the IDA score remained significantly abnormal in patients with OCD in comparison with control participants. Further analyses of IDA scores in OCD revealed a clear tendency to keep a natural visuomotor processing that is rigid and unadapted to the mirror condition. Irrespective of the physical requirements of the environment, patients with OCD showed a strong tendency to initiate movements as per a previously consolidated - although unadapted- sensorimotor mapping. This suggests a tendency for an excessive facilitation of unintentional stereotyped processes. Further studies should be conducted on this question by using tasks sensitive to cognitive processes other than visuo-spatial abilities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The first quantum private comparison (QPC) protocol via cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) is proposed in this paper by making full use of the evolution law of atom via cavity QED, where the third party (TP) is allowed to misbehave on his own but cannot conspire with either of the two users. The proposed protocol adopts two-atom product states rather than entangled states as the initial quantum resource, and only needs single-atom measurements for two users. Both the unitary operations and the quantum entanglement swapping operation are not necessary for the proposed protocol. The proposed protocol can compare the equality of one bit from each user in each round comparison with one two-atom product state. The proposed protocol can resist both the outside attack and the participant attack. Particularly, it can prevent TP from knowing two users' secrets. Furthermore, the qubit efficiency of the proposed protocol is as high as 50%.
Previous studies have noted that narcissists do, in some cases, experience benefits. The current study adds to this discussion by examining whether age might moderate the links between narcissism and a self-reported benefit (life satisfaction) and an observer-reported benefit (observer ratings of personality). In a sample of college students and their family members (N = 807), the authors demonstrate that narcissism positively correlates with life satisfaction for adolescents and emerging adults, but not for adult participants. In addition, the relationship between narcissism and observer-reported neuroticism was weakly negative for undergraduate students, but significant and positive for their mothers. Taken together, these results suggest that narcissism is more beneficial for adolescents and emerging adults than for adults. Both sets of analyses also pointed to the importance of studying narcissism as a multifaceted construct. Findings are discussed with respect to personality development theories that emphasize adult role adoption.
Aging is a cause of cognitive decline in the elderly and the major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, however, aging people are not all destined to develop into cognitive deficits, the molecular mechanisms underlying this difference in cognition of aging people are obscure. Epigenetic modifications, particularly histone acetylation in the nervous system, play a critical role in regulation of gene expression for learning and memory. An inhibitor of acetyltransferases (INHAT) is reported to suppress histone acetylation via a histone-masking mechanism, and pp32 is a key component of INHAT complex. In the present study, we divided 18 m-old aged mice into the cognitive-normal and the cognitive-impaired group by Morris water maze, and found that pp32 level was significantly increased in the hippocampus of cognitive-impaired aged mice. The mRNA and protein levels of synaptic-associated proteins decreased with reduced dendrite complexity and histone acetylation. Knockdown of pp32 rescued cognitive decline in cognitive-impaired aged mice with restoration of synaptic-associated proteins, the increase of spine density and elevation of histone acetylation. Our study reveals a novel mechanism underlying the aging-associated cognitive disturbance, indicating that suppression of pp32 might represent a promising therapeutic approach for learning and memory impairments.
An integrated model for simulating and diagnosing water quality based on the system dynamics and Bayesian network (BN) is presented in the paper. The research aims to connect water monitoring downstream with outlet management upstream in order to present an efficiency outlet management strategy. The integrated model was built from two components: the system dynamics were used to simulate the water quality and the BN was applied to diagnose the reason for water quality deterioration according to the water quality simulation. The integrated model was applied in a case study of the Songhua River from the Baiqi section to the Songlin section to prove its reasonability and accuracy. The results showed that the simulation fit to the variation trend of monitoring data, and the average relative error was less than 10%. The water quality deterioration in the Songlin section was mainly found to be caused by the water quality in the upper reach and Hadashan Reservoir drain by using the diagnosis function of the integrated model based on BN. The relevant result revealed that the integrated model could provide reasonable and quantitative support for the basin manager to make a reasonable outlet control strategy to avoid more serious water quality deterioration.
This article draws an analogy between physical nonverbal gesture and the textual conventions of new and social media to argue that the vital nonverbal functions of face-to-face communication are not absent from digital media, but that communicative functions typically enacted nonverbally are transposed into new spaces of interaction afforded by synchronous and near-synchronous textual media. Digital and social media text is conversational text that fulfills the phatic needs of typical social interaction: 'keeping in touch' does not in any way constitute a cultural regression but represents the fundamental ground of human cognition, which is inescapably both social and technologically dependent. An analysis of examples from the popular microblogging service Twitter serves to illustrate the gestural functions of digital media text, including the enactment of mediated social 'spaces'. The closing section explores the theoretical implications for identity and agency of connecting embodied nonverbal communication to digital media communication that is all too often erroneously understood to be or implicitly approached as 'disembodied'.
4G WiMax offers a new parading regards to the way that the traditional wireless network systems have been designed all this happens due to the impact generating by technology in society and its impact in environmental ambient intelligence such smart cities (Sidi Bouzid area). the fundamental technological advantages of 4G WiMax superior radio technological advantages of 4G WiMax superior radio technology built in QOS and security, and an open IP-based access network infrastructure. This technology can be used for a number of applications, including last mile broadband connections, hotsposts and high speed connectivity for business customers. The objective of this article is to propose an approach to design a network on the latest standard of WiMax namely (802.16m), and to use it dimensioning and planning such network in Sidi-Bouzid area in order to optimize interferences, noise and to avoide cutout. In this article review of WiMax technology was given, followed by its standard with focusing on 802.16m standard. A design approach was developed to help network planner in their work to achieve the smart city in Sidi Bouzid of communications, this approach was summarized in a simple flow chart. As a case study, a network based on this technology was designed for Sidi Bouzid area. The number of subscriber was calculated for each district area and plotted in a clutter map. The Building Penetration Losses for each type of area were modeled using several measurements conducted as a part of this work, in fact we tried to minimize the noise and evry kind of interference. The design outcome (number of base station and there distribution) where found less than the existing ones in the operating network.
A general similarity solution for water-entry problems of a wedge with its inner angle fixed and its sides in expansion is obtained with flow detachment, in which the speed of expansion is a free parameter. The known solutions for a wedge of a fixed length at the initial stage of water entry without flow detachment and at the final stage corresponding to Helmholtz flow are obtained as two special cases, at some finite and zero expansion speeds, respectively. An expanding horizontal plate impacting a flat free surface is considered as the special case of the general solution for a wedge inner angle equal to pi. An initial impulse solution for a plate of a fixed length is obtained as the special case of the present formulation, The general solution is obtained in the form of integral equations using the integral hodograph method. The results are presented in terms of free-surface shapes, streamlines and pressure distributions.
BackgroundThe UK's NHS intends to move from the current Read code system to the international, detailed Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) to facilitate more clinically appropriate coding of conditions and associated risk factors and outcomes. Given concerns about coding behaviour of general practitioners, we sought to study the current coding patterns in allergies and identify lessons for the future migration to SNOMED-CT. MethodsData from 2 014 551 primary care consultations in over 100 000 patients with one or more of 11 potentially allergic diseases (anaphylaxis, angioedema, asthma, conjunctivitis, drug allergies, eczema, food allergy, rhinitis, urticaria, venom allergy and other probable allergic disorders) from the Scottish Primary Care Clinical Informatics Unit Research (PCCIU-R) database were descriptively analysed and visualized to understand Read code usage patterns. ResultsWe identified 352 Read codes for these allergic diseases, but only 36 codes (10%) were used in 95% of consultations; 73 codes (21%) were never used. Half of all usage was for Quality and Outcomes Framework codes for asthma. Despite 149 detailed codes (42%) being available for allergic triggers, these were infrequently used. ConclusionsThis analysis of Read codes use suggests that introduction of the more detailed SNOMED-CT, in isolation, will not improve the quality of allergy coding in Scottish primary care. The introduction of SNOMED-CT should be accompanied by initiatives aimed at improving coding quality, such as the definition of terms/codes, the availability of terminology browsers, a recommended list of codes and mechanisms to incentivize detailed coding of the condition and the underlying allergic trigger.
The main objective of this paper is to compare indicators based on energy consumption and financial savings to rank strategies to save potable water in buildings. The method is based on potable water savings, embodied energy, energy consumption for operation, and investment feasibility analysis; and it was applied to a school in the city of Florianopolis, southern Brazil. The strategies considered to save potable water were rainwater, greywater, water-efficient appliances, and their combinations. The embodied energy was estimated using indices of embodied energy per mass of material, and labour. The indicators used to rank the strategies were potential for potable water savings, index between potable water savings and embodied energy or total energy consumption, net present value, internal rate of return, discounted payback, and index between potable water savings and initial costs. All strategies and combinations were feasible, but the use of water-efficient appliances was the best. Amongst the indicators used to rank the strategies, five of them led to the same ranking. Such indicators can be applied to rank potable water saving strategies in other types of buildings and climates. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Although aesthetic preferences are known to be important in person perception and can play a significant role in everyday social decisions, the effect of the age of the observer on aesthetic preferences for faces of different ages has not yet been fully investigated. In the present study we investigated whether aesthetic preferences change with aging, with an age-related bias in favoring faces from one's own age group. In addition, we examined the role of age on both the perceptual qualities and the social attributes of faces that may influence these aesthetic judgements. Both younger and older adult observers provided ratings to images of younger, middle-aged and older unfamiliar faces. As well as attractiveness, the rating dimensions included other perceptual (distinctiveness, familiarity) and social (competence, trustworthiness and dominance) factors. The results suggested a consistent aesthetic preference for youthful faces across all ages of the observers but, surprisingly, no evidence for an age-related bias in attractiveness ratings. Older adults tended to provide higher ratings of attractiveness, competence and trustworthiness to the unfamiliar faces, consistent with the positivity effect previously reported. We also tested whether perceptual factors such as face familiarity or distinctiveness affected aesthetic ratings. Only ratings of familiarity, but not distinctiveness, were positively associated with the attractiveness of the faces. Moreover, ratings of familiarity decreased with increasing age of the face. With regard to the social characteristics of the faces, we found that the age of the face negatively correlated with ratings of trustworthiness provided by all observers, but with the competence ratings of older observers only. Interestingly, older adults provided higher ratings of perceived competence and trustworthiness to younger than older faces. However, our results also suggest that higher attractiveness ratings, together with older aged faces, led to more positive evaluations of competence. The results are discussed within the context of an age-related decline in the differentiation of faces in memory. Our findings have important implications for a better understanding of age-related perceptual factors and cognitive determinants of social interactions with unfamiliar others across the adult lifespan.
Liver transplantation is a promising and widely-accepted treatment for patients with terminal liver disease. However, transplantation is restricted by the lack of suitable donors, resulting in significant waiting list deaths. This paper proposes a novel donor-recipient allocation system that uses machine learning to predict graft survival after transplantation using a dataset comprised of donor-recipient pairs from the King's College Hospital (United Kingdom). The main novelty of the system is that it tackles the imbalanced nature of the dataset by considering semi-supervised learning, analysing its potential for obtaining more robust and equitable models in liver transplantation. We propose two different sources of unsupervised data for this specific problem (recent transplants and virtual donor-recipient pairs) and two methods for using these data during model construction (a semi-supervised algorithm and a label propagation scheme). The virtual pairs and the label propagation method are shown to alleviate the imbalanced distribution. The results of our experiments show that the use of synthetic and real unsupervised information helps to improve and stabilise the performance of the model and leads to fairer decisions with respect to the use of only supervised data. Moreover, the best model is combined with the Model for End-stage Liver Disease score (MELD), which is at the moment the most popular assignation methodology worldwide. By doing this, our decision-support system considers both the compatibility of the donor and the recipient (by our prediction system) and the recipient severity (via the MELD score), supporting then the principles of fairness and benefit. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Topology optimization is an important topic in structural mechanics. One common application is to obtain the optimal distribution of material that maximizes the stiffness of the solution (minimize the compliance). However, as an iterative process, topology optimization of large and complex structures is computationally intensive. The problem becomes even more complicated if the manufacturing constraints are taken into account in the optimization process. In this paper, a novel growth method based on principal stress lines (PSLs) is presented for topology optimization. The PSLs are traced in the design domain along the direction of principal stresses, in which the materials would be located to define the geometry and topology of the structure. Consequently, the optimization problem is converted into a geometric design problem. Compared to previous methods, the computation based on PSLs is fast, and the designer can have explicit control over the number of structural members. In addition, the manufacturing constraints can easily be incorporated. Multiple test cases are given to illustrate the presented method. The PSL-based method is promising for building practical designing tools for various structural applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The present study examined whether the grade point averages (GPAs) of university students could be predicted from appearance-based ratings of their Conscientiousness. Undergraduate participants (N = 249) provided self-reports of their Big Five personality traits and copies of their student transcripts from which their GPAs were obtained. Photographs of these undergraduates were then taken from which their personality traits were judged by unacquainted perceivers. Both aggregated and single perceiver-ratings of Conscientiousness predicted GPA. Aggregated perceiver-ratings predicted GPA incrementally over self-ratings, suggesting that appearance-based judgements of Conscientiousness may contain trait-relevant information beyond the scope of self-reports. These results contribute to a growing literature documenting the validity of appearance-based judgements of personality traits.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementia and the trigger of its pathological cascade is widely believed to be the overproduction and accumulation of beta-amyloid protein (A beta) in the affected brain. However, effective AD remedies are still anxiously awaited. Recent evidence suggests that curcumin may be a potential agent for AD treatment. In this study, we used 5xFAD transgenic mice as an AD model to investigate the effects of curcumin on AD. Our results showed that curcumin administration (150 or 300 mg/kg/day, intragastrically, for 60 days) dramatically reduced A beta production by downregulating BACE1 expression, preventing synaptic degradation, and improving spatial learning and memory impairment of 5xFAD mice. These findings suggest that curcumin is a potential candidate for AD treatment.
BACKGROUND: Patients who have failed traditional treatment of chronic urticaria may require trials of alternative medications. Safety profiles, continuous laboratory monitoring, and physician comfort are often barriers to treatment. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety of alternative agents used in chronic urticaria. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of electronic medical records from a single-center allergy and immunology clinic in a major academic hospital was conducted. One hundred twenty-six charts of patients with chronic urticaria treated with alternative agents were reviewed. RESULTS: Adverse effects were reported in 39 of 73 (53%) patients on dapsone, 19 of 47 (40%) patients on sulfasalazine, 15 of 36 (42%) patients on tacrolimus, 7 of 45 (16%) patients on hydroxychloroquine, 9 of 27 (33%) patients on mycophenolate, 6 of 8 (75%) patients on cyclosporine, and 3 of 24 (4%) patients on omalizumab. Most of these adverse effects were mild, did not require discontinuation of the medication, and resolved after stopping the medication or decreasing the dose. CONCLUSIONS: The use of alternative agents for the treatment of chronic urticaria angioedema is generally safe when proper laboratory and clinical monitoring is observed. (C) 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
ObjectiveSeveral studies have reported that non-demented older adults with clinical depression show changes in amyloid- (A) levels in blood, cerebrospinal fluid and on neuroimaging that are consistent with those observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that A may be one of the mechanisms underlying the relation between the two conditions. We sought to determine the relation between elevated cerebral A and the presence of depression across a 54-month prospective observation period. MethodsCognitively normal older adults from the Australian Imaging Biomarkers and Lifestyle study who were not depressed and had undergone a positron emission tomography scan to classify them as either high A (n=81) or low A (n=278) participated. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form at 18-month intervals over 54months. ResultsWhilst there was no difference in probable depression between groups at baseline, incidence was 4.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-16.4) times greater within the high A group (9%) than the low A group (2%) by the 54-month assessment. ConclusionsResults of this study suggest that elevated A levels are associated with a 4.5-fold increased likelihood of developing clinically significant depressive symptoms on follow-up in preclinical Alzheimer's disease. This underscores the importance of assessing, monitoring and treating depressive symptoms in older adults with elevated A. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper proposes an axial-flux-modulation permanent magnet (PM) machine and its sensorless control strategy for in-wheel application in electrical vehicles. A Vernier structure is integrated with the axial-flux PM machine to include the magnetic gear effect and improve output torque. The sensorless control strategy of the proposed machine, including initial rotor position estimation and rotating position estimation, is proposed for flux-modulation motors in this paper. The initial rotor position estimation is based on the technique of rectangular pulse voltage injection and the rotating rotor position estimation is based on the sliding mode observer (SMO). The saturation effect on inductances, which is the theoretical basis of the rectangular pulse voltage injection, makes the stator parameter variation in different loads and affects the SMO estimation. To overcome this problem, a novel online parameter self-adjustment procedure for the SMOis introduced. The machine design and its sensorless control performance are verified by simulation and prototype experiments.
In this article we address the increasingly important yet understudied phenomenon of nonnative accentedness on decision making. In three experimental studies, we investigated whether messages about a company delivered in nonstandard-American-accented speech influenced choice. In Study 1, we found that individuals were more likely to choose a company or a product when a message was read in a standard American English accent than when the message was delivered with a Mandarin Chinese or a French accent. In Study 2, we found that expectations regarding company messages are violated when speakers have accents and that, in turn, expectation violations mediated the relationship between accent and choice. In Study 3, we replicated the findings of the effect of accent on choice using Indian and British accents. We also hypothesized and found support for a conditional indirect effects model such that implicit pro-American bias moderated the indirect relationship between accent and choice as mediated by expectation violations. Theoretical and practical implications of this topic of study are discussed.
Purpose Application of zero valent iron nanoparticles is an innovative technology for ground water treatment and soil remediation. There are several methods to synthesise nano scale zero valent iron (nZVI), namely through bottom-up methods which consists on chemical reactions using strong reducing agents. In this work, the environmental impacts and costs were determined for two methods, namely the traditional one that uses sodium borohydride and the green method that uses extracts obtained from natural products. Methods The consideration of environment and economic aspects in the earlier stages of the synthesis processes and in the development of new materials is of great importance since it can help to decide if alternative methods are promising and should be further developed aiming more sustainable processes. In this work, life cycle assessment (LCA) was used as an ecodesign strategy evaluating environmental performance of the two synthesis methods, identifying critical stages of the synthesis processes of nZVI. An economic evaluation and a sensitivity analysis considering a different scenario for electricity production were also performed. Results and discussion The results obtained in this study showed that the green synthesis method presents lower environmental impacts than the traditional one, roughly 50% lower in the first scenario. In the second scenario, environmental impact of green synthesis corresponds to 38% of the environmental impact of traditional synthesis. In the green method, the critical stage is the extraction process which is closely related to the electricity production. In the traditional method, the reactant use is the critical stage that is related to the production of sodium borohydride. The economic evaluation indicated that the traditional synthesis method is much more expensive than the green synthesis (roughly eight times higher). Conclusions From the results obtained, it is possible to conclude that the green synthesis method presents lower environmental impacts in both scenarios and lower costs than the traditional synthesis.
Background. A previous small study suggested that Brain Network Activation (BNA), a novel ERP-based brain network analysis, may have diagnostic utility in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study we examined the diagnostic capability of a new advanced version of the BNA methodology on a larger population of adults with and without ADHD. Method. Subjects were unmedicated right-handed 18- to 55-year-old adults of both sexes with and without a DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD. We collected EEG while the subjects were performing a response inhibition task (Go/NoGo) and then applied a spatio-temporal Brain Network Activation (BNA) analysis of the EEG data. This analysis produced a display of qualitative measures of brain states (BNA scores) providing information on cortical connectivity. This complex set of scores was then fed into a machine learning algorithm. Results. The BNA analysis of the EEG data recorded during the Go/NoGo task demonstrated a high discriminative capacity between ADHD patients and controls (AUC = 0.92, specificity = 0.95, sensitivity = 0.86 for the Go condition; AUC = 0.84, specificity = 0.91, sensitivity = 0.76 for the NoGo condition). Conclusions. BNA methodology can help differentiate between ADHD and healthy controls based on functional brain connectivity. The data support the utility of the tool to augment clinical examinations by objective evaluation of electro-physiological changes associated with ADHD. Results also support a network-based approach to the study of ADHD.
Background and objectives: Cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) highlight the role of cognitive biases for the development of the disorder. One of these biases, an inflated sense of responsibility has been associated with higher anger scores and latent aggression on self-report scales, especially in patients with compulsive checking. Validity of self-report assessment is, however, compromised by inaccuracy, social desirability, and low metacognitive awareness of traits and behaviors in patients. The aim of the present study was to extend the research on latent aggression in individuals with OCD by using an indirect, implicit measure of aggression. Methods: Fifty-eight patients with OCD and 25 healthy controls were assessed with an Aggressiveness Implicit Association Test (IAT), which is a reaction time task that assesses the strength of associations between the concept of aggressiveness and me compared to others. Results: Contrary to our expectation, OCD patients with checking symptoms showed a more peaceful implicit self-concept than healthy controls. This result was corroborated by negative correlations between checking symptoms and implicit aggressiveness in the OCD sample. Limitations: No self-report measures on aggression or anger were included in the study. Conclusions: In comparison to previous research using self-report measures, our study indicates that implicit aspects of aggression do indeed differ from controlled aspects in patients with checking compulsions. Future research is necessary to better understand the role of aggressiveness in OCD and to derive implications for therapy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) is a relatively isolated special zone in the northwest region of China. The potential risk to the energy supply security and the pressure of national greenhouse gas emissions reduction clearly indicates the JSLC's need to lower its dependency on imported fossil fuels and electricity. This article presents a feasibility analysis on the available hybrid energy system based on the renewable energy availability and local electricity demand estimation in 2020 through HOMER model. The simulation results indicate that cost of energy (COE) of the three proposed options are 0.127, 0.033 and 0.123 $/kWh, respectively. It also shows that the proposed hybrid renewable energy systems can reduce carbon emissions by 40-70% compared to electricity from the existing power grid. A sensitivity analysis reveals that the COE has a significant positive relationship with carbon price and discount rate, whereas carbon price shows a significantly distinct impact on the COE for different options considered. The optimization results also show that a grid-connected renewable power system comprised of wind power and natural gas power plant is the most economic and environment-friendly energy supply option for JSLC. However, a hybrid RE system with a local energy storage facility can better guarantee the energy supply safety considering the special function and security needs of the JSLC. This study verified that constructing new coal fired power plants is not a suitable choice from both the cost effectiveness and kenvironmental protection perspectives. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The paper is devoted to the problem of fault detection in analog electrical circuits described by linear or nonlinear polynomial models. So-called data-driven method for fault detection is considered. This method assumes that parameters of the circuit under consideration may be unknown. It does not use methods of identification and allows checking whether or not parameters of some elements deviate considerably from their nominal values.
For sure, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are becoming an ultimate part of next generation mobile networks. They are a master piece for Ubiquitous computing. Indeed, they sustain development of numerous paradigms/ technologies such as distributed ambient intelligence, context-awareness and future mobile networking (e.g., B4G and 5G). Battery life remains one of the crucial problems to handle. In this article we propose an infrastructure-based topology using mobile ferries (mobile micro-base stations). In real life, a ferry could be robot, bus, tram, train or any other engine scrutinizing periodically a given area. Yet, message ferries are moving along concentric annulus and may collect data generated by the static sensors (could be classic sensors, smart meters, wearable devices, etc.) randomly distributed on given area. Next, transmissions are performed in a ferry-to-ferry forwarding scheme till arriving at the sink. Considered ferries could sense themselves data and therefore behave as mobile sensors allowing better awareness on the area state [1-3]. Our scheme could also assist Machine-to-Machine communications to increase the network lifetime, with potentially some cognitive-radio capabilities and opportunistic detection and access. Our proposal can easily be integrated in a smart-city for better interaction and green communications. Next, we present a queueing model (queues with finite capacity) to handle the generated traffic and to analyze the behavior of mobile ferries. We provided a close-form expression for both end-to-end throughput and end-to-end delay. The main objective of this work is to improve the energy efficiency of the cognitive sensors by asking cognitive sensors to not care about forwarding data of each other except for urgent data, this latter point is out of the scope of the paper. These static sensors will only care about data sensing, which will reduce their individual energy consumption. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction: Estimates of US adults with dementia differ widely and don't distinguish adults living in the community. Methods: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 120485 households in 21 states that used a cognitive decline module in 2011 were used. Data for both respondents and other adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) were included through proxy responses. Using responses to questions about the receipt of informal care for their SCD and diagnosed dementia, estimates were made for each state. Results: Overall, 2.9% (range: 1.5% in Tennessee to 5.3% in Arkansas) of all noninstitutionalized adults in these states received informal care for their SCD and 0.9% (range: 0.5% in Tennessee to 2.0% in Arkansas) were estimated to have dementia. Limiting results to respondents reduced estimates significantly. Discussion: Combined results for respondents and nonrespondents from a representative telephone survey provide varying estimates of SCD-related measures across states, highlighting the need for state-specific estimates.
One of the adverse effects of shrinking transistor sizes is that processors have become increasingly prone to hardware faults. At the same time, the number of cores per die rises. Consequently, core failures can no longer be ruled out, and future operating systems for many-core machines will have to incorporate fault tolerance mechanisms. We present CSR, a strategy for recovery from unexpected permanent processor faults in commodity operating systems. Our approach overcomes surprise removal of faulty cores, and also tolerates cascading core failures. When a core fails in user mode, CSR terminates the process executing on that core and migrates the remaining processes in its run-queue to other cores. We further show how hardware transactional memory may be used to overcome failures in critical kernel code. Our solution is scalable, incurs low overhead, and is designed to integrate into modern operating systems. We have implemented it in the Linux kernel, using Haswell's Transactional Synchronization Extension, and tested it on a real system.
The behavior of cells and how they react to stimuli is critically important for drug development, drug delivery, and understanding the molecular basis of many diseases. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of these interactions, particularly in relation to drug delivery from nanoparticles. This Sensors Issues article discusses the importance of quantifying these interactions and highlights some key areas where advances in sensor technology have the potential to transform our understanding of drug delivery and cell biology.
Introduction: Behcet's Disease (BD) is classified among vasculitides. The aim of this review was to put together different known reports in order to help the reader to better understand the disease, to avoid the frequent misdiagnosis, and to decide the best treatment.Areas covered: a) Epidemiology: BD is rare, and is seen along the Silk Road, from 20 to 420/100,000 in Turkey and 80/100,000 in Iran, to 0.64/100,000 in the UK. b) Clinical manifestations: oral aphthosis is seen in more than 95% of patients, genital aphthosis (60-90%), skin (pseudofolliculitis/erythema nodosum, 40-90%), eyes (uveitis/retinal vasculitis, 45-90%), gastrointestinal (diarrhea/hemorrhage/perforation/pain, 4-38%), vascular (venous/arterial thrombosis, aneurysm, 2.2-50%), neurological (all kinds, especially meningo-encephalitis, 2.3-38.5%), and articular (arthralgia/arthritis/ankylosing spondylitis, 11.6-93%). c) Pathergy test is positive in some patients: 8.6% (in India) to 70.7% (in China). This data was extracted from the five nationwide surveys and the largest case series from BD conference reports and a Pubmed search.Expert commentary: Diagnosis is clinical but classification/diagnosis criteria may help. The best criteria for BD is the International Criteria for Behcet's Disease (ICBD). BD is a multisystem disease progressing by attacks and remissions. Each attack may resemble the preceding or it may be different in duration, severity, and the systems involved.
Quantum secure direct communication can transmit a secret message directly through quantum channels without first generating a shared secret key. In the most of the existing protocols, quantum secure direct communication is possible only when both communicating participants have quantum capabilities. So what happens if either party of two participants just has classical capabilities? In this paper, we propose a semiquantum secure direct communication protocol with Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen photon pairs in which the classical sender Bob transmits a secret message to quantum Alice directly. After checking the security of quantum channels, Bob encodes his secret message on Alice's code sequence. Then, quantum Alice extracts Bob's secret message by measuring her home qubits and the received code qubits, respectively. In addition, we demonstrate the security of the proposed protocol against some individual eavesdropping attacks. The efficiency analysis shows that our protocol can provide higher efficiency.
The present study investigates whether nonverbal behavioral cues to hidden criminal intentions during the build-up phase of a criminal act can be measured. To this end, we created recordings of actors once in a search situation and once committing a mock crime (theft or bomb placing) in a public crowded area. For ecological validation, we used authentic CCTV footage of real crimes in Experiment I. In this experiment, the two behavioral clusters pattern of movement in space and nonverbal communication behavior were analyzed. The results showed a deviance in pattern of movement in space for offenders' compared with the nonoffenders' condition as well as a bystanders' baseline. There was no significant difference between nonverbal communication behavior in the offenders' and nonoffenders' conditions. Experiment 2 was conducted to examine the two behavior clusters use of object- and self-adaptors while controlling for interpersonal differences. The results showed an increased use of object- and decreased use of self-adaptors during the build-up phase of a mock crime compared with a control condition (search). Thus, nonverbal behavior of offenders seems to differ from nonverbal behavior of nonoffenders. However, this holds only under the conditions of a valid baseline and of judging not only a single, typical behavioral cue but a whole cluster of nonverbal behaviors, such as pattern of movement in space or use of object-adaptors in general.
Infliximab (IFX) is an anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibody used to treat inflammatory joint diseases. Infusion reactions (IR) can occur during and after intravenous administration and often require discontinuation of IFX therapy. This retrospective study aimed at evaluating the incidence of IR in patients with joint inflammatory diseases receiving IFX with and without premedication. Clinical charts of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis patients receiving IFX from January 2002 to December 2014 were reviewed. Patients receiving only one premedication protocol over time were enrolled and clustered based on the type of premedication as follows: group 1 received no premedication; group 2 received paracetamol, esomeprazole, hydrocortisone, and chlorpheniramine maleate; group 3 received paracetamol, hydoxyzine, ranitidine, and 6-methylprednisolone. Adverse events were recorded during the infusion, in the following hours and at control visits. The charts of 105 patients treated with IFX were selected. IR were observed in 23/51 patients of group 1, in 7/35 patients of group 2, and none of 19 patients in group 3. IR incidence was significantly lower in the second (p = 0.021) and third (p < 0.001) compared to the first group. The incidence of IR was significantly lower in group 3 than group 2 (p < 0.043). Moreover, patients in group 1 had a relative risk of developing an IR 2.5 times higher than group 2. In our experience, the use of premedication significantly reduced the number of IR to IFX. In particular, the combination of paracetamol, hydroxyzine, 6-methylprednisolone and ranitidine was more efficacious than paracetamol, esomeprazole, hydrocortisone, and chlorpheniramine maleate combination protocol.
Ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation induces various changes in cell biology. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of vanillin on UVA irradiation-induced damages in the sternness properties of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs). UVA-antagonizing mechanisms of vanillin were also examined. The results revealed that vanillin attenuated UVA-induced reduction of the proliferative potential and sternness of hAMSCs evidenced by increased proliferative activity in BrdU incorporation assay and upregulation of stemness-related genes (OCT4, NANOG and SOX2) in response to vanillin treatment. UVA-induced reduction in mRNA level of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha was significantly recovered by vanillin. In addition, the antagonizing effect of vanillin on UVA was found to be mediated by reduced production of PGE(2) through inhibiting JNK and p38 MAPK. Taken together, these findings showed that vanillin could improve the reduced stemness of hAMSCs induced by UVA. The effect of vanillin is mediated by upregulating HIF-1 alpha via inhibiting PGE(2)-cAMP signaling. Therefore, vanillin might be used as an antagonizing agent to mitigate the effects of UVA. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A patient, long before becoming the subject of medical scrutiny is, at first simply a storyteller, a narrator of suffering-a traveler who has visited the kingdom of the ill. To relieve an illness one must begin, then, by understanding the story. The Emperor of All Maladies; Siddhartha Mukherjee
After intense scientific exploration and more than a decade of failed trials, Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a fatal global epidemic. A traditional research and drug development paradigm continues to target heterogeneous late-stage clinically phenotyped patients with single 'magic bullet' drugs. Here, we propose that it is time for a paradigm shift towards the implementation of precision medicine (PM) for enhanced risk screening, detection, treatment, and prevention of AD. The overarching structure of how PM for AD can be achieved will be provided through the convergence of breakthrough technological advances, including big data science, systems biology, genomic sequencing, blood-based biomarkers, integrated disease modeling and P4 medicine. It is hypothesized that deconstructing AD into multiple genetic and biological subsets existing within this heterogeneous target population will provide an effective PM strategy for treating individual patients with the specific agent(s) that are likely to work best based on the specific individual biological make-up. The Alzheimer's Precision Medicine Initiative (APMI) is an international collaboration of leading interdisciplinary clinicians and scientists devoted towards the implementation of PM in Neurology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. It is hypothesized that successful realization of PM in AD and other neurodegenerative diseases will result in breakthrough therapies, such as in oncology, with optimized safety profiles, better responder rates and treatment responses, particularly through biomarker-guided early preclinical disease-stage clinical trials.
Noise addition is a data distortion technique widely used in data intensive applications. For example, in machine learning tasks it helps to reduce overfitting, whereas in data privacy protection it adds uncertainty to personally identifiable information. Yet, due to its mathematical operating principle, noise addition is a method mainly intended for continuous numerical data. In fact, despite the large amount of nominal data that are being currently compiled and used in data analysis, only a few alternative techniques have been proposed to distort nominal data in a similar way as standard noise addition does for numerical data. Furthermore, all these alternative methods rely on the distribution of the data rather than on the semantics of nominal values, which negatively affects the utility of the distorted outcomes. To tackle this issue, in this paper we present a semantically-grounded alternative to numerical noise suitable for nominal data, which we name semantic noise. By means of semantic noise, and by exploiting structured knowledge sources such as ontologies, we are able to distort nominal data while preserving better their semantics and thus, their analytical utility. To that end, we provide semantically and mathematically coherent versions of the statistical operators required in the noise addition process, which include the difference, the mean, the variance and the covariance. Then, we propose semantic noise addition algorithms that cope with the finite, discrete and non-ordinal nature of nominal data. The proposed algorithms cover both uncorrelated noise addition, which is suited to independent attributes, and correlated noise addition, which can cope with multivariate datasets with dependent attributes. Empirical results show that our proposals offer general and configurable mechanisms to distort nominal data while preserving data semantics better than baseline methods based only on the distribution of the data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Attachment has recently been proposed as a key developmental construct in psychosis, in particular with respect to interpersonal functioning and social cognition. The current study examined the latent structure of the self-report Psychosis Attachment Measure (PAM) and its relationship to lower-level perceptual and higher-order inferential social cognitive processes. The PAM was administered to 138 psychiatrically stable outpatients with schizophrenia alongside a battery of symptom, social cognitive, and functional measures. PAM responses were analyzed using latent variable measurement models, which did not yield evidence of the coherent two-dimensional structure predicted by previous literature. A unidimensional subscale comprising 6 of the 16 original PAM items possessed the strongest psychometric properties. This subscale was generally uncorrelated with social cognitive measures and showed weak correlations with some symptoms measures and with community functioning. These results suggest that either the PAM may not measure attachment in psychosis or it may measure only attachment anxiety but demonstrate little construct validity in this population. These results tell a cautionary tale regarding making theoretical inferences on the basis of measures without coherent latent structure. Attachment measures with stronger psychometric properties will help clarify putative relationships between attachment and social cognitive processes in psychosis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Imbalance between the production and clearance of amyloid beta (A beta) peptides is considered to be the primary mechanism of AD pathogenesis. This amyloid hypothesis is supported by the recent success of the human anti-amyloid antibody aducanumab, in clearing plaque and slowing clinical impairment in prodromal or mild patients in a phase Ib trial. Here, a peptide combining polyarginines (polyR) (for charge repulsion) and a segment derived from the core region of A beta amyloid (for sequence recognition) was designed. The efficacy of the designed peptide, R-8-A beta(25-35), on amyloid reduction and the improvement of cognitive functions were evaluated using APP/PS1 double transgenic mice. Daily intranasal administration of PEI-conjugated R-8-A beta(25-35) peptide significantly reduced A beta amyloid accumulation and ameliorated the memory deficits of the transgenic mice. Intranasal administration is a feasible route for peptide delivery. The modular design combining polyR and aggregate-forming segments produced a desirable therapeutic effect and could be easily adopted to design therapeutic peptides for other proteinaceous aggregate-associated diseases.
Australian undergraduate programs are implementing curriculum aimed at better preparing graduates to work in culturally diverse settings, but there remains uncertainty over the role of extant student attitudes towards Indigenous Australians. To begin to address this, we obtained baseline data on student attitudes upon entry to tertiary education. 1175 health science first-year students (275 males, 897 females) completed an anonymous in-class paper questionnaire. On average, students reported positive attitudes towards Indigenous Australians, with female students reporting more positive attitudes than male and domestic students more positive than international. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that after controlling for demographic variables, interactional diversity experiences and attitudes accounted for significant variance in a range of measures of preparedness to work in Indigenous health contexts. The knowledge gained will inform the development of, and alignment between, curriculum and pedagogical approaches, leading to an improved facilitation model for educators in the Indigenous Studies context.
Background: Abnormally invasive placenta (AIP) or placenta accreta (PA) is considered numerous adverse maternal and fetal-neonatal complications. There has been no detailed study to characterize the prevalence of AIP among deliveries in mainland China. Objectives: We aimed to fill this gap and obtained overall and regional estimates of AIP prevalence via a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was totally performed following the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines for systematic reviews of observational studies, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Results: A total of 23 articles (including 350,939) were included. Most studies (22) focused on the placenta increta (PI), only 2 articles in PA, and none in placenta percreta (PP). In this meta-analysis, the overall prevalence of AIP was 0.22% (95% confidence interval 0.18%-0.27%) in a heterogeneous set of studies (I-2= 93.5%). In a subgroup, the prevalence of PA and PI was 0.48% and 0.23%, respectively. Stratified analyses of PI found that the prevalence was similar in North (0.23% [0.14%-0.32%]) and South (0.23% [0.15%-0.32%]), and lower in Central (0.20% [0.09-0.31%]); the inlanders (0.17% (0.12%-0.23%]) had a lower prevalence of PI than those living in coastal areas (0.24% [0.35%-0.63%]). As time goes on, the prevalence, from 0.03% (0.02%-0.04%) in 1970 to 1979 to 0.48% (0.30%-0.66%) in 2010 to present, was higher and higher. The different prevalence was also found in different in maternal age groups. Conclusions: This first systematic review and meta-analysis found that the prevalence differed among different geographic areas and maternal age groups. The results would be useful for the design of abnormally invasive placenta planning and implementation adequate health care systems and treatment programs in mainland China.
Sulphide-bearing mill wastes of the Ursk Ore Processing Plant situated in the Kemerovo region (Russia) were investigated in the 2013 - 2015. Multipurpose studies of the Ursk mining tailings allowed to determine the composition of the wastes pore waters, acid mine drainages and affected groundwater. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used to trace the geoelectric zoning of the wastes, expressed as a consistent change of the electrical resistivity from zone to zone. Layers with low resistivity indicate areas with pore spaces filled by highly mineralized solutions with high concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, As, and Sb up to 12 g/L in total.
Research regarding stroke indicates that short elapsed time between accident and treatment can be fundamental to allow saving patient's life and avoid future sequels. This paper describes a model for monitoring and rescue victims in situations of possible stroke occurrence. It uses stroke symptoms that can be monitored by mobile equipment, ambient intelligence and artificial neural networks. The model is independent from human operation and applications or third parties devices, therefore adding facilities to increase the quality of life for people with stroke sequel, due to constant monitoring and follow-up provided, allowing the stroke patient to consider a recovery period with greater autonomy. A prototype based on free software platforms was developed, in order to assess the accuracy and the time elapsed between the prototype to detect and to send an alert. The results indicate a positive outlook for the work continuity.
Methods and materials for liquid encapsulation in thin (19 mu m) silicone membranes are presented in this work. A set of 12 liquids including solvents, oils, silicone pre-polymers and one ionic liquid are experimentally tested. We show that all selected liquids are chemically inert to silicone and that vapor pressure is the key parameter for stable encapsulation. It is demonstrated that encapsulated volume of silicone pre-polymers and ionic liquids can stay stable for more than 1 month. The actuation of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) in conductive liquids is also investigated. An analysis of the equivalent electrical circuits of immersed DEAs shows that non-overlapping regions of the electrodes should be minimized. It also provides guidelines to determine when the electrodes should be passivated. The effects of immersion in a conductive liquid are assessed by measuring the actuation strain and capacitance over periodic actuation. The experimental results show no sign of liquid-induced degradation over more than 45k actuation cycles.
One of the crucial issues regarding a storm sewer system is the ability to avoid sediment depositions on the pipe invert. In this study, the mean flow velocity under the limit of sediment deposition conditions in partially filled circular storm sewers is evaluated through the use of a support vector machine (SVM) model coupled with the firefly algorithm (FFA). The aforemetioned velocity, defined as the velocity at the limit of deposition, and the parameters upon which it depends have been nondimensionalized using the Buckingham. theorem. Therefore, once the dimensionless parameters are identified, six different functional relationships in terms of dimensionless groups can be obtained. The effects of each of these functional relationships on the dimensionless velocity at limit of deposition, defined as the densimetric particle Froude number at the limit of deposition, have been analyzed by using, respectively, the SVM-FFA model, SVM model, genetic programming (GP) model, and artificial neural network (ANN) model. Five statistical indices have been used for evaluating the performance of each model (both in training and test phases) and, later, for comparing the performance of the different models between them. Finally, the predicted densimetric particle Froude number values obtained through the proposed SVM-FFA model have been compared with those obtained by three different dimensionless equations for velocity at the limit of deposition. The results indicate that SVM-FFA predicts the densimetric particle Froude number at limit of deposition fairly accurately. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
MutS alpha is a key component in the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway. This protein is responsible for initiating the signaling pathways for DNA repair or cell death. Herein we investigate this heterodimer's post-recognition, post-binding response to three types of DNA damage involving cytotoxic, anti-cancer agents-carboplatin, cisplatin, and FdU. Through a combination of supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques along with more traditional structural and kinetic analysis applied to all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) calculations, we predict that MutS alpha has a distinct response to each of the three damage types. Via a binary classification tree (a supervised machine learning technique), we identify key hydrogen bond motifs unique to each type of damage and suggest residues for experimental mutation studies. Through a combination of a recently developed clustering (unsupervised learning) algorithm, RMSF calculations, PCA, and correlated motions we predict that each type of damage causes MutSa to explore a specific region of conformation space. Detailed analysis suggests a short range effect for carboplatin-primarily altering the structures and kinetics of residues within 10 angstroms of the damaged DNA-and distinct longer-range effects for cisplatin and FdU. In our simulations, we also observe that a key phenylalanine residue-known to stack with a mismatched or unmatched bases in MMR-stacks with the base complementary to the damaged base in 88.61% of MD frames containing carboplatinated DNA. Similarly, this Phe71 stacks with the base complementary to damage in 91.73% of frames with cisplatinated DNA. This residue, however, stacks with the damaged base itself in 62.18% of trajectory frames with FdU-substituted DNA and has no stacking interaction at all in 30.72% of these frames. Each drug investigated here induces a unique perturbation in the MutSa complex, indicating the possibility of a distinct signaling event and specific repair or death pathway (or set of pathways) for a given type of damage.
Because parasitism is thought to play a major role in shaping host genomes, it has been predicted that genomic regions associated with resistance to parasites should stand out in genome scans, revealing signals of selection above the genomic background. To test whether parasitism is indeed such a major factor in host evolution and to better understand host-parasite interaction at the molecular level, we studied genome-wide polymorphisms in 97 genotypes of the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna originating from three localities across Europe. Daphniamagna is known to coevolve with the bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa for which host genotypes (clonal lines) are either resistant or susceptible. Using association mapping, we identified two genomic regions involved in resistance to P. ramosa, one of which was already known from a previous QTL analysis. We then performed a naive genome scan to test for signatures of positive selection and found that the two regions identified with the association mapping further stood out as outliers. Several other regions with evidence for selection were also found, but no link between these regions and phenotypic variation could be established. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that parasitism is driving host genome evolution.
Background: There is growing recognition that chronic cocaine users have alterations in sensorimotor control that are positively related to low frontal-striatal connectivity within the motor system. These frontal-striatal motor circuits however, are modulated by circuits governing attention, which are also disrupted in cocaine users. This study's aim was to determine if sensorimotor control deficits are positively related to the difficulty of a motor task or exist independent of the increasing cognitive demand. Methods: Functional MRI data was collected from 40 individuals (20 non-treatment seeking chronic cocaine users, 20 age and gender matched non-drug using controls) as they mimicked an unpredictable finger-tapping sequence at various speeds. Dependent measures included task accuracy, percent BOLD signal change in sensorimotor regions of interest (ROIs), and functional connectivity (temporal correlations) between ROIs. Results: In both groups, as speed increased, the BOLD signal change increased in the primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), cerebellum, and anterior cingulate cortex. Compared to controls, cocaine user SMA-Caudate and ACC-Putamen connectivity was lower at all speeds in the contralateral hemisphere. Furthermore, as speed increased there was a decrease in connectivity between additional ROI pairs among users. Conclusions: These data support previous observations of sensorimotor performance deficits and dorsal frontal-striatal connectivity impairments among cocaine users. While previous studies demonstrate these deficits when performing a finger-tapping task at a single speed, we show that these same impairments exist at multiple levels of task difficulty. These data suggest that previously observed frontalstriatal connectivity in cocaine users during sensorimotor task performance are stable and not directly related to cognitive demands of the task. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
In this paper, we elaborate on the premises of studying problem substance use and treatment disparities among migrants and ethnic minorities. Due to the growing medicalisation of research on problem substance use and disparities in this group, policy makers, health researchers and practitioners often feel compelled to rely on epidemiological studies when grounding and understanding the link between ethnicity, problem substance use and treatment disparities. We argue that the bulk of epidemiological research suffers from crucial methodological and conceptual flaws that necessitate a reconsideration of their usefulness in policy and treatment practice. First, epidemiological research is based on static concepts of ethnicity and race as primordial analytical categories. Second, and as a consequence of the first argument, such research rarely distinguishes sufficiently between ethnic and non-ethnic determinants and mechanisms influencing problem substance use and treatment disparities. And third, these studies often depart from methodological individualism and subordinate contextual and structural determinants and mechanisms. This paper aims to re-evaluate (the factors and mechanisms mediating) the relationship between ethnicity, the nature of problem substance use, and treatment disparities, and to overcome some of the gaps in existing research methods mentioned above. More specifically, this implies (1) a critical revision of the ethnicity concept in epidemiology, (2) the inclusion of non-ethnic determinants and mechanisms by means of applying intersectional analysis and ethnic boundary making perspectives, (3) the broadening of methodological individualism in order to include all levels (from micro to macro) and loci (individual, community, society) of research in holistic research designs. Such doubled research allows researchers to analyse and have an impact on treatment disparities among migrants and ethnic minorities.
In this paper, studies on treatment of jute geotextile with isothiazolinone and fluorocarbon derivatives to impart antimicrobial and water repellent property have been reported for its improved end use specific performance. It is observed that the treated jute geotextile possesses higher durability in water as well as soil-water ambience.
Once considered exclusively the cell's powerhouse, mitochondria are now recognized to perform multiple essential functions beyond energy production, impacting most areas of cell biology and medicine. Since the emergence of molecular biology and the discovery of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA defects in the 1980's, research advances have revealed a number of common human diseases which share an underlying pathogenesis involving mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria undergo function-defining dynamic shape changes, communicate with each other, regulate gene expression within the nucleus, modulate synaptic transmission within the brain, release molecules that contribute to oncogenic transformation and trigger inflammatory responses systemically, and influence the regulation of complex physiological systems. Novel mitopathogenic mechanisms are thus being uncovered across a number of medical disciplines including genetics, oncology, neurology, immunology, and critical care medicine. Increasing knowledge of the bioenergetic aspects of human disease has provided new opportunities for diagnosis, therapy, prevention, and in connecting various domains of medicine. In this article, we overview specific aspects of mitochondrial biology that have contributed to - and likely will continue to enhance the progress of modem medicine. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has attracted attention for its role in various behavioral and brain functions, and as a therapeutic target in neuropsychiatric disease states, including anxiety disorders and other conditions resulting from dysfunctional responses to stress. In this mini-review, we highlight components of the eCB system that offer potential 'druggable' targets for new anxiolytic medications, emphasizing some of the less well-discussed options. We discuss how selectively amplifying eCBs recruitment by interfering with eCB-degradation, via fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), has been linked to reductions in anxiety-like behaviors in rodents and variation in human anxiety symptoms. We also discuss a non-canonical route to regulate eCB degradation that involves interfering with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Next, we discuss approaches to targeting eCB receptor-signaling in ways that do not involve the cannabinoid receptor subtype 1 (CB1R); by targeting the CB2R subtype and the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1). Finally, we review evidence that cannabidiol (CBD), while representing a less specific pharmacological approach, may be another way to modulate eCBs and interacting neurotransmitter systems to alleviate anxiety. Taken together, these various approaches provide a range of plausible paths to developing novel compounds that could prove useful for treating trauma-related and anxiety disorders. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Solvent excluded surface (SES) is one of the most popular surface definitions in biophysics and molecular biology. In addition to its usage in biomolecular visualization, it has been widely used in implicit solvent models, in which SES is usually immersed in a Cartesian mesh. Therefore, it is important to construct SESs in the Eulerian representation for biophysical modeling and computation. This work describes a software package called Eulerian solvent excluded surface (ESES) for the generation of accurate SESs in Cartesian grids. ESES offers the description of the solvent and solute domains by specifying all the intersection points between the SES and the Cartesian grid lines. Additionally, the interface normal at each intersection point is evaluated. Furthermore, for a given biomolecule, the ESES software not only provides the whole surface area, but also partitions the surface area according to atomic types. Homology theory is utilized to detect topological features, such as loops and cavities, on the complex formed by the SES. The sizes of loops and cavities are measured based on persistent homology with an evolutionary partial differential equation-based filtration. ESES is extensively validated by surface visualization, electrostatic solvation free energy computation, surface area and volume calculations, and loop and cavity detection and their size estimation. We used the Amber PBSA test set in our electrostatic solvation energy, area, and volume validations. Our results are either calibrated by analytical values or compared with those from the MSMS software. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Although studies often find racial disparities in policing outcomes, less is known about how suspect race biases police interactions as they unfold. This study examines what is differentially occurring during police-suspect interactions for White, Black, and Latino suspects across time. It is hypothesized that racial bias may be more evident earlier in interactions, when less information about the situation is available. One hundred thirty-nine (62 White, 42 Black, and 35 Latino) use-of-force case files and associated written narratives from a medium to large size urban police department in the United States were analyzed. Trained coders broke down the interaction narratives into discrete sequences, or dyadic action-reaction steps involving a suspect action (level of resistance) and an officer response (level of force). A linear mixed-effects model was run on amount of police use of force by suspect race and time, with suspect resistance and suspect actions toward third-party/self as controls. Results demonstrated that Black and Latino suspects receive more force in the beginning stages of the interaction, whereas Whites escalated in level of force faster after initial levels. By breaking down police-suspect interactions into discrete sequences, the current study reveals a better understanding of when bias originates in police use of force and informs how to focus policing interventions.
One of the important tasks for most network security solutions is to track network flows in real-time. The universe of flow identifiers being huge, hash tables with their fast operations are well suited for this task. In order to overcome the limitations of traditional hash tables, the research community have come up with different improved variants; two of the well-knowns being Cuckoo and Peacock hash tables. Yet, network flows have interesting characteristics that can be exploited for tracking flows more efficiently. Besides, the existing hash tables are vulnerable to attacks. In this context, we design, develop and evaluate REX, a resilient and efficient data structure for tracking of network flows. REX is designed to make good use of, both, the characteristics of Internet traffic, as well as the different memory technologies. REX stores most commonly updated flows in the faster and smaller SRAM, while storing the rest in DRAM. We conducted extensive experiments using real network traffic to evaluate and compare REX, Cuckoo and Peacock hash tables. The results demonstrate, under both normal and attack scenarios, that REX not only rejects the least number of packets, but also significantly reduces the total time taken for the important hash table operations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
It is well known that electrostatic discharges can ignite mixtures of flammable gases with air and suspensions of combustible dust in air. For this reason, the prevention of electrostatic discharges is an essential part of measures to prevent explosions and fires. Incendive electrostatic discharges occurred in five cases in various chemical plants. The incidents involved were: 1. Spark type electrostatic discharges from a leaking steam pipe. 2. Spark type electrostatic discharges inside a charging chute for a solid. 3. A spark type electrostatic discharge whilst transferring a solid powder from a bin, which led to ignition of the powder. 4. A propagating brush discharge during pneumatic transfer of solid, which caused a severe electric shock to a process operator. 5. A brush discharge inside an electrostatic precipitator which caused ignition of an aerosol of hydrocarbon. To avoid explosions and fires it is important to prevent incendive electrostatic discharges from occurring in industrial facilities. To help managers of chemical plants to do this, the incidents above are presented in the form of learning lessons including: the mechanism of the generation and separation of electrical charges, the mechanism of the electrostatic discharge, the root causes of the incident, the safety measures which are necessary to avoid a repetition. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Side-channel attacks have emerged as the nondestructive threats of security vulnerability in cryptographic hardware. This paper provides an overview of the protection techniques with counter ways of utilizing sidechannel information leakage for combatting side-channel attacks as well as securing the authenticity of devices against counterfeits or even falsification.
Background: Crustaceans have been studied extensively as model systems for nervous system function from single neuron properties to behavior. However, lack of molecular sequence information and tools have slowed the adoption of these physiological systems as molecular model systems. In this study, we sequenced and performed de novo assembly for the nervous system transcriptomes of two decapod crustaceans: the Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) and the American lobster (Homarus americanus). Results: Forty-two thousand, seven hundred sixty-six and sixty thousand, two hundred seventy-three contigs were assembled from C. borealis and H. americanus respectively, representing 9,489 and 11,061 unique coding sequences. From these transcripts, genes associated with neural function were identified and manually curated to produce a characterization of multiple gene families important for nervous system function. This included genes for 34 distinct ion channel types, 17 biogenic amine and 5 GABA receptors, 28 major transmitter receptor subtypes including glutamate and acetylcholine receptors, and 6 gap junction proteins - the Innexins. Conclusion: With this resource, crustacean model systems are better poised for incorporation of modern genomic and molecular biology technologies to further enhance the interrogation of fundamentals of nervous system function.
The increasing usage of smartphones in daily life has received considerable attention in academic and industry driven research to be utilized in the health sector. There has been development of a variety of health-related smartphone applications. Currently, however, there are few to none applications based on nurses' historical or behavioral preferences. Mobile application development for the health care sector requires extensive attention to security, reliability, and accuracy. In nursing applications, the users are often required to navigate in hospital environments, select patients to support, read the patient history and set action points to assist the patient during their shift. Finally, they have to report their performance on patient related activities and other relevant information before they leave for the day. In a working day, a nurse often visits different locations such as the patient's room, different laboratories, and offices for filling reports. There is still a limited capability to access context relevant information on a smartphone with minimal recourse such as Wi-Fi triangulation. The Wi-Fi triangulation signals fluctuate significantly for indoor location positioning. Therefore, providing relevant location based services to a mobile subscriber has become challenging. This paper addresses this gap by applying machine learning and behavior analysis to anticipate the potential location of the nurse and provide the required services. The application concept was already presented at the IMCOM 2015 conference. This paper focuses on the process to ascertain a user's context, the process of analyzing and predicting user behavior, and finally, the process of displaying the information through a dynamically generated UI.
Current centralized urban water supply depends largely on energy consumption, creating critical water-energy challenge especially for many rapid growing Asian cities. In this context, harvesting rooftop rainwater for non-potable use has enormous potential to ease the worsening water-energy issue. For this, we propose a geographic information system (GIS)-simulation-based design system (GSBDS) to explore how rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs) can be systematically and cost-effectively designed as an innovative water-energy conservation scheme on a city scale. This GSBDS integrated a rainfall data base, water balance model, spatial technologies, energy-saving investigation, and economic feasibility analysis based on a case study of eight communities in the Taipei metropolitan area, Taiwan. Addressing both the temporal and spatial variations in rainfall, the GSBDS enhanced the broad application of RWHS evaluations. The results indicate that the scheme is feasible based on the optimal design when both water and energy-savings are evaluated. RWHSs were observed to be cost-effective and facilitated 21.6% domestic water-use savings, and 138.6 (kWh/year-family) energy-savings. Furthermore, the cost of per unit-energy-saving is lower than that from solar PV systems in 85% of the RWHS settings. Hence, RWHSs not only enable water-savings, but are also an alternative renewable energy-saving approach that can address the water-energy dilemma caused by rapid urbanization.
Cell patterning has been widely used in research on fundamental cell biology and in applications such as tissue engineering, neuron network formation, cell based biosensor and drug screening. Although various methods have been developed, cell patterning in an enclosed microfluidic device at single cell level remains challenging. This paper describes a microfluidic device with microwells and protein patterns paired together in a single microchannel for an easy cell patterning. Cells captured in the microwells were positioned directly onto the protein patterns within 5 min and the patterning performance was successfully demonstrated using HeLa cells and human gallbladder carcinoma cells (SGC-996). Cells survived for 6 days in the microchannel. Cell attachment, migration, proliferation and cell colony formation were observed. Our device is free of topographic constraint for the patterned cells and no complex chemical modification to the substrate is needed, offering a simple, fast, and easy-to-operate way of patterning cells at single cell level in an enclosed microfluidic channel.
Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PDBEs) are exogenous, bioactive compounds that originate, to a large extent, from anthropogenic activities, although they are also naturally produced in the environment. In the present study nine new authentic OH-PBDE reference standards and their corresponding methyl ether derivatives (MeO-PBDEs) were synthesised and characterised by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Seven of the authentic reference standards prepared were thereafter tentatively identified in a pooled human blood sample. The tentatively identified OH-PBDEs were 3-hydroxy-2,2',4,4',6-pentabromodiphenyl ether, 3'-hydroxy-2,2',4,4',6-pentabromodiphenyl ether, 3-hydroxy-2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether, 3-hydroxy-2,2',4,4',5,6'-hexabromodiphenyl ether. 3'-hydroxy-2,2',4,4',5,6'-hexabromodiphenyl ether, 3-hydroxy-2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether and 4-hydroxy-2,2',3,4',5,5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether. An additional seven OH-PBDEs were tentatively identified in the pooled human blood sample, of which one OH-PBDE, 4'-hydroxy-2,2',4,5,5'-pentabromodiphenyl ether, has not been identified in human blood before. The identification was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) recording the bromine ions m/z 79, 81. The tentative identification was supported by the peaks relative retention times (RRTs) compared to authentic references on two GC columns of different polarities for the hexa-, and heptabrominated OH-PBDEs, and three different GC columns for the pentabrominated OH-PBDEs. The OH-PBDE congeners most likely originate from human metabolism of a flame retardant, i.e. polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), due to the relatively high concentrations of PBDEs in the same human blood sample and the fact that these PBDEs could form the tentatively identified OH-PBDEs via metabolic direct hydroxylation or via 1,2-shift. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A person's judgeability, or the extent to which a person is easy to understand, plays an important role in how accurately a target will be perceived by others. Research on this topic, however, has not been systematic or well-integrated. The current review begins to remedy this by integrating the available research on judgeability from the fields of personality perception, nonverbal communication, and social cognition. Specifically, this review summarizes the characteristics that are likely to promote judgeability and explores its potential consequences. A diverse range of characteristics are identified as predictors of judgeability, all relating to three broader categories: psychological adjustment, social status, and socialization. Furthermore, being judgeable has a variety of potential, largely positive, consequences for the target, leaving good targets poised for greater personal and interpersonal well-being. Nevertheless, many questions on this topic remain and it is crucial for this relatively understudied topic to receive more systematic empirical attention.
Introduction: The accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for detecting Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology has not been fully validated in autopsied nonamnestic dementias. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated CSF amyloid beta 1-42, phosphorylated-tau, and amyloid-tau index as predictors of Alzheimer pathology in patients with primary progressive aphasia, frontotemporal dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Results: Nineteen nonamnestic autopsied cases with relevant CSF values were included. At autopsy, nine had AD and 10 had non-AD pathologies. All six patients whose combined CSF phosphorylatedtau and amyloid b levels were consistent with AD had postmortem Alzheimer pathology. The two patients whose biomarker values were not consistent with AD had non-AD pathologies. The CSF values of the remaining eight non-AD cases were in conflicting or borderline ranges. Discussion: CSF biomarkers reliably identified Alzheimer pathology in nonamnestic dementias and may be useful as a screening measure for inclusion of nonamnestic cases into Alzheimer's trials. (C) 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Most bias crime literature focuses on adults despite the fact that youth account for a large proportion of prejudice-motivated violence. The LA County Commission on Human Relations data for all bias crimes from 2002-2008 was used to examine similarities and differences between adult and youth suspects of bias-motivated crimes. Findings showed youth victims of racial bias crimes were 12 times more likely to be targeted by youth suspects and over five times more likely to commit property offenses. Public places were nearly three times more likely than resident places to be the location of the bias crime by youth suspects. Female perpetrators of racial bias crimes were two times more likely to be youths. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Welding is the most important joining technique and offers the advantage of customizable plate thicknesses. On the other hand, welding causes residual stresses and deformations influencing the load carrying capacity. Their consideration in the design requires simple and fast models. Though welding simulation has contributed to accurately access to these values nowadays, their application to large components remains still in a less practicable range. Nevertheless, many studies emphasized the need to make corrections in recently available simplified models. Especially the influence of residual stresses seems somewhat overestimated in many cases if comparing conventional structural steel S355 and high-strength steel S690. In times of computer-aided design, an improved procedure to implement weld-inducted imperfections appears overdue. This will be presented in two parts. The first part illustrates the potential influence of post-welding imperfections exemplified for weak axis buckling in comparison with the general method in accordance with Eurocode 3. Residual stresses and initial crookedness were varied systematically in order to produce a scatter band of capacities. An approach to characterize the borders of these imperfections was untertaken before that. The excessive scattering of reduction factors for the load bearing capacity demonstrates the importance of these variables. Results were finally evaluated against advanced simulation models which will be further detailed in part two of this contribution.
Network intrusion detection systems (NIDSs) have been developed for over twenty years and have been widely deployed in computer networks to detect a variety of network attacks. But one of the major limitations is that these systems would generate a large number of alarms, especially false alarms (positives) during the detection. To address this issue, many machine learning approaches have been applied to reduce NIDS false positives. However, we notice that multi-view based approach is often ignored by the literature, which uses one function to model a particular view and jointly optimizes all the functions to optimize and improve the learning performance. In addition, most existing studies have not implemented their algorithms into practical alam systems. In this paper, we thus develop MVPSys, a practical multi-view based false alarm reduction system to reduce false alarms more efficiently, where each view represents a set of features. More specifically, we implement a semi-supervised learning algorithm to construct two-view items and automatically exploit both labeled and unlabeled data. That is, this system can automatically extract and organize features from an incoming alarm into two feature sets: destination feature set and source feature set, where the former contains the features related to the target environment and the latter contains the features about the source environment. In the evaluation, we deploy our system into two real network environments besides using two datasets. Experimental results indicate that our system can achieve a stable filtration accuracy of over 95%, offering a significant improvement as compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Simulation becomes an more and more important aspect within digital factory planning. The virtual commissioning (VC) of automated plants in the production industry is a promising method to ensure both quality and adherence to delivery dates during this process. However, building simulation models is often paired with high efforts that stand against the benefits of VC. The paper shows how this effort can be minimized by an automatic generation of simulation models.
Analyzing activities (either static postures or movements) made by a user is a complex process that can be done through a wide range of approaches. One part of these existing approaches support doing the recognition focusing their analysis on specific body parts. In fact, in previous publications a method was introduced for activity recognition (Body-Angles Algorithm) capable of analysing only using a single sample of those activitites and allowing the selection for each activity which are the relevant joints. But being able to analyse the body of the user selecting only a subset of the same, has both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore throughout this article we will expose those disadvantages, the applied solution to mitigate them and the results of an evaluation destined to clear which body parts make it easier to obtain high accuracy rates in recognition. Through this work we aim to give the scientific community lessons learned about the usage of different body areas in the analysis of activity recognition.
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is an enabling technology which provides coating and material features with significant advantages compared to other existing techniques for depositing precise nanometer-thin two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures. It is a cyclic process which relies on sequential self-terminating reactions between gas phase precursor molecules and a solid surface. ALD is especially advantageous when the film quality or thickness is critical, offering ultra-high aspect ratios. ALD provides digital thickness control to the atomic level by depositing film one atomic layer at a time, as well as pinhole-free films even over a very large and complex areas. Digital control extends to sandwiches, hetero-structures, nano-laminates, metal oxides, graded index layers and doping, and it is perfect for conformal coating and challenging 2D electrodes for various functional devices. The technique's capabilities are presented on the example of ALD-developed ultra-thin 2D tungsten oxide (W0(3)) over the large area of standard 4 Si substrates. The discussed advantages of ALD enable and endorse the employment of this technique for the development of hetero-nanostructure 2D semiconductors with unique properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
in this paper, the dynamics of the half-bridge LLC resonant converter are investigated based on the small signal model and a piecewise PI regulation is studied and derived by simulation. Small-signal dynamics of the circuit under consideration contain many factors that may affect regulation accuracy and performance of digitally controlled regulators. The load factor is specifically addressed here. The objective of this paper is to introduce a digital piecewise PI compensation to achieve time-optimal response to an external disturbance such as a step load transient.
Background: It is not known if there is a difference in the immune response to syphilis between HIV-infected and uninfected individuals. Methods: We prospectively recruited all patients with a new diagnosis of syphilis and tested their plasma for IFNa, IFN gamma, IL-1 beta, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-17A at baseline pre-treatment and 6 months following therapy. Results: A total of 79 HIV-infected [ 44 primary/secondary syphilis (PSS) and 35 latent syphilis (LS)] and 12 HIV-uninfected (10 PSS and 2 LS) cases of syphilis and 30 HIV-infected controls were included in the study. At the baseline visit, compared to the control group, concentrations of IL-10 were significantly elevated in the HIV-infected and uninfected groups. The level of IL-10 was significantly higher in the HIV-infected compared to the HIV-uninfected PSS group (25.3 pg/mL (IQR, 4.56-41.76) vs 2.73 pg/mL (IQR, 1.55-9.02), P = 0.0192). In the HIV-infected PSS group (but not the HIV-infected LS or HIV-uninfected PSS groups) the IP-10, MIP-1b, IL-6 and IL-8 were raised compared to the controls. IL-10 levels decreased but did not return to control baseline values by 6 months in HIV infected PSS and LS and HIV uninfected PSS. Conclusion: PSS and LS in HIV-infected individuals is characterized by an increase in inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10. The increase of IL-10 is greater in HIV-infected than uninfected individuals. Further work is required to ascertain if this is part of an immunological profile that correlates with adverse outcomes such as serofast syphilis and neurosyphilis, in HIV-infected individuals.
The lives of two 19th century cousins, both of whom changed their names to Bernard Berenson, are considered from historical and psychodynamic perspectives, using a psychobiographical method. The Jewish cousins immigrated separately to Boston from Lithuania in 1875 and 1882. One cousin, later calling himself simply B.B., became a world-renowned art historian. The other Bernard became a misanthrope after feeling deeply humiliated by his cousin's family in Boston. Many biographies were written about the famous B.B. The only histories of his cousin Bernard were family stories, as he was the author's great-grandfather. The intersecting lives of these cousins are discussed. Both men faced the challenges of immigration as well as intense antiSemitism and prejudice in each country in which they lived. These cultural and historical conditions interacted with the cousins' narcissistic vulnerabilities. Their lives demonstrate different manifestations of narcissistic suffering, with B.B's being more consistent with the construct of a grandiose narcissist and Bernard's being more consistent with that of a closet narcissist. The life stories of these two cousins with the same name offers an intriguing instance of a complicated relationship among immigration, prejudice, and narcissism and case examples of the manifestation of how narcissistic suffering can influence lives.
Network security is rapidly developing, but so are attack methods. Network worms are one of the most widely used attack methods and have are able to propagate quickly. As an active defense approach to network worms, the honeynet technique has long been limited by the closed architecture of traditional network devices. In this paper, we propose a closed loop defense system of worms based on a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technology, called Worm-Hunter. The flexibility of SDN in network building is introduced to structure the network infrastructures of Worm-Hunter. By using well-designed flow tables, Worm-Hunter is able to easily deploy different honeynet systems with different network structures and dynamically. When anomalous traffic is detected by the analyzer in Worm-Hunter, it can be redirected into the honeynet and then safely analyzed. Throughout the process, attackers will not be aware that they are caught, and all of the attack behavior is recorded in the system for further analysis. Finally, we verify the system via experiments. The experiments show that Worm-Hunter is able to build multiple honeynet systems on one physical platform. Meanwhile, all of the honeynet systems with the same topology operate without interference.
Introduction: Biologic antagonists to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) are effective medications and have become well established in the treatment of both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Biosimilar medications, which are medications deemed to be equivalent to reference biologic products in terms of clinical effectiveness, safety, pharmacokinetic analysis, and immunogenicity, have now been approved in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) based on indication exploration from clinical data in alternate disease states. Clinicians use these products with caution secondary to lack of clinical experience. Areas Covered: The authors performed a literature search using the following keywords: CT-P13, biosimilar, adalimumab, infliximab, ABP 501, and inflammatory bowel disease. Bibliographies were also reviewed for pertinent articles. Articles pertaining to the clinical efficacy of biosimilars in IBD were included. Expert commentary: The phase 3 trials, which provided the clinical justification to bring TNF-alpha biosimilars to market, were in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis; however, new clinical data suggests that biosimilar products have equivalent safety and efficacy to reference products in IBD. This has led to an increased acceptance amongst practicing gastroenterologists and a potential reduction in healthcare costs.
The dynamic nature of a river channel entrance is commonly seasonal dependant. This is evidenced in the topography of river channel entrances in East Coast of Borneo which is influenced by both North East (NE) and South West (SW) monsoons on top of surrounding parameters such as waves and tides, sedimentatidn as well as climate change. Advanced numerical modelling technique is frequently used as a leading approach to investigate the complicated nature of river channel entrance to well represent actual conditions of a designated area. This paper presented a mesoscale numerical modelling method by integrating reductionist and reduced complexity model approach along with local seasonal conditions to well represent river channel entrance problem and propose management measures. The model was established with a set of numerical equilibrium equations and calibrated parameters to reflect the features of regional conditions with the combination of local validated modelling parameters. The model had accurately represented the effects of both NE and SW monsoons in terms of hydraulics and sediment dynamics at the Petagas river channel entrance, as verified by site data and satellite imagery. In addition, the accuracy of the model provides confidence in the implementation of improvement measures at the river channel entrance. The improvement scheme includes a training channel and a breakwater in improving flushing capacity, thus preventing sedimentation and upstream flooding, allowing proper navigation through the river. In conclusion, the accurate investigational result from this numerical model had successfully demonstrated its scientific role in solving dynamic river channel entrance, which can serve as a numerical modelling approach for solving similar river channel entrance problems especially in the East Coast of Borneo with predominant inter-annual seasonal variations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The study aimed to determine if computer vision techniques rooted in deep learning can use a small set of radiographs to perform clinically relevant image classification with high fidelity. One thousand eight hundred eighty-five chest radiographs on 909 patients obtained between January 2013 and July 2015 at our institution were retrieved and anonymized. The source images were manually annotated as frontal or lateral and randomly divided into training, validation, and test sets. Training and validation sets were augmented to over 150,000 images using standard image manipulations. We then pre-trained a series of deep convolutional networks based on the open-source GoogLeNet with various transformations of the open-source ImageNet (non-radiology) images. These trained networks were then fine-tuned using the original and augmented radiology images. The model with highest validation accuracy was applied to our institutional test set and a publicly available set. Accuracy was assessed by using the Youden Index to set a binary cutoff for frontal or lateral classification. This retrospective study was IRB approved prior to initiation. A network pre-trained on 1.2 million greyscale ImageNet images and fine-tuned on augmented radiographs was chosen. The binary classification method correctly classified 100 % (95 % CI 99.73-100 %) of both our test set and the publicly available images. Classification was rapid, at 38 images per second. A deep convolutional neural network created using non-radiological images, and an augmented set of radiographs is effective in highly accurate classification of chest radiograph view type and is a feasible, rapid method for high-throughput annotation.
A genome-wide association study identified GAB2 rs2373115 to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in European population. However, inconsistent results are reported in East Asian population. Here, we performed an updated analysis using 65,704 samples including 20,982 AD cases and 44,722 controls. First, we investigated the GAB2 rs2373115 variant in Asian population using 3974 AD cases and 7568 controls. To further evaluate the effect of rs2373115 in different populations, we selected 17,008 AD cases and 37,154 controls in European population. We used three genetic models, and found no significant heterogeneity in Asian population. A fixed effect model analysis showed no significant association between rs2373115 and AD in Asian population. There was no significant heterogeneity in the pooled East Asian and European populations. The fixed effect model analysis again showed no significant association between rs2373115 and AD in these pooled populations. Taken together, these findings suggest that GAB2 rs2373115 may contribute to AD susceptibility only in European population but not in East Asian population. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The reliable detection and attribution of changes in vegetation greenness is a prerequisite for the development of strategies for the sustainable management of ecosystems. We conducted a robust trend analysis on remote sensing derived vegetation index time-series matrices to detect significant changes in inter-annual vegetation productivity (greening versus browning) for the entire Himalaya, a biodiverse and ecologically sensitive yet understudied region. The spatial variability in trend was assessed considering elevation, 12 dominant land cover/use types and 10 ecoregions. To assess trend causation, at local scale, we compared multi-temporal imagery, and at regional scale, referenced ecological theories of mountain vegetation dynamics and ancillary literature. Overall, 17.56% of Himalayan vegetation (71,162 km(2)) exhibited significant trend (p3800 m), with eastern high Himalaya browning more dominantly than western high Himalaya. Land cover/use based categorization confirmed dominant greening of rainfed and irrigated agricultural areas, though cropped areas in western Himalaya contained higher proportion of greening areas. While rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and nitrogen deposition are the most likely climatic causes of detected greening, success of sustainable forestry practices (community forestry in Nepal) along with increasing agricultural fertilization and irrigation facilities could be possible human drivers. Comparison of multi-temporal imagery enabled direct attribution of some browning areas to anthropogenic land change (dam, airport and tunnel construction). Our satellite detected browning of high altitude vegetation in eastern Himalaya confirm the findings of recent dendrochronology based studies which possibly resulted from reduced pre-monsoon moisture availability in recent decades. These results have significant implications for environmental management in the context of climate change and ecosystem dynamics in the Himalaya. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
In 2014, NM-2201 (CBL-2201), a novel synthetic cannabinoid (SC), was detected by scientists at Russian and US laboratories. It has been already added to the list of scheduled drugs in Japan, Sweden and Germany. Unfortunately, no human metabolism data are currently available, which makes it challenging to confirm its intake, especially given that all SCs investigated thus far have been found to be extensively metabolized. The present study aims to recommend appropriate marker metabolites by investigating NM-2201 metabolism in human hepatocytes, and to confirm the results in authentic human urine specimens. For the metabolic stability assay, 1 A mu M NM-2201 was incubated in human liver microsomes (HLMs) for up to 1 h; for metabolite profiling, 10 A mu M of NM-2201 was incubated in human hepatocytes for 3 h. Two authentic urine specimens from NM-2201-positive cases were subjected to beta-glucuronidase hydrolysis prior to analysis. The identification of metabolites in hepatocyte samples and urine specimens was achieved with high-resolution mass spectrometry via information-dependent acquisition. NM-2201 was quickly metabolized in HLMs, with an 8.0-min half-life. In human hepatocyte incubation samples, a total of 13 NM-2201 metabolites were identified, generated mainly from ester hydrolysis and further hydroxylation, oxidative defluorination and subsequent glucuronidation. M13 (5-fluoro PB-22 3-carboxyindole) was found to be the major metabolite. In the urine specimens, the parent drug NM-2201 was not detected; M13 was the predominant metabolite after beta-glucuronidase hydrolysis. Therefore, based on the results of our study, we recommend M13 as a suitable urinary marker metabolite for confirming NM-2201 and/or 5F-PB-22 intake.
A method for the analysis and algorithm metrological evaluation of interference of radio frequency waves in distribution network supplying telecommunications facilities. We consider a model of electrical circuits supply substation and an algorithm for computing the equivalent parameters of circuits during switching impacts and lighting strokes.
Faces play an integral role in day-to-day functioning, particularly for social interactions where dynamic and rapid processing of information is vital. Analysis of faces allows an individual to ascertain a wide range of information including deciphering mood and identity, with these assessments directing an individual's subsequent response and behaviours. The prominent social and emotional deficits observed in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a youngeronset dementia syndrome, may in part reflect a breakdown of the face processing network. Different subtypes of FTD present with divergent patterns of atrophy, although damage is predominantly confined to the frontal and temporal lobes. Specific predictions regarding the role of frontal and temporal regions in face processing have been proposed in the model outlined by Haxby et al. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(6), 223-233 (2000). This model presents a parsimonious method by which to understand face processing in FTD while concurrently allowing assessment of the predictive value and applicability of such a model. By applying the Haxby model to the existing FTD literature, this review presents both direct and indirect evidence of a breakdown in key elements of the face processing network. The type and degree of breakdown appears to differ as a function of FTD subtype and associated brain atrophy. The evidence presented in this review and its relationship with predictions of the Haxby model provides impetus and direction for future research investigating face processing in FTD.
Optimal supply of trace elements (TE) is a prerequisite for microbial growth and activity in anaerobic digestion (AD) bioprocesses. However, the required concentrations and ratios of essential TE for AD biotechnologies strongly depend on prevailing operating conditions as well as feedstock composition. Furthermore, TE in AD bioreactors undergo complex physicochemical reactions and may be present as free ions, complex bound or as precipitates depending on pH, or on the presence of sulfur compounds or organic macromolecules. To overcome TE deficiency, various commercial mineral products are typically applied to AD processes. The addition of heavy metals poses the risk of overdosing operating systems, which may be toxic to microbial consortia and ultimately the environment. Adequate supplementation, therefore, requires appropriate knowledge not only about the composition, but also on the speciation and bioavailability of TE. However, very little is yet fully understood on this specific issue. Evaluations of TE typically only include the measurement of total TE concentrations but do not consider the chemical forms in which TE exist. Thus detailed information on bioavailability and potential toxicity cannot be provided. This review provides an overview of the state of the art in approaches to determine bioavailable TE in anaerobic bioprocesses, including sequential fractionation and speciation techniques. Critical aspects and considerations, including with respect to sampling and analytical procedures, as well as mathematical modeling, are examined. The approaches discussed in this review are based on our experiences and on previously published studies in the context of the COST Action 1302: European Network on Ecological Roles of Trace Metals in Anaerobic Biotechnologies.
Water pollution is one of the most pervasive problems afflicting people all over the world, while adsorption is the most impactful method to remove the organic pollutants from water. To demonstrate this, a facile and efficient approach is extendable to prepare porous polyurea monolith as a new type of adsorbent for water purification in our research. In order to obtain the porous polyurea monolith, the reaction only between TDI monomer and vapor by using the centrifugally spinning moulding is prepared. Notably, the results show that centrifugally spinning moulding is an effective method to form the whole block structure. According to the specific surface area, pore size and pore size distribution of porous polyurea monolith are affected at different centrifugal speeds. The porous polyurea monolith has continuous interconnected fiber-like clusters skeletal structure, which is composed of mesopores and maropores. Moreover, the porous polyurea monolith could adsorb oils and organic solvents from water fast, which can be attribute to its highly hydrophobic and oleophilic properties. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We investigated how the evaluation of ethicality that precedes ethical decision making is influenced by personal and situational factors. We argued that both individual and contextual factors would simultaneously influence ethicality evaluation. We found that employees' regulatory focus significantly influenced their evaluation of supervisors' ethical leadership (N = 40 supervisors and 142 employees). We also found that contextual factors interacted with individual factors in the ethicality evaluation process. Results showed that a positive relationship between employees' promotion focus and their evaluation of their supervisor's ethical leadership was negatively moderated by the supervisor's moral attentiveness. Theoretical and practical implications and limitations in the study are discussed.
At present, China's grain production pattern runs counter to the distribution patterns of farmland resources and water-heat conditions. It is urgently important to conduct research on the spatial matching of grain production and farmland resources. Based on the Potential Crop Rotation data, with regards to the situations of irrigation and rain feeding, this paper builds a measuring model of potential farmland, and separately measures the spatial matching/index of grain yield with actual and potential farmland resources, thus revealing China's grain production pattern. The results indicate that serious spatial mismatch exists between grain production and farmland resources in China. Take the potential crop rotation system into consideration, the spatial mismatch of grain yield and potential farmland resources has been aggravated by the grain production barycenter's shift to the north China, with low Crop Rotation Index. The function-promoting regions of grain production in China are going through two evolution patterns of northward and southward expansion and westward movement and northward expansion, respectively. Inefficient use of farmland mainly occurs in the fragile ecological environments, such as the farming-pastoral ecotone of Northern China, the northwest area of Xinjiang and the southwest karst landform areas. The inefficient use of and the decreasing amount of available farmland have become the main causes of the decline in grain production. The problems facing Chinese agriculture caused by the spatial mismatch include the imbalance in regional structures, ecological risks, agricultural production risks, and the risk of food price. In order to cope with these problems, this paper provides some advices on protecting farmland acreage, expanding farmland potential, ensuring the safety of water resources, and extending the industrial grain chain. Our paper additionally proposes policy reforms and innovations designed to ensure the implementation of the above measures, so as to commonly defuse China's food security crisis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In this study the corrosion resistances of AISI 1018 and AISI 304 borided and non-borided steels were estimated using polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Boriding of the steel samples was conducted using the powder-pack method at 1223 K with 6 h of exposure. Structural examinations of the surfaces of the borided steels showed the presence of a Fe2B layer with isolated FeB teeth on the AISI 1018 steel, whereas a compact layer of FeB/Fe2B was formed on the AISI 304 steel. Polarization resistance and EIS of the borided and non-borided steels surfaces were performed in a corrosive solution of 1 M HCl. The EIS data were analyzed during 43 days of exposure to the acid solution. Impedance curves obtained during this period for the borided and non-borided steels were modeled using equivalent electrical circuits. The results of both electrochemical techniques indicated that boride layers formed at the steel surfaces effectively protect the samples from the corrosive effects of HCl. The main corrosion processes observed on the boride layers were pitting and crevice corrosion.
A number of recent studies have begun to explore a new and exciting area: the interaction between the gut microbiome and renal physiology. In particular, multiple studies have focused on the role of microbially produced short chain fatty acids, which are generally thought to promote health. This review will focus on what is known to date regarding the influence of the microbiome on renal function, with emphasis on the cell biology, physiology, and clinical implications of short chain fatty acids and short chain fatty acid receptors. It is clear that microbe-host interactions are an exciting and ever-expanding field, which has implications for how we view diseases such as hypertension, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease. However, it is important to recognize that although the potential promise of this area is extremely enticing, we are only the very edge of this new field.
The UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) [1] puts a focus on accessibility and technology. Both are considered as a precondition and means to support full participation of people. Today, new technologies provide new options for the support of all people including people with disabilities. The concepts assistive technology and accessibility begin to merge into Technology Based Accessibility (TBA). TBA has the potential to make a significant change in the lives of people with disabilities.
Inferring the intentions and beliefs of another is an ability that is fundamental for social and affiliative interactions. A substantial amount of empirical evidence suggests that making sense of another's intentional and belief states (i.e. theory of mind) relies on exteroceptive (e.g. visual and auditory) and proprioceptive (i.e. motor) signals. Yet, despite its pivotal role in the guidance of behaviour, the role of the observer's interoceptive (visceral) processing in understanding another's internal states remains unexplored. Predicting and keeping track of interoceptive bodily states - which inform intentions and beliefs that guide behaviour - is one of the fundamental purposes of the human brain. In this paper, we will focus on the role of interoceptive predictions, prescribed by the free energy principle, in making sense of internal states that cause another's behaviour. We will discuss how multimodal expectations induced at deep (high) hierarchical levels - that necessarily entail interoceptive predictions - contribute to inference about others that is at the heart of theory of mind. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Linear circuits and systems are generally described by traditional differential equations and integer order transfer functions based on the assumption that the dynamics are lumped and time invariant. However, as compared to the conventional integer order calculus, many dynamical systems are better represented by fractional calculus with interaction among the variables modelled by fractional integration and/or fractional differentiation. The present work proposes a generalized approach for the identification of fractional order systems in frequency domain using experimental data. To achieve the same, the system identification task has been framed as an optimization problem and solved using seeker optimization algorithm. The algorithm seeks to attain a set of system parameters for which the deviation between the simulated response of the identified system and experimental data is minimized. The proposed approach has been validated on a set of electrical circuits with varying configuration. The simulation and experimental results reveals that all of the test circuits are better represented by fractional order model, over a wide range of frequency.
Referring to two recent publications, we here propose that clinical reproductive immunology has for decades stagnated because reproductive medicine, including assisted reproduction (AR), has failed to accept embryo implantation as an immune system-driven process, dependent on establishment of maternal tolerance toward the implanting fetal semi-allograft (and complete allograft in cases of oocyte donation). Pregnancy represents a biologically unique period of temporary (to the period of gestation restricted) tolerance, otherwise only known in association with parasitic infections. Rather than investigating the immune pathways necessary to induce this rather unique state of tolerance toward the rapidly growing parasitic antigen load of the fetus, the field, instead, concentrated on irrelevant secondary immune phenomena (i.e., immunological noise). It, therefore, does not surprise that interesting recent research, offering new potential insights into maternal tolerance during pregnancy, was mostly published outside of the field of reproductive medicine. This research offers evidence for existence of inducible maternal tolerance pathways with the ability of improving maternal fecundity and, potentially, reducing such late pregnancy complications as premature labor and preeclampsia/eclampsia due to premature abatement of maternal tolerance. Increasing evidence also suggests that tolerance-inducing immune pathways are similar in successful pregnancy, successful organ transplantation and, likely also in the tolerance of self (i.e., prevention of autoimmunity). Identifying and isolating these pathways, therefore, may greatly benefit all three of these clinical areas, and research in reproductive immunology should be accordingly redirected.
Hallucinogenic tryptamine analogues, an important class of drugs of abuse, can be naturally occurring or chemically synthesized compounds. In Japan, psilocin and psilocybin (ingredients of magic mushrooms) and 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT; a synthetic tryptamine) seem to be particularly problematic due to their extensive abuse. This review is focused on human metabolism and forensic toxicological analyses of the above three tryptamine analogues. In humans, psilocybin is rapidly dephosphorylated to form psilocin, and most of the psilocin is eventually conjugated to form its glucuronide. On the other hand, 5-MeO-DIPT is mainly metabolized via O-demethylation, 6-hydroxylation, and N-deisopropylation, partly followed by conjugation to form their sulfates and glucuronides. Suitable hydrolysis should be, therefore, applied for sensitive and effective analysis of the metabolites. In analyzing psilocin and psilocybin by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), derivatization is necessary for their discriminative identification. Although 5-MeO-DIPT and its three major metabolites can be analyzed by GC-MS without any derivatization, trimethylsilyl derivatization provides improvement of their peak shapes and intensities. In contrast to GC-MS, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry allow us not only to discriminate psilocin and psilocybin without derivatization, but also to directly analyze their conjugated metabolites.
Facial hair, like many masculine secondary sexual traits, plays a significant role in perceptions of an array of sociosexual traits in men. While there is consensus that beards enhance perceptions of masculinity, age, social dominance, and aggressiveness, the perceived attractiveness of facial hair varies greatly across women. Given the ease with which facial hair can be groomed and removed entirely, why should some men retain beards and others choose to remove them? We hypothesized that men with relatively sexist attitudes would be more likely to allow their facial hair to grow than men with less sexist attitudes. Men from the USA (n = 223) and India (n = 309) completed an online survey measuring demographic variables, ambivalent sexism, and facial hair status. After controlling for demographic variables, men with facial hair were significantly higher in hostile sexism than clean-shaven men; hostile sexism was a significant predictor of facial hair status over and above demographic variables; and facial hair was more frequent among ambivalent and hostile sexists than among benevolent and non-sexists. It is suggested that sexist men choose to grow facial hair because it maximizes sexual dimorphism and augments perceived masculinity and dominance.
Several factors related to the immune system, such as a history of allergies and virus infections, may be associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The purpose of this study was to analyze whether the presence of atopic diseases and previous infection with parvovirus B19 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are associated with the development of ALL. This case-control study was performed in two tertiary hospitals located in northeastern Brazil. The study population included 60 patients who were diagnosed with non-T-cell ALL using myelogram and immunophenotyping and 120 patients in the control group. Atopy was evaluated via a parent questionnaire and medical records. Total immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG levels of parvovirus B19 and EBV were measured in the serum. Logistic regression was performed to assess the association between variables and odds of ALL. We identified a significant inverse association between rhinitis, urticaria and elevated IgE serum levels with ALL. A history of parvovirus B19 infection showed a significant association with this type of cancer [OR (95 % CI) 2.00 (1.94-4.26); P = 0.050]. In logistic regression, the presence of atopy was a protective factor [OR (95 % CI) 0.57 (0.38-0.83); P = 0.004], and the presence of IgG for parvovirus B19 was an important risk factor for ALL [OR (95 % CI) 2.20 (1.02-4.76); P = 0.043]. These results suggest that atopic diseases and elevated total IgE levels are associated with a potential protective effect on the development of ALL. Previous infection with parvovirus B19 contributed to ALL susceptibility.
This paper proposes a bidirectional three-level LLC resonant converter with a new pulse width and amplitude modulation control method. With different control signals, it has three different operation modes with different voltage gains. Therefore, it can achieve wide voltage gain range by switching among these three modes, which is attractive for energy storage system applications needing wide voltage variation. The proposed topology operates with constant switching frequency, which is easy to implement with digital control, and it can achieve soft switching for all the switches and diodes in the circuit as a conventional LLC resonant converter. The performance of the proposed converter is validated by the experimental results from a 1-kW prototype with 20 A maximum output current.
A rapid resolution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis was applied to human urine samples to discover new molecular biomarkers of the alteration of psychophysical well-being due to the environmental, physiological and confinement stress conditions achieved in the MARS500 project. Urine samples of crew members were submitted to metabolomic studies by means of separative techniques coupled with mass spectrometric techniques and data analysis. More than 2,000 metabolite features were found in each comparison, and more than 150 metabolites were identified for every differential analysis. Significant modifications in eight metabolites were shared by the subjects under study.
Semantic dementia (SD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), subtypes of frontotemporal dementia, are characterized by distinct clinical symptoms and neuroimaging features, with predominant left temporal grey matter (GM) atrophy in SD and bilateral or right frontal GM atrophy in bvFTD. Such differential hemispheric predilection may also be reflected by other neuroimaging features, such as brain connectivity. This study investigated white matter (WM) microstructure and functional connectivity differences between SD and bvFTD, focusing on the hemispheric predilection of these differences. Eight SD and 12 bvFTD patients, and 17 controls underwent diffusion tensor imaging and resting state functional MRI at 3T. Whole-brain WM microstructure was assessed to determine distinct WM tracts affected in SD and bvFTD. For these tracts, diffusivity measures and lateralization indices were calculated. Functional connectivity was established for GM regions affected in early stage SD or bvFTD. Results of a direct comparison between SD and bvFTD are reported. Whole-brain WM microstructure abnormalities were more pronounced in the left hemisphere in SD and bilaterally-with a slight predilection for the right-in bvFTD. Lateralization of tract-specific abnormalities was seen in SD only, toward the left hemisphere. Functional connectivity of disease-specific regions was mainly decreased bilaterally in SD and in the right hemisphere in bvFTD. SD and bvFTD show WM microstructure and functional connectivity abnormalities in different regions, that are respectively more pronounced in the left hemisphere in SD and in the right hemisphere in bvFTD. This indicates differential hemispheric predilection of brain connectivity abnormalities between SD and bvFTD.
Human genetic studies are continuing to increase in size and scale, but the availability of well-phenotyped longitudinal cohorts remains rare. Significant infrastructure, investment and effort are required to establish and maintain high-quality cohorts with biobanking, genetic consent and repeated clinical data measurements. Australia currently has two such cohorts established by Monash University as part of community-based clinical trials in the elderly. Both studies involve capture of demographic, mood, cognitive performance, physical function, neuroimaging, audiometry and various clinical data types over an average of 5years. The ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) cohort is comprised of 16703 Australians aged over 70years and 2411 Americans aged over 65years - recruited and randomised to either daily low-dose aspirin or placebo to examine the preventative benefit of aspirin on a range of clinical outcomes. The STAtins in Reducing Events in the Elderly (STAREE) study uses a similar model, and is currently recruiting 10000 men and women aged over 70years across Australia randomised to either low-dose statins or placebo. Both cohorts involve biobanking and consent for genetic research, with recruitment through a network of general practitioners in the community. A combination of whole-genome and targeted sequencing approaches will allow gene-phenotype relationships to be explored within the context of detailed longitudinal data. Genetic risk factors for late-onset high-burden conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and dementia will be investigated, plus research into other areas, such as healthy ageing and disease resilience will be possible due to unique phenotypes of health.
Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia, and medical biochemist is the official name for the clinical chemist (or clinical biochemist). This is the largest sub-discipline of the laboratory medicine in Serbia. It includes all aspects of clinical chemistry, and also laboratory hematology with coagulation, immunology, etc. Medical biochemistry laboratories in Serbia and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and their activities are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists (Clinical Chemists) in Serbia dates from 1945, when the Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at the Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate study program was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since the academic year 2006/2007 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and four-year postgraduate program according to EC4 European Syllabus for Postgraduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredited these programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Study of Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the professional exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in the medical biochemistry laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists. In order to present laboratory medical biochemistry practice in Serbia this paper will be focused on the following: Serbian national legislation, healthcare services organization, sub-disciplines of laboratory medicine and medical biochemistry as the most significant, education in medical biochemistry, conditions for professional practice in medical biochemistry, continuous quality improvement, and accreditation. Serbian healthcare is based on fundamental principles of universal health coverage and solidarity between all citizens.
It is well known that the existence of unstable zero dynamics is recognized as a major barrier in many control systems. When the usual digital control with zero-order hold (ZOH) or fractional-order hold (FROH) input is used, unstable zero dynamics inevitably appear in the discrete-time model even though the continuous-time system with relative degree more than two is of minimum phase. This paper investigates the zero dynamics, as the sampling period tends to zero, of sampled-data models composed of a generalized sample hold function (GSHF), a continuous-time nonlinear plant and a sampler in cascade. More precisely, we show how an approximate sampled-data model can be obtained for nonlinear systems with two special GSHF cases such that sampled zero dynamics of the resulting model can be arbitrarily placed. Further, two GSHFs with appropriate parameters provide nonlinear zero dynamics as stable as possible, or with improved stability properties even when unstable, for a given continuous-time plant. It is also shown that the intersample behavior arising from the multirate input can be localised by appropriately selecting the design parameters based on the stability condition of the zero dynamics. The results presented here generalize well-known ideas from the linear to nonlinear cases.
Unexpected, informal recognition is common in the workplace, but rarely analyzed by academics. The few existing studies have generated surprising results: no impact of selective recognition on future productivity for those workers who receive recognition, but increases in productivity for those who do not. We confirm those results for recognition in the form of a Thank you message and show that the same patterns hold true with unexpected financial recognition. Low-performing workers do better when others are recognized but they are left out. Previous studies have all argued that the pure relative performance information that is revealed through recognition drives these effects. We test this hypothesis with a treatment that has relative rank information only and show that this is indeed the case: financial or verbal recognition are not necessary to induce low performers to increase subsequent performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Phase-shift modulation (PSM) is a commonly used technique for controlling the active power flow in resonant dc-ac and dc-dc converters. Although traditionally developed as an analog modulation scheme, PSM is being increasingly implemented digitally in conjunction with advanced multivariable digital controllers and online efficiency optimization algorithms. While analog PSM is known not to introduce additional dynamics from a small-signal standpoint, the analysis disclosed in this study indicates that discrete-time, or uniformly sampled, PSM introduces a transport delay of small-signal nature. Furthermore, and in close analogy with the theory of uniformly sampled pulse width modulators, such delay depends on the modulator carrier type as well as on the converter operating point. This paper first clarifies the modeling procedure for describing the small-signal dynamics of uniformly sampled phase-shift modulators. Second, it provides an extension of the traditional phasor modeling to digital phase-controlled converters, allowing to account for the additional modulator dynamics in the design of the closed-loop compensation. Theoretical findings are validated via simulation and experimental results.
In an urban highway network system such as Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway. to detect conditions of road pavement and expansion Joints is a very important issue. Although accurate surface condition can be captured by using a road profiler system, the operating cost is expensive and development of a simpler and more inexpensive system is really needed to reduce monitoring cost. Vehicle Intelligent Monitoring System (VIMS) developed for this purpose is described in this paper. An accelerometer and GPS are installed to an ordinary road patrol car. GPS together with a PC computer are used to measure the road surface condition and to identify the location of the vehicle, respectively Dynamic response of the vehicle is used as a measure of the road pavements surface condition as well as the expansion joints. A prototype of VIMS is installed to a motor car and measurement is made at the actual roads. Accuracy of measuring result and effectiveness of this system are demonstrated; the outline of the system and some of the measurement results are reported herein.
Computer-aided design (CAD) models of thin-walled solids such as sheet metal or plastic parts are often reduced dimensionally to their corresponding midsurfaces for quicker and fairly accurate results of computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis. Computation of the midsurface is still a time-consuming and mostly, a manual task due to lack of robust and automated techniques. Most of the existing techniques work on the final shape (typically in the form of boundary representation, B-rep). Complex B-reps make it hard to detect subshapes for which the midsurface patches are computed and joined, forcing usage of hard-coded heuristic rules, developed on a case-by-case basis. Midsurface failures manifest in the form of gaps, overlaps, nonmimicking input model, etc., which can take hours or even days to correct. The research presented here proposes to address these problems by leveraging feature-information available in the modern CAD models, and by effectively using techniques like simplification, abstraction, and decomposition. In the proposed approach, first, the irrelevant features are identified and removed from the input FbCAD model to compute its simplified gross shape. Remaining features then undergo abstraction to transform into their corresponding generic Loft-equivalents, each having a profile and a guide curve. The model is then decomposed into cellular bodies and a graph is populated, with cellular bodies at the nodes and fully overlappingsurface- interfaces at the edges. The nodes are classified into midsurface-patch generating nodes (called solid cellsor sCells) and interaction-resolving nodes (interface cells or iCells). In a sCell, a midsurface patch is generated either by offset or by sweeping the midcurve of the owner-Loft-feature's profile along with its guide curve. Midsurface patches are then connected in the iCells in a generic manner, thus resulting in a wellconnected midsurface with minimum failures. Output midsurface is then validated topologically for correctness. At the end of this paper, real-life parts are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
The spin-change dynamics of a model with ultra-cold hyperfine-spin-1 atoms confined in an optical superlattice is discussed. First, the disturbance of the two-site dynamics by coupling the dimer to a spin-1 ancilla is analyzed. When the dimer is coupled to the ancilla, even by a weak coupling, the significant changes in the system's time-evolution processes are observed. Next, we show that for the twoparticle case the total hyperfine-spin-singlet state is generated by exploiting a quadratic Zeeman shift with realistic values of the strength of external magnetic field and evolution period of time. Moreover, even in a weak coupling regime, the proper choice of the additional ancilla-dimer interaction results in generating the wave function which is characteristic of the homogeneous three-site ring. In consequence, such wave function exhibits translational invariance symmetry despite the strong asymmetry of the lattice. Furthermore, we present our proposal for extracting various kinds of maximally entangled states (MES) for three-site spin-1 systems, starting from initial product states. In particular, we show that the type of generated MES can be unambiguously recognized by the measurement performed on the ancilla.
Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the internal and marginal fit of chrome cobalt (Co-Cr) crowns were fabricated with laser sintering, computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing, and conventional methods. Materials and Methods: Polyamide master and working models were designed and fabricated. The models were initially designed with a software application for three-dimensional (3D) CAD (Maya, Autodesk Inc.). All models were fabricated models were produced by a 3D printer (EOSINT P380 SLS, EOS). 128 1-unit Co-Cr fixed dental prostheses were fabricated with four different techniques: Conventional lost wax method, milled wax with lost-wax method (MWLW), direct laser metal sintering (DLMS), and milled Co-Cr (MCo-Cr). The cement film thickness of the marginal and internal gaps was measured by an observer using a stereomicroscope after taking digital photos in x24. Results: Best fit rates according to mean and standard deviations of all measurements was in DLMS both in premolar (65.84) and molar (58.38) models in mm. A significant difference was found DLMS and the rest of fabrication techniques (P 0.05). No significant difference was found between MCo-CR and MWLW in all fabrication techniques both in premolar and molar models (P 0.05). Conclusion: DMLS was best fitting fabrication techniques for single crown based on the results.The best fit was found in marginal; the larger gap was found in occlusal.All groups were within the clinically acceptable misfit range.
This study deals with the motion and deformation of a compound drop system, subject to arbitrary but Stokes far-field flow conditions, in the presence of hulk-insoluble surfactants. We derive solutions for fluid velocities and the resulting surfactant concentrations, assuming the capillary number and surface Peclet number to he small, as compared with unity. We first focus on a concentric drop configuration and apply Lamb's general solution, assuming the far-field flow to he arbitrary in nature. As representative case studies, we consider two cases: (i) flow dynamics in linear flows and (ii) flow dynamics in a Poiseuille flow, although for the latter case, the concentric configuration does not remain valid in general. We further look into the effective viscosity of a dilute suspension of compound drops, subject to linear ambient flow, and compare our predictions with previously reported experiments. Subsequently, the eccentric drop configuration is addressed by using a bipolar coordinate system where the far-field flow is assumed to he axisymmetric but otherwise arbitrary in nature. As a specific example for eccentric drop dynamics, we focus on Poiseuille flow and study the drop migration velocities. Our analysis shows that the presence of surfactant generally opposes the imposed flows, thereby acting like an effective augmented viscosity. Our analysis reveals that maximizing the effects of surfactant makes the drops behave like solid particles suspended in a medium. However, in uniaxial extensional flow, the presence of surfactants on the inner drop, in conjunction with the drop radius ratio, leads to a host of interesting and non-monotonic behaviours for the interface deformation. For eccentric drops, the effect of eccentricity only becomes noticeable after it surpasses a certain critical value, and becomes most prominent when the two interfaces approach each other. We further depict that surfactant and eccentricity generally tend to suppress each other's effects on the droplet migration velocities.
Introduction: C1q play an important role in clearance of immune complexes and apoptotic cell debris. Impaired clearance leads to exposure of C1 native antigen and development of anti-C1q antibody formation. Anti-C1q antibody is well studied in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Significance of anti-C1q Ab in Indian SLE patients and their clinical manifestations is not clear. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between anti-C1q antibody and clinical as well as serological markers of SLE. Materials and Methods: Retrospective study of SLE patients fulfilling either American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 or Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012 classification criteria were recruited from inpatients and outpatients services of the Clinical immunology and Rheumatology Department, Christian Medical College at Vellore, India between March 2013 and January 2015. Anti-C1q antibody was assayed by ELISA (Demeditec Diagnostics GmbH, Germany). Logistic regression analysis was performed to find the association of anti-C1q antibodies with serological and clinical parameters in SLE including Lupus Nephritis (LN). Results: Sixty nine patients (54.76%) out of 126 SLE patients had LN. Anti-C1q levels were higher in patients with LN as compared to those without (p<0.05). Anti-C1q antibody was also significantly associated with positive C1q immunofluorescence staining in renal biopsy specimens (p<0.05). Overall, renal Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) {OR 1.35 (1.08-1.69)}, low C4 {OR 3.11 (1.04-9.26)} and mucocutaneous manifestation {OR 4.72 (1.38-16.05)} were independently associated with anti-C1q levels in serum. Conclusion: Renal SLEDAI, low C4 and mucocutaneous manifestations were independently associated with raised anti C1q antibody in SLE patients.
Vision declines during normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the toxic role of amyloid beta (Ab) has been established in AD pathogenesis, its influence on the aging retina is unclear. Using APP(swe)/PS1 Delta E9 transgenic (TG) mice, a classical AD model, the retinal cell function and survival was assessed by electroretinogram (ERG) recordings and immunofluorescent stainings. Strikingly, photopic ERG measurements revealed that the retinal response mediated by cones was preserved in aging TG mice relative to WT controls. In contrast to the cortex, the expression of mutated APP(swe) and PS1 Delta E9 did not allow to detect Ab or amyloid plaques in 13-month-old male TG retinae. In addition, the CTF beta/CTF alpha ratio was significantly lower in retinal samples than that in cortical extracts, suggesting that the non-amyloidogenic pathway may endogenously limit Ab formation in the retina of male mice. Collectively, our data suggest that retinal-specific processing of amyloid may confer protection against AD and selectively preserve cone-dependent vision during aging. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Large-scale open storage of wood mulch is common practice at wood recycling facilities. During rain and snow melt, leachate with soluble compounds and suspended particles is released from mulch stockpiles. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of leachate/runoff from wood recycling facilities to evaluate its potential to contaminate receiving waterbodies. Wood mulch (n = 30) and leachate/runoff (n = 26) samples were collected over 1.5 years from three wood recycling facilities in New Jersey, USA. Differences by site were found (p < 0.05) for most of the 21 constituents tested in the solid wood mulch samples. Biochemical oxygen demand (range <20-3000 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (134-6000 mg/L) and total suspended solids (69-401 mg/L) median concentrations of the leachate/runoff samples were comparable to those of untreated domestic wastewater. Total Kjeldahl N, total P and fecal coliform median values were slightly lower than typical wastewater values. Dose-response studies with leachate/runoff samples using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos showed that mortality and developmental defects typically did not occur even at the highest concentration tested, indicating low toxicity, although delayed development did occur. Based on this study, leachate/runoff from wood recycling facilities should not be released to surface waters as it is a potential source of organic contamination and low levels of nutrients. A study in which runoff from a controlled drainage area containing wood mulch of known properties is monitored would allow for better assessment of the potential impact of stormwater runoff from wood recycling facilities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Forkhead box O (FOXO)1, FOXO3, interferon regulatory factor (IRF)4, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (xIAP), and E74-like factor (ELF)4 have been described as important regulators of T cell functions and differentiation. However, whether these molecules are associated with HIV-1 disease progression is still unknown. In this study, we showed that the levels of FOXO3, IRF4, and xIAP mRNA in rapid progressors (RPs) were significantly higher than in HIV-negative healthy controls (HCs). Moreover, FOXO3 expression was positively correlated with HIV-1 viral load and CD4(+) T cell activation. Remarkably, increased CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell activation was apparent in RPs compared with typical progressors and HCs. In addition, a profile of higher apoptosis, more CD8(+) T-EM cells, and fewer CD4(+) and CD8(+) Naive T cells were observed in early HIV infection patients with low CD4(+) T cell counts. Furthermore, in vitro, IRF4 and xIAP expression was enhanced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy people following T cell receptor stimulation. T cell activation was decreased by treatment with siRNA inhibiting FOXO3, IRF4, and xIAP. Our results show that significantly increased levels of FOXO3, IRF4, and xIAP mRNA in Chinese HIV-1-infected patients were related to T cell immune activation, implicating them as potential targets for developing new therapeutic avenues to slow down HIV-1 disease progression.
In the present project it has been possible to prove the relationship existing between internal personality variables such as self-concept or pro-sociality and distal variables like physical activity and academic achievement, within the school context. Promoting physical activity both as a sport and also a means for teenagers to learn personal and social competence allows us to offer an educational tool to develop pro-social behavior. This is a descriptive project, whose sample is made up of 115 secondary school students. A socio-demographic questionnaire has been used, the self-concept questionnaire (AF-5), the scale of pro-sociality in teenagers and adults, the Cantoblanco scale of socialization difficulties (SOC) and different school qualifications. Among the results obtained, it is confirmed that by doing physical activity ones physical self-concept improves and this, in turn, leads to better social perception thus integrating the teenager into peer groups and resulting in better academic results.
New classes of descriptor fractional continuous-time and discrete-time linear systems with regular pencils are introduced. Electrical circuits are an example of descriptor fractional continuous-time systems. Using the Caputo definition of the fractional derivative, the Weierstrass regular pencil decomposition and Laplace transformation the solution to the state equation of descriptor fractional linear systems is derived. It is shown that every electrical circuit is a descriptor fractional systems if it contains at least one mesh consisting of branches with only ideal supercondensators and voltage sources, or at least one node with branches containing supercoils. Using the Weierstrass regular pencil decomposition the solution to the state equation of descriptor fractional discrete-time linear systems is derived. A method for decomposition of the descriptor fractional linear systems with regular pencils into dynamic and static parts is proposed. The considerations are illustrated by numerical examples.
A new sensor placement problem is formulated to cover two objectives of: (1) assuring quality of water delivered to consumers; and (2) detection of any contamination event at the earliest so as to minimize its consequences, through maximization of: (1) demand coverage; and (2) time-constrained detection likelihood for pressure deficient networks. The network may become pressure-deficient owing to continued use of water distribution network beyond its design life. The two objectives are combined using weights. Genetic algorithm is used to obtain optimum sensor locations. The methodology is applied to a pressure-deficient network in the Dharampeth zone of Nagpur city (India). The pressure-dependent analysis is carried out using WaterGem v8i to simulate the system hydraulics. Performance objectives are evaluated considering the availability of flows at nodes and velocity of flow in pipes under pressure-deficient conditions. Comparison of optimal sensor network design is carried out with that obtained by demand-dependent analysis.
Soil water evaporation from the cropping surface is a wasteful loss of potentially productive rainwater, thus efficient use of rainwater can help to sustain dryland production. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of canopy shading (CS) and mulch levels (ML) on soil water evaporation (Es) from each 1 m section of in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) and to evaluate the Ritchie (alpha') and Stroosnijder (beta') soil evaporation models on the effect of surface treatments. A microlysimetric method was used to measure Es from beneath maize (Zea mays L.) canopy for three consecutive drying cycles across the basin and runoff sections of IRWH on fine sandy loam soil of Bainsvlei Kenilworth ecotope. First, main effects of four runoff strip lengths (RSL) and three ML treatments were statistically analysed on the weighted Es values. Second, the ML treatments were allocated to the main plots and four levels of CS allocated according to lengths of the runoff sections. Third, cumulative Es (Sigma Es) measurements were used to evaluate empirical equations related to time (alpha') and potential evaporation (beta'). The two models for Es were compared by considering the effects of surface treatments. A significantly higher Es was observed from a bare (ML0%) treatment compared with either of two mulched treatments viz, mulch level 39% and 96% cover (ML39% and ML96%); no significant differences were found between the mulched treatments. The insignificant effect of RSL treatments on Es implied the dynamics of spatial distribution of soil water and energy that influenced evaporation were as a result of green mulch or shading cover (CS) on Es beneath the canopy. Less suppressive Es properties were developed from bare surface and efficient Es restriction was found under high mulch and shading cover treatments. The alpha' and beta' values ranged from 2.34 to 4.26 mm d(-0.5) and from 1.38 to 2.06 mm d(-0.5), respectively. In all the treatments the simulated Sigma Es was underestimated by the Ritchie model and overestimated by the Stroosnijder model. The main effect of shading was due to the dominant effect of energy limited evaporation (stage-1), while the mulched treatments were mainly driven by soil limited stage (stage-2) of evaporation. The Ritchie model performed well to estimate Sigma Es from the basin area and the potential Stroosnijder model from the unshaded runoff strips. The microclimate of the cropping system changed according to surface treatments that highly influenced the Es losses in IRWH of dryland production. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Since substitution box (S-box) is the only nonlinear component related to confusion properties for many block encryption algorithms, it is a necessity for the strong block encryption algorithms. S-box is a vital component in cryptography due to having the effect on the security of entire system. Therefore, alternative S-box construction techniques have been proposed in many researches. In this study, a new S-box construction method based on fractional-order (FO) chaotic Chen system is presented. In order to achieve that goal, numerical results of the FO chaotic Chen system for a = 35, b = 3, c = 28 and alpha = 0.9 are obtained by employing the predictor-corrector scheme. Besides, a simpler algorithm is suggested for the construction of S-box via time response of the FO chaotic Chen system. The performance of suggested S-box design is compared with other S-box designs developed by chaotic systems, and it is observed that this method provides a stronger S-box design.
Background: Alcohol ingestion influences sensory-motor function and the overall well-being of individuals. Detecting alcohol induced impairments in gait in daily life necessitates a continuous and unobtrusive gait monitoring system. Objectives: This paper introduces the development and use of a non-intrusive monitoring system to detect changes in gait induced by alcohol intoxication. Methods: The proposed system employed a pair of sensorized smart shoes that are equipped with pressure sensors on the insole. Gait features were extracted and adjusted based on individual's gait profile. The adjusted gait features were used to train a machine learning classifier to discriminate alcohol-impaired gait from normal walking. In experiment of pilot study, twenty participants completed walking trials on a 12 meter walkway to measure their sober walking and alcohol-impaired walking using smart shoes. Results: The proposed system can detect alcohol-impaired gait with an accuracy of 86.2% when pressure value analysis and person-dependent model for the classifier are applied, while statistical analysis revealed that no single feature was discriminative for the detection of gait impairment. Conclusions: Alcohol-induced gait disturbances can be detected with smart shoe technology for an automated monitoring in ubiquitous environment. We demonstrated that personal monitoring and machine learning-based prediction could be customized to detect individual variation rather than applying uniform boundary parameters of gait.
The effectiveness of layered-geotextile protection layers comprised of combinations of nonwoven needle-punched, woven slit-film, and nonwoven heat-bonded geotextiles to minimize strains in landfill geomembranes is examined. Results from physical experiments are reported where a sustained 700-N force was applied to a 28-mm-diameter machined steel probe on top of the protection layer, which was above a 60-mm-diameter, 1.5-mm-thick high-density polyethylene geomembrane and a 50-mm-thick compressible clay layer. The experiments are intended to simulate the physical conditions in a medium-sized landfill with an average vertical stress of 250 kPa and to capture the mean response with nominal 50-mm coarse gravel above the geomembrane. Screening tests were first conducted for up to 100 h at temperatures up to 55 degrees C to evaluate three different combinations of layered geotextiles. Of those examined, the combination with a low-slack, heat-bonded geotextile above and below a thick, nonwoven, needle-punched geotextile as its central core was found to provide the lowest strains. A time-temperature superposition method was then developed and validated as a means to predict the long-term effectiveness of the most promising layered-geotextile composite. Last, long-term predictions of tensile strain were made and compared with proposed allowable limits. Despite the encouraging results from the short-term screening tests, even the most promising layered-geotextile composite is not recommended as a protection layer to limit long-term geomembrane strains for the particular force, particle size, and materials examined because the predicted strain after 100 years at 22-55 degrees C of similar to 10% exceeds the range of currently proposed limits of 3-8%. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000812. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Background: The intracerebroventricular injection of beta-amyloid (A beta) in mice allows the investigation of acute effects on cognitive function and cellular pathology. The aim of this investigation was to further characterize the time course of A beta-induced cognitive and behavioural changes and to detect potential molecular mechanisms. Methods: Cannulas were implanted in the lateral cerebral ventricle. 14 days after surgery the mice were injected with A beta 1-42 or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Starting 2, 4 or 8 (PBS only 4) days after injection we evaluated cognitive and behavioural performance using the modified hole board test (mHBT). We determined tumour-necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and caspase 3 by western blotting, on days 10, 12 and 16. Data were analysed using general linear modelling, Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney-U test. Results: A beta induced a decline in cognitive performance represented as an increased total number of wrong choices during the testing period from day 2-15 (p < 0.05). Behavioural parameters were comparable between mice treated with A beta and PBS. There was no difference regarding TNF alpha levels between the groups. Compared to day 16 Caspase 3 levels were increased on day 10 (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Application of A beta in the lateral ventricle of mice is associated with cognitive impairment of declarative memory in the mHBT. There is no interference caused by altered behaviour. Therefore, it represents a valid model for acute A beta-mediated neurotoxic effects. Although the exact mechanisms remain unclear, changes in levels of Caspase 3 suggest apoptosis as an important factor for the development of cognitive dysfunction.(C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights
Rule-based people strive to conform to a moral norm. Outcome-based people, on the other hand, adjust their behavior to the concrete consequences of their acts. We argue that the categorization of the mind-set may also be informative when it comes to explaining the effects that good and bad moral examples have on the moral behavior of the observer. To test this, we play a dictator game after dictators observed prosocial and antisocial third-party actions in a different domain. The consequences of these actions affected dictator and receiver identically. We hypothesized that this makes it unnecessary for an outcome-minded dictator to intervene correctively, while it influences a rule-minded dictator to follow the example by aligning her behavior. In line with our hypothesis, we find that only rule-minded dictators reacted to the example set by others. They are, however, asymmetrically incited by moral transgressions, while being left uninspired by praiseworthy examples. Our findings call for some precaution when applying policy measures based on informing people about prosocial and antisocial behavior, especially in cultures in which the moral focus is on rules. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Building physical computing projects can enable learners to integrate computing into a range of interests and disciplines. However, the electronic portion of these projects can be difficult. Students are learning new concepts as well as how to work with new tools. This influx of information can be difficult for students to retain in their working memory as they construct their circuits. In this paper, we introduce BitBlox, a set of modular, solderless Breadboards for prototyping circuits. BitBlox attempts to decrease the cognitive load on the user by reducing the complexity found in the standard Breadboard by bringing visibility to the underlying connections within its modules. We present a comparative classroom study integrating the Breadboard and BitBlox into two different high school classes. Our qualitative analysis focuses on student errors, strategies, and collaborative practices, highlighting important dynamics for designing hardware tools.
The triclinic phase of zinc molybdate alpha-ZnMoO4 (ZMO) was synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method at 600 degrees C. The crystal structure of the obtained polycrystalline sample of ZMO was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld calculations using the space group P-1. The electrical properties of alpha-ZnMoO4 compacted pellets were determined at room temperature from electrical impedance spectrometry (EIS), in the temperature range of 400-700 degrees C. Nyquist representations were interpreted in terms of two types of electrical circuits, involving a high frequency bulk component and a low frequency Warburg component. Analyses of the frequency dependence of the real and imaginary impedance show a non-Debye type relaxation. A phase transition corresponding to the allotropic transformation triclinic-monoclinic (alpha ->beta) of ZnMoO4 was observed in the temperature range of 450-500 degrees C, with a variation of activation energies. The Warburg component is discussed in terms of electrode surface reactions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.
Low impact development (LID) has attracted growing attention as an important approach for urban flood mitigation. Most studies evaluating LID performance for mitigating floods focus on the changes of peak flow and runoff volume. This paper assessed the performance of LID practices for mitigating flood inundation hazards as retrofitting technologies in an urbanized watershed in Nanjing, China. The findings indicate that LID practices are effective for flood inundation mitigation at the watershed scale, and especially for reducing inundated areas with a high flood hazard risk. Various scenarios of LID implementation levels can reduce total inundated areas by 2%-17% and areas with a high flood hazard level by 6%-80%. Permeable pavement shows better performance than rainwater harvesting against mitigating urban waterlogging. The most efficient scenario is combined rainwater harvesting on rooftops with a cistern capacity of 78.5 mm and permeable pavement installed on 75% of non -busy roads and other impervious surfaces. Inundation modeling is an effective approach to obtaining the information necessary to guide decision-making for designing LID practices at watershed scales. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological disorder that significantly impairs children's social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and behaviors. Questions about theory of mind (ToM) deficits in ASD have generated a large number of empirical studies. This article reviews current studies of the relationship between ToM and ASD, including contributions to the understanding of social and academic manifestations of ASD. Several themes emerge: Enhanced language and verbal abilities facilitate better ToM understanding; implicit ToM elements that incorporate parallel processing pose more difficulties than explicit ones; and general and multimodal interventions are more effective than specific interventions. A brief overview is followed by a review of emerging research on the role of domain-general cognitive skills (executive function) and central coherence in the development of ToM. Next, a summary of studies addressing ToM across the development and social and academic manifestations is presented. The article ends with a critical review of ToM intervention studies, which suggests that generalization may be more likely to occur when ToM is targeted as part of broader sociocognitive interventions rather than as an isolated skill.
The interest of the present work is focused on the improvement of the students learning process through the use of a Wiki-like platform. In our research The Wiki was intended as a mean in order to make easier the learning project. During the academic year 2011/2012 the Area of Manufacturing Engineering of the University of Oviedo was involved in a project which aim was the creation of a Wiki. Nowadays this software is used as auxiliary material for other subjects that are given by the Manufacturing Engineering Area in those new Engineering degrees that have been created in order to adapt the studies to the requirement of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). According to the results obtained by the students, it can be stated that the higher the mark of the student's Wiki the better his/her mark in the exam is.
In this paper, a novel adaptive synchronous rectification method for digitally controlled LLC converters is proposed. By sensing the synchronous rectifier (SR) body diode forward drop, both the SR turn-on and turn-off edges are optimized for efficiency. Negative current prevention is utilized to improve the system robustness and is enhanced by simple digital control capabilities. Compared with a conventional analog SR control approach, this method achieves higher system efficiency and flexibility. This control method has been implemented in a Texas Instruments digital power controller UCD3138A and a companion gate driver UCD7138 [1][2].
Human behaviour is context-dependent based on predictions and influenced by the environment and other people. We live in a dynamic world where both the, social stimuli and their context are constantly changing. Similar dynamic, natural stimuli should, in the future, be increasingly used to study social brain functions, with parallel development of appropriate signal-analysis methods. Understanding dynamic neural processes also requires accurate time-sensitive characterization of the behaviour. To go beyond the traditional stimulus response approaches, brain activity should be recorded simultaneously from two interacting subjects to reveal why human social interaction is critically different from just reacting to each other. This theme issue on Attending to and neglecting people contains original work and review papers on person perception and social interaction. The articles cover research from neuroscience, psychology, robotics, animal interaction research and microsociology. Some of the papers are co-authored by scientists who presented their own, independent views in the recent Attention and Performance XXVI conference but were brave enough to join forces with a colleague having a different background and views. In the future, information needs to converge across disciplines to provide us a more holistic view of human behaviour, its interactive nature, as well as the temporal dynamics of our social world.
A verification methodology is described and evaluated to formally determine uncertain linear systems stability in digital controllers with considerations to the implementation aspects. In particular, this methodology is combined with the digital-system verifier (DSVerifier), which is a verification tool that employs Bounded Model Checking based on Satisfiability Modulo Theories to check the stability of digital control systems with uncertainty. DSVerifier determines the control system stability, considering all the plant interval variation set, together with the Finite Word-length (FWL) effects in the digital controller implementation; DSVerifier checks the robust non-fragile stability of a given closed-loop system. The proposed methodology and respective tool are evaluated considering non-fragile control examples from literature. Experimental results show that the approach used in this study is able to foresee fragility problems in robust controllers, which could be overlooked by other existing approaches due to underestimating of FWL effects.
The current focus on delivery of personalised (or precision) medicine reflects the expectation that developments in genomics, imaging and other domains will extend our diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, and enable more effective targeting of current and future preventative and therapeutic options. The clinical benefits of this approach are already being realised in rare diseases and cancer but the impact on management of complex diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, remains limited. This may reflect reliance on inappropriate models of disease architecture, based around rare, high-impact genetic and environmental exposures that are poorly suited to our emerging understanding of type 2 diabetes. This review proposes an alternative 'palette' model, centred on a molecular taxonomy that focuses on positioning an individual with respect to the major pathophysiological processes that contribute to diabetes risk and progression. This model anticipates that many individuals with diabetes will have multiple parallel defects that affect several of these processes. One corollary of this model is that research efforts should, at least initially, be targeted towards identifying and characterising individuals whose adverse metabolic trajectory is dominated by perturbation in a restricted set of processes.
The presence of psychological distress has a negative impact not only on cancer patients' quality of life but also on the course of the disease, with slower recovery and increased morbidity. These issues are of particular importance in melanoma patients (MP), who remain at risk of disease progression for many years after diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate psychological distress, coping strategies, and their possible relationships with demographic-clinical features in patients with early-stage melanoma in follow-up. The investigation focused in particular on whether the psychological profile differed between patients at different melanoma stages. Data of 118 patients with melanoma in the Tis-Ia stages (MP_Tis-Ia) and 86 patients with melanoma in the Ib-IIa-IIb stages (MP_Ib-II) were gathered through a self-administered survey and compared using a cross-sectional design. The results evidenced a high percentage of anxiety (25%) and distress symptoms (44%), whereas depressive symptoms seemed less frequent (8%). Psychological distress was higher in women than in men, and in patients with a higher educational level. Nevertheless, no significant differences were found between MP_Tis-Ia and MP_Ib-II. With respect to coping style, the patients in this sample adopted predominantly positive and active strategies. Correlational analyses showed that maladaptive coping strategies such as behavioral disengagement, denial, self-distraction, and self-blame were most strongly related to increased levels of psychological distress. The high presence of anxiety and distress symptoms, their relationship, and the use of negative coping strategies underline the importance of psychological distress screening also in early-stage MP, including at long-term follow-up. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
A meminductor is a new type of memory device. It is of importance to study meminductor model and its application in nonlinear circuit prospectively. For this purpose, we present a novel mathematical model of meminductor, which considers the effects of internal state variable and therefore will be more consistent with future actual meminductor device. By using several operational amplifiers, multipliers, capacitors and resistors, the equivalent circuit of the model is designed for exploring its characteristics. This equivalent circuit can be employed to design meminductor-based application circuits as a meminductor emulator. By employing simulation experiment, we investigate the characteristics of this meminductor driven by sinusoidal excitation. The characteristic curves of current-flux (i-phi), voltage-flux (v-phi), v-rho (internal variable of meminductor) and phi-rho for the meminductor model are given by theoretical analyses and simulations. The curve of current-flux (i-phi) is a pinched hysteretic loop passing through the origin. The area bounding each sub-loop deforms as the frequency varies, and with the increase of frequency, the shape of the pinched hysteretic loop tends to be a straight line, indicating a dependence on frequency for the meminductor. Based on the meminductor model, a meminductive Wien-bridge chaotic oscillator is designed and analyzed. Some dynamical properties, including equilibrium points and the stability, bifurcation and Lyapunov exponent of the oscillator, are investigated in detail by theoretical analyses and simulations. By utilizing Lyapunov spectrum, bifurcation diagram and dynamical map, it is found that the system has periodic, quasi-periodic and chaotic states. Furthermore, there exist some complicated nonlinear phenomena for the system, such as constant Lyapunov exponent spectrum and nonlinear amplitude modulation of chaotic signals. Moreover, we also find the nonlinear phenomena of coexisting bifurcation and coexisting attractors, including coexistence of two different chaotic attractors and coexistence of two different periodic attractors. The phenomenon shows that the state of this oscilator is highly sensitive to its initial valuse, not only for chaotic state but also for periodic state, which is called coexistent oscillation in this paper. The basic mechanism and potential applications of the existing attractors are illustrated, which can be used to generate robust pseudo random sequence, or multiplexed pseudo random sequence. Finally, by using the equivalent circuit of the proposed meminducive model, we realize an analog electronic circuit of the meminductive Wien-bridge chaotic system. The results of circuit experiment are displayed by the oscilloscope, which can verify the chaotic characteristics of the oscillator. The oscillator, as a pseudo random signal source, can be used to generate chaotic signals for the applications in chaotic cryptography and secret communications.
We previously reported the secretion of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) from vascular endothelial cells and proposed the existence of a vascular natriuretic peptide system composed of endothelial CNP and smooth muscle guanylyl cyclase-B (GC-B), the CNP receptor, and involved in the regulation of vascular tone, remodeling, and regeneration. In this study, we assessed the functional significance of this system in the regulation of blood pressure in vivo using vascular endothelial cell-specific CNP knockout and vascular smooth muscle cell-specific GC-B knockout mice. These mice showed neither the skeletal abnormality nor the early mortality observed in systemic CNP or GC-B knockout mice. Endothelial cell-specific CNP knockout mice exhibited significantly increased blood pressures and an enhanced acute hypertensive response to nitric oxide synthetase inhibition. Acetylcholine-induced, endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation was impaired in rings of mesenteric artery isolated from endothelial cell-specific CNP knockout mice. In addition, endothelin-1 gene expression was enhanced in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells from endothelial cell-specific CNP knockout mice, which also showed significantly higher plasma endothelin-1 concentrations and a greater reduction in blood pressure in response to an endothelin receptor antagonist than their control littermates. By contrast, vascular smooth muscle cell-specific GC-B knockout mice exhibited blood pressures similar to control mice, and acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation was preserved in their isolated mesenteric arteries. Nonetheless, CNP-induced acute vasorelaxation was nearly completely abolished in mesenteric arteries from vascular smooth muscle cell-specific GC-B knockout mice. These results demonstrate that endothelium-derived CNP contributes to the chronic regulation of vascular tone and systemic blood pressure by maintaining endothelial function independently of vascular smooth muscle GC-B. Online Data Supplement
Given two linear projections of maximal rank from P-k to P-h1 and P-h2 with k >= 3 and h(1) + h(2) >= k+1 the Grassmann tensor introduced by Hartley and Schaffalitzky (Int J Comput Vis 83(3):274-293, 2009. doi:10.1007/s11263-009-0225-1), turns out to be a generalized fundamental matrix. Such matrices are studied in detail and, in particular, their rank is computed. The dimension of the variety that parameterizes such matrices is also determined. An algorithmic application of the generalized fundamental matrix to projective reconstruction is described.
Background: The field of structural dynamics of cytoskeletons in living cells is gathering wide interest, since better understanding of cytoskeleton intracellular organization will provide us with not only insights into basic cell biology but may also enable development of new strategies in regenerative medicine and cancer therapy, fields in which cytoskeleton-dependent dynamics play a pivotal role. The nanoneedle technology is a powerful tool allowing for intracellular investigations, as it can be directly inserted into live cells by penetrating through the plasma membrane causing minimal damage to cells, under the precise manipulation using atomic force microscope. Modifications of the nanoneedles using antibodies have allowed for accurate mechanical detection of various cytoskeletal components, including actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments. However, successful penetration of the nanoneedle through the plasma membrane has been shown to vary greatly between different cell types and conditions. In an effort to overcome this problem and improve the success rate of nanoneedle insertion into the live cells, we have focused here on the fluidity of the membrane lipid bilayer, which may hinder nanoneedle penetration into the cytosolic environment. Results: We aimed to reduce apparent fluidity of the membrane by either increasing the approach velocity or reducing experimental temperatures. Although changes in approach velocity did not have much effect, lowering the temperature was found to greatly improve the detection of unbinding forces, suggesting that alteration in the plasma membrane fluidity led to increase in nanoneedle penetration. Conclusions: Operation at a lower temperature of 4 degrees C greatly improved the success rate of nanoneedle insertion to live cells at an optimized approach velocity, while it did not affect the binding of antibodies immobilized on the nanoneedle to vimentins for mechanical detection. As these experimental parameters can be applied to various cell types, these results may improve the versatility of the nanoneedle technology to other cell lines and platforms.
This article explores the ethical issues that have been identified in emerging technologies, from early genetic engineering to synthetic biology. The scientific advances in the field form a continuum, and some ethical considerations can be raised time and again when new developments occur. An underlying concern is the cumulative effect of scientific advances and ensuing technological innovation that can change our understanding of life and humanity.
Dual boundary integral equation (BIE) was developed for problems containing degenerate boundaries in 1988 by Hong and Chen [Journal of Engineering Mechanics-ASCE, 114, 6, 1988] and was termed the dual boundary element method (BEM) in 1992 by Portela et al. [International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 33, 6, 1992]. After near 30 years, the dual BIE/BEM for the problem containing a zero-thickness barrier was revisited mathematically to study the rank deficiency from the viewpoint of the updating term and the updating document of singular value decomposition (SVD) [Journal of Mechanics, 31, 5, 2015]. In this paper, we revisit the dual BEM from the physical point of view. Although there is no zero-thickness barrier in the real world, it is always required to simulate a finite-thickness degenerate boundary to be zero-thickness in comparison with sea, air or earth scale. For example, a sheet pile, a screen, a crack problem, a thin airfoil and a breakwater were modeled by the geometry of zero-thickness. The role of the dual BEM is evident since Lafe et al. [Journal of the Hydraulics Division-ASCE, 106, 6, 1980] used the conventional BEM to model the finite-thickness pile wall to geometrically approximate zero-thickness barrier but numerically yielding divergent solution. On the contrary, we physically model the finite-thickness breakwater as a zero-thickness barrier. The breakwater is employed as an illustrative case to demonstrate that the dual BEM simulated by a zero-thickness barrier can yield more acceptable results to match the experiment data in comparison with those of the finite thickness using the conventional BEM. Finally, a single horizontal plate and two dual horizontal plates in vertical direction and in horizontal direction are three illustrative cases to tell you why the dual BEM is necessary not only in mathematics but also in physics.
ARINC 653 provides a strong isolation mechanism for safety computing fields, such as aircrafts. seL4, a 3rd generation microkernel, was formally verified for its functional correctness and provides a desirable code base for partitioning operating systems. But there is a long way from seL4 to partitioning. We take the first step and focus on the temporal aspect, i.e., implementing a partitioned scheduler based on seL4. However, seL4 implements a stiff scheduler inside the kernel, which conflicts with the genera principles(eg. ARINC 653 standard) of temporal partitioning. To address this problem, we propose a user-mode approach. We also elaborate performance of our scheduler.
In recent years, the development of CFD simulations has increased the knowledge in fluid-structure interaction problems. This trend has been particularly important for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) and sailing boats. However, especially for these sectors, in which two different fluids are involved, the reliability of CFD prediction tools requires further experimental validations. To this end, as a complementary approach with respect to ocean wave basins, there is the need for wind tunnel aero-elastic dynamic tests. This paper presents the customization of a 6-degrees-of-freedom (DoF) motion-simulator device for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) wind tunnel tests on floating scale models. Each step of the machine design-loop is motivated and described: the kinetostatic synthesis is obtained through a multi-objective optimization using a genetic algorithm, the inverse dynamic properties are mapped on the workspace, and finally the drive system is mechanically sized using the so called alpha-beta theory. The emphasis is placed on the mechatronic design methodology, so that different mechanisms and requirements may be considered. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The initial value problems of nonlinear or stiff ordinary differential equation appear in many fields of engineering science, particularly in the studies of electrical circuits, chemical reactions, wave vibration and so on. In this research, the standard homotopy analysis method hybrids with Laplace transform method to solve nonlinear and stiff differential equations. Using this modification, the problems solved by LHAM successfully yield good solutions. Some examples are examined to highlight the convenience and effectiveness of LHAM.
This paper investigates the applicability, reliability and economic benefit of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to partially offset the daily water demand in the multistoried residential buildings in combination with the town water supply systems in Dhaka city. A comprehensive computer software was developed with a view to assessing the reliability and feasibility of the RWH systems in an urban setup. The software was developed using daily water balance modelling concept, which uses input data like daily rainfall, roof catchment area, runoff losses and tank volume. Three distinct climatic scenarios, i.e. wet, average and dry years were chosen by analysing historical 20-years daily rainfall data. Typical residential buildings of plot size 2.5-5.0 katha (168-335 m(2)) were considered for the study. Results indicated that about 15-25% reliability can be achieved under the wet climatic condition and for catchment sizes varying from 140 m(2) to 200 m(2), 250 kL to 550 kL of rainwater can be harvested each year. Several reliability curves have been presented for two roof catchment sizes (140 m(2) and 200 m(2)) under three climatic scenarios and an insignificant increase in the reliability of the RWH system beyond the tank volume of 30 m(3) was observed. The current underground tank sizes of the residential buildings are sufficient to prevent the potential overflow during monsoon. A monetary saving of around 2000 BDT can be achieved for the catchment size of 140 m(2) with tank size of 40 m(3) under average year climate condition and the monetary saving increases with increase in catchment size. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Nanovesicles (similar to 100 nm) are ubiquitous in cell biology and an important vector for drug delivery. Mechanical properties of vesicles are known to influence cellular uptake, but the mechanism by which deformation dynamics affect internalization is poorly understood. This is partly due to the fact that experimental studies of the mechanics of such vesicles remain challenging, particularly at the nanometer scale where appropriate theoretical models have also been lacking. Here, we probe the mechanical properties of nanoscale liposomes using atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation. The mechanical response of the nanovesicles shows initial linear behavior and subsequent flattening corresponding to inward tether formation. We derive a quantitative model, including the competing effects of internal pressure and membrane bending, that corresponds well to these experimental observations. Our results are consistent with a bending modulus of the lipid bilayer of similar to 1.4k(b)T. Surprisingly, we find that vesicle stiffness is pressure dominated for adherent vesicles under physiological conditions. Our experimental method and quantitative theory represents a robust approach to study the mechanics of nanoscale vesicles, which are abundant in biology, as well as being of interest for the rational design of liposomal vectors for drug delivery.
Bone remodelling, which maintains bone mass constant during adulthood, is an energy-demanding process. This, together with the observation that the adipocyte-derived hormone leptin is a major inhibitor of bone remodelling, led to the hypothesis that bone cells regulate energy metabolism through an endocrine mechanism. Studies to test this hypothesis identified osteocalcin, a hormone secreted by osteoblasts, as a positive regulator of insulin secretion, insulin resistance and energy expenditure. Remarkably, insulin signalling in osteoblasts is a positive regulator of osteocalcin production and activation via its ability to indirectly enhance bone resorption by osteoclasts. In contrast, leptin is a potent inhibitor of osteocalcin function through its effect on the sympathetic tone. Hence, osteocalcin is part of a complex signalling network between bone and the organs more classically associated with the regulation of energy homeostasis, such as the pancreas and adipose tissue. This review summarises the molecular and cellular bases of the present knowledge on osteocalcin biology and discusses the potential relevance of osteocalcin to human metabolism and pathology.
The genetic differentiation among the populations of the European abalone Haliotis tuberculata was investigated using different markers to better understand the evolutionary history and exchanges between populations. Three markers were used: mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI), the sperm lysin nuclear gene, and eight nuclear microsatellites. These markers present different characteristics concerning mutation rate and inheritance, which provided complementary information about abalone history and gene diversity. Genetic diversity and relationships among subspecies were calculated from a sample of approximately 500 individuals, collected from 17 different locations in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, Macaronesia, and Mediterranean Sea. COI marker was used to explore the phylogeny of the species with a network analysis and two phylogenetic methods. The analysis revealed 18 major haplotypes grouped into two distinct clades with a pairwise sequence divergence up to 3.5 %. These clades do not correspond to subspecies but revealed many contacts along Atlantic coast during the Pleistocene interglaciations. The sperm lysin gene analysis separated two different subtaxa: one associated to Macaronesian islands, and the other to all other populations. Moreover, a small population of the northern subtaxon was isolated in the Adriatic Seaprobably before the separation of the two lineages-and evolved independently. Microsatellites were analyzed by different genetics methods, including the Bayesian clustering method and migration patterns analysis. It revealed genetically distinct microsatellite patterns among populations from Mediterranean Sea, Brittany and Normandy, Morocco, and Canary and Balearic islands. Gene flow is asymmetric among the regions; the Azores and the Canary Islands are particularly isolated and have low effective population sizes. Our results support the hypothesis that climate changes since the Pleistocene glaciations have played a major role in the geographic distribution of the European abalone. Traces of these events related to maternal inheritance were shown on COI marker.
In due consideration of the growing importance of chemical sensors for the detection and quantification of toxic heavy metal ions to counter water pollution, a novel class of tellurium-based organic receptors has been investigated as a potentially sensitive and selective silver-ion probe in the present work. The new tellurium-incorporated Schiff base ligand (R1) was chemically synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. Upon an exposure of organic nanoparticles (N1) of the title receptor ligand (R1) to a pool of select heavy metal ions, the former displayed high sensitivity and selectivity towards silver ions, in aqueous medium, with a detection limit of 2.34 nM. Interestingly, the presence of metal ions bearing close physico-chemical resemblance to silver exerted negligible interference in the ultra-sensitive detection of silver ions by the title probe Nl. Furthermore, the precision and accuracy of the potential silver-ion sensor (N1) in aqueous medium was established across a wide pH range as well as under saline conditions. The analytical utility of this potential silver-ion probe R1 was further investigated for real sample analysis of objects of environmental applicability. The results of the same were authenticated by using atomic absorption spectroscopy. In summary, an investigation into the utility of a new class of tellurium-based organic receptors as potential metal-ion sensors opens a new avenue into the rather poorly-comprehended environmental relevance of organotellurium chemistry. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Water scarcity, pertaining to many interrelated issues e.g. rapid urbanisation and increasing water pollution, has been acknowledged around the world. Water reuse has emerged as a viable water conservation measure to satisfy water demand in many communities. Among the diversity of wastewater treatment processes, membrane assisted treatment technologies have been employed for different water reuse scenarios. In this regard, one of the most critical problems is how to select an appropriate membrane technology for a water reuse scenario. This research therefore develops a decision making framework for selection of wastewater treatment technology. The framework is applied to different non-potable reuse scenarios in South African cities and suburban areas by employing a multi criteria analysis method. The results show that this approach is able to provide a systematic and rigorous analysis which can help in comparing and selecting wastewater technologies.
The main tendency of rolling mills drives modernization is outdated analog control systems replacement with new digital ones. At the same time, a power section of the drive remains the same. This gives an opportunity to develop and implement adaptive digital control system for such plants in order to take into consideration their high nonlinearity. Having considered different types of such systems, the ones which does not change the well-accepted PID control algorithm, but tune its parameters KP, KI, KD are believed to have the highest chances to be applied into industry. The main aim of this research is to develop and apply a neural tuner to adjust armature current PI-controller parameters of a two-high reversing rolling mill drive online. The neural tuner consists of 1) a neural network calculating KP and KI values and trained online with the help of backpropagation method and 2) a rule base, which conditions is used to estimate transient quality, whereas consequences are values of a learning rate of the network output layer neurons. Modeling experiments are conducted with a model of the plant under consideration. They are used to check the ability of the tuner to: 1) adjust the PI-controller parameters back to optimal values; 2) cope with an armature winding parameters drift. Such experiments are conducted both for the systems with the neural tuner and a conventional PI-controller. As far as the second type of experiments is concerned, the system with the neural tuner is able to achieve 2% energy consumption decrease comparing to a conventional PI-controller based control system.
In this paper, we present the evaluation of a DBD reactor that generates an energy per pulse of 65.3 mJ in order to inactivate E. coli ATCC 8739 at 10(3), 10(6), and 10(8) CFU/mL order concentrations and E. cloacae CDBB-B-963 at 10(3) and 10(7) CFU/mL order concentrations, in a volume of water flowing continuously. Particularly, experimentation is focused in 500 mL, under atmospheric pressure. The DBD reactor was coupled to a peristaltic pump type, a cooling jacket, containers for water in treatment and cooling fluid, and systems to monitor the experimental conditions. The implementation of the experiments was carried out at three different fluid flow rates: 2.0 +/- 0.1, 3.5 +/- 0.1, and 4.4 +/- 0.1 mL/s; in each of them the time required to carry out a cycle of treatment corresponded to 256 +/- 7, 143 +/- 2, and 113 +/- 1 s, respectively. During the DBD application, water flowed continuously at recirculation mode, promoting the continuous oxygen injection at 8.3 mL/s. In the three established fluid flow rates, the efficacy of treatment reached 100% in inactivation of E. coli bacteria at 10(3) and 10(6) order concentrations at the end of the first cycle of treatment. At 10(8) CFU/mL order concentration, complete inactivation of E. coli bacteria was achieved at the end of the fourth cycle of treatment. Meanwhile, E. cloacae bacteria showed an inactivation of 100% at the end of the first cycle of treatment at 10(3) order concentration; when the order concentration increased to 10(7), the efficacy of the process depended on the fluid flow rate, at 3.5 +/- 0.1 and 2.0 +/- 0.1 mL/s survival was 0% at the end of the first cycle of treatment; nevertheless, at the highest (4.4 +/- 0.1 mL/s), an additional cycle was required.
Introduction: At present, treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is still mainly based on drugs acting on glycemic and blood pressure control, as there is no validated therapy able to halt the progression of renal failure. Because of the high incidence of DKD, due to the increase of diabetes mellitus in general population, new therapeutic strategies are needed.Areas covered: We analysed ongoing and already completed clinical trials, from clinicaltrials.gov and PubMed, dealing with new therapies for DKD.Expert opinion: Among the drugs currently being explored, the most promising molecules are those that interfere with glucose-dependent pathways, in particular polyol, protein kinase, hexosamine and AGEs metabolic pathways, and impaired renal vascular regulation. One of the recent goals achieved by molecular biology is the development of monoclonal antibodies able to interfere with extracellular matrix accumulation and fibrosis. Other interesting therapies are under investigation and further studies with a greater number of patients will establish a better approach for diabetic nephropathy.
Clinical assessment of immediate in-brace effect of braces designed using CAD/CAM and FEM vs. only CAD/CAM for conservative treatment of AIS, using a randomized blinded and controlled study design. Forty AIS patients were prospectively recruited and randomized into two groups. For 19 patients (control group), the brace was designed using a scan of patient's torso and a conventional CAD/CAM approach (CtrlBrace). For the 21 other patients (test group), the brace was additionally designed using finite element modeling (FEM) and 3D reconstructions of spine, rib cage and pelvis (NewBrace). The NewBrace design was simulated and iteratively optimized to maximize the correction and minimize the contact surface and material. Both groups had comparable age, sex, weight, height, curve type and severity. Scoliosis Research Society standardized criteria for bracing were followed. Average Cobb angle prior to bracing was 27A degrees and 28A degrees for main thoracic (MT) and lumbar (L) curves, respectively, for the control group, while it was 33A degrees and 28A degrees for the test group. CtrlBraces reduced MT and L curves by 8A degrees (29 %) and 10A degrees (40 %), respectively, compared to 14A degrees (43 %) and 13A degrees (46 %) for NewBraces, which were simulated with a difference inferior to 5A degrees. NewBraces were 50 % thinner and had 20 % less covering surface than CtrlBraces. Braces designed with CAD/CAM and 3D FEM simulation were more efficient and lighter than standard CAD/CAM TLSO's at first immediate in-brace evaluation. These results suggest that long-term effect of bracing in AIS may be improved using this new platform for brace fabrication. NCT02285621.
Neural networks are becoming central in several areas of computer vision and image processing and different architectures have been proposed to solve specific problems. The impact of the loss layer of neural networks, however, has not received much attention in the context of image processing: the default and virtually only choice is l(2). In this paper, we bring attention to alternative choices for image restoration. In particular, we show the importance of perceptually-motivated losses when the resulting image is to be evaluated by a human observer. We compare the performance of several losses, and propose a novel, differentiable error function. We show that the quality of the results improves significantly with better loss functions, even when the network architecture is left unchanged.
The current study examines how discrete emotions function in the manifestation of the third-person effect of news coverage of election poll results. An online survey was conducted employing a sample of undergraduate students from the United States (n = 197) and South Korea (n = 178) before the 2012 presidential elections in the two countries. Results demonstrate that third-person perception is negatively associated with pride, which, in turn, is positively linked to political participation intention only for the supporters of a losing candidate. For U.S. respondents, third-person perception is positively associated with anger, which is positively associated with support for restrictions on polling news. For South Korean respondents, the mediation of anxiety between third-person perception and political participation intention is significant for the supporters of a losing candidate. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Three studies contribute to the literature on dominance and nonverbal behavior (Ellyson & Dovidio, 1985) by examining how a man's choice to shave his head influences person perception. In Study 1, men with shaved heads were rated as more dominant than similar men with full heads of hair. In Study 2, men whose hair was digitally removed were perceived as more dominant, taller, and stronger than their authentic selves. Study 3 extends these results with nonphotographic stimuli and demonstrates how men experiencing natural hair loss may improve their interpersonal standing by shaving. Theories of signaling, norm violation, and stereotypes are examined as explanations for the effect. Practical implications for men's psychological, social, and economic outlooks are also discussed.
Main conclusion Overexpression of the citrus CsTIP2;1 improves plant growth and tolerance to salt and drought stresses by enhancing cell expansion, H (2) O (2) detoxification and stomatal conductance. Tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) are a subfamily of aquaporins, belonging to the major intrinsic protein family. In a previous study, we have shown that a citrus TIP isoform, CsTIP2;1, is highly expressed in leaves and also transcriptionally regulated in leaves and roots by salt and drought stresses and infection by 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus', the causal agent of the Huanglongbing disease, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of the flow of water and nutrients required during both normal growth and stress conditions. Here, we show that the overexpression of CsTIP2;1 in transgenic tobacco increases plant growth under optimal and water- and salt-stress conditions and also significantly improves the leaf water and oxidative status, photosynthetic capacity, transpiration rate and water use efficiency of plants subjected to a progressive soil drying. These results correlated with the enhanced mesophyll cell expansion, midrib aquiferous parenchyma abundance, H2O2 detoxification and stomatal conductance observed in the transgenic plants. Taken together, our results indicate that CsTIP2;1 plays an active role in regulating the water and oxidative status required for plant growth and adaptation to stressful environmental conditions and may be potentially useful for engineering stress tolerance in citrus and other crop plants.
Communicative skills of chimpanzees are of significant interest across many domains, such as developmental psychology (how does communication emerge in prelinguistic beings?), evolution (e.g., did human language evolve from primate gestures?), and in comparative psychology (how does the nonverbal communication of chimpanzees and humans compare?). Here we ask about how gestures develop in chimpanzee infants (n=16) that were raised in an interactive program designed to study skill development. Data on socio-communicative development were collected following 4hr of daily interaction with each infant, longitudinally from birth through the first year of life. A consistent and significant developmental pattern was found across the contexts of tickle play, grooming, and chase play: Infant chimpanzees first engaged in interactions initiated by others, then they initiated interactions, and finally, they requested others to join them in the interaction. Gestures were documented for initiating and requesting tickle play, for initiating and requesting grooming, and for initiating and requesting chase play. Gestural requests emerged significantly later than gestural initiations, but the age at which gestures emerged was significantly different across contexts. Those gestures related to hierarchical rank relations, that is, gestures used by subordinates in interaction with more dominant individuals, such as wrist presenting and rump presenting, did not emerge in the same manner as the other gestures. This study offers a new view on the development of gestures, specifically that many develop through interaction and communicate socio-emotional desires, but that not all gestures emerge in the same manner. Am. J. Primatol. 76:14-29, 2014. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Novel functionalized geotextiles were prepared through chemical functionalization of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) non-woven material by chitosan by using a coating technique with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as the cross-linking agent. The prepared functionalized geotextiles were characterized by using different surface analyses and they show that the chitosan was successfully coated on PET non-woven materials. The ability of the prepared geotextiles to remove some heavy metals (Cu2+, Ni2+, Co2+) from the aqueous solution was also evaluated.
A sustainable strategy for conjunctive water management must include information on the temporal and spatial availability of this natural resource. Because of water shortages in the dry seasons, farmers on the Upper Plain of the Chao Phraya River basin, Thailand, are increasingly using groundwater to meet their irrigation needs. To evaluate the possibilities of conjunctive water management in the area, the spatial-temporal changes in the water table of the Younger Terrace Aquifer were investigated. First, a regional geomorphological map based on field surveys, remote sensing and previous environmental studies was developed. Then, the well data were analyzed in relation to rainfall, streamflow, yield and pumpage, and the data were interpolated using geostatistical techniques. The results were analyzed via integrated zoning based on color theory as applied to multivariate visualization. The analysis results indicate areas that would be more suitable for groundwater extraction in a conjunctive management framework with regard to the natural hydrogeological processes and the effects of human interaction. The kriging results were compared with the geomorphological map, and the geomorphological areas exhibit distinct hydrogeological patterns. The western fans exhibit the best potential for the expansion of conjunctive use, whereas the borders of the northern fans exhibit the lowest potential.
Objective: Microbiota has an important role in human metabolism, nutrition, immunity, and protection against colonization by pathogenic microorganisms. Radiation can harm the beneficial members of the gastrointestinal tract flora. Methods: Our study included 75 rural children aged 4-18 years, who lived in contaminated area exposed to natural environmental radiation with clinical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and 20 healthy urban participants aged 5-15 as control group. The intestinal bacterial microbiota was examined from stool samples. Findings: Our results indicated the population levels of microbiota such as Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and Bifidbacterium in caecal contents in 61 subjects (81.3%) was significantly less than in control group. Conclusion: We investigated alternation of the intestinal microbiota affected by ionizing radiation in children with clinical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Inflammation is an elaborate reflex response of the body to the action of harmful agents. This reaction manifests itself in the form of functional and structural changes of vascular tissues. The inflammatory response is the result of the human evolutionary process. It has three main stages, which are closely related to each other and evolve simultaneously: tissue dystrophy (alteration); impairment of blood circulation (transudation of fluid and migration of leukocytes) and multiplication of cellular elements (proliferation). These phenomena express both a disturbance of biological activity in body tissues and the defense mechanisms to restore the damaged areas. There are two interrelated processes which are often inseparable from each other in the inflammatory response. First, there is the pathological process itself, the tissue damage in form of dystrophy, necrobiosis or necrosis. Second, there is the physiological mechanism of defense, the process of recovery or the physiological response against the disease, manifested as exudation, phagocytosis and proliferation. Simultaneity of both processes is characteristic to inflammatory processes.
On the basis of an integration of dual-process models of information processing and the lens model framework of person perception, we conducted two studies to investigate whether self-perceivers could detect their implicit disposition from video feedback of behavioural cues and whether these cues were used for explicit dispositional inferences under conditions that maximized the presumed self-perception process. Using an approach that differed from previous research, we used the following: (i) a more detailed and stepwise self-perception procedure; (ii) a specific explicit measure compared with a global explicit measure; and (iii) disgust sensitivity as a domain with clear, unambiguous cues and an assumed low self-presentation bias. The results from two studies (N=117 and N=130) on disgust sensitivity provide the first evidence for the assumed process with regard to bodily reaction cues but not with regard to facial expression cues. These novel findings suggest that people can get to know their unconscious selves better if supporting conditions are met and the right behavioural cues are attended to. Additional boundary conditions of this self-perception process were investigated using display rules and need for closure in Study 2. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Smart cards are well-known tamper-resistant devices, and due to their portability and security they represent an excellent platform for implementing strong authentication services. This contribution analyses three Spanish smart card deployments intended to be used for eGoverment services, comparing their respective contents and capabilities. As a result of our analysis, we conclude that the current deployment of smart cards for the electronic prescription service being rolled out throughout Spain could be replaced by the use of the already consolidated Spanish National Identity card.
Despite the popularity of cause-related marketing (CRM), the socially-oriented drivers that influence the success of CRM have yet to be investigated empirically in the hospitality context. This study investigated the effects of three factors (status motive, guilt, and recognition) on customers' attitudes and intent to participate in CRM promotions through social media. A scenario-based 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects experimental design was used. Results revealed that status-seeking individuals exhibited the high level of prosocial behavior when their behavior was recognized by others publicly compared to non status seeking individuals. In addition, individuals who felt guilt with regards to a CRM promotional appeal were more likely to respond to the promotion positively than those who did not, when their goodwill was observable by others. Considering this desire of some customers to have their goodwill displayed to others (known as conspicuous prosocial behavior), this study provides important evidence for companies wishing to develop CRM strategies via social media. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the transition to renewable energy systems, fluctuating renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, plays a large and important role. This creates a challenge in terms of meeting demands, as the energy production fluctuates based on weather patterns. To utilise high amounts of fluctuating renewable energy, the energy system has to be more flexible in terms of decoupling demand and production. This paper investigates two potential ways to increase flexibility. The first is the interconnection between energy systems, for instance between two countries, labelled as cross-border interconnection, and the second is cross-sector interconnection, i.e., the integration between different parts of an energy system, for instance heat and electricity. This paper seeks to compare the types of interconnectivity and discuss to which extent they are mutually beneficial. To do this, the study investigates two energy systems that represent Northern and Southern Europe. Both systems go through three developmental steps that increase the cross-sector interconnectivity. At each developmental step an increasing level of transmission capacities is examined to identify the benefits of cross-border interconnectivity. The results show that while both measures increase the system utilisation of renewable energy and the system efficiency, the cross-sector interconnection gives the best system performance. To analyse the possible interaction between cross-sector and cross-border interconnectivity, two main aspects have to be clarified. The first part defines the approach and the second is the construction of the two archetypes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The removal of dye from industrial wastewater is one of the most important subjects in water pollution regulation. Successive adsorption/desorption cycles of a basic dye, methylene blue, on internal almond shell, olive stone and rye straw were investigated by using fixed bed column experiments to study the adsorption capacity to remove the MB and adsorbents regeneration efficiency. The adsorption breakthrough curves were predicted by the Thomas model, Yoon Nelson model, and Wolborska model and modified dose-response model by using nonlinear regressive analysis. The adsorption capacity values obtained by this model are compared with the experimental capacity, noting an error of 16%, 27.8% and 18.9% for IAS, OS and RS respectively, but these errors are minimized in the second cycle to 22.98% and 6.06% for OS and RS respectively. The results show that the modified dose response model is more suitable for the description of breakthrough curves for three adsorbents only in the first cycle. The IAS presents the highest adsorption capacity and the best regeneration efficiency. Conversely, the RS presents lower adsorption capacity, whereas is not the hardest to regenerate.
We discuss touch-based navigation of 3D visualizations in a combined monoscopic and stereoscopic viewing environment. We identify a set of interaction modes, and a workflow that helps users transition between these modes to improve their interaction experience. In our discussion we analyze, in particular, the control-display space mapping between the different reference frames of the stereoscopic and monoscopic displays. We show how this mapping supports interactive data exploration, but may also lead to conflicts between the stereoscopic and monoscopic views due to users' movement in space; we resolve these problems through synchronization. To support our discussion, we present results from an exploratory observational evaluation with domain experts in fluid mechanics and structural biology. These experts explored domain-specific datasets using variations of a system that embodies the interaction modes and workflows; we report on their interactions and qualitative feedback on the system and its workflow.
Long non coding RNAs (IcRNAs) are associated with various biological roles such as embryogenesis, stem cell biology, cellular development and present specific tissue expression profiles. Aberrant expression of IncRNAs are thought to play a critical role in the progression and development of various cancer types, including gliomas. Glioblastomas (GBM) are common and malignant primary brain tumours. Brain cancer stem cells (BCSC) are isolated from both low and high-grade tumours in adults and children, by cell fraction which express neuronal stem cell surface marker CD133. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression profiles of IncRNAs in brain tumour cells and determine its potential biological function. For this purpose, U118MG-U87MG; GBM stem cell series were used. Human parental brain cancer cells were included as the control group; the expressions of disease related human IncRNA profiles were studied by LightCycler 480 real-time PCR. Expression profiles of 83 lncRNA genes were analyzed for a significant dysregulation, compared to the control cells. Among IncRNAs, 51 IncRNA genes down-regulated, while 8 IncRNA genes were up-regulated. PCAT-1 (2.36), MEG3 (5.34), HOTAIR (-2.48) lncRNAs showed low expression in glioblastoma compared to the human (parental) brain cancer stem cells, indicating their role as tumour suppressor genes on gliomas. As a result, significant changes for anti-cancer gene expressions were detected with disease-related human IncRNA array plates. Identification of novel target genes may lead to promising developments in human brain cancer treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Reverse engineering demands a fast and accurate measuring method to obtain the surface model of an object when its computer-aided design (CAD) model is not available. Blending the advantages of both contact probes and non-contact scanners has been the trend of reverse engineering development for the past 15 years. Current research on hybrid reverse engineering system focuses on sensor selection, scanning path planning, and coordinate system registration and unification, but lacks of interaction between the data groups from the touch probe and laser sensor. The objective of this research is directed toward improving data accuracy at a reduced amount of data points without complex instrument integration and is accomplished through combining the advantages of contact probes and non-contact scanners and meanwhile offsetting their disadvantages. In this research, data from the laser sensor is strategically selected based on the local surface variation, and a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) touch probe is used to enhance data accuracy. A Cell Merging algorithm is implemented to reduce the amount of data based on a newly proposed concept of Break Points, by which a Hermit bicubic relation is maintained among neighboring sampling points while a hybrid reverse engineering process is going on. At the end of the paper, examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the methodology.
In the paper, a solution for series multiple fan systems control is presented. Their applicability in modern building or mine ventilation systems is obvious. In order to validate the proposed solution an experimental stand and a real time software have been developed. The control algorithm is based on three multiple models system configurations, each one consisting in three operating systems, specific to the experimental stand.
The search for the prosocial personality has been long and controversial. The current research explores the general patterns underlying prosocial decisions, linking personality, emotion, and overt prosocial behavior. Using a multimethod approach, we explored the links between the Big Five dimensions of personality and prosocial responding. Across three studies, we found that agreeableness was the dimension of personality most closely associated with emotional reactions to victims in need of help, and subsequent decisions to help those individuals. Results suggest that prosocial processes, including emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, may be part of a more general motivational process linked to personality.
Zymoseptoria tritici, the causal agent of septoria tritici blotch, a serious foliar disease of wheat, is a necrotrophic pathogen that undergoes a long latent period. Emergence of insensitivity to fungicides, and pesticide reduction policies, mean there is a pressing need to understand septoria and control it through greater varietal resistance. Stb6 and Stb15, the most common qualitative resistance genes in modern wheat cultivars, determine specific resistance to avirulent fungal genotypes following a gene-for-gene relationship. This study investigated compatible and incompatible interactions of wheat with Z. tritici using eight combinations of cultivars and isolates, with the aim of identifying molecular responses that could be used as markers for disease resistance during the early, symptomless phase of colonization. The accumulation of TaMPK3 was estimated using western blotting, and the expression of genes implicated in gene-for-gene interactions of plants with a wide range of other pathogens was measured by qRT-PCR during the presymptomatic stages of infection. Production of TaMPK3 and expression of most of the genes responded to inoculation with Z. tritici but varied considerably between experimental replicates. However, there was no significant difference between compatible and incompatible interactions in any of the responses tested. These results demonstrate that the molecular biology of the gene-for-gene interaction between wheat and Zymoseptoria is unlike that in many other plant diseases, indicate that environmental conditions may strongly influence early responses of wheat to infection by Z. tritici, and emphasize the importance of including both compatible and incompatible interactions when investigating the biology of this complex pathosystem.
This paper develops and compares several optimization approaches for the version planning and release problem. This problem is new, challenging for scholars and practitioners, and was not fully addressed in the OR literature. Version releases are part of a wide-spread phenomenon. Mobile phones, operating systems (e.g. MS-Windows) and digital printers are well known examples. However, version release can be found in many other product development fields, such as software products and games, and hardware versions (e.g. TV, screens, communication equipment etc.). In some fields (such as the automotive field) the version release is so well-established that it became an annual routine. An optimization formulation is developed for the total-value of a version-release policy throughout the relevant time-horizon. The novel formulation elements are release-features and release-dates. The value of each release is derived from the combination of features included in the specific released version, and the version release-dates. We developed several search techniques for solving this strongly NP-hard problem. We compared the results of (1) multiple particle swarm optimization (MPSO) (2) Genetic Algorithm (GA), (3) simulated annealing (SA), (4 & 5) two forms of greedy heuristics. A comprehensive computational experiment was performed. The study shows that GA and MPSO outperform the other methods. Moreover, for medium scale problems, GA better suits highly resource-constrained cases, while MPSO performs best for large scale problems disregarding the resource scarcity. This research may be a major reference point for future research on the version release problem. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Image encryption has been an attractive research field in recent years. The chaos-based cryptographic algorithms have suggested some new and efficient ways to develop secure image encryption techniques. This paper proposes a novel image encryption scheme, which is based on the chaotic tent map. Image encryption systems based on such map show some better performances. Firstly, the chaotic tent map is modified to generate chaotic key stream that is more suitable for image encryption. Secondly, the chaos-based key stream is generated by a 1-D chaotic tent map, which has a better performance in terms of randomness properties and security level. The performance and security analysis of the proposed image encryption scheme is performed using well-known ways. The results of the fail-safe analysis are inspiring, and it can be concluded that the proposed scheme is efficient and secure.
In many scientific fields, empirical models are employed to facilitate computational simulations of engineering systems. For example, in fluid mechanics, empirical Reynolds stress closures enable computationally-efficient Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes simulations. Likewise, in solid mechanics, constitutive relations between the stress and strain in a material are required in deformation analysis. Traditional methods for developing and tuning empirical models usually combine physical intuition with simple regression techniques on limited data sets. The rise of high performance computing has led to a growing availability of high fidelity simulation data. These data open up the possibility of using machine learning algorithms, such as random forests or neural networks, to develop more accurate and general empirical models. A key question when using data-driven algorithms to develop these empirical models is how domain knowledge should be incorporated into the machine learning process. This paper will specifically address physical systems that possess symmetry or invariance properties. Two different methods for teaching a machine learning model an invariance property are compared. In the first method, a basis of invariant inputs is constructed, and the machine learning model is trained upon this basis, thereby embedding the invariance into the model. In the second method, the algorithm is trained on multiple transformations of the raw input data until the model learns invariance to that transformation. Results are discussed for two case studies: one in turbulence modeling and one in crystal elasticity. It is shown that in both cases embedding the invariance property into the input features yields higher performance at significantly reduced computational training costs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Invention technical field is the areas of: Photovoltaic solar panel for electricity production, desertation ground effect through the forthcoming extensive use o solar panels, Rainwater harvesting, Irrigation and ground fertilization. The main idea of the invention is to collect rainwater on the lower edge of a photovoltaic panel and store it in a tank. With this water we subsequently can: irrigate the land for agriculture use, collect local or away the water for any other use, refrigerate the photovoltaic back or front panel, clean the glass of the panel surface. Results are soil cultivation for plant or animal production, greenhouse effect improvement, photovoltaic panel lower temperature with 30% efficiency, photovoltaic front panel glass cleaning with better efficiency. All process are handled by PLC, a programmable Logic Computer. According to the desired use there are 7 system configurations: lake reservoir fill, animal farm irrigation, back cooling, front glass cooling, dual cooling, front glass cleaning, Full feature system.
This study investigated person perception in respect of variables associated with affect in music (tempo and mode) following motor synchronization to music. Participants (n = 128, 50% female) were tested in a task involving stepping with a researcher to the beat of slow or fast music in major or minor mode, following which measures concerning the synchronised partner were collected (incidental memory, likeability of, similarity to and prosocial attitude towards). Significant effects were found only for the 'likeability' measure, modulated by gender, suggesting that variables associated with affect perception in music, such as mode and tempo appear relevant for person perception in a synchronization task in ways that differ for men and women. The results of this 'proof of concept' study indicate the need for further research on the effect of motor synchronization based on ecologically valid musical interaction tasks.
Runoff is one of the main sources of contamination in urban areas, since water can transport pollutants from many different media, among which the hydrocarbons generated by vehicles have an especially significant relevance. Under this premise, the study of geotextiles used as water purification layers within pervious pavement structures becomes a crucial issue, since these fabrics have proved to be a suitable environment for the development of biofilms, which are groups of microorganisms capable of reducing the presence of hydrocarbons. For this reason, this paper proposes a first test to assess the capacity of ten different geotextiles by immersing them in a culture medium prepared to favour the growth of a microbial community. The results showed the major importance of geotextile thickness in the generation of biomass and its relationship to the manufacturing process of the fabric, either heat-sealing or needle-punching. Consequently, a second test was developed to measure the mechanical behaviour of a geotextile of each type when buried in a microbially active soil under different conditions. The comparison between exposed and control samples revealed the maintenance of strength-related properties of geotextiles in the presence of microorganisms. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cell division is a fascinating and fundamental process that sustains life. By this process, unicellular organisms reproduce and multicellular organisms sustain development, growth, and tissue repair. Division of a mother cell gives rise to two daughter cells according to an ordered set of events within four successive phases called G1 (gap1), S (DNA S ynthesis), G2 (gap2), and M (Mitosis) phase. How these different phases are orchestrated to ensure the physical separation of the two daughter cells is a tightly regulated process. Indeed, inappropriate cell division could lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and ultimately to cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model system for unraveling the secrets of cell division. A large community of researchers has chosen budding yeast as a model because of its advantages: rapid growth in simple and economical media, tractable genetics, powerful biochemistry, cell biology, and proteomics approaches. Furthermore, the cell cycle mechanisms, as elucidated in yeast, are conserved in higher eukaryotes. The ability to synchronize and get large numbers of cells in a particular stage of the cell cycle is crucial to properly explore the mechanisms of the cell cycle. An overview of the most common yeast synchronization techniques has been compiled in this chapter.
Most prokaryote-secreted proteins are transported to the cell surface using either the general secretion (Sec) or twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway. A majority of secreted proteins are anchored to the cell surface, while the remainder are released into the extracellular environment. The anchored surface proteins play a variety of important roles in cellular processes, ranging from facilitating interactions between cells to maintaining cell stability. The extensively studied S-layer glycoprotein (SLG) of Haloferax volcanii, previously thought to be anchored via C-terminal intercalation into the membrane, was recently shown to be lipidated and to have its C-terminal segment removed in processes dependent upon archaeosortase A (ArtA), a recently discovered enzyme. While SLG is a Sec substrate, in silico analyses presented here reveal that, of eight additional ArtA substrates predicted, two substrates also contain predicted Tat signal peptides, including Hvo_0405, which has a highly conserved tripartite structure that lies closer to the center of the protein than to its C terminus, unlike other predicted ArtA substrates identified to date. We demonstrate that, even given its atypical location, this tripartite structure, which likely resulted from the fusion of genes encoding an ArtA substrate and a cytoplasmic protein, is processed in an ArtA-dependent manner. Using an Hvo_0405 mutant lacking the conserved twin arginines of the predicted Tat signal peptide, we show that Hvo_0405 is indeed a Tat substrate and that ArtA substrates include both Sec and Tat substrates. Finally, we confirmed the Tat-dependent localization and signal peptidase I (SPase I) cleavage site of Hvo_0405 using mass spectrometry. IMPORTANCE The specific mechanisms that facilitate protein anchoring to the archaeal cell surface remain poorly understood. Here, we have shown that the proteins bound to the cell surface of the model archaeon H. volcanii, through a recently discovered novel ArtA-dependent anchoring mechanism, are more structurally diverse than was previously known. Specifically, our results demonstrate that both Tat and Sec substrates, which contain the conserved tripartite structure of predicted ArtA substrates, can be processed in an ArtA-dependent manner and that the tripartite structure need not lie near the C terminus for this processing to occur. These data improve our understanding of archaeal cell biology and are invaluable for in silico subcellular localization predictions of archaeal and bacterial proteins.
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes severe liver disease and affects ca. 146 million individuals. Novel directly acting antivirals targeting HCV have revolutionized treatment. However, high costs limit access to therapy. Recently, several related drugs used in humans to treat allergies or as neuroleptics emerged as potent HCV cell entry inhibitors. Insights into their antiviral modes of action may increase opportunities for drug repurposing in hepatitis C and possibly other important human viral infections.
Infants begin to help other individuals in the second year of life. However, it is still unclear whether early helping behavior is based on an understanding of other individuals' needs and is thus motivated prosocially. In the present eye-tracking study, 9- to 18-month-old infants (N = 71) saw a character in need of help, unable to reach its goal because of an obstacle, and a second character that was able to achieve a goal on its own. When a third individual (a helper) initiated an action, the infants expected the helper to help the character in need (as indicated during the anticipatory-looking and violation-of-expectation phases). Their prosocial understanding did not differ between age groups and was not related to their helping behavior (measured in two behavioral tasks). Thus, infants understand other individuals' needs even before they start to help others themselves. This indicates that early helping may indeed be motivated prosocially and raises the question of which other competences underlie the ontogeny of helping behavior.
Preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid deposition in the absence of overt clinical impairment. There is substantial heterogeneity in the long-term clinical outcomes among amyloid positive individuals, yet limited work has focused on identifying molecular factors driving resilience from amyloid-related cognitive impairment. We apply a recently developed predicted gene expression analysis (PrediXcan) to identify genes that modify the association between baseline amyloid deposition and longitudinal cognitive changes. Participants free of clinical AD (n = 631) were selected from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) who had a baseline positron emission tomography measure of amyloid deposition (quantified as a standard uptake value ratio), longitudinal neuropsychological data, and genetic data. PrediXcan was used to impute gene expression levels across 15 heart and brain tissues. Mixed effect regression models assessed the interaction between predicted gene expression levels and amyloid deposition on longitudinal cognitive outcomes. The predicted gene expression levels for two genes in the coronary artery (CNTLN, PROK1) and two genes in the atrial appendage (PRSS50, PROK1) interacted with amyloid deposition on episodic memory performance. The predicted gene expression levels for two additional genes (TMC4 in the basal ganglia and HMBS in the aorta) interacted with amyloid deposition on executive function performance. Post-hoc analyses provide additional validation of the HMBS and PROK1 effects across two independent subsets of ADNI using two additional metrics of amyloid deposition. These results highlight a subset of unique candidate genes of resilience and provide evidence that cell-cycle regulation, angiogenesis, and heme biosynthesis likely play a role in AD progression.
Removing geometric details from the computational domain can significantly reduce the complexity of downstream task of meshing and simulation computation, and increase their stability. Proper estimation of the sensitivity analysis error induced by removing such domain details, called defeaturing errors, can ensure that the sensitivity analysis fidelity can still be met after simplification. In this paper, estimation of impacts of removing arbitrarily constrained domain details to the analysis of incompressible fluid flows is studied with applications to fast analysis of incompressible fluid flows in complex environments. The derived error estimator is applicable to geometric details constrained by either Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions, and has no special requirements on the outer boundary conditions. Extensive numerical examples were presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed error estimator.
Mesh denoising is imperative for improving imperfect surfaces acquired by scanning devices. The main challenge is to faithfully retain geometric features and avoid introducing additional artifacts when removing noise. Unlike the existing mesh denoising techniques that focus only on either the first-order features or high-order differential properties, our approach exploits the synergy when facet normals and quadric surfaces are integrated to recover a piecewise smooth surface. In specific, we vote on surface normal tensors from robust statistics to guide the creation of consistent subneighborhoods subsequently used by moving least squares (MLS). This voting naturally leads to a conceptually simple way that gives a unified mesh-denoising framework for not only handling noise but also enabling the recovering of surfaces with both sharp and small-scale features. The effectiveness of our framework stems from: 1) the multiscale tensor voting that avoids the influence from noise; 2) the effective energy minimization strategy to searching the consistent subneighborhoods; and 3) the piecewise MLS that fully prevents the side effects from different subneighborhoods during surface fitting. Our framework is direct, practical, and easy to understand. Comparisons with the state-of-the-art methods demonstrate its outstanding performance on feature preservation and artifact suppression. Note to Practitioners-Three-dimensional sensing and scanning devices are widely used to capture digital surfaces of real objects and scenes in many scenarios. However, due to occlusion, motion, multiple reflections, and so on, the captured data often suffer from severe contamination with noise, significantly hindering its practical applications. Therefore, it is indispensable to remove noise prior to further processing, which is commonly referred to as mesh denoising. Mesh denoising is a long-standing problem, and remains open in academic as well as industrial applications due to its challenging nature. The state-of-the-art methods either fail to retain most of the original features presented well in the object, or cannot avoid additional artifacts, such as vertex drifts. In contrast, we design a denoising framework aiming at improving the quality of the raw surface by producing a mesh with better perceptual features. The technique developed here can produce high-quality surface data of real objects and scenes, which would facilitate the modeling, reconstruction, and recognition applications in computer-aided design, reverse engineering, 3-D printing, and computer-aided manufacturing.
Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used as a persuasive technology for attitude and behavior change. This paper considers Terror Management Theory (TMT), one of the notable theories that have not been considered so far in persuasive technology, and aims at exploring its use in VR experiences. First, we show that a 'VR experience can be used to effectively elicit mortality salience (MS), which makes TMT applicable. Then, we evaluate the effects of the VR experience on attitudes towards risk. Wearing a head-mounted display (HMD), participants explored one of two virtual environments (VEs). In a first group of participants, the VE represented a cemetery with MS cues like tombs and burial recesses. In a second group of participants, the MS cues were removed, and the VE looked like a public park. Results show that the MS cues manipulation changed the effects of the VR experience on users' attitudes towards risk, as TMT would predict. Moreover, results revealed a relationship between MS elicited through VR and physiological correlates of arousal. Finally, we show that user's personality traits can moderate the effects of the VR experience on attitudes towards risk.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) represent a new revolutionary weapon in the armamentarium of anti-cancer therapies. The side effects of these new agents represent a new challenge for oncologists; they are usually unpredictable and sometimes life threatening, if not managed rapidly and adequately. The most frequent side effects are the dermatologic, but they are usually low grade side effects and consequently easily manageable. Rash, pruritus and vitiligo are the most frequent dermatologic side effects. We aimed in this review to describe first all the dermatologic side effects of ICI according to the subtype of ICI and combination therapies in the clinical trials, then to report all the rare case reports dermatologic side effects, and finally to present the management algorithm of these side effects.
Two key issues in landslide forecasting are finding the critical slip surface and determining its parameters. Generally, these issues are two parts of one problem. To solve this problem, a new two-phase search method is proposed: a newly proposed inversion method to determine the critical slip surface parameters, using a new bionics algorithm (i.e., particle swarm optimization), and based on the measured slip surface and the critical slip surface-searching process. The proposed method is verified by using two typical numerical examples used by the Association for Computer Aided Design (Australia) and an engineering example of a highway landslide. The results indicate that when the search over a critical slip surface and the inversion of its parameters are performed simultaneously, the calculated factor of safety is in good agreement with that of the actual scenario, whereas the factor of safety computed on the basis of known parameters of a slide body will deviate from that of the physical scenario.
Iron deficiency continues to be the most prevalent micronutrient deficit worldwide. Since iron is involved in several processes including myelination, dopamine neurotransmission and neuronal metabolism, the presence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in infancy relates to long-lasting neurofunctional effects. There is scarce data regarding whether these effects would extend to former iron deficient anemic human adults. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a novel technique to explore patterns of functional connectivity. Default Mode Network (DMN), one of the resting state networks, is deeply involved in memory, social cognition and self-referential processes. The four core regions consistently identified in the DMN are the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate/retrosplenial cortex and left and right inferior parietal cortex. Therefore to investigate the DMN in former iron deficient anemic adults is a particularly useful approach to elucidate de long term effects on functional brain. We conducted this research to explore the connection between IDA in infancy and altered patterns of resting state brain functional networks in young adults. Resting-state fMRI studies were performed to 31 participants that belong to a follow-up study since infancy. Of them, 14 participants were former iron deficient anemic in infancy and 17 were controls, with mean age of 21.5 years (+/- 1.5) and 54.8% were males. Resting-state fMRI protocol was used and the data was analyzed using the seed based connectivity statistical analysis to assess the DMN. We found that compared to controls, former iron deficient anemic subjects showed posterior DMN decreased connectivity to the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), whereas they exhibited increased anterior DMN connectivity to the right PCC. Differences between groups were also apparent in the left medial frontal gyrus, with former iron deficient anemic participants having increased connectivity with areas included in DMN and dorsal attention networks. These preliminary results suggest different patterns of functional connectivity between former iron deficient anemic and control young adults. Indeed, IDA in infancy, a common nutritional problem among human infants, may turn out to be important for understanding the mechanisms of cognitive alterations, common in adulthood.
Children with autism have atypical gaze behavior but it is unknown whether gaze differs during distinct types of reciprocal interactions. Typically developing children (N = 20) and children with autism (N = 20) (4-13 years) made similar amounts of eye contact with an examiner during a conversation. Surprisingly, there was minimal eye contact during interactive play in both groups. Gaze behavior was stable across 8 weeks in children with autism (N = 15). Lastly, gaze behavior during conversation but not play was associated with autism social affect severity scores (ADOS CSS SA) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2). Together findings suggests that eye contact in typical and atypical development is influenced by subtle changes in context, which has implications for optimizing assessments of social communication skills.
With rapid development of mobile technologies, people can easily obtain surrounding information through their mobile devices. Meanwhile, weather forecasting information is important for many people in the daily life. Most of current weather information systems only illustrate the basic weather information, such as the temperature and the precipitation probability, by a simple text-based or graphic-based presentation without involving too much environmental information. To integrate weather information with ambient intelligence, this paper aims at showing our implementation experience about how to realize our ambient mesoscale weather forecasting system (AMWFS). With an augmented reality presentation in the system, a more intuitive navigation interface provides users a new way of accessing weather information.
Since the end of the 1990s, rainwater harvesting (RWH) has been growing in France. A first regulatory framework, constituted mainly by an Order of 21 August, 2008, helped to strengthen this practice, but also introduced some limitations to the development of RWH. Considering the growing social demand and possible issues for water resources, it is likely that this first regulatory framework will evolve. In order to anticipate these changes, foreign case studies may be very instructive. Based on a detailed analysis of eight countries in all continents (Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Australia and Uganda), this paper draws up an international overview of RWH allowing French practices to be put into perspective. Beyond the specific and sensitive differences, the experience of these countries gives useful lessons for the French case. Comparisons have been drawn on different topics: uses of rainwater, quality standards, regulatory tools and RWH development factors. RWH, especially, in urban areas appears in France as an isolated topic. It is necessary in the future to better integrate it into overall urban water management approaches.
Purpose of Review Echocardiography is the mainstay in the diagnostic evaluation of constrictive pericarditis (CP) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), but no single echocardiographic parameter is sufficiently robust to accurately distinguish between the two conditions. The present review summarizes the recent advances in echocardiography that promise to improve its diagnostic performance for this purpose. The role of other imaging modalities such as cardiac computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and invasive hemodynamic assessment in the overall diagnostic approach is also discussed briefly. Recent Findings A recent study has demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography with integration of multiple conventional echocardiographic parameters in to a step-wise algorithm. Concurrently, the studies using speckle-tracking echocardiography have revealed distinct and disparate patterns of myocardial mechanical abnormalities in CP and RCM with their ability to distinguish between the two conditions. The incorporation of machine-learning algorithms into echocardiography workflow permits easy integration of the wealth of the diagnostic data available and promises to further enhance the diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography. Summary New imaging algorithms are continuously being evolved to permit accurate distinction between CP and RCM. Further research is needed to validate the accuracy of these newer algorithms and to define their place in the overall diagnostic approach for this purpose.
Williams Syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a hemideletion in chromosome 7, which manifests a distinct behavioral phenotype characterized by a hyperaffiliative social drive, in striking contrast to the social avoidance behaviors that are common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). MRI studies have observed structural and functional abnormalities in WS cortex, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region implicated in social cognition. This study utilizes the Bellugi Williams Syndrome Brain Collection, a unique resource that comprises the largest WS postmortem brain collection in existence, and is the first to quantitatively examine WS PFC cytoarchitecture. We measured neuron density in layers II/III and V/VI of five cortical areas: PFC areas BA 10 and BA 11, primary motor BA 4, primary somatosensory BA 3, and visual area BA 18 in six matched pairs of WS and typically developing (TD) controls. Neuron density in PFC was lower in WS relative to TD, with layers V/VI demonstrating the largest decrease in density, reaching statistical significance in BA 10. In contrast, BA 3 and BA 18 demonstrated a higher density in WS compared to TD, although this difference was not statistically significant. Neuron density in BA 4 was similar in WS and TD. While other cortical areas were altered in WS, prefrontal areas appeared to be most affected. Neuron density is also altered in the PFC of individuals with ASD. Together these findings suggest that the PFC is targeted in neurodevelopmental disorders associated with sociobehavioral alterations. Autism Res2017, 10: 99-112. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper examines the water depth variations of vertical slot fishways (VSFs) without central baffle. Three experimental models are built for the research. The results show that: the adjoining pools should have the same fore-and-aft elevation difference to prevent obvious fluctuation of water depth. Instead of being uniform along the fishway, the water depth is affected by upstream and downstream water levels. The fluctuations of the water levels exert an impact to over a dozen pools at the end of the fishway. The water line characteristics are different when the downstream water depth is greater or smaller than the normal conditions. Under the working condition of backwater, the water depth increases uniformly in pools in the backwater section; under the condition of drawdown, the depth falls faster in the pools closer to the end of the fishway. Two flow profiles are obtained from the VFS: the Ml and M2, which are analyzed by the Bakhmeteff-Chow method. These findings help enhance the understanding of the hydraulic design of the fishway, and improve efficiency of the VSFs.
Rationale: High intelligence may be associated with emotional, behavioral and social difficulties. However, this hypothesis is supported by little compelling, population-based evidence, and no study has been conducted during the preschool period with a population-based sample. Method: Children (N = 1100) from the EDEN mother-child cohort were assessed at the age of 5-6 years. Behavioral, emotional and social problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems and prosocial behavior) were measured using the parent-rated Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ). IQ scores were based on the WPPSI-III at 5-6 years. Relevant covariates for children's cognitive development were also collected. Results: We found no significant differences in SDQscores between gifted children (N = 23; Full Scale IQ >130) and children with Full Scale IQin the normal range (N = 1058 >= 70 and <= 130), except a marginally significant association between high-IQ and emotional difficulties at 5-6 years. Further sensitivity analyses did not support the association between high-nand emotional difficulties. Discussion: During the preschool period, gifted children do not seem to manifest more behavioral, emotional and social problems than children with normal IQ. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Imagination pushes humanity well beyond its natural biological capacities. An approach of co-evolution, between molecular biology and behaviour, is thus required to explain these combined processes. Technological performances define spiritual conquests and formulas whose sole function is cultural. Humanity operates according to intentional social modes defined by the group, but these immediately become conditions for their own evolution. These choices are the motor for the history of humanity, and thus humanity can itself choose its own path. Anatomic modernisation is only a distant reflection of bipedalism, but freeing the hands leads to the development of abstract thought. The relationship between anatomy and awareness allows infinite variations in the harmonious adaptation to nature, animals and other societies. In Europe, humanity arrived in abrupt bursts because it was the result of external evolution, continuous and distant, dispersed across Asia. By its unceasing audacity, humanity combats biological determinism, imposing moral rules, or imperatives. The balance between biology and culture is reflected in the rules for sharing food: the biological life itself is coded by social sharing. These systems take on ternary values as soon as they include animal behaviours. Built shelters integrate societies with the cosmos because they delimit cultural spaces within natural chaos. Mastery of cognitive mechanisms gives humanity an entirely new responsibility, that of being able to define its destiny. Our united disciplines are transformed into ethical requirements. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Academie des sciences.
The recent TAU computer-aided design (CAD) contest has aimed to seek novel ideas for accurate and fast common path pessimism removal (CPPR). Unnecessary pessimism forces the static timing analysis tool to report worse violation than the true timing properties owned by physical circuits, thereby misleading signoff timing into a lower clock frequency at which circuits can operate than actual silicon implementations. Therefore, we introduce in this paper UI-Timer 1.0, a powerful CPPR algorithm which achieves high accuracy and ultrafast runtime. Unlike existing approaches which are dominated by explicit path search, UI-Timer 1.0 proves that by implicit path representation the amount of search effort can be significantly reduced. Our timer is superior in both space and time saving, from which memory storage and important timing quantities are available in constant space and constant time per path during the search. Experimental results on industrial benchmarks released from TAU 2014 CAD contest have justified that UI-Timer 1.0 achieved the best result in terms of accuracy and runtime over existing CPPR algorithms.
According to the Social Message Model, interpersonal judgments are transactions in which judges convey important social messages to the individuals they evaluate (the targets); targets can then respond to the judgments in more or less adaptive ways. We argue that judges' opinions emerge from their current concerns, be it to promote their own well-being, or to foster group cohesion. Targets of judgments can best interpret the meaning of a judgment they receive by understanding the judge's concerns, competence of the judge, and other qualities of the transaction. We suggest that judges and targets who are better able to reason about the judgment process are likely to change their behaviors more adaptively than people less able to reason in this area.
This study assesses two approaches to combine observations from active and passive satellite microwave instruments in a soil moisture data assimilation system. In the first approach, labeled 'joint retrieval assimilation', a single soil moisture product is simultaneously retrieved from active and passive microwave observations, and then assimilated into the NASA Catchment land surface model. In the second approach, labeled 'separate retrieval assimilation', separate soil moisture products are retrieved from each of the active and passive microwave observations, before being simultaneously assimilated into the model. In both approaches, a Neural Network (NN) is used to retrieve soil moisture from passive microwave AMSR-E brightness temperatures and/or active microwave ASCAT backscatter observations. A spatially distributed (3D) ensemble Kalman filter is used for the assimilation over the contiguous United States from August 2007 until September 2011. The analysis skill of both assimilation approaches is evaluated against in situ observations from 60 SCAN stations and compared to the model open loop (no assimilation) skill. When averaged across the 60 sites, the skill obtained from both assimilation experiments is very similar. For surface soil moisture, the average correlation and anomaly correlation are 0.69 and 0.58, respectively. These metrics are slightly better than those of the open loop, by 0.05 for the correlation and by 0.03 for the anomaly correlation. The root zone soil moisture estimates from the assimilation were also slightly improved compared to the open loop (by 0.03 for the average correlation and by 0.01 for the average anomaly correlation). Locally, there are differences between the skill values of the two assimilation experiments. These are related to differences in the skill of the assimilated retrieval products and how well these differences are captured by the observation errors specified in the data assimilation. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Social isolation is a major source of stress and can lead to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The presence of a close social partner can reduce the magnitude of the HPA-axis response during a stressor, a phenomenon known as social buffering. The oxytocin (OXT) system has been identified as one candidate for mediating social buffering due to its role in the facilitation of social bonding and the expression of prosocial behavior. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the OXT system contributes to social buffering of HPA-axis activity in response to stressor exposure in marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus). Male and female marmosets experienced a standardized psychogenic stressor with and without their long-term mate under OXT-treatments (Pro(8)-OXT, Leu(8)-OXT, OXT antagonist, and saline); we assessed HPA-axis activity by measuring urinary cortisol across the stressor. We found that blocking, but not augmenting, the OXT system altered patterns of cortisol and proximity behavior in response to a stressor. We demonstrated that (1) the presence of a mate during a stressor significantly attenuated HPA-axis activity in female, but not male, marmosets; (2) male, but not female, marmosets treated with an OXT antagonist had significantly higher HPA-axis activity across the stressor than when they were treated with saline, suggesting that the OXT system may reduce the stressor-induced rise in cortisol levels; (3) male and female marmosets treated with an OXT antagonist spent significantly less time in close proximity to their mate during the first 30 min of the stressor than when they were treated with saline, suggesting that the OXT system may be important for the expression of partner-seeking behavior during a stressor. Thus, the OXT system and social context differentially influenced how the HPA-axis responded to a stressor in male and female marmosets, and may modulate HPA-axis activity by promoting the expression of proximity behavior with a close social partner. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
In heterosexual individuals, attention is automatically captured by physically attractive members of the opposite sex. Although helpful for selecting new mates, attention to attractive relationship alternatives can threaten satisfaction with and commitment to an existing romantic relationship. The current study tested the hypothesis that although a mating prime would increase selective attention to attractive opposite-sex targets (relative to less attractive targets) among single participants, this effect would be reduced among people already committed to a long-term romantic partner. Consistent with hypotheses, whereas single participants responded to a mating prime with greater attentional adhesion to physically attractive opposite-sex targets (relative to less attractive targets), participants in a committed romantic relationship showed no such effect. These findings extend previous research suggesting the presence of relationship maintenance mechanisms that operate at early stages of social cognition.
In the last decade, the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix has risen significantly in many countries, and the large-scale integration of these intermittent energy sources constitutes a major challenge to the power grid. A crucial building block of a successful transformation of today's energy systems is the use of energy storage, either co-located with renewable energy sources or on a grid-level. To this end, we present a model on the basis of a Markov Decision Process for the short-term trading of intermittent energy production co-located with energy storage. The model explicitly considers the time lag between trade and delivery of energy, which is characteristic for energy markets. Our storage representation includes asymmetrical conversion losses, asymmetrical power, and self-discharge. Stochastic production and market prices are represented by ARIMA processes, and the producer may also undertake price arbitrage by purchasing energy on the market when prices are comparatively low. Regarding the solution of our model, we develop several intuitive and easily interpretable decision rules that can be readily applied in practice. An extensive numerical study, based on real-world data, confirms the excellent performance of these rules in comparison to a sophisticated Approximate Dynamic Programming algorithm adapted from literature. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Primary objective: There is considerable evidence suggesting facial affect recognition and cognitive functions are impaired in many people with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, little is known about the relationship between these two domains in the TBI population. Research design: This study investigated the relationship between facial affect recognition and cognitive functioning in 75 adults with moderate-to-severe TBI. Methods and procedures: Participants were administered three facial affect recognition tests and a computerized cognitive test battery that assessed seven cognitive domains. Main outcomes and results: Deficits in facial affect recognition were significantly correlated with impairments in non-verbal memory, working memory, speed of processing, verbal memory and verbal delayed memory. No significant relationship was found between executive dysfunction and facial affect recognition impairments. Non-verbal memory, working memory and speed of processing significantly predicted overall facial affect recognition performance. Conclusions: It is concluded that impairment in several cognitive processes may contribute to facial affect recognition deficits in TBI, in particular non-verbal memory, working memory and speed of processing. Furthermore, executive functioning may not be a critical factor in facial affect recognition, but would most likely be important in deciding what to do once facial affect is perceived.
A long-term goal of our field is to determine the sequence of pathological events, which ultimately lead to cognitive decline and dementia. In this study, we first assessed the patterns of brain tau tangle accumulation (measured with the positron emission tomography tracer F-18-AV-1451) associated with well-established Alzheimer's disease factors in a cohort including cognitively healthy elderly individuals and individuals at early symptomatic stages of Alzheimer's disease. We then explored highly associated patterns of greater F-18-AV-1451 binding and increased annualized change in cortical amyloid-beta plaques measured as florbetapir positron emission tomography binding antecedent to F-18-AV-1451 positron emission tomography scans, and to what extent these multimodal pattern associations explained the variance in cognitive performance and clinical outcome measures, independently and jointly. We found that: (i) F-18-AV-1451 positron emission tomography retention was differentially associated with age, and cross-sectional florbetapir positron emission tomography retention, but not with years of education, gender, or APOE genotype; (ii) increased annualized change in florbetapir retention, antecedent to F-18-AV-1451 positron emission tomography scans, in the parieto-temporal and precuneus brain regions was associated with greater F-18-AV-1451 PET retention most prominently in the inferior temporal and inferior parietal regions in the full cohort, with florbetapir positive/negative-associated variability; and (iii) this F-18-AV-1451 positron emission tomography retention pattern significantly explained the variance in cognitive performance and clinical outcome measures, independent of the associated antecedent increased annualized change in florbetapir positron emission tomography retention. These findings are in agreement with the pathology literature, which suggests that tau tangles but not amyloid-beta plaques correlate with cognition and clinical symptoms. Furthermore, non-local associations linking increased amyloid-beta accumulation rates with increased tau deposition are of great interest and support the idea that the amyloid-beta pathology might have remote effects in disease pathology spread potentially via the brain's intrinsic connectivity networks.
A series of neurological and psychiatric symptoms occur after traumatic brain injury (TBI), with cognitive dysfunction being one of the most prominent sequela. Given that tau hyperphosphorylation is an important cause of cognitive impairment in patients of Alzheimer's disease, our present study detected the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau), mainly at Ser404, in multiple brain regions, including the ipsilateral parietal cortex, contralateral hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, immediately after the injury in a mouse TBI model; these changes lasted for at least 4w. All of these brain regions play important roles in working memory. Hyperphosphorylated tau protein was primarily located in neurons and was accompanied by axonal injury and dendritic spine degeneration. Our study demonstrated that p-tau spreads gradually and selectively from the injured cortex to other brain regions after TBI and that all of the affected regions are part of the working memory circuit. These findings provide experimental support for the role of p-tau in cognitive impairment in the early phase after TBI. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Understanding how historical and current environmental suitability and human impacts affect the genetic diversity on a large scale is essential to species management planning. However, most studies in conservation genetics are carried out at a local or regional scale and rarely on broad spatial scales such as an entire biome. We evaluated the relative contribution of historical and current environmental suitability, current landscape features and human impacts to explain genetic diversity, allelic richness and inbreeding variation among populations, using Euterpe edulis and the Atlantic forest as the model system. We fitted linear mixed models within a multiple competing hypotheses approach with model selection based on Akaike's Information Criteria. We showed that overall genetic diversity was lower in sites with absence of large seed dispersers and higher in sites with historically stable climate. Both seedling and adults showed to be negatively influenced by human impact factors; with adults mainly affected by the reduction of forest cover while seedlings by the loss of large seed dispersers. Thus, the current pattern of genetic diversity in E. edulis is the result of historical instability during the mid-Holocene and recent anthropogenic impacts, mainly those that affect important ecological process such as seed dispersal. Thus, an efficient plan for species conservation must account for human impacts and environmental suitability and also assess the genetic diversity of seedlings and adults in fragmented landscapes.
Parliamentary websites have become one of the most important windows for citizens and media to follow the activities of their legislatures and to hold parliaments to account. Therefore, most parliamentary institutions aim to provide new multimedia solutions capable of displaying video fragments on demand on plenary activities. This paper presents a multimedia system for parliamentary institutions to produce video fragments on demand through a website with linked information and public feedback that helps to explain the content shown in these fragments. A prototype implementation has been developed for the Canary Islands Parliament (Spain) and shows how traditional parliamentary streaming systems can be enhanced by the use of semantics and computer vision for video analytics. The semantic web technologies used make search capabilities on parliamentary websites available to users to retrieve video fragments on demand with accurate and timely information. In addition, video analytic techniques enable the automation of identifying representative keyframes to be annotated by parliamentary experts. As a result, parliaments are able to enhance citizens' access to information and ensure that these institutions are more open andaccountable on their websites and; at the same time, the labor-intensive tasks of parliamentary experts are considerably reduced.
We consider free surface flow over two localised obstacles using the framework of the forced Korteweg de Vries equation in a suite of numerical simulations. Our main concern is with the transcritical regime when the oncoming flow has a Froude number close to unity. The flow behaviour can be characterised by the Froude number and the maximum heights of the obstacles. In the transcritical regime at early times, undular bores are produced upstream and downstream of each obstacle. Our main aim is to describe the interaction of these undular bores between the obstacles, and to find the outcome at very large times. We find that the flow development can be defined in three stages. The first stage is described by the well-known development of undular bores upstream and downstream of each obstacle, 'file second stage is the interaction between the undular bore moving downstream from the first obstacle and the undular bore moving upstream from the second obstacle. The third stage is the very large time evolution of this interaction, when one of the obstacles controls criticality. For equal obstacle heights, our analytical and numerical results indicate that either one of the obstacles can control flow criticality, that being the first obstacle when the flow is slightly suhcritical and the second obstacle otherwise. For unequal obstacle heights the larger obstacle controls criticality. 'fhe results obtained here complement a recent numerical study using the fully nonlinear, but non-dispersive, shallow water equations.
Introduction: Relationship perception focuses on social interactions, is reduced in schizophrenia and is related to daily functioning. It can be assessed with the Relationships Across Domains (RAD) test, built on Relational Models Theory which states that people use four relational models to interpret social interaction. RAD is time consuming, low on tolerability and only used in English-speaking countries. We evaluated the psychometric properties of a translated, abbreviated Norwegian version.Methods: Sixty-two schizophrenia participants and 56 healthy controls underwent assessments of social and non-social cognition. The schizophrenia group completed functional and clinical measures. RAD's internal consistency was investigated with Cronbach's alphas, group differences with logistic regressions and associations between study variables with Pearson's correlations.Results: RAD was reduced from 25 (Cronbach's alpha=.809) to 12 vignettes (Cronbach's alpha=.815). Schizophrenia participants had significant impairments, with larger effect sizes for the full version. Associations of RAD with study variables were similar for the two versions: smaller for clinical measures and larger for functional and cognitive measures. Results were comparable to results for the English version.Conclusions: The length of the Norwegian RAD was reduced while retaining its psychometric properties, which were similar to the English version. This suggests the test's cross-cultural utility.
An accurate analysis of the flow transient is very important in safety evaluation of a nuclear power plant. In this study, analysis of a VVVVER-1000 reactor is investigated. In order to perform this analysis, a model is developed to simulate the coupled kinetics and thermal-hydraulics of the reactor with a simple and accurate numerical algorithm. For thermal-hydraulic calculations, the four-equation drift-flux model is applied. Based on a multi-channel approach, core is divided into some regions. Each region has different characteristics as represented in a single fuel pin with its associated coolant channel. To obtain the core power distribution, point kinetic equations with different feedback effects are utilized. The appropriate initial and boundary conditions are considered and two situations of decreasing the coolant flow rate in a protected and unprotected core are analyzed. In addition to analysis of normal operation condition, a full range of thermal-hydraulic parameters is obtained for transients too. Finally, the data obtained from the model are compared with the calculations conducted using RELAP5/MOD3 code and Bushehr nuclear power plant data. It is shown that the model can provide accurate predictions for both steady-state and transient conditions.
Purpose: Little is known regarding the therapeutic role of exercise against the risk of a high-fat diet (HFD) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-like cognitive deficits. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of treadmill running against HFD-induced progression in AD neuropathology and cognitive impairments in the tripletransgenic AD (3xTg-AD) mice. Methods: The 3xTg-AD mice were assigned to a chow diet (control, n = 10), an HFD (n = 10), or an HFD combined with exercise (HFD + EX, n = 10) group. Mice in the HFD were fed with a 60% fat diet for 20 wk. The HFD + EX mice were additionally subjected to treadmill running. Results: Compared with the control mice, the HFD mice had impaired brain insulin signaling, exacerbated AD neuropathology, defects in synaptic stability/plasticity, and apoptotic neuronal cell death in conjunction with exacerbated cognitive deficits in the affected brain regions, which were all significantly alleviated in the HFD + EX mice. Conclusion: The current findings suggest that treadmill running protects against AD-like disease progression and cognitive deficits caused by an HFD in the 3xTg-AD mice.
Probing interactions of biological systems at the molecular level is of great importance to fundamental biology, diagnosis, and drug discovery. A rational bioassay design of lithographically integrating individual point scattering sites into electrical circuits is capable of realizing real-time, label-free biodetection of influenza H1N1 viruses with single-molecule sensitivity and high selectivity by using silicon nanowires as local reporters in combination with microfluidics. This nanocircuit-based architecture is complementary to more conventional optical techniques, but has the advantages of no bleaching problems and no fluorescent labeling. These advantages offer a promising platform for exploring dynamics of stochastic processes in biological systems and gaining information from genomics to proteomics to improve accurate molecular and even point-of-care clinical diagnosis.
Purpose of review This review seeks to describe the role of the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGR) in modulating non-HDL lipoprotein levels, platelet numbers and atherosclerosis. Recent findings Genetics studies have revealed that ASGR haplodeficiency provides protection from atherosclerosis. The potential interactions of ASGR with LDL receptor may regulate the rate of LDL uptake and as a result may lower plasma non-HDL cholesterol. ASGR clears senescent platelets and induces the expression of hepatic thrombopoietin. Platelet activity promotes plaque formation and atherosclerosis. Summary ASGR is a multifunctional receptor specializing in clearance of desialylated glycoproteins and platelets. The impact of ASGR on the levels of plasma non-HDL cholesterol makes it a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.
With the development and popularization of Internet, computer network has been widely used in various trades and fields. Computer network has been used frequently in daily office, management, life and service. For example, Government departments, institutions, enterprises, etc., the subsequent application of Internet technology has encountered some difficulties in practice, it is necessary for network problems in the application to improve, especially in network maintenance and security risks Therefore, the research and analysis on the maintenance and security management of the network are of great significance to further guarantee the network operation and work. In this paper, the author first describes the concept of network maintenance and security management, and then analyzes the application of network security management technology and the corresponding multi-level protection content; Finally, on this basis, pointed out that the current network maintenance and security management problems, And pointed out the perfect strategy for the new era of network development and maintenance to provide new ideas.
Many vital interdependent cellular functions including proteostasis, lipogenesis and Ca2+ homeostasis are executed by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Exogenous insults can impair ER performance: this must be rapidly corrected or cell death will ensue. Protective adaptations can boost the functional capacity of the ER and form the basis of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Activated in response to the accumulation of misfolded proteins, the UPR can halt protein translation while increasing proteinhandling chaperones and the degradation of erroneous proteins through a conserved three-tier molecular cascade. However, prolonged activation of the UPR can result in the maladaptation of the system, resulting in the activation of inflammatory and apoptotic effectors. Recently, UPR and its involvement in neurodegenerative disease has attracted much interest and numerous potentially 'drugable' points of crosstalk are now emerging. Here, we summarize the functions of the ER and UPR, and highlight evidence for its potential role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, before discussing several key targets with therapeutic potential. (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
The heavy agricultural equipments cause high compaction in the top layer of the soil in agriculture. As the present method of soil compaction measurement is not ergonomically good practice by hand-held penetrometers either by static or dynamic. In India, the compaction data are taken by hand operated penetrometers generally which has certain limitations and more chance of error as manually operated penetrometers with dial gauge or digital display type penetrometers. However, some of the developed countries are using automatic multi-probe type sensor for collecting data for soil penetration resistance. Due to the limitations in hand held penetrometers, a tractor operated sensor based soil compaction measurement device has been developed which will increases the volume of data for a particular area and reduce human factor of error and upgrade the quality of measurement used by Indian scientific community for agricultural soil compaction so that scientists can correlate the crop parameters to be grown and this data can be used in agricultural machine design with different crop parameters and hence, recommendations for a particular machinery for a particular area or crop can be generated. Soil compactness and soil moisture content maps will give a colour coded maps of an area/particular region so that specific crop or the area needs attention on priority basis.
Using a person perception paradigm, two studies explored the interplay between target males' sociability and competence (the big two personality dimensions), gender role, and sexual orientation. Study 1 (N = 180) showed that sociable men were considered more likely to be gay than were competent men, which was mediated by the attribution of lower masculinity. In Study 2 (N = 120), target sexual orientation was considered as an independent variable. In the stereotype-congruent condition (gay/sociable vs. heterosexual/competent), gay men were rated more feminine and less masculine than were heterosexual men, whereas in the stereotype-incongruent condition (gay/competent vs. heterosexual/sociable), gay targets were rated less feminine but only equally masculine. Across both studies, the apparent stereotype of the nice gay guy was uncorrelated with participants' attitudes toward or contact with gay men. Results are discussed with regard to the gender-inversion hypothesis, the distinction between (anti) gay stereotypes and prejudice, and the stereotype content model.
Cell-based extracorporeal liver support is an option to assist or replace the failing organ until regeneration or until transplantation can be performed. The use of porcine cells or tumor cell lines is controversial. Primary human liver cells, obtained from explanted organs found to be unsuitable for transplantation, are a desirable cell source as they perform human metabolism and regulation. The Modular Extracorporeal. Liver Support (MELS) concept combines different extracorporeal therapy units, tailored to suit the individual and intra-individual clinical needs of the patient. A multi-compartment bioreactor (CellModule) is loaded with human liver cells obtained by 5-step collagenase liver perfusion. A cell mass of 400 g - 600 g enables the clinical application of a liver lobe equivalent hybrid organ. A detoxification module enables single pass albumin-dialysis via a standard high-flux dialysis filter, and continuous venovenuous hemodiafiltration may be included if required. Cells from 54 human livers have been isolated (donor age: 56 +/- 13 years, liver weight: 1862 +/- 556 g resulting in a viability of 55.0 +/- 15.9%). These grafts were not suitable for LTx, due to steatosis (54%), cirrhosis (15%), fibrosis (9%), and other reasons (22%). Out of 36 prepared bioreactors, 10 were clinically used to treat 8 patients with liver failure. The overall treatment time was 7-144 hours. No adverse events were observed. Initial clinical applications of the bioreactor evidenced the technical feasibility and safety of the system.
Cloud computing is a paradigm in which information is permanently stored in servers on the Internet and cached temporarily on clients. Virtual private network (VPN) is the most widely used technology for secure cloud access. Unfortunately, VPN-based cloud services become unavailable when a VPN failure occurs. In this paper, we propose a new scheme to improve the availability of VPN connections against such failures, called high-availability virtual communication (HAVC). Unlike most of the multipath transmission schemes in the literature, the proposed scheme is implemented by using a virtualization technique, and its protocol functions are independent of existing networks - potential clients are not required to modify their applications or operating systems. Simulation results show that the HAVC can not only tolerate VPN failures but also achieve high transmission performance.
This work explores the benefits of supporting learners affectively in a context-aware learning situation. This features a new challenge in related literature in terms of providing affective educational recommendations that take advantage of ambient intelligence and are delivered through actuators available in the environment, thus going beyond previous approaches which provided computer-based recommendation that present some text or tell aloud the learner what to do. To address this open issue, we have applied TORMES elicitation methodology, which has been used to investigate the potential of ambient intelligence for making more interactive recommendations in an emotionally challenging scenario (i.e. preparing for the oral examination of a second language learning course). Arduino open source electronics prototyping platform is used both to sense changes in the learners' affective state and to deliver the recommendation in a more interactive way through different complementary sensory communication channels (sight, hearing, touch) to cope with a universal design. An Ambient Intelligence Context-aware Affective Recommender Platform (AICARP) has been built to support the whole experience, which represents a progress in the state of the art. In particular, we have come up with what is most likely the first interactive context-aware affective educational recommendation. The value of this contribution lies in discussing methodological and practical issues involved.
Hyperspectral remote sensing data carry information on the leaf area index (LAI) of forests, and thus in principle, LAI can be estimated based on the data by inverting a forest reflectance model. However, LAI is usually not the only unknown in a reflectance model; especially, the leaf spectral albedo and understory reflectance are also not known. If the uncertainties of these parameters are not accounted for, the inversion of a forest reflectance model can lead to biased estimates for LAI. In this paper, we study the effects of reflectance model uncertainties on LAI estimates, and further, investigate whether the LAI estimates could recover from these uncertainties with the aid of Bayesian inference. In the proposed approach, the unknown leaf albedo and understory reflectance are estimated simultaneously with LAI from hyperspectral remote sensing data. The feasibility of the approach is tested with numerical simulation studies. The results show that in the presence of unknown parameters, the Bayesian LAI estimates which account for the model uncertainties outperform the conventional estimates that are based on biased model parameters. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the Bayesian inference can also provide feasible measures for the uncertainty of the estimated LAI. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
This paper introduces a comprehensive cooling index to assess performance of cooling systems in data centers and demonstrates its application on a real case by using CFD (computational fluid mechanics) method. The proposed methodology provides a metric for comparing and ranking of the cooling efficiency of the air distribution configurations among available designs alternatives. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
d-Limonene has efficacy in preclinical models of breast cancer, causing >80% of carcinomas to regress with little host toxicity. We performed a pilot study on healthy human volunteers to identify plasma metabolites of limonene and to assess the toxicity of supradietary quan titles of d-limonene. Seven subjects ingested 100 mg/kg limonene in a custard. Blood was drawn at 0 and 24 h for chemistry-panel analysis and at 0, 4, and 24 h for limonene-metabolite analysis. On-line capillary gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis indicated that at least five compounds were present at 4 h that were not present at time zero. Two major peaks were identified as the rat limonene metabolites dihydroperillic acid and perillic acid, and two minor peaks were found to be the respective methyl esters of these acids. A third major peak was identified as limonene-1,2-diol. Limonene was a minor component. At a dose of 100 mg/kg, limonene caused no gradable toxicity. Limonene is metabolized by humans and rats in a similar manner. These observations and the high therapeutic ratio of limonene in the chemotherapy of rodent cancers suggest that limonene may be an efficacious chemotherapeutic agent for human malignancies.
Touch is a primary nonverbal communication channel used to communicate emotions or other social messages. Despite its importance, this channel is still very little explored in the affective computing field, as much more focus has been placed on visual and aural channels. In this paper, we investigate the possibility to automatically discriminate between different social touch types. We propose five distinct feature sets for describing touch behaviours captured by a grid of pressure sensors. These features are then combined together by using the Random Forest and Boosting methods for categorizing the touch gesture type. The proposed methods were evaluated on both the HAART (7 gesture types over different surfaces) and the CoST (14 gesture types over the same surface) datasets made available by the Social Touch Gesture Challenge 2015. Well above chance level performances were achieved with a 67% accuracy for the HAART and 59% for the CoST testing datasets respectively.
The global and UK drive for a low-carbon dioxide environment, as well as a secure and affordable energy supply, has encouraged nuclear power to play a core role in the UK energy mix: the UK landscape today houses eight large nuclear plants (15 reactors) reported to generate about 21% of UK electricity. By 2030, two-thirds of the UK's electricity generation capacity will have retired; it will need to be replaced with low-carbon dioxide and reliable power for the future to improve the UK's energy security and meet its commitments on carbon dioxide emissions targets. With 50% cumulative growth in nuclear capacity forecast between 2014 and 2035 (in comparison to coal at 10%, oil at 20% and gas at 44%) still leaving nuclear with only a 5% share of global capacity in 2035, there is considerable scope for nuclear in the long term.
This paper presents a high-speed 3 kW 80 krpm surface-mounted permanent magnet (SMPM) motor for compressor applications. The design procedure using finite element analysis (FEA) is presented with a particular focus on the efficiency calculation. The paper also aims to give general indications to provide a cost-efficient solution. A prototype is built and experimental results are given and compared to the simulations.
A series of SiO2@aluminum-MOF(MIL-68) composites with different SiO2 loadings have been synthesized by a simple and mild compositing strategy for high-efficiency removal of aniline. As evidenced from SEM and TEM images as well as the particle size distribution, the incorporation of SiO2 can improve the dispersity of MIL-68(Al) in composites, and result in the smaller particle size than that of pristine MIL-68(Al). Besides, the adsorption of aniline over SiO2, MIL-68(Al), the physical mixture of these two materials, and SiO2@MIL-68(Al) composites was investigated comparatively, demonstrating a relatively high adsorption capacity (531.9 mg g(-1)) of 7% SiO2@MIL-68(Al) towards aniline. Combining the ultrafast adsorption dynamics (reaching equilibrium within 40 s) and great reusability, 7% SiO2@MIL-68(Al) shows excellent adsorption performance. This indicates that the SiO2@MIL-68(Al) composites possess great potential applications as a kind of fascinating adsorbent in water pollution protection. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Can the positivity bias, observed across various Social Network Sites (SNSs), predict the use of prosocial lies in a SNS such as Facebook? The positivity bias may be a product of politeness norms (i.e., positive face concern) that have influenced communication phenomena before these sites existed. In addition, positive face concern may also be affected by unconscious cues or primes that promote prosocial behavior on Facebook. We conducted an online experiment using current Facebook users to examine how positive face concern and surveillance primes affect prosocial lying in public and private Facebook contexts. Although positive face concern and publicness predicted the use of prosocial lying, positive face concern was not affected by the publicness and surveillance primes did not affect positive face concern or the use of prosocial lies in our study. This hints towards the nuance of positive face concern and the potential limitations of surveillance primes on prosocial lying behavior. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Our study used allozyme analyses to evaluate potential impacts of ecological restoration treatments on genetic diversity of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum) populations within the Fort Valley Experimental Forest near Flagstaff, AZ. Allele frequencies varied among pre-settlement clumps, with trees more closely related to each other within clumps. This clumpy spatial stand structure typical of reference conditions thus represents genetic neighborhoods and suggests restoration of clumpy versus more evenly dispersed trees in naturally regenerating stands will protect evolutionary genetic patterns. Compared to pre-settlement populations, post-settlement trees had slightly greater heterozygosity, and allelic richness and allele frequencies varied between these two age groups. These genetic differences could have resulted from different selective conditions under which the two age groups became established. Genetic diversity of populations created using different selection criteria for residual post-settlement trees did not vary but simulated removal of 75% of post-settlement trees decreased allelic richness. Maintaining more clumps created from post-settlement populations with higher tree densities across the landscape would be more effective at conserving allelic richness. Overall results of this study indicate use of genetic structure and diversity can help guide restoration treatments to help ensure adaptive potential is conserved.
Investigations utilizing recombinant human xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes as well as human hepatocytes have revealed a number of interactions not only between different environmental chemicals (ECs) but also between ECs and endogenous metabolites. Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) are potent inhibitors of the human metabolism of carbaryl, carbofuran, DEET and fipronil, as well as the jet fuel components, nonane and naphthalene. OPs are potent irreversible inhibitors of testosterone metabolism by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and of estradiol metabolism by CYP3A4 and CYP1A2. All of these CYP inhibitions are believed to be due to the release of reactive sulfur during CYP-catalyzed oxidative desulfuration. It has also been shown that the esterase(s) responsible for the initial step in permethrin metabolism in human liver is inhibited by both chlorpyrifos oxon and carbaryl. A number of pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, fipronil and permethrin, and the repellent, DEET, have been shown to be inducers of CYP isoforms in human hepatocytes, with fipronil being the most potent. Several agrochemicals, including fipronil and the pyrethroids, permethrin and deltamethrin, show toxicity toward human hepatocytes with fipronil being the most potent in this regard. Endosulfan-alpha, which has shown promise as a model substrate for phenotyping CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 in human liver microsomes, is also an inducer of CYP2B6, acting through the PXR receptor. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Feeding interactions among functional feeding groups (FFGs) of macroinvertebrates are robust indicators of aquatic ecosystem interactions. They provide information regarding organic matter processing, habitat condition and trophic dynamics. In tropical rivers with pronounced wet and dry seasons, macroinvertebrate based ecological monitoring tools are explicitly focused on metrics and indices, while ignoring interactions of FFG5. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the functional feeding type metrics, diversity indices and feeding interactions among FFG5 of macroinvertebrates along the water pollution gradient in Gilgel Gibe watershed, Ethiopia. Water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate community attributes were assessed for samples collected from upstream sites (15 sites), urban-impacted stretches (12 sites) and wetland-affected river zones (7 sites) of the watershed during the rainy (July) and dry (February) seasons. To understand the effect of pollution on the feeding interactions, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were analyzed. Macroinvertebrate-based diversity indices and functional feeding type metric showed deterioration of ecological integrity at the urban-impacted sites and substantial recovery in the wetland-affected downstream sites. Omnivorous feeding behavior of macroinvertebrates was noted for the upstream sites, whereas clear trophic guilds of FFG5 were suggested for the wetland-affected river zones by the stable isotope results. The results of pollution gradient analysis and feeding interactions among FFGs revealed that the urban-impacted sites showed weaker interactions when compared to upstream and wetland influenced sites. This affirms the potential importance of feeding interactions among FFGs of macroinvertebrates in water quality monitoring. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
This paper introduces new basic concepts for electrical circuits' theory. The minimum dissipated power is defined and demonstrated as a general principle for electrical circuits in stationary and quasi-stationary regime. Based on the matrix formulation of these principles the nodal method analysis is obtained. A number of examples presented here prove the originality of the main novel concepts.
The technological advancements in mobile connectivity services such as GPRS, GSM, 3G, 4G, Blue-tooth, WiMAX, and Wi-Fi made mobile phones a necessary component of our daily lives. Also, mobile phones have become smart which let the users perform routine tasks on the go. However, this rapid increase in technology and tremendous usage of the smartphones make them vulnerable to malware and other security breaching attacks. This diverse range of mobile connectivity services, device software platforms, and standards make it critical to look at the holistic picture of the current developments in smartphone security research. In this paper, our contribution is twofold. Firstly, we review the threats, vulnerabilities, attacks and their solutions over the period of 2010-2015 with a special focus on smartphones. Attacks are categorized into two types, i.e., old attack and new attacks. With this categorization, we aim to provide an easy and concise view of different attacks and the possible solutions to improve smartphone security. Secondly, we critically analyze our findings and estimate the market growth of different operating systems for the smartphone in coming years. Furthermore, we estimate the malware growth and forecast the world in 2020.
Runoff coefficients are widely used as a diagnostic variable of runoff generation in process studies and as an important input parameter in hydrologic design. Many regions of Saudi Arabia do not have sufficient historical records and the detailed runoff information needed for physically based distribution models. The US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Curve Number (USDA-NRCS-CN) method was used in this study for determining the curve number and runoff depth for Asir region, Saudi Arabia. Runoff curve number was determined based on the factors of hydrologic soil group, land use and land cover, and slope gradient in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia using the geographic information system (GIS). The region was not subjected before for any previous studies concerning runoff generation or rainwater harvesting by using GIS and remote sensing. ArcGIS 9.3 and the global positioning system were used to develop the soil map on the basis of samples collected during a field survey. Soil textures were identified and used to build a map of the hydrological soil groups. Unsupervised and supervised classification of Landsat images was used to generate land use and land cover maps. The land cover distribution in the study area revealed that the largest class in the area, barren and sparsely vegetated land, occupied 62,832.38 km(2) of the study area (more than 80 % of the total area), followed by shrubland (15,212.66 km(2)), cropland and pasture (52.34 km(2)), mixed shrubland/grassland (40.89 km(2)), and grassland (12.27 km(2)). Built-up land occupied only 11.45 km(2). The slope map for the Asir region was generated from a 15-m digital elevation model. The GIS technique was used to develop the CN for the region based on the Soil Conservation Service method. The annual runoff depth was derived from the annual rainfall and CN per pixel using the raster calculator tool in ArcGIS. The rainfall distribution in the study area showed the wise identification of suitable sites for rainwater harvesting, as most of the constructed dams were located in the areas with higher rainfall. The analysis also revealed that the annual runoff for the study area ranged from 27 to 69 % of the total rainfall, with variation as low as 80 to 300 mm/year. This is the highest amount of runoff that can be generated in Saudi Arabia. The runoff volume was calculated for the entire region using the previously developed runoff depth map and basin areas. The results showed that the runoff volume (M3) in the Asir region varied from as low as 237,000 m(3) to a maximum of 2,140,000 m(3); this result revealed a significant yearly amount of runoff that can be harvested for any use. Moreover, the calculated runoff depth in the area agreed with the actual dam capacities for the existing dams in the Asir region. This approach can be applied in other regions in Saudi Arabia for rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.
This paper presents a non-verbal and non-facial method for effective communication of a mechanoid robot by conveying the emotions through gestures. This research focuses on human-robot interaction using a mechanoid robot that does not possess any anthropomorphic facial features for conveying gestures. Another feature of this research is the use of human-like smooth motion of this mechanoid robot in contrast to the traditional trapezoidal velocity profile for its communication. For conveying gestures, the connection between motion of robot and perceived emotions is established by varying the velocity and acceleration of the mechanoid structure. The selected motion parameters are changed systematically to observe the variation in perceived emotions. The perceived emotions have been further investigated using three different emotional behavior models: Russell's circumplex model of affect, Tellegen-Watson-Clark model and PAD model. Results obtained show that the designated motion parameters are linked with the change of emotions. Moreover, the emotions perceived by the user are same through all three models, validating the reliability of all the three emotional scale models and also of the emotions perceived by the user.
An understanding of the hydraulic system is one of the learning objectives of the manufacturing engineering studies. Generally, knowledge of the hydraulic system its components learned from textbooks. The existence of conventional tutorial props are considered can help the understanding of these materials, but this has not enough ability to give a clear illustration how each component in the system is working. This paper aims to look at how far a custom made hydraulic system tutorial props with a transparent flow concept can improve the competence of students in the understanding work of the hydraulic system. The tutorial props of hydraulic system are designed with the theme of material handling, using the robotic 3-arm with a dual-acting cylinder actuator to support the movement of each arm. All components flowed by fluid including valves, hoses, pumps, and actuators are made from transparent material and flowed with visible-colored fluid. The whole system and each component are equipped with a label containing its name and schematic symbol with fluid flow direction. The tutorial props can be operated manually and designed to be easily knocked down. Based on verification using the questionnaire of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to 30 students obtained a value of 3.52 which indicates that the tutorial props are quite acceptable. While based on implementation test by comparing the difference in value between the pretest and posttest of 15 students using textbooks learning method and 15 students using the tutorial props learning method, found that there are significant differences which indicate that using the tutorial props is a better learning method. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
There is a rich literature on the nature of mental health-related stigma and the processes by which it severely affects the life chances of people with mental health problems. However, applying this knowledge to deliver and evaluate interventions to reduce discrimination and stigma in a lasting way is a complex and long-term challenge. We conducted a narrative synthesis of systematic reviews published since 2012, and supplemented this with papers published subsequently as examples of more recent work. There is evidence for small to moderate positive impacts of both mass media campaigns and interventions for target groups in terms of stigma-related knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviour in terms of desire for contact. However, the limited evidence from longer follow-up times suggests that it is not clear whether short-term contact interventions have a lasting impact. The risk that short-term interventions may only have a short-term impact suggests a need to study longer term interventions and to use interim process and outcome data to improve interventions along the way. There is scope for more thorough application of intergroup contact theory whenever contact is used and of evidence-based teaching and assessment methods when skills training is used for target groups.
Background: Suicide is a major public health concern, particularly among people who use illicit substances and/or non-prescribed medications. Methods: The present study prospectively assessed the incidence and predictors of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA) among 868 substance-using patients over 12 months after receiving primary care within seven public primary care clinics. Results: Participants reported a high incidence of SI (25.9%) and SA (7.1%) over the year following primary care visits. Suicidality was elevated in patients who were female; lacked a high school diploma; were unemployed; reported depression, anxiety, hallucinations, concentration difficulty, or violent behavior; used nicotine or stimulants; used the emergency department or mental health services in the past 90 days; reported current quality-of-life impairment in mobility or usual activities; or reported recent SI or lifetime SA at baseline. In multiple regression analyses, only past 30-day SI, any lifetime SA, past 90-day violent behavior, and current impairment due to anxiety or depression at baseline uniquely predicted SI or SA beyond other variables. Conclusions: Results support the need for screening for suicidality among primary care patients who use illicit substances and identify key of these patients who are at particularly elevated risk for suicidality.
Attack intention recognition is to reason and judge the goal of attackers according to attack behavior and network environment. In order to deal with the dynamical character of offense-defense confrontation, a dynamical real-time network attack intention recognition algorithm was proposed. By correlating real-time security alerts and vulnerabilities, we recognized the spread route and stage of attacks based on graph theory and probability theory. Then we identified the attack intention and predicted the possible transition of attacks, combined with network connectivity relationship. A simulation experiments for the proposed network attack intention recognition algorithm is performed by network examples. The experimental results show that the proposed method can be more accurately identify attack intention and fully predict the post stage of attacks.
There are 0.6-1.9% of US children who were born with congenital heart malformations. Clinical and animal studies suggest that abnormal blood flow forces might play a role in causing these malformation, highlighting the importance of understanding the fetal cardiovascular fluid mechanics. We performed computational fluid dynamics simulations of the right ventricles, based on four-dimensional ultrasound scans of three 20-wk-old normal human fetuses, to characterize their flow and energy dynamics. Peak intraventricular pressure gradients were found to be 0.2-0.9 mmHg during systole, and 0.1-0.2 mmHg during diastole. Diastolic wall shear stresses were found to be around 1 Pa, which could elevate to 2-4 Pa during systole in the outflow tract. Fetal right ventricles have complex flow patterns featuring two interacting diastolic vortex rings, formed during diastolic E wave and A wave. These rings persisted through the end of systole and elevated wall shear stresses in their proximity. They were observed to conserve similar to 25.0% of peak diastolic kinetic energy to be carried over into the subsequent systole. However, this carried-over kinetic energy did not significantly alter the work done by the heart for ejection. Thus, while diastolic vortexes played a significant role in determining spatial patterns and magnitudes of diastolic wall shear stresses, they did not have significant influence on systolic ejection. Our results can serve as a baseline for future comparison with diseased hearts.
We study supply function competition among conventional power generators with different levels of flexibility and the impact of intermittent renewable power generation on the competition. Inflexible generators commit production before uncertainties are realized, whereas flexible generators can adjust their production after uncertainties are realized. Both types of generators compete in an electricity market by submitting supply functions to a system operator, who solves a two-stage stochastic program to determine the production level for each generator and the corresponding market prices. We aim to gain an understanding of how conventional generators' (in) flexibility and renewable energy's intermittency affect the supply function competition and the market price. We find that the classic supply function equilibrium model overestimates the intensity of the market competition, and even more so when more intermittent generation is introduced into the system. The policy of economically curtailing intermittent generation intensifies the market competition, reduces price volatility, and improves the system's overall efficiency. Furthermore, these benefits of economic curtailment are most significant when the production-based subsidies for renewable energy are absent.
An extensive database on the toxicity and modes of action of ethylene glycol (EG) has been developed over the past several decades. Although renal toxicity has long been recognized as a potential outcome, in recent years developmental toxicity, an effect observed only in rats and mice, has become the subject of extensive research and regulatory reviews to establish guidelines for human exposures. The developmental toxicity of EG has been attributed to the intermediate metabolite, glycolic acid (GA), which can become a major metabolite when EG is administered to rats and mice at high doses and dose rates. Therefore, a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed to integrate the extensive mode of action and pharmacokinetic data on EG and GA for use in developmental risk assessments. The resulting PBPK model includes inhalation, oral, dermal, intravenous, and subcutaneous routes of administration. Metabolism of EG and GA were described in the liver with elimination via the kidneys. Metabolic rate constants and partition coefficients for EG and GA were estimated from in vitro studies. Other biochemical constants were optimized from appropriate in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. Several controlled rat and human metabolism studies were used to validate the resulting PBPK model. When internal dose surrogates were compared in rats and humans over a broad range of exposures, it was concluded that humans are unlikely to achieve blood levels of GA that have been associated with developmental toxicity in rats following occupational or environmental exposures.
This paper presents some considerations about Virtual Manufacturing an the way in which the Virtual Manufacturing Environments are used in teaching/learning/e-learning. The aspects of information transfer/acquisition by using images are outlined too. The paper presents the structure of an e-learning module in manufacturing engineering, achieved by the authors, and points out some relevant examples. Finally, the way, in which users can manipulate a Virtual Manufacturing Scene via the Internet, is shown
In computer vision research, the first most important step is to represent the captured object into some mathematical transformed feature vector describing the proper shape, texture and/or color information for the classification. To understand the nature's biodiversity, together with computer vision (CV), the emerging ubiquitous mobile technologies are now used. Therefore, in this paper, a novel low computational, efficient, and accurate rotation-scaletranslation invariant shape profile transform called Angle View Projection (AVP) is proposed. The leaf images captured via mobile devices are transformed to an AVP shape profile curve (a set of four shapelets) and then compacted using Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) to improve the performance of the system. It also reduces the energy consumption of the device. The algorithm is tested on five different types of leaf datasets: Flavia dataset, 100 plant species leaves dataset, Swedish database, Intelligent Computing Laboratory leaf dataset and Diseased leaf dataset. An 'Agent' on mobile device decides whether the module needs to offload to the Server or to compute on the device itself. The experiments carried out clearly indicates that the proposed system outperforms the state-of-the-art with a fast response time even in a low vision environment. AVP also outperforms other methods when tested over incomplete leaves caused due to the physiological or pathological phenomenon. This AVP shape profile based mobile plant biometric system is developed for general applications in our society to better understand the nature and helps in botanical studies and researches.
ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 (ABCA7) is expressed in the hippocampus and cortex of the brain and was confirmed to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have demonstrated that ABCA7 regulated A beta production, lipid transport, leading to AD characteristic pathological changes. However, the role and mechanism of ABCA7 in the context of AD needs further research. We augmented the expression of ABCA7 using lentiviral vector carrying ABCA7 gene to investigate the effect of ABCA7 overexpression on AD mice; then, we further explored the underlying mechanism in vitro. In the present study, ABCA7 was expressed successfully in the hippocampus of AD mice through lentiviral vector mediating ABCA7 gene; we showed that ABCA7 overexpression can effectively improve cognitive behavior of AD mice and diminished A beta production; meanwhile, ABCA7 overexpression significantly relieved the neurotoxicity of A beta by promoting cell viability and reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress. In conclusion, our findings showed that ABCA7 had obvious anti-A beta effect and appeared to improve cognitive function of AD mice. Our results provided a new thought and basic scientific data for the clinical treatment of AD.
Accurate rainfall-runoff modeling during typhoon events is an essential task for natural disaster reduction. In this study, a novel hybrid model which integrates the outputs of physically based hydrologic modeling system into support vector machine is developed to predict hourly runoff discharges in Chishan Creek basin in southern Taiwan. Seven storms (with a total of 1200 data sets) are used for model calibration (training) and validation. Six statistical indices (mean absolute error, root mean square error, correlation coefficient, error of time to peak discharge, error of peak discharge, and coefficient of efficiency) are employed to assess prediction performance. Overall, superiority of the present approach especially for a longer (6-h) lead time prediction is revealed through a systematic comparison among three individual methods (i.e., the physically based hydrologic model, artificial neural network, and support vector machine) as well as their two hybrid combinations. Besides, our analysis and in-depth discussions further clarify the roles of physically based and data-driven components in the proposed framework. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PURPOSE. This in vitro study evaluated the effects of four different cements on the color attributes of a zirconia ceramic. MATERIALS AND METHODS. 40 zirconia ceramic disk specimens (0.5 mm thickness, 10 mm diameter, 0.1 mm cement space) were fabricated by a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing system. The specimens were divided into 4 groups of 10 specimens and cemented to composite substrates using four different cements including: Glass lonomer, Panavia F2.0, Zinc Phosphate, and TempBond. The L*, a*, and b* color attributes of the specimens were measured before and after cementation by a spectrophotometer. Additionally, Delta E values were measured to determine color changes for the groups and then compared with the perceptional threshold of Delta E = 3.3. Repeated Measures ANOVA, Tukey Post Hoc, Bonferroni, One-way ANOVA, and One-sample t-test tests were used to analyze the data. All tests were carried out at the 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS. Statistically significant differences were detected in the AE values for Zinc Phosphate (P<.0001) and TempBond (P<.0001) groups. However, there were no statistically significant differences in this respect for Glass lonomer (P=.99) and Panavia F2.0 (P=1) groups. The means and standard deviations of the Delta E values for Glass lonomer, Panavia F2.0, Zinc Phosphate, and Tempbond groups were 2.11 +/- 0.66, 0.94 +/- 0.39, 5.77 +/- 0.83, and 7.50 +/- 1.16 Unit, respectively. CONCLUSION. Within the limitations of this study, it was concluded that Zinc Phosphate and Tempbond cements affected the color attributes of the tested zirconia ceramic beyond the perceptional threshold. However, Glass lonomer and Panavia F2.0 cements created acceptable color changes.
New developments in stem cell biology offer alternatives for the reconstruction of critical-sized bone defects. One of these developments is the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. These stem cells are similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells, but can be generated from adult somatic cells and therefore do not raise ethical concerns. Proper characterization of iPS-derived osteoblasts is important for future development of safe clinical applications of these cells. For this reason, we differentiated mouse ES and iPS cells toward osteoblasts using osteogenic medium and compared their functionality. Immunocytochemical analysis showed significant expression of bone markers (osteocalcin and collagen type I) in osteoblasts differentiated from ES and iPS cells on days 7 and 30. An in vitro mineralization assay confirmed the functionality of osteogenically differentiated ES and iPS cells. Gene expression arrays focusing on osteogenic differentiation were performed in order to compare the gene expression pattern in both differentiated and undifferentiated ES cells and iPS cells. We observed a significant upregulation of osteogenesis-related genes such as Runx2, osteopontin, collagen type I, Tnfsf11, Csf1, and alkaline phosphatase upon osteogenic differentiation of the ES and iPS cells. We further validated the expression of key osteogenic genes Runx2, osteopontin, osteocalcin, collagen type I, and osterix in both differentiated and undifferentiated ES and iPS cells by means of quantified real-time polymerase chain reaction. We conclude that ES and iPS cells are similar in their osteogenic differentiation capacities, as well as in their gene expression patterns.
This paper presents an evaluation of the performance of two instrumented sections of a geosynthetic-reinforced soil wall, 5.6 m high, constructed using a lateritic fine-grained soil. Two sections with identical layout of a nonwoven and a woven geotextile were monitored for comparison purposes. The unconfined tensile stiffness of the nonwoven geotextile was three times smaller than that of the woven geotextile. This allowed direct evaluation of the effect of soil confinement on geotextile stiffness. Instrumentation was used to measure face displacements, reinforcement displacement and strains, and soil matric suction. Rainfall occurred both during and after construction, which facilitated evaluation of the effect of soil wetting on the walls performance. Ultimate and serviceability limit state analyses were conducted to gain further insight into the performance of the two walls. The results show that the performance of the section reinforced with nonwoven geotextile was equivalent to the one reinforced with woven geotextile, even after the observed reduction in matric suction after rainfall. For both sections, the overall deformations occurred during construction. Negligible deformations were observed during service. Maximum face displacements were measured in the lowest instrumented layer for the nonwoven geotextile section whereas it was in the highest layer for the woven geotextile section. These behaviours of face displacement distributions can be the result of the significant differences in global stiffness of the sections. Design analyses and field performance show that soil confinement has a beneficial effect on the nonwoven geotextile stiffness. The significant contribution of the soil cohesion of the lateritic soil played an important role in the behaviour of the nonwoven geotextile-reinforced wall.
Individual differences such as social anxiety and extraversion have been shown to influence education outcomes. However, there has been limited investigation of the relationship between individual differences and attitudes towards online and offline learning. This study aimed to investigate for the first time how social anxiety and extraversion influence student attitudes to online and offline learning, specifically in relation to tertiary level practical activities. Based on the social compensation hypothesis, it was predicted that students with higher levels of extraversion and lower levels of social anxiety would report more favourable attitudes to face-to-face learning activities. It was further predicted that less extraverted and more socially anxious students would have more favourable attitudes to online learning activities. Undergraduate students (N = 322, 67% female) completed the HEXACO-60 personality inventory, the Mini Social Phobia Inventory, and measures of attitudes towards online and offline activities. Two hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted. The first revealed that neither extraversion nor social anxiety contributed significantly to preference for online practical activities. The second regression revealed that greater emotionality, greater extraversion, greater conscientiousness, and lower levels of social anxiety were associated with more favourable attitudes towards face-to-face practical activities. In contrast to predictions, extraversion and social anxiety did not significantly contribute to attitudes to online learning activities. However, in line with predictions, greater extraversion and lower levels of social anxiety were associated with more favourable attitudes towards face-to-face practical activities. These findings indicate that online learning activities have limited compensatory effects for students who experience social discomfort, and that the social compensation hypothesis may apply within an educational framework, but in unexpected ways. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Liberals and conservatives both express prejudice toward ideologically dissimilar others (Brandt et al., 2014). Previous work on ideological prejudice did not take advantage of evidence showing that ideology is multidimensional, with social and economic ideologies representing related but separable belief systems. In 5 studies (total N = 4912), we test 3 competing hypotheses of a multidimensional account of ideological prejudice. The dimension-specific symmetry hypothesis predicts that social and economic ideologies differentially predict prejudice against targets who are perceived to vary on the social and economic political dimensions, respectively. The social primacy hypothesis predicts that such ideological worldview conflict is experienced more strongly along the social than economic dimension. The social-specific asymmetry hypothesis predicts that social conservatives will be more prejudiced than social liberals, with no specific hypotheses for the economic dimension. Using multiple target groups, multiple prejudice measures (e. g., global evaluations, behavior), and multiple social and economic ideology measures (self-placement, issue positions), we found relatively consistent support for the dimension-specific symmetry and social primacy hypotheses, and no support for the social-specific asymmetry hypothesis. These results suggest that worldview conflict and negative intergroup attitudes and behaviors are dimension-specific, but that the social dimension appears to inspire more political conflict than the economic dimension.
It has been stated that roughly 50% of electrical incidents involve workers whose primary function is not electrical in nature. It also encouraged all to address electrical safety for all workers and not just workers whose job responsibilities involve working on or near energized electrical circuits. In this paper, a program which includes specific briefings to non-electrical workers as well as to workers who may need to perform their normal activities in proximity to energized electrical conductors is presented. The program uses a targeted approach to specific areas such as welding, excavating, rigging, chart reading, switching, cord and plug equipment and several other general areas to point out hazards that may exist and how to avoid them. The site experience over the years supports the assertion that about half of the electrical incidents involve non-electrical workers and this prompted us to develop specific briefings to enhance the knowledge of the non-electrical worker regarding safe electrical practices. The promotion of May is Electrical Safety Month and the development of informative presentations which are delivered to the general site population as well as electrical workers have greatly improved the hazards awareness status of the general worker on site.
Rationale Social cognition influences social interactions. Alcohol reportedly facilitates social interactions. However, the acute effects of alcohol on social cognition are relatively poorly studied. We investigated the effects of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beer on emotion recognition, empathy, and sexual arousal using the dynamic face emotion recognition task (FERT), Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), and Sexual Arousal Task (SAT) in a double-blind, random-order, cross-over study in 60 healthy social drinkers. We also assessed subjective effects using visual analog scales (VASs), blood alcohol concentrations, and plasma oxytocin levels. Alcohol increased VAS ratings of stimulated, happy, talkative, open, and want to be with others. The subjective effects of alcohol were greater in participants with higher trait inhibitedness. Alcohol facilitated the recognition of happy faces on the FERT and enhanced emotional empathy for positive stimuli on the MET, particularly in participants with low trait empathy. Pictures of explicit sexual content were rated as less pleasant than neutral pictures after non-alcoholic beer but not after alcoholic beer. Explicit sexual pictures were rated as more pleasant after alcoholic beer compared with non-alcoholic beer, particularly in women. Alcohol did not alter the levels of circulating oxytocin. Alcohol biased emotion recognition toward better decoding of positive emotions and increased emotional concern for positive stimuli. No support was found for a modulatory role of oxytocin. Alcohol also facilitated the viewing of sexual images, consistent with disinhibition, but it did not actually enhance sexual arousal. These effects of alcohol on social cognition likely enhance sociability. www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02318823 RefTarget Address=http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02318823 TargetType=URL/>
Particle selectivity of the sediment deposited over vegetative barriers is of importance to predict sediment transport and particulate pollutant load into surface waters. Grassed barriers with 20-90% covers at 15 degrees slope were subjected to silt-laden inflows in the presence and absence of simulated rainfalls to investigate the sediment deposition processes. The results show that regrass of steep croplands can effectively trap eroded sediment from upslope, and the rowed grass barriers can strengthen sediment deposition. The deposition order of sediment particle sizes (m) follows (>50)>(25-50)>(10-25)=((2-10), and the particle selectivity weakens with increasing grass covers. Clay particles had a similar deposition efficiency to overall sediment, implying the effectiveness of regrass in controlling soil nutrient loss. The contribution of grass to total overland flow resistance is almost equivalent to the percentage of grass cover. For steep grassed slopes, raindrop impact significantly decreases sediment deposition, but limitedly affects particle selectivity of deposited sediment and overland flow hydraulics. Both raindrop kinetic energy and stream power available for surface soil contribute to sediment deposition in net deposition areas of grass barriers. These imply that rainfall effect on sediment delivery over vegetated barriers derives from the additional raindrop energy, rather than the variation in runoff hydraulics. These results can help to clarify the effect of raindrop impact on sediment transport and to evaluate the benefit of revegetation in decreasing sediment yield and its particulate nutrient load into surface waters.
Recent studies on brain imaging analysis witnessed the core roles of machine learning techniques in computer-assisted intervention for brain disease diagnosis. Of various machine-learning techniques, sparse regression models have proved their effectiveness in handling high-dimensional data but with a small number of training samples, especially in medical problems. In the meantime, deep learning methods have been making great successes by outperforming the state-of-the-art performances in various applications. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that combines the two conceptually different methods of sparse regression and deep learning for Alzheimer's disease/mild cognitive impairment diagnosis and prognosis. Specifically, we first train multiple sparse regression models, each of which is trained with different values of a regularization control parameter. Thus, our multiple sparse regression models potentially select different feature subsets from the original feature set; thereby they have different powers to predict the response values, i.e., clinical label and clinical scores in our work. By regarding the response values from our sparse regression models as target-level representations, we then build a deep convolutional neural network for clinical decision making, which thus we call 'Deep Ensemble Sparse Regression Network.' To our best knowledge, this is the first work that combines sparse regression models with deep neural network. In our experiments with the ADNI cohort, we validated the effectiveness of the proposed method by achieving the highest diagnostic accuracies in three classification tasks. We also rigorously analyzed our results and compared with the previous studies on the ADNI cohort in the literature. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Tetrahydroprotoberberines (THPB) have a high affinity for dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptors and may provide a novel treatment for drug addiction. We assessed the effects of the THPB D-govadine on the acquisition, expression, extinction and reinstatement of D-amphetamine -(1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Furthermore, the effects of D-govadine on conditioned association between contextual stimuli and a natural reward were examined using food-induced CPP. In separate experiments, rats received D-govadine (0, 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) before a) each D-amphetamine injection during conditioning, b) expression of amphetamine-induced CPP, c) each extinction session, d) amphetamine-induced reinstatement of CPP, ore) placement into a compartment containing food during conditioning. Although D-govadine had no effect on acquisition of amphetamine CPP, treatment with D-govadine during acquisition dose-dependently extinguished a preference for the amphetamine-associated context more quickly than vehicle treatment. Moreover, D-govadine treatment facilitated the extinction of amphetamine CPP when given repeatedly throughout the extinction phase. Although the expression of amphetamine CPP was not affected by D-govadine administered prior to the expression test, amphetamine-induced reinstatement of CPP following an extinction period was blocked by D-govadine (1.0 mg/kg). The intermediate dose of D-govadine blocked the acquisition of food CPP, whereas the high dose facilitated extinction of this preference as compared to vehicle-treated animals. Therefore, D-govadine attenuates the maintenance of conditioned associations between contextual stimuli and amphetamine or food reward, as well as amphetamine-induced reinstatement of drug seeking behaviour. As such, D-govadine may be a candidate for further development as a pharmacological treatment of psychostimulant drug dependence. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Non-spherical particles are known to orient preferentially in near-wall turbulence, but rod-like and disk-like particles align themselves differently relative to the mean vorticity direction. To uncover the mechanism that gives rise to such preferential particle orientations in anisotropic turbulence, Lagrangian statistics from a channelflow simulation have been analysed. Ni et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 743, 2014, R3) showed that the fluid vorticity and long rods independently aligned with the Lagrangian fluid stretching direction in isotropic turbulence. Following their approach, we deduced the left Cauchy-Green strain tensor along Lagrangian trajectories of tracer spheroids in channel-flow turbulence. The results showed that the alignment of the fluid vorticity vector with the strongest Lagrangian stretching direction in the channel centre, just as in isotropic turbulence, vanished in the vicinity of the walls. The analysis revealed that the directions of the strongest Lagrangian stretching and compression in near-wall turbulence are in the streamwise and wall-normal directions, respectively. All over the channel we found that the symmetry axis of prolate spheroids aligned with the direction of strongest Lagrangian stretching whereas oblate spheroids oriented with the direction of Lagrangian compression. This finding is apparently universal since the same trends were found in highly anisotropic wall turbulence as well as in isotropic turbulence. Contrary to the prevailing view, we have shown for the first time that the preferential orientation of the symmetry axis of long rods in the streamwise direction and of flat disks in the wall-normal direction is caused by Lagrangian stretching and not by fluid rotation. This finding fills a gap in our understanding of orientation and rotation of tracer spheroids in anisotropic wall turbulence.
The present research focuses on improvement of various soil properties and strength parameters of clayey subgrade using geogrid (biaxial) and geotextile (nonwoven) placed through various reinforcement systems viz. Single layer reinforcement system (SIL), composite layer reinforcement system (COL), multi layer reinforcement system(ML) at various position/levels of subgrade thickness. A high strength geotextile and a biaxial geogrid are used as geosynthetic reinforcement materials in this study. Soaked and Unsoaked CBR tests were performed on expansive soil (CI and CH soil) using above mentioned reinforcement systems. The main objective of this study is to know the most efficient geosynthetic reinforcement system and position of reinforcement for medium expansive soil (CI) and highly expansive soil (CH) of Gujarat region.. Given results depicts that infusion of geosynthetic reinforcement at various levels of subgrade note only improves CBR value but overall its increases the structural stability of the subgrade. Out of various subgrade systems composite reinforced system at position of h/5 gave the maximum CBR value and its calibration with modulus of subgrade reaction (K) was quite compatible.
Purpose - The losses incurred in ferromagnetic materials under PWM excitations must be predicted accurately to optimize the design of modern electrical machines. The purpose of this paper is to employ mathematical hysteresis models (i.e. classical Preisach model) to predict iron losses in electrical steels under PWM excitation without compromising the computational complexity of the model. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper, a novel approach based on the dynamic inverse Preisach model is proposed to model the iron losses. The PWM magnetic flux density waveform is decomposed into its harmonic component using Fourier series and a weighted Everett function is computed based on these harmonic components. The Preisach model is applied for the given flux waveform and results are validated against the measurements. Findings - The paper predicts the total iron loss by computing a weighted Everett function based on the harmonics present in PWM waveform. Moreover, it formulates the possibility of utilizing the classical Preisach model to predict iron losses under PWM excitation. Research limitations/implications - The approach is still limited in terms of its application at high frequencies. This work may eventually lead toward the accurate prediction of iron loss under PWM excitation in electromagnetic machine design. Practical implications - The paper provides a simple approach applying the Preisach model for the prediction of iron losses under PWM excitation. The proposed approach does not require additional experimental data beyond B-H loops measured under sinusoidal excitation. Originality/value - A novel approach is presented to incorporate the frequency dependence into a static inverse Preisach model. The approach extends the ability of the static Preisach model to compute total iron loss under PWM excitation using a weighted Everett function.
Urbanization globally is consistently reshaping the natural landscape to accommodate the growing human population. Urban vegetation plays a key role in moderating environmental impacts caused by urbanization and is critically important for local economic, social and cultural development. The differing patterns of human population growth, varying urban structures and development stages, results in highly varied spatial and temporal vegetation patterns particularly in the pan-Pacific region which has some of the fastest urbanization rates globally. Yet spatially-explicit temporal information on the amount and change of urban vegetation is rarely documented particularly in less developed nations. Remote sensing offers an exceptional data source and a unique perspective to map urban vegetation and change due to its consistency and ubiquitous nature. In this research, we assess the vegetation fractions of 25 cities across 12 pan-Pacific countries using annual gap-free Landsat surface reflectance products acquired from 1984 to 2012, using sub-pixel, spectral unmixing approaches. Vegetation change trends were then analyzed using Mann-Kendall statistics and Theil-Sen slope estimators. Unmixing results successfully mapped urban vegetation for pixels located in urban parks, forested mountainous regions, as well as agricultural land (correlation coefficient ranging from 0.66 to 0.77). The greatest vegetation loss from 1984 to 2012 was found in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Dalian in China. In contrast, cities including Vancouver (Canada) and Seattle (USA) showed stable vegetation trends through time. Using temporal trend analysis, our results suggest that it is possible to reduce noise and outliers caused by phenological changes particularly in cropland using dense new Landsat time series approaches. We conclude that simple yet effective approaches of unmixing Landsat time series data for assessing spatial and temporal changes of urban vegetation at regional scales can provide critical information for urban planners and anthropogenic studies globally. (C) 2017 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
While female participation in work places has increased over the last decades, women only make up 1-2 % of the 1.25 million seafarers worldwide. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labor Organizations are making a concerted effort to promote women into the maritime industry. Still, there are barriers in the maritime industry that hinder female employment, particularly in leadership positions. The primary aim of the paper is to investigate whether there is a significant difference in implicit beliefs about leadership between males and females. In addition to this, it seeks to evaluate whether the aforementioned difference is within the context of masculine versus neutral work domains. The findings indicated that employees in the maritime industry might have lower expectations towards female leaders thereby indicating the presence of gender bias in the evaluation of leaders.
Among the food-related health issues, the presence of contaminants has a prominent role, due to the wide range of exogenous compounds that can occur in food commodities and to their large differences in structure and biological activity. A comprehensive assessment of the related risk is thus actually demanding in terms of time and facilities involved. In this context, the use of computational strategies can be an effective choice for supporting the hazard identification procedure at the early stage. In this work we focused on the food contaminant zearalenone by comparing the trans and cis isomers, respectively the well-known mycoestrogen and its still largely understudied isomer. We estimated the possible effects exerted by human metabolism on the xenoestrogenicity of cis-ZEN by using a validated in silica strategy based on docking simulations and rescoring procedures. Similarly, the exploitation of the most promising enzymatic detoxifying routes designed for trans-ZEN - which relies on the enzyme lactono hydrolase from Clonostachys rosea - has been assessed for the cis-isomer as well. Our results showed that both isomers can act as functional analogues with respect to xenoestrogenic activity, and several cis-ZEN metabolites with high biological potential have been identified. On the contrary, in spite of the high degree of structural analogy, the cis isomer showed a pattern of interaction with the degrading enzyme in stark contrast with that observed for trans-ZEN. For these reasons, the outcomes presented herein strongly support the inclusion of cis-ZEN in further studies of occurrence, metabolism and bioactivity assessment, and suggest the need for a dedicated handling for the cis isomer in risk assessment studies. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
This paper describes the architecture and functionality of a generic agent that is in charge of handling a given environment in an Ambient Intelligence context, ensuring suitable contextualized and personalized support to the user's actions, adaptivity to the user's peculiarities and to changes over time, and automated management of the environment itself. The architecture is implemented in a multi-agent system, where different types of agents are endowed with different levels of reasoning and learning capabilities. In addition to controlling normal operations of the environment, the system may identify user's needs and goals and activate suitable workflows to satisfy them. Some actions in these workflow involve the execution of semantic services. When a single service is not available for fulfilling a given need, an automatic service composer is used to obtain a suitable combination of services. The architecture has been implemented in a prototypical agent-based system that works in a Smart Home Environment.
BackgroundPavlovian-Instrumental-Transfer (PIT) examines the effects of associative learning upon instrumental responding. Previous studies examining PIT with ethanol (EtOH)-maintained responding showed increases in responding following presentation of an EtOH-paired conditioned stimulus (CS). Recently, we conducted 2 studies examining PIT with an EtOH-paired CS. One of these found increases in responding, while the other did not. This less robust demonstration of PIT may have resulted from the form of the CS used, as we used a 120-second light stimulus as a CS, while the previous studies used either a 120-second auditory stimulus or a 10-second light stimulus. This study examined whether using conditions similar to our earlier study, but with either a 120-second auditory or a 10-second light stimulus as a CS, resulted in more robust PIT. We also examined the reliability of our previous failure to observe PIT. MethodsThree experiments were conducted examining whether PIT was obtained using (i) a 120-second light stimulus, (ii) a 10-second light stimulus, or (iii) a 120-second auditory stimulus as CSs. ResultsWe found PIT was not obtained using (i) a 120-second light stimulus as a CS, (ii) a 10-second light stimulus as a CS, or (iii) a 120-second auditory stimulus as a CS. ConclusionsThese results suggest that CS form does not account for our earlier failure to see PIT. Rather, factors like rat strain or how EtOH drinking is induced may account for when PIT is or is not observed.
We investigated the role of self-focused attention (SFA) in social anxiety (disorder) in an ecologically valid way. In Experiment 1 high (n = 26) versus low (n = 25) socially anxious single women between 18 and 30 years had a video (Slcype) conversation with an attractive male confederate, while seeing themselves and the confederate on-screen. The conversation was divided in four phases: (I) warm-up, (II) positive (confederate was friendly to the participant), (III) critical (confederate was critical to the participant), and (IV) active (participant was instructed to ask questions to the confederate). Participant's SFA was measured by eye-tracked gaze duration at their own image relative to the confederates' video image and other places at the computer screen. Results show that high socially anxious participants were more self-focused in the critical phase, but less self-focused in the active phase than low socially anxious participants. In Experiment 2 women diagnosed with SAD (n = 32) and controls (n = 30) between 18 and 30 years conducted the same experiment. Compared to controls participants with SAD showed increased SFA across all four phases of the conversation, and SFA predicted increased self-rated anxiety during the conversation. In conclusion, in subclinical social anxiety SFA is high only when the interaction partner is critical, whereas instructions to ask questions to the confederate reduces subclinical socially anxious' SFA, while clinical SAD is characterized by heightened self-focused attention throughout the interaction. Results support theories that social anxiety disorder is maintained by SFA, and imply that interventions that lower SFA may help prevent and treat social anxiety disorder, but that SFA can also be adaptive in certain types of interaction, such as when receiving compliments. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Online social networks (OSNs) gradually integrate financial capabilities by enabling the usage of real and virtual currency. They serve as new platforms to host a variety of business activities, such as online promotion events, where users can possibly get virtual currency as rewards by participating in such events. Both OSNs and business partners are significantly concerned when attackers instrument a set of accounts to collect virtual currency from these events, which make these events ineffective and result in significant financial loss. It becomes of great importance to proactively detecting these malicious accounts before the online promotion activities and subsequently decreases their priority to be rewarded. In this paper, we propose a novel system, namely ProGuard, to accomplish this objective by systematically integrating features that characterize accounts from three perspectives including their general behaviors, their recharging patterns, and the usage of their currency. We have performed extensive experiments based on data collected from the Tencent QQ, a global leading OSN with built-in financial management activities. Experimental results have demonstrated that our system can accomplish a high detection rate of 96.67% at a very low false positive rate of 0.3%.
A switched-current (SI) based beamformer, suitable for low-power and low-area applications, is presented. The most important feature of the proposed beamformer is that the current consumption does not increase linearly with memory size. This is achieved by employing external capacitors for memory storage unlike a conventional SI memory. This is a fully differential design implemented using delay and sum approach. An Analog RAM (ARAM) has been used to implement the delay and each memory cell in the ARAM has been implemented using an SI circuits. There are 16 memory cells in each ARAM consuming 35.15 mu A/cell. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 63 dB is measured after summation of 16 channels. The total current consumption of beamformer including the bias, and digital control is 9 mA and area is 1.27 mm(2). (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Genetic lesions that activate KRAS account for similar to 30% of the 1.6 million annual cases of lung cancer. Despite clinical need, KRAS is still undruggable using traditional small-molecule drugs/inhibitors. When oncogenic Kras is suppressed by RNA interference, tumors initially regress but eventually recur and proliferate despite suppression of Kras. Here, we show that tumor cells can survive knockout of oncogenic Kras, indicating the existence of Kras-independent survival pathways. Thus, even if clinical KRAS inhibitors were available, resistance would remain an obstacle to treatment. Kras-independent cancer cells exhibit decreased colony formation in vitro but retain the ability to form tumors in mice. Comparing the transcriptomes of oncogenic Kras cells and Kras knockout cells, we identified 603 genes that were specifically up-regulated in Kras knockout cells, including the Fas gene, which encodes a cell surface death receptor involved in physiological regulation of apoptosis. Antibodies recognizing Fas receptor efficiently induced apoptosis of Kras knockout cells but not oncogenic Kras-expressing cells. Increased Fas expression in Kras knockout cells was attributed to decreased association of repressive epigenetic marks at the Fas promoter. Concordant with this observation, treating oncogenic Kras cells with histone deacetylase inhibitor and Fas-activating antibody efficiently induced apoptosis, thus bypassing the need to inhibit Kras. Our results suggest that activation of Fas could be exploited as an Achilles' heel in tumors initiated by oncogenic Kras.
This article examines face recognition as a key instance of the emergence of smart photography. Smart photography, drawing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Ambient Intelligence (AmI) manifests a 'habit of mind' (Karen Barad), or a way of thinking that is humanist in so far as it is predicated on human and machine autonomy, and representationalist in its quest for unmediated objects-in-themselves. Faces are among the objects that smart photography seeks (autonomously) to represent. By examining two of the principal algorithms of face recognition technology, the article will show how ways of seeing allied to ways of thinking that are also, ultimately, discriminatory and essentialist, materialise through software. Finally, if the 'smart' in smart photography means learning to discriminate between classes of faces that are fixed, essentialised and ultimately elusive (the stereotypical face of terror is both gendered and racialised) then how could smart be made smarter? This is a question of politics rather than progress.
Parentage data from beef calves has shown that in multiple-sire pastures a disproportionate number of calves are born from a single bull. Investigating and accurately quantifying bull behavior within multiple sire pastures will begin to determine reason(s) for the variability in the number of calves sired. The study objective was to assess accelerometer data and various classification algorithms to accurately predict bull behavior events in a multiple-sire pasture. Behavior events of interest in this study included lying, standing, walking, and mounting. Two bulls and ten estrous synchronized cows were used. True behavior events were determined during daylight hours with video analysis, and matched with accelerometer data. Accelerometers were attached to both ears, withers, and neck of both bulls. Accelerometer data were recorded for every second over 3 days. Accelerometer data were used to generate algorithms and accuracy was evaluated compared to known video behavioral data. The prevalence based on the raw video data for lying was 32.6%, standing was 59.4%, walking was 7.4%, and mounting was 0.6%. The random forest classifier had the highest accuracy compared to other classifiers (random tree and decision tree) for each tag location and behavior of interest. The accuracies from the random forest algorithms ranged from 92 to 99% for lying, 85 to 90% for standing, 73 to 77% for walking, and 74% to 80% for mounting. The classification algorithm was able to accurately predict a lying and standing event, and predict a walking and mounting event with a lower accuracy. Further research is needed to determine how behaviors between bulls affects overall parentage data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Individual differences in the preference for group-based hierarchy and inequality, as indexed by social dominance orientation (SDO), have been shown to predict environment-relevant variables. To date the.literature examining the SDO-environmentalism link has used the traditional unidimensional conceptualisation of SDO. This article reports three studies using the new measurement and conceptualisation of SDO that involves the SDO7 scale and the sub-dimensions of intergroup dominance (SDO-D) and intergroup anti-egalitarianism (SDO-E). SDO-D entails support for group-based dominance achieved via overt oppression and aggressive intergroup behaviour, and SDO-E entails support for group-based inequality subtly achieved via unequal distribution of resources. Our results show anti-egalitarianism to be the main SDO sub-dimension related to environmentalism. While SDO-D is either a weaker or non-significant predictor, individuals with high levels of SDO-E were less willing to make personal sacrifices for the environment, value environmental protection and endorse climate change beliefs. Interestingly, neither facet of SDO predicted change in environmentalism over a five-month period; but climate change denial predicted change in SDO-E while pro-environmental attitudes predicted change in SDO-D over time. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Parental factors have been linked to childhood anxiety, hence, parental involvement in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxious children has been examined. However, findings do not consistently show added effects of parent-enhanced CBT, longitudinal investigations are scarce and long-term effects unclear. In the present study, 40 out of 54 families who, 3 years previously, completed one of two types of CBT treatment: with limited or active parental involvement, were assessed using semi-structured diagnostic interviews. Diagnostic status at 3-years follow-up was compared between groups. Changes in diagnostic status across assessment points: posttreatment, 6-month and 3-year follow-up were analyzed within groups. Diagnostic change from 6-month to 3-year follow-up was compared between groups. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed no significant difference in diagnostic status between groups at 3-year follow-up. Nonetheless, children whose parents actively participated in treatment showed significantly more remission from 6-month to 3-year follow-up than children with limited parental participation.
Through glacial moulins, meltwater is routed from the glacier surface to its base. Moulins are a main feature feeding subglacial drainage systems and thus influencing basal motion and ice dynamics, but their geometry remains poorly known. Here we show that analysis of the seismic wavefield generated by water falling into a moulin can help constrain its geometry. We present modeling results of hour-long seimic tremors emitted from a vertical moulin shaft, observed with a seismometer array installed at the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The tremor was triggered when the moulin water level exceeded a certain height, which we associate with the threshold for the waterfall to hit directly the surface of the moulin water column. The amplitude of the tremor signal changed over each tremor episode, in close relation to the amount of inflowing water. The tremor spectrum features multiple prominent peaks, whose characteristic frequencies are distributed like the resonant modes of a semiopen organ pipe and were found to depend on the moulin water level, consistent with a source composed of resonant tube waves (water pressure waves coupled to elastic deformation of the moulin walls) along the water-filled moulin pipe. Analysis of surface particle motions lends further support to this interpretation. The seismic wavefield was modeled as a superposition of sustained wave radiation by pressure sources on the side walls and at the bottom of the moulin. The former was found to dominate the wave field at close distance and the latter at large distance to the moulin.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, and multiple inflammatory cytokines are involved in RA pathogenesis. Interleukin (IL)-18, in particular, has a significant positive correlation with RA. In this study, we investigated the effect of erythroid differentiation regulator 1 (Erdr1), which is negatively regulated by IL-18, in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in DBA/1J mice. Treatment of mice with recombinant (r) Erdr1 significantly suppressed the severity of arthritis, histologic features of arthritic tissue, and serum levels of anti-collagen autoantibodies (IgG, IgG1, IgG2a and IgM) in CIA. In addition, IL-18 expression was reduced in the affected synovium of rErdr1-treated mice. Interestingly, Erdr1 treatment suppressed migration in contrast to the pro-migratory effect of IL-18, indicating the therapeutic effects of Erdr1 on CIA through inhibiting synovial fibroblast migration. In addition, Erdr1 inhibited activation of ERK1/2, a key signaling pathway in migration of various cell types. Taken together, these data show that rErdr1 exerts therapeutic effects on RA by inhibiting synovial fibroblast migration, suggesting that rErdr1 treatment might be an effective therapeutic approach for RA.
Objective: Patients with ADHD have been suggested to have increased risks of allergic diseases but without consistent results, and limited studies about the association between ADHD and autoimmune diseases were noted in the literature. Method: Utilizing the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, ADHD patients were identified and compared with age- and gender-matched controls (1:4). Results: In all, 8,201 participants were identified as having ADHD, and an increased prevalence of allergic diseases, including asthma (odds ratio [OR] = 1.53), allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.59), atopic dermatitis (OR = 1.53), and urticaria (OR = 1.39), compared with the control group. Although the comorbidity of autoimmune diseases with ADHD was low, ADHD patients had a significantly greater prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis (OR = 2.78), ulcerative colitis (OR = 2.31), and autoimmune thyroid disease (OR = 2.53) than the controls. Conclusion: Our results supported the association between ADHD and allergic/autoimmune diseases. The further studies will be required to clarify the underlying mechanisms.
Throughout the United States, there has been a rise in public discourse about transgender people and transgender issues. Much of this attention stems from passed and proposed anti-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning) legislation, including bathroom bills that would require transgender people to use public facilities corresponding with the sex designated on their birth certificates. With the recent discussion and legislation impacting school-aged children and adolescents, what does this mean for school nurses and how can they care and advocate for their transgender students? In this article, we aim to empower school nurses to join the discussion, advocate for inclusive and equitable school policies, and deliver gender-affirming care to transgender students. We will explain transgender identities; transgender-related stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and health concerns; gender-affirming approaches in caring for transgender youth; and implications for school nurses. School nurses play a key role in creating a space that is welcoming and affirming where transgender students can thrive.
One result of globalization is the rapid growth of offshoring, i.e., the outsourcing of functions and jobs to offshore locations. In the USA, offshoring has progressed to the point where it already affects everyday lives, from the cars we drive (of which a large portion of the work and components are outsourced) to computers (which are typically manufactured offshore and shipped back to the USA), to electronic diagnostics (where calls are answered overseas). This phenomenon has implications on our lives and on the jobs that engineers and scientists will assume both now and in the future. Further, it is something that all highly developed and even some lesser-developed countries must face. Consequently, the growth of outsourcing will have a major impact on the educational objectives of engineering programs and the resultant engineering curricula worldwide. This paper presents recent data on product and job offshore migrations and discusses the various dimensions of this phenomenon. In addition to the potential loss of engineering and other high-end technical jobs, sociological and cultural aspects, intellectual property issues, strategic planning concerns, and macro-economic issues are presented. For example, the effects of offshoring on the societal fabric of the countries that are recipients of manufacturing and service center outsourcing, such as China and India, are significant, rapid, and controversial. Offshoring has also begun to change the way that engineering programs in these countries educate their students. In addition, intellectual property issues create a major risk to companies considering outsourcing to certain less-developed countries. These issues can be broadly categorized into: the robustness and strength of intellectual property laws, and the degree to which these laws are implemented and enforced. Further, such factors as currency fluctuations and geo-political conditions can substantially impact outsourcing decisions and profitability. The phenomenon of offshoring, which is now affecting engineering careers, will play a major role in shaping engineering education worldwide. The next generation of engineers will need to possess the ability to work seamlessly across cultures, have outstanding communication skills and be familiar with the principles of project management, logistics, and systems integration. Some educational models that begin to address these requirements will be presented. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Two studies examined the development of constructivist theory of mind (ToM) during late childhood and early adolescence. In Study 1, a new measure was developed to assess participants' understanding of the interpretive and constructive processes embedded in memory, comprehension, attention, comparison, planning, and inference. Using this measure, Study 2 tested a mediational model in which prosocial reasoning about conflict mediated the relation between constructivist ToM and behavior problems in high school. Results showed that the onset of constructivist ToM occurs between late childhood and early adolescence and that adolescents who have more advanced constructivist ToM have more prosocial reasoning about conflict, which in turn mediated the relation with fewer serious behavior problems in high school, after controlling for academic performance and sex. In both studies, girls showed more advanced constructivist ToM than boys in high school. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
High-performance phase-locked loops (PLLs) are critical for power control in grid-connected systems. This paper presents a new method of designing a PLL for single-phase systems based on derivative elements (DEs). The quadrature signal generator (QSG) is constructed by two DEs with the same parameters. The PLL itself is realized by using the DE-based QSG. It avoids errors due to the overlap and accumulation that are present in PLLs based on integral elements, such as a PLL based on a second-order generalized integrator. Additionally, frequency feedback is not needed which allows the proposed PLL to achieve high performance when the grid frequency changes rapidly. This paper presents the model of the PLL and a theoretical performance analysis with respect to both the frequency-domain and time-domain behavior. The error arising from the discretization process is also compensated, ensuring this PLL method is suitable for implementation in a digital control system. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed PLL achieves good performance in both harmonic rejection and dynamic response.
A means to digitally generate a partially coherent beam with orbital angular momentum is presented. Our approach is based on encoding the randomness of broadband light passing through a spiral phase plate in a spatial light modulator. We illustrate the technique by generating partially coherent beams with orbital angular momentum content and different coherence lengths, with no moving optical elements. We study the cross correlation spectra which yields to good agreement with theory.
In recent years, it is desired that the bandwidth of a class-D amplifier is widened using sampling frequencies as low as possible. For example, it is expected in the application of the power amplifier of vibration generator that the bandwidth is kept 5[kHz] within the load impedance infinity similar to 2 [Omega]. In this paper, it is shown that this demand to the class-D amplifier can be attained by an A2DOF (Approximate 2-Degree-Of-Freedom) digital controller with 200[kHz] switching and sampling frequencies. The controller is implemented by a FPGA and it is shown from experiments that this demand is attained enough.
Head and neck reconstructive microsurgery is constantly innovating because of a combination of multidisciplinary advances. This article examines recent innovations that have affected the field as well as presenting research leading to future advancement. Innovations include the use of virtual surgical planning and three-dimensional printing in craniofacial reconstruction, advances in intraoperative navigation and imaging, as well as postoperative monitoring, development of minimally invasive reconstructive microsurgery techniques, integration of regenerative medicine and stem cell biology with reconstruction, and the dramatic advancement of face transplant.
Coming out has been described as an essential component in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity development process and in the mental health of sexual minority people. This study investigated the coming out to family members in lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and analyzed the potential predictors associated to the choice to come out. For this purpose, disclosure of sexual orientation to family members, internalized sexual stigma (evaluated through an adapted short version of the internalized sexual stigma for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people, measure of the internalized sexual stigma for lesbians, gay, and bisexual), gender, age, sexual orientation, background information, current romantic relationship and the wealth of social network with sexual minority people were assessed on an Italian sample of 291 adolescents and young adults (206 lesbian/gay men and 85 bisexual people). Hierarchical multiple regression showed that higher scores of coming out to family were associated with gay/lesbian identity, liberal political orientation, higher education level, presence of a stable romantic relationship, higher number of lesbian, gay, and bisexual contacts, and lower levels of internalized sexual stigma. Results suggest that bisexual people encounter major difficulties regarding the coming out to family members, respect to lesbian/gay people and indicate that internalized sexual stigma is strongly associated with concealing one's sexual orientation. Clinical implications for the present findings are discussed.
Hydrological models and remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) models usually are used to estimate regional ET. This study aims to integrate the advantages of both the models to simulate the daily ET processes. A compromise between these two methodologies is represented by improving the optimization of the hydrological model on the basis of a new probability optimal ET series, which is produced by a data assimilation scheme combining sparse remote estimates and continuous modeling of regional ETs. The distributed time-variant gain hydrological model (DTVGM) and a two-layer remote sensing ET model are chosen. First, the DTVGM is optimized by maximizing the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of daily streamflow in the Shahe River basin, and simulates the daily hydrological processes of 1999-2007. For improving the accuracy of continuous ET simulation, the DTVGM is further optimized by dual objective functions composed of the assimilated ETs and observed outlet discharge. The results show that the accuracy of the DTVGM-based daily ETs is improved after the dual optimization, and the mean absolute percentage error between the DTVGM-based ETs and the measured ETs in the study area is reduced by 5.84%. The integrated method is proved better, and improves the hydrology modeling accuracy.
Next generation sequencing (NGS) is the emerging technology in forensic genomics laboratories. It offers higher resolution to address most problems of human identification, greater efficiency and potential ability to interrogate very challenging forensic casework samples. In this study, a trial set of DNA samples was artificially degraded by progressive aqueous hydrolysis, and analyzed together with the corresponding unmodified DNA sample and control sample 2800 M, to test the performance and reliability of the ForenSeq(TM) DNA Signature Prep kit using the MiSeq Sequencer (Illumina). The results of replicate tests performed on the unmodified sample (1.0 ng) and on scalar dilutions (1.0, 0.5 and 0.1 ng) of the reference sample 2800 M showed the robustness and the reliability of the NGS approach even from sub-optimal amounts of high quality DNA. The degraded samples showed a very limited number of reads/sample, from 2.9-10.2 folds lower than the ones reported for the less concentrated 2800 M DNA dilution (0.1 ng). In addition, it was impossible to assign up to 78.2% of the genotypes in the degraded samples as the software identified the corresponding loci as low coverage (< 50x). Amplification artifacts such as allelic imbalances, allele drop outs and a single allele drop in were also scored in the degraded samples. However, the ForenSeq(TM) DNA Sequencing kit, on the Illumina MiSeq, was able to generate data which led to the correct typing of 5.1-44.8% and 10.9-58.7% of 58 of the STRs and 92 SNPs, respectively. In all trial samples, the SNP markers showed higher chances to be typed correctly compared to the STRs. This NGS approach showed very promising results in terms of ability to recover genetic information from heavily degraded DNA samples for which the conventional PCR/CE approach gave no results. The frequency of genetic mistyping was very low, reaching the value of 1.4% for only one of the degraded samples. However, these results suggest that further validation studies and a definition of interpretation criteria for NGS data are needed before implementation of this technique in forensic genetics.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different reconstruction plates and screw combinations on stress distribution of segmental resected mandibles using finite element analysis. Methods: Lateral (L) and lateral-central (LC) defects were simulated by a computer aided design modeling. The straight (s) and angular (a) titanium locking reconstruction plates of 2.5 mm(12 holes for L defects and 16 holes for LC defects) were modeled. Each screw was 2.5 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length. A total of 20 different screw placement combinations were created. The bite force used in the present model was a unilateral molar clench. The data obtained from finite element analysis were recorded as von Mises, maximum principle and minimum principle stress values. Results: It was observed that stress values on neck of screw were higher for screws close to the resection area. When the first screw was loosened, the stress on the plate body and the remaining screws increased. Principle stress values were within the tolerance limits of the bone. Conclusion: The highest stress is observed in the screws nearest to the resection edge. Therefore, it is very important to place a screw adjacent to the resection edge.
Objective: Transmitral blood flow produces a vortex ring (quantified using vortex formation time [VFT]) that enhances the efficiency of left ventricular (LV) filling. VFT is attenuated in LV hypertrophy resulting from aortic valve stenosis (AS) versus normal LV geometry. Many patients with AS also have aortic insufficiency (AI). The authors tested the hypothesis that moderate Al falsely elevates VFT by partially inhibiting mitral leaflet opening in patients with AS. Design: Observational study. Setting: Veterans Affairs medical center. Participants: Patients with AS in the presence or absence of moderate Al (n = 8 per group) undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) were studied after institutional review board approval. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Under general anesthesia, peak early LV filling (E) and atrial systole (A) blood flow velocities and their corresponding velocity-time integrals were obtained using pulse-wave Doppler transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to determine E/A and atrial filling fraction (beta). Mitral valve diameter (D) was calculated as the average of major and minor axis lengths obtained in the midesophageal bicommissural (transcommissural anterior lateral -posterior medial) and LV long-axis (anterior-posterior) TEE imaging planes, respectively. VFT was calculated as 4.(1-beta).SV/pi D-3, where SV = stroke volume measured using thermodilution. Hemodynamics, diastolic function, and VFT were determined during steady-state conditions before cardiopulmonary bypass. The severity of AS (mean and peak pressure gradients, peak transvalvular jet velocity, aortic valve area) and diastolic function (E/A, beta) were similar between groups. Moderate centrally directed Al was present in 8 patients with AS (ratio of regurgitant jet width to LV outflow tract diameter of 36 +/- 6%). Pulse pressure and mean pulmonary artery pressure were elevated in patients with versus without Al, but no other differences in hemodynamics were observed. Mitral valve minor and major axis lengths, diameter, and area were reduced in the presence versus the absence of Al. VFT was increased significantly (5.7 +/- 1.7 v3.2 +/- 0.6; p = 0.00108) in patients with AS and Al compared with AS alone. Conclusion: Moderate Al falsely elevates VFT in patients with severe AS undergoing AVR by partially inhibiting mitral valve opening. VFT may be an unreliable index of LV filling efficiency with competitive diastolic flow into the LV. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Laboratory-scale physical modelling was conducted to understand the behaviour of highway embankments constructed on peat foundations. Artificial transparent soil was used to simulate the deformation properties of the peat foundation. The use of a transparent soil allows the determination of spatial deformations underneath the modelled embankment using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The load-settlement behaviour in the field is reasonably simulated in the laboratory-scale physical model. This paper presents the results of a modelled embankment with a geotextile fabric across its base.
Conventional reflow method in a convection oven is the principal step during the package assembly process in order to guarantee high productivity and make full use of the self-alignment. The package behavior, especially warpage, has significant effects on assuring package assembly reliability during the reflow process. In recent decades, several techniques, like Shadow Moire or 3-D digital image correlation (DIC), have been developed to assist industry in characterizing warpage. The requirement of artificial speckles on the specimen surface inevitably reduces the measurement accuracy and contaminates the specimen. To improve the accuracy and keep the specimen clean, a novel in situ warpage measurement method without surface treatment is developed, and its result is demonstrated. The specimen can be reapplied to the manufacturing process after the measurement, and one sample can be assessed consistently at different assembly process steps instead of wasting samples at each assembly stage.
As one of the most developed intelligent operating systems on mobile devices, Android has taken the most part of the cell phone market. A rapid increase in the number of mobile applications make them more and more relevant to people's daily lives than ever before. Due to Android's security mechanism and the validation lack of publishing Android apps, Android malware detection still remains to be a critical issue. To solve this problem, this paper found that the statistical information of Android components (mainly activity) from the Manifest file cannot be ignored, based on the traditional method of Android permission detection. In this paper, a new feature vector is extracted from the AndroidManifest file, which combines the permission information and the component information of the Android application. We combine the naive Bias classification algorithm, and propose a malicious application detection method based on AndroidManifest file information. The experimental results show that the new method performance better than that of the traditional permission detection.
Metabolism cycles daily between the fed and fasted states. The pathways of energy production are reversible and distinct. In the anabolic (fed) state, the liver stores glucose as glycogen, and fatty acid/triglyceride synthesis is active. In the catabolic (fasted) state, the liver becomes a glucose producer, lipogenesis is slowed, and fatty acid oxidation/ketogenesis is activated. The rate-limiting step for the latter is vested in the carnitine/carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system, and the off/on regulator of this is malonyl CoA. The AMP-induced protein kinase primarily determines the concentration of malonyl CoA. Four other systems have significant influence: two on fatty acid oxidation and two on lipogenesis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-1alpha., a master regulator of metabolism, induces hepatic gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in the catabolic phase. Deficiency of stearoyl CoA desaturase, although having no role in gluconeogenesis, powerfully induces fatty acid oxidation and weight loss despite increased food intake in rodents. Major stimulators of lipogenesis are carbohydrate-responsive element binding protein and the Insig system. The malonyl CoA-regulated CPT system has been firmly established in humans. The other systems have not yet been confirmed in humans, but likely are active there as well. Activation of fatty acid oxidation has considerable clinical promise for the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes, steatohepatitis, and lipotoxic damage to the heart.
Communication between cortical regions is necessary for optimal cognitive processing. Functional relationships between cortical regions can be inferred through measurements of temporal synchrony in spontaneous activity patterns. These relationships can be further elaborated by surveying effects of cortical lesions upon inter-regional connectivity. Lesions to cortical hubs and heteromodal association regions are expected to induce distributed connectivity changes and higher-order cognitive deficits, yet their functional consequences remain relatively unexplored. Here, we used resting-state fMRI to investigate intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) and graph theoretical metrics in 12 patients with circumscribed lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) portion of the Default Network (DN), and compared these metrics with those observed in healthy matched comparison participants and a sample of 1139 healthy individuals. Despite significant mPFC destruction, patients did not demonstrate weakened intrinsic FC among undamaged DN nodes. Instead, network-specific changes were manifested as weaker negative correlations between the DN and attentional and somatomotor networks. These findings conflict with the DN being a homogenous system functionally anchored at mPFC. Rather, they implicate a role for mPFC in mediating cross-network functional interactions. More broadly, our data suggest that lesions to association cortical hubs might induce clinical deficits by disrupting communication between interacting large-scale systems.
Background: Human metabolism is an essential biological process that involves the consumption of different substrates to ensure the nutritional and energetic needs of cells. The disruption of this highly regulated system constitutes the onset of several disorders/dysfunctions such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. Objective: In this review, we propose to discuss promising natural products that can act as modulators of cell metabolism and point towards possible targets to take into account in the development of new therapies against metabolic diseases. Methods: After having defined our main focus, we undertook an intensive search of bibliographic databases to select the peer-reviewed papers that fits within the review thematic. The information of the screened papers was described in an organized manner through the review and different types of studies were included. Results: Two hundred and seventy papers were included in the review, as well as one reliable website from the World Health Organization. Several articles described that pharmacological agents are commonly used to counteract metabolic disorders. However, in many cases these products are insufficient, represent high costs to health care systems and are associated with several undesirable effects, highlighting the need to search for new therapies. Notably, many papers reported the promising results of natural products in the treatment of several metabolic disorders, constituting a possible alternative or complementary strategy to pharmacological agents. Conclusion: The findings of this review confirm that the currently available treatments for metabolic disorders and its associated complications remain far below the expected results.
The People in My Life questionnaire (PIML) is one of the few available self-report measures for assessing children's representations of the relationship with attachment figures (parents and peers) in middle childhood. The current study presents validation studies of the PIML in a sample of Portuguese children aged between 8 and 12 years (N = 314) and adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years (N = 281). The original factor structure, composed of a second-order factor of attachment and three first-order factors (Trust, Communication, and Alienation), was confirmed for both scales (Parents Attachment and Peers Attachment) in the sample of children and replicated in the sample of adolescents using confirmatory factor analyses. The Portuguese version of the PIML showed adequate internal consistency and correlated as expected with measures of intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning (internalizing and externalizing problems, prosocial behavior, quality of life, self-compassion, and emotion regulation strategies). The PIML proved to be a psychometrically robust measure of children's representations of their relationships with parents and peers, representing an important advance in the measurement of attachment in middle childhood.
The main objective of this study was to configure the acquisition and analysis of low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict physico-chemical characteristics of Iberian loin, evaluating the use of different MRI sequences (spin echo, SE; gradient echo, GE; turbo 3D, T3D), computational texture feature methods (GLCM, NGLDM, GLRLM, GLCM + NGLDM + GLRLM), and data mining techniques (multiple linear regression, MLR; isotonic regression, IR). Moderate to very good correlation coefficients and low mean absolute error were found when applying MLR or IR on any method of computational texture features from MRI acquired with SE or GE. For T3D sequence, accurate results are only obtained by applying IR on GLCM or GLCM + NGLDM + GLRLM methods. Considering not only the accuracy of the methodology but also consumed time and required resources, the use of SE sequences for MRI acquisition, GLCM method for MRI texture analysis, and MLR could be indicated for prediction physico-chemical characteristics of loin.
Charities often circulate widespread donation appeals, but who is most likely to donate and how do appeals impact the well-being of individual donors and non-donors, as well as the entire group exposed to the campaign? Here, we investigate three factors that may influence donations (recent winnings, the presence of another person, and matched earnings) in addition to the changes in affect reported by individuals who donate in response to a charitable opportunity and those who do not. Critically, we also investigate the change in affect reported by the entire sample to measure the net impact of the donation opportunity. Results reveal that people winning more money donate a smaller percentage to charity, and the presence of another person does not influence giving. In addition, large donors experience hedonic boosts from giving, and the substantial fraction of large donors translates to a net positive influence on well-being for the entire sample.
Road authorities in developing countries recognize the need to maintain unpaved roads in rural areas using local resource based approaches rather than by attempting to meet international standards. The authors have developed a novel road maintenance technique, that we call Do-nou. Since 2006, we have demonstrated this technique in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and Latin America. Do-nou can be classified as a geotextile used to reinforce the shear strength of soil using only plastic crop bags, which are widely available in developing countries, and unskilled local labor. After some modification, the technique was also applied to the maintenance of unpaved roads on the clayey ground and to the construction of retaining walls for road embankment in flood-prone areas. It was demonstrated that it was practical for the communities to maintain unpaved roads in rural areas when equipped with the Do-nou technique, thereby enhancing community resilience. The Kenyan Government has recognized the Donou technique in its road strategy plan and has invested in training its youth on this technique for employment promotion. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Ultraviolet spectrophotometry has been widely applied in determination of water quality parameters because of its advantagous properties compared to chemical method, such as high efficiency, easy operation and non-secondary pollutions. Nitrate nitrogen is one of major pollutants in waste water. The standard ultraviolet spectrophotometry used to determinate the concentration of nitrate nitrogen in water is firstly to determinate the absorbances at wavelength 220 and 275 nm, which is used to calibrate the former, followed by the plotting of standard curve. While the linear equation described by Lambert-Beer's law and the linearity in the superposition of absorbances of various substance, on which the standard ultraviolet spectrophotometry based, are not fitted well anymore with the increase of concentration. In addition, it was found to be difficult to construct absorption model of nitrate solution at wavelength 220 nm in experiment. To overcome the disadvantages in single-wavelength or double-wavalengths spectrophotometry, the absorbances at the wavelength that covered by the absorption peak are introduced into the construction of the model and to avoid the increase of the model complexification resulted by the introduction of more wavelengths, we run the principal components analysis on the original absorbances data. The data with dimensions compressed from 107 down to 4 after process construct the absorbance model using locally weighted linear regression. Good performance were achieved in both training samples set and test samples set using this model and it was able to deal with the non-linear relation between the absorbance and concentration thus raised the upper range limit concentrations of nitrate nitrogen up to hundreds mg . L-1 from 4 mg . L-1 defined in the standard method. Meanwhile the principle and procedure of this analytical method are suitable for the absorbance model construction of other solutions.
Non-destructive controls particularly, X-rays computed tomography (XR-CT) is a useful tool in manufacturing engineering applications in the modern industry to study the texture deformation of mechanical parts with an efficient way. In manufacturing processes, the relationships between the mechanical properties of the materials and their structure and also their composition are crucial for the design of the mechanical parts because they basically influence the general behaviour of these parts in service conditions. Therefore, the great interest of XR-CT is the possibility of viewing with high resolution a transversal plane of an object without destroying the controlled parts. Moreover, X-ray tomography supplants the ultra sound by its spatial resolution and by its attenuation measure which are well adapted for the study of the material. This paper gives a comparative study on the new developments in non-destructive controls of the composite materials and applications in the manufacturing engineering and also reviews essentially the performance and advantages of X-rays computed tomography (XR-CT) medical scanner about its usage at multiple scales (macro, micro, meso and nano), the method and also the terminology. Subsequently, it will deal with the chosen materials to share the performances of this technique for the very different industrial applications. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.
The first tool presented in this paper is a generic factory cost model that can estimate various costs at multiple levels of any manufacturing plant. The model is activity-based which means that the cost of each manufacturing operation is calculated and then summed up so that the true -per-hour pound factory cost rate as well as the exact unit cost (i.e. manufacturing cost) of an unlimited number of different components can be estimated. The second tool is a scalable cost model that estimates the unit cost of future integrally bladed disc (blisk) designs which are used by the aerospace industry in gas turbine compressors. The tool multiplies the machine cost rates, calculated by the factory cost model, by the operation times derived from blisk scaling rules. As the operation times often depend on the number of blades, the disc diameter and other design variables, many scaling rules are based on the correlation between operation times and certain design parameters. Conversely, the remaining process times are constant because they are independent of the blisk geometry. As future process times can only be estimated and the correlation between operation times and design parameters is never perfect, all operation times have uncertainty distributions. These are cascaded through the model to generate a probability distribution of the unit cost. Through the interactive exchange of detailed cost information at the manufacturing operation level as well as extrapolated operation times, the two cost models facilitate design and manufacturing engineering to concurrently optimise blisk designs and manufacturing processes in terms of cost. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
People readily make personality attributions to images of strangers' faces. Here we investigated the basis of these personality attributions as made to everyday, naturalistic face images. In a first study, we used 1000 highly varying ambient image face photographs to test the correspondence between personality judgments of the Big Five and dimensions known to underlie a range of facial first impressions: approachability, dominance, and youthful-attractiveness. Interestingly, the facial Big Five judgments were found to separate to some extent: judgments of openness, extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness were mainly linked to facial first impressions of approachability, whereas conscientiousness judgments involved a combination of approachability and dominance. In a second study we used average face images to investigate which main cues are used by perceivers to make impressions of the Big Five, by extracting consistent cues to impressions from the large variation in the original images. When forming impressions of strangers from highly varying, naturalistic face photographs, perceivers mainly seem to rely on broad facial cues to approachability, such as smiling.
This article provides an estimate of the aggregate thickness required for unpaved roads resting on c-phi soil. Conventional practice of design of unpaved roads mostly considers the subgrade layer to be purely cohesive such as in soft marshy lands. However, a huge bulk of Indian sub-urban and rural unpaved roads rest on c-phi soil subgrade soil whose strength characteristics are contributed both by cohesion (c) and angle of internal friction (phi). It is imperative that if cohesion is considered as the sole strength criterion, it will provide lower bearing resistance, and hence, will overestimate the aggregate thickness required, which will eventually lead to undesirable increase in the overall project cost. In this regard, this article reports the result of an attempt made to identify the diminution in the required aggregate thickness of the unpaved road when both the strength characteristics of the subgrade soil are taken into account. Utility of a single geotextile layer beneath the aggregate has also been investigated towards further reduction of the required aggregate thickness. Incorporating bearing capacity estimation of the c-phi soil, necessary expressions have been developed for estimating the required aggregate thickness as a function of the axle load, tire inflation pressure, cohesion and angle of internal friction of subgrade soil, angle of internal friction and load distribution angle of the aggregate. Extended ranges of the aforementioned parameters, as suitable in Indian context, have been considered and the effect of the same, in the absence and presence of geotextiles, has been reported. Efficacy of the geotextiles has been elucidated in terms of the degree of improvement represented as reduction of aggregate thickness. Encouraging improvement up to the level of 70% has been observed in many instances. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
How do we decide who merits social status? According to functionalist theories of emotion, the nonverbal expressions of pride and shame play a key role, functioning as automatically perceived status signals. In this view, observers automatically make status inferences about expressers on the basis of these expressions, even when contradictory contextual information about the expressers' status is available. In four studies, the authors tested whether implicit and explicit status perceptions are influenced by pride and shame expressions even when these expressions' status-related messages are contradicted by contextual information. Results indicate that emotion expressions powerfully influence implicit and explicit status inferences, at times neutralizing or even overriding situational knowledge. These findings demonstrate the irrepressible communicative power of emotion displays and indicate that status judgments can be informed as much (and often more) by automatic responses to nonverbal expressions of emotion as by rational, contextually bound knowledge.
The geotextiles produced from meandrically arranged Kemafil ropes were prepared. The ropes were produced from textile waste materials: woollen nonwoven and nonwoven from the blend of recycled fibres. The ropes were arranged into segments which were used for the protection of the bank of the deep drainage ditch and reinforcement of shallow roadside ditch in the clay ground. The geotextiles were installed in the ground and their behaviour during one vegetation season was observed. It was stated that during heavy rains the meandrically arranged ropes form a system of micro-dams which slow down the stream of water flowing down on the surface of the ditch bank as well as the stream flowing along the ditch. The geotextiles installed on the ditch banks eliminate the formation of erosive channels and protect the banks against sliding. The geotextiles absorb water what ensures retention of water flowing along the ditch. Due to enhanced soil and water holding capacity geotextiles protect grass seeds from being washed out and facilitate the development of protective vegetation. Materials used for the production of the ropes reveal sufficient resistance to biological degradation. Slow biodegradation of the materials enable keeping the protective potential of geotextiles for at least one vegetation season. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Two-phase gas-solids transport models are widely utilized for process design and automation in a broad range of industrial applications. Some of these applications include proppant transport in gaseous fracking fluids, air/gas drilling hydraulics, coal-gasification reactors and food processing units. Systems automation and real time process optimization stand to benefit a great deal from availability of efficient and accurate theoretical models for operations data processing. However, modeling two-phase pneumatic transport systems accurately requires a comprehensive understanding of gas-solids flow behavior. In this study we discuss the prevailing flow conditions and present a low-fidelity two-fluid model equation for particulate transport. The model equations are formulated in a manner that ensures the physical flux term remains conservative despite the inclusion of solids normal stress through the empirical formula for modulus of elasticity. A new set of Roe-Pike averages are presented for the resulting strictly hyperbolic flux term in the system of equations, which was used to develop a Roe-type approximate Riemann solver. The resulting scheme is stable regardless of the choice of flux-limiter. The model is evaluated by the prediction of experimental results from both pneumatic riser and air-drilling hydraulics systems. We demonstrate the effect and impact of numerical formulation and choice of numerical scheme on model predictions. We illustrate the capability of a low-fidelity one-dimensional two-fluid model in predicting relevant flow parameters in two-phase particulate systems accurately even under flow regimes involving counter-current flow. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Open-circle sea water hydraulics, utilizing surrounding water as a working medium, has become more and more popular in submersible. Axial piston pump with port valves is used frequently in the open-circle water hydraulic system. Port valve is one of the important parts in this type pump. However, there are few literatures about the effect of the port valves' materials on the noise characteristic of the water pump. In this study, the effect of materials on the noise of the pump was researched through experimental and theory simulation methods. The influences of three kinds of plastics (Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Aliphatic polyamides (NYLON)) and one kind of anti-corrosion stainless steel (316 L) are colimared. The noise of the pump with the different materials port valve seat ranges from high to low as the order: 316 L >NYLON >PEEK >PTFE. The differences would contribute to the collision between valve spool and seat, which is identified by the simulating results. The experimental results showed that the difference of noise between PEEK and PTFE is small. In addition, the lifespan and volumetric efficiency are also taken into considering. The PEEK is selected to use in the seawater pump for a large submersible.
In the design of revetment engineering under wave action, to resist the wave action, the pattern of Top layer - Filter layer - Core(subsoil) is often adopted. In general, the structure of top layer is usually single discrete blocks, typically accropode blocks, four-leg square hollow blocks and barrier boards, and also acropode, riprap, paved rock blocks or concrete slabs where with smaller waves. Such top layer has been provided with many research findings on its stability and is widely used in engineering. Setting a filter layer between the top layer and the lower dike core mainly has two functions: (1) giving certain permeability, to minimize the hydrodynamic load directly acting on the lower foundation soil; (2) giving certain hydraulic tightness, to prevent fine sediment of the lower foundation soil being rushed out. This paper is focused on a special filter layer with geotextile as its upper structure and coarse aggregate as its lower structure. By simulating geotextile with different permeability and coarse aggregate with different size, The pressure of top of cover layer and the down side of the geotextile is tested under wave actions, and compared with theoretical analysis, in this way, how the permeability of geotextile impacts the stability of top layer is studyed. The research shows that when the lower coarse aggregate under the geotextile has high permeability and the geotextile's permeability get poorer, the uplift force to the top layer will be increased under wave action, which will cause damage to the top layer when it si greater than the vertical component force of the block gravity under the water. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Water flow through porous media is involved with physical factors such as size and configuration of pores, contact angle of grain surface, and connectivity of pores. To deal with these factors, pore-scale modeling is essential. Pore aggregate referred to as pore-network is extracted from randomly packed spherical grains with the modified Delaunay tessellation method. Water flow in a pore-network is formulated in terms of a network flow problem in hydraulics, in which friction and local losses such as contraction and enlargement of pipes are explicitly treated, while those are implicitly included in the hydraulic conductance of capillary tubes in existing works. Through the numerical experiments, it was confirmed that the effect of the local loss on the hydraulic conductivity could be negligible. Furthermore, the relative permeabilities of porous media with mixed wettabilities along the primary drainage and imbibition processes were estimated.
Earth Observation data is of great interest for a wide spectrum of scientific domain applications. An enhanced access to remote sensing images for domain experts thus represents a great advance since it allows users to interpret remote sensing images based on their domain expert knowledge. However, such an advantage can also turn into a major limitation if this knowledge is not formalized, and thus is difficult for it to be shared with and understood by other users. In this context, knowledge representation techniques such as ontologies should play a major role in the future of remote sensing applications. We implemented an ontology-based prototype to automatically classify Landsat images based on explicit spectral rules. The ontology is designed in a very modular way in order to achieve a generic and versatile representation of concepts we think of utmost importance in remote sensing. The prototype was tested on four subsets of Landsat images and the results confirmed the potential of ontologies to formalize expert knowledge and classify remote sensing images.
Data concerning the occurrence of emerging biological contaminants such as antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in aquatic environments in Sub-Saharan African countries is limited. On the other hand, antibiotic resistance remains a worldwide problem which may pose serious potential risks to human and animal health. Consequently, there is a growing number of reports concerning the prevalence and dissemination of these contaminants into various environmental compartments. Sediments provide the opportunity to reconstruct the pollution history and evaluate impacts so this study investigates the abundance and distribution of toxic metals. FIB, and ARGs released from hospital effluent wastewaters and their presence in river sediments receiving systems. ARGs (b/a(TEM), bla(CTX-M), bia(SHv), and aadA), total bacterial load, and selected bacterial species FIB [Escherichia coil, Enterococcus (ENT)] and species (Psd) were quantified by targeting species specific genes using quantitative PCR (qPCR) in total DNA extracted from the sediments recovered from 4 hospital outlet pipes (HOP) and their river receiving systems in the City of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The results highlight the great concentration of toxic metals in HOP, reaching the values (in mg kg(-1)) of 47.9 (Cr), 213.6 (Cu), 1434.4 (Zn), 2.6 (Cd), 281.5 (Pb), and 13.6 (Hg). The results also highlight the highest (P < 0.05) values of 16S rRNA, FIB, and ARGs copy numbers in all sampling sites including upstream (control site), discharge point, and downstream of receiving rivers, indicating that the hospital effluent water is not an exclusive source of the biological contaminants entering the urban rivers. Significant correlation were observed between (i) all analyzed ARGs and total bacterial load (16S rRNA) 0.51 to 0.72 (p < 0.001, n = 65); (ii) ARGs (except bla(TEM) and FIB and Psd 0.57 < r < 0.82 (p < 0.001, n = 65); and (iii) ARGs (except bla(TEM) and toxic metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn) 0.44 to 0.72, (p < 0.001, n = 65). These findings demonstrate that several sources including hospital and urban wastewaters contribute to the spread of toxic metals and biological emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.
Background: These studies were carried out to examine whether the onset and progression of an opioid substance use disorder (SUD) differed in those who first used opioids to get high compared to those who received a prescription from a doctor to relieve pain (Non-Rx vs. Rx groups, respectively). Methods: A subset of patients (N = 214) from an ongoing larger study of patients entering one of 125 drug treatment programs for opioid use disorder across the country agreed to give up their anonymity and participate in structured and open-ended online interviews examining drug abuse patterns. Results: With the exception that the Non-Rx group began their opioid abuse at a younger age than the Rx group and more quickly evolved from initial exposure to regular opioid abuse, there were relatively few differences in the characteristics, patterns and trajectories of opioid abuse. The vast majority of patients in both groups, most of whom had serious, antecedent psychiatric disorders, indicated that they used opioids to self-medicate psychological problems (67-73%) and/or stated that opioids provided a means to escape from the stresses of everyday life (79-85%). As the SUD progressed, for many individuals any positive attributes of opioids waned and avoidance of withdrawal became the overriding concern, often serving as the impetus for treatment. Conclusions: Our results suggest that self-treatment of co-morbid psychiatric disturbances is a powerful motivating force to initiate and sustain abuse of opioids and that the initial source of drugs a prescription or experimentation is largely irrelevant in the progression to a SUD. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
We present a new scheme on implementing the passive quantum key distribution with thermal distributed parametric down-conversion source. In this scheme, only one-intensity decoy state is employed, but we can achieve very precise estimation on the single-photon-pulse contribution by utilizing those built-in decoy states. Moreover, we compare the new scheme with other practical methods, i.e., the standard three-intensity decoy-state BB84 protocol using either weak coherent states or parametric down-conversion source. Through numerical simulations, we demonstrate that our new scheme can drastically improve both the secure transmission distance and the key generation rate.
There are many water-related human interventions that modify the natural hydrological systems of watersheds. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is such an intervention that involves harnessing of water. Water harvesting used in upstream prevents surface runoff to downstream impacting biodiversity and ecosystems. The main objective of the study is to assess the effects of water harvesting technologies on downstream water availability in Alaba District, Ethiopia. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, cost-benefit ratio, and optimal control approach (OCA) were used to analyze the hydrological, socioeconomic impact and trade-offs on water availability of the community, respectively. The downstream impact of increasing water consumption in the upstream rainfed areas of the Bilate and Shala watershed is simulated using the semi-distributed SWAT model. The two land use scenarios tested at sub-basin levels for the conventional land use represent the current land use practice (Agri-CON) and infield rainwater harvesting (IRWH) for improving soil water availability through RWH land use scenario. The simulated water balance results showed that the highest peak mean monthly direct flow was obtained from Agri-CON land use (12.71 m(3)/ha), followed by Agri-IRWH land use (11.5 m(3)/ha). The Agri-IRWH scenario reduced direct flow by 10 % compared to Agri-CON and more groundwater flow contributed by Agri-IRWH (190 m(3)/ha) than Agri-CON (125 m(3)/ha). The overall result suggests that the water yield of the area may not be negatively affected by the Agri-IRWH land use scenario. The technology in the district benefited positively having an average cost-benefit ratio of 4.2. Storage tanks, series of check dams, and gravel filled dams are alternative solutions for water harvesting.
Objective: To explore validity of an assessment tool under development the Emotional Inferencing from Stories Test (EIST). This measure is being designed to assess the ability of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to make inferences about the emotional state of others solely from contextual cues. Methods and procedures: Study 1: 25 stories were presented to 40 healthy young adults. From this data, two versions of the EIST (EIST-1; EIST-2) were created. Study 2: Each version was administered to a group of participants with moderate-to-severe TBI EIST 1 group: 77 participants; EIST-2 group: 126 participants. Participants also completed a facial affect recognition (DANVA2-AF) test, Participants with facial affect recognition impairment returned 2 weeks later and were re-administered both tests. Main outcomes: Participants with TBI scored significantly lower than the healthy group mean for EIST-1, F(1,114) = 68.49, p<0.001, and EIST-2, F(1,163)=177.39, p<0.001. EIST scores in the EIST-2 group were significantly lower than the EIST-1 group, t=4.47, p<0.001. DANVA2-AF scores significantly correlated with EIST scores, EIST-1: r=0.50, p<0.001; EIST-2: r=0.31, p<0.001. Test-re-test reliability scores for the EIST were adequate. Conclusions: Both versions of the EIST were found to be sensitive to deficits in emotional inferencing. After further development, the EIST may provide clinicians valuable information for intervention planning.
The water clocks of the 12th-century Islamic scientist Ismail Al-Jazari may be regarded as among the most outstanding engineering masterpieces in the history of science and technology in Persia. His other works testify to his remarkable ability in design methodology and in different aspects of mechanical engineering design and manufacture such as robotics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, and statics. In this study in experimental archaeology two of his water clocks - namely the dragon clock and the peacock clock - were considered for the purposes of making working reconstructions. The historical background, design details, and a technical and comparative analysis of these inventions are presented here. Replicas were constructed in accordance with the indications provided in Al-Jazari's A Compendium on the Theory and Practice of the Mechanical Arts and tests have shown that both clocks operated exactly as described in his book, and with an acceptable degree of precision.
The manufacturing engineering of bamboo fiber reinforced friction material was introduced in this paper. ANSYS was used to do adaptive meshing and establish the contact, impose constraints load and solve, then the temperature field of bamboo fiber reinforced friction material was obtained. The results showed that under the coupling effect of friction heat and pressure, Brake blocks and brake discs in the contact area showed local changes in temperature and stress characteristics. The thermal stress of coupled parts contact surface showed a inhomogeneous distribution. Contact pressure distribution and temperature distribution interact each other, the contact pressure distribution of the coupled parts affects the temperature distribution, and the local feature of temperature distribution of the coupled parts conversely affects the contact pressure distribution. It will provide an important theoretical basis for devising friction brake and selecting material of the friction pair.
This paper focuses on the design and experimental test results of a belt-driven starter generator for 48-V mini-hybrid powertrains. The functionalities required of the system are engine startup, launch assistant torque, regenerative braking, battery charging, and early fuel cutoff. The cost-effective electrical machine must provide high starting torque and wide constant power speed range, both in motor and generator modes. The authors outline the motivations of the electrical machine topology selection in relation to the specifications and constraints. In particular, a double three-phase induction machine has been selected as a suitable candidate. The aim of this paper is to summarize the design challenges of such kind of electrical machines, mainly subordinated to electromechanical and thermal issues imposed by the considered hybridization solution. Details of the machine design are presented, including a study on multilayer bar stator windings and on rotor slot design. Finally, predicted and measured performances of the prototype are reported and discussed for validation purposes.
The main objective of this paper is to propose an alternative for the stormwater management in low-income communities, settled in urban vertical slums, located in areas with insufficient infrastructure and degraded environment. A case study located in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil, is presented. The high slopes of the studied area are used to favor the superficial flows, generating alternatives for the traditional stormdrains used to collect the runoff of the upstream reaches. A small reservoir is proposed for each house, reducing flood volumes by allowing rainwater harvesting, and a greater retention reservoir is introduced as a storage measure for connecting the microdrainage coming from the informal city to the formal city. The different scenarios were simulated with the aid of a mathematical model called MODCEL and the results showed that it is possible to apply an effective drainage system solution in informal areas, without affecting the already implemented downstream formal drainage network. The retention reservoir proposed also introduces the possibility to act in improving the water quality to downstream areas, although this complementary aspect is not developed in this study.
The limited number of oral vaccines currently approved for use in humans and veterinary species clearly illustrates that development of efficacious and safe oral vaccines has been a challenge not only for fish immunologists. The insufficient efficacy of oral vaccines is partly due to antigen breakdown in the harsh gastric environment, but also to the high tolerogenic gut environment and to inadequate vaccine design. In this review we discuss current approaches used to develop oral vaccines for mass vaccination of farmed fish species. Furthermore, using various examples from the human and veterinary vaccine development, we propose additional approaches to fish vaccine design also considering recent advances in fish mucosal immunology and novel molecular tools. Finally, we discuss the pros and cons of using the zebrafish as a pre-screening animal model to potentially speed up vaccine design and testing for aquaculture fish species. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the stability of computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and prefabricated abutment by measuring removal torque before and after cyclic loading. Materials and Methods: Three types of fixture and 2 types of abutments were used. Removable torque was measured after cyclic loading for 5000 cycles between 25 and 250 N for each group. The same procedure was performed twice. Results: First, removal torque values (Newton centimeter) were measured for stock versus custom abutments as follows: group 1: 27.17 versus 26.67, group 2: 26.27 versus 26.33, and group 3: 37.33 versus 36.67. Second removal torque values (Newton centimeter) were also measured: group 1: 23 versus 23.5, group 2: 22.5 versus 22.33, and group 3: 32.67 versus 32.5. There was no significant difference between the stock and custom abutments in either the first or second removal torque values and also no significant difference among initial tightening torque, first or second removal torque (P >0.05). Conclusion: With precise control of CAD/CAM abutments, good screw joint stability can be achieved.
Inherited genetic variants contribute to risk factors for developing an alcohol use disorder, and polymorphisms may inform precision medicine strategies for treating alcohol addiction. Targeting genetic mutations linked to alcohol phenotypes has provided promising initial evidence for reducing relapse rates in alcoholics. Although successful in some studies, there are conflicting findings and the reports of adverse effects may ultimately limit their clinical utility, suggesting that novel pharmacogenetic targets are necessary to advance precision medicine approaches. Here, we describe promising novel genetic variants derived from preclinical models of alcohol consumption and dependence that may uncover disease mechanisms that drive uncontrolled drinking and identify novel pharmacogenetic targets that facilitate therapeutic intervention for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.
The performance of onsite rainwater harvesting (RWH) system in Mediterranean climate was assessed. A stochastic model quantifying the necessary storage, as a function of rainfall (frequency, depth), roof area, residents' number, specific water use (toilet flushing, laundry) and the required efficiency was developed. Two performance indicators were calculated: water saving efficiency (RSE) - proportion of water used supplied by the RWH system; and rainwater use efficiency (RUE) proportion of rainwater actually used. The maximum storage capacity and WSE decreased with increasing number of residents for a given roof area, and with an increasing roof area for constant number of residents. For variable storage volume, RUE increased with increasing storage capacity and reached a maximum with an increase in residents' number and a decrease in the roof area. The model enables to determine WSE and RUE for specific storage volumes or to determine the desired WSE and calculate the necessary storage.
Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) has been recognized as an important cause of both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), the two most prominent neurodegenerative diseases causing memory impairment in the elderly. However, an effective therapy for CCH-induced memory impairment has not yet been established. Grape seed polyphenol extract (GSPE) has powerful antioxidant properties and protects neurons and glia during ischemic injury, but its potential use in the prevention of CCH-induced memory impairment has not yet been investigated. Here, CCH-related memory impairment was modeled in rats using permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid artery. A Morris water maze task was used to evaluate memory, the levels of acetylcholinesterase, choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholine were used to evaluate cholinergic function, and oxidative stress was assessed by measuring the enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malonic dialdehyde, and catalase. We found that oral administration of GSPE for 1 month can rescue memory deficits. We also found that GSPE restores cholinergic neuronal function and represses oxidative damage in the hippocampus of CCH rats. We propose that GSPE protects memory in CCH rats by reducing ischemia-induced oxidative stress and cholinergic dysfunction. These findings provide a novel application of GSPE in CCH-related memory impairments. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Four black fly species of the Simulium striatum species group have been recorded in Thailand. These species are morphologically highly similar in all developmental stages except for the number and arrangement of the pupal gill filaments. In this study, we used multiple characters sources, including morphology, cytology, molecular biology and ecology, to test the hypothesis of conspecificity for S. quinquestriatum (Shiraki), S. nakhonense Takaoka & Suzuki and S. chiangmaiense Takaoka & Suzuki. A molecular study based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was unable to separate these taxa. In contrast, the elongation complex protein 1 (ECP1) sequences clearly differentiate S. quinquestriatum from S. chiangmaiense and S. nakhonense. However, the latter two taxa could not be differentiated based on molecular DNA sequences. Simulium chiangmaiense and S. nakhonense are also similar in the larval habitat characteristics and have undifferentiated polytene chromosome banding patterns. Morphological examination of the number and arrangement of the pupal gill filaments found a number of intermediate forms. Therefore, S. chiangmaiense and S. nakhonense are apparently the same biological species that is polymorphic for the number and arrangement of gill filaments. Thus, we synonymized S. chiangmaiense with S. nakhonense.
Sub-pixel mapping (SPM) is a process for predicting spatially the land cover classes within mixed pixels. In existing SPM methods, the effect of point spread function (PSF) has seldom been considered. In this paper, a generic SPM method is developed to consider the PSF effect in SPM and, thereby, to increase prediction accuracy. We first demonstrate that the spectral unmixing predictions (i.e., coarse land cover proportions used as input for SPM) are a convolution of not only sub-pixels within the coarse pixel, but also sub-pixels from neighboring coarse pixels. Based on this finding, a new SPM method based on optimization is developed which recognizes the optimal solution as the one that when convolved with the PSF, is the same as the input coarse land cover proportion. Experimental results on three separate datasets show that the SPM accuracy can be increased by considering the PSF effect. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
We consider the problem of how to design and implement communication-efficient versions of parallel kernel support vector machines, a widely used classifier in statistical machine learning, for distributed memory clusters and supercomputers. The main computational bottleneck is the training phase, in which a statistical model is built from an input data set. Prior to our study, the parallel isoefficiency of a state-of-the-art implementation scaled as W = Omega(P-3), where W is the problem size and P the number of processors; this scaling is worse than even a one-dimensional block row dense matrix vector multiplication, which has W = Omega(P-2). This study considers a series of algorithmic refinements, leading ultimately to a Communication-Avoiding SVM method that improves the isoefficiency to nearly W = Omega(P). We evaluate these methods on 96 to 1,536 processors, and show average speedups of 3 - 16 x ( 7 x on average) over Dis-SMO, and a 95 percent weak-scaling efficiency on six real-world datasets, with only modest losses in overall classification accuracy. The source code can be downloaded at [1].
Water-borne diseases have been estimated to cause more than two million deaths and four billion cases of diarrhea annually. Water-borne pathogenic organisms include bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Heavy metal contamination of water is also a potential threat to human health. This study aimed to detect contamination of potable water with protozoal and bacterial pathogens as well as heavy metals in Gharbiya governorate in the middle of the Nile Delta, Egypt. Therefore, this study was conducted on water samples from 3 different localities in Gharbiya governorate throughout the year 2014. Water samples (108) were collected from source, plant and tap water at the four seasons. Parasitological, bacteriological, and toxicological evaluation was carried out for all samples. Parasitological evaluation was done to detect protozoal contamination by conventional diagnostic staining techniques, immunofluorescence assay, and flow cytometry. The study identified the protozoal contaminants in water, and showed that flow cytometry positive results were more than the conventional staining. Also, the study identified bacterial fecal contamination of source water as well as heavy metal pollution in source water. Since the integration of flow cytometry could facilitate detection of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts in water samples, we strongly recommend its use as a routine for the detection of these pathogenic protozoa. Finally, Ongoing evaluation of drinking water is needed as well as formulation and implementation of an integrated plan to limit the contamination by pathogens and heavy metals. (C) 2015 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Cairo University.
First, using the Delphi method, field trips and literature research method builds manufacturing engineering with enterprise standardized management index system. Second, using AHP calculates the index weights of manufacturing engineering with enterprise standardization management system. Third, this study constructs manufacturing engineering with enterprise standardized management hierarchy model. A manufacturing engineering with standardized management maturity model will be built at last. It provides a reference for manufacturing engineering with enterprise grasping their overall standardization management level of enterprise, and can improve the overall standardized management level.
Importance: The etiology of recurrent croup is often anatomic. Currently there is no set criteria for determining who should undergo diagnostic bronchoscopy and which patients are at most risk for having a clinically significant finding. Few studies have addressed these questions. Objective: To identify risk factors for clinically significant findings on bronchoscopy in children with recurrent croup and the frequency of bronchoscopy findings in general. Data sources: PUBMED, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE. Study selection: Articles addressing bronchoscopy in children with recurrent croup, up to July 2016, were reviewed. Related keywords and medical subject headings were used during the search. The abstracts were reviewed to determine suitability for inclusion based on a set of criteria. Manual crosscheck of references was performed. Data extraction: We analyzed the bronchoscopy findings of individual patients in each study and their associated risk factors when available. Results: We reviewed 11 articles, published between 1992 and 2016, including 885 patients (654 males, 237 females). Only 5 studies, including 455 patients, had sufficient data for meta-analysis. Our study revealed that the three most common bronchoscopy findings were subglottic stenosis, reflux changes, and broncho/tracheomalacia. Only 8.7% of patients were noted to have clinically significant findings on bronchoscopy. Meta analysis showed an association between significant bronchoscopy findings and History of Intubation [OR = 5.17, 95% CI 2.65-10.09], Inpatient Consultation [OR = 4.01, 95% CI 1.44 -11.20], Age < 3 [OR = 3.22, 95% 1.66-6.27], Age < 1 [OR = 2.86, 95% CI 1.28-6.40], and Prematurity [OR = 2.90, 95% CI 1.39-6.06]. Our study found a high incidence of a History of GERD (20%) and Asthma/Allergies (35%) among patients with recurrent croup, but these variables did not reach statistical significance in patients with significant bronchoscopy findings ([OR = 1.62, 95% CI 0.79-3.30], [OR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.30-1.08] respectively). Conclusion: The risk factors most associated with clinically significant bronchoscopy findings in recurrent croup are Intubation, Inpatient Consultation, Age < 3, Age <1, and Prematurity. A History of GERD and Asthma/Allergy, though highly prevalent in recurrent croup patients, were not statistically associated with significant bronchoscopy findings. Relevance: The results should guide physicians in selecting which recurrent croup patients are most at risk for significant findings and thus may warrant bronchoscopy. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
When do children acquire a propositional attitude folk psychology or theory of mind? The orthodox answer to this central question of developmental ToM research had long been that around age 4 children begin to apply belief and other propositional attitude concepts. This orthodoxy has recently come under serious attack, though, from two sides: Scoffers complain that it over-estimates children's early competence and claim that a proper understanding of propositional attitudes emerges only much later. Boosters criticize the orthodoxy for underestimating early competence and claim that even infants ascribe beliefs. In this paper, the orthodoxy is defended on empirical grounds against these two kinds of attacks. On the basis of new evidence, not only can the two attacks safely be countered, but the orthodox claim can actually be strengthened, corroborated and refined: what emerges around age 4 is an explicit, unified, flexibly conceptual capacity to ascribe propositional attitudes. This unified conceptual capacity contrasts with the less sophisticated, less unified implicit forms of tracking simpler mental states present in ontogeny long before. This refined version of the orthodoxy can thus most plausibly be spelled out in some form of 2-systems-account of theory of mind.
Intergroup contact theory has been empirically supported in a variety of social contexts, but few samples have been drawn from rapidly developing nations undergoing severe political and sociocultural conflict. Using 2012 Caucasus Barometer data from the three nations of the South Caucasus Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia we test the effect of interreligious contact on various forms of out-group resistance in a region of the world that is both historically and presently marked with severe religious and ethnic conflict. Additionally, we take into account self-selection effects using propensity score matching. Results overwhelmingly support intergroup contact theory in all three countries, but objections toward intermarriage still remain high for treated groups. In addition, there exist significant differences based on the out-group studied, with the contact effects being the strongest for groups posing little religio-cultural or organized threat. Weaker contact effects, though, appear less related to threat and more contextual/out-group specific. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study aims to conduct the nonlinearity analysis of the shading effect on the technical-economic performance of the building-integrated photovoltaic blind (BIPB), which is designed as a preliminary study to evaluate the feasibility of the BIPB before its implementation. First, in terms of the technical performance of the BIPB, the shading effect due to the blind's slat in the BIPB can have a nonlinear effect on the amount of electricity generation per unit area (AEGunit) from the BIPB. Particularly, as the width of the PV panel increases, the AEG(unit) from the BIPB tends to decrease. Second, in terms of the economic performance of the BIPB, the feasibility of the BIPB depends on the type of investment values. Specifically, as' the width of the PV panel increases, the NPV25 (net present value at year 25) tends to increase; however, the SIR25 (saving-to-investment ratio at year 25) tends to decrease. That is, while the NPV25 is determined to be highest at US$82,869 when the width of the PV panel is 50 mm, the SIR25 is determined to be highest at 2.90 times when the width of the PV panel is 10 mm. The main findings of this study can be used to clearly define the design specifications of the BIPB before its implementation, which ensure to meet the client expectations on various objectives, such as technical performance (e.g., the AEG(unit) from the BIPB) and economic performance (e.g., NPV25 and SIR25). (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Glass fiber-reinforced composite materials are finding numerous applications in many engineering and domestic fields due to their excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Among the machining processes used, drilling is one of the most important processes and is mainly used in joining of composite structures. Maintaining of proper surface roughness in drilled holes is very important and is to be controlled. In the present work prediction of surface roughness in drilling of composite materials is carried out using fuzzy logic. In recent years, fuzzy logic in artificial intelligence has been used in manufacturing engineering for modeling and monitoring. An L27 orthogonal array is used for experimentation. A fuzzy rule-based model is developed to predict the surface roughness in drilling of glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites. Good agreement is observed between the model results and experimental values. The analysis of experimental results is carried out using Pareto analysis of variance (Pareto-ANOVA) and ANOVA and presented in detail.
Background: A laboratory-scale two-chamber microbial fuel cell employing an aerated cathode with no catalyst was inoculated with mixed inoculum and acetate as the carbon source. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the behavior of the MFC during initial biofilm (week 1) and maximum power density (week 20). EIS were performed on the anode chamber, biofilm (without anolyte) and anolyte (without biofilm). Nyquist plots of the EIS data were fitted with two equivalent electrical circuits to estimate the contributions of intrinsic resistances to the overall internal MFC impedance at weeks 1 and 20, respectively. Results: The results showed that the system tended to increase power density from 15 +/- 3 (week 1) to 100 +/- 15 mW/m(2) (week 20) and current density 211 +/- 7 (week 1) to 347 +/- 29 mA/m(2) (week 20). The Samples were identified by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and showed that initial inoculum (week 1) was constituted by Proteobacteria (40%), Bacteroidetes (22%) and Firmicutes (18%). At week 20, Proteobacterial species were predominant (60%) for electricity generation in the anode biofilm, being 51% Rhodopseudomonas palustris. Meanwhile on anolyte, Firmicutes phylum was predominant with Bacillus sp. This study proved that under the experimental conditions used there is an important contribution from the interaction of the biofilm and the anolyte on cell performance. Table 1 presents a summary of the specific influence of each element of the system under study. Conclusions: The results showed certain members of the bacterial electrode community increased in relative abundance from the initial inoculum. For example, Proteobacterial species are important for electricity generation in the anode biofilms and Firmicutes phylum was predominant on anolyte to transfer electron. R1 is the same in the three systems and no variation is observed over time. The biofilm makes a significant contribution to the charge transfer processes at the electrode (R2 and Cdl) and, consequently, on the performance of the anode chamber. The biofilm can act as a barrier which reduces diffusion of the anolyte towards the electrode, all the while behaving like a porous material. The anolyte and its interaction with the biofilm exert a considerable influence on diffusion processes, given that it presents the highest values for Rd which increased at week 20.
Selective laser melting (SLM) process, an additive manufacturing (AM) technology, has had a rapid growth in the biomedical and aerospace markets because of the ability to manufacture complex designs directly from computer-aided design (CAD) using materials such as titanium and aluminum alloys. Although this technology allows designers to fabricate geometries not achievable with conventional manufacturing, it has some restrictions. The paper presents the technological problems and restrictions resulting in the production of structures in aluminum alloy by SLM. In particular, it analyzed the input file of the process, .STL file, and the dimensional limits of geometries with sharp edges as a simple parallelepiped with a square base since the understanding of the limitations can help the designer in the creation of new components. The creation of function-independent design rules, easily transferrable on individual part designs, could allow a wide industrial usage and a better knowledge of AM technologies. The results presented in this paper showed that the choice of parameters of conversion from the CAD model to .STL file could be a restriction for the software for preprocessing part but also affects the surface roughness. Moreover, if a SLM machine with a laser beam of 100 mu m is used, it is not possible to produce geometries with sharp edges with size base below 0.8 mm in an aluminum alloy.
The paper sets out to explore the possibility that citizen-led surveys provide a better coverage of populations and specifically of hard-to-reach poorer areas than the international standardized household surveys which are the basis for many of the estimates used in assessing progress toward meeting the MDGs and will be for the SDGs. This hypothesis is based on the argument that, the local volunteer enumerators of citizen-led surveys are likely to be more sensitive to the specificities of local population distribution and (recent) changes than those centrally trained; and may be more effective at reaching hard-to reach groups such as those nomadic groups and those in urban slums. To test the hypothesis, the results of UWEZO (meaning capability) surveys have been compared at a regional level with those of contemporaneous DHS surveys in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda for estimates of access to water and electricity. Overall, at national level, we find that UWEZO estimates for access to clean water were lower at a statistically significant level than those of DHS and these differences were statistically significant at the 0.01% level; in particular, the DHS values were much higher in regions where there are high concentrations of nomads and of urban slums, implying that the UWEZO surveys catch more poverty. The suggestion therefore is that citizen surveys such as UWEZO provide better, and more accurate, coverage of the poorest of the poor. Using the lowest estimate of the percentage missing in urban slums and extrapolating to all developing countries, there are an estimated 369 million missing from the sampling frames of standardized household surveys worldwide. This has important implications for the Leave no one behind appeal of the UN Secretary General and for the UN's Data Revolution. Some suggestions are made about how to progress improved population estimates. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Simplify deployment and maintenance of Ambient Intelligence solutions is important to enable large-scale deployment and maximize the use/benefit of these solutions. More mature Ambient Intelligence solutions emerge on the market as a result of an intensive investment in research. This research targets mainly the accuracy, usefulness, and usability aspects of the solutions. Still, possibility to adapt to different environments, ease of deployment and maintenance are ongoing problems of Ambient Intelligence. Existing solutions require an expert to move on-site in order to install or maintain systems. Therefore, we present in this paper our attempt to enable quick large scale deployment. We discuss lessons learned from our approach for automating the deployment process in order to be performed by ordinary people. We also introduce a solution for simplifying the monitoring and maintenance of installed systems.
The main issues related to water conservation in urban centers are the increase in water supply cost, demand growth, pollution and differences in the distribution of water resources. Water conservation, the controlled and efficient use of water, includes both measures as reasonable means of water reuse. Thus, conservation practices are an effective way to meet demand and supply water to new activities and users without jeopardizing the supplying water bodies and preserving the natural environment. This study aims to examine the water management of a shopping mall, the use of rainwater harvesting combined with greywater reuse, to investigate the feasibility of these water reuse systems. For buildings in general, water loss is common due to leaks in the hydraulic and restroom equipment. These losses, which are caused by a high volume of water used and wasted in the system, are often the result of design errors, incorrect maintenance procedures and users' bad habits. In southern Brazil, where there is an abundance of rainwater, water shortages occasionally occur, particularly in the winter. One difficulty that appears on rainwater studies is the proper determination of rainwater volume that can be used to address water supply systems. In this work, the simulation method was used to determine this volume. Thus, simulations with the following variables: rainfall, catchment area and water consumption were performed. For mall's hydraulic systems, segmented alternatives are adopted. That is, focusing on the use of rainwater or greywater reuse. Other alternatives are underutilized due to sanitary issues, those are water from toilets and kitchen sinks. The adoption of greywater may be feasible if there is a significant flow of greywater to comply water demand for toilet flushing. The inspections made in this study found that the quantity of sinks was insufficient to supply an adequate amount of water to toilets and urinals. The greywater reuse system was found to be infeasible. Conversely, the rainwater harvesting system was entirely feasible and easily supplied water to all restrooms and contributed to the cooling of the air conditioning system with a short payback period. One of the challenges of this work was the need to compare the actual water consumption with a water consumption parameter used in buildings. Thus, a method that addresses the generation of specific consumption indexes for specific activity (like a mall) was used. The water consumption indices showed that this mall has a satisfactory water management program. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
There has been little focus on nonverbal communication in social media advertising campaigns. We propose that specific patterns of facial expressions predict the popularity of YouTube videos among users of social media. To test that proposition, we used a neuromarketing tool-FaceReader-to code facial videos of professional speakers who participated in the YouTube social media campaigns of 2 large commercial banks. We analyzed more than 25,000 video frames of 16 speakers' 6 basic facial expressions. We found that less incidence of affiliative facial emotions (happiness and sadness) and more incidence of nonemotional expressions (surprise) explained an additional 25% of variance (from 61% to 86%) in the video's popularity (number of YouTube views) after 8 months in t2 (July 14, 2015), in comparison to t1 (October 31, 2014) as the only baseline predictor. We further showed that the disaffiliative facial emotions of the speakers (anger, fear, and disgust) did not contribute as an indicator of the future performance of social media content. We hope that these findings will open new lines of research in corporate communication by incorporating neuromarketing and nonverbal communication to understand not only what content is effective but how it should be presented.
Purpose: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been associated with large incidence of ischemic events, whose sources are still unclear. In fact, sub-acute complications cannot be directly related to the severity of the calcification in the host tissues, nor with catheter manipulation during the implant. A potential cause could be local flow perturbations introduced by the implantation approach, resulting in thrombo-embolic consequences. In particular, contrary to the surgical approach, TAVI preserves the presence of the native leaflets, which are expanded in the paravalvular space inside the Valsalva sinuses. The purpose of this study is to verify if this configuration can determine hemodynamic variations which may promote blood cell aggregation and thrombus formation. Methods: The study was performed in vitro, on idealized models of the patient anatomy before and after TAVI, reproducing a range of physiological operating conditions on a pulse duplicator. The fluid dynamics in the Valsalva sinuses was analyzed and characterized using phase resolved Particle Image Velocimetry. Results: Comparison of the flow downstream the valve clearly indicated major alterations in the fluid mechanics after TAVI, characterized by unphysiological conditions associated with extended stagnation zones at the base of the sinuses. Conclusion: The prolonged stasis observed in the Valsalva sinuses for the configuration modelling the presence of transcatheter aortic valves provides a fluid dynamic environment favourable for red blood cell aggregation and thrombus formation, which may justify some of the recently reported thromboembolic and ischemic events. This suggests the adoption of anticoagulation therapies following TAVI, and some caution in the patients' selection. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The term spondyloarthritis (SpA) is now increasingly used to classify and diagnose patients who are characterized by inflammation in the axial skeleton and peripheral manifestations (arthritis and enthesitis). The management of SpA should be tailored according to the current manifestations of the disease, the disease activity and functional impairment. The current article focuses on diagnosis and therapy in patients with axial SpA. Diagnostic procedures are discussed in light of diagnostic utility and feasibility in daily routine care. Cornerstones of treatment in patients with axial SpA are a combination of regular exercise and pharmacological treatment options aiming at anti-inflammatory strategies.
The availability of water through community based water harvesting structure has intensified agriculture and improved livelihood of the surveyed beneficiary households in the Shivalik foothills of India. Before the introduction of Makowal Type Water Harvesting System (before MTWHS), only 83.8% farmers in kharif and 79.7% during rabi season were growing crops but after its introduction (after MTWHS) the corresponding values improved to 100% and 97.3%, respectively, thus increasing cropping intensity from 145% to 189%. Introduction of MTWHS enabled farmers to take paddy and agro-forestry during Kharif, and vegetables and fodder during Rabi season. The increase in cultivated area due to MTWHS was to the tune of 46.1% in Kharif and 36.3% during Rabi, while increase in crop productivity ranged from 55.1% to 111.3% in kharif and 8.6 to 132.0% in Rabi season. Better availability of irrigation changed varietal spectrum in favour of hybrids and high yielding varieties and farmers started adopting improved agronomic practices targeting better input-use efficiency. The MTWHS produced positive impact on the on-farm (crops, dairy and agro-forestry) sources of income and reduced the relative dependence on off-farm activities (labour, community forest area, etc.) for earnings. This system has brought drinking water very close to hutments of rural women thus reducing their drudgery and saving time. In general, rainwater harvesting from forest watersheds has resulted in quantum jumps in crop and milk production and acted as a catalyst to tie up the economic interest of communities, along with forest protection.
Shade coffee certification programs that aim to conserve the forest and to prevent forest degradation have attracted an increasing amount of attention. However, such programs' impact on forest degradation remains unclear because of the absence of empirical evidence. In addition, there is heated debate about whether certification programs create an incentive for producers to expand their coffee-growing areas, which may accelerate forest degradation in the surrounding natural forest. This study, which was conducted in Ethiopia, aimed to evaluate the impact of a shade coffee certification program on forest degradation. Additionally, to provide empirical evidence for the debate, we examined the spillover effects of certification to surrounding forest areas and used remote sensing data of 2005 and 2010 to classify forest areas based on their density. We applied matching methods, such as the propensity score matching with different algorithms, to compare forest coffee areas with and without the certification. We found that the certified forest coffee areas slightly increased in forest density. By contrast, we observed drastic forest degradation in the forest coffee areas without certification. We checked the sensitivity of our results and found that our results are robust to potential hidden bias. Furthermore, our empirical results revealed that the natural forest areas within a 100-m radius from the forest coffee boundary area exhibited significantly reduced forest degradation compared with forest areas under similar environmental conditions but that such positive and significant impact diminished after 100-m distance. These results indicate that the certification program is effective in alleviating forest degradation in the certified area and in the surrounding natural forest. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Low levels of cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients have been identified and proposed as a novel biomarker for the disease. The lack of validation studies of previous results prompted us to replicate this finding in a comprehensive series of patients and controls. We applied droplet digital polymerase chain reaction in CSF specimens from 124 patients representing the AD spectrum and 140 neurologically healthy controls. The following pre-analytical and analytical parameters were evaluated: the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on mtDNA, the linearity of mtDNA load across serial dilutions, and the mtDNA levels in the diagnostic groups. We found a wide range of mtDNA copies, which resulted in a high degree of overlap between groups. Although the AD group presented significantly higher mtDNA counts, the receiver-operating characteristic analysis disclosed an area under the curve of 0.715 to distinguish AD patients from controls. MtDNA was highly stable with low analytical variability. In conclusion, mtDNA levels in CSF show a high interindividual variability, with great overlap within phenotypes and presents low sensitivity for AD. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The development of advanced semiconductor devices relies heavily on technology computer-aided design. Front-end process simulators model the fabrication of devices including different process steps and effects such as ion implantation, dopant and defect diffusion and interaction, epitaxial growth, and stress effects. Continuum process simulators continue to be the main tool; however, kinetic Monte Carlo simulators with and without lattice have become important as well. With the need to explore new materials other than silicon, such as SiGe, germanium, and III-V, more fundamental modeling is required to compensate for missing experimental information. Ab initio methods based on density functional theory and molecular dynamics can help address open questions of material characteristics that cannot be extracted explicitly by experiments. In this paper, we give an overview of a multiscale approach for advanced process modeling and discuss the latest progress.
A challenge to protein based therapies is the ability to produce biologically active proteins and their ensured delivery. Various approaches have been utilised including fusion of protein transduction domains with a protein or biomolecule of interest. A compounding issue is lack of specificity, efficiency and indeed whether the protein fusions are actually translocated into the cell and not merely an artefact of the fixation process. Here we present a novel platform, allowing the inducible export and uptake of a protein of interest. The system utilises a combination of the Tetracyline repressor system, combined with a fusion protein containing the N-terminal signal peptide from human chorionic gonadotropin beta-subunit, and a C-terminal poly-arginine domain for efficient uptake by target cells. This novel platform was validated using enhanced green fluorescent protein as the gene of interest. Doxycycline efficiently induced expression of the fusion protein. The human chorionic gonadotropin beta-subunit facilitated the export of the fusion protein into the cell culture media. Finally, the fusion protein was able to efficiently enter into neighbouring cells (target cells), mediated by the poly-arginine cell penetrating peptide. Importantly we have addressed the issue of whether the observed uptake is an artefact of the fixation process or indeed genuine translocation. In addition this platform provides a number of potential applications in diverse areas such as stem cell biology, immune therapy and cancer targeting therapies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We present the easy-to-use Sequence Search Tool for Antimicrobial Resistance, SSTAR. It combines a locally executed BLASTN search against a customizable database with an intuitive graphical user interface for identifying antimicrobial resistance (AR) genes from genomic data. Although the database is initially populated from a public repository of acquired resistance determinants (i.e., ARG-ANNOT), it can be customized for particular pathogen groups and resistance mechanisms. For instance, outer membrane porin sequences associated with carbapenem resistance phenotypes can be added, and known intrinsic mechanisms can be included. Unique about this tool is the ability to easily detect putative new alleles and truncated versions of existing AR genes. Variants and potential new alleles are brought to the attention of the user for further investigation. For instance, SSTAR is able to identify modified or truncated versions of porins, which may be of great importance in carbapenemase-negative carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. SSTAR is written in Java and is therefore platform independent and compatible with both Windows and Unix operating systems. SSTAR and its manual, which includes a simple installation guide, are freely available from https://github.com/tomdeman-bio/Sequence-Search-Tool-for-Antimicrobial-Resistance-SSTAR-. IMPORTANCE Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is quickly becoming a routine method for identifying genes associated with antimicrobial resistance (AR). However, for many microbiologists, the use and analysis of WGS data present a substantial challenge. We developed SSTAR, software with a graphical user interface that enables the identification of known AR genes from WGS and has the unique capacity to easily detect new variants of known AR genes, including truncated protein variants. Current software solutions do not notify the user when genes are truncated and, therefore, likely nonfunctional, which makes phenotype predictions less accurate. SSTAR users can apply any AR database of interest as a reference comparator and can manually add genes that impact resistance, even if such genes are not resistance determinants per se (e.g., porins and efflux pumps).
Choroideraemia is a rare X-linked chorioretinal disease characterised by progressive degeneration of the retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid. 1 The causes of choroideraemia have been reported to be pathogenic variants in the CHM gene, encoding Rab escort protein 1.(2,3) In affected males, although progressive loss of the visual fields is commonly seen, the central vision is usually maintained until middle age. On the other hand, female carriers generally have good visual acuities but frequently show fundus abnormalities. Moreover, a recent study revealed that female carriers had reduced microperimetric sensitivity.(4) Macular hole (MH) formation is a rare complication in inherited chorioretinal diseases and its occurrence in choroideraemia patients has been reported rarely in the literature. This report presents details on a choroideraemic patient with a full-thickness MH that closed without having to undergo vitrectomy surgery.
A one-dimensional multi-phase flow model for thermomagnetically pumped ferrofluid with heat transfer is proposed. The thermodynamic model is a combination of a simplified particle model and thermodynamic equations of state for the base fluid. The magnetization model is based on statistical mechanics, taking into account non-uniform particle size distributions. An implementation of the proposed model is validated against experiments from the literature, and found to give good predictions for the thermomagnetic pumping performance. However, the results reveal a very large sensitivity to uncertainties in heat transfer coefficient predictions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A graphene based ink for printing passive electrical components (conductive traces, resistors, capacitors, inductors) and circuitry on mechanically flexible polymer substrates is described in this paper. The ink is synthesized by using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a hydrophilic cellulose derivative, to suspend the naturally hydrophobic graphene (G) sheets in an aqueous solvent composed of 70% DI water and 30% 2-butoxyethanol. Once deposited on the functionalized substrate the conductivity of the printed electrical components can be optimized by decomposing the cellulose stabilizer using thermal reduction. Several printed passive electrical circuits are fabricated and tested including an interdigitated capacitive chemical sensor and a low-pass electrical filter. The measured characteristics of the printed circuits are compared with theoretical values for performance validation. Mechanical bending tests were also performed to demonstrate that the thermally modified G-CMC films can absorb large levels of strain without fracturing or degrading the electrical properties.
The deleterious effects of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) on the phase-space and energy spread of high-energy beams in accelerator light sources can significantly constrain the machine design and performance. In this paper, we present a simple method to preserve the beam emittance by means of using magnetized beams that exhibit a large aspect ratio on their transverse dimensions. The concept is based in combining a finite solenoid field where the beam is generated with a special optics adapter. Numerical simulations of this new type of beam source show that the induced phase-space density growth from CSR can be notably suppressed to less than 1% for any bunch charge. This work elucidates the key parameters that are needed for emittance preservation, such as the required field and aspect ratio for a given bunch charge. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Both genetic factors and early life adversity play major roles in the etiology of schizophrenia. Our previous studies indicated that social isolation (SI) during early postnatal development leads to several lasting abnormal behavioral and pathophysiological features resembling the core symptoms of some human neuropsychiatric disorders in mice. The glutamate and dopamine hypotheses are tightly linked to the development of schizophrenia. The cross-talk between glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate acid receptors and dopamine receptors is associated with histidine triad nucleotide binding protein 1 (HINT1), which is correlated with diverse psychiatric disorders. We examined the effects of SI on schizophrenia-like behavior and used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to investigate the expression levels of HINT1, the NR1 subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate acid receptor, and dopamine type 2 receptor (D2R) in C57 mice. We found that SI leads to a series of schizophrenia-related deficits, such as social withdrawal, anxiety disorder, cognitive impairments, and sensorimotor gating disturbances. These abnormal phenotypes paralleled changes of HINT1, NR1, and D2R. SI may be considered a robust model of the effects of early life stress on the schizophrenia-related behaviors in mice. Potential interactions among HINT1, NR1, and D2R may underlie the behavioral deficits induced by SI. Copyright (C) 2017 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based employment model for people with severe mental illness, but it has not been evaluated for clients enrolled in substance abuse treatment programs. This study evaluated the effectiveness of IPS for people with opioid use disorders enrolled in an opioid treatment program. Within a randomized controlled experiment, 45 patients receiving methadone maintenance therapy were assigned to either IPS or a 6-month waitlist. The waitlist group received IPS after 6 months. The primary outcome assessed over 1 year compared the attainment of a job for the IPS condition to the waitlist comparison group. During the first 6 months after enrollment, 11 (50%) active IPS participants gained competitive employment compared to 1 (5%) waitlist participant (I (2) = 12.0, p < 0.001). Over 12 months of enrollment, 11 (50%) IPS participants gained competitive employment compared to 5 (22%) waitlist participants (I (2) = 3.92, p = 0.07). We conclude that IPS holds promise as an employment intervention for people with opioid use disorders in methadone maintenance treatment, but larger trials with longer follow-up are needed.
Recently, implicit methods have been employed as a method to understand the underlying attitudes of the participant while also bypassing the social desirability biases that explicit measures are vulnerable to. Unfortunately, the literature has not considered the viewpoints of the individuals who participate in this process and the face validity they ascribe to the test's results. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how individuals respond to engaging in and receiving the results of an implicit test that addresses a sensitive topic and exploring the subsequent methodological implications. Specifically, we conduct a qualitative exploratory study of individuals' reactions to their scores on the race-based implicit association test (IAT) using publically accessible comments from online message boards. Overall, we discuss four themes: the reporting of results, questioning IAT legitimacy, explicit racism/in-group behavior, and humor. Using a sensemaking theoretical framework, we discuss our findings and make recommendations for the future use of implicit tests.
Digital computers that automate manufacturing process are an important aspect for any manufacturing engineers in the modern world. Selection of the programming paradigm (PP), as well as the programming language (PL) that supports it, is crucial to ensure the correct ideas are being used to automate the solution of the problem. In current Malaysian Higher institution practices, various PPs and PLs courses are offered to current undergraduate manufacturing majors. An online survey was deployed to experienced manufacturing engineers from various manufacturing specializations in the industry. Graduates from one of Malaysia's public universities, International Islamic University Malaysia (HUM) have been chosen for this particular study. From the survey, it has been found that almost 80% of the participants agreed that PPs are important for manufacturing graduates. It was found out that 90% of the participants were from intermediate (scale of 3) until poor (scale of 1) to express their ability to explain PPs if asked. Only about 10% are able to explain on PPs (scale of 4 and 5). The study concluded that majority of the manufacturing graduates from HUM agreed that PP is an important subject to be taught in university. However, it was found the majority of the manufacturing graduates lack the knowledge and understanding of PPs and general PLs.
This paper describes a new calibration system developed at INMETRO to guarantee traceability of low-frequency alternating current (ac) voltage calibrations (<1 kHz) to a programmable Josephson ac waveform synthesizer. The automated full-synchronous system allows the synchronization of a commercial calibrator or signal synthesizer with a programmable Josephson voltage synthesizer system to be made by employing digital sampling and signal processing techniques, aided by adaptive digital control. It allows accurate determination of the spectral content of ac signals with minimum human intervention. System operation, measurement techniques, and data analysis are detailed.
Volcanic ash cloud detection has been a difficult problem in moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) multispectral remote sensing application. Principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) are effective feature extraction methods based on second-order and higher order statistical analysis, and the support vector machine (SVM) can realize the nonlinear classification in low-dimensional space. Based on the characteristics of MODIS multispectral remote sensing image, via presenting a new volcanic ash cloud detection method, named combined PCA-ICA-weighted and SVM (CPIWS), the current study tested the real volcanic ash cloud detection cases, i.e., Sangeang Api volcanic ash cloud of 30 May 2014. Our experiments suggest that the overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of the proposed CPIWS method reach 87.20 and 0.7958%, respectively, under certain conditions with the suitable weighted values; this has certain feasibility and practical significance.
The 2015 release of the precipitation climatology from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) for 1951-2000, based on climatological normals of about 75,100 rain gauges, allows for quantification of mean land surface precipitation as part of the global water cycle. In GPCC's 2011-release, a bulk climatological correction was applied to compensate for gauge undercatch. In this paper we derive an improved correction approach based on the synoptic weather reports for the period 1982-2015. The compared results show that the climatological approach tends to overestimate the correction for Central and Eastern Europe, especially in the northern winter, and in other regions throughout the year. Applying the mean weather-dependent correction to the GPCC's uncorrected precipitation climatology for 1951-2000 gives a value of 854.7 mm of precipitation per year (excluding Antarctica) or 790 mm for the global land surface. The warming of nearly 1 K relative to pre-industrial temperatures is expected to be accompanied by a 2%-3% increase in global (land and ocean) precipitation. However, a comparison of climatology for 30-year reference periods from 1931-1960 up to 1981-2010 reveals no significant trend for land surface precipitation. This may be caused by the large variability of precipitation, the varying data coverage over time and other issues related to the sampling of rain-gauge networks. The GPCC continues to enlarge and further improve the quality of its database, and will generate precipitation analyses with homogeneous data coverage over time. Another way to reduce the sampling issues is the combination of rain gauge-based analyses with remote sensing (i.e., satellite or radar) datasets.
We present the instrumentation and results of spectroscopic remote sensing of atmospheric NO2 levels based on recording spectra of visible solar radiation scattered from the zenith sky, carried out in the central part of St. Petersburg in 2009-2016. The data obtained qualitatively agree with the results of simultaneous analogous measurements in a suburb of St. Petersburg (Petrodvorets), and also with data from the closest satellite measurements.
We examined the relationships between Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change (ADNC), Lewy body disease (LBD), and vascular brain injury (VBI) in 2 large autopsy samples. Because findings may differ between study populations, data came from U. S. Alzheimer's Disease Centers contributing to the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (n = 2742) and from the population-based Adult Changes in Thought study (n = 499). Regardless of study population, over 50% of participants with ADNC had cooccurring LBD or VBI; the majority of whom had a clinical AD dementia diagnosis prior to death. Overlap of pathologies was similar between studies, especially after standardizing to the distribution of age and dementia status in the Adult Changes in Thought population. LBD, but not VBI, was positively associated with ADNC in both studies. Interestingly, cortical LBD was more common in those with intermediate ADNC compared to low or high ADNC, especially in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (p < 0.001). High prevalence of co-occurring neuropathologies among older adults with dementia has implications for accurate diagnosis of dementia etiologies and development of disease-modifying strategies. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Previous studies show that close friends improve at lie detection over time. However, is this improvement due to an increase in the ability to decode the feelings of close friends or a change in how close friends communicate their true and deceptive emotions? In a study of 45 pairs of friends, one friend from each pair (the sender) was videotaped showing truthful and faked affect in response to pleasant and unpleasant movie clips. The other friend from each pair (the judge) guessed the true emotions of both the friend and a stranger 1 month and 6 months into the friendship. Judges were better at guessing the true emotions of friends than strangers, and this advantage in judging friends increased among close friends over time. Surprisingly, improvement over time was due mostly to a change in the sender's communication, rather than an increase in judges' ability to decode their friends' feelings.
The International Working Group (IWG) has classified Alzheimer's disease (AD) as two different types, the typical form and the atypical form, but clinicopathological studies of atypical AD are limited. Because atypical AD cases usually present with early-onset dementia, we investigated 12 patients with early-onset AD, including two patients with typical AD and 10 patients with atypical AD. Of these patients, six had the posterior variant, three had the frontal variant and one had the logopenic variant mixed with semantic dementia. We reported MRI, single-photon emission CT and neuropathological findings in six representative cases. We also described a left temporal variant of AD presenting with transcortical cortical sensory aphasia, which has not been reported previously and is another subtype of the posterior variant of AD. We found a significant correlation between regional cerebral blood flow and counts of NFTs in the cerebral cortices. An atypical presentation with focal neuropsychological symptoms roughly correlated with the density of NFTs in the cerebral cortex and more directly related to spongiform changes in the superficial layers of these areas. In contrast, the distribution of amyloid depositions was diffuse and did not necessarily correlate with focal neuropsychological symptoms. Braak staging or ABC score is not necessarily appropriate to evaluate atypical AD, and instead, spongiform changes in addition to tau pathology in the association cortices better explain the diversity of atypical AD. Interestingly, another patient with a posterior variant of AD had a novel type of atypical plaque, which we referred to as lucent plaque. They were recognizable with HE staining in the circumference and dystrophic neurites were abundant with Gallyas-Braak staining. These plaques demonstrated intense immunoreactivity to both tau AT-8 and amyloid beta (A beta), suggesting a peculiar coexistence pattern of amyloid and tau in these plaques. Clinicopathological studies of atypical AD will provide a new understanding of the pathophysiology of AD.
In Data Mining, during the preprocessing step, there is a considerable diversity of candidate algorithms to select important features, according to some criteria. This broad availability of algorithms that perform the Feature Selection task gives rise to the difficulty of choosing, a priori, between the algorithms at hand, the most promising one for a particular problem. In this paper, we present the proposal and evaluation of a new architecture for the recommendation of Feature Selection algorithms based on the use of Metalearning. Our framework is very flexible since the user can adapt it to its proper needs. This flexibility is one of the main advantages of our proposal over other approaches in the literature, which involve steps that cannot be adapted to the user's local requirements. Furthermore, it combines several concepts of intelligent systems, including Machine Learning and Data Mining, with topics derived from expert systems, as user and data-driven knowledge, with meta-knowledge. This set of solutions coupled with leading edge technologies allows our architecture to be integrated into any information system, which impact on the automation of services and in reducing human effort during the process. Regarding the Metalearning process, our framework considers several types of properties inherent to the data sets, as well as, Feature Selection algorithms based on many information, distance, dependence and consistency measures. The quality of the methods for Feature Selection was estimated according to a multicriteria performance measure, which guided the ranking process of these algorithms for the construction of data metabases. Proposed by the authors of this work, this multicriteria performance measure combines any three measurements on a single one, creating an interesting and powerful tool to evaluate not only FS algorithms but also to assess any context where it is necessary a combination to maximize a measure or minimize it. The recommendation models, represented by decision trees and induced from the training metabases, allowed us to see in what circumstances a Feature Selection algorithm outperforms the other and what aspects of the data present greater influence in determining the performance of these algorithms. Nevertheless, if the user wishes, any other learning algorithm may be used to induce the recommendation model. This versatility is another strong point of this proposal. Results show that with the characterization of data, through statistical, information and complexity measures, it is possible to reach an accuracy higher than 90%. Besides yielding recommendation models that are interpretable and robust to overfitting, the developed architecture is less computationally expensive than approaches recently proposed in the literature. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Untold numbers of women worldwide are survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) with a substantial number of these experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use problems. Despite the complex interconnections among these problems, funding mechanisms and organizational structures and mandates have been designed to address just a single, focal problem. One of the challenges for frontline providers is the lack of effective, evidence-informed inter-professional education or training to help them identify and appropriately respond to co-occurring problems. We developed an evidence-informed, competency-based curriculum to address this gap. In this paper we report on its effectiveness in increasing knowledge, changing beliefs and enhancing skills of frontline workers from all three sectors. Methods: The curriculum consists of multiple elements: a text manual; an interactive, online series of modules; and, an in-person workshop. Frontline workers (n = 1111) in the violence against women (VAW) (n = 499), mental health (n = 229), addiction treatment (n = 167), and associated sectors (n = 149) were recruited to attend the workshop and instructed to read the manual or complete the online modules before attending. Some failed to respond (n = 67). Online pre-and post-tests were used to assess changes in knowledge, beliefs and skills; evaluations of the workshop were also collected. Results: Matched pre- and post-tests were available for over half of the participants (n = 624). Results show statistically significant improvements across all six competency domains from pre to post-test (p < 0.0001). Significant changes in participants' knowledge and stigmatizing beliefs were achieved. There was no correlation among differences in sector, age, size of organization, years of experience or prior training. Participant feedback made evident prior misconceptions about women experiencing co-occurring problems, improved understanding about the need to bridge silos, as well as the need for enhanced self-care. Conclusions: An educational intervention designed to sensitize frontline workers to the realities of women's experiences of co-occurring problems, educate about the challenges of accessing help when there are co-occurring problems, and bridge discipline and practice-based silos, can effectively challenge and alter providers' negative attitudes and stigmatizing beliefs.
The supply of water for rural populations in developing countries continues to present enormous problems, particularly where there is arsenic contamination in the groundwater, as exists over significant parts of Bangladesh. In response, improvements in the sustainability of water supplies are feasible through the use of a combination of water sources wherein rainwater harvesting is employed for a portion of the year. This can potentially reduce the duration of the year during which arsenic-contaminated groundwater is utilized. As demonstrated, a rainwater cistern volume of 0.5 m(3) in the Jessore district area of Bangladesh can provide rainwater for periods averaging 266 days of the year, which allows groundwater at 184 mu g/L arsenic to be used as a water supply for the remainder of the year. This dual supply approach provides the body burden equivalent to the interim drinking water guideline of arsenic concentration of 50 mu g/L for 365 days of the year (assuming the water consumption rate is 4 L/cap/day for a family of five with a rainwater collection area of 15 m(2)). If the water use rate is 20 L/cap/day, the same cistern can provide water for 150 days of the year; however, although this is insufficient to supply water to meet the body burden equivalent guideline of 50 mu g/L. Results are provided also for different rooftop areas, sizes of cisterns and alternative arsenic guidelines [World Health Organization (WHO) and Bangladeshi]. These findings provide useful guidelines on supply options to meet sustainability targets of water supply. However, they also demonstrate that the use of cisterns cannot assist the meeting of the 10 mu g/L WHO target arsenic body burden, if the arsenic contamination in the groundwater is high (e. g., at 100 mu g/L).
Natural interaction refers to people interacting with technology as they are used to interact with the real world in everyday life, through gestures, expressions, movements, etc., and discovering the world by looking around and manipulating physical objects [16]. In the domain of cultural heritage research has been conducted in a number of directions including (a) Personalised Information in Museums, (b) Interactive Exhibits, (c) Interactive Games Installations in Museums, (d) Museum Mobile Applications, (e) Museums presence on the Web and (f) Museum Social Applications. Most museums target family groups and organize family-oriented events in their programs but how families choose to visit particular museums in response to their leisure needs has rarely been highlighted. This work exploits the possibility of extending the usage of AmI technology, and thus the user experience, within leisure spaces provided by museums such as cafeterias. The Museum Coffee Table is an augmented physical surface where physical objects can be used for accessing information about artists and their creations. At the same entertainment for children is facilitated through the integration of popular games on the surface. As a result, the entire family can seat around the table, drink coffee and complete their visit to the museum acquiring additional knowledge and playing games.
Today's globalized environment exposes people to culture mixing-mixing of iconic symbols of different cultures in the same space at the same time. Findings on individuals' exposure to culture mixing provide evidence for both exclusionary and inclusionary responses. In this article, we focus on the growing phenomenon of culture mixing of global and local symbols and artifacts. We generate a conceptual model to identify who is likely to respond in what way to the mixed cultural environment and why. To answer these questions, we build on the global acculturation model, which aims to explain individuals' adaptation to the global environment by considering the relative strength of their local and global identities. We extend this model by considering not only the two entities' relative strength but also their balance-the degree of symmetry between the identities' strength. We propose that individuals with dominant (unbalanced) identity types (global or local) will exhibit negative and exclusionary responses to culture mixing, whereas individuals with balanced identity types (glocal or marginal) will exhibit positive and inclusionary responses to culture mixing. We also incorporate the concept of bicultural identity integration (BII) to suggest that individuals with high identification with both cultures (glocals) and with high BII will exhibit more inclusive responses than glocals with low BII. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Computer network is a dynamic entity whose state changes with the introduction of new services, installation of new network operating system, and addition of new hardware components, creation of new user roles and by attacks from various actors instigated by aggressors. Unauthorized intrusion into a computer system or network is one of the most serious threats to computer security. Intrusion detection systems have been developed to provide early warning of an intrusion so that defensive action can be taken to prevent or minimize damage. Intrusion detection involves detecting unusual patterns of activity or patterns of activity that are known to correlate with intrusions. One of the two most publicized threats to security is the intruder (the other is viruses), often referred to as a hacker or cracker. Various security mechanisms employed in the network does not give the complete picture of security of complete network. In this paper, we have derived more number of probabilities for prediction rules and implemented those probabilities in the simulation model web application to protect the datacenter.
Security is an important problem in wireless sensor networks. Intrusion detection system is one of the most common methods of network security, for which more and more people have shown solicitude. In this paper, a dynamic random password authentication (DRPA) method is proposed for the identity authentication of communication nodes, which can detect and prevent malicious behavior at each stage of the network operation. This paper introduces the method of automatic generation of random passwords. When a user wants to communicate, the password will be verified to confirm whether it is a normal user or a malicious user. The passwords generation and verification process is very suitable for wireless sensor networks. By using NS2, the simulation experiments are carried out and the results show that this method is superior to the other methods.
Maintenance of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment depends on the ability to metabolize exogenously and endogenously generated toxins, and to repair cellular damage caused by such toxins. Reactive aldehydes have been demonstrated to cause specific genotoxic injury, namely DNA interstrand cross-links. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a member of a 19 isoenzyme ALDH family with different substrate specificities, subcellular localization, and patterns of expression. ALDH2 is localized in mitochondria and is essential for the metabolism of acetaldehyde, thereby placing it directly downstream of ethanol metabolism. Deficiency in ALDH2 expression and function are caused by a single nucleotide substitution and resulting amino acid change, called ALDH2*2. This genetic polymorphism affects 35-45% of East Asians (about-560 million people), and causes the well-known Asian flushing syndrome, which results in disulfiram-like reactions after ethanol consumption. Recently, the ALDH2*2 genotype has been found to be associated with marrow failure, with both an increased risk of sporadic aplastic anemia and more rapid progression of Fanconi anemia This review discusses the unexpected interrelationship between aldehydes, ALDH2 and hematopoietic stem cell biology, and in particular its relationship to Fanconi anemia (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
The present study examined teachers' domain-specific self-efficacy (TSE) in relation to individual students with a variety of social-emotional behaviors in class. Using a sample of 526 third-to sixth-grade students and 69 teachers, multilevel modeling was conducted to examine students' externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors as predictors of TSE toward individual students, and the potential moderating roles of teaching experience and teachers' perceived amount of classroom misbehavior. Results showed that most of the variance in TSE occurred within teachers. Students' externalizing behavior was negatively associated with TSE for instructional strategies, behavior management, student engagement, and emotional support. In contrast, teachers reported higher levels of self-efficacy toward students with high levels of prosocial behavior, irrespective of teaching domain. Students' internalizing behavior predicted lower levels of TSE for instructional strategies and emotional support, and higher levels of TSE for behavior management. Last, teachers' perceived levels of classroom misbehavior exacerbated the negative association between externalizing student behavior and TSE for behavior management. These findings illustrate the importance of viewing TSE from a dyadic perspective.
An exciting paradise of data is emerging into our daily life along with the development of relative perceptive technologies in smart home. How to automatically and actively recognize real-time activities from the big data is one key challenge for the future pervasive computing and ambient intelligence. Solving this problem can greatly enhance the development of relative technologies for eldercare, childcare or healthcare. This paper proposes an event-driven approach, namely activity event model, for real-time activity recognition in smart home (ERAR). The ERAR approach segments data flow based on AES Dynamic Segmentation algorithm and recognizes activities based on SVM model. The AES Dynamic Segmentation algorithm uses activity event similarity (AES) to dynamically segment data flow, and can effectively distinguish concurrent activities. Experiments in the context of smart home are presented to show that our ERAR approach performs better than the baseline approaches.
Point alignment is an important topic in computer vision. In order to implement cross-stitch embroidery in an automatic way, the grid points in a raster like pattern are desired to be recognized at first. In this paper, we design an algorithm to align the grid points in a raster like pattern in case of checkerboard pattern, and the proposed method was used to recognize the weave holes in a cross-stitch pattern. The method implemented in four steps. First, vertices on the boundary were extracted via removing the inner points. Next, the four corner points were detected in the extracted boundary points. Then the left-lower and left-upper points were positioned. Finally, the points alignment was implemented starting at the left-lower point from the bottom to top, left to right. The comparison experiments demonstrated that our method is robust to geometrical distortion and pose change. The method was applied to align the weave holes in a cross-stitch pattern. The results showed that the proposed method addressed its potential application to the machine weave of the cross-stitch. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Temporary closures of polluted coastal waters to shellfish harvesting protect human health but also generate broad socioeconomic impacts on rural, fishing-dependent communities. Improved understanding of these impacts could help coastal managers prioritize investments to protect water quality and mitigate the effects of coastal pollution. Using a regression model of monthly landings, we explore the impact of temporary closures on the commercial harvest of soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) in the Machias Bay region of Maine (USA). We find that economic losses are significant and depend heavily on tidal activity, and the size, frequency and timing of closures. Over the nine-year sample period (2001 2009), temporary pollution closures contributed to the loss of 33.6 million in forgone revenue (2014 dollars), approximately 27.4% of total revenue. Closures linked to combined sewer overflows from the Machias wastewater system produce the majority of these losses ($2.0 million) with the largest occurring during the peak clamming season (May August). Our results highlight the variability of the impacts of closures and the information burden for efficient management of shellfish areas and coastal waters. By strategically reducing pollution, managers could limit public health risks, avoid destabilizing harvesting and revenue, and bolster the resilience of fishing communities. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Background. - This research aims to evaluate the relationship between the use of violent video games (VVG) and emotional desensitization (ED). Method. - Two hundred and one pupils between the ages of 12 and 16 years completed a questionnaire measuring VVG exposure, empathy and ED. Results. - Correlations and regression analyses revealed links between exposure to VVG and ED. The VVG experience is a risk factor in the presence of two moderating variables: preexisting empathy and the amount of time spent playing VVG. Conclusions. - The results suggest that exposure to WG is a risk factor for ED. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
This paper reviews recent developments in power loss analysis applicable, but not limited to, the thermal design of electrical machines. Accurate and computationally efficient loss prediction is an essential element in thermal analysis of electrical machines, and has become an increasingly important part of the machine design-development process. The continuous drive towards 'more electric' technologies has resulted in a need for a more comprehensive and detailed design approach, where various multi-physics and multi-disciplinary effects are accounted for. This 'design for application' methodology relies strongly on the advancements and evolution of the existing theoretical and experimental design techniques to satisfy the evermore-demanding machine design requirements. The thermal behaviour and efficiency of the power conversion are the machine performance measures, which are the essential elements of the 'design for application' approach. An overview of the challenges and limitations regarding the power loss analysis in the context of thermal design of electrical machines is provided in the paper. All of the major loss components associated with the active parts of the machine assembly are discussed.
Mammalian evolution has occurred in the presence of mutualistic, commensal, and pathogenic micro-and macro-organisms for millennia. The presence of these organisms during mammalian evolution has allowed for intimate crosstalk between these colonizing species and the host immune system. In this review, we introduce the concept of the 'multibiome' to holistically refer to the biodiverse collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi and multicellular helminthic worms colonizing the mammalian intestine. Furthermore, we discuss new insights into multibiome-host interactions in the context of host-protective immunity and immune-mediated diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. Finally, we provide reasons to account for the multibiome in experimental design, analysis and in therapeutic applications. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
We have developed a network robot system framework with the objective of enabling practical deployment of social robots to provide real-world services in everyday social environments. This framework addresses practical issues in social human-robot interaction by integrating ambient intelligence systems, networked data stores, human supervisors, and centralized planning. All of the elements of the system have been developed and tested in public and commercial spaces such as shopping malls, resulting in a flexible robot control architecture based on practical, real-world requirements. We describe several elements of the system and demonstrate examples of its use in five years of real-world field deployments and research. Finally, we present the Ubiquitous Network Robot Platform (UNR-PF), an internationally-standardized high-level architecture for service robots based on our framework.
Temperature-based death time estimation is based either on simple phenomenological models of corpse cooling or on detailed physical heat transfer models. The latter are much more complex but allow a higher accuracy of death time estimation, as in principle, all relevant cooling mechanisms can be taken into account. Here, a complete workflow for finite element-based cooling simulation is presented. The following steps are demonstrated on a CT phantom: Computer tomography (CT) scan Segmentation of the CT images for thermodynamically relevant features of individual geometries and compilation in a geometric computer-aided design (CAD) model Conversion of the segmentation result into a finite element (FE) simulation model Computation of the model cooling curve (MOD) Calculation of the cooling time (CTE) For the first time in FE-based cooling time estimation, the steps from the CT image over segmentation to FE model generation are performed semi-automatically. The cooling time calculation results are compared to cooling measurements performed on the phantoms under controlled conditions. In this context, the method is validated using a CT phantom. Some of the phantoms' thermodynamic material parameters had to be determined via independent experiments. Moreover, the impact of geometry and material parameter uncertainties on the estimated cooling time is investigated by a sensitivity analysis.
This study presents a novel approach based on a four-electrode electrochemical biosensor for the detection of tau protein one of the possible markers for the prediction of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The biosensor is based on the formation of stable antibody antigen complexes on gold microband electrodes covered with a layer of a self-assembled monolayer and protein G. Antibodies were immobilized on the gold electrode surface in an optimal orientation by protein G interaction. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to analyze impedance change, which revealed a linear response with increasing tau concentrations. The assay is fast ( < 1 h for incubation and measurement) and very sensitive. The limit of quantification for the full-length 2N4R tau protein is 0.03 pM, a value unaltered when the assay was processed in bovine serum albumin or human serum. This technology could be adapted for the detection of other biomarkers to provide a multiple assay to identify AD progression in a point of care setting.
Previous research has suggested an important role for the emotion of hatred in intergroup aggression. Recent theoretical and empirical work has strongly suggested that the combination of anger, contempt, and disgust (ANCODI) comprise the basic elements of hatred, and are the key emotions associated with intergroup aggression. No study, however, has provided evidence that these emotions cause hostile cognitions about specific groups. We report two studies that provide initial evidence. In both, participants were members of ideologically motivated groups and were primed with ANCODI. In Study 1 participants primed with ANCODI produced more aggressive cognitions relative to their opponent outgroup than a neutral outgroup; this effect did not occur for participants primed with fear-sadness. In Study 2 participants primed with ANCODI engaged in more competitive decision making against their opponent outgroups than a neutral outgroup; this effect did not occur for participants primed with disgust only. These findings contribute to the literature on the role of emotion in intergroup aggression and hostility, and provide a more nuanced view of the role of emotions in intergroup relations, possibly identifying the basic emotional elements of hatred. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Study Design: To report a new technique. Objective: To introduce a new method of precise correction controlling for ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis. Summary of Background Data: The exact angle method is excellent for calculating the pedicle subtraction osteotomy angle but is difficult to perform during surgery. In this study, the precise rod bending technique was proposed as a new method for precise correction controlling for ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis through illustrative cases. Methods: A preoperative plan using the exact angle method, with exact osteotomy angle and level determined, was prepared using a whole-spine lateral x-ray film. Then a precise contoured rod imitating the predicted spine correction was obtained using the lateral spine x-ray film that was of the actual size of the trunk. This rod model was disinfected and used for precisely controlling kyphosis correction in ankylosing spondylitis patients with good cervical spine and hip joints. Results: Four ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis patients were successfully corrected using the precise bending rod technique. Their mean age was 31 years, the mean operative time was 247 minutes (160-320 min), the mean volume of bleeding was 1482mL (727-2700 mL), and the average follow-up period was 13.8 months (9-17 mo). All patients regained their sagittal balance (all C7-SSVL <= 2 cm). The predicted ostetomy degree was accurate to within 2 degrees compared with the achieved degree at the osteotomy site. No complications occurred during or after surgery. Conclusions: The precise rod bending technique is a simple, effective method for precise correction of kyphosis caused by ankylosing spondylitis. The surgical result corresponded to the preoperative planning.
The aim of the article is to describe the nonverbal communication patterns that passengers of the Delhi Metro use to manage density-induced territorial intrusions, and to identify some of the contextual variables that affect their deployment. After introducing the notion of interrogative look and the dataset, the following section depicts the techniques that passengers were observed to employ in order to solve the problem of territorial intrusion without breaking anonymity. The bulk of the analysis deals with the structure and function of interrogative looks, an objectively defined pattern of nonverbal behavior that the touched uses to signal her discontent to the toucher. The rest of the section describes a less frequent pattern whereby passengers contagiously signal the playful character of their mischiefs. Next is examined if and how density, i. e. the number of individuals per surface unit, influences as a contextual variable the occurrence of interrogative looks. The closing discussion considers the main findings from the standpoint of their local specificity.
This study examined the impact of a selective anxiety prevention program for offspring of clinically anxious parents on three domains of child functioning: (1) social, (2) familial, and (3) emotional/behavioral. Dyads were randomized into either the Coping and Promoting Strength program (CAPS; n = 70) or Information Monitoring (IM; n = 66) comparison group. Multi-informant assessments were conducted at baseline, post intervention, and 6 and 12 months follow-ups. Random effects mixed models under the linear growth modeling (LGM) framework was used to assess the impact of CAPS on growth trajectories. Over time, children in the CAPS group had significantly lower anxiety, anxious/depressed symptoms, and lower total behavior problems (parent report), compared to children in IM group. The intervention did not impact other domains assessed (e.g., social functioning), which may be due to floor effects on these measures. Longitudinal follow-up data is needed to provide valuable information about this high risk population.
Buprenorphine is a partial mu agonist and kappa antagonist which is used for the treatment of pain and opioid addiction. A mixture of buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride has been approved for the treatment of opioid dependence. In this study a third order derivative spectrophotometric method based on zero-crossing technique has been used for the simultaneous determination of buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride in tablets. The measurements were carried out at wavelengths of 257.8 (zero-crossing point of naloxone hydrochloride) and 252.2 nm (zero-crossing point of buprenorphice hydrochloride) for buprenorphine hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride, respectively in the third order derivative spectra obtained in methanol and 0.1 M NaOH (50: 50) as solvent. The method was found to be linear in the range of 20-80 mu g/mL for buprenorphine hydrochloride and 5-20 mu g/mL for naloxone hydrochloride. The within-day and between-day coefficient of variation and error values were less than 2.5% and 1.8%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully used for simultaneous determination of these drugs in pharmaceutical dosage form without any interference from excipients or need to prior separation before analysis.
We present a scalable computing framework for the solution stochastic multiobjective optimization problems. The proposed framework uses a nested conditional value-at-risk (hCVaR) metric to find compromise solutions among conflicting random objectives. We prove that the associated nCVaR minimization problem can be cast as a standard stochastic programming problem with expected value (linking) constraints. We also show that these problems can be implemented in a modular and compact manner using PLASM (a Julia-based structured modeling framework) and can be solved efficiently using PIPS-NLP (a parallel nonlinear solver). We apply the framework to a CHP design study in which we seek to find compromise solutions that trade-off cost, water, and emissions in the face of uncertainty in electricity and water demands. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Research on pain judgement has shown that several features of a target influence empathy for others' pain. Considering the pivotal role of morality in social judgement, we investigated whether judgements of others' social and physical suffering vary as a function of the target's moral status. Study 1 manipulated the moral characteristics of an unknown other and found that participants ascribed less social (but not physical) suffering to a target depicted as lacking moral status rather than to a target high in morality. Study 2 added a control condition in which no information about the target's moral qualities was provided, and showed that the effect of morality on social pain judgements was driven by the depiction of the target as lacking moral traits. Study 3 revealed the specific role of morality, as information on another evaluative dimension (i.e., competence) had no effects on pain judgements. Study 4 showed that social targets perceived as lacking moral qualities are thought to experience less social pain than highly moral targets because of their perceived lower level of humanity. Overall, our findings suggest that social (but not physical) pain might represent a capacity that is denied to social targets that are perceived low in morality.
The New Zealand Earth System Model (NZESM) is currently under development to help inform scientists, policy makers, climate-sensitive sectors of the economy, and the general public in New Zealand about climate change. The term `climate model' is generally used to describe a computer model that incorporates physical aspects of the climate system such as atmospheric and oceanic fluid mechanics and thermodynam- ics. In addition, Earth System Models represent aspects of biology and chemistry such as marine biogeochemistry and atmospheric ozone chemistry. The development of the NZESM represents a step-change in model complexity for New Zealand science, and a major motivation for its development is to reduce Southern Hemisphere specific mod- elling problems such as the formation of Southern Ocean sea ice and Antarctic Bottom Water. The atmosphere, land surface, ocean and sea ice components of the model are already available in New Zealand. In the future, additional models representing (for ex-ample) ocean biogeochemistry and marine ice-sheets will also be added to the NZESM framework. Over the next 5 years, the NZESM will be run to produce hindcasts for the past 150 years and projections for up to 200 years into the future. Such experiments will ... enable New Zealanders to adapt, manage risk, and thrive in a changing climate, which is the mission statement of the Deep South National Science Challenge. Over the next decade, the NZESM will be used in Earth System science research throughout New Zealand, both in terms of pure science and via communication of its results to New Zealanders.
Background: sIgE and sIgG4 detection is necessary for more accurate and effective type I hypersensitivity diagnostics and the estimation of disease development. Typically, the analyses of these antibodies are performed separately with the help of various specialized systems. The aim of this study was to develop a microarray-based method for the simultaneous quantitative detection of sIgE and sIgG4 to the most common allergens in a single sample. Methods: A quantitative method for the simultaneous detection of sIgE and sIgG4 was developed based on the technology of hydrogel microchips previously designed at Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences (EIMB RAS). The microarray contained gel pads with immobilized allergens and gel pads that allow for the obtaining of sIgE and sIgG4 internal calibration curves for each allergen during the assay. The possibility of the simultaneous detection of sIgE and sIgG4 was developed using the corresponding Cy5 and Cy3 fluorescent dyes. Results: The multiplex immunoassay method using hydrogel microarrays developed in this study allowed the quantitative detection of sIgE and sIgG4 to 31 allergens from different groups in a single assay. A comparison of the microarray with the existing plate-based analogues (i.e., ALLERG-O-LIQ and sIgG4 ELISA) was performed by analysing 152 blood serum samples and by evaluating Pearson correlation coefficients, ROC analysis, and Passing-Bablok linear regression results. Conclusion: The implementation of this method in allergy diagnostics will provide the possibility of simultaneously performing primary patient screening and obtaining additional information concerning the severity of the allergies and the choice of an appropriate therapy.
The basic idea of nanofluid was to enhance the thermal conductivity of base fluid. However, the classical nanofluid models have some drastic limitations, i.e. they cannot describe a class of fluids that have certain microscopic characters arising from the microrotation and local structure of the fluid elements. Therefore, the present work is one of the infrequent contributions that describes the microrotation and microinertia characteristics of nanofluids. More exactly, in this work, the unsteady free convection flow of micropolar nanofluids is investigated over a vertical plate. Five types of oxide nanoparticles namely copper oxide, titanium oxide, alumina oxide, iron oxide and graphene oxide are suspended in three different types of fluids such as water, kerosene and engine oil. Exact solutions of the governing problem are obtained by the Laplace transform method. Solutions for conventional or regular nanofluid is also recovered as a special case. Temperature of graphene oxide suspended micropolar nanofluid is higher than other oxide nanoparticles based nanofluids. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Secure data aggregation (SDA) schemes are widely used in distributed applications, such as mobile sensor networks, to reduce communication cost, prolong the network life cycle and provide security. However, most SDA are only suited for a single type of statistics (i.e., summation-based or comparison-based statistics) and are not applicable to obtaining multiple statistic results. Most SDA are also inefficient for dynamic networks. This paper presents multi-functional secure data aggregation (MFSDA), in which the mapping step and coding step are introduced to provide value-preserving and order-preserving and, later, to enable arbitrary statistics support in the same query. MFSDA is suited for dynamic networks because these active nodes can be counted directly from aggregation data. The proposed scheme is tolerant to many types of attacks. The network load of the proposed scheme is balanced, and no significant bottleneck exists. The MFSDA includes two versions: MFSDA-I and MFSDA-II. The first one can obtain accurate results, while the second one is a more generalized version that can significantly reduce network traffic at the expense of less accuracy loss.
A combined theoretical and experimental investigation was carried out with the objective of evaluating theoretical predictions relating to a two-dimensional airfoil subjected to high amplitude harmonic oscillation of the free stream at constant angle of attack. Current theoretical approaches were reviewed and extended for the purposes of quantifying the hound, unsteady vortex sheet strength along the airfoil chord. This resulted in a closed form solution that is valid for arbitrary reduced frequencies and amplitudes. In the experiments, the bound, unsteady vortex strength of a symmetric 18% thick airfoil at low angles of attack was measured in a dedicated unsteady wind tunnel at maximum reduced frequencies of 0.1 and at velocity oscillations less than or equal to 50%. With the boundary layer tripped near the leading edge and mid-chord, the phase and amplitude variations of the lift coefficient corresponded reasonably well with the theory. Near the maximum lift coefficient overshoot, the data exhibited an additional high-frequency oscillation. Comparisons of the measured and predicted vortex sheet indicated the existence of a recirculation bubble upstream of the trailing edge which sheds into the wake and modifies the Kutta condition. Without boundary layer tripping, a mid-chord bubble is present that strengthens during flow deceleration and its shedding produces a dramatically different effect. Instead of a lift coefficient overshoot, as per the theory, the data exhibit a significant undershoot. This undershoot is also accompanied by high-frequency oscillations that are characterized by the bubble shedding. In summary, the location of bubble and its subsequent shedding play decisive roles in the resulting temporal aerodynamic loads.
Ketamine is used clinically as a racemic mixture of optical isomers that differ in their analgesic properties and psychomimetic effects. Administered individually, or together as the racemate, ketamine enantiomers differ in their hepatic clearance and duration of anesthetic effect. S(+) ketamine exhibits a greater clearance and faster anesthetic recovery compared to the racemate and a greater clearance compared to R(-) ketamine. Ketamine undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism, primarily via N-demethylation to norketamine, yet little is known about the human metabolism of ketamine enantiomers. The purpose of this investigation therefore was to characterize ketamine racemate and enantiomer metabolism by human liver and to test the hypothesis that differences in hepatic ketamine enantiomer metabolism can account for observed differences in ketamine enantiomer pharmacokinetics. Ketamine N-demethylation by microsomes from three human livers was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. At ketamine concentrations typically achieved during anesthesia (5 muM), the rate of S(+) ketamine demethylation was 20% greater than that of R(-) ketamine and 10% greater than that of the racemate (P <.05). At all ketamine concentrations, the rate of racemate demethylation was less than the sum of the rates for the individual enantiomers, reflecting a metabolic enantiomeric interaction whereby one ketamine enantiomer inhibits the metabolism of the other enantiomer. N-demethylation of racemic ketamine and each enantiomer was catalyzed by two apparent enzymes, a high affinity-low capacity enzyme (K(m1) 30-50 muM, V(max1) 2-6 nmoles.min-1.nmole-1) and a low affinity-high capacity enzyme (K(m2) 600-800 muM, V(max2) 9-15 nmoles.min-1.nmole-1). At therapeutic concentrations, ketamine metabolism is catalyzed predominantly by one enzyme (the low K(m) enzyme), permitting calculation of the in vitro clearance parameter V(max1)/K(m1). In vitro clearances of ketamine enantiomers and the racemate were excellent predictors of the relative in vivo clearances. These results demonstrate relative enantiomeric selectivity in human liver ketamine metabolism, which accounts for observed differences in the clinical pharmacokinetics of racemic ketamine and ketamine enantiomers.
The overarching objective of this article is to describe the Swedish public's knowledge about HIV and attitudes toward people living with HIV during the period 1987-2011. Within the framework of this objective, the article also directs a special focus at the association between knowledge about HIV transmission and attitudes toward people who are HIV positive. The study is based on the results of a questionnaire sent to a stratified random sample on eight occasions between 1987 and 2011. The study population comprises the Swedish general public aged 16-44 and is stratified on the basis of the respondents' age, with each of five age groups (16-17, 18-19, 20-24, 25-34, and 35-44) comprising 20% of the study respondents. A total of 21,027 individuals have completed the questionnaire in the eight surveys. The survey instrument is relatively short and comprises 27 questions on knowledge, attitudes and sexual behaviour relating to HIV. The eight surveys show that the public's knowledge about HIV and its different transmission routes is high and has increased over time. Above all there has been an increase in the level of knowledge about how HIV is not transmitted between people. However, the public's knowledge about the infectiousness of individuals receiving treatment for HIV infection is low. Public attitudes toward people with HIV have also undergone a clear shift over time, toward increased tolerance and a decline in the level of fear, especially in social situations. Despite this, a residual suspicion and stigmatisation can be seen in the public's attitudes to people who are HIV positive. This is most obvious from the questions that link HIV to sexuality and here the changes are very modest over time. Public knowledge about HIV and its transmission routes has increased between 1987 and 2011. Attitudes toward people who are HIV positive have generally become more tolerant and positive, not least in relation to different social situations. The fear of becoming infected has declined. At the same time there remains a stigma, which continues to direct suspicion at people who are living with HIV and to ascribe them negative characteristics and behaviors that are based on prejudice. The results show, however, that the public's attitudes toward same-sex relationships are clearly more accepting today than they were previously, and that the symbolic association between HIV and this group is tending to become weaker.
IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein1 (IQGAP1) is a scaffold protein, which is aberrantly expressed in several tumor types and is closely associated with the development, metastasis and prognosis of cancer. Several studies have demonstrated that IQGAP1 has broad prospects in the basic and clinical research of tumors. The present study aimed to explore the effects of IQGAP1-small interfering (si) NA on the proliferation and metastasis of U251 and U373 glioma cell lines, which markedly expressed IQGAP1. The human glioma cell lines (U251 and U373) were transfected with siRNA and transfection efficacy was confirmed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was detected using the Cell Counting kit-8, and cell metastasis capabilities were detected using cell adhesion, migration and invasion assays. In addition, the expression levels of several tumor-associated genes were determined by RT-qPCR and western blotting. The results indicated that IQGAP1 was expressed at higher levels in glioma tissues compared with in normal brain tissues. IQGAP1-siRNA significantly inhibited cell proliferation, and cell adhesion, migration and invasion. Furthermore, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, Snail, MMP9, fibronectin 1 and Twist were suppressed, and E-cadherin was upregulated in response to siRNA-IQGAP1. The present study identified the function of IQGAP1 in glioma cell biology, and indicated that it may be considered a novel target for glioma treatment.
Human tauopathies such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), Pick's disease etc., are a group of neurodegenerative diseases which are characterized by abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau that leads to formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Recapitulating several features of human neurodegenerative disorders, the Drosophila tauopathy model displays compromised lifespan, locomotor function impairment, and brain vacuolization in adult brain which is progressive and age dependent. Here, we demonstrate that tissue-specific downregulation of the Drosophila homolog of human c-myc proto-oncogene (dMyc) suppresses tau-mediated morphological and functional deficits by reducing abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation and restoring the heterochromatin loss. Our studies show for the first time that the inherent chromatin remodeling ability of myc proto-oncogenes could be exploited to limit the pathogenesis of human neuronal tauopathies in the Drosophila disease model. Interestingly, recent reports on successful uses of some anti-cancer drugs against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in clinical trials and animal models strongly support our findings and proposed possibility.
In the context of cell biology, the term mesoscale describes length scales ranging from that of an individual cell, down to the size of the molecular machines. In this spatial regime, small building blocks self-organise to form large, functional structures. A comprehensive set of rules governing mesoscale self-organisation has not been established, making the prediction of many cell behaviours difficult, if not impossible. Our knowledge of mesoscale biology comes from experimental data, in particular, imaging. Here, we explore the application of soft X-ray tomography (SXT) to imaging the mesoscale, and describe the structural insights this technology can generate. We also discuss how SXT imaging is complemented by the addition of correlative fluorescence data measured from the same cell. This combination of two discrete imaging modalities produces a 3D view of the cell that blends high-resolution structural information with precise molecular localisation data.
Computer-aided process planning is an important component for linking design and manufacturing in computer-aided design/computer-aided process planning/computer-aided manufacturing integrated manufacturing systems. Operation sequencing in computer-aided process planning is one of the most essential tasks. To solve the problem and acquire optimal process plans, operation sequencing is modeled as a combinatorial optimization problem with various constraints, and a novel modified ant colony optimization algorithm is developed to solve it. To ensure the feasibility of process plans, constrained relationships considered among operations are classified into two categories called precedence constraint relationships and clustering constraint relationships. Operation precedence graph based on constrained relationships is formed to get visual representation. To ensure good manufacturing economy, in the mathematical model for optimization, total weighted production cost or weighted resource transformation time related to machine changes, setup changes, tool changes, machines and tools is utilized as the evaluation criterion. To avoid local optimum and enhance global search ability, adaptive updating method and local search mechanism are embedded into the optimization algorithm. Case studies of three parts are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of the modified ant colony optimization algorithm, and some comparisons between the modified ant colony optimization algorithm and previous genetic algorithm, simulated annealing algorithm, tabu search and particle swarm optimization algorithm are discussed. The results show that the modified ant colony optimization algorithm performs well in the operation sequencing problem.
Excessive sedimentation derived from anthropogenic activities is a main factor in habitat and biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems. To prevent offsite movement of soil particles, many environmental regulatory agencies mandate the use of perimeter silt fences. However, research regarding the efficiency of these devices in applied settings is lacking, and fences are often ineffective due to poor installation and maintenance. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of research regarding silt fences, address the current culture surrounding silt fence installation and maintenance, and provide several recommendations for improving the knowledge base related to silt fence effectiveness. It is clear that there is a need for integrated long-term (i.e., extending from prior to fence installation to well after fence removal) multi-disciplinary research with appropriate controls that evaluates the effectiveness of silt control fences. Through laboratory experiments, in silica modelling and field studies there are many factors that can be experimentally manipulated such as soil types (and sediment feed rate), precipitation regimes (and flow rate), season, slope, level of site disturbance, fence installation method, type of fence material, depth of toe, type and spacing of support structures, time since installation, level of inspection and maintenance, among others, that all require systematic evaluation. Doing so will inform the practice, as well as identify specific technical research needs, related to silt fence design and use. Moreover, what constitutes proper installation and maintenance is unclear, especially given regional- and site-level Variation in precipitation, slope, and soil characteristics. Educating and empowering construction crews to be proactive in maintenance of silt fencing is needed given an apparent lack of compliance monitoring by regulatory agencies and the realities that the damage is almost instantaneous when silt fences fail. Our goal is not to dismiss silt fences as a potentially useful tool. Instead, we question the way they are currently being used and call for better science to determine what factors (in terms of fence design, installation and site-characteristics) influence effectiveness as well as better training for those that install, maintain and inspect such devices. We also encourage efforts to look beyond the fence to consider how silt fences can be combined with other sediment control strategies as part of an integrated sediment control program. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has been extensively implicated in the regulation of body weight, food intake, and energy. expenditure. The role of PTP1B appears to be cell and brain region dependent. Results. Herein, we demonstrated that chronic high-fat feeding enhanced PTP1B expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) of rats compared to rats on chow: Knocking down PTP1B with oligonucleotide antisense (ASO) decreased its expression and was sufficient to improve the anorexigenic effect of insulin through IR/Akt signaling in the CeA. ASO treatment reduces body weight, fat mass, serum leptin levels, and food intake and also increases energy expenditure, without altering ambulatory activity. These changes were explained, at least in part, by the improvement of insulin sensitivity in the CeA, decreasing NPY and enhancing oxytocin expression. There was a slight decline in fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels possibly due to leanness in rats treated with ASO. Surprisingly, the elevated plus maze test revealed an anxiolytic behavior after reduction of PTP1B in the CeA. Conclusions. Thus, the present study highlights the deleterious role that the amygdalar PTP1B has on energy homeostasis in obesity states. The reduction of PTP1B in the CeA may be a strategy for the treatment of obesity, insulin resistance and anxiety disorders. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objectives: This study focuses on facilitation of clients' psychosocial communication during prenatal counseling for fetal anomaly screening. We assessed how psychosocial communication by clients is related to midwives' psychosocial and affective communication, client-directed gaze and counseling duration. Methods: During 184 videotaped prenatal counseling consultations with 20 Dutch midwives, verbal psychosocial and affective behavior was measured by the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). We rated the duration of client-directed gaze. We performed multilevel analyses to assess the relation between clients' psychosocial communication and midwives' psychosocial and affective communication, client-directed gaze and counseling duration. Results: Clients' psychosocial communication was higher if midwives' asked more psychosocial questions and showed more affective behavior (beta = 0.90; Cl: 0.45-1.35; p < 0.00 and beta = 132; CI: 0.18-2.47; p = 0.025, respectively). Clients psychosocial communication was not related to midwives client-directed gaze. Additionally, psychosocial communication by clients was directly, positively related to the counseling duration (beta = 0.59; CI: 0.20-099; p= 0.004). Conclusions: In contrast with our expectations, midwives' client-directed gaze was not related with psychosocial communication of clients. Practice implications: In addition to asking psychosocial questions, our study shows that midwives' affective behavior and counseling duration is likely to encourage client's psychosocial communication, known to be especially important for facilitating decision-making. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NCND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Brucella species are facultative intracellular pathogens that infect animals as their natural hosts. Transmission to humans is most commonly caused by direct contact with infected animals or by ingestion of contaminated food and can lead to severe chronic infections. Brucella can invade professional and non-professional phagocytic cells and replicates within endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived vacuoles. The host factors required for Brucella entry into host cells, avoidance of lysosomal degradation, and replication in the ER-like compartment remain largely unknown. Here we describe two assays to identify host factors involved in Brucella entry and replication in HeLa cells. The protocols describe the use of RNA interference, while alternative screening methods could be applied. The assays are based on the detection of fluorescently labeled bacteria in fluorescently labeled host cells using automated wide-field microscopy. The fluorescent images are analyzed using a standardized image analysis pipeline in CellProfiler which allows single cell-based infection scoring. In the endpoint assay, intracellular replication is measured two days after infection. This allows bacteria to traffic to their replicative niche where proliferation is initiated around 12 hr after bacterial entry. Brucella which have successfully established an intracellular niche will thus have strongly proliferated inside host cells. Since intracellular bacteria will greatly outnumber individual extracellular or intracellular non-replicative bacteria, a strain constitutively expressing GFP can be used. The strong GFP signal is then used to identify infected cells. In contrast, for the entry assay it is essential to differentiate between intracellular and extracellular bacteria. Here, a strain encoding for a tetracycline-inducible GFP is used. Induction of GFP with simultaneous inactivation of extracellular bacteria by gentamicin enables the differentiation between intracellular and extracellular bacteria based on the GFP signal, with only intracellular bacteria being able to express GFP. This allows the robust detection of single intracellular bacteria before intracellular proliferation is initiated.
Stormwater runoff poses serious environmental problems and public health issues in Rwanda, a tropical country that is increasingly suffering from severe floods, landslides, soil erosion and water pollution. Using the WetSpa Extension model, this study assessed the changes in rainfall runoff depth in Rwanda from 1990 to 2016 in response to precipitation and land use changes. Our results show that Rwanda has experienced a significant conversion of natural forest and grassland to cropland and built-up areas. During the period 1990-2016, 7090.02 km(2) (64.5%) and 1715.26 km(2) (32.1%) of forest and grassland covers were lost, respectively, while the cropland and built-up areas increased by 135.3% (8503.75 km(2)) and 304.3% (355.02 km(2)), respectively. According to our estimates, the land use change effect resulted in a national mean runoff depth increase of 2.33 mm/year (0.38%). Although precipitation change affected the inter-annual fluctuation of runoff, the long-term trend of runoff was dominated by land use change. The top five districts that experienced the annual runoff depth increase (all >3.8 mm/year) are Rubavu, Nyabihu, Ngororero, Gakenke, and Musanze. Their annual runoff depths increased at a rate of >3.8 mm/year during the past 27 years, due to severe deforestation (ranging from 62% to 85%) and cropland expansion (ranging from 123% to 293%). These areas require high priority in runoff control using terracing in croplands and rainwater harvesting systems such as dam/reservoirs, percolation tanks, storage tanks, etc. The wet season runoff was three times higher than the dry season runoff in Rwanda; appropriate rainwater management and reservation could provide valuable irrigation water for the dry season or drought years (late rainfall onsets or early rainfall cessations). It was estimated that a reservation of 30.5% (3.99 km(3)) of the runoff in the wet season could meet the cropland irrigation water gap during the dry season in 2016.
Digital technology has been widely used in the field of implant dentistry. From a surgical standpoint, computer-guided surgery can be utilized to enhance primary implant stability and to improve the precision of implant placement. From a prosthetic standpoint, computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) technology has brought about various restorative options, including the fabrication of customized abutments through a virtual design based on computer-guided surgical planning. This case report describes a novel technique combining the use of a three-dimensional (3D) printed surgical template for the immediate placement of an implant, with CAD/CAM technology to optimize hard and soft tissue healing after bone grafting with the use of a socket sealing abutment.
Aggressive behaviors in schools have the potential to cause serious harm to students' emotional and social well-being and to limit their ability to achieve their full academic potential. Prevention programs developed to reduce children's aggressive behaviors in school settings can provide interventions at a universal or targeted level. The main aim of our randomized control study was to examine the efficacy of Coping Power, adapted as a universal prevention program, in reducing children's behavioral problems and improving school grades. Nine classes participated (184 students, mean age 91 months) from two elementary state schools in Tuscany, Italy. Study findings showed a significant reduction in behavioral problems and an improvement in school grades for the intervention classes relative to the control classes. This study suggests the Coping Power program can be delivered in school settings at both universal and targeted prevention levels, and that in this multi-tiered prevention model, teachers, educators and school psychologists can learn a set of intervention skills which can be delivered with flexibility, thus reducing some of the complexity and costs of schools using multiple interventions.
The decreasing cost and size of video sensors has led to camera networks becoming pervasive in our lives. However, the ability to analyze these images effectively is very much a function of the quality of the acquired images. In this paper, we consider the problem of automatically controlling the fields of view of individual pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras in a camera network leading to improved situation awareness (e. g., where and what are the critical targets and events) in a region of interest. The network of cameras attempts to observe the entire region of interest at some minimum resolution while opportunistically acquiring high resolution images of critical events in real time. Since many activities involve groups of people interacting, an important decision that the network needs to make is whether to focus on individuals or groups of them. This is achieved by understanding the performance of video analysis tasks and designing camera control strategies to improve a metric that quantifies the quality of the source imagery. Optimization strategies, along with a distributed implementation, are proposed, and their theoretical properties analyzed. The proposed methods bring together computer vision and network control ideas. The performance of the proposed methodologies discussed herein has been evaluated on a real-life wireless network of PTZ capable cameras.
Introduction. - Modern techniques of computer-aided design and tridimensional prototyping for manufacturing silicone elastomer custom implants are growing. They have widely modified the surgical indications in our unit. Materials and methods. - By presenting their experience of 611 cases managed between 1993 and 2016, the authors describe the method of conception from CT-scans, the virtual image of the body and the manufacture of the custom-made implant perfectly adapted to the anatomy of each one. The operative techniques are described for the three main indications: the funnel chest or pectus excavatum (474 cases) according to a modified CHIN classification is corrected simply and very satisfactorily. This approach may render thoracic surgery techniques obsolete. Indeed, these operations remain risky and of doubtful functional utility; Poland syndrome (116 cases), where the use of a custom-made implant for compensation of muscle volume is frequently used, but can be improved by a transfer of adipose tissue or a classic breast implant; the leg atrophies (21 cases) receive custom elastomer implants introduced in a sub-fascial plane. Results. - The results are excellent for pectus excavatum but more difficult to optimize for the other two indications, requiring sometimes complementary techniques. Complications are rare and often benign, implants endure for life. Quality of life, psychological comfort and self-esteem have been improved with low morbidity and without having undergone a painful surgical experience. Conclusion. - Reconstructive procedures of congenital malformations by custom-made silicone implants open a new field of activity for our surgical specialty with vast opportunities. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Remote sensing applications in water resources management are becoming an essential asset in all different levels of integrated water rational use. Due to remote sensing data availability and different acquisition sensors of satellite images, a wide variability of benchmarks could be conducted under the same theme. Rainwater harvesting is the branch of science where the rainwater is the main target to improve groundwater recharge, stratocumulus clouds are the main source of rain in arid regions. Cloud detection using remote sensing techniques proved to be efficient recently but the general uses of different cloud detection techniques are to precisely omit clouds from satellite images. The use of cloud detection scheme described herein is designed for the MERIS Level1B data; therefore, total set of 60 MERIS images was collected on monthly basis for 5 years started from January 2008. The use of the cloud detection algorithm is to find proper land cover suitable for rainwater harvesting mostly covered with cloud all over the year. Evaluation of land use for rainwater harvesting in terms of groundwater recharge is considered, several factors were taken into consideration and NDWI is one of the most important factors involved. Results pointed out that some regions in southern Saudi Arabia are qualified enough to be considered as potential sites for better rainwater harvesting.
For multi-output Boolean functions (also called S-boxes), various measures of nonlinearity have been widely discussed in the literature but many problems are left open in this topic. The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach to estimating the nonlinearity of S-boxes. A more fine-grained view on the notion of nonlinearity of S-boxes is presented and new connections to some linear codes are established. More precisely, we mainly study the nonlinearity indicator (denoted by N-v) for S-boxes from a coding theory point of view. Such a cryptographic parameter N-v is more related to best affine approximation attacks on stream ciphers. We establish a direct link between Nv and the minimum distance of the corresponding linear code. We exploit that connection to derive the first general lower bounds on N-v of non-affine functions from F(2)n to F(2)m for m dividing n. Furthermore, we show that N-v can be determined directly by the weight distribution of the corresponding linear code.
Research supervision services like providing study materials can be enhanced through mobile information retrieval algorithms. An example is semantic searching algorithms, which require the user to input one or two real world concepts. Systems that implement mobile learning approaches like ambient learning can use semantic searching algorithms to support research supervision services through mobile phones. However, there is low adoption of such approaches in some of the African universities. This has been attributed to limited technical limitations of mobile devices that include mobile phones. For instance, complex interfaces, restricted input and small screens on mobile phones make it difficult to enter search keywords when the user is in a hurry. As an attempt to address these limitations, this paper describes dynamic heuristics - greedy search algorithm that automatically generate search keywords. The algorithm can be used to allow flexible mobile information retrieval on a typical ambient learning system.
Intersections are known for their integral and complex nature due to a variety of the participants' behaviors and interactions. This paper presents a review of recent studies on the behavior at intersections and the safety analysis for three types of participants at intersections: vehicles, drivers, and pedestrians. This paper emphasizes on techniques which are strong candidates for automation with visual sensing technology. A new behavior and safety classification is presented based on key features used for intersection design, planning, and safety. In addition, performance metrics are introduced to evaluate different studies, and insights are provided regarding the state of the art, inputs, algorithms, challenges, and shortcomings.
This review begins with a comprehensive history of opioid dependence and treatment in the United States. The focus is an evidence-based treatment model for opioid/opiate dependent individuals. The role of reward genetic polymorphisms and the epigenetic modifications that lead to vulnerability to use and misuse of opiates/opioid to treat pain are reviewed. The neurochemical mechanisms of acute opiate withdrawal and opiate/opioid reward mechanisms are explored with a goal of identifying specific treatment targets. Alterations in functional brain connectivity based on neurobiological mechanisms in heroin dependence and abstinence are also reviewed. A new clinical model an alternative to merely blocking acute withdrawal symptoms as identified in the DSM-5 is proposed. Genetic diagnosis at the onset of detoxification, to determine risk stratification, and identify polymorphic gene targets for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical interventions, followed by the simultaneous initiation of Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT), to enable psychological extinction, and steady pro-dopaminergic therapy with the goal of developing dopamine homeostasis is recommended. The objective of these interventions is to prevent future relapse by treating all Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) behaviors and eventually make an addiction-free life possible.
The detection and correction of document skew is one of the most important document image analysis steps. The ICDAR2013 Document Image Skew Estimation Contest (DISEC' 13) is the first contest which is dedicated to record recent advances in the field of skew estimation using well established evaluation performance measures on a variety of printed document images. The benchmarking dataset that is used contains 1550 images that were obtained from various sources such as newspapers, scientific books and dictionaries. The document images contain figures, tables, diagrams, architectural plans, electrical circuits and they are written in various languages such as English, Chinese and Greek. This paper describes the details of the contest including the evaluation measures used as well as the performance of the twelve methods submitted by ten different groups along with a short description of each method.
Cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody, is a part of the treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The most common side effect of cetuximab is skin rash, which has a similar distribution to acne vulgaris and some overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms. The aim of the current study was to determine whether acne vulgaris in adolescence (AinA) is predictive of a cetuximab-related rash to better understand the pathogenesis of this side effect and explore potential preventive actions. From July 2013 to June 2015, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer planned for treatment with cetuximab were enrolled in the study. Before initiating treatment, patients completed a questionnaire evaluating endocrine disorders, other chronic diseases, smoking, chronic medications, allergies, and dermatologic history of AinA and its severity. Patients were followed for 6 months. Data were collected from 32 participants (16 women, 16 men). Twenty-three (69%) patients experienced a cetuximab-associated skin reaction. Nine (28%) patients had a history of AinA. Of these, seven developed a cetuximab-associated skin reaction. Three of the five (60%) patients who used proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) developed severe (grades 3-4) skin toxicity versus 4/27 (15%) patients who were not on PPIs (P=0.057). The degree of skin toxicity correlated to the median time-to-tumor-progression: 2 months for patients with grades 0-1 compared with 5.5 months for grades 2-4 skin toxicity (P=0.047, 95% confidence interval 1.06-4.95). No significant correlation was found between AinA and cetuximab-associated skin reactions. The correlation between PPI treatment and severe skin toxicity related to cetuximab should be examined further.
Altered social-emotional functioning is considered to play an important role in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). Recently, there has been increasing interest in investigating the role of intranasal oxytocin in social-emotional processing. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of intranasal oxytocin on the interpretation and expression of emotions among people with AN. Thirty women with AN and 29 age-matched healthy women took part in the present study, which used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. The participants received a single dose of 40 IU of intranasal oxytocin in one session and a placebo spray in the other. Fifteen minutes after administration, the participants completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to assess the interpretation of complex emotions and mental states followed by a video task, which assessed expressions of facial affect when they were viewing humorous and sad film clips. The intranasal oxytocin did not significantly influence the expression or interpretation of emotions in the AN or healthy comparison groups. The AN group expressed significantly less positive emotion, spent more time looking away and reported experiencing a significantly more negative affect in response to the film clips. The finding that intranasal oxytocin had little to no effect on the interpretation or expression of emotions in either group supports the notion that the effects of oxytocin on social-emotional processing are not straightforward and may depend on individual and environmental differences, as well as the emotion being processed. Replication of these findings is necessary to explore the effect of timing on the effects of oxytocin before firm conclusions can be drawn. Nonetheless, these findings add to the steady accumulation of evidence that people with AN have reduced emotional expression and avoidance of emotionally provoking stimuli.
The mechanical energy loss and the wall resistance are very important in practical engineering. These problems are investigated through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation in this paper. The results are as follows. (1) A new mechanical energy equation for the total flow is obtained, and a general formula for the calculation of the mechanical energy loss is proposed. (2) The general relationship between the wall resistance and the mechanical energy loss for the steady channel flow is obtained, the simplified form of which for the steady uniform channel flow is in consistent with the formula used in Hydraulics deduced by pi theorem and dimensional analysis. (3) The steady channel flow over a backward facing step with a small expansion ratio is numerically simulated, and the mechanical energy loss, the wall resistance as well as the relationship between the wall resistance and the mechanical energy loss are calculated and analyzed.
Evaluate the effect of continuing care interventions for cocaine use with HIV risk-reduction components on HIV sex-risk. Explore whether cocaine use at treatment initiation interacts with the type of continuing care intervention to affect HIV sex-risk. Cocaine dependent participants (N = 321) were randomized to: (1) Treatment as usual (TAU): intensive outpatient treatment, (2) TAU and telephone monitoring and counseling (TMC), and (3) TAU and TMC plus incentives for participation in telephone contacts (TMC+). Participants in TMC and TMC+ received a brief HIV intervention, with booster sessions as needed. Generalized estimating equations analysis compared TAU, TMC and TMC+ at 6, 12, 18, 24 months post-baseline on the following outcomes: overall HIV sex-risk, number of sexual partners, condom usage, exchange of drugs for sex, exchange of sex for drugs, exchange of money for sex, exchange of sex for money, and crack house visits. Overall sex-risk decreased for all treatment conditions at follow-up, with no treatment main effects. For people with no cocaine use at baseline, TAU experienced greater sex-risk reductions than TMC (p < .01) and TMC+ (p < .001). The three treatment conditions are effective in reducing HIV sex-risk. TMC with HIV risk-reduction components is unnecessary for cocaine-dependent clients who stop using cocaine early in treatment.
Background: Anti-TNF agents have revolutionised rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment; however, a third of patients fail to achieve therapeutic responses. Unexpectedly, studies in murine and human arthritis have indicated that anti-TNF treatment can increase circulating T helper 17 (Th17) cells, but the relationship to treatment response is unclear. To identify immune correlates of anti-TNF treatment response, we conducted a longitudinal study using clinical, ultrasound and T cell assessments. Methods: Patients with RA (n = 25) were studied at protocol visits during the initial 12 weeks of anti-TNF treatment. Improvement in the disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) >1.2 defined treatment responders (n = 16) and non-responders (n = 9). Changes in synovial thickening and vascularity of 10 metacarpophalangeal joints were quantitatively assessed by grey scale and power Doppler ultrasound. The frequency of circulating Th17 cells was determined by IL17 enzyme-linked immunospot assay (Elispot) and flow cytometry (fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)). Results: The frequency of circulating IL17-producing cells increased significantly 12 weeks after anti-TNF initiation (Elispot median (range) specific spot forming cells (spSFC)/10(6) 360 (280-645) vs 632 (367 -1167), p = 0.003). The increase in CD4 + IL17+ cells at 12 weeks was confirmed by FACS (median (range) %, 0.7 (0.5-0.9) vs 1.05 (0.6-1.3); p = 0.01). The increase in circulating Th17 cells inversely correlated with reduction in synovial vascularity (r = -0.68, p = 0.007) and thickening (r = -0.39; p = 0.04). Higher frequencies of circulating Th17 cells at baseline were associated with poorer anti-TNF treatment response defined by ultrasonographic measures. Conclusions: These results demonstrate a link between changes in circulating Th17 cells with resolution of ultrasonographic features of synovial inflammation and vascularity during anti-TNF treatment. The findings may reflect redistribution of Th17 cells from inflamed joints or TNF-driven regulation of Th17 cell production.
1. Vulnerability segmentation hypothesis proposes that plant branches are more resistant to cavitation than their terminal leaves, namely, the difference in vulnerability to cavitation between branches and their terminal leaves is positive (P50leaf-branch>0). This allows leaves to act as safety valves to protect hydraulic pathway from dysfunction. 2. Recent studies showed that several species from humid regions have negative values of P50leaf-branch, indicating a lack of vulnerability segmentation in these species (LVS species). 3. We hypothesize that compared with species from humid regions, vulnerability segmentation is critical and necessary for arid species to survive droughts, but LVS species may take compensatory hydraulic strategies to maintain safety margins during drought periods. 4. We compile branch and leaf hydraulic trait data of 69 broadleaved woody species belonging to different biomes with contrasting climatic conditions as indicated by variable aridity index (AI), and we find that P50leaf-branch becomes small and even negative with the increase of AI. Although leaves of LVS species may lose their function as safety valves, their deep rooting, great hydraulic conductivity, and/or high stem capacitance features are critical for them to maintain hydraulic safety. 5. The results indicate that vulnerability segmentation is evidently common for species from arid regions, but not necessarily the case for some species from humid regions. With robust cavitation-resistant leaves and effective hydraulic compensatory strategies, LVS species can maintain water supply and the functionality of leaves, thus giving them a hydraulic advantage over counterparts in the face of potential drought stress. A is available for this article.
This paper presents a simple approach for load flow analysis of a radial distribution network with embedded generation. The proposed approach utilizes forward and backward sweep algorithm based on Kirchoff's current law (KCL) and Kirchoff's voltage law (KVL) for evaluating the node voltages iteratively. In this approach, computation of branch current depends only on the current injected at the neighbouring node and the current in the adjacent branch. This approach starts from the end nodes of sub lateral line, lateral line and main line and moves towards the root node during branch current computation. The node voltage evaluation begins fro in the root node and moves towards the nodes located at the far end of the main, lateral and sub lateral lines. The proposed approach has been tested using three radial distribution systems of different size and configuration and is found to be computationally efficient. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is further demonstrated by integrating the embedded generation into the load flow analysis of the radial distribution network.
Sex parties are environments where men who have sex with men (MSM) have the opportunity to have sex with multiple partners over a brief period of time. Dim lighting and nonverbal communication are the characteristics of sex parties that make sexual communication more challenging. We report on qualitative data from 47 MSM who attended sex parties in New York City. Participants responded to distinct hypothetical scenarios involving the use of color-coded wristbands to communicate (1) condom use preferences, (2) sexual position (e.g., top, bottom), and (3) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status at sex parties. The majority had positive-to-neutral attitudes toward color-coded wristbands to indicate (1) condom use preference and (2) sexual position (70.8, 75.0 % HIV positive; 63.6, 81.8 %, HIV negative, respectively). These men cited that wristbands would facilitate the process of pursuing partners with similar interests while also avoiding the discomforts of verbal communication. In contrast, 41.7 % of HIV-positive and 50.0 % of HIV-negative men expressed unfavorable attitudes to using wristbands to communicate HIV status. These men cited the potential for HIV-status discrimination as well as suspicions around dishonest disclosure. Although participants were receptive to utilizing color-coded wristbands at sex parties to convey certain information, it may be unfeasible to use wristbands to communicate HIV status.
Objective: A clinician's ability to infer patients' thoughts and feelings is a critical component of high quality care. The goal of this article is to present a new test to measure this ability in clinicians, called the Test of Accurate Perception of Patients' Affect (TAPPA). Methods: Audiovisual clips were taken from patients' actual medical visits. The patients reviewed the videotape after the visit to identify their thoughts and feelings during the visit. This information was used to extract short audiovisual clips for which the correct answer was the patient's report of the thought or feeling associated with that clip. The TAPPA contains 48 audiovisual clips, each responded to in a multiple choice format. Results: The TAPPA showed good psychometric properties (optimal mean and good variance, adequate internal consistency, and strong re-test reliability) and convergent validity with other tests of emotion recognition. In addition, the test showed predicted better performance by female than male participants. Conclusion: The TAPPA promises to be a valuable tool for research and education on provider-patient relationships and quality of care. Practice implications: A tool for testing clinicians' understanding of patients' thoughts and feelings may contribute to better quality of care and to improved selection and training. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
In addition to buffering plants from water stress during severe droughts, plant water storage (PWS) alters many features of the spatio-temporal dynamics of water movement in the soil-plant system. How PWS impacts water dynamics and drought resilience is explored using a multi-layer porous media model. The model numerically resolves soil-plant hydrodynamics by coupling them to leaf-level gas exchange and soil-root interfacial layers. Novel features of the model are the considerations of a coordinated relationship between stomatal aperture variation and whole-system hydraulics and of the effects of PWS and nocturnal transpiration (Fe,night) on hydraulic redistribution (HR) in the soil. The model results suggest that daytime PWS usage and Fe,night generate a residual water potential gradient (p,night) along the plant vascular system overnight. This p,night represents a non-negligible competing sink strength that diminishes the significance of HR. Considering the co-occurrence of PWS usage and HR during a single extended dry-down, a wide range of plant attributes and environmental/soil conditions selected to enhance or suppress plant drought resilience is discussed. When compared with HR, model calculations suggest that increased root water influx into plant conducting-tissues overnight maintains a more favorable water status at the leaf, thereby delaying the onset of drought stress.
The physicochemical properties of anode material are important for the electron transfer of anode bacteria and electricity generation of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this work, carbon cloth anode was pretreated with isopropanol, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in order to reduce the anode functional groups. The influence of functional groups on the electrochemical properties of carbon cloth anode and power generation of MFCs was investigated. The anode pretreatments removed the surface sizing layer of carbon cloth and substantially reduced the contents of C-O and pyridinic/pyrrolic N groups on the anode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry analyses of the biofilm-matured anodes revealed an enhanced electrochemical electron transfer property because of the anode pretreatments. As compared with the untreated control (612 +/- 6mWm(-2)), the maximum power density of an acetate-fed single-chamber MFC was increased by 26% (773 +/- 5mWm(-2)) with the isopropanol treated anode. Additional treatment with H2O2 and NaOCl further increased the maximum power output to 844 +/- 5mWm(-2) and 831 +/- 4 mWm(-2). A nearly inverse liner relationship was observed between the contents of C-O and pyridinic/pyrrolic N groups on anodes and the anodic exchange current density and the power output of MFCs, indicating an adverse effect of these functional groups on the electricity production of anodes. Results from this study will further our understanding on the microbial interaction with carbon-based electrodes and provide an important guidance for the modification of anode materials for MFCs in future studies. Copyright (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A variety of compartment models are used for the quantitative analysis of dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) data. Traditionally, these models use an iterative fitting (IF) method to find the least squares between the measured and calculated values over time, which may encounter some problems such as the overfitting of model parameters and a lack of reproducibility, especially when handling noisy data or error data. In this paper, a machine learning (ML) based kinetic modeling method is introduced, which can fully utilize a historical reference database to build a moderate kinetic model directly dealing with noisy data but not trying to smooth the noise in the image. Also, due to the database, the presented method is capable of automatically adjusting the models using a multi-thread grid parameter searching technique. Furthermore, a candidate competition concept is proposed to combine the advantages of the ML and IF modeling methods, which could find a balance between fitting to historical data and to the unseen target curve. The machine learning based method provides a robust and reproducible solution that is user-independent for VOI-based and pixel-wise quantitative analysis of dynamic PET data.
Based on the orthogonal superposition theorem of three alternating magnetic components, a universal uniform magnetic spin vector is superimposed using tri-axial Helmholtz coils, achieving successive digital control of the orientation, the rotational speed, and the magnetic flux density of the universal magnetic spin vector. For increasing the magnitude and orientation accuracy of the magnetic spin vector, this paper presents a mathematical model associated with the magnitude error and orientation error of the universal magnetic spin vector, along with a double error compensation method for the magnitude and orientation of the universal magnetic spin vector superimposed by three alternating magnetic components. The double error compensation method includes the current magnitude compensation by three different structural coefficients of tri-axial Helmholtz coils and the current phase compensation by two relative phase differences under linear polarization. The results have shown that the double compensation method can increase the magnitude and orientation accuracy of the rotating magnetic vector effectively, which would achieve an accurate posture adjustment and steering control on the capsule robots in curving environment.
Subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), and their functional brain networks are presumably already altered. To test this hypothesis, we compared magnetoencephalography (MEG) eyes-closed resting-state recordings from 29 MCI subjects and 29 healthy elderly subjects in the present exploratory study. Functional connectivity in different frequency bands was assessed with the phase lag index (PLI) in source space. Normalized weighted clustering coefficient (normalized Cw) and path length (normalized Lw), as well as network measures derived from the minimum spanning tree [MST; i.e., betweenness centrality (BC) and node degree], were calculated. First, we found altered PLI values in the lower and upper alpha bands in MCI patients compared to controls. Thereafter, we explored network differences in these frequency bands. Normalized Cw and Lw did not differ between the groups, whereas BC and node degree of the MST differed, although these differences did not survive correction for multiple testing using the False Discovery Rate (FDR). As an exploratory study, we may conclude that: (1) the increases and decreases observed in PLI values in lower and upper alpha bands in MCI patients may be interpreted as a dual pattern of disconnection and aberrant functioning; (2) network measures are in line with connectivity findings, indicating a lower efficiency of the brain networks in MCI patients; (3) the MST centrality measures are more sensitive to detect subtle differences in the functional brain networks in MCI than traditional graph theoretical metrics.
In this paper, thermal modeling and analysis of a 10kWdouble-stator switched reluctance machine (DSSRM) is presented. Thermal management is an essential step of the machine design, since overheatedwindings and coresmight destroy the insulation and lead to failure of themachine. A three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element method (FEM) has been used to numerically calculate the temperature distribution in different parts of the machine. Furthermore, to include the use of water as coolant, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been utilized. Thermal performance of the prototype is then analyzed at various load conditions. A 10 kW prototype of the DSSRM has been built and the results have been experimentally verified.
Saliency modeling has played an important part in computer vision studies over the past 30 years. Many state-of-the-art models adopted complex mathematical and machine learning theories. In this paper, a simple and effective visual attention model is proposed. We find that a single fixed template is enough for saliency map generation; this idea is inspired by the receptive field of the human visual system. All that is needed is to convolve the input image with this template with additional post-processing. Experiments show that our model is extremely fast and performs better than state-of-the-art models in human eye fixation prediction.
Background: China's rapid urbanization over the past decades has exacerbated the problems of environmental degradation and health disparities. However, few studies have analysed the differences between urban and rural residents in relation to how environmental quality impacts health outcomes. This study examines the associations between Chinese people's perceptions of environmental quality and their self-rated health, particularly focusing on differences between rural and urban residents in environment-health relationships. Methods: Using a logistic regression model and data from the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), a representative sample of data for 3,402 urban residents (46 +/- 16 years) and 2,439 rural residents (48 +/- 15 years) was analysed. The dependent variable used for the logistic regressions was whether or not respondents reported being healthy. Independent variables included respondents' evaluations of the living environment, and how frequently they participated in physical activities. Interaction terms were employed to measure the moderating effects of physical exercise on the relationship between perceived environmental quality and health. Results: The percentage of healthy urban residents was significantly larger than that of healthy rural respondents (70.87% versus 62.87%). Urban respondents living in areas with sufficient green space were more likely to report good health (OR = 0.749, CI = [0.628, 0.895]), while rural respondents without reliable access to fresh water were more likely to report poor health (OR = 0.762, CI = [0.612, 0.949]). Urban respondents who were exposed to green spaces and exercised frequently were 21.6 per cent more likely to report good health than those who exercised infrequently (OR = 1.216, CI = [1.047, 1.413]). Those who lived in areas with insufficient green space and exercised frequently were 19.1 per cent less likely to report good health than those who exercised infrequently (OR = 0.805, CI = [0.469, 1.381]). No evidence suggested that physical exercise exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between exposure to air pollution and health. Conclusions: On average, urban residents have better health than rural residents. Among four indicators for low environmental quality (air pollution, lack of green spaces, water pollution, uncertain access to freshwater resources), green space was an important determinant of urban residents' health status, while unreliable access to fresh water harmed rural residents' health. Physical exercise moderated the effects of exposure to green spaces on urban residents' health.
Uncertainty must be taken into account in all aspects of ambient intelligence and human decisions and activities. We investigate how to utilize both probabilistic and possibilistic sources of information for use in humanized decision-making. In particular we examine aspects of the possibilistic conditioning of probability developed by Yager. To provide bounding of the resulting probability analysis of the cases of completely certain and uncertain probability and possibility distribution are carried out. Additionally the cases of intermediate uncertainty and a general case of possibilities are analyzed. The Zadeh consistency measure is also used to assess these cases. To consider whether the conditioned probability is more informative for decision-making, three measures, Shannon entropy, Gini index and Renyi entropy are used to compare the original probability distributions and the conditioned distribution for the cases described.
In order to investigate the rounding process of high precision centerless grinding in time domain reliably and predictably, a virtual machine design approach is essential particularly towards 0.1-0.3 mu m roundness precision. The virtual machine system presented in this paper is developed through high-level integration of the machine characteristics, workpiece rounding mechanism and their intrinsic correlation. In this system, the primary elements affecting the workpiece roundness regeneration, including kinematics, dynamics and control of the machine, grinding dynamics and machining conditions, are integrated into the high precision virtual centerless grinding to render the rounding process, evaluate the machine performance and optimize grinding strategies accordingly. An application case study on virtual machining of the targeted workpiece roundness 0.1 mu m is provided to present the implementation perspectives of the virtual machine system for high precision centerless grinding.
Amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) is normally cleaved by alpha-secretase, but can also be cleaved by ?-secretase (BACE1) to produce C99 fragments in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. C99 is subsequently cleaved to amyloid beta (A beta), the aggregation of which is known to cause Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, C99 removing is for preventing the disease. Selenoprotein S (SelS) is an ER membrane protein participating in endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD), one of the stages in resolving ER stress of misfolded proteins accumulated in the ER. ERAD has been postulated as one of the processes to degrade C99; however, it remains unclear if the degradation depends on SelS. In this study, we investigated the effect of SelS on C99 degradation. We observed that both SelS and C99 were colocalized in the membrane fraction of mouse neuroblastoma Neuro2a (N2a) cells. While the level of SelS was increased by ER stress, the level of C99 was decreased. However, despite the induction of ER stress, there was no change in the amount of C99 in SelS knock-down cells. The interaction of C99 with p97(VCP), an essential component of the ERAD complex, did not occur in SelS knock-down cells. The ubiquitination of C99 was decreased in SelS knock-down cells. We also found that the extracellular amount of A beta(1-42) was relatively higher in SelS knock-down cells than in control cells. These results suggest that SelS is required for C99 degradation through ERAD, resulting in inhibition of A beta production. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Effective HIV prevention requires knowledge of the structure and dynamics of the social networks across which infections are transmitted. These networks most commonly comprise chains of sexual relationships, but in some populations, sharing of contaminated needles is also an important, or even the main mechanism that connects people in the network. Whereas network data have long been collected during survey interviews, new data sources have become increasingly common in recent years, because of advances in molecular biology and the use of partner notification services in HIV prevention and treatment programmes. We review current and emerging methods for collecting HIV-related network data, as well as modelling frameworks commonly used to infer network parameters and map potential HIV transmission pathways within the network. We discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of existing methods and models, and we propose a research agenda for advancing network analysis in HIV epidemiology. We make the case for a combination approach that integrates multiple data sources into a coherent statistical framework. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Switched power electronic converters involve different control actions for different system events. A local control strategy may be developed which reacts only to some local information available to each component without any communication between the different system components located far away in real time. The purpose of this paper is to present a low cost memory based control strategy in a dc-dc boost converter. The control employed in this work is based on a sliding-mode hysteretic control strategy where the sliding manifold is derived a priori and stored as a look-up table in digital memory hardware. The proposed control implementation strategy is low cost and offers a robust dynamic response that is used to mitigate many disturbances in the system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Background: Early diagnosis of food allergies (FA) is important for a favorable prognosis. This study aimed to determine the level of awareness of FA among pediatricians in Kuwait. Method: A 43-item self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed to pediatricians working at 4 government hospitals in Kuwait. Results: A total of 140 pediatricians completed the questionnaire, with a participation rate of 51.1% (81 males and 59 females). The mean age of participants was 40.81 years, and the mean number of years working in pediatrics was 13.94 years. The mean overall knowledge score was 22.2. The pediatricians' overall knowledge scores were found to be significantly associated with their age (older pediatricians had higher overall scores) and years of experience as a pediatrician but were independent from hospital site, gender, or rank. A multiple linear regression revealed pediatrician age and gender were the only variables that were significantly associated with the overall knowledge score. Only 16.4% of the participants answered at least 2/ 3 of the survey questions correctly. The questions that were correctly answered by <= 2/3 of the participants constituted 80% of clinical presentation questions, 66.6% of diagnostics questions, 77.7% of treatment questions, and 42.8% of prevention questions. Interestingly, among 68 pediatricians (48.5%) who determined that they felt comfortable evaluating and treating patients with FA, only 12 (17.6%) passed the questionnaire. Conclusions: This survey demonstrates that there is a noteworthy deficiency of pediatricians' awareness about FA. The implementation of strategies to improve pediatricians' awareness is critical to diagnose food allergy patients early and improve their health and outcomes.
As a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+))-dependent deacetylase, demalonylase, and desuccinylase, sirtuin 5 (SIRT5) in host cells has been reportedly observed in the mitochondria, in the cytosol/cytoplasm or in the nucleus. Various functional roles of SIRT5 have also been described in cellular metabolism, energy production, detoxification, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, but some of the reported results are seemingly inconsistent or even contradictory to one another. Using immunocytochemistry, molecular biology, gene transfection, and flow cytometry, we investigated the expression, subcellular distribution, and possible functional roles of SIRT5 in regulating apoptosis and oxidative stress of cultured SH-EP neuroblastoma cells. Both endogenous and transfected exogenous SIRT5 were observed in mitochondria of host SH-EP cells. Overexpression of SIRT5 markedly protected SH-EP cells from apoptosis induced by staurosporine or by incubation in Hank's balanced salt solution. SIRT5 also lowered the level of oxidative stress and countered the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide to SH-EP cells. It was suggested that the anti-apoptotic role of SIRT5 was mediated, at least in part, by its anti-oxidative effect in SH-EP neuroblastoma cells although the involved molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated in details.
The effects of five towns on river water pollution were examined along the Lyna River (southern watershed of the Baltic Sea, northern Poland). The relationships among the spatially derived indicators of urbanization, environmental variables, and physicochemical and microbiological data (heterotrophic plate count at 22 and 37 degrees C, and fecal coli) obtained from longitudinal river profiling have been examined with the use of multivariate analyses such as principal component analysis with factor analysis (PCA/FA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). We recognized the river channel as an environmental path that links serial urban areas into an urban river continuum. An overall increasing trend in nutrients and indicator bacteria from suburban headwaters to urbanized sections of the river was detected despite a significant decrease in those between the towns. We concluded that the role of a multicity is equally as important as a single urban area in predicting the impacts of man-made pollutants on river water quality.
Objective: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a type of behavioral addiction characterized by abnormal executive control, leading to loss of control over excessive gaming. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common comorbid disorders in IGD, involving delayed development of the executive control system, which could predispose individuals to gaming addiction. We investigated the influence of childhood ADHD on neural network features of IGD. Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis was performed on 44 young, male IGD subjects with and without childhood ADHD and 19 age-matched, healthy male controls. Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)-seeded connectivity was evaluated to assess abnormalities in default mode network (DMN) connectivity, which is associated with deficits in executive control. Results: IGD subjects without childhood ADHD showed expanded functional connectivity (FC) between DMN-related regions (PCC, Medial prefrontal cortex, thalamus) compared with controls. These subjects also exhibited expanded FC between the PCC and brain regions implicated in salience processing (anterior insula, orbitofrontal cortex) compared with IGD subjects with childhood ADHD. IGD subjects with childhood ADHD showed expanded FC between the PCC and cerebellum (crus II), a region involved in executive control. The strength of connectivity between the PCC and cerebellum (crus II) was positively correlated with self-reporting scales reflecting impulsiveness. Conclusion: Individuals with IGD showed altered PCC-based FC, the characteristics of which might be dependent upon history of childhood ADHD. Our findings suggest that altered neural networks for executive control in ADHD would be a predisposition for developing IGD. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) catalyzes the eighth step of glycolysis and is often found upregulated in cancer cells. To test the hypothesis that the phosphorylation of tyrosine 26 residue of PGAM1 greatly enhances its activity, we performed both conventional and steered molecular dynamics simulations on the binding and unbinding of PGAM1 to its substrates, with tyrosine 26 either phosphorylated or not. We analyzed the simulated data in terms of structural stability, hydrogen bond formation, binding free energy, etc. We found that tyrosine 26 phosphorylation enhances the binding of PGAM1 to its substrates through generating electrostatic environment and structural features that are advantageous to the binding. Our results may provide valuable insights into computer-aided design of drugs that specifically target cancer cells with PGAM1 tyrosine 26 phosphorylated.
Alcohol dependence causes physical, social, and moral harms and currently represents an important public health concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcoholism is the third leading cause of death worldwide, after tobacco consumption and hypertension. Recent epidemiologic studies have shown a growing trend in alcohol abuse among adolescents, characterized by the consumption of large doses of alcohol over a short time period. Since brain development is an ongoing process during adolescence, short-and long-term brain damage associated with drinking behavior could lead to serious consequences for health and wellbeing. Accumulating evidence indicates that alcohol impairs the function of different components of the melanocortin system, a major player involved in the consolidation of addictive behaviors during adolescence and adulthood. Here, we hypothesize the possible implications of melanocortins and glial cells in the onset and progression of alcohol addiction. In particular, we propose that alcohol-induced decrease in alpha-MSH levels may trigger a cascade of glial inflammatory pathways that culminate in altered gliotransmission in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens (NAc). The latter might potentiate dopaminergic drive in the NAc, contributing to increase the vulnerability to alcohol dependence and addiction in the adolescence and adulthood.
Multi-label learning draws great interests in many real world applications. It is a highly costly task to assign many labels by the oracle for one instance. Meanwhile, it is also hard to build a good model without diagnosing discriminative labels. Can we reduce the label costs and improve the ability to train a good model for multi-label learning simultaneously? Active learning addresses the less training samples problem by querying the most valuable samples to achieve a better performance with little costs. In multi-label active learning, some researches have been done for querying the relevant labels with less training samples or querying all labels without diagnosing the discriminative information. They all cannot effectively handle the outlier labels for the measurement of uncertainty. Since maximum correntropy criterion (MCC) provides a robust analysis for outliers in many machine learning and data mining algorithms, in this paper, we derive a robust multi-label active learning algorithm based on an MCC by merging uncertainty and representativeness, and propose an efficient alternating optimization method to solve it. With MCC, our method can eliminate the influence of outlier labels that are not discriminative to measure the uncertainty. To make further improvement on the ability of information measurement, we merge uncertainty and representativeness with the prediction labels of unknown data. It cannot only enhance the uncertainty but also improve the similarity measurement of multi-label data with labels information. Experiments on benchmark multi-label data sets have shown a superior performance than the state-of-the- art methods.
With the rapid developments of computer technology and information technology, human-machine interfaces of aircrafts, ships, nuclear power plants, battlefield command system, and other complex information systems have evolved from the traditional control mode to digital control mode with visual information interface. This paper studies error factors of information interface in human-computer interaction based on visual cognition theory. A feasible error-cognition model is established to solve some design problems which result in serious failures in information recognition and analysis, and even in operation and execution processes. Based on Rasmussen, Norman, Reason and other error types as well as the HERA and CREAM failure identification models, we performed classification and cognitive characterization for error factors according to information search, information recognition, information identification, information selection and judgment as well as the decision-making process and obtained the comprehensive error-cognition model for complex information interface.
Aiming the problem of parking information release is large flow, and release information is not timely and not accurately, the internet of vehicle (IOV) of the urban traffic parking system is proposed based on the parking lot sensor network and sensor combination and its electrical control circuits. This system will be use the core technology of internet of things (IOT) and combinate the timer and elastic pressure switch with a pressure sensor and its electrical circuits to realize the parking information acquisition, release, query, reservation and parking navigation with reliable and accurately. Experimental results shows the electrical control circuits will be better management the parking information with accurately and the car user uses the vehicle terminal to search the target parking lot and to receive the parking information. This system will be to alleviate the urban traffic and improve the utilization efficiency of urban parking lot, for the future of the city and social development to provide better technical support and basis.
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic conditions not only fundamentally affect patients' quality of life and physiological needs but are also negatively associated with work ability. The costs of poor work ability, which, in sum, are more than treatment costs, pose an economic burden to society and patients. Work ability in RA appears to be multifactorial; symptoms such as pain, swelling, and stiffness play a major role, as these directly affect functional disability. Also, RA patients typically suffer from reduced muscle strength. Lower extremity function and grip strengths especially impair their quality of life. However, the role of muscle strength and disease activity as determinants of work ability have not yet been studied. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to compare work ability in working-age participants with seropositive RA and with high and low disease activity; the secondary objective is to evaluate the association of muscle strength, functional ability, and frailty with work ability. Methods: This monocentric cross-sectional study will be conducted at a rheumatologic outpatient clinic and day hospital with approximately 100 seropositive RA patients aged <65 years. A clinical disease activity index as a measure for rheumatoid disease activity will be assessed during the patients' routine visits at the clinic. Work ability, frailty, and functional disability will be evaluated with (self-reported) questionnaires as well as with physical tests (Work Ability Index/Score; Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index; Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe Frailty Instrument; Short Physical Performance Battery). Muscle strength will be determined with dynamometer measurements of isometric hand grip strength and quadriceps femoris muscle contraction strength. Sleep quality (Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale) and sexual functioning as physiological needs will additionally be determined with self-reported questionnaires. Results: For this study funding has already been awarded and enrollment has been completed. Data are currently being evaluated. Conclusions: This study will evaluate the association of work ability with modifiable parameters such as muscle strength and functional ability. It will provide further insights into work ability in RA and its associated risk factors. Any evidence of association will motivate further research, and the findings might encourage interventions focused specifically on improving muscle strength and lower extremity function to positively affect work ability.
The traditional prehospital management of trauma victims with potential spinal injury has become increasingly questioned as authors and clinicians have raised concerns about over-triage and harm. In order to address these concerns, the Norwegian National Competence Service for Traumatology commissioned a faculty to provide a national guideline for pre-hospital spinal stabilisation. This work is based on a systematic review of available literature and a standardised consensus process. The faculty recommends a selective approach to spinal stabilisation as well as the implementation of triaging tools based on clinical findings. A strategy of minimal handling should be observed.
The reductionist approach of dissecting biological systems into their constituents has been successful in the first stage of the molecular biology to elucidate the chemical basis of several biological processes. This knowledge helped biologists to understand the complexity of the biological systems evidencing that most biological functions do not arise from individual molecules; thus, realizing that the emergent properties of the biological systems cannot be explained or be predicted by investigating individual molecules without taking into consideration their relations. Thanks to the improvement of the current -omics technologies and the increasing understanding of the molecular relationships, even more studies are evaluating the biological systems through approaches based on graph theory. Genomic and proteomic data are often combined with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks whose structure is routinely analyzed by algorithms and tools to characterize hubs/bottlenecks and topological, functional, and disease modules. On the other hand, co-expression networks represent a complementary procedure that give the opportunity to evaluate at system level including organisms that lack information on PPIs. Based on these premises, we introduce the reader to the PPI and to the co-expression networks, including aspects of reconstruction and analysis. In particular, the new idea to evaluate large-scale proteomic data by means of co-expression networks will be discussed presenting some examples of application. Their use to infer biological knowledge will be shown, and a special attention will be devoted to the topological and module analysis.
There is substantial evidence that non-B27 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Studies in Mexican and Tunisian populations demonstrated the association of SpA and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B15. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of HLA-A, B, and DR antigens in a group of Colombian patients with a diagnosis of SpA. A total of 189 patients and 100 healthy subjects were included in the present study. All subjects underwent a complete characterization of HLA alleles A, B, and DR. Of the 189 studied patients, 35 were reactive arthritis (ReA), 87 were ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and 67 undifferentiated SpA (uSpA). According to the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria, 167 were axial SpA (axSpA) and 171 were peripheral SpA (pSpA). 63.8% were men, with a mean age of 35.9 +/- 12.7 years. 40.7% (77/189) of patients were HLA-B27 positive of which 52.9% had AS and 42.5% axSpA. 23.2% (44/189) of patients were HLA-B15 positive: 23.8% were uSpA, 12.57% were axSpA, and 11.7% were pSpA. In addition, HLA-DRB1*01 was associated with AS (58.6%) and axSpA (42.5%). Also, HLA-DRB1*04 was present in 62 patients with AS (71.2%) and in 26 with axSpA (15.5%). In this population, we found a strong association between the presence of HLA-B27 and the diagnosis of axSpA and AS, but the HLA-B15 is also significantly associated with all subtypes of the disease, predominantly with pSpA. Additionally, HLA-DR1 and DR4 were associated in a cohort of patients with SpA from Colombia.
Machine learning models for site of metabolism (SoM) prediction offer the ability to identify metabolic soft spots in low-molecular-weight drug molecules at low computational cost and enable data-based reactivity prediction. SoM prediction is an atom classification problem. Successful construction of machine learning models requires atom representations that capture the reactivity-determining features of a potential reaction site. We have developed a descriptor scheme that characterizes an atom's steric and electronic environment and its relative location in the molecular structure. The partial charge distributions were obtained from fast quantum mechanical calculations. We successfully trained machine learning classifiers on curated cytochrome P450 metabolism data. The models based on the new atom descriptors showed sustained accuracy for retrospective analyses of metabolism optimization campaigns and lead optimization projects from Bayer Pharmaceuticals. The results obtained demonstrate the practicality of quantum-chemistry-supported machine learning models for hit-to-lead optimization.
Waste materials generated from building demolition have become a great challenge to sustainable urban development due to its consumption of the limited landfill spaces, water pollution, energy consumption and harmful gas emissions. Proper management of demolition waste (DW) is a complex process and requires systematic thinking and analysis. Many methods have been proposed to study the environmental impact assessment of demolition waste management (DWM). However, it is found that the currently available studies pay little attention from the perspective of complex adaptive system (CAS) to consider the attitude and interaction of the heterogeneous stakeholders as well as the importance of green DWM which has a great influence on the effectiveness of DW management. The aim of this research is to simulate and explore how the change of attitude and the dynamic interaction among heterogeneous stakeholders can influence the environmental performance of DWM. To achieve this aim, a model for evaluating the environmental impact of DWM was developed by using an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach. The main factors considered in the model are the ratio of green deconstruction (i.e., building deconstruction) managers vs. conventional demolition (i.e. building destruction) managers, the ratio of green design managers (i.e. design for deconstruction) vs. conventional design managers, and the interaction behavior of heterogeneous stakeholders following the herd theory. In the model, the environmental impact assessment was quantified into four categories i.e. land resources, water resources, air resource and energy resources. The proposed model is demonstrated by using the data drawn from the Chinese construction industry. The results reveal that if the deconstruction method and the deconstruction oriented design are widely adopted by architects and engineers, the negative environmental impacts generated by DW can be reduced by at least 50%. Furthermore, the results provide valuable information for government departments to make decisions on how to improve environmental performance of DWM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Beaver Slide is near 177.8km (110.5mi) on the Dalton Highway and the road gradient is approximately 11%, built on a hill side. Each year, soft spots, also commonly named as frost boils, were observed starting from late April and lasting for the entire summer. The frost boils have resulted in an extremely unsafe driving condition and frequent accident occurrences. Conventional repair methods cannot effectively solve this issue. A newly developed geotextile, which has high specific surface area, was installed in the selected test section to mitigate the frost-boil issue in August 2010. This type of geotextile can provide high wettability and relatively high suction (capillary force), consequently be able to laterally transport water (a high-directional transmissivity) under unsaturated conditions. Test results over the initial 2years had proved the effectiveness of the geotextile to alleviate frost heave and the subsequent thaw-weakening issue. However, there were still some concerns regarding its long-term performance, such as clogging of the microscopic drainage channels and mechanical failures. The data collected during the past 5 years were used to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the wicking fabric. A scanning electron microscope was used to explore the interaction between the wicking fabric and in situ soils, and to determine the condition of the fabric 5 years after the installation. (C) 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Nitrogen (N) fertilizers are critical in today's agriculture especially in the United States. Leaching, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from N fertilizer use and the implications for global climate and water pollution raised serious concerns among environmentalists and agronomists. Prices of N fertilizers increased geometrically over the past few years. The projected increase in maize (Zea mays L.) ethanol production is expected to increase N fertilizer demand and prices. Hay prices are, however, staggering and producers are looking for alternatives to N fertilizers. This review paper assessed trends in fertilizer use and prices as well as factors affecting fixation and transfer of dinitrogen (N-2) in forage production systems. Additionally, economic implications of using N fertilizers and grass-legume mixtures are discussed. From the review, it was apparent that legumes have the potential to replace N fertilizers or at least complement the use of N fertilizers in forage production systems. However, N transfer in forage production systems is low. A lot more research is needed to answer the question Why legumes fix so much N-2 and transfer just a small proportion to other crops. Similarly, identifying compatible grass-legume species that enhance N-2 fixation will be a giant step towards reduced N fertilizer use and ensuring environmental sustainability. With the sharp increase in N fertilizer prices, the use of legumes in forage production systems seems promising.
Accurate estimates of biomass are required for relating ecosystem functioning to atmospheric carbon regulation. Biomass may be directly measured through field sampling, which can then be used to calibrate biomass predictions from remote sensing and/or modelling. Field sampling generally entails measuring the fresh mass of individual trees or shrubs and then estimating the moisture contents of a representative sub-samples, which are then used to calculate dry mass. Because any errors in the estimation of the moisture content (MC) correction are translated proportionally to the biomass prediction of an individual tree or shrub, care is required to ensure MC estimates are unbiased and as precise as possible. There are numerous different protocols currently applied to attain MC, with these differing in accuracy (bias and precision) and cost of implementation. A dataset of MC of above-ground biomass (AGB) of 1396 individuals (trees or shrubs) was used to assess which protocols for within- and among-individual sampling are likely to provide the most cost-effective estimates of MC within acceptable bounds of accuracy. Monte Carlo analysis was used to explore key sources of error in within-individual MC estimation. Results suggest these MC estimates may be based on at least the bole and crown components of AGB, with bias resulting if MC is based on stem wood only, particularly in young (or small) individuals. Little gain in accuracy was attained with more intensive sub-sampling (e.g. into foliage, twig, branches, bark, and stem wood components). Moreover, further efficiencies may be gained by applying existing empirical models to estimate the proportion of AGB that is crown based on easily measured variables such as stem diameter, thereby avoiding the resource-intensive process of partitioning to obtain fresh weights measurements of components. However to minimise bias, it is important to undertake MC sampling at each study site, and to stratify sampling among-individuals by both appropriate taxonomic grouping (e.g. plant functional type) and age-class. For a given plant functional type-by-size (or age) strata at a given site a precision of about 4% coefficient of variation of the average MC estimate can be achieved with intensive within- and among-individual sampling. However a precision of 8-10% is achievable using our recommended less intensive but more efficient protocol; derive an average MC for at least six individuals, and for each individual, intensively sub-sample bole and crown components for MC, which is then applied to the fresh weights of these components. This latter estimate may be obtained from partitioning of the AGB, or for the highest efficiency, from predictions obtained from the application of existing representative empirical relationships of partitioning based on the size of the individual. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Maintenance and repair of the highway network system are major expenses in the state budget. For this reason various concerned organizations are pointing out the need for developing an intelligent and efficient pavement performance model that can prioritize pavement maintenance and rehabilitation works. Such models can forecast the remaining pavement service life and pavement rehabilitation needs, and can help in the formulation of pavement maintenance and strengthening programmes which will reduce the road agency and road user costs. The flexible pavement performance or deterioration models involve the complex interaction between vehicles and the environment, and the structure and surface of the pavement. Performance models relating to the pavement distress conditions like, cracking, raveling, potholing, and roughness are analyzed and developed by various researchers. But most of these models are found applicable to a particular set of traffic or environment conditions, thus highlighting the need of model(s) that can work in varied conditions satisfactorily. The paper presents a detailed review of various pavement performance models to examine the role of factors related to pavement materials, environmental conditions, type of traffic and volume of traffic, and to identify the limitations and gaps in the present knowledge on such models.
Background: Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) can offer compelling evidence for protein function, especially when viewed in the context of proteome-wide interactomes. Bacteria have been popular subjects of interactome studies: more than six different bacterial species have been the subjects of comprehensive interactome studies while several more have had substantial segments of their proteomes screened for interactions. The protein interactomes of several bacterial species have been completed, including several from prominent human pathogens. The availability of interactome data has brought challenges, as these large data sets are difficult to compare across species, limiting their usefulness for broad studies of microbial genetics and evolution. Results: In this study, we use more than 52,000 unique protein-protein interactions ( PPIs) across 349 different bacterial species and strains to determine their conservation across data sets and taxonomic groups. When proteins are collapsed into orthologous groups (OGs) the resulting meta-interactome still includes more than 43,000 interactions, about 14,000 of which involve proteins of unknown function. While conserved interactions provide support for protein function in their respective species data, we found only 429 PPIs (similar to 1% of the available data) conserved in two or more species, rendering any cross-species interactome comparison immediately useful. The meta-interactome serves as a model for predicting interactions, protein functions, and even full interactome sizes for species with limited to no experimentally observed PPI, including Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella enterica which are predicted to have up to 18,000 and 31,000 PPIs, respectively. Conclusions: In the course of this work, we have assembled cross-species interactome comparisons that will allow interactomics researchers to anticipate the structures of yet-unexplored microbial interactomes and to focus on well-conserved yet uncharacterized interactors for further study. Such conserved interactions should provide evidence for important but yet-uncharacterized aspects of bacterial physiology and may provide targets for anti-microbial therapies.
The paper presents a study leading to a new acute toxicity test on embryonic and juvenile organisms of the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis Linnaeus). Sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and ammonium hydroxide were used as waterborne toxicants in laboratory experiments. The exposure time was 24 h. Tests were conducted in 5-10 replications for each toxicant. The toxicity of the substances was classified according to different scales and the test's sensitivity was compared to that of the commonly used bioindicator Daphnia magna Straus. The assessment of toxicity impact was supported by microscopic observations. The probit method was used as a parametric statistical procedure to estimate LC50 and the associated 95% confidence interval. Our study showed that the early developmental stages of Lymnaea stagnalis are very sensitive bioindicators, making it possible to detect even very low levels of the above-mentioned water toxicants. The highest toxicity is shown by ammonium hydroxide with LC50/24h values, respectively, 24.27 for embryos and 24.72 for juvenile forms, and the lowest is shown by nitric acid ions with LC50/24h values, respectively, 105.19 for embryos and 170.47 for juvenile forms. It is highly cost-effective due to simple and efficient breeding and the small size of the organisms in the bioassay population. Compared with Daphnia magna, relatively low concentrations of toxicants caused a lethal effect on embryonic and juvenile organisms of the great pond snail. Owing to their common occurrence and sensitivity, early developmental forms of Lymnaea stagnalis can be a valuable new tool in biomonitoring of the freshwater environment.
Persistent organic pollutants like organochlorine pesticides continue to contaminate large areas worldwide raising questions concerning their management. We designed and tested a method to link soil and water pollution in the watershed of the Galion River in Martinique. We first estimated the risk of soil contamination by chlordecone by referring to past use of land for banana cultivation and took 27 soil samples. We then sampled surface waters at 39 points and groundwater at 16 points. We tested three hypotheses linked to the source of chlordecone pollution at the watershed scale: (i) soils close to the river, (ii) soils close to the sampling point, (iii) throughout the sub-watershed generated at the sampling point. Graphical and statistical analysis showed that contamination of the river increased when it passed through an area with contaminated plots and decreased when it passed through area not contaminated by chlordecone. Modeling showed that the entire surface area of the watershed contributed to river pollution, suggesting that the river was mainly being contaminated by the aquifers and groundwater flows. Our method proved to be a reliable way to identify areas polluted by chlordecone at the watershed scale and should help stakeholders focus their management actions on both hot spots and the whole watershed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Machine Design is the most perspective field of study in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) at the University of West Bohemia with regards to the demand for graduates in this field. These days, the main issue of higher education in the Czech Republic related to Machine Design is the lack of opportunities for students of Machine Design to acquire practical knowledge and experience in the field. The problem is that engineering companies offer work experience only to individual students as they try to hire them after graduation. But engineering companies are not motivated enough to contribute to the Machine Design teaching process by providing knowledge and experience to the majority of students. As this is not going to change soon, universities have to provide real applications to its students instead. Currently, there are not enough opportunities for students to acquire practical knowledge in the field during their studies. The required amount of work experience for engineering students in the Czech Republic is only one week, which is insufficient in comparison with the German system, where internship semesters are a mandatory part of studying at a Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences). It is necessary to provide practical information and real applications in class to compensate for the lack of practical experience. FME is concerned in this matter and it has launched the project for enhancement of the teaching process. A new concept of electronic learning materials for Machine Design was developed as a part of the project. The learning materials were developed by academics in cooperation with local engineering companies to provide students and academics at FME with real design projects reworked for learning purposes. The Machine Design teaching process is complicated due to the complexity of the mechanical design process, as it has its own particularities which need to be considered while creating learning materials. When describing the mechanical design process, not only the design process itself has to be described. Also the production processes, project schedules, economic aspects of the design project, legislative, technical standards and regulations have to be described as well. As these parts of the mechanical design process affect each other, it is important to describe them in the context of the mechanical design process to show the interconnection between them. The electronic form of learning materials was selected as it offers many advantages over the standard printed form. The main reason for selecting the electronic form of learning materials is the ability to work with Computer-aided engineering (CAE) models. Three-dimensional CAE models replaced drawing boards in every engineering company several years ago and thus it is important to include CAE models in the Machine Design teaching process. Thanks to the technology of exporting CAE models to the standard portable document format (PDF) it is possible to modify CAE models for learning purposes and use them as a learning tool. CAE models can be enhanced with a large amount of information regarding a design project such as manufacturing processes, materials or component functions and can be supplemented by technical drawings, illustrated project descriptions and further information. All the learning material is converted into a single PDF file so that every student can access it anywhere, anytime. Versatility and interactivity are the biggest benefits of the new electronic learning materials. The new electronic learning materials can be used when explaining new subject matter to show its application, or as a basis for students' assignments, individual work, teamwork or dissertations. The sample electronic learning materials are being produced and will be made available to students through the courseware of the University of West Bohemia. This paper intends to present the learning materials and describe their form, structure and content and their benefits for academics and students of Machine Design.
This study was intended to analyze the intersection of experience of sexual stigma low-socioeconomic status, and suicide attempt amongst young Brazilians (11-24 years old). In each of the data collection periods (2004-2006: n = 7185; 2010-2012: n = 2734), participants completed a questionnaire-based instrument. Network analysis provided support for a Minority Stress Model, oriented around whether participants had experienced sexual stigma. Although suicide attempts decreased by 20% for participants who had not experienced sexual stigma, there was a 60% increase for those who had experienced sexual stigma. Of particular note were the increases in rates of reported community and familial physical assault, molestation, and rape for those who had experienced sexual stigma. An analysis of centrality statistics demonstrated that both experiences of this Minority Stress Model were fundamentally different, and that those disparities increased over the time frame observed in this study. At the center of this model, shortest paths statistics exhibited a direct conditioned connection between experiencing sexual stigma and suicide attempts. We discuss the social and historical contexts that contributed to these dynamics, and emphasize the need for policy change.
Herein we report the synthesis and activity of an enzyme-directed immunostimulant with immune cell activation mediated by -galactosidase, either exogenously added, or on B16 melanoma cells. Covalent attachment of a -galactopyranoside to an imidazoquinoline immunostimulant at a position critical for activity resulted in a pro-immunostimulant that could be selectively converted by -galactosidase into an active immunostimulant. The pro-immunostimulant exhibited -galactosidase-directed immune cell activation as measured by NF-B transcription in RAW-Blue macrophages or cytokine production (TNF, IL-6, IL-12) in JAWSII monocytes. Conversion of the pro-immunostimulant into an active immunostimulant was also found to occur using -galactosidase-enriched B16 melanoma cells. In co-culture experiments with either immune cell line, -galactosidase-enriched B16 cells effected activation of bystander immune cells.
Recent years have witnessed a processor development trend that integrates central processing unit (CPU) and graphic processing unit (GPU) into a single chip. The integration helps to save some host-device data copying that a discrete GPU usually requires, but also introduces deep resource sharing and possible interference between CPU and GPU. This work investigates the performance implications of independently co-running CPU and GPU programs on these platforms. First, we perform a comprehensive measurement that covers a wide variety of factors, including processor architectures, operating systems, benchmarks, timing mechanisms, inputs, and power management schemes. These measurements reveal a number of surprising observations.We analyze these observations and produce a list of novel insights, including the important roles of operating system (OS) context switching and power management in determining the program performance, and the subtle effect of CPU-GPU data copying. Finally, we confirm those insights through case studies, and point out some promising directions to mitigate anomalous performance degradation on integrated heterogeneous processors.
Representational State Transfer (REST) web services has gained popular acceptance over the world-wide-web as a straightforward choice to the traditional or SOAP-based services. However, at present the REST-based service implementation does not have pre-defined security protection methods. In this paper, we present a defense mechanism against REST-based web service attacks called the REST-IDS, for a defense-in-depth network security in web service layer. REST-IDS is an intelligent mechanism that employs statistical approach to the stateof-the-art Text Mining-Based Anomaly Detection (TMAD) model to detect unknown novel vulnerabilities, which is sensitive to payload attacks.
The main aim of this study was to objectify the treatment assignment criteria used in a clinical centre for addiction treatment in Spain. A sample of 162 patients (87 inpatients and 75 outpatients) who sought treatment between 2010 and 2012 was assessed. Clinical characteristics (addiction severity, psychopathological symptoms, impulsiveness and maladjustment) of the two treatment groups (inpatient and outpatient) into which patients were assigned according to the clinical criteria of therapists were analysed to identify which variables were more relevant for patient placement. Moreover, the therapeutic progression of patients who met and did not meet the assignment criteria received was studied. According to the results, a score above 4 in the family/social support area of the European Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI), or, in cases of a score between 2 and 4 in the family/social area of EuropASI, a score above 2 in the partner subscale of the Maladjustment Scale correctly classified 73.5% of cases (96.6% of inpatients and 46.7% of outpatients). Comparisons of therapeutic results depending on matching or mismatching these assignment criteria showed a larger effect size in mismatching patient assignment criteria for outpatient treatment. The results obtained in this study provide an objective criterion for addicted patient placement. Moreover, from a cost-effective perspective, they question the necessity of inpatient treatment in most cases, demonstrating that outpatient treatment is a sufficient level of care. This study addresses the approach to assigning patients to the treatment modality that best fits them, implementing the least expensive level of care needed to achieve treatment success. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The software support for simulation of electrical circuits has been developed for more than sixty years. Currently, the standard tools for simulation of analogous circuits are the simulators based on the open source package Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis generally known as SPICE (Biolek 2003). There are many different applications that provide graphical interface and extended functionalities on the basis of SPICE or, at least, using SPICE models of electronic devices. The author of this paper performed a simulation of a circuit that acts as an electronic diode in Multisim and provides a comparison of the simulation results with the results obtained from measurements on the real circuit.
This paper presents a method of the determination of a minimal stable realisation of the fractional continuous-time linear system with different fractional orders. For the proposed method, a digraph-based algorithm was constructed. In this paper, we have shown how we can perform the transfer matrix using electrical circuits consisting of resistances, inductances, capacitances and source voltages. The proposed method was discussed and illustrated with some numerical examples.
Ranking items is an essential problem in recommendation systems. Since comparing two items is the simplest type of queries in order to measure the relevance of items, the problem of aggregating pairwise comparisons to obtain a global ranking has been widely studied. Furthermore, ranking with pairwise comparisons has recently received a lot of attention in crowdsourcing systems where binary comparative queries can be used effectively to make assessments faster for precise rankings. In order to learn a ranking based on a training set of queries and their labels obtained from annotators, machine learning algorithms are generally used to find the appropriate ranking model which describes the data set the best. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic model for learning multiple latent rankings by using pairwise comparisons. Our novel model can capture multiple hidden rankings underlying the pairwise comparisons. Based on the model, we develop an efficient inference algorithm to learn multiple latent rankings as well as an effective inference algorithm for active learning to update the model parameters in crowdsourcing systems whenever new pairwise comparisons are supplied. The performance study with synthetic and real-life data sets confirms the effectiveness of our model and inference algorithms.
In the design of nuclear power plants, various natural circulation passive cooling systems are considered to remove residual heat from the reactor core in the event of a power loss and maintain the plant's safety. These passive systems rely on gravity differences of fluids, resulting from density differentials, rather than using an external power-driven system. Unfortunately, a major drawback of such systems is their weak driving force, which can negatively impact safety. In such systems, there is a temperature difference between the heat source and the heat sink, which potentially offers a natural platform for thermoelectric generator (TEG) applications. While a previous study designed and analyzed a TEG-based passive core cooling system, this paper considers TEG applications in other passive cooling systems of nuclear power plants, after which the concept of a TEG-based passive cooling system is proposed. In such a system, electricity is produced using the system's temperature differences through the TEG, and this electricity is used to further enhance the cooling process.
Sediment transport is an important aspect of soil erosion, and sediment transport capacity (T-c) is a key to establishing process -based erosion models. A lot of studies exist that have determined T-c for overland flow, however, few studies have been conducted to determine T-c for loess sediments on steep slopes. Experimental data for this region are thus needed. The objectives of this study are to formulate new equations to describe T-c and evaluate the suitability of these equations for loess sediments on steep slopes. The slope gradients in this study ranged from 10.51% to 38.39%, and flow discharges per unit width varied from 1.11 x 10(-3) m(2) s(-1) to 3.78 x 10(-3) m(2) s(-1). Results showed that 11 increased as a power function with flow discharge and slope gradient, with R-2 = 0.99 and Nash -SuT(c)liffe model efficiency (NSE) = 0.99. T, was more sensitive to flow discharge than slope gradient. T-c increased as a power function with mean flow velocity, which was satisfied to predict T-c with R-2 = 0.99 and NSE = 0.99. Shear stress (R2 = 0.89, NSE = 0.88) was also a good predictor of T-c, and stream power (R-2 = 0.96, NSE = 0.96) was a better predictor of T-c than shear stress. However, unit stream power was not a good predictor to estimate T-c in our study, with R-2 = 0.63 and NSE = 0.62. These findings offer a new approach for predicting T-c for loess sediments on steep slopes. 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper proposes an image encryption scheme based on Cellular Automata (CA). CA is a self-organizing structure with a set of cells in which each cell is updated by certain rules that are dependent on a limited number of neighboring cells. The major disadvantages of cellular automata in cryptography include limited number of reversal rules and inability to produce long sequences of states by these rules. In this paper, a non-uniform cellular automata framework is proposed to solve this problem. This proposed scheme consists of confusion and diffusion steps. In confusion step, the positions of the original image pixels are replaced by chaos mapping. Key image is created using non-uniform cellular automata and then the hyper-chaotic mapping is used to select random numbers from the image key for encryption. The main contribution of the paper is the application of hyper chaotic functions and non-uniform CA for robust key image generation. Security analysis and experimental results show that the proposed method has a very large key space and is resistive against noise and attacks. The correlation between adjacent pixels in the encrypted image is reduced and the amount of entropy is equal to 7.9991 which is very close to 8 which is ideal.
The present study presents a new experimental technique to measure friction angle between soil and Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL). The method in question avoids some deficiencies observed on the inclined plane and pullout tests. Moreover, the technique allows observing the GCL tensile behaviour. The experimental frame is easy to build in usual geotechnical laboratory. The one employed is made-up in civil engineering Department of Ouargla University (Algeria). It is usable for testing both GCLs and other geosynthetic materials. Also, it permits to apply various experimental conditions (like slide velocity, confining pressure and water content) to the tested materials. The present method highlights that the soil-GCL interaction is, actually, a combination of two loading forces: soil-GCL interface friction and pure traction of the GCL material. The obtained results allow evaluating both soil-GCL angle of friction and intrinsic stiffness of the GCL in relation with the confining pressure.
Like most other things, fracking has its good and bad points. In the former regard, it is a technological breakthrough that can increase the supplies of energy of the entire economy. In the latter, it has been linked with an increased incidence of earthquakes and water pollution, surely negatives. As well, there is some evidence fracking would not exist, at least not to the present extent, were it not for government subsidies, which, we argue, misallocate resources.
Background and aimsCognitive impairment has been associated with excessive alcohol use, but its neural basis is poorly understood. Chronic excessive alcohol use in adolescence may lead to neuronal loss and volumetric changes in the brain. Our objective was to compare the grey matter volumes of heavy- and light-drinking adolescents. DesignThis was a longitudinal study: heavy-drinking adolescents without an alcohol use disorder and their light-drinking controls were followed-up for 10 years using questionnaires at three time-points. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at the last time-point. SettingThe area near Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. ParticipantsThe 62 participants were aged 22-28years and included 35 alcohol users and 27 controls who had been followed-up for approximately 10 years. MeasurementsAlcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)-C at three time-points during 10years. Participants were selected based on their AUDIT-C score. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at the last time-point. Grey matter volume was determined and compared between heavy- and light-drinking groups using voxel-based morphometry on three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance images using predefined regions of interest and a threshold of P<0.05, with small volume correction applied on cluster level. FindingsGrey matter volumes were significantly smaller among heavy-drinking participants in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, right orbitofrontal and frontopolar cortex, right superior temporal gyrus and right insular cortex compared to the control group (P<0.05, family-wise error-corrected cluster level). ConclusionsExcessive alcohol use during adolescence appears to be associated with an abnormal development of the brain grey matter. Moreover, the structural changes detected in the insula of alcohol users may reflect a reduced sensitivity to alcohol's negative subjective effects.
Smart environments possess devices that collaborate to help the user non-intrusively. One possible aid smart environment offer is to anticipate user's tasks and perform them on his/her behalf or facilitate the action completion. In this paper, we propose a framework that predicts user's actions by learning his/her behavior when interacting with the smart environment. We prepare the datasets and train a predictor that is responsible to decide whether a target transducer value should be changed or not. Our solution achieves a significant improvement for all target transducers studied and most combinations of parameters yields better results than the base case.
It is hard to estimate optical flow given a realworld video sequence with camera shake and other motion blur. In this paper, we first investigate the blur parameterisation for video footage using near linear motion elements. We then combine a commercial 3D pose sensor with an RGB camera, in order to film video footage of interest together with the camera motion. We illustrate that this additional camera motion/trajectory channel can be embedded into a hybrid framework by interleaving an iterative blind deconvolution and warping based optical flow scheme. Our method yields improved accuracy within three other state-of-the-art baselines given our proposed ground truth blurry sequences; and several other realworld sequences filmed by our imaging system.
The discrete-time robust disturbance attenuation problem for the n-degrees of freedom (dof) mechanical systems with uncertain energy function is considered in this paper. First, it is shown in the continuous time-setting that the robust control problem of n-dof mechanical systems can be reduced to a disturbance attenuation problem when a specific type of control rule is used. Afterwards, the robust disturbance attenuation problem is formulised as a special disturbance attenuation problem. Then, the discrete-time counterpart of this problem characterised by means of L-2 gain is given. Finally, a solution of the problem via direct-discrete-time design is presented as a sufficient condition. The proposed discrete-time design utilizes discrete gradient of the energy function of considered system. Therefore, a new method is also proposed using the quadratic approximation lemma to construct discrete gradients for general energy functions. The proposed direct-discrete-time design method is used to solve the robust disturbance attenuation problem for the double pendulum system. Simulation results are given for the discrete gradient obtained with the method presented in this paper. Note that the solution presented here for the robust disturbance attenuation problem give an explicit algebraic condition on the design parameter, whereas solution of the same problem requires solving a Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs partial differential inequality in general nonlinear systems.
This research addresses three important issues regarding interpersonal expectancy effects and communication across various modalities. The phenomena of behavioral confirmation and disconfirmation were tested in an original experiment involving 148 participants using computer-mediated communication (CMC). First, this study tested a boundary condition asserted by previous theorists about whether or not confirmation and disconfirmation could occur in communication channels without nonverbal communication. Secondly, it shed light on an important causal variable of perceived malleability of interpersonal expectancies in a novel, simultaneous test of confirmation and disconfirmation. Lastly, it verified the hyperpersonal model of CMC by demonstrating behavioral confirmation, and extended the model by specifying when disconfirmation occurs online.
Conserving water resources and protecting them from the pollution are of high importance in natural cycle of our life. Nitrate, as one of the important sources of water pollution, is a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems, and due to its high solubility, its extraction from the water is a costly process. Providing a reliable, low cost and fast method is necessary for eliminating pollution. This study tried to determine the refining potential and capacity of Eichhornia crassipes for removing nitrate from the water. Factors such as initial concentration of nitrate, contact time, absorbent mass, pH and the presence of other competing ions such as sulfate on nitrate absorption have been studied. The results showed that the best efficiency of nitrate removal, more than 99%, in the optimum condition (the retention time of 30 hours, absorbent dose three plants (15 stems) and pH = 6.4) occurred. In addition, the efficiency of nitrate removal in the presence of sulfate ions did not reduce. By increasing the initial nitrate concentration, from 30 to 150 mg/L, there was no significant change in removal efficiency. Actually, by increasing absorbent mass, removal time increased from 67.96% to 100%. The process of nitrate absorption followed Langmuir isotherm (R-2 = 1). However, the results showed that Eichhornia crassipes, a promising plant with great functionality, can be used as a refiner for removing nitrate and it is a simple, efficient and low cost method.
In this article, the load-settlement characteristics of unreinforced and reinforced two-layered soil during the loading process are investigated. A series of bearing ratio tests was performed on a granular soil as the base layer overlaying a cohesive soil as the subgrade layer. Three reinforcing conditions (unreinforced, reinforced with nonwoven geotextile, and reinforced with geogrid) at the interface of layers, with four compaction moisture contents (CMCs) of the subgrade layer and three thicknesses of the base layer for both soaked and non-soaked conditions are considered. The results show that the CMC of the subgrade layer has a significant effect on the behavior of two-layered soil, such as swelling amount and the efficiency of the reinforcements. Reinforcing with geogrid resulted in a considerable increase in strength of the soaked samples due to adhesion between geogrids and clayey subgrade layer. For nonwoven geotextiles, strength of the two-layered soil decreased at shallow penetration depths due to reinforcements; and as the penetration increased in depth, the strength also increased. Also, it was found that with decreases in base layer thickness, the test variable's value (i.e., CMC), and the type of geosynthetic reinforcement have significant effects on the behavior of two-layered soil.
The prevalence of antisocial behavior in school settings is still discouraging. Students that often engage in aggressive acts may lack in the ability to appreciate the emotional consequences of their behaviors and share others' emotions. The Children's Empathic Attitudes Questionnaire (CEAQ) is one of the questionnaires used to assess empathy in children and early adolescents. This study is aimed to validate the Spanish version of CEAQ. The sample comprised 297 children (50% males), aged from 7 to 12 years (M = 9.53, SD = 1.2), from Madrid. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an excellent fit for a unidimensional model, chi(2)(89) = 110.702, p = .059; CFI = .972; RMSEA = .029, 95% CI [.000,.045]. Multigroup invariance analysis showed no significant gender-related differences in all levels. Results also referred an acceptable reliability (omega = .824, r = .610). These results provide psychometric support for the use of the Spanish version of CEAQ as a valid and reliable instrument to assess empathy in children and youth population, especially for school-based interventions.
Background: Sex chromosome aneuploidies occur in approximately one in 420 live births. The most frequent abnormalities are 45, X (Turner syndrome), 47, XXX (triple X), 47, XXY (Klinefelter syndrome), and 47, XYY. The prevalence of males with more than one extra sex chromosome (e.g. 48, XXYY or 48, XXXY) is less common. However, the literature provides little information about the cognitive and behavioural phenotype and the natural history of the disease. We report the clinical, neurocognitive, social cognitive and psychiatric characterization of a patient with 49, XYYYY syndrome. Case presentation: The patient presented with a complex phenotype including a particular cognitive profile with intellectual deficiency and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with limited interests. Moreover, social anxiety disorder with selective mutism and separation anxiety disorder were observed (DSM-5 criteria, MINI Assessment). Conclusion: It is now admitted that 49, XYYYY has unique medical, neurodevelopmental and behavioural characteristics. Interestingly, ASD is more common in groups with Y chromosome aneuploidy. This clinical report suggests that understanding the cognitive and social functioning of these patients may provide new insights into possible therapeutic strategies, as cognitive remediation or social cognitive training.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the swing characteristics of the kicking leg in order to elucidate the technical mechanisms of the drive curve shot (topspin curve shot). The orientation of the ankle joint at the point of ball impact closely resembles the orientation during a general curve shot or inside shot. Moreover, for the ankle joint movement at the point of ball impact, there is less mediolateral movement (y direction) compared to a curve shot, and more movement in the vertical direction (z direction). Based on the fact that the angle of the vertical rotational axis at that point is larger than that in other shots, this is likely to be one of the factors in generating topspin on the ball. Therefore, we believe that some of the most important and fundamental characteristics of drive curve shots are a smaller angle of attack and a larger vertical movement of the ankle joint at the point of impact, as compared to normal curve shots. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University
Social cognition is fundamentally interpersonal: individuals' behaviour and dispositions critically affect their interaction partners' information processing. However, cognitive neuroscience studies, partially because of methodological constraints, have remained largely perceiver-centric: focusing on the abilities, motivations, and goals of social perceivers while largely ignoring interpersonal effects. Here, we address this knowledge gap by examining the neural bases of perceiving emotionally expressive and inexpressive social targets. Sixteen perceivers were scanned using fMRI while they watched targets discussing emotional autobiographical events. Perceivers continuously rated each target's emotional state or eye-gaze direction. The effects of targets' emotional expressivity on perceiver's brain activity depended on task set: when perceivers explicity attended to targets' emotions, expressivity predicted activity in neural structures-including medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortex-associated with drawing inferences about mental states. When perceivers instead attended to targets' eye-gaze, target expressivity predicted activity in regions-including somatosensory cortex, fusiform gyrus, and motor cortex-associated with monitoring sensorimotor states and biological motion. These findings suggest that expressive targets affect information processing in manner that depends on perceivers' goals. More broadly, these data provide an early step toward understanding the neural bases of interpersonal social cognition.
Mobile devices including popular smartphone contributes to efficiency improvement of on-site data processing. Mobile environment for real-time data processing needs some additional aspects besides desktop ones, as the style of mobile app, mobile web and mobile web app. Generally, mobile app provides internal storage service so that offline data processing is possible. But mobile app needs separate development according to different types of devices or operating systems, even to different sizes of display panel of mobile devices. Geo-based data are composed of vector and raster formats from complex structure, compared to other data sets including image data and multimedia data. Hence, even though mobile applications development for geo-based data is more complicated than other ones, users' demands with respect to geo-based data processing functionalities on mobile environment are increasing in these days. Mobile web supported by technical basis of HyperText Markup Language5 (HTML5) is regarded as useful service type combining geo-based data processing modules and mobile environments, because it does not require user' downloading or installation of programs and just needs web browsers. Indexed DB Application Programming Interface (API) within this international web standard provides offline data storage functions on mobile environment. Using this API, data sets can be permanently stored into mobile devices, not cache memory. Among numerous geo-data functionalities, visualization topic is basically and commonly used in most mobile services. This study presents an implementation case of mobile web app with geobased data visualization processing on online and offline mode. Types of geo-based data sets are base map of Open Street Map (OSM), OSM vector layers with Extensible Markup Language (XML) contents and high resolution satellite images of optical sensor. It is thought that the result of this implementation can play a role to create intelligent mobile application fields using both geo-based data sets and earth observation satellite image sets.
The temperature recovering curve derived by cold stimulation experiment reveals human inner metabolism status. The changes of the curve involve many heat-influence factors in which metabolic heat-production is the most important. This paper adopts Tikhonove regularization method to eliminate the measured infrared image data errors and constructs a numerical model based on Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to compute two main heat components heat transfer quantity of blood perfusion and heat-production quantity of metabolism. Different component results are obtained in two typical recovering curves. And the metabolic heat-production quantity comparisons between the diabetic and the healthy show that the metabolic function of the healthy are much better than that of the diabetic numerically. This provides a novel method to estimate the human metabolism quantitatively.
Classroom observation is an important part of language teacher education (Kelly & Grenfell 2004) but its effects could be enhanced through observation and guided analysis of video-recorded lessons. As a Matter of fact, focus on teacher talk and on its specific conversational patterns (Sinclair 1982, Sinclair & Brazil 1982) could be of great benefit on teacher education. Moreover, digital data (audio, video and text) presenting natural speech in context would be a relevant tool for teacher trainers, in order to help their trainees to develop teaching awareness and interaction ability, especially if such data are easily and freely accessible and properly treated through new methods of computer-based multimodal analysis. In this study we have analysed, through a multimodal approach, teacher talk questioning in several L2 and LS Italian classrooms. Questioning is one of the most common techniques used by teachers (Richards, 1996) and serves as the principal way in which teachers control the classroom interaction. In some classrooms over half of class time is taken up by question-and-answer exchanges (Richards, 1996). We have focused on two main types of questions: display questions and referential questions. Through the usage of some video-recorded lessons, transcribed and subtitled, we have investigated the presence and relevance of non-linguistic patterns, that match with regularity with these linguistic phenomena. Particularly, we have examined specific non-verbal and para-verbal activities made by the speakers, tightly linked to the various types of questions, and we have noted that there are recurring behaviours used together with the over mentioned linguistic structures, to express specific communicative and didactic scopes and functions, that is to say to build and spread knowledge in a L2/LS Italian classroom.
Volvariella volvacea is difficult to store fresh because of the lack of low-temperature resistance. Many traditional mutagenic strategies have been applied in order to select out strains resistant to low temperature, but few commercially efficient strains have been produced. In order to break through the bottleneck of traditional breeding and significantly improve low-temperature resistance of the edible fungus V. volvacea, strains resistant to low temperature were constructed by genome shuffling. The optimum conditions of V. volvacea strain mutation, protoplast regeneration, and fusion were determined. After protoplasts were treated with 1% (v/v) ethylmethylsulfonate (EMS), 40Sec of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, 600 Gy electron beam implantation, and 750 Gy(60)Co- irradiation, separately, the lethality was within 70%-80%, which favored generating protoplasts being used in following forward mutation. Under these conditions, 16 strains of V. volvacea mutated by EMS, electron beam, UV irradiation, and Co-60- irradiation were obtained. The 16 mutated protoplasts were selected to serve as the shuffling pool based on their excellent low-temperature resistance. After four rounds of genome shuffling and low-temperature resistance testing, three strains (VF1, VF2, and VF3) with high genetic stability were screened. VF1, VF2, and VF3 significantly enhanced fruit body shelf life to 20, 28, and 28H at 10 degrees C, respectively, which exceeded 25%, 75%, and 75%, respectively, compared with the storage time of V23, the most low-temperature-resistant strain. Genome shuffling greatly improved the low-temperature resistance of V. volvacea, and shortened the course of screening required to generate desirable strains. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to apply genome shuffling to breeding new varieties of mushroom, and offers a new approach for breeding edible fungi with optimized phenotype. (C) 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) is a 10-channel spectroradiometer onboard DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) spacecraft. In addition to the near-infrared (NIR, 780 nm) and the 'red' (680 nm),channels, EPIC also has the 02 A-band (764 +/- 0.2 nm) and B-band (687.75 +/- 0.2 nm). The EPIC Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is defined as the difference between NIR and 'red' channels normalized to their sum. However, the use of the O2 B-band instead of the 'red' channel mitigates the effect of atmosphere on remote sensing of surface reflectance because O2 reduces contribution from the radiation scattered by the atmosphere. Applying the radiative transfer theory and the spectral invariant approximation to EPIC observations, the paper provides supportive arguments for using the O2 band instead of the red channel for monitoring vegetation dynamics. Our results suggest that the use of the O2 B-band enhances the sensitivity of the top-of-atmosphere NDVI to the presence of vegetation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The traditional power control schemes for induction heating device mainly focus on the pulse frequency modulation (PFM) and the pulse density modulation. But they cannot solve the problems of power control, efficiency, and load-adaption well. This paper presents and analyzes the asymmetrical frequency modulation (AFM) control scheme used in the full-bridge series resonant inverter. With the proposed AFM control technique, the output power is controlled by two variables: the operation frequency and the division factor. Better efficiency performance can be achieved in the medium and low output power range when compared with PFM. The principles as well as the zero-voltage switching condition of the AFM are explained and the power losses of switches are analyzed. A control algorithm that schedules the three control modes of AFM is experimentally verified with a digital signal processor based induction heating prototype. The load-adaption, noise and thermal distribution problem of switches are also analyzed.
Major basketball competitions are characterized by complex and rapid attack and defense phases, mainly involving higher execution speed in performing technical procedures as well as individual and collective tactical actions. This research aims at presenting to basketball coaches the results we obtained by applying the PROFILE OF NONVERBAL SENSITIVITY (PONS) nonverbal communication test (N. AMBADY 1980). We consider that the optimization of this type of communication can improve game relations among players, as well as between athletes and coaches, in implementing game tactics and in achieving outstanding performance. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Background: Food allergen labeling is an important tool to reduce risk of exposure and prevent anaphylaxis for individuals with food allergies. Health Canada released a Canadian food allergen labeling regulation (2008) and subsequent update (2012) suggesting that research is needed to guide further iterations of the regulation to improve food allergen labeling and reduce risk of exposure. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine consumer preferences in food labeling for allergy avoidance and anaphylaxis prevention. A secondary objective was to identify whether different subgroups within the consumer population emerged. Methods: A discrete choice experiment using a fractional factorial design divided into ten different versions with 18 choice-sets per version was developed to examine consumer preferences for different attributes of food labeling. Results: Three distinct subgroups of Canadian consumers with different allergen considerations and food allergen labeling needs were identified. Overall, preferences for standardized precautionary and safety symbols at little or no increased cost emerged. Conclusion: While three distinct groups with different preferences were identified, in general the results revealed that the current Canadian food allergen labeling regulation can be improved by enforcing the use of standardized precautionary and safety symbols and educating the public on the use of these symbols.
Quality control of laser additive manufactured medical implants is of interest, especially if nondestructive quality control can be performed on parts before implantation. X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT or CT) can be used for defect/porosity analysis as well as for comparing the part surface with its computer-aided design (CAD) file. In both cases, the limited use of CT is partly due to the variation in scan types and the quality of scans that can occur. We present a simple method demonstrating the use of a light metal casting as a reference porosity sample, to confirm good CT image quality and to quantify minimum detectable pore size for the selected CT scan settings. This makes a good comparison for additive manufactured parts, since castings generally contain more porosity. A full part-to-CAD comparison shows how the part is compared with its CAD file, as a second-quality control. The accuracy of the CAD variance is given by the minimum detectable pore size. Finally, the part is sectioned and scanned at two higher resolution settings showing small porosity (10-50 mu m diameter) present but well distributed, as expected.
Objective: A previous study conducted by our group found theory of mind (ToM) differences in preschool children who sustained mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) compared with typically developing peers, 6 months postinjury. The goals of the current longitudinal study were to determine whether these findings are the result of a brain-injury-specific effect or rather a general-injury effect, to examine the long-term evolution of ToM skills following preschool mTBI, as well as to investigate the links between ToM abilities and general social functioning. Method: Seventy-two children who sustained mTBI between the ages of 18 and 60 months were evaluated 6 and 18 months postinjury on ToM tasks including desires and emotions reasoning and false belief understanding. They were compared with 58 participants who sustained an orthopedic injury (OI) and 83 typically developing children (TDC). Results: The 3 groups did not differ on demographic and baseline characteristics. The mTBI group obtained poorer scores relative to both comparison groups on the desires and emotions reasoning task, both at 6 and 18 months injury. No correlations were found between injury characteristics and ToM performance. For the mTBI group, associations were found between ToM performance and global social competence. Conclusion: These findings suggest a brain-injury-specific effect that persists in the long-term following mTBI in preschool children.
Chemistry was already pioneered by ancient Egyptians up to 4000 years ago. Despite its age, chemistry is by no means a dying scientific discipline. The different branches of study within chemistry have infiltrated all fields of life science research, and nobody can work in this area without using chemistry in the broadest sense. The present article is a personal view on how chemistry supports life science research, in particular in the field of nutrition and metabolism research. It provides insight into how chemistry, in close collaboration with life science research, helps to fill the gaps between our current fragmentary understanding and the comprehensive knowledge required for better understanding the molecular details of metabolism, health and disease, and aging. The most important contributions of the chemical disciplines to these studies with respect to a systems biological description of human nutrition and metabolism will be outlined.
The goal of the study was to determine if people's endorsement of different moral foundations influences their degree of prosocial behavior in a set of economic exchange games. Moral Foundations Theory has proven to be a useful means of categorizing ideas about morality and predicting opinions on aspects of social justice, political orientation, and other constructs related to prosocial behavior. This study sought to determine if Progressivism, the degree to which individuals endorse the individualizing moral foundations (i.e., Harm/Care and Fairness/Reciprocity) over the binding moral foundations (i.e., In-group/Loyalty, Authority/Respect, and Purity/Sanctity), would lead to more frequent cooperation in the Prisoner's Dilemma, a higher level of investment in the Trust Game, a higher level of return of one's partner's investment in the Trust Game, and fewer points stolen in the Thieves' Game. The results indicated no relationship between Progressivism and performance in the Thieves' Game. In three separate linear regressions controlling for age, gender, race, and Big-5 personality traits Progressivism was associated with more frequent cooperation in the Prisoner's Dilemma, a higher level of investment in the Trust Game, and a higher level of return of one's partner's investment in the Trust Game. Therefore it does appear that moral foundations do predict performance in economic exchange games and that,a greater endorsement of Progressivism is associated with more prosocial behavior. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
To evade the well-known impossibility of unconditionally secure quantum two-party computations, previous quantum private comparison protocols have to adopt a third party. Here, we study how far we can go with two parties only. We propose a very feasible and efficient protocol. Intriguingly, although the average amount of information leaked cannot be made arbitrarily small, we find that this average will not exceed 14 bits for any length of the bit-string being compared.
Two principal types of human in vivo studies with non-pharmaceuticals can be distinguished: (1) human metabolism studies are used for identification of target metabolites which can subsequently be used in biological monitoring studies. Furthermore, they allow extrapolation from excretion of metabolite(s) to exposure to the parent compound on the basis of an understanding of human pharmacokinetics. (?) Pharmacodynamic or effect studies are restricted to the study of acute and inherently reversible changes and are most likely to improve risk assessment in the following areas: neurobehavioural effects (e.g, alcohol, organic solvents), alterations in biochemical markers (e.g. cholinesterase inhibition following organophosphate exposure) and topical effects (e.g, skin irritancy). Ethical considerations al e of prime importance and, as a minimum, any human study must comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol should include scientifically sound objectives, a justification of subject numbers. a formal risk-benefit analysis and provisions for appropriate ethical review. The welfare of the individual participating in the study must be paramount. Informed consent has to be obtained and subjects must be free to withdraw from the study at any time. Compensation should be given for the inconvenience of participating in the study. but never for undergoing risk. Provided these conditions are met, human volunteer studies can be a powerful tool in risk assessment and risk management of exposure to non-pharmaceutical products. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
The emergence of proteomics has led to major technological advances in mass spectrometry (MS). These advancements not only benefitted MS-based high-throughput proteomics but also increased the impact of mass spectrometry on the field of structural and molecular biology. Here, we review how state-of-the-art MS methods, including native MS, top-down protein sequencing, cross-linking-MS, and hydrogen-deuterium exchange-MS, nowadays enable the characterization of biomolecular structures, functions, and interactions. In particular, we focus on the role of mass spectrometry in integrated structural and molecular biology investigations of biological macromolecular complexes and cellular machineries, highlighting work on CRISPR-Cas systems and eukaryotic transcription complexes.
Background: Previous genomewide association studies (GWASs) have identified a number of putative risk loci for alcohol dependence (AD). However, only a few loci have replicated and these replicated variants only explain a small proportion of AD risk. Using an innovative approach, the goal of this study was to generate hypotheses about potentially causal variants for AD that can be explored further through functional studies. Methods: We employed targeted capture of 71 candidate loci and flanking regions followed by next-generation deep sequencing (mean coverage 78X) in 806 European Americans. Regions included in our targeted capture library were genes identified through published GWAS of alcohol, all human alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases, reward system genes including dopaminergic and opioid receptors, prioritized candidate genes based on previous associations, and genes involved in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs. We performed single-locus tests to determine if any single variant was associated with AD symptom count. Sets of variants that overlapped with biologically meaningful annotations were tested for association in aggregate. Results: No single, common variant was significantly associated with AD in our study. We did, however, find evidence for association with several variant sets. Two variant sets were significant at the q-value <0.10 level: a genic enhancer for ADHFE1 (p=1.47x10(-5); q=0.019), an alcohol dehydrogenase, and ADORA1 (p=5.29x10(-5); q=0.035), an adenosine receptor that belongs to a G-protein-coupled receptor gene family. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first sequencing study of AD to examine variants in entire genes, including flanking and regulatory regions. We found that in addition to protein coding variant sets, regulatory variant sets may play a role in AD. From these findings, we have generated initial functional hypotheses about how these sets may influence AD.
This paper presents a new approach to infer worldwide malware-infected machines by solely analyzing their generated probing activities. In contrary to other adopted methods, the proposed approach does not rely on symptoms of infection to detect compromised machines. This allows the inference of malware infection at very early stages of contamination. The approach aims at detecting whether the machines are infected or not as well as pinpointing the exact malware type/family. The latter insights allow network security operators of diverse organizations, Internet service providers and backbone networks to promptly detect their clients' compromised machines in addition to effectively providing them with tailored anti-malware/patch solutions. To achieve the intended goals, the proposed approach exploits the darknet Internet space and initially filters out misconfiguration traffic targeting such space using a probabilistic model. Subsequently, the approach employs statistical methods to infer large-scale probing activities as perceived by the dark space. Consequently, such activities are correlated with malware samples by leveraging fuzzy hashing and entropy based techniques. The proposed approach is empirically evaluated using a recent 60 GB of real darknet traffic and 65 thousand real malware samples. The results concur that the rationale of exploiting probing activities for worldwide early malware infection detection is indeed very promising. Further, the results, which were validated using publically available data resources, demonstrate that the extracted inferences exhibit noteworthy accuracy and can generate significant cyber security insights that could be used for effective mitigation. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Research on intergroup contact has grown exponentially over the past decade. Such research has typically extolled the benefits of positive interaction between members of historically divided communities, particularly on outcomes related to prejudice reduction. Emerging work in the field, however, has qualified this optimistic picture by identifying three gaps in the existing literature. First, in everyday life, contact may be construed as a negative experience that increases rather than decreases responses such as prejudice, anxiety, and avoidance. Second, in real-life settings, contact is often circumscribed by informal practices of (re)segregation that are easily overlooked if researchers rely primarily on examining structured contact and explicit processes using primarily laboratory and questionnaire methods. Third, positive contact may have ironic effects on the political attitudes and behaviors of the historically disadvantaged, undermining their recognition of social injustice and decreasing their willingness to engage in collective action to challenge the status quo. Although it is now a truism that intergroup contact can reduce intergroup prejudice, these developments emphasize the importance of maintaining a critical perspective on the contact hypothesis as a model for promoting social change in historically divided and unequal societies. They also lay the foundations for future developments in the field.
Chronic health conditions of the elderly lead to limitations in physical activity with disability, anxiety, and increased need for medical care and assisted living conditions. Physical performance tests are used to screen for pending loss of mobility and can serve as endpoints to monitor the effectiveness of intervention measures. Since limited mobility is associated with the physical and mental health of a person, evaluation of this in preclinical aging studies in mice will provide a translational approach for testing new intervention strategies. We assessed physiological parameters in 4, 12, 20 and 28 month old C57BL/6 and CB6F1 male mice using a rotating rod, a free running wheel, and a photo beam activity field, designed to determine changes in coordinated walking ability, self-motivated running distance, and anxiety response to a novel environment, respectively. Older mice showed decreased coordinated walking times and decreased running distances, predictive of physical performance ability and motivation in the elderly. Changes in both lateral and vertical movements were observed in a novel cage environment suggesting different levels of anxiety. Because the genetic background of the two mouse strains influenced test results in an age-dependent manner, it is imperative to recognize that diverse genetic backgrounds in mice may yield different data in preclinical studies and would need to be interpreted individually for translational applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This research examined how affective and cognitive responses to culture fusion, a specific type of culture mixing that features the blending of different cultures or parts thereof into a new entity, are influenced by individual differences in Need for Closure (NFC). Two studies showed that individuals high (vs. low) in NFC felt less favorable toward culture fusion (i.e., the affective response), both at an abstract level (i.e., society structure models; Study 1, N = 191) and at a more concrete level (i.e., food stimuli; Study 2, N = 257). In addition, high NFC individuals tended to assign culturally fused stimuli to one discrete culture, rather than acknowledging them as culturally hybrid (i.e., the cognitive response). Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that the relationships between NFC and responses toward culture fusion were mediated by Right-Wing Authoritarianism. These findings are interpreted in terms of the threat to epistemic security needs posed by culture fusion.
With the advances of stem cell research, development of intelligent biomaterials and three-dimensional biofabrication strategies, highly mimicked tissue or organs can be engineered. Among all the biofabrication approaches, bioprinting based on inkjet printing technology has the promises to deliver and create biomimicked tissue with high throughput, digital control, and the capacity of single cell manipulation. Therefore, this enabling technology has great potential in regenerative medicine and translational applications. The most current advances in organ and tissue bioprinting based on the thermal inkjet printing technology are described in this review, including vasculature, muscle, cartilage, and bone. In addition, the benign side effect of bioprinting to the printed mammalian cells can be utilized for gene or drug delivery, which can be achieved conveniently during precise cell placement for tissue construction. With layer-by-layer assembly, three-dimensional tissues with complex structures can be printed using converted medical images. Therefore, bioprinting based on thermal inkjet is so far the most optimal solution to engineer vascular system to the thick and complex tissues. Collectively, bioprinting has great potential and broad applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The future advances of bioprinting include the integration of different printing mechanisms to engineer biphasic or triphasic tissues with optimized scaffolds and further understanding of stem cell biology.
Social pressure exerted by urban development, the increase in erosion on many coastal stretches, and the rise in sea level due to climate change over the last few decades have led governments to increase investment in coastal protection. In turn, a reduction in costs and increases in ease of construction and rate of implementation have led to sand-filled geotextile elements, such as bags, tubes, and containers, becoming an alternative or supplement to traditional coastal defence materials, such as rubble mounds, concrete, and so on. Not all coastal zones are appropriate for sand-filled geotextile structures as coastal defences. This article analyses suitable zones for locating geotextile bag revetments to protect coasts from storm erosion and concludes that the least suitable zones are the surf zone (on an open coast and on a slightly protected coast) and deep water (on an open coast), except if a suitable reinforcement is carried out when the demand makes it necessary this build this kind of defence.
This study focuses on four textile industries (DH-GEDA, NOYA, ALMHADI, and ALSAR) established between 2005 and 2008 in the peri-urban areas of Dukem and Gelan. The objectives of the study were to generate baseline information regarding the concentration levels of selected pollutants and to analyze their effects on biophysical environments. This study also attempts to explore the level of exposure that humans and livestock have to polluted effluents and the effects thereof. The findings of this study are based on data empirically collected from two sources: laboratory analysis of sample effluents from the four selected textile plants and quantitative as well as qualitative socioeconomic data collection. As part of the latter, a household survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) with elderly and other focal persons were employed in the towns of Dukem and Gelan. The results of the study show that large concentrations of biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and pH were found in all the observed textile industries, at levels beyond the permissible discharge limit set by the national Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Furthermore, sulfide (S-2), R-phosphate (R-PO43), and Zn were found in large concentrations in DH-GEDA and ALMHADI, while high concentrations were also identified in samples taken from ALSAR and ALMHADI. In spite of the clear-cut legal tools, this study shows that the local environment, people, and their livestock are exposed to highly contaminated effluents. We therefore recommend that the respective federal and regional government bodies should reexamine the compliance to and actual implementation of the existing legal procedures and regulations and respond appropriately.
Dense motion field estimation is a key computer vision problem. Many solutions have been proposed to compute small or large displacements, narrow or wide baseline stereo disparity, or non-rigid surface registration, but a unified methodology is still lacking. The authors introduce a general framework that robustly combines direct and feature-based matching. The feature-based cost is built around a novel robust distance function that handles keypoints and weak features such as segments. It allows us to use putative feature matches to guide dense motion estimation out of local minima. The authors' framework uses a robust direct data term. It is implemented with a powerful second-order regularisation with external and self-occlusion reasoning. Their framework achieves state-of-the-art performance in several cases (standard optical flow benchmarks, wide-baseline stereo and non-rigid surface registration). Their framework has a modular design that customises to specific application needs.
Background: The Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (GS: SFHS) is a family-based population cohort with DNA, biological samples, socio-demographic, psychological and clinical data from approximately 24,000 adult volunteers across Scotland. Although data collection was cross-sectional, GS: SFHS became a prospective cohort due to of the ability to link to routine Electronic Health Record (EHR) data. Over 20,000 participants were selected for genotyping using a large genome-wide array. Methods: GS: SFHS was analysed using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to test the effects of a large spectrum of variants, imputed using the Haplotype Research Consortium (HRC) dataset, on medically relevant traits measured directly or obtained from EHRs. The HRC dataset is the largest available haplotype reference panel for imputation of variants in populations of European ancestry and allows investigation of variants with low minor allele frequencies within the entire GS: SFHS genotyped cohort. Results: Genome-wide associations were run on 20,032 individuals using both genotyped and HRC imputed data. We present results for a range of well-studied quantitative traits obtained from clinic visits and for serum urate measures obtained from data linkage to EHRs collected by the Scottish National Health Service. Results replicated known associations and additionally reveal novel findings, mainly with rare variants, validating the use of the HRC imputation panel. For example, we identified two new associations with fasting glucose at variants near to Y_RNA and WDR4 and four new associations with heart rate at SNPs within CSMD1 and ASPH, upstream of HTR1F and between PROKR2 and GPCPD1. All were driven by rare variants (minor allele frequencies in the range of 0.08-1%). Proof of principle for use of EHRs was verification of the highly significant association of urate levels with the well-established urate transporter SLC2A9. Conclusions: GS: SFHS provides genetic data on over 20,000 participants alongside a range of phenotypes as well as linkage to National Health Service laboratory and clinical records. We have shown that the combination of deeper genotype imputation and extended phenotype availability make GS: SFHS an attractive resource to carry out association studies to gain insight into the genetic architecture of complex traits.
Purpose The application of organic and inorganic fertilizers to soil can result in increased gaseous emissions, such as NH3, N2O, CO2, and CH4, as well as nitrate leaching, contributing to climate warming and ground and surface water pollution, particularly in regions with hot climates, where high temperatures and high soil nitrification rates often occur. The use of nitrification inhibitors (NIs) has been shown to effectively decrease nitrogen (N) losses from the soil-plant system. Materials and methods Non-disruptive laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to assess the extent to which temperature (20 and 30 degrees C) and nutrient source (mineral and organic fertilizers) influence the rate of carbon (C)- and N-related microbial processes in soil in response to the NI 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP). Furthermore, short-term changes in the ability of microbes to degrade C substrates were evaluated in disruptive soil microcosms using microbial community-level physiological profiling and the abundance of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene as a measure of total bacterial population size. Results and discussion DMPP reduced net nitrification after 2 and 4 weeks of incubation at 30 and 20 degrees C by an average of 78.3 and 84.5 %, respectively, and with similar dynamics for mineral or organic fertilization. The addition of labile organic matter with cattle effluent led to a rapid increase in C mineralization that was significantly reduced by DMPP at both temperatures, whereas no changes could be detected after the addition of mineral fertilizer. The culturable heterotrophic microorganisms showed metabolic diversification in the oxidation of C sources, with organic fertilizer playing a major role in the substrate utilization patterns during the first week of incubation and the DMPP effects prevailing from day 14 until day 28. Furthermore, the copy number of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was reduced by the application of DMPP and organic fertilizer after 28 days. Conclusions Our results show the marked efficiency of DMPP as an NI at elevated temperatures of incubation and when associated with both mineral and organic fertilization, providing support for its use as a tool to mitigate N losses in Mediterranean ecosystems. However, we also observed impaired C respiration rates and bacterial abundances, as well as shifts in communitylevel physiological profiles in soil, possibly indicating a short-term effect of DMPP and organic fertilizers on non-target Crelated processes and microorganisms.
The pathophysiological changes associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) begin decades before the emergence of clinical symptoms. Understanding the early mechanisms associated with AD pathology is, therefore, especially important for identifying disease-modifying therapeutic targets. While the majority of AD clinical trials to date have focused on anti-amyloid-beta (A beta) treatments, other therapeutic approaches may be necessary. The ability to monitor changes in cellular networks that include both A beta and non-A beta pathways is essential to advance our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of AD and subsequent development of cognitive symptoms and dementia. Metabolomics is a powerful tool that detects perturbations in the metabolome, a pool of metabolites that reflects changes downstream of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic fluctuations, and represents an accurate biochemical profile of the organism in health and disease. The application of metabolomics could help to identify biomarkers for early AD diagnosis, to discover novel therapeutic targets, and to monitor therapeutic response and disease progression. Moreover, given the considerable parallel between mouse and human metabolism, the use of metabolomics provides ready translation of animal research into human studies for accelerated drug design. In this review, we will summarize current progress in the application of metabolomics in both animal models and in humans to further understanding of the mechanisms involved in AD pathogenesis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Misfolded Proteins, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Neurodegenerative Diseases. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
During the last decades photogrammetric computer vision systems have been well established in scientific and commercial applications. Recent developments in image-based 3D reconstruction systems have resulted in an easy way of creating realistic, visually appealing and accurate 3D models. We present a fully automated processing pipeline for metric and geo-accurate 3D reconstructions of complex geometries supported by an online feedback method for user guidance during image acquisition. Our approach is suited for seamlessly matching and integrating images with different scales, from different view points (aerial and terrestrial), and with different cameras into one single reconstruction. We evaluate our approach based on different datasets for applications in mining, archaeology and urban environments and thus demonstrate the flexibility and high accuracy of our approach. Our evaluation includes accuracy related analyses investigating camera self-calibration, georegistration and camera network configuration. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
